I sat down with Representative Dan Goldman (D-NY) to talk about the shutdown, Trump’s revenge through the Department of Justice (DOJ), election security, and the rising risk of political violence. It was a sobering, plain-spoken conversation about how close we are to breaking any remaining guardrails—and what it’ll take to push back.
LISTEN / WATCH the full conversation above.
Goldman walked through how the SNAP fiasco exposed something darker than budget brinkmanship: the White House used the shutdown as a pretext to withhold food assistance even though an emergency fund already existed — until court threats forced them to pay out.
From there, we zoomed out into how the rule of law is being bent to favor the president; how norms that used to separate prosecutions from presidential whims are being erased; and how the same pressure is now being applied to the 2026 and 2028 elections, from redistricting games to rigging elections from the inside and normalizing troops around polling places.
Rep. Goldman also speaks candidly about fear — among members of Congress and the public — as political violence escalates and rhetoric keeps getting ratcheted up. I pressed him on whether Republicans in Congress will ever reclaim their role as a check on the executive and, if not, how the damage will spread from the justice system to into broader society.
A few quotes from the conversation stuck with me.
On withholding SNAP benefits: “The cruelty is almost feels like the point.”
On a scale of one to ten, how worried is he about the rule of law: “I’m probably about an eight or a nine at this point, because the justice system and the Department of Justice is the linchpin for the rule of law in our country.”
On Trump breaking laws: “He is literally calling his own balls and strikes and determining for himself what he wants to do.”
On Trump rigging the vote: “He is trying to make sure that our elections are not actually free and fair so that he can win… he’s just going to bypass all of that and go after [the system itself].”
More than anything, our conversation about the rule of law stuck with me. It’s a phrase that sounds abstract and academy. But at the end of the day, if the rules don’t matter anymore, everything in our lives will break down. If there are two systems of justice — one for the president and his friends and another for the rest of us — America can’t function.
So if you care about keeping the refs on the field, I hope you will watch, share, and send this to a friend who thinks “it can’t happen here.”
P.S. WHAT’S HAPPENING ON TREASON
Here’s what’s coming up.
TODAY / Tues, Nov 4 @ 3pm ET - ELECTION DAY with Paul Begala - Former senior advisor to President Clinton and long-time Democratic strategist Paul Begala will join me for a discussion of the Election Day races in New Jersey, Virginia, and beyond — as well as what’s to come ahead of the 2026 midterms. You can join us here.
TOMORROW / Weds, Nov 5 @ 12noon ET - Weekly Wednesday Coffee - Last week, you were the first to find out about DEFIANCE.org. If you join this week, you’ll be the first to find out what’s coming next on TREASON. You can join us here.
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