Bulwark Takes: Sen. Warner — Trump’s Firing Spree Looks Like Watergate!

Podcast: Bulwark Takes
Host: Sam Stein (Bulwark Managing Editor)
Guest: Senator Mark Warner (Virginia, Chair of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence)
Date: September 22, 2025

Overview

This episode dives into President Trump's abrupt firing of Eric Seibert, the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and the intent to install Trump’s personal attorney, Lindsey Halligan, in the powerful post. Senator Mark Warner joins Sam Stein to discuss the significance of this move, historical parallels to Watergate and the Bush-era U.S. attorney scandal, threats to the DOJ’s independence, lack of institutional outrage, national security concerns, and other breaking headlines including TikTok, Afghanistan, and the looming government shutdown.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The U.S. Attorney Firing Spree: What’s Happening?

• Background: Trump fired Eastern District U.S. Attorney Eric Seibert after Seibert did not pursue charges against New York AG Letitia James, who had brought legal actions against Trump. Trump is naming Lindsey Halligan, his former defense attorney, as Seibert’s replacement (02:02).
• Process Subverted: Warner explains the typical bipartisan process for U.S. Attorney picks in Virginia, where both Democratic and Republican senators vet candidates and recommend a shortlist for presidential selection (02:58).
  • "We still want them to follow the law… But want them sure. You know, we recognize president’s got a right to pick who he wants." — Warner (02:58)
• Importance of the Role: Eastern District of Virginia is described as potentially the most important U.S. Attorney’s office after SDNY, handling counter-terrorism, espionage, and cybercrime. Not a place for on-the-job training (03:55, 11:38).
• No Warning: Warner found out about the firing only days prior; the administration gave no heads up (05:51).
  • "First I heard with Thursday… At least Nixon tried to do this stuff late at night and hide it. The fact that Trump is now blasting his US Attorney for not bringing a case..." — Warner (05:51)

2. Historical Parallels: Watergate and the Bush 2006 US Attorney Scandal

• Transparency (or Lack Thereof): Warner compares Trump’s blatant public statements to Nixon’s secretive tactics.
  • "At least Nixon tried to do this stuff late at night and hide it. The fact that Trump is now blasting his US Attorney… I mean, holy crap." — Warner (05:51)
• Bush 2006 Scandal: Stein draws a comparison between Bush’s mass firings of U.S. Attorneys for political loyalty and Trump’s move, but notes Trump is not pretending there's a non-political justification (06:31).
  • "Trump's not even bothering to hide the ball in this case. He's basically saying, yes, it is because of political means." — Stein (07:07)
• Rule of Law Undermined: Warner stresses the broader danger if politically motivated prosecutions become standard.
  • "If that becomes the new norm, we're more screwed than we think we are." — Warner (07:34)

3. Institutional & Legal Response — Or Lack Thereof

• Tepid Institutional Reaction: Warner expresses frustration that the legal community—including the ABA and judiciary—has not spoken out in force (09:49).
  • "So far, not much... If everybody rolls over and just says, oh, there he goes again, then... when evidence is brought—and if it’s not against a political enemy, it could be against a broadcaster or a podcaster or a politician." — Warner (09:49)
• Normalization of Crisis: Warner and Stein discuss how repeated norm-breaking risks making such conduct seem routine (11:05).
  • "They feel… it becomes the new norm. Right? I mean, you start to feel like, okay, that's just the baseline." — Stein (11:05)

4. Concerns About Lindsey Halligan’s Appointment

• Qualifications Questioned: Halligan, Trump’s personal former attorney, reportedly lacks prosecution or relevant experience.
  • "This is not a place for on the job training. This is a place where we’ve got to have a prosecutor that knows how to go after terrorists, knows how to go after spies, understands technology..." — Warner (11:38)
• Senate’s Role Eroded: Warner worries about the tradition of senators recommending nominees being ignored, noting Trump’s own public statements now seem to penalize bipartisan support (13:39).
  • "If they have the backing of Warner and Kaine, ergo, they must be bad, he must be a bad guy." — Stein (13:39)

5. National Security & Other Headlines

A. TikTok Sale & Media Consolidation

• Backstory: Warner recalls Trump/Mnuchin’s earlier crackdown, says he’ll reserve judgment until details are clear (14:30).
  • "The challenge can be, can we make sure that the algorithm… has some American control over it? That’s really critical." — Warner (14:30)
• Media Consolidation Concerns: Stein highlights that Trump-friendly billionaires (e.g., Oracle, possibly the Murdochs) could control the platform, which alarms Democratic voters (15:17).
  • Warner credits Ted Cruz for standing up against FCC threats to public broadcasting (15:42).

B. Afghanistan & Bagram Air Base

• Trump’s Claim: Wants to "reacquire" Bagram, potentially redeploy U.S. forces.
  • Warner dismisses this as unrealistic and points out worsening foreign interventions in Ukraine and Gaza under Trump’s claims (16:18).
  • "Now this idea that he's going to put American forces back in Afghanistan… Is this really the kind of national security war ending guy you thought you were hiring?" — Warner (16:18)

C. Looming Government Shutdown

• Virginia Hit Hard: Warner notes hundreds of thousands of Virginian jobs are at risk and health insurance rates are about to spike if Trump and Democrats can’t strike a deal (17:17).
  • "The idea [that] we can talk about that later—baloney. The rates are going out right now in October 1st in Virginia." — Warner (17:17)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the Firing Spree:
  • "Holy crap. I mean, the one thing I did feel… you gotta follow the law. And it appears to me that at least on character basis, we made pretty darn good choices." — Warner (03:55)
• On Norm-Breaking:
  • "If lawyers across the country, the judiciary across the country, people who believe in rule of law aren't saying… this is plain old ‘you go after my political opponents’… then we’re more screwed than we think we are." — Warner (07:34)
• On the New Normal:
  • "And then I think people feel… I don’t know what they feel unless—They feel, ‘oh, because it becomes the new norm.’" — Warner/Stein (11:05)
• On Trump’s Approach:
  • "If Donald Trump is the ultimate dealmaker, why [shouldn’t] he be afraid to sit down with a couple of Democrats?" — Warner (17:17)
• Comic Relief:
  • "The secret is heavy on the mayo." — Warner, about his infamous “tuna melt” TikTok videos (18:18)

Important Segments & Timestamps

| Segment | Timestamp | Details | |------------------------------------------------|:-------------:|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Trump fires Seibert, appoints Halligan | 02:02 | Set-up of main controversy | | Warner explains VA U.S. attorney process | 02:58 | How bipartisanship is supposed to function in nominations | | Historical comparisons: Nixon, Bush 2006 | 05:51–07:07 | Watergate, partisan firings, the breakdown of DOJ independence | | Institutional reaction (or lack thereof) | 09:49 | Legal community’s silence and the risk of normalization | | Halligan concerns, blue slip process | 11:38–13:39 | Experience questioned, Senate process bypassed, Trump targets bipartisan support | | TikTok & media consolidation worries | 14:30–15:55 | National security implications, control of the TikTok algorithm | | Afghanistan/Bagram, foreign policy under Trump | 16:18 | Skepticism about Trump’s promises and national security credibility | | Shutdown, impact on VA jobs & health care | 17:17 | Stakes of government shutdown and direct Virginia consequences | | Comic relief: tuna melt and TikTok | 18:18 | Light-hearted close |

Summary

• Senator Mark Warner voices alarm over President Trump’s direct intervention in federal prosecutions, warning this firing spree is a blatant break with tradition and rule of law—more transparent and dangerous, he argues, than prior scandals like Watergate or the Bush-era DOJ shakeups.
• Both Warner and Stein underscore how the normalization of such norm-breaking corrodes the justice system, and lament the tepid institutional pushback so far.
• The guest raises real concerns about the qualifications of Lindsey Halligan, the erosion of Senate input on nominations, and the political weaponization of law enforcement.
• The conversation then briefly touches on national security: the fate of TikTok, media ownership consolidation, Trump’s shifting foreign policy stances, and government shutdown worries—especially for Virginian constituents.
• The interview closes with a moment of levity as Warner jokes about the “tuna melt” TikTok memes.

Bottom line: This episode is both an urgent warning and a historical reflection on the politicization creeping into America’s legal institutions, and a candid check-in on several national security flashpoints as the 2025 news cycle continues at breakneck pace.