Deadline: White House — “A wave of anger and frustration”

Host: Alicia Menendez (in for Nicolle Wallace)
Date: December 22, 2025
Podcast: Deadline: White House

Episode Overview

This episode focuses on a groundswell of outrage and disappointment surrounding the Justice Department’s handling of the Epstein files’ release, raising major questions about government transparency, institutional accountability, and the protection of survivors. The conversation then pivots to escalating U.S. actions against Venezuela, the implications of media censorship at CBS News under Bari Weiss, and the Trump administration's ongoing campaign of legal retribution. Prominent lawmakers, analysts, and journalists join Alicia Menendez to dissect each issue, drawn together by the central theme: Who truly wields power in America, and how do they use (or abuse) it?

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Anger at DOJ Over Epstein Files

(00:49–16:20)

• Survivors and advocates accuse DOJ of failing them:

  • DOJ’s “dump” of Epstein-related files contained little new information, and in many places was so heavily redacted as to be “intentionally careless” and almost useless.
  • Survivors were contacted only hours before the files’ release, despite DOJ having 30 days to coordinate.
  • Some survivors’ names were left unredacted, exposing nonpublic identities, while documents meant to be public were rendered unreadable.

• Quote – Survivor Danielle Bensky on feeling let down:

  “This was meant to be a deadline where we could search and go in and find what we were looking for. And instead, we just haven’t had it. And it feels intentionally careless. It feels like another way that the system has failed us.” — Danielle Bensky, Survivor [02:00]

• Congressional frustration and proposed remedies:

  • Congressmen Ro Khanna and Thomas Massie are considering measures from inherent contempt for AG Pam Bondi, impeachment of Justice officials, to legal action through the courts.
  • Rep. Robert Garcia calls for accountability for both the abusers and the institutions covering up, stating,

    "They're defying Congress. They're defying the will of the people. They're lying to the American public." [07:32]

  • Legal pathways and inter-branch court action are being considered, as the DOJ’s rationale for redactions is seen as disingenuous and unlawful.

• Institutional distrust highlighted by Prof. Eddie Glaud:

  “The fact that the people in power cannot in a reasonable way address the victimization of young girls speaks volumes about who they are…” [04:49]

  • The handling of the files is painted as a symptom of deeper institutional rot and a system built to shield powerful men.

Notable Timestamps:

• [00:49] – Overview of DOJ’s mishandling and survivor testimony
• [04:26] – Eddie Glaud on the moral bankruptcy at play
• [07:32] – Rep. Robert Garcia calls DOJ’s actions a cover-up
• [14:49] – Congressional contact with survivor groups

2. Escalating U.S. Hostility Toward Venezuela

(17:50–29:06)

• U.S. Coast Guard intensifies actions against Venezuela-linked oil tankers:

  • Tankers flagged for Iranian oil trade are pursued and sometimes seized, in the context of mounting U.S.–Venezuela tensions.

• Policy confusion and fears of ‘regime change’:

  • Former Sec. of the Air Force Frank Kendall and former Obama advisor Ben Rhodes agree that Trump’s motivations appear focused on regime change under the pretense of anti-narcotics operations.

  • "What they’re doing is they’re using legal justifications that have nothing to do with the actual intent of their policy. The intent… is regime change in Venezuela." — Ben Rhodes [21:25]

  • Opposition spans parties, with even some conservative voices warning of “a prelude to war.”

• Critique of “imperial presidency” and resource grabs:

  • Eddie Glaud draws historical parallels to earlier U.S. interventions in Latin America, emphasizing:

    “We have big powerful people covering up for powerful people... Now we have an imperial presidency acting in a way he's always trying to cosplay Teddy Roosevelt…” [23:11]

  • The pattern is likened to Vladimir Putin’s expansionism, with Latin America as a “sphere of influence,” resource extraction and right-wing strongmen as key threads.

• Senate voices – Rand Paul vs. Lindsey Graham:

  • Rand Paul warns of escalation and questions legality [20:22]; Graham focuses on anti-Maduro rhetoric, but is challenged on factual grounds [25:24].

Notable Timestamps:

• [17:50] – U.S. actions in Venezuela
• [21:25] – Ben Rhodes on regime change policy
• [25:24] – Debate over the drug trafficking rationale

3. Media Censorship and CBS News Turmoil

(29:06–36:37)

• 60 Minutes segment on El Salvador’s Cecot prison spiked:

  • New CBS News chief Bari Weiss pulled a prepared segment on U.S.-deported men tortured in Cecot prison, citing “insufficient context.” This move sparked outrage over alleged political interference to appease the Trump administration.

• Internal and external backlash:

  • Sharon Alfonsi, the segment’s reporter, likened it to CBS caving to political pressure over tobacco whistleblower stories in the 1990s.

  • “We go from an investigative powerhouse to a stenographer for the state.” — Sharon Alfonsi, CBS News [30:06]

  • NYT's Michael Greenbaum reports newsroom “turmoil” and a rift between old-guard journalists and Weiss’s “anti-woke” approach.

• Broader media landscape and government overreach:

  • The decision is contextualized within ongoing Trump-era efforts to control media content and limit scrutiny of controversial policies, particularly those targeting migrants.

• Human rights angle:

  • Analyst Andrea Flores stresses the act’s direct connection to ongoing abuses and the attempt to “hide” indefensible policy choices:

    “You do not send anyone to a place like Sika and pretend that you do not know they will be tortured there…” [35:14]

Notable Timestamps:

• [31:30] – Michael Greenbaum on newsroom reaction
• [35:14] – Andrea Flores on torture and policy

4. Trump’s DOJ, Legal Retribution, and Rule of Law

(37:30–43:59)

• Trump DOJ pursues legal revenge:

  • Despite dismissals, the DOJ appeals cases targeting James Comey and Letitia James, with appointees facing judicial rebuke for their unlawful or incompetent behavior.

• Expert legal critique:

  • Attorney Mark Elias accuses DOJ of weaponized incompetence, arguing the process is “scandalous theater” designed to build grievance, not credible legal outcomes:

    “This is a Department of Justice set on retribution. This is also an incompetently run Department of Justice, which may be the only thing that winds up saving democracy…” — Mark Elias [38:31]

  • Elias predicts the administration will lose in court, but the spectacle energizes its base.

• Pam Bondi, Lindsey Halligan, and compromised DOJ:

  • Deputy AG Todd Blanche’s claims about Halligan are contradicted by Trump’s own public statements, illustrating administration dishonesty.
  • The administration is accused of defying court rulings and abusing executive power:

    “The fact is that this Department of Justice will lie about everything and anything that they have to in order to accomplish what Donald Trump wants him to accomplish.” — Mark Elias [41:57]

Notable Timestamps:

• [38:31] – Mark Elias critiques DOJ’s actions
• [41:57] – Elias on administration’s dishonesty

Notable Quotes

| Time | Quote | Speaker | |----------|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|------------------------| | 02:00 | "It feels intentionally careless. It feels like another way that the system has failed us." | Danielle Bensky | | 04:49 | "The fact that the people in power cannot in a reasonable way address the victimization of young girls..."| Prof. Eddie Glaud | | 07:32 | "They’re defying Congress. They’re defying the will of the people. They’re lying to the American public."| Rep. Robert Garcia | | 21:25 | "What they’re doing is they’re using legal justifications that have nothing to do with the actual intent..."| Ben Rhodes | | 23:11 | "We have big powerful people covering up for powerful people... Now we have an imperial presidency..." | Prof. Eddie Glaud | | 30:06 | "We go from an investigative powerhouse to a stenographer for the state." | Sharon Alfonsi | | 35:14 | "You do not send anyone to a place like Sika and pretend that you do not know they will be tortured there."| Andrea Flores | | 38:31 | "This is a Department of Justice set on retribution. This is also an incompetently run Department of Justice..."| Mark Elias | | 41:57 | "The fact is that this Department of Justice will lie about everything and anything that they have to..." | Mark Elias |

Segment Timestamps (Highlights)

• [00:49] – Outrage at DOJ Epstein files release
• [04:26] – Eddie Glaud on trust and institutions
• [07:32] – Rep. Garcia details ongoing “cover-up”
• [17:50] – Venezuela escalation, tankers, and regime change
• [21:25] – Ben Rhodes unpacks legal pretexts masking true policy
• [31:30] – CBS News newsroom unrest after 60 Minutes pull
• [35:14] – Human impact of Cecot prison segment censorship
• [38:31] – Legal theater: DOJ’s retribution campaign
• [41:57] – Administration transparency and credibility called into question

Tone & Language

The episode is urgent and impassioned, with interviewees and analysts speaking with moral clarity and, at times, outright anger. There is a through-line of frustration and disbelief at institutional failures, abuses of power, and the apparent ease with which both survivors and the public are disregarded. Memorable metaphors ("Keystone Cops"; "cosplaying Teddy Roosevelt"), frank legal analysis, and survivor testimony underscore both the gravity and immediacy of these crises.

Summary

Listeners are taken inside escalating political crises that define the current moment—governmental opacity in the Epstein case, the dangerous drumbeat toward military action in Venezuela, the erosion of media independence at a major network, and the DOJ’s embrace of political revenge. Driven by voices from within government, the academy, media, and advocacy, the through-line is unmistakable: accountability is elusive when the powerful shield their own, but there remain those within and outside the system who refuse to let these abuses go unanswered.