Podcast Summary: No Lie with Brian Tyler Cohen

Episode: Trump introduces last-ditch effort to bury Epstein files
Date: November 16, 2025
Host: Brian Tyler Cohen
Guests: Bernie Sanders, Jamie Raskin, J.B. Pritzker, Jon Lovett

Episode Overview

This episode dives into Donald Trump’s escalating attempts to suppress the release of the Epstein files amidst crumbling Republican support, historic House moves, and explosive new evidence tying Trump directly to Jeffrey Epstein. Brian Tyler Cohen discusses the political ramifications, exposes Republican tactics, and hosts four high-profile interviews—each dissecting breaking developments from their vantage points.

Main Topics and Breakdown

1. Trump’s Last-Ditch Effort to Bury the Epstein Files

[00:01–07:13]

• Political Context:
  Trump faces public defections from his own party regarding the Epstein files. Notable Republican allies (Marjorie Taylor Greene, Nancy Mace, Thomas Massie, Lauren Boebert) joined a discharge petition to force a House vote for file release.
• Trump’s Maneuvers:
  • Delayed file production by relying on already-public documents.
  • Prolonged the government shutdown, refused to swear in Adelita Grijalva (so the petition wouldn’t ripen).
  • Pressured Lauren Boebert privately (unrecorded Situation Room meeting) to remove her name—but she didn’t.
  • Publicly attacked Marjorie Taylor Greene, un-endorsed her, encouraged opposition.
  • Latest tactic: Announced on Truth Social a DOJ/FBI investigation into high-profile Democrats (e.g., Bill Clinton, Larry Summers), arguing files can’t be released while investigations are ongoing—potentially delaying file release indefinitely.
• Quote:
  “The reality is that it's not about uncovering the truth. It is about looking for any excuse whatsoever to be able to delay the file's release.” – Brian Tyler Cohen [05:38]
• Political Calculus:
  The GOP now lacks unified support to resist the file’s release; Trump’s previous tactics lose effectiveness as bipartisan pressure mounts and the issue threatens to consume his entire presidency.

2. Interview: Senator Bernie Sanders – The Shutdown Deal and Democratic Weakness

[07:13–19:17]

• Topic: The aftermath of the shutdown “deal,” eight Senate Democrats defying party unity, and consequences for healthcare and SNAP.
• Key Insights:
  • Sanders blasts defecting Democrats for caving, arguing the pressure was on Republicans to yield and that “the Democratic leadership is way out of touch with where the Democratic base and the American people are at.” [12:13]
  • He spotlights the impact: potentially 15 million losing Medicaid, ACA premiums doubling or tripling, and loss of credibility for Senate Democrats.
  • Optimistic about new grassroots candidates filling the void: “We are going to build that movement…to create a government that works for everybody, not just the billionaire class.” [16:55]
• Notable Exchange:
  • Sanders singles out the hypocrisy of GOP “family values” by “pitting the sick against the hungry as a way to get out of this shutdown.” [18:12]
  • Quote:
    “It is disgusting… The idea that you have a president…willing to see children go hungry is despicable.” – Bernie Sanders [18:26]

3. Interview: Rep. Jamie Raskin – Trump, Epstein, and Corrupt Senate Payoffs

[20:55–36:01]

• Topic 1 [21:15]: Reacting to new email evidence tying Trump to Epstein’s operation, and the political implications for GOP leadership and Trump cabinet’s “projection” tactics.
  • “Donald Trump is the world master of projection…he wanted to start to blame other people for the Jeffrey Epstein global child sex trafficking and rape ring precisely because he was so deeply ensconced in the culture of it with Jeffrey Epstein.” – Jamie Raskin [23:54]
• Topic 2 [27:05]: Exposing the Senate’s midnight provision—“a million-dollar jackpot provision” benefiting 8 Republican senators by granting them potential million-dollar payouts if their phone records (connected to Jan 6 investigations) were subpoenaed.
  • Raskin likens this to the Roman Senate’s corruption, calling it “radically incompatible with every constitutional principle we have.” [31:06]
• Key Insight:
  • Bipartisan efforts to block these corrupt provisions failed, with Raskin warning that “the fish rots from the head,” and that Trump’s kleptocracy has infected the GOP top-down.

4. Interview: Gov. J.B. Pritzker – Illinois’ Role in Redistricting Battles and ICE Fight

[37:24–56:18]

• Topic 1 [37:51]: Reacts to the documented Trump-Epstein ties and underscores concern about Trump’s distraction tactics “might include going to war with Venezuela…not to mention all the other mayhem.” – J.B. Pritzker [38:36]
• Topic 2 [40:19–46:09]: Delves into Illinois’ potential role countering GOP mid-decade redistricting, especially if Indiana proceeds. Emphasizes pragmatic but aggressive readiness: “I'm on Team Fight. We are going to have to use every tool in the toolbox and maybe some that are not in the toolbox…” [44:01]
• Topic 3 [48:55]: Updates on ICE/CBP operations in Illinois and legal victories limiting federal overreach. Announces the exit of ICE’s Gregory Bevino and substantial troop withdrawal from Chicago.
  • Points to ongoing efforts to protect immigrant communities: “People are having to walk around with proof of U.S. citizenship. Do you carry proof of U.S. citizenship? I don't, and you shouldn't have to.” [52:32]
• Quote:
  “In Trump's new kleptocracy, they have carte blanche to do exactly that [pilfer the federal government].” – Brian Tyler Cohen [54:09]

5. Interview: Jon Lovett (Pod Save America) – The GOP, Epstein, and Right-Wing Deflections

[56:21–79:42]

• Epstein Files Politics [57:05]: Lovett sees Trump’s announcement of new investigations into prominent Democrats as “flailing,” stressing that Democrats don’t share Trump’s assumption of blind loyalty:
  “Yeah, man, investigate anybody and let the chips fall where they may.” – Jon Lovett [57:58]
• Right-Wing Excuses and Hypocrisy [60:04–66:23]: Sharp critique of right-wing pundits (notably Megyn Kelly) minimizing Epstein abuses on technicalities (“he’s not a pedophile, he’s an ephebophile”). Lovett:
  “These are people that have been saying girls aren't safe in locker rooms… And now we're dancing on the head of a pin as to whether or not someone is technically a pedophile if they like pubescent fucking girls who are still children. And what an interesting intellectual exercise.” [61:53]
  • Rebukes the right’s willingness to “bend over backwards for people who she views as ideological allies” and calls for higher moral standards.
• Calculating GOP Defections [69:14]: Discusses whether House/Senate Republicans will consider their legacy in voting to suppress or release the Epstein files:
  “There's gonna come a point where Trump isn't gonna be there to defend you…you’ll be casting a vote basically to run cover for a pedophile ring.” – Brian Tyler Cohen [69:14]
• On the Coming House Vote [70:41]: Lovett notes the tide is turning with as many as 100 potential GOP defections on the file release, and describes Trump’s rapidly collapsing authority.
  • “Two weeks ago, Trump was joking about never leaving. He's never been more of a lame duck than he is right now. If he can't hold like, he's going to lose this vote, that's done.” [70:52]
• On Trump’s Management and the Fallout for Loyalists [75:21]:
  Lovett: “They told a story that they were never going to be able to prove. On the other hand, they do have access to a way to tell everybody what happened, but they can't. But they fucking can't. So they are pretty well stuck.” [76:42]
• Institutional Accountability [78:11]:
  Both Lovett and Cohen criticize Democratic caution (Garland, Comey, Mueller) for failing to expose the truth, feeling that “they chose avoiding criticism over doing the hard thing and letting history judge.” [79:27]

Notable Quotes & Moments

• Brian Tyler Cohen, on GOP hypocrisy:
  “This is the Party that beats its chest about how are we gonna pay for it and fiscal responsibility. Now they're just giving themselves million dollar handouts.” [31:22]
• Jamie Raskin, on Senate self-enrichment:
  “They’re all entitled to become millionaires on top of the fact that they're already millionaires just out of our tax dollars.” [31:22]
• Jon Lovett, on right-wing double standards:
  “At some point, you're saying the quiet part out loud, which is the right can do no wrong and the left can do no right, and it's fucking shitty.” [69:02]
• Bernie Sanders, on the impact of the shutdown compromise:
  “All over this country, people say, stand up, fight, fight… Last night was a setback.” [11:17]
• Jon Lovett, on the long-term impact:
  “It's a remarkable thing that, that…I mean, I definitely feel—don't you feel stunned by…just how…these emails…we're still at the beginning. And it puts Trump in the unenviable position of being on the wrong side of a conspiracy theory in which Democrats and everybody who wants the truth…can be out there saying what did he know and when did he know it?” [77:04]

Timeline of Key Segments

| Time | Segment | |-----------|---------------------------------------------------------| | 00:01 | Opening monologue: Trump, Epstein, government shutdown | | 07:13 | Interview: Bernie Sanders | | 20:55 | Interview: Jamie Raskin | | 37:24 | Interview: J.B. Pritzker | | 56:21 | Interview: Jon Lovett | | 79:54 | Closing

Summary Takeaways

• Trump’s tactics to suppress the Epstein files are faltering amid surging bipartisan demand for transparency and major evidence against him.
• Split within the GOP and growing courage from some rank-and-file members is isolating Trump, making him “more of a lame duck than ever.”
• Multiple guests (Sanders, Raskin, Pritzker, Lovett) highlight that both moral and institutional legitimacy are on the line, with the episode arguing for truth, accountability, and the need to break the cycle of political self-preservation.
• The right-wing attempt to minimize Epstein’s crimes is portrayed as both hypocritical and desperate, as their prior crusading rhetoric now works against them.

This episode is a must-listen for anyone tracking the unraveling of Trump’s last-ditch efforts at concealment, the implications for both parties, and the moral and political reckoning now gripping Washington.