The Jim Acosta Show — Episode Summary

Episode Title: Another Trump Political Enemy: NY AG Letitia James Charged with Fraud — w/ Steve Schmidt, Rep. Jason Crow, Tiffany Muller
Date: October 9, 2025
Host: Jim Acosta
Guests: Rep. Jason Crow (D-CO), Tiffany Muller (End Citizens United), Steve Schmidt (Political Strategist)

Episode Overview

This intense episode of The Jim Acosta Show focuses on the ongoing government shutdown, Donald Trump’s threats to cut "Democrat programs," alarming news of NY AG Letitia James's indictment on fraud charges, and the consequences of big money and corruption in American politics. The episode features Rep. Jason Crow and Tiffany Muller discussing bipartisan efforts to end Citizens United and reform government ethics, followed by a deep dive into the decay of democratic norms and political weaponization of justice with Steve Schmidt, culminating in breaking news about Letitia James.

Key Segments, Themes & Discussion Points

I. The Government Shutdown and Trump’s Threats

• [00:06–02:04]
  • Acosta introduces the episode as the government shutdown continues, quoting Trump’s threat to make "permanent cuts to Democrat programs" if demands aren’t met.
  • Trump’s comments [01:28–01:55]:

    "We'll be making cuts that will be permanent and we're only going to cut Democrat programs... We're going to give them a little taste of their own medicine."

  • Acosta cues Rep. Crow for response.

Crow’s Response:

• [02:04–03:23]
  • "He says the quiet part out loud. He's politicized our government...This is all about greed, corruption, padding the pockets and the wallets of his billionaire donors...they can cram through these massive windfall tax breaks for billionaires and the wealthiest on the backs of health care for working Americans."
  • Criticizes Trump’s use of the presidency to attack democratic norms, weaponize federal powers, and intimidate opposition.
  • "If Donald Trump and House Republicans think that we are about to write them a blank check to ignore Congress...they have lost their damn minds."

Military Impact of Shutdown:

• [03:57–04:55]
  • Crow highlights harm to military families living paycheck to paycheck.
  • "It's beyond the pale...They have to open up Congress. They have to start debate. They have to start negotiation. We are ready to get it done."

Epstein Files & Congress Blockade:

• [04:55–06:03]
  • Acosta: House GOP blocking new Rep. Adelita Gralva’s swearing-in, affecting potential vote to release Epstein files.
  • Crow accuses GOP of "literally covering it up and using the federal government in the shutdown to do so" [05:18–06:03].

II. Citizens United & Money in Politics

Acosta’s Framing:

• [06:03–07:05]
  • Polling shows bipartisan support for ending dark money in politics.
  • Asks Tiffany Muller if overturning Citizens United is truly feasible.

Muller’s Response:

• [07:05–09:02]
  • "One of the worst [Supreme Court] decisions of all time...the corrosive effect of that money in politics."
  • Shutdown as a symptom of Congress prioritizing "billionaires and big corporate special interests."
  • Announces the "Unrig Washington Campaign"—three goals: bar congressional stock trading, reject corporate PAC money, and end dark money.

Crow on Reforms Needed:

• [09:25–12:03]
  • Outlines three dynamics corrupting politics:
    1. Gerrymandering: Less than 10% of House seats competitive.
    2. Dark Money & Corporate PACs: Block widely supported policies.
    3. Voter Apathy: "That’s what Donald Trump and the dark money donors want...they want people to give up."
  • Story about a constituent’s disillusionment:

    "That just struck me like a dagger through the heart that this woman had given up." [11:27]

Muller on Public Perception & the Path Forward:

• [12:55–15:00]
  • Critiques "brazenness around the corruption" under Trump’s open pay-to-play politics.
  • "Trump...does all the corrupt stuff and then calls everyone else corrupt."
  • Advocates clear, common-sense reforms and assertive public communication to regain trust:

    "We have to actually get out there and talk about the real life impact that this is having on people’s day to day lives." [14:24]

III. Regulatory Rollbacks & Supreme Court Dysfunction

Dismantling Oversight:

• [16:00–18:07]
  • Trumpians push to repeal Dodd-Frank and other post-crisis safeguards.
  • Crow: Regulations "were put in place after major financial disasters or...corruption scandals."
  • Muller: Watchdogs (inspectors generals, FEC, FTC, DOJ) are being "gutted...because they want to run wild."

Supreme Court Ethics and Overreach:

• [18:50–21:54]
  • Acosta/Led by stories of Clarence Thomas’s ethics scandals.
  • Crow: Supreme Court is now "an activist court," overturning precedent and operating with no enforceable ethics rules:

    "There are no rules that this court has to abide. They govern themselves."

  • Advocates for ethics rules, term limits, and Congressional rebalancing of power.

IV. The Insurrection Act & the Militarization of Domestic Affairs

Acosta introduces Steve Schmidt

• [23:47–24:25]
  • Raises alarms about Trump’s potential use of the Insurrection Act and militarization of governance.

Schmidt’s Perspective on the Threat:

• [24:25–27:30]
  • "The Supreme Court is likely to permit it. The question is, will the American people abide it? I certainly won't."
  • Warns: Using military against civilians would "break the United States Army as an institution."
  • Trump's regime is run by "a rotten elite," primarily Stephen Miller:

    "Stephen Miller is functionally atop the chain of command of the Attorney General ..." [26:44]

Absolute Power & American Institutions:

• [27:31–30:02]
  • "Plenary power" is antithetical to the American Constitution.
  • Equates the claim to absolute authority with dictatorial regimes (Hitler, Stalin).
  • Stresses public resistance as the bulwark:

    "They can't shoot everybody. And I mean that dead serious." [24:25]

V. ICE Violence, Abuse, and Calls for Abolition

• [30:02–34:57]
  • Acosta and Schmidt exchange on ICE abuses under Trump, including armed law enforcement actions against civilians.
  • Acosta: "I've said on my show repeatedly—that was all horseshit. And they're just going after anybody. Moms, abuelas, car wash owners..."
  • Schmidt:

    "This is American Gestapo. This is not something that happens in a free society...America under Trump is not, in fact, a free society." [33:30–34:57]

VI. BREAKING: Letitia James Indicted

Contextualizing the News

• [34:57–41:12]
  • Acosta breaks the news: Letitia James, NY’s AG and a political adversary of Trump, indicted on fraud charges in the Eastern District of Virginia.
  • Notes the same court was used to indict James Comey the previous day, characterizing this as targeted political prosecution.

    "Donald Trump has seen to it...that the Justice Department of the United States...has basically brought an indictment...against one of his perceived political enemies." [35:28]

Schmidt's Reaction:

• [36:43–39:43]
  • Calls it "Soviet justice," referencing the infamous Beria quote:

    "Show me the man and I'll find the crime."

  • Asserts this prosecutes political enemies for doing their jobs:

    "He has destroyed the integrity of the Department of Justice."

VII. Pam Bondi, Epstein Scandal, and Senate Failures

• [39:43–45:58]
  • Schmidt lambasts Pam Bondi (current AG), her foreign lobbying, and her alleged role in covering up the Epstein abuse scandal and protecting Ghislaine Maxwell.
  • Scathes the Senate Judiciary Committee as "ineffective" in oversight hearings:

    "Don't come looking for praise from me. You suck. Right. It's an abomination. It was a failure." [44:02]

VIII. The Eastern District of Virginia: Political Weaponization

• [46:09–49:14]
  • Acosta: Alexandria’s federal court transformed from national security venue to "the venue...for Donald Trump’s political enemies."
  • Schmidt: "The integrity of the Department of Justice...has been wrecked. The integrity of CBS News has been wrecked. The integrity of the FBI has been wrecked..."

IX. The Pattern of Retaliatory Prosecutions

• [49:14–53:19]
  • Trump using federal power to chase personal vendettas—against James Comey, Letitia James, and possibly others.
  • Acosta:

    "This is what is apparently happening now in our system of justice in the United States of America."

  • Schmidt draws a straight line linking all of Trump's abuses; calls it rule by intimidation:

    "You best be scared shitless of the President of the United States in the new America." [50:28]

X. Conclusion and Final Thoughts

• [53:45–End]
  • Acosta summarizes the gravity of the moment: "Is this the kind of country that we want to become? Is this who we are as a country?"
  • Reiterates the corruption of justice and partisan abuses, urging listeners to consider the wider implications for democracy.

Notable Quotes & Their Timestamps

• Crow: "He says the quiet part out loud. He's politicized our government. This is all about greed, corruption, padding the pockets and the wallets of his billionaire donors." [02:04]
• Muller: "One of the worst decisions of all time...We need to either have the Supreme Court overturn it or get a constitutional amendment passed." [07:05]
• Crow: "That's what Donald Trump, that's what the dark money donors, that's what they want, right? They want people to give up. They want people to disengage..." [11:35]
• Schmidt: "The Supreme Court is likely to permit it. The question is: will the American people abide it? I certainly won't abide it. And they can't shoot everybody. And I mean that dead serious." [24:25]
• Schmidt: "Stephen Miller said...Donald Trump has plenary power...what that word means is absolute. And an example of someone who had plenary power was Hitler and Stalin." [27:31]
• Schmidt: "This is American Gestapo...And so what that means is America under Trump is not, in fact, a free society." [33:30]
• Schmidt: "This is a political act and it's an un American act...what we should call it is Soviet justice...show me the man and I'll find the crime." [36:43]
• Acosta: "This is what is apparently happening now in our system of justice...the President of the United States now has a venue for prosecuting, for targeting, for political prosecution, his perceived political enemies." [47:47]

Major Topics & Takeaways

• Escalation of Government Dysfunction: Prolonged shutdown, military families at risk, Congress sidelined.
• Weaponization of Justice: Indictments of Letitia James and James Comey presented as retaliation—eroding democratic norms.
• Big Money & Corruption: Citizens United’s ongoing impact; bipartisan hunger for reform; need for practical solutions.
• Checks and Balances at Risk: Supreme Court ethical failures and rubber-stamping executive overreach.
• Call to Action: Guests urge transparency, political courage, and public participation to resist normalization of corruption and restore democratic safeguards.

For Listeners Who Missed the Episode

This episode starkly details how, in the view of Acosta and his guests, the American system is at a breaking point—riven by corruption, dark money, and a president unafraid to use the tools of government to pursue personal vendettas. The indictment of Letitia James is presented not as justice, but as a chilling sign of the weaponization of federal power. Meanwhile, practical reform efforts like Unrig Washington are juxtaposed against the sense of crisis. The crisis, warn Acosta and Schmidt, compels the public to engage, resist apathy, and steadfastly demand a return to foundational democratic and ethical norms.