The Illegal News with Sarah Longwell S2 Ep149: Andrew Weissmann: This is Why America’s Institutions Are Failing
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Mar 11, 2026 
Andrew Weissmann, former federal prosecutor and author of Liar's Kingdom, explains how political misinformation has hollowed out American institutions. He discusses institutional fragility, how other democracies handle election lies, legal standards for false claims, and why norms alone won't protect democracy. Short, urgent conversations on reforms and accountability.
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Elections Alone Won't Fix Institutional Failures
- Andrew Weissmann argues institutions are failing and can't be fixed by winning elections alone.
- He compares the crisis to the Titanic hitting an iceberg, where long-term fixes like 'investing in radar' won't help the immediate emergency.
Political Lies Enjoy Almost Complete Immunity
- Weissmann documents the scale of political lying, citing the Washington Post's 30,000 lies in Trump's first term (20.9 lies per day).
- He contrasts legal accountability for lies in business and courts with near-total immunity for politicians lying to the public.
Other Democracies Penalize Election Lies
- Weissmann studied foreign models where lying about elections can disqualify candidates, highlighting Brazil, England, France, and Germany.
- He points to Bolsonaro being barred from running for lying about an election as a concrete example.
