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tonight on "the reidout" -- >> we have tens of thousands of pages of documents where we need to sit down and ask specific questions without filibustering, without interruption, without going five minutes back and forth with jamie raskins and dan goldman and little moscow wits jumping up and down. >> hunter biden agrees to testify before the house oversight committee on the utter lack of evidence that his father did anything wrong. but chairman james comer refuses to take yes for an answer. also tonight, more hostages are freed by hamas, including an american. as negotiators work to extend the pause in fighting. with just hours to go before the extended cease fire is set to end. plus, rejecting the binary us versus them narrative in the israel-hamas war, i'll speak to a prominent rabbi and a labor leader who happened to be married about the importance of a peaceful shared future for israelis and palestinians. ♪♪ but we begin tonight with two very stark warnings about the fight to protect our democracy and the direction of our country. more than 1,000 people have been charged for their participation in the attack on the capitol on january 6th, 2021. a good number of them have been sentenced by d.c. district judge barrel howell. judge howell is far from a household name. but she's been at the center of not only those prosecutions but also efforts to hold donald trump accountable on multiple fronts. she rejected trump's executive privilege claim in special counsel jack smith's investigation of trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election, forcing trump's former chief of staff mark meadows to testify before a federal grand jury. she's also criticized the department of justice for being too lenient in prosecuting the people who carried out the attack on the capitol, saying the rioters were not mere protesters. judge howell addressed her front line experience with the rank and file foot soldiers in donald trump's attempt to stage a coup on january 6th in rare public remarks about america's turn toward authoritarianism. according to politico, at an event for a women's lawyer group, judge howell pointed out that she and her colleagues regularly see the impact of big lies at the sentencing of hundreds convicted for their roles on january 6th. adding that we are having a very surprising and down right troubling moment in this country when the very importance of fact is dismissed or ignored. that's very risky business for all of us in our democracy. the facts matter. and she acknowledged boston college historian heather cox richardson's warning in her new book that the u.s. is at a cross roads, teetering on the brink of authoritarianism. quoting richardson's warning that big lies are spring boards for authoritarians. the warning coming from judge howell, who was chief judge for d.c.'s federal trial court from 2016 until this past march and still serves on the federal bench, is timely and echos new warnings from former republican congresswoman liz cheney in an upcoming new book, she excoriates her party and former colleagues in congress over their failty to the man responsible to the january 6th attacks. cheney shames republicans as enablers and collaborators who one member called orange jesus. who after the 2020 election were willing to violate their oath to the constitution out of political expediency and loyalty to donald trump. cheney calls trump the most dangerous man ever to inhabt the oval office but doesn't hold back on saying buntly, i'm very sad to say that america can no longer count on a body of elected republicans to protect our republic. cheney re-enforces her point by shedding new light on how far top republicans would go to do trump's bidding. including now new house speaker mike johnson, writing about johnson's effort to rally house republicans to support donald trump's attempt to overthrow the 2020 election in the courts. cheney says, when i confronted him with the flaws in his legal arguments, johnson would often concede or say something to the effect of, we just need to do this one last thing for trump. but it's mike johnson's predecessor, as speaker, who gets cheney's most scathing takedown, namely kevin mccarthy she calls out for his lies and craven appeasement of trump, particularly his visit to mar-a-lago, just three weeks after the attack on the capitol to kiss the ring. she recounts her first run-in with mccarthy after his secret visit. quote, mar-a-lago? what the hell, kevin? cheney asked. they're really worried, mccarthy said. trump's not eating so they asked me to come see him. cheney responded, what, you went to mar-a-lago because trump's not eating? >> yeah. he's really depressed, mccarthy said. joining me now is congressman eric swalwell of california and tara set meyer, senior adviser to the lincoln project once served as republican communications director on capitol hill before leaving the party. i wonder why that happened. representative swalwell -- >> he's not eating? was mccarthy a chef? he counted the skittles, but he's going to go down and help him eat? >> the problem with him being concerned about his food consumption is that donald trump pretty much only eats mcdonald's and diet coke. unless he's like an uber eats driver, i'm not sure how he would help him. i would love for you to comment on the fact that the former speaker of the house of representatives felt that he had to go to the home of the insurrectionist to feed him? >> these guys see their jobs tied exclusively to donald trump. and so they use the house of representatives to just wage donald trump's battles. they can't see themselves as having another job or getting another job. >> yeah. >> so this is the only job they can get. and mike johnson, who by the way, had called donald trump back in 2015 dangerous is now also bending the knee to trump. he's found apparently the on conversion therapy that actually works because now he's all in for trump. bottom line, these guys are not going to save us. the hero has to be the voter because they're not going to save us. >> i want to come back you for just a moment because there is -- a lot of what she talks about is the pressure that this gentleman, mike johnson, who is now the speaker, was putting -- including on freshman. let me read a little bit. january 6th before the attack on the capitol, cheney describes a scene where members were encouraged to sign their names on electoral vote objection sheets. most members knew it was a farce. among them was republican congressman mark green. cheney writes as he moved down the line signing his name to the pieces of paper, green said sheepishingly to no one in particular the things we do for orange jesus. you were there at that time. do you recall the sort of atmosphere that mike johnson in particular was putting -- was creating in the house? >> he was the architect of this idea that you could overturn the election. what i saw from my republican friends was it started as no -- we're not going to get on to that letter. then it reached a tipping point because all of a sudden trump was brow beating everyone to get on the letter and aiming his supporters at anyone who wasn't on the letter. then you started to see these names pop up of people who would otherwise not do it. that's why johnson, speaker johnson, is so dangerous because trump is incompetent, he's corrupt, but he's incompetent. incompetent president who is corrupt has a competent architect like mike johnson, we're all going to pay the price. >> you know, tara, i've always viewed -- there's a sense in which donald trump is just a vehicle, right? so for paul ryan, he was a vehicle to get his massive tax cut for the super rich and big business which is what he always wanted. trump is just a vehicle to get it done. what is he is the vehicle for now, for these republicans? they've already got ro ex overturned. mike johnson got that dream already. what is he the vehicle for now to the extent that, you know, speaker mccarthy was like, was he separating his skittles to make sure there weren't green ones in them. what is he getting for republicans that they won't just cut him loose in your view? >> power is very intoxicating. congressman swalwell knows this. when you get to washington, a lot of these guys who were back benchers before, now have relevance. in ways that they never experienced before. they have access to power. and cognitive dissonance is a hell of a drug. we see this happen every single day with members of congress and elected officials who sell their souls to maintain that power and relevance. just look at, let's say, lindsey graham as an example or ted cruz. you know, these people who are unbelievable hypocrites, they continue -- knowing, they know what they're doing and saying is harmful to the country. they know it's hypocritical of everything they've ever said before. we have it on tape. we have seen them say these things and then they turn around and are the biggest ass kissers of donald trump to walk the earth. why? lindsey graham self admitted, why, i never been this close to power in my entire career. that's a sad commentary. because now this isn't just about tax cuts. this isn't about policy differences. this is about the fundamental foundation and corner stone of our country, which is our democracy. which is at an unbelievable threat. we have never seen anything like this, not since the civil war at least, any way. and you have a group of people who are not only sycophants, but you also have this group who likes the idea of fascist authoritarianism that donald trump is spewing more blatantly every single day where we'll have an america that resembles something like the hunger games where the cruelty is the point versus what we believe in as the american dream here in this country. and i don't know what it's going to take for some of these republicans to finally stand up and have the courage of a liz cheney, of an adam kissinger of a mitt romney to say enough is enough and call these cowards out for what they've done and the damage they've done to this country. history will not be kind to any of those people. >> or the hand maid's tale. mike johnson calls republicans the rule of law party. you know, and he's now attacking the prosecutions against trump. and he's now -- he's also kissed the ring and gone down there. the hand maid's tale is a motivation for him. he wants a theocracy. he sees donald trump as a vehicle to get that. you work with these people. if donald trump were to come back into power, is there a man among them or woman among them on the other side of the aisle who would in any way attempt to stop him from doing the worst of what he wants to do? he now says he wants to shut down msnbc, no one explained this is cable. it isn't a broadcast. he thinks it's free broadcast tv, it's not. to do whatever he wants. >> it would be the end of democracy. he's already told us what he's going to do. he tried to overturn the government. he has a speaker who is all in with him. so we should take that seriously. but there's this tapestry of accountability, the rule of law that speaker johnson, you know, allegedly believes in that is coming at donald trump on the civil and criminal liability that he's facing. but, if he were to become president again, we know that every value for democracy, every principle in the rule of law would be gone. we would lose it. and it would be very hard to get it back. >> and tara, that includes people, like mitch mcconnell. you know, mitch mcconnell gets quoted in books talking about how -- deriding donald trump. he knows better, right? they all know what they really feel about him. i've been told by people who are like this one and that one despise the man and they're the biggest sycophants to him and you get off the record, no, that guy really hates him. but my question is there an institutional part of the party, part held after january 6th. there were republicans that weren't willing to sully themselves and throw the constitution out the window for him. they're mostly gone. the mitt romney brain has left the station. i've never seen mitch mcconnell really try to stop him. is there anything left in washington that would actually deter him if he came back into power? >> that's the scary part about this. i don't think so. i mean, if he comes back into power, he's never leaving. in his mind, the coup has never ended. and he's surrounding himself to congressman swalwell's point, he is surrounding himself with competent people with these nefarious ideas that are better able to carry it out this time. don't believe us. believe him. donald trump is telling us every single day what he plans to do. you need to believe him. i don't know why he's already tried to do it once before. what makes anyone think he wouldn't try to do it again. it's quite obvious. is there anyone left in the party institutionally? no. the party is a shell of itself unfortunately. and the -- just look at jonathan karl's book that came out, 90% of the people he interviewed were republicans and how many were off the record. these are close republicans that worked with donald trump that said the most heinous things about him and sound the alarm. it should be required reading for everyone along with liz cheney's book. they coincide with each other because they re-enforce the idea that the people who know better are sounding the alarm. i think they need to come forward. many of us have had the courage to come forward, you know. yeah, there's a price to pay to do the right thing, but damn it now is the time to do the right thing. our democracy is on the line. we can't wait for donald trump to come into power again and hope and pray that someone finds the intestinal fortitude to stand up and stop him again. then it's too late. >> and these are far right republicans. these aren't liberals. tell me about this ad, put some video up. what is the purpose of the ad? >> to define speaker johnson and what he will do as donald trump president. i did it with david gray. he did the abortion ad that showed a woman would go to jail. the republicans cried foul and said that would never happen. people need to know who this is and connect the republicans who all voted for him to make it speaker. >> just to be clear, there are republicans who you get the sense are playing an act. this guy ain't acting. he is a dominionist, a christian nationalist. am i wrong? is he for real for real? >> that's what he believes and that's what he would do. >> scary is caring for a reason. congressman eric swalwell, tara setmire. god bless us all. house republicans really, really, really want hunter biden to testify. they don't want anybody else to hear what he has to say. it would be undignified for me to make chicken noises. i'm making them in my head. trust me. "the reidout" continues after this. reidout" continues after this hey, you should try new robitussin honey medi-soothers for long-lasting cough and sore throat relief. try new robitussin lozenges with real medicine and find your voice. you know? we really need to work on your people skills. as we continue to see the chaos play out among house republicans, which included the inability to name a speaker for three weeks, the need to tackle the important issues on behalf of the american people has been left behind. they are, however, back to the republican party's most important issue, besides making sure trump is eating and isn't sad. yep, you guessed it, hunter biden. now nearly a year since house republicans began an investigation into the finances of president biden and his family, they subpoenaed hunter biden earlier this month. probably to their surprise, hunter agreed to testify publicly instead of a closed door deposition as requested. you think this would excite house republicans who cannot seem to get through any interview without segueing to the president's son. the thought of getting the opportunity to perform their hunter biden schtick live on tv is too much to bear. perhaps because their past public hearings to provide bomb shell evidence against president biden have all been duds. james comer has to be a closed door deposition or hunter biden will face contempt charges. one of the reasons he says a public hearing is a no-go is because of the democratic members of congress of the committee. >> this will be testifying in public but not in a chaotic scene where the democrats who already demonstrated they can't conduct themselves in a mature, credible manner during a hearing. >> so, apparently, if the democrats who can't act maturely during hearings. representative comer wasn't it you two weeks ago during a committee meeting -- >> that is [ bleep ]. yo lk like a smurfere going around in all this stuff. >> rankiocrat on the oversight committee jamie raskin sued a statement in response saying in part, quote, let me get this straight. after wailing and moaning for ten months about hunter biden and alluding to some vast unproven family conspiracy, after sending hunter biden a subpoena to appear and testify, chairman comer and the oversight republicans now reject his offer to appear before the full committee and the eyes of the world and to answer any questions that they pose? what an epic humiliation for our colleagues. joining me now is jasmine crockette, of texas, a member of the aforementioned house oversight committee. can i just show you one in let me show you a picture. >> okay. >> this is marjorie greene. here is her at the irs whistleblower hearing -- >> i remember this. >> can we show this. we have a picture of her doing it. she showed photos of naked hunter biden. >> i was right next to her. so i vividly recall that. yeah. it's interesting. that they have been spending so much time pouring into hunter biden, who has never been elected president, never been appointed to a post that would subject him to being impeached in the first place, and then, of course, they decided they wanted to show his private parts all over the hearing. but, like to have him come in and have a conversation around whatever questions they want to pose, what they're nervous about is the d. team because we really the a-team. that's the problem, right? we literally have so many trained attorneys. he was complaining about jamie raskin, attorney. he was complaining about dan goldman, attorney. he was upset about moschcowitz, also a trained attorney. i'm a trained attorney. when we come in, we come in ready for war because this is a serious matter. even though we know that they don't take this seriously. he just called my colleague a smurf and he's saying that we're the ones that are acting out. >> yeah. >> not marjorie, not bow bert, not any of them. it's us. jim jordan is on her, too. now, talk about sending out a subpoena and telling somebody to come in and testify before a congressional hearing, jim jordan still ain't showed up for his hearing but he wants to be there and he wants to be able to question. but they know how epically they failed in all of their hearings specifically the last impeachment hearing they tried to hold therefore they don't want the eyes of the world. this was a very bold move on behalf of hunter's counsel. i thought it was smart. honestly, it's like forget it, we don't want to fight it. when you fight, sometimes people think you're hiding something -- >> doing something wrong. >> right. but at the same time, he is still facing criminal charges. so to come in and testify under oath, i don't want to do that in a deposition where you're going to get comer and jim jordan and marjorie coming out and spinning the truth or just flat out lying. instead, i would want to make sure that my client could be judged by his demeanor. it's the same thing that happens in a jury trial. >> right. >> and the reality is that he potentially was going to be testifying to a potential upcoming jury for his criminal cases. and so, i think it's the s