Thanks you for joining us this hour. Theres a lot going on. Fiona hill is going to be joining us live tonight. Fiona hill, of course, with senior director for russia and europe at the National Security council during the trump presidency, which means she had a somewhat terrifying Front Row Seat to some of the weirdest things and the u. S. President has ever tried to get away with. Fiona hill is here tonight, as there have been dramatic developments today about the informant who provided the central allegations at the heart of Congressional Republicans efforts to impeach President Biden this year. This informant today was sent to jail indefinitely by a federal judge in california. He is in jail awaiting trial. Prosecutors arrested and indicted him a week and a half ago, alleging that his statements to Law Enforcement about President Biden and his family not only were lies, but this man had been fed lies and disinformation about President Biden by Russian Intelligence. Despite those ties to Russian Intelligence, a magistrate last week, somewhat inexplicably, allow the man to be released awaiting trial, with an ankle monitor. But this federal judge in california reversed that decision today after prosecutors said they found, among other things, nine guns in his apartment, and the judge said that he believed the man was trying to absconds from the United States. He will not be absconding from anywhere. He is in jail awaiting trial. And this remarkable turn in that story. Fiona hil is here to talk about that tonight about what is, apparently now, the Third Straight election in which Russian Intelligence appears to be engaged in efforts to help donald trump and republicans, and to hurt the democratic candidate who is running against trump. Only this time of course, there is a big new assist from one American Citizen who now runs twitter, where he has ordered a stop to any efforts to even try to Block Russian disinformation operations targeting the u. S. Public, and specifically promoting a new u. S. Civil war, which seems like the thing they are most on to win this Election Cycle. His platform is hosting, and he personally is promoting, not only fawning, long online interviews of vladimir putin, but also outright propaganda praising life in russia, waxing poetic about how much better rushes than the United States. He personally mr. Musk has been lobbying that the United States should stop supporting ukraine in its war against russia, telling people to lobby their u. S. Senators to not give ukraine anymore support, to effectively just that russia win. All the while, he has admitted, personally intervening in the operation of his starlink satellites just him to stop ukraine from being able to target to the russian navy. So, russia is doing what it is going to do, right . Three elections in a row where Russian Intelligence is trying to help trump and republicans against the democrats. But it is happening now in the context of this war. And it is happening now in the context of this one particular american trying to play a very different role than what the u. S. Is doing as its Foreign Policy. Right . The United States is supposed to have one Foreign Policy. Individual americans are not allowed to have their own Foreign Policy in contradiction to the United StatesForeign Policy. But you could have your own opinions. But you are not supposed to be directing what the u. S. Government does. The United States is also supposed to have robust means to make sure we protect ourselves in terms of our national defense. The reality this year, in 2024, is that the u. S. Is being targeted in the Third Straight election by Russian Intelligence, trying to mess with our politics and install their preferred candidates in power here. And while we are trying to defend ourselves from, that we are also trying to help one of our allies fight off the Russian Military in the largest European Land war since world war ii. So, that is the stance of the United States. Defend ourselves against russian interference in our election again, and help our ally defend itself against the Russian Military. That is our stance as a country. The stance of two of our eccentric, erratic, increasingly extremist american billionaires is apparently the opposite stance. And the stance that the Republican Party as a whole on that score is still, maybe, up for grabs. So, i will speak with fiona hil, about that tonight. We will also speak with her about the startling reports that, when russian Opposition LeaderAlexei Navalny was killed earlier this month, he was reportedly about to be part of a Prisoner Swap where he would have been released to the United States. So, like i said, there is lots to get to tonight. Get to toni. But we are going to start tonight with a name that long time the Rachel Maddow show viewers might remember. His name is george recur George Rekers in the part of antigay politics that says that people can be cured of the gay, that it can be reversed with just the right therapy. By 2010, there was George Rekers being photographed at the airport in miami, in the company of a handsome young man named lucian who mr. George rekers had apparently met on rent boy. Com. And mr. George rekers had tried to explain that he had taken this the young man himself seen here, not helping with the luggage, eventually explained exactly what he was paid for on that european trip. For on that european trip. And George Rekers ultimately resigned from his job at the antigay organization. In 2004, when republican president george w. Bush was up for reelection, the Republican Party and the Bush Campaign enthusiastically promoted bans on same sex marriage in multiple states. They expected that antigay campaigning in as many states as possible would goose republican turnout and goose boost bushs chances. And vote republican while they are there. Bush was reelected in 2004. Those antigay states Ballot Initiatives very well may have helped with that. But then, two years after bush left the white house, the man who had been chairman of the Bush Campaign at that time came out himself as gay. One out himself as gay. On he then said about trying to write the wrong he had been part of, by persuading leading republicans to change their mind on marriage equality, and to persuade the Supreme Court to support marriage equality, which they have done at least for a while. But honestly, its like you cant swing a cat without hitting one of these guys. Those antigay valleton issued if that were supposed to help george w. Bush get reelected in 2004, they got a big boost in 2004 when a group called the National Association of evangelicals, huge, influential religious group, decided in 2004 that they would emphatically restate their opposition to homosexuality in all its forms, which effectively endorsed all the antigay measures that the republicans were promoting all over the country, in advance of the election that year. The National Association of evangelicals, at that time, was led by this man. Ted haggart, who soon treated the country to not at all uncomfortable headlines like this one. Quote, evangelist. I bought meth from gay escort. Again, i mean, follow the bouncing ball. He found himself a very handsome man. And it was never totally clear if he paid the handsome man for sex using the drugs as the method of payment, or maybe if he paid the man for the sex and the drugs together, kind of like a kneel deal or something. But yeah, president of the National Association of evangelicals. Ive got 1 million of. These guys. Trumps Oklahoma Campaign chairman from 2016 was a republican State Senator who voted, as an Oklahoma State senator, that businesses should be able to put up signs that we do not serve gays here. Trumps Campaign Chairman in oklahoma in 2016, busted in 2017 for soliciting sex from exactly who you think he would be doing that from. The republican mayor of spokane, washington, supported banning gay people from working in schools, later revealed to be meeting new friends, new, new friends all the time at gay. Com. Hes handle was there cobra82. Because of course it, was cobra82. Ive got 1 million of them. How much time do you have . This weekend was the conservative Political Action conference. It is an annual rightwing conference thing. Among the things you can reliably get at cpac every years antitrans rhetoric by the dump full, and antigay sermonizing as well. This year was no exception and its like that every year. Cpac is run by a man named matt schlapp, it has been four years. And in 2022, ahead of the congressional midterms, mr. Matt schlapp was in georgia, campaigning for the Herschel Walker senate campaign. A male staffer to drive matt schlapp around. And while in the car that schlapp allegedly put his hand on the young mans leg, and then, quote, began aggressively fondling the staffers genital area in a sustained fashion without the staffers consent. The staffer claims that mr. Schalpp then invited the to his hotel room. He declined. Early this, year the man sued schalpp for Sexual Battery, and as that lawsuit has dragged on, more allegations of Sexual Misconduct against match lap have come to light, as part of discovering that Sexual Battery lawsuit, lawyers for the Republican Campaign staffer discovered in 2017 at a cpac party, schalpp allegedly attempted to kiss a male employee against his wishes, and also Fundraising Event in 2022, that schlapp was accused of stripping down to his underwear and, forgive me, rubbing against another person without his consent. Now, mr. Schalpp, for his part, has denied all allegations of wrongdoing. The lawsuit says that the American Conservative Union, the Parent Company to cpac, which employs match lap, knew about two of the allegations are benched gets schalpp before they became public, but the lawsuit claims that the American Conservative Union has not only failed to remove mr. Schalpp from his leadership position, they also failed to pursue any kind of investigation into the claims of Sexual Misconduct. And so given that failure to do anything about the allegations, the American Conservative Union has now been added as a defendant in the matt schlapp Sexual Battery lawsuit. The organization has thus far spent upwards of 1 Million Dollars matt schlapp ons legal fees to defend himself in the Sexual Battery case. But they have, meanwhile, kept him in place to run the big annual antigay conference. Because, sure, that is fine. Who will notice . Here was the same matt schlapp, the head of cpac, speaking this weekend about how conservatives, in his mind, need to approach the election this year. Year, at cpac, we have different groups that have signed up to do different things. And michael to the activists, get in those rooms. Things have gotten so crooked. You have got to be in the room when they are doing the count. Most of these elections are being determined by temps in our largest city. So, why dont we get those jobs . And what do we have to do, we have to intimidate, in the nicest of ways, all these officials that continue to flout the law. I dont care what jurisdiction you are in. Go to the meetings. Make appointments. Make it very clear, become conversant with the law. If the citizens dont stand up, nobody in a White Building in washington d. C. Is going to make any changes. We have to intimidate all these elected officials. I dont care what jurisdiction you are in. Go to the meeting. Make it very clear. To make appointments. We have to intimidate these elected officials, says the head of cpac. The big not at all hypocritical antigay rightwing confab that just happened under his leadership this weekend. That was clipped by the group media matters. Here is the same man, here is matt schlapp, with trump advisor steve bannon talking about what he thinks the sort of Takeaway Message from cpacs. Everyone says, oh, this is the most important election of our lifetime. I dont even know if you call this an election. This is like the two point oh of the american revolution. We are going to have own new heroes coming in. We are going to remember their names forever. But stop talking, and start doing. That was the theme coming out of this conference. No more complaining. No more talking. Its not an election this year, it is a revolution. It is the second american revolution. So, no more talking. For his part, he was steve bannon, hes big Charm Offensive at cpac this weekend, trying to persuade his fellow americans to win people over to his way of thinking. They stole the 2020 election. Media, i want you to suck on this i want the white house to suck on this. You lost in 2020 donald trump is a legitimate president of the United States [applause] trump one won, trump won, trump won, trump won [crowd chanting] his fate and political destiny is the head of the greatest political comeback in political history, to drive the vermont out of 1600 pennsylvania avenue. Biden, you and your crime family are nothing but trash. Okay . And on the 20th Of January of 2025, we are going to take out the trash. The hold, democracy. In the greatest nation on earth. I dont know how the election is going to go this year. That is what one side is offering. And maybe that is what the good and great people of the United States of america truly want. T but it is not just cpac, and their illustrious leadership. That is kind of just the tenor of what is on offer here. I mean, even in print. These were adjacent headlines in the Washington Post last week. Biden administration cancels one point Million Dollars in Student Loans with new repayment plan. Right next to, trump and allies planning militarized mass deportations, khama detention camps. That is the choice, right . Relief from high Student Loans, or using the military to lock up millions of people in huge new camps. Adjacent headlines in the Washington Post on the same day. Both parties at the same point in general election campaigning, thinking about what they want to be doing to present to the American People about what their idea is of governing. And i dont know which of the two sides the American People is more in the mood for. But it seems pretty clear, to me, at least, that the best contrast for the democrats to draw for voters this year is maybe just the simplest one. Right . Normal, popular, practical accomplishments from President Biden and the democrats, versus burn it all down radicalism being screamed at the top of their lungs by republicans under donald trump. You cant even understand what they are talking about half the time, because they speak in their own code. Barbara mcquade, who you know and love from her time here is a legal analyst and explainer on msnbc, she has a new book that comes out tomorrow and it is called attack from within, how disinformation is sabotaging america. And in her new book, among other things, Barbara QuayleBarbara McquadeBarbara Mcquad explains and authoritarianism, why you need to disconnect people from facts about the world, from the noble truth and complexity in order to get people to endorse extremism, to endorse extreme new