Aside from the very moving ending, that Parnas insisted he be able to appologize to Hunter Biden, face to face, Svetlana's saving all the cellphone documentation to her Cloud makes Bill Barr's freezing of the digital documentation meaningless. It is now open season on all the traitorous gangsters, YES Gangsters, involved from all areas of the Trump adminisrtion. Barr and Solomon are at the top of the list. This will be aired many time soon and DOJ will have no excuses. Barr has been to the past Republican administrations what Giulianni was to Trump. Fixer.
I think I would prefer to see Jack Smith keep pursuing Trump. But agree that Sally Yates or Preet Bharara would make fine Attorney Generals, and they can support during the useless Director if the FBI.
All you say is true, provided we keep a Democratic Administration and a President who will nominate and support an Attorney General who doesn't sleep through the term of Office .
And the dirty fingerprints of Fox Noise are everywhere in this story…why they’re still allowed to broadcast their garbage over the U.S. airwaves is a travesty of justice. Their collusion with the Russians and Putin should be prosecuted as treason, period…
Why isn’t this story—the one that exposes corruption at the highest levels of the Trump administration, the one that reveals the rot inside the Justice Department, the FBI, Fox News, and the entire Republican machinery—not on the front page of every major newspaper in this country? Why is it that the story of Lev Parnas, a man who was shoulder to shoulder with Trump’s inner circle, who has the receipts, who has thousands of documents proving that the entire Hunter Biden smear was orchestrated by Fox News, Rudy Giuliani, and Bill Barr—why is that not leading every nightly broadcast?
I’ll tell you why. It’s because this country’s mainstream media has sold out—hook, line, and sinker—to the cult of clickbait, to the gods of profit over truth. They’ve decided it’s easier to feed you the daily garbage, the scandal of the hour, the petty fights between celebrities, than to tackle the real story that could shake the very foundations of this democracy.
They don’t want to cover a story that tells you that Fox News, the self-proclaimed champion of the American right, was complicit in a Russian-backed operation to destroy a sitting president’s son. They don’t want you to know that Trump’s Department of Justice secretly subpoenaed Hunter Biden’s bank records, handed them over to Fox News, and turned the full weight of the federal government into a weapon to destroy a political opponent's family. No, because that story— this story—destroys the narrative they’ve been selling for years.
This is bigger than Watergate, bigger than Iran-Contra, bigger than any political scandal we’ve seen in decades. But where are the headlines? Where are the panels of talking heads dissecting the gravity of this betrayal? Nowhere, because the truth doesn’t sell ads. The truth doesn’t keep the clicks coming.
Donald Trump doesn’t want to be president—he wants to be a dictator, and when someone as deep inside his orbit as Lev Parnas finally comes clean, when someone who knows the dirty secrets lays them out in plain view, that should be the moment that changes everything. But instead, we’re left in a media landscape where distractions and nonsense reign supreme, and the real threat to our democracy gets buried.
This is a failure of the press, a failure of the system, and a failure of us if we don’t stand up and demand the truth, demand accountability, and demand that the media stop chasing clicks and start doing their damn jobs.
I just finished watching it Gloria. I had the same thoughts while watching. The press obviously have other motives and they aren’t in our democracy’s best interest. We don’t have much time but it’s all up to us. Thank you Rachel and MSNBC for the truth.
So well said! I think the press is also afraid of Trump and afraid of losing access. Maddow did a great job exposing these facts but she just writes the story. She doesn't seem to care about the implications of the story. Maybe also afraid of backlash. Maybe not their job in their eyes. But yes, part of society's problem is lack of courage and fear of backlash. The legal system seems infected and headed to irrelevant re people in power. But the media seems afraid of losing profits if they take a principled stand which will produce backlash in halls of power and loss of profits. Preserving democracy should be, but is not, a good business decision it seems.
Well said, Glolria. Every time I hear or read of something like this I'm so glad I had my TV disconnected last year. Ir'as ve3en 16 months now, and while Ii9m sorry I missed this show I know I can get an accurate reading of it from Tom or some other person on Substack.
A well-written summary. The end of the film was a tearjerker as the two flawed men forgave each other and hugged.
Lev and (beautiful) Svetlana were then on Ali Velshi’s show, revealing more about the impact that time had on their family and their relationship. In talking about how she dealt with it, she likened it to first having to open the book, then entering a chapter of the book, and now being on the same page.
I hope more will be divulged in the short time before the election, and that more people can learn about the criminality that pervaded the Trump White House and the massive influence of Russia.
Wasn't Svetlana solid as a rock and sharp? She looked the camera straight in the eye and said she saved it all to the Cloud. The apology and forgiveness were REAL.
The fact that Lev Parnas married a woman of this caliber, and that she stood with him throughout the years he was being used by Trump & Giuliani, speaks positively of him despite his credulity for so many years.
It's also about Juliani. His crimes are ongoing. He escapes punishment and payment of huge damages. Wht us there no outcry? The prosecution were not for political reasons. When will people demand justice????
I also watched it last night and found it riveting. Please watch tonight or tomorrow night if you missed it, maybe even re-watch it. Like TC, I can't recommend this documentary highly enough.
How I wish you were wrong. That this is not being spread across every chyron, every Headline and every Streaming Platform available is proof of just how deeply the MSM is in the Trump Bag.
I am going to watch it tonight. I was listening to it on my drive home from work last night on MSNBC, but I kept losing the internet. Lots of internet dead zones in the Columbia River Gorge. So I heard bits and pieces. Looking forward to seeing all of it.
I had not a clue or would have tuned in last night. But, will record it tonight! Each time I read or hear another factual account of t inc’s shesningans-worse, I’m beyond amazed and of course furious. TG bad pressure runs low. Of course this ought to be in capital letters heading The NYT & Washing your hands Post!
I watched and recorded it last night, Tom is spot on. There was much I learned and much I already knew, Lev was a hustler, all of his life, he and the insipid orange turd saw eye to eye. Lev got played big time, he was smart to keep good records, it may have saved his life. In the end he had a sense of honor, he alone among all of the grifters. I’d watch it again. 👍👍💥💥😎
Thank you, Tom. If only: this could be shown to the magat cult; if only: our DOJ could act swiftly; If only: we could get another indictment from a Grand Jury against trump and guiliani before November 1st. Unfortunately, our only real hope is for intelligent American citizens to vote in numbers ever seen before.
trying to be very careful about getting the whole thing, I seem to have DVRd FOUR copies. so I feel very secure.
this information is consequential enough to count as one of those "October Surprises," right? and a week or so early. but that's not gonna happen this time because of... well, everything we always talk about.
that big NYT investigation about SCOTUS and the horrifying manipulations of Roberts (the one we all considered the "voice of moderation" until we found out he's not) to force the agenda of their concierge client should have been another such phenomenon. but it came and went.
Parnas has a bunch of smoking guns, but it feels a lot to me like that tree that falls in the forest but no one notices so maybe it didn't happen. except that we KNOW that fucking tree is never going to be vertical again. sometimes it feels like I'm lost in the funhouse mirrors. or like I'm trying to subscribe to something and the site keeps rejecting my money.
I sure do want this documentary to change things. it certainly SHOULD, but....
and yes, it IS good to see when these guys decide to stop lying.
Aside from the very moving ending, that Parnas insisted he be able to appologize to Hunter Biden, face to face, Svetlana's saving all the cellphone documentation to her Cloud makes Bill Barr's freezing of the digital documentation meaningless. It is now open season on all the traitorous gangsters, YES Gangsters, involved from all areas of the Trump adminisrtion. Barr and Solomon are at the top of the list. This will be aired many time soon and DOJ will have no excuses. Barr has been to the past Republican administrations what Giulianni was to Trump. Fixer.
Open season, and no bag limit. Unfortunately, there's no indication that DoJ has an active hunter at the top.
When the REAL prosecutor comes to town, there will be a new AG.
Preet Bharara or Sally Yates would be good. Maybe Jack Smith if he isn't worn down yet.
Editor's note: I really hate autocorrect.
I join you in hating Autocorrect...
Automistake.
I think I would prefer to see Jack Smith keep pursuing Trump. But agree that Sally Yates or Preet Bharara would make fine Attorney Generals, and they can support during the useless Director if the FBI.
I agree on Smith, but put his name in because he deserves the recognition.
Yes, Ransom. Gangsters.
All you say is true, provided we keep a Democratic Administration and a President who will nominate and support an Attorney General who doesn't sleep through the term of Office .
And the dirty fingerprints of Fox Noise are everywhere in this story…why they’re still allowed to broadcast their garbage over the U.S. airwaves is a travesty of justice. Their collusion with the Russians and Putin should be prosecuted as treason, period…
Why isn’t this story—the one that exposes corruption at the highest levels of the Trump administration, the one that reveals the rot inside the Justice Department, the FBI, Fox News, and the entire Republican machinery—not on the front page of every major newspaper in this country? Why is it that the story of Lev Parnas, a man who was shoulder to shoulder with Trump’s inner circle, who has the receipts, who has thousands of documents proving that the entire Hunter Biden smear was orchestrated by Fox News, Rudy Giuliani, and Bill Barr—why is that not leading every nightly broadcast?
I’ll tell you why. It’s because this country’s mainstream media has sold out—hook, line, and sinker—to the cult of clickbait, to the gods of profit over truth. They’ve decided it’s easier to feed you the daily garbage, the scandal of the hour, the petty fights between celebrities, than to tackle the real story that could shake the very foundations of this democracy.
They don’t want to cover a story that tells you that Fox News, the self-proclaimed champion of the American right, was complicit in a Russian-backed operation to destroy a sitting president’s son. They don’t want you to know that Trump’s Department of Justice secretly subpoenaed Hunter Biden’s bank records, handed them over to Fox News, and turned the full weight of the federal government into a weapon to destroy a political opponent's family. No, because that story— this story—destroys the narrative they’ve been selling for years.
This is bigger than Watergate, bigger than Iran-Contra, bigger than any political scandal we’ve seen in decades. But where are the headlines? Where are the panels of talking heads dissecting the gravity of this betrayal? Nowhere, because the truth doesn’t sell ads. The truth doesn’t keep the clicks coming.
Donald Trump doesn’t want to be president—he wants to be a dictator, and when someone as deep inside his orbit as Lev Parnas finally comes clean, when someone who knows the dirty secrets lays them out in plain view, that should be the moment that changes everything. But instead, we’re left in a media landscape where distractions and nonsense reign supreme, and the real threat to our democracy gets buried.
This is a failure of the press, a failure of the system, and a failure of us if we don’t stand up and demand the truth, demand accountability, and demand that the media stop chasing clicks and start doing their damn jobs.
@TCinLA
I just finished watching it Gloria. I had the same thoughts while watching. The press obviously have other motives and they aren’t in our democracy’s best interest. We don’t have much time but it’s all up to us. Thank you Rachel and MSNBC for the truth.
I agree
So well said! I think the press is also afraid of Trump and afraid of losing access. Maddow did a great job exposing these facts but she just writes the story. She doesn't seem to care about the implications of the story. Maybe also afraid of backlash. Maybe not their job in their eyes. But yes, part of society's problem is lack of courage and fear of backlash. The legal system seems infected and headed to irrelevant re people in power. But the media seems afraid of losing profits if they take a principled stand which will produce backlash in halls of power and loss of profits. Preserving democracy should be, but is not, a good business decision it seems.
Maddow's entire history is providing the facts and letting the viewers decide what to do with them. It's called respecting the audience.
She won’t be allowed into a chump press conference, if he has one. Somehow, I don’t think she gives a damn.
Well said, Glolria. Every time I hear or read of something like this I'm so glad I had my TV disconnected last year. Ir'as ve3en 16 months now, and while Ii9m sorry I missed this show I know I can get an accurate reading of it from Tom or some other person on Substack.
In any other American decade, this would blow DJT's campaign to smithereens.
my own point precisely.
but we should have realized things were different after that horrifying night in 2016...
Way before that, Palin made my blood run cold.
A well-written summary. The end of the film was a tearjerker as the two flawed men forgave each other and hugged.
Lev and (beautiful) Svetlana were then on Ali Velshi’s show, revealing more about the impact that time had on their family and their relationship. In talking about how she dealt with it, she likened it to first having to open the book, then entering a chapter of the book, and now being on the same page.
I hope more will be divulged in the short time before the election, and that more people can learn about the criminality that pervaded the Trump White House and the massive influence of Russia.
Wasn't Svetlana solid as a rock and sharp? She looked the camera straight in the eye and said she saved it all to the Cloud. The apology and forgiveness were REAL.
Svetlana's the real hero of the story.
The fact that Lev Parnas married a woman of this caliber, and that she stood with him throughout the years he was being used by Trump & Giuliani, speaks positively of him despite his credulity for so many years.
It seems to me his "creditulity" didn't show up until about the time he went to Prison, after being thrown into the rear wheels of the bus.
That said, I think his remorse is real.
It's also about Juliani. His crimes are ongoing. He escapes punishment and payment of huge damages. Wht us there no outcry? The prosecution were not for political reasons. When will people demand justice????
I also watched it last night and found it riveting. Please watch tonight or tomorrow night if you missed it, maybe even re-watch it. Like TC, I can't recommend this documentary highly enough.
We’re recording it tonight, watched it last night.
Dear gods, they’re gangsters, all of them.
I've watched it twice. Maybe again tonight. It's that good.
Terrific column, Tom.
And ya know what? This story will be non existent next news cycle. It ain't sexy. The msm believe the people to b as stupid as as a bag as hammers
How I wish you were wrong. That this is not being spread across every chyron, every Headline and every Streaming Platform available is proof of just how deeply the MSM is in the Trump Bag.
Just…yowza.
Exactly my take on it, as well.
I am going to watch it tonight. I was listening to it on my drive home from work last night on MSNBC, but I kept losing the internet. Lots of internet dead zones in the Columbia River Gorge. So I heard bits and pieces. Looking forward to seeing all of it.
Rebroadcast tonight at 5 and again tomorrow on MSNBC. It is an excellent watch.
Thank you Tom, Ally et al,
I had not a clue or would have tuned in last night. But, will record it tonight! Each time I read or hear another factual account of t inc’s shesningans-worse, I’m beyond amazed and of course furious. TG bad pressure runs low. Of course this ought to be in capital letters heading The NYT & Washing your hands Post!
Thanks Ally, I just started watching. And it was great meeting you, having dinner and seeing HCR in Portland on Tuesday!
I watched and recorded it last night, Tom is spot on. There was much I learned and much I already knew, Lev was a hustler, all of his life, he and the insipid orange turd saw eye to eye. Lev got played big time, he was smart to keep good records, it may have saved his life. In the end he had a sense of honor, he alone among all of the grifters. I’d watch it again. 👍👍💥💥😎
Thank you, Tom. If only: this could be shown to the magat cult; if only: our DOJ could act swiftly; If only: we could get another indictment from a Grand Jury against trump and guiliani before November 1st. Unfortunately, our only real hope is for intelligent American citizens to vote in numbers ever seen before.
Watching tonight. Parnas’ story and his repudiation of those who used and abused him in previous exposures is mind-boggling.
Holy _____
trying to be very careful about getting the whole thing, I seem to have DVRd FOUR copies. so I feel very secure.
this information is consequential enough to count as one of those "October Surprises," right? and a week or so early. but that's not gonna happen this time because of... well, everything we always talk about.
that big NYT investigation about SCOTUS and the horrifying manipulations of Roberts (the one we all considered the "voice of moderation" until we found out he's not) to force the agenda of their concierge client should have been another such phenomenon. but it came and went.
Parnas has a bunch of smoking guns, but it feels a lot to me like that tree that falls in the forest but no one notices so maybe it didn't happen. except that we KNOW that fucking tree is never going to be vertical again. sometimes it feels like I'm lost in the funhouse mirrors. or like I'm trying to subscribe to something and the site keeps rejecting my money.
I sure do want this documentary to change things. it certainly SHOULD, but....
and yes, it IS good to see when these guys decide to stop lying.
I watched about 3/4 of the expose’. My revulsion was so intense I had to stop. I will finish it later.
I dumped cable. Can’t watch
The DOJ also dumped cable, so they didn’t have to watch
Convenient, huh?