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Stopping the Steal with Eric Holder

October 25, 2026 • 1h 12m

Summary

⏱️ 17 min read

Overview

In this episode, Alex Wagner interviews former Attorney General Eric Holder about election security and threats to democracy heading into the midterms. Holder discusses his work with the National Democratic Redistricting Committee, tabletop exercises preparing for election interference, and the Trump administration's attempts to undermine election integrity through weaponizing federal agencies. Despite the serious threats, Holder remains optimistic about Americans' ability to defend democracy through engagement and civic action.

Trump Administration's Election Interference Threats

Eric Holder responds to Attorney General Todd Blanche's refusal to rule out DOJ interference in state certification processes, expressing deep concern about the Justice Department being weaponized as a political tool. He explains that while Blanche's answer could sound benign, the administration has already demonstrated intent to interfere through high-profile indictments and overt actions during periods when DOJ normally stays quiet. Holder emphasizes the unprecedented nature of having to defend against threats from our own government rather than foreign adversaries.

  • Todd Blanche refused to rule out DOJ interference in state certification, citing hypothetical 'doomsday scenarios'
  • The Justice Department has become simply an arm of the White House and RNC, abandoning post-Watergate independence
  • High-profile indictments have been brought during periods when DOJ normally avoids overt electoral actions
  • Trump views every election loss as fraudulent, which could justify DOJ action in his view
" The fact that the Justice Department is simply an arm of the White House, simply an arm of the political component of the White House gives me a great deal of concern. "
" If you had told me that you're going to be doing tabletop exercise and the subject matter is going to be somebody fooling around with our electoral system, and I said well yeah I can see that, and so I say all right we're dealing with what the Iranians might be doing, what the Chinese might be doing, what the Russians might be doing. But what we were focused on is what the United States government might be doing. "

War Games and Preparation Strategies

Holder reveals the extensive preparation work being done to counter election interference, including tabletop exercises conducted with Hillary Clinton, senators, and activist groups at his law firm. These exercises simulate various scenarios like ballot rejections, seizures, military deployment threats, and certification challenges. He emphasizes that while they're prepared for creative attempts at election manipulation, the most powerful antidote is massive voter turnout that overwhelms any interference efforts.

  • War games have been conducted with senators, congressmen, Hillary Clinton, and activist groups to prepare for various interference scenarios
  • Court filings have already been prepared for certification challenges, ready to deploy immediately
  • Scenarios include ballot rejections, seizures, military deployment, ICE presence in neighborhoods, and certification problems
  • Massive voter turnout is the best antidote to any subversion attempts
" We're prepared to meet what it is they're going to do. But in some ways, the best antidote to anything that they do is to have huge numbers of people come out and vote because that can actually crush any efforts that they have to subvert the system. "

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