The Oath and The Office

Mixing sharp wit and serious political fire, The Oath and The Office is where hard-hitting constitutional analysis meets razor-sharp comedy. Distinguished political science professor Corey Brettschneider teams up with comedian John Fugelsang to break down the most powerful 35 words in American democracy—the presidential oath of office. Every president swears to “preserve, protect, and defend” the Constitution, but what happens when one openly attacks democracy and the rule of law itself? Each week, Corey and John pull no punches, exposing the latest threats to the rule of law and demanding accountability. Smart, fearless, and wickedly funny—this is the civics lesson you can’t afford to miss.

The Oath and The Office is a news podcast hosted by Unknown Host, with 85 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80.

Unknown Host hosts The Oath and The Office, a news show with 85 episodes published.

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  The Oath and The Office

  Trump’s White House Press Ban & Religious Coercion (with Mickey Dollens)

  Sep 24, 20261h 11m

  Can a president shut out reporters because he doesn’t like their coverage? Corey Brettschneider and John Fugelsang take on Donald Trump’s sudden ban on CNN, MS NOW, and Politico from the White House. They explore the constitutional stakes of revoking press credentials, why press freedom protects the public as well as journalists, and whether federal courts will hold the line against a president determined to punish his critics. Then, Oklahoma state representative and Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) official Mickey Dollens joins the conversation to examine the spreading threat of religious coercion and Christian nationalism, from coaches pressuring student athletes to pray to government sponsorship of prayer in statehouses. When does an invitation to participate become pressure to conform? And what happens to freedom of conscience when those in power expect you to share their faith? Two fights over the First Amendment, connected by one critical question: Can those in authority force the rest of us to fall in line?

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  The Oath and The Office

  Bonus Episode: Is Bipartisanship Still Possible? With Governors Bill Haslam and Phil Bredesen

  Sep 22, 202634 min

  One Republican. One Democrat. Two former governors asking whether Americans can still find common ground.In this special bonus episode of The Oath and the Office, Corey Brettschneider welcomes former Tennessee governors Bill Haslam and Phil Bredesen, hosts of You Might Be Right, for a conversation about political division, democratic principles, and the possibilities and limits of bipartisan cooperation. What brought these two governors together? What can Americans accomplish across party lines? And where should compromise end when fundamental principles are at stake? We explore what it means to listen to political opponents, reconsider your own assumptions, and stand firm when democracy demands it.

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  The Oath and The Office

  Did the Supreme Court Just Save the Election? With Skye Perryman

  Sep 17, 20261h 10m

  Can Trump use the Postal Service to control how Americans vote by mail? And when does a campaign promise cross the line into an attempted bribe? Democracy Forward President and CEO Skye Perryman joins Corey Brettschneider and John Fugelsang to discuss the Supreme Court’s order keeping Trump’s Postal Service restrictions on mail voting blocked ahead of the midterms. She also provides an update on her organization’s challenge to Trump’s slush fund and discusses her new book, Ordinary People, Extraordinary Times. Before the interview, Corey and John break down the news: The Postal Ruling: What the Supreme Court’s decision means for voters this November. Pardons & Bribes: Trump’s promise of $5,000 checks if Republicans keep Congress and the big business of pardon lobbying. Does calling the pardon power “plenary” excuse corrupt use? AI & Autocracy: Mike Johnson’s hands-off approach to AI safety, and what Hungary’s fight against corruption can teach us about defeating authoritarianism. Timestamps: 7:18 – The $5,000 Dividend 14:32 – Trump is Selling Pardons 23:52 – The Call to Slow AI Progress 32:37 – An AFD Victory in Germany: What Does This Mean for Us? 40:14 – The Courts Kept Trump’s Mail-In Ballot Interference At Bay (With Skye Perryman) 51:11 – Democracy Forward’s Suit Against Trump’s Slush Fund & A Peek Into Skye’s New Book Support our sponsor today at https://FFRF.us/office Skye Perryman’s book: Ordinary People, Extraordinary Times

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  The Oath and The Office

  Will the Court Help Trump Steal the 2026 Election?

  Sep 10, 20261h 1m

  Could the Supreme Court help Trump disrupt the 2026 election? In this episode of The Oath and The Office, Corey Brettschneider and John Fugelsang examine a new fight over mail ballots and postal rules that could create chaos, disenfranchise lawful voters, and give the administration new leverage over the election process. We also look at why the Supreme Court’s shadow docket matters so much here, what happens when major election rules are decided without full briefing or argument, and why the Court’s own effort to restrict access to its historical records matters for democratic accountability.Plus, we examine a separate legal strategy that could threaten the tax exempt status of major institutions. Subscribe to The Oath and The Office for weekly analysis of Trump, presidential power, the Supreme Court, democracy, and the Constitution.

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  The Oath and The Office

  Trump’s Mafia Presidency, with Barbara McQuade

  Sep 3, 20261h 3m

  Trump’s abuses of power keep colliding with the law. But even when courts recognize the danger, procedural barriers can prevent them from stopping it. Corey and John examine how standing doctrine blocked a challenge to Trump’s ballroom project, despite an unusual dissent from Chief Justice John Roberts. They also discuss a major free speech victory at Stanford that, like the Khalil case, was weakened by procedural limits. Next, they turn to Trump’s effort to seize control of the Postal Service and refuse delivery of valid mail ballots, using the unitary executive theory to threaten voting rights. Then, former U.S. Attorney Barbara McQuade joins the show to explain why Trump governs less like a president and more like a mafia boss. Drawing from her new book, " The Fix ", she connects Trump’s mob style campaign against dissent to the attack on the Southern Poverty Law Center, the Justice Department’s subpoenas targeting New York Times journalists, and the administration’s attempt to undermine voting by mail. Barbara McQuade’s new book, The Fix: Saving America from the Corruption of a Mob-Style Government: https://www.barbaramcquade.com/

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