Mika Brzezinski isn’t one to shy away from controversy—or a headline. In her first interview since news of her recent visit to meet Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago, the Morning Joe host addressed what happened at her and co-host Joe Scarborough’s meeting with the president-elect, the media backlash and her unapologetic approach to tough conversations: “It’s my job to talk to people I disagree with—or even feel threatened by,” she said on this week’s episode of The Daily Beast Podcast, emphasizing the need for face-to-face dialogue in today’s political climate. “I would never turn down an opportunity to gain insight or information, never.”
Brzezinski credited her upbringing—during which fiery family debates were common—and referenced lessons learned from her father, the late Zbigniew Brzezinski, who served as President Jimmy Carter’s National Security Advisor.
Still, when asked if the visit gave her hope for Trump’s presidency, she was blunt: “No, I would have no illusions about that. (But) I’m glad it happened. The fact that it happened is good.”
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Also on this week’s episode, hosts Joanna Coles and Samantha Bee spoke with attorney Joel Leppard, who is representing two women accusing Matt Gaetz—Trump’s nominee for Attorney General—of paying for “sexual favors.” Gaetz has denied the claims, and the Department of Justice declined to press sex trafficking charges.
A separate investigation by the House Ethics Committee resulted in a report “highly critical” of Gaetz, which Leppard and his clients are calling to be released publicly. (The Ethics Committee on Wednesday voted not to release an “unfinished” report, but agreed to meet again in early December to decide on making it public in its final form.)
“If you had access to their testimony... you would know that they’re absolutely telling the truth,” Leppard argued. “They have zero motivation to lie.”
Listen to all this—and even more Mar-a-Lago messiness, courtesy of insight from the Daily Beast’s executive editor Hugh Dougherty—on the episode in full. As Dougherty put it to Coles and Bee, “it’s been a packed week on the patio.”
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