The Apprentice: The Roy Cohn Playbook

Attack! Attack! Attack! Deny! Deny! Deny! Before Russia and Roger Ailes, Trump rose to power with the help of mega-lawyer and mega-villain Roy Cohn. That playbook is on full display in Trump's cabinet picks—a confederacy of lawless kleptocrats. Roy Cohn would be beaming with pride.

Gabriel Sherman, the investigative journalist and screenwriter, joins Gaslit Nation. Sherman is the writer and executive producer of the new true-crime American horror story, The Apprentice, starring Jeremy Strong as Cohn, Sebastian Stan as Trump, and Maria Bakalova as Ivana Trump, directed by Ali Abbasi. When the film was released just before the election, Trump attacked Sherman, inciting a wave of anti-Semitic harassment. Trump's goon squad of lawyers failed to stop the film's release, despite their best efforts. They did manage to scare away all but the most morally courageous film distributors. The Apprentice chillingly brings to life Cohn's twisted mentorship of Trump. Our conversation with Sherman took place shortly before the 2024 election and remains an urgent reminder of what we're up against. The good news is that we can apply the same defiant strategy against Cohn's devil apprentice.

We here at Gaslit Nation wish you and yours a restful and peaceful holiday for those who celebrate American Thanksgiving. For our Patreon subscribers at the Democracy Defender ($10/month) level and higher, be sure to get your questions in for our listener Q&A, produced thanks to your questions and comments. To our Patreon community, see you at our Monday 4pm ET political salon over Zoom. Joining us this coming Monday is Susan Greenhalgh, the Senior Advisor on Election Security to Free Speech For People, on their efforts to protect the 2024, including through recounts. If you haven't joined a committee yet, check out more info on those projects here. Thank you to everyone who supports Gaslit Nation—we could not make this show without you!

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Show Notes:

The featured song for November 2024 is "2 Red Cups" by Evrette Allen. Check out her work here! Submit your own music to be featured on Gaslit Nation! We'd love to hear from you!: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1-d_DWNnDQFYUMXueYcX5ZVsA5t2RN09N8PYUQQ8koq0/edit?ts=5fee07f6&gxids=7628

The Apprentice (Trailer) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bvPRxy9kmSg

The Loudest Voice in the Room: How the Brilliant, Bombastic Roger Ailes Built Fox News--And Divided a Country https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-loudest-voice-in-the-room-how-the-brilliant-bombastic-roger-ailes-built-fox-news-and-divided-a-country-gabriel-sherman/11736897?ean=9780812982732

Computer Scientists: Breaches of Voting System Software Warrant Recounts to Ensure Election Verification https://freespeechforpeople.org/computer-scientists-breaches-of-voting-system-software-warrant-recounts-to-ensure-election-verification/