John Yoo Wrote the Torture Memos and Never Paid for It. At All.
Sep 30, 2026 · 1h 15m
Summary
Hosts Thomas and Matt Cameron discuss the legal legacy of 9/11, focusing on Alan Dershowitz’s 2001 column arguing for legalizing torture via judicial warrants. They also mock Senator Eric Schmitt’s failed congressional attempt to impeach Jack Smith by presenting a nonsensical poster board linking him to an NBA game. The episode highlights how post-9/11 legal justifications enabled systemic abuses and critiques the current political climate surrounding these historical events.
Topics discussed
Intro: Summer price forecast and rising costs
Banter: Alan Dershowitz and producer Lydia
The legal legacy of 9/11 and 25th anniversary
Sponsor break: Supporting independent podcasts
Banter: Supreme Court vs. Publix and mangoes
Jack Smith perjury probe and the Hawks game mix-up
Critique of congressional oversight and witness rehab
Banter: Gavel sounds and podcast music rights
Transition to Dershowitz's controversial legal takes
Dershowitz's 2002 op-ed on torture and truth serum
Sponsor break: Bull millionaires club and ads
Reading the torture memos: Sleep deprivation and waterboarding
Legal justification and habeas corpus for detainees
Surveillance memos and the Patriot Act privacy issues
Sponsor break: Hall of fame patrons and comic
Eric Posner and John Yoo on the Patriot Act constitutionality
Opposition to the ICC and accountability for war crimes
Listen ad-free on Castria