Jonathan Swan

Just had their lives ruined.

Just had their lives ruined.

and thrusts him into the national conversation.

and thrusts him into the national conversation.

Defending these players at a time when... You know, the prevailing wisdom at Duke University was that these players were guilty.

Defending these players at a time when... You know, the prevailing wisdom at Duke University was that these players were guilty.

And these lacrosse players were declared innocent. And this was a really important moment for him because here he was taking a contrarian position against the prevailing liberal orthodoxy, and he ended up being vindicated.

And these lacrosse players were declared innocent. And this was a really important moment for him because here he was taking a contrarian position against the prevailing liberal orthodoxy, and he ended up being vindicated.

He goes to Washington, he goes to Capitol Hill, and he ends up working for Senator Jeff Sessions of Alabama. Senator Sessions, in the early 2010s, was... A pretty fringe figure in the Republican Senate conference. If you take your mind back to the 2012 election, Barack Obama beats Mitt Romney.

He goes to Washington, he goes to Capitol Hill, and he ends up working for Senator Jeff Sessions of Alabama. Senator Sessions, in the early 2010s, was... A pretty fringe figure in the Republican Senate conference. If you take your mind back to the 2012 election, Barack Obama beats Mitt Romney.

And when the Republican Party, after that election, sat down, you know, the grand figures in the party got in a room together and said, what happened? What do we need to change, etc. ? Their famous autopsy basically said, we need to be nicer to immigrants. We need to do more to reach out to Hispanics. And that was the prevailing wisdom on Capitol Hill among Republicans.

And when the Republican Party, after that election, sat down, you know, the grand figures in the party got in a room together and said, what happened? What do we need to change, etc. ? Their famous autopsy basically said, we need to be nicer to immigrants. We need to do more to reach out to Hispanics. And that was the prevailing wisdom on Capitol Hill among Republicans.

Yes, but very specifically by being more compassionate, quote unquote, when it came to immigration, that sentiment became operationalized in Congress. So what you had was the so-called gang of eight, which was a bipartisan group of senators who got together, and figured out a pathway to comprehensive immigration reform.

Yes, but very specifically by being more compassionate, quote unquote, when it came to immigration, that sentiment became operationalized in Congress. So what you had was the so-called gang of eight, which was a bipartisan group of senators who got together, and figured out a pathway to comprehensive immigration reform.

And you had Republicans like Marco Rubio played a really significant role in this bill. So they came up with legislation that sought a pathway to citizenship for millions of people, who are in the country illegally, and they also took some measures to tighten border security.

And you had Republicans like Marco Rubio played a really significant role in this bill. So they came up with legislation that sought a pathway to citizenship for millions of people, who are in the country illegally, and they also took some measures to tighten border security.

And Stephen Miller and Jeff Sessions identified this bill as the big fight that they were going to wage for the future of the party, for the future of the country, and Stephen Miller became...

And Stephen Miller and Jeff Sessions identified this bill as the big fight that they were going to wage for the future of the party, for the future of the country, and Stephen Miller became...

kind of famous in Washington circles for haranguing reporters late at night with emails, with lurid stories about immigrants committing crimes, for working behind the scenes with conservative media, for working every lawmaker he could. And it really was a sort of David and Goliath in terms of the politics of it in Washington and the money.

kind of famous in Washington circles for haranguing reporters late at night with emails, with lurid stories about immigrants committing crimes, for working behind the scenes with conservative media, for working every lawmaker he could. And it really was a sort of David and Goliath in terms of the politics of it in Washington and the money.