François Picard is pleased to welcome Andrew Weissmann, Author, Professor at NYU School of Law, and former General Counsel of the FBI. He argues that as political deception and deliberate falsehoods become normalized, and politically useful, it erodes any trust we have in our government and our institutions. Drawing on his book, "Liar’s Kingdom", Weissmann questions why political leaders are above the law in the United States, while ordinary citizens risk serious legal consequences for making intentionally false statements.
For Weissmann, repeated political deception can foment mistrust in the system, operating alongside an expansion of executive power precisely when traditional checks and balances are under strain. Looking comparatively at Brazil, Britain, France and Germany, he asks whether democracies can impose meaningful consequences for intentional political lies without sacrificing freedom of expression. Ultimately, we find ourselves facing a veritable constitutional crisis: when does protecting political speech at all costs threaten democracy and leave democratic institutions vulnerable to the whims of autocratic rulers who dismiss the rule of law?
