In Liar’s Kingdom, veteran federal prosecutor Andrew Weissmann delivers a sharp warning about the danger political lies pose to American democracy. Drawing on his experience in the Justice Department, the Mueller investigation, and decades of prosecuting fraud, Weissmann argues that the US legal system punishes many forms of deception—corporate fraud, perjury, false filings—but leaves a dangerous gap when politicians knowingly lie to the public about elections.
Through examples from Trump’s election falsehoods, January 6, immigration cases, and international models from Brazil, France, Germany, and the UK, Weissmann makes the case for stronger legal tools to protect democratic institutions. His proposed reforms aim not to police opinions, but to hold leaders accountable for deliberate factual lies that undermine elections.
Urgent, provocative, and deeply legal-minded, Liar’s Kingdom asks whether democracy can survive when truth has no consequences.
