20: Elie Honig asks –– is Donald Trump Untouchable?

20: Elie Honig asks –– is Donald Trump Untouchable?

Author: Jennifer Taub & Politicon LLC April 9, 2023 Duration: 1:05:55
This week, Jen’s guest is her good friend Elie Honig. Elie is a former prosecutor and currently a Senior Legal Analyst at CNN. At the Southern District of New York Elie prosecuted federal cases involving organized crime, human trafficking, public corruption, and violent crime. Among his successes were prosecutions of 100 members and associates of La Cosa Nostra, including Bosses and other high-ranking members of the Gambino and Genovese Organized Crime Families.  

But this program is called Booked Up, not Locked Up, so Elie is here to talk about his equally stellar writing career. He is the author of the national bestseller Hatchet Man  about former Attorney General Bill Barr, and has a new must-read page-turner out now called Untouchable: How Powerful People Get Away With It.

It was Elie in Untouchable who broke the story about how the federal prosecutors decided not to charge Donald Trump in the Stormy Daniels hush money case. Yes, the very case that local prosecutor, District Attorney Alvin Bragg chose to pursue. But, there are some differences and Elie and Jen get into all of that.  Plus he pulls no punches when it comes to critiquing Attorney General Merrick Garland. 

Okay. Let’s dive in.

Contact Booked Up:
You can email Jen & the Booked Up team at: BOOKEDUP@POLITICON.COM or by writing to: 

BOOKED UP 
P.O. BOX 147
NORTHAMPTON, MA 01061


Get More from Jen Taub:
Twitter | Website | Author of BIG DIRTY MONEY 

Get More from Elie Honig:
Twitter | Website | Author of UNTOUCHABLE



For anyone who’s ever finished a great book and immediately wanted to dissect it with a smart friend, Booked Up with Jen Taub is that conversation. Hosted by author and legal commentator Jennifer Taub, this podcast digs into the ideas, arguments, and narratives shaping our world, all through the lens of what we’re reading. It’s less a formal book review and more a lively, critical exploration. Episodes weave together themes from politics, culture, and current events, treating books as vital source material for understanding the bigger picture. You’ll hear Taub’s insightful commentary and analysis, often drawing connections between an author’s work and the real-world issues it illuminates. The discussion feels urgent and relevant, whether tackling a new release or a classic with renewed significance. Listening to this podcast is like joining a book club where the conversation is always sharp, informed, and unafraid to challenge conventional wisdom. It’s for readers, thinkers, and anyone curious about the power of stories to explain our complicated present.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 59

Booked Up with Jen Taub
Podcast Episodes
29: ACCEPTANCE  by David L. Marcus [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:08:03
Today Jen’s guest is her long-time friend and Pulitzer-Prize winning journalist David L. Marcus. They talk about Dave’s latest book Acceptance: A Legendary Guidance Counselor Helps Seven Kids Find the Right Colleges –– a…
28: NAZI BILLIONAIRES by David de Jong [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:04:07
Jen’s guest is David de Jong, the author of a mindblowing new narrative nonfiction book called Nazi Billionaires: The Dark History of Germany’s Wealthiest Dynasties. Before he began researching for this book, David cover…
27: Maggie Smith, You Could Make This Place Beautiful: A Memoir [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:06:53
This week for the book club, we have poet Maggie Smith talking about her tell-most own new bestselling memoir You Could Make This Place Beautiful. You know Maggie from a poem she wrote in an Ohio coffee shop in 2015. Tha…
26: Steve Vladeck on THE SHADOW DOCKET [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:14:48
This week Jen’s guest is Professor Steve Vladeck, author of the sensational new book: The Shadow Docket: How the Supreme Court Uses Stealth Rulings to Amass Power and Undermine the Republic. The Shadow Docket is a must-r…
25: Ben Smith on TRAFFIC [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:05:30
This week, Jen’s guest is Ben Smith, author of Traffic: Genius, Rivalry, and Delusion in the Billion-Dollar Race to Go Viral. This hot new book takes a close look at the people and the patterns behind the click-bait-jour…
24: Anastasia Curwood on her new biography of Shirley Chisholm [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:16:09
This week, Jen’s guest on Booked Up is Anastasia Curwood. They discuss her insightful new biography Shirley Chisholm: Champion of Black Feminist Power Politics. As you likely know, in 1968, Shirley Chisholm became the fi…
23: Book Club: YOUR BOOK! [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:06:09
Booked Up with Jen Taub has a special episode for April’s book club. The topic is your book.” You’re the author, it’s you. Today we are talking about how books get proposed, sold, written, edited, published and promoted.…
22: Wajahat Ali Go Back to Where You Came From [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:14:14
In his written work and public persona, Wajahat Ali is known for his quick wit. Humor seems to come naturally to him, and yet, he has turned his gift into a craft deployed deliberately. In Go Back to Where You Came From,…
21: Carissa Byrne Hessick [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:12:37
Jen speaks with Professor Carissa Byrne Hessick about her remarkable book, Punishment without Trial: Why Plea Bargaining is a Bad Deal. Her book goes beyond just showing why plea bargaining is a bad deal. She also shines…
19: The Kneeling Man by Leta McCollough Seletzky [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:05:15
This week, Jen’s guest is Leta McCollough Seletzky. Leta is a former litigator who left the law to become a literary sensation. She is a National Endowment for the Arts Creative Writing Fellow. If you don’t already know…