Liar's Kingdom: How To Stop Trump's Deceit and Save Democracy

by Andrew Weissmann

"The 2020 election was a total FRAUD!" "I won the popular vote if you deduct the millions of people who voted illegally." "There is NO WAY Biden got 80,000,000 votes!!!" These and other lies by Donald Trump sparked a historic insurrection to topple our democracy and undermined the public's faith in elections. The Trump administration's deceit has enabled the use of law enforcement and the military against the people, the unlawful deportation of immigrants, and the disregard of international rules meant to promote a civilized and peaceful world. Other politicians, inspired by the success of the political lie, have flooded the public square with falsehoods of their own.

As Andrew Weissmann reveals, our vulnerability to politicians' lies stems from a flaw in America's legal system-one that can be fixed. But it will take courage, creativity, and a willingness to look beyond our borders to other countries that have already confronted this crisis. A slim, elegant treatise, Liar's Kingdom is a playbook for stopping politicians like Trump from holding office in the future-and for saving our democracy. We are entitled to more from our government, and this book shows how we can get it.

Genres: Politics, Nonfiction, Audiobook

227 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 19, 2026

About the author

Andrew Weissmann is a Professor of Practice. He teaches courses in national security and criminal procedure.

Andrew served as a lead prosecutor in Robert S. Mueller’s Special Counsel’s Office (2017-19) and as Chief of the Fraud Section in the Department of Justice (2015-2019). From 2011 to 2013, Weissmann served as the General Counsel for the Federal Bureau of Investigation. He previously served as special counsel to then-Director Mueller in 2005, after which he was a partner at Jenner & Block. From 2002-2005, he served as the Deputy and then the Director of the Enron Task Force in Washington, D.C., where he supervised the prosecution of more than 30 individuals in connection with the company’s collapse. Weissmann was a federal prosecutor for 15 years in the Eastern District of New York, where he served as the Chief of the Criminal Division. He prosecuted numerous members of the Colombo, Gambino, and Genovese families, including the bosses of the Colombo and Genovese families.

Andrew is the co-host of the popular podcast Prosecuting Donald Trump and is a frequent legal analyst for NBC/MSNBC. He serves on the board of Just Security and writes frequently for it, The New York Times, The Atlantic, & The Washington Post. His memoir about the Special Counsel investigation, Where Law Ends: Inside the Mueller Investigation , was a New York Times bestseller.

He has taught criminal law and procedure at Fordham Law School and Brooklyn Law School. He holds a Juris Doctor degree from Columbia Law School. He has a Bachelor of Arts degree from Princeton University and attended the University of Geneva on a Fulbright Fellowship.

Reviews

[Mary Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am an admirer of Andrew Weissmann and enjoy him when he provides legal analysis and commentary on television. I've been accused of being a "legal nerd" for years because I like reading legislation and appellate court decisions. But this book was a difficult slog for me.

[Dawn Higgs · Rating 5 out of 5]

A little hope...

[Hali Allen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Andrew Weissman is a very talented and knowledgeable legal expert who has a knack for explaining the law to someone like me who has a minimal understanding of U.S. law. I appreciate his ability to look at the U.S. states and from other democracies around the world to explain what we could do to make our democracy better, stronger, and resilient.

I would also highly recommend the Illegal News with Sarah Longwell, a Bullwark show. Sarah has Andrew on often to explain to us non-legal people how exactly the current corrupt Trump administration is blatantly breaking the law and expecting Americans to shut up and like it. 5 stars!!

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

Andrew Weissmann’s Liar’s Kingdom is a frustrating but important read. One of the strongest points the book makes is how we already have laws against lying to Congress, lying in business dealings, and lying under oath, yet politicians can repeatedly spread blatant falsehoods to the public with very little accountability. That disconnect becomes hard to ignore once Weissmann lays it all out.

What also stood out to me was the bizarre reality that falsely claiming you earned the Medal of Honor required its own specific law to address. Somehow, we recognized the harm in fake military valor, but still struggle to meaningfully address deliberate political deception at scale. That contrast says a lot about where our legal and political systems still fall short.

The book can feel repetitive at times, but Weissmann’s legal perspective keeps it grounded and readable. Worth reading if you care about democracy, accountability, and just how fragile truth can become when lying turns into a political strategy.

[Louise Sullivan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Attorney Andrew Weismann is a former federal prosecutor and a current law professor and legal analyst at MS-Now. I have admired his analysis for quite some time. In this book, Weismann probes the issue of political lying particularly in the time of Donald Trump. He offers some proposals that are complex as well as thought provoking. In most cases, as Weissmann explains, lying by politicians is not illegal. Addressing such issues often conflict with the principle of free speech. The author does not ask the reader or listener to make quick decisions on these matters but rather to spend time thinking about them. I listened to the audiobook which was read by the author.

[Donna · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the book we need for these political times. Not only does Weissmann clearly elaborate the issues, but he also offers practical solutions which can help. Although primarily a legal discussion, Weissmann presents his arguments in a clear, non-technical way that makes it easy to understand. Highly recommend.

[Randee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brilliant. Easy to read, not arcane, thought provoking, beautifully crafted.

[Sherry Wilmes · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think non-lawyers will still need several reads of this brief book. Thank God someone s thinking about truth, speech and elections.

[Sage · Rating 5 out of 5]

Like CEOs are prohibited from lying to their stockholders, Weissmann says US politicians should be prohibited from lying to voters. A great study.