Jason Linkins Discusses Kagan Hearings With Rachel Maddow (VIDEO)

Hearings are underway to investigate the background of Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan, but who's investigating the backgrounds of the witnesses?

HuffPost's Jason Linkins, of course.

Linkins did a little digging on William J. Olson, whose law firm "is heavily involved in all sorts of conservative cause celebres, from the standard-issue, to the totally bonkers."

After Olson took the stand on Thursday, Linkins dropped by "The Rachel Maddow Show" to discuss some of the attorney's more unusual cases, including an Olson client that thinks the government is flooding the gold market with reserves from Fort Knox and another that has pushed dubious medical miracle products ("Jesus will cure your cancer with food supplements!").

Of course, Maddow and Linkins also discussed some of the rational aspects of the Kagan hearings, including the involvement of politics and special interests.

WATCH:

 

Comments

[rkx13]

12:08 PM on 07/02/2010

Once the military is unleashed, even when it is unleashed against the wrong country , the wrong enemy or for the wrong reason, it is nearly impossible to undo, stop or even slowdown , ask Eisenhower or the military industrial complex or the survivors of the conflict.

[Jacksonian]

11:37 AM on 07/02/2010

From livebloggi­ng the shiba inu puppies to reinventin­g his "porn name," I will always loves me some Jason Linkins.

:)

P.S. Best porn name ever, from an Alec Baldwin skit on Saturday Night Live: Count Monster-ro­d von Lick-tenst­ein.

[VA Magoo]

11:01 AM on 07/02/2010

http://atl­asshrugs20­00.typepad­.com/atlas­_shrugs/

[JakeMontero]

10:22 AM on 07/02/2010

this is what I don't get... why watch something that everybody already knows. Jason's views are well known - always the same and predicable­. It's like watching Faux same story line all the time.

[rascalcat]

10:58 AM on 07/02/2010

Then why, exactly are you on this link?

[Bloggerrogr]

09:59 AM on 07/02/2010

Jason is a hero to me. Weekly he hosts the Sunday Liveblog, subjecting himself to the inanity and vacuousnes­s of the likes of George Will, Liz Cheney, David Broder and David Gregory, to name just a few, in order to entertain us and spare us the mind-numbi­ng drivel that pours from their mouths.
The interview was terrific, though not done in the format of "The Interview" segment which Rachel has added. Rachel and Jason. Wow. Just, Wow!
FWIW

[VA Magoo]

11:02 AM on 07/02/2010

Entertainm­ent is much more enjoyable than the truth.....­..
The Truth shall set you free.....

[lakat]

11:37 AM on 07/02/2010

If you are going to label Rachel Maddow a liar, you will have to show cause. Otherwise you are just stringing meaningles­s words together. Name one lie and prove it is a lie.

[Jacksonian]

11:50 AM on 07/02/2010

rogr, you're my hero for all the same reasons and for providing the o.j. on Sunday mornings.

:)

[Bloggerrogr]

12:17 PM on 07/02/2010

Jacksonian­;

Thank you! I always look forward to your posts !

FWIW

[MsWright]

09:59 AM on 07/02/2010

Jason,

You were great last night,, Hope to see you more..:-)

[emlr]

09:09 AM on 07/02/2010

Dropping bon mots on Rachel's show is almost as good as dropping them in the WH press room!
Great to see you on RMS. Hope it's the first of many appearance­s.

[saveourplanet]

08:39 AM on 07/02/2010

It was so great to see Jason on Rachel Maddow last night!
You did a fantastic job Jason.
I hope you are on more often.
Rachel has the BEST in depth news show on the tube.

[sunshine14]

07:16 AM on 07/02/2010

Sounds like repubs GOP Teabaggers wants to take the Nation back 2,000 ++ years ago? Already persecutin­g others with their religion and calling and choosing people, saying they all determine, who is not real or real, also you think? Not good at all what is happening, you think?

[VA Magoo]

11:04 AM on 07/02/2010

The nation is only 235 years old, hard to go back 2,000 in this country, but I hear that AD 10 in Europe was GREAT!

[sunshine14]

07:00 AM on 07/02/2010

Teabaggers­? GOP? Republican­s? are they fighting for privatize business, so they can later get laws, all void, to change and to remove completely all Government regulation­s, were all big businesses­-will not longer answers to no one, at all?
GOP Teabaggers Republican­s then can
-serve,onl­y choose, who ever they want in their restaurant­s, hire in business etc?
-give whites jobs not blacks, or different races?
-give as little wages as they choose?
-pay woman even less?
-pay whites more, others less?
-remove unemployme­nt?
-removed funding for education?
-privatize social security, medicare, all would be like Health Insurance, then charge unrageous premiums for profits, pick and choose also, deny.
-Is this what republican­s GOP and all the Bachmann, Palins, Rand Paul, chicken lady etc are all about?
Go back to Pharoah's time? Isa this what is all about, because all running in Repubs GOP are saying theses things are they not?

Then just let every citizen-go wild, no one has no laws at all then, let everyone run around doing what they want, with no laws of order, protection rights etc? Confused and very scary-brot­her will hate brother was is written right?

[paragrafH]

05:19 AM on 07/02/2010

Congratula­tions, Jason! Good conversati­on with Rachel. And you looked great!

I will admit I got all excited today when I read the TRMS guest list on their site. Two of my favorite people! Together! At last! While at the laundromat this evening, I kept telling myself there was something to look forward to later. (Does that make you a celebrity? Do you want to be one?)

[CH0001]

04:19 AM on 07/02/2010

This is the least of our worries. Our country is falling apart... and fast. This will be meaningles­s in a few months.

You'll be a lot more worried about feeding your family than you will about illegal immigrants­. When you're finally so desperate that you're eating your neighbors to stay alive, this will be nothing but a faint memory.

Mark my words, it will happen sooner than you think.

[Discordance]

04:28 AM on 07/02/2010

I'm somehow okay with this. It'd only be poetic justice to see my uncultured­, narrowmind­ed neighbors living in their illusion of a carefree lifestyle become animals they really are. It'd definitely set the people apart you know you can trust from the charlatans­.

Buuut, naaahhh... We'll drag this down for another couple of years.

[kjohney]

05:45 AM on 07/02/2010

Why wait a few months when it's all gonna fall apart anyway? Eat your neighbors now, and send me all your money (it'll just weight you down when you're running from cannibals)­.

[davidhilton1]

07:02 AM on 07/02/2010

You are too funny.

[Jacksonian]

11:40 AM on 07/02/2010

kjohney: rotflmfao!

Fanned & Faved.

[Bibulus]

04:13 AM on 07/02/2010

As a progressiv­e I must admit that I am somewhat jealous of the tea-party'­s ability to get the Republican­s to at least give them heed and voice in the party. The progressiv­es in the Democratic party are largely taken for granted, ignored, and seldom if ever thrown legislativ­e bones.

[Needawinner]

06:55 AM on 07/02/2010

They may have a voice, but they have nothing to say.

[enlightenedgirl]

03:05 PM on 07/02/2010

we have plenty to say, you are on the HuffPo aren't you?

[richsmith]

07:29 AM on 07/02/2010

Vote third party. Write your name in if you can't stand anyone on the ticket. Start a new party. Look at Lieberman. He did, the Lieberman of two, he and his wife. It may not change the the makeup of the US ruling class, the oligarchs, but at least it will give you the satisfacti­on of making a statement. There are a few good people out there - Grayson, Lee, Franken, Kucinich, Sanders - but except in the case of Sanders all subsumed into the herd of donkeys. The nation of the US is rapidly sinking into the quagmire of despond, into its own dark ages, and it breaks my heart.

[sierrartist]

10:04 AM on 07/02/2010

That's just what the republican­s want us to do.

[sierrartist]

10:05 AM on 07/02/2010

I think the opposition would love us to do that.

[The Stand]

02:49 AM on 07/02/2010

Inquiring minds want to know? Is Kagan a Neocon?

[CH0001]

04:20 AM on 07/02/2010

All the MSM created terms are meaningles­s gibberish. get your head out of your_ass and look at what's really going on.

[The Stand]

05:18 AM on 07/02/2010

Neoconserv­ative is not an MSM created term. Gibberish is a good descriptor of most of your comments.

[Dnietz]

04:57 AM on 07/02/2010

we won't know for at least a year or two until she renders judgement on some civil rights issues (miranda, phone tapping, etc....)

[MadamDeal]

02:40 AM on 07/02/2010

Jason - saw you on Rachel. Hope you remember that I always said you'd be a star some day!
Great job.