i will end with this quote from saul alinsky which hangs in my office. it is saul alinsky quoting thomas pane saying quote let them call me rebel, and welcome i feel no concern from it but i would suffer the misery of devils where i can make a whore of my soul. saul alinksky. thank you, everyone, for participating. c-span, where history unfolds daily. in 1979, c-span was created as a public service by america's television companies and is

brought to you by your cable or satellite provider. [inaudible conversations] >> good evening to barnes and noble upper west side senior national correspondent focusing on political coverage over a the magazine and cambridge news previously a senior editor of the of the antic also written for the new yorker and "esquire" and other publications his new book tonight is devil's bargain which the "new york times" calls deeply reported in compulsively readable. the number one the year times best-seller this week.

[applause] joshua green. >>. >> i am always amazed with all of the donald trump and steve bannon that we are subjected to in our daily lives they want to come out and get more of it but i am gratified. i have been advised people and nonfiction book readings really want them to hear the author read and from the book so i will read a short section in them sure there's a lot of questions but i will read too short scenes from the book there carefully chosen so my precocious 10 year-old daughter wanted to read it that this was not a book that

kids could reader that would be easy to read as a public reading because those are to most profane and i have ever met in my life. even though my daughter is not allowed to read the book she did figure out the first word of the first chapter the worst word was the f word. [laughter] in the night of steve bannon with the campaign and also after james komi's letter comes out and the closing days of the campaign when clinton and her staff wake up to the realization she might be in real trouble. so mitt august 2013 everybody

pretty much in politics i think expected donald trump to go to a blowout loss just came off but was doing okay in the polls for a few days than decided to fight with fox news he attacked the parents of this leaves u.s. soldier in every day he was distracted by some new scandal than he was losing between eight and 10 points and big talk on the campaign trail and in washington when the rnc would pull the plug on trump to take away all the money to try and sell -- save what they thought were the floundering members weighed down by the terrible anchor. in the second week of august the

and in some of the daughter of a conservative billionaire named robert mercer who was a secret hedge fund magnate it also funded trump's campaign to the tune of millions of dollars he with so frustrated the way trump was performing that she got on her helicopter to a trumpet fund-raiser and sat him down and told him you are headed for defeat unless you make a change right now and to know who you should hire you should hire steve bannon to be your campaign manager and also as your pollster they had worked for mercer and her outfits and knew

them well so he agrees but he does not tell anybody else so the night of august 13 when brokered has brokered this campaign team and calls steve bannon up on the phone so i will pick up the sea in. >> that night patrol van steve bannon spoke and agreed that he would take over the campaign forgoing the salary and conway would remain campaign manager. and told bannon to meet him the next morning but the next day is sunday. the top advisers gathered unaware of the leadership change instituted the night before or the boss is foul mood there is

crisscrossed the rudy guiliani roger ailes and paul metaphor and his deputy jared was not there they were nodding -- on the yacht. but trump and who was doing over chaos in the campaign exploded how can they be allowed an article that says your campaign is all left up? i will solve sensor -- sells sensor. he was the angry that his aides we're going on television in the effort to reach him. if you have to go on to television to talk to me? and my baby to you? mia be effing baby? the room fell silent the was hardly the last time he lost his

temper and while demoted he was not fired but now there was a bigger problem to worry about. paul headed home to the condominium on his desk was of a printout of an article set to run the next morning that explained how the ukrainian government anti-corruption team discovered a secret hand written letter of $12.7 million of previously undisclosed from a russian political party. although the times reported he was pressing him for weeks for comment pauls comment advised -- lawyer at the vice mcginnis that now he was having doubts he even kept the news from his wife who

jumped up from the couch in a fury when she found out. by late thursday trump had had enough and demanded his scalpel although not personally. that was quite a revolution those who are pulling their heads off in the beginning were getting their own heads cut off at the end. that is out bannon took over the campaign. i think most people at the reading are familiar with what he did so i will not rehash cricket hillary that one of the things and try to do is give that perspective of how the campaign unfolded in that contemporaneously view of what they were seeing and there is the seat at the end of the book

after reopening the investigation into the hillary clinton e-mail server sending both parties into chaos this is just a couple-- later with some scientist some of them worked for rebecca m. mercer and they had very sophisticated instruments to see what was happening state-by-state what was happening to trump's support. >> throughout the general election for those that ultimately decide the race while they fixated on those of the election with the factory worker registering to vote the elderly woman longing to see a female president that tension between

that campaigns with that data analysis gave them a nickname for those to dislike both candidates and it was a sizable block with those voters across 17 stripes -- states they believe they were defeated will but then the third-party candidate gary johnson to after his admission he did not know what aleppo was. [laughter] but then day abandoned johnson but then their intentions were difficult to discern or to declare themselves and decided. the clinton campaign was mainly pocketbook republicans those who is driven by economics but by

those racist and sexist outburst. those had hoped to have helped to shear off each contending that right what we found out they were very physical. between telling pollsters they were leading clinton or trump depending on the new cycle this is the largest piece of fallout we have described to the call me a letter. people were reminded of the worst controversy the most fickle voters we could successfully attract on and off

refer back to try that the and. for all their differences this was the decisive block of swing voters they would finally choose the affiliation or choose to stay home. one of trump's data scientist told me that it gave them reason to vote against her voting for him they could finally admit that to pollsters without feeling guilt all of those double haters in those last minute and decided started to break heavily towards trump when deep down the road foe for him anyway. now nothing there is clinton

could do to stop. so i will stop there in the answer questions. >> please? questions will take political speeches later. [laughter] >> does he have the political chops? is he the kind of guy that could go into a room with real politicians and make deals? . >> what bannon has is a personal charisma you don't get from the public portrayal with that dark - - earth cater field but with

investment of goldman sachs he is almost a caricature of a wall street banker type talks a mile a minute and vaguely sexes did very smart and very funny but very often male and while i was surprised he was named to the trump campaign but it made a lot of sense that the two of them would connect if you are a wellesley glad -- graduate he is not your cup of tea. [laughter] but if you eat steak and the york city real-estate developer and want to be the of the mail that is exactly flow you connect with that is the power he has it isn't a political but more personal.

>> i was fascinated by the research institute as a possible model for trumpet in the job family so how much money was put into that and how do they organize that? . >> so i say in the book that without bannon trump may not be president and i make that for two reasons. really the "avatar" of the populist nationalism with millions of voters who in previous re-elect in one election had not been turned down but the other way that bannon helped trump initially was it supposed to help trump's specifically but mitt to tear down hillary clinton but what drew me to bannon originally was he had a very astute analysis why conservatives failed to

adopt a bill clinton that conservatives had become so convinced that their own righteousness against bill clinton that they were trapped in a bubble. and the democrats or other politicians and they were surprised if they lost seats in the election. but the reason they thought that happened was, i'm sorry but the solution was to get the message out to the conservatives' fear it would have broader awareness. so to find that set of facts and with that theory circulating in the '90s and then to help establish the nonprofit research institute in tallahassee florida. i visited a couple years ago so

they went out to amassed all the information that they could with those entanglements through the clinton foundation from foreign donors and they took this information and putting into of book named clinton cash from a conservative scholar but the book was timed to come out on the eve of clinton's announcement for president but because it contained facts that were documented by reporters then bay penetrated in a way and what bannon did is that he took the information and said listen this is what we found but don't take my word for and i will hang in the the information you see

if this is something worth reporting on and then "the new york times" ran a front-page story about a year rhenium magnate who donated millions and millions of dollars to the clinton foundation to introduce to the autocratic president is seen the dark and the various of the front page of "the new york times" all the other publications would pick it up in by doing this he could spread that negative story about clinton in the way that would resonate with mainstream of voters and democrats to might become delusion and not show up for support somebody like barry

sanders. >> good job. what do you think guiliani meant to days before the comey letter said -- can now he said we have a couple things that could change the outcome and was why was hillary buried after one day? . >>. >> i don't know what guiliani

was referring to because the tough thing with the advisers in a professional campaign like marco rubio or jeb bush you have season operatives that say we will give a big speech john foreign policy this is how you think about it. but they would just fire off at random maybe they knew what they were talking about or issuing empty threats. nobody knew what he was talking about and he was little unstable to begin with. [laughter] but when bannon took over the campaign in august thought this was an opportunity to steal away those double haters that we're probably

republican but were made uncomfortable mightily from the racism but the anti-semitic in this -- imagery so they decided to give a big speech about it is that arrester? [laughter] -- a rooster? . >> it was about attacking breitbart news so do we put this term in the book because they will want to know what is this alt-right term? so solo clinton went out in then to get two-- worth of coverage but with trump in the campaign that could spin a negative story. in to get a little political attention but bannon tells me at one point as a direct quote that

do it does not matter. those of are offended by those charges are already on her team she is not bringing anybody. >> so in the book that bannon was aware of. >> so do you have a sense and also no important trump thinks they were?

. >> the alt-right really did not exist in the polls. but i tell the story basically with the alt-right there is no agreed upon definition to crystallize with the armies of the online told those that support donald trump with those anti-semitic imagery so that is like catnip to cable news and i tell the story out bannon would pull those forces into the political system so to wind up as the us ceo of a video game company in hong kong.

and tried to do monetize gold forming i am not a gamer. have you heard of world of four craft? in they will sit there for days or weeks at a time. [laughter] hot but gold farming is that process to sell it to the beavers in the real world they and bannon would hire teams of chinese workers to play these games in the 24 hour shift to win the armor and selling in the real world goldman sachs invested in the business for it worked great for about one year in tow all of these steamers -- beavers were very upset that

people could do this and could congregate on the message boards they organize themselves and said to stop this or we will destroy your business they listened so they banned that farming and bannon is business went bankrupt so now there are legions of the angry white men who when motivated could be a powerful force on line. and then conspiring to bring them over into the political world who has since become notorious but a guy who goes around to get attention. and he brought these people over '02 breitbart but to answer your question but that skepticism i

always had about the alt-right infatuation so where that was decisive for meaningful in any way. of pa zero powerful a force that they are. to have that media and narrative to amplify that image of negativity the live never seen in a candidate before donald taliban himself was very aware. i know bannon was and would

reach wheat anti-semitic imag were the racist mascot in it gets very weird if you're not familiar. >> bannon made it trump can he save him? . >> i am not sure that he made with him i think trump made them he was there before bannon ever came along but bannon is amplified and would be the ballast to his impulses although not rooted in any particular interest as long ago as 1988 talking about how they are swindall than being ripped off

by competitors. but what bannon did to bring to those beliefs a media movement this interlocking group of conservative organizations that proved to be very effective at the primary into the election. my inclination is to say no that he is so self-destructive not willing to in the visor he doesn't want to listen to. there is a belief in the media that he was a puppet master "saturday night live" had those great skits with the grim reaper. i don't think it was ever true with that enraged trump who was

casting in and out of the inner circle. but he really isn't capable to focus on anything very long. i am sure bannon has the president he once said he is chief strategists period he cannot get anything done at all in the one guy who wishes is the attorney general who is cracking down just as trompe claims that he wants but it looks like he is about to be fired or driven out. >> so what is it about the republican party that allows this in our their forces within that are prepared? . >> bed is a great question.

first of all, and tell trompe came along and there is a prominent conversation around 2014 when congress pushed to reform immigration laws that the republican party needed to modernize to african-americans and they gave people because all love those were at the shared electorate in you don't have to be a genius to say they're part

of the pie is growing. so there was a big push to modernize the of that culmination of the autopsy and when lost too many republicans and had a story that the main conclusion was they needed to pass comprehensive immigration reform which they didn't and the trump recognize the power to motivate these republican voters and exploited that with the nomination of the presidency. so those of the party who are aghast. i think that whole full with daschle full realization they

thought before trump came along they had real influence with republican voters like "national review. " and this could explain why don trump was an acceptable but they were universally ignored by republican party voters. but then not to be so willing to go along with this is that they don't agree they think it is ugly and terrible because these are those who vote in the republican primary so trump and

bannon have been awakened to the power of this resentment and then that could be wielded as a weapon. and to these republican official is just not willing to stand up to trump. >> even though your book in your work works on the influence with the mercer family and bannon did you find any research that specifies any involvement with the russians did they have any sway of those election results? because those polls that were predicting clinton that the last

minute as a large upset >> bannon was not involved in it -- with the russians to be embedded your reporting with him he was very interested in this story began as a research institute had tools which are the parts of the internet that google cannot reach but i do not have any contact is that it seems like bannon has been in our lives for ever betty lee joined in august so then, literally was not

present i am not excepting the conclusion that day medal in that election. >> so what is that connection with bannon horror the real fake news? . >> i know what you are talking about. [laughter] >> before trump bastardized the term those were stories literally fabricated and

there was some wonderful reporting to show those teenagers in macedonia that would produce these fabricating stories around facebook people would think they were real. that was form of psychological warfare. but then that's partisan tried to put their dues in actual facts of stories of that hypergolic headline but then you could never call that breitbart staff and then choose been real news stories but in that campaign often they were favorable to trump but that is what they knew was fake.

>> my question is about the media. and with trans gender and the armed services so what can the media do? . >> that is a fantastic question and it is the central challenge of my profession to go forward. but i say couple of things, first of all, one of the way they could get away with it during the campaign is that

nobody believed trump would actually win. see you could kind of take a deep breath and say to yourself that trump will lose that republican party in meanwhile clinton will go about her merry way. sole first she was not taken mysteriously in then not as much directed at trump but then to a lesser extent really did say master of cable news and what trump did today is a perfect example. one of those interesting scenes that i talk about what happened

after the "access hollywood" tape where trump even said worse things. and then bannon decided. >> that's changing the imagery but how do you do that? indent so talked-about there was such a circus in display and then what is on tv? access hollywood? and then to muddy the low water creating controversy and then attack clinton to her face for the very thing but we know what they're doing trying to muddy the waters but on the other hand, we have to cover that and with that sudden teetoo bay and

those transgendered soldiers is a classic example of that psychological warfare that he hates it and is unable to control himself or stop himself. that with these lefties in their loose social mores why don't you send out a treaty will not be standing for this? so my impression is it is of little less willingly and a little maurer overwhelmingly

hoping that we're learning our lesson that i would point out with the coverage of the justice department and in the special counsel investigation in every single day you know, it is cable news. >> now we are moving to the signing. so now we have some final comments.

good night. thank you all so c much. /....

>> up next on booktv "after words", charlie's jesse eisinger reports on how the justice department handles white-collar crimes. in his book "the chickenshit club: why the justice department fails to prosecute executives." he's interviewed by jennifer taub a law school professor and author of other peoples houses. >> host: it's my great pleasure to be here today with jesse eisinger, a pulitzer prize-winning reporter to talk about his new book that came out this week, "the chickenshit club." when i first met you a few years ago you were setting out to answer a still burning question for so many americans. why did no high-level bankers go to jail after the 2008 financial crisis? after reading a book i can see you aldd