>> that's a really interesting question, and thaddeus stevens, fervent anti-slavery politician and a real character with a really dry kind of wit. he's really fun to study. i'm not aware of someone ever explicitly caning him, but what was particularly wonderful about stevens is -- this is not going to be surprising given everything you just said -- he was really effective at speaking up and smacking at any southerner who made any gesture in that direction. for example, after -- let's see -- right in the later years of the civil war, when southerners are trying to find their way back into the union, louisiana, thaddeus stevens, among others, when a southerner threatens violence stands up and says something like, you know, not a lot of you were here necessarily back in the 1850s. i was. i remember what it was like back then. not really like a lot of violence back then. do you remember these guys? any of you folks remember these guys? i remember these guys. do we really want to let them back in? i don't know. what do you think? he's the person that would step forward and say that. you a

>> ththat's really interesting question. >> thaddeus stevens Ãba real character was a really fighting of what he's really fun to study. i'm not aware of someone every explicitly Ãbut it was wonderful about stevens, this is not can it be issurprising giving everything he drew just said he was really effective at speaking up and smacking at any southerner who made any gesture in that direction. for example, right in the later years of the civil war when southerners are trying to find their way back into the union, louisiana thaddeus stevens among others, when southerners threatened violence, stands up and says something like, you know, not a lot of you were here necessarily back in the 1850s. i was. i remember what it was like back then. it was a lot of violence. remember these guys? i remember these guys. do we really want to let them back in? what you think he was the person who would step forward and say that. it's interesting that people didn't necessarily want him. there's one moment in which someone threatens him and i think afterwards he referred to it as a momentary breeze. he s

his name was thaddeus stevens.when he was accused both in his own time and later of being just political point he would say look, impeachment is just a political process. not a legal process. it's a principled process. but he wasn't nacve about it and he realized there were risks. and one of the risks or to the party that he wanted and other republicans wanted to stay in power. when he was accused of just wanting down, he said of course you want power. to execute laws that will be in concert with why we fought to this war. which was not just to abolish slavery but the pernicious effects of slavery which is white supremacy and racism. so that's what i mean about that. your point about making a principled stand is idealistic and wonderful and i love it very much. at the other side of that political principled question is how to save really, the country and the ideals of the country. it may be in this particular case in 2019, with an election coming up, that impingement is not the way to do that. even though it may be

so, several years ago i became fascinated with thaddeus stevens, tommy lee jones played so brilliantlythe movie and seemed veryd interesting character and probably admirable as well. what i'm wondering is the violence on the floor of congrescongress you write aboutr latest book given how he provoked these other congressmen especially the ones on the other party and in a brutally rhetorical way di that anyone er pull a knife on him and was he on the receiving end of any of this violence? >> guest: a politician and character is really fun to study. i am not aware of someone exclusively but what was wonderful is a key was effective at any southerner that made any gesture in the direction, so for example, after the later years of the civil war when southerners are trying to find their t way back he is a person that would step forward and say thater. there's a moment in which someone threatens him and he referred to it as a momentary brief. he wasn't at the receiving end up with someone that was never afraid to speak his mind in the midst of it. there's a moment it becomes a fugitive slave

thaddeus stevens was a radical republican senator from massachusetts insisted that there be an article of impeachment that talked about the president violating the oath of office in a big-time in peach of offense, meaning what he was doing as president was undermining the result of the civil war. the verdict, so to speak, of the civil war. and that tension was there in the very first impeachment. in the second impeachment, it was -- which was richard nixon -- it was very clear that they didn't want to go to all the various things involving watergate >> the committee to reelect the president was called creep. >> which is kind of funny. they didn't want to go to those things. notpresident himself did break into the democratic headquarters. of the massiveness cover-up clearly became the center of the impeachment. that was a clear abuse of power. even then, it wasn't until the tapes were discovered and it wasn't until you actually heard richard nixon telling hr haldeman, till the cia to tell the fbi to back off the watergate investigation. . even then,took a long time to reach the presiden

his name was thaddeus stevens. he was accused both in his own time and later of being just political point he would say look, impeachment is just a political process. not a legal process. it's a principled process. but he wasn't nacve about it and he realized there were risks. and one of the risks or to the party that he wanted and other republicans wanted to stay in power. when he was accused of just wanting down, he said of course you want power. to execute laws that will be in concert with why we fought to this war. which was not just to abolish slavery but the pernicious effects of slavery which is white supremacy and racism. so that's what i mean about that. your point about making a principled stand is idealistic and wonderful and i love it very much. at the other side of that political principled question is how to save really, the country and the ideals of the country. it may be in this particular case in 2019, with an election coming up, that impingement is not the way to do that. even though it may be a p

i became fascinated with thaddeus stevens. tommy lee jones played him brilliantly in the movie and he seems like an interesting character and probably an admirable one as well. what i'm wondering is, the violence on the floor of congress you write about in your latest book, given how easily provoked some of these other congressmen were. especially ones of the other party, and given how provocative stevens was in a brutally rhetorical way. did anyone ever pull a knife on him or challenge to a duel. was he on the receiving end of this violence? >> that's an interesting question. and that he is stevens - - a real character. was a really fighting, driver - - dry wit. i am not aware of anyone cleaning him but what was interesting, this is not surprising given everything you just said. he was really effective at speaking up and smacking at any southerner who made any gesture in that direction. for example, the actor, right in the later years of the civil war when southerners are tried to find their way back into the union. louisiana