The Jack Hopkins Show Podcast
The Jack Hopkins Show Podcast; where stories about the power of focus and resilience are revealed by the people who lived those stories
Jack Hopkins has been studying human behavior for over three-decades. He's long had a passion for having conversations with fascinating people, and getting them to share the wisdom they've acquired through years of being immersed in their area of expertise, and overcoming the challenges and obstacles that are almost always part of the equation.
The Jack Hopkins Show Podcast
Breaking Silence: Jessica Denson on Defying Trump's NDA and Fighting for Democracy
Jessica Denson, a former Trump campaign staffer, shares her riveting journey on the Jack Hopkins Show, revealing how she transformed from a campaign insider to a fierce advocate for democracy. Hear how she bravely challenged the NDA imposed by Donald Trump, exposing the underbelly of political silencing. Jessica's story is one of courage and personal transformation, offering listeners a unique perspective on the broader fight against the misuse of NDAs. Her tale not only illuminates her own path of resistance but also speaks to the larger implications for our democratic processes.
In a time where the peaceful transfer of power is under scrutiny, we reflect on the crucial role of political figures and the importance of staying resilient in a turbulent landscape. As a former Republican, I share my journey towards embracing Democratic ideals and the pressing need for assertiveness in today's political discourse. We extend an invitation to unite in Washington, D.C., from January 3rd to 5th, for a peaceful demonstration defending our democratic principles. Let's explore creative solutions, like crowdfunding, to overcome logistical hurdles and ensure a powerful presence. This episode is a call to action, urging all to stand firm for democracy when it matters most.
The Jack Hopkins Now Newsletter https://wwwJackHopkinsNow.com
Welcome to the Jack Hopkins Show podcast, where stories about the power of focus and resilience are revealed by the people who live those stories and now the host of the Jack Hopkins Show podcast, Jack Hopkins, Hello and welcome to the Jack Hopkins Show podcast.
Speaker 2:I'm your host, jack Hopkins. Today, I have as a guest Jessica Denson. Jessica is a former Trump staffer who sued to get out of an invalid NDA and sued successfully, I might add. She's been doing some pretty important work since that time and is with me today to tell you about something very important coming up in just the next few days. So let's get right into this episode with Jessica Denson. So, jessica, I first became aware of you as a former Trump staffer who successfully sued to invalidate an NBA. It takes some guts to go against Donald Trump.
Speaker 3:Thanks, jack, I appreciate that.
Speaker 2:You know that's probably not a decision you took lightly, I'm sure.
Speaker 3:No, it wasn't. I mean gosh. We're going back so far right now, in 2017, when I first decided to sue. It was not initially to sue for the NDA, it was a human rights lawsuit for defamation and hostile workplace. It was, you know, absolute, like reign of terror that I lived under in the Trump campaign in 2016 and joined them, completely brainwashed and misled by right wing media, which was the echo chamber that I lived in for a good eight years.
Speaker 3:But back in 2017, a year after I left the campaign, I had a real existential crisis, which was basically understanding that I couldn't move forward in my life without taking a stand about what had happened to me and I didn't think that anybody would really care.
Speaker 3:And I had to battle all of these kind of feelings of false humility and self-worth and, you know, lack of maybe, lack of feeling like my story mattered to anybody else. And I had to get past all of that and realize that I couldn't live with myself if I experienced this sort of corruption on a presidential campaign and didn't take action Like where. What kind of credibility would I have moving forward in my life? If I didn't take action Like where, what kind of credibility would I have moving forward in my life if I didn't do something. So that prompted my initial action pro se in 2017, because I didn't have the time or resources to get a legal team before my statute of limitations expired, and it triggered this fight where they came after me for one point five million dollars for violating this ludicrous NDA of theirs, and then I was like oh yeah, you want to come for me, let me.
Speaker 3:let me show you what I'm made of. I sued them again to void the NDA, ended up Two lawsuits, two arbitrations later, voiding every single NDA that was signed by a Trump staffer in 2016 in a court of law, with a precedent which is like unheard of, because these are arbitration agreements. So it was truly divine. You could have never legally strategized what happened in my case, but that's what we were able to accomplish.
Speaker 2:Wow, and from the outside, looking in, it seems as though that's kind of the the force field around him, that that he lived by these ndas.
Speaker 2:Right, that's how he's been able to do so much and keep so many people quiet, because he locks them in legally and then they're frightened exactly okay, and I don't know if you knew it or not, but I myself am a former republican, uh who I voted for donald trump in 2016, and and I had my own personal crisis during that first administration. So we both find ourselves in a totally different place. So let's talk about the place you find yourself in now and what you are doing.
Speaker 3:Yeah, absolutely. Well, first, I want to say one thing to you, jack, and that's I think that we have this in common. I think, having having come out of it, you find yourself being one of the strongest advocates against it, absolutely.
Speaker 3:Because, you truly understand how dangerous and abusive it is, right, but I mean I've been advocating since 2017. You know, like I was, I didn't wait to have my freedom. I spoke out very early on. I went on national television for the first time in early 2019 and said you know, we're in a very dangerous place. We need all hands on deck to confront this problem and even though my story has never been mainstreamed, I mean I've been fighting ever since and where we are right now, jack, is kind of an unthinkable place. We have this man who is a convicted felon, who had multiple indictments against him for crimes against democracy Let us be clear crimes against the American people, against our republic, and those charges have been thrown out for a man who we know to be a Russian asset.
Speaker 2:Yes.
Speaker 3:We know. Let's just say at a minimum you and I don't have to go into the particulars of all of the interference at this in this election, but at a minimum we know that russia and billionaire oligarchs had a role in putting him into back into this position for their own interests, not for the welfare of our country. And bottom bottom line there is a black letter, section three, amend of the 14th Amendment of our Constitution that says this man cannot, cannot fulfill the presidency legally period. And I've done. You know I host a show called Lights On. I've done extensive reporting over the past few months. I kind of started after the election focusing on what I thought we should be paying attention to as far as election anomalies and all the people who said their ballot wasn't counted and you know, just common sense, non-gaslighting election hygiene that so tragically so much of the left was terrified to even talk about.
Speaker 3:For fear of being compared to MAGA, which is the ultimate gaslighting.
Speaker 2:I mean the ultimate.
Speaker 3:If we can never have a conversation about election hygiene again, we can just pretty yes, because this is extremely serious. Every single member of Congress that votes to certify Donald Trump's electoral votes without objection and without raising an amnesty bill to see if he can get the two thirds vote necessary to clear him of his current status as an insurrection, every lawmaker that does that will be in violation of their oath to the Constitution to defend our country against all enemies, foreign and domestic. So literally, jack. In the last week and a half I have partnered with a group of citizens concerned, citizens who are saying not on my watch, not on my watch. We have to take our place in history, we have to do something about this, and we have organized a historic demonstration in Washington DC from the 3rd to the 5th of January it's called 14th Now. You can find out details at nowmarchorg. We are finalizing as we speak.
Speaker 3:You know I delayed this interview several times today, because I have been on the phone all morning with my team locking the details down, locking down our speakers, and we are going to show up peacefully, 100% peacefully. We're going to be the total polar opposite of the January 6th people, but we are going to let Congress know that we understand what their obligation is to us and to the Constitution, and that they have an obligation to abide by that and every mortifying consequence that you hear being discussed in the mainstream media right now. We don't have to live through that. We have a guidebook. We have a founding document. We have something that so many people have lost lives and sacrificed for generations. For that. It will protect us from all of those eventualities. If only we will have the courage to abide by it, and we shouldn't be standing for anything less, frankly.
Speaker 2:Right, and just kind of going through some of your former podcast episodes on Lights On, I saw that I don't know how recent this was, but you had Lawrence Tribe on and correct me if I'm wrong, but Lawrence Tribe supports and backs everything that you are saying about the 14th Amendment. Am I correct in that?
Speaker 3:Lawrence Tribe agrees, as do every constitutional scholar that I've spoken to, that in spite of the ruling in Trump v Anderson that abysmal, awful judicial train wreck of a ruling that said Trump could not be kept off the ballot in Colorado in spite of that, he misinformation that you're getting from some so-called pro-democracy outlets. This is his status period, end of story. He remains constitutionally disqualified, finding that was adjudicated up through the Colorado Supreme Court and, by the way, in Illinois and Maine through their process of determining whether someone was an insurrectionist.
Speaker 3:So this man is an adjudicated insurrectionist period, end of story. And yes, lawrence Tribe fully agrees with that.
Speaker 2:And thank you for highlighting that, because I think that's so important for people to know is this is not something that's an ongoing debate. It is end of story as far as that application goes. Why do you think and I guess in the grand scheme of things, I don't know that it matters, because we know what needs to happen, but why do you think? I know that most well, I won't say most, but a high percentage of people in Congress are themselves attorneys, yeah, okay.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 2:At the very least, even if they're not constitutional lawyers, they have a basic understanding of many different facets of the law, much better than someone such as myself. Sure, I think it's fair to say they know their obligations. Yeah, why do you think, jessica, so few of them are acting as though they're not certain of this obligation?
Speaker 3:I have some theories, jack. I guess I can share them with you. I know one of the excuses that they're giving, and I've seen this in letters that they have responded to constituents with, and that is that we are committed to a quote peaceful transfer of power which is such a straw man argument.
Speaker 3:It's such a because, I'm sorry, is peacefully objecting to an insurrectionist becoming president, not a peaceful transfer of power. What is not peaceful about that? In fact, it is in defense of a peaceful transfer of power that you would object to his certification. Yes, so that is one they are. They are wholly, it seems, unable to handle optics of politics which, just you know, makes you wonder why they went into politics in the first place to not be able to take the reins on a conversation and reframe the narrative. But I think, I think that I think there is fear, and I think they would probably privately give you the excuse that they're afraid of their own personal safety which, as I discussed on my on my show last week, is incredibly selfish. And I say this with a genuine acknowledgement of the threats they face. I am not negating that or downplaying that, but to for them to act out of that fear when the consequences for the average American, who has so much less security and protection than each and every member of Congress, does.
Speaker 2:Yes.
Speaker 3:Is incredibly selfish. And why did they go to into public service in the first place? If, first of all, I think there has been so much bluster behind the intimidation and threats of MAGA and we, if we are capitulating in advance to threats of violence while we still do have our democracy Right, that is an extreme we have. We have essentially ceded everything we have in totally, totally given up. So I think there's a lot of there's that's the excuse they're giving themselves, I believe. I believe there's a lot of wanting to cover for each other so that they have some kind of legitimacy moving forward, which that's what this peaceful demonstration aims to do to say, no, listen, we see you, we understand your obligation, we know the oath that you've taken and if you fail us, sorry folks. Your hot takes on cable news are not going to clear your name in history. This will be your legacy. Your legacy will be letting down the Constitution and our freedom and survival as a republic when it mattered most and our freedom and survival as a republic when it mattered most.
Speaker 2:Right, very, very well said. I'm not going to put you on the spot and ask you, but I will tell you as a former Republican, one of the most troubling things for me as someone now in this party has been just the lack of willing to throw up the, the proverbial fist and say let's get it on. Yes, one of us is going to walk away, but we'll find out. And I think that's where, and I'm certainly not setting myself up as on a pedestal as some somebody who's leading that front. That's not what.
Speaker 2:I'm saying but I think people like us can play a very valuable role in this party because we bring a different aspect. I think there's people who have been Republican most of their lives. I think there's a different thread through them that you don't automatically lose when you switch parties. You agree to a different set of standards and back and support that, but you bring with you some of the grit and the elements that you had as a Republican, and so I think it's so important that somebody like you, who demonstrated your grit when you were still in the as a Trump staffer- yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah, demonstrates that you, you don't let fear Back you into the corner and get you to agree to something that's not acceptable to you. What can people do right now? Let's say what can people do if they can't attend? How can they help support this? And then, if people are going to attend, give me just a little bit of the kind of the bullet points on that.
Speaker 3:Sure, and I just want to say one point on what you just said. First of all, I am an independent, like I. First of all, I am a independent.
Speaker 1:I'm a Democrat.
Speaker 3:Democrat supporting independent. But I proudly reclaim my independence, even as a Republican. I was independent then, but now I will always, for life, be a lifelong independent who, my God, supports the Democratic Party. But for God's sakes, get your shit together already. And I just wanted to say one thing about that point is that how many Democrats OK, not just former Republicans, but how many Democrats in that party are fed up with the lack?
Speaker 2:of that is a great point, I see their own party.
Speaker 3:They are desperate for it, desperate for it.
Speaker 3:So, but how can you help us? First of all, go to nowmarchorg. Nowmarchorg, please register right now. Please join the movement, whether or not you can join us in DC, but please, if it is any way in your capacity, get yourselves there, please. We cannot get this moment back. We need bodies. We need the most visible showing of a physical presence in one place, peacefully, a million times peacefully as we can possibly get.
Speaker 3:So, while I will tell you, we are going to give you options for points of action that you can take from wherever you are, my number one request is, if you have it in any way possible to get yourselves to Washington DC on January 3rd to 5th, please try to do it. You know, put out a GoFundMe to try to. You know, ask for help on social media. We are doing our own fundraising. Well, please understand, we are just a group of citizens here. We have no special resources. So we have massive, massive expenses that we are going to be trying to fund ourselves. But don't be shy about crowdfunding, about getting together with other people to carpool, to just do anything possible to get yourselves there on January 3rd to 5th. And please, as I mentioned, press the Join the Movement button.
Speaker 3:I don't want to announce plans in advance, but I can tell you 99% sure that we are going to be in front of the Supreme Court on the morning of January 4th and 5th and we are just ultimately finalizing our exact location for the 3 third, which will be very close, in close proximity to there. So it will be an ideal location, highly highly visible. It will be cold. So please, if you're coming, prepare for cold weather, but we'll keep each other warm the more people we have, the more body heat there is to keep each other warm.
Speaker 2:I was going to say your number one request, then, is warm bodies in DC.
Speaker 3:Warm bodies in DC. Warm peaceful bodies in DC. Absolutely, Absolutely yes.
Speaker 2:Fantastic. Look, I just want to thank you for being out front and leading this thing. As I come back to that internal uh, you, you saw something that was unacceptable and you, you didn't just open your mouth. That would may have been a starting point, but then you followed through with action and, as you said, you got a sweeping change on those ndas, which is change on those NDAs which is marvelous Jessica. Thank you so much One more time. How can people find you personally? Me, yeah.
Speaker 3:I am everywhere on all platforms, at JessicaDenson07, mostly on Blue Sky, I would say, second most on Instagram, definitely. Please subscribe to my YouTube channel, jessica Denson. The handle there is also JessicaDenson07, but if you just search Jessica Denson in YouTube, I'm going to pop up there with my white jacket on. That's me, perfect. Please subscribe. That's the best way to find out my new content. But please, everybody, nowmarchorg hashtag. 14thnow Post it anywhere. Do an Instagram, do a TikTok. 14th now Post it anywhere. Do an Instagram, do a TikTok. Just put it out. Try to flood the airwaves and social media waves with the news of this and spread it far and wide. We truly can make a mark here. Don't let anybody tell you we can't.
Speaker 2:Perfect. Listen, I'm going to get this wrapped up and I will get this episode out there and post as quickly as possible so we can help spread the word from that angle as well.
Speaker 3:Thank you so much. I really appreciate you, Jack. Thank you so much.
Speaker 2:You have a great evening and rock the third through the fifth.
Speaker 3:Yes, amen to that. God bless you, my friend. Nice to meet you.
Speaker 2:As well. Nice to meet you. Bye-bye, bye-bye, bye-bye.
