Rep. Jerry Nadler, who has represented a big piece of Manhattan since
1992, is one of the longest-serving Jewish members of the House. 

He’s also a Columbia University alumnus: he was on campus in 1968 when
police cleared Hamilton Hall of anti-Vietnam war protesters.

Nadler is a close observer of the Middle East and the politics of Israel
in the U.S. And he’s the ranking Democrat on the House Judiciary
Committee, where he’s long seen himself as a champion of civil
liberties.

All of this background helped put Nadler at the center of a swirl of
events this week as pro-Palestinian protesters at Columbia were ejected
from Hamilton Hall, as President Biden made his first public remarks
about campus protests, as a ceasefire deal between Hamas and Israel
seemed tantalizingly close and as the House passed, by an overwhelming
majority of 320 to 91, the Antisemitism Awareness Act — a bill against
which Nadler led the opposition.

On this week’s episode of Playbook Deep Dive, host and Playbook
co-author Ryan Lizza talked talks with Nadler about all of this and
about Trump’s interview in Time Magazine, the potential for disruption
at the Democratic Convention in Chicago, the vote Nadler most regrets in
his long career and the nature of truth.

Ryan Lizza is a Playbook co-author for POLITICO.
Jerry Nadler is the ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee. 
Kara Tabor is a producer for POLITICO audio. 
Alex Keeney is a senior producer for POLITICO audio.