Former U.S. Attorney, Senate candidate John Walsh to host new legal podcast

John Walsh, a former U.S. Attorney for Colorado and Democratic U.S. Senate candidate for the 2020 election, is the co-host of a new podcast discussing current legal and policy issues.

“In the Public Interest” is a project of WilmerHale, an international law firm with offices in Denver, Europe and China. Brendan McGuire, former chief of the Terrorism and International Narcotics Unit for the Southern District of New York, is the program's other host. The first episode features Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot discussing policing reform and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on public safety.

“This year has brought tremendous change and it can be challenging to stay informed of developing news and policies day to day,” said Walsh. “This podcast will take an in-depth look at headline-making issues alongside those who are directly working on them.”

Walsh was the top federal prosecutor in Colorado from 2010 to 2016. Now he is a partner at WilmerHale. He withdrew from the Democratic Senate primary after the entry of Sen.-elect John Hickenlooper.

On the first episode, Lightfoot said that policing reform can mean different things between community groups, but with a common desire for more equitable distribution of resources of all types.

"Trying to figure out where the different streams of conversation are going has been a challenge," she said. "Do you literally mean you do not want any police in your ward? Because I can make that happen with a pen stroke."