> there was no pushback whatsoever as Lutnick narrated his tale...when a top government official makes a slew of outlandish claims, he could expect to encounter at least some nominal journalistic resistance.

It seems to me a top government official shouldn't need a podcast host to stop them from making outlandish claims.

I like that podcast hosts will just let some of these people talk, it helps to see who they really are and where their head is really at. A structured interview with prepared questions and answers is a performance. If someone can't sit and have a conversation without someone keeping them in line, should they really be running parts of the government?