SpyTalk

National Security lawyer Mark Zaid discusses Trump's stunning selection as Florida congressman Matt Gaetz to be Attorney General and what it might mean for his plans to target "corrupt actors" in U.S. intelligence and national security agencies who crossed him in the Russia probe. Mark Zaid https://twitter.com/MarkSZaidEsq Follow Jeff Stein on Twitter: https://twitter.com/SpyTalker Fol...

New Yorker staff writer Charles Bethea joins Jeff Stein to discuss his startling reportage on thousands of Americans preparing for a civil war or other countrywide disasters.  Charles Bethea https://www.newyorker.com/contributors/charles-bethea   Follow Jeff Stein on Twitter: https://twitter.com/SpyTalker Follow Karen Greenberg on Twitter https://x.com/KarenGreenberg3 Follow Michael Isikoff on Twi...

Rep, Jamie Raskin tells SpyTalk why he wants DOJ to investigate whether Trump's son in law is serving as an unregistered agent of the Saudi government  due to the $2 billion he's gotten from the Saudi wealth fund, as well as another newly discovered $87 million in "management fees."  The feisty Maryland progressive also discusses his thoughts on the election and whether Trump is ev...

Extremism tracker Clara Broekaert talks about political violence in the lead-up to the 2024 election and what conditions have made violent political rhetoric possible. Clara Broekaert Clara Anna-Christine (@ClaraBroekaert) / X Clara Broekaert - The Soufan Group US Crisis Monitor - ACLED https://acleddata.com/us-crisis-monitor/#map Follow Jeff Stein on Twitter: https://twitter.com/SpyTalker Follow...

As president, Trump was known for his "bromance" with North Korean dictator Kim Jung Un, holding two summits in Singapore and Hanoi and engaging in a "love letter" correspondence with him that he took with him to Mar-A-Lago after he left office. But before that, journalist Zach Dorfman reminds us, Trump came perilously close to unleashing a nuclear strike on the country--an attack...

The filmed game’s organizer Janessa Goldbeck joins host Jeff Stein to discuss the jarring results of the all-too-real exercise . Janessa Goldbeck https://twitter.com/jgoldbeck VetVoice Foundation https://vvfnd.org/ War Game https://wargamefilm.com/ Follow Jeff Stein on Twitter: https://twitter.com/SpyTalker Follow Karen Greenberg on Twitter https://x.com/KarenGreenberg3 Follow Michael Isikoff on T...

Former FBI analyst and Hezbollah expert Matt Levitt says an attack on Iranian intelligence facilities - rather than nuclear sites- may be coming. Matthew Levitt https://x.com/levitt_matt Hezbollah: The Global Footprint of Lebanon's Party of God https://a.co/d/9Ln5srY   Follow Jeff Stein on Twitter: https://twitter.com/SpyTalker Follow Karen Greenberg on Twitter https://x.com/KarenGreenberg3 Fo...

Can a good spy become a good politician? I mean, not as an undercover agent—spy agencies are pretty good at that—but in an overt way, in, say, the messy US Congress. Or, put another way, can the skills that a CIA officer employs in clandestine operations—gregariousness, empathy and, let’s face it, a learned talent for manipulating people, be put to good use in a place like a deeply polarized Congr...

Top cyberwar expert and former Trump White House Homeland Security Advisor Thomas Bossert tells host Michel Isikoff that Israel’s deadly exploding pagers op was a “brilliant” tactic that Hezbollah's terrorists deserved. Tom Bossert https://twitter.com/tombossert Trinity Cyber https://www.trinitycyber.com/   Follow Jeff Stein on Twitter: https://twitter.com/SpyTalker Follow Karen Greenberg on T...

Sam Goodwin tells us about his harrowing ordeal as a prisoner in one of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad's torture chambers. It is an extraordinary story of a young American from St. Louis who embarked on a personal adventure to visit every country in the planet only to be ensnared when he made it into Syria by Assad's security forces, who threw him into one of their most notorious prisons...

Over a period of roughly 14 years, according to the feds, Linda Sun rose through the ranks to become deputy chief of staff to Governor Hochul, before she was fired for unspecified reasons and became a target of federal investigators. But according to the DoJ, the 41-year-old was secretly using her position to advance Chinese political and business interests and steal relevant documents. In return,...

John Sullivan, the former U.S. ambassador to Moscow under Presidents Trump and Biden, worries that the Ukraine war could go on for "decades" and offers some candid views on his dealings with Vladimir Putin, Donald Trump and Joe Biden. Follow Jeff Stein on Twitter: https://twitter.com/SpyTalker Follow Karen Greenberg on Twitter https://x.com/KarenGreenberg3 Follow Michael Isikoff on Twitter...

Washington Post investigative reporter Craig Whitlock, author of “The Afghanistan Papers,” is Jeff Stein’s guest on the sad anniversary of the chaotic retreat.  Craig Witlock Craig Whitlock - The Washington Post Follow Jeff Stein on Twitter: https://twitter.com/SpyTalker Follow Karen Greenberg on Twitter https://x.com/KarenGreenberg3 Follow Michael Isikoff on Twitter: https://twitter.com/isikoff  ...

SOMEWHERE IN THE REMOTE MOUNTAINS of Pakistan’s southwest province of Balochistan, a shadowy, 29-year-old veteran of the Afghan Army is believed to be holed up, keenly conscious that the U.S. government has placed a $10 million bounty on his head. Read Michael Isikoff’s piece for the SpyTalk Substack https://www.spytalk.co/p/another-911-style-attack-in-the-works? Colin P. Clarke - The Soufan Group...

This week, we’re going to take a look at the shock and disorientation the children of spies face when they learn that one, or both, of their parents are not who they say they are. Jeff’s guest, Johanna McCloy, didn’t know she was the daughter of an American spy until she was 15 years old. Johanna McCloy https://johannamccloy.substack.com/   Follow Jeff Stein on Twitter: https://twitter.com/SpyTalk...

The Pentagon’s stunning plea deal with 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and two co-defendants was negotiated and announced without briefings for the families of victims of the terrorist attack–an apparent failure that drew a furious reaction Thursday from a leading 9/11 victims’ group. Brett Eagleson  https://www.911justice.org/ Follow Michael Isikoff on Twitter: https://twitter.com/isikoff...

Veteran CIA ops officer Jim Lawler talks about the tricks of the trade with host Jeff Stein. Jim Lawler https://www.spyex.com/expert/james-lawler https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B09FMVF622 Follow Jeff Stein on Twitter: https://twitter.com/SpyTalker Follow Karen Greenberg on Twitter https://x.com/KarenGreenberg3 Follow Michael Isikoff on Twitter: https://twitter.com/isikoff   Follow SpyTalk on...

Former DHS Intel Chief John Cohen on the Butler, Pa. fiasco with guest host Michael Isikoff. Michael Isikoff on Twitter https://twitter.com/Isikoff Follow Jeff Stein on Twitter: https://twitter.com/SpyTalker Follow Karen Greenberg on Twitter https://x.com/KarenGreenberg3 Follow Michael Isikoff on Twitter: https://twitter.com/isikoff   Follow SpyTalk on Twitter: https://twitter.com/talk_spy Subscri...

“Mafia Spies” is based on a 2019 book by the same name by veteran investigative reporter Thomas Maier, with the subtitle, “The Inside Story of the CIA, Gangsters, JFK, and Castro.” Which in turn was based largely on declassified files relating to the 1963 assassination of President John F. Kennedy. The TV series includes dramatic recreations of critical moments in the plots, lively, insightful com...

Reuters reporter Aram Roston with Jeff Stein on the Proud Boys resurgence. Aram Roston https://twitter.com/aramroston https://www.reuters.com/authors/aram-roston/ Follow Jeff Stein on Twitter: https://twitter.com/SpyTalker Follow Karen Greenberg on Twitter https://x.com/KarenGreenberg3 Follow Michael Isikoff on Twitter: https://twitter.com/isikoff   Follow SpyTalk on Twitter: https://twitter.com/t...

Frank Figliuzzi talks with Jeff Stein about the Bureau’s dizzying challenges. Frank Figliuzzi https://twitter.com/frankfigliuzzi1 LONG HAUL: Hunting the Highway Serial Killers https://www.harpercollins.com/products/long-haul-frank-figliuzzi Follow Jeff Stein on Twitter: https://twitter.com/SpyTalker Follow Karen Greenberg on Twitter https://x.com/KarenGreenberg3 Follow Michael Isikoff on Twitter:...

Fat Leonard was “a maritime fixer who provided harbor protection, barges, cranes, food, fresh water, sewage collection, and anything else a nuclear powered aircraft carrier might need.” It’s absolutely astonishing how easily Leonard corrupted so many ranking Navy officers by providing them with prostitutes, booze, cash and airline tickets. Craig Whitlock https://twitter.com/CraigMWhitlock Fat Leon...

There are friendly nations, but no friendly intelligence services, goes an old saw in the spy business. What that means in practicality is that we have close intelligence relationships with our allies, but in many cases, we also spy on each other, not entirely trusting what they’re telling us.  In no place is this convoluted arrangement better exemplified than the security relationship between US...

Jason Leopold, a senior reporter with Bloomberg News, has literally been getting under the skin of government bureaucracies for decades. His weapon: The Freedom of Information Act, enacted by Congress in the mid-1960s because the feds, well, had an insidious propensity to bury embarrassing, or even illegal, acts under layers of official secrecy. Over the years the law has been strengthened—not tha...

Last month’s spectacular terrorist attack on a concert venue on the outskirts of Moscow, which left 144 people dead, was quickly followed by startling news that US intelligence had warned the Russians about the impending assault. When the Kremlin said the warnings hadn’t been specific, moreover, US officials pushed back, saying, in effect, “Oh yes they were,” and added details to its rejoinder. Li...