Skullduggery

Co-hosts Michael Isikoff and Dan Klaidman sit down with former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper to discuss his latest book, “Facts and Fears: Hard Truths from a Life in Intelligence.” Clapper reveals to Isikoff and Klaidman that by the time he left office in Jan. 2017, intelligence officials were “pretty confident” that they had identified a suspect responsible for the hacked emails to WikiLeaks. Yahoo News White House Correspondent Hunter Walker also joins the podcast to discuss the latest from the Trump White House and the big news on the president’s birthday.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

After the news broke that federal prosecutors secretly seized emails and phone records from New York Times reporter Ali Watkins, co-hosts Michael Isikoff and Dan Klaidman examine other instances where this has happened in past administrations. They speak with The Intercept’s James Risen about his experience as a New York Times reporter when his records were seized by the Obama administration. Isikoff and Klaidman also sit down with Obama chief of public affairs Matt Miller, who was in the administration when they seized Risen’s records, to discuss why administrations use this tactic against journalists.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Co-hosts Michael Isikoff and Dan Klaidman discover the answer to this question when they speak with President Obama’s former deputy national security adviser, Ben Rhodes, about his new book, “The World as It Is: A Memoir of the Obama White House.” Isikoff and Klaidman also chat with J.D. Gordon, a former Trump adviser, who met with special counsel Robert Mueller’s team and described the Russia investigation as a “nightmare.”  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

As the debate continues about whether special counsel Robert Mueller can bring charges against President Trump, co-hosts Michael Isikoff and Dan Klaidman turn back the clock 20 years and discuss another time when the same debate was happening. Will Mueller use Ken Starr’s decisions as a guide for the current investigation?  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

While President Trump is in delicate negotiations with China over trade and security, Ivanka Trump’s company has recently been granted seven trademarks by an arm of the Chinese government. Is there a connection? The president of Ivanka’s company says no. But these trademarks are raising questions from Washington watchdog groups. Co-hosts Michael Isikoff and Dan Klaidman talk with Norm Eisen, a senior fellow at Brookings and chair of the government watchdog group CREW, about these developments. They also check in with Yahoo News White House correspondent Hunter Walker about his experience thus far covering the president.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Co-hosts Michael Isikoff and Dan Klaidman speak with Avril Haines, former deputy director of the CIA and President Obama’s deputy national security adviser, in an exclusive interview about the U.S. government’s response to the early evidence of Russian meddling in American politics during the Obama administration. Isikoff and Klaidman also speak with lawyer and professor Alan Dershowitz about his defense of President Trump’s legal position and his criticism of special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation.   See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Co-hosts Michael Isikoff and Dan Klaidman recall the last time a foreign government attempted to meddle in a U.S. presidential election. It was back in 1996. Reuters investigative reporter Mark Hosenball joins Isikoff and Klaidman to recount the campaign finance scandal when the Chinese government, not Russia, interfered in the election between Republican candidate Bob Dole and Democratic candidate President Bill Clinton.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Co-hosts Michael Isikoff and Dan Klaidman break down the latest news coming out of the Trump White House this week, starting with new insights into Donald Trump Jr.’s meeting at Trump Tower with a Russian lawyer on June 9, 2016. There was also a financial disclosure form from the President that lists a repaid debt of more than $100,000 to Trump’s embattled former attorney Michael Cohen. Finally, the Trump administration just abolished the job of the White House cyber czar. Isikoff and Klaidman speak with a former White House cyber coordinator, Michael Daniel and investigative reporter Mark Hosenball about all the latest developments this week.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Long before Michael Cohen made news for cashing in on his access to President Trump, there was Michael Deaver. Deaver was an aide to President Ronald Reagan and made the cover of Time magazine, with the headline: “Who’s this man calling?: Influence peddling in Washington.” Co-hosts Michael Isikoff and Dan Klaidman rewind to the 80s and the story of Michael Deaver and what his case may tell us about what could happen to Michael Cohen.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

It was a busy week in Washington. President Trump’s new lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, declared during an interview that Trump wouldn’t have to comply with a subpoena from special counsel Robert Mueller. Gina Haspel, President Trump’s nominee to lead the CIA, appeared before the Senate Intelligence Committee and faced tough questions about torture. Finally, it was revealed that Trump’s former lawyer, Michael Cohen, received millions from companies, after he sold them on the fact that he had direct access to the president. Co-hosts Michael Isikoff and Dan Klaidman break all this news down with national security expert and University of Texas School of Law professor Stephen Vladeck and Ali Soufan, a former FBI agent who blew the whistle on torture in the intelligence community.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Co-hosts Michael Isikoff and Dan Klaidman take a look back at the drone wars that began during the Obama administration and have continued during the Trump administration. Why isn’t anyone still talking about drone strikes? Isikoff and Klaidman discuss the issue of drone strikes in the Obama and Trump administrations and why the coverage of this issue has dwindled over the years.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Co-hosts Michael Isikoff and Dan Klaidman sit down with General Michael Hayden, former director of the Central Intelligence Agency and the National Security Agency, to discuss the current challenges facing the intelligence community in President Trump’s administration as well as his new book, “The Assault on Intelligence: American National Security in an Age of Lies.” Isikoff and Klaidman also speak with New York Times Washington correspondent Michael Schmidt about his recent article that revealed special counsel Robert Mueller’s list of questions for President Trump.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Co-hosts Michael Isikoff and Dan Klaidman host a new episode of the podcast in front of a live audience at the Newseum in Washington, D.C. Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., joins the show to discuss the latest developments from the Senate Intelligence Committee’s ongoing investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential elections. A panel of journalists also take the stage for an engaging conversation about the media’s coverage of the Russia investigation and answer questions from the audience.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

After the news broke of President Trump’s pardon of Scooter Libby, co-hosts Michael Isikoff and Dan Klaidman take a look back at the Scooter Libby trial with Peter Zeidenberg, one of the former prosecutors who brought the case against Libby. Zeidenberg talks about the decision to prosecute Libby in the first place, his reaction to Trump’s pardon, and what kind of message the president may be sending with this decision.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Co-hosts Michael Isikoff and Dan Klaidman examine the week’s news, starting with the “confusion” between U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley and President Trump over the announcement of new sanctions on Russia. They speak with Ambassador Daniel Fried, a former sanctions expert in the Obama administration, about these recent developments and the importance of sanctions against Russia. Klaidman and Isikoff also sit down with Adam Davidson of The New Yorker to discuss the latest developments in the Michael Cohen saga, including Davidson’s latest article on the subject, “Michael Cohen and the End State of the Trump Presidency.”  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.