Rudy, Manafort, Hunter
A chat with the New York Times' Ken Vogel about the foreign lobbying industry, decades of scandals and the realities of The Swamp during Trump 2.0
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‘Friend for Life’
That was what then-Vice President Joe Biden said regarding people seeking business with his son Hunter Biden, according to Ken Vogel’s newest book, “Devils’ Advocate: The Hidden Story of Rudy Giuliani, Hunter Biden, and the Washington Insiders on the Payrolls of Corrupt Foreign Interests”
And that, frankly, is quaint compared to the unchecked pay-to-play industry in Washington under the second Trump term.
Vogel is that rare reporter who blends deep experience in data, records and research with on-the-street reporting chops to uncover uncanny stories of how power really works in #ThisTown.
And this book is filled with them.
We had a great chat earlier this week (which I finally got around to editing and cleaning up)
The long history of people like Paul Manafort, who pioneered the style of pay-to-play access in the ‘80s, landed him in jail, but ultimately came storming back more unchecked than ever. And why it’s long been a bipartisan hustle
What the press got right and wrong in covering Hunter Biden then (in 2020 *and earlier*) and now.
The January 6th squad of Schlapps, Ric Grenell and Caroline Wren globetrotting to cash in unfettered.
And more
Catch the clip linked at the top to get a sense of the full show. And like, share and subscribe!
YouReport
I just finished talking with a great group of aspiring journalists — young and old — at The Leadership Institute. It was a blast. And it got me thinking a ton.
The core of my lecture was: How do we report?
As someone who’s been doing this awhile, I hardly think about it much directly anymore, it’s second nature. Which is why it was so good to think and ruminate on this most essential of crafts with purpose.
How do we, journalists, know what’s correct? What can be printed? How do we verify and then publish a story with confidence? How do we sift the through the scuttlebutt, chatter and rumors which fill any government building to find the big story? And how can we be so confident it’s correct?
As an example, I thought back to the process of editing
excellent piece earlier this week detailing what the heck happened with Rep. Tony Gonzales and his former staffer who died after catching fire (yes, that wording is quite intentional.)The answer did indeed fill an hour, but for our purposes here in this humble email, it comes down to trusting and verifying. Trusting sources — are they close enough to know something, have they proven themselves reliable? — and verifying, through techniques like a blind check (don’t prompt your source w/ information you’re vetting, ask the question open-ended to see if the source comes back with the same information independently. Or not. And then report further.)
Mark It
Big thanks always to my friends at CBS News’ “The Takeout with Major Garrett”. In case you missed us last Friday, I’m honored to have born the paisley proudly and now hold the title of Best Button Down Ever Worn on The Takeout! (If you’d like to arrange a title fight, just email my promoter: tom@24sight.news.)
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