The Asset

John Adams hosts Thomas Jefferson one last time on his final night in the White House, and the two men confront the meaning of party, power, and the peaceful transfer of authority. Built from real historical language, the episode follows Jefferson’s inauguration, Adams’s departure from Washington, and the tensions that follow as Jefferson begins rolling back the Federalist program.As the episode continues, James Callender’s accusations against Jefferson and Sally Hemmings expose the hidden violence and contradiction at the center of the founding generation.With Adams, Jefferson, Abigail Adams, John Quincy Adams, and Sally Hemings all shaping the story, the episode becomes a study in principle, scandal, memory, and unfulfilled promises.Patriarchs is a six-part audio drama about John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, the founding of the United States, the American Revolution, and the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence enacted in 1776.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

John Adams becomes President after narrowly defeating Thomas Jefferson in 1796, and the uneasy partnership between the two men is tested by cabinet politics, French aggression, and the rise of partisan warfare. Built from historical dialogue and source material, the episode follows Adams, Jefferson, Abigail Adams, John Quincy Adams, and James Callender as public principle, private friendship, and political survival collide.As France seizes American ships, Adams calls for military readiness and a stronger navy, while Jefferson turns to the press and to Callender to attack Adams and his administration. The episode closes with Adams triumphant over the peace with France, but personally wounded by defeat, setting up the final stage of the Adams-Jefferson divide.Patriarchs is a six-part audio drama about John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, the American Revolution, and the founding of the United States, and the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence enacted in 1776.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

After The American Revolution, George Washington becomes the first President of the United States, John Adams is swept into the vice presidency, and Thomas Jefferson takes on a central role as Secretary of State. Built from real historical language and dramatized from the founders’ letters, speeches, and memoirs, the episode explores how the new nation begins to define power, duty, and the limits of government.As Adams and Jefferson argue over the presidency, federal power, the British Constitution, political parties, and the French Revolution, the story also turns to Jefferson’s alliance with Thomas Paine and the rupture it causes with Adams. The episode ends with the emerging divide between the two men and the growing tension between public principle and personal friendship.Patriarchs is a six-part audio drama about John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, the founding of the United States, and the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence enacted in 1776.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

From the producers of The Asset. During the American Revolution, John Adams leaves Braintree for a dangerous crossing to France, while Thomas Jefferson retreats to Monticello, grief-stricken after the death of Martha Jefferson. Built from real letters, speeches, and memoirs, the episode follows Adams, Jefferson, Abigail Adams, and Sally Hemings as they move between war, diplomacy, family, and the moral contradictions of the founding era.From the Atlantic crossing and the French salons to London, Paris, and Monticello, the episode deepens the friendship between Adams and Jefferson while showing how power, marriage, slavery, and public duty shape their lives. Patriarchs is a six-part audio drama about John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, the founding of the United States, and the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence enacted in 1776.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

From The Asset team: Patriarchs. Subscribe hereThis first episode begins at the end, then rewinds to before the Revolutionary War, at the Continental Congress, where Adams and Jefferson clash, collaborate, and argue over independence, democracy, and the future of the nation. With powerful performances and historically grounded dialogue, Patriarchs explores the human cost of power, principle, and ambition.Patriarchs is a six-part audio drama about John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, the founding of the United States, and the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence enacted in 1776. Patriarchs stars Stacy Keach as Thomas Jefferson and Edward Gero as John Adams.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Asset team is releasing a 6-part audio drama Patriarchs. As the United States approaches 250 years of independence, the nation is asking hard questions about how it began, who paid the price, and what kind of republic it has become. Patriarchs, a loaded but apt term in today’s vernacular, is a six-episode historical podcast drama that answers those questions by chronicling the most consequential relationship in early America: John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, told in their own words. Subscribe hereWe begin with two former presidents looking back over a life together as friends, rivals, and uneasy family. From there, listeners travel back to the moment these strangers first step outside the Continental Congress to talk, two lawyers, two farmers, two men who have no idea they are about to remake the world. Every scene, every argument, every confession in Patriarchs is drawn from real letters, speeches, and memoirs, voiced by an ensemble of award-‑winning actors—with Stacy Keach starring as Thomas Jefferson. The result is an intimate drama of brilliant founders who are also flawed fathers, husbands, slaveholders, and partisans. ​We hear their partnership forged in crisis, as they push Congress toward independence and wrestle the language of the Declaration onto the page.​ Alongside them is Abigail Adams, one of the sharpest political minds of the age, whose letters slice cleanly through ego and ideology. Patriarchs also confronts the reality of slavery and sexual exploitation in the founding generation, centering Sally Hemings not as rumor but as a speaking, thinking presence whose choices and constraints shape Jefferson’s life. Patriarchs is a chance to hear the founding generation as they really sounded: insecure, vain, idealistic, petty, courageous, haunted—often in the same breath in a rare combination of rigorous primary-source history and bingeable character drama, led by Stacy Keach and a veteran cast capable of carrying both prestige storytelling and wide audience appeal. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this eye-opening episode, Jim Wallis and Robert P. Jones dive deep into the latest poll data revealing President Trump’s unprecedented negative approval ratings within his first 100 days back in office. Discover how Trump ranks as the most unpopular president since World War II at this stage, with a majority of Americans-including 55% of independents-viewing him as a dangerous dictator whose power must be limited to protect American democracy. The discussion also highlights the sharp racial and religious divides in Trump’s support, with White Evangelical Protestants largely backing him, while Christians of Color and other faith groups overwhelmingly reject his leadership. Tune in for a compelling analysis of what these numbers mean for America’s political and moral future.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this very speacial episode of The Asset, legal journalist Dahlia Lithwick (Slate’s Amicus podcast) exposes how Trump’s second-term agenda—and cases like Dr. Rasha Alawieh’s deportation and Mahmoud Khalil’s ICE detention—are testing judicial independence. We break down:The "metaphorical weapons" courts still have against executive overreach;Why Chief Justice Roberts’ rare public warning matters now;Project 2025’s blueprint for reshaping the judiciary; andReal-world impacts on immigrants, academics, and civil liberties.Subscribe wherever you get podcasts.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In the aftermath of the virtual destruction of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), millions will starve and millions will die around the world. In this very special episode of the Jim Wallis Podcast, we provide a window into the magnitude of the torment being inflicted upon those Jesus called “the least of these.”  You can read Jim’s Commentary on this subject hereRev. Jim Wallis speaks with an eyewitness to the desperation, devastation, and imminent death that is resulting from the Trump Administration’s vicious assault on people providing life-saving humanitarian aid around the world. Rev. Tim Costello, a global expert on international humanitarian aid, is the former Chief Executive of World Vision Australia (WVA) and the current Executive Director of Micah Australia. He was in Kenya and Uganda when the Trump Administration inaugurated the irresponsible and unconscionable freeze on USAID funds. “Kenyan women, clinicians, doctors [were] in tears saying, ‘the medications, the U-S-A-I-D medications have dried up. This means we cannot treat the people who we've treated for so many years, poor Kenyan people without a chance without these medications.’”See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this very special guest episode from Social Justice Warrior icon Rev. Jim Wallis, we examine one of Donald Trump's biggest legal battles regarding his alleged unconstitiutional efforts invading houses of worship. A historic lawsuit has been filed by the Institute for Constitutional Advocacy and Protection, in partnership with the Center on Faith and Justice, on the behalf of a broad coalition of 27 national church and organization plaintiffs, whose combined membership numbers in the millions, to defend the teachings of Jesus and the traditions of all Abrahamic religions. {Subscribe to weekly Jim's Substack column here to stay up to date with our progress.}Rev. Jim Wallis speaks with two important leaders involved in the case of Mennonite Church USA VS The Department of Homeland Security: Kelsey Brown Corkoran, the Supreme Court Director at the Institute for Constitutional Advocacy and Protection at Georgetown Law, and Reverend Carlos Malave, the president of the Latino Christian National Network (LCNN), which is a broad Christian Latino network in our country, including Pentecostals, evangelicals, Catholics, and mainline leaders.On the first day of his second term as President of the United States, according to Fox News, Donald Trump ordered the Department of Homeland Security to upend a decades long practice honoring sacred spaces and “sensitive locations” to allow religious leaders and congregants to obey the commandment of Jesus from Matthew 25: “As ye have done it unto one of the least of these, my brethren, ye have done it unto me.” Jesus’ words include “the stranger” which means immigrant and refugee in Greek.Immigrants and refugees, who rely on these sacred spaces for sustenance for their souls and bodies, are being deterred by the aggressive and unorthodox tactics from the Trump Administration that the lawsuit alleges are a violation of the First Amendment right to freely practice religion.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Donald Trump and White Christian Nationalists have formed an unholy alliance to pervert the main tenets of Christianity to manifest their unbridled desire for power. Rev. Jim Wallis calls on all Americans to reject and help dismantle a false gospel that propagates white supremacy and autocracy with insights and analysis based upon his new book, The False White Gospel .See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On this very special episode of The Asset, we showcase an episode of the newest podcast from the creative team that produced The Asset. Subscribe here.It was Valentine’s Day. While waiting for his Uber ride, the teenager texted a former girlfriend “You will always know I love you.”When they arrived at his destination, the young man gave the Uber driver explicit directions on where to drop him off. He knew exactly where he wanted to go.Picking up his backpack and black duffel bag, the 19 year-old walked towards the school from where he had been expelled the previous year.What was about to happen?Was this Stoppable?See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On this very special episode of The Asset, we showcase an episode of the newest podcast from the creative team that produced The Asset. Subscribe here.One Wednesday evening, a young man began the drive from Columbia SC to Charleston SC, normally a two hour drive. He arrived in 90 minutes. It would seem he was in a hurry.Before walking into the Bible Study Class, he looked down and saw what looked like a black fanny pack. It was awkwardly sitting looped to his belt on the front of his pants for all to see. He had meant to hide it before entering.Looking up, a Reverend called out, “Pastor, we have a visitor.” What was about to happen?Was this Stoppable?See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On this very special episode of The Asset, we showcase an episode of the newest podcast from the creative team that produced The Asset. Subscribe here.A nursing student drove to a town 10 minutes from his home in Southern California. He planned to visit a House of Worship as members of the congregation were gathering to celebrate a holiday. The members there proudly proclaimed “Everyone is welcome and accepted, regardless of background, knowledge, or affiliation.”As the young man approached the Center he found the doors wide open.What was about to happen?Was this Stoppable?See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On this very special episode of The Asset, we showcase an episode of the newest podcast from the creative team that produced The Asset. Subscribe here.A young man from a small town in Ohio, drove overnight 500+ miles to participate in a celebration of unity. Although he had few friends back home, he was welcomed into the gathering. He had worn all the right clothes and said all the right things. When the convocation was abruptly canceled, he got back in his car to drive home...until he took a turn back towards town.What was about to happen?Was this Stoppable?See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On this very special episode of The Asset, we showcase an episode of the newest podcast from the creative team that produced The Asset. Subscribe here. An 18-year old traveled hundreds of miles from his home on a mission he kept secret from his family and best friend. A local man engaged the traveler and they talked for over an hour about history, science and culture. The young man left the scene, planning on returning the next day.What was about to happen?Was this Stoppable?See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Listen to Episode 1 HereFrom the team that produced The Asset, District Productive presents Stoppable, the true crime podcast that explores the riveting and dramatic stories of people who become enthralled with the idea of mass killing to achieve their ends. The podcast delves into the back stories of perpetrators to solve the mystery of how and why our friends, neighbors, siblings, children, and parents turn to dark acts of extreme violence against innocent victims.In examining these cases, you will walk in the shoes of the perpetrators and travel on their journey as our team of mass-murder and terrorism experts analyze the actions of people preparing to commit atrocities. Every episode details a captivating tale of suspense and terror.In the end, you will discover why these planned tragedies did–or did not–occur.Stoppable is jointly produced by Muflehun and District Productive.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In a cross-over event with The Tent podcast for the the CAP Action Fund, Tent host Daniella Leger interviews The Asset host, Max Bergmann."When we think about Ukraine and how much it means to Russia and the Russian State, Putin, his entire 22 years in office, has been about trying to make Russia stronger," says Bergmann. "And the one area where he totally failed is Ukraine."See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In Season 1 of the Unconventional Threat-- one of our other podcasts produced in partnership with the non-partisan organization Keep Our Republic--we issued warnings last year that were unfortunately made into a reality on January 6, 2021, when Trump loyalists stormed the Capitol and attempted to overthrow the certified Presidential election results naming Joe Biden President. We now know, it served as a trial run for a nefarious plan to overthrow our democratic republic.The Future of our Nation Hangs in the Balance.And that is why we are sharing Episode 1 of Season 2 of Unconventional Threat as a bonus episode to The Asset listeners. In this episode, we document the efforts of those who seek to gain control of our government through illegal and unconstitutional methods. By working to install confederates in state, county and local offices in the midterm elections of 2022, a shadow network has created--and is currently executing--a plan to secure victory for their candidate in the 2024 Presidential election...by any means necessary.Please click  here to subscribe to this important podcast. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Max Bergmann sits down with Paul "Woody" Woodhull, the co-creator of The Asset podcast and president of the progressive podcast network, District Productive, to analyze the election outcomes and the future of Donald J. Trump.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

President Trump on mail-in ballots: “A whole big scam.”Vice-President Joe Biden on claims of voter fraud: “He’s trying to undermine the election.”Unless we see a massive victory by either one of the candidates, both campaigns have signaled they will fight for what they believe to be the right outcome.What Americans need to know is how this battle for ballots could create an unprecedented outcome with the Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, being sworn in as President of the United States on Inauguration Day.How is that even possible?Republican and Democratic scholars and advisors lead us on a Constitutional journey from November 3rd to January 20th, pointing out the legal tripwires and dates certain that may likely determine our next President.In this Election Day Special we are presenting an encore episode of the Unconventional Threat podcast.Listen to the podcast Unconventional Threatand help @defendourdemocracy2020Follow us onTwitter @UncoThreat See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In the year since season one of The Asset concluded, we have learned a lot. There are tell all books about the Mueller investigation, explosive new reporting, and the bombshell Senate Intelligence Committee Report. In this special episode of The Asset we break it all down and tell you what it all means.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this very special episode of The Asset, host Max Bergmann introduces a new podcast, Unconventional Threat from The Asset's production team, District Productive and the bi-partisan organization Keep Our Republic.This is an election year unlike any other in ways that are unsettling and dangerous.Unconventional Threat brings together exclusive interviews with newsmakers about everything that can happen between now and Inauguration Day, when it's possible we may still not have chosen a President. Journalist Peter Eisner and longtime State Department official Jonathan Winer will outline all the possibilities, including:the use of the military;uncounted ballots; andone scenario where the House of Representatives picks the next President, with each state getting just one vote, no matter who wins the popular vote or leads the Electoral College.You will hear exclusive interviews with such notable guests as:Former United States Secretary of Homeland Security, Michael ChertoffSenior Vice President of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, Heather ConleyChair of the House Committee on Rules Rep. Jim McGovernRanking Member of the Foreign Relations Committee, Senator Bob MenendezAuthor of The Plot to Betray America Intelligence analyst Malcolm NanceFormer FBI special agent, specializing in counterintelligence investigations, Asha RangappaAuthor of Shadow Network: Media, Money, and the Secret Hub of the Radical Right Anne NelsonBased on hard reporting, facts, and Constitutional Law, this series of 10 podcasts will prepare you for a very possible Unconventional Threat and delineate the steps we can take to come together as a nation to ensure that everyone has the chance to vote, their votes are counted, and the count is respected to create our national choice for President for the next four years.Listen to the new podcast Unconventional Threat and help @defendourdemocracy2020Follow us onTwitter @UncoThreat See Privacy Policy at <a href="https://art19.com/privacy" rel="noopener n

In this bonus episode of The Asset Robert Draper, a writer at large for New York Times Magazine and the author of How the Bush Administration took America into Iraq, gives us a behind the scenes look at the Trump Administration's battles with the intelligence community.Draper chronicles how the White House has co-opted the intelligence agencies in order to further its political agenda and the devastating results it has had on our nation's global standing.Draper says, "The erosion of our credibility in the global intelligence community is a lamentable and rather stunning development."See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Max Bergmann, the Executive Director of the Moscow Project speaks with historian and author David Shimer about the alarming and disturbing pattern of electoral interference in American politics by Russia.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Moscow Project Executive Director Max Bergmann sits down with Senator Mark Warner, Vice-Chair of the Select Committee on Intelligence, for an exclusive interview on the committee's report of Russian Active Measures, Campaigns, and Interference in the 2016 U.S. Election.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this special episode of The Asset, we are showcasing a new podcast from our friends at the Sixteen Thirty Fund: Made to Fail.From health care, to unemployment insurance, to exercising the right to vote, COVID-19 has affected every part of American life. Sky-high unemployment. Vulnerable elections. Unrest in American cities. But what’s happening in our country is something much bigger than a pandemic. Something that’s been in the works for a long, long, time. The pandemic has pulled back the curtain on the conservative policies that time and time again, have failed the people they were supposed to protect. Made to Fail travels the country to tell the story of how conservative ideology has gutted the safety net, corrupted our institutions, and made government unaccountable to the people. As we confront an unprecedented era of economic uncertainty, amidst a health crisis and a national reckoning on race, the question is…how can we find the way out?https://www.madetofail.org/See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Max Bergmann interviews The Guardian's Luke Harding about how Russia has sought to undermine the West by interfering and corrupting the politics of the US, UK, and other Western countries. Harding discusses his interviews with Christopher Steele, new revelations about Russian interference in the United Kingdom, his reaction to the Mueller report, and how Russia will seek to interfere in the 2020 election. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this very special episode of The Asset, Max Bergmann brings us the back story of Michael Flynn's rise within the Trump adminstration and breaks down why Donald Trump can never let Flynn be incarcerated.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Russian investigative journalists Andrei Soldatov and Irina Borogan risk their lives every day to expose the truth about Vladamir Putin's murder sprees around the world, including in the United States and Great Britain. In wide-ranging exclusive interview with Max Bergmann, the host of The Asset podcast, Soldatov and Borogan explain how and why Putin orders international assassinations and the reason there are little to no consequences for the Russian leader.To hear the full interview, please subscribe to our Patreon page. https://www.patreon.com/posts/34596098/editSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Now that Donald Trump's first Impeachment Trial has wrapped up, Max Bergmann and Peter Ogburn discuss what was lost and gained in the trial and the path forward to saving our democracy.To hear the full episode and all of our unedited interviews,please subscribe to our Patreon Page.https://www.patreon.com/posts/34081678See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Max Bergmann, the host of the Asset Podcast, assesses the Impeachment Trial to date and handicaps what's ahead, as the end of Donald Trump's trial before the Senate looms.To hear the full episode, become a Patreon subscriber. https://www.patreon.com/posts/33614330See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this teaser episode of This Week in Impeachment, Max Bergmann breaks down the the latest news of Parnas and Pence.In the full episode available on Patreon, Max triangulates the Republican Senators' positions, projects the possible outcomes, and explains why any of them will be good for the 2020 Democratic presidential candidate. https://www.patreon.com/posts/33256671See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Max Bergmann, Executive Director of The Moscow Project and host of The Asset podcast, blazes the trail that could lead to a trial in the Senate with full witness testimony, something Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is working to thwart.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Earlier in Season 2, we explained the backstory to the Ukraine scandal, tracing Trump’s efforts to extort a foreign government for his own personal gain. When a whistleblower complaint brought this scandal to light, it sparked the fourth impeachment investigation in our nation’s history.In this episode of The Asset, host Max Bergmann, the director of The Moscow Project, an initiative of the Center for American Progress Action Fund, explains why Democrats finally moved forward on impeachment, and talks about how the Ukraine scandal grew out of an effort to shield Trump from the political fallout of his decision to collude with Russia in 2016.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

"Follow the Trail of Dead Russians" was the advice given by national security expert Clint Watts when he testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee. In this excerpt from our Patreon page, Max Bergmann continues down the mysterious trail that crosses the globe and is littered with the dead bodies of Russian diplomats, businessmen, and gangsters.To listen to the full episode please subscribe to our Patreon Page here:See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

"Follow the Trail of Dead Russians" was the advice given by national security expert Clint Watts when he testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee. In this excerpt from our Patreon page, Max Bergmann leads us down the mysterious trail that crosses the globe and is littered with the dead bodies of Russian diplomats, businessmen, and gangsters.To listen to the full episode please subscribe to our Patreon Page here:https://www.patreon.com/posts/32059046See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Max Bergmann, host of the Asset Podcast, sits down with Calder Walton, Ernest May Fellow in History & Policy at Harvard Kennedy School and general editor of the Cambridge History of Espionage and Intelligence, to discuss the long legacy of Russian espionage in the United States and the consistent pattern of current efforts by Russia to disrupt American politics and damage the standing of the United States around the world.To hear the entire interview, please subscribe to our Patreon page.https://www.patreon.com/posts/31876080See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Producer Peter Ogburn sits down with host Max Bergmann to find out what happened This Week in Impeachment. We discuss the stunning testimonies of Fiona Hill and David Holmes as well as the madcap antics of Devon Nunes and Gordon Sondland. To hear the full 40-minute roundup, sign up at https://www.patreon.com/assetpodcastSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On July 25, 2019, Trump called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and asked him for a favor: a public announcement of investigations into Trump’s political opponents. After he hung up, White House lawyers immediately sprang into action, burying the records of the incriminating phone call on a secret server and swearing those on the line to secrecy.That call was part of a broader effort, a shadow foreign policy agenda in which a coterie of Trump advisers—including Rudy Giuliani, Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland, and Special Envoy to Ukraine Kurt Volker—demanded political favors in exchange for first a White House meeting and, later, $400 million in desperately needed military aid. In this episode, host Max Bergmann outlines how that extortion scheme came to be, starting with the Trump administration’s attempts to build a relationship with the new Ukrainian government and leading to the infamous July 25 call that prompted a whistleblower complaint and launched impeachment proceedings. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Producer Peter Ogburn sits down with host Max Bergmann to find out what happened This Week in Impeachment. We discuss the testimony of Ambassador Bill Taylor and Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs George Kent. To get the FULL episode, go to our Patreon page at Patreon.com/assetpodcast where we talk more about how the Republicans will continue to shelter Trump, Maria Yovanovitch and the conviction of Roger Stone.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On October 9, 2019, two Soviet-born Florida businessmen, Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman, were arrested in Dulles International Airport outside of Washington, D.C. It would soon turn out that these two men had been involved for months in Rudy Giuliani’s quest to find dirt on the Biden family.In this episode of The Asset, host Max Bergmann outlines the origins of Trump’s conspiracy theories surrounding Ukraine and Biden and explores the involvement of Parnas, Fruman, and exiled Ukrainian oligarch Dmitry Firtash in pushing these theories.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Donald Trump’s efforts to extort the Ukrainian government for his own political gain are now at the center of the ongoing impeachment proceedings. But how did we get here? To understand that, we’ll need to go back to the former Ukrainian president, Petro Poroshenko, and explore his efforts to get closer to the Trump administration.  In this episode of The Asset, host Max Bergmann, the director of The Moscow Project, an initiative of the Center for American Progress Action Fund, explains Ukraine’s mad scramble to develop relationships with Trump and his inner circle after the 2016 election. As Russia sought to weaken Ukraine, in part by fighting a war, running disinformation and cyber attacks, and funneling money to fuel corruption, Ukraine increasingly found itself stuck between Vladimir Putin’s Russia and the Trump administration.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In 2016, Donald Trump conspired with a foreign government to become President of the United States. On July 25, 2019, with the 2020 election around the corner, he decided to do it again.The first time around, it was collusion, aiding and abetting Russia’s attack on American democracy. This time, it was extortion, demanding the Ukrainian government manufacture dirt on Trump’s political opponents in exchange for help the country needs to fend off a Russian invasion and chart a democratic future free of Vladimir Putin’s Kremlin. But then, a whistleblower inside Trump’s own government sounded the alarm. The White House tried to cover it up, but Democrats called out Trump’s extortion scheme and moved to impeach him. And Trump did the unthinkable: He confessed.How did we get here? We will provide the backstory to the scandal that launched the impeachment proceedings, from the original efforts by Ukraine and its former president Petro Poroshenko to cozy up to Trump’s inner circle, to Rudy Giuliani’s efforts to manufacture dirt on Trump’s political opponents, to the whistleblower complaint that blew the whole thing open. Join host Max Bergmann, the Director of the Moscow Project at the center for American Progress Action Fund and a veteran of the State Department under Secretaries of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and John Kerry, for season two of “The Asset.”See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In order to fully understand the impeachment inquiry, the United States' relationship with Ukraine, and how "All roads lead to Putin," you must first understand the recent turbulent history of the region.Max sits down with Franklin Foer, a staff writer for The Atlantic magazine and a longtime journalist covering Trump and Russia. In this exclusive interview with The Asset, Foer delves into Ukrainian politics and the oversized role Paul Manafort played in their elections before transitioning to the Trump campaign.To hear the full interview, subscribe to our Patreon pagehttps://www.patreon.com/posts/assets-exclusive-30912523See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On July 25, Trump had a phone call with Volodymyr Zelensky, the recently-elected president of Ukraine. According to notes on the conversation released by the White House, Trump asked Zelensky to do him a “favor” by investigating two conspiracy theories, one claiming that Ukrainian government officials conspired with the Clinton campaign in 2016 and the other alleging that former Vice President (and Democratic presidential candidate) Joe Biden improperly intervened in a Ukrainian investigation into a company on whose board his son Hunter sat. The call was part of an effort going back more than a year to pressure Ukraine into acting in Trump’s political interests. Public reporting of Trump’s efforts to pressure foreign governments to investigate his rivals has captivated the public and led House Democrats to open formal impeachment proceedings against the President. To break down how we got here, The Asset’s Max Bergmann sat down with the team at The Tent podcast to discuss the Trump team’s longstanding ties to Ukraine, that July 25th phone call, what’s next for the impeachment inquiry, and what this means for U.S. foreign policy.Just a little taste of what's to come in The Asset Season 2! See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Donald Trump's deep and complicated relationship with Russia goes back to the 1980's with his trip to the Soviet Union. In this excerpt of our exclusive interview with journalist and author Luke Harding, who was the Guardian's Moscow bureau chief from 2007 to 2011, we dive into the stories swirling around Donald Trump of assassinations, sketchy real-estate deals, money laundering, hacking and Russian espionage...and Paul Manafort's connection to the Ukraine.To hear the full interview, subscribe to our Patreon pagehttps://www.patreon.com/posts/29158985See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

As an FBI Special Agent, Asha Rangappa specialized in counter intelligence investigations, pursuing threats to our nation's security. In that role, Rangappa tracked down assets of foreign governments and neutralized those threats. She also flipped foreign nationals into becoming assets of the United States government. In this trailer to our Patreon post of the full 45-minute interview with Rangappa, the former agent lays down the groundwork to analyze Donald Trump's role in the Russian interference in the 2016 election.To hear the full interview, subscribe to our Patreon pagehttps://www.patreon.com/posts/29901493See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s report documents not only collusion between the Trump campaign and the Kremlin to win the 2016 election but also Trump’s frantic efforts to cover up collusion with Russia. In this week’s episode, host Max Bergmann, the director of the Moscow Project, an initiative of the Center for American Progress Action Fund, breaks down those efforts, from pressuring witnesses not to cooperate to pushing out his attorney general so he could rein in the Mueller investigation. With help from experts like former FBI Special Agent Asha Rangappa and former CIA Operative John Sipher, we discuss whether Trump is a witting or unwitting asset of Russia. And finally, we break down what happened and how we are where we are – with Trump, a Russian asset, still in office, and posed to fight for reelection with Russia primed to interfere again.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

After the election, Russia sought to cash in for its efforts during the election. Collusion didn’t end with the 2016 election, as the Trump transition team and the Kremlin continued working together to plot ways the incoming Trump administration could deliver for Russia. This week on The Asset, host Max Bergmann, the director of the Moscow Project, an initiative of the Center for American Progress, analyzes the Trump transition team’s various backchannels to the Kremlin, from phone calls with the Russian ambassador to a rendezvous in the Seychelles to meetings right under everyone’s noses in Trump Tower. For more than two years, Trump has acted like a Russian asset in the Oval Office trying to deliver for Putin. He sought to get rid of sanctions, push a Russian plan for Ukraine, attacked America’s allies, and undermined democratic norms at home.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.