Matt Taibbi talks about the bizarre origins of the Ukraine impeachment inquiry being conducted in Congress. He carefully explains the distinction between real whistleblowers like Edward Snowden or Chelsea Manning, who risked their lives and freedom to expose genuine atrocities, and this anonymous, possibly coordinated, leak, where the figures in question face little consequence, and in fact have strong political incentive to side with those who might come to power as a result of their actions. Like Scott, Taibbi is no fan of Trump, but he is adamant that we should all criticize the president for what he’s actually doing wrong—like the genocide in Yemen—and not made-up deep state schemes to oust a man that they find personally odious.

Discussed on the show:

• “The Ukrainegate ‘Whisteblower’ Isn’t a Real Whistleblower” (Rolling Stone)
• “We’re in a Permanent Coup” (Substack)

Matt Taibbi is a contributing editor for Rolling Stone and winner of the 2008 National Magazine Award for columns and commentary. He is the author of numerous books, including I Can’t Breathe: A Killing on Bay Street and Insane Clown President: Dispatches from the 2016 Circus. Follow him at taibbi.substack.com or on Twitter @mtaibbi.

This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Washinton Babylon; Liberty Under Attack Publications; Listen and Think Audio; TheBumperSticker.com; and LibertyStickers.com.

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