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Scott interviews James Bamford about some of the stories he collected for his new book about the collapse of America’s counterintelligence apparatus. They start with Russiagate and talk about how, while the government and media were screeching about imaginary Trump-Russia collusion, the UAE had two spies in the Clinton Campaign. They also talk about how the NSA lost half a billion classified documents containing methods later used for the WannaCry ransomware attacks of 2017, the former FBI counterintelligence agent who is now facing charges for working with the Russians, a group of former CIA and FBI guys who were accidentally hired to help a Russian coup attempt, the lack of accountability for the intelligence failures of Iraq War II, the framing of Maria Butina and the mole in the FBI who spent two decades transferring documents to the Chinese government in the most blatant fashion imaginable. 

Discussed on the show:

• “The American intelligence community has no accountability — so how can it keep us safe?” (New York Post)
• Spyfail by James Bamford
• The Interview (IMDb)
• “How an Oligarch May Have Recruited the F.B.I. Agent Who Investigated Him” (New York Times)
• A Pretext for War by James Bamford
• “How China planted an FBI mole who was discovered only after gutting the CIA’s vast spy network” (Business Insider)
• “These Shady UAE Donors Gave Millions to Clinton and Trump While the Feds Dozed” (Daily Beast)

James Bamford is a journalist, professor, documentary filmmaker, and the author of Spyfail: Foreign Spies, Moles, Saboteurs, and the Collapse of America’s Counterintelligence, Body of Secrets: Anatomy of the Ultra-Secret National Security Agency and A Pretext for War: 9/11, Iraq, and the Abuse of America’s Intelligence Agencies. Find him on Twitter @WashAuthor.

This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott.

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FBI whistleblower Coleen Rowley discusses the Chechen connection between “20th hijacker” Zacarias Moussaoui and the Boston bombers; how 9/11 could have been prevented if government agency heads were just doing their jobs; and the many reasons why James Comey should be in prison instead of being nominated for FBI director.

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Historian and journalist Gareth Porter discusses FBI director nominee James Comey’s political decision to prosecute Iranian-backed Hezbollah instead of Al Qaeda for the 1996 Khobar Towers attack; how bureaucratic self-interest trumps national security priorities; President Clinton’s decision to let Martin Indyk hijack US foreign policy for Israel’s benefit; and Alberto Nisman’s charge that Iran was linked to the contrived 2007 JFK Airport bombing plot.

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IPS News journalist Adam Morrow discusses how Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi’s ouster has united the Islamists and divided the anti-Morsi opposition; the shutdown of Islamic media in Egypt; how the still-entrenched Mubarak regime systematically undermined Morsi’s presidency; the media-manufactured June 30th protests; and why violence is now inevitable in Egypt after the unraveling of democratic electoral results.

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Nathan Fuller of the Bradley Manning Support Network discusses Manning’s defense team resting their case after three days and ten witnesses; Harvard Law Professor Yochai Benkler’s testimony in defense of WikiLeaks’s journalistic credentials; the defense motions to dismiss most major charges against Manning; and why the NY Times still attributes Manning’s whistleblowing motives to some kind of gay identity crisis.

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Sheldon Richman, vice president of The Future of Freedom Foundation, discusses his article “What the Immigration Bill Overlooks;” Scott Horton’s subscription-only article on FFF.org; the libertarian case for open borders; Sheldon’s webinar “From Articles of Confederation to Constitution” scheduled for July 17th; furthering the case for liberty by understanding history; and some “Civil” War revisionism.

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