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Scott interviews journalist and author Trevor Aaronson about an article he recently published for the Intercept. Aaronson has been one of the best reporters exposing how the FBI uses paid informants to manipulate people into agreeing to carry out violent attacks and other crimes so the agency can swoop in and pretend it’s taking dangerous terrorists off the street. His Intercept article examines one such case from about a decade ago. Scott and Aaronson dig into what happened. They then shift to a broader discussion of FBI entrapment schemes against both right and left-wing dissidents as well as financial criminals. Last, they reflect on the current political environment to question if there will ever be accountability for the FBI. 

Discussed on the show:

• “The ‘Terrorist’, the Rapist, and Me” (The Intercept)
• “U.S. Government Quietly Declassifies Post-9/11 Interview With Bush and Cheney” (The Intercept)
• American ISIS Podcast Series
• Aaronson’s TED Talk
• The Terror Factory by Trevor Aaronson

Trevor Aaronson is a contributing writer for The Intercept and executive director of the nonprofit Florida Center for Investigative Reporting. He is the author of The Terror Factory: Inside the FBI’s Manufactured War on Terrorism. Find him on Twitter @trevoraaronson.

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

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Terry Nelson of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition discusses why we need to legalize drugs and treat addiction like a public health problem, not a criminal menace; how nonviolent drug users have their lives ruined by felony convictions and permanent marks on their records; the disastrous DARE program of cops lying to kids about drug dangers; and the drug war’s effects on Central and South America.

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Eric Margolis, author of American Raj, discusses former Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf’s arrest over the assassination of Benazir Bhutto in 2007, among other charges; Afghanistan’s preparation for US withdrawal; the reemergence of the Iraqi Ba’ath Party; and the dangers of arming Syrian rebels with anti-aircraft weapons.

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Andy Worthington, author of The Guantanamo Files, discusses his article “The Prisoners Speak: Reports from the Hunger Strike in Guantanamo;” the likelihood that the remaining prisoners will be held until they die, without charge or trial; Obama’s continuing pretense about closing Guantanamo; and the hunger strike’s success at bringing media attention to the situation.

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Jon Basil Utley, associate publisher of The American Conservative, discusses his article “The Untold Story of Antiwar Conservatives;” the many prominent conservatives who were against the Iraq War but were ignored by the media; George W. Bush’s naive and fantastical Iraq War plans (or lack thereof); and the bald-faced lies told before the 1990-91 Gulf War.

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Jim Bovard, author of Public Policy Hooligan, discusses his article “How ‘Food for Peace’ Hurts Foreign Farmers;” how government food subsidies and mandates distort prices and help giant agribusiness; and why corn wouldn’t be mass-converted to ethanol and sugar-substitute in a free economy.

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Phyllis Bennis, a Fellow of the Institute for Policy Studies, discusses John Kerry’s doomed-to-fail revisiting of the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative for an Israel-Palestine resolution; why Israel will never make concessions while the US is unwilling to withhold foreign aid and stop fighting Israel’s battles at the UN; and the proposed “Israel exception” to mandated across-the-board US government spending cuts.

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Retired Congressman Ron Paul discusses his new Institute for Peace and Prosperity; making it acceptable for conservative Christians to be antiwar; keeping the US out of Syria; fighting terrorism in exactly the wrong way; and the new “Ron Paul’s America” daily radio commentaries with Charles Goyette.

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Former CIA officer Philip Giraldi discusses Obama’s “red line” on Syria’s alleged chemical weapons; the Constitution Project’s report on systematic torture and war crimes committed by the US government; and Bill Clinton’s role in starting the notorious rendition program of outsourcing torture.

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