Ronald Deibert of Citizen Lab tells host Michel Isikoff how his research firm has uncovered the shocking abuse of commercial spyware by foreign governments and spy agencies around the world, resulting in a proliferation of "Watergate-like” scandals. Follow our guest: Ron Deibert https://x.com/RonDeibert Chasing Shadows https://www.simonandschuster.ca/books/Chasing-Shadows/ The Citizen Lab https://citizenlab.ca/ https://x.com/citizenlab Follow Jeff Stein on Twitter: https://twitter.com/SpyTalker ...
Jan 31, 2025•50 min•Transcript available on Metacast The top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, Rep. Jim Himes, tells host Michael Isikoff there is "zero evidence" TikTok is providing data on Americans to Beijing, plus talks about the "really, really scary" Jan. 6 pardons and more. Congressman Jim Himes Follow Jeff Stein on Twitter: https://twitter.com/SpyTalker Follow Michael Isikoff on Twitter: https://twitter.com/isikoff Follow SpyTalk on Twitter: https://twitter.com/talk_spy Subscribe to SpyTalk on Substack https://www.spytal...
Jan 24, 2025•47 min•Transcript available on Metacast Former senior CIA official and situation room Director Larry Pfeiffer goes inside the White House situation room with SpyTalk host Jeff Stein. Follow Larry Pfeiffer Larry Pfeiffer (@LarryPfeifferDC) / X The Hayden Center Follow Jeff Stein on Twitter: https://twitter.com/SpyTalker Follow Michael Isikoff on Twitter: https://twitter.com/isikoff Follow SpyTalk on Twitter: https://twitter.com/talk_spy Subscribe to SpyTalk on Substack https://www.spytalk.co/ Take our listener survey where you c...
Jan 17, 2025•36 min•Ep 139•Transcript available on Metacast Former Jan. 6 committee chief counsel and federal prosecutor Timothy Heaphy talks with SpyTalk podcast co-host Michael Isikoff about the president-elect's false claims about the Capitol riot and the major role social media played in that and the 2017 Charlottesville rally by white supremacists. He also recommends the FBI loosen its rules that restrict its ability to investigate social media posts. https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/773012/harbingers-by-timothy-j-heaphy/ Follow Jeff Stein o...
Jan 10, 2025•47 min•Ep 138•Transcript available on Metacast Top former FBI counterspy executive and NYC Terrorism Task Force honcho Lauren Anderson addresses the looming uncertainty over “Day One,” January 20, with SpyTalk host Jeff Stein Lauren C. Anderson https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurencandersonintl Follow Jeff Stein on Twitter: https://twitter.com/SpyTalker Follow Michael Isikoff on Twitter: https://twitter.com/isikoff Follow SpyTalk on Twitter: https://twitter.com/talk_spy Subscribe to SpyTalk on Substack https://www.spytalk.co/ Take our li...
Dec 20, 2024•47 min•Ep 137•Transcript available on Metacast Anti-Assad activist Mouaz Moustafa in Damascus tells Michael Isikoff how he got advance word about the rebel offensive that would topple the Assad regime—including the hidden hand that foreign intelligence agencies may have played in laying the groundwork—and how the regime’s secret files may shed new light on the relationship that DNI-designate Tulsi Gabbard had with the Assad regime. Mouaz Moustafa https://twitter.com/SoccerMouaz Syrian Emergency Task Force https://setf.ngo/ https://twitter.co...
Dec 13, 2024•38 min•Ep 136•Transcript available on Metacast Garret Graff, historian and journalist, explains why Trump's intention to install the fierce MAGA loyalist in charge of the U.S. government's premier law enforcement agency charged with thwarting terror attacks and protecting the nation's secrets endangers the bureau's mission for years to come. Garret Graff Garrett M. Graff https://twitter.com/vermontgmg Follow Jeff Stein on Twitter: https://twitter.com/SpyTalker Follow Michael Isikoff on Twitter: https://twitter.com/isikoff Follow SpyTa...
Dec 06, 2024•49 min•Ep 135•Transcript available on Metacast SpyTalk's Michael Isikoff talks to Chris Costa, former chief of counter-terrorism at the NSC and now executive director of the International Spy Museum, about the mounting threat of Russian hybrid warfare-- including acts of sabotage, arson, assassination and cyber intrusions-- and whether it is time to designate Putin's Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism. Costa also weighs in on President-elect Trump's pick of Tulsi Gabbard to be DNI and Sebastian Gorka as the new counter-terror chief at th...
Nov 29, 2024•41 min•Ep 134•Transcript available on Metacast Tim Weiner, the Pulitzer-winning author of groundbreaking histories of the CIA, FBI and more, discusses Trump’s troubling nominees for top national security jobs with SpyTalk host Jeff Stein. Tim Weiner https://bsky.app/profile/tim-weiner.bsky.social Follow Jeff Stein on Twitter: https://twitter.com/SpyTalker Follow Michael Isikoff on Twitter: https://twitter.com/isikoff Follow SpyTalk on Twitter: https://twitter.com/talk_spy Subscribe to SpyTalk on Substack https://www.spytalk.co/ Take o...
Nov 22, 2024•38 min•Ep 133•Transcript available on Metacast National Security lawyer Mark Zaid discusses Trump's stunning selection as Florida congressman Matt Gaetz to be Attorney General and what it might mean for his plans to target "corrupt actors" in U.S. intelligence and national security agencies who crossed him in the Russia probe. Mark Zaid https://twitter.com/MarkSZaidEsq Follow Jeff Stein on Twitter: https://twitter.com/SpyTalker Follow Michael Isikoff on Twitter: https://twitter.com/isikoff Follow SpyTalk on Twitter: https://twitter.co...
Nov 15, 2024•53 min•Ep 132•Transcript available on Metacast New Yorker staff writer Charles Bethea joins Jeff Stein to discuss his startling reportage on thousands of Americans preparing for a civil war or other countrywide disasters. Charles Bethea https://www.newyorker.com/contributors/charles-bethea Follow Jeff Stein on Twitter: https://twitter.com/SpyTalker Follow Michael Isikoff on Twitter: https://twitter.com/isikoff Follow SpyTalk on Twitter: https://twitter.com/talk_spy Subscribe to SpyTalk on Substack https://www.spytalk.co/ Take our list...
Nov 08, 2024•28 min•Ep 131•Transcript available on Metacast Rep, Jamie Raskin tells SpyTalk why he wants DOJ to investigate whether Trump's son in law is serving as an unregistered agent of the Saudi government due to the $2 billion he's gotten from the Saudi wealth fund, as well as another newly discovered $87 million in "management fees." The feisty Maryland progressive also discusses his thoughts on the election and whether Trump is even eligible to serve as president under the 14th amendment. Jamie Raskin | Twitter October 24, 2024 The Honorable Merr...
Nov 01, 2024•38 min•Ep 130•Transcript available on Metacast Extremism tracker Clara Broekaert talks about political violence in the lead-up to the 2024 election and what conditions have made violent political rhetoric possible. Clara Broekaert Clara Anna-Christine (@ClaraBroekaert) / X Clara Broekaert - The Soufan Group US Crisis Monitor - ACLED https://acleddata.com/us-crisis-monitor/#map Follow Jeff Stein on Twitter: https://twitter.com/SpyTalker Follow Michael Isikoff on Twitter: https://twitter.com/isikoff Follow SpyTalk on Twitter: https://tw...
Oct 25, 2024•39 min•Ep 129•Transcript available on Metacast As president, Trump was known for his "bromance" with North Korean dictator Kim Jung Un, holding two summits in Singapore and Hanoi and engaging in a "love letter" correspondence with him that he took with him to Mar-A-Lago after he left office. But before that, journalist Zach Dorfman reminds us, Trump came perilously close to unleashing a nuclear strike on the country--an attack that, then Secretary of Defense feared, would "incinerate a couple of million people." In a SpyTalk podcast, Dorfman...
Oct 18, 2024•47 min•Ep 128•Transcript available on Metacast The filmed game’s organizer Janessa Goldbeck joins host Jeff Stein to discuss the jarring results of the all-too-real exercise . Janessa Goldbeck https://twitter.com/jgoldbeck VetVoice Foundation https://vvfnd.org/ War Game https://wargamefilm.com/ Follow Jeff Stein on Twitter: https://twitter.com/SpyTalker Follow Michael Isikoff on Twitter: https://twitter.com/isikoff Follow SpyTalk on Twitter: https://twitter.com/talk_spy Subscribe to SpyTalk on Substack https://www.spytalk.co/ Take our...
Oct 11, 2024•33 min•Ep 127•Transcript available on Metacast Former FBI analyst and Hezbollah expert Matt Levitt says an attack on Iranian intelligence facilities - rather than nuclear sites- may be coming. Matthew Levitt https://x.com/levitt_matt Hezbollah: The Global Footprint of Lebanon's Party of God https://a.co/d/9Ln5srY Follow Jeff Stein on Twitter: https://twitter.com/SpyTalker Follow Michael Isikoff on Twitter: https://twitter.com/isikoff Follow SpyTalk on Twitter: https://twitter.com/talk_spy Subscribe to SpyTalk on Substack https://www.s...
Oct 03, 2024•38 min•Ep 126•Transcript available on Metacast Can a good spy become a good politician? I mean, not as an undercover agent—spy agencies are pretty good at that—but in an overt way, in, say, the messy US Congress. Or, put another way, can the skills that a CIA officer employs in clandestine operations—gregariousness, empathy and, let’s face it, a learned talent for manipulating people, be put to good use in a place like a deeply polarized Congress? This week I’m putting those questions to Abigail Spanberger, a former member of the CIA’s cland...
Sep 27, 2024•27 min•Ep 125•Transcript available on Metacast Top cyberwar expert and former Trump White House Homeland Security Advisor Thomas Bossert tells host Michel Isikoff that Israel’s deadly exploding pagers op was a “brilliant” tactic that Hezbollah's terrorists deserved. Tom Bossert https://twitter.com/tombossert Trinity Cyber https://www.trinitycyber.com/ Follow Jeff Stein on Twitter: https://twitter.com/SpyTalker Follow Michael Isikoff on Twitter: https://twitter.com/isikoff Follow SpyTalk on Twitter: https://twitter.com/talk_spy Subscri...
Sep 20, 2024•46 min•Ep 124•Transcript available on Metacast Sam Goodwin tells us about his harrowing ordeal as a prisoner in one of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad's torture chambers. It is an extraordinary story of a young American from St. Louis who embarked on a personal adventure to visit every country in the planet only to be ensnared when he made it into Syria by Assad's security forces, who threw him into one of their most notorious prisons as a suspected CIA spy. His account, told in his new book called Saving Sam, the true story of an American's...
Sep 13, 2024•33 min•Ep 123•Transcript available on Metacast Over a period of roughly 14 years, according to the feds, Linda Sun rose through the ranks to become deputy chief of staff to Governor Hochul, before she was fired for unspecified reasons and became a target of federal investigators. But according to the DoJ, the 41-year-old was secretly using her position to advance Chinese political and business interests and steal relevant documents. In return, the feds say, Beijing’s spy service showered the couple with millions of dollars that afforded them...
Sep 06, 2024•36 min•Ep 122•Transcript available on Metacast John Sullivan, the former U.S. ambassador to Moscow under Presidents Trump and Biden, worries that the Ukraine war could go on for "decades" and offers some candid views on his dealings with Vladimir Putin, Donald Trump and Joe Biden. Follow Jeff Stein on Twitter: https://twitter.com/SpyTalker Follow Michael Isikoff on Twitter: https://twitter.com/isikoff Follow SpyTalk on Twitter: https://twitter.com/talk_spy Subscribe to SpyTalk on Substack https://www.spytalk.co/ Take our listener surv...
Aug 31, 2024•51 min•Ep 121•Transcript available on Metacast Washington Post investigative reporter Craig Whitlock, author of “The Afghanistan Papers,” is Jeff Stein’s guest on the sad anniversary of the chaotic retreat. Craig Witlock Craig Whitlock - The Washington Post Follow Jeff Stein on Twitter: https://twitter.com/SpyTalker Follow Michael Isikoff on Twitter: https://twitter.com/isikoff Follow SpyTalk on Twitter: https://twitter.com/talk_spy Subscribe to SpyTalk on Substack https://www.spytalk.co/ Take our listener survey where you can give us...
Aug 23, 2024•48 min•Ep 120•Transcript available on Metacast SOMEWHERE IN THE REMOTE MOUNTAINS of Pakistan’s southwest province of Balochistan, a shadowy, 29-year-old veteran of the Afghan Army is believed to be holed up, keenly conscious that the U.S. government has placed a $10 million bounty on his head. Read Michael Isikoff’s piece for the SpyTalk Substack https://www.spytalk.co/p/another-911-style-attack-in-the-works? Colin P. Clarke - The Soufan Group https://x.com/colinpclarke Follow Michael Isikoff on Twitter: https://twitter.com/isikoff Follow Je...
Aug 16, 2024•33 min•Ep 119•Transcript available on Metacast This week, we’re going to take a look at the shock and disorientation the children of spies face when they learn that one, or both, of their parents are not who they say they are. Jeff’s guest, Johanna McCloy, didn’t know she was the daughter of an American spy until she was 15 years old. Johanna McCloy https://johannamccloy.substack.com/ Follow Jeff Stein on Twitter: https://twitter.com/SpyTalker Follow Michael Isikoff on Twitter: https://twitter.com/isikoff Follow SpyTalk on Twitter: ht...
Aug 09, 2024•39 min•Ep 118•Transcript available on Metacast The Pentagon’s stunning plea deal with 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and two co-defendants was negotiated and announced without briefings for the families of victims of the terrorist attack–an apparent failure that drew a furious reaction Thursday from a leading 9/11 victims’ group. Brett Eagleson https://www.911justice.org/ Follow Michael Isikoff on Twitter: https://twitter.com/isikoff Find Me the Votes: A Hard-Charging Georgia Prosecutor, a Rogue President, and the Plot to Steal an Am...
Aug 02, 2024•33 min•Ep 117•Transcript available on Metacast Veteran CIA ops officer Jim Lawler talks about the tricks of the trade with host Jeff Stein. Jim Lawler https://www.spyex.com/expert/james-lawler https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B09FMVF622 Follow Jeff Stein on Twitter: https://twitter.com/SpyTalker Follow Michael Isikoff on Twitter: https://twitter.com/isikoff Follow SpyTalk on Twitter: https://twitter.com/talk_spy Subscribe to SpyTalk on Substack https://www.spytalk.co/ Take our listener survey where you can give us feedback. http:/...
Jul 26, 2024•44 min•Ep 116•Transcript available on Metacast Former DHS Intel Chief John Cohen on the Butler, Pa. fiasco with guest host Michael Isikoff. Michael Isikoff on Twitter https://twitter.com/Isikoff Follow Jeff Stein on Twitter: https://twitter.com/SpyTalker Follow Michael Isikoff on Twitter: https://twitter.com/isikoff Follow SpyTalk on Twitter: https://twitter.com/talk_spy Subscribe to SpyTalk on Substack https://www.spytalk.co/ Take our listener survey where you can give us feedback. http://survey.podtrac.com/start-survey.aspx?pubid=Bf...
Jul 19, 2024•42 min•Ep 115•Transcript available on Metacast “Mafia Spies” is based on a 2019 book by the same name by veteran investigative reporter Thomas Maier, with the subtitle, “The Inside Story of the CIA, Gangsters, JFK, and Castro.” Which in turn was based largely on declassified files relating to the 1963 assassination of President John F. Kennedy. The TV series includes dramatic recreations of critical moments in the plots, lively, insightful commentary with longstanding experts on Cuba, Castro and the Kennedys, as well as on-camera interviews ...
Jul 12, 2024•44 min•Ep 114•Transcript available on Metacast Reuters reporter Aram Roston with Jeff Stein on the Proud Boys resurgence. Aram Roston https://twitter.com/aramroston https://www.reuters.com/authors/aram-roston/ Follow Jeff Stein on Twitter: https://twitter.com/SpyTalker Follow Michael Isikoff on Twitter: https://twitter.com/isikoff Follow SpyTalk on Twitter: https://twitter.com/talk_spy Subscribe to SpyTalk on Substack https://www.spytalk.co/ Take our listener survey where you can give us feedback. http://survey.podtrac.com/start-surve...
Jun 28, 2024•35 min•Ep 113•Transcript available on Metacast Frank Figliuzzi talks with Jeff Stein about the Bureau’s dizzying challenges. Frank Figliuzzi https://twitter.com/frankfigliuzzi1 LONG HAUL: Hunting the Highway Serial Killers https://www.harpercollins.com/products/long-haul-frank-figliuzzi Follow Jeff Stein on Twitter: https://twitter.com/SpyTalker Follow Michael Isikoff on Twitter: https://twitter.com/isikoff Follow SpyTalk on Twitter: https://twitter.com/talk_spy Subscribe to SpyTalk on Substack https://www.spytalk.co/ Take our listene...
Jun 14, 2024•36 min•Ep 112•Transcript available on Metacast 
