On episode 225, we welcome Casey Michel to discuss the roles foreign lobbyists play in shaping US foreign policy, the good and bad aspects of the lobbying industry, Paul Manafort’s and Ivy Lee’s efforts to aid propaganda for dictators, the differences between government lobbying and diplomacy, US congressional ties to authoritarian regimes and how congressmen are bought, the reasons the democrats lost the 2024 elections and how much hope there is, dark money, and American universities taking in billions from regimes with human rights abuses.

Casey Michel is an author, journalist, and director of the Combating Kleptocracy Program with the Human Rights Foundation. He is the author of American Kleptocracy, named by The Economist as one of the "best books to read to understand financial crime." His writing on offshoring, foreign lobbying, authoritarianism, and illicit wealth has appeared in The New York Times, Financial Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Atlantic, Foreign Affairs, and The Washington Post, among other outlets, and he has appeared on NPR, BBC, CNN, and MSNBC, among other stations. He has also testified in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee on the links between illicit financial networks and national security. His newest book, available now, is called Foreign Agents: How American Lobbyists and Lawmakers Threaten Democracy Around the World.

| Casey Michel |

► Website 1 | https://www.caseymichel.com

► Website 2 | https://hrf.org/program/combating-kleptocracy

► Twitter | https://x.com/cjcmichel

► Linkin | https://www.linkedin.com/in/caseymichel

► Foreign Agents Book | https://amzn.to/4hSI8U2

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