Podcast appearances and mentions of Craig Unger

Craig Unger discusses his book "Den of Spies," focusing on the 1980 failed hostage rescue mission and its lasting impact on President Carter. 1.1970 IRAN

Craig Unger details Bill Casey's role as Ronald Reagan's campaign manager, highlighting his background in espionage and his secret international intelligence and arms-dealing networks. 2.TEHRAN 1970

Craig Unger discusses his investigative journey and source Ari Ben-Menashe's allegations that Bill Casey secretly met Iranians in Madrid to delay the hostage release. 3.

Craig Unger describes Newsweek's dismissal of the October Surprise story and how reporter Bob Parry discovered crucial documents hidden in a House office building bathroom. 4.

Craig Unger explores the Safari Club's covert operations and how Bill Casey utilized double agents and secret Israelichannels to facilitate off-the-books international arms deals. 5.1978

Craig Unger analyzes the alleged Paris meeting involving George H.W. Bush and confirms Casey's Madrid meeting, where they negotiated delaying the 1980 hostages' release. 6.

Craig Unger recounts his 2014 trip to Iran, visiting the former American embassy and interviewing Mohsen Rafiqdoost, who hinted at meetings with Republican representatives. 7.

Craig Unger discusses the suspicious timing of the hostage release during Reagan's inauguration and the broader historical pattern of Republican interference in American presidential elections. 8.1978

Craig Unger traces Trump's political ascent back to his 1987 Moscow trip, suggesting Russian connections and talking points have influenced his foreign policy for forty years. 16.1917 KREMLIN

1900 BAKUGordon Chang and Steve Yates discuss Japan deploying missiles near Taiwan and concerns regarding a potential Chinese biological weapons facility discovered in Las Vegas. 1.Rebecca Grant and Gordon Chang detail the US Navy's massive deployment around Iran to counter Chinese-supported missile threats and prepare for possible sustained offensive strike options. 2.Charles Burton and Gordon Chang analyze Mark Carney's shift toward Beijing, seeking trade concessions like visa-free access while Canadians harbor resentment over Trump's proposed tariffs and economic policies. 3.Charles Burton and Gordon Chang debate the dangers of Canada's "strategic partnership" with China, focusing on espionage operations, the potential expulsion from Five Eyes, and theft of aerospace technology. 4.Simon Constable reports on skyrocketing copper and silver prices alongside the arrest of Lord Mandelson for allegedly passing privileged state information to Jeffrey Epstein. 5.Simon Constable reports that the UK government faces investigations for allegedly threatening media personalities and smearing critics as pro-Russian, while struggling with housing shortages and high taxes. 6.Jonathan Adler explains the Supreme Court ruling that the International Emergency Economic Powers Act does not grant the president unilateral power to impose taxes or tariffs. 7.Jonathan Adler reports that following the tariff decision, the administration must now use specific statutes with procedural strings, limiting the president's ability to adjust trade penalties on a whim. 8.Andrea Stricker discusses reports that the Iranian regime used illicit chemicals and pharmaceutical-based agents to debilitate protesters during recent, highly lethal national unrest. 9.Michael Bernstam describes Europe's liberation from Russian energy, replaced by cheap American and Qatari LNG, leaving Russia with abandoned gas fields and flaring wells. 10.Bob Zimmerman details a helium flow problem that cancelled the Artemis March launch, while SpaceX continues breaking records for booster reuse and commercial efficiency. 11.Bob Zimmerman reports that astronomers are using infrared capabilities to identify a supernova's origin and detect the first heliosphere around a distant star, advancing our understanding of stellar deaths. 12.Craig Unger explores how Trump's licensing model in Panama and elsewhere allowed the Russian mob to wash hundreds of millions through luxury real estate. 13.Craig Unger reports that the Trump brand served as a status symbol for Russian oligarchs, facilitating money laundering in failed developments while FBI counterintelligence efforts reportedly failed to intervene. 14.Craig Unger reports that the 2013 Miss Universe pageant in Moscow served as a platform for Trump to court Putin and oligarchs, marking a turning point as Russia transitioned into a mafia state. 15.Craig Unger traces Trump's political ascent back to his 1987 Moscow trip, suggesting Russian connections and talking points have influenced his foreign policy for forty years. 16.

Craig Unger reports that the 2013 Miss Universe pageant in Moscow served as a platform for Trump to court Putin and oligarchs, marking a turning point as Russia transitioned into a mafia state. 15.

Craig Unger reports that the Trump brand served as a status symbol for Russian oligarchs, facilitating money laundering in failed developments while FBI counterintelligence efforts reportedly failed to intervene. 14.1914

Craig Unger explores how Trump's licensing model in Panama and elsewhere allowed the Russian mob to wash hundreds of millions through luxury real estate. 13.1866 PANAMA CITY

NYT Times best selling author and authority on Russia's influence over Donald Trump, Craig Unger explains the vast corruption of the current administration and reasons why the next elections are more critical than ever thought. Also Thom gives his take on recent events including the longest lie-filled SOTU in US history!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Preview for later today: Craig Unger explores how $40 to $60 trillion in offshore banking fuels international scandals, money laundering, and political turmoil involving figures like Trump and Putin.

13 Bayrock, Franchising, and Financial Rescue Craig Unger details how Bayrock, a firm of Soviet immigrants with mob ties located in Trump Tower, rescued a bankrupt Trump. They introduced a risk-free franchising model, allowing Trump to profit from licensing his name while Russian intelligence and mafia figures utilized his properties for money laundering operations. Guest Author: Craig Unger1913 NYC PUBLIC LIBRARY

PREVIEW FOR LATER TODAY Guest: Craig Unger. Unger explains the rift between Trump and Epstein, citing a real estate deal involving a Russian buyer as the primary cause for their falling out.1953

Guest: Craig Unger. Unger explains how Trump's 1980 Commodore Hotel deal involved purchasing TVs from a KGBfront. This transaction reportedly initiated contact with Russian intelligence, who identified Trump's vanity and greed as ideal traits for recruitment.1936 HERALD SQUARE

Guest: Craig Unger. Trump's 1987 Moscow trip, arranged by the KGB, was followed by newspaper ads criticizing U.S.alliances. Unger claims these ads, echoing Soviet talking points, combined with real estate dangles to seal the recruitment deal.1936 BROOME STREET

Guest: Craig Unger. Unger highlights two women with Russian intelligence ties who worked for Jeffrey Epstein. He suggests Epstein's operation gathered "kompromat" on elites and questions why the FBI failed to investigate these foreign intelligence connections.1930 MOTT STREET

Guest: Craig Unger. Unger details Donald Trump's early alleged ties to Russian state security and the mob, beginning with the Commodore Hotel deal and continuing through real estate money laundering.1885 NYSE

PREVIEW: Journalist Craig Unger presents allegations from his books regarding Donald Trump's relationship with the KGB in the 1980s. Unger cites Yuri Shvets, a former KGB major, who claims Trump was cultivated as an asset by Soviet state security. The discussion covers a timeline from 1980 to 1987, detailing how a trip to Moscow allegedly led to Trump publishing a full-page ad in the New York Times that echoed KGB talking points.1870 CASTLE GARDEN

The Latest Release of the Epstein Files Contain 9,629 References to Moscow | Compromised DNI Gabbard Seizes Voter Rolls in Georgia as Trump's Plans to Rig Midterms Escalate | Haitians in Springfield Ohio Already Demonized by VP Vance are About to Lose Their Temporary Protected Status backgroundbriefing.org/donate x.com/ianmastersmedia bsky.app/profile/ianmastersmedia.bsky.social facebook.com/ianmastersmedia

Craig Unger follows the Epstein money trail from Bear Stearns to offshore banking, tracing how Jeffrey Epsteinmoved funds through complex financial networks to obscure the origins and destinations of his wealth.1946 VAN JOHNSON STORK CLUB

Craig Unger reports the Department of Justice has access to Epstein bank records at Morgan, potentially revealing financial connections and transactions that could expose additional figures linked to the disgraced financier's operations.1949 MYRNA DELL AND JOE DIMAGGIO

BILL CASEY'S SECRET INTELLIGENCE NETWORK AND THE CAMPAIGN TO DEFEAT CARTERColleague Craig Unger. Focusing on the Republican response to the hostage crisis, this segment examines the role of William "Bill" Casey, who took over Ronald Reagan's campaign in early 1980. Unger describes Casey as a brilliant former OSS spy who operated a "secret intelligence network" involving South African arms dealers and Israeli agents to monitor the Carter administration's progress. Casey realized that an "October Surprise"—a last-minute release of hostages by Carter—could cost Reagan the election. To prevent this, Casey allegedly sought to delay their release. Unger notes that while Reagan likely knew the broad strokes of these operations, he may have been insulated from the specific, treasonous details, partly due to Casey's habit of mumbling and the "deniability" inherent in his tradecraft. NUMBER 2

THE ORIGINS OF THE INVESTIGATION AND THE ALLEGATIONS OF ARI BEN-MENASHE Colleague Craig Unger. Unger details how the "October Surprise" investigation began, sparked by a 1991 op-ed from former National Security Council member Gary Sick. Unger, then working with Esquire and later Newsweek, collaborated with investigative reporter Bob Parry to uncover the truth. A key but controversial source was Ari Ben-Menashe, a rogue Israeli intelligence operative who claimed that Bill Casey met with Iranians in Madrid in July 1980 to negotiate a delay in the hostages' release in exchange for arms. Ben-Menashe further alleged that George H.W. Bush traveled to Paris in October 1980 to finalize the deal. Although these sources were often dismissed as disreputable, Unger argues that investigating illegal arms dealing necessitates speaking to operatives within that shadow world, despite the risk to a journalist's career. NUMBER 3

MEDIA SUPPRESSION, POLITICAL WHITEWASHING, AND THE DISCOVERY OF BURIED EVIDENCEColleague Craig Unger. This segment recounts the suppression of the October Surprise story by major media and government institutions. After initially hiring Unger to investigate, Newsweek abruptly pivoted, publishing articles denying the events took place, which Unger calls a "disgrace." A subsequent House investigation led by Lee Hamiltonwas characterized as a "whitewash" that accepted weak alibis for Bill Casey. Investigative legend Seymour Hershwarned Unger that he would be "crushed" for pursuing the story, and indeed, Unger faced lawsuits and professional isolation. However, the investigation was revived when reporter Bob Parry discovered 23 gigabytes of documents hidden in an abandoned ladies' room in the House office building. These documents, found under a tampon dispenser, contained evidence that contradicted the official exonerations of the Reagan campaign. NUMBER 4

THE SECRET NETWORK: THE SAFARI CLUB, JOHN SHAHEEN, AND DOUBLE AGENTS Colleague Craig Unger. Unger explains the infrastructure used to execute the alleged conspiracy, specifically the "Safari Club," a group of off-the-books intelligence operatives formed after the CIA was restricted by the Church Committee in the 1970s. This network allowed covert operations to bypass congressional oversight. A crucial figure identified is John Shaheen, Bill Casey's close friend and former OSS colleague, who acted as a "cutout" to insulate Casey from direct involvement. Unger reveals that the Hashim brothers, Iranian arms dealers who offered to help Carter, were actually double agents working for Casey. FBI wiretaps eventually confirmed that the Hashims communicated with Shaheen before conducting arms deals, providing a direct link between the Reagan campaign's orbit and the delay of the hostage release. NUMBER 5

CONFIRMING THE MADRID MEETING AND EXAMINING GEORGE H.W. BUSH'S ALLEGED ROLEColleague Craig Unger. This section focuses on verifying the specific meetings where the alleged treason occurred. Unger asserts certainty that Bill Casey met with Iranian cleric Mehdi Karrubi in Madrid in July 1980 to outline the deal: arms for Iran in exchange for delaying the hostage release until after the election. Unger notes that Israeli military intelligence (AMAN) confirmed the channel of arms sales. The segment also addresses the controversial allegation that George H.W. Bush flew to Paris in October 1980 to seal the deal. While alibis involving Secret Service details and a visit to Justice Potter Stewart were punctured by Bob Parry's reporting, Unger remains "agnostic" but leans toward the meeting having happened. The Iranians reportedly required a high-level figure like Bush to guarantee the agreement before they would release the "frozen assets" of undelivered weaponry needed for their war with Iraq. NUMBER 6

INSIDE IRAN: CONFRONTING REVOLUTIONARY FIGURES AND UNCOVERING THE DOUBLE COUPColleague Craig Unger. Unger describes his 2014 trip to Tehran to find Iranian corroboration for the October Surprise. He visited the former US Embassy, now a "Den of Spies" museum documenting the 1953 CIA coup against Mossadegh, which remains a source of deep grievance. Unger secured a rare interview with Mohsen Rafighdoost, a founder of the Revolutionary Guards and Khomeini's driver. During the interview, Rafighdoost slipped, saying "If we met with the Republicans..."—a moment Unger captured on video. Unger also interviewed Abolhassan Banisadr, the ousted first president of the Islamic Republic, in Versailles. Banisadr provided documents confirming the plot, describing it as a "double coup": it removed Carter in the US and allowed hardliners to consolidate power in Iran by undermining moderates like himself. NUMBER 7

THE HOSTAGE RELEASE TIMING AND A LEGACY OF ELECTORAL INTERFERENCE Colleague Craig Unger. The final segment addresses the suspicious timing of the hostage release on January 20, 1981. Unger notes that while Carter stayed up all night negotiating, the hostages were not released until minutes after Ronald Reagan took the oath of office. This precise timing suggests a pre-arranged deal, as Reagan had no presidential authority to negotiate prior to that moment. Unger points out that recent biographers and international sources have increasingly accepted the October Surprise as fact. He concludes by contextualizing this event within a broader history of Republican interference in foreign policy to win elections, drawing parallels to Nixon's sabotage of Vietnam peace talks in 1968 and allegations regarding the Trump campaign and Russia. The files suggest that political treason has been used repeatedly to "steal the White House." NUMBER 8

THE DESERT ONE TRAGEDY AND THE GEOPOLITICAL STAKES OF THE 1980 ELECTION Colleague Craig Unger. Author Craig Unger discusses the failed "Desert One" rescue mission on April 24, 1980, where mechanical failures and a collision resulted in eight American deaths, ending any immediate hope of rescuing 52 hostages held in Iran. Unger explains that while the Shah of Iran had been a US puppet installed by a 1953 CIA coup, the 1979 revolution replaced him with a hostile Islamic Republic, turning a strategic ally into an enemy. The hostage crisis became the central issue of the 1980 campaign; a successful rescue would likely have secured Carter's reelection, while failure favored Ronald Reagan. Additionally, the segment highlights the strained relationship between Carter and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin, noting that despite the Camp David Accords, Israel feared an Iraqi victory over Iran would create a dangerous regional superpower. NUMBER 1

“The story Unger weaves with those earlier accounts and his original reporting is fresh, illuminating and more alarming than the intelligence channel described in the Steele dossier.”—The Washington PostHouse of Trump, House of Putin offers the first comprehensive investigation into the decades-long relationship among Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin, and the Russian Mafia that ultimately helped win Trump the White House. It is a chilling story that begins in the 1970s, when Trump made his first splash in the booming, money-drenched world of New York real estate, and ends with Trump's first inauguration as president of the United States. That moment was the culmination of Vladimir Putin's long mission to undermine Western democracy, a mission that he and his hand-selected group of oligarchs and Mafia kingpins had ensnared Trump in, starting more than twenty years ago with the massive bailout of a string of sensational Trump hotel and casino failures in Atlantic City. This book confirms the most incredible American paranoias about Russian malevolence. To most, it will be a hair-raising revelation that the Cold War did not end in 1991—that it merely evolved, with Trump's apartments offering the perfect vehicle for billions of dollars to leave the collapsing Soviet Union. In House of Trump, House of Putin, Craig Unger methodically traces the deep-rooted alliance between the highest echelons of American political operatives and the biggest players in the frightening underworld of the Russian Mafia. He traces Donald Trump's sordid ascent from foundering real estate tycoon to leader of the free world. He traces Russia's phoenix like rise from the ashes of the post–Cold War Soviet Union as well as its ceaseless covert efforts to retaliate against the West and reclaim its status as a global superpower. Without Trump, Russia would have lacked a key component in its attempts to return to imperial greatness. Without Russia, Trump would not be president. This essential book is crucial to understanding the real powers at play in the shadows of today's world. The appearance of key figures in this book—Paul Manafort, Michael Cohen, and Felix Sater to name a few—ring with haunting significance in the wake of Robert Mueller's report and as others continue to close in on the truth.https://amzn.to/4qjR9JHBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-opperman-report--1198501/support.

IMPORTING THE MAFIA STATE: THE 2014 MOSCOW DINNER AND THE ROOTS OF TRUMP'S RUSSIAN ENTANGLEMENTS Colleague Craig Unger. Investigative journalist Craig Unger analyzes a pivotal February 2014 dinner in Moscow attended by Jared Kushner, Ivanka Trump, and prominent Russian oligarchs like Roman Abramovich and Viktor Vekselberg. Occurring just weeks before Russia's invasion of Crimea, Unger suggests this gathering exemplifies how Donald Trump has sought to replicate Vladimir Putin's "mafia state," where a "godfather" figure controls billionaire "capos." Unger argues that the Kremlin's leverage over Trump is primarily financial rather than sexual; Russian entities frequently rescued Trump from bankruptcy and laundered billions through his real estate ventures, such as the Trump SoHo. Consequently, figures like Kushner and Steve Witkoff—who attended the dinner and now act as envoys—are viewed by Moscow not as independent negotiators, but as known operators within a compromised infrastructure exported from Russia to the United States. 1945 POTSDAM: ATLEE, STALIN, TRUMSN

THE SECRET NETWORK: SAFARI CLUB AND ISRAELI INTELLIGENCE Colleague Craig Unger. The discussion examines the "Safari Club," an off-the-books network used by Casey to bypass oversight. Unger explains how Casey utilized John Shaheen as a cutout to communicate with Iranian arms dealers and confirms through Israelimilitary intelligence officials that Israel facilitated secret arms shipments to Iran to support the scheme. NUMBER 5

THE INAUGURATION RELEASE AND A PATTERN OF TREASON Colleague Craig Unger. Unger highlights the suspicious timing of the hostage release minutes after Reagan's inauguration, arguing a secret deal was undeniable. He connects this to a pattern of Republican interference in foreign policy for electoral gain, linking the "October Surprise" to Nixon's Vietnam sabotage and recent allegations involving Trump and Russia. NUMBER 8

INSIDE IRAN: CONFESSIONS FROM THE REVOLUTIONARIES Colleague Craig Unger. Traveling to Tehran, Unger visits the former US embassy and interviews Mohsen Rafighdoost, a Revolutionary Guard founder. Ungercaptured video where Rafighdoost seemingly admits to meeting Republicans. Former Iranian President Banisadr also confirmed the plot, describing the collision as a "double coup" targeting both Jimmy Carter and his own presidency. NUMBER 7

CONFIRMING MADRID AND THE PARIS MEETING MYSTERY Colleague Craig Unger. Unger asserts the Madrid meeting between Casey and Iranian cleric Karrubi definitely occurred to sketch the deal. While less certain about George H.W. Bush's presence at the subsequent Paris meeting, Unger argues Bush's alibis were debunked, suggesting he likely attended to provide the high-level guarantee Iran demanded for the agreement. NUMBER 6

BILL CASEY TAKES COMMAND OF THE REAGAN CAMPAIGN Colleague Craig Unger. Unger details how Ronald Reagan hired former OSS spy Bill Casey as campaign manager. Casey utilized a secret intelligence network involving Israeli agents to monitor the hostage situation, fearing a pre-election release would help Carter. Casey aimed to prevent this "October Surprise" while keeping Reagan largely insulated from specific operational details. NUMBER 2

MEDIA COVER-UPS AND THE LADIES' ROOM DISCOVERY Colleague Craig Unger. Unger recounts how Newsweek and a Congressional investigation suppressed the story, dismissing the "October Surprise" as a myth. Despite warnings from Seymour Hersh, Unger and reporter Bob Parry persisted, eventually discovering a massive cache of discarded evidence hidden inside a House office building restroom, reigniting the investigation into the alleged treason. NUMBER 4

INVESTIGATING THE MADRID AND PARIS ALLEGATIONS Colleague Craig Unger. Unger describes investigating allegations from rogue Israeli operative Ari Ben-Menashe, who claimed Bill Casey met Iranianrepresentatives in Madrid to negotiate delaying the hostage release. Ben-Menashe also alleged George H.W. Bushattended a final meeting in Paris to seal the arms-for-hostages deal just weeks before the 1980 election. NUMBER 3

HOSTAGE CRISIS AND THE DESERT ONE TRAGEDY Colleague Craig Unger. Author Craig Unger discusses the 1980 "Desert One" rescue failure, a tragedy that crippled President Carter's re-election chances. He explains the geopolitical context, including the Shah's overthrow, the student-led embassy takeover, and the strained relationship between Carter and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin amidst regional instability. NUMBER 1

CRAIG UNGER AND APT 63A-B IN TRUMP TOWER WITH A PLUMBING LEAK.

Craig Unger examines Ronald Reagan's hiring of Bill Casey, an OSS veteran and dazzlingly brilliant spy, to manage his campaign. Casey quickly established a secret intelligence network, meeting with Israeli intelligence and arms dealers globally. Although Casey was notoriously difficult to understand—mumbling, spitting, and requiring Reagan to just "nod and smile"—he recognized that the release of the American hostages before November would likely secure President Carter's re-election. Casey began putting his network into action, aiming to prevent the hostages' early release. It remains unclear how much Reagan knew about Casey's covert activities. Guest: Craig Unger.

Craig Unger explores rumors of an "October Surprise"—a Republican deal to delay the hostages' release—which gained credence when former NSC official Gary Sick published an op-ed. Unger spoke to rogue Israeli operative Ari Ben Mashi, who alleged Bill Casey met with Iranians in Madrid in July 1980. Ben Mashi claimed Casey violated the Logan Act and an arms embargo by offering weapons in exchange for a delay in the hostage release until after the election. Ben Mashi also alleged Vice Presidential nominee George H.W. Bush attended a subsequent meeting in Paris in October 1980 to finalize the agreement. Unger's published findings in Esquire led him to join Newsweek to continue the investigation. Guest: Craig Unger.

Craig Unger confirms the Madrid meeting in July 1980, where Bill Casey met with Iranian cleric Mehdi Karoubi, establishing the parameters of the October Surprise by asking Karoubi to delay the hostage release until after the presidential election. The alleged Paris meeting in October involving George H.W. Bush is harder to prove, though investigative work punctured Bush's alibis. Iran was motivated by desperation for American military spare parts, especially after Iraq invaded in September 1980. Unger believes the overall preponderance of evidence suggests the Paris meeting occurred, intended to secure the deal with the highest possible authority. Guest: Craig Unger.

Craig Unger investigates the "October Surprise" following the 1979 seizure of 52 American hostages in Tehran. Iran's revolution overthrew the Shah, installed by the US in 1953, creating an anti-American Islamic Republic. The failed Desert One rescue mission on April 24, 1980, killed eight Americans and shocked the Carter administration, effectively ending his re-election prospects. Carter's weak position was exacerbated by his contentious relationship with Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin following the Camp David Accords. Candidate Ronald Reagan and his soon-to-be campaign head, Bill Casey, observed the developing crisis. Guest: Craig Unger. 1850 TEHRAN

Craig Unger discusses Den of Spies, investigating the "October Surprise"—hostages released minutes after Reagan's inauguration. The timing suggests the Reagan campaign made a secret deal with Iran. No facts have been challenged since publication. He views this as a Republican pattern of using adversarial nations to intervene in elections. Guest: Craig Unger. 1866 Retry

Craig Unger describes his 2014 visit to Iran's "Den of Spies" embassy museum, where he interviewed Moshen Rafi Duce, Iran's arms procurement head, who seemingly made an accidental admission about meeting "the Republicans." Former Iranian president Abolhassan Banisadr confirmed the October Surprise was a double coup d'état, destabilizing both the US and moderate Iranian elements. The timing of the hostage release confirms a prior deal: they were freed only three minutes after Ronald Reagan took the oath of office on January 20, 1981. This event, Unger concludes, fits a pattern of Republican reliance on adversarial nations to intervene in US elections. Guest: Craig Unger. Retry