The Burn Bag Podcast Foreign Agents: The U.S. Lawmakers, Experts, and Insiders Lobbying for Foreign Governments with Casey Michel, Author of "Foreign Agents"
A powerful U.S. Senator. A leading aide to the New York Governor. A leading Korea expert. All prominent figures in the last several months who have been accused of being foreign agents, working on behalf of foreign governments to influence U.S. policy.
To make sense of this all, A'ndre chatted with Casey Michel, author of Foreign Agents and the Director of the Combating Kleptocracy Program at the Human Rights Foundation, to understand the history of foreign lobbying in the United States and to talk through some of the more high profile cases. Casey profiles Ivy Lee, the father of the modern PR industry, and how he helped fascist dictators like Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini in the 1930s sell their ideologies to the broader public. The discussion also covered Paul Manafort, a convicted felon and former GOP strategist known for his work on the Donald Trump and Bob Dole presidential campaigns. A'ndre and Casey reviewed recent notable cases, including:
- Senator Bob Menendez's recent conviction that he accepted gold bars to promote policy favored by the Egyptian government;
- Former NSC official and think tank expert Sue Mi Terry's alleged advocacy of South Korean interests on behalf of her Korean government handlers;
- New York Governor Kathy Hochul's aide Linda Sun's alleged engagement in political activities in China's interest within the governor's office;
- and former Senator Bob Dole's advocacy on behalf of a Russian oligarch.
You can purchase Casey's new book, Foreign Agents, here.