Undaunted.Life: A Man's Podcast by Kyle Thompson

SCOTT PAYNE | Going Undercover to Expose America's Nazis (Ep. 734)

Mar 25, 2025

Scott Payne, a retired FBI Special Agent with 28 years of experience, shares gripping tales from his undercover days infiltrating neo-Nazi and white supremacist groups. He recounts the intense psychological toll of maintaining his cover, the absurdities he faced in the KKK, and the complexities of today's extremist ideologies like accelerationism. Payne also emphasizes the importance of mentorship in law enforcement and reflects on the moral dilemmas of confronting hate while navigating his own safety after retirement.

01:24:23

Episode guests

Scott Payne

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Episode notes

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

Scott Payne's extensive undercover work against domestic terrorists, including infiltration of groups like the KKK, showcases the complexities and risks involved in law enforcement.

The process of building trust with criminals for evidence collection reveals the morally ambiguous challenges faced by undercover agents and its toll on personal beliefs.

Post-retirement, Payne emphasizes the importance of resilience and vigilance against domestic extremism, while reflecting on the ongoing concern for personal safety from retaliatory threats.

Deep dives

Introduction to Scott Payne's Career

Scott Payne, a retired FBI special agent, has a remarkable career focused on fighting against complex crime such as drug trafficking, human trafficking, and domestic terrorism. His undercover work included infiltrating notorious groups like the Ku Klux Klan, neo-Nazi factions, and organized biker gangs. His journey into law enforcement began humbly at a local sheriff's office, where he quickly developed a passion for crime investigation and moved up to federal levels. His extensive experience has led him to write a book called 'Codename Pale Horse,' which shares the intricacies of his undercover operations and personal struggles.

Intro

5min

Undercover Insights: The Life of an FBI Agent

21min

Insights from the Undercover World

5min

Undercover in Biker Culture

28min

Confronting Darkness: Infiltrating the KKK

6min

Understanding Accelerationism and Extremism

16min

Emphasizing Love, Faith, and Resilience

2min

In this episode, we welcome Scott Payne to the show. Scott, aka “Hillbilly Donnie Brasco”, is a retired FBI Special Agent who spent 28 years in law enforcement, investigating drug-trafficking organizations, human traffickers, and domestic terrorists. Much of that work was undercover work that included him infiltrating Neo Nazi/white supremacist groups (like the Ku Klux Klan and The Base) and biker gangs (like the Outlaws Motorcycle Club). He is the author of a new book “Codename: Pale Horse - How I Went Undercover to Expose America’s Nazis”. In this interview, we discuss what led him to federal law enforcement, how he was recruited into undercover work, what it was like being trained by Joe Pistone (aka Donnie Brasco), how he got his introduction into infiltrating the Outlaws Motorcycle Club, the time when he thought his cover was blown and that he was going to be murdered by the gang, how he joined/infiltrated the Ku Klux Klan, the difference between old school white supremacists and “Accelerationists”, if he is worried about his safety now that he is retired from law enforcement, and much more. Let’s get into it…

Episode notes and links HERE.

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