Adam DeMarco is a West Point grad and army veteran who served multiple combat tours in Iraq during his five years of active duty in the Army. After the 2016 election, he felt called to serve again through politics, and entered the arena to run for Congress in 2018, ultimately losing the primary to John Sarbanes. In the years since leaving the Army, Adam has stayed involved with the National Guard, and was serving as a liaison between the National Guard and the Park Police in Lafayette Square outside the White House on June 1st, 2020. That was the day that the Park Police used force on peaceful protesters to clear a path for the President to take a photo holding a bible in front of a church on the other side of the square. Deeply disturbed by what he saw, Adam became the whistleblower who testified before congress to challenge the administration’s version of events.
In this episode, Adam talks about what he learned about leadership from the Army and what it was like trying to lead with integrity as a political candidate, and he shares his advice on how to cultivate the courage and integrity that led him to step out as a whistleblower.
