The whisper network just beat the political establishment.
Eric Swalwell - sitting US Congressman, frontrunner for California governor, prime-time cable news fixture - is out in 72 hours, accused of raping a former staffer twice and sending unsolicited graphic messages to at least three other women. The Manhattan DA opened a criminal investigation. The House Ethics Committee opened a formal probe. And the version of this story you saw on social media is asking whether Roger Stone did it.
Today’s episode is up now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube.
In other news:
We’re on day two of The Receipts: How Russia Bought an American President in Ten Acts – ten sourced essays, one every morning at 8 AM Central. Today’s installment is about Trump Tower as a money laundering destination for the Russian mob, Baby Doc Duvalier, and shell company buyers BuzzFeed traced to .5 billion in suspicious purchases.
Yesterday’s essay – the one about the KGB recruitment checklist and Czech intelligence’s file on Trump dating to 1977 – is linked below if you missed it.
Russia Receipts · Essay #2
#2 The Test: Trump Tower Was Open for Business and the Mob Came Shopping
Trump Tower opened in 1983 and immediately became a magnet for dirty money. Baby Doc Duvalier, Russian mob operative David Bogatin, and mob-connected gambling kingpin Robert Hopkins all bought condos with cash through shell companies. BuzzFeed found 1,300+ suspicious shell company purchases totaling \.5 billion across Trump properties. He never asked where the money came from.
Russia Receipts · Essay #1
#1 The Mark: The KGB Had a Checklist for Picking Targets and Trump Checked Every Box
The KGB literally wrote down what kind of person they were looking for – ambitious, egotistical, susceptible to flattery. Czech intelligence had been monitoring Trump since 1977 through his wife Ivana’s father, an StB informant. Roy Cohn connected him to the Russian mob. The recruitment profile was a perfect match.
The Full Series
Ten essays. Every morning at 8 AM Central. All the names, dates, and dollar amounts the TV coverage keeps leaving out.
Podcast Source List
* Eric Swalwell to resign from Congress following sex assault allegations - CalMatters
* Manhattan DA investigating sexual assault allegations against Rep. Eric Swalwell - CBS News
* Swalwell Faces Allegations of Sexual Assault and Misconduct - NOTUS
* Swalwell Defenders Blame Roger Stone Amid Accusations - National Today
* Lisa Rubin on X - Mrs. Frazzled MS NOW quote
* Tony Gonzales admits affair with aide who died by suicide - Texas Tribune
