Scott interviews journalist and author Trevor Aaronson about an article he recently published for the Intercept. Aaronson has been one of the best reporters exposing how the FBI uses paid informants to manipulate people into agreeing to carry out violent attacks and other crimes so the agency can swoop in and pretend it’s taking dangerous terrorists off the street. His Intercept article examines one such case from about a decade ago. Scott and Aaronson dig into what happened. They then shift to a broader discussion of FBI entrapment schemes against both right and left-wing dissidents as well as financial criminals. Last, they reflect on the current political environment to question if there will ever be accountability for the FBI.
Discussed on the show:
- “The ‘Terrorist’, the Rapist, and Me” (The Intercept)
- “U.S. Government Quietly Declassifies Post-9/11 Interview With Bush and Cheney” (The Intercept)
- American ISIS Podcast Series
- Aaronson’s TED Talk
- The Terror Factory by Trevor Aaronson
Trevor Aaronson is a contributing writer for The Intercept and executive director of the nonprofit Florida Center for Investigative Reporting. He is the author of The Terror Factory: Inside the FBI’s Manufactured War on Terrorism. Find him on Twitter @trevoraaronson.
This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; and Thc Hemp Spot.
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Scott Horton is director of the Libertarian Institute, editorial director of Antiwar.com, host of Antiwar Radio on Pacifica, 90.7 FM KPFK in Los Angeles, California and podcasts the Scott Horton Show from this website. He’s the author of the 2017 book, Fool’s Errand: Time to End the War in Afghanistan. Visit https://scotthorton.org