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Ex-CIA Insider Breaks Silence: What He Revealed About America’s Fragile Future Will Leave You Stunned (And Furious
Manage episode 486025320 series 3557503
When career intelligence professionals break their silence to warn about threats to democracy, we should all pay attention. Steven A. Cash, Executive Director of The Steady State and former CIA operations officer, prosecutor, and senior congressional advisor, shares insights that will send chills down your spine.
Cash reveals how the intelligence community operates on a fundamental assumption rarely questioned until now: that leaders at all levels, including the president, agree America should be a constitutional democracy. That assumption is being shattered in ways that remind these professionals of authoritarian takeovers they've witnessed abroad.
Throughout our conversation, Cash explains why over 280 former national security officials from across the political spectrum have united to sound the alarm. "Most of our careers have been spent focusing on Trump equivalents in various countries overseas," he notes. "We've seen this play before, and we know how it ends."
The warnings are specific and concerning: politicization of intelligence, intimidation of officials, pardons that encourage violence, and the cultivation of paramilitary support. While these tactics mirror what Cash and his colleagues have observed in places like Hungary and Russia, America's guardrails weren't designed to withstand them.
Despite the gravity of these warnings, Cash offers perspective and resilience. He believes in American institutions and the integrity of those serving within them. The challenge lies in educating citizens about how their government operates and finding common ground beyond partisan divides to preserve what Cash calls "post-partisan" values of constitutional democracy.
This conversation is essential listening for anyone concerned about America's future. The steady professionals who've spent decades protecting our national security are speaking up – their message deserves our attention.
The Jack Hopkins Now Newsletter https://wwwJackHopkinsNow.com
Chapters
1. Introducing Stephen Cash (00:00:00)
2. From Prosecutor to CIA Officer (00:01:15)
3. Working on Capitol Hill After 9/11 (00:08:15)
4. The Birth of The Steady State (00:15:10)
5. The Dictator's Playbook (00:24:15)
6. Intelligence Community Under Threat (00:35:42)
7. The Rules of Democracy (00:44:38)
8. Finding Common Ground (00:55:29)
9. Final Thoughts and Call to Action (01:08:52)
60 episodes
Manage episode 486025320 series 3557503
When career intelligence professionals break their silence to warn about threats to democracy, we should all pay attention. Steven A. Cash, Executive Director of The Steady State and former CIA operations officer, prosecutor, and senior congressional advisor, shares insights that will send chills down your spine.
Cash reveals how the intelligence community operates on a fundamental assumption rarely questioned until now: that leaders at all levels, including the president, agree America should be a constitutional democracy. That assumption is being shattered in ways that remind these professionals of authoritarian takeovers they've witnessed abroad.
Throughout our conversation, Cash explains why over 280 former national security officials from across the political spectrum have united to sound the alarm. "Most of our careers have been spent focusing on Trump equivalents in various countries overseas," he notes. "We've seen this play before, and we know how it ends."
The warnings are specific and concerning: politicization of intelligence, intimidation of officials, pardons that encourage violence, and the cultivation of paramilitary support. While these tactics mirror what Cash and his colleagues have observed in places like Hungary and Russia, America's guardrails weren't designed to withstand them.
Despite the gravity of these warnings, Cash offers perspective and resilience. He believes in American institutions and the integrity of those serving within them. The challenge lies in educating citizens about how their government operates and finding common ground beyond partisan divides to preserve what Cash calls "post-partisan" values of constitutional democracy.
This conversation is essential listening for anyone concerned about America's future. The steady professionals who've spent decades protecting our national security are speaking up – their message deserves our attention.
The Jack Hopkins Now Newsletter https://wwwJackHopkinsNow.com
Chapters
1. Introducing Stephen Cash (00:00:00)
2. From Prosecutor to CIA Officer (00:01:15)
3. Working on Capitol Hill After 9/11 (00:08:15)
4. The Birth of The Steady State (00:15:10)
5. The Dictator's Playbook (00:24:15)
6. Intelligence Community Under Threat (00:35:42)
7. The Rules of Democracy (00:44:38)
8. Finding Common Ground (00:55:29)
9. Final Thoughts and Call to Action (01:08:52)
60 episodes
All episodes
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