News & Media
The Obscure Newspaper Fueling the Far-Right in Europe
The Epoch Times, a newspaper that bills itself as the only one President Trump trusts, has built a global propaganda machine, similar to Russia’s Sputnik or RT, that pushes a mix of alternative facts and conspiracy theories that has won it far-right acolytes around the world…more
September 18, 2019 — Seth Hettena, The New Republic.
The FBI’s Trump-Russia Investigation Continues
A criminal president is obviously a threat to the nation, but so is a president who can’t or won’t respond to the ongoing threat of foreign interference. …more
July 25, 2019 — Seth Hettena, The New Republic.
A question the Mueller report leaves unanswered: Is Trump a threat to national security?
Again and again we have seen — and Mueller’s report drives the point home — that the president puts his own ego before the national security interests of the country. … more
April 19, 2019 — Seth Hettena, Los Angeles Times.
With Craig Indictment, Mueller Probe Sends Ripples Through the Swamp
Paul Manafort’s prosecution was a wake-up call for Washington lobbyists, and Craig’s indictment is sounding the alarm for attorneys in a town full of them..” …more
April 12, 2019 — Seth Hettena, The New Republic.
We don’t need Robert Mueller to tell us Trump is a threat
Robert S. Mueller III’s final report tells us what we knew all along. …… more
March 25, 2019 — Seth Hettena, Los Angeles Times.
Is There a Secret Hiding in Roger Stone’s Indictment?
An overlooked note stamped to Stone’s indictment may suggest that the former Trump adviser’s case is broader than we think….more
January 28, 2019 — Seth Hettena, Rolling Stone.
The President and the Soviet-Born Pianist
Donald Trump has known Lola Astanova socially for years, and she’s performed at both the White House and Mar-a-Largo…. more
January 15, 2019 — Seth Hettena, Rolling Stone.
To unravel the Trump/Russia affair, don’t follow the money, follow the lies
If the lesson of Watergate was “follow the money,” then the lesson of the Trump/Russia scandal may well be “follow the lies” …… more
December 21, 2018 — Seth Hettena, Los Angeles Times.
The Dangers of Doing Favors for Donald Trump
The president is often unable or unwilling to spot the difference between a favor and a crooked scheme…… more
December 11, 2018 — Seth Hettena, New York Times op-ed.
Why is CalPERS still a top investor in Russia’s sovereign debt?
The retirement savings of nearly 2 million current and former California firefighters, police officers and state employees are hard at work — in Moscow…… more
October 17, 2018 — Seth Hettena, Los Angeles Times op-ed.
Teacher, Firefighter, Police and Other Retirement Funds Flow Into Sanctioned Russian Companies
President Trump’s executive order over election meddling won’t stop the river of cash running from the United States to Kremlin-connected coffers…. more
September 13, 2018 — Seth Hettena, Rolling Stone.
Michael Cohen, Lanny Davis and the Russian Mafia
President Trump’s former fixer may not be the most notorious client of power lawyer Lanny Davis at this moment…. more
August 28, 2018 — Seth Hettena, Rolling Stone.
That Thing They Have
What we are witnessing is a classic FBI investigation that is slowly, steadily dismantling a criminal organization… more
August 23, 2018 — Seth Hettena, The Baffler.
Another Gift for a Putin Buddy
We can forget about strict punishment from sanctions for at least one of the Russian oligarchs closest to President Vladimir Putin….. more
August 2, 2018 — Seth Hettena, New York Times op-ed.
Watergate’s John Dean on Why Trump Will Survive the Russia Scandal
John Dean knows what it’s like for a scandal with the power to destroy a president to stalk the White House…. more
July 18, 2018 — Seth Hettena, Q&A with Nixon’s former White House counsel.
Trump v Putin: What to Expect from the Meeting in Helsinki
Vladimir Putin was once asked how his background as a KGB officer helped him lead Russia. The main thing, Putin replied, was his experience “working with people.”…. more
July 13, 2018 — Seth Hettena, Rolling Stone
Bill Browder: Inside the Arrest of Putin’s “Number One Enemy”
Bill Browder was in his central Madrid hotel room Wednesday morning when a knock came on the door… more
May 31, 2018 — Seth Hettena, Rolling Stone
Trump/Russia review: Le Carré meets Mario Puzo in Moscow and Manhattan
It’s probably a bad sign for the republic when the only way to write a plausible biography of the president of the United States is to make it read like a cross between The Godfather and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. But that’s where we are in the age of Trump. …more
May 20, 2018 — Charles Kaiser, Review of Trump/Russia
An excerpt from ‘Trump/Russia: A Definitive History’
Vladimir Lenin is often credited with coining the phrase “useful idiot” to describe the shallow thinkers in the West who did the Communist Party’s bidding without realizing it. During the Cold … more
May 8, 2018 — Seth Hettena, Excerpt published via MSNBC
Why a Powerful Russian Oligarch Was Furious with Paul Manafort
Although he was earning millions for his political consulting work in Ukraine, Paul Manafort began using his connections to make even more money. He met Dmitry Firtash, a wealthy Ukrainian businessman involved in … more
May 7, 2018 — Seth Hettena, Excerpt published via Talking Points Memo
Better Call Cohen: The Shady Cases of a Trump Lawyer’s Personal Injury Practice
A few years before he started working for Donald Trump, and long before he gave legal advice to people like Fox News personality Sean Hannity, Michael D. Cohen had a different kind of clientele… more
May 1, 2018 — Seth Hettena, a look into Michael Cohen’s legal practice
Cohen-ology Pays Off After All
Yesterday afternoon I had one of those epiphanies about a story I usually have no more than once every few years. It was partly triggered by details I put in this post about Michael Cohen. But… more
April 18, 2018 — Josh Marshall, endorsement to buy Trump / Russia via Talking Points Memo
A Brief History of Michael Cohen’s Criminal Ties
Michael Cohen, President Trump’s long-time lawyer and personal “pit bull,” was brought to heel yesterday when federal agents raided his office in Manhattan’s Rockefeller Center. The U.S. Attorney’s office in Manhattan, acting … more
April 10, 2018 — Seth Hettena, First excerpt published via Rolling Stone