Michael Isikoff
@Isikoff
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Journalist, author, podcaster
Washington, DC
Joined July 2011
Tulsi Gabbard and I were in Damascus to meet with Bashar al-Assad within a couple of weeks of each other in 2017. We came away with very different takes. https://t.co/DILzqfMsAW
spytalk.co
Trump’s DNI pick and I were both in Damascus in the winter of 2017 to meet with the dictator of Syria. We came away with very different takes
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As U.S. officials learned to their dismay in Iraq, "it’s one thing to get rid of a nasty dictator. It’s quite another to plan for what comes next— the proverbial day after."
spytalk.co
Drug cartels, anti-US rebels would fill leadership void, Pentagon study predicted
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For this story, I asked FBI public affairs whether Patel's use of bureau aircraft to watch NHL games, play golf & see his girlfriend were approved by legal or ethics officials & how much he has reimbursed for his trips. Interesting non-response. @talk_spy
spytalk.co
Investigative reporter Ron Kessler recounts how another FBI boss's term was short circuited by his personal use of the bureau's executive jet.
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Inside the bureau, there is “across the board outrage” over Patel’s use of FBI aircraft for fun and pleasure, said O’Leary. “At the end of the day, it’s theft of government resources. I mean, people have been thrown out of the bureau for this.” https://t.co/6fF2F2BfEX
spytalk.co
Investigative reporter Ron Kessler recounts how another FBI boss's term was short circuited by his personal use of the bureau's executive jet.
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5) I also discuss on our pod about 6 minutes in with co-host @KarenGreenberg3
https://t.co/L9RJhIrmkU
podcasts.apple.com
Podcast Episode · SpyTalk · 10/31/2025 · 1h 11m
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4) Attn White House reporters: Good questions for @PressSec , no? (And you can read the whole @talk_spy Halloweenn edition here https://t.co/KYEfQtyseY)
spytalk.co
Also: Maduro spooked, FBI agents spooked, Warner spooked by war clouds, Trump spooked by new Russian nuke
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3) protests. Did Trump’s mechanized excavators pulverize the underground PEOC, too? If so, where is it now? If not, where would you get the elevator?
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2) FDR during World War II and used at least twice since, by Vice President Dick Cheney, First Lady Laura Bush and others during the 9/11 attacks, and then in 2020 by Trump, who retreated there during the George Floyd
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2) East Wing Mystery: What happened to the White House bunker when President Trump impetuously tore down the East Wing? SpyTalk’s Michael Isikoff was curious about the fate of the officially named Presidential Emergency Operations Center, which was first built for
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1) Here at @talk_spy we ask the questions nobody else does. Read on and reminder: the PEOC, prominently featured in the new Netflix thriller @house_dynamite , is (or was) underneath the East Wing.
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A House of Dynamite is the scariest thriller you’ll see this Halloween season
spytalk.co
A House of Dynamite exposes many weaknesses in US nuclear defenses—including psychological pressures that could cause defense professionals to crack up.
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An illuminating chat about terrorism and the law with @jaketapper @SpyTalker
podcasts.apple.com
Podcast Episode · SpyTalk · 10/10/2025 · 55m
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High irony: Comey and James may have an ace in the hole to get Halligan removed & their indictments thrown out: A 1983 OLC opinion written by Alito saying that after 120 days with no confirmed U.S. attorney, the court appoints-not the AG or POTUS, as ex-OLC chief @jacklgoldsmith
courtlistener.com
BRIEF by CESAR HUMBERTO PINA Reply Brief (Attachments: # 1 Exhibit Exhibit A)(KROVATIN, GERALD) (Entered: 08/14/2025)
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Astute analysis by @mccloskeybooks on the differences between the CIA and the Mossad on our latest (really interesting) @talk_spy podcast.
ICYMI: @talk_spy podcast with hosts @SpyTalker & @Isikoff #MSWMedia 🕵🏼♀️ #SpyTalk Guest: @mccloskeybooks Listen: https://t.co/raoKEbrIvV
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"The case itself has become a legal fiasco, spanning generations — a real life, modern day version of Dickens’ fictional Jarndyce v Jarndyce in Bleak House: Judges come and go, prosecutors and defense lawyers rotate in and out, the families of the 9/11 victims grow old and die."
spytalk.co
New book details how FBI agents fed questions to CIA interrogators from outside black site torture chambers, nullifying later ‘clean’ statements
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There are "speaking" indictments in which prosecutors lay out their evidence and detail why it constitutes a federal crime, and then there is this-- the skimpiest indictment I have ever seen.
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Just to be clear: there is an undercover FBI video of Tom Homan taking $50,000, per this bombshell report by @CarolLeonnig & @DilanianMSNBC
https://t.co/0dgHemzKkw
msnbc.com
The FBI and Justice officials closed the investigation, which a Justice Department appointee had called a “deep state” probe in early 2025.
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@kevmusser @benpershing @Isikoff Based on Michael Isikoff's report in SpyTalk, it claims Oliver North and Fawn Hall wed in a secret ceremony in rural Virginia. However, details are limited (paywalled), and I found no other sources confirming it yet. Could be breaking news—worth watching for updates.
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