Join us for a special program that goes inside Washington’s murky foreign lobbying industry and reveals the world of the politically connected and powerful Americans who get rich working on behalf of brutal dictators, corrupt oligarchs, and global arms dealers. New York Times investigative reporter Kenneth P. Vogel has used exclusive sources, thousands of documents, and on-the-ground reporting to reveal the people, places, and deals involved in this usually unseen billion-dollar industry.

It's a world of big money, fast cars, pricey cigars and flashy watches. The business of currying favor and influencing U.S. foreign policy on behalf of foreign powers is nothing new, though lately it has attracted more controversy and attention due to some of the outsized characters who rose to prominence during Donald Trump's first term in the White House.

Among them is Robert Stryk, who dresses like a cowboy, failed at several businesses before bluffing his way into relationships in Washington and around the world, amassed wealth, influence, and a reputation for taking deals no one else would touch. Rudy Giuliani, once known as “America’s Mayor,” found his star rising again under Trump; Giuliani leveraged his position as Trump’s personal lawyer into deals with foreign interests who saw him as a direct line to the president. And then there's Hunter Biden, son of a future president and no stranger to the business, having capitalized on his father’s connections since the elder Biden’s days as a senator and vice president.

Don't miss this conversation with Vogel, who relates these stories and more in his new book Devils' Advocates: The Hidden Story of Rudy Giuliani, Hunter Biden, and the Washington Insiders on the Payrolls of Corrupt Foreign Interests.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices