For this episode I spoke to former FBI counter-terrorism agent Mike German.

Mike told me about his time spent undercover posing as a weapons trafficker investigating white supremacist gangs in California, his insight into governments methods of terrorism prevention and it’s flaws, his thoughts on mass shootings and what does and doesn’t work in trying to stop them. I also asked about Mike’s parting of ways w/ the FBI after an unpleasant final 2 years as well as what happens to a person who gets put on the terrorist watch list be it justified or otherwise.

We covered a lot of ground in this conversation so please have a look at the episode description for chapter timestamps. As always if you enjoy the content please subscribe and leaving a rating on Apple Podcasts and Spotify and please subscribe to the YouTube channel for full video episodes.

00:00- Welcome to GLP
01:30 intro
2:30 FBI in media, how Mike viewed FBI previous to joining
4:35 Mike becoming an FBI agents
6:10 History of racial discrimination within FBI
8:50 Training 
10:50 Any choice in area of assignment or where stationed ?
12:38 Are agents “married to the job”?
14:00 Desk or in-field?
16:20 Assigned to undercover w/ White Supremacist group (CA)
18:45 How do the FBI get informants?
20:55 White Supremacist groups- cell structure
24:15 Types within W.S groups
27:40 How deep undercover? (Mike spent 14 months)
30:00 Had Mike heard of undercover agents getting cover blown?
32:10 White sup groups- attacks
32:17 MIKE’S BOOK- “Thinking like a Terrorist” (link in description)
34:25 FBI Arrests
37:25 Def. of terrorism, flaws in FBI’s investigation of terrorism, “lone-wolf” fallacy, mass shooters, Buffalo and NYC mass shootings
1:04:15- flaws in thinking surrounding the prediction/prevention of mass shootings and crime
1:10:15- what happens when a person is “flagged” and put on Terrorist Watch List”
1:15:15- leaving FBI

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