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Casey Michel

@cjcmichel.bsky.social
6.7K followers 470 following 1.3K posts

Dictators are a cowardly and superstitious lot. | Head of Combating Kleptocracy Program at Human Rights Foundation | Author of AMERICAN KLEPTOCRACY and FOREIGN AGENTS | Posts in personal capacity

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Casey Michel @cjcmichel.bsky.social · 8h
Fascinating to see who's racing to defend Kushner after the latest revelations into his massive conflicts of interest. Not diplomats. Not regional experts. Not even elected Republicans! Just a bunch of billionaire/VC guys who can't explain away Kushner's foreign financial links.
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Eric Lipton NYT @ericlipton.nytimes.com · 10h
JUST POSTED: Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff have pushed a multibillion oil deal with Russia as part of peace talks that will bring profits to their family business partners. A new front for Trump-era conflicts of interest. www.nytimes.com/2026/10/03/u...
nytimes.com
U.S.-Russia Talks on Ukraine Now Involve an Oil Deal Tied to Trump Allies (Gift Article)
President Vladimir V. Putin brought up a sale of Russian energy assets with President Trump’s envoys, Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, pushing a deal that raises new questions about conflicts of inter...
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Casey Michel @cjcmichel.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Fascinating that Washington oversaw the single greatest defeat for the US military in American history during his first term and it... didn't impact his reputation as a military genius whatsoever! armyhistory.org/the-battle-o...
armyhistory.org
The Battle of the Wabash: The Forgotten Disaster of the Indian Wars - The Army Historical Foundation
By Patrick Feng, Foundation Programs and Operations Coordinator When Americans read or hear about the Indian Wars, they are exposed to the familiar names like Sitting Bull, Crazy Horse, and […]
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Patriotic Millionaires @patrioticmillionaires.org · 28/09/2026
"...the rate of total US household wealth now attached to the richest 0.00001% in the US is more than double what it was towards the end of the Gilded Age." Fixing the tax code isn't about punishing wealth. It's about protecting democracy from oligarchy: www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
theguardian.com
We’re not in a new Gilded Age in America: inequality is now far worse | Casey Michel
Today’s wealth gap is much bigger, and the country’s richest have much more power than they once did. It’s an Age of Oligarchy
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Casey Michel @cjcmichel.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Or the fact that it was Biden's DOJ that oversaw the prosecution of **Bob Menendez**—or launched the investigation of Eric Adams! None of that mattered. People screaming about the politicization of the DOJ under Biden continued screaming the same thing.
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Casey Michel @cjcmichel.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Honored to be speaking next week at @amerikahaus.de's "Dialogues on Democracy" series in Munich. If you're around, come listen to a discussion on all the ways corruption destroys democracies—and what can be done. See you there! www.amerikahaus.de/ausstellunge...
amerikahaus.de
Casey Michel: How Foreign Dictators Interfere in Democratic Countries
On Wednesday, October 07, 2026, at 7 p.m., Casey Michel, will come to Amerikahaus. In recent years we've seen an explosion of revelations and concerns about how foreign dictatorships use illicit wealt...
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Michael Mechanic @michaelmechanic.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Casey is absolutely correct, and this is a subject I know a thing or two about.
theguardian.com
We’re not in a new Gilded Age in America: inequality is now far worse | Casey Michel
Today’s wealth gap is much bigger, and the country’s richest have much more power than they once did. It’s an Age of Oligarchy
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Casey Michel @cjcmichel.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Grateful for this convo with Carnegie Council for Ethics on something missing today—ethics in foreign policy—and what happens with US foreign policy is sold to the highest bidder. Can't have a successful foreign policy without anti-corruption at the core. www.carnegiecouncil.org/media/series...
carnegiecouncil.org
A New Breed of American Oligarch
Casey Michel examines how concentrated wealth is reshaping American democracy and foreign policy, and the consequences when private interests take precedence over the public good.
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The Guardian @theguardian.com · 21/09/2026
We’re not in a new Gilded Age in America: inequality is now far worse | Casey Michel
theguardian.com
We’re not in a new Gilded Age in America: inequality is now far worse | Casey Michel
Today’s wealth gap is much bigger, and the country’s richest have much more power than they once did. It’s an Age of Oligarchy
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Zorka Milin @zorkamilin.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Come hear from the brilliant @cjcmichel.bsky.social this afternoon about how our Age of Oligarchy differs from the Gilded Age and what we can do about this: thefactcoalition.org/democracy
thefactcoalition.org
Event: From Hidden Wealth to Public Trust - Reclaiming Our Democracy | The FACT Coalition
Join the FACT Coalition on September 22 for a conversation with Vanessa Williamson (Brookings) and Casey Michel (Human Rights Foundation) exploring why good tax policy and financial transparency are e...
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Casey Michel @cjcmichel.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Nor is it ever about "Moldova's legitimate security concerns" or "Ukraine's legitimate security concerns" or "Georgia's legitimate national security concerns"—even though those are of course magnitudes more relevant than any kind of "security concern" facing Russia.
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Casey Michel @cjcmichel.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
I went on @npr.org's 1A alongside the great @anneapplebaum.wsocial.eu to talk about how corruption has rotted American foreign policy, fueled imperialism from Greenland to Ukraine, and sold American policy—and even American national security—to the highest bidder.
the1a.org
If You Can Keep It: 'Empire of Grift'
The name of this country has been at the center of President Trump’s rhetoric.
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Casey Michel @cjcmichel.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
We're not in a new Gilded Age. We're in something worse. My latest at @theguardian.com on how US wealth inequality has now blasted past anything we've seen before, and how we've now entered the Age of Oligarchy. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
theguardian.com
We’re not in a new Gilded Age in America: inequality is now far worse | Casey Michel
Today’s wealth gap is much bigger, and the country’s richest have much more power than they once did. It’s an Age of Oligarchy
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Casey Michel @cjcmichel.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
So do we still not have the actual details of the US-Denmark-Greenland agreement? It's just what Trump and White House officials have told us?
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Casey Michel @cjcmichel.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
We're not in a new Gilded Age. We're in something worse. My latest at @theguardian.com on how US wealth inequality has now blasted past anything we've seen before, and how we've now entered the Age of Oligarchy. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
theguardian.com
We’re not in a new Gilded Age in America: inequality is now far worse | Casey Michel
Today’s wealth gap is much bigger, and the country’s richest have much more power than they once did. It’s an Age of Oligarchy
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Casey Michel @cjcmichel.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
DC—I’m coming back for another talk! This panel is brought to you by the fantastic @factcoalition.bsky.social, and will focus on how closely democracy and financial transparency are linked. We’re talking taxes, Teddy Roosevelt, and tackling oligarchy. See you there! thefactcoalition.org/democracy/
thefactcoalition.org
Event: From Hidden Wealth to Public Trust - Reclaiming Our Democracy | The FACT Coalition
Join the FACT Coalition on September 22 for a conversation with Vanessa Williamson (Brookings) and Casey Michel (Human Rights Foundation) exploring why good tax policy and financial transparency are e...
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Casey Michel @cjcmichel.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
"Russian gangster-oligarch secretly pays for the wedding of the US president's son" is such an insane—and insanely corrupt—revelation that you almost can't process it. Almost.
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Casey Michel @cjcmichel.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
It's great that folks have stopped treating Trump's threats about seizing Greenland as a joke. It's also great that they've started taking Trump's territorial threats to Canada seriously. Long past time they stopped treating his threats of a third term as a joke, too.
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Casey Michel @cjcmichel.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Teddy Roosevelt would have absolutely hated Donald Trump. Detested him to his core.
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Casey Michel @cjcmichel.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Huge thanks to the incredible team at @columbuslibrary.bsky.social for another fantastic book talk on UNITED STATES OF OLIGARCHY. Great to talk to so many folks about oligarchy, corruption, and reasons for optimism moving forward. Next stop: back to DC!
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Casey Michel @cjcmichel.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
This is correct: "Putin is prepared to prosecute this war for years to come." www.foreignaffairs.com/united-state...
foreignaffairs.com
Putin Will Not Yield
Pressure and pain won’t sap Russia’s resolve in Ukraine.
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Casey Michel @cjcmichel.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
This is such a great read. Corruption has exploded in the U.S. over the past 18 months, which you already know. But it's turned everything—including foreign policy—into something that can be sold. All to the highest bidder. www.theatlantic.com/magazine/202...
theatlantic.com
MAGA Is Making the World Safe for Corruption
Far-right ideologues have transformed American foreign policy into a tool of private gain and antidemocratic reaction.
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Mother Jones @motherjones.com · 07/09/2026
Donald Trump’s son-in-law used his position to hop in bed with autocrats—and sell out America.
motherjones.com
How Jared Kushner used his position to hop in bed with autocrats
And sell out America.
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Casey Michel @cjcmichel.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
Kushner has been pushing Ukraine to give up territory for nearly a year. Pure appeasement. And thankfully no closer to success than when Kushner first began peddling this line. Yet another failed foreign policy project (of many!) for Kushner to attach to his name.
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Casey Michel @cjcmichel.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
Huge, huge thanks to everyone who came out to our book talk on UNITED STATES OF OLIGARCHY at @townhallseattle.bsky.social! (And thanks especially to everyone who yelled out updates about the Seahawks score.) Next stop: Columbus, Ohio—tomorrow!
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Casey Michel @cjcmichel.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Under Trump, the Greenland crisis is never dead. It's not even past.
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Casey Michel @cjcmichel.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Talked with @npr.org's On Point about how the Trump administration destroyed the US's new shell company registry, and all the information it contained—the single biggest pro-corruption step they've taken thus far: wnyc.org/npr/wburwp-1...
wnyc.org
Did the Treasury just make it easier to launder money? | WNYC
The Treasury Department recently eliminated a rule that required American companies to identify their owners. The rule was intended to prevent money laundering. What’s driving the decision to drop it?
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Casey Michel @cjcmichel.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
Seattle! Join me Wednesday at @townhallseattle.bsky.social to talk about something far more uplifting than our beloved Mariners: oligarchy. I’ll be speaking about my new book UNITED STATES OF OLIGARCHY, and slipping in as many references to Ken Griffey Jr, Ichiro, and Bobby Ayala as possible.
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Brendan Nyhan @brendannyhan.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
Unprecedented corruption www.wsj.com/politics/pol...
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Casey Michel @cjcmichel.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
There's a reason I cited some of @gilduran.com's incredible work on tech oligarchs and the Network State/efforts to secede in my new book. Can't recommend Gil's work enough—follow him if you're not already!
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Gil Durán @gilduran.com · 08/09/2026
I’ll be talking to Casey about Hunter Biden—and other crypto grift democracy-killing oligarch schemes—on the Nerd Reich podcast. I just finished his amazing new book, which I highly recommend. If you follow me, you should definitely follow Casey, too.
Book Cover of “The United States of oligarchy: America’s wealthiest ally with dictators we in the US to destroy democracy” by Casey Michel
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Casey Michel @cjcmichel.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
Hunter Biden has done more to undercut efforts to investigate the Trump family's corruption than almost anyone else on the Democratic side. One of the key reasons Dems didn't investigate Kushner during Biden's presidency? They didn't want to shine a spotlight on Hunter's foreign funding, too.
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Casey Michel @cjcmichel.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
Seattle! Join me Wednesday at @townhallseattle.bsky.social to talk about something far more uplifting than our beloved Mariners: oligarchy. I’ll be speaking about my new book UNITED STATES OF OLIGARCHY, and slipping in as many references to Ken Griffey Jr, Ichiro, and Bobby Ayala as possible.
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Casey Michel @cjcmichel.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
Just finished off Pankaj Mishra's "From the Ruins of Empire," on anti-colonial intellectuals in Asia. Fascinating read on figures like Tagore, al-Afghani, Qichao. But a book that also ignores North Asia, barely touches Central Asia, and leaves Russia to the side completely.
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Casey Michel @cjcmichel.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
Not seeing any reporting from the Kushner-Witkoff trip to Moscow and Kyiv that makes me think anything has shifted. Kushner and Witkoff still pushing appeasement. Putin still maniacally obsessed with both history and fantasy. No reason to think anything will change.
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Foreign Policy @foreignpolicy.com · 01/09/2026
In an excerpt from his new book, Casey Michel writes on the future of oligarchy in the United States—and what that rise would mean for global stability writ large. foreignpolicy.com/2026/08/28/a...
foreignpolicy.com
Jared Kushner Is the Face of American Oligarchy
Trump’s son-in-law embodies the rise of a trend that threatens to ignite a new nuclear age.
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Casey Michel @cjcmichel.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
Jared Kushner is in Moscow today, which is why it’s a good time to read this excerpt from UNITED STATES OF OLIGARCHY about how he became a font of pro-Kremlin talking points—and helped usher in this new age of nuclear proliferation looming ahead of us. foreignpolicy.com/2026/08/28/a...
foreignpolicy.com
Jared Kushner Is the Face of American Oligarchy
Trump’s son-in-law embodies the rise of a trend that threatens to ignite a new nuclear age.
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Casey Michel @cjcmichel.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
Five years in, still convinced that the best comps for Russia's disaster in Ukraine are some combination of France failing in Algeria and Portugal's quagmires in Angola/Mozambique—and the resulting collapse of Lisbon's dictatorship.
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Casey Michel @cjcmichel.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
Incredible that Russia has now lost more soldiers in Ukraine than the US did during the entire Second World War(!)—and still holds less Ukrainian territory than it did in early 2022. Failure upon failure upon failure.
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Casey Michel @cjcmichel.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
Extremely grateful for all the support from everyone who's read or turned out for an event for UNITED STATES OF OLIGARCHY in the past few weeks! Been blown away by meeting all those opposing oligarchy, the rot of corruption, and more. The energy just keeps building. Very clear that it won't stop.
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Casey Michel @cjcmichel.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
Portland folks! I'll be giving a talk on UNITED STATES OF OLIGARCHY in my hometown at the great @powells.bsky.social bookstore this Wednesday (Sept. 2), alongside one of the best teachers I ever had. Hope to see you there! www.powells.com/events/casey...
powells.com
Casey Michel in Conversation With Peter Shulman
The Legendary Independent Bookstore
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Mattilda B Sycamore @mbsycamore.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
What a pair💥
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Nathalie Maréchal, PhD @nathaliemarechal.net · 25/08/2026
I’ve been waiting for these books for over a year, so naturally they came out when I on vacation. But I’m back and excited to dig in @gilduran.com @cjcmichel.bsky.social
Covers of the books The Nerd Reich (Gil Durán) & United States of Oligarchy (Casey Michel)
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Casey Michel @cjcmichel.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
This is a great look at just how many nuclear vs. non-nuclear wars there have been since WWII, and how none of them ever resulted in nuclear usage—and just how unlikely it is that Putin would for some reason be the first. foreignpolicy.com/2026/08/25/r...
foreignpolicy.com
Why Even a Cornered Putin Won’t Press the Red Button
Great powers have been humbled many times without escalating to nuclear war.
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Casey Michel @cjcmichel.bsky.social · 30/08/2026
Anyone who's heard me talk about my new book UNITED STATES OF OLIGARCHY knows that Jared Kushner plays an outsized role—both for his rank corruption as well as how he's become the face of American oligarchy. us.macmillan.com/books/978125...
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Casey Michel @cjcmichel.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
It was only *this year* that I learned in any real detail of the many, many threats to Canadian territorial integrity that the US has long, long, long presented. Very much a blind spot in US discourse. And very much a core theme of US foreign policy in North America for decades and decades.
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Frederick Deknatel @freddydeknatel.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
Casey's great new book United States of Oligarchy, from which this essay is adapted, is out now @stmartinspress.bsky.social "Investment funds had, by the 2020s, become the perfect pass-through vehicle for foreign regimes looking to influence American policy." www.hidden-cities.com/p/how-saudi-...
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Casey Michel @cjcmichel.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
Honored to have my latest book excerpt from UNITED STATES OF OLIGARCHY in the fantastic @hidden-cities.com, all about how Silicon Valley got in bed with Saudi Arabia—and how much American tech oligarchs look up to MBS.
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Casey Michel @cjcmichel.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
This new letter from @raskin.house.gov about investigating Kushner's corruption is worth reading in its entirety: democrats-judiciary.house.gov/sites/evo-su...
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Casey Michel @cjcmichel.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
Tough to see all these things in the moment, but really does feel like 2026 has been one rolling Suez Crisis for the US, and a death knell for US hegemony (such as it was).
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