The Heat: Is there a “deep state” or shadow government?

The Heat

The White HouseThe White House

Donald Trump campaigned as an anti-establishment candidate and promised that, if elected, he would go to Washington and “drain the swamp.”

Since taking office as President of the United States, President Trump has threatened to shake up the old order. But, is he being undermined? Some of his supporters argue that there are powerful efforts at play to stop him. And, they point to an entrenched structure with vested interests that may be even more powerful than Trump himself —what some are calling “The Deep State.”

But what is the “Deep State”? Does it even exist? Or, is just a just a conspiracy theory? One of those who have written about it is Pulitzer Prize winning journalist, Glenn Greenwald. During a recent appearance on Democracy Now, he was asked to explain what the “Deep State” is.

“The deep state, although there’s no precise or scientific definition, generally refers to the agencies in Washington that are permanent power factions. They stay and exercise power even as presidents who are elected come and go. They typically exercise their power in secret, in the dark, and so they’re barely subject to democratic accountability, if they’re subject to it at all. It’s agencies like the CIA, the NSA and the other intelligence agencies, that are essentially designed to disseminate disinformation and deceit and propaganda, and have a long history of doing not only that, but also have a long history of the world’s worst war crimes, atrocities and death squads.” – Glenn Greenwald

To discuss what exactly the “deep state” is:

  • Mike Lofgren. He spent 28 years working for the United States Congress and he has an insider’s perspective on how power works in Washington.

 Is there a power structure in place in Washington that operates like a shadow government- what some refer to as the “Deep State”? For more on the topic:

  • Frank H. Buckley, media contributor and professor at the George Mason University Law School
  • Eric Draitser, political analyst and host of CounterPunch Radio