“The corruption is the point,” writes Casey Michel in United States of Oligarchy: How America's Wealthiest Ally with Dictators, Weaken the U.S., and Destroy Democracy.

The book exposes the staggering corruption of the Trump regime and how dictators and oligarchs around the world are betting on Trump—and betting against democracy. In the latest episode of The Nerd Reich podcast, I interview Michel about how oligarchy took control of the United States, and what we can do about it.

“An expert on money laundering, tax evasion, and other financial crimes, Michel offers a blistering account of how a full-blown oligarchy has formed in the United States,” wrote Foreign Affairs of his book.

Michel is a writer, journalist and director of the Combating Kleptocracy program at the Human Rights Foundation. He’s also the author of American Kleptocracy: How the U.S. Created the World’s Greatest Money Laundering Scheme in History and Foreign Agents: How American Lobbyists and Lawmakers Threaten Democracy Around the World.

Click here to watch our conversation on YouTube.