Bag Man

MSNBC, Rachel Maddow

Is it possible for an American Vice President to carry out a criminal enterprise inside the White House and have nobody remember? To have one of the most brazen political bribery scandals in American history play out before the country while nobody’s paying attention? In her first original podcast, MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow goes back 45 years to dig into a story that got overshadowed in its day. There’s intrigue. Corruption. Envelopes of cash delivered to the White House. It’s a story that’s not well known, but it probably should be. Especially today. Bag Man. A Rachel Maddow podcast from MSNBC. Listen to the Peabody Award-nominated series now. read less

Our Editor's Take

Rachel Maddow tells of the corruption and criminality of Richard Nixon's vice president, Spiro Agnew, in the Bag Man podcast from MSNBC. Listeners may recognize Maddow from the Rachel Maddow Show on MSNBC. Her professional journalism and enthusiasm for the truth shine through in each episode. This true crime podcast highlights White House scandals. It also nudges listeners to consider how history can, and has, repeated itself.

On Bag Man, Maddow examines Agnew's role as vice president and his crimes. The son of Greek immigrants, he rose from Baltimore's county executive to the governor of Maryland in four years. In another two, he was President Nixon's vice president. This seemed to come out of nowhere, as Agnew had no prior connection to Nixon. In 1973, federal investigators discovered Agnew's part in countless crimes.

Maddow focuses on the Nixon White House and its corruption. She discusses the audacious cover-up and Agnew's disputes with the justice department.

Bag Man is a podcast that reminds listeners of political history. This podcast features personal recollections from those who investigated the case. There are even accounts from Agnew's lawyer. Maddow reports a wild story. These first-hand accounts remind listeners that these outrageous events really happened.

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Play Trailer
Bag Man - Coming October 30th
Oct 8 2018
Bag Man - Coming October 30th
Check out a sneak preview of Bag Man, Rachel Maddow’s first original podcast. First 2 episodes drop October 30th. Subscribe now.
Bag Man - Coming October 30th
Oct 8 2018
Bag Man - Coming October 30th
Check out a sneak preview of Bag Man, Rachel Maddow’s first original podcast. First 2 episodes drop October 30th. Subscribe now.
Episode 1: An Unsettling Secret
Oct 29 2018
Episode 1: An Unsettling Secret
He was brash. Politically incorrect. An “outsider” political candidate who rose to the White House, out of nowhere, with a reputation as a “counter-puncher.” But Vice President Spiro Agnew was also something else… an active criminal whose secrets were about to be exposed. What happens when a “counter-puncher” in the White House suddenly sees his political future directly threatened by investigators inside his own Justice Department?
Episode 2: Crawling In
Oct 31 2018
Episode 2: Crawling In
With the Watergate scandal gripping the nation, and President Richard Nixon on the verge of going down, a small team of federal prosecutors in Baltimore discover a bombshell that will rock a nation already on the edge. The Vice President of the United States— right at the height of Watergate—has been conducting a secret bribery and extortion operation… from inside the White House itself. And only they know it.
Episode 3: Hang In There, Baby
Nov 6 2018
Episode 3: Hang In There, Baby
With the criminal investigation of him now public, Vice President Spiro Agnew launches a bold counter-attack to survive. An unprecedented assault... on his own Justice Department that's investigating him. And the reporters now covering his case. And Agnew gets back-up in that effort from his legion of hardcore supporters across the country and in Congress.
Episode 4: Turn It Off
Nov 13 2018
Episode 4: Turn It Off
After learning that his own Justice Department is investigating his crimes, Vice President Spiro Agnew embarks on a secret, behind-the-scenes effort... to obstruct justice. To use his power inside the White House to interfere with the investigation and shut it down. It’s a scheme that involves President Nixon himself, members of Nixon's inner circle, and it has never been known to the prosecutors investigating the case... even now, 45 years later.
Episode 5: Double-Header
Nov 22 2018
Episode 5: Double-Header
With his own Justice Department on the verge of indicting him, Vice President Spiro Agnew attempts a last-ditch effort to survive. A Constitutional crisis-inducing argument that even if prosecutors have evidence of his crimes, he can't be indicted anyway... the power of the White House protects him. With President Nixon himself about to go down in Watergate, it's now on one man's shoulders-- the Attorney General-- to come up with a way to remove a criminal Vice President... before he ascends to the Presidency.
Episode 6: A Disappearing Act
Nov 27 2018
Episode 6: A Disappearing Act
A secret murder plot directed by the President? A fear of political assassination by the CIA. Facing the prospect of becoming the first Vice President in American history to resign in disgrace... Spiro T. Agnew tries to set the stage for his own exit from office. With wild claims of death threats that forced him out. Surprise revelations of what Agnew was doing with all of his money. And a suspense-filled final day that leaves the sitting Vice President... a convicted felon.
Episode 7: You Can't Fire Me -- I Quit
Dec 4 2018
Episode 7: You Can't Fire Me -- I Quit
Disgraced Vice President Spiro T. Agnew officially becomes a private citizen and addresses the nation one last time... as a convicted criminal. Agnew continues his attacks on the press and the prosecutors right to the end. But his sudden resignation leaves questions-- unanswered-- that echo 45 years later. Can a President or Vice President actually be criminally indicted while in office? And if not, what sort of pressure can be brought to bear... to force them out?