To the Point
What is the deep state?
Polls show 48 percent of Americans believe a deep state of bureaucrats is out to sabotage President Trump. But the Deep State is much more than a right-wing conspiracy theory, and it's much older than last year's election.
By Warren Olney • • 39m ListenIn this divided country, it’s no surprise that “deep state” means different things to different people. Rush Limbaugh and others on the far-right see an entrenched bureaucracy planting leaks to the media to undermine President Trump. In his book, Deep State: the Fall of the Constitution and the Rise of Shadow Government, Michael Lofgren describes a history of private interests in control of public institutions. It's Ike's "military-industrial complex" on steroids, with players including Wall Street and Silicon Valley, enhancing their profits at the expense of public service.
Photo credit: Fredrik Rubensson
