Devils' Advocates

“Deeply reported and compellingly told, Kenneth Vogel’s Devils’ Advocates shines a light into the underground world of foreign cash, Washington lobbyists, and the selling of American policy to outsiders. This book hits at the perfect moment, giving invaluable insight into why foreign interests are so powerful in Washington.” —#1 New York Times bestselling authors Jonathan Allen and Amie Parnes

New York Times investigative reporter Kenneth P. Vogel takes us inside Washington’s murky foreign lobbying industry, providing an unsparing look at the politically connected and morally flexible Americans who get rich working on behalf of brutal dictators, corrupt oligarchs, and pitiless arms dealers.

The foreign influence business, comprised of shadowy operators who quietly shape U.S. foreign policy while producing massive paydays for themselves, has existed for decades, often unnoticed by Americans. In recent years, it began generating more controversy and scrutiny, thanks to the larger-than-life characters who gained access to power starting in Donald Trump’s first presidential term.

Among them is Robert Stryk, who dresses more like a cowboy than a traditional lobbyist. He had failed at several businesses before bluffing his way into relationships in Washington and around the world, quickly amassing wealth, influence, and a reputation for taking deals no one else would dare to touch.

Meanwhile, Rudy Giuliani, once “America’s Mayor,” found his fading star rising again under Trump. Giuliani leveraged his position as Trump’s personal lawyer into deals with foreign interests who saw him as a direct line to the president. Hunter Biden, too, the son of the future president, was no stranger to the business, having capitalized on his father’s connections since the elder Biden’s days as a senator and vice president.

As the new wave of foreign influence peddlers spent millions on fast cars, pricey cigars, and flashy watches, their stories weaved together in ways that subverted American foreign policy interests. Some became headline-grabbing scandals. Others are being revealed here for the first time.

Using exclusive sources, thousands of documents, and on-the-ground reporting, Vogel takes readers from an oligarch’s wooded compound outside Kyiv and a South American presidential palace to the halls of power in Washington, DC, and inside the CIA. Devils’ Advocates shines a harsh light on the people, places, and deals behind this seedy—and often absurd—industry, and provides a never-before-seen look at this billion-dollar business that is often at odds with American values like human rights and democracy.

This gripping work of political nonfiction reveals the hidden mechanics of the foreign influence machine:

• Pay-to-Play Politics: Follow the money from brutal dictators and corrupt oligarchs to the Americans—like Rudy Giuliani and Hunter Biden—who get rich representing them.
• On-the-Ground Reporting: Journey from an oligarch’s compound outside Kyiv to the halls of power in Washington, DC, with a veteran reporter who documents it all.
• Political Scandals Uncovered: Discover the stories behind headline-grabbing scandals and those revealed for the first time through thousands of exclusive documents and sources.
• The Architects of Influence: Explore the roles of key figures like Paul Manafort and Robert Stryk who pioneered and perfected the billion-dollar business of selling American policy.

Kenneth P. Vogel covers the confluence of money, politics, and influence for the Washington bureau of The New York Times. He previously reported for Politico and is the author of Big Money. Ken has been featured on CBS, CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, and NPR. He lives in Washington’s Virginia suburbs with his wife, Danielle, and their dogs.