Gavin Newsom stepped on his own book launch this week with contradictory claims about dyslexia that unraveled under basic scrutiny. In this episode of On Background, Susan Crabtree and Eric Eggers break down the disastrous week that exposed a pattern of lies defining Newsom's political career.

They explore how Newsom told voters he cannot read while video shows him bragging about reading quickly. His press team responded to questions with hostility instead of providing documentation. The episode reveals how four powerful San Francisco families handed Newsom his career on a silver platter, from Gordon Getty funding his wine business to Jerry Brown writing college recommendations.

The discussion also covers Newsom's fabricated college baseball career at Santa Clara University. Actual players contacted reporters to expose how he spent at most three months on the JV team before any official games. His claims of a career ended by injury mask the reality of stolen athletic valor and privilege.

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Watch full episodes of On Background with Susan Crabtree and Eric Eggers on the Government Accountability Institute YouTube channel.

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On Background with Susan Crabtree and Eric Eggers is an official podcast production of the Government Accountability Institute.

The Hunter Biden investigation became one of the most suppressed stories in American history, but the IRS whistleblowers who exposed the truth are finally telling their side. In this episode of On Background, Susan Crabtree and Eric Eggers sit down with Tristan Leavitt, President of Empower Oversight, to reveal the two-year saga of bringing Gary Shapley and Joe Ziegler's testimony to Congress.

They explore how the Department of Justice systematically obstructed the investigation, why 50% of Biden voters had no idea the laptop story existed before the 2020 election, and how 51 intelligence officials lied about Russian disinformation while the IRS already had the evidence.

The episode also discusses the new documentary "Shielded by Power," which brings together firsthand accounts from the whistleblowers, investigative reporting from Miranda Devine, and the disturbing coordination between Big Tech, mainstream media, and federal agencies to protect the Biden family from accountability.

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Watch full episodes of On Background with Susan Crabtree and Eric Eggers on the Government Accountability Institute YouTube channel.

👉 WATCH HERE👈

On Background with Susan Crabtree and Eric Eggers is an official podcast production of the Government Accountability Institute.

The disappearance of Nancy Guthrie has gripped the nation, but now serious questions are being raised about how the investigation is being handled. In this episode of On Background, Susan Crabtree and Eric Eggers take a closer look at the FBI’s role in the case and whether all available resources are truly being deployed.

They explore tensions between federal and local law enforcement, the growing controversy surrounding the use of administrative subpoenas, and the powerful influence of media attention in high-profile investigations.

The episode also features Susan’s exclusive reporting on Secret Service accountability in the aftermath of Butler, adding another layer to the broader conversation about transparency and leadership in federal law enforcement.

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California's homelessness scandal explodes in this episode of On Background, as hosts Susan Crabtree and Eric Eggers expose how billions in taxpayer dollars vanished into luxury mansions and campaign coffers. The Shangri-La Industries fraud reveals a system where oversight does not exist and political donations buy silence.

The company's 28-year-old CFO embezzled millions for a $46,000 monthly rent on a Beverly Hills mansion, a Bentley, a Ferrari, and diamond necklaces for his girlfriend. The firm claimed $60 million in Bank of America accounts to win state contracts. The money never existed. Nobody checked. Governor Gavin Newsom received $18,000 from the fraudulent operation. He refuses to return the donations or answer questions about a mysterious additional $30,000 that funded his homelessness ballot initiative.

LA Mayor Karen Bass now faces her own crisis after the LA Times exposed how she watered down the Palisades fire after-action report to hide city failures. Resources were not prepositioned. Fire trucks were not deployed. Bass was in Ghana when the fires started. The scandal has damaged her so severely that former rival Rick Caruso is reconsidering a mayoral run.

JD Vance launches a new task force to investigate California fraud. This sets up a direct confrontation with Newsom ahead of 2028. The vice president's portfolio covers multiple states, but California's corruption provides the richest target. If Vance exposes the scale of waste and fraud, Newsom's presidential ambitions collapse.

Crabtree reveals how utility companies responsible for deadly wildfires continue donating to Newsom's causes. PG&E and SoCal Edison funded the same $6 billion homelessness initiative that received money from Shangri-La. The Paradise fire killed 84 people in 2017. The reforms never happened. The Palisades fire burned years later. The donations never stopped.

This is investigative reporting the mainstream media avoids. Follow the money from Hollywood billionaires to political elites to taxpayer-funded fraud schemes.

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A deadly federal operation turns into a political crisis in Ep. 15 of On Background, as investigative journalist Susan Crabtree and co-host Eric Eggers expose how ICE raids in Minneapolis led to violent attacks against ICE, which in turn led to two deaths, and triggered a leadership shakeup at DHS. After Renee Good was fatally shot by an ICE officer, Secretary Kristi Noem and top aide Corey Lewandowski were summoned to the White House and sidelined as Border Czar Tom Homan seized operational control.

Reporter Anna Giaritelli joins from the frozen streets of Minneapolis—where windchills hit -15°F—to describe an organized leftist resistance network of 10,000+ volunteers using whistles to alert communities when ICE arrives. What began as a crackdown on welfare fraud in the Somali immigrant community has morphed into sanctuary city warfare, with Minnesota's governor and mayor forming an alliance to push federal agents out entirely.

The conversation expands to California, where Rep. Kevin Kiley reveals how the Minneapolis fraud scandal ended Tim Walz's political career and why Gavin Newsom is desperately trying to distance himself from similar corruption in the state's "homeless industrial complex"—where taxpayer money disappears at rates approaching $1 million per homeless person. Kiley exposes Newsom's Prop 50 gerrymander targeting his district and explains why this is the moment to force accountability before Democrats change the narrative.

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On this episode of On Background, hosts Susan and Eric are joined by Ryan Tucker of the Alliance Defending Freedom to discuss a disruptive protest inside a church in St. Paul/Minneapolis linked to anti-ICE activism—and the presence of Don Lemon at the scene. The group breaks down why entering a sanctuary to intimidate worshipers crosses a legal and moral line, and how federal authorities may respond. Tucker explains the possible use of the FACE Act—typically tied to abortion clinic cases—to prosecute disruptions of religious services. They also critique Minnesota officials’ response, discuss church security concerns, and argue this was a coordinated action, not spontaneous journalism.

A stunning national security scandal takes center stage in Ep. 13 of On Background, as investigative journalist Susan Crabtree breaks down a Secret Service sting that exposed shocking lapses in judgment, discipline, and leadership. Crabtree explains how an agent assigned to Vice President J.D. Vance was allegedly compromised in a honeypot operation. This raises urgent questions about manpower shortages, internal culture, and the agency’s ability to protect America’s leaders.

The conversation widens to a broader crisis: ICE agents being doxxed, sensitive government information leaked, and the FBI raiding journalists’ homes in pursuit of sources. Crabtree warns that media double standards, aggressive federal tactics, and foreign adversaries exploiting internal chaos are converging at a dangerous moment.

With Iran escalating threats and trust in institutions eroding, Crabtree argues the country is nearing a breaking point—and accountability may finally be unavoidable.

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Explosive fraud allegations in Minnesota and California are shaking Democratic leadership—and this episode of On Background breaks it all down. Investigative journalist Susan Crabtree explains why Minnesota Governor Tim Walz’s sudden exit may be tied to massive fraud scandals and mounting political pressure from Amy Klobuchar.

Then comes California, where Crabtree draws chilling parallels to Gavin Newsom, detailing alleged failures involving homelessness spending, wildfire recovery, utilities, COVID relief, and education funding. She argues that audits were blocked, accountability was avoided, and entrenched political interests benefited. In the meantime, the legacy media largely looked the other way.

As federal scrutiny intensifies, Crabtree predicts 2026 will be a year of investigations, whistleblowers, and political reckoning for one-party rule.

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