The Billions of Dollars Funding the Taliban and Helping Hamas (with Mike Baker) - Change Agents

In this episode of Change Agents, an IRONCLAD original, Andy Stumpf interviews Mike Baker about billions of American dollars that are now helping to find the Taliban in Afghanistan, as well as how terrorist organizations like Hamas are actually funded.
Mike Baker spent nearly 20 years as a CIA covert field operations officer, who took part in counterterrorism, counternarcotics, and counterinsurgency operations across the globe. He is the CEO of Portman Square Group, a global investigations and strategic communications company and is the host of the show Black Files Declassified on the Discovery Channel and The President’s Daily Brief podcast. He is the author of the book COMPANY RULES: Or Everything I Know About Business I Learned from the CIA
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[@brianpeterson9751]

nice listening to two people who actually know what there talking about.

[@BasementPepperoni]

Mike Baker is awesome, I can't think of a single interview that he's done that hasn't been insightful, eye opening, and informative.

[@williesmom3863]

I would love regular conversations between you and Mike Baker. It was interesting, relevant and, just seemed to flow smoothly. Thank you, Andy, for all you do.

[@hammonds82]

This video needs to go viral we need all of Americans to see and hear this. This is what everyone is thinking we just don’t have the voice or platform to say it. Thank you fellas for the gods honest truth.

[@marcmichaud1643]

American and Allied Nations. The thing is: Multiple Governments made some piss poor decisions and they should have done things relating to certain policies on there own. Canada and UK also got caught with there pants down when we all knew this was happening and they could have acted more independently vs just following the American plan. They are all accountable.

[@lindabergman3127]

Imo the top military leadership did a piss poor job of the Afghanistan handover n that’s exactly what it was! It as treasonous imo to leave our troops Allie’s n billions in weapons for Taliban isis etc n leave helpless ppls in hands of vicious enemies and then fly the enemies into USA!! I loathe Milly n top leadership in dc for that alone and the open border’s! Seems like insanity to me

[@blueridgerealtor]

So my husband is working while I am listening to this video. He said hey that guy sounds and looks familiar. He tuned into your video and said he worked with you in Coronado. What a small world! I’ve been telling him to listen to your channel for some time. He’s insanely busy so he hadn’t had the time until now.

[@charliefoxtrot7219]

I like Andy and I like Mike. I hope Andy asks some insightful questions given his former job. I'll have to watch this after it premiers.

[@michaelcurl9197]

All I needed to hear in the first 7 minutes to know it was another Baker interview special: Q:how much hardware to we leave behind in Afghanistan? A:In Iraq in 2003 there were open arms markets… Yeah I’ve heard enough

[@Kr.338L]

It’s the truth though?

[@saturnFIV3]

Agreed man, I like to give people the benefit of the doubt but when the line they're towing is, "we should have never left Afghanistan", I stop listening.

[@stephenspencer355]

The withdrawal of our military from Afghanistan was ALWAYS going to be a shit show, no matter what political party was involved.

[@MrAhoelzel]

Another podcast where Mike yammers about nothing at all. Amazing.

[@kylepalmer8730]

He's good. Working for the C.I.A.......dosn't that come out to a Phd in bullshit?

[@AB-wy7dr]

Thanks for the heads up. Was hoping this wasn’t that but assumed it was.

[@notyouraveragegoldenpotato]

He is super good at consuming and expelling oxygen! One of the best at saying many words without saying a goddamned word😂

[@arnefines2356]

@@AB-wy7dr This is way different from his Rogan pods

[@candacefourtin8741]

i always said those in the field know even more

[@Knowallwithmyphone]

Another great interview from Andy! Andy's the type of guy that you would never expect to be a complete and total badass! So humble and intelligent yet so lethal. Thanks for all you do!!

[@jaezavodskoizavoiskov5488]

The quiet ones are the most badasses buddy that’s what people get confused between the loud mouths and the silent ones .!!!

[@Knowallwithmyphone]

@@jaezavodskoizavoiskov5488 100% correct

[@ZEvenEsh]

IronClad - love what you guys are doing!!!!

[@Danrcharles]

Mike is always a straight shooter and full of knowledge. You guys would make a great duo!!!

[@HannahKPuder]

Very timely show. Thanks for this informative episode!

[@uncgrad1076]

I love this channel! Andy is the man, so is Mike-solid patriots! What I hate is how many ads popped up in this short 1hr vid. Unreal!!!!

[@tchambers807]

PDB has been a great podcast with Mike. It comes out early enough in the morning to listen to on the way to work so my brain isn't complete mush when I arrive and I can have somewhat substantive conversations with my coworkers about whats going on in the world.

[@scsmith4604]

PBD, right?

[@keninhb2196]

Mike Baker? Uh, no thanks. The best thing about not listening to another interview with Mike Baker is that we don't miss anything.

[@blueridgerealtor]

Keep spreading the truth! Thank you

[@Chris-liwymi]

My favorite thing about Mike being on a podcast is all of the comments talking about how he single handedly talks the most without actually saying anything of substance lol. I have found this to be the case with the JRE and PBD podcasts, I hope that we are all wrong on this 1. I will be looking forward to watching this in a few hours.

[@Brandon-tk2rw]

pbd basically made his money selling "Amway insurance." it's crazy how most people don't see him for the snake oil salesman he is... and Rogan is a male bimbo ...

[@dranreb1118]

Tbf most people who do that are just riding the bandwagon and doing it bc its cool. If you actually listen what he says makes sense. Hes not breaking any ground and its not particularly unique insight but hes very knowledgablr

[@Chris-liwymi]

@@dranreb1118 I appreciate your balanced approach in your response hopefully you maintain that after my reply but what I have noticed from Baker is he tends to repeat things a lot and speak around the question instead of giving direct answers especially when you push on a certain topic but that is to be expected after so many years of CIA training I honestly wouldn’t expect anything different given the amount of sensitive information in their brains having to filter all of it to ensure they don’t accidentally say something they’re not supposed to I don’t feel any questions were asked in this interview that would have required him to give an answer he would feel uncomfortable giving they were basically water down generic responses but thank you again for your balanced approach

[@scottsherman5262]

@@Chris-liwymi I'm throwing a flag on this comment, strictly due to a complete lack of punctuation. What the hell's wrong with you kids these days?!? Are you afraid an ice cap may melt if you utilize a semicolon? I don't know what that means, but it sounds like something a curmudgeon would say...seriously, don't ever write like this again; it's how unserious man-babies write, & you are not that. You're a strong, reasoned, educated, (the Oxford comma) & sexy man who knows his way around a colon....I mean a period....I mean...you know what I mean, knock it off.

[@kidpizz]

He's a frustrating guest. He doesn't say anything new and talks around most questions. I had a thought that all of these ex SF and agents seem too all podcasts and have books and TV shows. It's a brilliant way to mis direct us by offering supposed insider info.

[@danielmarshall4587]

Oh yes please, thank you both. I always enjoy Mr Baker's turn of phrase "things going sideways"...... "an amazing array of hardware", he's well served in telling people whats what if those people want to hear it. But...............without actually saying it.

[@teddy.d174]

We need TERM LIMITS, as well as more podcasts/discussions with guests like Mike Baker. It’s essential to hear truth from experienced professionals who’ve not only worked and lived what they discuss, but also are still dialed into the topics in which they speak. Another stellar interview Andy and the IRONCLAD team, well done gentlemen.

[@kevinmcguire3879]

Thank you Andy an Mike for shining a light on the US government

[@christopho3255]

Read the Afghanistan Papers.... specific people are responsible. U.S. created the insurgency in Afghanistan in the 80s and Iraq in 2003 as Paul Bremmer disbanded the entire Iraqi military with no alternative means to provide for themselves and thier families.... Utterly ridiculous.

[@thisisironclad]

💪

[@user-yw4rx6kb3r]

Real American leaders exposing America hubris is col. Douglas McGregor and Scott Ritter.

[@TheMitchyb61]

When you read Mattis’s book Call Sign Chaos, it really gives you a better understanding of the reality of what we did and how the politicians and military commanders in Washington absolutely failed in their decision making, and how quickly we could have killed Bin Ladden and gotten the fuck out of Afghanistan! It’s infuriating!

[@H8FUL4IM]

It's the age old you go dark, I go darker!

[@SuperTap007]

Solid show 😎

[@P51]

two of my favorite people. sanity? RESTORED

[@christopho3255]

Read the Afghanistan Papers.....That plus Paul Bremer disbanding the entire Iraqi army fueled the insurgency in Iraq and guaranteed everything that followed....

[@garbinator09]

Wasn’t that a monumental BLUNDER FUCK! All those soldiers-NO PAYCHECKS!

[@brianbednarek940]

Thank you gentleman.

[@technom3598]

Best interview with mike ive ever seen. He was more direct and seemed more natural instead if toting national security and establishment lines

[@henryphilipbelliIII1074]

HISTORY DOESN'T JUST REPEAT IT RHYMES 💯✌️

[@texasgirl8674]

Looking forward to a Mike Baker episode with Andy!

[@godirectwildlandfire6077]

Maybe Andy is blunt and direct enough to get a straight answer out of Baker, but it is a challenge.

[@MrStevenvb12]

Any time you interview a former CIA, you won’t get a straight answer, the agency has all former agents on tight leash.

[@JJ-fu4by]

There are no simple answers for complex problems

[@johntaylor-lo8qx]

Need a shirt saying, "don't be afraid of endless work". Just saying. Excellent show again 👏

[@buitronacademy]

great podcast.

[@Tylerius87]

aside from just interesting topics , these two personalities together is a fun listen, i love the humor and sarcasm between a couple of government spooks ;)

[@davidreeves310]

I've never seen so many adds in 1 video in my life

[@kylepalmer8730]

I love Mike Baker...... This guy wouldn't say shit if he had a mouth full. No disrespect at all to Mike but or the real side, he is C.I A. God bless both of you and thank you for your service to this country.

[@johnk7187]

Hey Andy. I think my older brother graduated BUD/S with you.. Anyway here’s my question. Why do people keep trying to differentiate between Hamas and “innocent” Palestinians? Didn’t these people actually vote Hamas into power? In my opinion that makes them just as bad.

[@AJohnSmith]

How did Hamas come about, again? Could someone refresh my memory, please.

[@H8FUL4IM]

You need to stop sitting on your hands and rid this world of corruption!

[@leocaseeno2763]

Informative conversation 💯👽🛸🙈🙉🙊⭕️

[@pasengern7407]

i remember there was a podcast on this channel starting with :"even when they were talking their head was rounding they never made any sudden movement, they were gosts" does anyone has the link of that ep? I've been looking for it for like moths now.

[@buzz5969]

Special Operators plundered those funds lol.

[@corywatterson7560]

Oh we realize, all us civilians aren't stupid

[@madhousemilitia82]

All I want for Christmas is Mike Baker and Andrew Bustamante on Cleared Hot.

[@paulattaboyatreides6414]

Does Andy have 2 podcasts?

[@w1.0]

There should be Stars stripped away!

[@samuelhumphrey5908]

"Washington DC is where all investigations go to die." 😢

[@LaviniaTNMan]

17:54 damn he said something then finally

[@mikehancho5286]

The movie Swordfish had the right idea. You Eff around you will find out by a factor of 10.

[@garbinator09]

There was a saying in my world in 1985. State Prison. “Those who can-Can! Those who can’t teach” Fucking frustrating at all levels!

[@jaezavodskoizavoiskov5488]

I have so much respect to Andy Stumpf that brother in arms knows his Shit as with former intelligent agent Baker.!!🤙

[@jon4233]

Very surprised Chiiina wasn't mentioned. Kinda an important piece with the taliban. Is there any hope the money was spent to say "the enemy of my enemy is my friend?"

[@martinross5496]

It's a shame that the people who seem to understand the situation best,seldom have the opportunity or authority to affect the outcome to the best end!

[@jackharle1251]

Look, a CIA liar

[@xprettylightsx3781]

DEVGRU Gold Squadron. Only in my dreams. Mr. Stumpf achieved this in reality. What an epic warrior he is. A true AMERICAN Hero. May God Bless you and your family Mr. Stumpf for your service and sacrifice.

[@crwmdp9]

As a line from The Big Short, “…people walking around like they are in an Enya video…”. ( the average American citizen).

[@Rusty.1776]

An obvious example is 8-Billion dollars would be a great help in Hawai. Rather than being shot into the skies, amed at our allies, not to mention the number of Americans that have surely been killed in the past 20+ years from American funded terrorist organizations all around the world. I really think there will come a time when Americans wake up and realize this, causing an uproar right here in the US that may not be controllable, if just a handful of police and millions members "disobey" orders in favor of a government change. I think It would cause a MASSIVE chain reaction.. Thanks fellas.

[@user-uh9we3hk4j]

Ya, it's really disgusting.

[@isaacscafe6931]

mike is kevin Bacon

[@tomwilson1006]

Mike Baker and Trey Gowdy need to run for office.

[@candacefourtin8741]

a lot of funding floes in these countries but it never gets to the people

[@DerDudelino]

There is an inherent problem that the US government, especially senior military leadership is so closely tied to weapon manufacturers. If you are on the board of Raytheon, Lockheed Martin or Colt Defense while serving the Pentagon, guess what you would like to see - tons of weapons and ammunitions left in Iraq and Afghanistan, so you can order new equipment and make your cut. Take a closer look at the weapons used by Hamas during the recent attack on Isreal - all M4s, with the same scope the Marine Corps uses. These guys have a lot of money and the Taliban were happy to sell it to them. And the Taliban are basically former Afghan National Army, they've just changed uniforms.

[@christiansmith-of7dt]

How can one man use up as much natural resources as possible

[@TroubleActual]

That's where we f'd up. We went for AQ/BL, and ended up playing SIM country! These hi lvl mil officers used to fly into combat zone just to get combat pay for a few days. 😮🤷🤦

[@FINALLYOUTAFTER6]

18:36 I would love to know what’s in their medicine cabinet if they actually believe that that’s true…. By the way, where do they get their mail because I know it’s not earth.

[@ILoveCrepes601]

I see Mike on Joe Rogan and it’s a guy that says everything without saying anything. This was a great podcast and a different approach. Between a seal and devgru with a CIA guy. Very informative.

[@hardasnails11b]

Possibly the primary reason for abandoning the arsenal in the sandbox ? Just asking

[@candacefourtin8741]

i think general feels the same

[@candacefourtin8741]

that what the green prince stated all the money gets to the top not the people

[@The_Red_Off_Road]

Who is the green prince?

[@landonmartin457]

I want to thank ya'll for your service and speaking truth. Iabout shit when I heard that China was there making deals with the Taliban for the precious metals even before we left. I'm not saying we should have just taken it but why not at least pay ourselves back with interest. Then stay as mine managers giving those that were allies good jobs with our protection even if private military guarding them.

[@jozette-pierce]

NO KIDDING.

[@ForgingFreedomTV]

We want things for other countries that they don’t even want for themselves. The old saying is you can lead a horse to water. . . well, you know how it goes from there.

[@candacefourtin8741]

money wont stop evil....people give to the poor and the top use it for military or themselves

[@asnark7115]

Did we forget about the direct support for the Muslim Brotherhood?

[@justinmurray4652]

He's full of it.

[@Dadlife20s]

Holy ads

[@Strawn149]

Why is Mike in black and white?

[@poetryfrompoverty]

25:20 Giving money while turning a blind eye to how it gets spent... 33:30 Where money goes, drugs flow. 37:40 Where is our tax money flowing? 46:20 The limits of NGOs operating in foreign countries 49:50 Walking the middle path... 53:23 Words of the wise... 54:50 Predictions for the Middle East

[@larryroben1683]

GOD *** THE AUTHORITY AND CREATOR ****

[@roydization]

Would love to see you, Glover and Evan .. have a long sit down with Baker and record it would be epic af .. like one of those 5 hour talkathons lol

[@xprettylightsx3781]

I couldn’t agree more

[@jozette-pierce]

We nation built Germany, South Korea, Taiwan, Japan and others very well. At least a functional Bagram Air Base would have allowed Afghanistan to continue progressing, somewhat, and not just fall apart.

[@jlondon158]

You want an explanation for aid packages ? 1 for you & 2 for me - 2 for you = 6 for me .. 5 for you … 95 for me … same formula as the “ Clinton / Haiti “Charity “

[@ChunkySoupfortheSoul]

There are consequences, they're just between clubs, and taxpayers, as a whole, aren't a recognized club. Of course he isn't going to talk about that.

[@clintpalmer2155]

Politics going to end us😅

[@budgibson185]

The man who says nothing

[@rajbanwait325]

10B

[@busbey61]

Awwww sh!t this is gonna be a good one!

[@candacefourtin8741]

the green prince explains a lot

[@RyanTaylor1223]

Billions of American dollars helping find the taliban in Afghanistan??🤔🤔

[@garymarkz4672]

Wait, Mike Baker is stuck in the 60s?

[@doggie7602]

"Keyboard warrior bitching about everything", well said hehe

[@billylanz9757]

Baker is awesome!

[@DS-wb2we]

SEALS and CIA use to be noble professions

[@ryanjones4917]

I wouldn't say Mike sounds like an asshole. I would say he sounds well informed and wise enough to learn from history.

[@ruthgallagher9584]

Im confused. Didnt we give 260 billion to Israel. Give this back andapply to our deficit

[@kidpizz]

Mike the CIA has no part in the information and separating into poltical groups?

[@g-rock6329]

Think about it they spend several million on advertising to be the president. The job pays like 420 thousand a year?? You do the math, and ask yourself why would they do it??

[@DerDudelino]

Because state politicians weren't living long in Afghanistan and Iraq. Not even the Secret Service or Delta Force were able to protect them. They got killed left and right.

[@scottsherman5262]

I dig both of these guys, but they both did something throughout this podcast that I don't see either of them do a whole lot of, relative to others anyhow, by largely just making stuff up to sound more aggrieved. I'm not so sure about Andy, but I know that Mike understands what the $6B of released frozen funds is Iran's money, not ours, & I believe he even knows that the account is heavily regulated by the U.S. so that the money, in theory (I'm not going to pretend I trust this fully), really can only be spent on delicious & nutritious sustainably grown free-trade cage-free dyes-free carbon neutral conflict-free & you better believe dairy & gluten-free foods, medicines, & other "humanitarian goods". But hey, they were also both pretty nuanced on topics throughout, so maybe I'm just writing this comment to hear the sound of my own typing voice...I admire Andy for being intellectually honest when there is very little reward for doing so, & both of these men are unbelievably handsome, causing me to question my own sexuality.

[@LaviniaTNMan]

Why does he not say anything what is so secret

[@traviscrown9189]

Like the 11 billion we just sent Afghanistan… while the taliban is in control.. lol

[@georgegi4062]

Spot on 40.05,it's the same around the world everyone is trying to live their life and everyone is struggling on simple things food,shelter or to pay a mortgage for his family.They have put everyone in their own problem capsule so U have no time to realise things happening around you,in your country or internationally.....When U pay your taxes in Aus and get back your tax assessment they have a A4 paper that has graph on it showing where your taxes go in percentages!👍👍👍👍✌️✌️✌️👌👌👌

[@MarkWongMD]

Baker said nothing this entire interview. Par for the course for him.