NSA Whistleblower Thomas Drake Exposes the Truth Behind Surveillance and Corruption

Explicit content warning

04/09/25 • 53 min

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On today’s episode, Andy sits down with Thomas Drake—a former senior executive at the NSA, Air Force veteran, software expert, whistleblower.

While at the NSA, Drake exposed serious issues including multi-billion-dollar fraud, intelligence failures, and a secret post-9/11 mass surveillance program. He supported the use of ThinThread, a cost-effective and privacy-protecting tool, but it was rejected in favor of Trailblazer—a more expensive program lacking privacy safeguards.

In 2005, Drake anonymously shared unclassified information about NSA misconduct with a journalist. In 2010, he was charged with 10 felony counts under the Espionage Act but the case collapsed, and he pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor. That same year, he received the Ridenhour Prize for Truth-Telling.

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On today’s episode, Andy sits down with Thomas Drake—a former senior executive at the NSA, Air Force veteran, software expert, whistleblower.

Change Agents is an IRONCLAD Original

Watch Change Agents: Black Project, a 4 part mini series, weekly on Tuesdays or Binge all 4 episodes of now by becoming a member on Youtube:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmK3k1U3D3fqPZWcnAaa-Vg/join.

Sponsors:

Firecracker Farm

Use code IRONCLAD to get 15% off your first order at https://firecracker.farm/

MTNTOUGH

Go to ⁠https://mtntough.com⁠ and enter code CHANGEAGENTS to receive 40% OFF - a savings of about $100 off your MTNTOUGH+ annual subscription.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Black Project Ep. 1: A Dark History

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On the debut episode of Black Project, the untold story of the military’s secret pursuit of anti-gravitic craft is revealed. From the mysterious death of a Nazi weapons expert, to strange comments from aerospace executives, and the disappearance of a scientist on the brink of a groundbreaking discovery—this episode uncovers the high-stakes world of hidden programs and covert experiments. Are these technologies the result of extraterrestrial encounters, or are they the product of classified black projects kept hidden from the public for decades?

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