On Background with Susan Crabtree

Ep. 22 | California's Empire of Fraud

California's fraud problem is no longer a local story. Federal investigators are now pursuing thousands of cases tied to state-run programs, and Susan Crabtree has been on this story for months.
 
In this episode of On Background, Susan Crabtree and Eric Eggers detail the scope of what they call California's empire of fraud. They cover the DOJ's Never Say Die hospice fraud arrests, the collapse of the state's COVID-era unemployment insurance system, and the explosive growth of the In-Home Support Services program, a Medi-Cal sub-program now linked to widespread abuse. They also examine the political infrastructure that allowed the fraud to grow, including officials who were promoted rather than held accountable.
 
Crabtree previews her next area of investigation: the nonprofit networks she calls the immigration industrial complex, which channels more than a billion dollars toward shielding illegal immigrants, including convicted felons, from deportation.
 
This episode offers a detailed, sourced look at how California's governing failures have reached a national scale.
 
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Ep. 21 | California Debate COLLAPSES Amid Race Fight

The California governor’s race takes a chaotic turn as a major televised debate collapses under political pressure. In this episode of On Background, Susan Crabtree and Eric Eggers examine what led to the cancellation and what it reveals about the state of California politics.
 
They break down the criteria used to select candidates, the backlash from excluded campaigns, and how internal party divisions and race-based disputes shut down a key opportunity for voters to hear directly from those seeking to lead the state.
 
The episode also dives into Susan’s latest reporting on government spending, including a $114 million wildlife bridge project that has gone over budget and remains unfinished. They compare it to similar projects in other states and examine how taxpayer dollars are being used.
In addition, they discuss the crowded Democratic field, the rising momentum of Republican candidates focused on accountability, and the broader issue of fraud and spending tied to state-funded programs.
 
This episode offers a clear look at leadership, accountability, and the political dynamics shaping California’s future.
 
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Ep. 20 | Iran's Plot to Kill President Trump Gets Exposed

Iran tried to kill President Trump in 2024 and the threats remained active. In this episode of On Background, Susan Crabtree and Eric Eggers reveal the assassination plots that came within one day of the Butler shooting.
 
They explore how the FBI arrested Asif Merchant on July 12th at an Iranian safe house where he discussed Trump rally security details. National security officials warned the Secret Service about Iranian threats two weeks before the July 13th rally. The agency knew about the acute danger weeks in advance.
 
The discussion covers the funding crisis at the Secret Service. DHS remains unfunded while agents protect over 30 individuals from active Iranian assassination campaigns. The manpower problems that existed before Butler continue. Thousands of Iranian nationals entered through the Biden border. Western hostages remain trapped in Evin prison in Tehran.
 
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Ep. 19 | Gavin Newsom's Dyslexia Claim Gets Exposed

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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Ep. 18 | The Whistleblowers Who Took Down Hunter Biden

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

Ep. 17 | Law Enforcement Under Fire in Nancy Guthrie Investigation

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

Ep. 16 | The Homeless Fraud That Could Sink Gavin Newsom

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

Ep. 15 | Ice Raids in MN: Two Deaths, Leadership Change, and Minneapolis' Resistance

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

Ep. 14 | Don Lemon in the Pews: When Protest Crosses the Line

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.

Ep. 13 | Honeypots, Spies, and Secret Service Failures

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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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.