In each episode of Scandalized, political scientists Charlie Hunt and Jaci Kettler unpack a political scandal from American history: the story, its scandalous details, the political meaning and motivations behind the act. What can political science teach us about what happened? How has the scandal and its aftermath changed American politics? And what on earth were these politicians thinking?
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In season one, we purposely avoided doing an episode about Donald Trump; but the first year of Trump’s second term is too scandalous to ignore. In this episode, we break down the new, the old, and the truly unprecedented of Trump’s second-term scandals. We cover Trump’s pardons for government insurrectionists and his questionable allies; his unprecedented financial entanglements with the office he holds; and, of course, the Epstein of it all.
For more sources and bonus info on this episode, visit www.scandalizedpod.com.A transcript of this podcast is available.
S1.5: Staff Revolts and Bosnian Bears
Mon, 13 Oct 2025
Charlie and Jaci revisit a couple of their favorite stories from season one, including fan favorites like Gov. Rod Blagojevich. We also talk exclusively with Gov. Sanford’s former chief of staff for an insider’s account of the “Appalachian Trail” scandal, and check in with new efforts to ban insider trading in Congress.
For more sources and bonus info on this episode, visit www.scandalizedpod.com.A transcript of this podcast is available.
S1.5: Teeny Tiny Watergate
Mon, 06 Oct 2025
The culinary journey continues with some more food fails in very public political spaces. A president gets sick in the lap of another head of state; Marco Rubio learns about the fine art of drinking from a water bottle; and two U.S. Senators school us on the finer points of hot dogs and tuna melts.Â
For more sources and bonus info on this episode, visit www.scandalizedpod.com.A transcript of this episode is available.
It’s part two of our season finale on the truth-stretching that politicians seem to do all too often. Last week, we examined the ways politicians inflate their resumes; this week, the lies get personal. Abortion payments, marathon times, and even politicians’ ancestors are fair game for falsehoods. Charlie and Jaci dig into these personal lies, whether politicians pay the price, and why we shouldn’t paint them all with the same brush.
For more sources and bonus info on this episode, visit www.scandalizedpod.com.
S1: The Truth About Lying in Politics (Part 1)
Mon, 11 Nov 2024
For the last two episodes of the season, Charlie and Jaci tell the truth — at least as far as they can tell — about the fine art of lying in politics. What lies get politicians in trouble the most? What will the public forgive, and what will they refuse to forget? And how should we treat outright lies versus the occasional truth-stretching?Â
This week, the stories of a few well-known politicians who weren’t quite as qualified for the job as they made themselves out to be.
For more sources and bonus info on this episode, visit www.scandalizedpod.com.
S1: “His face was in your windshield, Jason.”
Mon, 04 Nov 2024
A man lies dead on the side of a dark road in South Dakota while the state’s Attorney General apparently flees the scene. A state’s chief law enforcement officer veers too far off the road, and finds himself on the wrong end of the justice system; and in a world of political hurt.
Content Warning: Death and dying, blood
A transcript of this episode is available.
For more sources and bonus info on this episode, visit www.scandalizedpod.com.
S1: The Stock Trades are Coming from Inside the House
Mon, 28 Oct 2024
Trading stocks based on inside information is a federal crime in just about every corner of the economy — except on Capitol Hill. Are members of Congress using privileged information to get themselves rich? Charlie and Jaci go deep on some eyebrow-raising examples, including some “pandemic profiteering” that may have cost one U.S. Senator his seat in 2020.
A transcript of this episode is available.
For more sources and bonus info on this episode, visit www.scandalizedpod.com.
S1: Eggburt Flies Coach
Mon, 21 Oct 2024
Money talks; and unfortunately for political candidates, it sometimes talks a little too much. This week, Jaci introduces us to Representative Duncan Hunter of California, who spends his campaign cash on all the wrong things — including airfare for his pet bunny — and ends up on the wrong side of the law.Â
A transcript of this episode is available.
For more sources and bonus info on this episode, visit www.scandalizedpod.com.
S1: Blood on the Senate Floor
Mon, 14 Oct 2024
This week on Scandalized, we go back to the 1850s, and things get violent. A U.S. Senator clings to life after being beaten in the halls of Congress by one of his colleagues. The caning of Senator Charles Sumner; its causes, its consequences and its familiar political divisions.Â
A transcript of this episode is available.
Content Warning: Violence and blood
For more sources and bonus info on this episode, visit www.scandalizedpod.com.
S1: How to Lose a Governor in 10 Days
Mon, 07 Oct 2024
In 2009, South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford disappeared without a trace from the state he was supposed to be running. Where did he turn up, and how did he handle the messy aftermath? The answer is pretty scandalous.Â
For more sources and bonus info on this episode, visit www.scandalizedpod.com. A transcript of this episode is available.
As Barack Obama burst onto the presidential stage in 2008, American voters saw a candidate who might deliver change they could believe in; but Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich saw a “golden” opportunity that would land him in a world of political trouble.
Content warning: cursing
For more sources and bonus info on this episode, visit www.scandalizedpod.comA transcript of this podcast is available.
