The Deep State: How an Army of Bureaucrats Protected Barack Obama and Is Working to Destroy the Trump Agenda

by Jason Chaffetz

Former Congressman and current Fox News contributor Jason Chaffetz explains how we ended up with a federal government that actively works to defend the Democratic party and undermine Trump.

The liberal media frequently declares the Obama years were free of scandal. They pretend this is true because every office in the Executive Branch worked to slow the information about Hillary’s e-mails, the cover-up of Benghazi, the IRS, and so much more. Yet these same tight-lipped lifers leaked like a sieve once President Trump was sworn in, making it sound like everything he does is the new Watergate.

In Deep State, Jason Chaffetz explains how the federal government has grown into a branch of the Democratic party of the past decade or more. The former chairman of the House Oversight committee explains what really happened during the Obama administration, and how we can start to undo the damage caused by this army of liberal sycophants, and build a better future.

Genres: Politics, Nonfiction, History, American History, Audiobook, Historical

261 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 18, 2018

Reviews

[Jeanette · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's titled incorrectly, IMHO. At least everything after the colon particularly.

This is the most chilling book in politico that I've read in a decade. I knew it was bad- the murk of power sellers and the stealing of power brokers in D.C. But I truly didn't believe that the federal was as bad as my local government in Cook County/ Will County/ Dupage County (other Northern counties in IL)- as it seems it absolutely is. And has been for MORE than a decade or two. Corruption, double dipping, being paid for jobs you don't "show" for in any sense, patronage, association between agencies in cabals of trading "outside of work" accesses etc. etc. etc. More "special us" stuff than you can name.

Some of the people who have rated this? They didn't read it or think it is only about the first person witness and exact word quoting for the issue that appears "after" the colon in the title of the book. It doesn't go that narrow at all. And it's not just about Trump election and aftermath reaction. It is far, far wider. And it leads me to believe that most of them are Trump haters that haven't cracked more than 10 pages overall or read at least 1/2 of the book. Which can be dry because much of it also entails date or money trail listings exactness.

Scary, scary how the money is being uselessly squandered. Worse than squandered-decimated through bribes, extortions, access "pliabilities"and "dig ins" for "special purposes". And that several agencies do not even have any budget line whatsoever or one that is fixed by Congress as most citizens in the USA think they do and believe how they operate to oversee. They've gotten away with that habit by forming long term "takes" through "general" "Fed" funds' categories (byline of a "bigger" undifferentiated $$$ figure). The Congress no longer has a check and balance on the "purse strings" as quoted by so many older style politicos in history and record within America at all. Or how it was set up within the first century of the USA's Constitutionally decreed structure.

And here I thought it was about the DOJ or FBI in prime style of analysis- this book and "the problem" of Trump and getting rid of him! Nope- there are others (government "specialty" agencies) that are far worse. The exact material on the EPA and the newer Homeland Security over agency, and the IRS itself is mind blowingly worse. Especially to specific whistleblowers over time and what has been their outcomes. Short term and long term both, and eventual placements when it does "go wrong". Not pretty.

Chaffetz had the job when he was in Congress as a Representative to head and work in these Congressional Oversight Committees. And travel too for their inquiry processes and "answers". What an eye opener. No wonder he left after 2 or 3 terms- because he's way too honest. It's more than conspiratorial. It's self-feeding and immoral too, IMHO- the entire "operating" standard now is- and on separate planes of operation- detestable for the paying and working American citizen. We are "the dupes".

Power used in every sense exactly like a Roman Emperor of the worst sort. With all the interconnections and cabals of associations to overthrow (sometimes between themselves) that existed within a Chinese dynasty court. Read this, I am not kidding. The border escapades' chapter (10 or 12 exact examples Chaffetz viewed or had inquiry to aftermaths)!! One person- not more than mid-level- made more than $800,000 off the government within a little more than 1 year for playing two roles at one time. One of which was a job he never had to "show" for- because his inquiry was "in travel" and consult. He lied. Which in reality was another entire paid government job that also insured a prime gossip monger position to associations of "agreement" so they could "mesh" and "work" for profit in both departments in "future" operations. And he suffered no consequence but a verbal chilling.

Yet these bureaucrats are in actual life ruining many "lesser" Americans and violating both breath itself and civil liberties extreme.

The chapter on the "war on whistleblowers" and the one on "lying to congress" should be read by all American citizens. Some of this documented "stuff" is exactly what the Founding Fathers feared. Only much worse.

Lois Learner, Eric Holder, and Loretta Lynch should be in prison. Possibly Susan Rice too. Lies is the least of the reasons. If there is an opposite word to transparency- they were the essence. And contempt to any Congressional answers was the mere top of the crime pile for the "understanding" too between "announcements".

Only if you are the very bravest should you read the "Face-to-Face with the Deep State" chapter. It's main core is Chaffetz's personal Benghazi trip. What he saw and what he learned is beyond my ability to relate to you what they did to those stationed in that "embassy". Not the brutal deaths themselves, but BEFORE the slaughter. H. Clinton was saving money for other uses and hired locals to protect several different embassies, not just this one. The local who was supposedly guarding the very entrance didn't even know how to hold the rifle given to him. Chaffetz had to instruct him how to hold it properly because the way he was positioned and holding it was dangerous- even to the "guard" himself.

Money flows. And if it is under "the Fed" general budget like the newer formed agencies (EPA and others) - they just print more money if there is an "overspend" because the monetary departments are in the same "associative" groups. Everyone has a spouse or a college room mate or a brother-in-law to "mix" the perks with. And the power brokerage associations that I believed were most evident in the lobbyist cavorting is just a cipher for what exists now in the "you can't touch us because we are government union employees of special branch" status. Knocking down a level or two is not even a punishment as far as I can see, at all. Grave, grave absences, all kinds of stealing and uses for $$$$$ living and much more of access is not even the prime. It's endless.

What was the most shocking was how some of these case, year by year Chaffetz records to their "work", how they "entered" this lifestyle. And most of it was NOT in schooling or legality of profession. Not at all.

This book truly depressed me. It only lost a star in the wideness of its scope. It should be a series. And this is far worse than a swamp. It's Dante's pit.

[Paul Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was very interesting. It showed the corruption of government especially under the Obama administration. I always thought Obama was the worst president ever. We need more businessmen like President Trump running the government instead of dirty career politicians. A limit should be placed on the number of years a politician can serve.

[Ian Yarington · Rating 1 out of 5]

I won this book in the giveaways. I would never have read it otherwise and honestly I don't know why I did read. It's a typical political hack job. Laughable at best, unless you're a right winger through and through then it's just a confirming head nodder instead of head shaker. So basically if your Republican and love Fox News you will love this book, if you think for yourself you will kick yourself for reading like I am.

[Jim Erekson · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was remarkably free of spelling errors! Otherwise, there was little evidence of an editor. Broadside Books is an imprint of HarperCollins, so I am worried about their financial situation. Their page says they are "a forum for smart, serious conservative ideas" so I wondered how this one slipped by. Wm F. Buckely, Jr. this is not.

So they probably outsourced graphic design for the cover and then didn't check it. It's clearly a stock photo of Trump doing a Nazi salute while Hillary and Obama share a chuckle about it. If there's anything about this book that undermines its message more than the writing, it's that cover. Either outsourced, or the graphic designer submitted it as a joke and was blown away when no one caught it.

I read the whole thing because a. it was a gift from a family member who will probably ask me about it later, and b. I am going to be reading The United States of Paranoia and Voodoo Histories, and I wanted a current conspiracy theory in mind as I read up on how conspiracy theory works.

Like other reviewers, I was disappointed this was a mere string of anecdotes and existing news stories about government incompetence and corruption (mostly 'aren't I clever' stories of what Chaffetz said in meetings)--not an actual argument about a deep state conspiracy. Chaffetz spends no words describing or justifying his use of the term 'deep state' anywhere in the book. He uses it as a punch line: blab blah, corrupt governent official...Deep State! The jacket liner claims that the deep state is organized, but Chaffetz gives no evidence for any kind of cabal other than the dysfunctional two-party system he is part of, and an overblown bureaucracy. Everyone knows these things already.

(Oh, and the jacket liner and reviewers promised the book would be told in an entertaining and sometimes funny voice. Oh well. What's one more broken promise?)

[Wanda Keith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jason Chaffetz was the Chairman of the House Oversight Committee and was in charge of challenging the Deep State and trying to hold them accountable. When Trump won the election of 2016, Chaffetz was hopeful things would change and people who previously escaped prosecution for their crimes would finally be charged or, at least, investigated. His hopes were not to be when so many of the Obama holdovers blocked the President at every turn. Chaffetz, disillusioned, decided it was time to quit politics. I had no doubts that the Deep State existed but this book gave me numerous examples which are backed up with first hand knowledge and statistics. Any one of the subjects presented in this book could constitute a book in itself but Chaffetz breaks it down well and gives the reader the highlights (or rather, lowlights) of a government that is clearly out of control. He lists numerous incidents of financial waste and how taxpayers are footing the bill for feckless government employees. He reminds of the many scandals that occurred during the Obama Presidency that are still not fully investigated and how Jeff Sessions refused to do so. Most importantly, or at least most currently, he tells how the Deep State has tried since day one to undermine and take down our current President. The reasons the Deep State are so against the wall are many but the fact that with illegal immigrants you need bigger government is foremost. Also, the high tech companies who support the Deep State are some of the biggest benefactors of illegal immigration.These companies "rent" workers from other countries, giving them H1B status, and then pay them a fraction of what they would pay Americans. One worker was making $130,000 per year and was forced go train a H1B worker who was then paid $30,000 per year. The American was told he either trained him or he would lose his severance pay. This is a great book by a guy who was on the front lines and will, hopefully, be an eye opener for all who dare to read.

[richard aud · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great insight into a function of a dysfunctional government.

Confirms my impressions of the existence of the deep state and the group's that continue to take advantage of true American citizens.

[Robin Case · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sincere and scary. I used the audio version and Mr. Chaffetz does a good job conveying information.

[Jake · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sometimes a book, like this one which I got a free copy of from a goodreads giveaway, is given a provocative title in order to sell more copies. This book, by Fox News contributor Jason Chaffetz, is an excellent example. The Deep State is a trending buzzword implying a bunch of sinister operatives in the Federal Government using advanced techniques to overcome the will of the minority of the people in their election of Donald J.Trump. This book is not about that. In fact is should be called 'The Incompetence of the Bureaucracy'. For the first 2/3 of the book Chaffetz gives example after example of incompetent bureaucrats behaving badly and incompetently and then attempting to cover up their stupidity. There is barely a mention of trump exempt to say how things have not changed in regards to the new administration. No conspiracy, just stupidity. Nearing the close of the book Chaffetz tries to connect the dots to show that it is, as we all suspected, a CONSPIRACY. United States Attorney General Jeff Sessions is a perfect foil for the propagation of the Deep State (since Master Trump has expressed is dissatisfaction in the loyal first Senator to support him). It is implied that, if not for Deep State operatives like Sessions, we would truly be able to achieve Great(ness) Again... Now, I do not disagree with the premise of this book, which is that there is a high level of incompetence and cover-up of said incompetence in the US government, and I found the account of the investigative processes (that the Fox News analyst who gave up one of the most powerful posts in the US House of Representatives to be a seller of advertising to a partisan audience) of Congress to be interesting, but the partisan hackery of the author and the high school level writing were a definite turn off. Can you imagine if an investigative bulldog (of the opposition) such as Chaffetz had been willing to investigate his own party? That could have been interesting. Unfortunately, as soon as his own party was empowered in the 2016 election, he realized that one can do so much more good in the media than in the constitutionally mandated seat of power that is the United Stated Congress, whose power (as bemoaned by the author) has been taken by the executive branch awaiting a heroic representative persona who will actually change laws to provide a check on the executive instead of being the antagonist of the opposition and quietly sitting aside when the time comes to investigate his allies in the tyrannical executive... So, long story short, this could be a fine book and concept if stripped of the partisan victimhood of the author and the low level of scholarship (most references were from the www.) , and I would like to read it. But this, while being pleasing to the self-confirmational desires of his audience, is not that book.

[Bruce · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every American should read this book but fair warning, it will make you want to throw your hands up in surrender to the insidious virus our federal bureaucracy has become. The reviewers who claim this is a political hack piece obviously didn't read the book. Yes, the Obama administration is heavily featured but that's because that administration coincided with Chaffetz time in Congress. His mentions of Jeff Sessions and other Republicans aren't flattering and he is often complimentary of Dem. Elijah Cummings. This book is about the entrenched bureaucracy, not political parties and it reads like a nightmare. We are much closer to the old Soviet system than we realize.

[Alan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chaffetz’s book expertly explains and describes almost everything that is wrong with our government today. The corrupt and greedy politicians and bureaucrats who make up the Deep State are exposed. The American people must aggressively press forward to drain the swamp as the DS will always fight to preserve itself. Great book.

[Ronald Aylward · Rating 4 out of 5]

A thoughtful review of the state of the United States form of government.

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Former Congressman and current Fox News contributor Jason Chaffetz explains how we ended up with a politicized federal bureaucracy that actively works to promote the Democrat party agenda and undermine Donald Trump.

The liberal media loves to characterize the Obama years as free of scandal. They pretend this is true because virtually every office in the executive branch worked to withhold evidence of wrongdoing, silence witness testimony, destroy federal records, classify embarrassing information, and retaliate against truth tellers. Yet these same tight-lipped lifers leaked like a sieve once President Trump was sworn in, freely promoting the illusion that everything he does is the new Watergate.

Sometimes even conservatives portray the Deep State as nothing more than dumb inefficient bureaucracy. In fact, it's the opposite; the Deep State is intentional, unconstitutional, and organized.

In Deep State, Jason Chaffetz reveals an entrenched leadership within the civil service that resists exposure, accountability, and responsibility. At the highest levels, they fight back, outlast, and work the system for their own advantage. And they certainly don't like disruptive forces such as Donald Trump.

As Chairman of the House Oversight Committee, Chaffetz was the tip of the spear challenging the Deep State and trying to hold them accountable. He and his colleagues took on the powerful forces at the IRS, the EPA, the DOJ, the Department of State, and more. The deeper he dove in, the more shocking he found the brazen approach by the power brokers. The balance of power has shifted. The Deep State has gotten used to operating anonymously and without consequence. This is a problem bigger than we can even imagine and getting worse. Unless we do something dramatic to wrest back control, we risk losing the ability to successfully challenge wrongdoing by the most powerful bureaucracy in the world.

In Deep State, Chaffetz highlights the Deep State's tactics, illuminates the problems, and offers a way to fight back and win. It is important to expose the stories, but if the American People are going to win, Congress is going to have to do things differently. This book helps the concerned citizen understand what must be done—so they can demand real change.

[Budd Margolis · Rating 1 out of 5]

I wanted to understand what the term Deep State means. Instead, I received a view that distorts the truth and spreads a few facts with a lot of right-wing opinions which Chaffetz now spews on Fox so-called News. I too am against wasteful buerocracy and demand efficiency in our Government and although at times Chaffetz states that this is neither a Dem or Repub problem but of the general Swamp, he lays far to much blame on Obama and the civil service. And even at one point states, Trump has done little to change this and then says he is surrounded by sabotaging Obamaites. I will give you one example of deception which is cleverly concealed behind or inside of a few facts, although there are dozens I could document. He claims the majority of Americans want the wall built. BCS March 2018 poll: A majority of Americans says they oppose President Trump's proposed wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, according to a CBS News poll released Monday. 60% of Americans polled said they were against the wall, while 38% said they support it, with results divided sharply along party lines. 77% of Republicans said they favour the wall, while 20% said they are against it. 88% of Democrats said they oppose the structure, and 10% supported it. CBS News also found stark partisan divides on the issue of sanctuary cities. 74% of Republicans said "sanctuary cities" should comply with the federal government, while 70% of Democrats said the cities should be allowed to deal with the immigrants in any way they see fit. The benefit of this book is I now see the distorted truth and actual lies of the rightwing. This is as divisive as it gets and hurts the common good. For that alone, I am deeply disappointed. This could have been a real shining example which helped but instead it is mired in disdain and propaganda. How utterly sad for anyone who reads this and contemptible for anyone who believes this.

[Judy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Many people will not read this book because it is written by a Republican and perhaps because of the subtitle which emphasizes issues from the Obama administration which will turn them off. That’s sad, in my opinion, because though Chaffetz goes over the issues that occurred during the Obama administration it is because that’s the time Chaffetz served in the House of Representatives. But he goes beyond those issues to the heart of the problem of what is called the Deep State.
Here is how he describes it. “The true Deep State, which is the permanent class of Democrats, Republicans, federal bureaucrats, and entrenched Washington DC insiders is not going to go quietly.” p.149
It is worth reading the book just for the last chapter in which Chaffetz specifies a number of things that need to be done to route out the problems of the deep state. Here are just a few of the things he mentions can be done.

End the requirement that Congress rely on the US district attorney for the District of Columbia to enforce compliance with subpoenas. P.186

The US House of Representatives has the power to use budgetary authority in the budget process. The current dysfunctional budget process needs to be reestablished as dictated by the constitution. P.190

Reform our need to address rewards and incentives in the federal workforce. Federal workforce is represented by powerful tax exempt unions who’s representatives are on the payroll while they work on behalf of the union. P. 192

[Erik B.K.K. · Rating 1 out of 5]

Republican persecution fetish.

[Roger Yacobucci · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought the book was good and provided Jason's personal prospective on dealing with the deep state. He provides examples of how the deep state circumvents and protects itself from the power of the 3 branches of government. He also shows how we have lost control of a monster that is getting bigger, stronger, and less controllable with time. And even though he focuses on the federal level of government the same deep state tactics are obvious at the state and local levels of as well.

Lincoln believed in a … government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth. However we now have two governments and the elected one is perishing while the deep state one is thriving. The elected one represents the wishes and power of the people while the deep state one represents the wishes and power of itself.

[Bobbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book. Two bits of information that stunned me are the treatment the Benghazi heroes received from the Obama administration and the unwillingness of Jeff Sessions to investigate some crimes. The Benghazi heroes were not allowed to get a ride home on government flights. Understandably they were contractors and probably expected to pay their own expenses. However, under the circumstances the least America could do was bring them home safely. Despite their bravery in defense of the mission, their security clearances were then revoked. Despicable. Jeff Sessions not only didn't pursue Hillary Clinton, he refused to prosecute Bryan Pagliano, the tech who set up her private email server and subsequently refused to comply with a House subpoena. This demonstrates that we indeed have a two tiered justice system with some people being above the law.

[Konrad Röder · Rating 5 out of 5]

Peter Strzok said "we'll stop him". After reading the book, you will know who we is.

In this book, Congressman and House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Jason Chaffetz shows that the deep state was alive and running when he was first elected in 2008 during the Obama administration and has intensified its efforts under the Trump administration. The book starts a bit slow, but give it a chance. Chaffetz explains the mechanisms that the deep state uses to control what Congress gets to see, or better yet completely bypass oversight. Not sure if the deep state really exists? Read the book. It will leave you wondering if your elected representatives really run the show.

[Cathy Biggers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Insightful, up-to-date research showing how deeply entrenched the Deep State is in Washington, D.C. and around the beltway. Jason Chaffetz not only provides detailed descriptions of how and where the Deep State exists (and it's not what many people would define as the Deep State either), he also provide detailed examples of how this can be banished from the Swamp as well.

He manages to not only define the problem, but state how it can be solved. Now, if only we can get enough American citizens to read this book and act upon the suggestions provided to start moving us away from a government-run life to one of the independence our forefathers sought for us from the beginning of this great country.

Thank you Mr. Chaffetz!

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have followed the news all of my life - am a journalist myself - and have been continually appalled at what has finally been accurately labeled: Fake News. What is beyond that and not covered by that moniker is the lie of omission.

This book covers probably 1% of that omission. I am shocked at how blatant the deep state is. Horrified is more akin to the truth.

This is a book that I think every American should read. And it should be required reading in high schools and colleges. The chance of that ever happening is < .00000000001%

I would be the first to support Jason Chaffetz should he ever run for President. I am sorry that we lost him in Congress. He is truly a good man.

I can not recommend this book highly enough.

[Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Written by someone with the knowledge to analyze the political scene this is a great look into the bureaucracy and politics of the government and the news media. He analyzes the structure and heads of many of the government agency's that seem to have their own agenda. Mr. Chaffetz has a good understanding of the politics of Washington DC and points out a lot of misunderstandings the news presents about the Obama administration. Worth your time to read and discuss. I received a copy of this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book will make you angry. The deep corruption in our government is outrageous. The IRS, EPA, Fast and Furious, Benghazi, etc. are explained in detail in this book. Hillary cannot be touched. She gets by with anything. She must have the goods on many people. The Deep State like their hold on Washington and will do anything to fight Trump who is trying to fix it for the American people. The Swamp must be drained.

[Csparrenberger · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another insider book. The most interesting thing to me was the author divulges how many employees various government branches have. At the end, the author makes recommendations for correcting the problems in Washington DC that will never be realized.

[Dr. David Steele · Rating 4 out of 5]

Illuminating and scary.

[Walt1988 Killingsworth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read about the corruption in Washington during to the deep state.

[Nathan Albright · Rating 5 out of 5]

To be sure, Congress is not the most sympathetic of our national institutions, and the author speaks as one of the people involved in the Republican-led House from 2010-2016 who sought to hold Obama's corrupt administration to standards and bring to light what bureaucrats were seeking to hide.  As far as readers go, I am probably part of the target audience that this author is aiming at, given a high degree of interest in transparency and a low tolerance for those who would seek to hide what the government is doing under the idea that unelected and unaccountable elites know better than I do about what is good for me.  A book like this not only demonstrates the existence of the Deep State but also points out why it has become such a problem in the contemporary world and the level of effort it takes to fight against it, through bringing to light its behavior and forcing it out of the shadows into the open.  By and large this is a book I can wholeheartedly endorse, although it does say some rather unpleasant things about the state of the executive branch and the bureaucracy in contemporary America.

This book is a bit more than 100 pages long and is divided into 13 chapters.  The author begins with an introduction and then a discussion of Elizabeth Warren's dream for an unaccountable government bureaucracy in the CFPB (1).  He then asks what it is that the bureaucrats do not want Congress (and thus the American people) to see (2) before tackling the problems of money and sex in the EPA (3) and the struggle of the deep state to fight back against people like the author who want to bring its dark deeds into the light (4).  The author discusses the deep state war on whistleblowers (5), their contempt of (6), and lies to (7) Congress, as well as the author's face-to-face experiences with denizens of the deep state (8).  After this the author discusses the mistaken belief by the Deep State that people cannot handle the truth (9) as well as their flouting of subpoenas with impunity (10).  Finally, the author closes with a discussion of the nightmare of the Deep State (11), some thoughts on the wall (12), and a look at how the deep state can be tamed (13), after which there is an epilogue, acknowledgements, and an index.

There are those people who will see a book like this and pooh pooh the idea that the deep state exists at all.  Yet over the course of the last few years it has become increasingly obvious that not only does such a thing exist but that it wants very much for its deeds not to be brought to the light.  Indeed, we can see the roots of the Deep State going back to the desire for a civil service that was no longer accountable to political leaders and to the growth of public sector unions seeking to solidify the claim of corrupt bureaucrats to hold their positions regardless of the wicked things that they do that would never be tolerated in private companies.  The author has the receipts on the sort of corrupt behavior that has been done in government in the protection of pornographers and those who sexually harass and abuse their coworkers and conspire to keep Americans unsafe in foreign countries who happen to be working in dangerous places.  The author appears to have used his power for the good in drawing attention to things that would otherwise be ignored, and if I do not tend to like Congress, I think this book gives us a reason to appreciate the author's attempts to wrestle with the Deep State and its contempt for oversight.

[Mark Miller · Rating 3 out of 5]

The subtitle doesn't fit with this book at all. The book doesn't say much about what happened with either president. What Chaffetz talked about is how the federal bureaucracy is dysfunctional, and works to protect itself, and benefit its friends. That is the Deep State, an entity unto itself, trying to enforce its own policies, through intelligence gathering, disinformation/distraction, and controlling access to official information. In essence, they not only jerk us around, but politicians, as well. Reading his account, it gets you kind of wondering who's really in charge, and what that means for our democratic processes.

At first, it was looking like the book was going to be even less about the Deep State, and more like a book about, "The scandals I had to deal with," which, if you paid attention to the news during the first half of the 2010s, you've already heard about. However, if you give him time, Chaffetz gets into details about the scandals that you haven't heard in the news, and they're interesting.

The main point is documenting what he learned about how the Deep State operates. It's not a complete description, since it's only about what he experienced, but it's a good place to start in understanding that something nefarious is going on. What he gets at is that these goings on are not about serving the American people. They're about serving the bureaucracy's interests, and that of its friends.

What was refreshing (which oddly inspired some hope) was he made it clear that, to some extent, this is nothing new. What he described as the Deep State has been a feature of our federal government since at least the 19th century. He gives a few stories that illustrate this. It got me thinking that, "It was around then, and our country made it through that."

In the last chapter, he put forward a bunch of proposals to reform bureaucratic structure, to get rid of the perverse incentives that drive what he described.

He's given some credit where it's due, that in some cases, some people high up in the bureaucracy have supported such measures, because they see this behavior as wrong, as well, but the measures still haven't been passed (at least as of 2017, when the book was written). He mentioned a few cases where some helpful reforms have already been made, but he stresses much more needs to be done.

Given the institutional resistance, I felt like these recommendations were easier said than done. He closed with a few easy-to-follow criteria for selecting representatives to elect to Congress re. these issues, to hopefully get the ball rolling.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Imagine this fact: fewer than twenty people hold the keys to steering the enforcement apparatus of the entire federal government."

Feeling skeptical? Do your own research. Look beyond what the news and media tell you. Instead of being spoon fed, select your own produce. You will find crumbs of withheld facts, redacted text, and evasive maneuvers.

This is not about Democrat or Republican. This is about a hidden power-hungry elite that do not care about the American taxpayer and rather seek to further their own agenda: maintaining power while relentlessly disparaging and destroying anyone who stands in their path.

They want to have the media and the education system teach you a particular narrative that pulls the wool over your eyes while they allow illegal immigrants to infiltrate America to take your vote and your jobs, for cheaper while government gets progressively bigger and the rich get richer.

Written by a former Congressman who experienced firsthand the corruption of Deep State cronyism, Jason Chaffetz brings to light the subvert and sometimes overt actions of the Deep State in the EPA, TSA, the DOJ, and more.

"The real power resides with the people of the United States of America. Nothing will change unless we demand it. But if we demand it, the Deep State is helpless to override us."

Constitutionally the power is ours. Educate yourselves and rise to the occasion.

[Todd Thompson · Rating 4 out of 5]

While I agree wholeheartedly with Chaffetz -- in fact, couldn't agree more -- this is not a great description of the deep state, if one is to be found anywhere. It is, like most books on the deep state, an anecdotal description of some vague entity that, nevertheless, seems to have a base of operations somewhere in the universe. If you're looking for clarity in your definition of "the Deep State" this is not it. But, if you're looking for a book that is very descriptive of deep state activities on specific issues, this book is like that. One piece that is all but missing is the inclusion of neo-con Republicans who are complicit in such activities. There are some, of course, in Chaffetz's book, but in order to present a solid case of the existence of Deep State, the unity across party lines needs more meat on the bones in every book I've read on the subject. This was a fun book to read for me, because I share the viewpoint, but it's not what you're looking for, if you want a more comprehensive study and history of the Deep State, and Mr Chaffetz doesn't pretend that it is, to his credit.

[Dawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a very foundational book for me. Jason Chaffetz was the head of the oversight committee during his time in Congress and, as such, well-versed in the comings and goings of individuals in Washington. He reveals what Democrats wish to change to again get an advantage in government and how they plan to make those changes now that they have a majority in the house. With the coronavirus pandemic and Republicans wanting to get bills passed to relieve the American people, House leadership is now slipping the very items Chaffetz names in his book into the relief bills or they won’t pass them. I don’t think I’d have paid much attention to this had I not read Jason’s fact-filled book. Hopefully an astute electorate will not be fooled. Trying to elect a president fairly without the electoral college is just one “teeny” insertion that could have major ramifications.