Bag Man
4.8/5
Critic Rating
Is it possible for an American Vice President to carry out a criminal enterprise inside the White House and have nobody remember? To have one of the most brazen political bribery scandals in American history play out before the country while nobody’s paying attention? In her first original podcast, MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow goes back 45 years to dig into a story that got overshadowed in its day. There’s intrigue. Corruption. Envelopes of cash delivered to the White House. It’s a story that’s not well known, but it probably should be. Especially today. Bag Man. A Rachel Maddow pod...
Critic Reviews
Score: 5
Mike Conroy • Primal Stream Media • Jun 19, 2019
"...a comprehensive and compelling look at Agnew and the cash for contracts scheme he was executing, separate of the Watergate scandal, even while serving as Vice President of the United States. Bag Man is a top-notch, investigative podcast series that is a must listen for any casual fans of true crime and or history. Bag Man provides an important history lesson for us all delivered through an entertaining platform."
Score: 5
Sean Wood • Rolling Stone • Mar 6, 2019
"...revealing and essential podcast...could not be more relevant today. Bag Man is filled with juicy details of palace intrigue and levers of power being pulled inside the Nixon White House. That’s what makes Bag Man both chilling and comforting — we’ve been here before."
Score: 4
Martin Page • PodcastReview.org • Jan 15, 2019
"Rachel Maddow lays bare her political angle from the outset of Bag Man. On its face, this ideological clarity makes the show blunt and refreshing. Within individual episodes, the story structure doesn’t always cohere...The disconnect between the teasers and storylines leave elements of the case unexplored and the storyline unclear, and the teasers, a remnant of Maddow’s after-the-break musings on cable news, sound like her own interests rather than intentional storytelling. Ultimately, Bag Man is a podcast that adheres to the norms of cable news, with all its diversions and blunt, tell-don’t-show analysis. As a cable news host, Maddow has not yet mastered this art."
Score: 5
Mr. Hipster • Mr. Hipster Blog • Jan 2, 2019
"It’s a very well-produced and powerful testament to a group of altruistic law enforcement folks who put the rule of law above their own ambitions. The podcast does a really great job of distilling it down and Maddow puts her deep-dive skills to great use, including just what needs to be included and giving just the right amount of exposition to cover the drier, less compelling aspects."
