Former CIA Spy on Putin’s Secret War Against the West | Sean Wiswesser | EP. 406

dee takos

11 April 2026

Former CIA case officer Sean Wiswesser joins Jack Murphy to break down the hidden world of Russian espionage, from Cold War tradecraft and sleeper agents to sabotage operations unfolding across Europe today. Sean also shares stories from his own career handling Russian assets, offering a rare look at how intelligence work actually happens in denied areas. This episode digs into why Russia still views the U.S. as its primary adversary, how corruption shapes the Kremlin’s security services, and what the West still gets wrong about Putin’s long-running shadow war. Grab Sean's book here: ⬇️ https://a.co/d/0gqweZjW Today's Sponsors: GhostBed ⬇️ https://www.ghostbed.com/house FOR 10% off!  Good Ranchers ⬇️ go to https://www.goodranchers.com/ and use the code "HOUSE"  for $25 off your first order. Mando ⬇️ Control Body Odor ANYWHERE with MANDO and get 20% off + free shipping with promo code [TEAMHOUSE] at https://shopmando.com/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- For ad free video and audio and access to live streams and Eyes On Geopolitics...JOIN OUR PATREON!  https://www.patreon.com/c/TheTeamHouse To help support the show and for all bonus content including: -live shows and asking guest questions  -ad free audio and video -early access to shows -Access to ALL bonus segments with our guests Subscribe to our Patreon! ⬇️ https://www.patreon.com/TheTeamHouse Support the show here:⬇️ https://www.patreon.com/TheTeamHouse ___________________________________________________ PRE ORDER JACK'S NEW BOOK "THE MOST DANGEROUS MAN"  ⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️ https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/803651/the-most-dangerous-man-by-jack-murphy/paperback/ Subscribe to the new EYES ON podcast here:⬇️ https://www.youtube.com/@EyesOnGeopoliticsPod/featured __________________________________ Jack Murphy's new book "We Defy: The Lost Chapters of Special Forces History" ⬇️ https://www.amazon.com/We-Defy-Chapters-Special-History-ebook/dp/B0DCGC1N1N/ —————————————————————— Or make a one time donation at: ⬇️ https://ko-fi.com/theteamhouse Social Media: ⬇️ The Team House Instagram: https://instagram.com/the.team.house?utm_medium=copy_link The Team House Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheTeamHousePod Jack’s Instagram: https://instagram.com/jackmcmurph?utm_medium=copy_link Jack’s Twitter:  https://twitter.com/jackmurphyrgr?s=21 Team House Discord: ⬇️ https://discord.gg/wHFHYM6 SubReddit: ⬇️ https://www.reddit.com/r/TheTeamHouse/ Jack Murphy's memoir "Murphy's Law" can be found here:⬇️  https://www.amazon.com/Murphys-Law-Journey-Investigative-Journalist/dp/1501191241 "Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio" 00:00 — Start 03:00 — Growing up working class and discovering Russia in the early ’90s 07:30 — Student travel mishaps and why Sean chose government service 12:00 — Joining CIA and the reality of denied-area tradecraft 18:00 — Why Russia still sees America as its main enemy 25:00 — The corruption and criminal side of Russian intelligence 32:00 — Russian assassinations, sabotage, and failed covert ops 40:20 — What CIA actually cleared Sean to reveal about handling assets 48:00 — Russian illegals, sleeper agents, and deep-cover operations 57:00 — Ukraine war: Russian intelligence failures and Putin’s blind spots 01:08:00 — Hybrid warfare in Europe: sabotage, cable cuts, and gray-zone ops 01:25:00 — Final thoughts: how the West should respond to Russia today Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-team-house--5960890/support.