The Sunday Read: ‘The Spy Who Called Me’
The Daily9 Jul 2023

The Sunday Read: ‘The Spy Who Called Me’

The wave of scandals that would engulf Spain began with a police raid on a wooded property outside Madrid. It was Nov. 3, 2017, and the target was José Manuel Villarejo Pérez, a former government spy. Villarejo’s name had been circulating in the Spanish press for years. He was rumored to have had powerful friends and to have kept dirt on them all. The impressive variety of allegations against him — forgery, bribery, extortion, influence peddling — had earned him the nickname “king of the sewers.”

For many decades, Villarejo’s face had been known to almost no one. He was, after all, a spy — and not just any spy, but one who had started his career in the secret police of the Spanish dictator Francisco Franco. In those years, he would dress in overalls from Telefónica, the national telephone company, as he conducted surveillance operations in the mountains, and on several occasions he even wore a priest’s collar in order to infiltrate the Basque separatist group ETA. More recently, Villarejo had taken to simply introducing himself as a lawyer who ran a private-investigation firm, offering those he met to dig up compromising material on their enemies. His formal connection to the government was increasingly ambiguous. Of all of the identities he assumed over the years, this was perhaps the most powerful one. It made him rich through the hefty fees he charged, and it opened a door into the worlds of business tycoons, government ministers, aristocrats, judges, newspaper editors and arms traffickers — all of whose trust he gained, all of whose private words he taped.

Villarejo was handcuffed and taken to Madrid. But as he sat in jail awaiting trial, the question left hanging over Spain was this: What happens to a country’s secrets when they have all been recorded by one man? And what happens when that man finds himself suddenly backed into a corner?

This story was recorded by Audm. To hear more audio stories from publications like The New York Times, download Audm for iPhone or Android.

Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.

Episoder(2689)

Thursday, May 11, 2017

Thursday, May 11, 2017

Was James Comey’s fate decided two days ago, or two months ago? The Times follows the path to what now looks like his inevitable dismissal as F.B.I. director. Plus: the view from inside an F.B.I. that has just lost its leader. Guests: Peter Baker, chief White House correspondent for The Times; Adam Goldman, who covers the F.B.I.; Frank Montoya, Jr., who spent 26 years working in the F.B.I. before retiring last year. For more information on today’s episode, visit http://nyti.ms/2prYBrB. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.

11 Mai 201722min

Refresher: James Comey and the 2016 Election

Refresher: James Comey and the 2016 Election

On Tuesday evening, President Trump fired the director of the F.B.I., citing his handling of the inquiry into Hillary Clinton’s emails. In case you missed it, here’s our earlier episode on how Mr. Comey handled investigations into Mrs. Clinton’s conduct and Mr. Trump’s associates, and powerfully shaped the 2016 election. For more information on today’s episode, visit http://nyti.ms/2pvfyRr. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.

10 Mai 201727min

Wednesday, May 10, 2017

Wednesday, May 10, 2017

James Comey, the director of the F.B.I., oversaw two major investigations involving the presidential election: one into Hillary Clinton’s emails, and the other into possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russian officials. The question now is, which inquiry got him fired? Guests: Michael Schmidt, who pieced together how Mr. Comey learned of his ouster; Matt Apuzzo, a Times reporter based in Washington. For more information on today’s episode, visit http://nyti.ms/2pFCJoT. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.

10 Mai 201718min

Tuesday, May 9, 2017

Tuesday, May 9, 2017

President Barack Obama said not to hire him. The attorney general said he was susceptible to blackmail. We discuss two new accounts of when Donald J. Trump was warned about Michael T. Flynn — and didn’t act. Plus: What is life like under Boko Haram? Guests: Matt Apuzzo, a Times reporter based in Washington; Dionne Searcey, the West Africa bureau chief. For more information on today’s episode, visit http://nyti.ms/2q9Yxvo. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.

9 Mai 201720min

Monday, May 8, 2017

Monday, May 8, 2017

Free speech on college campuses: why conservatives say they’re the ones being silenced. Plus: Why Marine Le Pen’s resounding defeat in the French presidential election could be seen as a victory for her right-wing party. Guests: Jeremy W. Peters, who has been reporting on the free speech battle on college campuses; Alissa J. Rubin, the New York Times bureau chief in Paris. For more information on today’s episode, visit http://nyti.ms/2q1B0ef. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.

8 Mai 201721min

Friday, May 5, 2017

Friday, May 5, 2017

To win France’s presidential election on Sunday, Marine Le Pen must show she has rejected the man who founded her party. The problem is, it’s her father. Plus: Thursday’s health care vote, explained. Guests: Jennifer Steinhauer, who covers Congress; Adam Nossiter, who is covering the French election from Paris; Aurore Lahondes, a 19-year-old National Front voter. For more information on today’s episode, visit http://nyti.ms/2qlxz59. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.

5 Mai 201723min

Thursday, May 4, 2017

Thursday, May 4, 2017

Our reporter describes being inside the room as James B. Comey, the director of the F.B.I., gave his first public remarks about his handling of Hillary Clinton’s emails, saying he was “mildly nauseous” over the idea that he might have tipped the presidential election. And with a fiercely conservative governor leading the fight, is Kentucky about to become the only state in America without a single abortion clinic? Guests: Matt Apuzzo; Sheryl Gay Stolberg. For more information on today’s episode, visit http://nyti.ms/2pgdxVy. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.

4 Mai 201716min

Wednesday, May 3, 2017

Wednesday, May 3, 2017

The lines being drawn in Washington aren’t entirely partisan. Are Democrats and Republicans in Congress banding together to block the president? Plus: We discuss the White House’s on-again off-again relationship with Russia. Guests: Carl Hulse, who covers Congress; Julie Davis, a White House correspondent; Peter Baker, a White House correspondent. For more information on today’s episode, visit http://nyti.ms/2pNzK0u. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.

3 Mai 201719min

Populært innen Politikk og nyheter

giver-og-gjengen-vg
aftenpodden
aftenpodden-usa
forklart
popradet
fotballpodden-2
dine-penger-pengeradet
det-store-bildet
stopp-verden
nokon-ma-ga
bt-dokumentar-2
rss-gukild-johaug
aftenbla-bla
frokostshowet-pa-p5
rss-dannet-uten-piano
rss-ness
lydartikler-fra-aftenposten
rss-penger-polser-og-politikk
e24-podden
rss-borsmorgen-okonominyhetene