Chasing Power: Politics. Campaigns. Conflict.

About Chasing Power: Politics. Campaigns. Conflict.

Chasing Power: The Path to Pennsylvania Avenue takes you inside the fierce, high-stakes fight for the American presidency, the most powerful office on Earth. Hosted by political insider and national security expert Charles Denyer, this podcast uncovers the ruthless strategies, calculated power plays, and hidden battles that shape campaigns and decide the nation’s future. Experience the drama behind the headlines. 👉 Subscribe now on YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠: https://www.youtube.com/@ChasingPowerPodcast 👉 Explore ⁠more politics: ⁠https://www.chasingpowerpodcast.com⁠

Publisher

Charles Denyer

Category

government

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

8 Oct 2025

Latest episode

14 Sept 2026

Latest episodes

24 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   14 Sept 2026

   What the President Doesn't Know - Part 5: Jimmy Carter | EP 23

   How much does a president really know about the intelligence system he's supposed to control? In this episode of Chasing Power, host Charles Denyer continues What Presidents Don't Know with Jimmy Carter, who entered Washington after the Church Committee exposed decades of covert abuses, promising transparency and reform. Carter appointed Stansfield Turner to lead the CIA, cut clandestine operations, and signed FISA into law. But he learned that reforming intelligence was far harder than controlling it. Information stayed compartmentalized, and crises in Iran and Afghanistan showed that even a president couldn't see or control everything. Then came the Iran hostage crisis, Operation Eagle Claw, and lingering questions about the 1980 election. Carter set out for accountability but discovered how hard the system was to truly command, and years later, still doubted whether his own communications were private. #ChasingPower #JimmyCarter #CIA #IntelligenceCommunity #ChurchCommittee #FISA #IranHostageCrisis #ColdWar #AmericanPolitics #PoliticalHistory What You Will Learn: A President After the Church Committee: How revelations about intelligence abuses shaped Carter’s skepticism toward the CIA and the broader intelligence community. The Push for Reform: Why Carter appointed Stansfield Turner and sought tighter control over covert operations and intelligence gathering. The Halloween Massacre: How the dismissal of hundreds of experienced CIA officers transformed the agency and weakened human intelligence capabilities. Institutional Resistance: How a powerful bureaucracy can resist presidential priorities without openly refusing an order. The Creation of FISA: How Carter attempted to impose legal oversight on domestic national security surveillance. The Iran Hostage Crisis: Why the crisis exposed weaknesses in intelligence, coordination, and Carter’s ability to manage events beyond the White House. The October Surprise Question: How later claims about political efforts to delay the hostage release reopened one of the most controversial questions surrounding the 1980 election. The Limits of Presidential Power: Why Carter ultimately learned that authority, access, and control are not the same thing. Episode Highlights and Timestamps: 00:00 Jimmy Carter and what presidents do not know 01:26 The Church Committee and Carter’s distrust of the intelligence system 02:45 Secret payments, covert operations, and accountability 03:35 Stansfield Turner and the restructuring of the CIA 04:30 The Halloween Massacre and the decline of human intelligence 05:20 Institutional resistance inside the intelligence community 06:36 FISA and the attempt to regulate surveillance 07:45 Iran, Afghanistan, and growing intelligence weaknesses 08:40 The October Surprise controversy 10:15 Operation Eagle Claw and the failed hostage rescue 11:39 Why presidential authority does not guarantee control 12:41 Carter’s belief that even his communications could be monitored About The Host: Charles Denyer is a nationally recognized expert in cybersecurity, national security, and global risk. He has advised U.S. vice presidents, cabinet officials, senior military leaders, and Fortune-class organizations, bringing field-tested analysis and cinematic storytelling to today’s most urgent threats. 💥 The power plays. The pressure. The people pulling the strings. This is Chasing Power. 🔔 Subscribe on YouTube, new episodes break down how power is really won. 👉 Explore more politics: www.charlesdenyerproductions.com 🎧 Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/gy/podcast/chasing-power-politics-campaigns-conflict/id1845424742 🎧 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1jzxjxpfclZRlYP25ET2Qw

2. 

   14 Sept 2026

   The Most Loyal Man in the Room - Mike Pence - Part II | EP 22

   What happens when loyalty to a president and loyalty to the Constitution become impossible to reconcile? In this episode of Chasing Power, host Charles Denyer concludes the two-part story of Mike Pence by going inside January 6, 2021—the day the vice president was forced to make the defining decision of his political career. Pence already knew what his constitutional role required. His advisers told him the vice president could preside over the electoral count but could not decide which votes counted. Still, as pressure mounted from Donald Trump and his allies, Pence searched for another option. He called former Vice President Dan Quayle. He considered not participating in the certification. He wrestled with what the decision would mean for his friendship with Trump and his political future. Then January 6 arrived. As rioters breached the Capitol, Pence was evacuated to a secure location while members of the crowd chanted for him to be hanged. He refused to leave the Capitol, remained underground for hours, and returned that night to finish the constitutional process the attack had interrupted. This chapter examines the doubt, pressure, danger, and consequences behind Pence’s decision—and why courage is sometimes defined not by the absence of hesitation, but by what someone does when every other option disappears. Four years of loyalty led to one impossible choice. The Capitol was under attack. And Mike Pence chose the Constitution. #ChasingPower #MikePence #DonaldTrump #USCapitol #Election2020 #Constitution #AmericanPolitics #PoliticalHistory #PoliticalPodcast What You Will Learn: The Constitutional Question: Why Pence concluded that the vice president had no authority to reject certified electoral votes. The Search for Another Way: How Pence turned to Dan Quayle and even considered skipping the certification as he wrestled with the decision. The Breaking Point: How pressure from Trump collided with Pence’s oath to support and defend the Constitution. Inside January 6: How rioters breached the Capitol as Pence was evacuated from the Senate chamber to a secure location. The Decision to Stay: Why Pence refused to leave the Capitol even as Secret Service agents prepared his motorcade. Finishing the Certification: How Pence returned to the Senate floor after the Capitol was secured and completed the electoral count. The Aftermath: How January 6 reshaped Pence’s relationship with Trump, his place in Republican politics, and his legacy. Episode Highlights and Timestamps: 00:06 January 6: A rioter enters the Senate and calls Pence a traitor 02:08 Pence searches for another option before certification 03:15 Dan Quayle’s warning and Pence’s constitutional oath 04:00 Pence opens the joint session as the Capitol perimeter collapses 05:00 Rioters breach the building and Pence is evacuated 05:30 “Hang Mike Pence” and the danger inside the Capitol 06:20 Pence refuses to leave the Capitol 06:54 Working from underground to help secure the building 07:35 Pence returns to the Senate and certification resumes 08:15 The aftermath between Pence and Trump 09:00 The debate over Pence’s courage and the danger he faced 10:15 Why doubt does not diminish the decision Pence ultimately made 11:21 Final thoughts: Choosing the Constitution About The Host: Charles Denyer is a nationally recognized expert in cybersecurity, national security, and global risk. He has advised U.S. vice presidents, cabinet officials, senior military leaders, and Fortune-class organizations, bringing field-tested analysis and cinematic storytelling to today’s most urgent threats. 💥 The power plays. The pressure. The people pulling the strings. This is Chasing Power. 🔔 Subscribe on YouTube, new episodes break down how power is really won. 👉 Explore more politics: www.charlesdenyerproductions.com 🎧 Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/gy/podcast/chasing-power-politics-campaigns-conflict/id1845424742 🎧 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1jzxjxpfclZRlYP25ET2Qw

3. 

   14 Sept 2026

   The Most Loyal Man in the Room - Mike Pence - Part I | EP 21

   How did Mike Pence become the steadying force Donald Trump needed in 2016—and eventually the man forced to choose between loyalty and the Constitution? In this episode of Chasing Power, host Charles Denyer begins a two-part examination of Mike Pence and the political journey that took him from the Republican National Convention stage in Cleveland to the constitutional crisis of January 6, 2021. On July 20, 2016, the Republican Party was fractured, exhausted, and deeply uncertain about Donald Trump. Anti-Trump delegates were fighting over convention rules, Ted Cruz had just refused to endorse the nominee, and much of the political establishment still believed Trump was headed toward defeat. Then Mike Pence walked onto the stage. Calm, disciplined, deeply conservative, and openly evangelical, Pence offered Republican voters something Trump could not: reassurance. His convention speech helped position him as the stabilizing force on an unpredictable ticket, while his debate performance against Tim Kaine reinforced the image of a composed and dependable conservative leader. This chapter explores why Pence became such a valuable political bridge in 2016, how his presence reassured uneasy Republicans and evangelical voters, and why years of loyalty to Donald Trump would eventually lead him toward an impossible choice. One speech helped steady a divided party. Four years of loyalty defined a vice presidency. And one constitutional decision would change Mike Pence’s political future forever. #ChasingPower #MikePence #DonaldTrump #Election2016 #RepublicanConvention #TrumpPence #AmericanPolitics #PoliticalHistory #PoliticalPodcast What You Will Learn: The Republican Divide: Why much of the GOP establishment resisted Donald Trump—and why the party entered the 2016 convention deeply fractured. The Chaotic VP Search: How Trump considered figures like Newt Gingrich and Chris Christie before turning to Pence as the safer political choice. The Pence Advantage: Why Pence’s conservative credentials, evangelical faith, and disciplined style gave Trump credibility with uneasy Republican voters. The Vice Presidential Debate: How Pence’s calm performance against Tim Kaine reinforced his reputation as the stable figure on the ticket. The Cleveland Convention Moment: Why Pence’s acceptance speech helped calm a turbulent convention and introduced him as a reassuring counterweight to Trump. Four Years of Loyalty: How Pence remained publicly loyal through investigations, controversies, impeachments, and political chaos. The Constitutional Breaking Point: How the aftermath of the 2020 election placed Pence under pressure to reject electoral votes—and forced him to confront the limits of loyalty. Episode Highlights and Timestamps: 00:08 Cleveland, 2016: A Republican Party in open dysfunction 02:47 Why the Republican establishment resisted Donald Trump 03:16 Trump’s chaotic vice-presidential search 05:56 Pence’s debate performance against Tim Kaine 07:50 Pence becomes a bridge to uneasy Republican voters 08:36 Trump and Pence win the White House 09:00 Four years of loyalty—and growing pressure 10:00 Dan Quayle’s warning and the limits of Pence’s authority 10:45 Loyalty versus constitutional duty 11:30 Part Two preview: Inside January 6 About The Host: Charles Denyer is a nationally recognized expert in cybersecurity, national security, and global risk. He has advised U.S. vice presidents, cabinet officials, senior military leaders, and Fortune-class organizations, bringing field-tested analysis and cinematic storytelling to today’s most urgent threats. 💥 The power plays. The pressure. The people pulling the strings. This is Chasing Power. 🔔 Subscribe on YouTube, new episodes break down how power is really won. 👉 Explore more politics: www.charlesdenyerproductions.com 🎧 Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/gy/podcast/chasing-power-politics-campaigns-conflict/id1845424742 🎧 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1jzxjxpfclZRlYP25ET2Qw

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

4 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

2 ratings

Contact Chasing Power: Politics. Campaigns. Conflict.

Guest appearances

Does not typically book guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.