Episode 3: President Rambo | The Kingmakers

About this episode

The episode discusses the Iran-Contra affair and the actions of the president's men during a constitutional crisis.

Emboldened by a landslide election, the president’s men began to see themselves as 1980s action-movie heroes, willing to break the law to get what they want. The result was the Iran-Contra affair, a secret arms deal that ignited a constitutional crisis. Would Congress roll over and play dead — or actually do something? TRANSCRIPT & BONUS MATERIALS: Click here to read a transcript and to explore bonus archival documents related to the episode. Get Master Plan episodes early and ad-free by becoming a paid subscriber. Enjoy bonus episodes, exclusive content, and support this show. Visit levernews.com/upgrade. To leave a tip for The Lever, click here. It helps us do this kind of independent journalism. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

People in this episode

Host: David Sirota

Topics covered

• Iran-Contra affair
• constitutional crisis
• 1980s action movies
• political scandal
• executive power

Keywords

• Iran-Contra
• constitutional crisis
• arms deal
• 1980s
• politics
• executive power
• Congress

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: The Lever

Places: Congress

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• Episode 4: The Meese Doctrine | The Kingmakers · April 28, 2026 · 52 min
• Episode 2: Mandate for Power | The Kingmakers · March 30, 2026 · 52 min
• Episode 1: After The Fall | The Kingmakers · March 16, 2026 · 43 min
• Season 2 Trailer: The Kingmakers · March 2, 2026 · 5 min