About this episode

Ambassador Charles A. Ray discusses America's authoritarian turn and the implications of political loyalty over constitutional duty.

A former U.S. Army officer, diplomat, and ambassador to Cambodia and Zimbabwe on oath, duty, service beyond party, the collapse of institutional guardrails, and why rebuilding trust will take decades. Host Jim Lawler, a former senior CIA operations officer, sits down with Ambassador Charles A. Ray, a rare polymath who served 20 years in the U.S. Army (including two combat tours in Vietnam) followed by 30 years in the Foreign Service, as Ambassador to Cambodia and Zimbabwe, and as the first U.S. Consul General in Ho Chi Minh City. Together, they explore what happens when the oath to the Constitution is replaced by loyalty to a single man. Ambassador Ray describes how some first-term officials in the Trump Administration, including Mike Pence, Defense Secretaries, Attorneys General, still functioned as constraints on Trump’s worst impulses, and why he believes the second administration has been stocked with yes people, sycophants, and what he calls a “confederacy of dunces.” Ray shares a chilling firsthand account of a U.S. Army colonel making overtly partisan political statements in pre‑deployment briefings, and recalls that, when Ray challenged the colonel directly, Ray was the…

People in this episode

Host: Jim Lawler

Guest: Charles A. Ray

Topics covered

• authoritarianism
• political loyalty
• institutional trust
• U.S. foreign policy
• military service
• political commentary

Keywords

• authoritarian turn
• political loyalty
• institutional guardrails
• January 6
• U.S. Army
• foreign service
• Cambodia
• Zimbabwe
• trust
• Trump Administration

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: 1776 Fund

Places: Cambodia, Zimbabwe, Ho Chi Minh City, United States, Vietnam

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