Bag Man: The Wild Crimes, Audacious Cover-Up, and Spectacular Downfall of a Brazen Crook in the White House

Bag Man: The Wild Crimes, Audacious Cover-Up and Spectacular Downfall of a Brazen Crook in the White House (2020) by American journalists Rachel Maddow and Michael Yarvitz is a political thriller and a lesson in history and civics. Told in fast-paced, snappy prose, the tale of the scandal that consumed U.S. President Richard Nixon’s vice president, Spiro Agnew, holds relevance today because of the parallels the authors strike between Agnew and Donald Trump, and of the aggressive tactics they both use in their defense. The era also produced lasting legacy of legal policies crafted 50 years ago which are still cited as precedent today. It is based on the hit podcast of the same name, produced and written by Yarvitz.

Summary

When Republican presidential candidate Richard Nixon nominates little-known Maryland governor Spiro Agnew as his running mate, the political establishment scratches its collective head. Agnew is a relative neophyte on the political scene and therefore an unknown quantity, but Nixon admires his toughness, outsider status, and anti-crime rhetoric. What Nixon does not know is that Agnew, both as Baltimore County executive and then as governor, has been extorting money from local engineering firms in exchange for government contracts. Agnew is by no means the first county executive to engage in such behavior. His predecessor is investigated for the same crimes, and Agnew simply picks up where other corrupt officials have left off. Agnew, however, takes it to a new level, expanding his extortion racket to cover the entire state when he becomes governor. He brazenly continues collecting cash for favors even after he is elected vice president.

In 1972, three Baltimore County prosecutors—Barney Skolnik, Tim Baker, and Ron Liebman—launch an investigation into corruption in the county executive’s office. Their discoveries lead them directly to the vice president. With their boss, Maryland District Attorney George Beall, the prosecutors move slowly and methodically to build an airtight case, fully aware that they are seeking to indict a vice president of the United States. As the list of cooperating witnesses grows, the team follows the not-so-secret trail of money right to the White House. When Agnew gets wind of the investigation, he hires a legal team and seeks the support of arguably the most powerful man in the world, Richard Nixon. By now, Nixon is unhappy with Agnew’s performance as vice president, but he offers tentative support nevertheless.

When Beall and his team believe they have a solid case, they contact U.S. Attorney General Elliot Richardson and outline the charges against Agnew. Richardson, who is in the midst of another, much more prominent Watergate investigation into Nixon himself, still gives Beall the green light to proceed. When the prosecutors have built the strongest possible case, they subpoena Agnew who responds, characteristically, with aggression and bluster, vilifying the prosecutors, attributing political motives to the investigation, and castigating them for leaking details to the press, charges for which he has no proof. In an effort to divert attention from their client, Agnew’s attorneys focus on the supposed leaks, even petitioning the court to order Richardson to conduct an internal investigation into the matter. Both sides are at a standstill—Agnew’s attorneys refuse to consider jail time in any plea agreement, and Skolnik, Baker, and Liebman stick to their conviction that Agnew must not be given preferential treatment. The man in the middle, Beall, takes the heat, shielding his young team from all outside pressure so they can do their job. Richardson’s office, however, pushes for a quick resolution to prevent Agnew from assuming the presidency should Nixon resign over Watergate. With time of the essence and Agnew’s stalling tactics and defiant PR campaign proving effective, Richardson is forced to accept a plea bargain on Agnew’s terms—no jail time, resignation, and a guilty plea to only a single count of tax evasion. In court, Agnew is sentenced to probation and a $10,000 fine, although Skolnik, Baker, and Liebman enter into the record a detailed list of all of Agnew’s crimes.

For months after his resignation, Agnew continues to enjoy the benefits of his former position, including an office in D.C. and Secret Service protection. While it seems Agnew is getting off with a mild slap on the wrist, an outside observer, law professor John Banzhof, sues for damages on behalf of the people of Maryland, and Agnew is ordered to pay over $200,000 in compensation for extorted funds. Agnew spends his post-vice-presidential years pursuing wealth. He eventually starts a consulting business, utilizing the many international contacts he made while in office. Agnew continues to nurse a grudge against Nixon who, he feels, did not support him when he needed it, although he attends Nixon’s funeral as a gesture of reconciliation. Agnew dies in 1996 and leaves behind a legacy not so much political as legal and rhetorical. His case enshrined in DOJ policy the tenet that a sitting president cannot be indicted for a crime; and his brash, aggressive personality has shaped the way many politicians respond to a personal crisis: deny guilt, play the victim, shift the focus to your enemies, and cast doubt on the media.