Secret Empires: How the American Political Class Hides Corruption and Enriches Family and Friends Hardcover – March 20, 2018 by Peter Schweizer (Harper)

This was my most anticipated book of the year, so I bought the audio version at the earliest possible moment and listened to it eagerly. It completely delivers on its promise, exposing potential new political self-dealing scandals.

Previously, Schweizer's "Clinton Cash" book contributed to Hillary Clinton's election loss. This new book could be the death knell for Joe Biden's presidential hopes, as it reveals how his son, Hunter Biden, benefited from the former Vice President's dealings with foreign countries. Schweizer is evenhanded, though, targeting politicians from both parties. Mitch McConnell could easily become the target of an ethics investigation based on this book's suggestion that McConnell has taken official acts that benefit his Chinese in-laws financially.

The book reveals a kind of self-dealing that I had not considered before by suggesting that Obama (1) used regulations in the education and energy sectors to depress the prices of certain stocks (e.g., the University of Phoenix and fossil fuel companies), at which time friends of Barack, including George Soros, bought the stocks and then (2) eased pressure, allowing the stocks to rebound and enriching anyone who invested at the stocks' low points.

For any reader who worries about the mainstream media's failure to investigate the financial dealings of Obama and other politicians, this book is a partial remedy. Highly recommended!