Investigating and Exposing Corruption: An Interview with YAF Director Peter Schweizer

Investigating and Exposing Corruption:

An Interview with YAF Director Peter Schweizer

By Raj Kannappan, Editor

About Peter Schweizer

Peter Schweizer is a seven-time New York Times bestselling author of groundbreaking books, including the #1 Times bestsellers RedHanded, Secret Empires, Profiles in Corruption, and Clinton Cash. He is the president of the Government Accountability Institute and host of a weekly podcast called The Drill Down. Schweizer is also an alumnus and director of Young America’s Foundation. Previously, Schweizer was the William J. Casey Research Fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University and worked as a speechwriter during President George W. Bush’s administration. He was a member of the Ultraterrorism Study Group at the Sandia National Laboratory and a consultant to NBC News. He is also a senior contributor to Breitbart News. Schweizer’s books have been translated into eleven languages, and his investigative journalism has been featured in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, CBS’s 60 Minutes, Fox News, and many other outlets. His 2014 book, Extortion, exposed insider stock trading by members of Congress and led to the passage of the STOCK Act, outlawing the practice. Schweizer has written for the New York Times, Foreign Affairs, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, National Review, and other publications, and he appears regularly on television, radio, and podcast programs. Schweizer received his B.A. from The George Washington University and his M.Phil. from Oxford University. He lives with his wife, Rhonda, in Florida.

Peter Schweizer helps ensure Young America’s Foundation’s success through his leadership on YAF’s Board of Directors.

Photo by Nicole Myhre

Libertas: What was your childhood like?

Schweizer: Both of my parents immigrated from Europe. My mom often shared her first-hand accounts of socialism in Sweden. My dad grew up during World War II in Switzerland, which was a neutral country. The reason he came to the United States is because he was inspired by American pilots who were shot down over Switzerland and taken in by the air base near his home.

My parents had a wonderful love for America that they passed on to me as I was growing up. We had many lively discussions around our dinner table.

“YAF has always done a good job of presenting substantive knowledge to young people, and ultimately, it fueled my love for reading and led me to become an author.”

— PETER SCHWEIZER Libertas: How did you get involved with the Conservative Movement?

Schweizer: I saw an ad for Young America’s Foundation in National Review, and I subsequently attended YAF’s National Conservative Student Conference in 1982 as a high school student.

I loved my experience and had a great deal of fun meeting other young people interested in the things I was passionate about. Hearing from terrific speakers like Burt Folsom on history and Jim Gwartney on economics was so informative.

I particularly appreciated that YAF

gave me access to conservative books, to which I had never been exposed before. We were given a stack of books by Milton Friedman, Bill Buckley, and other leading thinkers of the time. I discovered then that books can really influence a person over the long term.

YAF has always done a good job of presenting substantive knowledge to young people, and ultimately, it fueled my love for reading and led me to become an author.

Libertas: How did you join Young America’s Foundation’s staff?

Schweizer: I had just finished my graduate studies at Oxford University and was back in Washington, D.C. I approached Ron Robinson, YAF’s president, about a job, and he hired me. I ended up serving as the director of academic affairs and editing YAF’s publications, including Libertas.

Libertas: What is your most memorable experience from your time on YAF’s staff?

Students Jacob Porwisz and Juana Salas enjoy meeting with Schweizer during YAF’s Nashville Freedom Conference in 2020.

Libertas: Did you always know that you wanted to write books? Libertas: Which of your books are you most proud of?

Schweizer: YAF received a significant endowment from a generous donor, John Engalitcheff, which allowed the organization to grow its student programs. I had the opportunity to start developing our campus lecture program, help organize the National Conservative Student Conference, and be involved with a number of other exciting projects. Schweizer: I always loved books, but it was when I was on staff at YAF that Ron told me my future was in books—that writing books was what I was supposed to be doing. I was nervous, but YAF helped me develop my writing career. I am forever grateful for Ron’s support and encouragement. Schweizer: That is a tough question. If I had to pick, I would say Reagan’s War, which is one of my older books, because it is about an optimistic leader who overcame evil and achieved victory in the Cold War.

I like to think of the books I write today like Paul Revere warning that the British are coming—they alert people to what is really going on in our country.

I am proud of all of my books. I have sought to operate with the view that my readers’ time is precious. Therefore, I try hard to tell them things they don’t know and present them with a perspective they haven’t heard previously.

Libertas: Your latest book, RedHanded, was released earlier this year and reached #1 on the New York Times bestseller list. Why did you write this book?

Schweizer: I see important parallels between the challenge America faces today and the challenge we faced during

the Cold War. Our adversary today is China, not the Soviet Union. China is a more difficult opponent in many ways. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has more money, capabilities, and sophistication. I try to convey the scope of the competition we face with China.

I also want to help Americans become aware of how our elites are helping China run faster in this race between our two countries. I name these elites in my book. Some of them are motivated by money, others by philosophy.

Libertas: You have said that this project was the “scariest investigation” you have ever conducted. Can you expand on this?

Schweizer: The sheer breadth and depth of American elites’ relationship with the CCP is shocking. We are not talking about one or two individuals. We are talking about a broad group, including top people from Silicon Valley, Wall Street, and the nation’s capital.

By now, many Americans know that President Joe Biden’s family has financial ties to China. I exposed this in 2018. But in Red-Handed, I demonstrate how the family’s deals have actually materialized. Every single deal came about because of a single man, Che Feng, in a high-level position in the CCP.

We have to look at this revelation through the prism of U.S. national security. The Biden family—from the time Biden was vice president to today— has received some $31 million from individuals with ties to the highest levels of Chinese intelligence. This appears to be a Chinese effort to “capture” the Biden family.

YAF alumnus Mark Levin interviews fellow alumnus Peter Schweizer regarding Schweizer’s investigation into American elites’ ties to the Chinese Communist Party.

Libertas: What did you learn from your investigation about U.S. educational institutions’ relationship with the Chinese government?

Schweizer: Hundreds of millions of dollars from businessmen linked to the CCP are flowing to American colleges and universities. These individuals are sending large sums of money, often with strings attached. Think of this like a fishing line that allows the Chinese government to slowly reel in the leading educational institutions of America.

Take Yale University, for example. Joe Tsai, the founder of Alibaba, has given Yale millions of dollars. When a student leader from Hong Kong tried to speak at the center funded by Tsai, he was not welcomed. Yale faculty members and students say that Tsai’s influence has had a chilling effect on campus.

Libertas: How can Americans get involved in addressing this growing threat?

Schweizer: I encourage you to read Red-Handed to understand the scale of the problem and get informed on what the CCP is and what its leaders want to achieve.

Look at the products you are buying on a daily basis. Many electronic products we buy are made in China by companies that are also doing work for the CCP. Look at your financial

A Selection of Peter Schweizer’s Bestselling Books

investments. You may not even know that you own mutual funds with investments in China.

When it comes to public policy, write personal letters of concern to your representatives in office. They have an interest in listening to their constituents.

Libertas: You not only write bestsellers, but you also founded and serve as president of the Government Accountability Institute (GAI). What is the mission of GAI, and what is on the horizon for the organization?

Schweizer: Our mission is to investigate and expose crony capitalism, misuse of taxpayer monies, and other governmental corruption or malfeasance.

GAI, which is celebrating its tenth anniversary this year, is a nonpartisan

“The Biden family— from the time Biden was vice president to today—has received some $31 million from individuals with ties to the highest levels of Chinese intelligence.”

— PETER SCHWEIZER

New York Times bestselling author Peter Schweizer delivers an informative speech at the Foundation’s 34th annual National Conservative Student Conference.

team of researchers, writers, editors, factcheckers, and technology experts who work to uncover those politicians who abuse public service to enrich themselves and their families.

We have to be vague about what current and future investigations are on the horizon. This avoids tipping off our targets and giving them a chance to cover their tracks. What we do is not hard to understand: we follow the money. It is the same type of work that investigative reporters at newspapers and large networks used to do.

But there are exciting things happening at GAI that I can discuss. We are very proud of our new weekly podcast, The Drill Down, through which we discuss current issues with experts, authors, and even some former politicians using research provided by our team.

We launched a fellowship program that helps investigative journalists write books. Inaugural GAI Fellow Luke Rosiak’s book on Critical Race Theory and other educational shenanigans was co-produced by GAI and recently published. We have also welcomed author and former Congressman Jason Chaffetz and journalist Lee Smith to GAI as distinguished fellows.

GAI is certainly not just me. It is a talented team who love what they do.

“In my judgment, YAF is irreplaceable and poised for great things as college and university students finally wake up from the outrages of the woke campus Left.”

— PETER SCHWEIZER Libertas: What are your hopes for the future of YAF?

Schweizer: I hope that YAF continues to grow exponentially in terms of the numbers of young conservatives it is able to educate and train.

Libertas: You serve on YAF’s Board of Directors and frequently address our student audiences. Why is continuing your involvement with YAF important to you?

Schweizer: YAF meant the world to me when I was starting out, and it still does. No other organization reaches conservative students so effectively and so thoughtfully.

In my judgment, YAF is irreplaceable and poised for great things as college and university students finally wake up from the outrages of the woke campus Left. We must keep fighting for the truth and challenging the Left’s grip on academia, and YAF leads that fight.

Libertas: What advice would you share with a student just getting involved with YAF?

Schweizer: YAF is not just a tremendous opportunity for you to be of service to your country and to the cause, but also to experience amazing personal growth. You will experience uncomfortable situations that will make you stronger and tougher. You will have the chance to learn skills you might not otherwise get to employ. Seize these opportunities and relish the chance to develop friendships that will last your whole life.

Schweizer speaks to attendees at Young America’s Foundation’s 1991 National Conservative Student Conference.

Libertas: Why should someone consider financially supporting YAF?

Schweizer: America has always been a country of promise, but without organizations like YAF to prepare tomorrow’s leaders, our future will be darker than many can imagine.

As Ronald Reagan said, “Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children’s children what it was once like in the United States where men were free.”

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.