Your enemy is well trained, well equipped in battle hard.

There is not a liberal America and a conservative America.

There is the United States of America. Good night and good luck.

Hey folks and welcome back to the Lincoln Project Podcast.

I am your host, as always Rick Wilson.

I am joined today by the brilliant and very insightful

Brody Mullins who has written a book about how Washington really works.

It's called the Wolves of K Street and for a lot of you you have a kind of beautiful vision of Washington of eager young people going to work for their eager young congressional member from East Palatka, Florida,

or wherever else in the country they might come from.

And you have this kind of Aaron Sorkinesque West Wing

vision of Washington and how it works. You think they're working for the good of the

order. Brody's book will peel any illusions you may have about that back. And for those of you who are of a more cynical take, I want to tell

you this is a book you should read because it will really even surprise you. And I have

been around Washington my entire life. I have been around Washington my entire life.

I have been around that process my entire life.

And even I was like, whoa, hello to a few of these stories.

So Brody, I want to welcome you to the show. Thank you so much for joining us on the Lincoln Project podcast. So tell us about the Wolves of K Street. How did you come to write this book?

Yeah, well, first of all, it's sort of sad to hear you say that. I think it's unfortunately true, but

you know, what we're really trying to write about is how Washington really works. And, you know, one of the things that

people learn about Washington or hear about Washington is that

you know this is where smart young people are the best and brightest go to

you work for their government and to help out society and people think that

...