FBI Leadership Failures: Critiques on Kash Patel, Centralized Control, and Counterterrorism Realities| Ep. 262 | Pt. 3

Mike Drop

Mike Ritland

Society & Culture, Personal Journals, Documentary, Politics, News

4.9 • 6.3K Ratings

🗓️ 24 October 2025

⏱️ 63 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Dive into the gripping world of counterterrorism and FBI operations in Part 3 of Episode 262 of the Mike Drop podcast, hosted by former Navy SEAL Mike Ritland. In this installment, Ritland sits down with retired FBI Special Agent Harry Samit, a veteran investigator renowned for his pivotal role in pre-9/11 interrogations, including the arrest of Zacarias Moussaoui, often called the "20th hijacker." Listeners will uncover insider stories from Sam's 21-year career, including the rise of Somali extremism in the Twin Cities, high-stakes cases involving al-Shabab and ISIS recruitment, the FBI's evolution post-9/11, and candid critiques of Bureau leadership, from risk-averse management to directors like Kash Patel. Samit also shares thoughts on ongoing threats like lone-wolf radicalization via social media, the Patriot Act's impact, narco-terrorism, and even Epstein's mysterious death. Whether you're a true crime enthusiast, history buff, or concerned citizen, this episode delivers raw, unfiltered insights into national security, institutional challenges, and the human side of fighting terror—perfect for anyone seeking a deeper understanding of America's frontline defenses. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	I'm curious, I mean, spending your entire career in the Twin Cities, I mean, I grew up not far from there.
0:07.7	I haven't spent a ton of time there, but it seems like, and correct me if I'm wrong, but that there's almost a deerborn Michigan-like pocket of Somali and East African or Arabian Peninsula sympathetic, you know, like Muslim extremist sympathizer,
0:25.6	it seems like there's a big community of that there. Do you know why the Twin Cities?
0:29.6	I don't know. I've been asked that many times and it's interesting. We've had a couple cases,
0:36.6	you know, where a major portion of the JTTF has had to deploy
0:40.9	to other locations where there's Somalis, like Duluth, for example.
0:45.3	Yeah, it's way up more.
0:46.3	Yeah.
0:47.3	I don't know if you know the geography, but it's only a couple hours, not even, it's like
0:50.8	an hour and a half from the Twin Cities.
0:52.9	That community, in terms of numbers of Somalis, looks exactly the same, but it's not extremist. Same with Seattle. They have some extremists, lots of Somalis in Seattle, but not extremist. San Diego has some Somalis, but not extremist. But for whatever reason, there's always a strong center of gravity of Islamic extremist
1:14.1	Somalis in the Twin Cities.
1:16.6	I'm not an expert on this.
1:18.1	I don't know for sure why.
1:20.1	If I had to guess, I would say it's because of the factor that governs everything in
1:24.4	Somali life, which is tribalism.
1:27.0	And so it might just be that the tribes that have settled in the Twin Cities are the ones
1:32.3	that have the most extremists.
1:33.8	But we've got, the Twin Cities has got plenty, plenty of them.
1:38.3	Is that Ilan Omar's district?
1:41.3	Correct.
1:42.3	Yeah.
	...

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