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My Unredacted Interview with The Leah Files

Shawn Ryan Show

Hosted by Shawn Ryan

1h 44m
Transcript

Original podcast

Summary

Written by a model from the transcript; not yet reviewed.

This episode features a conversation with corporate intelligence consultant Leah, known online as The Leah Files, discussing her background in financial modeling and risk assessment for national security agencies and her current work investigating corporate fraud and political operations. The discussion covers detailed analyses of nonprofit funding irregularities, foreign influence campaigns registered under FARA, the expansion of automated license plate reader surveillance networks, and proposed defense technology integrations. The guest and host examine the erosion of public trust in government and institutions, exploring how financial tracking and data trails reveal discrepancies between official narratives and actual practices.

  • Cryptocurrency transactions can be traced across the public blockchain until they are eventually cashed out at an exchange address. 8:17
  • Financial due diligence on organizations begins by examining vendor payments because they represent the most common way to hide money. 51:26
  • Audit logs for automated license plate reader networks show that a significant majority of searches lack recorded case numbers or valid justifications. 1:22:22
  • Terms of service agreements for popular applications should be carefully reviewed because some US-based services operate under foreign jurisdiction. 1:14:24

Chapters

  1. 0:00
    Podcast Intro and Advertisements

    The episode opens with a brief promo for Apple Sports and a credit card offer before the host introduces the guest.

  2. 0:54
    Host Introduces Leah Files and Controversy

    The host explains why Leah Files was previously excluded from the show and sets the stage for her interview.

  3. 4:37
    Leah Files’ Background and Firm Overview

    Leah introduces herself, her firm Black Widow Global, and describes her career in corporate intelligence and national security.

  4. 5:50
    Early Career and First Interesting Case

    Leah recounts her first intriguing investigation involving a shady Tennessee businessman and the emotional impact of the case.

  5. 7:27
    Corporate Intelligence and Fraud Detection

    Leah discusses how her firm investigates fraud, hidden financial relationships, and the importance of tracing money flows.

  6. 12:53
    Personal History and Family Trauma

    Leah shares her traumatic upbringing, lack of memories before age 14, and how she became the caretaker of her siblings.

  7. 24:37
    Closing Reflections and Future Directions

    The conversation wraps up with Leah reflecting on her journey, the challenges of public scrutiny, and her hopes for the future.

  8. 40:40
    Political Consulting and the TPUSA Investigation

    Leah details her work with political clients, including a deep dive into TPUSA’s finances and the aftermath of Charlie Kirk’s assassination.

  9. 46:31
    Petrodollar and Global Energy Shifts

    Leah touches on the petrodollar’s future, the impact of the Ukraine war, and the potential rise of alternative currencies.

  10. 57:21
    Nonprofit for‑Profit Conflict

    The hosts discuss how a for‑profit media entity uses a nonprofit’s name and likeness without paying royalties, raising questions about financial gain and donor trust.

  11. 58:34
    Influencer Money & Political Messaging

    They examine how influencers are paid to push political narratives, the role of advertisers, and the financial incentives behind content creation.

  12. 1:09:57
    FARA‑Registered Influence Campaigns

    The conversation turns to Brad Parscale’s FARA‑registered operations, detailing how Israeli money funnels through U.S. companies to influence conservative audiences.

  13. 1:14:25
    Waze and Israeli Control

    They uncover that Waze’s terms of service indicate the app is run from Israel, raising concerns about data jurisdiction and user privacy.

Highlights

  • 6:57

    Investigating Social Media Claimsinsight

    The guest explains how her firm investigates hidden financial relationships and corporate fraud, noting that public LinkedIn profiles and financial records often expose discrepancies in executive claims.

  • 13:30

    Childhood Trauma and Memory Lossstory

    The guest shares her background growing up in an abusive household, explaining that severe trauma caused her to lose almost all memories prior to the age of fourteen.

  • 24:50

    Discovering Government Financial Realitiesstrategy

    The guest describes her early career work building satellite cost models and analyzing budgets for intelligence agencies, where she learned that tax dollars often do not align with stated agency missions.

  • 50:15

    Nonprofit Financial Irregularitiesdata

    The guest details her financial analysis of a major political nonprofit, pointing out large vendor payments directed to internal personnel and significant revenue growth driven by a handful of donors.

  • 1:00:06

    Foreign Influence Campaign Registrationsdata

    The guest discusses Foreign Agents Registration Act filings and explains how foreign funding is routed through advertising companies to support domestic political messaging networks.

  • 1:17:49

    Surveillance Network Capabilitiesinsight

    The guest outlines the expansion of automated license plate reader networks and the associated data add-ons that collect information from open-source databases and bluetooth devices.

Quotes

  • “I have, yeah, zero recollection of most things, so.”
    Unnamed speaker · 14:32
  • “Crypto is actually almost one of the easier ones to trace on the public blockchain.”
    Unnamed speaker · 8:17
  • “I never got depressed, I never, I never absorbed it.”
    Unnamed speaker · 23:38
  • “I think the money tells a better picture than what the story is that you tell people.”
    Unnamed speaker · 30:27
  • “I have a lot of people on social media talking about, we go after countries.”
    Unnamed speaker · 47:37
  • “I think there's a few that should be registered in FARA. But Pam Bondi, back in 2025, one of the first things she did when she got in was, you don't have to register in FARA unless you're literally an agent for that country.”
    Unnamed speaker · 1:13:56
  • “The DIA came out and said, Israel is spying on our government officials. They are a, like, espionage threat.”
    Unnamed speaker · 1:38:48
  • Glacier 1:08:06–1:09:38
  • Sean Ryan Show 1:43:39–1:43:56

About this episode

Leah, I chose not to release your episode because I personally had serious concerns about the truthfulness of your statements. I take what I put out on my platform seriously for myself and for my listeners. For the sake of transparency, here's the full interview so everyone can watch and draw their own conclusions. As for my investments, I've intentionally made them public, as you see on my LinkedIn. I invest in Shield AI and Anduril for no other reason than I believe in their ability to develop technology that equips and protects the American warfighter. That's something deeply personal to me that I believe in. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

0:00
1:44:24

16,374 words · 4 speakers

Speaker names marked are inferred from speaking time and the show’s known hosts — they are not voice-verified.

Topics

  • Flock
  • FARA
  • Ring
  • Waze
  • Google
  • Nova
  • The Charlie Kirk Show
  • Salem Media
  • Nashville
  • Toka

Page updated · transcript and summary are machine-generated