NOTE: This piece first appeared on NYNewsPress.com.
Rick LaRivière with Michael Volpe and Richard Luthmann
Podcast Fireworks: Patriot vs. Partisan in Episode 54
Episode 54 of The Unknown Podcast erupted in a fiery history lesson cum political smackdown. Co-host Richard Luthmann – channeling full NY Post flair – heaped praise on Donald Trump as a heroic victim of the “Swamp,” while co-host Michael Volpe played the skeptical foil, clinging to Bill Clinton comparisons.
The two hosts grilled historian Dennis A. Brennan about his bombshell book about the history of the Washington Swamp Witch Hunt: The Political Witch Hunts of Aaron Burr and Donald Trump. Volpe came in hot, demanding Brennan “defend Aaron Burr” – reminding that Burr did kill Alexander Hamilton and was accused of “something that could be called traitorous.”
But Brennan, a fair-minded historian and patriot, calmly countered that “the evidence wasn’t as strong as maybe history has portrayed” regarding Burr’s alleged treason.
In echoes of General Michael Flynn’s bogus prosecution, Aaron Burr was put on trial for treason in 1807 because Thomas Jefferson’s administration accused him of plotting to raise a private army in the western territories and separate lands from the United States. However, Chief Justice John Marshall ruled the government failed to prove he had committed any overt act of treason.
Luthmann, for his part, treated President Trump with the reverence due a living legend. He even lobbed a double-barreled question with a straight face: Should Donald Trump get the Nobel Peace Prize? And should Donald Trump be put on Mount Rushmore?
Luthmann floated the idea of an “America 250 Monument,” celebrating the top presidents of the last 125 years.
“I think you have to go Reagan, Trump, and FDR,” Luthmann said. “And we’ll throw in Bill Clinton to keep Mike Volpe happy.”
This is the kind of podcast where jaws drop and history rhymes. By the time Brennan drew his parallels, it was clear: the more things change, the more the political hit-job playbook stays the same.
Aaron Burr: First Victim of the Swamp Witch Hunt
Brennan paints Aaron Burr as a patriot who was smeared by the Founding-era Swamp long before the term existed. In 1807, President Thomas Jefferson and Federalist power-brokers orchestrated a treason trial to destroy Vice President Burr’s career.
“Aaron Burr and his defenders would argue that he was the first prominent elected official victimized by the Washington D.C. swamp”, Brennan writes.
The charges were trumped up with flimsy evidence and political vengeance. Burr’s enemies – allies of the late Hamilton and Jefferson’s cronies – were hell-bent on taking him down. Luthmann, the former “Game of Thrones” lawyer, knew a thing or two about the fateful day in Weehawken, New Jersey.
Burr’s detractors resorted to media manipulation. Hamilton’s camp ran a partisan press operation against Burr; Hamilton’s own son-in-law led one of the failed prosecutions. As Brennan noted on the podcast, Hamilton “started the New York Post” and “had a good network of the media” to paint Burr as a villain.
The result?
Burr was acquitted of treason in court, yet convicted in the court of public opinion. The Swamp of the 19th century spread a wild conspiracy theory that Burr planned to carve out his own country – utterly baseless, but effective in ruining him. Burr’s foes were “relentless in pursuit of his conviction by and with any means necessary.”
Sound familiar?
Volpe himself quipped that the mud slung at Burr was basically “one of a hundred articles today about Donald Trump.”
Two centuries ago, political operatives and a compliant press succeeded in burying Burr, a war hero and sitting VP, under a heap of false charges and scandal.
It was America’s original political witch hunt – the prototype for what would later be deployed against a very different kind of outsider president.
Donald Trump: Modern-Day Swamp Witch Hunt
Fast forward to today, and the Swamp’s playbook is still in play – only now the target is Donald J. Trump. Brennan’s thesis is simple: the establishment that loathed Burr in 1807 is akin to the establishment trying to kneecap Trump in 2023.
Just as Burr’s enemies accused him of treason and corruption to bar him from power, Trump’s enemies have weaponized every legal tool to derail him. They peddled the Russia “collusion” hoax, two impeachment drives, and now a blizzard of indictments – all to brand Trump as a traitor or criminal in the public eye.
Brennan’s book drives home how history repeats: “Like Trump’s enemies of modern times, Burr’s enemies were relentless in pursuit of his conviction by and with any means necessary.”
The echoes are uncanny. Burr faced a bogus “Spanish conspiracy” narrative; Trump faced the absurd Steele “pee tape” dossier. In fact, Brennan notes one of Burr’s chief accusers launched a newspaper to spread the rumor that Burr aimed to start his own empire – “a crazy rumor, much like one… that Russia had a ‘pee tape’ of Donald Trump.”
The method hasn’t changed: scandalous lies amplified by friendly media. As Brennan writes, “the power of a compliant press and powerful politicians can be overwhelming, whether it is the 19th or 21st century.”
On the podcast, Luthmann blisteringly agreed, slamming today’s left-wing media for 24/7 Trump-bashing. Even Volpe lauded Trump as the first modern president not to start a new war and the architect of Middle East peace deals – achievements the mainstream willfully ignores.
However, Volpe’s cynicism reared its head. To much eye-rolling, the co-host insisted, “The most fiscally conservative president… in my lifetime is Bill Clinton. …Trump isn’t fiscally conservative and… I don’t like that.” (Yes, you read that right: Volpe is still singing Bill Clinton’s praises in 2025! I think it will get worse if we put Clinton on a mountainside).
Maybe the article of faith for Swamp apologists is that Trump must be discredited at all costs – even if it means rehabilitating Clinton or downplaying Trump’s successes.
But Brennan’s historical perspective undercuts that narrative. He positions Trump as a transformative figure, much like Burr was in his time, who challenged the entrenched powers and thus earned their wrath. The parallels are undeniable and, for Trump’s supporters, vindicating.
History Strikes Back: A Patriotic Call to Arms
The explosive revelations from Brennan’s interview and book are more than history lessons – they’re a warning to patriots today. The Swamp’s tactics transcend time, and recognizing the pattern is the first step to breaking it.
Brennan, in his balanced but incisive way, treats both Burr and Trump not as perfect men, but as victims separated by centuries, bound by opponents’ hatred. His meticulous research reveals how political insiders will weaponize any tool – including media, courts, and Congress – to persecute an outsider threat.
Yet, as Trump’s resilience shows (much like Burr’s acquittal), truth can prevail when patriots stand firm.
Brennan’s work fits the hopeful framing of the New American Golden Age.
It shines sunlight on the darkest antics of the power-hungry, empowering citizens to demand better.
Luthmann closed the podcast praising Trump’s perseverance through “all the lawfare, impeachments, and treason,” noting that the American people saw through it and rallied to President Trump.
In the end, The Political Witch Hunts of Aaron Burr and Donald Trump is more than a history book – it’s a rallying cry. Brennan’s book is essential reading for every patriot who wants to understand how the Swamp operates across generations and how crucial it is to defend those who challenge it. It documents, in vivid detail and with ironclad sourcing, the blueprint of political witch hunts from 1807 and the present day.
To learn the full story of these parallel persecutions and arm yourself with knowledge, get Dennis A. Brennan’s eye-opening book (available now via authordennisbrennan.com). As this sensational saga of Burr and Trump shows, the fight for America’s soul is as old as America itself – and it’s patriots armed with truth who will win the day.
