Open Book with Anthony Scaramucci

Ex-CIA Officer: America Has a 20% Chance of Splitting Apart - James Telfer

August 6, 2026·29 min
Episode Description from the Publisher

A former CIA officer sat down to write a "fun airport novel" and ended up putting a 20% probability on America actually splitting apart. James Telfer joins me to talk about what he saw from the inside that made him think the unthinkable, and why he's not laughing at his own fiction anymore. James Telfer is a retired CIA officer. He received his Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice from the University of Florida, then his Master of Science in Criminology from Florida State University. He traveled the world in service to the country, retiring in December 2025. Get a copy of his book, The National Divorce: A Story of a Fractured Superpower Anthony Scaramucci is the founder and managing partner of SkyBridge, a global alternative investment firm, and founder and chairman of SALT, a global thought leadership forum and venture studio. Pre-order my next book, All the Wrong Moves: How Three Catastrophic Decisions Led to the Rise of Trump, out on the 17th of September in the UK and the 22nd of September in the US: ⁠https://www.scaramucci.net/allthewrongmoves Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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