Audiobook13 hours
The Chickenshit Club: Why the Justice Department Fails to Prosecute ExecutivesWhite Collar Criminals
Written by Jesse Eisinger
Narrated by Jonathan Todd Ross
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
5/5
()
About this audiobook
Winner of the 2018 Excellence in Financial Journalism Award
From Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist Jesse Eisinger, “a fast moving, fly-on-the-wall, disheartening look at the deterioration of the Justice Department and the Securities and Exchange Commission…It is a book of superheroes” (San Francisco Review of Books).
Why were no bankers put in prison after the financial crisis of 2008? Why do CEOs seem to commit wrongdoing with impunity? The problem goes beyond banks deemed “Too Big to Fail” to almost every large corporation in America—to pharmaceutical companies and auto manufacturers and beyond. The Chickenshit Club—an inside reference to prosecutors too scared of failure and too daunted by legal impediments to do their jobs—explains why in “an absorbing financial history, a monumental work of journalism…a first-rate study of the federal bureaucracy” (Bloomberg Businessweek).
Jesse Eisinger begins the story in the 1970s, when the government pioneered the notion that top corporate executives, not just seedy crooks, could commit heinous crimes and go to prison. He brings us to trading desks on Wall Street, to corporate boardrooms and the offices of prosecutors and FBI agents. These revealing looks provide context for the evolution of the Justice Department’s approach to pursuing corporate criminals through the early 2000s and into the Justice Department of today, including the prosecutorial fiascos, corporate lobbying, trial losses, and culture shifts that have stripped the government of the will and ability to prosecute top corporate executives.
“Brave and elegant…a fearless reporter…Eisinger’s important and profound book takes no prisoners” (The Washington Post). Exposing one of the most important scandals of our time, The Chickenshit Club provides a clear, detailed explanation as to how our Justice Department has come to avoid, bungle, and mismanage the fight to bring these alleged criminals to justice. “This book is a wakeup call…a chilling read, and a needed one” (NPR.org).
From Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist Jesse Eisinger, “a fast moving, fly-on-the-wall, disheartening look at the deterioration of the Justice Department and the Securities and Exchange Commission…It is a book of superheroes” (San Francisco Review of Books).
Why were no bankers put in prison after the financial crisis of 2008? Why do CEOs seem to commit wrongdoing with impunity? The problem goes beyond banks deemed “Too Big to Fail” to almost every large corporation in America—to pharmaceutical companies and auto manufacturers and beyond. The Chickenshit Club—an inside reference to prosecutors too scared of failure and too daunted by legal impediments to do their jobs—explains why in “an absorbing financial history, a monumental work of journalism…a first-rate study of the federal bureaucracy” (Bloomberg Businessweek).
Jesse Eisinger begins the story in the 1970s, when the government pioneered the notion that top corporate executives, not just seedy crooks, could commit heinous crimes and go to prison. He brings us to trading desks on Wall Street, to corporate boardrooms and the offices of prosecutors and FBI agents. These revealing looks provide context for the evolution of the Justice Department’s approach to pursuing corporate criminals through the early 2000s and into the Justice Department of today, including the prosecutorial fiascos, corporate lobbying, trial losses, and culture shifts that have stripped the government of the will and ability to prosecute top corporate executives.
“Brave and elegant…a fearless reporter…Eisinger’s important and profound book takes no prisoners” (The Washington Post). Exposing one of the most important scandals of our time, The Chickenshit Club provides a clear, detailed explanation as to how our Justice Department has come to avoid, bungle, and mismanage the fight to bring these alleged criminals to justice. “This book is a wakeup call…a chilling read, and a needed one” (NPR.org).
Author
Jesse Eisinger
Jesse Eisinger is a Pulitzer Prize–winning senior reporter at ProPublica. His work has appeared in The New York Times, The Atlantic, and The Washington Post. Previously, he was the Wall Street Editor of Conde Nast Portfolio and a columnist for The Wall Street Journal, covering markets and finance. He lives in Brooklyn with his wife and their daughters.
Related to The Chickenshit Club
Related audiobooks
Making Our Democracy Work: A Judge's View Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Secret Barrister: Stories of the Law and How It's Broken Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Closing the Courthouse Door: How Your Constitutional Rights Became Unenforceable Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Fake Law: The Truth About Justice in an Age of Lies Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Myth of Capitalism: Monopolies and the Death of Competition Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Secrecy World: Inside the Panama Papers Investigation of Illicit Money Networks and the Global Elite Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Usual Cruelty: The Complicity of Lawyers in the Criminal Justice System Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Law of the Land: The Evolution of Our Legal System Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Punishment Without Trial: Why Plea Bargaining is a Bad Deal Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThese are the Plunderers: How Private Equity Runs—and Wrecks—America Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Hidden History of American Healthcare: Why Sickness Bankrupts You and Makes Others Insanely Rich Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5American Amnesia: How the War on Government Led Us to Forget What Made America Rich Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Bull by the Horns: Fighting to Save Main Street from Wall Street and Wall Street from Itself Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Health Justice Now: Single Payer and What Comes Next Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Pharma: Greed, Lies, and the Poisoning of America Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5On Treason: A Citizen's Guide to the Law Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Key Man: The True Story of How the Global Elite Was Duped by a Capitalist Fairy Tale Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Ending Mass Incarceration: Why it Persists and How to Achieve Meaningful Reform Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Cult of the Constitution Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Triumph of Injustice: How the Rich Dodge Taxes and How to Make Them Pay Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Harvest the Vote: How Democrats Can Win Again in Rural America Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Corruptible: Who Gets Power and How It Changes Us Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Fraud: An American History from Barnum to Madoff Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Straight Talk on Trade: Ideas for a Sane World Economy Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Firepower: How the NRA Turned Gun Owners into a Political Force Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHitler's American Model: The United States and the Making of Nazi Race Law Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Scheme: How the Right Wing Used Dark Money to Capture the Supreme Court Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
Business & Financial Law For You
Secrecy World: Inside the Panama Papers Investigation of Illicit Money Networks and the Global Elite Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Case for Culture: How to Stop Being a Slave to Your Law Firm, Grow Your Practice, and Actually Be Happy Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Secrets of Closing the Sale Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Wall Street Money Machine: New and Incredible Strategies for Cash Flow and Wealth Enhancement Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Coping With Difficult People: In Business And In Life Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Profit Wise: How to Make More Money in Business by Doing the Right Thing Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Getting Through: Cold Calling Techniques To Get Your Foot In The Door Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Venture Deals: Be Smarter Than Your Lawyer and Venture Capitalist Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Ben & Jerry's Double-Dip Capitalism: Lead With Your Values and Make Money Too Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Working Without A Net: How to Survive and Thrive in Today's High Risk Business World Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHigh Efficiency Selling:: How Superior Salespeople Get That Way Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Flow of Illicit Funds: A Case Study Approach to Anti–Money Laundering Compliance Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSmart Negotiating Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Organized Executive: New Ways to Manage Time, Paper and People Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5America, Compromised Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Motley Fool's Rule Makers, Rule Breakers: The Foolish Guide to Picking Stocks Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Reviews for The Chickenshit Club
Rating: 4.75 out of 5 stars
5/5
24 ratings1 review
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Excellent book that gives a detailed account of the problems & corruption the DOJ faces.