Craig Unger (b. March 25, 1949) is an American journalist and writer. He has served as deputy editor of ''

The New York Observer ''The New York Observer'' was a weekly newspaper established in 1987. In 2016, it ceased print publication and became the online-only newspaper ''Observer''. The media site focuses on culture, real estate, media, politics and the entertainment ...

'' and was editor-in-chief of ''Boston'' magazine. He has written about

George H. W. Bush George Herbert Walker BushBefore the outcome of the 2000 United States presidential election, he was usually referred to simply as "George Bush" but became more commonly known as "George H. W. Bush", "Bush Senior," "Bush 41," and even "Bush th ...

and

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician and businessman who was the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Bush family and the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he i ...

for ''

The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. It was founded on February 21, 1925, by Harold Ross and his wife Jane Grant, a reporter for ''The New York T ...

'', ''

Esquire Magazine ''Esquire'' is an American men's magazine. Currently published in the United States by Hearst, it also has more than 20 international editions. Founded in 1933, it flourished during the Great Depression and World War II under the guidance of ...

'', and '' Vanity Fair''. He has written about the Romney family and Hart InterCivic, as well as about

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...

's links to the

Russian mafia The Russian mafia ( or ), also known as Bratva ( ; ) less as Obshchak (Общак) or Brigades (Бригады) , is a collective of various organized crime related elements originating or/and operating in Russia. In December 2009, Timur ...

Vladimir Putin Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin (born 7 October 1952) is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who has served as President of Russia since 2012, having previously served from 2000 to 2008. Putin also served as Prime Minister of Ru ...

, and how "he is 'absolutely certain' that the U.S. president is a Russian asset".

Early life and education

Unger grew up in

Dallas Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...

, Texas, and graduated from Harvard University."Profile: Craig Unger"
''Scribe Publishing House'' : London & Melbourne. Accessed March 11, 2025

Career

On April 11, 2004, Unger wrote an

op-ed An op-ed, short for "opposite the editorial page," is a type of written prose commonly found in newspapers, magazines, and online publications. They usually represent a writer's strong and focused opinion on an issue of relevance to a targeted a ...

for ''

The Boston Globe ''The Boston Globe,'' also known locally as ''the Globe'', is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes. ''The Boston Globe'' is the oldest and largest daily new ...

'' demanding answers from the

9/11 Commission The National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States, commonly known as the 9/11 Commission, was set up on November 27, 2002, to investigate all aspects of the September 11 attacks, the deadliest terrorist attack in world history ...

on who had given permission for Saudi nationals to leave the United States. He repeated the theme in his 2004 book, '' House of Bush, House of Saud'', that was also featured in

Michael Moore Michael Francis Moore is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, and author. Moore's work frequently addresses various Social issue, social, political, and economic topics. He first became publicly known for his award-winning debut ...

's film ''

Fahrenheit 9/11 ''Fahrenheit 9/11'' is a 2004 American documentary film directed, written by, and starring Michael Moore. The subjects of the film are the presidency of George W. Bush, the Iraq War, and the media's coverage of the war. In the film, Moore state ...

'': "Is it possible that President Bush himself played a role in authorizing the evacuation of the Saudis after 9/11?" Unger reportedly traced $1.4 billion in investments by the Saudis to friends and business organizations closely associated with the

Bush family The Bush family is an American political family that has played a prominent role in American politics since the 1950s, foremost as the first family of the United States from 1989 to 1993 and again from 2001 to 2009, during the respective preside ...

. Unger's 2007 book ''The Fall of the House of Bush'' is about the internal feud in the Bush family and the rise and collusion of the

neoconservative Neoconservatism (colloquially neocon) is a political movement which began in the United States during the 1960s among liberal hawks who became disenchanted with the increasingly pacifist Democratic Party along with the growing New Left and ...

and

Christian right The Christian right are Christian political factions characterized by their strong support of socially conservative and traditionalist policies. Christian conservatives seek to influence politics and public policy with their interpretation ...

in Republican party politics, viewing each group's

world view A worldview (also world-view) or is said to be the fundamental cognitive orientation of an individual or society encompassing the whole of the individual's or society's knowledge, culture, and point of view. However, when two parties view the s ...

and efforts concerning present and potential future US policy through a distinctly negative prism. In his previous work, ''House of Bush, House of Saud'' explored the relationship between the Bush family and the

House of Saud The House of Saud ( ) is the ruling royal family of Saudi Arabia. It is composed of the descendants of Muhammad bin Saud, founder of the Emirate of Diriyah, known as the First Saudi State, (1727–1818), and his brothers, though the ruling ...

. In his 2018 book, ''House of Trump, House of Putin: The Untold Story of Donald Trump and the Russian Mafia'', Unger tells about links existing between the Russian mafia, Vladimir Putin, and the Trump Organization. He names 59 Russians as long-term business associates of

Signs of Trump-Putin collaboration, starting years before the campaign?
by Shane Harris,

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...

In February 2025, Unger was interviewed and said that "he is 'absolutely certain' that the U.S. president is a Russian asset".

Books

* ''Blue Blood'' (1989). New York:

St. Martin's Press St. Martin's Press is a book publisher headquartered in Manhattan in New York City. It is headquartered in the Equitable Building (New York City), Equitable Building. St. Martin's Press is considered one of the largest English-language publishe ...

. . . * '' House of Bush, House of Saud: The Secret Relationship Between the World's Two Most Powerful Dynasties'' (2004). New York: Scribner. . . * ''The Fall of the House of Bush: The Untold Story of How a Band of True Believers Seized the Executive Branch, Started the Iraq War, and Still Imperils America's Future'' (2007). New York: Scribner. . . * ''American Armageddon: How the Delusions of the Neoconservatives and the Christian Right Triggered the Descent of America--and Still Imperil Our Future.'' (2008) New York: Scribner. . . * ''Boss Rove: Inside Karl Rove's Secret Kingdom of Power'' (2012)''.'' New York: Scribner. . . * ''When Women Win: EMILY's List and the Rise of Women in American Politics'' (2016), with Ellen Malcolm. Boston:

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Company ( ; HMH) is an American publisher of textbooks, instructional technology materials, assessments, and reference works. The company is based in the Financial District, Boston, Boston Financial District. It was fo ...

. . . * ''House of Trump, House of Putin: The Untold Story of Donald Trump and the Russian Mafia'' (2018). New York, New York: Dutton. . . * ''American Kompromat: How the KGB Cultivated Donald Trump, and Related Tales of Sex, Greed, Power, and Treachery'' (2021). New York, New York: Dutton. . . * ''Den of Spies: Reagan, Carter, and the Secret History of the Treason That Stole the White House'' (2024). Boston: Mariner Books. . .

References

External links

''craigunger.com''

Craig Unger
Bio * *
'War president' Bush has always been soft on terror
Craig Unger, ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'', September 11, 2004
Saving the Saudis
Craig Unger, '' Vanity Fair'' at Wes Jones. {{DEFAULTSORT:Unger, Craig 20th-century American journalists 21st-century American journalists 20th-century American non-fiction writers 21st-century American non-fiction writers American political historians American political writers American foreign policy writers American magazine editors American male journalists American male non-fiction writers Harvard University alumni 1949 births Living people

Early life and education

Career

Books

See also

References

External links