Ronald Reagan Headshot - P 2014
AP ImagesThis story first appeared in the June 20 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine.
Whispered rumors that MCA mogul Lew Wasserman was linked to the Mafia (mainly through his association with underworld-connected attorney Sidney Korshak) have swirled for years. Now there’s a new twist. As alleged in director Shawn Swords’ upcoming documentary Wages of Spin II: Bring Down That Wall, Ronald Reagan and members of his cabinet appear to have scuttled a federal investigation into MCA’s alleged mob connections.
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Two former Justice Department officials and a former FBI agent, who were spearheading the probe, say they lost or left their jobs when it suddenly was ordered shut down at “the highest levels in Washington,” according to Swords, who will screen the film at Santa Monica’s NMS Studios on June 27 under the auspices of Great Minds Salon, a favorite with Hollywood progressives. “Wasserman had orchestrated Reagan’s entire career. The whole relationship was a quid pro quo,” says Swords. When MCA officials were alerted, “they called in their favors with the DOJ and Reagan.” Swords’ previous film, Wages of Spin, probed the late Dick Clark’s alleged role in payola.
