Congrats on ur work dismantling the unfair good ol boy network. I’m sad it ended this way but I’m glad the truth was known before other children got hurt.

The guy is awful. That’s a given. But so are biased journalists. The hypocrisy here is stunning.

Awesome hosts, great music, and I loved the recordings mixed with the storytelling. Really well written and produced. I hope to hear more like this soon.

Crazy story!!

I wish it was longer, had more substance & got this man out of office. This just made me think of another criminal in power that’s going to stay in power, wreak havoc because of their stature or position & destroy lives until the people around them can no longer ignore the behavior...then it’s too late. I gave the podcast 5 stars despite this because these small country towns are incestuous to the point that right & wrong changes based on who you just had a beer with, sat beside in church, went to school with or slept with last night or last week. Their cognition is so narrow, they can convince each other of nearly anything. I’m glad I was born a world removed away from people like this, but damned if I can understand how mainstream can ignore it.

Thanks for your hard work and bravery.

Danny Johnson is obviously a horrible person but this is a ridiculously biased podcast.

I’m so glad there are reporters who aren’t afraid to expose the dirt of people like this man! The content was greatly assembled & put together, I listened to every episode immediately as it kept me on the edge of my seat hearing this story. Thank you, keep it coming!

This is outstanding. The way the info is presented kept my attention, was an enjoyable easy listen but with no fluff. Love that you all did not make it a party smear, very neutral view. I’m from Louisville and had no idea about most of this. Thank you for reporting.

I hesitated to listen to a story about a KY politician’s rise and presumable fall, but it is engrossing from the first installment. Excellent work, clearly reported and certainly not ‘fake’ news. It’s a demonstration of how dysfunctional political life has become. But I have faith in our people and country because there are hard-working individuals seeking out indisputable facts. Thank you.

This story might be interesting to people from the area where it took place, and I didn’t hate it, but what’s with the serial style in 16-20 minute increments? Makes no sense. This should have been a 90 minute podcast. Or, even better, an hour.

So i liked the story but trying to paint Trump the same as Dan Johnson is just stupid. Extremely bias investigation, clearly s bunch of democrats hating on republicans. The main voice is terrible and boring. Could’ve been a better story but yeah it is what it is.

I love good, hard hitting stories like this. Give me curated facts that expose monsters over puff pieces any day! Too bad that coward will never answer for his crimes.

Riveting podcast and true investigative journalism.

sooooo intense , from first episode to last !

No need to step on the mans grave with attacking his wife...

I devoured this podcast! I could not stop listening! Excellent investigative journalism and expert storytelling make this podcast one the best I’ve ever heard!

Fascinating, extremely well produced podcast. Riveting delivery of this story. Well done!

Follow the twists and turns of this story to the end. I suspect you’ll find it among your favorites as well. I liked this a little better than s-town.

An unbelievable story about a critical failure of our political system, judicial system, law enforcement and those parishioners who call themselves Christians. The man was a con and a fraud....but the systems allowed him to thrive.

It. This podcast was downright riveting. People are so insanely creepy and disgusting. My heart aches for the young girl who got caught up in this disaster of a family/church.

Left wing trash.

Fantastic show. I feared for the journos during points in this show. And the music is amazing. Big plus that the episodes are bite sized, not too long. One of my fav podcasts at the moment.

I have a feeling that the reporters and I would disagree on many issues, but this is an example of excellent investigative reporting. Pastors and elected officials must be held to a higher standard. This podcast miniseries is well worth your time. Hold journalists to this same high level of research and reporting too. Technically well produced.

This was an excellent podcast- I could not stop listening once I started.

This is a tough podcast to review. Overall, I think that the people media here make their case that Johnson was really a criminal and deserved to be brought to justice, but the way in which it was presented could have been done better, and left me feeling that it was 20% really good journalism, 50% useless filler, and 30% manipulation of the audience that was pretty obviously politically driven. I found it odd in quite a few places that they were outraged about some things which were hardly worth discussing (politics in the pulpit), but they didn't seem to me equally as disturbed about the police reaction to being asked about the rape case that was that wasn't properly investigated and why they couldn't be bothered to even talk to the family about it. They also found plenty of time to present Johnson's political opponent in glowing terms when she really had very little to do with the case, and to demonize his wife over comments she made that they didn't even bother to provide any support for, even though it would have been really easy to quote. There are a whole host of other things I could point to as well, but really people should listen to the podcast themselves and make up their own minds about it.

This is the real battle!

I’m glad to see local investigative reporting. This is the kind of journalism we should have seen on a national level in the 2016 election cycle. That’s why I chose to listen to this -because the description sounded very similar to the situation our country is now in.

Great podcast. I’m always amazed at the things the American white male can get away with. Thank you for pulling back the curtain on a complete fraud.

Well-told true story of political corruption and sanctimony. Fine research also.

No low blows here, the GOP calls fake news and low blows because they can’t handle the truth. This person was as a vile, and low, as anyone could have imagine. People sitting in church listening to hate and he’s raping, lying and being a racist all in the name of the Lord. Low blow would be he’s burning in hell right now. What The creators of this podcast did was unveiled the truth and the truth will always come to light.

The podcast is worth a listen and at times jaw dropping. However, the low blows delivered from the creators severely underscore the unimaginable actions perpetrated by the pope. Listeners didn’t need to hear from a tax attorney twice about 5013 tax status being taken away for political speech at church. Listeners didn’t need to hear about late property taxes or delinquent credit cards.

I listen to many podcasts, this is in the top 10 percent

Happy ending for me. Could’ve reduced the amount of episodes for the length of time each one was.

I feel like this was a real interesting story that turned into a hit piece. Seems like “The Pope” deserved everything he got but why in the last episode did the wife start getting attacked? Was she a criminal too? Idk what her Facebook posts said but it seems like you attacked her because she doesn’t agree with the LGBTQ community. Maybe she will kill herself so you can complete your objectives! You can’t call yourself reporters when you have an agenda. You wonder why people attack the media. You’re part of the problem! Heard NBC is looking for good liberals to attack the right. Maybe you can do a story on all the liberal celebrities accused of sexual misconduct. Plenty of them but then again they agree with your agenda so that won’t happen.

Good research and interesting story

I wish my local media did a podcast this in-depth. Very well done!

My feedback is intended to be constructive. I was looking for a great story (don’t care which side of the political spectrum you’re on) and found this one to be so obviously one sided it distracted from the really good content the story tellers had at their finger tips. I had hoped to learn something I didn’t know before and instead I was put off by the story tellers trying to persuade me with a lot of extra noise and commentary that didn’t add to the story line.

I am not always quick to reveal that I live in KY, this tragic story confirms again why I am hesitant. I live mere miles from the “Heart of Fire” church that the subject of this story used as his bunker of deceit and horror. This is the “church” where he filmed his gun wielding choir singing “Amazing Grace”. It is appalling that this went on in an otherwise progressive and inclusive city in a state burdened by a long history of sordid backwoods lore and corruption. The piece is produced by the amazing folks at the local NPR affiliate, WFPK, proof positive that amazing journalism can offer an informed and compelling response to a terrifying story!

The story of one shady religious figure/politician that makes an example of the flaws in our political and judicial system. Liars and cheaters get ahead.

This is a really good story with well researched information. Great job to the team, and thank you for putting this together!

Great storytelling. Must listen for podcast fans.

I’m only on the first episode when he says “Jesus wants us to be armed” but IIRC, Jesus was a pacifist. I’m at a loss for words.

I’ve never been so angry listening to a podcast before. Angry because of the miscarriage of justice for Richmond. Angry because misled and manipulated voters elected this man into a position of power. Angry because people turned a blind eye to obvious acts of fraud and criminal behavior. For anyone who thinks this podcast is biased, there’s no other way to look at sexual assault and insurance fraud other than how it appears. I recommend listening, not just because it’s an intriguing story, but because people need to understand who this man is and how he was able to gain such positions of power so we can ensure this never happens again.

If you’re going to have a content warning at the beginning for the episode for adult content an language then the podcast creators should mark the podcast as explicit.

Johnson,The Pope, is not a libertarian, and putting him in the same category as the party that has supported LGBTQ rights, financial responsibility, religious tolerance, and economic freedom is simply inaccurate. The word you may be looking for is totalitarian, alt right, or even theocratic- each of which couldn’t be further from libertarian ideas. Fix this in your first episode and I’d happily jump to a five star review.

This is so interesting! Thanks for putting it out there. This guy was horrible.

Awesome insight.

This story is fascinating, it’s alarming to realize I’ve never heard of this sociopath before. It makes you wonder how many more criminal con men are serving in our government as a result of the system that is in place to stop them, completely failing to do so. Highly recommend this pod cast to everyone!! Excellent investigative journalism. We need more reporters like these guys to continue fighting the good fight and getting stories like this out in the world and exposing these criminals and conmen for who and what they are.

Living in Kentucky it’s hard to believe I didn’t know more of the details surrounding this need story. So glad to have a source that actually gives the full details surrounding such a tragic event. Only catching the clips on the nightly news doesn’t do justice on giving all the facts.