The Adam Carolla Show: "Conspiracies and Coverups with Patrick Byrne + Mike Murphy Talks Chaos in California"

Date: October 29, 2025
Guests: Patrick Byrne (businessman, author of "Danger Close") & Mike Murphy (political consultant, co-host of "Hacks on Tap")
Host: Adam Carolla

Episode Overview

This episode dives headlong into high-level political conspiracies, the mechanics of the so-called "deep state," transformations in American political and social culture, and the dysfunction in California's governance. Adam Carolla hosts a provocative conversation with Patrick Byrne, former CEO of Overstock and government intelligence asset, about his firsthand experiences with covert political operations, including the origins of the Russia collusion narrative and broader elite manipulation. Later, veteran political strategist Mike Murphy joins to discuss the chaotic state of California politics, mayoral races, and the shifting ground in national Democratic leadership.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Patrick Byrne: From Overstock to Intelligence Operations

• Background: Byrne details his academic (Dartmouth, Stanford, Cambridge) and business success (Overstock.com), emphasizing the way his education and encounters with early ‘woke’ politics shaped his contrarian views.
• Notable Quote:

  "I ran into what I would call early woke... It was a reaction against the woke people I was meeting in the Bay Area in the late 80s." (03:41, Byrne)

2. Critique of 'Woke' Ideology and Modern Leftism

• Byrne and Carolla delineate the difference between classic liberalism and present-day 'woke' activism, blaming it for policy failures and narcissism.
• Thomas Sowell is cited as a source of inspiration regarding the perils of sanctimonious policymaking.
• Carolla:

  "Their woke ideas start off as sort of compassion meets a crunchy hippiness and then eventually become policy and then destruction." (05:24)

• Byrne:

  "They never eat their own cooking." (08:59)

3. Elite Hypocrisy: COVID, Optics, and Double Standards

• Carolla rails against hypocrisy in political elites (e.g., Gavin Newsom’s COVID conduct), arguing their actions betray what they truly believe.
• Carolla:

  "When you wave the mask off, that means you don't believe it works." (09:01)

4. Byrne’s Claims: Deep State, Election Rigging, and Psyops

• Byrne describes the apparent belief among U.S. elites in a system where a "small elite should make the decisions for all the rest of us" (11:33), and outlines his perspective on the 2020 election as rigged, with lasting deep state repercussions.
• Discussion of psychological manipulation—referencing the "Besmenov psyop" (40:36)—claiming a four-step process to societal overthrow: demoralization, disorientation, crisis, normalization.

5. Origins of the Russia Collusion Narrative

• Byrne makes explosive claims of firsthand involvement in what he alleges was a staged Russian collusion plot, orchestrated by Brennan and Obama, intended to be used against any Republican winner, not just Trump.
• Byrne:

  "I set up the Russian collusion hoax. That’s why you have pictures of me dating this good looking redhead, this Russian spy, Maria Butina. I was sent by the FBI... Barack Obama, John Brennan, and James Comey started a soft coup on the United States." (25:54, 26:51)

• He alleges setting up an $18 million bribe to Hillary Clinton, which was to serve as blackmail material for Obama to control her presidency. (27:31)
• All these activities, Byrne claims, have been relayed under oath to the January 6th Committee. (30:32)

6. Patrick Byrne’s Deep State & Global Power Structure Theories

• Byrne describes a multi-tiered system: Obama and Brennan at the US top, then international influence from entities like the World Economic Forum (WEF), George Soros, and China.
• Byrne:

  "It's China and the WEF... they both agreed on overthrowing the US and instituting a globalist order." (19:30)

7. Media, Groupthink, and Political Manipulation

• The hosts discuss how late-night TV and mainstream media reinforce in-group orthodoxy and dismiss dissent as lunacy.
• Carolla:

  "Everything with them is we in the in group. ...All the jokes work because they all know all these things for sure. So Bill Maher doesn’t even have to really explain anything..." (23:05)

8. Mass Psychology, Social Engineering & 'Chick Think'

• Byrne and Carolla dissect how, under intense psychological manipulation (e.g., during COVID), people become malleable (‘lemmings’).
• They introduce the (controversial) notion of "chick think"—a criticism of perceived societal feminization and fear-based decision-making, tying it to disaster responses and policy-making in California.
• Carolla:

  "There's a big problem going on with chick think... it's fear-based, dumb chick think... but in California, it's not a mom and a dad, it's three moms and a neutered dad." (47:13, 53:43)

9. California Governance Dysfunction: Mike Murphy Interview

• Murphy discusses Rick Caruso's potential mayoral or gubernatorial run, characterizing Caruso as a builder who contrasts favorably with ceremonial, unproductive politicians.
• Murphy claims that California is at a tipping point, and political change only follows visible crisis (e.g., fires, homelessness).
• Murphy:

  "Voters like to vote for what they think they did not get the last time..." (109:52)

• Both Murray and Carolla lament the lack of actual competence in LA leadership, citing consistently ineffectual mayors.

10. National Dem Politics: Newsom, Kamala, and the Next Wave

• Murphy speculates about Newsom's presidential ambitions, noting his mixed record and the challenge of authenticity in modern politics.
• Murphy:

  "The best rocket fuel is authenticity. The bullshit meter is so sharp on people now." (120:19)

• He predicts AOC may run for president, and notes the party’s battle between its hard left and moderate wings is still unresolved.

Notable Quotes & Timestamps

• Patrick Byrne: "We discovered that the business we had built to liquidate excess inventory worked really well on bankruptcies." (03:03)
• On Woke Ideology: Byrne: "Woke is something that goes much beyond just taking left sort of normal leftist... positions and really is antagonistic towards and corrosive of our foundational principles." (05:07)
• On Hypocrisy: Carolla: "Gavin Newsom talks about the dangers of COVID and shuts down outdoor dining and then goes to the French Laundry." (09:01)
• On Deep State Control: Byrne: "Once they thought they had forever power. Once they rigged the 2020 election..." (10:55)
• On Democratic Party Hierarchy: Byrne: "Brennan and Obama were at the top of the pyramid as far as the US goes... internationally, that’s Soros and Klaus Schwab and the WEF." (18:49)
• On Russian Collusion: Byrne: "I set up the Russian collusion hoax... The whole Russia thing was being cooked up from July 2015..." (25:54)
• On Hillary Bribery Allegation: Byrne: "She was in the room, took an $18 million bribe from Azerbaijan..." (27:31)
• On the COVID Response & Social Psychology: Byrne: "When people are traumatized... you can start hitting you with repetition and you will start buying what they tell you." (45:37)
• Mike Murphy on Political Shifts: "Voters like to vote for what they think they did not get the last time." (109:52)
• On Fake Authenticity in Politicians: Murphy: "Just be honest with them. I've always told people in debate, it's okay to say 'I don't know.'" (120:19)
• On LA Governance: Carolla: “In California, it’s not a mom and a dad, it’s three moms and a neutered dad. And now we’re making decisions based on that.” (53:43)

Top Memorable Moments & Timestamps

Byrne’s Deep State Revelations:

• [25:54–30:32] Patrick details his claim of setting up the Russia hoax and orchestrating a bribe to Hillary Clinton on behalf of intelligence handlers.

Psyop & Manipulation Discussion:

• [40:36] Byrne explains the "Besmanov psyop" for non-violent societal overthrow: "A psyop to overthrow the country. We were never supposed to get out of it."

Chick Think & Social Shifts:

• [47:13–54:45] Spirited (and controversial) debate about societal feminization, pandemic response, and what Carolla calls “chick think.”

Discussion on Newsom’s Presidential Ambitions:

• [117:45–119:07] Murphy speculates on Newsom’s motivations and electability outside California.

Intersection of Media and Groupthink:

• [23:05] Byrne and Carolla discuss groupthink: "Everything with them is we in the in group..."

Timestamps: Key Segments

• Patrick Byrne Intro & Overstock Backstory: [02:08–04:49]
• Woke Ideology & Policy Failure: [05:07–09:01]
• Deep State, COVID, and Election Rigging: [10:55–19:30]
• Russian Collusion Narrative Origin (Byrne): [25:54–32:46]
• Societal Manipulation, 'Chick Think,' and Feminization: [40:41–54:45]
• California Politics and Fires (Murphy): [101:03–105:04]
• Electoral Politics, Rick Caruso's Prospects: [105:04–108:41]
• Democratic Party Dynamics, Newsom, Kamala, AOC: [117:15–127:42]

Tone & Language

The episode is characterized by Adam Carolla’s usual irreverence and skepticism, Patrick Byrne’s conspiratorial and blunt confessional style, and, later, Mike Murphy’s seasoned, wry political insider commentary. The conversations are candid, at times combative, and laced with humor, sarcasm, and cultural references.

Summary

This episode offers a long, colorful, and highly controversial exploration of American political narratives and the underpinnings of elite power. Patrick Byrne brings startling, if uncorroborated, claims about deep state plots, the 2016 election, and blackmail involving Hillary Clinton. He and Carolla dissect the social and psychological forces they believe are subverting rational governance, focusing on pandemic responses and shifting gender norms.

Switching gears, Mike Murphy provides a pragmatic look at California’s leadership crisis, the changing fate of Democrats like Gavin Newsom and Kamala Harris, and what the electorate’s appetite for “something new” may mean for the future of state and national politics.

Filled with memorable quotes and sharp-edged banter, the episode is a must-listen for those interested in the intersection of conspiracy, psychology, and realpolitik in contemporary America.

Note: All claims made by guests represent their own views and have not been independently verified.