Episode 4191: Don’t Fall For Zuckerberg MAGA Conversion; Weaponized Think Tanks

Summary

Bannon`s War Room Episode 4191: Don’t Fall For Zuckerberg MAGA Conversion; Weaponized Think Tanks

Release Date: January 13, 2025
Host: Stephen K. Bannon
Guest: Ben Freeman, Quincy Institute

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1. Host's Fierce Critique of Mark Zuckerberg

Timeframe: 00:02 – 04:17

The episode opens with Stephen K. Bannon unleashing a vehement critique of Mark Zuckerberg, portraying him as a pivotal figure undermining the MAGA movement. Bannon expresses profound frustration over what he perceives as Zuckerberg's betrayal of conservative values and his role in suppressing free speech.

Notable Quotes:

• Stephen K. Bannon (00:02):
  "This is the primal scream of a dying regime. Pray for our enemies because we're going medieval on these people."

• Natalie Winters (03:29):
  "And if you think that Mark Zuckerberg is MAGA, or if he is our new friend and that he's going to help us, well, then that's almost as dumb as thinking when a stripper tells you that they love you, that they actually love you."

Winter's scathing remarks highlight her disdain for Zuckerberg's actions, accusing him of intentional censorship and aligning with the Biden administration's agenda against MAGA supporters.

2. Unveiling the Weaponization of Think Tanks

Timeframe: 29:32 – 41:43

In a pivotal segment, Ben Freeman from the Quincy Institute discusses the substantial financial influences shaping U.S. policy through think tanks. Freeman introduces a comprehensive tracker developed by his institute that reveals over $1.5 billion in funding directed towards the top 50 U.S. think tanks from both domestic and foreign sources over the past five years.

Key Points:

• Lack of Transparency:
  Freeman emphasizes that think tanks are not mandated to disclose their funding sources, with 36% of the top 50 think tanks revealing no financial backers at all. This opacity facilitates undue influence on policy-making and public discourse.

• Foreign Influence:
  Despite expectations, Freeman notes minimal reported funding from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). He suggests that actual contributions might be underreported due to the aforementioned lack of disclosure requirements.

• U.S. Government Funding:
  Over $1 billion in U.S. government funds have been funneled into these think tanks, many of which advocate for hawkish policies and endless military engagements—contrary to Freeman's institute's mission to end perpetual wars.

Notable Quotes:

• Ben Freeman (30:55):
  "When a donor gives a contribution to a think tank, these aren't really charitable entities. Anybody who's been around D.C. knows that folks at think tanks are leading the media narratives."

• Ben Freeman (32:11):
  "The UAE was far and away the biggest foreign government owner to think tanks in the US. The UAE over and over again wants us to turn a blind eye to their latest blunder in the world."

Freeman critiques the intertwining of financial interests with policy advocacy, asserting that donations often come with strings attached, influencing think tanks to promulgate specific agendas that may not align with the American public's best interests.

3. The Implications of Think Tank Funding on Democracy

Timeframe: 33:20 – 39:14

Freeman delves deeper into how funding sources shape the agendas of think tanks, impacting everything from media narratives to legislative actions. He underscores that U.S. taxpayer dollars are being used to support think tanks that may promote policies like endless wars, which contradict the public's desire for peace and economic stability.

Key Points:

• Policy Shaping:
  Think tanks are instrumental in shaping legislative and public opinion, often pushing for policies that benefit their funders rather than the general populace.

• Call for Transparency:
  Freeman advocates for increased transparency in think tank funding, suggesting that without disclosure, the true motives behind policy recommendations remain obscured, posing a threat to democratic integrity.

• Hope for Change:
  With the impending second Trump administration, Freeman expresses hope that there will be efforts to rein in the undue influence of think tanks, promoting policies that prioritize American interests over those of foreign or corporate donors.

Notable Quotes:

• Ben Freeman (35:02):
  "What we documented was over a billion dollars in U.S. government funding going to the top 50 think tanks in the U.S. In some cases, that goes to research that's only used within the government."

• Ben Freeman (38:06):
  "With a new Trump administration, some of these blunders might be on notice. We're hopeful that you'll help to rein this in."

4. Audience Engagement and Access to Resources

Timeframe: 40:22 – 41:43

Bannon encourages listeners to engage with the Quincy Institute's tracker, providing the website and emphasizing its availability as a free resource to uncover the hidden financial influences behind policy advocacy.

Notable Quote:

• Ben Freeman (40:54):
  "You can find all of this information at thinktankfundingtracker.org. Everything I've mentioned, we're giving it all away."

Freeman ensures that the audience has access to the tools needed to independently verify and understand the funding mechanisms influencing think tanks, empowering them to make informed decisions.

5. Conclusion and Final Remarks

Timeframe: 41:43 – End

The episode concludes with Bannon reiterating the critical findings on think tank funding and its implications for American democracy. He underscores the importance of transparency and vigilance in safeguarding policy-making from undue financial influences.

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Overall Insights and Themes

• Censorship and Media Manipulation:
  The episode underscores a deep-seated distrust of major tech platforms like Facebook, accusing them of systemic censorship against conservative voices to further a liberal agenda.

• Financial Influence on Policy:
  A central theme revolves around the substantial financial investments in think tanks by both domestic and foreign entities, shaping U.S. policy in ways that may not align with national interests.

• Call for Transparency and Accountability:
  Both Bannon and Freeman advocate for greater transparency in funding sources to ensure that policy-making remains unbiased and truly representative of the American populace's will.

• Hope for Political Change:
  There's an underlying optimism that a shift in administration could address and rectify the current influence dynamics, promoting policies that prioritize national over foreign or corporate interests.

Implications for Listeners

Listeners are urged to:

• Stay Informed:
  Utilize resources like the Quincy Institute's funding tracker to understand the financial underpinnings of policy advocacy in the U.S.

• Advocate for Transparency:
  Push for legislation that mandates the disclosure of funding sources for think tanks and other influential policy institutions.

• Engage Politically:
  Support candidates and policies that prioritize transparency and accountability in government and policy-making bodies.

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This episode of Bannon`s War Room offers a critical look at the intersection of media control, financial influence, and policy-making in the United States, urging listeners to remain vigilant and proactive in safeguarding democratic integrity.

Transcript

[Stephen K. Bannon]

This is the primal scream of a dying regime. Pray for our enemies because we're going medieval on these people. You're just not getting a free shot. All these networks lying about the people, the people have had a belly full of it. I know you don't like hearing that. I know you try to do everything in the world to stop that, but you're not going to stop it. It's going to happen.

[Michael Cohen]

And where do people like that go.

[Natalie Winters]

To share the big lie?

[Michael Cohen]

MAGA MEDIA I wish in my soul, I wish that any of these people had a conscience.

[Stephen K. Bannon]

Ask yourself, what is my task and what is my purpose? If that answer is to save my country, this country will be saved.

[Mike Lindell]

War Room here's your host, Stephen K. Ban.

[Mark Zuckerberg]

Hey everyone. I want to talk about something important today because it's time to get back to our roots around free expression. On Facebook and Instagram, I started building social media to give people a voice. I gave a speech at Georgetown five years ago about the importance of protecting free expression. And I still believe this today. But a lot has happened over the last several years. But the problem with complex systems is they make mistakes. Even if they accidentally censor just 1% of posts, that's millions of people. And we've reached a point where it's just too many mistakes and too much censorship. More specifically, here's what we're going to do. First, we're going to get rid of fact checkers and replace them with community notes similar to X starting in the US the reality is that this is a trade off. It means we're going to catch less bad stuff, but we'll also reduce the number of innocent people's posts and accounts that we accidentally take down. China has censored our apps from even working in the country. The only way that we can push back on this global trend is, is with the support of the US government. And that's why it's been so difficult over the past four years when even the US government has pushed for censorship. By going after us and other American companies, it has emboldened other governments to go even further. These people from the Biden administration would call up our team and like scream at them and curse. And it's like these documents are. It's all kind of out there.

[Stephen K. Bannon]

Did you record any of those phone calls?

[Darren Beatty]

I don't know.

[Mark Zuckerberg]

I don't think, I don't think we were, but. But I think I want to listen. I mean, there are. The emails are published. It's all kind of out there and.

[Ben Freeman]

They'Re like.

[Natalie Winters]

I can only handle so much of that. It's 13 January, Monday, in the year of our Lord 2025. And Mark Zuckerberg, for all the money that you have, you need to get a better acting coach. Wow. The Biden regime officials, Mark, they cussed at you and your engineers. Wow. And you folded like I've never seen anyone fold. The entire MAGA movement had what? Every arrow in the quiver, the entire full force of the state of this regime. Prison sentences, assassination attempts, Stephen K. Bannon, Peter Navarro, Donald J. Trump. And they stood in the breach and took it like real men and fought for this country. And some weird woke looking bureaucrat cussed at one of your engineers, probably an H1B. And you folded. And you sold this country down the river. So much so that you gave, what, nearly a billion dollars to make sure that Joe Biden, on very illegitimate grounds, could become this country's next president. Maybe in all the new hobbies that you're picking up in your free time, whether it's what, the jiu jitsu or the wakeboarding, you're posting to try to pretend and dupe this country into thinking that you're a human. Maybe you should start reading history books and learn about the trials and tribulations that people have been put through and the courage that they have mustered to stand in the breach, which you, sir, Mark Zuckerberg, have none of. Speaking of history, I'm so glad. What was it, five years ago? Five years.

[Stephen K. Bannon]

Wow.

[Natalie Winters]

Five years ago you lectured at Georgetown on free speech. Thank you. Thank you for your contributions to humanity. Thank you. I am so embarrassed and appalled at so many people in the MAGA conservative right who have taken this conversion as something that is legitimate. I have seen transgender surgeries and drag queens that are more convincing than this. There are so many people who have fallen for what? Oh, they took the tampons out of the bathrooms at Meta hq. Oh, now they're apparently not using dei. Well, I missed the point where anyone mandated that they do any of that stuff. It was on them. They chose to do that so you can accept the consequences of your actions. And if you think that Mark Zuckerberg is maga, or if he is our new friend and that he's going to help us, well, then that's almost as dumb as thinking when a stripper tells you that they love you, that they actually love you. And I might seem super enthused or agitated right now, but it's because I'm hearing the conversations going on behind the scenes about how people are falling for this in the very intense and elaborate and well funded lobbying campaign that the metas of the world and the Tiktoks, although they're already being successful on that front, are waging right now on the maga, Right, to get people to sign up and become on board with what Zuckerberg is selling you to go a little more, shall we say, intellectual, Right? What you're witnessing right now, it shows you, right? In 2016, they infiltrated the White House, they infiltrated the maga movement, so they didn't even feel the need to co opt our movement because it wasn't worth co opting. Now that we're actually legitimate opposition, they're pretending to be one of us right now. Suddenly they see the light, they get the MAGA after, what, trying to spend, what, four years of censoring us, de. Platforming us de. Banking us. Throwing us in jail and celebrating it. Right? Fact checking. I don't know if you picked up in that video. It's a limited hangout. It's not about the fact checking. It's about the algorithms, the manipulation on both sides of the equation. Suppressing and shadow banning conservative content while promoting Joe Biden, the fact that your website has been used to make it easier for human traffickers to carry out illegal immigration, human smuggling and drug smuggling. The cartels love Facebook. And then he has the nerve. By the way, I don't know about you, I didn't hear the word sorry in any of those interviews. So sorry would go a long way. Right? But then he has the nerve to say that we mistakenly, mistakenly operative Werther, mistakenly censored Americans because, I don't know, our parameters were set too wide. Well, hang on, Mark, because I thought you were importing what the best and brightest, all the H1B techies. Right. But I guess they're not very good at their job. Okay, I guess we'll set that debate aside for a second. But it was a mistake. Do you think it was a mistake when what, everyone that they censored was people who voted for Trump and basically the entirety of this audience? I don't think that was a mistake. I think it was wholly intentional. Right. The only reason that we even know about this stuff, that we know about the fact checkers is because this show and other investigative reporters dared to report on it. They were not forthright. I'm pretty sure they told us they didn't even have fact checking programs. It's a testament to the power of this audience and independent reporting. You think Mark Zuckerberg wanted to make that video? Hell no. And I guess we'll do a little fact checking of our own because Mark Zuckerberg says, oh, China, we can't follow the path of China, the Chinese Communist Party, they're so evil. Well, Mark Zuckerberg, just to really put a nice strong period on the sentence that you're fake and you're phony and that you're a fraud, you have been spending, I don't even know how long, longer than probably I've been alive, trying to get in China, trying to get Facebook services, meta services into China. And the only reason that you're not a total sellout supplicant to them right now is because they don't want you. Because they understand of having a new tech oligarchic, monopolistic class of people like yourselves who become more powerful than the government say, oh Natalie, you're being crazy. Well, one of the stories that I broke many, many years ago was that Facebook actually funds their journalism project. They funneled millions of dollars into partnerships with the International center for Journalists to create. It's called the Tsinghua University's Global Business Journalism School, which is an explicitly self declared Marxist journal in Beijing that trains individuals to work for Chinese Communist Party run state run media outlets. Facebook has even gone so far. We can play the video, I don't want the sound because we don't play Chinese Communist Party propaganda on the war room. But that right there is the vice president of Facebook guest lecturing at this self declared Marxist facility. But I thought Mark, I thought Mark said, oh, we're going to win the war. We're going to win the war for freedom, right? Well, how about this? I'll read you the founding document from this journalism school that is funded by Facebook. We should be committed to a firm and correct political orientation. Our school has been actively exploring the theory and practices of Marxist journalism, namely to applying the Marxist theory in observing the world, selecting and handling news production. And catch this. Mark Zuckerberg, as early as 2014 was actually going overseas to Beijing. He's actually on the advisory board at Xinhua University and he lectures there. Xinhua University. The same university that has repeatedly committed cyber attacks against the United States. Facebook then went far enough to quote, team up to offer a course on insights from Silicon Valley which entailed Xinhua flying in seven Facebook executives over the semester to teach some of the classes you would be in China if you could. They just didn't want you. And frankly, MAGA doesn't want you. And you sit there, shame on you for sitting there like a victim and doing these podcast rounds and putting out these weird videos. Americans lost their lives because of your actions and your inactions. Think about the patriotism and the courage and the convictions that every single January prisoner, and I use that word intentionally, had when they had to decide to stand in the breach and face the full wrath, the full fire and fury of this American regime. And you have some weird wacko bureaucrats say, hey, we really think you should, like, censor this meme. They were hoping for plea deals that was the best that they could get. You got what? Million dollar PR agents? You're not fooling absolutely anyone. And I'm telling you, just like the H1B stuff, the Elon stuff, this is the issue in and of itself. And I'm very disheartened to see so many on our side thinking that this man has had an actual conversion. My suggestion, all the money that these tech oligarchs have donated to the inauguration, the Bezos, is the Zuckerberg's of the world. Yet those are the people that we should be investigating first. And maybe we should use the money that they've donated to fund and bankroll those investigations. It reeks of guilt from companies that I'm told what never even really had fact checking entities to begin with here in the war room. And it's not just because my last name is Winters, but we appreciate winter soldiers, not sunshine patriots. And maybe in the metaverse, you can't distinguish the difference between that, but that matters to maga. So, Mark Zuckerberg, thank you, but no thank you. Maybe you should just go back to the metaverse. I'd be okay with that. And speaking of people who I guess just don't stop, Gavin Newsom, who's what state is quite literally burning down, you know what he did today? He secured $50 million to, quote Trump, proof his state. Now 25 million is going to their state Department of Justice to, I don't know, sue Trump out of. Into oblivion. And then the other half, 25 million, which, yes, students of history and government budgets will remember that, what, the LAFD budget was cut by like, what, $17 million? Well, there's another 25 million to, quote, defend immigrants against deportation. And so they're going to get grants for legal nonprofits and immigration support centers. So when Gavin Newsom stands up there and says that he's already reimagining LA 2.0 and that he wants a Marshall Plan, bro, you're not giving money to another country. You're not giving money to rebuild Europe, you're not rebuilding Mexico, you're not importing the third world like you guys so desperately want to do. It's called putting America first. And that is the sick, depraved nature of these people. California is still actively working, burning down. Sorry. And Gavin Newsom is concerned about getting tens of millions of dollars so they can sue Trump and make sure that criminal illegal aliens like the ones who killed Lake and Riley are not going to be deported. But hey, at least I can't get fact checked on any of this, right? Because they dropped the fact checking program. I think they call that a Pyrrhic victory, Mark Zuckerberg. And we're not gonna fall for it here in the war room. So a lot of breaking news on all things media. You'll see why I went so hard on this with our next guest who joins us. We will be right back after this short break. Darren Beatty and some new, really interesting reporting on the think tank influence scene in Washington D.C. we'll be right back.

[Stephen K. Bannon]

Big victory on the 5th of November. Now the work can finally start on the big issues facing the country. One of the biggest is the national debt and the deficits that drive it. Hey, you think the country's broke? The country is broke. We're just printing money to keep this house of cards going. The strategy remains the same for you. You got to diversify, diversify your savings. That's why buy gold from Birch Gold. So many things are out of your control, out of the President's control. It's important to have a safe haven for your savings. Birch Gold Group, my gold company, will help you convert an IRA or 401k into an IRA into physical gold. Let me repeat that. Convert your IRA or 401k into an IRA in physical gold. And the best news, it doesn't cost you a penny. Text band into 989-898. Get your free info kit. Plus right now through Black Friday, you receive a free 1 ounce Silver Eagle for every $5,000 you purchase. Let me repeat that. A free 1 ounce Silver Eagle for every 5,000 purchase. Protect your savings with Birch Gold. Text Bannon to 989-898 and claim your eligibility for your free silver today.

[Natalie Winters]

Ken Rubin and I'm Norm Eisen.

[Ken Rubin]

I am here to announce I am leaving the Washington Post in order to co found with Norm an exciting new online platform, the Contrarian. We are going to bring you written material, podcasts, interviews, social media, all in defense of democracy. Our intent is to combat the authoritarian that we all face. To help us, we have an exciting array of contributors from all walks of life, all ages, all backgrounds to help us in this venture.

[Natalie Winters]

We're going to do politics, we're going to do law. But we know that any successful pro.

[Darren Beatty]

Democracy movement also has to be very vocal about culture. We'll have a humor column, we'll even.

[Natalie Winters]

Have a cooking column.

[Darren Beatty]

But we're going to sprinkle in a little bit of pro democracy flavor.

[Ken Rubin]

And we're going to have pets. We're very pro pets. So please join us in this journey. We cannot do this without you. We want your contributions, your input, your ideas.

[Michael Cohen]

Thank you for joining.

[Darren Beatty]

The Contrarian.

[Natalie Winters]

That's not a deep fake. That's real. I will say I've tried the pro democracy flavor. Not a fan of it. I don't know what the heck that was. I'm sorry. It's like your weird, wacky librarian and your, like, thespian uncle. Are these people serious? They thought that, that that was gonna be the video to entice people to come and watch their new outfit, the Contrarian. I would humbly suggest especially to Dear Normizen, you guys know I love me some normizen. Color revolution extraordinaire. You should just be focusing on preserving your documents for everything that you've done, from the lawfare in Colorado to Arizona, all the way to the impeachments, to what you've done globally, what you've done with who knows where, with God knows. I don't even want to get into what you've done. If you think that that video is publishable, something with your standards are very clearly off. But you guessed it, Jen Rubin is leaving the Washington Post to start whatever the heck that is. Sure, George Soros is probably bankrolling it, but I want to bring on Darren, I think, the man who really brought Norm Eisen to the forefront of a lot of our minds, certainly myself, Darren Beatty joins us now. Of course, Revolver News fame. Darren, I don't think when you launched Revolver, you ever had a sizzle reel like that. But all jokes aside, I'm sure you'll give us a wonderful repartee on what the heck we just watched. But. But your thoughts on sort of the evolving media landscape shift. Jen Rubin departing the Washington Post. This new outfit, Norm Eisen, all that.

[Darren Beatty]

You know, I'm still just digesting the video. I saw it for the first time just about 30 minutes ago and, you know, it really was like transported to a parallel universe in a universe in which Saturday Night Live was actually Funny. This would be a perfect skit. It was even set up like it just the cooking show with a sprinkle of democracy. It's really amazing. And, you know, I'd love to know what rich idiot they conned into funding this. I'd like to know what rich idiot is going to dump millions of dollars into this. I really want to know because there's so many of them. But I want to know in particular which rich moron is writing a $20 million check to get this off the ground. That's what I'm interested in with this. Because you know there's going to be some idiot to write millions of dollars checked for this. That's how media works. It's like Jennifer Rubin. I never even heard her name in years. You don't hear about her for years. I guess she was still at the Washington Post. I didn't even know she was still there. I guess she's Le Norm Eisen is at least more relevant. But even the idea that he thinks this is attractive. That's how they spend US Dollars in the State Department to try to convince remote villages in Africa to have a drag queen parade. That's the level of propaganda that they put out there. Say, hey, villagers, why don't we try a little sprinkle of democracy with Dan Rubin? That's the quality of propaganda. No wonder we're failing abroad. No wonder we become a laughingstock. It's this weird combination of genuine power. At least at the State Department, Norton Eisen had power. And as you point out, and as we famously reported, he is a major and instrumental figure in color revolutions. He's been the chief, basically lawfare perpetrator against the Trump regime. He's filed lawsuits going back to basic. He started it the day you. Before Trump was even inaugurated the first time. This is not this guy's first rodeo, but he goes from lawfare to a cooking show for democracy. And humor. And humor. I can't believe it. So I just, you know, what more is there to say is that. And humor, there's going to be humor and a sprinkle of democracy. So. Yeah, but, you know, but the best thing is, I guarantee you there is a very wealthy idiot who gave this $10 million. So I'd like to know who that is.

[Natalie Winters]

I think they should be deported, frankly.

[Darren Beatty]

Where would media like that be without the wealthy idiots to subsidize it? It would. I'd love to see how it works. You know, the Bulwark managed to get subscribers. I have no idea how they did that. This is even like lower grade. This is set up.

[Natalie Winters]

They did it by ripping off war room. All they ever do is just play our clips and react to them. But on, I guess more, more substantive note, you know, look, I will say I watch a lot of msnbc. See, one of the most common refrains that I hear is, you know, the left needs to find their own Joe Rogan. Humble suggestion. Norm Eisen, Jen Rubin, not your Joe Rogan. Keep looking. The Sprinkle of Democracy cooking show, not your Joe Rogan. I can't argue with that. But to that point, I think it's sort of reflective. Norm Eisen, though, right. Is sort of an interesting, I think, note in all of this. You know, he used to be very involved with the law fair. Then he was very involved with the sort of election rigging, election integrity stuff. Then it was, you know, the impeachments. Right. So he really is a jack of all trades, I would say. Not whatever we just watched. But why do you think, two part question. Why do you think they're really doubling down, focusing so heavily right now on the media being the sort of warfare that they're trying to wage? And to that point, a bit of breaking news that Rachel Matta, who, you know, infamously, despite making what, $25 million a year, was broadcasting once on Monday evenings now, at least for the first hundred days, that's the buried lead of the Trump administration. She will be back on air every single night, the slot of Alex Wagner. She's now going to go do on the ground field reporting. But why do you think it seems like media now is really becoming the angle of attack that they're sort of doubling down on.

[Darren Beatty]

You know, that's a great question. I can't for the life of me understand or even have a theory of mind as to how someone could think the Norm Eyes and Jennifer Rubin thing was a good idea. Really like that. They're really at the bottom of the barrel here. This is scraping even deeper into the bottom of the barrel than the bulwark. At least Rachel Maddow, I think she has a genuine following. There's something real there. People watch it. So the Ruben Eisen thing, I have no idea. It could really be just some like a sing idiot can make something like that happen and just keep dumping money into it, regardless of how unpopular and cringe it is. As for the Maddow thing, you know, it's, it makes sense. I don't think, I think it could be popular. I think she wants to see test the waters a little bit. See how much outrage they can gin up. And keep in mind, you know, there's still the Democrats are kind of recovering from this resounding and humiliating loss that really didn't give them any avenue of excuse. You know, Trump won the popular vote. They couldn't blame it on the Electoral College. Trump did very well with even minority groups. So they didn't really even have that. They dumped all the lawfare on it didn't work. And so they're in a pretty desperate situation. So I can imagine them saying, okay, well, we're going to test the waters. We're going to approach a media strategy and see if we can kind of build back some capital with the public through the media and through Norm Eisen's Democracy Cooking Channel. I guess that's the best that they have to go for at the moment. And so they're still kind of flailing about and licking their wounds from their resounding and embarrassing and decisive defeat this last election cycle.

[Natalie Winters]

Darren, if people want to follow you, stay up to date with everything that you guys are working on over at Revolver. Where can they go to do all that? I hope you don't post any videos like that or I will not have you back on the show.

[Darren Beatty]

No cooking content, no democracy cooking shows. I promise. Revolver News, we have a big piece in the works on the Pipebomb Report. We have an interesting piece on Amy Comey Barrett, I think we called it a long time ago and few people did. So some really big interesting pieces coming soon tonight, definitely by tomorrow. So check it out. Revolver News, I'm on Twitter aaronjbeatty.

[Natalie Winters]

Darren, thank you so much for joining us. We'll have you back soon.

[Darren Beatty]

Thank you, Natalie.

[Natalie Winters]

And just flagging, you guys know, I very clinically watch Norm Eisen. I think he, like I always say, is a locust in this sort of deep state, lawfare, apparatcha Kenchman type way. But believe it or not, it's not a conspiracy theory. Even meta cannot fact check me on this in 2024. He believe it or not, I'm just reporting the facts. Lectured in Los Angeles at the request of Mayor Karen Bass, the Water Department on ethics. People may recall that he was Obama's ethics czar. So that's why he has so much ethics street cred. That and what, toppling and deposing a bunch of foreign regimes in the name of a sprinkle of democracy, like the video suggests. But you know, we're all about pattern recognition here in the war room. Just an interesting piece of data. The next segment we're getting into very something. I'm very interested in how think tanks are all bought and paid for by basically everyone you hate, including this current regime. In the meantime birchgold.com Bannon text Bannon to 989-898 make sure you're getting the latest installment at the end of the $M empire. And while you're at it, warpath coffee. You know it's the place to be. We'll be right back after this drug break.

[Stephen K. Bannon]

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[Natalie Winters]

Here's your host, Stephen K. Band. Welcome back to the War Room. We are joined now by Ben Freeman of the Quincy Institute who broke news not too long ago, I think the first time ever put up a really comprehensive sort of think tank tracker showing how money flows. Whether it's from United States government, foreign governments, the military industrial complex, basically all the entities that want the policies that come out of this great country, this capital that is just a stone's throw away from me don't benefit you, the American worker, the American citizen, the American parent, the American family, whatever you may be, but benefit them. And it seems like the interests that they have are always at odds with what you want. No conspiracies, no coincidences. But I'm just saying. Ben joins us now. Ben, I was reading through this report. The numbers are just staggering. In the last, what is it, few years, more than $110 million to the top 50 think tanks in the United from foreign governments, defense companies have contributed over 34.7 million and over 1.4,9 billion from the United States government. Sort of walk us through why you guys created this tracker. Basically presupposing the idea that they are getting some form of roi, whether it's influencing government policy, propaganda narratives. Why did you guys set out to do this?

[Ben Freeman]

Yeah, great question, Natalie. First, thanks for having me on. We started this project because we were looking at a lot of the work that think tanks were doing. A lot of it seemed to indicate that maybe it was serving the interests of some of their funders. So we did, I think, what a lot of your viewers and you regularly do. We decided to follow the money. We decided to follow all of the money, and we didn't realize how much money we were getting into. And ultimately, as you mentioned, we dug up over $1.5 billion in total funding going to the top 50 think tanks in the US and that's just over the past five years. And to be clear, Natalie, that's just the tip of the iceberg. Because one really disturbing fact about think tank funding is that think tanks aren't actually required to disclose any of their funding. Whether it's from foreign government, the US Government, Pentagon, contractors, doesn't matter. They're not required to disclose that information. In fact, over a third of the think tanks that we looked at, 18 of the 50, disclose absolutely nothing about their funding. And so all of these figures, as enormous as they might be, we really think this is just the tip of the iceberg for the conflict of interest going on at think tanks in the.

[Natalie Winters]

U.S. there's such a fixture of D.C. right. I think for those of us who've lived here and worked here, they really are these sort of, I think, originators of so many of these. Whether it's talking points, I'd call it state sanctioned propaganda in some cases. But I'm just curious because they do have the ability to astroturf these narratives, frankly. I think in some ways the Atlantic Councils of the world and the Brookings Institutions, they're in some ways responsible for escalating, you know, everything that's going on in Ukraine. They sort of created this whole, you know, democracy is dying and President Trump is a hilarious. Like they really provided these sort of academic muscle to back up these bogus theories. So I'm just curious from your sort of, you know, meta bird's eye view analysis of what you think they're looking for their ROI to be, is this something that's country specific? Is it issue specific in the case of the defense contractors? Is it just, just war? You know, what are they looking for? And how are they trying to achieve their stated goals? Is it by shaping political discourse, the media, how are they disseminating it?

[Ben Freeman]

I would say, unfortunately, it's all of the above. Everything you mentioned there is absolutely spot on. At the end of the day, when a donor gives a contribution to a think tank, these aren't really charitable entities. Anybody who's been around D.C. knows that folks at think tanks, they're leading the media narratives. They're being interviewed on Fox, cnn, MSNBC too. And they're lobbying Congress, they're testifying before Congress. In some cases, think takers are even helping to write laws. So when these foreign governments, the US Government and Pentagon contractors make a donation to a think tank think tank, they're hoping to get in on that and they're hoping they can effectively use think tanks, at least in some level, as an influence broker for them. You know, that might mean helping to shape a narrative in their favor in the media or, you know, if you're a country like the United Arab Emirates, as we found, the UAE was far and away the biggest foreign government owner to think tanks in the US The UAE over and over again wants us to turn a blind eye to their latest blunder in the world. Whether it's in Sudan, Sudan, Yemen, wherever other governments like Saudi Arabia, they're really eager to use think tanks to help the US to get into a security pact that would be just disastrous for the US and could start the next endless war. So depending on who is giving them money, that really shapes what they want to get back. But rest assured, when there's a donation coming to a think tank, there's always going to be some strings attached to.

[Natalie Winters]

Well, I think in the same way too, with, you know, institutions of higher education, academia, this loophole where they don't have to report it. It's such a flagrant national security threat. It's so obvious. But I guess it's sort of part of the insider trade, the insider deal. Right. They're not going to regulate because it's their same donors and lobbyists who are funding them. But you bring up the uae, obviously we focus very extensively and intensely on the Chinese Communist Party and their kind of influence peddling. Going on in that was something that sort of shocked me from the report that their numbers were sized like considerably less. But is that more a symptom of the fact that they're just not reporting it? It's sort of stealthy, sneakier, or who are some of the biggest, shall we say, offenders in terms of the foreign countries and to that point, this is two questions, but can you talk about the United States government funding of some of these think tanks as well?

[Ben Freeman]

Yeah, absolutely. Those are wonderful questions. I'll start with the question of China, because, you know, frankly, Natalie, that really shocked me too. We found very, very little funding coming from the ccp. And I think there's a very clear reason for that. It's that think tanks don't have to report funding from the CCP or as I mentioned, any foreign government for that matter, or any donor for that matter. And because of that, when you have a country that has a stigma on it like the CCP does, if you are a think tank accepting funding from them, you're just not going to report it. You're just going to hide that. You're going to keep that as dark money. So again, I said this was the tip of the iceberg. I think if we look at that iceberg of money that's below what we found here, I think you would find a lot more money flowing in from the CCP to US Think tanks. But because of all these loopholes in US Laws right now, they just simply don't have to report that. To your question about the US Government funding think tanks, this was an important issue for us because, you know, at the end of the day, you know, I'm a taxpayer, you're a taxpayer. I think one of the last things that we want to see is that US Taxpayer dollars going towards influencing and spreading propaganda to US Taxpayers. And yet what we documented was over a billion dollars in U.S. government funding going to the top 50 think tanks in the U.S. you know, in some cases that goes to research that's only used within the government. You know, folks might not have a problem with that, but in other cases, you know, this is going to very prominent think tanks that are some of those think tanks you mentioned, the Brookings of the world, the center for Strategic and International Studies, the Atlanta Councils of the World World that are promoting what we would consider a hawkish agenda. You know, at the end of the day, at the Quincy Institute, we're already trying to end the next endless war. So when we see our taxpayer dollars going to think tanks that are seemingly clamoring for endless war, yeah, we're going to have a problem with that.

[Natalie Winters]

And I'm curious your thoughts as we barrel towards the second Trump administration. And if you think the sort of jockeying around for think tanks to prop up these, you know, astroturf narratives, whatever the issue may be, I think maybe you're gonna start seeing the open borders advocates and big labor, they want all their H1Bs sort of come out of the woodwork. Although I guess maybe they never really went away to begin with. But how you think that this is a force in terms of, again, it's not explicitly opposing Trump, but just whoever the elected president is. In some ways they sort of act as an unelected bureaucrat or an unelected, I think, input into the policy debate. But the American people, I think, are left like you were alluding to, in the dark about who's really funding them. Right. All these experts that they have, you know, testifying up on Capitol Hill, they're not experts, they're pay for play crisis actors for whatever the issue may be. But I'm curious your thoughts, particularly come January 20th, someone who has, you know, been, I would say, outspoken advocate of not continuing these endless forever wars if you think there's only gonna be more money plowed into these think tanks?

[Ben Freeman]

Yeah, I really think with a new Trump administration, you know, some of these blunders might be on notice. I think towards the tail end of the previous Trump administration, we saw the Trump State Department issue, one of the only meaningful objectives, to bring more transparency to think tank funding. And then, you know, Mike Pompeo State, you know, issued this decree that any think tank that wanted to do business with them had to fully disclose all their foreign funders. And the Biden administration promptly abandoned that and did nothing with it. So we don't have that level of disclosure anymore. But I think in Trump 2.0 here, I'm at least hopeful that you have an administration that is concerned about this issue, cares about it, and that we're going to see at least some efforts to bring more transparency about foreign government funding of think tanks. So at the end of the day, you know, somebody like President Trump, he gets the game. You know, he knows, he knows what's going on here. So we're very hopeful that he'll help to rein this in.

[Natalie Winters]

And Ben, we have a very action oriented audience. They love to be informed. If they want to use this database, sort of look at the info that you've pulled. So the next time they're watching, hate watching MSNBC or whatever and they see some expertise, that's the probably most cheapened word in Washington D.C. that and maybe American citizenship. But if they want to really look at where these people are coming from, who's propping them up, where can they go to do that? How is it operable? How can people sort of get all this information?

[Ben Freeman]

Yeah, thank you so much for asking. You can find all of this information at think tank fundingtracker.org Everything I've mentioned, we're giving it all away. You can look up whatever think tank you're interested in, whatever foreign government, defense contractor you want to see where the US Government's money's going. We've got it all freely available to [e-mail] if you want a nerd like me to break it down for you, you can check out our report on [e-mail] and if you want to follow me, I'm on Xen FreeMandc.

[Natalie Winters]

Ben, thank you so much for joining us. We'll have you back on. I can only imagine the hours that it took to go through all of that. So thank you for doing that, the hardcore work to get that out. It's important work.

[Ben Freeman]

Thank you so much.

[Natalie Winters]

Of course. Thank you. The new study out today, I saw, I think maybe the other side of the coin on all this, that I think over half of federal government workers, they were itemized as like federal government managers are planning on resisting President Trump, whatever that may mean. And I told you about the new group Civil Service Strong, which of course has links to, I guess, newly found standup comedian Norm Eisen, a group called Civil Service Strong that is actively coaching federal bureaucrats on how to whistleblow, how to file complaints, how to, shall we say, throw sand in the gears of the America first agenda. Like I said, the real tell with that Rachel Maddow going to broadcasting every single day of the week. Now, I'm sorry, America, is that it's for the first hundred days of the Trump administration and that they took Alex Wagner off the beat to go and do on the ground field reporting. In other words, they're going to want to have the sob stories of the multi generational family that got deported. Okay, spare me. We're about America first here and we're not going to fall for your what appeal to not logos probably just more pathos and ethos over at msnbc. We're not falling for it and we're not falling for your transition. Mark Zuckerberg. Like I said, I've seen transgender surgeries that are more convincing than your newfound MAGA love. And I'm a tough critic. Gotta be checking out birchcold.com bannon or texting Bannon to 989898. We'll be right back after the short break with a very triggering cold open kind of cringe. Get ready.

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[Michael Cohen]

Yeah, I put in the application for a presidential pardon because I believe that Joe Biden has the same responsibility to me that he had to his own son. And I would expect that the same exact pardon that he gave his son has to go to me and to anybody else that's on that enemy's list, whether they want it or not. Because I assure you, solitary confinement where I did 51 days, sucks.

[Simone Sanders]

Michael Cohen, I believe wholeheartedly that the solitary confinement was just a terrible experience for you. And I think your point about the enemies, the proverbial enemies list. Right. Is a good one. I wonder, have you heard anything back from the administration? It is my understanding that two things the administration one, is not going to give a pardon to anybody that doesn't want one. So folks who have prominently gone out and said, I do not want a pardon, the president is now going to issue a pardon to people that don't want one.

[Michael Cohen]

But two, they'll change their mind when they're sitting behind closed doors. That I can assure you they're going to kick themselves in the backside for that one.

[Simone Sanders]

I think hindsight will always be 20 20. I guess my question is, have you heard from the Biden administration? And I am struck by your comparing yourself and Hunter Biden. And I wonder if. Well, I'm going to just tell you, Michael Collins, as we on National TV and we have a conversation. I don't necessarily think that's your best way to go get a pardon. I mean, Hunter Biden is the President's last surviving son. But your point, your other point, why.

[Michael Cohen]

I do think is somebody's son also, by the way.

[Simone Sanders]

Agreed, you are somebody's son. But I mean, to be very clear, you're not the President's son.

[Natalie Winters]

Michael Cohen, do you remember when he would run around doing the lapse in media? Mr. Tough Guy, right? How times have changed, bro. I don't think you need a pardon. I think you need some Testosterone or some TRT that has to be, I think thus far in 2025, the most embarrassing media clip that I have seen yet. Groveling on MSNBC to the point where they're mocking you, where Simone Frickin Sanders is giving you like life advice, like an Akumbaya, trying to help you on live tv. But it goes back to the Zuckerberg conversion stuff. All of these men who were so tough, who celebrated the Jan Sixers going to prison, celebrated Steve Bannon going to prison, celebrated and mocked Peter Navarro, mocked the assassination attempt, censored the assassination attempt against President Trump on Facebook. They were so tough, such real men. And now it's a little tough because they know that the investigations are coming and they fold like I've never seen. Compare and contrast that with what Stephen K. Bannon did when I sat here for four months because he was in a federal prison, when Peter Navarro every day was sitting down for a misdemeanor in a felony correction center. Every single thing that they have thrown against President Donald J. Trump, including not one, but two assassination attempts. And they'll probably be more because they're that deranged. And these real strong men have continued showing up and fighting for this country, just like you guys, this audience. You've been tested 1,000 times over than Michael Cohen or Mark Zuckerberg, any of these people. And you've emerged victorious. And now these people are doing sob story, Crimea, river lapse on msnbc, groveling for preemptive blanket pardons. I mean, let that sink in. I mean, pat yourself on the back first. Think about how embarrassing and cringe these people are. It's truly remarkable. I stand by what I said. Maybe Mark Zuckerberg, too. You get a two for one deal on some TRT and just some common sense and I don't know, stop committing crimes so you don't need blanket preemptive pardons. Stop hating this country more than you love yourselves and your globalist agendas. That you're using to destroy this country and displace American workers and start more endless forever wars. And then cry and victim blame the American people for spreading misinformation and then euphemizing it that you're censoring us because you care so much about democracy. Just stop. And then you won't have to emasculate yourself publicly on TV for the sake of everything. Nor misen. I'll throw that cringe video into. Just stop. Absolutely absurd. Someone who is going to join us now, who I know is definitely not the mastermind behind bankrolling normizen's new contrarian outlet is the one and only Mike Lindell, who joins us now. I'm sure you're getting excited, getting ready for all the inaugural stuff, but in the meantime, hit us with the latest in all things mypillow.

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[Natalie Winters]

Whatever you do, don't give mark Zuckerberg a MyPillow promo code as he tries to complete his MAGA conversion. That's how you know your full MAGA.

[Mike Lindell]

That didn't happen. What's going on there? I can't believe it. I mean, he wouldn't let me use my image before the 2020 election in a MyPillow ad. I did take my face out of the ad because I was so branded with the president and what a shameful thing stuff he did back then and.

[Natalie Winters]

Now, you know, they don't call him absolute disgrace. War room is conversion therapy for rhinos. I stand buy it. And Mark Zuckerberg. Thanks but no thanks. Thank you guys for hanging with me. I'll see you all soon. Have a good one.

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