Candace Owens Podcast Summary
Podcast: Candace
Host: Candace Owens
Episode: The Past Is Prologue: Why Charlie Kirk Was Murdered (Ep 287)
Date: January 9, 2026
Format: Solo (Candace only)
Episode Overview
In this “free and unfiltered” solo episode, Candace Owens investigates alleged dark undercurrents in evangelical and conservative religious institutions, focusing on the assassination of Charlie Kirk. She explores recurring themes of institutional corruption, describes startling testimony from a former Liberty University “Godparent Program” participant, and draws connections between American evangelical organizations, trafficking allegations, military/intelligence involvement, and international funding—particularly involving Israel and South Korea. Owens argues that the past behaviors and origins of these groups are prologue to the current atmosphere of deception, money, and manipulation in modern right-wing Christianity.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. Security Protocol Oddities and the Charlie Kirk Events
- Owens reviews Brian Harpole’s claims about extensive pre-planning with law enforcement for Kirk events (01:40).
- She reveals through a tip that Kirk’s next scheduled event after his assassination, at Charis Bible College in Colorado, had no security plan in place—contradicting previous statements about standard protocol (03:29).
- Questions arise about why Turning Point USA’s security didn't coordinate for what should have been a routine event.
“Why didn’t Dan Flood and Brian Harpole and Turning Point USA’s security have any coordination with the police department up in Colorado? …Suddenly they’re panicked because they realize they don’t have anything scheduled.” (03:29)
2. Mapping Patterns: Themes in the Investigation
Candace presents an Excel sheet she created to track recurring themes among the figures and institutions involved:
- Liberty University
- Multiple Turning Point USA figures (Tyler Boyer, Erica Kirk, Cabot Phillips) are alumni.
- Erica Kirk and her mother have charity ties to Romania.
- The Falkirk Center (precursor to TPUSA Faith) was founded via Jerry Falwell Jr. and Charlie Kirk.
- Eastern Europe
- Private planes tied to Turning Point USA figures have Romanian registration histories.
- Connections through adoption/child-helping programs in Ukraine and Romania.
- Erica Kirk ran the “Romanian Angels Project,” which partnered with a U.S. military officer later accused of child trafficking on base.
- Trafficking and Child Sex Abuse
- Multiple associations between TPUSA figures and organizations entangled in trafficking or abuse investigations.
- Explicit mention of Operation Underground Railroad (Tim Ballard), the Calvary Chapel's troubled history, and connections to individuals accused or convicted of facilitating abuse.
- Military
- Extensive family/military connections among principal characters (the McCoys, Tureks, Colvetts, etc.).
- Noted overlap between defense/military contracts and the leadership or parents of TPUSA/Liberty figures.
3. Liberty University Godparent Program: Survivor Testimony (24:11–33:32)
Survivor Account
A woman recounts her experience in the Liberty Godparent Home as a pregnant 13-year-old in the 1990s:
- Claim: Girls locked in rooms 24/7, no visitors, forbidden from mixing, frequent photo-taking by staff (including Jerry Falwell Sr).
- Recalls being coerced to give up her baby for adoption, pressured to decide quickly, and experiencing a mysterious late-term miscarriage after refusing.
- After the “miscarriage,” she never saw her child, wasn’t given clear documentation, and couldn’t find any record of herself in Liberty’s systems decades later.
“They used to lock us in our room 24 hours a day… They used to take weird pictures of us. Falwell Sr.… I remember him and his wife there.” (24:11–24:56)
“I had to deliver [after induced labor]... And the strange thing is their daughter... was like my nurser... It gave me something to miscarry. They coerced us to give up the baby because they got money for their adoption. It was some kind of adoption ring.” (28:09–28:53)
- She links a later, mysterious invite to Trump Pageant World (despite not submitting any photos) to the unexplained photos taken during her time at Liberty.
4. External Confirmation: Podcast & News Investigation (35:05–38:25)
Candace plays an excerpt from the ABC13 segment and the “Liberty Lost” podcast:
- Multiple women allege manipulation and coercion at Liberty’s Godparent Home, forced adoption, and profound trauma.
- The home shares an address with a closely tied adoption agency; management denies wrongdoing.
“Did you ever really feel like you had a choice? ... I felt that I was put in really terrifying moments … of being given an opportunity to explain to an adult that had a different opinion how I thought I could pull it off.” (36:46)
5. Liberty University, Israel, and the Shadow Network of Funding
Origins of Liberty University
- Candace details Jerry Falwell Sr.’s family legacy (bootlegging, smuggling, and violent history) and his transformation to evangelical stardom in 1948, coinciding with Israel’s founding (42:10–44:25).
- Cites reports (from The Israel Lobby) that Israel gifted Falwell a multimillion-dollar private jet to secure U.S. evangelical loyalty.
“Israel gave Jerry Falwell, Liberty University’s founder, Jerry Falwell Sr., a $2 million jet in 1979 … to gain support from evangelicals in America.” (42:10)
Iran-Contra and the Moon Cult (Unification Church)
- The Unification Church and its “Moon Inc.” empire funneled tens of millions to rescue Liberty University and numerous conservative religious causes (52:10–58:00).
- Moon-inc controlled media (Washington Times), money laundering, property purchases, and intelligence ties are detailed.
“Moon’s most ambitious foray … was the American Freedom Coalition, a conservative group that built popular support for Colonel Oliver North during the Iran-Contra probe. …Unificationists provided the personnel.” (57:50)
- Candace asserts that Turning Point USA, via its faith-based offshoots and international trips (especially to Korea and Japan), is retracing these historic steps—potentially making TPUSA the “next Moon Inc.”
6. Charlie Kirk’s Final Months: International Pressure and Refusal
- Kirk’s last trips were to Korea and Japan; days after meeting a Korean pastor Yoon Bo Sun (who advocated for Christians to engage in “biblical truth” politics and compared his persecution to Nazi Germany), that pastor was arrested (69:18).
- Owens speculates Israel/network actors offered Kirk an opportunity to become an international “messianic” leader like Moon, rapidly scaling TPUSA—and that his refusal, and subsequent surfacing of questions about the origins of money flowing into the organization, preceded his assassination.
“If I had to today give you my best guess as to why Charlie Kirk was assassinated, it’s because an offer came to him to become the next Moon … And maybe Charlie said no.” (73:23)
7. Psychological Operations in Modern Christianity
- Candace calls the state of contemporary mega-church evangelism “Christian Inc.”—driven more by PR, money, and alliances with foreign interests than by Christ.
- She ties together a sprawling web of pageantry, trafficking, real estate, military operations, and influencer manipulation, painting them as an international psychological operation.
- Warns that many now-public “faith leaders” are essentially soldiers in this information war—advancing agendas alien to authentic Christianity.
“These people are not pastors. These people are soldiers. These people are not influencers. These people are soldiers, and the war is on us. The war is for your mind.” (94:16)
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
- On Investigative Journalism:
“The internet is meticulous … It’s really easy to catch people in inconsistencies and then to keep replaying what they said about certain things, especially when they don’t add up.” (00:54) - Regarding the Liberty Godparent Home:
“They kept telling me I had to hurry up and make up my mind and make up my decision … because I’m running out of time. I have to hurry it up. And I’m like, why do I have to hurry it up?” (30:03) - On the Interface of Religion and Intelligence: “[Moon] uses to boost his credibility, spread his spiritual doctrine, and win political influence…” (56:19) “Charlie Kirk … where is the money coming from and where is it going to?” (67:13)
- On the State of Evangelicalism:
“We all felt, for some reason, spiritually sick watching Amfest … it was almost like they were trying to turn Charlie into a messianic figure. And yet we felt darkness there…” (38:56) “I hope that this episode has woke, has woken a lot of people up. … I will never unsee this. And it is a cancer. It really is a cancer.” (96:58)
Important Timestamps
- 00:00 – Episode opens and introduction of the security discussion
- 01:40 – Brian Harpole on Charlie Kirk event security planning
- 03:29 – Owens questions security irregularities post-assassination
- 09:50 – Owens introduces Excel tracking sheet of themes
- 24:11–33:32 – Survivor testimony: Liberty Godparent Home
- 35:05–38:25 – Excerpt from “Liberty Lost” podcast & ABC News coverage
- 42:10–44:25 – Liberty University history and Israeli connection
- 52:10–58:00 – Unification Church (“Moon Inc.”) bails out Liberty U
- 69:18 – South Korean Pastor Yoon’s arrest after Kirk’s visit
- 73:23 – Candace’s theory: Why Charlie Kirk was assassinated
- 94:16 – Final reflections: Psychological operations & weaponized faith
Tone & Language
- Candace maintains her characteristic conspiratorial, investigative, and iconoclastic tone. She is relentless in “connecting the dots,” employing sarcasm, exasperation, and urgency as she narrates.
- Emphasis is on skepticism of institutional narratives, the dangers of unchecked power, and challenging mainstream conservative religious leadership.
Conclusion
Candace Owens weaves a narrative tying the origins of modern evangelical empire-building (Liberty University, Moon’s Unification Church, Israel, intelligence agencies, child-trafficking allegations) to the recent “assassination” of Charlie Kirk. She alleges that turning away from “true Christianity” in favor of money, manipulation, and alliances with shadowy international entities stands at the root of the crisis. In her words, the “past is prologue”—and recognizing this pattern is key to resisting mass psychological manipulation masquerading as religion.
End of summary. For further context or source material, please refer to the time-stamped transcript sections above.