Loading summary
Pacific Life Announcer
What can 160 years of experience teach you about the future? When it comes to protecting what matters, Pacific Life provides life insurance, retirement income and employee benefits for people and businesses building a more confident tomorrow. Strategies rooted in strength and backed by experience. Ask a financial professional how Pacific Life can help you today. Pacific Life Insurance Company Omaha, Nebraska and in New York, Pacific Life and Annuity.
VRBO Advertiser
Phoenix, Arizona save over $200 when you book weekly Stays with VRBO this winter. If you haven't seen your college besties since, well, college, you need a week to catch up in a snowy cabin. Take a week long vacation and save over $200. Book now@vrbo.com.
Political Commentator
Doge has completely closed shop as a surprise to no one, Everybody saw the public breakup of Kanks and Elon Musk. Elon Musk basically says Trump is right in the middle of the Epstein files. Kylie, put up the headline. Reuters is reporting that US President Donald Trump's Department of Government Efficiency has disbanded with eight months left to its mandate ending an initiative launched with fanfare as a symbol of Trump's pledge to slash the government size, but which critics say delivered few measurable savings. That doesn't exist, office of Personal Management director Scott Kupor told Reuters earlier this month when asked about DOA's status. You guys, it was all a ruse from the very beginning. It was a transactional agreement between two criminally minded parasites. And these parasites are Donald Trump and Elon Musk. And these guys are not geniuses that created all of this. These guys are parasites who know how to fleece hard working people and consolidate wealth for themselves. These are not philanthropists. These are not big minds. These are con artist hustlers. And the agreement was as follows. Trump said, I need money or I'm going to go to prison. And Elon Musk said, I need you to win or I'm going to go to prison. Okay, well here's our deal. Mutually assured destruction. I'll give you $300 million if once you win, if you give me the keys to all of these departments that are investigating me. And during the Biden administration, Elon Musk and or his companies were under a multitude of investigations. Trump gave this criminal the keys who then goes into the federal government and shuts down all of these investigations into him. They don't like each other. It was transactional. They have mutually assured destruction. And of course this whole thing was a ruse. And here's what's so sad about this Josh. And Josh is subbing for pumps this week. She's on vacation A lot of these people that work in government are not looking to be wealthy. They're looking to just live a normal life. They get a government job, they have job security, they make, you know, $75,000 a year, maybe more if they're lucky, they get a couple of weeks paid time off, and they have health insurance. These are not deep state freaks that are trying to fuck over the American working class. They are the American working class.
That's right. And one of the aspects of this story also, there are all these employees of Doge that are all just sort of now holding the bag saying, hey, we got all this information.
Well, let me tee that up here. Josh is exactly right. Politico is reporting the following. Suddenly exposed Doge employ fear prosecution after Musk abandoned them. And here's an excerpt. And then we'll get Josh, who's a criminal defense attorney, we'll get his take on this. Noting that the Doge staffers have, quote, lived with the ever present threat of backlash, public scrutiny, upset cabinet officials, even the prospect that someone might assert criminal charges against them. The report notes that there is a growing sense of dread that Musk will no longer champion them if they are subject to investigations, quote, unquote, quote. Musk had not been just their visionary leader for them, he was their protector. The man who had a direct line to Trump, who they believed could pick up the phone and secure a presidential pardon if the worst came without his presence in Washington. They were suddenly exposed. Politico is reporting, before adding that a recent gathering, a senior Doge figure named Donald park tried to reassure his colleagues that they were still, quote, brothers in arms and that Musk would continue to protect them. That led to another protesting, advising, guys, seriously, get your own lawyer if you need it. Elon's great, but you need to watch your own back.
Isn't that just sort of typical of the grift that we were talking about earlier? So you have all of these sort of pawns in your circle that are out doing all of this work. And the people at the top, the wealthy, once you fleeced and gotten everything that you need out of it, they're left again holding the bag. And these guys, I don't know, kids, I remember a point in time when Trump was first elected that government employees were sort of bitching about getting these emails about how these 25 year old kids are sending these emails out saying, hey, what do you do in your department? What are you essential, you know, and, and, and then they went and got all this private information of government employees. And it was questionable as to legality of all of that stuff. And, and so now they're just there like, okay, well, where's our cover?
And there is this. It. It is I have long suspected because all of to Musk and or his companies have disappeared. If these Doge crackheads went in and deleted evidence or deleted these investigations, that is criminal. And the fact that they are so incredibly worried about lawyering up and being left holding the bag tells me everything I need to know about the nefarious actions of Doge, further supporting our hypothesis that this was a means for both Trump and Musk to avoid prison.
And I think their concern though is not so much grounded in criminal exposure right now, because you would have to have a Department of justice that would be interested enough to peel back the layers of what they did and want to prosecute that. I don't think it's that as much as it is. What if Trump's not elected in three or four years and you peel back the layers of all the evil diabolical shit? Surely the Democrats are going to learn not to appoint another Merrick Garland to be the Attorney General. And so there would be a real concern if Trump didn't just issue blanket pardons to every dosh employee that, hey, I did a lot of crazy shit here that I was told to do that I thought maybe was legal, but I was caught up in this bro dick sucking moment of Elon Musk and so I did it and now I have a little bit of regret about having done.
Okay, let's play this scenario through. Let's say that the midterms, despite Republicans best effort to Jane gerrymander, cheat, blah, blah, blah, is a huge blue tsunami. And then you have a Democratic Congress and Democratic Senate and then you have oversight and you have investigations into the activities of what Doge did. Of note, it's interesting that Marjorie Taylor Greene was one of the chair of the Doge Committee and now she's pulling out.
Right? But one thing that we can say now though, that Trump has now set the bar that if a Democrat comes in and doesn't investigate all the things he did with the same vigor that he's done, and I think that's their concern, is now the bar has definitely been set by Trump. He's going after everybody. So everyone that's in his administration that's doing things that are arguably illegal, just be on notice that it's going to get looked at.
See, I hope you're right that the Trump set the bar for the Democrats to have this thirst to come back in and fight for justice. But I have little hope sometimes in the Democrats ability to fight because their default setting is to allow Republican talking points to define them or to, to have Republicans cage them in a way where they will be seen and not an appealing way. And they default to all this integrity shit.
And if they don't fight then I'm going to move to Nigeria and open up a Democrats account and start blasting them every single day.
Okay, moving along, this is. Imagine you guys, okay, the hypocrisy within the MAGA movement. We could, could be a ten year daily two hour podcast episode. But here's something I think is really interesting. So you have the MAGA movement which is inherently. We're pro life, we're pro life. We're pro life, we're pro life. Of course we know they don't fund child care, they don't fund health care, they don't give a. Interestingly, Elon Musk is all about breeding. He's all about, he's super concerned about the global population and that we're in a population decline. Right? Talks about it all the time. There's, he has something like 20 kids and there's, there's been reporting that he's been over to Japan, beaten off into petri dishes over there and there's some, some reporting that he could have over 100 kids. So this is a deadbeat dad who gets in fight with his baby mamas on Twitter all the time, shows up to the White House, hired in a kite on drugs all the time. And if he's so pro life, pro population, what's so interesting about his work at DOGE is put this up. The shutdown of USAID has already killed hundreds of thousands. His. The USAID was investigating Elon Musk and the workers at usaid and we received some mail here at the podcast from people that were abroad that worked for USAID and their work was getting supplies, medications and food to the poorest people in the world. And hundreds of thousands of people already done vaccines, AIDS prevention stuff. And it's interesting to me the, the hypocrisy that so many MAGA people live in and it's just kind of default accepted. Oh, Elon Musk is concerned about global population also. Elon Musk killed hundreds of thousands of people.
Right. It's just hard to take, I have this memory of him with a chainsaw and so it's just hard for me to take anything that that man has said as being serious. His conduct and behavior of when he was in office. But that particular agency that you've referenced, they provide a lot of humanitarian relief and I think it's pretty much non existent now. I think they're trying to, and I think there's a question as to whether or not Congress has to actually shut it down or if the executive branch can do it itself. But it's, and it's shameful because I think they had a huge like 30, 40, $50 billion budget each year to help people and, and they've stripped that away.
It would be impossible for pumps and I to report on the news without our ground News vantage plan. They are basically the Spotify of news. They tell you who owns each outlet, where this outlet leans politically and whether you're reading original reporting or recycled or even if you are reading facts. Here's a prime example. Here's a left leaning headline. Trump gloats over quote, traitor Marjorie Taylor Greene's decision to quit as maga. Left reeling. It tells me this is left leaning. It tells me that this has a very high factuality, that this article is rooted in facts. Here is a right leaning headline. Trump celebrates MTG's resignation while AOC scrutinizes the timing American wire news. It tells me this is right leaning and it tells me that this has a very low factuality. So listener join us by going to ground news.comforward/IHIP to get 40 off the ground News Vantage plan that pumps and I use every single day. They're subscriber funded and our favorite part is that they are female founded by subscribing, you're not only getting a tool we all need today, you're also supporting our work. That's ground gr o u n d news.com forward/IHIP and Kylie and Seth are linking that for easy access right below in the show notes.
VRBO Advertiser
With stays under $250 a night, VRBO makes it easy to celebrate sweater weather. You could book a cabin stay with leaf views for days or a brownstone in a city where festivals are just a walk away. Or a lakeside home with a fire pit for cozy nights with friends. Or if you're not a sweater person, we can call it corduroy weather. More flexible. And with stays under $250 a night, you can book a home that suits your exact needs. Book now@vrbo.com and the problem is a.
Political Commentator
Lot of that positioning that the United States did with USAID helped us with foreign policy as well. And when we pull out of these places, then it helps adversaries move in and it's just, it's unbelievable. And I'm just going to say this again, that so many people who are so anti immigrant, all of these Americans have allowed a man who is an immigrant, which I support immigration, they've allowed a man who is an immigrant to come over and tell them they need to pay more in taxes, they need to breed, they need to suck it up with the economy. You're going to go through a rough time. And they take all this advice from an immigrant because as a culture, particularly in Republican circles, they worship rich overdoing the right thing all in the name of Jesus. You know, the, the duplicity of the, the that they go to church all the time, yet make all of this moral space for a man like Elon Musk, who would never be a trillionaire ever without the United States tax worker, that he clearly resents, that he clearly is so cynical towards, that he clearly thinks is so beneath him. This is a man who has all of this money. There's not one hospital being built. There's not one kind gesture towards humanity. He's just an insatiable addict that wants to consume everything he can, including hard working America's dignity and taxpayer money.
And, and it's any, any sort of government responsibility or government agency that wants to help people, that wants to act like Jesus. You know, keep in mind all these Christians that control the right, like Jesus is their guy and Jesus was an immigrant and Jesus was full of compassion and Jesus was full of forgiveness. And so any sort of, you know, government policy that helps people, they want to strip away contrary to this fundamental belief system that they have about how they're supposed to live their day to day lives. And it just gets to be too much after a period of time. I've just seen it stripped down over and over and over. And the loss of this agency hurts a lot of people and was killed, killed a lot of people and was doing a lot of really good work to help marginalize people.
All right, 10 months in, 11 months into this administration, we're finding out it's all a hustle. It's all a scam. A scam to keep Donald Trump out of prison and to make him rich, as which I think he's already made something like $8 billion. A scam to keep Elon Musk out of prison so he could shut down all of these investigations into himself. And since Trump is one, he's now a trillionaire. Imagine doing a Nazi salute and then you get awarded by your company to the tune of a trillion dollars. It's breathtaking. The corruption in the United States of America and the favoring of these immoral billionaires like Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, Zuckerberg, Tim Cook, Larry Ellison and the worship of them. And the debasing that so many people participate in to make sure they pay more in taxes so that these guys can get another yacht. Absolutely disgusting. Subscribe to our channel, leave a comment for the algorithm, buy our book and we'll be back later with more news.
Title: Elon's DOGE Left for Dead as Ex-Staffers Fear Criminal Charges
Date: November 25, 2025
Hosts: Jennifer Welch & (guest co-host) Josh (subbing for Angie “Pumps” Sullivan)
Podcast: IHIP News
This episode zeroes in on the fallout following the collapse of DOGE, the government efficiency program linked to Elon Musk and Donald Trump. The hosts dissect the power dynamics, transactional deals, and consequences for ex-DOGE staffers now left vulnerable and fearing legal repercussions. With biting humor and pointed commentary, Jennifer and Josh expose deeper questions about corruption, hypocrisy, and the MAGA movement’s moral contradictions.
The Alleged Transactional Deal
“Trump said, I need money or I’m going to go to prison. And Elon Musk said, I need you to win or I’m going to go to prison. ... I'll give you $300 million if, once you win, you give me the keys to all of these departments that are investigating me.”
— Jennifer
Dismantling Government Oversight
Staff Left Vulnerable
“The Doge staffers have, ‘lived with the ever present threat of backlash, public scrutiny, upset cabinet officials, even the prospect that someone might assert criminal charges against them.’ ... Musk had not been just their visionary leader for them, he was their protector… Without his presence in Washington, they were suddenly exposed.”
— Jennifer (quoting Politico)
Advice from Within
“Guys, seriously, get your own lawyer if you need it. Elon's great, but you need to watch your own back.”
— Jennifer (quoting an unnamed DOGE staffer) [04:08]
Pattern of Exploiting the Underlings
“So you have all of these pawns in your circle ... the people at the top, the wealthy, once you’ve fleeced and gotten everything that you need out of it, they’re left again holding the bag.”
— Josh
Potential Illegality
“If these Doge crackheads went in and deleted evidence or deleted these investigations, that is criminal. ... The fact that they are so incredibly worried about lawyering up ... tells me everything I need to know about the nefarious actions of Doge.”
— Jennifer
Will Democrats Seek Accountability?
“I think their concern ... is what if Trump’s not elected in three or four years and you peel back the layers of all the evil diabolical shit?” [06:13]
Trump Sets a New Precedent
“Trump has now set the bar that if a Democrat comes in and doesn’t investigate all the things he did with the same vigor ... it’s going to get looked at.” [07:26]
Skepticism About Democratic Resolve
“Their default setting is to allow Republican talking points to define them ... They default to all this integrity shit.” [07:51]
“If they don’t fight then I'm going to move to Nigeria and open up a Democrats account and start blasting them every single day.” [08:17]
Contradictory 'Pro-Life' Stance
“Elon Musk is all about breeding ... He has something like 20 kids and ... could have over 100 kids. So this is a deadbeat dad who gets in fights with his baby mamas on Twitter all the time, shows up to the White House, hired in a kite on drugs all the time. ... Elon Musk killed hundreds of thousands of people.”
— Jennifer
Shuttering USAID and Its Tragic Humanitarian Consequences
“That particular agency ... provide[s] a lot of humanitarian relief. ... They had a huge like $30, 40, $50 billion budget each year to help people and ... they’ve stripped that away.”
— Josh
Hypocrisy in the GOP’s Economic Populism
“As a culture, particularly in Republican circles, they worship rich over doing the right thing all in the name of Jesus. ... There’s not one hospital being built. There’s not one kind gesture towards humanity. He’s just an insatiable addict that wants to consume everything he can, including hard working America’s dignity and taxpayer money.”
— Jennifer
“It’s all a scam. A scam to keep Donald Trump out of prison and to make him rich ... A scam to keep Elon Musk out of prison so he could shut down all of these investigations into himself. ... Imagine doing a Nazi salute and then you get awarded by your company to the tune of a trillion dollars. ... The debasing that so many people participate in to make sure they pay more in taxes so that these guys can get another yacht. Absolutely disgusting.” [15:31]
On the transactional Trump-Musk alliance:
“These are con artist hustlers. ... I'll give you $300 million if once you win, you give me the keys to all of these departments that are investigating me.”
— Jennifer, [00:49]
On legal threats to DOGE staff:
“Guys, seriously, get your own lawyer if you need it. Elon's great, but you need to watch your own back.”
— Anonymous DOGE staffer, quoted by Jennifer [04:08]
On repeating cycles of elite grift:
“These guys are not geniuses that created all of this. … They are parasites who know how to fleece hard working people and consolidate wealth for themselves.”
— Jennifer [00:49]
On Musk’s so-called pro-life stance:
“Elon Musk killed hundreds of thousands of people.”
— Jennifer [09:54]
On America’s reverence for billionaires:
“Imagine doing a Nazi salute and then you get awarded by your company to the tune of a trillion dollars.”
— Jennifer [15:31]
In this scathing yet entertaining episode, Jennifer (with guest Josh) exposes how the Trump-Musk DOGE alliance served the interests of both men at the expense of transparency and ordinary people. As ex-employees of DOGE face uncertainty and possible prosecution, the hosts draw attention to broader dangers: how systems can be subverted for personal gain, the cost in human lives when aid is cynically withdrawn, and the deep, sometimes laughable, contradictions that pervade reactionary political movements. The hosts challenge their listeners not to accept these double standards—and to demand real accountability, not just from Trump and Musk, but also from the Democrats who may inherit the aftermath.