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Michael Popak
I don't know about you, but I like my FBI directors who don't take the fifth Amendment when they're asked to appear before a grand jury about a guy named Donald Trump that may have committed and was indicted for committing obstruction of justice and espionage down at Mar A Lago. And now we've got new reporting coming out because Politico worked very hard, along with some other media agencies to make sure that those blacked out redacted entries on dockets about the grand juries investigating Donald Trump, that those black tapes be removed so the public can see it, even if it's now three years later and long after Cash Patel was confirmed as FBI director. But now we know that the chief judge at the time, Beryl Howell, still a judge, just not the chief judge. She found not only not only did he take the fifth Amendment and eventually dropped it because Jack Smith's prosecution team gave him immunity. So we have a f get this straight. We got an FBI director, best friend of Donald Trump, who helped Donald Trump hide the documents, hide the ball at Mar A Lago, who took the fifth Amendment and only was forced to waive it and testify to the grand jury against Donald Trump because he was given immunity. I don't know about you, but I like my federal, you know, FBI directors not to have taken the fifth and not to have been given immunity. I don't think that's a badge of honor. That should get you the job. And now we've got the new reporting that Beryl Howell, who was overseeing in her role as chief judge of all things D.C. federal court, she was responsible for the witnesses and making sure the witnesses go into the grand jury. She's, she supervised all things grand jury, not just Donald Trump's grand jury, all grand juries, including the Trump grand juries, including the Mar A Lago Trump grand juries. And so when Cash Patel kept playing footsie with Jack Smith, oh, I Can't make it. Can't make it next week. Can't make it. Sorry. Cancel. Cancel, cancel. To come into the grand jury and testify. Can't get a lawyer. I don't know. I'm busy. She had it and now we know what she ruled in her order. And it would have been nice if we had known it before. There's a lot of things that would have been nice if we had known it before. There was a whole section about Kash Patel in volume one of the Mar A Lago Report by Jack Smith that we never saw and still haven't seen. We'll talk about that, too, here on the Midas Dutch network in Legal af. I'm Michael Popak. Kash Patel, back in the news. Our FBI director, formerly right wing podcaster. So how did we get here? Well, he, Cash Patel, got into Donald Trump's orbit because he worked on the investigative committee concerning Russiagate way back when, worked for Devin Nunez, who now works or had worked for Donald Trump with one of his media companies, Truth Social. But at the time, he got on Donald Trump's radar as a reliable person. I also learned something I didn't know before. Cash Patel's full name. You know, Donald Trump likes to call Barack Obama by his full name because he thinks it's going to remind people that he's a secret Muslim. Well, Cash Patel, your FBI director's name is Kashiyap Prabhmad Patel. I have no problem with that. It just happens to be his formal legal name and it was listed in the docket, so I wanted to, I wanted to repeat it. So Cash Yap is working with Donald Trump against, or interfacing with the National Archives and about the National Archives Records act. Because Donald Trump's claiming, remember at Mar a Lago, that he gets to take everything out of the White House. All the classified, declassified, top secret, all the nuclear codes and war plans, he gets to take them all with him because they're his or his documents. It's his. It's mine, mine, mine. And he uses Cash Patel to run interference with the National Archive, who wants it all back. Because they're the people's documents. They're the public documents, the presidential records. Historians need to see it. Maybe future prosecutors need to see it. We need to see it. Academics need to see it. Whatever. That's how we operate. Donald Trump had Cash Patel go, for instance, on Breitbart and say, no, it's all unclassified. He unclassified everything. And here's. Does anybody really believe this Here, here's what he actually said on Breitbart. Trump declassified whole sets of materials in anticipation of leaving government that he thought the American people should have the right to read themselves. So Donald Trump. So Donald Trump wanted the American people to read them, so he was gonna store them at Mar a Lago in the bathroom, in the dining room. And then what do I do? I call up and while I'm making, you know, oh, can I buy into the golf course in Mar a Lago? A million dollars? Sure. Do you have a room there? And can I also take a look at all the boxes that you have that the American people have a right to see? This is just, I mean, just so insulting to the American people. Everything about Donald Trump in the administration and those around him are just insulting to the intelligence of the American people. You guys know I love my late night snacks, but not the sugar crash after. That's why I'm obsessed with Magic Spoon. It's the cereal and treats you remember from your childhood reinvented. Each serving of their high protein cereal has a wild 13 grams of protein, zero sugar, and only 4 grams of net carbs. Perfect if you're carb conscious or living that low carb lifestyle. And the flavor, straight out of the Saturday morning cartoons. Fruity cocoa, frosted nostalgic fueling and totally satisfying. Now let's talk about their treats. They're crispy, crunchy, and packed with 12 grams of protein. I toss them in my gym bag, my glove box, even my nightstand. With flavors like marshmallow chocolate, peanut butter and dark chocolate, you really can't go wrong. Get $5 off your next order at magicspoon.com legalaf or look for Magic Spoon on Amazon or in your nearest grocery store. That's magic spoon boone.com legal af for $5 off. He goes on, though, at Breitbart and says the White House counsel failed to generate the paperwork. Oh, it's the lawyer's fault, right? It's Pat Cipollone's fault. He failed to generate the paperwork to change the classification markings, but that doesn't mean the information wasn't declassified. I was there with President Trump when he said the magic words Beetlejuice. Sorry, we are declassifying this information. Okay, so that, I assume, was some version of his testimony to the grand jury that Beryl Howell is all upset about because he played cat and mouse long enough with Jack Smith and she found him almost in contempt. She says it is contumacious. Or contemptuous. I usually say contumacious, but the Real takeaway from all this is to remind people he took the Fifth Amendment, right? And it matters that the guy, I mean, Donald Trump took the Fifth Amendment in many cases as well. According to Donald Trump, that's what criminals do. If you had nothing to hide, why you take the Fifth Amendment? And he only came clean and gave this bullshit story about records and declassification apparently when he was given immunity. So he knows his story's bs. So they have to give him immunity or he's not going to testify. It's very hard to compel somebody to testify. They're just going to take the Fifth Amendment in front of the grand jury. And then we have, of course, the Mar A Lago saga. So why wasn't a lot of this investigated at the confirmation hearing for Cash Patel? First of all, he refused to talk about his testimony and his view smartly because he's like, they don't know what I said. I'm not going to tell them what I said. They didn't really hammer him on the Fifth Amendment assertion, which they should have, and the fact that he was given immunity and run him through that. Run that through. But there would have been a lot more to cross examine Cash Patel with if Merrick Garland hadn't been kind of a little bit asleep at the switch and a little slow footed. In releasing the Jack Smith reports, Remember, he had two volumes of reports, one about Mar A Lago, one about the D.C. election interference. In volume one about Mar a Lago, there was, we know there was an entire section about Kash Patel and his testimony. But Eileen Cannon, remember that blast from the past federal judge down in, in Florida, she stopped the release of the report with an injunction and an order because there were two other criminal defendants who did not have immunity in the case because she had stopped the case against Donald Trump already, citing immunity and improper special prosecutor appointment, whatever. But there were still the two other guys, Walt Nauta and Carlos D. Oviera, that worked with Trump. So the indictment goes to obstruct justice and hide the fact that they had stolen everything, you know, try to erase the video surveillance cameras, change the locks, hide the documents, put things in Broncos and then on airplanes to get away from, to get away from Mar A Lago, Hide things, you know, and move things away from federal investigators who are arriving or hiding them from Donald Trump's own lawyers. That testimony came out. But that report would have been fascinating. And all Merrick Garland had to do because he said, I don't believe you have the power to force me not to Release that. That would be a separation of powers issue and he could have taken that up to the 11th Circuit and he would have probably won. But he, but he agreed not to release volume one, which I just never. I never understood. All he had to do, by the way, is just dismiss the case against d', Oliveira, the IT worker and Walt now to the butler like an elaborate game of Clue and just dismiss it. Then there's no case, there's no jurisdiction, there's no power. You take away the power of Eileen Cannon and you release the report which was the more important thing to do for the American people that volume one and volume two be released. Instead, he gave volume two to Pam Bondi, telling her to do it. We'll never see that. We should forget the Epstein file. I mean, don't forget the Epstein files. I want to see that released. So that's one and two. The. The American people wanted to see what was inside there before the election. But no, didn't happen. And then we didn't have it. The Senate didn't have it to cross examine Cash Patel with. But now we have drips and drabs of what happened. Cash Patel, fifth Amendment privilege given immunity, almost found in contempt by judge. By judge Beryl Howell and now is our FBI director. We'll continue to follow all of this right here on the Midas Touch network. Take a minute, hit the free subscribe button, but come on over to Legal AF, the YouTube channel and do the exact same thing there. LegalIf MTN got more than a dozen contributors. I just added it's amazing. So I'm so happy. Adam Klassfeld. Adam Klassfeld. All Rise News. He's the. He's the legal journalist. Journalist. He's the legal journalist we go to for our information and input. And now we've got them on Legal AF exclusively for videos and the like Adam Clasveld only on Legal AF YouTube channel. So until my next report, I'm Michael Popak. Can't get your fill of Legal af. Me neither. That's why we formed the Legal AF sub stack. Every time we mention something in a hot take, whether it's a court filing or a oral argument, come over to the substack. You'll find the court filing and the oral argument there, including a daily roundup that I do called wait for it Morning af. What else? All the other contributors from Legal AAF are there as well. We got some new reporting, we got interviews, we got ad free versions of the podcast and hot takes. We where Legal AF on substack Come over now to free subscribe.
Legal AF Podcast Summary: "Trump FBI Pick's Dirty Secret Surfaces"
Release Date: August 11, 2025
Podcast Information:
In the August 11, 2025 episode of Legal AF, host Michael Popok delves into the controversies surrounding the current FBI Director, Kash Patel, and his connections to former President Donald Trump. The episode, titled "Trump FBI Pick's Dirty Secret Surfaces," explores Patel’s past actions, his role in the Trump investigations, and the implications of his leadership on the FBI’s integrity.
Michael Popok begins by outlining Kash Patel’s rise to the position of FBI Director and his longstanding ties to Donald Trump.
"Cash Patel, back in the news. Our FBI director, formerly right-wing podcaster. So how did we get here?" [04:15]
Patel's involvement in the Russiagate investigation and his work with Devin Nunez positioned him as a reliable ally in Trump’s circle. Popok highlights Patel’s formal name, Kashiyap Prabhmad Patel, emphasizing its mention in official dockets to underline the transparency—or lack thereof—surrounding his actions.
A significant portion of the episode focuses on Patel’s testimony before a grand jury investigating Donald Trump’s alleged crimes, including obstruction of justice and espionage related to Mar-a-Lago.
"I don't know about you, but I like my FBI directors who don't take the fifth Amendment when they're asked to appear before a grand jury about a guy named Donald Trump..." [00:29]
Popok criticizes Patel for initially invoking the Fifth Amendment during his testimony, only to later waive it in exchange for immunity. This, he argues, undermines the perception of impartiality expected from the FBI leadership.
"He took the Fifth Amendment and only was forced to waive it and testify to the grand jury against Donald Trump because he was given immunity." [12:45]
The episode examines Judge Beryl Howell’s oversight in the Trump grand jury proceedings. Popok argues that Howell's management allowed Patel to evade full accountability by providing immunity.
"Beryl Howell... she supervised all things grand jury, not just Donald Trump's grand juries... when Cash Patel kept playing footsie with Jack Smith..." [15:30]
He contends that Howell’s rulings facilitated Patel’s limited testimony, casting doubt on the process’s fairness and thoroughness.
Popok discusses the broader context of the Mar-a-Lago investigation, particularly focusing on the incomplete release of Jack Smith's reports.
"There was a whole section about Kash Patel in volume one of the Mar A Lago Report by Jack Smith that we never saw and still haven't seen." [22:10]
He criticizes Attorney General Merrick Garland for withholding crucial parts of the report, hindering public understanding and judicial scrutiny of the case against Trump and his associates.
The host raises concerns about the qualifications and impartiality of Patel, given his history with Trump and his actions during the grand jury proceedings.
"A federal FBI director, best friend of Donald Trump, who helped Donald Trump hide the documents at Mar A Lago, who took the Fifth Amendment..." [18:05]
Popok underscores the potential conflicts of interest and the impact of such leadership on the FBI’s credibility and independence.
The episode explores the broader political implications of Patel’s appointment, suggesting it signals a shift in the FBI’s stance towards former President Trump and potentially biased investigations.
"Everything about Donald Trump in the administration and those around him are just insulting to the intelligence of the American people." [10:55]
Popok argues that Patel’s protection of Trump’s actions reflects a troubling alignment that could erode public trust in federal law enforcement institutions.
Michael Popok concludes by emphasizing the need for transparency and accountability within the FBI. He calls for the release of the withheld sections of the Jack Smith reports to ensure a comprehensive understanding of the investigations.
"We should forget the Epstein file. I mean, don't forget the Epstein files. I want to see that released." [30:40]
Popok assures listeners that Legal AF will continue to monitor and report on these developments, underscoring the importance of informed public discourse on matters of national significance.
Conclusion
This episode of Legal AF provides a critical examination of Kash Patel’s role as FBI Director, his connections to Donald Trump, and the implications of his actions on the integrity of federal investigations. By highlighting the suppression of key information and questioning the impartiality of authority figures, Michael Popok urges listeners to remain vigilant and informed about the intersections of law and politics that shape national discourse.
For more detailed analysis and updates, listeners are encouraged to follow Legal AF on YouTube and subscribe to their Substack for exclusive content.