Biden’s “Politburo” & Homan’s Sanctuary City Plan | 5.22.25

Summary

Morning Wire Episode Summary: "Biden’s 'Politburo' & Homan’s Sanctuary City Plan" | May 22, 2025

Presented by Daily Wire Editor-in-Chief John Bickley and co-host Georgia Howe, the Morning Wire podcast delves into the latest developments in politics, culture, and national security. In this episode, released on May 22, 2025, the hosts explore explosive allegations surrounding President Joe Biden's administration and discuss border security initiatives spearheaded by Border Czar Tom Homan. Below is a comprehensive summary capturing all key points, discussions, insights, and conclusions from the episode.

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1. Unveiling Biden’s "Politburo" and Media Cover-Up

Allegations of a Hidden Power Structure

The episode opens with Georgia Howe highlighting explosive allegations about the true power dynamics during Joe Biden's presidency:

Georgia Howe [00:04]: "Explosive new allegations about who was really running the country during Joe Biden's presidency are shaking up Washington."

John Bickley follows up by questioning the legacy media’s role in these developments:

John Bickley [00:10]: "Is the legacy media still covering up the COVID up?"

Cabot Phillips on Media’s Role

Cabot Phillips emphasizes the critical role of the media in holding power accountable:

Cabot Phillips [00:14]: "That is why the fourth estate, the media is so important because its job is to look at the natural way that power operates and to hold power to account."

Introduction to the Politburo Concept

John Bickley introduces the concept of Biden's "politburo" based on revelations from the new book Original Sin by CNN's Jake Tapper and Axios's Alex Thompson:

John Bickley [00:39]: "Porter czar Tom Homan gives us a sneak peek into his deportation plans and how ICE will handle hostile sanctuary cities."

Detailed Insights from Original Sin

Cabot Phillips, alongside Bhatia Ungar Sargon, delves into the contents of Original Sin, unveiling a group of Biden’s top advisors exerting significant influence:

Bhatia Ungar Sargon [02:15]: "On Tuesday, the authors of the new bombshell book Original Sin, CNN's Jake Tapper and Axios Alex Thompson revealed the existence of what they called a politburo of longtime consiglieres or advisors of Biden who were heavily influencing everything he did."

Key Figures Identified

Jake Tapper details the key members of this politburo:

Jake Tapper [02:39]: "The people that we're naming would be Mike Donilon. Steve Richetti. Mike Donilon's his top political advisor. Steve Richetti is his top legislative advisor... Annie Thomasini... and Anthony Bernal... who was the top aide and enforcer for First Lady Jill Biden."

Staged Town Hall Controversy

The episode further reveals Biden's 2024 election team orchestrating a staged town hall, which backfired due to Biden's apparent inability to communicate effectively:

Bhatia Ungar Sargon [03:35]: "According to reporting in that new book, the 90 Minute Event was a disaster with Biden unable to string together any coherent answers... the campaign never aired any of that footage, flushing millions of dollars down the drain."

2. Biden’s Cognitive Decline and Media Complicity

Assertions of Cognitive Decline

Cabot Phillips addresses concerns regarding President Biden's mental fitness:

Cabot Phillips [04:12]: "I think what we see on stage with Joe Biden, Jake, is very clearly a cognitive decline. That's what I'm referring to. It makes me uncomfortable."

Jake Tapper confronts these assertions, leading to a contentious exchange:

Jake Tapper [05:01]: "I think you were mocking his stutter and I think you have absolutely no standing to diagnose somebody's cognitive decline."

Shift in Media Stance

Tapper later concedes that conservative media had valid points regarding Biden's mental state:

Bhatia Ungar Sargon [05:15]: "Tapper has since admitted that conservatives were right all along to question Biden's mental fitness... the conservative media was correct..."

Legacy Media's Minimal Coverage

Despite these revelations, Cabot Phillips points out the limited coverage by major media outlets:

Bhatia Ungar Sargon [06:20]: "the Media Research center found that from May 13th to the 19th, ABC, CBS and NBC spent just seven minutes combined talking about this bombshell story."

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3. Supreme Court Ruling on Maine’s Transgender Policies

Background on Laurel Libby’s Censure

Georgia Howe introduces the case of Maine Republican Laurel Libby, who was censured by Democrats for her stance on transgender policies:

Georgia Howe [10:36]: "The U.S. supreme Court has sided with a Maine Republican after she was punished by Democrats for drawing attention to controversial transgender policies in the state."

Details of the Supreme Court Decision

Cabot Phillips elaborates on the Supreme Court's unanimous decision to allow Libby to retain her voting rights during the legal battle:

Cabot Phillips [12:04]: "They said that she can vote while this legal battle plays out. There were only two dissents as well. Those came from liberal Justices Ketanji Brown Jackson and Sonia Sotomayor..."

Libby’s Optimism for the Case Outcome

Representative Libby expresses hope and optimism following the Supreme Court's decision:

Laurel Libby [12:25]: "I am outright optimistic now... that we will prevail on the merits of this case."

Ongoing Battle Over Transgender Policies in Maine

The episode discusses the broader implications of this case, highlighting the conflict between federal directives and Maine's state policies:

Cabot Phillips [13:48]: "We still have the Trump administration battling the state's Democrat governor, Janet Mills, over her decision to defy federal law and Trump's executive orders..."

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4. Tom Homan’s Strategy on Sanctuary Cities and Border Security

Introduction to Tom Homan’s Immigration Agenda

John Bickley introduces a segment with Tom Homan, Border Czar, discussing the necessity of Trump's budget bill for immigration purposes:

John Bickley [07:26]: "Tom Homan is calling for the passage of Trump's budget bill, which he says is crucial to carrying out the president's immigration agenda."

Interview Highlights on Deportation Plans

In an interview with Laurel Libby, Tom Homan outlines his plans to enhance ICE operations and secure the border:

Tom Homan [08:00]: "We need the money not just for the border, but interior enforcement operations... So we got to put more border wall up... ICE needs money. ICE is in the hole right now."

Strategies for Efficient Deportations

Homan details strategies to expedite deportations and prevent overcrowding in detention facilities:

Tom Homan [08:49]: "We'll have flights ready to go. It'll be very expedient, very efficient. So you'll see us hit the ground running. Day one."

Challenges with Sanctuary Cities

Discussing the inefficiencies caused by sanctuary cities, Homan explains the increased burden on ICE:

Tom Homan [09:14]: "Sanctuary cities make us less efficient... We'll send more agents in the communities... We're going to send many more agents on work site enforcement operations."

Appeal to Republican and Democratic Lawmakers

Homan urges lawmakers to support the budget bill, emphasizing the security benefits:

Tom Homan [10:03]: "There's no downside on a secure border... We should all be on the same page. So step up, get this done."

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5. Conclusion and Forward Look

The episode wraps up with a recap of the day's major stories and a preview of upcoming segments:

Georgia Howe [14:45]: "Thanks for waking up with us. We'll be back tomorrow with more news you need to know."

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Notable Quotes with Attribution and Timestamps:

• Georgia Howe [00:04]: "Explosive new allegations about who was really running the country during Joe Biden's presidency are shaking up Washington."

• Jake Tapper [02:39]: "Those are sort of the four. They were known as a politburo, gray hairs, poobas, and they were with him the most of anybody."

• Cabot Phillips [04:12]: "What we see on stage with Joe Biden... is very clearly a cognitive decline."

• Laurel Libby [12:25]: "I am outright optimistic now."

• Tom Homan [08:00]: "ICE needs money. ICE is in the hole right now."

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Insights and Conclusions:

• Hidden Power Structures: The episode sheds light on the possibility of a concealed group exerting significant influence over President Biden, challenging the transparency of his administration.

• Media Complicity: There is a critical examination of the legacy media's role in potentially covering up or downplaying important issues related to the presidency and policy decisions.

• Judicial Support for Political Dissent: The Supreme Court's decision to side with Laurel Libby highlights ongoing tensions between state policies and federal oversight, especially concerning controversial social issues.

• Immigration and Border Security Priorities: Tom Homan’s interview underscores a strong push for increased funding and resources to enhance border security and streamline deportation processes, emphasizing bipartisan support for these measures.

This episode of Morning Wire provides listeners with a deep dive into the inner workings of the Biden administration, scrutinizes media accountability, and discusses pivotal legal and policy battles shaping the current political landscape.

Transcript

[Georgia Howe]

Explosive new allegations about who was really running the country during Joe Biden's presidency are shaking up Washington.

[John Bickley]

Is the legacy media still covering up the COVID up?

[Cabot Phillips]

That is why the fourth estate, the media is so important because its job is to look at the natural way that power operates and to hold power to account.

[Georgia Howe]

I'm Georgia Howe with Daily Wire executive editor John Bickley. It's Thursday, May 22nd, and this is Morning Wire.

[John Bickley]

Porter czar Tom Homan gives us a sneak peek into his deportation plans and how ICE will handle hostile sanctuary cities.

[Tom Homan]

So they don't get exactly what they don't want. More agents in the community and more collateral risk.

[Georgia Howe]

And the Supreme Court hands a big win to an elected official in Maine who is speaking out about the state's transgender policies.

[Laurel Libby]

I can vote, which is is the key part. That's the most important, right? My constituents have been without a vote on important legislation for three months now.

[John Bickley]

Thanks for waking up with MORNING wire. Stay tuned. We have the news you need to know.

[Brandon]

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[John Bickley]

As new details continue to emerge regarding the White House cover up of President Biden's decline and those actually running the country, the legacy media is facing new pressure for their role in the scandal.

[Georgia Howe]

Joining us now is Daily Wire senior editor Cabot Phillips. So, Cabot, more evidence has been coming out about what was really going on behind the scenes during Biden's term. What have we learned?

[Bhatia Ungar Sargon]

Yeah, the drip, drip of stories about Biden has turned into a waterfall this week. On Tuesday, the authors of the new bombshell book Original Sin, CNN's Jake Tapper and Axios Alex Thompson revealed the existence of what they called a politburo of longtime consiglieres or advisors of Biden who were heavily influencing everything he did. Here they are talking about that group on the Megyn Kel Show.

[Jake Tapper]

The people that we're naming would Be Mike Donilon. Steve Richetti. Mike Donald's his top political advisor. Steve Richetti is his top legislative advisor. Ron Klain, when he was chief of staff. Bruce Reed, his basically longtime policy advisor. Those are sort of the four. They were known as a politburo, gray hairs, poobas, and they were with him the most of anybody. Then there's this other sort of group that aren't the politburo but are just as powerful. And they were the ones that kept the schedule, affected personnel and really built the bubble. And that would be Annie Thomasini, who was deputy chief of staff and previously Oval Office operations. And then Anthony Bernal, who was the top aideenforcer for First Lady Jill Biden and had incredible influence to the point that even people in the Biden White House would refer to her as one of the most powerful first ladies in history.

[Bhatia Ungar Sargon]

And we've also learned that during the 2024 election, Biden's team spent millions of dollars organizing a staged town hal with handpicked attendees asking pre written questions for the President to presumably knock out of the park. But according to reporting in that new book, the 90 Minute Event was a disaster with Biden unable to string together any coherent answers. As one staffer put it, quote, the man could not speak. It was so bad, in fact, that the campaign never aired any of that footage, flushing millions of dollars down the drain. They ended up blaming poor lighting instead of the President's mental capabilities.

[Georgia Howe]

People are now also asking questions about the media's involvement.

[Bhatia Ungar Sargon]

Yeah, there's no way to ignore the media's role in this story. For years, many of the most prominent outlets in the country and news anchors parroted White House talking points that President Biden was just fine. But you only saw that fine version behind closed doors. And it's not just that the legacy press told the American people Biden was fine. It's that they aggressively shut down anyone who asked questions about his abilities, labeling them conspiracy theorists, calling them ageist, or saying they were attacking a man who had a stuttering. For example, listen to Jake Tapper from cnn. The same Jake Tapper who wrote this new book talking to Lara Trump during the 2020 race.

[Cabot Phillips]

I think what we see on stage with Joe Biden, Jake, is very clearly a cognitive decline. That's what I'm referring to. It makes me uncomfortable.

[Jake Tapper]

You are. No, I can't. This is so amazing. It's so amazing to me that Try.

[Cabot Phillips]

And figure out an answer.

[Laurel Libby]

Cognitive decline.

[Cabot Phillips]

Tell me that. What I was suggesting was.

[Jake Tapper]

I think you were mocking his stutter. Yeah, I think you were mocking his stutter and I think you have absolutely no standing to diagnose somebody's cognitive decline.

[Bhatia Ungar Sargon]

Now, for his part, Tapper has since admitted that conservatives were right all along to question Biden's mental fitness. The conservative media was right and conservative media was correct, and that there should.

[Jake Tapper]

Be a lot of soul searching, not.

[Bhatia Ungar Sargon]

Just among me, but among the legacy.

[Jake Tapper]

Media to begin with.

[Bhatia Ungar Sargon]

So the message from Tapper and others in legacy media is essentially, we're just as shocked as all of you are. We had no idea these things were happening. But look, plenty of people are not buying that excuse and believe they're only changing their tune now to save their credibility. One of those skeptics is author and journalist Bhatia Ungar Sargon. Here's what she told us yesterday.

[Cabot Phillips]

Now that Joe Biden has no power anymore and can't hurt them, now that he is a cancer ridden old senile man, they are lining up to kick him, acting like somehow they deserve credit for speaking truth to power now that he no longer has any more power. And to me, that is the worst part about this.

[Bhatia Ungar Sargon]

You can hear Bhatia's full interview later this week on the Morning Wire. She does not mince words. And one more thing worth noting here. While some journalists have admitted their mistake, many outlets are still not covering the latest revelations about the Biden cover up. For example, the Media Research center found that from May 13th to the 19th, ABC, CBS and NBC spent just seven minutes combined talking about this bombshell story.

[Georgia Howe]

That is so damning. Cabot, thanks for reporting.

[Bhatia Ungar Sargon]

Absolutely.

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[Georgia Howe]

Border Czar Tom Homan is calling for the passage of Trump's budget bill, which he says is crucial to carrying out the president's immigration agenda.

[John Bickley]

Daily Wire White House correspondent Mary Margaret Olahan caught up with Homan on Wednesday and he made a case for why ICE needs more money to continue to secure the border, increase deportations and clean up sanctuary cities. Here's that conversation.

[Laurel Libby]

We are here with border czar Tom Homan to discuss the border implications of this big, beautiful bill. Tom, thank you so much for joining us. Tell us, how is this reconciliation bill going to affect our border?

[Tom Homan]

Well, look, we've made a lot of progress on the border, but we want to keep it permanent. We need the money not just for the border, but interior enforcement operations. Money for the border is going to help continue building the border wall. Every place the border barrier has been built, illegal immigrations went down, illegal drug flow went down. So we got to put more border wall up. And plus we got technology in the existing border wall that Joe Biden stopped putting in. As far as the interior enforcement operations, ICE needs money. ICE is in the hole right now. They got about 50,000 people in beds. We're funded for 34,000. ICE is already in hole. So if we want to continue this massive deportation operation, we need more money. People are asking, they don't think there's enough deportations, not enough ICE arrest. I agree with them. I'm pushing for more arrest. We need money to do it.

[Laurel Libby]

So let's say we do get the money for these deportations. What comes next in your strategy?

[Tom Homan]

Vastly increase the number of teams on the street. More teams are hitting the streets, More rest can be made. We have bed form and more flights, more frequent flights to remove them quickly rather than sitting in an iceville city for a month. We'll have flights ready to go. It'll be very expedient, very efficient. So you'll see us hit the ground running. Day one.

[Laurel Libby]

How have your operations been going in some of these blue cities like Boston? I know you've been spending a lot of time up there.

[Tom Homan]

They're going good, but they could be better. Sanctuary cities do you know, make us less efficient. Because rather than one agent arresting one bad guy in a jail where it's safe for the community, safe for the agent, safe for the alien, we got to send a whole team in the community to find them. If you're going to keep releasing public safety threats in the community, we're going to give you exactly what you don't want. We're going to flood the zone. We'll send more agents in the communities, many more agents. We're going to send many more agents on work site enforcement operation. If we can't get into jail the safe and efficient way, we'll get them in the community or we'll get them at work sites. Don't want to hear anything from sanctuary seat. I don't hear a word about us arresting non criminals. You put us in that position, that's what's going to happen.

[Laurel Libby]

Okay, so what's your message to Republican holdouts in the House, Representatives or Democrats who are not supporting the bill and not coming through for these initiatives?

[Tom Homan]

There's no downside on a secure border. There's no downside unless trafficking of women and children. There's no downside unless fentanyl. No downside unless people on terrorist watch list coming across. There's no downside in taking billions of dollars away from the cartels. There's no downside in removing public safety threats and national security threats from this country. We should all be on the same page. So step up, get this done. Give us the money we need so we can keep President Trump's promise to American people alive.

[Laurel Libby]

Right. Well, thank you so much, Tom. We really appreciate your time.

[Tom Homan]

Got it. Thank you.

[Laurel Libby]

Thank you.

[Georgia Howe]

The U.S. supreme Court has sided with a Maine Republican after she was punished by Democrats for drawing attention to controversial transgender policies in the state.

[John Bickley]

Here with more is Daily Wire reporter Amanda Prestigiacomo. Hey, Amanda. So Maine State Representative Laurel Libby was censured back in February. We covered that here. Remind our listeners about that censure and tell us about this win at the Supreme Court.

[Cabot Phillips]

Right. So Libby was censured by Democrats over a post she published on Facebook. That post highlighted a male athlete winning a state championship and girls high school pole vaulting in Maine. Males who identify as transgender, they're allowed to compete in girls school high sports, which, according to all polls, is not supported by the American people, even in a liberal state like Maine.

[John Bickley]

Right.

[Cabot Phillips]

I was able to speak to Representative Libby yesterday. Here she is talking about the censure from state Democrats and the really interesting stipulation applied to her censorship.

[Laurel Libby]

The Democrat majority in the main House voted to censure me and at the same time, to strip my constituents of their voice and their vote. And following that, this, the censure vote is when Speaker Ryan Fecto declared that until I apologized, I would not be allowed to speak or vote on the floor.

[Cabot Phillips]

She told me that she knew immediately after the censure that she had to take legal action to challenge that punishment. She lost at the District of Appeals Court levels before she eventually appealed in April to the Supreme Court.

[John Bickley]

All right, so she gets to the Supreme Court. What did the high court say?

[Cabot Phillips]

Yeah, the court sided with Libby. They said that she can vote while this legal battle plays out. There were only two dissents as well. Those came from liberal Justices Ketanji Brown, Jackson and Sonia Sotomayor, and notably Jackson, who was the only one to explain her dissent. She said that basically Libby is likely to win her case outright. Here's Libby on that outcome.

[Laurel Libby]

In Jackson's dissent, at least, it really came down to the process and the procedure and timeframe and not the merits. And so I'm optimistic that at the end of the day, when we do have our full day in court, that we will prevail on the merits of this case. And I. I think that we're seeing an indication of that based on the emergency application being granted. And particularly, frankly, I'm encouraged by the reason that Justice Jackson dissented. You know, I was. I was hopeful, but perhaps not optimistic before, and I would say I'm. I'm outright optimistic now.

[Cabot Phillips]

Libby also emphasized to me that this case is unprecedented. She said that's likely why the Supreme Court took it up in the first place.

[Laurel Libby]

I think when folks who are not involved in politics think of the role of their representative, they think of the fact that they're voting on legislation. Right? Voting on the bills that come before a legislature and determining if those will become law or not. And to have a duly elected representative stripped of that right, that right, that is, you know, the way in which they speak for their constituents and is shocking and an attack on democracy.

[John Bickley]

Now, Maine has really been ground zero for this fight over transgender policies. What is the latest there with the state?

[Cabot Phillips]

Yeah, we still have the Trump administration battling the state's Democrat governor, Janet Mills, over her decision to defy federal law and Trump's executive orders that bar males and girls spaces and girls sports. The feds have already frozen federal funding for the state. And last month, Attorney General Pam Bondi, she announced a civil lawsuit against Maine's Department of Education. There have also been questions raised about this network of transgender groups that surround Mills and her family. The governor's sister, Dora Ann Mills, she's the chief health improvement officer at Maine Health. That healthcare system was a top donor to Mills's 2022 gubernatorial run. And they also notably offer irreversible procedures for gender confused minors. And that includes puberty blockers and what they call gender affirming hormone therapy and menstrual suppression. Critics trying to make sense of Mills supporting these really unpopular trans policies. They've noted those connections.

[John Bickley]

Yeah, you can see why they might highlight those connections. Amanda, thanks so much for reporting.

[Cabot Phillips]

You're welcome.

[Georgia Howe]

Thanks for waking up with us. We'll be back tomorrow with more news. You need to know.

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