Ruthless Podcast Episode Summary

Episode Title: Are Democrats Trying to Start a Civil War?
Date: January 8, 2026
Hosts: Josh Holmes, Comfortably Smug, Michael Duncan, John Ashbrook

Overview

This episode centers on a heated conservative critique of recent events in Minnesota: a high-profile ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) officer-involved shooting and massive alleged fraud schemes tied to public funding, predominantly connected to the state’s Somali community. The hosts discuss how they see Democratic leadership at state and national levels enabling or covering up corruption, using identity politics and civil unrest to obscure their alleged malfeasance. The episode is peppered with dark humor, righteous indignation, and frequent references to criminal enterprise, Mafia analogies, and the breakdown of traditional political norms. Segments include thorough dissection of recent news, notable audio clips from congressional hearings and local officials, and the podcast’s signature “King of the Hill” game lampooning prominent political figures.

Key Discussion Points

1. ICE Officer-Involved Shooting and Democratic Response

Timestamps: [00:00]-[05:44], [16:10]-[21:38]

• The show opens with news of an ICE shooting in Minneapolis. The hosts criticize the media and local politicians for focusing on the shooting itself, rather than the events leading to federal intervention.
• Holmes explains federal agents were deployed due to large-scale daycare and public program fraud involving hundreds of millions in taxpayer dollars.
• Hosts accuse Gov. Tim Walz, AG Keith Ellison, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, and other local Democrats of intentionally ignoring or enabling fraud to secure electoral loyalty from the Somali immigrant community.
• Video/audio analysis: Officers repeatedly instructed a woman to exit her vehicle; she accelerated, hitting an agent, and was shot, which the hosts defend as clear self-defense. The reaction from Democratic leaders is denounced as inflammatory and misleading.
• Notable Quote – Josh Holmes ([19:42]):

  "So the governor says a woman is dead for no reason. No reason. Well, other than trying to run over a federal officer, that's for one."

2. The $8 Billion Minnesota Fraud Scandal

Timestamps: [05:44]-[16:10], [27:05]-[47:23]

• The bulk of the discussion is about the scope of the fraud. As framed by Holmes and team, Democrats have weaponized government spending, funneling COVID and welfare relief to connected nonprofits, often run by Somalis, with little to no oversight or documentation of services provided.
• Legislative testimony is highlighted, including claims that whistleblowers faced retaliation, intimidation, threats to their families, and blacklisting from state jobs.
• Auditors found grant documents were created or backdated to cover tracks. Comparisons are made to organized crime:
  • John Ashbrook ([31:02]):

    "This situation is making the Italian mob look like small potatoes..."

• Over 90% of indictments in a major COVID relief program are said to involve Somali American defendants.
• The hosts claim this pattern is not limited to Minnesota but is endemic in Democratic-run cities (Chicago, California, etc.), dubbing it the "welfare industrial complex."
• Allegation: Political leaders such as Keith Ellison and Tim Walz not only encouraged fraud but actively shielded perpetrators for political advantage.

3. Weaponizing Identity and Inciting Unrest

Timestamps: [09:05]-[23:17], [51:19]-[57:18]

• When fraud is uncovered, the hosts argue, Democratic figures pivot to allegations of racism, inflame protests, or incite unrest to change the subject and avoid accountability.
• Minneapolis, they argue, "recreated George Floyd 2.0" tactics to muddy the waters on the fraud scandal.
• John Ashbrook ([09:05]):

  "It’s time to incite the violence...make people think this is the voice of the unheard...they have to stop the exposure."

4. National & Systemic Implications

Timestamps: [47:23]-[59:44]

• The Minnesota case is presented as emblematic of nationwide Democratic governance, where control is maintained through largesse and identity-politics-based patronage.
• The episode discusses similar alleged fraud or “vote-buying” schemes in California, Chicago, and beyond.
• Warns that such systems undermine public trust, create real civil fracture, and threaten the American ideal.
• Josh Holmes ([56:01]):

  "If that's allowed to persist in this country, you don't have a country."

5. Media Critique & Political Satire

Timestamps: Interleaved, especially [57:18]-[62:32]

• The hosts excoriate the media for “both-sides”-ism only when Democrats are caught in scandal, and for providing what they see as cover for Democratic corruption.
• They also mock national Democrats for hypocrisy on issues of law enforcement, border security, and legislative oversight.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Josh Holmes ([09:54]):

  "They're about to be exposed and they don't have any other recourse other than what worked for them last time, which is recreating George Floyd 2.0."

• Michael Duncan ([13:08]):

  "I just don't think Tim Walz or Jacob Fry or any of these Democratic leaders in Minnesota particularly care about the fraud. I think they encourage the fraud."

• John Ashbrook ([31:02]):

  "This situation is making the Italian mob look like small potatoes."

• Minnesota State Rep. Marin Rarick ([28:56]):

  "...It was discovered in some targeted employees or suspected whistleblowers' personnel files were pictures of their homes and their cars...supervisors asked them questions about their families that to them felt like a threat. One example was we need to know where your kids go to school and where their bus stops are."

• Legislative Auditor or Witness ([35:21]):

  "90% of the individuals charged or indicted with the $250 million Feeding Our Future Covid fraud are of Somali descent."

• Josh Holmes ([41:06]):

  "This is where this goes from negligence and stupidity to intent and crime."

• Josh Holmes ([53:58]):

  "Just look at the accounting, lady. Like, just look at the Excel spreadsheet, right?"

Key Audio Clip Timestamps

• ICE shooting breakdown: [16:10]–[19:41]
• Minnesota State Rep. Marin Rarick whistleblower testimony: [28:56]
• Legislative Auditor discusses Somali COVID fraud: [35:21]
• Attorney General Keith Ellison recorded discussing exchanging votes/donations for protection: [37:48]
• Audit revelation of grant manager self-dealing: [47:47]

Segment: “King of the Hill”

Timestamps: [63:08]-[73:23]

• A recurring, comedic game in which the hosts pit prominent "Never Trump"-aligned Republicans and other political personalities against each other, reading deranged or hypocritical social media posts.
• This episode: George Conway (now running as a Democrat) faces Steve Schmidt, with posts lampooned for their hyperbole and design. The contest is judged for which is more ridiculous or revealing of double standards.
• Winner: Steve Schmidt retains the title with a post calling Trump “MAGA Führer” and drawing Nazi analogies.

Closing Thoughts

• The hosts urge listeners not to be distracted by controversies around law enforcement, but to focus on the underlying fraud and corruption.
• Republicans in Minnesota are called out for failing to challenge Democratic control.
• The episode ends with listener mail, further shots at media hypocrisy, and urging continued attention to large-scale government fraud as a systemic Democratic problem.

Final Reflection

The tone of this episode is combative, darkly humorous, and unapologetically partisan. The hosts marshal legislative testimony, news footage, and inflammatory analogies to portray Minnesota as a microcosm of Democratic corruption, and to warn of wider breakdown in American civil life if such patterns spread.

Notable Quote – Michael Duncan ([56:01]):

"If that's allowed to persist in this country, you don't have a country."

For Further Reference

• Whistleblower intimidation, [28:56]
• Attorney General’s exchange with convicted fraudster, [37:48]
• Audit tampering, [40:04]
• King of the Hill satirical segment, [63:08]-[73:23]

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