John Ashbrook (1:46)

I just saw your number one. So congratulations.

Josh Holmes (1:48)

It's an honor and a pleasure to welcome the great Sean Hannity. Guys, I love you. Congratulations on all your success. This is why you listen to the

Michael Duncan (1:58)

Ruthless podc, because nobody else would ask that question. The only political podcast worth listening to

John Ashbrook (2:03)

is the Ruthless Podcast. It's time for our main event, the

Josh Holmes (2:08)

Ruthless Podcast Fun time Friday. Welcome back to the Ruthless Variety program. I am Josh Holmes, along with Michael Duncan and John Ashbrook. Comfortably Smug has now made it known why it is that he's in absentia here. And it's. He's eagerly anticipating the birth of his first child, which, you know, obviously he's gonna get some leeway on that. How much leeway he gets depends. On what? How Parisian.

Michael Duncan (2:43)

Yeah, see, I'm calling it his Parisian maternity leave. Apologize. Apologize in advance to. To his mother, who I'm sure is watching.

Josh Holmes (2:53)

Yeah.

Michael Duncan (2:54)

But after getting years of years parenting advice from this guy about how to

Josh Holmes (3:00)

run a tight ship with great specificity each and every facet of your life. Right.

Michael Duncan (3:05)

Of how, like, he had this handled when he was going to have kids, I noticed the second that bill became due.

Josh Holmes (3:11)

Yes.

Michael Duncan (3:12)

Suddenly he's like, I don't know if I can make this work.

Josh Holmes (3:17)

Well, we joke and we absolutely love Smug and are excited for he and his family. He will obviously join us at some point in the near future. We're going to give him a little leeway first kid.

John Ashbrook (3:29)

You know, I loved a lot of the audience reaction on Twitter when he posted it. He got a lot of people saying, oh, so pumped for you, we're here for you, blah blah, blah, Very excited. And then there were some OGs who were like, I can't wait for him to take that child on Southwest Airlines. First chance he gets, I'm gonna follow

Josh Holmes (3:50)

him with a camera. At some point, at least in travel,

Michael Duncan (3:54)

the only toy he's allowed to bring on the airplane is Wall Street Journal. In keeping with all of his advice.

Josh Holmes (4:01)

Exactly.

Michael Duncan (4:01)

On how easy it is, you got

Josh Holmes (4:03)

to draw a hard line with those two month olds. Yeah. You know, they need to know, know how to consume an opinion column right to the back.

John Ashbrook (4:11)

So.

Josh Holmes (4:13)

All right, well look, it's been a, a fun and interesting week in Washington D.C. in terms of like public policymaking. I don't know, I guess they funded the Department of Homeland Security at some level, but like there's not a lot that's, that's going on. King was in town. We mention yesterday's show and, and that was kind of interesting with the dinner and all these other things. But meanwhile, from a political perspective, Democrats have had some things going on and you'll recall one of the things that we were onto very early was the great state of Maine, where Republican Susan Collins has, has admirably represented that state for, for some time here in the United States Senate. And every the time she's up for election, they throw the kitchen sink at her. And Chuck Schumer had something in mind this year where he thought what they'll do is reach deeply into the bag of septuagenarian governors and find like the oldest bag of mothballs that they could possibly find. I mean she's certainly not going to make a political mistake in large part because she's unable to execute uh huh, sort of the basics of conversation in today's society. And that was Janet Mills, Governor Janet Mills, who has announced that she is exiting stage left out of that. And what that leaves is a punchline on the ruthless Variety program. Graham Platner, who is your memory is

Michael Duncan (5:45)

the Nazi, Nazi tattoo guy.

Josh Holmes (5:47)

Yeah. Who like this is the kind of guy that makes like a Todd Aiken or a Christine o' Donnell seemed like Alexander Hamilton. You know what I mean?

Michael Duncan (5:59)

I really do enjoy this part of the political calendar. Like you said, there's not that much going on on Capitol Hill, thankfully, the funding of DHS withstanding. But it is primary season, and Senate Democrats are in chaos in this situation because it makes him the presumptive nominee, the Nazi tattoo guy.

Josh Holmes (6:19)

And you've noticed over the last couple of weeks, Democrats have wrapped their head around all of this. As you always say, Smash.

John Ashbrook (6:26)

Yeah. They only attack a Democrat when there's another Democrat to be served as a result.

Josh Holmes (6:32)

Yeah. So if you're reading negative things, how we know about a Nazi tattoo is in large part because Democrats decided to tell the media about that Nazi tattoo. If Republicans are running a campaign, they'd have to just simply air it because nobody would write about it or they would take the explanation first.

Michael Duncan (6:51)

Right.

Josh Holmes (6:52)

But Democrats were in primary, so we know all this stuff about him, his Reddit posts, and like, what a, like, clinically insane human being this person is. But he's now their nominee. And you could set. You could tell by the cadence of OPPO that was being dropped on this guy that about three or four weeks ago. Lightened up.

John Ashbrook (7:10)

You're exactly right.

Josh Holmes (7:11)

Lightened up. I mean, every other day I read some shitty thing about Graham Platner. And then about three, four weeks ago, I was like, huh, wonder what's going on.

Michael Duncan (7:21)

I think that was Janet Mills. Cash on hand, dwindling. Those were inversely proportionate.

John Ashbrook (7:28)

Well, you know, I don't think Maine has ever had a nominee for Senate with a Nazi tattoo before. You know, Susan Collins has basically beaten three other Janet Mills, like, characters in the past and two guys who are conventional Dem. Politicians. Politicians, right. She's never run against a guy with a Nazi tattoo. No. And I can't imagine that Maine is going to be wild about somebody.

Josh Holmes (7:52)

Like, what's the gal that ran against her last time? What was her name? She was you.

John Ashbrook (7:57)

I want to say Shelly Pingree, but Sarah Gideon.

Josh Holmes (8:00)

That's what it was. Yeah, yeah, that was the one that was a little bit outside of the conventions.

John Ashbrook (8:05)

Right.

Josh Holmes (8:05)

But they thought that they were gonna get her this time with Janet Mills. And it, you know, it didn't pan out. If you recall Janet Mills. Just to refresh your memory, the president had an interaction with Janet Mills when she thought she was going to be, you know, the next senator for Maine, and a big thing in the Democratic Party this cycle showed up the White House and tried to talk trash to the president. Didn't Go that hot clip for. Is the Maine here the governor of Maine. Are you not going to comply with it?

John Ashbrook (8:34)

I'm complying with state and federal laws.

Michael Duncan (8:36)

Well, we are the federal law.

Josh Holmes (8:38)

And enjoy your life after, Governor, because I don't think you'll be in elected politics.

Michael Duncan (8:46)

Donald Trump is one of the best political prognosticators in the country.

Josh Holmes (8:50)

Hey, he's.

Michael Duncan (8:51)

He knows if you have talent, if you're at a central casting at least

Josh Holmes (8:54)

once a week, I say to myself that Donald J. Trump might be Biff Tannen from Back to the Future. He has a classic Back to the Future two, when he goes to the future and gets the predictions like the world events book. And then goes Sports Almanac. Yeah, yeah. And goes back and then just knows all the things before they know them.

John Ashbrook (9:16)

What a great movie.

Josh Holmes (9:17)

Because it is hysterical. I mean, look, he's right also. It's like, don't show up trying to talk smack to the President of the United States. Like, oh, we're going to comply with federal laws. It's like, we are. This is the federal law lady. Do you know where you're at? So, anyway, it doesn't go great for her. And Democrats are now, they have counted on the state of Maine as being sort of a cornerstone in their project to try to take a Senate majority, which, of course, would be horrific for President Trump in the last two years of his term. Losing either the House or the Senate is difficult because your agenda is immediately imperiled. But losing the Senate in particular is impossible because you also lose the right to basically appoint your nominees. They can just sort of refuse or vote down any nominees to cabinet posts. And, you know, you don't get Cabinet officials who, to a person, serve an entire four years. These are very accomplished people in their own right. They're in and out, they're moving around. I don't think there's ever been an administration where you don't have some attrition and your ability to appoint a replacement is contingent upon the United States Senate

Michael Duncan (10:33)

being able to confirm them and not just admin officials. I mean, heaven forbid you have a vacancy on the Supreme Court, you know, I mean, that's an even scarier scenario.

Josh Holmes (10:42)

Yeah. So now they're left with Graham Platner. And let me just remind everybody, Graham, graphic 10, if you want to pop that up. That's a. That's Graham. That's Graham. That's. With the Nazi tattoo.

Michael Duncan (10:54)

Shirtless in a bar.

Josh Holmes (10:55)

Yeah, yeah. Which he's got, you know, a high level, I think, of mental capability. To handle the job. Clearly.

John Ashbrook (11:05)

And you know, Democrat Senator John Fetterman from Pennsylvania was asked today in the Senate and I'm quoting him via Igor Bobick, who wrote Fetterman said Democrats really, really like Platner and Maine, but the Republicans fucking love him. He goes on to say if Maine wants an asshole with a Nazi tattoo on his chest, they get him.

Josh Holmes (11:31)

Oh man.

John Ashbrook (11:32)

Pretty tough words from a very high profile Democrat.

Josh Holmes (11:36)

Just the truth serum that he is on is just something to behold. He literally just spits it out. He does a couple of other things from Platinum just to refresh the memory. Graphic 11, this is. He spent an awful lot of time on Reddit as one does as well adjusted human being in your 30s and 40s.

Michael Duncan (11:58)

I mean being a Redditor into your 40s might be as disqualifying as being a Nazi. I'm being honest.

Josh Holmes (12:05)

But I mean you could just see the sweatpants, parents basement.

John Ashbrook (12:10)

Yeah.

Josh Holmes (12:10)

You know, situation that he's got going on because he was all over the place. But this one in particular caught our eye on graphic 11 where he, he's talk about how when you, there's a post that says when you're older, you'll be more conservative. How many on this subreddit are older? Like that's like saying all throughout politics you start life as a liberal and then as you learn things you become more conservative. Like that's just kind of truism that we live here in life. And he respond to all of that saying, I got older and became a communist.

Michael Duncan (12:42)

Ah, sick.

John Ashbrook (12:44)

Got it.

Josh Holmes (12:45)

Well said.

Michael Duncan (12:47)

Not a progressive, not a democratic socialist, Not a socialist, a communist.

Josh Holmes (12:55)

It's like Lenin.

Michael Duncan (12:57)

Yeah.

Josh Holmes (12:57)

You know, I mean, it's just, you know, he said it, we didn't, you know, we're not slandering the guy. This is his own word.

John Ashbrook (13:03)

Probably why Fetterman doesn't have great things to say about him.

Josh Holmes (13:06)

That's probably right. Communist, Nazi, which is a real tough combo.

John Ashbrook (13:11)

Rare combo.

Josh Holmes (13:12)

Yeah, it's a rare combo.

Michael Duncan (13:13)

But if you listen to people around on the cocktail Circuit of Washington D.C.

Josh Holmes (13:18)

yeah, give me, give me some scuttlebutt.

Michael Duncan (13:20)

You know, they talk about this race in particular, Platinum partner, and the question is, well, does any of it matter in the age of Donald Trump coarsening rhetoric and American politics, could a tattoo possibly derail a campaign? You know, I mean, that is like

John Ashbrook (13:42)

you just, you just wrote the front page of the New York Times.

Michael Duncan (13:44)

Yeah. Oh, it's so true.

Josh Holmes (13:46)

People are willing to get beyond the tattoo now.

Michael Duncan (13:51)

I'm willing. I'm willing to concede that people are, are willing to look beyond the headlines on a candidate and that sort of stuff. I think they're willing to accept people who might be first time candidates who maybe have something off the wall.

Josh Holmes (14:05)

Oh yeah, it's much different than it used to be where you had one liability that was a little bit not great from your past and that disqualified you as a can. We're no longer in the age of the Internet, in the age of people growing up with iPhones and things like that, like we've, we move beyond all.

Michael Duncan (14:19)

But this is a, is far removed from that. And also he's not Donald Trump, right?

Josh Holmes (14:25)

Like that's what people, they keep funny and interesting.

Michael Duncan (14:28)

They look at Donald Trump and they're like, well in the age of Donald Trump, so and so could be just like Donald Trump is Donald Trump. Yeah, he's one of one.

Josh Holmes (14:34)

He's one of one. And he's hilarious and he's engaging and he's unpredictable and he makes policy that makes some sense. And like this cat is a communist.

Michael Duncan (14:44)

Right.

Josh Holmes (14:45)

But also I wonder in the argument when they're doing the hand wave through like a rhetoric and all that where they just took a second to think about what his excuse for all of this is like his just anti Semitism, the Nazi tattoo, the racism, the anti where he's from rhetoric, the like the whole totality of it. And his response is like, well, I was in the armed services and it was, had an imprint on my life and my point of view. And at that particular time I was in a dark, you know, dark place that was largely affected by what's around me. Never mind that, that's just like a fairly anti military thing to say. But that is his excuse. That's what he's come up with. Okay, so let me get this straight. You are, if I just take you at your word, you are impressionable to the point of fault in that if there are negative things that are coming at you on a day to day basis, you can become susceptible to these kind of things. So why don't we send you to watch? Are you fucking kidding me? I mean that's literally his excuse. Like they haven't thought the second plank down that.

Michael Duncan (16:00)

Yeah, I don't know what my tattoo is, but you can trust me to

Josh Holmes (16:03)

read a bill and surely I'm not going to encounter anybody with ill intentions watching it.

Michael Duncan (16:10)

D.C. i succumb to peer pressure very, very easily, but please put me in charge of the federal budget.

Josh Holmes (16:16)

I'm going to write your laws and nobody has any opinions on that except for every single fucking person in Washington, D.C. yeah. Oh, my God, it's incredible. But that's not all. I mean, the Maine is only one of their problems. They've got another massive problem, as it appears to me, in Michigan. Mallory McMorrow is one of the triumvirate of candidates that are kicking the ever living shit out of. Out of each other in a Democratic primary to try to face Mike Rogers, who is just a good candidate and doing good things. And by the way, if you wanted, like, a adult who has sound judgment, this is the kind of guy that you would hire for anything with that prerequisite.

Michael Duncan (16:58)

Yeah, but he's a Republican. And for the Democrats, they can't pick somebody like that. Instead, they have a trifecta of candidates. You got Haley Stevens, who's a zero.

Josh Holmes (17:08)

Yeah.

Michael Duncan (17:08)

From a personality standpoint, kind of folksy. I mean, like, there's definitely, definitely people in Michigan who would identify with her, I'll give her that. But she's like the Chuck Schumer candidate, you know, who has zero, like, appeal or enthusiasm.

Josh Holmes (17:21)

Also just like a trash bag. You know, you walk by it on the street, you have absolutely. You don't pay attention.

Michael Duncan (17:27)

Then you got Al Syed. Al Syed, who is Hamas's candidate.

Josh Holmes (17:31)

Yeah.

Michael Duncan (17:31)

And then this McMurro who's sort of like, trying to drive up the middle.

Josh Holmes (17:34)

Yeah.

Michael Duncan (17:35)

She's like, change it.

Josh Holmes (17:36)

There's a bunch of stuff that she's dancing and trying to be all personality or whatever. Well, she had a little bit too much personality. And like, all just total neophyte candidates, they don't think that anything that they've said or done will ever be a part of their prospective careers. Turns out the K file had another idea on that. He's, of course, on cnn. Make me miss California. In deleted tweets, Senate candidate Mallory McMurrow disparaged middle America. Yeah, that's tough when you're running from Michigan. So let me read a couple of these things. As Democrats brace for a bruising primary in Michigan's U.S. senate race, Ma McMurrow, one of the party's top contenders, has quietly deleted thousands.

Michael Duncan (18:23)

It's not like two or three.

Josh Holmes (18:26)

She deleted thousands of tweets. Thousands of old tweets, including posts where she took jabs at the rural Midwest, lamented ever leaving California, and said she continued to vote there after she said she moved permanently to Michigan. Well, that's problematic. McMurro, a Michigan State lawmaker and a rising star in the Democratic Party, wrote in a 2025 autobiography.

John Ashbrook (18:54)

Can we pause on that? Yes, I'm glad you did. She was born in 1986 and she's written an autobiography.

Josh Holmes (19:03)

What could possibly be fucking interesting enough to pen pages about yourself?

John Ashbrook (19:09)

Only she would know.

Josh Holmes (19:10)

Oh, my Lord. Well, she said she's given apparently something that gay file is on that she relocated permanently to michig it in 2014. Yet a CNN K File review of the Internet archives Wayback Machine reveals a series of now deleted social media posts of McMurrow describing herself as a California resident as late as July of 2016, two years later. Fascinating. You know, you could. You could, like, archive that because there is components to running for elected office where you want to demonstrate that you in fact have been a part of democracy. Like you've actually cast ballots and cared enough about the direction of your state,

John Ashbrook (19:57)

or you, like, lived in a neighborhood and talked to people and had some sort of idea what mattered to them and what was interesting in that state. Like, these Democrats are lunatics. She's not the first Democrat to just haphazardly move to Michigan. Remember when Boot Edge. Edge moved to Michigan because that. That's where he felt at home or

Michael Duncan (20:17)

whatever the hell their idea was.

Josh Holmes (20:19)

I think it's Boot Pete. Edge. Edge. Boot Pete.

John Ashbrook (20:21)

Oh, okay, sorry.

Michael Duncan (20:22)

That's right.

Josh Holmes (20:22)

Yeah. No, Boot now lives in Michigan too, because he wanted this, but this McMorrow cat got a jump on him.

John Ashbrook (20:28)

They're all like, oh, you got to move to Michigan because that's where you can run from as a Democrat.

Josh Holmes (20:32)

Hell, the Republicans never win there. They haven't won since Spence Abraham back in 1999.

Michael Duncan (20:38)

Well, what I love is the saying she voted in California after permanently moving to Michigan. And like, I have to wonder what her opinion is of maybe vote by mail or any of those sort of things.

Josh Holmes (20:50)

I think that there is some more investigative work to do on some of this.

Michael Duncan (20:54)

Yeah, right.

Josh Holmes (20:55)

I mean, did she vote in both or did she just skip her Newfoundland altogether and vote in California? I don't know, but either way, it's either a felony or a problem.

Michael Duncan (21:10)

Well, there aren't good options when you're running for public office.

Josh Holmes (21:13)

Not great. Public records show that she registered to vote in Michigan in August of 2016. So perhaps she did cast a ballot despite representing that she was voting in California. On top of the questions about McMurrow's voting record, the deleted tweets offer a window into her political evolution. See, this is what you get when you're a Democrat. You get an evolution. You don't have to be consistent about your views or anything else. There's an evolution that's involved. It's sort of like monkeys.

Michael Duncan (21:43)

Ah.

Josh Holmes (21:44)

You know, you just. Just become something different. And that's basically what she's got going on. Among the roughly 6,000 deleted posts are those that reflect a range of progressive views from contemplating a future without cars.

John Ashbrook (22:01)

Oh, boy. That's popular in Michigan.

Josh Holmes (22:04)

Yeah, that's an interesting. Contemplating a Motor City without cars. Democrats tell that to force.

John Ashbrook (22:10)

Yeah.

Josh Holmes (22:10)

Walk down the street and give them your best pick. Maybe that's part of the evolution Evolved.

John Ashbrook (22:16)

That's what Mayor Beat wants. Everybody riding a bike.

Josh Holmes (22:20)

To supporting the Black Lives Matter movement, to comparing Donald Trump and his supporters to Nazis. Well, here we go again. Boy, Graham and McMurray have some common ground there. That's the kind of thing you can base a caucus around in the United States Senate. McMurraw also deleted comments about US coasts breaking off from Middle America following the 2016 election of Donald Trump. Of course.

John Ashbrook (22:48)

Wild.

Michael Duncan (22:48)

Yeah, we got to get to these actual tweets, because in that evolution, these tweets are the missing link.

Josh Holmes (22:55)

Yeah.

Michael Duncan (22:55)

Let's go to graphic three, please. Okay, so this is the one about the breaking off from middle America.

Josh Holmes (23:01)

Yeah.

Michael Duncan (23:02)

She writes, I had a dream that the US Amicably broke off into the ring. That's capitalized. I love that.

Josh Holmes (23:09)

Amicably is a noteworthy part of that sentence where it's like, as long as it's not violent, let's ruin our nation.

Michael Duncan (23:16)

It should be a peaceful civil war. The ring that she's referencing here would consist of the coasts, Canada, Mexico, parts of Michigan and Texas. Interesting.

John Ashbrook (23:29)

Not all of Michigan and the rest

Michael Duncan (23:30)

of America, I guess, is just middle America becomes its own country. Somebody responds to that. Wouldn't that be great? Ah, something that will only ever exist in dreams. Sigh. I love when people used to do that on social media.

Josh Holmes (23:44)

Sigh. My emotions are part of this tweet.

Michael Duncan (23:47)

This is the part that really gets me. This is the part that really gets me, because this is your sort of Sorkinesque lib brain worms.

Josh Holmes (23:56)

This is where we used to play the West Wing theme when we were allowed from copyright standpoint.

Michael Duncan (24:02)

Yeah, she replies to that guy's brilliant statement. Oh, and the ring nominated Obama as prime minister, and Everybody was given $1,000 in six months to pick a side. I love that. In her fantasy, in her fantasy, Obama isn't still president. We've adopted, like, a parliamentary system. Like, that's how much of a lib you are.

John Ashbrook (24:26)

Michael, are you able to See how many likes and retweets you got on that one? Zero.

Josh Holmes (24:33)

Dude, that's the best part.

John Ashbrook (24:35)

Maybe that's why she deleted.

Josh Holmes (24:36)

She's going hard into the pain as a progressive on. On the twits and still not getting any action.

Michael Duncan (24:41)

Yeah.

Josh Holmes (24:43)

Wow, that must be regrettable in retrospect.

John Ashbrook (24:46)

Right?

Josh Holmes (24:46)

Well, it's the why you delete 6300 tweets or something like that.

John Ashbrook (24:51)

She could be such a great leader if only someone would just follow.

Michael Duncan (24:54)

I got. I. I gotta say, I mean, she deleted these tweets to help her with, you know, building a voting base in Michigan, but honestly, this is the view of the people on the coast that fund their party.

Josh Holmes (25:07)

Oh, yeah, for sure.

John Ashbrook (25:08)

Yeah.

Michael Duncan (25:09)

If anything, she's going to hurt her fundraising by deleting these tweets.

Josh Holmes (25:11)

Yeah, she should keep them up. I mean, she said California should have its own diplomats.

Michael Duncan (25:17)

Sick.

Josh Holmes (25:17)

To make sure that we don't get nuked because of morons from the other side of the country.

John Ashbrook (25:22)

Oh, boy.

Josh Holmes (25:23)

Yeah. There are days like these that make me miss California even more. She lamented.

Michael Duncan (25:30)

Yikes.

Josh Holmes (25:30)

Do it. That's a pretty tough play. I mean, we know Michiganders pretty well. I can't imagine that's super popular.

John Ashbrook (25:38)

Not interested in becoming more like California, If I had a guess.

Josh Holmes (25:41)

I mean, she's not going to out Hamas the Hamas guy, so, like, you could try. Well, she's. She's clearly edging into that category. But like, maybe he. I don't know, like, being pro terrorist might be just a step gap further than they think they can get statewide. So as long as you adopt their ideals, perhaps that's. That's where it goes. My graphic 8 Pushing for a future where we don't own cars. Cars are dead. She dug Cars are dead. Cars are dead. Holy smokes. That's a pretty tough. I mean, what it's like, Indiana basketball sucks. Texas football's the worst.

John Ashbrook (26:26)

Right. Iowa is terrible.

Josh Holmes (26:28)

Porn is awful. You know, that's like the identity of the entire state.

Michael Duncan (26:33)

You know, when some like Democrat does a terrible anti Semitic thing, the way that they always get right is they do like a tour of the Holocaust museum.

Josh Holmes (26:43)

Oh, yeah, totally.

Michael Duncan (26:44)

Remember there was that guy in D.C. who was like, Jews control the weather.

Josh Holmes (26:47)

Yeah. No, he was on the city council.

Michael Duncan (26:49)

City councilman.

Josh Holmes (26:49)

Yeah. And they were like, go to the

Michael Duncan (26:52)

Holocaust museum and like learn history.

Josh Holmes (26:54)

Yeah. And he like showed up for 10 minutes, was like, got it.

Michael Duncan (26:56)

Yeah. I've got an idea.

John Ashbrook (26:58)

Idea for McMurray.

Michael Duncan (26:59)

A tour of the Henry Ford Museum.

John Ashbrook (27:03)

Great idea.

Josh Holmes (27:03)

And that just gets her right back into action.

John Ashbrook (27:06)

Yeah.

Josh Holmes (27:07)

Do you think she needs any, like, substance abuse counseling or anything like that as an addition to, like, explain away the erratic behavior? I don't know.

Michael Duncan (27:15)

I don't know.

Josh Holmes (27:16)

I don't know. What. There's a whole list of, like, the box checking that you do on Democratic pr.

Michael Duncan (27:22)

I have entered counseling.

Josh Holmes (27:23)

Yeah. Yep.

Michael Duncan (27:24)

You know.

Josh Holmes (27:25)

Yeah.

Michael Duncan (27:26)

All that sort of stuff.

Josh Holmes (27:27)

Yeah. Yeah. For anything.

Michael Duncan (27:29)

Many such cases.

Josh Holmes (27:30)

Many such cases. Anyway, she's in deep, but she was sort of the hope of the Dem. Like, as you said, Schumer has got his candidate and then Hamas has their candidate. Hamas has won the main primary, and now in Michigan, they have a stronghold. In fact, I think Hassan Piker has basically bumped El Sayed.

John Ashbrook (27:57)

Oh, okay.

Josh Holmes (27:57)

Up to a point where he's now roughly even.

John Ashbrook (28:00)

Okay.

Josh Holmes (28:00)

With McMurrow and the other gal. And so this is. This woman is kind of the third way, except she hates Michigan, which is a tough thing to do when you're trying to represent that.

Michael Duncan (28:13)

It's a bit of a gamble. We'll see how it pans out for her.

Josh Holmes (28:16)

See how it pans out. So, anyway, there's a lot more. We're just got. We just touched the surface on what she's got going on. We're going to see how all that plays out. But all of it pretty Good news for Mr. Rogers in Michigan. From my perspective.

John Ashbrook (28:31)

I sure say so we come back.

Josh Holmes (28:34)

Trump was hilarious this week. I don't know if you all saw his roasting of our good friend Jared Isaacman, but it's one of the. It's one of the greatest latest Trump episodes. We're going to get to that and a bunch of variety and hilarious stuff right after this.

John Ashbrook (28:54)

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Josh Holmes (29:56)

Okay, so I don't. I think most of you have probably seen a clip of this by now because it's just plain hilarious. But Trump has got this thing that he does that he gets away with because he's just so funny about making the obvious observation that everybody is thinking. But, like, you can't really say it, but he says it.

John Ashbrook (30:17)

And because he's president,

Josh Holmes (30:22)

He gets to say it. So without further ado, clip two. Well, the best man to tell you that is a man standing right over here. You heard that question with those beautiful ears of yours. He's got great hearing, you know, super. He's got super hearing. Trick of the trade, sir. Jared Isaacman is one of the smartest, most well qualified NASA administrators in the history of the agency. The guy's brilliant and he's lived just this incredible life. He also happens to have some pretty big ears.

Michael Duncan (30:57)

Yeah.

Josh Holmes (30:57)

And that is Trump's observation.

John Ashbrook (30:59)

But it's not just, just an observation that you have big ears. He takes it to the next level and he's like, well, he's got great earrings.

Josh Holmes (31:07)

Oh, I know. Like there's any correlation between the size

Michael Duncan (31:11)

of one's ears and hearing, you know, you know that there's aids in that room when he first starts, when he first starts double over where he says, did you hear that, Jared? And it's like, oh, no. Oh, no, that's just his setup. It's coming, it's coming. And you know what? Right on cue, the cameraman knew to zoom in.

Josh Holmes (31:33)

Yeah, it just gets right to him. And you can see Isaac's like, oh, God, good television. Yeah.

John Ashbrook (31:38)

Trump's like, that's great cameo.

Michael Duncan (31:41)

We ever saw that.

Josh Holmes (31:43)

Let's showcase those satellites, Jared. Let's get those out there. Just completely hilarious. So we mentioned in our previous episode, Lee Zeldin in the House, absolutely destroying Representative DiLauro with her purple hair and everything else, and absolutely no idea what she was talking about. And he's basically just like, I mean, that was as tough as stuff as you're ever going to get if you're a representative asking an administration official something. We went over to the Senate and he encountered Sheldon. White House White Club, we like to call him. Clip 7. We're going to get to talk about math.

John Ashbrook (32:21)

Are you even tracking the consumer costs of those coal plants?

Josh Holmes (32:25)

Oh, this is great. I don't even know where to start with all the mess you think that the math is. It's better for West Virginia if you call, if you close down their coal plants and put these people out of work and tell them to learn to code. According to you, in your mind, that's saving West Virginia is raising costs. Is it saving them on energy? We know it's raising costs. Is it saving them on jobs?

John Ashbrook (32:46)

You can talk across me all you like. You are raising costs.

Josh Holmes (32:50)

We're not going to take morality lessons from people who join all white country clubs.

John Ashbrook (32:55)

Oh, just smoked him. Oh, smoked him.

Josh Holmes (33:02)

Wow. Because of course, like if you've been listening to the program, we've been covering this for years now, but there's a Rhode island country club that has historically been an all white club and we have called him Sheldon White Club as a result of that. But never before, I don't think think has Sheldon himself had to encounter such questioning. Because of course there's no member of the press that would be so audacious to suggest that a progressive liberal from Rhode island would in fact be a member of a racist club. Well, Lee took care of that. I can, I mean, dude, Sheldon. And I mean he must have been just aghast.

John Ashbrook (33:44)

Oh, a hundred percent. But like even leading up to that, Lee Zeldin crushed him on coal. You know, like the only thing that these libs do is like talk about, oh, you know, it's actually better for West Virginia that we shut down every avenue they had to work and like provide even more for this entire country. And we shut down their minds. And I know they had those truck payments, but they'll code, they'll figure something else out. It actually helps cost, it actually helps the climate. And it just like, like it's just bullshit after bullshit after bullshit from Washington that shuts down jobs and thank God a guy like Lee Zeldin is out there making a very, you know, like a very fact based argument that there are consequences. Senator White club. And I know it's inconvenient for your argument and for your NGOs who are making so much money off the climate change topic.

Josh Holmes (34:36)

Including his wife.

John Ashbrook (34:37)

Right, Exactly.

Josh Holmes (34:37)

Yeah. I mean it's just it unmasking the crooked behavior.

Michael Duncan (34:42)

One other thing I want to add there. I don't know if you guys saw that news from Secretary Burgum about the massive lithium mine that they have now discovered. Enough for about 300 years of exports, really? Lithium, which I didn't.

John Ashbrook (34:59)

So it's an estimate based off of initial measurements.

Michael Duncan (35:02)

Yeah.

John Ashbrook (35:02)

And they believe that there is even more than they, they have found. Very encouraging.

Michael Duncan (35:06)

It's very encouraging. Where of course, of course it's, it's Critical rare earth for the development of batteries and all sorts of things and iPhones and all. Anyway, it's Appalachia, but it stretches in through Pennsylvania into the Northeast.

Josh Holmes (35:20)

Oh, of course that's problematic.

Michael Duncan (35:22)

I just think it would be great for, like, the Sheldon White Houses of the. Of the world to finally, you know, have to put themselves in the shoes of the people who've been keeping the power on in this country for the last 200 years. And they should get a shovel.

Josh Holmes (35:38)

Well, you know that the conclusion immediately from White Club and others will be to make this country entirely reliant on China rather than putting a shovel in the soil.

John Ashbrook (35:50)

And you ask yourself, hmm, you know, China sure has built a lot of power plants in the last couple of years. What are they using?

Josh Holmes (35:59)

Coal.

John Ashbrook (35:59)

Oh, they built 50 coal plants in the last year alone.

Michael Duncan (36:03)

Right.

John Ashbrook (36:04)

And this guy's talking about cost. The Chinese know the cost. That's why they're building coal plants.

Josh Holmes (36:11)

Yeah.

John Ashbrook (36:11)

We're not even allowed to have one in America because this guy.

Josh Holmes (36:14)

Because a white club, right. And his group of NGOs and wife and everything else. It's just absolutely incredible. It would not be a fun time Friday if we didn't get the jazzy jazz.

Michael Duncan (36:24)

Yeah, I've missed her.

Josh Holmes (36:25)

I did too. You know, I mean, she lost that primary to Talarico because he's so charming. It's just because he's so charming and thoughtful about ways of the Bible and things like that. Or at least according to Democrats. That's. That's what explains all.

John Ashbrook (36:40)

Yeah, it reads it every day.

Josh Holmes (36:42)

But jazzy jazz had been out of the news for a while, so it's been slim pickens to try to find. But you show back up on some shows here. Clip 3. I'm a Black woman in America. So I mean, you know, I mean, some people are just like, oh, but you're a conversation. I'm a black woman first. And so you know the level of disrespect that is continuously lobbed against us as black women. You know, for me, I'm like, wait a minute now. I am One of the 535 most powerful people in this country, and for some reason, you think we on the same level, but you gonna disrespect me like, it's not gonna happen. It's not gonna happen. Not gonna happen.

Michael Duncan (37:30)

Do you know who I am? I'm a congresswoman.

Josh Holmes (37:36)

It's like everything that's horrible about 17 different things. Yeah, I mean, she's a member of Congress, so she's not on the same level of anybody who could provide a critique into her public policy, despite the fact that she's living in a representative democracy, which I think is the whole point of that, is that people, there's people.

Michael Duncan (37:55)

And in this construct that she has created, they're the bad person and she's the good person.

Josh Holmes (38:00)

Yes, because she's the, she's powerful, but she's a black woman first, Michael. Which, which you know, should exonerate her from any kind of critique, unfortunately does not, but the 535 certainly does. And so this is all just a moot point. How could you possibly throw any shade whatsoever at Jasmine Crockett?

John Ashbrook (38:20)

Also, it seemed like I'm not familiar with the show, but it looked to me like a national television show. I mean, I don't know how many of the other 534 members of Congress are given a platform on Sherry.

Michael Duncan (38:32)

Wait, what the hell is.

John Ashbrook (38:35)

I mean, it looked like good production.

Josh Holmes (38:37)

Keep talking about all that.

John Ashbrook (38:38)

I'm looking like good production quality. It looked like, you know, they're giving her a platform and she's talking about. I'm so disrespected. I never get anything. And here she is on national television

Josh Holmes (38:48)

saying that it's a daytime talk show hosted by comedian and actress Sherri Shepherd. What does this. It's. She's a former co host of the View.

John Ashbrook (39:04)

Okay.

Josh Holmes (39:04)

So.

John Ashbrook (39:05)

Yeah.

Michael Duncan (39:06)

I can't believe this was. Missed my radar. It sounded so compelling.

Josh Holmes (39:11)

Can't believe this show isn't on my DVD dvr. I can't. Like I should come home and watch. It's on. It's. Yeah. I mean, I don't know. It's a daytime broadcast show, which I've never seen it, so I can't comment on that. But Jazzy Jazz, as a now lame duck member of Congress, having lost a primary for the Senate, has shown up and is going to deliver her point of view, which we all welcome, at least on the ruthless Frisbee.

John Ashbrook (39:40)

I hope she keeps doing it. I hope she's out and about much more than she has been in the last month.

Josh Holmes (39:46)

Yeah.

John Ashbrook (39:47)

Because earlier in this year it was just great stuff and I just don't want Democrats to keep her down.

Michael Duncan (39:52)

I'm gonna miss her. I hope she goes out with the bank.

Josh Holmes (39:56)

No question about it. I think you're going to keep hearing from it.

Michael Duncan (39:58)

Yeah. Yeah. I want a lot of appearances on podcasts, a lot of long form questions and answers. I'm sure she'll say some crazy shit.

Josh Holmes (40:06)

Well, it leads us to our question of the day. And when you like and subscribe to the Ruthless Variety Program, we read the answers that you provide to our question of the day in their entirety and we get back to the very next episode. Because she's been such a long running character here on the Ruthless Variety Program room, we thought it was a good time to take advantage of the idea that we just sort of accrue all of the greatest hits.

Michael Duncan (40:32)

Yeah.

Josh Holmes (40:32)

That she, she. I mean, remember the Epstein thing? The Jeff Epstein dentist situation? Accusing Republican of taking Epstein money and it was like a different. A dentist. Yeah, Jeff Epstein.

Michael Duncan (40:44)

And her excuse there was. She's a lawyer. She was being specific.

Josh Holmes (40:47)

She was being specific, not getting it wrong. Right. So with voters boot Jasmine Crockett out of politics. What's your favorite moment from her short career? If you forget it, just Google because there's just a million of them on there. But I know that we've forgotten some and you're going to provide us an update on all of that. So listen, it's, it's great stuff. I can't wait to read what you guys come up with. In the meantime, I will be drinking and when I'm drinking, I got to take some Zbiotics because it is a revolutionary game changing product that we use before a big night out here at the Ruthless Variety Program. Program. We've been big fans of this thing.

Michael Duncan (41:27)

We are big fans of this thing. You know, there's some misinformation out there when it comes to having a big night. Maybe you have a little bit too much to drink and you think you don't feel good the next day because you're dehydrated, you didn't drink enough water before you went to bed. But the reality is is that alcohol gets broken down into this toxic byproduct and your gut Zbiotics neutralizes that so you feel better the next morning.

John Ashbrook (41:51)

And it was developed by PhD scientists so that you know it's backed by science has to offer. And it's why we always say there's no tomorrow without Zebiotics today.

Josh Holmes (42:03)

Well, that's exactly right, John. So if you go to zebiotics.com ruthless you can learn more and get 15% off your first order. When you use Ruthless at the checkout. Zebiotics is back with 100 money back guarantee. So if you're unsatisfied for any reason at all, they'll refund your money, no questions asked. You head to zebiotics.com ruthless use the code ruthless at checkout for 15 off. All right, so Listen, we gotta get to last week's or Tuesday's comments, Thursday's comments. Jeez. This week has really flown.

Michael Duncan (42:37)

It's flown by.

Josh Holmes (42:38)

Has really flown.

Michael Duncan (42:40)

Time flies when you're having fun.

Josh Holmes (42:41)

And, and this was a jumping off point from that Zeldin thing that we were talking about earlier where he just completely destroyed Deloro. And our question was, what's the best own the libs moment from congressional hearings. You guys had a bunch of of different memories on this that I was very pleased to read. And to do that, we always start with a voice. Okay.

John Ashbrook (43:02)

First one comes from Joshua Ortiz. And Joshua also supplied a clip which we'll get to in a second. But you got to hear what he says. Quality. Never forget the gem that is Hank Johnson. Are you concerned that the USMC presence on Guam may cause it to tip over and capsize? How is it people find these clown shoes to fit. Fit to represent their best interests?

Josh Holmes (43:28)

Oh, you got to remember this. And we're going to show you the clip. This is one of the all timers. Clip five.

John Ashbrook (43:33)

Yeah. My, my fear is that the whole

Josh Holmes (43:37)

island will become so overly populated that

John Ashbrook (43:43)

it will tip over and, and capsize

Josh Holmes (43:47)

like it's a canoe.

Michael Duncan (43:51)

Like islands just. Just float. They just float in the ocean.

Josh Holmes (43:56)

It going to tip over. Yeah. No, that's not the way it works, Hank. And it goes back to our conversation from Thursday about they're not sending their best.

John Ashbrook (44:04)

No iconic moment in the history of Congress.

Josh Holmes (44:07)

Absolutely. Dunks. What's the next one?

Michael Duncan (44:09)

Comment 2 from Donna Klein. Donna writes my favorite own the libs moment was when Marsha Blackburn asked Katanji Brown Jackson the definition of a woman.

John Ashbrook (44:20)

Woman.

Michael Duncan (44:20)

Katanji replied, I'm not a biologist. Let's play that clip.

Josh Holmes (44:25)

Can you provide a definition for the word woman? Can I provide a definition? No. Yeah. I can't. You can't? Not in this context. I'm not a biologist.

Michael Duncan (44:42)

Okay.

Josh Holmes (44:43)

I mean, it was a good foreshadowing of what was to become of Supreme Court Kentanji Brown Jackson in that, like that basic question just wrapped her entirely around the axle. She had no answer to it.

John Ashbrook (44:55)

No, sure did.

Josh Holmes (44:56)

Just unbelievable. So we'll keep them coming. You got Crockett Jazzy Jazz to respond to for next Tuesday. We'll get into that. But it is Thursday or it's Friday and we moved our game, our signature game in large part because we didn't know what the smug schedule is going to be. We always like him to be part of the king of the hill, but we can't just leave that by the wayside. We have to play the game.

John Ashbrook (45:22)

That's right.

Josh Holmes (45:22)

It's a signature game.

Michael Duncan (45:23)

Signature game. And I am defending champion with Adam Kinzinger. He's got some great fire today.

Josh Holmes (45:30)

Is that right?

Michael Duncan (45:31)

Yes.

Josh Holmes (45:32)

Okay. And you're the challenger. I'm the judge and bailiff, which means I'm going to run a hard court.

John Ashbrook (45:37)

Fair court. I know it's going to be fair.

Josh Holmes (45:39)

Yeah. Thank you.

John Ashbrook (45:40)

It always is.

Josh Holmes (45:40)

I pray that that's. That's.

Michael Duncan (45:42)

I mean, well taken pre working the ref is incredible.

Josh Holmes (45:45)

Well, it's. It goes a long way.

Michael Duncan (45:47)

Who you bring in?

John Ashbrook (45:48)

The old fat man, Steve Schmidt.

Josh Holmes (45:51)

He's back in action. Okay.

Michael Duncan (45:52)

Well, let's go ringside.

John Ashbrook (45:58)

Ladies and gentlemen, your attention, please. It's time for king of the hill. In the red corner, fighting from his back porch in Utah, he, the old fat man, Steve Schmitz. And now in the blue corner, hiding from an empty campaign office somewhere out there. And Kirby, champion of the world, Adam Kinzinger.

Josh Holmes (46:39)

Those are two of the better in trouble. Rose.

Michael Duncan (46:41)

It is. I do think he added a little more gusto to his own contender.

Josh Holmes (46:47)

Oh, is that right?

Michael Duncan (46:47)

A little bit.

Josh Holmes (46:48)

So there's Maybe he was trying to influence the judge.

Michael Duncan (46:50)

Well, he does it live every time, so I think he deserves that accommodation. But I've noticed that when he's playing in the game, he puts his back in.

Josh Holmes (46:57)

Puts a little extra.

John Ashbrook (46:58)

My friend, I can assure you this judge and Jory is quite above influence.

Josh Holmes (47:04)

Okay, thank you very much. Playing

John Ashbrook (47:10)

it believes the court.

Josh Holmes (47:11)

All right. I'd like to instruct the champion at this time deliver his first exhibit reminder

Michael Duncan (47:16)

to the audience and to the judge and jury and bailiff.

John Ashbrook (47:20)

Thank you.

Josh Holmes (47:21)

I know I have a lot of power. A lot of power. Yeah. I'm ready to go with it, too. I want to abuse it.

Michael Duncan (47:28)

We recently had that shooting at the White House correspondence dinner, and this is about that. That exhibit number nine. Adam King Kinzinger again. He still has Slava Ukraine in his name with the American flag and the Ukrainian flag. He's got a picture of Zelensky with his hand over his heart and he writes. Hasn't whined about needing a ballroom to feel safe.

John Ashbrook (47:58)

Come on.

Michael Duncan (48:00)

This, of course, being the new liberal fascination with Trump's ballroom and how it's unnecessary. Even though when Donald Trump goes to.

Josh Holmes (48:08)

Can I pop that exhibit up one more time? I'm just checking timestamps on that. So it's Monday night where he's after a Saturday night. So he's giving it, you know, less than, or maybe just about 48 hours. Okay.

Michael Duncan (48:20)

Even scarier, it has 4700 retweets. Yeah, people really dug that.

Josh Holmes (48:27)

You know, he. Yeah, that's good. He likes that.

Michael Duncan (48:29)

Found an audience.

Josh Holmes (48:30)

Yeah, there it is. There it is. Okay, Challenger,

John Ashbrook (48:37)

exhibit number 15, please. In the aftermath of the shooting at the correspondence dinner, Trump and his allies are already advancing the argument that criticism of Trump is responsible for the violence against him. Him. Subscribe with a warning at Steve Schmidt substack.com

Josh Holmes (48:59)

All right, so I love the self promotion and it seems to be a continued deal with Steve, but the whole idea that Trump Zelensky. Same, same. And that you throw a picture of Zelensky up and not whining about a ballroom in Kiev, it's like that. I think it's a different level. And I'm going to give round one.

Michael Duncan (49:24)

Yeah, it is wild to turn an attempted assassination of the President United States into flogging for another country.

Josh Holmes (49:31)

48 hours. 48 hours. Amazing. Not even two days.

Michael Duncan (49:36)

Guy's a legend. That's why he's champion.

Josh Holmes (49:38)

It's really good stuff. All right, we're going to go to our challenger to open up round two.

John Ashbrook (49:45)

Exhibit number 16, please, please. So here's the question, the only one that matters. Will you trade your seat at the table, your credibility, your integrity, your solidarity with colleagues who've been singled out and demeaned? Because that is the transaction no one is forcing anyone to attend.

Josh Holmes (50:05)

What is he talking about?

John Ashbrook (50:06)

Stevesmid.substack.com he's talking about the White House correspondence.

Josh Holmes (50:12)

Wait, the one that he showed up to or at least showed at the party.

Michael Duncan (50:14)

Oh, he's at the substack party.

John Ashbrook (50:17)

Yeah.

Michael Duncan (50:17)

So you think it's just sour grapes that he wasn't invited? 100.

Josh Holmes (50:21)

No. So he is trying to. Oh, my God. That is actually incredible. That's even better than I imagined. And then the, the self promotion link at the bottom, which I love, I'm a big fan of it always gives an extra half point with this judge and jury. Go ahead, champion.

Michael Duncan (50:38)

I mean, I apologize, but I have so many on genre here, I just don't think I could lose. Exhibit number six, please. The graphic reads, don't be intimidated. And it's a man, the back of a man facing a large crowd. Adam Kinzinger writes, Teddy Roosevelt got shot in the chest and finished a 90 minute speech. Reagan got shot and joked, honey, I forgot to duck. Truman survived an attack and kept his Arlington schedule. None of them blamed their critics. None of Them built a ball. No, no. He keeps wedging in the ballroom.

John Ashbrook (51:20)

No,

Josh Holmes (51:23)

no, no.

Michael Duncan (51:25)

And another thing, the ballroom.

Josh Holmes (51:28)

I can't. I mean, the problem. There's a couple of things that are just problematic for me about overlooking that the ballroom in and of itself is the single most absurd argument that has been advanced by the progr.

John Ashbrook (51:43)

Right.

Josh Holmes (51:43)

During the entirety of the second term of the Trump administration. This is an outfit that is gratefully necessary, has been for decades. I mean, if you needed evidence of that, they hold the White House Correspondents Dinner at a place where a previous president was shot because there is no other place to hold such a reception.

John Ashbrook (52:04)

Right.

Josh Holmes (52:05)

And then the idea that this guy does it all out of fundraising, off books, non taxpayer paid stuff, in addition with debt concerns and everything else is pretty amazing. The third component of that is it's probably not going to be done before he's out of there. So it's like literally a gift to the nation.

Michael Duncan (52:23)

Right.

Josh Holmes (52:23)

And future presidents, which is the most altruistic thing I think Donald Trump has done, which is wild to be that this like you can turn an assassination attempt into an attempt to undercut a ballroom, a ballroom.

Michael Duncan (52:41)

Why is this the hill to die on?

Josh Holmes (52:42)

I just don't understand.

John Ashbrook (52:44)

I'll never understand it.

Josh Holmes (52:45)

I just don't understand it. And for that reason, it's a two round sweep.

Michael Duncan (52:49)

Yes.

Josh Holmes (52:50)

Kinzinger wins.

Michael Duncan (52:51)

Let's go.

Josh Holmes (52:52)

I feel like it's unfair.

John Ashbrook (52:53)

Yeah, but Schmidt, he's had better stuff.

Josh Holmes (52:56)

He's had better stuff. But I mean, again with this particular judge and jury, that's really hitting the. The middle of my bat. Yeah, it's really yikes. Okay, so we gotta transition to some variety now. Undoubtedly, if you're online line, you have seen this this week. This story is probably the biggest thing that has been a part of X in as long as I can think back and remember, this thing was omnipresent this week. And of course what I'm talking about is this JP Morgan exec. I think she's not really an exec. I think she's a. Well, somewhere in middle management. But. But whatever. The Daily Mail published a story that says glamorous JP Morgan. First of all, it's fucking classic Daily Mail. Glamorous JP Morgan accused of turning married male broker into her office sex slave. Claims of Viagra spiking and litany of obscene forced acts that made him cry. You got to click on. I mean if you see the headline,

Michael Duncan (54:05)

everybody, I must know.

Josh Holmes (54:07)

You just simply, simply must. News you can use must know. But when you did click on it. My God, what a Trevor treasure trove of fantastic stuff.

John Ashbrook (54:20)

I don't think anybody expected reading that headline to find the quotes, the descriptions and everything that was inside of that story. I mean, it's like sometimes you click a headline and it's. The headline gets you and you scroll down and it's less than satisfactory. This is the opposite case.

Josh Holmes (54:37)

This is the opposite case.

John Ashbrook (54:38)

This is where Daily Mail writes a headline and you click and they deliver on their promise.

Josh Holmes (54:42)

Anything they undersold in the headline, what they had contained therein. Now, far be it from us here at the Ruthless Variety Program to sort of downplay or make light of any sexual assault allegations. Of course. Unless it's this exact case, in which case it's fucking hilarious. This is just unbelievable. I gotta read you a few graphs and then I gotta get to. To the pull quotes, which is really where the payoff in this whole thing is. Just to set the stage, toss up graphic one. That's the lady that we're talking about here, the alleged perpetrator. Yeah.

Michael Duncan (55:17)

Lorna. Lorna Hajdini.

Josh Holmes (55:20)

Yeah. It seems very attractive, well put together. Yeah. She's got what? So a JP Morgan executive allegedly used her power to sexually harass, abuse and drug a junior male employee, subjecting him to racial abuse and threatening his career when he refused her advances. I don't feel like that fully captured what you're about to find out, because it's much more than her advances that I would characterize as what happened here. Lorna had Dini.

Michael Duncan (55:53)

Yeah.

Josh Holmes (55:54)

Hedge Deanie Hedge Deeney, an executive director in JPMorgan Chase's leveraged finance division. Boy, if it's leveraged, fine, it leveraged something. If any of this is true, she's damn good.

Michael Duncan (56:05)

She knows leverage.

Josh Holmes (56:05)

She knows it. Is accused in the filing of coercing a married banker into non consensual humiliating sex acts over months. Despite his pleas for her to stop, her accuser claims that she admitted to drugging him with a date rape. Drug roofies. That's the Rohypnol Variety. For those of you curious. On multiple occasions and during one encounter berated him as he cried while she performed a sex act act against his will, according to the. So this is all arisen and become public because this gentleman, who is no longer working there, has filed litigation. He is filing a suit. Now, I should say at the outset of all of this, which is not said by the Daily Mail, but truth and integrity is important to the Ruthless Variety Program. JP Morgan has said that they have Done their own internal investigation long before this became public, of which they found absolutely none of it to be. Be true. That's what they said. Right. So whether it is or not, I just want you to remember that if any of this is true, this is the most hardcore chick you've ever met in your entire life. I don't think it exists.

John Ashbrook (57:19)

It's hard to believe this is real.

Josh Holmes (57:23)

I want to meet her. If there's even a part of this that is true. She seems incredible.

John Ashbrook (57:29)

Well, the quotes alone are just. You got it, you got it. You can't just hold these back.

Josh Holmes (57:36)

Well, he alleged the abuse started almost immediately after the pair began working together in the spring of 2024. And in early 2024, DOE alleges that Jeannie dropped a pen on the floor next to his desk while bending to pick it up, rubbed his leg and squeezed his calf. Well, that's possible. I guess there are crazier things that have happened at a workplace.

Michael Duncan (57:58)

Just a reminder that we are a family. Broke groom. If. If smug. If smug would be here, he would want me to say that now. Continue.

Josh Holmes (58:06)

Yeah, but you're gonna. I mean, to the extent that you are in the car and you've taken that and pocketed it and believe that what you're about to get is family oriented. Let me disabuse of that because it is not.

Michael Duncan (58:19)

It is not.

Josh Holmes (58:19)

There is nothing that we'll talk about for the remainder of this section that is going to be family friendly.

Michael Duncan (58:25)

If you're picking up the kids from school. Pause, pause, pause.

Josh Holmes (58:30)

They're going to do a lot of growing up on the rest of this ride. So he claims that she then remarked, oh, you did play basketball in college. I love basketball players. They get me so wet.

Michael Duncan (58:43)

Oh, my God.

Josh Holmes (58:45)

So that's a pretty aggressive opening pretty. To a professional relationship now, is it impossible? No, it's not impossible. I guess there are some people who roll like that. I mean, I would be pretty surprised if I had ever. I've never encountered an unprofessional workplace. Somebody who my initial interaction with had talked about their sexual proclivity. But that's where she's at. So, you know, okay, let's go on later. That may do. Said in a complaint that had Genie invited him out for drinks, but he declined. In response, she is alleged to have said, if you don't fuck me soon, I'm going to ruin you. Never forget. Get. I own you. So, like, look, you get a lot of. He said she said in the workplace where things don't she. Come on. You get a lot of that when things don't go well. There's a lot of allegations. Very rarely do you find somebody in the opening interlude to a relationship locking the knot on the sexual harassment. The traditional sexual harassment leverage.

Michael Duncan (59:53)

Just to be clear, I want, I want you to know. Oh, I'm planning on sexually harassing.

Josh Holmes (59:58)

Yeah.

John Ashbrook (59:59)

Checking each of the boxes in one sentence.

Josh Holmes (60:02)

If you.

John Ashbrook (60:03)

Not even a full sentence. A clause.

Josh Holmes (60:04)

If you, if you don't comply with my sexual advances, I will ruin your career. Usually has to be more inference.

Michael Duncan (60:13)

Yeah.

Josh Holmes (60:14)

Than actual stated policy. But you know, in his allegations, I

Michael Duncan (60:19)

mean it's the sort of ham handed thing that makes you question the legitimacy of this entire thing. 100.

John Ashbrook (60:25)

You know what I mean?

Josh Holmes (60:26)

I don't know anyone who is like a professional at some level who. I mean, now you imagine J.P. morgan probably has. You probably have to sit through like three hours of sexual harassment training before you can even get a keyboard minimum.

Michael Duncan (60:39)

Like it probably reminds me. It reminds me of like a sexual harassment lawsuit that I might have drafted when I was like 16. How I imagined like, like powerful people working in some off. You know what I mean? Like it sounds very juvenile.

Josh Holmes (60:56)

Well, it gets more to that point here shortly because it gets a lot more aggressive. So twice Doe claims that Hijini propositioned him for oral sex in the office. As one does. It's a stressful vocation and on occasion asking birthday BJ for the brown boy. My little brown boy. Dude, I just don't.

Michael Duncan (61:21)

I don't believe it's real.

John Ashbrook (61:23)

I. I don't believe it's. It sounds like the, it sounds like the video that you have to watch.

Michael Duncan (61:29)

Yeah.

John Ashbrook (61:29)

There's an actor who says something like this.

Michael Duncan (61:31)

This is further than any HR video, I think.

John Ashbrook (61:36)

Well, that is. Yeah. They probably wouldn't put that but like

Michael Duncan (61:39)

throwing in the little casual racism in there.

Josh Holmes (61:42)

That's what I'm saying. Like there's just dabbling of all of it. It's like David Duke meets Diana Rossini. Right. I mean there is like she. This is a unicorn. If this, if any of this is true. This woman is a unicorn that must be studied, simply must be studied for science. For science. My little brown boy. A birthday bj. First of all, pretty accommodating for somebody at work.

John Ashbrook (62:09)

Yeah.

Michael Duncan (62:10)

Also, you're the boss, right?

Josh Holmes (62:12)

Like, okay. Birthday B.J. it is. Well, though claims that he continued to resist her advances. Eugenie allegedly threatened professional retribution. We didn't catch that the first one when she says he own you. Yeah. I Guess that's. Yep. He would need to start pleasing her according to the law. Lawsuit. You're going to need to earn it. My little heir. A boy toy.

John Ashbrook (62:37)

I just, again, I just don't believe it. It's. It's hard to believe.

Michael Duncan (62:44)

Just throw it around.

Josh Holmes (62:45)

Your casual racism in her sexual harassment, which is a unique brand of sexual harassment, you know, I mean, it's like you get your Harvey Weinstein, which is the full leverage play type thing, and then you get the racism which you have seen, you know, play out in different workplaces and complaints or whatever. Very rarely do you see that.

Michael Duncan (63:07)

Well, this is like the female equivalent of, you know, Ari Emanuel in Entourage. Basically, like the only time I've seen someone who's a high powered executive talk this way is in a TV show, you know, Right?

John Ashbrook (63:24)

No, no, no. That's right.

Josh Holmes (63:25)

In the summer of 2024, it is claimed in the lawsuit that Hijini showed up at my. At an apartment where Doe was staying, knowing he would be there. Inside, she allegedly made sexual advances on Doe, which he rebuffed and said insisting. Who is not interested? Did you want to get promoted at the end of the year or not?

Michael Duncan (63:44)

Again, it's so explicit.

Josh Holmes (63:47)

Can you throw this out? Throw a picture back up.

Michael Duncan (63:51)

I really, I don't buy it. Really, I don't buy it.

Josh Holmes (63:54)

I just don't. Unless she is a fucking monster. Like, just gotta be the most unique individual of all time. I just don't see it.

John Ashbrook (64:04)

Well, I also think it depends on the audience. Okay?

Michael Duncan (64:07)

What? Whoa, whoa, where you going with this?

John Ashbrook (64:10)

Depends on the audience, okay? Because if you are a major company and you're trying to recruit the best and brightest and you go to a job fair and you set up one of those like tri porn poster boards with like all the great things about your company, there is literally nothing that's gonna get college age dudes attention quite like this.

Josh Holmes (64:34)

Oh, you mean this might be a talent?

John Ashbrook (64:37)

I think, I think HR departments across the country are doing everything they can to make sure that they get the top talent.

Josh Holmes (64:44)

The Internet was filled with job applications at JP Morgan to work underneath her,

John Ashbrook (64:48)

by the way, this week, without a

Michael Duncan (64:50)

doubt, JP Morgan at the job fair, they're like, well, you know, we got a 401k match. We have a great work from home policy. And also, have you seen our fringe benefits?

John Ashbrook (65:01)

They don't even need to say that

Josh Holmes (65:02)

Ms. Houdini will be be checking you in, right?

John Ashbrook (65:05)

You got college seniors out there everywhere thinking, how do I get in the leverage buyout department or whatever the department is.

Josh Holmes (65:11)

All right, so this one episode is really the bumper sticker to this whole thing where she. After she says, do you want to get promoted or not? Do you want a future at JP Morgan? It's just that simple. I don't know why you're fighting this. Jeannie then allegedly removed her shirt. Shirt. Began fondling her breasts.

Michael Duncan (65:32)

Come on.

Josh Holmes (65:32)

And racially insulted Doe's wife, remarking, I bet your little Asian fish head wife doesn't have these cannons.

Michael Duncan (65:43)

I just don't believe it. I don't believe it. I don't believe it. What woman says cannons? There's no.

John Ashbrook (65:49)

None.

Michael Duncan (65:50)

What woman says cannon?

John Ashbrook (65:51)

They never have. They never have. Unless it's.

Michael Duncan (65:54)

Dude, a 12 year old wrote this.

John Ashbrook (65:57)

Exactly. A couple college dude.

Josh Holmes (65:59)

Again, if she exists in the natural world, this woman is a unicorn and she must be studied. If any of this is even remotely true. This is unbelievable. Doe claims that she then forcibly removed his pants and performed world sex on him against his will. Unclear to me how that's possible. By the way. She. She.

Michael Duncan (66:21)

Oh, no.

Josh Holmes (66:25)

I mean. What?

Michael Duncan (66:27)

Against your will?

Josh Holmes (66:29)

Pop that picture back up. Oh, no. Oh, the horror. I mean, I just. I just. I just don't buy.

Michael Duncan (66:40)

I don't buy it.

Josh Holmes (66:41)

I don't buy he being. At that point, he began to cry, And then she responded to his crying by admonishing him for crying and scolded him for failing to achieve an erection.

Michael Duncan (66:58)

Oh, my God, Stop crying.

Josh Holmes (67:01)

She said, you think anyone would ever believe you? Okay, You're a douchebag who thinks he's hot, but you can't even get your dick hard for me.

Michael Duncan (67:11)

The.

Josh Holmes (67:12)

Is this. That's what.

Michael Duncan (67:13)

That's.

Josh Holmes (67:14)

Listen, I'm not doing any of this. This is what is in a litigation suit. This is quoted. It's in a quote. She then ordered him to perform oral sex on her, ignoring his pleas for don't make me do this. Unclear. Apparently she made him do it. I don't know.

John Ashbrook (67:35)

I. I don't know. It just.

Josh Holmes (67:38)

It.

John Ashbrook (67:38)

It sounds made up.

Josh Holmes (67:40)

Yeah, it does.

John Ashbrook (67:41)

And I. I, like, I. I don't know the details, all that, but if you go. If you just take one minute of your life and look at Twitter and the responses of people on Twitter to this topic,

Michael Duncan (67:57)

you will literally see the

John Ashbrook (67:59)

funniest things that you've ever seen in my life.

Josh Holmes (68:00)

It's the funniest Internet things of all time. I don't believe a single word of this.

John Ashbrook (68:06)

I don't. I don't believe it.

Josh Holmes (68:07)

I don't. Pop her up One more time. Do you believe. I don't believe that woman is capable of saying the things that I just quoted.

Michael Duncan (68:18)

I don't.

John Ashbrook (68:21)

It sounds like it's written by, like, Duncan. Like you said, it's written by a kid.

Josh Holmes (68:25)

I've never encountered a single woman that is capable of something like this and not being, like £450.

John Ashbrook (68:33)

Girls do not.

Josh Holmes (68:35)

Right, right.

John Ashbrook (68:36)

They don't. They don't. They don't talk like this.

Josh Holmes (68:39)

Am I lying?

John Ashbrook (68:39)

Like this.

Michael Duncan (68:42)

No. But why does she have to be fat to be filthy?

Josh Holmes (68:44)

Because it has to be. It Ha. Like, if you're capable of obtaining, you know, some kind of sexual gratification in your own right, you certainly wouldn't say the things that I've just said of which I'm humiliated. I had to report the news.

Michael Duncan (68:59)

Yes, I know you're horrified by it.

Josh Holmes (69:01)

I'm horrified.

Michael Duncan (69:02)

You hated to do it.

Josh Holmes (69:03)

I hated it. You could tell how much I hated it. It's awful having to talk about the cannons.

John Ashbrook (69:11)

Girls don't talk like that.

Josh Holmes (69:13)

The cannons. They don't.

John Ashbrook (69:14)

They don't say that.

Josh Holmes (69:15)

You ever met any? I've never. I never heard any.

John Ashbrook (69:17)

Not in my life.

Josh Holmes (69:18)

Have a look at these cannons.

John Ashbrook (69:19)

It's as.

Michael Duncan (69:19)

It's as ridiculous as being like Bazungas. You know, there's something so juvenile about it.

Josh Holmes (69:29)

Okay, no interview today. We expected one that we've rescheduled. I hope for all of you OG listeners of the ruthless Variety program. You hope too, that we have rescheduled this interview because we tend to take a dim view of things that get canceled.

John Ashbrook (69:47)

Indeed.

Josh Holmes (69:48)

And this will be no different. So hopefully we'll get all of that and we'll provide more clarity about all of that next week in. In. In good time. I know we have a question of the day. And the question of the day was about Jasmine Crockett and like her greatest hits. And please feel free when you like and subscribe, prescribe to do that. I think in light of our previous story. Yeah, Dunks. You may have a suggestion.

Michael Duncan (70:13)

An alternative to the question of the day is please submit your job application to JP Morgan in hopes of being hired and working in the leverage department.

Josh Holmes (70:27)

Have a look at these cannons.

John Ashbrook (70:29)

They're never going to have to go to another job fair again.

Michael Duncan (70:33)

I feel like my buddy's back home will take great interest in this comment section.

Josh Holmes (70:37)

The text chain that I've had with my buddies for far longer than I care to admit is going to be lit up with application discussion.

Michael Duncan (70:46)

You attend business school for a moment? Just like this.

Josh Holmes (70:53)

She thinks she's bullying you and you might get a different, different response listenership. Anyway, so when you like and subscribe, you leave your comment. We're going to read all of them and we're going to have the best stuff. This is going to provide all kinds of jazzy if you want and we'll throw those in. But also, I mean your applications.

Michael Duncan (71:13)

Your applications.

John Ashbrook (71:14)

Maybe an essay.

Josh Holmes (71:15)

Yeah, some kind of a five paragraph bio. Just give us some thought about why you're truly qualified.

John Ashbrook (71:22)

Fine.

Josh Holmes (71:23)

For this kind of position. Anyway, thanks to everybody. Great week. Lot going on. Clearly just a wild bunch of circumstances in Washington D.C. and beyond. But we're trying to have fun with it with you, the listener. We always appreciate you tuning in with that. Fellows, I think we did it.

Michael Duncan (71:40)

I think we did it. I don't know how long Smug's Parisian maternity leave will be. We might have to cut a different outro of the show, but until then, we got to go to Hollywood hen

Josh Holmes (71:51)

another banger of an episode, folks. So until next time, minions, keep the faith, hold the line and own the libs.

John Ashbrook (72:14)

Sam.