Ruthless Podcast – Episode Summary

Episode Title: Democrat Caught in Another Massive Lie? And Bill Barr Joins the Progrum
Date: December 19, 2025
Hosts: Josh Holmes, Comfortably Smug, Michael Duncan, John Ashbrook
Special Guest: Bill Barr (Former U.S. Attorney General)

Main Theme & Purpose

This “Variety Progrum” of Ruthless delivers a characteristically irreverent and sharp-edged analysis of current political news, viral moments, and the persistent “fake news” of the day. The episode breaks down Rep. Ilhan Omar’s latest high-profile controversy, offers commentary on Eric Swalwell’s latest attempts at relatability, roasts Kamala Harris’s late-night comedy turn, and, in a standout segment, sits down with former Attorney General Bill Barr for an in-depth interview on Venezuela, climate “lawfare,” and the Epstein investigation. Throughout, humor and biting banter define the tone.

Key Discussion Segments & Insights

1. Ilhan Omar’s ICE Story – Debunked (00:00–14:32)

• The episode opens with a clip of Congresswoman Ilhan Omar recounting her son allegedly being pulled over by ICE agents after a trip to Target.
  • Quote: “So your son went to Target last night with his passport.” – Josh Holmes (06:54)
• DHS/ICE quickly refute Omar’s claim, stating they have “absolutely zero record of [their] agents pulling over Congresswoman Omar’s son.”
  • Quote: “ICE has absolutely zero record of agents pulling over Congresswoman Omar’s son and have accused you of seeking to, quote, demonize ICE as part of a PR stunt.” – Bill Barr (09:01)
• The hosts skewer Omar for alleged habitual exaggeration, referencing past controversies and alleged fraudulent behavior.
  • Running Joke: “When she says son, she may actually mean neighbor. Sort of like when she says husband, she actually means brother.” – Michael Duncan (08:35)
• Discussion expands into the longstanding allegations and ongoing investigation regarding Omar’s family and immigration history.

Memorable Moments:

• (10:47): “She made a claim that her son was picked up by ICE. ICE looks into it and is like, there's no proof of this. She's confronted with this, and she's like, I have no proof that this happened.” – John Ashbrook
• (13:33): “I'm gonna be interested to see what [Tom Homan] finds. He seems like the kind of guy who gets to the bottom of this.” – John Ashbrook

2. Eric Swalwell’s Taco Shop Video & Tex-Mex Debate (17:08–22:47)

• The hosts riff on a viral video of Rep. Eric Swalwell visiting a taco shop as part of his current campaign—lampooning the “cringy” efforts by politicians to appear relatable.
  • Quote: “Dems who try to like go on TikTok and act like they're just one of the kids—it never ends well.” – John Ashbrook (17:54)
• Tangent leads into a debate over authentic tacos vs. Tex-Mex and Cincinnati chili, with extended banter over food tastes and regionalisms.
  • Quote: “Tex Mex is trash. It's basically, you just take Mexican food and throw a can of Cheese Whiz on top of it.” – John Ashbrook (19:02)

3. Kamala Harris’s Kimmel Interview: DOJ & Trump Files (23:47–29:18)

• The crew reviews a clip of Kamala Harris struggling to deflect a question from Jimmy Kimmel about unreleased files during the Biden administration.
  • Quote: “We strongly and rightly believe there should be an absolute separation between what we wanted as an administration and what the Department of Justice did.” – Kamala Harris (23:46)
• Satirical deconstruction of Harris’s response, with emphasis on perceived hypocrisy concerning DOJ independence and the administration’s willingness to attack Special Counsel Hur when the findings weren’t favorable to Biden.
  • Quote: “Right up until the point where you criticize Joe Biden with a special counsel... Then he came back and said, like, I can't charge this guy because he's too old and frail.” – Josh Holmes (27:39)
• Collective agreement that mainstream late-night comedy has become thinly veiled Democratic PR.

4. San Francisco’s "Managed Alcohol Program" for the Homeless (29:30–36:12)

• Hosts mock a $5 million / year San Francisco city program that gives free controlled doses of alcohol to homeless alcoholics, including kegs-on-tap.
  • Quote: “Inside the lobby, they had kegs to set up taps where they were basically giving out free beer to the homeless...” – Josh Holmes (33:07)
• Amazement that this “solution” costs $77,000 per participant, with little evidence of effectiveness.
  • Quote: “I have to think [full time inpatient rehab] is less than $77,000 a person, I would think.” – San Francisco Wolf (33:27)
• Jokes and dark humor abound about governance, misaligned incentives, and government inefficiency.

5. Lightning Round: Listener Responses & Commentary (39:12–41:41)

• The hosts read and react to audience comments on “How do we get liberals on board with solving the problem of radical Islamic terrorism?” Notable responses:
  • “Drop a couple polls showing that extremist Muslims are suddenly identifying as Republicans in droves. The Dems will suddenly decide they are a threat to our democracy.” – Listener (40:01)
• Shared laughter over the idea of shifting partisan coalitions altering what is considered a “threat.”

6. World Cup "Pride Match": Egypt vs. Iran in Seattle (41:45–48:43)

• The hosts delight in the irony of Seattle's World Cup "Pride Match" featuring two teams (Egypt and Iran) from countries where homosexuality is criminalized.
  • Quote: “It's featuring the team from Egypt and the team from Iran.” – Josh Holmes (43:00)
• Discussion of the inevitable culture clash and local progressive obliviousness to international realities.
  • Quote: “This is what they think is happening...being like belly of the beast.” – John Ashbrook (45:09)
• Running humor about “Gays for Gaza” and the paradox of left-wing support for anti-LGBT regimes.

7. Feature Interview: Bill Barr (49:58–73:43)

A. Venezuela & Narco-Terrorism (50:38–56:48)

• Barr details parallels between Venezuela and the Panama/Noriega situation of the late '80s, emphasizing Maduro’s cartel running state-sponsored narco-terror.
  • Quote: “They do constitute a real national security threat... The law enforcement system will never work because the countries are complicit in these activities.” – Bill Barr (50:56)
  • Quote: “They have an operation going that includes Hezbollah... Their purpose is to put cocaine into the United States.” – Bill Barr (51:28)

B. Use of U.S. Force/Legal Authority (56:48–59:12)

• Barr walks through the legal justification for using military force against the Venezuelan regime and its facilitation of drug trafficking.
  • Quote: “If you decide to go after this enterprise, this lawless narco terrorist group, and use military force to do it, you can attack their transportation, their operations and so forth.” – Bill Barr (57:12)

C. Lawfare & Environmental Litigation (59:12–65:16)

• Analysis of Democrats’ aggressive legal strategies in using the courts to advance their climate agenda, tying up energy production and the American economy.
  • Quote: “Judges feel that they're equipped to make any decision from spanking a kid to going to war... So we've judicialized everything... America cannot get shit done.” – Bill Barr (59:56)
  • Quote: “They are trying to strangle energy the way they are, so we end up like Europe. And look at Europe... their economies are collapsing.” – Bill Barr (62:25)
  • Quote: “God bless these six Republican justices on the Supreme Court. They're all great, and they are basically the thing that's standing between us and oblivion, in my opinion.” – Bill Barr (64:31)

D. Supreme Court Succession Prospects (66:03–66:43)

• Barr briefly speculates on possible retirements (Thomas, Alito) but offers no insider information.

E. The Epstein Files & Trump (67:38–73:43)

• Barr strongly dismisses the idea that Trump had criminal involvement with Jeffrey Epstein, detailing years of civil/criminal investigation with “not one person” alleging wrongdoing by Trump.
  • Quote: “Not one person can come and say, you know, Donald Trump did anything wrong. In fact, Virginia, Jeffrey said he was very friendly and pleasant. Nothing happened.” – Bill Barr (69:20)
• Recounts personally informing President Trump about Epstein’s suicide in custody. Emphasizes bureaucratic incompetence, rebuffing conspiracy theories.
  • Quote: “I called the President and I said, ‘You won't believe this, but funny thing, Epstein committed suicide.’” – Bill Barr (71:54)
  • Quote: “Don't ascribe malice where stupidity is a sufficient explanation.” – Bill Barr (73:06)

Timestamps for Key Segments

| Segment | Start Time | |--------------------------------------------|------------------| | Ilhan Omar ICE controversy w/editors' jokes| 00:00 | | Omar responds to ICE denial | 09:01 | | Eric Swalwell taco shop / food debate | 17:08 | | Kamala Harris / Jimmy Kimmel DOJ segment | 23:47 | | SF homeless alcohol program | 29:30 | | World Cup “Pride Match” comedy | 41:45 | | Bill Barr Interview Begins | 49:58 | | – Venezuela & Narco-Terror Overview | 50:38 | | – Climate Lawfare/SCOTUS | 59:12 | | – Epstein Files | 67:38 |

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• (08:35) Michael Duncan: “When she says son, she may actually mean neighbor. Sort of like when she says husband, she actually means brother.”
• (23:46) Kamala Harris: “We strongly and rightly believe there should be an absolute separation...between what we wanted as an administration and what the Department of Justice did.”
• (51:28) Bill Barr: “They have an operation going that includes Hezbollah...Their purpose is to put cocaine into the United States...explicitly are doing it to weaken the United States.”
• (59:56) Bill Barr: “America cannot get shit done. Look, the reason Trump has to do...some of the stuff he's doing is the immigration system doesn't work...”
• (69:20) Bill Barr: “Not one person can come and say, you know, Donald Trump did anything wrong. In fact, Virginia, Jeffrey said he was very friendly and pleasant. Nothing happened.”
• (71:54) Bill Barr (on Epstein): “I called the President and I said, 'You won't believe this, but funny thing, Epstein committed suicide.'”

Tone & Language

• Irreverent, punchy, and often sardonic.
• Heavy use of inside jokes and cultural references.
• Relishes in the hypocrisy and absurdity of “the news” and current events.
• The Barr interview adopts a more serious, instructive tone, but humor prevails.

Conclusion

This episode of Ruthless blends hilarious conservative banter and topical skewering with substantive, news-making insight from one of America’s most experienced legal experts, Bill Barr. The team exposes media narratives (Ilhan Omar’s ICE claim, Democratic legal tactics, progressivism’s collision with realpolitik), lampoons politicians’ pandering and bureaucratic folly, and pulls back the curtain on key legal and national security issues—from Venezuela to Big Climate lawsuits to the enduring Epstein rumors.

Listeners leave with a blend of comedic relief and candid analysis unavailable anywhere else.

For further details, listen to these moments:

• Ilhan Omar’s ICE controversy: 06:40–10:50
• Kamala Harris DOJ defense: 23:35–28:59
• Bill Barr’s Venezuela analysis: 50:38–56:48
• Bill Barr on Epstein & calling Trump: 71:54–73:19