16 Crosses and a State in Mourning, ICE gets Ambushed plus Brennan & Comey in DOJ Crosshairs Week In Review

Summary

Podcast Summary: Episode 16 - "Crosses and a State in Mourning, ICE gets Ambushed plus Brennan & Comey in DOJ Crosshairs Week In Review"

Podcast Information:

• Title: The 47 Morning Update with Ben Ferguson
• Host/Author: Premiere Networks
• Release Date: July 12, 2025

Description: Hosted by popular national radio host, podcaster, and political commentator Ben Ferguson, The 47 Morning Update spotlights the latest news and political headlines, with a special focus on the President's administration, policies, and agenda. Join Ben for unfiltered insights, exclusive interviews, and honest commentary you won’t get from the mainstream media. Ben takes you behind the scenes, covering the issues shaping America today—straight from the President’s Oval Office.

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1. Camp Mystic Flooding and a State in Mourning

Key Discussion: The episode opens with Senator Ted Cruz recounting his visit to Camp Mystic, a location devastated by severe flooding. Cruz provides a vivid and emotional account of the destruction, emphasizing the profound loss experienced by the community.

Notable Quotes:

• Ted Cruz [00:54]:

  "It may be the most horrifying thing I've ever seen in my life... the water was eight feet deep in the cabins. The water shattered the windows. It swept the furniture out."

• Ted Cruz [07:57]:

  "Our state is mourning right now."

• Ben Ferguson [08:16]:

  "Pray for the people that are affected... Pray for the families who are still without their loved ones."

Detailed Insights: Senator Cruz describes the layout of Camp Mystic, correcting media portrayals by clarifying that the cabins were not as vulnerable to flooding as initially reported. He poignantly details the scene of devastation, including:

• 16 White Crosses: Each bearing the name of a young girl who lost their lives, including Dick Eastland, the camp director who drowned while saving the girls.
• Rubble and Personal Belongings: Evidence of the flood's impact is seen in the scattered possessions of the children, such as teddy bears and slippers, underscoring the personal tragedies endured.
• Community Response: Cruz highlights the resilience and solidarity of the local community, mentioning establishments like the Hunt Store being repurposed as hubs of hope and support. He shares an inspiring story of a barbecue truck from Rockport, Texas, symbolizing Texas' collective spirit in aiding affected individuals.

Emotional Appeal: Both Cruz and Ferguson appeal to listeners' empathy, urging them to pray for and support the affected families. They emphasize the critical role of the church and community in providing solace and assistance during such crises.

2. Rise in Violence and Anti-ICE Rhetoric

Key Discussion: The conversation shifts to the alarming increase in threats and violent attacks against ICE agents. Cruz and Ferguson critique the inflammatory rhetoric from Democratic leaders, attributing it to fueling anti-ICE violence.

Notable Quotes:

• Ted Cruz [15:17]:

  "Leftists engaging in active violence against ICE agents... he was doing so because he's been listening to the extreme rhetoric that these are Nazis."

• Ben Ferguson [17:33]:

  "House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries... expressed support for actions against ICE agents... 'fight the Trump administration in the streets.'"

• Ted Cruz [21:04]:

  "This was not a so-called peaceful protest. It was indeed an ambush."

Detailed Insights: Cruz discusses recent violent incidents targeting ICE personnel, including:

• McAllen, Texas Attack: An active shooter ambushed Border Patrol agents, resulting in one officer wounded and the shooter killed by law enforcement.
• Alvarado, Texas Plot: Eleven individuals were arrested for planning an ambush on ICE correction officers, with charges including attempted murder and conspiracy.

Ferguson brings forward specific derogatory statements made by Democratic figures towards ICE, such as:

• Hakeem Jeffries: Advocated for fighting the Trump administration on the streets and suggested harmful actions against ICE agents.
• Jay Apollo and Eric Swalwell: Made statements undermining ICE operations and advocating for transparency that endangers agents’ safety.

Consequences of Rhetoric: Cruz argues that such language from elected officials dehumanizes ICE agents, leading to real-world violence and undermining federal law enforcement efforts. He emphasizes the need for Americans to choose to support law enforcement over the erosion of respect and safety for these agents.

3. FBI Investigations into John Brennan and James Comey

Key Discussion: The episode delves into the FBI's initiation of criminal investigations against former CIA Director John Brennan and former FBI Director James Comey, focusing on their roles in the Trump-Russia probe.

Notable Quotes:

• Ted Cruz [26:00]:

  "The full scope of the criminal investigations into Brennan and Comey is unclear... this is a big damn deal that the former head of the FBI and the former head of the CIA are being criminally investigated for felony conduct."

• Ben Ferguson [26:34]:

  "John Brennan was clueless about what it is exactly that they may be investigating."

• Ted Cruz [30:07]:

  "John Brennan decided Jimmy Carter is too right wing for him, and he voted for someone who... we need a full-on communist."

Detailed Insights: Cruz provides background on John Brennan’s political leanings, humorously alleging that Brennan supported the Communist Party's presidential candidate in 1976 over more mainstream options. This anecdote serves to illustrate Cruz’s perception of Brennan's extreme political biases.

He also touches upon the potential legal ramifications for Brennan and Comey, particularly emphasizing the seriousness of lying to Congress:

• Legal Consequences: Lying under oath can lead to significant prison time, highlighting the gravity of the investigations.
• Impact on Institutions: Cruz frames the investigations as indicative of a "deep state" effort to undermine the Trump administration, suggesting systemic attempts to hold former intelligence officials accountable for political motives.

Emotional Appeal and Critique: Ferguson expresses disbelief and concern over the investigations, reinforcing the narrative of elite accountability and questioning the motivations behind targeting high-profile figures like Brennan and Comey.

Additional Commentary: Cruz contrasts Brennan and Comey's actions with other figures like James Clapper, suggesting a pattern of misconduct within the intelligence community. He underscores the unprecedented nature of these investigations, framing them as a pivotal moment in combating corruption at high levels of government.

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Conclusion: In this episode of The 47 Morning Update, Ben Ferguson and Senator Ted Cruz tackle deeply emotional and politically charged topics. From the tragic flooding at Camp Mystic and its profound impact on the community to the escalating violence against ICE agents fueled by inflammatory political rhetoric, the discussion highlights critical national issues. Additionally, the scrutiny of former intelligence leaders Brennan and Comey underscores ongoing tensions within American political and governmental institutions. Through detailed narratives and compelling quotes, the episode provides listeners with a comprehensive review of significant events shaping the nation's landscape in July 2025.

Transcript

[iHeart Podcast]

This is an iHeart podcast.

[Ben Ferguson]

Welcome. It is Verdict with Ted Cruz, Week in Review. Ben Ferguson with you. And these are the stories that you may have missed that we talked about this week. First up, Senator Ted Cruz was on the ground at Camp Mystic. What did he see and what did he learn about the flooding and the recovery efforts? Also, a massive rise in threats and attacks on ICE agents. Who's to blame? Could it be the leadership of the Democratic Party? We've got their quotes and you can decide. And finally, the FBI has opened investigations into John Brenham and James Comey. The deep state that was in charge of trying to overthrow the will of the voters to get rid of Donald Trump now may be finally held accountable for their actions. It's the Weekend review and it starts right now.

[Ted Cruz]

But I'll tell you, Ben, the most difficult thing I did today is I went to Camp mystic and I went and walked the grounds at Camp Mystic. And I think it may be the most horrifying thing I've ever seen in my life. You walk through, and actually, as you walk through, the river was calm and peaceful and beautiful, but it rose, and it rose suddenly. And I will say, the press, I think, has been less than clear and honest about how Camp mystic is set up because they've described it as saying, well, the cabins for the young girls were down by the riverbank and all of the other cabins were up high. That's not accurate. And walking the grounds, the cabins are all hundreds of yards removed from the riverbank. There's a lot of distance between the river and where the cabin is. And the cabins are all about the same elevation. There's some differences, but not massive differences in elevation between the cabins at Mystic. And I was talking with one of the longtime employees there who said there had been a flood decades before and it had gotten up. It had gotten up and crossed a little bit of the ground and had come to sort of the foundation of one of the buildings that was not a cabin but one of the buildings closer to the river. But it had never gotten close to the cabins. So that's one thing to understand. People say, well, gosh, this is prone to floods, yes. But in the 100 years of camp mystic, there had never been a flood where the water had gotten to the cabins. And in this case, the water was eight feet deep in the cabins. Walking through and every building, you could see the water line. You could see the water line outside the buildings, and it was eight feet deep. And in the cabins, the water shattered the windows. It swept the furniture Out. You looked in the cabins and every one of the cabins, the furniture had been swept out, the windows were all shattered. And I got to tell you, look, there was one cabin, it's called the Bubble Inn, and it's a cabin at mystic where the youngest girls were. And outside the bubble inn were 16 white crosses. And on each one of those was a name of a little girl. And they're names that we've read in the paper. They're names of little seven and eight year old girls, third graders, who lost their lives. And one of the crosses was for Dick Eastland, the camp director, who drowned trying to save the girls lives. And he had spent. He graduated from UT 50 years ago and had spent 50 years of his life running this camp for girls. And he was in his Suburban. They showed me where he drowned. It was a couple hundred yards from where I was standing in the river. He was trying to save the girls and the water swept him away and he drowned. And the 16 crosses reading those names. Two of those little girls go to school with my daughter. They're third graders at her school. The parents of one of those little girls lives a block away from me. And I'll tell you, I just knelt and wept there. There were families there, Ben. There was a mom and dad who was kneeling in front of those crosses and they were kissing the cross. And I stood back. I didn't want to interrupt their grieving, but just watching them, the bomb came to that cabin the bubble in, and she just broke down in tears. In front of every cabin, there were the children's belongings. There were trunks. There were electric fans. There were slippers and flip flops and crocs. There were teddy bears. There were stuffed animals everywhere. These were little girls and many of them have their names on them. And there were moms and dads picking through the rubble looking for the girl's belongings. And I don't know which of those moms and dads lost a daughter. We know of 27 who were lost and there may be more. There are 11 that are missing. And there were girls picking through the rubble. I don't know if those girls were campers themselves who had survived. I don't know if they're siblings who had lost a sibling. But everyone is walking around. Shell shock doesn't begin to describe it. Up on the field, there was a field that was basically a parking lot for the cars of counselors. And the waters had thrown the cars on top of each other. It was like they were Matchbox cars just flipped over. You saw Car after car after car stacked on each other, flipped on its side, flipped over, tossed around the dining hall. An entire wall of the dining hall had been ripped off. They had heavy wooden tables that filled the dining hall. Every one of them had been pulled out. And the bubble in which is where a large percentage of the fatalities occurred, the water swept in and just pulled those girls out the windows. It seeing that, and I saw it first from the helicopter, and you could see all their belongings spread out. But then standing there and viewing it from the perspective of a dad, you know, I've helped my daughters pack their trunks.

[Ben Ferguson]

I.

[Ted Cruz]

Can'T pick up. Every year, you go and pick up your daughter's truck, and it's a joyful time. Our state is mourning right now. Ben.

[Ben Ferguson]

I tell you, for everyone listening, and I say this, just pray for the people that. That are affected. Pray for the people in Texas. Pray for the families who are still without their loved ones. They're still trying to find them. Pray for the moms and the dads who are planning the funerals. As we know people personally that are doing that and getting ready for that this week. Pray for the moms. God, please pray for the moms.

[Ted Cruz]

Yes.

[Ben Ferguson]

And anything you can do to help with all of the. There's so many different groups, groups that are helping the people in Comfort and Kerr county, and there are people that need help, and we focus so much on the kids. But there's a lot of elderly people that have been affected by this. There a lot of people that lost their lives and all their belongings and help any way you can with all of the nonprofits that are getting involved that are doing this. And we're going to keep you updated, but I would just say hug your baby.

[Ted Cruz]

And Ben, I want to say, Ben, I want to say three more things of encouragement. So in Hunt, there's a store that's kind of a focal point. It's called the Hunt Store, and it's right at the junction of two of the highways. You go up one highway to go to one of the big camps. You go up another highway to go up to mystic and La Junta. And actually La Junta is right across the street from the Hunt Store. The Hunt Store. The flood utterly gutted it. It's just ripped out in hollow shell. I went and stopped at the Hunt Store and just visited people who were there gathering there, and they'd actually change the sign where it said hunt store. And instead of hunt Store, they changed the sign to read hunt Strong. And, you know, Heidi and Catherine were at the Hunt Store last week. I mean, it's. I've been there dozens of times. The owners were there. I just hugged them. And they were just like residents there who were just there mourning and grieving. And I'll tell you, there was set up. There was a giant barbecue truck. All right, so this is a story that is amazing that you're going to like. A barbecue truck from Rockport. Rockport is a town down on the Gulf Coast. And Rockport, when Hurricane Harvey hit, it devastated the Gulf coast from Deep East Texas to South all the way, really to Corpus Christi. So that's a lot of. And Rockport is right in there. It's by Port Aransas and Aransas Pass. And Rockport was devastated by Hurricane Harvey. Well, these guys, and these are big old Texans with big old beards. They look like ZZ Top. And they said, well, you know, when Hurricane Harvey hit, there was a group from Hunt, Texas, little town in the Hill country, that came down to Rockport and set up a food truck and fed us when we had lost our homes. And so they got in a truck and drove up this giant smoker and griller, and they were just giving away free barbecue. And it. And. And one of the things that's really cool. I was at. In Rockport several times after. After Hurricane Harvard. I was in all the towns up and down the Gulf coast, but I was at that. Those food trucks. I don't recall visiting with someone and hearing that they were from Hunt down in Rockport. But you know what? In Rockport, they remembered that. And. And that's something we see happening. Just Texans coming together, the Cajun Navy from Louisiana came and were there helping people out. That was incredible. And I just had a chance. I visited with a family, one dad who introduced me to two little boys, and he said both of them lost some of their closest friends in the flood. And I just said, you know, little kids, and they're not much older than your boys. They shouldn't have to deal with death and loss at that age. But I'll tell you, in that same parking lot at the Hunt store, there was a car that had written on the back of it a Bible verse written in, like, shaving cream on the back window. And it was Isaiah 43:2 that says, when you go through deep water, I will be with you.

[Ben Ferguson]

Amen.

[Ted Cruz]

That is. Look, you just asked folks to pray. Let me just underscore that. For the moms and dads who have a yearning, gaping hole in their heart, I think there is no pain, no agony. Like losing a child. And nothing will ever fill that hole. That pain will never go away. But they need love, they need support, they need friends, they need families to hug them, to hold them tight, to just give them a shoulder to cry on and to hold them up. And I got to tell you, this is a time for the church. One of the reasons Texas I think we are so resilient when facing natural disasters is because the church is strong in Texas. And you see church's step. I started the day actually by visiting with a number of chaplains who look, you want to talk about, it was brutal on the chaplains. When you're dealing with moms and dads who've lost their kids and they're just weeping. Even a chaplain, a man or woman of strong faith, I mean, it rips your heart out to be with a parent who's lost a seven or eight year old daughter. And right down from the Hunt store, there was a church that had a big sign, free barbecue lunch and dinner. All are welcome. And that's what the church should be doing, is helping and clothing and comforting and taking care of the needy. And the church should always be doing that, but especially in time of crisis.

[Ben Ferguson]

Now if you want to hear the rest of this conversation, you can go back and listen to the full podcast from earlier this week. Now on to story number two. Senator, I want to move to another big story, and that is the rising threat that has just become oh so real with federal law enforcement. And there was a shooter that ambushed Texas Border Patrol agents. Words from elected officials, in my opinion, have major influence, but also consequence. We have seen time and time again right now Democrats coming out and saying that ICE are evil. Stand up to ice, Fight ice. These are words coming from so many Democrats that are actually elected to office.

[Ted Cruz]

Well, listen, as you noted, words have consequence. And we have seen an awful lot of Democrats, we have seen the corporate media denounce ice, called them Nazis, call them goose stepping fascists. And unfortunately, that rhetoric fuels a rage. It fuels a rage that we have seen manifesting in violence over and over again. Leftists engaging in active violence against ICE agents. So just a few days ago, an active shooter opened Fire on Ice agents in McAllen, Texas. And here's the story from FOX News. Active shooter killed. An attempt to ambush Border Patrol agents in Texas. One McAllen police officer wounded but in stable condition following apparent planned ambush at Rio Grande Valley facility. And here's what the article says. An active shooter armed with tactical gear and a rifle opened fire upon Border Patrol agents as they arrived at a Border Patrol Annex facility in McAllen, Texas, in the Rio Grande Valley on Monday. Law enforcement sources say agents and local police returned fire and killed the gunman. No federal agents were hit, but one McAllen police officer was struck. Law enforcement sources say the officer is in stable condition. Quote, this morning, an individual opened fire at the entrance of the United States Border Patrol SECTOR Annex in McAllen, Texas. Both, both Border Patrol agents and local police helped neutralize the shooter. The Department of Homeland Security said in a statement to Fox News. This is an ongoing investigation led by the FBI. More information will be shared as it becomes available. Now, I'll tell you, I have walked into and out of that Border patrol facility in McAllen, Texas, multiple times. The fact that you have violent criminals, and this is a criminal who lost his life because he showed up and wanted to shoot at law enforcement officials. He was doing so. We don't know this conclusively, but we can certainly infer that he was doing so because he's been listening to the extreme rhetoric that these are Nazis. And so he was like, you know what, if you've got Nazis, let's kill the Nazis. That is the consequence of the unhinged and deranged rhetoric on the left right now.

[Ben Ferguson]

You talk about that rhetoric. Let's give actual quotes. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York said employed people to, quote, fight the Trump administration in the streets, quote, unquote. He also declared ICE agents, quote, will be unsuccessful in protecting their identities no matter what it takes, advocating for doxing and putting their families at risk. ICE agents. Representative Jay Apollo of Washington called ICE agents, quote, unquote, deranged and said it is, quote, inspiring to obstruct immigration enforcement. Representative McIver of New Jersey, who was arrested and charged with forcibly impeding and interfering with federal officers and outside night's detention facility, incited her supporters to, quote, shut down the city because we are at war, quote, unquote. And even the former vice presidential candidate, the Minnesota Governor Tim Waltz, getting in on the action, called ICE agents the modern day gestapo. Chicago's mayor. This past week, Johnson accused the ICE agents of being, quote, unquote, the secret police and, quote, terrorizing our communities. And, and you add in Eric Swalwell of California. He said it was, quote, his priority to ensure ICE agents, quote, are no longer faceless, comparing them to some 1800s bank robbers or some KGB officers in Russia. Words have consequences. And this is the rhetoric coming from some of your colleagues in D.C. well.

[Ted Cruz]

And not only do they have consequences with the armed shooter who was killed in McAllen, Texas. But in North Texas, 11 people were arrested for plotting to ambush to kill ICE correction officers. And I want to read from this story from the daily wire. Quote, 11 people have been arrested in what law enforcement officers described as a, quote, planned ambush of corrections Officers at an ICE detention facility in Alvarado, Texas on July 4. One Alvarado police officer was shot in the neck during the attack and is expected to survive. Quote, early reports indicate that more than a dozen masked individuals dressed in black arrived at the Prairieland ICE detention facility late Friday night and vandalized vehicles and security cameras in the parking lot. CBS News reported the individuals launched fireworks in an apparent effort to lure law enforcement. On July 5, Deputy Attorney General Tom Blanche posted on X, quote, we are closely monitoring the attacks on DHS facilities in Prairieland, Texas and Portland, Oregon and are coordinating with usaos and our law enforcement partners. The department has zero tolerance for assaults on federal officers or property and will bring the full weight of the law against those responsible. On Monday, Acting U.S. attorney Nancy Larson stated, quote, we're here to tell you that late at night on July 4th, Friday night at approximately 10:37pm at Prairie Land Ice Detention center in Alvarado, Texas, 10 to 12 individuals dressed in black military style clothing began shooting fireworks and engaging in acts of vandalism at the facility that was part of an organized attack. Today, my Office has charged 10 individuals with three counts of attempted murder of a federal officer.

[Ben Ferguson]

Wow.

[Ted Cruz]

Each of the 10 are also charged with three counts of discharging a firearm in relation to a crime of violence. Each of these defendants faces a mandatory prison term of 10 years and up to life in prison. An additional co conspirator was charged with obstruction of justice and conspiracy for attempting to conceal and destroy evidence in relation to the attack and faces up to 10 years in prison. And she continued, quote, let's discuss the incident. It was a planned ambush with the intent to kill ICE corrections officers. Make no mistake, this was not a so called peaceful protest. It was indeed an ambush. This is the violence we are seeing. And it turns out when you call law enforcement officers, federal law enforcement officers that are keeping us safe, when you call them Nazis, when you call them Gestapo, lunatics on the left hear that? And sadly we are seeing over and over again they are acting, they're acting with violence.

[Ben Ferguson]

You look at even on Tuesday you had Democratic Senator Padilla of California and Cory Booker of New Jersey, they introduced that legislation to require ICE officers to, quote, display clearly visible IDs and not wear masks no matter what during their enforcement operations, accusing, quote, the Trump administration of alarming immigration enforcement tactics that have terrorized communities across California and the nation. And, and we know what the left has done here. They want to dox these ICE agents, their family members. They've been putting their kids even online and posting people, been posting their home addresses where hoping that basically people go after the ICE agents who are just doing their jobs. That's how sick these people are.

[Ted Cruz]

Well, listen, there's a simple choice. There's a choice for Americans all across the country. Who do you stand with? Do you stand with cops? Do you stand with law enforcement agents? Do you stand with the men and women who risk their lives to keep us safe? You and I both stand with them. Or as the Democrats have chosen, do you stand with illegal immigrants? Do you stand with murderers? Do you stand with rapists? Do you stand with child molesters? Do you stand with Venezuelan gang members who are engaged in human trafficking? Sadly, the Democrats, and inexplicably they've decided to stand with the criminals and not law enforcement. And we're seeing the consequences as before.

[Ben Ferguson]

If you want to hear the rest of this conversation on this topic, you can go back and download the podcast from early this week to hear the entire thing. I want to get back to the big story number three of the week you may have missed, Senator. I want to get into this and get your reaction to the FBI launching an investigation into John Brennan, into James Comey over the Trump Russia probe. I think we need to go back and just remind people of what they were peddling that they knew was false. Basically, in my opinion, it was a, it was a coup attempt against the American people who chose Donald Trump in 16 to be their president. They didn't like it, and they're like, no worries. We, you know, we'll do what the Lisa Page Peter Strucks were doing, right? We'll, we'll, we'll fix it. We'll, we'll take care of it after the fact, after he gets sworn in. And we're going to go after him and we're going to undermine him. We're going to get him impeached, and that'll be all. Fine.

[Ted Cruz]

Well, I got to say, this is an astonishing story. John Brennan was the head of the CIA. James Comey was the head of the FBI. Both of them are right now under active criminal investigations. Here's what Fox News has reported. Quote, former CIA Director John Brennan and former FBI Director James Comey are under criminal investigation for potential wrongdoing related to the Trump Russia probe, including allegedly making false statements to Congress, Justice Department sources told Fox News Digital. CIA Director John Ratcliffe referred evidence of wrongdoing by Brennan to FBI Director Cash Patel for potential prosecution, DOJ sources told Fox News Digital. The sources said the referral was received and told Fox News Digital that a criminal investigation into Brennan was opened and is underway. DOJ sources declined to provide further details. It is unclear at this point if the investigation spans beyond his alleged false statements to Congress. As for Comey, DOJ sources told Fox News Digital that an investigation in the former director is underway, but could not share details of what specifically is being probed. The full scope of the criminal investigations into Brennan and Comey is unclear, but two sources describe the FBI's view of the duo's interactions as a, quote, conspiracy, which could open up a wide range of potential prosecutorial options. The FBI and the CIA declined comment.

[Ben Ferguson]

I mean, this is massive on so many different levels. And John Brennan, by the way, he, he went on TV on MSNBC and it was pretty funny because it was like he was just playing dumb. And it was like, I don't even know why they would be investigating me. I don't know what they would be looking at. I don't understand how this is even, even a thing. In his own words. And in fact, I'm going to play it because I want you to hear it. I want to get your reaction. Here's John Brennan, msnbc After finding out a target of an investigation, if there.

[iHeart Podcast]

Is an investigation that people will be questioned, I would be questioned about it. But again, I've had no contact from them. But again, I testified in front of many, many congressional committees in the House and the Senate over the years. And I continue to explain exactly what we did during this process, why we tried to make sure we stayed true to our intelligence responsibilities and that we were not going to do anything at all to try to interfere in that election. And again, it was, it was a challenging time, but also one, I think that the people who actually work this, both in terms of trying to collect intelligence prior to the election and then the ones who put together the intelligence assessment, they really, I think, showed the best of what the intelligence community and what CIA is made of. So, again, I am clueless about what it is exactly that they may be investigating before.

[Ben Ferguson]

That may be the fastest senator I've ever heard John Brennan speak on TV ever. And I've watched him a lot over the years. That seemed like a very nervous man to me.

[Ted Cruz]

Well, let me give A little more background on who John Brennan is. He was the director of the CIA from 2013 to 2017 under. Under Barack Obama. Now, in 1976, John Brennan was a young man. 1976, you were not alive, is that right, Ben?

[Ben Ferguson]

I was not, no.

[Ted Cruz]

Now, you're enough of a political student and scholar, let me ask you, who were the presidential candidates in 1976?

[Ben Ferguson]

Jimmy Carter.

[Ted Cruz]

Yeah.

[Ben Ferguson]

All right. And on the Republican side. I love when you play these games with me. Did Reagan. Was Reagan 76 as well?

[Ted Cruz]

No, no, he. So Reagan ran, but he lost.

[Ben Ferguson]

It was Ford.

[Ted Cruz]

It was Ford. Ford was the incumbent president. So remember, Richard Nixon had been president. He resigned. So Ford was the incumbent president. Reagan primaried Ford, but he lost in that primary. So the general election was Gerald Ford versus Jimmy Carter. Now let me ask you, all right? In that election, who would you vote for?

[Ben Ferguson]

I'm gonna. I'm gonna probably go with the Republican there. Not Jimmy Carter.

[Ted Cruz]

Yeah, look. Although I will say. And by the way, do you know this is my first political memory? I'm about 10 years older than you are. My first political memory is when I was five years old, 1976, and my mother voted for Jimmy Carter. My mother's a strong conservative. She just thought Gerald Ford was an idiot. And I remember my father, my father, who's an immigrant from Cuba, he was not yet a U.S. citizen. He is today, but he was not in 76. And my father was furious because he felt like my mom had the family's vote and she voted for Jimmy Carter. It's funny, my mom is 90 now and she's incredible and a wonderful conservative and incredible person. But when I bring this up, she's like, I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I didn't know. Jimmy Carter was an absolute disaster. He was a left wing wacko. He was the worst president this country had ever seen until Joe Biden. Joe Biden managed to be worse than Jimmy Carter. Now, how is this relevant to John Brennan? Well, John Brennan was in college at the time. He was faced with a choice between Gerald Ford and ultra left wing crazy Jimmy Carter. What do you think John Brennan did?

[Ben Ferguson]

I'm ready. Give me the. Give me the punchline here.

[Ted Cruz]

He cast his vote for a guy named Gus Hall. Do you know who Gus hall was?

[Ben Ferguson]

I do not.

[Ted Cruz]

He was the presidential candidate for the Communist Party usa.

[Ben Ferguson]

And there's your sign.

[Ted Cruz]

So John Brennan decided Jimmy Carter is too right wing for him, and he voted for someone who. I'm not calling him a communist. He was the nominee of The Communist Party. And John Brennan said, I want America governed by a communist president. That's who Barack Obama put in charge of the CIA and that's who played an integral role in orchestrating the whole Russiagate fraud. And it's just, it's important to understand just how extreme and radical this guy is. I gotta tell you, I don't know, to be honest, I don't know anybody else in public life who thought Jimmy Carter was too conservative. John Brennan is literally to the left of every Democrat senator, every Democrat House member, every single person I've ever encountered in public life. The lefty loons all voted for Jimmy Carter except for John Brennan, who said, no, we need a full on communist. That's who this guy is.

[Ben Ferguson]

Final question on this. How concerned do you think these two individuals should be about this investigation? Or is this one of those moments where you say, okay, yeah, there's investigation, but I don't have to worry because nothing ever really happens to us when we're the elites.

[Ted Cruz]

Well, listen, the greatest exposure they have is for lying to Congress. Because lying to Congress, you're under oath. And lying under oath, that carries a prison sentence. That carries up to five years in prison. James Clapper, who was the Director of National Intelligence under Barack Obama, I think the evidence is very clear that he lied to Congress. Whether John Brennan did, whether James Comey did, I think this investigation will reveal. It will depend upon. There's no doubt they were terrible heads of the CIA and the FBI, whether they committed criminal conduct or not. I think that that is the purpose of this investigation. But I gotta say, it is a big damn deal that the former head of the FBI and the former head of the CIA are being criminally investigated for felony conduct. That's what's happening right now.

[Ben Ferguson]

As always, thank you for listening to Verdict with Senator Ted Cruz, Ben Ferguson with you. Don't forget to download my podcast and you can listen to my podcast every other day. You're not listening to Verdict or each day when you listen to Verdict afterwards. I'd love to have you as a listener to again the Ben Ferguson Podcast and we will see you back here on Monday morning.

[iHeart Podcast]

This is an I heart podcast.