Are We Going to War With Russia?

Summary

Podcast Summary: Are We Going to War With Russia?

Podcast Information:

• Title: The 47 Morning Update with Ben Ferguson
• Host/Author: Premiere Networks
• Episode: Are We Going to War With Russia?
• Release Date: February 15, 2022

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Introduction

In the episode titled "Are We Going to War With Russia?", Ben Ferguson engages in a compelling discussion with Senator Ted Cruz on the escalating tensions between the United States and Russia. The conversation delves into the Biden administration's policies, the controversial Nord Stream 2 pipeline, and the broader implications of potential military conflict. Through incisive questions and expert commentary, Ferguson and Cruz provide listeners with a nuanced understanding of the geopolitical landscape shaping America's future.

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Key Topics Discussed

1. Potential for War with Russia
2. Nord Stream 2 Pipeline Controversy
3. Biden Administration's Foreign Policy
4. Bipartisan Efforts and Legislative Actions
5. Media's Role and Public Perception
6. Senate Dynamics and Filibuster Strategies
7. Implications for NATO and European Security
8. Future Strategies to Prevent Conflict

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1. Potential for War with Russia

Michael Knowles initiates the conversation with two critical questions for Senator Ted Cruz:

• "Are we going to war with Russia?"
• "Should we go to war with Russia?"

Ted Cruz responds succinctly:

• [00:49] "Question number one, I hope not. But what Biden is doing is a mess."
• [01:04] "Question number two. Absolutely not. So on the question of should we send American soldiers into Ukraine to defend Ukraine, hell, no is my answer to that."

Cruz emphasizes that military intervention in Ukraine is nonsensical and criticizes the Biden administration's approach as fundamentally flawed.

2. Nord Stream 2 Pipeline Controversy

A significant portion of the discussion centers on the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, which aims to transport natural gas from Russia directly to Germany, bypassing Ukraine.

Cruz provides a historical perspective:

• [02:00] "Putin wants to rebuild the Soviet Union... Ukraine was a very important part of the Soviet Union. Putin wants it back."
• [03:19] "Nord Stream 2 is a pipeline... built to go from Russia straight to Germany, and it skips Ukraine."

He recounts his legislative efforts to halt the pipeline:

• [04:15] "I introduced legislation to stop it... It passes the House, it passes the Senate. Donald Trump signs it into law."
• [05:10] "Biden waived the sanctions on Nord Stream 2... allowed Putin to finish building the pipeline."

Cruz argues that Biden's actions effectively empowered Putin to undermine Ukraine's sovereignty and European energy security.

3. Biden Administration's Foreign Policy

The conversation critiques President Biden's foreign policy, particularly his handling of Russia and Ukraine.

Cruz asserts:

• [06:00] "Joe Biden gave that pipeline to Putin... It's because of Biden's telegraphed weakness."
• [06:27] "Now, Democrats can decide... Do you want to sanction Russia, or give billions to Putin?"

Cruz highlights a bipartisan divide, noting that some Democrats from vulnerable states supported sanctions but ultimately faced filibusters.

4. Bipartisan Efforts and Legislative Actions

Cruz reflects on past bipartisan efforts to address the Nord Stream 2 issue:

• [07:28] "We win the vote 55 to 44. So we get a significant bipartisan majority. We get six Democrats who vote with us."
• [07:33] "But the Democrats filibustered it. They demanded 60 votes."

This section underscores the challenges of passing significant foreign policy legislation in a polarized Senate.

5. Media's Role and Public Perception

The discussion touches on the media's portrayal of foreign policy issues and public awareness.

Cruz criticizes the media:

• [10:49] "The media does no work. No one in the media will cover this stuff."
• [11:10] "Places like the New York Times are supposed to do it, but they don't."

He emphasizes the need for alternative media outlets like the Daily Wire to provide truthful reporting on these critical issues.

6. Senate Dynamics and Filibuster Strategies

Cruz delves into the Senate's procedural hurdles, particularly the filibuster, which he claims is being used inconsistently.

[07:28] "Six Democrats supported us, but it didn't pass because the Democrats filibustered it."

• [07:33] "They demand 60 votes despite previously opposing the filibuster."

This inconsistency is presented as a significant barrier to effective legislative action.

7. Implications for NATO and European Security

The conversation explores the broader implications of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline on NATO and European security.

Cruz warns:

• [13:00] "Russia is demanding things like pull troops out of Poland, pull troops out of the Baltics, pull troops out of NATO."
• [14:00] "Biden is a graduate of the Neville Chamberlain school of Foreign Affairs. That doesn't work."

He suggests that Biden's policies could lead to NATO's weakening and increased Russian aggression.

8. Future Strategies to Prevent Conflict

In concluding segments, Cruz outlines potential strategies to counter Russian aggression without resorting to war.

Cruz recommends:

• [14:52] "We could sanction and stop Nord Stream 2 tomorrow."
• [15:00] "Provide lethal military weapons to the Ukrainians... giving them the tools to defend themselves."

He argues for robust support to Ukraine while avoiding direct military confrontation, positioning sanctions and aid as viable alternatives.

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Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• [00:49] Ted Cruz: "Question number one, I hope not. But what Biden is doing is a mess."
• [01:04] Ted Cruz: "Question number two. Absolutely not. So on the question of should we send American soldiers into Ukraine to defend Ukraine, hell, no is my answer to that."
• [03:19] Ted Cruz: "Nord Stream 2 is a pipeline... built to go from Russia straight to Germany, and it skips Ukraine."
• [07:28] Ted Cruz: "We win the vote 55 to 44. So we get a significant bipartisan majority. We get six Democrats who vote with us."
• [10:49] Ted Cruz: "The media does no work. No one in the media will cover this stuff."
• [14:52] Ted Cruz: "We could sanction and stop Nord Stream 2 tomorrow."

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Conclusion

The episode "Are We Going to War With Russia?" offers a thorough examination of the complex relationship between the United States and Russia, highlighting the pivotal role of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline in escalating tensions. Through Senator Ted Cruz's insights, listeners gain a deeper understanding of the Biden administration's foreign policy missteps, the legislative challenges in the Senate, and the critical need for alternative media narratives. The discussion underscores the importance of strategic sanctions and support for Ukraine as means to prevent military conflict, advocating for a balanced approach to safeguarding American interests and maintaining global stability.

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Additional Insights

• Language and Politics: The conversation briefly touches on the significance of terminology, such as the proper use of "Ukraine" versus "the Ukraine," illustrating how language can influence political perceptions and alliances.

• Impeachment References: Cruz references past impeachment efforts related to Ukraine, emphasizing his stance on holding leaders accountable for foreign policy decisions that jeopardize national security.

• Cultural Commentary: The dialogue extends into cultural domains, with mentions of prominent conservative figures like Ben Shapiro, Steven Crowder, and Joe Rogan, highlighting their roles in shaping public discourse on foreign policy and domestic issues.

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Final Thoughts

This episode serves as a critical analysis of current geopolitical tensions, offering listeners informed perspectives on preventing war through diplomatic and legislative measures. Ben Ferguson and Ted Cruz's dialogue provides valuable insights into the intersection of politics, media, and international relations, making it a must-listen for those seeking to understand the intricacies of America's stance on Russia and the broader implications for global peace and security.

Transcript

[Michael Knowles]

They told me that if I did not vote for Joe Biden, we would be plunged into World War Three. And they were right. I did not vote for Joe Biden, and we might very well be plunged into World War Three. This is Verdict with Ted Cruz. Welcome back to Verdict with Ted Cruz. I am Michael Knowles in person right now. Senator, it's good to see you face to face. Likewise, especially as.

[Ted Cruz]

Welcome to Texas.

[Michael Knowles]

It's good to be in the free state of Texas, coming from the free state of Tennessee, having fled the very not free state of California.

[Ted Cruz]

Amen. And you know what? No one's asked for your papers.

[Michael Knowles]

And, Senator, I will ask you completely straight two questions. One, are we going to war with Russia? Two, should we go to war with Russia?

[Ted Cruz]

Well, question number one, I hope not. But what Biden is doing is a mess. Question number two. Absolutely not. So on the question of should we send American soldiers into Ukraine to defend Ukraine, hell, no is my answer to that. I think that makes no sense at all. The fact that we're even contemplating it shows how messed up what Biden is doing is. And often the media paints things in a binary sense that either we send in the Marines.

[Michael Knowles]

Yeah.

[Ted Cruz]

Or we do nothing. And American foreign policy, we got lots of tools other than military conflict. And so what Biden should have done that he screwed up is something we've talked about on the pod before, which is stand up to Putin and stop the Nord Stream 2 pipeline. And to understand what's happening in Ukraine, I think you got to step back a little bit and have a little bit of history and context. Putin is a KGB thug. He has said repeatedly he thinks the greatest geopolitical disaster of the 20th century is the dissolution of the Soviet Union. He longs for days of Soviet greatness. Russia right now is a much smaller country, a much less influential country. They got nukes and they got gas, but they're not the Soviet Union. And he wants to rebuild it. And when he looks at the former parts of the Soviet Union, there's nothing that he longs for more than Ukraine, the breadbasket, the prize. Look, Ukraine was a very important part of the Soviet Union. Putin wants it back. He invaded Ukraine in 2014. You remember Crimea in 2014?

[Michael Knowles]

I remember Crimea. Then Crimea went away and became part of Russia.

[Ted Cruz]

Well, it did. He invaded Crimea and made it part of Russia. It used to be part of Ukraine. Now it's part of Russia. By the way, as an aside, do you know the right way to call it Ukraine or the Ukraine?

[Michael Knowles]

I always mess this up. I Always say the Ukraine. That's not what you're supposed to call it.

[Ted Cruz]

So unfortunately, you're a Soviet if you say that.

[Michael Knowles]

I know deep down.

[Ted Cruz]

So, actually, Ukrainians feel very passionately about this because the Russians refer to it as the Ukraine because it's a region of the Soviet Union, whereas Ukrainians refer to it as Ukraine because it's not a region. It is its own damn country. So it's a funny, funny little linguistic differentiator.

[Michael Knowles]

And we know very well how language can shape politics. This is something the left has used for decades. Political correctness, just those subtle linguistic changes can totally reframe a debate.

[Ted Cruz]

So when Putin invaded Ukraine in 2014, he didn't go all the way. He didn't go into Kiev. He didn't invade the whole country. And the reason is that Russia's biggest export is natural gas and oil. And to get the natural gas to Europe, it goes through pipelines going right through the middle of Ukraine. And so if he invaded Ukraine, he risked damaging or destroying those pipelines and shutting off his ability to get to market. So he stopped. But the next year, 2015, is when he started Nord Stream 2. And Nord Stream 2 is a pipeline. It's under the ocean, and it was built to go from Russia straight to Germany, and it skips Ukraine. The entire reason he's building Nord Stream 2 is to not need the Ukrainian pipeline so he can get his gas to Europe and then he can invade Ukraine. Well, Fast forward to 2019, 2019. The pipeline is nearly complete. Folks in the west say this is a terrible thing, but there's nothing we can do to stop it. I introduced legislation to stop it. Targeted sanctions on the company building the pipeline. Get bipartisan support. Democrats, Republicans. It passes the House, it passes the Senate. Donald Trump signs it into law. I remember it was a Thursday night, 7:00pm, that Trump signed it. Putin stopped building the pipeline at 6:45pm wow. Literally 15 minutes before the the sanctions were signed. Because if the company had kept building the pipeline, they would have been bankrupted. The sanctions would have destroyed the company. That's what they were written to do. And so the sanctions worked. And for over a year, the pipeline was dead. It was literally just a hunk of metal at the bottom of the ocean. Then Joe Biden comes into the White house, sworn in January 20, 2021. Four days later, January 24, Putin begins building the Deep Sea pipeline again. And the reason is because Biden had telegraphed weakness. He telegraphed that he wasn't willing to stand up to Putin on the Pipeline. And that telegraphing was right, because last summer, Biden formally waived the sanctions on Nord Stream 2, which is what allowed Putin to finish building the pipeline. If you want to know why their Russian troops, why their tanks on the border of Ukraine right now, why they're preparing to invade, it's because Joe Biden gave that pipeline to Putin.

[Michael Knowles]

So that's not the end of the story. Because, okay, Biden comes in, he looks weak, Putin goes in, he's almost finished his master plan. But you just forced a vote on this issue. There was bipartisan support not so long ago to stop Nord Stream 2. Now not quite so much.

[Ted Cruz]

Well, that's right. So now the only thing different is instead of a guy with an R behind his name, you got a guy with a D behind his name.

[Michael Knowles]

Yeah.

[Ted Cruz]

And look, obviously we listened for four years to Democrats screaming, Russia, Russia, Russia. Well, now, Democrats, you can decide. Do you want to sanction Russia, Russia, Russia, or do you want to give billions of dollars to. To Putin and give him the green light to invade Ukraine? And by the way, you know, we had a whole impeachment on Ukraine. Remember Burisma, Hunter Biden?

[Michael Knowles]

I lost track of all the impeachments. There were a lot of them. Yeah.

[Ted Cruz]

The Ukrainian president and Prime Minister explicitly begged the Senate, begged Senate Democrats, pass Cruz's sanctions. If you want to stop the invasion of Ukraine, pass the sanctions on Nord Stream 2. So we have the vote on the Senate floor. The Democrats are in agony. We win the vote 55 to 44. So we get a significant bipartisan majority. We get six Democrats who vote with us, but it didn't pass.

[Michael Knowles]

Why?

[Ted Cruz]

Because the Democrats filibustered it. They demanded 60 votes.

[Michael Knowles]

Senator, this is not possible. Because I was told by the Democrats the filibuster is an evil, racist, antiquated tool that should be abolished. Since the ash heap of history, even.

[Ted Cruz]

The cynical reporters in Washington were doubled over laughing because it was the same day you had Democrats standing up saying the filibuster is a Jim Crow relic. We're filibustering right now. Like. Like they didn't even give it 48 hours. It was. It was simultaneously they were doing it. What's fascinating, though, about the vote, so the six Democrats we got, we got every single Democrat running in a vulnerable state who's on the ballot in November. So we got Catherine Cortez Masto in Nevada voted with us. We got Maggie Hassan in New Hampshire voted with us. We got Mark Kelly in Arizona voted with us. We got Raphael Warnock in Georgia. This is a socialist. Warnock is so far to the left there aren't words to describe it, but they're all on the ballot. So it's amazing. We got six Ds. You know who we didn't get? Who? Manchin or Sinema? Both Joe and Kirsten voted against this. And the crazy thing, Michael, the White House spent so much political capital on this. Joe Biden came to the Capitol the day of the vote. He was there in person, literally one on one, twisting Democrats arms, trying to get them vote with Russia, vote with Putin, vote in favor of my surrender to Russia. It's asinine. Yeah, but now the Biden White House finds themselves in a completely untenable position because they've given the green light for Putin to essentially erase Ukraine from the map. And there's still time to fix it. We could sanction and stop Nord Stream 2 tomorrow, but at least so far the Biden White House isn't willing to do so.

[Michael Knowles]

Is the Biden calculation here that, yes, this is gonna be a disaster, yes, it's gonna be several bad news cycles, but ultimately people just don't really care. People don't pay attention to foreign policy. It's all complicated. Move along, move along. Is that the thought process?

[Ted Cruz]

Candidly, I don't know their thought process. And I gotta tell you, in the Senate, people are flabbergasted. Republicans, but Democrats will candidly admit what in the hell are they doing? Like this was. The two sanctions legislation I passed were overwhelmingly bipartisan. They were 99 to 1. The only no is Rand Paul. Rand doesn't like sanctions across the board. But all the Democrats were with me and all the Republicans, but Rand were with me. Senate Democrats, when you talk to them, they're beside themselves. And I, for the life of me don't understand why Biden did this. The best theory I have is a guy on my team, he jokes, he says the Democrats in the Biden White House, they have votive candles of Angela Merkel under their beds. Like they just like left wing Democratic foreign policy. They view Angela Merkel as this Mother Teresa, like Saint.

[Michael Knowles]

Give Germany control of Europe, what could go wrong?

[Ted Cruz]

Right? Yeah. You know, I mean, we have no bad history with that at all. What's funny though? So their argument, when it started, it was really two things. It was number one, everything Trump did was bad. This is the Biden operating position. So if Trump was for sanctioning this, we got to lift the sanctions because they just, they start with reverse everything that worked. If Trump did it must be bad. And Then secondly, Germany really wants this pipeline. Merkel really wants this pipeline. Now what's fascinating, and by the way, the rest of Europe doesn't. So when Biden waived the sanctions, Ukraine and Poland put out statements saying, this is a security crisis and you are inviting Russia to invade. So Ukraine and Poland are beside themselves. European Parliament voted on Nord Stream 2, voted to condemn it. 550 to 50. So over 90% voted to condemn this pipeline. So it's literally just Angela Merkel. And the one good thing they got was goodwill from Germany. And then here's the kicker. People of Germany voted and Angela Merkel's party got voted out of power. So she's not even the head of Germany anymore. She's not the Chancellor anymore. She's the former Chancellor. So we got goodwill with the former head of Germany who the German people have voted out of power. The new government is a coalition government and it's all over the place on Nord Stream 2, but it's in coalition with the Greens. Foreign Minister is agreeing. The Greens hate the pipeline. So the current government of Germany is actually schizophrenic on it. And what's very funny is there are a bunch of lefty Democrats in the Senate who hate pipelines. Like I asked a couple of the real lefties, I'm like, is this really the only pipeline on earth you support? Like you want to shut down every pipeline in America?

[Michael Knowles]

No way.

[Ted Cruz]

But the one that gives Putin the green light to invade Ukraine, you're good with that one, right? And by the way, no Democrat has a response on the merits. Like when I make the case to them, they can't argue. It's pure. I think the White House started by wanting to make nice with Germany, and then it was stubbornness. Then they just dug in. The Democratic senators won't admit this publicly, but privately almost to a person, they don't understand why the Biden White House spent so much political capital on this only to be left with the responsibility for a Russian invasion. And you know, going back to your opening question, I worry that Biden, because he's going to own this mess. You know, the Pottery Barn rule, you break it, you buy it. Biden broke it. I'm worried he's going to respond to that by sending U.S. soldiers in harm's way, which would be asinine and wrong. What we ought to do right now, sanction Nord Stream 2, we can still stop it because it hasn't been certified. And number two, we ought to be providing lethal military weapons to the Ukrainians. I Don't want American soldiers to die fighting the Russians. But if Ukraine wants to defend itself, we ought to give them the tools to fire bazookas at the, at the tanks coming in and let the Ukrainians and the Russians fight that, that Ukraine has a right to defend itself. And, and it is in our interest for them to have the tools to do it. Biden is slow walking defense. And actually, so he's combining it with threatening to send in our troops, but also a degree of appeasement. So Russia is demanding things like pull troops out of Poland, pull troops out of the Baltics, pull troops out of NATO. Basically abandoned NATO to Putin. And I am very concerned that Biden is a graduate of the Neville Chamberlain school of Foreign affairs. And that doesn't work.

[Michael Knowles]

Well, it does not. Seems to be the worst of all possible worlds.

[Ted Cruz]

Actually, you know, I did a couple of weeks ago, I sent out on Twitter a picture of Chamberlain waving a paper and saying, we have peace in our time. Because that really is Joe Biden. He is offering Putin the Sudetenland. And that'll work just great. Long history of that. Yeah.

[Michael Knowles]

Just wait to see how that story unfolds. So thank you to everyone who has submitted questions in the mailbag. We will be getting to them. We always run so far behind. We never get to our mailbag questions, but we have plenty. Senator, we have been so derelict in our. I want to go rapid fire. We've got many, many questions to get to. First one up, is there a problem with President Biden saying that he will nominate a black woman to be the next Supreme Court justice? And I think the insinuation here is if I have a company, I'm not allowed to say I'm only gonna hire white guys or Asian women. So is there a Title VII argument to be made about the Supreme Court nomination?

[Ted Cruz]

You know, it is an interesting and creative angle on it. Look, the answer is probably that Title VII doesn't apply to presidential nominations. But it is true. If any company put up an ad, only black women need apply, only white men need apply, you'd be sued and you'd lose. Right. Like you can't discriminate. A political appointment doesn't fall under. Under Title vii. At least no one has ever argued that it did. But the principle is the same. It's nakedly discriminating, and I think it's completely wrong. And it's also unfair to whoever he nominates.

[Michael Knowles]

Right.

[Ted Cruz]

Will be known forever as an affirmative action pick. He's not going to say this is the most qualified person because he's already specified that, you know, 90 plus percent of the population doesn't count.

[Michael Knowles]

Right, right. And are not up for it at all. Number two, this is from Doodlebug. I assume that's not his Christian name. I assume that's a pseudonym.

[Ted Cruz]

Doodlebug or Roly Poly. What do you call the little creatures?

[Michael Knowles]

I like doodlebug.

[Ted Cruz]

Yes, so do I. It's a regional thing. Depends where you are. So I like. We got two doodle bugs. Okay, go ahead.

[Michael Knowles]

So the third doodlebug says, what is going to be done in Congress about the middle of the night flights of illegal aliens. Will DOJ bring any investigation or charges? Our small rural communities now are dealing with it in our public schools, having to accommodate the influx.

[Ted Cruz]

Yeah, look, will doj. No, DOJ is complicit in it. This administration, it really is sad. Merrick Garland. It has become an intensely political and partisan attorney general. And it is continuing the deep politicization of the Department of Justice that we saw under Obama. It's gotten worse under Biden. We are seeing illegal immigrants being flown all over the country. They're often flown in dead of night. Local elected officials, state elected officials are often kept in the dark about it. The federal government's not gonna do a damn thing. I do think there's a role for state leaders, for local leaders to shine a light on it, to resist it, to fight. I mean, you know, you remember I introduced legislation in the Senate to make legal ports of entry places like Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket and Cupertino and Silicon Valley. And, you know, all of these leftists who are sitting there sipping Chardonnay. You know, if it's such a wonderful thing to have open borders, then I think 2 million illegal immigrants in Martha's Vineyard would be really lovely. And actually, one of the local politicians, I think it was in the Vineyard or one of these Shishi places, said, oh, yes, we would welcome our fair share.

[Michael Knowles]

Something tells me while they're sipping Chablis there over the summer, they don't really understand what the consequences of that would be and they'll never have to deal with it now. This is probably the most important question that has been posed certainly today, if not in the history of the show. Very important one to a lot of people in the room. Should Pete Rose and Barry Bonds, and I would add, Roger Clemens be inducted into the Baseball hall of Fame?

[Ted Cruz]

Of course they should.

[Michael Knowles]

Thank you. Thank you very much.

[Ted Cruz]

Look, they were incredible baseball players. On any measure, they're among the Best baseball players to ever play the game. Look, Barry Bonds, the guy could swing a bat like it was a Thor's hammer. And it was in the steroid era. So, fine, he got some grief for it. The percent of other players, you know, if someone's going to go through and throw out every player in the hall of Fame who used some form of steroids, the hall of Fame would be much, much smaller.

[Michael Knowles]

Empty.

[Ted Cruz]

By the way, if you threw out every senator who used some form of steroids, well, that'd be a different issue. But, you know, listen, I think the hall of Fame should recognize excellence. And if you want to put an asterisk on it and say judge for yourself, fine. But the records they achieved that should.

[Michael Knowles]

Be recognized from DeOrr. DeOrr writes, assuming a scenario of a Cruise Knowles administration and well, that's very kind, thank you. I will say I am constitutionally ineligible. Dior. I'm a little. A lady never tells her age. I'm a little young. But I guess these days no one pays any attention to the constitution anyway. So thank you. Thank you for that.

[Ted Cruz]

It's a living constitution.

[Michael Knowles]

It's a living constitution.

[Ted Cruz]

You're 35 in dog years.

[Michael Knowles]

I identify as 55.

[Ted Cruz]

There you go.

[Michael Knowles]

DeOrr asks in this hypothetical administration, what sort of sanctions would you impose on China for facilitating the spread of COVID 19 to the rest of the world? And what responsibility should the US assume for funding the research potentially that caused it or similar research to what caused it?

[Ted Cruz]

Yeah, both fabulous questions. I think China's culpability in Covid is massive and we don't know the full scale of it. What is unequivocal is that China has culpability in terms of covering up the spread of COVID when the outbreak occurred in Wuhan. That is indisputable. What the evidence strongly suggests is that Covid originated, escaped from a Chinese government lab in Wuhan. And we, by the way, on verdict, we talked about this, I think what March two years ago, we talked about.

[Michael Knowles]

It when it was a wild conspiracy theory in. One of the lessons of the past few years is that the difference between a wild conspiracy theory and the truth is about six to nine months. And so we called it a little early and it turned out to be right.

[Ted Cruz]

And that was at the time when Dr. Fauci was asking Mark Zuckerberg on Facebook to silence anyone from discussing the Wuhan Institute for Neurology and laying out the evidence, which March two years ago, we walked through the evidence that didn't conclusively prove that it escaped from the Wuhan Institute for Virology, but was a strong circumstantial case and it merited significant investigation at this point. Now, so that was a tinfoil hat wearing conspiracy theory. Now pretty much everyone acknowledges it. Yeah, like they were forced to acknowledge that the overwhelming weight of the evidence is that it escaped from a Chinese lab. The next threshold, and this has not been proven, but I think there is significant evidence to suggest not just that it escaped from a Chinese laboratory, but that it was genetically modified and created in a Chinese lab. That it was gain of function research, taking a coronavirus and making it more lethal, making it more transmittable, making it more susceptible to humans. We don't know that for sure. There are scientists who have argued there are genetic markers in it that suggest that it was created in a laboratory. I'll confess, I'm not a scientist. I don't know enough to evaluate their claims, but I sure think scientists who do should evaluate the claims. Like I've read, you know, read what they've written. And it sounds, it sounds credible enough to merit a real investigation. All of that needs to happen. And I believe, by the way, those scientists ought to be testifying in front of the Judiciary Committee. So we have legislation in, in the Judiciary Committee to allow lawsuits against China for Covid, for the lives lost, for the trillions of dollars in damage that Covid caused. And I think if it can be conclusively demonstrated that not only did it escape, which they could argue was probably accidental, but that they made the damn thing, that should lead to very substantial liability. Democrats run the Judiciary Committee. Their interest in holding China accountable for Covid is zero. Yeah, Dick Durbin's the chairman. He won't hold a hearing on that. He has no interest in a hearing on that. If Republicans win in November, I think we will, I very much believe we will have hearings on that a year from now. We need to have hearings on that a year from now. I'm certainly going to press for it. And you know, the question about the US's responsibility, perhaps the more interesting question is. No, no, that's an interesting question because.

[Michael Knowles]

You will remember, Senator, one of your colleagues was grilling Dr. Fauci, and Dr. Fauci said, we have never funded any gain of function research. Thank you. I'm from New York. You know, most of my family sounds like Dr. Fauci. And so he says, we've never funded any gain of function research. And your colleague Rand Paul said, well, what about this guy? What about Dr. Baric? What about this, I have the receipts. You obviously funded this research and you saw Fauci's eyes go bug eyed and he said, well, no, we never funded it and all the gain of function we funded was totally fine. Well, hold on a sec. You seem to have contradicted yourself. You didn't fund it, but the gain of function you funded was fine. It seems quite clear we've got the grants, We've got the grants that were given by NIAID, Fauci's agency for EcoHealth alliance, to engage in gain of function research. So obviously Fauci has no credibility on this now and it is just a little suspect that they were engaging in this kind of research with US dollars at the Wuhan Institute.

[Ted Cruz]

How the hell is it that the EcoHealth alliance has not been dragged in front of Congress to testify? How is any Democrat. Look, they control the gavels. We can't call hearings. But to be clear, Republicans controlled the gavels and we didn't call hearings either. So I'm not exonerating the Republican Party. We've got too many timid chairmen on the Republican side and then we've got completely complicit chairman on the Democratic side. But Eco Health alliance ought to stand there and testify under oath. And if they want to plead the fifth, do it on national television. Right, but, but it. The complicity and what's come out also is the involvement of the EcoHealth alliance in silencing anyone laying out the evidence that this escaped from the Wuhan Institute of Virology. Anyone laying out the arguments for gain of function research. I mean, this is the corruption on this stinks to high heaven. And the media does no work. No one in the media will cover this. They don't care. You know, they'll win Pulitzer Prizes for running stories that are piles upon piles of lies about Russia collusion that we now know are lies. A Steele dossier, completely fictional piece of garbage that multiple Pulitzer Prizes were awarded to fake journalists for printing newspapers about. But none of these outlets actually cover this stuff. So we need number one, we need venues like the Daily Wire and those right of center who actually are doing the job that places like the New York Times are supposed to do.

[Michael Knowles]

Thank you. Go on, go on, please.

[Ted Cruz]

We need serious investigative journalism on EcoHealth alliance, on Fauci, on the funding of gain of function. I've been pressing Merrick Garland, the Department of Justice. On the face of it, it appears that Fauci lied under oath to Congress. That's a felony punishable by up to five years in prison. If DOJ were actually following the law, they would investigate him. Did he commit the felony? And Garland all but laughed at me when I asked if he would do that. Because unfortunately, under Joe Biden, the DOJ is all politics all the time.

[Michael Knowles]

Right. On your point about the media, this follows closely from Matt. He says, what cultural commentators and thinkers should we be reading? Certainly living. But let's say the dead ones, too.

[Ted Cruz]

Cultural commentators. Well, Michael Knowles.

[Michael Knowles]

Stop it. Go on. What a setup. I know. Matt is my pseudonym.

[Ted Cruz]

Look, Ben Shapiro's terrific. I think Ben is one of the best thinkers out there. You're not gonna like this, but I love Steven Crowder. He cracks me up.

[Michael Knowles]

I love the man.

[Ted Cruz]

I love him.

[Michael Knowles]

He's a complete maniac. And he is one of the few actual comedians out there.

[Ted Cruz]

He's funny.

[Michael Knowles]

He's very funny.

[Ted Cruz]

Yeah. I will say when I did. What's the late night show you guys do where you smoke cigars and drink.

[Michael Knowles]

Backstage show that you had been on?

[Ted Cruz]

I have been on it. It's very cool. You smoke cigars and drink scotch. But you did have as my ashtray a Steven Crowder mug, which I do like. You guys giving grief back and forth.

[Michael Knowles]

It's a great ashtray.

[Ted Cruz]

Listen. One of the most important social commentators today in America is Joe Rogan. And Joe Rogan, I don't know Rogan.

[Michael Knowles]

He's a Bernie bro.

[Ted Cruz]

He endorsed Bernie Sanders. So he's not a man of the right, but he's willing to speak the truth. And I actually think one of the. There's an old line that a conservative is a liberal who got mugged. I think one of the greatest things for truth in the republic is when CNN slandered him for taking Ivermectin for Covid and they called it a horse dewormer. And he saw directly that the corporate media, they are liars. They are corporate propagandists, and facts don't matter. And I think that the sort of personal saliency of that. As he saw that, I think that radicalized him in a good way to understand. Wait a second. These people that are supposed to be the arbiter. Arbiters of truth are precisely the opposite. They are propagandists and they don't care. That's really beneficial. And he's got a big megaphone.

[Michael Knowles]

And to call Ivermectin horse medicine, it would be like calling aspirin horse medicine. Sure, there are applications of this to animals, but to quote Joe Rogan, I can afford people medicine and then he used an expletive which we'll leave out. This is a family show.

[Ted Cruz]

Well, you know, water is also horse liquid. It's true, because you feed it to horses. So clearly that's what water is all about.

[Michael Knowles]

Final question, Senator. This is from Bethany. How much wood could a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck were forced to give all his earnings to a socialist government versus if he were allowed to keep the earnings of his labor?

[Ted Cruz]

That's a damn good question. Capitalism works. A woodchuck would chuck as much wood as he would chuck if he was allowed to be free and work if he could chuck. Who's Chuck?

[Michael Knowles]

On that very brilliant note, I'm Michael Knowles. Thank you for tuning in. This is Verdict with Ted Cruz.

[Ted Cruz]

This episode of Verdict with Ted Cruz is being brought to you by Jobs, Freedom, and Security Package, a political action committee dedicated to supporting conservative causes, organizations, and candidates across the country. In 2022, jobs, freedom and Security PAC plans to donate to conservative candidates running for Congress and help the Republican Party across the.