Spanish Invasion & Civilizational Suicide plus Fauci Invokes the Fifth—Why & What’s Next

Summary

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The 47 Morning Update with Ben Ferguson

Episode: Spanish Invasion & Civilizational Suicide plus Fauci Invokes the Fifth—Why & What’s Next
Date: July 31, 2026
Host: Ben Ferguson with guests including conservative commentators and Joe Getty

Episode Overview

In this charged and fast-moving episode, Ben Ferguson and co-hosts focus on two major political flashpoints:

• The migrant crisis unfolding in Spain—framing it as a deliberate “invasion” with echoes of the U.S. border situation.
• Dr. Anthony Fauci’s testimony before Congress—including his decision to invoke the Fifth Amendment, analysis of his actions during the pandemic, and the fallout from his recently surfaced diary.

The episode weaves together these key news topics with Ferguson’s familiar, unfiltered conservative commentary, drawing strong parallels between European and American crises, and sharply criticizing progressive (or “socialist”) political leadership both in the U.S. and Europe.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. “Spanish Invasion” and Civilizational Suicide in Europe

[02:45–18:00]

• Framing the Crisis:
  Ferguson and guests describe the influx of migrants—primarily from Morocco into Spain—as an “invasion,” comparing it directly to past mass border crossings in Texas (notably Del Rio).

  “Spain is being invaded. Thousands upon thousands of people from Morocco are coming over, one after the other after the other. There’s not another word to describe is an invasion.”
  —Conservative Commentator (04:01)

• Parallels to the U.S. Southern Border:
  Footage of Del Rio is recalled as “looking like the Third World… shanty towns,” and linked to what’s happening now in Spain.
  Ferguson argues that Democrat and cartel collaboration enabled the U.S. border crisis, and sees similar “leftist” motives in Spain’s socialist government.

  “It reminds me very much of what happened in Texas… It was an absolute invasion. I was there.”
  —Conservative Commentator (03:07)

• Intentional Policy or Neglect?
  The hosts repeatedly call the migration wave a deliberate tactic by socialists to “destroy civilization,” accusing European and American progressives of wanting border chaos.

  “The left hates the West… They want this invasion for the same purpose.”
  —Conservative Commentator (05:07)

• The “Islamization” of Europe:
  The hosts focus on migrants being “entirely Muslim,” claim there is no proper vetting, and highlight memes as commentary on demographic change (e.g., “Mr. President, that’s London”—[07:23]).

  “These illegal immigrants that are invading the country, they are essentially entirely Muslim.”
  —Conservative Commentator (06:59)

• Military-Age Men and Security Concerns:
  Speakers raise alarm at the demographic (mainly young men, not families), likening it to a “network” supporting terrorism, cartels, and trafficking.

  “Not a single woman or… child. Yeah, these are all military age men… from about 15 to about 40.”
  —Conservative Commentator (09:37)

  “No one is vetting if these are terrorists, if they’re drug cartel members…”
  —Joe Getty (10:01)

• The Role of Government & “Leftist” Leaders:
  The show singles out Spain’s Prime Minister, Pedro Sanchez, for what they call “leftist code words” that mask government inaction.

  “That is leftist code word for we are going to do nothing… just don’t make it so obvious.”
  —Conservative Commentator, reading Sanchez’s tweet (17:20)

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2. Border Policy in the U.S. & the Trump vs. Biden Approach

[14:17–18:00]

• A Border Crisis by Choice:
  Ferguson argues that border security is “a choice,” not an accident, and that “the instant Donald Trump came back into the White House, illegal border crossings dropped 99%.”

  “Being subject to invasion is a choice… We now know 100% certainty that was a lie… When you have a president who… follow[s] the law,” things change.
  —Conservative Commentator (14:17 & 14:43)

• Cell Phone “Word of Mouth” Deterrent:
  The key policy lever, they argue, isn’t walls but immediate deportation—creating a deterrent effect by information spread among migrants.

  “When you start flying them home, they call… and the numbers drop immediately. That’s what happened at the beginning of the Trump administration.”
  —Conservative Commentator (15:32)

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3. Dr. Anthony Fauci Testifies—and Pleads the Fifth

[21:27–39:35]

• Fauci Pleading the Fifth:
  The hosts highlight Fauci’s repeated use of the Fifth Amendment during Congressional hearings, characterizing the moment as antithetical to his prior public persona.

  “If you were pissed off at the Moroccan invasion of Spain, I promise you, you were every bit as pissed off at watching the pious, self righteous Anthony Fauci come before Congress this week.”
  —Conservative Commentator (21:54)

  “Although it pains me to do so… under the advice of my attorneys, I will invoke my right under the fifth amendment…”
  —Anthony Fauci (22:56, cited from live testimony)

• Prior Stance Contradicted:
  Audio is played from 2022 in which Fauci stated, “I have nothing to hide… I am very happy to testify before any congressional oversight committee.”

  “He told CNN… I am very happy to testify before any congressional oversight committee here. I have nothing to hide.”
  —Conservative Commentator (23:33)

• Legal Theory: Why Invoke the Fifth If Pardoned?
  Ferguson (and co-hosts) argue Fauci did so to avoid perjury, as lying under oath would expose him to prosecution under a now Republican Department of Justice.

  “A pardon is retrospective… The reason he pleaded the Fifth is he was going to lie through his teeth. And lying under oath… is a felony…”
  —Conservative Commentator (25:03)

• The Diary Bombshell:
  The show discusses revelations from Fauci’s recently leaked diary, suggesting “narcissism” and admissions of early knowledge about COVID’s true origins and his advocacy for shutdowns—contradicting his later public statements.

  “The diary demonstrates this man is a narcissistic sociopath… a brazen liar, but he is so self-centered…”
  —Conservative Commentator (27:15)

  “We now know that the COVID virus did not come from the Chinese wet market… but he spread the story…”
  —Conservative Commentator (27:48)

• School Closures & Pandemic Policy:
  Hosts argue that school closures and other shutdowns were disastrous, “the most inexplicable, damaging public policy decision of modern times,” and directly tied to Fauci’s advocacy.

  “We have witnessed the single largest learning loss in recorded history…”
  —Conservative Commentator (29:23)

• Mocking Fauci’s Evasion:
  Co-hosts lampoon the absurdity of Fauci pleading the Fifth even to innocuous questions:

  “What day of the week is it today?”
  “What color tie are you wearing?”
  “What color is the carpet in front of you?”
  —Sen. Josh Hawley & Fauci (31:53-32:16)

  Fauci’s verbatim replies:

  “On the advice of counsel, I respectfully decline to answer based upon my rights under the fifth amendment to the Constitution.”
  —Anthony Fauci (multiple, 31:53-32:16)

• What’s Next: Contempt of Congress
  With Fauci invoking the Fifth despite a presidential pardon, the show breaks down likely procedural outcomes—expecting a party-line vote to hold Fauci in contempt in committee, possible Senate floor battles, and DOJ discretionary prosecution.

  “Fauci is going to have a real problem claiming that the Fifth Amendment right, it protects him because he has a blanket pardon… once you're given immunity, you can't claim the Fifth…”
  —Conservative Commentator (32:51 & 33:12)

• Will Fauci Be Held Accountable?
  Ferguson and guests are skeptical about meaningful prosecution—pointing to possible challenges to the pardon’s validity, civil lawsuits, and the potential for non-federal charges as future routes to accountability.

  “I very much hope so. I believe he should be criminally prosecuted. I believe he should go to jail. I think he’s the most damaging bureaucrat in America’s history…”
  —Conservative Commentator (38:32)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the Spanish Migration Crisis:
  “What is the purpose of having an army if thousands of foreign invaders can just cross your border and invade your country?”
  —Conservative Commentator (09:37)

• On the Communication of Border Policy:
  “Once they discover, hey, when we get here, they let us go. They could pick up the phone and call home.”
  —Conservative Commentator (14:43)

• On Dr. Fauci’s Transformation:
  “A man who had an opinion on everything… suddenly had nothing to say.”
  —Conservative Commentator (21:54)

  “The diary demonstrates this man is a narcissistic sociopath. Where, where he, number one, is a brazen liar, but he is so self centered.”
  —Conservative Commentator (27:15)

  “In the midst of COVID said, when you criticize me, you are criticizing science.”
  —Conservative Commentator (29:23)

• On the Proceedings and Accountability:
  “The way to avoid a perjury trap is don’t lie.”
  —Conservative Commentator (34:20)

  “He was above saints. He was a God… He still thinks he is. He thinks he is untouchable.”
  —Conservative Commentator (37:43)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• Spain & Mass Migration Crisis: 02:45–18:00
• Biden vs. Trump Border Policy Breakdown: 14:17–18:00
• Fauci Testimony, Invoking the Fifth, and Diary Fallout: 21:27–39:35
  • Fauci’s Fifth Amendment statement: 22:56
  • Fauci’s 2022 “nothing to hide” audio: 23:59
  • Legal analysis of the Fifth & pardon: 25:03
  • Diary revelations: 27:15
  • School closure impact: 29:23
  • Josh Hawley questioning Fauci: 31:53–32:16
• Procedural Next Steps for Fauci: 32:51–35:16
• Discussion on ultimate accountability for Fauci: 37:55–39:35

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Tone and Style

The episode maintains a confrontational, urgent tone typical of partisan conservative media. Commentary is direct, with frequent use of humor, sarcasm, and dramatization. Ferguson presents developments as existential threats—referring to “civilizational suicide” and calling out left-wing leaders and bureaucrats by name.

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For Those Who Haven’t Listened

This episode of The 47 Morning Update is a fiery, polemical analysis of two front-page political stories. It connects events in Europe and the U.S. to a larger ideological battle over immigration, national identity, and government accountability—culminating in a blistering takedown of Anthony Fauci’s pandemic legacy and his performance before Congress. Listeners seeking hard-hitting conservative commentary, behind-the-scenes detail, and provocative soundbites will find it all here.

Transcript

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[Joe Getty]

Welcome. It is Vertic with center Ted Cruz. Ben Ferguson with you as well. And if you're listening on radio stations around the country, it's so nice to have you with us. And if this is your first time listening, we do this show as a podcast three days a week, so make sure you download for free. Verdict with Ted Cruz Wherever you get your podcast center. We've got a lot to talk about in the show, including a massive invasion of illegal immigrants in Spain. And Dr. Fauci had a lot to say. Sarcasm. Insert it right there in Washington, D.C. this week.

[Conservative Commentator (possibly Mark Levin or similar)]

Well, Foushee's testimony before Congress was absolutely disgraceful. We're going to get into that in depth.

[Senator Josh Hawley]

But.

[Conservative Commentator (possibly Mark Levin or similar)]

But first we're going to talk about what is happening in Spain, because it is. It is outrageous, it is frightening, it is terrifying. If you have not watched these images online, if you're watching this on YouTube, you can see it on the YouTube show. If you haven't, go and Google, watch it with your eyes. Because I cannot with my voice do justice to what's happening in Spain. Spain is being invaded. Thousands upon thousands of people from Morocco are coming over, one after the other after the other. And there's not another word to describe is an invasion. It reminds me very much of. Of what happened in Texas on the southern border and in particular in Del Rio. And if you remember, Del Rio, which is a. Which is a town in the Rio Grande Valley in South Texas, it's a town of about 30,000 people. And in one day, more than 10,000 Haitian illegal immigrants crossed the Rio Grande, crossed into the United States, into the small town of Del Rio. It was an absolute invasion. I was there. I was there. In fact, I filmed it and put out the video of what was happening in Del Rio. You had thousands upon thousands of Haitians under a bridge, under a giant overpass. And it looked like. It looked like the Third World. It was suddenly in America. It looked like you were in Haiti. They were just basically shanty towns.

[News or Commentary Voice (possibly co-host or guest)]

Yeah.

[Conservative Commentator (possibly Mark Levin or similar)]

And it was designed by the Biden administration and the drug cartels, the Mexican cartels made the decision to send the Haitians to the southern border to Del Rio and descend them over an invasion. And the Democrats welcomed them. Well, the same thing is happening in Spain, and it is horrifying. And I say this without hyperbole. I think we are witnessing civil, civilizational suicide in Europe.

[Joe Getty]

I agree.

[Conservative Commentator (possibly Mark Levin or similar)]

They are destroying the great nations of Europe. And understand this is not happening accidentally. It's just like what happened in Texas for the four years of the Biden administration, where the invasion was by design. The left hates the West.

[Joe Getty]

Yep.

[Conservative Commentator (possibly Mark Levin or similar)]

This is what Mandami and the other communists wants. This is what the DSA wants. When they say open borders, when they say abolish ice. They want this invasion for the same purpose. It's the same reason the socialists in Spain, who unfortunately are in control of that government, they want to destroy Spanish civilization. And tragically, these American leftists want to destroy American civilization.

[Joe Getty]

You know, I was talking about this earlier today, and I want to get your take on this, but one of the things I said was I think part of the reason why we're witnessing these types of invasions, and really it's happening not just in Spain, but we're seeing massive illegal immigration numbers all throughout Europe that have spiked. And as you described it, I think it's spot on that we're watching the crumbling of civilization and actually having pride in a nation. Right. You just get rid of the nation. It's Kumbaya ism of the left and the commies and the socialists. But I also think part of why this is happening right now in Europe is Donald Trump won reelection, got back to the White House by saying, I'm going to secure the southern border and I'm going to stop the invasion that you're witnessing on tv, the videos that you took. I still go back to that moment where I think we saw the tide change, and that was when the federal government under the Biden administration used that forklift and raised up that barbed wire in Texas and people came flooding into America. That, for me, was a picture's worth. Right. A thousand words, however you want to describe it. But when you can't come to America anymore the way that you were able to by the millions and millions under the Biden and the Obama administration combined in the leftist policies, where are you going to go next? Europe. Europe would be your next stop. And now they're getting what would have a lot of people that probably would have tried to keep coming to America if the Democrats were in charge.

[Conservative Commentator (possibly Mark Levin or similar)]

Well, and this is also the Islamization of Europe. These illegal immigrants that are invading the country, they are essentially entirely Muslim. And you're saying, you know, there was a meme online that showed President Trump flying in Air Force One and looking out the window and saying, my goodness, Pakistan is just horrible. What's happening there? And an aide stops and says, Mr. President, that's London.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah.

[Conservative Commentator (possibly Mark Levin or similar)]

Like, Europe is deliberately. And we're seeing this throughout Europe has allowed the entire continent to face an invasion from the Middle east, face an invasion from Africa, and it has changed the underlying character of the continent. And you're seeing the consequences. Look, I think Europe is foreshadowing where the United States will go if we don't stop this.

[Joe Getty]

Amen.

[Conservative Commentator (possibly Mark Levin or similar)]

And it's about 10 years ahead of us, so. So in some ways, you can look to Spain, and it's like you're looking at a crystal ball. You can see. And by the way, it'll happen faster than 10 years. If, God forbid, Elizabeth Warren or Gavin Newsom or AOC becomes president, the same invasion we're seeing in Spain, the same invasion that we saw under Joe Biden will happen again. And the reason is the same. Because the left, they want these illegal immigrants to destroy Western civilization, to destroy American civilization, to tear down the Constitution, the foundations of free enterprise, the foundations of rule of law. And, and, and yet, you know, I have to wonder what a typical Spanish citizen is thinking right now. And listen, what I fear is that what they might be thinking is the same thing that the idiot voters who voted for Mandami and the other communists in America are thinking, which is, this is a great thing. This is a wonderful thing. I don't know if they're looking away and just, just averting their eyes or if they think, wonderful, what a blessing. But I'll tell you one thing that is deeply chilling about these images, the videos that are coming up. The videos I saw, there was not a single woman or there was not a single child. Yeah, these are all military age men. They're men from about 15 to about 40.

[News or Commentary Voice (possibly co-host or guest)]

Yeah.

[Conservative Commentator (possibly Mark Levin or similar)]

And they're coming one after the other after the other after the other. And by the way, like one, one fellow on Twitter put out a very good question. He said, what. What is the purpose of having an army if thousands of foreign invaders can just cross your border and invade your country? Because that is what is happening.

[Joe Getty]

And, and by the way, no vetting. Let's be clear. They. There was a, There was a, There was a, A really interesting video that got released. It showed the government opening up a gate and allowing men. There was no women or children. Hundreds and hundreds were rushing. I don't know how deep it was. I mean, it could be thousands and thousands. No one is vetting if these are terrorists, if they're drug cartel members, if they're setting up human trafficking.

[Conservative Commentator (possibly Mark Levin or similar)]

And we know they are. We know they are. We know that there are terrorists among them. We know that there are cartel members and criminals and murderers and rapists. We know that because that's what happened in America. It's what's happening there too. And it is part of the left's design.

[Joe Getty]

The left will say the same thing that we heard when they were basically justifying the invasion into the United States of America. These are families, these are women and children. They're just looking for a better life. You go down the Rio Grande, you go down to the border, and what we were witnessing coming across the border was not a lot of families. It was a lot of military age men as well. It was people that were smuggling people. They would act like a child, was their child, when it actually really even wasn't, was not their child. By the way, the Biden administration lost well over 100,000 kids that they gave to people in the US and, and just disappeared into society. God knows what's happening to some of them even to this day, but you look at Spain, this invasion terrifies me from a standpoint center that it's clear that there's somebody behind it. It is orchestrated in a way where it is the military age men. It's almost like they're saying we can set up a network, we can make a ton of money, we can set up drug cartels and drugs coming through human trafficking like it's setting up an apparatus. And then as you mentioned, we know people on the terrorist watch list are coming across our southern border. We know we caught a lot of them. We don't know how many we didn't catch or sleep ourselves. They're even in America right now. Trump administration working on that. But that's part of this conversation we have to talk about.

[Conservative Commentator (possibly Mark Levin or similar)]

Well, and what happened in the United States under Biden, the Democrats was even worse. There were many military age men who came over. There were also families, There were also children, the children who were physically abused, sexually abused by the human traffickers, by adult men who essentially rented children. Because for a time the policy was if you arrived with a child, you got to stay. And so you saw the same children rented over and over again. And by the way, it wasn't just more than 100,000 children the Biden administration lost, it was more than 300,000 children.

[Joe Getty]

That's right.

[Conservative Commentator (possibly Mark Levin or similar)]

That they lost, that they had in government custody unaccompanied minors and they handed to adults and they don't know where they are. They just lost them. One of the most important things the Trump administration has been doing is going and finding many of those kids and rescuing some of those kids from sexual assault, from being sexually trafficked, from being in child labor situations, from being physically abused. And the Democrats didn't care. They didn't care. They didn't do anything. And by the way, the press didn't care. They didn't care about the kids being abused. But I will tell you, at the southern border, there were also times where you saw a large influx of military age men. I've been down the southern border during Biden when I saw, for example, groups of Chinese men Now. Yeah, the last I checked, I'm no geography Expert, but China is not below our southern border. Uh, but yet they were being brought in by human traffickers all the way from China. I was told by, by customs and border patrol that the going rate for a Chinese illegal immigrant to pay the Coyotes was $50,000 to come into this country. And I saw groups just sitting there of military age men by the hundreds in groups with no kids among them. And all Chinese like that had been apprehended and that the Biden administration was releasing into this country. And I guarantee you a significant number of those Chinese military age men are working for the Chinese Communist Party as spies or other subversives doing damage to this country. But look, one of the things that we now know conclusively for a fact is that being subject to invasion is a choice.

[Joe Getty]

Yes.

[Conservative Commentator (possibly Mark Levin or similar)]

It's not an accident. It's not something. Look, during the Biden administration, one of the talking points that Biden used, that Kamala Harris used, that Alejandro Mayorkas use, is, well, we're trying. We just can't. We're just unable to stop it. It's just, you know, I'm sorry, we're not very good at it. Uh, they also, by the way, tried, tried the gaslighting of saying the border is secure, everything's fine. Don't believe your lying eyes.

[News or Commentary Voice (possibly co-host or guest)]

Yeah.

[Conservative Commentator (possibly Mark Levin or similar)]

And we now know 100% certainty that was a lie. How do we know that? Because the instant Donald Trump came back into the White House, illegal border crossings dropped 99%. Yep. So the statement that they couldn't secure the border was proven exactly false. And the only thing that changed is you had a president who would suddenly follow the law. And, and, and there is one policy question that determines illegal immigration more than anything else. And it's not, it's not, first of all, a wall or personnel or boots on the ground or anything else. It's one simple policy question. What happens when you apprehend someone here illegally?

[News or Commentary Voice (possibly co-host or guest)]

Yep.

[Conservative Commentator (possibly Mark Levin or similar)]

And if the answer is that you put them on a plane, you put them on a bus, and you send them back to the country they came from, everyone who comes to this country illegally, or just about every person is carrying with them a cell phone. And what happens is when you start flying them home, they call, call on the phone and they tell, tell their friends, they tell their relatives, don't come, they won't let you stay, and the numbers drop immediately. That's what happened at the beginning of the Trump administration. The same thing happens on the flip side. So what Joe Biden and the Democrats did is they just ignored Federal immigration law. Federal immigration law says illegal immigrants who are detained shall be detained, shall be deported. Shall is a mandatory legal word. And they just said, we don't care. Doesn't matter what the law is. We're not going to follow it. And again, they all have cell phones. So once they discover, hey, when we get here, they let us go. They could pick up the phone and call home. Now, I want to read to you what Pedro Sanchez, who is the Socialist Prime Minister of Spain, said about this invasion. He sent out a tweet that says, quote, the government of Spain is fully committed to providing an immediate response to the situation in Ceuta. We are mobilizing all necessary resources, working with Moroccan and international authorities and preparing the necessary measures to restore normalcy as soon as possible. I just conveyed this to President Juan. Viva slaughter. This is the moment to build solutions with responsibility and cooperation. Now. Now, that is leftist code word for we are going to do nothing. Yeah. Although what he may try to do, we are going to ask that they invade our country slightly less blatantly, so that we don't have images of them invading by the thousands. Just spread it out a little. We're fine being invaded by. By a Muslim whore that is destroying Spain. But. But just don't make it so obvious. We can't ignore it. That's what. What he is meaning, that's what he is saying. And, and, and it is. It is the agenda, not just of the European Socialist, it is the agenda of Mandami. It is the agenda of Bernie Sanders. It is the agenda of just about every single Democrat in the Congress. When the DSA says we want open borders, they mean it. They want our civilization destroyed.

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Hezbollah continues its attacks in the north, forcing families to live under constant threat. But Israel is not only defending her people, she is standing on the front lines against terror that threatens us all. Even when the news crews leave the international fellowship of Christians and Jews, they remain every day they are on the ground providing life saving aid. Now near Israel's border with Lebanon, a Hezbollah drone recently struck the home of Yelena. Widowed earlier this year and living alone, she was trapped inside by the blast. Thankfully, she was not injured, but she remained displaced. It's hard these days, she says, but I don't want to leave. Well, as Christians we are called to stand with God's people and pray for those defending Israel, protecting the freedoms we hold dear. I want you to join the international fellowship of Christians and Jews in praying for the peace of Jerusalem and for the soldiers, families and civilians carrying the burden of this fight right now. Visit prayifcj.org that's Pray IFCJ.

[Joe Getty]

We got a breakdown center. Anthony Fauci, the guy that told you how, who you could eat with, how far you had to stay away from somebody when you could go to church, couldn't go to church, you know, bankrupted a lot of small businesses. You know that Anthony Fauci, who also told you if you just got that shot, we were going to stop the spread in two weeks and yeah, it took two years of your kids, you know, education away from them. But that guy who always found the cameras, now all of a sudden he's wanting to be really quiet.

[Conservative Commentator (possibly Mark Levin or similar)]

Well, we had a modern day miracle play out in Washington D.C. number one, a legitimate saint, a saint who saved the world, came to Congress. And number two, a man who had an opinion on everything, who knew the answer to every question, who simply shared his wisdom with us in volcanic eruptions, suddenly had nothing to say. If you were pissed off at the Moroccan invasion of Spain, I promise you, you were every bit as pissed off at watching the pious, self righteous Anthony Fauci come before Congress this week. Now, now he gave a really detailed explanation of all of his wisdom about the COVID pandemic. I want you to listen to the entirety of his opening statement.

[Joe Getty]

By the way, it's incredible. You don't even need to take a sip of water. It'll be over that fast. Take a listen.

[Senator Josh Hawley]

Although it pains me to do so because of the respect I have for the legislative branch of government and my decades long record of cooperating with Congress, under the advice of my attorneys, I will invoke my right under the fifth amendment of the Constitution to refrain from answering your questions. Thank you.

[Joe Getty]

By the way, Senator, he's not lying in that statement when he said my lawyers, he came in with a, I mean, an army of lawyers behind him.

[Conservative Commentator (possibly Mark Levin or similar)]

Well, he did. And, and, and, and mind you, this is someone who just, just a couple of Years ago in 2022 said he, quote, had nothing to hide. And in 2022 he told CNN, quote, I am very happy to testify before any congressional oversight committee here. Give a listen to what he said back in 2022.

[Anthony Fauci (voice clip)]

Well, if I become a punching bag, I'm a punching bag. But I am very happy to testify before any congressional oversight committee. I have nothing to hide. I have, I can explain and validate everything that I've done. So, you know, it's going to be inconvenient if they actually are out there essentially threatening to make my life miserable. But it's, I mean, I'm going to do what I need to do, and that is cooperate fully because we have nothing to hide at all.

[Joe Getty]

Okay, now I got to ask a technicality question here because for people that are listening, can you explain to me you get a preemptive pardon in theory, shouldn't that Senator just free you up to do exactly what the 2022 Anthony Fauci had to say there, that, hey, I'll testify before anybody, I'll Tell you anything. I've already been pardoned. Why would your attorneys, and it was an army of attorneys that came with them to Capitol Hill, tell you not to answer any questions at all if you've already been pardoned?

[Conservative Commentator (possibly Mark Levin or similar)]

Because a pardon is retrospective. A pardon immunizes him for criminal conduct he committed in the past prior to the day that Joe Biden pardoned him. The pardon does not immunize him for crimes that he commits in the future. And the reason he pleaded the Fifth is his alternative is he was going to lie through his teeth. And lying under oath to Congress is a felony punishable by serious jail time. That's the reason he pleaded the Fifth. Not because of past conduct, but because he intended a lie. And listen, two significant things changed. Number one, Merrick Garland is no longer Attorney General. The corrupt, politicized Biden Department of Justice is no longer there. He could say, I'm very happy to testify before Congress because he could get up and brazenly lie. W w w w w, with no compunction. Because the chance, I mean, I mean he could, it didn't matter what he said, it didn't matter what he did. He could have shot someone in an congressional hearing and the Biden Department of Justice was not going to do anything about it. They knew he was lying. They didn't care. They wanted him to lie. It's not even. They didn't care. They wanted him to lie. The Trump Department of Justice, if he lies under oath, you better believe they will prosecute him and put him in jail. So, but, but the critical admission is that means he intended to lie in this hearing. Now what's the second thing that changed? The second thing that changed is his diary came out.

[Joe Getty]

Yes, one hell of a diary. By the way, Senator, by the way, I gotta ask, do you, do you do it? You do it?

[Conservative Commentator (possibly Mark Levin or similar)]

No, I don't.

[Joe Getty]

By the way, I don't understand anybody that does. That's like our age. I, I don't get it. I've never understood it. But like this diary was like a manifesto for narcissism. Like if you want to say, hey, if you've got a daughter, just tell them. Don't ever marry a guy that does this, like writes this way, talks this way about himself. It was, I mean, it's off the chains, narcissism.

[Conservative Commentator (possibly Mark Levin or similar)]

Well look, that, that's not an exaggeration. The diary demonstrates this man is a narcissistic sociopath. Where, where he, number one, is a brazen liar, but he is so self centered and we on On Monday's podcast, we. We went into depth on in terms of what the diary said. But. But here's his problem. So, for example, one of the things the diary said is that he knew early in the pandemic, he said, we now know that the COVID virus did not come from the Chinese wet market.

[News or Commentary Voice (possibly co-host or guest)]

Yep.

[Conservative Commentator (possibly Mark Levin or similar)]

Now, mind you, he later on decided, nope, I don't want people to know that the COVID virus came from the Wuhan Institute for Virology. Because if they know that, they're going to figure out that it was created or modified with gain of function research paid for by Dr. Anthony Fauci, that he was responsible for the funding the research that created or modified the COVID virus to make it more transmissible, to make it more deadly, to make it target humans more effectively. And so he was covering up his own culpability when he spread the story, oh, this came from just, you know, bats at the wet market. We know in writing, he said early on, we know for a fact this did not originate in the wet market. The wet market simply amplified it, but it did not originate there. So why did he plead the fifth? Because if he repeated that lie, he would immediately be confronted with his diary and he would be asked, were you lying when you told Congress the opposite?

[Joe Getty]

That's a great point.

[Conservative Commentator (possibly Mark Levin or similar)]

His choice would be one of two things. Number one, admit, yes, I'm a liar. Yeah, don't believe anything I said. And mind you, when I say narcissist, remember, this is someone who, in the midst of COVID said, when you criticize me, you are criticizing science.

[Joe Getty]

Yes, science.

[Conservative Commentator (possibly Mark Levin or similar)]

I am the science. And science was like a trademark. I mean, he embodied science. And he's not capable of saying, I'm an unprincipled, shameless liar. So the alternative is he would lie and say, no, no, no, I was telling the truth. That would be perjury. Or it's actually not perjury. Technically, it's lying under oath, which is. Which is different from perjury, but punishable, the same as a felony. And so, likewise, another instance, he says in his diary how proud he was, how thrilled he was when he called Democrat politicians in New York and in California and convince them to shut down schools, convince them to shut down churches, convince them to shut down small businesses. And those decisions had catastrophically devastating consequences. Shutting down the schools. I think we will look back in history as the school shut down as the most inexplicable, damaging public policy decision of modern times. The data now show that because tens of millions of kids had their school shut down for more than a year by Democrat politicians that we have witnessed the single largest learning loss in recorded history since we began measuring it. We also saw the racial gap, the divide between African American kids and white kids and the divide between Hispanic kids and white kids grow more during the COVID shutdowns than again in any period since we began measuring it. Well, after everyone saw what a disaster the shutdowns were, Foushee repeatedly went on TV and said, oh, I didn't urge shutdowns. I wasn't in favor of shutdowns. No, no, no, that wasn't me. That wasn't me. That wasn't me. We now know. We knew it then, but we now know conclusively out of his own words in the diary, that was a lie. He didn't want to be questioned about that lie, which is why he said, you know how many times he pleaded the fifth?

[Joe Getty]

Like, 111, 110 times. It was crazy.

[Conservative Commentator (possibly Mark Levin or similar)]

1. 111 times. It was utterly, utterly shameless. Watching him 111 times plead the fifth and refuse to answer anything was, was infuriating. And, and also the contemptuous arrogance with which he did so made it even more infuriating. Here, listen to this exchange where Josh Hawley's questioning him. What day of the week is it today?

[Senator Josh Hawley]

On the advice of counsel, I respectfully declined to answer based upon my rights under the fifth amendment to the Constitution.

[Cancer Research Advocate]

What color tie you wearing?

[Senator Josh Hawley]

On the advice of counsel, I respectfully decline to answer based upon my rights under the fifth amendment to the Constitution.

[Cancer Research Advocate]

What color is the carpet in front of you?

[Senator Josh Hawley]

On the advice of counsel, I respectfully decline to answer based upon my rights under the fifth amendment to the Constitution.

[Joe Getty]

I mean, it's, you couldn't have written this type of, like, absurdity compared to the entire Anthony Fauci we've known, you know, post COVID 19.

[Conservative Commentator (possibly Mark Levin or similar)]

Yeah, look, that's right. And he's going to have a real problem. So the next step is going to be a vote to hold him in contempt of Congress.

[Joe Getty]

Yes. And that was announced by Senator Paul, like, instantly afterwards.

[Conservative Commentator (possibly Mark Levin or similar)]

Yes. And listen, it starts with a vote in his gac, the Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee, which ran chairs. And that's where, where Fauci was testifying and where he was subpoenaed. And my full expectation is that that vote will be party line, that, that, that that committee has an 8, 7 Republican majority. So I'm assuming all eight Republicans will vote for it, and I assume all seven Democrats will vote against it, and then it will go to the floor and we'll have some procedural wrangling and battling. It may well require 60 votes, but we'll see how that fight goes. But either way, Fauci is going to have a real problem claiming that the Fifth Amendment right, it protects him because he has a blanket pardon. So once you have a pardon, the same thing is true. Like once you're given immunity, you can't claim the Fifth because the Fifth amendment is a right to be protected from legal jeopardy, and a pardon makes the legal jeopardy go away. And so his argument for refusing to answer questions about the past is a really weak argument. I, I assume he will do some version of saying, well, this is a perjury trap. They're trying to trap me. Trap me in perjury. There's a simple response to that is the way to avoid a perjury trap is don't lie.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah.

[Conservative Commentator (possibly Mark Levin or similar)]

Tell the truth. And, and I know the guy is an inveterate liar and he can't help himself, but, you know, he could just agree with what he wrote in his diary. I don't know if his position was I was lying to my diary. And, and by the way, when it comes to a narcissist, you also see him just so excited. Oh, CNN's calling. Oh, this place is calling. Oh, they love me. Oh, I'm a rock star. Oh, they're jealous of me. Oh, I'm so cool. Oh, I'm so amazing. Like, like really was. I mean, there are aspects of the, the diary that, that almost read like the Unabomber Manifesto. I mean, it's, it is power is

[Joe Getty]

not even giving it a fair assessment. Like, that's under, that, that's, that's too mild, in my opinion.

[Conservative Commentator (possibly Mark Levin or similar)]

Yeah, no, and this was so, so look, I will enthusiastically vote to hold Anthony Fauci in contempt.

[Joe Getty]

So what does that mean though for like average Americans that say, okay, so what, like, then what happens?

[Conservative Commentator (possibly Mark Levin or similar)]

The Department of Justice can. Can prosecute the contempt holding. So you recall back during, during Obama, the House of Representatives voted to hold Eric Holder, the Attorney General, in contempt.

[News or Commentary Voice (possibly co-host or guest)]

Yep.

[Conservative Commentator (possibly Mark Levin or similar)]

That contempt finding is not self executing. What happens then? And the House did it during, during Obama is they referred it to the Justice Department. Now, the person who made the decision what to do on that would be Eric Holder. And oddly enough, Eric Holder did not want to prosecute Eric Holder for contempt of Congress. So he did nothing. Yeah, I mean, it was completely. And by the way, that's why Fauci was not worried at all. About testifying before Congress as long as the Biden Justice Department was there, because they will never hold him to account for anything. He felt completely protected and immunized and safe. It never occurred to him, like it was truly unthinkable to this narcissist that Donald Trump could be reelected. That is a nightmare beyond anything he could have imagined. And now suddenly he has a Department of justice that will hold him in contempt. And look, my assumption, I don't know this, but I actually assume on this contempt finding, I think all 53 Republicans would vote to hold him in contempt. I don't know that we would lose anyone. I hope we wouldn't. It's certainly an easy, easy vote for me. But look, there are some issues on which we all know the 53 Republicans that we lose some on different questions. I'd be surprised if we lost anyone. I mean, it was. You couldn't watch this, this exchange without just, just being infuriated beyond words. And, you know, there's just an arrogance that this man, you know, when we started, started the pod and I said, you know, we saw a saint. The degree to which the Democrats and the media deified him, actually, saint is too low. He was above saints. He was a God.

[Joe Getty]

He was a God.

[Conservative Commentator (possibly Mark Levin or similar)]

If they believed it, if they believed in God, they would say that. But he was the equivalent of a God to them. And he still thinks he is. He thinks he is untouchable.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, it is amazing. Final question. Do you believe we will ever see Anthony Fauci held accountable criminally for what he did to this country? The lies he told, I mean, he. He ruined people's lives financially. He ruined people's families. He ruined people's ability to celebrate. He ruined people's ability to even, like, bury their family members. There are a lot of people that think the lies that he told, and also I think a lot of people feel like he lied to them straight up on the COVID 19 vaccine, that you can't undo the decisions you made there.

[Conservative Commentator (possibly Mark Levin or similar)]

So I don't know. I very much hope so. I believe he should be criminally prosecuted. I believe he should go to jail. I think he's the most damaging bureaucrat in America's history. I think he deliberately lied to the American people, lied to Congress under oath. The challenge of prosecuting him for past crimes is the pardon. Now, there is an argument that because it was auto penned, you could make the argument that unless you can prove that Joe Biden was aware that he had pardoned him and made the decision to pardon him, that. That the pardon is not valid, that might possibly be litigated. I don't know what the evidence is one way or the other. Alternatively, you could see state prosecutors. The pardon does not immunize him from liability for state offenses. You could see state prosecutors charge him. Additionally, the pardon does not eliminate civil liability. So anyone whose lives were lost, whose kids were hurt, can sue the living daylights out of them. And I hope this guy gets sued for the rest of his life for the damage he did.

[Joe Getty]

Don't forget, we do this podcast Monday, Wednesday, Friday. Download it wherever your podcast you've been listening to Verdict with Ted Cruz. And we'll see you back here on this radio station next week.

[Child]

Mom, can I have Lingo Kids? Lingo Kids, please.

[Parent or Family Member]

When did we become the Lingo Kids House?

[Podcast Host (iHeart podcast intro)]

No idea. Last week it was dinosaurs.

[Child]

This week it's Lingokids.

[Parent or Family Member]

Why Lingokids?

[Child]

Because it's the best thing ever. We can play games with astronauts, wild animals and superheroes.

[Lingokids Advertiser]

With more than 4,000 interactive games, songs, and shows, LingoKids is the number one entertainment platform for young kids.

[Podcast Host (iHeart podcast intro)]

So no dinosaurs and dinosaurs.

[Conservative Commentator (possibly Mark Levin or similar)]

Lingokids.

[Parent or Family Member]

Everything kids love. Download it for free.

[Cancer Survivor or Advocate]

When I was diagnosed, all I wanted to do was get back to work. I wanted to get back to that trajectory that I was on. Prior to the cancer. I always felt like I had value. I had a place on the team to just be treated with dignity. It means everything.

[Cancer Research Advocate]

Research shows there is a significant connection between the ability to continue to work and cancer recovery. We can make work a better place

[Podcast Host (iHeart podcast intro)]

for healing, learn more and sign the [e-mail] why should you listen to Armstrong

[Jack Armstrong]

and Getty on demand? We're not boring. A lot of news is boring and tedious and depressing and makes you angry. You don't want to live your life like that. Hey, I'm Jack Armstrong.

[Joe Getty]

He's Joe Getty.

[Jack Armstrong]

We're Armstrong and Getty. We try to bring you the truth and help you figure out this crazy

[Joe Getty]

modern world about something about a comedic tone.

[Jack Armstrong]

We have a winner. Yes. Listen to Armstrong and Getty on Demand on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Joel Osteen]

What God started in my life, he's

[Jack Armstrong]

going to finish the Joel Osteen Daily podcast.

[Joel Osteen]

Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life. What was meant for my harm? Lord, I want to thank you. Right now, you're turning to my advantage.

[Jack Armstrong]

Your daily source of hope and encouragement.

[Joel Osteen]

Your second wind is on its way. God is about to breathe on your life in a new way.

[Jack Armstrong]

Listen to the Joel Osteen Daily podcast on the iHeartRadio app Apple Podcasts. And wherever you get your favorite podcasts.