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Ben Ferguson
Welcome. It is Verdict with Senator Ted Cruz, Ben Ferguson with you. And Senator, our show on Wednesday made a lot of news, and it took people behind the scenes into the accusations against the Bidens and the Biden crime family and the $5 million that may have come in from Burisma and this executive. If people missed that podcast, which went viral, go back and listen to it. It's a very deep dive and explains to you what we do know and what we don't know from the FBI and these reports. Now, there's another question that we're going to do a deep dive on today, and that is one question that Joe Biden actually asked. Where's the money? Senator, we're starting to get a little bit of an indication of where that money may be.
Senator Ted Cruz
Well, that's exactly right. So Wednesday's podcast laid out the evidence that has rolled out in the last 10 days that we have a whistleblower who says that a confidential informant came to the FBI, told the FBI that Joe Biden personally received a $5 million bribe from a senior official at Burisma, the Ukrainian natural gas company, that he was paid that bribe in exchange for official action while he was Vice president, the United States. That benefited Burisma. And then we subsequently learned from Senator Chuck Grassley that There are apparently 17 records, conversations, phone conversations between the senior official at Burisma and 15 times Hunter Biden and twice Joe Biden himself. We also discussed on Wednesday's podcast how the FBI is utterly stonewalling, refusing to hand over the federal report they prepared on these allegations of bribery, on the evidence of bribery, refusing to confirm or deny the existence of these 17 voice recordings. Instead, they're completely stonewalling and covering up for the President. All of that is deeply disturbing. Now, the corporate media has ignored this story altogether. The major networks have devoted literally 0 minutes and 0 seconds to covering it. They're breathlessly talking about the Trump indictment. But the allegations against Joe Biden simply do not exist in the corporate media's world. At the White House, one intrepid reporter did ask Joe Biden about it and listen to his answer. Here was his answer when asked about the allegations that he had taken a $5 million bribe personally from a foreign.
Ben Ferguson
National to walk off the stage.
Nancy Mace
Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait.
Senator Ted Cruz
The bribery allegation. Congresswoman Nancy May says there's damning evidence in that bi file that you sold out the country. Do you have a response to the Congressional Republicans? Where's the money?
Ben Ferguson
I'm joking, Mr. President. Senator, that may have been One of the biggest missteps by this president kind of winging it there, saying, where's the money? Because now we're starting to hear a little bit more about where that money is or where it may not have been reported on tax returns that have been released.
Senator Ted Cruz
Well, and. And this is really an invitation. It's an invitation to any reporter that actually wants to be a journalist. Look, Joe Biden's response is the same as Al Capone's. It's the same as a bank robbers. Where's the money? And in this instance, we ought to investigate, and I'll tell you. So Biden has released his personal tax returns, and he's called it. His team called it a, quote, historic level of transparency. But interestingly enough, they only released his personal tax returns. Now, why does that matter? Well, it turns out that shortly after he left the office of vice president, both he and his wife Jill set up S Corporations. The one that he set up is called Celtic Capri Corp. That's his. And the one that his wife Jill Biden set up was Gia Copa Corp. That's hers. Now, in the time after he left the White House, the Bidens made, or they reported they made a little over $17 million. Now, of that $17 million, how much of that do you think was contained in Celtic Capri Corp. And Giacopa Corp?
Ben Ferguson
I'm gonna go out in a limb here. Only because I've seen it. But before I saw it, I would actually say the same thing. A lot of it. Because it's super shady.
Senator Ted Cruz
Well, it is a lot of it. Out of the 17 million they earned, 13 million of it is in those 2s Corps. And you know what they've released on the source of that 13 million?
Ben Ferguson
What's that?
Senator Ted Cruz
Not a damn thing. They haven't acknowledged where one penny of it came. They haven't told us anything. So they've got $13 million they made from some mysterious source. Now, help me on this math. 13 million is bigger than 5 million?
Ben Ferguson
Yes, absolutely.
Senator Ted Cruz
Well, Joe Biden just said, where's the money? Where's the 5 million? And in fact, if you break down the 13 million, the biggest year was 2017. So the year that he left the White House, do you know how much Celtic Capri Corp. And Giacopa Corp. Made in 2017?
Ben Ferguson
A lot of money. How much?
Senator Ted Cruz
10 million. $48,739. That's what they've reported. So we know the total, and we have utterly no idea where that $10 million came from. So in one year, right after he left the White House. Now let's look at the timing here. The whistleblower says when he was vice president, a senior executive at Burisma offered him $5 million cash personally in order to make a corrupt deal and make official decisions for Burisma. The year he leaves the vice presidency, 2017, he reported over 10 million of income in two corporations that he and his wife set up. And we know nothing, zero whatsoever about the source of that income. You know what the media ought to call on? You know what the House of Representatives on a force him to do? You know what anyone who gives a about integrity on government should say? We need the tax returns of Celtic Capri Corp. And Giacopa Corp. Because you know what, if half of that 10 million is the $5 billion payment for Barisma for the bribe, well, then Joe Biden better start sizing up for for an orange jumpsuit because as he rightly said, where's the money? If that's where the money is, then he's guilty of a serious felony.
Ben Ferguson
Yeah, and this is as you just described it there, there's a serious chance that this happened. He is in trouble with a actual felony. Now the question is, Senator, that so many people are asking is can the FBI and those that have some of this information stonewall or is there a good chance, knowing everything that we know right now, is there a very, very good chance that the Republicans are going to be able to get some of these answers in the House that they can't avoid anymore? Too much has come out. There's too many dots that have been connected. And now the question is, can the Biden administration, the Deep State, stop this?
Senator Ted Cruz
Well, they're going to try. If we had an attorney general with a shred of integrity, he wouldn't be stonewalling, he wouldn't be covering this up. He would have appointed a special counsel already to investigate this. He would be demanding that the FD 1023 be made public. He would be demanding that the 17 voice recordings be made public. He would be fighting for getting access to the tax returns for these two corporations that funneled over $10 million to Joe Biden and Jill Biden the year they left the White House. And by the way, you want to know the most important question right now? It's what? It's what Joe Biden said. Where is the money? Where did the $10 million come from? That's the question. Is there a reporter, Jake Tapper? Are you just a shill? Are you a cheerleader for the Biden White House. Or are you willing to go on CNN and ask the following question? Where did the $10 million come from? Did it come from a Barisma executive? That's what an actual journalist would do. You're the marquee host for cnn. Do you give a about being a journalist or are you just going to sit and Talk to your 12 viewers that are still watching CNN and go on and on about how much you hate Donald Trump and ignore reporting on the news? ABC, CBS, NBC. Does the 6:00 news cover news anymore? Are you willing to cover this $10 million? Ask one question. Where did the $10 million come from? And. And don't accept if it's at a White House press conference, Biden saying, oh, that's just malarkey. You know, Corn Pop told me it wasn't true. Don't accept that kind of idiocy. There's an easy way to answer it. Disclose the tax returns of Celtic Capri Corp. And Giacopa Corp. Especially in 2017, where you had this massive windfall of cash that you've never explained and that no one in the corporate media has ever cared enough to ask about.
Ben Ferguson
You mentioned, by the way, the media not doing their job. They're having no problem, Senator, talking about saying over and over again like there's some sort of cult that, quote, no one is above the law when it comes to Donald Trump. Just listen to a few of the different members of media over the last 24 hours saying this over and over again. It's like they got a phone call from the White House and the White House said, here's your talking point on Donald Trump.
Senator Ted Cruz
Yeah, that no person is above the law is a bedrock principle of American justice.
Ben Ferguson
No man is above the law, no matter what the crime.
Senator Ted Cruz
And I agree with you.
James Comer
No.
Senator Ted Cruz
No man is above the law.
Ben Ferguson
No person is above the law. No one is above the law.
Senator Ted Cruz
No one is above the law.
Ben Ferguson
No one's above the law. No one is above the law. No man is above the law.
Nancy Mace
Nobody is above the law.
Ben Ferguson
No one is above the law.
Senator Ted Cruz
No man is above the law. He has to be held accountable.
Javier Becerra
He's not above the law.
Senator Ted Cruz
No one's above the law. Either that nor any other title put you above the rule of law. And no one is truly above the law.
Ben Ferguson
I mean, Eric Holder there at the end, you can hear the laughing. He says, no one is truly above the law. Senator, there's a lot of people saying that no one should be above the law. Except all of those same people that we just played and we could have played another minute and a half of this cult saying this about Trump. None of them are asking questions about this money.
Senator Ted Cruz
So all of the media and all of the Democratic politics, politicians are on the same team. They are reading from the same talking points. They're saying the exact same words. When they say no one's above the law, they mean that as an attack on Donald Trump. But you know who they don't mean? They don't mean Joe Biden. And let's go back to the tax returns for a minute because I want to drill down even deeper. One of the great things about verdict is that we don't cover things superficially at the, you know, 60 second soundbite level. We actually drill down. So if you look at let, let's take Jill Biden. So she had the money that she reported. USA Today said that Jill grossed $3 million. Now where did that $3 million come from? About $700,000 from speaking fees. Okay, that's plausible. And the remainder was royalties from her book. Do you know how many copies of her book she sold?
Ben Ferguson
I'm gonna guess not that many people are running out to get her book.
Senator Ted Cruz
In her first week, she sold 7,000 copies. That's a book deal that. If you do the math, she made $3 million. 700,000 was from speaking fees. So presumably that's $2.3 million for that book. I'll tell you someone who has written multiple books that have collectively sold hundreds of thousands of copies. I've never been paid $2.3 million for a book. And yet Jill Biden, she's claiming she got that. And how about, how about Joe's numbers? Okay, so let's take Joe's numbers. He's claiming that Joe netted $12.2 million for a book deal. His book deal sold about 300,000 copies. Now, the $12 million, 4.2 million of that is allegedly from speaking. And I can believe that he probably got pretty good speaking fees. That, that's plausible. That means he's claiming $8 million of income came from book royalties. Now let's do some math. His book had a retail price of 27, $27 for hardcover, $18 for paperback. If you assume a reasonable mix of sales, average price was $23 on 300,000 books sold. The gross revenues everyone makes is, is just under $7 million. What Joe is alleging is they paid him $8 million to generate $7 million. The book publisher lost a million dollars and got no money for printing the book. Typically, an author, if you were just receiving a royalty would have received about 12%. A typical blended royalty, you'd get about 15% for hardcover, about 7 1/2% for paperback is typical. If Joe was receiving 12% of 7 million, he would have yielded about $800,000. He's claiming he got $8 million. That math doesn't add up. Now maybe the publishers are such wild eyed leftists that they just said, hey, let's give Joe Biden $8 million because we really love the guy and we just want to write a check to him even though we're going to lose money like crazy. Well, do you know how many copies his prior book promises to keep sold?
Ben Ferguson
How many?
Senator Ted Cruz
49,000. Not even 50,000. Way below 100,000.
Ben Ferguson
Wow.
Senator Ted Cruz
I gotta say, having written three books, being in the middle of my fourth book now, I simply do not believe there's a book publisher that would give him $8 million given that his last book had sold 49,000 copies. As much as they're hardcore leftist, they do actually like to make money. And so you're looking at a tax return that has $10 million in cash that came from a mystery source. And so listen, I want to give Joe Biden the respect he deserves. He said we should ask, where is the money? Well, that's what I'm asking Joe. Where's the money?
Ben Ferguson
It's a question every American needs to be asking, where is that money? It's a question he asked. And it's a question that when he said it, I know everybody at the White House working for him was thinking, why did you just ask that question? I want to tell you real quick about our friends at Patriot Mobile. And if you are like me and you're just sick and tired of giving your money to woke companies, woke corporations who are actually fighting against your values, then you need to switch to Patriot Mobile. Patriot Mobile is the only Christian conservative wireless provider. They offer you dependable nationwide coverage on all three major networks so you get the best possible service in your area without the WOKE propaganda pushed by leftists working hard to destroy this country. For years, big mobile companies have been dumping millions into leftist causes, including Planned Parenthood. That is why you need to switch to Patriot Mobile. When you switch, not only you're supporting free speech and religious freedom, the sanctity of life, the second amendment and our military, our veterans or first responders, you're actually a piece of your bill every month goes to support those causes directly. So make the switch. You can keep your same cell phone you have in your hand Keep your same cell phone number if you want to. And many times you're going to save money over what you're paying right now. 8 the number 878 Patriot. It's 878- Patriot. 878- Patriot. Or go to patriot mobile.com verdict. That's patriot mobile.com verdict. Get free activation today with a promo code. Verdict. 878- Patriot. Senator, I want to ask you one other question about this money and these tax returns. We know that it's, it's, you know, they put these tax returns out there. And the question you ask, right, is where did this money come from? If the dollars don't match up with the suspicious activity reports and the work the House is doing, what questions need to be asked next, and is there any legal way to ask those questions? Because it's pretty simple, right? One plus one equals two. Two plus two equals four. If Joe Biden's tax return says X and then we see these suspicious activity reports and money going to these LLCs and these s Corps and all these other, you know, different web of lies, as I would describe it, then what can the House do to nail that down?
Senator Ted Cruz
Yeah, well, there's only one place that has any possibility of getting this information. DOJ and the FBI are not going to do so because Merrick Garland has thoroughly corrupted them. And they're more invested in protecting Joe Biden and hiding him from any investigation into his corruption than they are in actually investigating it. Sadly, the United States Senate's not going to do a damn thing because Senate Democrats are equally invested in protecting Joe Biden and hiding him and preventing any investigation to whether the President, the United states, took a $5 million bribe from a foreign national. So I'm on the Senate Judiciary Committee. I'll continue to give speeches. I'll continue to yell from the mountaintops. I'll continue to shine a light on it. I'll continue to go on tv, I'll continue to go on radio. I'll continue to write, I'll continue to do this podcast and shine a light on it. But what I don't have is the ability to issue a single subpoena because it takes a majority vote and, and the Democrats have the majority, and no Democrat will vote for it. Which means the only, only place that can have any forceful, compulsory process is the House of Representatives, James Comer and Jim Jordan. They have been doing a yeoman's job so far, investigating. They need to continue to do so, they need to redouble their efforts, and they need to focus on the Famous question from Watergate, follow the money. Or as Joe Biden put it, where's the money? Now, let me point out, in addition to these two corporations through which Joe and Jill funneled most of their income, at least according to their tax returns, and that they've hidden the tax returns for these corporations, we now know from the House Oversight Committee investigation that the Biden family created more than 20 companies. That's from bank records. More than 20. 16 of the companies were limited liability companies formed while Biden was still vice president. I want, I want you to think, do you know Anyone who's formed 16 shell companies while they're in public office? What does that suggest? The Biden family, their business associates and their companies. Collectively, they received more than $10 million from foreign sources. Those payments occurred while Biden was in office and when he left. And we know, according to the House's work, that at least nine Biden family members receive payments. Those Biden family members include Hunter Biden, James Biden, Joe Biden's brother, James Biden's wife, Sarah Jones Biden, the late Beau Biden's wife, Hallie Biden, Hunter Biden's ex wife, Kathleen Buell, Hunter Biden's current wife, Melissa Cohen, and, quote, three children of the President's son and the President's brother. That's at a minimum. And we know that an enormous amount of the money came from Chinese nationals and companies with ties to the Chinese Communist Party. James Comer said that of the countries the Biden family was influence peddling in China is, quote, the most reputable. And actually listen to James Comer this week explaining about this net network of shell companies the Biden's created.
James Comer
We can trace bribery. It sure does. But look what we've already found, Larry. The Biden family has at least 20 shell companies that were created for the sole purpose to launder money to at least nine Biden family members. When you create a bunch of shell companies for the sole purpose of laundering money, that's called racketeering and the money laundering. Those aren't my words. Those are the words of at least six big publicly traded banks that filed bank violations against the Biden family. They said, it sure appears that they're money laundering. So these are some serious crimes that we've already uncovered. But there's still many more banks to go and many more shell companies that I think that we'll discover along the way.
Ben Ferguson
When you're having those accusations and using the words that he's talking about money laundering and racketeering, he's not saying this on hypotheticals. He's saying this based on the evidence that he has seen.
Senator Ted Cruz
Well, and let me ask you, give me an innocent explanation for a senior public official creating 20 shell companies on the face of screams that they're trying to conceal what's happening with those shell companies. You know, who does that? Drug dealers do that. The mafia does that. Criminals do that. Now, maybe if you're like a billionaire tycoon, you might do that. If you're like developing, you know, projects all over the country, maybe you do that. But Joe Biden isn't doing any of that. He was vice president of the United States. He doesn't know anything about business. Why on earth does he need 20 shell companies if it's not to hide and shield the income? And Joe Biden has invited us to ask, where is the money? Well, now is the chance to see. Are there any journalists left in America who will accept that invitation?
Ben Ferguson
Yeah, great point. And this story is not going to go away. We're going to keep covering our verdict and let you know what all this means. As this continues to break, it does start to feel like this is getting more like a Watergate. It's dripping and dripping and dripping now, and whistleblowers are coming forward and that may be moving us in the right direction to expose what the Biden family has done. We will have it all for you here. I want to move to something else as well. Senator, you really went toe to toe with the Biden administration over another issue.
Senator Ted Cruz
Like, like, you know, 1. Pulitzers and were acclaimed for their reporting on it. The problem is that the Washington Post, there are no reporters left. The New York Times, there are no reporters left. So, Ben, I look forward to your and my Pulitzer part because apparently we're one of the few people willing to report on this evidence that is dripping out day after day after day because the legacy corporate media has abandoned any pretense of journalism.
Nancy Mace
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Senator Ted Cruz
What if I have lots of forms.
Nancy Mace
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Senator Ted Cruz
What if I once saw Bigfoot?
Nancy Mace
That has nothing to do with taxes. So still 100 free.
Senator Ted Cruz
Now that's what I'm talking about.
Nancy Mace
Now this is taxes. See if you qualify in the TurboTax app excludes TurboTax Live must start and file an app by 2:18.
Ben Ferguson
All right, I want to get to this other one. And that is a major issue. You went toe to toe with the Biden administration over their political decision to to let over a hundred thousand unaccompanied minors into the United States of America deliberately on purpose. I'm going to play that audio, but before we get to that, I want to tell you about chalk. If you're a guy and you feel like you've lost a little bit of your edge, maybe you feel like there's a little bit of complacency now, maybe you feel fatigue and you're just sick and tired of feeling that way. Well, chalk can help you get back up to 20%. They can help you boost your testosterone levels up to 20% over 90 days. Yeah, you can get rid of that weakness and complacency and replace it with strength and vitality. Go to chalk choq.com they're here to help real men just like you take back the right to proudly maximize your masculinity by boosting testosterone levels up to 20% over 90 days. Manufactured right here in the US of A. Chalk, natural herbal supplements are clinically proven to have game changing effects on your energy, your focus, your mood. So check out the male vitality stack. Go to chalk choq.com and if you use my promo code, Ben, you're gonna get 35% off any Chalk subscription for life. That is choq.com use the promo code, Ben, you'll get 35% off and boost your testosterone levels up to 20% over 90 days. Chalk choq.com Senator, this was a moment that I hope everybody will share with their family and their friends. It is a, it is a humanitarian crisis that angers me. It obviously has frustrated you, a political decision to let 100,000 unaccompanied minors into America. Here is some back and forth with you at the Senate.
Javier Becerra
Listen here today because the Biden administration has utterly failed.
Senator Ted Cruz
It has failed to secure the border.
Javier Becerra
And it has encouraged parents to send their minor alien children on a dangerous trip to the United States unaccompanied. And it's failed to protect these children after they were let into the United States. The Democrats running this committee have also failed as we're holding a hearing to discuss the issues facing HHS's placement of unaccompanied minors. But we don't even have a single official from HHS here to answer our questions. Javier Becerra should be sitting right in the middle of this panel under oath being forced to answer difficult questions. About his absolute dereliction of duty when it comes to caring for these kids. But the Democrat leadership of this committee doesn't want Secretary Becerra to face those hard questions because it would reveal his utter negligence and the children who are being harmed as a result. And so the absence of HHS is not an accident, it's not an omission. They just forgot. It's a deliberate decision. Let's protect the Biden administration from accountability. And concomitant with that decision is a decision to say the children being harmed are not important enough to the Democrat senators on this committee to overcome their partisan desire to play politics and protect the Biden administration from the consequences of their own failure.
Ben Ferguson
Now, Senator, I'm going to stop there because I want to get your reaction to this and to paint a bigger picture of just how horrific this humanitarian crisis is and the fact that they are encouraging unaccompanied minors who are being abused, who are being sexually assaulted. Sexually abused. They're basically being sold into slavery in the US Having to pay off the debts for the smugglers coming across. And this administration has in essence encouraged this behavior which is making billions of dollars for the cartels at the same time.
Senator Ted Cruz
Well, that's exactly right. As a result of Joe Biden's political decision, the cartels have made billions. In 2018, the Mexican drug cartels made roughly $500 million in revenue from human trafficking. This is according to the New York Times. Last year, those same drug cartels made $13 billion from human trafficking. That's a 2,600% increase. Joe Biden has turned these vicious murderers into global billionaire corporations that routinely savage people. And the children that they abuse, that they sexually assault, it is horrific. And they treat little boys and little girls as commodities, as cargo. And it is modern day slavery that is playing out as a result of Joe Biden's political decisions.
Ben Ferguson
When you look at the political decision, you talk a little bit more about this and why this administration isn't stopping it. At this hearing in the back and forth. Let's take a listen.
Javier Becerra
Take a look at this image. This image was captured from a video shot in el Paso on March 24, 2023, where a smuggler abandons a one year old child, a Guatemalan boy, on the riverbank. This one year old child now entered the unaccompanied minor alien child system currently administered by the Biden Health and Human Services. According to the Department of Health and Human Services, approximately 127,000 unaccompanied minors entered the United States during fiscal year 2022. So one year, 127,000 kids, all alone. 2021. Again, according to HHS, 107,686 unaccompanied minors entered the United States. Compare that to the last year of the Trump presidency, where that number was approximately 30,000, a seven year low. Now, let me be clear. Even one child in the custody of human traffickers is horrific and wrong. But 127,000? This administration. No wonder Secretary Becerra is too scared to sit there. He should be embarrassed of that record. Health and Human Services received $7.8 billion last year just for unaccompanied minor children. Troublingly, on February 24, 2022, HHS admitted in a letter to Representative Andy Biggs that it could not contact approximately 20,000 minor children it placed in 2021. In one year, 20,000. It just lost them. No wonder Secretary Becerra is not sitting at that table. On March 22, 2023, Senator James Lankford pressed Secretary Becerra on a portion of the New York Times expose indicating that HHS had failed to account for 85,000 previously placed alien children. Becerra disputed the question, saying it was unrealistic, but he failed to offer any concrete evidence or data OR statistics. On April 25th of this year, I joined Senator Marco Rubio and my colleagues in a letter addressing HHS failures on this score, which actively highlighted the fact that the Biden administration loosened vetting, fired HHS staffers who filed complaints, and ignored HHS contracted organizations who voiced concerns. After the New York Times published a second expose, the administration announced the Department of Labor was taking action. What action? Action addressing child labor. Well, child labor is abhorrent, but how about the hundreds of thousands of children who are being smuggled in by human traffickers, who are being abused, who are being sexually abused, who are being physically abused, and whom the Biden administration has lost. This is a humanitarian crisis, and it is a man made crisis produced by political decisions from this White House. And every American, whether Democrat or Republican.
Senator Ted Cruz
Should be horrified at the state of affairs.
Ben Ferguson
Horrified is the exact word that should be used to describe this. And yet it doesn't seem, Senator, that they're trying to do anything to stop this, Even when you're exposing it this way?
Senator Ted Cruz
They're not. They held an entire hearing focused on the issue of unaccompanied minors, and yet they're not willing to hold in any way, shape or form the Biden administration responsible. How do you lose 85,000 kids? I mean, that's really a stunning level of incompetence. What it shows is this administration doesn't give a. The children who are being abused, they don't care about the women who are being sexually assaulted. They don't care about the illegal immigrants who are dying. Last year, 853 died crossing illegally into this country. They don't care about them. The crime that is surging, the people who are victims of murder and rape, they don't care about them. The hundred thousand people last year who died of drug overdoses, 70% of which came from Chinese fentanyl coming across our southern border, I don't care about them. Why? Because their only, only priority is a political priority of open borders to maximize the number of people coming illegally into this country. Because I believe they look at those illegal immigrants and think most of them are gonna be Democrat voters. And so that political partisan objective matters more than the lives of the children who are being brutalized by their heartless policies.
Ben Ferguson
Yeah, no doubt about it. And this is gonna be a big election year issue, certainly congressionally, Senate races in the presidency. And it should be, and it should be something that the Republicans should seize on to show it, explain it, and let the American people understand just how bad it is at the southern border and what's happening to these children at the southern border as well. I wanna move on to something else and it's something you worked really hard on, Senator, and it deals with the renaming of a street that is actually extremely significant in front of the embassy to Cuba. Now, before you tell this story, which is a great one, let me tell you about our friends, Augusta Precious Metals. If you've been saving for retirement for a long time, then you understand how important it is to protect your money. With a gold ira now you understand how important it is to protect your hard earned dollars. Because right now with what's been going in the economy, you don't want to lose money. You want to protect your assets because there is no time to make up losses. That is where Augusta Precious Metals and Gold comes in. They are different type of company, that's why I recommend them to you. They will sit down with you one on one on a web conference and go over your financial goals, your financial portfolio and see if gold is right for you. If you're ready to protect your hard earned dollars, if you're ready to make sure that you're diversified, talk to Augusta Precious Metals today. They will give you also their free investor's guide on gold, giving you the economic insight and data about how Gold and IRA or a 401k can give you that peace of mind. Call them all that is free 877 the number four gold IRA. 877-the number four gold IRA. Or visit Augusta precious metals.com that's Augusta precious metals.com say I sent you and they'll pay your fees for up to 10 years. That's Augusta precious metals.com or 877. The number four gold IRA. Senator, this is something you've been working on for quite some time. You had to rally the troops. You had to reach across the aisle. And it's finally going to happen. Renaming a street in front of the Cuban Embassy. Explain the significance of this and how we got to this victory.
Senator Ted Cruz
Well, it's a big victory that we had. This week I introduced legislation to rename the street in front of the Cuban Embassy in Washington, D.C. and to rename it after Oswaldo Paya. Now, who is Oswaldo Paya? He was a Cuban dissident. He was someone who heroically spoke up for freedom. He energized the people of Cuba. He led something called the Valera project, which got 22,000 people to sign a petition calling for free elections, for free speech, for economic freedom in Cuba. The communist regime hated him because he was fearless. He was imprisoned repeatedly. He was abused repeatedly. And then 11 years ago, he was murdered by the Cuban regime. On July 22, 2012, his car was run off the road by henchmen working for the Cuban communists. And in fact, just this week, the Inter American Commission on Human Rights formally determined that the Cuban communist regime was directly responsible for his murder. Now, I've introduced this legislation. It was bipartisan legislation. So I did it with Dick Durbin, the very partisan Democrat from Illinois who chairs the Judiciary Committee. But Dick and I together teamed up. We also had as part of this legislative team, we had Marco Rubio and Bob Menendez, a Republican and a Democrat. And we also had Rick Scott and Ben Cardin, again a Republican and a Democrat. And this week, the Senate unanimously passed our legislation to rename the street in front of the embassy Oswaldo Paya Way. Now the next step is to go to the House of Representatives. Last Congress, I passed the same legislation through the Senate and unfortunately, the Democratic House didn't take it up. That was frustrating. I have a high level of confidence this Congress, the House will take this up and pass it. That will put it on Joe Biden's desk, that he'll sign it. And I look forward to being at the dedication of the street sign. Now let me Pause for a second. You might think, okay, why does a street sign matter? That doesn't seem all that consequential. Who cares what a street sign is? Well, every communist thug that goes to the Cuban embassy will have to look and see the street sign in front of the embassy that says Oswaldo Paya way. Every person who wants to write to the embassy will have to write Oswaldo Pa's name. Every person who wants to go visit the embassy has to get on their phone and Google what's the address and they will see Oswaldo Paya's name. There is something powerful about this, and this is actually, it's a strategy that I adopted from Ronald Reagan. When Ronald Reagan was president, in standing up to the Soviet Union, one of the things he did is he renamed the street in front of the Soviet embassy, Sakharov Plaza, after the famed Soviet dissident for the same reasons. Tyrannical regimes are terrified of dissidents and they try to erase them. They try to pretend they don't exist. And there is enormous power in saying their names. Shining a light. As you know, Ben, my family was imprisoned and tortured in Cuba. Oswaldo Paella's daughter, Rosa Maria, I've spent time with her. She is beautiful, she is passionate. She is a fighter for freedom like her father. And by commemorating his heroism, heroism for which the communists murdered him, we are also shining a light on that evil, repressive regime. And that's a step forward to causing that regime to crumble, which would be great for the people of Cuba and great for America to no longer have a communist regime 90 miles away from our surface.
Ben Ferguson
Yeah, these are important moments, especially as you described it, to show symbolism that, hey, we are not going to just sit here and act like this is not happening and this has not happened to these dissidents, these people. It's awesome work. Well done. Don't forget you can download verdict. Hit that subscribe auto downloader if you're listening on Apple, the follow button and you'll get every single episode as we do the show Monday, Wednesday and Fridays. Please write us a five star review and share this on social media. If you're on Instagram, on Facebook, Twitter, Getter parlor, wherever you are. If you'll share these episodes so other people can hear them and what we're doing here on verdict and we will see you back here in a couple of days.
Summary of Episode: Biden Asks "Where's The Money?" plus Biden Loses 85K Immigrant Children & Big Legislative Victory Standing Up To Cuban Communists
The 47 Morning Update with Ben Ferguson, hosted by Ben Ferguson and produced by Premiere Networks, delves into pressing political issues surrounding President Joe Biden's administration. In this episode, Ferguson engages in a comprehensive discussion with Senator Ted Cruz, focusing on allegations of financial misconduct within the Biden family, the administration's handling of unaccompanied minors at the U.S. border, and a significant legislative triumph related to honoring a Cuban dissident. Below is a detailed summary of the key topics, insights, and conclusions presented during the episode.
Overview: Senator Ted Cruz opens the discussion by revisiting a viral podcast episode where allegations surfaced regarding Joe Biden and his family receiving illicit funds from Burisma, a Ukrainian natural gas company. The core question centers on Joe Biden's recent inquiry, "Where's the money?" indicating potential uncovering of undisclosed funds.
Key Points:
Whistleblower Claims: Cruz references a whistleblower report alleging that Joe Biden received a personal bribe of $5 million from a senior official at Burisma in exchange for favorable actions during his vice presidency (00:50).
Evidence Suppression: The FBI is accused of withholding crucial information, including 17 voice recordings between Burisma officials, Hunter Biden, and Joe Biden, thereby obstructing investigations (00:50).
Media Negligence: Cruz laments the corporate media's silence on these allegations, contrasting it with extensive coverage of the Trump indictment (02:38).
Notable Quotes:
Senator Ted Cruz: "The FBI is utterly stonewalling, refusing to hand over the federal report they prepared on these allegations of bribery... Instead, they're completely stonewalling and covering up for the President." (00:50)
Ben Ferguson: "Now, we're starting to hear a little bit more about where that money is or where it may not have been reported on tax returns that have been released." (02:54)
Overview: The conversation shifts to scrutinize the financial disclosures of Joe Biden and his wife, Jill Biden. Cruz highlights discrepancies in their reported incomes and the origins of substantial funds funneled through their S Corporations.
Key Points:
S Corporations Setup: Post-vice presidency, Joe and Jill Biden established Celtic Capri Corp. and Giacopa Corp., respectively, reporting over $17 million in earnings, with $13 million unaccounted for (03:14).
Unexplained Income: The majority of the $13 million from these corporations lacks transparency regarding its source, raising suspicions of illicit funding (04:29).
Tax Return Discrepancies: Cruz challenges the legitimacy of the Biden's reported earnings from book deals, suggesting significant overstatements that do not align with actual book sales figures (11:03).
Notable Quotes:
Senator Ted Cruz: "Out of the 17 million they earned, 13 million of it is in those 2 S Corps. And you know what they've released on the source of that 13 million? Not a damn thing." (04:38)
Ben Ferguson: "A lot of it. Because it's super shady." (04:29)
Senator Ted Cruz: "It's an $8 million payout for a book that only sold 49,000 copies. As much as they're hardcore leftists, they do actually like to make money." (14:27)
Overview: Ferguson and Cruz critique the media's inconsistent application of the principle that "no one is above the law," arguing that while the media aggressively pursue allegations against Donald Trump, similar scrutiny is absent for Joe Biden.
Key Points:
Repetitive Messaging: Prominent media figures continuously declare that "no one is above the law" concerning Trump without applying the same standard to Biden's allegations (09:46).
Lack of Investigative Reporting: The corporate media is accused of lacking the integrity to investigate Biden's financial dealings, instead focusing attention on Trump's legal issues (10:11).
Notable Quotes:
Senator Ted Cruz: "When they say no one's above the law, they mean that as an attack on Donald Trump. But you know who they don't mean? They don't mean Joe Biden." (11:03)
Ben Ferguson: "No person is above the law. No one is above the law." (10:18)
Overview: The episode transitions to address the Biden administration's policy permitting over 100,000 unaccompanied minors into the United States, resulting in a severe humanitarian crisis. Cruz criticizes the administration's handling of these minors, linking it to increased human trafficking revenues for drug cartels.
Key Points:
Increased Numbers: Fiscal year 2022 saw approximately 127,000 unaccompanied minors entering the U.S., a stark increase from previous administrations (25:50).
Humanitarian Failures: HHS admitted losing contact with about 20,000 minors in 2021, highlighting systemic negligence (28:59).
Cartel Profiteering: Human trafficking revenues surged by 2,600%, with cartels earning $13 billion from these activities last year (27:57).
Notable Quotes:
Senator Ted Cruz: "Joe Biden has turned these vicious murderers into global billionaire corporations that routinely savage people." (27:57)
Senator Ted Cruz: "The children that they abuse, that they sexually assault, it is horrific. And they treat little boys and little girls as commodities, as cargo." (32:32)
Overview: Highlighting a bipartisan achievement, Senator Cruz discusses the successful legislation to rename the street in front of the Cuban Embassy in Washington, D.C., honoring Oswaldo Payá, a Cuban dissident murdered by the Cuban regime.
Key Points:
Bipartisan Effort: Collaborated with both Republican and Democratic senators, including Dick Durbin, Marco Rubio, Bob Menendez, Rick Scott, and Ben Cardin (36:26).
Symbolic Significance: The renaming serves as a powerful statement against oppressive regimes, ensuring that dissidents like Payá are remembered and their contributions to freedom are honored (40:53).
Notable Quotes:
Senator Ted Cruz: "There is enormous power in saying their names. Shining a light." (36:26)
Senator Ted Cruz: "Ronald Reagan renamed the street in front of the Soviet embassy, Sakharov Plaza, after the famed Soviet dissident for the same reasons." (40:53)
Overview: Ben Ferguson wraps up the episode by emphasizing the importance of these issues in upcoming elections. He encourages listeners to stay informed, engage with the content, and spread awareness about the Biden administration's alleged malpractices and the legislative efforts to uphold democratic values.
Key Points:
Election Implications: The discussed topics are poised to become significant issues in the forthcoming elections, influencing congressional and presidential races.
Call to Action: Ferguson urges listeners to support investigative journalism and engage with political processes to ensure accountability.
Notable Quotes:
Ben Ferguson: "These are important moments... to show symbolism that, hey, we are not going to just sit here and act like this is not happening." (40:53)
Senator Ted Cruz: "Every American, whether Democrat or Republican, should be horrified at the state of affairs." (32:28)
This episode of The 47 Morning Update with Ben Ferguson offers a critical examination of Joe Biden's financial dealings, the administration's immigration policies, and efforts to honor individuals who fought against oppressive regimes. Through incisive dialogue with Senator Ted Cruz, the podcast underscores concerns about transparency, accountability, and the integrity of democratic institutions, urging listeners to remain vigilant and engaged in the political landscape.
Note: This summary intentionally omits promotional segments and advertisements present in the original transcript to focus solely on the substantive content and discussions related to the podcast's primary topics.