COVID Docs Released by Ratcliffe, No Taxes on Tips-Can it Happen plus Obstruction during Confirmation Hearings Week In Review

Summary

The 47 Morning Update with Ben Ferguson
Episode Summary: "COVID Docs Released by Ratcliffe, No Taxes on Tips-Can it Happen plus Obstruction during Confirmation Hearings Week In Review"
Release Date: February 1, 2025

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Ben Ferguson, renowned national radio host and political commentator, delves deep into the week's most pressing political developments in this episode of The 47 Morning Update. Joined by Senator Ted Cruz, Ferguson explores significant revelations from the CIA, ambitious tax legislation proposals, and the ongoing Democratic resistance during presidential confirmation hearings. This comprehensive summary captures the essence of their discussion, highlighting key points, insightful analyses, and notable quotes.

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1. CIA Director John Ratcliffe Releases COVID-19 Origin Information

A. Unveiling Hidden Intelligence

Senator Cruz opens the discussion by addressing the recent confirmation of John Ratcliffe as the new CIA Director. Shortly after his appointment, Ratcliffe disclosed intelligence suggesting a higher likelihood of COVID-19 originating from a lab leak in Wuhan, a stance previously withheld by the Biden-Harris administration.

Ted Cruz [00:01]: "The CIA now says COVID-19 is more likely to have originated from a lab leak... They didn't divulge this intel while Biden and Harris were in charge."

B. Ratcliffe's Transparency Efforts

Ben Ferguson underscores the significance of Ratcliffe's transparency, emphasizing the administration's shift towards restoring public trust in intelligence institutions.

John Ratcliffe [03:11]: "We have to restore Americans' trust in our own institutions like the intelligence community... These aren't mutually exclusive missions."

C. Implications of the Revelation

The release of this information not only sheds light on the administration's previous opacity but also reignites debates about government transparency and accountability.

Ben Ferguson [01:55]: "It's striking that the CIA had concluded this under Biden-Harris but chose not to inform the American people."

2. No Taxes on Tips: A Bipartisan Movement

A. Origin of the Proposal

The conversation transitions to a compelling tax proposal championed by former President Donald Trump: eliminating taxes on tips. Ferguson narrates how the idea emerged organically from a conversation Trump had with a waitress expressing tax burdens.

Ben Ferguson [12:24]: "Trump pulled out a piece of paper and wrote, 'No taxes on tips,' inspired by a waitress's complaint about her tax burden."

B. Legislative Momentum and Bipartisan Support

Ferguson highlights the swift bipartisan support the proposal garnered, with Nevada senators Jackie Rosen and Katherine Cortez Masto co-sponsoring the legislation. Even Vice President Kamala Harris endorsed the initiative, recognizing its widespread impact on tip-dependent workers.

Ben Ferguson [12:24]: "Both senators from Nevada immediately co-sponsored it... Kamala Harris endorsed it, saying, 'This is a great idea.'"

C. Path to Legislation

The strategy to pass this legislation involves rallying support in the House and Senate, leveraging the current Republican majority to navigate potential Democratic opposition. Ferguson is optimistic about its passage within the year, regardless of procedural challenges.

Ben Ferguson [12:24]: "My prediction is this, this will get done before the end of 2025."

D. Public Engagement and Advocacy

Ferguson advises constituents to advocate directly by contacting their representatives with clear, concise support for the policy, emphasizing the importance of simple messaging.

Ben Ferguson [17:54]: "If you want Congress to pass no taxes on tips, you don't need to present a long, detailed, subtle argument... Just say, 'Pass no taxes on tips.'"

3. Democratic Obstruction During Confirmation Hearings

A. Challenges in Confirming Nominees

The discussion shifts to the Democrats' persistent efforts to obstruct the confirmation of Trump’s cabinet nominees. Ferguson shares his firsthand experience with the confirmation process, highlighting delays and strategic resistance from Democratic senators.

Ben Ferguson [08:48]: "The Democrats delayed it several days just because they're engaged in obstruction."

B. Successes Amidst Resistance

Despite the obstruction, several nominees have been confirmed, including John Ratcliffe as CIA Director and Kristi Noem as Secretary of Homeland Security, showcasing the administration's determination to push through its agenda.

Ben Ferguson [10:13]: "That's why we rammed through, forced them to stay through the weekend... and we confirmed Pete Hegseth and Kristi Noem."

C. Future Nominee Confirmations

Looking ahead, Ferguson anticipates the confirmation of additional nominees in key positions such as Secretary of Treasury, Transportation, Energy, and Interior. He remains confident despite Democrats targeting certain nominees like Tulsi Gabbard and Bobby Kennedy.

Ben Ferguson [10:13]: "We have next week Scott Besant for Secretary of Treasury, Sean Duffy for Secretary of Transportation... I think all four of them will be confirmed next week."

D. Impact on the Republican Base

Ferguson posits that Democratic obstruction may inadvertently galvanize the Republican base, strengthening unity against perceived partisan tactics.

Ben Ferguson [26:30]: "Does that unify the Republican base more? Because it's like, all right, come on, guys."

4. Week In Review

A. Legislative Progress and Political Maneuvering

The episode encapsulates the week's legislative advancements and political maneuvers, illustrating the dynamic interplay between the Biden-Harris administration, the Republican majority, and Democratic opposition.

B. Public Opinion and Polling Insights

Ferguson shares polling data reflecting public sentiment, such as the notable 28% of Floridians mistakenly associating him with the Zodiac Killer, underscoring challenges in public perception and misinformation.

Ben Ferguson [07:34]: "A real poll shows that 28% of Floridians believe I may well be the Zodiac Killer."

C. Anecdotes and Humor

Interspersed with serious discussions, the conversation includes light-hearted moments, showcasing the hosts' rapport and easing the tension around contentious topics.

Ben Ferguson [07:54]: "When Trump said he was releasing the JFK files... I got to tell you, I'm buying a plane ticket for my dad to go to Bolivia right now."

5. Notable Quotes

• Senator Ted Cruz [00:01]: "These were the major stories that we chatted about this past week that you may have missed."

• John Ratcliffe [03:11]: "The purpose of the CIA is to protect Americans... we need to be truthful with Americans."

• Ben Ferguson [08:13]: "Bulldozing through confirmations shows the Democrats don't want us to move forward."

• Bobby Kennedy [29:32]: "I ran for president like you. I got millions and millions of contributions. They did not come from the executives. They came from workers."

6. Insights and Conclusions

The episode underscores a pivotal moment in American politics, marked by increased transparency from intelligence agencies, bold legislative proposals aimed at supporting blue-collar workers, and the tenacity of the Republican majority in overcoming Democratic obstruction. Ben Ferguson and Senator Ted Cruz articulate a vision of a United States where government accountability and support for everyday workers take precedence, despite the challenges posed by political opposition.

Ferguson's optimism about the passage of significant legislation, combined with his strategic advice for public advocacy, highlights a proactive approach to shaping policy. Meanwhile, the revelations from John Ratcliffe add a layer of complexity to the ongoing discourse about government transparency and accountability.

Overall, this episode provides listeners with a nuanced understanding of the current political landscape, emphasizing the importance of informed civic engagement and the continuous push for legislative progress amidst partisan challenges.

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Transcript

[Ted Cruz]

Welcome. It is Verdict with Ted Cruz. Weekend Review. Ben Ferguson with you. And these were the major stories that we chatted about this past week that you may have missed. First up, John Radcliffe being confirmed as a CIA director. Well, he then decided to release Covid info that was readily available when Joe Biden and Kamala Harris were in the White House, but they deliberately chose not to share it with the American people. What is that information? I'll explain it to you in just a moment. Also tips no tax on them and no tax on Social Security. Can this idea from Donald Trump actually pass through Congress? Senator Cruz explains the real opportunity here to change things in a big way for seniors. And finally, Democrats moving to obstruct the confirmation hearings as much as they can. And they're trying to get at least one of Trump's nominees to fail. So what is going to happen next? We'll explain that for you. It is the Weekend Review and it starts right now. I want to move to this other big headline and that deals with the CIA and releasing new analysis on the COVID origins. It doesn't matter where you read the headline, whether it's Fox News, Politico, ap, BBC, Wall Street Journal, they're all writing the same article now. And I'll go to Politico. CIA now says COVID 19 is more likely to have originated from a lab leak. Now, the most interesting part about this transparency that we're getting from the CIA director, John Ratcliffe, a friend of both of ours, is the fact that he made it clear, hey, I'm releasing information that they had already come to a conclusion on, Senator, when Biden and Harris were in charge, they just didn't want the American people to know it. So if you think I'm the one giving you this intel, it's not me. This is intel from Biden and Harris that they hid from you.

[Ben Ferguson]

Yeah. So the CIA had already come to this conclusion. And for a number of years, the CIA's public position was it could not conclude with certainty where the pandemic started. And yet two days after John Radcliffe was sworn in as the new director of the CIA, they issued a public statement that said, quote, we have low confidence in this judgment and will continue to evaluate any available credible new intelligence reporting or open source information that could change CIA's assessment. And by the way, low confidence, typically when the intelligence community has a conclusion that they will report it with low confidence, with moderate confidence, or with high confidence. So they're saying that they're not convinced it's absolutely right, but they Think it's correct, but it's at the lowest confidence level. And they did note CIA continues to assess that both research related and natural origin scenarios of the COVID pandemic remain plausible. It is striking, however, that as you just said a second ago, the CIA had concluded this some time ago. It's just under Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. They didn't bother to tell the American people. Listen to John Radcliffe explaining this.

[John Ratcliffe]

Part of what we have to do is we have to restore Americans trust in our own institutions like the intelligence community and law enforcement, and that that includes the CIA. And you know, one of the things that the President stressed, you know, that the purpose of the CIA is to protect Americans, to keep us safe from foreign threats and foreign adversaries, but we also need to be truthful with Americans. And he has stressed to me and others that, you know, these aren't mutually exclusive missions. We can do both. And so in the case of the CIA, which is the best foreign intelligence service in the world, after five years, to not have a public assessment to be honest with the American people about where the likely source of a pandemic that killed millions around the world, including a million Americans, and really impacted all 345 million Americans in some way. People lost jobs, they lost houses, they lost their health, they lost their businesses, all of that. And so I had the opportunity on my first day to make public an assessment that actually took place in the Biden administration so it can't be accused of being political. And it does assess. The CIA has assessed that the most likely cause of this pandemic that has wrought so much devastation around the world was because of a lab related incident in Wuhan. And so we'll continue to investigate that moving forward. But I think it was important for the American people to see an institution like the CIA get off the sidelines and be truthful about what our intelligence shows at the same time of protecting us from adversaries like China. If they caused or contributed to this.

[Ted Cruz]

I mean, Senator, wow. What else can you say? This is all intel that we already had that they hid and lied to the American people about.

[Ben Ferguson]

Well, listen, and I know John Ratcliffe well, he's a good friend of mine. He is someone I sat and spent about an hour talking with him a week ago before his confirmation. And I'll tell you, one of the things I urge John to do is bring maximum transparency. That's possible. Look, the nature of the CIA, you can't be transparent in everything. Obviously, we don't want the public to know the identity of COVID agents or, you know, secret wiretaps or things that would jeopardize national security. But the consequences of the politicization and weaponization of both law enforcement and the intelligence community is that the public's trust in those institutions has been severely diminished. That's what John was talking about in that clip you just played. And so I urged him. By the way, it's the same thing I've urged Pam Bondi, who's been nominated to be Attorney General. It's the same thing I've urged Cash Patel, who's been nominated to be FBI Director, is have the maximum transparency possible. And in particular, I've urged them with respect to Covid and the origins of COVID and by the way, any US Government complicity in terms of funding the Chinese research and the gain of function research that may have created the COVID virus, that we need maximum transparency concerning that in particular. And I think John Ratcliffe is following through with that. I've also urged maximum transparency concerning January 6th and any US government informants who may have been involved, who may have enticed or entrapped people into conduct on that day to make that public as well. And I'm hopeful. And by the way, I'll mention Trump is also releasing the files on. On JFK and RFK and Martin Luther King's assassinations. I will note, Ben, when. When Trump said he was releasing the JFK files.

[Ted Cruz]

I know where you're going with this.

[Ben Ferguson]

I did at least tweet. Just wondering, what are the non extradition countries again, I'm asking for a friend.

[Ted Cruz]

All right. You can't say that without telling the back story on this one, right? Can you remind people the humor here?

[Ben Ferguson]

Sure. During 2016, Trump accused my father of killing JFK, which, for the record, no, my dad did not kill jfk. He did kill Jimmy Hoffa. Jimmy Hoffa's buried my dad's backyard, but he didn't kill jfk. And so it's a thing. And so if he's releasing the JFK files, I got to tell you, I'm buying a plane ticket for my dad to go to Bolivia right now.

[Ted Cruz]

Between that and the Zodiac Killer, you just making headlines, my friend.

[Ben Ferguson]

And it is amazing. So, Ben, there is actually a real poll that I have seen that show this was a few years ago, that 28% of Floridians believe I may well be the Zodiac Killer. Which is.

[Ted Cruz]

That's one I would frame and put on my desk. I'm not gonna lie.

[Ben Ferguson]

It really is and given that the Zodiac Killer killed a number of people in Northern California in the 1960s before I was born, that's an amazing talent. To be able to murder in utero, to reach, like, back in time. That. That's. That. That. That's just. You know, I'm kind of proud of that.

[Ted Cruz]

I mean, if liberals need another reason to be afraid of you, just know that Senator Cruz can time travel, per. Per Internet reports.

[Ben Ferguson]

So, as the meme says, fafo.

[Ted Cruz]

I love it. All right, let's talk about the last thing on our list, and it is one. Were you right in your prediction? When did you get home? Uh, we. If. If you listen to our last show, we were talking about our Democrats gonna hold out through the weekend. Are you gonna have to stay in D.C. all weekend? Are you gonna get to come home? They were holding up the nominations yet again. So tell us how that went down. When did you get back? Were you right?

[Ben Ferguson]

So I was right. I said I thought we'd get back Saturday. I thought the Democrats would fight tooth and nail to try to beat Pete Hegseth. I said they'd lose. And I said when they lost, they'd give in. And they want to get out of town because they want to get home just like we do. So that's exactly what happened. So we were there. We were there late Friday night, and. And then we ended up finishing the vote Saturday morning, and we all flew out Saturday afternoon. So. So I'm. You and I are recording. It is 12:11 in the morning right now. Sunday night. Monday morning, I'm in Houston, and tomorrow morning, I'll fly back to DC to go back to the Senate tomorrow. So we did get out. And where are we on the confirmations? So right now, four cabinet members have been confirmed. The first to be confirmed was Marco Rubio as Secretary of State. He was confirmed on January 20. The vote was 99 to nothing. The second to be confirmed was the guy that you just played that clip from, John Ratcliffe, a CIA director. The vote was 72 to 26. So big bipartisan vote. And it's striking, though, that the Democrats delayed that several days, even though there was clear bipartisan support for him. Ratcliffe should have been confirmed on January 20 also. In fact, we thought he was going to. And the Democrats delayed it several days just because they're engaged in obstruction. They're trying to delay everything, and we're.

[Ted Cruz]

Way behind schedule compared to other administrations.

[Ben Ferguson]

Just so people understand that way behind is strong, but they're dragging their feet, and that's why that's why we rammed through, forced them to stay through the weekend, kept them late Friday night, kept them there Saturday to make clear, listen, if you delay, we'll just motor through and so you can decide do you want it to be unpleasant or. Or do you want to move forward? We're going to move expeditiously and confirm these nominees. The Democrats, if they want, they can abuse the procedural rules, they can drag things out, but that means they're going to be there on Fridays and Saturdays and Sundays, and they're not going home. And that's the most effective way to get them to cave in, which is what they did. And so Friday night, the third cabinet member was confirmed. That was Pete Hegseth. And then on Saturday, we confirmed the fourth cabinet member, which is Kristi Noem for Secretary of Homeland Security. She was confirmed 5934. So a respectable bipartisan vote, not overwhelming, but she got six Democrats. And next week, we have teed up Scott Besant for Secretary of Treasury, Sean Duffy for Secretary of Transportation, Chris Wright for Secretary of Energy, and Doug Burgum for Secretary of the Interior. All of them are out of committee. All of them are teed up. I think all four of them will be confirmed next week. We may have some others confirmed next week as well, but we're moving expeditiously. And as I said, my prediction is that we will confirm all of Trump's cabinet nominees within 30 days. We also have next week in Judiciary, we will vote Pam Bondi out of committee, and we'll have the hearing on Cash Patel. And by the way, one of the things I did last week is participated in a moot preparation with Cash Patel, which was very productive. Cash, I think, is going to do a good job. The Democrats are going to go hard after Cash Patel. They're going to go hard after Tulsi Gabbard. Those are their top two targets.

[Ted Cruz]

Now, if you want to hear the rest of this conversation, you can go back and listen to the full podcast from earlier this week. Now on to story number two. All right, so taxes, tips. It was clearly a big campaign issue. It brought in a lot of voters. A lot of people came to Donald Trump and said, this could have a huge impact. Now it's paying off on it. Is there a real chance?

[Ben Ferguson]

So, yes, and I believe this will happen. This will happen by the end of the year. So let's rewind. In the middle of the presidential campaign, Donald Trump was in Las Vegas, Nevada, and he actually told us a story. So he came by in the Middle of the campaign, he had lunch with all the Republican senators. And he said, listen, I was in Vegas, I had a rally that night. And he said, I was having lunch. And he said there was a waitress who came who was, you know, serving me my meal. And he said she began, like, complaining about the enormous burden that the Biden administration had put on recording her tips on paying taxes on tips. And he said, I pulled out a piece of paper and I got out a pen and I just wrote, no taxes on tips. He said, it's just an idea that popped in my head. And he said, look, some people, they. They focus group things. They do white papers. He said, I didn't do any of that. I just wrote it down from a. From the conversation I had with the waitress over lunch. And he said, I had that rally later the day, and I had thousands of people there. And he said, I just threw it out there. No taxes on tips. And he said, and they went crazy. They went absolutely crazy. And I got to say, there are times when. When Trump, I just think, has an instinct that is a very good gut instinct. And I think this policy makes enormous sense. And so when he announced it, he's right. The crowd went crazy. I looked at it and I said, this is a great idea. I immediately went to my team and I said, let's draft the legislation to make this happen. So the next week, I filed federal legislation of no taxes on tips. Now, what's interesting, Ben, is when I filed this, it immediately became bipartisan. Both senators from Nevada, Jackie Rosen and Katherine Cortez Masto, both of them immediately co sponsored it. One of them said to me, she said, look, in Nevada, 25% of the employees in the entire state are tipped workers. And so it was bipartisan. And then shortly thereafter, Kamala Harris endorsed it, and she said, this is a great idea. So it became. There was enormous bipartisan support. Now, obviously, Trump has won. We have a Republican Senate, Republican House. I've refiled my legislation. Here's what I'm pressing to happen. So Trump just was back in the. In Nevada, in Las Vegas, just made a huge push to pass this. I am pressing for Congress to pass the legislation right now. It doesn't have to be part of budget reconciliation. Now, for any tax bill under the Constitution, the House of Representatives has to originate it. So if that's a provision in the Constitution, the Senate cannot start a tax bill. A tax bill has to originate with the House. So I am urging the speaker of the House, I'm urging the Majority Leader take up My legislation, no taxes on tips. Just pass it. We have the votes in the House. Republicans can pass it. If it passes and goes over to the Senate, I believe we can pass it in the Senate and I think we'll get 60 votes so we don't have to wait for reconciliation. Reconciliation is the process that gets around the filibuster, lets us pass something with just 50 votes. I don't think we need that for no taxes on tips. If the House passes it, what I'm urging John Thune, the Senate majority leaders, put it on the Senate floor. I think we'll get 60 votes, and that means we could pass it. It would be a big bipartisan win and we'll put it on President Trump's desk. He can sign it into law as a huge victory. And by the way, it's a win win, Ben. If we put it on the floor and Democrats decide to be partisan, they decide, okay, we're going to oppose it because we just oppose any tax cut. We oppose anything Trump wants. Okay, that's not the end of the day. If Democrats defeat it in the Senate because we can't get to 60, that's fine, then we'll stick it in budget reconciliation. We can get it done with 50. But it's a win win, because every Democrat senator who votes no, that is an ugly issue. In two years to go face the voters and say, hey, I voted against no taxes on tips, even though every waiter, every waitress, every bartender, every taxi driver, every Uber driver, every barber, every hairstylist, every nail salon person, everyone who is relying on tips cares a lot about this. So if the Democrats all want to vote against it. Look, I think this policy is an incredible embodiment of the most important political transformation of the last decade, which is that Republicans have become a blue collar party. We are the party of waiters and waitresses and working men and women. And so Democrats can decide where they stand. But I think we ought to get this passed. And one way or another, my prediction is this, this will get done before the end of 2025.

[Ted Cruz]

Is this one of those issues where people should call their congressmen their senators? I mean, we talk about this. I mean, yes. And what do you say? I. This is good for my state, this is good for my city, this is good for hourly workers. What is the best argument?

[Ben Ferguson]

Just pass no taxes on tips. So, look, one of the things to understand when you call your congressman, when you call your senator, if you make a detailed, subtle argument that doesn't get through. So every member of Congress gets What I get every day, which is I get an email. So. All right, let me find my email from today. Call totals. So 128, 25 today, there were 1,372 calls to my office. There were 754 to D.C. there were 618 to Texas. There were 482 live calls. So we had interns and staff assistants who answered 482 calls. Today there were 890 calls that went to voicemails. Of those calls, 1,322 Texans called. 50 non Texans called. So overwhelmingly, the calls were Texans. So let's break it down. Casework. So that's. I've got an issue with Social Security. I've got an issue with the VA. I've got an issue with the government. 45 of those calls were casework. And I've got a whole team that works to help Texans deal with the government every day. 24 dealt with the academy. So. So young men and women, high school students that want to go to Service Academy. So 24 of them. Eight concern the campaign. I don't know what they concerned. 91 concern scheduling. So people calling saying, hey, can you come do this event or this other event? Now, of the breakdown, 18 called in support of me. 28 called in opposition to me. Some people called and said, I can't stand Cruz. He's terrible. Okay, that. That gets recorded. 10 people called in support of President Trump. 79 people called in opposition to President Trump. Now nominations. 75 people called in support President Trump's nominees. 70 people called in opposition to President Trump's nominees. Now it's interesting. RFK Jr got a bunch of calls. 187 people, this is yesterday, called in support of RFK Jr for HHS Secretary. 93 people called in opposition to RFK Jr so about two to one, Bobby Kennedy, the calls were coming in. 19 people called in support of Cash Patel for FBI Director. Four hundred and thirty two people called in opposition to Cash Patel as FBI director. And I think there probably were some liberal groups stirring up calls because that number is big enough. 432.

[Ted Cruz]

I was going to say, when you see days like that, you got to be thinking somebody went on an email campaign or a call blitz campaign and said, yeah, target this member today specifically, because if it doesn't match the day before, the day after, that's when that's kind of the tell, right?

[Ben Ferguson]

And that happens. They're groups that will focus and say, make these calls. And I think Those calls, the 432, that's a big enough number. That's where that probably came from. Now, in addition, 48 people called in support of Tulsi Gabbard, 22 people called in opposition to Tulsi Gabbard on legislative issues, 13 people called in support of border security, two people called in opposition to border security. And interestingly enough, 474 people called in opposition to the OMB pause of federally appropriated funds. So look, that's the sort of report. I get that report every day and I read it every day. Now, look, we get, over the course of the year, hundreds of thousands of calls. So I can't listen to every voicemail that comes in. I could literally spend all day long doing nothing but listening to voicemails and not do any hearings, not do any legislation, and I still wouldn't have enough time. So the way I consume that data is through a report like that. I just read you the report that came today. Every other member consumes it the same way. What I'm saying is, if you want Congress to pass no taxes on tips, you don't need to present a long, detailed, subtle argument as to all of the pros and cons. Just pick up the phone and call your member and say, pass no taxes on tips. If you say that sentence, it will get recorded in a report just like that to the House member of the Senate or your colleague. That's how the information gets consumed.

[Ted Cruz]

That's encouraging. By the way, you said everybody looks at their call list like the same way you do.

[Ben Ferguson]

I hope so. I don't know that. There may be some people that don't give a damn. I look at it every day. I can't promise that all 535 members of Congress do, but I certainly look at it every day because I work for 31 million Texans, and so I want to see what issues people are engaged on and what they care about.

[Ted Cruz]

As before, if you want to hear the rest of this conversation on this topic, you can go back and download the podcast from earlier this week to hear the entire thing. I want to get back to the big story number three of the week. You may have missed that. That that obviously means the pace is moving up. When you look at so far what's happened, there does seem to be a little bit of a change. Now we're noticing it with the Democrats and in the media especially, it seems like there's a real appetite to just get a nominee, whatever one they can get their hands on to not pass. Is that part of the gamesmanship that we're witnessing? Am I reading the room the right way?

[Ben Ferguson]

Yeah. Look, I still believe, and I've said this a number of times, that all of Trump's Cabinet nominees are going to be confirmed, and I think they'll be confirmed within 30 days, that we are leaning in. We're putting the pedal to the metal. Under the Senate rules, the Democrats can delay some, but I think within 30 days, we'll get them all through. Now, the two, the three that they're going after hardest are in terms of Cabinet nominees. Tulsi Gabbard for Director of National Intelligence, Bobby Kennedy for Health and Human Services, and then it's not a Cabinet position, but Kash Patel for Director of the FBI, which it's a sub cabinet position, but a very, very important law enforcement position. Those are the three. It's not complicated or subtle. Those three are the top targets of the Democrats today in the Senate Judiciary Committee. We had Cash Patel's hearing. I was vigorous at the hearing defending him. I will tell you, I think Cash did very well. I think he acquitted himself in an excellent way. This evening I was on Sean Hannity, and as I put it, I said my assessment of the Democrats behavior at Cash Patel's hearing reminded me of the quote from. From Shakespeare's Macbeth. It was a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury and signifying nothing.

[Ted Cruz]

That is a great, accurate way of describing it was a, you know what show is how I was going to put it.

[Ben Ferguson]

But. But they didn't land any material blows. And look, the point on Cash, what they're attacking him on, not that he's not qualified. He's clearly qualified. He has over a decade of experience in law enforcement, national security, including having been a federal public defender, including having been a federal prosecutor, having worked in the National Security Division of the Department of Justice, having worked in the White House and the National Security Council, having been a senior intelligence staffer on Capitol Hill, and having been the Chief of Staff at the United States Defense Department Department. They're not arguing he's unqualified. What they're arguing is they're terrified he will do exactly what President Trump promised he would do, which is eliminate the politicization and weaponization of the FBI and get it back to its core function. I believe Cash Patel will do that. And I think the Democrats are freaking out because they don't want him to do that. But I think Cash will make it through. We also had hearings this week for both Bobby Kennedy and Tulsi Gabbard. I don't know. It is not impossible that one of those nominees is defeated. But I think they all make it through right now.

[Ted Cruz]

When you look at the Republicans, when Democrats are pushing this obstructionism the way that they're doing it and trying to slow things down, does that unify the Republican base more? Because it's like, all right, come on, guys. Does that make it actually easier to get the votes you need? Because you, you realize what you're up against?

[Ben Ferguson]

Oh, look, potentially you had Pete Hegseth, who is the one they went after the hardest so far, and that vote was 50. 50. We lost three Republicans. We lost Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski and Mitch McConnell because we have a 53, 47 majority. Losing three made it 50 50. And that meant the vice president, J.D. vance, could break the tie. I am glad we have 53. If we had a 51 vote majority, I would not be nearly so sanguine. I saying every Trump cabinet nominee is going to be confirmed if we had a 51 vote majority. But because we have 53, we can lose up to three. And so I think all of these make it through. Listen, Tulsi. Tulsi was a Democrat for most of her career. She is perceived, if you look at Republican foreign policy, they're interventionists and isolationists. There are many who perceive Tulsi as much more of an isolationist. So there are Republicans who have real concerns with her. Will that play out in a no vote? I don't know. I think the President deserves a considerable amount of deference in naming his cabinet members. And he has decided to name Tulsi Gabbard. I'm gonna vote yes, but I don't know. It's not impossible that we get four no votes which would take down the nomination. Likewise, Bobby Kennedy. Bobby Kennedy is a complicated situation. Both Kennedy and Tulsi, until like 12 minutes ago, they were both Democrats.

[Ted Cruz]

Yeah.

[Ben Ferguson]

And so Bobby Kennedy, obviously a scion of one of the great Democrat royalty families. Camelot. It is a curious dynamic. It's not clear to me any Democrat is gonna vote for him, which is an interesting situation. Listen, there are some conservatives. Bobby Kennedy, until recently, on many policies, his views were quite left of center. I'm gonna vote for Bobby Kennedy because I think he's a change agent, because I think he has courage to take on, I think some of the corruption that we have at hhs, particularly with big Pharma, that gets in bed with the career bureaucrats there and stifles competition and drives up costs. I think if you have a terrible disease, you should have a right to access life. Saving medication. And I'm one of the original sponsors of the right to try legislation. I think that's very important. And I think Bobby Kennedy is gonna shake up the cronyism that has characterized hhs. What's not clear to me is if any Democrats want that cronyism shaken up. And to be honest, there may be some Republicans who don't. Let's play this exchange. So this is Bobby Kennedy responding to Bernie Sanders. Bernie's going to vote no. And Bernie was attacking him like crazy. But I got to say, Bobby Kennedy popped him back pretty hard. Listen to this exchange.

[Bernie Sanders]

I'm going to make America healthier than other countries in the world right now.

[Ben Ferguson]

Will you guarantee?

[Bobby Kennedy]

Do what every other major country does? It's a simple question.

[Bernie Sanders]

And by the way, Bernie, you know, the problem of corruption is not just in the federal agencies, it's in Congress too. Almost all the members of this panel are accepting, including yourself, are accepting millions of dollars from the pharmaceutical industry. Oh, no.

[Ben Ferguson]

Protecting their interests.

[Bobby Kennedy]

Oh, I thought that that would. No, no. I ran for president like you. I got millions and millions of contributions. They did not come from the executives. Not one nickel of PAC money from the pharmaceutical. They came from workers.

[Bernie Sanders]

2020. In 2020, you were the single largest.

[Bobby Kennedy]

Because I had pharmaceutical money from workers all over this country. Workers. Not a nickel. From corporate.

[Bernie Sanders]

You were the single largest. Exputical dollars.

[Ted Cruz]

No.

[Bobby Kennedy]

From workers. In 1.5 million. Yeah. Out of 200 million. All right, but you have not answered last question.

[Ted Cruz]

I mean, you want to talk about a beat down with the facts there, Bernie. You've accepted millions of dollars from the pharmaceutical industry. In 2020, you were the single largest receiver of pharmaceutical dollars. 1.5 million. Like. Well, let's just move on here.

[Ben Ferguson]

Yeah, he did not like that exchange. By the way, I've never seen a confirmation hearing where the nominee refers to the senator by his first name. He keeps calling him Bernie like it's clear. Bobby Kennedy and Bernie Sanders, they know each other well. I mean, they've got a long history there because that's. That, that's quite unusual too. But I gotta say, Bernie was not anticipating that pop back. We'll see how it plays out. But I think Kennedy's gonna get confirmed. I want him to get confirmed. I like Bobby Kennedy and I also think there are a lot of Americans, a lot of Americans who are not even very political. A lot of moms who are worried about the garbage that our kids are consuming, are worried about the rise in chronic illness, that I think Bobby Kennedy is a very good person to take that on.

[Ted Cruz]

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