FBI Uncovers Chinese Plot to Sway 2020 Election for Biden plus U.S. Moves to Ban Chinese Ownership of Farmland

Summary

The 47 Morning Update with Ben Ferguson Episode: FBI Uncovers Chinese Plot to Sway 2020 Election for Biden plus U.S. Moves to Ban Chinese Ownership of Farmland
Release Date: July 9, 2025

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Introduction

In this episode of The 47 Morning Update with Ben Ferguson, host Ben Ferguson delves into two significant national security concerns: the FBI's investigations into former top government officials related to the 2016 Trump-Russia probe, and a newly uncovered Chinese plot aimed at influencing the 2020 U.S. presidential election in favor of Joe Biden. Additionally, Ferguson examines the United States' strategic move to ban Chinese ownership of American farmland, particularly areas near military bases.

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FBI Investigations into John Brennan and James Comey

The episode opens with alarming revelations about the FBI's latest investigations targeting John Brennan, the former CIA Director, and James Comey, the former FBI Director. These investigations are centered around their roles in the Trump-Russia probe, which is now being scrutinized for possible collusion aimed at undermining President Donald Trump's administration.

Notable Highlights:

• Accountability Measures: The FBI has launched criminal investigations into Brennan and Comey for their alleged involvement in a "coup attempt" to remove Trump from office. According to the News Anchor, "The Department of Justice sources now telling Fox News that the CIA director John Ratcliffe had allegedly referred evidence of wrongdoing by Brennan to the FBI Director Cash Patel and added that a quote, criminal investigation to Brennan was opened and is underway, quote, unquote" ([06:14]).

• Internal CIA Review: An internal CIA review, declassified by CIA Director John Ratcliffe, suggests that the intelligence community's assessment of Russian interference in the 2016 election was tainted by a "corrupt process" under Brennan and Comey's leadership ([06:14]).

• Conspiracy Concerns: The FBI views the interactions between Brennan and Comey as potential "conspiracy," raising questions about the integrity of the initial Russia investigation ([06:14]).

Quote:

"CIA Director John Ratcliffe referred evidence of wrongdoing by Brennan to the FBI director Cash Patel for potential prosecution is what DOJ sources also told to Fox News." ([07:52])

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Chinese Plot to Sway the 2020 Election Favoring Joe Biden

Transitioning from internal government investigations, the episode uncovers a disturbing Chinese scheme to influence the 2020 U.S. presidential election. According to declassified FBI documents highlighted by Fox News, China attempted to flood the United States with fake driver's licenses to facilitate fraudulent mail-in ballots for Joe Biden.

Key Points:

• Election Interference Tactics: The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) aimed to distribute 20,000 fake driver's licenses, potentially altering key battleground states like Wisconsin, Arizona, and Georgia ([06:14]).

• FBI's Delayed Response: Despite possessing this intelligence before the election, the FBI allegedly downplayed the threat by attributing suspicious activities solely to Russia, as stated by former Director Chris Wray during his testimony to Congress ([06:14]).

• Biden's Ties to China: The documents suggest that the Biden family was financially entangled with Chinese interests, hinting at a complex web of influence and corruption ([07:52]).

Quote:

"If Democrats actually care about democracy, they'd want answers." ([07:52])

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U.S. Moves to Ban Chinese Ownership of Farmland Near Military Bases

Shifting focus to agricultural security, the episode discusses the United States' concerted efforts to prevent Chinese entities from purchasing American farmland, especially those in proximity to military installations. This move is spearheaded by Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins under the new National Farm Security Act.

Highlights:

• Scale of Chinese Ownership: As of 2023, China owned over 277,000 acres of U.S. farmland, with significant holdings near critical military bases ([10:58]).

• Legislative and Executive Actions: The proposed ban involves executive orders and potential legislation to restrict new sales and reclaim existing Chinese-owned lands through multi-agency coordination, including the USDA, Defense Department, Homeland Security, and Treasury Department ([11:24]).

• Decline in Chinese Ownership: USDA data indicates a reduction in Chinese farmland ownership to approximately 265,000 to 300,000 acres, with major players like Smithfield Foods divesting around 85,000 acres ([12:05]).

Quote:

"Madam Secretary, it's good to see you tonight. So as of 2023, and this is going to shock the viewers, China reportedly owned more than 277,000 acres of agricultural land in the country." ([10:58])

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Comments from Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins

Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins provides deeper insights into the government's strategy to curb foreign influence in American agriculture. She emphasizes the national security implications of allowing adversarial nations to own vital agricultural resources.

Key Statements:

• National Security Priority: "100% national security issue. Food security, national security." ([12:13])

• Executive and Legislative Collaboration: Stressing the need for an "all of government approach," Rollins outlines the multifaceted efforts to implement the farmland ban through executive actions and legislative support ([11:42]).

Quote:

"How is this allowed, though? China owns Smithfield Foods, one of the largest food processing plants in the United States. Land near military bases. I've covered this for 20 years." ([12:05])

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President Trump's Remarks on Farm Workers

The episode also touches upon President Donald Trump's contrasting statements regarding illegal immigrant farm workers. While Trump emphasizes a stringent stance against amnesty and advocates for deportations, he simultaneously acknowledges the indispensable role of immigrant labor in the agricultural sector.

Highlights:

• No Amnesty Policy: Trump reiterates his administration's commitment to deporting illegal immigrants, focusing on "criminals" while ensuring the continuity of the food supply through established work programs ([12:41]).

• Balancing Security and Labor Needs: Despite advocating for mass deportations, Trump recognizes the essential contribution of immigrants to farming, suggesting that farmers vouch for their workers to maintain agricultural productivity ([12:50]).

Quote:

"There's no amnesty. What we're doing is we're getting rid of criminals, but we are doing a work program." ([12:41])

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Conclusion

Ben Ferguson's episode of The 47 Morning Update provides a comprehensive analysis of critical national security issues facing the United States. From internal investigations that may reshape perceptions of the 2016 Trump-Russia probe to external threats aimed at undermining democratic processes, the podcast underscores the multifaceted challenges in safeguarding American sovereignty. Additionally, the strategic move to ban Chinese ownership of farmland near military bases highlights the administration's proactive measures to secure vital national resources. Through detailed reporting and insightful commentary, Ferguson ensures listeners are well-informed about the pressing issues shaping America's future.

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Notable Quotes:

1. John Ratcliffe on Brennan's Investigation:

   "CIA Director John Ratcliffe referred evidence of wrongdoing by Brennan to the FBI director Cash Patel for potential prosecution is what DOJ sources also told to Fox News." ([07:52])

2. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins on Farmland Ownership:

   "How is this allowed, though? China owns Smithfield Foods, one of the largest food processing plants in the United States. Land near military bases. I've covered this for 20 years." ([12:05])

3. President Trump's Stance on Illegal Immigrants:

   "There's no amnesty. What we're doing is we're getting rid of criminals, but we are doing a work program." ([12:41])

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This detailed summary encapsulates the key discussions and insights from the episode, providing listeners with a clear understanding of the critical issues addressed without needing to listen to the full podcast.

Transcript

[Podcast Host]

This is an Iheart podcast.

[Ben Ferguson]

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[Political Analyst]

The Chinese owning of farmland in our country is a massive national security issue. And for the media, you can see the yellow is where all of the farms have been purchased over the last number of years. And the red is around all of the military bases where that farmland has been purchased.

[Ben Ferguson]

You're listening to the 47 Morning Update with Ben Ferguson.

[News Anchor]

Good Wednesday morning. Nice to have you with us on the 47 Morning Update. And we've got some major stories we're covering for you. First up, not one but two major FBI investigations, one being launched into John Brennan, the former CIA director, and James Comey, the former FBI director, over their Trump Russia probe and lies. Is accountability finally coming for those that were involved in the collusion to overthrow the will of the voters. And that's not all. The FBI is also releasing documents that now show there was actual collusion, but it wasn't in 2016. It was a plot that the Chinese had to sway the 2020 election in favor of Joe Biden. Not only that, we also have a huge story that is going to protect American farmland and also make sure that Chinese organizations and those connected to the Chinese Communist Party aren't buying up our farmland, especially close to our military bases. It's the 47 Morning Update and it starts right now. Right now the Democrats are doing what they do best, trying to find a way to stop Donald Trump at all costs. But we also know that there was a lot of lies that were told about what Donald Trump had been involved in or had not been involved in is what the reality was when it came to Russia collusion. And there were people that had top secret security clearance at the highest level that knew they were lying to the American people over the issue of the Trump Russia probe A probe, by the way, that turned into a coup attempt to get rid of Donald Trump and make it where he's no longer the President of the United States of America. Well, now there may be some accountability for those former top level government officials as the FBI has now informed the country that they have launched an investigation into John Brennan and the former FBI Director James Comey over that Trump Russia probe, the big lie, a coup attempt, the Federal Bureau of Investigations launching their investigation into the former CIA director John Brennan and as I mention, former FBI Director Comey over their roles in the investigation surrounding President Donald Trump and Russia allegedly colluding, which they knew was a lie. The Department of Justice sources now telling Fox News that the CIA director John Radcliffe had allegedly referred evidence of wrongdoing by Brennan to the FBI Director Cash Patel and added that a quote, criminal investigation to Brennan was opened and is underway, quote, unquote. CIA Director John Ratcliffe referred evidence of wrongdoing by Brennan to the FBI director Cash Patel for potential prosecution is what DOJ sources also told to Fox News. Now the sources said that the referral was received and told Fox News that a criminal investigation into Brennan was open and underway. The DOJ sources declined to provide further details. Now, it is unclear at this point if the investigation spans beyond his alleged false statements to Congress. Obviously this is huge. Now the report of Brennan and Comey reportedly facing criminal investigation comes as we have also learned through another report that Brennan may be exposed to perjury problems after Ratcliffe had released an internal CIA review of what is known as the intelligence community assessment regarding claims that Russia had tried to influence the 2016 presidential election between Trump and the former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Breitbart News Washington bureau chief reported this last week saying Ratcliffe declassified and publicly released an internal CIA review of what is known as the intelligence community assessment or the simply the ICA of the claims that Russia tried to influence the outcome of of the 2016 election. In a post on X, Ratcliffe explained that the report underscores that the 2016 IC assessment was conducted through a atypical and corrupt process under the politically charged environments of the former Director Brennan and the former FBI Director James Comey. Again, this is coming from the current CIA director. The now Fox News also added that while the full scope of the criminal investigations into Brennan and Comey is unclear, two sources describe the FBI's view of the duo's interaction as quote, conspiracy, quote, unquote. Now as that's marinating, I want to tell you about something else that we've learned about real collusion this time. We're now learning from FBI documents that there was, in fact, a Chinese plot to sway the 2020 election in Joe Biden favor. Take a listen to this from Fox News.

[Podcast Host]

FOX News alert. The FBI has declassified a trove of documents suggesting there was a Chinese plot to sway the 2020 election in Biden's favor. An intel source says in August 2020, the CCP tried to flood America with fake driver's licenses, then give them the Chinese nationals so they could vote for the big guy using fraudulent mail ins. A month after the plot was discovered, Border Patrol flagged 20,000 licen at Chicago's O' Hare Airport. These were scannable with credible barcodes. Some even had the same photo and bio slapped onto them. Thankfully, they foiled the plot. 20,000 ballots could have had a big impact. Remember, Biden won Wisconsin, Arizona and Georgia, all within that range. It's easy to understand why Beijing wanted Joe. They had the whole Biden family on their payroll. Meanwhile, Trump's squeezing Chinese heads against the walls with tariffs. But why are we just finding out about this now? The FBI got this intel before the election, and instead of investigating, they buried it. Former Director Chris Wray even testified to Congress, and instead of saying the word China, he just screamed, Russia, Russia, Russia. The intelligence community's consensus is that Russia continues to try to influence our elections primarily through what we would call malign foreign influence to primarily to denigrate Vice President Biden. If this was a Moscow fake ID plot to help Trump, Wray would have held a press conference. He should be hauled back to Washington to testify immediately. If Democrats actually care about democracy, they'd want answers.

[News Anchor]

But they don't. And that's exactly why we're now finding out exactly about what China was doing. You want to know where the real collusion was? Maybe it was the Biden and China. Don't ever forget how much money the Chinese were giving the Biden crime family. Not tens of thousands, not hundreds of thousands, but millions and millions of dollars were coming in from the Chinese to the Biden family. Family and the FBI documents now show the Chinese wanted to sway the 2020 election in favor of Joe Biden. And it's very clear that there's a lot more questions that need to be answered. And the FBI, well, they're doing a lot of the questioning right now.

[Ben Ferguson]

Now, story number two.

[News Anchor]

For the last several years, there have been major warning signs about Chinese nationals connected. The Chinese Communist Party buying up literally hundreds of thousands of acres of farmland what was even more suspicious about the deals is how much of the farmland was around our top military bases. Well, there is now a move for a nationwide ban on Chinese farmland sales. The Agriculture Secretary Rollins announcing a new National Farm Security act plan which will implement a nationwide ban on sales of US Farmland to Chinese nationals and other, quote, adversarial countries. It also includes mechanisms to claw back existing Chinese owned land, primarily near military installations. Now, the callback of already acquired farmland is obviously not an easy task, but it was a central element of the plan and it is one that is well led by the Trump administration. And it is a push to reclaim the land already owned by these Chinese entities, leveraging executive action and federal state coordination to reverse past acquisitions. We also know that this is a multi agency US Government effort and they are now demanding stronger oversight. This initiative marks a coordinated effort with the usda, the Defense Department, Homeland Security, the Treasury Department as well as others, tightening oversight of farmland transactions, specifically near strategic assets and military sites. Rollins also officially joined the CFI US to ensure security over agricultural investment for national security purposes. And they wanted to reduce foreign holdings already underway. The USDA data indicates now that Chinese farmland ownership has declined, now around 265 to 300,000 acres of US farmland, down from higher levels in prior years. Notably, major players like Smithville Foods, the WH Group have significantly sold land holdings now at about 85,000 acres. But the question is, how do we get to the point where we are allowing the Chinese to own farmland specifically around our most secretive basis? Secretary Rawlings went on Fox News Channel the Ingram angle to explain all of this. Listen carefully.

[Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins]

Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins is here to tell us more. Madam Secretary, it's good to see you tonight. So as of 2023, and this is going to shock the viewers, China reportedly owned more than 277,000 acres of agricultural land in the country. Is this the, I mean, is this a goal of ours now to have China own 0%? Could you get that back from China? Tell us what's going to happen.

[Political Analyst]

Well, first of all, how great to be with you again. We had a wonderful event this morning announcing this. I had Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, Defense Pete Hegseth had Ag Pambondi. We had three of the country's best governors. We had several people from the Hill. This is an all of government approach.

[Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins]

What does that mean?

[Political Analyst]

Well, what that means is that if we're going to really ban China from buying our farmland or any foreign adversaries, it's got to be the States have to lean in. The federal government has to step up. We've got to have executive orders out of the White House.

[Podcast Host]

A law.

[Political Analyst]

There's a law needs to be passed. A lot of bills have been filed, but it hasn't moved. I don't know that America really understands or at least our elected officials.

[Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins]

How is this allowed, though? China owns Smithfield Foods, one of the largest food processing plants in the United States. Land near military bases. I've covered this for 20 years.

[Political Analyst]

Well, it's now all changed since today. I mean, today we for the first time are saying no more banning the sale of China farmland. Working with the states, getting the bills passed through Congress, having an executive order. But also, Laura, looking, looking at how to potentially claw some of that back, especially that's a national security issue.

[Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins]

100% national security issue. Food security, national security. Madam Secretary, earlier today, President Trump made a comment about what to do with illegal immigrant farm workers. Watch.

[Donald Trump]

There's no amnesty. What we're doing is we're getting rid of criminals, but we are doing a work program.

[Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins]

But last week, the president said something different in Des Moines.

[Donald Trump]

We're going to sort of put the farmers in charge. If a farmer has been with one of these people that work so hard, they bend over all day. We don't have too many people can do that. But they work very hard and they know them very well. If a farmer is willing to vouch for these people in some way, Christie, I think we're going to have to just say that's going to be good, serious radical right. People who I also happen to like a lot. They may not be quite as happy, but they'll understand.

[Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins]

Well, I mean, Madam Secretary, which is it? Because first of all, radical right, that's. The majority of Americans want every illegal immigrant deported. Four polls, majority of Americans want all legal immigrants. Americans always did their own farming. When you and I were growing up, Americans did their own farming. There were a few foreign workers, but really not that many. What's going on here?

[Political Analyst]

Well, I think first of all, and I was glad the president underscored this today. First, no amnesty.

[Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins]

And Bush said no amnesty. So did McCain.

[Political Analyst]

But they, you know, I think President Trump hopefully has earned a little more grace, not grace, but a little more confidence than, than those. But no amnesty. Second, mass deportations continue. But he has been fairly specific that we need to make sure that we don't compromise our food supply. So we are going to mass deport, but we have to make sure we focus on the really bad guys first in the inner cities, Louisiana, New York, et cetera. Number three, moving toward more automation, but also moving toward an American based labor supply. You and I have talked about this on screen, off screen. That's the goal. And then finally for Congress, our Secretary of labor and others to really begin to fix this. The President is unequivocal in his support for farmers, but also weighing that with his support for secure borders and mass deportation, ensuring we don't have that illegal population here, he remains committed to that and we're here to effectuate that vision.

[News Anchor]

It is incredible to witness what President Donald Trump is doing. Not only making sure that our adversaries don't own our farmland, but also that we can protect our food sources and our crops and also protecting American farmers and the President, United States of America. Also making it clear that China is no longer going to be calling the shots in the United States of America.

[Ben Ferguson]

Thank you for listening to the 47 Morning Update with Ben Ferguson. Please make sure you hit subscribe wherever you're listening to this podcast right now and for more in depth news, also subscribe to the Ben Ferguson Podcast and we will see you back here tomorrow.

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[Podcast Host]

This is an iHeart podcast.