House Subpoenas Mayorkas, Press Covers-Up for Biden & Dems Want Mask Mandates AGAIN

Summary

The 47 Morning Update with Ben Ferguson
Episode: House Subpoenas Mayorkas, Press Covers-Up for Biden & Dems Want Mask Mandates AGAIN
Release Date: September 6, 2023
Host: Ben Ferguson
Guest: Senator Ted Cruz
Source: Premiere Networks

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1. House Subpoenas Targeting Mayorkas and Alleged Obstruction by Biden Administration

[00:01]
Ben Ferguson opens the episode by welcoming Senator Ted Cruz to discuss recent developments, including the House of Representatives' subpoena of Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. This subpoena aims to investigate allegations that the Biden administration obstructed the 2020 tax probe into Hunter Biden.

[00:45] Senator Ted Cruz:
Senator Cruz elaborates on the situation, highlighting that two senior IRS whistleblowers have alleged that the Biden Justice Department and administration actively blocked investigations into Hunter Biden and, by extension, President Joe Biden. He explains that the subpoenas issued by House Chairman James Comer include requests for documents from Mayorkas and depositions from DHS and Secret Service officials. The focus is on whether government resources were used to shield Hunter Biden, thereby protecting Joe Biden from potential investigations.

Notable Quote:
"The critical question is to protect Joe Biden from investigation." — Senator Ted Cruz [03:02]

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2. Media Coverage and Criticism of the Washington Post

[14:49]
Ben Ferguson shifts the conversation to media integrity, specifically criticizing the Washington Post's handling of tough questions regarding the Biden family. He references an interview where Washington Post journalist Philip Bump walked out when pressed about text messages suggesting Hunter Biden gave a significant portion of his income to his father.

[15:00] Philip Bump:
During the interview, Bump expresses uncertainty about the meaning of the text messages, dismissing them as "circumstantial evidence."

[15:27] Senator Ted Cruz:
Senator Cruz vehemently criticizes Bump and the Washington Post, accusing them of lacking journalistic integrity and serving as apologists for the Biden administration. He argues that the refusal to address direct evidence undermines democracy and promotes darkness over transparency.

Notable Quote:
"It's this why I keep saying it's silly Dworm and says, well, it's a shame because this is a good conversation." — Philip Bump [15:07]

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3. Reinstatement of Mask Mandates and President Biden’s Stance

[24:33]
The discussion moves to the resurgence of mask mandates, particularly in Montgomery County, Maryland, where N95 masks have been reinstated for third-grade students following a rise in COVID-19 cases. Ben Ferguson criticizes the White House’s recent announcement that President Biden will begin wearing masks indoors, despite testing negative for COVID-19.

[26:11] Senator Ted Cruz:
Senator Cruz condemns the return of mask mandates as an overreach of government control and a violation of individual liberties. He predicts that if President Biden continues to impose such measures, it will lead to significant public resistance and further polarization.

Notable Quote:
"Mandates are wrong. Say no to the mandates." — Senator Ted Cruz [26:11]

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4. Critique of Dr. Anthony Fauci and Mask Efficacy Debate

[27:49]
The conversation delves into the efficacy of masks, featuring a segment from CNN where Dr. Anthony Fauci defends mask usage despite studies questioning their impact on the pandemic's trajectory. Ben Ferguson and Senator Cruz express skepticism about Fauci's stance, citing earlier statements that downplayed mask effectiveness.

[32:30] Senator Ted Cruz:
Senator Cruz points out inconsistencies in Fauci's position, referencing his initial advice against mask-wearing before the pandemic escalated. He accuses Fauci and affiliated scientists of being selective with data to support political agendas rather than public health.

Notable Quote:
"Fauci himself knows what he's saying is wrong." — Senator Ted Cruz [32:30]

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5. State-Level Responses and the Future of Public Health Policies

[37:31]
In the final discussion, Senator Cruz emphasizes the importance of states maintaining control over public health measures rather than succumbing to federal mandates. He praises Texas for banning mask mandates and opposes the idea of nationwide shutdowns, arguing that such measures have had detrimental effects on education, mental health, and the economy.

[39:44] Senator Ted Cruz:
Senator Cruz urges other states to follow Texas's lead by rejecting arbitrary shutdowns and mandates. He forecasts that future public health crises will require states to balance safety with individual freedoms, advocating for treatment options over restrictive policies.

Notable Quote:
"It is, without exaggeration, the most catastrophic public policy decision of our lifetimes." — Senator Ted Cruz [37:31]

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6. Conclusion and Final Remarks

Ben Ferguson concludes the episode by encouraging listeners to stay informed through his podcast and subscribe for future updates. He reinforces the themes discussed, emphasizing the need for accountability within the Biden administration and the importance of safeguarding individual liberties against overreaching government policies.

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Key Takeaways

• House Investigations: The House of Representatives is intensifying its investigation into alleged obstruction by the Biden administration concerning the Hunter Biden tax probe, with subpoenas targeting DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and other officials.

• Media Scrutiny: The Washington Post is under fire for its handling of investigations into the Biden family, with accusations of bias and lack of journalistic integrity from both Ben Ferguson and Senator Ted Cruz.

• Public Health Policies: There is growing opposition to renewed mask mandates and potential government shutdowns, with advocates like Senator Cruz arguing for state control and individual freedoms.

• Scientific Debate: The effectiveness of masks remains a contentious issue, with figures like Dr. Fauci defending their use while critics question the consistency and motives behind public health advisories.

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Note: This summary excludes promotional segments and focuses solely on the substantive discussions between Ben Ferguson and Senator Ted Cruz regarding political investigations, media criticism, and public health policies.

Transcript

[Ben Ferguson]

Welcome. It is Verdict with Senator Ted Cruz, Ben Ferguson with you. Hope you had a great Labor Day weekend with your family and friends. And Senator, we've got a lot to talk about, including some shocking new news that deals with a Comer subpoena of Mayorkas, the Secret Service over a tip off of the 2020 Hunter Biden tax probe interview. Now, I want you to remind people about this because this is something we've gone in depth with Comber on on this show. We did that two with him. James, James Comer talked about how interesting this was that there was a tip off that you would actually let people know in advance of what you were trying to gain from them when it comes to an investigation.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Well, this is something we've discussed at length on Verdict, which is the allegations from two separate whistleblowers, senior career IRS employees, that the Biden Justice Department, the Biden administration, were in effect obstructing justice, that they were blocking for Hunter Biden, they were preventing any investigation of Joe Biden. And one of the aspects of it is when the investigators wanted to go and interview Hunter Biden. Now, that's a typical part of an investigation. You go and try and interview the target of the investigation and see if, frankly, they'll say something dumb. Well, in this instance, unfortunately, in the Biden administration, the political higher ups at the Department of Justice allegedly, according to whistleblowers, gave a heads up to the Secret Service and said, hey, these guys want to investigate Hunter, enabled him to prepare. They also gave heads up to Hunter's lawyers when they wanted to execute a search warrant on finding documents and evidence of criminal activity. And so what has happened this week is that James Comer in the House of Representatives has subpoenaed the Department of Homeland Security and they're seeking documents that are also seeking depositions. So there were a total of six subpoenas sent on Tuesday, one directed at Secretary Mayorkas for documents and the remaining five for depositions, two to Secret Service officials and three to DHS officials. So right now these subpoenas are not seeking to question Mayorkas directly, but rather people that report to Mayorkas. But the entire focus of it is to what extent is the Biden administration blocking using government resources to protect Hunter Biden? And remember, the critical question is to protect Joe Biden from investigation. And this is yet another example of the only source of this investigation going forward being the Republican House of Representatives, because the Democrat Senate has zero interest in finding out what happened and whether or not Joe Biden has taken bribes from foreign Nationals and most of the corporate media likewise has no interest. So it is the House of Representatives that's driving this forward and they're doing it even more so this week.

[Ben Ferguson]

I want people to hear, this is how this news broke and it's not shocking, but it certainly is going to be significant.

[News Anchor]

Some breaking news to tell you about here. FoxNews.com has just discovered that the chairman of the House Oversight Committee, James Comer, has subpoenaed the DHS secretary, Alejandro Mayorkas and several other DHS and Secret Service officials wanting testimony related to the Secret Service's alleged tip off of the Biden transition team regarding a Plan 100 Biden tax probe interview back in 2020, also accusing the agencies of obstruction of the congressional investigation. Six subpoenas in total were sent out, one directed to Mayorkas for documents and five for depositions due to Secret Service officials and three to DHS officials. Comer told Fox News Digital, quote, the Department of Justice initiated the Biden family cover up and now DHS under the leadership of Secretary Mayorkas is complicit in it. He went on to say investigators were never able to interview Hunter Biden during the criminal investigation because Secret Service headquarters and the Biden transition team were tipped off about the planned interview. We'll keep following this.

[Ben Ferguson]

I love how they broke this story. So my next question is if you were getting to ask the question centers, what would you want to know and what would you ask if, if you're on the House side and these people are able to be brought in, and what would you hope those answers would be from them if they are actually truthful?

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Well, look, the central question here is to what extent did the Biden administration engage in obstruction of justice? To what extent did they block the criminal investigation into the misconduct of Hunter Biden and more importantly, Joe Biden. We've got multiple whistleblowers that allege they did so considerably. Here's what I think is going to play out, Ben. I think we're going to see the House of Representatives impeach Alejandro Mayorkas. That's something, as you know, I've been calling for, for almost the entirety of the Biden administration. I think Mayorkas has presided over the worst disaster at our southern border, our nation's history. I think he is responsible very directly for implementing Joe Biden and Kamala Harris's directives that have produced body bag after body bag that have produced chaos and misery and suffering and death. And that has been utterly lawless. I think that will happen, number one. Number two, I think what should happen, but frankly, I'm less confident that it will happen, is I think the House ought to pursue the impeachment of Merrick Garland. That I think the serious, credible allegations of obstruction of justice and of lying under oath under Merrick Garland, they merit a special counsel being appointed in the Department of Justice. They also merit the House of Representatives opening an impeachment inquiry at a Merrick Garland that I am less confident that they will go forward with than I am about Alejandro Mayorkas. I think the pressure on going after Mayorkas is greater, unfortunately, than the pressure on going after Merrick Garland. The third thing that I think the House will do is formally open an impeachment inquiry on Joe Biden. At this point, the evidence that Joe Biden personally solicited and received bribes from foreign nationals, whether it is Ukrainian oligarchs or Russian oligarchs, or senior Chinese Communist officials, that evidence is considerable. It's not proven conclusively. But at this point, the weight of the evidence is such that I think the only responsible thing for the House to do is open an impeachment inquiry. To do so, we'll take a full vote on the floor of the House. I think we'll get that vote. And I think the speaker of the House, Kevin McCarthy, wants that inquiry to open up. Now, I'll tell you one of the real consequences. If and when the House opens an impeachment inquiry into Joe Biden, it is going to increase dramatically the likelihood that we will get access to the some 5,400 emails that Joe Biden sent using fake email addresses, using pseudonyms. And those include emails sent to his son, Hunter Biden, who is not and was not a federal government employee. Those include emails that allegedly concern Ukraine while Hunter Biden was getting paid millions of dollars from corrupt Ukrainian oligarchs in order to try to secure favors from his father. And the reason that opening an impeachment inquiry into Joe Biden is so important is right now, the House is seeking access to those 5,400 emails from the National Archives. And the National Archives is following a statute called the Presidential Records Act. And so, in order to hand those emails over, the National Archives needs the permission of Barack Obama and Joe Biden. Now, I'm going to quantify right now the precise statistical likelihood that Barack Obama and Joe Biden will give permission to hand over those emails. That Exact likelihood is 0.000%. They're not going to do so. Actually, Biden gets asked twice. He gets asked both as the former Vice president and as the current president. So he can say no twice. Now, why does an impeachment inquiry of Joe Biden matter? It matters because under the terms of the Presidential Records act, special access to presidential records is allowed to Congress, quote, to the extent of matter within its jurisdiction to any committee if such records contain information that is needed for the conduct of its business that is not otherwise available. So in other words, if and when the House formally votes to open an impeachment inquiry into Joe Biden, it suddenly has explicit statutory authorization to get access to all 5,400 of those emails from Joe Biden's fake email addresses. And again, as we've discussed on this podcast many times, there is no legitimate reason for Joe Biden to have fake email addresses. There's no legitimate reason for him to have burner phones which he allegedly also had. And so I think the odds are quite good. Number one, that we see impeachment of Alejandro Mayorkas but number two, that we see the House formally open an impeachment inquiry into Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. Want.

[Ben Ferguson]

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[News Anchor]

And House Speaker Kevin McCarthy says Republicans could soon vote on a formal impeachment inquiry into President Biden, something obviously the former president has pressed Republicans to do. On Truth Social. What do you make of this? Is this a serious threat? Are we going to be talking about.

[Jim Acosta]

Impeachment here in the coming months?

[News Anchor]

What's going on?

[Congressman Ro Khanna]

Unfortunately, I think it is a serious threat from the extremes. But this is not what the American people want. This is not what Republicans or Democrats in my constituency are asking for. And there is no evidence to justify it. So I think what people want is to solve their issues. Childcare, the fact that the rents cost too much, the fact that wages haven't kept up with the cost of living. That's what they want us to do in Congress. And I think it would be a political mistake for the speaker to go down that road.

[Ben Ferguson]

I mean, you hear that saying, there's no evidence justified Biden impeachment. This is actually when I know that there's a good chance that Democrats are fearful of what we could find out through impeachment.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Well, one of the things that's striking Jim Acosta is such a propaganda puppet joke. You notice his question? His question does not discuss any facts. It doesn't discuss any evidence. He says, my God, do you think Democrats will dare do this? Oh, my goodness. Rather Republicans will. They dare come after us. Like, that's not a journalist. And what does he do? He lets the Democrat congressman say, well, there's no evidence. Really? What is a text from Hunter Biden to a senior Communist Chinese official saying, I'm sitting next to my father. Pay me millions of dollars or my father will retaliate against you. You know what that is? That is called evidence. So the statement there is no evidence is blatantly false. But if Jim Acosta were a reporter, he would point that out. What about the evidence of not one, but two career IRS employees, senior supervisory officials at the IRS who came forward? And they're not Republicans, they're probably Democrats who came forward and said, we've seen obstruction of justice and lying under oath. This administration is covering up investigation. And Joe Biden's criminality. Is that not evidence? What about a confidential human source coming forward saying Joe Biden and Hunter Biden solicited and received $5 million a piece. A piece from a foreign oligarch. Now, none of those perhaps conclusively prove bribery, but it is absurd to say they are no evidence. On their face, they are evidence. And if CNN had even a tiny scintilla of journalistic integrity, number one, they'd fire Jim Acosta cuz he's a clown. But number two, they would actually talk about facts rather than clutching their pearls and say, how dare anyone inquire into Dear Leader.

[Ben Ferguson]

Senator, this goes perfectly, by the way, to your point that you just made. And for many that may not have seen this, the Washington Post, Philip Bump, who's a raging liberal, walked out on an interview when he was asked a tough question, and it's supposed to be a journalist asked a tough question about Joe Biden and the Biden crime family. Take a listen.

[Philip Bump]

What do you take from the text message to his adult daughter? 100 text messages. I have to get 50% of my income to pop.

[Noam Dworman]

I have no idea what that means. I don't. I have no idea what that means.

[Philip Bump]

Well, it's, it's, it's.

[Noam Dworman]

I know. It's circumstantial evidence. And you prefer that.

[Philip Bump]

What could it be?

[Noam Dworman]

I have no idea.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

But doesn't it.

[Noam Dworman]

I don't know. Well, I appreciate your.

[Philip Bump]

Has anybody, has anybody asked her?

[Noam Dworman]

I don't know. I don't know.

[Philip Bump]

Don't you think somebody should ask her?

[Noam Dworman]

Okay, like I'm not. I just said I don't know and I don't know what to make of it. So I have nothing to say about it. Yeah, yeah.

[Philip Bump]

But you say there's no evidence. No evidence. But then there's a text message where he says, I give Pop 50 of my money. That's, that's evidence.

[Noam Dworman]

Okay, well, what do you. Okay, fine, fine. So evidence. I appreciate you having me on it.

[Philip Bump]

Doesn't that. Something like that. Who do you think is more. I listen to that and saying am I, am I?

[Noam Dworman]

You? Can. I feel. You want me to leave, like just walk out in the middle of this. Because that way you can, like, you can go.

[Philip Bump]

Is this a standard, really? This is the way the Washington Post handles people who disagree with.

[Noam Dworman]

When I agree to be on for 45 minutes and then I get on for an hour and 15. Yeah. That after a while I go, go. Thanks for having me.

[Ben Ferguson]

Isn't it amazing, the timing there? I got to go. Got to go right now. Right. Can't answer that question. You're trying to get me to just look like I'm walking off the set. No, he's trying to get him to answer a question.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

So, all right, number one, the person questioning him is a guy named Gnome Dwarman. Who. It's. He's on a podcast. And. And he's not a conservative. Noam Dorman is actually a liberal. He's the owner of Comedy Cellar. And so I'm sure Philip Bump figured, okay, Philip Bump is this left wing hack for the Washington Post. I'm sure he thought, okay, I'm going to be in a little love fest. No one's going to ask me anything hard. And Philip Bump views his entire job as being the apologist for the regime. So when Dwarven asks him about the text message of Hunter expressing frustration that he has give half of what he makes to Pop, notice Bumps, I don't know what it mean. I don't know what it means. And then, okay, you don't know what it means. That's not complicated. It's not subtle. It's not difficult to figure out. And then he says, it's circumstantial evidence. Mr. Bump, you are using words. You do not know what they mean. What does the word circumstantial mean? No, actually, it is direct evidence. It is direct evidence. It is. It is the statement from Hunter saying he gave 50% of his money to Pop. That is direct evidence. Circumstantial is he has twice as much money one day and then he goes to see his dad, and the next day he has half as much. That would be circumstantial evidence that he gave Pop half the money. When he says, I had to give Pop half the money, that is direct evidence. It may not be true. He could, could, could be telling something that is false, but it is not, in fact, circumstantial evidence. And, and if you actually listen to more of that, that interview, in fact, let me read from the transcript of this interview. So Bump gets very upset when he's being pressed and he says, quote, I just. I'm gonna lose my mind. I'm gonna lose my mind. And warm. And presses him and asks, quote, is there nothing we can talk about? Half the country believes this stuff. Bump comes back with, quote, I know. Because half the country doesn't actually dig into the issues. Dorman then presses him, says, well, here's your chance to disabuse people. They don't read the Washington Post. And And Bump comes back and says, there's just no point because all you want to do is have me here as the putative expert so you can present me with things that have been debunked multiple times that I've written about. Dorman asks a very reasonable question. What's been debunked, Bump? These. These claims I've written about.

[Dr. Anthony Fauci]

This.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

This. This argument about his dad calling him. I've written about this. Did you read what I wrote to. It's not debunked. Neither of us were there, Bump. Well, I've debunked it in the standpoint that I've already addressed this and presented the counter arguments to it. I want you to pause for a second and think in the view of the Washington Post, debunked means he's addressed it and presented the counter arguments to it. In other words, if he repeats the talking points of the Biden regime, it's been debunked. The fact that there are counter arguments doesn't mean it's debunked. It means he's simply arguing the other side. And then Bump goes on, and here's what he says. He says, well, Dwarman says, quote, I have two issues here. One is Joe Biden's behavior, and one is the issue of the press. The press actually bothers me more than Joe Biden, mind you. This is a Democrat saying this. And here's Bumps response, quote, because you don't listen to the press. I'm sitting here and I'm telling you you're wrong about these things, and you don't listen and you continue to insist upon things that are, you know, parsing of language. It's just. It's. It's this. This is why I keep saying it's silly Dwarm and says, well, it's a shame because this is a good conversation. And Bump says, it's not a good conversation because you refuse to listen to what I'm saying to you. You asked me on to present evidence. I keep telling you. Dorman then comes back and says, well, what about what independent journalist Matt Taibbi has reported? And Bumps says, well, no, no. Taibi has an agenda. And Dorman asks, well, do you have an agenda? And Bump admits, and listen to this. Listen to his explanation. Bump says, quote, I do have an agenda. My agenda is to do my best to try and present accurate information to the public, and I have an institution behind me to hold me to account when I don't do that, which I think is an important consideration. It really is stunning that number one, when confronted with facts, a supposed journalist doesn't actually address those facts. When confronted with evidence, he doesn't address the evidence. In fact, he denies the evidence exists. And he claims that because he has parroted the talking points of the White House, even when contradictory, even when contrary to objective facts, that means claims have been debunked. This is why journalism is corrupt. You know, it's striking the Washington Post, its motto is democracy dies in darkness. I gotta say, today the Washington Post, that motto has become a mission statement. It seems like their objective is to kill democracy by ensuring on darkness in every circumstance.

[Ben Ferguson]

One other thing that I do have to laugh about, when he acts like he has an institution behind him that's like, you know, checking on him as he described it, right? With like, you know, I've held a higher standard. This is the same Washington Post, to be clear, that still has not, at least to my knowledge as of a week or two ago when we were talking about this, has still not updated and fact checked their own reporting on Russia collusion with Donald J. Trump, which they now know is a lie.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Well, not only that, one of the leading Russia, Russia, Russia cheerleaders was Philip Bump. He was eager to say over and over and over again things that now have been debunked that are now completely false. He was completely taken in by the so called PTEXT that we know was paid for by the DNC in the Hillary Clinton campaign and is false. But you know what? The Washington Post want a Pulitzer for their false reporting. And I have to say, given that that reporting played a pivotal role in the election results of 2020. You know, it is admirable how they engage in election interference and then do not admit when they're wrong. They don't issue a correction. And then in the case of Philip Bump, they get angry when anyone points out just how wrong they were and when anyone actually points to real facts or real evidence.

[Ben Ferguson]

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[White House Press Secretary]

President Biden tested negative last night for COVID 19 and tested negative again today. He's not experiencing any symptoms as far as the steps he is taking. Since the President was with the first lady yesterday, he will be masking while indoors and around people in alignment with CDC guidance and as, as has been the practice in the past, the President will remove his mask when sufficiently distanced from others indoors and while outside as well.

[Ben Ferguson]

Now, the funny part is, Senator, this is said from the podium at the White House. Moments later, the President is on stage at a ceremony. He's not the appropriate distance, the White House is appropriate from other people. And then he takes his mask off that they just said everybody's going to be wearing if he's in close quarters with a lot of different people. And you add that in with a D.C. area elementary school. Montgomery County, Maryland is now reinstating a mass mandate. And the mass mandate isn't just for those little masks. No, no. N95 masks for all their third grade graders. Because a few kids tested positive for Covid. They sent out a letter telling parents that these, these mass. These N95 masks are going to be mandated in class. These masks, they say, have been distributed and students and staff and identified classes and or activities will be required to mask while in school for at least the next 10 days. Except of course, while eating and drinking. And the mask will become optional, they claim, after the, quote, outbreak has dissipated. Here it is. Mask mandates coming back.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Look, this is utterly absurd. Mask mandates are wrong. And for the left, this has become. It's a combination of a number of things. Number one, it's an article of faith. Number two, it's a virtue signal. It shows just how self righteous they think they are. You know, as I was walking down the halls of the capitol today, one very prominent Democrat senator was walking along with his N95 mask and behind him was a staffer wearing his N95 mask. And it shows virtue. But number three, it's about control. And, and, and this is all about controlling people. Whether it's mask mandates, whether it's vaccine mandates, whether it's having the 437th booster. Enough is enough is enough. This is crap. And no, I look, I recognize. And by the way, a year from now we are gonna see the most deadly COVID variant ever seen. The election variant. And before the election, it's. They're gonna need to shut everything down because they want to have, uh, mail in balloting for everyone because they think it helps elect Democrats. Enough is enough is enough. If you wanna wear a mask, fine, but don't be a hypocrite and don't try to force other people to. And, and. All right, listen. So many of the people who listen to this podcast are conservatives, but some are not. Some are open minded, some want to hear both sides. So, so, so maybe you think, all right, I'm not gonna trust Cruz, I'm not gonna trust Ferguson on this. All right, if you don't trust me, listen to CNN. Left wing CNN, confronting Dr. Fauci this past weekend about his false claims about masks. Give a listen.

[Jim Acosta]

There is a perception out there by many. How many? I don't know. That they don't work and that the data concludes that they didn't work in the first go round. Respond to that on masks.

[Dr. Anthony Fauci]

Yeah, well, that's not so. I mean, when you're talking about at the population level, that the data are less strong than knowing that if you look on a situation as an individual protecting themselves or protecting them from spreading it, there's no doubt that masks work. Different studies give different percentages of advantage of wearing it. But there's no doubt that the weight of the studies, and there have been many studies, indicate the benefit of wearing masks.

[Jim Acosta]

I'm going to refer to one of them. You've heard about it before. I heard about it from a number of radio callers. Bret Stephens in the Times talked about Cochrane put that on the screen. The most rigorous and comprehensive analysis of scientific studies conducted on the efficacy of masks for reducing the spread of respiratory illness, including COVID 19 was published last month. Its conclusions, said Tom Jefferson, the Operation Oxford epidemiologist who is the lead author, were unambiguous. There is just no evidence that they masks make any difference, he told the journalist Mayenne Damasi. Full stop. But wait, hold on. What about the N95 masks as opposed to the lower quality surgical or cloth masks? Makes no difference. None of it, he said. Well, what about the studies that initially persuaded policymakers to impose mask mandates? They were convinced by non randomized studies, flawed observational studies. How do we get beyond that finding of that particular review?

[Dr. Anthony Fauci]

Yeah, but there are other studies, Michael, that show at an individual level, for individual when you're talking about the effect on the epidemic or the pandemic as a whole, the data are less strong. But when you talk about as an individual basis of someone protecting themselves or protecting themselves from spreading it to others, there's no doubt that there are many studies that show that there is an advantage. When you took at the broad population level, like the Cochran study, the data are less firm with regard to the effect on the overall pandemic. But we're not talking about that. We're talking about an individual's effect on their own safety that's a bit different than the broad population level.

[Ben Ferguson]

I mean you hear him there and even he's being questioned Fauci by a guy who's not conservative at CNN and Sperncon. She's like, well hold on, I'll read for you what they say. And yet Fauci is still sitting there, Senator, saying no, no, these things work. You're somehow still wrong.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Well look, two things. Number one, Fauci himself knows what he's saying is wrong. And if you go back to the Beginning of COVID February 5, 2020, Sylvia Burwell, who was the secretary of health and human services for three years under Barack Obama, emailed Foushee and asks ask if she should wear a mask. And by the way, his whole defense was well, individually it makes sense, just not for society. Here's what Foushee wrote on February 5th of 2020, quote, Masks are not are really for infected people to prevent them from spreading infection to people who are not infected. Rather than protecting Uninfected people from acquiring infection. Fauci continues, the typical mask you buy in the drugstore is not really effective in keeping out virus which is small enough to pass through material. It might, however, provide some slight benefit to keep out gross droplets if someone coughs or sneezes on you. And he added, quote, I do not recommend that you wear a mask, particularly since you are going to a very low risk location. That's what he said in 2020. Then he decided that it was politically beneficial to mandate that everyone had to wear a mask. And yet now look, the second point I'd make, the fact that CNN is turning on this in the height of the pandemic, the words that you just played from cnn, they would not utter. There was no brooking dissent from whatever St. Fauci said, whatever the mandate was. Mass today, not mass tomorrow, mass the next day, you couldn't disagree. The fact that even CNN is turning, I think is significant. I think if the Biden administration tries another round of shutdowns and mask mandates, I think a lot of the country is going to say no. And hell no. I'll tell you, the state of Texas has zero interest in shutting down. And I, I think you're gonna see resistance not just in Texas, but all over the country.

[Ben Ferguson]

Yeah, I think you're right. And the other thing that worries many people is this, the president and this idea that we could go back into some sort of government shutdown. There was that awkward interview that he did with Kamala Harris far away from him. The social distancing back in the early days of COVID in his administration, sitting next to, you know, far away from David Muir's interview and then in a weird triangle, and he said he would have no problem if the scientists told him to, to shut down our entire economy.

[News Anchor]

I would be prepared to do takes to save lives because we cannot get the country moving until we control the virus. That is the fundamental flaw of this administration's thinking. To begin with. In order to keep the country running and moving and the economy growing and people employed, you have to fix the virus. You have to deal with the virus.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

So if the scientists say shut it.

[News Anchor]

Down, I would shut it down. I would listen to the scientists.

[Ben Ferguson]

I mean, that's apparently still on the table. And if they're bringing the mass back, I mean, how far away are we from having another fall where they start shutting things down? And what should the American people do?

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Look, the Democrats want to shut it down. They want to impose mandates. And I gotta say, one of the biggest lies of that exchange is I would listen to the scientists. The only scientists that he listens to are the ones who say what he wants to hear. You know the very last podcast we did, we did a two part episode with an interview with Dr. Phil and one of the interesting things, look, Dr. Phil has been the number one ranked daytime TV host for a decade and he talked about how the data are that the school shutdowns from COVID cost many, many more lives than the virus would have cost. In other words, listen to the scientist. The Democrats aren't listening to the scientists because if they did, they'd look at the harm from the shutdowns. They look at the harm for businesses shut down, they'd look at the harm from churches shut down. They'd look at the harm from school shut down. The kids who face learning loss for the rest of their life. They look at the mental health numbers that have gone up. They'd look at the kids who didn't go to school and didn't have physical wellness checks, didn't have mental health checks, didn't have daily food because for low income kids, for many of them their principal source of food is at school. They didn't have the counselors who could observe whether kids are subject to physical abuse or sexual abuse because when they shut down schools, they sent them at home. And the data, what Dr. Phil told us, and if you didn't listen to those two podcasts, you had to go back and listen to them. But what Dr. Phil said on this podcast was that the data show that many, many more lives were lost because of the shutdowns. But the Democrats don't want to listen to the scientists. They have a political agenda, so they'll cherry pick whatever scientists repeat the politically favored outcome that support the result they want.

[Ben Ferguson]

Anyway, want to ask you one last question about states and what states need to do to prepare for this. But first, let me tell you about patriot mobile. For 10 years, patriot mobile has been America's only Christian conservative wireless provider. And when I say only, trust me, there's only one. The team at Patriot Mobile are incredible because not only do they support shows just like this, but they are proud to partner with conservatives. Patriot Mobile offers you dependable nationwide coverage, giving you the ability to access all three major networks, which means you get the same coverage you've been accustomed to without funding the left. And when you switch to Patriot Mobile, you're sending a clear message that you support free speech, religious freedom, the sanctity of life, the second amendment and our military, veterans and first responder heroes. They have a hundred percent US based customer service team which makes switching easy. You get to keep your phone number if you want to. You get to keep your phone or upgrade and the team will help you find the best plan for your needs and many times that can save you big money. But when you make calls you're supporting the values you believe in instead of giving your money to woke corporations. So just go to patriotmobile.com verdict that's patriot mobile or call them to make the switch. 878 Patriot you're gonna get free activation 878 Patriot when you use the promo code verdict join me and make the switch today patriotmobile.com verdict or 878-patriot use a promo code verdict Senator, last question for you. What do you think states should be doing because Texas has banned the mass mandates as Covid restrictions are being imposed in other states. It was a Newsweek headline. It says a ban on COVID 19 restrictions and imposed a mandate to wear face mask in public spaces. Went into effect in Texas after a number of institutions across the US reinstated the policy due to a rise in new infections fueled by the emergence of two new variants of the virus. Now that's the gist of this, but Texas is saying, hey, we're going to stand up to this type of insanity. Do other people need to be calling their legislators and asking for the same thing?

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Look, absolutely, yes. Listen, states need to embrace common sense. States need to defend liberty. States need to defend individual choice. If someone wants to wear a mask, knock yourself out. You, you can still, you know, I flew from, from Texas to D.C. today. There were still a handful of people in the airport that choose to wear masks. Okay. If you want to wear a mask, that's fine. You've got an individual choice. You can, you can wear a ski mask if you want. That's your choice. But government shouldn't be forcing people to wear a mask. Airlines shouldn't be forcing people to make a MA wear a mask. Airport shouldn't be forcing people to wear a mask. Restaurants shouldn't be forcing people to wear a mask. Nobody should be forcing anyone to wear a mask. And even more so, governors and states need to say not just no, but hell no to the shutdowns. We will look back in the future years, in the future, we will look back and say what in the hell did America do shutting much of the country down for a year or more. Many parts of the country, almost all Democrat parts of the country, shut businesses down, shut churches down, shut schools down. Many schools, tens of Millions of kids were out of school for over a year and the consequence was cataclysmic. It is, without exaggeration, the most catastrophic public policy decision of our lifetimes. And so states need to say, we're not going down that road again. No, we're not gonna do it. Look, you know the school shutdowns were bad when Randy Weingarten, the head of one of the big teachers unions, is now suddenly claiming I wasn't for school shutdowns, despite the fact that she fought relentlessly for school shutdowns and caused Democratic politicians to jump on a string when she demanded it. Now even she's running away from it. States need to stand up and say, we're not shutting anything down. Look, if there's another public health crisis, and at some point there will be, protect people who are vulnerable. Work to provide treatment options, give people advice on how to keep safe, but respect their individual liberty and don't engage in arbitrary shutdowns and mandates. The mandates are wrong. Say no to the mandates.

[Ben Ferguson]

Yeah, great point. Ms. Senator is always good to be back with you after the holiday. Don't forget, if you miss our two part series with Dr. Phil, make sure you go back and listen to that and also, as you know, hit that subscribe auto download button. We do the show Monday, Wednesday and Fridays. And in between those days, make sure you download my podcast, Ben Ferguson Podcast. I will keep you updated on my podcast and those in between days as well. So download the Ben Ferguson podcast as well. We'll see you back here in a couple of days.