Hunter Biden Indictment: Cronyism, Camouflage & Corruption

Summary

Episode Summary: "Hunter Biden Indictment: Cronyism, Camouflage & Corruption"

The 47 Morning Update with Ben Ferguson delves deep into the controversial plea deal reached by Hunter Biden, examining the broader implications for the U.S. justice system, media bias, and political corruption. Hosted by Ben Ferguson and featuring insights from Senator Ted Cruz, this episode provides a comprehensive analysis of the events surrounding Hunter Biden's indictment and the potential ramifications for President Joe Biden's administration.

Key Topics Discussed

1. Hunter Biden's Plea Deal and Media Portrayal

The episode opens with a discussion between Ben Ferguson (B) and Senator Ted Cruz (A) about Hunter Biden's recent plea deal. Senator Cruz expresses significant frustration, highlighting the disparity in how Hunter Biden was treated compared to ordinary citizens.

[00:01] A: "Hunter Biden cuts a massive plea deal... he's getting less than a slap on the wrist. I'm angry."

2. Accusations of Cronyism, Camouflage, and Corruption

Senator Cruz outlines his perspective that the plea deal exemplifies three major flaws within the justice system:

• Cronyism: He argues that Hunter Biden received preferential treatment due to his family ties, suggesting that an average individual facing similar charges would receive harsher penalties.

  [00:32] B: "If I did what Hunter Biden did... he'd be going to jail. This was cronyism."

• Camouflage: The senator posits that the indictment serves as a smokescreen to divert attention from more severe allegations of corruption involving President Biden.

  [06:16] B: "The biggest purpose behind this is to give Merrick Garland a fig leaf... actually, it's about corruption."

• Corruption: Cruz emphasizes that the indictment focused on personal misdemeanors rather than addressing the alleged broader corruption linked to Joe Biden, including accusations of selling access and receiving bribes from foreign entities.

  [08:45] B: "Hunter is directly implicated in official corruption by the President of the United States."

3. Double Standards in the Justice System

A significant portion of the conversation centers on the perceived double standards within the U.S. justice system. Senator Cruz highlights cases where African American individuals received harsher penalties for similar or lesser offenses compared to Hunter Biden.

[18:39] A: "There were African American leaders... these men have gone to jail for doing less."

4. Media Bias and Coverage

The hosts critique mainstream media outlets for their inconsistent coverage of Hunter Biden's case. Initially dismissing the Hunter Biden laptop story as disinformation, networks later provided extensive coverage of the plea deal, which Senator Cruz suggests is an attempt to present the situation as resolved and to protect President Biden's image.

[12:01] B: "The media willfully does not want to examine the very direct and the growing evidence of Joe Biden's direct corruption."

Senator Cruz also points out the minimal coverage given to allegations against President Biden, such as the purported $5-10 million bribe from a Burisma official, which he claims the media has largely ignored.

5. Congressional Actions and Future Prospects

Discussing the legislative response, Senator Cruz expresses skepticism about the Department of Justice's (DOJ) willingness to pursue further investigations into the Biden family's alleged corrupt activities. However, he remains hopeful that members of the House of Representatives, like James Comer and Jim Jordan, will continue to investigate and possibly issue subpoenas to uncover more information.

[25:59] A: "Is this going to be the end of the road on this?"

[28:19] B: "The House needs to keep pressing... more whistleblowers are coming forward."

6. Racial Double Standards and Public Outcry

The episode addresses the public's reaction to the plea deal, particularly the outrage over the racial double standards evident in the justice system. Ferguson and Cruz cite examples of African American celebrities receiving harsher sentences for similar crimes, fueling perceptions of systemic bias and favoritism towards powerful figures like Hunter Biden.

[18:39] A: "Many, many African American men... have gone to jail for doing less."

7. Broader Implications for President Biden's Administration

Connecting the Hunter Biden case to broader geopolitical issues, the hosts discuss concerns about President Biden's foreign policy, particularly regarding China. They argue that Biden's administration shows weakness and appeasement towards China, potentially compromising U.S. national security and interests.

[35:07] B: "Joe Biden would care about $100 million in his bank account... the Democrats do not care."

Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• Senator Ted Cruz on Cronyism:

  "[03:15] B: 'If you’re a kid in Chicago who does the same thing, you’re doing jail time. This was cronyism.'"

• On Media's Role in Covering the Indictment:

  "[12:01] B: 'They are covering it now because this is the best way to insulate Joe Biden.'"

• Double Standards Highlighted:

  "[22:06] A: 'If you own a gun store... you would do real jail time.'"

• On DOJ's Partisanship:

  "[34:38] B: 'Merrick Garland DOJ is thoroughly politicized... acting as the political henchman for Joe Biden.'"

Conclusion

The episode presents a critical view of the Hunter Biden indictment, emphasizing themes of political favoritism, media bias, and systemic corruption within the U.S. justice system. By highlighting perceived inconsistencies in how justice is administered and questioning the impartiality of both the DOJ and mainstream media, The 47 Morning Update aims to inform listeners about the deeper implications of high-profile political cases. The discussion also underscores the ongoing tension between maintaining the rule of law and protecting political figures, suggesting that the issues surrounding Hunter Biden's plea deal may have far-reaching consequences for American politics and public trust in governmental institutions.

Transcript

[A]

Welcome. It is Verdict with Senator Ted Cruz. Ben Ferguson with you. Senator, the big story. What a hell of a deal. Hunter Biden cuts a massive plea deal and the media is now saying, all right, it's all over the five year investigation. They called it a global investigation. This dude gets less than a slap on the wrist. Hunter Biden. I'm angry. Most people listening right now are furious over this. And is there any reason to have any faith in the Justice Department after this today?

[B]

Well, Ben, I think you're exactly right to be angry. This is incredibly disappointing. Yesterday was a very sad day for the rule of law. It was an outrageous day. And it's worth breaking down what happened, because I think it was three things simultaneously. I think it was cronyism, I think it was camouflage, and I think it was corruption. Now let me break it down because, and let's say at the outset, what happened yesterday with the Hunter Biden indictment is exactly what this podcast has been telling listeners was going to happen for months. We have said this over and over and over again, that yesterday was going to happen. It was going to play out exactly as it did. Now, let's start with the cronyism. So Hunter Biden has committed crime after crime after crime. And the Biden DOJ was in a hard position because the Hunter laptop laid out the evidence of his crimes. He had videos of himself committing those crimes. And so they were forced to do something. The reason it's cronyism is if Ben Ferguson did what Hunter Biden did, if I did what Hunter Biden did, if anyone not named Biden did it, if his name was Hunter Smith, he'd be doing hard time. He would be going to jail. The end result of this plea deal is that Hunter Biden pleaded guilty to two counts of willful failure to pay tax because he failed to pay about $1.2 million on his 2017 and 2018 taxes. That's a lot of taxes. And then secondly, the Biden DOJ filed a charge of possession of a firearm by a person who is an unlawful user of a controlled substance. Mind you, Hunter video him doing this. So they were stuck with this problem. But for that, he entered a probation and diversion program that it is very likely he will serve not a day in jail. And he's required to stay drug free for 24 months and agree to never own a firearm. That's not a deal your typical defendant could get. If you're a kid in Chicago who does the same thing, you're doing jail time. This was cronyism. But but the cronyism is not the most outrageous thing. And I gotta say, if you watch the, the TV coverage, if you watch Fox or Newsmax or the various conservative outlets, they're mostly focusing on the cronyism. And that, and the crony ism bothers me. It's not fair. But it's the least concerning part of what happened yesterday, because the second part of it is camouflage. And again, we said this at length on this podcast. I have said for months, Merrick Garland is going to indict Hunter Biden. Why? Because he needs to mask. He needs to cover up his partisan vendetta against Donald Trump. And there's a beautiful symmetry to saying, I'm not partisan. I indicted a Trump, I indicted a Biden. See how even handed I am? So the biggest purpose behind this is to give Merrick Garland a fig leaf, to pretend that he's not being political and biased. But actually, I say that's the biggest purpose. That was a misstatement. There's an even bigger purpose, and that is corruption. Now, recall, as we said at length on this pod, why do we care about Hunter Biden? Listen, Hunter Biden, the guy has led a troubled life. For a long time, he struggled with substance abuse. He's had a life where he's made dumb decision after dumb decision after dumb decision. Everyone has friends or family members who've struggled with substance abuse. This is something we all understand. And by the way, it's the White House's chief spin now, is, gosh, he's a troubled soul. He's agonized with these demons. But you ought to have empathy. That's what his lawyers were saying today. You ought to have empathy for him, for these demons. Look, the reason the news is covering this, the reason we're talking about this on the podcast, is not because of his personal tax problems or even drug problems or gun problems. The reason it matters is because Hunter is directly implicated in official corruption by the President of the United States. And the tell, the key indicator, as you and I discussed months ago, is if this indictment focuses on tax issues and gun issues that are personal to Hunter, that can be explained by his being a troubled soul. What they are doing is covering up the mounting evidence of corruption by Joe Biden, of Joe Biden being complicit in Hunter selling access to daddy to foreign players for millions of dollars. And that's exactly what this plea agreement is all about, is there's nothing about Joe Biden, nothing about the Big Guy, nothing about Burisma, nothing about Communist China. It's just a poor sad sack who has a substance abuse problem. And this is all about covering up for Joe Biden.

[A]

I want to go rapid fire with you for a second on this and one of the things that I want to ask you is this. There are a lot of Americans that are saying, how did they come up with these two charges? Only what does that conversation look like? It wasn't a conversation center where they're sitting in a room. They're going, okay, we can only charge Hunter Biden with crimes that insulate and protect the office. Right? The presidency. We got, we got, we have to protect the Biden presidency. So you guys need to find the crimes that if he does plead guilty to them, that that crime will not connect in any capacity or implicate any of the other nine Biden family members that we know have been on the take in these deals where you don't have to worry about the foreign funds coming in. He, him. We, we don't want to connect it to him not being able to, you know, not registering as a foreign agent, by the way, which is a very big deal. We don't want to connect it to these, to Ukraine or Romania or, or these oligarchs or the Chinese Communist Party because we have to protect the presidency at all costs of Joe Biden. The only way you come up with these two charges or these two areas, I would think is if you had a conversation that way for the last five years. Can't go there, can't do this, because otherwise that'll connect them to the presidency.

[B]

Well, look, that's exactly right. And it's what we had discussed that you need. Personal offenses. Look, his failure to pay taxes on his own money, that's tied to Hunter himself. That's his own screw up. His possession of a firearm when he was a drug user, that's his personal screw up. What is missing from these charges is anything about Burisma, anything about Ukraine, anything about China, anything about diverting funds, anything about money laundering, anything about selling official influence, anything about bribery. Look, we've discussed in the past couple of weeks the whistleblower came forward and says that there is credible evidence that Joe Biden personally received first it was a $5 million, that it may be a $10 million bribe from senior officials at Burisma. That's why the public should care about this. Now of course, the Democrats won't acknowledge that exists. The media won't acknowledge that exists. At least not the corporate media. They are thrilled to say, well, now it's over. Everything concerning Hunter Biden is resolved. He's been charged. He's pleaded guilty. He's not going to serve a day in jail so he can go back to vacationing and living off of the millions he's made off of daddy. And the issue is resolved. It is. This Department of Justice willfully does not want to examine the very direct and the growing evidence of Joe Biden's direct corruption.

[A]

Senator, I want to talk about the media's response to this. It has been truly laughable watching how much the media was willing to cover this breaking news story that, you know, Hunter Biden has is reached a plea deal. They covered it for minutes on end, more coverage than they have ever given to the story beforehand. Why? Because this is good news. But before we get to that, let me tell you about our friends Augusta Precious Metals. I love hearing from many of you that actually deal with the companies we talk about. And Augusta Precious Metals is an incredible company that will sit down with you and help you understand how you can protect your money with a gold Iraq. They are an amazing company that do do business differently. They will actually do a one on one conference with you. Doesn't cost you a dime to talk about how gold can help you protect your hard earned dollars. To see if a gold IRA is an answer for you to protect your assets. The bottom line is this. If you're close to retirement or in retirement, there is no time for you to make up losses. And we've seen a lot of losses over the last couple of years. That is where gold can come in to protect you. That's why so many around the world have been buying up gold, including major banking institutions. So if you want a company that you can trust, call Augusta Precious Metals. 877-the-number4Gold IRA. 877-the-phone4Gold IRA. Or visit Augusta Precious Metals.com say that I sent you and they'll pay your fees for up to 10 years. Get the knowledge of what gold can do to you to give you that peace of mind in retirement. Augusta Precious Metals, 877-the-number4gold- IRA. Senator, the media was very happy to cover this story. You saw it, we talked about this even before the show. How, how it makes you angry. You roll your eyes. You want to, you want to. I want to throw something at the TV because they've refused to cover the story and not only have they not covered it, they actually lied to the American people about the Hunter Biden laptop. They said it was Russian disinformation. They said on a high horse. They said we're not going to cover it. We're not going to report on it. You can't mention it. Many networks were banning people from bringing it up and they said if you did, they weren't going to let you come back on the air. Now the plea deal comes in and they're covering it wall to wall. Why? Because it's good news for the Bidens. It's an end cap to this entire five years. And so they're happy to tell you now all the crimes have been investigated. There's only a couple, and we're moving on.

[B]

Well, listen, that's exactly right. And they're willing to have Hunter Biden play the scapegoat to a small extent. So he pleads guilty, but serves no jail time. So he pleads guilty and gets a slap on the wrist. But importantly, they say, okay, it's all done. And mind you, these networks, they didn't cover in the last couple of weeks the accusation from the whistleblower that a confidential informant had told the FBI that Joe Biden had personally taken a $5 million bribe from a senior Ukrainian Burisma official. They didn't cover that. It didn't make the 6:00 news on any major network. They didn't cover when Chuck Grassley went to the floor of the Senate and said there were 17 different phone recordings, audio recordings of this senior official at Burisma talking, 15 of them with Hunter Biden, two of them with Joe Biden. They didn't cover that. That is not news, in their view, because that actually implicates the president and corruption. That should have led the news, by the way, and we talked about it at length in verdict. Instead, they cover it now. Why? Because this is the best way to insulate Joe Biden. I promise you, tomorrow, anyone who brings up anything about Joe Biden's corruption with Hunter Biden, they're gonna say, been there, done that, matters resolved. Nope. They investigated it. They have convictions. It's all done. Nothing to see here. Joe Biden's innocent. Move on. By the way, can we talk to you about Donald Trump's indictment? Because that's what they want to talk about.

[A]

Yeah, you. You brought that up and I got it. I gotta play this because what you just said was exactly what happened on NBC News. They broke in and it took them a minute, and I think it was 21 seconds while telling you about Hunter's indictment center to then say this comes on the heels of Donald Trump's. And they counted the number of indictments just last week like they they couldn't even make it two minutes on the Hunter Biden story before they're telling you about Donald Trump.

[B]

Biden has really not said a whole lot about this.

[A]

He has argued that he wants to keep distance between himself and, of course.

[B]

The Justice Department in this investigation.

[A]

But notably, he did make some very recent comments in an interview with Stephanie Rule saying, quote, my son has done nothing wrong. I trust him. Those comments will undoubtedly come under fresh scrutiny.

[B]

Now, of course, this does come about a week after former President Trump pled not guilty to 37 counts that he mishandled classified documents.

[A]

Republicans, the former, by the way, I mean, Senator, you can hear it there. They couldn't even make it to the two minute mark. They're telling you about the White House not giving a comment yet on this. Right. When they're breaking this news that Hunter Biden reached the plea deal on tax charges and a misdemeanor thing with a gun thing that that's going to go away. So it's not a big deal. And then they tell you about Donald Trump.

[B]

Well, and they also say, well, the White House wanted to keep the president's distance from this. No kidding. Talk about, I'm really expecting Joe Biden at the desk press conference to say Hunter. Hunter who? I'm sorry, I don't know who that is. Don't know what you're talking about. This is all about protecting the big guy. And look, I get why the White House is doing that. That's actually fairly natural political instincts is protect your guy. But why is the Department of Justice acting like the DNC's lawyers in this? I mean, this is disgraceful. This is if you care about the rule of law, if you care about DOJ prosecuting crimes fairly and evenly regardless of party, you ought to be really upset at this because this is all about Merrick Garland pretending to be evenhanded while he's acting as the political henchman for Joe Biden.

[A]

You look at the timestamp here and you and I were texting, obviously, when the story broke. NBC News broke in for their special report. They went 8 minutes and 43 seconds. Now, we're trying to get the exact number, but it looks like they spent more time covering Hunter Biden today than they may have dealt with this story in breaking news for the last since the lever top 100 Biden laptop ever. Right. So you add up every clip over the last since, you know, 2020 election cycle since the Hunter Biden laptop broke.

[B]

It would not surprise me. It would not surprise me if the Corporate media said Hunter Biden's name more times today than they have in the history of the universe.

[A]

Yeah. And that is the point here of why they went all in. Because for this, this was okay, this is good news. We need to cover this. Like this is massive breaking news.

[B]

Because, Ben, you know what their favorite two words were? What the media said over and over and over again on station after station, Their favorite two words today were wraps up. Wraps up. This wraps up the investigation. Wraps it up. Wraps it up. All wrapped up. All wrapped up. Nothing to see here. This wraps it up. This wraps it up. That was why they covered it, because it's resolved. Nothing to see here. All over. Now let's return to saying how much we hate Donald Trump.

[A]

And they even use words today. I was laughing. Global investigation has wrapped up. That's how they put it on NBC. And if you went over to ABC and cbs, same exact thing. They wanted you to believe that today this was a massive bombshell. It was a bad moment and a tough thing for the White House to see this happen. It's going to be a day of reckoning. And meanwhile, when they go to break, you know, they're laughing and high fiving each other because they're like, we just got away with it again.

[B]

Well, but you know what? The American people, I think, are a lot more engaged and aware. Listen, cnn, CNN is celebrating this. But you know what? Verdict. This podcast has more viewers than cnn. The listeners who are downloading this. That's the power that every one of you who downloads this and every one of you, by the way, let me emphasize that, shares it with your friends, that tells. Tell your friend, tell your coworker, tell your sister, tell your brother. Hey, listen to this episode. You want to know what was really going on with Hunter Biden and Joe Biden? Listen to this episode. Because you won't get it on the 6:00 news. You won't get it on CNN or MSNBC. They are not telling you the truth. The reason why this podcast every week, Monday, Wednesday and Friday keeps growing and growing and growing is because you can't get actual information about what's happening many other places.

[A]

Yeah, no doubt. And there's always when a big story like this break, Senator, there's, there's an X factor that comes out of these where you didn't see this happening. I didn't see this happening until it was happening in real time today. And that was the racial aspect of this. There was outrage from many African American leaders and many African American defendants who have gone to prison and done real hard time for the same crimes that Hunter Biden was accused of and now has done this plea deal with, uh, some of the headlines that were put out. A 22 year old had pled guilty to weapons charges stemming from his arrest just before a scheduled concert performance in May. A rapper, Kodiak Black, got over three years in prison in a weapons case. Little Wayne, another artist, pled guilty to federal gun charges. The rapper will be sentenced in January and face up to 10 years in prison. Another one, Meek Mill, arrested in Philadelphia on gun charges. That one back in 2008, going to prison 11 to 23 months. Ja Rule, sentenced for tax evasion. The rapper will serve 28 months in addition to two years for a weapons charge. Fat Joe, another singer sentenced to prison for tax evasion. Rapper faces four months and a fifth in jail and a $15,000 fine. Now, many of the people I just mentioned were not accused of this, of the severity of the crimes that Hunter Biden was when it came to the amount of taxes owed, for example. Yet they serve time in jail. And this started to trend on social media. When I say there's always an X factor out of stories, I don't think anyone saw that initial reaction, but there were lawyers speaking out today, there were community activists speaking out today saying, let me get this straight. This guy, because his dad is, is the president, he's white, he doesn't go to jail. But many, many African American men, minority men, have gone to jail for doing less than what he was accused of and done real hard time. Hunter Biden will not spend one second in jail. I don't think the White House even saw that reaction coming.

[B]

Well, look, there is a sense of entitlement, that this double standard is fully baked into every political operative at the White House, to the political cronies running doj. Listen, Hunter Biden, on the tax front, he willfully, and he pleaded guilty to this, willfully failed to pay taxes on $1.2 million in 2017 and 2018. $1.2 million is a lot of money. That's not 100 bucks. It's not 50,000 bucks. It's not 100,000 bucks. It's 1.2 million. And it was willful not serving a day in jail. This is a guy also who had a firearm. The firearm ended up being discarded. It was a cult Cobra.38 SPL revolver. And it was discarded in a dumpster by a school, by his brother's, his deceased brother's wife, with whom Hunter Biden was Having an intimate affair, and she threw it out in the dumpster, where any kid could have grabbed the gun and shot himself. Shot another kid. Look, if you or I do this. Listen, Ben, you own a gun store.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

What do you think the feds would do if you just tossed a. Tossed a gun at a dumpster by a school? What would they do to you? Seriously?

[A]

I promise you, I would do real jail time, number one. But we've actually seen this with people that have done straw purchases where someone buys a gun for somebody else. You go to prison, It's a federal crime, you lose your ability to own a firearm, and you're in serious trouble, by the way, as you should be. But when you dump a gun in a dumpster by a school, there should be instant serious repercussions for those actions. Somebody's life could be taken. A kid could find that gun. You could have an accidental discharge. That's the reason why the feds don't screw around when it comes to guns and the laws with guns. And they shouldn't. There should be no leeway on these types of things yet. Because he was, again, the vice. The vice president's son. Right. And there's also the other shady part of the story, owning a gun store. You know this part of the story. Well, apparently Secret Service agents went into that gun store trying to get the paperwork from that gun transaction after the gun was thrown in the dumpster. Right. Because they were trying to cover up the crime that he committed. And that gun store owner said, no, I'm not giving you that paperwork to the two Secret Service guys that apparently came in. And he refused to turn that over so they could just make it all disappear. That's another part of the story is why was a Secret Service agents involved in that? Because at that time, from what we understand, Joe Biden did not have Secret Service protection. So why were they being used in that moment? Again, another part of the investigation that went nowhere.

[B]

Well, and you look at the law that Hunter Biden is pleading guilty to have violated, it's 18 USC Section 922G3. It shall be unlawful for any person who is an unlawful user of or addicted to any controlled substance to ship or transport or receive any firearm or ammunition which has been shipped or transported to interstate or foreign commerce. And what's the penalty for it? Well, let me just read you from the statute. Whoever knowingly violates this subsection shall be fined as provided in this title, imprisoned not more than 10 years or both. So the maximum punishment is 10 years in prison and a fine of $250,000. What does Hunter Biden get? Zero years in prison. Zero months in prison. Zero days in prison. That is a sweetheart deal because daddy is in the Oval Office. But listen, as infuriating as that is, and listen, I understand all these defendants who faced real jail time, they ought to get mad. They are bad. They are getting mad because they recognize. Gosh, you know, it reminds me of Mel Brooks, History of the World where he would say, it's good to be the king. Well, it's good to be the president's son. Apparently, the laws don't apply to you. By the way, let me point out, and we said this on one of our most recent podcasts, all of the lefties who went on TV and said, no man is above the law. No man is above the law. No man, no man. No man. No man is above the law. They said that repeatedly, repeatedly, repeatedly concerning Donald J. Trump. It made them feel very moral and self righteous. Well, you know who apparently is above the law? Anyone named Biden, or for that matter, anyone named Hillary Clinton. Those men are above the law. Right now, get up to a $15 gift card after rebate when you purchase select SuperStart batteries exclusively at O'Reilly Auto Parts. Oh, oh, oh, O'Reilly Auto Parts.

[A]

I want to ask you about where this moves forward in Congress and is this going to be the end of the road on this? Like, did we lose? Or should people still have faith that this is far from over when it comes to the President? Because at this point, I think there's a lot of people that just don't care anymore about Hunter Biden. They want it. They, they see the corruption, they see the bribes, they see these, the intel coming out. They see what the whistleblower is saying. They're saying, okay, let's keep our eye on the prize, which is the, the, the kingpin. The kingpin is Joe Biden, the President of the United States of America. Right now, I think there's a very big concerns that he's compromised by China. You look at how weak our meetings have been with China recently in Blinken, for example, and, and we'll go into that. But first, let me tell you about Chalk. If you're a guy and you're dealing with the real issue of getting older and you're sick and tired of feeling like you're just fatigued, that you are tired, well, you're not alone. Testosterone levels have fallen off a cliff historically. And that is why I want you to know About Chalk Choq.com is where you need to go. What do they do? They help real men just like you get back to that strength and vitality that you used to have. They help you boost your testosterone levels up to 20% over 90 days. Now, I've been taking the chalk male vitality stack, and I can tell you it works. If you're sick and tired of that fatigue of just feeling kind of lazy, just not feeling like yourself, go to chalkchoq.com and maximize your masculinity today. Choq.com use a promo code, Ben. You'll get 35% off any Chalk subscription for life. Choq.com and boost your testosterone levels up to 20% over 90 days. Choq.com Senator, this is @ a point, I think there's rage and anger and frustration in the double standard. Yes. But then there's also that worry that people feel like, all right, we lost again, the system's rigged, the DOJ is rigged, the FBI is rigged. It's all rigged against us. There's a double standard here. Yet we still have a lot of questions being asked about the president. Will they go anywhere and should people be discouraged or is it getting much bigger with the leaks coming out against the president?

[B]

So let me say yes, no, yes, yes, you should be discouraged about doj. I think the Merrick Garland DOJ is thoroughly politicized. I think from their view, the Hunter Biden investigation's over. They're done. They've wrapped it up as the Democrats and the press are gleefully saying they're not investigating anymore. They don't want to know. They are the three little monkeys. They see no evil, they hear no evil, and they are covering up any connection to Joe Biden. So if you're sitting there waiting for, well, when is DOJ going to do more on this? I think you will wait at least until the end of 2024. I don't think it's going to happen so that you should be distressed about. The good news is I don't believe the House of Representatives is going to sit quietly along. I think James Comer and I think Jim Jordan are going to keep digging. I am working closely with both of them. I'm going to keep pressing them. They have the power to issue subpoenas. I think the House needs to keep pressing. So that is encouraging. And I'll also say, listen, this podcast is gonna keep pressing. And what we are seeing is more and more whistleblowers coming forward, more and more people in the FBI and the DOJ and the IRS who are principled, who are honorable, who are frustrated by this corruption and that growing effort. Listen, remember back to Richard Nixon and Watergate. At first, it started off and it was just a little story here, then it was a little story there. But the evidence grew and mounted. Do I think Merrick Garland? Listen, I gotta say, as an aside, I was doing a TV interview last week, and the person interviewing me asked, said, well, do you think there's a scenario where the Democrats in the Senate would vote to convict Joe Biden in an impeachment hearing? And I laughed, and I said, no. And I went on to say, you could have video of Joe Biden murdering children at midnight under a full moon, dressed as the devil and singing Pat Benatar. And the Democrats still would not vote to convict. Now, amusingly enough, Ben, the lefties lost their minds, but they didn't dispute the underlying point that the Democrats didn't care about the facts, would never vote to convict Joe Biden, didn't care what he was guilty of. None of that was controversial. They're like, yeah, oh, that's obviously true. You know what they were mad at?

[A]

What was that?

[B]

That I said the words Pat Benatar.

[A]

It is kind of predictable, right?

[B]

Okay. This began trending on Twitter that I said Pat Benatar. And lefties. It's very funny. They're very territorial. They guard culture. You're not allowed to reference pop culture. And it actually, Pat Benatar responded to me. Who the heck. Who the heck knew Pat Benatar would ever respond? A little old me. I was fairly surprised.

[A]

Okay, hold on. I missed that. What did Pat say? Because I totally missed this. This is awesome.

[B]

So she posted on. I think it was Facebook, and she just said, nice try. And I don't know, one of the lefty papers said, pat Benatar burns Cruz. That was one of the headlines the last few days.

[A]

That's hilarious.

[B]

Which I found really funny. So let me tell you two funny things about Pat Benatar. Gate number one, I put out a tweet today, today or yesterday, where I. I said, look, my point was that he could be murdering children under a full moon while singing hit me with your best shot and Democrats wouldn't care.

[A]

Yep.

[B]

But to be honest, look, I thought that was kind of a clever tweet, so I sent it out. But do you want to know the actual backstory behind why I said Pat Benatar?

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Okay. So I'm. I was just free associating. I'm doing an interview. It's the middle of the Afternoon, I'm talking, and I'm trying to think of, like, an outlandish scenario. So I'm like, murdering children dressed as the devil. Full moon Midnight. And what I was trying to think of was the band Nickelback.

[A]

Oh, yeah.

[B]

And the reason it's kind of a funny. So in 2016, when I was running for president, there was this guy, this protester that showed up at several of my events holding a sign that says, ted Cruz likes Nickelback.

[A]

That was like, the greatest, like, bad insult ever, by the way. I remember that. It's like, so and so lights. It's like the new. Like, oh, he probably drinks Bud Light.

[B]

Yes. And I remember at the time, the guy who showed up, I was laughing. I'm like, that's really funny. And so as I was free associating, I'm like, crap. What was that band that they said I liked? And I couldn't remember the name Nickelback, so I was just, like, grasping for someone. And I don't know why Pat Benatar popped in my head, but I was looking for someone, and so I said Pat Benatar. And what was funny is all these lefties on Twitter are like, oh, Cruz thinks Pat Benatar is satanic and, like, you know, Metallica or something. I'm like, no, I just was naming, like, a random rock star because I couldn't remember Nickelback.

[A]

By the way, the next time for all the listeners that you and I are traveling to do a Verdict Live event, I'm going to pull one of the earbuds and just make sure it's not really Pat Benatar. I just want to be. I'll. I'll report back to everybody. Maybe that's why this happened. That's amazing. All right.

[B]

The next campus tour we do, we really ought it like, Enter the Verdict live recording to Pat Benatar playing. Because we should totally do it. I'm a kid of the 80s. I grew up with Pat Benatar. So when I was reassociating, I've tried to think of something that was just sort of. To be honest, the kind of notion was that I had in my head and I wasn't fully formed with the hit me with the best shot would just Biden, defiant and utterly carefree because he knew he would never be held to account. Which, sadly, is the reality of Democrats in Congress and the corporate media, which is they do not care. There's not a single Democrat who cares if Joe Biden received a $5 million bribe from a foreign country. They don't Care. None of the corporate media is there.

[A]

They want to money. Is there any amount of money, though, or anything that Hunter Biden or Joe Biden could have done? I mean, we're talking about taking money from Russian oligarchs. We're talking about taking money from corrupt businessmen. You know, Burisma in Romania and. And other places around the world. James Comer said recently he believes they're going to find another 20 million. Up to another 20, maybe, you know, 30 total million. No Democrats come in. Yeah. So you're saying there's nothing that they could have done in the past.

[B]

Joe Biden would care about $100 million in his bank account. He could have put a billion dollars in his bank account. He could have put $100 billion in conflict diamonds from Africa that resulted in the murder of thousands of children. The Democrats do not care, and the corporate media won't cover it.

[A]

While watching a Nickelback.

[B]

Yeah. While listening to Nickelback in one ear and Pat Benatar in the other.

[A]

Yeah. It's amazing. I want to ask you a serious question, though, about China real quick, because this is an important one. We had this meeting with Anthony Blinken going over there, and it just seems.

[B]

Hold on. But before you do this, I want to go back. Look, a reasonable listener. As you know, Heidi gets mad at me sometimes when Verdict gets a little too dogmatic. And she says, look, this podcast is better when you're reasonable and you consider both sides. The statement that Democrats don't care may sound hyperbolic, but I challenge you if it's false. Can you point to a single Democrat in the Senate or House of Representatives that has asked even a single witness one critical question about this topic? I can tell you in the Senate Judiciary Committee on which I serve, I have never seen any of the Democrats when they have DOJ in front of them, when they have the FBI in front of them, they won't ask anything. It does not matter. And I also will say I have not seen any Capitol Hill reporter ask even a single Democrat senator one question about this. And so you may think, gosh, that's. That's overstated to say they don't care. But at some point, your conduct conveys something. If you cared, you would demonstrate you cared by at least asking about it. They never, ever, ever do.

[A]

On this issue. The support by Democrats is 100% is what you're saying. By members.

[B]

There's not. There's not a single outlier. Maybe there is in the House. I don't think there is. I know in the Senate. There's not. Or if there is, if someone has secret concerns they're harboring in their heart, boy, they're keeping them quiet. They won't actually say them publicly.

[A]

Incredible. Let me tell you real quick about Patriot Mobile. If you are sick and tired of giving your money to woke companies that are fighting against the values that you believe in, then it's time for you to check out America's only Christian conservative wireless provider. 99% of you listening have got a cell phone. Well, you want dependable coverage, nationwide coverage. You get that at Patriot Mobile because they give you that on all three major networks. So you get the best possible service in your area without the woke propaganda pushed by leftists working hard to destroy this country. Now when you switch to Patriot Mobile you support with every bill you pay free speech and religious freedom, the sanctity of life, the second amendment and our military, our veterans and first responders because they take a portion of your bill at no extra cost to you and they give back to causes that I just mentioned. For years we've had to take it on the chin with big Mobile. They've been dumping millions and millions of dollars into leftist causes and we had no other option. So you had to deal with it. Not anymore. So if you've had enough of the Bud Lights of the world, you've had enough of these companies that are fighting against what you believe in, check out patriot mobile. Call them 878-PATRIOT. Use the promo code verdict. You'll get free activation and the best deals of the year. If you got a small business, family owned business or a small business, call them as well. They can switch your whole business over. Their 100 U.S. based customer service team believes in American workers. 878-PATRIOT. That's 878-PATRIOT or Patriot Mobile. Calm Center. I mentioned a moment ago and I do want to get you on the record on this because one of the things that concerns me the most about the compromise situation that the Bidens are in and we're following the money, the suspicious activity reports, the amount of cash coming into their, to their bank accounts, amount, number of payments and loans coming in specifically from China. And then you see Anthony Blinken basically saying hey, we need a strong China and that's somehow good for America. He's not really, you know, holding China accountable for what they've been doing, expanding and creating islands out of thin air and in different parts around the world and the seas that give them a massive. I, I mean I don't want to understate this but a general Said they have now superiority when it comes to fighting a war because of these new islands they created. No one stopped them. America didn't. And now it seems like China can do whatever the hell they want. And this administration keeps holding back when there's a chance to hold them accountable. Are you concerned that that is directly related to them being compromised?

[B]

You know, I don't know. I don't know if it's that China has information on Joe Biden concerning the millions of dollars they funneled Hunter Biden's business affairs. And I don't know if the 10% for the big guy that went to Joe Biden is a factor. I will say, even if Hunter Biden had never influenced peddled once, I think Joe Biden would be rolling over to China. Biden has rolled over to China for 50 years. He's famously said, come on, man, come on, man, China's our friend. I mean, he has been a China defender. He has been snuggling up to the Chinese communists for decades. And if you put it in the broader picture, the entire Biden foreign policy has been to undermine our friends, to undermine our allies. They've worked to undermine Israel, they worked to undermine the United Kingdom, they've worked to underline the countries, Saudi Arabia, that have been friends to us and at the same time have been showing weakness and appeasement to our enemies. Think about it. Every enemy of America is stronger today than they were two and a half years ago. China's stronger. Russia's stronger. Iran is stronger. North Korea's stronger, Venezuela's stronger. If you hate America, Joe Biden has been great for you. If you're a Mexican drug cartel, Joe Biden has been great for you. And when it comes to China, one of the things to understand, and we've talked about this before on the podcast, today's Democrat Party in Washington, they are structurally pro China. And why is that? It's because the stakeholders that fund them, the people who call the shots in the Democrat Party, who pull the strings on the marionette puppets, that are Democrats, senators and congressmen, all of them are in bed with China. Who is that? It's big business. It's big Wall street, it's big tech, it's big universities, and it's big Hollywood. And they are all in bed with China. They all make big billions of dollars from communist China. And so when it comes to today's Democrat Party, they don't want to stand up to China because the people who are paying the bills depend upon ongoing close interaction and essentially capitulation to China. So as you know, in the preceding Congress, I forced a vote on the Senate floor to prohibit the U.S. government from purchasing goods that in particular electric vehicles or batteries made using slave labor in concentration camps in China. Now, this ought to be an easy vote.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Do you buy things manufactured by slaves in concentration camps? The answer should be just not just no, but hell no. Every single Democrat voted against my resolution. All of them except one. Joe Manchin is the only one who voted with me. Every other Democrat voted for, yep, let's buy things from the concentration camps. That is because their stakeholders are fully invested in China today.

[A]

It's, it's truly incredible. I appreciate you giving us that, that, that answer and perspective because there's so many people that are asking these questions. How can we keep being so weak? Don't forget to hit that follow button if you're listening on Apple. That's how you get every episode automatically on your phone. On on other platforms you'll hit that subscribe or auto download button. Write us a five star review. It helps us reach a new audience and most importantly share this this episode with your family and friends. There's that little forward arrow and you can put it on social media wherever you are on social media we do the show Monday, Wednesday and Fridays. If there's big breaking news just like this one, we'll even throw in shows in between so you don't want to those so make sure that subscribe or auto download button and we will see you back here in a couple of days.