← The 47 Morning Update with Ben Ferguson
The 47 Morning Update with Ben Ferguson
Illegals Are SEVENTY-FIVE PERCENT of Arrests in NYC plus NY Governor's Aide Arrested for being a Chinese Spy & Gold Star Families Denounce Kamala
00:47:12
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- [00:01]
A
Welcome. It is Verdict with Senator Ted Cruz. Ben Ferguson with you. Senator. I am actually shocked by the first story because I can't even believe the headline. And it deals with the number of people that are arrested in New York City, like in the city, and the percentage of them that are illegal immigrants. I didn't even believe it.
- [00:24]
B
Well, this is a stunning story from the New York Post. It says that of the people arrested in midtown New York, fully 75% of them, 75 3/4 are illegal immigrants. It's truly stunning. We're gonna break that down because it will make you understand the very real world consequences of this invasion at our southern border. There's another story out of New York that is equally stunning, which is the New York Democratic governor had as one of her top officials her deputy chief of half a Chinese spy, a Chinese spy, allegedly, who was just indicted by the Biden Justice Department. The FBI came and searched her house. Her husband was also indicted for being a Chinese spy. This is the number two person in the New York Democratic governor's office. We're going to break that down as well. And then finally, a disturbing, a powerful story of the Gold Star families of the 13 servicemen and women who were murdered in Afghanistan during Joe Biden and Kamala Harris's absolutely botched and incompetent withdrawal. They put out statements this week just utterly denouncing Kamala, denouncing her political attack on Donald Trump over Arlington Cemetery. And I gotta tell you, what they said, if you haven't heard it, if you haven't haven't seen what they've said, it's gonna break your heart and it is powerful. These are people with moral gravity because they've given the ultimate sacrifice. They've given their sons and daughters for their nation. And we've got a Democrat nominee for president who's disrespecting that sacrifice.
- [02:16]
A
These Gold Star families, as you said, they're incredible families and their bravery and just their honesty. This week it is worth taking a moment and talking about that. We're going to have that, obviously in a moment for you. But first, let me tell you about my friends over at Blackout Coffee. Today is a perfect example of where I want some variety with my coffee. I started my morning show at 7:00 and then I filled in for my, my good friend Mark Levin in the late evening. And I didn't want like a, just a solid, intense cup of coffee in the late afternoon evening when I was filling in for him. So I had a flavored cup of coffee and their Cinnamon Toast Coffee at Blackout Coffee is perfect for that. That is why I love blackout coffee because they give me options and they are a hardcore conservative coffee brand. Now, you know there's a lot of woke coffee companies out there. Those companies actually use your money to fight against your values. And you probably thought about a couple names when I said liberal coffee companies instantly. So don't start your day with a liberal cup of coffee. Start your day with a hot American first conservative cup of premium coffee from blackout Coffee. This coffee is 100% America and 0% woke. Blackout coffee is committed to conservative values. From the sourcing of the beans, the roasting process, customer support and shipping, they embody true American values and they accept no compromise on taste or quality. Now, I want you to try blackout because as I said a moment ago, this is not an average cup of coffee. This is a premium cup of coffee that you get to start your day with every single day. The taste is phenomenal. Use the coupon code verdict right now and you're going to get 20% off your first order. Order. That's right. Use the coupon code VERDICT. For 20 off your first order, go to blackoutcoffee.com verdict blackoutcoffee.com verdict Be awake, not woke. That's blackoutcoffee.com verdict promo code VERDICT and get 20% off your first order and the best cup of coffee of your life. So, Senator, let's just start with the headline, Migrants flooding New York City's justice system. Making up to 75% arrests in Midtown as pathetic sanctuary city laws Handcuff the police. And even the mayor now is admitting, yeah, we can't do anything to stop this. They own our city now.
- [04:43]
B
Well, and, and, and this article is so shocking, I think it's worth just going over in, in some depth because almost every, every sentence of it is going to blow you away. So it begins with New York Post quote, Jefferson Maldonado, a 31 year old migrant from Ecuador has been arrested in New York City five times since arriving in the US earlier this year. His latest bust was for stealing a pair of pants and a beer from the target near Herald Square. Asked why he committed the crime, the migrant thief said, quote, I wanted to change my clothes and think. I wanted to sit down and think about my life, about what to do because this is not a normal world. He was just one of five migrants in a Manhattan courtroom for arraignment on one night last week. Across New York, recently arrived migrants are flooding the criminal justice system at far higher rates than public Officials have acknowledged police sources shared with the Post a staggering estimate that as many as 75% of the people they've been arresting in midtown Manhattan in recent months for crimes like assault, robbery and domestic violence are migrants. In parts of Queens, the figure is more than 60%. Sources their estimate on any given day, Big Apple criminal court dockets are packed with asylum seekers who have run afoul of the law. The problem is made much worse by sanctuary city laws that mean New York cops aren't allowed to work with ICE on cases in which they believe suspects are in the country illegally. Additionally, the NYPD says it is barred from from tracking the immigration status of offenders, that this makes it almost impossible for authorities to get their arms around the problem. Experts and sources on the ground say, quote, new York City eliminated a lot of tools to get rid of violent criminals. What a mess. Jim Quinn, a veteran former prosecutor at the Queen's District Attorney's Office, told the Post, quote, the sanctuary city law is pathetic. It's disgusting. It's crazy. Making matters worse, police sources say word has gotten out in the shelters about the city's lax bail guidelines, meaning migrants know they're going to get kicked back onto the street quickly after they're napped. A City hall spokesman pointed to Mayor Eric Adams's previous calls for the City Council to change the sanctuary city laws. Let me jump in. That's a Democrat mayor begging the City Council please stop making us a sanctuary city. Here's how the Post article continues. Last week, Adam said, quote, right now we don't have the authorization to be able to go and coordinate with ice. We have to follow the law. The mayor's office also said the city is working with the Midtown Improvement Coalition to better police the neighborhood. An NYPD spokesperson said overall crime is down so far this year compared to last year and added, quote, new Yorkers can count on the NYPD's ongoing vigilance in every neighborhood. Kumbaya. The Kumbaya added. However, the spokesperson also noted, quote, police officers are prohibited from asking about the immigration status of crime victims, witnesses or suspects, and therefore the NYPD doesn't track data pertaining to immigration statuses. As a result, the only people who have a full understanding of the scale of the problem are the police officers and the court workers who see it day in, day out. Quote, I would say about 75% of the arrests in Midtown Manhattan are migrants, mostly for robberies, assaults, domestic incidents and selling counterfeit items, a Midtown officer said. He said the figure is an estimate because, quote, you can't be a hundred percent sure they're migrants unless you arrest them in a shelter or they're dumb enough to give you a shelter address. By the way, the the shelters means places that Joe Biden and Kamala Harris are sending them deliberately sending in illegal immigrants to uni to New York City Back to the Post Quote Another Manhattan cop said that excluding petty larceny's at drugstores, the number of local arrests involving migrants is, quote easily 75%, noting that most who get caught shoplifting go for the more pricey branded goods. Quote they can't be bothered with lower end stores. They like Lululemon and sunglasses hut he said, adding that migrants are behind, quote most of the pickpocketing and phone and chain snatches the NYPD is encountering. The problem is visible in Queens courts too. Quote There are days we have so many migrant cases we have to call in for extra Spanish interpreters, a law enforcement officer at the Queen's Criminal Courthouse told the Post. Another court officer said, quote come on Mondays, almost every case is a migrant. While many of the crimes are domestic incidents or petty thefts, others are far more heinous, sometimes involving gang violence or vicious sexual assaults. Venezuelan migrant Eur Lex Daniel Guzman Quintero was arrested in Queens criminal court on August 28, accused of a deplorable act of sexual abuse against his girlfriend in which he choked her and held a knife to her head. Court documents alleged it all happened in front of her child. That same day, migrant Dionysio Moran Flores was arraigned in Manhattan Criminal Court for allegedly raping his five year old daughter. He was ordered held on a $150,000 bail. Meanwhile, Trend Aragua, the vicious Venezuelan prison gang wreaking armed havoc around the country, has set up shop in New York City and is already tied to hundreds of crimes, including the shootings of two NYPD cops who were trying to arrest a member in June. The very same pack of thugs has been arming up to facilitate further terrorizing the city. Smuggling guns into city ran shelters in food delivery bags to evade metal detectors. Quote most of the people we arrest are professionals. These aren't their first crime crimes, one law enforcement source said. The cops added that the Biden Harris administration's lax border policies combined with sanctuary city laws have allowed the problem to fester. Quote Crime would be down significantly if there was a wall and we could account for everyone who comes into this country, the source grumbled. And more importantly, throw them out if they commit a crime. Some migrants have become recurring guests of city jails and courtrooms and are often back on the streets to reoffend as quickly as they were captured. Quote, they don't care if they get arrested. They laugh if they get sent to Rikers where they come from, they get tortured in jail. A Bronx cop said. He added that while most people arrested in the boroughs are migrants, it's impossible to say they entered the country during the massive wave that began in spring of 2022. About 64,000 migrants remain in the city's shelter and social service system. This is what. And actually migrant arrest numbers in Queens don't fare much better than for Manhattan. A copper estimated that more than 60% of the people arrested in Jackson height or migrants whose offenses involve such crimes as robbery, grand larceny and assault. Quote. Roosevelt Avenue and 91st street looks like a scene from Casablanca. With all the vendors. You can buy food, clothes, toys, electronics toys and get your car washed. The NYPD source says of the mass scale open air bazaar that has sprung up along the sidewalks. The area has become a third world country and it seems like city hall doesn't care about the taxpayers who live and work here. He said Elmhurst, particularly the area along Roosevelt Avenue has experienced a nearly 22% uptick in crime compared to last year, Much of it migrant related, Putting it in the second worst place for the worst increase of crime citywide, trailing only Central park in Manhattan. Goes on to say the number of prostitutes have doubled in the last two months. They're starting to act like they are part of the community now. We see them every day. It's like the same people wearing the same outfits. It's really strange. This is shocking. 75%.
- [13:47]
A
You look at the number and like you said, it's shocking. It's almost, you would say it doesn't even seem like that's real or possible. But then when you hear what they're saying in the court system, you hear what the whistleblowers are saying, you hear what the mayor says, then you find out that 20, 25% of the people in the hotels are illegal immigrants. In New York City. It all makes sense. But once you realize that you can commit crime center and just get let out as fast as you're caught. There's no downside, there's no.
- [14:20]
B
It's a revolving door.
- [14:22]
A
Yeah. Because you're not even an American citizen. You're like, I don't care about your laws, I don't care about your tickets, I don't care about your court system.
- [14:29]
B
If there are no consequences, you go and steal pants because you want a new pair of pants, you go and steal French fries because you want some French fries. You go and rob people because you want their money if there's no consequence, why, if you're a criminal, would you not keep committing crimes?
- [14:44]
A
So this goes back to the other bigger crimes that are also being committed in the country. You see these apartment complexes that have been taken over by different gang members from different countries. We've seen the warnings that have been coming out that places like Venezuela have allowed some of their worst criminals out of their jails as long as they get out of the country, AKA come to America. Early on, when Donald Trump and others talked about it, they were, oh, yeah, it's conspiracy theory. You can't prove that. Now we're seeing them set up shop in the United States of America and they're making a hell of a lot of money doing this, sir.
- [15:20]
B
They are. And you know, the message has gone out. So one of the things the New York Post talks about is the city. PBA President Patrick Hendry did cried the out of control lawlessness taking root across the city. And he said, quote, our justice system is already failing to protect New Yorkers and hold lawbreakers accountable regardless of where they come from. But now word has gotten out that you can come to New York to commit crimes and attack police officers and be out the next day. That message needs to change in order to keep dangerous people off our city streets.
- [15:58]
A
You also have a Harris team, and I'm talking about specifically their presidential team that is trying to change her and separate her from being the border czar to hey, I want to secure border and I want there to be a wall. Can they pull off that Jedi mind trick knowing now what we know? And I say that as there was also another interesting moment today as Pelosi is, quote, firing back about the funding for migrants to buy houses. I want you to listen to this from Fox as they're saying, yeah, we're going to underwrite them in California. So the former speaker of the House telling Americans to keep on dreaming. Nancy Pelosi backs funding for illegal immigrants to buy a home specifically after a bill was passed in California despite millions of taxpayers struggling to reach that goal themselves. The congresswoman standing by that with Bill.
- [16:50]
B
Maher on Friday night.
- [16:53]
A
What I would like to do is move them to documented. One of the best things that we can do for our economy is to pass comprehensive immigration reform. That's kind of a, a different place than the Democratic Party used to be on immigration.
- [17:07]
B
As a non.
- [17:08]
A
Well, let me just say Immigration had always been a bipartisan issue. I refer you to non free houses. Good. Final line. Two things here. One, I'm becoming more of a fan of Bill Maher than ever before, Senator, because he's even like, come on, like free homes? Are you kidding me? Like, there's no such thing as a free lunch. There's no such thing as a free home. Somebody's got to pay for it. It's clearly the taxpayers. But, but this is how you entice people to run across the border. Because if you go to the right place, whether it's New York City or California, come on in as many of you that want to. And we're going to create a situation where you're going to take significant amount of cash from American citizens and we're going to give it to the people that broke the law. That is beyond a broken system.
- [17:58]
B
Well, listen, we've talked about Bill Maher before. Bill Maher is an old school liberal and he's asking a very real question. When did Democrats decide that they like illegal immigrants more than American citizens? That they're willing to give illegal immigrants money and benefits and free homes which they don't give to American citizens? And by the way, when did Democrats decide they like illegal immigrants more than African Americans who've been born here and grew up here and many of whom are struggling because, you know, that same law is not providing African Americans with free homes. And I think Bill Maher is also saying, or I think he has said at other times, when did Democrats decide they like criminals more than the victims of crime? That combination is truly a compilation of how radicalized the Democrat party has been. And California is the foreshadowing of where all of this goes. Look, I'll tell you, I crisscross the state of Texas campaigning. I'm out on the road all day long all across Texas. And as I'm doing so literally every day, Ben, I encounter at least one person who comes up to me and says, today I had a couple come up to me and say, we're from California. We couldn't stand the insanity there. We had to get out. We're so glad we're in Texas. It is literally every day I have Californians who move to Texas who say almost word for word the same thing. And it's because they can't stand the nuttiness that is driving them out of their state.
- [19:28]
A
Yeah, it is driving them out. And the scary part is I just hope they don't bring all these liberal values to different places. They're going that's the concern. It's like, you may well, but don't do that.
- [19:40]
B
Yeah, look, I get that concern, but listen, I break the migrants, that. This is the US Citizen migrants that are coming into Texas into two groups. Number one are the people that are fleeing blue states because they can't stand it and they want to come to Texas. And I think the data show that those are more conservative than the median Texas voter. I call them refugees for freedom. They're awesome. They come to Texas, they buy a pickup truck, they get a hat and a. And boots and a shotgun, and they're awesome. Those guys we want. There's another subset, and this is where. Where the internal migration is more complicated, which is a company moves to Texas and it transfers all its employees. And the employees didn't necessarily decide they wanted out. They didn't decide they want to be in Texas. They just stick with their job. And I think the data suggests that those employees tend to vote exactly like where they came from. And so a state like Florida, in some ways is fortunate because it's got overwhelmingly Category 1 people fleeing blue states and coming for freedom. So Florida's getting redder and redder. Texas is really a victim of our own success because we're such an attractive place to do business that we've got companies coming week after week after week. And so we've got hundreds of thousands of employees being transferred to Texas. And so we have both categories. And so assessing what the impact is on Texas is complicated.
- [21:07]
A
Yeah, it is. And it's like you said, complicated. That's a great way of putting it. And by the way, I just want to be clear, Senator. I. I care about safety and security, and. And you know that I. I'm only going to offer this up as a sacrificial lamb here. There's. There's rumor that you might actually get to see the US Open in New York. There's rumor. And look, I don't want Heidi to not be in a safe place. So if she doesn't feel comfortable and you need a stand in, just know I will go with you to the Open. I want to make that very clear. Okay. It's just not because I like tennis or anything like that. I just want to let you know it's safety. Okay.
- [21:45]
B
Look, Ben, you're very nice, you're very charming, but Heidi's a hell of a lot hotter than you are. So sorry. My wife is my date. That's a good try, but it just ain't working. And you need to work on your Southern Charm.
- [22:00]
A
It was a solid sell. That was the best sales pitch I could come up with there. You just, you just make sure she under. If she gets a cough or anything. It's about safety. I'm all about safety. Okay. All about safety here. Now, by the way, this isn't the only problem New York's having right now. Illegal immigration. They've got another problem coming out of the governor's office. Chinese agent was embedded in not one, but two New York governor administrations. There seems to be a hell of a lot of Chinese agents that are hanging out with Democrats, whether it's drivers of top Democrats in the Senate or congressmen that are cuddling up for a couple years with Chinese spies. And now we've got one in the Governor's mansion. Really?
- [22:49]
B
And let's be clear. The first person you referenced was Dianne Feinstein, whose driver was a Chinese spy. The second person you mentioned was Eric Swalwell, who was tickling the toes beneath the sheets with Fang Fang, a Chinese spy. And now we have the news breaking this week that the former deputy chief of staff to current New York governor, Democrat Kathy Hochul, and a staffer also to the previous New York Democratic governor Andrew Cuomo, was arrested along with her husband. And the 64 page indictment accuses Linda sun and her husband Christopher Hu of laundering and splurging their gains, working for the Chinese government and purchasing a $4 million Manhasset mansion, a $2 million second home in a Honolulu high rise, and luxury cars, including a 2024 Ferrari Roma. And this was. The FBI searched their home at several points. Sun allegedly bragged to Chinese consulate officials about effectively blocking Cuomo and Hochul from meeting with or publicly even mentioning Taiwan, including when Taiwan sent 200,000 mass to New York City during the COVID pandemic. They still didn't, didn't mention it. And here's what the indictment says. Quote, the defendant, Linda sun, received substantial economic and other benefits from representatives of the PRC government and, and the ccp, including the facilitation of millions of dollars of transactions for the PRC based business activities of son's husband, the defendant, Chris Hu. The two of them were released on bonds. 1.5 million for son, 500,000 for who? And it is truly stunning. It makes you wonder how many other Democrats have Chinese spies working in senior positions in New York, in California, elsewhere.
- [25:06]
A
Why are the bonds so low there? I mean, that's the first thing that just pops a red flag. It's like, look, if you're accusing them of getting millions of dollars from the Chinese Communist Party. I think, you know, they're gonna be able to come up with the money needed to get out of jail. If it's a million and a half million, right, like that, it's 10% of that. They clearly have the cash to do that. Why would you let spies out for that little amount of cash? Especially if you've infiltrated at the highest levels in state government in New York.
- [25:37]
B
Yeah, look, I don't know if DOJ considers them a flight risk. If they're Chinese spies, you would think that that would almost inherently be a flight risk, that they would go back to China. You know, I have kind of a mixed reaction given what we see Democrat judges doing all the time. You know, in, in Boston, the Haitian illegal immigrant that Kamala Harris and Joe Biden flew from Haiti to Boston and released who raped a 15 year old girl with severe mental disabilities. He was released on a $500 bond. So given that left wing Democrats think $500 is sufficient for raping a child at one level, 1.5 million actually at least sounds like a real bond. Unless they end up fleeing to China, never being prosecuted. And I would certainly be concerned about that given the allegations.
- [26:29]
A
I want to play for you, New York Governor Deputy Linda sun demanding, quote, equity in the US and this tells you, I think also why the Chinese Communist Party is like, hey, we can get in with these people. It's not hard. You just speak their language.
- [26:47]
C
I think, you know, when people say diversity and inclusion, I think everybody agrees or most people generally agree that it's a good thing. Right. But I think right now we also need to bring in the word equity. Right. Diversity is when you say that there's, you know, many different types of people with different backgrounds and they're all, you know, invited to the table. Inclusion is when, you know, we include all of their ideas, but equity is when we make sure that all of the people who are at the table have equal access to making sure that their ideas and their thoughts are heard. And unfortunately, I think some of the statistics that you quoted is that we don't have that much leadership or represent.
- [27:31]
A
I mean, you hear this and I play it because it's like, oh, they figured it out. Speak these people's language, they'll welcome you into the fray. Apparently we don't do any vetting anymore. If you're in the Democratic Party, just talk the talk and come on in. Who cares if you've got ties to Tyra terrorists like Hamas or, or connections of Chinese Communist Party or you're just a straight up spy. You said what we wanted to hear. You're in the, you're in the fam.
- [27:57]
B
Well, and apparently equity and inclusion don't include anyone from Taiwan. They, they don't include any criticism of the Chinese Communist Party. The indictment describes where she texted one Chinese official said quote, I almost had a heart attack when we referred to Taiwan as a country In a 2020, October 2020 press release, the indictment. And then she said thankfully I had the press team correct it immediately. But on the other hand, she successfully got Andrew Cuomo to publicly thank quote, PRC official one who's named in the indictment and appears to be Consul General Huang Ping on social media for helping give 1 million surgical maps masks to New York essential workers. So at another point, sun gets praises from a Chinese official after she claims to have blocked a speechwriter from having Governor Hochul mention the plight of the Uyghurs. There are over 1 million Uyghurs who are in concentration camps in China. And this Chinese spy was saying no, no, no Madam Democrat, don't mention the concentration camps. We don't say that. And, and, and she messaged her Chinese handler that the relationship between the US and China quote turns sour because of people like the speechwriter. And this is, and by the way, do you know what, what, what the officials personal chef prepared for the spies?
- [29:43]
A
What was that?
- [29:45]
B
The, the Chinese Communist officials personal chef had prepared, quote Nanjing style salted ducks that were delivered to son's parents. Unsurprisingly, both Hochul and Cuomo are desperately running away from this alleged Chinese spy. But, but, but it's striking. So, so here are the quotes that they, that they gave the New York Post once. This is a spokesperson from, from Governor Hochul's office. Quote, we terminated her employment in March of 2023 after discovering evidence of misconduct, immediately reported her actions to law enforcement and have assisted law enforcement throughout this process. Now that suggests in March of 2023 they may have known she was a Chinese spy. Then what was the evidence of misconduct? What was it that led to her firing? And you know, boy they're desperately trying to run away. But actually Cuomo spokesperson is even funny. So Cuomo spokesperson basically puts all the blame on Hochul and here's, here's what Cuomo spokesperson says, quote. While Ms. Son was promoted to Deputy Chief of Staff in the subsequent administration during our time she worked in a handful of agencies and what was one of many community liaisons who had little to no interaction with the Governor. In other words, look, we don't know about our successor and she may have been palling around with a Chinese spy. But you know, the governor, he, he now mind you, they didn't say, yeah, he sexually harassed every woman who came near him. But, but apparently she didn't meet that threshold. So. He did not, he didn't, he little, he had little to no interaction with, with her. It's all hocus fault.
- [31:25]
A
One thing I've learned from this story, if there's two ways to get a Ferrari center one, you just work really, really hard and save and save and save and maybe one day you're lucky enough or you can just work for the Chinese Communist Party and get one real fast. It's, it's all, it's, it just depends on how quick you want to get to the car.
- [31:40]
B
I think it's fair to say there are more than two ways to get a Ferrari. But we don't need to detail all of the ways to get a Ferrari. Those are at least two of them.
- [31:50]
A
At least two. Very well played. Fair point. All right, so moving on from that one, let me talk to you real quick about the international fellowship of Christians and Jews. We are quickly approaching the one year anniversary of the horrific Hamas attacks on Israel. And still the Holy Land continues to be attacked on multiple fronts. Deadly threats are increasing in northern Israel. Constant rocket attacks are coming from the terrorists, from Hamas, from Hezbollah and their proxies of obviously Iran. And that is what has been causing so much damage and still taking the lives of innocent men, women, children in Israel since the war started, the international fellowship of Christians and Jews has been on the forefront in Israel addressing the needs of those that are most vulnerable. And that's why I'm proud to partner with ifcj. Your life saving donation is helping provide emergency food as well as well as critical security needs such as flak jackets, firefighting equipment, armored vehicles that include armored ambulances which have saved in the last year countless lives because they've been able to go into the areas where they are under attack. Because these ambulances are armored and save lives. They've also been putting in bomb shelters. And right now we're asking 500 of you to join the fellowship and me by donating a hundred and fifty dollars to help meet these urgent security needs. Also, this is the best part. A generous IFCJ supporter is going to match your gift, doubling your impact in the holy land. For 500 people that step up to say I stand with Israel. You can call and make your gift right now by calling 888-488-IFCJ, that's 888-488IFCJ. Or go online and give there at supportifcj.org that's one word. Support ifcj.org Israel needs our support now more than ever. And you can stand with the people in Israel. Support IFCJ.org Center I also want to talk about another story and it may be one of the most pathetic, vile attacks that we have seen from the Harris campaign so far. And it was a, a fake story, a fictitious story that was clearly, I think, drawn up a play by the Harris campaign to hey, let's make people not like Donald Trump. Let's attack Donald Trump for standing at Arlington Cemetery with the family members of those that lost loved ones on the the pullout from Afghanistan on that arbitrary date that Joe Biden and Kamala Harris wanted to say. We ended America's longest roar. We don't care when we're pulling out, who dies or how many people that helped America are left behind to be attacked and tortured by the terrorists. We were literally taking orders from the Taliban at the very end. And Afghanistan Gold Star family members have come forward, united in an incredible way. And I think it's sad that they had to come forward. They just wanted to honor their loved ones that gave the ultimate sacrifice for their country. They asked Donald Trump to come and be with them. The Harris campaign accused Donald Trump in a direct tweet that Kamayers put out of using this as a basically a publicity stunt. And these Gold Star families came forward and said, no, that's not true. We're not going to let you do this to Donald Trump. We're not going to allow the media to do this and drag him through the mud. He was our guest. We asked him to come. This was not a publicity stunt. And not only that, they said he knows our family members names. That's more than we can say for you, comma, who have not talked to us, don't know our kids names and have not reached out.
- [36:01]
B
Well, I have to say this whole thing has been utterly disgraceful. How Kamala Harris and her campaign has handled it. It started with Donald Trump went to Arlington Memorial Cemetery to honor the 13 servicemen and women who were murdered, who were murdered in Afghanistan. He went and laid a wreath at their tombs to honor their death. And he did so at the invitation of the Gold Star families who wanted him there. They also invited Kamala Harris. Kamala Harris declined to come. Kamala Harris was in D.C. she was at her residence. She was just a few miles away. But she was not willing to come to Arlington Cemetery to acknowledge their deaths. And to be clear, that's consistent with the pattern of Kamala Harris and Joe Biden of ignoring these 13 fallen servicemen and women. In fact, Joe Biden claimed that no servicemen and women had fallen under, under his presidency, which is just a brazen lie. And so instead of, look, Kamala can't defend the absolute incompetence, the disaster that was the withdrawal from Afghanistan. So she wants to change the subject. And so she immediately blasted Trump because while he was there, he took photographs with the families of the fallen servicemen and women, and he did so at their request. And she tried to say this is a political stunt because he took photographs with the families. Now, to be clear, the families asked him to take photographs. I guess in her view, you should tell the grieving mother of a soldier who was killed, no, I'm not willing to take a picture with you. That would have been insane. In response, families of seven of the 13 fallen servicemen and women put out a joint statement. And this joint statement. Powerful. Doesn't begin to cover it. Let me just read it. It's not very long. Quote, we, the families of the brave service members who were tragically killed in the Abbey Gate bombing are appalled by Vice President Kamala Harris's recent attempts to politicize President Trump's visit to the Arlington National Cemetery. President Trump was invited by us, the Gold Star families, to attend the solemn ceremonies commemorating the three year anniversary of our children's death. He was there to honor their sacrifice. Yet Vice President Harris has disgracefully twisted this sacred moment into a political ploy. Vice President Harris bears responsibility for the deaths of our sons and daughters. Let me read that again. Vice President Harris bears responsibility for the deaths of our sons and daughters. Her administration's catastrophic mishandling of the Afghanistan withdrawal directly led to the murder of 13 service members, including our children. Despite our multiple requests for a meeting to discuss the loss of our loved ones, Vice President Harris has repeatedly ignored us, showing a complete lack of empathy and accountability. This refusal to face the consequences of her administration's decisions is a deep betrayal to us as Gold Star families. President Trump, on the other hand, has been the only commander in chief to consistently recognize the heroism of our children. His attendance at Arlington was not for political gain, but to stand with us, to grieve with us, and to honor the legacy of those who gave everything for this nation. His leadership during his time in office was strong, and we have no doubt that if he were still Commander in chief, our children would be Alive today, Vice President Harris has proven herself unfit to serve as Commander in Chief. Her actions both in the failure of the Afghanistan withdrawal and in her disgraceful politicization of this anniversary have shown that she lacks the judgment, compassion, and leadership required for the position. We will continue to hold her accountable for the role she played in the deaths of our children, and we will not stand by as she disrespects their memory. America deserves better. Our children deserved better.
- [40:35]
A
You see, these families come together, and this is not a fight they asked for. This was not publicity they asked for. This was not a moment they asked for. These Gold star families have also now come out saying that Kamala's attack on Trump made us a target for a lot of hate. They weren't wanting this hate. And all because when you're the vice president, your words have power. And when you have Vice President Harris, who's the leading candidate, right, for the Democratic Party, that, by the way, no one's ever voted for, but she's the nominee. Attacking Trump, accusing him of playing politics by going to a cemetery to honor the 13 fallen service members who lost their lives as a result, as you just read there, Biden's administration's disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan. But they say, yes, this has made us a target of a lot of hate, because now people are hating them for defending Trump, saying, oh, well, they're just Trump supporters. You know, the heck with them, and. And attacking them on social media, all because they were trying to honor the memory of their sons and daughters, their husbands and their wives, their family members that were killed. And Vice President Harris, I think it's important to read part of what she put out on X, which started all of this. And clearly, this is my opinion. I want to know what you think about this, Senator. I think this was written by a campaign staff who said, let's start this thing. And she said, quote. As vice president, I've had the privilege of visiting Arlington National Cemetery several times. It is a solemn place, a place where we come together to honor American heroes who have made the ultimate sacrifice in service of this nation. It is not a place for politics. And yet, as we reported this week, Donald Trump's team chose to film a video there, resulting in an altercation with cemetery staff that apparently never happened. Let me be clear. She writes, the former president disrespected sacred ground, all for the sake of a political stunt. So a woman who says this is not supposed to be about politics literally makes it a political stunt on her behalf to try to make people hate Donald Trump, which then in turn brought in these families and now they're hating on them as well.
- [42:59]
B
Look, this was just a cynical attempt from the Kamala Harris campaign to shift the attention to one of the most egregious and catastrophic foreign policy failures of Joe Biden and her leadership. And this is a failure that led directly to the deaths of 13 servicemen and women. And let me make clear, that joint statement that I read a minute ago, it didn't just come from one or two family members. It came from Misty Fiocco, who is the sister of Sergeant Nicole LG it came from Cheryl Jewels, who is the aunt of Sergeant Nicole LG it came from Christy Shamblin, who is the mother in law of Sergeant Nicole LG it came from Mark Schmitz, who is the father of Lance Corporal Jared M. Schmitz. It came from Jacqueline Schmitz, who is the stepmother of Lance Corporal Jared M. Schmitz. It came from Herman Lopez, who is the father of Corporal Hunter Lopez. It came from Jim McCallum, who is the father of Lance Corporal Riley J. McCollum. It came from Steve Nikui, who is the father of Lance Corporal Kareem M. Nikui. It came from Coral Doolittle, who is the mother of Corporal Humberto A. Sanchez. It came from Darren Hoover, who is the father of Staff Sergeant Darren T. Hoover. And it came from Kelly Barnett, who is the mother of Staff Sergeant Darren T. Hoover. Now, you want to talk about people who have moral gravity. They've given the ultimate sacrifice of their own children who died. And yet you know what? They also have said. So Christy Shamblin, who was one of the people who signed it, she is the mother in law of Sergeant Nicole LG she has said that Kamala Harris's behavior shows that she believes, quote, service members are disposable. And it is striking. Here's what she said. She said, quote, I think it shows that she believes our service members are disposable. And that's exactly the feeling that we've got from the White House is that our heroes, our children, my daughter in law was disposable and replaceable and not important. And I can't live with that. It's not acceptable. Our service members are the most important people in our society. And Nkoui, another one of the Gold Star family members, said not hearing from Harris is, quote, just typical from this whole administration. You know, they want to sweep this under the rug. Never talk about it again. Never. Honest. For them to honor and recognize the sacrifice of our children would force them to recognize that there was a mistake, and so they won't bring it up. You know, they'll keep it under the rug. And we're. I'm pretty much used to it, but I'm gonna. I'm gonna fight it. You know, I'm gonna call that out every step of the way. And McCollum added that Harris utterly ignored them, never gave them a call. And here's what McCollum said, quote, complete lack thereof. To just abandon the 13, to never reach out. No condolences, no I'm sorry, no explanation. Just absolutely ignore us and basically shut us up. She's lacking character. She has no respect. Wow.
- [46:46]
A
I think it's a perfect note to end on. Don't forget, share this podcast with your family and friends. Share it on social media wherever you can. We do the show Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, so make sure you hit that subscribe or auto download button. And also grab my podcast on those in between days, the Ben Ferguson Podcast. Wherever you get your podcast, I'll keep you up to date on the latest breaking news as well. And the Senator and I will see you back here on Friday morning.