More Biden Balloon Deceptions plus Twitter Bans a US Senator

Summary

The 47 Morning Update with Ben Ferguson
Episode: More Biden Balloon Deceptions plus Twitter Bans a US Senator
Release Date: February 10, 2023
Host: Premiere Networks
Guest: Senator Ted Cruz

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Introduction

In this compelling episode of The 47 Morning Update, host Ben Ferguson engages in a profound discussion with Senator Ted Cruz, delving into pressing national security concerns, the Biden administration's handling of sensitive incidents, judicial nomination controversies, and the troubling dynamics of social media censorship. The conversation offers listeners an unfiltered glimpse into the political maneuvers shaping America today.

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1. The Chinese Spy Balloon Incident

Overview: Senator Ted Cruz provides an in-depth analysis of the recent classified briefing he attended regarding the Chinese government's use of surveillance balloons over the United States. He criticizes the Biden administration's delayed and inadequate response to this significant national security threat.

Key Points:

• Classified Briefing Details:
  Senator Cruz attended a two-hour classified briefing in the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee room, focusing exclusively on the Chinese spy balloon. He emphasized the gravity of the espionage activities conducted by China during the balloon's eight-day traversal of U.S. airspace.

  "[00:40] Senator Ted Cruz: ... unlike Joe Biden who seems to have classified materials everywhere he goes."

• Administration's Delayed Response:
  The balloon entered U.S. airspace on January 28 near the Aleutian Islands and remained for over a week before being shot down on February 4. Senator Cruz highlights that President Biden was only briefed two days before the balloon was destroyed, raising concerns about the decision-making process and the administration's transparency.

  "[03:05] Senator Ted Cruz: It was Saturday, January 28, when the balloon began entering American territory... Biden was briefed on February 1."

• Chain of Command and Decision Authority:
  The discussion underscores the confusion over who holds the authority to act in such scenarios. Senator Cruz points out that existing statutes grant military commanders the authority to engage hostile threats without waiting for presidential directives in urgent situations.

  "[05:00] Senator Ted Cruz: ... military commanders have the legal authority to engage and to take it out."

• Potential National Security Breaches:
  The balloon's flight path over sensitive military installations allowed China to potentially collect communications and other critical data. Senator Cruz expresses deep concern over the implications of such breaches.

  "[12:34] Senator Ted Cruz: Well, I think we should be very concerned."

Notable Quotes:

• "[02:32] Senator Ted Cruz: ... spinning mightily."
  Critiquing the administration’s attempts to downplay the incident.

• "[14:15] Senator Ted Cruz: ... mission was complete, after the espionage was done."
  Highlighting the late action taken against the balloon.

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2. Judicial Nominations and Senate Democrats' Approach

Overview: Senator Cruz shifts focus to the Senate Judiciary Committee, criticizing Democrats for advancing judicial nominees with questionable qualifications and extreme ideological leanings without adequate scrutiny.

Key Points:

• Advancement of Extreme Nominees:
  The Senate Democrats moved forward 29 judicial nominees, including individuals who have made unfounded claims or hold radical views that could adversely affect the judiciary's impartiality.

  "[17:03] Senator Ted Cruz: ... moving forward out of committee. Now, these included many of the most extreme and radical nominees."

• False Statements by Nominees:
  Examples include a nominee who falsely asserted that "police kill unarmed black men every single day," undermining trust in law enforcement and judicial integrity.

  "[17:37] Senator Ted Cruz: ... a judge who said he is motivated... by his hatred for conservatives."

• Lack of Constitutional Knowledge:
  Another nominee admitted to not knowing what Article II of the Constitution entails, a fundamental knowledge required for any federal judge.

  "[20:00] Senator Ted Cruz: ... she didn't know. She couldn't remember."

• Democratic Senators' Inaction:
  Senator Cruz accuses Senate Democrats of "rubber-stamping" every nominee, regardless of their qualifications, thereby diluting the quality and credibility of the federal judiciary.

  "[22:11] Senator Ted Cruz: ... they have no business serving on the Senate Judiciary Committee."

Notable Quotes:

• "[18:16] Senator Ted Cruz: ... it's not like you have the ability when you're just being an advocate to lie."
  Addressing the false statements made by nominees.

• "[21:26] Senator Ted Cruz: Now you don't know what Article 22 is?"
  Challenging the committee's chairman on constitutional ignorance.

• "[22:02] Senator Ted Cruz: ... voted for every single nominee, no matter how bad, no matter how extreme."
  Criticizing the Democrats' approach to confirmations.

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3. Twitter Censorship and the Twitter Files

Overview: The conversation transitions to the contentious issue of social media censorship, focusing on Twitter's actions against Senator Steve Daines and the broader implications revealed by the Twitter Files.

Key Points:

• Incident with Senator Steve Daines:
  Senator Daines was suspended from Twitter for posting a profile picture of himself hunting, which Twitter falsely categorized as "graphic violence." This action underscores the platform's overreach in moderating content.

  "[30:36] Senator Ted Cruz: And it was deleted because Twitter said you may not include graphic violence or adult content in your profile header image."

• Elon Musk's Intervention:
  Elon Musk personally intervened to reinstate Senator Daines' account and revised Twitter's policies to prevent future wrongful censorship of similar content.

  "[32:27] Senator Ted Cruz: The two of them talked on the phone. The two of them talked on the phone."

• Critique of Big Tech's Censorship:
  Senator Cruz laments the broader culture of censorship within social media companies, facilitated by former FBI officials who, according to him, aimed to suppress conservative voices and influence political outcomes.

  "[34:05] Senator Ted Cruz: ... these are the same people that banned Donald Trump."
  Emphasizing the consistency in targeting conservative figures.

• Twitter Files Revelation:
  The release of the Twitter Files exposed internal communications and decisions that suggest deliberate suppression of stories detrimental to the Biden administration, including the handling of Hunter Biden's affairs.

  "[27:17] Senator Ted Cruz: ... they were deliberately misleading the reporters by saying..."

Notable Quotes:

• "[29:35] Senator Ted Cruz: ... acting as henchmen on behalf of the federal government, silencing their political enemies."
  Accusing social media platforms of partisan bias.

• "[34:24] Unnamed Senator: ... If they can ban the president, they can ban anybody."
  Highlighting the arbitrary power wielded by social media companies.

• "[35:29] Senator Ted Cruz: ... what Elon is doing at Twitter is enormously, enormously consequential."
  Stressing the significance of Musk's actions in combating censorship.

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Conclusion

Senator Ted Cruz's conversation with Ben Ferguson offers a critical perspective on the Biden administration's national security strategies, the integrity of the federal judiciary, and the pervasive issue of censorship within social media platforms. Through detailed analysis and pointed critiques, the episode underscores the urgent need for accountability and transparency in governmental and corporate actions that impact American democracy and freedoms.

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Notable Quotes for Reference:

• "[00:27] Senator Ted Cruz: ... something the President refused to bring up during the State of the Union..."
  Setting the stage for the discussion on national security oversight.

• "[06:32] Senator Ted Cruz: ... they have the legal authority to engage and to take it out..."
  Clarifying the military's authority in urgent security situations.

• "[28:19] Senator Ted Cruz: ... the only thing about their getting played."
  Discussing the compromised integrity of social media moderation.

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This episode serves as a vital resource for listeners seeking to understand the intricate dynamics of current political and social issues, emphasizing the importance of vigilance and advocacy in preserving democratic values.

Transcript

[Ben Ferguson]

Welcome. It is verdict with Senator Ted Cruz, Ben Ferguson with you as well. And Senator, you just got out of classified briefings that deal with something the President refused to bring up during the State of the Union and that is the Chinese government and their balloons and the fact that they went all the way across our country and then finally said, ari, I'll deal with it after they pretty much got anything they wanted. What did you learn today that the American people need to know about?

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Well, I spent two hours today in a classified briefing in the skiff down.

[Unnamed Senator]

In the basement of the Capitol.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

And by the way, I'll point out that when I left the classified briefing, I didn't bring any classified materials with me because you can't bring it out of the skiff.

[Unnamed Senator]

And so I don't have any at home with me.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

I don't have many any anywhere else. That seems to be very unlike Joe Biden who seems to have classified materials everywhere he goes. But the two hour briefing was entirely on the Chinese spy balloon. And it was a detailed briefing. It included senior officials from the Department of Defense and the Department of State.

[Unnamed Senator]

And the intelligence community walking through what happened.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

And they revealed quite a lot because it was classified. I'm not going to repeat anything that was said there, but I can characterize the administration's position is they are spinning mightily.

[Unnamed Senator]

Number one, they're trying to diminish the seriousness of the damage to national security.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

That happened from the espionage that China was allowed to undertake in the United States. I did not find their spinning credible. Number two, they were presenting highly legalistic arguments as to why they didn't shoot down the balloon when it first entered US Airspace.

[Unnamed Senator]

And mind you, they did shoot down.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

The balloon a week later after it had spent a week in US airspace, after it had been able to hover over sensitive military facilities and other facilities that, that, that implicate national security.

[Unnamed Senator]

And after it had traversed the entire United States of America. It was only when it crossed out.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Into the Atlantic off the coast of.

[Unnamed Senator]

South Carolina that more than a week.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Later they finally shut it down. You know, I have to say it was really striking listening to the administration give these over lawyered answers suggesting that there were impediments to their shooting it down in Alaska.

[Unnamed Senator]

Apparently you can shoot it down off.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Of South Carolina, but not Alaska, which is asinine. I practiced law for a lot of years. It was, it reeked of after the.

[Unnamed Senator]

Fact rationalization and trying to find a.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Justification for impotently doing nothing for the entire week. It was over the United States. And just from the public timeline, there's one thing that is, is critically important that I don't think many people have focused on.

[Unnamed Senator]

So the public timeline.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

It was Saturday, January 28, when the balloon began entering American territory, entering Alaskan airspace near the Aleutian Islands. And that was on the 28th. By the 30th, two days later, it left American territory and was over Canada.

[Ben Ferguson]

Did we warn Canada, by the way? I mean, is that something that we would have done? And I know when we say we found this thing coming over Alaska, but that's when the public noticed it. Do we even know if our military noticed it before then?

[Senator Ted Cruz]

So I know the answers to both of those questions I'm not able to answer. What I will say is, is that NORAD and NORTHCOM operates in close coordination with Canada. And so our military is infrequent consultation and, and discussion with their Canadian counterparts.

[Unnamed Senator]

That, that's as much as I can say. But here's the other piece that, that we know again from public reports, not.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

From the briefing today. Tuesday, January 31, was the first day President Biden was briefed, which means the.

[Unnamed Senator]

Chinese spy balloon was over Alaska for.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Two days over US Soil conducting surveillance.

[Unnamed Senator]

And yet Joe Biden had not been.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Brought in the loop. Joe Biden had not been briefed. And so a lot of us, myself included, have asked why the hell didn't they shoot it down when it first entered Alaska?

[Unnamed Senator]

And just from the public record, one.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Of the facts that's there is when.

[Unnamed Senator]

It entered Alaska, Joe Biden had no.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Idea because the Commander in Chief had.

[Unnamed Senator]

Not been informed at that point, that.

[Ben Ferguson]

That'S a, what is the chain of command? Because you just, you, you just giving that information immediately brings up the question, does the military get to make the decision when it's over Alaska if the President doesn't know to shoot it down, or does it go to the Commander in Chief every time? And they just said, ah, we don't need to inform him of this. I mean, that, that's a, either way, that is a shocking reality that there could be this much of a disconnect.

[Unnamed Senator]

So there is existing statute that governs.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

This that if there is an airship, an unmanned airship with hostile intent, with hostile capacity, that our military commanders have the legal authority to engage and to take it out. And so the NORTHCOM commander has the authority to do that. They also have the authority to engage and take it out if it, if it is engaged in hostile intelligence gathering, which, which I think in this instance it plainly was.

[Unnamed Senator]

It is to some extent a judgment.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Call, when and to what extent it.

[Unnamed Senator]

Is reported up the chain of command.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

To the Commander in Chief. So you know, in a hypothetical where, where suddenly you see something that, that has, say, a bomb payload that could do harm in an immediate circumstances, our military can engage and take it out in the instance to protect the American homeland.

[Ben Ferguson]

Let's talk about you going in the skiff for this classified briefing. Who gets invited to this? Is that, and what qualifies you to get this briefing? Can any senator ask to be a part of this, to be a part of this briefing, or is this based on the committees that you are appointed to, that you serve on?

[Unnamed Senator]

So there are often classified briefings that are committee based.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

And so I serve on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. We have many classified briefings on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

[Unnamed Senator]

I previously served on the Senate Armed Services Committee. We had many classified briefings on the.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Senate Armed Services Committee.

[Unnamed Senator]

So there are committee specific reasons that.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

You'Ll go to classified briefings.

[Unnamed Senator]

There are also periodically all senator briefings. That's what this was. So every senator was invited, if you.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Are a U.S. senator, you, this was at TSSCI, so at a high level of clearance.

[Unnamed Senator]

And all senators have that clearance by.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Virtue of being elected senators. And, and virtually all the senators were there. I didn't notice anyone missing, but it was certainly was a full room and.

[Unnamed Senator]

There was a lot of interest.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

I stayed until the very end. And I'm going to point out something else that is striking and yet not a lot of people have noticed and focused on, which is on February 4.

[Unnamed Senator]

The same day that the Biden administration.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Shot down the balloon. Uh, the Biden administration was getting a lot of criticism obviously for, for having allowed this balloon to stay in U.S. airspace and conduct surveillance for over a week. Um, on the day, on that day, on February 4th, the Biden administration arranged a briefing with the media, with a, quote, senior defense official.

[Unnamed Senator]

And one of the things that, that.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

I asked about in, in, in the, the briefing today was who that senior defense official was. And I got an answer to that, but I can't tell you the answer to that. But the transcript of the briefing from the unnamed senior defense official included the.

[Unnamed Senator]

Following paragraph that that individual told the reporters on the day the balloon was.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Shut down, quote, PRC government surveillance balloons transited the continental United States briefly at.

[Unnamed Senator]

Least three times during the prior administration.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

And once that we know of at the beginning of this administration, but never.

[Unnamed Senator]

For this duration of time. And so you'll recall right when the.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Balloon was shot down this paragraph suddenly became a major talking point that the.

[Unnamed Senator]

Defenders of the Biden White House began using, saying, well, three times there were balloons during the Trump administration and you'll rec played out. We then had a series of senior officials from the Trump administration, like the Secretary of State, like the Director of.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

National Intelligence, publicly say, I don't know what these guys are talking about.

[Unnamed Senator]

That didn't happen.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

We don't know anything about it.

[Ben Ferguson]

In other words, they weren't briefed on it, and they say they were held in the dark.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Well, it. It turns out that at the time, the Biden administration was telling reporters that.

[Unnamed Senator]

This happened three times during the Trump administration.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

The Biden administration knew full well that.

[Unnamed Senator]

Nobody in the Trump administration was aware of this.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

They knew that.

[Unnamed Senator]

And so they were deliberately misleading the reporters by saying, well, it happened three.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Times out under Trump and they were speaking the truth technically, but they were omitting a major part because the obvious.

[Unnamed Senator]

Inference when you hear that is, oh.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

And, and Trump didn't do anything about it. And they know full, full well that.

[Unnamed Senator]

Trump didn't know about it, Secretary of State didn't know about it, Secretary of Defense didn't know about it.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

And so the Biden administration was perfectly happy to spin the reporters and the reporters were perfectly happy to be spun.

[Ben Ferguson]

And immensely the American public on purpose to cover their rear end, which I.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Think is a political spin.

[Unnamed Senator]

And it was deliberate on a matter.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Of really important national security.

[Ben Ferguson]

I want to ask you about another public report that's come out that the Chinese spy balloon passing over sense of sites, quote, could have collected communications. The State Department has now revealed that. Before I ask you about that aspect of this, I want to tell you about our friends over at Patriot Mobile. If you are a conservative and you're proud to be a conservative and you're proud to defend conservative values, and you've got a cell phone, you need to check out Patriot Mobile. Why, when you switch to Patriot Mobile, you get the same exact cell phone coverage you're used to right now. You get to keep your same cell phone number. You get to keep your same cell phone or upgrade to a new one if you want to, but when you pay your bill every month, you're actually supporting causes that you believe in. We're talking about setting up for the first and the Second Amendment. We're talking about standing up for the rights of the unborn. We're talking about helping people with adoptions. These are the things that Patriot Mobile uses your dollars to actually advocate and support. If you are ready to Fight back, then do it with your cell phone, a bill you're already going to pay. Support conservative causes and make the switch. Go online to patriot mobile.com verdict. You'll get the best deals of the day. You can also call them 878 Patriot. That's 878-patriot. Use the promo code. Verdict. You'll get the best deals they have right now. 878-patriot or patriot mobile.com verdict. Senator, this was, for me, I, I think, honestly shocking when this came out. The State Department has admitted that the Chinese spy balloon that floated over the United States of America for these eight days, including floating over vital national security sites, was equipped, they now say, with antennas that likely could collect our communications. How concerned should the American people be about that aspect of the spy balloon?

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Well, I think we should be very concerned.

[Unnamed Senator]

It was a balloon that was launched.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

For the purpose of espionage, for the purpose of presumably taking photographs, perhaps using.

[Unnamed Senator]

Infrared or other technology, and attempting to.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Intercept communications, attempting to gather information that.

[Unnamed Senator]

Can be used to undermine the national security of the United States.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

And if you look at the flight path of this balloon, it was very.

[Unnamed Senator]

Deliberate that it went over sensitive sites. It went over sites, the military sites.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

It went over sites that are extremely sensitive from a national security perspective.

[Ben Ferguson]

Sites, by the way, that you and I, if we were in a private plane, are not allowed to fly over. And if we did, we would probably be shot down. That's how secure these sites are.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Well, I'm not sure we'd be shot down, but they are sites that are highly secure.

[Unnamed Senator]

And the Biden administration made a decision to allow this to happen. They could have shot it down in Alaska.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Mind you, no one even bothered to tell Joe Biden about it when it was over Alaska. But they could have shot it down there. They could have shot it down in the wilderness of Canada. They could have shot it down in Idaho or Montana, and they didn't. They allowed it to, to spend a week collecting intelligence.

[Unnamed Senator]

That intelligence presumably was, Was sent up via satellite back to Beijing so that.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Beijing has whatever information they gathered and stole.

[Unnamed Senator]

Presumably, the, the Chinese Communist government has that information now. And it was only after the mission.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Was complete, after the espionage was done.

[Unnamed Senator]

That they shot it down in the Atlantic Ocean.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Um, I think that was a reckless.

[Unnamed Senator]

Decision, but I also think it was a dangerous decision because it projected weakness.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

It projected weakness to the Chinese Communist government and to every other enemy of America because it told them that they could brazenly enter American airspace, conduct espionage.

[Unnamed Senator]

On sensitive military secrets.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

And this president, this commander in chief would not act to prevent that.

[Ben Ferguson]

Last question on this I want to ask you, and this is something I just think that we should debunk very quickly. I've actually seen commentators and people on social media saying, well, you don't have to worry about what information China got because we shot this thing down. They didn't get their balloon back. That to me may be one of the biggest lies that I've seen that has kind of happened over the last several days. This information that they were stealing was going back up to their satellites in real time. It what they didn't need to get their balloon back to basically get all the intel.

[Unnamed Senator]

In all likelihood, that's exactly how this operated was, was that it was sending.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

The information back to China real time so that it doesn't have to go back to China for them to get the data.

[Ben Ferguson]

Senator, before we get to some other big news, things happening on commerce and judiciary which you're a member of and I know you want to give an important update on what's happened in D.C. this week on that, on those committees. I want to talk to guys out there listening about something that's really important and that's about being a real man. Look, in the midst of the relentless war on masculinity in America today, I want you to know that there is something that can help you with strength and vitality over weakness and complacency. If you have felt like you're losing that edge a little bit, then you need to check out chalk Choq. They're here to help real American men take back their right to proudly maximize their masculinity by boosting testosterone levels up to 20% over 90 days. Now I've been taking chalk. It's spelled C H O Q. And for two weeks now, this is what I've been doing. And what I can tell you is it's working. I'm taking the male vitality stack manufactured right here in the usa. Chalk is a natural herbal supplement that are clinically proven to have game changing effects on your energy, your focus, your mood and your libido. So maximize your masculinity today@chalk choq.com that's chalk choq.com use the promo code verdict for 35% off. Any chalk subscriptions for life chalk.com code verdict for 35% off. Senator, I want you to give us some updates on what you're working on right now on these important committees because you've had a lot of meetings over the last 24, 48 hours.

[Unnamed Senator]

Well, today was a busy day.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

In addition to the classified briefing on the Chinese spy balloon, we also had hearings in both the Commerce Committee and the Judiciary Committee. The morning started in Judiciary with the Senate democrats taking up 29 judicial nominees who had been nominated last year and had not gotten confirmed, and they were moving them forward out of committee. Now, these included many of the most extreme and radical nominees. These include the judicial nominee who, who at a conference at, at actually my alma mater, Princeton University, reportedly said that police kill unarmed black men every single day. And she reportedly agreed with that statement. When she was questioned about it at her confirmation hearing, she said, well, I.

[Unnamed Senator]

Said that as an advocate. Now, mind you, that statement is wildly, blatantly false.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

It's not remotely true as a factual.

[Unnamed Senator]

Matter, and it's an incredibly harmful statement because if people believe it, it is a lie that has real consequences and.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

That endangers the lives of police officers.

[Unnamed Senator]

And three times she said, well, it was as an advocate.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

So, you know, apparently, look, I spent a lot of years practicing law as an advocate.

[Unnamed Senator]

You're not entitled to lie either.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

It's not like you have the ability when you're just being an advocate to lie.

[Unnamed Senator]

She subsequently, after a confirmation hearing, tried.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

To say in a letter, oh, no.

[Unnamed Senator]

I don't think I said this after all.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Um, but she did it after the.

[Unnamed Senator]

Hearing when there was no opportunity to ask her questions. She was one of the judges.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

They, they were moving forward.

[Unnamed Senator]

Another judge, another district court nominee is.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

A judge who described himself as, as a wild eyed liberal and described how he is motivated every morning to get.

[Unnamed Senator]

Out of bed by his hatred for conservatives.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

And, and I asked the, the, the.

[Unnamed Senator]

Democrats on the committee, I said, look.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

This is, this is who's been nominated to be a district judge in New York. How would you feel if you were.

[Unnamed Senator]

A Republican, you were a conservative in New York?

[Senator Ted Cruz]

There are some. And you found yourself in front of.

[Unnamed Senator]

A federal judge who has said he.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Gets up every morning motivated by his hatred for you. Um, that's a person obviously unfit and without a judicial temperament suitable to be a judge. Um, and then I also asked about the district court nominee that we talked about on a previous podcast who went.

[Unnamed Senator]

Under questioning from John Kennedy, didn't know.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

What Article 5 of the Constitution was.

[Ben Ferguson]

Didn'T know what article, which is not a trick question. If you missed that in our pod, go back and listen to that podcast that we did because you explained how basic that question is to any legal scholar. Anybody that's a lawyer, especially if you are looking to serve at this level, you would be prepared to know about this.

[Unnamed Senator]

Well, and the follow up, John Kennedy.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Asked, he asked about what's in Article.

[Unnamed Senator]

2 of the Constitution.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

And, and, and she, she said she didn't know. She couldn't remember.

[Unnamed Senator]

Now, now that, that is not a gotcha question.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

That is not obscure.

[Unnamed Senator]

That is a question that any first year law student could answer.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

And if you couldn't answer it, you.

[Unnamed Senator]

Would flunk constitutional law. It is very simple. So the first three articles of the.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Constitution, Article 1 establishes the Congress, the legislative branch of our government.

[Unnamed Senator]

Article 2 establishes the President of the United States and the Executive branch.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

And Article 3 establishes the judiciary.

[Unnamed Senator]

This person is nominated to be what is called an Article 3 judge. And yet apparently she doesn't even know what that is. She didn't know what Article 2 was.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

And I pointed out at the hearing.

[Unnamed Senator]

That, that Dick Durbin, the Democrat chairman.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Of the committee, said after that hearing, well, there are probably a lot of.

[Unnamed Senator]

Members of our committee that couldn't answer those questions either.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

And so I brought that up and I said I thought that was really an astonishing statement. And I said, I'm confident that everyone on the Republican side of the aisle could answer the question, what's Article two? But I find it stunning to the.

[Unnamed Senator]

Democrats here that your chairman is saying.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

You have no Idea what Article 2 of the Constitution is.

[Unnamed Senator]

And I had said I would do this on the podcast.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

So I followed through and I said.

[Unnamed Senator]

Does anyone here want to admit right.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Now you don't know what Article 22 is? And they all stared away and stared at their phones and stared at their shoes and did everything to avoid eye contact.

[Unnamed Senator]

And it's a ridiculous point, as I said. Listen, it's real simple.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Anyone who doesn't know what Article 2.

[Unnamed Senator]

Of the Constitution is, has no business.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Serving on the Senate Judiciary Committee and certainly has no business serving as a federal judge. And, and, and I, I made a.

[Unnamed Senator]

Plea to my Democrat colleagues. I said, look, what is wrong with you people?

[Senator Ted Cruz]

You have rubber stamped every single BIDEN.

[Unnamed Senator]

Judicial nominee, 100% of them. In the last two years, you have.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Voted for every single nominee, no matter.

[Unnamed Senator]

How bad, no matter how extreme. And by the way, every other Senate Democrat has as well all of the judicial nominees.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

When they went to the floor, 100% of the Democrats have voted for all of them.

[Unnamed Senator]

And I put it out. I said, look, during the Trump administration, Trump nominated some fantastic judges. We confirmed some fantastic judges. But there were several nominees that were not fantastic nominees, that had problems. And as Republican senators who actually take.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Seriously the quality and caliber and qualifications of the judiciary.

[Unnamed Senator]

We pushed back and made clear to.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

The to the Trump White House those.

[Unnamed Senator]

Nominees would not get confirmed.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

And I looked at my colleagues and said, are none of you willing to stand up for anything?

[Unnamed Senator]

Will you at least admit a judge should know what Article 2 of the Constitution is? Will you at least admit a judge shouldn't have a record of saying he.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Is motivated by hatred for conservatives? Each and every day, not a single.

[Unnamed Senator]

Democrat said a word.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

The only substantive response I got is.

[Unnamed Senator]

I said, look, your behavior suggests that.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

If Joe Biden.

[Unnamed Senator]

Nominated a ham sandwich, you would vote to confirm the ham.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Sandwich as a judge.

[Unnamed Senator]

And the only substantive response I got is is. Cory Booker chimed in afterwards and he.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Said, I just want to clarify one thing. He said, I'm a vegan, so I would not vote to confirm a ham sandwich. Which a was pretty funny.

[Ben Ferguson]

Yeah, I'll give humor credit for that.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

And actually, Cory Booker is a pretty good guy. He and I are get along well and are often kidding each other back and forth.

[Unnamed Senator]

But it spoke volume that neither Durbin nor anyone else engaged in any of the substance.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

And then like the Politburo in the Soviet Union, they all voted DA and moved on the nominees and they do not care.

[Unnamed Senator]

They'll fill the judiciary with left wing.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Zealots and they don't even feel, as far as I can tell, a twinge of remorse or guilt.

[Ben Ferguson]

What scares me more than a liberal is an ignorant liberal. And if you have these types of individuals on the, you know, on our court system, it terrifies me what it means when you walk into their courtroom knowing that this is who they're putting there. And I think every American should care about this, especially if you're listening and you have a senator that is a Democrat or liberal, you should be calling them and telling them that this is unacceptable. I want to move to something else and that deals with the Twitter files. And before we get to that, there's also a new senator that's actually got banned from Twitter and now he's getting reinstated. We're going to tell that story in a moment, but first let me tell you about Augusta's Precious Metals. If you have been saving for retirement, then you understand how important it is to protect your money. One way you can do that is with a gold ira. Now I'm excited to tell you about a company that I not only trust, but I actually use them, Augusta Precious Metals. They're different because they even tell you if a gold IRA isn't your answer, they just give you the facts at Augusta Precious Metal. Now, they do things differently because they want you to have information. And that's one of the reasons why not only do they have a free guide, but they also do a web conference at Augusta Precious Metals. It is about protecting your IRA and your 401k in this crazy economy. So if you're close to retirement, you understand there's no time to make up losses. Call Augusta Precious Metals, 8774-Gold IRA or visit them AugustaPrecious Metals.com that's 8774-Gold IRA. You'll get their free report. Plus you can also do their web conference, which is amazing. Tell them I sent you and they'll pay your fees up to 10 years. That's Augusta Precious Metals, 8774, Gold IRA or Augusta precious metals.com you look at the Twitter files that has hit the House side this week. And I want to play just one of the examples of all these former executives have been fired by Elon Musk. Senator had to come before the House, before the House Oversight Committee. Jim Jordan talked about when what made them decide to get rid of the Hunter Biden story, to get rid of the New York Post article, to treat it, even if you try to share it in private messages, like child pornography sharing, to make sure this story got shut down and it wouldn't impact or minimize the impact to the presidential election. And this was a very interesting viral moment from Jim Jordan talking to all these fired leaders, some of them former FBI officials who then went to work at Twitter.

[Jim Jordan]

So the FBI didn't tell you that it was fake, didn't tell you that it was hacked. And Mr. Roth, did the, did the story violate your policies?

[Yoel Roth]

In my judgment at the time, no, it did not.

[Jim Jordan]

Yeah, that's what you said. Said. What I would propose, excuse me, is you said it isn't clearly a violation of our hack materials policy, nor is it clearly a violation of anything else. So I think what a lot of people are wondering is if it didn't violate your policies and they didn't tell you it was fake, didn't tell you it was hacked, why'd you take it down?

[Yoel Roth]

The company made a decision that found that it did violate the policy. It wasn't my personal judgment at the time that it did, but the decision was communicated to me by my direct supervisor. And ultimately I didn't disagree with it enough to object.

[Jim Jordan]

You know, you know what, you know what I think happened, Mr. Roth? I think, I think you guys got played. I think you guys wanted to, wanted to take it deep down. We Saw what the chairman put up where you said, you know, everyone in the White House isn't as a fascist. I think you guys wanted it to be taken down. I think you meet with these guys every week. We know that's been established in the Twitter files. You had weekly meetings with Mr. Chan and the run up to the election. They send you all kinds of emails, they send you documents on the super secret James Bond teleporter. You get information on that. I think you guys wanted to take it down. I think you guys got played by the FBI.

[Ben Ferguson]

I think that's a brilliant assessment of this. It was either you got played by the FBI or you knew you were getting played and you went along with it because you didn't want Donald Trump to have a chance to become the president again.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Yeah, I think that's right. The only thing about their getting played.

[Unnamed Senator]

By the FBI is they were so.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Willing to get played that I think they were eager to jump in that bed along with them. That it was.

[Unnamed Senator]

They hated Donald Trump, they wanted him to lose, they wanted Biden to win.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

And they were going to use the power they had to silence any story.

[Unnamed Senator]

That was politically problematic for Joe Biden. And it was naked politics.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Uh, you know, the fact that the FBI was being political and, and was.

[Unnamed Senator]

Urging them to do it made it all the worse because they were essentially.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Conspiring with the FBI. And, and we've talked a lot on.

[Unnamed Senator]

This podcast about the fact that Elon.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Musk has gone in and bought Twitter and fired these left wing petty authoritarians.

[Unnamed Senator]

Who believe they had blanket authority to influence and steal elections, to silence and censor anyone they disagreed with, to coordinate and act as henchmen on behalf of.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

The federal government, silencing their political enemies.

[Unnamed Senator]

Elon Musk coming in and firing them.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Was a big deal. But I'll tell you, even with an Elon's fired, I think up to two.

[Unnamed Senator]

Thirds of the employees at Twitter, and.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

He is running Twitter day in, day out. But even so, they're still fighting him.

[Unnamed Senator]

They are still fighting him. It's reminiscent of the deep state in.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Government where during the Trump administration there'd.

[Unnamed Senator]

Be good people in a political position and the deep state would fight them.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

A rear guard action.

[Unnamed Senator]

Well, this week, one of the things that happened is Twitter suspended a US Senator suspended Steve Dain. Steve Daines is senator from Montana.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

A good friend of mine, uh, Steve.

[Unnamed Senator]

Daines had posted on his profile picture.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

A beautiful picture of Steve and his wife Cindy and an antelope that they.

[Unnamed Senator]

Had just shot on a hunting Trip. And it's, it's a gorgeous picture.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

And he had it on his profile picture.

[Unnamed Senator]

And he woke up Monday morning to.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Find that he was blocked on Twitter. They had shut down his senatorial account.

[Unnamed Senator]

And the message they had given was delete profile image. That he was not going to be allowed to use Twitter until he deleted that image.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

And it was deleted because Twitter said you may not include graphic violence or adult content in your profile header image and graph.

[Unnamed Senator]

And we consider graphic violence to be any form of gory media related to death, serious injury, violence, or surgical procedures.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

So apparently hunting qualified. And so Steve, Tuesday morning, as I.

[Unnamed Senator]

Was flying to D.C. for the state of the Union, Steve texted me and.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Told me he had been banned from Twitter.

[Unnamed Senator]

And so I jumped on Twitter to.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Speak up for my friend.

[Unnamed Senator]

I sent out a tweet. I said, ridiculous. My friend Steve Danes is in Twitter jail for posting this pic with his wife, Cindy.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

If you don't like hunting, fine, don't go.

[Unnamed Senator]

But don't censor others who disagree.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

And I'm pretty sure this is a formal job responsibility for a senator from Montana.

[Ben Ferguson]

Yeah, if you don't, if you don't hunt in Montana, it's pretty hard to get elected statewide.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

It is. And I'll tell you, actually, I did a follow up, which is I put a comment on it. I said, Steve also told me that he was aiming for the balloon, but.

[Unnamed Senator]

He had an antelope instead.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Well, that took you a minute, Ben. I like the. Don't go back in editing and take that pause out. That pause.

[Unnamed Senator]

There is a lengthy pause.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

There has been processing what I said.

[Ben Ferguson]

I will give you. Well played. When you make a joke. That's a good one. I'll give you the golf clap for that one. I'll give you the golf clap.

[Unnamed Senator]

There we go.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

I'll take it.

[Unnamed Senator]

But thankfully, I began tweeting about it. Mike Lee began tweeting about it.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

And interestingly enough, Elon Musk had to get personally involved.

[Unnamed Senator]

He reached out directly to Steve Daines.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

The two of them talked on the phone.

[Unnamed Senator]

And Elon, number one, reinstated Steve Daines.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

On Twitter, but he had to do it personally.

[Unnamed Senator]

And number two, he changed the policy. So it is no longer their policy to ban you if you put up.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

A picture of you hunting. And it was, number one, it was the right thing to do. I'm very glad Elon did it, but.

[Unnamed Senator]

It speaks volumes that you think of.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

The thousands of decisions he has to.

[Unnamed Senator]

Make every day that he had to.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Get involved at that level of granularity.

[Unnamed Senator]

To reverse the decision that was baked into the Twitter operations.

[Ben Ferguson]

It also tells you, I think, about the mindset lastly, of the those working at Twitter who are just obsessed with their power to silence and censor and to shadow ban people, that they just don't like their life. And they're willing to do it to United States Senator, which means they're obviously more than willing to do it to others. And imagine if you're not a U.S. senator and they find you. And we've seen this through the Twitter files, and I think this is the part that Elon Musk is up against. It's almost like he has people within Twitter that are willing to have the company destroyed and be a part of destroying the company, hoping that he, he runs it into the ground actively, I would argue, working against him just so they can at least make sure that conservatives or people that they disagree with how they live their lives, that they're not a vegan, that they actually go out and hunt and fish and do other things, they're willing to, to go all in because they had to know there was going to be a story written about this. I can't imagine they're dumb enough to think that Elon Musk wasn't going to hear about it.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

I just think there's a culture of arrogance that they have the ability to silence. Look, these are the same people that banned Donald Trump. If you think, okay, former President of the United States, doesn't matter, I can.

[Unnamed Senator]

Decide to silence them.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

If they can ban the president, they can ban anybody.

[Unnamed Senator]

And the level of arrogance if you disagree with what someone says. Look, I think AOC says lots of.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Things that are idiotic. I think Bernie Sanders says lots of things that are idiotic. I wouldn't ban them.

[Unnamed Senator]

I wouldn't silence them.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Heck, I might even want them to.

[Unnamed Senator]

Get more people hearing what they say.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

I think it actually helps the cause of common sense when people hear the.

[Unnamed Senator]

Ridiculous things they're saying.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

But.

[Unnamed Senator]

But there is a culture, and it's not just. Look, what is so significant about what.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Elon is doing at Twitter is Twitter wasn't acting alone. Facebook's doing the same thing. Google's doing the same thing. YouTube's doing the same thing.

[Unnamed Senator]

They're all engaged in it.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

It's just Elon is airing the dirty laundry.

[Unnamed Senator]

I'll tell you, I spent more than a half hour this week on the.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Phone with Elon talking about the challenges he's facing at Twitter.

[Unnamed Senator]

And I'm now the ranking member, the senior Republican on the Senate Commerce Committee.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

And we are going to be focusing.

[Unnamed Senator]

Very directly and vigorously on big tech censorship. And I think what what Elon is.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Doing at Twitter is enormously, enormously consequential.

[Ben Ferguson]

Yeah. Not just for freedom of speech but also to see what happens in the future with big tech. Senator, it was it's always a pleasure to get to chat, especially on a busy week in Washington. This is why I think so many people love listening to Verdict. You get to see behind the scenes here. Don't forget to make sure you hit that subscribe button or auto download button wherever you're listening to the show. So you get the show three days a week. We do this Monday, Wednesday and Friday. We also do a video version so you can see that on YouTube and on Facebook. So make sure you follow the senators page there on Facebook and on YouTube, the Verdict channel there. And we will see you guys back here in a couple days.