Podcast Summary: The Charlie Kirk Show

Episode: How Russiagate makes Watergate like "Child's Play" ft. John Solomon
Date: August 19, 2025
Host: Charlie Kirk
Guest: John Solomon

Episode Overview

This episode centers on the lasting impact and scope of the "Russiagate" scandal and its implications for American government, civil liberties, and political accountability. Host Charlie Kirk brings on investigative journalist John Solomon—known for his coverage of Russiagate—to dissect recent revelations, connect them to wider trends of governmental misconduct, and propose possible paths to accountability. The discussion draws direct comparisons to Watergate, ultimately arguing that Russiagate is "child's play" by comparison, due to the unprecedented weaponization of U.S. intelligence and law enforcement agencies for political purposes.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Origins and Scope of Russiagate

• Weaponization of Intelligence Agencies: Solomon details how, unlike traditional political "dirty tricks," the Russiagate saga saw agencies like the FBI, CIA, and DoJ mobilized to target political opponents using state power (02:17–03:45).
  • “When you begin to use the powers of the United States government, intelligence community, the military, the FBI, you have crossed a Rubicon that we've never crossed before in American history.” —John Solomon (03:22)
• Comparison to Watergate: Watergate's scandal revolved around Nixon merely contemplating using the CIA to halt an FBI investigation, which was enough to end his presidency. In contrast, Solomon contends Russiagate involved full execution, not just intention (03:35–04:12).

2. Chronology of Events

• Conspiracy Timeline: Solomon emphasizes three key dates:
  • Nov 29, 2015: Clinton commissions a poll on her scandal vulnerabilities. Result: Foundation cash from Russia is most damning. This sparks a plan to find "Russia dirt" on Republicans (08:30–09:40).
  • July 5, 2016: Comey clears Clinton in the email investigation as Steele delivers the first "dossier" dispatch; the real pivot point (09:41–10:30).
  • Nov 2016 (post-election): Obama and Clinton refuse to accept election loss—double-down on Russian collusion narrative (11:04–11:38).

3. Intelligence Community Manipulation

• John Brennan’s Central Role: Detailed account of Brennan's activity:

  • Early associations with communist-linked groups (16:45–17:30)
  • Manipulation of intelligence assessments post-election, excluding dissenting agencies and elevating Steele dossier data, despite its prior debunking (18:46–21:25)
  • “He’s the man who tells President Obama at the end of July of 2016, that Hillary’s been caught laying out the scheme and the Russians know it—and they let it go on anyway.” —John Solomon (18:54)

• Obama Administration's Involvement:

  • Obama was briefed early and declined to stop the operation.
  • Oversaw the manipulation of the intelligence assessment to paint Putin as favoring Trump (30:46–32:00).
  • January 5–6, 2017, Oval Office meeting: key plot point in perpetuating the Flynn probe—documented in FBI officials' notes (32:56–33:22).
  • “Barack Obama is the first guy to find out that Hillary Clinton's been intercepted approving a plan to hang the fake...Russian shingle on Donald Trump's house. He’s the first person told by John Brennan.” —John Solomon (30:52)

4. Consequences & Broader Implications

• Tangible Fallout:

  • Impact through the Trump impeachment, FBI raids, manipulation surrounding classified documents, and repeated use of scandals to “protect Democrats and project onto Republicans.” (04:30–06:00, 28:36–30:10)
  • Connection drawn between these efforts and foreign policy, particularly the Russian–Ukrainian war, suggesting the “operation” helped provoke further global instability (13:21–15:57).

• Civil Rights Framing:

  • Solomon predicts legal efforts may invoke civil rights laws, leveraging the deprivation of civil liberties against Democrats, “turning around” the language and tools of prior eras (06:00–07:30).

5. Potential Accountability & Legal Proceedings

• Special Prosecutions & Grand Juries:

  • Four grand juries investigating related matters, likely to converge in Florida for possible indictments (27:19–28:19).
  • Trump’s new FBI leadership—Kash Patel—pushing the view of an "ongoing criminal conspiracy" (04:45–05:40).

• Limits of Accountability:

  • Presidential Immunity likely shields Obama from prosecution for acts while in office (33:53–34:11).
  • However, Obama and others may still be subpoenaed as fact witnesses and could face perjury traps (35:31–36:11).

6. Wider Culture War, Media, and Future of the Conservative Movement

• Subversion of Democracy:
  • Kirk: “You want to talk about an insurrection. This is an insurrection against the American people…” (24:24)
  • "This should not be able to stand in our country, period. There should be people in...Guantanamo Bay over this stuff." —Charlie Kirk (26:13)
• Long-Term Strategies:
  • Emphasis on early voting as critical (“If you don’t run it, it’s like not putting your quarterback and running back in...it doesn’t happen.” —John Solomon, 48:59).
  • Need for a commercially viable alternative conservative media ecosystem to counterbalance legacy institutions (48:59–53:43).
  • Current administration lauded for separating Russia and China diplomatically (46:31–48:31).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Watergate looks like child’s play compared to what we’ve learned.” —John Solomon (03:28)
• “Our intelligence agencies not only harmed Donald Trump, they were harming the American public.” —John Solomon (24:45)
• "We are in a war over truth. And if we lose that war over truth...they will have eventually their goal is to eviscerate the ultimate truth upon which this country is born." —John Solomon (48:59)
• “They were going to bring this charge against Donald Trump for the classified document, it was only, only to protect the fact that Joe Biden...had those documents in his house. They kept it a secret. That's what they've done.” —John Solomon (28:36)
• “No chance that any federal court is going to allow an indictment of Barack Obama…for anything he did inside the presidency.” —John Solomon (33:52)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Russiagate origins, intelligence agencies’ role: 02:17–04:12
• Timeline and inflection points: 08:30–11:38
• John Brennan & intelligence manipulation: 16:23–21:25
• Obama's involvement & immunity: 30:46–34:11
• Consequences for foreign policy & Ukraine: 13:21–15:57
• Grand juries and indictments: 27:19–28:19
• Legal limits and perjury potential: 35:31–36:11
• Conservative media and future strategy: 48:59–53:43

Closing Advice & Final Thoughts

• Solomon calls for continued vigilance, both in media and political operations, urging donors and activists not to become complacent and warning that the struggle over “truth” is ongoing (48:59–53:43).
• Kirk and Solomon stress that the stakes extend far beyond partisan victories—what’s at risk, they argue, are core American principles of transparency, civil liberties, and honest self-governance.

For more: Visit Charlie Kirk’s website for in-depth coverage and further reading.