Losing It All, And Building It All Back: Live at AmFest with James O’Keefe

Summary

Summary of "Losing It All, And Building It All Back: Live at AmFest with James O’Keefe" – The Charlie Kirk Show

Release Date: January 4, 2025

In this compelling episode of The Charlie Kirk Show, host Charlie Kirk engages in an in-depth conversation with renowned activist and investigative journalist James O’Keefe. The discussion delves into O’Keefe’s recent endeavors, personal challenges, the significance of whistleblowing, the evolving media landscape, and actionable strategies for fostering a culture of transparency and citizen journalism.

---

1. Introduction and Guest Overview

The episode begins with Charlie Kirk warmly welcoming James O’Keefe, commending his remarkable efforts in grassroots activism and leadership of Turning Point USA. Kirk emphasizes O’Keefe’s pivotal role in mobilizing youth across educational campuses and his unwavering commitment to conservative values.

Notable Quote:

[00:23] Charlie Kirk: “Lucky to have Charlie Kirk’s running the White House, folks.”

---

2. James O’Keefe’s Recent Activities at America Fest

James O’Keefe shares his recent involvement at America Fest, where he presented alongside three whistleblowers from the Border Patrol, FEMA, and Disney. The presentation highlighted the courage of these individuals in exposing internal malpractices within significant institutions.

Notable Quote:

[01:23] James O’Keefe: “Four brave people, three of them federal government employees, came on stage, told their stories, and it was really powerful.”

---

3. Overcoming Adversity: From Losing to Rebuilding

Kirk probes into O’Keefe’s tumultuous journey, particularly focusing on his ousting from Project Veritas. O’Keefe candidly discusses the emotional and professional turmoil he endured, emphasizing the internal battles between good and evil that shape one’s resilience.

Notable Quotes:

[01:42] Charlie Kirk: “If I ask kind of a personal question, you went through hell many times, but a year and a half ago... Is that correct?”

[02:07] James O’Keefe: “The fight is not what you think it is. It's not external, and it's often a fight within ourselves. So the fight is good versus evil. And to be fearless, to take on powerful institutions, you have to make sure the people around you are unbreakable.”

---

4. The Power and Importance of Whistleblowers

The conversation shifts to the critical role of whistleblowers in maintaining governmental and corporate accountability. O’Keefe underscores the necessity of individuals within these entities to expose wrongdoing, highlighting his efforts to support and empower such courageous individuals.

Notable Quotes:

[04:02] James O’Keefe: “I call on President Trump and his heads of his agencies to have these people's backs.”

[08:47] James O’Keefe: “If you are connected to someone who works for a corporation, institution, federal government, and you have access, you're witness to something wrong, speak up.”

---

5. Creating a Culture of Citizen Journalism

O’Keefe advocates for the proliferation of citizen journalism, positioning it as a pivotal tool for uncovering truths that mainstream media may overlook or suppress. He emphasizes that true journalism stems from everyday individuals empowered to report objectively.

Notable Quote:

[08:47] James O’Keefe: “The only people who can do the job are citizen journalists. We the people.”

---

6. The State of Media and the Role of Citizen Journalists

Addressing the current media landscape, O’Keefe criticizes traditional journalism for its alleged biases and symbiotic relationship with governmental institutions. He posits that citizen journalists are essential for unbiased reporting, free from corporate and political influences.

Notable Quotes:

[12:24] James O’Keefe: “They're done. It's dead. You are the media. We are the media.”

[13:00] James O’Keefe: “They have a symbiotic relationship. Give and take. But the secrets they're given aren't truth, it's falsehoods, it's propaganda.”

---

7. Audience Q&A Highlights

The episode features a dynamic Q&A segment where audience members pose pressing questions, eliciting insightful responses from both Kirk and O’Keefe on topics ranging from political transparency to media reform.

a. Edward Snowden’s Pardon

A listener inquires about O’Keefe’s stance on pardoning Edward Snowden. Initially hesitant, O’Keefe concedes, aligning with Kirk's nuanced view that Snowden’s actions, while reckless, demonstrated remarkable courage in exposing NSA overreach.

Notable Quote:

[15:39] Charlie Kirk: “I think he was reckless... he was certainly courageous.”

b. Corporate Transparency

Another question addresses the opaque operations of large corporations like Disney. O’Keefe asserts that change begins with a single individual possessing the courage to expose wrongdoing.

Notable Quote:

[26:17] James O’Keefe: “You need someone who's going to be willing to make a sacrifice. You can’t do this unless you will have skin in the game.”

c. Influence in Hollywood

Responding to a query about Republican influence in Hollywood, O’Keefe expresses optimism about the cultural shift towards conservative storytelling, citing platforms like Angel Studios as instrumental in producing impactful conservative narratives.

Notable Quote:

[35:44] James O’Keefe: “We need more storytellers. There’s a lot of bad stuff happening out there. You just got to stand up and speak the truth and do it now.”

---

8. Notable Comments on Edward Snowden

The discussion around Edward Snowden explores the balance between his act of whistleblowing and the legal ramifications he faced. Both Kirk and O’Keefe agree on Snowden’s significant impact, acknowledging the complexity of his legacy.

Notable Quotes:

[17:22] James O’Keefe: “The power of one man. People think, well, I’m just one person. He changed the course of history.”

[18:27] James O’Keefe: “I had to call my lawyer... It was a situation where the individual has an ethical and moral obligation.”

---

9. Discussion on Corporate Transparency

O’Keefe emphasizes the necessity of individual bravery in exposing corporate malfeasance. He recounts instances where corporate executives have made discriminatory remarks, underscoring the importance of accountability at all organizational levels.

Notable Quotes:

[25:23] James O’Keefe: “One person with courage inside the company... They speak the truth and do it now.”

---

10. The Future of Republican Influence in Hollywood

O’Keefe and Kirk discuss strategies for the Republican Party to gain a foothold in Hollywood, advocating for grassroots storytelling and leveraging digital platforms to counteract existing biases within the entertainment industry.

Notable Quotes:

[35:47] Charlie Kirk: “Angel's a big supporter of our show...”

[36:01] James O’Keefe: “People need to spend as much time in the arts and making videos and making films.”

---

11. Lessons from Draining the Swamp

In addressing the ongoing effort to “drain the swamp,” Kirk and O’Keefe highlight the emergence of influential change-makers within the Republican movement. They credit the period outside of power for strategizing and strengthening their initiatives to combat entrenched corruption.

Notable Quotes:

[38:46] James O’Keefe: “Phenomenal life lesson...We did not have a roster of change makers like this last time.”

[39:15] James O’Keefe: “The First Amendment is all about the public's right to know.”

---

12. Closing Remarks and Action Items

As the episode concludes, O’Keefe urges listeners to become active participants in uncovering and reporting injustices. He encourages leveraging modern technology and personal courage to document and disseminate truthful narratives, reinforcing the notion that every individual holds the potential to enact significant change.

Notable Quotes:

[39:50] James O’Keefe: “Watch it. Because I think it's an action documentary show. Every one of you is a journalist. You are more qualified than George Stephanopoulos.”

[40:59] James O’Keefe: “Your action items. Tell the truth. Be brave. Be the difference you wish to see in the world.”

---

Conclusion

This episode of The Charlie Kirk Show with James O’Keefe serves as a rallying cry for transparency, accountability, and the empowerment of ordinary citizens to challenge systemic corruption. Through personal anecdotes, strategic insights, and passionate advocacy, Kirk and O’Keefe inspire listeners to take actionable steps towards fostering a more honest and just society.

---

For More Information:

• Visit charliekirk.com for additional resources and to watch The Charlie Kirk Show on Salem News Channel.
• Learn about Noble Gold Investments at noblegoldinvestments.com.

Transcript

[Charlie Kirk]

Hey, everybody. My exclusive conversation with James O'Keefe. Listen to the entire conversation, advertiser free. When you become a member. Members.charliekirk.com that is members.charliekirk.Com and email me, as always, freedomarliekirk.comthat is freedomarlikerk.com Buckle up, everybody. Here we go. Charlie, what you've done is incredible here.

[James O'Keefe]

Maybe Charlie Kirk is on the college campus.

[C]

I want you to know we are.

[Charlie Kirk]

Lucky to have Charlie Kirk. Charlie Kirk's running the White House, folks.

[James O'Keefe]

I want to thank Charlie. He's an incredible guy. His spirit is love of this country. He's done an amazing job building one of the most powerful youth organizations ever created, Turning Point usa.

[Charlie Kirk]

We will not embrace the ideas that have destroyed countries, destroyed lives. And we are going to fight for freedom on campuses across the country. That's why we are here. Noble Gold Investments is the official gold sponsor of the Charlie Kirk Show, a company that specializes in gold IRAs and physical delivery of precious metals. Learn how you could protect your wealth with Noble gold [e-mail] that is noblegoldinvestments.com it's where I buy all of my gold. Go to noblegoldinvestments.com James, great to see you, man.

[James O'Keefe]

Great to be with you.

[Charlie Kirk]

So, James, you just got off stage at America Fest. What did you present? What did you say?

[James O'Keefe]

Well, thank you, Charlie, for having me. And I just had three whistleblowers on stage. One from. Two from the Border Patrol, one from fema, and then another gentleman from Disney. Four brave people, three of them federal government employees, came on stage, told their stories, and. And it was really powerful. It was really, really powerful.

[Charlie Kirk]

So, James, you've been doing a lot of work with whistleblowers, and it seems like you're really hitting a powerful stride. If I ask kind of a personal question, you went through hell many times, but a year and a half ago, is that. Am I approximating correctly?

[James O'Keefe]

Yes.

[Charlie Kirk]

Are you at a place now where you can say that not that you're thankful for it, but that you have grown in ways you never thought you would because of what you went through in that man?

[James O'Keefe]

That's quite a question. I would say that that was definitely the hardest thing I've ever been through my life because I was fired from my own creation. And what I said on stage 30 minutes ago was, the fight is not what you think it is. It's not external, and it's often a fight within ourselves. So the fight is good versus evil. And to be fearless, to take on powerful institutions, you have to make sure the people around you are unbreakable. And I made some poor decisions about who I surrounded myself with, I think, but it was very painful, Charlie. But it taught me the importance of surrounding myself with the right people.

[Charlie Kirk]

I asked James only because I think it could be an inspiration for people in this audience that are going through hell right now and to show how you can build out of it and that you can keep on fighting.

[James O'Keefe]

Yeah. And I would say that a friend of mine says life is like an elevator ride. Most people get off too early. They get off the elevator on the. On the wrong floor. Just stay on the elevator and keep doing it. But I was fired from Project Veritas and we're currently in litigation. It's horrible, but I think, you know, when you're going to take on BlackRock, Pfizer, the FBI, the New York Times, and you're winning, you better make sure the people around you are very strong and they're not going to betray you. And nothing that you can offer those people, nothing that I can't be bought. Right. If someone tries to bribe me, I'll just film it. But it's not about me. I have to make sure that the men around me are also the same way. And that's hard. And you think you have friends. Well, when you're raided by the FBI and they're pointing guns at you, you will figure out who your friends are. And I think, Charlie, we're entering a new era. And I said this on your show yesterday, where I think people inside the government can come forward. Right now, there's a limited window of time, I think, with that political capital, but I call on President Trump and his heads of his agencies to have these people's backs.

[Charlie Kirk]

Yeah. And we talked about this on the show. It's worth repeating. One of the other little project portfolio things, as I mentioned, is Donald Trump doing whistleblower amnesty for like a 90 day period. He takes office, says, hey, everybody who worked under Biden, you can come forward with all protections regardless of the agency. Isn't this a great idea? And tell us what was happening?

[James O'Keefe]

Great idea.

[Charlie Kirk]

We kind of came up with it on air.

[James O'Keefe]

We did. You did. Yes. And I. And I hope that you help make that happen.

[Charlie Kirk]

And it's on my list.

[James O'Keefe]

I will. I feel as though I'm one of the more qualified people to tell these people stories. They trust me by virtue. Here's the other thing. All that hell I went through and Laura Logan said this to me. Like, when I was 25, I was arrested by the FBI falsely because he's placed on house arrest for three years. I was raided by the FBI, sued 40 times. I thought, and many of you in our lives, we all know what pain is. We all understand suffering. We think, oh, woe is me. But what I did not know was that all that stuff I went through, even the. The termination from Veritas, because I refused to bear false witness, they asked me to put out a statement about something that wasn't true. That has led people to trust me more. And they come to me because they trust me by virtue of the pain that I have been through. So if you're going through something like that, I think that that can help inspire you. But there's a lot of people right now inside the federal government who were witness to corruption, Charlie, during the Biden administration. But they just need to know that someone's gonna have their backs and that.

[Charlie Kirk]

They will be protected, and then we can do something about it. James, talk about some. Let's talk about one in particular. And you're friends with Bobby Kennedy.

[James O'Keefe]

Yes.

[Charlie Kirk]

And the Bobby Kennedy appointment, by the way, is one of Donald Trump's most courageous things he has ever done. Ever done. It is faux maha, instituting that into our government. James, I don't want to rehash this because I know it's painful, but it's also repetitive. But I think it's important because it shows the power and the treacherous nature. Your departure from Project Veritas was strangely coordinated with also your greatest story ever. Can you retell that because it ties with the Bobby Kennedy appointment? Those things are actually connected.

[James O'Keefe]

Well, what happened was that we broke a story on Pfizer late January 2023, right after Elon bought Twitter. So I just got back on Twitter, by the grace of God, I just got back on Twitter. And then we break the story. Biggest story ever was viewed like more times than, like the World cup videos. It was like hundreds of millions of people.

[Charlie Kirk]

What was in this video?

[James O'Keefe]

And in this video, the Pfizer MRNA director of scientific research, not a low level guy, high level executive, Yale educ doctor. He was on tape saying, this product is no good for the consumers. We tested on monkeys. We came up with the virus in China in the Wuhan lab. He's saying all these things and he says to our undercover reporter, I think he's on a gay date or something. He says, don't tell this to anybody. To which our undercover reporter said, could you just say that again? Just the Way you said it, we got this on tape. I confronted the guy, and then he takes my iPad and he smashes it on the ground, falsely imprisons me inside of a restaurant. It was so crazy. So we released that video. And then, and then, Charlie, what happened was. And I'll give you some specific details, I think they're make a movie out of this one day, what happened to me. And there's depositions and lawsuit ongoing. Three days later, I get a call from my chief financial officer, Project Veritas, an emergency meeting to remove me as chief executive officer from the organization. They had a six hour emergency board meeting where they tried to get me to lose my temperature. I did not. And then they, quote, indefinitely suspended me without pay. So that's what happened. And you can draw your own conclusions from that.

[Charlie Kirk]

And for Donald Trump to then go up against Pfizer, that is a big fight.

[James O'Keefe]

Bobby Kennedy, I went hiking with him a week after that, and I won't share exactly what he said to me, but he invited me to go hiking in the Santa Monica Mountains, which he does every morning with his dogs. And he said something to the effect of, you just went. You don't realize who you're dealing with. You go after Pfizer like you just did. Pfizer had to put a statement. He said, you're going after the Defense Department. You're going after powerful people. And. And they have, as Chuck Schumer said, what are these seven ways to Sunday, six ways to Sunday to get back at you? And these people play really dirty. And I think it taught me about human nature. Like, you know, Charlie, I, you know, and by the way, this man is a good man. I didn't know you incredibly well, but when this happened to me, which is the darkest moment of my life, Charlie would call me every day. He didn't have to do that. And text me, how are you doing? And send me prayers. I got to know you better, and I'm very grateful for your friendship and support during that time. Thank you.

[Charlie Kirk]

We continue to have your back, James, because you're an American treasure, truly. So let's now fast forward to what the audience can do, which I think is really important. You want to create a culture of whistleblowers. You want to create a culture of citizen journalists. What does that look like?

[James O'Keefe]

Well, I think, as I said on the main stage, that it is a fight that's internal. It's a choice that we often make. Telling the truth in the time of universal deceit is a revolutionary act. It's not easy. It sounds easy to just tell the truth. You face retaliation. You face. I think right now, over the next nine months, you have an opportunity to do this where hopefully you won't be as targeted as you otherwise would have been a year ago. So I think the pendulum is swinging. I think we all feel it in the culture, right? In the politics, everything swinging. It might swing back. So we have to kind of like all step up, like right now. And how you do that is if you are someone's connected to someone who works for a corporation, institution, federal government, and you have access, you're witness to something wrong, speak up. And in the beginning, it just takes one man, two people, three people. And when their cause succeeds, then other people join in. And my foundation, it's called Citizen Journalism foundation, we also have. OMG, my foundation is. We just wrote $100,000 check to this Disney whistleblower today who's fired from his job at Disney.

[Charlie Kirk]

Tell us the story.

[James O'Keefe]

What happened with the Disney vice president? Disney on hidden camera saying, we don't hire people on the basis of their race. We don't hire white people. That's, like, illegal. Also transitioning children. Disney's paying for their employees, children to be transitioned. And he blows the whistle on this and Disney fires them. And I was in LA at the time, this summer, and I was making a film called Line in the sand, and everyone's like, don't go after Disney. Don't go after Disney. Yeah, Line in the Sand. If you haven't seen it, Line in the sand. And everyone in LA is like, don't go after Disney. They're so powerful. And that's the thing that I'm fighting. Tell the truth. Always speak the truth. And, you know, no matter what, do the right thing no matter what. So this is what's my advice. Just tell the truth. And if you're witness to something wrong and it's seriously wrong, and you have evidence of it, then speak out and step forward. That's my advice.

[Charlie Kirk]

And so. But, James, you've encountered this question all the time. Why is it for. Why is it so hard for people to find and muster the courage to tell the truth?

[James O'Keefe]

Well, that's a very existential question. I think that the line that, like Scholzen, the line that separates good and evil runs through each and every human heart. And the. And. And I have found that our battle, and I think you've said this to me, in other words, our battle is not external, it's within ourselves. So the choice to do the right thing is A choice that we must make. And it is being willing to accept the consequences that come along with doing the right thing. That's a choice that you have to make. Not the enemy or the New York Times or some other person coming after you. You have to make that choice now. In my darkest moments, and trust me, I'm afraid in my darkest moments, I look up to people, good people like Kelsey Goodman from FEMA or Clarissa from the GSA who are just genuinely decent human beings. And I look up to them and the line in the sand. When I rode that train, I was scared to death. But I looked up to a guy named Anthony Rubin who, a YouTuber who did it before me. So I try to look to people who set the example and I follow them. And I would encourage. That's what we do. That's what we do. We look at the best in people and then we take the action.

[Charlie Kirk]

So I want to get to some questions here because a lot of people have questions about citizen journalism. What is the state of the media here? James, you're wearing something that says press. What is this?

[James O'Keefe]

Explain this whole thing that, I mean, I've been doing this for, you know, I've been doing this since I was in College. So that's 21 years, Charlie. I've been embattled most of my life. In other words, I've always been the underdog. And I think, like, I actually think that with Elon purchasing Twitter, which you pointed out was the greatest thing that ever happened to Western civilization and Turning Point. Yes, Charlie, you know what Shapiro, say that you built your own better version of the rnc. That, that. Stop complaining about the media. It's. They're done. It's dead. You are the media. We are the media. So that I wear this, I wear this on my chest. Do you see any people on television doing that investigative reporter thingy? Are they out in the field for weeks or months? Are they, are they, are they doing investigative reporting into the deep state? Have you ever seen that before? Well, they haven't done it for a lot of reasons. A lot of it's economics. There's not a lot of money in journalism. That's why it's usually a non profit activity. A lot of it's fear and a lot of it's the relationships that journalists have with those in the government. They have a symbiotic relationship. Give and take. I'll keep you secret, you give me your secrets. But the secrets they're given aren't truth, it's falsehoods. It's propaganda. So it's incumbent upon we the people. The only people who can do the job are citizen journalists. We the people. And you have to have a philanthropic heart to do because it's not easy and it's not profitable. So I think, Charlie, the media's dead. Hollywood's done. And stop complaining about it and just do their jobs for them.

[Charlie Kirk]

I love it. Let's do some questions. Daisy. Hey, everybody, Charlie Kirk here. Brand new year, Brand new opportunities to change the world for the better. It's easier than you might think. You can save babies by providing ultrasounds with preborn. Together with the Sanctity of Human Life Month, we're going to save 35,000 babies to show the world that not only do we believe life is precious, but we're going to do something about it. Your gift of preborn will give a girl the truth about what's happening in her body so that she can make the right choice. What better way to start this new year than to join us to save babies? And $28 a month will save a baby a month all year long. A $15,000 gift will provide a complete ultrasound machine that will save thousands of babies for years and years to come and will also save moms from a lifetime of pain and regret. I am a donor to this organization and you should be, too. Start this new year by being a hero for life. Call 833-850-2229 or click on the preborn banner at charliekirk.com that is charliekirk.com and click on the preborn banner. I'm a donor. You should be, too. CharlieKirk.com Preborn Banner. Let's repeat it on the microphone. Yes, I think Snowden should be pardoned. But yeah, I'll explain why in a second. But can you repeat. That was a beautiful remark. Repeat that whole thing.

[D]

Sure.

[James O'Keefe]

Remember, you are Project Veritas. You are everything it originally stood for. And we all know that they can't take that away from you no matter what. Know that. But since you know more about whistleblowers.

[Charlie Kirk]

Than anyone else, do you think Edward.

[James O'Keefe]

Snowden should be pardoned? I never. As you know, I never ever advocate for policy.

[Charlie Kirk]

However, I do.

[James O'Keefe]

Snowden needs to be pardoned.

[Charlie Kirk]

Can I. Do you want to elaborate on that or.

[James O'Keefe]

Go ahead.

[Charlie Kirk]

Yeah, no, I just. I used to be of the opinion that you know Snowden. Not a good guy. The more you study and you realize that the intel agencies are the central nervous system of almost every ill that we have in our country. The courage it takes to reveal the evil activity of the intel agencies is remarkable. And what Snowden did, I don't know if it was necessarily heroic because it was probably actually more reckless, but it was certainly courageous. There was definitely a reckless component. You have to be honest. Okay. Because he just dumped a lot of files and it could have gotten people killed. It didn't. It did. Not a single confidential human source got killed. However, what he did, in my opinion, which was very beneficial to humanity, is that he revealed the outright lying of the National Security Agency. They said they were not doing mass data collection. They said they were not doing warrantless spying. They said they were not doing blanket coverage of cell phone data. And it was all lying. They listened to every phone call, every text message without a warrant, and they're doing it inwardly against the American people. Without Snowden, we would not know that. We would not. We would not know that. And so he's currently in exile in Russia. I think he should get a commutation, not a pardon. I think the government should drop all the charges. But the intel agencies call him a traitor. But again, exactly. The government are the criminals in this situation. They're the ones that are spying on our private communications. These are our messages and our emails and our own private thoughts. The Fourth Amendment is explicit. The government should get a warrant. They are not. We would not know without Edward Snowden.

[James O'Keefe]

I second everything Charlie said I would say. The thing that I take from the Ed Snowden matter is the power of one man. Because people think, well, I'm just one person. He's one individual. He changed world history, changed the course of history.

[Charlie Kirk]

Correct.

[James O'Keefe]

I don't know what his mot. I don't know what's in his heart. You know, people say, is he, is he a traitor, is he a hero? This is really the tale as old as time. With whistleblowers you can be both and it's extra legal. What you do, you violating your covenant, you're violating your non disclosure agreement. You're violating your agreement with your employer for the public's right to negotiate. No, listen, as someone who's been through this, I'm a little biased and here's why. Because the FBI came to my home, I told Charlie this story, pounded on my door. I'm an American reporter, so if, if, if another country did this, our State Department would issue a press release and say, this is wrong.

[Charlie Kirk]

Correct.

[James O'Keefe]

The FBI came to my house with a battering ram like they're Vikings or something and smashed my door in, took guns, pointed it at my Head and took my reporter notebooks in the United States of America. So forgive me for not trusting the government. And I'll tell you what they did.

[Charlie Kirk]

I totally agree.

[James O'Keefe]

They.

[Charlie Kirk]

They.

[James O'Keefe]

I had this phone. Of course, I don't have my phone, my lawyer's number memorized. The only phone numbers I've memorized are, like, my parents. So I said, I need to talk to my lawyer. And the Fed was like, well, you want to use your iPhone?

[Charlie Kirk]

This is an insane story.

[James O'Keefe]

And then I unlock my iPhone. I have to enter in the password. And the moment that I enter my password into the phone, the FBI agent snatches my phone and right in front of me, changes the settings so it doesn't go to sleep and then puts it in an evidence bag. So now the FBI, this is three and a half years ago, has access to all of my signal messages, which includes all of my confidential government sources. And it was like. And there were 10 agents. And I looked into their faces, and it struck me that half of them were like, this is wrong. Those FBI agents were saying to themselves, they could be just deceiving me. But their faces seemed to indicate they thought what they were doing was unconscionable, but they did it anyway. And my message to you, the moral of the story, is you might be in a position in your life one day where you're one of them. And what are you going to do? Well, I got to feed my family. Well, you're going to do evil things to feed your family. And how will your children look up to you? You have to do the right thing. And I still haven't been. The FBI still has my devices. They still have them raiding adjourn. Wow. And the American Civil Liberties Union came out against this.

[Charlie Kirk]

Yeah. But I'm telling you, on January 20th, I think you're getting your cell phone back, James O'Keefe. And by the way, we better find out our friend Cash Patel better find out those agents that did that. I'm not kidding. No, no. There's going to be a reckoning coming here. You could. You can. You don't have to say anything. James, this is not acceptable. We're not going to put up with this. This is secret police stuff. This is an American journalist where you could just take his cell phone. For what? What were they accusing you of? Do you know what it was? The Ashley Biden diary that he had nothing to do with. For the record, he never published it. He was someone who looked at it as a journalist. Am I right, James? You just viewed it. I don't want to publish it. And they wanted an excuse to come after him in this dragnet in the Southern district of New York. FBI. It was so outrageous. Anybody in public life, any of you guys, if the FBI shows up your door, you do not talk to him. You do not whisper to them. You have your lawyer's number written on a piece of paper in a drawer. You open up the drawer, you call your lawyer, sit down, you say, I invoke every single right. I'm not saying anything. I'm not opening a device. Call my lawyer. That's it. You sit on the couch.

[James O'Keefe]

And my message to the FBI, FBI agents who did this is, may your children forgive you.

[Charlie Kirk]

Powerful. Next question. Y.

[D]

All righty. My name is Diane Jimenez. I'm a chapter leader from down in South Florida.

[Charlie Kirk]

Good guy there.

[D]

Thank you, Charlie. So my question is more based on my representatives in my area. So I'm a Cuban immigrant. I came to the US at the age of two. Obviously, I love our country. I wouldn't be with Turning Point if I didn't. But thank you. But my representatives in. In my area, I have Mario Diaz Bellar. I have.

[Charlie Kirk]

I have Elvira.

[D]

Elvira Salazar, and I have Carlos Jimenez. A lot of those representatives down there, the only reason that they get elected is because of their last names and because of the fact that they're Hispanic. So obviously, maybe to, like, sort of get them to, like, actually do what the people want. It would be not the worst idea to primary them. But they're. They're great people, and they represent the people well. But the core of the question that I'm trying to get to is how do we increase transparency between the people we elect and. And the people itself? Because a lot of the time we send these people up to Washington on certain promises that they say every. Every couple of years, and then those years pass and they don't deliver. Because Elvira Salazar, for example, it's one of the most blatant examples. She's been pushing for immigration reform since she got elected and hasn't done amnesty, and she hasn't done anything. So it's like we have all these representatives from South Florida that are going up to Washington. And this isn't something I should be saying, because there are the few people that actually push for some sort of. You know, at least for me, you know, I believe Cuba should be liberated at some point, but there are the few people that push for that because, you know, they come from cumber to set. But how is it that we increase that transparency so Those people actually end up, you know, like doing what, what they say they're going to do, or if not, how do, how do we just get them to actually stand by their commitments to the people?

[James O'Keefe]

Go ahead.

[Charlie Kirk]

Well, the transparency side, James, can. I wouldn't recommend any primaries. Those races are too contentious. So I don't think it applies there. Do you want to talk to the transparency side?

[James O'Keefe]

There's not much to say. I mean, I done investigative work in the offices. These rhinos, or what would you call them? Just weak people.

[D]

Yeah, yeah, they're not. They just don't stand by what they say.

[James O'Keefe]

I mean, I mean, they're lying, but I just catch them on tape saying the opposite of what they say publicly. Do that.

[D]

All right, thank you.

[Charlie Kirk]

Thank you, man. Next question.

[James O'Keefe]

Hi, I'm Reynold Mollock and I'm currently in the process of setting up a chapter at California University of Pennsylvania.

[Charlie Kirk]

Awesome.

[James O'Keefe]

My chapter to both James and you, Charlie. With Trump administrations coming up and him promising to expose all this government corruption that's been happening over the last few years, what is the one biggest thing you're hoping to see be exposed?

[Charlie Kirk]

Well, first of all, I think that the central cover up of modernity that means post1960 was the JFK assassination. I think that the Central Intelligence Agency was either involved or responsible for the murder of jfk. I believe it's my core. Obviously I can't prove it, but I can get pretty close to circumstantially proving it. And the fact that they still do not allow the declassification of those files 60 to 70 years later means that there's something that if that were to come to light, people would then lose trust in their government. That's the only reason why they would not. It's not like they're covering for confidential sources. They're all dead. Everyone's dead involved. So it's not about that. It's that it would then get people to then go deeper down the rabbit hole of questioning their government and their intel agencies. We are not going to get any of those declassifications if we don't get Tulsi Gabbard. Tulsi Gabbard at DNI is the final sign off on declassification orders. We must demand out of our senators that they confirm Tulsi Gabbard as Director of National Intelligence. I cannot tell you how important that is. Tulsi Gabbard is instrumental. It is key. And so I could talk at length about jfk, but I think that the COVID up the lying about all of the circumstances around the JFK assassination. I think it would be very healing and cathartic for the country to be able to see what really happened to John Fitzgerald Kennedy in Dallas, Texas.

[James O'Keefe]

How about some reform of the irs? Would you like that? We always hear theories about the IRS are targeting me because of my politics. What if I actually was able to show you some evidence of it? And what if the people in charge were like, you know what? We're gonna have that person's back. Just hint, hint, hint. Stay tuned.

[Charlie Kirk]

Next question. Daisy, thank you very much. My question is how do we remove the sort of opaque veil from corporations? Because, of course, we're worried about the federal government and how they hide stuff from us. But corporations also hide a lot of stuff from the public and even from, like, what they do to their employees, how they force them to do certain things. So how do we remove their.

[James O'Keefe]

Well, I mean, just two hours ago, there was a guy from Disney that came on Charlie's stage. Brave guy Disney. That's like, by the way, do you see how ABC is owned by Disney and Stephanopoulos? They give a 15 million dollar judgment in libel. How do you do. How do you unveil the wrongdoing inside corporations? One person. That's right. Very good answer. You did it. One person. It just takes one person. I know it's a cliche. One person with courage makes a majority. Done. You need someone who's going to be willing to make a sacrifice. You can't do this unless you will have skin in the game. Amen. People want. And this is like, honestly, like 99% of people, it's just human nature. Well, I want to. It's like, I get. Charlie probably gets 10 times the DMS every day. I get a thousand people. I want to do something and, you know, I say back to them, what are you willing to give up? And then 99% of people don't respond. You got you. So you're either going to give up some money or you're going to give up some of your reputation.

[Charlie Kirk]

You. You cannot be comfortable and courageous.

[James O'Keefe]

It's not possible.

[Charlie Kirk]

It is impossible.

[James O'Keefe]

And by the way, I'm not a psychotherapist. It doesn't count. I'm not your therapist. I'm not here to listen to you complain. I'm not qualified as a psychotherapist. People treat me like I don't have time. I have to move on to the next person. I'm serious. So it takes one person with courage inside the company. Who's witnessed to something wrong. They have incontrovertible evidence of that and they speak the truth. And if it's strong enough, and trust me, there's a lot of bad stuff happening out there. You just got to stand up and speak the truth and do it now. It's not for everybody, but it takes one person.

[Charlie Kirk]

Next question.

[C]

Hi, Jim Louder from the Flint Hills of Kansas. I want to thank both of you for all that you've done and what you do. Charlie, I hope you still want me to. I want to start a chapter I understand in Kansas and also in Emporia State University, because I appreciate. I really appreciate what you've done for cultural awareness, but I have a really hard question.

[Charlie Kirk]

Okay.

[C]

I'm a cold warrior. I swore an oath to protect and defend 47 years ago, and I've never broken and I never will. But I held clearances in the Navy for 15 years. I never betrayed those clearances. So my question, and it's a hard question for both of you. I do not agree with you about Edward Snowden. He could have found a protector. There's 535 elected representatives, one of whom could have protected him or he could have gone to jail. If he's so sincere about that, and he did. I don't deny all the good things that happened from his disclosure, but this is personal for me. Just like Hillary Clinton's email server was personal for me.

[Charlie Kirk]

Yeah, I'm not so sure that a congressman would have done that. I'm not sure. I think that. I think the story. The story would have died and they would have killed him. And we might disagree, but again, that's just speculation. I think you make a great point, and that's the best counter argument that I've heard, and I've heard it from similar people in the national security space. I was nuanced. I said he was reckless. Remember, I said that? I think he was, but I. It's more about. Let me also make another argument for his pardon. The people that would be against his pardon are the worst people on the planet. They're people that would like nothing more than to keep this veil of secrecy around the classification structure in Langley and at Liberty Crossing, which is a CIA and the ndni. So I think you make a good point. I would just say, though, that for him fleeing, I mean, I think he would have got NEPTUNED within a year in federal prison. I mean, that's just me. Maybe I'm wrong, but, you know. Yeah. I mean, if he would have turned it over to one of those 500 representatives, I'd have to think about. I mean, he, he did turn over the files to Glenn Greenwald as a journalist. Right? So, look, I'm not going to defend everything he did, but I don't know if you would have survived if you would have stayed on American.

[James O'Keefe]

So I've brought federal government employees to the senators and the Congress.

[Charlie Kirk]

This is an important point.

[James O'Keefe]

I'm going to speak without naming names. Do you know what they tell me, sir, there's. You know what they tell me? The senators in Congress? When I bring the federal employee, I do the right thing by the law, by the congressional people. They say there's nothing we can do, James. Yeah, they say there's nothing we can do. We can write letters. You can publish the letters on your Twitter. So they're. They're telling me these are. This is the legislative branch because they're.

[Charlie Kirk]

Terrified of the intel agents.

[James O'Keefe]

They're telling me something more, that the power of, like, Elon Musk's platform is more powerful than they are. They're telling me the media is more. And we're a country founded on the whole premise of the public's right to know. The founders set up the United States government. The First Amendment is all about the public's right to know. And if public doesn't know what's happening, they can't be informed. And therefore we'd have no consent of the governed. So when the United States government is spying on everybody and spying on journalists, it's like the equivalent of constitutional rape. It's a situational ethic where the individual that has sworn an oath has an ethical and moral obligation. It's a lose, lose situation. So he does the lesser of the two evils and he speaks out and he speaks publicly because he can't go to his elected representatives because those people. And this. I probably should secretly record some of these meetings. Those senators and members of Congress tell me that there's literally nothing they can do for the whistleblower.

[Charlie Kirk]

And I would say you're. The best argument you make is that he should have just faced the charges. I think that's the best argument. So that I think him fleeing was probably the least meritorious of what he did. So I will find. I will find agreement with you on that for sure. Great. Yes, Daisy, what's up? My name is Jake.

[D]

I'm from Las Vegas.

[Charlie Kirk]

So my question is, James, I know that you have a lot of connections in your line of work, and I've been seeing these drones over New Jersey, and I Think that it took a long time for the police and the FBI to even come out with any sort of answers on this. And the whole answer of, oh, they're operating under the regulatory laws. I think it's bs.

[D]

So I just don't know if you guys have any insight on what this.

[Charlie Kirk]

Could be or if it's some sort of surveillance or just really your thoughts on.

[James O'Keefe]

I actually don't. And I don't like to opine on something I can't confirm yet. So, Charlie, I'm going to put this one to you.

[Charlie Kirk]

No, I don't. I don't either. The whole thing is very weird. It has invoked a fair amount of speculation. We actually have a guest on tomorrow. We need to find time. Daisy. Of a guy who has done a lot of work on like alien sightings, who's convinced this is not an alien sighting. So his name's Steven Greer. He's a really smart guy, actually. Book unacknowledged, if you guys are into it. It's like a great book, by the way. It's really good. It's actually really good. You might think it's wacky. You read the book, you're like, whoa, he's done all the kind of research there. I have no idea what it is. I'm not going to conjecture, but I do not trust my government. Next question.

[E]

Hi, James. Hi, Charlie. You mentioned that Hollywood is dead. That's a very interesting concept. Do you feel like the Republican Party can establish influence in not being Hollywood but take over, taking command? I'm speaking as a marine and getting the command of the narrative so that we can change the culture and we can tell the true story in high budget movies and be able to transform that taking the path of power now that we have done such a great job. And by the way, all of you guys, congratulations. I'm from Brazil. I served in the military. Brazilians are not experiencing this because it's completely taken over and you guys took your country back. So for all of that, thank you. People all over the world, all over the world, patriots, Christians, they're looking at all of you guys right now and they're so proud of you. So I just want to let you know that you are a source of inspiration to every single person in South America right now. So what do we do? Do we change the narrative? Are we able to create high budget movies as a Republican Guild and take over the Oscars?

[James O'Keefe]

It's a great question. I would say like low budget movies. I mean, first of all, this is the most important in my opinion, question that's been asked the culture. There's a correction. There's a market correction happening in the culture right now. And people are not buying what they're being sold by Netflix. And I think Jeff Bezos not endorsing Kamala was a major tell there and the Washington Post. But, you know, I've made this film Line in the sand. I understand how much it takes to make a movie. Conservatives have always, in my opinion, this is just my opinion, not been very good storytellers for. I don't know what it is. They don't seem to have rhythm or something. They, they're, they're not the most artistic people. But I think that's changing. I think that's changing.

[Charlie Kirk]

Angel.com I encourage that's changing.

[James O'Keefe]

Angel. Angel Studios.

[Charlie Kirk]

Angel's a big supporter of our show and they did, they did Bonhoeffer. They did what? Goodness gracious. The, the, the child sex trafficking one. Sound of Freedom. Thank you. Yeah, that was all, that was all Angel Studios. Yeah.

[James O'Keefe]

So I think people need to spend as much time in the arts and, and making videos and making films. I don't think you need to have the quote unquote big budget thing. I think that creates more restrictions, actually. Then I think you can do incredible things with an iPhone and Adobe Premiere and some of the best people out there do it that way. But I would encourage people, and I'm hiring a major way director of photography. I'm hiring editors and producers. We need more storytellers. And there's a lot of people here I encourage to go that route more than the elected office route.

[Charlie Kirk]

Okay, let's go to one or two more. We're running out of time. Yes. Hi, my name is Mason Brasher. And something that's just been on my mind since we've been talking about this is, you know, back in 2016, one of Trump's primary things that he kept saying is we're going to drain the swamp. We're going to drain the swamp. And when it came to actually doing it, he obviously came against a lot of backlash and just it was very much an uphill battle. And so what I'm wondering, I guess is this time around, what's the difference? Well, I think we're already looking at the, we're already looking at the difference. Right? I mean, Bobby Kennedy is like the biggest swamp draining middle finger to the public health establishment. And by the way, it's not just Bobby Kennedy. Jay Bhattachara is amazing. Marty Makary is also amazing. Tulsi Gabbard is a major swamp drainer. Pete Hegseth at the Department of Defense will be a major swamp drainer. We did not have a roster of change makers like this last time. We have Russ Vote at omb. We have JD Vance in the vice presidency. I mean, we have rock stars across the board. And what's the difference? We have Doge with Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy as well. Big difference. It's a totally different operating philosophy, and I've said this multiple times throughout this conference, is that sometimes we don't know what's good for us. And I believe it's God. I believe the four years of us not being in power was really good for us. I think it was made us purge the bad guys, go through our plans, figure out really what we're all about, strengthened us, it deepened us. And the fact you guys are applauding I think is one of the coolest things that's you applauding the fact we didn't take power in 2020. And right last in 2020, we were like, the world is over. It's terrible. Turned out to be an amazing blessing advantage for us. Great life lesson there. Phenomenal life lesson. Last question. Daisy.

[James O'Keefe]

Hi, James, My name is Dorian Taylor. I just want to say thank you for your Line in the sand documentary. We greatly enjoyed it. It's highly educational. You are an incredible journalist and you are looking to expose objective truths. So on that line, since 1947 occurred and we had Gerald Ford who started the Voice of America. I'm curious to know if you would ever consider joining the Voice of America and siding on that level of public journalism or if you will stay more.

[Charlie Kirk]

Clandestine and having your own network of journalism.

[James O'Keefe]

I'll stay more clandestine. That is an excellent idea.

[Charlie Kirk]

Thank you. So, James, before we wrap this up because we have to take a break and then we have Trump's Borders are Coming, which is going to be an amazing conversation. That's going to be awesome. Tom. Right? That's a big deal, right? We got. We have a seat for you, James, because that's an exclude. He doesn't do a lot of interviews. Exclusive interview with Tom Holman. James, give us action items. Action, action, action. What can this audience do? And by the way, you're talking to millions of people online. Not live, but it's gonna be posted on social. James. Yeah, we'll get talk about the, the movie and stuff.

[James O'Keefe]

Line in the sand, it's with Tucker Plug all the. You haven't seen Line of the sand the first thing is watch it. Just watch it. Because I think it's an action documentary show. So my mantra is, most people tell, they don't show. I show, I don't tell. So I never ask you to believe me by virtue of the decree that I'm credible because I'm believable. I ask you to look at what you're looking at and experience it. And that's what we need more of. Every one of you is a journalist. You are more qualified than George Stephanopoulos. You're more talented than George Stephanopoulos. And you know, it's a cliche, but these things are insane. And everyone has an audio and video device. There's an opportunity over the. I'd give it eight months. You have eight months where if you have an idea, a vision, right now, you have the opportunity to be brave. And I'm a journalist. I'm a videographer. I want you guys. If anyone in the audience wants to do this, now's your time. I'm hiring. And if you are witness to corruption in the United States government, if you know someone who is, have them come forward. Your action items. Tell the truth. Be brave. Be the difference you wish to see in the world.

[Charlie Kirk]

James O'Keefe, everybody. Thanks so much for listening. Everybody, email us. As always, freedomarlicirk.com thanks so much for listening and God bless.

[James O'Keefe]

For more on many of these stories and news you can Trust, go to charliekirk.com.