Podcast Summary: The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show

Episode: David Rutherford Show: "The 2020 Election Was Rigged" — A Prosecutor Explains How It Happened | Guest: Professor David Clements
Date: December 10, 2025
Host: David Rutherford (with guest Professor David Clements)
Producer: iHeartPodcasts

Episode Overview

This episode centers on a deep, candid discussion between host David Rutherford and Professor David Clements—former criminal prosecutor and law professor—about election integrity and the mechanics of alleged election fraud in the 2020 U.S. election. Their conversation traces how Clements became a leading voice in election skepticism, explores personal and systemic betrayals within law enforcement and government, considers the psychological and spiritual toll of whistleblowing, and digs into strategies and possible remedies for restoring election trust in America.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Professor Clements' Backstory and Awakening

• Border Prosecution Experience: Clements’s work as a prosecutor dealing with trafficking made him attuned to corruption and "vote trafficking" in elections.

  “If you take out the drugs and just put in votes or ballots, it’s vote trafficking.” (Clements, 06:48)

• Personal Run-in with Election Technology: During his own political race, he saw firsthand the vote swings attributed to late-counted mail-in ballots and the introduction of Dominion machines, sowing early doubt (06:48–08:14).

• University Hostility: As a law professor in New Mexico, experiencing campus indoctrination and "woke" policies, Clements describes feeling spiritually shaken following January 6, 2021, and ultimately ousted after voicing dissenting views (08:56–14:22).

  “When the fix was in on election night, you would have thought that demons in my university were just shrieking with joy.” (Clements, 09:47)

2. Psychological and Spiritual Dimensions of Whistleblowing

• Isolation and Professional Retaliation: After speaking out, Clements became a pariah in academia and the legal profession, facing bar complaints and media attacks (16:06–16:57).

• Spiritual Encounters: He recounts a “supernatural” awakening during the aftermath of January 6, emphasizing the spiritual war underlying political corruption (10:55–14:22).

  “It rocked me—the closest encounter that I had to the presence of God, of a purpose and a call.” (11:46)

• Paranoia and Faith: Sustained campaigns against him imposed paranoia and an 'island' feeling, but his faith and sense of duty, especially to prayer, anchored his resolve (32:15–34:16).

3. Systemic Corruption—From Law Enforcement to Elections

• Parallel to Drug Task Forces: Clements drew parallels between cartel power over border prosecutions and systemic election fraud. He detailed how law enforcement sometimes perpetrated or covered up crimes (27:56–31:32).

  “My district attorney that I work for is more corrupt than anyone that I’ve prosecuted.” (23:36)

• Captured Institutions: The same corruptibility, he asserts, plagues the judiciary, political offices, and bureaucratic layers involved in elections (34:36–35:14).

  “The biggest obstacle that I have isn’t the radical left...It’s Conservative Inc...There is still this wholesale protection of the machines.” (51:42–53:01)

4. The 2020 Election—Fraud Models and Information Suppression

• Conservative Gatekeeping: Clements claims mainstream conservative voices push away substantive discussions about voting machines.

• Voting Machines as Black Box: He argues the heart of election corruption lies in the opacity and digital infrastructure—citing cloud-based systems, government contracts, and relabeling/rebranding of companies like Dominion (53:01–55:40).

  “Whoever controls the black box controls...the House, the Senate, the judiciary. They control the talking points.” (51:42)

• Obstacles to Legal Remedy: Courts and legislatures are depicted as compromised or incapable of remedying election fraud through conventional RICO or civil action—it must be addressed as a national security issue (59:23–61:43).

  “[The] President does not have to wait for Congress, he does not have to listen to a court to repel that invasion.” (56:57)

5. The Military and National Security Response

• Continuity of Government and Military Tribunals: Suggests that only through invoking military authority and continuity of government can election corruption be uprooted. Conventional courts are depicted as too slow or corrupt to handle systemic fraud (63:35–67:19).

  “It's going to have to be a military commission tribunal setting to do the efficient prosecution that’s necessary.” (63:35)

• Speculation on Trump’s Role: Clements believes Trump has been positioning and preparing to use extraordinary powers. He references “shadow presidency” theories, continuity of government, and military involvement in 2024’s election outcomes (69:20–71:04).

6. Interpreting Recent Elections and Future Projections

• 2024 Presidential Election: Asserts that military and cyber interventions prevented fraud mechanisms from flipping results in 2024, in contrast to 2020, noting specific evidence (mail-in ballot interdiction, lack of vote "F-curve") and the implications if true (77:44–80:42).
• Speculative Analysis: Multiple “what if” scenarios are discussed for potential future manipulations, acknowledging both hope and skepticism among the audience (84:17–88:56).

7. Courage, Truth-Seeking, and Youth Advice

• Advice to Young Patriots: Emphasizes the importance of truth and faith over popularity or comfort, advocating for aligning one’s actions with conscience and higher principles (93:40–100:44).

  “All that matters is the truth. Life is so fragile…it’s so finite…I would rather be judged by history than by my coward peers.” (98:10)

Notable Quotes & Timestamps

“You can't do the types of cases that I did unless you're very familiar with trafficking…It's vote trafficking.”
—David Clements (06:25)

“When the fix was in on election night, you would have thought that demons in my university were just shrieking with joy.”
—David Clements (09:47)

“I had a supernatural encounter…the closest encounter that I had to the presence of God, of a purpose and a call.”
—David Clements (11:46)

“The biggest danger are people with badges and a printing press.”
—David Clements (34:16)

“Whoever controls the black box controls the economy, the House, the Senate, the judiciary...They control the levers of subsidization, of taking your tax dollars and weaponizing your own tax dollars against you.”
—David Clements (51:42)

“Right now the biggest obstacle that I have isn’t the radical left...It’s Conservative Inc. ...there is still this wholesale protection of the machines.”
—David Clements (51:42–53:01)

“The President does not have to wait for Congress, he does not have to listen to a court to repel that invasion.”
—David Clements (56:57)

“[Legal] due process rights are not built for mass prosecution...It’s going to have to be a military commission tribunal setting to do the level of efficient prosecution that’s necessary.”
—David Clements (63:35)

“If Trump isn’t wielding [commander-in-chief] tools...then one, he’s a fool, and two, he will be destroyed.”
—David Clements (87:41)

“I would rather be judged by history than my coward peers at the university, the coward attorneys that didn't do anything after 2020.”
—David Clements (98:10)

Essential Timestamps

• 03:07 — Introduction to Professor Clements and the episode theme
• 06:25 – 10:20 — Clements’ background and initial skepticism about election systems
• 14:22 – 16:57 — Transition from academia to election activism; initial retaliation
• 23:36 – 31:32 — Deep dive into corruption within border law enforcement and parallels to election fraud
• 34:16 – 35:14 — Captured judiciary and psychological hurdles to acknowledging fraud
• 47:14 – 56:50 — Matrix of election subversion, infrastructure, and systemic manipulation
• 59:23 – 63:35 — Legal dead-ends and the argument for a military/national security approach
• 69:20 – 71:04 — Discussion of continuity of government and shadow presidency
• 77:44 – 80:42 — Analysis of the 2024 election and changes in result manipulation
• 93:40 – 100:44 — Direct advice to young listeners on courage, faith, and truth

Memorable Moments

• Personal Spiritual Crisis after January 6: Clements’ description of his “supernatural encounter” and subsequent “FU” video response to his university (11:46, 14:22).
• Gaslit by Law Enforcement: The story of exposing drug task force corruption, dismissing cases, and calling out his own agency (27:56–30:47).
• Conservative Inc. as the Real Problem: Clements points to mainstream right-wing media and figures as impediments to election transparency (51:42–53:01).
• Legal vs. Military Solutions: Evocative analogy between fighting a war and fighting systemic fraud within courts—echoing the need for “military commissions” and extraordinary measures (63:35–67:19).
• Raw Advice to Young Patriots: Courage, humility, and fear of God over fear of professional or social exile (98:10–101:00).

Conclusion and Takeaways

• Broader Theme: The fight for election integrity, as told by Clements, is intertwined with deeper issues of systemic corruption, personal conscience, spirituality, and the necessity of “death of self” to pursue truth.
• Call to Action: Listeners are urged to seek truth, be willing to sacrifice comfort, and resist narrative manipulation—aligning their actions with conscience and, for Clements, with Christ.
• Final Note: The episode closes with gratitude to Clements for his candor and courage, encouraging listeners to follow his work at theprofessorsrecord.com.

This summary is intended to provide a thorough, accurate overview of the episode's content and spirit for those who have not listened.