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Hour 2 - Etch A Sketch Politicians - The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show | Wave AI Podcast Notes

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Hour 2 - Etch A Sketch Politicians

The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show

Fri Oct 10 2025

Summary

The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show

Episode: Hour 2 – Etch A Sketch Politicians

Air Date: October 10, 2025
Podcast: The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show (iHeartPodcasts)

Episode Overview

In this hour, Clay Travis and Buck Sexton scrutinize the evasive, noncommittal rhetoric of key Democratic politicians in Virginia, branding them “Etch A Sketch politicians” who erase and redraw their stances to suit audiences. The episode follows up on primary political debates in Virginia, confronts the controversy involving Jay Jones, and features an interview with current Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares about his race and the explosive allegations against Jones. Frequent themes include political accountability, culture war flashpoints (such as transgender policies in schools), crime, and the candidacy of Abigail Spanberger.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Letitia James and Mortgage Loan Integrity

[01:30 – 04:30]

Clay Travis references a Twitter thread by attorney Eric Pacific about classifying homes for mortgage purposes, noting the significance of the case involving Letitia James.
The discussion centers around financial misrepresentation: claiming a rental property as a second home to receive favorable loan terms.
Insight: “You buy a house, say it’s a second home, immediately rent it out, tell your insurer it’s owner occupied, and then report rental income on your taxes. That’s not a misunderstanding, that’s a pattern.” – (Eric Pacific paraphrased by Clay Travis, [03:50])
Theme: If a top legal official misrepresents documents, it’s likely intentional rather than error.

2. Virginia Gubernatorial Debate: Avoiding Direct Answers

[05:39 – 09:57]

Focus on debate performance by Democratic candidate Abigail Spanberger, specifically her refusal to directly answer a yes/no question on transgender students in sports and bathrooms.
Buck Sexton expresses frustration with political evasions, asserting such ambiguity is strategic orthodoxy for the Democratic Party.

Notable Moment:

Moderator asks: “Should transgender girls who are biological males be allowed to use girls bathrooms and play on girls sports teams? You have 60 seconds.”
Spanberger’s answer is described as evasive and circular, emphasizing local decision-making and refusing a straight answer multiple times despite persistent follow-up ([06:18 – 09:10]).
Buck's Insight:

“Spanberger is pretending to be something she’s not. Or rather she’s making sure that no one knows what she is... She is a Democrat. Democrats have to say trans dudes have to be able to go in to your daughter, your wife, etc’s locker room and bathroom under law. Ok. It’s a civil rights issue. That is what Democrats as a party mandate. This is orthodoxy.” – [09:18]

3. The Jay Jones Controversy

[11:14 – 13:33]

Discussion about Jay Jones, Democratic nominee for Virginia Attorney General, and his past text messages wishing harm on political opponents' children.
Abigail Spanberger refuses to rescind her endorsement of Jones, dodging a direct yes/no when pressed by debate moderators.

Memorable Quote:

Buck Sexton:

"She’s an Etch A Sketch politician. Well, whatever you want it to be. Well, I’ll say whatever I need to say in the moment so that people don’t know what I actually believe." ([12:36])

4. Debate Highlights: Winsome Sears Calls Out Evasion

[19:36 – 21:52]

Winsome Sears, current Republican Lieutenant Governor, calls out Spanberger for speaking in empty platitudes and refusing accountability.
Key exchange:

Winsome Sears: “You don’t even know what you’re saying.” ([19:56])
- Buck and Clay praise Sears for confronting Spanberger’s evasive debate style directly.
Sears presses Spanberger to explicitly denounce Jones’s texts and demand his withdrawal.

Most Impactful Moment:

Winsome Sears:

“I would not say that. So that’s why I’m wondering why my opponent won’t say, beyond ‘it’s abhorrent and disgusting’, why she won’t say it is not okay and that he must leave the race because Jay Jones advocated the murder, Abigail. The murder of a man... What if he said it about your two children, your three children? Is that when you would say he should get out of the race?” ([20:31])

5. Interview: VA Attorney General Jason Miyares

[23:32 – 37:35]

Attorney General Miyares expresses deep concern over Jay Jones’s “vile” text messages and shares his own connection to those targeted.
Miyares stresses the difference between ideological disagreement and wishing harm upon opponents’ families.
Recounts his record on fighting crime, reducing Virginia’s murder rate, battling the opioid crisis, and supporting law enforcement.

Highlight Quote:

Jason Miyares:

“I have never found a difference of opinion in politics, philosophy or religion to be cause to withdraw from a friend... My job is to be the people’s protector of everyone. That’s such a different mindset from someone who says I would like to see my political opponents have two bullets in their head.” ([27:03])

On Law Enforcement:

Detailed record of targeting violent repeat offenders, achieving dramatic crime reductions in Virginia.
“Virginia is now the number one state in the entire country in the overall drop of addiction deaths, from this record high... huge drop in reduction in violent crime.” ([35:33])

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

Clay Travis [14:14]:
“Biden got into office as a moderate, and then... you saw that he actually was going to govern as a far left wing insane person. Virginia, that’s what your decision is basically about. Are you supporting sanity or not?”
Buck Sexton [18:37]:
About Spinberger: “Supposed to be a mediocre cipher. Somebody you can put whatever you want... She is trying to fool people. She’s being dishonest about who she is.”
Winsome Sears [21:14]:
“Would it take him pulling the trigger? Is that what would do it? And then you would say he needs to get out of the race?”
Jason Miyares [25:34]:
“Imagine somebody saying this about a friend of yours and their family... this wasn’t some hypothetical... at the ages of Todd’s children, they were 2 and 5 years old.”
Buck Sexton [35:08]:
“What have you done as Attorney General that has had real impact that you’re proud of, that has shown the kind of law enforcement focus...”

Key Timestamps

[01:30 – 04:30]: Mortgage fraud, Letitia James segment.
[05:39 – 10:09]: Spanberger’s evasiveness in VA gubernatorial debate on transgender issues.
[11:14 – 13:33]: Jay Jones controversy, Spanberger refuses to disavow.
[19:36 – 21:52]: Winsome Sears calls out debate evasions and presses Spanberger.
[23:32 – 37:35]: Jason Miyares interview—reaction to Jay Jones, record as AG, views on political violence.

Summary & Takeaway

This episode illustrates the dynamic between politicians who “run out the clock” to avoid controversy—exemplified by Abigail Spanberger—and those who confront them on principle. Clay and Buck stress the importance of directness and accountability, especially as debate moderators and opponents (notably Winsome Sears) demand clear stances and action on pressing ethical issues. The interview with Jason Miyares broadens the ethical debate by emphasizing leadership standards, his tangible impact as Attorney General, and his condemnation of rhetoric that promotes violent political retribution. Throughout the hour, the hosts maintain their signature blend of outrage, sarcasm, and calls to action for their Virginia audience.

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Transcript

Podcast Announcer (0:00)

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Was making a podcast about Benghazi, nine times out of ten they called me a masochist, rolled their eyes, or just asked why Benghazi?

Ted Cruz (0:46)

The truth became a web of lies.

Leon Neyfak (0:48)

From prologue projects and Pushkin Industries. This is Fiasco Benghazi.

Jason Miyares (0:54)

What difference at this point does it make?

Leon Neyfak (0:57)

Listen to Fiasco Benghazi on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Clay Travis (1:04)

I'm Ben Ferguson.

Ted Cruz (1:05)

And I'm Ted Cruz. Three times a week we do our podcast Verdict with Ted Cruz.

Clay Travis (1:10)

Nationwide, we have millions of listeners.

Ted Cruz (1:12)

Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, we break down the news and bring you behind the scenes inside the White House, inside the Senate, inside the United States Supreme Court.

Clay Travis (1:21)

And we cover the stories that you're not getting anywhere else.

Ted Cruz (1:24)

We arm you with the facts to be able to know and advocate for the truth with your friends and family.

Clay Travis (1:30)

So download Verdict with Ted Cruz now, wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome back in Clay Travis Buck SEXTON show we are tracking down all of the big stories out there. At the bottom of the hour, Jason Mearez, who is the attorney general of the state of Virginia running for reelection about three weeks against a guy who frankly has done some, said some pretty awful things. We will get into all of that with him. And then in the third hour, we're going to be joined by our friend Jack Carr, who is one of the most successful fiction writers in America right now. And he's got a brand new book out. We will discuss that with him. But I was reading this book and I want to make sure that I get this and I probably am mispronouncing this guy's name, but his name is Eric Pacific. And again, I apologize if I mispronounce that. He is a attorney and he has a good thread that I was reading during the most recent commercial break. And I just want to hit this because it goes directly to what we were talking about with Letitia James. And he says, not trying to make a political point here, I Spent years as a mortgage banker at Quicken Loans. Now Rocket Mortgage, the number one mortgage lender in the country before I ever went to law school. Here's the deal. How you classify a property as a primary, secondary or investment home changes everything about the loan. The down payment, the interest rate, the underwriting, all of it. Primary or secondary homes can get by with as little, he says, as 3 to 10% down. Investment properties usually require 25% or more. So if you're a brand new real estate investor with limited cash, there's a big incentive to call something a, quote, second home instead of an investment property. But that's why lenders make you sign a second home rider and a separate document where you specifically promise you'll use it as a second residence, not rent it out. You also assert like nine times in the application process it will be owner occupied. Could this kind of thing ever be an honest mistake? I doubt it. The facts, at least as reported, look pretty bad. You buy a house, say it's a second home, immediately rent it out, tell your insurer it's owner occupied, and, and then report rental income on your taxes. That's not a misunderstanding, that's a pattern. Um, and it just continues. Again, the wild part is she's a lawyer. She's the Attorney General of New York. She's prosecuted the former president for similar financial representations. You'd think someone with that background would fully understand what those documents say and what it means to misstate intent on a loan. And it's going to be a tough case for her to defend unless she's able to present additional information. In the meantime, lots of financial and life lessons in the story for all of us. I just thought that was interesting. That's someone who deals all the time, as I'm sure many of you out there have in the mortgage industry. Again, reiterating what we have said, which is this is not something that would have been likely to have occurred as an error, particularly not someone who is the chief law enforcement officer of the state of New York. Okay, so that a little bit of a bow on that discussion for all of you. Now, last night in Virginia, Buck, I was watching this early this morning when I got up. I know you were watching. I saw some of it last night. I want to play a couple of these cuts, and some of them are a bit long, but I think it's important for you guys to hear exactly how long these answers are because it's, it speaks to an unwillingness to answer direct questions. And I actually give credit to the Debate moderators who were asking questions and then doing something crazy when they're not answered. Following up. Hey, this is kind of a yes or no question. So let's play this one. It's a bit long. This is Abigail Spanberger.

Jason Miyares (27:03)

Well, it's clear, it's clear. That's where we are now. And just to remind people that Abigail Spamberger had asked for Ralph Northam's resignation as governor, the previous Governor, over a 30 year old yearbook photo. But to your point, I mean, I think there should be a question asked of every elected Democrat or even elected official on either side of the aisle in Virginia. If someone was applying for a job to work in your office and it came during their vetting that they had sent these and expressed these sentiments and had actually wished or they hoped a two and five year old child would die in their mother's arm, would you still hire them? Well then the extra question, if the answer is no, then why would you vote to elevate this person to be literally the top prosecutor in the entire Commonwealth of Virginia? And it just shows and just for your listeners to realize the background like what, what set Jay Jones on this path is he was very upset that Todd Gilbert had said nice words in memory of a moderate Democrat that served in the assembly that had passed away. He was angry that Todd was saying something nice about a member of and his response was that he wanted to be able to pit on the graves of his political opponents. I mean, think about that where you're coming from and for your listeners. You know, I keep a sign of my office in Richmond. It's one of my favorite quotes from Thomas Jefferson and it is this. I have never found a difference of opinion in politics, philosophy or religion to be caused to withdrawal from a friend. It's just a reminder for me and my job that I may disagree with you politically. I'm not going to withdraw my friendship for you. I had met with victims. I had never once asked a victim of a crime whether they ever voted for me, what part of the year. I don't care. My job is to be the people's protector of everyone. That's such a different mindset of someone who says I would like to see a, you know, my political opponents have two bullets in their head. And when he's texted by his colleague, Jay, you're literally saying you're hoping that Jennifer Gilbert's children die in her arms. Your response is yes, because it is only through change that pain, through pain that change occurs. Well, that is an incredibly dark worldview to think that you have to inflict pain on individuals to somehow achieve a political objective that is the, you know, we have some chapters in our history, obviously as our country, but we settled a long time ago. We don't, we don't settle our differences with bullets. We settle them at the ballot box and that's a sign of a vibrant democracy. And so it's a I do think this election now in Virginia is not about right versus left. It's about right versus wrong. It's about a basic standard of decency. And candidly it's just nationwide, what is the signal that can you say anything you want about your opposition, even saying you hope violence against their family and there not be a political price? And I think I trust Virginians are going to get it right. But I think the stakes here for the larger nation is a sobering one.

Jason Miyares (31:57)

Yeah, I mean I am surprised. I candidly am very surprised. But I do think that there has been a disconnect between the political leadership and where everyday Virginians are. Obviously it's something I am hearing about constantly when I am out talking to individuals. But think about this as well. What this also tells me that about my opponent is that he's never actually met with real Mothers that have actually lost their children to violence. I have, I have met the moms of murdered victims, and I could tell you that right now there is no cry like the cry of a mother that has lost her child. There's nothing like it. It is. It is soul searing. And once you've actually experienced that, you. You can't even imagine that on your. On anybody, you know, even if they're your political enemy. But it just shows that he is a. He's. He's not prepared. He's obviously reckless with his. His judgment, and he has a worldview that is. Is completely incompatible with this office, period. And don't forget, it also has come out that he apparently told another colleague that as far as, you know, police violence, that he said, if you could get rid of qualified immunity to sue police personally and maybe if some cops died and actually they would change their behavior. And so you've seen the Fraternal Order Police and a host of other law enforcement organizations also have come out. You had a group of sheriffs and commonwealth attorneys in Virginia say that he should not stay in the race. So you've seen law enforcement has come out quite forcefully saying, we don't want him to be the top prosecutor in the state, period. And so you have seen, I think, not surprisingly, an enormous amount of courage from our law enforcement heroes that have come out quite fortunately, a lot of which are apolitical. The Virginia State Police association, which normally rarely ever delves into anything slightly political, has come out quite forcefully about these remarks, because the hardest thing for me is attending the end of watch funerals for officers that have died in the line of duty. That is by far the most difficult moment that you ever have as a public official. You realize it's the hardest job in America. And you just sit back and you think, I can't imagine. Not that I think we'd ever attend, but somebody who actually has wished. Because when you talk to these family members and they talk about the job and the burden of the badge and what it means to carry the shield every day. And earlier this year, I attended the End of Watch with Officer Cameron Girvin, Officer Christopher Reese. They died February 22nd of this year. Two officers in Virginia beach gunned down in the line of duty. You know, you talk to those family, you know, Cameron left behind a wife who had just found out she was pregnant with a baby girl. I mean, you. You get those stories, you meet these law enforcement guardians, and you realize what Jay Jones has said, this world view of violence against individuals to advance agenda is so outside of the normal frameworks, I think he's disqualified himself from the job.

Jason Miyares (35:33)

Yeah, well, listen, when I came in the office, Virginia had a murder rate at a 20 year high, violent crime rate at a 30 year high, the highest levels of addiction deaths ever recorded. And I had this novel idea, Clay, I said, I'm going to, I'm going to work with law enforcement, not work against them. We also saw that we had unacceptable violence. Our murder rate was driven by violence in certain areas of the state, certain of our localities, we saw that 5% of felons were committing over 50% of the violent felonies. So we went after these repeat violent offenders, by a way, a lot of which are in the narcotics trade. City of Roanoke alone, for example, 0.12% of the population of the city of roanoke, that's 1/5 of 1%, were committing over 30% of the homicides. So we went after this small subset of repeat violent offenders, we investigated them, we indicted, we prosecuted them and the murder rates dropped dramatically. City of Roanoke, 62% drop in our murder rate. We've had a double digit drop in our violent crime rate. Our ceasefire cities, this huge reduction. More people are alive today. We prosecuted and got enough fentanyl off the streets that would have killed 7 million Virginians. Record settlements against some of the opioid manufacturers that has gone to treatment. So Virginia is not top 10, we're not top five. We are now the number one state in the entire country. And the overall drop in of addiction deaths, from this record high of addiction deaths to this number one in the country in the drop, huge drop in reduction or violent crime. I say as Attorney General, I'm the people's protector, I protect all Virginians, whether they're Republican, Democrat or Independents, we're proud of that record. I said, Virginian safety has been my mission from day one. That's what I'm asking Virginians to rehire me to continue to do that good work and definitely don't hire somebody to be the top prosecutor who a has never been a prosecutor in his life, B has a legislative voting record of voting against police and against victims and C literally has advocated for violence against his political opponents and said he hopes to see their children die. He's simply unfit and disqualified for this office.

Summary

The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show

Episode: Hour 2 – Etch A Sketch Politicians

Air Date: October 10, 2025
Podcast: The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show (iHeartPodcasts)

Episode Overview

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Letitia James and Mortgage Loan Integrity

[01:30 – 04:30]

Clay Travis references a Twitter thread by attorney Eric Pacific about classifying homes for mortgage purposes, noting the significance of the case involving Letitia James.
The discussion centers around financial misrepresentation: claiming a rental property as a second home to receive favorable loan terms.
Insight: “You buy a house, say it’s a second home, immediately rent it out, tell your insurer it’s owner occupied, and then report rental income on your taxes. That’s not a misunderstanding, that’s a pattern.” – (Eric Pacific paraphrased by Clay Travis, [03:50])
Theme: If a top legal official misrepresents documents, it’s likely intentional rather than error.

2. Virginia Gubernatorial Debate: Avoiding Direct Answers

[05:39 – 09:57]

Focus on debate performance by Democratic candidate Abigail Spanberger, specifically her refusal to directly answer a yes/no question on transgender students in sports and bathrooms.
Buck Sexton expresses frustration with political evasions, asserting such ambiguity is strategic orthodoxy for the Democratic Party.

Notable Moment:

Moderator asks: “Should transgender girls who are biological males be allowed to use girls bathrooms and play on girls sports teams? You have 60 seconds.”
Spanberger’s answer is described as evasive and circular, emphasizing local decision-making and refusing a straight answer multiple times despite persistent follow-up ([06:18 – 09:10]).
Buck's Insight:

“Spanberger is pretending to be something she’s not. Or rather she’s making sure that no one knows what she is... She is a Democrat. Democrats have to say trans dudes have to be able to go in to your daughter, your wife, etc’s locker room and bathroom under law. Ok. It’s a civil rights issue. That is what Democrats as a party mandate. This is orthodoxy.” – [09:18]

3. The Jay Jones Controversy

[11:14 – 13:33]

Discussion about Jay Jones, Democratic nominee for Virginia Attorney General, and his past text messages wishing harm on political opponents' children.
Abigail Spanberger refuses to rescind her endorsement of Jones, dodging a direct yes/no when pressed by debate moderators.

Memorable Quote:

Buck Sexton:

"She’s an Etch A Sketch politician. Well, whatever you want it to be. Well, I’ll say whatever I need to say in the moment so that people don’t know what I actually believe." ([12:36])

4. Debate Highlights: Winsome Sears Calls Out Evasion

[19:36 – 21:52]

Winsome Sears, current Republican Lieutenant Governor, calls out Spanberger for speaking in empty platitudes and refusing accountability.
Key exchange:

Winsome Sears: “You don’t even know what you’re saying.” ([19:56])
- Buck and Clay praise Sears for confronting Spanberger’s evasive debate style directly.
Sears presses Spanberger to explicitly denounce Jones’s texts and demand his withdrawal.

Most Impactful Moment:

Winsome Sears:

“I would not say that. So that’s why I’m wondering why my opponent won’t say, beyond ‘it’s abhorrent and disgusting’, why she won’t say it is not okay and that he must leave the race because Jay Jones advocated the murder, Abigail. The murder of a man... What if he said it about your two children, your three children? Is that when you would say he should get out of the race?” ([20:31])

5. Interview: VA Attorney General Jason Miyares

[23:32 – 37:35]

Attorney General Miyares expresses deep concern over Jay Jones’s “vile” text messages and shares his own connection to those targeted.
Miyares stresses the difference between ideological disagreement and wishing harm upon opponents’ families.
Recounts his record on fighting crime, reducing Virginia’s murder rate, battling the opioid crisis, and supporting law enforcement.

Highlight Quote:

Jason Miyares:

“I have never found a difference of opinion in politics, philosophy or religion to be cause to withdraw from a friend... My job is to be the people’s protector of everyone. That’s such a different mindset from someone who says I would like to see my political opponents have two bullets in their head.” ([27:03])

On Law Enforcement:

Detailed record of targeting violent repeat offenders, achieving dramatic crime reductions in Virginia.
“Virginia is now the number one state in the entire country in the overall drop of addiction deaths, from this record high... huge drop in reduction in violent crime.” ([35:33])

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

Clay Travis [14:14]:
“Biden got into office as a moderate, and then... you saw that he actually was going to govern as a far left wing insane person. Virginia, that’s what your decision is basically about. Are you supporting sanity or not?”
Buck Sexton [18:37]:
About Spinberger: “Supposed to be a mediocre cipher. Somebody you can put whatever you want... She is trying to fool people. She’s being dishonest about who she is.”
Winsome Sears [21:14]:
“Would it take him pulling the trigger? Is that what would do it? And then you would say he needs to get out of the race?”
Jason Miyares [25:34]:
“Imagine somebody saying this about a friend of yours and their family... this wasn’t some hypothetical... at the ages of Todd’s children, they were 2 and 5 years old.”
Buck Sexton [35:08]:
“What have you done as Attorney General that has had real impact that you’re proud of, that has shown the kind of law enforcement focus...”

Key Timestamps

[01:30 – 04:30]: Mortgage fraud, Letitia James segment.
[05:39 – 10:09]: Spanberger’s evasiveness in VA gubernatorial debate on transgender issues.
[11:14 – 13:33]: Jay Jones controversy, Spanberger refuses to disavow.
[19:36 – 21:52]: Winsome Sears calls out debate evasions and presses Spanberger.
[23:32 – 37:35]: Jason Miyares interview—reaction to Jay Jones, record as AG, views on political violence.