The Truth with Lisa Boothe: Susan Crabtree on One-Party Rule, Corruption & California’s Collapse

Podcast: The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show – The Truth with Lisa Boothe
Date: January 20, 2026
Guests: Lisa Boothe (host), Susan Crabtree (award-winning investigative journalist)
Main Theme:
An in-depth examination of California as a cautionary example of one-party Democratic rule, political corruption, and policy collapse. Lisa interviews Susan Crabtree about her book Fool’s Gold, the roots and ripple effects of endemic California corruption, and the broader implications for American politics—including upcoming elections and national security.

Episode Overview

This episode centers on the consequences of entrenched one-party (Democratic) control in California—highlighting political corruption, failing policies (notably around homelessness, wildfires, fraud), and the potential national impact as Governor Gavin Newsom’s political ambitions grow. Susan Crabtree brings exclusive insights from her investigative reporting and details from her book Fool’s Gold. The conversation also covers recent high-profile failures in Secret Service protection of public officials.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Vigilantism and One-Party Rule in Progressive Cities

Topic: How 'progressive' governance fuels policy failure

• Lisa Boothe: Points out the election of a "communist, a socialist" mayor in New York City and asks how representative this is of the Democratic Party's direction (04:15).
• Susan Crabtree:
  • Blames weak candidates and low voter turnout for radical local leadership:

    "You had no one jumping in and the Republican did not jump out. So you end up with the socialists ... This is what the people who did vote wanted in a bad scenario." (04:20)

  • Predicts "socialism on display" in New York governance, e.g., the new mayor raising bus prices while ignoring public safety.

2. Systemic Corruption & Media Complicity in California

Topic: What allows large-scale fraud and enduring policy failure

• Susan Crabtree:
  • Contrasts NY’s aggressive media with California’s compliant, "all-access" press environment:

    "Basically, the media is the extension of ... the one-party system." (05:44)

  • Cites staggering examples of California fraud and waste:
    • $72B in total fraud
    • $36–$40B in unemployment fraud during COVID
    • $24B unaccounted for in homelessness NGOs
    • "Halfway houses getting government funds that are run by felons"
  • Reveals taxpayers are repeatedly hit with higher taxes and energy prices, government officials benefiting from cozy relationships with regulated utilities and interest groups.

3. Political Impact: Redistricting & the 2026/2028 Races

Topic: How fraud and institutional rot could affect elections

• Susan Crabtree:
  • Predicts fraud and redistricting in California will have outsized national political effects:

    "They're gonna gain six seats just on redrawing the maps ... if that holds up in court." (08:19)

  • Argues redistricting fights may matter more than the fraud stories for near-term election dynamics, as polls show Democrats up statewide.

4. Case Study: Wildfires, Utilities, and Cronyism

Topic: The deadly and costly consequences of corruption

• Lisa Boothe: Asks how one-party rule feeds disasters like wildfires and homelessness (09:46).
• Susan Crabtree:
  • Details deep financial/political ties between Democratic leaders and utility companies responsible for wildfires.
  • Accuses Newsom and the state of backroom bailouts after fatal fires (Paradise, Palisades, Altadena), with little victim compensation:

    "[Newsom] has blood on his hands ... he organized a back room bailout for PGE after that Paradise fire." (12:09)

  • Blames policy failures (e.g., lack of brush clearing, poor maintenance), noting "no accountability" and a revolving door between regulators and industry.
  • Reveals attempts to cover up empty reservoirs and delayed emergency response, with outsized media attention from celebrities like Spencer Pratt (16:21).

5. Corruption vs. Ineptitude

Lisa Boothe: "How much would you put in the camp of corruption versus just ineptitude?" (16:13)

• Susan Crabtree: Both; lack of accountability enables corruption and incompetence. Highlights state cover-ups and the frequency of utility-caused fires—1,500 in six years:

  "[The WSJ] report ... there was 1,500 fires caused by utilities in a matter of six years. It was like one every one and a half days." (17:12)

  • Critiques state leaders for blaming climate change to deflect from real issues and their own political donors.

6. Political Dynasties & ‘Cabal’ Culture

Topic: How elite San Francisco families drive state and national policy

• Susan Crabtree:
  • Explains the tight web of money and influence among the Gettys, Prizkers, Pelosis, and Newsoms—"part of a cabal in San Francisco to make the policies extremely liberal and not hold anybody accountable." (19:29)
  • Describes failed homelessness policies (i.e., “housing first,” direct cash or debit card incentives for addicts) that perpetuate, rather than solve, the problem.
  • Vivid quote:

    "The Hollywood Walk of Fame has now turned into a walk of shame. You have fentanyl zombies hanging out all over." (19:29)

7. Newsom's National Threat Level

Topic: How viable is Gavin Newsom for 2028?

• Lisa Boothe: Cites Newsom’s likely 2028 bid and asks how serious a contender he is (25:11).
• Susan Crabtree:
  • Troubled by his high polling despite the visible failures under his watch:

    "It's incredibly disturbing and mind boggling to think that that could be a possibility when we have the level of fraud. This happened under his watch." (25:35)

  • Reveals (from whistleblower reporting) Newsom released ~60,000 prisoners during COVID under false pretexts, which worsened California’s crime wave and led to "smash and grab" crises in major cities (25:44).

8. The Secret Service Crisis

Topic: Is the agency up to its protective job?

• Lisa Boothe: Shifts to recent Secret Service lapses, referencing Crabtree’s reporting on the Butler, PA, Trump assassination attempt and VP J.D. Vance’s home break-in (27:09).
• Susan Crabtree:
  • Expresses deep concern:

    "This is a troubled agency ... riddled with DEI under the Obama and the Biden administrations. And it hasn't changed. It's not changing enough, quickly enough." (27:40)

  • Explains the VP detail is stretched dangerously thin and is staffed disproportionately with inexperienced agents.
  • Criticizes agency priorities (sending staff to LGBTQ DEI conferences, even after high-profile failures):

    "They were running off the LGBTQ conferences in Australia ... Even one at Disney World right after the assassination attempts in July. They were sending out notices. Who wants to go to Disney World? Not kidding you. It's very serious." (28:42)

9. Was the Trump Assassination Attempt Preventable?

• Lisa Boothe: Wonders if failures were intentional or due to incompetence:

  "[Is] it ... all just incompetency ... or ... some of it was allowed to happen?" (30:07)

• Susan Crabtree:
  • Confirms the critical lapse was due to poor agent selection and training; says a "Latina lesbian partier" agent with little experience was left in charge of site security and faced minimal discipline—"they only gave him a slap on the wrist." (31:07)
  • Worries about politicized beliefs inside the Service and their willingness to protect the president:

    "If you have beliefs that are in direct opposition to the president and ... a significant portion of the country view him as Hitler, can we trust that ... they just failed to do it, or they just didn't care to protect President Trump?" (31:40)

10. FBI, Transparency, and Public Trust

Lisa Boothe & Susan Crabtree:

• Discuss the lack of transparency on Thomas Matthew Crooks, the Trump attempted assassin. Susan notes information came from media reporters, not the FBI, and speculates Trump’s campaign is avoiding the story—possibly for political reasons.
• Crabtree criticizes the Biden FBI for lying about Crooks' digital footprint, hiding his anti-Trump views:

  "The fact that they lied extensively about his digital footprint, the Biden FBI to Congress under oath, is really disconcerting. ... They tried to make him look like a right winger ... and they hid all of that from us. It's just outrageous." (36:38)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On endemic California fraud:

  "People complain about Minnesota's fraud. That is the tip of the California iceberg. ... We have $72 billion in fraud."
  — Susan Crabtree (05:44)

• On utility-caused wildfires:

  "The head of this ... in charge of the water and fire department ... was paid $750 grand. She worked at PG&E beforehand in the Green Policy Initiative space. It's a revolving door. ... Our electricity costs are going through the roof to pay for the wildfires that they cause. That's what's happened in California."
  — Susan Crabtree (11:10)

• On Hollywood's decline:

  "The Hollywood Walk of Fame is now turned into a walk of shame. You have fentanyl zombies hanging out all over."
  — Susan Crabtree (19:29)

• On Secret Service DEI focus:

  "They were running off the LGBTQ conferences in Australia ... Even one at Disney World right after the assassination attempts ... sending out notices. Who wants to go to Disney World? Not kidding you. It's very serious."
  — Susan Crabtree (28:42)

• On FBI misleading Congress:

  "They tried to make him [Crooks] look like a right winger ... and they hid all of that from us. It's just outrageous."
  — Susan Crabtree (36:38)

Key Timestamps of Major Segments

• California vs. NY—why one party rule persists: 04:15–05:44
• Scope of California's fraud and corruption: 05:44–08:19
• Redistricting and election impacts: 08:19–09:46
• Detailed dive into wildfires, utilities, and political collusion: 10:00–12:41
• Corruption vs. incompetence in disasters: 16:13–17:12
• San Francisco families and elite networks: 19:29–21:52
• Gavin Newsom’s political prospects & crime wave: 25:11–27:09
• Secret Service failings post-Butler attempt: 27:40–32:11
• FBI/transparency on Thomas Crooks: 34:10–36:38

Conclusion

This episode presents California as a microcosm for what critics see as the perils of unchecked progressive governance—spiraling fraud, elite cronyism, and deadly ineptitude—while warning the rest of the country as a national figure like Gavin Newsom rises. Susan Crabtree’s investigative experience gives the show a hard-edged, detail-heavy tone, underscoring her call that transparency, accountability, and a change in political direction are not just California issues, but crucial for American democracy and security.