Refried Beans | Electric Caribou (feat. Glenn Kirschner) | Dec 5, 2021

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Daily Beans – "Refried Beans | Electric Caribou (feat. Glenn Kirschner)"

Release Date: December 8, 2024
Episode Date Referenced: December 5, 2021

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Introduction

In the "Refried Beans" segment of The Daily Beans, hosts Alison Gill and Dana Goldberg revisit a past episode from December 5, 2021, to reflect on the political and social developments leading up to that time. This episode provides a comprehensive overview of significant events surrounding the aftermath of the 2020 U.S. Presidential Election, the January 6th Committee's investigations, and related legal battles.

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Main News Topics

1. John Eastman's Fifth Amendment Plea (00:45)

   Alison Gill opens the discussion by highlighting John Eastman's decision to invoke his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination before the January 6th Committee. Eastman, a key figure who assisted former President Donald Trump in pressuring Vice President Mike Pence to overturn the 2020 election results, stated:

   "Dr. Eastman hereby asserts his Fifth Amendment right not to be a witness against himself in response to your subpoena." (02:00)

   Gill emphasizes the gravity of Eastman's plea, noting his close collaboration with the Trump administration and involvement in efforts to challenge the election outcome in seven swing states.

2. Mark Meadows' Book and the January 6th Committee (05:07)

   The conversation shifts to former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, whose upcoming book has drawn the attention of the January 6th Committee. Dana Goldberg warns listeners not to take Meadows' claims at face value:

   "Don't buy it. Trust me, you're going to hear plenty of it on Twitter, and we'll probably read some shit here." (05:42)

   Meadows alleges that his remarks about planning to march to the Capitol on January 6th were metaphorical, stating:

   "Trump knew as well as anyone that we couldn't organize a trip like that on such short notice." (06:29)

   This assertion is significant as it contradicts numerous testimonies from the 700 defendants involved in the Capitol breach, many of whom cited Trump's promises as their motivation.

3. Jeffrey Clark's Letter and White House Involvement (11:18)

   Alison Gill addresses Rachel Maddow's claim about metadata in Jeffrey Clark's letter to Georgia, suggesting White House involvement in drafting election-related communications. Upon reviewing the publicly available deposition transcript, Gill clarifies that the involvement was with the White House Communications Agency—a military entity responsible for presidential support.

   "The communications Agency provides support to the President regardless of location..." (11:18)

   She underscores that while this revelation alone isn't groundbreaking, it could cumulatively contribute to a broader investigation into the White House's role in election interference.

4. Georgia Election Workers' Defamation Suit Against Gateway Pundit (14:44)

   The hosts discuss the lawsuit filed by Ruby Freeman and her daughter Shamos against Gateway Pundit, a right-wing media outlet known for promoting pro-Trump misinformation. The defendants had falsely accused the two women of manipulating ballots during the 2020 election, with claims such as:

   "They had, quote, pulled out suitcases of ballots and began just counting those ballots without election monitors in the room." (14:46)

   Investigation by the Georgia Secretary of State confirmed the workers acted lawfully in processing ballots. Freeman and Shamos seek compensatory and punitive damages, aiming to hold Gateway Pundit accountable for defamatory statements that tarnished their reputations.

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Interview with Glenn Kershner (15:52)

The episode features a detailed conversation with Glenn Kershner, host of Justice Matters, who provides insights into ongoing investigations related to the January 6th events and their parallels with the Watergate scandal.

• Comparison to Watergate: Kershner likens the current investigations into Trump's associates to the Watergate investigations, emphasizing the methodical and thorough approach of the Department of Justice (DOJ).

  "They are taking the testimony of more than 250 individuals behind closed doors. And what they're doing is they're curating the information they're getting." (16:29)

• DOJ's Role and Transparency: He expresses confidence in the DOJ's processes but acknowledges public frustration over the perceived slow pace and secrecy.

  "I will be the first to say, boy, I got it dead wrong... But AG I don't think we're wrong. I don't think we're wrong about this." (20:06)

• Concerns Over Special Counsel Necessity: Kershner argues for the appointment of a special counsel, especially in light of DOJ officials like Jeffrey Clark invoking the Fifth Amendment, which may suggest internal conflicts and the need for an independent investigation.

  "These are reasons that scream DOJ must be criminally investigating this stuff. There's absolutely no way around it." (25:38)

Alison Gill and Kershner discuss the importance of maintaining momentum in investigations to ensure accountability and uphold democratic integrity.

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Good News Segment (26:30)

Shifting gears, the hosts share uplifting stories and personal anecdotes submitted by listeners:

• Family Additions and Pet Adoptions: Alison announces the birth of her first grandnephew, Levi, and shares photos of a cat available for adoption named Hollywood. Dana highlights Tika, a sweet 9-year-old cat up for adoption in Ohio.

• Creative Expressions and Humor: Paula shares humorous DIY projects, including an orange jumpsuit for a doll and her family's "fantasy indictment league." Jen recounts her children's amusing puns and Halloween costumes, showcasing the lighter side of their lives amidst political turmoil.

• Emotional Support and Mental Health: Dana emphasizes the importance of seeking help and supporting one another, especially during challenging times.

  "Don't think you can take care of yourself. Just lean on people. We are all there to help, okay?" (34:00)

Alison and Dana conclude the segment by encouraging listeners to share their positive stories and support each other, fostering a sense of community and resilience.

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Conclusion

In this "Refried Beans" episode, Alison Gill and Dana Goldberg navigate through a complex landscape of political intrigue, legal battles, and personal stories. They provide listeners with a nuanced understanding of the ongoing investigations related to the January 6th events, the role of key figures like John Eastman and Mark Meadows, and the broader implications for U.S. democracy. Balancing serious discourse with heartwarming good news, the hosts deliver a comprehensive and engaging episode that resonates with their progressive audience.

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Notable Quotes

• Alison Gill on John Eastman:

  "Eastman's decision is an extraordinary assertion by someone who worked closely with the Trump administration to try to overturn the 2020 election results." (02:28)

• Dana Goldberg on Seeking Truth:

  "We just. We're goofy little people during breaks. I'm fine. I think we're both delirious today." (01:29)

• Glenn Kershner on DOJ Investigations:

  "That's exactly the schedule we are on right now... They are taking the testimony of more than 250 individuals behind closed doors." (16:29)

• Dana Goldberg on Mental Health:

  "Don't drive yourself to the doctor or the emergency room thinking everything's fine. Just lean on people." (34:07)

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Timestamps Reference

• [00:45]: Alison Gill introduces the main topics.
• [02:00]: Quote from John Eastman's letter.
• [05:07]: Transition to Mark Meadows' book discussion.
• [05:42]: Dana Goldberg advises skepticism toward Meadows' claims.
• [11:18]: Discussion on Jeffrey Clark's letter metadata.
• [14:44]: Introduction to the defamation suit against Gateway Pundit.
• [15:52]: Start of Glenn Kershner interview.
• [16:29]: Kershner compares DOJ investigations to Watergate.
• [20:06]: Kershner reflects on potential errors and ongoing investigations.
• [25:38]: Kershner advocates for a special counsel.
• [26:30]: Transition to the Good News segment.
• [34:00]: Dana discusses the importance of mental health support.

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Final Thoughts

Alison Gill and Dana Goldberg skillfully balance political analysis with personal stories, offering listeners both enlightenment and emotional connection. Their commitment to progressive values and social justice is evident throughout the episode, making The Daily Beans a vital source of information and community for its audience.

Transcript

[Alison Gill]

MSW Media. Hey, everybody, it's Ag. And welcome to Refried Beans, where we play an episode of the Daily Beans podcast from the same week either one, two, or three years ago, so we can see how far we've come. So please enjoy this episode from days gone by and note the date in the intro. Refried beans. I like refried beans. That's why I want to try fried beans, because maybe they're just as good.

[Glenn Kershner]

And we're wasting time.

[Alison Gill]

Hello and welcome to the Daily beans for Monday, December 6, 2021. Today, John Eastman is the latest seditionist to indicate he will be pleading the fifth in front of the 16 committee. Legal experts claim that Meadows has waived any claim to executive privilege or over subjects he wrote about in his book. Metadata in Clark's draft letter to Georgia asking them to overturn the election indicates some White House involvement in drafting that letter. And two Georgia election workers are suing Gateway Pundit for defamation. I'm Alison Gill.

[Dana Goldberg]

And I'm Dana Goldberg. Me, too.

[Alison Gill]

Why is that Michael Jackson? Hey. Hello, Dana. Hope you have.

[Dana Goldberg]

We should leave all that stuff in. Hi. Just to get people. This is what we do for sanity. You may not hear it. It may have been edited out, but we just. We're goofy little people during breaks. I'm fine. I think we're both delirious today. This has been a very long weekend, a very long news cycle, and it's just never going to stop.

[Alison Gill]

No, it's not. And I'm a little extra tired today. I got my booster and my flu shot same time, one on each arm. So I'm like, I just want to sleep.

[Dana Goldberg]

You know what? Let's wrap this up and go to bed. Done.

[Alison Gill]

All right, everybody. Until next time. Any final thoughts? Daniel?

[Dana Goldberg]

No. No final thoughts.

[Alison Gill]

Bye. No, I believe we're going to be talking with Glenn Kershner later in the show. We might have to edit this out, though, because he is so busy right now making appearances all over the networks and doing his job and being a professor and he's the host of Justice Matters. So I hope we get to talk to him in a little bit because I want to talk to him about his video that he put out Sunday for Justice Matters.

[Dana Goldberg]

So good.

[Alison Gill]

And then we have a ton of other news to get to. And, you know, I'm over on Twitter every day, fighting the good fight, trying to somehow say, all hope is not lost, but, man, it's taken a long time. It's a weird line to walk. It's a weird line to walk. However, Like I said, tons of news that we should talk about. So let's do that. Let's hit the hot notes. Hot notes. All right, first up, from Kyle Cheney at Politico. Love him. John Eastman, the attorney who helped the former guy pressure then Vice President Mike Pence to overturn the 2020 election, has asserted his Fifth Amendment right against self incrimination, according to a letter he delivered to the January 6th Committee explaining his decision not to testify. Quote, Dr. Eastman hereby asserts his Fifth Amendment right not to be a witness against himself in response to your subpoena. That's his attorney, Charles Burnham, in a letter to Benny Thompson, chair of the 16 committee, quote, members of this very committee have only spoken of making criminal referrals to the Department of Justice and described the committee's work in terms of determining guilt or innocence. Dr. Eastman has more than reasonable fear that any statements he makes pursuant to the subpoena will be used in an attempt to mount criminal investigation against him. And you should go on to say, which, if he's totally innocent, would find nothing. But he doesn't say that. Eastman's decision is an extraordinary assertion by someone who worked closely with the Trump administration to try to overturn the 2020 election results. He met with Trump and pushed state legislative leaders to reject Biden's victory in a handful of swing states, seven of them, and appoint alternate electors. You know, alternate slates. The former Chapman University law professor also pressured Pence, who is constitutionally required to preside over the Electoral college certification on January 6, to unilaterally refuse to count some of Biden's electors and send the election to the full House for a vote or delay long enough to give states a chance to submit new electors. Eastman also spoke at Trump's January 6th rally alongside Rudy. Most of Burnham's letter makes procedural objections to the structure of the January 6 committee, not so much. I'm afraid that, you know, if I say anything that's the truth, I'll go to prison. It's mostly the focused on Speaker Nancy Pelosi's decision to reject minority leader Kevin McCarthy's appointees to the panel. And of course, Burnham also complains that the Capitol Riot Committee conducts its depositions in secret. So here's a third seditionist, criminal asshole complaining about the secrecy of the January 6th committee. So you shouldn't complain about the secrecy of the January 6th committee because you don't want to be like them.

[Dana Goldberg]

No, you don't. And if they want transparency in those hearings, there's a really good Chance we shouldn't have it quite yet. All right, we're going to stick with January 6th. The January 6th Investigators have tried to pry information from Mark Meadows for months now, so excerpts from his forthcoming book have piqued the Select Committee's interests. Why, you may ask? Well, in interviews, members of the committee say Meadows may have damaged his case for maintaining the secrecy of his contacts with the former guy on January 6th by divulging selected details in his book that's due to published Tuesday.

[Alison Gill]

Don't buy it.

[Dana Goldberg]

Don't buy it. No, don't buy it. Trust me, you're going to hear plenty of it on Twitter, and we'll probably read some shit here. Don't buy it. Adam Schiff, he commented, saying, quote, it's very possible that by discussing the events of January 6th in his book, if he does that, he's waiving any claim of privilege. So it'd be very difficult for him to maintain, quote, I can't speak about events to you, but I can speak about them in my book. End quote. Now, Meadows, his book is due to be released the same week he's expected to appear before the January 6th committee. That's following weeks of correspondence and hardball tactics that led chair Benny Thompson, as we know, a Democrat from Mississippi, to threaten to hold Meadows in criminal contempt of Congress. But last week, Meadows lawyer, George Terwilliger. Terwilliger.

[Alison Gill]

Terwilliger.

[Dana Goldberg]

Terwilliger. That's a fun one. Yes. George Terwilliger iii. Yes, that's Meadows, lawyer. And Thompson described a breakthrough, revealing that Meadows had provided thousands of emails to the panel and arranged to appear for an interview. So in the upcoming interview, the committee members plan to challenge Meadows, citing of executive privilege as a reason to avoid discussing his interactions with the former guy. Now, they say his book could become a factor in that argument, which makes sense in one expert, one excerpt. Excerpt you and get an edit. Although this really makes people laugh when I try and say this shit on a Monday. Just leave it. Fucking leave it. In one excerpt of Meadows book detailed Thursday by the Guardian, Meadows says the former guy told him he was, quote, just speaking metaphorically when he told supporters on January 6 that he planned to march with them to the Capitol. Meadows writes that Trump, quote, knew as well as anyone that we couldn't organize a trip like that on such short notice, not with the help of, like, 500 other people, as we've seen. Okay, now, some of the 700. There are 700 January 6th. Defendants have cited Trump's promise to go with them to the Capitol as a reason that they decided to go themselves. That guy's marching with us. They jump, probably in a golf cart. But they joined a mob that ultimately overran police lines and breached the Capitol as we know it, injured more than 140 officers. And in sending members of Congress fleeing for safety. We saw videos and photos. Now, the select Committee's chair indicated some of their questioning next week would relate to the book. So we're going to find out if this idiot decided to write some of this in the book and then decided to claim executive privilege, which is going to go right out the window if that's the case.

[Alison Gill]

Dummy.

[Dana Goldberg]

Dummy, indeed.

[Alison Gill]

We'll see what's in it. And Friday night on the Rachel Maddow show. Last Friday, Rachel said she had an exclusive report from sources that metadata on Jeffrey Clark's letter to Georgia indicated the White House was involved. Now, I found her source, and it's the publicly available transcript of the Clark deposition. It's publicly out there. This is the one where he walked out. You know, he said, executive privilege. And they were like, let us ask you questions so you can determine the scope of what you are or not going to answer. And he said no. And they left. Clark was going to come back two days ago this past Saturday and plead the Fifth, but he got sick. And so that's been postponed to December 16, giving him a little bit of time to figure out what the fuck they're going to do. Because Honestly, pleading the fifth, as a former DOJ official probably is a worse look than even getting 30 days in prison for criminal contempt. But looking back at this transcript that I found, Rachel, this is where she got her information, and you can read it for yourself. Counsel for the 16 committee was basically going over what they would have asked Clark had he not got up and left. Let me read a bit from that transcript. The person speaking here has their name redacted, by the way, but it is counsel for the 16 committee. It's a lawyer. We then wanted to talk specifically about efforts that he took Clark, that he proposed to the department and he said the department should take with respect to election fraud. We wanted to ask him, for instance, about an ODNI briefing that he sought about alleged interference with Dominion voting machines by the Chinese government and a draft letter to Georgia officials that he put forth that asked the department, or was the department asking Georgia legislators and Georgia legislative officials to convene a special session and consider the appointment of an alternate slate of electors. That's that letter. We're talking about, we intended to go through specific representation in the draft letter and ask for their bases. I also wanted to ask him about metadata in that draft letter that indicates some involvement with the White House Communications Agency and the drafting or preparation of that letter. Whoopsie. Now it's not the White House, it's the White House Communications Agency. They, this is, I looked them up. They provide communication systems that enable the President and Presidential staff to lead the nation. It says the agency provides worldwide audiovisual voice and data communication support for the President, Vice President, White House staff and the United States Secret Service and others. As directed by the White House Military Office. The communications agency provides support to the President regardless of location, whether he's in the White House, the metropolitan area at Camp David, which is called Shangri La, or at an overseas location. The White House Communications Agency is composed of Army, Air Force, Navy, Coast Guard and Marine Corps personnel. It's military installation. The agency evolved over the past 60 years from a small team of 32 working out of the basement of the White House to a thousand person self supporting Joint Service Command headquartered at Joint Base Anacostia Bowling and consists of six staff elements and seven organizational units.

[Dana Goldberg]

Wow.

[Alison Gill]

Uh huh. It also has supporting detachments in D.C. and various locations throughout the United States. The communications Agency is organized into functional areas, each with its own mission to support the total mission of the communications Agency, of presidential support. So this revelation by itself isn't really a bombshell, but it could provide evidence the metadata linked to the letter that the White House was involved in drafting or edits of the letter, which could be used in conjunction in totality of the evidence with other testimony. Like if somebody says, yeah, Eastman and Clark and Jenna ellis and John McEntee met in the Oval Office to talk about, you know, John Eastman's six steps to, you know, arranging a coup. A coup for dummies. That is bigger bombshell news. And we already know that those meetings took place if they could get testimony and then this, that shows the metadata went through the White House for editing and planning or drafting of the letter, probably with Jason Miller or Stephen Miller or both. That's sort of where this would come into play in any kind of a criminal investigation. By itself, it's a big deal for the January 6 committee, which is not a criminal investigation. But if you're trying to prove a crime here, if you're trying to prove seditious conspiracy, you're going to need more than just this metadata, right?

[Dana Goldberg]

Absolutely.

[Alison Gill]

Anyway, that's what I have for you.

[Dana Goldberg]

I like it. And allow us to love. All of our stories are sort of connected today. So we're staying in Georgia. And with the election, there are two Georgia election workers and I know we all remember, remember this was a national story. They were targets of right wing campaign that falsely claimed they manipulated ballots, filed a defamation suit. So these two Georgia election workers have filed a defamation suit on Thursday against one of the nation's leading sources of pro Trump misinformation. So the suit against the right wing conspiratorial website, the Gateway Pundit was filed by Ruby Freeman, remember Ruby? And her daughter Shamos, both of whom processed ballots in Atlanta during the 2020 election for Fulton county for the elections board there. Now it follows a series of defamation claims filed by elections equipment operators against conservative television operators like Fox News, Newsmax and One American News. So this lawsuit, the lawsuit for Ms. Freeman and Ms. Moss, this is among the first to be filed by individual election workers who found themselves unwittingly dragged into the that alternate universe of far right media. All of it that claimed, and it still claims that the former guy won last year's presidential election. They're still saying he won. And so this is all tied to that. And this is the quote from those from Ms. Freeman and Ms. Moss, I want the defendants to know that my daughter and I are real people who deserve justice and I never want them to do this to anyone else again. So that was part of her statement. Now Ms. Moss, the daughter who continues to work for Fulton County Elections Board Ms. Freeman, a temporary employee during the 2020 election, they were ensnared, ensnared by the Trump supporting media and Donald himself. Actually, after Gateway pundit published dozens of false stories about those two, them specifically, those started last December and they continued through this November, okay, the entire year. The stories called the two women crooked Democrats. They actually claimed that they had, quote, pulled out suitcases of ballots and began just counting those ballots without election monitors in the room. Just suitcases of ballots that they were just dragging around Atlanta.

[Alison Gill]

Just from under your shirt?

[Dana Goldberg]

Absolutely. Just pulling them out. So investigations conducted by the Georgia secretary of state's office, they found that those two women did nothing wrong. They were legally counting ballots. So Ms. Freeman and Ms. Moss did not speak and did not specify an amount that they're seeking from the Hoft brothers. The Hoft brothers, I'm assuming, are in charge of this right wing website that they're suing. They asked for compensatory and punitive damages that are going to be, quote, to be determined at trial. So you know what?

[Alison Gill]

Good.

[Dana Goldberg]

I hope these fucking women take them for everything they have. This has to stop.

[Alison Gill]

Good. I would love to see Gateway pundit shut down. Absolutely.

[Dana Goldberg]

It'd be beautiful.

[Alison Gill]

It would. All right, everybody, stand by. We'll be right back with Mr. Glenn Kershner himself, host of Justice Matters. We're going to have an update on what he's been looking at and going over this weekend. Stay with us after these messages will be red big, everybody. Welcome back. Please welcome the host of justice matters and 30 million year prosecutor for the D.C. u.S. Attorney's office. Please welcome Glenn Kershner. Glenn, what's up?

[Glenn Kershner]

Hey, A.G. how are you?

[Alison Gill]

I'm good, I'm good. Things are getting getting a little heated on the social media networks. There's a lot of deflection and anger and things going on with the pace and or seeming, you know, do nothingness of the Department of Justice and what we know and what we don't know. And Adam Schiff and you and a lot of folks are chiming in and I wanted to get your thoughts on that first. I think a good place to start this conversation is the video you just dropped on your YouTube channel for justice Matters about Clark Eastman and the rest and Watergate versus the insurrection.

[Glenn Kershner]

Yeah, all the President's men is obviously a term synonymous with Richard Nixon's criminal associate. So I'm not saying I'm going to try to get a new catchphrase sweeping the nation, all the President's lackeys. But that's what I led with in the video and just did a very quick overview of half a dozen of the usual suspects in Donald Trump's criminal cabal. People who have been convicted, pardoned, indicted, again pleading the Fifth because if they testified truthfully, they would incriminate themselves and undoubtedly incriminate Donald Trump as well. It is an ugly, ugly assortment of ne'er do wells. So I've labeled them all the President's lackeys. And then I actually, as you know, I was enamored of a tweet that you sent out that in very concise fashion laid out the timeline of the Watergate investigation, the timing of the break in, congressional hearings, public testimony thereafter, indictments, trials and convictions. And I don't have the precise dates in front of me, but I used your tweet that had the dates in my Justice Matters video. Because AG that is precisely the schedule we are on right now. They are taking the testimony of more than 250 individuals behind closed doors. And what they're doing is they're curating the information they're getting. And then Liz Cheney just told us in recent days that in early 2022, they are going to present one hell of a show to the American people. As Representative Cheney said, not only what went on minute by minute at the Capitol, but what went on minute by minute at the White House. And I am convinced that that will knock America's socks off. I am also convinced that DOJ is dug in in ways that we know nothing about, because that's the way law enforcement is supposed to be done. So I think we're on track. Even though in this day and age of instant gratification, we didn't have the Internet in 1974, we weren't looking for instant gratification. We were looking for long term, overarching, professionally done, thorough criminal investigations. And that's what we got. That's what I believe the Department of Justice is doing right now. And I want to thank you for your tweet because it gave me not only hope, but it gave me a springboard to sort of leap into today's Justice Matters video.

[Alison Gill]

Well, thank you. Thank you for the kind words. And I want to be very clear, and I'm sure you're with me on this, that if we don't continue to follow this timeline, if for some reason the Department of Justice declines to investigate these crimes, if for some reason they stop once they get up to a certain level, which Merrick Garland has testified he is not doing and he will not restrict. But let's say it happens for some reason, or that the people who are saying, you know, this isn't going to happen, they aren't going to do anything. Garland's the wrong man for the job. He's a Federalist Society lackey. All of those people, if they're right for some reason, I want to be very clear that you and I will be very, very angry about that.

[Glenn Kershner]

And I will be the first to say, boy, I got it dead wrong. You know, one thing I will say is 30 years in courtrooms trying cases, not 3,000 years, but 30 years, I got shit wrong all the time. And the first thing I did was I admitted I got it wrong and I tried to make it right. You know, every trial I ever handled, more than 50 murder trials, multiple RICO trials, I would tell the jury at some point, you know what, folks, I just messed that up. Let me go back and fix it, because, you know, sometimes I misspeak and I can't keep it all up here. So it's called being human. And fallible and willing to acknowledge your mistakes. But AG I don't think we're wrong. I don't think we're wrong about this. I do. I feel like it's coming, it's just not coming quickly enough. And the concern with that is Nixon didn't present a day to day threat to the health, vitality and future of our democracy. So I think we feel like it's a more pressing concern right now because of what Donald Trump and his Republican lackeys continue to try to do undermine our democracy. So that's why we feel this urgency and I think that's why we have the frustration that we're not hearing more from the Department of Justice.

[Alison Gill]

Yeah. And I mean, that's, unfortunately, that's by design. And that makes the Department of Justice an easy target, I think, for people because of its slow pace and its secrecy that are supposed, supposed to be there. Those are sacrosanct things that the DOJ does. I have to take a quick break, but I have just one more question for you before I let you go. Will you stay with me?

[Glenn Kershner]

I will.

[Alison Gill]

Awesome. Thanks, everybody. We'll be right back. Welcome back. We're talking with the host of Justice Matters, Glenn Kirshner. And before the quick break there, you were talking about, we were saying, hey, it would be a dereliction of duty if the Department of Justice did not take up these investigations, if they haven't already. And we just don't know about it. And I'm aware Adam Schiff is concerned and hasn't seen anything, although we did recently get news that for three months now at least a grand jury has been impaneled to investigate Trump's electoral lawsuits by the Kraken. And nobody knew for three months that that was happening. Nobody heard a peep about Tom Barrick being indicted until that indictment dropped. We didn't hear a peep about the Rudy Giuliani case being picked up again until he was raided. He actually had to be raided for us to hear about that investigation. And I want to make another clarification too, because you and I are certain and, or demanding that this be investigated. And that doesn't necessarily guarantee indictments for everyone. And that's my concern is about why we, you know, that we don't have a special counsel because a special counsel would have to tell us why they declined to prosecute where the Department of Justice doesn't. And I would hope that if they didn't prosecute after investigating because not investigating is unacceptable, that we would at least have an understanding as to why, and I believe it was Blumenthal or White House who put that question to Garland. Will you tell us if you don't? Will you tell us if you don't?

[Glenn Kershner]

And what did Garland say? I don't know that I caught his response.

[Alison Gill]

He said he couldn't comment on open, ongoing investigation.

[Glenn Kershner]

You know, two observations about all of what you just unpacked. First of all, I will take every word Adam Schiff says to the bank because he has shown himself to be a man of honor and character and a true patriot in everything he has done. But he shouldn't know what's going on inside the Department of Justice, particularly because Congress is a target of the DOJ criminal investigation. Not every representative, not every senator, but absolutely members of Congress and their staff have potentially criminal exposure. All the more reason for the Department of Justice not to include any member of Congress into what's going on in a potential criminal investigation. The other important development that I think moves the ball with respect to whether DOJ must criminally investigate is the fact that, first of all, a high DOJ official, former high DOJ official Jeffrey Clark, is pleading the Fifth. He's announcing to the world, if I testify truthfully about what I did and what I know, I will be exposing the fact that I committed crimes against the United States. When one of its own, a high DOJ official, has announced to the world he's committed federal crimes that must be investigated by the Department of Justice. In fact, that's another huge factor supporting the appointment of special counsel. Because to investigate Jeffrey Clark, the Department of justice would have to have its prosecutors interview and grand jury, its own prosecutors, the people who were around Jeffrey Clark. Boy, you don't like to have organizations investigating themselves. Another point in favor of special counsel. And then the other thing is John Eastman, lawyer, although not a DOJ lawyer, has said he's going to have to invoke the Fifth. So he was the one who did.

[Alison Gill]

The six point memo on how to overthrow the government.

[Glenn Kershner]

Yeah, he did the memo, how to Coup in six Easy Steps. So these are, all of these are reasons that scream DOJ must be criminally investigating this stuff. There's absolutely no way around it.

[Alison Gill]

Yeah, agree. And just for the record, Schiff did not say the Department of Justice is not investigating any of this. What Schiff said is, I am concerned there does not appear to be an investigation unless it's being done very quietly. That is what Adam Schiff has said. And there are words have meanings and we should take him at his word. And I agree with him. I agree with him. And so it's easy to. Well, I should say it's difficult to walk that line between being very concerned but also being very, very hopeful. But I thank you for your time today, everybody. Check out this Justice Matters video and every Justice Matters video for that matter. Glenn Kershner, I appreciate your time.

[Glenn Kershner]

Thanks, ag.

[Alison Gill]

Everybody, stick around. We'll be right back with the good news after these messages. We'll be right back, everybody. Welcome back. It's time for the good news. Who likes good news?

[Glenn Kershner]

Everyone.

[Alison Gill]

On a Monday, it's the best good news of the week. I love it.

[Dana Goldberg]

Me too. And we always need this. We always need this.

[Alison Gill]

And there's always great pictures, stories and.

[Dana Goldberg]

People doing good things in the world. So I can't wait to get to this.

[Alison Gill]

Yes, me as well. And if you have any good news to send anything you want, holiday good news season, do that by going to, what, dailybeanspod.com then clicking on contact. Almost forgot. Our own website. And anything seriously you want to send in, we're happy to read it. Within reason, but yes, mostly anything. Yeah, I don't think we've ever decided not to read it. We did the double dildo story.

[Dana Goldberg]

I mean, I think there's been a couple that, you know, our producers in Kanai have screened for us. But other than that, I guess once we get, once they get to us, we just assume that they're good to go.

[Alison Gill]

Yeah. See if we could sneak anything by the producers. That'd be a fun challenge. Okay, first up from Anonymous, pronoun she and her. We got the good news on Friday morning that there was a brand new baby member of our family. He is my first grand nephew in a family that is known for a predominance of girls.

[Dana Goldberg]

Wonderful.

[Alison Gill]

I love to hear the names people pick for their children. And I love this baby's name. He's called Levi.

[Dana Goldberg]

Nice.

[Alison Gill]

So I am taking this opportunity to announce to the world that Levi is here. I'll get to go to California in the spring to see him and I'm very much looking forward to it. I live in a pet free household, so I've attached a photo of a cat named Hollywood who is adorable and available for adoption at the Loudoun County, Virginia animal shelter.

[Dana Goldberg]

Oh my goodness. Look how beautiful Holly is. And that chest marking. Oh, she's so nice.

[Alison Gill]

Oh, what a lovely girl.

[Dana Goldberg]

That is a lovely girl. Thank you, Anonymous, for posting a picture of a kitty that needs to be adopted in Virginia.

[Alison Gill]

Yes.

[Dana Goldberg]

All right, this next one is from Callie Pronoun she and her hello people. This is a cat up for adoption in Medina County, Ohio. So now we have Ohio. Tika was found as a stray and has some corneal scarring from a very bad eye infection. She's no Youngster at about 9 years old, but very sweet and very playful. And her fur is so soft too. Medina County SPCA has fully vetted her, including a dental, and her adoption fee is only 50 bucks. Thank you so much for helping shelter pets find new people to love them. Look at this face.

[Alison Gill]

The pose with the foot up.

[Dana Goldberg]

Oh my God. We got ballerina toes at the foot. Oh my God. So what's interesting is this cat has like ballerina like crossed feet in front but is sitting on its haunches a sign. Haunch is like off the ground.

[Alison Gill]

What a sweetheart.

[Dana Goldberg]

Oh my goodness.

[Alison Gill]

She looks so soft and fluffy. I bet when she gets angry her tail turns into a Christmas tree. You shouldn't make your cats angry on purpose to make that happen. Just saying. There's a link in the description for this baby. There is Medina County. Next up from Paula Pronoun. She and her greetings to all of you at MSW Media. I hope you and your family had a safe and happy however and whatever you celebrate. I spent my day making an orange jumpsuit and accessorizing the arms and legs with handcuffs for my doll of the former guy. I take my doll to the dentist with me every six months for a checkup and we poke him with the instruments on the tray and squirt him with the water.

[Dana Goldberg]

That's hilarious.

[Alison Gill]

Hang him up in my cubicle. I almost thought that said crucible. I hang him up and because I was in a witchcraft state of mind, hang him up in my cubicle at work and he gets flipped off more often than not. My family and I have also have a fantasy indictment league. I look forward every Sunday to see how our picks are so much alike. I just want them to all come true. Oh, do I know Paula right? Please. This is going to be quite a week with the 16 committee, scheduled depositions and the SCOTUS hearings. Thanks again for all of you at the network. So many great shows. I love Glenn and Frank so much. Attached are pictures of my doll in his new suit at the dentist along with my pet tax, my two cats that showed up at my house during election season last year so appropriately named Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. Oh my God.

[Dana Goldberg]

Oh my God. First of all, how big is this doll? Because those look like real handcuffs, but maybe they're not real handcuffs.

[Alison Gill]

Those are tiny handcuffs.

[Dana Goldberg]

They've got to be.

[Alison Gill]

Yeah, because to have them on a necklace.

[Dana Goldberg]

Oh, my God. That's really funny. They're cute.

[Alison Gill]

Oh, look at the kitties. Look at the kitties.

[Dana Goldberg]

Oh, my God. Donald the dentist. Oh, God. Just seeing his face, I know it's a damn it doll, but just. All right, we're moving on. I'm scrolling, people. I'm scrolling. All right, this next one's from Jen pronoun. She and her hello. Thank you all for being so superb sending along my belated Halloween pics of my little T. Rex finding his tribe at just the right house. I also added a pod pet tax of our sweet but loud and energetic German shepherd named Ries, who assumes this position on the couch anytime we leave the house so she can watch us leave. I have a couple of shit kids say to share. Number one, when my oldest was about four, they were telling me a story about something at school that didn't quite turn out right and described it as, quote, a disaster piece. That's brilliant. Since that time, we've used this wonderful new word to describe any over the top failure. And it brings me joy every single time, no matter how pissed I am that something didn't go right. Disaster piece. That's amazing. Okay, number two, that same kiddo is now 12 and is brilliant with puns. Their little bro, the T. Rex, was doing a mini shih tzu. Shih tzu? Shiatsu. Oh, damn, that made me laugh. A mini shiatsu massage with his feet. And the oldest piped up and said, what are you, a misogynist? Oh, my God, that's funny. My hubs and I immediately got the pun, but the youngest had to get the explanation that it was a pun using massage masseuse and the term for someone who discriminated against women, a massage onist. Anywho, please take care of yourselves as the news cycle rages relentlessly. We need your humor and unflappable nature to help the beans crew continue to get through the T. Rex. I love that. That costume never gets old for me.

[Alison Gill]

It doesn't.

[Dana Goldberg]

I think it's hysterical when they run.

[Alison Gill]

Around and do things.

[Dana Goldberg]

They have races.

[Alison Gill]

I know.

[Dana Goldberg]

Oh, look at your baby.

[Alison Gill]

How dare you leave your house. Look at this animal. Clearly downtrodden.

[Dana Goldberg]

Beautiful baby.

[Alison Gill]

What a sweetheart. Reese. Oh, that's awesome. Thank you for sending these. And that dog. Oh, so just like. Like he's writing in his diary. Like his sad dog diary.

[Dana Goldberg]

So cute.

[Alison Gill]

What a honey. Next up from Anonymous, no pronouns given Hi there, fantastic ladies. I wanted to send you some misheard lyrics. We were on the way to getting all three of our boys their two dose of the second dose of their Pfizer this past week when Electric Avenue came on. In the backseat, my husband pointed for me to listen where I'd heard our oldest singing. You got to walk up to Electric.

[Dana Goldberg]

Caribou, then we'll take it out.

[Alison Gill]

I could not contain myself. And my husband were cracking up laughing.

[Dana Goldberg]

It was great.

[Alison Gill]

In a few hours, they're going to look at what they think is a tumor on my pancreas.

[Dana Goldberg]

Oh, no.

[Alison Gill]

Possible cancer formation in my colon and stomach. It's okay. I've made it past my expectancy from what they gave me. So these past few years have all been an extra blessing. My children are thriving, my husband is doing great, and they're all where they should be. And I couldn't ask for more today. I'm nervous. Not for the procedure, just for the results. Fingers crossed or prayers or good energy would be greatly appreciated. I don't have pictures of my fur baby. She's a blur in photos. But here are my kiddos on Halloween.

[Dana Goldberg]

Oh, my goodness. Anonymous.

[Alison Gill]

Everybody send out the positive, healing vibes. Yeah.

[Dana Goldberg]

And if you're so inclined, please keep us posted, because obviously we're all very much invested at this point.

[Alison Gill]

Now look at these wonderful photos.

[Dana Goldberg]

I know. That's fantastic.

[Alison Gill]

Oh, my God. I love this house, too. So cute.

[Dana Goldberg]

It's super cute.

[Alison Gill]

Thank you for that submission.

[Dana Goldberg]

Nice door. I know that sounds strange. The door is beautiful.

[Alison Gill]

The frog outfit, the chicken outfit, and then, like, Spider Man. I love it.

[Dana Goldberg]

I love it, too.

[Alison Gill]

Is that Batman? I can't. Oh, no, that's not Batman. That's a skeleton in a handkerchief standing behind a gravestone. Okay, so Spider Man, I see another ghoul here. This is so great. What an adorable photo. The chicken and the dog is killing me. Thank you for sending this in. And if you have any photos you want to send us or any news, updates, pictures, good news. Want to send in these pets like we did, like we got from Callie and Anonymous. Sending in shelter pets. Please send them to [e-mail] and click on contact. Dana.

[Dana Goldberg]

Yes, dear?

[Alison Gill]

Do you have any final thoughts?

[Dana Goldberg]

You know, I do have some final thoughts. Today. They're not going to make sense to anyone because I can't really give you the backstory if you're in pain, if you're thinking you might be sick, can you just please ask for help from someone that is close to you? Don't think you can take care of yourself.

[Alison Gill]

Please.

[Dana Goldberg]

Don't drive yourself to the doctor or the emergency room thinking everything's fine. Just lean on people. Okay? I know everyone listening has someone that they can turn to if they need them. And I know I sound like I'm laughing. It's because people drive me crazy. Just ask for help. We are all there to help, okay? And so take care of yourselves, and then you can take it from here.

[Alison Gill]

That's such a good point. I am guilty of doing that sometimes.

[Dana Goldberg]

Yes, dad.

[Alison Gill]

My mom does that to us all the time. Everything's fine. No, you know, and it's not. And, yeah, asking for help is hard. It is. It is.

[Dana Goldberg]

But it's also good practice. And trust me, it is good practice.

[Alison Gill]

I guarantee you there are people who want you to ask for help.

[Dana Goldberg]

Yes, because there are help. You know what? Think of it that way. There are helpers in this world, and you are depriving them of their love language.

[Alison Gill]

Yeah, there you go. And if you aren't having any issues right now, talk to some people in your life and say, if I ever have an issue, can I come to you for help? Are you cool with that? Yeah. And then, like, establish that. Lay that groundwork.

[Dana Goldberg]

That's it.

[Alison Gill]

And then you'll have.

[Dana Goldberg]

Those are my final thoughts.

[Alison Gill]

Preordained place to go. Good. Final thoughts.

[Dana Goldberg]

Thank you.

[Alison Gill]

Thank you. Thank you for that and sending you hugs and loves for whatever's going on.

[Dana Goldberg]

I'm okay, and everyone in my family is okay now, but.

[Alison Gill]

Yeah, because I. I've been there. I know that feeling. All right, thank you so much, everybody. Until tomorrow, please take care of yourselves, take care of each other, take care of the planet, and take care of your mental health. I've been Allison Gill.

[Dana Goldberg]

And I have been Dana Goldberg.

[Alison Gill]

And them's the beans.

[Dana Goldberg]

Fried beans.

[Alison Gill]

I like refried beans. MSW Media.