Refried Beans | Operation REPO (feat. Hugo Lowell) | 3/17/2022

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Daily Beans – "Refried Beans | Operation REPO (feat. Hugo Lowell)"

Episode Details:

• Title: Refried Beans | Operation REPO (feat. Hugo Lowell)
• Host: Alison Gill and Dana Goldberg
• Guest: Hugo Lowell, Congressional Reporter for The Guardian
• Release Date: March 16, 2025
• Original Episode Air Date: March 17, 2022

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1. Introduction to the Episode

Alison Gill kicks off the episode by outlining the major topics discussed, setting the stage for a deep dive into significant political developments. Dana Goldberg injects humor early on with a playful remark about refried beans, setting a lighthearted tone before delving into serious news.

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**2. Biden's "Operation Repo" Targets Russian Elites

Timestamp: [00:46] – [06:17]

The hosts discuss President Joe Biden's latest initiative, dubbed "Operation Repo," aimed at sanctioning 50 Russian elites. This multinational effort involves over half a dozen allied nations, including Australia, Canada, Germany, France, Italy, Japan, the UK, and the European Commission. The primary objective is to seize assets and track down the wealth of Russian oligarchs tied to the Kremlin.

Notable Points:

• List of Targets: Treasury officials have publicly released 28 of the 50 names, including prominent figures like Oleg Deripaska, Sergey Lavrov, and Yevgeny Prigozhin (Putin's chef).
• Challenges: The operation faces hurdles due to the sophisticated financial instruments used by Russian elites to conceal their assets.
• International Collaboration: Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Attorney General Merrick Garland participated in the virtual meeting of the task force, emphasizing the global commitment to countering Russian financial influence.

Quote:

“We need a big ass step toward voter rights.” – Hugo Lowell [02:01]

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3. Department of Justice Charges Five Individuals Linked to Chinese Secret Police

Timestamp: [06:24] – [08:58]

The Department of Justice (DOJ) announced charges against five individuals accused of acting on behalf of the Chinese secret police to spy on and harass U.S. residents critical of Beijing. These cases mark a significant shift in the DOJ's strategy to counter nation-state threats, particularly focusing on transnational repression by authoritarian regimes.

Key Details:

• Nature of Charges: The defendants faced in three separate cases are accused of harassing Chinese nationals in the U.S. through stalking, surveillance, and attempts to derail political candidacies.
• Impact of DOJ Strategy: This move comes after the controversial shutdown of the China Initiative, aiming to prevent the targeting of ethnic Chinese individuals unjustly.

Quote:

“These are US Residents for simply exercising their freedom of speech.” – U.S. Attorney [08:58]

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4. Steve Bannon Contempt Case and DOJ Internal Records

Timestamp: [08:58] – [15:29]

A federal judge has ordered the DOJ to release internal records pertaining to its decision to prosecute Steve Bannon for contempt of Congress. This legal battle centers on whether Bannon can be compelled to comply with the January 6th Committee's subpoena.

Key Highlights:

• Judge's Ruling: U.S. District Court Judge Carl Nichols emphasized the need for transparency regarding the DOJ's internal opinions, especially those from the Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) which may influence prosecution decisions.
• Bannon's Defense: Bannon's legal team argues that OLC memos suggest high-ranking officials are immune from congressional subpoenas, challenging the validity of his contempt charges.
• Hypothetical Scenario: Judge Nichols presented a scenario involving Ron Klain, Biden's chief of staff, to illustrate potential conflicts between DOJ policies and prosecutorial actions.

Quote:

“He's not a fucking government employee.” – Alison Gill [10:56]

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5. January 6th Committee Secures Documentary Footage Involving Proud Boys and Oath Keepers

Timestamp: [15:12] – [15:29]

The January 6th Committee has obtained crucial footage from Goldcrest Films International, capturing interactions between leaders of the Proud Boys and the Oath Keepers. This footage is instrumental in understanding the coordination and planning behind the Capitol assault.

Key Points:

• Exclusive Content: The 30-minute meeting between Proud Boys national leader Enrique Tarrio and Oath Keepers founder Stuart Rhodes is under federal investigation.
• Legal Implications: Both Tarrio and Rhodes have faced serious charges, including seditious conspiracy and felony obstruction.
• Committee's Investigation: The footage aids the committee's probe into domestic extremism and the events leading up to January 6th.

Quote:

“This is part of its investigation into the factors that caused the insurrection.” – Hugo Lowell [12:03]

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6. Exclusive Interview with Hugo Lowell: Unveiling the Origins of Election Fraud Conspiracies

Timestamp: [15:32] – [25:56]

In an in-depth conversation, Hugo Lowell reveals groundbreaking findings about the Dominion Voting Systems report. Contrary to public belief, the origins of election fraud allegations can be traced back to within the White House.

Major Revelations:

• True Authorship: The Dominion report was authored by Joanna Miller, a senior White House staffer, not Catherine Freest as publicly stated. This discovery underscores internal White House involvement in propagating baseless election fraud claims.
• Impact on Trump: The involvement of White House aides suggests that former President Donald Trump was likely aware of these conspiracy theories, challenging narratives that they originated solely from external actors.
• Navarro's Role: Peter Navarro's office played a crucial role in disseminating these allegations, with aides like Garrett Ziegler deeply involved in both the Dominion report and subsequent conspiratorial narratives.
• Legal and Investigative Implications: This revelation could have significant repercussions for those involved, potentially leading to further legal scrutiny and charges.

Notable Quotes:

“Everyone knew it would be problematic if it turned out the White House was the original source for these election conspiracy claims.” – Hugo Lowell [22:49]

“It is ridiculous and extraordinary that all of this was emanating directly from the White House.” – Hugo Lowell [24:23]

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7. Updates on January 6th Committee Hearings

Timestamp: [25:11] – [25:56]

Hugo Lowell discusses the postponement of the January 6th Committee's public hearings. Initially slated for April, the hearings are now expected to commence in May due to ongoing depositions and the continuous influx of new information.

Key Points:

• Reason for Delay: The committee aims to ensure a comprehensive understanding of events before publicizing findings.
• Committee's Commitment: Despite delays, Chairman Benny Thompson assures listeners of the committee's dedication to thorough and timely investigations before the August recess.

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**8. Good News Segment

Timestamp: [26:51] – [35:02]

While primarily focused on serious political discourse, the episode includes a "Good News" segment where the hosts share listener submissions. These include personal anecdotes, pet photos, and community stories, providing a heartwarming counterbalance to the week's heavy news.

Highlights:

• Listener Interactions: Contributions range from adorable pet pictures to creative DIY projects, fostering a sense of community among listeners.
• Corrections: The hosts address listener feedback, ensuring accurate representation of pronouns and personal stories.

Notable Exchange:

Alison Gill: “My pronouns are they, them, Brit says. And then we have a note here from our producer.”

Hugo Lowell: “Thank you, Kanai, for owning that Brit. We are terribly sorry.”

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9. Closing Remarks

The episode wraps up with final thoughts celebrating St. Patrick's Day, encouraging listeners to engage with the podcast community, and a humorous reminder about respecting personal boundaries.

Closing Quote:

“Please take care of yourselves, take care of each other, take care of the planet, and take care of your mental health. And vote blue over Q.” – Alison Gill [34:59]

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Conclusion

This episode of The Daily Beans offers a comprehensive look into significant political events, from Biden's aggressive stance against Russian oligarchs to the DOJ's actions against individuals linked to Chinese espionage. The exclusive insights from Hugo Lowell shed new light on the origins of election fraud conspiracies, potentially reshaping the narrative around the January 6th events. Balancing heavy news with heartwarming listener stories, the episode delivers both depth and community spirit, staying true to The Daily Beans' mission of providing progressive news with just the right amount of snark.

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.

[Dana Goldberg]

Refried beans. I like refried beans. That's why I want to try fried beans, because maybe they're just as good and we're wasting time.

[Alison Gill]

Hello and welcome to the Daily beans for Thursday, March 17, 2022. Today, Biden identifies 50 Russian elites as targets in a global hunt to seize assets. After Zelensky addresses a joint session of Congress, a judge orders the Department of Justice to produce documents in the Steve Bannon contempt case. The January 6 committee obtains the Proud Boys documentary crew footage. And the Department of Justice charges five people for targeting US Residents critical of Beijing. I'm Alison Gill.

[Hugo Lowell]

And I'm Dana Goldberg.

[Alison Gill]

Hey, Dana. Happy St. Patrick's Day.

[Hugo Lowell]

Happy St. Patrick's Day to you. I am sleepy. I don't know what's going on. I don't know if the listeners. If you're listening to this and you're like, me too, maybe it's just the way things are right now, but. Oh, you know what I realized? I didn't have any coffee today either.

[Alison Gill]

Well, that'll do it.

[Hugo Lowell]

Maybe that's part of it, but I'm not that person that can't function without it. Anyway, we've got stuff to talk about. Not my caffeine intake habits. Let's keep it moving.

[Alison Gill]

No, but you know, I did have coffee and I'm kind of sleepy, so. But you know, Congress is totally willing to pass daylight savings, you know, sunshine protection, but not voter protection. Correct? Yeah. Okay. You know, I can't even say baby steps about that.

[Hugo Lowell]

I know. No, no, we don't need baby steps. We need a big ass step toward voter rights.

[Alison Gill]

Yes, please. And also today in the show, I'm going to be talking with Hugo Lowell from the Guardian with an exclusive. He's got breaking news that is just coming out as you're listening to this. So that's pretty cool. We'll talk to him in a little bit. It has to do. It's coup news, so.

[Hugo Lowell]

I love coup news.

[Alison Gill]

Yeah, very interesting. Let's get to the rest of all that stuff that I talked about at the top of the show and hit the hot notes. Hot notes. First up, President Volodymyr Zelensky addressed a joint session of Congress this morning, invoking Pearl harbor and 911 in another call for the US to lead NATO in closing the sky over Ukraine and said that Biden should be the world leader to promote peace. Now, however the US Decides to respond, I imagine they aren't going to telegraph it. That might be what happened with those MiG 29s that Poland promised. And our Department of Defense said no go. There was so much media coverage about it that it probably couldn't get done stealthily. Right. Without Russia knowing that that's what the plan was and sabotaging it. Right. So we aren't sure what's going to go on behind the scenes. But what we do know is Biden is sending another $800 million in aid to Ukraine and called Putin a war criminal during a walking presser today. And within a few hours of that really amazing address to Congress, which got a standing ovation that I don't know if you saw the video of Marjorie.

[Hugo Lowell]

I did, except Marjorie Taylor Greene looking for her phone. Asshole.

[Alison Gill]

Yeah, yeah, she's. And John Kennedy was just like, I don't know, playing Candy Crush or some shit. That's probably too difficult a game for him. I'm probably giving him too much credit. But anyway, within a few hours of that amazing speech to Congress, Biden and the US treasury gave a new international body. A list of 50 Russian elites that the United States views as its top priorities for enacting new sanctions. As global law enforcement steps up its hunt for the assets of oligarchs tied to the Kremlin, treasury officials provided the list of Russian elites. It's called. Here's the new. This is the new organization. It's called Russian Elites, Proxies and Oligarchs. Operation Repo.

[Hugo Lowell]

That's hilarious. Well done. Well done.

[Alison Gill]

And this is a new multinational body involving the United States, more than half a dozen other allied nations for the group's first meeting. And that. That's the treasury officials handed over this list. The task force will pool the resources of the country's law enforcement divisions to track down the assets of Russian oligarchs stashed overseas. A difficult task complicated by the opaque or complicated financial instruments frequently used by Russian financial elites and Trump to hide their holdings from public view. Treasury Publicity released 28 of the 50 names on the list. I have the list.

[Hugo Lowell]

Ooh.

[Alison Gill]

Ladies and gentlemen. And there are some familiar names on here. Alexander, Bobakov and Bortnikov. Those two Alexanders. Oleg Deripaska is on this list. So is Kirill Dmitriev. He made a lot of appearances in the Mueller report. Valerie Gerasimov. Karimov Kostin. Kotzlyukov. Kovalachuk. Sergey Lavrov's on here. Alexei Miller is on here. Miller, interesting Russian name indeed. Petrushev. Dmitry Peskov, who, as we know, is the spokesperson for the Kremlin. Yevgeny Prigozhin is on here. Putin's chef, Vladimir Putin is on here. The Rotenbergs, Igor Sechin, Shamalov, Shoigu Skok Timchenko. And there's Victor Vekselberg, who a lot of people will recognize. He's got caught donating a bunch of money, funneling Russian money into Republican hands in 2020 16. So treasury officials declined to share the other 22 names. And one person familiar with the matter said administration officials typically do not want the names of other sanctioned oligarchs to be known ahead of time because it could help them evade penalties. Hide their boats, you know?

[Hugo Lowell]

Yeah. Hide the boats.

[Alison Gill]

Now, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Attorney General Merrick Garland joined a virtual meeting of the new international repo task force on Wednesday morning. The multinational task force includes representatives from the United States, Australia, Canada, Germany, France, Italy, Japan, the UK and the European Commission. So love it.

[Hugo Lowell]

Get all of them. Get all of them. Every single one of them. Take all their shit and then sell it and donate the money back to Ukraine. Okay.

[Alison Gill]

Yeah. Or make them like, if they're like mansions and hotels and yachts, like house refugees on them.

[Hugo Lowell]

Hell, yeah. Hell, yeah. Now, you just mentioned speaking to Merrick Garland. Federal prosecutors in Brooklyn have charged five people with acting on behalf of the Chinese secret police to spy on and harass US Residents critical of Beijing. And this is from officials we heard this Wednesday. The defendants were charged in three separate cases brought by the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of New York as part of the Justice Department's new strategy to counter nation state threats. Now, a major focus of the strategy is fighting transnational repression by authoritarian governments. So its launch last month, that coincided with the shutting down of a program known as the China Initiative, following controversy fueled by what officials said was a misperception that the department was targeting ethnic Chinese for prosecution. Now, the department. The Justice Department officials stressed that prosecutors remain committed to cracking down on crimes such as espionage and cyber attacks, especially those directed by or benefiting foreign governments. So five defendants are accused of aiding the Chinese government's efforts to harass, stalk, and surveil Chinese nationals living in Queensland and elsewhere in the United States. So there's several cases. In one case, the defendant allegedly tried to derail the candidacy of US Military veteran running for Congress who had been a student leader at the 1989 Pro Democracy Demonstration in Beijing's Tiananmen Square. That. That whole thing. Yeah. So that's one person. Now, in another case, the defendants are accused of crimes including planning to destroy the artwork of Chinese national living in Los Angeles who's criticized the Chinese government. There's the third case. This is a former Chinese scholar who helped start a pro democracy organization in Queens is charged with using his position within New York City's Chinese community to collect information about prominent activists, dissidents and human rights leaders and provide it to the Chinese Ministry of State Security, the mss. And that's a civilian intelligence and secret police agency responsible for political security. Now, the U.S. attorney of the Eastern District up there Beyond Peace said that complaints unsealed Wednesday, quote, reveal the outrageous and dangerous lengths to which the Chinese secret police have gone to, quote, silence, harass, discredit and spy on US Residents. These are US Residents for simply exercising their freedom of speech. Now, three defendants were arrested and were scheduled to appear in court in Brooklyn on Wednesday. The other two still remain at large. So really interesting cases there.

[Alison Gill]

Yeah, and DOJ had a press conference about it today as well, so. Yeah, very interesting. And a federal judge has ordered the Justice Department to produce internal records related to its decision to prosecute Steve Bannon. This is a win for Bannon, who maintains that he has a sound legal basis for refusing to comply with a subpoena from the House's January 6th select committee. U.S. district Court Judge Carl Nichols said Bannon's team should be provided with Justice Department statements or writings that square the decision to charge Bannon with contempt of Congress with long standing department legal opinions that say former presidential advisors are largely immune from congressional subpoenas. And guess what? It's an OLC memo. Dana.

[Hugo Lowell]

Oh, yeah.

[Alison Gill]

Prosecutors had argued during a two hour hearing that the Justice Department's legal guidance, reflected in opinions issued by the olc, were not relevant to whether Bannon actually committed the contempt of Congress crimes he's charged with. But Bannon's lawyers have emphasized that they advise him repeatedly not to comply with the congressional subpoena because the department's policy rendered the subpoena invalid. Nichols raised a hypothetical scenario in which Congress subpoenaed Ron Klain, the chief of staff to President Joe Biden. Klain, he said, could refuse to appear, citing a published OLC opinion that says senior presidential advisors are absolutely immune from compelled congressional testimony. But under the Justice Department's argument in the Bannon case, he noted Klain could be prosecuted anyway, creating a conflict between the department's internal policies and its prosecution decisions. Now, I just want to remind Judge Nichols in this hypothetical that Ron Klain is actually a fucking employee of the government. Quote, these two positions would be held at the same time, said Nichols, who was an appointee of President Donald Trump. The documents the Justice Department provides could shed light on how it tried to square that inherent conflict or whether it has issued subsequent non public legal guidance that would permit prosecuting Bannon for defying the Select Committee. And my argument, were I the Department of Justice, would be, he's not a fucking government employee.

[Hugo Lowell]

That seems like a pretty good argument.

[Alison Gill]

That means anybody who speaks to the President could be considered an advisor and not subject to whatever. In other committee news we previously reported, as you know, the committee subpoenaed Salesforce, which is a vendor of the RNC Republican National Committee, to look into whether the Republicans were defrauding donors by fundraising off of the Big Lie. Yes, they were. Salesforce said they'd hand over everything by today if a court didn't intervene. But the Department of Justice actually reached a deal with the rnc. I don't know why they did this, but they did probably a due process situation. And they said we'd be willing to wait two weeks to give a federal judge a chance to weigh in. So that's where we are with that. Now, all this delay and obstruction by Republicans unwilling to hand over their shit has led Benny Thompson to tell Hugo Lowell that the hearings, the public hearings that were supposed to start in April will now likely be pushed to May. But have faith, the committee is well aware of their time constraints. We still have plenty of time before the August recess. And trust me, they know the importance of getting this done and getting it done right. So.

[Hugo Lowell]

All right, AG and we have one last bit of news from that committee. They have obtained footage from that documentary we mentioned yesterday, from a documentary film company that captured crucial moments during the run up to the assault on the Capitol, including snippets of an encounter between leaders of the Proud Boys and the Oath Keepers. Now, the documentary company Goldcrest Films International, they obtained key footage while filming outside the Capitol on January 6th and following members of the mob inside. Now, most notably, the crew was present during a 30 minute meeting between Proud Boys national leader Enrique Tarrio and Oathkeepers founder Stuart Rhodes, an exchange that has become of interest to federal prosecutors. Now, Rhodes has been charged with seditious conspiracy for his role on January 6, while Tarrio is facing felony obstruction Charges a source familiar with the Goldcrest footage indicated that the Select Committee has begun reviewing it as part of its investigation into the factors that caused the insurrection. So Goldcrest documentarians have described in previous news reports being given unusually broad access to Tarrio and other members of the Proud Boys. So the company has already been cited in recent the Justice Department's filings and those specifically related to. To the prosecution of several members of the January 6th mob. The footage has helped FBI investigators identify some of those who have been charged with breaching the Capitol. So the Select Committee has divided its expansive probe into five distinct teams, examining all aspects of January 6th attack, from the former President Trump's effort to overturn the election to organizers of January 6th rally that preceded the attack on the Capitol. One of those teams is focused on the role of domestic extremism, and that's including groups like the Oath Keepers and Proud Boys. Now, both Tarrio and Rhodes testified the Select Committee in recent weeks, but largely pleaded the fifth because they are guilty as fuck. One person, allegedly one person who was reportedly present during Tario Rhodes encounter first revealed by Reuters. Okay. Was freelance photographer Amy Harris. Now, Harris has had her phone record subpoenaed by January 6 panel, and she actually sued to block that demand. So they wanted her phone records and she said no. So that's gotten her tangled back up in this web, which is a beautiful thing. So we'll see what happens with that footage.

[Alison Gill]

Yeah. And I want to point out that this is the first time, actually the second time that I'm aware of where the committee has gotten stuff after the Department of Justice got it. And that doesn't mean it's the only two times. It's this time that the documentary crew footage, because we reported a couple days ago that the Department of Justice in the Enrique Tarrio indictment and in the filing for the motion to detain him pending trial, that the FBI, that the DOJ had that footage. The other thing was that when we found out a while ago, months ago, that The DOJ in D.C. was investigating Sidney Powell, and then the committee was subpoenaing the records. So these are going on in parallel. And I wouldn't be surprised if there are more situations where the January 6 committee has been requesting stuff that the Department of Justice already has.

[Hugo Lowell]

Absolutely.

[Alison Gill]

And it would make sense that the committee could just get it from the Department of Justice rather than having to subpoena all these folks. And so that's where I think maybe they got. That's how they got the documentary film footage. But we'll see. We will find out at some point.

[Hugo Lowell]

Of course, which is great. We're getting closer to that moment, too.

[Alison Gill]

Yeah, I think we are. All right, after this break, we have an exclusive with Hugo Lowell breaking some coup news for the Guardian. You don't want to miss it. Stay with us after these messages. We'll be right back, everybody. Welcome back. I am here with congressional reporter for the Guardian, Hugo Lowell, who has some news for us. Hugo, how are you?

[Hugo Lowell]

I'm good. I'm recovering from coming back from Philly when the House STEM Issues conference took place. And so I'm starting getting back into things, but back into things with some.

[Dana Goldberg]

News, as you say.

[Alison Gill]

Yeah. Tell us all about what you found out.

[Hugo Lowell]

Yeah. So one of the lingering mysteries, and there are many mysteries about January 6th and how the Capitol attack and Trump's plan to overturn the election came to be, was this report about Dominion Voting systems. We know in a publicly available version of this that the author was supposedly the volunteer legal advisor on Trump's kind of external advisory team. It was. Catherine Freest was the name that was published on the front, on the COVID page of this Dominion Voting report. It turns out actually that the author is in fact a senior White House staffer, Joanna Miller, who worked for Navarro's office in the Office of Trade and Manufacturing Policy. And this is significant, of course, because we knew for some time that it was a staff for Navarro. But the fact that it was a senior policy aide in the White House who was putting together this report about conspiracy theories and all sorts of election fraud claims basically means that one of the earliest sources of allegations about election fraud came from within the White House. And it kind of raises the prospect that Trump was kept abreast of this. Certainly Navarro knew about this, and it was the original sin, as it were, of all the other election fraud conspiracies that came in the weeks after the election. So this was produced sometime toward the end of November. It was disseminated to Rudy Giuliani and his team and then to Navarro and his team. And a lot of the research inside the Dominion Report ended up in Navarro's three part report that he called the Immaculate Deception. So the original source for a lot of these conspiracies was in fact the White House, which I think is. Which is. Which is this extraordinary situation.

[Alison Gill]

Wow. Yeah. And when was it that Rudy pushed back on Donald having the Department of Justice seize voting machines? Because they weren't foreign, there weren't foreign invasion problems with them. Do you remember that there was some sort of meeting where Trump wanted the Department of Justice to seize voting machines.

[Hugo Lowell]

Yeah, we did a lot of extensive reporting on that meeting. There was a December 18 meeting late on a Friday night, it already gone dark outside the White House. And there was this crazy meeting with Trump and originally Patrick Byrne, the former CEO of Overstock, Mike Flynn, Sidney Powell and eventually Giuliani got brought in along with the White House counsels. And it turned into this really contentious meeting where Trump, at least we reported that Trump reviewed the draft executive order that would have allowed A, Sidney Powell to become special counsel and B, to seize voting machines either through the DHS or the National Guard or the U.S. marshals Service. The timing is interesting. So the version that I've seen, I believe it's the earliest version with Joanna Miller's name on the front of it. And it also says Peter Navarro team report was 29th of November. By the time the report becomes public and is published on the Gateway Pundit on 2 December, all traces of the White House's involvement have been scrubbed. And it's not clear why this was the case. And it was not clear why Catherine Frieda's name got stuck on the front of this, even though she had no role in creating, and she has said so herself. And Bernie Kerik has conceded since that Catherine Preece was not the original author of the document, but refused to say who. And so to me, it screams of. Everyone knew it would be problematic if it turned out the White House was the original source for these election conspiracy claims and then decided to shift the focus away from the administration itself. But the other interesting thing that came out of all of this was Navarro's aides were all over both the original Dominion Report and Navarro's eventual three part report. And one of the names that comes up is Garrett Ziegler, who was this policy aide who helped facilitate that very December 18th meeting. And so the more and more I look at the lead up to Jan6 and the lead up to Trump trying to convince Pence to throw the election, the key players are really in Navarro's office, which is really interesting. And the other thing that Ziegler says is that he started work on these reports before the election had even taken place.

[Alison Gill]

Yeah. And I'm sure you can understand why I asked about that meeting, because this Dominion Report did have allegations in it of foreign interference, did it not?

[Hugo Lowell]

Yeah. And this is kind of where we triangulate, right? So Garrett Ziegler, who helped who we, who I understand helped Joanna Miller create the Dominion Report and certainly has admitted to helping create the Peter Navarro's three part immaculate deception report, and then was also involved in setting up or orchestrating the December 18th meeting. He was at every step. Not only was he involved, but the central plan they were pushing was allegations of foreign interference, specifically Venezuela, China, Iran in the election, because this would have allowed Trump to invoke Executive Order 13848, which was the basis of which Powell was trying to become Special counsel. And basically it gave Trump extraordinary, sweeping presidential powers to suspend normal law and for him to do all sorts of things, including things like seizing Vernon machines and declaring emergency, emergency powers. And so we kind of triangulate back onto this executive order that could only have been possible if there were allegations of foreign interference. And. Well, where the foreign interference claims come from. The White House.

[Alison Gill]

Yeah, and that's, that's why I'm very, that's why I asked that question. Because, I mean, was this report commissioned or was it just sort of voluntarily handed over? Like, was, was Rudy, like, hey, we need some foreign interference stuff. Powell, Navarro, go make it real. That's really, really interesting. And do you know if Joanna Miller has testified to the January 6th committee?

[Hugo Lowell]

I don't believe she has, but of course Catherine Friiss has been subpoenaed by the committee. And I expect Catherine Fries would probably have talked about the fact that she was effectively made the scapegoat for a report that now no one has since wanted to take credit for, in part because it was kind of problematic in that respect. So I'm sure it's on the committee's radar. But I did think this was a significant development.

[Alison Gill]

And my final question, do we know if Department of Justice has any of this information?

[Hugo Lowell]

They will when the story comes out.

[Alison Gill]

Yeah, exactly. Yes, Good, good point. Wow, that is really, really huge news now that we know that these early on November allegations of voter machine, you know, foreign interference are coming from the calls coming from inside the House. That's very big. So congratulations on this scoop. Is there anything else in the story that you want to tell us about?

[Hugo Lowell]

No. I mean, look, I think there's a patent. The only other thing I mentioned is there's a pattern on the White House being involved in a lot of these conspiracies. Right. So now we know that Joanna Miller and Navarro's office was involved in drumming up the original claims of election fraud. And then of course, don't forget that the committee has revealed last year that the White House Communications Agency was involved in drafting the letter for Jeffrey Clark at the DOJ to Send us States to say, look, the Justice Department thinks there's credible claims of election interference, so you should decertify your states or electors. And so at every step of the way, the Trump White House has been involved in this. Right. And it's very easy for these aides to say, oh, you know, we were all, you know, let's, let's say for the sake of argument that they were all working in a personal capacity or that they're arguing. But it is ridiculous and extraordinary that all of this was emanating directly from the White House. And I don't for a minute think Trump wasn't kept abreast of those developments.

[Alison Gill]

Yeah, we said the same thing about the Trump Tower meeting in June of 2016. There's no way he didn't know about it. And they were unable to prove that he did because of the way he handles business. You know, winking a nod and no emails. But, you know, this has a lot more people who potentially could go to prison or get in trouble. So all of them would have to stand up to this or not answer questions or plead the Fifth or whatever. So we'll see what happens. But excellent reporting. And then just also, I think that you had mentioned, I saw on your Twitter feed you had spoken to someone in the committee about the time frame of the public hearings. What's the update on that?

[Hugo Lowell]

Yeah, so I caught up with the chairman of the committee, Benny Thompson, today. And the situation is hearings are now likely to come in May. The original timeline for all of this was they wanted to wrap up depositions by April 1 and then schedule kind of public hearings towards the end of the month. That's now slipped. That would be optimistic schedule. But now, I guess because depositions are continuing, they're trying to, you know, they are trying to get more and more information. They want to have as complete a picture of, you know, the events leading up to January 6th before they get into the public hearings. And so this is kind of why they are moving in the way that they are. But the time timeline has been delayed. Again, not without good reason, but it has been delayed.

[Alison Gill]

Yeah. I mean, that's how investigations go. You uncover new things. You have to follow those leads to the end. And so, yeah, we'll see what happens. But thank you so much, everybody. Check out the Guardian, Hugo Lowell, and your timeline on Twitter. I'm assuming your, your story's out there and that's where it can be found.

[Hugo Lowell]

That's right. Thank you so much for having me.

[Alison Gill]

Yeah, great. 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? Everyone? Then good news, everyone. One good news. Good news. And if you have any good news or corrections or you want to play what the mutt. If you have a rescue pupper and you. You want us to see if we could guess what breeds are in there, we'd love to play that game. If you have a wooby story or if you're creating something, if you're an artist or you make something, you're a maker or you have a small business, you can let us know. We'll give you a shout out. And of course, Halloween pictures, Easter's coming up. Easter bunny photos. Love those. So you send them [e-mail] and click on contact. And we have kind of a correction here. First up, Dana.

[Hugo Lowell]

Yes.

[Alison Gill]

From Brit pronouns, they, them. Quick correction. My pronouns are they, them, Brit says. And then we have a note here from our producer. I am so sorry. That must have felt like nails on a chalkboard to hear. That was my typo. Love, Kanai.

[Hugo Lowell]

Thank you, Kanai, for owning that Brit. We are terribly sorry. Obviously we had no idea. And moving forward, we will make sure that they them is always how you.

[Alison Gill]

Are referred to 100%. And Britt continues. Those yellow cabinets from my previous submission were all hand stripped, sanded and repainted by yours truly after we bought our house. The cabinets are original to the house from 1939.

[Hugo Lowell]

Nice.

[Alison Gill]

And yes, that child, aka Elf on the shelf kid is always up to something. He is the textbook definition of a handsome dog.

[Hugo Lowell]

You can tell he's a little comedian there.

[Alison Gill]

Totally.

[Hugo Lowell]

Absolutely. All right, my friend, you want to take that? You want me to take the next one?

[Alison Gill]

Yeah, go ahead, take that.

[Hugo Lowell]

All right, here we go. This is from John and SoCal, pronouncing him. Thanks for the hard work you all. Do I need to offer a contrary opinion on daylight savings time? I knew this was coming. I'm in a small group of people who we would be exceedingly disappointed if the clocks do not go back an hour. In the fall. My friends and I meet at the beach every morning before sunrise to surf before work, AKA dawn patrol. With the days getting so short, dawn patrol is really only possible in the winter with the clocks going back in the fall. I know my situation is unique, but please count me among those who would like to continue moving the clock back and forth an hour, as we always have surfers for time change.

[Alison Gill]

Yeah. And I think also if we did standard time, I think you might still get that hour if instead of landing on dst. But thank you, John, and I appreciate that. I used to get up and go surfing before work, so I feel you. Next up from Josh T. Pronouns he and him, as always, Love the show. Love the perspective you bring to my world. During the Sunshine protection act segment, AG commented on the Y2K scam companies. Most people assumed that all the fear and hype around the Y2K bug was just that fear and hype. Because when January 1, 2000 rolled around, nothing happened. But the truth of the matter is, it took an enormous undertaking by technical professionals to change code bases far and wide so that it looked like a nothing burger. See, now time rules are automated and remotely changed, so no such lift needed for any DST update. Fun fact, there's a second Y2K coming in 2038 due to the fact that many computer systems measured time in seconds since January 1, 1970. And that number becomes too large for how it's stored on January 19, 2038, the day before my birthday. Programmers are still debating the best way to fix that one. We've got a lot more time to figure it out. You are the highlight of my mornings. Thank you so much for all you do attaches some pet tax I haven't dumped to Facebook or the discord. Enjoy the serenity that is Wyatt enjoying a moment of peace.

[Hugo Lowell]

Oh, Wyatt, sweet baby.

[Alison Gill]

Look at this sweet honey. Ah, Josh T. Well, hey. All the behind the scenes stuff in a trobe and whatnot from Office Space. That's what they were doing, right? Y2K stuff.

[Hugo Lowell]

Oh, my God, it's so cute.

[Alison Gill]

But thank you. Thank you for the smooth transition.

[Hugo Lowell]

I'm just looking at this next picture. Oh, my God. This is from Trace.

[Alison Gill]

This is why I want the Easter Bunny photos, people.

[Hugo Lowell]

Oh, my God. Okay, Tracy pronouns she and her. I'm sending a picture of my son feeling unsure of the Easter bunny. He'll be 18 this Sunday. Thank you for the good news segments. Each day I became a patron because I had to see the pet pictures. As you should. That is definitely a skeptical child.

[Alison Gill]

Oh, so funny. So funny. Yeah. What? Okay. All right, next up from Amber, pronounce she and her hello, beans Queens. I have a maker's submission. My husband and I enjoy painting as a sporadic hobby. This year, to celebrate our 18th wedding anniversary, he took a day off work and we painted together. My floofy Good boy Maverick was an inspiration. I think I'd really enjoy painting pets for commission, and I'm mulling over that idea. Attached are pictures of my floof and the painting. Thanks for all you do. I look forward to your podcast every morning and appreciate the Beans team so very much.

[Hugo Lowell]

Beautiful animal. And look at that awesome painting.

[Alison Gill]

Oh, that is so cool.

[Hugo Lowell]

It is really cool. I love that.

[Alison Gill]

That floofer, right? Oh, my goodness. That's a. That's a groomer's dream right there.

[Hugo Lowell]

Indeed. All right.

[Alison Gill]

So beautiful.

[Hugo Lowell]

Here we go. This is from Dave. Pronouns, he and him, MSW DB have been essential to me for years now. Fucking essential. And I rely on them. I rely on you to be more informed. For Pod Pet tax, I offer Ali the Sheba, who also goes by many nicknames in our house. AG will probably appreciate that her nickname at one point was Ali Shebi. Hilarious. And now my kids have created an Instagram account for Ali.

[Alison Gill]

Thesheba Leitheshiba A L L I, E. The Sheba. Look at the doge pondering lights.

[Hugo Lowell]

Oh, my God. Sorry, I. You got the last one, but I just scrolled to the pictures.

[Alison Gill]

Oh, these are great. From Jenny L. Pronoun she and her hi ag, dg, AC and the rest. Thank you for being an excellent start to my day. Every day you keep me informed while ending the show with uplifting good news. Bowie, my Tennessee walking horse, wants to wish everyone a happy St. Patrick's Day. He says, kiss me, I'm Irish. I've been teaching him how to smile for treats so I can keep an eye on his incisors. He has an inflammatory disease called EOTRH that attacks his front teeth. There's no cure or treatment aside from pulling teeth when they get too loose or break. Huh? He's only lost two lower incisors so far. We try to stay positive. He's incredibly stoic about the pain. He still grazes and stuffs his face. We also have been participating in a virtual trail challenge. We actually got first place in our class for the January course. It has definitely helped us grow a stronger relationship. It also gives me an excuse to dress up. The theme was winter festival, so I had to make Bowie a winter hat and scarf. Thank you for being so awesome.

[Hugo Lowell]

Look at Bowie's face. Look at that second picture.

[Alison Gill]

Oh, my God.

[Hugo Lowell]

That's what I was laughing at.

[Alison Gill]

Look at.

[Hugo Lowell]

I love this. Horses are so incredible, but when you do get their pictures from, like, the front, when they're looking like this, there's so much personality.

[Alison Gill]

Look at that baby. Tennessee walking horse with the fuzzy face.

[Hugo Lowell]

Oh, my God.

[Alison Gill]

Beard going so sweet.

[Hugo Lowell]

So do I. Ag. Don't point it out. Okay. Just kidding, everyone. Well, sort of not.

[Alison Gill]

Well, thank you for all of these submissions, everyone. We really appreciate it. If you have anything you want to send our way, you can do [e-mail] and click on contact. Hey, Dana.

[Hugo Lowell]

Yes?

[Alison Gill]

Do you have any final thoughts today?

[Hugo Lowell]

No, just a happy St. Patrick's Day to everyone. I hope you enjoy some corned beef and cabbage or something. I don't know, some Irish whiskey, a nice beverage. I don't know. Yeah, just kiss. I don't know. Kiss someone who's Irish.

[Alison Gill]

Yeah. And don't pinch people without kissing. Ask first.

[Hugo Lowell]

By the way, please, about the kissing and the pinching.

[Alison Gill]

I have a shirt somewhere. It's got a. It's a green shirt. It's got a shamrock on it. It says, don't fucking touch me.

[Hugo Lowell]

That's fantastic.

[Alison Gill]

Yeah, and it reminds me of the Urban Moe's. Moe's. We have this great bar out here called Moe's.

[Hugo Lowell]

I love Moe's.

[Alison Gill]

And all of the staff wear shirts. It's like six feet away, girl. Nice. Great. I love that place. All right, everybody, we will be back tomorrow. Amy Carrero will be joining us for the good news. So if you have any cases that you want settled in Amy's court, send them in. And then she's going to be on hiatus doing all sorts of famous movie star acting stuff for a long time. So you want to get your Amy fix in tomorrow, do it. Yeah, you have to. But until. Until we do talk to Amy tomorrow, please take care of yourselves, take care of each other, take care of the planet, and take care of your mental health. And vote blue over Q. I've been.

[Hugo Lowell]

AG and I've been dg and them's the beans.

[Dana Goldberg]

Refried beans. I like refried beans.