Episode 4 of "The Jim Acosta Show"

Summary

Summary of "The Jim Acosta Show" – Episode 4

Host: Jim Acosta
Release Date: February 6, 2025
Platform: Substack
Duration: Approximately 34 minutes

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Introduction

Jim Acosta opens the fourth episode of his show by referencing a previous appearance with the "Midas Touch" team, highlighting discussions around independent media and current news events. He introduces Everett Kelly, the head of the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), and previews upcoming conversations with former police officers Michael Fanone and Harry Dunn about their efforts to protect FBI agents involved in investigating the January 6th Capitol attack.

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Federal Employee Buyouts and Judicial Intervention

Discussion with Everett Kelly [00:18 - 08:50]

Jim Acosta addresses the recent report by The Washington Post about a federal judge in Massachusetts pausing the Trump administration's buyout program aimed at reducing the federal workforce. This program, perceived as an attempt to remove federal employees, has faced significant opposition from unions representing hundreds of thousands of workers. Approximately 50,000 employees have accepted the buyouts so far.

Key Points:

• Judge's Decision: The judge's pause on the buyout program is seen as a safeguard against the administration's efforts to clear the federal workforce.
• Union Response: Everett Kelly applauds the judge's decision, emphasizing that such actions by the administration are unprecedented and unlawful.
• Historical Context: Kelly, a retired federal employee with 34 years of service, states he has never witnessed anything like this initiative before, describing it as a "knife in the back" rather than a mere "fork in the road" (03:24).
• Legality Concerns: Kelly asserts that the program violates existing rules, regulations, and contract agreements, deeming it illegal (04:19).
• Project 2025: He connects the current administration's actions to "Project 2025," suggesting a strategy to replace federal employees with contractors and wealthy individuals, aligning with Trump’s long-term plans (04:57).

Notable Quotes:

• Everett Kelly [03:24]: "It's a knife in your back. These employees are walking into a situation in desperate times because they've been stoked with fear."
• Everett Kelly [04:43]: "What this administration has done is just disregarded any rule, any regulation, or any contract language."

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Elon Musk's Involvement and Security Concerns

Continuing with Everett Kelly [05:37 - 08:50]

Jim Acosta shifts focus to the Washington Post's report on Elon Musk's involvement with federal government databases. Musk's company, DOGE, has reportedly accessed sensitive government records, including those from the Treasury and State Departments, raising alarms about data security and privacy.

Key Points:

• Data Access: Musk's company has accessed highly restricted datasets, including those containing personal information of millions of federal employees in sensitive positions.
• Legal Violations: Kelly highlights that this intrusion by an outsider like Musk violates federal laws regarding privacy and data protection.
• Implications: The involvement of a private tech billionaire in accessing federal databases is unprecedented and raises questions about oversight and authorization from the highest levels, including President Trump.
• Public Reaction: Kelly anticipates significant backlash if comparable actions were taken by figures like Barack Obama or Joe Biden, underscoring the selective outrage tied to political affiliations.

Notable Quotes:

• Jim Acosta [05:37]: "Employees with Musk's DOGE have gained access to highly restricted government records on millions of federal employees."
• Everett Kelly [06:46]: "We have allowed an outsider to come into the government and invade people's privacy, which is a violation of the law."

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Protecting FBI Agents: Interview with Michael Fanone and Harry Dunn

Interview Segment [12:35 - 34:17]

Jim Acosta introduces former officers Michael Fanone and Harry Dunn, both of whom were present during the January 6th Capitol attack. They discuss ongoing efforts to protect FBI agents whose identities are at risk of being exposed by the Justice Department under the new administration.

Key Points:

• Legal Battles: Harry Dunn describes witnessing the Justice Department's attempts to identify FBI agents involved in the January 6th investigations, a move seen as retaliatory and dangerous (13:46).
• Personal Harassment: Both Fanone and Dunn recount the harassment and threats they've faced since testifying before the Select Committee investigating the insurrection. Fanone shares harrowing experiences, including threats to his family and direct attacks (15:51).
• Institutional Failures: The interviewees criticize both political parties for their roles, highlighting the Republican Party's subservience to Donald Trump and the lack of effective opposition from Democrats (16:38).
• Call to Action: Acosta urges listeners to engage politically, emphasizing that combating the current administration's actions requires widespread public involvement rather than relying solely on individuals like Fanone and Dunn (30:17).

Notable Quotes:

• Harry Dunn [15:26]: "The point is to create that fear, to say, don't even try it, because I have unlimited resources at my disposal, and I can make your life a living hell."
• Michael Fanone [17:46]: "Trump is treating it as though it's like plausible deniability, but he's responsible for this."
• Harry Dunn [27:05]: "We are not a nation that refuses to reject a wannabe dictator."

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Additional News and Commentary

Recent Developments [08:50 - 33:37]

Jim Acosta addresses various other news items, including:

1. Senate Democrats' Protests: Democrats organized an all-night "Talkathon" to protest the confirmation of Russell Vogt, Trump's nominee for the Office of Management and Budget, a key figure in Project 2025.

2. Trump's Statements on Gaza: Trump made conflicting statements on Truth Social about U.S. involvement in Gaza, initially suggesting possible occupation and later retracting to say no soldiers would be sent. Acosta critiques the inconsistency and lack of legitimate authorization for such actions.

3. Disinformation Campaigns: Acosta highlights Trump's attempts to discredit media outlets like Politico by misrepresenting funding sources, emphasizing the administration's strategy to fuel misinformation.

4. Fox News Segment: Acosta discusses a segment by Fox's Greg Gutfeld, which he criticizes for trivializing his show by focusing on his houseplants, framing it as indicative of Fox's bias and inability to critique Trump or Musk effectively.

Notable Quotes:

• Jim Acosta [27:51]: "What you see right now is we skipped the outrage and we went right to the fear. Too many Americans are just afraid."
• Michael Fanone [29:35]: "Donald Trump doesn't play by the rules. He doesn't care about the laws. He's going to do what he wants to do until the American people stop him."

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Conclusion

Jim Acosta wraps up the episode by reiterating his support for Michael Fanone and Harry Dunn, commending their courage and resilience. He emphasizes the importance of public engagement in combating the current administration's actions and encourages listeners to stay informed and involved. Acosta also references upcoming recordings of the show on Substack and extends his gratitude to his guests and listeners.

Final Remarks:

• Encouragement to Engage: Acosta urges listeners to take political action and not rely solely on public figures to address governmental abuses.
• Support for Guests: He acknowledges the contributions and struggles of Fanone and Dunn, expressing solidarity and appreciation.
• Media Critique: Acosta criticizes mainstream media, particularly Fox News, for perceived biases and inadequate coverage of significant issues.

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Takeaways

• Judicial Oversight: The judiciary plays a crucial role in checking executive overreach, as seen in the pause of the federal employee buyout program.
• Data Security Risks: Involvement of private tech billionaires like Elon Musk in federal data access raises significant security and privacy concerns.
• Protection of Whistleblowers and Agents: Former officers Fanone and Dunn highlight the ongoing threats against individuals who stand up against political wrongdoing.
• Political Polarization: The episode underscores deep divisions and the challenges of maintaining democratic institutions amidst aggressive political strategies.
• Call to Action: Emphasis on the necessity of public engagement to preserve democratic values and oppose authoritarian tendencies.

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Note: This summary captures the primary discussions and key moments from Episode 4 of "The Jim Acosta Show." For those interested in the full conversation and additional context, listening to the full episode on Substack is recommended.

Transcript

[Everett Kelly]

All right.

[Jim Acosta]

Good afternoon, everybody. Welcome to the fourth edition of the Jim Acosta show right here on Substack. It's a busy Thursday. I was on with the Midas Touch guys earlier today. Go check that out if you get a chance. Had a lot of fun talking with those guys about the potential for independent media as well as what's been happening in the news. There is a lot happening in the news. Speaking of which, we're almost a Friday, I like to call Thursday, Friday Eve because it gives us a sense of hope, like we're going to get there. But as you can see right there on the screen with us right now is Everett Kelly. He is the head of the American Federation of Government Employees, the largest federal employees union in the country. Coming up a little later in the program, I do want to let you know I'll talk to former police officers Michael Fanone and Harry Dunn about their efforts to protect FBI agents here in Washington who investigated the January 6th attack on the Capitol. So stay tuned for that. But let's just get right into this, starting with Elon Musk's doge infiltration of the federal government. This is shaping up to be the first scandal of the second Trump administration. Nobody elected Elon Musk. As I've talked about on this program many times, he has not been put up for any kind of cabinet position. And yet there he is, appearing to have carte blanche, courtesy of Donald Trump to do whatever he wants. But to talk with Everett about this, I do want to talk about the breaking news. The Washington Post reporting a federal judge in Massachusetts has paused the deadline for the Trump administration's program offering buyouts to federal employees as a ploy to clear out the federal workforce. Unions representing hundreds of thousands of federal workers, according to the Post, have asked the court to stop the program, saying it is a, quote, arbitrary, unlawful, short fused ultimatum. According to the post, some 50,000 people have accepted the buyouts. There will be another hearing on this on Monday. The Trump administration, though, is saying, according to the Post, that they're still processing these resignations even though this is still very much up in the air. So let me jump right into this. Everett Kelly is with us now. He's the head of the American Federal Government Employees Union. And Everett, I guess your response to what this judge did today, hitting the pause button on what the Trump administration is trying to do.

[Everett Kelly]

Well, first of all, I applaud the judge otu. I think that he was very careful about the decision that he made and he sends the message that this is not just okay. Doing what Trump wants to do. Right. But I'm really looking at this situation, and I really wanna make a right decision. So we're very pleased at this point with the decision that the judge has made.

[Jim Acosta]

And, Everett, you and I were talking about this before we jumped on live here. Have you ever seen anything like this happening before? I've seen some of the emails from some of these federal employees. They've basically been told, you're at a fork in the road. You can take this buyout, but we want you to get out of the federal government. What is going on here? Have you ever seen anything like this before?

[Everett Kelly]

You know, Jim, I've never. And I'm a retired federal employee, 34 years of total services. I've never seen anything like this. And, you know, they may say, a fork in the road. I said, it's a knife in your back. Okay? Because, you know, these employees are walking into a situation in desperate times because they've been stoked with fear. You know, they don't know which way to turn. And a lot of them told me, you know, I'm just getting out of this system. I don't want no more parts of it. You know, just over 2%, you know, has accepted this offer, you know, which in my opinion, is backfiring, because the only ones that is going out is the ones that were planning on going out anyway, so. So they're really not making any headway, in my opinion.

[Jim Acosta]

And I guess the question is that I've seen a couple of people chime in with some chats here, chat messages. Is this legal?

[Everett Kelly]

You know, it's our opinion that it's not, because, number one, you know, we have negotiated policies and there are rules and regulation that governs, you know, these type of situations. And what this administration has done is just disregarded any rule, any regulation, or any contract language. So we believe that it's illegal.

[Jim Acosta]

And is this part of sort of a Project 2025 like, effort to just clear out people at the federal government so that way the Trump administration can put their own cronies in there and that kind of thing. Is that. Is that what you suspect is going on?

[Everett Kelly]

Absolutely, we suspect that. You know, we read Project 2025 extensively. Okay. And the moves that you see now are moves toward Project 2025. You know, Mr. Trump tried to distance himself from it during the election, but the truth of the matter is the proofs in the pudding, everything that you're seeing right now is leading us toward Project 2025. Okay. And also to get rid of federal employees to contract out some of this federal work to, you know, rich billionaires. Okay? That's the bottom line.

[Jim Acosta]

And I did want to ask you about this. Talking about Elon Musk. The Post is reporting this. Employees with Musk's DOGE have gained access to highly restricted government records on millions of federal employees. The Post says this includes treasury and State Department officials in what's described as sensitive security positions. All part of a large scale operation to take over the Office of Personnel Management. That's according to the Post. Speaking with four US Officials with knowledge of these developments. Add to that this headline from the Post, Everett. Representatives from DOSH have quote, fed sensitive data from across the Education Department into artificial intelligence software to probe the agency's programs and spending. That's according to other sources. I mean, we've also said this is on top of we've already seen happening at the Treasury Department. They went into the Treasury Department, seized data from the federal payment system that handles Social Security payments, tax refunds, other critical programs. Everett, I've been asking all week long essentially this, what the musk, what the musk is going on? And did the president sign off on this? What is going on? I just can't believe this is happening.

[Everett Kelly]

You know, I never dreamed that anything like this would happen, you know, because what we have essentially done is allow an outsider to come into the government and invade people's privacy, you know, which is a violation of the law. You know, not just. And see, sometimes people think that it's just the federal employees privacy that's at stake here. But it's more than that, right? It is retired federal employees, it's American people in general that, you know, their privacy is at stake here, you know, and I think that is a violation of the law. Certainly, you know, as a retired federal employee, I know that you have to have secret clearances and all these types of things in order to get into these systems, right? And what has essentially happened is these employees, you know, they're afraid, they don't know what to do. You know, they come in, you know, and they've stoked the fear. And so what are they going to do? How are they going to stop them? It's going to take the judge and us continuing to fight these efforts in order for it to stop. But I applaud the judge that have made some decisions today. You know, I think that's a stepping stone for us and it's an indicator to this administration that we just not going to tolerate this.

[Jim Acosta]

And you've never seen anything like this before, where you have a tech billionaire given access to databases and various federal agencies and departments. I guess the first time for this one, too.

[Everett Kelly]

It is the first time for this one, you know, and there's no real rhyme or reason for it either, you know, except paying back campaign promises, you know, in my opinion.

[Jim Acosta]

Well, ever. Kelly, we appreciate your time. Please keep us posted on all the progress that you're making in this case. We're going to be keeping our eyes on it as well. Federal employees aren't used to getting this much attention, but they're getting a lot of attention these days. And so we appreciate your time, Everett. Thanks very much.

[Everett Kelly]

Thank you.

[Jim Acosta]

All right. And in just a few moments, we're going to be talking to Mike Fanone, former officer Michael Fanone, and former officer Harry Dunn about their efforts to protect FBI agents who were worried about their identities being revealed by the Justice Department as part of Trump's campaign of retribution that he is unleashing inside the federal government in these early days of his new administration. And just to, you know, button up what I was talking about with Everett a few moments ago, I mean, I do think this is the first scandal of the second Trump administration, that Elon Musk, the richest man in the world, a tech billionaire, could have people roaming about the hallways of the federal government asking for access to databases to Lord knows what, and where are the controls on this? Where is the independent scrutiny of this? And my question is, is what did the president know and when did he know it? Did the President of the United States give Elon Musk this kind of access? Did he authorize this? I think that is a key question here. And the other question I would ask, and I brought this up with the Midas Touch guys earlier today when I was talking to them. What would the reaction be if Barack Obama or Joe Biden gave a tech billionaire, a big tech person like Bill Gates, access to the personal data of millions of Americans, of millions of federal employees? People would go nuts. They would be talking about it night and day on Fox. There would be people in Washington with pitchforks and torches. I mean, give me a break. And so all of a sudden, Donald Trump gives Elon Musk the keys to the candy store over at the Treasury Department, says, you can go in there, Hoover up this data. It's ridiculous. And I think. I think this qualifies as a bona fide scandal of this second Trump administration. Call it data gate, call it Musk gate, whatever you want to call it, but it deserves a gate in this humble news Guy's opinion. I do want to turn the page and talk about what's been happening over at the FBI because I think this is also important. Gets to what has been taking place with this campaign of retribution. Remember Donald Trump said during the 2024 campaign, I am your retribution. Well, he is carrying this out inside the federal government. Here in Washington, ABC News reporting that negotiations are apparently underway between the justice department and for FBI agents who are part of the probes into the January 6th attack on the Capitol. The agents are hoping to come to an agreement that would keep the department from revealing the identities of people who investigated the insurrection. Think about that for a moment. The Justice Department is seeking this information about these FBI agents to potentially reveal who these agents are. Can you imagine what that would do to the agents and their families simply for doing their job and investigating all of this? I want to see if I could bring in Michael Fanone and Harry Dunn. Standby guys, as we get these guys into the system. It's going to take just a few moments. We're going to get Michael Fanone in here. We're going to get Harry Dunn in here. It's going to take just a moment or two. And I, I hope you enjoy this conversation. Conversation. Because they're both great guys. I've been talking to them for years now since obviously what took place at the Capitol on January 6th. There's Michael Fanone there. Hey, Mike, how are you? Good to see you. Good.

[Michael Fanone]

Likewise. Good to see you.

[Jim Acosta]

Excellent. Okay. You know, it's, it's, it's fun doing this sub stack thing. And there's Harry Dunn right there, man. This just work like clockwork.

[Harry Dunn]

Yeah, man.

[Jim Acosta]

An old guy like me, I, I thought there was a 95 chance I was going to screw up the technology here, but somehow I pulled it off. I don't know how I did it, but I've got both of you here with us. Harry, good to see you.

[Harry Dunn]

You too, buddy. How are you, man?

[Jim Acosta]

Good. Now, and for my orientation of the screen here, it looks like all the hearts are, are flying up here in the direction of Harry Dunn.

[Harry Dunn]

No, that's for Michael, man. Everybody loves to see Michael. That's for y'all today.

[Jim Acosta]

Well, the hearts are.

[Harry Dunn]

Hey, listen, I'm. I'm throwing my hearts at Michael, man. How can you not love that guy? What's up, buddy?

[Michael Fanone]

Hey, what's going on, man? How you doing?

[Harry Dunn]

Not much, man.

[Jim Acosta]

All right, well, it's good to see both of you guys. I do want to talk. So what's going on here? With this. This FBI situation, you've got the Justice Department and people inside the FBA wanting to reveal the identities of FBI agents who investigated what happened on January 6th. Harry, do you want to go first and tell us what's going. I understand you said you were down at the courthouse watching some of this.

[Harry Dunn]

Yeah, I was inside the courtroom today by my. My attorney, Mark Zaid, is seeking to protect the identities of these FBI agents. On another. Just real quick, it was so awkward. I mean, just a couple weeks ago, I was sitting in that courtroom, sitting behind the DOJ desk, watching them prosecute the people who attacked us. And now the DOJ is on the defense now, and I'm sitting behind the plaintiffs. It's just how quick something could change like that. But, yeah, they're seeking to uncover and identify by name, by picture, the agents who investigated or had anything to do with January 6th prosecutions. And, you know, it's sad. And I was listening to some of their. The. The. The. The government's stance on it. And, you know, they. The judge asked at one point, hey, would you agree that for the most part, the. The f. The DOJ stances we need to protect the identity of these confidential sources and stuff like that. And the. The guy was like, well, yeah, but sometimes, you know, in cases of misconduct, we. We might need to identify them and, like. Misconduct. Like, give me a break. What misconduct? Exactly. So it. Just because you didn't like what was being done, it's pathetic. And I'm glad that these are. These lawyers are standing up to them. Mark Zade, Norm Eisman, so many others that were there today. And it's really important.

[Jim Acosta]

Yeah, they're both great attorneys. And Mike, I mean, it strikes me as just, you know, way over the top here, beyond the pale. Outrageous that they would go after FBI agents for doing their jobs. It reminds me of what happened to you and Harry. Just doing your jobs. You're just doing your jobs, trying to protect the Capitol on January 6th. And here are the FBI agents just doing their jobs, investigating what took place on January 6th.

[Michael Fanone]

Yeah, I mean, absolutely. You know, Harry and I had the courage to testify before the Select Committee, and ever since then have experienced threats, harassment. I myself have yet to secure any type of gainful employment simply because I stood up and spoke out against Trump. But again, and I heard your earlier segment, you were talking about the Elon Musk and everything that's going on in the federal government right now and how that's the first scandal of this administration. I disagree. The first scandal this administration was when Donald Trump pardoned 1500 insurrectionists, hundreds of violent, violent criminals who assaulted law enforcement. And I see this as just simply a continuation of that. Now he's going to, good point. He's going to attack the law enforcement officers who did their jobs that day. Had they not investigated these crimes, they would have been derelict in their duties. But Trump doesn't care. And so he's going to either try to get them purged from the FBI. He seems to have hit some roadblocks when it comes to that. So the least he can do is identify them to the MAGA world and make them receive the same level of harassment threats that Harry and I and Danny Hodges and Ginnell have all experienced. And anyone else who's ever spoken out against Donald Trump, you yourself, you know, I know are, are very familiar with this. And so, you know, it's just, it's a continuation of, of that same behavior. Those that are opposed to me, I will threat, I will have them threatened, harassed until they submit or until they, you know, just disappear.

[Jim Acosta]

It's an intimidation racket. And you know, you make an excellent point, Michael. They're trying to do to these FBI agents what was done to you guys. And Mike, maybe you can describe what this world is like in the right wing echo chamber where you have these people who are, you know, once you dock somebody, once you put somebody's identity out there, once you point the finger at a Mike Fanon or Harry Dunn, what talk about what is just unleashed.

[Michael Fanone]

I mean, you have these literally thousands and thousands of Trump's Twitter ex warriors that spew hatred and vile vicious threats. And then you have individuals that are going to act on that. I mean, whether it's picking up the phone and calling me or calling one of my family members, calling my 76 year old mother, threatening her life, you know, swatting my 76 year old mother, sending law enforcement there under a false pretense, you know, an incredibly dangerous situation, you know, or the guy that, you know, I've talked about recently in the news who pulled up to my mother's house, got out of his truck, screamed at her that her son is a traitor, and then threw a bag of shit on her. This is the type of daily harassment that, you know, that my family has been subjected to and many, many others have been subjected to simply for speaking the truth and speaking out against Donald Trump.

[Jim Acosta]

And Harry, I know you've been going through this too.

[Harry Dunn]

Yeah. You know, real quick to just talk about what Mike brought up a great point. A lot of these people like, there's legal protections for these individuals that Donald Trump is firing and stuff like that. I mean, we hope, obviously not at the Supreme Court level, but we've seen a lot of federal and district courts serve as protections and guardrails. So Donald Trump really doesn't care if, if these individuals get their job back, they get back pay. The message that he's sending is here is, I'm going to beat you into submission to never cross me. Like, it may. Like, nobody wants to go through having to go through court, having to have all their. Yes, a lot of these people will end up getting their jobs back. That's not the point. The point is to create that fear, to say, don't even try it, because I have unlimited resources at my disposal, and I can make your life a living hell. And that leads into what Michael was just talking about and some of the stuff that you experienced. Jim, yesterday I was at the Capitol giving a press conference with Bennie Thompson, Bonnie Watson, Coleman, Jamie Raskin, so many other leaders in the Democratic Party. And we gave a press conference, and I was there with Mrs. Signick saying that we're never going to forget what happened to her son on January 6th. And there was an individual who served three years in prison. He was convicted for his actions on January 6th. And he started harassing Jamie Raskin. And then he saw me and he started saying, you know what? I was talking to another reporter at the time, and I said, I told him, I'm just going to ignore this guy. They just want it. And then finally I said, you know what? The hell with that. I'm not ignoring him. And I pushed back against him, and I confronted him and I told him to try the shit that he did on January 6th. Try it right now. Try it right now. They're only tough when they're backed by the tens and thousands of their thugs that supported him. And, of course, the police let me in. Shut up. They. No, they didn't. And, you know, so I just keep on coming. They lie about all of it, man. Yes. And my family was swatted. You know, I'm subject to threats and verbal harassment. I mean, we all are. Anybody. That's what it's like to go against Donald Trump. But they want you to shut up because that makes them win. And I'd be damned if I let them win by shutting up.

[Michael Fanone]

But, you know, I see, like, Harry clearly is, is fired up and, and, and rightfully so. My question to the American people is, where is the collective outrage, these things that we're experiencing and remember, everyone, we're only two weeks into this administration are unprecedented. You know, listen, I, I believe in, in a small functional government, but I don't believe in going about it by simply ripping up the Constitution, tearing up our laws, bypassing all of the checks and balances that our democracy has enshrined to protect us, and just willy nilly firing people. Because this guy, Elon Musk, who has been given this position, no checks and balances there, and he just seems to enjoy playing the villain again. It's important to remind people, though, Donald Trump has allowed him this level of authority. Donald Trump is the one who is responsible for Elon Musk. Elon Musk is just a useful idiot. You know, he, he's, this is like a revenge of the nerds playing out. And he loves playing the villain and so he gets to play this role. And, and I think, you know, Trump is just treating it as though it's, it's like plausible deniability, but he's responsible for this. But again, it's, it's up to the American people. Our institutions are feckless in preventing Donald Trump from committing these atrocities and destroying our democracy. They really, they truly are. Because Donald Trump doesn't play by the rules. Donald Trump doesn't care about, you know, precedent and policy. He doesn't care about the laws. He's going to do what he wants to do until the American people stop him.

[Jim Acosta]

Yeah, and I understand both of you guys have substacks and you're going to be talking about this, I'm sure, in the days to come on your substacks, but you, you raise an excellent point, Mike, because, I mean, when Donald Trump came in and he pardoned all the rioters and insurrectionists on January 6, he was still being treated after, after that with this deference. I mean, and it's a force of habit for people in Washington. We, you know, we, we treat the office of the presidency with deference, Absolutely. No question about it. But if the occupant of that office does not deserve that deference, to me, it boggles the mind how, you know, folks can just say, oh, well, you know, maybe, maybe he'll be different this time around. You know, I watched this the first time around when I covered him. People thought, oh, the majesty of the presidency would rest upon his shoulders and transform him into the second coming of Ronald Reagan. It didn't happen. It didn't happen. We went through that exercise the first time around and, you know, you had the same kind of memory holding people putting their Heads in the sand during the 2024 campaign saying, oh, he won't be that bad this time around. He's learned his lessons from last time. And then he goes right in and it's bull in a china shop on.

[Harry Dunn]

Steroids is what it says about our country, man. Like, listen, I love America. I love it. I'll continue to fight for our Constitution. I fight for our democracy. No question about it. But we have to realize we aren't a nation. We have proven over this last election cycle that we are not a nation that refuses to reject a wannabe dictator. A person who believes that it's okay to send an insurance to start an insurrection because he didn't win the election. We live in a nation now. Like, listen, I know a lot of people watching in the audiences, yes, this doesn't apply to you all. However, if we weren't, Donald Trump would not be the president. He would not be elected president. He is. He is the president. And our nation, we as Americans failed to reject him. So we have to start accepting that this is the reality now. I'm always going to fight, like, these institutions that you're talking about, these people, listen, the decency of the office of the presidency. Sure. I worked as a Capitol Police officer for three years after the insurrection before I quit. And I had to see those members that were talking shit about me on all the news and talking crap about us, failed to support us. Mike and I went around and confronted all 21 who voted against giving us the Congressional Gold Medal. The reason why I continue to do it, because I believed in those institutions. I mean, hell, 100 years from now, Marjorie Taylor Greene is not going to exist, but that seat of Congress that she occupied prayerfully is going to exist afterwards. So these institutions are worth fighting for. We have the opportunity every two years in this country to elect new members to the House of Representatives and every four years to a new president. My message is don't wait until November 4th or November 6th to have an opinion about a candidate. Do your education now, if. And be involved going forward.

[Jim Acosta]

Well, I mean, Mike, I mean, people might have been asleep a little bit at the wheel going into the last November election. I think people are waking up now and you don't even have to be a Democrat. I think you could be a conservative Republican and say, what the hell is going on with Elon Musk running through the various agencies and departments of the federal government and hoovering up on all of this personal data? I mean, whatever happened to small government conservatives? I mean, I, I'm wondering where those, those folks are. I mean, that sounds like right, right out of maga. And as I was asking earlier, if, if Barack Obama or Joe Biden had let Bill Gates run wild inside the federal government and hoover up everybody's personal data, people would have gone nuts.

[Michael Fanone]

Well, that's why, I mean. Yeah, go ahead. We can't depend on political parties anymore to save America. I mean, you know, the Republican Party has long since bowed down to Donald Trump and become, you know, his servants. I mean, look at, you know, Congress. Now you have a Republican controlled Congress and they, they don't even exist for, you know, other than the fact that they consume taxpayer dollars. But there is no check and balance there. And many of these things that Trump is doing are, you know, antithesis of what is, what it means to be a conservative Republican. But, you know, the Democrats haven't done a great job either. I don't see them out there yelling and screaming at the top of their lungs every single day. I mean, you have, you've got some that are, you've got some that are just trying to hide. You've got others that are playing for the other side. You know, what I see right now is we skipped the outrage and we went right to the fear. You know, too many Americans are just afraid. So that's why I'm saying taking down maga, and maga, the only thing MAGA needs to be is defeated. Taking down MAGA is going to require an American movement. Not a political, not a political movement. It's going to require American people saying that they've had enough of the cruelty and they've had enough of their, you know, their rights being taken away and they've had enough of the, this outrageous chaotic governance that's being, you know, led by, you know, King Chaos himself, Donald Trump.

[Jim Acosta]

Yeah. And it seems to me, you know, what you guys are doing because I know you were, I mean, you guys were really upset after what took place in the November election and you were struggling. Okay, what do we do moving forward? What do I do in this moment? But if you don't mind me saying, as I, as I hear both of you today, it sounds as though you both have your mission here in the coming weeks and months and years. And you have, it sounds like you're ready, it sounds like you're ready to go, ready to fight. And Harry was talking about love of country. It's part pouring out of the screen, pouring out of the phones of the people who are watching this as we speak right now, guys. And I, my Hat's off to you for that.

[Harry Dunn]

It's worth it, Jim. You know, I tell you, man, like, it's worth it. Like. And also one other thing that I've seen too that people say, hey, you know what we tried to tell you. Now it's now sit back and watch. No, there are so many people who did not vote for this, that voted against this that are going to be affected by this. There's so many, there are so many blue dots in red states as like they like to call them somebody in North Dakota or you know, in south, all those places. I'm going to Wisconsin next week to about their and they have their Supreme Court elections and there's, and they are, they get to elect their Supreme Court officials. However, one candidate that's up has the backing of Elon Musk and failed to condemn Donald Trump pardoning the January 6th riders. So I always push back anytime I get that opportunity. But I'm happy to be continue to going out there doing the work. There's so many different organizations where people can get involved. And I see some people are putting them in the chat now. Move on indivisible. Get involved. Like, don't just wait until election season. Like it's get involved now.

[Jim Acosta]

Yeah, it's time. And I, I, I do want to say this to the viewers out there, to the, the people who are tuning in and chatting and so on. And I, and please don't take this as me coming after folks. We've reached a point now where Mike Fanon and Harry Dunn can't do all the fighting. They can't do all the yelling. They can't do all the hollering. Other folks need to get involved. If you're upset about this, you need to get engaged. And I understand people taking a walk and they were exhausted after the election and so on, and they went outside and they, and they, they stop being engaged. That, that time is over. You got to get engaged. And you can't just let Harry and Mike do the work.

[Michael Fanone]

Yeah. You know, people ask me all the time like, what can I do? What can I do? I don't know what to do. And, and for me, it's like just do any, you can start it with conversations in your own community. You know, I engage with people all the time. You know, whether I'm at out in public or, you know, wherever people that are openly supportive of Donald Trump and I'll ask them tough questions in public and if they don't like it, fine, but they know that there's somebody in Their community that disagrees with their cruel and abusive way of thinking and that they're not going to tolerate it. And it starts there. You know, I'm not trying to tell them people to go out and, you know, yell and scream in people's faces, but you got to let people know that there's, you know, people out there that will not tolerate this type of cruelty.

[Everett Kelly]

Absolutely.

[Jim Acosta]

That's right. That's right, guys. It's always great to talk to you. Really appreciate it. It means a lot. And I can see that flag over Mike's shoulder. I. I know what both of you are all about, and the people who are tuning in right now know what both of you are all about. And. And I don't know what everybody else's screen looks like, but I still see the. The hearts flying up into Harry's face on my screen. That's how it looks on my screen. Everybody else's screen might be different. So I hope you're feeling the love. I know you guys have felt a lot of other stuff besides love, but I hope you're seeing that there are a lot of people out there who truly appreciate what you do and have a lot of affection for both of you. And, you know, I just think the world of both of you. So thank you both very much. Let's keep this conversation. We're gonna keep talking.

[Harry Dunn]

Yeah.

[Jim Acosta]

On your show, you'll come on mine.

[Harry Dunn]

No, thanks, Jim. I appreciate it. And if I can, I'll do a shameless plug. Michael and I both wrote books. Michael's hold the line. Mine is standing. Are standing up my ground. Check it out. Support us if you can. And like you said, Mike is starting to substack. Subscribe. If you can be a paid subscriber. It helps us a lot. And. And Jim, thank you for your courage and your strength, brother. It means a lot. I'll stand next to you anytime you. You're ready, meet me, man.

[Jim Acosta]

You got it. Likewise. Anytime, guys. Really appreciate it. I'm with you 100 all the way.

[Harry Dunn]

Thanks, Jim.

[Jim Acosta]

Talk to both of you. Take care.

[Harry Dunn]

Thank you.

[Jim Acosta]

Appreciate it. All right, that was Mike and Harry. Great guys. And you know what. What you can feel. And you're. I'm seeing some people chat. Run for office, Mike. Harry did try that. I hope he tries it again. Mike. You know, I think something tells me Mike would just win in a landslide if. If he were to get out there and put his name on the ballot, you know, something we'll talk about maybe on a. On a different program, but I'm very thankful to both of them because of the courage that they've demonstrated. You know, John F. Kennedy once wrote a book, it's one of my favorite books, Profiles Encourage. And I think if JFK were alive today, he wrote a second edition of Profiles Encourage, an updated edition of Profiles Encourage. He would absolutely dedicate a chapter to the police officers who defended the Capitol on January 6, the police officers who participated in the investigation of the January 6 committee. That is courageous work. They continue to do that courageous work. And I get the sense that they found a new mission in life now. So I really appreciate it. I do want to talk about some other things in the news. I'm going to scroll through a few more items here and then we're have some final thoughts on something that transpired last night that I do want to talk about. But in the meantime, a lot of the viewers on this program were wondering when the Democrats were going to get serious and start blocking some of Trump's nominees. That effort appears to be happening now. It may not have a whole lot of success, but the New York Times reporting Senate Democrats staged an all night Talkathon overnight last night as it's called to protest the confirmation. Russell Vogt, Trump's nominee to head the Office of Management and Budget vote, you'll recall, was a key architect of Project 2025. We talked about that at the top of the program, which Trump claimed he had nothing to do with during the campaign. We talked about this many times. Trump said he had nothing to do with 2025, Project 2025. Of course he did. It also appears to be the blueprint now for what his Trump administration is doing as we speak. The other thing that came up today, Trump apparently went on Truth Social and said there will be no U.S. troops sent to Gaza. Of course, you know, this was a walk back from a couple of days ago when he indicated that, yes, he wants the US to take over Gaza and that he did not rule out US Troops being a part of that. He went on Truth Social and said this, and I'm going to read this verbatim because, you know, you kind of just have to take it all in at some point with what he's saying. He says, quote on Truth Social, the Gaza Strip would be turned over to the United States by Israel at the conclusion of fighting. Are you listening here? He goes on to say the Palestinians, people like Chuck Schumer, these are his words, would have already been resettled in far safer and more beautiful communities with new and modern homes in the region. They would actually have a chance to be happy, safe and free. The US Working with great development teams from all over the world, would slowly and carefully begin the construction of what would become one of the greatest and most spectacular developments. He goes on to say, of its kind on Earth, no soldiers by the US Would be needed. He says stability for the region would reign. Of course, I mean, my question is the Gaza Strip is going to be turned over to the U.S. what? Did anybody vote for the U.S. to take over Gaza? I don't believe so. Also, this is another walk back for Trump. He now says no U.S. soldiers would be needed. This after he left the door open to that prospect. And of course, he's been walking things back left and right all week. You saw that with the tariffs and so on. Trump is also on his social media platform, fueling disinformation about usaid. He said this on Truth Social. Looks like billions of dollars have been stolen at usaid. Stolen was misspelled. And other agencies, much of it going to the fake news media as a, quote, payoff for creating good stories about the Democrats. The left wing rag known as Politico. I'm continuing to read this Truth Social post, folks. Seems to have reached 8 million, seems to have received $8 million. Did the new York Times receive money? Who else did so on and so forth. What needs to be pointed out is first of all, Politico receives money through its Politico magazine and through subscriptions. If people subscribe to Politico magazine, they get subscription money. Apparently usaid, other federal agencies have done this over the years. Lots of companies subscribe to newspapers. It's part of what they do. And Politico put out a statement saying, a note to our readers from Politico CEO and editor in chief. Politico has been the subject of debate on Exodus Weeks. Some of it has been misinformed. Let's set the record straight. They go on to talk about the subscriptions that they see coming in from places like USAID and other areas of the federal government, other companies. This is pretty typical stuff, but it is another illustration of how Trump just fuels disinformation at a breakneck speed. And finally, finally, finally, finally. Let me take a sip of water before I'm take a sip of water from my Duke mug before I get into this, apparently. I don't know if you guys saw this. Let's slow down a little bit just to see if you guys can take all of this in, apparently. Last night on five, Fox comedian Greg Gutfeld, I don't believe he's a journalist, he's a comedian there. Took an interest in this program. Apparently he did a segment about my show, this show right here on Substack last night on Fox. The the segment was nearly eight minutes. Eight minutes. My word to Greg Gutfeld. Thank you, Greg. Thank you so much for devoting eight minutes of your television program to my Substack show. I really appreciate it. As I posted on X earlier today, don't you guys at Fox have anything else to cover? Oh, that's right. You can't say anything critical of Trump or Elon Musk. So you have to go after guys like me. This is the start. This is the sorry state of affairs for people like Greg Gutfeld. For the next four years, all they will be able to do over at Fox is serve as a mouthpiece piece for Trump. Trump State tv And how did that work out the last time around when you had Fox personalities texting with the chief of staff over at the White House, Mark Meadows, during the January 6th insurrection, telling Meadows at the time that this looks bad. Yeah, no kidding. Greg apparently had something else to say about one of my house plants. I don't know if you're still following along here, but Greg Gutfeld, during his segment on Fox about my show, the Substack show, talked about my, my house plant. And I brought it right here. This is it right here. This is the, the little guy, he was in the background and one of the videos, and Greg thought it was hilarious and talked about it on a show. Imagine having a show like his and he has nothing to offer than comments about my plants. Houseplants, Greg. Houseplants. Truth be told, you're a bit of, of a potted plant yourself, aren't you, Greg, sitting there over at Fox, unable to say what you probably would like to say about Donald Trump. But you can. But just sit there, Greg, while the Murdoch money continues to water your bank account. A potted plant that's not allowed to do anything other than pump out the lies that passes for news on your network. So. So keep right on sitting there, Greg, just like a potted plant growing in the darkness of your own making. One day, the sunlight of the truth will come shining through and that truth will reveal you for who you are. Just another box fraud. All right, guys, thank you very much for joining me this afternoon. Really appreciate it. Again, as I've said before, the show will be posted later on as a recording. You'll be able to go on and watch the show as a recording on my podcast site here on Substack So take a look at that. If you missed part of the program, you can watch the whole thing. My thanks again to Everett Kelly, the head of the Federal Government Employees Union, and of course, to Michael Fanone and Harry Dunn. Really appreciate their time this afternoon. They really knocked it out of the park and again demonstrated the heart and the courage that they both have. In the meantime, thanks everybody for watching. I'll see you next time. Take care. Oh, I forgot to add. Still reporting from Washington, I'm Jim Acosta. All right, take care, everybody.