The Rob Carson Show: “Mary Walter’s Turkey Hangover Show”

Date: November 28, 2025
Host: Mary Walter (in for Rob Carson)
Featured Guests: Lt. Col. Tony Schaefer, Tony Kennett

Episode Overview

In this Friday-after-Thanksgiving episode, Mary Walter sits in for Rob Carson, delivering a lively, pointed, and at times humorous take on the latest headlines. The episode’s central theme is the intersection of national security, political rhetoric, and public accountability in the current American climate. Walter leads incisive discussions with Lt. Col. Tony Schaefer (retired intelligence and national security expert) and Tony Kennett (Daily Signal investigative columnist), exploring the fallout from a deadly attack involving a former Afghan CIA asset, judicial accountability, and the shifting political landscape—and how both media and political parties are responding.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. The D.C. National Guard Shooting: Vetting Failures & Political Ramifications

(Main segment with Lt. Col. Tony Schaefer, 02:35–19:50)

• Was It a Terrorist Attack?

  • Walter and Schaefer discuss whether the attack, which involved a former Afghan who once worked for the CIA and resulted in the deaths of National Guardsmen in D.C., constitutes terrorism.
  • Schaefer:

    “We now have a battlefront that's anywhere and everywhere… a terrorist act happening in Washington, D.C., when we even have overwhelming force on the streets.” (03:33)

• Vetting of Afghan Refugees After U.S. Withdrawal

  • Schaefer criticizes the post-withdrawal vetting process, linking current violence to systemic failures during the Biden administration’s Afghanistan exit, and highlighting how poor databases and lack of documentation rendered biometric screening largely ineffective.
  • Quote:

    “You have to have something to link that to. So did they scan the people and were the scanning successful? ...but it wasn't matching anything because there's nothing to match to.” (06:46)

• CIA Roles for Local Afghans

  • Brief primer on categories of Afghans recruited by the CIA: linguists, paramilitary ‘augmentees,’ and actual clandestine agents.
  • Schaefer suggests the perpetrator was likely a paramilitary who was useful in-country but never fully loyal.
  • Schaefer:

    “Just because you’re working for CIA, killing folks in Afghanistan … doesn’t mean they’re going to be loyal to you." (09:29)

• Radicalization, Political Rhetoric, and Responsibility

  • Walter raises the possibility that the attacker was radicalized after arrival, particularly in response to feeling abandoned in the U.S.
  • Schaefer politicizes responsibility, emphasizing Democratic policies and rhetoric as contributors, while dismissing efforts to blame the Trump administration.
  • Schaefer:

    "Nowhere that I can see is this the responsibility or fault of Donald Trump, which is what the left's trying to say right now." (11:33)

2. Political Class Accountability & ‘The Ruling Class’

(13:50–19:50)

• Walter’s Cynicism:

  • Expresses doubt that high-profile political actors (esp. Democrats) will be held accountable, arguing the system’s inherent bias in their favor.
  • Walter:

    “They got two things protecting them. Number one, they're Democrats and number two, they're part of the ruling class. So they're above the law.” (15:25)

• Schaefer’s Perspective:

  • Describes Defense Department willingness to hold individuals to account (possible administrative penalties) but characterized the situation as unprecedented and fraught.

3. Coincidence or Conspiracy? The Role of Deep State

(17:23–19:50)

• Slotkin’s ‘Prediction’ and the Nature of Coincidence:

  • Senator Slotkin (former CIA) had predicted a violent incident weeks prior; both Walter and Schaefer muse on the significance.
  • Quote:

    “One of the first things you learn in spy school, there's no such thing as coincidence. … How does this former CIA Afghan asset turn up in Washington about three weeks after another CIA asset talks about an event about to happen?" (18:02, Schaefer)

• Deep State Desperation:

  • Schaefer voices his mistrust of the intelligence community, suggesting that as it loses power, it may resort to desperate measures.
  • Quote:

    “The Deep State has gotten more and more desperate. … The more they lose power and control, the more desperate they're going to get.” (19:14, Schaefer)

4. Judicial Overreach, Accountability, and Societal Consequences

(Tony Kennett segment, 22:12–29:49)

• Judicial ‘Resistance’ and the Intractability of the Justice System:

  • Discussion about cases in which judges dismiss charges against individuals involved in anti-ICE and anti-police violence, linking it to broader themes of progressive judicial activism.
  • Walter:

    “They cannot be held accountable. … They can be as wrong as they want… and there is zero blowback on the judge.” (25:38)

• Potential for Vigilante Retribution:

  • Kennett expresses concern that a lack of legal accountability for judicial malfeasance could drive individuals to seek retribution through violence, referencing historical cycles of extra-legal justice.
  • Kennett:

    “Eventually you will find people who take matters into their own hand… unless these judges start acting with respect, then there is no other way.” (26:38)

• Two-Tier Justice and Cultural Pessimism:

  • Both agree America now has a bifurcated system: lenience for the powerful or privileged (especially those labeled 'oppressed' or holding political clout), harsher justice for ordinary citizens or conservatives.

5. Media Narratives, Generational Shifts, and Trump’s Masculinity

(31:02–39:28)

• Media’s Biden/Trump Coverage and Generational Cynicism:

  • Walter plays a clip of MSNBC’s Katie Tur acknowledging Trump’s stamina exceeds Biden’s, noting how rare it is for mainstream media to give even faint credit.
  • Kennett:

    “They still get to...waltz out when it's time for the young progressives to stroll in who also hated Joe Biden…then they'll pretend, ‘We've always been honest about age.’” (34:28)

• Democrats’ Struggles with Young & Male Voters

  • Walter and Kennett discuss the increasing difficulty Democrats have in connecting with young men, and how their efforts to promote masculinity look inauthentic.
  • Walter:

    “They thought Jazz Hands Waltz with the high kicks was alpha. And we're like, maybe for you guys, because he's not wearing skinny jeans and a man bun, but that doesn't make him alpha.” (37:03)

  • Kennett:

    “There’s an aspect of Donald Trump as a person who's very self-confident because of how he was raised and his wealth and also experience as an entertainer. … When you put those things together, you get some genuinely good products.” (37:58)

• No End in Sight

  • Both express uncertainty and cynicism over possible “off-ramps” to the country’s current divisiveness.
  • Kennett:

    “Once you get to retribution style violence, there's no way it stops. … Where is the actual—how do we turn away from this? … I can’t see another way out of this.” (29:33)

Notable Quotes & Key Moments (with Timestamps)

• Schaefer on Vetting and Databases:

  “You have to have something to link [the scans] to. … it wasn’t matching anything because there’s nothing to match to.” (06:46)

• Walter on Ruling Class Immunity:

  “They got two things protecting them. Number one, they're Democrats and number two, they're part of the ruling class. So they're above the law.” (15:25)

• Kennett on Judicial Consequences:

  “Eventually you will find people who take matters into their own hand… unless these judges start acting with respect, then there is no other way.” (26:38)

• Schaefer on Coincidence and ‘Deep State’:

  “One of the first things you learn in spy school, there's no such thing as coincidence… How does this former CIA Afghan asset turn up in Washington about three weeks after another CIA asset talks about an event about to happen?” (18:02)

• Kennett on Men and Political Parties:

  “The Democrat party doesn't get that [masculinity] because that would involve being positive and joyful, and they're too busy going through aggressive menopause, so now they're stuck in that hell.” (39:00)

Flow, Tone, and Style

• Casual, Direct, Humor-Infused:
  • Both Mary Walter and her guests blend pointed political critique with humor and cultural references.
• Cynical and Pessimistic:
  • Recurring theme: institutions (media, justice system, political parties) are fundamentally broken or compromised.
• Rapid Fire, Spontaneous:
  • Guests respond improvisationally, revealing both depth of knowledge and willingness to “riff” on news and cultural trends.

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Show Introduction & Guest Lineup: (01:24–02:42)
• Lt. Col. Tony Schaefer Interview – Afghan Vetting Scandal: (02:42–13:50)
• Political Accountability & Deep State Conspiracy: (13:50–19:50)
• (BREAK/Ads skipped)
• Tony Kennett Interview – Judicial Issues and Public Retribution: (22:12–29:49)
• Media Narratives, Politics, and Masculinity: (31:02–39:28)

Summary Takeaways

• The Rob Carson Show’s “Turkey Hangover” edition dives deep into the national security fallout from the Afghanistan withdrawal, with a strong critique of federal bureaucracy and political motivations.
• Walter and her guests’ skepticism of mainstream narratives fuels lively speculation about government motives and media complicity.
• Discussions on the judicial system reveal bleak expectations for reform and a warning about vigilante “justice” if institutions fail.
• Cultural and political observations about generational and gender dynamics highlight current partisan and social fractures.
• Despite the dark tenor, the episode maintains its trademark humor and rapid interplay, creating an engaging and provocative listening experience.