Dearborn 'Sad Faces' for the Ayatollah, Hezbollah Inspired Michigan Man & Democrats’ Cash Pipeline at Risk Week In Review

Summary

Verdict with Ted Cruz – "Dearborn 'Sad Faces' for the Ayatollah, Hezbollah Inspired Michigan Man & Democrats’ Cash Pipeline at Risk: Week In Review" (April 4, 2026)

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Episode Overview

This "Week in Review" episode of Verdict with Ted Cruz, hosted by Senator Ted Cruz and Ben Ferguson, covers three major topics:

1. The response of a Michigan Senate candidate to the killing of Iran’s Ayatollah and its implications for Democratic politics.
2. The underreported story of a Hezbollah-inspired synagogue attack in Michigan, and larger concerns about immigration and security vetting.
3. A bombshell New York Times report on Democratic fundraising giant ActBlue’s alleged acceptance of foreign money, and what it could mean for the 2026 election.

Throughout, the hosts highlight what they see as radical shifts in Democratic Party politics, media bias, national security failures, and potentially game-changing developments in campaign finance. The tone is urgent, combative, and rich in political commentary.

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1. Democrats and the 'Sad Faces' for the Ayatollah in Dearborn

Key Points & Discussion

• Michigan Senate Candidate Abdul El-Sayed’s Private Remarks:
  The episode begins with audio and analysis from a Michigan Senate candidate, Abdul El-Sayed, who is hesitant to comment on the death of Iran’s Ayatollah because “a lot of people in Dearborn... are sad today” (05:46–06:01).
• Broader Concerns:
  Cruz and Ferguson argue that this is symptomatic of a growing wing within the Democratic Party that is sympathetic to anti-American and Islamist views.
• Political Calculus & PR Strategy:
  The leaked conversation reveals a strategy to divert from questions on Iran by smearing Trump (“pedophile president... decides to take us into another war”) and pivoting to criticisms of US and Israeli policy (06:55–07:09).
• Attack on Israel/Jews as a Political Strategy:
  Cruz suggests that attacking Israel and Jewish people is "a winning strategy in a Democrat primary in Michigan" and several other places, citing Ilhan Omar and AOC as examples (10:19–10:34).

Notable Quotes

• On political cynicism:

  “Mandani is part of a broader movement of America-hating Islamists who are taking over the Democrat Party.”
  — Ted Cruz (05:03)

• On the candidate's discomfort:

  “Doesn’t even want to touch this butcher and killer and murderer of Americans because there’s a lot of people that he wants to vote for him in Dearborn that are sad today.”
  — Ben Ferguson (06:01)

• On media and political response:

  “The cynicism of it is, only works because the media is corrupt.”
  — Ted Cruz (07:33)

• On Democratic Party dynamics:

  “His strategy is simple. Attack Israel, attack the Jews. Like that is his strategy… That may be a winning strategy in a Democrat primary in Michigan.”
  — Ted Cruz (10:19)

Timestamps

• [05:46] – Abdul El-Sayed remarks about Dearborn’s reaction to Ayatollah’s death
• [06:55] – Plan to pivot by attacking Trump
• [08:00] – Discussion of moral “high ground” and media handling
• [10:12] – Attacking an APAC-backed Democratic opponent

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2. The Hezbollah-Inspired Synagogue Attack in Michigan

Key Points & Discussion

• The Attack & Its Motivations:
  The hosts discuss a recent attack where a man drove a truck into a synagogue in West Bloomfield, Michigan, home to over 100 children at the time. The attacker was inspired by Hezbollah and carried gasoline and fireworks to enhance the explosion (21:51–23:12).
• Media Framing:
  Ferguson criticizes media coverage for describing the assailant simply as 'Michigan man,' obscuring his terrorist connections.
• Failures of Security & Vetting:
  The attacker, a naturalized U.S. citizen from Lebanon, was flagged in federal databases for ties to known or suspected terrorists, raising questions about vetting failures (23:13–24:15).
• Gun Purchase Red Flags:
  The attacker was denied purchase by two gun stores, which the hosts say is a major red flag for authorities that was missed (27:18–27:38).
• Policy Implications:
  Cruz ties the incident to the Biden administration’s border and immigration policies, blaming lack of proper vetting and criticizing Democrats for allegedly defunding the Department of Homeland Security (29:40–30:29).

Notable Quotes

• On the attacker’s motives:

  “He was trying to kill as many young children as he could… His brother was a commander for Hezbollah, so he was a terrorist. So Hezbollah terrorist in America unhappy that a different Hezbollah terrorist had been killed.”
  — Ted Cruz (21:51–22:58)

• On government and media failure:

  “Then why the hell was this guy let in the country in the first place? Why did they allow him in? Why did they naturalize him as a citizen?”
  — Ted Cruz (24:15)

• On gun store denials:

  “That is a massive red flag… If something doesn't feel right, you can say, I'm not going to sell you a gun.”
  — Ben Ferguson (27:18)

• On policy consequences:

  “We have covered at length the radical Islamic terrorists that the Biden administration allowed to flood into this country and the lack of vetting.”
  — Ted Cruz (29:40)

Timestamps

• [21:21] – Ben Ferguson introduces the story of the Michigan synagogue attack
• [21:51] – Ted Cruz details the incident and background
• [23:13] – Cruz and Ferguson question vetting failures
• [27:18] – Gun store refusals and missed red flags
• [29:40] – Political commentary on vetting and security

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3. ActBlue’s Foreign Money Scandal & Campaign Finance Fallout

Key Points & Discussion

• New York Times Reporting:
  The Times reports that fundraising platform ActBlue may have misled Congress about its vetting of foreign donations, raising the possibility of foreign money entering Democratic campaigns (34:22–35:56).
• Potential Legal and Political Fallout:
  ActBlue’s own lawyers warned the organization it could face criminal investigation if found to have accepted and concealed foreign contributions. A staff exodus and leadership crisis followed (36:02–36:45).
• Scale of Fundraising:
  ActBlue has processed nearly $19 billion since 2004; even a fraction of foreign contributions is a huge sum.
• The Stakes in 2026:
  The episode posits that if a criminal probe disrupts ActBlue’s operations, it could drastically limit Democratic fundraising heading into the 2026 elections, with profound national implications.

Notable Quotes

• On ACT Blue’s exposure:

  “This is actually a bombshell story that could potentially have very real consequences.”
  — Ted Cruz (35:19)

• On legal risk:

  “It can be alleged that ActBlue accepted and or facilitated the acceptance of foreign national contributions into American elections… it could be alleged that these violations were knowing and willful, a standard that both increases the penalties… and gives the Justice Department jurisdiction for a potential criminal investigation.”
  — Ted Cruz (38:07)

• On political consequences:

  “If ActBlue has committed criminal conduct laundering foreign money into American elections, and if they actively covered it up... that could be more than sufficient for the Department of Justice to shut ActBlue down.”
  — Ted Cruz (41:46)

Timestamps

• [34:22] – Ben Ferguson introduces ActBlue story
• [35:56] – ActBlue scale and core details
• [36:45] – NYT and Covington memos
• [38:07] – Legal implications quoted
• [41:46] – Potential for shutdown and political impact

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Memorable Moments

• Quick quiz on Jeffrey Epstein’s Bill Clinton painting:

  “What painting did Jeffrey Epstein have hanging in his living room in New York City?”
  — Ted Cruz, with Ferguson quickly replying “Bill Clinton in a blue dress, isn’t that right?” (07:23–07:30)

• Cruz’s rare agreement with the Washington Post on energy security:

  “I'm going to say something I don't know that I've ever said before. I agree wholeheartedly with the Washington Post.”
  — Ted Cruz (17:30)

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Episode Structure & Flow

• [03:49] – Episode content begins; quick rundown of stories
• [05:03–11:21] – Michigan Senate candidate, Dearborn reaction, Democratic politics, Ayatollah
• [11:21–17:32] – Analysis of Washington Post editorial on energy policy (brief)
• [21:21–31:29] – Hezbollah-inspired synagogue attack, security vetting failures, gun purchase
• [34:22–42:46] – ActBlue fundraising controversy, legal and political implications

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Summary Takeaways for Non-Listeners

• The hosts use three news stories to allege a pattern in the Democratic Party of appeasement to radical elements, failure to protect US security, and a corrupt funding apparatus.
• They frame the Democratic Party as increasingly beholden to radical pro-Islamist, anti-Israel, and even anti-American sentiments.
• The synagogue attack in Michigan is cited as a direct consequence of failed vetting and border security.
• The ActBlue scandal is cast as a potentially election-altering event with serious legal risks, emphasizing the foreign influence concern for US elections.
• Tone is ideological, alarmist, and highly critical of all opposition.

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For full context and deeper analysis, refer to these parts of the episode:

• El-Sayed's Dearborn comments [05:46]
• Hezbollah synagogue attack details [21:51–24:15]
• ActBlue legal memo implications [35:56–38:07]

This summary captures the political thrust, argumentation, and memorable moments of this combative, news-driven episode.

Transcript

[Ted Cruz]

This is an iHeart podcast.

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[Ted Cruz]

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[Ben Ferguson]

It is Verdict with Ted Cruz, the Weekend Review, Ben Ferguson with you. And here are some of the big stories that you may have missed that we talked about this week. First up, a Michigan candidate is now saying that in Dearborn, the people there may be sad because the ayatollah in Iran was killed. So therefore he doesn't want to talk about it. We'll have that story in a moment. Also, the synagogue attacker was attacking. Now we've learned on behalf of Hezbollah that that happening in Michigan. And why is the media not covering it at all? And finally, the big Democratic organization, Act Blue, there's a very good chance they could be investigated. The New York Times is now reporting for what we explain it all. It's the WEEKEND Review and it starts right now. If you think Mandani is like a one off, you're wrong. And if you want proof of it and how concerned you should all be over these types of individuals. Let's take a look at the Michigan Senate candidate that avoids discussing Iran because, quote, there's a lot of people in Dearborn who are sad that we took out the ayatollah. Like, this is not just Mandani, folks. This is the Democratic Party growing very quickly in this.

[Ted Cruz]

Yeah. Look, some listeners, particularly listeners who are skeptical when I said Mandani was sad the ayatollah was killed, might have said, gosh, that's too harsh. He's not really. That's Putting too much. Well, Mandani is part of a broader movement of America hating Islamists who are taking over the Democrat Party. And in Michigan, you've got a candidate for U.S. senate, a guy named Abdul El Sayed. And interestingly enough, he was caught on tape strategizing what to say about the Iran war. And, and I'll tell you what, how about I don't put words in his mouth? Ben doesn't put words in his mouth. Let's listen to the words that came out of his own mouth. Give a listen.

[Unidentified Guest/Contributor]

So this is going to destabilize reason. I also want to remind you guys that there are a lot of people in Dearborn who are sad today. So, like, I just don't want to comment on Kumani at all. Like, I, I don't think it's worth

[Ben Ferguson]

even touching that, doesn't even want to touch this, this, this butcher and killer and murder of Americans because there's a lot of people that he wants to vote for him in Dearborn that are sad today.

[Ted Cruz]

And by the way, you hear his staffers. Oh, yeah, yeah. I mean, they all know that this is no secret. Why are the people in Dearborn sad? They're sad for the same reason Mandani is sad, because far too many of them are Islamists who cheer for the Islamists who want to kill Americans. And you know, this Michigan Senate candidate, you know, talk about cynical. Listen to his strategy rather than talk about US national security, rather than talk about killing terrorists, rather than talk about keeping America safe. What do you think he wants to do instead? Well, again, don't take my word for it. Give a listen to his strategy rather than address U.S. national security.

[Unidentified Guest/Contributor]

And I'm just going to go straight to pedophilia. Frankly, I should be like, pedophile president probably decides that he doesn't like the front page news, so he decides to take us into another war. There was a time when you all were talking about America first. This seems to be to be America last.

[Ben Ferguson]

There it is. Like we're just going to make up stuff, lie about the present and do this. And that'll be our pivot from us actually having to talk about what's happening in Iran. Because I don't want to upset the Islamists that support, you know, support the Ayatollah.

[Ted Cruz]

By the way, quick question. What painting did Jeffrey Epstein have hanging in his living room in New York City?

[Ben Ferguson]

It was Bill Clinton in a blue dress, isn't that right?

[Ted Cruz]

And red pumps. He literally had a painting of Bill Clinton on his wall. He was an original friend of Bill, Bill Clinton practically had his own seat on the LEDA Express. And yet the Democrats just scream, okay, let's just call Trump a pedophile. It's pure. But, but the cynicism of it, the cynicism of it is, only works because the media is corrupt. Listen to what else this Democrat Senate candidate had to say.

[Unidentified Guest/Contributor]

Like we have the moral high ground here. I think the more we stay out of, like they're going to try and bait us into saying, yeah, but isn't it justified now that they took him out?

[Ted Cruz]

Right.

[Unidentified Guest/Contributor]

And I just think that's what we got prepped for.

[Ben Ferguson]

We got to prep for it. We got to prep for taking out a murderous terrorists in Iran that says he wants to blow up and kill innocent Americans who already has, and Israel. And they're like, we got to prep for this, guys. This is a big PR nightmare for us. What are we going to do now?

[Ted Cruz]

Well, there is one other Democrat strategy. One, they scream pedophile and attack Trump. But there's a second Democrat strategy because if they don't want to actually talk about protecting America and killing terrorists, what they do instead is their old refuge. Well, again, listen, rather than let me characterize it, I mean, the talking about doing this in Israel's issue always just makes me a little nervous.

[Unidentified Guest/Contributor]

I figured as much. I can, I can, I can shade away from it, but when I, if I'm going to take the shot, I can't just allude to it. I got to take the whole shot. Which means that I'm going to say, look, you've got a PAC backed honors people who now don't want just to empower Congress to step up and enforce its own prerogative. Ask yourself who that benefits and why. Ask yourself how powerful that force is in our politics if they won't even stand up to a president who's making illegal and unjustified war. Yeah.

[Ted Cruz]

Making a legal war in order to distract us, you know.

[Unidentified Guest/Contributor]

Yeah, yeah, I think that, I think

[Ted Cruz]

it's, that shot is fine. I just think that it should always be coupled with the affordability argument. Like I think the danger here is just getting too caught up in the like high level politics of it and

[Ben Ferguson]

not, not spending enough time with the people in Michigan.

[Unidentified Guest/Contributor]

This is going to come up with what's her name? With Welch.

[Ted Cruz]

Yes, it will.

[Unidentified Guest/Contributor]

She's going to be hot on this and she's going to, she's going to bait me into the Israel stuff. And if I'm going to take the shot I got to set it. I got to set up the whole shot. That's the thing. You know what I mean? Like, look, I'm running against an APAC back Democratic congresswoman. And you know what her statement was? We're perfectly okay with this war. He should have asked us first.

[Ben Ferguson]

It's amazing how much sustain he has, by the way, for Jewish people in Israel. Right? Like, just. You can hear it there in his voice. He's like, we're dealing with.

[Ted Cruz]

His strategy is simple. Attack Israel, attack the Jews. Like that is his strategy. And you know what? In Dearborn, the same people who, as he put it, are, quote, sad that the Ayatollah who chanted death to America is no longer able to pay terrorists to kill Americans. Those are the same people that when you attack Israel and attack Jews, they get excited and vote for you. And you know what's really terrifying? That may be a winning strategy in a Democrat primary in Michigan. It obviously was a winning strategy in a Democrat primary in New York City. It was a winning strategy for Ilhan Omar. It was a winning strategy for aoc. It was a winning strategy for Rashida Tlaib. This is the base of the Democrat Party. And if you have any serious question about how do you protect America against radical Islamic terrorists who want to kill us. Yeah, like the Hezbollah terrorist in Michigan that we started this podcast talking about. Today's Democrat Party has nothing to say about it.

[Ben Ferguson]

Nothing. I want to move to this last story. It is April 1st. April fools. But this story is not a joke. We're not Babylon being you here, Senator. This is actually a real story that has come out. And it's amazing. From the Washington Post talking about the Iran conflict, showing why energy dominance is so important. You can't make this up. I mean, wow.

[Ted Cruz]

So this is a real editorial in the Washington Post, and it's an editorial from the paper itself. It's not a guest columnist. It is entitled three Cautionary Tales from the Iran Energy Shock. Never confuse good intentions with good planning. And here's what the Washington Post editorial board has to say. Roughly 28 million tons of liquefied natural gas have disappeared from global markets since the closure of the Strait of Hormuz and damage to Qatar's export terminals. Analysts predict the shortfall could last years. While every energy importer will feel the pinch, not every one of them will feel it equally. Germany, Taiwan, and California are cautionary tales. All three have had their politics shaped by green movements, and all three are more vulnerable for it. When environmentalists came to power, they forced the premature retirement of nuclear reactors, coal plants and oil refineries. They calculated that the planet's needs demanded it and that global markets would fill the gap. All three polities are now frantically reversing course. But energy sources can't be rebuilt overnight. Germany's Green Party was founded in 1980 as an anti nuclear movement. When it first entered coalition government in 1998, its price of admission was nuclear phaseout. It re entered government in 2021 in time to oversee the shuttering of Germany's last three reactors in 2023. The Greens also pioneered the phasing out of the country's coal plants. That Germany sits atop 35 billion tons billion tons of lignite did not enter into their calculations. Germany bet big on solar and wind, but intermittent renewables can't ensure a consistent supply. That left LNG filling the gap. Last week, Energy Minister Katharina Reich called the nuclear shutdown, quote, a huge mistake. With spot prices for LNG sharply up, the government is now looking at restoring coal plants it retired in the past. Germany has imported nuclear generated electricity from France when squeezed. So notice the Green Party. The effect of them is to go back to coal generation and to increase pollution. All right, let's continue and see what the Washington Post has to say about Taiwan. Taiwan's Democratic Progressive Party codified Anton anti nuclear dogma into its founding Charter in 1986. Its arch rival, the nationalist and at the time authoritarian Kumanting Kuomintang, wisely built nuclear power plants as part of a breakneck industrialization program. When the DPP won power in 2016, it legislated a quote nuclear free homeland and began retiring the country's coal plants. Phasing out coal made sense. Replacing nuclear with lng much less so like Germany, Taiwan can't rely solely on renewables. Taiwan has virtually no domestic fossil fuels, and without nuclear, it has to import 97% of its energy by sea. Last week, the DPP reversed course and announced plans to restart the reactors. All right, how about the People's Republic of California led by Comrade Gavin Newsom? In California, environmental regulations have achieved something remarkable. They have severed the state's gasoline market from the rest of the country. Unique fuel blend mandates mean no other state's gasoline is compatible with California's other onerous regulations. Emission fines, profit caps, Drilling restrictions have driven refiners out. And there are no inbound pipelines for crude or refined products. Now gas is approaching $6 a gallon. Yep, with no domestic replacement, California became dependent on gasoline imports from Asian refineries. Which are now cutting shipments because the Strait of Hormuz is closed. As Chevron's refining chief Andy Waltz recently put it, quote the California intent to offshore carbon to other nations has offshored their security of supply. Chevron has warned that it could leave California entirely within a decade unless regulations change. By the way, Chevron was a California company. They moved to Texas in the last year because the California loonies drove them out. Yeah, and here's what the Washington Post closes with. The error in Germany, Taiwan and California was confusing good intentions with good planning and assuming a stable global energy market would always be there to paper over the difference. The Iran war shows it won't. The governments best situated to weather this energy shock are not the greenest, but the ones that treated energy as a national security interest and diversified their supply responsibly I'm going to say something I don't know that I've ever said before. I agree wholeheartedly with the Washington Post.

[Ben Ferguson]

Now, if you want to hear the rest of this conversation, you can go back and listen to the full podcast from earlier this week.

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[Ben Ferguson]

now on to story number two. All right, Senator, so let's get to this first big story here. And this is one of the ones that concerns me so much about what is happening in this country right now. We've also seen this happen in Europe and we are now seeing that there are more attacks. We're seeing churches that are being burned around the world and we're now seeing this synagogue attacker that attacked on behalf of Hezbollah. It happened right here in Michigan. We know a lot more now than we did before.

[Ted Cruz]

Yeah, you remember when this story broke when the man drove his truck into the synagogue that was also a school. There were over 100 kids there. He was trying to kill as many young children as he could. The media coverage, they referred to him as Michigan Man. It was reminiscent of Maryland Man. The guy who was the MS.13, gang banger and human trafficker. That was just a Maryland man who for some reason was deported. No one could imagine why. Well, here it was, Michigan Man. And then they had all this sympathetic coverage. Michigan man was. Was upset that his brother had been killed in the Middle East. What they didn't mention is his brother was a commander for Hezbollah, and so he was a terrorist. So Hezbollah terrorist in America unhappy that a different Hezbollah terrorist had been killed. And so he tried to kill as many children, as many Jews as possible. Here are the details. Uh, the attack earlier this month. This is from cnn. On a synagogue in West Bloomfield, Michigan, was a, quote, Hezbollah inspired act of terrorism purposely targeting the Jewish community and the largest Jewish temple in Michigan. The FBI said a news conference on Monday. The assailant. I'm in. Ghazali was a naturalized US Citizen from Lebanon. Now, put a pin in that. That we need to change our vetting for naturalized citizens.

[Ben Ferguson]

Yeah.

[Ted Cruz]

He rammed a pickup truck into the synagogue on March 12 as more than 100 children were attending school inside. After waiting in the synagogue's parking lot for more than two hours, authorities said Ghazali drove the truck far into the building, hitting a security officer. Before the vehicle became wedged in a hallway, security officers for the synagogue began exchanging gunfire with Ghazali, who eventually shot and killed himself inside the truck. During the chaos, the truck's engine compartment caught fire and caused extension extensive damage to the building. The truck was filled with over $2,000 of commercial grade fireworks and about 35 gallons of gasoline, which he used to enhance the explosion. No one else was killed. One of the temple's lead security officers was injured after being hit by the vehicle. Had he lived, he would have been charged with providing material support to Hezbollah, the Iranian backed terrorist group in Lebanon, said Jerome Gorgon, the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan. Gorgon added that Ghazali was inspired by Hezbollah propaganda to carry out the attack. Quote, this man acted under Hezbollah's direction and control. He intended to kill others, not just himself. In the days after the attack, US Officials said Gazali was located in federal government databases as having connections to, quote, known or suspected terrorists associated with Hezbollah. Stop there for a second. So they searched the databases. The databases showed that he had connections to known or suspected terrorists. Then why the hell was this guy let in the country in the first place? Why did they allow him in? Why did they naturalize him as a citizen? I have a feeling that information in the databases didn't magically appear in the last 15 months. It's been there a long time. It's just prior administrations didn't care. We didn't get to the bottom of that. A week prior to the attack, members of Ghazali's family in Lebanon, including two brothers, were killed in an Israeli airstrike as the US And Israel entered its second week of conflict with Iran. Now, this is where the media clutch their pearls. Well, his brother was killed. So naturally, when your brother's killed, what you do is try to murder a hundred kids. That's that. That, that's the normal reaction to that. But then here's the killer paragraph that follows. The Israeli, Israeli military said one of the brothers, Ibrahim Mohammed Ghazali, was a Hezbollah commander in charge of managing weapons operations in the Iranian proxy groups Batter unit. Gazali began planning for the attack days earlier, the FBI said. With his plans intensifying on March 9, a review of Gazali's online activity dating to January. January was before the war in Iran started. Yep. Showed repeated searches for pro Hezbollah and Iranian news outlets, as well as videos related to gunfire and ammunition. Beginning March 9, the FBI said he closely followed speeches and live coverage involving Hezbollah Secretary General Naim Qassem, along with reporting about an Iranian fatwa, a religious ruling concerning Islamic law calling for total jihad against the US Military. He also researched Jewish cultural education and religious centers throughout the Detroit metro area, viewing multiple pages of upcoming events at Temple Israel and search specific terms and phrases such as the largest gathering of Israelis in Michigan Orthodox synagogues and Israelis near me that day. After two people declined to sell him a weapon, Ghazali bought an AR15 style rifle, 10 magazines and about 300 rounds of ammunition at a gun store in Dearborn Heights. Runyon said. Now, it's interesting that two stores declined to sell it to him, and yet the one in Dear Born was willing to. I think that's something else. You've owned a gun store.

[Ben Ferguson]

I was going to say that is a massive red flag. Like, if you turn down somebody and there's two stores, they clearly like, we're doing their jobs, by the way. Gun stores.

[Ted Cruz]

And so tell us, as someone who's owned a gun store, like, like this guy goes in and says, I want to buy an ar. Why would, why would A gun store say no.

[Ben Ferguson]

Yeah, there's a couple of reasons. One, you profile and you can see if someone seems angry or agitated. You can also, uh, you, you're supposed to be looking to see if an individual you think is doing a straw purchase, which means they're buying for someone else illegally. Uh, you'll see that happen a lot of times with wives that will come in, their husband would be a felon, or someone that's disqualified from only a weapon or a friend will come in. We, we, you'll see people that walk in the store, they'll look at a gun, they'll take a picture of it, they'll leave, and then literally 30 seconds later, a minute later, someone comes in and tries to buy the exact gun that you just showed to someone else. Like, there's multiple things that you look for here, but then there's also conversations if you see that someone comes in. And by the way, if you believe that they're drunk or high or on some sort of drug, you can refuse. And if you just have a really bad feeling, if something doesn't feel right, you can say, I'm not going to sell you a gun. And you have the rise of store owner to do that. But when you hear that two gun stores did this, that says. And most. Yeah, that says a lot because something there I would love to see and go back and, and, and here because I'm sure there's going to be an interview. What was it? And then were the authorities alerted to this? And yet a third store was able to sell them the gun and they didn't check in on that afterwards. That also is very concerning.

[Ted Cruz]

Yeah, the, the story continues. He practiced shooting the new weapon the next day and bought the fireworks. An order of dozens of water containers arrived on the 11th day before the attack, and he immediately started filling them with gasoline, making four trips to gas stations so he would not arouse suspicion. He also bought two torch lighters, which authorities believed he used to set his truck on fire. On the day of the attack, Ghazali sent his sister, who authorities believe lives in Lebanon, numerous videos and messages affirming his Hezbollah inspired ideology. Ten minutes before he drove his truck into the synagogue, Ghazali sent his sister two videos in Arabic indicating that he was at the largest gathering of Israelis in the state of Michigan, had booby trapped his car and would forcibly enter and start shooting people. The FBI said, God willing, I will kill as many of them as I possibly can. Ghazali recorded himself saying, according to Runyan. Look These are the kind of threats we're facing. By the way, this podcast covered when the Iranian fatwa went out and we have covered at length the radical Islamic terrorists that the Biden administration allowed to flood into this country and the lack of vetting. And tragically, all of this happened at the same time. We had the Department of Homeland Security shut down because the Democrats have defunded it. And I'm sorry to say this guy is not the last radical Islamic terrorist left in the country. And yet Senate Democrats do not seem to care at all.

[Ben Ferguson]

Well, let's go back in time just a little bit to remind people this was part of what President Trump had said we need to do, which was to go back into vet.

[Ted Cruz]

Yes.

[Ben Ferguson]

Can you give an update on that? And is some of that vetting stop because of DHS lack of funding and all these fights and the government shutdowns that have happened?

[Ted Cruz]

Well, some, some of that vetting would be happening at the State Department, some of it would be happening at dhs. And so I don't know the status of that vetting. We have not gotten a report. We obviously have a brand new Secretary of Homeland Security, Mark Wayne Mullen. By the way, I will point out every Democrat but two voted against confirming him. So their position is they don't want a secretary of dhs. And by the way, they all like Mark Wayne. He was a colleague in the Senate. They knew him, he was well liked on both sides of the aisle. It was not personal. They wouldn't vote to confirm Bugs Bunny as head of dhs. Their party is the Open Borders party. Anyone who is focused on securing the border, today's Democrats oppose as before.

[Ben Ferguson]

If you want to hear the rest of this conversation on this topic, you can go back and download the podcast from earlier this week to hear the entire thing.

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[Ben Ferguson]

the big story number three of the week you may have missed. All right, center. There was something very interesting that happened this week. No one was really covering it. The New York Times, however, did report on this that that radical leftist organization Act Blue may have misled Congress on, and I'm quoting here, vetting foreign donations. Its lawyers said so just to be clear. Another example of Democrats taking foreign interference. Something I thought they were totally against in our elections and our in our laws. But yeah, not on this one. Apparently foreign dollars coming in and they may not have vetted the money at all.

[Ted Cruz]

So in a shocking development, rain fell upwards, fish began flying, birds began swimming.

[Ben Ferguson]

Yes.

[Ted Cruz]

And the New York Times actually reported news.

[Ben Ferguson]

Do we do a golf club for that? Like Little Masters Golf Club?

[Ted Cruz]

It is shocking, this story. And this is actually a bombshell story that could potentially have very real consequences. It's in the New York Times. The headline is ActBlue may have misled Congress on vetting foreign donations. Its lawyers warned. So understand the source of this is Covington and Burling, which is a blue chip law firm in D.C. that where Joe Biden's former White House counsel was the lawyer for Act Blue. And Act Blue is a powerhouse. It has raised billions and billions of dollars for Democrats.

[Ben Ferguson]

Say that again. People need to understand not millions billion dollars raids just for Democrats.

[Ted Cruz]

They flood money. And they have all of these donors who their credit card information is set in there on auto contribute month after month after month and it just floods cash. Now here's what the New York Times reported. The Democratic fundraising group is facing investigations from the Justice Department and congressional Republicans ahead of midterm elections. In early 2025, a law firm working for ActBlue, the Democratic fundraising behemoth, delivered the organization a startling warning. The firm concluded that Act Blues chief executive had given a potentially misleading response to congressional Republican investigators in a 2023 letter explaining how the organization vetted donations to ensure that they were not illegally coming from foreign citizens. Quote, this presents a substantial risk for ACT Blue, the law firm Covington and Burling wrote in one of the two memos. One memo raised the specter of criminal investigation of Prosecutors believed that ActBlue had tried to conceal facts about its efforts to prevent foreign contributions. The memos instigated a meltdown at the highest levels of ActBlue, one of the Democratic Party's most vital financial organs. A series of top officials resigned in quick succession. ActBlue is now all but declaring war on its past lawyers. An extraordinary turn of events at a moment when President Trump has already ordered a Justice Department investigation into the organization. Democrats are nervous that any additional upheaval at ActBlue could destabilize the critical fundraising apparatus ahead of the midterm elections. All levels of Democratic candidates, from incumbent presidents to school board aspirants, use ActBlue to raise campaign money from online donors. The platform has processed. Get this number. Nearly 19 billion with a B billion dollars in contributions since its founding in 20 2004, building a donor database with millions of credit card numbers that is unmatched in American politics. Nearly 23,000 candidates and groups use the site in 2025. In one year, nearly 23,000 candidates and groups and raised almost $1.8 billion from 52 million contributions, some of which recur every month. And what is striking is the Covington memos said, and here's the really killer sentence, quote, it can be alleged that ActBlue accepted and or facilitated the acceptance of foreign national contributions into American elections. In addition, because ActBlue staff was aware that its system was not as robust as necessary, it could be alleged that these violations were knowing and willful, a standard that both increases the penalties the FEC might seek and gives the Justice Department jurisdiction for a potential criminal investigation. This is a big, big deal.

[Ben Ferguson]

Yeah, when you say big deal, and I'm, I'm a pessimist now, like a lot of people. And, and every time we see something like this happen, then it's like, all right, well, is there going to be people that go to jail and be arrested? And then it seems like nothing ever happens. So when you say this is a big, big deal, are you saying that there could actually genuinely be people that get in trouble for this, or is it just going to be like some little fine and we move on or even nothing at all?

[Ted Cruz]

Look, there could be people criminally prosecuted. There could be people going to jail, but that's not really the biggest consequence. The biggest consequence is if there's a criminal investigation. And this is, this is Covington and Burling, a big Democrat law firm, that was the lawyer for Act Blue, telling them, holy crap, you guys have screwed up and you've got real exposure. And then this is the New York Times, the official mouthpiece for the Democrats, reporting on it. The biggest political consequence would be if a criminal Investigation shuts down ActBlue between now and the election. Because Act Blue, if nothing else happens, Act Blue will raise billions of dollars for Democrats between now and November. And by the way, ActBlue's defense, one of their defense is, well, well, we, we, we. Less than 1% of contributions in 2024 were from foreign countries. Well, less than 1% out of $19 billion is a crap ton of money and it is illegal. And that dynamic. And I'll give you some other, other stats. So here, here's something Greg Price tweeted. With all the headwinds facing the gop, national Democrat groups have a serious fundraising problem going into the midterm. The DNC currently has more debt than cash on hand, while the RNC has over $100 million on hand. The SLF, CLF, NRCC, and NRSC, which are all the different committees on the Republican side, all have more cash than their Democrat counterparts. And now this, with ActBlue, the Democrat crown jewel of their fundraising. The big, big political consequence. If ActBlue has committed criminal conduct laundering foreign money into American elections, and if they actively covered it up, which is what Covington and Burling suggest there's evidence of, that could be more than sufficient for the Department of Justice to shut ACT Blue down. And if that money spigot is cut off from Democrat candidates in November, that has massive, massive consequences.

[Ben Ferguson]

And it shuts off the foreign money, right? That's also another big part of this. And so even if they try to morph into a new group, right? People eat that.

[Ted Cruz]

And by the way, look, the foreign money is not just some hypothetical specter. If you're the fact that if you're the Chinese, if you're the Russians, if you're the Iranians, if you're the Venezuelans, if you're the Cubans, it is objectively in your interest to have Democrats win in November. Donald Trump has made your life a living hell. And so you want Congress to declare war on President Trump. You want a Democrat House and Senate that impeaches the President, that investigates the president, that prevents the President from doing what he's done to the enemies of America.

[Ben Ferguson]

As always, thank you for listening to Verdict with Senator Ted Cruz, Ben Ferguson with you. Don't forget to download my podcast and you can listen to my podcast every other day. You're not listening to Verdict or each day when you listen to Verdict afterwards. I'd love to have you as a listener to again the Ben Ferguson Podcast and we will see you back here on Monday morning.

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[Martha Stewart]

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[Ted Cruz]

People don't listen to radio ads while you're driving or making a sandwich.

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[Ted Cruz]

So relax, let it take over.

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