FBI had TWENTY-SIX CONFIDENTIAL INFORMANTS at Jan 6 Riot plus Biden Admin Illegally Auctioning off Border Wall

Summary

Verdict with Ted Cruz - Episode Summary
Episode Title: FBI had TWENTY-SIX CONFIDENTIAL INFORMANTS at Jan 6 Riot plus Biden Admin Illegally Auctioning off Border Wall
Release Date: December 13, 2024
Host: Senator Ted Cruz & Co-Host Ben Ferguson
Produced By: Premiere Networks

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1. Introduction to Key Issues

In this episode of "Verdict with Ted Cruz," Senator Ted Cruz and co-host Ben Ferguson delve into two major controversies: the revelation that the FBI employed 26 confidential informants during the January 6th Capitol riot and the Biden administration's alleged attempt to auction off unused sections of the border wall at nominal prices. The hosts aim to uncover the implications of these actions on governmental transparency, accountability, and national security.

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2. FBI's Use of Confidential Informants on January 6th

Overview:
Cruz and Ferguson discuss the emerging details from the Department of Justice Inspector General's report, which disclosed that 26 FBI informants were present during the January 6th riot. The conversation centers on the roles these informants played and the potential overreach by the FBI.

Key Points:

• Informant Presence: Out of the 26 informants, three were explicitly assigned by the FBI, while the remaining 23 attended on their own initiative.
• Authorization Constraints: The report specifies that informants were not authorized to break laws or incite illegal acts, yet some actions suggest possible overstepping.
• Senator Cruz's Concern: Cruz expresses skepticism about the informants' motivations and the lack of accountability within the FBI, questioning the integrity of the investigation into January 6th.

Notable Quotes:

• Cruz (10:34): "The Democrats have the majority in the Senate, so no Democrat cares about the answer to this question."
• Ferguson (16:00): "I'm supposed to believe that over 20 FBI informants, just on their own accord, ... said, yeah, let's go to January 6th and just see what happens?"

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3. Accountability and Transparency within the FBI and DOJ

Overview:
The hosts critique the FBI and Department of Justice for their lack of transparency and perceived arrogance in handling inquiries related to their involvement in January 6th.

Key Points:

• Stonewalling Tactics: Ferguson recounts past instances where the FBI and DOJ have refused to provide clear answers to congressional inquiries.
• Bipartisan Issues: Cruz highlights that the lack of accountability is a longstanding, bipartisan problem within these institutions.
• Future Leadership Hopes: Optimism is expressed about incoming DOJ and FBI leaders, Pam Bondi and Cash Patel, respectively, who might restore transparency.

Notable Quotes:

• Ferguson (09:43): "The FBI behaves as if they are utterly unaccountable to Congress and to the American people."
• Cruz (10:34): "This is a problem that has extended. It's been a bipartisan problem."

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4. Biden Administration's Border Wall Auction Controversy

Overview:
The second major topic addresses the Biden administration's decision to sell unused border wall segments at auctions, purportedly to hinder President-Elect Trump's border security plans.

Key Points:

• Auction Details: Border wall sections are being sold for as low as $5 each, with significant quantities removed from key border areas.
• Texas' Response: Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick announces Texas' plan to purchase these wall segments and donate them to the incoming Trump administration, leveraging up to a billion dollars in state funds.
• Economic Implications: Cruz argues that selling the wall at such low prices forces future administrations to repurchase at higher costs, effectively wasting taxpayer money.

Notable Quotes:

• Ferguson (34:15): "This is just trying to make the American taxpayer suffer a little bit."
• Dan Patrick (35:43): "I will bid on all of that wall and we will buy it in Texas and we will give it to Donald Trump."
• Cruz (39:01): "If you sell $40,000 police cars for five bucks apiece, that is theft from the taxpayers."

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5. Implications for National Security and Governance

Overview:
Cruz and Ferguson analyze how these actions undermine national security efforts and erode public trust in governmental institutions.

Key Points:

• Entrapment Concerns: The potential of FBI informants encouraging illegal acts without official authorization raises questions about entrapment and overreach.
• Border Security Impact: The sale of border wall segments undermines the electorate's mandate for border security, reflecting a broader disrespect for voter intentions.
• Public Trust in FBI: The FBI's credibility has significantly declined, with public polls indicating a majority lack faith in the institution.

Notable Quotes:

• Cruz (16:24): "Nobody has the right to steal from the federal government."
• Ferguson (23:45): "The American people... say they do not have faith in the FBI. That is a travesty."

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6. Concluding Remarks and Call to Action

Overview:
In their closing statements, Cruz and Ferguson emphasize the need for accountability and encourage listeners to stay informed and engaged.

Key Points:

• Hope for Change: Optimism is expressed that new leadership in the DOJ and FBI will bring necessary reforms.
• Call for Investigation: The hosts urge the incoming administration to thoroughly investigate the decision-makers behind the border wall auctions.
• Engagement: Encouragement for listeners to share the podcast and remain vigilant about governmental transparency.

Notable Quotes:

• Cruz (37:58): "I am calling right now for the incoming administration to investigate every person that made the decision to steal from the American taxpayers."
• Ferguson (28:20): "I hope we get some answers to [the informants and border wall issues] as you're mentioning in this new administration."

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7. Humanitarian Efforts Amidst Political Turmoil

Overview:
Beyond political discourse, Senator Cruz highlights his partnership with the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews to support individuals in Israel facing wartime hardships.

Key Points:

• Support Initiatives: Donation drives for Hanukkah food boxes aim to provide essential needs and comfort to those affected by the ongoing conflict in the Holy Land.
• Call to Action: Listeners are encouraged to donate through supportifcj.org to extend hope and assistance during the holiday season.

Notable Quotes:

• Cruz (04:39): "Give the gift of hope and answered prayers this holiday season. Go to supportifcj.org to donate."

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Conclusion

This episode of "Verdict with Ted Cruz" presents a critical examination of the FBI's involvement in the January 6th Capitol riot and the Biden administration's controversial handling of border wall materials. Through detailed analysis and notable discussions, Cruz and Ferguson underscore the pressing need for governmental accountability and reaffirm their commitment to upholding the rule of law and respecting the electorate's will.

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Note: Timestamps correspond to the provided transcript segments and are indicative of when specific quotes and discussions occur within the episode.

Transcript

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[Senator Ted Cruz]

Welcome. It is Verdict with Senator Ted Cruz, Ben Ferguson with you and Senator, I think we can just go ahead and start the show with a simple we told you so on this show a long time ago that there was in fact people that were working with the FBI in and around January 6th at the Capitol.

[Podcast Host]

You know, I got to say at this point it is getting striking. Everything that is decried as a conspiracy theory just a few months later is proven right. It wasn't that long ago where the media and Democrats were screaming. If you said the COVID virus escaped from the Wuhan lab in China, you were painted as a crazy conspiracy theorist until it was confirmed. Very likely to be true. It wasn't that long ago if you said, as we did on this podcast, that Joe Biden has deteriorated mentally severely and will not be the Democrat nominee for president in 2024. That was derided as a crazy conspiracy theory until again, it was proven right. And it wasn't that long ago that if you said that the FBI had confidential human sources, had undercover agents at the January 6 riots participating in those riots, as we did on this podcast, that was decried as a crazy conspiracy theory. All three of those statements verdict was ahead of the curve. We laid out the facts for them early on and now all three have been proven accurate. This week, the Inspector general of the Department of Justice revealed 26 FBI informants were present on January 6th. Multiple entered the Capitol and participated in the riots on that day. We're going to break all of that down and we're going to lay out how this podcast laid out the evidence long before it was now acknowledged publicly. We're also going to talk about how the Biden administration in the final days. It reminds me of you remember in the 1990s and the 2000, those films on cable of Girls Gone Wild?

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Oh, yeah.

[Podcast Host]

That is the Biden administration. They're drunk and screaming around like crazy and just pushing every crazy left wing theory that they have. And this is something that pisses me off. We're going to talk about the Biden administration is literally trying to auction off portions of the border wall that have not been constructed for as little as five bucks a piece. Why? Because they desperately don't want Trump to use it. So they're trying to basically rob the American taxpayers to keep an open border as long as possible. All of that is on today's podcast.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Yeah, we've got a lot to cover. It is the holiday season and this Christmas and Hanukkah season, it is a time of hope and peace for many of us. But for those in Israel facing the ongoing war, it is a time of fear and a lot of uncertainty. The hardships are felt by everyone, with many people struggling to afford food and basic necessities. During this holiday season, many living through the war in the Holy Land are grieving the loss of loved ones while also enduring isolation and hunger. We must not let them feel forgotten by the rest of the world. And that's why I'm proud to say I partner with the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews. Now, your special holiday gift to the fellowship helps provide a Hanukkah food box filled with basic necessities and essentials to bring nourishment, warmth and comfort to someone in need. So give the gift of hope and answered prayers this holiday season. Go to supportifcj.org to donate. Now that's support ifcj.org or you can call and give over the phone 888-488-IFCJ. That's 888-488-IFCj or 4325. So let's just go back in time to start with this FBI story center. And I think there's a lot of Americans now that are just livid. I want to go back to what we already knew. And the FBI's refusal to answer your question on this exact issue in 2023 told us everything we need to know, which has now basically become true. Now, set this up for everybody so they know who you're talking to before I hit play.

[Podcast Host]

Well, I'm here questioning a senior official from the FBI, Jill Sanborn, about what happened on January 6th, and I'm trying to get just some basic facts. And for a spoiler alert, the FBI, like the Department of Justice, both under Joe Biden, just stonewall. They refuse to answer anything. So listen back. This is over a year ago, and we're going to find out that everything I was asking about then, well, it's pretty much proven true today. Give a listen.

[Congressional Questioner]

How many FBI agents or confidential informants actively participated in the events of January 6th?

[Podcast Host]

Sir, I'm sure you can appreciate that I can't go into the specifics of sources and methods.

[Congressional Questioner]

Did any FBI agents or confidential informants actively participate in the events of January 6th? Yes or no?

[Podcast Host]

Sir, I can't. I can't answer that.

[Congressional Questioner]

Did any FBI agents or confidential informants commit crimes of violence on January 6th?

[Podcast Host]

I can't answer that, sir.

[Congressional Questioner]

Did any FBI agents or FBI informants actively encourage and incite crimes of violence on January 6th?

[Podcast Host]

Sir, I can't answer that.

[Congressional Questioner]

Ms. Sadburn, who is Ray Epps?

[Podcast Host]

I'm aware of the individual, sir. I don't have the specific background to him.

[Congressional Questioner]

Well, there are a lot of people who are understandably very concerned about Mr. Epps. On the night of January 5, 2021, Epps wandered around the crowd that had gathered, and there's video out there of him chanting, tomorrow we need to get into the Capitol. This was strange behavior, so strange that the crowd began chanting fed Fed. Fed.

[Podcast Host]

Fed. Fed.

[Congressional Questioner]

Fed. Ms. Sanborn, was Ray Epps a fed?

[Podcast Host]

Sir, I cannot answer that question.

[Congressional Questioner]

The next day, on January 6, Mr. Epps is seen whispering to a person. And five seconds later, five seconds after he's whispering to a person, that same person begins to forcibly tear down the barricades. Did Mr. Epps urge them to tear down the barricades?

[Podcast Host]

Sir, Similar to the other answers, I cannot answer that.

[Congressional Questioner]

Shortly thereafter, the FBI put out a public posting seeking information on individuals connected with violent crimes on January 6th. Among those individuals in the bottom there is Mr. Epps. The FBI publicly asked for information identifying, offering cash rewards, leading to information leading for information leading to the arrest. This was posted and then Sometime later, magically, Mr. Epps disappeared from the public posting. According to public records, Mr. Epps has not been charged with anything.

[Podcast Host]

No one's exchanged.

[Congressional Questioner]

Explained why a person videoed urging people to go to the Capitol, a person whose conduct was so suspect the crowd believed he was a Fed, would magically disappear from the list of people the FBI was looking at. Ms. Sanburn, a lot of Americans are concerned that the federal government deliberately encouraged illegal and violent conduct on January 6th. My question to you, and this is, this is not an ordinary law enforcement question. This is a question of a public accountability. Did federal agents or those in service of federal agent actively encourage violent and criminal conduct on January 6th?

[Podcast Host]

Not to my knowledge, sir.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

So let me just ask the obvious question, Senator. What was the basis and how did the FBI, back when you were asking these questions and 2023 get away with not answering one of your questions?

[Podcast Host]

Well, unfortunately, particularly under Joe Biden, both the FBI and the DOJ behave as if they are utterly unaccountable to Congress and to the American people. So every time I ask the Department of Justice or I asked the FBI about anything, about their abuse of power, about their politicized enforcement of justice, about their weaponization, they stonewall. Often they will say, I don't know, I don't know, I don't know. That that has happened many times when you ask about them or they refuse to answer reasonable questions, or they do as they just. As they do just there. They just say they. They just stonewall. I can tell you.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Is that because they don't have to worry about, like, any, like, consequences. I mean, they go into the meeting clearly saying, if there's a question you don't want to answer, just don't answer it.

[Podcast Host]

So, yes, there are several reasons. Number one, under the Democrats, and remember, the Democrats have the majority in the Senate, right? Now, so no Democrat cares about the answer to this question. No Democrat asks these questions. No Democrat will enforce a subpoena. No Democrat will vote for a subpoena. No Democrat will do anything to impose consequences. But not only that, Merrick Garland and the entire Department of Justice and the FBI, I think they have an arrogance that they believe they don't answer to anyone. And I'll tell you, this is a problem that has extended. It's been a bipartisan problem. It's been a problem at DOJ and the FBI through Republican and Democrat administrations. I can tell you I spent over an hour today meeting with Keshe Patel, who's President Trump's nominee to run the FBI. I met previously with Pam Bondi, who's President Trump's nominee to be the Department of Justice. I am hopeful that both of them, I think both will be confirmed, and I'm hopeful that both of them will bring much, much greater transparency to the Department of Justice and FBI than we have seen under Joe Biden, that they will answer these questions. And based on the conversations I've had with them, I have real reason to be hopeful because they're telling me that they intend to substantially increase the transparency. I think that's an obligation. I can tell you I have had this conversation directly with Chris Wray repeatedly, and he views his job as, I've got to protect the FBI. And so when his people stonewall, he's just going to circle the wagons around them and try to protect their stonewalling. And I think there's an obligation, particularly on something such as the riots on January 6, where there is intense public concern what was the involvement of the federal government, of the FBI. And listen, we now know, not through any transparency from the FBI, but instead, the Inspector General of the Department of Justice, Michael Horowitz, put out a report. And the report concluded just this week that 26 FBI informants were present on January 6th in the crowd outside the Capitol. Only three were assigned by the FBI to be present for the event. And now the inspector general report stresses that none of the sources were authorized or directed by the Bureau to, quote, break the law or, quote, encourage others to commit illegal acts. Now, that's. They weren't authorized to do so. But what it doesn't say conclusively is they didn't do so. The report says, quote. Today's report also details our findings regarding FBI confidential human sources who were in Washington, D.C. on January 6th. Our review determined that none of these FBI confidential human sources was authorized by the FBI to enter the Capitol or restricted area or to otherwise break the law on January 6th. Nor was any confidential human source directed by the FBI to encourage others to commit illegal acts on January 6th.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

However, that sounds like some lawyer terms. I know you're reading this, and I want to.

[Podcast Host]

I'm reading from the report. So it is lawyer terms. It's written by lawyer terms.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

But it says weren't encouraged to break the law. Like, that's. That's some. That is written by a lawyer.

[Podcast Host]

Like, you're actually. You missed one of the verbs.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

I'm ready.

[Podcast Host]

Directed by the FBI to encourage others to commit illegal legal acts. So there's a double. That There's a double set of verbs. It's saying the FBI did not order them to encourage others to commit illegal acts. Now, it doesn't say they didn't encourage others. They didn't incite others to commit illegal acts. It just says they weren't ordered by the FBI to do so. And it also says they weren't authorized to enter the Capitol or other restricted area. But interestingly enough, it concludes, however, that they went far beyond their authorization. So, three confidential human sources, according to this report, were tasked by the FBI to attend the rally. And one of the three tasked by the FBI to attend the rally entered the Capitol building, which, mind you, the Biden Department of Justice contends is illegal, and they're prosecuting people for it. The other two entered the restricted area around the Capitol, which I believe they are also prosecuting people for doing. And one thing to understand that if a confidential human source is directed to be at an event by the FBI, they're being paid by the FBI for their time. Now, here's what the report says. Quote, one FBI field office tasked a confidential human source to travel to D.C. to report on the activities of a predicted domestic terrorism subject who was separately planning to travel to D.C. for the January 6th electoral certification. A second FBI field office tasked us, a confidential human source, to travel to DC to potentially report on two domestic terrorism subjects from another FBI field office who were planning to travel to DC for the events of January 6th. And a third confidential human source who had informed their handling agent that they intended to travel to D.C. on their own initiative for the events of January 6th was similarly tasked by their field office to potentially report on two domestic terrorism subjects from other FBI field offices who were planning to travel to D.C. for the events of January 6th. 23 of the confidential human sources present on January 6th came to the Capitol on their own. So, of the 26 that were, I'm.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Sorry, this is where my BS monitor goes off center. You're telling me that on January 6th, I'm supposed to believe that over 20 FBI informants, just on their own accord, not being paid, not being directed by anyone in our government, just said, yeah, let's go to January 6th and just see what happens?

[Podcast Host]

Well, that's what the report says. And it says of those 23, three entered the Capitol during the riot and an additional 11 sources enter the restricted area around the capitol.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

So if 11 are restricted areas and three are inside, then my next question is, how many of them have been charged with crimes?

[Podcast Host]

Well, the report doesn't answer that. And mind you, look, these are questions. These are all the questions that I was asking the FBI years ago and that they were refusing to answer. And their view, there's an arrogance. They don't think they owe the American people an answer. And mind you, this FBI has a bad pattern. If you look at. They brought a domestic terrorism case in Michigan, if you recall, with the individuals that were charged with attempting to kidnap and murder the governor of Michigan. And they prosecuted them, and they ended up having the case thrown out because they concluded that the FBI agents entrapped these guys, that it was basically confidential human sources in the FBI that were saying, hey, don't you think this is a good idea? Let's, let's, let's go kidnap and murder the governor. And the basic rule of criminal law is the federal government can't go entice you to commit a crime.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

All right, so, so, so then let's go back to January 6th, that day, and the questions that you were asking. If, if any of these FBI informants who are there on their own accord, as they want us to believe, over 20 are there.

[Podcast Host]

And by the way, three were not three. Three were directed by the FBI to be there.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Right. So if. If the three they're being directed are directing people to commit crimes. Let's start with those three, then. And then we'll move on to the other 20. What does the law say about that and the people that may.

[Podcast Host]

So nothing in the report says whether these 26 directed anyone to commit crimes. Correct. What the report says is the FBI didn't instruct them to encourage others to commit crimes, say whether they did it or not. Right.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

If you're a lawyer writing that, why are you writing it that way? Explain that. What is the strategy here? Is that because you and I know what the answer probably is, so therefore they're writing it that way.

[Podcast Host]

You know, look, I don't know. And I will say I believe we will know much, much more about this in the next couple of months. Once we have Pam Bondi and Cash Patel confirmed, I think they will release significantly more information to the public. I think they both understand the public has a right to know what was the FBI's level of involvement? What was the culpability? I think there is significant public interest in the answers to that, and I think the Biden Department of Justice desperately wants to avoid anyone from knowing that. But you know what? The Democrats lost the election and elections have consequences.

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[Senator Ted Cruz]

So let's talk about the lie aspect of this real quick and what this means. Will there be accountability for the, for the administration? Will there be accountability for the FBI if more of this comes out? Because revealing that 26 FBI informants were presented present, I should say on January 6th, that is going against what we've been told since January 6th. So.

[Podcast Host]

Well, to be fair, it's not clear to me that the FBI lied about this. We started this podcast playing my cross examination of a senior FBI official and she just refused to answer me. She didn't lie. She didn't say, no, they weren't there. She just said, I can't tell you that. I can't tell you that. I can't tell you that. So that's not a lie. That's not something that could be prosecuted for lying under oath to Congress. Because she just refused. That was stonewalling. That was a view I owe no responsibility to Congress. And understand. Listen, at a hearing, when members of Congress are questioning the administration, we're not doing so for our own edification. We're not doing so just because we think it'd be fun. We're doing so because we're trying to fulfill our responsibility to our constituents to, in my case, to the 30 million Texans whom I represent and to ask questions on behalf of those Texans that I think they have a right to know and they have an interest in knowing. And so when the FBI and Department of justice arrogantly say, I won't answer that, they're telling the American people, you have no right to know what's going on. And I gotta say, there is a reason. I don't think there is a single institution of government whose credibility and respect has been diminished more in the last four years than the FBI. And listen, that's tragic. I gotta tell you, by the way.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

The American people right now, it's like 50 over 50%, 51%, if I remember correctly. In the poll I saw just the other day say they do not have faith in the FBI. That is a travesty.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah. Look, and as I said, I spent over an hour talking with Cash Patel today in my office. And one of the things I told him is I said regularly in Texas, when I'm back home, people will ask me, shouldn't we abolish the FBI? And I tell them no. Look, the FBI does hugely important things. They stop terrorists who are trying to murder Americans. They stop serial killers. They stop child predators and kidnappers. All of that. There is a massively important law enforcement and national security mission for the FBI. And one of the massive negative consequences of Joe Biden and the Democrats weaponizing the FBI and DOJ is far too many of their officials are spending time going after and trying to persecute the enemies of the White House rather than going after actual terrorists who want to murder Americans. And it is, I think, and I told Cache Patel this today, I think he has. He and Pam Bondi may have the two most difficult jobs in the entire administration because they have been nominated to restore integrity to two institutions that are tremendously important to the rule of law and to keeping Americans safe.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

All right, final question on this, because I want to move on to some of the other stuff, but I do think this is a very important question. If you are someone who has been convicted of all the crimes that they threw at you, you took a plea deal because you were so afraid of what the government was going to do to you because you were in and or around January 6th, let's say you're an individual that was not violent, for example, and was not, you know, attacking the Capitol on that day, but you were there and they came after you. How could this affect your case? Now, knowing. And what does this mean for your status if you're in jail right now? Knowing that this report reveals 26 FBI informants were present on January 6th with the questions now that we're talking about, could that change your case?

[Podcast Host]

Well, it depends. Could it? Sure. And listen, I have long said there's a fundamental distinction between those who commit crimes of violence and those who do not. If you commit a crime of violence, if you violently assault a police officer, I believe you should be prosecuted. I think you should go to jail. I don't think anybody has a right to assault a police officer. And that is true whether I happen to agree with your politics or disagree with your politics. Nobody has a right to commit violence. Nobody has a right to violently attack a police officer. The flip side of that everybody has a right to engage in peaceful protest and peaceful speech. And by the way, that's true. Whether I agree with you or disagree with you, I may love what you're saying or I may hate what you're saying. You might be a complete idiot, knucklehead. You might be a Klansman or a Nazi or whatever. And I despise Klansmen and Nazis. But you know what? They have a right to speak under the First Amendment. They don't have a right to commit acts of violence, but they do have a right to speak. Everyone has a right to speak. And what the Biden Justice Department has done is it has used a limited number of acts of violence as an excuse, I believe, to target and persecute a large number of people who are engaged in peaceful speech and protest. Now, I have over and over and over again asked the Biden Department of Justice simple questions. How many people have been prosecuted for crimes of violence on January 6? How many people have been prosecuted for Nonviolent offenses on January 6th? How many people are in solitary confinement? They refuse to answer every question I've asked them in writing. They won't answer in writing. I've asked them in hearings. They won't answer in hearings. They stonewall and they stonewall and they stonewall. It's infuriating. And, you know, when I go home to Texas, people ask me those questions, and I tell them frustratingly, I don't know the answer because the Department of Justice has the answer. They will not tell us. Well, here's the good news. I think they're getting ready to tell us, and I think they're getting ready to tell us because when Donald Trump becomes the president puts new leadership there, I think they understand that they're accountable to the American people in a way that the arrogance of this current administration believes they have zero accountability.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Yeah. The question that many are asking is, was this entrapment? And more importantly, why did it take us four years to learn about this? And that is, I hope, what we get some answers to, as you're mentioning in this, in this new administration.

[Podcast Host]

Amen.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

I, I, I want to get to this other story, and it deals with the border security and the border wall. But before we do that, let me tell you about our friends over at Patriot Mobile. If you are like me and you are just sick and tired of giving your money to companies who are actually fighting against your values, your family values, your Christian values, well, if you've got a cell phone bill, you need to check who you're Giving your money to. Because Big Mobile has been giving big donations for years and years and years to radical Democratic causes, candidates and organizations. I'm talking at the local, state and national level. They've also been giving your money to organizations that support abortion on demand and are even paying for abortions. That is why Patriot Mobile was founded more than a decade ago by a group of conservatives, Christians that said, hey, we gotta have a cell phone, but why do we have to give our mind to people they're fighting? It's what we believe in. Well, in 2024, it is easier now than ever to make the switch. And when you do make the switch to Patriot Mobile, you're going to get the same nationwide coverage as the big providers because Patriot Mobile operates on all three major networks, plus they back their service with a coverage guarantee. Now, the best part is when you pay your bill, you're actually supporting and fighting for your first and second amendment rights, the sanctity of life, as well as standing with our military, our first responders and our wounded warriors. Patriot Mobile takes about 5% of your bill every month at no extra cost to you. And they actually give it back to those, to these types of organizations and causes that I just mentioned. So make the switch. You're going to have a cell phone bill. Why not make sure you're making a difference every month when you pay it? Go to patriotmobile.com verdict that's patriot mobile.com verdict or call them 972 Patriot right now. And you're going to get a free month when you use the offer code verdict. So join me. Switch to America's only Christian conservative mobile provider, patriot mobile.com verdict or 972patriot for that free month of service today. All right, so let's go to the border. And this might be one of the biggest just asinine middle fingers from this administration. I don't know how you want to categorize this one, but when I saw this report, it actually made me angry. And that is that the Biden administration saying, hey, we don't respect the voters. We do not respect that. The mayor, the American people decided we want security at our southern border. And what are they doing to stick it to you? They're saying, all right, watch this. We're going to sell pieces of the border wall that have not been erected yet just to say screw you to the American people.

[Podcast Host]

You know, I wish what you were saying was hyperbole. I wish it was an exaggeration, but it's not. The daily wire broke this story. And it's an exclusive story that is just. It's stunning. It's infuriating. Here's the headline. Exclusive Biden races to sell off border wall parts before Trump takes office. The goal is to move all of it, all of it off the border before Christmas, an Arizona Border Patrol agent tells the Daily Wire. Let me read from this story. The Biden administration is using its final weeks to haul a massive amount of border wall materials away from the southern border to be sold off at a government auction, an apparent effort to hinder President Elect Trump's efforts to secure the border, the Daily Wire has learned. Videos obtained exclusively by the Daily wire from a U.S. customs and Border Patrol agent show unused sections of the wall being hauled away on the back of flatbed trucks from a section of the border just south of Tucson, a hotspot for illegal crossings during the Biden administration. The agent estimates that up to a half mile per day of unused border wall is being moved. This is not a small amount. This is a massive amount. Continuing the quote, quote, they are taking it from three stations. Nogales, Tucson and Three Points. The Border Patrol agent, who was granted anonymity to speak freely, told the Daily Wire. The goal is to move it all off the border before Christmas. And here's something. If that doesn't make you furious, listen to this. The auction website shows that sales occurred as recently as December 4th for precisely the types of materials being pulled off the border. Gov Planet has online auctions set for December 11 and December 18 for more border wall material, which is listed on the company's website as, quote, 30, 32.91ft by 7.91ft. Steel bollard wall sections with grout. The bidding for each section of wall panels is set to begin at $5, according to the website. And this article has multiple screenshots showing, showing these being sold for five bucks apiece. I gotta say, we talked in the first segment about the arrogance and unaccountability of the Biden Justice Department and the Biden FBI. This is, at the end of the day, that identical arrogance. And it's an arrogance of Joe Biden, of Kamala Harris, of Alejandro Mayorkas, of Merrick Garland, and let's be clear, of Chuck Schumer and the Senate Democrats and Congressional Democrats. Every person in America knows that the voters of America voted to secure the border. They want that to happen. And you know what the Democrats are saying on the way out? Screw you. We don't care. We don't care about the voters and what we're going to do. If Trump's going to build the border wall, we're going to make it that much more expensive because we are so bitterly ideological that, that we will openly defy the will of the voters.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

And let's just be honest about the logic. If you're just talking about that, the logical math that you do here, there's no doubt that the Biden administration knows that this wall will be used. And if they do sell it all off before Christmas at $5, a panel that this is going to have to be repurchased at a much higher price because they just sold what we had purchased before that has not been used. And it will be used and it will be done. So this is just trying to make the American taxpayer suffer a little bit. And to say we can't stand you and what you guys just voted for, this is a retribution for you voting them out of office and their way of sticking it to the American voter and taxpayer.

[Podcast Host]

Well, that's right. Now, I will say there's an aspect of this story that broke tonight. You and I are recording this very late at night. It's 12:57 in the morning Thursday night. And just this evening, the lieutenant governor of Texas, Dan Patrick, a good friend of mine, went on Laura Ingraham's show and he said the state of Texas is preparing to buy up the border wall segments from the Biden administration that they're selling for five bucks apiece and then donate them back to the Trump administration. And Dan Patrick says he has up to a billion dollars of state funds to work with. I want you to listen to Dan Patrick this evening on Laura Ingram laying this out.

[G]

We mean business in Texas and Tom Homan means business and President Trump means business. And I don't know if you heard the latest today, Laura, but Joe Biden is now hauling off the border wall that's been lying down for years and he wants to auction it off starting at $5 apiece. Message to the White House right now. I will bid on all of that wall and we will buy it in Texas and we will give it to Donald Trump. So I'm going to find out first thing in the morning where are we going to take the bid. I've got $1 billion in my pocket to do it. I write the budget with Senator Joan Hoffman. We have the money. We're going to have about 6 billion in our budget for border security.

[Podcast Host]

Don't talk about the cost. Don't drive up the car. Only five bucks. Five bucks. I know the wall, but I will.

[G]

Go in and buy it all.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Tell you. Yeah.

[Podcast Host]

Well, what does this tell you about the Biden people?

[G]

Tells you they're now, they're essentially greenlight.

[Podcast Host]

They want more people coming in.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Yeah.

[G]

They're despicable what they're doing to the American people. And the American people obviously aren't going to tolerate it. That's why they were thrown out. But the idea, we've been trying to buy this wall for them from them for four years and they wouldn't sell it to us. And you know what? I'm going to check in with our Department of Public Safety. Maybe we need to start pulling over these trucks to be sure they don't have too much weight on those trucks. Maybe these trucks need to be slowed down. We need to do everything we can in Texas to stop them. The taxpayers paid for this and they want to stop President Trump in 38 or 39 days from rebuilding the wall. I want to this the legacy of Joe Biden. He lets off his son, he's letting off all these criminals. He's doing everything he can with these blue state governors and mayors to destroy this country. They are traitors to this country. Leaving terrorists, leaving murderers, leaving rapists in this country. And now he wants to sabotage this president before he takes off. It is disgraceful and disgusting. He will go down as the worst, most despicable president in the history of this country because no one has done more to damage this country and hurt American citizens.

[Podcast Host]

I would agree with you on that.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

I think the point he's making here is absolutely right. But we're Even if it's $5, you're double paying for something that we've already paid for, and it's just solely out of spite.

[Podcast Host]

Well, and let me say, number one, thank God for Texas. Thank God for Texas stepping. Amen to that leading, Dan. I'm glad you're doing that. But I've got to say, also, listen, I'm going to call on the incoming administration to investigate whoever made the decision to do this. And let me be clear. Let's say you're a government official, Ben, and you're pissed off at the people who are coming in after you. You're mad at the voters because they elected someone different. And let's say, for example, that you're running. You're running a police department, your dad's a cop, you're running a police department, and you've got a bunch of police cars that let's say, were 40 grand apiece. And you're mad because there's a new sheriff that's been elected. And so you decide to take the $40,000 police cars. Let's say you got 10 of them. And you go out and say, I'm going to auction the $40,000 police cars off for five bucks apiece because you want your successor not to have any police cars.

[Congressional Questioner]

Yeah.

[Podcast Host]

And so you sell $40,000 police cars for five bucks apiece. I'm going to tell you right now, that is theft from the taxpayers. The idea, I guarantee you those segments of the wall, they don't cost $5, they don't cost $50, they don't cost $500, they don't cost $5,000. And I gotta say, it is grotesque. And I am calling right now for the incoming administration to investigate every person that made the decision to steal from the American taxpayers because they are such bitter partisans that they want to deprive the federal government of assets that the taxpayers paid for. You don't have the right to do that. It doesn't matter. Nobody has the right to steal from the federal government. If you're selling segments of this wall for five bucks apiece, that, in my view, is absolute theft.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Yeah, I couldn't agree with you more. Don't forget to share this podcast wherever you are on social media so people can hear what we're exposing on the show every day. Hit that subscribe or follow or auto download button. Make sure you listen to us Monday, Wednesday, Friday, my show. I'll keep you up to date on what's happening on those in between days. So grab the Ben Ferguson podcast as well and I'll keep you updated there and the center and I will see you back here. Also, for our week in review, which we do if what you may have missed some big stories during the week. We do a weekend review on Saturday so you can grab that as well. And we'll see you back here Saturday morning.

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