Verdict with Ted Cruz – Episode Summary

Episode Title: FBI STOPS Anti-American Islamists from Bombing Los Angeles plus Biden DOJ ADMITTED No Probable Cause for Mar-a-lago Raid
Date: December 17, 2025
Hosts: Senator Ted Cruz & Ben Ferguson

Episode Overview

This episode centers on three major news stories with significant political and national security implications:

1. The FBI’s disruption of an alleged pro-Palestinian, anti-American terror plot targeting Los Angeles and New Orleans on New Year’s Eve.
2. Explosive revelations that Biden’s DOJ and the FBI did not believe they had probable cause for the 2022 Mar-a-Lago raid, yet proceeded anyway under political pressure.
3. New economic data allegedly linking Trump administration deportations to a drop in rent costs across America, framed as a victory for enforcement-first immigration policy.

The episode adopts a critical tone toward the Biden administration and portrays recent actions by the Trump administration and federal agencies as a corrective to years of Democratic "abuse of power."

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Thwarted Terror Attack in Los Angeles (02:31–13:31)

• Plot Foiled:
  The FBI arrested five individuals tied to a group self-identified as the Turtle Island Liberation Front, planning IED bombings across LA on New Year’s Eve. A fifth suspect in New Orleans was allegedly planning a parallel attack.
• Suspect Details:
  The group has ties to radical pro-Palestinian, anti-law enforcement, and anti-American ideologies.
  • The group’s Instagram page, with 939 followers, features posts like "Death to America" and calls for violent resistance.
  • Their name, "Turtle Island," refers to an indigenous term for North America; their stated aim is to "free Turtle Island from the illegal American empire" (08:59).
• Preparation and Intervention:
  The suspects sourced bomb-making materials and conducted test assembly in California’s Mojave Desert, where FBI agents intervened mid-construction, preventing completion of the explosive devices (11:37).
• Host Commentary:
  • Cruz and Ferguson argue such threats are an outgrowth of Biden’s border policies, claiming a direct pipeline “from radical terror groups caught at the border to acts against Americans” (05:26, 08:17).
  • “What we’re now witnessing is the government sounding the alarm…We have a lot of people…who are here, that we do believe either have ties to terrorism, are directly connected to terrorist organizations.” – Ben Ferguson (04:30)
  • They stress that in their view, "the Trump Department of Justice, the Trump FBI, is going after bad guys. And the result…is making Americans much safer." – Ted Cruz (13:56)

Notable Quote:

“This is what globalize the Intifada means…Attack America, Kill Americans. And these bombs…they were building them when FBI agents intervened to prevent them from actually assembling a functional explosive device.” – Ted Cruz (08:17, 11:37)

Memorable Moment:

The hosts express shock at learning of the Turtle Island Liberation Front for the first time, driving home the idea that new radical threats are emerging in the U.S. due to border failures (08:45–08:59).

2. DOJ & FBI Admitted No Probable Cause for Mar-a-Lago Raid (16:13–28:47)

• Revelations from Senate Judiciary Documents:
  Internal FBI emails show that field agents doubted the existence of probable cause for the Mar-a-Lago search warrant in August 2022. DOJ political leadership pressed for the raid regardless.
• Key Details:
  • "The FBI did not believe it had probable cause…But moved forward amid pressure from the Biden Justice Department.” (16:13)
  • A Washington field office agent stated: "…absent a witness coming forward with recent information…at what point is it fair to table this? …It is time consuming for the team and not productive if there are no new facts supporting probable cause.” (18:02)
  • The DOJ overruled career agents, seeking "a wide scope, including residence, office, storage space," despite counterproposals for less intrusive options.
• Host Argument:
  • Cruz frames the raid as a clear case of political weaponization: “Their objective was to stop the American people from voting for Donald Trump. They were acting as political operatives…they wanted President Trump in a mugshot.” (20:22)
• Accountability Discussion:
  • A debate follows about the lack of internal whistleblowers and the need for firings or oversight hearings (22:00–23:54).
  • "People who engage in the abuse of power need to be fired….Anyone who knew it was illegal." – Ted Cruz (22:00)
  • Cruz traces the origins of DOJ/FBI politicization back to the Obama era, with the IRS’s Lois Lerner targeting Tea Party groups as an early example (25:52–26:11).

Notable Quotes:

"If you don't have probable cause for a search warrant, but you nonetheless engage in the search, the search is illegal.” – Ted Cruz (20:22)
"At the time, DOJ and the FBI and the IRS…resisted [Nixon’s pressure]. What Nixon tried to do, Joe Biden succeeded in doing." – Ted Cruz (24:24)

Memorable Moment:

Cruz calls for congressional hearings, crediting the recent DOJ leadership for releasing the critical emails:

“You have a new attorney general and a new FBI director who decided we're going to…show the American people exactly what was going on.” – Ted Cruz (28:04–28:47)

3. Immigration, Rent Prices, and Economic Policy (31:49–38:52)

• New Data Cited:
  Treasury Secretary Scott Besant claims Trump’s immigration crackdown and mass deportations are “lowering rent prices for Americans.”
  • Apartment rents fell 1.1% year over year; down 5.2% from 2022 peak (32:42).
• Causal Argument:
  • “The more people looking to rent, the higher the prices.” Trump administration’s deportations reduced demand, which the hosts claim directly led to lower rents.
  • A Wharton School study is referenced: "Every 1% increase in population, rents went up 1%.”
• Democrat Policy Critique:
  • Cruz asserts that Biden-era immigration caused a “historically large” increase in foreign-born residents, directly pushing up demand and pricing working-class citizens out of the market (36:26–38:31).
  • HUD's own report is cited: "In some markets, immigration has accounted for nearly all of the increase in housing demand." (36:26)
• Legislative Wins Listed:
  Ferguson touts upcoming “no tax on tips, no tax on overtime, and no tax on Social Security for seniors,” describing them as underappreciated conservative victories set to take effect in 2026 (35:35).
• Hosts’ Framing:
  The hosts advocate a narrative of “jobs and affordability” finally improving under Trump-era policies—contrasted with "Democrat policies killed jobs and drove up inflation" (38:34).

Notable Quotes:

“If we deport the illegal aliens that Joe Biden’s open borders brought into this country, the result is gonna be rents are gonna come down and housing’s gonna be more affordable. We now have the data backing that up.” – Ted Cruz (35:20)

Important Timestamps & Segments

• [02:31–13:31]: LA & New Orleans terror plot details, analysis of extremist group, security policy critique.
• [16:13–28:47]: DOJ/FBI emails about Mar-a-Lago raid, legal implications, history of politicized law enforcement, accountability discussion.
• [31:49–38:52]: Economic impact of immigration policy, rent trends, legislative policy victories, messaging for midterms.

Additional Observations

• Tone & Style:
  The hosts present the material with urgency and partisanship, using vivid language ("whack jobs," "abuse of power," "Death to America") common to conservative media commentary.
• Recurrent Theme:
  Systematic criticism of Democratic policies, linkage of national security, legal process integrity, and economic outcomes to electoral incentives and border control.

Summary Table: Noteworthy Quotes

| Timestamp | Quote | Speaker | |-----------|-------|---------| | 08:17 | "This is what globalize the Intifada means…Attack America, Kill Americans." | Ted Cruz | | 13:56 | "The Trump Department of Justice, the Trump FBI, is going after bad guys. And the result…is making Americans much safer." | Ted Cruz | | 20:22 | "If you don't have probable cause for a search warrant, but you nonetheless engage in the search, the search is illegal." | Ted Cruz | | 24:24 | "What Nixon tried to do, Joe Biden succeeded in doing." | Ted Cruz | | 35:20 | "If we deport the illegal aliens…rents are gonna come down and housing's gonna be more affordable. We now have the data backing that up." | Ted Cruz |

Final Takeaways

This episode of Verdict with Ted Cruz weaves current events and policy analysis into a throughline of Democratic corruption vs. Republican "restoration," utilizing breaking news stories to anchor criticism of the Biden administration while crediting Trump-era policies for improvements in public safety and affordability. For conservative audiences, it presents a roadmap for 2026 political messaging: security, justice, and economic relief attributed to Republican leadership.