Hunter Biden PARDONED-just as we Predicted, plus Kash Patel as FBI Director

Summary

Verdict with Ted Cruz: Episode Summary - "Hunter Biden PARDONED-just as we Predicted, plus Kash Patel as FBI Director"

Release Date: December 2, 2024

In this pivotal episode of "Verdict with Ted Cruz," Senator Ted Cruz and co-host Ben Ferguson delve deep into the most pressing political developments of the day. The discussion centers around the highly anticipated pardon of Hunter Biden by President Joe Biden, the nomination of Cash Patel as the new FBI Director, and the remarkable release of three Americans from unjust imprisonment in China. The hosts provide incisive analysis, drawing on previous predictions and offering their perspectives on the implications of these events for American politics and justice.

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1. Fulfillment of the Hunter Biden Pardon Prediction

Timestamp: [02:01 - 03:07]

Ben Ferguson opens the discussion by referencing a prediction he made in January 2024 regarding President Biden's impending pardon of his son, Hunter Biden. He states:

"My prediction is in December of 2024, Joe Biden will pardon Hunter Biden." [02:01]

Senator Cruz confirms the accuracy of this prediction, emphasizing that the pardon occurred "exactly how you said it would" [03:07]. The hosts express skepticism about the sincerity of the pardon, suggesting it's a strategic move to shield the Biden family from legal repercussions.

Notable Quote:

"On December 1st, Joe Biden did exactly what we told you he was going to do. Eleven months ago, he pardoned his son, Hunter Biden." - Ben Ferguson [02:55]

---

2. Scope and Implications of the Pardon

Timestamp: [04:21 - 16:11]

Cruz and Ferguson dissect the breadth of Hunter Biden's pardon, arguing that it encompasses a wide range of offenses, effectively acting as a "scorched-earth" approach to absolve the Biden family of potential legal issues. Ferguson reads the pardon text, highlighting its extensive coverage from 2014 to 2024, and compares it to Gerald Ford's pardon of Richard Nixon, underscoring its unprecedented scope.

Ferguson asserts:

"Every single federal offense that you have committed or you may have committed or taken part in for a decade... they're all erased, clean." [16:11]

The hosts criticize Joe Biden for betraying previous assurances not to interfere with his son's legal matters, labeling the pardon as self-serving corruption rather than an act of paternal protection.

Notable Quote:

"Hunter Biden's business was selling access to daddy. The real crook here is Joe Biden." - Ben Ferguson [10:53]

---

3. Accountability and Future Implications for the Biden Family

Timestamp: [16:11 - 26:16]

The discussion shifts to the broader implications of the pardon, questioning whether any accountability remains for Joe Biden and his family. Ferguson expresses doubt that Joe Biden will face any repercussions for alleged corruption, drawing a bleak picture of unchecked presidential power:

"At the end of the day, how the impeachment power, the text of the Constitution provides the impeachment power for treason, bribery or other high crimes or misdemeanors." [16:11]

They explore the possibility of prosecuting other family members, though Ferguson remains pessimistic due to potential statute of limitations issues and perceived immunity stemming from Biden's influence.

Notable Quote:

"Joe Biden has been lying to us repeatedly and brazenly." - Ben Ferguson [12:55]

---

4. Nomination of Cash Patel as FBI Director

Timestamp: [26:16 - 33:10]

Turning to national security and law enforcement, Cruz and Ferguson lauded President Trump's nomination of Cash Patel as the new FBI Director. They argue that Patel is poised to eradicate entrenched partisan corruption within the FBI, restoring its integrity and aligning it with true democratic principles.

Ferguson emphasizes Patel's qualifications and the anticipated positive reforms:

"Cash Patel is a very strong nominee to take on those partisans and to bring it back to a fidelity to law." [30:21]

Cruz concurs, suggesting that Patel's leadership could heal the FBI's tarnished reputation and counteract the "weaponization" he accuses the previous administration of perpetuating.

Notable Quote:

"We've never seen the respect for the FBI diminished as greatly as it has been under Chris Wray." - Ben Ferguson [31:40]

---

5. Release of Three Americans from China

Timestamp: [37:03 - 41:32]

In a feel-good segment, the hosts celebrate the release of three Americans from unjust imprisonment in China, including Mark Sweden, a Texan who spent 12 years incarcerated on dubious charges. Ferguson highlights his personal involvement in advocating for Sweden's release, underscoring bipartisan efforts to secure their freedom.

Cruz expresses hope for further releases, linking this success to President Biden's efforts and speculating that President Trump's impending administration may bolster these diplomatic achievements.

Notable Quote:

"Mark Sweden is back home with his mother who has prayed for him, who has loved him." - Ben Ferguson [38:53]

---

6. Broader Implications and Future Outlook

Timestamp: [41:14 - 26:16]

Cruz and Ferguson conclude by reflecting on the overarching narrative of political corruption and the erosion of trust in federal institutions. They posit that the Republican efforts to hold the Biden administration accountable are vindicated by recent events, reinforcing the necessity for continued vigilance and advocacy against perceived governmental overreach and partisanship.

Ferguson cites historical parallels and urges Republicans to leverage their control of legislative bodies to implement meaningful changes, ensuring justice and transparency remain cornerstones of American democracy.

Notable Quote:

"This nomination and his following through on that promise is fundamentally about respecting democracy." - Ben Ferguson [33:10]

---

Conclusion

This episode of "Verdict with Ted Cruz" serves as a robust critique of the Biden administration, highlighting significant political maneuvers that, in the hosts' view, undermine the rule of law and perpetuate corruption. Through detailed analysis and firsthand accounts, Cruz and Ferguson argue for the necessity of structural reforms within federal institutions and celebrate recent diplomatic successes as signs of possible positive change under Republican leadership.

Listeners are encouraged to engage with the content, share their insights across social media platforms, and remain informed about the evolving political landscape.

---

Notable Quotes Summary:

• "My prediction is in December of 2024, Joe Biden will pardon Hunter Biden." - Ben Ferguson [02:01]
• "On December 1st, Joe Biden did exactly what we told you he was going to do. Eleven months ago, he pardoned his son, Hunter Biden." - Ben Ferguson [02:55]
• "Hunter Biden's business was selling access to daddy. The real crook here is Joe Biden." - Ben Ferguson [10:53]
• "Joe Biden has been lying to us repeatedly and brazenly." - Ben Ferguson [12:55]
• "Cash Patel is a very strong nominee to take on those partisans and to bring it back to a fidelity to law." - Ben Ferguson [30:21]
• "We've never seen the respect for the FBI diminished as greatly as it has been under Chris Wray." - Ben Ferguson [31:40]
• "Mark Sweden is back home with his mother who has prayed for him, who has loved him." - Ben Ferguson [38:53]
• "This nomination and his following through on that promise is fundamentally about respecting democracy." - Ben Ferguson [33:10]

---

Note: This summary excludes advertisements and non-content sections, focusing solely on the substantive discussions and analyses presented by Senator Ted Cruz and Ben Ferguson.

Transcript

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[Ben Ferguson]

I'm going to make a prediction right now. Ben, this is not what I like. My prediction is In December of 2024, Joe Biden will pardon Hunter Biden.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Really?

[Ben Ferguson]

That's my prediction will be after the election. Very likely.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Win or lose, you say he'll do it no matter what.

[Ben Ferguson]

Win or lose. If Biden were to win, I think he'll delay the pardon until right before Hunter goes to jail. But if Biden is losing, I'd put.

[Unnamed Speaker]

The odds at 95% that in December.

[Ben Ferguson]

Of this year, if Biden has just lost the general election, that he pardons his son and he gives him a.

[Unnamed Speaker]

Scot Free, get out of jail pass.

[Ben Ferguson]

And so understand Hunter's legal strategy is delay 11 months.

[Unnamed Speaker]

Delay 11 months.

[Ben Ferguson]

Don't go to jail for 11 months. And then daddy gives you get out of jail free card.

[Unnamed Speaker]

And it's why the house needs to.

[Ben Ferguson]

Keep their eye on the ball.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

That was January 12th, Center 2024. If you were listening to Verdict, then this was 100% predicted and it happened exactly how you said it would.

[Ben Ferguson]

Well, to be fair, it was 95% predicted then. And then last summer, I raised it to 100%. But if you listen to Verdict, you knew this was going to happen. It is 10:53pm on December 1st. We are recording this podcast right now. On December 1st, Joe Biden did exactly what we told you he was going to do. Eleven months ago, he pardoned his son, Hunter Biden. Never mind about the corruption, never mind about the gun offenses. Never mind about the drug offenses. Never mind about the tax offenses. No man is above the law unless your name is Joe Biden and the entire Biden family, we're going to break that down. Explain what just happened with the Hunter Biden pardon today. We're also going to talk about Donald Trump's nomination of Cash Patel as the director of the FBI. The left is losing their mind. The Democrats are freaking out. The media is freaking out. We're going to break down why they're freaking out and why this is a very good thing for America. And finally, a terrific victory. The Chinese communists have released three Americans from unjust imprisonment, including Mark Sweden. Mark Sweden was a Texan who was imprisoned in China. For 12 years, I've been leading the fight to bring Mark home. Mark is back in America. Three Americans are back in America. We're going to talk about that as well.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

It's such an incredible story, especially around Thanksgiving, and it's an important one that the media really isn't covering, I think, the way they should. And that's why I love doing this show with you. And we're going to deal with that in a moment. I want to tell you real quick about New Year's resolutions. A little over, gosh, a year, Three months. A year. And three months ago, I made a decision that I was going to get back into shape, that I was going to lose weight, and I was going to be honestly a better example for my kids. I wanted to make sure that I was in great shape so they would always have their dad around as long as they can. And that is when I decided that I needed some help because I always felt tired. I was Feeling fatigued, I didn't feel like myself anymore. And that is exactly when I found chalk. Now chalk is incredible because they actually help boost your testosterone levels up to 20% over 90 days. And the problem is this, men's testosterone levels are off a cliff historically at an all time low. And that is exactly why I decided, all right, I'm going to try chalk now you got to check out and see what they can do for you because they are helping men just like you and I maximize your masculinity by boosting your testosterone levels up to 20% over 90 days. Now I have lost over 70, I think it's 70, 78 pounds now in a little over a year. And I would not have been able to do it without chalk. It's manufactured right here in the US of A. Chalk's natural herbal supplements are clinically proven to have game changing effects on your energy, on your focus, on your mood. So check them out and I'm going to save you money as well. Go to choq.com that's chalk.com and use the code Ben for a massive discount on any subscription. For life, that's chew.com code Ben for lifetime savings on any subscription limit time offer. And the best part is subscriptions are cancellable at any time. Choq.com Code Ben for lifetime savings. So, all right, let's start with the narrative and work our way back. When this news broke tonight, we were all on text message and this was the first part was Joe Biden pardons his son Hunter. I wasn't surprised by it. You predicted it. You weren't surprised by it. What I was surprised was the amount of time of this that it covers. He's basically off the hook for everything that involves the Biden crime family. And this is after Joe Biden repeatedly promised that he would not do this, that he would it would honor and respect the justice system and the juries and whatever they decide to do with his son. That was also all a lie. And I think the part that was the most shocking is how the media is covering this now. And I want to start with that. They're all saying to the American people, look, he already lost his son, one son who died of brain cancer. This is just a dad being a dad. I don't buy that for a second. I think this is him protecting the crime family and the bag man and that protects him. I don't think this is compassion from a father. Your reaction to that?

[Ben Ferguson]

Well, listen, what Joe Biden said today, he put out a lengthy statement Let me read his statement. Then we're going to talk about what it means. Here's what Joe Biden said. Quote, Today I signed a pardon for my son Hunter. From the day I took office, I said I would not interfere with the Justice Department's decision making and I kept my word even as I watched my son being selectively and unfairly prosecuted without aggravating factors like use in a crime, multiple purchases or buying a weapon weapon as a straw purchaser. People are almost never brought to trial on felony charges solely for how they filled out a gun form. Those who were late paying their taxes because of serious addictions but paid them back subsequently with interest and penalties are typically given non criminal resolutions. It is clear that Hunter was treated differently. The charges in his case came about only after several of my political opponents in Congress instigated them to attack me and oppose my election. Then a carefully negotiated plea deal agreed to by the Department of Justice and unraveled in the courtroom, with a number of my political opponents in Congress taking credit for bringing political pressure on the process. Had the plea deal held, it would have been a fair, reasonable resolution of Hunter's cases. No reasonable person who looks at the facts of Hunter's cases can reach any other conclusion than Hunter was singled out only because he is my son. And that is wrong. There has been an effort to break Hunter, who has been five and a half years sober, even in the face of unrelenting attacks and selected prosecution. In trying to break Hunter, they've tried to break me. There's no reason to believe it will stop here. Enough is enough. For my entire career, I followed a simple just tell the American people the truth. They'll be fair minded. Here's the truth. I believe in the justice system. But as I have wrestled with this, I also believe raw politics has infected this process and it has led to a miscarriage of justice. And once I made this decision this weekend, there was no sense in delaying it further. I hope Americans will understand why a father and a president would come to this decision. Well, let me start with his ending. I understand why I said in January Joe Biden would pardon Hunter Biden and understand that to anyone who listens to this podcast, it's not a surprise. It is obvious Hunter Biden is not some lonely crackhead who just sort of went went astray. That's what Joe Biden, the entire White House has tried to paint him as. Hunter Biden's business was selling access to daddy. The real crook here is Joe Biden. And this is something that in this podcast we've broken down in elaborate detail the evidence of criminality that Joe Biden. The Biden family, they made tens of millions of dollars selling favors from Joe Biden. Listen, nobody pays Hunter Biden. Nobody pays a crackhead money when he has no marketable services. He was not selling anything other than daddy. So when Joe Biden is saying, oh, it is terrible, no one's prosecuted for this, number one, I'll tell you this. If you use crack cocaine with prostitutes, illegally buying guns with guns, you will be prosecuted and you will go to jail. You. You don't. People not named Biden don't get away with that. By the way, if you also defraud the federal government out of millions of dollars of taxes, you will be prosecuted. That is true as well. But the real corruption. Listen, the Biden Justice Department declined to prosecute, deliberately allowed the statute of limitation to expire on many of the most egregious examples of corruption. Everything that implicated the big guy. Understand, this is all about Joe Biden. It's not about Hunter Biden. So when Joe Biden entered this pardon, it is about protecting his own rear end. Does he love his son?

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Sure.

[Ben Ferguson]

Does he want to protect his son? Sure. It's why I was certain he would grant this pardon. But if you really love your son, you don't send out your son, who is an addict, to be the front man, to be the bag man in collecting millions of dollars, selling access to you. Joe Biden was perfectly willing to use his son as the point person and plan to blame it on the addiction. And so I've got to say, Joe Biden's claiming, well, gosh, it's just unfair. He was targeted. What is unfair, what is not right, is that the Biden family made for decades a practice of selling favors from Joe Biden that is fundamentally corrupt. And let me say finally, in Joe Biden's statement, he talks about, well, there was a plea deal from the Department of Justice, and then it collapsed. Well, you know what? This podcast played a significant role in causing that plea deal corruption to. To collapse. And why? Because we shined a light on it. Because it was indefensible. The plea deal was zero jail time, a slap on the wrist, which Joe Biden says, well, gosh, that would be fair. Don't punish my son. And understand, this is not about Hunter. This is about Joe.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Let's talk about the length of this pardon, because I think it's not just the pardon for these two charges. It's also, hey, this covers virtually all of the corruption and all of the sins of the Biden CR Family when they knew they had millions of dollars coming to the. Into their son's bank account that was spending it on. On drugs and everything else that we know about from his laptop. He said, hey, you can't go after my son basically for anything. This is a pardon for all the bad things we've done.

[Ben Ferguson]

Well, and listen, if you're going to do it, you're going to make it as broad as possible because you don't care about the press blowback. And at the end of the day, Joe Biden's lost. Kamala Harris has lost. They don't care about the political consequences. That's why it was going to be December. It wasn't going to be November. It wasn't going to be January. December was going to be the month it was. And I want you understand, for more than a year, Joe Biden and every Democrat has been lying to the American people repeatedly and brazenly. I want you to listen to Corrine Jean Pierre in December 2023. Here's what she had to say. The president would not pardon or commute sentences for his son Hunter.

[Unnamed Speaker]

I just want to make sure that.

[Ben Ferguson]

That is not going to change over.

[Unnamed Speaker]

The next six months.

[Ben Ferguson]

The president saying he would not. It's still a no. It's still a no. It will always be a no. It's still a no. It will be a no. It is a no. And I don't have anything else to add. Will he pardon his son? No.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Will he pardon his son? No. And she's actually banging her hand on the podium. You can hear it.

[Ben Ferguson]

Okay, so let's play now, Kareem Jean Pierre in August of 2023. Hey, let me go back to the first question of the briefing. I know you said not a lot's changed since yesterday and that it's a personal matter, but from a presidential perspective, is there any possibility that the president would end up pardoning his son? No. Okay, now let's do Joe Biden himself in June of 2024.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

I'm extremely proud of my son Hunter. He has overcome an addiction. He is. He's one of the brightest, most decent men I know. And I am satisfied that I'm not going to do anything. I said I abide by the jury decision, and I will do that, and I will not pardon him.

[Ben Ferguson]

Okay, let's play another interview again from June of 2024. Joe Biden again on the same topic.

[Unnamed Speaker]

As we sit here in Normandy, your son Hunter is on trial. And I know that you cannot speak about an ongoing federal prosecution, but let me ask you, will you accept the jury's outcome, their verdict, no matter what it is?

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Yes.

[Unnamed Speaker]

And have you ruled out a pardon for your son?

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Yes. I mean, the guy's a pathological liar everywhere he goes.

[Ben Ferguson]

Final clip. Let's, let's play Kareem Jean Pierre once again on the same topic. The president would not pardon or commute sentences for his son Hunter.

[Unnamed Speaker]

I just want to make sure that.

[Ben Ferguson]

That is not going to change over the next six months. The president's saying it's still a no. It's still a no. It's still a no. It will be a no. It is a no. And I don't have anything else to add. Will he pardon his son?

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[Senator Ted Cruz]

Pretty consistent with their lies.

[Ben Ferguson]

Look, understand, every person listening to Joe Biden, every person listening to Kareem Jean Pierre knew that they were lying. The reporter asking that question knew that they were lying. Kareem Jean Pierre, she knew she was lying. And Joe Biden, every time he said it, knew he was lying. We said on this podcast, then they are lying. And it was a cynical effort to gaslight the American people. They hoped at the time, they hoped Joe Biden would win. Later, they hoped Kamala Harris would win. But they, their approach was simple. We're going to lie to you. We're going to lie to you. We're going to lie to you. Don't you like our happy lies? And the plan was always, always, always to issue the pardon because it covers up for the criminality that Joe Biden is right at the nexus of.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

So let's talk about this future and the Republicans and what they should do. There was a lot of people asking the question, okay, is there anything that you can do about this, or is this just the world we live in now, where if you're the president, you can be as corrupt as hell, you're a Democrat, and you've got people to cover for you. Then there's people saying, well, hold on, what about the other crimes that involved the other family members? We know a lot of payments went to a lot of people with the last name Biden when they were selling access to US Government. Is this the, quote, end of this politically? Move on. And that's just what it is. And we all know that he's corrupt and we know he lied to us. We know he abuses power, and we know he sold access to the United States government.

[Ben Ferguson]

Well, here is the text of the pardon that Joe Biden signed. It is A pardon, quote, for those offenses against the United States which he has committed or may have committed or taken part in during the period from January 1, 2014 through December 1, 2024, including, but not limited to, all offenses charged or prosecuted, including any that have resulted in convictions by Special Counsel David C. Weiss in docket number 123 CR00061MN, the United States District Court for the District of Delaware, and docket number 2 to 3CR00599MCS1 in the United States District Court for the Central District of California. So, Ben, how do you like that? Every single federal offense that you have committed or you may have committed or taken a part in for a decade, from January 1, 2014 to December 1, 2024, they're all erased, clean. I don't know that you could write a broader pardon other than, listen, I'm president and I gotta say, by the way, your question is there, is there anything you can do about it? There is very, very little. The pardon power under the Constitution is exceptionally broad. The president has the ability to pardon any single federal offense. In this case, he's pardoning every single federal offense Hunter Biden may or may not have committed for over a decade. And those federal offenses, it is now impossible to prosecute him, impossible to hold him liable for them. Now, he's still liable for state offenses, but, but there has not been, there have not been any state prosecutions. And so this is the consequence. This was always the outcome. It's why, look, we've talked about how the impeachment power, the text of the Constitution provides the impeachment power for treason, bribery or other high crimes or misdemeanors. At the end of the day, much of the conduct that has been alleged here is in the nature of bribery, is in the nature of paying off millions of dollars to Joe Biden for official, for official favors. And yet the Department of Justice had zero interest in examining it. The Democrats in Congress had zero interest in examining it, and the media had zero interest in examining it. And so as a consequence, Hunter Biden is now going to get off scot free, which was abundantly clear from the outset. This was always the plan.

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[Senator Ted Cruz]

Final question. Yes, Hunter Biden is pardoned for everything when in in this, as you said, a sweeping pardon that I've never seen before at this level and in government, from what we've seen in the history of my lifetime, we've never seen something this broad. So the last question I have is, what about Joe Biden? Is there anything that can be done against him? Or is it just, hey, he's an old guy, he dropped out of the race as they said. We would have. We would have prosecuted him for keeping classified documents, but no jury would ever convict him because he was too senile to basically know what he had done in the past. Is all of that just going to be forgotten now because of age?

[Ben Ferguson]

Well, let me be clear. We have seen pardons this broad before. And so if you look, for example at the pardon, Jerry, Gerald Ford issued for Richard Nixon. Here is the operative text of that pardon. Now, therefore, I, Gerald R. Ford, President of the United States, pursuant to the pardon power conferred upon me by Article 2, Section 2 of the Constitution, have granted, and by these presents do grant a full, free and absolute pardon unto Richard Nixon for all offenses against the United States which he, Richard Nixon, has committed or may have committed or taken part in during the period from January 20, 1969 through August 9, 1974. So they deliberately borrowed the language from the pardon of Richard Nixon. And the idea was this is a blanket get out of jail free card, and it's what the Constitution gives the president this authority, and that's exactly what they did. Now, your question was, what about Joe Biden? So Joe Biden has not pardoned himself. I don't think he will. And at the end of the day, when the Trump Department of Justice comes into office, there will be a question. Do they go and prosecute Joe Biden? My guess is the answer will be no. That Joe Biden, his dementia has risen to a level at this point that I think he's probably going to ride off into the sunset and be done. Maybe I'm wrong, but my suspicion is Joe Biden will not face accountability for the corruption that Hunter was the bag man for and that his entire family profited from.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Incredible. And there's going to be a lot of people listening right now. They're going to be angry about this. I understand it. I want to be clear. I'm angry about it, too, because it looks like the entire family, his brother and every other Biden that was on the take is going to get away with this, in a sense. And look, this is the corruption of the Democratic Party. This is the reason why, I think Donald Trump, one of the reasons why he won this election, why Republicans control the House and Senate, is people wanted there to be accountability, at least on election day.

[Ben Ferguson]

That, by the way. Let me jump in, Ben. There may be an exception. I don't think it's impossible that the Department of Justice prosecutes Joe Biden's brother, Joe Biden's brother. I'm not aware of any evidence that he has dementia, that he, he is serious. Mental diminishment. And that may be one avenue I could see the Department of Justice investigating. Now, one challenge is.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Oh, hold on. I got, I'm going to ask now a prediction. You, you made a last prediction. That was good. I want one right now. What I want you to predict whether or not before the last day, January 20, that Joe Biden says, screw it, I'm going to hand out pardons to my brother or other family members.

[Ben Ferguson]

I don't think it's impossible, but I doubt it. I put it at less than 50%. Look, and I think if you were to ask me to give odds, my guess is that the Trump Department of Justice probably doesn't prosecute Biden's brother, that there will be a sense of this is water under the bridge. It's the prior administration. It's not our concern. Let's move on. But I'm just saying, if you were to predict one avenue and one challenge is in terms of whether you could prosecute Biden's brother, a major challenge would be the statute of limitation, that many of the most corrupt actions occurred long enough that the statute of limitations has expired. And what that means, statute of limitations is in federal law. It's also true in state law that there is a limit to how recently the conduct must have occurred before you could prosecute. It's the idea that you can't come back and prosecute you, Ben, for something you did 20 years ago that you don't remember, that the evidence is stale. There's some notion that there needs to be finality in law and that prosecutions need to need to occur relatively promptly after the criminality. And so I think much of the conduct that Joe's brother has been implicated in, the statute of limitations in all likelihood has expired. And so that may prevent a prosecution. If you were going to ask me, is there going to be another pardon for his brother, probably not, but it's not beyond the realm of contemplation.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Incredible. I want to deal with also, you talked about the Deep State, and I want to talk about the FBI as well, and Cash Patel and being named FBI director by Donald Trump. Before we get to that, though, I want to tell you about our friends over at Patriot Mobile. If you have a cell phone and your cell phone is with Big Mobile, you may not realize exactly where your money is going. You may not realize that you every time you pay that bill to Big Mobile, they're taking part of that and they're giving it back to hardcore liberal causes, candidates and radical organizations. I'm talking about organizations that are paying for abortions right now. If you don't want your money going there, then you need to Switch to Patriot Mo. Now, in 2024, it's never been easier to switch your cell phone. And you do it now literally over the phone. With Patriot Mobile, you keep your same cell phone number. And you can keep your same phone you have right now or upgrade to a new one now coverage. Let's talk about that. A lot of people have misconceptions thinking, oh well, I don't want to change. I like my coverage. You don't have to worry about that now because they're all using the same networks and the same towers. You're going to get the exact same coverage that you're used to. And then this is the best part. Every time you pay your bill to Patriot Mobile, they take about 5% of that bill at no extra cost to you. And they give it back to conservative causes and organizations that fight for our first and our second amendment rights, that fight for the rights of unborn children. And they also stand with our veterans, our wounded warriors and our men and women in uniform, our police and our firemen. If you want your money to go to a company that fights for your Christian conservative values every day, then switch to patriot mobile. Call them 972 Patriot. That's 972 Patriot or patriot mobile.com verdict. That's patriotmobile.com verdict and you're also going to get a free month when you use the offer code verdict of service. Don't get fooled by other providers pretending that they share your values anymore. Join me and switch to America's only Christian conservative mobile provider, Patriot Mobile.com Verdict or 972 Patriot for your free month of service today. All right, so we originally thought we were going to start this show tonight, Senator, talking about the FBI and Caspertel being named the FBI director. This is a name that Democrats do not like, Caspertel. So people understand history. This is a guy that actually the, the, the deep state went after when he was working for Donald Trump the first time with Russia, Russia, Russia. And he found out about it that when at when apparently Google five years after the fact sent him a letter saying, hey, we had to disclose to you now that we gave a bunch of your information over to the FBI. That's the. Now the guy that will be running the FBI if he gets confirmed. Your reaction?

[Ben Ferguson]

Well, I think this is a strong nomination. I think we're seeing Democrats and we're seeing the media freaking out. And they're freaking out not because they think Cash Patel is unqualified, but rather because they believe he will actually do what Trump promised he would do. They believe he will actually clean out the corruption at the FBI, that he will take on the partisans that have burrowed into senior career positions. This is something we've been calling for on this podcast for a long time to have leadership that is willing to really root out the partisanship and corruption and say no more. The FBI needs to restore its integrity. I think this is a nomination. The reason people are losing their minds is because they believe Cash Patel is going to do exactly what Trump said he would do.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

And, Senator, you actually talked about this on Sunday morning on Face the Nation on cbs. And it was very interesting to see the back and forth. Take a listen to that. For people that may have missed it.

[Ben Ferguson]

Cash Patel suggested by Trump as the new leader of the FBI. How enthusiastic are you about that?

[Unnamed Speaker]

Listen, I think Cash Patel is a very strong nominee. I think the entire slate of cabinet nominees President Trump has put forward is very strong. I believe every one of these cabinet nominees is going to be confirmed by the Senate. I think Cash Patel is going to be confirmed by the Senate. You look at his background. He has a serious professional background. He was a prosecutor. He was a public defender. He was a senior intelligence staffer on Capitol Hill. He was a senior intelligence staffer in the White House. He was the chief of Staff of the Department of Defense. He was the deputy Director of National Intelligence. And I got to say, all of the weeping and gnashing of teeth, all of the people pulling their hair out, are exactly the people who are dismayed about having a real reformer come into the FBI and clean out the corrupted partisans who sadly have burrowed into senior career positions at the FBI. The FBI and the Department of Justice are two institutions incredibly important to the rule of law in the United States. I revere both. And one of the most tragic consequences of four years of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris is both DOJ and the FBI have been politicized and weaponized. And I think Cash Patel is a very strong nominee to take on the partisan corruption in the FBI.

[Ben Ferguson]

As you know, Senator, there isn't a vacancy at the top of the FBI.

[Unnamed Speaker]

What should become of Christopher Wray, appointed by President Trump? Well, I think he'll make a choice. I think either he will resign or President Trump will fire him. But it's no secret it to anybody, including Chris Wray, that he is not going to continue to serve as the head of the FBI under Donald Trump. Listen, if you look at James Comey and Chris Wray, there has never been a period in our nation's history where the FBI has suffered a greater loss of respect, where more Americans doubt the fundamental integrity of the FBI. And it's because James Comey and Chris Wray presided over allowing the FBI to become a partisan cudgel, to be used to target parents at school board meetings, to be used to target people who chose not to take the COVID vaccine, to be used to target President Trump and to target the political opponents of Joe Biden and the White House. It is tragic. That is not what the FBI is for. That is not what the DOJ is for. And I got to say, Pam Bondi and Cash Patel, I think together are a very strong slate of nominees to go and restore integrity to both institutions.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

I don't think it can be better said than that. And that's why there's so many that are freaked out over Patel, because he's going to go in and do his job the way it's supposed to be done. And also that means part of the. Part of this is clearing house of the political partisans that are in there that have weaponized the government.

[Ben Ferguson]

That's exactly right. And we've seen. I wrote a book called Justice Corrupted how the Left Has Weaponized the Legal System. And in the book, I described how, starting with Barack Obama, we saw the Department of Justice and the FBI and the CIA and the Alphabet soup of the federal government turned into a weapon to target and persecute the political enemies of Barack Obama. When Trump became president, those partisans, what they did is they went into senior career positions in the agencies, and from day one, from the first day of Trump's first term, they waged war on Donald Trump from within the deep state. They wanted to destroy him. They wanted to stop his agenda. They hated him. And then when Joe Biden became president, they came out in the open. They were brazen. They were completely. They were not pretending anymore. And so, listen, as I said, I think Cash Patel will be confirmed. And when he is, I think it is going to be hugely important that he follow through on those promises to get rid of the partisans. And listen, a point I made, Major Garrett was pressing back, saying, wasn't this terrible that Chris Wray would be fired? Listen, in the entire history of the FBI, we have never seen the respect for the FBI diminished as greatly as it has been under Chris Wray and under James Comey before him. That the American people no longer trust the integrity of the FBI. That is, listen, with James Comey, I think he's a hard partisan. I think he was the point of the spear. With Chris Wray, I think it's different. I actually think Chris Wray, he's not a Democrat, he's a Republican, he's not a leftist, but he views his job as protecting the institution. And I think he made a fundamental mistake that he believes that protecting the career senior officials who themselves are vicious partisans, I think he thinks that's somehow protecting the FBI, where the result is that the public respect of the FBI has been profoundly damaged. I think the new director of the FBI has a very important job to root out those partisans and to bring it back to a fidelity to law. By the way, I think the other political prosecutions that have been brought are natural candidates for the pardon power. If you look at Donald Trump, I think Donald Trump should pardon those people who've been prosecuted for January 6th who did not engage in crimes of violence. If you engage in a crime of violence, if you physically and violently assaulted a police officer, you shouldn't be pardoned. You should face criminal prosecution. If you committed a crime of violence against a police officer. But if you were engaged in a peaceful protest, I think those are natural candidates for pardons. I also think Lauren Handy, who is the pro life protester who's right now serving six years in federal prison for nonviolent protest against abortion, I think Lauren Handy is a natural candidate for a pardon from President Trump. I think there's a very substantial likelihood she will receive a pardon. I think the nonviolent January 6th protesters are likely to receive pardons, and that is going to cause Democrats and the media to lose their mind. Because not only are they happy to look the other way at the weaponization of the Department of Justice and the FBI, they are vested in defending that weaponization. And that is a mandate. Understand, Donald Trump campaigned to the American people saying, I will root out this corruption. And I think this nomination and his following through on that promise is fundamentally about respecting democracy. The American people said, yes, we don't want the federal government weaponized against the political opposition of the White House.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Yeah, Amen to that. And finally, Senator, this is such an important story. And I hope that everybody listening will actually take this podcast today, share it on x, share it on Instagram, share it on Facebook, wherever you are in social media, text it to your friends. Because the story that we're about to talk about is a story that really the media is just not covering. It is something that you've also led on, especially being a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. There was not one, not two, but three Americans that were detained for years in China that have now been released. Give a quick recap of just how long they've been there, but. But also why this happened now.

[Ben Ferguson]

Well, so there were three Americans who returned from China They've been imprisoned in China for years. One of them is a Texan. One of them is someone named Mark Swadan. The other two are Kai Lai and John Leung. So Mark Sweden is a Texan. He's from Houston. His mother is Catherine Sweden. I've spoken to Catherine multiple times. She is from Lulu, Texas. Mark Sweden has been in jail in China for 12 years. And it was a completely bogus charge. It was a trumped up charge and the Chinese government was persecuting him as an American. I've spoken out on Mark Swadan's behalf multiple times. I authored a resolution that passed the Senate unanimously calling for Mark Sweden's release. I've raised his case over and over and over again with the Biden administration. I'll give them some credit. They leaned in in a significant way and they got him home. He is back in Texas today.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

And this is also something that you talked about on Face the Nation. I want people to hear part of what you had to say.

[Ben Ferguson]

Well, can you tell us about the three Americans released by China who were in San Antonio? Have you been in touch with them? And do you have any concerns about the contours of that swap?

[Unnamed Speaker]

Well, at this stage, we don't know all of the details of the contours of the swap. But I'll tell you I am celebrating the return of three Americans, especially Mark Swadan. Mark Swadan is a Texan from Houston. His mom, Katherine is from Lulang, Texas. I've talked with Catherine many times. I authored and passed a resolution in the Senate that passed unanimously calling for Mark Sweden's return to America. He spent 12 years unjustly imprisoned in Communist China. I'll tell you, I have raised it directly with the Foreign Minister of China. I've raised it with President Biden. I've raised it with Secretary of State Tony Blinken. And I will give them credit on this. Tony Blinken, just two weeks ago was the most recent time I spoke with him about Mark Sweden. And the administration has pressed the Chinese government. And Mark Sweden is back home with his mother who has prayed for him, who has loved him. I want to say, Mark, welcome home. Kathryn, congratulations. I told you this day would come. This is a time where all Texans and all Americans should be celebrating very.

[Ben Ferguson]

Quickly, Senator Cruz, because I also know you care about the case of Austin Tice. Do you have any sense that the rebel gains in Syria of the recent vintage will have any chance of unlocking Austin Tice's freedom?

[Unnamed Speaker]

I don't know. I certainly hope and pray Austin Tice needs to come home. And I hope and pray. Listen, there's a combination of two things working. One, as Joe Biden is in the process of transitioning out, any outgoing president is looking to try to get some final wins. I would encourage him and I'm sure he is doing everything he can to bring Austin Tice home, to bring the hostages in Gaza home. Both the Israelis and the Americans, bring them home. In this window. I also think President Trump coming into office on January 20, the enemies of America, I think, are afraid of President Trump. That is a moment. I hope we have a moment right now that is very much like the end of the Jimmy Carter administration right before Ronald Reagan came in and we saw on January 20th our hostages in Iran released. I think in significant part because the Ayatollah was afraid of Reagan. I hope a similar dynamic is playing out and if we can see more hostages come home, that would be cause for enormous celebration.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Enormous celebration that is 100% accurate because for these families, as you mentioned, and this is a day they've been waiting now for years.

[Ben Ferguson]

No, that's absolutely right. And so the fact that we've got three Americans back from China, that's great. I hope we see more hostages coming back.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Don't forget, we do this show Monday, Wednesday and Friday. As I said earlier, make sure you share this podcast wherever you can hit that subscribe or auto download button as well and the Senator and I will be back with you on Wednesday morning.

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