Media Reporting on a Story They Once Buried, DOJ Pulls Plug on ABA & Kamala’s Word Salad on Colbert Week In Review

Summary

Verdict with Ted Cruz – Episode Summary Episode: Media Reporting on a Story They Once Buried, DOJ Pulls Plug on ABA & Kamala’s Word Salad on Colbert Week In Review
Release Date: August 9, 2025

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Introduction

In this episode of Verdict with Ted Cruz, co-host Ben Ferguson delves into three pivotal stories reshaping the current political landscape. From alleged media conspiracies and significant shifts in judicial nomination processes to high-profile political book launches, Ferguson provides a comprehensive analysis aimed at uncovering the underlying truths behind these events.

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1. Media Cover-Up of President Biden’s Cognitive Decline

Ben Ferguson kicks off the Weekend Review by addressing what he describes as a "full blown cover up" regarding President Joe Biden's cognitive health. He accuses mainstream media outlets, particularly CNN's Jake Tapper and Axios's Alex Thompson, of deliberately obscuring evidence of Biden's mental decline.

• Book Revelation: Ferguson highlights the release of "Original Sin: President Biden's Decline, Its Cover-Up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again" by Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson. He asserts that despite the book's revelations, the media has lauded Tapper for his "incredible reporting" while simultaneously suppressing crucial information about Biden's health.

  Ben Ferguson (04:05): "It's an absolute, complete, total cover up. It was knowing it was deliberate and you did it."

• Historical Context: He references past instances where media figures dismissed concerns about Biden's cognitive abilities. For example, during a 2020 interview with Laura Trump, Tapper reportedly ended the conversation abruptly, preventing further discussion on Biden's mental state.

  Ben Ferguson (06:42): "Now, don't take my word for it. Listen to Jake Tapper in his own words."

• Kamala Harris Clip: The episode includes a clip from Vice President Kamala Harris, where her questioning during a live interview reflects on Biden's cognitive abilities, further illustrating the alleged neglect by the media.

  Kamala Harris (07:09): "Cognitive decline. Biden embraces his stutter, talking about it while Trump mocks it..."

• Ferguson’s Critique: He criticizes the media's dual role in both reporting and covering up, suggesting a systemic issue aimed at preserving the status quo rather than informing the public.

  Ben Ferguson (09:15): "Original Sin. President Biden's decline its cover up and his disastrous choice to run again."

2. DOJ Removes American Bar Association from Judicial Nominations Process

The second major topic Ferguson addresses is the Department of Justice's (DOJ) decision to exclude the American Bar Association (ABA) from the judicial nomination process. This move, he argues, is a response to the ABA's historic bias against conservative judicial candidates.

• ABA’s Historical Bias: Ferguson points to several high-profile cases where the ABA rated highly qualified conservative candidates as "not qualified." Notable examples include Robert Bork, Edith Jones, and Frank Easterbrook, all esteemed figures in their fields.

  Ben Ferguson (16:00): "Robert Bork was one of the most qualified federal judicial nominees... yet the ABA concluded he was not qualified to be a judge."

• DOJ’s Statement: He references Pam Bondi’s declaration that the ABA will no longer receive privileged access to judicial nominees, likening the organization to other "left-wing advocacy groups" without recognizing its historical influence.

  Pam Bondi (from transcript, [15:07]): "Nominees will also not respond to questionnaires prepared by the ABA and will not sit for interviews with the ABA."

• Impact on Judicial Selections: Ferguson emphasizes that eliminating the ABA's role is a step towards ensuring a fairer, more unbiased selection process for federal judges, free from political manipulation.

  Ben Ferguson (18:22): "I have for years, for more than a decade, advocated that the ABA is wildly biased and it should not have a special role in the process."

• Exemplary Judicial Nominees: He discusses a recent Senate Judiciary Committee hearing where a nominee failed to answer basic constitutional questions, illustrating the flaws in the current nomination and vetting process.

  Ben Ferguson (20:58): "The Constitution has seven articles... to not know what Article 2 is is stunning."

3. Kamala Harris’s Book Launch and Appearance on Stephen Colbert

The final segment focuses on Vice President Kamala Harris's recent book launch and her appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. Ferguson critiques her approach, labeling it as disjointed and lacking genuine introspection.

• Book Launch: Harris's book, purportedly a candid reflection on her 107-day presidential campaign, is portrayed by Ferguson as a "sanitized, whitewashed version" designed more for publicity than substance.

  Ben Ferguson (28:00): "It's so clearly written by a book publicist. The chances that there is anything resembling candor or reflection in this book are 0.0%."

• Colbert Interview Analysis: Ferguson dissects Harris's interview with Colbert, describing her responses as "word salad" and highlighting moments where she fails to provide clear, substantive answers.

  Ben Ferguson (35:58): "You hear that and it's like, what are you even talking about?"

• Democratic Party Critique: He extends his criticism to the broader Democratic Party, arguing that leaders like Elizabeth Warren, Chuck Schumer, and AOC lack coherent leadership and instead foster internal chaos driven by extreme left-wing factions.

  Ben Ferguson (38:30): "There is no leader of the Democratic Party. They are leaderless. They are rudderless."

• Irony in Defending Democracy: Ferguson finds it ironic that Harris professes to defend democracy while, in his view, supporting policies and actions that undermine democratic principles, such as indicting political opponents and manipulating electoral processes.

  Ben Ferguson (42:08): "This administration... Kamala Harris has demonstrated utter and complete contempt for democracy."

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Conclusion

In this episode, Ben Ferguson of Verdict with Ted Cruz presents a scathing critique of current political dynamics, accusing mainstream media of bias, highlighting significant changes in the judicial nomination process, and dissecting high-profile political figures' actions and narratives. Through detailed analysis and strategic use of quotes, Ferguson aims to shed light on what he perceives as systemic issues undermining transparency, fairness, and true democratic values in the United States.

For listeners seeking an in-depth understanding of these contentious issues, this episode offers a provocative perspective that challenges prevailing narratives and calls for greater accountability and integrity within media, political institutions, and leadership.

Transcript

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[Jamie Rubin]

And I'm Jamie Rubin, a former advisor to both Presidents Clinton and Biden.

[Christiane Amanpour]

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[Jamie Rubin]

Welcome. It is Verdict with Ted Cruz Weekend Review. Ben Ferguson with you. And here are some big stories you may have missed that we've been talking about recently. First up, Joe Biden's decline was nothing but a full blown cover up. We're talking about that cognitive decline. And guess what? The media was in on it. We'll explain exactly just how corrupt the media was and now how they're being held accountable. Also, in a big move, the American Bar association is finally going to have no role in judicial nominations. Why? Well, corruption. And we'll explain that as well. And finally, Kamala Harris has written a book explaining how Trump is a threat to democracy. And where did she do it? On a show that's been canceled. We'll have the highlights of what she had to say. It's the Weekend Review and it starts right now. Senator, it is a very big week for putting out books that are full of crap.

[VGW Group]

It truly is stunning. So Jake Tapper from CNN has a book along with with Alex Thompson from Axios. The book is entitled Original Sin, President Biden's decline, its cover up, and his disastrous choice to run again. And when you talk about full of crap, I really don't think you're being fair to crap like, like this is, this is like a book. Arsonist discovers a fire he started. This is like a book. Tony Montana, the drug dealer says cocaine is bad for you. Like, yes, Jake, there was a cover up. An absolute, complete, total cover up. It was knowing it was deliberate and you did it. You, Jake Tapper And CNN were 247 engaged in the COVID up. You knew about his mental decline and you refused to tell anybody.

[Jamie Rubin]

All right, so let's go back to this lie that I think the part that blows my mind the most is the fact that Tap river is actually probably going to get a bestseller out of this. Everyone. The media is praising him for this incredible reporting. And this is the guy that literally helped cover up the cognitive decline and dismissed anyone who brought it up on a show.

[VGW Group]

So, so look, the, the book, as I understand it, was originally written by Thompson. Alex Thompson is not nearly as well known as Jake Tapper.

[Jamie Rubin]

Yep.

[VGW Group]

And he had a contract with the book publishing company. He wrote the book, and then the book publishing company decided to cancel it and said, no, we're not going to publish this book after all. In other words, the book publishing company engaged in yet another cover up because they didn't want anyone to know. And so Thompson sought out Tapper and convinced Tapper. Hey, join with me. You're a big famous guy. They'll publish it if your name's on it. And Tapper said yes. And I gotta say, so there are lots of.

[Jamie Rubin]

Never let a crisis go to waste. Right.

[VGW Group]

That's exactly. Look, and particularly a chance to make some good money. I mean, hey, what's journalism all about if not monetizing your own hypocrisy and your own cover up? Look, Tapper, some of the facts that are coming out in this book. In 2023 and 2024, Tapper and Thompson report Biden's physical deterioration was so severe that his advisors discussed the possibility he would need to use a wheelchair if he won reelection. That's, that's how bad it was. And, and yet every time anyone tried to bring up those facts, Jake Tapper and the rest of the corporate media covered it up. But don't take my word for it. Listen to Jake Tapper in his own words. This is a collection of Tapper over the years.

[Jamie Rubin]

And, and this goes back to 2020. The very beginning is him talking to one of the Trump family members, Laura Trump, and he actually, like, ends the interview like, you can't even say this on my show.

[VGW Group]

So, so this, this montage starts in 2020, then goes to 21, 22, 23, and then 24. All throughout. Listen. Tapper for five years covered this up aggressively. Give a listen.

[Kamala Harris]

How do you think it makes little kids with stutters feel when they see you make a comment like that?

[VGW Group]

Is very clearly a cognitive decline. That's what I'm referring to.

[Jamie Rubin]

It makes me uncomfortable.

[Kamala Harris]

You have, you are. No, I can't. That's so amazing. It's so amazing that.

[VGW Group]

Try and figure out an answer.

[Kamala Harris]

Cognitive decline. Biden embraces his stutter, talking about it while Trump mocks it, exaggerates it, belittles it. He's sharp physically. I mean, mentally. Yeah, I think the question is physically. Right, Right. Or so.

[Ice Cube]

Right, right.

[Kamala Harris]

And the guy who is his chief opponent is only three or four years younger than him. I mean, you have questioned President Biden's age, mental fitness, ability to lead. Of those supporting Biden, you said, quote, shame on all of you, pretending everything is okay. You're leading us and him into a disaster. Do you worry that you damaged him at all? I don't doubt that you got hugs and handshakes behind closed doors today and maybe even publicly some of them because they like you personally. But I've heard a lot of really nasty stuff about you from your Democratic colleagues. I mean, just like, what is he thinking? Exercise in narcissism. I mean, false claims to the Wall Street Journal about President Biden's mental fitness and acuity. He's 81 and his memory, you know, it doesn't seem great. It's not horrible. But I don't understand the outrage. Quote, behind closed doors, Biden's shows signs of slipping, unquote. The Wall Street Journal is owned by News Corps, which is run by the Murdochs. Beyond the headline, there is some critical nuance here. The article is mostly based on observations of Republicans with former Speaker Kevin McCarthy the only one going on the record. They do note in the article that most of the criticism comes from Republicans. Have you heard any concerns from anyone who has met with President Biden about him seeing seeming a little slower?

[VGW Group]

No.

[Kamala Harris]

The Russians are trying to do to make us and the public not trust the our election. Integrity. Joe Biden has dementia and all this stuff.

[Jamie Rubin]

Let's just stop there and give the title of the book again, Senator, so people understand what they just heard and now what he's writing. Because if you just look at the title of the book, you understand the debauchery of journalistic scumbaggery.

[VGW Group]

The title of the book is Original Sin. President Biden's decline its cover up and his disastrous choice to run again. And understand Jake Tapper. When he was saying that he was lying, he knew he was lying. Everyone else on CNN knew he was lying. They knew they were lying. Everyone on MSNBC knew they were lying. Everyone on abc, NBC, CBS knew they were lying. Everyone at the New York Times knew they were lying. Everyone at the Washington Post knew they were lying. Everyone knew this. Look, one of the facts in his book, he says, at a fundraiser In June of 2024, Joe Biden didn't recognize George Clooney, who he's known for decades. He had George Clooney, by the way. He had to be introduced like Ocean's Eleven. What is there a casino? You're robbing. I don't understand. Like Biden had no idea. This is the same fundraiser you remember where Barack Obama had to lead Biden off the stage because he was just confused and staring out in space and Tapper and the rest of them just lied to us and said a okay, no problems here.

[Jamie Rubin]

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

[Ice Cube]

The reviews and ratings are in and Ice Cube's big three is the surprise hit of the summer. This Saturday, 4pm Eastern on CBS with playoff elimination on the line, the stars will be flocking to Los Angeles to witness the most physical, fiercest and competitive basketball in the world. Miami's Michael Beasley and Lance Stevenson must be win over Houston to make the playoffs, reeling from last week's savage beating at the hands of Chicago's possessed Montrez Harrell. Last time these teams met, Miami beat Houston, but they are a dangerous team having their manhood at stake. Then breakout star Dwight Howard of the LA Riot will battle Gary Payton's Boston squad in a do or die match for both teams. Will LA avenge their previous shocking loss to perennial basketball Boston rivals? To survive, six teams are allowed for four spots and all must win. Don't miss the Big Three, the 3 on 3 basketball league. Everyone is talking no crying in the Big Three and the no hold spot action starts Saturday at 4pm Eastern, 1pm Pacific followed by two games on Vice starting at 6:30 Eastern.

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[Jamie Rubin]

And I'm Jamie Rubin, a former advisor to both Presidents Clinton and Biden.

[Christiane Amanpour]

We were married for 20 years and divorced for seven. Now we've joined forces on the X Files to make sense of how we ended up with no world order. Listen to Christiane Amanpour presents the X files on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

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[Jamie Rubin]

Now, on to story number two. All right, Senator, so let's dive into this other issue that really is an interesting one. You've got a lot to say about the Trump Justice Department telling the American Bar association that it will no longer comply with ratings for judicial nominees. Now explain the politics behind this. The ABA has had a lot of power and, and they're basically now saying we're not going to let you guys have that power because there's been a lot of bias coming out of the American Bar Association.

[VGW Group]

Well, the American Bar association, it's A national organization of lawyers. And it is a left wing advocacy group. It is not fair, it is not impartial. It is a radical left organization. And the ABA has had a formal role in judicial selection for 75 years. It started rating judicial nominees in 1953. And until 2001, the ABA actually had a formal role evaluating judicial nominees before they were nominated. So a president, a Department of justice and administration would, would share with the aba, hey, we're, we're thinking of nominating Ben Ferguson to be a federal judge. And they'd go and research and interview former clients, and at some point people would say, wait, Ben's not even a lawyer. How the hell is he going to be a judge? Like, he probably should go to law school first. And by the way, that point is not crazy. But they engaged that they would do a formal role and they would rate the qualifications of judicial nominees. Now, here's the problem. For decades, the ABA's qualifications measures were wildly biased. So for example, Robert Bork. Robert Bork. Ronald Reagan nominated Robert Bork to the Supreme Court in 1987. Robert Bork was by any measure, one of the most qualified federal judicial nominees in the history of this country. Robert Borkman had been the Solicitor General of the United States, the chief lawyer for the United States in front of the Supreme Court of the United States. Robert Bork had been one of the most renowned and respected law professors for decades. Robert Bork had been a federal judge on the U.S. court of Appeals for the D.C. circuit. And so a remarkable career. And yet the ABA, when they evaluated Robert Bork, they concluded he was, quote, not qualified to be a judge. They also concluded the same thing for Frank Easterbrook. Again. Brilliant, brilliant judge, brilliant professor. One of the greatest judges to have ever served on the Court of Appeals, Frank Easterbrook. The ABA concluded he was not qualified. Also, Edith Jones, Edith Jones is a Judge on the 5th Circuit, federal court of Appeals down in Texas. I know Judge Jones well. She's a phenomenal jurist. One of the best and most conservative judges in the entire country. The ABA rated her not qualified. Well, the breaking news is this week the Trump Justice Department announced the ABA will no longer have a role in judicial selection. They will no longer have a role in vetting. They're out. And the Department of Justice said, you know what? They can chime in like any other left wing advocacy group, but they don't have a role in this process.

[Jamie Rubin]

This is going to have like, I think a big impact on the quality Pam bombing Bondi, informing the ABA that they'll no longer enjoy the special access to judicial nominees. And the left, by the way, when that news came out, they totally freaked out. And I think that also shows just how much they were depending on the ABA to get rid of good candidates that were maybe more conservative.

[VGW Group]

Yeah. And so Pam Bondi sent a letter to the president of the aba and she said, quote, while the ABA is free to comment on judicial nominations along with other activist organizations, there is no justification for treating the ABA differently from such other activist organizations. And the Department of Justice will not do so. And so previously the Office of Legal Policy, which, which is the, the, the, the office within the Department of Justice that handles judicial selections, they changed. They had previously directed judicial nominees to provide a waiver to the ABA to let the ABA access non public information, including bar records. And so no longer is the Department of Justice going to tell judicial nominees give the ABA special access. That is over. And moreover, Pam Bondi says, quote, nominees will also not respond to questionnaires prepared by the ABA and will not sit for interviews with the aba. In other words, you can be like every other whack job organization on the left, but, but you're not going to have any special access whatsoever. This is something I've called for a long time. I have for years, for more than a decade, advocated that the ABA is wildly biased and it should, it should not have a special role in the process. And I want to commend President Trump and Pam Bondi. It's the right thing to do.

[Jamie Rubin]

Senator, we hear a lot about bias and bias against conservatives, but my other question is, were they also biased in advocating for liberals?

[VGW Group]

Absolutely. They are a hard left advocacy organization masquerading as a nonpartisan professional organization. And Joe Biden over the last four years nominated over and over again radicals and zealots, many of whom were wildly unqualified. And the ABA was more than happy to stamp them with a rating of qualified. And one example is Charnette Charnel Bajelkongren, who was wildly unqualified. And yet the ABA happily deemed her qualified and rather than me lay out how bad she was. I want you to listen to this cross examination from my colleague John Kennedy to this judicial nominee in the Senate Judiciary Committee here. Give a listen. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and congratulations to all of you. Judge on the far end, tell me what Article 5 of the Constitution does.

[iHeart Podcast]

Article 5 is not coming to mind at the moment.

[VGW Group]

Okay, how about Article 2?

[iHeart Podcast]

Neither is Article 2.

[VGW Group]

Okay. Do you know what purposivism is?

[iHeart Podcast]

In my 12 years as an assistant attorney general in my nine years serving as a judge, I was not faced with that precise question. We are the highest trial court in Washington State, so I'm frequently faced with issues that I'm not familiar with, and I thoroughly review the law, our research, and apply the law to the facts presented to me.

[VGW Group]

Well, you're going to be faced with it as a if you're confirmed, I can assure you of that.

[Jamie Rubin]

He was dumbfounded at the end there. Like, I can't believe you don't know.

[VGW Group]

This well, and let me underscore how simple the first two questions are that he asked so the Constitution has seven articles. It's not a very long document. Article five is the article through that lays out the process for amending the Constitution. It's fairly basic. That was his opening question. She had no idea what Article 5 was. Article 2 is even more fundamental. So the first three articles of the Constitution Article 1 creates the Congress, Article 2 creates the president and the executive branch, and Article 3 creates the federal judiciary. To not know what Article 2 is is stunning. To give you a sense you will flunk constitutional law and not graduate law school if you don't know what Article 2 is, she was being nominated to be what is called an Article 3 judge. I assume she had no idea what Article 3 was, and nevertheless the ABA said she's qualified to be an Article 3 judge even though she has no idea what it is. I'm very glad the ABA no longer has a role in making those determinations as before.

[Jamie Rubin]

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

[Ice Cube]

The reviews and ratings are in and Ice Cube's Big Three is the surprise hit of the summer. This Saturday, 4pm Eastern on CBS, with playoff elimination on the line, the stars will be flocking to Los Angeles to witness the most physical, fiercest and competitive basketball in the world. Miami's Michael Beasley and Lance Stevenson must win over Houston to make the playoffs, reeling from last week's savage beating at the hands of Chicago's possessed Montrez Harold. Last time these teams met, Miami beat Houston, but they are a dangerous team having their manhood at at stake. Then breakout star Dwight Howard of the LA Riot will battle Gary Payton's Boston squad in a do or die match for both teams. Will LA avenge their previous shocking loss to perennial basketball Boston rivals to survive, six teams are allowed for four spots and all must win. Don't miss the big three. The 3 on 3 basketball league everyone is talking about there's no crying in the big three and the no hold spot action starts Saturday at 4pm Eastern, 1pm Pacific, followed by two games on Vice starting at 6:30 Eastern.

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I'm Christiane Amanpour and I've been on the front lines and interviewing world leaders for more than 30 years.

[Jamie Rubin]

And I'm Jamie Rubin, a former advisor to both Presidents Clinton and Biden.

[Christiane Amanpour]

We were married for 20 years and divorced for seven. Now we've joined forces on the X Files to make sense of how we ended up with no world order. Listen to Christiana Manpour presents the X files on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

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[Jamie Rubin]

Want to get back to the big Story Number three of the week. You may have missed Kamala Harris. Now she's coming out on her book tour. Not a joke. She kicked it off and joined the Late show with Stephen Colbert to do it. Harris coming out swinging blasting this the the SCOTUS for forgetting what quote democracy and the rule of law is quote unquote supposed to be. She also talked about her new book and the quote horrors of January 6th on the late show with Colbert as well. I mean this is one of those things.

[VGW Group]

Play a little bit from her announcement video on her new book because I have to say it's almost like a Saturday Night Live skit. Give it a play.

[Jamie Rubin]

Yeah it is. This is her real announcement of her real book launch.

[iHeart Podcast]

Just over a year ago, I launched my campaign for President of the United States. 107 days traveling the country fighting for our future. The shortest presidential campaign in modern history. It was intense, high stakes and deeply personal for me and for so many of you. Since leaving office, I've spent a lot of time reflecting on those days. Talking with my team, my family, my friends and pulling my thoughts together. In essence, writing a journal that is this book. 107 days. With candor and reflection, I've written a behind the scenes account of that journey. I believe there's value in sharing what I saw, what I learned and what I know it will take to move forward. In writing this book, one truth kept coming back to me. Sometimes the fight takes a while, but I remain full of hope and I remain clear eyed. I will never stop fighting to make our country reflect the very best of its ideals. Always on behalf of the people. So thank you for being in this fight with me. I Am forever grateful. And I cannot wait for you to read this and I'll see you out there. Take care.

[Jamie Rubin]

I mean, it is Saturday Night Live worthy. It's also one of the funniest things ever because she's basically saying, oh, by the way, I'm not gonna run for governor in California. That came up as well. And it's like, here's my book on how bad my campaign sucked, but I'll rewrite the history on that. And oh, by the way, I'm basically saying I'm probably gonna run again.

[VGW Group]

Well, you know, the, the script that she's reading there, that's clearly a script she's reading from a teleprompter. And I just sort of love with Candor and reflection, a behind the scenes tale. And look, it's so clearly written by a book publicist. The chances that there is anything resembling candor or reflection in this book are 0.0%. There is not. This is a sanitized, whitewashed version of how, you know, the good ship Lollipop was derailed by evil Donald J. Trump. By evil voters. Oh, those voters. And I gotta say, it's interesting how little candor and reflection Kamala has. I want you to listen to her with Stephen Colbert. And if there is an even less gracious, kind, balanced, normal person on TV than Stephen Colbert, I don't know who that is. This is one partisan shrill to another, but listen to how neither one of them has learned anything from the 2024 election. Give a listen.

[iHeart Podcast]

This is a time for people to, you know, I mean, look, we, we designed our democracy with three independent co. Equal branches of government. I mean, when you see that the President of the United States is trying to get rid of the Department of Education and Congress has the role and responsibility to stand in the way of that. And they're just sitting on their hands and then they go on recess because they don't want to deal with transparency.

[VGW Group]

And the Supreme Court says, and the Supreme Court says that he can ignore law that established it.

[iHeart Podcast]

Yeah, but the Supreme Court, we knew what they were doing. Remember, I talked about it in 107 days. I don't put that in the book, by the way.

[Jamie Rubin]

This is an exclusive.

[iHeart Podcast]

This is an exclusive for the Stephen Colbert Show. But the Supreme Court basically gave whoever would be president. When I was in the campaign, I talked immunity. Immunity we talked about. So we're not surprised what the Supreme Court is doing. And God, thank those members of the court who write brilliant dissents and remind us of what the democracy and the Rule of law is supposed to be.

[VGW Group]

You know.

[Jamie Rubin]

You hear that and it's like, what are you even talking about?

[VGW Group]

There's so much in what she's saying that is incoherent and wrong. Let's start off where she's saying, okay, the President is trying to abolish the Department of Education and Congress is refusing to do its jobs. No, we actually agree with abolishing the Department of Education. This was something that the President campaigned on. And the reason the American people agree with abolishing the federal Department of Education is not because education doesn't matter, but precisely the opposite. Because it matters so much that people are ticked off that a bunch of left wing woke bureaucrats that you and Joe Biden appointed tried to take over schools, tried to indoctrinate kids, tried to push Marxist ideology in our children and tried to convince them that boys were girls and girls were boys, and tried to let boys compete in girls sports and force this on schools. And the red tape and the bureaucracy and the waste and the ideology from the Department of Education is precisely why President Trump is working to abolish it. And I've actually had Democrat senators say to me very much what Kamala does. Well, we're just. The Senate is irrelevant because you're not stopping this. It's like, no, the Senate is relevant. In fact, we're voting on it. Had one senator say this to me when we voted to shut down NPR and pbs. She was like, how can you be doing this? The Senate's not doing our job. I'm like, no, we're precisely doing our job. The American people are not interested in spending billions of dollars to fund left wing propaganda. The irony is Kamala frames what she's saying is a defense of democracy. What she's mad at is democracy. What she's mad at is the American people elected Donald Trump, which she's mad at, is the American people elected a Republican House. What she's mad at is the American people elected a Republican Senate. And she's really, really mad that President Trump and the Republican Senate and the Republican House are doing what they said they would do. In other words, they are honoring and respecting democracy by carrying out the campaign promises they told the American people, and that infuriates them. And the irony of her claiming that she believes in democracy. This was an administration, the Biden Harris administration, that repeatedly indicted her political opponent, Donald Trump. This was an administration Democrats across the country tried to remove Trump's name from the ballot. Because nothing says protecting democracy like stopping the voters from voting for your opponent, this is an administration. Kamala Harris has demonstrated utter and complete contempt for democracy. And so when she says, well, gosh, we must defend democracy, what she means is we need radical left wing policies. And if the voters don't like them, to hell with the voters, we want them anyway. That's what she's saying. And by the way, when she's denouncing the courts, what she's really saying is she wants radical, unelected judges to ignore the will of the voters, to ignore democracy, and to force her very unpopular policies on the American people anyway. Doing things like she doesn't want illegal immigrants, Venezuelan gang members, murderers and rapists and child molesters. She doesn't want them arrested, she doesn't want them deported. And she wants these radical judges that she was responsible, along with Joe Biden for appointing to stand up and say, we don't care what the American people voted for, we are going to decree release more illegal immigrants into your neighborhood. Because that's who the Democrat Party represents today.

[Jamie Rubin]

By the way, you mentioned represent the Democratic Party. Kamala Harris was asked a question by Stephen Colbert and it's one that went viral. It is the biggest question that's being asked in the political world right now. Who is in charge of the Democratic Party?

[VGW Group]

Party.

[Jamie Rubin]

And I want you to hear this word salad and get your take on it. Take a listen.

[VGW Group]

Who's leading the Democratic Party?

[Kamala Harris]

I'm just curious.

[iHeart Podcast]

There are lots of leaders and there's.

[Kamala Harris]

Generally a leader of the Democratic Party.

[VGW Group]

You know, like, oh, that's the leader, donor party, who comes to mind.

[iHeart Podcast]

I think there are a lot of. I'm not going to go through names because then I'm going to leave somebody out and then I'm going to hear about it. But let me just, let me say, say this. I think it is a mistake for us who want to figure out how to get out and through this and get out of it, to put it on the shoulders of any one person. It's really on all of our shoulders. It really is.

[Jamie Rubin]

All of our shoulders. It's not a great answer, is it?

[VGW Group]

Well, look, look, I actually have a little bit of sympathy for her because there's no way to answer that. The real answer is there is no leader of the Democrat Party. They are leaderless. They are rudderless. They are running around like chickens with their heads cut off. Look, who would you say? You could say Chuck Schumer. But Chuck Schumer's not leading anything. He's utterly terrified of aoc, whatever. AOC on the squad demands. That's what Schumer does. So she's not going to say Chuck Schumer because the audience would laugh if she said Chuck Schumer. They'd laugh if she said Akeem Jeffries. Most of them would say, who's that? Like, he's not leading anything. He's just in the House. And in both the Senate and House, Schumer and Jeffries are essentially just embodying rage and hatred to Donald Trump. They don't have an agenda beyond open borders and lawlessness and hatred of Donald Trump. That's the entirety of the Democrat Party. And then beyond that, you've got all their ambitious governors. You know, Gavin Newsom is desperately trying to be super liberal and super moderate and whatever you want and slick and all around. And suddenly he knows boys aren't girls until tomorrow. And then boys are girls. And, and. But she can't say him either. And so there is no answer she can give because this is a rudderless party. And to the extent there is a leader, it is the pro Hamas contingent. It is aoc, it is Ilhan Omar, it is the extreme left wing squad that is driving the rest of the party and that everyone else in the party is terrified of.

[Jamie Rubin]

Yeah, it's amazing. It is actually fun for once to watch the Democratic Party from top to bottom being just complete and utter disarray. Because let's be honest.

[VGW Group]

You got to play one more clip. You got to play the clip when Colbert asked if she was running for governor.

[Jamie Rubin]

Yeah. This is amazing. Take a listen.

[VGW Group]

You made an announcement that you're not running for the Governor of California.

[iHeart Podcast]

Correct.

[Kamala Harris]

You said you're going to sit this one out.

[VGW Group]

Why are you sitting this out? Are you saving yourself for a different office that might be.

[iHeart Podcast]

No, no, no.

[VGW Group]

Obviously people project on.

[iHeart Podcast]

And honestly that it's more perhaps basic than that. I am. Listen. I am a devout public servant. I have spent my entire career in service of the people. But to be very candid with you, I had to defend my decision to become a prosecutor with my family is. Why is it then, when we think we want to improve a system or change it, that we're always on the outside, on bended knee or trying to break down the door? Shouldn't we also be inside the system? And that has been my career recently. I made the decision that I just. For now, I don't want to go back in the system. I think it's broken.

[Jamie Rubin]

I think it's broken. You can't make that up either.

[VGW Group]

But you know what's broken about it.

[Jamie Rubin]

What is that?

[VGW Group]

That she lost. That's her whole definition of whether the system is working or it's broken. It is broken because the American people voted for Donald Trump and not for Kamala Harris. It is broken because the American people voted for a Republican Senate and not a Democrat Senate. It is broken in her, in her view, because the American people voted for a Republican House and not a Democrat House. In her view, democracy, the system only works when she and other left wing lunatics are in power. That's how she defines whether it's working or whether it's broken. It is purely, it is 100% about power. And look, part of why, to be honest, you and I, we don't listen to Stephen Colbert and we very rarely listen to Kamala Harris. The reason why we're playing this exchange is because it really does show that there's not a moment of reflection. You know what she had in her book promo about candor and whatever. There's none of that. She continues. Four years of a disastrous agenda. Open borders, 12 million illegal immigrants, the worst illegal immigration, our nation's history. She takes no responsibility for that. Doesn't acknowledge that abandoning all of our friends and allies, going from peace and prosperity to two simultaneous wars across the globe. She takes no responsibility for that. The Democrat Party becoming rabidly anti Semitic, her funders funding violent anti semitic riots on college campuses. She takes no responsibility for that. There's not at all an acknowledgement of, gosh, people voted for Donald Trump in significant part because they were really, really, really unhappy with the radical policies that Joe Biden, Kamala Harris put in place. No acknowledgement of that at all. And their view? The system is broken. Why? Because the democracy's functioning to her mind. If the voters can vote her out, the system is broken. That is the essence of the contempt that today's Democrat Party has for, for Big D, democracy.

[Jamie Rubin]

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

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[Christiane Amanpour]

I'm Christiane Amanpour, and I've been on the front lines and interviewing world leaders for more than 30 years.

[Jamie Rubin]

And I'm Jamie Rubin, a former advisor to both Presidents Clinton and Biden.

[Christiane Amanpour]

We were married for 20 years and divorced for seven. Now we've joined forces on the X Files to make sense of how we ended up with no world order. Listen to Christiana Manpour Presents the X files on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you listen to podcasts. This is an iHeart podcast.