Podcast Summary: "Oil Means National Security, Rep. Jim Jordan vs Jack Smith & Crime Crashes Coast‑to‑Coast – Week In Review"

Podcast: Verdict with Ted Cruz
Hosts: Senator Ted Cruz, Ben Ferguson
Episode Date: January 24, 2026
Main Theme:
This week’s episode dives into three pressing issues: the critical role of oil and energy independence in U.S. national security, the contentious congressional questioning of Special Counsel Jack Smith by Rep. Jim Jordan, and the dramatic drop in crime rates across the country under President Trump’s administration.

1. Energy Independence and National Security

Discussion Points:

• Oil Prices & National Security:
  Ben Ferguson recounts a recent dinner with oil executives and a White House official, highlighting frustration among producers over lower oil prices, contrasted with the administration’s focus on energy independence as a strategic geopolitical tool.
  • “Our energy independence policy is also a national security policy. Because when you take away the money...to the leadership in Iran, to Vladimir Putin in Russia, Venezuela is another example...that money...completely disappears.” — Ben Ferguson (01:13)
• Balancing Act:
  Senator Cruz discusses the Trump administration’s balancing of U.S. oil prices to hurt adversaries while protecting domestic producers.
  • “There's a balance because from a US national security interest...oil and gas and energy are powerful weapons against our enemies and to buttress America.” — Ted Cruz (03:39)
  • Cruz warns that prices falling below certain thresholds (e.g., $40/barrel) would devastate smaller U.S. producers, especially in Texas’ Permian Basin, weakening America’s ability to produce oil and increasing dependence on adversaries.
• Impact on Adversaries:
  The hosts emphasize that oil revenue is a lifeline for “petro tyrants” like Putin, Maduro, and the Iranian regime, so American oil abundance undermines their power.
• Venezuela’s Oil Infrastructure:
  Cruz shares insights from conversations with oil CEOs on Venezuela’s diminished oil output due to collapsed infrastructure and mismanagement under communism, noting it would take 5–10 years and over $100 billion to restore substantial Venezuelan production.
  • “Venezuela right now is producing about a million barrels a day, which is a fraction of what their capacity is...I said okay, what would the time frame be to take Venezuela from 1 million barrels a day to 3 million barrels a day? ...the response was 10 years.” — Ted Cruz (07:07)
• Refining Capacity:
  U.S. Gulf Coast refineries are uniquely suited to handle Venezuelan “heavy sour crude,” and an influx of such oil would have more impact on Canadian and Mexican producers than Texans.
• Cuba’s Vulnerability:
  Cruz gives a personal and historical account of communism in Cuba, detailing the collapse of Cuban and Venezuelan lifelines and the regime’s current economic fragility, now largely sustained by Mexican oil. He suggests U.S. pressure on Mexico to cut this support could destabilize the Cuban regime further.
  • “If you look at the history of Cuba...for decades, Cuba was effectively a satellite state of the Soviet Union...Now with Venezuela no longer sending oil...and the Cuban economy is in freefall...My hope is the Trump administration is going to lean on Mexico to stop that oil going to Cuba.” — Ted Cruz (12:46–13:56)

Notable Quotes:

• “God has a sense of humor and that many of the worst players on planet earth depend upon oil revenues. They're in many ways petro tyrants.” — Ted Cruz (03:11)
• “Communism is a great way to destroy jobs and make your people incredibly poor.” — Ted Cruz (11:51)

2. Rep. Jim Jordan vs Jack Smith – Accountability & Power

Key Segment: 16:57–26:10

Discussion Points:

• Jack Smith in Congress:
  Ted Cruz frames Special Counsel Jack Smith's prosecution of Donald Trump as a “historic abuse of power,” suggesting it was far graver than the Nixon administration’s Watergate scandal.
  • “Jack Smith was the point of the spear on the greatest abuse of power we have seen in modern times.” — Ted Cruz (16:57)
• Jordan’s Line of Questioning (With Audio):
  Highlights from Rep. Jim Jordan’s interrogation of Jack Smith include the grilling over reliance on Cassidy Hutchinson’s disputed testimony in the January 6th investigation. Jordan presses Smith on whether he would rely on obviously uncorroborated and hearsay evidence, exposing weaknesses in the investigation.
  • “Did you ever confirm the President leaping across the seat, grabbing the steering wheel...do you ever confirm that?” — Jim Jordan (21:03)
  • “We interviewed a...another firsthand witness who was in the car who did not confirm that happened.” — Jack Smith (21:07)
• Cassidy Hutchinson’s Credibility:
  Cruz shares that Hutchinson was a past intern in his office but states he has no memory of her, and ridicules her description of a fictional exchange involving him in her book as evidence of her unreliability.
  • “It was an exchange that she said occurred after she went to the White House...that is truly fantastic because it never occurred.” — Ted Cruz (25:03)
  • “It speaks volumes that both Jack Smith and the Democrats...were perfectly happy to rely upon a fabulist whom they knew was not telling the truth.” — Ted Cruz (26:04)

Memorable Moments:

• “[Jim Jordan]: And that’s the point...The fact that they used her in a primetime hearing and you won’t rule out using her...when everybody knows she wasn’t telling the truth, that says it all.” (22:47)

3. Crime Rate Plummets Across America

Key Segment: 27:49–33:03

Discussion Points:

• Historic Drop in Murder Rate:
  The discussion presents recent statistics showing a roughly 20% nationwide decrease in murder rates year-over-year, credited to Trump-era law enforcement policies including National Guard deployment, increased arrests of violent criminals and gang members, and deportations.
  • “If you look at January through October of 2025...5912 murders were recorded in the US. In that same time period in 2024, 7369 murders were recorded. In other words, there are about 1400 people alive who were not murdered because of common sense law and order policies.” — Ted Cruz (28:33)
• City-by-City Breakdown:
  Major crime reductions in major metros: Chicago (-30%), New York City (-20%), Baltimore (-31%), Oakland (-33%), among others.
  • “Birmingham, Alabama, it dropped 49%. Albuquerque, New Mexico, it dropped 32%. Atlanta, Georgia, 26%...” — Ted Cruz (29:38)
• Other Crime Trends:
  • Motor vehicle theft down 25%
  • Robberies down 18%
  • Aggravated assault down 8%
• Media Treatment:
  The hosts criticize mainstream media for allegedly minimalizing these statistics and refusing to credit Trump administration policies:
  • “Axios wrote the first story...has fallen, but they say, well, it’s unclear that this has anything to do with Donald Trump...It is a level of dishonesty that is incredible.” — Ted Cruz (29:55)
• Law Enforcement Achievements:
  • Violent crime arrests up 100%
  • Disruption of gangs and criminal enterprises up 210%
  • Fentanyl seizures up 31% (enough to kill 130 million Americans)
  • Child predator and human trafficking arrests up
  • Four of FBI’s “top ten most wanted” captured (matching all four years under Biden)

Notable Quotes:

• “In one year, [they] captured as many on the top 10 list as Biden did in four years. The media want to say this drop in the murder rate...just happened magically. It’s probably due to global warming or something.” — Ted Cruz (32:10)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Oil & National Security: 00:49–14:59
• Jack Smith & Jim Jordan Hearing: 16:57–26:10
• Crime Rate Drop: 27:49–33:03

Overall Takeaway

This "Week in Review" episode presents the hosts’ viewpoint that U.S. energy independence is a critical tool for weakening adversaries, discusses perceived politicization in federal prosecutions, and trumpets significant falls in national crime rates as proof of effective Trump administration policy—while criticizing the media for failing to report these topics fairly. Stories are colored by personal anecdotes, direct quotes from recent testimony, and a tone that blends humor with sharp political critique.