Verdict with Ted Cruz: "The Battle for Somaliland, Trump takes a BITE out of DC Violence & DOJ Warned Biden Over Legally Flawed Pardons"

Episode Date: August 23, 2025
Hosts: Senator Ted Cruz & Ben Ferguson
Co-Guests: Greg Pemberton (D.C. Police Union Chairman), Caroline Levitt

Episode Overview

This Week in Review episode tackles three major political stories:

1. China's Influence & Somaliland's Quest for Recognition: Senator Cruz discusses China's efforts to undermine U.S. influence in Africa and advocates for official U.S. recognition of Somaliland as an independent state.

2. Washington D.C. Crime & Federal Intervention: The effectiveness of President Trump's deployment of federal authorities in drastically reducing D.C. crime and the surrounding political (and media) controversies.

3. Biden's Auto-Pen Pardons Controversy: Newly revealed DOJ warnings about the legality and process of President Biden’s mass pardons via auto-pen, including the issuance of pardons to violent offenders under misleading pretenses.

1. China, Somaliland, and the New Battleground in Africa

[03:13–11:28]

Key Topics:

• China's African Ambitions: Senator Cruz highlights rising Chinese political and economic activity in Africa, equating their current actions with "building islands in the Pacific."
• Somaliland's Strategic Value: Cruz shares his call for President Trump to formally recognize Somaliland, citing its democratic stability, pro-Western orientation, and strategic location on the Gulf of Aden.
• U.S. Interests: Somaliland’s partnership with the U.S., openness to establishing a U.S. military presence, and support for Taiwan and Israel are emphasized as reasons for U.S. recognition.
• Chinese Resistance: China’s firm opposition to U.S. involvement in Somaliland, including economic and diplomatic retaliation, is covered.

Notable Quotes:

• Senator Ted Cruz on the stakes:
  “Africa has become a major battleground where China is trying to gain influence, trying to gain power and do so at the expense of America.” [05:12]
• Excerpt from Cruz's letter to Trump:
  “Somaliland has emerged as a critical security and diplomatic partner for the United States, helping America advance our national security interest in the Horn of Africa and beyond.” [06:23]
• On Chinese pushback:
  “The fact that China is freaking out, the fact that they are this pissed off from my perspective confirms that I was exactly right and is yet another argument why President Trump should recognize Somaliland.” [10:50]

Memorable Moment:

• Cruz reads the Chinese embassy’s response, which accused him of “hegemonic and bullying attitude” and claimed, “China never interferes in other countries’ internal affairs.” [09:47]

2. Washington D.C. Crime Down: Trump's Federal Intervention

[16:30–30:44]

Key Topics:

• Media Narrative on Trump’s Crime Intervention: The hosts critique media and Democratic outrage over the federal takeover of D.C. law enforcement.
• Statistical Results: Immediate drops in crime following federal intervention—robbery (-46%), carjacking (-83%), car theft (-21%), violent crime (-22%), property crime (-6%), and all crime (-8%) within a week.
• Allegations of Data Manipulation: The DOJ is investigating D.C. police for possibly inflating their crime reduction statistics.
• On-the-Ground Experiences: Cruz and Pemberton describe the increase in violence, even against congressional staff, and the loss of a sense of basic safety.
• Breakdown of D.C.'s Criminal Justice System: Pemberton laments legislative changes that undermined policing, prosecution, sentencing, and the courts.
• Resident Support: Despite political narratives, D.C. residents (especially in high-crime, majority-Black neighborhoods) reportedly back Trump’s law-and-order policies.

Notable Quotes:

• Greg Pemberton on enforcement:
  “It turns out when you arrest criminals, you get less crime.” [17:21]
• Senator Ted Cruz on Democratic resistance:
  “If crime goes down, it vindicates President Trump exercising his constitutional authority…The Democrats do not want that.” [17:32]
• Pemberton on system breakdown:
  “The criminal justice system here in the District of Columbia is broken. Every aspect of it is broken…whether that's policing, prosecution, judges and trials, sentencing and supervision. All of it is broken.” [22:26]
• Caroline Levitt on results:
  “President Trump’s efforts to make DC safe again are working. There have been 465 arrests…including the arrest of an illegal alien, MS-13 gang member…” [26:37]
• Senator Ted Cruz on the political dynamic:
  “Donald Trump and Republicans are stepping in and saving black lives. And the position of Democrats in the media is those black lives do not matter.” [29:31]

Memorable Moments:

• Personal Story: Senator Cruz describes feeling unsafe enough in D.C. to avoid walks to the local movie theater—something he formerly did regularly. [20:52]
• Criminal Data from Police Union: Pemberton’s sardonic take on media and Democratic denial of basic crime-prevention logic. [17:21]
• Levitt lists significant policing results, including arrests of gang members and the clearing of 48 homeless encampments. [26:37]

3. Biden’s Legally Dubious Auto-Pen Pardons

[36:28–44:34]

Key Topics:

• Auto-Pen Controversy: Senator Cruz explains that use of an auto-pen (a staff-enabled electronic signature facsimile) is only legal when directly authorized by the President himself. New revelations indicate White House staff may have issued thousands of pardons, possibly without Biden’s direct involvement.
• DOJ Whistleblower Warnings: Senior DOJ officials expressed grave concerns about both the legal validity of these pardons and the misleading narrative that only nonviolent drug offenders were released.
• False Claims About Offender Profiles: Contrary to White House claims, some released were convicted of violent crimes, including cases involving the death of a police officer.
• Potential Legal Fallout: Cruz urges a granular investigation to invalidate pardons and executive actions where presidential intent cannot be shown.

Notable Quotes:

• Senator Ted Cruz, on media silence:
  “This is the kind of story you will never see on CNN. You won’t see it on MSNBC…” [37:01]
• DOJ Warning (quoted by Cruz):
  “The White House has described those who received commutations as people convicted of nonviolent drug offenses. I think you should stop saying that because it is untrue or at least misleading.” [39:03]
• On legal process:
  “...if it’s a staffer who’s making the decision, then it has no binding force... The possibility of a legal determination of that is rising significantly.” [43:28]
• On policy implications:
  “Their own Department of Justice told them it was a lie. They didn’t care it was a lie. They continued lying to the American people.” [42:10]

Memorable Moment:

• Fox News Source: Cruz details leaked DOJ correspondence, explicitly warning that pardoned offenders included individuals who killed police officers and that neither presidential intent nor specificity was demonstrated in numerous cases. [39:00–44:32]

Key Timestamps for Important Segments

| Timestamp | Topic | |------------|--------------------------------------------| | 03:13 | Introduction of Somaliland/China story | | 05:01–08:33| Cruz reads letter to President Trump | | 09:47 | Cruz reads Chinese embassy's response | | 16:30 | Transition to D.C. crime discussion | | 17:21 | Pemberton: “When you arrest criminals…” | | 22:26 | Pemberton’s analysis of D.C. justice system| | 26:37 | Caroline Levitt on results in D.C. | | 29:31 | Cruz on Democrats, crime, and black lives | | 36:28 | Auto-pen pardons issue introduced | | 39:03 | DOJ’s warning to Biden’s staff (quoted) | | 42:10 | Cruz: “They continued lying to the American people…” |

Overall Tone and Style

• Direct, confrontational, and often sardonic: Particularly when critiquing the media or Democratic politicians.
• Aimed at conservative listeners: Emphasizes failures or hypocrisies within the Biden administration, successes under Trump, and U.S. adversarial relations with China.
• Heavy use of direct quotes, statistics, and anecdotal evidence: Bolsters arguments with data and official statements.

Conclusion

This episode zeroes in on stories that Senator Cruz and Ben Ferguson claim are underreported or distorted by major media outlets: the fight for Somaliland’s independence (and U.S. strategic influence), the measured effect of federal policing in D.C., and the legal and ethical lapses in Biden’s issuance of presidential pardons. The discussion leans heavily into contrasting Republican law-and-order narratives with what is portrayed as Democratic dysfunction or intentional misrepresentation. Throughout, the conversation alternates between policy analysis, direct critique, and personal or anecdotal illustration.