Trump on Deportations, Can Daniel Penny take on the People that went after him & Border Wall up for Grabs Week In Review

Summary

Verdict with Ted Cruz: Episode Summary Release Date: December 14, 2024

In this episode of "Verdict with Ted Cruz" hosted by Senator Ted Cruz and co-host Ben Ferguson, the hosts delve into three significant news stories of the week: Donald Trump's recent interview on mass deportations, the acquittal of Daniel Penny, and the Biden administration's controversial actions regarding the border wall. This comprehensive summary captures the essence of their discussions, notable insights, and key conclusions drawn throughout the episode.

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1. Donald Trump's Interview on Mass Deportations

Overview: Senator Ted Cruz and Ben Ferguson kick off the episode with an in-depth analysis of Donald Trump's recent exclusive one-on-one interview on Meet the Press. The primary focus of the interview was Trump's plan for mass deportations, particularly targeting individuals with criminal backgrounds.

Key Discussion Points:

• Trump's Deportation Strategy: Trump emphasizes the necessity of deporting individuals who entered the country illegally, especially those with criminal histories. He outlines a methodical approach, starting with the most dangerous offenders.

• Critique of Media and Opposition: Cruz and Ferguson critique the media's reluctance to acknowledge Trump's mandate to secure the border, suggesting a disconnect between public will and media portrayal.

Notable Quotes:

• Donald Trump ([03:13]):
  "My plan is to start with the worst and we're going to go from there."

• Donald Trump ([04:03]):
  "The 13,099 murderers released into our country over the last three years... They're walking down the streets, they're walking next to you and your family, and they're very dangerous."

Insights:

• Audience Mandate: Cruz highlights Trump's assertion that he possesses the mandate from American voters to implement these stringent immigration policies, countering critics who label the plan as unfeasible.

• Legislative Support: Ferguson discusses the expected actions of the incoming administration, including reversing policies like "catch and release," rebuilding the border wall, and reinstating the "Remain in Mexico" agreement. They express optimism about passing a reconciliation bill to fund these initiatives.

Conclusion: The segment underscores the tension between Trump's proposed immigration policies and the current administration's actions, framing it as a battle over the will of the American voters.

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2. Daniel Penny's Acquittal and Legal Implications

Overview: The hosts transition to the case of Daniel Penny, a Marine who was acquitted by a New York City jury for intervening during a threatening encounter. They explore the potential legal ramifications and the broader commentary on the justice system.

Key Discussion Points:

• Case Background: Daniel Penny was charged with manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide for his actions in protecting others. The jury acquitted him, leading to discussions about prosecutorial motives and media portrayal.

• Prosecutorial Conduct: The hosts criticize New York prosecutors, particularly Alvin Bragg, suggesting that the charges were politically motivated and unjust.

• Comparisons to High-Profile Cases: Ferguson draws parallels to the O.J. Simpson case to highlight perceived inconsistencies in how the justice system handles criminal versus civil cases.

Notable Quotes:

• Daniel Penny ([14:09]):
  "The guilt I would have felt if someone did get hurt... would never be able to live with myself."

• Alan Dershowitz ([18:13]):
  "The jury has determined he is innocent... The next step has to be the removal of Alvin Bragg from the role of district attorney."

Insights:

• Civil Liability vs. Criminal Verdict: Ferguson explains that despite the criminal acquittal, the family may pursue a civil lawsuit, though he remains skeptical about its outcome.

• Legal Expert Opinions: Alan Dershowitz, a renowned criminal law professor, supports Penny's innocence and criticizes the prosecutorial approach, advocating for Bragg's removal.

Conclusion: The discussion paints Penny as a hero wrongfully prosecuted, critiquing the New York justice system's integrity and raising concerns about politically motivated prosecutions.

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3. Biden Administration's Border Wall Actions

Overview: The final segment addresses the Biden administration's decision to sell unused sections of the border wall, a move perceived as obstructive to Trump's border security plans. The hosts analyze the political and financial implications of this decision.

Key Discussion Points:

• Sale of Border Wall Materials: Reports indicate that the Biden administration is auctioning off unused border wall sections for as little as $5 each, potentially undermining future construction efforts.

• Texas's Response: Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick announces plans to purchase the wall segments and donate them back to the Trump administration, showcasing state-level resistance to federal actions.

• Financial Implications: Cruz and Ferguson discuss the economic ramifications of repurchasing the wall at inflated prices, framing it as a deliberate financial setback to border security initiatives.

Notable Quotes:

• Dan Patrick ([31:18]):
  "Joe Biden is now hauling off the border wall that's been lying down for years and he wants to auction it off starting at $5 apiece... I've got $1 billion in my pocket to do it."

• Donald Trump ([33:21]):
  "I would agree with you on that."

• Ben Ferguson ([32:02]):
  "If you're selling segments of this wall for five bucks a piece, that in my view, is absolute theft."

Insights:

• Political Retribution: The hosts argue that the sale is an act of spite against the American voters who elected opposition parties, intending to make border security more expensive for the next administration.

• State vs. Federal Dynamics: Ferguson emphasizes Texas's proactive stance, highlighting the state's willingness to counteract federal decisions that undermine border security, symbolizing broader state-federal tensions.

Conclusion: The episode frames the Biden administration's actions as a clear attempt to defy voter intent and impede border security efforts, with Texas stepping in as a bulwark against federal overreach.

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Overall Conclusions and Takeaways

Throughout the episode, Senator Ted Cruz and Ben Ferguson present a narrative centered around upholding voter mandates, challenging perceived liberal overreach in immigration and justice, and emphasizing the need for robust border security. They critique both media representation and governmental actions that, in their view, undermine American values and the rule of law. The hosts advocate for immediate legislative and executive actions to address these issues, projecting confidence in the forthcoming administration's ability to restore order and integrity.

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Notable Moments and Extended Discussions:

• Alan Dershowitz’s Commentary: The inclusion of legal expert Alan Dershowitz provides a critical perspective on the justice system, reinforcing the hosts' stance on prosecutorial misconduct.

• Dan Patrick's Intervention: The announcement by Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick adds a dynamic state response to federal policies, highlighting intergovernmental conflicts over border security.

• Emphasis on Heroism: By portraying Daniel Penny as a hero, the hosts underscore themes of personal sacrifice and the importance of standing up against societal threats.

---

For a more comprehensive understanding and detailed discussions, listeners are encouraged to download and listen to the full episode of "Verdict with Ted Cruz."

Transcript

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[Ted Cruz]

Welcome it is verdict with Ted Cruz and the Week in Review. Ben Ferguson with you. And man, was it a crazy week when it comes to big breaking news and we covered it all and here are some of the highlights you may have missed. First up, Donald Trump not afraid of the media sitting down on Meet the Press for an exclusive one on one interview talking about mass deportations and how he's going to do it. The other question they said was, well, it's impossible for you to deport all legal immigrants. He says. My plan is to start with the worst and we're going to go from there. We'll have that for you. Also, Daniel Penny was found innocent, thank goodness by a jury of his peers in New York City for being a good Samaritan. The question now is can he sue New York for taking him to court for doing the right thing? Was it an unjust prosecution of him? We'll explain the legal aspect of that. And finally, the border wall Many pieces of it that were taken down by the Biden administration and others that were never put up. The Biden administration now says we want to sell them for $5 a piece to stick it to the American voters. Can we stop it? Well, we're gonna explain that for you as well. It's the Weekend Review and it starts right now. Let's talk about the border. And there was certainly a pretty intense conversation about what Donald Trump has said he wants to do. And I think the American people actually know what his plan is. The media just doesn't want to accept that he has a mandate to do it. Here is part of that conversation.

[Donald Trump]

Let's talk about mass deportation. One of your big agenda items. You've talked about prioritizing people who have criminal histories.

Correct.

But is it your plan to deport everyone who is here illegally over the next four years?

Well, I think you have to do it. And it's a, it's a very tough thing to do. It's. But you have to have, you know, you have rules, regulations, laws. They came in illegally. You know, the people that have been treated very unfairly are the people that have been online for 10 years to come into the country. And we're going to make it very easy for people to come in in terms of they have to pass the test. They have to be able to tell you what the Statue of Liberty is. They have to tell you a little bit about our country. They have to love our country. They can't come out of prisons. We don't want people that are in for murder. So we had 11,000 and 13,000 different estimates. 13,099 murderers released into our country over the last three years. They're walking down the streets, they're walking next to you and your family, and they're very dangerous.

The 13,000 figure, I think goes back about 40 years.

No, it doesn't. No, it's within the three year period. It's during the Biden term. No, that was a fiction that they put that out. This was done by the border patrol. It's 13,099. And it's during the Biden period of time. And these are murderers, many of whom murdered more than one person. You don't want those people in this country.

But you're saying something, sir, that's significant. I just, I just want to make sure I'm clear, which is that you're saying, yes, you're going to focus on the people with criminal histories, but everyone who's here illegally has to go.

I'm saying we have to get the criminals out of our country. We have to get people that were taken out of mental institutions and put them back into their mental institution, no matter what country it is. Do you know that Venezuela, their prisons are at the lowest point in terms of emptiness that they've ever been. They're taking their people out of those prisons by the thousands, and they're drunk. And just to get back. Because I know exactly what you're getting at. Number one, we're doing criminals, and we're going to do them really rapidly. We're getting the worst gang, probably with MS.13. And the Venezuelan gangs are the worst in the world. They're vicious, violent people. And you see what they've done in Colorado and other places. They're taking over, literally taking over apartment complexes and doing it with impunity. They don't care. They couldn't. They just are. They're in the real estate.

The local police say that is not the case in Colorado.

Oh, it's totally the case. I mean, you don't believe the local police. I play it. I used to play it at my rallies every single night. No, they break it into doors. They're taking over the building.

[Ben Ferguson]

But, sir, you.

[Donald Trump]

And by the way, the police. The police are afraid to do anything.

You raised the point that the logistics are complicated.

You said yourself, but everything's complicated.

Yeah, you mean you need 24 times more ICE detention capacity just to deport 1 million people per year? Not to mention more agents, more judges, more planes. Is it realistic to deport everyone who's.

First of all, they're costing us a fortune. But we're starting with the criminals, and we gotta do it. And then we're starting with others, and we're gonna see how it goes.

Who are the others?

Others are other people outside of criminals we have convicted murders. We don't mean people that are even on trial. We have people that have murdered numerous people, are on our streets and in our farms, and we have to get them out of our country.

[Ted Cruz]

You know what's amazing to me, Senators? The fact that Christian Welker there was just like. Well, it's. This is impossible. You can't do this. So why even act like you can dep or roundup a bunch of heinous criminals? There's no way you can do this. So let's just admit defeat and say we can't do it and we can't afford it. I mean, the Biden administration just sent, what, another billion dollars in funding to Ukraine. Why don't we spend some money here and actually get what we need to get rid of these heinous criminals. I think that's the point he's trying to make.

[Ben Ferguson]

Well, and we're going to see that happen. We are going to see on January 20th, we're going to see the new administration come in. We're going to see them reverse catch and release immediately. We're going to see them return to building the wall. We're going to see them reinstate the remain in Mexico agreement. What it is going to mean is that on January 20, if you come here illegally and you're apprehended, you will be deported and we will see the numbers plummet. They'll plummet immediately. The first priority Trump is going to focus on is securing the border itself. And very closely connected to that is going after illegal immigrants and in particular, as he said repeatedly, starting with the criminal aliens, starting with the convicted murderers, the rapists, the child molesters, starting with the Venezuelan gangs, starting with the most dangerous illegal immigrants. And, you know, Welker was saying, well, gosh, this is going to be expensive. It's going to take a lot of resources. I'm going to hold onto that clip. That's going to be valuable because, you know what? Congress is going to, we are going to take up and pass a reconciliation bill. We're going to do it early in this next year that is going to provide funding to enable us to secure the border. We're going to get it done. And I think Trump was very, a matter of fact laying out, this is a mandate from the American people. He intends to do it, and I intend to work hand in hand with him to make sure it gets done.

[Ted Cruz]

And finally, Senator Donald Trump went to France. It was a very interesting trip. He was meeting with world leaders. And one of the things that I thought was really interesting about this trip was social media reacted to Trump's just dominating force. And the clear contrast between how world leaders were interacting with him compared to Joe Biden and this administration. There was a interesting handshake when there was a meeting in France as well. I'm sure you saw some of this on social media and on the news. I want to get your reaction to even Macron and their handshake. It was like a fist, like, hey, we're back, bros. Good to see you.

[Ben Ferguson]

Yeah, look, I mean, Donald Trump shakes hands like a man. And when it came to Macron, he shook hands in a way that was a dominating way to shake hands. Macron was nervous, he was uneasy. He wasn't sure what to do. Now, Macron's own political situation in France is incredibly tenuous. And listen, the contrast Macron has been kissing up to Biden like crazy. Biden, when he interacts with Macron and every other world leader interacts from a position of weakness, none of them are afraid of him. None of them, none of them are worried about what he might do. You know, you look at that at our southern border, I'm reminded we did a podcast, I don't know, about a year, year and a half ago where we played amlo. Then the president of Mexico standing next to Joe Biden and just crowing how he's the only president in our lifetimes who has not built even one meter of wall or fence ni un metro. And he's saying, and Biden just grinning like a goofy fool while amlo was saying, well look this guy, we can just run all over him. Well, we have seen that Trump is not someone that foreign leaders are going to run all over. And so that is a powerful demonstration of the simple fact that America is back.

[Ted Cruz]

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.

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[Ted Cruz]

Now on to story number two. This is one of those stories where I hope that people will stand up and say, this is a hero. And be proud to say he is a hero, because that's exactly what he is. And we should celebrate heroes and we should not have to worry that when men need to stand up and act to protect and defend people, that they're going to do it and not have to worry about thinking twice because of what just happened to this individual. It's also a really sad commentary about New York and New York City and the activist prosecutors there. And I finally, I want to get your thought on that. With the prosecutors that went after him, should there be any scenario where he can in essence say, hey, you guys didn't treat me the right way.

[Ben Ferguson]

Look, look, I could easily see a lawsuit following from this. I hope Alvin Bragg is thrown out of office. I hope he is removed from office. The governor has the authority to do that. Of course, the governor, Kathy Hochul, is a leftist herself, a cultural Marxist herself. She's someone who, by the way, said, if you're a Republican, get the hell out of my state. Move to Florida. You don't belong in New York. That is their ideology. If you are the enemy, they are opposed to you. I gotta say, I want you to listen to Daniel Penny and him talking about how he was trying to protect other people's lives. He was acting as a Good Samaritan, acting as a hero, intervening, risking his own life. Look, encountering a mentally ill, potentially violent person, threatening violence is a dangerous thing to do. Here's what Daniel Penny had to say.

[Ted Cruz]

The guilt I would have felt if someone did get hurt, if he did do what he was threatening to do, would never be able to live with myself. And I'll take a million court appearances.

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And people Calling me names and people hating me just to keep one of those people from getting hurt or killed.

[Ben Ferguson]

Look, that is. Yes, look. And of course, how is the left reacting? Well, I want you to listen to MSNBC just expressing misery that Daniel Penney was acquitted. And understand, by the way, initially, so there were two charges that were brought. So Alvin Bragg brought two charges. One charge was for manslaughter and the second charge was for criminally negligent homicide. The jury deadlocked on the second degree manslaughter claim, which was the more serious charge. So that means they had a disagreement, they could not come to agreement. And so what did Alvin Bragg do? Well, Alvin Bragg moved to dismiss the more serious charge and he was trying to get a conviction on the less serious charge. And I gotta say, to the jury's credit, they came back very quickly with a not guilty. So the jury has determined he is innocent. But listen to MSNBC and just how upset they are that this innocent man was found not guilty.

[MSNBC Reporter]

Breaking news here. Daniel Penney found not guilty. But Lisa, we also know that Jordan Neely's family had filed, I believe, a civil suit in this case as well. Does the verdict in this case impact that? Not necessarily. I mean, the law is rife with examples of people who are acquitted in criminal cases and yet find justice with respect to civil accountability. I think the best example of that is with respect to Fred Goldman's family, Fred Goldman, Ron Goldman being the man who was murdered alongside Nicole Brown Simpson, even though O.J. simpson was never found criminally guilty for those two murders. Fred Goldman, the father, along with his daughter, then sued O.J. simpson civilly and won a fairly large verdict with respect to civil liability for O.J. simpson. There are many other examples of similar disjuncture between what happens in a criminal court and what happens when respect to a wrongful death action, for example, by a family.

[Ted Cruz]

It's sad, Senator, but there seems to be another trend, and that is if you are an innocent person and then you are found innocent of a crime, if the media doesn't like you, they're still going to act like you're a threat to society.

[Ben Ferguson]

Well, you look at, that's a reporter, Lisa Rubin on msnbc, who, who, who is calling for the mentally ill homeless man who was high on drugs and threatening to murder people on the train, calling for him to find justice against the Marine who intervened to protect people and keep people safe. And she analogizes it to the O.J. simpson case, which is utterly absurd because, look, O.J. simpson was charged with and the facts were pretty powerful. Was guilty of murder. Now, to be fair, O.J. simpson was not found guilty of murder. But there was significant evidence that O.J. was guilty and there was significant enough evidence that he ended up being hit with a large civil judgment. This is not remotely, there's no argument, no rational, reasonable argument under the law that Daniel Penney is guilty of murder. Self defense is fully protected. And by the way, if perchance you don't believe me, you should listen to my former criminal law professor, Alan Dershowitz. Now, Alan Dershowitz is a liberal. He's been a liberal his whole life. But he, but he has the courage to speak out and speak the truth and listen to what Alan Dershowitz said about this case and about the absolutely corrupt prosecutor, Alvin Bragg.

[MSNBC Reporter]

I'm going to start off with just the immediate reaction to the not guilty verdict in the Daniel Penny case.

[Alan Dershowitz]

I have to admit I was a little surprised. Having hung on the higher count, I was not expecting they would so quickly acquit on the lower count. It probably shows that there were only one or two people in the original high count that hung based on their desire to see a conviction. So I think it's a good thing. Now I think the next step has to be the removal of Alvin Bragg from the role of district attorney. He is a disgrace to the office. The two cases he brought should never have been brought. The case against Donald Trump, which was made up out of whole clothes, which to my mind involves unethical, unprofessional conduct by Bragg, and also this case, which should never have been brought either. He brought it only because of the racial component to the case and because of pressures from Black Lives Matter and other groups on the outside, both white and black radicals, who wanted these cases to be brought, wanted this case to be brought, and who are going to continue to complain even though there are obviously black members of the jury who voted to acquit quite as well.

[Ben Ferguson]

Professor, what do you make of how quickly they came back with this verdict? And also too, there's the civil case that, that he's also facing to Daniel Penny does that, given that he's not.

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Guilty on the criminal case, what happens.

[Ben Ferguson]

To the civil case as well?

[Alan Dershowitz]

It'll be thrown out. There's no case there civilly. The only thing that will happen is that Penny will get enormous amount of discovery and we'll get much more information that we don't now have about the alleged victim in the case. So my prediction is it will be withdrawn. I don't think they'll go any further, I don't think they'll get any kind of a verdict now. You know, maybe the city will settle if they sue the city as well. If I were, if I were the lawyers for the alleged victim, I, I probably think I'd have a better shot of getting some money from the city, which was sympathetic obviously to the victim, than from a poor former Marine who probably doesn't have a lot of money. So I don't think the civil case is going anywhere. This is not O.J. simpson, where the civil case won. After the criminal case laws, there was no case here to bring it all either civil or criminal.

[Ted Cruz]

Alan Dershowitz there seems to be optimistic, and I'm glad he's saying, hey, I don't think he's going to have to deal with what, for example, O.J. simpson had to deal with. This is very different. I hope he's right.

[Ben Ferguson]

Well, listen, Alan Dershowitz, he's a good friend. As I said, he was my criminal law professor, and I actually took another class from him in law school as well. He was a fantastic professor. He was the best professor I had in law school. And he's a brilliant lawyer. He's an incredibly talented lawyer. And I remember my first year in law school when Dersh stood up and he said, listen, he said, by any reasonable measure, I am in the most liberal 1% of Americans across this country. And he said, at Harvard Law School, oddly enough, I'm considered something of a conservative. This is not America. I don't remember if he said this is not America, but this is not a typical place. I mean, this was 30 years ago. So I'm paraphrasing. But his point was, so Dershowitz believes in free speech. That is no longer where the left is. The left is eager to censor someone who disagrees. Dershowitz does not celebrate the murder of those he disagrees with. Dershowitz is not a cultural Marxist. He's an old school liberal. He's a civil libertarian. He is, you know, has represented criminal defendants successfully. He's gotten a lot of criminal defense off. He believes in a vigorous protection of constitutional rights for criminal defendants. And look, I respect his courage. He's been demonized. He also supports Israel and speaks out very powerfully and effective for Israel. He's been demonized by the left for doing so because they brook no dissent. Anyone who dares oppose them is the enemy. And so even though he's been one of the most prominent liberals in the country for decades, he is rejected by today's left because he actually has the courage to speak out against them. I hope he's right about the civil case. In any sane and ordinary universe, that would be true. I have to say I have a little bit less confidence about a New York jury and a New York judge, and maybe that's because we all saw the absolute kangaroo courts that were convened against Donald Trump. And having seen the civil suits and the criminal case against Donald Trump in the New York justice system, he is right on what should happen. Look, I am very grateful that Daniel Penney was acquitted, but it says something about how little confidence I have about the justice system in New York that I was not sure this would happen. I thought there was a chance they would come back and follow through on what Alvin Bragg wanted them to do, which is punish him because he was deemed the bad guy. And thankfully the justice system worked in this case. And you ought to ask yourself, have you seen even a single Democrat celebrate the Daniel Penney verdict?

[Ted Cruz]

Yeah, it's a great question.

[Ben Ferguson]

And if not, why not?

[Ted Cruz]

As before, if you want to hear the rest of this conversation on this topic, you can go back and download the podcast from early this week to hear the entire thing.

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[Ted Cruz]

Want to get back to the big story number three of the week you may have missed. All right, so let's go to the border and this might be one of the biggest just asinine middle fingers from this administration. I know how you want to categorize this one, but when I saw this report, it actually made me angry. And that is that the Biden administration saying, hey, we don't respect the voters. We do not respect that the American people decided we want security at our southern border. And what are they doing to stick it to you? They're saying, all right, watch this. We're going to sell pieces of the border wall that have not been erected yet just to say screw you to the American people.

[Ben Ferguson]

You know, I wish what you were saying was hyperbole. I wish it was an exaggeration, but it's not. The Daily Wire broke this story and it's an exclusive story that is just, it's stunning. It's infuriating. Here's the headline Exclusive Biden Races to sell Off Border Wall Parts Before Trump takes Office. The goal is to move all of it off the border before Christmas, an Arizona Border Patrol agent tells the Daily Wire. Let me read from this story. The Biden administration is using its final weeks to haul a massive amount of border wall materials away from the southern border to be sold off at a government auction, an apparent effort to hinder President Elect Trump's efforts to secure the border, the Daily Wire has learned. Videos obtained exclusively by the Daily wire from a U.S. customs and Border Patrol agent show unused sections of the wall being hauled away on the back of flatbed trucks from a section of the border just south of Tucson, a hotspot for illegal crossings during the Biden administration. The agent estimates that up to a half mile per day of unused border wall is being moved. This is not a small amount. This is a massive amount. Continuing the quote, quote, they are taking it from three stations, Nogales, Tucson and three points. The border Patrol agent who was granted anonymity, Speak Freely, told the Daily Wireless the goal is to move it all off the border before Christmas. And here's something. If that doesn't make you furious, listen to this. The auction website shows that sales occurred as recently as December 4th for precisely the types of materials being pulled off the border. Gov Planet has online auctions set for December 11 and December 18 for more border wall material, which is listed on the company's website as, quote, 30, 32.91ft by 7.91ft, steel bollard wall sections with grout. The bidding for each section of wall panels is set to begin at $5, according to the website. And this article has multiple screenshots showing, showing these being sold for five bucks apiece. I gotta say, we talked in the first segment about the arrogance and unaccountability of the Biden Justice Department and the Biden FBI. This is, at the end of the day, that identical arrogance. And it's an arrogance of Joe Biden, of Kamala Harris, of Alejandro Mayorkas, of Merrick Garland, and let's be clear of Chuck Schumer and the Senate Democrats and Congressional Democrats. Every person in America knows that the voters of America voted to secure the border. They want that to happen. And you know what the Democrats are saying on the way out? Screw you. We don't care. We don't care about the voters and what we're going to do. If Trump's going to build the border wall, we're going to make it that much more expensive because we are so bitterly ideological that we will openly defy the will of the voters.

[Ted Cruz]

And let's just be honest about the logic. If you're just talking about that, the logical math that you do here, there's no doubt that the Biden administration knows that this wall will be used. And if they do sell it all off before Christmas at $5, a panel that this is going to have to be repurchased at a much higher price because they just sold what we had purchased before that has not been used. And it will be used and it will be done. So this is just trying to make the American taxpayer suffer a little bit and to say we can't stand you and what you guys just voted for, this is a retribution for you voting them out of office and their way of sticking it to the American voter and taxpayer.

[Ben Ferguson]

Well, that's right. Now, I will say there's an aspect of this story that broke tonight. You and I are recording this very late at night. It's 12:57 in the morning Thursday night. And just this evening, the lieutenant governor of Texas, Dan Patrick, a good friend of mine, went on Laura Ingraham's show and he said the state of Texas is preparing to buy up the border wall segments from the Biden administration that they're selling for five bucks apiece and then donate them back to the Trump administration. And Dan Patrick says he has up to $1 billion of state funds to work with. I want you to listen to Dan Patrick this evening on Laura Ingram laying this out.

[Dan Patrick]

We mean business in Texas and Tom Homan means business and President Trump means business. And I don't know if you heard the latest today, Laura, but Joe Biden is now hauling off the border wall that's been lying down for years and he wants to auction it off starting at $5 apiece. Message to the White House right now. I will bid on all of that wall and we will buy it in Texas and we will give it to Donald Trump. So I'm going to find out first thing in the morning where are we going to take the bid. I've got $1 billion in my pocket to do it. I write the budget with Senator Joan Hoffman. We have the money. We're going to have about 6 billion in our budget for border security.

[Ben Ferguson]

Don't talk about the cost.

[Donald Trump]

Don't drive up the car.

[Ben Ferguson]

Only five bucks. Five bucks.

[Dan Patrick]

I know the wall, but I will go in and buy it all. Well, what does this tell you about the Biden people? Tells you they're, you know, they're essentially greenlight.

[Ben Ferguson]

They want more people coming in.

[Dan Patrick]

Yeah, they're despicable what they're doing to the American people. And the American people obviously aren't going to tolerate it. That's why they were thrown out. But the idea, we've been trying to buy this wall for them from them for four years and they wouldn't sell it to us. And you know what? I'm going to check in with our Department of Public Safety. Maybe we need to start pulling over these trucks to be sure they don't have too much weight on those trucks. Maybe these trucks need to be slowed down. We need to do everything we can in Texas to stop them. The taxpayers paid for this and they want to stop President Trump in 38 or 39 days from rebuilding the wall. I want to this the legacy of Joe Biden. He lets off his son, he's letting off all these criminals. He's doing everything he can with these blue state governors and mayors to destroy this country. They are traitors to this country. Leaving terrorists, leaving murderers, leaving rapists in this country. And now he wants to sabotage this president before he takes off. It is disgraceful and disgusting. He will go down as the worst, most despicable president in the history of this country because no one has done more to damage this country and hurt American citizens.

[Donald Trump]

I would agree with you on that.

[Ted Cruz]

I think the point he's making here is absolutely right. But we're Even if it's $5, you're double paying for something that we've already paid for, and it's just solely out of spite.

[Ben Ferguson]

Well, and let me say, number one, thank God for Texas. Thank God for Texas stepping into that leading, Dan. I'm glad you're doing that. But I've got to say, also, listen, I'm going to call on the incoming administration to investigate whoever made the decision to do this. And let me be clear. Let's say you're a government official, Ben, and you're pissed off at the people who are coming in after you. You're mad at the voters because they elected someone different. And let's say, for example, that you're running. You're running a police department, your dad's a cop, you're running a police department, and you've got a bunch of police cars that let's say were 40 grand apiece. And you're mad because there's a new sheriff that's been elected. And so you decide to take the $40,000 police cars. Let's say you got 10 of them. And you go out and say, I'm going to auction the $40,000 police cars off for five bucks apiece because you want your successor not to have any police cars. And so you sell $40,000 police cars for five bucks apiece. I'm going to tell you right now, that is theft from the taxpayers. The idea, I guarantee you those segments of the wall, they don't cost $5, they don't cost $50, they don't cost $500, they don't cost $5,000. And I gotta say, it is grotesque. And I am calling right now for the incoming administration to investigate every person that made the decision to steal from the American taxpayers because they are such bitter partisans that they want to deprive the federal government of assets that the taxpayers paid for. You don't have the right to do that. It doesn't matter. Nobody has the right to steal from the federal government. If you're selling segments of this wall for five bucks a piece, that in my view, is absolute theft.

[Ted Cruz]

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 list listen to my podcast every other day. You're not listening to Verdict 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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