VINCE Podcast: "The Proof Is In The Emails"

Host: Vince Coglianese
Guest: Julie Kelly
Episode 161 | November 4, 2025
Main Theme: Analysis of 2025 Election Day, Deep Dive into the James Comey Indictment, and Broader Reflections on Political, Cultural, and Institutional Integrity in America

Episode Overview

On Election Day 2025, Vince Coglianese brings his incisive analysis to the shifting political landscape across the U.S., focusing particularly on the high-stakes New York City mayoral race, state-level contests in California, Virginia, and New Jersey, and breaking news about the indictment of former FBI director James Comey. With guest Julie Kelly, the episode delivers granular insights into the Comey case, its origins in hidden FBI documents, and the broader implications for justice and government trust. Vince weaves these urgent news items into a larger narrative about the decay of civic ties, the threats of radical ideology, and the critical responsibilities facing American voters.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. High-Stakes Elections Across the Country

[00:00–32:00]

• New York City Mayoral Race:
  The leading candidate, Zoran Mamdani (Whom Vince labels a "communist"), is posited as a dire threat to New York’s future.

  • Concerns over the city's changing demographics, particularly recent immigrants and their voting patterns.
  • Dismay over Mamdani’s policy proposals: 52% tax rate, government-controlled grocery stores, emptying Rikers Island.
  • Worries about the erosion of social fabric and escalating exodus if he wins.
  • Analysis of polling: Mamdani (44%), Cuomo (39%), Sliwa (16%).
  • Discussion of President Trump's unorthodox call, via Truth Social, for voters to support Andrew Cuomo to prevent a Mamdani win:
    "A vote for Curtis Sliwa...is a vote for Mamdani…you really have no choice. You must vote for [Cuomo]." — President Trump [13:58]
  • Vince distances himself from endorsing Cuomo but reluctantly views him as preferable to Mamdani, expressing deep regret at the available choices.
  • Notable quote on political decay:
    "When people think that the act of voting is about what kind of goodies you can score...that's how you wreck the whole republic." — Vince Coglianese [03:40]
  • Community Breakdown:
    • Vince highlights the dangers of a fractured society, including language barriers (Mamdani closing campaign in Arabic), lack of assimilation, and family disintegration.
    • Tower of Babel Analogy:
      "We are increasingly becoming, as I often point out, the Tower of Babel, an Old Testament warning about...not having the same tongue...the whole thing starts to collapse." — Vince [27:48]
    • Personal story about familial reliance over government dependency, contrasting modern and past America:
      "Why would I worry [about Social Security]? I have nine children." — Vince's grandmother [29:21]

• California Prop 50:

  • Decries Prop 50 as an "election rigging scheme" designed to ensure Democratic dominance by redrawing districts.
  • Urged Californians to vote "No," arguing it undermines fair representation for Republicans:
    "Democrats are in the midst of...rigging elections. Vote no on Prop 50." — Vince [34:43]

• Virginia Gubernatorial and AG Races:

  • Focus on Republicans Winsome Sears (trailing in polls), and Jason Miyares (AG, leading slightly over J. Jones whom Vince accuses of extremism).
  • Cites Sears’ lukewarm support for Trump and missed media opportunities as contributing factors.
  • Emphasizes the need for Republican turnout to block "sanctuary state" policies and alleged anti-parent, high-tax agenda from Democrat Abigail Spanberger.
    • "Even if there's a Democrat governor, if you have a Republican attorney general, that is a meaningful bulwark against...insanity." — Vince [36:02]

• New Jersey Gubernatorial Race:

  • Endorses Jack Cittarelli as the Republican challenger to Mikie Sherrill.
  • Plays a damaging clip of Sherrill rejecting parental opt-outs on LGBTQ curriculum, framing it as disregard for parental rights.
    • "Parents should not get in the way...That should be the death knell of her campaign." — Vince [32:34]

2. Breaking News: James Comey Indicted

Guest: Julie Kelly
[37:19–58:43]

a. Discovery and Significance of FBI Room 9582

• Hidden Evidence:
  • A secure FBI skiff (room 9582) unearthed “hundreds of pages” of documents relating to Crossfire Hurricane, the Steele dossier, and handwritten notes previously unseen.
  • These served as crucial evidence for Comey’s indictment on charges of false statements and obstruction of Congress.

b. Internal DOJ/FBI Dynamics

• Prosecutorial Challenges:
  • Julie credits Acting U.S. Attorney Lindsay Halligan for pushing through internal resistance and securing the indictment just before the statute of limitations expired.
    • "There was internal resistance by top prosecutors in that office...either personal or professional ties that conflicted them..." — Julie Kelly [37:53]

c. The Comey "Smoking Gun" Notes

• Chain of Collusion:

  • Handwritten notes indicate Comey’s knowledge that the Russia-collusion narrative was a Hillary Clinton campaign operation.
  • Notes refer to "JB" — speculated to be John Brennan or James Baker — indicating high-level awareness of the Clinton-Trump-Russia scheme.
    • "More proof that he was very aware that Hillary Clinton's campaign was attempting to tie Donald Trump to Russia." — Julie Kelly [41:24]

• Media Leak Conspiracy:

  • Comey worked through Columbia law professor Dan Richman (a special FBI employee) to seed stories in the New York Times, notably with reporter Michael Schmidt.
  • Leaked information was used as pretext for FISA warrants and public pressure.
    • "These emails and text messages demonstrate this collaboration...to seed or plant or pitch favorable stories about Jim Comey..." — Julie Kelly [44:09]

d. Origin of the Room’s Documents

• Purposeful Preservation or Careless Secrecy?

  • Debate over whether sympathetic "white hats" hid the evidence to enable future accountability, or if bureaucratic sloppiness led to their rediscovery.
    • "Did somebody put them there on purpose...so incoming Director Cash Patel and Deputy Director Dan Bongino could find them?" — Julie Kelly [47:06]
  • Reports indicate a surge in room access just before Trump’s inauguration, suggesting purposeful safeguarding of documents.
    • "A massive spike in access...between January 19th to the 22nd..." — Vince [48:46]

• Continuation of Accountability:

  • Julie: Expects more indictments against high-level actors, including John Brennan, stemming from fresh criminal investigations.

e. The Broader Justice Battle

• Obstacles to Prosecution:

  • Persistent embedded resistance in DOJ/FBI offices, conflicts of interest, and cover-ups have made swift justice difficult.
    • "You have agents of the government telling you that they're the solution. So suddenly the arsonist becomes the firefighter. This is what the left has created." — Vince [31:34]
  • Julie highlights that strategic patience, institutional sabotage, and legal thresholds have slowed but not prevented accountability.

• Big Picture Implications:

  • The Comey case is emblematic of the preexisting rot within federal institutions and the stakes of ongoing election battles.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On NYC’s Political Decline:
  "Do you ever feel like you're an alien in your own country?...this is what happens when our family bonds and our community bonds are destroyed." — Vince [27:19]

• On the Role of Family:
  "Why would I worry? I have nine children." — Vince’s grandmother, on not needing the government [29:21]

• On Prosecutorial Sabotage:
  "Eric Siebert...his father is the godfather to one of James Comey's children. So how could we believe that Eric Siebert could have acted impartially?" — Julie Kelly [56:52]

• On Progress and Hope:
  "If tonight...they tell us it was Andrew Cuomo and not Zoran Mamdani, I'm gonna be ever so slightly relieved because I don't want a communist to take over the city." — Vince [22:57]

• On Justice & Patience:
  "All of this takes time...partisan actors embedded in very powerful U.S. attorney's offices...refusing to pursue these political indictments..." — Julie Kelly [54:58]

• On Elections and Civic Engagement:
  "If you have an election going on in your community right now, it is your civic obligation. It's your obligation to your family that you participate and that you vote." — Vince [33:14]

Important Timestamps

| Segment | Topic | Timestamp | |----------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------|-------------| | News cycle overview/Election Day | Opening & NY mayoral race analysis | 00:00–13:00 | | Trump's endorsement/Reluctance on Cuomo | Trump's statement, Vince’s commentary | 13:00–19:10 | | Cultural concerns/Social fabric breakdown | Community, language, family analogies | 21:00–31:00 | | California, Virginia, NJ Elections | State races analysis, Prop 50, parental rights | 33:00–36:00 | | Parent opt-out controversy (Sherrill audio) | Parental rights in education, NJ race | 32:05–33:15 | | Start of Comey/Room 9582 deep dive | Julie Kelly joins for investigative segment | 37:19 | | Comey, Crossfire Hurricane, leaks | Timeline, evidence, DOJ/FBI internal sabotage | 39:26–54:15 | | Debate on whistleblowers/Room 9582 | Hidden documents, surge in access, speculation | 47:00–50:00 | | Future indictments and grand conspiracy | Possible cases against Brennan, others | 50:44–54:15 | | Justice process, institutional resistance | Delays, challenges, recent indictments | 54:58–58:28 | | Closing remarks and call to civic duty | Urging listeners to vote, maintain engagement | 58:43–end |

Tone & Style Highlights

• Vince’s Voice: Combines urgency, patriotic lament, and sharp skepticism, delivered in a conversational but forceful manner.
• Julie Kelly’s Analysis: Direct, legalistic, and data-driven with an undercurrent of frustration at institutional inertia and corruption.
• Audience Engagement: Real-time reactions to live chat comments, clips from political actors, and listener feedback reflect the on-the-pulse, reactive style of the show.

Summary Takeaways

• The 2025 elections are portrayed as existential for America, with local races seen as symptomatic of a deeper rot in government, civic culture, and national unity.
• The indictment of James Comey, spurred by newly discovered evidence, is framed as a crack in the “deep state” wall, though the fight for genuine accountability is ongoing and uphill.
• Vince implores listeners to recognize the stakes, participate fully in elections, and resist the cultural and institutional disintegration he sees as promoted by the political left.

For listeners seeking a deep-dive into both the day’s breaking news and the big-picture battles shaping American life, this episode delivers both immediacy and broad reflection, charged with urgency and uncompromising critique.