Podcast Summary:

VINCE – "The Walls Are Closing In On The Deep State" | Episode 160
Host: Vince Coglianese | Cumulus Podcast Network
Release Date: November 3, 2025

Overview

In this episode of VINCE, host Vince Coglianese dives headfirst into a turbulent news week, declaring, “The walls are closing in for real this time” on figures of the so-called Deep State. The show’s focal point is the growing legal pressure on former CIA Director John Brennan and others, with sharp critiques and in-depth commentary on high-profile confrontations, the latest government shutdown, and President Trump’s lengthy 60 Minutes interview.

Vince covers explosive moments caught on camera, exposes alleged weaponization of government agencies against conservatives, and provides updates on pressing domestic issues—often with a combative, fast-paced, and unapologetically partisan tone.

Main Discussion Points & Insights

1. John Brennan Under Fire: Confrontations and Legal Jeopardy

Timestamps: [02:00]–[10:00]

• Vince opens with strong claims that former CIA Director John Brennan is facing real criminal jeopardy due to a congressional referral to the DOJ for “lies to Congress”—notably regarding the Steele dossier’s role in the Intelligence Community Assessment and assertions about Hunter Biden’s laptop.

• Key Event:
  At a George Mason University panel (with CIA alumni including Michael Hayden), national security expert Thomas Speciale directly confronted Brennan, accusing him of lying to the American people by signing the infamous letter casting Hunter Biden’s laptop as Russian “influence operations.”

  Thomas Speciale: "Why did you sign onto that letter?"
  Vince (paraphrasing Speciale): "Why did you lie to the American people? Don't you have any sense of shame about this?" [04:58]

  • Brennan responded physically, jabbing his finger at Speciale, and then explosively:

    John Brennan: "That's bullshit. That's bullshit!" [06:11]

  • Panelists and hosts, including Michael Hayden, frantically tried to shut down the exchange:

    Michael Hayden: "Next, next, next." [06:19]

  • Vince’s Reaction: Delights in Brennan’s discomfort:

    "He’s completely emotionally incontinent when asked a very real question by a guy who’s got him dead to rights." [06:39]

• Later, independent journalist Nicholas Ballasi corners Brennan at a DC metro stop with pointed questions about indictments and upcoming testimony—receiving only stony silence.

  Vince: “He doesn’t want to say a word. He’s just a child, just a tantrum throwing child.” [09:21]

2. Expanding Legal Action: The Deep State Crackdown

Timestamps: [12:00]–[14:00]

• Vince outlines ongoing prosecutions against James Comey, John Bolton, and Letitia James, emphasizing that indictments came via grand jury, "fair and constitutional and orderly," despite critics asserting political retribution under Trump.

  President Trump (on 60 Minutes): "No, not in any way, shape or form, no. You don’t have to instruct [the DOJ] because they were so dirty, they were so crooked..." [13:42]

• The show highlights hypocrisy in claims that prosecuting former officials is “tyrannical,” while reiterating the conservative refrain:

  Vince: "Nobody is above the law. Okay, well, that applies to James Comey, ... Letitia James, ... John Brennan, that applies to all of these people." [14:07]

• Details on Letitia James fighting a DOJ probe for “selective enforcement” in bringing cases against Trump and the NRA, referencing court documents recently unsealed.

3. 60 Minutes Interview Analysis: DC Crime, Deportations, and Third Term Rumors

Timestamps: [19:47]–[27:42]

• DC Crime Stats:
  Trump declares Washington is “way safer now” due to National Guard deployment. Norah O’Donnell challenges him, claiming expertise as a local, but clams up when asked to directly compare crime rates.

  President Trump: "So I now walk to work every day. ... 100% safe. And you know that, too." [21:39] Vince’s Analysis: O'Donnell's attempt to rebut falls flat—"She started with ‘oh, no, no, it’s not down, I know that because I live in DC’ ... and then she tapped out." [21:59]

• Deportations:
  O’Donnell frames ICE raids as harsh; Trump responds emphatically:

  Norah O'Donnell: "Have some of these raids gone too far?"
  Trump: “No, I think they haven’t gone far enough...” [25:45]

• Third Term Rumors:
  Norah O’Donnell floats a left-wing conspiracy about Trump seeking a third term; Trump shrugs it off and instead talks up the party’s “bench,” repeatedly name-dropping J.D. Vance and Marco Rubio as future leaders.

  Trump: “I will tell you, a lot of people want me to run, but the difference between us and the Democrats is we really do have a strong bench.” [27:19]

4. Rachel Bovard Interview: Deep State Tactics & Congressional Inaction

Timestamps: [32:07]–[46:08]

• Vince interviews Rachel Bovard (Conservative Partnership Institute) about their organization being targeted by DOJ Special Counsel Jack Smith, via subpoenas and secret surveillance.

  Rachel Bovard: “Arctic Frost really represents the biggest and most meticulous and systematic effort to take out the political right in this country.” [32:54]

  • Bovard calls for broad accountability: prosecutions, disbarments, and impeachments for those weaponizing the justice system against political opponents.

    Rachel Bovard: "The only way that you can ensure this never happens again is if the scale of the accountability matches the scale of what was done." [34:36]

• Discussion of why Congressional Republicans are only now acting (after themselves being targeted), and how ordinary Americans lack the same protections as members of Congress.

  Vince: “If these guys can be targeted in this way, what chance do the rest of us have?” [37:02]

5. The Government Shutdown: Democratic Disarray & Filibuster Debate

Timestamps: [37:46]–[46:08]

• Extended government shutdown persists, with Democrats blamed as divided and “beholden to the most radical and unpopular elements.”

  Rachel Bovard: “I am actually really heartened by how unified Republicans have been in the face of this ... Democrats just crumble. They are so disorganized...” [38:32]

• Senate filibuster rules come under fire:
  Vince and Bovard argue that a talking filibuster could break the deadlock if Republicans would “man up” and outlast Democrats on the Senate floor.

  Rachel Bovard: "The talking filibuster still exists. It just has to be forced. ... They could do it." [45:56]

6. Food Stamps and Immigration: Fraud and Fixes

Timestamps: [48:06]–[54:51]

• Discussion about illegal aliens’ alleged abuse of SNAP (food stamp) benefits, as explained by Brooke Rollins, with thousands found to be using EBT cards wrongly.

  Brooke Rollins: “We have found thousands and thousands of illegal use of the EBT card. ... We’ve arrested about 118 people.” [48:06] Vince: “Biden did that. And so that needs to end.” [49:24]

• Ongoing legal wrangling over funding SNAP benefits during the shutdown, with President Trump seeking court guidance on legal authority for emergency payments.

  President Trump (Truth Social): “I don’t want Americans to go hungry just because radical Democrats refuse to do the right thing and reopen the government." [summary paraphrased by Vince, 54:00]

7. Fiscal Responsibility under Trump

Timestamps: [55:54]–[56:32]

• Treasury Secretary Scott Bessant highlights the administration’s reduction in government spending and the deficit, despite the shutdown.

  Scott Bessant: “The government spent less than it did the year before... deficit to GDP ... we were able to bring it down to 5.9%.” [55:54]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Vince (on Brennan’s reaction):
  “He’s squirming. It couldn’t happen to a better guy.” [07:52]

• Vince (on Democrats' claims about Trump prosecutions):
  “Is that really the system that you think we have or want us to have? Hell, no.” [13:54]

• Rachel Bovard (on scale of DOJ surveillance):
  “This was a weaponized system of government. They used the authority of the federal government to try and eliminate their political opposition.” [34:36]

• Vince (filibuster debate):
  “If it just takes 51 Republicans right now to get to the floor and force Democrats to run their mouths, do it.” [45:10]

• Vince (on panel shutdown tactics):
  “They can’t stand even a moment of realistic scrutiny. ... He was staging this kind of treasonous behavior ahead of the arrival of the duly elected President of the United States.” [06:39]

Moments to Listen For (Timestamps)

• [04:58] – Thomas Speciale confronts John Brennan; Brennan’s “bullshit” reaction.
• [09:21] – Nicholas Ballasi’s questions rebuffed by Brennan in the Metro station.
• [13:16] – Trump on political retribution and DOJ independence.
• [21:39] – Trump turns the tables on Norah O’Donnell regarding DC crime.
• [25:45] – Trump unapologetic on ICE deportation tactics.
• [32:54] – Rachel Bovard on DOJ’s Arctic Frost and government weaponization.
• [43:51] – Bovard and Vince map out a path to break the filibuster and reopen government.
• [48:06] – Brooke Rollins on food stamp fraud and enforcement.
• [55:54] – Scott Bessant touts deficit reduction efforts.

Additional Highlights

• J.D. Vance's Halloween meme costume:
  A light moment closing the show, as Vice President Vance embraces an internet meme of himself—Vince predicts Vance as a likely future presidential candidate.

  Vince: “[J.D. Vance] chose to dress up as his own meme... With any luck, the 48th president of the United States.” [56:48]

• Upcoming guest tease:
  Vince confirms an upcoming radio interview with Thomas Speciale, the man who confronted Brennan.

Overall Tone

The episode is fiercely polemical, energetic, and unabashedly partisan, with Vince gleeful at the discomfort and legal jeopardy of his ideological adversaries. Analysis is interspersed with bold, often mocking commentary, attempts at humor, and pointed praise for perceived wins by conservatives and the Trump administration.

End of Summary