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<v Speaker 1>Jess and New Yorker who's.

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<v Speaker 2>Toxi around? This is the seventy seven WABC Mini Cast.

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<v Speaker 1>I want to bring in some of the smartest people

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<v Speaker 1>I know to fully understand this thing and to see

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<v Speaker 1>where we go from here. Eric Eggers is one of

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<v Speaker 1>those great people from the Drill Down podcast, from the

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<v Speaker 1>Government Accountability Institute and so much more. Eric Eggers, Welcome back.

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<v Speaker 3>How are you, buddy, Greg? It's great to be witty.

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<v Speaker 3>Happy Friday, Happy Friday.

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<v Speaker 1>I feel like, you know, if this were nineteen seventy

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<v Speaker 1>four and these were documents that emerge from the Nixon

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<v Speaker 1>White House, you know, there would be a drum beat

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<v Speaker 1>to resignation and we'd be watching, you know it. Just

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<v Speaker 1>this is huge and it's getting no attention. But anyway,

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<v Speaker 1>what was your reaction to these documents when you saw them?

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah, my first reaction was, oh man, Greg cal is

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<v Speaker 2>going to love this.

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<v Speaker 3>And it's funny to you.

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<v Speaker 2>It's funny that you mentioned that, you know, investigations into

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<v Speaker 2>things that are not illegal things since you're allowed to do.

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<v Speaker 3>When you're president United States.

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<v Speaker 2>What becomes more and more clear is that the idea

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<v Speaker 2>that Donald Trump might have become president United States is

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<v Speaker 2>the thing that the Biden Department of Justice wanted to

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<v Speaker 2>make illegal. I mean, that's the bottom line, right, and

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<v Speaker 2>we've actually documented. I mean, so my current reaction is

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<v Speaker 2>it is disappointing, It is unsurprising, you know, the one

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<v Speaker 2>I wish I could say I'm surprised at how blatant

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<v Speaker 2>this was, although I think we're well past that.

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<v Speaker 3>But remember, you know, this kind of falls in this

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<v Speaker 3>larger line of pattern.

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<v Speaker 2>Joe Biden basically signaled to law enforcement officials in the

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<v Speaker 2>New York Times that because he feared what Donald Trump

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<v Speaker 2>would be as a political opponent, that he wanted to

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<v Speaker 2>see investigations begun. And he basically called for it, right,

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<v Speaker 2>called for Merrick Garland, called for other people, and people

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<v Speaker 2>left Merrick Garland's office to go join the Southern District

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<v Speaker 2>of New York. So this latest thing is unfortunate, just

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<v Speaker 2>consistent with that pattern of behavior. You and I've talked

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<v Speaker 2>about Chris krab and other corrupt you know, law enforcement officials.

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<v Speaker 2>So you know, this is this is more evidence that

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<v Speaker 2>there continues to be more there there, despite the fact

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<v Speaker 2>that mainstream legacy media wants to cover it up.

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<v Speaker 1>I mean, if I may, I think this is a

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<v Speaker 1>little bit. It's singular in its egregiousness. Let's see here,

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<v Speaker 1>the FBI is opening a full investigation based on articulable

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<v Speaker 1>factual basis that reasonably indicates that President Donald J. Trump

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<v Speaker 1>maybe or has been wittingly or unwittingly involved in activities

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<v Speaker 1>for or on behalf of the government of the Russian

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<v Speaker 1>Federation from May of twenty seventeen. So President Trump is

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<v Speaker 1>actually president at this point, which makes this different to me.

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<v Speaker 1>It's the FBI initiat initiating it for the standard, you know,

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<v Speaker 1>benign reasons. And I've never seen anything quite like this.

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<v Speaker 1>The Russia collusion with the Special Council, that was you know, public,

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<v Speaker 1>and it was into the campaign, not President Trump as

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<v Speaker 1>an individual, right, he always said I want a statement

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<v Speaker 1>that says you're not investigating me and call me. Would say, well,

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<v Speaker 1>we can't do that because of this, that and the

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<v Speaker 1>other thing. We don't say we are, we don't say

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<v Speaker 1>we're not. And now we know that they were. And

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<v Speaker 1>I I you know a lot of guys I'm saying,

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<v Speaker 1>well that's kind of old. No, this is this is

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<v Speaker 1>new and different. I think this is new. And one

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<v Speaker 1>other thing I gotta say when you mentioned Joe Biden.

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<v Speaker 1>There's a caveat to that, because Joe Biden did say

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<v Speaker 1>out loud, you know, through the New York Times and

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<v Speaker 1>even said publicly at one point in November twenty twenty two,

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<v Speaker 1>that I think Donald Trump is a threat and he

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<v Speaker 1>should be investigated. Forget everything I just said, weirdly, Constitutionally,

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<v Speaker 1>that's an okay thing to do.

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<v Speaker 3>Do you do? You do?

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<v Speaker 2>You do?

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<v Speaker 1>You know where I'm going with that. Forget about everything else,

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<v Speaker 1>just focus on the Biden Biden saying that, do you

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<v Speaker 1>think he has a constitutional authority to do that?

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<v Speaker 3>Are you suggesting that he does?

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<v Speaker 1>Yes, I am suggesting that that he actually did. Part

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<v Speaker 1>of the problem was what.

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<v Speaker 3>I would say. We'll go ahead, Okay, what's the problem?

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<v Speaker 1>Well, sorry, I wanted to hear from you, and now

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<v Speaker 1>I'm just bombarding you with.

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<v Speaker 3>My cuckoo theories.

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<v Speaker 2>It's not my first time on the show, Greg, I

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<v Speaker 2>don't know.

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<v Speaker 3>Well, do me a favorite before we do that. All right, Well, look,

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<v Speaker 3>I'll tell you.

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<v Speaker 1>I mean, forget about everything, forget about the moment, forget

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<v Speaker 1>about all of these documents. One of the problems with

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<v Speaker 1>Biden was he could if he had been honest about it.

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<v Speaker 1>He would have been It would have been bad. It

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<v Speaker 1>would have been wrong for a lot of different reasons.

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<v Speaker 3>Look.

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<v Speaker 1>Article two of the Constitution says the President of the

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<v Speaker 1>United States is the one to make sure that the

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<v Speaker 1>laws are being enacted faithfully. So say when President Trump

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<v Speaker 1>picks up the phone and talks to a US attorney

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<v Speaker 1>and says, you know what, I think this guy is

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<v Speaker 1>dirty and you really should look into that. Look, I'm

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<v Speaker 1>the President of the United States. A lot of people

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<v Speaker 1>have confident in my judgment. Seventy five million people voted

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<v Speaker 1>for me. This is something that I ascertained to be

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<v Speaker 1>a problem, and I want you, as an employee of

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<v Speaker 1>the executive branch of government, to look into that. That

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<v Speaker 1>is legitimate, and that is valid, and that is constitutional.

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<v Speaker 2>Now, I hate to disagree with you that the problem

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<v Speaker 2>is Donald Trump was impeached basically for doing that, right,

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<v Speaker 2>so that so to me, it's less about like was

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<v Speaker 2>not okay for Joe Biden. It's just a double standard

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<v Speaker 2>of the hypocrisy because again, your president of the United States.

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<v Speaker 2>There's lots of things that would presume fall under your purview.

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<v Speaker 2>Donald Trump's been more aggressive and expanding or exploiting what

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<v Speaker 2>he believes to be the expanded purview of the executive

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<v Speaker 2>than other presidents have been previously. But no, I don't

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<v Speaker 2>disagree as it relates to this specific investigation that happened

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<v Speaker 2>under you know, under while Donald Trump's psident. You know,

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<v Speaker 2>it's funny because of what would happen with Joe Biden.

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<v Speaker 2>People would ask me all the time, you know, because

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<v Speaker 2>you could just see evidence of the cognitive failing, and

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<v Speaker 2>they say, well, who is really run in the country?

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<v Speaker 2>And I said, and I think, you know, to me,

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<v Speaker 2>this just that kind of validates it. It's the collection

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<v Speaker 2>of lawyers in the Department of Justice, and it's the

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<v Speaker 2>you know, the SBI agents and these kind of the

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<v Speaker 2>intelligence apparatriic that's kind of a holdover from the Obama era,

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<v Speaker 2>and this just shows you, like the president might have changed,

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<v Speaker 2>but the aim and the ideological bent of our national

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<v Speaker 2>you know, security apparatus with the FBI, the CIA, et cetera.

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<v Speaker 3>Clearly did not.

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<v Speaker 2>So whether it's the guys that signed off on the

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<v Speaker 2>Russia dossier, whether it's the guys that signed off that

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<v Speaker 2>said the Hunter Biden laptop was Russian misinformation, whether it's

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<v Speaker 2>the people that okayed this investigation. By the way, it's

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<v Speaker 2>worth pointing out they okay this investigation at roughly the

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<v Speaker 2>same time that they shut down which was, in my opinion,

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<v Speaker 2>a very legitimate investigation into the Clintons, based in part

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<v Speaker 2>on the work that we did. Peter Schwizer wrote the

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<v Speaker 2>book Clinton Cash. I traveled to Haiti, helped work on

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<v Speaker 2>the research for it. I mean, there was legitimate reasons

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<v Speaker 2>to wonder about the Clinton's relationship ship with the Russians,

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<v Speaker 2>right Vladimir Putin's paying half a million dollars for a

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<v Speaker 2>speech Bill Clinton is helping to you know, they're getting

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<v Speaker 2>lots of money and transferring US uranium assets that ultimately

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<v Speaker 2>ended up in Putin's hands. So there were real things

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<v Speaker 2>to look into. So anytime you talked about the FBI

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<v Speaker 2>looking into things on behalf of Donald Trump and Russia,

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<v Speaker 2>especially while Donald Trump as president, you know, there are

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<v Speaker 2>finite resources in these agencies, So they chose to look

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<v Speaker 2>into this. It's especially gone because we have evidence that

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<v Speaker 2>we know what they chose to ignore, which I think

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<v Speaker 2>was obviously much more legitimate and credible.

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<v Speaker 1>What makes this investigation so damning, though, is the reasons

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<v Speaker 1>they cite which are and you you you mentioned that

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<v Speaker 1>I mentioned that they were legitimate political activities that the

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<v Speaker 1>president was engaged in.

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<v Speaker 3>They're in the predicate.

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<v Speaker 1>And on its face, this memo falls apart, like you

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<v Speaker 1>can't investigate somebody for practicing politics.

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<v Speaker 3>You know you can that it turns out, and it

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<v Speaker 3>turns out you can.

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<v Speaker 1>Right, It turns out you can. And that's why it

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<v Speaker 1>should be well, it should be a massive scandal. But

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<v Speaker 1>look in my defense of President Trump on whether it

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<v Speaker 1>was the phone call, whether it was you know, hey,

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<v Speaker 1>Rudy Giuliani, you know, I just saw I just saw

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<v Speaker 1>Joe Biden yelled and scream and brag about how he

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<v Speaker 1>turned off the investigation and had that prosecutor fired. You know, Zelensky,

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<v Speaker 1>I would look into that if I were you. And

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<v Speaker 1>Rudy Giuliani is the guy. He can talk to you.

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<v Speaker 1>He knows that stuff. I mean, that's not a political mission.

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<v Speaker 1>I mean, forget it.

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<v Speaker 3>It could be political. Political is not bad.

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<v Speaker 1>He could and as the President of the United States

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<v Speaker 1>saying hey, there's a problem here, that is a problem.

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<v Speaker 1>If what Joe Biden boasted about before the Council on

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<v Speaker 1>Foreign Relations is true, that's a problem. And if my

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<v Speaker 1>own Justice Department ain't going to look into it, well, uh, Zelensky,

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<v Speaker 1>you guys should look into that. And Rudy is a

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<v Speaker 1>free in private citizen. He's allowed to look into it too.

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<v Speaker 1>These are legitimate activities. And that's why I circle back

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<v Speaker 1>to Biden, and Biden did a lot of wrong things.

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<v Speaker 1>I'm not defending Biden, but under the constitution, he is

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<v Speaker 1>allowed to say I think he's a threat. He should

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<v Speaker 1>be investigated. That's not impeachable, that's arguably not even inappropriate.

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<v Speaker 1>The problem is when they find the evidence that is

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<v Speaker 1>either completely exculpatory or not there, then you have to

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<v Speaker 1>call off the investigation. And they kept it going. So

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<v Speaker 1>it's just a weird place that I find myself in

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<v Speaker 1>because they're getting on President Trump's case now and I'm saying, no,

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<v Speaker 1>he's allowed to do it, And interestingly, so was Joe

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<v Speaker 1>Biden in terms of calling for investigations.

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<v Speaker 3>Yeah.

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<v Speaker 2>Remember a time, Greg when you could just like disagree

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<v Speaker 2>with what the member of the opposite party did and

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<v Speaker 2>not think that they were a criminal because of it.

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<v Speaker 2>I mean that's what you're speaking to you, right. The

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<v Speaker 2>people can do things you don't agree with. It doesn't

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<v Speaker 2>mean they need to be impeached. It doesn't mean they

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<v Speaker 2>should be prosecuted. I know that we live in a

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<v Speaker 2>world and you know, with the outrage fatigue, and so

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<v Speaker 2>I hear it all the time. I'm sure you do too,

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<v Speaker 2>because we live in the business of exposing scandals and corruptions,

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<v Speaker 2>and so people want to see justice, They want to

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<v Speaker 2>see accountability, and for a lot of people that does

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<v Speaker 2>mean criminal charges, but not everything has to result in that.

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<v Speaker 2>But but it speaks to the you know, the law

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<v Speaker 2>fair that was I think clearly amped up onto the

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<v Speaker 2>Obama administration and then continued in many respects under Joe

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<v Speaker 2>Biden and Donald Trump was singularly the focus of it,

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<v Speaker 2>unlike I think anytime in American history. It's it's so

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<v Speaker 2>funny because you reference Nixon, and you know, it's it's

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<v Speaker 2>weird to think that we're getting to a place where

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<v Speaker 2>people won't remember that as a frame of reference. But

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<v Speaker 2>you kind of hold what the Obama administration has done,

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<v Speaker 2>some of the things that the Biden administration has done

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<v Speaker 2>that we know they've done, and compare that to what then,

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<v Speaker 2>you know Nixon was responsible for with Watergate, I think

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<v Speaker 2>it pales in comparison