WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.160 --> 00:00:03.439 Brian Karen, my good friend. Great to have you here 2 00:00:03.520 --> 00:00:06.960 on when you know, you know, unleash the podcast, the 3 00:00:07.000 --> 00:00:10.960 continuation of the show, when you know you know. So Look, 4 00:00:11.039 --> 00:00:13.080 one of the questions that I asked you at the 5 00:00:13.199 --> 00:00:18.519 very end is when you have this weaponization fund and 6 00:00:18.600 --> 00:00:22.399 you have the fighting that's going on as it is 7 00:00:22.480 --> 00:00:26.079 right now, when you see somebody like Todd Blanche getting 8 00:00:26.120 --> 00:00:30.440 grilled by Democrats and some established Republicans, folks like the 9 00:00:30.600 --> 00:00:34.600 John Cornings of the Tillises who are desperate to put 10 00:00:34.640 --> 00:00:37.880 a fork in this fund, the question I want to 11 00:00:37.920 --> 00:00:41.119 ask you is there panic really about the one point 12 00:00:41.200 --> 00:00:44.159 eight billion or you think that they're terrified of the 13 00:00:44.159 --> 00:00:46.600 precedent that it's going to set. And I said to 14 00:00:46.640 --> 00:00:49.359 you in the ending of my show, when you know, 15 00:00:49.479 --> 00:00:53.439 you know, if the deal, this is my thought, If 16 00:00:53.479 --> 00:00:58.320 the Department of Justice institutionalizes away for citizens to get 17 00:00:58.359 --> 00:01:00.960 paid when the government overset steps like what they did 18 00:01:00.960 --> 00:01:05.439 to me, doesn't that strip Congress in the Deep State 19 00:01:05.599 --> 00:01:10.560 of their ultimate weapon of intimidation? Isn't in the bipartisan 20 00:01:10.719 --> 00:01:16.159 backlash just just the swamp protecting its own power to 21 00:01:16.280 --> 00:01:17.120 target people. 22 00:01:18.079 --> 00:01:20.400 Well, I've been targeted my whole life. And I don't 23 00:01:20.400 --> 00:01:23.319 know what to tell you there. I don't know. I 24 00:01:23.439 --> 00:01:25.680 have to know what the definition of deep state is. 25 00:01:25.799 --> 00:01:30.840 And I also don't think that their objection to Todd 26 00:01:31.000 --> 00:01:35.200 Blanche is based entirely on this. I think it's a sidebar. 27 00:01:35.480 --> 00:01:38.319 If you're asking if the swamp of Washington, d C 28 00:01:39.200 --> 00:01:42.680 protects itself, of course it does. It always, it always 29 00:01:43.120 --> 00:01:48.040 christ Yeah, I mean that's not I mean, it bothers 30 00:01:48.079 --> 00:01:53.560 me that you have a Congress that adjourned at Christmas 31 00:01:53.599 --> 00:01:58.560 time without taking up affordable health care for the rest 32 00:01:58.599 --> 00:02:01.040 of us while they get free health care for life. 33 00:02:01.519 --> 00:02:04.319 It bothers me that members of Congress, members of the 34 00:02:04.359 --> 00:02:08.360 executive branch, members of the judicial branch all have paid 35 00:02:08.439 --> 00:02:12.039 maternity leave when millions of Americans can't get it. Those 36 00:02:12.080 --> 00:02:15.680 things do bother me. The thing that DC does best 37 00:02:15.800 --> 00:02:20.520 is protect itself, that is Congress, that is the executive branch, 38 00:02:20.680 --> 00:02:24.560 that is the judicial branch. Do they and if you 39 00:02:24.599 --> 00:02:29.759 mean by deep state, those actors who are in office, well, yeah, 40 00:02:29.800 --> 00:02:34.840 they protect themselves. Todd Blanche has far bigger problems than 41 00:02:34.879 --> 00:02:38.479 this particular fund. This particular fund is a function of 42 00:02:39.120 --> 00:02:44.599 of d C doing what d C does to your point. 43 00:02:45.000 --> 00:02:48.560 But Todd Blanche doing what he did. I mean, I 44 00:02:48.560 --> 00:02:51.159 wouldn't want Todd Blanche as my attorney. I'll just say that, 45 00:02:51.319 --> 00:02:54.159 if if you were still, if you hadn't been disbarred, 46 00:02:54.199 --> 00:02:54.919 i'd hire you. 47 00:02:55.400 --> 00:03:00.439 But don't you worry, I'll give that license back. You bothers, 48 00:03:01.919 --> 00:03:04.240 you know. But here's what bothers me a lot too. 49 00:03:04.439 --> 00:03:05.240 So how about this. 50 00:03:06.520 --> 00:03:12.400 How much money has members of Congress used from some 51 00:03:12.800 --> 00:03:17.560 slush fund that's out there to payoff NDAs for people 52 00:03:17.560 --> 00:03:23.280 who file sexual allegations against It's amazing. I was reading 53 00:03:23.280 --> 00:03:23.840 it back the. 54 00:03:23.879 --> 00:03:25.960 Day, bills for that for the love of God, back 55 00:03:26.000 --> 00:03:28.520 in the seventies, the cover up for the Wilbern Mills 56 00:03:29.719 --> 00:03:33.400 problem and controversy. And I would say, ask Mitch McConnell, 57 00:03:33.400 --> 00:03:35.840 but he's you know, he's on his back babbling like 58 00:03:35.879 --> 00:03:38.439 a drunken cicada right now, so we can't ask him. 59 00:03:38.639 --> 00:03:41.280 But he he's one of the guys who set up 60 00:03:41.319 --> 00:03:44.360 a lot of this stuff. He and by the way, 61 00:03:44.840 --> 00:03:47.759 Tip O'Neill helped set up some of this stuff. By 62 00:03:47.800 --> 00:03:53.400 the way, every congressman has participated in this right left, middle, 63 00:03:53.520 --> 00:03:56.000 down the line. They participate in it to protect their 64 00:03:56.000 --> 00:04:00.879 own ass. Once they get in office, they protect themselves 65 00:04:00.960 --> 00:04:05.000 versus serving their public. And I wish now we do 66 00:04:05.080 --> 00:04:08.680 have something called I know everybody wants to have you know, 67 00:04:08.960 --> 00:04:13.479 uh limits, you know, they want to enableations. Well, we 68 00:04:13.599 --> 00:04:16.800 have them every two, four and six years. They're called elections. 69 00:04:16.959 --> 00:04:19.439 Get your ass off the you know, off your seat 70 00:04:19.439 --> 00:04:21.959 of your pants and go vote. But the problem is 71 00:04:22.000 --> 00:04:25.680 in this country, we consider fifty sixty percent of voter turnout. 72 00:04:26.120 --> 00:04:30.000 That's great, and that's not that's the problem. That the 73 00:04:30.079 --> 00:04:33.720 majority can't rule. The majority doesn't vote. What happens is 74 00:04:34.040 --> 00:04:39.680 the minority. The minority, the well shelled well a minority 75 00:04:39.680 --> 00:04:42.240 that will get out and vote left or right. Are 76 00:04:42.279 --> 00:04:44.360 the ones who determine the elections most of the time, 77 00:04:44.600 --> 00:04:45.839 the super minorities. 78 00:04:45.959 --> 00:04:48.959 And that's the people that I'm trying to reach here. 79 00:04:49.079 --> 00:04:51.519 And when you know, you know, unleashed, and when you know, 80 00:04:51.639 --> 00:04:54.399 you know, the show itself, I know a lot of 81 00:04:54.399 --> 00:04:58.920 merlin going on when you know I am no longer 82 00:05:00.519 --> 00:05:05.560 you know, you know, I'm no longer using for example, 83 00:05:05.759 --> 00:05:09.839 the line that Trump used when he called that series 84 00:05:09.879 --> 00:05:16.519 of that individuals the silent majority, I'm using term right 85 00:05:16.600 --> 00:05:20.240 well Trump used it. I'm talking about the tired majority. 86 00:05:20.439 --> 00:05:23.600 We're all tired of the bullshit that's going on every 87 00:05:23.639 --> 00:05:26.839 single day, them using slush funds, and all of a sudden, here, 88 00:05:27.120 --> 00:05:29.240 oh my god, this is the biggest problem. And I 89 00:05:29.800 --> 00:05:35.199 I'm very in tune with this concept because I fought 90 00:05:35.319 --> 00:05:38.720 all the way to the Supreme Court when I was 91 00:05:38.920 --> 00:05:44.439 unconstitutionally remanded back to prison because I refused to waive 92 00:05:44.519 --> 00:05:48.959 my First Amendment constitutional right. You did an incredible bang 93 00:05:49.079 --> 00:05:52.480 up job when you know, providing with the information for 94 00:05:52.600 --> 00:05:53.600 the book Revenge. 95 00:05:53.800 --> 00:05:58.680 But Brian, I've been that fight twice, Michael, tell my listeners, 96 00:05:59.079 --> 00:06:01.759 tell my listeners about it. Well, the first time I 97 00:06:01.800 --> 00:06:04.000 went to the Supreme Court was a fight over a 98 00:06:04.360 --> 00:06:07.600 unfidential source that I had in a murder case back 99 00:06:07.600 --> 00:06:10.560 in nineteen eighty nine. So in nineteen ninety I got 100 00:06:10.560 --> 00:06:13.920 out of I was in jail four times, the last 101 00:06:13.920 --> 00:06:15.600 time for more than a month as we went to 102 00:06:15.639 --> 00:06:18.680 the Supreme Court, and the last move by Justice Brennan, 103 00:06:18.920 --> 00:06:20.800 he put it before the Supreme Court whether or not 104 00:06:20.800 --> 00:06:23.560 I could get out while I pursued the challenge to 105 00:06:23.680 --> 00:06:25.600 the Supreme Court, and by a five to four vote, 106 00:06:25.720 --> 00:06:31.199 they said, screw you. Rot. So That was my first 107 00:06:31.879 --> 00:06:35.000 problem with the Supreme Court. The second one was when 108 00:06:35.000 --> 00:06:39.600 we fought Donald Trump for taking away my press pass, 109 00:06:39.680 --> 00:06:42.000 and that went to all the way. It was before 110 00:06:42.040 --> 00:06:45.079 the Supreme Court, but the superior court, the appeals court, 111 00:06:45.560 --> 00:06:48.800 a federal appeals court in DC, had ruled in my favor, 112 00:06:49.040 --> 00:06:52.600 and then Trump left office. So you know twice I've 113 00:06:52.600 --> 00:06:55.439 been before them over First Amendment issues, and what I 114 00:06:55.600 --> 00:06:59.120 find more than anything else is that that the First 115 00:06:59.160 --> 00:07:06.439 Amendment should protect everyone's free speech. I disagree with what 116 00:07:06.480 --> 00:07:09.319 you say, I will defend to death your right to 117 00:07:09.399 --> 00:07:12.800 say it. You can hate me, you cannot act on 118 00:07:12.839 --> 00:07:17.439 the hate. That's that is a crime. But if I say, hey, Michael, 119 00:07:17.439 --> 00:07:19.519 you're full of shit, and you can say, Brian, you're 120 00:07:19.560 --> 00:07:22.240 full of shit, and we can have an argument over that. Now, 121 00:07:22.600 --> 00:07:24.720 if you tell me to shut up, you're not violating 122 00:07:24.759 --> 00:07:27.879 my First Amendment rights. You're not the government. But when 123 00:07:27.879 --> 00:07:31.759 the government sends you back to prison, that is the 124 00:07:31.800 --> 00:07:36.079 government interfering. That's the First Amendment issue. When the government 125 00:07:36.120 --> 00:07:38.160 tells me I have to give up my sources. By 126 00:07:38.199 --> 00:07:40.399 the way, I sat in court the first time I 127 00:07:40.439 --> 00:07:44.800 had this fight with a confidential source, and and I'm 128 00:07:45.199 --> 00:07:47.839 the guy that I interviewed in prison is sitting next 129 00:07:47.839 --> 00:07:52.199 to his ACLU attorney, and there and the ACLU attorney 130 00:07:52.279 --> 00:07:55.319 and the prosecutor are telling me that doing my job, 131 00:07:55.360 --> 00:07:58.959 that I interrupted them and prevented them from prosecuting the case, 132 00:07:59.399 --> 00:08:01.480 and so I had to give up my source. So 133 00:08:01.560 --> 00:08:04.560 I'm in court and I look to the ACLU attorney. 134 00:08:04.600 --> 00:08:10.199 I said, I I got my information from your defendant, 135 00:08:10.959 --> 00:08:13.399 the guy you're defending. I said, don't you have greater 136 00:08:13.480 --> 00:08:16.079 access to the defendant than I do? Why don't you 137 00:08:16.160 --> 00:08:19.040 ask him? And he said, you don't get to ask 138 00:08:19.079 --> 00:08:22.600 the questions in court. And the judge said, normally i'd 139 00:08:22.639 --> 00:08:25.120 agree with your counselor, but that's a good question. Why 140 00:08:25.160 --> 00:08:28.920 don't you answer it? So, because, by the way, it 141 00:08:29.000 --> 00:08:29.879 is a great question. 142 00:08:30.079 --> 00:08:32.200 But since we're going to see, since we're talking about 143 00:08:32.200 --> 00:08:34.919 the First Amendment, I want to just talk a couple 144 00:08:34.960 --> 00:08:39.639 of days ago, when Trump made a speech to the country, 145 00:08:40.080 --> 00:08:43.679 made a speech to the country regarding China. He made 146 00:08:43.679 --> 00:08:47.679 it China, China. He made a speech in regard to 147 00:08:47.879 --> 00:08:51.679 our election integrity and what these bad actors China, Russia 148 00:08:51.679 --> 00:08:53.080 and North Korea, Iran, etc. 149 00:08:53.559 --> 00:08:54.120 Are doing. 150 00:08:55.879 --> 00:09:02.840 First Amendment issue, you had stations like AB, NBC, CBS 151 00:09:03.200 --> 00:09:07.360 not airing it, would you turn around and say that 152 00:09:08.080 --> 00:09:12.960 there's a problem with that, that they don't want that 153 00:09:13.279 --> 00:09:16.159 content out there instead, you know what they were doing. 154 00:09:16.399 --> 00:09:19.399 They had their people on their talking heads who were 155 00:09:19.480 --> 00:09:23.639 out there already bashing the president on something that they 156 00:09:23.759 --> 00:09:27.440 hadn't even heard yet. They didn't even wait for him 157 00:09:27.480 --> 00:09:30.679 to finish the speech before they were out there attacking 158 00:09:30.799 --> 00:09:33.559 every single thing that he said. Now, you don't have 159 00:09:33.720 --> 00:09:37.120 to agree with everything that the guy said, but I 160 00:09:37.159 --> 00:09:41.679 think we all acknowledge that these foreign actors are interfering 161 00:09:41.919 --> 00:09:44.320 in our system, and I think what Trump is doing 162 00:09:44.399 --> 00:09:48.279 is at least exposing what's going on there right now 163 00:09:48.399 --> 00:09:51.960 in order to come up with some solution in order 164 00:09:52.120 --> 00:09:53.679 just to make it better. 165 00:09:54.440 --> 00:09:56.720 Well, I don't know if I agree with all of that, 166 00:09:56.799 --> 00:09:59.679 And I'll start with they absolutely have the right to 167 00:09:59.799 --> 00:10:02.159 error not to air, and if they don't want to air, 168 00:10:02.440 --> 00:10:05.600 there's other places to hear it. There was other places 169 00:10:05.600 --> 00:10:08.879 to see it. It certainly wasn't unavailable. It's just they 170 00:10:08.919 --> 00:10:11.159 are a private enterprise and they get to determine how 171 00:10:11.200 --> 00:10:13.799 they are best going to make their money to interfere 172 00:10:13.919 --> 00:10:18.480 them with them and make them air it. That's the problem. 173 00:10:18.480 --> 00:10:22.480 That would be a problem. That would be overstrepperous, upstrepperous 174 00:10:22.600 --> 00:10:25.039 use of power by the government to make sure that 175 00:10:25.399 --> 00:10:28.519 their word gets out. Now, would I have aired it? Well? 176 00:10:28.559 --> 00:10:29.679 That that's irrelevant. 177 00:10:29.679 --> 00:10:31.200 I know it's No, it's not. 178 00:10:31.279 --> 00:10:33.519 I would be curious you would say it I did 179 00:10:33.559 --> 00:10:35.879 get Yeah, of course I probably would. But you know, 180 00:10:35.919 --> 00:10:38.039 I don't give a shit that. I'm the guy who 181 00:10:38.320 --> 00:10:42.039 you know, people say, well, he's a bad president. I 182 00:10:42.039 --> 00:10:43.799 may agree or disagree, but I still want to hear 183 00:10:43.799 --> 00:10:45.879 what the son of a bitch has to say. So 184 00:10:46.200 --> 00:10:48.320 I don't have a problem with that. If you do, 185 00:10:48.519 --> 00:10:51.399 that's fine, it's not a violation. And you can't force 186 00:10:51.440 --> 00:10:53.879 them to do it. That I don't have a problem with. 187 00:10:54.480 --> 00:10:56.399 I want to see, and I say, have yet to 188 00:10:56.480 --> 00:10:59.600 still see anything new that that came out of it. 189 00:10:59.639 --> 00:11:02.679 And I take and I take great exception to Donald 190 00:11:02.720 --> 00:11:05.559 Trump calling us. I think last night he he said 191 00:11:05.559 --> 00:11:10.399 those who've written the worst articles against him are are 192 00:11:10.440 --> 00:11:13.759 being paid by China. Now, he and I got into 193 00:11:13.840 --> 00:11:18.120 epic fights and have and I've written well, good, bad, 194 00:11:18.159 --> 00:11:20.000 and ugly about him. When he's done something well. I've 195 00:11:20.039 --> 00:11:21.919 written about that. When he's done something bad, I've written 196 00:11:21.960 --> 00:11:25.399 about that. But certainly no one has challenged him more 197 00:11:25.399 --> 00:11:28.039 than I have. I you know, I challenged him six 198 00:11:28.120 --> 00:11:32.480 weeks before he was before the twenty twenty election. Would 199 00:11:32.480 --> 00:11:35.320 he accept, you know, a peaceful transfer of power? So 200 00:11:35.480 --> 00:11:38.639 I don't I find that onerous to say that. I 201 00:11:38.679 --> 00:11:42.519 can state for the record Michael that out of all 202 00:11:42.519 --> 00:11:45.200 the faults I have, I have never accepted a dime 203 00:11:45.279 --> 00:11:47.200 from China so well. 204 00:11:47.440 --> 00:11:50.200 And I would like to acknowledge that you have many faults. 205 00:11:50.399 --> 00:11:53.559 But I had that I do, and so do you, 206 00:11:53.679 --> 00:11:54.120 my brother. 207 00:11:54.600 --> 00:11:56.919 No, No, I think I have one or two less 208 00:11:56.960 --> 00:11:59.759 than you. But he wasn't counting out. 209 00:12:01.200 --> 00:12:02.720 You. Try to spend too much time. 210 00:12:02.519 --> 00:12:05.039 With you when we were digging up all that information 211 00:12:05.159 --> 00:12:07.840 on those foy of files and everything on the weaponization. 212 00:12:08.080 --> 00:12:13.399 But he's neither. Yeah, that's for sure, Brian. He was not. 213 00:12:13.600 --> 00:12:15.799 Talking to you. 214 00:12:15.799 --> 00:12:18.559 You were not the journalist, believe it or not that 215 00:12:18.960 --> 00:12:21.399 you think Trump will wrestling one journalist. 216 00:12:21.480 --> 00:12:24.960 He said, those journalists, that's what those journalists, And he 217 00:12:25.039 --> 00:12:29.600 wasn't referencing you. He doesn't have a problem with people 218 00:12:29.960 --> 00:12:31.159 criticizing him. 219 00:12:31.200 --> 00:12:33.559 And then writing and you tell. 220 00:12:33.480 --> 00:12:35.480 Him I would love to sit down and interview him. 221 00:12:35.639 --> 00:12:38.159 I'd be happy to do it anytime he wants. 222 00:12:38.600 --> 00:12:40.720 Well, after I get my first visit over there to 223 00:12:40.759 --> 00:12:42.679 the White House, I'm going to tell him, Brian karm 224 00:12:42.720 --> 00:12:44.039 wants to come and sit down to you. 225 00:12:44.200 --> 00:12:46.600 And you know what, JA wants to talk to you. 226 00:12:46.840 --> 00:12:48.600 He wants to comfort and sit down. 227 00:12:48.600 --> 00:12:51.639 I have no intention of ever speaking to that loser. 228 00:12:51.759 --> 00:12:57.759 He's a stone called loser, right, I tell him nothing trouble. 229 00:12:58.759 --> 00:13:00.720 I still go back to the day he winked at 230 00:13:00.720 --> 00:13:02.440 me and I asked him, I said, are we dating? 231 00:13:02.480 --> 00:13:02.679 Now? 232 00:13:02.759 --> 00:13:04.720 What the hell is he? 233 00:13:05.480 --> 00:13:07.600 He would sit down and he would engage you in 234 00:13:07.639 --> 00:13:11.639 com The difference between you and the people he was 235 00:13:11.759 --> 00:13:15.720 referencing is that no matter what he does, they will 236 00:13:15.799 --> 00:13:19.080 never give him credit for anything. You at the very 237 00:13:19.120 --> 00:13:21.960 beginning turn and said, listen, where I agree with him, 238 00:13:22.279 --> 00:13:25.440 I will give him praise. Where I disagree, I will. 239 00:13:25.279 --> 00:13:27.639 Criticize any politician, but I'll give him credit. 240 00:13:28.200 --> 00:13:31.200 Okay, you'll give him credit. And where you disagree, all right, 241 00:13:31.279 --> 00:13:35.919 you will. You will disagree and criticize. That's fair, that's fair. 242 00:13:36.039 --> 00:13:40.080 But what about the groups of individuals? Fair asshole. I 243 00:13:40.120 --> 00:13:45.279 appreciate that. No, just just an asshole. But I can 244 00:13:45.320 --> 00:13:48.399 live with that. It's amazing how you had, how you 245 00:13:48.399 --> 00:13:50.639 have such a good son so on, and you know, 246 00:13:50.720 --> 00:13:53.559 he's such a good kid. I really like he's such 247 00:13:53.559 --> 00:13:56.240 a nice you know, he and his wife suffice it. 248 00:13:56.240 --> 00:13:58.879 By the way, congratulations on the birth of the grandchild, 249 00:13:59.240 --> 00:14:01.559 third one, marvelous. 250 00:14:01.679 --> 00:14:03.759 So but I'm the pointing how did I come up 251 00:14:03.799 --> 00:14:06.080 with grandchildren? That's what I want to know. Go ahead, 252 00:14:06.200 --> 00:14:07.519 no clue. 253 00:14:07.679 --> 00:14:10.559 But the part that I'm trying to bring to the 254 00:14:10.639 --> 00:14:16.679 table here is criticism is fair. Criticism is good. I myself, 255 00:14:16.720 --> 00:14:18.960 whether it's on this show or any other show, I 256 00:14:19.039 --> 00:14:22.799 will never turn around and say I agree with somebody 257 00:14:23.000 --> 00:14:25.559 one hundred percent of the time. If you do, you 258 00:14:25.639 --> 00:14:27.639 are in a cult. I am not in a cult. 259 00:14:27.960 --> 00:14:32.320 I believe where he is doing right, he should be praised, 260 00:14:32.360 --> 00:14:33.440 it should be acknowledged. 261 00:14:33.440 --> 00:14:37.320 And better luck with that if he'd quit telling us 262 00:14:37.360 --> 00:14:40.320 that we were all fake media and we're the fault 263 00:14:40.360 --> 00:14:45.799 of and we're the problem his My biggest criticism of 264 00:14:45.919 --> 00:14:50.600 Donald Trump remains that he is bitter about certain things 265 00:14:50.639 --> 00:14:54.480 and brittle about criticism, and if he were to just 266 00:14:55.000 --> 00:14:57.559 you know even and I had I Look, I'm not 267 00:14:57.639 --> 00:15:00.159 saying this just of him. I've said this of and 268 00:15:00.480 --> 00:15:03.159 I will state for the record, I've covered every president 269 00:15:03.200 --> 00:15:06.519 since Ronald Reagan. I've managed to piss off every press 270 00:15:06.559 --> 00:15:10.320 secretary and every president I've ever covered. So I am 271 00:15:11.039 --> 00:15:11.840 when you pissed me off. 272 00:15:11.840 --> 00:15:13.679 When you pissed me off when I was trying to 273 00:15:13.679 --> 00:15:15.000 get the information. 274 00:15:17.840 --> 00:15:21.360 Sent people off. I don't know that's my superpower. 275 00:15:21.559 --> 00:15:25.039 It sure is, you off, But that's you should join 276 00:15:25.080 --> 00:15:29.639 the Avengers. All of these international all of these all 277 00:15:29.679 --> 00:15:32.679 of these intergalactic uh you know, nightmares and so on. 278 00:15:33.720 --> 00:15:34.360 Heres them off. 279 00:15:34.840 --> 00:15:36.840 Pissed me off. I'm going back to my galaxy. 280 00:15:36.879 --> 00:15:39.519 That's it. So I can piss them off. But the 281 00:15:40.120 --> 00:15:42.519 thing with the President of the United States is he 282 00:15:42.600 --> 00:15:45.720 needs to realize that. And he's not the first president 283 00:15:45.799 --> 00:15:49.879 I've had this criticism of. I think he's more streperous 284 00:15:49.960 --> 00:15:53.159 and louder about his criticism of the press than others. 285 00:15:53.320 --> 00:15:56.240 I've had this problem with other presidents. But this is 286 00:15:56.320 --> 00:16:00.600 how a democracy. Democracy is supposed to work. It is 287 00:16:00.720 --> 00:16:03.120 their job to put as I was taught by Sam 288 00:16:03.159 --> 00:16:06.039 Donaldson the very first there were two lessons I learned 289 00:16:06.080 --> 00:16:07.960 my first day in the White House. One was from 290 00:16:07.960 --> 00:16:11.480 Helen Thomas. And the reason why I call my podcast 291 00:16:11.639 --> 00:16:13.720 just asked the question is because she told me, Brian, 292 00:16:14.960 --> 00:16:18.039 your job in here is to just ask the question. 293 00:16:18.440 --> 00:16:20.840 It doesn't matter what the answer is, it doesn't matter 294 00:16:20.840 --> 00:16:23.519 if they answer it. Your job is to ask that 295 00:16:23.639 --> 00:16:26.840 question and put that concern on the record. Now, a 296 00:16:26.879 --> 00:16:31.159 lot of the best press secretaries in the best administrations 297 00:16:31.480 --> 00:16:34.559 understand that the questions that we bring to them can 298 00:16:34.600 --> 00:16:39.480 help them, can help better their administration. And it was 299 00:16:40.000 --> 00:16:43.399 Mike McCurry said, Brian, we changed policies based on some 300 00:16:43.440 --> 00:16:46.120 of the questions you brought in. The second person I 301 00:16:46.159 --> 00:16:49.159 met with Sam Donaldson, he said, listen, their job is 302 00:16:49.200 --> 00:16:51.840 to put their best foot forward. Our job is to 303 00:16:51.879 --> 00:16:57.360 hold them accountable. I remained dedicated to that. It was 304 00:16:57.440 --> 00:16:59.679 beIN Bag Dickie and who said, your job when you 305 00:16:59.720 --> 00:17:02.960 walk in to cover the White House is not to 306 00:17:03.159 --> 00:17:06.599 appease the president. It's not to appease your editors, it's 307 00:17:06.640 --> 00:17:10.400 not to appease your friends, it's not to better your career. 308 00:17:10.599 --> 00:17:14.880 Your responsibility is to the public. And so I've tried 309 00:17:14.920 --> 00:17:18.359 to remain steady with that. My entire career because I 310 00:17:18.400 --> 00:17:23.000 believe in those ideals. I know that most Barack Obama 311 00:17:23.039 --> 00:17:26.599 tried to ban Fox News and guess what, we all 312 00:17:26.640 --> 00:17:29.599 banned together in the White House at that time and said, no, 313 00:17:30.000 --> 00:17:32.480 they have a right to be there, and they backed off. 314 00:17:32.880 --> 00:17:36.319 The problem with this administration is that they don't respect that, 315 00:17:36.839 --> 00:17:40.680 and that they go after us individually and company wide 316 00:17:40.960 --> 00:17:43.079 for the very same things that we've done with every 317 00:17:43.079 --> 00:17:47.039 other president. And as I told his first press secretary, 318 00:17:47.119 --> 00:17:50.359 she said she accused us of fake news. I said, listen, man, 319 00:17:50.400 --> 00:17:53.640 they can turn the channel over, they can turn us off, 320 00:17:53.720 --> 00:17:56.279 they can put down the newspaper, but we've got you 321 00:17:56.359 --> 00:18:00.599 for forty years, so you need to answer our questions. That, 322 00:18:00.680 --> 00:18:03.480 to me, is is where I draw the line. I 323 00:18:03.519 --> 00:18:05.759 don't give a ship what you have to say. Just 324 00:18:05.799 --> 00:18:07.759 don't tell me I'm full of shit and rude for 325 00:18:07.839 --> 00:18:11.279 asking you the question, and we'll get along just famously. 326 00:18:11.680 --> 00:18:13.960 After after work we can go have a drink together 327 00:18:14.000 --> 00:18:16.200 if you want, you can cuss me out and call me, 328 00:18:16.400 --> 00:18:18.400 you know, just call me anything. Just don't call me 329 00:18:18.480 --> 00:18:20.960 late for dinner. But understand that I've got to be 330 00:18:21.039 --> 00:18:23.519 there to do the job. That's the job, and it's 331 00:18:23.640 --> 00:18:26.759 the for the betterment of our democracy that we do it. Now, 332 00:18:26.920 --> 00:18:30.839 do some reporters take it personally? Yes? Are some reporters 333 00:18:30.920 --> 00:18:36.000 ignorant without a doubt. That's we have problems in the 334 00:18:36.119 --> 00:18:39.079 in the fourth of State, huge problems, and that's because 335 00:18:39.400 --> 00:18:42.920 too few companies own the means of publication and they 336 00:18:42.960 --> 00:18:46.759 don't give a shit about the ideals. They care about 337 00:18:46.759 --> 00:18:49.160 making money. That's all they care about. 338 00:18:49.640 --> 00:18:52.359 And by making money, what they do is they decide 339 00:18:52.359 --> 00:18:55.119 that they're going to go and to play to only 340 00:18:55.160 --> 00:18:57.599 one side of them. So every time that's a specific, 341 00:18:57.920 --> 00:19:02.319 a specific right in there on the bucko chamber and right, people. 342 00:19:02.039 --> 00:19:04.640 Don't think critically, and they get and they they hear 343 00:19:04.680 --> 00:19:07.119 what they want to hear, and it's their reverbs in 344 00:19:07.160 --> 00:19:09.000 that echo chamber and they go see MSB Right, I 345 00:19:09.039 --> 00:19:10.480 heard it there, I heard it there, I heard it there, 346 00:19:10.640 --> 00:19:12.200 So yeah, you're right there, you know. 347 00:19:12.319 --> 00:19:14.480 Like for example, just even take like what took place 348 00:19:14.519 --> 00:19:20.200 in Iran during the bombing where that girls school was hit. 349 00:19:20.799 --> 00:19:24.559 There's one specific reporter I forget his name. Every single 350 00:19:24.559 --> 00:19:27.240 time he gets called it's the same thing. Did you 351 00:19:27.359 --> 00:19:32.880 intentionally strike a building killing over one hundred young females, 352 00:19:32.960 --> 00:19:36.720 young girls who are attending school, and so there comes 353 00:19:36.720 --> 00:19:40.759 a point in time where you're not providing a benefit, 354 00:19:40.799 --> 00:19:43.200 you're not providing a service, you're not providing truth. 355 00:19:43.720 --> 00:19:47.000 That's a great issue to break down the problems on 356 00:19:47.160 --> 00:19:51.720 both sides. First of all, that's this wrong question to ask. 357 00:19:52.039 --> 00:19:54.960 To ask it is the question to ask that I 358 00:19:55.000 --> 00:19:58.400 would ask. Is the Pentagon our sources and the Pentagon 359 00:19:58.559 --> 00:20:02.359 independent h You know, investigators have said, look, this was 360 00:20:02.480 --> 00:20:05.799 obviously a mistake. It was a targeting error brought about 361 00:20:05.799 --> 00:20:10.359 by aging, by an aging computer who had old target 362 00:20:10.480 --> 00:20:15.440 data and that used to be a legitimate target. Why so, 363 00:20:15.599 --> 00:20:18.440 that's how you should ask that question. We understand has it? 364 00:20:18.680 --> 00:20:21.920 My question is have you upgraded the software since then 365 00:20:22.279 --> 00:20:23.440 so that doesn't happen? 366 00:20:23.720 --> 00:20:27.000 Well, by the way, that's not necessarily on accurity from then, 367 00:20:27.720 --> 00:20:30.440 I understand. But that's but the one thing that we 368 00:20:30.559 --> 00:20:34.079 also know, Brian, is that the IRGC they placed themselves 369 00:20:34.160 --> 00:20:37.799 in locations in order to prevent these type of attacks 370 00:20:37.799 --> 00:20:40.559 by putting themselves right next to hospitals, right next to 371 00:20:41.000 --> 00:20:42.640 schools in case. 372 00:20:43.400 --> 00:20:46.119 But I don't think that was the problem in this case. 373 00:20:46.160 --> 00:20:49.079 This case, it was a legitimate it was just look, man, 374 00:20:49.559 --> 00:20:53.680 it's a sad situation. Yes, it is bad situation, and 375 00:20:53.799 --> 00:20:58.599 innocent people died. But here's the thing that no politician 376 00:20:58.920 --> 00:21:02.160 ever seems to under stand. And this goes back to Nixon. 377 00:21:02.680 --> 00:21:04.839 What if Nixon had just said, when they invade, you know, 378 00:21:04.880 --> 00:21:07.880 when they rated water, he goes, yeah, we fucked up. 379 00:21:08.119 --> 00:21:11.000 That shouldn't have happened. Then then I it was the 380 00:21:11.160 --> 00:21:14.720 cover up that caused the problem in this case. If 381 00:21:14.720 --> 00:21:17.079 they had just said, we you know, you might be right, 382 00:21:17.359 --> 00:21:20.079 it could be a targeting error. And so we're gonna here, 383 00:21:20.240 --> 00:21:21.839 We're gonna look at it and make sure it doesn't 384 00:21:21.880 --> 00:21:22.400 happen again. 385 00:21:23.519 --> 00:21:25.160 You may be right, you. 386 00:21:26.720 --> 00:21:29.799 May be crazy. It just may be a lunatic you're 387 00:21:29.799 --> 00:21:34.559 looking for. But but that's that's these things get the 388 00:21:34.599 --> 00:21:38.000 way they get because backs are up on both sides. 389 00:21:38.119 --> 00:21:42.960 Now I'm not I'm not a diplomat, No. 390 00:21:44.799 --> 00:21:45.279 Diplomat. 391 00:21:46.039 --> 00:21:47.160 I'm hardly a diplomat. 392 00:21:47.240 --> 00:21:49.799 What has two thumbs? What has two thumbs? And is 393 00:21:49.839 --> 00:21:54.160 not a diplomat? This guy, now. 394 00:21:54.039 --> 00:21:56.960 You're what was the Dick van Dyke episode. Never lose 395 00:21:57.000 --> 00:22:00.759 your sense of humor or your thumbs. So so I 396 00:22:01.880 --> 00:22:04.880 this is a problem. But The greater problem for the 397 00:22:04.920 --> 00:22:09.079 public is when politicians won't admit that they could in 398 00:22:09.119 --> 00:22:13.079 any way be responsible for the bad things. So my 399 00:22:13.160 --> 00:22:15.400 advice to and this is, look, man, I'm running into 400 00:22:15.400 --> 00:22:18.799 this because there are younger people working on campaign staffs 401 00:22:18.839 --> 00:22:22.519