In this episode of RACTV's "Rabblerousrousers" host Matthew Whitlock is joined by Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-GA) and Rep. Tim Burchett (R/GA) to discuss the day's events in Congress, including the vote on the debt ceiling, ATF Director James Comey's appearance before Congress, and the latest in the ongoing case against the Department of Justice. Also, the ATF Director testified to Congress about the use of surveillance on gun owners and their families by the National Security Agency (DoJ) and other agencies, as well as the ongoing investigation into whether or not the DoJ is targeting gun owners in order to spy on them. Matt and Matt also discuss why they believe the government should have access to more information about gun control and background checks, and why they think it's a good idea to keep them in the loop on what's going on in the intelligence community and law enforcement. They also discuss the potential impact on the tax code and other aspects of the government's surveillance programs, and what it could mean for the economy. And, of course, there's a special guest on the show, Matt's hot takes on the latest episode of "RACTV Live" hosted by Matt Gates (R.I.P.S.E.A.R. and Matt's thoughts on the Colin Kaepernick kneeling at the NFL National Anthem. protest in support of the National Anthem at the Superbowl. Enjoy! and stay tuned for the next week's episode of the RACRESSION! - Matt, Matt, Tim and Matt, and Matt - Rachael - and much more! - RACBLESSING! Subscribe to our new show, RACTRESS on Apple Podcasts! Subscribe, Like, Share, and Subscribe! Subscribe and Retweet! Learn more about your ad-free version of the podcast "RADIOBEAST Radio, your favorite hip hop podcast? Subscribe, comment, and subscribe to our newest podcast, "The RACIST" - wherever you get your favorite podcasters are listening to your ad is listening to the latest music, it gets the most hip and most authentic, hip hop and hip hop is getting the most authentic and most hip hop? Subscribe on social media is getting better and more hip hop hits are getting more hip and hip, more hip, faster than you'll ever get a chance to know more about what's trending?
00:03:33.000You can battle Congressman Matt Gates.
00:03:46.000Matt Gaetz was one of the very few members in the entire Congress who bothered to stand up against permanent Washington on behalf of his constituents.
00:03:53.000Matt Gaetz right now, he's a problem for the Democratic Party.
00:03:56.000He can cause a lot of hiccups in passing applause.
00:03:59.000So we're going to keep running those stories to keep hurting him.
00:04:02.000If you stand for the flag and kneel in prayer, if you want to build America up and not burn her to the ground, then welcome, my fellow patriots!
00:05:22.000He'll be joining us in just a moment to talk about all of today's events here in Congress.
00:05:27.000But Tim Burchett joined me and Andy Biggs and Ken Buck as the only Republicans voting against the $1.5 trillion increase in the debt limit.
00:05:35.000We're going to get Congressman Berkshire's hot takes on that, but also key information regarding testimony from the director of ATF on the live stream.
00:05:44.000They're watching from South Carolina, Pensacola, Jacksonville, Oklahoma, and we get a lot of feedback on these issues where the ATF is targeting gun owners.
00:05:53.000I had the ATF director for five minutes going to give you that content.
00:05:58.000Also, FISA, this foreign intelligence surveillance authority that often is not used to target foreign entities.
00:06:08.000You're going to find out how many of these queries have occurred Where a whole lot of FBI's got a whole lot of access to data without a warrant, and they are using it to a great degree.
00:06:23.000I'm going to show you where the top uniformed individual for the United States Air Force tried to convince me that the words mom and dad are exclusionary.
00:06:36.000But first, joining us, Congressman Tim Burchett.
00:06:39.000Tim, you made some news joining us rabble-rousers in voting against this increase in the debt limit.
00:07:08.000I didn't vote for it under Trump, and I haven't done it under Biden.
00:07:13.000To me, it's just disingenuous to vote for it.
00:07:17.000So, I mean, you laid out the math to me as we were meeting with negotiators and talking with some of the designers of this plan that even though there is some limitation in the growth of the federal budget, that this plan, the supposed Republican plan, the conservative plan to save the dollar, reverse inflation, unlock energy, all that...
00:07:39.000It was going to put us at a moment 10 years from now with about $49 trillion in debt.
00:08:51.000I remember I was in the county mayor's office, and the girls in my office came in because they got a raise because of the economy and Trump.
00:09:01.000They came in going, choo-choo, we're on the Trump train now, boss, because I was a Trump guy.
00:09:06.000And they, you know, two years ago, if you made $100,000, and today it would be worth $85,000.
00:10:05.000I mean, the news is your assessment is that the Senate will not respond to this package with the reduction of even one planned dollar in spending.
00:10:16.000The President said we're not going to negotiate, so he and Schumer joined it to HIPP. I just don't see it happening because I don't think the president's capable of it, even though the president was in charge in 2011 under Biden of negotiating the debt limit.
00:10:32.000He just said he's not going to do it, and Schumer's not going to do it.
00:10:36.000And they've messaged this thing as such that we're cutting, you know, or, you know, Oh yeah, we're slaughtering the widows and orphans.
00:11:27.000We may have to get ready for some shutdown politics and some shutdown economic consequences if your assessment is that there's going to be a stalemate, a hardening of positions.
00:11:37.000I think that the thinking among Republican leadership in the House is that this is going to dislodge some negotiating activity.
00:11:46.000But one thing that a serious country...
00:11:49.000Would not do $32 trillion in debt is spend so much money and send so many of its bravest patriots to faraway lands for unclear gain and the lack of an end state.
00:12:03.000And today we had a debate and a vote on legislation that I filed to withdraw U.S. troops from Somalia.
00:12:11.000I want to give you a flavor of that debate.
00:12:13.000We'll come back and get Congressman Birchett's reaction.
00:12:34.000But we must also exercise sufficient humility in this body to understand the capabilities of persuasion for a relatively small batch of American troops given the problem set.
00:12:47.000And I would return to the argument that I made earlier in this discussion.
00:12:50.000There is an opportunity cost to this in people.
00:12:53.000There are specific units that call my district home that are having to split between AFRICOM and Indo-PACOM, when the reality is whether or not our children are speaking Mandarin, our grandchildren are having to get dominated by the Chinese Communist Party, is not going to be the result of who wins the Battle of Mogadishu.
00:13:15.000It's going to be the result of who holds the high ground against our true pacing adversaries.
00:13:20.000And becoming the neighborhood block captain of Somalia is certainly not the behavior of a serious country engaged in very serious challenges against serious adversaries.
00:13:31.000I thank my colleagues for their indulgence.
00:13:33.000I certainly thank the leadership for permitting me such time, and I would yield back the balance.
00:13:40.000We are back live with Congressman Tim Burchett.
00:13:42.000Kathy on Facebook says she is ready for the shutdown.
00:13:45.000Steve on Instagram says do not falter, stay together.
00:13:49.000Kay Shaw on Rumble says they're getting half the groceries at twice the price.
00:15:14.000Do you think it helps the terrorists potentially recruit new members if there are U.S. Uniformed Service members patrolling the streets engaged in local law enforcement?
00:15:23.000Yeah, dressed up like something that's come from Mars or something.
00:15:46.000I think they profit from it financially, and I believe key people in their areas do.
00:15:55.000You know, we vote for a missile defense system we're going to send to Ukraine, things like that, and thinking, wow, that's a great idea.
00:16:02.000We'll just give them our missiles, but the rules are that we have to, every time we do that, we have to supplant ours or supply ours to bring ours back up to a certain level by rule or law or whatever is in the In the deal.
00:17:48.000He should have been home on Easter Sunday with his family and that's just wrong.
00:17:52.000And these bad decisions repeat over and over again and certainly we hope that we're able to persuade more of our colleagues but I think the American people also have to wake up to the driving factors of these decisions and you've been quite clear on that point.
00:18:09.000I also want to get to the very freedoms That people like our veterans fight for.
00:18:15.000And that includes the Second Amendment.
00:18:17.000And increasingly in this country, we're seeing the Second Amendment under attack.
00:19:16.000I don't know if you're referring to any particular incident or time period.
00:19:22.000How many instances should we be looking at where you've lost guns?
00:19:25.000So if what you're referring to is what happened at the National Destruction Branch, no guns were lost.
00:19:32.000They were stolen by an individual who's now in prison who was not an ATF employee.
00:19:37.000But there were recommendations made on what you should do so that you don't become the victim of the theft.
00:19:42.000And the Inspector General is saying you're not following them.
00:19:44.000I'm quoting directly from the Inspector General's report.
00:19:47.000Thousands of firearms, firearms, parts, and ammunition had been stolen from the ATF. So you gave testimony that the brave ATF agents are the ones showing up at 2 in the morning after a burglary, but it seems as though in this case you were the one burglarized.
00:20:02.000Why have you not followed the recommendations of the Office of Inspector General so that you aren't the mark?
00:20:11.000Again, I want to say that it is brave men and women of ATF who do this.
00:20:21.000You're getting robbed on one hand, so you can't keep a hold of the guns you're supposed to have, but then you do keep a hold of a bunch of stuff you're not supposed to have a hold of.
00:20:30.000The GAO report, firearms data, ATF did not always comply with the Appropriations Act restriction and should better adhere to its policies.
00:20:38.000As a result of breaking the law, didn't you guys have to go and delete Like a quarter of a million records that you illegally kept?
00:20:46.000Again, with respect to both the Inspector General reports that you're talking about...
00:20:51.000Nope, one's Inspector General, one's GAO. The Inspector General report, ATF, that happened several years ago, more than that.
00:21:01.000The report came out, but the theft, and ATF has implemented...
00:21:06.000Numerous different safety measures with respect to the National Destructive Branch.
00:21:10.000I'm reading to you from the report from last year, Mr. Director, we found that the NDB staff does not currently, currently in 2022, adhere to established operating procedures in place to mitigate risk of firearms being lost and stolen.
00:21:26.000So I guess that shows an ATF that is not functioning correctly and is not responding to the problems you create.
00:21:34.000You keep records you're not supposed to.
00:21:36.000It was a quarter million of them you had to delete, right?
00:22:00.000You lose what you're not supposed to lose.
00:22:02.000But how do you treat regular Americans?
00:22:04.000I got this letter from someone in my district, a firearms dealer.
00:22:08.000I have been a firearms dealer for 46 years.
00:22:10.000For 46 years, I've had a good relationship with law enforcement.
00:22:14.000Then came the ATF's zero tolerance policy.
00:22:17.000Two years ago, while in the process of selling a firearm to a customer, I completed their background check using Florida's FDLE firearm purchasing program.
00:22:26.000The background check was uneventful, and FDLE rendered an approval number.
00:22:31.000Some months later, during an ATF audit, I was told the background check was now a non-approval.
00:22:36.000Even though FDLE made the error, it was on my paperwork, so ATF deemed it a willful error.
00:22:43.000After completing close to 50,000 background checks over 46 years, why would I willfully ignore this background check?
00:22:53.000But the ATF has revoked my license, ended my career, and my livelihood.
00:22:59.000So I guess the question is, why should you be able to destroy the life of one of my constituents over a technicality where they weren't even at fault, when you all lose thousands of guns and illegally keep hundreds of thousands of records?
00:23:16.000Respectfully, Congress has given us the authority to inspect.
00:23:23.000And make sure that firearms dealers, the vast majority by the which are compliant, they are our first line of defense in dealing with straw purchases.
00:23:32.000This guy isn't your first line of defense anymore.
00:23:34.000A very small minority, those dealers, after due process, A small minority, ATF, enforcer of gun laws, lost thousands of firearm parts to thieves.
00:23:48.000New data shows ATF, gun store restrictions, at the highest rate in 16 years.
00:23:53.000Mr. Director, the definition of hypocrisy is when you can't live up to your own standard.
00:23:58.000So you have imposed a zero-tolerance policy that is resulting in the highest rate of revocations in 16 years and you wouldn't be able to meet your own zero tolerance policy because you lose stuff you're supposed to keep and then you keep stuff that it's illegal to keep.
00:24:15.000And by the way, I am one of those MAGA Republicans that would defund your salary, your agency, and I think all these good things that you say exist could happen with those folks at the local and state level and this is a terrible abuse of power.
00:25:20.000They're not fans of the ATF. This stock thing is going to put dealers out of business.
00:25:27.000It's ridiculous because there's no clear definition of You've got to hire an attorney to figure it out, and it's just like the IRS. Is the ATF savable, or do you just have to devolve these powers to the state and local level?
00:25:42.000I have no problem with our state and local authorities.
00:25:47.000And by the way, if they want to create interstate compacts to be able to share and track data, they don't need the federal government overseeing that to even make that an effective thing if there's actual criminal activity.
00:26:00.000But the reality is the ATF, really, they're like on a snipe hunt.
00:26:16.000Well, that's happening to far too many dealers, mom and pops, small businesses, and we have to keep fighting for them and going after guys like that who are abusing the power of this government.
00:26:26.000Now, speaking of witch hunts, we all know that the Russia hoax began with the FBI and the Department of Justice misusing the FISA process.
00:26:36.000This is the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.
00:26:38.000And what they do is they act as though they're targeting a foreigner, but through incidental collection, they get information on Americans that then they save that then can be used in queries.
00:26:50.000Now, over every executive agency, there's an inspector general who has an obligation to review their conduct and to judge its adherence with what the law requires.
00:27:00.000The inspector general over the Department of Justice is Obama-appointed.
00:27:15.000I want to get into the 3.4 million backdoor searches that the ranking member pointed out in his opening statement.
00:27:25.000How should the public think about those?
00:27:29.000Well, I think what we've seen in the various public reports, and I'm limited in what I can say about what's public, which I think is one of the issues, by the way, that's worth talking about is transparency here.
00:27:42.000It's obviously very concerning that there's that volume of searches, and particularly concerning the error rate that was reported on in the last two years in the public reporting.
00:27:59.000I think, tell the numbers, I think it's around 30%.
00:28:04.000I'm a lawyer, not a mathematician, but 3.4 million, about 30%.
00:28:09.000You're talking about seven figures of error in terms of these searches.
00:28:14.000I'm wondering, how many people can perform these backdoor queries?
00:28:20.000I'm going to defer to board members because the review I'm going.
00:28:25.000I'm afraid I don't have those figures at my fingertips in terms of the number of people that can conduct those types of searches, but I share the concern of expressing the question that we need to We have greater safeguards, and I urge Congress to incorporate a requirement for vice court review of these kinds of searches to protect our against North Amendment rights.
00:28:48.000Yes, four million backdoor searches, more than a million of them in error.
00:28:53.000If I represent to you that we believe there may be north of 10,000 people in the federal government that can perform those queries, would anyone here on the basis to disagree with that assessment?
00:30:18.000For folks who don't know about FISA, it is a secret court that exists without a defense attorney.
00:30:23.000So it is the government in secret alone with a judge with decisions that never get published or reviewed to see how jurisprudence develops.
00:30:35.000These reports after reports come out showcasing how the FBI is not complying with the law, they're not complying with their own procedures, and there's no one there to hold them accountable at all.
00:30:45.000These authorities are coming up for renewal this year, and I... I'm not voting to reauthorize FISA, these 702 authorities that have been most abused.
00:30:58.000I know a lot of my colleagues are going to hear arguments from the Intelligence Committee.
00:31:01.000We're going to make arguments on the Judiciary Committee from the standpoint of people's civil rights and constitutional rights, because if they need to get this information for national security reasons, they can get a warrant.
00:31:13.000They can get a warrant, and then we've got a system that is tried and true.
00:31:19.000You'd think, just the transparency aspect, because if they can go after conservatives, they sure as hell go after a liberal as well.
00:31:27.000You would think that they would be, this would be, because transparency is where it's at in my book.
00:31:32.000Just let the sun shine in and let everybody see what's going on.
00:31:35.000Yeah, and we have not had that for far too long.
00:31:38.000And then when we get these searing moments today where you've got the Inspector General saying there were 3.4 million queries of incidentally collected information, all collected without a warrant, And meanwhile, a third of them are in error.
00:31:59.000Well, I also have to get to one final moment we had today that I really wasn't expecting.
00:32:05.000We're in the Armed Services Committee, and the Air Force is presenting their budget.
00:32:09.000And when they do, it's reasonable to ask questions about everything from the Air Force's deployments to their strategies to their munitions and hypersonics and platforms and planes and pilots.
00:32:22.000And particularly training the next generation of Air Force leaders that we get the proud honor to be able to nominate to our service academies.
00:32:30.000So my colleague from Michigan, Lisa McClain, is asking this guy who is the top general in the entire United States Air Force, General Brown, the Chief of the Air Force.
00:32:42.000She's asking questions about curriculum at the Air Force Academy that seems to say that we shouldn't use words like mom or dad.
00:32:51.000And after hearing his response, or really his non-response, I couldn't help myself.
00:32:57.000I have in front of me, you know, the slides on the diversity training and the equity and the inclusion training.
00:33:04.000How much money and time do we really spend on that?
00:33:08.000Can we get a better sense to help educate everyone?
00:33:11.000I can provide you, you know, exact information for the record, but I will tell you, most of our training, most of our focus is on the readiness of the force.
00:33:18.000And part of that readiness of the force is to ensure that they were building cohesive teams, and part of those cohesive teams is to get to know our mental left and our right.
00:33:26.000And one of the things it talks about in one of your slides is not to recognize people as moms and dads.
00:33:34.000I mean, as a mother, I take a little bit of offense to that.
00:33:37.000It also talks about not using the word terrorist.
00:33:41.000Can you explain why we wouldn't use the word terrorist in mom and dad?
00:33:45.000I think you've got to get that message out because I think a lot of people are really frustrated and they feel like we're polarizing as opposed to coming together.
00:33:56.000What I would tell you is that what I perceive is we're risk reading some of the aspects of the things we're trying to do as we move the Air Force forward and we look at how we build cohesive teams.
00:34:06.000General Brown, I do have to ask you a question that sort of stems from what Ms. McClain was asking about.
00:34:12.000She showed you this curriculum from the Air Force Academy, and she asked you why the terms mom and dad were disfavored.
00:34:21.000And you said that you're working to build cohesive teams.
00:34:25.000So just wondering, how do the terms mom and dad impair cohesive team building?
00:34:33.000Part of leadership is understanding the people you're privileged to lead.
00:34:38.000And as you have that opportunity, you get to know them.
00:34:40.000And every one of us grows up differently and has different experiences, different backgrounds, and we can't assume when we engage with them.
00:34:48.000And so from that perspective, you've got to build that team and to build that trust with our airmen, in part because that trust is part of the cohesion that gives you the strong team to be able to go execute what the nation asked us to do.
00:35:02.000I understand better than most that families at times aren't defined by blood or even paperwork, and I know you have to recruit folks from different family environments into the Air Force, but do you think maybe it puts downward pressure on recruiting some of the people who Do you have moms and dads and do you use the term mom and dad if in the curriculum of the academy it seems to disfavor those terms?
00:35:40.000You don't think it disrespects moms and dads when they send their young children, I guess becoming adults, into the academy and then they see that mom and dad are disfavored terms?
00:35:54.000Do you agree that mom and dad should be disfavored terms?
00:35:57.000I think we need to respect the fact that they have either parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles that sometimes raise young people.
00:36:04.000Sure, but I mean, I know folks who've been raised by aunts and uncles, and none of them have ever told me that when they hear someone else call their parent mom or dad that that upsets them.
00:36:14.000Do you know of people who feel excluded when others refer to their parents as mom or dad?
00:37:23.000He was thinking, and he told me one time, they are sitting around Okinawa, because at night it got a little cold, and the fighting had subsided for a while, and they ran off a little campfire, and they were all talking, and they were talking about what they had back in the U.S., and how good it was, and how they didn't want those Japanese to get to their moms and dads back home.
00:37:49.000I don't know how someone could sit there and say, the reason I have to disfavor the words mom and dad and curriculum is because I have to do cohesive team building.
00:38:00.000And this isn't just some random person in the bureaucracy.
00:38:04.000The top guy who's defending this thing.
00:38:19.000The only thing I can think of is, I hate being a conspiracy theorist, but, you know, they want to break the whole system down, and they want to create some homogenous kind of deal, sort of a Marxist state where the...
00:38:34.000The overlords are in charge, and your moms and dads have no place in that, other than bringing you into this world.
00:38:40.000If you were trying to bring the system down, you would destroy the family, you would destroy the dollar, you would destroy people's Second Amendment rights, You would spread our military too thin around the world, and you would collapse our budget.