Firebrand - Matt Gaetz - Episode 161 LIVE: Hit By A Minibus – Firebrand with Matt Gaetz

00:00:00.000 Thank you.

00:01:33.000 Matt Gaetz, the biggest firebrand inside of the House of Representatives.

00:01:38.000 You're not taking Matt Gaetz off the board, okay?

00:01:40.000 Because Matt Gaetz is an American patriot and Matt Gaetz is an American hero.

00:01:45.000 We will not continue to allow the Uniparty to run this town without a fight. 1.00

00:01:50.000 I want to thank you, Matt Gates, for holding the line.

00:01:54.000 Matt Gates is a courageous man.

00:01:57.000 If we had hundreds of Matt Gates in D.C., the country turns around.

00:02:01.000 It's that simple.

00:02:02.000 He's so tough, he's so strong, he's smart, and he loves this country.

00:02:06.000 Matt Gates.

00:02:09.000 It is the honor of my life to fight alongside each and every one of you.

00:02:13.000 We will save America.

00:02:16.000 It's choose your fighter time.

00:02:17.000 and send in the firebrands. - And this bill today funds all of that, Continues to fund all of that.

00:02:31.000 Every single Republican should vote no.

00:02:33.000 Should vote no and should be ashamed of ever voting yes.

00:02:36.000 This is our opportunity.

00:02:38.000 This is the time.

00:02:39.000 Remember, this was supposed to be done last September.

00:02:42.000 We're now in the middle of March of the next year.

00:02:45.000 This is their opportunity to say what happened on the border yesterday that all of America is now looking at as they wake up this morning.

00:02:52.000 This is going to stop and it's going to stop with us.

00:02:55.000 And if they don't vote no on this bill, what they're saying to their constituents, their bosses who sent them to Washington, D.C., Democrat or Republican, what you saw at the border, that's fine with me.

00:03:06.000 That's good.

00:03:07.000 Let's get more of that.

00:03:08.000 I urge all of our colleagues, not just the brave ones that are standing here today in front of you, but every single member of the House, Republican and Democrat, reject this bill.

00:03:21.000 That was Congressman Scott Perry.

00:03:23.000 We are live here in Room 2021 of the Rayburn House Office Building on the Capitol Complex in Washington D.C. where the very shame that Scott Perry described played out as the House of Representatives passed the second half of the omnibus spending legislation today that we've worked so hard To try to stop.

00:03:41.000 At the end, there were 286 yes votes, 134 no votes, so an overwhelming more than two-thirds majority for this terrible piece of legislation.

00:03:50.000 We're going to go through some of the bad earmarks in it, some of the bad funding choices that were made.

00:03:56.000 We always like to look at where the Republicans stood.

00:03:59.000 And you heard Scott Perry there, a leader in the Freedom Caucus, calling out Republicans who would vote for this Democrat spending bill.

00:04:08.000 101 Republicans shamefully voted yes.

00:04:12.000 112 Republicans voted no.

00:04:15.000 So that means a majority of the majority voted against this terrible legislation, and yet it is going to become law anyway.

00:04:24.000 The majority of the majority you fought for got rolled by the Democrats.

00:04:29.000 And there was one particular moment in this bill that got me.

00:04:35.000 It was when Mike Bost, fresh off of his one-point primary election victory, Voted yes, and then when it became clear that the bill had all of the votes that it needed to pass, oh, then he ran out of the clerk and changed his vote to a no vote.

00:04:51.000 So Mike Bost was actually for it, then flipped to be against it when the no vote didn't matter.

00:04:58.000 I wonder if that one-point primary election victory had anything to do with that motivation.

00:05:04.000 But it's deceptive, and it's dishonest, and unfortunately we saw...

00:05:10.000 A betrayal of Republican values.

00:05:13.000 There's no other way to describe it.

00:05:14.000 From 101 Republicans, 112 of us who voted no were not enough to stop this bad bill.

00:05:22.000 There's other breaking news on Capitol Hill today.

00:05:24.000 Mike Gallagher just announcing that he will be resigning from the House of Representatives prior to the conclusion of his term.

00:05:32.000 The end, I guess, middle of end of April, we saw April 19th bouncing around as a date that was being reported by Jake Sherman at Punchbowl News.

00:05:40.000 And Mike Gallagher is a very smart person.

00:05:43.000 Mike Gallagher is someone who understands the world a great deal.

00:05:46.000 I sat next to him on the House Armed Services Committee for seven years.

00:05:50.000 He chairs one of the Cyber Intelligence Evolving Technologies subcommittees upon which I serve.

00:05:58.000 And it's very disappointing to see him resigning before the end of his term.

00:06:04.000 When we get elected, we get elected for two-year terms.

00:06:07.000 We're on a two-year contract.

00:06:08.000 I think every member should stay for the two years.

00:06:11.000 And I have this view whether I like the person or not.

00:06:15.000 I didn't like Kevin McCarthy.

00:06:17.000 I was disappointed when he left before the conclusion of his term.

00:06:20.000 I like Mike Gallagher.

00:06:22.000 Disappointed that he's leaving before the conclusion of his term.

00:06:25.000 Because to me, it's like a breach of contract with your voters.

00:06:29.000 You signed up for a job.

00:06:30.000 You knew when you signed up for it how long it lasts.

00:06:33.000 And my frustration comes from the fact that we are now at a one-seat majority.

00:06:39.000 One.

00:06:41.000 One.

00:06:42.000 And that puts everything that we could potentially do at grave risk.

00:06:47.000 And it strengthens the hand of those who want to draw us into these bad bills that give away the farm to the Democrats when our majority is reduced, cut by a quarter, cut in half, cut to barely nothing.

00:07:01.000 The other breaking news on Capitol Hill today is that Marjorie Taylor Greene has filed a motion to vacate Ms. Green filed and the one that I filed.

00:07:15.000 When I filed a motion to vacate Kevin McCarthy, it demanded immediate legislative action within a prescribed window.

00:07:23.000 So two days after I filed the motion to vacate McCarthy, We heard Congresswoman Greene describe her intentions very differently today.

00:07:37.000 Her intention was not to file this and call it up for a vote within two days as I did.

00:07:43.000 She's filing it and I guess for lack of a proper legislative term, she's allowing it to cook. 1.00

00:07:48.000 She's allowing it to simmer.

00:07:50.000 She's allowing it to, I guess, be the subject of some discussion and debate.

00:07:54.000 And it's hard not to view these two stories, Gallagher leaving, Green filing this, in some concert, right?

00:08:03.000 Because whether or not you can execute a motion to vacate the speaker is contingent upon your size of majority at any given moment.

00:08:12.000 And when I... Vacated McCarthy.

00:08:15.000 I made a promise to all of you, to the entire country, that we would not end up with a Democrat speaker.

00:08:22.000 I knew it.

00:08:23.000 I promised it.

00:08:24.000 And had we ended up with a Democrat speaker, then I would have broken my word to you, and I would have been rightfully drubbed out of this job.

00:08:34.000 As I sit here now with a one-vote majority, with like, I don't know, 10, 12 of our members in Biden districts, am I sure That one, two, three of those people, to be the head of the Budget Committee, to be the head of the Appropriations Committee, to be the head of the Intelligence Committee, to be the head of the Rules Committee, to be the floor leader, That one or two of them wouldn't cross over and vote for a Democrat, maybe even Hakeem Jeffries?

00:08:58.000 I'm not sure of that.

00:08:59.000 And because I'm not sure of that, do not count me among those who would support a motion to vacate at this time.

00:09:05.000 And not that there's one that's been called up to be fair to Congresswoman Greene.

00:09:09.000 I think she understands that dynamic.

00:09:11.000 That's why she is pursuing a different path than I pursued with Kevin McCarthy.

00:09:16.000 But we'll continue to follow up on it and really What brought us to this moment where we're even having this discussion, unfortunately, is this omnibus spending bill.

00:09:26.000 And it violates all of the principles that I set forth, and frankly, it violates a lot of the principles that I know Mike Johnson campaigned on when he ran for Speaker.

00:09:37.000 And that's why he wants to get to a discussion of 2025 spending To lay out a vision to show those priorities and a lot of people are smarting and hurting over what we just experienced today.

00:09:49.000 And if there is a sentiment that is just so Washington and so wrong and so vile and so destructive to our economy and our nation, it is the sentiment that you always just have to be for the deal.

00:10:05.000 Some people get deal hungry, deal happy.

00:10:08.000 You know what?

00:10:08.000 We just need a deal.

00:10:10.000 And it doesn't matter if it's a bad deal, good deal, if it increases inflation, if prices go up, if the lobbyists get paid off, just get the deal done.

00:10:19.000 It is so corrosive.

00:10:21.000 And no one expresses that sentiment more than someone who is leaving Congress at the end of his term, but fulfilling his term.

00:10:28.000 North Carolina congressman and former, I guess, you know, McCarthy wet nurse Patrick McHenry.

00:10:34.000 Here's Congressman McHenry making this bad argument.

00:10:39.000 You know, it's been well covered, my constructive criticism of the Speaker.

00:10:44.000 And I think I want to emphasize the first part, which is go land the deal.

00:10:51.000 Do not fear the deal.

00:10:53.000 You have to go land those legislative priorities in order to show power and to exercise power.

00:10:59.000 Otherwise, you don't want to be Speaker, unless you want to go land deals.

00:11:04.000 He has now landed his second big deal as Speaker, and he'll land it this week.

00:11:09.000 That should be commended.

00:11:13.000 Just work for the deal.

00:11:15.000 And I'm going to go over some of the bad stuff that was in that deal, but we've got some comments on the live stream.

00:11:20.000 People want to know who voted which way.

00:11:22.000 And so, Jacob, let's make sure we get the vote sheet from our legislative team and post on our official Facebook and our official X pages so that the people here who want to know where their member of Congress is can see how the vote played out.

00:11:37.000 It was a vote on so many things that do not have an appropriate federal nexus.

00:11:41.000 Let me just go through some of these earmarks.

00:11:44.000 So New Jersey senators are at half a million taxpayer dollars that they got to fund a state organization that force feeds the LGBT agenda in schools.

00:11:54.000 The group Garden State Equality assists in finding gender mutilation surgeries for minors.

00:12:01.000 And they harass schools that prevent biological men from using women's bathrooms and participating in women's sports. 0.65

00:12:06.000 So that's what half a million went to.

00:12:08.000 Massachusetts senators got a million bucks in taxpayer funds to support a leadership academy for left-wing political organizations.

00:12:18.000 The Massachusetts Women of Color Coalition that explicitly caters to non-white women.

00:12:25.000 So if you are a man or if you are white, this million dollars in Massachusetts is not for you. 0.95

00:12:31.000 And really, it is a beachhead for the Defund the Police movement.

00:12:34.000 Part of what they're advocating for is, quote, use of force statutes and policies, close quote, for police to change.

00:12:42.000 Maryland, getting their nose down in the trough.

00:12:45.000 Their senators, one half a million in taxpayer dollars for an organization called The Third that provides a safe space for women of color entrepreneurs. 0.83

00:12:55.000 In Maryland, if you need to go create safe spaces for a specific ethnic or immutable trait of entrepreneurs, then do it with your own money.

00:13:07.000 Connecticut senators want $156,000 to subsidize construction of the Hartford Gay and Lesbian Health Collective.

00:13:13.000 Wisconsin senator wanted half a million dollars to promote LGBT programs to teenagers.

00:13:19.000 So we're going into debt.

00:13:21.000 We're $34.5 trillion in debt.

00:13:24.000 We're driving $2.5 trillion annual deficits.

00:13:26.000 But teens like us...

00:13:29.000 Is a program that you are now funding so that there can be trans tape kits provided to minors.

00:13:37.000 That's literally what they do.

00:13:38.000 And Wisconsin's Democrat Senator Tammy Duckworth wanted that. 1.00

00:13:42.000 Connecticut Senators got $155,000 in taxpayer monies going to an organization called Make the Road CT. Their executive director recently criticized Joe Biden for rightfully calling Lincoln Riley's murder illegal.

00:13:59.000 So the head of this organization criticizes Biden for calling a murderer illegal and a $155,000 windfall as a consequence.

00:14:09.000 This legislation is chock full of this stuff.

00:14:11.000 The top lines are too high.

00:14:13.000 The debt is just blown out and no one seems to be too eager in taking responsibility for it.

00:14:20.000 One of my terrific colleagues, fellow firebrand, Chip Roy, was debating on the floor against this bad legislation.

00:14:26.000 Take a listen.

00:14:29.000 The Democrat leader talks about the mosaic.

00:14:33.000 I assume by the mosaic that anyone who votes for this bill today will be supporting that we're talking about $156,000 for the Hartford Gay and Lesbian Health Collective, an organization that self-describes as champions of LGBTQIA equity and provides training and cultural competency and access to health care for LGBTQ youth, or $2 million in Oregon Clinic that provides hormone therapy for kids.

00:14:58.000 Or the $850,000 for gay senior housing in Massachusetts.

00:15:02.000 Or $400,000 for the Briarpatch Youth Services in Wisconsin that has gender-affirming clothing program for kids 18 to 13 to 18. Or $400,000 to the Garden State Equality Education Fund, which helps minors transition genders, promote biological boys playing girls sports and using the same restrooms.

00:15:22.000 I could go on and on.

00:15:24.000 How about the million dollars for the inner-city Muslim network, which calls for the destruction of Israel? 0.99

00:15:29.000 That's what we're funding.

00:15:31.000 That's precisely what we're funding in this legislation.

00:15:34.000 So when the Democratic leader talks about a mosaic, that's what he's talking about.

00:15:39.000 And my Republican colleagues who will campaign against it all year, they will.

00:15:44.000 They're voting to fund it today.

00:15:46.000 To be very clear, my Republican colleagues are voting to fund that so-called mosaic today, unless they choose the right path and vote against it.

00:15:55.000 And my friend from California, when he talked about, oh, oh, the horrors that'll happen if we have a CR, well, we shouldn't be here.

00:16:02.000 This is the swamp acting what it does.

00:16:04.000 Have government funding expire on the Friday before a two-week recess heading into Easter precisely to have the pressure of jet fumes so that the American people are the ones left holding the bag so that we, members of Congress, can go off to our CODELs, can go travel, can go do your fundraisers, can make sure you get home.

00:16:25.000 But the ones left holding the bag are the American people.

00:16:30.000 And when we talk about this, the game was given up.

00:16:32.000 When we talk about defense, everything that is happening here is being done in the name of defense.

00:16:38.000 Everything that you see.

00:16:39.000 And talking about how our national security will be undermined.

00:16:42.000 Well, tell me about national security in Texas.

00:16:44.000 When you have the National Guard getting rolled over in El Paso.

00:16:48.000 When you have Texans dying from fentanyl poisoning.

00:16:50.000 When you have gangs and cartels operating in Texas.

00:16:53.000 Talk to me about national security then.

00:16:58.000 That was Congressman Chip Roy.

00:17:00.000 We're back live.

00:17:01.000 And despite that effective and persuasive debate, again, we had over 100 Republicans voting for this bad legislation.

00:17:07.000 And they will have to face their voters.

00:17:09.000 And I think the judgment is going to be very harsh.

00:17:11.000 We have another report from BusinessInsider.com.

00:17:14.000 Ex-Trump official.

00:17:16.000 We'll get... 0.85

00:17:17.000 Get to why that's ridiculous in a moment.

00:17:19.000 Files suit arguing lawmakers should make more than $174,000 a year.

00:17:24.000 So here's the crux of this argument.

00:17:26.000 The 27th Amendment to the Constitution says, quote, No law varying the compensation for the services of senators and representatives shall take effect until an election of representatives shall have intervened.

00:17:39.000 So this lawsuit filed by Ken Cuccinelli, the former Attorney General of the state of Virginia, was on behalf of Republican Congressman Rick Crawford of Arkansas and a trio of ex-lawmakers from both parties.

00:17:52.000 And it says that because...

00:17:55.000 The members of Congress have a $174,000 a year salary that hasn't changed that it has been, quote, unconstitutionally suppressed.

00:18:04.000 They're seeking $50 million in this class action lawsuit.

00:18:09.000 And one of the named plaintiffs is actually, this caught me by surprise, former Republican Representative Tom Davis of Virginia is seeking $268,839 additional dollars.

00:18:22.000 Tom Davis is now a lobbyist.

00:18:24.000 For foreign governments?

00:18:26.000 I think you might be like a registered foreign agent or something.

00:18:29.000 But how you can go from being a lawmaker and then you go to using that prior experience to make money from foreign governments to lobby members of Congress and then the nerve to come back and say that's not a sweet enough deal and you need to get paid back pay.

00:18:51.000 It is legally flawed.

00:18:54.000 And I believe it is morally bankrupt to back this lawsuit.

00:18:59.000 So don't count me among those who want to get the $50 million in back pay for members of Congress.

00:19:05.000 No one needs to be worried about us.

00:19:07.000 We get taken care of just fine compared to the working people who get screwed each and every day just like Chip Roy was talking about. 0.63

00:19:15.000 But outside of the substance of this report, what really got me...

00:19:21.000 Was that Ken Cuccinelli, the person who is bringing this lawsuit, is described in this big headline as ex-Trump official.

00:19:29.000 Ken Cuccinelli was the chairman of Never Back Down, Ron DeSantis' super PAC. Why wasn't he described as, I don't know, the guy who formerly led a super PAC attacking Donald Trump?

00:19:41.000 Just to give you a flavor of it, and spare me the throwback, but I guest-hosted a Newsmax program some months ago when the presidential contest was still raging between Trump and DeSantis, and I had Cuccinelli on to have a debate where I was the pro-Trump person and he was the pro-DeSantis person.

00:20:00.000 So just take a listen to that and think about whether it's fair for the media to describe him as an ex-Trump official.

00:20:06.000 Take a listen.

00:20:09.000 Can you commit tonight that none of the money from the Never Back Down Super PAC will be flipped to support the candidacy of Glenn Youngkin in the event that you guys don't see DeSantis as a good bet?

00:20:25.000 This PAC is committed to getting...

00:20:27.000 It's a fair question.

00:20:28.000 Are you going to use the money that way?

00:20:29.000 No, it's not really.

00:20:31.000 I mean, not with your 12 degrees of Kevin Bacon.

00:20:35.000 We're committed...

00:20:35.000 Well, wait a second.

00:20:36.000 Wait a second.

00:20:36.000 You have the total control to be able to direct that money.

00:20:39.000 You don't think it's a fair question to ask you where it's going?

00:20:42.000 I'm answering it, aren't I? So it really doesn't matter if it's there.

00:20:46.000 Again...

00:20:50.000 Any connection that they can make to Trump for any negative headline, they take an absurd license to do so.

00:20:59.000 So we don't back the lawsuit.

00:21:01.000 We don't back the characterization of the tie to Trump.

00:21:03.000 I don't think anyone associated with President Trump believes that what we really need to do is create more of a golden parachute for members of Congress.

00:21:13.000 Another story I want to bring to you is the wave of illegal immigration that continues to pound our country, and particularly the Sunshine State. 0.99

00:21:21.000 St. Lucie County is a small county in Florida.

00:21:23.000 It's a coastal county that is right there on Highway 95 and also is on the Atlantic Ocean.

00:21:31.000 And they are even experiencing some pretty odd circumstances.

00:21:36.000 This report from St. Lucie County and their terrific law enforcement officials, their sheriff, take a listen.

00:21:44.000 I'm St. Lucie County Sheriff Keith Pearson.

00:21:46.000 Illegal aliens aren't just flooding across our southern borders.

00:21:49.000 They're arriving all across South Florida beaches, including right here in St. Lucie County.

00:21:53.000 They are undocumented and unvetted individuals whom we have no idea what type of positive or negative impact they could have on public safety of our community or nation. 1.00

00:22:01.000 Working with immigration to enforce the law of the land, our deputies helped with this interception.

00:22:06.000 After making sure there were no immediate medical needs, we provided fresh water while they await to be picked up from the United States Coast Guard and processed.

00:22:13.000 Behind me you see a vessel loaded with the migrants that we're talking about.

00:22:16.000 The men and women of the St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office will continue to monitor and assist our federal partners to ensure we protect our borders.

00:22:28.000 And we are proud of the men and women of the St. Lucie Sheriff's Office for doing this, but frankly, there should be a force multiplier from the federal government.

00:22:36.000 We know we are facing a mass wave of these Haitian migrants, and if Joe Biden would declare the anticipated mass maritime migration, we would have support for folks like those brave public servants that are working for the St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office.

00:22:51.000 Again, we thank you, we salute you, and the federal government should be doing a lot more to have your back.

00:22:57.000 And really, this immigration crisis takes so many twists and turns and has so many tentacles.

00:23:02.000 I wanted to just bring you an interesting perspective on how bad it's gotten.

00:23:06.000 And we get this story from the terrific team at WEAR in Pensacola.

00:23:12.000 The illegal immigration and the phony asylum process has gotten so bad, it's created a cottage industry of fraud feasors who go and act as if they are the government or a lawyer or helping you.

00:23:29.000 To make your asylum claim when you come to the country illegally, and then they end up grifting the illegal aliens. 0.53

00:23:35.000 So in this story, you have a Honduran man living in Pensacola, and he used a massive immigration scheme to make $2.8 million.

00:23:43.000 This from the WEAR report.

00:23:45.000 A Honduran national living in Pensacola has been sentenced to nine years in federal prison for orchestrating a massive immigration fraud scheme involving over 425 victims nationwide. 0.71

00:23:58.000 Franklin Javier Perez-Rios, age 29, orchestrated a fraud scheme from 2017 to 2023 in which he claims to be able to provide immigration-related services to foreign nationals living in the United States.

00:24:11.000 He profited at least $2.8 million from victims, according to the district attorney's office, which he used for gambling and to fund a lavish lifestyle.

00:24:21.000 Perez-Rios, who had no legitimate qualifications, Pretended at various times to be a United States government official, a former United States government official, an immigration attorney, a paralegal, or an immigration services personnel of some other means.

00:24:37.000 Perez Rios did not obtain status for any of the victims he promised.

00:24:40.000 Rather, he routinely filed asylum paperwork with USCIS on the victim's behalf and told them they had to travel to California with him Again,

00:25:09.000 It's gotten so bad that you've created a cottage industry of fraudsters to go after the illegal aliens.

00:25:15.000 I never thought we'd be at this point, but nonetheless...

00:25:21.000 That's where we are.

00:25:22.000 We had big testimony from General Mark Milley on the Hill this week regarding the botched withdrawal from Afghanistan.

00:25:28.000 And one thing I found interesting, you can always count on Mark Milley to throw somebody under the bus, right?

00:25:35.000 I mean, he took every occasion to throw Trump under the bus, and now they're even throwing the Department of State under the bus regarding the Afghanistan withdrawal.

00:25:42.000 A lot of shade being thrown at the Biden White House.

00:25:44.000 See if you can read them between the lines.

00:25:46.000 Take a listen.

00:25:49.000 Number of Americans.

00:25:50.000 This was always an issue.

00:25:52.000 The number of Americans, as General McKenzie said, an F-77 report is supposed to, every ambassador in every country of the world keeps an F-77 report, and they're supposed to track the Americans where they're at, the phone numbers, address, etc., in the country.

00:26:05.000 That was always a difficult number for us in the Department of Defense to get a hold of, and I think it's true at the tactical level and operational level as well.

00:26:14.000 And I'll be candid, I don't know the exact number of Americans that were left behind because the starting number was never clear.

00:26:21.000 Same is true of at-risk Afghans, SIVs, the commandos, other Afghans that served with us.

00:26:28.000 Those numbers varied so widely that they were quite inaccurate, as best I could tell at the time.

00:26:36.000 So I would just say I'm not sure, even today, about the accuracy of all those numbers.

00:26:44.000 I think the call to execute the NEO came too late, and as General McKenzie mentioned, it was officially logged in on the 14th.

00:26:52.000 At that point in time, the Afghan government senior leadership was preparing to depart, and they departed the next day on the 15th.

00:26:59.000 The thousands of Afghan civilians were gathering at the airport.

00:27:03.000 The Afghan security forces were collapsing in the various provincial capitals, and although there were some still in and around Kabul.

00:27:10.000 So the general situation at that point was 750 U.S. soldiers in and around the embassy.

00:27:15.000 The Turkish troops were required, along with some ANSF, to protect HKIA. They melted away.

00:27:22.000 So you had a situation with the U.S. embassy and 750 troops when that NEO was called.

00:27:28.000 Now, we had leaned forward.

00:27:29.000 So I think it's the 9th, 10th, or 11th time frame.

00:27:32.000 We had already put forces on alert, etc.

00:27:35.000 But in essence, we alerted Marshall deployed.

00:27:38.000 82nd Airborne Division, Division Ready Brigade, and the MU out of Saudi that was underneath General McKenzie's control.

00:27:45.000 They rapidly deployed along with Special Forces to take control of that airport.

00:27:50.000 It took two to three days.

00:27:52.000 That's where those videos come from.

00:27:53.000 But they eventually wrested control of that airport.

00:27:56.000 And General McKenzie, you agree with that assessment?

00:27:59.000 I do.

00:28:00.000 That reflects the opinion I had at the time and the opinion I had now.

00:28:03.000 Yeah, I believe that accountability ensures mistakes of the past are not repeated.

00:28:08.000 But from where I sit, the president and this administration refuse to acknowledge their failures.

00:28:14.000 Our investigation uncovered the White House refused to listen to warnings about the situation on the ground.

00:28:22.000 Disturbingly, we have uncovered that State Department leadership prohibited Prohibited its employees from even uttering the word neo shorthand for emergency evacuation until as late as August of 2021. Too little, too late.

00:28:46.000 We are back live.

00:28:46.000 Deanna on Facebook says, make accountability great again indeed.

00:28:50.000 And Joe on YouTube asks, why does he look so bloated?

00:28:53.000 Joe, help us out.

00:28:54.000 Are you talking about me or Millie?

00:28:55.000 Because, frankly, he looks bloated and I feel a little bloated myself.

00:29:00.000 This week we also had a chance in the House Armed Services Committee to discuss what is really going on with Taiwan.

00:29:05.000 And With a country so capable as China, with their ambitions set on Taiwan, what are the things we're actually doing to try to deter that potential invasion so that we don't get caught in some war in Asia? 0.89

00:29:18.000 I had the opportunity to ask some of the top military leaders about our Indo-Pacific strategy.

00:29:23.000 Take a listen.

00:29:26.000 Admiral Ackwilino, during the Revolutionary War, I think it was like 15% of Americans who fought for liberty.

00:29:33.000 Does that sound about right?

00:29:35.000 15-20%?

00:29:37.000 I couldn't answer that now, Congressman.

00:29:39.000 I have to go back and look.

00:29:40.000 I guess I'm just kind of wondering in Taiwan, what percent of the Taiwanese do we assess would actually fight in the event of kinetic conflict with China?

00:29:51.000 Yeah, I also don't have that calculation.

00:29:53.000 What I can tell you is when the Russians invaded Ukraine, that was a pretty good wake-up signal for a lot of people across the globe, and especially for those people on Taiwan.

00:30:07.000 And we continue to execute our responsibilities under the Taiwan Relations Act to ensure we support their ability to defend themselves.

00:30:15.000 And does that act require the development of a home guard in Taiwan?

00:30:21.000 I'd have to go back and look at the law.

00:30:23.000 I don't specifically know if that...

00:30:25.000 I don't think it does, but maybe you could talk a little bit about what the Home Guard theory is in Taiwan, how that would enhance their capabilities.

00:30:32.000 Well again, what the people on Taiwan have done is they do have a reserve activation program.

00:30:37.000 President Tsai just extended that to a one-year commitment.

00:30:41.000 So again, when I talk about the people on Taiwan taking it seriously, They are.

00:30:46.000 It includes that approach that you've just articulated.

00:30:49.000 And I almost think that's what it's going to take because I worry that the Taiwanese military may be infiltrated by the PLA and that if there's really going to be a deterrent from a Chinese invasion, that might not come exclusively from the uniformed military or even the reservists.

00:31:05.000 We may have to actually, you know, render capability to the hundreds of thousands of Taiwanese who don't want to be Part of China, right? 0.96

00:31:15.000 Yeah, your point is valid.

00:31:16.000 And again, I believe that that approaches and actions are being taken there.

00:31:21.000 What I would say is the example, the best example that I think exists is when Israel was attacked by the violent extremists in Hamas, the next day, 360,000 Israelis reported for duty.

00:31:38.000 That's the type of response that I believe...

00:31:40.000 Yeah, but I worry that we conflate the cultural features there, right?

00:31:44.000 Because what I worry about in Taiwan is kind of a replay of Afghanistan, where we look at some fake government, and we do the normal kind of DOD thing of large weapon systems, and then we give them to that government, and then the real governing power In Afghanistan's case, the Taliban.

00:32:07.000 In Taiwan's case, perhaps China, has the ability to then repurpose those assets against the United States.

00:32:14.000 So it just seems to me, I mean, you are the guy.

00:32:16.000 You're the person in charge of this theater.

00:32:19.000 I think you need to know, you need to have some sort of assessment as to whether or not you're going to get that Israel-level response from the Taiwanese.

00:32:28.000 You know, what percentage of this group of people is going to stand up and fight?

00:32:31.000 And sure, we're all continuously informed by events going on around the world.

00:32:36.000 But in Taiwan specifically, like we've seen cases where the PLA is infiltrating their government, their military, and I don't offer that as some sort of criticism.

00:32:45.000 Heck, I think they try to infiltrate our government and our military too.

00:32:49.000 But I worry, I worry whether or not we're going to be able to rely on the uniformed service there.

00:32:55.000 So is there a plan at DOD to kind of make these assessments about a home guard and ensure that you have small arms in the hands of these people that might deter a Chinese invasion? 0.56

00:33:07.000 Congressman, there absolutely is, and I'd love to talk to you about it in a classified setting.

00:33:11.000 Great.

00:33:11.000 No, it's good to know.

00:33:13.000 And is that consistent with this porcupine theory that we think about often with Taiwan?

00:33:23.000 I don't use the term porcupine theory.

00:33:25.000 A lot of people do.

00:33:26.000 Why don't you use it?

00:33:27.000 I hear it a lot on this committee.

00:33:28.000 Well, again, I would articulate it in a way that is in alignment with the law, which is we're providing the people on Taiwan the ability, capability, and training to be able to defend themselves in time of conflict.

00:33:40.000 That by itself, with regard to a strong Taiwan Sets of capabilities is a strong deterrent. 1.00

00:33:47.000 Yeah, I just think this is a real important piece of the homework to emanate from this.

00:33:51.000 You've talked about the Taiwan Security Engagement Act.

00:33:53.000 I get that.

00:33:54.000 But I think you and I are both a little unclear as to the extent to which that authorizes the work with the Home Guard that we really need to convert Taiwan into a An effective porcupine, because I assess that this is all about time.

00:34:08.000 China cannot endure an extended war with Taiwan.

00:34:12.000 They can't endure the sanctions.

00:34:13.000 They can't endure the other consequences.

00:34:15.000 And so if we can demonstrate to them that that's going to be a longer period of time, I think that pushes out the, you know, the inevitability of a kinetic conflict with China.

00:34:24.000 So appreciate the exchange, Mr. Chairman.

00:34:26.000 I yield back.

00:34:29.000 And we are back live.

00:34:30.000 There's a MTG for speaker sentiment on the live chat.

00:34:35.000 Man, wouldn't that be something?

00:34:37.000 I would be here for the MTG for speaker experience, no doubt.

00:34:39.000 PK on YouTube asks, how can I work with the 101 Republicans who voted for this bad bill?

00:34:46.000 And honestly, it's not that easy.

00:34:49.000 For whatever dislike I have for that vote, they probably have plenty of dislike directed back at me.

00:34:55.000 But the difference is, when I do things that folks don't like in Washington, they don't like it because it makes them uncomfortable.

00:35:02.000 It disrupts their fundraising and their progression to power and leadership.

00:35:08.000 And when the establishment does things that I don't like...

00:35:11.000 It's not like to me, it's to the country.

00:35:14.000 It's to every person paying higher prices.

00:35:17.000 It's to the next generation of Americans that will be saddled with an unprecedented amount of debt because we're unwilling to confront the challenges that face us.

00:35:26.000 So we're going to stay on it.

00:35:28.000 This next two weeks is going to be very critical.

00:35:31.000 I'm going to be traveling around the country, doing a lot of work with policymakers, with With thought leaders and doing some stuff that I can't exactly talk about on this platform.

00:35:40.000 But it's going to be important work.

00:35:42.000 It's going to be central to how we get a House of Representatives that is actually willing to fight for we the people.

00:35:47.000 So since I'm going to be not giving direct live reports on Firebrand for a little bit of time here coming up, we are trying out something new.

00:35:56.000 The Gates News Network will launch moments after the conclusion of this broadcast.

00:36:01.000 You'll be able to see it on our Twitter, or X I guess now, on Rumble, and on YouTube.

00:36:08.000 And this is going to be a 24-hour stream of some of the work we've done on investigations, some of the work we've done on the floor of the Congress, some of the committee work that's been essential to getting people into a fighting posture, and also some of the reports that we've been able to provide the country through Firebrand on things like critical race theory, DEI, on the illegal immigration that's crushing our nation.

00:36:35.000 So we hope you'll enjoy that.

00:36:37.000 We hope it will deepen your understanding of what we need to do To change the United States Congress.

00:36:42.000 So tune in and share the live stream on whatever platform you're using, the Gates News Network.

00:36:47.000 If you're picking up this report on one of our great audio platforms, make sure to go to Rumble, YouTube, or X and watch all the work we're doing.

00:36:56.000 And hopefully it'll make you an even more capable operative in the fight as we work on saving the country together.

00:37:03.000 Thanks so much.

00:37:04.000 Roll the credits.

Firebrand - Matt Gaetz - March 22, 2024

Episode 161 LIVE: Hit By A Minibus – Firebrand with Matt Gaetz

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