Firebrand - Matt Gaetz - August 03, 2022


Episode 65 LIVE: Spy Games – Firebrand with Matt Gaetz

Hosted by
Matt Gaetz
Mentioned
L3 Harris Christopher Steele Louie Gohmert Fang Fang Trojan Raskin Getter Obama Trump Olsen Bush
Episode 64 LIVE: Truth Bombs (feat. Rep. Devin Nunes) – Firebrand with Matt Gaetz Episode 66 LIVE: Agents of Chaos (feat. Dr. Darren J. Beattie) – Firebrand with Matt Gaetz

Episode Stats


Length

20 minutes

Words per minute

118.85

Word count

2,482

Sentence count

164

Harmful content

Misogyny

1

sentences flagged

Hate speech

2

sentences flagged


Summary

Summaries generated with gmurro/bart-large-finetuned-filtered-spotify-podcast-summ .

In this special edition of Firebrand, we focus on three types of spies: Chinese, Chinese spies, independent brokers, and the "free agent" spy. In this episode, we discuss the differences between each type of spy, how they differ from each other, and how to protect yourself and your family from spying. We also discuss the use of spy software, including the Israeli company Pegasus, which can be used to spy on your phone, computer, and other devices. Firebrand is produced by Alex Blumberg and edited by Annie-Rose Strasser. Our theme song is Come Alone by Suneaters, courtesy of Lotuspool Records, and our ad music is by Build Buildings. This episode was produced by Riley Bray. Additional music written and performed by Ian Dorsch. If you like what you hear here, please HIT SUBSCRIBE and Subscribe to our new podcast, Firebrand! Subscribe on iTunes and leave us a five star rating and review on Apple Podcasts. Thanks for listening and share the podcast with your friends! Subscribe, review, and tell a friend about what you think of this episode. It helps us spread the word to your friends about what we're doing! and we'll keep spreading the word about it everywhere else! Thank you! Timestamps: 5:00 - What's your favorite spy software? 6:30 - What kind of spying software are you using? 7:00 8: Which spy software do you use? 9: What type of spying tool do you like? 10: What do you trust? 11: What's the most dangerous spy software you're looking for? 13:00 | Which spy agency do you need? 15:00 -- What's a good spy tool? 16:30 -- what kind of spy tool are you most likely to be most effective? 17:30 18:30 | Which type of spied on me? 19:40 -- what do you want? 21:40 22:10 -- what are you paying me the most effective spy? 27:30 What do I want to know? 24:30 Should I spy on you? 26: What are you spying on me, what do I spy for me? or am I need to be spying for me in my job? 25:30 Do you spy for my own country?

Transcript

Transcripts from "Firebrand - Matt Gaetz" are sourced from the Knowledge Fight Interactive Search Tool. Explore them interactively here.
Misogyny classifications generated with MilaNLProc/bert-base-uncased-ear-misogyny .
Hate speech classifications generated with facebook/roberta-hate-speech-dynabench-r4-target .
Hosts, guests, and mentioned names generated with spaCy (en_core_web_sm), reconciled against Wikidata.
00:00:00.000 Thank you.
00:04:56.000 Matt 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.
00:05:04.000 Matt Gaetz right now, he's a problem for the Democratic Party.
00:05:07.000 He can cause a lot of hiccups in passing the laws.
00:05:10.000 So we're going to keep running those stories to get hurt again.
00:05:13.000 If 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!
00:05:22.000 You are in the right place!
00:05:24.000 This is the movement for you!
00:05:26.000 You ever watch this guy on television?
00:05:28.000 It's like a machine.
00:05:29.000 Matt Gaetz.
00:05:31.000 I'm a canceled man in some corners of the internet.
00:05:34.000 Many days I'm a marked man in Congress, a wanted man by the deep state.
00:05:39.000 They aren't really coming for me.
00:05:40.000 They're coming for you.
00:05:43.000 I'm just in the way.
00:05:48.000 Thank you for joining us for this special edition of Firebrand, where we focus on the issue of espionage, spying.
00:05:58.000 Now, there are plenty of hybridizations and permutations of this model, but here's how you should think about three different categories of spies.
00:06:08.000 The first are those who work for a foreign government exclusively for the benefit of that foreign government.
00:06:15.000 Frequently, this model is used by the Chinese, where the spies are captive.
00:06:20.000 They don't spy for other countries.
00:06:21.000 They don't sell information to other countries.
00:06:23.000 They have it for the benefit of their government.
00:06:27.000 They're well paid, well resourced, they have tradecraft, and they are there to subvert the interests of Americans in favor of the dominance of some foreign entity. 0.83
00:06:38.000 Very dangerous.
00:06:39.000 It's what we saw with Fang Fang.
00:06:42.000 The second major category are those who work for foreign governments for the sake of marketing their particular espionage elsewhere.
00:06:53.000 This is something done frequently by the Cubans.
00:06:55.000 The Cubans spy on the United States a great deal, but not always just for the benefit of Cuba. 0.96
00:07:00.000 Frankly, it's a small island Caribbean nation that doesn't have the influence even in Latin America that they once did.
00:07:07.000 So, they use their tradecraft, they spy on America, And then they sell that information to our adversaries, to state actors, non-state actors, terrorists, cartels.
00:07:20.000 Whoever is willing to pay.
00:07:22.000 Now, these types of spies aren't just worried about information regarding the country that employs them.
00:07:27.000 They have a far wider breadth than the model that I previously described more frequently used by China.
00:07:33.000 So they're looking for everything and they're there to transmit that information in a way that frequently has the maximum amount of pain for our country and our interests.
00:07:44.000 The third The independent broker, the free agent.
00:07:48.000 This is probably the most dangerous type of espionage, but these are the folks who collect intelligence and information and simply work for no one.
00:07:57.000 They are contractable.
00:07:59.000 Sometimes they get contracted for a specific project.
00:08:02.000 Sometimes for a specific piece of information.
00:08:04.000 Sometimes they go and acquire the information on their own and then try to use that in concert with other interests in order to build a narrative, build cases, bring people down.
00:08:16.000 This is the model we saw from Christopher Steele in the Russia hoax.
00:08:20.000 Now, in all of these circumstances, you see a common thread.
00:08:25.000 Tradecraft.
00:08:26.000 They have to have the ability to get information so that they can build up those who are paying them and so they can take us down.
00:08:35.000 So I'm always very interested in the different tools that allow spies to be able to engage in their profession.
00:08:43.000 I want to make sure that we're protected against the worst kind.
00:08:48.000 And in that light, I have an important update regarding the Pegasus software frequently used by all three types of spies that I've just described.
00:08:58.000 Recently, I had the opportunity to question the Assistant Attorney General for National Security in the House Judiciary Committee.
00:09:06.000 He did not want to play ball.
00:09:08.000 He did not want to answer questions, particularly regarding tools of espionage.
00:09:14.000 I pushed hard On a few serious issues, and one of those was Pegasus.
00:09:19.000 Now, if you've been keeping up with this podcast, the name Pegasus may ring a bell.
00:09:24.000 To give you a quick recap, Pegasus is a Trojan horse spyware program created by the Israeli cyber arms company NSO Group.
00:09:34.000 Pegasus works by exploiting flaws in a device's code through what is called zero-day exploits.
00:09:42.000 These exploits are flaws in the target device's code that are unknown by its producer, like Apple or Samsung.
00:09:51.000 Pegasus takes advantage of these exploits through zero-click technology, meaning the operators of Pegasus can get into your device without you even knowing, without you even making a mistake on your end, like clicking a bad link.
00:10:07.000 Remember, we used to be told that good digital hygiene meant that you didn't fall for spear phishing or anything to get you to click on something if it's not coming from a known source.
00:10:18.000 But with Pegasus, After infiltrating your advice, the software is capable of reading texts, tracking calls, collecting passwords, location tracking.
00:10:30.000 They can even turn on the target device's microphone and video camera, harvesting information from all apps, including peer-to-peer apps like WhatsApp and Signal.
00:10:43.000 Once they're in, they have total control of your phone, And a lot of control over you.
00:10:50.000 Certainly they'll see all the data and information that you are reviewing or passing or analyzing.
00:10:56.000 So everyone from Israeli and Arab intelligence agencies to Mexican cartels and even our own FBI and CIA have been using Pegasus.
00:11:08.000 You can bet it isn't being sold and used that responsibly.
00:11:13.000 But that's old news.
00:11:14.000 Today we have new developments that you need to know about.
00:11:18.000 In a rare show of good judgment, and due to the NSO groups, just like obviously shady practices, they've been blacklisted by the United States government for acting contrary to the national security and foreign policy interests of the United States.
00:11:35.000 Imagine that.
00:11:37.000 No American company is allowed to do business with NSO Group.
00:11:40.000 And for that reason, they are struggling in some financial ways.
00:11:45.000 By the way, just about every major tech company in much of the federal bureaucracy acts contrary to the national interests of our country.
00:11:51.000 So the fact that NSO Group that makes Pegasus is being singled out Well, that ought to tell you something.
00:11:58.000 They are up to no good.
00:12:00.000 That technology is bad and dangerous and frequently falls into the wrong hands.
00:12:05.000 Frankly, I would suggest that it falling into the U.S. government's hands is a bad thing.
00:12:09.000 But it gets better.
00:12:11.000 The New York Times has very recently reported that an American defense contractor called L3 Harris has been caught trying to purchase Pegasus.
00:12:21.000 Now, how would that happen when the makers of Pegasus, the NSO Group, have been blacklisted?
00:12:27.000 And so, L3 Harris spilled the beans.
00:12:31.000 They have said, according to the New York Times reporting, that they were being encouraged and supported by American intelligence officials to go buy this product that had been blacklisted and was illegal.
00:12:44.000 Allegedly, these officials told L3Harris that they would support a deal if certain conditions were met.
00:12:50.000 And among these conditions was a demand that NSO Group's stash of zero-day exploits be made available and sold to Five Eyes intelligence members.
00:13:00.000 If you haven't heard of Five Eyes, that's the intelligence-sharing agreement between the United States, Canada, Great Britain, Australia, and New Zealand.
00:13:08.000 The implications of this are huge.
00:13:12.000 Here's my questioning of the DOJ's National Security Division official.
00:13:17.000 And just watch the faces on his handlers behind him as I ask these questions.
00:13:23.000 Take a look.
00:13:25.000 Did anyone at the National Security Division encourage L3 to purchase Pegasus?
00:13:32.000 So I'm not aware of anything about that matter.
00:13:38.000 So I'd I don't know.
00:13:40.000 Oh, you are, because people who work with you have come and briefed us on it.
00:13:44.000 And I'm citing, of course, here the New York Times article.
00:13:46.000 Defense firm said U.S. spies backed its bid for Pegasus spyware.
00:13:52.000 So Pegasus is the most exquisite spying software in the world.
00:13:56.000 It's zero click.
00:13:57.000 It can get at people's phones.
00:13:58.000 It's been used to target politicians, journalists, dissidents in some places.
00:14:04.000 Here you have L3 saying that they were encouraged to go buy it from the National Security Apparatus.
00:14:10.000 It's very important, under oath, for you to tell me whether any of those people were at the National Security Division.
00:14:16.000 So, you know, I'm sure you can appreciate it.
00:14:18.000 I don't have any information about the public reporting.
00:14:23.000 I'm aware of public reporting relating to that, but I don't have any other information.
00:14:27.000 No, no.
00:14:28.000 So what you're saying, is that a yes or is that a no?
00:14:30.000 Because we're going to find out eventually.
00:14:33.000 I'm not going to comment any further.
00:14:35.000 Wait a second.
00:14:37.000 Whether or not our own government used a private company as a cutout to go buy spying software that deprives people's rights, and what you're saying is, I'm not going to get a yes out of you, and I'm not going to get a no out of you, because you're just not going to tell...
00:14:50.000 You don't think the American people deserve to know that?
00:14:52.000 I'm not aware of...
00:14:53.000 The facts that you're asserting.
00:14:55.000 You know what Pegasus is?
00:14:55.000 I'm not aware of the facts that you're asserting.
00:14:57.000 You know what Pegasus is?
00:14:58.000 Yes, I definitely have heard of Pegasus.
00:15:00.000 Okay, so you should be able to tell me whether or not anyone who works at the National Security Division was out there trying to goose some private company to go buy it for you guys to use.
00:15:07.000 Did you or did you not?
00:15:09.000 I'm not aware of any facts that relate to your question.
00:15:14.000 I think you are.
00:15:18.000 One of the tools also used by the intelligence community is FISA, the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.
00:15:26.000 And some authorities there allow our spies, our government officials, to gather data, to listen in on calls, to intercept signal intelligence if they're looking into someone who's a foreigner on foreign soil.
00:15:41.000 But the Americans that get caught up in that, they're seeing their civil liberties, their constitutional rights deprived.
00:15:48.000 Now, there have been a number of reviews regarding how the FBI and the Department of Justice are using FISA.
00:15:54.000 And it turns out they're breaking a lot of their own rules.
00:15:57.000 The most recent Inspector General report showed that every file that was looked at had problems with it.
00:16:04.000 In some cases, the backup materials that are required under the Woods procedures were entirely missing.
00:16:09.000 And in four cases, the errors were so egregious that it was easy to see how the judge evaluating whether or not to grant the surveillance request could have made a different decision.
00:16:23.000 It's a terrible cover-up.
00:16:24.000 My colleague, Congressman Louie Gohmert, asked questions about this to a senior National Security Division official at the Department of Justice.
00:16:32.000 Take a listen.
00:16:35.000 It's a fair question to know, in general, not specific cases, is the FISA court, has it been used to get orders to investigate January 6th?
00:16:49.000 Again, I'm not familiar with the order that you referred to a moment ago.
00:16:53.000 Well, it was leaked.
00:16:54.000 I think it was WikiLeaks.
00:16:55.000 And that's what was so shocking to so many of us.
00:16:59.000 And look, the abuses occurred during the Bush administration, the Obama administration.
00:17:06.000 There were some in the Trump administration.
00:17:10.000 I feel sure it's still going on.
00:17:12.000 We need to know the extent of that.
00:17:14.000 Well, let me ask you about a case.
00:17:18.000 In Kilgore, Texas, a lady there working for a private oil company got a text from her nephew.
00:17:26.000 He had been looking through the FBI pictures and said, you recognize anybody in this picture?
00:17:33.000 And it looked similar to her, and she did a LOL, you know, gee, that looks like me, don't turn me in. 0.87
00:17:40.000 A couple of days later, two FBI agents show up at her place of business demanding to know where she was on January 6th.
00:17:49.000 She was in Kilgore, Texas.
00:17:50.000 And then they threatened her boss that he could go to prison for covering for her.
00:17:55.000 Is there any order from any court that allows the DOJ or the NSA to monitor text messages of American citizens?
00:18:10.000 Obviously, there are court orders, whether they come from federal courts, not the FISA court, or the federal FISA court, that authorize, pursuant to law, Yes, but search warrants under the Fourth Amendment have to describe with particularity the things to be searched or seized and That's not happening.
00:18:37.000 That has not been happening.
00:18:39.000 And so when you have no probable cause to go after somebody in Kilgore, Texas, then, you know, we'd heard about, oh, gee, there's software to look for specific words that allow you to go after anybody that hasn't committed crimes.
00:18:57.000 We really need to know how widespread that is.
00:19:00.000 Can you give us an answer?
00:19:02.000 Is that being used?
00:19:03.000 It's just really important to point out, sir, that the way the law works is that the federal judge, a federal FISA court judge, will only approve an order based on probable cause that an individual is an agent of a foreign power.
00:19:18.000 Mr. Olsen, we have proof that's a lie.
00:19:21.000 The gentleman's time has expired.
00:19:22.000 It has not been followed.
00:19:23.000 Mr. Raskin is recognized for five minutes.
00:19:28.000 It is deeply troubling to me to see these exquisite powers and authorities and technologies that normally we would intend to keep America safe, to be directed at our adversaries, being slyly acquired against American law by some of the people that a lot of Americans are concerned about most, the people in our own government using politics to weaponize the national security apparatus against our fellow Americans.
00:19:57.000 I will get answers on this Pegasus issue.
00:20:00.000 And if they won't provide them to us, well, we're going to subpoena records.
00:20:04.000 We're going to get the documents.
00:20:06.000 When Republicans have control of the Congress, we must fervently defend people's civil liberties.
00:20:13.000 Civil liberties that both parties have been far too willing to violate in times of crisis.
00:20:19.000 So we'll stay on the case.
00:20:21.000 We'll keep you posted.
00:20:23.000 Until then, make sure you are subscribed to our podcast.
00:20:26.000 Make sure you've got your notifications turned on.
00:20:28.000 If you are listening on Apple iTunes, do me a favor.
00:20:31.000 Give me that five-star rating.
00:20:33.000 It will absolutely help us get our content to more people.
00:20:36.000 And always know that you can leave us comments in the comments section on your listening platform, on Rumble, on YouTube, on Getter, on Twitter.
00:20:44.000 We take a look at those and it helps inform what topics we choose to cover and what secrets of the swamp we expose for your benefit.
00:20:53.000 Thanks for being with us.