Firebrand - Matt Gaetz - Episode 93 LIVE: Committee Fireworks – Firebrand with Matt Gaetz

00:00:00.000 Thank you.

00:04:43.000 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.

00:04:50.000 Matt Gaetz right now, he's a problem for the Democratic Party.

00:04:53.000 He can cause a lot of hiccups in passing applause.

00:04:56.000 So we're going to keep running those stories to keep hurting him.

00:04:59.000 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!

00:05:08.000 You are in the right place!

00:05:10.000 This is the movement for you!

00:05:12.000 You ever watch this guy on television?

00:05:14.000 It's like a machine.

00:05:16.000 Matt Gaetz.

00:05:17.000 I'm a canceled man in some corners of the internet.

00:05:20.000 Many days I'm a marked man in Congress, a wanted man by the deep state.

00:05:25.000 They aren't really coming for me.

00:05:27.000 They're coming for you.

00:05:29.000 I'm just in the way.

00:05:34.000 Welcome back to Firebrand.

00:05:36.000 We are live broadcasting out of room 2021 of the Rayburn House Office Building here on the Capitol Complex in Washington, D.C. And it was a very busy day in committees.

00:05:46.000 We had a key oversight committee hearing on the ATF, what they're doing to gun owners.

00:05:52.000 How they are abusing their authority.

00:05:53.000 I can't wait to show you the exchange we had with one of the Democrat witnesses and those who are experts on things like the bracing rule where inadvertently a lot of Americans are about to be made felons by an unconstitutional illegal action by an entity that frankly we should probably abolish altogether, the ATF. So we're going to get to that.

00:06:15.000 Also, a big hearing on DEI in the military.

00:06:20.000 These Diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives are destroying our country. 1.00

00:06:25.000 They are destroying corporate boardrooms.

00:06:27.000 But where that pain is most intense and, frankly, most dangerous is in our military, where we need unit cohesion.

00:06:36.000 We need people working together.

00:06:38.000 Wait till you see what some of the leading officials, leading Biden administration officials are saying about DEI. Also, Africa might not be the place in the world where you are most focused when it comes to foreign policy analysis.

00:06:54.000 But I had an exchange today with the leader of AFRICOM, a four-star general, and it was the most remarkable exchange I think I've ever had with a witness in my going on seven years in the United States Congress.

00:07:09.000 You are not going to want to miss it.

00:07:10.000 But first, We've got to talk about the White House.

00:07:15.000 Name-checking me today.

00:07:16.000 Throwing a little shade.

00:07:18.000 Statement from the White House.

00:07:19.000 I'll read it for you today.

00:07:20.000 House Republicans who have called to abolish and defund federal law enforcement, including the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, are holding a political stunt as they undercut the ATF's work to keep our streets safe and reduce gun violence.

00:07:35.000 The latest stunt hearing comes as extreme MAGA members of the House Republican Caucus have proposed devastating cuts to law enforcement funding, according to a blueprint released by the House Freedom Caucus, which would make communities less safe by.

00:07:49.000 Let's see if you agree with these things.

00:07:51.000 1. Eliminating funding for 11,000 FBI personnel Including agents who investigate crimes and keep guns out of the hands of felons and domestic abusers.

00:08:02.000 Actually, what we're doing there is we've isolated the areas in the FBI where there is some of the most weaponization against gun owners.

00:08:09.000 And yeah, we don't think that being a gun owner is illegal.

00:08:12.000 Two, back to the Biden release today.

00:08:16.000 Forcing the ATF, which protects Americans from violent criminals, including firearms traffickers, and assists in identifying perpetrators of mass shootings to implement a hiring freeze and furloughs that would undermine these operations.

00:08:29.000 Yeah, what do you think about a hiring freeze at the ATF? We are $30 trillion in debt.

00:08:35.000 I would be for a federal hiring freeze on just about everything but DOD and VA. In VA, you could convince me that there are certain things we need to be doing outside the walls of government rather than inside.

00:08:48.000 Three, cutting federal support to 60 local law enforcement agencies, eliminating 400 local law enforcement positions, and slashing millions in law enforcement, crime prevention, and justice grants for state and local governments.

00:09:00.000 I am for law enforcement, but that is what our states are for constitutionally with the exercise of police power And that is what our local communities are for.

00:09:11.000 I do not need the federal government in Washington, D.C. hiring police in Northwest Florida.

00:09:18.000 We can actually do that ourselves.

00:09:20.000 And the more the federal government is involved in our education, in our law enforcement, the more woke and weaponized it seems to get, actually.

00:09:29.000 So they go on to quote in this Biden memo, Matt Gaetz, a member of the House Subcommittee on Crime, The federal government surveillance and co-hosting today's hearing says, we either get this government back on our side or we defund and get rid of.

00:09:46.000 Abolish the FBI, the CDC, ATF, DOJ, every last one of them if they do not come to heal.

00:09:54.000 Now would the Biden White House disagree with that?

00:09:57.000 Would the Biden White House disagree with the assessment that if we don't get government back on our side, we shouldn't continue to flood these corrupt agencies with authorities, resources, cash, more personnel, more hiring?

00:10:12.000 I actually think that, in a way, it's a cell phone for the White House to cite me here because it's as if they're saying they're happy fueling these entities even if they're not on the side of the people, which is what we are exposing each and every day.

00:10:29.000 So they seem to be really worked up over the ATF. They cite different statements from Congressman Andy Biggs, who we've had on firebrand, Congressman Marjorie Taylor Greene, who we've had on firebrand.

00:10:41.000 It was Gates, Biggs, and Greene who got singled out.

00:10:45.000 And we were doing the hard work today.

00:10:48.000 Working to hold the ATF accountable.

00:10:50.000 We had a hearing on the ATF's authorities, their violations of those authorities.

00:10:56.000 So, enjoy.

00:10:57.000 This was from today's joint meeting with the House Oversight Committee and the House Judiciary Committee.

00:11:02.000 Play the clip.

00:11:04.000 The Nonpartisan Government Accountability Office issues a report in June of 2016. Firearms data.

00:11:12.000 The ATF did not always comply with the Appropriations Act restriction And should better adhere to its policies.

00:11:19.000 Mr. Wilcox, you're the witness the Democrats have invited here today.

00:11:22.000 Are you familiar with that report?

00:11:25.000 I am.

00:11:26.000 And does the fact that the ATF broke the law concern you?

00:11:31.000 The report, I believe, supported ATF's action in cataloging records to stop crime.

00:11:37.000 I'll read from it.

00:11:37.000 It says, a technical defect allows ATF agents to access data, including purchaser data, beyond what ATF policy permits.

00:11:47.000 Do you take any umbrage with that conclusion?

00:11:50.000 ATF has been collected out-of-business records pursuant to a law signed by Ronald Reagan, and President Trump digitized more records than any other president.

00:11:57.000 I don't care who did it.

00:11:58.000 I'm just worried about the impact on my citizens, and I would acknowledge there may be Republican presidents who didn't do enough In the 80s to protect our gun rights.

00:12:08.000 But on this finding, the ATF had to delete 252 million records, didn't they?

00:12:15.000 So this is a tool that's helped solve 50% of crime cases.

00:12:19.000 Wait, wait, wait.

00:12:19.000 Did they have to delete 252 million records?

00:12:21.000 What I know about this tool is that it's a crime-fighting tool.

00:12:23.000 That's how I'm asking you.

00:12:24.000 Did they have to delete?

00:12:25.000 You said you're aware of the report.

00:12:26.000 Is that conclusion correct?

00:12:27.000 They had to delete 252 million records.

00:12:29.000 I'm not aware of that line, but what I'm aware of is the crime-fighting tool.

00:12:33.000 I'll represent to you that that's what had to happen.

00:12:35.000 The fact that the government collected 252 million records that was beyond the law, beyond policy, never approved according not to me, not to my fellow Republicans, but to the GAO, should that be concerning to us?

00:12:49.000 That scope of records being collected.

00:12:51.000 ATF's collection of out-of-business records was fully complying with the law.

00:12:55.000 That's not what the GAO said, so you disagree with the GAO report?

00:12:58.000 Well, there's two points they made.

00:13:00.000 One is the collection of out-of-business paper records that FFLs keep.

00:13:03.000 The second piece was the collection of electronic records that FFLs keep.

00:13:07.000 And what the GAO said was the electronic records were not being converted sufficiently.

00:13:12.000 And that's what ATF fixed to become in compliance with the law.

00:13:15.000 Right, so that's what they had to delete them.

00:13:15.000 Because they had illegally, because they had gone beyond their authority.

00:13:17.000 You see, that's the concern of my constituents.

00:13:20.000 When they go beyond their authority, and you may find those things virtuous, but no one elected you.

00:13:24.000 They elected us to make the laws, and when we make the laws and they don't follow them, then people's rights get diminished.

00:13:30.000 Another area is this issue of the arm braces.

00:13:33.000 Now, in Mr. Wilcox's testimony, he says that an arm brace makes a weapon more powerful.

00:13:38.000 Mr. Bosco, you know a lot about arm braces, don't you?

00:13:42.000 I do.

00:13:42.000 Do arm braces make firearms more powerful?

00:13:45.000 They do not.

00:13:46.000 They do not.

00:13:47.000 Does it concern you that the witness that the Democrats brought would make such a claim that is obviously disproven by any utilization of those arm braces?

00:13:57.000 I hope that my testimony today can help everyone here understand that the brace does nothing to make the weapon any more dangerous than it already is.

00:14:08.000 And so, when you've got the ATF going beyond their authority, collecting 252 million records that they have to destroy, well, that can just be explained because they're doing their best.

00:14:19.000 But when Americans get inadvertently converted to felons because the ATF has exceeded their authority, there is no such grace for them as their miswear.

00:14:30.000 That would seem to be the case under the recent policy change to zero tolerance.

00:14:34.000 Zero tolerance for our fellow Americans when they're trying to exercise their rights and protect their liberties, but all the tolerance in the world for a corrupt bureaucracy that is violating the law, exceeding their authority, and collecting records that they have no business collecting.

00:14:50.000 I would make this final observation.

00:14:52.000 I had the great privilege to spend two years on the House Judiciary Committee with the gentlelady from Missouri, and while she and I disagree strongly on this issue, her beliefs are sincere, and they are strong, and they are powerful, particularly when she expresses them.

00:15:06.000 And so when she says to people that she wants to defund the police, she means it.

00:15:12.000 And when she says in this committee meeting that gun violence is a public health emergency, well, she means that too. 1.00

00:15:19.000 And our fellow Americans know the impact of folks up here in Washington declaring everything and anything a public health emergency.

00:15:28.000 It means you're more likely to be locked in your homes, deprived of your freedoms, less healthy, less safe, less secure, and less able to live a truly American life.

00:15:39.000 So, know this.

00:15:40.000 When the left talks about this as a public health emergency, get ready to see those enhanced authorities abused by the ATF. And, Mr. Chairman, it is my sincere hope that in the very near future, we will have those very folks from the ATF here.

00:15:55.000 And I intend to be utilizing the new rules that we have in the House of Representatives to offer amendments to the Appropriations Act to zero out their salaries for breaking the law and abusing the liberties of our fellow Americans.

00:16:10.000 We are back live.

00:16:11.000 A lot of action on the live stream.

00:16:13.000 Sean Kelly pointing out the double standard on Getter that exists when Americans have any type of technical violation of some rule obscurely published.

00:16:24.000 There is zero tolerance from the ATF. They come after us but then when they break the law Oh, they want more authorities, more people, and the White House slams me and Andy Biggs and Marjorie Taylor Greene when we propose that maybe in some places we ought to have hiring freezes and furloughs.

00:16:41.000 A. Gregg, also on Getter, saying the ATF is out of control.

00:16:43.000 I agree with that.

00:16:44.000 And let me make some news.

00:16:46.000 I spoke with some of our committee leadership today, and in April...

00:16:51.000 Next month we plan to have the leadership of ATF before the committee and that is when we are going to start identifying the very bureaucrats whose salaries we will seek to zero out in the budgeting process.

00:17:04.000 So in April ATF leadership coming in a big part of the Republican oversight plan.

00:17:10.000 I want to thank my Walton County constituent who just Gave us a shout out on Rumble and said that we have the best law enforcement in Northwest Florida.

00:17:17.000 I could not agree more with that assessment.

00:17:19.000 But whether it's law enforcement or society at large or our military, we are seeing these DEI initiatives divide people and erode the meritocracy that is central to American life.

00:17:34.000 No matter where you come from, no matter what you believe, the essence of the American capitalist system and political system and social system is that if people do well, they will be able to move up.

00:17:45.000 And as leaders, we ought to be getting rid of the things that bar people's path to success.

00:17:51.000 No matter what their color is, no matter what their background is, people should have a right to follow the rules and achieve more and do better.

00:17:59.000 And I believe that these DEI initiatives, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, They are often used to stovepipe people into being an oppressor or oppressed, into being privileged or frail or unworthy or unwilling or unable, and it is all so deeply racist at its core.

00:18:23.000 And yet, the military, the Department of Defense, has been embracing these DEI initiatives in their hiring, in their promotions.

00:18:32.000 You would think the military would be a place that we would actually want the meritocracy to drive the success of the mission.

00:18:41.000 You wouldn't want to leave whether or not America is the preeminent military force in the world to a DEI seminar.

00:18:50.000 But wait till you see the folks that we are leaving it to.

00:18:54.000 The people who've worked in the DEI leadership, people who are senior officials in the Biden administration, testifying today about DEI in the military.

00:19:05.000 This gets pretty hot.

00:19:06.000 Play the clip.

00:19:07.000 We'll talk about it.

00:19:10.000 I would like to go back to the tweets of the racist person that works for you.

00:19:15.000 What does caudacity mean?

00:19:18.000 I have no idea, Congressman.

00:19:19.000 You took six months to investigate one tweet?

00:19:21.000 You didn't even figure out what the words meant?

00:19:23.000 I didn't investigate the thing.

00:19:24.000 She's a DOD. Well, you said in the Fox News article that you were going to take 30 days and investigate, and it took you six months. 0.70

00:19:31.000 In a six-month investigation, you guys didn't learn what caudacity meant?

00:19:35.000 I think you know.

00:19:37.000 I think every person that's going to watch this exchange knows you know.

00:19:40.000 She's trying to lash audaciousness with someone being Caucasian, isn't she? 1.00

00:19:45.000 I have no idea, Congressman.

00:19:46.000 Wow, what an investigation.

00:19:48.000 Well, I will say I did not do the investigation.

00:19:51.000 She is a GS employee that's employed by Dodia.

00:19:56.000 Dodia conducted the investigation.

00:19:58.000 Gosh, the Pentagon told Fox News Digital that Gil Cisneros would provide a final decision in 30 days.

00:20:05.000 So someone at the Pentagon is throwing your name out there as being responsible for this, and now it looks foolish that you're suggesting you don't know what that means.

00:20:14.000 Well, I would say that quote did not come from me, but I don't know who that came from.

00:20:16.000 Let's go to this, Mr. Cisneros.

00:20:18.000 What's a PD session?

00:20:20.000 My guess would be personal development.

00:20:27.000 Personal development?

00:20:28.000 You don't think it's professional development?

00:20:31.000 Another open matter for the investigation that it didn't resolve.

00:20:34.000 So you don't know what caudacity means.

00:20:36.000 She's obviously talking about professional development there.

00:20:39.000 And like, when she says, I had to stop, or let's go to the next claim. 0.97

00:20:44.000 The caudacity to say that black people can be racist too. 0.92

00:20:48.000 Mr. Cisneros, can black people be racist too? 0.94

00:20:51.000 I've already stated, Congressman, that I didn't agree with her statements.

00:20:54.000 But I'm asking about that provision.

00:20:56.000 Can black people be racist?

00:20:59.000 This question is about me or my personal beliefs, but again...

00:21:03.000 You're the leading official over DEI. I don't agree.

00:21:06.000 A racist person who works for you puts out these tweets, and you won't say whether you agree or disagree.

00:21:10.000 I told you.

00:21:11.000 Mr. Chairman, I just want to remind members to observe standards of decorum.

00:21:14.000 This is decorum.

00:21:15.000 It's my time. 0.99

00:21:16.000 Can black people be racist? 0.98

00:21:17.000 I do not agree with that tweet. 0.73

00:21:19.000 Do you agree with that statement?

00:21:20.000 I'm asking you a statement.

00:21:21.000 Can black people be racist?

00:21:23.000 I'm not going to answer that, Congressman. 0.88

00:21:24.000 Why not?

00:21:25.000 Because you're asking me a personal opinion, and that's not what this is about.

00:21:28.000 Well, actually, I'm asking you, in your capacity, as a senior DOD official in the Biden administration, where we see recruiting falling off the table, whether or not the embrace of racist tweets, whether shuffling these people around rather than firing them, and whether this little exchange here is helping or hurting recruiting.

00:21:46.000 Let's go ahead and put up the recruiting.

00:21:47.000 I will tell you, we do not support racist tweets.

00:21:50.000 We do not support racism in the military.

00:21:51.000 Well, did you fire this lady? 1.00

00:21:53.000 You hired her.

00:21:55.000 I did not hire her.

00:21:58.000 As it was stated earlier, she's a DoDEA employee.

00:22:01.000 She's a GS employee.

00:22:03.000 The inquiry that was done said these tweets were done on a personal matter.

00:22:08.000 Oh, a personal matter.

00:22:09.000 How do you know it's a personal matter if you don't know that the PD could stand for professional development?

00:22:14.000 Mr. Cisneros, this is a professional development session where she attacked white colleagues and took the position that black people can't be racist.

00:22:22.000 Now, you can't answer basic questions about it, and here's what I would propose to you.

00:22:26.000 This is what we're looking at in recruiting right now.

00:22:28.000 It's falling off the table.

00:22:30.000 And when you have employees that you don't fire who do racist things and say racist things, then you really hurt the ability to recruit people who want to be part of an inclusive and diverse force.

00:22:46.000 I would say the data that we have is not, the recruiting is not falling off because of that.

00:22:51.000 But again, the Department of Defense, Dodia, does not agree with the tweets that she made.

00:22:55.000 It was at 3 o'clock during the workday.

00:22:58.000 You didn't fire her.

00:22:59.000 If someone puts out racist things, do you fire them or do you just move them around?

00:23:03.000 That was not an unofficial.

00:23:04.000 That was not an unofficial.

00:23:06.000 That's her own personal Twitter account.

00:23:08.000 Here's the problem with the double standard, Mr. Cisneros.

00:23:12.000 Caucasian members of the military post about the Second Amendment or supporting building the wall.

00:23:18.000 You all seem to be on a white supremacy snipe hunt.

00:23:21.000 You seem to take people's personal views and weaponize them against them.

00:23:25.000 And I've had people in my district who serve that wonder whether or not some joke that they forwarded or meme that they liked is going to result in the ruining of their careers.

00:23:33.000 But you have no such interest.

00:23:36.000 When it's a person like this.

00:23:37.000 You delayed the investigation.

00:23:39.000 Your own name was what DOD put out as conducting the investigation.

00:23:43.000 You delayed it.

00:23:44.000 This lady makes like $160,000 a year. 1.00

00:23:47.000 Do you really think today the taxpayer should be paying this lady that amount of money? 0.95

00:23:50.000 The investigation was not conducted by me.

00:23:53.000 That was never...

00:23:54.000 Well, why did the Pentagon say it was you?

00:23:56.000 I don't know who the Pentagon in that said that, but I will tell you it was a misstatement.

00:24:00.000 Mr. Chairman, I seek to enter...

00:24:01.000 The investigation was conducted by Dodia because she's a Dodia employee.

00:24:04.000 Well, if you just fired racist people, then maybe you wouldn't have to go through this.

00:24:09.000 But Mr. Chairman, I have a series of unanimous consent requests.

00:24:11.000 Without objection.

00:24:11.000 So, first is Pentagon drags out decision after probe into woke diversity chief accused of anti-white people's tweets.

00:24:19.000 The second is Wing selected as DODEA Chief of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, and that is from DODEA.edu.

00:24:29.000 The next is Everybody Can Be Racist.

00:24:31.000 DOD Chief Diversity Educator defends tweets targeted toward white educators.

00:24:36.000 With objections so ordered, the gentleman's time has expired.

00:24:40.000 I yield five minutes to Representative Houlihan.

00:24:45.000 I think that everyone can be racist and everyone can be the victim of racism and we should oppose racism in all of its forms and we should embrace what Martin Luther King Jr. put out that we have to judge each other not by the color of people's skin but on the content of character.

00:25:03.000 But that's not what DEI seeks to do.

00:25:05.000 It's all about judging based on the color of one's skin.

00:25:09.000 And that's what I think we effectively exposed there.

00:25:12.000 A lot of comments on the live stream.

00:25:14.000 Richard on YouTube says that I look like the Tin Man from The Wizard of Oz.

00:25:18.000 I don't even know if that is a compliment or not.

00:25:20.000 I actually think among The Wizard of Oz characters, the Tin Man was probably among the more handsome.

00:25:26.000 And he had the best heart, right?

00:25:28.000 He didn't have a heart, but he really had a heart.

00:25:30.000 That was the deal with the Tin Man.

00:25:32.000 What's the deal with AFRICOM? So, when we look at how our military has its force structure around the globe, there are different areas that fall under the commander of some of our most senior generals.

00:25:45.000 And the leader of AFRICON is General Langley, who you're about to see me question.

00:25:51.000 Now, you may be wondering, what's the US interest in Africa?

00:25:55.000 What's our goal?

00:25:56.000 How do we measure our objectives?

00:25:58.000 One of the things that we principally do is we send folks out to train and equip the militaries of other countries.

00:26:05.000 And I've had a number of constituents, actually a number of friends, who have been stationed at bases in northwest Florida and they end up in Niger or they end up in Somalia or they end up in some place where really failed states seem to dominate over stable governmental institutions.

00:26:28.000 And when we go and participate in the train and equip missions, what we tell ourselves to justify the intense cost in human life, remember in 2017, we had service members killed in action in Niger.

00:26:43.000 Also in dollars, the treasure of our country.

00:26:45.000 Is it being used wisely in Africa? 0.95

00:26:49.000 So today this four-star general, General Langley, comes to testify before the House Armed Services Committee and I had questions for him about the train and equip missions that my constituents are on and whether or not they are contributing to insurrections and coups.

00:27:03.000 This is truly The most remarkable five minutes I think I have ever had with a witness.

00:27:10.000 There were moments when I almost couldn't continue.

00:27:14.000 I was so stunned by the responses.

00:27:15.000 Take a listen.

00:27:18.000 Just ballpark in the last decade, how many Africans has the United States military trained and equipped?

00:27:27.000 Congressman, I don't have that figure.

00:27:29.000 I can get that figure for you.

00:27:30.000 Ballpark.

00:27:30.000 Just, you know, how many?

00:27:33.000 Congressman, it would be a wild guess.

00:27:36.000 Seems like something we should know, right?

00:27:40.000 Over the years, we have trained a substantial number, especially in the Gulf of Guinea states.

00:27:49.000 More than 10,000?

00:27:50.000 It is more than 10,000.

00:27:52.000 More than 50,000?

00:27:53.000 I'd say we're reaching around 50,000 at least.

00:27:57.000 And what percentage of the people we've trained End up participating in insurrections or coups against their own government.

00:28:05.000 Very small number, Congressman.

00:28:07.000 Very small number.

00:28:08.000 So what percentage do you think?

00:28:10.000 I'd say probably less than one percent.

00:28:13.000 But it does happen.

00:28:14.000 The IMET program is in force and we've pushed a number, a significant number through our schools across the military.

00:28:22.000 And what data sets do you track to arrive at the conclusion that less than one percent of the roughly 50,000 that we've trained Have participated in coups?

00:28:32.000 Because it would be like about 500, about 1% of 50,000.

00:28:37.000 Congressman, you may have that information.

00:28:38.000 I don't at this time.

00:28:39.000 Well, I know there are some, right?

00:28:41.000 Like in, go ahead and throw up that image.

00:28:44.000 This is Colonel Mamaday Dambuya, and this is a photo of him.

00:28:50.000 Did we train and equip him?

00:28:54.000 In Guinea?

00:28:55.000 By name, I cannot identify that.

00:28:58.000 Well, that guy in the middle with the big red hat, Colonel Mamaday Dumbuya, that's him with a bunch of U.S. service members outside of our embassy.

00:29:06.000 And just months after this photo was taken in 2021, he led a coup in Guinea and threw out the leader.

00:29:14.000 Does that concern you?

00:29:16.000 Congressman, core values is what we start off with in IMA programs.

00:29:21.000 Do we share core values with Colonel Dumbuya?

00:29:24.000 Core values.

00:29:25.000 I will repeat that.

00:29:26.000 Core values.

00:29:27.000 Respect for her.

00:29:28.000 Do we share those values with Colonel Dumbuya?

00:29:30.000 Absolutely, in our curriculum.

00:29:32.000 He led a coup?

00:29:33.000 We do.

00:29:34.000 Okay, that's a very telling answer.

00:29:37.000 In Burkina Faso, did we share core values with the leader that we trained there who led a coup?

00:29:45.000 It's in our curriculum.

00:29:47.000 We stress core values.

00:29:49.000 We request civilian-led governance.

00:29:51.000 Wait, wait, wait.

00:29:52.000 Hold on, hold on.

00:29:52.000 Is leading coups in our curriculum?

00:29:56.000 Absolutely not.

00:29:57.000 Civilian-led.

00:29:59.000 My question is, do we share core values with the coup leader in Burkina Faso Who we trained.

00:30:07.000 Holistically, we teach core values with respect for civilian governance, apolitical, and that's what sticks across a very high percentage in the 90, over 99 percentile.

00:30:23.000 But not everybody, right?

00:30:23.000 But not everybody.

00:30:24.000 And I wonder how many people it takes to plan a coup.

00:30:28.000 I mean, initially you didn't know how many we trained and equipped.

00:30:30.000 Then you said it was 1%.

00:30:32.000 You had no basis for that 1% number because there's no data set you tracked.

00:30:36.000 Mr. Chairman, I seek unanimous consent to enter into the record, another U.S. trained soldier stages a coup in West Africa by the intercept.

00:30:44.000 Without objection, so ordered.

00:30:45.000 And I further seek unanimous consent to enter into the record, U.S. forces trained the Guinean colonel behind the recent coup in West African country, and this is regard to Guinea.

00:30:54.000 Without objection, so ordered.

00:30:55.000 So I guess the question is, why should U.S. taxpayers be paying to train people who then lead coups in Africa? 0.57

00:31:03.000 Congressman, Congressman, our curriculum harvest this core values and also to be able to embolden these countries for a representative democracy.

00:31:24.000 But General, that democracy isn't what emerges.

00:31:27.000 The problem is, I know you may have great confidence in what you're teaching, But when two governments have been overthrown, I guess, how many governments have to be overthrown by people we train before you sort of get the message that our core values might not be sticking with everyone?

00:31:44.000 Is it five countries?

00:31:46.000 Ten?

00:31:48.000 We'll continue with our persistence in assuring that they harbor democratic norms, democratic values, apolitical.

00:31:57.000 Just a moment ago, you said we shared core values with Colonel Dumbuya.

00:32:01.000 You said that just moments ago in response to my question, and his core value seems to be leading a coup.

00:32:06.000 So I don't think it's stuck.

00:32:08.000 I think we should at least know how many countries we train the coup plotters in.

00:32:12.000 How many is too many?

00:32:14.000 Because clearly two is not too many, and I think we could use our resources far more effectively than doing this.

00:32:21.000 So we're back live.

00:32:23.000 That is not some low-level person in our military.

00:32:28.000 This is a four-star general that was just providing those inept responses, General Langley.

00:32:35.000 He is in charge of every U.S. service member on the continent of Africa.

00:32:39.000 He makes major contributions at the table with other senior defense leaders regarding our strategy and our tactics.

00:32:48.000 And he could not answer the most basic questions about whether or not the work we were doing in Africa actually works against our stated interests.

00:32:57.000 But if you just keep stating core values long enough maybe you can keep moving up the ladder.

00:33:02.000 Wild.

00:33:03.000 But Africa isn't the place where we're wasting the most money.

00:33:07.000 That place is, of course, Ukraine.

00:33:10.000 There was a moment in Congress today that I think really encapsulated the non-answer from the Biden administration that we're getting regarding some of the most frivolous spending that is going on in Ukraine.

00:33:22.000 As I have stated, our country has nearly $1.5 trillion in unfunded pension liability.

00:33:29.000 The squeeze on pensions in the United States is ever the more exacerbated by some of the banking challenges that we've seen.

00:33:38.000 When you raise interest rates dramatically, pension funds that are over-invested in long-term government bonds ultimately get squeezed.

00:33:47.000 And that has real-life consequences for teachers and firefighters and police.

00:33:53.000 But this government, the Biden administration, is actually paying for pensions in Ukraine.

00:34:00.000 A point that Congressman Tim Burchett made in the House Foreign Affairs Committee today.

00:34:05.000 Take a listen.

00:34:09.000 Are there U.S. sanctioned personnel in Ukraine?

00:34:11.000 If so, why are they receiving our tax dollars?

00:34:13.000 I'm sorry, U.S. sanctioned personnel?

00:34:16.000 Yes, sir.

00:34:16.000 In Ukraine?

00:34:17.000 I'm not aware of that.

00:34:18.000 I welcome any information you have.

00:34:20.000 Okay.

00:34:20.000 Four billion U.S. tax dollars have gone to Ukrainian pensions.

00:34:23.000 How is that any shape, form or fashion justifiable?

00:34:27.000 The program, Congressman of Assistance to Ukraine, has on the ground right now in our embassy about 47 personnel responsible solely for oversight.

00:34:37.000 We just had a report by the Inspector General's Office looking at the oversight of the taxpayers' funds in Ukraine.

00:34:46.000 The report was very positive in terms of the processes that are in place and the work that's being done to make sure that money is being spent appropriately as well as wisely.

00:34:54.000 At the same time, we have in place a process, for example, much of the funding that we provide, the taxpayers provide, to Ukraine goes through a World Bank program that only disperses money upon receipts for authorized expenditures.

00:35:10.000 And we have third-party validators to include Deloitte, which is working directly with the Ministry of Finance.

00:35:17.000 I appreciate all that, but when we can't fund Medicare and then we're funding Ukrainian pensions, I really think our priorities are out of whack. 0.85

00:35:27.000 Well, yeah, Congressman Birchett has a point there.

00:35:30.000 And it's so telling the way Blinken just avoids answering the question there.

00:35:35.000 The question was, why is it part of our stated policy to fund these pensions?

00:35:40.000 And then Blinken's answer as well, we're making sure that we're not funding things outside of our stated policy.

00:35:46.000 The problem is the underlying premise that American taxpayers ought to be underwriting Ukrainian pensions is deeply America last.

00:35:55.000 Thank you all so much for joining today.

00:35:57.000 As you can see, it was a wild one on Capitol Hill.

00:36:00.000 We want to make sure you're as informed as possible in real time so that you can have contact with your members of Congress so that your voice can be heard so that you can work with us to engage the Senate and the administration on important things that will help our fellow Americans lead better lives.

00:36:15.000 And so you have a homework assignment.

00:36:17.000 Make sure you are subscribed.

00:36:19.000 Make sure that you have our notifications turned on and do what you can to share this episode, share this content so that we can reveal some of the deepest, darkest things that are going on in this swamp and so that we can get America going back on the right track.

00:36:33.000 Thanks again.

00:36:33.000 Love having you on Firebrand.

00:36:35.000 Roll the credits.

Firebrand - Matt Gaetz - March 23, 2023

Episode 93 LIVE: Committee Fireworks – Firebrand with Matt Gaetz

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