Rebel News Podcast - “The most amazing case of censorship in the western world” is happening now in New Zealand

00:00:00.000 Well, today's podcast is a strange one.

00:00:02.080 I tell you about an officer in New Zealand

00:00:05.120 whose title is Chief Censor.

00:00:08.500 That's really his job.

00:00:10.440 It's a real job for the real government in New Zealand.

00:00:13.240 It's really on his business card.

00:00:14.560 He is the Chief Censor, and he's got a bunch of rules,

00:00:18.060 including you have to fill out a form

00:00:20.780 if you want to read certain things and pay a price.

00:00:24.980 I'll let you hear all the details in a moment,

00:00:26.920 but first, can I just invite you to take a second

00:00:29.480 and go to rebel.media slash shows,

00:00:31.460 and you can sign up to be a premium member.

00:00:34.460 It's $8 a month, and what that does

00:00:36.800 is it lets you listen to this podcast,

00:00:38.300 but watch it, too, in video form,

00:00:40.720 which I think is more interesting.

00:00:42.020 And even if you don't have time to watch it all the time,

00:00:44.440 frankly, we could use the $8 a month to help pay the freight.

00:00:46.760 So please go to rebel.media slash shows.

00:00:49.180 It's $8 a month. Be a sport.

00:00:50.920 All right, now, without further to do, here is the podcast.

00:00:54.500 You're listening to a Rebel Media podcast.

00:00:56.860 Tonight, I want to show you the most amazing case

00:01:00.200 of censorship in the Western world right now.

00:01:02.720 You really won't believe what I'm about to show you.

00:01:05.280 It's March 26, and this is The Ezra LeVant Show.

00:01:09.780 Why should others go to jail

00:01:11.320 when you're a biggest carbon consumer I know?

00:01:13.520 There's 8,500 customers here,

00:01:15.800 and you won't give them an answer.

00:01:17.600 The only thing I have to say to the government

00:01:19.500 about why I'm publishing it

00:01:21.320 is because it's my bloody right to do so.

00:01:23.440 About 10 days ago, there was a mass shooting in New Zealand.

00:01:32.440 I believe it meets the definition of terrorism.

00:01:34.800 A man named Brenton Tarrant

00:01:36.360 entered a mosque in the city of Christchurch.

00:01:39.160 I'm sure it was no coincidence

00:01:40.720 that he chose a place with that name. 0.92

00:01:42.760 And he shot as many people as he could.

00:01:44.740 He then drove to another mosque and did the same.

00:01:47.740 In about 20 minutes, he had murdered 50 people

00:01:49.660 and wounded as many.

00:01:50.660 And he did two things.

00:01:52.760 First, he live-streamed his actions on video on Facebook.

00:01:57.100 Then he filmed himself and broadcasted live.

00:01:59.300 And second, he uploaded a manifesto,

00:02:01.680 a half-crazy explanation of what he did

00:02:05.020 and a provocation for what he hoped

00:02:07.640 and expected the media would do in response.

00:02:11.060 As I mentioned last week,

00:02:12.840 that included his desire to sow maximum discord in the world,

00:02:18.080 especially in the United States, he said,

00:02:19.780 especially between different classes and different races, he said.

00:02:23.240 He said he specifically chose guns as opposed to other weapons

00:02:27.180 because he wanted to pour salt into that debating wound,

00:02:30.700 that social wound.

00:02:33.080 He was a media manipulator, or wanted to be,

00:02:35.280 and the media did indeed grant him his wish.

00:02:37.500 All around the world,

00:02:38.620 blaming people who had nothing to do with the murder

00:02:40.480 for political purposes,

00:02:41.880 just as the murderer had said he wanted them to do.

00:02:44.720 Now, as I mentioned last week,

00:02:45.800 the video was quickly banned in New Zealand.

00:02:48.360 I can understand the editorial discretion not to show the video.

00:02:51.200 It's a snuff film.

00:02:53.200 But that's editorial discretion for reasons of taste,

00:02:55.980 for other editorial reasons of choice.

00:02:59.100 But the government of New Zealand banned it,

00:03:00.700 not just banned it,

00:03:01.420 they said it was a crime to merely possess it,

00:03:04.160 punishable by 10 years in prison.

00:03:05.960 And if you shared it with someone,

00:03:07.260 that would be 14 years in prison.

00:03:09.060 I bet the murderer gets out in less time.

00:03:12.860 Why would they ban it?

00:03:14.820 Well, we've shown you images of ISIS mass murders.

00:03:17.900 I mean, we don't actually show their heads being cut off,

00:03:20.600 which is the ISIS style. 0.86

00:03:22.280 That's too obscene and shocking.

00:03:24.820 But that's a choice we make.

00:03:26.580 It's not actually illegal to show you those murders.

00:03:29.660 I suppose if we were making pro-ISIS propaganda videos

00:03:32.760 to promote terrorists and support terrorists and recruit terrorists,

00:03:36.240 that would be illegal, giving aid to a terrorist group.

00:03:39.000 But reporting the news,

00:03:40.200 or even just consuming the news as an interested citizen,

00:03:43.080 it's not banned.

00:03:44.380 I mean, it's gross.

00:03:45.220 Don't do it for your own sake,

00:03:46.840 but it shouldn't be illegal.

00:03:48.180 In fact, it's probably good from time to time

00:03:50.460 that we'd be unsettled,

00:03:51.660 that we see the shocking horror of the world,

00:03:53.360 to know that evil is real,

00:03:55.020 and that not everything is climate-controlled,

00:03:57.180 perfectly comfortable,

00:03:58.120 where we're all just happy consumers

00:04:00.000 in a Disney-fied world of recreation

00:04:02.520 and endless amusement and clicking on our cell phones.

00:04:04.940 Maybe once in a while you have to see something horrific

00:04:07.660 just to remind you that we live in a world

00:04:09.800 that is red in tooth and claw,

00:04:11.760 that our comfort is not the natural state of things,

00:04:14.760 that it is not just good luck.

00:04:16.140 It's the result of thousands of years

00:04:17.720 of striving by our ancestors for safety,

00:04:20.240 for freedom, for the rule of law,

00:04:22.020 that none of these things came cheaply.

00:04:24.680 That's why I value going to the Holocaust Museum,

00:04:27.100 as I've done.

00:04:28.080 You can see the horrors to know with your eyes.

00:04:30.380 You don't want to obsess about them

00:04:32.300 or linger on them too long,

00:04:33.460 but you shouldn't forget them.

00:04:34.580 And that's why, speaking of the Holocaust, 0.55

00:04:36.180 we don't ban old movies about Hitler,

00:04:39.660 including his own propaganda films.

00:04:41.140 We don't ban his book, Mein Kampf,

00:04:42.780 at least we don't in the Free West,

00:04:44.560 because we must study it and learn from it.

00:04:46.700 And of course, when you ban something,

00:04:48.320 you attach a romance to it, a mystique.

00:04:50.260 It's the forbidden fruit now.

00:04:51.580 It's tempting now.

00:04:52.600 I mean, you don't have to be a 17-year-old boy

00:04:54.720 to want to see something or smoke something

00:04:56.860 or drink something that your parents told you not to.

00:04:59.520 It's human nature.

00:05:00.180 You want to see what is banned

00:05:01.920 because there's a condescension in banning

00:05:03.960 that someone else was mature enough

00:05:05.740 to see it or drink it or smoke it,

00:05:07.400 and they use their judgment to tell you

00:05:09.060 that you can't handle it, but they can.

00:05:11.780 Kids chafe against that,

00:05:12.980 but that's just kids chafing against being kids

00:05:15.900 and wanting to grow up too quickly.

00:05:17.400 But when adults tell you you can't handle something

00:05:20.240 and you're an adult,

00:05:21.740 not even a drug or an indulgence,

00:05:25.120 but an idea, a political idea,

00:05:27.500 something to read

00:05:28.200 when someone else condescends to you that way

00:05:30.860 and says, I've read it and I can handle myself,

00:05:34.960 but trust me, you can't.

00:05:36.280 Yeah, sure, you're an adult,

00:05:37.340 but you can't handle this.

00:05:39.820 Well, I don't know about you,

00:05:40.620 but that makes me want to read the thing

00:05:41.980 just out of defiance.

00:05:43.700 And so it is with this manifesto

00:05:45.220 of this murderer in New Zealand.

00:05:46.920 I've skimmed it.

00:05:48.100 I've not read it in its entirety.

00:05:49.700 I don't want to.

00:05:50.300 I showed you some of it last week.

00:05:52.360 It's a mishmash.

00:05:53.700 It's self-important.

00:05:55.000 It has obvious lies in it,

00:05:56.940 such as this fake praise

00:05:58.520 for a black Republican activist named Candace Owens. 0.97

00:06:01.420 Obviously, it's a sick joke, a smear, 0.99

00:06:03.980 a chance to knock down a successful black woman 1.00

00:06:06.580 by naming her. 0.94

00:06:07.220 And the media bought it.

00:06:09.120 Anyways, I want to bring you the news today.

00:06:11.100 I mentioned that they banned the video hard.

00:06:14.320 10 years in prison, 14 years in prison.

00:06:17.280 For what?

00:06:17.820 What do they think?

00:06:18.300 Do they really think of the population in New Zealand?

00:06:21.000 I haven't been there,

00:06:21.880 but I'm guessing it's a bit like Canada.

00:06:24.100 Same Commonwealth paternity. 0.86

00:06:26.260 And also like Canada,

00:06:27.160 it's a small country next to a bigger country.

00:06:30.000 You know, Australia,

00:06:30.700 the analogy being like us in the U.S.

00:06:32.200 It seems friendly there.

00:06:33.920 So they're saying that they believe 0.83

00:06:35.840 New Zealanders are so dangerous 1.00

00:06:37.860 and they're so close to blowing up 1.00

00:06:40.540 that just watching a video of a murder

00:06:42.680 would cause ordinary New Zealanders

00:06:44.840 to rise up and commit more murders?

00:06:47.920 Do they really have such a low opinion

00:06:49.420 of their own people

00:06:50.580 that they think they're so subject

00:06:52.460 to suggestion and corruption

00:06:54.420 and motivation to murder

00:06:55.760 that just by watching a video of it,

00:06:57.620 they would lose all their morality

00:06:58.880 and self-control

00:06:59.540 and suddenly become 0.89

00:07:00.260 raging homicidal maniacs too?

00:07:03.460 Is that the meaning of it? 0.97

00:07:04.840 Why else would they ban it?

00:07:05.820 And like I mentioned before,

00:07:06.760 if so,

00:07:07.460 why wouldn't they ban everything

00:07:08.620 from every killer?

00:07:10.200 From Che Guevara to Mao

00:07:11.520 to Karl Marx

00:07:12.800 or at least Vladimir Lenin.

00:07:14.720 Mein Kampf by Hitler, obviously. 0.63

00:07:16.540 Whatever.

00:07:17.000 My point is,

00:07:17.480 why are they doing it?

00:07:19.560 I think it's a control impulse.

00:07:21.740 They don't know what they can do

00:07:23.760 or should have done

00:07:24.760 to stop this mass murder.

00:07:26.860 So they're doing

00:07:27.340 what comes naturally to government.

00:07:29.060 They're controlling things.

00:07:30.220 They're controlling people.

00:07:31.220 When all you have is a hammer,

00:07:32.420 everything looks like a nail.

00:07:33.360 Ban it, ban it, ban it. 0.98

00:07:34.980 But I think they're using it

00:07:36.080 as an opportunistic crisis,

00:07:37.440 as an excuse to do

00:07:38.400 what they really wanted to do anyways.

00:07:40.020 Crack down on the internet.

00:07:42.140 I showed you a letter

00:07:43.020 that journalist Nick Monroe

00:07:44.320 got a copy of,

00:07:45.340 of the police literally

00:07:46.300 writing to an internet company

00:07:47.500 and asking for a list

00:07:48.620 of all the customers

00:07:49.300 who downloaded the document.

00:07:51.640 Just asking for it.

00:07:53.120 With the menacing authority

00:07:54.340 of police behind them.

00:07:56.580 Who knows?

00:07:57.240 They've probably followed up

00:07:58.300 with a court order by now

00:07:59.200 to get it.

00:07:59.880 But banning the manifesto,

00:08:01.140 forget the video.

00:08:02.740 Not the video,

00:08:03.360 but the piece of paper.

00:08:04.480 Or rather,

00:08:05.120 in this day and age,

00:08:05.780 the digital document.

00:08:06.600 How do you even ban that?

00:08:08.220 I mean,

00:08:08.460 it must be in countless places

00:08:10.120 by now.

00:08:10.720 I bet there's a,

00:08:11.580 I bet there's a hundred million

00:08:12.900 copies of it by now.

00:08:15.560 Including in other countries.

00:08:16.640 It took me less than 60 seconds.

00:08:19.360 Maybe 10 million copies.

00:08:20.920 It took me less than 60 seconds

00:08:22.360 on Google

00:08:22.820 to find this story

00:08:24.320 that linked

00:08:25.740 to the manifesto.

00:08:26.840 So you can find it.

00:08:27.600 I did it in one minute

00:08:28.440 of Google.

00:08:30.100 I don't know if those links

00:08:31.380 are blocked in New Zealand.

00:08:32.660 I'm not sure if it's possible

00:08:33.680 to constantly block

00:08:34.980 new sites

00:08:35.480 where it can be found.

00:08:36.220 Who knows?

00:08:37.380 China's Great Firewall of China 0.55

00:08:38.900 is the world leader

00:08:39.880 at blocking things.

00:08:41.040 Google is helping them

00:08:41.780 with that.

00:08:42.160 So they want to make a fortune.

00:08:43.860 They,

00:08:44.460 Google refuses to do business

00:08:45.700 with the U.S. military,

00:08:46.620 but they'll help

00:08:47.440 China's Communist Party

00:08:48.560 spy on their own people.

00:08:49.960 I bet Google is consulting

00:08:51.660 with New Zealand too.

00:08:53.160 As they can say,

00:08:54.100 they have world-class

00:08:54.880 censorship experience.

00:08:55.960 But look what I found

00:08:57.760 again from Nick Monroe.

00:08:58.760 Look at this.

00:09:00.620 This is a New Zealand 0.63

00:09:01.540 government website.

00:09:03.740 Christchurch attack publication,

00:09:06.240 The Great Replacement 0.61

00:09:07.260 classified objectionable.

00:09:09.760 That's the manifesto

00:09:10.740 I'm talking about.

00:09:11.460 Now I'd agree

00:09:11.960 it's objectionable,

00:09:13.160 but they mean that

00:09:14.060 in a special legal way.

00:09:15.880 That's their fancy way

00:09:17.000 of saying

00:09:17.400 they have made

00:09:18.360 that piece of paper,

00:09:19.480 that digital document,

00:09:20.600 illegal to possess

00:09:22.540 in New Zealand.

00:09:24.860 A publication

00:09:25.600 Let me read this.

00:09:27.400 A publication

00:09:27.940 reportedly written

00:09:28.740 by the terrorists

00:09:29.400 behind the fatal attacks

00:09:30.380 in Christchurch

00:09:30.980 has been officially

00:09:32.160 classified as objectionable.

00:09:34.480 Others have referred

00:09:35.160 to this publication

00:09:36.100 as a manifesto,

00:09:37.200 but I consider it

00:09:37.960 a crude booklet

00:09:38.700 that promotes murder

00:09:39.740 and terrorism.

00:09:40.760 It is objectionable

00:09:41.560 under New Zealand law,

00:09:42.820 says Chief Censor

00:09:44.400 David Shanks.

00:09:47.280 Stop for a moment.

00:09:48.160 That's his real title.

00:09:49.520 That's his official title.

00:09:50.960 Chief Censor.

00:09:52.140 Did you know

00:09:52.780 that New Zealand

00:09:53.380 has a chief censor?

00:09:55.140 I'll give them credit.

00:09:55.980 At least they don't try

00:09:56.900 and hide the fact

00:09:57.720 with fuzzy language.

00:09:59.340 Here in Canada,

00:10:00.300 we give them

00:10:01.360 more Orwellian names

00:10:02.240 like the chief

00:10:02.940 of the Canadian

00:10:04.060 Human Rights Commission.

00:10:05.200 That's our chief censor.

00:10:06.080 Or maybe even

00:10:06.540 some cabinet position

00:10:07.860 like the heritage minister

00:10:09.300 or the public safety minister

00:10:10.800 or something.

00:10:11.880 There, they're honest.

00:10:13.140 It's about censorship.

00:10:14.280 Yep, imagine having that

00:10:15.180 on your business card.

00:10:17.000 So let me read some more

00:10:17.860 from the chief censor.

00:10:18.660 It is recognized

00:10:20.860 that the publication

00:10:21.820 has been widely reported

00:10:22.880 on over the past week

00:10:23.740 with many media outlets

00:10:25.120 publishing commentary on it

00:10:26.360 and sometimes providing

00:10:27.400 links to it

00:10:28.000 or downloadable copies.

00:10:29.580 Many New Zealanders

00:10:30.360 may have read it,

00:10:31.480 possibly seeking answers

00:10:32.560 for why this dreadful

00:10:33.380 atrocity took place.

00:10:34.920 Most people reading

00:10:35.600 the publication

00:10:36.140 will not be harmed by it.

00:10:38.320 Most New Zealanders

00:10:39.180 who have read this

00:10:39.840 will simply find it repellent.

00:10:41.640 But most New Zealanders

00:10:42.720 are not the target audience.

00:10:44.040 It is aimed at a small group

00:10:45.100 who may be receptive

00:10:46.220 to its hateful,

00:10:47.220 racist, and violent ideology

00:10:48.500 and who may be inspired

00:10:49.820 to follow the example

00:10:50.620 set by its apparent author.

00:10:53.440 Well, look,

00:10:54.100 that was the most persuasive ad,

00:10:55.720 what that chief censor

00:10:56.640 just wrote.

00:10:57.400 That was the most persuasive ad

00:10:58.740 that could ever be written

00:10:59.780 to invite people

00:11:00.740 to find it and read it.

00:11:02.680 And if you are someone

00:11:03.880 who is so inclined,

00:11:05.640 it won't take you long.

00:11:07.880 The people who won't be harmed by it

00:11:09.420 are frankly the least likely

00:11:10.440 to hunt for it.

00:11:11.900 And this chief censor

00:11:13.080 who has never heard

00:11:14.000 about reverse psychology apparently

00:11:15.760 just made it the most interesting,

00:11:17.720 most desirable forbidden fruit

00:11:18.980 in the world.

00:11:20.260 You couldn't have made it

00:11:21.180 more interesting

00:11:21.760 had they literally mailed it

00:11:22.940 to every home in New Zealand.

00:11:25.320 Let me read some more.

00:11:27.020 It is an offense

00:11:28.080 to possess or distribute

00:11:29.240 an objectionable publication.

00:11:31.320 People who have downloaded

00:11:32.200 this document or printed it

00:11:33.440 should destroy any copies.

00:11:35.540 Those engaged in further reporting

00:11:36.820 on the Christchurch attack

00:11:37.700 may be tempted to consider

00:11:39.060 the use of quotes

00:11:39.980 from the publication

00:11:41.060 that have already been used

00:11:42.180 in other media reports.

00:11:43.060 That use of excerpts

00:11:44.160 in media reports

00:11:44.820 may not in itself

00:11:45.800 amount to a breach

00:11:46.580 of the FVPCA,

00:11:50.200 some law,

00:11:51.120 but ethical considerations

00:11:52.300 will certainly apply,

00:11:53.720 said Shanks.

00:11:55.080 Hey guys,

00:11:55.820 hey you reporters,

00:11:56.980 you might be tempted

00:11:57.880 to talk about this document

00:11:59.240 that is so interesting,

00:12:00.720 so dangerous,

00:12:01.320 so compelling,

00:12:02.120 so magical,

00:12:03.640 that it can magically turn

00:12:04.980 normal people

00:12:06.000 into murderers.

00:12:07.740 You might be tempted

00:12:08.520 to even just quote some words,

00:12:09.820 but don't you,

00:12:10.880 don't you,

00:12:11.500 or you risk prosecution,

00:12:12.880 or at least I will say

00:12:13.680 you're unethical,

00:12:14.760 says the chief censor.

00:12:17.440 But look at this,

00:12:18.260 if you really,

00:12:18.980 really,

00:12:19.380 really want it,

00:12:20.720 and if you're the right

00:12:22.380 sort of person,

00:12:24.360 you know,

00:12:24.780 the kind of guy

00:12:25.340 the chief censor might like,

00:12:27.260 would probably like him,

00:12:28.880 you can fill out

00:12:30.000 a government form,

00:12:32.040 and the government

00:12:32.960 will sell you

00:12:35.200 a copy of the manifesto.

00:12:37.000 I kid you not.

00:12:38.520 Let me read.

00:12:40.160 We also appreciate

00:12:40.940 that there will be

00:12:41.640 a range of people,

00:12:42.660 including reporters,

00:12:43.860 researchers,

00:12:44.360 and academics,

00:12:44.960 who will be in possession

00:12:46.020 of the publication

00:12:46.780 for a range of legitimate purposes,

00:12:48.800 including education,

00:12:50.220 analysis,

00:12:50.900 and in-depth reporting.

00:12:52.220 Those individuals

00:12:52.900 can apply for exemptions

00:12:54.340 so they can legitimately

00:12:55.740 access and hold a copy.

00:12:57.620 Whoa! 0.71

00:12:58.660 A license to read.

00:13:01.500 A license to read.

00:13:03.100 I was in the UK this month

00:13:04.680 and learned about their

00:13:05.420 Orwellian license

00:13:06.660 to be a journalist.

00:13:07.640 They're so proud of that

00:13:08.520 over there.

00:13:09.080 But I've never seen

00:13:10.020 a license to read before.

00:13:12.460 So if you click the link

00:13:13.660 on the chief censor's page,

00:13:15.320 it will download this form.

00:13:17.880 Look at the form.

00:13:18.700 Look at the questions

00:13:19.480 you have to answer

00:13:20.620 before you are allowed

00:13:21.360 to get a license

00:13:22.540 to read something.

00:13:24.920 Why are you seeking

00:13:25.840 an exemption?

00:13:27.480 How long do you want

00:13:28.360 the exemption for?

00:13:30.080 Who will have access

00:13:31.020 to the publication?

00:13:31.820 How will the document

00:13:33.600 be kept secure?

00:13:35.280 Can you imagine?

00:13:37.220 I showed you a moment ago.

00:13:38.420 It took me less than a minute

00:13:40.100 to find it online.

00:13:42.480 How will you keep it secure?

00:13:44.700 From what?

00:13:46.360 Why do you want to read this?

00:13:47.540 For how long?

00:13:48.780 Before you were allowed

00:13:49.800 to read something.

00:13:51.140 The chief censor

00:13:52.120 is allowed to read it, though.

00:13:53.660 And his staff, too.

00:13:55.040 And police, too.

00:13:56.020 And politicians, too.

00:13:57.240 They can handle themselves, though.

00:13:59.420 But you little old you. 0.90

00:14:01.440 Well, you've got to

00:14:03.300 prove yourself to them.

00:14:04.120 You better answer

00:14:04.820 those questions, right?

00:14:05.960 They don't have to

00:14:06.480 prove themselves to you, though.

00:14:08.560 I mean, really, though.

00:14:09.340 Who checked to make sure

00:14:10.500 the chief censor

00:14:11.400 was able to handle it?

00:14:12.860 How do we know

00:14:13.360 that he wasn't going to go,

00:14:14.260 beep, boop, beep? 0.84

00:14:14.960 I'm now a crazy 0.99

00:14:15.800 killing machine. 0.97

00:14:16.780 Are we just taking 0.95

00:14:17.580 his word for it?

00:14:18.520 Maybe he's already

00:14:19.340 lost his balance

00:14:21.340 and he's going to go 0.89

00:14:21.860 in a murdering street.

00:14:23.220 Why does he get

00:14:24.520 a license to read?

00:14:26.520 Who gave him

00:14:27.780 the license to read?

00:14:29.980 And that guy

00:14:30.540 who gave the chief censor

00:14:31.640 the license to read?

00:14:32.080 Who gave that guy 0.90

00:14:33.300 the license

00:14:34.820 to give to the guy

00:14:35.940 who's the chief censor?

00:14:39.200 Oh, and this is

00:14:40.060 my favorite part here.

00:14:41.160 And please send in

00:14:42.260 $102.

00:14:44.440 Oh, my God!

00:14:47.200 So that's New Zealand. 0.88

00:14:50.360 I guess the terrorists

00:14:51.760 really are winning.

00:14:53.700 That murderer said

00:14:54.980 he'd create social strife.

00:14:56.940 He said he'd

00:14:57.680 royal of the world.

00:14:58.660 He said he'd cause chaos.

00:15:00.920 He said he'd make politicians

00:15:02.600 and journalists jump.

00:15:04.660 And wouldn't you know it?

00:15:05.820 He is.

00:15:06.900 I don't know

00:15:07.540 what his goals were.

00:15:08.440 He said chaos.

00:15:10.640 He achieved that

00:15:11.420 on his own that day.

00:15:14.420 Now the New Zealand government

00:15:15.800 is doing the rest.

00:15:18.700 Say, how long before

00:15:20.120 this madness reaches Canada?

00:15:23.580 Or do you think

00:15:24.380 it's already here?

00:15:25.260 Stay with us for more.

00:15:42.120 Today, we announce

00:15:43.540 criminal extortion charges

00:15:45.200 against Michael Avenatti.

00:15:47.040 The charges

00:15:48.600 are based on

00:15:49.560 Avenatti's scheme

00:15:50.380 to extract

00:15:51.100 more than $20 million

00:15:52.260 in payments

00:15:53.340 from a public company

00:15:54.780 by threatening

00:15:55.840 to use his ability

00:15:56.820 to garner publicity

00:15:57.920 to inflict financial

00:15:59.660 and reputational harm

00:16:01.220 on the company.

00:16:03.100 Avenatti's conduct

00:16:03.860 had nothing to do

00:16:05.080 with zealous advocacy

00:16:06.520 for a client

00:16:07.620 or any other kind

00:16:08.620 of legitimate

00:16:09.260 legal work.

00:16:10.480 That was an announcement

00:16:12.320 today that Michael Avenatti,

00:16:14.460 CNN's most popular

00:16:16.580 lawyer commentator,

00:16:19.080 is being charged

00:16:20.300 simultaneously

00:16:21.420 with two crimes.

00:16:23.320 One of them,

00:16:23.700 as you heard there,

00:16:24.680 is shaking down

00:16:25.900 the apparel manufacturer

00:16:27.700 Nike

00:16:28.380 for more than

00:16:30.080 $20 million,

00:16:31.780 basically extorting them

00:16:33.720 in an 11-page complaint.

00:16:36.340 Police detailed

00:16:37.060 and actually transcribed

00:16:38.200 conversations

00:16:38.860 in which Avenatti said

00:16:40.560 that if Nike

00:16:41.420 wanted the whole thing

00:16:42.320 to go away,

00:16:43.340 they'd have to hire him

00:16:44.680 for tens of millions

00:16:46.140 of dollars

00:16:46.660 to investigate claims

00:16:48.960 that they were

00:16:49.500 breaking some rules.

00:16:51.060 At the same time,

00:16:52.300 authorities in New York

00:16:53.900 announced charges

00:16:54.960 against him

00:16:55.520 for embezzling funds,

00:16:57.860 including from

00:16:58.560 his own clients.

00:16:59.420 Avenatti, recall,

00:17:00.600 was made famous

00:17:01.920 by his representation

00:17:02.780 of a porn star

00:17:04.220 named Stormy Daniels

00:17:05.780 who made various

00:17:06.460 allegations

00:17:07.040 against Donald Trump.

00:17:08.520 Joining us now

00:17:09.300 via Skype

00:17:10.000 from Washington, D.C.

00:17:11.220 is our friend

00:17:12.140 Pardes Saleh

00:17:12.840 with MediaEyte

00:17:13.720 to talk about

00:17:14.720 this media story.

00:17:15.800 Pardes, great to see you again.

00:17:17.780 You too.

00:17:18.520 Thanks for having me on.

00:17:19.720 Well, it's a pleasure.

00:17:20.960 Now, those videos

00:17:21.680 were yesterday,

00:17:23.480 Monday,

00:17:24.360 which was also

00:17:25.120 another great day

00:17:26.640 for Donald Trump.

00:17:27.740 I say that

00:17:28.400 because Avenatti

00:17:29.100 has become,

00:17:30.440 for a while there,

00:17:31.300 I mean,

00:17:31.580 between March

00:17:32.640 and May

00:17:33.240 of last year,

00:17:34.420 he was on CNN

00:17:35.920 and MSNBC 0.81

00:17:36.920 108 times

00:17:40.020 attacking Donald Trump

00:17:42.000 and now he's the one

00:17:43.320 being prosecuted.

00:17:45.400 Quite a turn of events.

00:17:47.020 What do you make of it all?

00:17:49.280 I think it's crazy.

00:17:50.780 I mean,

00:17:51.000 first of all,

00:17:51.540 so many wins

00:17:53.120 for Trump

00:17:53.800 and won over,

00:17:54.920 you know,

00:17:55.540 just the span

00:17:56.460 of 24 hours

00:17:57.340 and then also

00:17:58.240 the whole irony

00:17:58.960 of it all.

00:17:59.620 Just last year,

00:18:00.900 Mueller was predicting

00:18:01.900 that Donald Trump Jr.

00:18:02.980 will be indicted

00:18:03.660 by the end of December.

00:18:06.000 I think Avenatti

00:18:07.040 was predicting,

00:18:07.760 you said Mueller there,

00:18:08.680 but yeah,

00:18:09.200 Avenatti tweeted

00:18:10.120 that he said

00:18:11.320 Donald Trump Jr.

00:18:12.420 will be in prison.

00:18:13.340 That's the turn of events.

00:18:14.360 Sorry I interrupted you.

00:18:15.300 Keep going.

00:18:17.080 Yeah, that's all.

00:18:17.980 I mean,

00:18:18.300 it's a whole,

00:18:19.600 it's a whole irony

00:18:20.680 and it's almost like

00:18:22.000 someone orchestrated

00:18:23.300 the whole story

00:18:24.200 to kick Avenatti 1.00

00:18:26.640 in the ass, 1.00

00:18:27.480 you know, 1.00

00:18:27.900 and it all happened

00:18:29.140 around the same time,

00:18:30.860 you know,

00:18:31.080 like right after Trump

00:18:32.140 got vindicated

00:18:33.280 from the Russia probe

00:18:35.360 and the Avenatti thing

00:18:37.860 and then following that

00:18:39.040 there was,

00:18:40.480 you know,

00:18:40.820 we found out about

00:18:41.920 his co-conspirator.

00:18:44.340 So.

00:18:45.300 Well,

00:18:46.040 you know,

00:18:46.280 you say it looks

00:18:47.300 like suspicious timing,

00:18:49.540 but if you read

00:18:50.140 the complaint

00:18:51.340 against him

00:18:52.160 filed in Los Angeles,

00:18:56.820 it all happened

00:18:58.280 in the last few days

00:18:59.740 and in fact,

00:19:02.400 Avenatti was planning

00:19:03.340 to have a press conference

00:19:04.500 where he was going

00:19:05.100 to shake down Nike

00:19:06.240 tomorrow.

00:19:07.420 So I think the timing,

00:19:08.640 it is coincidental

00:19:10.240 that it was a,

00:19:11.260 that it just is another

00:19:12.400 winning streak

00:19:13.060 for Donald Trump.

00:19:14.020 But if you look

00:19:14.760 at the timing

00:19:15.380 of when Avenatti

00:19:16.260 was shaking down Nike,

00:19:18.580 it only happened

00:19:19.340 in the last week or so.

00:19:20.700 And I think police

00:19:22.180 and prosecutors

00:19:22.720 were moving quickly

00:19:23.600 because Avenatti

00:19:24.740 was moving quickly

00:19:25.560 and he was actually

00:19:26.320 going to announce

00:19:26.880 his extortion tomorrow.

00:19:29.200 So I think Avenatti

00:19:30.080 was the source

00:19:31.940 of the timing

00:19:32.540 on that one.

00:19:32.980 That's my view.

00:19:34.500 Yeah, no,

00:19:35.000 that's, I mean,

00:19:35.700 that makes a lot of sense

00:19:36.380 because also it was,

00:19:38.340 the whole,

00:19:38.920 the story broke

00:19:39.660 47 minutes

00:19:40.840 after he announced

00:19:42.160 on Twitter

00:19:42.540 that he was going

00:19:43.160 to come out

00:19:43.980 with his press briefing.

00:19:46.960 So it makes a lot

00:19:48.740 of sense that he,

00:19:49.680 he was leading

00:19:50.800 the story on it.

00:19:52.100 He was planning

00:19:52.640 to come out

00:19:53.200 ahead of it.

00:19:53.720 You know,

00:19:54.960 you mentioned

00:19:55.460 Garagos.

00:19:56.480 I mean,

00:19:56.660 he is a familiar

00:19:57.600 person even up

00:19:58.980 here in Canada

00:19:59.600 because he's on TV

00:20:00.680 as the celebrity lawyer.

00:20:03.540 I think what happened

00:20:04.620 here is these celebrity

00:20:05.440 lawyers,

00:20:05.860 they have such a big

00:20:06.620 brand in PR.

00:20:09.420 They're maybe not

00:20:10.060 the best lawyers

00:20:10.880 in the world,

00:20:11.360 but they have

00:20:11.940 huge, huge profile.

00:20:13.940 And I think that's

00:20:14.580 what Avenatti was

00:20:15.420 really threatening

00:20:16.640 Nike with.

00:20:17.380 He was basically saying,

00:20:18.760 if you don't pay me

00:20:19.340 $20 million

00:20:19.840 to investigate

00:20:21.060 this claim against you,

00:20:22.340 I'm going to embarrass

00:20:23.600 you with my friends

00:20:24.820 at CNN and MSNBC

00:20:26.200 and pay me $20 million

00:20:28.060 to make that threat

00:20:29.200 go away. 0.82

00:20:30.080 I think that's really

00:20:31.780 the value of these

00:20:32.680 lawyers.

00:20:33.060 They're not the best

00:20:33.720 lawyers in the world.

00:20:34.740 They're the best

00:20:35.380 schmoozers and hucksters 1.00

00:20:36.860 and smears in the world

00:20:38.600 and they tried to

00:20:39.180 monetize that.

00:20:41.280 Yeah, and it also

00:20:42.220 seems like,

00:20:43.120 I mean,

00:20:43.740 it may actually work

00:20:45.320 for them in other

00:20:45.960 cases.

00:20:46.540 It seems like the

00:20:47.580 media in a lot of

00:20:48.700 cases has more power

00:20:50.000 than even the rule

00:20:51.540 of law,

00:20:52.060 which sounds crazy,

00:20:53.200 but the media

00:20:54.340 has power to stir

00:20:55.580 things in whatever

00:20:56.960 direction they want

00:20:57.660 them to.

00:20:57.920 So maybe Avenatti

00:20:59.480 overplayed his,

00:21:01.580 you know,

00:21:01.920 whatever he thought,

00:21:03.420 however much power

00:21:04.460 he thought he had

00:21:05.160 at the media,

00:21:05.960 he may have overplayed

00:21:07.180 that card and gotten

00:21:08.520 himself to where

00:21:09.180 he is now.

00:21:10.580 Well, I think that,

00:21:11.780 I mean,

00:21:12.080 he has,

00:21:12.960 I mean,

00:21:13.960 he has mixed the media

00:21:15.320 and his legal work.

00:21:17.120 In the past,

00:21:17.780 I mentioned he

00:21:18.640 represented Stormy

00:21:19.580 Daniels,

00:21:20.040 which is why

00:21:20.580 he came to fame

00:21:22.080 on CNN and MSNBC.

00:21:23.700 But after that was

00:21:24.780 done,

00:21:25.080 Stormy Daniels,

00:21:25.820 who is not exactly

00:21:26.640 the most sympathetic

00:21:28.160 person in the world

00:21:28.900 in my view,

00:21:29.740 she revealed that

00:21:30.800 she was taken

00:21:31.680 advantage of

00:21:32.400 in several ways

00:21:33.900 by Avenatti.

00:21:34.980 She put out a

00:21:35.560 statement today,

00:21:36.020 let me read it

00:21:36.500 quickly.

00:21:37.500 She said,

00:21:37.860 I think Stormy

00:22:02.760 Daniels was used

00:22:03.640 by Avenatti.

00:22:04.460 I think they had

00:22:04.940 a personal

00:22:05.460 relationship,

00:22:06.100 neither of them

00:22:06.440 denied that

00:22:06.980 when asked.

00:22:07.940 But also,

00:22:09.020 she was a weapon

00:22:10.240 to get Trump.

00:22:11.800 She sued Trump

00:22:12.760 for defamation,

00:22:13.580 she lost,

00:22:14.180 and she wound up

00:22:15.140 having to pay

00:22:15.800 Trump's legal fees.

00:22:17.940 I think Michael

00:22:18.600 Avenatti is a serial

00:22:19.860 user of anyone

00:22:21.880 who crosses his path

00:22:22.800 and finally just

00:22:23.300 caught up with him.

00:22:23.900 Yeah,

00:22:26.060 a serial user

00:22:27.060 and also very

00:22:28.040 arrogant. 0.51

00:22:28.900 I mean, 0.99

00:22:29.140 he just comes off

00:22:30.000 as very,

00:22:31.200 you know,

00:22:32.640 he comes off

00:22:33.240 as very pompous.

00:22:34.380 He thinks that

00:22:36.120 he's a lot more

00:22:37.560 capable than

00:22:38.800 perhaps he's,

00:22:39.840 he thinks he's a

00:22:40.500 lot more prepared

00:22:41.300 than he is

00:22:42.440 and a lot more,

00:22:43.920 he thinks he's

00:22:44.480 more powerful maybe

00:22:45.360 than he actually

00:22:46.100 is.

00:22:47.220 So,

00:22:48.060 all these things

00:22:49.040 are working

00:22:49.680 against him,

00:22:50.920 especially now

00:22:52.300 that it's like

00:22:53.240 I mean,

00:22:55.620 it has been

00:22:56.780 actually happening

00:22:57.940 over the span

00:22:59.120 of months

00:22:59.840 at this point.

00:23:01.380 You know,

00:23:02.620 Avenatti was a

00:23:04.280 fixture on TV.

00:23:06.000 I mentioned

00:23:06.360 the 108,

00:23:07.940 I think it was,

00:23:08.700 appearances in just

00:23:09.520 two months on MSN.

00:23:10.740 I mean,

00:23:11.280 the Free Beacon

00:23:12.400 tried to estimate

00:23:14.560 the PR value

00:23:16.060 of those

00:23:17.420 100 plus

00:23:18.580 appearances

00:23:19.020 and they came up

00:23:19.680 with a number

00:23:20.140 more than

00:23:20.640 100 million dollars.

00:23:22.640 Wow.

00:23:23.240 And when you've

00:23:24.620 got that much

00:23:25.160 free advertising,

00:23:27.300 I mean,

00:23:27.500 he's not worth

00:23:28.620 100 million dollars

00:23:29.520 as a lawyer.

00:23:30.320 No one would say

00:23:30.900 who's the best

00:23:31.480 lawyer in Michael

00:23:32.380 Avenatti,

00:23:33.220 but he was musing

00:23:34.360 about running

00:23:34.940 for president,

00:23:35.640 which was laughable.

00:23:36.920 I think he was

00:23:37.680 looking around

00:23:38.040 and saying,

00:23:38.300 I've got all

00:23:38.700 this power,

00:23:39.780 how can I

00:23:40.400 wring money

00:23:41.040 out of it?

00:23:41.620 But really,

00:23:42.140 that's no different

00:23:42.860 than John Brennan,

00:23:45.020 the former CIA boss,

00:23:46.500 or a lot of the

00:23:47.500 deep state people

00:23:48.480 who go on CNN

00:23:49.540 and MSNBC.

00:23:50.360 They have this

00:23:51.440 big platform.

00:23:53.140 They're not

00:23:53.380 particularly in the

00:23:54.360 know,

00:23:54.740 but they just

00:23:55.320 wring it out

00:23:56.180 if it's a

00:23:57.360 political win

00:23:58.140 or for cash.

00:23:59.580 I don't know,

00:23:59.800 I think there's

00:24:00.160 something wrong

00:24:00.780 with U.S.

00:24:01.460 cable news,

00:24:02.280 and I think

00:24:02.720 the Mueller

00:24:03.200 lack of indictments,

00:24:04.540 the Mueller

00:24:04.840 exoneration

00:24:05.540 sort of proves it.

00:24:06.760 Do you think

00:24:07.220 these are connected

00:24:08.060 in any way?

00:24:08.980 I just think

00:24:09.480 it goes to

00:24:09.960 the out-of-control

00:24:10.760 nature of

00:24:12.100 these anti-Trump 0.97

00:24:13.220 maniacs on 0.99

00:24:14.040 cable news.

00:24:14.620 Yeah,

00:24:16.500 I think,

00:24:16.960 I mean,

00:24:17.300 I think,

00:24:18.600 you know,

00:24:19.280 something that

00:24:20.440 I realized

00:24:21.960 just in general

00:24:22.700 from the way

00:24:24.160 that the direction

00:24:25.000 that cable news

00:24:25.720 is going,

00:24:26.720 people watch,

00:24:27.540 people are watching

00:24:28.400 cable news less,

00:24:30.000 and it's a fact.

00:24:32.000 And so,

00:24:32.720 all these companies

00:24:34.160 are,

00:24:35.100 they're scrambling

00:24:36.080 to find,

00:24:36.840 like,

00:24:36.920 a different way

00:24:37.600 to bring in the money,

00:24:38.640 and for them

00:24:41.280 at this point,

00:24:42.060 it's like PR,

00:24:43.780 basically doing

00:24:45.220 free PR work

00:24:46.200 for certain people

00:24:47.020 and using

00:24:48.560 the political route

00:24:49.580 and being activists

00:24:51.060 instead of reporters.

00:24:52.400 Because at this point,

00:24:53.220 if anyone wants

00:24:53.980 their news,

00:24:54.780 they're going to go

00:24:55.300 over to,

00:24:55.840 like,

00:24:57.260 social media

00:24:58.100 and they're not

00:24:59.000 necessarily going

00:24:59.720 to watch TV.

00:25:00.540 So at this point,

00:25:01.500 all these cable companies

00:25:02.820 are just really

00:25:03.760 activist networks

00:25:04.780 for people

00:25:06.860 who are partisans

00:25:07.620 and all these people

00:25:08.280 who are going on TV

00:25:09.260 are trying to get

00:25:10.500 free PR.

00:25:11.280 And actually,

00:25:12.040 some people

00:25:12.560 are even paying money

00:25:13.900 in order to get

00:25:14.900 on these TV shows.

00:25:16.320 Like,

00:25:16.580 I mean,

00:25:17.420 I was a producer

00:25:18.480 at Fox,

00:25:20.280 and, like,

00:25:20.600 we never,

00:25:21.680 we rarely,

00:25:22.560 like,

00:25:23.460 paid people,

00:25:24.360 but sometimes,

00:25:25.480 sometimes we pay people,

00:25:27.440 but other times,

00:25:29.160 other outside bookers

00:25:31.100 would get paid

00:25:32.620 by their clients

00:25:34.580 in order to come

00:25:35.460 on the shows.

00:25:36.720 So,

00:25:37.520 it's like

00:25:38.180 a whole business

00:25:38.920 that wasn't there

00:25:39.760 before.

00:25:41.080 Yeah,

00:25:41.400 I think you're right.

00:25:42.320 Well,

00:25:42.740 I think that the

00:25:43.620 reputation of the media

00:25:45.200 party in the United States

00:25:46.200 is at an all-time low,

00:25:47.760 and I think it's just

00:25:48.600 going to keep falling.

00:25:49.320 I don't think anyone

00:25:49.900 learned their lesson

00:25:50.560 from what they got wrong

00:25:51.920 in the 2016

00:25:52.780 presidential election.

00:25:54.100 I think the Mueller thing

00:25:54.840 was a pure repeat of that,

00:25:56.060 and I'm sure there'll be

00:25:56.720 another fake news

00:25:58.420 manufactured scandal

00:26:00.340 in the weeks ahead.

00:26:01.540 In the meantime,

00:26:02.280 Avenatti has a real scandal

00:26:03.920 on his hands,

00:26:04.560 and I think he's going

00:26:05.240 to prison.

00:26:05.980 Pardez,

00:26:06.180 great to see you again.

00:26:06.840 Thanks for taking the time

00:26:07.660 with us today.

00:26:08.880 You too.

00:26:09.300 Thank you.

00:26:09.820 All right.

00:26:10.200 There's Pardez Salah.

00:26:11.360 She's a reporter 0.87

00:26:12.100 with Mediaite.com.

00:26:14.280 Stay with us.

00:26:14.860 More ahead on The Rebel.

00:26:15.560 Hey, welcome back.

00:26:27.780 What did you think

00:26:28.320 about that story

00:26:28.880 from New Zealand?

00:26:30.420 When I heard they had

00:26:31.240 a chief censor,

00:26:31.980 I thought,

00:26:32.280 that sounds a little,

00:26:33.480 that sounds a little bit

00:26:34.760 over the top,

00:26:35.240 but indeed his name

00:26:36.000 is the chief censor.

00:26:37.020 Imagine having a business card

00:26:38.840 that says chief censor on it.

00:26:42.160 Who would want to be your friend?

00:26:44.320 Well, the answer is

00:26:46.640 all the wrong people,

00:26:47.640 all the people trying 0.98

00:26:48.360 to suck up to power, 0.96

00:26:49.860 all the people trying 0.98

00:26:50.560 to ingratiate themselves,

00:26:51.920 all the people who want

00:26:53.220 to be a censor too.

00:26:54.380 It would attract all the bullies.

00:26:56.680 It would attract 1.00

00:26:57.180 all the sociopaths.

00:26:58.480 If you're in an authoritarian regime, 0.98

00:27:00.840 that is terrible

00:27:02.400 for normal people,

00:27:03.540 but it is a playground 0.99

00:27:05.300 for bullies and sociopaths 1.00

00:27:07.660 and control freaks 0.97

00:27:08.820 and authoritarians

00:27:09.780 and people who game

00:27:11.120 the system to figure it out,

00:27:13.220 how to use the system

00:27:14.520 to their own hands.

00:27:15.420 Imagine being a chief censor.

00:27:18.780 Imagine having to have

00:27:19.820 a license to read.

00:27:21.280 Imagine complying with it.

00:27:24.500 Imagine being the kind

00:27:25.680 of person who says,

00:27:27.300 I will actually pay $102

00:27:29.600 and forget about the money

00:27:31.860 and I will submit

00:27:33.120 to the chief censor.

00:27:34.680 I will answer his questions

00:27:35.980 and try to win his approval

00:27:37.740 before I'm allowed

00:27:38.920 to read this document

00:27:40.140 that is in 10 million places

00:27:42.040 in the world.

00:27:42.900 That is New Zealand.

00:27:44.420 New Zealand is our cousin

00:27:46.420 here in Canada

00:27:47.260 and that will infect us too,

00:27:50.080 I promise you.

00:27:51.780 All right, folks,

00:27:52.320 that's our show for today.

00:27:53.280 Until tomorrow,

00:27:54.240 on behalf of all of us

00:27:55.240 here at Rebel World Headquarters

00:27:56.340 to you at home,

00:27:57.380 good night

00:27:57.760 and keep fighting for freedom.

00:27:59.420 you

Rebel News Podcast - March 27, 2019

“The most amazing case of censorship in the western world” is happening now in New Zealand

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