The Anchormen Show with Matt Gaetz - April 29, 2022


Episode 40 LIVE： Burned By Biden – Firebrand with Matt Gaetz


Episode Stats

Length

31 minutes

Words per Minute

162.12912

Word Count

5,171

Sentence Count

289

Misogynist Sentences

4

Hate Speech Sentences

10


Summary

Biden's Military Purge continues, and this time, it's focused on the Air Force. We cover the latest in combating Russia and dealing with the conflict in Ukraine, a bizarre racist attack on Clarence Thomas, and a key update on marijuana policy.


Transcript

00:00:01.000 The embattled Congressman Matt Gaetz.
00:00:04.000 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.
00:00:11.000 Matt Gaetz right now, he's a problem in the Democratic Party.
00:00:14.000 He could cause a lot of hiccups in passing applause.
00:00:17.000 So we're going to keep running those stories to keep hurting him.
00:00:20.000 If you stand for the flag and kneel in prayer, if you want to build America up and not burn her to the ground,
00:00:27.000 then welcome, my fellow patriots, you are in the right place.
00:00:31.000 This is the movement for you.
00:00:33.000 You ever watch this guy on television?
00:00:35.000 It's like a machine, Matt Gaetz.
00:00:38.000 I'm a canceled man in some corners of the internet.
00:00:41.000 Many days I'm a marked man in Congress, a wanted man by the deep state.
00:00:46.000 They aren't really coming for me.
00:00:48.000 They're coming for you.
00:00:50.000 I'm just in the way.
00:00:52.000 Happy Friday, everyone.
00:00:56.000 This is Congressman Matt Gaetz simulcast streaming our podcast from the Capitol complex here in Washington, D.C.
00:01:03.000 We've got a lot to talk about.
00:01:05.000 It seems every day we could talk about different failures of the Biden administration,
00:01:10.000 whether that's on domestic policy, foreign policy, military policy, health policy.
00:01:15.000 We've got the comments section going.
00:01:18.000 A shout out to all the folks on Facebook who are letting their voices be heard.
00:01:23.000 Jameson says that Joe Biden has just given us Obama's third term.
00:01:27.000 That's quite something.
00:01:29.000 Vicky wants to know who's going to run for VP.
00:01:32.000 And just keep your comments coming in.
00:01:34.000 I love seeing them.
00:01:35.000 Love getting your perspective.
00:01:36.000 And we've got to go over a lot today.
00:01:39.000 We've got to go over a big moment in the House Armed Services Committee where you had the Secretary of Defense directly contradicted by the Secretary of the Air Force on the critical issue of hypersonics.
00:01:50.000 We're going to go over the latest in combating Russia and dealing with the conflict in Ukraine, a bizarre racist attack against Clarence Thomas that played out over the course of a hearing in the House Judiciary Committee.
00:02:04.000 Also going to give you a key update on marijuana policy.
00:02:08.000 But first, I want to make sure everyone is well aware of a show we did earlier in the week, Biden's Military Purge.
00:02:16.000 Episode 33, we talked to three terrific service members for the United States Armed Forces, two Air Force folks, one medical doctor who's serving in the Army,
00:02:29.000 and one of the individuals, Captain Jordan Carr from the Air Force, she created a Twitter account to try to share the content from that interview to create a platform for people who wanted information about how our military is dealing with these mandates.
00:02:45.000 And like almost within, I guess within like what, 24 hours of her being less than seven hours, I'm hearing from our staff, she's on Twitter, she's already facing bans, deplatforms.
00:02:57.000 And I mean, if we live in a country where our own military can't share their experiences on matters like this in their own personal capacity as Americans, then that directly contributes to the problems we have in military recruitment.
00:03:12.860 I mean, right now, you look at the United States Air Force, we don't have the number of pilots we need.
00:03:17.440 We need more pilots. You think these vaccine mandates are helping you get more pilots while you're driving some of them out of the Air Force?
00:03:24.080 You think that embracing white rage at our service academies and in the diversity, equity, inclusion portions of the military is attracting more people to want to wear the uniform and what get smeared as racists?
00:03:37.260 It's ridiculous. It's ridiculous. And it's making America less safe and less ready.
00:03:41.860 You know, the Obama administration did all they could to starve our military of the resources for body armor, for technology, for the pacing challenge of China.
00:03:52.000 And it took a lot for the Trump administration to really rebuild that and to get us back on track.
00:03:57.420 And now the Biden administration is choosing this different tool.
00:04:00.440 They're not attacking our military by defunding it as much as the Obama administration.
00:04:05.560 They're attacking our military through these purges, purges on mandates, purges through wokeism.
00:04:12.080 Go check out the Biden military purge.
00:04:14.660 And as you watch Captain Carr, think about whether or not this is someone who ought to be able to have a voice in a democracy, in a republic such as ours.
00:04:22.860 Very important.
00:04:23.900 So staying on the matter of the military.
00:04:26.180 Many of you will remember that when Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin came to give testimony,
00:04:31.080 I sort of juxtaposed the embrace of wokeism against some of the degradations in America's standing in very competitive areas of weapons development, particularly hypersonics.
00:04:45.540 I'm very interested in hypersonics because hypersonic munition systems can carry different types of payloads.
00:04:52.480 They can carry the types of payloads that we see being used in the Russia-Ukraine conflict right now.
00:04:58.740 I mean, Russia used the first hypersonic weapon in combat ever during this conflict.
00:05:04.760 That's going to make them more capable.
00:05:06.880 Everybody learns from utilizations like this.
00:05:10.300 They can also carry nuclear payloads.
00:05:12.720 We're seeing right now the impact and the influence of nuclear deterrence.
00:05:20.620 And other countries, the Gulf monarchies, others could see this as a real opportunity for a nuclear arms race, for proliferation.
00:05:31.620 We don't want to see that type of prolif.
00:05:34.040 We don't want to see that happen.
00:05:35.700 That will make the world less safe.
00:05:37.060 But it's hard not to see how the immense resources being developed in some areas of the world aren't going to pair with technology solutions like hypersonics and like nuclear.
00:05:50.620 And so if that happens, the United States of America must be at the front edge of hypersonics.
00:05:57.280 We have to have the best offensive systems for deterrence.
00:06:00.480 We have to have the best defensive systems to protect the homeland.
00:06:04.060 And that means research, development, testing.
00:06:08.980 That means having the size of a force being sufficient.
00:06:13.420 The capability.
00:06:14.320 It means being able to hit different size targets, moving targets.
00:06:18.480 Targets that could be an aircraft carrier under some circumstances.
00:06:22.600 And so because we need that really wide suite of capabilities, there's a whole lot to do to keep up with a country like China that's very invested and very aggressive.
00:06:34.360 So I asked the Secretary of Defense, gosh, like, why are we doing the critical race theory and the pronoun stuff and, like, not doing the really important work of keeping pace with China and hypersonics?
00:06:47.420 And the Secretary of Defense, you're going to get the clip in just a minute, but he responds that I'm wrong.
00:06:52.440 We're not really behind in hypersonics.
00:06:55.080 There's no basis that I would have to ever make a claim that the United States would be behind in hypersonics.
00:07:01.780 I mean, he was just lying to us.
00:07:03.200 Or, I mean, just as bad as lying would be if he was ignorant to what was going on in our military from a research standpoint, from a, like, fielding weapon systems standpoint.
00:07:18.080 And so I knew the time would come when someone else from the military would come in, give us a more technical briefing, a deeper dive with the Air Force and munitions.
00:07:28.640 And I knew that I would have the opportunity to ask the question, who's ahead?
00:07:32.540 And lo and behold, it was this week we had the Secretary of the Air Force, the top civilian in the Air Force, admitting that what the Secretary of Defense said was total nonsense.
00:07:46.040 Take a look at him back to back, side by side.
00:07:48.940 We'll come back and we'll share some more perspective.
00:07:52.520 Take a listen.
00:07:54.320 We're behind in hypersonics.
00:07:56.240 We failed to deter Russia.
00:07:57.660 Last year, China flew more sorties.
00:07:59.640 So what do you mean we're behind in hypersonics?
00:08:01.260 How do you—
00:08:01.780 Okay, who's ahead in hypersonics?
00:08:03.520 How do you make that assessment?
00:08:08.220 China's moved to deploy hypersonic weapons more aggressively than the United States has, definitely.
00:08:13.740 They have fielded more capability than we have.
00:08:16.740 And they have fairly aggressive development programs in a number of areas.
00:08:20.260 I wouldn't put a number of—
00:08:20.920 More aggressive than ours.
00:08:22.320 They're testing and developing more.
00:08:24.320 They're fielding more.
00:08:25.320 And they're more capable.
00:08:26.540 Right?
00:08:28.000 That's the essence of this thing?
00:08:29.200 They have invested more, and they are more capable.
00:08:31.560 But you have to be very careful about these comparisons.
00:08:33.800 Thank you.
00:08:34.560 That is just, like, exactly the opposite of what Secretary Lloyd Austin said.
00:08:37.940 How do you make that assessment?
00:08:40.600 I don't know.
00:08:41.400 I make that assessment because China is fielding hypersonic weapons systems, and we are still developing them.
00:08:46.860 Are you talking about development of capability or development of—
00:08:48.940 By the way, your own people brief us that we are behind and that China is winning.
00:08:53.980 Are you aware of the briefings we get on hypersonics?
00:08:57.280 I am certainly aware of briefings that we provide to Congress.
00:09:00.540 No, no, I don't think you are aware, actually, Mr. Secretary.
00:09:06.900 That was really something.
00:09:08.400 And I guess we do have to find out whether or not it was a purposeful lie for some sort of theatrical moment,
00:09:13.520 or whether or not there really is an inability for the Secretary of Defense to focus on this critical area of technology
00:09:22.240 that the Chinese are advancing aggressively and where we're behind.
00:09:26.820 So we need to catch up.
00:09:28.240 We need to do that by building out our range capabilities.
00:09:32.440 I don't think we should be testing and developing hypersonics over the Pacific Rim for, like, obvious reasons.
00:09:38.340 There are a whole lot of eyes and ears out there over the Pacific Rim.
00:09:41.700 But, goodness gracious, over in different ranges in the Atlantic, in the Gulf of Mexico test range,
00:09:48.840 which Floridians are well aware of, we could have better telemetry.
00:09:53.240 We could have better radar, better sensing systems.
00:09:56.120 Build those up, have a great envelope for testing, and make sure that America always holds the high ground.
00:10:03.440 And one reason we have to do that is because we are increasingly seeing Russia engage in malign influence.
00:10:09.440 And so I want to take a moment to get into Russia, what we see vis-a-vis their malign activities in Ukraine,
00:10:16.280 and that we've seen around the world.
00:10:18.400 You know, they engage in espionage.
00:10:21.160 And they get people into countries, and those people are spies, and then they do their naughty business.
00:10:27.780 And that doesn't facilitate a rules-based order that I think every reasonable person would want to see,
00:10:33.720 so that you don't just have might makes right, and these horrific images that continue to bombard us from Ukraine.
00:10:41.000 But that system requires us being a little bit smarter, and a little bit tougher.
00:10:48.920 And we hear from Democrats all the time, oh, you know, Trump was, oh, he was so soft on Putin,
00:10:55.000 and Matt Gaetz because he defended Trump.
00:10:57.280 He was like Putin's lawyer.
00:10:58.540 We heard all that nonsense.
00:11:00.940 But a key metric, a key metric in how tough we are, how many diplomats we're willing to expel.
00:11:09.100 So go ahead and put that graphic up.
00:11:11.560 And this is a real comparison right here from Obama expelling 35 Russian diplomats,
00:11:18.520 Trump expelling 60, and Biden only expelling 12.
00:11:22.000 So, like, for all the saber-rattling, for all of Joe Biden saying that he's for regime change in Russia,
00:11:29.840 I don't even know if that was, like, a senior moment or if they've walked that back considerably,
00:11:34.120 but he's only expelled 12 Russian diplomats.
00:11:36.960 And so maybe, like, before we're interested in getting Russia out of Ukraine,
00:11:40.120 we ought to be interested in getting Russia out of the United States,
00:11:42.940 where they could be harming our businesses,
00:11:45.620 setting up cyber attacks that would impact quality of life here in America.
00:11:49.940 There is a whole lot to talk about regarding what Biden does want to do.
00:11:56.300 If he doesn't want to expel these diplomats from the United States at the same rate of certainly not Trump
00:12:02.940 and not even like Obama,
00:12:06.160 we shouldn't be sending $33 billion to Ukraine, as the administration has proposed.
00:12:13.080 And I really see this as a circumstance where, like,
00:12:15.880 cash is finding its way to a money laundering Mecca.
00:12:19.940 And Ukraine, before this conflict, was widely known as a place where a lot of people
00:12:26.260 went to wash their ill-gotten gains.
00:12:29.160 And so since that infrastructure of money laundering is well-established and set up in Ukraine,
00:12:35.200 you now see, based on this conflict,
00:12:38.220 the desire for some in D.C. to send $33 billion in all kinds of different forms,
00:12:45.740 in weapons, in, you know, food, in cash.
00:12:49.940 And that's really troubling to me, especially when I think about how hard we had to work
00:12:55.000 to get any real money for our own border, for the wall.
00:13:00.060 When we wanted the resources to go out there and protect American families and the American economy
00:13:07.440 and American national security, the Democrats put us through the ringer on it.
00:13:11.920 And now we're just going to, like, at the snap of a finger send $33 billion to Ukraine?
00:13:17.000 I held a telephone digital town hall meeting last evening.
00:13:21.400 We've got that link available on Rumble.
00:13:24.360 And you can see the constituents I represent in Northwest Florida,
00:13:27.940 to the tune of, like, greater than 80%,
00:13:30.540 are not on board with this notion of just sending unlimited resources, seemingly,
00:13:38.000 to a government that we certainly want to win.
00:13:40.580 We want Ukraine to win and we want Russia to lose.
00:13:43.280 But at what expense?
00:13:45.760 Also, there was a vote this last week on whether or not the money and assistance we supply to Ukraine
00:13:52.480 should ever be paid back.
00:13:54.360 Now, there are a lot of Russian oligarchs out there with a lot of assets,
00:13:57.320 and I actually voted for legislation that would facilitate the seizure of those assets
00:14:02.740 for the benefit of Ukraine.
00:14:04.240 I think that's reasonable.
00:14:05.240 If Russian oligarchs are supporting Putin, he's engaged in this brutal war,
00:14:09.560 maybe they ought to be a part of repaying Ukraine.
00:14:12.820 Or helping to rebuild Ukraine more than, say, other folks, like us,
00:14:17.420 like my constituents in Northwest Florida.
00:14:20.200 So I'm for seizing the Russian assets and seizing the assets of the oligarchs.
00:14:26.100 What I'm not for is saying that there's a blank check for Ukraine aid
00:14:30.720 and that we would never expect payback.
00:14:33.520 Now, down the road, it might be part of a global deal.
00:14:37.400 It might be part of some circumstance to get a resolution that stops violence
00:14:41.400 for us to say that we're going to forgive debt.
00:14:44.140 But why, at this point, would we go out there and say,
00:14:47.000 no matter what weapons, no matter what aid,
00:14:49.360 America, we don't want to be paid back.
00:14:51.600 That just seems foolish.
00:14:52.760 That doesn't seem like what your leaders should be doing to represent you.
00:14:56.420 I'm shocked that almost all the Republicans are, like,
00:15:00.240 clawing over one another to vote for any bill
00:15:02.880 that makes them look anti-Russia and pro-Ukraine.
00:15:05.780 But I believe that Americans actually deserve discerning leaders
00:15:09.780 who will read and review the bills and the legislation
00:15:12.600 and evaluate their second and third order effects.
00:15:15.780 As bad as the Russia-Ukraine conflict is,
00:15:18.640 I don't think that Americans should be shouldering suffering for it,
00:15:23.180 whether it's the farmers that are seeing fertilizer increase,
00:15:26.060 whether it's people who drive to and from work,
00:15:29.600 sometimes farther distances, just getting crushed by gas prices.
00:15:33.260 When you see the price of your grocery cart,
00:15:36.140 when you check out at the supermarket,
00:15:38.900 I don't think that Americans should be shouldering that burden.
00:15:42.220 And there are smart ways to do this,
00:15:43.860 by putting pressure on Putin and the oligarchs.
00:15:47.040 But the notion that we're going to flood Ukraine with cash and weapons
00:15:51.200 for anyone that's willing to shoot at a Russian,
00:15:53.480 I mean, didn't we do that in Afghanistan?
00:15:55.680 Wasn't the American posture in Afghanistan, essentially,
00:15:57.800 if you're willing to shoot at a Russian,
00:15:59.320 we'll give you all the arms, all the weapons, all the aid,
00:16:01.540 and we'll never look back.
00:16:02.560 And it didn't exactly turn out well for us in the long run.
00:16:05.860 So we can be more discerning, we can be smarter,
00:16:08.300 and we can still be tough on Russia.
00:16:10.680 And I think that certainly we need to have strong Republican opposition
00:16:16.040 to this Biden plan for the $33 billion.
00:16:19.840 Much more on Russia to come.
00:16:22.880 I do have to shift gears a little bit here
00:16:25.000 and go to what happened in the House Judiciary Committee
00:16:28.020 with racist attacks on full display against Clarence Thomas.
00:16:33.020 First, I'm going to go to the comments section.
00:16:35.420 Alex says, thank you, Mr. Gates.
00:16:37.980 Margaret says, I do not believe in Brandon.
00:16:40.460 And Sherry said that watching the show
00:16:44.240 and seeing our perspective has helped give her hope.
00:16:48.300 And we do want hope because we can make this stuff better,
00:16:51.460 but we have to get down to some of the root causes
00:16:54.800 for the pain that our fellow Americans are feeling
00:16:57.280 and how that's directly linked to the policy choices
00:16:59.500 of the Biden administration.
00:17:00.460 So back to the House Judiciary Committee.
00:17:03.640 You see a very coordinated, well-funded effort
00:17:07.720 to destroy Clarence Thomas as the result of views held by his spouse.
00:17:14.440 I mean, sometimes you can't even make this stuff up.
00:17:17.000 But what Democrats know is that they're way overreaching
00:17:20.480 on the mandates, on the medical tyranny,
00:17:24.880 on the January 6th committee,
00:17:27.000 with what they've done with a lot of January 6th defendants,
00:17:29.660 with the utilization of the national security apparatus
00:17:32.540 to target a political movement they fear.
00:17:35.040 And what they're trying to do is clear the decks
00:17:37.660 on the Supreme Court for one of America's greatest public servants,
00:17:42.480 you know, Clarence Thomas.
00:17:43.780 I think Clarence Thomas is my favorite member of the court.
00:17:47.240 And they're trying to do everything they can
00:17:49.140 to discredit him, to get him to recuse himself,
00:17:53.000 maybe even to impeach Clarence Thomas.
00:17:55.660 I wouldn't put it past these Democrats
00:17:57.520 to fashion up articles of impeachment against Clarence Thomas
00:18:00.560 because this is the type of bare-knuckles politics they play.
00:18:04.860 When they can't win by smearing Clarence Thomas
00:18:08.340 in his confirmation hearings,
00:18:10.720 when they can't win against Gorsuch
00:18:13.100 or with their terrible smears against Kavanaugh,
00:18:15.640 well, they just go to the next opportunity
00:18:17.580 to try to destroy someone,
00:18:19.480 to try to remove them,
00:18:20.680 to try to seize that power for themselves.
00:18:23.360 And so that's what's on display with Clarence Thomas.
00:18:26.440 And what I found interesting,
00:18:27.600 and what this hearing revealed,
00:18:29.780 is that Benny Thompson,
00:18:32.660 the Democrat chairman of the Homeland Security Committee,
00:18:36.900 the Democrat chairman of the January 6th Committee,
00:18:40.820 actually launched a racist trope at Clarence Thomas.
00:18:44.780 Take a listen to what we learned.
00:18:46.620 When someone calls a black person an Uncle Tom,
00:18:51.160 is that a racist attack?
00:18:52.640 Yeah, I think it is.
00:18:53.760 I think it's a disgusting attack.
00:18:55.580 Do any of the other panelists dispute that testimony?
00:18:59.620 Does anyone think that there's a non-racist way
00:19:02.160 to call a black person an Uncle Tom?
00:19:08.080 How should we think about the fact
00:19:10.140 that the chairman of the January 6th Committee,
00:19:12.740 the chairman of the Homeland Security Committee,
00:19:14.540 used what all of you concede as a racist attack
00:19:19.120 against Justice Thomas?
00:19:23.460 Congressman Jeffries asked me for an example.
00:19:25.300 I gave it to him.
00:19:25.960 I'll let others address it.
00:19:29.180 But I just think it is indicative
00:19:30.940 of the hatred that is directed towards Justice Thomas
00:19:37.420 for his views,
00:19:38.520 which, in fact, if you look,
00:19:39.840 I wrote an article on this
00:19:41.160 of comparing Justice Jackson
00:19:44.740 and Justice Thomas' views
00:19:47.340 on a number of issues in terms of polling.
00:19:50.820 And by and large,
00:19:52.220 black rank and file,
00:19:53.320 black Americans rank and file
00:19:55.040 agree, I think,
00:19:57.840 on abortion,
00:19:59.380 on guns,
00:20:01.500 on voter ID,
00:20:04.040 across the board.
00:20:05.540 And yet somehow he's portrayed
00:20:07.240 as being an Uncle Tom
00:20:08.760 or a sellout
00:20:09.840 or whatever the disgusting
00:20:10.940 characterizations are.
00:20:12.660 And it's just this continual attack
00:20:14.620 on Justice Thomas.
00:20:16.440 And thank God
00:20:17.440 he's had the backbone
00:20:18.380 to never bend
00:20:20.460 in the face of these attacks.
00:20:22.600 And I think
00:20:23.020 this hearing today
00:20:25.020 is a continuation
00:20:25.720 of that.
00:20:27.020 Everyone's focused
00:20:27.680 on Justice Thomas.
00:20:28.520 And let me just address
00:20:29.780 the January 6th case
00:20:31.560 where, you know,
00:20:33.280 that case has to do
00:20:34.300 with executive privilege
00:20:36.620 over internal White House documents
00:20:38.500 between the president
00:20:39.440 and his closest advisors.
00:20:40.900 They have nothing whatsoever
00:20:42.100 to do with Jeannie Thomas'
00:20:43.400 communications
00:20:44.260 with Mark Meadows.
00:20:45.120 Those wouldn't be covered
00:20:46.040 by executive privilege.
00:20:47.420 So Justice Thomas
00:20:48.500 was voting
00:20:49.160 on a document,
00:20:51.040 I mean,
00:20:51.400 on documents
00:20:52.460 that were not at all
00:20:53.560 related to his wife.
00:20:55.300 So, you know,
00:20:57.880 that's why I say
00:20:58.760 up until this point
00:20:59.780 there could be cases
00:21:00.860 down in the future
00:21:01.500 as every justice does.
00:21:02.700 When the case comes
00:21:03.600 before the court
00:21:04.220 and they look at the litigants,
00:21:05.400 they look at the parties,
00:21:06.120 they look at what's at issue,
00:21:07.580 they decide whether
00:21:08.740 they were accused.
00:21:09.220 So that I understand
00:21:10.220 your testimony.
00:21:11.260 You believe it's a racist trope
00:21:12.820 to designate Justice Thomas
00:21:15.000 as, like,
00:21:15.620 uniquely unintelligent
00:21:16.900 or persuadable.
00:21:18.260 You believe it's a racist trope
00:21:19.620 to call him an Uncle Tom.
00:21:20.980 And you believe that this committee
00:21:22.120 is a continuation
00:21:22.660 of that effort.
00:21:23.800 Yes.
00:21:24.400 And I believe it
00:21:25.000 was, yes,
00:21:25.900 I believe it started
00:21:26.580 when he first came to town
00:21:28.200 in 1980
00:21:29.380 and joined the Merrigan.
00:21:31.540 Let's hope it ends.
00:21:32.640 I yield back.
00:21:35.460 Wow.
00:21:36.620 I mean,
00:21:37.260 what the cameras
00:21:38.140 didn't show there
00:21:38.960 is that on that panel
00:21:40.560 you had people
00:21:41.500 that were white and black.
00:21:42.940 You had witnesses
00:21:43.760 that were called
00:21:44.620 by the Democrats
00:21:45.740 and witnesses
00:21:46.580 that were called
00:21:47.140 by the Republicans.
00:21:48.820 And it's undisputed
00:21:50.140 that Benny Thompson,
00:21:52.060 who is himself black,
00:21:53.280 called Clarence Thomas
00:21:55.340 and Uncle Tom.
00:21:57.060 And regardless of race,
00:21:59.660 regardless of party affiliation,
00:22:01.660 every person on that panel
00:22:03.400 agreed that what
00:22:05.100 Benny Thompson did
00:22:06.460 was racist.
00:22:08.100 That was a racist thing to do.
00:22:10.360 And it aligns with these other tropes
00:22:12.440 that they've attended
00:22:13.400 to use against Clarence Thomas.
00:22:16.020 So I was glad
00:22:16.900 to be there
00:22:17.860 to ripen the testimony
00:22:19.360 of the witnesses
00:22:20.320 that were able to
00:22:21.720 bring into sharp relief
00:22:23.340 the effort
00:22:24.300 that is truly underway
00:22:25.320 and how important it is
00:22:27.020 that we stand
00:22:27.900 with Clarence Thomas,
00:22:28.920 that he preserve
00:22:29.540 his seat on the court,
00:22:30.760 and that he have
00:22:31.680 the opportunity
00:22:32.340 to issue important rulings
00:22:34.340 on the matters
00:22:35.620 of the day.
00:22:36.920 So you're joining us here
00:22:38.240 on Firebrand Live.
00:22:39.400 I'm in my Washington office.
00:22:41.260 We're simulcast streaming
00:22:42.560 on Getter, Twitter, Facebook,
00:22:45.900 Instagram, YouTube, Rumble.
00:22:48.260 We hope you subscribe
00:22:49.360 and you've got to have
00:22:50.860 the notifications turned on
00:22:52.160 because here's the thing
00:22:53.160 about doing a live show
00:22:54.760 out of our congressional office.
00:22:56.700 You never know
00:22:57.780 when Nancy Pelosi
00:22:58.780 is going to call a vote.
00:23:00.260 We oftentimes have hearings
00:23:01.720 that run during the day.
00:23:02.880 So we're trying to squeeze in
00:23:04.360 these important reports
00:23:05.660 direct to you
00:23:06.920 without the filter
00:23:08.000 of the mainstream media
00:23:09.140 at every opportunity we get.
00:23:11.340 But sometimes it might be
00:23:12.440 at 11 o'clock or noon.
00:23:14.200 We try to keep it around noon.
00:23:15.400 But look,
00:23:16.020 they could push later
00:23:16.800 into the afternoon.
00:23:17.580 And if you want to get
00:23:18.500 the live action,
00:23:20.480 if you want to know
00:23:21.080 exactly what's happening here,
00:23:22.740 I will tell it to you.
00:23:23.840 But you're going to have
00:23:24.580 to have the notifications
00:23:25.380 turned on.
00:23:26.140 You want to be subscribed.
00:23:27.400 And if you're one
00:23:27.800 of our listeners,
00:23:28.880 leave us that five-star rating.
00:23:30.640 Give us a comment or review.
00:23:32.080 Tell us what you think
00:23:32.680 of the show
00:23:33.080 and what you'd like
00:23:33.860 to see us talk about.
00:23:34.820 It always helps
00:23:35.740 more people get our content.
00:23:37.740 Some content
00:23:38.780 that is not coming
00:23:40.040 out of the Biden White House
00:23:41.460 is marijuana reform.
00:23:43.940 And so I want to take
00:23:44.840 a moment
00:23:45.360 to really highlight
00:23:47.220 an important study
00:23:48.320 that might give us
00:23:50.460 a lot of information
00:23:51.240 about value
00:23:52.560 for adult use laws
00:23:54.540 as an alternative
00:23:55.640 to Big Pharma.
00:23:57.300 So last week,
00:23:58.720 Shyam Rahman,
00:24:00.140 who's a doctoral student
00:24:01.280 at the Cornell Jeb E. Brooks
00:24:03.280 School of Public Policy,
00:24:04.940 and Indiana University
00:24:06.220 doctoral student
00:24:07.160 Ashley Bradford,
00:24:08.680 published their research
00:24:09.800 in health economics.
00:24:11.700 That research finds
00:24:12.760 that recreational
00:24:13.760 marijuana access
00:24:15.140 reduces demand
00:24:16.920 for prescription drugs.
00:24:19.020 Bad news for Big Pharma.
00:24:20.840 And while the impacts
00:24:21.680 of substituting cannabis
00:24:22.800 for prescription drugs
00:24:24.020 have been examined
00:24:25.340 in states
00:24:25.840 with medical cannabis laws,
00:24:28.400 this study is different
00:24:29.940 because it considers
00:24:31.420 the effect
00:24:32.320 that cannabis substitution
00:24:33.940 has in states
00:24:34.960 with fully recreationally
00:24:37.180 legal adult use laws.
00:24:39.140 doctors and the medical system
00:24:41.860 are, in my opinion,
00:24:43.280 the safest way
00:24:44.320 to administer
00:24:44.860 and consume
00:24:45.620 any medication.
00:24:47.200 However,
00:24:48.040 this study
00:24:48.720 shows and illustrates
00:24:50.480 that in the absence
00:24:52.040 of available research
00:24:53.240 over the last decade,
00:24:55.040 individual behavior,
00:24:56.880 self-medicating,
00:24:58.220 individual agency,
00:24:59.800 it's been sufficient enough
00:25:01.200 to replace
00:25:01.900 the imperfect
00:25:03.140 prescription drugs
00:25:04.240 that in many cases
00:25:05.640 are addicting us
00:25:06.660 and killing us
00:25:07.420 at a far higher rate
00:25:08.880 than marijuana ever could.
00:25:10.840 So the study
00:25:11.420 used quarterly data
00:25:12.660 from all Medicaid prescriptions
00:25:15.020 from 2011 to 2019
00:25:16.960 to investigate
00:25:18.160 the effect
00:25:19.080 of state-level
00:25:20.500 adult use
00:25:21.500 recreational marijuana laws
00:25:23.080 on prescription
00:25:24.400 drug utilization.
00:25:25.320 It found
00:25:26.800 significant reductions
00:25:28.540 in the volume
00:25:29.580 of prescriptions
00:25:30.480 with the drug classes
00:25:32.200 that align with
00:25:33.140 medical indications
00:25:34.100 for pain,
00:25:35.480 depression,
00:25:36.500 anxiety,
00:25:37.240 sleep disorder,
00:25:38.040 psychosis,
00:25:38.780 and seizures.
00:25:39.780 The findings indicate
00:25:40.860 that in addition
00:25:41.860 to the lethal
00:25:42.980 opioid crisis,
00:25:45.100 cannabis is proving
00:25:46.100 to be a medical
00:25:47.040 alternative to
00:25:47.880 prescription drugs
00:25:48.640 for many other conditions.
00:25:50.780 It occurs that
00:25:51.740 this is safest
00:25:53.080 when patients
00:25:54.120 have legal
00:25:55.200 adult use
00:25:56.420 access to cannabis
00:25:57.600 without the risk
00:25:59.060 of big governments
00:25:59.820 incarceration
00:26:00.500 or prosecution.
00:26:02.060 I support
00:26:02.620 the medical
00:26:02.980 cannabis system
00:26:03.740 including in Florida
00:26:04.620 where I wrote
00:26:05.680 a bunch of those laws.
00:26:07.380 And in Florida
00:26:07.880 we stand to benefit
00:26:09.080 from streamlined
00:26:10.600 research grants
00:26:11.660 at large scale
00:26:12.580 to learn more
00:26:13.380 and help more people
00:26:14.280 unlock potential.
00:26:16.540 However,
00:26:16.780 the conclusion
00:26:17.360 of this study
00:26:18.220 that recreational
00:26:19.600 cannabis use
00:26:20.560 is weaning people
00:26:22.160 off of prescription
00:26:23.160 drugs,
00:26:24.140 it's just hard
00:26:25.160 to ignore.
00:26:26.500 Unfortunately,
00:26:27.020 there's this
00:26:27.500 tumultuous road ahead.
00:26:29.540 Even with
00:26:30.080 legitimate research
00:26:31.080 and factual basis
00:26:32.740 and evidence
00:26:33.520 at hand,
00:26:34.500 the cultural stigma
00:26:35.720 hangover
00:26:36.420 of the boomer
00:26:37.640 era
00:26:38.640 weighs heavy.
00:26:40.200 Take a listen
00:26:40.680 to this clip
00:26:41.240 from the prior show.
00:26:43.900 Opioids are prescribed
00:26:44.920 principally
00:26:45.660 as a chronic pain
00:26:46.840 solution, right?
00:26:47.740 Correct.
00:26:48.940 The National Academy
00:26:49.940 of Sciences
00:26:50.540 issued a report
00:26:51.400 in 2017
00:26:52.220 entitled
00:26:52.720 The Health Effects
00:26:53.500 of Cannabis
00:26:54.040 and Cannabinoids.
00:26:54.820 Are you familiar
00:26:55.260 with that work product?
00:26:56.280 No, sir.
00:26:57.640 I'll quote from it.
00:27:00.180 It says,
00:27:01.160 there is conclusive
00:27:02.100 or substantial evidence
00:27:03.700 that cannabis
00:27:04.680 or cannabinoids
00:27:05.780 are effective
00:27:06.940 for treatment
00:27:07.680 of chronic pain
00:27:08.360 in adults.
00:27:09.340 Do you have
00:27:09.660 any basis
00:27:10.380 scientifically
00:27:11.340 or from any
00:27:12.080 evidentiary standpoint
00:27:13.000 to disagree
00:27:13.800 with that conclusion?
00:27:15.460 Again,
00:27:15.780 this is why
00:27:16.260 I think we always
00:27:16.920 talk about
00:27:17.420 the research
00:27:18.160 of the benefits
00:27:19.980 of marijuana.
00:27:21.000 So you support
00:27:21.660 research into
00:27:22.320 medical marijuana?
00:27:23.100 We've said that
00:27:23.820 all along,
00:27:24.320 that we support
00:27:24.860 the research
00:27:25.360 of marijuana.
00:27:26.000 And after you
00:27:26.920 implemented a rule
00:27:27.740 in August of 2016
00:27:29.000 pushing the Department
00:27:30.620 of Justice
00:27:31.140 to create more
00:27:32.160 research-based cannabis,
00:27:33.940 they haven't issued
00:27:35.400 any more of those
00:27:36.240 permits, have they?
00:27:36.980 Or haven't granted any?
00:27:37.860 So they haven't been granted,
00:27:39.480 but I think there's
00:27:40.100 an important distinction
00:27:41.220 that has to be understood.
00:27:42.620 So when we put
00:27:44.140 that rule out,
00:27:44.860 it was in the efforts
00:27:46.620 to help
00:27:47.520 the research community.
00:27:49.640 But if none
00:27:50.320 of the research
00:27:51.260 permits have been granted,
00:27:52.180 how has it helped them?
00:27:53.060 Because there is
00:27:53.920 an issue
00:27:54.260 with how we put
00:27:55.060 that solicitation
00:27:56.920 out or that rule out.
00:27:58.460 So you're the acting
00:27:59.500 administrator of the DEA.
00:28:00.780 You cannot cite
00:28:01.420 a single study
00:28:02.300 that indicates
00:28:03.060 that medical marijuana
00:28:04.040 creates a greater
00:28:05.180 challenge with opioids,
00:28:06.640 and you're unaware
00:28:07.700 of the studies,
00:28:08.860 including studies
00:28:09.580 from the National
00:28:10.120 Academy of Sciences,
00:28:12.180 that demonstrate
00:28:12.980 that medical marijuana
00:28:14.160 can be an acceptable
00:28:15.700 alternative to opioids.
00:28:17.340 Is that what
00:28:17.740 I'm understanding?
00:28:18.620 Yes.
00:28:20.660 That was President Trump's
00:28:22.500 acting head of the DEA,
00:28:24.620 and it was just shocking
00:28:25.960 to me that the people
00:28:27.100 who have impact
00:28:28.840 and influence
00:28:29.500 over drug policy
00:28:30.560 seem to be
00:28:31.840 purposefully ignorant
00:28:33.280 of some of this research,
00:28:34.900 and particularly the study
00:28:35.720 I'm highlighting today.
00:28:37.120 It's like now we live
00:28:37.820 in a world where 37 states
00:28:39.400 and the District of Columbia
00:28:40.420 currently permit the use
00:28:41.840 of medical marijuana
00:28:42.660 with a prescription,
00:28:43.860 while 18 states
00:28:45.140 have this circumstance
00:28:47.360 where there's adult use.
00:28:49.440 It's regulated,
00:28:50.660 but it's adult use
00:28:51.760 even without
00:28:52.280 the medical complex.
00:28:53.800 So let's make it
00:28:54.500 50 states for both.
00:28:56.360 I was one of three
00:28:57.680 Republicans this month
00:28:59.200 to vote for the Moore Act.
00:29:01.060 I was joined by
00:29:01.800 Congressman McClintock
00:29:03.020 of California
00:29:03.880 and Congressman Mast,
00:29:05.020 my fellow Florida man
00:29:06.580 from down on
00:29:07.300 the Atlantic coast
00:29:08.540 of Florida.
00:29:09.700 And the Moore Act
00:29:10.420 would have
00:29:10.960 descheduled cannabis,
00:29:12.580 making it federally
00:29:14.020 not illegal
00:29:15.400 to the same degree
00:29:16.220 that it is today.
00:29:17.180 That would have allowed
00:29:18.220 states to be able
00:29:19.400 to flourish
00:29:19.980 under their system.
00:29:21.240 It would have allowed
00:29:21.760 expungement
00:29:22.460 of criminal convictions
00:29:23.540 for non-violent
00:29:24.820 cannabis possession,
00:29:25.980 among a number
00:29:26.680 of other things.
00:29:27.680 But best of all,
00:29:28.500 the Congressional Budget Office
00:29:29.840 says that this bill
00:29:31.040 would actually reduce
00:29:31.960 the deficit
00:29:32.640 by $2.88 billion
00:29:34.460 over the next 10 years.
00:29:35.860 Deficit reduction
00:29:36.680 through marijuana reform.
00:29:38.180 Imagine that.
00:29:39.280 So there are much
00:29:39.840 larger priorities
00:29:40.780 of the United States
00:29:41.340 federal government
00:29:42.000 than go around
00:29:42.780 arresting people
00:29:44.080 for inhaling
00:29:44.740 a plant material
00:29:45.560 or even for
00:29:46.680 self-medicating
00:29:47.640 in some circumstances
00:29:48.660 based on the data
00:29:50.080 in this study.
00:29:51.140 Oftentimes,
00:29:51.860 folks are safely
00:29:52.880 in the environment
00:29:53.460 of their own homes.
00:29:55.800 So the real issue here
00:29:57.400 is Joe Biden's
00:29:59.360 betrayal
00:30:00.040 on marijuana.
00:30:02.400 If you go to
00:30:03.080 joebiden.com
00:30:04.420 backslash
00:30:05.400 blackamerica
00:30:06.380 as part of
00:30:07.520 Joe Biden's
00:30:08.240 fundraising website,
00:30:09.600 you will see a page
00:30:10.700 entitled
00:30:11.340 Lift Every Voice,
00:30:13.320 The Biden Plan
00:30:14.280 for Black America.
00:30:16.700 In Biden's list
00:30:17.900 of his unaccomplished
00:30:19.140 plans for black America,
00:30:21.420 he says,
00:30:21.980 quote,
00:30:22.600 Biden will work
00:30:23.280 with Congress
00:30:23.860 to reform federal
00:30:25.040 sentencing
00:30:25.520 and provide incentives
00:30:26.720 to state and local
00:30:27.640 systems to do the same.
00:30:29.460 He will end
00:30:30.600 once and for all
00:30:32.640 the federal crack
00:30:33.940 and powder cocaine
00:30:34.740 disparity
00:30:35.260 and decriminalize
00:30:36.700 the use of cannabis
00:30:37.520 and automatically
00:30:38.920 expunge
00:30:39.600 all prior cannabis
00:30:40.780 convictions
00:30:41.340 and end all
00:30:42.800 incarceration
00:30:43.360 for drug use
00:30:44.360 alone
00:30:44.880 and instead
00:30:46.000 divert individuals
00:30:47.080 to drug courts
00:30:47.960 and treatment.
00:30:49.820 Joe Biden,
00:30:51.080 where are you at?
00:30:52.820 The House
00:30:53.220 has passed legislation
00:30:54.600 that fits one
00:30:56.080 of your presidential
00:30:56.760 demands
00:30:57.460 and it's headed
00:30:58.720 to a death
00:30:59.420 in the Senate.
00:31:00.240 And I'm here
00:31:01.040 to remind you
00:31:01.900 and Kamala,
00:31:03.380 you're missing
00:31:04.260 a critical moment
00:31:05.660 for a policy
00:31:07.140 accomplishment.
00:31:08.880 Do what you said
00:31:09.860 you would do
00:31:10.480 and by the stroke
00:31:12.160 of the president's pen
00:31:13.160 we could have
00:31:14.160 substantial marijuana
00:31:15.440 reform in this country.
00:31:16.940 Instead,
00:31:17.480 unfortunately,
00:31:18.580 Joe Biden
00:31:19.000 is like
00:31:20.200 a recalcitrant
00:31:22.600 boomer
00:31:23.160 on marijuana policy
00:31:24.700 instead of reflective
00:31:25.840 of the promises
00:31:26.920 he made
00:31:27.540 at
00:31:27.820 JoeBiden.com
00:31:29.020 backslash
00:31:30.100 Black America.
00:31:31.040 Thank you so much
00:31:32.360 for joining us
00:31:33.160 on Firebrand
00:31:34.140 today on Friday.
00:31:35.440 So next week
00:31:36.380 we've got a district
00:31:37.380 work period
00:31:38.060 so it might be
00:31:39.020 a little while
00:31:39.580 but it gives you
00:31:40.180 the opportunity
00:31:40.820 to catch up
00:31:41.920 on some of our
00:31:42.580 other episodes.
00:31:43.640 One of my very favorites,
00:31:44.840 make sure you go back
00:31:45.820 and watch
00:31:46.380 Biden's Military Purge.
00:31:48.420 Thanks for watching,
00:31:49.480 subscribe,
00:31:50.320 give us that
00:31:50.760 five-star rating
00:31:51.500 and join us soon
00:31:52.600 for more Firebrand.