June 1, 2026 • 36 mins
In Hour 2 of the Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show, Clay Travis continues solo hosting with an in-depth, news-driven breakdown of the biggest political and cultural stories of the day, with heavy emphasis on 2026 midterm elections, the Maine Senate race controversy, national security, and media narratives shaping public perception. This hour delivers a focused look at how emerging scandals and policy debates could influence the balance of power in Washington.
A dominant storyline throughout Hour 2 is the escalating controversy surrounding Maine Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner, which Clay frames as a potentially decisive factor in the fight for U.S. Senate control. The discussion expands on new allegations involving Platner’s activity on the messaging app Kik, described as an anonymous platform often associated with questionable or illicit interactions and minimal oversight. Clay highlights concerns about Platner maintaining a profile on the app—reportedly used heavily by younger users—and raises questions about judgment, campaign viability, and whether more damaging revelations are imminent. He repeatedly suggests that the scandal is likely just the beginning, positioning it as a “bridge story” that could lead to further reporting and potentially derail Platner’s candidacy before the general election.
The hour features a detailed interview with reporter Tim Rice of the Daily Wire, who explains Kik’s structure as an anonymous messaging platform with limited moderation and no meaningful age verification safeguards. The discussion underscores the seriousness of the issue, particularly given the app’s reputation and its potential implications in a political context. Clay and Rice explore whether the controversy is being driven by opposition research or internal Democratic dynamics, with both acknowledging growing concern within Democratic ranks about Platner’s electability against incumbent Republican Senator Susan Collins. The possibility of additional individuals coming forward is also discussed, reinforcing the idea that the story may expand significantly in the coming days.
Clay places the Maine race within a broader national political strategy, emphasizing that Democrats likely need to win the seat to regain Senate control and pursue major institutional changes. He speculates about a potential candidate replacement scenario, suggesting Democrats could attempt to replace Platner with a stronger statewide figure, such as Governor Janet Mills, if the situation worsens. However, the conversation also acknowledges the logistical and political challenges of such a move, especially given the proximity of the primary and the risks of alienating voters.
Beyond domestic politics, Hour 2 shifts into foreign policy analysis, focusing on ongoing U.S.-Iran negotiations under President Donald Trump. Clay discusses the strategic importance of preventing Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons, drawing comparisons to North Korea and arguing that allowing Iran to become a nuclear power would create long-term global instability. He examines fluctuating geopolitical developments involving Israel and Hezbollah, as well as the economic impact of rising oil and gas prices tied to Middle East tensions. Clay suggests that short-term economic costs may be justified if they prevent long-term security threats.
The hour also includes broader political commentary, including speculation about internal dynamics within the Trump administration, particularly regarding Vice President JD Vance and reported tensions over influence and positioning. Additionally, Clay previews continued coverage of cultural issues, especially the ongoing national debate around transgender athletes competing in women’s sports, which will be explored further in the next hour.
Rounding out the segment, the show briefly touches on breaking sports news, including a major NFL trade involving star defensive player Myles Garrett moving to the Los Angeles Rams, highlighting the program’s mix of political analysis and mainstream news relevance.
Make sure you never miss a second of the show by subscribing to the Clay Travis & Buck Sexton show podcast wherever you get your podcasts! ihr.fm/3InlkL8
For the latest updates from Clay & Buck, visit our website https://www.clayandbuck.com/
Connect with Clay Travis and Bu
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome back in Clay and Buck. Buck will be back
with me tomorrow. He's in d C doing a variety
of book publication events. All of that underway right now,
but he'll be back with me on Tuesday. We've been
talking about the Senate battleground and the revelations coming out
(00:20):
about Graham Platner, the would be Democrat senate candidate in
Maine running against Susan Collins, The latest on the LA
mayors race, Tom Steyer on trans athletes. All that and
more coming your way.
Speaker 2 (00:38):
This is.
Speaker 3 (00:41):
Interesting.
Speaker 1 (00:42):
OURNC Research has put out this story about the Platner
profile on this kick website. It says he created a
Kick profile and by the way, I'm going to put
this out there, some of you may be young and
(01:03):
may be familiar with this profile site. We will give
you immunity to discuss eight hundred and two eight two
to eight eight two. Maybe one of you, maybe many
of you, have had profiles on this site. I know
nothing at all about it. This is from the Republican
National Committee main Democrat. Graham Platner created a Kick profile
(01:28):
with an explicit profile picture when he was thirty one
years old in twenty sixteen. It was reported that seventy
percent of the apps users were between the ages of
thirteen and twenty four. He created this profile for himself
when he was in his thirties. Grand Platner did so.
(01:50):
Seventy percent of the apps users are between thirteen and
twenty four years old. It says Kick has zero parental
controls and is known for being quote a predator's paradise
for child exploitation, with several child pornography arrests linked to it.
(02:12):
Why was Platner on it? And again? This is from
the article that was published in The Wall Street Journal
and The New York Times. The account is still active
and the pictures. We're going to talk at the bottom
of this hour with the Daily Wire reporter who uncovered
this profile and again. Platner's profile picture has a mirror
(02:37):
selfie of him shirtless with a towel wrapped around his waist.
Many of his tattoos are clearly visible, and it says
the Wall Street Journal verified the account on the app
and again it has been used widely for sexual encounters,
many involving kids that are underage. Again, seventy percent of
(02:58):
the app profiles are between thirteen and twenty four years old,
and Platner created this profile that is still active initially
when he was thirty one years old. They say he
is now over forty and still a still has a
profile there. Again, I would just say the New York
(03:24):
Times does not write this story about the sexting issues,
and the Wall Street Journal as well. If this is
the end of the story, they are setting up the
table for more to come. And Corey and Florida listening
in the New York City area is drawing an analogy
that I hadn't drawn yet, but to Anthony Wiener, who
(03:48):
many of you will remember was a prominent Democrat politician
in the New York City area. Corey and Florida, cut
g fire away, this.
Speaker 4 (03:59):
Is Corey and Florid. I'll listening to wor isn't it
interesting to compare reaction to Platner in Maine to Anthony
Wiener and his sexty scandals of only a few years ago.
Thanks great show, keep it up.
Speaker 3 (04:14):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (04:15):
I mean, look, I think there are with what happened
to Eric Swaalwell and what happened to Anthony Wiener. I
don't think this story is ending here. This story is
a bridge to allow future stories to be written in
Randy and Houston. You've got to take on this main
(04:36):
Senate situation.
Speaker 5 (04:40):
Yes, sir, longtime listener, first time caller, going back to
the Ditto days.
Speaker 6 (04:45):
And so I think that what's gonna happen is that
they'll get rid of Platiner and they'll slip in another
toxic masculine candidate Janet Mills, who did.
Speaker 5 (05:01):
Didn't cancel her her campaign.
Speaker 7 (05:03):
But she just suspended it.
Speaker 5 (05:05):
So I think the Republicans need to go on the
offensive and pulled all the dirt they can on her
because I think that she's going to be replacing Platner.
Oh and by the way, I've been driving at.
Speaker 7 (05:18):
Tesla for.
Speaker 5 (05:21):
A year now, and I and anybody that calls me week,
I'm a twenty three year firefighter, So I pity the fool,
love you guys.
Speaker 1 (05:31):
Thank you for the call. I had somebody come up
to me at a birthday party that I had not
met him before, and he said he's driving around in
at Tesla now. And I just again, the self drive,
for those of you who don't know it is revolutionary.
When you try it for the first time, you are
going to feel like you have stepped into the future.
(05:55):
Janet Mills is the current governor of Maine. She was
endorsed by all of the prominent Democrats in the Senate,
including Chuck Schumer. She suspended, to the callers point her
campaign just about a month ago, and she is sitting
there on the outside waiting to be tapped as the nominee.
(06:19):
I think it is so clear that they're going to
try and pull a bait and switch, because the people
who want to take back control of the Senate know
that Janet Mills, who has already been elected multiple times statewide,
is a far better candidate in a general election than
Graham Platner. But the primary voters in Maine have not
(06:42):
been willing to make the choice that the Grand Pubas
of the Democrat Party want them to make, and so
they have ordered the code read on Grand Platner. And
when they can force him to step out of office,
if they can step down, they get to pick the
nominee to replace Platner, just like they got to replace
(07:04):
pick the nominee to replace Joe Biden. They want to
invalidate the democratic process of the primary and pick the
guy who is more likely to orgal who is more
likely to win.
Speaker 3 (07:17):
I could see it clear as day.
Speaker 1 (07:19):
It feels self evident to me that this is where
we are headed.
Speaker 3 (07:24):
And it would not shock me if.
Speaker 1 (07:26):
I look down at my phone during this show and
suddenly we get oh next story. The next layer of
this story is coming out, and the question is going
to be who was he actually talking with that he
met on this social media app design for largely teenagers,
(07:47):
and seventy percent of them as young as thirteen years old.
Because there's no parental control, they know the answer. And
if they know the answer, that is why I think
they have put this entire process into play. So we
will discuss more about this again. It is out there
(08:09):
and it is worth paying attention to as we continue
to move forward. In other news, President Trump has stoked
talked to NBC News on the Groundhog day of the
Iran negotiations. Will they won't they? What is the overall
impact going to be? And he says Iran going dark
(08:31):
is not necessarily a bad thing because he thinks that
we have been talking to Iran too much. I would
just say it again, There's continued to be some shootings
going back and forth, and the price of oil and
gas is up today.
Speaker 3 (08:48):
It had dropped to a.
Speaker 1 (08:49):
Multi month low going into the weekend, but it has
gone back up since Since the weekend, with these continued
Shenanigan's going back and forth over whether or not we're
going to get some form of resolution in the strait
of hoor moves, I would submit to you that if
(09:12):
President Trump were asking me for advice, I would say,
get a resolution in the short term. Have oil and
gas prices come back down in the fall and in November,
get a back down around three dollars a gallon on
average nationwide. Once the midterm elections happen, then you can
go back in and you have much of twenty twenty
(09:32):
seven to do whatever you think is appropriate that will
lead to a better outcome in Iran. I'm still surprised
that the White House hasn't leaned more effectively on the
argument that they are trying to ensure that Iran doesn't
become North Korea. To me, that's the best argument that
you can make, and I'm surprised that they haven't leaned
(09:53):
on it more frequently and more aggressively than they have,
because think about it, North Korea is basically a hermetically
sealed kingdom that no one can interact with in any
kind of significant way because they have nuclear weapons. So
it makes completely rational sense for Iran to want to
have nuclear weapons because once they have nuclear weapons, then
(10:16):
they can stay in power, probably forever. And the easy
analogy to draw there is North Korea, where it is
far more dangerous in Asia with a nuclear North Korea
than it would be if they weren't a nuclear North Korea.
In fact, I think you can make a strong argument
that North and South Korea might have reunified much like
(10:36):
East and West Germany did, but for the fact that
North Korea has nuclear weapons, and as a result, there
is no way to interact in a safe way with
them and bring freedom to the people there. The same
thing I think would happen, with the even more dangerous
layer being that if you are fundamentalist and if you
(10:57):
are religiously committed, as the leaders of Iran are, I
would argue Iran with nuclear weapons could be even more
dangerous than North Korea with nuclear weapons, and that is
the best argument to make, and we've had a lot
of discussion Buck and I have on this program that
ultimately the story here is that if Iran is able
(11:24):
to get those nuclear weapons, then they turn into North Korea.
If they do not, and if we are able to
go grab them, as I believe we are likely going
to have to end up doing before all is said
and done, then the world is much safer, and it's
much safer long after President Trump's tournament office has passed,
and the short term run up in the price of
(11:46):
oil and gas for a few months, when it comes
back down to a more reasonable price, will have been
a price that is worth paying. Of a generational nature.
A few months of paying for generations being safer is
actually a good trade. I don't think that the Trump
administration has done the best job making that argument, so
(12:08):
we will discuss on that going forward as well. I'm
also going to play you some Jill Biden interview cuts,
as she has decided to interject herself back into the
news cycle and a lot of different Democrats out there
are angry that she did so. Also, one other story
that we haven't talked about that much. Front page New
(12:29):
York Times today is JD. Vance Trump's guy or not.
There are a lot of rumors out there that Trump
may be a little bit unhappy with Jadie Vance, leaning
more towards Marco Rubio right now. White House denies it,
but again it was a front page story in the
New York Times right now, and that, along with the
(12:50):
Grand Platner story, is I would say the most significant
that are out there right now. Okay, I want to
tell you, we're talking about the situation in the Middle East,
how to make it safe for all of the choices
that are out there that could make a significant difference
for so many people. And one of the groups doing
the best work right now is the IFCJ. I've seen
(13:12):
the work that the CJ does on the ground in Israel.
This is a US based group that does everything they
can to try to help to make the people in
Israel as safe as they can be. They build bomb shelters,
they help to provide security for people in police vehicles,
They help to provide bulletproof there. They have built underground
(13:37):
hospitals to allow people to be treated in hospitals that
otherwise might be in danger of being bombed. The IFCJ
would like you to help leave a personal prayer or
message of encouragement that will be delivered directly to someone
in Israel who needs hope right now. It will be
personally delivered by the IFCJ, which is based here in
the United States and tries to bring together Christians and
(13:59):
use You can go to PRAYIFCJ dot org to submit
your prayer today. That's PRAYIFCJ dot org. One more time,
PRAYIFCJ dot org. If you truly care, pass along this
common sense to family and friends.
Speaker 2 (14:19):
Clay and Buck deer Wave.
Speaker 3 (14:21):
Welcome back in Clay and Buck.
Speaker 1 (14:23):
Tim Rice of the Daily Wire are going to be
on with us about this latest gram Platner story and
the profile that he had on the Kick site. Tom
in Tampa, You've got a take on that profile site.
What's the significance from your perspective?
Speaker 7 (14:43):
Okay, Well, then this is what I wanted to say
to producer Pray. This is what I said a producer Greg,
and it's a pore. You guys understand this where it
in Florida?
Speaker 2 (14:51):
All right?
Speaker 7 (14:52):
From a standpoint a kick. Here's what would happen in
at least four counties I know personally because they do
it right now. And Hernando County, he'll county, but Ella's County,
Paso County, all right, undercover would go into that site
and the second this guy, the second this guy and
I've got another point I want to make.
Speaker 2 (15:10):
Two.
Speaker 7 (15:10):
The second this guy transmitted a picture to any of
these kids, all right, they would execute a warrant and
he would be arrested and in jail. And I think
that point is important. I don't know what the law
is a Maine. I'm not an attorney, Clay, you are,
but I did the second he pulled out in four
counties of Florida, I guarantee you this guy would be
in jail within a week, all right. Absolutely. The other
(15:34):
point I want to make, and this is really really
important because I don't think the people of Maine are
this stupid? Okay? Are they going to set aside a
woman who has who has shown up for ten thousand
rule call votes that's like a Guinness Book of Worlds records?
Speaker 3 (15:52):
True?
Speaker 7 (15:54):
And also she cares the Defense Appropriations Committee, all right,
and she chairs, he doesn't chair. She's on the Intelligence Committee.
Are they gonna set aside somebody like Susan Collins for
this comebag? I mean, are they? Are they that stupid?
Do you want a nuclear attack? I mean you might
as well say, yeah, go ahead, watch at ICBM on
(16:15):
the United States from Moran? I mean, are they that
stupid Clay. I can't believe the people man are that stupid.
Speaker 2 (16:21):
I really can't thank you for the call.
Speaker 1 (16:23):
Look, we don't know who he was talking to, so
and we'll talk with the Daily Wire at the bottom
of this of the bottom of this program, but this
hour it is. It does seem significant to me that
he chose a site that allows thirteen year olds to
(16:45):
be meeting up for sex. He was not on I
don't know, match dot com or whatever. The most normal
sites out there for adults are to report, seventy percent
of the people who have profiles on this site are
thirteen to twenty four years old, now eighteen to twenty four.
Speaker 3 (17:09):
That could be legal.
Speaker 1 (17:11):
But this story, to me, feels like there's a next
step coming. I don't think the story is just hey,
he was sexting with six different women while he was
married to his wife. I think we're going to find
out something about those women. That's my prediction. I think
this story was the bridge that allows the next story
(17:33):
to be written, and we will see whether or not
that ends up being true. But the panic setting in
to me from the Democrat party suggests that they know
more is coming here, and that's why they're trying to
wipe him out before next week's actual primary, and then
they want to replace him with someone they think could
be a better choice. If you're out there right now,
(17:56):
maybe you got kids, maybe you got grandkids that are
working all out.
Speaker 3 (18:00):
Maybe you're like me.
Speaker 1 (18:00):
You've got a recent high school graduate that's gonna be
going off to college, and you want to make sure
that they're as safe as possible. That's what the Saber
Smart Pepper Spray self protection device is all about. Pepper
spray is Bluetooth activated, so you're notified the second it's
being used. You've got to find your phone app, probably
(18:21):
for your kids. This is something similar, except it notifies
a lot more people when that pepper spray is used,
so you can know that your kid, that your grandkid,
that whoever has got this in your family is in danger.
You can get it on Amazon right now. It will
notify up to five emergency contacts the minute that it
(18:42):
is used. Go to Amazon and search Saber Smart Pepper Spray.
That's Sabre Smart pepper Spray. You want your kids to
be safe. Saber Smart Pepper Spray on Amazon today.
Speaker 3 (18:57):
Welcome back in Clay and Buck.
Speaker 1 (19:00):
Just a post from President Trump a moment ago on
the Iran situation.
Speaker 3 (19:07):
Let me make sure that I get it.
Speaker 1 (19:08):
I had a very productive call with Prime Minister Bibi
Netanyahoo of Israel. There will be no troops going to Beirut,
and any troops that are on their way have already
been turned back likewise through highly placed representatives. I had
a very good call with Hesbola and they agreed all
shooting will stop, that Israel will not attack them, and
they will not attack Israel.
Speaker 3 (19:29):
President Trump.
Speaker 1 (19:30):
The situation with Hesbolah and with Israel, and the situation
North Israel that we actually traveled to and saw for ourselves.
The border area with the North of Israel and Lebanon
there has continued to be a flashpoint, and that is
partly what has hamstrung the ongoing negotiations with Iran. Just fyi,
(19:55):
that is the absolute latest from President Trump. He just
posted We are joined now by the Ailey Wires. Tim Rice.
He is the reporter who broke the story about the
kick account of Graham Plattner that took over the weekend
storylines for both The New York Times and the Wall
Street Journal.
Speaker 3 (20:14):
Tim.
Speaker 1 (20:15):
We appreciate you. I believe you said, you're gonna be
at Buck's book party, which he is gonna be having
in Washington, d C.
Speaker 3 (20:23):
In short order.
Speaker 1 (20:24):
Buck will be back with me tomorrow, so you guys
will have a good time. Let's dive right into this.
What is Kick? For people out there, I'm gonna be
honest with you, I'd never heard of this dating app
or hookup app before. Describe it in the context so
far as you can of what it is like and
(20:46):
why it is significant that Graham Platner may have been
on this particular site.
Speaker 2 (20:52):
Sure, yeah, and thanks for having me really really glad
to be here. So Kick is It describes itself as
an anonymous messaging app, right. The idea is you can
go on, you put in you know, either an alias
or I suppose you know, however much information you want,
and you can find other people message other people. I
think it essentially think of it like a chat room, right,
like an old AOL chat room. You know, you can
(21:14):
you can message people whose contacts you have and you
know are on there. But you can also just go
on and join live streams or groups or kind of
you know, connects with random people based on common interests
or you know whatever. You're looking for, So all sort
of anodyne enough sounding, except you consider that it is
primarily used for affairs, for clandestine affairs, and more than that,
it is notorious as an app where people go to
(21:37):
exploit abuse and you know, swap sexual content of children
and minors. This is what it is very notorious for.
It's been called the predator's Paradise app, and you know,
it's they really do everything in their power. It's not
just that it's anonymous kick. Also, it doesn't require age
verification in the United States. Technically now it says that
(21:58):
you have to be eighteen or older the terms and
conditions to use it, but until recently you only had
to be thirteen. And again, even though that's in the rules,
you still there's no age verification, So kids are lying
about their ages. They frequently host sexually explicit live streams
and chats and things of that nature. And more than that,
they don't store and the company has no way of
(22:20):
accessing the messages that are sent on its platform. So
it really is sort of like, you know, if you're
going to go do something horrible, this is probably the
app to do it, because no one knows who you are.
Anyone can join, and the company has basically said, we're
not going to do anything to police our own app,
which is understandably why it's been known for about a
(22:40):
decade now that this app has become an absolute breeding
ground for child predators.
Speaker 1 (22:45):
Okay, grand Platner, I think is forty one years old now.
There are reports that he initially created an app profile
for himself at thirty one years old. He's been married
for a couple of years. Reports on the Wall Street
Journal in New York Times that he was sexting with
six different women, at least six different women. His wife
turned it over to the campaign because she was concerned
(23:06):
it could be a liability going forward. Do we have
any idea what I know its profile was still active,
that is, you were able to determine that it was
still there. Do we have any idea how recently he
might have used that profile and or whether we think
the people that he was sexting with were likely to
(23:27):
have come from this profile. What is the story there
so far as we can tell.
Speaker 2 (23:32):
Yeah, so we're not really sure yet. Again, it's it's
pretty hard to figure out any anything that's going on
on someone's account because again, even internally. They you know,
they make such a point of hiding these messages. We
do know, we know that it's active. It seems dormant,
which basically just means you know that he has it.
It's sort of like when you're you know, like Microsoft
Team's notification goes yellow or red or whatever it is,
(23:52):
and all that means is that he hasn't used it recently, right,
but it is active, so at any point he could
lock on last icheck, he still hasn't deleted it, even
after the story came out and it started blowing up,
it's still there. He also weirdly uses his full name,
which is kind of bizarre. I mean, if you're going
to use an anonymous app for nefarious purposes and you know,
(24:13):
cut out your head, some people can't see your face
and you're a Nazi tattoo, both of which he did
in his profile picture, still uses his first name. I
suppose the charitable reading is that, you know, this was
ten years ago, it was before he thought about entering
public life. As to who the women, whether or not
he was texting them on this app, listen, this is
pure speculation. I just want to be clear about that.
I have to imagine it's connected, right, because honestly, this
(24:35):
is as I've said, this is not an app that
you download unless you're planning to use it for nefarious purposes. Right,
if you're thirty one year old man in twenty sixteen,
you're not downloading this just to like find new friends
on the internet and chat with strangers. You're downloading this
for something. Whether that is now, whether that's just to
have clandestine affairs with consenting adults, or whether it's something
darker and more sinister, that's obviously remains to be seen.
(24:55):
I think you were saying earlier that this is probably
the Bridge story and a lot more is going to
come out. I think you're probably right. I shared that suspicion.
But whether or not these women that were mentioned in
the journal story that Platner's wife flags for the campaign,
whether or not those women he met through kick that's
kind of I think a fifty to fifty chance they
could be. They could not be. But I think it's
almost guaranteed that he was using this to sext, meet
(25:16):
up with, discover identify any of these things women that
he wanted to do sexual things with, because again, there's
no other reason. I think for a Grubman to have.
Speaker 1 (25:24):
This app Okay, Graham Platner, we played the cut from him.
He says, this is just political attacks coming from coming
from Republicans who don't want to talk about more significant issues.
In your opinion, is this attack coming from Republicans or Democrats?
I have said on the program, I think Democrats are
ordering the Code red because to me, they know that
(25:47):
there may be more things coming and this is of
deep concern to them, much like we saw happen with
Eric Swallwell, and certainly if you go back to the
presidential election, they effectively ordered the code red on Joe
Biden and made him drop out. Is there a connection
here or do you buy Plattner's argument that this is
Republican in nature.
Speaker 2 (26:07):
Well, I do just want to say I got a
kick out of that statement that he gave with his
wife by a side, and he said that, you know,
talking about the kickstory. He said that it was just
lies being pushed by establishment media and the powers that be.
And I was listening to and thinking, wow, that's the
first time I've heard that I was an establishment media
figure and apparently the powers that be. So I appreciate
Graham Platner for giving me such a big promotion. Uh. Look,
(26:27):
I mean I think it's anybody's guess at this point,
right this. I think you're right. I think some of
these attacks, I think the Democrats are definitely putting the
hit out on Platner because they're a little bit worried.
I'm not necessarily sure if the stuff with his wife,
I mean, look, I think really it seems like it's
coming from disgruntled aids. Right. That's one of the other
elements of the story that Wall Street Journal story The
New York Times interviewed as former campaign manager. I believe
(26:49):
she was or you know, a consultant or something. So
I guess it's Democrat related insofar as it's people who
used to work for Graham Platner and our Democrats do.
I think that the DNC itself is is, you know,
putting out the hit. I think they're probably scrambling. But no,
I think that, especially the stories that have to do
with women. I think this is just something that this
is coming out and people are discovering it in the
(27:09):
same way we discovered it. You know, it's you know,
this is how politics goes, right, and it's unfortunate right,
But you know, it's really a where there's smoke, there's fire.
You see a candidate doing one sort of creepy and
the same way see him doing one sort of sexually
odd thing, there's probably gonna be more. In the same
way that when we saw that the guy had a
Nazi tattoo on his chest, every journalist in America thought, well,
there's probably some weird social media posts out there, and
(27:31):
sure enough there were, right, I mean, very very rarely
is it someone just doing a single wrong thing in
these context and at this level.
Speaker 1 (27:38):
The voters care? That's the question. Have we reached a
partisanship level in the country. I saw some on the
left saying, I don't care what Graham Platner does. The
overall situation matter so much more. In the Senate, they've
obviously been willing to overlook a Nazi chess tattoo, a
lot of postings on at it that are quote unquote offensive.
(28:02):
Does anybody care in the main voting public about whether
or not he was having inappropriate relationships with other women?
Speaker 3 (28:11):
What's the take there?
Speaker 2 (28:13):
I think it really depends on what who the women
turn out to be in the nature of the relationship.
And again, if he was using this app in any
sort of predatory way, even with you know, very young women,
even if they were of legal age, if he was
even seeking it out right rather than you know, it's
just sort of happening consensually, I think voters will start caring,
especially in Maine. You know, Maine is a liberal state,
but it's still sort of like the Northern Frontier, right,
(28:35):
there's still sort of this like Yeoman streak among Maners,
which I respect very much. I don't think that there.
I think that this just could be a real turn
off to main voters if it, you know, it seems
that there's anything of like true kind of criminality. But
to your point, no, I mean, I think this is
sort of indicative where the Democratic Party is, right. I mean,
anti Semitism, mocking our troops no longer mean anything. The
(28:57):
you know, they care way more about just the seat
and getting Susan Collins of all people out. And I
mean in terms of you know, infidelity, we know that Democrat,
the Democrat base doesn't care about that. We can go
back to the Clinton Lewinsky scandal. I mean, this is
like that, you know, if it's if it's just adults
consensual affairs. No, I don't think Democrat voters care about that,
but I do think we're potentially entering a different, a
(29:20):
different sort of thing here.
Speaker 1 (29:22):
Okay, so I said I expect there to be more stories.
If you were out there and you had to make
a prediction, is the Grand Platin or fallout done or
are there, like I said, bridge, is this the bridge
to other stories still to come?
Speaker 2 (29:38):
I think you're right. I think it's a bridge to
other stories still to come. And for no other reason
that we now haven't controvertible evidence that he was reaching
out to women on apps like this and having the affairs.
We haven't heard from all the women yet, so if
nothing else right, I mean, there are six that we
know of. You've got to figure at least one of
them either had an awkward experience with him, doesn't want
to see him elected to the Senate because they know
(29:58):
he's a bad guy, feels wronged by him in some way,
or just feels like it's their, you know, their duty
to speak out and give voters. I mean, you get
at least one out of six women coming forward, and
that's a story. One woman comes forward, more women come forward,
that's more stories. I really do think this was the
letting the proverbial cat out.
Speaker 1 (30:15):
Of the bag as it pertains to that, and I
think you're right that there's likely going to be a
bridge to other stories. What I have read, based on
main law is next week is the primary. If Platner
is the nominee, and it does appear that he will
be the nominee, the method by which they could appoint
(30:36):
someone new is not dissimilar to the Joe Biden Kamala
Harris situation, which is if they were to force him
out post accepting the nomination, winning the nomination, and he
dropped out, they would be able to pick a new
candidate up to and including into July. Is that what
you have seen as well? And that could be kind
of the machinations behind the scenes that are playing out here.
Speaker 2 (31:01):
That is what I've seen in terms of the process.
I think, yeah, that's the correct read. But I'm gonna
I've been hearing, you know, and a lot of people,
a lot of Republican operatives, the conservative commentators, these stories
have been coming out and they're you know, you see
all the tweets people saying please save this until after
June tenth, right by by putting it on them now,
you're just giving them a chance to replace them. My
my pots potentially hot take is I don't think the
(31:22):
Democrats have any interest in replacing plat There. They basically
forced out Janet Mills, who would have been a better candidate.
They made all of most of their leaders, I mean
except the actual leaders, but very high profile Democrats have
gone all in on Graham Platner, telling people that, you know,
ignore what you see, don't look at the Nazi tattoo,
just focus on the policy. They are so deep in
the bag with this guy. And I don't think they
(31:43):
I don't think either political party, but certainly not the Democrats.
No one has a good enough ground game to get
a you know, of a new candidate stood up that
quickly to a general election, especially then you get back
into the weirdness of Maine, right, like people love to
dump all over Susan Collins. Susan Collins is kind of
an undefeatable political figure. And if you look at the
(32:04):
people in Maine who were going to vote from Graham Plattner,
they're very very progressive lefties, right. I think that at
this point, if they put somebody else, some centrist, nicer candidate.
They'll feel betrayed. It's not that they're gonna go vote
for Susan Collins, but they're gonna stay home. And so
I really I don't I don't know if there's an act.
I don't think there's an active effort to like get
him the nomination and then pull a Joe and Kamala
(32:24):
bait and switch. They might try to do it, and
it might be the plan, but I just don't see
it working in any way. So no, I think that
they're really just this is they're gonna dance with the
one they brung and they're just stuck with this guy
until the general.
Speaker 1 (32:35):
Tam, what are the chances this is the last story
you personally are gonna write on Graham Platner.
Speaker 2 (32:42):
I mean, listen, I'm never gonna say never. We're obviously
hot on the tail on this over a daily wire.
We have been for the entire cycle. And I mean
I personally, and I know folks on my team, you
know we're digging around. This is what we do, and
so you know, I can't I can't, you know, can't
tip my hat too much to what we may or
may not have in the works. But we're gonna be
on this guy like like everyone else running in these
primaries and running against Republicans through the general election through
(33:04):
the midterms of November.
Speaker 1 (33:06):
Appreciate the time, Thank you for the work you're doing,
and let us know if you've got more stuff we
need to talk about on here.
Speaker 2 (33:12):
Absolutely, thank you so much for having me.
Speaker 1 (33:14):
At Semuris of the Daily Wire on the Grand platin
Or story. By the way, President Trump has just said
that talks with Iran are progressing. So again, groundhog Day,
that is an update that just came out.
Speaker 3 (33:27):
As well.
Speaker 1 (33:28):
As you plan for your summer vacation beyond the lookout
for potential scams. Cyber criminals can be pretty good at
impersonating guest relations for hotels or excursion companies. They send
fake messages about your booking or travel plans, then get
access to your information. Cyber Threats are out there everywhere.
That's why LifeLock monitors hundreds of millions of data points
(33:49):
a second, which is way more than anyone can do
on their own. LifeLock will alert you right away if
anything pops up. You get a text, phone, call, email
quick to track you down and tell you their suspicious
of some activity with your name involved. If you become
a victim of identity theft, you get your own restoration
specialists who will fix identity theft guaranteed or your money back.
(34:10):
Your protection backed by lifelocks million dollar protection package. If
your money stolen or you need coverage for personal expenses
or lost wages due to identity theft, LifeLock has your back.
Join now save thirty percent off your first year with
promo code Clay. Call one eight hundred LifeLock or go
to LifeLock dot com. Use promo code Clay Clay for
(34:32):
thirty percent off. Terms apply.
Speaker 2 (34:35):
Miss the show while you're on the go.
Speaker 3 (34:37):
Wind down your day with the Daily Review podcast.
Speaker 1 (34:40):
Find it on the iHeartRadio app or wherever you get
your podcasts.
Speaker 3 (34:44):
Welcome back in Clay and Buck.
Speaker 1 (34:46):
President Trump has just tweeted or truthed, I guess more accurately.
Talks are continuing at a rapid pace with the Islamic
Republic of Iran. Thank you for your attention to this matter.
So again, all of this moving in rapid order from
(35:08):
one moment to the next. Couple of different things also
that have happened out there. We are going to be
joined by my good friend Riley Gaines. Top of the
next hour, we're gonna talk about California allowing a boy
to win multiple state championships in girls track, and also
the governor and mayor's race that are going on there.
(35:30):
And if you are a sports fan, during the last
few minutes, Miles Garrett, the best rush defensive end in
the NFL, has been traded from the Cleveland Browns to
the La Rams. We got big audiences in both Cleveland
and LA for Jared Verse, a younger rush defensive end
(35:54):
and a first round pick that is considered and is
for those of us who are sports fans, effectively a
blockbuster trade announcement, and that has just broken in the
last little bit. And the Rams are the favorites to
win the Super Bowl next year as a result, followed
by the Bills and the Ravens.
Speaker 3 (36:15):
Speaking of which.
Speaker 1 (36:16):
Joy Reid, our good friend formerly of MSNBC who was fired,
says she's always been a lifelong Giants fan, but now
that Jackson Dart introduced the President of the United States,
she can no longer root for the Giants. Plus Jill
Biden with an interview all that and more, we will
dive into you will not want to miss it, and
(36:39):
it will be the final hour of the Monday edition
of the program. All that coming your way, we appreciate you.
You can load up the phone lines. We'll take some
of your calls here in the third hour as well.
And up next my good friend Riley gains On boys
winning girls state championship at Just Won't End
Welcome back in Clay and Buck. Buck will be back
with me tomorrow. He's in d C doing a variety
of book publication events. All of that underway right now,
but he'll be back with me on Tuesday. We've been
talking about the Senate battleground and the revelations coming out
(00:20):
about Graham Platner, the would be Democrat senate candidate in
Maine running against Susan Collins, The latest on the LA
mayors race, Tom Steyer on trans athletes. All that and
more coming your way.
Speaker 2 (00:38):
This is.
Speaker 3 (00:41):
Interesting.
Speaker 1 (00:42):
OURNC Research has put out this story about the Platner
profile on this kick website. It says he created a
Kick profile and by the way, I'm going to put
this out there, some of you may be young and
(01:03):
may be familiar with this profile site. We will give
you immunity to discuss eight hundred and two eight two
to eight eight two. Maybe one of you, maybe many
of you, have had profiles on this site. I know
nothing at all about it. This is from the Republican
National Committee main Democrat. Graham Platner created a Kick profile
(01:28):
with an explicit profile picture when he was thirty one
years old in twenty sixteen. It was reported that seventy
percent of the apps users were between the ages of
thirteen and twenty four. He created this profile for himself
when he was in his thirties. Grand Platner did so.
(01:50):
Seventy percent of the apps users are between thirteen and
twenty four years old. It says Kick has zero parental
controls and is known for being quote a predator's paradise
for child exploitation, with several child pornography arrests linked to it.
(02:12):
Why was Platner on it? And again? This is from
the article that was published in The Wall Street Journal
and The New York Times. The account is still active
and the pictures. We're going to talk at the bottom
of this hour with the Daily Wire reporter who uncovered
this profile and again. Platner's profile picture has a mirror
(02:37):
selfie of him shirtless with a towel wrapped around his waist.
Many of his tattoos are clearly visible, and it says
the Wall Street Journal verified the account on the app
and again it has been used widely for sexual encounters,
many involving kids that are underage. Again, seventy percent of
(02:58):
the app profiles are between thirteen and twenty four years old,
and Platner created this profile that is still active initially
when he was thirty one years old. They say he
is now over forty and still a still has a
profile there. Again, I would just say the New York
(03:24):
Times does not write this story about the sexting issues,
and the Wall Street Journal as well. If this is
the end of the story, they are setting up the
table for more to come. And Corey and Florida listening
in the New York City area is drawing an analogy
that I hadn't drawn yet, but to Anthony Wiener, who
(03:48):
many of you will remember was a prominent Democrat politician
in the New York City area. Corey and Florida, cut
g fire away, this.
Speaker 4 (03:59):
Is Corey and Florid. I'll listening to wor isn't it
interesting to compare reaction to Platner in Maine to Anthony
Wiener and his sexty scandals of only a few years ago.
Thanks great show, keep it up.
Speaker 3 (04:14):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (04:15):
I mean, look, I think there are with what happened
to Eric Swaalwell and what happened to Anthony Wiener. I
don't think this story is ending here. This story is
a bridge to allow future stories to be written in
Randy and Houston. You've got to take on this main
(04:36):
Senate situation.
Speaker 5 (04:40):
Yes, sir, longtime listener, first time caller, going back to
the Ditto days.
Speaker 6 (04:45):
And so I think that what's gonna happen is that
they'll get rid of Platiner and they'll slip in another
toxic masculine candidate Janet Mills, who did.
Speaker 5 (05:01):
Didn't cancel her her campaign.
Speaker 7 (05:03):
But she just suspended it.
Speaker 5 (05:05):
So I think the Republicans need to go on the
offensive and pulled all the dirt they can on her
because I think that she's going to be replacing Platner.
Oh and by the way, I've been driving at.
Speaker 7 (05:18):
Tesla for.
Speaker 5 (05:21):
A year now, and I and anybody that calls me week,
I'm a twenty three year firefighter, So I pity the fool,
love you guys.
Speaker 1 (05:31):
Thank you for the call. I had somebody come up
to me at a birthday party that I had not
met him before, and he said he's driving around in
at Tesla now. And I just again, the self drive,
for those of you who don't know it is revolutionary.
When you try it for the first time, you are
going to feel like you have stepped into the future.
(05:55):
Janet Mills is the current governor of Maine. She was
endorsed by all of the prominent Democrats in the Senate,
including Chuck Schumer. She suspended, to the callers point her
campaign just about a month ago, and she is sitting
there on the outside waiting to be tapped as the nominee.
(06:19):
I think it is so clear that they're going to
try and pull a bait and switch, because the people
who want to take back control of the Senate know
that Janet Mills, who has already been elected multiple times statewide,
is a far better candidate in a general election than
Graham Platner. But the primary voters in Maine have not
(06:42):
been willing to make the choice that the Grand Pubas
of the Democrat Party want them to make, and so
they have ordered the code read on Grand Platner. And
when they can force him to step out of office,
if they can step down, they get to pick the
nominee to replace Platner, just like they got to replace
(07:04):
pick the nominee to replace Joe Biden. They want to
invalidate the democratic process of the primary and pick the
guy who is more likely to orgal who is more
likely to win.
Speaker 3 (07:17):
I could see it clear as day.
Speaker 1 (07:19):
It feels self evident to me that this is where
we are headed.
Speaker 3 (07:24):
And it would not shock me if.
Speaker 1 (07:26):
I look down at my phone during this show and
suddenly we get oh next story. The next layer of
this story is coming out, and the question is going
to be who was he actually talking with that he
met on this social media app design for largely teenagers,
(07:47):
and seventy percent of them as young as thirteen years old.
Because there's no parental control, they know the answer. And
if they know the answer, that is why I think
they have put this entire process into play. So we
will discuss more about this again. It is out there
(08:09):
and it is worth paying attention to as we continue
to move forward. In other news, President Trump has stoked
talked to NBC News on the Groundhog day of the
Iran negotiations. Will they won't they? What is the overall
impact going to be? And he says Iran going dark
(08:31):
is not necessarily a bad thing because he thinks that
we have been talking to Iran too much. I would
just say it again, There's continued to be some shootings
going back and forth, and the price of oil and
gas is up today.
Speaker 3 (08:48):
It had dropped to a.
Speaker 1 (08:49):
Multi month low going into the weekend, but it has
gone back up since Since the weekend, with these continued
Shenanigan's going back and forth over whether or not we're
going to get some form of resolution in the strait
of hoor moves, I would submit to you that if
(09:12):
President Trump were asking me for advice, I would say,
get a resolution in the short term. Have oil and
gas prices come back down in the fall and in November,
get a back down around three dollars a gallon on
average nationwide. Once the midterm elections happen, then you can
go back in and you have much of twenty twenty
(09:32):
seven to do whatever you think is appropriate that will
lead to a better outcome in Iran. I'm still surprised
that the White House hasn't leaned more effectively on the
argument that they are trying to ensure that Iran doesn't
become North Korea. To me, that's the best argument that
you can make, and I'm surprised that they haven't leaned
(09:53):
on it more frequently and more aggressively than they have,
because think about it, North Korea is basically a hermetically
sealed kingdom that no one can interact with in any
kind of significant way because they have nuclear weapons. So
it makes completely rational sense for Iran to want to
have nuclear weapons because once they have nuclear weapons, then
(10:16):
they can stay in power, probably forever. And the easy
analogy to draw there is North Korea, where it is
far more dangerous in Asia with a nuclear North Korea
than it would be if they weren't a nuclear North Korea.
In fact, I think you can make a strong argument
that North and South Korea might have reunified much like
(10:36):
East and West Germany did, but for the fact that
North Korea has nuclear weapons, and as a result, there
is no way to interact in a safe way with
them and bring freedom to the people there. The same
thing I think would happen, with the even more dangerous
layer being that if you are fundamentalist and if you
(10:57):
are religiously committed, as the leaders of Iran are, I
would argue Iran with nuclear weapons could be even more
dangerous than North Korea with nuclear weapons, and that is
the best argument to make, and we've had a lot
of discussion Buck and I have on this program that
ultimately the story here is that if Iran is able
(11:24):
to get those nuclear weapons, then they turn into North Korea.
If they do not, and if we are able to
go grab them, as I believe we are likely going
to have to end up doing before all is said
and done, then the world is much safer, and it's
much safer long after President Trump's tournament office has passed,
and the short term run up in the price of
(11:46):
oil and gas for a few months, when it comes
back down to a more reasonable price, will have been
a price that is worth paying. Of a generational nature.
A few months of paying for generations being safer is
actually a good trade. I don't think that the Trump
administration has done the best job making that argument, so
(12:08):
we will discuss on that going forward as well. I'm
also going to play you some Jill Biden interview cuts,
as she has decided to interject herself back into the
news cycle and a lot of different Democrats out there
are angry that she did so. Also, one other story
that we haven't talked about that much. Front page New
(12:29):
York Times today is JD. Vance Trump's guy or not.
There are a lot of rumors out there that Trump
may be a little bit unhappy with Jadie Vance, leaning
more towards Marco Rubio right now. White House denies it,
but again it was a front page story in the
New York Times right now, and that, along with the
(12:50):
Grand Platner story, is I would say the most significant
that are out there right now. Okay, I want to
tell you, we're talking about the situation in the Middle East,
how to make it safe for all of the choices
that are out there that could make a significant difference
for so many people. And one of the groups doing
the best work right now is the IFCJ. I've seen
(13:12):
the work that the CJ does on the ground in Israel.
This is a US based group that does everything they
can to try to help to make the people in
Israel as safe as they can be. They build bomb shelters,
they help to provide security for people in police vehicles,
They help to provide bulletproof there. They have built underground
(13:37):
hospitals to allow people to be treated in hospitals that
otherwise might be in danger of being bombed. The IFCJ
would like you to help leave a personal prayer or
message of encouragement that will be delivered directly to someone
in Israel who needs hope right now. It will be
personally delivered by the IFCJ, which is based here in
the United States and tries to bring together Christians and
(13:59):
use You can go to PRAYIFCJ dot org to submit
your prayer today. That's PRAYIFCJ dot org. One more time,
PRAYIFCJ dot org. If you truly care, pass along this
common sense to family and friends.
Speaker 2 (14:19):
Clay and Buck deer Wave.
Speaker 3 (14:21):
Welcome back in Clay and Buck.
Speaker 1 (14:23):
Tim Rice of the Daily Wire are going to be
on with us about this latest gram Platner story and
the profile that he had on the Kick site. Tom
in Tampa, You've got a take on that profile site.
What's the significance from your perspective?
Speaker 7 (14:43):
Okay, Well, then this is what I wanted to say
to producer Pray. This is what I said a producer Greg,
and it's a pore. You guys understand this where it
in Florida?
Speaker 2 (14:51):
All right?
Speaker 7 (14:52):
From a standpoint a kick. Here's what would happen in
at least four counties I know personally because they do
it right now. And Hernando County, he'll county, but Ella's County,
Paso County, all right, undercover would go into that site
and the second this guy, the second this guy and
I've got another point I want to make.
Speaker 2 (15:10):
Two.
Speaker 7 (15:10):
The second this guy transmitted a picture to any of
these kids, all right, they would execute a warrant and
he would be arrested and in jail. And I think
that point is important. I don't know what the law
is a Maine. I'm not an attorney, Clay, you are,
but I did the second he pulled out in four
counties of Florida, I guarantee you this guy would be
in jail within a week, all right. Absolutely. The other
(15:34):
point I want to make, and this is really really
important because I don't think the people of Maine are
this stupid? Okay? Are they going to set aside a
woman who has who has shown up for ten thousand
rule call votes that's like a Guinness Book of Worlds records?
Speaker 3 (15:52):
True?
Speaker 7 (15:54):
And also she cares the Defense Appropriations Committee, all right,
and she chairs, he doesn't chair. She's on the Intelligence Committee.
Are they gonna set aside somebody like Susan Collins for
this comebag? I mean, are they? Are they that stupid?
Do you want a nuclear attack? I mean you might
as well say, yeah, go ahead, watch at ICBM on
(16:15):
the United States from Moran? I mean, are they that
stupid Clay. I can't believe the people man are that stupid.
Speaker 2 (16:21):
I really can't thank you for the call.
Speaker 1 (16:23):
Look, we don't know who he was talking to, so
and we'll talk with the Daily Wire at the bottom
of this of the bottom of this program, but this
hour it is. It does seem significant to me that
he chose a site that allows thirteen year olds to
(16:45):
be meeting up for sex. He was not on I
don't know, match dot com or whatever. The most normal
sites out there for adults are to report, seventy percent
of the people who have profiles on this site are
thirteen to twenty four years old, now eighteen to twenty four.
Speaker 3 (17:09):
That could be legal.
Speaker 1 (17:11):
But this story, to me, feels like there's a next
step coming. I don't think the story is just hey,
he was sexting with six different women while he was
married to his wife. I think we're going to find
out something about those women. That's my prediction. I think
this story was the bridge that allows the next story
(17:33):
to be written, and we will see whether or not
that ends up being true. But the panic setting in
to me from the Democrat party suggests that they know
more is coming here, and that's why they're trying to
wipe him out before next week's actual primary, and then
they want to replace him with someone they think could
be a better choice. If you're out there right now,
(17:56):
maybe you got kids, maybe you got grandkids that are
working all out.
Speaker 3 (18:00):
Maybe you're like me.
Speaker 1 (18:00):
You've got a recent high school graduate that's gonna be
going off to college, and you want to make sure
that they're as safe as possible. That's what the Saber
Smart Pepper Spray self protection device is all about. Pepper
spray is Bluetooth activated, so you're notified the second it's
being used. You've got to find your phone app, probably
(18:21):
for your kids. This is something similar, except it notifies
a lot more people when that pepper spray is used,
so you can know that your kid, that your grandkid,
that whoever has got this in your family is in danger.
You can get it on Amazon right now. It will
notify up to five emergency contacts the minute that it
(18:42):
is used. Go to Amazon and search Saber Smart Pepper Spray.
That's Sabre Smart pepper Spray. You want your kids to
be safe. Saber Smart Pepper Spray on Amazon today.
Speaker 3 (18:57):
Welcome back in Clay and Buck.
Speaker 1 (19:00):
Just a post from President Trump a moment ago on
the Iran situation.
Speaker 3 (19:07):
Let me make sure that I get it.
Speaker 1 (19:08):
I had a very productive call with Prime Minister Bibi
Netanyahoo of Israel. There will be no troops going to Beirut,
and any troops that are on their way have already
been turned back likewise through highly placed representatives. I had
a very good call with Hesbola and they agreed all
shooting will stop, that Israel will not attack them, and
they will not attack Israel.
Speaker 3 (19:29):
President Trump.
Speaker 1 (19:30):
The situation with Hesbolah and with Israel, and the situation
North Israel that we actually traveled to and saw for ourselves.
The border area with the North of Israel and Lebanon
there has continued to be a flashpoint, and that is
partly what has hamstrung the ongoing negotiations with Iran. Just fyi,
(19:55):
that is the absolute latest from President Trump. He just
posted We are joined now by the Ailey Wires. Tim Rice.
He is the reporter who broke the story about the
kick account of Graham Plattner that took over the weekend
storylines for both The New York Times and the Wall
Street Journal.
Speaker 3 (20:14):
Tim.
Speaker 1 (20:15):
We appreciate you. I believe you said, you're gonna be
at Buck's book party, which he is gonna be having
in Washington, d C.
Speaker 3 (20:23):
In short order.
Speaker 1 (20:24):
Buck will be back with me tomorrow, so you guys
will have a good time. Let's dive right into this.
What is Kick? For people out there, I'm gonna be
honest with you, I'd never heard of this dating app
or hookup app before. Describe it in the context so
far as you can of what it is like and
(20:46):
why it is significant that Graham Platner may have been
on this particular site.
Speaker 2 (20:52):
Sure, yeah, and thanks for having me really really glad
to be here. So Kick is It describes itself as
an anonymous messaging app, right. The idea is you can
go on, you put in you know, either an alias
or I suppose you know, however much information you want,
and you can find other people message other people. I
think it essentially think of it like a chat room, right,
like an old AOL chat room. You know, you can
(21:14):
you can message people whose contacts you have and you
know are on there. But you can also just go
on and join live streams or groups or kind of
you know, connects with random people based on common interests
or you know whatever. You're looking for, So all sort
of anodyne enough sounding, except you consider that it is
primarily used for affairs, for clandestine affairs, and more than that,
it is notorious as an app where people go to
(21:37):
exploit abuse and you know, swap sexual content of children
and minors. This is what it is very notorious for.
It's been called the predator's Paradise app, and you know,
it's they really do everything in their power. It's not
just that it's anonymous kick. Also, it doesn't require age
verification in the United States. Technically now it says that
(21:58):
you have to be eighteen or older the terms and
conditions to use it, but until recently you only had
to be thirteen. And again, even though that's in the rules,
you still there's no age verification, So kids are lying
about their ages. They frequently host sexually explicit live streams
and chats and things of that nature. And more than that,
they don't store and the company has no way of
(22:20):
accessing the messages that are sent on its platform. So
it really is sort of like, you know, if you're
going to go do something horrible, this is probably the
app to do it, because no one knows who you are.
Anyone can join, and the company has basically said, we're
not going to do anything to police our own app,
which is understandably why it's been known for about a
(22:40):
decade now that this app has become an absolute breeding
ground for child predators.
Speaker 1 (22:45):
Okay, grand Platner, I think is forty one years old now.
There are reports that he initially created an app profile
for himself at thirty one years old. He's been married
for a couple of years. Reports on the Wall Street
Journal in New York Times that he was sexting with
six different women, at least six different women. His wife
turned it over to the campaign because she was concerned
(23:06):
it could be a liability going forward. Do we have
any idea what I know its profile was still active,
that is, you were able to determine that it was
still there. Do we have any idea how recently he
might have used that profile and or whether we think
the people that he was sexting with were likely to
(23:27):
have come from this profile. What is the story there
so far as we can tell.
Speaker 2 (23:32):
Yeah, so we're not really sure yet. Again, it's it's
pretty hard to figure out any anything that's going on
on someone's account because again, even internally. They you know,
they make such a point of hiding these messages. We
do know, we know that it's active. It seems dormant,
which basically just means you know that he has it.
It's sort of like when you're you know, like Microsoft
Team's notification goes yellow or red or whatever it is,
(23:52):
and all that means is that he hasn't used it recently, right,
but it is active, so at any point he could
lock on last icheck, he still hasn't deleted it, even
after the story came out and it started blowing up,
it's still there. He also weirdly uses his full name,
which is kind of bizarre. I mean, if you're going
to use an anonymous app for nefarious purposes and you know,
(24:13):
cut out your head, some people can't see your face
and you're a Nazi tattoo, both of which he did
in his profile picture, still uses his first name. I
suppose the charitable reading is that, you know, this was
ten years ago, it was before he thought about entering
public life. As to who the women, whether or not
he was texting them on this app, listen, this is
pure speculation. I just want to be clear about that.
I have to imagine it's connected, right, because honestly, this
(24:35):
is as I've said, this is not an app that
you download unless you're planning to use it for nefarious purposes. Right,
if you're thirty one year old man in twenty sixteen,
you're not downloading this just to like find new friends
on the internet and chat with strangers. You're downloading this
for something. Whether that is now, whether that's just to
have clandestine affairs with consenting adults, or whether it's something
darker and more sinister, that's obviously remains to be seen.
(24:55):
I think you were saying earlier that this is probably
the Bridge story and a lot more is going to
come out. I think you're probably right. I shared that suspicion.
But whether or not these women that were mentioned in
the journal story that Platner's wife flags for the campaign,
whether or not those women he met through kick that's
kind of I think a fifty to fifty chance they
could be. They could not be. But I think it's
almost guaranteed that he was using this to sext, meet
(25:16):
up with, discover identify any of these things women that
he wanted to do sexual things with, because again, there's
no other reason. I think for a Grubman to have.
Speaker 1 (25:24):
This app Okay, Graham Platner, we played the cut from him.
He says, this is just political attacks coming from coming
from Republicans who don't want to talk about more significant issues.
In your opinion, is this attack coming from Republicans or Democrats?
I have said on the program, I think Democrats are
ordering the Code red because to me, they know that
(25:47):
there may be more things coming and this is of
deep concern to them, much like we saw happen with
Eric Swallwell, and certainly if you go back to the
presidential election, they effectively ordered the code red on Joe
Biden and made him drop out. Is there a connection
here or do you buy Plattner's argument that this is
Republican in nature.
Speaker 2 (26:07):
Well, I do just want to say I got a
kick out of that statement that he gave with his
wife by a side, and he said that, you know,
talking about the kickstory. He said that it was just
lies being pushed by establishment media and the powers that be.
And I was listening to and thinking, wow, that's the
first time I've heard that I was an establishment media
figure and apparently the powers that be. So I appreciate
Graham Platner for giving me such a big promotion. Uh. Look,
(26:27):
I mean I think it's anybody's guess at this point,
right this. I think you're right. I think some of
these attacks, I think the Democrats are definitely putting the
hit out on Platner because they're a little bit worried.
I'm not necessarily sure if the stuff with his wife,
I mean, look, I think really it seems like it's
coming from disgruntled aids. Right. That's one of the other
elements of the story that Wall Street Journal story The
New York Times interviewed as former campaign manager. I believe
(26:49):
she was or you know, a consultant or something. So
I guess it's Democrat related insofar as it's people who
used to work for Graham Platner and our Democrats do.
I think that the DNC itself is is, you know,
putting out the hit. I think they're probably scrambling. But no,
I think that, especially the stories that have to do
with women. I think this is just something that this
is coming out and people are discovering it in the
(27:09):
same way we discovered it. You know, it's you know,
this is how politics goes, right, and it's unfortunate right,
But you know, it's really a where there's smoke, there's fire.
You see a candidate doing one sort of creepy and
the same way see him doing one sort of sexually
odd thing, there's probably gonna be more. In the same
way that when we saw that the guy had a
Nazi tattoo on his chest, every journalist in America thought, well,
there's probably some weird social media posts out there, and
(27:31):
sure enough there were, right, I mean, very very rarely
is it someone just doing a single wrong thing in
these context and at this level.
Speaker 1 (27:38):
The voters care? That's the question. Have we reached a
partisanship level in the country. I saw some on the
left saying, I don't care what Graham Platner does. The
overall situation matter so much more. In the Senate, they've
obviously been willing to overlook a Nazi chess tattoo, a
lot of postings on at it that are quote unquote offensive.
(28:02):
Does anybody care in the main voting public about whether
or not he was having inappropriate relationships with other women?
Speaker 3 (28:11):
What's the take there?
Speaker 2 (28:13):
I think it really depends on what who the women
turn out to be in the nature of the relationship.
And again, if he was using this app in any
sort of predatory way, even with you know, very young women,
even if they were of legal age, if he was
even seeking it out right rather than you know, it's
just sort of happening consensually, I think voters will start caring,
especially in Maine. You know, Maine is a liberal state,
but it's still sort of like the Northern Frontier, right,
(28:35):
there's still sort of this like Yeoman streak among Maners,
which I respect very much. I don't think that there.
I think that this just could be a real turn
off to main voters if it, you know, it seems
that there's anything of like true kind of criminality. But
to your point, no, I mean, I think this is
sort of indicative where the Democratic Party is, right. I mean,
anti Semitism, mocking our troops no longer mean anything. The
(28:57):
you know, they care way more about just the seat
and getting Susan Collins of all people out. And I
mean in terms of you know, infidelity, we know that Democrat,
the Democrat base doesn't care about that. We can go
back to the Clinton Lewinsky scandal. I mean, this is
like that, you know, if it's if it's just adults
consensual affairs. No, I don't think Democrat voters care about that,
but I do think we're potentially entering a different, a
(29:20):
different sort of thing here.
Speaker 1 (29:22):
Okay, so I said I expect there to be more stories.
If you were out there and you had to make
a prediction, is the Grand Platin or fallout done or
are there, like I said, bridge, is this the bridge
to other stories still to come?
Speaker 2 (29:38):
I think you're right. I think it's a bridge to
other stories still to come. And for no other reason
that we now haven't controvertible evidence that he was reaching
out to women on apps like this and having the affairs.
We haven't heard from all the women yet, so if
nothing else right, I mean, there are six that we
know of. You've got to figure at least one of
them either had an awkward experience with him, doesn't want
to see him elected to the Senate because they know
(29:58):
he's a bad guy, feels wronged by him in some way,
or just feels like it's their, you know, their duty
to speak out and give voters. I mean, you get
at least one out of six women coming forward, and
that's a story. One woman comes forward, more women come forward,
that's more stories. I really do think this was the
letting the proverbial cat out.
Speaker 1 (30:15):
Of the bag as it pertains to that, and I
think you're right that there's likely going to be a
bridge to other stories. What I have read, based on
main law is next week is the primary. If Platner
is the nominee, and it does appear that he will
be the nominee, the method by which they could appoint
(30:36):
someone new is not dissimilar to the Joe Biden Kamala
Harris situation, which is if they were to force him
out post accepting the nomination, winning the nomination, and he
dropped out, they would be able to pick a new
candidate up to and including into July. Is that what
you have seen as well? And that could be kind
of the machinations behind the scenes that are playing out here.
Speaker 2 (31:01):
That is what I've seen in terms of the process.
I think, yeah, that's the correct read. But I'm gonna
I've been hearing, you know, and a lot of people,
a lot of Republican operatives, the conservative commentators, these stories
have been coming out and they're you know, you see
all the tweets people saying please save this until after
June tenth, right by by putting it on them now,
you're just giving them a chance to replace them. My
my pots potentially hot take is I don't think the
(31:22):
Democrats have any interest in replacing plat There. They basically
forced out Janet Mills, who would have been a better candidate.
They made all of most of their leaders, I mean
except the actual leaders, but very high profile Democrats have
gone all in on Graham Platner, telling people that, you know,
ignore what you see, don't look at the Nazi tattoo,
just focus on the policy. They are so deep in
the bag with this guy. And I don't think they
(31:43):
I don't think either political party, but certainly not the Democrats.
No one has a good enough ground game to get
a you know, of a new candidate stood up that
quickly to a general election, especially then you get back
into the weirdness of Maine, right, like people love to
dump all over Susan Collins. Susan Collins is kind of
an undefeatable political figure. And if you look at the
(32:04):
people in Maine who were going to vote from Graham Plattner,
they're very very progressive lefties, right. I think that at
this point, if they put somebody else, some centrist, nicer candidate.
They'll feel betrayed. It's not that they're gonna go vote
for Susan Collins, but they're gonna stay home. And so
I really I don't I don't know if there's an act.
I don't think there's an active effort to like get
him the nomination and then pull a Joe and Kamala
(32:24):
bait and switch. They might try to do it, and
it might be the plan, but I just don't see
it working in any way. So no, I think that
they're really just this is they're gonna dance with the
one they brung and they're just stuck with this guy
until the general.
Speaker 1 (32:35):
Tam, what are the chances this is the last story
you personally are gonna write on Graham Platner.
Speaker 2 (32:42):
I mean, listen, I'm never gonna say never. We're obviously
hot on the tail on this over a daily wire.
We have been for the entire cycle. And I mean
I personally, and I know folks on my team, you
know we're digging around. This is what we do, and
so you know, I can't I can't, you know, can't
tip my hat too much to what we may or
may not have in the works. But we're gonna be
on this guy like like everyone else running in these
primaries and running against Republicans through the general election through
(33:04):
the midterms of November.
Speaker 1 (33:06):
Appreciate the time, Thank you for the work you're doing,
and let us know if you've got more stuff we
need to talk about on here.
Speaker 2 (33:12):
Absolutely, thank you so much for having me.
Speaker 1 (33:14):
At Semuris of the Daily Wire on the Grand platin
Or story. By the way, President Trump has just said
that talks with Iran are progressing. So again, groundhog Day,
that is an update that just came out.
Speaker 3 (33:27):
As well.
Speaker 1 (33:28):
As you plan for your summer vacation beyond the lookout
for potential scams. Cyber criminals can be pretty good at
impersonating guest relations for hotels or excursion companies. They send
fake messages about your booking or travel plans, then get
access to your information. Cyber Threats are out there everywhere.
That's why LifeLock monitors hundreds of millions of data points
(33:49):
a second, which is way more than anyone can do
on their own. LifeLock will alert you right away if
anything pops up. You get a text, phone, call, email
quick to track you down and tell you their suspicious
of some activity with your name involved. If you become
a victim of identity theft, you get your own restoration
specialists who will fix identity theft guaranteed or your money back.
(34:10):
Your protection backed by lifelocks million dollar protection package. If
your money stolen or you need coverage for personal expenses
or lost wages due to identity theft, LifeLock has your back.
Join now save thirty percent off your first year with
promo code Clay. Call one eight hundred LifeLock or go
to LifeLock dot com. Use promo code Clay Clay for
(34:32):
thirty percent off. Terms apply.
Speaker 2 (34:35):
Miss the show while you're on the go.
Speaker 3 (34:37):
Wind down your day with the Daily Review podcast.
Speaker 1 (34:40):
Find it on the iHeartRadio app or wherever you get
your podcasts.
Speaker 3 (34:44):
Welcome back in Clay and Buck.
Speaker 1 (34:46):
President Trump has just tweeted or truthed, I guess more accurately.
Talks are continuing at a rapid pace with the Islamic
Republic of Iran. Thank you for your attention to this matter.
So again, all of this moving in rapid order from
(35:08):
one moment to the next. Couple of different things also
that have happened out there. We are going to be
joined by my good friend Riley Gaines. Top of the
next hour, we're gonna talk about California allowing a boy
to win multiple state championships in girls track, and also
the governor and mayor's race that are going on there.
(35:30):
And if you are a sports fan, during the last
few minutes, Miles Garrett, the best rush defensive end in
the NFL, has been traded from the Cleveland Browns to
the La Rams. We got big audiences in both Cleveland
and LA for Jared Verse, a younger rush defensive end
(35:54):
and a first round pick that is considered and is
for those of us who are sports fans, effectively a
blockbuster trade announcement, and that has just broken in the
last little bit. And the Rams are the favorites to
win the Super Bowl next year as a result, followed
by the Bills and the Ravens.
Speaker 3 (36:15):
Speaking of which.
Speaker 1 (36:16):
Joy Reid, our good friend formerly of MSNBC who was fired,
says she's always been a lifelong Giants fan, but now
that Jackson Dart introduced the President of the United States,
she can no longer root for the Giants. Plus Jill
Biden with an interview all that and more, we will
dive into you will not want to miss it, and
(36:39):
it will be the final hour of the Monday edition
of the program. All that coming your way, we appreciate you.
You can load up the phone lines. We'll take some
of your calls here in the third hour as well.
And up next my good friend Riley gains On boys
winning girls state championship at Just Won't End
The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show News
Hosts And Creators
Clay Travis
Buck Sexton
Show Links
WebsiteNewsletterPopular Podcasts
Hey Jonas!
Hey Jonas! The official Jonas Brothers podcast. Hosted by Kevin, Joe, and Nick Jonas. It’s the Jonas Brothers you know... musicians, actors, and well, yes, brothers. Now, they’re sharing another side of themselves in the playful, intimate, and irreverent way only they can. Spend time with the Jonas Brothers here and stay a little bit longer for deep conversations like never before.
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang
Ding dong! Join your culture consultants, Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang, on an unforgettable journey into the beating heart of CULTURE. Alongside sizzling special guests, they GET INTO the hottest pop-culture moments of the day and the formative cultural experiences that turned them into Culturistas. Produced by the Big Money Players Network and iHeartRadio.