September 9, 2025 • 15 mins
-
The “Autopen Pardon Scandal”
-
House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer announced that the committee is wrapping up its investigation into President Joe Biden’s alleged use of the autopen to issue thousands of pardons.
-
Records suggest Biden’s aides, including Chief of Staff Jeff Zients, authorized pardons using the autopen without Biden’s direct involvement.
-
Critics, including Donald Trump and constitutional attorney Mark Smith (on Fox News), argue this raises questions about presidential authority, legitimacy of pardons, and executive power under Article II.
-
Defenders claim the use of autopen is legal and Republicans are politicizing the issue.
-
-
US Military Build-up in Puerto Rico Amid Venezuela Tensions
-
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Joint Chiefs Chairman Dan Kane made an unannounced visit to Puerto Rico.
-
The visit coincided with rising US-Venezuela tensions following a US military strike on a Venezuelan cartel vessel.
-
The Pentagon is considering Puerto Rico as a hub for counter-narcotics operations, deploying F-35 jets, Marines, and multiple warships to the Caribbean.
-
Officials emphasize the move is not for regime change but to combat narco-terrorism and drug trafficking networks.
-
Puerto Rico’s strategic location is highlighted as key for intercepting drug routes.
-
Please Hit Subscribe to this podcast Right Now. Also Please Subscribe to the The Ben Ferguson Show Podcast and Verdict with Ted Cruz Wherever You get You're Podcasts. And don't forget to follow the show on Social Media so you never miss a moment! Thanks for Listening
X: https://x.com/benfergusonshow
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@VerdictwithTedCruz
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
America has always been a nation that believes in the
power of prayer, and we will never apologize for our
faith ever, ever, never, never, We will never surrender our
God given rights. We will defend our liberties, our values,
our sovereignty, and we will defend our freedom. And with
the help of amazing faith communities across the land, so
(00:22):
many are represented with us today, we will truly make
this the Olden Age.
Speaker 2 (00:28):
And if you're listening to the forty seven Morning Update
with Ben ferguson.
Speaker 3 (00:32):
Good Tuesday morning, so nice to have you with us
on the forty seven Morning Update. And we've got two
major stories for you coming out of the White House
that you need to know about. First up, it's a
smoking gun. We're now finding out a lot more because
of the investigation into the Biden administration about what was
actually going on in the final days when the auto
pen was well catching on fire and apparently the President
(00:53):
knew nothing about it. How do we know this? There
were people raising concerns within the Bidman illustration, so just
how bad did it get?
Speaker 4 (01:02):
We'll have all that for you as well.
Speaker 3 (01:05):
Also, the man in charge of the Pentagon, Pete head Seth,
visits Puerto Rico without telling people in advance line. Well,
apparently it's connected to fighting the drug cartels that have
now been declared as terrorist organizations. So what does this
mean next? We'll have that story for you in a moment,
but first I want to talk to you about my
(01:25):
friends over at Patriot Mobile. You've got a lot of
choices for cell phone service, with new ones popping up
all the time. But if you want to make a
difference and you want to stop giving your money to
liberal companies, well one way you can do that is
by getting rid of Liberal Mobile you probably have right now.
That is where hundreds of thousands of Americans are now
(01:47):
coming together and have made Patriot Mobile what they are today.
They've been in service now for thirteen years, and right
now is the best time ever to switch because it's
never been easier. Now, before I tell you about that,
I want you to know why switching is so important,
because every time you make a call, every time you
send a text, and every time that you pay your bill,
(02:08):
you're actually standing up for the values you believe in
your First and your Second Amendment rights, the rights of
unborn children, and you stand with our military, our veterans,
our wounded warriors and our fallen soldier families because Patriot
Mobile takes about five percent of your bill every month
at no extra cost to you, and they give it
back to these organizations that fight for our values. Now,
(02:30):
let's talk about switching. It has never been easier. You
can keep your same number, keep your same phone, or upgrade.
Patriot Mobile's got a one hundred percent US based customer
service team and literally they can now with technology, get
you activated in minutes from the comfort of your home
or your office. You're second to contract or owe money
on your phones, no worries. Patriot Mobile has a contract
(02:52):
buyout program and this is how we win, folks by
aligning our spending with our values. Every dollar we spend. Now,
let me also give you a free month of service.
Go to Patriotmobile dot com slash ferguson. That's Patriot Mobile
dot com slash ferguson, or you can call them nine
(03:12):
to seven to two Patriot use the promo code ferguson
and you're gonna get one month free service by switching today.
So again, Patriotmobile dot com slash ferguson. Use the promo
code ferguson. You'll get a free month of service today
Patriotmobile dot com slash ferguson or nine to seven to
two Patriot. It's the forty seven Morning Update and it
(03:33):
starts right now.
Speaker 2 (03:34):
Story number one.
Speaker 3 (03:35):
House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer said his panel is
now wrapping up its investigation to President Joe Biden's use
of the auto pen after a new report revealed major
concerns that were raised within the former Biden administration itself.
The new records reveal the President Biden's own administration at
(03:59):
the highest levels closest to the president, raised significant concerns
about not only the autopin use, but especially for to
grant thousands of pardons. This is a historic scandal with
massive repercussions, is what James Comer said in response to
the newest report quote as President Joe Biden declined his
(04:23):
aide carried out executive actions without his approval, casting even
more doubt on the legitimacy of thousands of pardons and
also other executive actions. Comber added the House Oversight Committee
is in the final stages of its investigation, and he
said there must be accountability for this scandal now. President
(04:45):
Trump has also weighed in on this newest breaking news, saying, quote,
the Biden autopin scandal is big. Not as big as
the Russia Russia Russia hoax or the rig twenty twenty
president show election, but nevertheless one the biggest ever. Now,
don't worry the left is pushing back. In fact, a
former White House Biden staffer said, the pardon process, oh,
(05:09):
it was totally fine, saying quote, Republicans like to talk
about Biden whenever news hits that. They don't want to
talk about today. They don't want to talk about what
is it the worst job.
Speaker 4 (05:20):
Game since twenty twenty. Instead, they want.
Speaker 3 (05:23):
To talk about Biden because Trump, he says, responsible for
the latest numbers. Now let's go back to what the
reality of the situation is. I want you to hear
from Mark Smith. He's a constitutional attorney on Fox News Channel,
and here's what he had to say about the developments,
especially when it comes to Biden and top aid, saying
they rarely saw or even talk to the president while
(05:44):
giving out thousands of pardons.
Speaker 5 (05:46):
Let's bring in constitutional attorney Mark Smith. Mark, thank you
so much for being here. This story just keeps on
going and going. Let's bring up this snippet from this
Axios report that says that there were people within the
bidenministration who had major concerns about this quote an email
from Biden's chief of staff, Jeff Zeenes at ten thirty
(06:07):
one pm the night of January nineteenth, less than fourteen
hours before Biden was to leave office, confirm the use
of the presidential autopen for those pardons. I approved the
use of the autopen for the execution of all of
the following pardons. Thanks Jay Z. That was an email
from Biden's chief of staff. What do you make of
this latest Axios report, Mark.
Speaker 6 (06:28):
Brian, I think the big picture here is this is
very good news politically and legally for President Donald Trump.
As you know, there are a series of these Supreme
Court cases over the power of the president to control
Article two the executive branch. And historically in the last
several decades, Brian, as you know, the deep state, these
unelected bureaucrats have been running them uck, controlling the executive
(06:49):
branch and running the government in many respects.
Speaker 4 (06:51):
And this is just a.
Speaker 6 (06:52):
Recent, more recent example and a very good example to
highlight the problems with an unelected people run the auto pen,
run the White House, and so on. And I think
all this is going to be very good in terms
of atmospherics to helping Donald Trump continue to win these
cases before the Supreme Court, because the one thing Donald
Trump is doing very very well is reminding people that
as the President of the United States, all of the
(07:13):
executive powers in Article two of the Constitution is vested
in him as the president, the one person that's elected
by all the people, voted on by all Americans. And
I think this is very helpful in front of the
US Supreme Court, which is why Donald Trump keeps winning
for the Supreme Court these questions of executive power and
his authority.
Speaker 5 (07:31):
Well, atmospherics and politics assign what about legally by the law.
Is there any sense here that these more historic record
number forty two hundred and fifty pardons and clemencies that
were signed with this autopen do they get thrown out
the door?
Speaker 6 (07:46):
Well, at a very high level, certainly, a president is
allowed to use an auto pen or an electronic signature.
I mean, people use electronic signatures to sign contracts every
day in American life, and that is legally fine. But
this all assumes, Brian, that the person who is doing
this is signing off on this is actually approved the
(08:06):
use of in this case, the autopen And that really
gets into did Joe Biden actually approve these parts using
the auto pen or not? And I think the only
way to know whether or not this is true is
would be if somebody comes forward from the Biden administration says,
you know what, he really didn't know what was going
on there being these partns were being issued with an
autopen by people that lack the authority from the President
(08:26):
to do so, and it's going to be very difficult
to get those inside facts, I suspect, but the Oversight
Committee is certainly working on trying to get to the.
Speaker 4 (08:33):
Bottom of this.
Speaker 6 (08:34):
But the question is did Joe Biden as president really
authorize these or not? That's the factual question that's key.
Speaker 3 (08:39):
There is a very good chance this is going to
work its way all the way to the Supreme Court.
And you heard him mention there that the President keeps
having big victories at the Supreme Court.
Speaker 4 (08:49):
That is true.
Speaker 3 (08:50):
I'll give you a breaking news update on that the
Supreme Court has allowed ICE agents we're now being told
to keep arresting illegal aliens in the sanctuary city of
Los Angeles So whether it's on the auto pen or
on this issue of arresting legal immigrants in LA, the
Supreme Court keeps backing the President of the United States
(09:10):
of America, and they granted the request from President Donald
Trump's administration to override a lower court's ruling from an
activist judge that barred Immigration and Customs enforcement known as
ICE agents, from carrying out federal immigration enforcement operations under
the claim that such raids could constitute racial profiling. So,
(09:31):
whether the courts say no, we're not buying it California
and they can still do their job to keep Americans safe.
Speaker 2 (09:39):
Now story number two.
Speaker 3 (09:41):
Pete ed Seth. He is a Defense secretary. He has
arrived in Puerto Rico amid the US Venezuela tensions that
are continuing to rise. This is an important visit because
it was unannounced and not only was the US Defense
Secretary there, but the Joint Chiefs Chairman, General Cain also
was on the trip. It was an unannounced visit, an
(10:03):
unplanned visit for the public to Puerto Rico as the
US has ramped up military activities in the Caribbean aimed
at drug trafficking networks. They met officials at the one
hundred and fifty six Wing Air National Guard Base head
Seth address roughly three hundred service members. Why was there
and the question you may be asking yourself is this why?
Speaker 4 (10:24):
Now? Well, it's pretty simple.
Speaker 3 (10:26):
The trip follows a September the second US military strike
in the Southern Caribbean that sank a vessel departing Venezuela,
with US officials saying eleven suspected members the Trend de
Ragua Cartel they are also a terrorist organization, were all killed.
Some regional leaders back the action, others urged more transparency.
Venezuela also denied the US allegations and criticized the operation,
(10:51):
and that's exactly what should be expected. So now the
question is why is the Pentagon weighing Puerto Rico as
a hub or is this more about spanning counternarc Kottak's
operations all together. Now we also know that plans include
deploying ten F thirty five fighter jets of the island
and conducting military flights out of Puerto Rico. An unusually
(11:12):
large cluster of US warships, about eight is already operating
in the region as well.
Speaker 4 (11:17):
Marines are also on the island.
Speaker 3 (11:19):
Elements of the twenty second Marine Unit are in Puerto
Rico for amphibious and flight training. We've been told Puerto
Rico's governor estimated a thousand marines on the island, and
the Guard says the training was pre planned and quote
not tied to the new maritime force. CBS News had
it this way on the unplanned visit and what it
(11:41):
could mean.
Speaker 7 (11:41):
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint
Chiefs Dan Kane arrived in Puerto Rico this morning as
tension continues to build between the United States and Venezuela.
They were welcome there by Puerto Rico Governor Jennifer Gonzalez,
who said on in part on X we thank President
Trump and his administration for recognizing the strategic value Puerto
(12:01):
Rico as to the national security of the United States
and the fight against drug cartels in our hemisphere perpetuated
by Narco dictator Nicholas Maduro. For more on this, and
I want to bring in John Burns. He is the
strategic director for Concerned Veterans for America. After serving more
than twenty two years in the Marine Corps and the
Army National Guard. Thank you very much for joining us.
(12:22):
What does this arrival here of Hexeth and Kane to
Puerto Rico's signal.
Speaker 8 (12:26):
To you, well, thank you Nancy for having me on.
Speaker 4 (12:28):
I think there's a lot of signals there.
Speaker 8 (12:29):
One of the key takeaways for me, aside from just
the situation with Venezuela and the drug situation in the Caribbean,
is the National Defense strategy, which a little overdue, is
said to be released within the next seven to ten days,
and early reporting indicates that there's a large pivot towards
defense of the American hemisphere and away from heavily being
heavily engaged in other parts of the world Europe. I
(12:50):
think there's probably still going to be an emphasis to
a degree on the Indo Pacific, maybe not as much
as we thought, but this is the key role that
our Department of Defense, Department of War should be playing.
Our primary interest is securing our hemisphere and our homeland.
Speaker 7 (13:04):
John. Of course, this arrival, this trip comes with the
backdrop of the United States to point eight warships and
fighter jets into that area, in addition to a massing
troops off Puerto Rico.
Speaker 4 (13:13):
If this is a war on drugs.
Speaker 7 (13:15):
What kind of guardrails, if any, exists, for the President
to send troops into Venezuela.
Speaker 8 (13:20):
Well, the President has said that he doesn't want to
sit or he's not considering this a regime change mission,
which I think was very very encouraging.
Speaker 4 (13:26):
That's right.
Speaker 3 (13:26):
As much as the media tries to lie to you
and tell you that the President's going for regime change,
that is not what this is about at all. This
is all about fighting narco terrorism. And yes, they are
terrorists that are killing Americans. So you may ask yourself
this question, why Puerto Rico, Why would you choose this
for this counter cartel operation. Well, it's pretty simple geography.
(13:48):
Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Island sit inside the
Caribbean transit Zone, historically a gateway for cocaine, fetnol, and
other drugs headed to the mainland USA. That's position plus
US sovereignty eases the basing, the logistics, and also the
prosecutions of those that.
Speaker 4 (14:07):
Are caught alive.
Speaker 3 (14:08):
And then you just have access and response times from
a military standpoint. From Puerto Rico, aircraft and ships can
quickly reach the Mona passage. The Dominican Republic Puerto Rico
Corridor and the sea lanes north of Venezuela, improving time
to intercept for go fast boats and motherships. This builds
(14:29):
on the intricacies and the model that has been used
by the Coastguard there for years as well.
Speaker 4 (14:35):
What is this all really about.
Speaker 3 (14:37):
It's about setting a clear message at the present is
going on offense that the literal war on cartels has
just begun. And this is part of where Puerto Rico
also comes in. You have additional air and maritime assets
in Puerto Rico. This will help with surveillance and interaction
coverage over the choke points where traffckers are most vulnerable
(15:00):
at see the coastguards layered approach, as it was described
by the White House, will have large cutters, aircraft and
partner forces and all the benefits of the DoD platforms
and their increased presence combined.
Speaker 4 (15:14):
So it's pretty simple.
Speaker 3 (15:15):
President the United States of America is saying we are
going all in and we're going to do this with
all of the technology and the forces that America has.
Speaker 2 (15:25):
Thank you for listening to the forty seven Morning Update
with Ben Ferguson. Please make sure you hit subscribe wherever
you're listening to this podcast right now and for more
in depth news, also subscribe to the Ben Ferguson Podcast,
and we will see you back here tomorrow
America has always been a nation that believes in the
power of prayer, and we will never apologize for our
faith ever, ever, never, never, We will never surrender our
God given rights. We will defend our liberties, our values,
our sovereignty, and we will defend our freedom. And with
the help of amazing faith communities across the land, so
(00:22):
many are represented with us today, we will truly make
this the Olden Age.
Speaker 2 (00:28):
And if you're listening to the forty seven Morning Update
with Ben ferguson.
Speaker 3 (00:32):
Good Tuesday morning, so nice to have you with us
on the forty seven Morning Update. And we've got two
major stories for you coming out of the White House
that you need to know about. First up, it's a
smoking gun. We're now finding out a lot more because
of the investigation into the Biden administration about what was
actually going on in the final days when the auto
pen was well catching on fire and apparently the President
(00:53):
knew nothing about it. How do we know this? There
were people raising concerns within the Bidman illustration, so just
how bad did it get?
Speaker 4 (01:02):
We'll have all that for you as well.
Speaker 3 (01:05):
Also, the man in charge of the Pentagon, Pete head Seth,
visits Puerto Rico without telling people in advance line. Well,
apparently it's connected to fighting the drug cartels that have
now been declared as terrorist organizations. So what does this
mean next? We'll have that story for you in a moment,
but first I want to talk to you about my
(01:25):
friends over at Patriot Mobile. You've got a lot of
choices for cell phone service, with new ones popping up
all the time. But if you want to make a
difference and you want to stop giving your money to
liberal companies, well one way you can do that is
by getting rid of Liberal Mobile you probably have right now.
That is where hundreds of thousands of Americans are now
(01:47):
coming together and have made Patriot Mobile what they are today.
They've been in service now for thirteen years, and right
now is the best time ever to switch because it's
never been easier. Now, before I tell you about that,
I want you to know why switching is so important,
because every time you make a call, every time you
send a text, and every time that you pay your bill,
(02:08):
you're actually standing up for the values you believe in
your First and your Second Amendment rights, the rights of
unborn children, and you stand with our military, our veterans,
our wounded warriors and our fallen soldier families because Patriot
Mobile takes about five percent of your bill every month
at no extra cost to you, and they give it
back to these organizations that fight for our values. Now,
(02:30):
let's talk about switching. It has never been easier. You
can keep your same number, keep your same phone, or upgrade.
Patriot Mobile's got a one hundred percent US based customer
service team and literally they can now with technology, get
you activated in minutes from the comfort of your home
or your office. You're second to contract or owe money
on your phones, no worries. Patriot Mobile has a contract
(02:52):
buyout program and this is how we win, folks by
aligning our spending with our values. Every dollar we spend. Now,
let me also give you a free month of service.
Go to Patriotmobile dot com slash ferguson. That's Patriot Mobile
dot com slash ferguson, or you can call them nine
(03:12):
to seven to two Patriot use the promo code ferguson
and you're gonna get one month free service by switching today.
So again, Patriotmobile dot com slash ferguson. Use the promo
code ferguson. You'll get a free month of service today
Patriotmobile dot com slash ferguson or nine to seven to
two Patriot. It's the forty seven Morning Update and it
(03:33):
starts right now.
Speaker 2 (03:34):
Story number one.
Speaker 3 (03:35):
House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer said his panel is
now wrapping up its investigation to President Joe Biden's use
of the auto pen after a new report revealed major
concerns that were raised within the former Biden administration itself.
The new records reveal the President Biden's own administration at
(03:59):
the highest levels closest to the president, raised significant concerns
about not only the autopin use, but especially for to
grant thousands of pardons. This is a historic scandal with
massive repercussions, is what James Comer said in response to
the newest report quote as President Joe Biden declined his
(04:23):
aide carried out executive actions without his approval, casting even
more doubt on the legitimacy of thousands of pardons and
also other executive actions. Comber added the House Oversight Committee
is in the final stages of its investigation, and he
said there must be accountability for this scandal now. President
(04:45):
Trump has also weighed in on this newest breaking news, saying, quote,
the Biden autopin scandal is big. Not as big as
the Russia Russia Russia hoax or the rig twenty twenty
president show election, but nevertheless one the biggest ever. Now,
don't worry the left is pushing back. In fact, a
former White House Biden staffer said, the pardon process, oh,
(05:09):
it was totally fine, saying quote, Republicans like to talk
about Biden whenever news hits that. They don't want to
talk about today. They don't want to talk about what
is it the worst job.
Speaker 4 (05:20):
Game since twenty twenty. Instead, they want.
Speaker 3 (05:23):
To talk about Biden because Trump, he says, responsible for
the latest numbers. Now let's go back to what the
reality of the situation is. I want you to hear
from Mark Smith. He's a constitutional attorney on Fox News Channel,
and here's what he had to say about the developments,
especially when it comes to Biden and top aid, saying
they rarely saw or even talk to the president while
(05:44):
giving out thousands of pardons.
Speaker 5 (05:46):
Let's bring in constitutional attorney Mark Smith. Mark, thank you
so much for being here. This story just keeps on
going and going. Let's bring up this snippet from this
Axios report that says that there were people within the
bidenministration who had major concerns about this quote an email
from Biden's chief of staff, Jeff Zeenes at ten thirty
(06:07):
one pm the night of January nineteenth, less than fourteen
hours before Biden was to leave office, confirm the use
of the presidential autopen for those pardons. I approved the
use of the autopen for the execution of all of
the following pardons. Thanks Jay Z. That was an email
from Biden's chief of staff. What do you make of
this latest Axios report, Mark.
Speaker 6 (06:28):
Brian, I think the big picture here is this is
very good news politically and legally for President Donald Trump.
As you know, there are a series of these Supreme
Court cases over the power of the president to control
Article two the executive branch. And historically in the last
several decades, Brian, as you know, the deep state, these
unelected bureaucrats have been running them uck, controlling the executive
(06:49):
branch and running the government in many respects.
Speaker 4 (06:51):
And this is just a.
Speaker 6 (06:52):
Recent, more recent example and a very good example to
highlight the problems with an unelected people run the auto pen,
run the White House, and so on. And I think
all this is going to be very good in terms
of atmospherics to helping Donald Trump continue to win these
cases before the Supreme Court, because the one thing Donald
Trump is doing very very well is reminding people that
as the President of the United States, all of the
(07:13):
executive powers in Article two of the Constitution is vested
in him as the president, the one person that's elected
by all the people, voted on by all Americans. And
I think this is very helpful in front of the
US Supreme Court, which is why Donald Trump keeps winning
for the Supreme Court these questions of executive power and
his authority.
Speaker 5 (07:31):
Well, atmospherics and politics assign what about legally by the law.
Is there any sense here that these more historic record
number forty two hundred and fifty pardons and clemencies that
were signed with this autopen do they get thrown out
the door?
Speaker 6 (07:46):
Well, at a very high level, certainly, a president is
allowed to use an auto pen or an electronic signature.
I mean, people use electronic signatures to sign contracts every
day in American life, and that is legally fine. But
this all assumes, Brian, that the person who is doing
this is signing off on this is actually approved the
(08:06):
use of in this case, the autopen And that really
gets into did Joe Biden actually approve these parts using
the auto pen or not? And I think the only
way to know whether or not this is true is
would be if somebody comes forward from the Biden administration says,
you know what, he really didn't know what was going
on there being these partns were being issued with an
autopen by people that lack the authority from the President
(08:26):
to do so, and it's going to be very difficult
to get those inside facts, I suspect, but the Oversight
Committee is certainly working on trying to get to the.
Speaker 4 (08:33):
Bottom of this.
Speaker 6 (08:34):
But the question is did Joe Biden as president really
authorize these or not? That's the factual question that's key.
Speaker 3 (08:39):
There is a very good chance this is going to
work its way all the way to the Supreme Court.
And you heard him mention there that the President keeps
having big victories at the Supreme Court.
Speaker 4 (08:49):
That is true.
Speaker 3 (08:50):
I'll give you a breaking news update on that the
Supreme Court has allowed ICE agents we're now being told
to keep arresting illegal aliens in the sanctuary city of
Los Angeles So whether it's on the auto pen or
on this issue of arresting legal immigrants in LA, the
Supreme Court keeps backing the President of the United States
(09:10):
of America, and they granted the request from President Donald
Trump's administration to override a lower court's ruling from an
activist judge that barred Immigration and Customs enforcement known as
ICE agents, from carrying out federal immigration enforcement operations under
the claim that such raids could constitute racial profiling. So,
(09:31):
whether the courts say no, we're not buying it California
and they can still do their job to keep Americans safe.
Speaker 2 (09:39):
Now story number two.
Speaker 3 (09:41):
Pete ed Seth. He is a Defense secretary. He has
arrived in Puerto Rico amid the US Venezuela tensions that
are continuing to rise. This is an important visit because
it was unannounced and not only was the US Defense
Secretary there, but the Joint Chiefs Chairman, General Cain also
was on the trip. It was an unannounced visit, an
(10:03):
unplanned visit for the public to Puerto Rico as the
US has ramped up military activities in the Caribbean aimed
at drug trafficking networks. They met officials at the one
hundred and fifty six Wing Air National Guard Base head
Seth address roughly three hundred service members. Why was there
and the question you may be asking yourself is this why?
Speaker 4 (10:24):
Now? Well, it's pretty simple.
Speaker 3 (10:26):
The trip follows a September the second US military strike
in the Southern Caribbean that sank a vessel departing Venezuela,
with US officials saying eleven suspected members the Trend de
Ragua Cartel they are also a terrorist organization, were all killed.
Some regional leaders back the action, others urged more transparency.
Venezuela also denied the US allegations and criticized the operation,
(10:51):
and that's exactly what should be expected. So now the
question is why is the Pentagon weighing Puerto Rico as
a hub or is this more about spanning counternarc Kottak's
operations all together. Now we also know that plans include
deploying ten F thirty five fighter jets of the island
and conducting military flights out of Puerto Rico. An unusually
(11:12):
large cluster of US warships, about eight is already operating
in the region as well.
Speaker 4 (11:17):
Marines are also on the island.
Speaker 3 (11:19):
Elements of the twenty second Marine Unit are in Puerto
Rico for amphibious and flight training. We've been told Puerto
Rico's governor estimated a thousand marines on the island, and
the Guard says the training was pre planned and quote
not tied to the new maritime force. CBS News had
it this way on the unplanned visit and what it
(11:41):
could mean.
Speaker 7 (11:41):
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint
Chiefs Dan Kane arrived in Puerto Rico this morning as
tension continues to build between the United States and Venezuela.
They were welcome there by Puerto Rico Governor Jennifer Gonzalez,
who said on in part on X we thank President
Trump and his administration for recognizing the strategic value Puerto
(12:01):
Rico as to the national security of the United States
and the fight against drug cartels in our hemisphere perpetuated
by Narco dictator Nicholas Maduro. For more on this, and
I want to bring in John Burns. He is the
strategic director for Concerned Veterans for America. After serving more
than twenty two years in the Marine Corps and the
Army National Guard. Thank you very much for joining us.
(12:22):
What does this arrival here of Hexeth and Kane to
Puerto Rico's signal.
Speaker 8 (12:26):
To you, well, thank you Nancy for having me on.
Speaker 4 (12:28):
I think there's a lot of signals there.
Speaker 8 (12:29):
One of the key takeaways for me, aside from just
the situation with Venezuela and the drug situation in the Caribbean,
is the National Defense strategy, which a little overdue, is
said to be released within the next seven to ten days,
and early reporting indicates that there's a large pivot towards
defense of the American hemisphere and away from heavily being
heavily engaged in other parts of the world Europe. I
(12:50):
think there's probably still going to be an emphasis to
a degree on the Indo Pacific, maybe not as much
as we thought, but this is the key role that
our Department of Defense, Department of War should be playing.
Our primary interest is securing our hemisphere and our homeland.
Speaker 7 (13:04):
John. Of course, this arrival, this trip comes with the
backdrop of the United States to point eight warships and
fighter jets into that area, in addition to a massing
troops off Puerto Rico.
Speaker 4 (13:13):
If this is a war on drugs.
Speaker 7 (13:15):
What kind of guardrails, if any, exists, for the President
to send troops into Venezuela.
Speaker 8 (13:20):
Well, the President has said that he doesn't want to
sit or he's not considering this a regime change mission,
which I think was very very encouraging.
Speaker 4 (13:26):
That's right.
Speaker 3 (13:26):
As much as the media tries to lie to you
and tell you that the President's going for regime change,
that is not what this is about at all. This
is all about fighting narco terrorism. And yes, they are
terrorists that are killing Americans. So you may ask yourself
this question, why Puerto Rico, Why would you choose this
for this counter cartel operation. Well, it's pretty simple geography.
(13:48):
Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Island sit inside the
Caribbean transit Zone, historically a gateway for cocaine, fetnol, and
other drugs headed to the mainland USA. That's position plus
US sovereignty eases the basing, the logistics, and also the
prosecutions of those that.
Speaker 4 (14:07):
Are caught alive.
Speaker 3 (14:08):
And then you just have access and response times from
a military standpoint. From Puerto Rico, aircraft and ships can
quickly reach the Mona passage. The Dominican Republic Puerto Rico
Corridor and the sea lanes north of Venezuela, improving time
to intercept for go fast boats and motherships. This builds
(14:29):
on the intricacies and the model that has been used
by the Coastguard there for years as well.
Speaker 4 (14:35):
What is this all really about.
Speaker 3 (14:37):
It's about setting a clear message at the present is
going on offense that the literal war on cartels has
just begun. And this is part of where Puerto Rico
also comes in. You have additional air and maritime assets
in Puerto Rico. This will help with surveillance and interaction
coverage over the choke points where traffckers are most vulnerable
(15:00):
at see the coastguards layered approach, as it was described
by the White House, will have large cutters, aircraft and
partner forces and all the benefits of the DoD platforms
and their increased presence combined.
Speaker 4 (15:14):
So it's pretty simple.
Speaker 3 (15:15):
President the United States of America is saying we are
going all in and we're going to do this with
all of the technology and the forces that America has.
Speaker 2 (15:25):
Thank you for listening to the forty seven Morning Update
with Ben Ferguson. Please make sure you hit subscribe wherever
you're listening to this podcast right now and for more
in depth news, also subscribe to the Ben Ferguson Podcast,
and we will see you back here tomorrow
Host
Ben Ferguson
Popular Podcasts
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!
NFL Daily with Gregg Rosenthal
Gregg Rosenthal and a rotating crew of elite NFL Media co-hosts, including Patrick Claybon, Colleen Wolfe, Steve Wyche, Nick Shook and Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic get you caught up daily on all the NFL news and analysis you need to be smarter and funnier than your friends.
The Joe Rogan Experience
The official podcast of comedian Joe Rogan.