Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
What we're going to do now is talk to a
very special guest who was joining us on the phone
line here on eleven ten kfa B. The Attorney General
of the State of Iowa, Brenda Bird, is joining us
on the phone line today. Attorney General Bird, thank you
so much for the time and for being a part
of our show today.
Speaker 2 (00:15):
Yes, thank you.
Speaker 1 (00:16):
I talked to you last week on my Iowa show,
so I've gotten a little bit of insight to some
of the decision making. But I think it's important, even
a few days later to kind of talk about some
of the things that have been happening. You made headlines
last week when you made the announcement that you would
not be seeking the governor spot in the state of Iowa.
You instead want to run for reelection for the Attorney
General's office that you've held since you were elected a
(00:39):
few years ago. And I guess I was a little
surprised by that, but I know that there are a
lot of Republicans that felt like you were well positioned
if that was a job that you wanted, that you
would have a really good shot at becoming the nominee
and potentially winning. What was it about that decision? That
got you to the conclusion that you wanted to try
to get re elected as the Attorney General.
Speaker 2 (00:56):
Well, I was born and raised on a farm, and
I know we we don't stop halfway through a job.
We see it all the way through and get it
done and just feel like I've got some work left
to do in the eg's office. We've done a lot
back in the blue and helping crime victims, stopping karnatters,
standing up for the Constitution, but our work there isn't done,
(01:17):
and I want to see that through. As a mom
and prosecutor, I really appreciate the chance that I have
to work with our law enforcement and keep Iowa safe.
Speaker 1 (01:25):
There's a lot of people that look at people in
your perspective. And I know this conversation kind of popped
up with the LEAs Stephonic when they decided that they
didn't want her to be the ambassador to the United Nations.
It's like she's doing really important work and the House
of Representatives, did you get some of that feedback saying,
you know, as much as the governor's spot is really important,
that Attorney general spot's really important too. To have somebody that's,
(01:46):
you know, doing really good work. There, and you are
still in your first term as the Attorney General as
we speak right now. What was that feedback from some
of your Republican colleagues.
Speaker 2 (01:56):
Yeah, well, I got a lot of feedback from all
kinds of people who and let me tell you, I
really appreciate it. You know, some of your listeners too,
appreciate that a lot. You know, different people had different
thoughts and appreciated hearing from them. But I have to
say a lot of folks do understand the importance of
the Attorney General's office and just how important it is
(02:18):
to do a good job uphold the Constitution, stand for
the rule of law, all of those really important American
principles that we tend to think about this time of
the year, just after the fourth of July, and the
Attorney General I get to uphold and work towards all
of them.
Speaker 1 (02:33):
Britda Bird, who is the Attorney General of the State
of Iowa, joining us on the phone line today here
on eleven ten, kfab Let's talk about that governor's race
now that you are not going to be a part
of it. You are a member of the Republican Party.
You have been I think very you know, high profile
in this state with the position that you have for
the last few years, knowing that Governor Kim Reynolds is
on her way out, she says that after next year
(02:56):
that she is going to kind of retire from politics
at least in the position she's in right now, and
will not seek reelection. We know Randy Feinstro is at
least going to be throwing his head into the ring
as a Republican currently in Congress in DC. We know
Rob Sandt is going to be on the Democratic side,
and I know there's a lot of hubbub about what
he can bring in the state auditor for the last
several years, What can you tell me about what that
(03:18):
race is going to mean for the state of Iowa,
knowing how red that state has become over the last
several years.
Speaker 2 (03:23):
Well, Kim Reynolds has been a great governor of our state,
and you know, I really wish she was running again,
quite honestly. She's done a great job. But there comes
a time to be done and to move on to
the next thing, and she's decided to do that. I
think that it's vitally important that Iowa has a great governor,
one that will continue her policies, whether it's the lower taxes,
(03:47):
the cutting the size of government, upholding laws that promote
our freedoms and our choices. She's done a great job
as a governor, and I'd like to see somebody that
follows in her shoes and not somebody that tries to
undo all of the great progress she's made for Iowa.
Speaker 1 (04:03):
Yeah, we're going to have to see. It still feels
really early in the process, but we know that a
lot of this stuff has to get organized for what
will be a sprint in twenty twenty six. The next
question I have is I got off the phone with
you last week and you had to kind of get
yourself packed up and head toward the Iowa State Fairgrounds.
You were a part of the big America two fifty
(04:24):
celebration kind of kicking off what will lead up to
next year's two hundred and fiftieth birthday of the United
States of America's independence. What did you you know? What
can you tell me about that event? Donald Trump was,
of course president, several other people at the highest level
were present, and you were a part of that as well,
and you have a great relationship with Donald Trump. Can
you talk to me about what you're seeing in that
(04:46):
moment of celebration leading up to the fourth of July.
Speaker 2 (04:49):
Last week, Well, it was great to be there with
President Trump and his whole team celebrating America's big, beautiful birthday,
right a whole year of celebration of the two hundred
and fiftieth, the anniversary of the signing of the Declaration.
So it was exciting. It was good to see them.
President Trump gave a great speech where he covered all
the key areas that he has been working on for
(05:11):
Iowa and for the country. And I have to say this,
it is really special that he picked a place like
Iowa to have his celebration because Iowa wasn't even a
state back when the Declaration was signed. We all know that.
And for a place like Iowa to be the place
that he kicks us off, I think that's something very special,
a hat tip to the Midwest and how much he
(05:32):
appreciates us.
Speaker 1 (05:33):
We're speaking with Iowa Attorney General Brenda Bird and very
interesting stuff that has come out. You're an attorney general,
can you explain for the lay person, because I'm sure
that a lot of people listening know exactly what the
Attorney General's office for a state does But from your perspective,
and I'm going to have a follow up question here
on a national level. But this job that you have
(05:54):
and what your office is attempting to do three hundred
and sixty five days a year, how can you best
describe that in six seconds to somebody who doesn't really
understand your job.
Speaker 2 (06:02):
Yeah, wells, As a prosecutor, we help bind crime victims,
We uphold the law, We hold people accountable under the
criminal laws. We support our law enforcement, which is very important.
We also do all the lawsuits for the state, whether
that's a claim involving the state or something involving constitutional rights,
(06:23):
defending the laws our legislature passes, you name it. We
also get to help stop the con artists that have
been ripping people off, the scammers, and that is a
growing trend and ry. We should talk about that sometimes
so people can beware and be on guard. So it's
a great job getting to uphold the law and help
people every single day.
Speaker 1 (06:42):
Yeah, this scammer thing, I mean, there's a lot of
items that we can unpack and many layers to that.
We kind of were talking about artificial intelligence and how
that's become a part of it as well, so something
definitely keep an eye on. But we had just gotten
done talking last hour about Attorney General Pam Bondi, who
is a former state attorney general and Flora, of course
is now the Attorney General of the US with Donald Trump,
(07:04):
and she was in the news recently with this Jeffrey
Epstein situation, and she's kind of been at the forefront
of having to take questions about that sort of thing,
and many people were wondering what took so long, why
did does there ended up not being anything, and about
some of the maybe the due diligence and some of
the items that needs to be done before something can
be released, even if the announcement is we don't have
(07:25):
anything contrary to what the original report was, what would
that process look like from an attorney general's perspective to
get that information before you make an announcement to the people.
Speaker 2 (07:35):
Yeah, well, I mean I can't say everything that Attorney
General Pam Bondi had to do, but as you can imagine,
I think the first thing you want to do is
make sure you've got all the information and that it's
being gathered from the right places, and then to go
through that and make sure what can be released, what
can't be released, that sort of thing. It does take
some time. I do think transparency is important. People need answers,
(07:57):
but there are also laws on the books that were
check people's rights, so we have to uphold all of
those laws.
Speaker 1 (08:03):
Just a follow up, and this may be you know,
if if this is an uncomfortable question to answer on this,
then I suppose you know, you can feel free to
decline to answer the question. But I as an attorney general,
you know you've been very transparent with the people of Iowa.
Whenever there's something important, you're sending out press releases, You're
get in front of cameras or microphones to tell people
what's happening. And I do appreciate what the current administration
(08:26):
in DC is attempting to do on this as far
as how much like attorney general can answer questions. I
know that courts and court systems always you know, it's
kind of tricky about what you can comment on when
there's an investigation and what you can't comment on. But
is has there been kind of some questionable things at
least from that specific case that you know kind of
(08:48):
lead to more questions from your vantage point? Or do
you think that there's really nothing that people need to
worry about as being you know, kind of still hidden
or covered up or needing to further investigate beyond what
we've heard from you know, Turney General Pam Bondi this week.
Speaker 2 (09:02):
Yeah, well, I don't have any special information on that
memory that might be helpful, but I can tell you
somebody powerful like Epstein, who was tied to a lot
of powerful people. I think it's really important that the
light of day has been shown there. And I know
President Trump made it very clear that he wanted transparency,
and so did Attorney General Bondi. They're doing what they
(09:24):
have to do. It can be really hard not to
be able to comment on an investigation, and there's times
that our office would have a murder case or other
case where we don't comment on it hardly at all,
because we want to make sure that trial happens in
a courtroom rather than in the court of public opinions.
So there are some things that can't be talked about,
(09:44):
some things that can. But to say I'm an expert
on the Epstein case and what information the Department of
Justice has at the federal level, that's not the case.
I don't have anything special that access that you don't have.
Speaker 1 (09:57):
Attorney General brand A. Bird of the State of Iowa
joining us, last question for you, Attorney General Bird, I
do appreciate, again, like I mentioned, the transparency that you have,
and I know that there's always different projects, in different
lawsuits or different investigations that you are helping lead the
way in the state of Iowa. So for people who
are in Iowa and maybe even my Nebraska listeners people
around the country, what are a couple of things that
(10:19):
you are in your office going to be working on
the rest of the summer.
Speaker 2 (10:22):
Well, we have our cold case unit that's working on
the over four hundred unsolved homicides around Iowa. So that's
something that's near and dear to my heart. We want
to make sure that nobody ever forgets about these victims,
that if there's a lead, that it comes in and
gets to the right law enforcement agency. It's so important.
We don't want anybody to get away with murder, and
I want for everyone to know we'll never give up
(10:44):
on justice for these victims. It's very important. And we've
also done some things to be proactive about stopping the scanners,
scammers and the con artists. We have sued the crypto kios.
They kind of operate as the getaway drivers for money
sent midwesterners Iowans and Nebraska and might put into one
of these machines and then it goes into a crypto
(11:06):
wallet of an international con artist or scammer. So we're
going after it there to make sure there's going to
be some good safeguards and that people are protected.
Speaker 1 (11:15):
Really really important stuff. From the Attorney General's Office in
the State of Iowa, Brenda Bird. We really do appreciate
you for being so transparent and being a part of
our show, and we will be certainly catching up with
you sometime in the very near future to continue to
see what's going on in the Attorney General's office. Thanks
so much, Thank you, great stuff there. Love talking to
people that are willing to talk about what they do
(11:35):
and kind of pull back the curtain a little bit
and talk to us from a very personal standpoint, make
us feel like we're actually a part of the system.
Really appreciate that. From Attorney General Brenda Bird from the
State of Iowa.
Speaker 2 (11:47):
Em Very Songer on news radio eleven ten kfab
What we're going to do now is talk to a
very special guest who was joining us on the phone
line here on eleven ten kfa B. The Attorney General
of the State of Iowa, Brenda Bird, is joining us
on the phone line today. Attorney General Bird, thank you
so much for the time and for being a part
of our show today.
Speaker 2 (00:15):
Yes, thank you.
Speaker 1 (00:16):
I talked to you last week on my Iowa show,
so I've gotten a little bit of insight to some
of the decision making. But I think it's important, even
a few days later to kind of talk about some
of the things that have been happening. You made headlines
last week when you made the announcement that you would
not be seeking the governor spot in the state of Iowa.
You instead want to run for reelection for the Attorney
General's office that you've held since you were elected a
(00:39):
few years ago. And I guess I was a little
surprised by that, but I know that there are a
lot of Republicans that felt like you were well positioned
if that was a job that you wanted, that you
would have a really good shot at becoming the nominee
and potentially winning. What was it about that decision? That
got you to the conclusion that you wanted to try
to get re elected as the Attorney General.
Speaker 2 (00:56):
Well, I was born and raised on a farm, and
I know we we don't stop halfway through a job.
We see it all the way through and get it
done and just feel like I've got some work left
to do in the eg's office. We've done a lot
back in the blue and helping crime victims, stopping karnatters,
standing up for the Constitution, but our work there isn't done,
(01:17):
and I want to see that through. As a mom
and prosecutor, I really appreciate the chance that I have
to work with our law enforcement and keep Iowa safe.
Speaker 1 (01:25):
There's a lot of people that look at people in
your perspective. And I know this conversation kind of popped
up with the LEAs Stephonic when they decided that they
didn't want her to be the ambassador to the United Nations.
It's like she's doing really important work and the House
of Representatives, did you get some of that feedback saying,
you know, as much as the governor's spot is really important,
that Attorney general spot's really important too. To have somebody that's,
(01:46):
you know, doing really good work. There, and you are
still in your first term as the Attorney General as
we speak right now. What was that feedback from some
of your Republican colleagues.
Speaker 2 (01:56):
Yeah, well, I got a lot of feedback from all
kinds of people who and let me tell you, I
really appreciate it. You know, some of your listeners too,
appreciate that a lot. You know, different people had different
thoughts and appreciated hearing from them. But I have to
say a lot of folks do understand the importance of
the Attorney General's office and just how important it is
(02:18):
to do a good job uphold the Constitution, stand for
the rule of law, all of those really important American
principles that we tend to think about this time of
the year, just after the fourth of July, and the
Attorney General I get to uphold and work towards all
of them.
Speaker 1 (02:33):
Britda Bird, who is the Attorney General of the State
of Iowa, joining us on the phone line today here
on eleven ten, kfab Let's talk about that governor's race
now that you are not going to be a part
of it. You are a member of the Republican Party.
You have been I think very you know, high profile
in this state with the position that you have for
the last few years, knowing that Governor Kim Reynolds is
on her way out, she says that after next year
(02:56):
that she is going to kind of retire from politics
at least in the position she's in right now, and
will not seek reelection. We know Randy Feinstro is at
least going to be throwing his head into the ring
as a Republican currently in Congress in DC. We know
Rob Sandt is going to be on the Democratic side,
and I know there's a lot of hubbub about what
he can bring in the state auditor for the last
several years, What can you tell me about what that
(03:18):
race is going to mean for the state of Iowa,
knowing how red that state has become over the last
several years.
Speaker 2 (03:23):
Well, Kim Reynolds has been a great governor of our state,
and you know, I really wish she was running again,
quite honestly. She's done a great job. But there comes
a time to be done and to move on to
the next thing, and she's decided to do that. I
think that it's vitally important that Iowa has a great governor,
one that will continue her policies, whether it's the lower taxes,
(03:47):
the cutting the size of government, upholding laws that promote
our freedoms and our choices. She's done a great job
as a governor, and I'd like to see somebody that
follows in her shoes and not somebody that tries to
undo all of the great progress she's made for Iowa.
Speaker 1 (04:03):
Yeah, we're going to have to see. It still feels
really early in the process, but we know that a
lot of this stuff has to get organized for what
will be a sprint in twenty twenty six. The next
question I have is I got off the phone with
you last week and you had to kind of get
yourself packed up and head toward the Iowa State Fairgrounds.
You were a part of the big America two fifty
(04:24):
celebration kind of kicking off what will lead up to
next year's two hundred and fiftieth birthday of the United
States of America's independence. What did you you know? What
can you tell me about that event? Donald Trump was,
of course president, several other people at the highest level
were present, and you were a part of that as well,
and you have a great relationship with Donald Trump. Can
you talk to me about what you're seeing in that
(04:46):
moment of celebration leading up to the fourth of July.
Speaker 2 (04:49):
Last week, Well, it was great to be there with
President Trump and his whole team celebrating America's big, beautiful birthday,
right a whole year of celebration of the two hundred
and fiftieth, the anniversary of the signing of the Declaration.
So it was exciting. It was good to see them.
President Trump gave a great speech where he covered all
the key areas that he has been working on for
(05:11):
Iowa and for the country. And I have to say this,
it is really special that he picked a place like
Iowa to have his celebration because Iowa wasn't even a
state back when the Declaration was signed. We all know that.
And for a place like Iowa to be the place
that he kicks us off, I think that's something very special,
a hat tip to the Midwest and how much he
(05:32):
appreciates us.
Speaker 1 (05:33):
We're speaking with Iowa Attorney General Brenda Bird and very
interesting stuff that has come out. You're an attorney general,
can you explain for the lay person, because I'm sure
that a lot of people listening know exactly what the
Attorney General's office for a state does But from your perspective,
and I'm going to have a follow up question here
on a national level. But this job that you have
(05:54):
and what your office is attempting to do three hundred
and sixty five days a year, how can you best
describe that in six seconds to somebody who doesn't really
understand your job.
Speaker 2 (06:02):
Yeah, wells, As a prosecutor, we help bind crime victims,
We uphold the law, We hold people accountable under the
criminal laws. We support our law enforcement, which is very important.
We also do all the lawsuits for the state, whether
that's a claim involving the state or something involving constitutional rights,
(06:23):
defending the laws our legislature passes, you name it. We
also get to help stop the con artists that have
been ripping people off, the scammers, and that is a
growing trend and ry. We should talk about that sometimes
so people can beware and be on guard. So it's
a great job getting to uphold the law and help
people every single day.
Speaker 1 (06:42):
Yeah, this scammer thing, I mean, there's a lot of
items that we can unpack and many layers to that.
We kind of were talking about artificial intelligence and how
that's become a part of it as well, so something
definitely keep an eye on. But we had just gotten
done talking last hour about Attorney General Pam Bondi, who
is a former state attorney general and Flora, of course
is now the Attorney General of the US with Donald Trump,
(07:04):
and she was in the news recently with this Jeffrey
Epstein situation, and she's kind of been at the forefront
of having to take questions about that sort of thing,
and many people were wondering what took so long, why
did does there ended up not being anything, and about
some of the maybe the due diligence and some of
the items that needs to be done before something can
be released, even if the announcement is we don't have
(07:25):
anything contrary to what the original report was, what would
that process look like from an attorney general's perspective to
get that information before you make an announcement to the people.
Speaker 2 (07:35):
Yeah, well, I mean I can't say everything that Attorney
General Pam Bondi had to do, but as you can imagine,
I think the first thing you want to do is
make sure you've got all the information and that it's
being gathered from the right places, and then to go
through that and make sure what can be released, what
can't be released, that sort of thing. It does take
some time. I do think transparency is important. People need answers,
(07:57):
but there are also laws on the books that were
check people's rights, so we have to uphold all of
those laws.
Speaker 1 (08:03):
Just a follow up, and this may be you know,
if if this is an uncomfortable question to answer on this,
then I suppose you know, you can feel free to
decline to answer the question. But I as an attorney general,
you know you've been very transparent with the people of Iowa.
Whenever there's something important, you're sending out press releases, You're
get in front of cameras or microphones to tell people
what's happening. And I do appreciate what the current administration
(08:26):
in DC is attempting to do on this as far
as how much like attorney general can answer questions. I
know that courts and court systems always you know, it's
kind of tricky about what you can comment on when
there's an investigation and what you can't comment on. But
is has there been kind of some questionable things at
least from that specific case that you know kind of
(08:48):
lead to more questions from your vantage point? Or do
you think that there's really nothing that people need to
worry about as being you know, kind of still hidden
or covered up or needing to further investigate beyond what
we've heard from you know, Turney General Pam Bondi this week.
Speaker 2 (09:02):
Yeah, well, I don't have any special information on that
memory that might be helpful, but I can tell you
somebody powerful like Epstein, who was tied to a lot
of powerful people. I think it's really important that the
light of day has been shown there. And I know
President Trump made it very clear that he wanted transparency,
and so did Attorney General Bondi. They're doing what they
(09:24):
have to do. It can be really hard not to
be able to comment on an investigation, and there's times
that our office would have a murder case or other
case where we don't comment on it hardly at all,
because we want to make sure that trial happens in
a courtroom rather than in the court of public opinions.
So there are some things that can't be talked about,
(09:44):
some things that can. But to say I'm an expert
on the Epstein case and what information the Department of
Justice has at the federal level, that's not the case.
I don't have anything special that access that you don't have.
Speaker 1 (09:57):
Attorney General brand A. Bird of the State of Iowa
joining us, last question for you, Attorney General Bird, I
do appreciate, again, like I mentioned, the transparency that you have,
and I know that there's always different projects, in different
lawsuits or different investigations that you are helping lead the
way in the state of Iowa. So for people who
are in Iowa and maybe even my Nebraska listeners people
around the country, what are a couple of things that
(10:19):
you are in your office going to be working on
the rest of the summer.
Speaker 2 (10:22):
Well, we have our cold case unit that's working on
the over four hundred unsolved homicides around Iowa. So that's
something that's near and dear to my heart. We want
to make sure that nobody ever forgets about these victims,
that if there's a lead, that it comes in and
gets to the right law enforcement agency. It's so important.
We don't want anybody to get away with murder, and
I want for everyone to know we'll never give up
(10:44):
on justice for these victims. It's very important. And we've
also done some things to be proactive about stopping the scanners,
scammers and the con artists. We have sued the crypto kios.
They kind of operate as the getaway drivers for money
sent midwesterners Iowans and Nebraska and might put into one
of these machines and then it goes into a crypto
(11:06):
wallet of an international con artist or scammer. So we're
going after it there to make sure there's going to
be some good safeguards and that people are protected.
Speaker 1 (11:15):
Really really important stuff. From the Attorney General's Office in
the State of Iowa, Brenda Bird. We really do appreciate
you for being so transparent and being a part of
our show, and we will be certainly catching up with
you sometime in the very near future to continue to
see what's going on in the Attorney General's office. Thanks
so much, Thank you, great stuff there. Love talking to
people that are willing to talk about what they do
(11:35):
and kind of pull back the curtain a little bit
and talk to us from a very personal standpoint, make
us feel like we're actually a part of the system.
Really appreciate that. From Attorney General Brenda Bird from the
State of Iowa.
Speaker 2 (11:47):
Em Very Songer on news radio eleven ten kfab
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!
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
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.