July 30, 2025 • 29 mins
Another day, another round of concerns involving Indiana Secretary of State Diego Morales. This time they center around Raju Chinthala, a businessman with a contract with Morales' office that is raising eyebrows. Chinthala was a part or Morales' mysterious trip to India, and the quest to find information about Chinthala's work there is featured in a new Indy Star piece. On this week's Statehouse Happenings, Rob Kendall, Abdul-Hakim Shabazz, and Jim Merritt explore the latest in a never-ending flow of red flags involving the Indiana Secretary of State.
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Speaker 3 (01:29):
Rob Kendall Doula keeps your bas Jim Merritt.
Speaker 2 (01:31):
The program A State House Happenings is your weekly look
at what's going on with Indiana politics and government. Before
we begin in the program, let's meet the award winning panel.
You know him from thirty years in the Indiana Senate,
the most decent man who's ever lived, the great Jim
Merrit Helloy Robert and you know him as the owner
and operator of Indiepolitics Dot org A.
Speaker 3 (01:50):
Doula keeps your baz. Hello, good morning, my friend. All right,
so we'll.
Speaker 2 (01:54):
Start with uh, this is fascinating expose the Indie star
Haley Colombo, did you yesterday? Related to the never ending
giant red flag that is the Indiana Secretary of State
And this relates to his trip that he took to India,
(02:15):
the trip that will not go away, in which we
don't know who paid for the trip, We don't know
exactly what he did over there, and now Indie, so
did he did he?
Speaker 4 (02:24):
Did he say? This is all fake news? Did you
see the Well, we're gonna get to that. We're gonna
get We're gonna get to that.
Speaker 2 (02:31):
Because so much happens from one week to the next,
it's hard to keep track of what we did last week.
But uh, this article specifically deals with one of the
guys who went on this mysterious trip to India, which
is a guy by the name of Rajushintala, guy who
has a massive contract with Diego's office. Nobody knows exactly
(02:51):
what he does, and it appears he was in India
on that trip with Diego selling access to EB or
promoting selling access to EB.
Speaker 3 (03:01):
Five pieces.
Speaker 2 (03:02):
All right, before we get into all of that, this
abdue will start with you because you've covered Diego for
a long time. There's nothing about this guy that is
normal in terms of the way the state wide office
holders traditionally operating. And what I mean that it's just
one thing after another where you say that seems very odd.
Speaker 4 (03:23):
It's a classic of at the end of the day,
this is probably not going to end very well for
Missus Morales because every there's always something. And my mother
used to have this phrase. He's like, there's some people
just weren't happenless. They're they're less, they're out there raising
hell at some point in time, they just weren't happless
or causing chaos and confusion, and chaos and confusion and
Spanish equals diego Morales. It really does. Because first it
(03:47):
was it was a trips you know, it was this thing.
It was this thing, it was it was hiring your
brother in law, it was it was his accused us
of being fake news at at at a at a
licensed dealer toward the beating of all things motor vehicle.
And I know we'll get done a second, but but
it tells me. And by the way his rant, the
way he went off, it would have made Lee Elia proud. Yeah,
(04:08):
if anybody's ever heard the reference. But it's like, okay, dude,
it's like the walls are closing in slowly but surely,
inch by inch, and it's like he's bad for government
but great for business.
Speaker 2 (04:20):
Yeah, Jim, you know, obviously you spent thirty years in
the Indiana Senate, you dealt with secretaries of state. Everybody's
a little bit different. But even Todd Rokeita when he
was there, it was a much more uh professional Rokita,
shall we say, than the one we see today. This
is just not normal behavior when you compare it to
(04:41):
all the predecessors Rokeeda, Connie Lawson. I mean, just you know,
pick your pick your favorite secretary of State.
Speaker 3 (04:48):
It's just not Holly White.
Speaker 2 (04:51):
Well well, well maybe we'll talk about him are in
a second. But it's just like I'm saying, the people
who were in the office sustain in the office, had
accomplishments in the office. It's this is just not the
daily stuff with him, is not standard operating procedure.
Speaker 5 (05:04):
Well, Connie Lawson was just a stellar secretary of state,
former state senator. She was majority leader when I was
caucus chairman. We were teammates in the leadership and you
know Senate and and uh with with with Diego you
just wanted to quote Joe Biden. Come on, man, you know,
it just doesn't really, it doesn't resonate that he's always
(05:30):
got to be in the media. He's always got to
be in the news, and and and there are so
many things that he is doing. There are really just
are outside the purview of the Secretary of State. And
and uh, I, I frankly don't understand why uh he
has to act like a United a federal secretary of State.
Speaker 6 (05:53):
It just doesn't.
Speaker 5 (05:54):
It's not in line with his responsibilities. And you know,
I I I think it's great that the party infrastructure,
the people in the grassroots love him.
Speaker 6 (06:06):
He has worked very hard to be Do they.
Speaker 2 (06:09):
Love him though, because it seems like, I mean, I
feel like WIBC, our home station, is the base of
the Republican Party and our listeners can't stand the guy.
So who are these people inders who really like him?
Speaker 5 (06:22):
It's that it's that bubble that we have with the
collar counties in Marion County. But when you get out
to Grange, or you get down to Scottsburg and you
go to a Lincoln Day dinner, or you go to
a Republican picnic, and Diego's there. He knows everybody. He's
at the table with the with the buffet and he's
(06:43):
handing you.
Speaker 2 (06:44):
Okaylate, have a question, because you know the Republican Party
better than anybody.
Speaker 3 (06:49):
Can these people not read?
Speaker 2 (06:51):
I mean, let's just say w IBC doesn't because we
don't exist everywhere.
Speaker 3 (06:55):
Can these people not read?
Speaker 2 (06:56):
I mean this stuff has been written about at nauseum,
all the crap this guy's pulled over the past three years.
Speaker 3 (07:01):
Do they not have the Internet? Do they not look
people up?
Speaker 2 (07:04):
I mean, how do you see this guy in public
and go, yeah, I'd like to get my photo taken
with him.
Speaker 6 (07:08):
Well, you know they do read.
Speaker 5 (07:10):
Uh, And I I if Diego's I can't defend him.
And uh, but but people think, uh, it's just it's
a bubble here. And uh, if you're in if you're
in Knox, Indiana, or you're you're down in or you're
(07:32):
up in Plymouth. Uh, he can dive into a crowd,
go table to table and he's beloved and and uh,
I don't know when you had your face to face
and you talked about all the great things that you
talked about.
Speaker 6 (07:46):
I don't know if you witness.
Speaker 5 (07:47):
Or not, but uh he he is well known and
and you know, I've got friends everywhere, and people say
that Dave Shelton, who is his prime opponent for next
year's convention, doesn't have the the knack of pressing the flesh.
Speaker 2 (08:07):
Okay, okay, So I want to talk about a couple
of things. Harrik's got a lot to get to. I
want to definitely get to this stuff with Raju because
it's super interesting, this this big xpos in the Indie
Star about this guy. But to come back to what
Abdul said, this Motor Vehicle Advisory Board meeting. So there
was a meeting last week of the Motor Vehicle Advisory
Board that is, I guess just a group that advises
(08:28):
on the governance of a auto dealer. Is sure, Yeah,
it's a it's a boring governmental affairs group. And the
meeting should be an hour and then maybe get two
of views. Yeah, let's let's try to stay awake, eat
your lunch, you know whatever. But it's on the zoom thing,
so it's it's streamed or whatever so people can see it,
(08:50):
and then it gets posted. Braidy Place's Indie Reporter account,
amongst others, reposted it and that's how it be got
in the public. He being Diego Morales gets up and
go was on a fifteen minute rant about a whole
bunch of things, but the heart of it was how
we WIBC and the Indie Star, Indianapol Star are fake
(09:12):
news and we don't cover him properly, and we don't
report about him properly, and we don't report all the
things here.
Speaker 4 (09:18):
We could write about him being the only secretary sent
to go to all ninety two counties three times this summer,
Like why don't they write about that?
Speaker 3 (09:26):
What excuse me?
Speaker 2 (09:27):
In his taxpayer funded car, with his taxpayer funded gasoline.
Speaker 3 (09:30):
And his dollars ninety thousand dollars taxpayer fund.
Speaker 2 (09:33):
Now you both have seen the rant, Jim thirty years
Indiana Senate. You ever seen an elected official in a
public a public meeting pull that, Well, I have, Oh
I have. Can I take some casses on who it was?
Speaker 5 (09:51):
Well, yeah, he was testifying on a gun law in
front of a committee at the state House. And he's
a friend of yours and yours and mine and uh,
and he was excoriated for it, and uh, we're talking
about uh, Superintendent Doug Carter and uh, and he just was.
But but that was coming from a serious feeling about
(10:15):
the issue itself. In front of that, did.
Speaker 3 (10:18):
He scream about us being fake news?
Speaker 5 (10:20):
No, he screamed about the issue of guns. Yes, yes,
but but that's a rant and it kind of got
out of control. But but diego U doubled down on
not being serious. He's very unserious and and uh, I'm
sure people were looking at each other like, what the
heck is.
Speaker 6 (10:38):
Going on here?
Speaker 3 (10:39):
I have another word other than heck. But I know,
you know, me put.
Speaker 2 (10:43):
Some of the tea, the piece of the puzzle together
on this. And what we've determined is because so many
people have covered his bull crap, you know, the Capitol Chronicle,
TV State, you know, all these people have covered It's like.
Speaker 3 (10:53):
Why did he choose Us and the Star?
Speaker 2 (10:56):
And we kind of put together, you've gotten under his skin.
Well we're the two probably ugess agitators. But we had
just done Us and the Star big reports on his
campaign finance report which just came out, and there's a
whole bunch of red flags and things that don't make
sense in the campaign finance report. And I don't think
you gotta be a you know, a Houdini to kind
(11:16):
of put it all together and go.
Speaker 3 (11:17):
Boy, why did you pick on us? Huh? What do
we have in common?
Speaker 4 (11:20):
And see and the thing is too Uh when when
he went in, when he went on his rant and
uh and Jim, I think you're absolutely right. Uh, when
Doug carter T has fired over over the gun issue, Doug, Doug,
Doug was coming from a place of passion because you
really believed in the issue. And I can forgive you,
know of course, Yeah, but Bedig Morales is like the
bizarro Doug carter And and because because my think with
(11:43):
Diegga was like, okay for somebody to lose their control
that much that badly in a in a automobile dealer
advisory board meeting that only two people actually watched.
Speaker 3 (11:52):
Now it was more like two thousand people. Right, you
did yourself watched it.
Speaker 4 (11:56):
To me, that tells me that the walls are cave
and he's really starting to feel the pressure. And and
it ties into some other things I've been hearing, you know,
through the room real lately that uh, somebody, somebody is
in trouble and we're we're going from you know, political
scandal to maybe something me something more serious. And if
(12:17):
I was Keygan, his chief of staff would be like,
we need to take a break here for five seconds.
Let's take him out in the room and just have
him deep breath, boss, deep breath, Calm the blank down,
because you're not helping.
Speaker 6 (12:30):
Well, he's stung, and he's embarrassed. Is he embarrassed?
Speaker 2 (12:34):
Does he have any I don't like, feel like he
has any shame whatsoever?
Speaker 3 (12:38):
Well, Uh, for you to be embarrassed, I would be embarrassed.
Speaker 6 (12:41):
Of course, And and.
Speaker 5 (12:43):
Maybe maybe a better maybe i'd be myself. Maybe a
better description is stung because Abdullah is probably right here.
The doors are closing in just a little bit. And uh,
but but we just don't know where those doors are
and what they represent. And if it's an issue that
(13:07):
you covered in Indie Politics dot org the cheat sheet,
or if it's something else like this exposa on campaign finance,
he has to be anxiety is part of his world
right now.
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zero three. State House Happenings also wants to thank our
fine friends at Freedom Foods Indiana. Farmer Ryan Schliman and
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the folks at Freedom Foods Indiana have been delivering fresh
fruits and vegetables right to people's doors for years and
Freedom Foods Indiana is a big supporter of State House Happenings.
Now Freedom Foods Indiana has some big things coming. We
can't wait to tell you all about it in the
near future. Right now, though, we just want to say
thanks to our friends at Freedom Foods Indiana for supporting
State House Happenings. Okay, Rob Kendall gool gives you Boz
(14:54):
Jim Merritt the program of State Hol's Happenings, a weekly
look at what's going on with Indiana politics and government.
We're talking about the Indiana Secretary of s State and
his friends today because he wants the attention, so we'll
give him the attention.
Speaker 3 (15:04):
Careful what you wish for.
Speaker 2 (15:06):
I've tried to let this go at least I think
three times over the past four months, and he will
not allow it to be let go.
Speaker 4 (15:13):
I was sick to say, diego. Rows is the gift
that keeps on giving that you can't take back.
Speaker 2 (15:16):
Yeah, and it is all right, So let's reset something
real quicker. I know most of this audience, because the
State has Happenings, audiences very in tune to what's going
on with Indiana politics and government. But just in case
you're not so, Diego Morales, Secretary of State, took this
mysterious trip to India. You know, I believe it was March.
He disappeared for ten days. We will have his budget hearing.
This staff would not come clean on where he was
(15:38):
at the time. They said he was on an economic
development trip. And then it comes out people start posting
on the internet from India that he's in India, and
everybody's looking around, going what is he doing there? He
doesn't have any economic development responsibilities, and Diego comes out
and goes, oh, it's all good, No taxpayer money was using.
I'm like, well, first of all, no, still not all good.
(15:59):
Your job is to be in the United States during
the legislative session.
Speaker 3 (16:02):
But say it.
Speaker 2 (16:02):
Of all, then if we didn't pay for it, who
did Well, I ain't gonna tell you that.
Speaker 3 (16:07):
Well why not?
Speaker 2 (16:08):
And his excuse on that was, well, I'm very concerned
about the nice person who paid for this getting their
business protested, like Elon Musk and Tesla. A legitimate That
was the legitimate excuse from him. Elon Musk and Tesla.
I believe at one point he actually used that as
an example Diego would like to say, never did that.
Speaker 3 (16:26):
We welcome him to come on this program. See and
correct me if I'm wrong. See.
Speaker 4 (16:29):
But here's the thing though, even about the let's say
the trip was privately funded. Okay, fine, I get that.
But unless unless it's like a foundation, you get you
got disclosed. You know who paid for it, Say who
the donors, who all the donors were, because you do
a bundle with a give it to a foundation. Foundation
pays from our trip to Australia to go bring back
kangaroo meat, you know, to sell it no fresh time
(16:51):
market in Indiana. But the thing is, if somebody paid
for the trip, fine, then you can tell us now,
or we can file FOI requests, or we can take
it court and subpoena to find out who paid for
the trip.
Speaker 2 (17:01):
Well, it's just utterly ridiculous. The idea that you win
as in your official capacity. His office has confirmed via emails,
press releases, et cetera.
Speaker 3 (17:10):
This is an official visit.
Speaker 2 (17:11):
He was acting in his official capacity, and you won't
tell us who paid for you to do this. So
then he comes out, Diego Morales and goes after because
there was such outrage over this. Well it's all good.
I paid the money back. First of all, No, not
good if you rob the bank just because you paid
the money back, you know, right like you Still we
still want to know who was so invested in you,
(17:33):
because he kept going, well, this version doesn't have any
business with my office. You ain't that charismatic diego. We
want to know who paid for the trip, but we'll
accept that. You're not gonna come off that. If you
just show us proof you paid the money back, I
think we'll all go home.
Speaker 3 (17:46):
Nope, not gonna do that. Did he tell you that
he showed you who paid for the trip? If you
show your pa, yeah or someone.
Speaker 2 (17:51):
When he had this infamous running at the Clay County
Lincoln Day, he had told me finally because I mean
he was very like arms flailing, drive mouth.
Speaker 3 (18:00):
Shouting like me at the mountain.
Speaker 2 (18:03):
He was getting close, and he finally said, well, I'll
show you the check and I made the money back
of you show me your paycheck.
Speaker 3 (18:12):
And so we said we accepted the offer.
Speaker 2 (18:13):
And then we said, look, you got to show us
that this check was deposited and you got to show
us receipts on what it was for.
Speaker 3 (18:19):
And he said no, no, No, I'm not. I'm not. I'm not.
I'm not doing that.
Speaker 2 (18:22):
So all of this stuff around India is a giant
red flag. And part of that is there is a
guy by the name of Rajushinhala. You know him, I think, yes,
I do, and I think you know him. He's the
what is he? The treasure or something of the Hamley
County Republican.
Speaker 6 (18:39):
Party, Remember of Congress kid he was He.
Speaker 2 (18:42):
Ran for Congress, didn't do very well there. And he's
a he's a business guy who's super tied into the
country of India. And he has this that got uncovered.
This I believe it's eighty thousand dollars contract with Diego
Morales's office. I believe eight thousand dollars a month over
ten months. But nobody knows what he does. When I
(19:03):
asked Diego what he did at our infamous little back
and forth, he said, well, he's in the business services division.
I said, what does that mean? He goes he checks
on the businesses. I said, you mean, hello, are you okay?
Speaker 3 (19:16):
Like, what does that mean? He checked?
Speaker 6 (19:17):
Who?
Speaker 3 (19:18):
Which business of co? DOESNT have an answer for that.
Speaker 2 (19:20):
So Indie stars started digging into this guy because one
of the things he got uncovered, Actually we broke this story,
Kennell and Casey did, was that Raju, while he was
in India on this trip, was bragging on his personal
Facebook page that he would be in India selling EB
five visa access while on while on this trip. And
(19:42):
the city he said he was going to be in
was the same city that Diego reportedly met with the
mayor of according to Indie Star, while he was in India.
So then on top of that, it comes out that
there's this venture capital guy from here in Indianapolis who
went with them on the trip as as well. So
A Star took the approach. Haley Colombo did the report
(20:03):
of let's dig into this Raju guy and try to
figure out what we can about him.
Speaker 3 (20:10):
And boy howdy, was that.
Speaker 2 (20:12):
Article very concerning about this guy and what he potentially
may or may not have been doing over there, what
he may or may not be doing in regards to
Diego's office. We still have no idea what the guy
actually does for all this money. And he answered some
of their questions, but others he did not. And I
say more red flags.
Speaker 5 (20:34):
You know, I'm just shaking my head here. And these
two gentlemen. I I uh Raju is a longtime friend
of mine.
Speaker 6 (20:43):
UH.
Speaker 5 (20:43):
But but the term situational awareness comes to the fact
here that that in the in the day of social
media of the internet, UH and Raju has done a
terrific job of bringing Indiana together with India. UH and
large corporation came here primarily because of Raja.
Speaker 2 (21:04):
With all their workers. Yes, with their workers, yes, to
their country.
Speaker 6 (21:08):
Yes, yes.
Speaker 5 (21:09):
And now as many as we thought there was going
to be. But it's you've got to understand the world
right now is minute by minute, and you're on it.
You have a spotlight on you. Whenever you're doing something,
everybody knows it.
Speaker 3 (21:26):
I want to read a little bit from this article
because I found something on the contract, So okay, all right.
Speaker 2 (21:32):
Meanwhile, it's unclear how Chinhala divided his time during the
trip between state and personal ventures. His contract with the
state specifies he was supposed to put forth about put
forth about twenty hours of effort per week on stay business.
Speaker 3 (21:45):
Eight grand a month for twenty hours a week.
Speaker 5 (21:48):
I still don't understand how you sell access to these visas.
It's just never been well how an individual.
Speaker 3 (21:56):
I think what it is is.
Speaker 4 (21:57):
It's a classic if you want to come to a
maryor you work in the high tech field, whatever, but
you need a certain type of visa to come here.
Speaker 3 (22:04):
Yeah, we can do. We can sort of shepherd you
through the products. Okay.
Speaker 2 (22:07):
He said he never he has quote never used state
resources to conduct any EB five visa, any EB five
related activities, and said he did not discuss EB five
visas with Morales or staff. Okay, first of all, we
don't know because we don't know who paid for this trip.
Speaker 3 (22:22):
We don't know what the what they paid for.
Speaker 2 (22:25):
And we're supposed to believe that this guy who was
listed was listed as a senior advisor on one of
these posts from somebody over there in India on this trip.
Just what skudoodled off for a day to sell these
EV five's and Diego's, Like, I don't know where Rose
you went, have no idea where he went, had no idea.
That just sounds utterly ridiculous and totally unbelievable.
Speaker 4 (22:49):
And the thing is, Uh, when I ran a analysis
of the contract, remember I remember doing this like a
while back. Just pulled up my computer and it says,
you know, to coordinate inter national business Promotion Engagements and
Election observation missions.
Speaker 3 (23:04):
Huh yeah, what you're the Indiana Secretary of State.
Speaker 4 (23:07):
Read that again, Yeah, it says le Uh. That's that's
the other weird section lead establishment of a nonprofit in
it of a nonprofit Indiana International Business Promotion Foundation developed
structure for financial support.
Speaker 3 (23:21):
What does that have to do with the Secretary of State?
Secretary State has no business?
Speaker 4 (23:25):
And here's number two. Coordinate International Business Promotion Engagements and
Election observation missions.
Speaker 2 (23:30):
Election observation of who is raws you an elections expert?
And then does he have some long history as a
county clerk that I'm unaware of?
Speaker 3 (23:38):
And the other part was he twenty hours a week? Uh?
Speaker 4 (23:41):
Document a minium average of twenty hours per week for effort.
Twenty hours a week for eight thousand dollars a month.
That's that's five hundred dollars an hour, isn't it?
Speaker 3 (23:50):
Is that right? No? That's that right? Is that right?
Speaker 6 (23:53):
No?
Speaker 3 (23:54):
What is that?
Speaker 6 (23:54):
It's?
Speaker 3 (23:55):
Yeah, Well, he's got to he's got to do eighty.
Speaker 2 (23:57):
No, let me make sure to get the bath one
hundred dollars a hour, right, because it's eight it would
be eighty hours a month. For eight thousand dollars, but
one hundred dollars an hour, which is way more than
what a state employee would make. Yeah, I mean there
may be some that are making that, but not many.
Speaker 4 (24:13):
And by the way, there's also an amendment thirty two
thousand dollars extension with zero new goals was in there.
And in a nutshow, basically, uh, Diego was paid Raju.
And and by the way, I I'm not used rajuo
doing anything illegal. Raju's a businessman, got a contract. God
love you, God bless you. I put no blame on Raju.
But the blame on the agency the edition is the
(24:34):
contract in the first place. And so in a nutshell,
what Diego's doing is paying someone eighty thousand dollars a
year do the job that the ADC does already.
Speaker 2 (24:42):
That's right and what and so then it comes to
the bigger So there's a big exposait on this guy,
and we we can't even scratch the surface on it.
Everybody go read it Indie Star with the with the
publication more red flags about this guy.
Speaker 3 (24:54):
Here's the question, though.
Speaker 2 (24:56):
Why will Braun not do something? Braun could solve this
tomorrow by coming out holding the press conference. I've seen
enough red flags. I've seen enough deception and lack of
transparency from these people that I am ordering the state
police to conduct a thorough investigation into who paid for
this trip, what happened, and everything related to this trip.
Speaker 3 (25:20):
Why would Braun not do that?
Speaker 2 (25:22):
He knows the public goes grows more weary of this
guy by the day. He knows that doesn't look right,
he knows that doesn't make any sense. He knows article
after article gets written about this, and yet he just
sits there on his hands act think nothing's going on
while this guy appears to be you souping his usurping
his authority.
Speaker 5 (25:41):
Well, he could be really busy with press conferences if
he was going to do that, and so he's probably thinking,
I've got better things to do.
Speaker 6 (25:51):
But it goes back to.
Speaker 3 (25:54):
But he doesn't. No, he's could be serious. I mean,
maybe it is nothing.
Speaker 2 (25:58):
Maybe it's just this guy is just doesn't want to
actually do the job and he just likes to go
to foreign countries. But it certainly has the look of
something very serious, and I cannot believe the governor is
sitting there allowing this to happen.
Speaker 5 (26:10):
It goes back to the party discipline and and uh
you you need a strong uh state chairman. You need
a discipline where somebody can say you're in time out.
Uh and uh the whole it's just so confusing how
we have evolved into a situation where we have TikTok
(26:33):
kids and and and and people are on their own islands.
And it's it's just very very disconcerting. And and I
I don't know what the answer to it is, because
everybody is is it's everybody for themselves.
Speaker 4 (26:49):
Got about a minute left, Bill five reasons people scared
of retaliation, proximity. You'd be surprised. He's the governor and
my person, my first favorite is no one, no one.
Nobody wants to be first. Oh because when when who's
your politics? The only person, only person who's you politics,
Devinan know who want to be first was Mitch Daniels. Yeah,
(27:11):
but who will Nobody wants to be the first person
to take. Everybody's waiting for the one guy to take
the step forward, then one to stay four. We're with you,
mister President. H I'll take a guess. Because we've done
the work. The star has done the work.
Speaker 2 (27:23):
There's no doubt there's all these red flags, there's no doubt,
there's all these concerns. This thing has been written about
ad nauseum. The behavior goes more bizarre by the day.
My theory is, and merit, we got thirty seconds left.
You can tell me you're crazy. The money that touches
Diego or fuels Diego touches so many of these politicians,
and they all know it, and they don't want to
(27:45):
look bad. They think, well, Rob and the Star and
the Capitol Chronicle and all these other people, they'll just
run out of steam eventually, will outlast them, because if
it comes out who's doing all this or what's going on,
it's gonna make us look bad.
Speaker 5 (27:57):
Well I think, I think, I don't know if it's
the money or not. But we know Todd Rukeito, we
know Diego, we know Micah. All are children of the Convention.
The convention delegate is a conservative person. They will they
will stick with those three individuals. And everybody's scared of
(28:18):
the roots of the Republican Party.
Speaker 3 (28:20):
Noill keeps your buys your merit, Thank you, thank you.
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fine friends at Freedom Foods Indiana. Former Ryan Schleiman and
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the folks at Freedom Foods Indiana have been delivering fresh
fruits and vegetables right to people's doors for years, and
Freedom Foods Indiana is a big supporter of State House Happenings. Now,
Freedom Foods Indiana has some big things coming. We can't
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Right now, though, we just want to say thanks to
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Speaker 3 (01:29):
Rob Kendall Doula keeps your bas Jim Merritt.
Speaker 2 (01:31):
The program A State House Happenings is your weekly look
at what's going on with Indiana politics and government. Before
we begin in the program, let's meet the award winning panel.
You know him from thirty years in the Indiana Senate,
the most decent man who's ever lived, the great Jim
Merrit Helloy Robert and you know him as the owner
and operator of Indiepolitics Dot org A.
Speaker 3 (01:50):
Doula keeps your baz. Hello, good morning, my friend. All right,
so we'll.
Speaker 2 (01:54):
Start with uh, this is fascinating expose the Indie star
Haley Colombo, did you yesterday? Related to the never ending
giant red flag that is the Indiana Secretary of State
And this relates to his trip that he took to India,
(02:15):
the trip that will not go away, in which we
don't know who paid for the trip, We don't know
exactly what he did over there, and now Indie, so
did he did he?
Speaker 4 (02:24):
Did he say? This is all fake news? Did you
see the Well, we're gonna get to that. We're gonna
get We're gonna get to that.
Speaker 2 (02:31):
Because so much happens from one week to the next,
it's hard to keep track of what we did last week.
But uh, this article specifically deals with one of the
guys who went on this mysterious trip to India, which
is a guy by the name of Rajushintala, guy who
has a massive contract with Diego's office. Nobody knows exactly
(02:51):
what he does, and it appears he was in India
on that trip with Diego selling access to EB or
promoting selling access to EB.
Speaker 3 (03:01):
Five pieces.
Speaker 2 (03:02):
All right, before we get into all of that, this
abdue will start with you because you've covered Diego for
a long time. There's nothing about this guy that is
normal in terms of the way the state wide office
holders traditionally operating. And what I mean that it's just
one thing after another where you say that seems very odd.
Speaker 4 (03:23):
It's a classic of at the end of the day,
this is probably not going to end very well for
Missus Morales because every there's always something. And my mother
used to have this phrase. He's like, there's some people
just weren't happenless. They're they're less, they're out there raising
hell at some point in time, they just weren't happless
or causing chaos and confusion, and chaos and confusion and
Spanish equals diego Morales. It really does. Because first it
(03:47):
was it was a trips you know, it was this thing.
It was this thing, it was it was hiring your
brother in law, it was it was his accused us
of being fake news at at at a at a
licensed dealer toward the beating of all things motor vehicle.
And I know we'll get done a second, but but
it tells me. And by the way his rant, the
way he went off, it would have made Lee Elia proud. Yeah,
(04:08):
if anybody's ever heard the reference. But it's like, okay, dude,
it's like the walls are closing in slowly but surely,
inch by inch, and it's like he's bad for government
but great for business.
Speaker 2 (04:20):
Yeah, Jim, you know, obviously you spent thirty years in
the Indiana Senate, you dealt with secretaries of state. Everybody's
a little bit different. But even Todd Rokeita when he
was there, it was a much more uh professional Rokita,
shall we say, than the one we see today. This
is just not normal behavior when you compare it to
(04:41):
all the predecessors Rokeeda, Connie Lawson. I mean, just you know,
pick your pick your favorite secretary of State.
Speaker 3 (04:48):
It's just not Holly White.
Speaker 2 (04:51):
Well well, well maybe we'll talk about him are in
a second. But it's just like I'm saying, the people
who were in the office sustain in the office, had
accomplishments in the office. It's this is just not the
daily stuff with him, is not standard operating procedure.
Speaker 5 (05:04):
Well, Connie Lawson was just a stellar secretary of state,
former state senator. She was majority leader when I was
caucus chairman. We were teammates in the leadership and you
know Senate and and uh with with with Diego you
just wanted to quote Joe Biden. Come on, man, you know,
it just doesn't really, it doesn't resonate that he's always
(05:30):
got to be in the media. He's always got to
be in the news, and and and there are so
many things that he is doing. There are really just
are outside the purview of the Secretary of State. And
and uh, I, I frankly don't understand why uh he
has to act like a United a federal secretary of State.
Speaker 6 (05:53):
It just doesn't.
Speaker 5 (05:54):
It's not in line with his responsibilities. And you know,
I I I think it's great that the party infrastructure,
the people in the grassroots love him.
Speaker 6 (06:06):
He has worked very hard to be Do they.
Speaker 2 (06:09):
Love him though, because it seems like, I mean, I
feel like WIBC, our home station, is the base of
the Republican Party and our listeners can't stand the guy.
So who are these people inders who really like him?
Speaker 5 (06:22):
It's that it's that bubble that we have with the
collar counties in Marion County. But when you get out
to Grange, or you get down to Scottsburg and you
go to a Lincoln Day dinner, or you go to
a Republican picnic, and Diego's there. He knows everybody. He's
at the table with the with the buffet and he's
(06:43):
handing you.
Speaker 2 (06:44):
Okaylate, have a question, because you know the Republican Party
better than anybody.
Speaker 3 (06:49):
Can these people not read?
Speaker 2 (06:51):
I mean, let's just say w IBC doesn't because we
don't exist everywhere.
Speaker 3 (06:55):
Can these people not read?
Speaker 2 (06:56):
I mean this stuff has been written about at nauseum,
all the crap this guy's pulled over the past three years.
Speaker 3 (07:01):
Do they not have the Internet? Do they not look
people up?
Speaker 2 (07:04):
I mean, how do you see this guy in public
and go, yeah, I'd like to get my photo taken
with him.
Speaker 6 (07:08):
Well, you know they do read.
Speaker 5 (07:10):
Uh, And I I if Diego's I can't defend him.
And uh, but but people think, uh, it's just it's
a bubble here. And uh, if you're in if you're
in Knox, Indiana, or you're you're down in or you're
(07:32):
up in Plymouth. Uh, he can dive into a crowd,
go table to table and he's beloved and and uh,
I don't know when you had your face to face
and you talked about all the great things that you
talked about.
Speaker 6 (07:46):
I don't know if you witness.
Speaker 5 (07:47):
Or not, but uh he he is well known and
and you know, I've got friends everywhere, and people say
that Dave Shelton, who is his prime opponent for next
year's convention, doesn't have the the knack of pressing the flesh.
Speaker 2 (08:07):
Okay, okay, So I want to talk about a couple
of things. Harrik's got a lot to get to. I
want to definitely get to this stuff with Raju because
it's super interesting, this this big xpos in the Indie
Star about this guy. But to come back to what
Abdul said, this Motor Vehicle Advisory Board meeting. So there
was a meeting last week of the Motor Vehicle Advisory
Board that is, I guess just a group that advises
(08:28):
on the governance of a auto dealer. Is sure, Yeah,
it's a it's a boring governmental affairs group. And the
meeting should be an hour and then maybe get two
of views. Yeah, let's let's try to stay awake, eat
your lunch, you know whatever. But it's on the zoom thing,
so it's it's streamed or whatever so people can see it,
(08:50):
and then it gets posted. Braidy Place's Indie Reporter account,
amongst others, reposted it and that's how it be got
in the public. He being Diego Morales gets up and
go was on a fifteen minute rant about a whole
bunch of things, but the heart of it was how
we WIBC and the Indie Star, Indianapol Star are fake
(09:12):
news and we don't cover him properly, and we don't
report about him properly, and we don't report all the
things here.
Speaker 4 (09:18):
We could write about him being the only secretary sent
to go to all ninety two counties three times this summer,
Like why don't they write about that?
Speaker 3 (09:26):
What excuse me?
Speaker 2 (09:27):
In his taxpayer funded car, with his taxpayer funded gasoline.
Speaker 3 (09:30):
And his dollars ninety thousand dollars taxpayer fund.
Speaker 2 (09:33):
Now you both have seen the rant, Jim thirty years
Indiana Senate. You ever seen an elected official in a
public a public meeting pull that, Well, I have, Oh
I have. Can I take some casses on who it was?
Speaker 5 (09:51):
Well, yeah, he was testifying on a gun law in
front of a committee at the state House. And he's
a friend of yours and yours and mine and uh,
and he was excoriated for it, and uh, we're talking
about uh, Superintendent Doug Carter and uh, and he just was.
But but that was coming from a serious feeling about
(10:15):
the issue itself. In front of that, did.
Speaker 3 (10:18):
He scream about us being fake news?
Speaker 5 (10:20):
No, he screamed about the issue of guns. Yes, yes,
but but that's a rant and it kind of got
out of control. But but diego U doubled down on
not being serious. He's very unserious and and uh, I'm
sure people were looking at each other like, what the
heck is.
Speaker 6 (10:38):
Going on here?
Speaker 3 (10:39):
I have another word other than heck. But I know,
you know, me put.
Speaker 2 (10:43):
Some of the tea, the piece of the puzzle together
on this. And what we've determined is because so many
people have covered his bull crap, you know, the Capitol Chronicle,
TV State, you know, all these people have covered It's like.
Speaker 3 (10:53):
Why did he choose Us and the Star?
Speaker 2 (10:56):
And we kind of put together, you've gotten under his skin.
Well we're the two probably ugess agitators. But we had
just done Us and the Star big reports on his
campaign finance report which just came out, and there's a
whole bunch of red flags and things that don't make
sense in the campaign finance report. And I don't think
you gotta be a you know, a Houdini to kind
(11:16):
of put it all together and go.
Speaker 3 (11:17):
Boy, why did you pick on us? Huh? What do
we have in common?
Speaker 4 (11:20):
And see and the thing is too Uh when when
he went in, when he went on his rant and
uh and Jim, I think you're absolutely right. Uh, when
Doug carter T has fired over over the gun issue, Doug, Doug,
Doug was coming from a place of passion because you
really believed in the issue. And I can forgive you,
know of course, Yeah, but Bedig Morales is like the
bizarro Doug carter And and because because my think with
(11:43):
Diegga was like, okay for somebody to lose their control
that much that badly in a in a automobile dealer
advisory board meeting that only two people actually watched.
Speaker 3 (11:52):
Now it was more like two thousand people. Right, you
did yourself watched it.
Speaker 4 (11:56):
To me, that tells me that the walls are cave
and he's really starting to feel the pressure. And and
it ties into some other things I've been hearing, you know,
through the room real lately that uh, somebody, somebody is
in trouble and we're we're going from you know, political
scandal to maybe something me something more serious. And if
(12:17):
I was Keygan, his chief of staff would be like,
we need to take a break here for five seconds.
Let's take him out in the room and just have
him deep breath, boss, deep breath, Calm the blank down,
because you're not helping.
Speaker 6 (12:30):
Well, he's stung, and he's embarrassed. Is he embarrassed?
Speaker 2 (12:34):
Does he have any I don't like, feel like he
has any shame whatsoever?
Speaker 3 (12:38):
Well, Uh, for you to be embarrassed, I would be embarrassed.
Speaker 6 (12:41):
Of course, And and.
Speaker 5 (12:43):
Maybe maybe a better maybe i'd be myself. Maybe a
better description is stung because Abdullah is probably right here.
The doors are closing in just a little bit. And uh,
but but we just don't know where those doors are
and what they represent. And if it's an issue that
(13:07):
you covered in Indie Politics dot org the cheat sheet,
or if it's something else like this exposa on campaign finance,
he has to be anxiety is part of his world
right now.
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zero three. State House Happenings also wants to thank our
fine friends at Freedom Foods Indiana. Farmer Ryan Schliman and
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the folks at Freedom Foods Indiana have been delivering fresh
fruits and vegetables right to people's doors for years and
Freedom Foods Indiana is a big supporter of State House Happenings.
Now Freedom Foods Indiana has some big things coming. We
can't wait to tell you all about it in the
near future. Right now, though, we just want to say
thanks to our friends at Freedom Foods Indiana for supporting
State House Happenings. Okay, Rob Kendall gool gives you Boz
(14:54):
Jim Merritt the program of State Hol's Happenings, a weekly
look at what's going on with Indiana politics and government.
We're talking about the Indiana Secretary of s State and
his friends today because he wants the attention, so we'll
give him the attention.
Speaker 3 (15:04):
Careful what you wish for.
Speaker 2 (15:06):
I've tried to let this go at least I think
three times over the past four months, and he will
not allow it to be let go.
Speaker 4 (15:13):
I was sick to say, diego. Rows is the gift
that keeps on giving that you can't take back.
Speaker 2 (15:16):
Yeah, and it is all right, So let's reset something
real quicker. I know most of this audience, because the
State has Happenings, audiences very in tune to what's going
on with Indiana politics and government. But just in case
you're not so, Diego Morales, Secretary of State, took this
mysterious trip to India. You know, I believe it was March.
He disappeared for ten days. We will have his budget hearing.
This staff would not come clean on where he was
(15:38):
at the time. They said he was on an economic
development trip. And then it comes out people start posting
on the internet from India that he's in India, and
everybody's looking around, going what is he doing there? He
doesn't have any economic development responsibilities, and Diego comes out
and goes, oh, it's all good, No taxpayer money was using.
I'm like, well, first of all, no, still not all good.
(15:59):
Your job is to be in the United States during
the legislative session.
Speaker 3 (16:02):
But say it.
Speaker 2 (16:02):
Of all, then if we didn't pay for it, who
did Well, I ain't gonna tell you that.
Speaker 3 (16:07):
Well why not?
Speaker 2 (16:08):
And his excuse on that was, well, I'm very concerned
about the nice person who paid for this getting their
business protested, like Elon Musk and Tesla. A legitimate That
was the legitimate excuse from him. Elon Musk and Tesla.
I believe at one point he actually used that as
an example Diego would like to say, never did that.
Speaker 3 (16:26):
We welcome him to come on this program. See and
correct me if I'm wrong. See.
Speaker 4 (16:29):
But here's the thing though, even about the let's say
the trip was privately funded. Okay, fine, I get that.
But unless unless it's like a foundation, you get you
got disclosed. You know who paid for it, Say who
the donors, who all the donors were, because you do
a bundle with a give it to a foundation. Foundation
pays from our trip to Australia to go bring back
kangaroo meat, you know, to sell it no fresh time
(16:51):
market in Indiana. But the thing is, if somebody paid
for the trip, fine, then you can tell us now,
or we can file FOI requests, or we can take
it court and subpoena to find out who paid for
the trip.
Speaker 2 (17:01):
Well, it's just utterly ridiculous. The idea that you win
as in your official capacity. His office has confirmed via emails,
press releases, et cetera.
Speaker 3 (17:10):
This is an official visit.
Speaker 2 (17:11):
He was acting in his official capacity, and you won't
tell us who paid for you to do this. So
then he comes out, Diego Morales and goes after because
there was such outrage over this. Well it's all good.
I paid the money back. First of all, No, not
good if you rob the bank just because you paid
the money back, you know, right like you Still we
still want to know who was so invested in you,
(17:33):
because he kept going, well, this version doesn't have any
business with my office. You ain't that charismatic diego. We
want to know who paid for the trip, but we'll
accept that. You're not gonna come off that. If you
just show us proof you paid the money back, I
think we'll all go home.
Speaker 3 (17:46):
Nope, not gonna do that. Did he tell you that
he showed you who paid for the trip? If you
show your pa, yeah or someone.
Speaker 2 (17:51):
When he had this infamous running at the Clay County
Lincoln Day, he had told me finally because I mean
he was very like arms flailing, drive mouth.
Speaker 3 (18:00):
Shouting like me at the mountain.
Speaker 2 (18:03):
He was getting close, and he finally said, well, I'll
show you the check and I made the money back
of you show me your paycheck.
Speaker 3 (18:12):
And so we said we accepted the offer.
Speaker 2 (18:13):
And then we said, look, you got to show us
that this check was deposited and you got to show
us receipts on what it was for.
Speaker 3 (18:19):
And he said no, no, No, I'm not. I'm not. I'm not.
I'm not doing that.
Speaker 2 (18:22):
So all of this stuff around India is a giant
red flag. And part of that is there is a
guy by the name of Rajushinhala. You know him, I think, yes,
I do, and I think you know him. He's the
what is he? The treasure or something of the Hamley
County Republican.
Speaker 6 (18:39):
Party, Remember of Congress kid he was He.
Speaker 2 (18:42):
Ran for Congress, didn't do very well there. And he's
a he's a business guy who's super tied into the
country of India. And he has this that got uncovered.
This I believe it's eighty thousand dollars contract with Diego
Morales's office. I believe eight thousand dollars a month over
ten months. But nobody knows what he does. When I
(19:03):
asked Diego what he did at our infamous little back
and forth, he said, well, he's in the business services division.
I said, what does that mean? He goes he checks
on the businesses. I said, you mean, hello, are you okay?
Speaker 3 (19:16):
Like, what does that mean? He checked?
Speaker 6 (19:17):
Who?
Speaker 3 (19:18):
Which business of co? DOESNT have an answer for that.
Speaker 2 (19:20):
So Indie stars started digging into this guy because one
of the things he got uncovered, Actually we broke this story,
Kennell and Casey did, was that Raju, while he was
in India on this trip, was bragging on his personal
Facebook page that he would be in India selling EB
five visa access while on while on this trip. And
(19:42):
the city he said he was going to be in
was the same city that Diego reportedly met with the
mayor of according to Indie Star, while he was in India.
So then on top of that, it comes out that
there's this venture capital guy from here in Indianapolis who
went with them on the trip as as well. So
A Star took the approach. Haley Colombo did the report
(20:03):
of let's dig into this Raju guy and try to
figure out what we can about him.
Speaker 3 (20:10):
And boy howdy, was that.
Speaker 2 (20:12):
Article very concerning about this guy and what he potentially
may or may not have been doing over there, what
he may or may not be doing in regards to
Diego's office. We still have no idea what the guy
actually does for all this money. And he answered some
of their questions, but others he did not. And I
say more red flags.
Speaker 5 (20:34):
You know, I'm just shaking my head here. And these
two gentlemen. I I uh Raju is a longtime friend
of mine.
Speaker 6 (20:43):
UH.
Speaker 5 (20:43):
But but the term situational awareness comes to the fact
here that that in the in the day of social
media of the internet, UH and Raju has done a
terrific job of bringing Indiana together with India. UH and
large corporation came here primarily because of Raja.
Speaker 2 (21:04):
With all their workers. Yes, with their workers, yes, to
their country.
Speaker 6 (21:08):
Yes, yes.
Speaker 5 (21:09):
And now as many as we thought there was going
to be. But it's you've got to understand the world
right now is minute by minute, and you're on it.
You have a spotlight on you. Whenever you're doing something,
everybody knows it.
Speaker 3 (21:26):
I want to read a little bit from this article
because I found something on the contract, So okay, all right.
Speaker 2 (21:32):
Meanwhile, it's unclear how Chinhala divided his time during the
trip between state and personal ventures. His contract with the
state specifies he was supposed to put forth about put
forth about twenty hours of effort per week on stay business.
Speaker 3 (21:45):
Eight grand a month for twenty hours a week.
Speaker 5 (21:48):
I still don't understand how you sell access to these visas.
It's just never been well how an individual.
Speaker 3 (21:56):
I think what it is is.
Speaker 4 (21:57):
It's a classic if you want to come to a
maryor you work in the high tech field, whatever, but
you need a certain type of visa to come here.
Speaker 3 (22:04):
Yeah, we can do. We can sort of shepherd you
through the products. Okay.
Speaker 2 (22:07):
He said he never he has quote never used state
resources to conduct any EB five visa, any EB five
related activities, and said he did not discuss EB five
visas with Morales or staff. Okay, first of all, we
don't know because we don't know who paid for this trip.
Speaker 3 (22:22):
We don't know what the what they paid for.
Speaker 2 (22:25):
And we're supposed to believe that this guy who was
listed was listed as a senior advisor on one of
these posts from somebody over there in India on this trip.
Just what skudoodled off for a day to sell these
EV five's and Diego's, Like, I don't know where Rose
you went, have no idea where he went, had no idea.
That just sounds utterly ridiculous and totally unbelievable.
Speaker 4 (22:49):
And the thing is, Uh, when I ran a analysis
of the contract, remember I remember doing this like a
while back. Just pulled up my computer and it says,
you know, to coordinate inter national business Promotion Engagements and
Election observation missions.
Speaker 3 (23:04):
Huh yeah, what you're the Indiana Secretary of State.
Speaker 4 (23:07):
Read that again, Yeah, it says le Uh. That's that's
the other weird section lead establishment of a nonprofit in
it of a nonprofit Indiana International Business Promotion Foundation developed
structure for financial support.
Speaker 3 (23:21):
What does that have to do with the Secretary of State?
Secretary State has no business?
Speaker 4 (23:25):
And here's number two. Coordinate International Business Promotion Engagements and
Election observation missions.
Speaker 2 (23:30):
Election observation of who is raws you an elections expert?
And then does he have some long history as a
county clerk that I'm unaware of?
Speaker 3 (23:38):
And the other part was he twenty hours a week? Uh?
Speaker 4 (23:41):
Document a minium average of twenty hours per week for effort.
Twenty hours a week for eight thousand dollars a month.
That's that's five hundred dollars an hour, isn't it?
Speaker 3 (23:50):
Is that right? No? That's that right? Is that right?
Speaker 6 (23:53):
No?
Speaker 3 (23:54):
What is that?
Speaker 6 (23:54):
It's?
Speaker 3 (23:55):
Yeah, Well, he's got to he's got to do eighty.
Speaker 2 (23:57):
No, let me make sure to get the bath one
hundred dollars a hour, right, because it's eight it would
be eighty hours a month. For eight thousand dollars, but
one hundred dollars an hour, which is way more than
what a state employee would make. Yeah, I mean there
may be some that are making that, but not many.
Speaker 4 (24:13):
And by the way, there's also an amendment thirty two
thousand dollars extension with zero new goals was in there.
And in a nutshow, basically, uh, Diego was paid Raju.
And and by the way, I I'm not used rajuo
doing anything illegal. Raju's a businessman, got a contract. God
love you, God bless you. I put no blame on Raju.
But the blame on the agency the edition is the
(24:34):
contract in the first place. And so in a nutshell,
what Diego's doing is paying someone eighty thousand dollars a
year do the job that the ADC does already.
Speaker 2 (24:42):
That's right and what and so then it comes to
the bigger So there's a big exposait on this guy,
and we we can't even scratch the surface on it.
Everybody go read it Indie Star with the with the
publication more red flags about this guy.
Speaker 3 (24:54):
Here's the question, though.
Speaker 2 (24:56):
Why will Braun not do something? Braun could solve this
tomorrow by coming out holding the press conference. I've seen
enough red flags. I've seen enough deception and lack of
transparency from these people that I am ordering the state
police to conduct a thorough investigation into who paid for
this trip, what happened, and everything related to this trip.
Speaker 3 (25:20):
Why would Braun not do that?
Speaker 2 (25:22):
He knows the public goes grows more weary of this
guy by the day. He knows that doesn't look right,
he knows that doesn't make any sense. He knows article
after article gets written about this, and yet he just
sits there on his hands act think nothing's going on
while this guy appears to be you souping his usurping
his authority.
Speaker 5 (25:41):
Well, he could be really busy with press conferences if
he was going to do that, and so he's probably thinking,
I've got better things to do.
Speaker 6 (25:51):
But it goes back to.
Speaker 3 (25:54):
But he doesn't. No, he's could be serious. I mean,
maybe it is nothing.
Speaker 2 (25:58):
Maybe it's just this guy is just doesn't want to
actually do the job and he just likes to go
to foreign countries. But it certainly has the look of
something very serious, and I cannot believe the governor is
sitting there allowing this to happen.
Speaker 5 (26:10):
It goes back to the party discipline and and uh
you you need a strong uh state chairman. You need
a discipline where somebody can say you're in time out.
Uh and uh the whole it's just so confusing how
we have evolved into a situation where we have TikTok
(26:33):
kids and and and and people are on their own islands.
And it's it's just very very disconcerting. And and I
I don't know what the answer to it is, because
everybody is is it's everybody for themselves.
Speaker 4 (26:49):
Got about a minute left, Bill five reasons people scared
of retaliation, proximity. You'd be surprised. He's the governor and
my person, my first favorite is no one, no one.
Nobody wants to be first. Oh because when when who's
your politics? The only person, only person who's you politics,
Devinan know who want to be first was Mitch Daniels. Yeah,
(27:11):
but who will Nobody wants to be the first person
to take. Everybody's waiting for the one guy to take
the step forward, then one to stay four. We're with you,
mister President. H I'll take a guess. Because we've done
the work. The star has done the work.
Speaker 2 (27:23):
There's no doubt there's all these red flags, there's no doubt,
there's all these concerns. This thing has been written about
ad nauseum. The behavior goes more bizarre by the day.
My theory is, and merit, we got thirty seconds left.
You can tell me you're crazy. The money that touches
Diego or fuels Diego touches so many of these politicians,
and they all know it, and they don't want to
(27:45):
look bad. They think, well, Rob and the Star and
the Capitol Chronicle and all these other people, they'll just
run out of steam eventually, will outlast them, because if
it comes out who's doing all this or what's going on,
it's gonna make us look bad.
Speaker 5 (27:57):
Well I think, I think, I don't know if it's
the money or not. But we know Todd Rukeito, we
know Diego, we know Micah. All are children of the Convention.
The convention delegate is a conservative person. They will they
will stick with those three individuals. And everybody's scared of
(28:18):
the roots of the Republican Party.
Speaker 3 (28:20):
Noill keeps your buys your merit, Thank you, thank you.
Speaker 1 (28:22):
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Speaker 2 (28:51):
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Speaker 3 (29:21):
From eleven to two.
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three zero zero three. State House Happenings also wants to
thank our fine friends at Freedom Foods Indiana. Farmer Ryan
Schliman and the folks at Freedom Foods Indiana have been
delivering fresh fruits and vegetables right to people's doors for
years and Freedom Foods Indiana is a big supporter of
State House Happenings. Now, Freedom Foods Indiana has some big
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