3-31-25 - 8am - Jon Stewart Rural Broadband

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Michael Tom from South Dakota. We hit the e Jeck
button a year ago to get out of Colorado because
it was such a crappy place to live anymore after
forty two years. And the nice thing about South Dakota
the state highways have no potholes, both in the concrete
and asphalt. And I have all my teeth left up

(00:22):
here because they're not getting rattled out. Four point two
percent sales tax and no income tax.

Speaker 2 (00:32):
My response to that is we shouldn't be fascinated at
all that your state's able to do that. What we
should instead be furious about is that it doesn't take
any sort of magician or a rocket scientist or some

(00:54):
sort of you know, voodoo doctor to figure out how
to do it. You actually let businesses thrive, You reduce
regulations and taxes, You spend on things the government should

(01:15):
be spending on, not stupid stuff like micro transit in
Douglas County, or feeding carrying, taking care of the healthcare, transportation, housing,
everything else that you can possibly imagine for homeless or
illegal aliens. That if you're going to impose taxes for roads, bridges,

(01:40):
and highways, then use that money to actually maintain repair
and build roads, bridges and highways and let the free
market prosper. I really do think that Colorado is or

(02:03):
has gone the fullboard California.

Speaker 3 (02:09):
The more I talk.

Speaker 2 (02:10):
For example, I go back to the waitress that I
met last night at dinner. She moves here to escape
during COVID. She moves here because of the blowback that
she's getting over the COVID jab and she comes here
and she starts her own business. She's retiring. She's at

(02:33):
the age where she could retire as a nurse. She's
put in her twenty twenty five years or whatever, and
so she retires as a cardiac nurse. You know, one
thing that I asked her last night that I found
interesting was about, you know, do you miss nursing?

Speaker 3 (02:49):
And it was.

Speaker 2 (02:52):
Interesting because the conditions under which she was working, you know,
in an emergency room, in and out a stressful situation.
She doesn't miss that, but she does miss the the
value that nurses bring to human beings. She misses that

(03:12):
job satisfaction, but doesn't miss all the stress and everything
of it. And while she's describing all of that, you know,
I'm kind of laughing to myself, not at her, I'm
laughing at myself because I you know, I've been thinking
about talking today about how bad Colorado is, and it is.

Speaker 3 (03:34):
It really is bad. And I get.

Speaker 2 (03:38):
I don't get responded or depressed, but I get disheartened
talking about this stuff. But nonetheless, somebody's got to point
it out. We can't all just walk around with paper
bags over our heads pretending that what's happening to this
state is not happening, because if you really care about
the state, then you're gonna do the stuff like what
they do at the Independence Institute, what they do at

(04:00):
the Common Sense Institute, what we do here, what you know,
I'm sure Mandy tries to do in her program, you
know what I try to do on the weekend program.
We all try to bring you know, awareness to these
problems so that whether we can change it in our
lifetimes or not. As the material it is, it is
the challenge in the battle of doing, of doing the battle,

(04:24):
because I do believe, sincerely believe that the Democrat Party
needs to be destroyed, eviscerated, done away with, and perhaps
something will rise out of the phoenix. The ashes of
a destroyed Democrat Party, of the ashes of a Jared

(04:48):
Polis and all the communists out of the polit bureau
such that we can rebuild. And I don't care if
another party arises, Another party might have, you know, some
dec and things that they might want to accomplish. But
the current iteration of the politicians in this party and

(05:08):
what they represent in terms of the Democrat Party need
to be eviscerated. I want to give you an example,
and what I find fascinating about this example is As Recline,
who is one of the most far left socialist, virtually

(05:33):
communist commentators on the left, and John Stewart another. While
I think John Stewart is smart, he is his brain
is poisoned by the ideology of the left. Well, they're

(05:53):
doing Stuart's doing his interview his podcast and he's interviewing
As Recline, and the two of them are talking about
the Build Back Better funding remember that, Remember the Obama
build the Biden Built Back Better and how we were
going to put broadband all over the country. And now

(06:17):
I want you to think about that. And now I
want you to think about my explanation of what Congress does.
Congress just passes a bill and says, here's a bazillion
dollars to go, you know, put broadband.

Speaker 3 (06:30):
In rural communities.

Speaker 2 (06:32):
Now you go figure out whether it's commerce, or it's
the FCC or whomever is doing it. In this case
it's the NTIA. You go figure out how you want
to spend the money to get this broadband out to everybody.
Now we know it's been an utter failure, and of

(06:54):
course I think you and I know why it's an
utter failure. But to hear someone from the left describe
the rules and regulations that the government has imposed to
do this is probably going to be mind boggling to you.
But even more importantly, it is shocking to John Stewart,

(07:15):
who I'm certain supported build back Better. Yes, let's get
broad banned out to the communities. And then when he
hears the process, he drops a couple of f bombs,
which I've got to make sure I catch.

Speaker 3 (07:30):
So listen to this, and this is utter insanity.

Speaker 4 (07:36):
We have to issue the notice finding Opportunity with one
hundred and eighty days. About step one. Step two, which
all fifty six state applicants completed, is states who want
to participate must submit a letter of intent. After they
do that, they can submit a request for up to
five million dollars in planning grants.

Speaker 5 (07:55):
Then the NTIA.

Speaker 4 (07:56):
Step four has to review and to prove an award
again planning grants, not broadband grants, planning grants.

Speaker 3 (08:05):
And it's still at the NTIA. It's still at the first.

Speaker 4 (08:09):
Step, all right, So the NTIA mustachiuofo within one hundred
and eighty days. States who want to participate must submit
their letter of intent.

Speaker 5 (08:16):
Step three.

Speaker 4 (08:17):
They can request up to five million dollars in planning grants.

Speaker 3 (08:20):
Just planning, just planning.

Speaker 4 (08:22):
Step four, the requests are reviewed, approved and awarded by
the NDIA, which currently all fifty six. You know, three
years later, all fifty six applicants had passed through at
least step five.

Speaker 2 (08:38):
Five years later, all the fifty six applicants, which I
assume means probably all fifty states, the territories, the District
of Columbia, they've all applied for this grant. Five years late,
five years after the passing of the bill. They not
one thing's been done except gotten approval for a planning grant.

Speaker 3 (09:04):
But that's not the end of.

Speaker 4 (09:07):
It took at least it took more than three years,
so it's a long time. States must submit a five
year action plan the states kind of go back and
they kind of think about how they're going to do this,
and they don't just say, Okay, you know, thank you
for the money, we're going to spend it and you
can see how it worked out. Later, we're like, here's
our five year action plan. Then the FCC must publish

(09:28):
the broadband data maps before NTIA allocates funds. So having
done the NOFO, the letters of intent, the requests for
planning grants, then the review, approval and awarding of the
planning grants, then the five year action plans. In between that,
the federal government has to put forward a map saying
where it thinks we need world broadband subsidies. And then

(09:51):
of course the states need an opportunity to challenge the
map for accuracy. And you can imagine this doesn't all
happen in like a day. Okay, So then the nti
A step seven has to use the FCC maps to
make allocation decisions. Then, having already done their letter of intent,
the requests for planning grants, it's hard even to talk

(10:11):
about this man. Step seven is NTI A must use
the FCC maps that were already challenged for allocation decisions.
Then having submitted all this, I think this one is
actually quite amazing. Having submitted their five year plans or
letters of intent. Step eight is states must submit an
initial proposal, an initial proposal to the NTIA.

Speaker 6 (10:38):
I just have to pause it for a moment now
for me, this is what I'm sorry? What how do
you say?

Speaker 2 (10:46):
And you have told the states here here, here are
the hoops you have to jump through.

Speaker 5 (10:52):
But step eight is proposal.

Speaker 2 (10:56):
Oh right, wow, more steps go now? Remember we started
out with fifty six applicants.

Speaker 5 (11:03):
Right, ye started out with fifty six everybody?

Speaker 3 (11:06):
Yes? Yeah, I got that one book?

Speaker 4 (11:12):
Is it the initial proposal?

Speaker 3 (11:13):
Then what's the five year after?

Speaker 5 (11:14):
Get no?

Speaker 4 (11:16):
Step nine NTIA must review and approve each states again
initial proposal.

Speaker 5 (11:23):
By my read, we have had at.

Speaker 4 (11:24):
Least two initial proposals here, but that's a different issue.

Speaker 3 (11:27):
Oh my god.

Speaker 4 (11:28):
Step ten, States must publish their own map and allow
internal challenges to their own map. So the government has
published a map, they have invited the states to challenge
the map. Then states have submitted initial proposals and they
then have to publish their own map and allow challenges.

(11:51):
You know, organized interest groups, environmental group like I don't
know who specifically, but any literally, anybody. This is I
want to say something because it's very important I say this.
This is the Biden administration's process for its own bill.

Speaker 3 (12:04):
They wanted this to happen.

Speaker 4 (12:06):
This is how liberal government works. Now, this is something
they instituted for this bill, for their bill. This is
a bill by Democrats.

Speaker 2 (12:19):
I'm sorry, I've tried to work dump button and butt
at the same time.

Speaker 6 (12:23):
What it's great that they sound so shocked. This is
how government works.

Speaker 2 (12:29):
Seeing to me, it's just the process. What I love
about it is as Recline of all people is absolutely
pointing out how absurd this process is without realizing that
this is how Yeah, I will take it one step first.

(12:51):
This is not just how Democrats operate. This is how
Republicans operate, which is what those just trying to eliminate.
And John Stewart and as the Planter sitting and had
this conversation not realizing that, hey, some conservative people are
going to look at this and go, you're shocked by this.
This is what this is what this is why we

(13:13):
can't have nice things in this country. This is why
somebody's sitting out in you know, Campo, Colorado doesn't have
broadband internet. Because who in their right mind in that
county or in this state is going to go through
all of that. Why we'll just spend the money. It's
much easier just tend out phones and healthcare to illegal

(13:36):
aliens than to just take care of a citizen in
Springfield or Campo, Colorado to actually get them broadband internet.

Speaker 3 (13:46):
It's insanity.

Speaker 4 (13:53):
Eleven, the NTA must review and improve the challenge was
results and the final map. So the NCAA has put
forward to map, the states have challenged that map. Then
the states have put forward their maps, had other challenges,
and now the NTIA must review and approve the challenges
to the state maps.

Speaker 5 (14:12):
Okay, so step we've done.

Speaker 4 (14:15):
Step eleven NTIA must review and approved challenge results and
final map. We've lost nine of the.

Speaker 3 (14:21):
Applicants at that point.

Speaker 5 (14:23):
Step twelve.

Speaker 4 (14:24):
States must run a competitive sub granting problem.

Speaker 3 (14:33):
At step twelve, by after.

Speaker 4 (14:35):
All this has been done, Yeah, none of that could
have happened along the way. Here we have now lost
seventeen more applicants. So now thirty of fifty six have
completed Step twelve. Step thirteen states must submit a final proposal.
All the proposals weren't enough to NTIA. Now that goes

(14:56):
to three of fifty six. So we've gone in the
last couple steps from fifty six had gone to this
point to three of fifty six. Step fourteen, the NTIA
must review and approve the state's final proposal, and that
is three of the fifty six jurisdictions and states are there.
In summary, Colin states are nearly at the finish line,

(15:23):
and it says to stop their progress now, or worse,
to make them go backwards would be a stick in
the spokes of the most promising broadband deployment plans we.

Speaker 5 (15:34):
Have ever seen.

Speaker 3 (15:37):
And the scene and Stewart is just left bewildered, only bewildered.

Speaker 5 (15:44):
It would have been nice if they could have read
that before they passed it.

Speaker 3 (15:49):
Well, you have to pass the building and what's in
the build? Oh, that's right now, You've got to do that.

Speaker 2 (15:54):
My mistake, and then you don't and and think about
you know the other thing that is that is left
out of this discussion is I mean, they mentioned it,
but nobody I don't think Stuart or plaining or thinking
about it is think of the bureaucracy at the state
level that is doing all of this, and we've gone

(16:17):
from fifty six applicants where they finally have just said,
you know what this is that we just can't spend
any more time, energy, or effort to do this. So
the fifty six is now whittled down to three. And
now here we are into the Trump administration and it's
been years since this bill was passed, and people are

(16:39):
shocked because broadband hasn't been expanded. Now superficially, it's easy
to blame, oh, the incompetence of the Biden administration. Well, yes,
it's incompetency at the Biden administration. But this is the
bill that Congress passed, and this is what has to go,
has to happen. And so at some point people say

(17:02):
it's not worth our time. Now if you wanted to
hook up eight million rural households with broad broadband.

Speaker 6 (17:11):
This is called make work to justify your position in government.

Speaker 2 (17:17):
I was done with the story until dragon, Well, you
had some you had some great questions and and and
the questions really go to an even deeper point I
was trying to make about not is this not only
is this how Congress passes legislation, even bills that the

(17:41):
Democrats want. This is how they do it. So they
taking a face value that Democrats really do want, you know,
broadband in rural communities because you know, they can have
a ribbon cutting ceremony and they can get attention for it,
and they can you know, run on re election. Hey
I got rural broad band to Campo, Colorado. But they

(18:03):
can't get it there. They can't get it there because
they have to feed the beast. Now think about first
the FEDS. So the bill passes, it gets sent to
the NTIA, and now they have to put their staff

(18:24):
on implementing the bill. Now do you think that. So
you've got this, The bill then is subsidizing the payment
of the salaries and the benefits of all of those
federal workers.

Speaker 5 (18:35):
They ain't gonna work for free because they're not.

Speaker 3 (18:37):
Working for free.

Speaker 2 (18:39):
And they probably brought on because some of them probably
objected to working on it because I'm already overworked. I've
got too much to do. So they brought on some
additional people solely for this bill, and they became permanent
members of the bureaucracy. But remember they kept talking about
the maps and the review of the maps.

Speaker 5 (19:01):
I'll forget about the review of the review of the
map and the review.

Speaker 2 (19:04):
Of the review of the maps. I can guarant damn
tee you that, based on my personal experience, that that
was not done by career civil servants. They hired contractors
to do that. They went to Booz Allen or one
of the other big consulting companies and said, we need

(19:27):
people who are really good at you know that are engineers.
They can put together maps that will show you know,
all of the topography and the terrain, the surveyors, yeah,
surveyors and all of that to put together these maps.
But remember at the same time that they're doing that
with contractors that are getting paid out of this bill.

(19:52):
At the federal level, those fifty six applicants who had
to come up with their own maps are I mean
exactly the same thing. Do you think anybody in the
in the Colorado Department of Revenue or door the Department
of Regulatory Agencies has the expertise to put together that
kind of map that would include all of that if no,

(20:16):
so they hire contractors. So the money is being spent,
it's just not being spent for the ultimate objective of
providing rural broadband to some poor little you know, no
red light town, Campo, Colorado. And I use Campo because
I go through Campo occasionally. It's a it's a nice

(20:38):
little place.

Speaker 6 (20:39):
So little bitty city that has to wants to submit
these maps and submit these proposals, they've got to pay
for that out of their own city budget in order
to send out those proposals and those maps. Yep, and
they've got to pay that too. Well, they've got to
pay that the people who.

Speaker 3 (20:54):
Are doing this, people are doing the work for the Yeah, so.

Speaker 2 (20:58):
A little town like Campo, well we can't do it.
So Colorado will step in and say, okay, well, well
we'll do that for you.

Speaker 3 (21:05):
You know.

Speaker 2 (21:05):
So Colorado might say, hey, we will use some of
our grant money that we got to do the grant.
Because that's the other dirty little secret is Colorado will
get some grant money to apply for the grant.

Speaker 3 (21:18):
Think about that insanity.

Speaker 2 (21:20):
And then Colorado will say, oh, Campbell wants to apply.
But now Campbell will have to put out some of
their own effort to apply for the state grant. And
then the state, you know, okay, so we'll approve Campo,
we'll approve Yuma, We'll find some other place on the
Western Slope and we'll find three little communities and we'll
help them apply. So now the state's taking some of

(21:45):
their money they could be used for something else and
using it for this, in addition to whatever money that
the FEDS will give them to do the planning. It's
a vicious, vicious It's like a a you take a bucket,
uh and full of full of tadpoles and they're all

(22:07):
just swimming around like crazy, all gobbling up, you know,
you throw the food into them, they you know.

Speaker 3 (22:14):
The scrum it all up a starlink starlink.

Speaker 6 (22:22):
Terminal real quick too, is let's just not forget how
long this process is taking, because at this entire time,
it's been four years.

Speaker 5 (22:29):
For four years, and in that.

Speaker 6 (22:31):
Time, oh little podunk town, the fire truck just broke down, right,
So now they got to take away the money that
they were hoping to spend on getting all this band
for you and by themselves a new fire trip.

Speaker 2 (22:45):
The individuals in Campo got tired away to young broadband,
and somewhere they read about starlink, and they went out
on their own and for four hundred dollars got a
starlink set up system and are paying for whatever minimal,
whatever smallest broadband package you can get. And now they've
got it, and now the need for the government program

(23:08):
in Campo has disappeared because the timeline was like, well,
we're not going to wait for five years to get this.

Speaker 3 (23:13):
I can go get it. I can go.

Speaker 2 (23:15):
Online, or I can just call right now and get
a startlingk package sent to me via FedEx and I'll
have it tomorrow. Boom, I'm up and running. Satellites are
already up there. I got the package. I just go
out and put it up in my yard or put
up in my house. And I've got and I've got
my broadband.

Speaker 3 (23:31):
Boom, over and done.

Speaker 2 (23:35):
And you wonder why Doze is being successful in finding
all of this waste, fraud and abuse everywhere. Unbelievable. But
even more unbelievable is and Dragon made another great point. God,
I hate to admit that Dragon makes a great point.
But Dragons, Dragon's watching the video and he's like, you

(23:55):
know what, get the thing? I think, what'd you say
about Stuart.

Speaker 6 (23:58):
It's fascinating through the work because he's dropping some f
bombs and he's being very I don't watch the evening show,
so I don't know either how he is at that
point in time. But it feels like on a on
a network TV show, you're gonna be a little bit
more stringent and rigid, but it just you know, fast
forwarding and finding the clips here in his YouTube video,
he's just being very Flamboyant's probably the wrong way, but he's.

Speaker 2 (24:18):
He's very's he's very dramatic and as dramatic yeah yeah,
uh huh. And in fact, at one point he actually
gets up and walks away from the microphone because he's
so astonished about what he's hearing. And then he comes
back and of course and he rolls back in his chair.
He's just like he really he ought and it's as
in my judgment, it's genuine.

Speaker 6 (24:39):
Right, he's being much more genuine here on his and
his YouTube podcast versus anything you'd see on the network show.

Speaker 2 (24:46):
And these are liberal democrats, these are the Marxists among
our myts that are dumbfounded. It's like the Marxist who
helped you know, it's like all the market, all the
communists that help Fidel Castro and che gu Era win
the Cuban Revolution, and then there's suddenly like shocked that
they got disappeared. But what do you mean you're throwing

(25:06):
me in prison. I help you win the revolution, I know,
and because you know how to fight, and you know
and and and you were fighting by my side. I
can't trust you anymore. So I'm getting rid of you.
It's like they're they're looking at their own party and going,
wait a minute, we've been bitching about you. Nobody's delivered broadband,
and it's you that's failed to deliver the broad band,

(25:29):
and they're shocked by it, utterly shocked by it. There
was another example I ran across over the weekend that
it'll take me some time to get through this one.
But there's apparently the guy that's placed replaced Neil Cavudo,
is another Fox host by the name of Will Kine.

(25:50):
So what I found the SoundBite. So I decided on Friday,
Friday afternoon, I'm going to watch this program.

Speaker 3 (25:58):
I can't do it. It's just it's just not my style.
It's just not I don't like it.

Speaker 2 (26:07):
But he interviews Jason Crowe in the SoundBite that I found,
and Jason Crowe absolutely shows how stupid he can be.
And I got to give Will Crane credit. He really
handed his Jason Crow's hat. So let's get started with

(26:29):
this and I'll finish finish dragon.

Speaker 3 (26:31):
Let's do that. Can we just take a break early.

Speaker 5 (26:35):
There?

Speaker 3 (26:35):
We're good?

Speaker 4 (26:36):
Okay, why just why?

Speaker 5 (26:43):
Why?

Speaker 2 (26:44):
Because? Because that's exactly why, and don't question.

Speaker 3 (26:53):
It because.

Speaker 2 (26:57):
I love this audience, Will Kine versus our own Congressman,
Jason Crowe.

Speaker 3 (27:10):
Or maybe not?

Speaker 5 (27:13):
Is it a double click there, Michael.

Speaker 3 (27:14):
No, I don't know what's going on.

Speaker 5 (27:22):
Huh do do do do?

Speaker 6 (27:24):
Do?

Speaker 4 (27:25):
Do?

Speaker 1 (27:26):
Do?

Speaker 3 (27:26):
Do? Do do? Man?

Speaker 2 (27:32):
I took an early break so I could play the
sound bite. Now there's no sound comes to the SoundBite.
I've got the audio turned up. It's off mute.

Speaker 7 (27:40):
Inappropriate and reprehensible, had no value in that hearing, and
should be and should be condemned.

Speaker 8 (27:47):
Well, what's inappropriate and reprehensible is just the fact that
nobody's taking any responsibility for what was an unacceptable use of.

Speaker 2 (27:56):
I guess since we couldn't he the first part of it, Uh,
Will Kane is talking about no one's taking responsibility for
the Abbigate bombing and the killing of those thirteen soldiers
for which Joe Biden all he had time to do
was look at his watch. Jason Crowe is complaining because

(28:16):
no one's taking responsibility.

Speaker 3 (28:18):
For the signal gate. Signal gate is still around.

Speaker 8 (28:22):
And what is responsibility on secure system?

Speaker 2 (28:25):
Right?

Speaker 7 (28:25):
So responsibility because I've heard the na But to be clear,
we've heard the NAA advisor and the President say it
was a mistake and it won't be made again in
the future, and they're going to figure out which communications
devices to use. Whining where So how are they not
taking responsibility?

Speaker 8 (28:39):
Well, nobody's told us what's going to change and who
will be held personally accountable?

Speaker 3 (28:44):
You know what?

Speaker 2 (28:45):
Well, I mean they just did. The President said it
was a mistake. Mike Wallaz is taking responsibility for it.
Presidents said I don't think we should use signal, and
we're going to find some other way to use signal
and this will not happen again. That seems what is
there to me?

Speaker 5 (29:01):
Not to Jason Crow though I was an Army ranger.

Speaker 8 (29:04):
I served three combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, which
you know, and.

Speaker 3 (29:09):
Well I feel that Dan, we're talking to you as
a congressman.

Speaker 8 (29:13):
You know, if any private, if any captain, if any
sergeant had done the same thing, they would have lost
their job. There would have been a court martial, that
person would have been charged. But you know, how is
it possible that the people at the very top who
are supposed to be leading by example, which is the fundamental,
sooundational aspect of military leadership, are not being held accountable here.

(29:34):
It's just to be clear, bad message.

Speaker 7 (29:37):
What the accountability that you required, and I think you
asked for today, right, is that you think Secretary Headsets
should resign or be fired.

Speaker 8 (29:45):
Yeah, that is that is what I called for. It
would be Ben the same resign because that would be
an acknowledgment by him that hey, he made a mistake, right, okay, mistakes,
but you have.

Speaker 7 (29:55):
To own that, Congressman and those tours in Afghanistan, which,
by the way, thank you for your service. If you
had left your rifle somewhere on the field and lost
your rifle, would you have been court martialed?

Speaker 5 (30:03):
Would you have been relieved of your job?

Speaker 8 (30:06):
Well, court martial wouldn't have actually been the proper remedy.

Speaker 4 (30:08):
But usually there's you would have been held account.

Speaker 8 (30:12):
Yeah, accountability. There's usually what's called an Article fifteen proceedings.
So you'll lose a weapon you don't follow in order.
You know, there has to be accountability. That is the
cornerstone of competent g in the military.

Speaker 7 (30:26):
In congresstion, what I'm trying to figure out today is
whether or not you guys, as Democratic congressmen, are genuinely
interested in the national security the United States or whether
you're you're trying to score hyperbolic partisan points. So I'm
sure we're going to find out your principled on this
on these calls across the action. So when we had
our disastrous withdrawlf of Afghanistan wherein thirteen Marines were killed,
did you call for the resignation of Secretary of Defense

(30:47):
Lloyd Austin.

Speaker 8 (30:50):
Well, listen, listen here, this this you know.

Speaker 3 (30:53):
Oh so I guess the answer is no, because the
answer would have been no, I did not.

Speaker 7 (30:58):
But if for whatever situation, what I'm trying to figure out,
if you're principled and youve just on every occasion, these
are apples and oranges situations, These are apples and oreeling situations.

Speaker 8 (31:09):
Right, Lloyd Austin never once in his entire career he
sent classified, top secret information about military plans and admission
over so he didn't take.

Speaker 2 (31:20):
But he he did disappear. Remember that checked himself into
the hospital, told his staff not to tell anybody where
he was. President couldn't find him as if the president
was looking for him. And he never apologized or took
responsibility or resigned over the killing of thirteen people versus

(31:40):
a reporter being on a chat that did not include
classified information.

Speaker 8 (31:46):
Extremely dangerous, extremely dangerous territory in the way that Pete
Hegseth did, right.

Speaker 5 (31:52):
Just continued curiosity.

Speaker 7 (31:53):
Did you call for the resignation, congressman, Did you call
the resignation of anybody from the military for that withdrawal
from Afghanistan? And where in thirteen marines were killed? If
not Austin anyone, did you call for anyone's firing?

Speaker 8 (32:05):
Will listen to me, These are amples and oranges situations.

Speaker 5 (32:09):
Right, you're not a veteran.

Speaker 2 (32:12):
Right, that was so uncalled for. You're not a veterans.
You don't what you're talking about. Let me tell you something, boy,
Let me tell you something.

Speaker 5 (32:22):
No, I'm not, No, you're so you. Let me explain something.

Speaker 8 (32:26):
Retrograde operations, withdrawal operations or some of the some of
the hardest operations anybody can conduct. Right now, I've been
very vocal, I was very vocal against the Night administration.

Speaker 5 (32:37):
I didn't pull my punches there right then. And actually
what I did is I led.

Speaker 8 (32:42):
A bipartisan effort to create an Afghanistan War Commission.

Speaker 3 (32:46):
Oh so I.

Speaker 2 (32:49):
Created a commission. Where's the commission? What was the report?
What actions were taken?

Speaker 5 (32:56):
None actually investigated?

Speaker 8 (32:58):
And then I was actually appointed the can remember the
Democrat of the Oversight and Accountability Subcommittee, to conduct an investigation.
And we did that, and there was a complete and
comprehensive report of the lessons learned. And I'm actually spiderstand
ers to fix those.

Speaker 7 (33:12):
I have some of your words right now, take action,
in fact, congressmen, in fact, I do.

Speaker 5 (33:17):
Have some of your words right here. So this is
who you told.

Speaker 7 (33:19):
What you told CPR News, which is a called a
out of news agency. Back in twenty twenty three, you said,
I do think the withdrawal from Afghanistan was messy, it
was chaotic, there were a lot of mistakes that were made,
and I haven't pulled punches on that, And then you
go on to say in that same interview, but there
are lessons learned, and I take a holistic look and
not look at it through a small frame. So you

(33:39):
admit that it was a mistake. You know that it
was connected. I agree, by the way, it is apples
and orangers, because in this situation, thirteen marines actually died,
So I agree they're not apples to apples comparisons. But
on this particular mistake, you didn't demand anyone's resignation, and
so I don't find it principled that now you do,
when nothing happened other than a successful military offer operation

(34:00):
was executed.

Speaker 5 (34:01):
It seems to me, congressman, is what you're doing is
college ussel.

Speaker 2 (34:06):
Oh he tried to say it wasn't a successful military operation. Uh, yeah,
it was much more than it was under the Biden administration.