07-22-25 - *FULL SHOW* Ryan Schuiling Filling In For Ross Kamnisky

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
The last two years, street homelessness in Denver has dropped

(00:03):
by forty five percent, and adjusting for population size, is
our homicide rate is lower this year than anytime in
the last decade. Today, it is right to pause and
say thank you to the thousands of city employees and
nonprofit partners who show up every single day to serve
those most to need, because they are the ones that
make this possible.

Speaker 2 (00:23):
But with the city facing a two hundred and fifty
million dollar budget shortfall plus a recent change to layoff
policies for city employees, many people tell me they have
one big concern moving forward.

Speaker 3 (00:36):
I want to hear what is done with the local
economics and what might be in place to help maintain
the livelihoods of someone like my wife, who I am
going to be indirectly impacted, not just economicy, but emotionally
if after moving from California to hear she finds herself

(00:56):
without work.

Speaker 4 (00:57):
That from Denver Seven's Natalie Chuck and concerned citizen speaking
in the aftermath of Mayor Mike Johnston State of the
City address, And for those of you who live in
or around Denver listening here on KOA Ryan Schuling filling
in for Ross Kaminski. What I want to hear from you,
and you can send this along on the text line
at fifty six six ninety is exactly what grade you

(01:19):
would give Mayor Mike Johnston during his tenure to date.

Speaker 5 (01:23):
And that's a letter grade E through F. Whatever you want.

Speaker 4 (01:26):
You are the jury, You are the ultimate ones who
will hold him accountable, and you can send those along
to fifty six six ninety. Not off to a great
start on the text line. This preceded me even sitting
in this chair where Marty lens once resided. Mike Johnson
needs recall he is a liar, well is he? As
he stood up for Denver rights, has he fulfilled his

(01:48):
promises that he made during the campaign. I know that
I was a big fan of Kelly Brow and that
was the primary challenger to Mike Johnston in the runoff
election when it was narrowed down to two. She was
the more sensible alternative personally. Will not surprise you to
learn that I'm not a big fan of Mike Johnston's policies.
I don't know him personally. I think his heart's in

(02:08):
the right place, as many liberals are, but that it's
not a practical, pragmatic approach to solving the problems of
Denver that face us. In fact, it was mentioned right
there in that report from Natalie Chuck that there's a
two hundred and fifty million dollars shortfall and what accounts
for that money missing? Well, it's his program to how's
illegal aliens who are here again in violation of our

(02:31):
immigration laws. Also to try to reform the homeless. And
I'm kind of with him part of the way here.
But the way I would simply break it down from
my standpoint, and having been the son of an alcoholic father,
is tough love. There's a right approach. Somebody's got to
want to buy into their own recovery. In most instances,
those who are homeless, they're either there by choice through

(02:52):
some set of strange life circumstances, or they are chemically
addicted in some way, either to alcohol or drugs or both,
or they are mentally ill in some way, shape, manner,
or form, or both. That they are chemically addicted and
they are mentally ill. Therefore what it requires is a
hand up, not a hand out. And this has been

(03:13):
demonstrated in the streets of San Antonio, Texas, and that
is where iHeart is headquartered. I was there covering the
Final four some years ago when the Michigan Wolverines were
down there under head coach Sean Beeline, and I just
remembered and remarked upon the cleanliness of San Antonio and
its streets, and I was asking locals around, you know,
what's the story here in a city it's fairly large,
it's not as big as Denver. It does have an

(03:35):
NBA team, And the story I was given was that
the Catholic charities in the area were doing God's work
literally in helping with the homeless. But they have an accord.
They have a bond of sorts with those who come
in for those services, and they're required to get back
on their feet, to be able to get off of
drugs and or alcohol, to be able to get a
steady job, to be able to get into housing at

(03:57):
some point. It's a temporary stop on destination so that
they become productive citizens and become part of a taxpayer
base from which Mike Johnston needs funds. The SAG goes
in a circle here. Is this a sound investment or
is it simply pouring water into a bucket full of holes?

(04:17):
Meaning that these individuals are not committed to their own recovery.
They go right back recidivism rate in terms of being
homeless once again, back out on the streets after two
weeks and a temporary housing shelter. And for people who
are here illegally, Representative Gabe Evans will join us in
the third hour.

Speaker 5 (04:33):
Now.

Speaker 4 (04:33):
He has co sponsored an immigration reform bill that's drawing
a lot of heat actually from the political right that
it is an amnesty bill. Now he has tried to
downplay that characterization, as Marty Lenz alluded to in the
prelude to this program, but he has taken that criticism
and we'll talk to him more about that in depth.
As to what the long term goal is Mass amnesty,

(04:54):
I don't think is the answer. President Ronald Reagan kind
of went down that road a little bit back in
nineteen eighty SI. But should there be a road, a
pathway somehow to citizenship for those who are here illegally
but come forward acknowledge that fact and want to get
on the legal track to becoming a citizen. And why
that matters here in Denver and throughout the country, is

(05:15):
that for them to be considered as full equal partners
in American life as citizens, to be able to vote,
to be able to pay taxes, to be able to
have equal representation under the law, to be able to
be paid a fair wage. And right there, that is
the one that sticks with me as a conservative slash
libertarian slash populist, that you have American workers who are

(05:37):
being undercut in their wages by those who are hired
under the table, paid that way because they're illegal and
by very definition, they have to be kept off the books.
There's no green card, there's no W two's. And then
we see meat packaging plants shut down in the planes.
NBC News covered this story a while back, and then
the person that operates the plant says, well, there's no

(05:57):
playbook for this.

Speaker 5 (05:58):
Well, your playbook suck, pal.

Speaker 4 (06:00):
If you're going to have a bunch of illegal aliens
working for cut wages, that's not fair to the American
workers who are here that should be paid a fair
and right wage. And that's not fair to those who
come here illegally who have no other choice but to
agree to your terms and be forced into that poverty
level wages. And so you're saving money and you're making
more profits. What did I just sound like I sounded
probably like a nineties Democrat right there. Where did the

(06:22):
Democrats go on this issue? I'm fighting for equal rights
for workers, and that's where we stand right now. Mike
Johnson also sat down for an interview with Kyle Clark
of nine News, and this really puzzles me because when
he's pressed on details about why there's a deficit for
the city budget and can you link that back to
the fact that two hundred and fifty million dollars are

(06:42):
going out to house the illegal aliens and or the homeless,
he turns and points the finger at the federal government.

Speaker 5 (06:48):
Do you wish you had any of those dollars back?

Speaker 1 (06:52):
I wish that I had the federal dollars back that
they promised us on immigration that we spent pending their reimbursement.

Speaker 5 (06:58):
I definitely wish we had those back.

Speaker 1 (06:59):
I wouldn't take back any of the dollars we spent
on homelessness. I think when you look at the results
that we've had on that investment, it's historic, and we've
dropped the homeless rate within another city in American history.
That's a win. So I think that investment's working. We'll
keep doing it. We want to find ways to make
it better. I think on the migrant crisis, we certainly
didn't ask for it, didn't go looking for it. That
was not on our priority list. But we also didn't
want to see people freeze to death from the streets

(07:20):
of the city. So that was a humanitarian crisis we
had to step in. I wish the federal government had
come through and their promise to reimburse us, but I
wouldn't change our response.

Speaker 4 (07:28):
Well, you can't hang your hat on entitlement programs for
states or cities that you feel you deserve from the
federal government, and that apportionment of funds and the fact
that the Trump administration is withholding that. I mean, these
are the policies being a sanctuary city, which they'll deny,
but that's what it is. We're a welcoming city Denver
or Colorado being a sanctuary state, which the Jarry Polist denies,

(07:49):
but we are welcoming state. And why are bus loads
of illegals being sent here from other parts of the
country if they're taking advantage of this policy that exists
within Denver? Is not a sound investment because what is
the return on that investment. I'm strictly talking about the
balance sheet here, the ledger, the input, the output, the income,
the expenses. You're spending this money, how does it manifest

(08:12):
itself and being good for the city of Denver. And
I'm talking brass tax here. Take emotion out of it,
take the bleeding heart out of it. I know that's
difficult to do, especially for those on the left. But
you're running a city here, you're running a business. Your
job is to account for the funds that people living here,
American citizens, Colorado citizens, Denver citizens are paying their taxes

(08:35):
to you. And what's happening instead, Jobs are being cut,
hours are being cut, services are being cut. At that expense.
The money's got to come from somewhere. And with a
dwindling tax base, fewer and fewer businesses being willing to
invest in downtown Denver for fear of crime or whatever else,
for fear of the fact that is not doing good
business to have and set up shop down there on

(08:57):
the sixteenth Street.

Speaker 5 (08:58):
No longer called them all.

Speaker 4 (09:00):
And instead, again, instead of taking responsibility, Johnston once again
shifts here back to the federal government. First, it's the
funds being withheld. Now he's trying to blame the tariffs because.

Speaker 6 (09:10):
I mean, you know, your critics, especially those on the right,
many of whom don't live in the city of Denver
but care about Denver. Right, draw straight line between your
spending on migrants and you're spending on homelessness in the
city's current financial position, Why isn't it fair to draw
that straight line?

Speaker 1 (09:21):
Yeah, I think because the facts just don't bear that out.
If you want to look at a direct line of
what's happening on the budget crisis, it is that every
year in the last fifteen years, the city has averaged
about a five percent increase in sales tax revenue every year.
This year in twenty twenty five, that increases that near
zero s zero point three percent.

Speaker 4 (09:36):
Why would it be going down? Why would there be
less sales tax revenue in downtown Denver?

Speaker 5 (09:44):
Riddle me that.

Speaker 1 (09:45):
So what's happened is with the global trade wars and
economic procession, fears on the uncertainty of the president, people
are afraid to buy a new refrigerder, or go out
to dinner, or go on vacation. And that is why
our sales tax revenues are flat. And when you have
a growing government and flap revenues. That math doesn't work,
and so we'll make the hard decisions like any business
or family does to If you've got less money coming in,

(10:06):
you got to find a way to make the budget balance.

Speaker 4 (10:08):
That's a red herring, that's a distraction, that's a deflection.
That's not why people aren't setting up shop in Denver.
Has nothing to do with international tariffs or unwillingness to
buy products in that regard. The economy's booming. This makes
no sense. It does not jibe with the facts. Mayor
Mike Johnston, what grade would you give him to this point?
He delivered the State of the City addressed for Denver
last night. We'll come back with more of your text.

(10:29):
Fifty six six ninety Ryan Schuling filling in for Ross
Kominsky on KOA last night's State of the City address.

Speaker 5 (10:34):
You can send yours on in as well.

Speaker 4 (10:36):
At fifty six six ninety Ryan Schuling on the mic
in place of Ross Kominski got this text, says Ryan
after Jimmy Monday. Does this mean Ross is out for
the week.

Speaker 5 (10:45):
He's not. He should be back tomorrow.

Speaker 4 (10:47):
According to reports, That's what I'm being told by the
producer in my ear and that's Shannon Scott. But the
grade that I think composite lea so far that Mike
Johnson gets is you know what you got, you pass
but bearly F plus click DENACIOUSD reference for those of
you who know you know, but a lot of fs.
F minuses this one. His best grade, a D at best,

(11:11):
says continued electrification efforts will save money to question marks
another optimistic vote in light of all the f's I'm
getting in for may Or Mike Johnston, great is a D.
He doesn't tell the truth, or maybe he's clueless. Mike
is the reason for the budget shortfall. Don't understand with
the largest increase in taxes ever why we have a shortfall.

Speaker 5 (11:31):
Well, we just explain that to you.

Speaker 4 (11:33):
He has decided that it is a noble effort to
house illegal aliens, many of whom we're bussed here and
Denver rolled out the red carpet. Let's not pretend and
play Pollyanna here that there's no reason why Governor Abbott
in Texas or Governor Desandis in Florida would send illegals
here because we are a welcoming city and we have

(11:55):
to bear the burden of those policies. And what that
means open arms like journey sure, red carpet vacancy sign
all extended. And this person, I think has a very
good text. Homeless is an easy fix. They just have
to have the political will. Build a large homeless complex
on Dia land, pay for it with a tax on

(12:16):
airline tickets, house all homeless there and provide food, shelter, training,
treatment all in one place. Move them via paddy wagon
from the Metro to Dia and enforce no camping rules,
clean up the streets and make it safe again. It's
an interesting outside the box thought, Texter, and I appreciate
the amount of thought that went into it, but especially
what you said there at the end, training and treatment.

(12:36):
The goal, the objective should be to get homeless people
back into a home, back with a job, back off
of drugs or alcohol, living a clean life, making an
honest living, and the final part of that equation paying taxes,
earning wages and paying taxes, and that will replenish the
budget shortfall, not all at once and not entirely, but

(12:58):
it would be a step in the right directtion. Ryan
Schuley filling in for Ross Kaminski. Richard Holdtorf is the
new Vice chair of the Colorado Republican Party that was
decided last night.

Speaker 5 (13:07):
He joined us next.

Speaker 4 (13:08):
Here on KOA Baltimore, Archa Letta, the former president of
the log Cabin Republicans, who posted that Richard Holdtorf had
been selected as the next vice chair of the Colorado
Republican Party. And I've been in touch with Richard going
back to last week and then even before.

Speaker 5 (13:23):
That his quest for this position.

Speaker 4 (13:25):
He has acquired it, and Richard, congratulations on getting it
and thanks for joining us here this morning.

Speaker 7 (13:31):
Well, thank you for having me on today. Appreciate the
being having the opportunity.

Speaker 4 (13:37):
Richard, take us through the events of last night. A
lot of people kind of unfamiliar with the process, how
this all went down, why it was required, because you
are replacing someone who is very briefly in the position,
and how you emerged from this as the vice chair.

Speaker 7 (13:53):
So last night we had a State Central Committee meeting.
It was the first full virtual State Central Committee meeting
with over four hundred attendees and that was a milestone
and evitille. We conducted business and those members of the
State Central Committee on the Republican Party are county chairs,

(14:14):
vice chairs and secretaries. And also bonus members for the
large counties and elected officials at the state level and
also at the federal level. So it's all the Republicans
that are involved in the Republican business of the sixty
four counties and then all the elected officials that are
involved in actually making policy at the state level and
at the federal level. But it was quite a turnout

(14:36):
and we went through a lot of It was a
long meeting five hours between the startup, credentialing and then adjournment.
But you know, there was a lot of controversy. There
was a lot of discussion, debate, dialogue, and I pretty

(14:56):
much ran on a unity platform and rebuilding the party
and building bridges, not burning bridges. And I believe it
was a very close election. I received fifty of the
delegate vote, and I was very happy to emerge the
victor by four points because it was a close race.

(15:18):
The Republican Party has several factions, and we need to
bring those factions together to unite our party. And that
is my primary platform and the mission that I'm going
to take hold and try to run with as we
move forward in Colorado. To help Colorado voters, help Colorado
vats so we can afford to live in this state,
so we can feel safe in this state, so we

(15:39):
can have good living for young and old, and not
have the pressure that's coming from so many things, because
Colorado has become California, not only public policy, but in
the cost of living. And there's a lot of people
who have left California, and there's a lot of people
starting to leave Colorado because they just can't afford to
live in this state anymore. We've got to address that,

(16:01):
and those are some of the things I'm going to
be working on as a team in the coloradop executive leadership.

Speaker 5 (16:08):
Tea Richard Holdtorf.

Speaker 4 (16:09):
He's a former state representative and a former candidate for
Congress in the fourth congressional district to replace the outgoing
Ken Buck who resigned the seat to Greg Lopez, ended
up serving out that term and now represented Lauren Bobert
serves in that capacity as well. Richard, you have declared yourself,
like you said, as a unifier, trying to bring factions

(16:30):
of the party together. You won a narrow vote fifty
two to forty eight last night, and I just want
to go back to why this position was open in
the first place. And for those of us who are Republicans,
it's like bashing our heads against a brick wall, making
the same mistakes over and over again.

Speaker 5 (16:44):
Circular firing squad. You know where I'm going with this.

Speaker 4 (16:46):
But this from earlier, Colorado GOP vice chair resigns alleging
he was systematically sidelined by party chair Britta Horne.

Speaker 5 (16:54):
This from Colorado Politics.

Speaker 4 (16:55):
That was Darryl Feelin, who called it unacceptable that chairman
of rid A Horn spurned his participation in state party
matters and wanted him to be quote seen not heard
in In a statement, he said, quote in the seventy two
days since the election, I've been systematically sidelined, deliberately ignored
by our chair. And then he declared his immediate resignation,

(17:17):
he said, quote despite repeated requests to contribute to strategy
and policy discussions, my only input has been to facilitate
the dismissal of her lawsuit and to endorse the hiring
of her affiliates. According to her, I am to be
seen not heard, and that is unacceptable. Richard, what do
you make of Felin's comments, the fact that he resigned
the post, and what it will take to get things
going in the right direction heading from here.

Speaker 7 (17:40):
Well, first of all, you got to read the bylaws
and the rules, and the role of the vice chair
is to serve in the absence of the chair when she,
in this case is not available to chair any meetings.
Also to do all the tasks and the assignments that
the chair delegates to the vice chair and serve on
the appropriate comittees and UH and do the other business

(18:03):
of the state party. But you can't try to be
the de facto chair when you're the rst chair. And
I think there was quite a bit of friction between
those two people. And and truly I talked to Daryl.
I said, Daryl, you can't be your own agent. You
can't be a lone wolf pastor. You can't chart your

(18:24):
own path and try to have your own platform. As
the vice chair, you have to nest and sit under
the chair. You have to work with the chair. That's
your role in your job when you took the vice
chair position. And then you try to help the chair
and and help the party. And Bryan, there's a thing
called the party line. Whatever that definition of the party

(18:44):
line is, you got to help carry that as the
vice chair underneath the chairman and that leadership. So you've
got to understand roles and responsibilities. Daryl had a real
hard time with that, and I told him, I said, look,
if you can't handle it, you need to step down.
If you can't do it the way the rule and
the by laws are written, you need to step down.
And so he did, and that's what started the process

(19:08):
of selecting another vice chair. Is you have to be
a team player. I served in the military a long time.
You can't run your own operations, in your own missions
and not have those missions under your higher headquarters, approved
by your higher headquarters. You can't go out there on
battlefield and start going in wide direction moving to contint

(19:28):
when the rest of the units are going the other direction.
You might have this thing called percer side where people
are killing each other from your own organizations because you
don't know who's who and what on the battlefield. So
you can't do that. We've been to work as an
organization with synchronized operations, working together, and that requires team
working operation and also understanding roles and responsibilities. So that's

(19:52):
what's got us to this point. I don't want to
talk about the past, you know, God blessed Daryl, keep
working in Lastamus County, keep doing good things the Republican Party.
But you really got to understand the roles and responsibilities
clearly and not try to circumvent them or be your
own platform or have your own website or have your
own Facebook posts under your own title. And it's not

(20:13):
coordinated and synchronized with the state party, not when you're
the vice chair of the state party. And that's the
bottom line, sir. And that's where it was, and now
it's going to change. Effective last night, at whatever tim
it was, He's got a new vice chair, and I
understand roles and responsibilities, and I will be a team
member and a team player, and it won't work together.

(20:34):
So we can do what Ryan elect for Republicans to
Colorado state wide offices, that's the primary mention of the
state party. And also help our federal Republicans to serve
in Wilson, DC, to support our Republican principles and our heels.

Speaker 4 (20:49):
Richard holtors the newly elected state vice chair of the
Colorado Republican Party.

Speaker 5 (20:55):
Britta Horn is the chair.

Speaker 4 (20:57):
Those two now the leadership tandem atop the Colorado GOP.
You mentioned winning statewide races, Richard, and we know that's
a numbers game and it has not favored Republicans in
the last several cycles. Last night was the State of
the City addressed by Denver Mayor Mike Johnston. I'm asking
for grades from our listeners. He's not faring too well
in that capacity. There seems to be an opening, perhaps

(21:18):
for Republicans to make their case, maybe not to win
in the Denver Boulder corridor or even in Fort Collins,
another college town, but to turn other counties either more
red or more purple, like a Rapahole County where I
live that has now deeply blew. At one point it
was red and definitely was purple up until just a
few years ago. What is your mindset, Richard, your strategy

(21:39):
to win this numbers game, maybe starting small, but win
the messaging battle as well. When again, like I said,
there seems to be an opportunity with the way Democrats
have been running things.

Speaker 7 (21:51):
Well, I don't want to tip my hand too much,
because I'm sure there's a few Democrats that are listening
out there on cool they would love to know the
state party strategy keep moving forward to flip seats and
turn Colorado purple again, so we can make Colorado Colorado again,
and not California. California. You know, people don't want the

(22:12):
California case. Colorado we've been living in. For those of
us that have lived in Colorado for as many years
as I have, since nineteen sixty nine, the journey isn't
a fun journey because it's not the state I grew
up in, the Rocky Mountain state, the western state, the
state you know it's free, home of the fief at
home of the braves, and you can live that western, independent,

(22:36):
rugged lifestyle. You can go on the mountains, you can
go out in the prairies. You can hunt, you can fish,
you can do all the things you want to do
and live your life not worrying about you know, so
much government overreach. You can't stand it. So but I
will tell you we're going to work a plan and
a strategy. There's already things in the works that are
going to move that forward. But here's what we're really

(22:57):
going to do as Republicans, and I'm going to help
promote just using my leadership and influence. We're going to
reach out to what Colorado ones want. What do you
want Colorado Electric? What kind of state do you want?
And where are we going to go with that? So
we can take that desire of the voters and put
that with our Colorado Republican conservative principles and values and

(23:22):
figure out how we can make Colorado more affordable again,
how we can make Colorado more free again, how we
can make Colorado a state that isn't at the bottom
of the rong for business and small business. We're back
at the top again, where small business is welcomed and
not overregulated and over controlled and actually put out of business.

(23:45):
So there's a lot of things that we want to
do strategically and help Colorado and Colorado citizens can live,
so young people can afford a home, or young people
can afford their first apartment or condominium that they can
buy and own and hold real property, because that's where
it starts in our lives. You don't want to rent forever, folks,

(24:07):
I'm telling you. You build equity in your home. It's
the most important investment. And we believe that. I believe that,
and that's where it starts. And thirty forty fifty years later,
when you have that first home or you have your
second home and you've built up all that equity. You
look out and go, Wow, I've got something. It's worth
hundreds and hundreds of thousands of dollars. And I did

(24:27):
this in my life, and I raised my family and
his home. And you know, now I have something that
I can share with my family, I can pass off
to my kids that has value and meaning and a
lot of memories. So I can't gain the details. I
appreciate you asking, but I think you're going to watch
it unfold in the next fifteen months and it's going

(24:47):
to lead to change for Colorado and a change for
the better. Sir, for all your listeners, it's going to
be a change for the better.

Speaker 4 (24:55):
Well, he's in that co pilot chair right now, Richard
hold Torf newly elected just last night as the vice
chair of the Colorado Republican Party, reporting directly to the
Chair of the party, Britta Horn. Richard Holdtorf always thankful
here time, congratulations on the win, and we'll follow where
it goes from here.

Speaker 7 (25:12):
And thank you for your friendship, and thank you for
always reaching out and allowing me to have not to
speak on behalf of Colorado and the Colorado Republican Party.

Speaker 4 (25:24):
Looking forward to the next conversation Richard holtorf right there
your reaction at fifty six six ninety on the text
line already, and believe me, I hear this. What the
hell is going on when our elected vice chair of
the Colorado GOP can't even get a phone line that
works decently and there is some kind of racket going on there.
But Richard lives in kind of the sparser parts of

(25:45):
the state where the signal might not be as strong.
So maybe we were lucky to get anything that we
got there, but there hasn't been a real there is
room for innovation in terms of cell phone reception, especially
here in the mountain. So duly noted Texter, and I
heard what you were hearing. Rest assured in that point
tip his hand on strategies says this, Texter just means

(26:05):
he has no plan, not a clue what he is doing.

Speaker 8 (26:07):
Now.

Speaker 4 (26:08):
I don't think that's quite fair either, but I understand
why he might not want to give away the bullet
points at this juncture. Wouldn't be prudent, as President Herbert
Rocker Bush might say at one point, But yeah, a
lot needs to be done.

Speaker 5 (26:23):
The Colorado Republicans.

Speaker 4 (26:24):
Have faded into obscurity and irrelevance in large part in
this state. There is no denying that statewide elections. I
thought John Kellner was straight out of Central Casting to
be Attorney General in his campaign against Phil Wiser, and
even he really didn't hit into the margins that were
needed in order to win.

Speaker 5 (26:44):
And what is that here in Colorado?

Speaker 4 (26:45):
Denver Boulder Corridor is so heavily populated that it really
speaks for the outlying parts of the state that are
far less populated. And as I mentioned, a Rapahole County
highly populated, not Denver proper, but votes along the lines
of Denver and almost lockstep. And that's how you get
an eighteenth Judicial District DA like Amy Padden, who is
just horrible.

Speaker 5 (27:06):
How is the GOP going to challenge Hickenlooper.

Speaker 4 (27:08):
That is a great question and that should be front
and center among the objectives on the Republican docket in
my mind as well. And still taking your grades on
Mayor Mike Johnston the job that he's done to this point,
the state of the City address given last night, This
is funny from a textter again fifty six six nineties
where you can send them f I don't deserve that, yes,

(27:29):
but it's the lowest grade I can give. You keep
gaining these, and I know that they're going to and
whenever there's a substitute teacher, people are going to do this.
But says nothing against the guest host. Thank you, But
is Ross gone all week? Thank you for the second time.

Speaker 3 (27:42):
No.

Speaker 4 (27:42):
Ross is back tomorrow, so you have that to look
forward to. We're just keeping the chair warm for him.
This from Donna Ryan. I'm glad you're having gave Evans
on because I live in District eight and I wholeheartedly
agree with his new policy to allow long term migrants
a pathway. It's mutually beneficial and humane. And Donna, in
a district like the eighth, I was talking about this

(28:04):
with Marty off the air. It's so evenly divided. You
had Barb Kirkmeyer narrowly losing to Yadira Caraveo the first
time around when that district was newly implemented following the
twenty twenty census, and then this last time around gave
Evans's trailing but he was not conceding. And I know
he's a real cerebral left brain kind of mathematically based
kind of guy, and I texted him late on an

(28:26):
election night going. It shows that you're down to Caraveo here,
But is there enough votes out meaning still to be counted?
Buckets of votes that you hear about in all the
election covers with John King on CNN and Bill Hammer
on Fox News, is are there enough votes still outstanding
in margins that you can make up this difference? And
he just replied one word yes, And guess what. The

(28:46):
ballots were cured. Lauren Bobert came in. I mentioned my
friend Valdemar Archiletta.

Speaker 5 (28:50):
He came in.

Speaker 4 (28:51):
A bunch of Republicans came together, and this might have
been a high point in recent years of a Colorado
Republican Party that's been fractured but coming together for a
common purpose and getting those votes those ballots that may
or may not have been counted, may or may not
have been signed properly in order for them to be
legally cast ballots and cured for Gabe Evans, Republicans got out,

(29:12):
started to knocking on doors, chased all those ballots down
and secured a victory, and a big one as it
turns out nationally for the Republican Party. And OH Speaker
Mike Johnson very fond of Representative Gabe Evans and very
aware as to what that eighth Congressional district race meant
for Republican majority in the House this last time around
five six, six nine zero.

Speaker 5 (29:33):
You can send those texts along.

Speaker 4 (29:35):
Stephen Colbert, you may have heard earlier this week being
let go by CBS, but he'll be able to continue
this final season and before it it concludes in May,
and then the Late Show is going away for good.

Speaker 5 (29:47):
He addressed this earlier in the week.

Speaker 4 (29:50):
President Trump then put up a post on True's social
Stephen Colbert didn't take too kindly to it, so we
had this response.

Speaker 5 (29:56):
Okay, thanks again to the network.

Speaker 9 (29:57):
In a completely unrelated story on Friday, Donald Trump.

Speaker 4 (30:01):
Posted, I absolutely love that Colbert got fired.

Speaker 8 (30:05):
His talent was even less than his ratings.

Speaker 10 (30:09):
How dare you, sir?

Speaker 11 (30:16):
Would an untalented man be able to compose the following
satirical witticism?

Speaker 4 (30:22):
God yourself, tee. I can't imagine why Colbert would have
been canceled. He's so funny. That was such a clever
retort when the President of the United States is funnier
than you are, because he was. What Trump posted was funny,
it was humorous. He's a funny guy, and Colbert just
comes back with that same kind of.

Speaker 5 (30:45):
Acrid response, there's no joy in Mudville.

Speaker 4 (30:49):
Okay, this guy did not bring any kind of happiness
to the table, the kind of thing you look forward
to turning in at night. Unless you're a far left Democrat,
then he probably enjoyed it. And that's the response we're getting.
And doesn't that tell you something the fact that all
these Democratic lawmakers like Elizabeth Warren and Adam Schiff and

(31:09):
a King Jeffries are coming out in defense of Stephen Colbert.
He's fellow late night hosts, Jimmy Fallons, Seth Meyers, Jimmy Kimmel.
They're on board, unity, brothers, Stay strong, can't believe you
lost your job. But you're not seeing any kind of
sympathy coming from anyone other than those on the far left.
When you alienate half of America right out of the box,

(31:33):
and that's your mo that's your bread and butter, that's
your brand, then you live and die by that brand.
And it's simply cutting up a pie. Think of it
in that context. Gutfeld rules the Late night why because
he's the only one catering to that half of the
entire country. And I'll bet you there are liberals who
watch Guttfeld as well, because he takes no prisoners, he

(31:55):
takes even shots. He's got a panel approach. It's funny.
It's a very funny, fun show, and it dominates because
he's got the whole landscape, right of political center, that
whole spectrum to himself. Meanwhile, on the other side, Jimmy Kimmel,
Jimmy Fallon, Stephen Colbert, they're all splitting up the same
parts of that half of the pie. So the numbers

(32:17):
don't add up. And think back to a time, those
of you that can remember your gen x agar maybe
even if you're a millennial, whether it was Johnny Carson
in the Late night Jay Leno or even in his
earlier years David Letterman. It's not that they weren't political,
it's that they didn't make their whole show about that

(32:37):
agenda driven like then, go host a show like Anderson
Cooper does, if that's what you want to do, have
an opinion show.

Speaker 5 (32:45):
This is a late night show.

Speaker 4 (32:46):
People are tuning in after a hard day at work
and they want something to take their mind off of things.
And maybe you mentioned, yes, something that's in the news,
current events, Johnny did that, Carson, Jay Leno did that
certainly during the Clinton years.

Speaker 5 (32:59):
A lot of Monica Lewinski jokes and David.

Speaker 4 (33:01):
Letterman, but he had fun stuff too, like stupid pet
tricks or the top ten list. Letterman Lettermans was an
iconic show, and I loved it from the time I
was a little kid, and I first started watching him
in the early eighties. He was inventive, he was creative,
he was different, he stood out, and Jay was kind
of more of that textbook late night host conducting the interviews.

Speaker 5 (33:20):
How you doing?

Speaker 4 (33:21):
You know, I've had the pleasure of meeting him once,
but there was a certain happiness, a bounce to the
step of those guys, and everybody felt like they were
welcome and could tune in. When you hate half your
audience that's out there available to you, don't be surprised
when the ratings come in and they're not as good
as they could have been and your show comes to
an end. Take this time out, come back Top of

(33:42):
the Hour, Straight Ahead, Ryan Schuling filling in for Ross
Kaminski on KOA.

Speaker 6 (33:47):
By allegedly poisoning her slowly and what prosecutor said today
he was putting in her protein shakes. That trial now underway,
and here's our chief national correspondent map up in tonight.

Speaker 9 (33:57):
Tonight, prosecutors laying out their case again. It's the former
Colorado dentist accused of murdering his wife with protein shakes
laced with cyanide, arsenic and a chemical commonly found in
eye drops.

Speaker 12 (34:09):
Intentionally can deliberately over ten days, angered her lid.

Speaker 9 (34:14):
Prosecutors say that in March of twenty twenty three, James
Craig's wife of over twenty years, Angela, the mother of
his six children, began experiencing dizziness, headaches, and vomiting. Investigators
say James Craig used his dental clinics computers to research poisons,
logging searches such as how to make poison and is
arsenic detectable in autopsy? Angela Craig was hospitalized at least

(34:37):
three times over ten days before she died in March
of twenty twenty three.

Speaker 6 (34:41):
But there was a vote, and who asked yourself, is
my problem to other Wayne?

Speaker 9 (34:47):
Yes, We exclusively interviewed the so called other woman, a
respected orthodotist named Karen Kane. Their relationship playing out in
texts and phone calls. She says it never got physical.
Do you think that James Craig allegedly poisoned his wife
to clear the decks so he could be with you.

Speaker 10 (35:06):
There's no way, I'm motive.

Speaker 5 (35:07):
There's been no planning a future together.

Speaker 9 (35:12):
And in court today, the defense attorney for the dentist
trying to paint the picture that James Craig's wife, Angela
may have been suicidal.

Speaker 12 (35:19):
She was broken, by her own words, she was broking,
she was struggling.

Speaker 13 (35:26):
And David.

Speaker 9 (35:27):
The prosecution says that that is just another lie from
James Craig. They say he also tried to fabricate evidence
to show that his wife was suicidal, even planted to
try to have the lead investigator in this case killed.
James Craig has beat it, not guilty to all of
the charges.

Speaker 4 (35:43):
That's national news once again coming out of you guessed it, Aurora, folks.
I'm trying, I swear to find good news to report
coming out of Aurora, but it's just day after.

Speaker 5 (35:54):
Day now, kid gets kidnapped on a playground.

Speaker 4 (35:56):
Drop the charges against the perpetrator because he's not mentally
competent to stand we've got gang's trendy iragwa taken over
apartment complexes in Aurora.

Speaker 5 (36:05):
It's just one thing after another.

Speaker 4 (36:07):
And this is one of those you know, these true
crime shows where the husband kills the wife or the
wife kills the husband in they're looking to get to
somebody else.

Speaker 5 (36:14):
Here's the thing, how about I don't know, divorce the person.

Speaker 4 (36:17):
Why go through all this trouble, put yourself through it, murdered, poisoning, studying,
you know, just end it and move on with your life.
But apparently sanity and common sense doesn't apply here. For
James Craig, the Colorado dentist who at one time was
the dentist for our following guest, longtime talk show host
Coleen Right here at iHeart in his resume, Stephan Todds

(36:39):
joins us.

Speaker 5 (36:40):
Stephan, welcome brother.

Speaker 8 (36:42):
Good to have you or to be with you, and
thanks for having me.

Speaker 4 (36:45):
Absolutely, I just want to start at the beginning for you.
When you heard about this news breaking me. This was
your dentist, James Craig, I can only imagine how you
might have reacted to this.

Speaker 8 (36:57):
No, he was absolutely. I don't think it's an overstatement
to say my mind was blown. I was actually out
of state, and I remember waking up in March of
twenty twenty three on a Sunday morning, and I'm scrolling
through my Twitter feed and you know, there's this, you
know story out of the Aurora Police Department's Twitter feed

(37:20):
that you know, police arrest Aurora dentist accused of killing
his wife. I didn't think anything of it. I then
went about my day, came back to Colorado, did my show,
my radio show that Monday, and as I'm doing show prep,
I'm like, you know what, I better read up on this,
And so instead of just seeing the headline, I opened

(37:41):
up the story. And when I open up the story,
there's the mugshot of Jim Craig, who I knew is Jim.

Speaker 2 (37:50):
And I was blown away.

Speaker 8 (37:53):
And on top of that, when I was at KOA
for so many years, around two thousand and eight to
maybe give or take a couple of years, by like
twenty eight to twenty fourteen, twenty fifteen, I did the
summer Brook Dental radio ads on KOA. So I was
telling you, you know, go see my dentist, doctor Jim Craig,

(38:14):
and summer Brook Dental. They've got a teeth Cleaning Special
forty nine ninety nine or or whatever, And even up
to this point, Ryan to day, I still cannot believe
when I see his picture, when I hear the allegations.
None of that though, it all pales in comparison to
Angela Craig's death and how she died, the mother of six.

(38:36):
I have, throughout following this and talking about it, I've
always tried to make sure to say, look, you know,
keep thinking about those kids. Many of them are of
adult age now eighteen and over, but they're forever without
a mother, and just the pure suffering that she went
through in the final couple of weeks of her life.

Speaker 5 (38:58):
Stephan Tob's joining us one patient of Dennis.

Speaker 4 (39:02):
Jim Craig, now on trial for the murder, poisoning, murder
of his wife, as he was maybe trying to start
another affair. Another woman in question says they didn't even
really start up, not hot and heavy anyway as anyone
would define it. I want to approach this from two
different angles from you, Stephan, because this is fascinating to me.
I know it's surreal for you, but in that moment,
you know, doing this job as a talk show host,

(39:22):
usually you're detached and you're kind of analyzing a situation,
but by no choice of your own, you're immersed in it.
You're embedded in it. This is your dentist. How do
you even approach that from a journalistic standpoint?

Speaker 8 (39:34):
Yeah, I mean it was a trip, man, it was
a trip for the first few weeks of talking about
it every day. I started a podcast. I haven't done
it in a long time, but there's a podcast called
Arsenic Dds. And if you want to, like, if you're
following the case now for your listeners, none of the
facts have changed, so you can go back and find
that anywhere you get podcasts, but it's called Arsenic Dds.

(39:55):
And we did that because I just I knew that
this was going to be well getting the attention, and
obviously that it is. But you know, from just a
pure dental patient perspective, I mean, Jim Craig, I called
him this many other formats and I'll say it again
to you. You know, he was a very nice guy,
incredibly competent dentist, and I knew of his family. I

(40:17):
knew Angela. I sat in on meetings with her. We
went to a couple of social events together. I didn't
know her well, but they came across as this big,
large family, successful dental practice in Aurora. And you know,
to your point a few moments ago about just in
these situations, why can't they just file for a divorce,

(40:38):
I'm right there with you. I don't understand it. And
then to your other point about the orthodontis that he
met in late February of twenty twenty three, Karen Kane,
she is the I think she was scheduled to be
on the witness stand today in Arapahoe County.

Speaker 5 (40:54):
But you know, for the.

Speaker 8 (40:55):
First few weeks of talking about this, I, like everybody else,
called her the mistress, and you know, you kind of
just cast her in this negative light, right, and she
had no idea right She was being fed lie after
lie from Jim Craig. She says their relationship never got physical,
whether or not people want to believe that. I couldn't
care less. But she was not a mistress. She was somebody.

Speaker 5 (41:20):
She was one.

Speaker 8 (41:20):
She was another one of in my opinion, Jim Craig's.

Speaker 14 (41:24):
Victim, Stephan Tubbs joining us one time patient of this
Colorado dunist and alleged murderer, James Craig killing his own
wife as prosecutors are presenting the case in a Rapahoe County.
That's the eighteenth by the way, with least protein shakes
for his wife. And Stephan put it, you know this
is not a clean and subtle death, the way that
this went down for his poor wife. I guess final

(41:46):
question here, Stephan, really appreciate you joining us, And that
is so I mentioned you wouldn't pick up on this.
I mean, this guy's really good at compartmentalizing his life.
And many people in these situations they're pathological liars, they're
narcissistic sociopaths, et cetera.

Speaker 5 (42:00):
Who knows, who knows what the diagnosis would be.

Speaker 4 (42:02):
But was there anything maybe in retrospect, not in the moment,
but when you looked back and reflect about Jim Craig,
your dentist, anything that was askew, any red flag, anything
that stood out about his behavior?

Speaker 12 (42:15):
Not a thing?

Speaker 8 (42:15):
Wow, And isn't that I think the most concerning thing.

Speaker 5 (42:20):
You never know? Yeah, you just never know.

Speaker 8 (42:23):
You never know about your neighbors. I'm not saying that
it's you know, the farious type. You never know about
the person that you're checking out. Next year, at the
grocery store. You never know in this case about your dentist.
I will say this in kind of rapping. Look anybody
out there that thinks that Angela Craig wanted to die
and that you know the defense is going to be

(42:44):
she wanted to take her own life, et cetera.

Speaker 5 (42:46):
It's a hogwash.

Speaker 8 (42:47):
This man is in my opinion, he is guilty. I mean,
we could talk another two hours. He's accused of putting
a hit out on the lead a law a police
detective for crying out loud. Oh in, his attorney is
no longer one of his attorneys because.

Speaker 5 (43:02):
He was accused of.

Speaker 8 (43:03):
Setting his own house on fire a couple of weeks ago.
This story is sensational. The bottom line though, I focus
on of the children and Angela Craig, makes you rest in.

Speaker 4 (43:12):
Peace, curious or and curious or what a surreal situation
For Stephan Tubbs. You can follow him on ex at
sw Tubbs. That's two b's t U Bbs Stephan. Fascinating stuff.
We'll see where the trial goes. But again, your first
hand perspective very useful today.

Speaker 8 (43:28):
Thank you hey man, anytime, Take care and an update.

Speaker 4 (43:31):
Will we come back after this Ryan Schuling, filling in
for Ross Kaminsky on KOA.

Speaker 15 (43:36):
Told a completely different story about a different episode. She
described getting a phone call from the jail from her
father who asked her to come down and bail another
inmate out. He told her the inmate was a cousin
of hers. She didn't know this person, but she has
a big family and so she said it was believable.
She bailed this man out and he handed her a
letter from her father. It asked her to buy a

(43:58):
burner laptop and create a deep fake video that would
show her now dead mother saying that she got James
Craig to order these poisons and that she took them herself.
He described how she should use the dark web to
make this happen, and how she should destroy the laptop afterwards.
Instead of doing any of that, that second daughter took

(44:22):
the letter to police.

Speaker 5 (44:23):
Kevin Vaughan nine News.

Speaker 4 (44:24):
That's an update on this dentist in Aurora, Jim Craig,
if he was your dentist, I'd like to hear from you.
Fifty six six ninety accused of murder by poisoning his wife.

Speaker 5 (44:36):
And you heard those details there.

Speaker 4 (44:38):
The levels of depravity the tapestry of lies and deception,
layer after layer there, lying about hit this fellow inmate
being a cousin to his daughter, giving that inmate a
letter to hand to said daughter, instructing the daughter to
get a burner laptop to research on the dark web,
how to make a deep fake video that would show

(45:00):
her mother, his wife saying on camera that Jim Craig
ordered these poisons at her request. Yeah, I want to
be poisoned, my goodness, man. The way that she died
that Stephan Tubbs described that we heard in the earlier
report from ABC News nationally, no one would want to
die that way, even if you wanted to die, That's

(45:21):
not how you would do it.

Speaker 5 (45:23):
And then this detail to boot.

Speaker 15 (45:25):
The second daughter was of a completely different demeanor, very stoic,
very matter of fact, and really did not show emotion
as she was going through this. You know, this incredible
testimony that goes to one of the other charges he faces,
which is that he tried to get other people to
fabricate evidence, lie for him, and kill witnesses.

Speaker 5 (45:46):
Kill witnesses.

Speaker 4 (45:49):
The manic display by this pathological liar, deviant Jim Craig,
the one time dentist of One Time KOA host Stephan
TuS your thoughts five six six nine zero A break
when we come back. Representative Lauren Bobert's schedule to appear,
Ryan Schuling in for Roskominski. This is KOA. This from

(46:11):
over the last few days on truth Social from President
Donald Trump. Congresswoman Lauren Bobert is an America First patriot
who is doing an incredible job representing Colorado's fourth Congressional district.
He goes on a Maga warrior who has been with
us from the very beginning. Lauren is working hard to
grow our economy, cut taxes and regulations, advance American energy

(46:35):
dominance all in caps by helping to keep the price
of gasoline oil in all forms of energy very low
parenthetical cheap exclamation point. Secure are now very secure, record
setting in parentheses. Southern border support, our military and veterans
and defend are always under siege. Second Amendment. Lauren Bobert

(46:58):
has my complete and total indoors for reelection. She will
never let you down, She never lets us down, she
never lets meet down. I got to say that personally too.
Congresswoman Lauren Bobert joins us from the fourth Congressional district
here in Colorado. Lauren, good morning, thanks for joining us.

Speaker 12 (47:14):
Good morning, Ryan. I truly hope that was you doing.

Speaker 7 (47:17):
That impersonation right there.

Speaker 12 (47:19):
That was a fantastic Donald Trump. Well, but just brought
that endorsement to life, just putting a.

Speaker 4 (47:27):
Little color into it. But Lauren, the words on the page,
they had to.

Speaker 5 (47:30):
Meet a lot to you.

Speaker 4 (47:30):
And I got this actually from a Facebook post from you,
And it has to feel good to have the presidents backing.

Speaker 5 (47:36):
In that way.

Speaker 12 (47:38):
Absolutely, the President and I'm so grateful that we have
formed a good relationship from the beginning of my campaign
time going to Congress, and he's been a friend, I've
been his ally. He has continued to fight for us.

(47:58):
Even in the four years where Joe Biden was getting
lost in closets in the White House, he still was
fighting for the American people. And I'm so glad to
have him back and of course his support. And you know,
most people, they have to wager a lot to get
an endorsement like that from the President, and this one
actually came as a surprise to me and so even

(48:22):
sweeter when you're not asking for it or expecting it.

Speaker 4 (48:26):
He mentioned securing the border, and no doubt you've heard
about these incendiary comments to put it kindly from Hunter
Biden about everybody in a Democratic party, but also about
the issue of illegal immigration and the border. Going to
play for you, Lauren, first comments from Hunter heavily edited
and redacted for swearing, and then the response from Tom Holman.
Our borders are who I know you and I are

(48:48):
very fond of. Here's Hunter Biden.

Speaker 11 (48:49):
What about all those other people? Am I not supposed
to feel for someone? Am I going to be like
all these Democrats say you have to talk about and
realize that people are really upset about illegal immigration? You,
how do you think your hotel room gets cleaned? How
do you think you got food on your table? Who
do you think washes your dishes? Who do you think
does your garden? Who do you think is here?

Speaker 5 (49:11):
By the.

Speaker 11 (49:13):
Sheer just great in will that they figured out a
way to get here because they thought that they could
give themselves in their family a better chance. And he's
somehow convinced all of us that these people are the criminals.

Speaker 5 (49:29):
Tom Holman would beg to differ. Well, look, the.

Speaker 16 (49:31):
Former first drug addict doesn't always talking about first of all, well,
the left doesn't want tomit the truth. The left. The
left doesn't want to men the truth. They know that
under President Biden, not by accident, not by mismanagement, not
by incompetence, by design, ten point five million people came
to our border, and they released a vast majority of

(49:51):
the United States sex trafficking, women and children. Historic high,
well recorded man Americans, different, fatanyl come across the border
in historic high. Over four hundred people on Tarras Wass's
were arrested coming across the border in historic high. Cartel
has made more money than ever made. And as you
and me talking about many times, over two million known

(50:11):
gatherways enter this country. We arrested four hundred people on
Terriss Wassas. How many that two men came from the country,
sponsor in terror that Joe Biden led in this.

Speaker 4 (50:20):
Country and Representative Bobert, even Martha raddit's no ally of
the president at all on this or any other issue.
After a sit down interview with Karen Bass, the mayor
of Los Angeles, said she's been to the border, Martha has,
and there is a stark difference under the Trump administration
at the border compared to what was happening under the
Biden administration.

Speaker 5 (50:38):
Your response to all.

Speaker 10 (50:39):
This, well, Brian with.

Speaker 12 (50:45):
You have to laugh when you hear Hunter Biden trying
to give policy advice after all of these crimes have
been uncovered his time, even on an energy board in Barisma,
him suddenly became, I mean, an artist who can sell
paintings for hundreds of thousands of dollars. This is laughable

(51:09):
coming from the the star member of the Biden crime family,
and he's trying to descend illegal crossings into our country
as non criminal. And I'm so sick of the the

(51:29):
the notion that they are only here to cook and
clean and to pick fruit and to farm. This is
absolutely offensive. It is indentured servitude. If you are saying
you could come into our country because I need my
toilet clean, and that's what you're going to do when
you get here, that is its own form of slavery.

(51:50):
And how dare Americans.

Speaker 11 (51:53):
Put that on?

Speaker 12 (51:53):
Folks? There are people who come into this country legally
every day. Our country is the most interest nation when
it comes to legal immigration. More than a million people
a year become naturalized citizens in our country. We have
legal visa programs to bring people into our country. And

(52:15):
you know, those naturalization ceremonies are some of the most
moving experiences that I have ever been a part of.
Where these people have counted the cost, they have invested themselves,
invested their time, their resources, their minds, and said I
have what it takes to make this a more perfect union.

(52:37):
And they pledge allegiance to our country and to our constitution,
and they take that oath and they denounced their citizenship
from the country that they were born in and came from,
and they say, this is my home now. And for
people to cut in line and come into our country

(52:58):
illegally and then get more benefits than even the men
and women who have served in our nation's military our
receiving is absolutely offensive. And to say this, because they're
going to clean your bed sheets and clean your toilets
and pick your fruit, they can be here and cut
in the line of those true immigrants who come here

(53:21):
the right way and other American citizens. It's absolutely offensive.
Tom Holman is doing an amazing job leading this as
a keem. Jeffrey calls it mass deportation machine on steroids,
and that's exactly what we need to do. We have
folks who are here illegally, who are squandering our task dollars,

(53:41):
who are flooding our hospitals and our schools, in our
nation's resources, and taking that from American citizens who are
vulnerable and need it.

Speaker 4 (53:51):
Most Representative Lauren Bulbert, joining us from the fourth Congressional
District of Colorado, could not agree more. Congresswoman, I mean,
it's so condescend And George w Bush used to call
it the soft bigotry of low expectations, and that's what
it is, because you're right, people should be able to
come here from all over the world and live the
American dream, but do it the right way.

Speaker 5 (54:11):
And I thought it was so touching.

Speaker 4 (54:13):
About a couple of weeks ago, Arnold Schwarzenegger, who has
had his differences with President Trump, talked about his story,
his journey in becoming an American, in coming here from Austria,
in standing before George Washington's home in Mount Vernon and
welcoming in new citizens.

Speaker 5 (54:29):
To be sworn in, and the beauty of that moment.

Speaker 4 (54:31):
And Lauren, he said this on the view, and the panelists,
Joy Bayhart, they didn't know what to do with themselves
because there's this conflation between legal immigrants who you and
I welcome open arms.

Speaker 5 (54:43):
Bring them if.

Speaker 4 (54:43):
They can help out, contribute to our society, become great
Americans here here. But that's a very different tale and
story for most who come here illegally and the means
by which they get here, paying coyotes, being trafficked within
the country, children, women. We don't hear Democrats talking anything
about that.

Speaker 12 (55:03):
That's actually one of the bigger points in this argument.
And I'm glad that you brought that up, because the
human aspect of it is completely removed from the Democrats.
I mean, you hear them time and time again. Well,
they're just here to do the jobs Americans won't do
or don't want to do. But they don't talk about
the horrible journey that they take to get here, and

(55:25):
that they are often indebted to the cartel, and there
is a debt that must be repaid. And so yes,
they're going to come here and try to get some
sort of work, legal or not, because they have a
debt to pay to the cartel. Many of them who
were trafficked in here, we have lost tens of thousands
of children who were brought in. Were starting to see

(55:48):
some of those sponsors that took in hundreds of children,
one single individual sponsor, and then we don't know where
these children went. There was a hotline where the phones
were ignored when children would call in and say that
there was a problem with their sponsor. And it's really

(56:08):
unfortunate the death told that takes place during that migration
into our country, and it goes beyond that indentured servitude
that we talked about. And they truly are indebted to
the cartel. And most of the wages that they are
making are much of the wages I should say, are

(56:30):
actually going back to other countries and not even remaining
in our country because they're paying off the criminals who
helped get them here, as gruesome as that journey may have.

Speaker 4 (56:46):
Been for them. Representative Lauren Bolbert joining us in Central
Tuber appearance today her introduction of h R one thirty one,
that's the finish the Arkansas Valley Conduit Act. It passed
through the US House by voice vote yesterday. Now learn
does that mean they just put it on the floor.
The eyes the NAIs, the eyes have it. They didn't

(57:06):
go through an official vote. Take us through that process.

Speaker 12 (57:09):
Yes, So in a process like like that where it
passes by unanimous consent. That means neither party objected to
the bill. Every member of Congress has an ability to
see the bills that are coming to the floor, and
if anyone were to oppose that bill or have some

(57:29):
sort of harsh consternation over it, UH, they have the
right to go to the floor and demand a role
call vote. And so my finished the Arkansas Valley Conduit asked,
this is something that passed yesterday by unanimous consent. It
was a suspension bill and UH, and we were able
to pass that out of the House. And this is

(57:51):
a really crucial piece of legislation.

Speaker 10 (57:54):
UH.

Speaker 12 (57:54):
This is to help complete construction of a critical infrastructure
project that will provide tens of thousands of Southeast Colorado
residents with access to clean water. So, these Southeast Colorados
have waited decades for the completion of the AVC and
while we've had we've made a lot of progress on that,
there's still work that needs to be done.

Speaker 4 (58:16):
And there was a.

Speaker 12 (58:17):
Promise that this bill would not go to the Colorado
residence that will be receiving the benefits of this clean water,
the access to this clean water, and this will provide
seven five hundred acre feet of water per year to
up to fifty thousand Colorado. And this is something that
started back in nineteen sixty two under President Kennedy, and

(58:42):
we're still working on this, and so it takes an
Act of Congress to finish something that started in nineteen
sixty two. Our Colorado senators have a companion bill in
the Senate, and so I do expect this to be
signed into law and the Arkansas Valley Conduit Act to
be finished this year. And you know, the Bureau of
Reclamation has been wonderful to work with on this issue.

(59:05):
And as a bipartisan is by camel, so it was
easy to just pass that bill by unanimous consent out
of the House. It's passed in previous congresses, but this
time it actually has the momentum to be signed into law.

Speaker 4 (59:18):
Representative Lauren Bobert joining US fourth Congressional District of Colorado
and doing a lot behind the scenes to get legislation
presented and through.

Speaker 5 (59:26):
I don't know that she gets enough credit for that.

Speaker 4 (59:28):
President Trump has given her credit for that with his
full endorsement that we talked about a little bit earlier. Lauren,
I want to get your take as well. It's a
controversial bill, and many of those that are right of
center are the ones that are kind of calling out
Representative Gabe Evans who will join us in a little
bit and Representative Maria Salazar from Florida in this Dignity Act.

(59:49):
And people on the writer are saying, wait, wait, wait, wait,
this is amnesty. This is more than just a pasth
the citizenship. What is your view of this bill, how
will you vote on it? Where do you differ from
cong Rismond Evans on this and where do you agree
with him?

Speaker 12 (01:00:02):
Maybe? So, first of all, Congressman Gave Evans has done
an amazing job. He has taken very tough to votes
and he has been you know, he's in a very
vulnerable re election race right now, but he is taking
his job very seriously and we're doing everything that we
can to get him re elected. He is on an

(01:00:23):
a committee, on the Energy and Commerce Committee, and I
see him dutifully work in Washington, d C. To pass
legislation and then of course do the work here at
home meeting with constituents when he is back. I couldn't
be more proud of him in the work that he
is doing in Congress. This bill, I would love for
this bill to not even come to the floor. It

(01:00:44):
might even be insulting if it does come to the floor.
I argued my predecessor, Scott Tipton in the third district,
on amnesty, and this is amnesty. You cannot come into
our country or be in our country illegally and then
be offered a passive citizenship or a permanent residence or

(01:01:06):
whatever that may be and not call it amnesty. This
is amnesty, and it is not something that I will support.
Maria Salazar has wanted amnesty legislation since she arrived in
Congress with me in our in our one and seventeenth
Congress class, and this is not something that I support.

(01:01:29):
I do understand Gave Evan's position, and he can argue
that better than I ever could or would, because this
is not a bill that I support. But I will
say that Gave Evans has been a fierce fighter in Congress,
and not even considering that he is in a fifty
to fifty district, it's our zero, it's d zero. This

(01:01:51):
seat can go either way, and we've seen it go
to the left and to the right, and hopefully we
can keep him in this position in Colorado. He and
I just met with Secretary of Defense Pete Headsath yesterday
on some critical issues with Colorado. Hopefully and those details
will come out shortly. But this is a man who

(01:02:15):
truly cares about the constituents in Colorado's eighth district and beyond.
And so while I disagree on this piece of legislation,
I will stand in defense of him and say that
he has He is an absolutely amazing congressman.

Speaker 4 (01:02:30):
This is why we enjoy Representative Lauren Bolbert joining us,
because she calls it as she sees it. She differs
with Gabe Evans on this bill, but overall supports him
in a very tough house fight ahead in the eighth
Congressional District. You can follow her on ex at Rep. Bolbert.
That's bo E b E RT. Representative Lauren Bolbert, fourth
Congressional District of Colorado. Thank you, as always for your time, Lauren,

(01:02:52):
always appreciate it.

Speaker 12 (01:02:54):
Thanks so much, Ryan, talk to you soon, all.

Speaker 4 (01:02:56):
Right, your thoughts On the text line At five six
six nine zero, this one says Ryan, does she support
Gabe Evans' new immigrant plan. I'm glad you asked, because
I just asked and she said no. She's a firm no,
and she's calling it an amnesty bill. That is something
that is a perception. The Representative Gabe Evans is fighting.
And as I see it, I give Gabe the benefit

(01:03:19):
of the doubt. He's done a fantastic job. Could not
agree more with what Lauren just said in her characterization
of him. This, however, it feels like a little bit
of a slippery slope. I do not trust Representative Maria Salazar.
She's kind of one of these waffy flimsy, you know, rhino.
I hate that term, but maybe kind of. I don't
know you can count on her, but she has been

(01:03:40):
pushing for this. Lauren's absolutely right for amnesty, and this
counterdicts really the basis of the press release that I'm
looking at.

Speaker 5 (01:03:47):
Here. She says the following.

Speaker 4 (01:03:49):
The Dignity Act is a revolutionary bill that offers the
solution to our immigration crisis. Secure the border, stop illegal immigration,
and provide an earned opportunity for long term immigrants to
stay here and work. No amnesty, no handouts, no citizenship,
just accountability and a path to stability for our economy

(01:04:11):
and our future.

Speaker 5 (01:04:12):
That's the quote.

Speaker 4 (01:04:13):
And we'll talk to Gabe Evans a little bit more
at the bottom of the next hour about this. But
your thoughts at fifty six six ninety, Representative Bobert is
exactly correct.

Speaker 5 (01:04:22):
The illegal immigration is.

Speaker 4 (01:04:23):
Basically slavery with they were the enslaved pay their way
to the slave owner.

Speaker 5 (01:04:28):
That's indentured servitude. We learned that in history class at least.

Speaker 4 (01:04:31):
Those that brought black people over paid for their transport ouch.

Speaker 5 (01:04:36):
Yeah, I mean brass tax. That's what this is.

Speaker 4 (01:04:39):
The comparison I made Hunter Biden those remarks you heard,
and yeah, they were heavily added it because he used
the F word a whole bunch. But think about the
core of that, the condescension of that to people that
would come here to live the American dream. But their
American dream is limited to cleaning toilets, cleaning up after
people in hotels, being housemaids, working on far migrants picking

(01:05:01):
fruits and crops.

Speaker 5 (01:05:03):
Is this what they should be limited to?

Speaker 4 (01:05:05):
They should have no limits to their American dream, and
they would not if the process were streamlines, so they
could come here in a legal way, remain in Mexico
while their asylum claims are adjudicated, and if they come here,
they do it in broad daylight to become American citizens.

Speaker 5 (01:05:21):
I couldn't support that more.

Speaker 4 (01:05:22):
My mom was an immigrant, her parents, my grandparents, immigrants
that came here the right way, legally with a sponsor
in nineteen fifty. We do not want people coming here
under the cover of darkness, because then they have to
remain in that darkness, and they live in that darkness,
kicking money back to cartels and coyotes being trafficked across
the country, women and children being raped on their way here.

(01:05:44):
We're not going to polish those terms. That's what's happening
out there. That's the reality of this. It is a hellish,
nightmarish landscape for them to come here at all. And
of course they're going to settle for under the table
cash paid jobs. Lauren's absolutely correct. You don't pay taxes
on those and these companies, these corporations whatever. If the
Los Angeles economy, the careen Bass claims, relies upon illegal

(01:06:07):
immigrant labor, that in and of itself should be called
out and ended. We should not have indentured servants in
this country anymore. Come on, time out, We're back top
of the hour, straight ahead, looking forward to more of
your text.

Speaker 5 (01:06:22):
At fifty six six ninety.

Speaker 4 (01:06:23):
I'm Ryan Schuling, filling in for ros Kaminski, and this
is Koa taking through this final hour before high noon,
and that's when the new sheriff comes to town. Mandy Connell.
I hope you ready all three hours now. Mandy has
the energy level you were with her in Japan right,
sure was Yeah, she could do like a six hour show.
I think, oh easily, yeah, without even betting, and I

(01:06:44):
she's loaded for bear and then she came back speaking Japanese.

Speaker 5 (01:06:49):
That was nice. That's there a thing now. Yeah, so
looking forward to that.

Speaker 4 (01:06:53):
Might even have a bonus appearance from Mandy at the
end of this hour if she gets here soon enough.
I always enjoy that as well. Thank you for having
me as your guest. Ross is back tomorrow. I just
want to reassure all the listeners out there he's coming back.
He'll be back tomorrow. Your tax at five sixty six
nine zero, Stay tuned. Representative Gabe Evans coming up bottom
of the hour, the bill he has co sponsored with

(01:07:15):
Representative Maria Salazar out of Florida, drawing a lot of
consternation from Republicans, and Lauren Bolbert says she's a firm
known the Dignity Act, and we'll get to that topic
right now in five sixty six nine zero. I think
the Gave Evans Bill is a step in the right direction,
says this text. And I think there should be a
path to citizenship for some. But the border is secure. Now,

(01:07:37):
let's reform immigration. Yes, And like I said, even Martha
radd it's ABC admitted as much that the border it's
night and day she went down there. It is organized,
it is locked down compared to what was going on
under Alejandra Maorcis. It really should be prosecuted, I think,
but that remains to be seen intentionally leaving the border open.

(01:08:00):
There's no other explanation for it to garner more illegal
aliens to be counted in blue states for congressional seats
and electoral votes. That's the short explanation, and it's the
accurate one. Check my math. So many issues with this text,
but it's important, and Texter, I'm glad you sent it.
Let's start. Repobert doesn't understand slavery or indentured servitude. The labor,

(01:08:22):
by her admission, is getting paid. Why should the government
get between two parties free will? As long as it's
voluntary and both sides get what they want. Olbert advocates
for the government we despise in democrats, Texter, these will
start here. Those that come here illegally do not have
legal status. They are not citizens. Therefore they cannot fill

(01:08:43):
out tax forms. They also have a lot harder time
getting organized in terms of unionized labor. And I can't
believe I'm saying this as a conservative, populous, libertarian, Republican,
but unions did serve a purpose, especially in the early
twentieth century, in breaking the grip that Henry Ford had

(01:09:05):
over the assembly line in Dearborn, Michigan, that workers would
be guaranteed wages, days off, overtime pay, vacation time, things
of this nature. Unions helped secure that. I will always
give that credit. Now, what they became, they kind of
outlasted I think the good that they were doing, and
now it got into organized crime AFLCIO, UAW a lot

(01:09:27):
of the unions across the country, and the fat cats
were the ones at the top of the unions themselves,
the reps and so you know, forced union shops labor.

Speaker 5 (01:09:37):
I kind of see both sides of it. I do sympathy.

Speaker 4 (01:09:40):
I come from a very strong Union state in Michigan.
But there are downsides to it. Now, in this case,
these workers don't have any rights to negotiate, to collectively bargain.
They'll get paid whatever these shop owners say. They'll get paid.
And this goes back to the earlier point I failed
to stick the landing on.

Speaker 5 (01:10:00):
But here it is what we heard from Hunter Biden.

Speaker 4 (01:10:03):
Who's going to pick our crops, who's going to clean
our sheets, who's gonna pick up after us, who's going
to garden for us?

Speaker 5 (01:10:12):
You know that is so condescending. That's just the tip
of the iceberg.

Speaker 4 (01:10:16):
Though what it sounds like he might as well be
Big Daddy, the Don Johnson character and Django unchained spouting
off filth from his balcony. That was the mindset of
Southern plantation owners. What what we do without slave labor? Our
entire economy and the South depends on it. Thomas Jefferson,
George Washington, the Virginia delegation to the original Constitutional Convention.

(01:10:39):
They had to write a very fine line because those
in the North didn't understand this concept or this mindset
that John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Alexander Hamilton, like, we don't
want slavery. What are you talking about? That contradicts everything
we're revolting against. And Jefferson and Washington were, Ugh, can't
just outright Bannett out of the box here, or all

(01:11:03):
thirteen colonies won't unite. We're going to need all thirteen
colonies and then some help from the French. I know
that sounds odd in order to defeat this British empire.
So they had to make some compromises that would be
rectified in the form of a bloody civil war one
hundred years later. But the point here is this isntdentured servitude,

(01:11:26):
because would they be treated the same if they were
above board American citizens on the payrolls, having filed tax forms.
The answer is no, they're not treated the same. They're
lesser than You're okay with that. So an employers willing
to hire these illegitimate, illegal workers and pay them cut

(01:11:46):
wages under the table to save himself or herself a
lot of money, a boatload of money that doesn't benefit
the worker. The worker's forced into this position, a position
of weakness, not a position of strength. To extend your point, Texter,
what if this employer wants to hire little kids eight
nine year olds and pay him like fifty cents an hour.

(01:12:07):
But the little kids doesn't. They don't have any agency
in this. They can't negotiate their kids. They're gonna say yes.
And that happened at the pot farm in California. There
were eight nine year olds working the marijuana fields because
they were illegal aliens, the children of illegal aliens.

Speaker 5 (01:12:25):
That's the problem here.

Speaker 4 (01:12:26):
I'm the one defending their rights, wanting to be legal citizens.
That should be the standard, that should be the goal.
We'll talk more about that with Representative Gabe Evans coming
up again bottom of the hour. Why are parents not
required to show proof of citizenship for themselves or their
children when they register for schools in Colorado? It's a
don't ask, don't tell policy. It's ridiculous, it's insane. And

(01:12:48):
listen to this. This is from Jesse Paul. I respect
him highly. He's a great writer. He's moderated some debates
for the Colorado Son. He does great work. So I
want to preface everything with that. But the title of
this Colorado had Attorney General. That's Phil None the Wiser,
Sue's deputy who shared information leading to women's ice arrest.
So he sues the deputy and the sheriff's department because

(01:13:11):
they shared information leading to a woman's ice arrest.

Speaker 5 (01:13:15):
The Wiser is also.

Speaker 4 (01:13:16):
Investigating the Mesa County Sheriff's office participation in an encrypted
group chat with federal law enforcement officials, again putting illegals
ahead of American citizens and those who protect and serve
those citizens. Get into the details of that when we
come back. More of your tax fifty six six ninety

(01:13:37):
Ryan Schuling in for Roskamenski.

Speaker 5 (01:13:38):
You're listening to KOA.

Speaker 13 (01:13:40):
Jason Crowe from Colorado sixth District and I'm outside of
the Aurora Ice Processing facility.

Speaker 5 (01:13:45):
This is an ice detention center that's run by the Geo.

Speaker 13 (01:13:47):
Corporation, and I just attempted to conduct an oversight visit
of the facility pursuant of federal law. So Public Law
one eighteen Dash four seven, Section five two seven says
that members of Congress I must be provided immediate access
to facilities like the one behind me here to conduct oversight. Again,
I was just in there. It was denied access and

(01:14:09):
violation of federal law to this facility.

Speaker 5 (01:14:13):
So listen.

Speaker 13 (01:14:15):
One of my biggest obligations as a member of Congress
is to conduct oversite, to show up and to make
sure the taxpayer dollars are being used in accordance with
my constituents values, but also in accordance with law. And
that's certainly not what is happening here today.

Speaker 4 (01:14:30):
Wait just a minute, there Buster Brown Representative Jason Crowe,
who I reluctantly reveal is my congressman should have been
John Fabricatory. How much better would he be in this role?
And let's go to John's response on this. John, good
friend of mine, has been biting his tongue because the
Trump administration just hired him on He is doing the

(01:14:53):
lord's work and I mean that literally helping RFK Junior
and AHHS locate these missing chill one hundred to thousand
of them estimated that Representative Bobert spoke about earlier, and
he's helping track them down and rescue them. If you
have not seen Sound of Freedom, it's must watch. It

(01:15:15):
really is phenomenal. It'll grip your heartstrings. It's difficult to watch,
but it's important to watch. Here's John Fabricatory responding to
what you just heard. This was performance art. Congressman Crow
has visited the facility numerous times during the week. In
the last year of Trump's first presidency, he visited the
facility thirty four times in four years. Under Biden, I

(01:15:37):
was able to locate two on site visits. He wasn't
concerned as much under Biden three question marks. He visited
in person seven times since Trump was elected this time
and was last there on July third. He knows the
ice office is closed on Sunday at the jail and
only the GEO contract Attention office and a limited staff

(01:16:01):
are there. Having a limited staff on a Sunday is
not safe for the contract employees to try to shut
down the facility's detainee movement. He knew he would get
denied on a Sunday. Here is the visitation log he
posts a link to that does Johnny Fabs. Electronic visits
are paperwork only on site visits are physical visits by

(01:16:23):
Crow and he details what you can see there, perhaps
even more powerful in response, another good friend of mine
who has really gone through a lot with her husband,
Ed and Sydney Romero. You might remember the video that
went viral all across America and across the world.

Speaker 5 (01:16:40):
They set up outside of their apartments edge.

Speaker 4 (01:16:42):
At Lowry capturing on video trendy Aragua gang members with
automatic weapons. I mean this was mad Max beyond Thunderdome
times in Aurora, we are being told it wasn't happening.
Daniel Jurinsky or our city council was being told it
was a feature of her imagination, according to Governor Polis.
Kyle Clark, nine News refused to cover the story. Cindy

(01:17:04):
Romero loved Kyle Clark, was a Democrat, watched nine News
almost exclusively, and she thought to reach out to him
first crickets. She never got a response from him, And
when I've called him out on x SO one thing,
he'll never respond to me on did you or did
you not ignore an email sent directly to you, Kyle

(01:17:24):
Clark by Cindy Romero silence answer is yes, he ignored
it because it did not conveniently fit the narrative that
he was looking to advance that it wasn't happening.

Speaker 5 (01:17:35):
It was happening the entire time.

Speaker 4 (01:17:37):
And here's Cindy Romero's quote tweet of Representative Jason Crowe.
My family and I were tortured and harassed by gang
members for a year while you helped illegal invaders gain
a foothold in this country. You are useless and ineffective
as a leader. Cry harder, cry louder, you will get
no sympathy from US. Cindy was engaged and basically it

(01:17:58):
was a hostile negotiation and what she would provide materials
to the gang members that were patrolling the grounds as
a peace offering so that they would let her pass
without incident.

Speaker 5 (01:18:10):
It worked, But think.

Speaker 4 (01:18:11):
About the psychology behind that, the survival instincts of Cindy
Romero in those instances. How is that happening in Aurora,
Colorado under the watchful eye of the Aurora PD who
would come out and I don't not much what we
can do here? And then it goes to the story
that I was telling you about. You have to look
pretty hard on this one about Phil Wiser, Colorado Attorney

(01:18:35):
General Sue's deputy who shared information leading to women's ice
rass You got to read the whole article. There's a
nineteen year old college student from Utah and they go
into the whole sob story. Caroline DS Gunclaves, University of
Utah student studying nursing, arrested by US ICE agents June
five after she was pulled over by Deputy Alexander's Wink

(01:18:55):
for allegedly driving too close to a semi trailer on
Interstate seventy near the town of Law. This goes on
and on, and Wiser's going to file a lawsuit against
the Sheriff's department and the deputy who conducted this, and
you have to go down. All due respect to Jesse Paul,
but the lead is buried here. As we say in news. Okay,
here is the penultimate paragraph, the next to last paragraph

(01:19:18):
of the entire article.

Speaker 5 (01:19:19):
Finally it gets to this.

Speaker 4 (01:19:21):
A relative of Dias Conclaves told The Tribune that she
originally came to the United States with her parents in
twenty twelve, when she was seven. The family had a
six month tourist visa which they overstayed. They were afraid
to return to Brazil, the relative said, after experiencing violence there,
including being robbed and held as hostages by gangs several times.

(01:19:41):
Then you apply for asylum or you renew the visa.
You don't just let it expire and then wantonly wander
the country as if nothing will happen. And unfortunately, under
President Biden that was the case. Nothing happened. You don't
have any right to be here once that expires.

Speaker 5 (01:19:59):
Those are the laws. You either respect the laws of
this country or you don't.

Speaker 4 (01:20:03):
And if you defy those laws, what other laws are
you going to be incentivized to obey? The answer is
none of them, because you know you can get away
with it. Spare me, miss me with this lawsuit by
Phil Wiser, A break bottom of the hour. Stay tuned
Representative Gabe Evans when we return. On the other side,
he has co sponsored a bill drawing a lot of

(01:20:26):
criticism from fellow Republicans, called the Dignity Act. We'll talk
to him more about that when we come back with
more of the Ross Kominski Show. Ryan Shuling filling in
on KOA.

Speaker 12 (01:20:34):
This bill I would love for. This bill cannot even
come to the floor. It might even be insulting if
it does come to the floor. I argued my predecessor,
Scott Tipton in the third District on amnesty, and this
is amnesty. You cannot come into our country or be
in our country illegally and then be offered a passive

(01:20:58):
citizenship or a permanent red or whatever that may be
and not call it amnesty. This is amnesty and it
is not something that I will support. Maria Salazar has
wanted amnesty legislation since she arrived in Congress with me
in our in our one and seventeenth Congress class, and

(01:21:21):
this is not something that I support. I do understand
Gabe Adan's position, and he can argue that better than
I ever could or would, because this is not a
bill that I support.

Speaker 4 (01:21:33):
Representative Lauren Bobert earlier today here on KOA Ryan Schuling
filling in for Ross Kaminski and joining us now the
aforementioned Congressman Gabe Evans. You can follow him on Exit.
Rep Gabe Evans. He is a co sponsor of the
Dignity Act along with Representative Maria Salazar from Florida, and
he joins us now to talk more about it. Gabe,
thanks for your time as always.

Speaker 17 (01:21:55):
Yeah, of course, I always enjoy being hon with you.

Speaker 7 (01:21:57):
Now.

Speaker 4 (01:21:57):
You don't disagree much or often with Representative Robert You're
colleague here from Colorado, but you disagree here. What would
you say to refute what she just said? The characterization
of this bill is an amnesty bill.

Speaker 17 (01:22:08):
Yeah, it's absolutely not an amnesty bill. And we'll go
through all of the data points here because we're the
party that likes to critically analyze things and make sure
that we're actually getting the policy right. But it's absolutely
not an amnesty bill. And actually, the two things we
got to talk about before we even get into the
bill is first and foremost, border security. We've said all along,
and we're in complete lockstep with this. I think everybody's

(01:22:29):
in lockstep with this. You can't even have this conversation
about work visa reform because that's what this is. It's
a work visa reform bill. You can't even have the
conversation about work visa reform until the border is secure.
And we've seen what's happened for the first six months
under the new administration. We saw what we did with
the big, beautiful bill with a historically large amount of
funding for border security, for immigration and customs, for border patrol,

(01:22:49):
for the border wall. Illegal crossings are at effectively at
zero right now. We've never seen that before, and we
know this is the starting point that you can't have
any further conversation without the amazing border security that we've
seen in the last six months. The second thing is
this bill has been around actually for about five years,

(01:23:10):
so whenever we have conversations. We're going to make sure
that we're talking the current version of this Dignity Act,
because previous versions of it, which went by the same name,
were squishy before I got to Congress. But you know,
this third draft version of it that's been reintroduced for
twenty twenty five, we ripped a lot. We ripped the
squishy stuff out of this bill. So here's what the

(01:23:33):
bill actually does. This bill does not have a path
to citizenship the end for anybody the end. This bill
enshrines in federal law, so not the executive orders that
we've seen. This puts in federal law a permanent bar
to any federal benefits for people that are either illegally
present in the country or are on these different types

(01:23:55):
of work visas. This bill mandates national employe use of EVERIFY,
so that's the system to make sure that you're not
hiring illegal immigrants. It actually enshrines into federal law the
President's self deportation order. If you do not have legal status,
again not under executive order. In this bill, you either
self deporter, we kick you out of the country. So

(01:24:16):
this is directly aimed at what we've said all along.
We don't want criminals. We don't want freeloaders. We don't
want cartels, we don't want gang members, gang bangers, or
gang members. We don't want any of those people in
the United States. And this is actually putting that stuff
into federal law, along with the resources to be able
to get them out and to get them out of
an expedited manner. What this bill also does we've talked

(01:24:36):
a lot about in the illegal immigration space, how when
Biden through the borders open and you had this mass
human wave influx of people. Those illegal immigrants cut people
in line that had been working to try to do
it the right way to come to the United States.
They were on a work visa, they were on some
sort of program to legally have the status to work

(01:24:58):
in the United States again under Trump won, Well, what
happened when the border got thrown open is those people
who had legal status oftentimes couldn't even get their work visa,
their permit, their whatever their authorization was renewed. And so
then they had a choice to face do they leave
their employer, do they go back home? Because they got

(01:25:18):
cut in line by all of the illegal immigrants under
Biden that were free loading and trying to take these
benefits or do they keep working their job. Some of
them chose, you know what, I'm going to keep working
my job. And so that's where this bill comes in.
If somebody falls into a category like that, they have
to pay any back taxes for ten years, any back taxes.
To enter into this program. They got to pay a

(01:25:40):
seven thousand dollars fine. So when we talk amnesty, to me,
amnesty means path for citizenship and you don't pay up
what you owe the American people. But for any crime
that you commit, we typically have a fine schedule. You
pay your fine. This has a seven thousand dollars fine. Additionally,
it has a one percent annual garnishment on their lawful

(01:26:05):
wage in the United States to go pay for a
program to do workforce development for American taxpayers. It's seven
seventy billion dollar program funded for American taxpayer workforce development
by people under this visa. It doesn't cost anything to
the American people because that seven thousand dollars fine pays
for it. And then again it enshrines a ton of

(01:26:28):
very very tough border protection and anti legal immigrants for
lack of a better word, policies into law like the
self deportation mandate.

Speaker 4 (01:26:39):
Representative Gabe Evans with a thorough explanation. They're representing the
eighth Congressional district here in Colorado, evenly divided district. Gabe,
I know that you are a descendant from immigrants in
this country and they have made a wonderful story for themselves,
and you have done that as well and carried on
that legacy. I know you're very proud of that legacy.
And I am the son of an immigrant myself. Where

(01:27:01):
I think people are struggling a little bit maybe is
in some of the language right here, and let me
just focus in on this particular group of people. And
this is from Maria Salazar, who you co sponsored the
bill with provide an earned opportunity for long term immigrants
to stay here and work. Now, should we read into
that long term illegal immigrants? Because I hear this and

(01:27:21):
it doesn't really set well with me that the longer
they've been here illegally somehow that's better in my mind.

Speaker 5 (01:27:26):
In many ways, that's worse.

Speaker 4 (01:27:28):
That means they've had more time to have that adjudicated,
to seek some remedies, to come forward and say hey, look,
I want to be here legally, how do I do that? So,
how would you explain that particular line about long term
illegal immigrants who maybe haven't violated any other laws, have
lived here peacefully, maybe worked in a job. What is
your mindset and approach.

Speaker 5 (01:27:47):
To that group.

Speaker 17 (01:27:48):
Yeah, so two thoughts. Number One, they're not getting a
free pass to anything, seven thousand dollars fine for doing
that one percent garnishment of their wages off to the
tune of its estimated seventy billion dollars to pay for
American workforce development. But then the second part here is
a lot of these folks are you know, they're in

(01:28:09):
that childhood arrival space. They were brought to the United
States when they were three, four five years old, you know,
obviously had no agency in that decision themselves. And again
this is all stuff in the past. We can talk
about what should have happened, but as we used to
say in the army, you got to play the hand
your dealt, and the hand we've been dealt is you've
had a lot of these childhood arrivals in the United

(01:28:30):
States educated the American taxpayer expense, didn't have any agency themselves.
And so when you talk about the long term folks
in the United States. I think in that particular comment
that's who is contemplated here. And again, there's no free
path to anything. There's all of the different account accountability
measures that we talked about. Not because any of us,

(01:28:53):
you know, think this is the best scenario that we
could have had. We just have to play the hand
that we've been dealt given the last four years of
a broken excuse me, four decades of a broken immigration system.

Speaker 4 (01:29:06):
Congressman gave Evans eighth Congressional district here in Colorado, and
he has brought forth this bill along with Representative Maria
Salazar from Florida, called.

Speaker 5 (01:29:14):
The Dignity Act.

Speaker 4 (01:29:16):
Now gave the numbers game here of getting this to
the floor, voted on and passed and sent over to
the Senate. It appears there's bipartisan support to a degree,
but like I said, you're peeling off some Republicans. Representative
Bobert is a no, and I imagine there will be
several other no's from the Republican side other than the
blanket kind of nomenclature of amnesty, and that's anathema to Republicans.

Speaker 5 (01:29:38):
We know that you know that, and it is to
you too.

Speaker 4 (01:29:40):
I know, and then you're claiming this is not that
an amnesty bill, But what are the complaints, the pushbacks,
the specific criticisms you're getting from some of those members
of Congress, I imagine maybe from the Freedom Caucus, those
that might be further to the right that you would
like to rebut and have you been able to do
that with them in person and try to bring them
over to your side on this?

Speaker 17 (01:30:00):
Yeah, So the first part is really, like we talked about,
this bill has been around for five years, and so
just basic version control, making sure that people understand we're
talking about the twenty twenty five bill, not the twenty
twenty three bill or the twenty twenty one bill which
did have squishy stuff in it. If you go google
Dignity Act, you're going to get bad information from previous
versions of the bill. So that's the first thing in

(01:30:21):
this space, is just to have that level setting conversation
about what we're actually talking about and what the bill
actually does or does not do. So, as we've said,
does include a seven thousand dollars fine, does include all
of these other accountability measures, does include expedited removal for
anybody that isn't able to get legal status in the

(01:30:44):
United States, does not include a pathway to citizenship, does
not include any freebies, any handouts. Again, this has a
lifetime bar for anyone who's getting federal welfare. They can't
even enter the program they get the ported. We don't
want freeloaders, we don't want criminals. So that's the first
part of the conversation, and then the second part of

(01:31:05):
the conversation is, again, we got to play the hand
that we're dealt. I wish that forty two percent of
the ag labor force, agricultural labor force in the United States,
I wish forty two percent of them weren't illegal immigrants.
But the fact of the matter is forty two percent
of the ag labor force in the United States are
illegal immigrants. And so whenever we're talking about make America

(01:31:26):
great again, as the agricultural community likes to say, food
security is national security, we have to at least be
able to engage in the conversations about I wish we
weren't in this spot. There's a lot of other things
I wish we weren't in the spot of but this
is the hand we're dealt. We got to have the
conversations about how to move forward. And so that's the
final thought I'll leave you with here is the bill

(01:31:46):
has merely been introduced. It hasn't gone through committee yet,
hasn't gone through the floor yet, hasn't gone through the
Senate yet, and so it's open for the conversations. We
know we got to get this right. We know we've
been dealt a bad hand by the last four years
excuse me for decades of bad immigration policy. But now
that we have the border secured, we have to double

(01:32:07):
down on that border security. We have to double down
on it through federal law and not just nearly executive order,
so that the border stays secured in perpetuity, regardless of
who's in the White House or or who's in control
of Congress. With that done, and with the additional help
that this Dignity Act brings to that border security and
brings to that immigration enforcement space, we also have to

(01:32:28):
have the conversation around and what do we do with,
among many other things, the forty two percent of the
AG labor force that's here.

Speaker 5 (01:32:35):
I legally he if you have time for one more question,
you got to go.

Speaker 17 (01:32:40):
Well, my schedule just changed up, so we can do one.

Speaker 4 (01:32:42):
More, okay, And that comes to this, and I know
you're sensitive to this as well, especially for those residents
that reside in the eighth Congressional district. We saw not
long ago a meat packaging plan I think was in Nebraska,
South Dakota something like that that was busted, had a
whole bunch of illegal immigrants working there for cut wages
and those workers' rights we're not being acknowledged whatsoever. And

(01:33:02):
the response from the owner of that meat packaging plant was,
we don't have a playbook for this. So there's this reliance,
Like you said, forty two percent of the egg industry,
meat packaging industry that relies on illegal immigrants. Karen Bass
has made this point as well. You can kind of
conflating illegal immigrants with legal immigrants.

Speaker 5 (01:33:20):
How would you.

Speaker 4 (01:33:21):
Approach businesses that conduct themselves that way, that are looking
for cheap under the table wages to hire illegal workers
and encouraging that type of employee across the border illegally.

Speaker 17 (01:33:32):
And so that's exactly what this bill does. This bill
crushes that sort of bad behavior again. National mandate for
Everify right now, that's an optional program that employers get
the choice of whether or not they're going to do Everify.
This is a national mandate for Everify. Every single person
in the United States will have to show that they
have the legal ability to work in the United States,

(01:33:54):
and the employer has to double down and follow up
on that, and their subject to some pretty hefty penalties
if they skirt that law. The other thing, again that's
in this bill is the self deportation mandate. So in
this bill, and again we're still you know, we're still
adjusting the dials, but we've got to have the conversation.
But in this bill as drafted, if you don't have

(01:34:17):
a legal work authorization in the United States, you individually
are under a federal mandate to self deport We are
putting that into federal law. This is not an executive
order that the next Democrat administration could overturn. This is
putting that into federal law. And combined with the sixty

(01:34:37):
seventy billion dollars whatever the precise number was of funding
that we put into immigration and Customs and border patrol
in the big beautiful Bill, we have the teeth to
be able to back that up so that we can
finally get that decisive and clear pathway forward for employers
and for folks in the United States, so that they
know that every single employee that they are hiring either

(01:35:00):
has lawful status to be able to work in the
United States, or the employer gets clawbered and that individual
gets clabbered for violating the federal mandate of self deportation.
That's included in this piece of legislation.

Speaker 5 (01:35:12):
You can hear why.

Speaker 4 (01:35:12):
He's a bright rising star in the Republican Party here
in Colorado and nationally representing the eighth Congressional District in Colorado.
He is a co sponsor of the Dignity Act and
he articulated it quite well what it does and what
it doesn't do. And we thank you Representative Gabe Evans
for joining us here today.

Speaker 5 (01:35:29):
Good to be honest, you all right, Gabe.

Speaker 4 (01:35:30):
Evans, right there your thought and reaction at five six
six' nine zero that meat packing plant In omaha used. Everify,
well then we've got a, problem don't. We that's a great, Point,
texter if that is. CORRECT i, mean that's the whole
point of the, exercise, right and then this texture following
up to that points is then simply just pass an everify. Bill,
yeah that's another great. IDEA i love single issue bills

(01:35:54):
more than, anything AND i know That Representative Thomas massey
is with me on, this AND i know that's not.
Practical and everybody wants to get in and add their
pork barrel projects on and then we get the congressional spending.

Speaker 5 (01:36:06):
GLUT i know. It you if you like.

Speaker 4 (01:36:09):
Eating italian, sausage you don't want to go to the
sausage factory and see how it's. Made but that's what
happens In. Congress that's what happens behind closed. Doors Representative Gabe,
evans he has learned this on the, fly by the,
way and as you can, hear he's a very sharp individual.
Too you don't need to put multiple things into a
bill to get it. Passed thing goes to my earlier.
POINT i understand. It but then you get the add,

(01:36:29):
ons you get the. Amendments i'll only vote yes if
you do. This you give me, this you give my district.
This that's just the nature of the. Beast, unfortunately This
texter again five six six nine Zero evans makes. Sense
bobert is of the deport every last one category and
that attitude is just to appeal to.

Speaker 5 (01:36:46):
Maga evans is right have to deal with what we've been.

Speaker 4 (01:36:49):
DEALT i totally get, it AND i am very much
of that mindset of a pragmatic and practical approach with.

Speaker 5 (01:36:57):
Priorities based in.

Speaker 4 (01:36:59):
Principle AND i Believe Gabe evans is THAT i don't
have any reason to. QUESTION i certainly extend benefit of
the doubt status To. GABE i think he's again one
of the top stars In Colorado republican, politics and again
he has demonstrated that time and again with the bills
that he has. SUPPORTED i think the slippery slope, here
or kind of the blind spot, perhaps is that if

(01:37:20):
you give any kind of daylight to illegal. Immigration the
only QUESTION i didn't get to ask him THAT i
really wanted to was what. Happens let's say somebody's been
here a long, time they know they're here, illegally but
they want to become a. Citizen, well there's no pathway
to citizenship in this, bill The Dignity.

Speaker 5 (01:37:34):
Act how do they go about doing? That, well if
you have.

Speaker 4 (01:37:37):
To pack up and leave and go back across the
border and reapply and wait your turn in. LINE i
think That's Lauren boebert's, position and that would be more
akin to mine as. Well then if it's worth it
to you to be An american, citizen you're going to
go through whatever proper channels you have to to make
sure that gets. Done speaking of getting things, done that's
a Segue Mandy connell live in.

Speaker 5 (01:37:56):
Studio, Hello, Hello. Mandy oh there it. IS i wait
for it every TIME i.

Speaker 10 (01:38:01):
AM i.

Speaker 18 (01:38:03):
Really one of the THINGS i like About Representative evans
bill is it's a, swing, Right it's a. Swing we've
got to start the. Conversation we've got to have some
kind of. Foundation even if you hate parts of this,
bill even if you hate all of this, Bill we've
got to have this conversation while the border is, secure,
okay because nothing says we're not going to have another
left wing lunatic int into office and just open the border.

(01:38:25):
Again so we have to fix the legal immigration system right, Now,
RYAN i have a young friend who is married.

Speaker 10 (01:38:32):
To one of my childhood best.

Speaker 18 (01:38:34):
Friends her daughter is married to a young man From,
scotland and he is about to miss the birth of
his first child here in The United states because he's
waiting on an immigration.

Speaker 10 (01:38:43):
Hearing In scotland right.

Speaker 18 (01:38:45):
Now, oh and he can't get another visa to be
here for the birth of his, child even though he's
married to this. Woman so there's so many issues that
have to be fixed for legal.

Speaker 4 (01:38:54):
Immigrations is this man From, scotland if he's married to
An american, woman doesn't that make him An?

Speaker 5 (01:38:59):
American so? Ye not, automatically not even. Remotely why? Not?

Speaker 10 (01:39:03):
NOH i have no.

Speaker 5 (01:39:04):
Idea.

Speaker 4 (01:39:04):
NO i thought that was the whole concept behind mail order,
brides not THAT i looked into.

Speaker 18 (01:39:08):
It, well that was also back in the, day like
mail river, brides you have to be here for a
number of years, First, okay that kind of. Thing the
immigration system is hopelessly it's. BROKEN a friend of mine
who's been married to Her irish husband for twenty. Years
we had to get in third party help to get him.
In and these are people with means to sustain themselves
and they're being stopped at the. Border and, yeah we

(01:39:30):
just spent ninety five million dollars on people who.

Speaker 4 (01:39:32):
Don't maybe that process can be cleaned up a lot
easier now that we shut the border down.

Speaker 5 (01:39:36):
Here and that's What i'm.

Speaker 18 (01:39:37):
Saying now the iron is, hot we must strike because
now it's time while the border is secure to figure
out a better system so people can come here and.

Speaker 10 (01:39:46):
Work that's what they want to.

Speaker 5 (01:39:47):
Do what is coming up on The mandy, CONISHOW i
have no idea WHAT i.

Speaker 10 (01:39:50):
Have it is.

Speaker 18 (01:39:51):
FLYING i said this yesterday AND i want to see
if you kind of feel the same. Way it's definitely
the dog days of news.

Speaker 10 (01:39:59):
Summer, yeah it's LIKE i get it in the.

Speaker 18 (01:40:01):
Morning i'm, Like, okay what fresh all AM i not
going to find today because.

Speaker 10 (01:40:05):
Everyone's on the cash right.

Speaker 18 (01:40:08):
NOW i actually have a very interesting story about the
schism between young men and women, politically and the author
of this story In City journal does a deep dive
on the very different ways that men and women are
and it just is a nice reminder that men and
women are two different sexes and.

Speaker 4 (01:40:25):
Genders cannot be said more strongly than. That Mandy connell coming.
Up Ryan schuling filling in For Ross. Kominski he's back.
Tomorrow thanks for listening to me today here ON koa