Welcome to today's podcast sponsored by Hillsdale College. All Things Hillsdale at Hillsdale dot ed or I encourage you to take advantage of the many free online courses there, and of course I'll listen to the Hillsdale Dialogue all of them at Hugh for Hillsdale dot com or just Google, Apple, iTunes and Hillsdale RaaS America. I'm he Hewt inside the Beltway. As many of you know, I used to live in California.
I lived in California until twenty sixteen. This very day, I was sitting with another ex California and we were talking about how wonderful it was to live in California in the eighties and the nineties, back in the days of Duke Major and Pete Wilson and now it's gone to hell. And we began talking about the debate that
was held earlier this week. So I thought we would try and get a hold of one of the participants of the debate, Steve Hilton, and Steve is here to talk about the debate, so that I don't have to worry about equal time rules.
We're talking about the debate here.
It's a news event, so I'm allowed to talk to him about it, Steve, you crushed it in the debate.
First tell me just a technical matter. What do you make of the moderators.
I liked Alan, but I have never worked with his colleagues from CNN Caitlyn.
I honestly thought it was a good I thought it was good. Here's why they actually let us debate. They weren't so insanely kind of fussing about their rules and minute here, and they let us actually challenge each other,
and that leads to a better outcome. Obviously, you can't have a complete free for all, but I thought of all the ones that we don't, we had another one last night, which was much more, if I could put it this way, micro managed by the moderators, and ends up actually resulting in a worse outcome, because a debate is, as the word suggests, a back and forth, and if you don't allow us to challenge each other, then you
don't get the benefit of that. So I enjoyed that debate, and they you know long, you know, two hours long, But you can get into all the issues and have a proper back and forth.
Now I have done enough debate that they got to get organic. If you get in the way they step on the lines where it matters. It seemed to me that you were in command. Did you miss any shots where you thought there was a knockout blow at say jab arbusera or you're in first place.
I don't know that you need a knockout blow.
I think that's right. I mean, I think there was one's you know, But Sarah is a target rich environment.
You.
He's got a bunch of corruption scandals, he's got a terrible record in every job that he's done. But the thing that I actually was looking forward to pointing out to his face and we didn't really get the chance to do it, is all the unbelievably negative things that are being said about his competence by his own former
colleagues in the Biden administration. And there's more of it just today being published where you have Biden administration officials coming out one after another saying that Sarah was the most useless cabinet secretary, totally incompetent. They look at his rise in this governor's race, and apparently this is the story that came out today. They show this is Biden's people, and they're passing around these polls with Bessarah moving up. They're saying, is this a joke? That's the word that
they use. They can't believe that this guy is being taken seriously, So we do. I think there is one more debate. I think there's one next week. I don't know if it's going to be broadcast statewide, so perhaps I'll get a chance then. But I mean, he's exactly what we don't need in California. Thirty six years career politician,
He's done nothing but be a politician. He's a total puppet of this failed and corrupt Democrat regime in California, and he's the living embodiment of exactly what we don't need, which is more of the same.
You know what surprises me about this, Steve Hilton?
You are in first place and right behind you are a Bussarah followed by Tom Steyer, followed by Katie Porter. That's the bland, the unlikable, and the toxic. It's I had threesome that you would never want to golf with. But Tom Steyer has got one hundred million dollars he's.
Pouring in there. What's he doing with it?
How can he not be in second place after one hundred million dollars of spending.
You know it's it's actually more. I mean the numbers keep going up. It's now one hundred and sixty million dollars he's spent just in the last few months. You basically can't escape his ads anywhere you go. And I think you've got to that point now where it's saturation, Like how much more can we take of this? It's one of my go to, you know, joke lines. When I'm on the on the campaign trail doing our town halls and you sort of mention Tom's tires ads, everyone
just groans. Even Javier Besser actually had his campaign put out a nice ad there's a good, good joke where they just had shots of Redwood forest and yosemitee and beautiful California nature scenes and saying, we just want to give you a break from tom Stars ads. It's just I don't know how he could throw another one hundred and sixty million if he wants, but I don't know how far it's going to get him. And by the way, he's not just more of the same, he is worse.
He's more left wing, more extreme on climate and taxes and spending and immigration, and crime than what we've got now. So, as I said in the debate the other night, if you think it can't get worse than Gavin Newsom and what we have now, I have two words for you, Tom Steier.
Well, I agree with you about that, and he's welcome to come on the show anytime. He just doesn't want to show up. The one fella I'm surprised by, and I'm friendly with, Antonio Viergosa. He kept me in a slot on the California Arts Commission forever. I think he's afraid to fire me because I had a radio show at the time. But he's nowhere. He's like the nowhere man. Did he have any sparkle at all in the debate? I know you're a candidate not a commentator, but you're fair. Did he have any juice?
No? I mean I like Antonio actually, And to be fair, he is definitely less extreme than the other Democrats, particularly on climate and energy, where he's not implacably hostile to California oil and gas production. He's also been pretty good on challenging the teacher unions on schools policy. But he's not really he hasn't he hasn't broken out his main role in the last two debates has been incredibly aggressive attacks on Javier Basera over his record, and so he did.
He definitely got more attention Antonio Villa Ricosa last night because he really went after Javier, and I suspect he'll be doing more of that in the remainder of the campaign. But I don't I don't see him going anywhere at all.
Well, let me move from the commentator part of the candidate. I want to figure out why you're leading in an overwhelmingly blue state and you're a newcomer.
What is it that you're leading with? Is it?
Is it housing? Is it affordability? Is it getting the homeless people out? What are you leading with? Well, it's actually I can tell you one word.
If you can see my my sort of backdrop here you these are the banners we take on the road for our town halls and the and the one just here at the top of that you can't quite see. It says hell affordable. I have it says hell affordable. And that's the theme. And it's three dollars gas, cut your electric bills in half, your first one hundred grand tax free, no more free health care for illegal immigrants, so we can lower healthcare cost for you a home
you can afford to buy. And that simple practical message is what I think people are responding to. The other thing I would just tell you is I think that they're responding to the fact that I've been working really hard for this. I've been traveling the state and really going out there, meeting people, listening to people. We do twnholes all over the state, and I think people really can see from that that there's an energy here and we don't have to put up with what we've got
in California. In a way, we're trying to overcome that inertia that after sixteen years of Democrats running everything, this assumption that well, you're just always going to be like this and your only choice is to put up with
it or to leave. And the whole point of my campaign is to show the kind of energy that will make people believe that actually change is possible, and it really is because the ballots are out, the choices in people's hands, the ballots have been sent out, were voting has begun, and everyone watching in California, listening in California, you can change the trajectory of our state it's only you can vote, and you can do it, and you
put me in the top two. That's the first step so that I can take on whoever the Democrats send. I really believe that we can turn things around in California because people are sick of what we've got and the argument for change is overwhelming.
Well, I do.
Talk to former California. It's really one question of despair, and people despair of it getting better because there's gridlock in Sacramento and super majorities of Democrats and billionaire taxes on that's the dumbest tax in the world. Even Gavin knows it's a dumb tax. Where's your strength? Is it the Central Valley? Is it San Diego, Orange County? Up in the North Way, North Stampa? Where's your strength?
I think it's everywhere, and it's more democratic. It's working class Californians and small business owners, the people who've been really hurt. I just really noticed that when I'm on the road, the kind of people that come up to you and say we're with you. You've got to win. It's regular working class people who just can't take it anymore. And the other reason, I just think it's very important to be aware of a big change in California this
year that should give us grounds for optimism. You mentioned the billionaires tax. This insane wealth tax idea that is completely unconstitutional and unworkable, has already cost us billions of dollars of lost tax revenues. Many people have left the state. But it's also woken up the business community in a
serious way where You've had to my frustration. Actually, for many years now, serious business leaders, the tech community and others across the state have kind of stood by and not been engaged as the state's drifted further to towards insanity in the hostile business climate. They've even gone along with it. Many of them have supported Democrats for is
that's all changed. They are really engaged. And the reason that matters is that I think that when I'm in the top two and it's me against a Democrat, we're going to have the business community supporting my campaign and giving us the resources we need to have a fair fight against the unions for the first time in at least twenty years.
Well, I hope to host a conversation between you and whoever comes in second very quickly. In ten second on AX you or Steve Hilton X. What's the website for your campaign?
Steve Hilton four Governor dot com fo R, Steve Hilton for Governor dot R.
It's great to be with you. Thank you, Steve. Stay turned the Salem New Channel America. Welcome back America and to hew it.
There are reports of explosions over islands off the coast of Iran at this hour. Details as they occur will produce those for you. I'm joined now by the chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee and the chair of the Senate Republican KAKA Senator Tom Cotton of Arkansas. Senator Cotton, have you heard any about those reports or it's just the Wall Street Journal that I'm reading?
Good?
Could be back on with you. I've not heard anything other than unverified media reports like you, so I suggest that we wait and see, but also would point out that the President has been very clear on what his red lines are with Iran, not just for the last week or months, but for ten years or more, and iron rewise to heed those red lines. But they have underestimated him before.
Now.
I spoke with the President on Monday and he laid down very firmly that no nuclear weapons, no highly enriched geranium. They've got to have inspections of their missile program, some kind of limit, and they're out of money anyway, so they won't be providing funds to terrorist organizations.
It's been that clear from the beginning. Why all this.
Struman dang about the the deal.
Well, he has been clear from the beginning. He and again, these are not complicated or even difficult demands. If Iran didn't want to be bombed backed at Stone age, they could simply say to the United States, here you go, here's all the enrich you yearning. Please come take it off our hands. Here's the remaining centrifuges and spare parts and the machines that make more of them. We want the bombing to stop, and we want the sanctions to
be lifted. There doesn't really need to be negotiations over commitments or mutual understandings or assurances or anything else. That's what President Obambas settled for now. Donald Trump has already gone far beyond what Barack Obama did, because we destroyed their nuclear program and we leveled much of the nuclear infrastructure. But if Iron wants to take the final step again, it's not a complicated step. There's a bunch of stuff that they have possession of that they can turn over.
There's no need for mutual assurances or understandings.
Center again, open source only. Well, how do you assess the status of the IRG, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard after six eight weeks punishment?
Well, we pummeled them, Hugh, and we pulverized much of them their war making capabilities. They obviously steal or largely calling the shots. But that means that the regime in Iran is even less legitimate now than it was three months ago, Hugh. They don't even have the small, the near of religious authority that the Supreme Leader gave them for several decades. Now that his son is in charge,
nominally in charge, not genuinely in charge. I don't think he didn't even want his son to be in charge, which is why I sometimes for him is Fredo Hamini. So they're definitely clinging to power, but I think it is clinging. They're not firmly in power because they know that the United States and Israel at any point could renew our campaign to totally overize all of their all the pillars of their regime's power.
So one last question before I go to politics.
I asked the President about the artech and whether or not that is for the benefit of the steelers fans the standard Iranian army. They've got an army that's not in the IRGC, and he said they've been leaving it alone, that they're not trying to let it be in order that the country have some cohesion. Is that consistent with what you've seen in open sources, that the artech exists and could actually maybe move.
In It is fair? He would say that the Revolutionary Guard Corps cud's force, the besiege militia, those are the shop troops of the revolutionary regime has been a central target of our and especially Israel's campaigns. Obviously, we've struck a lot of conventional military targets, like their integrated air defenses and their long range missiles, because we needed to protect ourselves, protect our friends in the region, protect our pilots flowing over Iran. But we have prioritized the shock
troops of the revolutionary regime. I think it's fair to say.
Now the President does like to say we've sunk one hundred and fifty nine ships. He tells it to me, He tells it to everyone he speaks to. But I think he does that for a reason. That's quite a significant tactical success. That's a strategic victory, but it's a tactical success to find and sink one hundred and fifty nine ships.
Has that sunk in in American media.
Well know, Hugh, because the media and the Democrats, although I repeat myself, are rooting against America. And every day you see a new store in New York Times or on about how Iran has America and Israel right where it wants us. I don't know about you, Hugh, but if you put yourself in the leadership in Tehran shoes, it doesn't seem that way. All of their friends have been killed. They're afraid of being killed. They're afraid to turn on their phones because they think a mom is
going to drop on them the minute they do. There maybe is sunk to the bottom of the sea. They have no air defenses left, and we vastly degraded their missile and drones as well as their manufacturing capabilities to replace those things. It doesn't exactly look like a victory to meet, Hugh. That's just what the Democrats in the media want to spend both.
Right now, I want to switch to politics.
You were an infantry man before you became a congressman, then a senator, and you're in the army. Graham Platner has been both the marine and an army. He did his tours like you did in Iraq and Afghanistan. But he is implied in his explanation of his death heead skull. That's an SS death head skull tattoo. Oh, that was the military. That was the culture I came out of. Well, you actually commanded platoons. Was that the culture that you commanded?
Fair to say that I knew more than a few infantrymen who had tattoos, more than a few who had lots of tattoos. I don't recall any of them having any Nazi symbology, especially of a specifically notorious death guards at concentration camps. I will make this observation, Hu though about the soldiers I knew with tattoos. I don't personally have one, but every tattoo they had, they could tell you exactly where they got it, and when they got it,
and why they got it and what it meant. And in my experience, that's what anybody who has a tattoo can do as well. In fact, Hugh, I remember on one of the very first days of our basic training, our drill sergeant walked into our bay and he threw a bunch of forms on the ground that was to describe the tattoos you had, and he said, if you have a tat if you don't have tattoos, right in a if you do, show it where it is in the body, and describe it, and just describe what it
looks like. Say it's a dragon on my shoulder. Don't give me one thousand words on the entire combined topology behind it. And that's because people who have tattoos, especially young soldiers, love to tell you about the deep mythology
or story behind every single one of their tattoos. So no one should believe Graham Platner about his tattoo, or for that matter, about anything else, since he is a total fraud, a fake oyster man, a silver spoon liberal who has held these radical views since he went to a prep school that costs seventy thousand dollars a year.
I hope you're going to campaign for Senator Collins up north A quick question. I noticed that both Senator Collins and Senator King. She's a Republican, he's an independent who caucuses with the Democrat.
They're both on the Intel Committee.
Does any other state have two senators on the Intel Committee.
I don't know about that.
You.
We obviously make the decisions independently between the two parties. I will say that Senator Collins has been an exceptional member of the Intelligence committe. She is very serious about our national security. She's been a great partner of mine for many years in her role as the chair of the Approporations Committee and making sure that we're funding our defense,
that we're investing in cutting edge munitions and drones. And the state of Maine who extraordinarily fortunate to have her not just as their senator Senator, but a senior leader in the Senate.
Well, I hope you get up and tell me that's fun about the incantry and your drill Sergeant, Senator Tom Cotton always.
The pleasers to talk to.
Thank you, Senator.
I'll be right back on rerec estate to Larry O'Connor.
Sadly isn't welcome back America.
As you know here on the Salem News Channel the Salem Radio Network, we take our SCC responsibility seriously. And I've been known to be a Republican. So we have brought to the mornings Democrat Larry O'Connor.
Democrat O'Connor joins me.
Now he's bringing your blue tie. Do you notice his blue tie. He's telling you he's gonna lie. Now he's gonna tell you all. I'm a concernative. I knew Andrew bright Bard.
I used to guest host for you.
That's before he became a creature of the swamp. Larry O'Connor used to be. It is now a full fledged creature of the swamp.
You are literally inside the Beltway.
You're literally a lonely through Uh. Larry O'Conner is now our morning guy. He has taken over for Christigall, who's being signed. We're gonna ground one thing that christigall is being slimmed. But Larry O'Connor, tell people what you were doing now and where you're doing it from, because this is the great breakthrough. Washington gets a strong voice with a strong signal in the morning, which they need.
It's it's so exciting you and all kidding is first of all, that song that you were playing is that what the teams that get knocked out are the first round of the basketball tournament played, because I know what.
Winn after Thanksgiving play. That's what the team that won after Thankgiving this year play.
Finally after four years losing on Thanksgiving.
Fifteen ONNY So good to talk.
To you, So good to talk to you. My friends see you.
I'd rather say your one long time to talk to you.
This program.
Yeah know that I used to fill in for you, and this is I cut my teeth right here and Dwayne taught me everything that I know. So Blake, don't.
Admit to that. Oh gosh, that that'll be people I've.
Waited until after I signed the contract. Okay, it's exciting to do. I'm doing Morning Drive now on the Salem Network. So you know, this audience listens to me on the way into work, and then I venture to say about half of them are listening to you on the way home.
So gets like one point five. We're bringing you audience right now. I want them to actually find you in the morning. Is Larry O'Connor dot com? Can they get you twenty four to seven?
There?
Larryo'show they're calling it. Larryoshow dot com on our show sounds like a boy I've got I wish Larry we're doing uh so we're doing mornings here. And here's the thing. I filled him for Hugh and I filled in for the great Dennis Miller. These were my big breakouts. Then I get hired by w m L in Washington, d C, the powerhouse news talk station here in the nation's capital. And then suddenly I like, can't go on Salem radio anymore.
You know how these radio companies that like try to build up walls and they keep you from doing it. And so I've sort of been been, you know, on w m a L and talking to the great audience in Washington. And then they said, hey, this this thing with Stigall is you know, happening. Chris is running for Congress and they're absolutely lying about him. But he's gonna win that primary. He's going to be fine. And by the way, by the way, people need to know, he's
literally my best friend. He was the best man at my wedding. I mean, by Chris and I are are. So this has been so cool to be.
Able to him right now. Don't hurt him, We like Chris, don't hurt.
Him and and when and I said, listen, w m A l is my home. I can't see myself leaving that radio station. And somehow, the geniuses in this industry, from two different media companies and all the various interested parties, they made it work. So I am now part of the Salem Network and I'm still on wm AL in Washington, d C.
So it is because you have.
A Democrat to make it inside the Beltway the way that Larry has. Larry I got to tell I'll tell the audience a true story. My kids all live in Virginia and two of them are inside the Beltway. And when Larry and I were opposite at each other, I don't know how long that went on for?
How long did that go on for? We were opposite at each other for a while.
Honestly, I had forgotten you had a radio show.
That's what they said too. They said, Dad, I'm sorry. We hear you every day we're listening to Larry O'Connor.
That was the That was the toughest cut of all.
Oh, that was hard.
You've had guest hosts and co hosts and and a circus of regulars like I.
Do, including Bethany Mandel who we love. How are you doing?
How are you splitting up the work because you don't work that hard. Really, you don't do any show prep. People should know that.
Yeah, Well, Dwayne sends me everything. I don't know. If I've had him on the payroll for years now, I.
Know me exactly.
He sends me all the good stuff that you ignore. We know it's We had a four hour show in DC. One of the one of the changes that we've made is we've gone to three hours, which is a huge difference. Starting on Era of five am versus six am is night literally night and day. So that's pretty cool.
Oh yes, because continued.
Because of the cameras worked out with SYLM News Channel, it was hard to make the co host model work. Bethany was in a lot with me, Patresa on Wuka from Independent Women's Forum, Cassie Smedley long time, Julie Gunlock from IWF as well. They all have rotated in and out. Mercedes schlapped for a while there. It was really fun to sort of have somebody to bounce off of you like you have Dwayne. Of course, uh, literal bouncing sometimes actually I've seen it happen.
Usually it helped you bribing.
Because of the complications with the news channel and the cameras and all of those other things, we were not able to make the co host thing happen right away. They're going to be guts on the show. They're going to be regular. It's cavalcade of stars. That's what the company is in O'Connor and company. It's me and everyone who makes people good.
If you are believing in the Andrew way, you'll talk to anyone. You'll be nice to everyone, but no one will be at all confused about what you believe. How is it booking political people? Now, I'm not going to give you my booker, you can't have her. But are you doing okay?
Well? Like freshman congressmen talk to you.
Oh, oh, only the good ones. But yeah, absolutely. We know my longtime collaborator and executive producer, Heather Hunter, who has been producing the morning show in Washington, DC for I think eighteen years now, going back to Fred Grandy, former congressman who did the morning show in WMAL for a while there. She came along in the package. She of course, is married to Derek Hunter, the great columnist at town Hall, and he does afternoon drive. Actually locally
at WMAL. She's with me her rolodex Do they still use rolodexes? Whatever it is, she's got it and we don't have any issues getting guests. I will tell you the big shift.
We used to have a.
Regular list of Democrats that I would spar with that would come on on a regular basis, and post Trump, I'm sure you would agree, that's a little harder to do.
I wrote, Connor will show up here and Chris Coons, Chris Murphy case. Let me give you thirty seconds just to tell people what they get in the morning, because what they get with you is what they got with me.
The news and good guests. Is that a good summary.
That is, and a bit of fun. We want to make sure that people go to work even when the news is challenging. We want to try to find the sunny side of it, in the upside. So we're a glass half full kind of show, and we're going to make sure that you get to work with a smile on your face and in a good mood and ready to take on the day if they do.
PAM running six to nine on the Salem News channel WMAL. The Salem Radio Network affiliates that are smart and want to grow their audience and make their people happy.
They'll forgive the fact that he's a leftist.
Larry O'Connor, my friend, congratulations on Jrudding coming back.
It's like coming home, Come home, Little Shiva.
I'll be right back in America, Sons, Lario O'Connor right here on the New Viewer show. Thank you for listening to highly concentrated Hugh. And don't forget. One of our great sponsors is Consumer Sailor one eight hundred.
Four four fifty four fifty four.
When you call them, and you should, because you should want to save money, make sure you use my promo code h Hugh. You'll get your second month free if and when you switch to Consumer Cellular, whatever plan you switch with, you'll get your second month for free. I want you to call and investigate because you're probably paying too much for whatever you're doing right now. With Consumer Cellular. When you can go online Consumer Cellular dot com slash you.
They've got great plans for every kind of person in every kind of data usage. However, they really target people who are fifty years and older. Listen to this. You get a single line with Consumer Cellular. With unlimited talk, text and data for just thirty five dollars a month. That's a single line. If you're fifty years and older for it. Unlimited talk, text and data for just thirty
five dollars a month. When you call Consumer Cellular eight hundred and four to one one forty four to fifty four and everybody, it can be under fifty, you can be over fifty. Everybody gets their second month free when you use my name, Hugh.
Welcome back in America.
I'm Hugh hewittt amid reports from the web that the United Arab Emirates have attacked Iranian facilities on Cusham Island. I'm joined by Vic Mattis, Arts and Culture editor of the Washington Freebeacon, co host of the Getting Hammered podcast. Vic I greet that new use those reports with glee.
How about you?
Yes, I'd like to say that this is kind of like a coalition of the willing two point zero if you can finally get a lot of these countries not just to allow our aircraft and other military into their airspace, but actually taking part and taking the offensive, since in fact, as you know, the Iranian regime is not just going after the United States and bizarrely not trying to rally the other nations in the region.
To their side.
They're going after everybody. They're launching missiles in every direction. They're trying to terrorize their neighbors. Especially as you mentioned, the UAE and Saudi Arabia is another big deal.
That is good news. I hope it is true.
I'd like to see more involvement because again, this is going in the general direction of what Trump had wanted since his first term, which is, you know, the Abraham Accords. This is a remaking of the Middle East without the Iranian threat.
You know.
This morning, I was at the Convention Center in d C moderating a panel with former Speaker Kevin McCarthy and former share of the House Banking Committee Patrick McHenry, and it was about optimism and our things looking good. And I said, do you think we got a quad forming? We got one out in the Pacific Israel, Japan, Australia and US. Do you think we have a quad in the Middle East? Israel, Saudi Arabia, the United Are of Emirates and US. And Kevin McCarthy said, let's just stop
at the UA. They're the best. They're great I mean, he loves Israel too, but UAE is a little Sparta, and he went on a long bit. UAE has got hundreds of F thirty fives and the pilots that can fly them. They why Iran attacked them will never ever make sense.
No, that's right.
They have excellent pilots as to the Saudis. And of course, you know, it's not just Israel that receives a lot of the United States is defense aid. Those countries. The Saudis have been receiving F fifteens for many years.
And you mentioned the F thirty five's, the joint strike fighters.
Those things go for short you know, short takeoff and landing, and they have some sort of stealth capability. Some of that work, some of that doesn't when you're dealing with, you know, the asymmetrical warfare of Iran, but definitely you want them on your side. So again, it tells me that the command and control structure in.
Iran is no longer.
It's never been quite centralized, but it's definitely not the case at this point. And so you have different you know, areas of the country under a different command and they're just lobbing their missiles, you know, at will, and again, I think there's a big question about what the leadership is right now.
We are really putting.
The squeeze on this regime, and I was very concerned when there was an announcement that a deal was imminent that included things like a five year moratorium enrichment.
That sounded like a bum deal to me. So I'm glad that that is not happening, at least at the moment.
I don't want to fourteen point deal with them. I don't want a four point deal with them.
I want capitulation. Uh vic, Let me turn to what I wanted to talk to you about. I thought it was an excellent Getting Hammered podcast because it was mostly about Graham Platner. I talked to Tom Cotton today, and I'm going to give you the story he told me, and then have you respond to it. When he was in basic training going into the infantry, his drill sergeant threw a bunch of paper on the ground, said, every soldier here, tell me what tattoos you have, and just
tell me what they are. I don't want a a thesis. You know, I got a dragon on my shoulder. I don't want to know why I just tell me what I did. Tom donnevity uh tattoos, but he said, apparently everybody knows the exact nature of the I don't have any tattoos.
I don't think you do.
But everyone knows why they have a tattoo, when they got it, why they got it, what it is supposed to mean. Graham Plattner's getting away with murder, and thank you and Mary Catherine for not letting him do that.
No, it reminded me.
Hugh of a movie called Forgetting Sarah Marshall and Russell Brand has a character who is this really idiotic rock singer and has multiple different tattoos, and his girlfriend played by Kristen Bell, tells him they all have conflicting messages in different languages.
That's how stupid he was. And Graham Planner is trying to play that card. Oh, I like this tattoo. It really looks cool.
I have no idea.
It's a skull and crossbones.
It is the exact identical replica of the Totin Coff, which is the you know, the SS Death's head tattoo.
There's no mistaking that. And we have to remind people. You know, he had campaign staff who had left.
Early on when the scandal was first breaking, and I believe it was his campaign manager or a top campaign advisor who left and said, you know, don't fool yourself. You know, Graham is a military buff and he full well knows that that tattoo on his chest that he got in Croatia is in fact the Nazi death's head tattoo. And the other side is just trying to convince themselves in rash.
Well, maybe they just don't.
Even care because he's just basically against Trump and they just want to win.
That it's okay or that was a long time ago.
And what's important, Hugh is what he believes beginning right now.
That's what they want us to believe, and that what he believed in the past has no bearing on that now.
The Free Beacon ran a story this.
Week about the fact he led us to believe that he got a VA loan and that's why he got his house. There's nothing wrong with having your parents lend you your down payment. He got the whole kitten kaboodle from his dad. But then he did a mortgage with his dad and you guys discovered it. How come the Free Beacon gets stories like this that the other newspapers don't.
Well, we have a great staff here. I mean, it's really the dogged reporters, and we have, of course a very tough, uh and fierce leader, our editor in chief, as you know, Eleana Johnson.
We don't stop until we get that story.
And I think a lot of people might not feel comfortable, you know, poking their nose in certain areas because maybe they like the guy, maybe they don't want to benefit the Republicans or something on the other side, So because it doesn't fit their narrative, it hurts the fact that
they won't be able to actually seek the truth. And that's what we're doing over here and giving them the left obviously a taste of their own medicine, because they do a lot of digging on the right, and this is what we do at the Beacon on the left.
And it's going to be a real story. It's going to have hard news and hard facts.
People can complain about it, but at the end of the day, we'll say to them, we'll tell us exactly what we got wrong and we'll fix it.
And the fact is it's not that we get anything wrong.
They just don't like that we're poking our nose where they don't want us to be in. But yeah, he has this narrative that he's a hard working, blue collar guy, an oystermen, this fisherman, and he rows up in this way. In fact, you know, I mean, he went to a fancy prep school. His grandfather was a famous architect. It's not what it seems. But they want to believe this because they want to win Maine. They want to win those hard working manor votes.
It's not going to work.
But I want to finish by asking you. You've got Adam Crado, you got styles, you got all these great people, right, how many people apply to work with the Beacon? Why are I mean, why are you so good at getting stories at the Posts and the Wall Street Journal and the Times cannot get they're out there.
You're very yeah, you're you're very kind.
I mean, you know, we teach them, well, they have to have you know, we look for reporters that you know, when we bring them on, they have to have that fire in the belly. They really have to want to go out there and do it themselves. But that's a lot of work, you know, it's not a nine to
five job. And you'll find yourselves deep in some archive in some you know, musty library at a university where some person, let's say Governor Wes Moore of Maryland, claimed that his grandfather, great grandfather was you know, kicked out because of the KKK.
Well, let's look into that, and it.
Doesn't seem to be quite the story that he's telling, and he has other problems in his past.
That's what we do, and that's what we look for or only to know.
If they gave Pulitzers for real reporting, the Free Beacon would have a shelf of them. Vic Madison, congratulations on a great episode of getting hammered by Congratulations on helping run the Free Beacon.
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