Jack - The Mueller Memos (ft. interview with David Shulkin)

Episode Date: November 4, 2019

On today's Mueller She Wrote episode, we discuss the first underlying evidence from the Mueller investigation thanks to a FOIA lawsuit by BuzzFeed and we go over what’s in those 302s. Today's interv...iew is with the former secretary of VA, David Shulkin and his new book “It shouldn’t be this hard to serve your country.”. Support our show at Patreon.com/muellershewrote

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Starting point is 00:00:00 They might be giants that have been on the road for too long. Too long. And they might be giants aren't even sorry. Not even sorry. And audiences like the shows too much, too much. And now they might be giants that are playing their breakthrough album, all of it. And they still have time for other songs.
Starting point is 00:00:17 They're fooling around. Who can stop? They might be giants and their liberal rocket gender. Who? No one. Disadvantaged pay for with somebody else's money. Thanks to Rothy's for supporting Mueller, she wrote, Rothy's are the everyday flats for life on the go.
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Starting point is 00:01:00 Best Fiends updates the game monthly with new levels and events so it never gets old. Download free on the Apple Store or on Google Play. unique and exciting puzzle experience unlike other puzzle games out there. Best fiends updates the game monthly with new levels and events so it never gets old. Download free on the Apple Store or on Google Play. And finally thanks to Honey for supporting Mollishy Road. Giving holiday gifts is great, overspending is definitely not. Why spend more than you have to? Honey makes finding the lowest price easy. Honey finds the best deals online, it's free and easy to use, shop with confidence at join honey dot com slash AG. This is Seth Abramson. I'm the author of proof of collusion and you're listening to Muller. She wrote.
Starting point is 00:01:37 So to be clear, Mr. Trump has no financial relationships with any Russian oligarchs. That's what he said. That's what I said. That's obviously what our position is. I'm not aware of any of those activities. I have been called a surrogate at a time or two in that campaign, and I didn't have, and I have communications with the Russians. What do I have to get involved with Putin
Starting point is 00:02:01 for having nothing to do with Putin? I've never spoken to him. I don't know anything about a mother than he will respect me. Russia, if you're listening, I hope you're able to find the 30,000 emails that are missing. So, it is political. You're a communist! No, Mr. Green. Communism is just a red herring. Like all members of the oldest professional capitalist. P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P- suit by BuzzFeed. So we'll go over what's in those 302s and hot notes. And for the interview
Starting point is 00:02:45 today, we have former secretary of VA veterans affairs, Obama holdover, and the only Trump cabinet nominee to be confirmed 100 to zero in the Senate. And his new book, it shouldn't be this hard to serve your country is out. And it's very relevant. So stick around for that interview. It's really, really great. How are you guys? Good. Yeah, good. Yeah, the weeny was good. Yeah. Yes. What did you do? Lurked. Lurked. Yes, me and Ryan drove around in the car. Actually, mostly around your neighborhood, which is creepy. Because you have a lot of really cool decorated houses around here. Yeah, we wanted to get in the spirit. So we just drove around and looked at cool houses.
Starting point is 00:03:21 I wanted around my other turn. It was really cute too. Maryland, St. N. Diego, as a whole. They go nuts. There was a performance. There It was really cute too. Maryland, St. San Diego as a whole, like they go nuts. There was like a performance, there was like a stage in front of someone's house. Yeah, totally. I love it. People go all out. Fancy. Yeah. We need to have fun. Yes. We do.
Starting point is 00:03:36 We definitely do. It's a society. Especially now. Yeah. Let's see. So when we got Boston coming up this week, November 7th. This Thursday. Yeah. And the meet and greet, by the way, for the VIP meet and greet at the venue is that night at 5 p.m. 5 to 6 p.m. It's a little earlier than normal meet and greet. So I wanted to tell you about that. And then we have a second meet and greet the next day. The next day. Yeah. And we'll put it in the new well actually we'll tweet it out. We've shared it a few different times, but we'll tweet it out from Mellyshiro, and we'll pin that tweet so that if you are looking to meet us
Starting point is 00:04:09 on this coming Friday, you can find that tweet pinned to the Mellyshiro feed. And that's from five to seven. Five to seven on Friday. And tickets are still available. They're still available. Oh, cool. So we'll tweet it out.
Starting point is 00:04:18 Reserve venue VIP meet and greet. Sold out. Yes. Cool. It has been for a while, but there are regular tickets available. Sweet. Yeah, there's also tickets left. Mm-hmm.
Starting point is 00:04:28 I think that's it. Any other interesting announcements that I'm missing? I don't think so. Just. This is our last show date on the books for now. Yeah. Yeah, live show. Yeah, live show.
Starting point is 00:04:40 Mm-hmm. So, if you're close and you're thinking, maybe they'll come to my city after we might, but we also might not for a little bit. We'll be doing it as daily beans is probably yeah, how that's going to go. But also with this all this new muller stuff that's coming out right now. I don't know, Boller could get an injection and come back from the dead. And keep touring on this information. And I'm going to get into this later in hot notes, but they have enough information to release on and keep touring on this information. And I'm going to get into this later in Hot Notes, but they have enough information to release hundreds
Starting point is 00:05:09 and hundreds of pages once a month for at least the next eight years. That's how much that 19 billion documents. Yeah, it's like an information financing loan situation. Right. Pryouts for the rest of your life every month. Every once in a while. They get that pay. And it's all very relevant and very interesting. situation. It's very out for the rest of your life every month. Every month. They get that pay.
Starting point is 00:05:27 And it's all very relevant and very interesting. And a lot of it ties in with what's going on in the current impeachment process with what's going on with Ukraine. And we'll get into that in a little bit. But first, my favorite segment, Corrections. It's time to say I'm a star. It's time for me to say I'm sorry. Oh, I made a mistake. All right, from Haley Bellnap in regards to Friday's daily beans, a person may sue a sitting
Starting point is 00:05:58 president only for past actions, which they took in a personal capacity like Clinton V. Jones. A person may sue a presidential administration for its acts as part of an agenda but an individual may not be held accountable for actions as part of an administration's agenda like personal liability. So there is a combo case of environmental shittiness and government accountability that's Julianne versus the United States in Eugene, Oregon and they have a website as well. So you can check that out. Cool.
Starting point is 00:06:25 Mario Bryant says the prime rate, we're back on interest rates now, is the interest rate that commercial banks charge their most credit-worthy customers. The prime lending rate based on federal funds rate is the overnight rate that banks use to lend to one another. Adjustable home mortgage rates often quoted as prime plus a percentage, for example, prime plus three, 300 basis points are 3%. And liboard, London Interbank overnight rate is used by global banks to loan to each other. All right. New information. Very cool. Kate, let's see, Forstinson and Martin Main, say on the November 1st, Aley Beans, you mentioned Prince Charles. As a piercing.
Starting point is 00:07:07 I believe you meant the Prince Albert. Oh, yes. As a willy piercing. Everything we got, by the way, on the difference between Prince Albert and it's not a Prince Charles, came from the UK. Oh, amazing. Listeners in the UK.
Starting point is 00:07:21 So thank you. No consensus whether Prince Albert had his bits pierced also could be one of two royal Albert's. If so, theories are A, the piercing enabled hooking the shlong to the inside of a trouser to smooth the bulge. Oh God! So thou worshiped. Prince Albert had a wonky winky and it was an attempt to straighten or see. Our Albert was a bit frisky and risqué and piercing just for fun. Oh, this was informative. Oh my god.
Starting point is 00:07:47 Yeah. You guys seen a Prince Albert piercing? Yes. Really? Yes. When I was like 16 and I was flipping through a book of piercings, what I was going to get one done. No, I mean like in real life. Oh god, no.
Starting point is 00:07:58 Well, no. These are just very realistic pictures taken with like a Polaroid camera. That's right. So you've seen a picture of women, not actually in real life? I've seen many pictures of them, yes. So many. It's like a family photo album they have at this piercing place. Just a photobacterial thing.
Starting point is 00:08:10 Just a lot of all kinds of piercings, but there's a section. That is just... What about you, AJ? Yes. Oh, God, God, God, God. Okay, and Zach Comans wants us to know, Newbie's throwing off your blackjack strategy.
Starting point is 00:08:27 That's a myth. Elliot Jacobson wrote the blackjack zone. A blackjack player plays for the long run. Other players will help or hurt you on occasion. Just calmly stick to the strategy. Stats play out over a large sample size. Thousands of hands. Just you and the dealer.
Starting point is 00:08:40 Card counting will help. That's a really cool. I was going to say. Yeah. I could a really good. I was going to say, yeah, not like I could do it anyway. Yeah. Yeah. Let's see. He also said, Jacobson was my computer teacher who wrote this book,
Starting point is 00:08:53 anonymously known as the mayor back then. You entered the zone, the black jack zone. John Trent and Cindy Baxter says there is indeed a case where children are sitting in the government for shitty environment. It's called Juliana versus the United States. As mentioned in an earlier correction, there is a 60-minute story about it. Hit me up if you need extra press. Love John.
Starting point is 00:09:12 All right. Tom Vogel says working through the Daily Beans 4K to clarify an injunction is a judicial order to do something other than pay the other party money. A stay is a pause on any ruling going into effect for a period of time for any reason. Nice. Thank you. Yes, Alex Murdoch, just a comment on the Canadian election coverage.
Starting point is 00:09:30 I don't remember who was talking about Canada not having a tea party, probably Amanda, but we kind of did. And you may be too young to remember Mandy Preston Manning and the Reform Party of Canada from 1987 to 2000, which became the Canadian Reform Alliance Party or Crap. 1987 to 2000 which became the Canadian Reform Alliance party or crap Way to pick the acronym
Starting point is 00:09:50 From 2000 to 2003 it was like how the The committee to re-elect the president was creep. Yeah have some confidence think about it Have a meeting And then the Canadian Alliance now, the conservative party. So there it says that. That's funny. Does crap carry the same weight as it does in the United States as a word? I think so. Yeah. Okay, just checking. I don't know if it's one of those things like something different. It's like acceptable to. Quot is like a jerk. Yes, yeah. Yes.
Starting point is 00:10:26 Franzi Stopl says regarding the daily beans episode thick, trickle down boys. Jesus can't get over that name. It's a huge entertainment media representation that life insurance won't pay out someone if they die by suicide. In most cases, it will pay out as long as the policy has been in place for two plus years. This prevents people in crisis from scamming insurance companies. I've had
Starting point is 00:10:48 my insurance license for 17 years. This is the first thing I learned that surprised me. Now y'all can scream at the TV with me. But no, I don't think so because I think I brought up the two years rule and I think what I wanted them to look into was within the last two years did they take out an insurance policy on Epstein or or anything like that but Thank you for bringing that to everyone's attention because I don't think we covered it that rule Amy Romano you wondered Allowed where the sperm bonking actually happens And you said is it in the uterus. Yeah, that was me
Starting point is 00:11:21 happens. Yes. And you said, is it in the uterus? Yeah, that was me. Bomb. Bomb. It's actually in the philopean tube. The philopean tube travels the rest of the way to the uterus and implants on the end of the metron.
Starting point is 00:11:33 Interesting. So they're doing it on the go. Totally can't do it. I've never had children. Cruising like broken. What was that? I think that crazed people were doing it for a while where they got out of their car and danced next to it
Starting point is 00:11:45 while it was moving. Oh, yes, I just saw one of those videos actually now. That's what this is. Yeah, yeah, totally. That is efficient. The eggs like, come on, I don't got all day, dude. I'm still doing this shit. You're gonna have to follow this, egg.
Starting point is 00:12:00 I wasn't gonna say bitch, but, egg. Julia H said in the Halloween daily beans, A.G. meant some Jack Dorsey Twitter head was right wing, but based on a quick and dirty Wikipedia search, he listed as a Democrat. Nice. I'm not a Twitter user, so I'm not sure if there was more context to this comment, which I could be unaware. I don't know. I didn't remember hearing either way.
Starting point is 00:12:25 I was just believing what you said. Yeah, I'm not sure. I'm not sure. I think it's a lot of... I'm not sure if he's a spouse like a lot of right wing views out me open, but I do know that he's prevented, or he's allowed a lot of right wing abuse to happen. And he doesn't de-platform, you know.
Starting point is 00:12:41 Horrible. Donald Trump, yeah. So I think that's where a lot of the anger comes from No, we're still not verified Also, yeah, you can serve it is not verifying that's right to my own bias. They must be must be repudal Since we don't have a blue check mark. Mm-hmm. Yeah, probably not real. Yep. All right. Well those are corrections Thank you so much if you have any corrections Please head to mullershoerope.com and click on contact and then select corrections and build us a complement sandwich. We'll get it right eventually. And now it's time to hit the news with just the facts.
Starting point is 00:13:11 All right, big news this week is Congress battles the Department of Justice in the courts to get the underlying Mueller grand jury material. Buzzfeed got a tranche of 302s from the Mueller investigation. I'll go over those in hot notes. But regarding the House DEMS lawsuit to get the material filed by the oversight, nope, the Judicial Committee. Judge Barrel Howell ruled last week that the Department of Justice had to hand over the grand jury materials back to October 30th.
Starting point is 00:13:34 Then the Trump administration filed an appeal and two motions to stop the materials being handed over while they wait for the appeal to be heard. They filed a motion for an emergency stay with Judge Barrel Howell and a motion to stay with the Appellate Court. Then the Appellate Court, the next thing to happen in this chronology, the Appellate Court asked to have until November 5th. That's this Tuesday to consider the stay. But the next day, Barrel Howell denied her stay, the
Starting point is 00:13:58 one she got, saying that the forepronged test indicated a stay was not appropriate because first the merits of their case suck second because this is a grand jury material and it will remain secret so it doesn't you know have a reputable harm to the party. And those are the two critical criteria on how said the weak sauce merits was enough to deny the stay all together but we'll find out if the appellate court will grant the stay, deny it probably this week and how the Trump administration will react. I imagine if the appellate court denies the stayer, Trump will petition scotus to stay the decision until the appeal can be heard. Though I'm not sure you can skip the appeals court like that, but he, I don't know.
Starting point is 00:14:36 I don't know, we'll see what happens. I'm sure he'll try everything. We'll find out this week. Stay tuned. Done, done. Mm-hmm. And then from Kyle Cheney's Twitter feed, at KyleDCheney on October 29th, he had some Flynn updates.
Starting point is 00:14:50 Sydney Powell said in a court filing that Flynn is innocent and the FBI altered interview documents and the case should be thrown out. Flynn's Fox News Lawyers are saying he didn't need to rescind his guilty plea, even though they are contending his innocence because of the deep state Mueller conspiracy and the fact that it's so egregious, they should just throughout the entire case dissolve the FBI and lock them all up, including the FBI agents and the federal prosecutors who worked on the case. They're saying the FBI lied and forced Flynn to admit he lied and that the FBI notes were forgeries to frame him. So this is the OJ defense all over again. That's what you know, that's what this is. and that the FBI notes were forgeries to frame him.
Starting point is 00:15:25 So this is the OJ defense all over again. That's what this is. The FBI responded and the response was part of a court filing exhibit saying on January 29th, 2018, the special counsel's office received an email stating that a member of the media had received information that redacted name told the office of the inspector general that deputy director Andrew McCabe pressured redacted name told the office of the inspector general that Deputy Director Andrew McCabe pressured redacted name to change the 302 document of the interview of Michael
Starting point is 00:15:54 Flynn. After being advised of the identity of the interviewing agent and the nature of the interview, redacted name provided the following information. First of all, McCabe did not pressure, redacted to change the 302 documents of the interview of Flynn. Number two, no one at the FBI pressured redacted to change the 302. Redacted did not tell anyone that McCabe or anyone else at the FBI pressured him to change the 302. Redacted has no information on any pressure to change the 302,
Starting point is 00:16:21 and redacted says all the information in the 302 is accurate. So, could that be why they reconvene the grand jury? I don't know. If they were thinking about inditing the cave on these charges. But he's not up on these charges. Oh, or maybe I guess they maybe were investigating that. Yeah. But I think they just reconvene the grand jury to indict them for lying.
Starting point is 00:16:41 Right. And they said no. Which we still don't know yet. But yeah, it seems obvious. Rachel Maddo says this defense is so bonkers that we should be on Flynn pardon watch. And I feel like I need a graphic and a noise. But don't don't don't don't don't don't don't don't don't
Starting point is 00:16:56 Flynn pardon watch. Just a big light coming from a helicopter and he's going. Me. Just not this Hannah helicopter snake. Me. That was like a UFO. Yeah, because she says like here's Trump's tweets about Flynn this week. He said general Michael Flynn's attorney is demanding that charges be immediately dropped after they found that FBI agents manipulated records against him.
Starting point is 00:17:20 They say James Clapper told a reporter to take a kill shot at Flynn. This has been a complete setup of Michael Flynn. They exonerated him completely of being an agent of Russia. Recently, crooked Hillary charged Tulsi Gabbard and Jill Stein with the same thing sick. And yet Mr. Comey still runs to the White House on February 14th and conjures up the obstruction of justice narrative against the president when Flynn had been cleared of everything long before that Department of justice is withholding a lot of evidence and information as our clapper and Brennan and all these people who participated in the complete setup of Michael Flynn terrible Sydney pal, this is a disgrace
Starting point is 00:17:56 Well, then why did you fire him? Well, if he is such a victim and has never done anything wrong in his whole life, it has to say about Manafort such a victim and has never done anything wrong in his whole life. It has to say about Manafort. This is frustrating. It's so frustrating to me when he actually tweets like that. And I don't even think that that's him that someone else that has some sort of a hold on any fact that's stringed together to make a full paragraph. But what are you going to say?
Starting point is 00:18:18 I was going to say, I know I should probably be following Donald Trump on Twitter, considering the shows that I help post sometimes, but I don't because I can't. Yeah, well, you always wind up seeing it anyway, because there's always first off, there's one asshole comedian that's in my followers, that always likes his shit, so that it always pops up on my newsfeed, because so it's so like Donald Trump's tweet,
Starting point is 00:18:37 so there's that, but you always wind up seeing it anyway, it seems like it's like a big stupid one. Exactly. I just can't let that ruin my day man. Yeah, but then when he, sorry, I'm just gonna, I stupid one. Exactly. I just can't let that room in my day, man. Could have been. But then when he, sorry, I'm just gonna, I don't follow him and I have all this information.
Starting point is 00:18:49 Right, yeah, exactly. Cause you find out when he really goes off the rails. I don't need the general stuff. I don't need like the good morning. I don't need that. I'm just by the way, I'm sure it's a very good hero. I love the Photoshop dog. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:19:01 But yeah, it's, it's, was this like a nine part rant? Yeah was a thread a three or four part tweet. Yeah, it doesn't joy thread. Yeah, and he doesn't thread it right. No, I don't thread it right either. I tried and I fuck up every time. How do you do it? Do you press to add another tweet button?
Starting point is 00:19:20 Yeah, okay. Well, all right. Now you can't once you tweet one tweet out, you can't go back and add on to it. Yeah. Okay. Well, all right. Now, you can't once you tweet one tweet out, you can't go back and add on to it. Right. You have to do it all from like the beginning. Interesting. Well, I'm just going to stay away from threads out tweets like this? I have so many details. His base obviously isn't following the nuances of all the story. So it's more or less just complete rambling that I don't know. But they believe him to like the FI and people that actually have any idea of even remotely
Starting point is 00:19:58 what is going on. Well, remember that, a summit at Politicon who said, hey, you know, my fox news watching relative thinks that the only thing that's real is what Sean Hannity says. So. Yeah, so they'll believe in one night, they say that the FBI tampered with the 302s. They'll believe in when he said, like, it's just all. Yep, so lame. Yep.
Starting point is 00:20:18 All right, we have a lot more to get to today. So just stick around for one quick minute. Hey, it's AG in this episode of Molaershi Road is brought to you by Rothy's Shoes, the everyday flats for life and the go. Rothy's are beautiful style of shoes for women and girls that are made from recycled plastic water bottles. Not only are they sustainable and machine washable, they are literally the most comfortable shoes I've ever worn. I have three pairs, I have the loaf for the point and the flat, all in black and I absolutely love them. They're slip on and
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Starting point is 00:21:43 hands-off stance on political ads. And of course, we know what Jack Dorsey did on Twitter. Jordan, you're going to go over that. Yeah. Right now. Yeah. Nice one. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:21:56 So there's a lot of social media. Wait, wait, wait, wait. Okay, right now. Oh, perfect. Okay. Sorry. Right now. Right now.
Starting point is 00:22:04 Okay. So there was a lot of, only because of the rule of three, did I not continue that? And then there was a lot of social media, election intersection news this week, that's an own calling it. Isn't that adorable? I like it.
Starting point is 00:22:17 I like it. I like it. I like it. I like it. I like it. I like it. I like it. I like it.
Starting point is 00:22:23 I like it. I like it. I like it. I like it. I like it. I like it. I like it. Love the good action. So mostly, mostly that this has all been related to Zuckerberg's decision to allow any and all political ads to run. Virtually unchecked on their platform without any amount of fact checking whatsoever. That's the position he took and it's what he's maintaining. The decision's obviously been highly controversial and shitty if you ask us. And I say that it was a decision made by Zuckerberg and not that it was made by Facebook because there are a lot of Facebook employees who are really pissed about this. And it just doesn't seem fair to rope them in honestly to everything that's happening.
Starting point is 00:22:52 They're really pissed, so pissed in fact that 250 of them I think it was. Signed on to a letter denouncing Zuckerberg's decision this week. This was an internal communication system that they have set up and then someone got a hold of it. In the letter they ask, I think it was in New York Times, in a letter they ask Zuckerberg in the higher ups to rethink the stance that they wound up taking on political ads and they say that Facebook's position on political advertising is, quote, a threat to what Facebook stands for. We strongly object to this policy as it stands, unquote. And one of my favorite lines from the letter reads, free speech and paid speech are not the same thing. That's so important to remember. Because that was from Jack or from the letter that they wrote.
Starting point is 00:23:32 That was from the letter that the Facebook employees wrote. Because Jack, I think also on Twitter, yes, said that when he did his thread. Yes, he had an amazing thread. And he came out last week, of course, on Wednesday, saying that Twitter was making a decision to ban political ads altogether. Of course, this decision came into tweet, very on brand delivery. Facebook does be great of Jack Dorsey put out a Facebook post. Facebook doesn't have any. You know, he took out an ad on Facebook to say what he's going to do about ads on Twitter. Yeah, that would be great. Yeah, Facebook, I was thinking, it's interesting how Facebook has no go to platform
Starting point is 00:24:07 because Twitter's whole thing is just tweeting. Like what is, like the release of via a meme or something they have in Facebook? Facebook is a kind of dead in a lot of ways too. I don't know, I'm a huge Twitter person now. But I also love, I love what Jack said. He said, we've made the decision to stop all political advertising on Twitter globally.
Starting point is 00:24:24 We believe political messages, uh, political, we believe political messages. Oh, shit. Sorry. We believe political message reach should be earned, not bots. Why a few reasons and the thread continues. So if you have not read that thread yet, definitely go and read that Jack. This is me. At Jack. I was thinking, I wanted to write like a sketch about how people like to get at Jack, that's, I mean, he created it. So obviously he got first ticket at Jack, but like at Josh, at Mark. Right. It was a techno nerds who were in there early.
Starting point is 00:25:01 Yeah, totally. Like, a thing is a lot of people who have those user names are just like tech nerds and designers and developers. Yeah. Early adopters, people that were in there early. Like a thing is a lot of people who have those user names are just like tech nerds and designers and developers. It's like early adopters. Yeah, they're not like, they're often not famous people. Yeah, totally. It's just funny. It's a silly marketplace that exists now
Starting point is 00:25:13 with all of this bullshit. Okay, anyway, so that was awesome. And definitely a blow to Zuckerberg, Jack's decision. And if that wasn't enough, the director of the movie that documented the success of Facebook itself, the social network, if you'll remember, wrote an intense pissed off open letter to Zuckerberg regarding his discontent with their political ad decision, and this was written by Aaron Sorkin.
Starting point is 00:25:33 And the sentiment is pretty well summed up with, I think, this excerpt. He says, right now, on your website, is an ad claiming that Joe Biden gave the Ukrainian Attorney General a billion dollars not to investigate his on every square inch of that is a lie and it's under your logo that's not defending free speech mark. That's assaulting truth. Steve, yes. So go Aaron Sorkin must be brutal for Zuckerberg to see that.
Starting point is 00:26:03 I wish Aaron Sorkin would write all my strongly worded letters for me. Yeah, I think it would be excellent. Man, totally. But Zuckerberg is coming off really shitty. And he's not doing well in Congress either because this happens. I mean, I have sympathy for him as being a complete pioneer, right? Who is trying to operate in the best way possible in a space that does not have the regulations and laws laid out yet in a way that has come together in a democratic way, but I think he's fucking up a lot. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:26:32 So yeah, and honestly, the whole like if you've seen the social network, it's pretty damning. Yeah, as far as Zuckerberg goes. Yeah, he was pretty a dick his whole, the whole time. And the whole, I inception of Facebook was to rate women's faces. So like the whole thing from beginning to end sucks. Yeah, it is true. I guess it depends. I have bros who like watch that movie and we're in, they just saw it as a tale of success, you know? So it depends, I guess it depends on how you already
Starting point is 00:27:01 feel about it. But I think there's, the really unfortunate thing is that for a moment in time, it seemed like it would go the right way. I think the people around Mark Zuckerberg, the people he hired, were making a huge PR effort at least to become more diverse,
Starting point is 00:27:14 to be kinder to women, to become known as a somewhat progressive company. That's to attract talent and Silicon Valley kind of have to be. And there's so many like fucking rad young people, or people of all ages who get into this industry because they're so idealistic and they want to work on something meaningful
Starting point is 00:27:32 and something that like impacts society in a positive way. And there's so many people who work there who are working on this because they believed, or still believe that like they're working on something that's good for society, that's connected, but they have to reckon with their impact on democracy. Yeah, they have to. And it doesn't feel something that's good for society, that's connected, but they have to reckon with their impact on democracy. Yeah, they have to.
Starting point is 00:27:47 And it doesn't feel like that's happening. I'll also incidentally, if you take Zuckerberg and Cuperman, you get Zuckerman. And that's the guy from Charlotte's web. So that's the end. That's like, what do you think about that? Ooh, conspiracy theories. Is he the guy that's like a, uh, the old blanky white man?
Starting point is 00:28:08 Uh, uh, no, Zacherman is the older, uh, portlier gentleman who's the farmer that owns. This is from Babe. Charlotte's wet. Oh, Charlotte's wet. I always can buy that too as well. I'm so high-level. I mean, they're all talking farm animals. It's all the same.
Starting point is 00:28:22 It makes me feel like. Yeah, but one's live action and one's a cartoon. Yeah. Children of the 90s because they're all talking farm animals. It's all the same. It makes you But one's live action and one's a cartoon. Yeah, I mean who's to say Who's to say I Like that defense what is a cartoon? Yeah, exactly. I've seen Waking Life. I'm not to you all. Yes. Exactly. I love that movie. Yeah, me too.
Starting point is 00:28:48 I also love, when I think of Babe, all I need the first thing that I imagine every single time is just a closing circle. Me. The little black, the impending blackness. I love that. I love that. It's such a, it's a great technique visually.
Starting point is 00:29:02 Yes. I like it, too. You. You. You. You. Wee then there's always like some adorable little animal doing something. Hello. Great movie. Anyway.
Starting point is 00:29:12 I do like baby. Yeah. I love baby. That'll do pig. Yes. That it. Mac. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:29:20 Which came for Shrek's that'll do donkey or babes that'll do pig. Definitely babes that'll do. That'll do. Yeah. Yeah. Did they steal it knowingly from babes? So it I think a nod yeah gotcha yeah they love doing that that was Mike Myers right who did trek yeah Mike Myers kills it with the with the references another Canadian treasure oh oh except the love guru that was the last Mike Myers movie I went to see a theater. It's fucking worse than the every hit. Okay.
Starting point is 00:29:45 That's true. Yeah. This is true. Speaking of those that can't always have hits, Nunez is also back in the news and that's what you're going to talk about in hot notes, right? Yeah. Yeah. Cool.
Starting point is 00:29:57 Before we get to that, I have a quick impeachment update. According to Elliott Engel, he's the chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, one of the three committees in charge of impeachment right now, alongside oversight and intel. He says the private depositions will wrap up this week, and then the transcripts will come out of those, of those depositions. And then Congressman Lim says public hearings will begin in the next two or three weeks. The upcoming depositions this week on Monday, We have Robert Blair and Brian McCormick, both are top staffers for Mick Mulvaney.
Starting point is 00:30:27 We also have John Eisenberg. He's the lawyer who shoved everything into the secret system. Mike, it's in the computer. Back in the, the files are in the computer. And then, let's see, Michael Ellis will also be Monday. That's his deputy, Eisenberg's deputy. Then Tuesday we have Duffy from... Motley Crew? No. Office of Management and Budget.
Starting point is 00:30:55 We're now be surprised at this point. Wow. And then Wells Griffith. Wells Griffith. Oh, she's a specialist assistant for the Prime Minister. Go be rich. Wells Griffith. Yeah. One of many chats. Wells Griffith. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:31:05 One of many chats. Wow. When's that dude was just made for money? Oh, I would. That's Griffith of the Connecticut Griffith. This is small. Oh my God. Oh no.
Starting point is 00:31:15 That'd be so hard if he just wanted to be an artist trying to be taken seriously with a name like Wells Griffith. Like, yeah. Like, Jeffrey Duda has sessions the third. Right. Let's see Wednesday. We have Breck Bule. He's a State Department lawyer and then Director of Office Management Budget Russell Vot.
Starting point is 00:31:35 We also have Rick Perry and David Hale from the State Department and Thursboo. Thursday, there's John Bolton. Now I imagine none of these folks are probably going to appear. The Bolton might, but I think he'll probably wait for the cuperman ruling to see what he decides to do. And I don't know when that's coming. Yeah, that makes sense. Same attorney. Right. Yes. Same lawyer. And I, my beans are on, however, cuperman goes, so shall Bolton. So what exactly are they are they wanting to question Bolton on? Well, Bolton is the one who called Giuliani a hand grenade, said that the thing with Ukraine
Starting point is 00:32:11 was a drug deal. He would basically testify that there were two like a shadow policy going on. And that Giuliani was leading it up and that there was a quid pro quo and that he didn't like it because he's the one who was in that two came in and broke up that July 10th meeting when Sunlin was offering the Ukrainians, we're not offering, but saying, telling the Ukrainians that they had to, in order to get that White House meeting, they had to do these investigations into Biden and Burisma and the 2016 election. And that's when, you know, Bolton was like, I don't know what I'm going to do.
Starting point is 00:32:44 And came in and said, scattered stuff. in the 2016 election. And that's when, you know, Bolton was like, I don't know what I'm gonna do. And came in and said, get out of the mall like pigeons. You know what I'm shooting right now. And then it looks like a character from like Mary Poppin. And he's in the park scene with the mustache, I don't know. Actually, I think what happened was he broke up the meeting for like being inappropriate
Starting point is 00:32:59 and then sent Fiona Hill to follow them to the next room. Yeah. And then she went in there and said, I saw that they have to again chastise them and then she told Bolton and then also Vindman told Bolton about some of these inappropriate things. And Bolton says go tell Eisenberg and they're like, fuck an Eisenberg's a douche.
Starting point is 00:33:15 And so they went and told Eisenberg. And then that probably never made it up to Pat Sipolloni. Yeah. That's how you say his name. If that's how you say his name. And you know, who, and then it just got buried and lost from there. And then he resigned. Chambleton resigned.
Starting point is 00:33:29 Yeah, Bolton eventually resigned. This is the issue with these criminals, is they all have the same negative moral magnetic poles in them, and they, well this doesn't check out science wise. My point is they're all attracted to each other. And it's like they'll congregate. birds of a cramming feather flock together. Exactly. And they just fricking convene. Stop reconvening.
Starting point is 00:33:53 Just go away from each other. Your lives will be so much better. Just do your own coffee. Open a coffee shack or something like. Yes. Open out. He. Yes.
Starting point is 00:34:02 Exactly. Re-dedicate yourself. He had a coffee business and he stole from his clients to fund it. I want to know where the fuck are Dan Coates and Sue Gordon. That's what I want to know. And why they aren't involved in this at all. Maybe they're wrapped up in the Giuliani counterintelligence investigations. They have to keep that out of public ears.
Starting point is 00:34:23 Dan Coates was a DNI. Yeah. Yeah. He was the DNI in charge of Wrangling all the intelligence community and so Gordon and so Gordon is a deputy Stem meeting. Okay. Yeah. Yeah I'm sure they'll come up. I mean it seems like the list of people that are coming getting called in a test if I just keep going More and more back into the like deeper roots of all the administration Staff yeah, so we'll see. Yeah, but this this week is the end of the private deposition. So maybe they maybe they aren't, I don't know.
Starting point is 00:34:55 It just seems weird that because they resigned right around that time. In fact, Dan Codes came in and grabbed so Gordon out of a meeting and said, you're resigning too. And they both left. Where out of the year? Yeah you're resigning to. And they both left. We're out of here. Fuck you guys.
Starting point is 00:35:07 Yeah. Fuck you. I know. You're cool. Fuck you. Fuck you. Fuck you. It's the best like a play.
Starting point is 00:35:13 A vault thing. So many people are just pissed. I'm wondering. Also from raw story, Department of Justice Court filing explains the FBI's reasons for withholding information on the Kavanaugh background check. Jordan, you have this story. Yeah. So for context, obviously, we remember during Kavanaugh's confirmation process, the FBI was performing
Starting point is 00:35:33 or did perform a conduct, I should say. Superficial. Yeah, they're different. They're not the fiddleers. They're the directors of fiddling. But during Kavanaugh's confirmation process, they opened up this investigation. It was just a superficial background check.
Starting point is 00:35:50 And a FOIA lawsuit was filed looking for more insight into how all of that's investigating went down. On October 25, the DOJ apparently filed a motion for a summary judgment on a lawsuit. The FOIA request was from a BuzzFeed reporter, GabuzzFeed,, stopping those stupid videos, uh, includes the request includes, uh, number one, a copy of the final report sent to the White House and the Senate Judiciary Committee on either October 3rd or October 4th,
Starting point is 00:36:16 2018 on Kavanaugh. And two, it's also requesting all interview notes, investigative notes pertaining to the FBI's investigation into allegations leveled against Mr. Kavanaugh. End quote. On Friday, the FBI moved to have the case dismissed and argued that they've already released enough information and that what they haven't yet released is going to be covered by one of the several statutory exceptions to FOIA. This was a direct commentary on a long cry article.
Starting point is 00:36:46 Long cry. That's the name of the block, right? Exactly. Yes, I forget the deed's name. I'm so sorry. Colin something. Colin guy. Colin Farrell.
Starting point is 00:36:54 Yeah. Um, but that's not exactly my donate to correction. No, no, no, no, definitely, definitely not. Those exceptions likely pertain to information that's unquestionably private and could subject Judge Kavanaugh and others to harassment or embarrassment in their eyes at Prince Albert. Yeah, Alcon. Disgusting. So basically the FBI is taking the position that what Kavanaugh did before his career in public service isn't necessary enough information for people to have and would serve to hurt Orren Bears him, which is a predictable stance
Starting point is 00:37:28 for the historically conservative FBI to take, I think, just what I think I don't mean like Republican conservative, although that's also true. I'm more mean just on the airing on the side of releasing as little information as possible, even if that means throwing a pity party for a predator. Uh, predator pity party. Pee, pee, pee, pee. Triple pee. Bad things come in pee.
Starting point is 00:37:49 Pfft. Right in that now. Bad things come in pee. And from... And that's interesting too, that they would take that stance. Like to say like, well, we investigate this and we find out he raped people, that would be very embarrassing for the judge. Right.
Starting point is 00:38:09 I know. Oh, yeah. Yes, it's like, yeah, they're making a preliminary judgment on information that wasn't even fully collected with this being the reason. So that's frustrating. But yeah, it is like, it is sadly predictable, I think, because there was no official criminal charge filed against him back when it happened and everything, I just feel like they always lean on that. Well, nothing was formally entered into the court system and we can't
Starting point is 00:38:36 really investigate further without embarrassing and dishonorably. But that's your job to do. Yeah. And I still want to know how his loans and debts got paid off. to do yeah and I still want to know how his loans and debts got paid off and his mortgage Yeah, yeah, so we're probably not gonna I mean it just seems like we're probably not gonna see anything about that and Kavanaugh is on the Supreme Court and he's probably not going anywhere I think there's a group of legal students that are filing suit to get more information on that. Yeah, we'll see how that goes Yeah, and from, Reuters is reporting that sweeping changes in Ukraine's top law enforcement agency ordered by Zalensky will derail a series of long-running
Starting point is 00:39:11 investigations, including two related to Paul Manafort. Three members of the Ukrainian Special Investigation Unit told Reuters that the reorganization would effectively sabotage five years of investigation into Yanaković and Manafort called the Black Ledger case. The Black Ledger case refers to the off-the-books payments made by Yanukovych to Manafort and others, which was ultimately the reason Manafort was fired from the Trump campaign. Giuliani has called the Black Ledger a fraudulent document used to unfairly malign Manafort,
Starting point is 00:39:39 because he's a mostly innocent fella. What would they say, crime list, would they call him? Do you remember? No. Who? Who? Manafort? When somebody, who called Manafort, what though?
Starting point is 00:39:53 Somebody said he lived mostly, one of his defense lawyers during the Virginia trial. Like, yes. Yeah, like, I forget something that's like a mostly perfect one. Yeah, something totally forget something that like a mostly perfect. Yeah, so dumb. Yes. And one of the except for this one crime, this one, and on this a series of crimes.
Starting point is 00:40:12 2018. Yeah. 34. Exactly. And one of the prosecutors said they were recently within weeks of announcing suspects in a second probe involving Manafort, which says Yanana Covech used state funds to pay a New York law firm to write a report justifying the imprisonment of Yana Covech's political rival, Temeschenko. We know that law firm to be scaddened in ARPs, and this is what Greg Craig and
Starting point is 00:40:35 Vanderswan were caught up in. Vanderswan served his prison sentence and was deported. And let's see, quote, we were ready to formally announce indictments of both Ukrainian and American citizens. I spent three years trying to put it all together and now they will crumple it up, stuff it in a box and hand the box away. This makes me really want to hear about the first phone call between Trump and Zelensky. This reorganization was mentioned in the July 25 call when Zelensky said he was putting someone new in charge that will be 100% his person and that he will they will investigate the Biden's. Oh God. This is so so they talked about it before. Right. In order to have that sentence before the July 25th call. Yeah. There is a first
Starting point is 00:41:16 call and we're waiting for the transcripts of that. I think Trump said it would release it but he never released it. Yeah. We have no idea what kind of, you know, behind the scenes pressure trims, but ends all on to you right now. Still, you know, yeah, it's also so shitty to me that regardless, like any absence of influence that Trump has over him, that he would make moves to not investigate conduct like Manafort, who was responsible for enacting egregious human rights violations, honestly, I think with what he the Locker up campaign and all of that just criminal behavior that unfortunately largely defines people's view of corruption in Ukraine. And now he's saying he's going to pull, he's going appoint him when that will pull away from bat.
Starting point is 00:42:07 That's like, that's such an institutional misstep. Yeah, and we talked previously also about the previous Javalan sale to Ukraine when the previous president was there and that they had a phone call and then they wanted Javalan's and then they got the Javalan's. And then I think the next day four suits were dropped against Manafort, four investigations were dropped. They stopped cooperating with Mueller about the Manafort investigation. So it's this whole Ukraine could proquot that's been going on for quite a while.
Starting point is 00:42:39 Yeah. Also Thursday, the independent in the UK wrote a piece about UK intelligence officials being shaken by the Trump Administration's request for help with his counter impeachment efforts. While the publicity around impeachment heats up, there's an increasing effort by Bill Barr to investigate and overturn the conclusions made by the United States intelligence community and Robert Mueller that Russia interfered in the 2016 election. It's odd that Trump who claims the Mueller investigation totally exonerated him, is now taking part in an effort to discredit it. But according to the independent, bars focused on a theory that Ukraine framed Russia over the United States election in a complex triple-cross operation by impersonating Russian hackers. Wait, what is triple-cross selling a horse race?
Starting point is 00:43:22 No, it just means one more than a double cross. Okay, oh, okay. I see. I see. The double agent is a triple cross. Complex Triple Cross operation by impersonating Russian hackers to frame Russia. Trump and Barr have also been asking Australia, UK,
Starting point is 00:43:39 and Italy for help in investigating US intelligence agencies, and that has left our allies astonished. One British official says, quote, it's like nothing we've come across before. Italy for help in investigating US intelligence agencies and that has left our allies astonished. One British official says, quote, it's like nothing we've come across before. They are basically asking in quite robust terms for help in doing a hatchet job on their own intelligence services. Mm-hmm. Wow.
Starting point is 00:43:56 Is that not treasonous behavior? Uh, sometimes some people believe in order for it to be treasonous behavior. There has to be a war. Okay. We have to be in a war. I contend that we could be because Russia attacked us just because our president hasn't declared it as such because he's in on it. What about the brink of war?
Starting point is 00:44:15 I think that should count. Like in a piece of bread. The crust is also considered part of the bread, but it's the crust. Yes. It is the brink of bread. Hard hitting news. Jordan at 11. And the crust is the brink of the bread. Yes.
Starting point is 00:44:32 We're just one good soccer mom away from those crusts coming off and war and suing. It's all up to the soccer mom. Wow. Yeah. But it's amazing. Thank you. No, but seriously, I do like it. Kind of the triangles, please.
Starting point is 00:44:49 Yeah, I do think, I agree with you, though, that there are acts of war that I think could officially be interpreted as such. I'm glad they're not, because no war is obviously better than war, but in terms of a treasonous indictment on someone. Yeah, I also read the treason is aiding and abetting an enemy. And I think that qualifies here, but other constitutional scholars have said that it has the war part that is subsumed under that.
Starting point is 00:45:20 But everyone's got a different opinion on that. So yeah, it's hard, it would be hard to litigate, I think, since it's never had precedent before. I hope also that if hopefully once we get a Democratic president in there, and you said this before AG that we can rebuild trust with our allies, I mean, I can't even imagine what they're saying.
Starting point is 00:45:44 Yeah, behind closed doors about what's... I mean, I get it sometimes when people are like, oh my God, it's chaotic, but to have Bill Barr ask intelligent agencies of our allies to do a had to job on American intelligence, it's just so beyond. I feel like if you're an American, now's the time to backpack through Europe. I don't think you'll have to put that Canadian patch
Starting point is 00:46:02 on your backpack to pretend you're not American. I think you'll get a lot of sympathy. Yeah, yeah, that's true. I remember when we went to Ireland, um, my, we met some people, and this was during Obama, and it was right after Sandy Hook, and even then, they were like, we feel so bad for you guys. Your gun sense laws are fucking stupid. Yeah. And this is so honestly embarrassing for you. It's like for us to watch. And this is this is when Ireland was still I've talked about this before. They were like more conservative than uncertain issues than then we were now it's like since flip flopped. Yeah. Yeah. Now
Starting point is 00:46:35 that they've legalized gay marriage and abortion. Yeah. But there is definitely pity for us. Yeah. Especially a lot right now. Uh, and Trump is moving to Florida. He doesn't want to be a resident of New York anymore. And I'm wondering if this is a way for him to avoid turning over his tax returns, but that is he, is he that stupid? Yeah, I think that's a simple fix. Because first of all, even the returns he files now would have to be filed in New York. Uh, and the state can still provide the tax returns. They happened. That's like, I don't know, maybe he's trying to avoid future taxes or maybe he's worried about
Starting point is 00:47:11 winning Florida in 2020. He barely eaked it out in 2016. So maybe, you know, if he moves down there and becomes a Floridian, maybe he'll get more votes. I don't know. Yeah. I think he's wrung out all the corruption. He could have crafted and gotten away with the New York. Now he's going to Florida. The next state that has a lot of that shit going on. Florida is a very corrupt state politically. Yeah. And if he does move down there, all the Florida man articles are going to get really interesting.
Starting point is 00:47:34 I'm here on out. You know, I heard a really interesting theory on why we hear so much crazy news out of Florida and not just because a crazy thing's happened in Florida, but I said this to a friend recently who was from Florida and he was like, people just think Florida's more insane than it is because this stuff is all in the record. It's open, you can search and write stories about this stuff whereas other states, you can't publish stories because all of their criminal records are not so
Starting point is 00:47:54 as much out in the open as Florida. Yeah, I mean, I just think of like the bush legacy in that state and just not transparent election practices. I can put it some love. Yeah, I appreciate that. Obviously not all Florida's fucked, but a lot of it, it's kind of like the Arizona of the ocean, you know?
Starting point is 00:48:11 Like, the Arizona of the sea. I but I also know that Florida is really diverse and there's a lot of like a lot of, like it's super super multicultural. It's not possible to stay in California. Yeah, I love Florida. There's some parts I don't like, but there's parts of California I don't like. Yeah, yeah, yeah, super multicultural. It's a popular place. It's a super, super multicultural place. It's a super, super multicultural place. It's a super, super multicultural place. It's a super, super multicultural place. It's a super, super multicultural place. It's a super, super multicultural place. It's a super, super multicultural place. It's a super, super multicultural place. It's a super, super multicultural place. It's a super, super multicultural place. It's a super, super multicultural place. It's a super, super multicultural place. It's a super, super multicultural place. It's a super, super multicultural place. It's a super, super, super multicultural place. It's a super, super multicultural place. It's a super, super multicultural place. It's a super, super, super multicultural place. It's a super, super, super multicultural place. It's a super, super, super multicultural place. It's a super, super, super multicultural place. It's a super, super, super multicultural place. It's a super, super, super, multicultural place. It's a super, super, super, multicultural place. It's a super, super, super, multicultural place. It's a super, super, multicultural place. It's a super, super, multicultural place. It's a super, super, super, multicultural place. It's a super, super, super, multicultural place. It's a super, super, super, multicultural place. It's a super, super, multicultural place. It's a super, multicultural place. It's a super, super, multic, and they would read a headline, and you had to guess if it was from Germany or Florida.
Starting point is 00:48:46 So it's, I mean, it's just sort of one of those known things, like people from the UK, or like there's not a lot of comedies in France, or you know, whatever, just one of the stereotypes that happens to stick. I think there are so many awesome people in Florida, and so many great places and beautiful, really beautiful preserves, and amazing stuff. I used to hang on a cook-up beach all the time and I love the south.
Starting point is 00:49:08 Yeah, I think golf coast is gorgeous. Mm-hmm. There are also more Puerto Ricans in Florida than any other state. And I don't think there's a lot of people too happy with Trump right now. Yeah, yeah, he extended community. The third Mexico. Yeah, that's true. Mostly what I'm saying is not anything about the people that actually live there
Starting point is 00:49:25 But election officials state legislators. It's just like and the denial of climate change when it's so badly a Flex Florida A part of the export the Scott is that the former governor it probably affects Florida the worst of any other state Yeah, except our fires here in California. Yeah, seeing the way they're elected officials constantly deny climate change every time a disaster is about to hit Florida Just like makes my skin crawl. Yeah Constantly deny climate change every time a disaster is about to hit Florida just like makes my skin crawl Yeah, yeah, and the way they jerrymander and steal votes and do all that other stuff is it it it Doesn't reflect the good people of Florida properly, and that's that's I think the main problem so We have some really great hot notes. We'll be right back with those
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Starting point is 00:52:02 that's Friends Without the R, Best Fiends. You'll be glad you did. All right, welcome back. Hot notes. All right, so I'm going to go over this crazy Mueller document dump we got from BuzzFeed on Saturday, but before we do that, Jordan, you have an update on Nunez. Yes, for credibly my saga of covering Nunez continues. You can't shake it. Yes, I am damn to the move forever now.
Starting point is 00:52:31 Since I called him attractive one time. Damn to the move forever. It's never. Damn to the move forever. He is newsflash still a piece of shit, as are the people who associate themselves with him. So this time, the Daily Beast is reporting that a top aid to Nunez has been leaking details about the whistleblower to conservative journalists and politicians before and during congressional testimonies. Derek Harvey is his name and he apparently has been giving House Republicans
Starting point is 00:52:59 notes containing the whistleblower's name before and during these depositions, like I said, and it's speculated that the goal of doing this is to get the whistleblower's name before and during these depositions, like I said, and it's speculated that the goal of doing this is to get the whistleblower's name into the record. So when SHIFT ultimately releases that record to the public, which he is pledged to do, that will then effectively out the identity of the whistleblower. So WAPO is reporting that GOP staffers and Congress people have said the whistle-ower's name repeatedly during the closed door depositions, which means that that's in the record right now. Of course, releasing this person's identity wouldn't change anything about the realities of Ukraine gate. The only thing it would do is put this person potentially in danger, which is what I think the GOP will never admit
Starting point is 00:53:41 to, but is ultimately what they either want to do or are entirely willing to turn a blind eye to. They're saying that it's important to investigate the nature of this person because once again attacking the people and not the merits is the only defense that they even have right now. Jim Jordan came out in one of his annoying post elevator interviews. I like it went in permission of a deposition the other day saying, you know, the first two things you have to look at at a whittle-blower? Little player who's whittle? Oh God, so many jokes I will not make. Okay.
Starting point is 00:54:21 But he comes out and says, with a whistlebl, you have to look at their motivations and I forget the other things. Some other bullshit effectively saying the merits of the person, not what they're saying. Um, so that's that and moving on to more new, nice news. Nice, nice segue. Before you move on. Uh, I think that's an interesting strategy to say his name, the was or his or her name, over and over again, to get it some force the Dems to release it
Starting point is 00:54:51 when they release the transcripts. It is illegal, however, to out a whistleblower. And the Dems, I think, will keep it redacted. Yeah. And that's going to give the Republicans the talking point of, what else did you redact? Right. And so just expect that. publicans the talking point of what else did you redact right and so I'm just
Starting point is 00:55:05 expect that yes and then I guess the process would be a FOIA request would would it would that be how people would respond to that conservatives if there's red actions in that public testimony or testimony that was not public and it's not that but that's anything that would break the law is exempt from a FOIA right right there would be able to release it. Right. Is owed protection under legally. Yeah. But I guarantee though, like he said, I think you're right.
Starting point is 00:55:30 They're going to use it as an opportunity to say, oh, we'll win our side redacts things. It's the end of the world, but they're allowed to redact things. It's about to be public. But like I said, none of this matters because 800,000 people have corroborated first hand evidence of what the whistleblower said. Yep, yeah, exactly. But it is really shitty that they're weaponizing shifts attempts at transparency
Starting point is 00:55:54 against the people. Yeah, and the whistleblower, and the whistleblower mostly. Yeah. Anyway, moving on to more news news, there's a development in his Twitter lawsuit. A brainstorming names for that lawsuit, by the way. So, him and you have with your suggestions. I was thinking maybe like, slaughter gate because cows, and he's totally gonna lose this with this lawsuit. But let me know what you think. Bulley gate, whatever.
Starting point is 00:56:20 Everything's a gate. Mood gate. Especially when cows are involved. Yeah. Um. I think it's you think of cows behind gate? Yeah.. Especially when cows are involved. Yeah. Um. I think it's you think of cows behind gate. Yeah. That's all I think about.
Starting point is 00:56:29 And I think, oh, the cows got out because the gate was open. That's how I heard. Have you heard of Untitled Goose Game? No. Okay. So this just reminded me of the image that you're talking about. There's a game that just came out called Untitled Goose Game where you basically, the main character is a goose. That's how you play. And you run around causing
Starting point is 00:56:47 mayhem, like stealing from people, just charging up and like annoying people. Yeah, it's great. That sounds very fun. These are dicks. They kind of are. I mean, I don't blame them because we're dicks. But like, have you seen the, there's this Twitter? They'll come and flap you. Yeah. If you need a place to put your, all of your like, anarchy feelings where you just like, fuck this shit then play a title game. So it's like, this game, so it's like, grand theft auto, but you're a goose. Yes, totally.
Starting point is 00:57:12 And all you can do is just rapidly charge at humans. So you're going to go, go, go, go, go, go, go, goose theft auto. Oh God, that's such a nice PG version of like first person shooter games, first person goose. You have to do like steal someone's keys still someone's glasses oh that's so funny oh dude just hula gins hula goose hula geese hula geese yes but anyways open to names for
Starting point is 00:57:43 for boolegate but so what what he has done now in this case that is ongoing against uh... but anyways uh... open to names for for bullet eight uh... but so what what he has done now in this case that is ongoing against account such as devinion's count and uh... devinion's mom and the other one yeah follow them on twitter uh... what he is doing is he's demanding emails from a former dnc employee and a pro-democratic law firm to try to prove that those entities were conspiring against
Starting point is 00:58:06 newness to defame him in the 2018 election. He should have a point of special counsel. Yeah. They'll probably file a motion to halt the subpoena is what's going to happen because in the state that this is happening in civil attorneys have the right to subpoena documents. So, so this is like an actual subpoena on behalf of his attorney. Right. This point in California.
Starting point is 00:58:30 No, this is in, I think Virginia. Oh, that's right. Yeah. So this case is, it's just such bullshit. It's like entirely a fundraising stunt first off. That is actually kind of working, which is really sad. Fresno B, who's been doing amazing reporting on all things Nunez shit reports that apparently his fundraising numbers have like skyrocketed since filing this case
Starting point is 00:58:52 So to me that just means that it's a successful attempt to get people to feel sorry for him and that he's being attacked He's already raised $7 million for his reelection fund. So that's kind of shitty I feel like as long as this case, he's just going to keep this case open for as long as he possibly can and garnered. Like, get all of the attention, sympathies that he can. That's annoying. It is annoying. That's annoying. All right. Yeah, hit us up at Mola Sheeroder, adj's confused with your idea names for bullshit gate. Yeah, some bullshit gate. Bullying gate, cow gate. Yeah, let's see.
Starting point is 00:59:30 Cow pie. I'm just trying to think of cow stuff. Yeah. Spot. Spot gate. That's your worst one yet. Don't know. Not bad.
Starting point is 00:59:43 And sadly the one I thought the hardest about. Yeah. Alright. Well. I don't have a segue. Moving on to BuzzFeed News. Yesterday, Saturday BuzzFeed News released its first set of 302s. They're calling the Mueller memos. And they won this in a FOIA battle with the Department of Justice, five separate FOIA cases. They got hundreds of pages with about 237, actually, exactly
Starting point is 01:00:18 237 redactions. And the evidence is so voluminous that BuzzFeed said, I said this at the top of the show, it will receive dumps like this every month for at least eight years. Damn. This release has interviews, notes, and emails from Gates, Cohen, and Bannon, and I've gone through them all with a fine toothed comb, so let's start off with the Gates material.
Starting point is 01:00:36 Nice. First, and this is the smoking gun that I've been talking about in relation to the grand jury materials that, you know, were the oversight committees trying to get, Gates testified that Trump had four knowledge of the WikiLeaks that, you know, were the oversight committees trying to get. Gates testified that Trump had four knowledge of the WikiLeaks dump, and that based on the phone call between Trump and a redacted name in the car
Starting point is 01:00:51 on the way to LaGuardia, and we know that redacted name to be stoned. We've talked about this. It stands to reason his name would be redacted because his trial begins Tuesday, so it's part of an ongoing matter. Trump told Gates before he boarded the plane that more dumps were coming.
Starting point is 01:01:08 That means that when Trump told Mueller and his written answers that he was unaware of any upcoming email releases, he was lying. So Trump lied to Mueller. That's impeachable and criminal. Mueller knew it, but couldn't indict him, or wouldn't indict him, but he didn't indict him. There's another huge piece here
Starting point is 01:01:24 that totally debunks the wild goose chase goose. There's our segue. Wild goose chase Bill Barr has been on, traveling the world and trying to steal people's keys. No, traveling the world and trying to push the theory that Ukraine was responsible for the hack and not Russia. Now I just need like bar as a goose running around trying to do stuff. This is my request to anyone who's listening who can do a quick and dirty Photoshop of Bill Bar's head on the goose from the Untitled Goose game. Please. Yes. Untitled Goose game. There's got to be some like shark NATO like maybe that's been made that you can alter the poster for, you know, with like a evil goose. Yeah, something more sinister than actually you know what, I take that back. Don't tarnish a wonderful
Starting point is 01:02:08 game with Bill Ball. I take it back. I was sinned that I was thinned that. Yes. Okay. Then photoshop. Goose head on Bill Barr's body and make him run around and then try to discredit the FBI. Yes. Okay. Yes. That was a really long make. So his head's always out of frame. But it really long make so his head's always out of frame That's the most adorable image of him I've ever thought it really would be an improvement Gates testified under oath that the Ukraine spin Was an inside job theory first floated by Manafort in 2016 and tied to Seth Rich We've been saying this from the start. Now we have the interview documents to back it up. So the whole thing that Ukraine is the one
Starting point is 01:02:49 who did a triple cross frame job of poop frame job was in fact an inside job theory. That was his conspiracy theory and it still is. And sorry, he testified that to Mueller. Directly? That was Gates. Yes, Gates said that to Mueller. Yes, directly. That was Gates. Or, yes, Gates said that to Mueller. Yes.
Starting point is 01:03:07 Nice. Cool. Directly. Awesome. Gates also told Mueller that junior Flynn, Kush, Manafort, redacted, Lewandowski, Sessions, and Clovis were all interested in getting the emails. And that interest ratcheted up in April and May of 2016. That explains why everyone was so keen on the Trump Tower meeting in June.
Starting point is 01:03:24 And Gates says the RNC knew about the dumps and was energized by a Sanjuss public announcement in June that he had something on Clinton. The RNC's interest is what eventually pushed Trump to cooperate with the RNC, remember he didn't want to at first, but the RNC issued press releases that amplified the releases and the RNC knew about the timing over the releases. We also knew that the campaign decided Flynn had the best Russia contacts, Kush had the best China contacts, Manafort had the best propoten Ukraine contacts,
Starting point is 01:03:56 Bannon had the best Saudi and UAE contacts, via Eric Prince, and that Mossad and Israel were also likely involved. This is exactly the Grand Bargain that Seth Avermouth smokes about. Today is a day. That is exactly the great, you should see my arm movements right there. If you're not a patron become one, you'll get to see it on the video link when we start it. But this is the Grand Bargain Seth Avermouth's book about it. It's books of proof of collusion and proof of conspiracy.
Starting point is 01:04:24 So all of these, and they had assignments, too. They were like, Flynn, you're good with Russia, you, China, you, this, you that, and pretty much just go, said go, go for it. Gates also told Mueller that the Trump campaign was very happy about the email releases. We knew that. And Gates also testified that Trump would not, was told not to react publicly to the July 22nd WikiLeaks release and just let it play out. And then when the access Hollywood take came out, the Trump campaign got a heads up about it, was told not to react publicly to the July 22nd WikiLeaks release and just let it play out. And then when the access Hollywood tape came out, the Trump campaign got a heads up about it, but didn't have much time to act between the heads up and the publishing of the tape.
Starting point is 01:04:53 Then there are pages of redacted information likely about the campaign reaching out to stone to coordinate another release, but those are beans. Why else would it be redacted? Then we get to Cone and Cone and most of his 302s are redacted, but they seem to indicate the discussions within the campaign about Trump Tower Moscow and that they needed to stay on message and deny Trump had any deals in exchange for Trump loving him, which seems to be code for a pardon. Trump loves you.
Starting point is 01:05:20 It doesn't say in the interview that Cohen spoke to Trump about his letters to Congress. No, excuse me. It does say in the interview that that Cohen spoke to Trump about his letters to Congress. No, excuse me, it does say in the interview that Cohen did speak to Trump about his letter to Congress. Okay. Directly implicated there. Cohen also told Mueller he had to keep Trump out of the messaging to Russia in preparation for his congressional testimony. So there was an active effort to keep shield Trump. And then on to Bannon, and this is Bannon is just a weird dude. Pretty much all of his interview is redacted and I'm assuming it's because it has to do with one of the redacted cases handed off by Mueller that we don't yet know about. Perhaps Brad Parscale and Cambridge Analytica since he had so much to do with that. Bannon confirmed Kushner and Ivanka's vacation in August outside Croatia with Wendy
Starting point is 01:06:05 Deng and a Russian oligarch and the Russian oligarch's girlfriend. Bannon was about to be fired and he emailed back and forth with someone from Breitbart about Kushner being connected to that Russian and they thought they could use that information as leverage against Kushner. Oh shit. The same dirty. I know. The same day Bannon exchanged emails about a deal between Kushner and another Soviet born oligarch but Bannon said don't touch this yet. The same day, a band in exchange emails about a deal between Kushner and another Soviet born oligarch, but Bannon said, don't touch this yet. But the person replied, K, this is big though, isn't it? Isn't this the ball game?
Starting point is 01:06:33 And Bannon replied all and everything. So it seems like Bannon was trying to take down Kushner. Fuck yeah. I love that. Yeah, just watching assholes beat the shit out of each other. Yes. Bannon's emails also show that Manafort was advising the Trump campaign until days before the election.
Starting point is 01:06:49 Manafort had sent an email to Kush, Prebus, Gates, and Hannity, and Kush forwarded that email to Bannon and Bannon replied, we need to avoid this guy like the plague. Pause a nice guy, but we can't let word get out that he's advising us. They're going to try to say the Russians worked with WikiLeaks to give this victory to us. Bannon also told Mueller he first met Trump in 2010, and this is just the LOL icing on the cake. He first met Trump in 2010, and he told me he was thinking about running for president in 2012, and Bannon said for which country?
Starting point is 01:07:18 That's amazing. So he said that to Mueller. Yeah. To just distance himself from Trump, but to some degree maybe in Mueller's eyes or something. I don't know, but that's funny. Yeah. It reminds me of, was it McCarthy? He said that there were only two people who got paid by Putin and it was Roar of Bokker and Trump. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Anyway, good old Roar of Bokker. Good old Roar of Bokker. You guys ready for sabotage? Yeah. Let's do it. Okay, this is fun. Igor Fruman's lawyer, who was also was Paul Manafort's lawyer, whose name is Blanche. Senkel. Blanche. Nice.
Starting point is 01:08:05 Takes a lot of showers. Senkel. Senkel letter to the court asking for a hearing Friday requesting a bail modification, saying he should no longer, Truman should no longer be under house arrest and shouldn't have to wear his ankle jewelry. And the hearing Friday was dramatic, according to BuzzFeed, quote, a lawyer for Giuliani's Ukrainian associate tried to argue he wasn't a flight risk. It did not go well.
Starting point is 01:08:26 Yeah. Fruiman's lawyer said there's absolutely no evidence that Mr. Fruiman was leaving the United States and not intending to come back. Okay. And the judge goes, is it false that he had a one way ticket to Vienna? Yeah. And Blanche goes, pardon me? And the judge goes, is it false that he had a one-way ticket to Vienna and he goes no
Starting point is 01:08:46 that's absolutely true. Oh my god but absolutely no conceivable proof. I still think there's going to be super seating indictments on these guys and of course we're waiting for the Giuliani indictment so that's because they're not cooperating that's why I like the sin and desabotage. Yeah. Igor Lev would be, and maybe they are potentially really great characters for the graphic novel version of the Trump administration story. Like, can you just see them graphic novel? I see them in that, or I see them in like a grace
Starting point is 01:09:16 and frank, he's sort of situation. Like. With their ankle bracelets and a house in Malibu, like Egor and Lev. But yes, the comic bookers is more. But just, you know what I mean? Just the physical attributes led themselves very well to the things they have themselves wrapped up in. Yes.
Starting point is 01:09:36 Oh, that's funny. Yeah. Yeah. That is absolutely true. Oh, my God. Where's the lawyers ever in 2019. There's only seven lawyers that will represent any of these people anyway.
Starting point is 01:09:51 You know, if you can't get to Zing, you go for DeGeneva. You can't get to Genova, you get Downing and Blanche. You can't get Downing or Blanche, you get Burke. You can't get that guy. Maybe you can get Dershowitz, but he seems to be in a little bit of trouble right now. You know, they just have,
Starting point is 01:10:04 they just the same lawyers over and over again. Yeah, we haven't talked about dorshowitz in a while. Yeah. Keeping his underwear on. Drop the case. Thank you. Yeah. So he'll never, this is off topic, but for Epstein stuff, then he'll never be fully investigated
Starting point is 01:10:20 it seems if they're just dropping the case. Well, they're dropping the case into Epstein right That doesn't mean they won't drop the case into Dershowitz or that they aren't continuing to investigate him really yeah That's good. I would say not. Yeah Especially since Jew free is talking about it. Mm-hmm All right, let's play the fantasy and diamond league No, it is gonna be okay I'm gonna be a pilot! No it is gonna be okay.
Starting point is 01:10:44 I'm gonna be a pilot! I'm gonna be a pilot! It's gonna be okay. Just calm down. I can't calm down. I'm gonna be a pilot! I forget where we were so Jordan wanted you to go first. Okay. Eric Prince. You said his name earlier and I was like, yeah, fuck that guy.
Starting point is 01:11:00 Hey that dude. Yeah. Okay thank you. I'm gonna go with the Fruman nice. I Will do live Parnass I'll go with Life in the Jislein. Mm-hmm max well um For Hope's egg. I guess Dershowitz
Starting point is 01:11:23 Ders I thought you're going to say Hobics. Oh God. Dershowitz. Um, Giuliani. She has the same last name as my boyfriend. That is the first time I've ever thought about that. Oh, Hobics. Maybe she's related to a bill.
Starting point is 01:11:40 Oh God, probably not. No doubt it. Okay, let's do um... Tambaric. Awesome. No doubt it. Okay, let's do um Tom Berry awesome I'm gonna go with Malik. Okay, his name come up a lot. I He's gonna last name again, which one Malik? M-A-L-L-O-C-H. Did you you didn't say Giuliani yet, right? I did fuck. I think you oh, yeah, you get one more Jordan. Okay. I'll do Turbanogrel Trump and not? And I'll do Trump org. Yeah.
Starting point is 01:12:07 I suck at this game. No, you don't. Thank you. But I don't think I really have any points. We need more indictments. We do need more indictments. That's a problem. All right, we have a really, really great interview today. It's with the former secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs. His name is Dr. Shulkin. And you don't want to miss it. He's got a great new book coming out.
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Starting point is 01:13:27 whatever you're buying. Get honey for free at joinhoney.com slash AG. That's joinhoney.com slash AG and happy holidays. Today for the interview we have a very special guest, former secretary of Veterans Affairs, the only Trump nominee to be confirmed a hundred to zero by the senate and author of the new book it shouldn't be this hard to serve your country please welcome dr david shulkin to muller she wrote dr shulkin thank you for agreeing to speak with me today i'm glad to speak you first i'd like to thank you for your service and especially for your work on expanding telemental health uh... because as a veteran i've benefited greatly from that program.
Starting point is 01:14:06 Well, thank you for your service, and I'm glad to hear that that program has helped. I think it is a terrific way to get people to help they need in a more convenient atmosphere, rather than making people come in and schedule appointments and park their cars and have to wait to get into an office. Yes, and it's especially helpful to female veterans, especially those of us that have
Starting point is 01:14:30 PTSD to the military sexual trauma to just not be in that environment. So I think that it really expands and enhances access to care. Yeah, I agree. Thank you. And I remember you. I listen to your book. It's really, really great. First of all, and I remember you telling a story about someone who said to you, and I remember you I listen to your book. It's really really great first of all and I remember you telling a story about someone who said to you
Starting point is 01:14:48 Better you than me about getting the job as Secretary of VA couldn't can you tell us why you chose to leave the private sector for I believe what would probably be a substantial pay cut and a seemingly impossible job that actually opened you up to so much scrutiny Well, this dates back to two thousand fourteen and as you may recall there was a very public issue about the wait time crisis that started in the phoenix v.a. but really was system wide throughout the v.a. where we were seeing
Starting point is 01:15:20 the arachnath canistan veterans coming back with complex issues issue. Some of them, the invisible injuries of war, but others very complex issues like IED devices. But at the same time, we were seeing the Vietnam veterans turning 69 years old on average, requiring more services as well. And frankly, this system was overwhelmed and it just wasn't meeting the needed veterans. And I remember just listening to the TV and reading the newspaper and saying, if there's one group of Americans that deserved better than this, it would be our veterans. And just wondering what could I do? And I happened to be in the situation where they were looking for a new undersecretary that's the person that leads the health care system in the v.a. and I received a call from at that time the
Starting point is 01:16:11 Obama administration asking whether I would consider that and I hope that I responded like every American when your country asks for your help and you feel like you're in a position to be able to contribute and help i felt like it was my time to serve yeah that's great and i'm glad that you brought up the vietnam veterans because i believe it was in twenty seventeen i think when you were there when they expanded the benefits to those who had been exposed to age in orange well i tried to expand the benefits um... as secretary uh... i
Starting point is 01:16:41 had looked at the data and believed that the data that was done by the National Academy on Science, which is a prestigious scientific board, that the data suggested that we should expand those benefits. And unfortunately, my time as Secretary was shortened and I was not able to see that through. And that's one of the regrets that I have because those veterans, some of them now waiting 50 years or more, are still not getting the benefits that they deserve. Yeah, definitely. And speaking along those lines about having your exit of the VA, I'd like to ask you about the three private citizens. We all read this in public reporting,
Starting point is 01:17:24 who kind of ghost ran the VA from Mar-a-Lago, and I'd like to know you about the three private citizens we all read this in public reporting who kind of ghost ran the v a from mara logo and i'd like to know how that impacted your job ultimately and how it impacted veterans as well well i think that there's been much uh... say about this in uh... in in the press these were uh... three individuals that were private citizens that had a prior relationship with the president where he had asked for their advice and counsel
Starting point is 01:17:50 on how to improve the v.a. I think the president was uh... sincere in his desire to see us do better for veterans and ask these individuals to be involved in these individuals were giving me their advice and recommendations on how we could improve the VA. And I believe that they had good intentions in doing that. The problem is, of course, when you're outside of government, you don't really understand how government works.
Starting point is 01:18:20 And they didn't have extensive health care experience the way that I do. So at times, their vice was not as useful. Other times, frankly, they were helpful to me in trying to move the agenda along and be able to help understand how to get things done in a somewhat chaotic environment which happened when the Trump administration took over. I see. And speaking of the Trump administration taking over i see it's and speaking of the trump administration administration taking
Starting point is 01:18:47 over in your book you described the challenges and benefits of working under the trump administration versus working under the obama administration and i was wondering what you noticed about the differences in how those two leaders operated well as you can imagine uh... these are very different presidents and very different leadership styles. And I was the only one in the Trump cabinet to have the opportunity to work in both administrations.
Starting point is 01:19:12 President Obama, to be fair, I entered his administration six and a half years into his time governing his president. So he had a pretty well-willed machine. Things worked a certain way, you know exactly where to go to get answers to questions and where to present information and his style of course is is very analytic he is very detailed thoughtful and asked lots of questions and doesn't jump to make decisions until he feels that everything's been you know thoroughly thought out President Trump of course was very different than that um... you know first of
Starting point is 01:19:48 all in starting an administration uh... and this being his first time the government there was a lot of issues that frankly just it was unclear the way that it should work so there was a lot more freedom in the trump administration and i had much greater access to be able to go directly to the president and since i'd already been in government and i
Starting point is 01:20:11 felt like i had a plan in a formula for fixing the day i actually was able to use that to the veterans advantage in being able to bring ideas and legislation and certain solutions directly to the president and that first year we got a lot done eleven major bills through congress on by the president making lots of progress because
Starting point is 01:20:33 not only was there more direct access but the president president trump doesn't spend a lot of time uh... in the same type of analysis and depth in making decisions. His concern was, was this good for veterans, and if so, he gave me the authority to make those changes. And speaking of some of that legislation,
Starting point is 01:20:55 whistleblowers are in the news a lot right now, and I was wondering if you could tell us a little bit about the accountability in whistleblower office you created and why that was important to you. One of those piece of legislation that I just referred to was the Accountability and whistleblower act and I feel like that was an important part of the work that we were doing. And there were really two reasons why that piece of legislation passed. The first was that I felt the secretary had needed greater authority to be able to remove the
Starting point is 01:21:26 employees if they violated the principles of the organization or were involved in incidents that frankly in the private sector I would have removed a employee from my hospitals. And so the accountability part of that gave us the ability to still do process, something I believe strongly in, but to be able to reasonably move through the due process and come to a reasonable conclusion. But the second part of the bill was to create greater protection for whistleblowers, because the history in the VA is that, unfortunately, issues do not often arise that should be brought up before people of decision making where there are problems. And I think the wait time crisis was a good example
Starting point is 01:22:20 that many people in the organization knew that there was a problem with veterans waiting too long but that information never made it up to the secretary and so therefore the decisions that should have been made earlier weren't made and so giving the protection and letting people know that they don't have to be fearful and don't have to be worried about retaliation was the purpose behind this bill and uh... creating a special office at least the intent of that was was to give
Starting point is 01:22:51 direct access to the senior decision maker so that that types of behaviors that happen in the v.a. which retaliation would no longer be tolerated and uh... another fascinating thing from your book that I thought was pretty amazing was that during your entire tenure working on all these administrative functions and factors and dealing with the administration and maintaining care for the veterans, you also maintained your clinical practice. Can you talk a little bit about that well even as a hospital c-e-o
Starting point is 01:23:27 in the private sector i always made sure that i had time to put on a white coat and go and see patients it's the only way that i know how to really be an effective leader and that is is to understand what the impact of your decisions are on the people that you're there to serve and in the case of being under secretary and then a secretary i continue to see patients
Starting point is 01:23:49 uh... both in person it happened to be at the new york city v.a. but also by telehealth uh... where i took care of patients in grants pass our gun which is a rural v.a. clinic it helped me understand, first of all, the type of care that we were delivering to our veterans, but also what our employees were going through and what our systems were. So if I had to make a decision about an electronic medical record like I did, I wanted to make sure I actually knew what that electronic medical record did, and
Starting point is 01:24:22 I had used it before just making a decision based on information that people told me. And so it always has been an important part of me doing my job. I primarily see myself first as a doctor in helping my patients and then secondarily as a administrator or as a healthcare executive. Yeah, and I think that's a really more of a transformational or servant leadership position that you took. And I often wonder how that might have clashed at times with the more transactional style
Starting point is 01:24:55 of leadership from the Trump administration. I think we did have a different style. One of the issues that I was disappointed in, I tried to get people that were in decision-making roles, particularly at the White House, to come and to visit the VA with me, to actually go and talk to veterans and their families as they were getting care. believe as i said that's really the best way to understand what it is that your decisions are having an impact on and unfortunately i just was never able to get the president or any of the senior white house people to travel with me to be a says secretary i was traveling to be a is you know all the time and going and visiting and touring and talking to veterans
Starting point is 01:25:41 that's where i got my inspiration from the men and women who served as employees in these facilities and most importantly from the veterans themselves. And I was never able to get any of them to be able to come with me on those visits. Yeah, and then I did want to also ask you, I mean, ultimately you left the VA. And I was wondering if you could maybe just briefly tell us about the circumstances of your exit uh... and you're and also your thoughts um... which you touched on in your book on the future of government service
Starting point is 01:26:14 the reason why i tell this story in such detail in the book is because of my concern about the future of public service and the environment that I see today in Washington. And like I raised my hand as a private sector executive as a citizen to be able to come and move to Washington and be able to help contribute to our government and to the people that it serves, I believe it's essential that other people are willing to do the same thing and given what I see today and what I've experienced in the toxicity of the culture and the personal attacks on our public servants on you know essentially the ability to throw out allegations and all of a sudden they have a life of their own and it destroys people's reputations. If we allow that to continue, I worry deeply about how our government will function and ultimately that affects all of us or citizens of this country.
Starting point is 01:27:16 And so in the book I describe in detail, so a reader can see the facts and make decisions on their own. I don't want to lead them to those conclusions, but I want them to understand what this environment is like. I shared how a small group of political appointees that were in the Trump administration decided to essentially sabotage my ability to lead the department with personal attacks against me and others and ultimately led to me being fired by the president and much of that issue had to deal with political differences and political ideologies where I had said that I was unwilling to see the VA be dismantled and privatized and that I
Starting point is 01:28:07 would stand up for my principles even if it cost me my job and ultimately I believe it did. Yeah, I do remember you explaining when you stood up after Charlotte'sville after speaking to your daughter I believe. Do you mind maybe just telling us quickly about that? Well, I believe when you serve you have to be willing to stand up for what you believe in, and it is a duty to speak out when you see something that you think is wrong. When you work for the president, you serve at the pleasure of the president.
Starting point is 01:28:38 So after the incident that happened in Charlottesville in the comments that came out from the president uh... i obviously had some concerns about that and felt that it was my duty uh... as a citizen but also as a leader in the cabinet to speak out and to denounce those that were neonautes and white supremacists and that i believe that we have seen in history the mistake of when people stay silent what can happen and so i prepared my family i had a discussion with my daughter who strongly
Starting point is 01:29:15 encouraged me to speak out and i said i just want you to be prepared that this may be my last day when you speak out if it's you just being disloyal to the president the that usually doesn't end up well but uh... i went to the national press and i spoke my mind and um... you know fortunately that wasn't my last day was allowed to continue to serve veterans beyond that but uh... but it became clear to people
Starting point is 01:29:43 in the administration that i was going to stand up for the principles that I believe in. I think that's amazing. And thank you for doing that. I felt as veterans as a group, I thought that that was just very helpful and inspiring. So I appreciate that. And I'd also like to ask if you can tell us about your proudest accomplishment in your tenure at VA. I don't I don't know whether it is a single incident that I'm proud of. I am proud mostly of the men and women who work in the
Starting point is 01:30:18 VA every day that they have stuck with this when it looked like the VA was under attack and that they continue to serve on a daily basis and watch and participate as the VA has now gotten stronger and done a better job at serving Harvard Veterans. And so having the opportunity to be the leader of these tremendous professionals that work in the VA, some 370,000 of them, and watching the work that they do every day and being that person who represents them to veterans and to the American public, I think is something that I feel extremely proud to have had the opportunity to do. Well, speaking of the 370,000 employees, I think you compared it to who's at Walmart or Amazon.
Starting point is 01:31:12 Well, it's bigger. Most people don't understand the size and scope of the Department of Veteran Affairs. The second largest department in the federal government, the department of the defense of course is bigger, but with 370,000 employees and a budget of over $200 billion, this is a very large organization and it serves 20 million Americans who are veterans and so I think it's important that the American public understand why this organization exists, the work that it does, and why it's important to be able to keep this a strong, sustainable organization. Well, I'm definitely 100% with you on the optimism and the dedication to the oath and
Starting point is 01:31:55 the mission of the VA. And I thank you so much for your service and your dedication to our veterans. And thanks for taking the time to speak with me today. Everyone, please check out Dr. Schulken's book. It's called, it shouldn't be this hard to serve your country. You can get it anywhere books are available. It's not only an important book about taking a look inside the VA and how it works, but what it's like to work for the VA in over different administrations.
Starting point is 01:32:20 Dr. Schulken, thank you again for being on Mullershey Road today. Thank you so much. All right, that is our show. Thank you so much for listening. Anybody have any final thoughts they want to share? I saw Lewis Black this weekend. Really? Yeah, I haven't seen him in so long.
Starting point is 01:32:34 How was it? Yeah, he's great. He did a very interesting thing where he did not say Trump by name once, even though he had a lot of material that was very obviously in reference to him. So he refused to say his name, and he refused to call him the president, like his entire hour. Interesting. It was very interesting. The bubble of theater and San Diego. Oh, cool. Oh, nice.
Starting point is 01:32:54 Yeah. Very interesting. And you recently worked, I think at the store, I didn't Dallas just do a show there. Dallas. At the store, I think he did the store that night that you were going. Oh, okay. He's the one who the origins of beans oranges of beans Two foods that perhaps make the worst combination ever Beans and oranges beans and oranges. Yeah, that's not like a very good combo. No, it's awful
Starting point is 01:33:23 Orange beans no, let's talk about orange jelly beans. Oh, yeah, I like those okay. Yeah, that's a good Yeah, I agreed, but anyway. Yeah, that was cool to his black was yeah, it was cool. I'm glad I'm glad to hear that I really like him. Mm-hmm anything No, not for me. I don't know as we can spend in time with The wifey and my dog got a groom and had a very cute bow? Ah, what color? A red one. Nice. Very cute. Yeah, she gave us bows on our throats. Oh my god, haircuts. I also Can you hear that? Throats.
Starting point is 01:33:58 Sticking in with a blow and I want a cute bow. I've also been scaggroomed. I've also been watching. Actually, you know what? want to keep, though. You know what? I've also been watching. I just got groomed. I've also been watching. Actually, you know what, here's a thing. Oh, it's on our fruits. My anxiety management toolkit kind of like shifts every week, like depending on what I'm doing to keep myself feeling somewhat calm.
Starting point is 01:34:18 This week, it's like anything can burns. Like, I've been falling asleep to the sounds of documentaries about the Roosevelt's about Robition. Yeah, it's been learning a lot. It's Like, I've been falling asleep to the sounds of documentaries about the Roosevelt's, about Robition. Yeah, it's been learning a lot, but absorbing, I think, yeah, it might have a week's date. Osmosis. Yeah, so that's what I've been doing lately.
Starting point is 01:34:34 I really like to fall asleep to the sounds of like very slow moving documentaries. Yes. I've been watching videos I took of Jellyfish at the aquarium. Whoa. That's very relaxing. That sounds very nice.
Starting point is 01:34:44 That's probably a nice hashtag on Instagram. Oh. Hashtag jellyfish to follow? Oh, I bet. Mm-hmm. Oh, yeah. I've been following a lot of hashtag satisfying videos. Yeah, those are so satisfying.
Starting point is 01:34:55 I love all of those videos. I love those too. Yeah, except I don't get the slime craze. I don't understand that either. Yeah, slime. But I'm very much into the water balloon. Did you see the water balloon crashing into the bowling ball? Yes. I love that. That is so great. Yeah, I love that. It's a little creepy, but it's really, really round. It is. Yeah, it's
Starting point is 01:35:12 very aquatic, very chiggly that balloon. It's interesting. You want to go to an aquarium? Yeah, it is. It's very like, yes. mean, I'm just gonna use synonyms for water. Viscous. Yes. All right, well, I've got nothing else other than I can't wait to see everybody in Boston. Yeah. And thanks again to Dr. Shulkin for doing our interview today. Really appreciate his service. And that is it. So please take care of yourself and take care of each other. I've been A.G. I've been Jordan Coburn. I've been Mandy Reader. And this is Mollershi Road. Mollershi Road is executive produced and directed by AG and Jordan Coburn with engineering and editing by Mackenzie Mazell and Starburn's industries. Our marketing manager, production and social media direction is by Amanda Reader, fact checking your research by A.G., Jordan Coburn, and Amanda Reader, and our knowledgeable listeners.
Starting point is 01:36:09 Our web design and branding are by Joao Reader with Moxie Design Studios and our website is mullersheerove.com. Hi, I'm Harry Lickman, host of Talking Feds. A round table that brings together prominent figures from government law and journalism for a dynamic discussion of the most important topics of the day. Each Monday, I'm joined by a slate of Feds favorites at new voices to break down the headlines and give the insider's view of what's going on in Washington and beyond. Plus, sidebar is explaining important legal concepts read by your favorite celebrities.
Starting point is 01:36:46 Find Talking Fedswear every you get your podcasts. M-S-O-W-Media.

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