Judging Freedom - INTEL Roundtable w/ Johnson & McGovern : Weekly Wrap - 3-April

Episode Date: April 3, 2026

INTEL Roundtable w/ Johnson & McGovern : Weekly Wrap - 3-AprilSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Undeclared wars are commonplace. Pragically, our government engages in preemptive war, otherwise known as aggression with no complaints from the American people. Sadly, we have become accustomed to living with the illegitimate use of force by government. To develop a truly free society, the issue of initiating force must be understood and rejected. What if sometimes to love your country you had to alter or abolish the government? the government? What if Jefferson was right? What if that government is best, which governs least?

What if it is dangerous to be right when the government is wrong? What if it is better to perish fighting for freedom than to live as a slave? What if freedom's greatest hour of danger is now? Hi, everyone. Judge Andrew Napolitano here for Judging Freedom. Today is Friday, April 3, 2006 in Christianity. It's Good Friday, the Friday of the Passion of the Lord. We mean no disrespect being on today. Our work is important. We respect you. And of course, we have to keep you abreast of how things are going. Larry, did those two planes just crash on their own as the Pentagon initially reported or were they shot down, even though the president said the Iranians have no ability to shoot down our jets.

You mean the ones today? Yes. Well, actually, it's more than two. Let me give you the rundown. So you had an F-15 eagle. It was shot down in southwestern Iran. The pilot was rescued, but the weapon system officer is still missing. You had an A-10 Thunderbolt, you know, the warthog.

It was shot down and crashed into the Persian Gulf. A pilot was reportedly recovered. covered. You had two pavehawks. These are big Air Force helicopters. They are part of the combat search and rescue operation. They were both hit. One crash landed cross border in Iraq, reportedly all crew rescued. Then there's the KC-135 strato tanker that was doing an emergency squawk of SOS landing near Tel Aviv. And last but not least, there was the F-16. Wild Weasel that was doing also an emergency squawk over Saudi Arabia near the Iraq border. That was around, and then it later disappeared from flight radar, so they don't know if it landed

or crashed. And so, yeah, bad day for the Air Force. So, but wait a minute, Larry and Ray, don't you remember what President Trump said about this, 27, Chris? They have no anti-aircraft equipment. Their radar is 100% annihilated. Their radar is 100% annihilated. We are unstoppable as a military force.

I guess the Iranians didn't get the memo. Right. How dangerous is it to try and for a search and rescue of a pilot who ejected from a plane that's now crashed in Iran? that endangers everyone, of course, the ones who are trying to rescue. They will be able to, the Iranians will be able to take hot shots at them, helicopters, whatever. I don't really fear for the fate of the gunner or the weapons officer there on that plane. I imagine the Iranians will capture him. Hopefully they will do him no harm.

Wow. Larry, do we have any idea of the amount of U.S. casualties killed, missing, injured, or is the Pentagon getting like the IDF when it comes to those numbers? Yeah, we're getting the IDF treatment. They're covering it up. There's still leaving into 13 killed in action. I doubt that number. They're under, you know, they're really.

under pressure or they recognize they've got a PR problem if they start reporting casualties. And so they're trying to tamp it down and bamboozle, gaslight the American public. It's wrong, but that's what they're doing. Ray, why should the American public believe the president that Iran had ballistic missiles prepared? to reach the U.S. and an atomic bomb prepared to annihilate Israel when the uniform consensus of his intelligence community is to the contrary. Well, Judge, I did watch that address to the nation, and I have to defend Trump. One thing I said was true, and that was good evening.

Actually, I wasn't true either. That was sort of bad evening for all of us. you know, there's no correlation between Donald Trump and truth. Let's face it. Makes it very difficult not only for us, but for everybody. Iranians or the Russians or the Chinese. It's an enigma, and it's incredibly volatile. And if I were in Putin or Xi's place, I would be on high alert because there's no telling

what he might be prompted to do the more so now that it looks like that the Iranians will have at least one prisoner. Well, Larry, has he yet, or has Hegset, or has Rubio yet made the case for war? No, it keeps changing. You know, when President Trump on Wednesday night, when he read what was very odd speech, I mean, this is the first speech. I recall him actually sticking to the script. He didn't stray from the script.

He didn't start go off the cuff like he always does in the past. His presentation was just how he spoke. And it was very slow, very monotone. Almost addled. Yeah. It just, I don't know what he was sedated with, but he appeared to be, you know, he used to call it. Joe Biden, low energy, Joe. Boy, Trump was registering right down there around zero on the energy

level. But then he repeatedly lied. He, for example, claimed that it was Iran that was behind the bombing of the USS Cole. That was Al-Qaeda. Those were the guys that attacked us a 9-11. That wasn't Iran. He repeated the lie that Iran's the number one sponsor of terrorism. Oh, no, the numbers simply don't back that up, and his own numbers from the government. Then he went off on, well, they chad death to America. Yeah, Mr. President, I wonder why that is. Could it have anything to do with the fact that we backed Saddam Hussein for eight years in a war that used chemical weapons, which we, the United States, provided to Iraq, let's be clear about that,

and provided Iraq with all the intelligence that the CIA and NSA, could collect that would help Iraq attack and kill Iranians killing more than 300,000, of which 70,000 were civilians. Could that have anything to do with why they chant death to America? Just making a wild guess. Right. Right. Ray, here's the core of what he said trying to scare Americans about what he claims

was the strength of the Iranian ballistic missiles and nuclear, fanciful nuclear weapons. Chris, cut number four. They were also rapidly building a vast stockpile of conventional ballistic missiles and would soon have had missiles that could reach the American homeland, Europe, and virtually any other place on Earth. Iran's strategy was so obvious. They wanted to produce as many missiles as possible, And they did with the longest range possible.

And they had some weapons that nobody believed they had. We just learned that out. We took them out. We took them all out so that no one would really dare stop them. And they're raised for a nuclear bomb, a nuclear weapon, a nuclear weapon like nobody's ever seen before. They were right at the doorstep. The doorstep. What the hell is he talking about, Ray?

Judge, this is a pack of lies like nobody has ever seen before. I mean, it's not worth dignifying them with an answer. What I would say is this, that you have people like Netanyahu, who is sort of official, right? And what he said was, oh, I've been waiting 40 years for this. I haven't been able to persuade an American president to go and attack Iran the way Donald is doing for me. That's number one. Number two, our Secretary of State and National Security Advisor,

Marco Rubio said this, and I'll quote this once again. Quote, we know there was going to be an Israeli action. We knew that this would precipitate an attack action against American forces, and we knew that if we didn't preemptively go after them before they launched those attacks, we would suffer higher casualties. Third and last, Joe Kent, okay? And what do he say?

One sentence. After much reflection, I have decided to resign. I cannot in good conscience support the ongoing war in Iran. Iran posed no imminent threat to our nation, and it's clear that we started this war due to pressure from Israel and its powerful American lobby period. So in the vernacular, it's Israel stupid. That's the whole why and wherefore of this whole thing. That's why there's no plan other than being meligomaniac and saying, well, we can do this. because the strongest country in the world.

I got news for Trump. We're not dead anymore. We want to really realize that before it's too late. Here's a question for both of you. The Washington Post reports that David Barnaya, the head of Mossad, spent three days with Trump. He slept for two nights in the Blair House, typically reserved for heads of state or for the incoming president

and his wife the night before inauguration. How does American CIA, how does American Intel feel when the head of Mossad is with the president alone? They had a queen-sized bed for God's sake. I mean, they're in it together. Wash the linen for God's sake. Wash the linen now. I'm sorry, Larry. You say something more.

No, no, I think that's quite appropriate. Look, this is, if we take Trump. at face value, then he just, he said, Iran is making a nuclear weapon like no one. And that means Russia, China, the United States, no one, not the Brits, not the French, no one has ever seen. Well, why don't we call them up and get him working for us? That way we would have the best weapon. So he's just, he's conceding there that America's second best, you know, so we got to give the Iranians credit that they have surpassed the United States when it comes. to that kind of technology. I mean, look, this is so patently ridiculous, and yet the danger is

Donald Trump is going to launch ground attacks. You put troops on the ground somewhere in Iran. I'm now inclined to believe it'll be an attack on the Bashir nuclear facility simply because it's close enough. It's not that far inland. It's something that could be reached. That's why they have the special operations forces assembled. But it's going to be a disaster. And he's going to wind up probably with more prisoners of war. What will be the goal of Boots on the ground? Is he crazy enough to think that they can seize, enrich the uranium?

Well, all they've got at Boucher is regular conventional nuclear fuel for a nuclear reactor that powers provide electricity to the people of Iran. And it'll be if they do that, remember, this is a plant that the Russians had their people there. They pulled them out now because of the U.S. attacks and Israeli attacks. But regardless of what, there is no military target that you could carry out a mission with the force that he has that could accomplish anything that would change, you know, change the course of this war. The most critical thing for the world right now is the fact that Iran is controlling who gets to come in and out of the Persian gold. They've allowed a few ships. They allowed a French cargo ship out today.

It was not a oil tanker. And so they've allowed ships to go to Japan. And so that means what's happening is Iran is now shifting the purchase. of petro dollars to the purchase of Chinese yuan. And so we're witnessing something pretty remarkable in terms of the shifting power in the global economy. I want Ray to comment on this. General Kellogg is back.

Number 26. This is two days ago, Chris. And President Trump had the guts to go do something about Iran. Nobody else has been able to do that before. I mean, we talked about it during Trump one, and we never were able to pull the trigger on. He has done that. He's sort of like the alpha male of all the world leaders. Give him credit for doing that. And I would take control of those islands. You can do it. That is not a hard thing to do. I would take control of those islands. You can do it. It's not a hard thing to do. Larry, you first. Is that absurd? Oh, totally. Look. Well, why take control?

of the islands. What is the, what's the mission? What's the purpose? He mistakenly believes that if you take Karg Island, you cut off Iran's ability to export oil. No, General, that they have five terminals. Carg Island is simply one of those terminals and they simply switch between the terminals by turning basically like a faucet handle. So you're going to put troops on an island that they're going to be completely exposed to drone, artillery, rocket, missile attacks, and then they're not going to have a reliable way to evacuate that island. And particularly, if they go in with any kind of numbers, just getting in there is going to be problematic. So it's, again, none of this makes any sense militarily. If your goal is to open up the Strait of Hormuz, then what you have to do is you

have to remove every attack vector that Iran has. So they've got many submarines, they've got underwater drones. They have ships that are drones, small boats with carrying explosives that are driven remotely. They also have fast boats that are crew, manned with the can fire missiles at ships and sink them. They then have regular drones. They have also artillery. fire, then they have missiles and rockets, and then they have these guns squirled away in the caves that line that straight over 100 miles. So yeah, you know, if you get, if you got three million

soldiers and you got about two years, you might be able to go in there and clean all that up. But until then, the straight's going to be closed. And there's nothing they can do militarily to open it. Right. Does the CIA provide intel to the military? to like target where Comini was living at the time they killed him or whatever other targets they're trying to pursue? Sure they do, but the military have their own collection devices and everything is really shared and in an immediate way here. What would I say about this?

I'd say that if I'm the Army Chief of Staff and I commanded units of the 86 and airborne, I would quit rather than follow orders. to expose the 82nd airborne, not to speak of the Marines, to murder in the Persian Gulf. Oh, wait a second, there was a guy fired yesterday. I don't think it was fired.

I think he quit. I said, this is a fools, Aaron. I'm not going to give an order for my people, my 80 second overboard, whatever, to be killed. I think you're 100% correct, Ray. 100% correct. behind there. The other thing is, you know, this alpha male stuff. My God, I thought we were behind that,

you know, Alpha male Kellogg. Where did Kellogg get his spurs? Well, he says, all those items, for God's sake. It was Vietnam. And he learned deceit, deception, and defeat at the hands of William Westmoreland, who lied through his teeth about enemy forces and everything else. So you got Kellogg, A really terrific guy, he goes back, you know, 50, 60 years, rely on his advice and see what happens. My God. Larry, why is Trump still making up stories about negotiations between Iran and the U.S.? Is it to affect the market and the price of oil? Yeah, it's reminiscent of watching Haley, Joe Osmond, and six cents.

You know, I see dead people. So, you know, he sees imaginary people that. he's talking to that don't exist. And in fact, as confabulated the entire notion that America and Iran are talking. No, they're not. They've held indirect talks up to this point.

The previous interlocutor was from Oman, the foreign minister. And now supposedly the Filipinos are playing, they'll get a message from the United States and then try to contact Iran. And sometimes Iran will respond and sometimes they won't. What Iran has made clear is it's going to control the Strait of Hormuz. It's going to control the world economy for the foreseeable future.

It's working with Oman to where they will create a deal that both sides will get paid because they're going to control access to the Persian Gulf. And it's going to be up to the state, you know, the nations of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, United Arab Emirate, Bahrain and Kuwait to figure out, are they going to play along with Iran or are they going to die? Because without the trade that comes in through the mouth of that Gulf, through the Strait of Hormuz, those, you know, call them countries, their fabrications. I mean, the United Arab Emirate didn't exist until 50 years ago

when the Brits pulled out and said, okay, we'll leave you guys the keys and you divide up the land and figure out who's in charge. So it's not a real country. And their economy is now frozen. Wow. Ray, big picture. How does the Iran war affect U.S. Russian relations?

You know, we'll know more about that in the next couple of weeks. I think it was very significant that Trump appealed to Putin to give him a hand, help him out here, just three weeks ago. He called him up, right? It was his initiative. So can you help me out and that stuff? Well, the good thing is that there's a underground channel here where they could speak to each other. I think that Putin is probably giving him the real cold turkey here saying,

look, we can't let this thing go on so that Israel is destroyed and has no other option other than to use their nuclear weapons. That's the big danger here. we have a soft underbelly right over this whole area. We don't want that happen. So whether the Russians who have lines out to the Israelis as well as to the Gulf states and everybody else and who are actively talking to them and the Chinese who are doing the same thing with the Pakistanis and so forth, whether they can talk some sense into Trump, it really will depend on what kind of. the bloody nose the U.S. forces get, if and when, God help us, the ground troops are sent in. We'll have to see, I think the Russians have a real priority, prevent this from getting out of hand. I think they may have some influence with Trump now that he realizes he's been had by Netanyahu.

Larry, Trump is targeting and boasting about targeting civilian assets. They destroyed a billion dollars. It's what it cost to build a bridge in Tehran. A bridge, a highway, the cars go over, totally civilian. Now he's threatening to destroy the power grid. Aren't these war crimes? Yeah, no, absolutely. Totally, they're war crimes.

And launching a war of aggression as he did on February 28th is a war crime. The Nazis were tried at Nuremberg for that and convicted of that. No, listen, Donald Trump is a stain on America. He has disgraced it. He has just dishonored the legacy of American patriots who actually fought for causes and did so in accordance with the Constitution. Here he is violating every tenet of the Constitution, declaring himself basically God.

You know, the firing of these generals yesterday, I want to make it, it's important to understand, this did not really start with Trump. This really started with Barack Obama, then it continued with Joe Biden, and then it's Donald Trump before him and the Donald Trump after Biden. And what it is, it is the politicization of the military where you try to create loyalty to a president, not to the Constitution. It's very much a Praetorian Guard that they're trying to create and then demand, if you will, a loyalty oath to the current politician instead of the loyalty of the military to the Constitution and not dependent upon one personality. And so this is what's so dangerous about what Trump is doing. You can come up with criticisms of the officers that were removed, but the foundation of it really goes back to this. we want to make sure we have people that are loyal to us, not as Americans, not as loyal to the Constitution, but you're going to be loyal to me politically.

And remember last week, well, last week I predicted that Tulsi Gabbard was going to be a scapegoat. And guess who's on the list now to be fired, Tulsi? Well, in Trump's world, you're the Attorney General. You can be fired because grand juries refuse to indict and because trial jury, He's acquitted. Yeah. Well. Professor Ramir Shimer gave us 90 unbelievable seconds the other day, and we posted it, and it's had over a million views, just this clip.

Watch this, Chris. We didn't even make any attempt to argue that the Iranians had done something militarily to precipitate. our attack on Iran. There's no provocation here. We just decided we were going to go out and we were going to whack the Iranians, both last June and again this time. Furthermore, both the Israelis and the Americans are running around the world assassinating leaders. This was not something that the United States engaged in in large part, or certainly in an overt way in the past. And here we are. And furthermore, there's the Gaza genocide, right? The Israelis, here's an apartheid state executing the genocide in Gaza, and we're complicitous in that genocide.

If there were Nuremberg trials, right, where the Israelis and the Americans were brought before the court, President Trump, along with President Netanyahu, and many of their advisors would be hanged, right? This is a genocide. Is it not? It is a genocide. What did we do in 1945 with those Germans who executed a genocide in Europe and who were not only accused of executing a genocide, but those German leaders were accused of launching a war of aggression.

There's remarkable resemblance to what we and the Israelis have now twice done against Iran. Ray McGovern. Well, Judge, I spent three hours in silence today, and ringing in my ear was an old hymn, which I substituted the words for. Were you there when they tomahawk the girls? Oh, sometimes it makes me tremble. Yeah.

It's a terrible, terrible, terrible, state of affairs. You know, Judge, I have just two photos I'd like to show here. Sorry about that. There are two photos, there are two photos lying around on my website, actually, of the girls immediately after the Tomahawks did them in in Minna. And then the day after. We know how repellent those are, but we don't have any transfer cases for these little girls. We have no dignified transfer with the Altau, All we have is 175 white shrouds, and I think we have to be mindful of the human tragedy that not only do we not apologize for, but the president says, guess what? Iranians have Tomahk missiles, and they did it themselves.

My God, what have we come to? That was the worst lie in my book. Sorry about that, but this is the human dimension. And, you know, there's a voice crying in Rafa or in Minap. Rachel, weeping for her children because she cannot be consoled. They are no more. Gentlemen, thank you very much. Larry and I are doing a special tomorrow morning, Saturday at 9 o'clock about Charlie Kirk.

The bullet doesn't match. So who killed Charlie Kirk? Nine o'clock Eastern here. Guys, thank you very much. We'll see you on Monday morning. All the best. Thanks, Judge. And happy watching, Judge Napolitano for judging freedom.