Judging Freedom - INTEL Roundtable w/ Johnson & Ritter - Weekly Wrap 28-August

Episode Date: August 28, 2026

INTEL Roundtable w/ Johnson & Ritter - Weekly Wrap 28-AugustSee 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 a society? alter or abolish 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, August 28th, 2006. It's the end of the day, the end of the week. It's almost the end of the month. Welcome to this special edition of the Intelligence Community Roundtable with Larry Johnson and surprise,

wonderful guest to Colonel Karen Kutkowski. Larry, Karen, welcome here. Always a pleasure. Thank you for the double duty on this show that you both are giving us this week. Larry, to you first, why, in your view, did the director of the

Central Intelligence Agency spent four hours this week in the Kremlin. And is there any significance in your mind to the manner in which he got to Moscow? Yeah, I give the lead up line. He was, I think he was bringing bodies home. So when you see the C-17 flying in there, I mean, originally that, that, you know, catches your eye right away because the CIA director has a, Gulfstream 5. That's more than capable of flying to Moscow.

It's only like 5,500 miles to Moscow from Washington, D.C. So you'd have another 1,000 miles to go. So why didn't he fly on that? Or, okay, let's say that that plane was broken, broke down. Department of Defense has other planes like Air Force 1, Air Force 2, some other 737 configurations. Again, other planes that could have served the purpose. C-17, you know, I thought initially, well, it was taking his own cars.

You know, maybe he had a thing to drive cars, but then he looked at the video and he's driving U.S. He's been hauled around in U.S. Embassy vehicles. And plus the CIA station in Moscow, they've got cars. So, you know, that wasn't the reason. And then some try to say, oh, it had these special communication trailers that were brought on board, you know, the secure communications. Oh, please. The CIA director's plane had plenty of secure communications capabilities on it. I mean, good God.

I was doing, I did an exercise with general. General Brown, Doug Brown, back in 2001, where we were testing J-Sox's new command bird that was flying out of Pope Air Force Base, at the time Pope Air Force Base at Fort Bragg. So, you know, and he had his own secure communication system. And it was simulating, I was simulating the ambassador, U.S. ambassador to Colombia and his ability to communicate in. with someone on the ground. So my point is, they don't need to have a special trailer on the C-17 for the direction. What causes you to conclude that it was dead bodies he was returning with? Because the plane can haul caskets.

And there was a refrigerator unit on board that plane, I'm told. So, but, you know, the Russians have, they've been killing a number of Americans and a number of Brits over the course of the last two months. and given that you had CIA special back in the day, I knew him as Special Activities Division, and I think they've got a new name, but it's basically the paramilitary guys. They were out operating on the front lines,

and some of them were killed. So that would make sense for why he would go there to bring him back. All right, but why spend four hours, and did he really go there? to tell the Russians that American Intel thinks they're losing the war? Who would take him seriously? Yeah. Well, no, that's crazy. That's the cover story for the American audience, I guess. Clearly, clearly, we have no knowledge that Russia does not have regarding the conduct and status of our proxy war against them in Ukraine. So that's not it. I like Larry's, you know, collecting,

dead Americans that have been fighting on the Ukrainian side or doing CIA business in particular in Ukraine and got caught up in this. That makes a lot of sense, actually, because that's the only reason you'd need that airplane. Again, like Larry pointed out, we can communicate securely in a zillion different ways and a different platform. So it's not really it. That is a long meeting, but if you're transferring corpses and trying to do it in a probably a quiet way that that might make sense.

You know, what struck me and I don't have any information on it, but when the CIA director got back, he held a four-hour meeting or a three-hour meeting, I think it was, with Trump and the security staff. So Trump got debriefed on whatever it was they were talking about for a long day a while. So that's interesting. You know, Larry, this has all the earmarks of Trump saying,

impulsively, John, I want you to go to the Kremlin. Not Marco, not Pete. John, I want you to go to the Kremlin. But this CIA director is not a trained intelligence person. Correct. There's no experience in Intel. Is not a trained diplomat and has no experience in diplomacy. Am I right?

Yeah, I mean, he's a lawyer from Texas who spent time in Congress. Now, he did a stent at the DNI, but a very undistinguished stent. But, you know, let's look at some of the stories that have been the justifications or claims about it. That, oh, he went there to warn the Russians. You better not do anything in Europe or else. And what did Maria Zakaorova say yesterday? She basically said, hey, put the United Kingdom, Great Britain on notice that if they continue with this storm shadow business and the storm shadows are used against Russians as they have been.

She said we're going to attack British targets in Ukraine and outside. All right, here, let me just stop you. Here she is. Karen, Larry and I have met Ms. Zakharova several times, and we will probably meet her the week after next when we're over there. But here she is yesterday. This is very strong. It's in Russian, but of course there's the translation.

Chris, cut number two. This event actually leaves no doubt that all the steps taken by the government of Britain, the United Kingdom, are subordinate to the resolution of a single long-term task, inflicting, as they say there, a strategic defeat on our country. This is all doomed to failure, but London is completely tainted by this. We have repeatedly warned that the response to Ukrainian strikes using British weapons on Russian territory could be any British military facilities and equipment in Ukraine, and beyond its borders.

Those guilty of committing war crimes, including those against the civilian population of our country, will be punished in accordance with their actions. Inevitable retribution will also overtake their accomplices and instigators, and we urge all residents of the United Kingdom to reflect on the inevitable, catastrophic consequences of their own authorities' hostile steps. As for the British leadership, we suggest that they once again carefully analyze the situation and immediately, in the most decisive and unambiguous manner, abandon their hostile and aggressive line,

which can only prolong the agony of the Kiev neo-Nazi regime and create risks of escalating the conflict to a fundamentally new level. And how do you read this? Who did you say that to? Karen. Oh, well, I mean, Russia has the upper hand, and when you have the upper hand, you can tell the other parties how it's going to be.

and that's what she has done. She's stating facts. I don't know how I don't know if that's escalation. I mean, the escalation seems to me to be, you know, in continuing to arm with newer and better arms, Ukraine to fight against Russia, including, you know, the targeting of commercial facilities in civilian places.

So I don't really see it as escalation. What I think it tells us is they are confident. Russia is confident. Larry, is Russia preparing to attack NATO facilities that are outside of Ukraine? They're ready to. And again, as she made it clear there, if there are weapons systems that are deployed from NATO countries that end up killing civilians in Russia, then they're making themselves a target.

up to this point, Russia has seemed to content to focus on destroying the warehouses, the manufacturing plants, the logistics centers that have facilitated these attacks, including going after military intelligence headquarters as well. But once those are exhausted, and if these attacks continue, then I, I fully expect that Russia will strike at the factories, at a minimum, the factories or facilities that are building the components or the actual missiles that are being used against Russians. Karen, with this trip that Director Ratcliffe made, has the U.S. given up the pretense of being a neutral mediator? you came to say this with straight face, but that's what they're pretending to be. And he stepped Whitcomb and Kushner to meet with Putin for five hours.

As the U.S. abandoned this stained, we are the neutral mediator image. Well, probably in practical terms, yes, because I think, you know, nobody believes we're neutral. And if you're the odd man out in a meeting and you're the only one that says you're neutral and everybody else laughs at you when you say that, then they're not going to do it. I wonder if this meeting also didn't have something to do, and I'm just throwing this out there, with our low oil reserves in our National Petroleum Reserve, you know, it's dangerously low. Europe needs fuel also, but they need processed fuel. We need crude to put in that thing so we can maybe process it and sell it. I wonder if part of it is actual straight talk between two countries.

that can help each other because Russia has the oil to sell and we need to buy cheap oil or any oil at this point. Trump is going into these midterms with basically he has depleted beyond any imagination the strategic petroleum reserves, which may not mean a lot, but it's a symbol just like 40 trillion in debt is a symbol that things aren't going well. Right. Let's switch over to Iran and on the way there. stop in Mecca. Larry, what is the geopolitical significance of the Mecca defense agreement between Turkey, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia? Well, it is potentially symbolic. It is symbolic already. It's potentially important if they get around to actually put putting some wheels on the car. You know, they've designed

a car right now with no tires they've got to bring together they have to figure out how to synchronize militaries number one turkey Saudi Arabia they're largely supplied with US Western weapons Pakistan supplied largely with Chinese weapons so the first task is if we're going to get these groups together to work together on a joint military operation you know you've got to get them all somewhat standardized. So far, they've indicated that they're willing to take on additional members. Syria has expressed interest.

Bangladesh has expressed interest. Iran reportedly received an offer on Monday from Asa Munir, the general out of Pakistan, to join. There has been no official word on that yet. it would be particularly interesting if Syria joins because then all of a sudden this defensive if it truly is a defensive alliance then it puts all those countries on a head-on collision with Israel

or Israel's ability to continue to attack in Syria would face then the possibility if these countries were serious about their pledge and attack on one as an attack on all that any attack on Syria by Israel would be viewed as an attack against Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, as well as Syria. So this is potentially interesting. Also, we've watched the rhetoric out of Israel heat up against Turkey,

which is just the craziest thing, because Turkey is the number one supplier of oil. Admittedly, it comes from Azerbaijan, flows through Turkey. but Turkey, you know, gets a fee on the way for the handling that oil, Turkey could cut it off. And so Israel, instead of wanting to make sure they keep Turkey on a good side, keeps talking about Turkey as the enemy, they're next on the list after they get rid of the Iranians. That one of the Israeli presidential candidates said that. Wow. Karen, Scott Ritter, Colonel McGregor, Colonel.

Wilkerson, even Ambassador Freeman, are of the view that Turkey would bury Israel in a one-on-one military contest. Yeah, I mean, that makes sense. I mean, they've got a much bigger military. And they know how to fight in the region, and they know how Israel fights, because they are right there watching them and spying on them and working with them and trading with them. So, yeah, Israel would be in big trouble if that's what they were intending to do. And I don't know if they think that the United States will help them fight that war or not.

I don't know what their plan is or if it's just a rhetorical argument that's being put forth because they have this heated election. And often during elections, the candidates want to scare the people so that they can promise them to keep the people safe, whatever. I don't think that's working well in the current election in Israel. But it could be part of that. Yeah, I don't know. But yeah, I would put my money on Turkey in a mass. matchup for sure. Larry, what remains of the American alliance with the Gulf states, most of whose American military bases have been badly damaged or totally destroyed? Yeah, it's in tatters,

literally. You know, we're not just, not just metaphorically. So, you know, the original deal was the United States would come into these countries. We would provide, protection. Hey, we got your back. We got, look at all this great weaponry we got. And by the way, why don't you buy some of it? So we'd sell them some overpriced American equipment. And then we'd get them, shake them down as well to buy some U.S. Treasury bonds. So therefore, they're all, you know, right in the middle of our, of our clutches. Then this war kicks off. You know, we started. And all of a sudden, these countries are getting hammered. I mean, really, really hammered. because they're being used as an aircraft carrier, essentially,

a place that U.S. aircraft and other rockets and missiles can be fired from. And so now they're starting to have second thoughts and this wasn't such a great deal. Now, notice that Pakistan this week, reportedly has signed a mutual defense agreement. I mean, Kuwait has signed a mutual defense agreement with Pakistan. Oh, what happened to the United States? Well, I think from Kuwait's standpoint to say, if we're in an alliance with Pakistan, we don't see Pakistan, even if they've got a base or two here in our country, they're not going to be launching attacks against Iran, which in turn is going to then come back and attack us.

So this is a way for Kuwait now to buy itself a little bit of security, and at the same time ease the United States out. And I think we're actually, we're starting to see that across. the Gulf from Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia. The only one who's still, you know, wanted to climb into bed with us is United Arab Emirates. Wow. Karen, what are the chances of Bessent's economic deed day separating China from Iran? Yeah, zero, zero.

And Bessent, you know, increasingly people are looking back at best, his past failures in the investment world and the investment arena. He is a long professional history there. And people are looking back and saying, my God, this guy is really not that good at this business that he's in. And I think we're all recalling that. We're all seeing that now in the way he is threatening using this language, like, you know, economic strangulation.

We're going to basically, you know, starve as Iran down to the last Iranian citizen or something. And none of that's going to happen. It can't happen in the interconnected world. It can't happen unless we somehow defeat and control China, which we're not ever going to be able to do, or, you know, the other friends that Iran has. And plus Iran has planned for this for years, and they've been under sanctions for years, something that we've, the media does admit that Iran has been sanctioned for years. But, you know, it's none of this stuff that he's threatening is going to work. language is really over the top, which tells me maybe it's more directed at America. Like, hey, Trump's really doing stuff. He's really going to be tough on Israel.

I mean, on Iran. He'll never be tough on Israel. He's being very tough on Iran. We have this. What is the name? The name of the program, it's like Project Economic Isolation or something, Outcast. This is very over-the-top language. It is impossible to do it. our past sanctions and embargoes and all the around the world, whether it's Iran or anybody else. They don't work. They always backfire. They always come home. They always cost the taxpayer more money. That will happen here. But I really think that the language is aimed at American, the American audience, to make them think that our government knows what the heck it's doing and is actually, you know, sticking to their guns. We want to make sure Iran doesn't have a nuclear

weapon kind of thing. I mean, which I don't think anybody even cares about at this point. Right. You know, actually, let me interject too. Bessett may not actually be stupid. He's corrupt. So between August, and I'm drawing on an article that was written by a woman named Leah on Substant. Yeah, yes.

Yeah, that everybody needs to read that. Because as she knows, she said, between August 11th and August 24th, Scott Bessett executed a sequence of decisions that taken together amount to the most aggressive restructuring of American financials. system in modern history and did so to benefit the family of Donald Trump. What he started with was on August 11th, he killed what's called the Corporate Transparency Act and ordered that FinCend beneficiary membership database be deleted. So this way, there wouldn't be any government oversight to figure out who were the powers

that be that were running these companies. Three days later, the president's family crypto company got a federal bank charge. charter. Huh. Go figure. Then three days after that, Bessett published rules requiring every stable coin in America to hold its reserves and treasury bills. And guess what? Who's the only stable coin in America that's allowed to operate? The Donald Trump stable coin. Judge, this is so damn corrupt. I mean, it makes Zelensky look like a prince. Boy, wait. Wait. Wait until the... the Democrats control the House,

listen, they're no saints themselves, but where do they have the power to investigate this? Larry, I want to ask you about the military. Are both sides re-arming during this relatively quiet period?

And if you say yes, what the hell is the U.S. re-arming with? Well, I was just to say, the Iranians are rearming. The United States is not because the United States doesn't have access to the rare earth minerals that it needs to rearm. So it's real simple.

You know, they've got, they can build part of the weapons system, but they, you know, you're going to build, you're going to build a Patriot Pact 3 missile. Great. The only problem is, hey, we got the whole missile here. We got it together. It's got, you know, the rocket fuel to launch it. It's all ready to go. Only one little problem.

What's that? Well, the guidance system isn't in. It doesn't work. but don't worry about it. We'll shoot it in the general vicinity. It'll come close. That's what we're at. Wow.

Who runs the straight of Hormuz now, Karen? Well, I think it's the same people that have been running it since the, what is it, the 28th or the 1st of March, and that's Iran. That's the IRGC. They're running it. They're managing it. They are doing so in a really, When you think about all the time, they did under war conditions, fighting war, they were still doing it very professionally and very, in a somewhat sophisticated manner.

And that's matured. And they've got their deal, I think, a preliminary agreement with Oman on how they're going to share responsibility, even talking about the kinds of fees and charges that they will implement. Not only that, no American or Israeli interest held ship or cargo is coming into the straight-of-form moves. So, and they're doing that. So they don't have to, like, crow about it like Trump does, about so many things, because it's reality. And you can check it when you look at the, you know, you look at the numbers. You look at the ships going in and out. You look at the export data that we have.

You look at the fact that the U.S. Navy so-called blockade. They're 400 nautical miles. That's as close as they can get. You can't do a blockade from that. But whatever. Yeah, Iran has it. They've had it since at least the 1st of March. And they still have it.

And now it's maturing. I think the management of it is looking very much like what the world expects and accepts of a transportation corridor. So I think you're 100% correct. I'm going to guess Larry does as well. But here's somebody who disagrees with you. Cut number 18. On the economic fury and all the pressure that he can bring to bear,

and we know that Iran can't handle it. Ultimately, their economy is in a spiral. They also know that we control the Strait of Hormuz, that our blockade is ironclad, and that oil is flowing through, ultimately, and you've seen some of the numbers. Iran can't run anything through. We can. The world economy realizes that,

and so they made a big bet on controlling it, and they can't. Harry, how do diplomats, senior military officers, and troops, grunts, react when the Secretary of Defense is a clown? Yeah. To make fun of him behind his back, you know, for starters. You know, look, right now the Iranian economy has measured in purchasing power parity is almost twice the size of what it was in 2015. despite 11 years of sanctions. So, you know, they've weathered the sanctions pretty well. And coupled with it, right after the signing of the MOU,

they put another $30 billion in the bank as a result of oil sales. So this notion that Iran is collapsing, you know, I've talked to, you know, Max Blumenthal was over. I haven't talked to Max, but I know that Max was in Iran for the funeral of the Ayatollah Ali Khomeini. I know a couple of others, Chris Halali, the UK podcaster by the name of Suleiman. They were all over there, and I asked them all.

Hey, do you have a problem getting food? And they said, yes. The problem was we got too much food. We all put on weight. Okay. That was that was the problem. They're not short of food and the army's not starving and going without pay. This is just this is all stupidity. But we haven't had a single U.S. military vessel sail past the Strait of Hormuz up into back to Fifth Fleet headquarters in Bahrain. Not one. And so but Hengseth is he's growing accustomed to lying. And, you know, the lies extended to recently when he, what he called all the fans. families of sailors that were on the USS Tripoli and on the USS Abraham Lincoln and on the USS boxer.

Called all these families who were reporting, hey, our kids aren't being properly fed and they're not getting properly supplied. Called them liars. But he's the liar. Wow. So I have two pieces of news for you, one of which comes from a dear friend and colleague of ours, but he just as soon as not mentioned his name.

Ivanka Trump spoke for hours about rejecting Jesus Christ and converting to Judaism. And she did it with Mrs. Miriam Edelson. No surprise. This is Trump's daughter rejoicing in her rejection of Christianity. Second thing I want to point out to you is the latest news from Canada. Chris? Effective immediately, Canadian geese are now known as Donald Ducks.

Yep. And did you hear about the San Andreas fault? No. It's now Joe Biden's fault. Obviously, this Donald Ducks is the creation of the brilliant and gifted Christopher Leonard. Guys, thank you very much for your time. I will be traveling next week.

Larry will be traveling. Larry and I will be on Monday morning. Karen will find the time to get together sometimes. during the week. All my best. Thanks, Judge. Sure. Have a nice weekend, guys. Thank you for watching. I will be traveling next week. We'll be posting for you, but nothing live on Tuesday and Wednesday.

We have a full panoply on Monday, and I'll be back on air by Thursday. Have a great weekend. Judge the Paletano for judging freedom.