The David Pakman Show - 1/23/25: Freed January 6 rioters celebrate, Trump's first interview

Episode Date: January 23, 2025

-- On the Show: -- Brittany Page, host of the Page Perspective, fills in for David. Subscribe to her channel at http://www.youtube.com/@brittanyepage -- The New York Times sane-wahses Donald Trum...p by saying he has a "muscular vision of presidential power" -- Republican Congresswoman Lauren Boebert is offering tours of the Capitol to newly released January 6th rioters -- January 6th rioters, newly pardoned by Donald Trump, are celebrating by buying guns -- Democratic Congressman Jamie Raskin shows he will continue to resist Donald Trump and the Republican Party -- Donald Trump does an interview in the Oval Office with Fox News's Sean Hannity -- Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio Cortez discusses the Elon Musk Nazi salute controversy -- Fox News host Jeanine Pirro attacks the "woke bishop" who spoke to Trump during his inauguration -- Democratic Senator Tim Kaine excoriates Trump's Office of Management and Budget nominee Russell Vought -- Officer Michael Fanone responds to the mass pardoning of January 6th rioters -- On the Bonus Show: Jesse Dollemore joins Brittany, meteorologist gets fired for criticizing Elon salute, Trump pauses communications between health agencies and the public, and much more... 💻 Get Private Internet Access for 83% OFF + 4 months free at https://www.piavpn.com/David 💻 Sponsored by Aura: Try it free for 2 weeks! See if your data is safe at https://aura.com/pakman 🛌 Helix Sleep: Get 25% OFF and 2 free pillows at https://helixsleep.com/pakman 💪 AG1 is offering you a FREE $76 GIFT when you sign up at https://athleticgreens.com/pakman  🥦 Lumen lets you master your metabolism. GET 20% OFF at https://lumen.me/pakman ⚠️ Ground News: Get 50% OFF their unlimited access Vantage plan at https://ground.news/pakman -- Become a Member: https://davidpakman.com/membership -- Become a Patron: https://www.patreon.com/davidpakmanshow -- TDPS Subreddit: http://www.reddit.com/r/thedavidpakmanshow -- Pakman Discord: https://davidpakman.com/discord -- David on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/davidpakmanshow -- Leave a Voicemail: (219)-2DAVIDP

Transcript
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Starting point is 00:00:00 Welcome to the David Pakman Show. My name is Brittany Page and I host the Page Perspective right here on YouTube. Today I am the very lucky guest host for David. I'm in Washington, D.C. where Donald Trump and his supporters recently infiltrated our city. I was on the ground covering the Trump events for two days, and I will have more to say about that later in this episode. I'm sure many of you, like me, are still reeling from this horrible situation we now find ourselves in, and I hope you're taking time to take care of yourselves while also trying to stay informed. So now let's get into the news for today.
Starting point is 00:00:46 I want to start with how the mainstream media is failing to hold power to account. And this is truly a wild example from the New York Times going full big strong guy on us. We've all heard this term by now, sane washing. I think the first time that I heard it was from Aaron Ruppar, but I'd love to know where you first heard it. Sanewashing refers to what we see all the time from mainstream media, this attempt to make Donald Trump and his unhinged behavior seem not so unhinged. And we're going to start with this image. This is the first thing I saw when I woke up and opened my New York Times app to check what they were highlighting as the most important and relevant news of the day. What do we have here? Headline, Trump asserts a muscular vision of presidential power as he takes over. What? Are they, I don't think that I can cuss on the David Pakman show. So are
Starting point is 00:01:49 they listening to themselves? Was the, was the alternate here, big, strong man, Donald Trump uses presidential power so beautifully that Americans come together with tears in their eyes to say, thank you, sir. Was that it? Maybe they thought that would be going too far. Well, let's hear what the reporter, Charlie Savage, had to say about the big, strong, muscular vision that Donald Trump is bringing to the presidency. Quote, After President Trump left the White House in 2021,
Starting point is 00:02:23 critics of his norm-breaking use of executive power implored Congress to tighten legal limits on when presidents can unilaterally reshape American government with the stroke of a pen. But lawmakers largely did not act. On Monday, as Mr. Trump took the oath of office to begin his second term, he asserted a muscular vision of presidential power. He not only revived some of the same expansive understandings of executive authority that were left unaddressed, but went even further with new claims of sweeping and inherent constitutional clout. Among a blizzard of executive orders, end quote, it continues, he goes on to select the executive orders that he wants to talk about throughout the article. But let's pull some of the phrases that he used there.
Starting point is 00:03:12 First, we had, quote, critics of his norm-breaking use of executive power. So his use of executive power, does it break norms or is it muscular and strong? He also wrote among a blizzard of executive orders, expansive understandings of executive authority, norm breaking, or big, strong man use powers. The framing of the story matters. And these people know that it matters and they know what appeals to Donald Trump. This framing, this appeals to Donald Trump. And honestly, all I could think of when I was reading this line about Trump asserted a muscular vision of presidential power in the context of his countless executive orders was this moment
Starting point is 00:04:06 from the signing of one of those orders just the other day. I can live with most of them. They took a very safe route. They don't have any bad ones up there. Withdrawing from the World Health Organization. Oh, that's a big one. One, he doesn't even know what he's signing and has to ask what it is. Two, once he learns what it is, he says, ooh, that's a big one. And I'm not going to spend the next four years playing these clips and telling you all that this man is an idiot.
Starting point is 00:04:41 I know he's an idiot. You know he's an idiot. So why is it so hard for the mainstream media to acknowledge what we can all plainly see with our own eyes? They are afraid. They're afraid of lawsuits. They're afraid of getting on his bad side. Some of what is happening behind the scenes here with the press was revealed in this article from the Columbia Journalism Review. The title is the White House press corps gears up for another Trump term with the subtitle plenty to worry about, but some are looking forward to the press having better access. So we're already not starting off on the best spot here. In this report, they quote a White House print reporter who told CJR that things, quote, haven't been great under Biden for the press. They
Starting point is 00:05:34 highlight frustrations related to Biden being kept away from reporters, how reporters have had to be referred to in-house experts for questions, which definitely seems like not a problem. They reference Biden's requirement for pre-approved questions. One reporter characterized as a veteran White House reporter in the article is quoted as saying, quote, for a lot of people, what was the point in even going to the White House press briefings? Because they often didn't have an opportunity to ask questions. But what these reporters have to say about Donald Trump is disturbing. And I'm going to read from the report now. Quote, Trump, on the other hand, adores the attention of the media, even as he frequently maligns the reporters themselves.
Starting point is 00:06:19 During his first term, he regularly chatted with White House reporters during strolls to Marine One and held a number of high-profile, if occasionally ill-conceived, televised sit-downs with everyone from Axios' Jonathan Swan to Barstool Sports' Dave Portnoy. Parenthetically, on his first night back, Trump spent 45 minutes casually answering media questions in the Oval Office while he signed executive orders. Quote, despite his sometimes strident and sometimes even violent rhetoric about the press, he loves talking to us, the print reporter said. Quote, and his team, they like talking to us, and they know that they're going to have a huge audience. Is that what's most important here? Attention and audience? Is that how these people view their role in reporting on a Donald Trump White House?
Starting point is 00:07:12 If it is, we have a problem. But we already know we have a problem, right? Here's what's scary about all of our main sources of information being captured by the fascists, the billionaires, the far right, the people who just want attention, they want to eliminate objective truth. They want to eliminate media literacy. They want everyone so scared, so confused, so bombarded with lies and half-truths that they can't keep up with what is true.
Starting point is 00:07:42 And not to do an independent media plug, but this is in fact why we need independent media more than ever. Even if it isn't the David Pakman show or the Page Perspective, my show on YouTube, we need to support independent media and independent media needs to come together more often to build an alternative to these outlets. Donald Trump has rewarded dangerous people with freedom and his Republican enablers have hopped right into place defending him, even though it exposes their depravity, the depths of their hypocrisy. I am of course talking about the January 6th pardons,
Starting point is 00:08:15 more than 1500 people who were charged in connection with the insurrection, the vicious and violent attack that we all remember. The vast majority of those 1,500 people received full, complete, unconditional pardons. This includes people who were convicted of violent attacks on the cops who were there that day, trying to protect the Capitol, trying to protect both Democrats and Republicans from the attack. And some of these insurrectionists are celebrating by proclaiming that they are headed out to buy guns. Look at this post from the guy we all know as the QAnon shaman, Jacob Chansley, quote,
Starting point is 00:08:57 thank you, President Trump. Now I am gonna buy some mother effing guns. As you can see, the results of these pardons is that these people feel emboldened. They've been rewarded. These attempts to rewrite history need to be resisted. And we're going to get to Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson being forced to grapple with his hypocrisy today and a brilliant speech from a Democrat. But before we do that, I need to play this clip of Republican Representative Lauren Boebert,
Starting point is 00:09:27 who went so far as to appear outside the D.C. jail to speak with the families of January 6th insurrectionists to say that she would provide tours of the Capitol upon the release of the insurrectionists. I want to thank you. I have not. I'm open to talking to Pam, but I think there's higher ups that she needs to talk to other than me. I want to thank you all for being out here with them. We have a few things to do at the Capitol. We have some votes to do tonight. And I'm hoping that these guys are out before I'm able to return. And if they're not, I'm
Starting point is 00:10:03 coming back. I want to see them for their release. And, you know, I'll be the first member of Congress to offer them a guided tour in the Capitol tonight. They already had the tour, Lauren. The tour ended with people who were dead, severely wounded, forever traumatized, with feces smeared on the walls, with widespread chaos and destruction. But no, we're now talking about welcoming the insurrectionists back to the Capitol. And CNN's Manu Raju actually asked Speaker Mike Johnson about this very issue. Watch this.
Starting point is 00:10:40 Republicans have long said you guys back the blue. How do you justify we say that when Trump just pardoned a bunch of violent January 6th rioters who attacked Capitol Police? And if those rioters come to the Capitol, will you welcome them back here? So, look, everybody can describe this however they want. The president has the pardon and commutation authority. It's his decision. And I think what was made clear all along is that peaceful protests and people who engage in that should never be punished. There was a weaponization of the Justice Department. There was a weaponization of the events, the following, you know, the
Starting point is 00:11:16 prosecutions that happened after January 6th. It was a terrible time and a terrible chapter in America's history. The president's made his decision. I don't second-guess those. And yes, you know, it's kind of my ethos, my worldview. We believe in redemption. We believe in second chances. If you would argue that those people didn't pay a heavy penalty, having been incarcerated and all of that, that's up to you. But the president's made a decision.
Starting point is 00:11:39 We move forward. There are better days ahead of us. That's what we're excited about. We're not looking backwards. We're looking forward. A non-answer. A rewriting of history. He says he wants to look forward and not back. So then why are house Republicans announcing a new select subcommittee to quote, continue the investigation of the events proceeding and following January 6th.
Starting point is 00:11:59 And I just want to ask a question here. and I'm genuinely curious from David's audience. The moral decay required to lie so effortlessly for Mike Johnson to shrug at the question when Manu Raju refers to the violent January 6th rioters. He rolls his eyes. Do you think when Mike goes home at night that he like beats himself up? Do you think he ever feels bad about his moral depravity? You know, like when you mess up at work, I remember when I was a teenager working at a cafe and I closed by myself one night for the first time. And I was so meticulous and made sure I covered all my bases. I went home, I went to sleep. And in the middle of the night, I sprang up in bed and realized I'd forgotten to turn off the nacho chip warmer.
Starting point is 00:12:49 And I was panicked, wondering whether I'd be held responsible if the place burned down because I forgot to turn off the nacho chip warmer at closing. Very rational stuff. Doesn't at all give you any glimpse into my neurosis, does it? But do you think Mike ever has those moments? Just sheer panic at the realization that he is a failure. We cannot allow these people to rewrite history. And someone who understands this is Democratic Representative for Massachusetts, Jim McGovern, who spoke on the floor today and highlighted specific cases of violent people who were pardoned by Donald Trump. Here are some of the convicted felons that Trump sent free on
Starting point is 00:13:30 Monday. Stephen Capuccio, convicted of six felonies, including assaulting a police officer, ripped off Metro police officer Daniel Hodges' gas mask. And at one point during the assault, he said, and I quote, how do you like me now, mother effer? Pardoned by Donald Trump. David Dempsey, sentenced to 20 years. He stomped on police officers' heads, struck an officer in the head with a metal crutch and attacked police with pepper spray and broken pieces of furniture. He also attacked a fellow rioter who was trying to disarm him
Starting point is 00:14:03 and he has a demonstrated history of political violence. Pardoned by Donald Trump. Enrique Tarrio, sentenced to 22 years. Former national leader of the Proud Boys, a domestic terrorist far-right militia. He was found guilty of seditious conspiracy, helped plan the January 6th attack, and made sure it was violent. Pardoned by Donald Trump. Guy Reffitt, sentenced to seven years and three months.
Starting point is 00:14:30 He brought a gun, zip ties, body armor, and a helmet to the Capitol, presumably to try to take hostages in an attempt to keep Trump in office after he lost. Pardoned by Donald Trump. Daniel Joseph D.J. Rodriguez Rodriguez sentenced to over 12 years. He repeatedly tased Officer Mike Pannon, shocking him in the neck multiple times and causing him to lose consciousness and have a heart attack. He was pardoned by Donald Trump. That clip goes on for a while. There are more. But when questioned about the hypocrisy, Republicans who claim that they support the police while supporting pardons for people
Starting point is 00:15:10 who viciously attack police, you see Republicans shrug. They roll their eyes. They invite insurrectionists for tours of the Capitol. All this does is make clear just how much of the Republican and conservative defenses of police abuses against people of color are about racism. Donald Trump, his entire cabinet, all of these Fox News hosts, they will defend a police officer for beating or killing a black man for any number of reasons that would not actually make it okay for a police officer to beat or kill someone? How many times have you heard,
Starting point is 00:15:51 he should have followed directions, he was high on drugs, he reached into his pocket? Setting aside how often these are straight up lies to defend racism, look at how many excuses they have for these people who beat police officers, how willing they are to lie and rewrite history for these insurrectionists.
Starting point is 00:16:13 This is far beyond not following directions. These people assaulted police officers. And what does Back the Blue say? They give it a pass. We cannot allow them to rewrite what we know to be true. While Republican leaders try to tell you that crime is off the charts and criminals are roaming the streets ready to murder and rob you at any time and that there are dangerous criminals pouring over our border, Donald Trump's pardon for 1,500 people convicted of crimes during the January 6th insurrection, in Trump's pardon for 1,500 people convicted of crimes during the January 6th
Starting point is 00:16:45 insurrection, in some cases, violent assaults, these pardons ensure that there are actually dangerous criminals being released into the streets. And some of the people that walked out of the jails and the prisons across the country following these pardons have already started to talk about what they want for the future. Buying guns, retribution. Let's start with Enrique Tarrio, the leader of the Proud Boys. He's been freed by Trump after being sentenced to 22 years for his role in the January 6th attack. I actually want to read from AP reporting to illustrate the juxtaposition of what he sounded like before sentencing and what he sounds like now. So before he was sentenced, he begged for mercy. Quote, rising to speak before the sentence was handed down, Tarrio called January 6th, quote, a national embarrassment and apologized to the police officers who defended the Capitol and the lawmakers who fled in fear. His voice cracked as he said he let down his family and vowed that he
Starting point is 00:17:50 is done with politics. Quote, I am not a political zealot. Inflicting harm or changing the results of the election was not my goal, Tarrio said. Please show me mercy, he said, adding, quote, I ask you that you not take my 40s from me. U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly, who was appointed to the bench by Trump, said Tarrio was motivated by, quote, revolutionary zeal to lead the conspiracy that resulted in, quote, 200 men amped up for battle, encircling the Capitol. Noting that Tarrio had not previously shown any remorse publicly for his crimes, the judge said a stiff punishment was necessary to deter future political violence.
Starting point is 00:18:33 His voice cracked when he said he was done with politics. This was in September 2023. And what about now? Now that he's been freed from prison by Donald Trump? Is he immediately appearing on Alex Jones's show calling for retribution? The answer is yes. In the words of Pam Bondi, the investigators need to be investigated and the prosecutors need to be prosecuted. OK, we can't let this go on.
Starting point is 00:19:02 We can't we can't do business as usual. And I think the president, the president is going to do a fantastic job of, of, of enacting justice, true justice for, And it's up to us. And when I say us, I include your listeners on there. You know, we got to do everything in our power to make sure that the next four years sets us up for the next hundred years. Success, he says, is going to be retribution. He was also interviewed by CBS News about whether he is still active with the Proud Boys. What's your association at this point with Proud Boys? We've made the decision four years ago not to tell the media what our structure is, but I'd suggest that the media should, should stop calling me ex-Proud Boy leader. So you are still a leader? That's the only comment I'm going to give you.
Starting point is 00:20:09 So we're very far away from him crying in court, lying in court about not being a political zealot, crying and begging for mercy. It looks like the judge was right. He didn't show remorse then, and he doesn't have remorse now. He's emboldened, and he has the power of the president behind him now. Okay, but one more. Jacob Chansley, known as the QAnon shaman, also freed by Donald Trump. He just gave a wild interview to BBC, and we need to talk about how unhinged this is. This clip starts with the BBC reporter who handled this interview like an absolute champ. It starts with her reading Jacob Chansley's tweet
Starting point is 00:20:53 post pardon, noting that he can't wait to go buy some guns. You'd heard the news. Thank you, President Trump. I'm going to buy some mother effing guns because presumably now your record has been wiped clean. You are allowed to buy guns again. Is that what you're going to do? Have you gone out and bought them already? Oh, yeah. Well, I want you to think about something. The mockingbirds in the media and the government demonize me. They made me social pariah. They attach things like QAnon, conspiracy theorist, white supremacist, insurrectionist, racist, homophobe, terrorist. They attached all those labels to my image and then they imprisoned me for 27 months, 10 and a half in solitary confinement. And then they released me to the public as social pariah without the ability to own a firearm. So I can
Starting point is 00:21:45 never really actually bring in a gun to a gunfight. I always have to bring a knife to a gunfight. And you do realize how wrong that is, right? Jay, you pleaded guilty. I pleaded guilty. So is this how we do things in England, I see? Yes, yes. you can't see, you know, the forest for the trees, my dear? Hmm? A horrific attempt at a British accent aside, this man is genuinely scary. He seems eager for violence. He's concerned about being armed, planning for future fights. I mean,
Starting point is 00:22:26 do you feel safer with these men walking the streets? And what does Trump reportedly want to do now? He wants to invite the people that he's pardoned to the White House. Let's listen to this reporting from CNN. I'm told, according to two sources who are familiar with some of these discussions, that essentially some Trump administration officials have had discussions over potentially inviting the people that Donald Trump parted on money, the January 6 convicts. Unclear exactly who he's thinking about, if it includes just the people he parted or also those who he commuted the sentences of, including Oath Keepers and Proud Boys. But there have been discussions about having them come to the visit for a White House and a potential meeting with Donald Trump.
Starting point is 00:23:08 Now, as you mentioned, Dana, it's still unclear in my conversations. They said it's unclear if this is even going to happen. It is under consideration. We have talked about it. This is just desperate and sick. Donald Trump has his little army of conspiracy theorists who he can mobilize at any time and he likes it and wants to protect them. That's it. This is why we need Democrats to be
Starting point is 00:23:32 the party of the opposition, to be direct and frank and fight against everything the Trump administration stands for. And that's why we need to pay attention to who is and who isn't in this fight. Because if your elected leaders are not doing enough to stand up to Donald Trump and his administration, they need to be replaced with someone who will. My name is Brittany Page from the Page Perspective here on YouTube, and I'm looking forward to continuing to go through today's news with you all. fully optimized for lightning fast streaming and downloading 4k content without the buffering. Changing your IP address with a VPN lets you do things like watch the UK version of Netflix or the Australian version of Hulu. So you can watch lots of great content,
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Starting point is 00:25:19 The link is in the podcast notes. We've seen many high profile data breaches this year, raising serious concerns about personal information security and most alarming national public data announced a major breach potentially impacting nearly every American. It exposed 2.9 billion records, including names, addresses, dates of birth, phone numbers, social security numbers, and hackers released all of this online for free. But I feel secure thanks to Aura, one of our sponsors. Aura monitors your personal data. This includes your social across billions of data points, including dark web and public records. It will let you know if there's an
Starting point is 00:26:03 identity theft risk and they provide up to $5 million in identity theft insurance. Aura offers additional safety features like real-time breach alerts, a password manager, and much more. I don't want to leave myself or my family vulnerable to these data breaches. If you don't want to either, go to aura.com slash Pacman to try two weeks free. That's enough time to see if your personal data is already exposed. That's A-U-R-A dot com slash Pacman. The link is in the podcast notes. Welcome back to the David Pacman show. My name is Brittany Page from the Page Perspective right here on YouTube. I am David's guest host for today. Thank you to David and his wonderful team for having me back again. I am excited to get into all the headlines with you today. Maybe excited isn't the right word
Starting point is 00:26:55 because I think we're all collectively experiencing existential crisis and terror and dread, but I am excited about joining with you all to get through it together. How about that? Hopefully you're finding a way to balance your need to stay informed with your need to protect your sanity. And maybe on that note, we will start with Jamie Raskin, an inspiring figure in the Democratic Party who is showing himself as one of the few who are ready and willing to stand as the opposition to Donald Trump and his new administration. He gave an important opening statement at the subcommittee hearing on immigration enforcement, specifically calling out Republicans who are silent as Donald Trump attacks the Constitution
Starting point is 00:27:36 they claim to love so much. Donald Trump is keeping one of his campaign promises in that he issued an executive order to end birthright citizenship. The guarantee that children born in the United States are citizens regardless of the status of their parents. But this executive order is far from becoming anything other than a little proclamation from Trump's desk. Attorneys general from 22 states have already sued to block Trump's move. And this is what I've been saying for a long time, that the reality of Donald Trump as president is scary.
Starting point is 00:28:13 It's terrifying, but he isn't a God King. And there are actions that can be taken to slow or stop the horror train. We just, we can't throw up our hands and say, this is the end or it will be the end. We have to keep fighting. We just, we can't throw up our hands and say this is the end or it will be the end. We have to keep fighting. And thankfully, Jamie Raskin is not throwing up his hands. As Donald Trump goes all in on his racist and bigoted agenda, Jamie Raskin, his opening
Starting point is 00:28:40 statement at the subcommittee hearing on immigration enforcement is a reminder that we must keep fighting. Believable that a lot of my friends on the other side of the aisle are sitting by idly while Donald Trump proposes by executive order to destroy section one of the 14th amendment, which establishes that everybody born in the United States is a citizen of the United States. And yet they just let that go. All of these originalists and textualists who claim to care about what the Constitution stands for, that was the whole purpose and meaning of the 14th Amendment. And now they want to destroy birthright citizenship in America, moving to a citizenship based on race instead of a citizenship based on place, which was the whole purpose of the 14th Amendment, to overturn the Dred Scott decision. Well,
Starting point is 00:29:33 we're obviously going to have some differences moving forward because they don't want real solutions. They just want to demagogue the immigration issue. That doesn't move America forward. It's just like they demagogue the issue of inflation. They said they were going to bring down prices in rent, in utilities, energy costs. They said they were going to bring down the price of groceries. Not a single peep from them about that on day one. No, it's just about releasing all the violent insurrectionists, the proud boys and the oath keepers who are out there today saying that they want revenge. Yes, all of these originalists indeed, moving to a citizenship based on race. Racism has always been an animating force for Donald Trump,
Starting point is 00:30:18 and it continues, especially as he is surrounded by racists in his administration. And he would tell you that this is what Americans want. They voted for him. He won the popular vote. This is what they want. I would tell you that many Americans don't actually understand what they've done here. And that doesn't absolve them, but I think it speaks to the ignorance that keeps evil upright. People don't know how bad things can get. And one of my favorite columnists is Adam Serwer, who writes for The Atlantic, and he has a new piece titled, quote, The Attack on Birthright Citizenship is a Big Test for the Constitution. And in it, he writes,
Starting point is 00:30:55 quote, Adopted as part of the effort to purge the United States of the legacy of slavery, birthright citizenship, with which the 14th Amendment begins, remains an eloquent statement about the nature of American society, a powerful force for assimilation of the children of immigrants and a repudiation of a long history of racism, the historian Eric Foner writes in the second founding, A History of the Civil War Amendments. Though he is cautious to note that these principles were not always respected by the government, Jim Crow and Japanese internment being obvious examples.
Starting point is 00:31:30 Birthright citizenship was, quote, a dramatic repudiation of the powerful tradition of equating citizenship with whiteness, a doctrine built into the naturalization process from the outset and constitutionalized by the Supreme Court in Dred Scott, end quote. So naturally, Donald Trump and the racist devil on his shoulders, Stephen Miller, are going all in on birthright citizenship. Adam Serwer also addresses Stephen Miller in this article, quote, in emails with conservative reporters, Trump's point man on immigration, Stephen Miller, praised articles attacking the 1965 repeal of racist restrictions on immigration that had been passed in 1921 and were intended to keep out non-white people, Southern and Eastern Europeans, and Jews. These laws again redefined American citizenship in racist terms and helped inspire the Nazis.
Starting point is 00:32:26 The end of those restrictions meant that more non-white immigrants were able to gain citizenship in the United States, a phenomenon conservatives have dubbed a great replacement, borrowing a concept from white supremacist sources. That the Trump coalition now includes people who would have been shut out by Miller's preferred immigration policies does not change the fact that Trump's immigration advisors view the decline of the white share of the population as an apocalyptic occurrence that must be reversed. It is no accident that this project begins with the nullification of constitutional language guaranteeing citizenship regardless of race or country of origin. And if you take all of Donald Trump's actions on day one together, you really get the message he's trying to send. And if you take all of those actions combined with Elon Musk's Nazi salute behind the presidential seal, you really get the message that they are trying to send. And the disturbing thing is Republicans will fall in line. Jamie Raskin can call them out for claiming to respect the Constitution and
Starting point is 00:33:32 calling themselves originalists while simultaneously falling in line and deciding how they feel about the Constitution based on how Donald Trump tells them to feel about the Constitution. It's never been more clear. And I know so many people are feeling hopeless and fearful right now, particularly if they belong to an immigrant community or have loved ones whose status puts them at risk under this racist administration. Some important resources that I'm going to flash up here are the Immigrant Legal Resource Center, Borderless Magazine, which has a guide related to knowing your rights. And this article I recently read in Teen Vogue, quote, ICE watch programs can protect immigrants in your neighborhood. Here's
Starting point is 00:34:16 what you need to know. Please take care of yourselves and your community. We're going to need each other. So Donald Trump invited Sean Hannity to the very disgustingly gold Oval Office for a sit-down interview. Given that it is Sean Hannity in Fox News, our expectations here are that the interview is basically a cuddle session with Sean whispering sweetly into Donald's ear that he is a big, strong man who can do no wrong and who makes all of the best decisions. We might even expect that they get so into it in this cuddle session that Sean accidentally calls Donald Ainsley.
Starting point is 00:34:54 And that's about how the interview goes. Starting with the big questions like, how did it feel when Donald Trump walked back into the Oval Office for the first time? Let's talk about the moment you walked back in this office, this desk, this room, your carpet. How'd you feel? Well, it was a lot of work.
Starting point is 00:35:16 And as you know, I felt that we shouldn't have had to necessarily be here. Could have been done. A lot of work could have been, it would have been over. We wouldn't have inflation. We wouldn't have had the Afghanistan disaster. We wouldn't have October 7th
Starting point is 00:35:32 with Israel where so many people were killed and you wouldn't have a Ukraine war going on. But with all that being said, I think it's bigger. It's bigger than if it were more traditional.
Starting point is 00:35:47 Only the second time in history. Yeah. Somebody didn't have consecutive terms. Yeah. Well, they say it's historically bigger. I don't know about that, but I can say it showed us a couple of things. It showed us that the radical left, their philosophies and policies are horrible. Or it showed us that the American public was frustrated and hurting and the Democratic Party didn't offer up a response that effectively countered the
Starting point is 00:36:11 fake strongman, I can solve it all rhetoric from the authoritarian goof that is Donald Trump. And I want you to set your watch because Donald Trump says nothing bad would have happened if he had been president instead of Biden. Watch what does happen when bad things start happening while he's president, because bad things always happen. It's inevitable. You think the person in the White House can stop the horrors of the world? Please. Donald Trump will blame everyone else when the bad things happen.
Starting point is 00:36:44 We've already seen this in action. But the interview also touched on Biden's use of pardons before he left office. As we know, Biden issued pardons for people in his family, including Hunter Biden, but also for other people who have been the subject of repeated attacks from Donald Trump, who has articulated that he wants to see retribution. People like Dr. Anthony Fauci, again, to protect them from politically motivated attacks. But Sean Hannity has far more of a problem with these pardons than he does the pardons of the men who stomped on the faces of police officers at the January 6th insurrection. Let's see what Donald Trump has to say about Biden's use of pardons of the men who stomped on the faces of police officers at the January 6th insurrection. Let's see what Donald Trump has to say about Biden's use of pardons. Joe Biden ran and said he would never do preemptive pardons. It was an issue that
Starting point is 00:37:34 came up when you were leaving your first time. He thought he heard that I was going to do, I didn't want to do it. I was given the option. They said, sir, would you like to pardon everybody, including yourself? I said, I'm not you like to pardon everybody, including yourself? I said, I'm not going to pardon anybody. We didn't do anything wrong. And we had people that suffered. They're incredible patriots. We had people that suffered. You had Bannon put in jail. You had Peter Navarro put in jail. You had people that suffered. And and far worse than that, they've lost their fortunes. They've lost their whatever their nest egg, paying it to lawyers and those people. And people said, you know, and they don't even they wouldn't have even taken most of those people.
Starting point is 00:38:17 They wouldn't have even taken a part. This guy went around giving everybody pardons. And, you know, the funny thing, maybe the sad thing, is he didn't give himself a pardon. And if you look at it, it all had to do with him. Do you believe him that people around him wouldn't even accept a pardon if offered? Please. a pardon if offered, please. And people have suggested, is Donald Trump floating the possibility that he will go after Biden himself with that little comment about how it's interesting that Biden didn't pardon himself? Well, thanks to the Supreme Court, Biden has that sweet, sweet presidential immunity, right? He shouldn't have to worry, right? I've also heard commentators, while they're
Starting point is 00:39:06 criticizing Biden's use of pardons, say basically this gives Trump the green light to abuse his pardon power. Do you really think Donald Trump needs to be given the green light to abuse something? He needs to look to Biden for whether he can carry out an action? Or do you think that he acts on impulse and does what he wants as a person who has lived his entire life with a silver spoon in his mouth, abusing and stealing and scheming without consequence for his entire life? I think it's the latter. And surely we will see more of this in the weeks and months to come. Easy interviews from Fox News pushing away media figures who might have a hint of desire to hold power to account. We're seeing continued fallout from the inauguration ceremonies, particularly a moment I know you've already heard about.
Starting point is 00:40:00 That is Elon Musk doing a Nazi salute behind the presidential seal. Now, a lot of people are having a hard time accepting that this is in fact what happened in this video. And I'm going to get to the Nazis who are celebrating this move in a moment, as well as a statement from one Democrat who's making it clear that she is the leader of the opposition here. But I put together a video showing the juxtaposition of Elon throwing his salute and a character in American History X throwing his. And as you can see, the two are indistinguishable. It's like Elon was auditioning for the role of a Nazi in American History X, except that he wasn't auditioning, and this isn't fake, this is real,
Starting point is 00:40:50 and he's been attached at the hip like a child to our new president, Donald Trump. But why are so many people doing the mental gymnastics to pretend that they aren't seeing what we're seeing? Donald Trump has a long history of making racist statements, holding racist beliefs, generally being a racist. Elon Musk has done the same. Some of his first actions when he took over Twitter, in fact, was to bring the racist back to the digital town square,
Starting point is 00:41:21 presumably because he felt their voices were so important that they just needed know, just needed to be included. One of those is Nazi Nick Fuentes, who is still on Twitter, Nick Fuentes, lover of racial slurs, denier of the Holocaust, dining companion of the president of the United States, Donald Trump. He was positively giddy over Elon's Nazi salute. Watch this clip from Right Wing Watch. And then the, like, straight up, like, that was a serious Roman. It wasn't even like a subtle, like a wave, like one of these, like a Laura Ingraham. Remember when Laura Ingraham did that? That was a straight up like Sig Heil, like loving Hitler energy.
Starting point is 00:42:11 That was like a straight up with intensity Roman salute. So when the salute looks exactly like a Nazi salute, and it's also from a guy who appears to have Nazi sympathies given who he platforms and the things he says and believes and posts online. And when the actual Nazis are giddy with praise, can we finally accept that it was a Nazi salute? Or many media outlets did the both sides thing where they said the salute sparked a debate over the meaning of a hand gesture. And then there was the Hollywood reporter with this quote, sometimes a Nazi salute is a Nazi salute. Okay. Hollywood reporter. I see you leave it to AOC though, who went on Instagram to do one
Starting point is 00:43:00 of her debriefs and boy, are we going to need these debriefs. She has become one of the top Democrats out there leading the opposition to Donald Trump's administration. And I cannot say enough about how much I appreciate it here. She is reacting to the Elon Nazi salute. This is the United States of America. And I don't care what Elon Musk is doing behind a presidential seal. In this country, we hate Nazis. Kind of like a foundational defining thing. Two of probably the most foundational defining things about American history is that we beat the Confederates and we beat the Nazis. And I don't know what side people may be on today, but I still am not rocking with anyone sympathetic to Nazis. And I will do that until I am six feet in the ground, like kind of foundational to me as a human being. And so if you're cool
Starting point is 00:44:09 and want to defend the Sig Hales and the Nazi salutes, all the, all the, you know, whatever you want to do, that's on you. I'm on the opposite side of that. I'm not with the Nazis. How about that? I mean, but it's very important for us to assert these things. Now, I haven't felt very patriotic lately for a long time, actually. Have I ever felt patriotic? I don't know. But watching that, I was ready to go out and get some American flag gear, possibly an American flag tattoo. That would be wild, my first tattoo, and it's an American flag. But she is so right.
Starting point is 00:44:52 A foundational, defining thing in America is we hate the Nazis. Where are the patriots? This is their foundational, defining principle. Now, most of you don't know who I am. My name is Brittany Page. As a reminder, I host the Page Perspective right here on YouTube, which you can subscribe to for free. But I was raised in the white power movement. My parents moved me from California to Idaho to be closer to Aryan Nations in the 90s.
Starting point is 00:45:21 I have a childhood photo of little me giving a Nazi salute with Richard Butler at Aryan Nations. Richard Butler was the founder of Aryan Nations. My brother is also in the photo giving a Nazi salute and he's wearing a swastika armband. So as someone who comes from this, I knew immediately that this was a Nazi salute. Immediately. Each and every person listening to this or watching this should be deeply horrified by the fact that this man is the richest man with the most power, but also that he's currently walking our halls of power attached at the hip to the president. We have so much work to do. I hope you'll take the time to join me over on my channel where I talk a lot about these issues, politics, poverty, public policy, psychology, and activism.
Starting point is 00:46:11 My name is Brittany Page from the Page Perspective right here on YouTube. And I'd love it if you could help me get to 100,000 subscribers. I'm so close. Please subscribe. I've been sleeping on a Helix sleep mattress for years now. Couldn't love it more before Helix. I just buy whatever generic mattress from a store thinking they're all basically the same. Turns out I was very wrong since switching to Helix. My sleep has improved. Helix mattresses are customized to your needs. I took the one minute sleep quiz where I gave input like my height, my real height, not like you know who my weight, my real height, not like you know who my weight, my real weight, not like you know who my sleeping position, firmness preference, whether I have back pain, whether I run hot or cold and Helix matched me with the right mattress
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Starting point is 00:47:44 That's why I love our sponsor, AG1. I don't always carefully plan every single meal, so I know I'm getting the exact right amount of every vitamin and nutrient every day. That's why I start the morning with a scoop of AG1 before my cappuccino. I mix AG1 into a glass of cold water. That's it. Tastes good. One scoop. I get an entire day's worth of 75 high quality vitamins and minerals and probiotics from whole food sources. The travel packs are a lifesaver when on the go. You know, I would not promote the bogus supplements with the crazy claims. This is really simple. AG one is a simple product. You get your vitamins and nutrients in a simple form rather than messing with a million different tablets and capsules and just get it all together in one shot. This new year, try AG one for yourself. Great time
Starting point is 00:48:39 to start a new habit. AG one is offering new subscribers a free seventy six dollar gift. When you sign up, you'll get a welcome kit, a bottle of D3K2 and five free travel packs in your first box. Go to drink AG1 dot com slash Pacman. That's drink AG the number one dot com slash Pacman for seventy six dollars worth of free gifts in your first box. The link is in the podcast notes. Welcome back to the David Pacman show. My name is Brittany page and I am the lucky guest host for David today. I have my very own YouTube channel where I talk about public policy, poverty, social justice, and many, many other things. I'd love it if you would join me over there. I'm just about 5,000 subscribers away from 100,000. So you could be the lucky
Starting point is 00:49:32 100,000 subscriber. So I was checking the Fox News YouTube channel to speak of another YouTube channel to see what they've been posting about since Donald Trump's election. And I came across this video title. Judge Jeanine reacts to woke Bishop. Where's the separation of church and state? I mean, honestly, wow. Where is the separation of church and state? Is this something you guys care about now?
Starting point is 00:50:06 What about all of those radical Christian nationalist judges who are working overtime across the country to restrict reproductive rights? What about Samuel Alito's Christian nationalist flag and the constant stream of arguments from Republicans that are centered directly on their own personal Christian beliefs. Jeanine Pirro does not care about the separation of church and state. If she did, she would not support Donald Trump, who has an administration full of Christian nationalists. Now, Donald Trump has only been in office for like three days and already he is mobilizing his supporters against
Starting point is 00:50:43 a Christian bishop. We'll get to how the Fox hosts are joining the chorus, amplifying the hate against this bishop who already said in an interview on CNN that she's receiving communication from Trump supporters that is not kind. We can only imagine what threats are contained in those communications, but this bishop, the right Reverend Marian Edgar Buddy, bishop of the Diocese of Washington, asked Trump to be kind. That's basically it. And the right is attacking her endlessly for it. I'm going to play the part where she spoke directly to Trump, and I'm playing it for context, but also because it's kind of refreshing. It's
Starting point is 00:51:25 like a refreshing bomb amid the terrible onslaught of everything that we're dealing with. So here she is. Let me make one final plea, Mr. President. Millions have put their trust in you. And as you told the nation yesterday, you have felt the providential hand of a loving God. In the name of our God, I ask you to have mercy upon the people in our country. We're scared now. There are gay, lesbian, and transgender children in Democratic, Republican, and independent families, some who fear for their lives. And the people, the people who pick our crops and clean our office buildings, who labor in poultry farms and meatpacking plants, who wash the dishes after we eat in restaurants and work the night shifts in hospitals,
Starting point is 00:52:30 they may not be citizens or have the proper documentation. But the vast majority of immigrants are not criminals. They pay taxes and are good neighbors. They are faithful members of our churches and mosques, synagogues, wadara, and temples. I ask you to have mercy, Mr. President, on those in our communities whose children fear that their parents will be taken away, and that you help those who are fleeing war zones and persecution in their own lands to find compassion and welcome here. Our God teaches us that we are to be merciful to the stranger,
Starting point is 00:53:20 for we will all want strangers in this land. May God grant us the strength and courage to honor the dignity of every human being, to speak the truth to one another in love, and walk humbly with each other and our God for the good of all people For the good of all people. Good of all people in this nation. And the world.
Starting point is 00:53:53 Amen. Could not be more kind. Could not be more gracious. It was healing just to hear that. And now, Donald Trump and Fox News, because they cannot accept that Donald Trump is a hateful, bigoted man who was gently reminded to take seriously the power that he has over others, they're joining together to attack the bishop. But what this woke bishop didn't count on is that President Trump is one heck of a counterpuncher.
Starting point is 00:54:40 47 going scorched earth on the nasty clergywoman calling her service boring and uninspiring and adding that she and the church owed the public an apology. And no surprise here, the woke bishop is capitalizing on her newfound fame, making all the stops to liberal outlets like CNN and then worshiping with the five disciples of The View. Unity requires a certain degree of mercy, mercy and compassion and understanding. We need to be merciful. And I was trying to counter the narrative that is so divisive and polarizing and in which people, real people are being harmed.
Starting point is 00:55:29 How could it not be politicized, right? We're in a hyper political climate. I was trying to speak a truth that I felt needed to be said, but to do it in as respectful and kind a way as I could. All right, Jesse, he's not even 24 hours into his presidency and it's such an opportunity. I mean, there they are at the National Cathedral and everything was very unified. You know, it's it was when you saw the luncheon and you saw people in Congress. I mean, it was a unity event and it was stained by this bishop. She calls her a nasty clergywoman, echoing Donald Trump.
Starting point is 00:56:09 You know, I love the part of this clip when they play a portion of the bishop's appearance. I think it was on The View when she's saying we need to be merciful. And the Fox News chyron reads, woke bishop doubles down on Trump attacks. How is it an attack for someone to remind you that you hold enormous power over others and that people are afraid and at risk because of your policies, your words, your positions? It isn't. Imagine being a nearly 79 year old man and having lived a life so removed from accountability that it feels like a brutal beating to be told to be considerate of others. Donald Trump thinks that she should apologize. Apologize for what? Asking for mercy and compassion for others? What is wrong with
Starting point is 00:57:05 these people? Also, Jeanine Pirro trying to say that everyone is so unified right now? No, we're not. No, Trump is signing bigoted, racist executive orders, and we're over here trying to figure out how to get through the day while our friends and neighbors are daily being put at risk because of the political decisions being made by your president. One headline that I found that I really liked is this one from the Associated Press. Episcopal Bishop says she'll continue to pray for Trump who lashed out at her over viral sermon. You know how it can feel passive aggressive sometimes when someone says they'll pray for you? Like there is a way that that can be said to you and it feels passive aggressive. I like to imagine that that's how the bishop meant it in this context, but I know that's not the case because she seems like a genuinely compassionate person who is in the line of fire right now.
Starting point is 00:58:00 How do I know? Well, I read an article by Jack Jenkins published after all of this controversy where. Quote, the people who are in danger are the people who fear for their lives and their livelihood, she said. That's where the focus should be. Wouldn't it be great to have a president who cared about people? Maybe next time. The confirmation hearings for Donald Trump's cabinet picks
Starting point is 00:58:41 continued with Russell Vought, Trump's nominee to run the Office of Management and Budget. You may know the name Russell Vought. Actually, it's Vote, not Vought. Vote. And if you do, you may know it because Russell is the co-author of Project 2025. Remember that thing that Donald Trump said he knew nothing about. In votes confirmation hearing, he wouldn't answer questions about whether he's played a role in all of the new Trump executive orders. And he wouldn't answer questions about,
Starting point is 00:59:15 well, much of anything from senators who were pressing him on serious issues. I was particularly happy to see Senator Tim Kaine go after a line of questioning that appeared to be based on reporting from ProPublica. This article, quote, put them in trauma inside a key MAGA leader's plans for a new Trump agenda. Reading briefly from this reporting, quote, a key ally to former President Donald Trump detailed plans to deploy the military in response to domestic unrest, defund the Environmental Protection Agency, and put career civil servants in trauma
Starting point is 00:59:53 in a series of previously unreported speeches that provide a sweeping vision for a second Trump term. In private speeches delivered in 2023 and 2024, Russell Vogt, who served as Trump's director of the Office of Management and Budget, described his work crafting legal justifications so that military leaders or government lawyers would not stop Trump's executive actions. He said the plans are a response to a quote, Marxist takeover of the country, likened the moment to 1776 and 1860 when the country was at war or on the brink of it and said the timing of Trump's candidacy was quote a gift of God. Unhinged as expected but also you probably picked up on the piece there that vote was already the director of the office of management and budget. So Trump's denials about Project 2025 are even more apparent
Starting point is 01:00:47 as lies. Senator Tim Kaine had another line of important questioning that I want you to hear. And this is specifically about Russell Vogt's previous writings as president of the Center for Renewing America, where he wrote a budget proposal with the title, a commitment to end woke and weaponized government. Watch Tim Kaine's brilliant effort here, trying to get Russell Vogt to explain to us all what it means by a woke and weaponized government. You were the president of the Center for Renewing America, and the think tank produced a 2023 budget proposal calling a commitment to end woke and weaponized government. Do you remember that? Yes, sir. And that's the correct title? Yes, sir. It's 104 pages of details to end woke
Starting point is 01:01:40 and weaponized government, and it proposes deep cuts to the SNAP program. Is providing nutrition assistance to low-income kids woke and weaponized? Senator, I'm not here to talk about the budget that the senator put out. I'm here on behalf of the president. Yeah, but you just said you did that. I want to know what's woke and weaponized about providing food assistance to low-income kids. Well, again, I'm not here on behalf of my center, on behalf of the president. I know that, but this is your work product. I mean, you can say it's not woke and weaponized, or you can tell me why it's woke and weaponized.
Starting point is 01:02:14 I don't think SNAP programs or benefits for kids are woke and weaponized. Do you agree with me? When we refer to the federal government being weaponized, we're referring to bureaucracies that continue. Okay, so you're not in... You didn't include SNAP. You proposed to cut SNAP, but you're not saying it's woken weaponized. Again, I am not going to answer questions about the Center for Renewing America's Product.
Starting point is 01:02:34 You proposed deep cuts to Pell Grants. Is helping kids pay for college and helping their families, is that woken weaponized? Again, I'm not here to defend the Center for Renewing America's Product. I get it that you're not here to defend that work product, and I can understand why. You propose deep cuts to Medicaid for millions of low-income families. Why is that woke and weaponized? You propose undermining health insurance. Why is that woke and weaponized? Eliminating tenant-based rental assistance. Why is that woke and weaponized? Eliminating the low-income housing energy assistance program. This was all in your document about ending woke and weaponized government.
Starting point is 01:03:12 Okay, let's see. We want to traumatize federal employees. And then we want to take all these programs that help everyday people who are struggling and cut them because they're woke and weaponized. Those are your words, not mine. From the fullness of the heart, the mouth speaks. I yield back. He refuses to answer because his answers would be a problem. He knows that. He says when we refer to government being weaponized, we're referring to the bureaucracy.
Starting point is 01:03:47 No, Russell, you want to take away essential public assistance from our nation's most vulnerable. If you haven't, I would recommend you check out the detailed and Disinvest from People, Communities, and the Economy. This report makes clear just how eager Russell Vogt and his fellow Republicans are to make life more difficult for the poor and the working class while his rich buddies get all the payoff. And if that sounds like something you'd like to hear more about, I talk about inequality and poverty all the time over on my channel. Search Britney Page and look for The Page Perspective right here on YouTube. Did you know that 80% of New Year's resolutions fail by February? Lumen is something you can do for your health. That's easy to stick to our sponsor. Lumen is the world's first handheld metabolic coach with a single breath. First thing in the
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Starting point is 01:05:50 podcast notes. Once again, Donald Trump's cabinet picks are all about loyalty over expertise, election denier, Carrie Lake to lead voice of America. The government funded broadcaster meant Thank you very much. show you each news outlets, biases, credibility, financial incentives. So you know, who's benefiting from the spin they put on each story. You can even filter out certain sources you don't want. So you can stay informed without getting buried in the noise. Trump is shaping our future in ways that will last decades. And if we're not paying attention, we will allow history to repeat itself. So stay engaged with ground news who is fixing what is breaking right in front of us, the trust and transparency in the media. Ground news is giving my audience 50% off the same vantage plan that I use.
Starting point is 01:06:57 Go to ground.news slash Pacman. The link is in the podcast notes. Welcome back to the David Pacman show. I am the lucky guest host for David today. The link is in the podcast notes. You could be the lucky one to push me right over the edge. Even if you didn't enjoy me as guest host, feel free to pop over to the channel. You know, those hate views and those hate comments, they help the algorithm too. We can't get away from the impact of the January 6th pardons, it seems. There are family members of January 6th insurrectionists who now fear for their lives as their ex-husbands or fathers have now been released from jail or prison. And there are, of course, the people who were assaulted during the insurrection who are in fear for their lives, or as is the case with former DC police officer
Starting point is 01:07:56 Michael Fanone, who have feared for their lives on an ongoing basis, given Trump supporters continuing to threaten him and his family to this day. This is the most compelling interview I've heard in a long time. It was moving. It was emotional. It's powerful. You can hear the pain and the fear. And I think it's really important that we listen to this. I'm going to break it up into a few clips. I'm going to play a couple different clips, but let's hear the main message that Michael Fanone wants us to hear. And let's talk about who these individuals are, because I want the American people to understand fully. You know, I want every person that comes on CNN and defends these pardons to understand who these individuals were. They are Daniel Rodriguez, an individual who applied a taser device to my neck while I
Starting point is 01:08:49 was being restrained multiple times. Daniel Rodriguez admitted his conduct, pled guilty, and was sentenced to 12 and a half years in prison. He is now free. Kyle Young pled guilty, admitted that while I was being restrained, assaulted, and beaten, he attempted to remove my gun from its holster, all while individuals were telling him to kill me with my gun. Thomas Sibic, who stripped me of my badge and radio, again, while I was being assaulted and restrained, and Albuquerque Cosper Head, who grabbed me around the neck, pulled me off a police line, out into the crowd of these violent insurrectionists, allowing this assault to take place, while he yelled out, I've got one. These are violent criminals whose conduct on January 6th, many of whom pled guilty to and were sentenced to lengthy jail sentences.
Starting point is 01:09:56 They are all now free. Make no mistake about it. I am less safe. My family is less safe because of what Donald Trump and the American people who supported him have done. I don't know if you are watching this as that footage plays, but the footage makes his words particularly powerful. CNN is showing a montage as he speaks of the insurrection about just illustrating the violence. And it's while he's talking about the violence.
Starting point is 01:10:30 So while Republicans attempt to tell us that we can't believe our eyes, what we know to be true, it helps to see it right there. And I think what he said that he feels less safe, that his family is less safe. Frankly, we're all less safe. Anyone who is a resistor, anyone who stands against oppression, anyone who wants to challenge these racists and fascists in public, Donald Trump spends so much time trying to convince us that he is the law and order president while sending these people into the streets to regroup and find each other again. And what I appreciate about Michael is he doesn't just keep the focus on himself. He gives us his insight into what this means for the American public moving forward. I mean, listen, these are individuals who assaulted law enforcement
Starting point is 01:11:27 officers at the behest of Donald Trump the president. They are now free. Donald Trump has told the American people if you commit crimes on my behalf I've got your back. I will pardon you. I will absolve you of any accountability. What message do you think that sends to Donald Trump's supporters? People like the Proud Boys, the Oath Keepers, the Three Percenters, these violent, violent anti-government groups who Donald Trump has brought into his inner circle. It says, go out there and assault my detractors. Go out there and silence those that would stand up against me. And I will make sure that you are never held to account. Now, I will tell you, hearing these words really shifted my perspective. I was on the ground for inauguration events here in DC, and I came face to face with the Proud Boys twice. At the time, I didn't think of danger.
Starting point is 01:12:31 Part of that is the privileges I have. I'm a white woman. I'm not exactly a target of the racist Proud Boys, right? I also had my snow boots on, so I was over six feet tall because I am a tall lady, and that made me taller than 90% of the Proud Boys, so danger didn't really cross my mind. But hearing Michael Fanone talk about this, I realized that yes, this is the point of the pardons. Trump wants us to be fearful, to be wondering, will he take up for his racist, fascist supporters if we attempt to express opposition in public? And that's scary because we need resistors. We need people who are willing to be the opposition.
Starting point is 01:13:15 But Pamela Brown, the CNN host, had a specific question for Michael here, this time about the founder of the Oath Keepers, Stuart Rhodes, who was also released from prison. Let's watch that portion of the interview. I believe we have sound from the Oath Keepers leader, Stuart Rhodes, who spoke after he was released from prison. I want to listen to that and then get your reaction to that on the other side, Michael. So let's listen. Any regrets? No, I don't, because we did the right thing. We were there to protect Trump supporters from Antifa. We were there to protect and secure two permitted events on Capitol grounds where members of Congress were going to speak. The guys that went inside, they're not committing
Starting point is 01:13:56 the crimes. But they helped the police and helped the people out. He says he has no regrets. What do you say, Michael? Yeah, I mean, this is what I would say to Stuart Rhodes. Go fuck yourself. Okay. You're a liar. We didn't obviously get to beep that word out, but obviously you, this is personal to you, Michael. This is very personal to you. Michael is exactly right. Absolutely. And Stewart is free walking the streets, empowered by the president. That man, a man who in that clip is now saying
Starting point is 01:14:34 he doesn't have regrets, but he did. Let's look at this reporting from CBS News on Stewart Rhodes regrets caught on tape in January 2021. Quote, my only regret is they should have brought rifles. Rhodes says in the recording, which was obtained by the FBI, we should have brought rifles. We could have fixed it right then and there. I'd hang effing Pelosi from the lamppost end quote. How many insurrectionists have you heard from now who have been released on Donald Trump's order, who have no remorse, who want to buy guns,
Starting point is 01:15:13 who are ready for retribution? When I talk about stories like this, I get frustrated because I typically like to leave a call to action, a plea to call your elected officials to do something, but our hands are tied on this. The only thing that we can do now is try to protect each other, engage in community building, and learn the lessons from the past and try to reduce as much harm as we can. Thank you so much for joining me today. This is going to be a hard four years. I started in the political commentary space just before Donald Trump came on the scene. And I will say that I've never received the volume of communications as I have recently from people who are afraid. Please look for ways to balance your need to stay informed and up to date with
Starting point is 01:16:01 your need to stay sane and look for ways to take care of yourself and those close to you and your community. If you've appreciated my work today, I'd really appreciate if you would join me over at my YouTube channel. My name is Brittany Page, Page Perspective, and I will look forward to seeing you all tomorrow. Take care.

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