The Philip DeFranco Show - Trump’s Biden Threat Just BACKFIRED & DOJ Employee Arrested For Assault with a Deadly Sandwich in DC

Starting point is 00:00:00 We need to talk about this billion-dollar threat in the lawsuit between the Trumps and the Bidens, especially because the Trump-Epstein scandal is at the center of it. Because what we're seeing today is connected to an interview that the former president's son, Hunter, Biden, did a few weeks ago with journalist Andrew Callahan. Right, and Andrew runs Channel 5 on YouTube. Some people also may know him as the all-gas, no-breaks guy. In their interview, they get into the Epstein scandal, and you have Hunter saying this. According to his biographer, is that Jeffrey Epstein introduced Melania. That's how Melania and the first lady and the president met.

Starting point is 00:00:28 Really? Epstein made the intro. Yeah, according to Michael Wolfe. But then, on the other side of the Trump's maintaining that they weren't introduced by Epstein, but rather by a modeling agent at a New York Fashion Week party in 1998. So apparently they saw that clip and they decided to pursue legal action with Melania's lawyer, reportedly sending a letter to Hunter and Callahan demanding that they take the video down and that Hunter apologized. Calling the Epstein claim they're false, defamatory, disparaging, inflammatory, malicious, and extremely salacious. And adding that, quote, the video has since been republished by various media outlets,

Starting point is 00:00:57 journalists, and political commentators with millions of social media followers that have disseminated the false and defamatory statements they are in to tens of millions of people worldwide. Consequently, you have caused Mrs. Trump to suffer overwhelming financial and reputational harm. Enough harm, in fact, to warrant as much as a billion dollars in damages, according to Melania's lawyer. And you even had Donald Trump himself chiming it, telling Fox News. You know, I've done pretty well on these lawsuits lately, and I said, go forward. Jeffrey Epstein has nothing to do with Melania and I introducing, but they do that, they make up stories. Now that's said, as far as do they actually have a case here?

Starting point is 00:01:28 Well, right now, you're seeing many legal experts saying they're going to have a hard time proving defamation here, not only because Melania is already such a public figure, but also because Hunter qualified his claim with, according to Michael Wolfe, and then added, I only can go by what people are saying, and I don't know. The thing that is, like, I'm loath to do is, like, but feed into another goddamn conspiracy theory.

Starting point is 00:01:53 I think it's an important story, but I think it's an important story because of the victim. But you have Melania's attorney claiming that Wolf is a, quote, serial fabulous, essentially a fable creator, a chronic liar. And actually, when they sent a cease and desist letter to the Daily Bees for publishing his comments about Melania, the outlet retracted the article and apologized last week. So you had the attorney arguing that the timing suggests malice on Hunter's part and adding.

Starting point is 00:02:13 Given your vast history of trading on the names of others, including your surname for your personal benefit, it is obvious that you publish these false and defamatory statements about Mrs. Trump to draw attention to yourself. And so with that, there was this question of, what are Callahan, and to a greater extent, what is Hunter Biden going to do? Well, today, we got the answer. So now we're here, maybe to give you the platform to apologize to the First Lady

Starting point is 00:02:35 for your statements that you made about her possible connection to Jeffrey Epstein. That's not going to happen. With Biden then saying, you know, what I said was what I had seen and heard from reporters like Michael Wolf. And then going on to say, I don't believe in guilt by association alone. But the connections have become, they're so glaringly obvious that I think they're trying to use other things to distract. And I also think they're bullies, and they think that a billion dollars is going to scare me, which is the fact of the matter is that if they'd like to go, I have this to say to them, if they want to sit down for a deposition and clarify the nature of the relationship between Jeffrey Epstein, if the president and the first lady want to do that and all of the known associates around them, at the time of whatever time that they met, I'm more than happy to provide them the platform

Starting point is 00:03:30 to be able to do it. And then Hunter Biden, in this interview, speaks directly to the viewer, to the American people to say this. And this is what he always does. He sues everybody and he sues them into oblivion, and he makes it so costly. But look, here's what I'm saying to the American people,

Starting point is 00:03:44 is if you wanna know the origin and the nature of the relationship between Donald Trump, Melania Trump, and, which I have no personal knowledge of. I can only go by what has been reported. But if you want to know that nature, then let's all go figure it out together. I'll be the point of the tip of the spear for you.

Starting point is 00:04:05 All of that is Callahan and Channel 5 don't appear to be backing down as well. And then actually, since we're talking about attempted Trump crackdowns, we should talk about how it's only been a few days since Donald Trump launched his takeover of D.C., and now he already wants to extend federal control of the city and make it more permanent. Right, because as we talked about, on Monday, the president announced that he was officially declaring a public emergency in D.C.

Starting point is 00:04:23 over what he claimed were surging crime rates. Despite, of course, even official data showing that overall crime is actually falling in the city and violent crimes have hit a 30-year low. And while arguably, he could have said, you know, any decent amount of crime, that's too much crime, he ended up just dismissing the real data as fate.

Starting point is 00:04:37 And that is he had experts and D.C. officials widely sang the claims and the figures that he pushed to justify his actions were cherry-picked, misleading, or just outright false. But again, despite that, Trump invoked the District of Columbia Home Rule Act, which allows the president to temporarily take federal control of the D.C. police force

Starting point is 00:04:51 during a declared public safety emergency. Trump also sending 500 federal law enforcement officers from numerous agencies to the streets of DC and mobilizing 800 National Guard members. But here is one of the key things. The home rule only allows Trump to take control of the DC police force for a maximum of 30 days. Anything beyond that requires congressional approval. And connected to that during an event yesterday, you had Trump being asked if he was planning to seek that authorization from Congress to which he responded.

Starting point is 00:05:14 And we think the Democrats will not do anything to stop crime, but we think the Republicans will do it almost unanimously. So we're going to need a crime bill that we're going to need a crime bill that we're we're going to be putting in, and it's going to pertain initially to D.C. It's almost, we're going to use it as a very positive example. And we're going to be asking for extensions on that, long-term extensions, because you can't have 30 days. 30 days is that's by the time you do it. We're going to have this in good shape. Now, another key thing here is that despite Trump's claim that Republicans will approve this extension unanimously, you have experts noting that

Starting point is 00:05:48 this would likely be done through a joint resolution, which is usually subject to the Senate filibuster, which means that he'd need 60 senators to approve it. So he'd need some Democrats, but there's broad Democratic opposition to the takeover, which is then very likely why you had Trump floating the possibility that he would try to circumvent Congress entirely. Well, if it's a national emergency, we can do it without Congress, but we expect to be to Congress before Congress very quickly. We're going to want extensions. I don't want to call national emergency. If I have to, I will. But I think the Republicans in Congress will approve this pretty much unanimously. Right. And all of this, it comes as Trump administration officials

Starting point is 00:06:19 have announced the deployment of more National Guard troops in D.C. Because while Trump has mobilized 800 troops, they're not all being sent in at once, with just a limited number trickling into the Capitol on Tuesday. And so yesterday you saw an Army spokesperson saying that within the next few days, the D.C. National Guard will build up to sending out 100 to 200 soldiers at any given time. And one of the key things here is that the National Guard troops are mostly intended to support federal law enforcement officials and help keep the peace. They actually aren't able to make arrests because the Constitution strictly limits the use of the military

Starting point is 00:06:46 for civilian law enforcement. But of course, the National Guard, it's just one part of the state. equation. It still is a very big deal, and it certainly contributes to the overall police state vibe, but it's the local police and the federal enforcement officers who actually have the real power to achieve Trump's goal of making DC essentially crime-free. Those were his words. And as far as how that's going so far, you had Trump officials saying that a federal task force that include some local officers, made 23 arrests on Monday evening, and 43 others were arrested on Tuesday, and since then, it's been widely reported that as of Wednesday, the total

Starting point is 00:07:12 number of arrests had reached just over 100. But you had a White House official telling Fox News that the actual number was 103. But also, very notably, statistics from the DC Metropolitan Police show that in the first 10 days of August 24, the department made 635 arrests or on average around 63 per day. And so while Trump's DC takeover is still in its early stages, the number of arrests actually made since it kicked off is dramatically lower than before. But it's not because there were way more crimes last August. The stats show that it's virtually the same as this August. Which is then why you have many people speculating that Trump's DC takeover is not actually going to dramatically increase arrest and reduce crime because there's just not that much more the feds can actually do. Especially because there are concerns about how serious the crime, are that people are being arrested for, right? Because while we don't have a breakdown of the arrests yet, and who knows if we ever will, one that has gotten a lot of attention is a man who's now facing felony assault charges for throwing a subway sandwich at a federal law enforcement officer. And according to reports, the sandwich throwing took place on Sunday night just before Trump announced the public emergency, but after he had already deployed hundreds of federal law enforcement agents, which he did on Friday. But those charges against him were announced yesterday in a video posted on X by Janine Piro, the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia.

Starting point is 00:08:15 Right with Piro, describing how the man in question had been screaming at and berating a federal officer, before throwing the sandwich and adding, he thought it was funny. Well, he doesn't think it's funny today because we charged him with a felony, assault on a police officer, and we're gonna back the police to the hilt. So there, stick your subway sandwich somewhere else.

Starting point is 00:08:35 Right, and then, amid the news of the charges, we saw a video of the incident going viral yesterday. And there, you can see the man in question holding the sandwich of mass destruction, yelling at a group of federal law enforcement officers, calling them fascists, screaming profanities, and repeatedly yelling shame while pointing at the officer. With the video then later, showing the man approaching the officers and continuing to scream at them for a while before throwing the sandwich into an officer's chest and running away from the officers in pursuit.

Starting point is 00:08:57 With the police report later identifying the man as Sean Charles Dunn and claiming that he admitted to throwing the sandwich while being apprehended by law enforcement. But then also as if this story couldn't get any weird, you had Attorney General Pam Bondi making a post on X where she said that she learned that Don was actually an employee of the DOJ. With Bondi then saying that he's now been fired and adding, this is an example of the deep state we have been up against for seven months as we work to refocus DOJ. You will not work in this administration while disrespecting our government and law enforcement. And you then add, his lawyer confirming that he did indeed work at the agency as a paralegal in the Department's Office of International Affairs. But also, the whole sandwich situation isn't the only reason that questions have been raised about the effectiveness of Trump's federal takeover. Because last night, for example, nearly 100 protesters descended on an ICE checkpoint in northwest D.C.

Starting point is 00:09:38 where more than 20 officers were reportedly pulling over drivers for minor traffic violations like seatbelt violations or broken taillights. And this, despite the fact that officers at the scene told onlookers that agents were checking for driving eligibility and staff. with a bystander also claiming it, they'd been asking about immigration status. Which, you know, would make sense given the fact that they are literally immigration enforcement agents. But according to the Washington Post, just two people were detained, though it was unclear why. And so with that, you had a lot of people condemning this whole operation as just a waste of resources and taxpayer dollars. With, for example, DC Councilmember Christina Henderson slamming the arrest reports is a bunch of traffic stops and arguing that the Trump administration was just trying to hide how unnecessary the federal takeover is and daddy.

Starting point is 00:10:15 I'm looking at this list of arrest and they sound like a normal Saturday night in any big city. But at the same time, other top DC leaders haven't been so critical. Because while you had DC Mayor Muriel Bowser pushing back on Trump's claims about crime and calling the takeover an authoritarian push and an intrusion on our autonomy, she also said she welcomed the federal resources, arguing they could help drive down crime and deflecting questions about whether she believed Trump's crackdown will be good for the city. And that general sentiment has also been echoed by the DC police chief, as well as other top DC officials who have said that Trump's order has, at least so far,

Starting point is 00:10:43 been playing out as a relatively collaborative partnership. With, for example, DC Council Chairman Phil Mendelson saying that, by all indications, federal agencies were not trying to boss MPD around and we're actually looking for ideas about how they could be helpful. But this semi-optimism of leaders, it hasn't stopped the concerns of DC residents about federal enforcement taking over the city or how effective the whole thing's going to ultimately be. And you know, even Bowser has amplified that last concern telling reporters after a meeting yesterday with Attorney General Pam Bondi and other federal partners that Trump's team hasn't even provided a clear metric for measuring success of the efforts, right, at least beyond, you know, making DC essentially crime-free. Of course, all of this, it's still developing. We're going to have to wait to see what happens here and in the meantime, of course, I'd love to know your thoughts, whether it be around the Hunter Biden of it all

Starting point is 00:11:23 or what's happening in D.C. And then there's more news you need to know in just a minute, but first, summer is here and so are the rising gas prices. But summer is also about road trips, beach getaways, backyard barbecues, and the inevitable rise in expenses. Don't let the insane prices ruin your fun because with today's sponsor, the upside app, you don't have to. It's like a personal cashback generator for the things you already buy. Gas, groceries, dining out, these are daily expenditures that you can be making work for you. I mean, just last week, I was at 7-11 filling up, and I saw the upside offer for 10 cents off per gallon. Boom, you save a few bucks right there. And it's not a point scheme. This is real hard cash that gets transferred straight to your bank account. I mean,

Starting point is 00:12:00 they say top earners are making up to $300 a month just by using upside. And the best part, you can get cash back at 100,000 plus locations from your gas station to your favorite restaurant. It's just convenient. Just check the app, claim an offer, and then pay like usual with your card. So, hey, to find out how much you could earn, just scan that QR code, or click the link in the description. Download upside, use code DeFranco, and get an extra 25 cents back for every gallon on your first tank of gas. Earn smarter, live better, download upside today. Recognizing a Palestinian state, that is what a growing number of countries are planning to do, and now a far-right Israeli minister has announced his plan to put a stop to it. Create a massive West Bank settlement that would effectively split the territory in half. Right, and that is the IDF,

Starting point is 00:12:37 they're getting ready for another new offensive into a starving Gaza. Now, starting with the West Bank, it's important to note that Israeli settlements are illegal under international law, according to pretty much everyone but Israel. Despite that, according to an Israeli anti-settlement group called Peace Now, about 700,000 settlers live in roughly 160 settlements across the West Bank as well as East Jerusalem. And that number is growing fast. We're seeing the largest wave of government-led settlement activity since before the 1990s peace process that set up the current system for administering the West Bank. And since entering office in late 2022, Netanyahu and his government, they've authorized more than 30 settlements. And some of those were notably so-called outposts that were built without government permission that were then granted authorization retroactively. And since the start of 2023, settlers have built more than 100.

Starting point is 00:13:16 30 of those unauthorized outposts. That's more than they built in the previous two decades combined. And then on top of all that, the Israeli military has been demolishing Palestinian homes and installing hundreds of roadblocks and checkpoints across the territory. All while, at times being found complicit and even actively involved in a wave of record-breaking settler violence. Right, according to UN data, settlers carried out more than 750 attacks on Palestinians in their property during the first half of this year alone. With the situation, even getting to the point where you had the New York Times writing today, with the world's attention on Gaza, extremist settlers in the West Bank are carrying out

Starting point is 00:13:43 one of the most violent and effective campaigns of intimidation and land grabbing since Israel occupied the territory during the Arab-Israeli War of 1967. And that's actually a really important thing to reference, especially when you look at this plan that's being spearheaded by the Israeli finance minister, Bezal Smoke Raid, right? Because it's actually a version of a plan that's already been on hold for decades because of international opposition. And the main argument being that it has a potential to prevent the establishment of a viable Palestinian state, because it would involve the construction of more than 3,000 housing units and what's known as the E1 area. And building in this specific location would effectively cut off the West Bank from

Starting point is 00:14:13 East Jerusalem, divide the territory into northern and southern regions, and ultimately prevent the development of a connected urban area linking East Jerusalem, Bethlehem, and Ramallah. And with this, you had Smotrich claiming that the land had been given to the Jews by God, saying this is Zionism at its best, building, settling, and strengthening our sovereignty in the land of Israel. With him then adding that his aim is to ensure that by September, the hypocritical leaders in Europe will have nothing to recognize and claiming that the E1 settlement project would bury the very idea of a Palestinian state. And with the men, also thanking Donald Trump and U.S. ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, for their backing. Now, with that said, this plan, it hasn't technically received final approval yet,

Starting point is 00:14:49 but it is expected to get it next week, with Smotrich saying, Netanyahu backs me up in everything concerning Judea and Samaria, which is the biblical name for what's now the West Bank. And so some of what we're seeing in response to that is groups like Peace Now, speaking out, saying, it is clear to everyone today that the only solution to conflict and the only way to defeat Hamas is through the establishment of a Palestinian state alongside Israel. But then you also have people like Francesca Albanesey from the U. who's been sanctioned by the U.S. coming out and saying that recognizing a Palestinian state

Starting point is 00:15:15 should not distract from taking other action to stop mass death and starvation in Gaza. A place, of course, where she, other experts in leading Israeli human rights organizations have said that Israel is committing a genocide against the Palestinian population. And with all that, you had a repeating her call for an embargo on all arms sales to Israel and end to trade agreements and also demanding accountability for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity as well as pushing for the complete Israeli withdrawal from occupied territory by a September 17th deadline set by the UN General Assembly. A deadline that is very unlikely to actually be met.

Starting point is 00:15:44 Especially as you had last week, the Israeli government approving a plan to expand the war by taking control of Gaza City, a plan that went against the recommendations of the Israeli military. Though, of course, it also hasn't stopped the military from approving a new framework for what it called aggressive Israeli ground incursions in Gaza City, even as it's already stepped up its bombing of the territory in preparation. With the same things like a targeted strike near a hospital earlier this week, killing six journalists, including four Al Jazeera staff correspondence.

Starting point is 00:16:07 Deaths that brought the total number of journalists killed since October 7, 203 to 192, according to the committee, to protect journalists. Though that also as journalists have been detained and have claimed to face beatings, humiliation, and hunger, which is in line with other reports that we've seen from Palestinian detainees being tortured and abused. And connected to that, Israel has detained hundreds of Palestinians on suspicion of direct involvement in the October 7 attacks, with at least 200 remaining in custody.

Starting point is 00:16:30 Though not a single one of them has been charged or prosecuted yet. And that is, Israel is reportedly holding roughly 2,700 other Palestinians that it says are suspected of being affected. affiliated with Hamas or other militant groups in Gaza. Also, in addition to that, Israel has claimed in recent weeks that it's doing more to get humanitarian aid into Gaza, but it's also, again, getting pushed back. Right this week, you had more than 100 organizations signing a new joint letter again, calling on Israel to stop the weaponization of aid into Gaza. Also, rejecting claims by Israeli authorities that there is no limit on humanitarian aid entering Gaza and saying that most major international NGOs have been unable to deliver a single truck of life-saving supplies since March 2nd. And with that, they're saying that they're increasingly being told that they're not authorized to deliver aid unless they comply with stricter Israeli regulations introduced around the time. And with that, they say they risk being denied entry, quote, on the basis of vague and politicized criteria, such as alleged de-legitimization of the state of Israel. So this is Israel, on the other hand, has argued that any delays in delivering aid occur, quote, only when organizations choose not to meet the basic

Starting point is 00:17:24 security requirements intended to prevent Hamas's involvement. With that, my friend, bringing us to the end of today's show, let me just say, for more news that you need to know that you might have missed, I got you covered right here. And for a deep dive into how RFK Jr. is very properly screwing us and our future. I've got a fantastic new podcast. with Dr. Mike that's out. And I've got links to those in the description of this video as well. Thank you for watching.

Starting point is 00:17:41 I love yo faces and I'll see you right back here on Monday.

The Philip DeFranco Show - Trump’s Biden Threat Just BACKFIRED & DOJ Employee Arrested For Assault with a Deadly Sandwich in DC

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