The Philip DeFranco Show - Trump’s Iran Gamble Sparked Religious Civil War

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Starting point is 00:00:22 free of charge. BetMGM operates pursuant to an operating agreement with Eye Gaming Ontario. Well, Trump, he's issued another old. ultimatum, though not to Iran, rather to NATO, reportedly telling members of the alliance that they must commit warships or other military assets to secure the Strait of Hormuz where they're going to get punished. Because even though the ceasefire that he announced is supposed to mean that the straits already open, there's almost been no traffic through the waterway yet. And Israel's continued attacks on Lebanon, they're threatening to blow up whatever fragile peace somehow seems to be holding. But where we should start is with NATO. And what I think is some very important context.

Starting point is 00:00:53 Right, Article 5 of the NATO Treaty, the one that says an attack on one is an attack on all. It has only been invoked once. It was invoked by the United States after 9-11, and more than 1,100 non-U.S. troops were killed in the subsequent war in Afghanistan. But Trump, long before today, he's cast doubt on whether he would actually defend NATO allies if they invoked Article 5. And that's as he's also insulted them, tariffed them, threatened their territory, threatened their territory using tariffs, and let's say complicated efforts to deal with the Russian war of aggression on their doorstep. And he and his administration are now also campaigning for Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who's seeking re-election this weekend and who is also threatened to allied unity while actively working against Ukraine. We're talking about a man that reportedly literally told Putin in a phone call last year,

Starting point is 00:01:29 I am at your service. And you have all of this says the war that Trump's complaining NATO allies won't help him with, it is a war that he started by choice with no real self-defense rationale and without consulting them. Right, and despite all of that, the realities of the world, who had White House press secretary Caroline Levitt yesterday sharing, what she said was a direct quote from the president on NATO. They were tested and they failed. Leavitt also at the behest of the president,

Starting point is 00:01:52 accused members of the alliance of turning their backs on the American people and said that Trump was looking forward to having a very frank and candid conversation with NATO Secretary General Mark Ruta. With the secretary arriving to address Trump's so-called concerns about NATO's refusal to get involved in the war, and he's been called kind of the Trump whisper for his ability to deal with the president. An ability that seems to just be his willingness to shamelessly kiss Trump's ass in public and in private. An approach, I'll say, that has been increasingly criticized by some NATO members, especially for his decision to support the Iran war. Except this time, it didn't seem to work with Trump writing on social media after the meeting.

Starting point is 00:02:22 NATO wasn't there when we needed them, and they won't be there if we need them, if we need them again. Remember Greenland, that big, poorly run piece of ice. Ruta, he didn't let that stop him, telling CNN that he can see Trump's point, that he really admires Trump's leadership, and that the world is absolutely safer thanks to Trump. And then on top of that, Ruta argued that overall, NATO allies ended up providing significant support to the U.S. for the war in Iran in terms of logistics, basing, and other measures, which does seem to be true. And then in addition to that, you had him noting that NATO countries are looking for what they can do to contribute to keeping the Strait of Hormuz open,

Starting point is 00:02:51 with assets including warships, as well as minesweepers, and radar technology. But again, that, was what he said publicly, and according to a major German newspaper, he privately told European leaders that Trump was expecting those concrete commitments within the next few days. And he was several European diplomats reportedly saying that Trump's demand it amounted to an ultimatum, although it's not exactly clear what the consequences will be. Because in addition to a number of things, he's already threatened to withdraw the U.S. from NATO, which also isn't something he technically can do by himself. Though you also had the Wall Street Journal reporting that the White House is considering a plan to punish NATO members that Trump thinks have been unhelpful, and that could

Starting point is 00:03:21 apparently involve pulling American troops out of those countries or even closing down bases. Right. And then, as far as countries that have been seen as supportive of the White House, if this happened, they could apparently end up getting more troops. Which actually ends up being very notable and interesting because, I mean, we'd mostly be talking about countries on Europe's eastern flank. So like Romania and Poland and so Russia probably wouldn't be a huge fan of that. Although, to be very clear, the fallout from the Iran war has largely benefited Putin. It has served as a fantastic distraction from his war in Ukraine and it's driven up oil prices. You have Reuters reporting today that Russia's main oil revenue, it's going to double to nine

Starting point is 00:03:51 billion dollars this month thanks to the oil and gas crisis triggered by the US and Israeli attack on Iran. And then of course any potential upside for NATO countries, it's not offset by the damage that Trump may be doing to the alliance overall. Well, we don't know exactly which countries Trump's talking about. Some strong contenders on the list. Spain would probably be at the top of the list. But it's the only country that hasn't agreed to spending 5% of its GDP on defense. It's denied the use of its bases and airspace for planes involved in the war. And its prime minister has been especially outspoken in his criticism of the conflict. Or with him saying in a post after the so-called

Starting point is 00:04:18 ceasefire began. This momentary relief cannot make us forget the chaos, the destruction, and the lives loss. And saying, the government of Spain will not applaud those who set the world on fire just because they show up with a bucket. And actually, today, you had him calling for the EU to suspend its association agreement with Israel, saying that Netanyahu's contempt for life and international law is intolerable. And actually since then, several European officials, including from Spain, but also the UK, France, Italy, and the EU, they have slammed Israel for their continued assault

Starting point is 00:04:42 on Lebanon. With, for example, Italy's foreign minister describing the attacks on Lebanon as unjustified and unacceptable in adding, we want to avoid there being a second Gaza. But as we've talked about, the US and Israel, they've argued that the ceasefire does not cover Lebanon. And that's even though Pakistan's prime minister, who mediated the talks and the ceasefire, said in his post announcing the truths that it applied everywhere, including Lebanon and elsewhere. And that ends up just being one of the reasons you have many wondering, is this ceasefire real? Is it actually going to hold on?

Starting point is 00:05:07 Because the two sides aren't even agreeing on what they agreed to, at least in public. Because when Trump announced the deal, he claimed that the U.S. had received a 10-point proposal from Iran that provided a workable basis on which to negotiate. And people were immediately confused because he had previously said that a 10-point plan that he received from Iran was not good enough. And then when Iran released what they said were the 10 points, they included not only an end to the war in Lebanon, but demands that the US would seemingly never accept.

Starting point is 00:05:28 We're talking about things like the withdrawal of American troops from the region, continued Iranian control over the Strait of Hormuz and the acknowledgement of Iran's right to nuclear enrichment. And so with that the White House denied that the 10-point plan released by Iran was the one that Trump had been referring to. So you had Caroline Levitt calling the proposal that Iran presented fundamentally unsirious and completely unacceptable in adding, it was literally thrown in the garbage by President Trump and his negotiating team.

Starting point is 00:05:50 She also claimed that Iran had indicated a willingness to give up uranium as part of the agreement, and then Trump, for his part, followed up with a characteristic late-night post on social media saying, the failing New York Times and fake news CNN each reported a totally fake 10-point plan. All 10 points were a made-up hoax, evil losers. A new advice president J.D. Vans telling reporters in Budapest that there were actually three 10-point proposals that were going around. One that he said was probably written by chat GPT that went straight in the garbage. A second one that was much more reasonable, which he said was the one that Trump had been referencing. And then a third one, that's even more maximalist than the first one that's been floating around on various social media channels. And it's also said that Israel has offered to, quote, check themselves a little bit in Lebanon because they want to make sure that our negotiation is successful in adding.

Starting point is 00:06:29 I think that's the Israelis trying to set us up for success. Which is definitely a take considering the Israeli military reportedly killed more than 300 people in Lebanon yesterday. It made yesterday the deadliest day of the war for the country yet. And Iran has said that those attacks must stop saying that Lebanon was included in the ceasefire and standing by the version of the 10-point plan that the Trump administration says is fake. with the country's Speaker of Parliament accusing the U.S. and Israel of violating the ceasefire with not only the attacks on Lebanon, but also by allegedly violating its airspace and denying Iran's right to enrichment. And then today, in a follow-up statement focused on Lebanon, he said, Lebanon and the entire resistance axis as Iran's allies form an inseparable part of the ceasefire.

Starting point is 00:07:02 With Iran's president writing in another post, such action, signal, deception, and noncompliance, rendering negotiations meaningless. And then you had a spokesperson, adding that peace talks that the U.S. says or planned in Pakistan will only happen if the Lebanon issue is resolved. And with all that, reportedly under pressure from Trump, Netanyahu said today that he ordered the Israeli government to start direct negotiations with Lebanon to disarm Hezbollah, saying in a statement that the talks would take place as soon as possible. But also, he reiterated that there is no ceasefire in Lebanon and said that Israel is continuing to strike Hezbollah with force and will not stop until it restore security in Israel's north. So it's not clear that this will actually diffuse the tensions. Right on all of this, it's coming as you have outlets like Reuters reporting that Israel is digging in for what's being called a forever war in the Middle East. And there, citing Israeli military officials who say the buffer zones created in Syria, Lebanon and guns. Gaza put the country in a semi-permanent state of war.

Starting point is 00:07:46 And then in the meantime, right, Trump, he said that the U.S. is ready to get back to fighting if necessary. And then in another one of his recent social media posts, he said, all U.S. ships, aircraft, and military personnel with additional ammunition, weaponry, and anything else that is appropriate and necessary for the lethal prosecution and destruction of an already substantially degraded enemy will remain in place and around Iran until such time as the real agreement reached is fully complied with. And doubting it for any reason, it is not, which is highly unlikely, then the shooting starts,

Starting point is 00:08:11 It's bigger and better and stronger than anyone has ever seen before. It was agreed a long time ago, and despite all of the fake rhetoric to the contrary, no nuclear weapons, and the street of Hormuz will be open and safe. In the meantime, our great military is loading up and resting, looking forward actually to its next conquest. But of all the threats and the bluster that Trump's been thrown around, this thing with the Catholic Church for a lot of people, it's one of the craziest. Because you've got Trump's people allegedly saying,

Starting point is 00:08:33 we've got the biggest military on earth, we can do whatever we want, and you better side with us or else. You know, for some context here, the new Pope Leo, the 14th, He's been very critical of the Trump administration for the past year, first condemning its immigration policy and then its foreign policy. Anyway, the Pope delivering his first state of the world address a few days after the invasion of Venezuela. A diplomacy that promotes dialogue and seeks consensus among all parties is being replaced by a diplomacy based on force. And well, apparently, Trump's people, they didn't like that. And so they decided to give the Holy See a piece of their mind.

Starting point is 00:09:03 With the Undersecretary of Defense for Policy, Elbridge Colby, a close ally, J.D. Vance, who was nominated by Trump, inviting the Vatican's then envoy to the US, Cardinal Christoph Pierre, to the Pentagon for a meeting. And then, according to the free press, Vatican officials claim at the war department's brass picked apart the Pope's speech, taking issue with what they understood to be a challenge to Trump's so-called Don Roe doctrine. With the sources describing it as a bitter lecture, which warned them that the United States has the military power to do whatever it wants and that the church had better take its side. In fact, the report claims that at one point, a military official even invoked the Avignon Papacy, referring to a period in the 14th century when the French monarchy dominated the church. Literally, King Philip IV accused the Pope of Her.

Starting point is 00:09:38 Heresy, blasphemy, sodomy, and sorcery, and then sent his henchmen to kidnap him. As far as the Pentagon, you had an official there confirming that this meeting did take place, but they said, quote, the free press's characterization of the meeting is highly exaggerated and distorted. Saying the meeting between Pentagon and Vatican officials was a respectful and reasonable discussion, we have nothing but the highest regard and welcome continued dialogue with the Holy See. And then when someone asked J.D. Vance about it during his trip to Hungary, all he said was, I've never seen this reporting. I'd like to actually talk to Cardinal Christoph Pierre and frankly to our people to figure out what actually happened.

Starting point is 00:10:09 I think it's always a bad idea to offer an opinion on stories that are unconfirmed and uncorroborated, so I'm not going to do that. But whatever really happened in that meeting, one thing's for sure, that the government and this church do not get along. But reportedly, some inside the Vatican,

Starting point is 00:10:21 including Pope Leo himself, have been startled by the Trump administration's depictions of a warlike God who picks sides. You know, whether it's Trump claiming to speak for God himself as if he spoke to him on the phone just the other night? Do you believe that God supports the United States actions in this world? I do it because God is good,

Starting point is 00:10:36 because God is good. Because God is good and God wants to see people taking care of. God doesn't like what's happening. I don't like what's happening. Everyone says, I don't enjoy this. Or the evangelical pastor Franklin Graham saying this crazy shit during a Pentagon prayer service for Christmas. We know that God loves, but did you know that God also hates?

Starting point is 00:10:59 Do you know that God also is a God of war? Or Trump's spiritual advisor, Paula White, comparing Trump to Jesus Christ himself? You were betrayed. and arrested and falsely accused. It's a familiar pattern that our Lord and Savior showed us. And I believe that the Lord said to tell you this, because of his victory, you will be victorious in all you put your hands to. Or just yesterday you would Pete Heggsath thanking divine intervention for the brief ceasefire.

Starting point is 00:11:30 Our troops, our American warriors deserve the credit for this day. But God deserves all the glory. tens of thousands of sorties, refuelings, and strikes carried out under the protection of divine providence, a massive effort with miraculous protection. God is good. Meanwhile, over in Rome, Hope Leo has consistently delivered the exact opposite message saying on Palm Sunday. Brothers and sisters, this is our God, Jesus, King of Peace, who rejects war, whom no one can use to justify war.

Starting point is 00:12:08 He does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war, but rejects them, saying, even though you make many prayers, I will not listen. Your hands are full of blood. Right, and then saying on Easter Sunday, let those who have weapons lay them down, he said. Let those who have the power to unleash wars, choose peace.

Starting point is 00:12:33 Then, after Trump's a whole civilization will Die tonight post saying, Today, as we all know, there has also been this threat against the entire people of Iran, and this is truly unacceptable. And then most recently, he even called for political opposition. I would invite the citizens of all the countries involved to contact the authorities, political leaders, congressmen,

Starting point is 00:12:55 to ask them, tell them to work for peace and to reject war. I will say, even with all that, the Pope has very notably refrained from singling out Trump With one senior Vatican official telling the Washington Post that Leo is generally opposed to any and all who would seek to instrumentalize God for war Then also at the same time he with the free press reporting that when the White House invited him to America's 250th birthday this summer the Pope decline With this reportedly over a mix of foreign policy disagreements the increasingly vocal opposition of US bishops to Trump's immigration policy and a Reluctance to become a political bargaining chip in the 2026 midterms So instead Pope Leo is going to be spending July 4th on the Mediterranean island of Lampadusa which is a waypoint for African refugees reaching Europe and in fact one Vatican official told the free press the Pope

Starting point is 00:13:35 may well never visit the United States under this administration. Dino was about as clear of a message as you're gonna get here, though still, you know, these more direct criticisms they tend to come from bishops and others that are underneath the Pope rather than Leo himself. And actually recently, we've seen some right-wing Christians totally tearing off the kid gloves. Are you of Candice Owens outright claiming

Starting point is 00:13:51 and Tucker Carlson strongly implying that Trump and his administration are satanic? And actually, speaking of which, Owen said in response to the free press report about the Pentagon meeting, assuming this is true, we need to know who specifically in the White House threatened the Vatican envoy. The actual names of the individuals involved,

Starting point is 00:14:05 should be known to the public. So it seems now that the political opposition to Trump, at least in part, even from those within his own party, is increasingly becoming a religious opposition. Especially as Trump at Hexsath, whether it be behind the scenes or with all the moves they've been making out in public, seem to be trying to treat America like it is a rogue religious state. Well, obviously, we're all monitoring the situation as far as the short-term consequences. I mean, it's still too early to judge right now what this might mean for the electoral prospects this year and in 2028. And then there's more that we've got to dive into in just a minute, but let me thank a sponsor first and say, you know, the hardest part of launching something, it's usually not the idea, it's getting out of your own way.

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Starting point is 00:15:25 at Squarespace.com slash Phil or scan that QR code. Today is launch day. Just remember that when it's time to go live, use code fill to get 10% off and let them know he's saying. But then, And right back into the news, you know, Pam Bondi was fired as Attorney General.

Starting point is 00:15:37 She was subpoenaed to testify about the Epstein files, and now the Trump DOJ is trying to get her out of it, arguing that since she's technically no longer the AG, the subpoena doesn't apply. Which is crazy. Some would argue even it looks like bullshit because it appeared that even though she was fired, she would have to appear before the House Oversight Committee is scheduled. In fact, the committee's ranked member Robert Garcia said at the time, she will not escape accountability. She must answer for her mishandling of the Epstein files and the special treatment she has given Galane Maxwell. But now you got the Trump DOJ making their move. Assistant Attorney General Patrick Davis and a letter to committee chairman James Comer arguing

Starting point is 00:16:07 Ms. Bondi no longer holds that office. As a result, because Ms. Bondi no longer can testify in her official capacity as Attorney General, the department's position is that the subpoena no longer obligates her to appear on April 14. We kindly ask that you confirm that the subpoena is withdrawn. And so their logic, or you could argue, their argument that they don't actually believe in, is that she is not AG anymore, and so the subpoena to the AG does not apply to her. So far, the committee doesn't appear to be going along with it. Are you that committee spokesperson saying they will contact Pam Bondi's personal counsel to discuss next steps regarding scheduling her deposition. Republican Nancy Mace posted on Twitter that the subpoena was for Bondi by name, not by title,

Starting point is 00:16:39 and adding, the American people deserve answers and we expect her to appear as soon as a new data set. Also, Mace and Democrat Rokanez and a joint letter to Comer saying the removal of Pam Bondi as Attorney General does not diminish the committee's legitimate oversight interests in seeking her sworn testimony or the need for accountability and information about files withheld from the public by the DOJ. And adding, on the contrary, it makes her sworn testimony even more important. And then as far as Garcia, you accused Bondi of trying to get out of her legal obligation to testify and saying, if she defies the subpoena, we will begin contempt charges in the Congress. Their survivors deserve justice.

Starting point is 00:17:09 And that one's a big one, because for contempt charges to move forward, Garcia would need the support of at least three Republicans on that committee, plus a vote by the full House. But also, Monty doesn't exactly have a lot of defenders at the moment. Trump fired her, the MAGA coalition has largely moved on, and both Republicans and Democrats on the committee, they're saying she needs to testify. So the votes are contempt. They might actually be easier to get than you'd expect, and you had Chairman Comer saying that he isn't sure how to proceed, and he wants to talk to Republicans over the weekend before making a decision, which really

Starting point is 00:17:32 sounds more like, how are we going to navigate Trump on this? But at least for now, he says that he plans to move forward with the subpoena. And then as far as the Trump-D-O-J, they say that the agency remains committed to working cooperatively with the committee and Bonnie herself hasn't responded yet. You know, this whole thing, this part's my opinion. That was a story, this is my opinion. It adds this very interesting, but also infuriating layer to the situation. Because the general idea in the story has been that Trump's actually been very angry at Pam Bondi. She's fumbled things with the Epstein files in a way that it actually got Republicans to say, hey, we need these and it's kind of screwed Trump. There was also the belief that he was angry that she hasn't been going

Starting point is 00:18:02 after his political enemies successfully. But now they've created this whole other situation with trying to get her out of the deposition that it seems like maybe firing her was a way to try to cover things up. And that's just going to increase interest, right? There's even more smoke and people are going, okay, well, we've got to find the fire. For now we'll have to see how Bondi tries to wiggle out of this and what the committee and I guess the rest of the Congress does about it. But also, you know, while we're largely waiting if we're being honest to see what the Republicans do here with Pam Bondi, we then have to talk about how Republicans in Virginia are trying a whole new approach to keeping their seats in Congress.

Starting point is 00:18:29 Right, because Republican PACs in Virginia are sending mailers to black voters with clan imagery, invoking Jim Crow in the Civil Rights Movement to convince them to vote against a redistricting referendum that would protect black representation. And you know, we're all going to see how effective it was because the referendum is just around the corner. Early voting has already started. April 21st is the day that it goes down. And the referendum, it's going to decide whether the state will redraw its congressional district maps. If it passes, it would create 10 districts whose voters favored Kamala Harris in 2024 and won the favored Trump. It would also ensure that Virginia's two black representatives keep their seats.

Starting point is 00:18:57 Bipartisan maps would then be redrawn in 2030 and with all this the Republicans have sued, claiming of the new maps would disenfranchise rural voters by tying them to liberal districts. The stakes, they're huge and straightforward. This referendum may could lock in a significant Democratic advantage in Virginia's congressional delegation heading into the midterms. Right, and that, it then brings us to the mailers. Last month, democracy and justice, which is actually a Republican-aligned political action committee, led by former state delegate AC Cordosa, sent out mailers to black voters that took things to a completely different level. where the mailers used clan imagery and say our ancestors fought to represent us.

Starting point is 00:19:26 Now Richmond politicians are trying to take our districts away. Just like Jim Crow, they want to silence your voice. And then they also actually used old statements from Governor Spanberger and Barack Obama to suggest that both oppose the referendum. It tells you that they're desperate. They're desperate to try to confuse individuals, all of deceitful lies and propaganda that they're publishing. I know President Obama,

Starting point is 00:19:52 I cannot be pleased about this. So with all this, you had Virginia Attorney General Jay Jones saying, these ads deliberately exploit the history of Jim Crow and the civil rights movement to mislead black voters and suppress participation. Though Cordoza defended the mailers saying, if Democrats don't like what the mailer represents, they should not be doing the actions that the mailer represents, period. They're having a hard time dealing with it because it reflects upon them.

Starting point is 00:20:12 You also are the chairman of the Virginia Republican Party, Jeff Ryer, denying seeing the mailers or having any involvement with democracy and justice, but also he defended the use of Obama and Spanberger's quotes, saying they were against gerrymandering before they were for it. And to be fair, Ryer has a point that Democrats have not always supported redistricting and the referendum ballot language, it only asks voters if they want to draw new maps to, quote, restore fairness, which critics say understates what's actually happening. But of course, the broader context here matters.

Starting point is 00:20:36 Republicans in states like North Carolina, Missouri and Texas, they've been aggressively gerrymandering for years. Virginia's referendum, it's a response to that. Democrats are using the same tools that Republicans have wielded across the map. And in fact, it was only after Trump's administration pushed new redistricting efforts that figures like Obama came around to supporting it in blue states. Trump literally called up Abbott in Texas and was like, give me more seats, and he did. That's why we saw California and others, including Virginia, making the move. It was a response, and actually now you have officials asking Obama to visit Virginia to make his current position very, very clear.

Starting point is 00:21:02 Right, and that is Spanberger has been very direct, saying, I have made it very clear that I support a yes vote. There are seven-figure ad buys with my face direct-to-camera encouraging people to vote yes. Right, and a big part why Democrats are concerned is that the polling on this is very close. A poll show that 79% of black voters and 72% of voters overall understand that the redistricting would benefit Democrats, only 52% of voters overall support it. And so with a margin that narrow misleading mailers targeting communities that are expected to most likely support the referendum, it could absolutely tip to scales.

Starting point is 00:21:30 So that's why you've got folks like Representative Robert C. Scott saying, the problem with misinformation is, if you don't respond to it, people will believe it. So we've got to spend time responding to this nonsense when we should be out campaigning. Well, Democrats, they've raised nearly $50 million for their efforts. Republicans, they're seeing more cash flow on their side as well, and the money being spent debunking propaganda money,

Starting point is 00:21:47 it's not being spent on turnout. And again, a thing that we always have to come back to because, you know, there's so much happening. Our memories can only stand so much. This is all happening because Trump wants more seats. I mean, Trump has made his position on redistricting clear. It is something that he is owed. It's funny because I won the, I won Indiana all three times by a landslide.

Starting point is 00:22:05 And I wasn't working on it very hard. Would have been nice. I think we would have picked up two seats if we did that. I won Texas. I got the highest vote in the history of Texas, as you probably know. And we are entitled to five more seats. Right. Entitled.

Starting point is 00:22:19 Gimmy, gimme. That's his framing. Not that the voters deserve better representation. We're entitled to more seats. When you look at the polling, yeah, of course he's trying to pick up seats wherever he can. He's one of the most unpopular presidents we've ever had, especially this early into his second administration. It's also very likely why he's trying to kill mail-in voting because he's scared and also he has that hunger and appetite for getting power however he can. So now while all this is playing out, you've got the NACP holding a town hall in Virginia to help voters understand all the misinformation in these political ads. We're going to have to put our eyes on April 21st to see how this goes down.

Starting point is 00:22:50 It was already expected to be a tight race. Does the misinformation tip the scales? But from that, as we start to wind down today show, I wanna end with a congratulations, and then one more thing we need to talk about. So first, congratulations to Connor S. Seekkeek's latest weekly winner who just scored $500 in tickets and is gonna go see Metallica at the sphere.

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Starting point is 00:23:45 Right, but then, the final thing that we have to talk about today is that a woman who blew the whistle on sexual harassment at Fort Bragg's Delta Force just got arrested by the FBI for leaking classified information. Specifically, you had Courtney Williams, who worked for a special military unit in Fort Bragg from 2010 to 2016. She held top secret security clearance and was trained in handling sense of information, and she's a source in the Fort Bragg Cartel, an investigative book about unsolved murders, drug trafficking, and other crimes of the base. Written an excerpt, including her accounts, was published in Politico. With William discussing her job, overseeing valid but fictitious identity documents, passports, financial tools, or people working undercover.

Starting point is 00:24:17 And the book includes some details of that work alongside her accounts of harassment. And as far as that harassment, what Williams described is horrific. She said operators routinely came to her office to proposition her for sex. They discussed her breasts openly. They would drunkenly propose to her. And a commander once told her that she was only hired for her assets while gesturing at her chest. In one incident, she said that she was subjected to a dress code check where she was told to bend over so that supervisors could determine if her white pants were transparent enough to see her underwear.

Starting point is 00:24:41 They're saying that she believes that that check was conducted solely to humiliate her. And then when she filed a formal complaint, she said, my life became a living hell. She faced retaliation and eventually agreed to a settlement. But then, as far as the serrat, you have the DOJ alleging that Williams mishandled classified information between 2022 and 2025 while communicating with a journalist. She spoke with the reporter for over 10 hours on the phone and exchanged more than 180 messages for the book and article. And the DOJ claims that she disclosed information related to her classified work. And they also alleged she sent messages to a third party expressing concern about how much classified information

Starting point is 00:25:11 was being shared, writing that she was probably going to jail for life. And that then brings us to Seth Harp, the author of the book, who's condemning the FBI for going after his source. Right Harp, calling Williams a courageous whistleblower who exposed rampant gender discrimination and sexual harassment in the U.S. Army's Delta Force. I'm saying, unlike many of my sources, she was adamant that she'd be quoted by name and made no attempt to conceal her identity because her actions were entirely above board, legitimate, and admirable. And then he also claimed the DOJ's indictment is ridden with factual errors and lacks specifics about what confidential information she actually revealed,

Starting point is 00:25:40 arguing that she was arrested, quote, not to protect such information from disclosure, but to retaliate against a woman who only sought to improve workplace conditions for female soldiers. And then he made an argument that's hard to argue with, saying, while the FBI was monitoring my phone and investigating Courtney on vague and weak charges, the perpetrators of half a dozen murders involving Fort Bragg soldiers involved in the drug trade have gone entirely unsolved. Saying a real police agency would go after real criminals instead of engaging in this sort of penny anti-political theater.

Starting point is 00:26:07 As far as FBI director Cash Patel, he framed this as a deterrent. Saying this case should serve as a message to any would-be leakers. We're working these cases and we're making arrests. This FBI will not tolerate those who seek to betray our country and put Americans in harm's way. And it's also important to remember that this comes in a broader context, right? Trump has been explicitly threatening to arrest reporters who publish classified military information. And specifically, and recently, you had him going after reporting that detailed the status of the pilots whose jet was shot down over Iran. We have to find that leaker because that's a sick person.

Starting point is 00:26:35 Probably didn't realize the extent of how bad it was, I can't imagine that the person did. But we're gonna find out it's national security. And the person that did the story will go to jail if he doesn't say. We think we'll be able to find it out because we're going to go to the media company that released it. And we're going to say national security, give it up or go to jail. And in response to that, you had people like the executive director of the Knight First Amendment Institute responding, saying President Trump's threat should be understood as an effort to intimidate the press and to prevent journalists from doing work the public needs them to do.

Starting point is 00:27:11 But with all that, for now, we're going to have to wait to see what happens with them. Williams. Her fate, you know, it's uncertain, and there is a real question about classified information here. Williams had top secret clear it. She discussed aspects of her job with a journalist, and if she disclosed to operational-sensitive material, that is a legitimate legal issue, regardless of her reasons. And in the meantime, we also have to take in the full context. This is a woman who is sexually harassed or one of the most elite military units in the country. She filed a complaint, was retaliated against, she then settled, and then she told her story by name with no attempt to hide. She talked to a journalist about the discrimination she faced as part of his larger

Starting point is 00:27:41 investigation into crimes at the base, including unsolved murders that have apparently not been prioritized. And so the FBI's response wasn't to solve those murders. It was to monitor the journalist's phone and arrest the woman who talked about being harassed. Meanwhile, you got a president that's threatening to jail reporters. You have an FBI director and administration making it clear that if you speak to a journal's about what happened to you and you ever held a clearance, they're probably going to come for you. All while, again, remember, with this situation, the people who actually committed actual murders at the base, they're apparently walking free. But that, my friends is the end of your Thursday Philip DeFranco show dive into the news though a little

Starting point is 00:28:13 housekeeping at the end you didn't already watch or listen to last night's new crashing out episode highly recommend it check it out links in the description tap or click and also i'm thinking about maybe making a video around it but at the very least i'm going to be releasing a special friday or sunday substack this week so you definitely go to philip defranco.com sign up with your email even if you don't use substack i'll just email those things to you and it's where in addition to you know all the news stuff i take time to put more of myself in my opinion out there and separated pieces. Some of you have always been clamoring for that, and also it's kind of just it's almost therapeutic for me. But hey, no matter what you do, I'll see you right back here soon.

Starting point is 00:28:45 Thank you for watching. I love your faces and stay safe and sane.

The Philip DeFranco Show - Trump’s Iran Gamble Sparked Religious Civil War

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