A small group of House Republicans has said that they’re willing to risk a possible government shutdown, rejecting party leadership&#8217;s funding bills unless specific demands are met. But they may face an uphill battle in the court of public opinion, according to an analysis of polling data showing House Speaker Kevin McCarthy remains immensely popular with conservatives.
The members holding up spending bills have framed their effort as an attempt to hold the line for conservatives — but polls indicate conservatives in the country are sticking with McCarthy. The most recent favorability <a href="https://d3nkl3psvxxpe9.cloudfront.net/documents/econTabReport_xf4D6qH.pdf">survey</a> for McCarthy, conducted as he sparred last week with members such as Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL), found that he is viewed favorably by conservatives by more than a 2 to 1 margin, 56% to 26%, according to The Economist and YouGov. Among respondents who said they voted for former President Donald Trump in 2020, it’s even more favorable for McCarthy, with 59% in favor and just 23% opposed.
McCarthy’s fight for the speakership, which was made more complicated by virtually the same group of Republican holdouts in the caucus, was boosted significantly by an endorsement for the job by Trump, though the former president is now <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/trump-breaks-mccarthy-republicans-government-shutdown-rcna117192">urging</a> Republicans to “hold the line” ahead of a potential shutdown, stating his belief that President Joe Biden will be blamed. But the target of Trump’s ire in his Sunday night post on the potential shut down was not McCarthy, but rather Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.
McCarthy remains in good standing with the former president, though unable to wield that influence to wrangle the more unruly members of his caucus. Gaetz and his fellow holdouts have killed McCarthy&#8217;s effort to buy time for negotiations with a stopgap spending measure.
While the House hardliners have failed to tank McCarthy’s credibility with the base, the shutdown push may not prove detrimental for the hardliners either. Most Republicans say that a government shutdown would not have a direct impact on them. According to the Partnership for Public Service, 46% of Republicans <a href="https://www.axios.com/2023/09/22/americans-government-shutdown-2023-causes">say</a> that a government shutdown would personally affect them. A majority of Americans, 68%, say the threat of a shutdown hurts their faith in government, however.
Gaetz appeared on Fox News over the weekend to defend his stonewall of McCarthy in a combative <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SA7kMtWBIXI">interview</a> with “Sunday Morning Futures” host Maria Bartiromo. Gaetz accused McCarthy of delivering nothing more than performative “wins” for conservatives and said the Republican leader needed to be held accountable to win concrete victories.
“We can set up committees and have hearings and yell at people, but at the end of the day if we still send the check to fund a weaponized government, having a weaponization subcommittee is little relief to the American people,” Gaetz said.

Kevin McCarthy

Amid Shutdown Showdown, McCarthy Remains Popular With Conservative Base

Congress

Matt Gaetz

Washington D.C.

<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/fox-news">Fox News</a> host Maria Bartiromo grilled Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) during a contentious interview on Sunday, saying that he was allowing his &#8220;personal vendetta&#8221; against House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) take him to the point where his opposition to a short-term spending bill to avoid a shutdown was actually helping Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-NY) and the Democratic Party.
The clash happened on Fox News&#8217; &#8220;Sunday Morning Futures,&#8221; during a segment in which Bartiromo accused Gaetz of threatening to &#8220;blow up all of the wins&#8221; that Republicans have had so far while in the majority in the House.
&#8220;Are you not right now indirectly working with Democrats?&#8221; Bartiromo asked. &#8220;Because you are going to allow Chuck Schumer to come up with a continuing resolution next week to fund the government. That&#8217;s what your actions are doing. That&#8217;s why some people feel this is a personal vendetta you have against the speaker.&#8221;
&#8220;No, my vendetta is against a Washington system that allows corruption to put the interests of lobbyists and PACs above the interests of the American people,&#8221; Gaetz said, claiming that McCarthy &#8220;facilitates that system.&#8221;
&#8220;I&#8217;m not working with Chuck Schumer, any other Democrat, I am the one working with House conservatives to require single subject spending bills,&#8221; he added.
When Bartiromo said told Gaetz that he was &#8220;enabling&#8221; Schumer and the Democrats, Gaetz fired back: &#8220;No, no, no. You guys criticize me for forcing single subject spending bills, then you give Kevin McCarthy the credit for doing it. The reality is, this is the only way to liberate ourselves from a bad system.&#8221;
Bartiromo said that she actually agreed with some of the specific things that Gaetz wanted to do but did not agree with his methods and brinkmanship.
Gaetz said that he was effectively putting a &#8220;political gun&#8221; to McCarthy&#8217;s &#8220;head&#8221; and that he would continue to do so.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
<a href="https://twitter.com/RepMattGaetz?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RepMattGaetz</a> to <a href="https://twitter.com/MariaBartiromo?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MariaBartiromo</a> this morning responds to criticisms he is working with Democrats:
&quot;You guys criticize me for forcing single subject spending bills. Then you give McCarthy the credit for doing it. The reality is this is the only way to liberate ourselves&quot; <a href="https://t.co/SnL5KU732m">pic.twitter.com/SnL5KU732m</a>
&mdash; SundayMorningFutures (@SundayFutures) <a href="https://twitter.com/SundayFutures/status/1706005755382386985?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 24, 2023</a></blockquote>
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Sunday Morning Futures

Bartiromo Grills Gaetz Over ‘Personal Vendetta’ Against Speaker McCarthy: You’re Enabling Chuck Schumer

Chuck Schumer

Maria Bartiromo

Media

U.S.

A Republican ally of Speaker <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/kevin-mccarthy" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kevin McCarthy</a> (R-CA) said he has prepared a no-confidence vote to end the &#8220;games&#8221; threatening the leader of the House.
Rep. Garret Graves (R-LA) <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/09/23/politics/garret-graves-oust-mccarthy-vote/index.html">told CNN</a> that he &#8220;perhaps&#8221; will bring forward his &#8220;motion to vacate&#8221; this week, a move that would dare McCarthy&#8217;s GOP detractors to vote on removing him from the speakership.
&#8220;I drafted a motion to vacate for the speaker,&#8221; Graves said, adding, &#8220;I’ve got it sitting on my desk right now.&#8221;
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McCarthy’s top ally told me he has drafted a motion to oust him from the speakership simply to have a vote on it and get it off the table so critics will stop dangling it. “Get your little games over with,” he said. <a href="https://t.co/aNxPznIi59">https://t.co/aNxPznIi59</a>
MORE at 11amET on <a href="https://twitter.com/InsidePolitics?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@insidepolitics</a> <a href="https://t.co/9L2hepzW3G">pic.twitter.com/9L2hepzW3G</a>
&mdash; Manu Raju (@mkraju) <a href="https://twitter.com/mkraju/status/1705926752218861577?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 24, 2023</a></blockquote>
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The congressman added, &#8220;And I said, ‘Look, if you’re going to keep hanging this over (his) head and playing these games, let’s just do it now, let’s get it over with. Get your little games over with and then we’ll get back to the things that actually matter.’”
As Congress grapples with a battle on spending for federal agencies, which could result in a government shutdown at the end of the month if a deal is not reached, there has been some talk of challenging McCarthy&#8217;s role as speaker.
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Rep. <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/matt-gaetz">Matt Gaetz</a> (R-FL) has <a href="https://twitter.com/RepMattGaetz/status/1705056966723162295">said</a> McCarthy could face a motion to vacate if he does not adhere to a &#8220;deal&#8221; made in January that allowed him to become speaker after 15 rounds of voting. The terms, according to Gaetz, included commitments on spending, term limits, and releasing the January 6 tapes.
Graves <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/house-aims-to-regroup-as-spending-defeats-pile-up">criticized</a> GOP hardliners who have opposed a short-term spending measure to allow lawmakers more time to complete the appropriations process for the upcoming fiscal year.
&#8220;They’ve sort of created this quandary that we’re in right now, and it’s something that we have been trying to avoid now for months,&#8221; Graves also reportedly accused these members of going into &#8220;partnership&#8221; with Democrats to further their &#8220;personal agendas.&#8221;
Under the House rules package approved for this session of Congress, only a single member is needed to trigger <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/motion-vacate-key-sticking-point-gop-speaker-battle/story?id=96241364">the process</a> that could lead to a no-confidence vote in the speaker. For such a vote to succeed, a simple majority is required, meaning Democrats could join with a few disaffected Republicans to secure McCarthy&#8217;s ouster.
McCarthy <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/mccarthy-responds-to-threats-to-oust-him-as-speaker">said</a> last week that the &#8220;threats don&#8217;t matter&#8221; and vowed &#8220;to continue just to focus on what&#8217;s the right thing to do for the American people.&#8221;

Rep. Garret Graves And Speaker Kevin McCarthy

McCarthy Ally Preps No-Confidence Vote To Get ‘Games Over With’

McCarthy Ally Preps No-Confidence Vote To Get 'Games Over With'

House Speaker

Politics

U.S. House of Representatives

House Speaker <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/kevin-mccarthy" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kevin McCarthy</a> (R-CA) signaled on Thursday that he is ready to take on any effort to remove him as speaker brought by members of his own party.
The &#8220;threats don&#8217;t matter,&#8221; McCarthy insisted during a news conference when a reporter asked him to share his <a href="https://www.meidastouch.com/news/file-the-f-king-motion-mccarthy-explodes-at-colleagues-over-attempt-to-remove-him-as-speaker">message to GOP colleagues</a> during a closed-door meeting about the challenge to his leadership. &#8220;Sometimes people do those things because of personal things, and that&#8217;s all fine,&#8221; he said.
&#8220;Most people get to speaker on the first round — [it] took me 15,&#8221; McCarthy added. &#8220;I&#8217;m a little Irish, okay? I don&#8217;t walk away from a battle. I knew changing Washington would not be easy. I knew people would fight or try to hold leverage for other things. I&#8217;m going to continue just to focus on what&#8217;s the right thing to do for the American people. And you know what? If it takes a fight, I’ll have a fight.&#8221;
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Speaker Kevin McCarthy is asked what his message is to members who have threatened to try to oust him after a testy House GOP meeting:
“Sometimes people do those things because of personal things … I don’t walk away from a battle … If it takes a fight, I’ll have a fight.” <a href="https://t.co/347fOUBpHg">pic.twitter.com/347fOUBpHg</a>
&mdash; The Recount (@therecount) <a href="https://twitter.com/therecount/status/1702331915167228258?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 14, 2023</a></blockquote>
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A member of McCarthy&#8217;s conference, Rep. <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/matt-gaetz">Matt Gaetz</a> (R-FL), warned this week that McCarthy would face a “motion to vacate” that could pave the way to a no-confidence vote to remove him as speaker without a change in direction.
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Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL): &quot;Mr. Speaker you are out of compliance with agreement that allowed you to assume this role. The path forward for the House of Representatives is to either bring you into immediate total compliance, or remove you pursuant to a motion to vacate the chair.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/TXcrrsRuiF">pic.twitter.com/TXcrrsRuiF</a>
&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1701643335520137372?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 12, 2023</a></blockquote>
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Gaetz claimed McCarthy is <a href="https://www.c-span.org/video/?c5083762/rep-matt-gaetz-warns-speaker-mccarthy-out-compliance-calls-impeachment-inquiry-baby-step">&#8220;out of compliance&#8221;</a> with a deal struck in January that allowed him to become speaker after 15 rounds of voting, <a href="https://twitter.com/kylenabecker/status/1701656325376127419">citing</a> a lack of action on reining in spending, balancing the budget, releasing the January 6 tapes, term limits, and sending out subpoenas to members of President <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/joe-biden">Joe Biden</a>&#8216;s family.
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A formal <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/impeachment">impeachment</a> inquiry into Biden over allegations of corruption, which McCarthy <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/mccarthy-announces-formal-impeachment-inquiry-against-biden">announced</a> on Tuesday, was only a <a href="https://twitter.com/townhallcom/status/1701634505709129790">&#8220;baby step,&#8221;</a> Gaetz argued. The Florida Republican also conceded votes on his priority issues may not go his way but still wants them on the record so the American people can see the tallies.
Under the House rules package approved for this session of Congress, only a single member is needed to trigger <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/motion-vacate-key-sticking-point-gop-speaker-battle/story?id=96241364">the process</a> that could lead to a no-confidence vote in the speaker. For such a vote to succeed, a simple majority is required, meaning Democrats could join with a few disaffected Republicans to secure McCarthy&#8217;s ouster. At least one other Republican, Rep. Eli Crane (R-AZ), has said he <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/house/4203244-gop-threats-to-mccarthy-come-into-sharper-focus/">would be &#8220;willing to entertain</a>&#8221; the effort to remove McCarthy.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) criticized House Republicans on Thursday for what he said was their <a href="https://twitter.com/therecount/status/1702343072380502175">&#8220;three-ring circus&#8221;</a> that involves the prospect of a government shutdown at the end of September, impeachment, and forcing a &#8220;right-wing ideology&#8221; on the American people.

Speaker Kevin McCarthy

McCarthy Responds To Threats To Oust Him As Speaker

Florida Republican Congressman Matt Gaetz is calling for accountability from the Pentagon following a string of coups in Africa by mutinous soldiers that had previously been trained or funded by the United States. 
In an <a href="https://theintercept.com/2023/08/30/coup-leaders-us-military-training-matt-gaetz/?utm_campaign=theintercept&amp;utm_source=twitter&amp;utm_medium=social" target="_blank" rel="noopener">interview</a> with The Intercept, Gaetz said his proposed amendment to the 2024 national defense spending bill would collect data on military members who take part in coups and require the Pentagon to submit that information to Congress. The move comes as African countries have experienced two coups in just two months – <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/article/niger-coup-military-explainer.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Niger</a> in July and <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/military-leaders-declare-coup-in-central-african-nation-vow-to-dissolve-all-institutions-of-the-republic" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Gabon</a> on Wednesday.
“The Department of Defense, up until this point, has not kept data regarding the people they train who participate in coups to overthrow democratically elected — or any — governments,” Gaetz told the outlet. “And that’s why in this National Defense Authorization Act … I have legislation that demands a collection of that data and a report to Congress about those outcomes.”
The House Armed Services Committee has already approved Gaetz’s legislation, but its fate will ultimately be decided after legislators return to the Capitol in September. Under the amendment, the Pentagon would be required to disclose each instance of a U.S. “trained or equipped” person who “subsequently engaged in a coup, insurrection, or action to overthrow a democratically-elected government, or attempted any such action” since January 2000. 
A spokesperson for the United States Africa Command (AFRICOM) told The Intercept in 2022 that they don’t “actively track” people after they receive U.S. training and make no record of how many coups have involved them. 
“If the true desired end state was really to strengthen national borders and national capabilities, we would definitely follow who broke bad,” Gaetz said. “But that isn’t the desired end state. Just being there is the desired end state — which is a betrayal of our national interest.”
The State Department tracks data on U.S. trainees but would not provide any information to the outlet on the number who went on to attempt to overthrow their governments. 
According to data analyzed by The Intercept, 15 military officers who were involved in 12 coups in West Africa and the Sahel region “benefitted from U.S. security assistance” during the War on Terror, including in Burkina Faso, Gambia, Chad, Guinea, Mali, Mauritania, and Niger. Five U.S.-trained coup leaders in Niger ultimately went on to appoint five governors who were also previously trained by the U.S., the outlet reports. 
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“Literally as this story was being published, there was another African coup, led by people the US trained,” Gaetz <a href="https://twitter.com/mattgaetz/status/1696907194099458335" target="_blank" rel="noopener">posted</a> to X on Wednesday, referring to a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/military-leaders-declare-coup-in-central-african-nation-vow-to-dissolve-all-institutions-of-the-republic" target="_blank" rel="noopener">coup in Gabon</a>. “Our Africa Strategy is a hot mess,” he added. In another post, Gaetz said he <a href="https://twitter.com/mattgaetz/status/1696911623481614662" target="_blank" rel="noopener">opposed</a> using “American taxpayer funds for training the people who execute destabilizing coups in Africa.”
Gaetz placed some of the blame on the Biden administration, saying that under Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin’s “<a href="https://twitter.com/RepMattGaetz/status/1696985607199752700" target="_blank" rel="noopener">abysmal tenure</a>,” seven coups have taken place in Africa – all of which, Gaetz says, were “connected to people trained by US Taxpayer funds.” 
“Wanna know where we can cut spending? How about we spend less training people who overthrow elected governments?” the Florida congressman said.

House Judiciary Committee On Oversight Of Department Of Homeland Security – Matt Gaetz

Matt Gaetz Calls For Pentagon Accountability Over U.S.-Trained Coup Leaders

Africa

Pentagon

Representative <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/matt-gaetz" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Matt Gaetz</a> (R-FL) introduced a bill on Tuesday to abolish the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) over concerns it’s using taxpayer dollars to spread “wokeism” abroad.
In a <a href="https://gaetz.house.gov/media/press-releases/congressman-matt-gaetz-introduces-legislation-abolish-united-states-agency" target="_blank" rel="noopener">press release</a>, Gaetz cited a Heritage Foundation <a href="https://www.heritage.org/sites/default/files/2022-05/BG3706.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">report</a> from last year that revealed the agency is using American taxpayer dollars to fund “leftist activism” abroad. Under the legislation, <a href="https://dailycaller.com/2023/08/01/matt-gaetz-legislation-abolish-united-states-agency-international-development-usaid/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">first reported</a> by the Daily Caller, no federal funds would be “made available” to the agency, which would force it to cease carrying out its delegated responsibilities.
“American taxpayer dollars are being wasted to fund radical leftist propaganda in foreign countries,” Gaetz said in the press release. “The American people will not tolerate government-funded degeneracy at home, and we certainly will not accept its force-feeding abroad under Old Glory.”
“USAID does not serve a meaningful purpose,” he added. “It is used as a slush fund for international wokeism. Therefore, serious lawmakers in Congress should support its complete abolition.”
Along with no federal funds going to the agency, the bill would “rescind the unobligated funds made available for the agency and transfer all other assets or liabilities to the Secretary of State,” according to the press release.
The <a href="https://gaetz.house.gov/sites/evo-subsites/gaetz.house.gov/files/evo-media-document/usaid.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">bill</a>, co-sponsored by Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), Andy Biggs (R-AZ), Eli Crane (R-AZ), and Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL), cites numerous examples of USAID pushing “leftist ideology.” It accuses the agency of “meddl[ing] in local elections” and says it “undermine[s] foreign governments who do not adhere to the perverse ideology [USAID] espouses.” 
The agency has also used tax dollars to provide grants to various leftist causes, including $850,000 that went toward “the rights of gender diverse people” in Bangladesh, a $1 million grant for ‘‘LGBTI human rights advocacy in Asia,’’ and a $370,000 grant for ‘‘the human rights of LGBTI people in Armenian society,” according to the legislation. 
“The United States, in dealings with allies and adversaries, should engage in diplomacy and international relations that do not undermine the culture or tradition of other nations and peoples, but instead seek to develop working and friendly relationships relative to the interests of both parties with United States citizens chiefly in mind,” the bill reads.
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In April, it was revealed that USAID planned to contribute up to $50 million to promote “digital gender equality” in Africa and around the world in partnership with the Bill &amp; Melinda Gates Foundation, The Daily Wire previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/u-s-and-bill-gates-partner-to-provide-millions-for-digital-gender-equality-in-africa" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>.
The Heritage Foundation report <a href="https://www.heritage.org/global-politics/report/congress-must-stop-bidens-misuse-us-foreign-aid-impose-his-radical-social" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> the Biden administration &#8220;weaponizes&#8221; foreign aid by funding and promoting &#8220;climate alarmism,&#8221; gender ideology, and abortion.
In a <a href="https://twitter.com/mattgaetz/status/1686395040136839168" target="_blank" rel="noopener">post</a> to X on Tuesday, Gaetz touted the bill as a “way to cut spending.”
USAID is an independent federal agency and is the “world&#8217;s premier international development agency” working to advance American national security, promote global health, provide humanitarian assistance, and “support global stability,&#8221; according to its <a href="https://www.usaid.gov/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">website</a>. It was <a href="https://www.usaid.gov/about-us/usaid-history#:~:text=In%201961%2C%20President%20Kennedy%20signed,the%20%E2%80%9Cdecade%20of%20development.%E2%80%9D" target="_blank" rel="noopener">founded</a> in 1961 by an executive order signed by President John F. Kennedy.

Matt Gaetz Introduces Bill To Abolish USAID For Pushing ‘Radical Leftist Propaganda’ Abroad

Leftism

USAID

There was a big hearing on Capitol Hill about UFOs.
The whole idea that there are aliens out there who have visited Earth is nonsensical.
We all know there are no aliens on planet Earth, other than perhaps Bernie Sanders.
I have a question: Do you recall when Donald Trump was president of the United States, he said a lot of stuff? And do you think that if Donald Trump actively knew there were aliens and UFOs in the possession of the United States government, he wouldn&#8217;t have tweeted that within seconds?
Another question: Do you think the government is this amazing at secrecy—and has been for 70 years? Or maybe, is it that they&#8217;re hiding other stuff, such as their own military incompetence or the fact spacecraft or aircraft are out there from other countries that they don&#8217;t know about?
<h4><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/ep-1775-the-hunter-biden-sweetheart-deal-falls-apart-member-exclusive">WATCH: The Ben Shapiro Show</a></h4>
All of this is a great opportunity for members of Congress to grandstand. I understand that they all want to play the lead in the next Tom Cruise sci-fi movie, but they have nothing. 
The evidence that&#8217;s been provided so far amounts to people witnessing things they can&#8217;t explain with their own eyes, which is roughly half the things that happen on a daily basis for many people.
So many people have seen Bigfoot, yet nobody seems to have a really credible, good view of Bigfoot that they can show. So many people have claimed to have seen UFOs. We live on a planet where everyone has a cell phone and you&#8217;re telling me that no one has yet to take credible images of any of this? 
Many government actors simply use issues like this to avoid their day job. It’s a great way of not having to legislate or investigate things that actually have consequences for the American people.
One of the witnesses, a retired major, said he has evidence that non-human bodies were discovered at a crash site. He must have finally found those <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ynU-wVdesr0" target="_blank" rel="noopener">burned Barbie dolls</a> that we used the other day.
You either believe this stuff or you don&#8217;t. I don&#8217;t believe it. I don&#8217;t see the evidence for it.
And I think it is all a giant waste of time.
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BSS_UFOS

Politicians Waste Time Talking About UFOs, Proving There Is No Intelligent Life In Congress

Ben Shapiro

House Oversight Committee

Readers Pass

A <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/u-s-house-of-representatives">House</a> lawmaker spoke on Wednesday about military pilots witnessing a high-flying unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) that appeared to transcend &#8220;human capability.&#8221;
During a <a href="https://oversight.house.gov/hearing/unidentified-anomalous-phenomena-implications-on-national-security-public-safety-and-government-transparency/">House subcommittee hearing</a> on the &#8220;implications&#8221; UAPs have on national security, public safety, and government transparency, Rep. <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/matt-gaetz">Matt Gaetz</a> (R-FL) opened up about <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/u-s-lawmaker-ive-seen-evidence-of-ufo-craft">a trip he took</a> to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/florida">Florida</a>&#8216;s Eglin Air Force Base in February.
Acting upon a protected disclosure from the base &#8220;indicating that there was a UAP incident that required my attention,&#8221; Gaetz sought a briefing along with Reps. Tim Burchett (R-TN) and Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL), who have taken the lead in Congress investigating <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/ufo">UFOs</a>, the congressman said.
Gaetz said they asked to see any evidence that may have been gathered, observe radar information, and to speak with the flight crew involved in the sighting, but the congressional trio&#8217;s inquiries were met with resistance.
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💥💥💥💥💥🛸 &quot;The image was of something that I am not able to attach to any human capability, either from the United States or from any of our adversaries.&quot; &#8211; Matt Gaetz
Rep. Matt Gaetz talks about a UFO photo he saw from a UFO incident from Eglin Air Force Base. Matt Gaetz was… <a href="https://t.co/iVRddu9Ead">pic.twitter.com/iVRddu9Ead</a>
&mdash; Mike Colangelo (@MikeColangelo) <a href="https://twitter.com/MikeColangelo/status/1684242746490466335?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 26, 2023</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;Thereafter, we had a bit of a discussion about how authorities flow in the United States of America,&#8221; Gaetz said. &#8220;And we did see the image and we did meet with one member of the flight crew who took the image.&#8221;
What he saw in the image, Gaetz said, he is &#8220;not able to attach to any human capability, either from the United States or from any of our adversaries.&#8221; He underscored that point by noting he sits on the <a href="https://gaetz.house.gov/about/committees-and-caucuses">House Armed Services Committee</a> and has oversight of advanced technologies programs.
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The flight crew member offered an explanation of what happened the day the incident took place, as described by Gaetz during the hearing:
<blockquote>They were out on a test mission that day over the Gulf of Mexico and when you&#8217;re on a test mission, you&#8217;re supposed to have clear airspace, not supposed to be anything that shows up. And they saw a sequence of four craft in a clear diamond formation for which there is a radar sequence that I and I alone have observed in the United States Congress.
One of the pilots goes to check out that diamond formation and sees a large floating, what I can only describe as an orb, again, like I said, not of any human capability that I&#8217;m aware of. And when he approached, he said that his radar went down, he said that his FLIR system malfunctioned, and that he had to manually take this image from one of the lenses and it was not automatic, automated in collection as you would typically see in a test mission.</blockquote>
The 96th Test Wing at Eglin Air Force Base previously gave <a href="https://midbaynews.com/post/members-of-congress-lambast-eglin-general-over-ufo-information">Mid Bay News</a> a statement with the Pentagon&#8217;s version of events about what happened during the visit by lawmakers, but it did not get into any detail about what Gaetz was reportedly shown.
“Eglin Air Force Base supported a visit from Representatives Gaetz, Burchett, and Luna on Feb 21. Air Force officials provided a classified briefing on intelligence collection threats to Eglin Air Force Base during their visit,&#8221; the statement said.
&#8220;The Congressmembers halted the briefing and requested instead a briefing focused on Unidentified Aerial Phenomena,&#8221; the statement added. &#8220;Base officials responded to present additional available classified information on UAPs to all three members but were only able to discuss a certain portion of the information with Representative Gaetz, a member of the House Armed Services Committee. Representatives Burchett and Luna, not being members of a congressional defense committee, did not possess the access required to join the portion of the discussion reserved for Representative Gaetz.&#8221;
In addressing the two former Navy pilots appearing as witnesses at the hearing on Wednesday who have already come forward with claims about mysterious flying objects that appear to defy the laws of physics, Gaetz got retired Cmdr. David Fravor to testify how the <a href="https://www.newsnationnow.com/space/ufo/tic-tac-ufo-incident-2004-never-investigated/">&#8220;Tic Tac&#8221; incident</a> during a 2004 training mission with the USS Nimitz appeared to similarly mess with <a href="https://oversight.house.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/David-Fravor-Statement-for-House-Oversight-Committee.pdf">radar detection capabilities</a>.
Ryan Graves, who is now executive director of Americans for Safe Aerospace, talked about the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QKHg-vnTFsM">&#8220;Gimbal&#8221; video</a> recorded by his former squadron. “The recording on the ATFLIR system shows a single object that rotates,” <a href="https://www.pnj.com/story/news/politics/2023/07/26/matt-gaetz-investigated-ufo-incident-near-eglin-air-force-base/70470761007/">Graves said</a>. “You hear the pilots referred to a fleet of objects that is not visible on the FLIR system.”
Building upon another point by Graves, that he feels &#8220;anger&#8221; that pilots face so many hurdles in trying to report such incidents, Gaetz said he was told that &#8220;if you have a UAP experience, the best thing you can do for your career is forget it and not tell anyone because any type of reporting either above the surface or below &#8230; does have a perceived consequence to these people.&#8221;
&#8220;That is a culture we must change. If we want to get to the truth,&#8221; Gaetz said, before making two recommendations geared toward transparency. One was getting <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/live-the-daily-wire-election-night-2022">intelligence veteran David Grusch</a>, the third witness at Wednesday&#8217;s hearing who has gone public with allegations about crafts of non-human origin being retrieved and kept from Congress, to talk to lawmakers in a sensitive compartmented information facility, also known as a SCIF, to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/whistleblower-testifies-he-knows-exact-locations-of-ufos">provide more complete answers than he was able to give publicly</a>.
&#8220;Second, I would suggest that the radar images that were collected of this formation of craft out of Eglin Air Force Base and specifically the actual image taken by the actual flight crew that we can actually validate be provided to the committee — subpoenaed if necessary,&#8221; Gaetz said. &#8220;So that we&#8217;re able to track how to get this type of reporting and analysis done in a more fulsome way.&#8221;

Congressman Matt Gaetz Opens Up About UAP Beyond ‘Human Capability’

Matt Gaetz Opens Up About UAP Beyond 'Human Capability'

Florida

Military

National Security

One Republican in <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/congress">Congress</a> proposed stopping the flow of money to special counsel Jack Smith to rein in his federal investigation into former President <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a>.
After Trump announced on Tuesday that he received <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-expects-to-be-arrested-indicted-by-special-counsel-jack-smith-in-2020-election-case">a &#8220;target letter&#8221;</a> in the 2020 election portion of the inquiry, Rep. <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/matt-gaetz">Matt Gaetz</a> (R-FL) said that he was planning to introduce legislation to defund the endeavor.
&#8220;I will be introducing legislation to DEFUND Jack Smith’s witch hunt against President Trump,&#8221; Gaetz said in a tweet. &#8220;They are attacking our democracy and engaging in election interference right now. The United States Congress has the capability to stop this election interference, and we must act immediately!&#8221;
In a video he shared in the tweet, Gaetz said he would introduce the legislation as a &#8220;free-standing bill&#8221; that would not have to wait for the appropriations process.
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BREAKING: I will be introducing legislation to DEFUND Jack Smith’s witch hunt against President Trump.
They are attacking our democracy and engaging in election interference right now.
The United States Congress has the capability to stop this election interference, and we must… <a href="https://t.co/g8ZAc4PAyb">pic.twitter.com/g8ZAc4PAyb</a>
&mdash; Rep. Matt Gaetz (@RepMattGaetz) <a href="https://twitter.com/RepMattGaetz/status/1681364558143791104?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 18, 2023</a></blockquote>
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Such legislation might gain steam in the GOP-led House, where Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) raised concerns about the prospect of unequal justice at a time when Trump is running for another term in the White House.
&#8220;If you notice recently, President Trump went up in the polls and was actually surpassing President [Joe] Biden for re-election, so what do they do now? Weaponize government to go after their No. 1 opponent,&#8221; McCarthy <a href="https://twitter.com/SpeakerMcCarthy/status/1681329267768999936">said</a>.
Still, the bill would face long odds in the Senate, which is controlled by Democrats, and opposition from the White House. Gaetz himself acknowledged this challenge in his video, saying he was &#8220;under no illusions about Joe Biden signing such a legislative device into law. I know that [Senate Majority Leader] Chuck Schumer would never bring such a thing up [for a vote], but you deserve to know where your members of Congress are counted. Will they co-sponsor my legislation? I certainly hope they will.&#8221;
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The Department of Justice <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/millions-more-spent-on-trump-investigations-than-on-biden-document-probe-records-show">disclosed</a> earlier this month <a href="https://www.justice.gov/d9/2023-07/Special%20Counsel%27s%20Office%20of%20John%20L.%20Smith%20-%20Statement%20of%20Expenditures%20-%20November%2018%202022%20to%20March%2031%202023_FINAL_7.5.23%20v1.pdf">over $9 million</a> in taxpayer money spent on Smith&#8217;s investigation from when he was appointed special counsel in November through March, an amount <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2023/07/07/special-counsel-spending-trump-probes.html">that rose above</a> reported expenditures on John Durham&#8217;s years-long special counsel investigation into the Russia matter and Robert Hur&#8217;s special counsel inquiry into Biden&#8217;s handling of classified documents.
Smith was tasked with spearheading inquiries into Trump&#8217;s alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election results through the January 6, 2021, certification of the Electoral College vote, as well as his handling of sensitive documents after leaving office. Trump, who has already pleaded not guilty to 37 charges in the documents case, signaled on Tuesday that another indictment and arrest may soon follow.
“Deranged Jack Smith, the prosecutor with Joe Biden’s DOJ, sent a letter (again, it was Sunday night!) stating that I am a TARGET of the January 6th Grand Jury investigation, and giving me a very short 4 days to report to the Grand Jury, which almost always means an Arrest and Indictment,” Trump said in a statement posted to his Truth Social account.
Trump has also pleaded not guilty to charges in Manhattan tied to an alleged “hush money” scheme, and may yet be indicted in a 2020 election inquiry being conducted in <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/new-georgia-grand-jury-sworn-in-to-consider-criminal-charges-against-trump">Fulton County, Georgia</a>. Trump altogether denies any wronging and claims he is the target of a &#8220;witch hunt.&#8221;

Matt Gaetz Proposes Bill To Defund Jack Smith’s Investigation Into Trump

Matt Gaetz Proposes Bill To Defund Jack Smith's Investigation Into Trump

Department of Justice

Donald Trump

Four Republican House lawmakers responded forcefully on Friday to a reporter who asked how transgender surgeries for members of the U.S. military would affect battle readiness.
The lawmakers gave a press briefing about the annual Defense Department budget, which includes amendments <a href="https://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2023/07/14/republicans-national-defense-authorization-act-pass/3491689355409/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">blocking</a> the military for paying for abortion-related expenses as well as transgender hormone treatments and surgeries.
The House narrowly <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/house-moves-to-block-funding-for-abortion-travel-as-lawmakers-prepare-to-vote-on-military-spending">passed</a> the defense budget on Friday.
&#8220;Can you elaborate a little bit on how transgender reassignment surgery might impede battlefield readiness?&#8221; a reporter asked.
Rep. Scott Perry (R-PA), a combat veteran and retired Army brigadier general, responded that the military is about the &#8220;needs of the nation&#8221; over the desires of individuals.
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A reporter asks members of the House Freedom Caucus:
&quot;Can you elaborate a little bit on how transgender reassignment surgery might influence battle readiness?&quot;
He was NOT READY for <a href="https://twitter.com/RepScottPerry?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RepScottPerry</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/RepMattGaetz?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RepMattGaetz</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/RepRalphNorman?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RepRalphNorman</a>, and <a href="https://twitter.com/RepRonnyJackson?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RepRonnyJackson</a> to spend 3 ENTIRE MINUTES… <a href="https://t.co/J71EZvktDi">pic.twitter.com/J71EZvktDi</a>
&mdash; Townhall.com (@townhallcom) <a href="https://twitter.com/townhallcom/status/1679849411222831104?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 14, 2023</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;There are many people who want to serve in many capacities who are unable to. If you&#8217;re allergic to bee stings, if you have Type 1 diabetes, though you might want to serve, you cannot. If you want to fly an F-16 but can&#8217;t correct your vision appropriately, you cannot fly an F-16 or anything else,&#8221; Perry said. &#8220;What the military is about is what the needs of the nation are from a national security standpoint. When they marry up with your desires, that&#8217;s an awesome and great circumstance, but when they don&#8217;t, the needs of the nation come first.&#8221;
&#8220;You have to look at it as, &#8216;How does this enhance readiness and lethality?'&#8221; Perry added. &#8220;If it does not enhance readiness and lethality, it does not belong.&#8221;
Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) then took the podium and said that for every dollar the military spends on transgender surgeries, it has to spend four more dollars on the psychological care that accompanies the surgeries.
&#8220;So why we would engage in an activity that causes an even accelerated cost structure around psych is very strange to me, and I&#8217;m very grateful we got amendments to stop paying for those surgeries,&#8221; Gaetz said.
Gaetz said transgender medical treatments were also pulling money from the Exceptional Family Member Program, which he said was supposed to be for military family members with a &#8220;unique heart ailment&#8221; or other serious issues.
&#8220;That pot of money was getting robbed for people to go get gender blockers and embrace radical gender theory,&#8221; Gaetz said.
Rep. Ralph Norman (R-SC) responded as well.
&#8220;The Left is perfectly willing to take that child of a military veteran who has Down syndrome, who has chronic illnesses, they&#8217;re perfectly willing to assign [those] dollars to transgender surgery,&#8221;  Norman said.
Norman added that he thinks a trans-identifying person should not be on a battlefield in the first place.
&#8220;I&#8217;m sorry, first of all, you don&#8217;t want people in a battlefield who are trying to decide if they&#8217;re a man or a woman,&#8221; Norman said. &#8220;Decide that before you go in.&#8221;
Rep. Ronny Jackson (R-TX), a 25-year Navy physician who served in the White House, said the military in general does not pay for elective procedures, and gender surgeries and hormone treatments &#8220;clearly fit into that category.&#8221;
Jackson added that between hormone treatments and surgeries, medical gender transitions can take over a year.
&#8220;During this entire time, these individuals are not deployable, so someone else is going to do a second deployment in their place during this process. That&#8217;s not fair to the other members of the military,&#8221; Jackson said.
The defense budget now goes to the Democrat-controlled Senate, which is working on its own version of the budget.

House Lawmakers Continue Debate On The National Defense Authorization Act

GOP Lawmakers Smack Down Reporter Asking About Transgender Surgery And Battle Readiness

Gender

Lauren Boebert

Transgender

U.S. Military

FBI Director <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/christopher-wray" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Christopher Wray</a> denied that his agency is protecting President <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/joe-biden" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Joe Biden</a> or the Biden family on Wednesday.
Rep. <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/matt-gaetz" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Matt Gaetz</a> (R-FL) pushed the director on the FBI’s behavior toward the Bidens during a House Judiciary Committee hearing. The hearing was the first time Wray testified on the Hill since Republicans took control of the House.
Gaetz began his time for questioning by asking Wray about a WhatsApp message Hunter Biden allegedly sent to CEFC China Energy executive Henry Zhao in 2017. The message invoked Biden’s father, then the former vice president of the U.S., in an apparent attempt to pressure Zhao into making a financial payment.
“I am sitting here with my father and we would like to understand why the commitment made has not been fulfilled. Tell the director that I would like to resolve this now before it gets out of hand, and now means tonight,” Biden allegedly wrote. “And, Z, if I get a call or text from anyone involved in this other than you, Zhang, or the chairman, I will make certain that between the man sitting next to me and every person he knows and my ability to forever hold a grudge that you will regret not following my direction. I am sitting here waiting for the call with my father.”
After reading part of the message, Gaetz asked, “Sounds like a shakedown, doesn’t it, director?”
Wray declined to comment.
“You seem deeply uncurious about it, don’t you? Almost suspiciously uncurious. Are you protecting the Bidens?” Gaetz pressed.
Wray appeared offended at the question. “Absolutely not. The FBI has no interest in protecting anyone politically,” he responded.
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Rep. Matt Gaetz reads out Hunter Biden text: &quot;I am sitting here waiting for the call with my father. Sounds like a shakedown, doesn&#39;t it Director?&quot;
FBI Director Way: &quot;I&#39;m not going to get into comment about that.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/SkJQDR6VGd">pic.twitter.com/SkJQDR6VGd</a>
&mdash; ForAmerica (@ForAmerica) <a href="https://twitter.com/ForAmerica/status/1679144863990677505?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 12, 2023</a></blockquote>
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The 2017 WhatsApp message was revealed by IRS whistleblower Gary Shapley, who served as IRS supervisory agent on the agency’s investigation into Hunter’s tax affairs, in testimony to Congress. In his testimony, Shapley alleged strange coincidences, decisions, and misconduct by the Department of Justice during the investigation. The anomalies seemed to always cut in the Bidens’ favor, he said.
A whistleblower has alleged that the Biden family had a mole inside the FBI they referred to as &#8220;One Eye&#8221; who tipped them off on the status of investigations and gathered information Hunter Biden could use as leverage in international deals. Gal Luft, a former Israel Defense Forces lieutenant colonel, told the the House Oversight Committee about the alleged mole earlier this year and said he informed the Department of Justice and FBI of the matter in 2019. The DOJ announced Monday that Luft, who is on the run, has <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/comer-mocks-missing-witness-indictment-amazing-how-quickly-doj-moved" target="_blank" rel="noopener">been indicted</a> on various federal charges.

Christopher Wray

‘Absolutely Not’: FBI Director Wray Denies Agency Protecting Biden Family

Joe Biden

In a heated exchange on Wednesday, Rep. <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/matt-gaetz" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Matt Gaetz</a> (R-FL) tore into Special Counsel <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/john-durham" target="_blank" rel="noopener">John Durham</a>, going as far as to suggest the prosecutor was engaging in a &#8220;cover-up&#8221; of the Russia investigation.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/john-durham-fires-back-at-dem-questioning-his-reputation" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Durham was appearing</a> before the House Judiciary Committee <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/john-durham-says-fbi-agents-apologized-to-him-for-trump-probe" target="_blank" rel="noopener">to testify</a> about his report, which heavily criticized the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/fbi" target="_blank" rel="noopener">FBI</a>&#8216;s probe into <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/durham-appears-to-squeeze-schiff-zinger-into-trump-russia-probe-testimony" target="_blank" rel="noopener">alleged links</a> between Donald Trump&#8217;s 2016 presidential campaign and Russia.
When Gaetz was called to question the witness, the congressman focused on areas of great interest to Republicans that Durham&#8217;s years-long inquiry apparently failed to resolve.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
.<a href="https://twitter.com/RepMattGaetz?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RepMattGaetz</a> accuses former Special Counsel John Durham as being part of a &quot;cover-up&quot; regarding the FBI&#39;s investigation. Mr. Durham responded, calling the accusation &quot;offensive.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/N6f5UiYO0P">pic.twitter.com/N6f5UiYO0P</a>
&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1671600183409520640?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 21, 2023</a></blockquote>
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Gaetz inquired about Joseph Mifsud, a mysterious professor whose <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/04/18/us/politics/mueller-report-document.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">alleged talk of Russia having &#8220;dirt&#8221;</a> on Trump&#8217;s 2016 rival Hillary Clinton to Trump campaign adviser George Papadopolous kicked off a series of events that led to the FBI&#8217;s investigation, codenamed Crossfire Hurricane. Special counsel Robert Mueller said Mifsud was a London-based professor with &#8220;connections to Russia,&#8221; but some GOP investigators <a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/devin-nunes-clinton-dirt-tipster-joseph-mifsud-has-ties-to-state-department" target="_blank" rel="noopener">suspect him of being tied to Western intelligence</a>.
Durham said his team struggled to track down Mifsud for an interview. Though Durham said he obtained some phones, he noted Mifsud&#8217;s lawyer in Europe claimed to not know where his client was located. &#8220;We pursued the facts as best we could with the tools that we had,&#8221; Durham said.
Gaetz also pressed Durham on phones used by members of Mueller&#8217;s team <a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/top-mueller-prosecutor-andrew-weissmann-denies-mishandling-phone-evidence" target="_blank" rel="noopener">being wiped</a>. Durham said he did not investigate that issue because it was outside his scope, an assertion that Gaetz argued was untrue. Durham was similarly tight-lipped about a reported <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/02/us/politics/fbi-government-investigator-trump.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">government investigator</a> sent by the FBI to make contact with Papadopolous.
&#8220;We get after it was put in motion, the FBI did a bunch of wrong and corrupt things. Totally understand. We&#8217;re trying to deal with that. But when you are part of the cover-up, Mr. Durham, then it makes our job harder,&#8221; Gaetz said.
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&#8220;I mean if that&#8217;s your thought, there&#8217;s no way of dissuading from that,&#8221; Durham replied. &#8220;I can tell you that it&#8217;s offensive and the people who worked on this investigation spent their lives trying to protect the people in this country and pursued within the law to pursue what it is we were authorized to do.&#8221;
The clash continued as Gaetz faulted Durham for not being more zealous in charging people. He specifically name-dropped former FBI Deputy Director <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/andrew-mccabe" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Andrew McCabe</a>, who played a central role in the Russia investigation.
Gaetz also said Kevin Clinesmith, the former FBI lawyer <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/breaking-ex-fbi-lawyer-to-plead-guilty-in-durham-criminal-investigation-for-allegedly-falsifying-evidence" target="_blank" rel="noopener">who pleaded guilty</a> to falsifying a document used to justify FISA surveillance on onetime Trump campaign foreign policy adviser Carter Page, is already back to practicing law in Washington, D.C.
&#8220;The punishment was insufficient,&#8221; Gaetz said.
After making references to the Washington Generals, <a href="https://www.harlemglobetrotters.com/world-tour/roster/washington-generals/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the exhibition basketball team</a> that Gaetz said &#8220;basically gets paid to show up and lose&#8221; to the Harlem Globetrotters, the congressman criticized Durham for the &#8220;omissions&#8221; in his report and the overall &#8220;lack of work&#8221; by the special counsel.
&#8220;And for the people, like the chairman [Jim Jordan], who put trust in you, I think you let them down,&#8221; Gaetz said. &#8220;I think you let the country down. And you are one of the barriers to the true accountability that we need.&#8221;

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