Join us for an insightful dive into America’s ongoing narrative as we approach the nation’s 250th birthday. From Congressman’s insights into the January 6 investigation to the upcoming monumental review of Smithsonian exhibits, we delve into the heart of governance, historical integrity, and cultural renewal. Don’t miss our discussion with Stephen Policastro on the museum’s new initiatives to preserve American history accurately and the vital role of prayer in pivotal moments of American heritage.
SPEAKER 03 :
from the heart of our nation’s capital in Washington, D.C., bringing compelling interviews, insightful analysis, taking you beyond the headlines and soundbites into conversations with our nation’s leaders and newsmakers, all from a biblical worldview. Sitting in for Tony is today’s host, Jody Heiss.
SPEAKER 10 :
Well, good afternoon. Welcome to this edition of Washington Watch. I’m Jody Heiss, a senior fellow here at the Family Research Council. Thrilled to be able to sit in for Tony this month, and we welcome you to this edition of Washington Watch. Coming up today, the fallout continues for the crumbling Russian hoax fable that was peddled by Democrats as well as the legacy media during the 2016 presidential campaign.
SPEAKER 20 :
If for whatever reason, people like Adam Schiff and Clapper and Comey and Christopher Wray, if they get by with what they’ve done and are never held accountable, I think there’s going to be a lot of disappointment among conservatives because we’ve sat back and we’ve watched this happen over the last five to eight years and nothing’s happened. Now the evidence is clear. It’s time to hold people accountable.
SPEAKER 10 :
That was James Comer, the chairman of the Oversight Committee earlier today, commenting on former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, as well as now Senator Adam Schiff and former FBI Director James Comey, and their pivotal roles that they played in the Russian collusion hoax. And speaking of hoaxes, the legacy media has been more than complicit in spreading the propaganda of the Hamas terror group, including probably one of the most recent claims that relocating Palestinians from Gaza violates international law.
SPEAKER 01 :
Some have fallen victim to these lies and have followed them and swallowed hook, line, and sinker. And I’m talking about all these lies of Hamas, statistics of Hamas, false pictures of Hamas. But many Americans have not. Most Americans have not. They recognize that Israel stands for the same values as America. They recognize that we are fighting the barbarians at the gate.
SPEAKER 10 :
Dr. Eugene Kantorovich will join me later to set the record straight.
SPEAKER 21 :
We want the museums to treat our country fairly. We want the museums to talk about the history of our country in a fair manner, not in a woke manner or in a racist manner. Our museums have an obligation to represent what happened in our country over the years, good and bad, but what happened over the years in an accurate way.
SPEAKER 10 :
Well, it’s almost time to break out the birthday candles for America’s 250th birthday next year. So how is the Trump administration preparing to mark that occasion? Well, Americans for Museums founder and director Stephen Policastro will share one way that the Smithsonian museums are preparing. And then Congress will be back on Capitol Hill in just a couple of weeks, and House Republicans are finally getting their chance to lead their own investigation into the events of January 6, 2021. What did the Democrats get wrong when they were investigating all this a couple of years ago? Well, Congressman Barry Loudermilk will be joining me with his thoughts about that. a little bit later in the program. And then to close out today, FRC’s own Mary Zock will join me with her reaction to a very disturbing story coming out of the D.C. Beltway Area High School, where a high school staff allegedly helped facilitate an abortion for a minor without the parent’s notification or awareness. Every concerned parent should want to hear this story. So as always, we’ve got a lot coming your way. If you miss any portion of it, you can always catch it by going to our website, TonyPerkins.com. I also want to encourage you, and again, I’ll talk about this a little bit later, but our PrayVote Stand Summit is going to be taking place in Chino Hills, California on October 17th and 18th. You can get a little bit of a head start now and register or get some more information by going to PrayVoteStand.org. That’s PrayVoteStand.org. All right, let’s jump into the news of the day. The Russian collusion hoax continues to dominate the news cycle. And earlier today, in fact, President Trump fielded a bunch of questions from reporters in the Oval Office, and he just absolutely unloaded on the Obama-era Director of National Intelligence, James Clapper. And all this, of course, is coming after the current Director of National Intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, released a bunch of email traffic that showed Clapper was deeply involved in the hoax at the direction of the Obama White House. There is our tax dollars at work, I suppose some would say. But what reforms, if any, need to be done to make sure this kind of thing doesn’t happen again? And probably more importantly, is anyone going to be held accountable for it? Well, joining me now to discuss this is Congressman Mark Harris. He is a member of the House Judiciary Committee as well as others. He represents the 8th Congressional District of the great state of North Carolina. Congressman Harris, welcome back to Washington Watch. Always great to see you.
SPEAKER 06 :
Cody, it’s great to see you again.
SPEAKER 10 :
All right, so tell me your reaction when you saw the information that the current Director of National Intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, released regarding all this Russia collusion hoax stuff.
SPEAKER 06 :
You know, Jody, we’ve been saying all along what we felt in our gut was the case. If we just had the evidence, if we just had the documentation to really bring it to light. And when you started seeing that these kind of documents were being put out there that we were able to see with our own eyes, it’s very clear that there was a serious, serious plan that was being executed that moved far beyond what would just be normal politics. It was a move to try to undermine an entire presidency. And when you stop and look at the dates and the times and how all of these things came to pass, I don’t think there’s anything we can do but try to continue to put these facts together and then hold these folks accountable. And I think it’s very important. I think the American people are going to expect that we do it. And I mean, all the way to just this week, the documents that are being put out there about Adam Schiff and what was going on with the whistleblower that made it clear what was happening. These are serious allegations. And I think some action is certainly warranted.
SPEAKER 10 :
Yeah, I agree with you, and I was really glad to hear what you just said, that the American people, and you’re right, deserve, but also justice deserves that these people are held accountable. So I think it’s important, and I’m sure Congress will move forward to come up with some reforms to make sure this type of thing never happens again in the future. But what you said has to happen, and I want to— Again, just give you an opportunity to reiterate your belief that it will happen, that somebody’s going to be held accountable for all of this.
SPEAKER 06 :
Well, I think that Chairman Jim Jordan has been a key individual as this information has come forward. And as chairman of the Judiciary Committee, I’ve been hearing from him comments that are very, very much in line with the kind of things that you and I are talking about right now. And so I’m wholly expecting that as we return to Washington and sit down and begin to think what is going to be the best steps to take, that we’re going to try to get to the bottom of this and understand. Because again, when Kash Patel has been able to get these documents out there and we’re able to see them declassified and we’re able to see the facts, look at the dates. I mean, look, when you understand that it was clear to everybody in the intelligence community that Russia was not involved with the Trump campaign, and then for that to just stop on a dime, And it began to be reversed. And all of these things that were put out there and leaked to the media and fed a narrative. And listen, again, as I mentioned earlier, politics has become so nasty. There are all kind of things that get said, all kind of allegations that get made. But when it moves beyond this, this was post the election that these things are taking place. And that is to really do nothing but to undermine the presidency of the United States. And in this particular case, the first term of Donald J. Trump. And I believe that not only is it unethical, not only is it illegal, it is treasonous in many ways. I think when you see the documents that are coming forward of what was actually being done.
SPEAKER 10 :
Well, we’re certainly going to be keeping a look on that. And thank you for being a part of leading the charge to hold people accountable for this and for justice to be served. Let me shift gears somewhat. President Trump fielded questions also today in the Oval Office about the meeting tomorrow in Anchorage, Alaska, with Russian President Vladimir Putin. What do you expect to come out of that meeting?
SPEAKER 06 :
Boy, that’s a great question, Jody. And I think all of us are going to be watching very anxiously to what develops there. I do think it’s going to be a tremendous opportunity for President Trump to demonstrate the skills that he has as a negotiator in chief. But even more than that, I think just his leadership that he has provided, it’s going to provide an opportunity for him to discern if Putin is serious about ending this war. And that’s President Trump’s heart. I mean, he has seen enough. He is recognizing the hundreds of thousands of men and women, innocent people that have been killed and wounded in this battle. And it should have never happened, as he often says. And he is working diligently to try to end it. And so I think that, as he has said, in a matter of minutes, once they get in there, he feels that he’ll be able to discern if Putin is serious about this. And it’s going to be a very, very important moment. And we’re much praying for our president and should be for all of those that will be engaged in these talks tomorrow and that we’ll begin to see some kind of resolution and moving forward.
SPEAKER 10 :
Yeah, those meetings are scheduled to take place at 3.30 Eastern time tomorrow, so just a little bit before the program will begin. So either they will still be meeting and we’ll probably know they’re making some progress, or it’ll be over at 3.45 and we’ll be able to talk about it as the show begins. One last thing real quickly before I let you go, Congressman Harris, the president also talked about the 90th anniversary of Social Security today. Enlighten us a little bit as to how the one big beautiful bill dealt with Social Security and in many regards delivered some victories for seniors.
SPEAKER 06 :
Well, it certainly allowed seniors to be able to get an extra deduction, if you would, that they would be able to have that income preserved. There are a lot of Americans that do depend on their Social Security income to keep them above the poverty level. And I think it’s important that we take care of them. The president wants to make sure that we have Social Security secured for these seniors, as well as for future generations. I think all of us recognize the reality of the challenge that that is going to present. But in this one big, beautiful bill, there was the fulfillment of the promise to make sure that we take care of those that are on Social Security right now and that we be able to give them a break. And so I think that this extra tax credit that they receive is something that is going to be very, very helpful to them going forward.
SPEAKER 10 :
Yeah, and it’s also something you mentioned a while ago. You come back here in a couple of weeks, Congress, House of Representatives, and no doubt that’s going to be an issue to face. I saw where Social Security is going to be insolvent in 2032 or 33, somewhere in that ballpark. That’s an issue that can’t be swept under the rug much longer.
SPEAKER 06 :
That’s right. It’s a serious issue. And we’ve got to bring people together. And to be honest, it has been Republicans that have been serious about getting to some solutions that are going to guarantee that we take care of this generation that is planned for and is dependent on that Social Security. And that we also come up with a plan that’s going to assure that it’s going to be beneficial to those that are in their 20s and 30s now that are just starting and are paying all of these Social Security taxes. So I think it’s going to be important for us to see where this lands, but it’s a problem we can’t keep kicking down the road because the reality is somebody’s going to be holding that ball the day that things go bad.
SPEAKER 10 :
Congressman Mark Harris of North Carolina, always great to see you and a joy always to have you on Washington Watch. Thank you for bringing your expertise to the program this evening. We appreciate it.
SPEAKER 06 :
Jody, it’s great to be with you. Thank you for all you do, my friend.
SPEAKER 10 :
All right, coming up next, what’s happening in Gaza and the attempts to replace the Gazans. We’ll cover it on the other side of the break.
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The family is the oldest, most tested, and most reliable unit of society. It is divinely created and sustained. And yet, there are those who are always tampering with its values and structure. That’s why we need organizations like the Family Research Council that can effectively defend and strengthen the family.
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Family Research Council began over 40 years ago, like all great movements of God, with prayer. Today, rooted in the heart of the nation’s capital, FRC continues to champion faith, family, and freedom in public policy and the culture from a biblical worldview.
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We’re going to take a stand. And again, we don’t retreat. You will never see in front of this building here in Washington, D.C., a white flag flying. We will never step back. We will never surrender. And we will never be silent.
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In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God, and the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen His glory. Family Research Council invites you to join our Stand on the Word Bible reading plan as we reflect upon the life of Jesus, the Word who dwelt among us. Come with us and discover the glory of the Word. Read the Gospels and witness the life-changing story of Jesus, His life, death, and resurrection. Come read how Jesus transformed the lives of common people and how those same people transformed the known world through the power of the Holy Spirit. Come with us for 10 to 15 minutes a day and read the entire New Testament before the new year. Find our Bible reading plan in daily devotionals from Tony Perkins at frc.org slash Bible. Join us and stand on the word.
SPEAKER 10 :
Thank you so much for joining us today. Good afternoon. Welcome back to Washington Watch. I’m Jody Heiss, and an honor to be filling in for Tony this month. All right, yesterday, Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Shireen Haskell landed in South Sudan as part of Israel’s first official delegation to that African nation. And of course, all this is taking place while the war between Israel and Hamas continues to grind on. And Israel is left with a serious dilemma on their hands as to what to do with all the Palestinians who have been displaced by the war. And just think of it. I mean, here’s the only democracy in the Middle East, and they’ve put forth valiant efforts to find a place to relocate these people. And in fact, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu says that talks are underway with several countries. including South Sudan, about relocating them. And you just wonder, why are the Arab nations that are surrounding Israel not volunteering to take in these Palestinians? Well, with me now to discuss this is Professor Eugene Kantorovich. He’s the director of the Center for Middle East and International Law at George Mason University’s Scalia Law School. Professor Kantorovich, welcome back to Washington Watch. Thank you for joining us.
SPEAKER 04 :
Good to be on. Thank you for having me.
SPEAKER 10 :
All right. So one of the first questions that I had when I saw all this was, does international law really prevent the attempt to provide safety for these individuals? So I guess let’s start there. Unpack for us, if you will, what international law allows for regarding the issue of resettlement.
SPEAKER 04 :
So it’s the opposite, actually. International law is being violated by the current status quo when the people of Gaza are trapped by Hamas, by Egypt in their land and not allowed to flee during war. Think about other conflicts in the world. The conflict between Russia and Ukraine. Millions of people have fled Ukraine for elsewhere in Europe. Iraq, millions of people have fled. Syria, Afghanistan. But no one has been allowed to flee Gaza. The entire population has been caged in and trapped by Hamas to basically use as human shields against Israel and to use their suffering as a political weapon against Israel. It’s like an iron curtain, like in the Soviet Union. They’re not allowed to leave. And we know that the people of Gaza, many of them want to leave, even before the war, close to half. of young Gazans in surveys said they want to emigrate. Now it’s much, much more. The problem is they’re not being allowed to. So the question isn’t whether international law allows Israel to offer these people an opportunity voluntarily to flee and seek a better life elsewhere, but rather, how does anyone tolerate this current status quo, which violates international refugee law?
SPEAKER 10 :
Well, I’m really glad to hear that because that was my first. I thought how in the world can, and I’m no expert, obviously, on international law like you, but I was wondering how can international law prevent people from finding safety? So is what you’re saying, Professor, that Israel is handling the situation correctly in your view?
SPEAKER 04 :
Indeed, Israel, I think, maybe not even doing enough to give people an opportunity to flee. And the rules are very simple. Israel cannot force people to leave, but Israel can certainly facilitate leaving by those who wish to. And we know that irregardless of any efforts by Israel, that’s a large portion of the population of Gaza. I think of myself. I fled the Soviet Union. Was that against international law? Did America violate the international law by helping bring over Jews from the Soviet Union? That would be ridiculous. So certainly the people of Gaza are the only people in the world treated this way, and it’s quite clear why. Because nobody actually cares about their dignity. They only want to use them as weapons against Israel.
SPEAKER 10 :
So why are the Arab nations not jumping in to take in these Palestinians?
SPEAKER 04 :
So first of all, the first important point is they have no way out. Hamas shoots them if they try to leave, and Egypt, which has the only border, the only third country with a border, doesn’t let them out. And in the case of Egypt, it’s very obvious, they’ve made it quite clear, because they see the Palestinians crowded into Gaza, suffering, as something that weakens Israel, and they’re on bad terms with Israel. And the other Arab countries also, they look at October 7th, they said, why do we want to bring this terrorism to our country? So a combination of not wanting the terrorism that has accompanied the Palestinian national movement with wanting to continue to destabilize Israel, Israel, and also not really caring about the people in Gaza. But of course, America should do better. America is the single biggest foreign aid donor of Egypt and gives Egypt massive amounts of money, which it really depends on. America should make clear that Egypt cannot get $3 billion a year from the United States and continue to cause this massive problem in Gaza.
SPEAKER 10 :
Good point. As you’re talking about that, why does the international community as a whole not hold Hamas accountable for the people that they are supposed to be governing?
SPEAKER 04 :
Yeah, the international community has a lot of blind spots, let’s put it this way, with Hamas. They don’t hold them responsible for starving their people, for keeping them trapped in. And basically, we see this really because Israel is involved, and we see there’s really two different international laws. There’s international law for the whole world, and then there are the rules that people make up when Israel is involved. Hamas is seen as less of a problem by the international community than Israel. And I think it’s probably not hard to figure out why. But there’s a real double standard here. Also, many of the international institutions, the UN institutions, have actually worked with Hamas. They’ve been co-opted by Hamas. And as a result, so much of the international bureaucracy of the UN is kind of tainted and corrupted by their long collaboration with Hamas.
SPEAKER 10 :
Wow. Do we have any, last question, our time’s running out, do we have any specific timeline in place for relocating these individuals?
SPEAKER 04 :
So, again, it would only happen for those who wish to go. And I think it’s also not, you know, it would require some end to the active stage of the fighting, which is probably going on for another couple of months. So I would say after that, then there would be probably a greater ability for people to, when Hamas has been defeated, to escape Gaza because it’s Hamas keeping them locked in.
SPEAKER 10 :
Excellent information. I want to thank you, Professor Eugene Kontorovich, for these updates and keeping us up to speed. Always great to have you on the program.
SPEAKER 04 :
Thank you. My pleasure.
SPEAKER 10 :
All right, friends, on the other side of the break, the Trump administration is combing over every Smithsonian exhibit ahead of the upcoming celebration of our nation’s 250th anniversary. Stephen Policastro of the International Association for Creation will be joining me to review what’s ahead for all of this and what can we expect from the Smithsonian Institute. Stay tuned.
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SPEAKER 10 :
Good afternoon and welcome back to Washington Watch. I’m Jody Heiss sitting in for Tony. All right. This past Tuesday, President Trump ordered the Smithsonian Institute to do a review of its exhibits ahead of the celebration of our nation’s 250th birthday coming up. And the review is going to be done in phases, but it will start with eight Smithsonian’s. So why is it important for this to be taking place, to have an accurate understanding of our 200 years of American history? Well, here now to share more about this is the founder and director of Americans for Museums, Stephen Policastro. Stephen, welcome to Washington Watch. It’s an honor to have you.
SPEAKER 22 :
Thank you so much for having me today. I really appreciate it.
SPEAKER 10 :
Well, you’re very welcome, and thank you for coming. So what did you think when the White House announced this re-examination, if you will, of all the Smithsonian museums ahead of the birthday celebration of our country? Why was this necessary?
SPEAKER 22 :
Yeah, well, since 2016, my team and I have been working together to make sure that not only are the museums cataloged appropriately and properly but also tracking bias that happens within the museums. And within the past few weeks, as you noted, it is very encouraging to see the administration taking further steps to increase the catalog and make known to the American public what is in our museums.
SPEAKER 10 :
So is there anything in any of the Smithsonian museums right now that you think should be removed first or right away?
SPEAKER 22 :
Yeah, I think there’s several different aspects to this. We can look at arts, we can look at American history, and we can look at natural history. And all three of these domains of knowledge have succumbed, unfortunately, to the pressure over the last half decade of woke agendas and diversity, equity, inclusion being baked into many of the exhibits, a lot of the literature, even online with the websites and some of the videos and virtual presentations that they have available through the Smithsonian Institution.
SPEAKER 10 :
You probably don’t know the answer to this, but I’m certainly curious. Do you have any idea how this movement towards wokeism started? Was it directed from someone in authority, or did it just kind of happen with time, or do you have any idea?
SPEAKER 22 :
Yeah, within the context of the Smithsonian Institution, there are some pretty clear markers of what happened, how we got to where we are today. And this happened, again, about a half of a decade ago. Probably five to seven years ago, kind of the undercurrents of wokeism, DEI, started moving into our cultural institutions and undermining the very foundation of American greatness and what makes our country great. the place that we all enjoy with freedom and liberty, and having many of the exhibits slowly over time move towards an agenda that fits the institution itself with what we hold dear and value as American citizens.
SPEAKER 10 :
Are there any Smithsonian’s that are worse offenders in this realm than others?
SPEAKER 22 :
Yeah, I think the American Museum of Natural History, the Smithsonian National Museum of American History, and the African American History Museum are all places that we’ve seen a lot of the DEI woke agenda being pushed, whether that’s revisionist history, whether that’s bias against certain religious groups, or even pushing alternate lifestyles such as homosexuality or the pro-choice movement.
SPEAKER 10 :
Very interesting. Do we know if there’s anything else that the Trump administration is requesting from the Smithsonian’s right now besides just kind of making sure that historical displays are accurate?
SPEAKER 22 :
Yeah, so they’re looking primarily, as you noted, at historical displays while also going through guidelines and standards, looking at how are we getting the displays that we have, not just so that noting which ones should be addressed, but also how do we get here and what changes need to be made so that hopefully we don’t end up back here in the future
SPEAKER 10 :
Yeah, we certainly hope we don’t come back here. So tell me, what is the Smithsonian Advocacy Project and how do you anticipate the Trump administration will be working with them in the midst of the reexamination of the Smithsonian’s?
SPEAKER 22 :
Yeah, we started the Smithsonian Advocacy Project at the Americans for Museums. And back in 2016, and just this past year, it has been very intriguing to see the administration’s leadership and a lot of the priorities that we have, especially with the catalog that they are beginning to make for the review of the Smithsonian Institution and its museums for the 250th anniversary. We’ve been working on the Hill and both the U.S. House of Representatives as well as the Senate to codify President Trump’s executive order 14253. And that has been a really good process because, as we mentioned previously, we cannot just hope that in the next four years this will continue with the next president but we have to make sure it does and to make sure we must codify what president trump has laid out in his agenda for the smithsonian institution and other cultural institutions as well such as the kennedy center um it’s a huge project
SPEAKER 10 :
It’s a huge project. And thank you, Stephen Policastro, founder and director of the International Association for Creation, for coming on and keeping us up to speed on this. God bless you as you go forward with this huge task. All right, friends, coming up, Congressman Barry Loudermilk will join me about the January 6th panel that he is heading up. And it’s a big task that he has as well. So stay tuned. We’ll talk about it in a moment.
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Family Research Council is committed to advancing faith, family, and freedom from the East Coast to the West. So FRC is going to Southern California for this year’s Pray, Vote, Stand Summit, October 17th and 18th at Calvary Chapel Chino Hills. Join us for this powerful gathering of Christians desiring cultural renewal and spiritual revival. The Pray, Vote, Stand Summit brings together Christian leaders, issue experts, and government officials for a time of prayer, inspiration, and action. Together, we will seek God’s guidance for our nation and engage in meaningful discussions on the intersection of faith, government, and culture. If the spiritual foundations and the cultural walls of our nation are to be rebuilt, we all have a role to play. May we each find our place on the wall as we build for biblical truth. Register now at PrayVoteStand.org. That’s PrayVoteStand.org.
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SPEAKER 10 :
Good afternoon. Welcome back to Washington Watch. I’m Jody Heiss filling in today for Tony. Glad to have you on board with us as well. Before I dive into the last segment, you heard a little ad about it just a moment ago, but I want to again stress to you the upcoming episode. Pray Vote Stand Summit is an annual thing that FRC puts on that is absolutely one of the most powerful events that you will ever be a part of. This year is going to take place on October 17th and 18th in Chino Hills, California. You will hear Christian leaders from across the nation, issues experts. There will be government leaders. There will be tons of inspiration, lots of action items, lots of prayer, lots of relationships that will be established. This is a powerful, powerful event. If you’ve not already registered, you can do so by going to PrayVoteStand.org. You can also go there for more information. Again, that’s PrayVoteStand.org. All right, as I mentioned a few moments ago in the program, the 119th Congress is going to be returning from their August district work here in just a couple of weeks. And there’s still a lot that needs to be done to advance the conservative agenda. But one of those items that is on top or at least near the top of the items for the House of Representatives Republicans is going to be getting to the bottom of the events that took place on January 6, 2021. and in particular to counter the 117th Congress that was led by the Democrats and what they did with their January 6th committee. So what questions about that day will this new iteration of the January 6th commission tackle? Joining me now to share more about this is Congressman Barry Loudermilk. He’s a member of the House Administration Committee, as well as the Financial Services Committee. He represents the 11th Congressional District of my home state of Georgia, and he is author of the brand new book entitled, Then They Prayed, Moments in American History Impacted by Prayer. And Then They Prayed, an outstanding book, which we’ll talk about here before I let Barry go. But Congressman Loudermilk, welcome back to Washington Watch. Always great to see you.
SPEAKER 07 :
It’s always good to be with you, Jody. Hey, I appreciate what you’re doing, but we sure do miss you in the house.
SPEAKER 10 :
Well, thank you. I miss all you guys, too. Please send my love to the Georgia delegation and to others. All right, Barry, let me ask you. You have been tip of the spear, really, on this whole January 6th investigation from the very beginning. And you were one who started uncovering things early on. So let’s go back. First, remind our audience what the… most important details were that you’ve uncovered, especially prior to President Trump taking office for his second term?
SPEAKER 07 :
All right, Jody. Well, it was a challenge. I mean, we spent the majority of two years trying to find documents relative to the investigation that Pelosi’s committee supposedly did. As we started digging into the investigation, it was revealed to us through some documents we found that the select committee on January 6 turned over would reference other documents we couldn’t find. And that put us on the trail of there’s missing documents we have here. And so we spent about 80% of our time trying to relocate documents that have been sent elsewhere. For instance, there were transcribed interviews and depositions that were house property. Their documents that were owned by the House of Representatives were sent to the White House for archiving. There was others that were sent to the Department of Homeland Security, both in the executive branch, and these are House documents. We also hired a forensic team to go through hard drives that were turned over and found out there were over 10,000 deleted documents. And about short of 200 of those were unique. In other words, we didn’t have copies of those documents. And so but through the diligence of our staff and my committee, we kept digging until we started uncovering these documents. We were able to get copies of these documents or read them as called in camera at the different agencies. And what we found out is there was a predetermined narrative by the select committee on January 6th is that they were going to lay the blame for all of this at Trump’s feet, regardless of what the evidence showed. And that’s what they did. But the issue was there was more evidence showing that Trump was not a participant. He didn’t do anything wrong. In fact, he had actually tried to prepare in case there was protests that got out of hand on January 6th. But that was the evidence that was hidden. And so basically they didn’t keep anything that didn’t support their narrative. And so we found out that, yes, on January 3rd of 2021, Donald Trump ordered the National Guard to be ready for deployment. We also found out that the Pentagon purposefully held back the National Guard for three and a half hours after the request was made. We found out that Nancy Pelosi turned down most of the requests for the National Guard until there were shots fired in the capitol. I mean, the list goes on and on. We also uncovered that certain witnesses were pressured to change their testimonies. Some, in my opinion, committed perjury. I mean, the list goes on and on and on. There were documents that were claimed to be written by one individual. It turns out they were actually written by others. And basically what we found out was there was a big whitewash over This investigation, again, they wanted to lay it at the feet of Donald Trump. And when they couldn’t get the evidence to support that, they manipulated some. Basically, people changed their testimonies, and they came out with this narrative, never thinking that anyone would actually work this hard to uncover the truth.
SPEAKER 10 :
Wow. And in the midst of all of that, and there’s been a lot of obstruction that you’ve had overcome, all that sort of stuff, but you also had some whistleblowers that came forth with some pretty valuable information. Is that correct?
SPEAKER 07 :
Absolutely. And it was the whistleblowers that really helped us the most. Let’s just take the Department of Defense. If there’s any agency that is difficult to get information from, it is the Department of Defense. But we had four senior members, senior officers of the D.C. National Guard. One of those was active duty Army at the time, had the courage to come forth And what had happened is there was a three and a half hour delay that once the National Guard was approved to deploy. Now, this is after the Capitol had already been breached. It was three and a half hours before they were given the order to deploy. Now, because President Trump had actually ordered them ready to deploy three days earlier, they were dressed in riot gear at the armory, ready to go. And but. The inspector general for the Department of Defense ran an investigation and they reported that the National Guard, well, they just weren’t ready to go. That’s why there was a delay. But these four individuals, there’s actually more, but we had four that were willing to come public and we did a public hearing on it that basically said that the Department of Defense is lying. And we pressured the Department of Defense IG enough to where they handed over to us the 44 depositions that they took. In their investigation, which totally dispelled the IG report, is that it was false, that the Pentagon, senior officials in the Pentagon, purposefully held back the National Guard. Quote, some of them said, we didn’t want to send them over until the violence was over. But they are known as the guardians of the Capitol. Their job was to come and quell riots and out-of-control protests. That’s what they existed for. But people made political decisions, not operational decisions that day. And then what resulted was cover-ups. People covered up their misguided intentions. Some of them covered up their failures. But a lot of what we ended up doing was uncovering the cover-ups and We were just really penetrating deep into where some of the other problems were, even with the pipe bomb. I mean, there were so much strange things that happened with the pipe bomb and didn’t happen with the investigation that we weren’t able to get to those until the previous Congress ended.
SPEAKER 10 :
Well, Congressman Loudermilk, again, I know you’ve been on top of this for a long time, and it’s obvious that you are passionate about this. You are a man of integrity, and we are grateful that you are right in the midst of dealing with this whole issue. Without prejudice, you’re trying to get to the bottom of it. You are also a man of deep spiritual Christian faith. And before I let you go, I want to personally thank you. This is an outstanding book. And Then They Prayed, Moments in American History Impacted by Prayer. Real quickly, we’ve only got about a minute or so left, but what prompted you to write this? And by the way, it’s perfect timing with the upcoming celebration of our 250th birthday. But what prompted you to write this?
SPEAKER 07 :
Well, as you know, Jody, our founders referenced divine acts of providence, especially during our war for independence, that times God just divinely intervened on our behalf. But my dad was a World War II veteran, and he used to tell me these incredible stories that happened throughout our history. And while there were several books written on divine providence in our founding era, I couldn’t find any that actually chronicled acts of divine providence throughout our history, even up into the 20th century. And so that’s what prompted me to write it. We actually originally released it in 2010, and it sold very well. But we won it with the 250th anniversary. of our country coming up. People are asking, can we go another one, two, 10, 20 years? I believe we can go another 250 years if we look back and we learn what sustained us for the first 250. And it was a reliance on God and his providence, and his providence still acts today. In fact, the first pre-release copy I gave out was to President Donald Trump. I was at a meeting with him in the Oval Office talking about January 6th investigation. And I handed him the first copy. And I told him, I said, Mr. President, I want to give this to you. This is a book about divine providence in American history, because you are the recipient of an act of providence. And he immediately pointed to his ear. And he said, Mary, if God hadn’t told me to turn my head at that moment, I wouldn’t be here. And so we still see these acts of divine providence playing out today.
SPEAKER 10 :
Congressman Barry Loudermilk, thank you so much for all that you do. And again, I want to encourage folks to get a copy of this book. It is outstanding. I am thoroughly enjoying it.
SPEAKER 07 :
Jody, thank you so much.
SPEAKER 10 :
Congressman Loudermilk, thank you for joining us. God bless.
SPEAKER 07 :
Thank you.
SPEAKER 10 :
All right, friends, shifting gears quite a bit. Earlier today, Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin announced that the Virginia State Police were investigating allegations that Fairfax County, a high school there, Centerville High School, helped a 17-year-old minor obtain an abortion without parental consent. This was supposedly back in 2021. So I want to bring in now, for more details, Mary Zock, who is FRC’s Director of the Center for Human Dignity. Mary, thank you for joining us.
SPEAKER 16 :
Always great to be here, Jody.
SPEAKER 10 :
Okay, real quickly, tell us what’s going on here about this. This is a serious allegation from Centerville High School. What’s happening?
SPEAKER 16 :
Incredibly serious. The allegation is that There were actually two girls who a social worker at Centerville High School took to a first first convinced to have abortions, took them to the abortion facility and perhaps even its alleged used abortion. taxpayer dollars to pay for abortions there. The first minor, unfortunately, the abortion did take place with the second. The second girl was five months pregnant and And allegedly, the social worker told her, you have no other option and made her feel like she had to do this. Well, that girl actually walked out of that abortion facility after going in there. And so the abortion didn’t take place. But these are two examples of two girls alleging that the same social worker coerced them and and drove them to the abortion facility and paid for that abortion, what are the odds that those two are the only victims here? Great point. It needs to be looked into.
SPEAKER 10 :
Absolutely. So what is Virginia law with all of this? I mean, I would assume that social workers weigh out of the bounds of the law with this.
SPEAKER 16 :
Certainly in Virginia, there is a parental notification law. So parents, at least one parent is required to be notified in the event of a minor having an abortion. There are ways to bypass that, but it doesn’t look like any of those were followed through. And it looks like this social worker just put herself in the place of the parents with no authority at all to do so. And without care for what was going to happen to these minors after the fact. We know that over a third of women who have abortions go on to attempt suicide. We know that women who have abortions are more likely to abuse alcohol and illicit drugs. We know that women who have abortions have struggles for the rest of their life because of the grief and pain. And we know God forgives and God is merciful and loving. But that social worker is not going to be there to help them receive God’s grace. That social worker was done with them the minute that they had their abortion or the minute that she dropped them off at that abortion facility. And these girls deserve better. And their parents deserve better from the school system.
SPEAKER 10 :
Absolutely. We’ve only got about a minute left, Mary. Number one, do you know whether or not the social worker is still employed? And was there anyone other than the social worker who was aware of what was going on here? Just about a minute left.
SPEAKER 16 :
Well, I did look up on the website today. Her name is still listed on the website for Centerville High School as a social worker there. There was one other teacher who was told of this situation and she allegedly reported this as early as 2022. We know that there is a recording of her having a meeting with Fairfax County school officials in May of this past year, but she alleges that she reported this as early as 2022. This is something that Fairfax County is once again just trying to sweep under the rug.
SPEAKER 10 :
All right, really just time for a yes or no type answer here. Did anyone investigate whether or not the pregnancy came about by a sexual assault?
SPEAKER 16 :
No.
SPEAKER 10 :
Wow. Unbelievable. Mary Zock, thank you for bringing us this unbelievably disturbing story. We’ll keep a pulse on it. Thank you for joining us today on Washington Watch.
SPEAKER 16 :
Thanks for having me.
SPEAKER 10 :
All right. That wraps up this edition of Washington Watch. Thank you so much for joining us and for entrusting this hour to us. Hope you have a fantastic evening and we’ll be right back here again with you tomorrow on Washington Watch. Have a good evening.
SPEAKER 03 :
Washington Watch with Tony Perkins is brought to you by Family Research Council and is entirely listener supported. Portions of the show discussing candidates are brought to you by Family Research Council Action. For more information on anything you heard today or to find out how you can partner with us in our ongoing efforts to promote faith, family and freedom, visit TonyPerkins.com.
