Speaker 1: Hey, the folks, it is Friday, May fifteenth. First it
Speaker 1: was the drinking. Now the snorkeling. Cash Battel just can't
Speaker 1: catch a brain. And with that, welcome to this episode
Speaker 1: of Amy and TJ. Roges. We haven't discussed this fully
Speaker 1: ahead of time, but there's a VIP snorkeling headline that
Speaker 1: for some reason has now caused controversy with cash Battel.
Speaker 1: Before we get into it, do you think he's earned
Speaker 1: and deserves this one or you think they're giving him
Speaker 1: a hard time.
Speaker 2: I don't think it's appropriate for the FBI director to
Speaker 2: go snorkeling on quote unquote official business.
Speaker 3: I called BS on that okay period, right.
Speaker 1: All right, I didn't know you were gonna go that route. Well, right,
Speaker 1: let's get into this now, folks. If you haven't seen
Speaker 1: the headlines, the um what was the word you like?
Speaker 3: The embattled embattled FBI director.
Speaker 1: Yes, it seems like rose that we hear about. Every
Speaker 1: time his name is in the headline is usually for
Speaker 1: something negative, or because of a fumble, or because of
Speaker 1: something he has done, and this time it has to
Speaker 1: do with VIP snorkeling. This is a little confusing. Let's
Speaker 1: bottom line this thing, Robes. He was on a trip
Speaker 1: to New Zealand. He stopped off in Hawaii to check
Speaker 1: out the FBI office there on his way to New Zealand. Okay,
Speaker 1: and did his business in New Zealand, and he was
Speaker 1: on his way back home to the US. On his
Speaker 1: way back, he stopped in Hawaii again. And it's there
Speaker 1: where he took this VIP snorkeling excursion at the hallowed
Speaker 1: ground of a sunken US naval vessel during Pearl Harbor
Speaker 1: with nine hundred sailors. It's their resting place. He got
Speaker 1: a tour of this on his way back. Okay, Here
Speaker 1: in lies where things get a little sketchy. Is that
Speaker 1: the second part of that trip, where he stopped a
Speaker 1: second time in Hawaii and took that VIP snorkeling trip,
Speaker 1: was not public liqually exposed or released as part of
Speaker 1: his schedule. The AP just dug it up in some emails. Okay,
Speaker 1: there we go, we're caught up, Robes. Let's get into
Speaker 1: the details.
Speaker 2: It's funny though, you said exposed. I mean the point being,
Speaker 2: why wouldn't the FBI. I mean, look, if he is
Speaker 2: on taxpayer dime, is he not of course, yes, everything
Speaker 2: he does. Everyone who pays taxes is funding what he
Speaker 2: is doing to Yes, reportedly, yes, officially, he's supposed to
Speaker 2: be the head of.
Speaker 3: Law enforcement basically in this country.
Speaker 2: So why does he need to, on taxpayer dime make
Speaker 2: a second layover in Hawaii to go snorkeling? What how
Speaker 2: did that have anything to do with his job? On
Speaker 2: taxpayer dime? Look, I have taken my share of workations,
Speaker 2: and I've joked about it plenty, but that is a
Speaker 2: private company.
Speaker 3: You have some downtime when you're away from family.
Speaker 2: I have absolutely and will fully admit I have enjoyed
Speaker 2: and had downtime while on a work trip. But I
Speaker 2: am not on the taxpayers dime. He's is on an
Speaker 2: official work trip to take a diversion to another stop better.
Speaker 1: Than a vacation. He just had a little stop over
Speaker 1: on a work trip.
Speaker 2: Okay, there is it were his only incursion then maybe,
Speaker 2: But why okay, why weren't they transparent about it? There?
Speaker 1: It is, it's just adding to it, and we have
Speaker 1: to admit that is adding to this story. So and
Speaker 1: we keep saying VIP snorkeling robes. This is very important
Speaker 1: to give context to what this is this is not
Speaker 1: a place. And again he didn't just go out and
Speaker 1: look at some fish, right, It's that's not what we
Speaker 1: mean when we say VTP snorkeling. He went to a
Speaker 1: place that the public can't go.
Speaker 3: It's a it's not allowed.
Speaker 2: And I believe it was reported by the AP. I
Speaker 2: want to make sure I get this right that no
Speaker 2: FBI director dating back to I guess nineteen ninety three,
Speaker 2: has ever gone snorkeling at the memorial.
Speaker 1: Okay, So, and we're talking about it's the USS Arizona.
Speaker 1: This was bombed by Japan. It sank back in nineteen
Speaker 1: forty one, nine hundred sailors. It's a cemetery. Robes, absolutely right.
Speaker 1: So the public isn't allowed to go there. It's completely
Speaker 1: off limits. The area you can't get to, they say
Speaker 1: without a boat. So it's even dangerous, they say to
Speaker 1: do this, But but they have from time to time,
Speaker 1: on rare occasions, VIPs and dignitaries have been taken out
Speaker 1: to this site. Now oftentimes robes. Yes, those dignitaries, those
Speaker 1: VIPs are associated with the US military. Correct, which would
Speaker 1: make a little more sense perhaps, But this wasn't just
Speaker 1: that we should we just want to make clear. And
Speaker 1: we kept saying snorkeling. A lot of the headlines say
Speaker 1: VIP snorkeling. He's like, what the hell? This wasn't just
Speaker 1: some regular snorkeling adventure. So people take issue with two
Speaker 1: things there, Robes. One, your point is like, why are
Speaker 1: you taking time to do this? Why are you bothering? Two?
Speaker 1: Why didn't you tell us about it?
Speaker 3: Right?
Speaker 2: If it was just so okay and not a big deal,
Speaker 2: then include it on your itinerary, which should be made
Speaker 2: public because you are a servant of the public period.
Speaker 2: So for you to not include it and to not
Speaker 2: even disclose that you stopped for a second time back
Speaker 2: in Hawaii again on taxpayer money, I think you knew
Speaker 2: that it wasn't kosher, it wasn't above board. Otherwise you
Speaker 2: just would have put it out there for public consumption,
Speaker 2: as you're supposed to do. There's only one reason not
Speaker 2: to disclose something. It's because it might look bad or
Speaker 2: it is wrong, one of the two or both.
Speaker 1: And they say this, and I'm trying to give only
Speaker 1: the context I know, Robes is that these are trips
Speaker 1: that do happen rarely. They're really rare and that's fine,
Speaker 1: I guess Rodes, but it just for him right now,
Speaker 1: this is another embarrassing headline. This is another headline having
Speaker 1: to do with the FBI director doing something else that
Speaker 1: takes attention away from the administration, takes attention away from
Speaker 1: any wins they might have had. And so once again
Speaker 1: everybody's talking about and what's today Robes at Friday, you
Speaker 1: think they're putting together a snorkeling skit for SNL for tomorrow.
Speaker 3: I think so.
Speaker 2: Look, according to the AP, I thought this was an
Speaker 2: interesting perspective. And look, they are the ones who broke
Speaker 2: this story, who wrote the article. But they talked to
Speaker 2: a marine veteran who's part of a group from the
Speaker 2: Paralyzed Veterans of America.
Speaker 3: They're trained to.
Speaker 2: Make these dives and they do it, I believe, once
Speaker 2: a year to check on the condition of the ship
Speaker 2: and just make sure it's okay. And he's specif he
Speaker 2: gave his name. He gave a statement to the AP
Speaker 2: saying it was inappropriate for the FBI director to snorkel
Speaker 2: or dive at the memorial.
Speaker 3: And here is his quote.
Speaker 2: It's like having a bachelor party at a church. It's
Speaker 2: a hollowed ground. It needs to be treated with the
Speaker 2: solemnity it deserves.
Speaker 1: And I think we can all agree with that one
Speaker 1: hundred percent. But that the issue there would be they
Speaker 1: shouldn't ever allow these tours.
Speaker 2: Right exactly, Well, yes, unless there's some necessity for it,
Speaker 2: just curiosity, and I've got a position, so I get
Speaker 2: to check it out. I understand that happens and goes
Speaker 2: on all over the world and all over the country.
Speaker 2: But when you have an FBI director who's already been
Speaker 2: questioned about where his priorities lie, this isn't a good look.
Speaker 1: Yes, oh, by goodness, yes, having to do with travel
Speaker 1: and what he's doing on the company dime, as you
Speaker 1: keep saying.
Speaker 3: The FBI plane, Well does it.
Speaker 1: We see this a lot of times, and I saw
Speaker 1: folks talking about it in this context of members of
Speaker 1: the military generals or lead to military leaders who go
Speaker 1: out who happened to be out there and have taken
Speaker 1: this tour or something in the past robes. Don't we
Speaker 1: see presidents go to the tomb of the unknown soldier.
Speaker 1: We see people even when they go overseas, they'll stop
Speaker 1: at memorials World War iiO memorials. They take it in right,
Speaker 1: there is great value as there not to that. And
Speaker 1: it seems like for at least members of the military,
Speaker 1: if they were going out on these tours and to
Speaker 1: I don't know, get some context to honor those to
Speaker 1: be there, to be a part of it, not just
Speaker 1: for some fun excursion. I thought, when people put it
Speaker 1: that way, I said, oh, I can understand why a
Speaker 1: tour like this might be a solemn almost you feel
Speaker 1: like a duty almost to give honor in some way
Speaker 1: that I could understand.
Speaker 2: It absolutely feels offensive for it to feel as though
Speaker 2: it could even appear to be a tourist attraction because
Speaker 2: there are still remains being interred from that wreckage. I
Speaker 2: did not realize this. But as they go down and
Speaker 2: dive and they check the wreckage, they are still finding remains,
Speaker 2: they are still creating. Just there are people who lost
Speaker 2: loved ones whose remains are still there entrapped in that vessel.
Speaker 2: So yeah, I can understand why some people take great
Speaker 2: offense to anyone. And look, yes he's the FBI director,
Speaker 2: and yes, perhaps maybe he did take it all in
Speaker 2: in that very way. Maybe he did look at it
Speaker 2: as an honor and paid his respects to those who
Speaker 2: lost their lives.
Speaker 3: We don't know.
Speaker 2: But the whole point is we don't know because he
Speaker 2: didn't tell us he did it, and we're just now
Speaker 2: finding out about it. So sometimes, as you've often said,
Speaker 2: it's not the crime, it's the cover up, and it
Speaker 2: makes even if it wasn't a crime, it looks like
Speaker 2: it might have been because you didn't tell us, because
Speaker 2: even omitting something is still lie.
Speaker 3: It's a lie by a mission.
Speaker 1: I have it right. It was last summer, correct, and
Speaker 1: we're just finding out about it. I don't know. I
Speaker 1: mean you the way you just made this pop in
Speaker 1: my head. Right, if this was okay? Announce it ahead
Speaker 1: of time?
Speaker 3: Yeah, exactly.
Speaker 2: Uh.
Speaker 1: Director Patel will go pay his respects and as an
Speaker 1: honor that he was invited out is being taken out
Speaker 1: by this elite unit. Give them love all kinds of
Speaker 1: things that have been done.
Speaker 2: Find some way to pay, like to yes, to actually
Speaker 2: shine a spotlight on the work that's being done and
Speaker 2: the lives that were lost, and just a reminder of
Speaker 2: how great this country is and what we've endured. Like
Speaker 2: make it a part of just your duties by acknowledging
Speaker 2: it and giving it a little bit of a spotlight.
Speaker 1: Even so, I don't know what their calculation was, But
Speaker 1: to your point here repeatedly robes, it's in line like
Speaker 1: if the locker room hadn't happened, if the thing the
Speaker 1: reports about the girlfriend and her security detail hadn't happened,
Speaker 1: if the reports about him using the plane for personal
Speaker 1: use hadn't happened, if all of this stuff, if the
Speaker 1: Atlantic report.
Speaker 2: How about the one that you've just left out, that
Speaker 2: big old doozy about yes, his issues with drinking on
Speaker 2: the job and not being able to be woken up
Speaker 2: or found with massive hangovers after public bouts of drinking, yeah,
Speaker 2: or freaking out, assuming that you're going to be fired
Speaker 2: and you're calling everyone assuming the worst. I mean, yes,
Speaker 2: he's had a long list, unfortunately for him, of bad publicity,
Speaker 2: and this certainly does not help.
Speaker 1: And things we just listed romes are missteps not even
Speaker 1: having to do with the job. There were mistreps having
Speaker 1: to do with actual investigations as well. But as you
Speaker 1: can imagine, they do have a response. Stay here, we
Speaker 1: will let you know, let you hear word for word,
Speaker 1: how the FBI is now responded to this latest allegation
Speaker 1: that Patel was up to something. Stay here and.
Speaker 2: Welcome back everyone to this episode of Amy and TJ.
Speaker 2: Cash Patel back in the headlines, and back for reasons
Speaker 2: he certainly does not want to be this time. It
Speaker 2: has just come to light the Associated Press writing an
Speaker 2: article about Cash Battel making a second pit stop in
Speaker 2: Hawaii on his way back from New Zealand on an
Speaker 2: official trip, just forgot to mention it or include it
Speaker 2: in any documents or documentation that oh yeah, he dipped
Speaker 2: back down into Hawaii, and oh yeah, he went on
Speaker 2: a VIP snorkeling excursion to Pearl Harbor and whoopsie, just
Speaker 2: forgot to mention that little bit. So yes, there is
Speaker 2: some scrutiny now on why and huh and how much
Speaker 2: money did that cost?
Speaker 3: And why are you snorkeling in.
Speaker 2: Hawaii while you're on the job on an official work trip.
Speaker 2: I don't think they allow workations on the government dime,
Speaker 2: do they?
Speaker 1: You know what, He's the FBI director. He works twenty
Speaker 1: four to seven. He's supposed to work twenty four.
Speaker 2: But if you're being loaned, if your travel is being
Speaker 2: funded by the taxpayer, you're not on your private vacage.
Speaker 1: You're always on the company. You're always on the government
Speaker 1: dime when you're that guy, So you got to get
Speaker 1: it in where you can't go.
Speaker 2: If he wants to take a private four day weekend
Speaker 2: on his dimes, then where I'm sure he's allowed to.
Speaker 3: And if he wants to go snorkling in Hawaii, what
Speaker 3: day weekend?
Speaker 1: He's the FBI director, He can't get away. He stopped
Speaker 1: at Hawaii go surfing twice.
Speaker 3: He only told the Americans about it once.
Speaker 1: Because he knew you'd react this way. Roboch.
Speaker 3: Oh wow, it's not what everybody says.
Speaker 2: When I can see the reason why I didn't tell
Speaker 2: you is because I knew you'd get upset. That doesn't
Speaker 2: ever work, by the way, So the FBI has officially
Speaker 2: responded to the AP's report, and you know what, it's
Speaker 2: exactly what you would expect.
Speaker 1: Okay, you don't think this is legit at all? You
Speaker 1: don't find this a believable You don't you don't find
Speaker 1: you don't like this.
Speaker 2: I don't think. I really don't, and I'm giving you,
Speaker 2: in my honest opinion, I don't think it's I question
Speaker 2: the justification of this excursion, and I question it because
Speaker 2: not only were They not transparent about it.
Speaker 3: They didn't even explain it.
Speaker 2: They just kind of said, deal with it.
Speaker 3: It is what it is. You're idiots.
Speaker 1: And yes, the word stupid is in the statement.
Speaker 3: Yes, right, okay.
Speaker 2: Here is the official statement from the FBI Public Affairs Office.
Speaker 2: The AP is attempting to spin an invitation from the
Speaker 2: Commanding General of Indo packworn that pac COOM. Sorry, I
Speaker 2: have terrible izaic command. Yes ah, that makes sense. Commanding
Speaker 2: General of Indo pac COOM to a military base as
Speaker 2: a party or a vacation, which is so stupid. The
Speaker 2: DOW routinely routinely does these engagements with inner agency partners
Speaker 2: to include this one. And when he was chief of
Speaker 2: staff for DoD and Trump one, Patel offered the same
Speaker 2: event for any partners that came to visit. It's a
Speaker 2: historical tour to honor heroes who died on the USS Arizona,
Speaker 2: not a party.
Speaker 1: Why is that not believable? These things are done. This
Speaker 1: is not the first time this has ever been done,
Speaker 1: or somebody's taking this tour. I think, I yes, I'm
Speaker 1: with you. We pause because why didn't he tell us
Speaker 1: about it? This goes in line with a reputation. Maybe
Speaker 1: he has, and that's bad. But aside from all that,
Speaker 1: is that not a legit thing.
Speaker 3: Look, I do think.
Speaker 2: Look, they lose me when they start calling things or
Speaker 2: ideas or people stupid.
Speaker 3: You're so ridiculous.
Speaker 2: It doesn't help because look, the AP, yes they did
Speaker 2: this report, but the concept that this was some sort
Speaker 2: of a party, like a bachelor party, came from not
Speaker 2: their assessment, but from an individual who actually is a
Speaker 2: part of who is a veteran so who is a
Speaker 2: part of the dive team, who goes down annually, who
Speaker 2: was connected intrinsically to this memorial site. Now that's his opinion. Yes,
Speaker 2: and they allowed him to speak and to give his opinion,
Speaker 2: and they took issue with that. I understand, and I
Speaker 2: do get that this could have been official business. It's
Speaker 2: just questionable why it was necessary. And it sounds like,
Speaker 2: which is interesting, He's already done this before. Patel offered
Speaker 2: the same event from many partners that came to visit,
Speaker 2: or he's just saying he offered it. It wasn't just him,
Speaker 2: It was a lot of folks.
Speaker 1: It was in the capacity he was previously working for
Speaker 1: someone in the Department of Defense that he never taken
Speaker 1: the tour himself.
Speaker 3: Oh, he offered it to other people.
Speaker 1: He arranged it and offered it to other digna teries
Speaker 1: of VIPs through whatever office he was working with.
Speaker 2: Tod got it, so he knew it was a service
Speaker 2: that was available to other folks, so he thought he
Speaker 2: would partake in it on his way back.
Speaker 1: It's kind of like the Disney VIP tour.
Speaker 3: Yeah, and we did partake in that as well when
Speaker 3: we were offered it.
Speaker 2: Because it is an exceptional advantage to be able to
Speaker 2: skip the line.
Speaker 3: I get that, and to not.
Speaker 2: Have to actually stand in the line with everyone else
Speaker 2: and ride the ride as many times as you'd like.
Speaker 2: Break okay, and I could, I'd be much more willing
Speaker 2: to and look, it is what it is.
Speaker 3: I get it. At the end of the day.
Speaker 2: There's no actual repercussion for this, but it doesn't look
Speaker 2: good from a public relations standpoint period. And I do
Speaker 2: just think this is another example if you're transparent from
Speaker 2: the get go, you ex like Look, I don't know,
Speaker 2: but wouldn't you be aren't you supposed to give an itinerary?
Speaker 2: Isn't that part of being a public servant and being
Speaker 2: in public office especially at that level when you're using
Speaker 2: that much of tax payer money to fund what you're
Speaker 2: doing and how you're getting to point A and points be.
Speaker 2: Isn't it a part of the requirements to be fully
Speaker 2: transparent about the logistics where you are, what you do
Speaker 2: while you're there. Yeah, you're putting that in their quotes,
Speaker 2: by the way, but I'm saying so that is that's
Speaker 2: the biggest reason to me why it sounds so suspicious.
Speaker 2: And look, yes, I was relying when I read the
Speaker 2: API article on some of the perspective from folks who
Speaker 2: care about that memorial. But they may be questioning the
Speaker 2: whole concept of letting anyone, any politician, not just Cash
Speaker 2: Buttel but any VIP so to speak, just go down
Speaker 2: there for curiosity, I understand, And that might not be
Speaker 2: just directed to Cash Betel, but the point being, just
Speaker 2: just be transparent and there's going to be a lot
Speaker 2: less scrutiny if you're transparent.
Speaker 1: I guess the only thing here Robes is he does
Speaker 1: not get the benefit of the doubt.
Speaker 3: You know what, That's a really good point.
Speaker 1: That's just it. If it does happen, if someone else,
Speaker 1: a different director that didn't have already a thing, a
Speaker 1: list of things against them. What the AP had even
Speaker 1: written this story, have even been digging it up. It
Speaker 1: didn't go in line already with something that folks here
Speaker 1: and go go cash up to it again. Well they
Speaker 1: call it. I didn't realize that it's a thing now
Speaker 1: catching on keystone cash. Yeah, that's not good.
Speaker 3: You said this was a cash kerfuffle.
Speaker 1: Is that what's in here?
Speaker 3: You put cash?
Speaker 1: No, that was Tony kerfuffle.
Speaker 3: Oh this was cash money. Yeah, but cash kerfuffle. Good
Speaker 3: work too.
Speaker 1: Oh god, folks, We just wanted to give you an
Speaker 1: update about your FBI director. I always appreciate you. Just
Speaker 1: been in a little time with us on dj on
Speaker 1: behalf of my dear Amy Robot. We'll talk to y'all
Speaker 1: real soon.