1 00:00:04,519 --> 00:00:07,960 Speaker 1: On this episode of News World. My guest today served 2 00:00:08,000 --> 00:00:11,800 Speaker 1: as White House Press Secretary under President George W. Bush 3 00:00:12,200 --> 00:00:14,440 Speaker 1: from two thousand and one to two thousand and three. 4 00:00:14,960 --> 00:00:17,960 Speaker 1: In that role, he served as spokesman during the historic 5 00:00:18,040 --> 00:00:22,959 Speaker 1: presidential recount September eleventh, Two Wars and the Anthrax attacked. 6 00:00:23,720 --> 00:00:28,400 Speaker 1: His previous book, Taking Heat, details his years and the 7 00:00:28,440 --> 00:00:30,960 Speaker 1: White House and reached number seven on the New York 8 00:00:30,960 --> 00:00:34,640 Speaker 1: Times bestseller list. Since leaving the White House, he runs 9 00:00:34,640 --> 00:00:39,920 Speaker 1: a communications company, Fleischer Communications, that helps corporations and sports 10 00:00:40,000 --> 00:00:43,479 Speaker 1: organizations with their media needs. He is also a Fox 11 00:00:43,520 --> 00:00:48,000 Speaker 1: News contributor. I'm really pleased to welcome my guest, Ari Fleischer. 12 00:00:48,479 --> 00:00:53,760 Speaker 1: He is joining me today to talk about his new book, Suppression, Deception, 13 00:00:54,280 --> 00:00:58,360 Speaker 1: Snobbery and Bias. Why the press gets so much wrong 14 00:00:58,760 --> 00:01:10,800 Speaker 1: and jest does in case? All right, a good friend, 15 00:01:10,800 --> 00:01:12,479 Speaker 1: It's great to have you do this, and I really 16 00:01:12,520 --> 00:01:15,160 Speaker 1: appreciate you taking the time. Thank you for joining me 17 00:01:15,160 --> 00:01:18,600 Speaker 1: on mutual Well, what a pleasure, Knute. It's always great 18 00:01:18,640 --> 00:01:21,319 Speaker 1: to be with you. It must have been quite a 19 00:01:21,760 --> 00:01:24,640 Speaker 1: jolt to go from what you had done prior to 20 00:01:24,720 --> 00:01:28,480 Speaker 1: the White House to have all the different things happening 21 00:01:28,959 --> 00:01:31,800 Speaker 1: during your period in the White House. I mean, you 22 00:01:31,840 --> 00:01:35,000 Speaker 1: were there in the middle of really dramatic history. I 23 00:01:35,120 --> 00:01:37,399 Speaker 1: wonder if you just share some of the more challenging 24 00:01:38,000 --> 00:01:41,080 Speaker 1: or amazing moments from your years as Press secretary under 25 00:01:41,080 --> 00:01:46,640 Speaker 1: President bush Well. Of course, the ultimate moment was September eleventh. 26 00:01:47,720 --> 00:01:50,200 Speaker 1: I spent a career on Capitol Hill, as you know, Knute, 27 00:01:50,200 --> 00:01:52,160 Speaker 1: where I used to work with you and the way 28 00:01:52,200 --> 00:01:56,800 Speaker 1: as a means committee. My entire background was domestic policy issues, 29 00:01:57,680 --> 00:01:59,840 Speaker 1: and all of a sudden, I now I'm working for 30 00:02:00,280 --> 00:02:02,800 Speaker 1: president at a time when our nation is at war 31 00:02:03,400 --> 00:02:06,200 Speaker 1: and we were attacked, and I was standing next to 32 00:02:06,240 --> 00:02:08,200 Speaker 1: the Commander in chief hearing and say to the Vice 33 00:02:08,240 --> 00:02:12,120 Speaker 1: president in the Secretary of Defense, where at war? And 34 00:02:12,160 --> 00:02:14,639 Speaker 1: I'll just never forget the children sent down my spine, 35 00:02:14,680 --> 00:02:17,799 Speaker 1: the reality of knowing what would soon happen as a 36 00:02:17,919 --> 00:02:22,720 Speaker 1: troops deployed. Nothing can prepare you for that. How did 37 00:02:22,760 --> 00:02:25,960 Speaker 1: you see your job during that period, which was truly 38 00:02:26,040 --> 00:02:29,079 Speaker 1: historic and where you were, in many ways the primary 39 00:02:29,160 --> 00:02:33,440 Speaker 1: explainer to the media of what was happening. Well, that's 40 00:02:33,440 --> 00:02:36,600 Speaker 1: how I saw my job as the primary explainer. My 41 00:02:36,760 --> 00:02:40,120 Speaker 1: job required clarity to tell the American people what the 42 00:02:40,160 --> 00:02:42,960 Speaker 1: president was doing and why he was doing it, And 43 00:02:43,040 --> 00:02:46,320 Speaker 1: in some ways knew it was simple because when you 44 00:02:46,360 --> 00:02:48,520 Speaker 1: work for someone who's decisive, and when you work for 45 00:02:48,560 --> 00:02:51,400 Speaker 1: someone who's a leader, it's easy to be their spokesman 46 00:02:52,000 --> 00:02:54,200 Speaker 1: because you just tell people what that leader is doing. 47 00:02:54,919 --> 00:02:57,960 Speaker 1: It's only hard if you work for a vacillator or 48 00:02:58,000 --> 00:03:02,320 Speaker 1: someone who was unsure or strong leader. Then you're all 49 00:03:02,320 --> 00:03:03,920 Speaker 1: over the map because you don't know what to do 50 00:03:04,040 --> 00:03:07,480 Speaker 1: or what to say. Bush was a strong leader. That 51 00:03:07,639 --> 00:03:09,920 Speaker 1: made my job easier and I loved going to that 52 00:03:10,000 --> 00:03:13,960 Speaker 1: podium and standing my ground and dealing with the press 53 00:03:14,080 --> 00:03:18,040 Speaker 1: who asked some pretty tough questions. Was the fact that 54 00:03:18,080 --> 00:03:22,239 Speaker 1: America was under attack? Did that change the press attitude 55 00:03:22,240 --> 00:03:25,560 Speaker 1: for a short period of time. It did? It did. 56 00:03:25,600 --> 00:03:27,639 Speaker 1: It was a rally effect, and the press was part 57 00:03:27,680 --> 00:03:29,919 Speaker 1: of it. And you know, I think what happened over 58 00:03:29,960 --> 00:03:32,680 Speaker 1: time was the White House pressburg got tired of Bush 59 00:03:32,720 --> 00:03:36,280 Speaker 1: having a ninety percent job approval rating. They don't like that, 60 00:03:36,880 --> 00:03:40,240 Speaker 1: especially if it's a Republican. They're used to tearing presidents 61 00:03:40,240 --> 00:03:43,240 Speaker 1: down and pulling them apart. And so it took about 62 00:03:43,280 --> 00:03:45,480 Speaker 1: three months. It took him till January of two thousand 63 00:03:45,480 --> 00:03:48,120 Speaker 1: and two when Enron collapsed, that the press tried to 64 00:03:48,160 --> 00:03:50,080 Speaker 1: blame that on George Bush, even though he had nothing 65 00:03:50,080 --> 00:03:52,520 Speaker 1: to do with it. I'll never forget that turn of events. 66 00:03:53,160 --> 00:03:55,600 Speaker 1: But yeah, the press did not like a popular Republican 67 00:03:55,680 --> 00:03:58,320 Speaker 1: president and they got back to biting his ankle. It 68 00:03:58,440 --> 00:04:01,080 Speaker 1: didn't take too long into two thousand to the started 69 00:04:01,120 --> 00:04:04,480 Speaker 1: biting again. And in that sense is a part of 70 00:04:04,600 --> 00:04:08,960 Speaker 1: at least for a Republican White House press secretary, a 71 00:04:09,040 --> 00:04:11,920 Speaker 1: part of the job just kind of knocking down the 72 00:04:12,040 --> 00:04:16,880 Speaker 1: various attacks and allegations and charges and recognizing that you'll 73 00:04:16,880 --> 00:04:20,719 Speaker 1: always have people out there who are trying to play gatcha. 74 00:04:21,120 --> 00:04:22,880 Speaker 1: You know. One of the things new that I'm very 75 00:04:22,880 --> 00:04:26,400 Speaker 1: proud of, and it's a fat Republicans have to work 76 00:04:26,440 --> 00:04:28,160 Speaker 1: twice as hard to get to the same place as 77 00:04:28,200 --> 00:04:32,240 Speaker 1: Democrats because the press is so tough on Republicans. I 78 00:04:32,360 --> 00:04:34,920 Speaker 1: recognized that when I began my career in Capitol Hill 79 00:04:34,960 --> 00:04:38,240 Speaker 1: in nineteen eighty three. We're out of college press secretary 80 00:04:38,279 --> 00:04:41,440 Speaker 1: to a New York congressman, and I just recognized the press, thanks, 81 00:04:41,440 --> 00:04:44,760 Speaker 1: Republicans don't count, you don't matter, you know, And I 82 00:04:44,800 --> 00:04:47,120 Speaker 1: remember watching you knew when you got elected, and then 83 00:04:47,160 --> 00:04:50,160 Speaker 1: you put a spine into Republicans and said we can fight, 84 00:04:50,279 --> 00:04:53,320 Speaker 1: we can take the majority. And even when we did, 85 00:04:54,000 --> 00:04:57,440 Speaker 1: the hostility of the press towards the Republican agenda. We 86 00:04:57,680 --> 00:05:02,240 Speaker 1: violated Washington's taboo because Publicans ran the House. It wasn't 87 00:05:02,240 --> 00:05:04,240 Speaker 1: supposed to be that way. It hadn't been that way 88 00:05:04,240 --> 00:05:08,800 Speaker 1: for forty years. And I just watched the hypocrisy of 89 00:05:08,839 --> 00:05:11,839 Speaker 1: the press, the double standard of their coverage. In fact, 90 00:05:11,880 --> 00:05:13,960 Speaker 1: it's partially what led me to want to write the 91 00:05:14,000 --> 00:05:16,400 Speaker 1: book that I wrote, because I watched the same thing 92 00:05:16,400 --> 00:05:21,000 Speaker 1: happened to Donald Trump. I just thought the press was brutal, unfair, hypocritical. 93 00:05:21,040 --> 00:05:24,520 Speaker 1: They're double standards. And as much as I sometimes like 94 00:05:24,640 --> 00:05:27,200 Speaker 1: Donald Trump, sometimes don't I call it as I see it. 95 00:05:27,800 --> 00:05:32,400 Speaker 1: I defended President Trump from the coverage of the media, 96 00:05:32,480 --> 00:05:34,000 Speaker 1: and then I wrote a book about it because it 97 00:05:34,040 --> 00:05:37,119 Speaker 1: was so bad. Well, you must have, in that sense, 98 00:05:37,160 --> 00:05:39,440 Speaker 1: over the last five or six years, been right in 99 00:05:39,440 --> 00:05:42,839 Speaker 1: the middle of a whole range of controversies where it's 100 00:05:42,880 --> 00:05:46,120 Speaker 1: just clear that the other side was so blatantly dishonest 101 00:05:46,800 --> 00:05:50,200 Speaker 1: that you almost had to be involved in trying to 102 00:05:50,240 --> 00:05:54,279 Speaker 1: set to reconstrate well, it began with collusion. I just 103 00:05:54,400 --> 00:05:57,960 Speaker 1: remember reading story after story that Trump and his sons 104 00:05:58,040 --> 00:06:01,240 Speaker 1: and his campaign are guilty with callue, and I kept 105 00:06:01,240 --> 00:06:05,440 Speaker 1: thinking of myself, Yes, Russia, half the DNC, Yes Russia, 106 00:06:05,520 --> 00:06:09,080 Speaker 1: half Hillary's emails, but I've seen zero proof that Donald 107 00:06:09,120 --> 00:06:11,839 Speaker 1: Trump had anything to do with it. And so I 108 00:06:11,960 --> 00:06:16,800 Speaker 1: regularly defended President Trump, and several people on the conservative 109 00:06:16,839 --> 00:06:21,039 Speaker 1: side did. But the ABCNBC, CBS, CNN, New York Times, 110 00:06:21,120 --> 00:06:26,760 Speaker 1: Washington Post, they regularly suppressed stories that would have helped 111 00:06:26,800 --> 00:06:30,599 Speaker 1: President Trump and deceived the American people by putting stories 112 00:06:30,600 --> 00:06:33,799 Speaker 1: on the air that were false. CNN led the league 113 00:06:33,839 --> 00:06:37,640 Speaker 1: in retractions. The number of stories about collusion that they 114 00:06:37,680 --> 00:06:39,800 Speaker 1: aired that they later had to retract, and I lay 115 00:06:39,839 --> 00:06:43,880 Speaker 1: all this out in my book is astounding, and this 116 00:06:43,920 --> 00:06:46,520 Speaker 1: is why people have to fight by us. This is 117 00:06:46,520 --> 00:06:49,160 Speaker 1: why people like me, especially I always will to call 118 00:06:49,160 --> 00:06:52,080 Speaker 1: the balls and strikes. And even if there are things 119 00:06:52,080 --> 00:06:55,720 Speaker 1: Donald Trump that I don't like. He deserved a fair 120 00:06:55,760 --> 00:06:58,719 Speaker 1: and neutral press, but he didn't get one, and we 121 00:06:58,760 --> 00:07:00,560 Speaker 1: need to blow the whistle on that because it is 122 00:07:00,600 --> 00:07:02,960 Speaker 1: not good for democracy. It's not good for our country 123 00:07:03,279 --> 00:07:07,240 Speaker 1: when orders become activists for our cause. And the cause 124 00:07:07,320 --> 00:07:14,800 Speaker 1: was getting Trump. You weave together four powerful words, suppression, deception, snobbery, 125 00:07:15,080 --> 00:07:17,720 Speaker 1: in bias. Can you walk us through why you picked 126 00:07:17,720 --> 00:07:20,160 Speaker 1: each those words? Because they're really powerful. I mean, it's 127 00:07:20,200 --> 00:07:22,400 Speaker 1: somebody who's been through all this. I happen to agree 128 00:07:22,440 --> 00:07:24,720 Speaker 1: with you, and I thought your book was very much 129 00:07:24,800 --> 00:07:28,960 Speaker 1: necessary and there's a real contribution to understanding the state 130 00:07:29,000 --> 00:07:31,240 Speaker 1: of where we are right now. But I am curious 131 00:07:31,920 --> 00:07:35,040 Speaker 1: how you pick those four words and from your perspective 132 00:07:35,080 --> 00:07:38,400 Speaker 1: what each word means. As I observed what the press 133 00:07:38,560 --> 00:07:41,920 Speaker 1: was doing, those four words summed it up. You know, 134 00:07:41,960 --> 00:07:46,920 Speaker 1: they suppressed stories they didn't like, and time and time again. 135 00:07:46,960 --> 00:07:49,120 Speaker 1: I have an example in here of having New York 136 00:07:49,120 --> 00:07:52,120 Speaker 1: Times or find any obscure state cenator or state rep 137 00:07:52,560 --> 00:07:55,200 Speaker 1: who would say something that was racially tanged or wrong, 138 00:07:55,800 --> 00:07:59,120 Speaker 1: and they would make it a prominent New York Times story. 139 00:07:59,200 --> 00:08:01,240 Speaker 1: But you know why, And there was a Texas State 140 00:08:01,280 --> 00:08:06,800 Speaker 1: Democratic chairman who called Senator Kim Scott, Republican from South Carolina, oreo. 141 00:08:07,760 --> 00:08:10,440 Speaker 1: Did the New York Times cover that, No, of course not. 142 00:08:10,600 --> 00:08:15,960 Speaker 1: They suppressed the example after example, way beyond Hunter Biden. 143 00:08:16,120 --> 00:08:18,480 Speaker 1: In those stories, there was a staffer at the Democratic 144 00:08:18,560 --> 00:08:21,800 Speaker 1: National Committee who sent out a message saying the DNC 145 00:08:22,040 --> 00:08:25,600 Speaker 1: needed to hire someone in their data services department, but 146 00:08:25,760 --> 00:08:30,160 Speaker 1: no straight white males should apply. Now, if a Republican 147 00:08:30,240 --> 00:08:32,600 Speaker 1: had put something out for the r n C saying 148 00:08:32,640 --> 00:08:37,000 Speaker 1: they needed to hire someone and no gay, female blacks 149 00:08:37,040 --> 00:08:40,480 Speaker 1: should apply, the chairwoman of the RNC would have been 150 00:08:40,480 --> 00:08:43,120 Speaker 1: forced to resign by the media. But did the press 151 00:08:43,200 --> 00:08:46,760 Speaker 1: cover that Democrat staffer who send that email out? No, 152 00:08:47,280 --> 00:08:50,559 Speaker 1: they suppressed it all. They have an agenda new and 153 00:08:50,640 --> 00:08:54,640 Speaker 1: they suppressed stories that would help Republicans, and they suppressed 154 00:08:54,640 --> 00:09:00,120 Speaker 1: stories that would hurt Democrats. So suppression deception. My goodness, 155 00:09:00,160 --> 00:09:03,200 Speaker 1: the number of bogus wrong stories if the media aired 156 00:09:03,320 --> 00:09:05,880 Speaker 1: all in an effort to right the wrong that the 157 00:09:05,920 --> 00:09:09,320 Speaker 1: American people did when they elected Donald Trump. The press 158 00:09:09,559 --> 00:09:12,319 Speaker 1: told the American people that Trump colluded with Russia, that 159 00:09:12,440 --> 00:09:16,880 Speaker 1: the Steele dossier was true, that Trump removed blew mailboxes 160 00:09:16,920 --> 00:09:20,200 Speaker 1: from street corners. So at the still the twenty twenty election, 161 00:09:20,280 --> 00:09:24,880 Speaker 1: remember that. One my favorite news was the Saturday after 162 00:09:24,920 --> 00:09:28,960 Speaker 1: the election when the networks declared that Biden had indeed 163 00:09:28,960 --> 00:09:32,600 Speaker 1: won the election. Church bells rang in Paris, fireworks went 164 00:09:32,640 --> 00:09:36,880 Speaker 1: off in London, ABC and CNN reported the American people 165 00:09:36,920 --> 00:09:39,719 Speaker 1: that the church bells were in celebration of Biden's win. 166 00:09:40,440 --> 00:09:43,200 Speaker 1: They said the fireworks were set off because people in 167 00:09:43,280 --> 00:09:47,240 Speaker 1: London were marking Trump's defeat. It had nothing to do 168 00:09:47,400 --> 00:09:50,720 Speaker 1: with that. It was the weekly call to Mass in Paris, 169 00:09:50,800 --> 00:09:54,960 Speaker 1: happens every Saturday evening, and it was the celebration of 170 00:09:55,040 --> 00:09:58,840 Speaker 1: Guy Fawks Day Bonfire Night in London, a five hundred 171 00:09:58,960 --> 00:10:04,080 Speaker 1: year old they marked by fireworks. The press is so bad. 172 00:10:04,120 --> 00:10:07,199 Speaker 1: They thought everyone around the world was like them, celebrating 173 00:10:07,200 --> 00:10:10,680 Speaker 1: Trump's defeat. So they deceived the American people put on 174 00:10:10,720 --> 00:10:13,960 Speaker 1: the era story about church bells and fireworks that was 175 00:10:13,960 --> 00:10:18,520 Speaker 1: one hundred percent wrong from the start. That's deception. What's 176 00:10:18,559 --> 00:10:24,120 Speaker 1: fascinating is they somehow communicate among themselves and acquire a 177 00:10:24,160 --> 00:10:27,880 Speaker 1: common interpretation of reality. And it just seems to almost 178 00:10:28,000 --> 00:10:32,280 Speaker 1: naturally occur. And it's so far beyond the old adage 179 00:10:32,280 --> 00:10:34,760 Speaker 1: of liberal bias. You know what it is now new? 180 00:10:34,920 --> 00:10:38,000 Speaker 1: It's cultural. I have a survey in here from a 181 00:10:38,040 --> 00:10:41,640 Speaker 1: few research center and it shows that the only group 182 00:10:41,760 --> 00:10:45,520 Speaker 1: of Americans who say that the press understands them are 183 00:10:45,600 --> 00:10:50,160 Speaker 1: college educated Democrats. That's it. That's the only slice of America. 184 00:10:50,679 --> 00:10:54,160 Speaker 1: Reporters have become college educated Democrats who tell stories for 185 00:10:54,320 --> 00:10:57,840 Speaker 1: fellow college educated Democrats. If you're a Democrat with a 186 00:10:57,920 --> 00:11:00,800 Speaker 1: high school degree, omer you say that the press doesn't 187 00:11:00,840 --> 00:11:04,679 Speaker 1: understand you. Accorint of this survey. Independence regardless of college 188 00:11:04,679 --> 00:11:08,199 Speaker 1: degree or lack of college degree, say that the press 189 00:11:08,240 --> 00:11:11,200 Speaker 1: doesn't understand them. Republicans of all stripes say the press 190 00:11:11,240 --> 00:11:15,640 Speaker 1: does an understand them. They have shoehorned themselves culturally into 191 00:11:15,679 --> 00:11:19,120 Speaker 1: a narrow universe that is pro choice, pro gay rights, 192 00:11:19,160 --> 00:11:23,400 Speaker 1: pro gay marriage, pro transgender, you name it. It's an 193 00:11:23,440 --> 00:11:27,480 Speaker 1: agenda they support that is only matched by college educated Democrats. 194 00:11:27,880 --> 00:11:30,520 Speaker 1: They are so out of touch with the America. That's 195 00:11:30,559 --> 00:11:34,319 Speaker 1: the post of pubble. And this is why Donald Trump 196 00:11:34,360 --> 00:11:37,120 Speaker 1: won in two thou sixteen, which is why the two 197 00:11:37,400 --> 00:11:41,560 Speaker 1: twenty election was so raised it close that Trump almost 198 00:11:41,559 --> 00:11:44,360 Speaker 1: won it. It's twenty thousand votes have switched in four 199 00:11:44,480 --> 00:11:47,680 Speaker 1: states Trump would have been president. The press doesn't get it. 200 00:12:05,320 --> 00:12:07,400 Speaker 1: What's your sense of the future, I mean, how are 201 00:12:07,440 --> 00:12:11,160 Speaker 1: you optimistic this can be changed? Well? What I conclude 202 00:12:11,160 --> 00:12:14,840 Speaker 1: in my book is Journalism Schools, where I tell a 203 00:12:14,880 --> 00:12:17,080 Speaker 1: little story of how I've twice gone to visit students 204 00:12:17,080 --> 00:12:21,360 Speaker 1: of Columbia Journalism School classes of twelve. Both times I 205 00:12:21,400 --> 00:12:24,280 Speaker 1: asked the class. In the last presidential did you vote 206 00:12:24,280 --> 00:12:27,400 Speaker 1: for the Democrat or the Republican? Vote was twenty four? 207 00:12:27,520 --> 00:12:31,480 Speaker 1: Nothing new for the Democrat. I make the point here 208 00:12:32,360 --> 00:12:36,079 Speaker 1: that if journalists and newsrooms want to look like America, 209 00:12:36,200 --> 00:12:39,520 Speaker 1: sound like America, registered to vote like America, and be 210 00:12:39,640 --> 00:12:43,560 Speaker 1: diverse like America, they need to go on an affirmative 211 00:12:43,600 --> 00:12:47,160 Speaker 1: recruiting mission to hire people into journalism who have hunted 212 00:12:47,200 --> 00:12:50,720 Speaker 1: all their lives, whose fathers and grandfathers had guns, People 213 00:12:50,720 --> 00:12:54,679 Speaker 1: who believe that life begins at conception, people who think 214 00:12:54,880 --> 00:12:57,640 Speaker 1: differently from the path, who grew up still live in 215 00:12:57,720 --> 00:13:00,920 Speaker 1: rural areas. These are the people Journey Listen need to 216 00:13:00,960 --> 00:13:04,360 Speaker 1: bring into their newsrooms so that ratio becomes twelve to twelve, 217 00:13:04,679 --> 00:13:08,920 Speaker 1: It should become even. I hired an opposition research firm. 218 00:13:08,960 --> 00:13:12,040 Speaker 1: They pulled the public voter registration records of the forty 219 00:13:12,120 --> 00:13:15,480 Speaker 1: nine reporters who sit in the Biden White House. The 220 00:13:15,679 --> 00:13:19,040 Speaker 1: Biden White House Press Corps has a twelve to one 221 00:13:19,400 --> 00:13:25,640 Speaker 1: Democrat to Republican ratio. How is this not unfair? How 222 00:13:25,760 --> 00:13:28,720 Speaker 1: is this not seen in newsrooms as being biased. If 223 00:13:28,760 --> 00:13:32,960 Speaker 1: they want to return to objectivity and trust, they need 224 00:13:33,040 --> 00:13:35,600 Speaker 1: to recruit people into journalism who aren't just like the 225 00:13:35,640 --> 00:13:37,960 Speaker 1: ones we have now, you know. And I think part 226 00:13:37,960 --> 00:13:40,880 Speaker 1: of what's fascinating is, as you point out in your book, 227 00:13:41,400 --> 00:13:46,600 Speaker 1: the intensity of the sort of self policing. You note 228 00:13:46,640 --> 00:13:50,040 Speaker 1: that in twenty twenty one, Political invited Ben Shapiro to 229 00:13:50,040 --> 00:13:52,640 Speaker 1: be a guest writer, and more than one hundred staff 230 00:13:52,679 --> 00:13:55,800 Speaker 1: members signed a letter objecting to the decision. I mean, 231 00:13:55,920 --> 00:14:02,240 Speaker 1: it's like they militantly block any kind of alternative viewpoint. 232 00:14:03,200 --> 00:14:05,040 Speaker 1: And I write about that in my book. I use 233 00:14:05,120 --> 00:14:08,840 Speaker 1: that as one example. There countless other examples of how 234 00:14:08,920 --> 00:14:14,400 Speaker 1: conservatives are shunned in newsrooms. Again, it's cultural. There is 235 00:14:14,440 --> 00:14:17,320 Speaker 1: such a vibe in the mainstream media that if only 236 00:14:17,440 --> 00:14:20,560 Speaker 1: those people would watch CNN and read the New York Times, 237 00:14:20,880 --> 00:14:24,360 Speaker 1: they would never support Donald Trump or Tom Cotton or 238 00:14:24,360 --> 00:14:29,400 Speaker 1: Ted Cruz or Christinnome or Ronda Santis. And they're going 239 00:14:29,480 --> 00:14:31,720 Speaker 1: to do it again at twenty twenty four, no matter 240 00:14:31,720 --> 00:14:35,520 Speaker 1: who the Republicans nominate, because they have had so much 241 00:14:35,600 --> 00:14:39,479 Speaker 1: fun and it's been their business model to be activists 242 00:14:39,480 --> 00:14:42,640 Speaker 1: for a cause instead of neutral, objective reporters telling the 243 00:14:42,680 --> 00:14:45,400 Speaker 1: American people the truth. I mean you you point out 244 00:14:45,440 --> 00:14:49,640 Speaker 1: in the book that you get like on MSNBC percent 245 00:14:49,680 --> 00:14:54,240 Speaker 1: of the viewers or Democrats on Fox News ninety three 246 00:14:54,280 --> 00:14:56,960 Speaker 1: percent of Republican I mean, so there's sort of a 247 00:14:57,000 --> 00:15:01,680 Speaker 1: self reinforcing bias. How do you make your audience happy? 248 00:15:02,280 --> 00:15:04,600 Speaker 1: No question. And you combine that with the lack of 249 00:15:04,640 --> 00:15:08,000 Speaker 1: advertising dollars in print media these days, and the fact 250 00:15:08,000 --> 00:15:10,240 Speaker 1: that newspapers like the New York Times get most of 251 00:15:10,280 --> 00:15:14,000 Speaker 1: their money now from subscribers, and those subscribers counting on 252 00:15:14,040 --> 00:15:18,200 Speaker 1: the New York Times to resist Donald Trump, and this 253 00:15:18,280 --> 00:15:20,640 Speaker 1: is a problem for the American people. I would much 254 00:15:20,760 --> 00:15:24,520 Speaker 1: rather pick up one paper or watch one source of news. 255 00:15:24,520 --> 00:15:26,800 Speaker 1: And though I got it straight, I got it neutral, 256 00:15:26,840 --> 00:15:28,800 Speaker 1: I got it right down the middle. Now, I will 257 00:15:28,840 --> 00:15:31,280 Speaker 1: say I think the best show on the news is 258 00:15:31,360 --> 00:15:33,680 Speaker 1: Brett Bears Show at Fox at six o'clock at night. 259 00:15:34,480 --> 00:15:37,240 Speaker 1: And if you watch daytime Fox versus CNN, which I 260 00:15:37,320 --> 00:15:40,480 Speaker 1: watch a lot of both, daytime Fox is so much 261 00:15:40,520 --> 00:15:43,800 Speaker 1: more objective than CNN. I'm hoping the new owners of 262 00:15:43,880 --> 00:15:48,200 Speaker 1: CNN will change that and return more to objectivity and 263 00:15:48,280 --> 00:15:52,040 Speaker 1: neutrality and reporting. But until they do. The media is 264 00:15:52,040 --> 00:15:55,160 Speaker 1: going to continue it's long long decline of trust. You know. 265 00:15:55,160 --> 00:15:56,720 Speaker 1: One of the things I cite in the book is 266 00:15:56,720 --> 00:15:58,880 Speaker 1: the United States media is the least trust in media 267 00:15:58,920 --> 00:16:01,840 Speaker 1: in the world. Reuters did a survey of people in 268 00:16:01,880 --> 00:16:06,000 Speaker 1: forty six countries. United States came in dead last in 269 00:16:06,080 --> 00:16:08,840 Speaker 1: terms of the number of Americans who trust the media. 270 00:16:09,000 --> 00:16:12,120 Speaker 1: And I didn't realize that's a very sobering number. You know. 271 00:16:12,160 --> 00:16:14,920 Speaker 1: I think back to because I was from Atlanta and 272 00:16:15,000 --> 00:16:18,080 Speaker 1: I knew Ted Turner when he first launched CNN. I 273 00:16:18,160 --> 00:16:21,760 Speaker 1: think he genuinely wanted a news channel. I don't think 274 00:16:21,800 --> 00:16:25,000 Speaker 1: he started out wanting a propaganda channel. But you know, 275 00:16:25,120 --> 00:16:27,880 Speaker 1: CNN's motto used to be the news is the star. 276 00:16:28,800 --> 00:16:31,960 Speaker 1: But what happened under Jeff zucker the former president of CNN, 277 00:16:31,960 --> 00:16:35,760 Speaker 1: and then when Donald Trump took office, CNN unleashed its 278 00:16:35,760 --> 00:16:39,080 Speaker 1: reporters to go after Trump. This is why Jim Acosta 279 00:16:39,520 --> 00:16:42,880 Speaker 1: could espouse his personal opinions from the White House briefing 280 00:16:42,920 --> 00:16:44,960 Speaker 1: room and not getting in trouble. And I write about 281 00:16:44,960 --> 00:16:47,240 Speaker 1: that at length in my book. One of my favorites 282 00:16:47,280 --> 00:16:50,520 Speaker 1: is John Harwood. John Harwood, a former reporter for the 283 00:16:50,520 --> 00:16:52,520 Speaker 1: New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and now the 284 00:16:52,600 --> 00:16:59,479 Speaker 1: CNN White House Reporter unabashedly biased and anti Trump, anti Republican. 285 00:16:59,520 --> 00:17:03,080 Speaker 1: I have after quote after quote from John Harwood showing 286 00:17:03,120 --> 00:17:06,720 Speaker 1: his bias. Did anybody at CNN they knock it off? 287 00:17:07,520 --> 00:17:12,960 Speaker 1: CNN also nude. They booked Michael Abanati almost twice as 288 00:17:13,080 --> 00:17:15,680 Speaker 1: much over the same period of time as they booked 289 00:17:15,760 --> 00:17:20,920 Speaker 1: the entire Trump administration to talk about COVID. They put 290 00:17:20,960 --> 00:17:23,919 Speaker 1: Abanati on there twice as much to talk about Stormy 291 00:17:24,000 --> 00:17:28,240 Speaker 1: Daniels and getting Trump. Then they did the Surgeon General, 292 00:17:28,280 --> 00:17:31,280 Speaker 1: the Secretary of Health and Human Services, doctor Anthony Fauci, 293 00:17:31,359 --> 00:17:34,680 Speaker 1: doctor Deborah Brooks, everyone who worked for Trump on COVID. 294 00:17:35,600 --> 00:17:38,720 Speaker 1: They booked Abanati almost twice as much. What does that 295 00:17:38,800 --> 00:17:42,080 Speaker 1: tell you about CNN? It's bias? Doesn't this also have 296 00:17:42,119 --> 00:17:45,720 Speaker 1: an internally self policing model. I mean, if you are 297 00:17:45,760 --> 00:17:50,159 Speaker 1: a reporter in the White House Press Corps, you know 298 00:17:50,880 --> 00:17:55,120 Speaker 1: that ninety nine of the people sitting around you are 299 00:17:55,280 --> 00:17:59,959 Speaker 1: anti Trump or they're gonna try to protect Biden or whatever, 300 00:18:00,320 --> 00:18:02,920 Speaker 1: and so you know if you offer a devan viewpoint, 301 00:18:03,520 --> 00:18:06,359 Speaker 1: you're going to actually be isolated from your own friends. 302 00:18:08,840 --> 00:18:10,840 Speaker 1: You know, I have told the case of Jimmy Gagliano, 303 00:18:10,960 --> 00:18:15,120 Speaker 1: a former FBI a special agent who was a CNN contributor, 304 00:18:15,800 --> 00:18:19,320 Speaker 1: and he originally was critical of Donald Trump when he 305 00:18:19,359 --> 00:18:22,240 Speaker 1: fired James Combing, and then he started to dig into 306 00:18:22,240 --> 00:18:24,359 Speaker 1: the facts and started to learn that the real problem 307 00:18:24,400 --> 00:18:26,359 Speaker 1: was at the FBI and the way they treated Trump 308 00:18:26,400 --> 00:18:29,320 Speaker 1: and the way Comy behaved. And so he started to 309 00:18:29,640 --> 00:18:32,359 Speaker 1: say that on the air and defend Trump and go 310 00:18:32,400 --> 00:18:35,920 Speaker 1: after coming as a former FBI agent. What does CNN do. 311 00:18:36,520 --> 00:18:38,600 Speaker 1: They removed them from the air, They put them on 312 00:18:38,640 --> 00:18:42,080 Speaker 1: headline news. You're not allowed to have a conservative voice 313 00:18:42,080 --> 00:18:45,320 Speaker 1: in these news rooms. You're isolated, you're unique, you get 314 00:18:45,400 --> 00:18:49,119 Speaker 1: drummed out. And CNN made more mistakes and put more 315 00:18:49,160 --> 00:18:53,040 Speaker 1: wrong information on the air in part I think because 316 00:18:53,080 --> 00:18:56,560 Speaker 1: there's no one around to check it. Shouldn't somebody have said, 317 00:18:56,640 --> 00:18:59,679 Speaker 1: maybe we're putting Abenadi on the air too much. Maju 318 00:18:59,800 --> 00:19:04,119 Speaker 1: ra Juice at CNN, he aired the story about Donald 319 00:19:04,119 --> 00:19:08,760 Speaker 1: Trump Junior knew about Wiki Leaks having Hillary's emails before 320 00:19:08,760 --> 00:19:13,440 Speaker 1: the emails were even released. He got that story from 321 00:19:13,760 --> 00:19:17,399 Speaker 1: Democrats who misread or told him a wrong date on 322 00:19:17,520 --> 00:19:20,920 Speaker 1: a memo. It was planned to see his information was 323 00:19:20,960 --> 00:19:24,600 Speaker 1: wrong if you only paid attention to the date. Nobody 324 00:19:24,600 --> 00:19:27,359 Speaker 1: at CNN caught it. They aired the story, they later 325 00:19:27,440 --> 00:19:30,840 Speaker 1: retracted it is there no one at CNN who was 326 00:19:30,920 --> 00:19:34,000 Speaker 1: on the lookout for maybe we're going too far. But 327 00:19:34,640 --> 00:19:37,280 Speaker 1: when you have a newsroom like that, if it's anti Trump, 328 00:19:37,320 --> 00:19:58,560 Speaker 1: it gets a bump. And that's the problem. When you 329 00:19:58,640 --> 00:20:03,560 Speaker 1: were the press secretary in a very turbulent and contentious period, 330 00:20:04,359 --> 00:20:07,720 Speaker 1: how did you manage the personalities in the room. Well, 331 00:20:07,760 --> 00:20:11,240 Speaker 1: back then it was a calmer, different era. It was 332 00:20:11,280 --> 00:20:13,959 Speaker 1: an era of liberal bias. And I always knew that 333 00:20:13,960 --> 00:20:18,159 Speaker 1: the press was liberal, but they tried to be objective, 334 00:20:18,480 --> 00:20:21,160 Speaker 1: especially compared to today. Today they just let it rip 335 00:20:21,480 --> 00:20:24,720 Speaker 1: their opinions or the news. Back then, they really didn't 336 00:20:24,720 --> 00:20:27,640 Speaker 1: put their opinions on the air. They would say Democrats say, 337 00:20:27,800 --> 00:20:31,679 Speaker 1: Bush responds, and you know it, maybe two thirds Democrats 338 00:20:31,720 --> 00:20:34,960 Speaker 1: say and one third Bush response. But that's why I said, 339 00:20:35,160 --> 00:20:37,560 Speaker 1: Republicans have to work harder, you have to be sharper, 340 00:20:37,600 --> 00:20:39,080 Speaker 1: you have to be better at your game just to 341 00:20:39,200 --> 00:20:43,719 Speaker 1: fight to even with the press. But that is an 342 00:20:43,720 --> 00:20:47,879 Speaker 1: old era, and back then people did watch the news 343 00:20:47,920 --> 00:20:52,199 Speaker 1: without the ideological sorting. Today you can tell your story 344 00:20:52,520 --> 00:20:55,000 Speaker 1: to conservative media if you're a Republican, or the liberal 345 00:20:55,040 --> 00:20:57,399 Speaker 1: media if you're a Democrat and think your day is done. 346 00:20:58,240 --> 00:21:02,040 Speaker 1: It was different back then. I was always struck that 347 00:21:02,920 --> 00:21:05,840 Speaker 1: you were able to go in there with a great 348 00:21:05,880 --> 00:21:10,920 Speaker 1: confidence and almost didn't matter what the question was, you'd 349 00:21:10,960 --> 00:21:13,080 Speaker 1: already formulated an answer. You were able to move to 350 00:21:13,119 --> 00:21:17,480 Speaker 1: it quickly. We're very clear, how do you prepare, given 351 00:21:17,520 --> 00:21:21,560 Speaker 1: how wide ranging those kind of press briefings can be, 352 00:21:21,680 --> 00:21:25,919 Speaker 1: How does somebody in that job prepare to cover the 353 00:21:25,920 --> 00:21:29,000 Speaker 1: water front like that? And it's an amazing achievement. Well, 354 00:21:29,000 --> 00:21:32,639 Speaker 1: it's really two parts. One is I was just around 355 00:21:32,640 --> 00:21:34,480 Speaker 1: the president so much. I was in the Oval a 356 00:21:34,560 --> 00:21:36,960 Speaker 1: quarter or a a third of my days and countless meetings 357 00:21:37,040 --> 00:21:39,880 Speaker 1: pretty much everything he did other than NSC National Security 358 00:21:40,160 --> 00:21:42,959 Speaker 1: Council meetings or his CIA briefing, so I knew what 359 00:21:43,000 --> 00:21:46,840 Speaker 1: he was thinking. And then two, I thought like a reporter. 360 00:21:47,560 --> 00:21:50,119 Speaker 1: I've never been a reporter, I'm proud to say, but 361 00:21:50,280 --> 00:21:53,280 Speaker 1: I thought like one. I always was able to play 362 00:21:53,320 --> 00:21:56,000 Speaker 1: the devil's advocate. Put on, a reporter had to say, 363 00:21:56,080 --> 00:22:01,000 Speaker 1: what tough, nasty, argumentative, skeptical, negative question will they ask? 364 00:22:02,000 --> 00:22:04,320 Speaker 1: And if you know your boss. If you know the 365 00:22:04,480 --> 00:22:06,840 Speaker 1: elected official, the president of the United States, and you're 366 00:22:06,880 --> 00:22:10,400 Speaker 1: able to speak for him, and you know what reporters 367 00:22:10,400 --> 00:22:13,359 Speaker 1: are going to ask you, you're prepared, you're ready, and 368 00:22:13,440 --> 00:22:16,199 Speaker 1: that's the fun part of the job. Newte I loved it. 369 00:22:16,520 --> 00:22:19,240 Speaker 1: I loved taking that podium. I loved being where the 370 00:22:19,280 --> 00:22:22,080 Speaker 1: front page was going to be made before anybody knew 371 00:22:22,080 --> 00:22:25,240 Speaker 1: it was on the front page. I loved my clashes 372 00:22:25,280 --> 00:22:28,800 Speaker 1: with reporters. I always tried to keep it polite and respectful, 373 00:22:29,119 --> 00:22:32,200 Speaker 1: but I really did not mind a good clash, and 374 00:22:32,359 --> 00:22:35,800 Speaker 1: to me, it was intellectual chess. I loved going back 375 00:22:35,800 --> 00:22:39,800 Speaker 1: and forth. It's a fun job. So when you look 376 00:22:39,800 --> 00:22:45,320 Speaker 1: at all of that, I'm really curious propensity of the 377 00:22:45,400 --> 00:22:49,960 Speaker 1: left to sort of clot together into almost a wolfpack approach. 378 00:22:49,960 --> 00:22:52,800 Speaker 1: It was one of the greatest surprises to me. In retrospect, 379 00:22:52,800 --> 00:22:55,399 Speaker 1: I'm embarrassed that I was this naive. But when I 380 00:22:55,520 --> 00:23:00,640 Speaker 1: became speaker, I was deliberately, very very open, and after 381 00:23:00,680 --> 00:23:02,320 Speaker 1: a couple of weeks we realized it was just an 382 00:23:02,359 --> 00:23:05,119 Speaker 1: invitation for them to play gotcha. Yep. I mean they 383 00:23:05,119 --> 00:23:06,800 Speaker 1: didn't want to come in and learn things. I wanted 384 00:23:06,800 --> 00:23:08,600 Speaker 1: to come in and find some way to score a point, 385 00:23:09,560 --> 00:23:11,960 Speaker 1: and their fresh dese back in the newsroom was whether 386 00:23:12,000 --> 00:23:14,199 Speaker 1: I think it'd score a point off of us. It 387 00:23:14,320 --> 00:23:18,200 Speaker 1: was very, very disheartening. I remember so well knew when 388 00:23:18,280 --> 00:23:21,600 Speaker 1: you became speaker in November ninety four, and I became 389 00:23:21,640 --> 00:23:24,040 Speaker 1: the communications director of the Ways and Means Committee for 390 00:23:24,080 --> 00:23:26,879 Speaker 1: Bill Archer, a wonderful man, the chairman of Ways and Means. 391 00:23:27,560 --> 00:23:30,600 Speaker 1: You wrote a book and you got a book deal, 392 00:23:31,040 --> 00:23:34,840 Speaker 1: and the press hillaried you for getting a book deal. 393 00:23:36,080 --> 00:23:38,479 Speaker 1: Lo and behold. A couple of years later, Hillary Clinton 394 00:23:39,240 --> 00:23:43,399 Speaker 1: gets a book deal same basis as you, and the 395 00:23:43,640 --> 00:23:47,439 Speaker 1: press was perfectly fine with Hillary Clinton's book deal. And 396 00:23:47,560 --> 00:23:49,760 Speaker 1: I've seen a time and time again where they go 397 00:23:49,920 --> 00:23:52,600 Speaker 1: after Republicans and then Democrats do the same thing as 398 00:23:52,600 --> 00:23:55,400 Speaker 1: Republicans and the press gives them a pass. They were 399 00:23:55,440 --> 00:23:59,320 Speaker 1: brutal to you, they were brutal to Republicans. And yeah, 400 00:23:59,400 --> 00:24:01,600 Speaker 1: intellect you want to think, all I need to do 401 00:24:01,760 --> 00:24:05,040 Speaker 1: is explain it. I'll stand there and I'll tell the press, no, 402 00:24:05,359 --> 00:24:08,080 Speaker 1: it doesn't work if the press is playing gotcha. So 403 00:24:08,320 --> 00:24:12,080 Speaker 1: I'm curious if you were talking to young people, as 404 00:24:12,119 --> 00:24:15,280 Speaker 1: I'm sure you do constantly what would you tell them 405 00:24:15,359 --> 00:24:21,159 Speaker 1: both about becoming a reporter and about becoming a spokesperson, 406 00:24:21,760 --> 00:24:25,439 Speaker 1: two cynergistic jobs that feed off of each other. What 407 00:24:25,480 --> 00:24:28,480 Speaker 1: would your advice would you encourage them to go into 408 00:24:28,480 --> 00:24:32,679 Speaker 1: those two fields? I do. I encourage young conservative people, 409 00:24:32,760 --> 00:24:36,520 Speaker 1: particularly people who are just from a rural background or 410 00:24:36,840 --> 00:24:40,840 Speaker 1: just think ideologically conservative, to get into journalism because it's 411 00:24:40,840 --> 00:24:44,000 Speaker 1: good for the country, and hopefully many of them do it, 412 00:24:44,040 --> 00:24:47,560 Speaker 1: and hopefully newsrooms start to say, we really need a 413 00:24:47,600 --> 00:24:51,880 Speaker 1: booster shot of independent thinking in our newsrooms. This liberal 414 00:24:52,160 --> 00:24:54,800 Speaker 1: group think is killing us. So I want them to 415 00:24:54,880 --> 00:24:58,480 Speaker 1: do it. But I also tell people, even though Washington 416 00:24:58,640 --> 00:25:01,359 Speaker 1: is much more polarized and less friendly than it was 417 00:25:01,480 --> 00:25:03,520 Speaker 1: during the twenty one years I was there, and it 418 00:25:03,640 --> 00:25:05,239 Speaker 1: was tough when I was there, but it's not like 419 00:25:05,280 --> 00:25:07,640 Speaker 1: it is today. I still tell people, if you want 420 00:25:07,640 --> 00:25:10,840 Speaker 1: to make a difference in this world, move to Washington. 421 00:25:11,359 --> 00:25:15,320 Speaker 1: It is still the place where policy counts and make 422 00:25:15,359 --> 00:25:19,840 Speaker 1: a difference. Dive and it is always such an intellectually 423 00:25:19,880 --> 00:25:25,159 Speaker 1: exciting and invigorating young town. And so nothing's changed for me. 424 00:25:25,440 --> 00:25:27,680 Speaker 1: I still wish people would do it. It's not as 425 00:25:27,760 --> 00:25:30,119 Speaker 1: fun as it used to be, but it's still pretty fun, 426 00:25:30,560 --> 00:25:35,000 Speaker 1: particularly if you like the give and take. It's amazingly dynamic, 427 00:25:35,040 --> 00:25:38,280 Speaker 1: and you can get an awful lot of adrenaline. When 428 00:25:38,280 --> 00:25:41,080 Speaker 1: you have a good day, you get the adrenaline of winning, 429 00:25:41,080 --> 00:25:42,200 Speaker 1: and when you have a bad day, you get the 430 00:25:42,240 --> 00:25:45,520 Speaker 1: adrenaline of surviving. And you can do it with respect. 431 00:25:45,920 --> 00:25:49,480 Speaker 1: Not everybody has to bash their opponent and fight all 432 00:25:49,520 --> 00:25:52,520 Speaker 1: the time. You can go down there and hold your 433 00:25:52,520 --> 00:25:56,359 Speaker 1: head up high and live a respectful life, a dignified life. 434 00:25:56,440 --> 00:26:01,640 Speaker 1: Clash with people ideologically, but respect them and enjoy their personalities. 435 00:26:02,080 --> 00:26:04,439 Speaker 1: Get to know people at night from a different party. 436 00:26:05,880 --> 00:26:09,800 Speaker 1: That's how everybody can live their life. Nobody's making you 437 00:26:10,000 --> 00:26:13,000 Speaker 1: be a bitter partisan. You can get along with people. 438 00:26:13,480 --> 00:26:17,520 Speaker 1: So when you talk about suppression, deception, snobbery, and bias. 439 00:26:17,960 --> 00:26:21,760 Speaker 1: What's your take on the way they have managed the 440 00:26:21,840 --> 00:26:27,359 Speaker 1: January sixth committee. Oh, it's the perfect case of college 441 00:26:27,440 --> 00:26:31,640 Speaker 1: educated democrats talking to college educated democrats. They think everybody 442 00:26:31,640 --> 00:26:33,760 Speaker 1: in America is riveted on the edge of their seats 443 00:26:33,760 --> 00:26:37,240 Speaker 1: watching this stuff. Look everything that happened on January six 444 00:26:37,280 --> 00:26:40,480 Speaker 1: and my opinion was terrible. President Trump never should have 445 00:26:40,520 --> 00:26:44,080 Speaker 1: called people to Washington on that day for his rally. 446 00:26:44,080 --> 00:26:48,520 Speaker 1: It was too volatile. Nobody should have trespassed, breeched the capital. 447 00:26:48,600 --> 00:26:51,760 Speaker 1: No one should have attacked a police officer, and anybody 448 00:26:51,760 --> 00:26:54,639 Speaker 1: who did deserves to be prosecuted. But we all know 449 00:26:54,680 --> 00:26:58,800 Speaker 1: what happened that day. It was horrible. This is just 450 00:26:58,880 --> 00:27:02,359 Speaker 1: a rerun. Now we're watching reruns for a political purpose 451 00:27:02,359 --> 00:27:04,760 Speaker 1: to benefit the Democratic Party. That's all this is. And 452 00:27:04,800 --> 00:27:07,680 Speaker 1: the committee is a joke. The committee is not fair, 453 00:27:07,720 --> 00:27:11,880 Speaker 1: it's not balanced. Not Nancy Pelosi to reject the Republicans 454 00:27:11,920 --> 00:27:14,399 Speaker 1: who were going to serve on the committee. Now, you 455 00:27:14,400 --> 00:27:16,560 Speaker 1: wouldn't have done that. No speaker has a right to 456 00:27:16,640 --> 00:27:19,400 Speaker 1: do that. That's a horrible precedent for how Congress will 457 00:27:19,440 --> 00:27:22,679 Speaker 1: be run. Everything about this committee's a joke. Well, it 458 00:27:22,760 --> 00:27:25,760 Speaker 1: degenerates the House into a dictatorship of the speaker. Mean, 459 00:27:26,119 --> 00:27:27,840 Speaker 1: as long as you have two hundred and eighteen votes, 460 00:27:27,880 --> 00:27:30,480 Speaker 1: you can ram through anything, but in the process you 461 00:27:30,520 --> 00:27:34,800 Speaker 1: do enormous damage to the system at large. To me, 462 00:27:34,880 --> 00:27:37,119 Speaker 1: it's been an amazing thing to watch, and I was 463 00:27:37,240 --> 00:27:42,240 Speaker 1: startled last week I read that there are twenty five 464 00:27:42,400 --> 00:27:47,679 Speaker 1: thousand documents and over a thousand videotaped interviews that are 465 00:27:47,720 --> 00:27:51,600 Speaker 1: all secrets. I did a newsletter saying, you know, an 466 00:27:51,600 --> 00:27:54,199 Speaker 1: easy first step is to trust the American people and 467 00:27:54,359 --> 00:27:58,400 Speaker 1: release all the information and let them decide. Well, wait 468 00:27:58,440 --> 00:28:02,800 Speaker 1: till Republicans take the Congress. They focus on policy and 469 00:28:02,880 --> 00:28:06,240 Speaker 1: passing initiatives to make sure our border is secure, that 470 00:28:06,280 --> 00:28:10,120 Speaker 1: we're energy independent, where we take on China. But they're 471 00:28:10,160 --> 00:28:12,840 Speaker 1: also going to reopen this. I want to be surprised 472 00:28:12,880 --> 00:28:15,480 Speaker 1: if they demand to see Nancy Pelosi's emails about the 473 00:28:15,560 --> 00:28:18,520 Speaker 1: National Guard and why they didn't protect the capital. So 474 00:28:18,640 --> 00:28:21,639 Speaker 1: the Democrats are going to be vulnerable when Republicans take charge. 475 00:28:21,640 --> 00:28:24,480 Speaker 1: But it just keeps up this terrible cycle of Democrats 476 00:28:24,520 --> 00:28:29,520 Speaker 1: investigating Republicans, Republicans investigating Democrats, and everybody assuming that their 477 00:28:29,520 --> 00:28:33,000 Speaker 1: colleague's motives are the worst. That's why Washington is in 478 00:28:33,119 --> 00:28:35,639 Speaker 1: vast shape. I agree with you. I think actually they 479 00:28:35,640 --> 00:28:37,920 Speaker 1: ought to just release all the documents, let the American 480 00:28:37,960 --> 00:28:40,239 Speaker 1: people look at them and say we're now done with 481 00:28:40,320 --> 00:28:44,600 Speaker 1: that and move towards actual policies. And what the country wants, 482 00:28:44,720 --> 00:28:48,280 Speaker 1: I think is to see some things solved. I mean, 483 00:28:48,920 --> 00:28:52,360 Speaker 1: you look at the impact of gasoline prices, or food prices, 484 00:28:53,160 --> 00:28:58,320 Speaker 1: or the crime rate. It's really startling and very unlike 485 00:28:58,360 --> 00:29:01,080 Speaker 1: traditional America. I want to come in you. I think 486 00:29:01,120 --> 00:29:05,120 Speaker 1: this is an important book because you set a framework 487 00:29:05,880 --> 00:29:10,480 Speaker 1: for understanding how the media has evolved and for understanding 488 00:29:10,520 --> 00:29:12,600 Speaker 1: what we have to do to get back to a 489 00:29:12,640 --> 00:29:15,760 Speaker 1: real dialogue in a free society. You have as much 490 00:29:15,800 --> 00:29:19,400 Speaker 1: as anybody I know, you have the personal professional knowledge 491 00:29:19,840 --> 00:29:23,040 Speaker 1: to really be effective at communicating this. So we're going 492 00:29:23,120 --> 00:29:27,320 Speaker 1: to post your new book, Suppression, Deception, Snobbery and Bias 493 00:29:27,760 --> 00:29:30,840 Speaker 1: Why the Press gets so much wrong and just doesn't care. 494 00:29:31,200 --> 00:29:33,000 Speaker 1: That'll be posted on our show page, and we're going 495 00:29:33,000 --> 00:29:36,440 Speaker 1: to encourage our listeners to order. And I'm very grateful 496 00:29:36,880 --> 00:29:39,320 Speaker 1: that you would take the time to join me to 497 00:29:39,400 --> 00:29:43,040 Speaker 1: share with our podcast listeners what you've been up to. Well, 498 00:29:43,160 --> 00:29:45,320 Speaker 1: nudes of pleasure to see you. We go back a 499 00:29:45,360 --> 00:29:51,240 Speaker 1: long ways, So thank you for your time. Thank you 500 00:29:51,280 --> 00:29:53,640 Speaker 1: to my guest Ari Fleischer. You can get a link 501 00:29:53,680 --> 00:29:57,480 Speaker 1: to buy his new book, Suppression, Deception, Snobbery and Bias 502 00:29:57,960 --> 00:30:01,600 Speaker 1: on our show page at news World. News World is 503 00:30:01,640 --> 00:30:06,000 Speaker 1: produced by Gingwish three sixty and iHeartMedia. Our executive producer 504 00:30:06,160 --> 00:30:09,920 Speaker 1: is Guardsi Slop, our producer is Rebecca Howe, and our 505 00:30:09,960 --> 00:30:14,160 Speaker 1: researcher is Rachel Peterson. The artwork for the show was 506 00:30:14,200 --> 00:30:17,800 Speaker 1: created by Steve Penley. Special thanks to the team at 507 00:30:17,840 --> 00:30:21,120 Speaker 1: Gingwish three sixty. If you've been enjoying news World, I 508 00:30:21,160 --> 00:30:24,120 Speaker 1: hope you'll go to Apple Podcast and both rate us 509 00:30:24,120 --> 00:30:27,400 Speaker 1: with five stars and give us a review so others 510 00:30:27,440 --> 00:30:30,760 Speaker 1: can learn what it's all about. Right now, listeners of 511 00:30:30,840 --> 00:30:34,120 Speaker 1: news World can sign up from my three free weekly 512 00:30:34,160 --> 00:30:38,520 Speaker 1: columns at Gingwish three sixty dot com slash newsletter I'm 513 00:30:38,600 --> 00:30:40,800 Speaker 1: new Gangwish. This is news World.