Maxwell Interview Transcript RELEASED; Bolton Raid ALARMS Fmr DHS Official

[0:11] Good morning and welcome to Rising. We've got a great show for you today. Happy Monday. I am again [0:15] joined by my friend Chris Eliza. Nice to see you. Hello, my friend. So what's on your radar? [0:21] Let's get right to it. Right to it. Here we go. Well, a little bit later, we'll have Trump's [0:26] battle with local leaders over their plans to bring the cops into their area. We'll also talk [0:31] about what Sergei Lavrov said about Ukraine's right to exist. But first, some good news from [0:37] the nation's capital following the federal takeover of Washington, D.C.'s police that [0:41] was spearheaded by President Trump two weeks ago. Crime has decreased markedly. That's right. [0:46] D.C. sought a noticeable drop in carjackings and robberies. And while there are obviously [0:50] statistical fluctuations from week to week that might not necessarily have anything to do with [0:55] policy, it's nevertheless the case. The city has had zero homicides since August 13th. And that's [1:01] the bottom line. Deploying more law enforcement resources and more police officers in accordance [1:05] with the president's wishes has given Washington a murder-free week. And that should be good news, [1:10] no matter what your politics are. Unfortunately, I suspect many national Democrats, unlike local [1:15] Democrats, might be frustrated that the Trump plan for crime has yielded some undeniable successes. [1:20] Now, nobody wants there to be crime, of course. I don't think Democrats do. I'm not saying that. [1:25] But then again, nobody in progressive circles wants Trump to be right about anything. [1:28] Just watch how Meet the Press' Kristen Welker lamely tried to fact-check J.D. Vance during an interview [1:33] over the weekend in which the vice president gave Trump credit for bringing crime under control. [1:38] Let's watch. [1:38] What we have control over is the nation's capital. And if you look, for example, at the murder rate [1:45] in D.C., it rivals some of the worst cities, the most violent cities anywhere in the world. That's a disgrace [1:51] for our nation. That's a disgrace for the residents who live in D.C. who just want to take their kids to a park [1:56] or walk down Union Station or take their family out for a bite to eat without being accosted by a vagrant [2:02] or a violent criminal. [2:03] Crime has dropped over 30 percent, though, in the nation's capital. [2:06] Crime has dropped over 35 percent in the nation's capital in 10 days because of what Donald J. [2:12] Trump has done. [2:15] Now, Vance continued asserting that quietly accepting decline in crime and disorder in our cities, [2:20] well, that's a choice. And it's one the Trump administration is no longer going to tolerate. [2:25] When you make such big progress in a matter of a week and a half, I think that you step on the gas [2:30] and try to make D.C. even more safe. And here's the thing, Kristen, we don't have to live like this. [2:35] My message to my fellow citizens here in D.C. or all across the country would be that allowing vagrants [2:42] and armed robberies to take over your city, that's a policy choice. What President Trump is showing is [2:48] that if you just empower local law enforcement to arrest and prosecute the bad guys, we can take [2:53] back American streets. National Democrats and the mainstream media need to recognize that that's a [2:59] powerful message and a winning message. Polls show that Americans are very concerned about the things [3:04] Vance is talking about and they want solutions. Now, look, it's perfectly reasonable, even healthy [3:08] to be concerned about over-policing. Civil liberties are extremely important. And we've seen how [3:13] government authorities can use a crisis as a pretext to implement heavy-handed measures that make our [3:17] lives worse without actually improving safety. See the coronavirus pandemic for numerous examples of [3:22] that. We don't want to become a papers-please society where everybody has to show identification just to walk [3:27] down the street. Battalions of federal troops are a fixture of what every metro station and green [3:32] space in the city. That's going to lead to abuses to innocent people who are minding their own [3:36] business, getting harassed or even detained for no reason. In my radars over the past few weeks, [3:40] I've given you some of my ideas, which are not unique to me at all, just things I've learned from [3:44] reading about the city's problems. We need to fix A, the crime lab, make sure it can process ballistics [3:49] evidence, giving prosecutors the tools they need to bring cases against violent criminals. We need to [3:54] appoint and confirm judges who take the crime problem in this city seriously and are accountable [3:58] to the people who live here. And we need to give homicide detectives more resources and we probably [4:03] got to hire more of them. We need to better patrol the city's green spaces and get the mentally ill and [4:08] drug-addicted people occupying them into treatment programs first before we give them public housing. [4:13] They just wreck the public housing if the underlying addiction isn't dealt with. The increased federal [4:18] presence with national law enforcement working alongside local cops, that's accomplished some, not all, [4:23] but some of those goals, others still remain. But yes, more cops means less crime. It's on some level that [4:30] simple. And if Democrats don't like the Trump plan, okay, what would you like to do differently? [4:36] Seriously, I'm all ears. I can't wait to hear your solution to the crime problem. Bonus points, that actually [4:40] saves the taxpayers money. You know I'll be on board. What I expect, of course, is the opposite. Dems will propose [4:45] new programs, more housing for the homeless, more educational programs, more progressivism. I don't know if [4:52] they're still recommending abolishing the police entirely. New York City's likely next mayor, [4:56] Zoran Mamdani, was talking about that idea as recently as five years ago. Look, this agenda is [5:01] simply not a political winner. I don't know what else to say. Trump's is. I know it. Voters know it. [5:07] Deep down, most Democrats probably know it too, at least the ones who actually live in the real world [5:12] and have to deal with the consequences of disordered cities. Progressive elites safely ensconced within [5:17] gated communities that pay for private security, like actually so many members of our professional [5:22] media class. Well, they might actually not, or think not, think about not doing anything [5:26] is just fine for them. It's a fine solution. But most normal people know better, which is why I [5:33] suspect what Trump has been doing over the last couple of weeks here will be popular. [5:38] And I think he'll keep doing it. [5:39] I mean, that's the other thing that I would say is like, yes. Remember, I think it's so funny [5:43] that people don't listen to what Donald Trump says. So it's like, as soon as the federal, [5:50] what are we calling it? Not takeover, but federal involvement in D.C., in the D.C. Police Department. [5:54] As soon as Trump said that, he literally said, and other cities should be paying attention. [6:00] And then over the weekend, it was like, well, the Washington Post reported that the Pentagon is [6:04] developing a plan for the National Guard to go into Chicago. And people were like, what? [6:07] And I was like, he literally said that, and he's been fixated on Chicago probably ever since Barack [6:14] Obama got elected. So yeah, I, the point that struck home most for me there, Robbie, was what's [6:22] Democrats' plan? You can't just say, well, the crime problem isn't as bad as Donald Trump is saying, [6:27] which is true, but also not a political solution, not even a policy solution. Like no one thinks that [6:35] there's, what's the acceptable amount of crime? If Democrats are having to answer that question, [6:39] they're doomed. Whenever you're in the position of explaining that, well, things are not as bad [6:45] as you think, you're just always losing the political context, which frankly is unfair, [6:49] because sometimes problems do get exaggerated by political figures. Absolutely. Perception [6:53] doesn't match reality. Yeah. So I get that. And I, you know, I too, I'm libertarian. I don't want [6:58] to pay for giant numbers of armed troops everywhere. Like I don't want to do that. But the baseline [7:05] level of crime in the city was just too high. You know, people who live here know that. Yes. That [7:09] it's not, it like feels unsafe and it's not just a feeling. It's because it is unsafe. And I do think [7:15] like the whole, it's down, which is a point I have made. Yeah. It is down. Yeah. But it's down from [7:22] extremely high highs. Murder spiked in what, 2023 in a way that. Yeah. Out of COVID, there was a huge [7:28] spike. So it's like, yes, it's down, but we all know this. I mean, if you ever pay any attention to [7:33] politics, much less policy, you know, everybody's got a number and a data point that can prove [7:37] whatever they wanted to prove. You kind of move the, you cut, you cut off the timeframe. You like, [7:43] everybody's growing and succeeding. Right. So I just, the thing that I wonder about, [7:49] I want what you think about is like, what's the, I'm with you on Democrats. The thing I don't [7:53] understand is, is this like, are we just going to surge law enforcement in all these cities for [7:59] time? You know what I mean? Like, is there a plan? Donald Trump's already said he wants to extend [8:05] beyond the 30 days that he gets, you know, in Chicago, how long are we going to have people [8:09] there? You know, now in LA, people were there for a while, National Guard for a while. I just, [8:15] it's like, this isn't a long-term solution. It's exactly to your point. We need to fix the [8:18] underlying problems. Surging more police and law enforcement, of course, is going to lower. [8:23] LA and you know, DC has the, it is partly federally run. So you have a, some legitimacy there. LA was [8:29] in, in response to, uh, rioting where they're, you know, if there's going to be riots, guess what? [8:34] National troops are coming in. We've solved that. We've decided that as a society. I know that offends, [8:39] you know, the editorial page of the New York times or whatever it is when Tom Kahn suggested it, [8:42] but people disagree, but to just send the national troops to deal with what is unfortunately garden [8:48] variety crime that exists in cities. I agree with you. How can that be a long-term solution? And then, [8:53] you know, if the summer's the most violent time in the city, you could understand doing, [8:57] okay, you do it for a month. You do like a surge. In DC, you're going to have some positive effects [9:00] as we're seeing, but I don't know if that's a solution. I mean, it's like, it's exactly what [9:03] you said. It's simple. More law enforcement on the streets means lower crime, but then how do we [9:09] fund more law enforcement over time? And is that a solution? Yeah. Democrats are going to have to come [9:13] up with something though, or they're going to have to get on board. President Trump is ramping up this [9:17] crime crackdown. As we're discussing, we'll talk about what cities he may be targeting next. We'll be right back. [9:22] Well, the National Guard could be coming to a city near you. President Trump is reportedly [9:29] planning to send troops to other cities like Chicago, Baltimore, continue his crime crackdown. [9:34] As you may recall, the National Guard is currently in the nation's capital, Washington, DC. [9:39] State and local leaders are not taking well to the news. They say crime is under control, [9:44] according to the New York Times. Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, and I will note, [9:48] 2028 Democratic candidate probably bashed the plan, saying Trump is, quote, [9:52] attempting to manufacture a crisis. Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, [9:57] deeply unpopular, is also blasting the proposal. Let's take a look. [10:01] This is not the role of the military. This is not their role. You know, the brave men and women [10:07] who signed up to serve our country did not sign up to occupy American cities. This is costly, [10:14] illegal, and unconstitutional. I'm going to use every single tool that is at my disposal [10:20] in order to keep the people of the city safe. Meanwhile, Maryland Governor Wes Moore is trading [10:25] barbs with Donald Trump over the decision. It comes after Moore invited the president to walk [10:31] the streets of Baltimore with him. Trump is lambasting Moore on True Social, writing, quote, [10:36] as president, I would much prefer that he clean up this crime disaster before I go for a walk. [10:42] Not sure why that's in quotes. Stop talking and get to work, Wes. I'll then see you on the streets. [10:47] Also, I gave Wes Moore a lot of money to fix his demolished bridge. I will now have to rethink [10:52] that decision? Take back the bridge. Meantime, Pentagon officials have confirmed the National [10:57] Guard will be mobilizing, rather, in 19 states in the coming weeks. Up to 1,700 guardsmen will head [11:02] to the states to assist with Trump's illegal immigration and crime crusade. So, we are bringing [11:09] this to more cities. Coming to a city near you. Now, Chicago and Baltimore are also cities that [11:16] have had, again, significant levels of crime. It's not up, I don't think, too dramatically. [11:24] No, probably not year over year, but it's still high. It's a baseline level of crime more than we [11:28] want. I mean, this is, again. And there are places that have been run by Democrats for years and years [11:33] years. So, two points. One, let me make my second point first. Sure. You know, if I'm looking for [11:40] city that I would say crime is, if not out of control, in a really bad place, I would say like [11:46] a Memphis, Tennessee, for example. Now, Memphis, Tennessee is a very Democratic city in a very [11:52] Republican state. It has a Republican governor. The legislature is all Republican. So, you know, [11:57] we've not seen that yet. Baltimore, Democratic city and Democratic state. Chicago, Democratic city [12:02] and Democratic state. D.C., Democratic city and federalized district of Columbia. So, I'm interested [12:08] to see that. But, again, I do think it is really important is that the message can't be, and Brandon [12:17] Johnson did this, and I just don't think it works. It can't be like, everything's cool here. Because I [12:23] don't think that's the lived reality of people in these places. One of the things I was struck by, [12:29] the Washington Post did a poll last week about D.C., and the results were totally fascinating. It was [12:34] like, 73% of people don't want Donald Trump's federal takeover. 63% of people, D.C. residents, [12:41] think it will probably work. Well, like, that's the, it's like, well, I hate Donald Trump, but also, [12:46] like, more cops probably will work, and I don't feel totally safe. And that, to me, that's where [12:52] Democrats have to find something to say. You cannot be for an acceptable amount of crime. [12:58] And I would be the first to say, facts don't care about your feelings. Sorry. If everything's [13:02] fine, and the government's going to use this as a pretext to expand police power, whatever, [13:06] I would call them out for it. And I used to make these arguments, especially when I felt like the [13:10] media, you know, if it bleeds, it leads, makes it seem like everything's getting worse. And, you know, [13:16] over the early 90s, we started to finally see collapse, huge collapse in handgun crimes throughout the [13:23] country. Crime, like, the murder rate fell by half, and things were, the trajectory of things [13:28] was really good. So then if you were, you know, constantly complaining about crime, you're like, [13:32] okay, well, things are getting better. Every year, they're getting better. But that trend, [13:36] it paused. It's leveled up at best. It paused, came up in some ways, and that is something that [13:41] should concern us. Well, and I do remind people, and it's so hard because of where his story has gone, [13:47] but, like, even before September 11th, the whole Rudy Giuliani, America's mayor, prosecutor, he's [13:53] tough, and the left did not like what Rudy Giuliani was doing in New York City. But in a lot of ways, [13:59] it was the story of New York City was a story of revival. New Yorkers liked it enough to keep [14:03] going. Tourists are coming in. Exactly. He kept winning. And again, it's hard. It's like when I [14:06] talk about John Edwards. Everything that's come after, John Edwards was right about some things like [14:11] two Americas, but Rudy Giuliani, like, that was a time where America's cities, there was sort of a [14:17] an acceptance that, okay, we're going to have to sacrifice some things to get what we want, [14:23] which is to feel safe as residents and for tourists to feel safe because they drive the economy. [14:27] And I wonder if we're headed back to a little bit of that. I don't mean a Republican in charge of a [14:34] Democratic city. I don't think Chicago is electing a Democrat anytime soon. But, like, look, [14:39] Brandon Johnson's approval rating is, I mean, it's worse than, like, used car dealers, [14:44] most politicians, and journalists. Like, it's really bad. So, you know, like, at some point, [14:51] if what you're doing isn't working, both from a policy and policing perspective, but also from a [14:56] politics perspective, you said it in the open, and I think it's so important. Like, [15:03] you can't just hate it because Donald Trump does it. You know, and I think there's a lot of that. [15:08] Do you think the defund the police, abolish the police, whatever it is, that rhetorical fervor [15:16] that overtook Fuhrer, that overtook the party in 2020, is that, that's totally dead? That's been [15:22] beaten back? That has no power in the Democratic Party? It is one of the single stupidest political [15:32] phrases I've ever... Zoran is a Democratic socialist. Abolish ISIS in the running with [15:38] defund the police for stupidest slogans. Zoran Mamdani is an out and proud Democratic [15:42] socialist. He does not run from his stances, by and large. That one, he pretends he never said [15:49] that. I mean, he, look, it is just so stupid because what, follow the logic of that. Okay, [15:57] we defund the police. Now what? I mean, there's no one, no one wants to feel unsafe in their [16:04] community. I mean, I wish it could be done. I don't want to pay taxes at all. You know, [16:08] my ideal tax rate, libertarian here, zero percent. It's like that scene from Armageddon with Bruce [16:13] Willis when they have to fly, they're the miners and they have to fly to mine a big asteroid. They put [16:19] a nuclear bomb in and they say like, we've got a couple conditions. One, we never pay taxes again, [16:25] ever. It's like that kind of vibe. Exactly. I just, no one thinks that a world without the [16:33] police is one that, look, do the police have, of course, like any institution. Yes, there are bad [16:40] apples. I remember when I used to work at CNN, people would be like, well, I saw James O'Keefe [16:44] do a secret interview with Phil and the Black. I'm like, number one, I don't know who that person is, [16:48] like some camera person I met in Atlanta. Oh, I know. Oh, okay. And then two, it would be like, [16:53] so what do you think of it? I'm like, thousands of people work here. Are there some people that [16:58] aren't on board? Of course. Like, it's like any big institution. So yes, I am not saying the police [17:02] are this benevolent everywhere. At the same time, yes, defund the police is one of the dumbest political [17:08] things. And I think that Democrats will continue to struggle with it because, you know, the other [17:14] thing, Robbie, is I do think it's certainly not all of the base, but there are elements of the [17:18] Democratic base who actually still believe that. Now, Zora Mamdani might not own it, right? Because [17:23] I think he understands, even in New York, like it's not, that's not a doable thing. But that's [17:28] the issue they have going forward, too. It's like, well, some people in the party, it's like, oh, [17:32] we'll just walk away from the diversity, equity, inclusion stuff. Well, some people put the DEI [17:36] stuff at the center of who they are in the Democratic base. So I'm not sure you can just be like, [17:39] it's bad politically. We can't ever talk about it again. And I wonder if, if not defunding the police [17:45] and abolishing us, you know, a lot of these protests are like, why are these people out [17:48] on the streets? I think most people are like, okay, I don't love that there's all these troops [17:52] out. At the same time, I like to feel safe. Like, it's a, we can hold. And I don't want anybody [17:57] harassed by the police or, you know, it's annoying if you ask, what are you doing here? This is my [18:02] property. Get off my lawn. You know, I fully channel that. That's a proud, individualist, [18:08] American spirit. I get it. I'm for it. But we just have to do something in some of these cities. [18:14] That's exactly right. Something has to be done. The solution can't be, well, crime is down from [18:19] when it was super high and this is okay, I guess. Try something different, Brandon Johnson. I'm not [18:24] saying you got to try Trump's thing, but try something different. Need something to do [18:27] differently to run on. Russia's foreign minister is saying next up that, yes, Ukraine does have a [18:33] right to exist, but it's a little bit complicated. We'll discuss that next. Don't go anywhere. [18:41] An interesting development in the Russia-Ukraine war peace talks, Russia's foreign minister, [18:45] Sergei Lavrov, said in an interview with NBC that Ukraine, quote, does have the right to exist, [18:51] but with a caveat. NBC's Kristen Welker asked Lavrov about a statement Russian President Vladimir [18:56] Putin made in June when he said, quote, I consider the Russian and Ukrainian people to be one nation. [19:03] In this sense, all of Ukraine is ours. Kristen then posited the question, does Putin believe [19:09] Ukraine has the right to exist? Here was Lavrov's response. Ukraine has the right to exist provided [19:18] it, it must let people go. The people whom they call terrorists, whom they call specious and who [19:28] during a referendum, several referenda in Novorossia, in Donbass, in Crimea decided that they belong [19:39] to the Russian culture. Those referenda Lavrov was talking about were from 2022 when Russian state [19:46] media said that certain Ukrainian regions like the Donbass and Donetsk largely backed Russian [19:51] annexation. Meanwhile, Vice President J.D. Vance also discussed the war with Welker on Sunday. Here's [19:56] what he had to say about the U.S.'s role in any security agreements for Ukraine. The presence is [20:01] very clear. There are not going to be boots on the ground in Ukraine, but we are going to continue to [20:05] play an active role in trying to ensure that the Ukrainians have the security guarantees, [20:09] the confidence they need to stop the war on their end. [20:13] So I've been pleased with the diplomacy taking place to bring this horrific war to an end. [20:20] The reality is that Russia has occupied parts of Ukraine that I don't think anyone has any [20:26] reasonable plan to get back on Ukraine's behalf. I hope there is a security agreement for the rest [20:31] of Ukraine that doesn't involve U.S. troops there, but from the rest of Europe, and that Russia says, [20:36] okay, that's fine by us, and then there's going to be no more conquest. That sounds good to me. [20:40] The thing that's hard about it is I understand the Zelensky position, which is like, we're not [20:44] giving any of our borders up because it's a slippery slope in the long run and that Putin won't stop. [20:49] At the same time, to your point, what's the alternative? I mean, we talk about this and [20:54] everything. What's the other plan, right? No one has one. [20:58] It seems very unlikely. The only way that Ukraine would be able to take back the regions that said [21:02] lost from Russia, in theory, I think would be American involvement or heavy European involvement, [21:07] right? That was certainly not going to happen in America and I think unlikely to happen in Europe. [21:11] So it's like, oh, okay, well, there's no way they're going to give up what they have now. [21:16] Ukraine doesn't have the manpower to accomplish that on. [21:18] And the realpolitik of the situation is this is probably close to the best deal that they're [21:24] going to get because the other alternative is like an extension of the war, right? Even if the [21:31] whole country doesn't get, still bombing and bombing and bombing, you know? And so it's, again, [21:36] what are you solving for if you're Zelensky? Do you take 80-ish percent of a good deal if that's on the [21:43] table or do you hold out for a hundred percent of a good deal? And knowing probably that that [21:49] hundred percent deal is not going to ever exist. I think, you know, speaking to what [21:53] Lavrov said there specifically, I don't, I am no expert in the politics of the region. I don't know [21:59] how the people in Donetsk and those regions now under Russian control feel. My understanding is that [22:05] there is some polling to suggest that some of those people did want to be part of Russia. I don't, [22:08] not saying they speak for everyone or that's the right outcome, but then you do get into this [22:12] weird position where, you know, the borders of Europe have changed tons of times. I support [22:19] everyone's right to live free of tyranny, but the reality is if the people in a group, most of them [22:24] vote or signal in polling or referendum that they would rather be a part of this country than this [22:28] country, can I really take the position that that can't happen or has to be prevented at all costs? [22:32] And again, and again, it's what are you solving for? Are we aiming to end this war in a moderately [22:38] equitable way? Yeah. And you know, is Russia probably going to get some of that territory? [22:43] I don't see how the war ends unless America is involved militarily, which I think is very unlikely. [22:47] Right. Unless there's some give. Right. Now, maybe Putin doesn't give at all, but. [22:52] And even the most hawkish pro-Ukraine people have, do not say they want to send in ground troops. [22:58] No. So then, so then it's just, it's off the table. Let's just deal with the world as it exists, [23:01] not the world that you want to exist. I say that same thing all the time on this issue. [23:06] Nice to hear some, some agreement. That's why they have me in as a co-host today. [23:10] Good job, Robbie. Epstein associate Glenn Maxwell's DOJ interview has been released. [23:14] Hear all about what is in it next. Make sure you stick around. [23:18] The Trump administration has released the court interview transcripts with longtime Jeffrey [23:25] Epstein confidant, Glenn Maxwell. And boy, is there a lot to unpack. One of the biggest takeaways, [23:30] Maxwell believes that Epstein did not kill himself. She says, if it is indeed murder, I believe it was [23:36] an internal situation. And according to a bombshell CNN report, Glenn Maxwell was celebrated at a posh [23:41] Clinton event and received a standing ovation that was years after the sex crimes accusations did emerge. [23:47] Some other big moments. Maxwell appeared to praise Trump and distanced Trump from Epstein. [23:52] The Epstein associate acknowledged the social relationship between the president and the [23:56] disgraced financier, but get this, denied any connection between the president and the sex [24:02] trafficking ring. She also denied Epstein victim Virginia Joffrey's claim that as a 16 year old, [24:08] she was approached by Maxwell at a Mar-a-Lago at Mar-a-Lago and was invited to become Epstein's [24:13] traveling masseuse. The woman said the two of them groomed her as a 16 year old to perform sexual [24:19] services. But Maxwell says she, quote, never recruited a masseuse from Mar-a-Lago. As a reminder, [24:26] Maxwell is currently serving a 20 year prison sentence after being convicted in December 2021 of sex [24:30] trafficking and conspiracy charges. The released transcripts come as the Epstein files has been [24:35] a recent political lightning rod and has spurred an intense firestorm of uproar within the MAGA world. [24:42] And I'm sure I'm going to hear people mainstream media folks saying, ah, this is her just trying [24:48] to get that pardon from Trump. And you know, what she's saying is not true about him not being involved [24:54] in the sex trafficking part. But of course, no one has put forth any evidence to the contrary. [24:59] We all know that Trump associated with Epstein had a fallout with him supposedly because, uh, [25:04] Epstein was trying to take some of the masseuse employees, including that one, the one who was [25:09] later the accuser in the Maxwell, uh, uh, uh, Epstein situation. At no point has it been alleged that [25:17] Trump knew about any of this, the bad gross abuse stuff and had stopped associating with Epstein, uh, [25:25] by that point. I had also said the same was true of the Clintons, although now they're suggesting that [25:29] there was some. Yeah, that is weird. Very weird. Yes, that's weird. Because there are people later [25:34] like, um, for instance, Bill Gates, who continued to have an association with Jeffrey Epstein even [25:38] after conviction, which is real weird. Yeah. I'm willing to, you know, give people the kind of, [25:43] how could you know? Didn't see what you didn't see, right. But then wait, you're still, you're still [25:46] taking this guy's phone calls after he's been to prison for sex. I think two things can absolutely [25:52] be true at the same time. Number one, Ghislaine Maxwell wants a pardon or wants her sentence to be [25:57] commuted and she's going to say whatever it takes, she thinks, to have that. And again, I'll note the [26:03] interview with the deputy attorney general, Todd Blanche, which I'm not sure why the deputy attorney [26:07] general needs to go down there and interview her, but he is also Donald Trump's personal lawyer. [26:10] I think that can be true, but it can also be true, your point. There's no evidence. I think [26:15] that Donald Trump was involved and knew about any of this stuff. Like I think Trump's biggest mistake [26:21] in all of this was to pretend he and Epstein never knew one another. There's clearly, there's ample [26:25] evidence they ran in similar circles in, in Florida, uh, in New York, to some extent that Trump was on his [26:31] plane. I will note the times that we know Donald Trump was on the Epstein plane. One time he was with a [26:36] very young, his daughter, Tiffany Trump and his wife at the time, Marla Maples. One time he was [26:41] on there with Eric Trump when Eric was like 10 or something. I mean, I don't think anybody thinks [26:44] anything went on in those situations. So yes, he like, oh my gosh, Donald Trump's in the Epstein [26:50] files. Well, anyone who's paying attention knew he was in the Epstein files. That is not proof of [26:54] anything. Bill Clinton is in the Epstein files. I mean, and I think, so I think both of those things [26:58] can be true. I, I kind of rolled my eyes with the, oh, Glenn Maxwell says Donald Trump was a perfect [27:03] gentleman and the greatest human that's ever lived. I mean, what's he going to say? At the same time, [27:07] it's proof of nothing provide, this is what I always say to people who say 2020 election was stolen. [27:12] Okay. Like I'm not opposed to it, but you need to actually provide evidence that it was stolen. [27:18] You can't just say it and then be like, well, I mean, there's a lot of wrongdoing. Okay. Well, [27:22] yes, Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein. People are saying there's wrongdoing. Many people are saying it. [27:27] People are saying, yeah. I mean, it's just, it's not, it's not proof of anything. Just because [27:32] they were friendly does not mean Donald Trump or Bill Clinton engaged in this sort of behavior. [27:38] Unless and until I see proof of that, that's where I'm going to be. [27:42] It looks like Trump's conviction that this is not really a story and people on his team, [27:48] his tribe and his MAGA media movement should stop caring about it so much. I think that's going to win [27:54] out. It's fading a little bit, I can tell. And you know, it's not good that a bunch of [28:00] conservative influencers who've cared about this a lot for years are in the position of having to [28:05] either criticize the administration, if not Trump himself, or look deeply hypocritical. So that's not [28:11] good for the movement. It's a, it's a, it's a black eye, so to speak, but I think that's all it is. [28:17] And it can quickly be forgotten. I just think people, I don't know. I think it will kick around a [28:22] little bit longer because Congress, I think is going to vote on this discharge petition. [28:26] And it's not going to do anything other than say the DOJ should release the Epstein files. [28:30] It's not like they have to now do it. I can't wait to see a box of documents [28:32] that we've already seen many times already. Right. So I think it's going to linger [28:36] more probably than you do. But again, I'm amazed. It's like Charlie, Lucy, and the football. [28:42] Yeah. Democrats predicting that this is the bombshell that Donald Trump is going to, [28:48] it's like, no, he's going to be in office. This isn't it. And there's not going to be one [28:54] because his, one of the truest things the guy ever said was, I could shoot someone in the middle of [29:00] Fifth Avenue and I wouldn't lose any support. Yeah. Democrats, their interest in this is [29:06] very sudden and very selective. They all grasped it immediately that, oh wait, we can make it sound like [29:13] he knows he's, there's something really damning we can. Yeah. And there's just, and this is the thing [29:19] to your point, uh, political fires need to be stoked to keep going. I do think there will be [29:27] some more calls and you know, does Pam Bondi, the attorney general have to do some kind of [29:32] press conference or cash Patel? I don't know about that. Last week, the DOJ turned over some of these [29:39] files. We don't know what. She's pretty discredited on the subject in the MAGA because of the whole, [29:43] it's on my desk. What was on your desk? What was it? What was on your desk? You said you were [29:47] looking at the client list. Now the client list doesn't exist. I mean, they botched it, right? [29:51] This is a political self-influenced, self-inflicted, my gosh, error. Too early. I know. [30:02] But the idea that this is the thread that if you pull it all comes, there's just, [30:07] I think Democrats are still engaged in this. Like somehow Donald Trump's not going to make it [30:13] through 2028. And I just don't, there's just no evidence I see. Again, I'm always open. I think [30:19] we both are the same in this. We're always open. Prove to me, show me evidence that there's something [30:25] really damning in here. But I am of the mind, I guess I'm cynical enough. I've been around Washington [30:29] long enough that if Donald Trump was implicated in the sexual exploitation and trafficking of young [30:35] girls, that it would have come out. Someone would have leaked that somehow. Like that is too big a [30:43] bombshell that the former president, who's clearly running for president again, is litigating this [30:48] case that he actually won the 2020 election. In all that time, the Biden Justice Department would [30:53] never be like, hey, to a reporter, like, hey, I got something I want to tell you. Like I just, [30:56] it seems like how Washington works seems like that would not happen. [31:01] I can't imagine them being that bad at their jobs in terms of basic political undermining of Trump. [31:08] It's hard to imagine. [31:09] And I love, Democrats do like to say like, well, we don't politicize stuff. It's like, [31:13] yeah, of course you do. Now you may not do it as openly and as transparently as Donald Trump does, [31:18] but there is the idea that policy, politics, and the legal system are all these separate [31:24] things that never intertwine. I mean, if you've lived in Washington and covered it for 15 minutes, [31:29] you know that they found reasons to prosecute him in multiple municipalities, multiple districts. [31:34] They found there are attorneys general that tried to take him off the ballot based on various [31:39] rationales. They would find, they would find reasons. They would find something if there was [31:44] something. I mean, it would, it would have come out. I really, truly believe that. And I know that's [31:49] just, it's just, it's just if you understand how Washington works, there's no way that [31:54] bombshell that the prosecutors are like, you know what, we'll just sit on this. Oh, [31:58] Donald Trump's going to get elected president. Oh, that's fine. I mean, we have this evidence [32:02] that he is, you know, a sexual trafficker. No, I just, I think waiting for a smoking gun on this, [32:07] you're going to be waiting a long time. I think it's becoming my generation's version [32:11] of the JFK assassination. So true. If people believe that, uh, that, uh, uh, Johnson did it, [32:17] they're going to believe it. If they believe the mafia did it, they're going to believe it. They [32:20] believe Donald Trump committed sex crimes and it's that no amount of contrary information. [32:25] We'll prove it. Totally think that's right. Next up after the FBI's raid on John Bolton, [32:30] a former Trump administration official thinks, well, he might be next. Stay with us. [32:34] Now the FBI raid on Friday on former national security advisor, John Bolton's home has many [32:42] former Trump officials asking, will I be next? Now one former DHS official seems to think that might [32:48] be the case. Miles Taylor, a former deputy chief of staff at DHS during Trump's first term, [32:53] was asked about the raid on Bolton's house on MSNBC. Take a listen. [32:57] How concerned are you that you could be next? Your home could be next? [33:03] Yeah, we expect it. I mean, really we expect it. That's what is so surreal about this. I mean, [33:09] when my wife and I woke up and saw the news, she basically said to me, it's coming. [33:15] Now, Miles Taylor, you may remember was behind the eye catching anonymous 2018 New York [33:20] Times op-ed entitled, I am part of the resistance inside the Trump administration. I do remember [33:25] that. A year later, he followed it up with an anonymously easy for me to say published book [33:30] titled, A Warning. He says that put him on the president's blacklist and this raid proves Trump [33:36] is out for revenge. We have thought for years that Donald Trump, if he came back to power, [33:42] would do something like this. To me, the Bolton raid was actually one of the biggest moments of this [33:46] presidency because it showed that all the years of talking about how Trump would use [33:51] the FBI as his foot soldiers to go after his enemies wasn't bluster, wasn't hyperbole. It is [33:57] now very, very real. Meanwhile, the president said Friday he was not told about the raid on [34:02] Bolton's home ahead of time, but the Washington Post reports Trump was growing angry with Bolton in the [34:06] days leading up to the raid. Allegedly, he was growing frustrated with his former national security [34:10] advisor's criticism ahead of the meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier this month. [34:15] Bolton told the Atlantic, Putin has already won. He is the leader of a rogue state. He'll get a [34:20] picture on U.S. soil with the president of the United States. That did prompt Trump to fire off this [34:25] post on true social, very unfair media is at work on my meeting with Putin, constantly quoting fired [34:30] losers and really dumb people like John Bolton, who just said that even though the meeting is on [34:35] American soil, Putin has already won. What's that all we're talking about? We are winning on everything. [34:40] The fake news is working overtime. I'll admit I was hoping Robby did his Trump impersonation there, [34:45] but he didn't. Meantime, J.D. Vance defended the raid of Bolton's home and office on Meet the Press [34:51] this weekend. This is all part of gathering evidence, trying to understand something that we're worried [34:55] about. I think that there's a broad concern about Ambassador Bolton. They're going to look into it. [35:00] And like I said, if there's no crime here, we're not going to prosecute it. I suspect that if the media [35:06] and the American people let this case actually unfold, if they let the investigation unfold, [35:11] as it's currently doing, they're going to find out that what we're doing is being very deliberate [35:15] and being very driven by the national interest and by the law here. And that's as it should be. [35:20] So I don't agree with John Bolton's views. He's a voice for more military engagement. I think he's [35:27] wrong on policy. I think he should be afforded every presumption of innocence like any other American. [35:33] And if this was a wrongful action that's not based in him having stored documents or whatever it is, [35:39] then he should be fully exonerated. It should proceed no further and he should get an apology. [35:45] But I obviously can't take the position and nor does the mainstream media that no one should ever have [35:50] their property raided over classified. That's what they did to Trump. That's what they did to Trump. [35:55] How do you get around that? I would argue that- I don't know if it's political. Might be. [36:00] I just don't know. Right. Well, we don't know enough yet. I struggle with this. I'm of two minds [36:04] of this. On the one hand, I do think that probably, and I'm not saying this is right, [36:10] probably if you're like a senior administration official, just based on the last 10 years or so, [36:14] you, if they went looking in your house, you probably have a classified document or two. [36:19] Now that's more of an issue- Pence had it. Biden had it. Right. Trump certainly had it. [36:23] They're classifying these things in a way that makes it too easy for them all to commit crimes. [36:26] Exactly. I was going to say, that's really a classification issue more than, more than it's [36:30] like, Ooh, let me take all this classified stuff home. Right. But so it's kind of like, [36:33] are you looking for a crime and how big is it of a crime? Is it if John Bolton has one or two [36:38] documents that you're like, well, this is classified, but like, it's not a big deal. [36:42] At the same time, we don't know. Yeah. And I think the, the, do I think that Donald Trump had no, [36:49] Donald Trump never said, we got to get that Bolton guy. I'm not saying he said like, [36:53] we should raid his house. But like the idea that Donald Trump had no clue about this or hadn't set [36:58] the, the pretense for it. I mean, come on. Like this is the guy who he openly has said the department [37:03] of justice and the FBI should be more politicized. They should do his bidding more. He would, [37:07] he got rid of Jeff Sessions the day after the day of no day after the 2018 midterm election, [37:13] because Jeff Sessions wasn't loyal enough to him in Trump's mind. He put people in pace, [37:17] Pam Bondi at AG, Cash Patel at FBI, because they would do what he wants. So I don't think we'd be, [37:23] should be surprised at this. I also don't think we should jump to the conclusion. [37:26] Well, Bolton's obviously innocent and this is a political targeting. [37:28] Right. Cause we like it. He's their friend, even though, even though he's an advocate for like [37:32] World War III, all the, you know, mainstream progressive people love him cause he make, [37:37] cause he doesn't like Trump. Right. I mean, I'm totally divorced. [37:39] I don't know. Like, yes, I see the argument of like, yes, he is one of Donald Trump's most prominent [37:45] critics. He served in the administration. He wrote it. Look, this goes back to, [37:48] for people who know the history, the Trump administration tried to stop him from writing [37:52] his book called the room where it happened. Um, they tried to stop him from getting profits off [37:58] of that, that now, uh, yes, awkward, uh, awkward at the time, even more awkward now. Um, so this is [38:05] like a long running fight, uh, between them. I'm fine to let it play out. I think that so much of [38:12] what you think about the story is what you come into it with. If you think Donald Trump is just [38:18] making up crimes and trying to, you know, scare people who are critics of him, then you're like, [38:23] this is the start of, of martial law. If you think, oh, John Bolton's a bad guy and you know, [38:29] he probably did retain stuff. Let's just see it play out. You're like, good. We should be doing this. [38:34] I, I often feel this way. I kind of land between those two things. Like, I don't know what, [38:40] I don't, how could anyone who doesn't, I don't know what's in John Bolton's home. [38:45] Two judges apparently signed warrants to go in and raid the home. Like, you know, [38:50] I mean, I guess you could say, well, they're just judges and it is a low bar. It is a low bar, [38:55] but like, it's not just Donald Trump, like in there bashing the door down. I, you know, [38:59] there's some legal, a patina of legal okay on this. So I don't know. I hate to say, [39:05] let's see how it plays out. I certainly come away convinced that, um, it's clearly too easy [39:11] to inadvertently keep possession of classified documents if you're a political figure and we [39:15] need some kind of reform there. And people have been prosecuted for this lowly people who did it [39:20] inadvertently and are sitting in prison. And I think that's probably a bad thing. Um, the reason, [39:25] you know, Trump has tried to make sure that in the second go round his second term, everyone around, [39:31] everyone around him is absolutely loyal is because of people like Miles Taylor who bragged in the [39:36] first administration of that he was going to try to subvert the president's agenda for, from, [39:41] from within. Um, it's kind of, he's going on TV now almost saying like, look at me, [39:45] give me attention. I want to be, uh, he doesn't want to be, I'm sure rated, but like, remember me? [39:50] Yeah. I mean, I, I struggle because it's doing, I, I just like for most of these people, [39:58] Trump picked these people. I mean, this is the problem I have. It's like, [40:01] we're not talking about Jerome Powell, but this is the problem I have with Jerome Powell. It's like, [40:03] Trump picked Jerome Powell. Trump picked John Bolton. Now you could say like, oh, [40:08] I was sold the bill of goods, but there's enough people that it's like, these are, these are not like [40:13] Biden holdovers. No one thinks John Bolton is a liberal. So I, you know, [40:18] well, he is now in the extent that you're just totally defined by your opposition or your support [40:23] for Trump. Yes. He is, he is in the, he is in the anti, I don't know. I just, I do. I think it's [40:28] very hard to separate out the, lots of people have made a living and continue to make a very good [40:35] living in the, I am a high profile critic of Donald Trump. How much of that is they are simply guided [40:41] by belief and they think he is dangerous to democracy and how much are they guided by their [40:44] bottom line? My guess is it's probably a little bit of both. I mean, I think John Bolton, excuse [40:49] me, John Bolton is sincerely guided by, uh, he disagrees with Donald Trump on foreign policy because [40:55] Donald Trump has been a more restrained voice on the, on the foreign policy stage, wanting to not get [41:03] involved in, uh, advanced to conflict everywhere, arranging for the Afghanistan withdrawal, uh, wanting [41:09] to normalize relationship with the new Syrian regime, wanting to have this peace agreement [41:14] between Russia and Ukraine, uh, Azerbaijan and Armenia. Whereas Bolton is like, Iran, let's go to [41:19] war. North Korea, let's go to war. I believe he's advocated for much direct military convert, uh, [41:25] confrontations with those two nations. So that's very different. So, you know, I, that doesn't mean [41:30] he belongs in prison or he did anything wrong and you should be free to criticize him and not have your, [41:35] uh, home rated because of it. And that's the, that's the thing that I keep coming back to. [41:38] Both of those things are true. What you just said. It's like you, yeah, like if he's innocent, [41:43] then this is political targeting to make his life uncomfortable. The problem is we have now [41:47] disqualified all the referees. And so it's like, we're never going to really be able to find out [41:51] if he is innocent or not. I don't think that's no, any verdict will be seen as questionable. [41:56] People will not broadly accept it either way. They'll accept it based on their previous, uh, politics. [42:01] Yes. California Governor Gavin Newsom, remember him is stepping up his Trump trolling game. [42:06] We will fill you in next. We'll be back right after this. [42:09] Bill Maher applauded California Governor Gavin Newsom's trolling of President Trump. Take a look. [42:18] Gavin Newsom is now trolling Trump. I've never seen a Democrat do this. I think it's very funny. [42:23] Uh, can you show some, I mean, some of the, uh, Newsom tweets that he's been putting out there? [42:30] Okay. He's imitating Trump's exact style. I mean, I feel like Gavin has grasped the essential thing [42:39] about American culture in this day and age. Um, don't try to outsmart people. You have to out stupid [42:45] them. Newsom is going beyond just stealing Trump's social style media posts. He's jacking [42:52] POTUS' merch too. In Trump-like fashion, Newsom introduced the swag writing, [42:57] the Patriot shop is now open. It includes mugs, t-shirts, the quintessential red hat, [43:03] reading quote, Newsom was right about everything. Mirroring a MAGA hat Trump recently sported in the [43:09] Oval Office. Wow. Uh, Newsom even sold Bibles for a hundred bucks a pop. They're already listed as being [43:15] sold out. I mean, like in one way, I don't know if it's a long-term political solution. In the other [43:25] way, I'm with Bill Maher that like, not everyone I read of those tweets trolling Trump is funny, [43:32] but like the first time I read it with the like, thanks for your attention to this matter, I did [43:36] chuckle. I don't know if that means anything. Are you less amused? Do you have a I'm less amused face? [43:41] No, no, I'm not particularly amused. I don't have any problem. You're mute. You're appropriately [43:46] amused. I I'm amused by, and the conservatives who are like, oh, this is unbecoming of a governor. [43:52] This isn't just, that is the funny part. It's like, okay, how, I don't know how you could possibly [43:56] with a straight face, uh, say that. This doesn't fit the office of the presidency, [44:00] Robbie. Right, exactly. No, we're, we're well past that. He can do whatever he wants. I guess it's kind of, [44:05] I mean, it, it points to the fact that Trump's manner of writing and speaking has its own cadence. [44:12] Yes. And, um, some impressions of Trump are lazier than others. And you're right that Newsom has it [44:19] down pretty well. The style of writing is with the, with the punctuation and the quote, weird quote, [44:26] weird quotation being done correctly. Um, from, from like a, like, this is how if you like, he went [44:33] through a course, he was taught and he did it, he's doing it well. So I appreciate that. I don't [44:38] know that it makes him, um, I guess it makes liberals happy because they just want, we, we want you to [44:44] fight against Trump, even though that word fight against Trump has no meaning and no, and, and no [44:50] definition. Well, and fight, fight on social media against Trump has even less impact in my opinion. [44:55] This is the lamest form of rebellion ever, but, but if it makes liberals happy, I guess he should do it [44:59] because he wants to be, get the nomination and he might very well get the nomination. [45:03] Yeah. I mean, I think, I think, I think it is true that we live in an attention economy, [45:09] right? And this is in particular, our political world, it functions on attention economy. Trump [45:13] gets that. I think Newsom has gotten attention for this. So I actually think it's probably good. [45:17] It's the whole, like all press is good press. At the same time, when people say the base loves this, [45:22] I'm like, okay, the on the very online left base does love this because anything that makes Trump [45:30] look stupid they love. But like the real base in terms of how you win a democratic presidential [45:36] nomination, Joe Biden proved this, Barack Obama proved this, the way that you win a democratic [45:39] presidential nomination in truth is black voters in the South. And in, in particular, older black [45:45] women in the South, because South Carolina is super important, always has been, will be again in 20, [45:49] 20, and then super Tuesday, which is all Southern states in a democratic primary dominated by African [45:54] American votes. I'm not saying there are no older black ladies who are watching, like reading his [45:59] tweets and be like, I'm sure there are, but like, it's not the whole, not all of them. And it's the [46:05] base of the democratic party. Like we, the online base is one thing. The actual voting base is another [46:10] thing. I think I see. So it's like, I don't know how much somebody said, does this make Newsom the [46:15] front runner? I'm like the tweets. Yeah. Like, it's like a nice thing, but you're like, you're [46:19] not going to get elected president just because even Donald Trump didn't, even though he said [46:23] Twitter mattered, it can matter, but you're not going to elect it just because. I mean, I think [46:26] he's in the top three candidates by default because it's, there's no absolutely obvious next person. [46:32] And there's a lot of people interested in running and he has more name recognition. He's done some [46:38] things right. I don't want to be unfair to, I don't want to be partisan. Oh, I think he's had a very good [46:42] in 2025. I think if you, if you had to say who's the leader of the democratic party right now, [46:46] I think most people would probably say Newsom and that's good for Gavin Newsom. Yeah. I think [46:50] that's fair. And he's actually done a good job introducing himself to conservatives with that [46:55] podcast he's been doing. I know that it was very, very interesting. Smart strategically. I think he's [47:00] actually been very smart with all this stuff. Yeah. I don't know if it'll work. It doesn't mean he's [47:03] going to be the nominee, but three years ago way. Well, that does it for us today on Rising [47:08] Live. Thanks for watching and look out for more exclusive YouTube content coming your way today. [47:12] And be sure to like, share and subscribe to the Hills YouTube channel so you never miss [47:15] any content. And for those of you who like to listen while on the go, [47:18] we're now available anywhere you can get your podcast fix. See you later.