Charlie Kirk Today

Mark Halperin: March 19, 2026 | Charlie Kirk Today

March 19, 2026 | 23:28

Join Mark Halperin as he breaks down the biggest news, challenges the mainstream narrative, and delivers fearless commentary on faith, culture, and politics. No spin. No censorship. Just the TRUTH.

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Charlie Kirk Today | Mark Halperin: March 19, 2026 | Charlie Kirk Today | March 19, 2026

Lots of news this morning.
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Obviously, we have dni
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Tulsi gabbard testifying before the senate.
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We have, also a very fiery,
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Yeah, i think strange happening with dhs.
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The nominated secretary, mark wayne mullen.
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I think a lot of people were
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Looking forward to the tulsi gabbard
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Hearing, especially with the events
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Yesterday with joe kent, but instead, it
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Turns out the dhs hearing is the more exciting one.
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Not yes, necessarily for good reasons.
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Yeah, let's get into it.
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So here's kind of the moment that kind of kicked it all off.
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It was very, very tense, very, very early start to
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You told the media that i was a freakin snake
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And that you completely understood
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Why i had been assaulted.
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You went on to brag that you had already told me to my face
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That you completely understood and approved of the assault.
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Well, that's a lie.
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You got a chance today.
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You can either continue to lie or you can correct the record.
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You have never had the courage to look me in the eye
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And tell me that the assault was justified.
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So today you have your chance.
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Today i'll give you that chance to clear the record.
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Tell it to my face if that's what you believe.
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Tell it to me today.
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Tell the world
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Why you believe i deserve to be assaulted from behind.
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Have six ribs broken and a damaged lung.
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Tell me to my face.
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Why do you think i deserved it?
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That was two republicans.
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That's two republicans.
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There's some honor culture stuff going on here.
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You know,
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You got the kentucky honor culture
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And the, oklahoma honor culture.
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So there's these are two, i would say,
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Let's say spirited men.
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Right?
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They both, have been through
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A few fights before in rand paul's case, actually very,
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Very, clearly he was, assaulted
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And that's terrible by it, by a neighbor.
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And that that seems to be what the backstory is here.
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And then,
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Of course, senator mark wayne mullen is a former mma fighter.
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He's a tough guy.
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He's a he's a man's man.
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And he, you know, he got into it with
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Sean o'brien, who's a union boss.
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And that was a very famous clip of him and sean o'brien
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Getting into it,
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Kind of threatening, hey, let's do it right now.
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Let's go outside kind of moment.
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What's interesting is that sean o'brien is sitting now
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Behind mark wayne mullen
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As a character witness for his confirmation hearing,
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Which i think is very telling about mark.
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Wayne mullen is a man.
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He is somebody that's willing to bury the hatchet.
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What's a little fight tomorrow
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We'll be broke, boys again kind of thing.
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So, i tend to think that rand paul needs
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To kind of bury the hatchet here.
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He's obviously upset about some words
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That were exchanged in the past,
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But that's kind of mark wayne mullen's deal.
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He's able to he's able to fight.
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He's able to have, heated exchanges
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And that kind of bury it for the good of the country,
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For the good of, you know, policy, advancing policy.
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So there's more of this.
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We can keep playing it.
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Sot 15 sir, and you offer no apology today and no regrets.
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And i'm not apologizing for pointing out you're good.
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You're good.
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So you're jolly. well, fine.
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And you want the american public
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And the people up here to vote that
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May or may not vote for you to know that you supported
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The felonious violent attack on me from behind.
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I did not say i supported it, i said i understood it.
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There's a difference.
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I said i stolen you back,
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So that means you really didn't approve of it.
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Just completely understand it.
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What do you think most people would interpret
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Completely understand
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To be support for or a condemnation of the violence?
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Sir, as i said, we can we can have our differences.
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It's not going to keep me from doing my job as
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Secretary of homeland security.
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I'm going to secure kentucky and take care.
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Kentucky is as if this much as i am.
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If this is.
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Holy cow
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That i'm not apologizing for pointing out your character.
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He's definitely he's
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Definitely not apologizing there.
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You know,
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You don't usually see that in confirmation hearings.
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Usually they're all eager
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To paper over things in the past, but,
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Mark twain clearly is not taking that approach.
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I, you know, i have to say, i'm not i'm not justifying
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What mark twain said.
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I would say that,
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You know, rand paul getting assaulted was terrible.
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I just can't help but find it a bit endearing
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That senator mark twain mullen won't back down.
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I you know, he's probably sitting there thinking
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That that was a bit of a cheap shot.
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Listen, we've got a job to do at dhs.
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You need to get me confirmed so we can defend the country
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In the interior and so many other things.
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And rand paul's making it about,
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You know, a, a, you know, a squabble
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That he had with mark wayne mullen at a previous juncture.
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I get it, you know, he's upset about it.
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But there are businesses of state to attend to,
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And you hope that your political leaders
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Are able to put it behind you.
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So, i don't know, i, i look at this exchange and,
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You know, mark, one wants that one to,
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To pull punches either.
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So but it's, it's firing,
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You know, and there's, you know, you,
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You saw the, the division of the caucus here
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Where you had
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Bernie marino steps in and basically
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Says, listen, you're you're going to get confirmed here.
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It looks like here i'm looking for the clip here.
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I did see it just a second ago.
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Bernie marino came to his defense.
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That's that's what i'll tell you.
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I don't have the clip right in front of me. sorry, guys.
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Thank you for the help. clip five.
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You are who you are. you don't.
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You know.
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And i think that's
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What you don't apologize for, just being yourself.
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And sometimes we're imperfect.
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We don't do the, 20, 20
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Person focus group every time you say a word.
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And i think that's what people like about you, mark. right.
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So i appreciate you being here.
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I honestly just have one question for you.
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Do you pledge to support and defend the united states
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Of america
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Nearly as much as you would protect and defend your family?
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Without doubt, sir. yes.
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So i'm going to ruin everything for the audience.
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You will be confirmed.
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You will have the job,
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And you're going to make this country safer and better.
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And for that, i thank you
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And thank your family for supporting you. yeah.
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So for those wondering, is
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It is close enough in the senate
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If if rand opposes him
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And no, democrats switch sides, which i think
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Fetterman is on this committee. so that might happen.
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But if he gets rejected, that would hold up the nomination.
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But the full senate can do anything.
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And so obviously,
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The president's going to insist upon this.
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And so, you know, thune can force it through, but,
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Yeah, presumably assuming he hasn't defended any other,
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Too many other republicans with, with with remarks.
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But, you know, i think he should be like
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Like i'm reminded and you'll remember this
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When we had senator mark when mullen on the show,
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And he was very honest about his feelings
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About a certain supreme court justice.
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So this is something that we've seen mark mullen do.
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He is very honest about folks that he thinks,
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I guess you would say have character issues and,
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You know, right, right or wrong, i don't know,
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I just maybe i'm biased because he's come on the show
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So many times, but, you know, i find it endearing.
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And, that's only one of the hearings this morning, folks.
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There is a whole other hearing going on with,
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Dni tulsi gabbard,
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And we're going to play those clips on
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The other side of this break.
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The other side of this break.
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I'm a fan of tulsi.
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I think she's a great patriot.
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Charlie love tulsi.
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She is knocking it out of the park on islam.
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Absolutely. home run.
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Listen to her right here.
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On the threat of islamic terrorism.
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Something that we care greatly about on the show.
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Nine, the united states continues
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To face a complex and evolving threat landscape
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With a geographically,
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Geographically diverse set of islamist terrorist actors
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Seeking to propagate
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Their ideology globally and harm americans,
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Even as al and isis remain weaker
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Today than they were at their respective peaks.
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The spread of islamist ideology, in some cases
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Led by individuals
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And organizations associated with the muslim brotherhood,
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Poses a fundamental threat to freedom,
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And the foundational principles
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That underpin western civilization is a mess.
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Groups and individuals use this ideology
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For recruiting and financial support
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For terrorist groups and individuals
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Around the world,
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And to advance their political objectives of establishing
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An islamist caliphate which governs based on sharia.
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All right. so she's knocked it out of the park.
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I mean, we have multiple clips here, blake, of tulsi being
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100% spot on when it comes to the threat of islam.
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You love to hear it, right?
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Because there's a certain,
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I would say, emergent set of voices that are,
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I think, downplaying the threat of islam in the west.
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We don't subscribe to that notion.
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We think that it is a clear and present danger to the
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Future of western civilization, but specifically
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To the united states.
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So i'm very heartened to see
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I wish it was specific to the united states.
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Unfortunately, it is generalized
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To all of western civilization.
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And yeah, it's as you say, some people have made
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I think some people, they're
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Just the old fashioned open borders.
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Diversity is our strength sort.
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But apart, another version that's emerged in the last,
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In the last few years is the they just straight up
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They take the bargain of i would rather side
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With radical islamists
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Than with israel or with jewish people.
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Some of them are saying,
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Oh, you know, christian christianity is too cocked.
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Christianity is too weak.
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We need we need muscular islam to revive the west.
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There's a lot of these very deranged,
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Very delusional takes that have risen in popularity.
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You're seeing it with
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Young people and i you know, i think charlie was prescient.
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And i think others are very correct to identify
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This threat now and start really pushing back against it
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Before where like the uk, before we're like france
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And this is ten, 15% of the population
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And we're having schools forcing all their kids
00:10:02.987 --> 00:10:05.890
To observe ramadan, forcing their kids
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Not to eat because it would offend them.
00:10:08.225 --> 00:10:10.561
You know, having these gigantic mass
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Islamic prayers,
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Out in front of your biggest churches,
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Which is what we're seeing in europe right now.
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Yeah.
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And and like, like i said, that's why i'm so glad.
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Tulsi, he's being, honest about it.
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She's not pulling any punches.
00:10:24.742 --> 00:10:26.977
She's going straight and direct,
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Which is a good sign, by the way,
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If we're going to actually make progress on this issue.
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However, here's the room for improvement.
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And i know a bit of the backstory here, so it's hard
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Harder for me to to watch it with, dispassionate eyes.
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Okay, so here's, sort 23.
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This is senator warner demanding to know why tulsi
00:10:44.495 --> 00:10:48.265
Gabbard was at the fulton county, georgia election raid.
00:10:48.265 --> 00:10:51.936
Sot 23 i want to correct one of your statements
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That you've made multiple times, which is false.
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I did not participate in a law enforcement activity,
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Nor would i,
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Because that does not exist within my authorities
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And were present on the scene i the
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Photos are the photos of you i was seen i was at fulton
00:11:06.917 --> 00:11:10.121
County, sir, at the request of the president
00:11:10.121 --> 00:11:13.424
And to work with the fbi to observe this action.
00:11:13.424 --> 00:11:18.395
That had long been awaited.
00:11:18.395 --> 00:11:19.764
I was not aware of what was in the warrant or was not.
00:11:19.764 --> 00:11:22.133
And what was the president's specific request?
00:11:22.133 --> 00:11:24.702
What was the specific request set forth
00:11:24.702 --> 00:11:26.771
By the president for you to show up in fulton county,
00:11:26.771 --> 00:11:28.739
Go and observe the fbi's activities on this issue.
00:11:28.739 --> 00:11:32.710
All right.
00:11:33.010 --> 00:11:34.078
So she's saying that she was not involved in a dni,
00:11:34.078 --> 00:11:37.081
The top intel official in the country.
00:11:37.081 --> 00:11:39.984
Right.
00:11:39.984 --> 00:11:41.152
So they they gather intel from all the other agencies,
00:11:41.152 --> 00:11:44.221
About 17 intelligence agencies.
00:11:44.221 --> 00:11:46.791
A lot of times there's a lot of infighting
00:11:46.791 --> 00:11:48.392
Because it's kind of like having a parent
00:11:48.392 --> 00:11:50.895
Looking over your work, your homework.
00:11:50.895 --> 00:11:53.197
They don't like that.
00:11:53.197 --> 00:11:54.098
They want to be more independent.
00:11:54.098 --> 00:11:55.833
She's got a heck of a job on her. but check this out.
00:11:55.833 --> 00:11:57.902
201 this is from just the news john solomon.
00:11:57.902 --> 00:12:01.872
Come on.
00:12:01.872 --> 00:12:02.940
The show talking about some of this says us intel hid
00:12:02.940 --> 00:12:06.076
Chinese 2020 election meddling from trump
00:12:06.076 --> 00:12:09.046
Because they opposed his policies,
00:12:09.046 --> 00:12:10.815
According to a memo obtained by just the news.
00:12:10.815 --> 00:12:13.517
Great reporting there from john solomon.
00:12:13.517 --> 00:12:15.486
We have ample evidence to understand
00:12:15.486 --> 00:12:18.556
That foreign actors were meddling in our elections.
00:12:18.556 --> 00:12:21.392
Now, i'm not saying that they meddled in fulton.
00:12:21.392 --> 00:12:23.627
They very well could have meddled in fulton.
00:12:23.627 --> 00:12:25.663
But the president has had this intel.
00:12:25.663 --> 00:12:28.265
Tulsi gabbard has had this intel.
00:12:28.265 --> 00:12:30.134
It's important that somebody
00:12:30.134 --> 00:12:33.137
Articulate the foreign threat
00:12:33.137 --> 00:12:35.239
To our elections with strength and conviction in their voice.
00:12:35.239 --> 00:12:38.843
And i thought this was a
00:12:38.843 --> 00:12:39.810
Missed opportunity, and i'd love to see it.
00:12:39.810 --> 00:12:41.478
Somebody continued following up,
00:12:42.179 --> 00:12:43.781
But maybe she's not ready to do it.
00:12:43.781 --> 00:12:45.316
I get
00:12:45.316 --> 00:12:46.517
I defer to tulsi wisdom and, the timing that she chooses.
00:12:46.517 --> 00:12:50.154
But somebody needs to articulate fully
00:12:50.154 --> 00:12:52.990
And forcefully the foreign threat to our elections
00:12:52.990 --> 00:12:56.293
And our election integrity.
00:12:56.293 --> 00:12:57.528
And i thought this was an opportunity to do that.
00:12:57.528 --> 00:12:59.663
Cia director john ratcliffe is is,
00:12:59.663 --> 00:13:04.168
Continues to prosecute the case against iran.
00:13:04.168 --> 00:13:07.771
Some great back and forths there.
00:13:07.771 --> 00:13:09.273
We can go ahead and play.
00:13:09.273 --> 00:13:09.974
Sot 2222 if left on, unimpeded.
00:13:09.974 --> 00:13:13.510
Yes, senator.
00:13:13.510 --> 00:13:14.778
They would have the ability
00:13:14.778 --> 00:13:16.046
To, range missiles to the continental u.s..
00:13:16.046 --> 00:13:20.150
It's one of the reasons why degrading iran's, missile
00:13:20.150 --> 00:13:25.055
Production capabilities that is taking place right now
00:13:25.055 --> 00:13:28.259
In operation
00:13:28.259 --> 00:13:29.393
Epic fury is so important to our national security.
00:13:29.393 --> 00:13:32.763
So lots going on here.
00:13:32.763 --> 00:13:34.565
To your point, blake.
00:13:34.565 --> 00:13:35.532
I thought this is going to be joe kent hour,
00:13:35.532 --> 00:13:37.868
And it seems as though it's kind of all over the place now.
00:13:37.868 --> 00:13:41.972
It's ongoing.
00:13:41.972 --> 00:13:42.973
So we're going to keep monitoring the situation.
00:13:42.973 --> 00:13:44.775
But so far it has not devolved into that just yet.
00:13:44.775 --> 00:13:49.546
Yet so far, we shall see.
00:13:50.114 --> 00:13:54.551
Yeah.
00:13:54.785 --> 00:13:55.953
Radcliffe's also reporting on a 25% increase in assets,
00:13:55.953 --> 00:13:59.056
And human resources at the cia.
00:13:59.056 --> 00:14:01.692
It's interesting.
00:14:01.692 --> 00:14:02.660
70% increase in counterterrorism operations.
00:14:02.660 --> 00:14:05.562
It's good to see them focused.
00:14:05.562 --> 00:14:07.264
We're going to have mark halperin on next.
00:14:07.264 --> 00:14:09.066
He's got some great reporting
00:14:09.066 --> 00:14:11.168
On what happened with joe kent, really behind the scenes.
00:14:11.168 --> 00:14:14.505
We'll be right back.
00:14:14.505 --> 00:14:17.996
We'll be right back.
00:14:17.996 --> 00:14:23.742
We are joined by the great mark
00:14:24.376 --> 00:14:27.146
Halperin, who is one of the keenest
00:14:27.146 --> 00:14:29.381
Political observers in the country.
00:14:29.381 --> 00:14:31.183
All right, mark, we were talking in the break
00:14:31.183 --> 00:14:34.520
About, your your read on the hearings so far.
00:14:34.520 --> 00:14:38.457
So let's start there.
00:14:38.457 --> 00:14:39.858
You watch the back and forth with rand paul and mark
00:14:39.858 --> 00:14:43.028
Wayne mullen.
00:14:43.028 --> 00:14:44.029
You are you have a relationship with rand paul.
00:14:44.029 --> 00:14:46.098
I think that's fair to say.
00:14:46.098 --> 00:14:47.566
What was your
00:14:47.566 --> 00:14:48.534
What was your reaction to that back and forth?
00:14:48.534 --> 00:14:51.403
Well, my only relationship with senator
00:14:51.403 --> 00:14:52.905
Paul is i've interviewed him, and i respect the fact
00:14:52.905 --> 00:14:55.107
That he's willing to speak his mind
00:14:55.107 --> 00:14:56.608
Even when he's in the minority.
00:14:56.608 --> 00:14:57.743
I think we could use more senators like that.
00:14:57.743 --> 00:15:00.579
Look,
00:15:00.579 --> 00:15:01.780
There's a personal issue here that i can empathize with.
00:15:01.780 --> 00:15:04.717
And then there's a substantive one.
00:15:04.717 --> 00:15:06.885
The personal one is, he's a member of a club of 100
00:15:06.885 --> 00:15:11.623
And a member of his sub club of the republican party.
00:15:11.623 --> 00:15:14.860
Seem to cheer when he was, beat up seriously by his neighbor
00:15:14.860 --> 00:15:18.564
And never apologized for it and continued
00:15:18.564 --> 00:15:21.000
To kind of make light of it.
00:15:21.000 --> 00:15:22.001
And i think senator paul was right
00:15:22.001 --> 00:15:23.902
To even though it's personal and it might seem petty to some
00:15:23.902 --> 00:15:26.805
To use that as a prism to wedge into the bigger issue,
00:15:26.805 --> 00:15:30.676
Which i think also based on the available
00:15:30.676 --> 00:15:32.544
Record is legitimate, which is, does
00:15:32.544 --> 00:15:34.380
This guy have the temperament to have this complicated job?
00:15:34.380 --> 00:15:38.384
The fact that he had a congressional hearing, he tried
00:15:38.384 --> 00:15:40.285
To fight a guy,
00:15:40.285 --> 00:15:41.420
You know, even though they've made up since then.
00:15:42.454 --> 00:15:44.390
Like i just look at i look at those two data points and say,
00:15:44.390 --> 00:15:48.727
That's a legit area of inquiry for the chairman to
00:15:48.727 --> 00:15:51.230
To take on.
00:15:51.230 --> 00:15:52.231
And i thought the senator mullins responses
00:15:52.231 --> 00:15:54.767
Weren't great.
00:15:55.100 --> 00:15:56.402
I didn't think they were great.
00:15:56.402 --> 00:15:57.403
So if you're someone who has doubts about
00:15:57.403 --> 00:15:59.338
His temperament to do this job, i don't think i don't think
00:15:59.338 --> 00:16:02.041
He helped himself with the way he handled it.
00:16:02.041 --> 00:16:03.809
He doesn't pull any punches.
00:16:03.809 --> 00:16:05.010
You know, we had him on this show,
00:16:05.010 --> 00:16:06.545
And he said some things about,
00:16:06.545 --> 00:16:08.047
A supreme court justice that kind of our jaws dropped,
00:16:08.047 --> 00:16:11.850
You know, so
00:16:11.850 --> 00:16:12.918
I, i understand the, the temperament issue, but,
00:16:12.918 --> 00:16:15.054
I tend to think that he's very relatable in that.
00:16:15.054 --> 00:16:18.057
Yeah, people like him a lot.
00:16:18.057 --> 00:16:19.558
But let me let me ask blake a question.
00:16:19.558 --> 00:16:21.060
Can i ask blake a question?
00:16:21.060 --> 00:16:22.428
Let's say, let's say blake got beat up
00:16:22.428 --> 00:16:25.798
And by his neighbor and, and and then,
00:16:25.798 --> 00:16:29.001
You went out in public, and i laughed
00:16:29.001 --> 00:16:31.303
So that i can kind of understand
00:16:31.303 --> 00:16:32.704
Why blake's neighbor would beat him up
00:16:32.704 --> 00:16:34.807
A lot of people are saying the hospital people is this is
00:16:34.807 --> 00:16:38.777
This is like a hypothetical, but it's so close.
00:16:38.777 --> 00:16:41.046
I kind of get it, mark.
00:16:41.046 --> 00:16:42.948
And what i,
00:16:42.948 --> 00:16:44.116
What i think is funny is i think it's not funny,
00:16:44.116 --> 00:16:46.285
But i think what may genuinely be a problem here is i
00:16:46.285 --> 00:16:50.255
Remember when that happened,
00:16:50.255 --> 00:16:51.490
And i think a lot of people did find it kind of funny, like,
00:16:51.490 --> 00:16:53.292
Oh, your neighbor came over and beat you up.
00:16:53.292 --> 00:16:55.394
And i think what
00:16:55.394 --> 00:16:56.395
A lot of people don't genuinely appreciate is
00:16:56.395 --> 00:16:58.764
I think rand paul was quite seriously maimed
00:16:58.764 --> 00:17:01.133
In that he was in the hospital for a long time. yeah.
00:17:01.133 --> 00:17:03.469
And i think a lot of people just kind of don't
00:17:03.469 --> 00:17:05.737
They don't internalize
00:17:05.737 --> 00:17:06.839
That fact that that's going to be really personal
00:17:06.839 --> 00:17:09.775
For senator paul, because this wasn't
00:17:09.775 --> 00:17:11.910
Something that lasted,
00:17:11.910 --> 00:17:13.412
You know, this wasn't oh, i got in a fight one day.
00:17:13.412 --> 00:17:15.647
It was i was in the hospital for weeks, i believe. yep.
00:17:15.647 --> 00:17:18.784
And and the psychology of it.
00:17:18.784 --> 00:17:20.085
I totally that you're right.
00:17:20.085 --> 00:17:21.753
Let me just build on that.
00:17:21.753 --> 00:17:22.921
He was beat up by his neighbor.
00:17:22.921 --> 00:17:24.690
That's like a really disquieting thing.
00:17:24.690 --> 00:17:26.625
It's really unsettling.
00:17:26.625 --> 00:17:28.260
You're in you're you're in your neighbor.
00:17:28.260 --> 00:17:29.761
You're in your home, you're on your property,
00:17:29.761 --> 00:17:31.897
And your neighbor beats you up so badly.
00:17:31.897 --> 00:17:34.233
You're in the hospital.
00:17:34.233 --> 00:17:35.901
I could i could see why it would bother him
00:17:35.901 --> 00:17:38.504
That his colleague made repeated fun of it.
00:17:38.504 --> 00:17:41.306
And then today, when he asked his colleague
00:17:41.306 --> 00:17:43.208
If he if he would apologize for it, he declined. and
00:17:43.208 --> 00:17:46.111
So again, i'm not i'm not telling senators had a vote.
00:17:47.212 --> 00:17:50.149
I'm not saying this is disqualifying or should be.
00:17:50.149 --> 00:17:52.985
I'm saying is
00:17:52.985 --> 00:17:53.752
I think there's legitimate issue
00:17:53.752 --> 00:17:55.721
Because that mindset of making fun of someone,
00:17:55.721 --> 00:17:58.524
Your colleague being sent to the hospital by his neighbor
00:17:58.524 --> 00:18:01.326
And then declining in retrospect to apologize.
00:18:01.326 --> 00:18:04.763
How hard is it to apologize for that?
00:18:04.763 --> 00:18:06.732
Seems pretty effortless, i mean, and yet he declined.
00:18:06.732 --> 00:18:09.268
Mark, i would agree with you. maybe he should have.
00:18:09.268 --> 00:18:11.436
Maybe he should have.
00:18:11.436 --> 00:18:12.404
I would i will just say the back story here.
00:18:12.404 --> 00:18:15.674
And again, i have great respect for rand paul.
00:18:15.674 --> 00:18:18.110
I just happen to know and i'm sure you've,
00:18:18.110 --> 00:18:20.846
You know this as well, that he's one of those senators
00:18:20.846 --> 00:18:23.482
That tends to get under a lot of other senator's skin,
00:18:23.482 --> 00:18:26.218
And there's a lot of scar tissue.
00:18:26.218 --> 00:18:27.786
There's a lot of backstory there.
00:18:27.786 --> 00:18:29.955
He can be very frustrating
00:18:29.955 --> 00:18:31.356
To deal with in the budget process. he holds out his vote.
00:18:31.356 --> 00:18:33.892
I mean, there's a lot of scar tissue there.
00:18:33.892 --> 00:18:35.594
100%.
00:18:35.594 --> 00:18:37.095
Yeah, i can leave it at that.
00:18:37.095 --> 00:18:38.630
You did some reporting at daily mail, last night.
00:18:38.630 --> 00:18:42.034
The senator
00:18:42.034 --> 00:18:43.101
I now, i know, mark, you don't write the headlines.
00:18:43.101 --> 00:18:45.037
This is for people who don't know daily mail.
00:18:45.037 --> 00:18:47.506
They throw a bunch of stuff at the board
00:18:47.506 --> 00:18:49.241
And they see what gets the most clicks.
00:18:49.241 --> 00:18:50.475
All right, so.
00:18:50.475 --> 00:18:51.443
But the article will get into that with you.
00:18:51.443 --> 00:18:53.278
Sinister truth about explosive resignation
00:18:53.278 --> 00:18:55.847
Of trump's top counterterror chief, joe kent,
00:18:55.847 --> 00:18:58.650
And his shock claim israel is manipulating the president.
00:18:58.650 --> 00:19:02.054
By mark halperin.
00:19:02.054 --> 00:19:03.455
What is the back story here?
00:19:03.455 --> 00:19:05.023
What have you uncovered in your reporting, mark?
00:19:05.023 --> 00:19:07.559
Well,
00:19:07.559 --> 00:19:08.760
I you know, it's interesting that joe kent had this job,
00:19:08.760 --> 00:19:11.630
Because no one who's followed his career
00:19:11.630 --> 00:19:13.966
Dealt with him, is the least bit
00:19:13.966 --> 00:19:16.602
And that he would quit over this.
00:19:17.336 --> 00:19:20.305
You know, i think all the time i had,
00:19:20.305 --> 00:19:23.408
I had, ralph reed on my show on next up yesterday,
00:19:23.408 --> 00:19:26.044
We talked about that this thing i'm so focused on
00:19:26.044 --> 00:19:28.780
As a reporter, which is what if charlie were still here?
00:19:28.780 --> 00:19:32.150
And i have to say,
00:19:32.584 --> 00:19:34.052
I think charlie
00:19:34.052 --> 00:19:35.120
Would have been proud yesterday of of team maga
00:19:35.120 --> 00:19:37.522
For mobilizing so quickly with very few fingerprints
00:19:37.522 --> 00:19:40.826
To make it clear to not just to kent, who's going on
00:19:40.826 --> 00:19:44.196
With tucker and maybe with candace and mark and
00:19:44.196 --> 00:19:47.799
But by the way, and mark levin, but two other people
00:19:47.799 --> 00:19:51.169
Who are thinking of quitting over the war,
00:19:51.169 --> 00:19:53.572
Your public vociferous opposition
00:19:53.572 --> 00:19:57.209
Will not be unchallenged and will not be cost
00:19:57.209 --> 00:20:00.646
Free to make, very effective, maybe not stopping kent
00:20:00.646 --> 00:20:04.983
From doing stuff,
00:20:04.983 --> 00:20:06.084
But now anybody else who wants to do what kent did
00:20:06.084 --> 00:20:08.787
Is going to have to think twice.
00:20:08.787 --> 00:20:10.022
And that was the goal of yesterday.
00:20:10.022 --> 00:20:11.356
And i think they
00:20:11.356 --> 00:20:12.424
I think they were pretty effective in doing it.
00:20:12.424 --> 00:20:14.626
Yeah.
00:20:14.626 --> 00:20:15.427
Well let's play some of the clips
00:20:15.427 --> 00:20:16.595
I think that one, this dan bongino, criticizing the move.
00:20:16.595 --> 00:20:20.666
I read probably a lot more intelligence than he did.
00:20:20.666 --> 00:20:24.069
I had access to just about everything,
00:20:24.069 --> 00:20:26.638
And how you could come
00:20:26.638 --> 00:20:27.639
To the conclusion that the israelis did it.
00:20:27.639 --> 00:20:30.342
And and there was no imminent threat here.
00:20:30.342 --> 00:20:32.611
Really?
00:20:32.611 --> 00:20:33.612
What about the anti-ship ballistic missiles?
00:20:33.612 --> 00:20:36.214
The drone program, i mean, i don't know
00:20:36.214 --> 00:20:38.050
At what point you thought this wasn't an imminent threat.
00:20:38.050 --> 00:20:40.419
After you've read
00:20:40.419 --> 00:20:41.420
A lot of the stuff i read, then, by the way,
00:20:41.420 --> 00:20:43.388
That's just the open source stuff
00:20:43.388 --> 00:20:45.223
We can talk about on the air.
00:20:45.223 --> 00:20:47.292
I promise you, the president,
00:20:47.292 --> 00:20:48.493
I promise you, has a bevy of material
00:20:48.493 --> 00:20:51.229
That if he could do the men in black thing in a race
00:20:51.229 --> 00:20:53.265
Your mind tomorrow, if he told you right now,
00:20:53.265 --> 00:20:55.334
You would come to the imminent direct conclusion in a snap.
00:20:55.334 --> 00:20:58.470
Marc, what was your reporting on the intel that
00:20:58.470 --> 00:21:02.174
Joe kent had access to?
00:21:02.174 --> 00:21:05.077
It's murky.
00:21:05.410 --> 00:21:07.312
It's murky, is kent telling the truth?
00:21:07.312 --> 00:21:09.481
Is the president telling the truth?
00:21:09.481 --> 00:21:10.916
You know, is rubio telling the truth?
00:21:10.916 --> 00:21:12.784
I don't think it matters.
00:21:12.784 --> 00:21:13.985
Iran is an existential threat and has been and presence
00:21:13.985 --> 00:21:17.456
Of both parties have struggled to find a way to deal with it.
00:21:17.456 --> 00:21:20.192
And this president has tried something.
00:21:20.192 --> 00:21:21.793
It may go down in history as a calamity,
00:21:21.793 --> 00:21:24.696
But he did it
00:21:24.696 --> 00:21:25.697
Because he was trying to achieve an objective
00:21:25.697 --> 00:21:27.499
Shared by his colleagues.
00:21:27.499 --> 00:21:28.867
It's an objective he's talked about also for decades even.
00:21:28.867 --> 00:21:32.337
Yeah.
00:21:32.337 --> 00:21:33.205
Well before he became a politician.
00:21:33.205 --> 00:21:34.406
I'm going to be watching
00:21:34.406 --> 00:21:35.407
Closely when, joe kent goes on with tucker,
00:21:35.407 --> 00:21:38.276
Maybe with mark levin.
00:21:38.276 --> 00:21:39.378
I'm sure mark levin is going to bring up this clip,
00:21:39.378 --> 00:21:41.146
Because it does seem to strike against his letter state.
00:21:41.146 --> 00:21:45.016
I mean, most americans aren't
00:21:45.016 --> 00:21:46.518
Aren't aware of it, believe our troops in iraq and syria
00:21:46.518 --> 00:21:49.221
Been attacked 150 plus times by iranian proxies.
00:21:49.221 --> 00:21:52.758
And when we say iranian proxies,
00:21:52.758 --> 00:21:54.025
We got to be clear on what that is.
00:21:54.025 --> 00:21:55.527
That's the iraqi government that we pay
00:21:55.527 --> 00:21:57.863
Because after the iraqi military
00:21:57.863 --> 00:21:59.297
Spent 2 trillion on surrender to isis,
00:21:59.297 --> 00:22:01.166
We had to go back in there in very short
00:22:01.166 --> 00:22:03.435
Order and standard military back up again.
00:22:03.435 --> 00:22:05.237
And guess who filled the breach?
00:22:05.237 --> 00:22:06.538
The shia militias controlled by iran did.
00:22:06.538 --> 00:22:08.874
And the iraqi government is controlled by iran.
00:22:08.874 --> 00:22:10.776
Is that there?
00:22:10.776 --> 00:22:11.543
Clips of, joe kent talking about
00:22:11.543 --> 00:22:13.011
The ballistic missile threat and so much more.
00:22:13.011 --> 00:22:15.013
So i'm i'm going to be watching
00:22:15.013 --> 00:22:17.582
Those interviews very, very closely to see if there
00:22:17.582 --> 00:22:20.752
If he does have intel or if he does
00:22:20.752 --> 00:22:23.054
Have a perspective that could persuade me that,
00:22:23.054 --> 00:22:26.591
That trump wasn't
00:22:26.591 --> 00:22:27.793
Acting on his own agency, that it was dog,
00:22:27.793 --> 00:22:29.661
Dog, dog walked into this war by israel.
00:22:29.661 --> 00:22:31.596
I think that's the main the main claim here.
00:22:31.596 --> 00:22:33.899
And i want to see what
00:22:33.899 --> 00:22:35.000
What he's going to present as evidence of that.
00:22:35.000 --> 00:22:37.002
Yeah. well, like there's two claims.
00:22:37.002 --> 00:22:38.603
One is that there was insufficient
00:22:38.603 --> 00:22:40.005
Evidence of a threat,
00:22:40.005 --> 00:22:41.640
And the other is it was done on behest,
00:22:41.640 --> 00:22:43.975
You know, exclusively or primarily
00:22:43.975 --> 00:22:45.577
At the behest of israel and the american jewish lobby.
00:22:45.577 --> 00:22:48.447
He'll he'll have trouble proving the second one.
00:22:48.447 --> 00:22:51.049
The first one, i think is more ambiguous.
00:22:51.049 --> 00:22:53.084
But as the clip suggests, there's plenty of things
00:22:53.084 --> 00:22:55.654
He said in the towns national town square.
00:22:55.654 --> 00:22:57.856
That suggests that he did see a threat from iran.
00:22:57.856 --> 00:23:00.392
So whether he thought the threat was sufficient or not
00:23:00.392 --> 00:23:04.529
To warrant the president's actions,
00:23:04.529 --> 00:23:06.731
If he wants to make that judgment,
00:23:06.731 --> 00:23:08.233
He should run for president. that's not his call.
00:23:08.233 --> 00:23:10.168
That's the president's call.
00:23:10.168 --> 00:23:11.369
Mark halperin, great work as always.
00:23:11.369 --> 00:23:13.004
Thank you for your honest analysis.
00:23:13.004 --> 00:23:15.140
Good to see you both.
00:23:15.140 --> 00:23:16.074
Stay away from your big burly neighbors.
00:23:16.074 --> 00:23:18.043
We will do that. you too.
00:23:18.043 --> 00:23:19.978
You live in a big old metro with lots of people, mark,
00:23:19.978 --> 00:23:23.715
So be careful out there.
00:23:23.715 --> 00:23:23.715

Mark Halperin: March 19, 2026 | Charlie Kirk Today

March 19, 2026 | 23:28

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