Live from Music Row, Wednesday morning on The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy – broadcast on Nashville’s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. – host Leahy welcomed national political correspondent for One America News, Neil W. McCabe to the newsmaker line to comment on the undeclared war between Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and former President Donald Trump.
Leahy: On the newsmaker line, right now, our very good friend, the great top gov tracker, the national political correspondent with One American News Network, my former colleague at Breitbart, and also formerly our national political editor here at The Star News Network. Good morning, Neil W. McCabe.
McCabe: Michael, good morning. Very good to be with you, sir.
Leahy: Your pal, the top gov, Ron DeSantis is on a quote “book tour.” (Chuckles)
McCabe: Is that what they call it now?
Leahy: He just happened to take that book tour to the first caucus state in the country, Iowa, on Friday. Our man, Matt Kittle, was there and filed the report from a suburb of Des Moines, Iowa. Huge lines to get in to see Ron DeSantis. But he and former President Trump, there’s some back and forth more, mostly Trump going after DeSantis. What do you make of that back-and-forth between those two?
McCabe: It’s this undeclared war, right? DeSantis has decided that he’s going to try to block Trump from the White House, and Trump is angry about it. And then DeSantis says, I’m not running for president. What do you mean? (Leahy laughs)
Just because I’ve raised $300 million and I’ve hired a presidential staff and I’m visiting Iowa, that doesn’t necessarily mean I’m running for president. I’m focused on Florida and saving the Everglades. And I’m worried about these poles being too high on Florida highways. And this is where I’m focused.
Of course, when Tucker Carlson put out a questionnaire on Ukraine to the presidential candidates, Ron DeSantis responded. I don’t know. Is that a declaration for president? I don’t know. The real problem that DeSantis has is that there is this law in the books saying that if he runs for president, he has to resign.
There are legal scholars saying that this law doesn’t apply to him. Some are reinterpreting the law. The law was written in 2007 when everybody thought that fair-haired boy Charlie Crist was going to run who was then the Republican governor of Florida.
Everybody thought Crist was gonna run for president, so they passed a law saying, hey, if you’re gonna run for president, you’re going to have to resign from governor of Florida. So this is where we’re at. Will he stop by New Hampshire? Sure. (Leahy chuckles)
And I think the des the DeSantis candidacy offers a lot of neat things for conservatives and Republican voters because right now the national press is giving DeSantis a hall pass because they need him to take down Trump.
Leahy: Ah, that’s a very good point.
McCabe: To be a conservative and not have people make fun of you is very enchanting for many people.
Leahy: If he were to become the nominee over Trump, that would evaporate in about two seconds.
McCabe: I am old enough to remember when George H.W. Bush was called a racist, a fascist, and everything else in the book. And then I sat there and watched his funeral, and everybody said all the same. People said, what a great guy he was.
Leahy: Speaking of presidential funerals, (McCabe laughs) Joe Biden’s already said he is gonna give the eulogy for former President Carter. The only problem is that former President Carter is still alive. That was a little Biden misstep, wouldn’t you say?
McCabe: The guy is an empty vessel, and it’s really sad. They wheeled him out. Remember how they used to wheel around Merovingian kings just so the peasants could see them? They wheeled this guy out at nine o’clock in the morning on Monday to say, don’t worry, my people, because of our quick action, we have solved the bank crisis. And then he shuffled back to the door before the reporters could ask questions.
Leahy: I saw that. And literally, he couldn’t even open the door and he was shuffling. It was bad. Crom has a question for you.
McCabe: Hey Crom.
Carmichael: Hey, Neil. How are you, sir?
McCabe: Good. The one thing that I have learned about presidents when they pass away is I believe that the wives or somebody, assuming the wife is alive, that the funeral and everything that’s going to go into the funeral is down to the last detail. In other words, they don’t make it up.
Leahy: There’s a protocol.
Carmichael: There’s a protocol, and it’s not the same for every president. So my question is, has Rosalyn Carter asked Biden to give the eulogy or did Biden just say he’s going to? And unless Rosylyn Carter has asked for that, that won’t necessarily happen. It’s not his eulogy to give.
Leahy: Unless asked.
McCabe: I’m pretty sure that the Carter people and the Biden people have worked this all out. And for the status of having a current president speak at your funeral, regardless of the politics of it, this is something that you want to check that box.
Leahy: So just let me go on the record. If something unfortunate were to happen, I do not want Biden to give my eulogy. Period.
Carmichael: There is a certain irony in Biden giving Carter’s eulogy because, given Biden’s policies, it’s possible that historians will say that Biden surpassed Carter as being the worst president in the last 100 years.
Leahy: That’s exactly true.
McCabe: It’s very unfortunate. But Biden does not have the revolt that Carter had to deal with because Carter tried to straddle the fence between conservatives and liberals. But in the end, the reality of the world vis-a-vis the Soviet Union and the reality of the economy forced Carter to attack the right in the second half of his term, which basically meant that the left, led by Tip O’Neal and Ted Kennedy and the rest of them, basically stirred up a lot of trouble. And so in the end, he had that primary with Edward Kennedy and actually sided with the left.
Leahy: Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has said he’s thinking of primarying Joe Biden.
Carmichael: Now that would be interesting. Would it not?
Leahy: No. (Laughter) Tell us why. I don’t disagree with you Neil, but tell us why.
Listen to today’s show highlights, including this interview:
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Tune in weekdays from 5:00 – 8:00 a.m. to The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy on Talk Radio 98.3 FM WLAC 1510. Listen online at iHeart Radio.
Photo “Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis” by Ron DeSantis.
Live from Music Row Thursday morning on The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy – broadcast on Nashville’s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. – host Leahy welcomed all-star panelist Roger Simon to comment upon the presidential announcement of GOP candidate Vivek Ramaswamy.
Leahy: We are delighted to welcome to our microphones this morning all-star panelist, Academy Award-nominated screenwriter, my former boss at PJ TV, and also now the most popular columnist at The Epoch Times. And, oh, did I mention novelist and writer of books, Mr. Roger Simon? Good morning, Roger.
Simon: I embellish my resume because I’m not always the most popular columnist. (Laughter) Speaking of embellishing resumes, on the other hand, you know, I’m pretty confident.
Leahy: But hey, I got a question for you. This guy, Vivek Ramaswami, announced on Tuesday night on Tucker Carlson that he’s running for President of the United States. He’s worth between $500 million and $5 billion. I think it’s probably closer to $5 billion. He’s 37 years old, a Harvard undergrad, Yale Law, and founded a biotech firm that he sold.
Simon: Are you trying to make me feel bad talking about resumes? I thought mine was okay.
Leahy: I think also he’s an accomplished piano player and pianist, and also, I think he was a nationally-ranked junior tennis player. You’re a tennis guy. This is an impressive individual. As you know, I spent an hour with him in a one-on-one well; he was there. His wife was there and the communications director at his residence.
Simon: What about his kids?
Leahy: His kids were not there, or I didn’t they were probably in the house. He’s got a three-year-old and a six-month-old. I saw their little toys, et cetera, in the backyard. But I spent an hour with him before I knew that he was going to make the announcement. He was embargoed, but he’s a very interesting fellow.
And you quickly were able to get a brief interview with him, and you wrote a column about his campaign for president. He’s now the third announced candidate on the GOP side. Trump has announced, Nikki Haley’s announced, and now Vivek Ramaswamy.
Simon: Ramaswamy. You had to learn how to pronounce that if you’re not Anglo-Indian. I think he’s kind of an amazing person to be running for president, and probably has the highest IQ that may have ever run for president. Although Washington himself, if you read his writings, was pretty extraordinary and may really rival that.
But I think that someone with that high an IQ is a double-edged sword to it because it’s slightly intimidating. But he seems like a very good man.
Leahy: I can tell you that, despite all those great accomplishments, he’s just a very friendly person who’s not at all an intimidating presence when you’re there with him. And by the way, and you’ll see this, his wife is very pretty, and she’s also Indian American. She’s a medical doctor who specializes in treating cancer patients. She’s a surgeon. These are two very impressive people.
Simon: Seems like it.
Leahy: And very genuine, very genuine people.
Simon: He’s doing this for the right reason, and I wish Sean Hannity would have been a little more awake to it, but he makes curious admissions. One of his admissions is he never talks about the CIA and his investigations. I don’t know why, because they’re probably the most…
Leahy: Did Sean do a run down last night on the presidential campaign and not mention Vivek?
Simon: And he ran down all what we like to call the Munchkins on this show including Tim Scott, who was there that night.
Leahy: He hasn’t announced.
Simon: He hasn’t announced and who already has the gravely voice of someone who’s spoken so much in public he can’t barely speak anymore because he was in Iowa, of all places.
Leahy: That’s where it all starts. And as you know, we launched The Iowa Star a couple of weeks ago because the road to the 2024 GOP nomination goes through The Iowa Star.
Simon: I know it very well because back in 2016, I did the thing for PJ Media, The Diary of the Mad Voter, and I was all over Iowa a lot.
Leahy: Anyway, speaking of which, Vivek, or I got to get it. They told me how to pronounce it. Vivek as in cake. He was in New Hampshire yesterday. Today he’s in Iowa, and literally, he’s all over the state. I think he’s got a private plane. He’s flying from Des Moines to Ankeny and back.
Simon: He must be putting his own money into this at this point.
Leahy: My guess would be probably going to put $100 million in would be my guess. But our own Matt Kittle from The Iowa Star has an exclusive interview planned with him in Des Moines later today. Non-embellished resumes here folks.
Listen to today’s show highlights, including this interview:
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Tune in weekdays from 5:00 – 8:00 a.m. to The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy on Talk Radio 98.3 FM WLAC 1510. Listen online at iHeart Radio.
Photo “Vivek Ramaswamy” by Gage Skidmore. CC BY-SA 2.0.
Live from Music Row, Wednesday morning on The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy – broadcast on Nashville’s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. – host Leahy welcomed top gov tracker and One America News national political correspondent, Neil W. McCabe to the newsmaker line to comment on James O’Keefe’s departure from Project Veritas and newly announced GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy’s chances.
Leahy: On the newsmaker line right now, is our good friend, top gov tracker, and national political correspondent with One American News Network, Neil W. McCabe. Good morning, Neil.
McCabe: Hey, guys. Good to be with you.
Leahy: Neil, Crom has a question for you.
Carmichael: Neil, on Project Veritas, what will happen with Project Veritas without James O’Keefe?
McCabe: You have to understand that James is the founder and the CEO. He created it to be a home for himself and other undercover journalists, people who wanted to expose corruption. And in the back of his head, he always wanted it to be something that would survive him.
And I’m not sure that this is how he planned it. But there are people there who are committed to the mission. You have trained undercover journalists. You have fantastic cameramen and editors. You have people who are experienced with how to use hidden cameras and everything like that.
Where do those guys go? Maybe some of them will join James and whatever venture he’s going to do. But there are people inside Project Veritas who say, we’ll just carry on the mission. Project Veritas was bigger than James. Okay.
Carmichael: My sense of it, and obviously I’m wrong, my sense of it was it was kind of a handful of people who kind of almost went around with James O’Keefe, who was kind of one of the undercover people. And I’m sure that’s how it started because I remember some very early Project Veritas, and it was James O’Keefe. Generally, it was James O’Keefe and one particular lady. What you’re saying is that in recent years, it’s gotten a lot bigger than my understanding.
McCabe: Right. So in 2009, the ACORN expose was James and Hannah Giles. But that was not Project Veritas. Project Veritas was started in 2011 because he felt exposed as a single guy, sort of basically freelancing and making the stuff himself.
He needed some organization, some stability, some structure, and that’s what he built. But there’s probably, I don’t know, 10-15 undercover journalists across the country who do various things. Many of them will probably want to continue doing what they do.
Carmichael: So there will be somebody, and they may have already named the person, James O’Keefe has been removed as CEO. Is that correct?
McCabe: I don’t know if removed is the word I would use. He was put on ice while the board did an investigation, and then he read that letter, which they took as a resignation letter. He packed up his stuff and walked out the door. The board hadn’t fired James.
In fact, the office was closed on President’s Day. There was supposed to be a board meeting Tuesday where things might be resolved and he basically used his FOB to get into the office and pack up his stuff and leave.
Carmichael: Then obviously they haven’t named a new CEO.
McCabe: Not that I know.
Leahy: We’ll see how that all plays out. Neil, you broke that story, by the way. Congratulations on that. Now let’s talk about the story that we knew about that was going to happen, that I invited you to watch Tucker last night. Our buddy Vivek Ramaswamy has announced his candidacy for president. What’s your take on Vivek in 2024 as a GOP candidate?
McCabe: I think that it is absolutely stunning that this guy has come onto the scene the way he has. And when he talks about woke capital, woke institutions, he’s talking as someone who saw it from the inside. And in a lot of ways, it sort of dovetails with what James and Project Veritas were doing.
I worked at Veritas, and so James would tell me that, in essence, what he’s trying to do is expose the private truth hidden by the public lie. And so a lot of these companies don’t really tell you what they’re up to and what Vivek is doing and others are doing, but certainly, it’s his running for president.
And I saw him on Tucker last night. The guy was phenomenal. I think Tucker was really impressed. I think Tucker told him he was really impressed. And what he’s doing is he’s saying, hey, whatever you’ve been told, put it to the side. This is what’s going on in the institutions. Financial, education, charity, and religion, everything that’s going on inside is working against you.
Leahy: Vivek is going to be out in Iowa today. Our own Matt Kittle with The Iowa Star is going to be with him and get some exclusive interviews on-site in Antonio, Iowa, and Des Moines, and a couple of the suburbs there. How do you think this will shake out in reality?
What are Ramaswamy’s chances now that former President Trump has announced, Nikki Haley has announced rumors that DeSantis may get in? How does this shake up, if at all, the 2024 GOP presidential nomination race?
McCabe: We’ll have to see if these presidential primaries follow the script that’s been sort of in place since 1972, 1976. Will Iowa and New Hampshire really be deciding what’s going on? The Trump campaign is focusing on South Carolina. It’s a winner take all state with 50 delegates, and it’s really the most important state because it’s a big conservative state with a lot of very interesting people in that state in South Carolina.
New Hampshire is kind of a wild card for Trump. And I think Iowa is a very difficult state to organize. And I’m sure Mr. Kittle learned very quickly that Iowa is, well he lives there.
Leahy: He lives in Des Moines.
McCabe: He knows that it is cold, and he knows that everything is 100 miles away, and these caucuses are held in, like, barns, and toolsheds.
Leahy: I’ve been to one, Neil, and you’re quite right. (Chuckles)
McCabe: Iowa is a tough row to hoe. And so it’ll also be interesting to see what happens in Iowa since they kneecapped Steve King, the congressman from the northeast corner of Iowa who was sort of a kingmaker in Iowa, and of course, The New York Times and Kevin McCarthy torpedoed him and he was very influential. And he’s frankly the reason why Ted Cruz won Iowa in 2016.
Leahy: Good point.
McCabe: But of course, he won Iowa but didn’t become president.
Listen to today’s show highlights, including this interview:
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Tune in weekdays from 5:00 – 8:00 a.m. to The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy on Talk Radio 98.3 FM WLAC 1510. Listen online at iHeart Radio.
Photo “James O’Keefe” by James O’Keefe.
Saturday morning on WarRoom: Battleground, Stephen K. Bannon welcomed The Star News Network’s National Political Editor, Matt Kittle the program to discuss the Iowa caucus, Kari Lake’s reception, and the newly launched Iowa Star digital newspaper.
Bannon: Matt Kittle, Michael Patrick Leahy had this vision of doing the battleground states and doing these new sites, and it’s just been incredible what you guys have accomplished. Tell me about Iowa.
You’re launching a new site. I guess you launched it a little earlier this morning, but you’re launching a new site in the very important first state to kick off Iowa caucuses next January. Tell us about your new site, sir.
Kittle: You bet. Thank you, Steve. Iowa is still critical to the political map, whether the Democrats want to acknowledge that or not. As you well know, the DNC has basically turned its back on Iowa, which has long been traditionally the first state to enter the fray. And it’s Hawkeye cauceye, if you will.
The Republicans here will still hold the first in the nation caucuses, but the DNC, as I said, has turned its back in Iowa. The Democrats here want to continue to be the first in the nation to hold those caucuses. They have to by Iowa state law. The issue is the DNC has gone in a different direction.
They don’t think Iowa is diverse enough. But Iowa, Steve, as you well know, as we just saw in the last segment, is very much, in many ways, Trump country. And Kari Lake last night in the Quad Cities, and I think today in suburban Des Moines will bring that full message and bring out the kind of crowd that we saw last night.
Bannon: Look, here’s what Iowa provides, and it is Trump’s MAGA country, and that’s Trump wins. It is now big, and that’s one of the reasons the Democrats don’t like it. What’s the importance of Iowa? It’s discernment. Iowa, New Hampshire, those flinty Yankees up in New Hampshire, and this common sense heartland of America in Iowa weigh and measure you, right?
They weigh and measure you. And this is very important. It’s important for the country. Retail politics. You got to go into those small rooms. You got to have small gatherings. Now President Trump ran it a little differently, but still, the Hawkeyes have a discernment that the nation depends upon. I think it’s great that it starts in Iowa, and it’s going to be very important. Leahy is always ahead of the curve. Tell me about the site and tell me about your thoughts on Kari Lake.
Kittle: You bet. As you said, we just launched last night. You’ll find all kinds of information on our site, theiowastar.com. It includes the meeting last night that Kari Lake had with so many good Iowans. We will continue with our special Iowa caucus edition 2024.
We will continue the blanket coverage on Iowa, Iowa politics, all this stuff, particularly the kind of inside stuff we have here in the Des Moines area that no other publications can offer in many ways.
And frankly, as you know, the mainstream media refuses to offer. It’s interesting about Kari Lake. Every story you see here in Iowa, the mainstream press, as you see in The New York Times or The Washington Post, they can’t begin a lead without saying Kari Lake has made all kinds of charges that aren’t true.
They put this stuff in their lead when we know that the election integrity problems in Arizona, just as we’ve seen in the major states during the Zuckerbucks era of 2020, are very real and they’re very troubling. And what they hate is Kari Lake is shining a big spotlight on it all.
Bannon: Big time. Matt, how did they get to the site? How did they get to you guys on social media? What are the coordinates for The Star News Network and all the work you’re doing? The Tennessee Star has broken I think the most important thing about this Memphis situation with Mr. Nichols, about it being a targeted hit about everything, and with the whole thing about the text messages and the relationship of the police officer’s female acquaintance with Mr. Nichols and all this. You’re doing great reporting. How do people get there?
Kittle: Thank you so much. Yes, that’s a big story. We’ll continue to follow up. But in terms of Iowa, the new site again launching is theiowastar.com. And as I said, we’ll be at the Kari Lake session later on this afternoon in Ankeny, Iowa.
Bannon: Thank you very much, sir. Appreciate it. Matt Kittle from The Star News Network. Head reporter, head political editor.
Listen to the interview:
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