Full Transcript for Pentagon Pete Will Be First Big Scalp of Trump 2.0

--> 00:02:04.959 And what they have, according to these mockups, is this 38 00:02:05.280 --> 00:02:10.599 art going across the river from the Lincoln Memorial, so 39 00:02:11.039 --> 00:02:13.599 just outside still in Washington, is even on the very 40 00:02:13.719 --> 00:02:17.639 edge of Washington, and it's just another project that the 41 00:02:17.680 --> 00:02:21.479 president's working on. Perhaps is in preparation for the two 42 00:02:21.560 --> 00:02:26.840 hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the United States, but it 43 00:02:26.919 --> 00:02:29.280 is something that we've just kind of been seeing like 44 00:02:29.479 --> 00:02:32.000 bits and pieces of all these different projects that the 45 00:02:32.000 --> 00:02:36.280 president has been working on or thinking about as he 46 00:02:36.319 --> 00:02:39.879 totally tries to make over Washington in his image or 47 00:02:39.919 --> 00:02:42.360 in the image of things that inspire him. 48 00:02:42.439 --> 00:02:45.520 It's really extraordinary to think how physically he wants to 49 00:02:45.599 --> 00:02:48.879 leave his mark on the city, David, we know that. Actually, 50 00:02:49.159 --> 00:02:52.280 even Jeffrey Epstein, who was one of Donald Trump's in 51 00:02:52.319 --> 00:02:55.680 the end strongest critics, said that the one thing he 52 00:02:55.759 --> 00:03:00.199 understood was real estate. He actually understood how to bill 53 00:03:00.479 --> 00:03:03.719 a tower. It was the one place he felt happy in. 54 00:03:04.439 --> 00:03:06.639 Do you think that's what's going on here with the ballroom? 55 00:03:06.800 --> 00:03:11.280 Absolutely. He kind of judges himself on being a property guy. 56 00:03:11.520 --> 00:03:15.439 He always has that. I mean, even now, he claims 57 00:03:15.520 --> 00:03:18.560 to have created the entire New York skyline. That's his, 58 00:03:18.759 --> 00:03:21.919 that's his legacy as a property developer. Now he wants 59 00:03:21.960 --> 00:03:25.719 to kind of create the New DC skyline that's his. 60 00:03:26.120 --> 00:03:29.360 That he sees things in bricks and mortar, you know, 61 00:03:29.879 --> 00:03:34.439 not knowing literature or art. I mean, I think you know, 62 00:03:34.439 --> 00:03:38.039 he he kind of resists showing off, and this is 63 00:03:38.520 --> 00:03:40.840 a very clear and obvious way of showing off his 64 00:03:41.120 --> 00:03:42.240 power and his money. 65 00:03:42.400 --> 00:03:44.840 Well, to be honest, I'd rather see a building by 66 00:03:44.879 --> 00:03:47.800 Donald Trump than have to read a novel by Donald Trump. 67 00:03:47.879 --> 00:03:50.319 I could you could imagine they might make it compulsory 68 00:03:50.360 --> 00:03:52.919 reading for all school age kids, and then we would 69 00:03:52.919 --> 00:03:56.120 all be tested on it, and anybody doing a visa 70 00:03:56.360 --> 00:03:59.960 or a passport application might have to answer complicated questions 71 00:04:00.120 --> 00:04:02.240 on Donald Trump's fiction. 72 00:04:02.840 --> 00:04:06.879 So what is it like you work there every day? 73 00:04:07.439 --> 00:04:11.120 Does the city feel does the city feel as if 74 00:04:11.159 --> 00:04:14.960 it has Donald Trump's what can't be argued with energy? 75 00:04:15.400 --> 00:04:18.519 Are people feeling lively? Do people feel like they're just 76 00:04:18.600 --> 00:04:21.160 waiting for him to go? Is everybody geared up for 77 00:04:21.240 --> 00:04:24.759 the midterms? What is the feeling like that amid all 78 00:04:24.839 --> 00:04:28.000 these new private clubs that I know you're both hanging 79 00:04:28.040 --> 00:04:28.399 out at. 80 00:04:28.720 --> 00:04:31.800 I think it's a confusion because in DC is used 81 00:04:31.839 --> 00:04:35.279 to transition. I mean, every four years, people lose their jobs, 82 00:04:35.279 --> 00:04:37.800 they move on, they move back, you know, but that's 83 00:04:37.879 --> 00:04:41.279 nothing new. But this time around, and there's a certain 84 00:04:41.399 --> 00:04:45.160 kind of equanimity about it. They can understand it and 85 00:04:45.199 --> 00:04:49.480 they kind of interact with it. This time around, people 86 00:04:49.480 --> 00:04:54.480 are confused. They don't really know what to expect. All 87 00:04:54.519 --> 00:04:59.839 the norms are no longer normal. That kind of the conversation. 88 00:05:00.600 --> 00:05:02.519 I mean, you literally go out a dimmer of these 89 00:05:02.560 --> 00:05:05.439 days and you have to say, let's suspend twenty minutes 90 00:05:05.519 --> 00:05:10.639 not talking about Donald Trump. It is the conversation across 91 00:05:10.639 --> 00:05:13.639 the city, whether you like it or not, and it dominates. 92 00:05:14.879 --> 00:05:18.079 And I think that's been the same for all since 93 00:05:18.160 --> 00:05:19.480 January and before. 94 00:05:19.720 --> 00:05:22.360 Well, he would love that, right, That's exactly what he 95 00:05:22.439 --> 00:05:25.800 wants to do. Sarah, what about all these clubs that 96 00:05:25.839 --> 00:05:26.959 you're hanging out at? 97 00:05:27.920 --> 00:05:33.800 What are you picking up? Does David's summary sound familiar? 98 00:05:34.040 --> 00:05:35.279 Yeah, So there has been. 99 00:05:35.079 --> 00:05:38.680 A real vibe shift in Washington, DC. And that really 100 00:05:38.680 --> 00:05:41.160 did start. It was right in your face starting with 101 00:05:41.199 --> 00:05:45.079 the inauguration. And it's hard to describe exactly how it shifted, 102 00:05:45.120 --> 00:05:47.639 but there has been a definite shift. 103 00:05:47.879 --> 00:05:49.079 One thing that I think. 104 00:05:49.000 --> 00:05:53.199 Is funny slash interesting in terms of how DC is 105 00:05:53.240 --> 00:05:56.199 handling the second round of Donald Trump is Donald Trump 106 00:05:56.279 --> 00:05:58.600 brought the National Guard into Washington, DC. 107 00:05:58.759 --> 00:06:00.560 And he's talking about Washington d C. 108 00:06:01.160 --> 00:06:03.959 Being

dead and people not going to restaurants for four 109 00:06:04.040 --> 00:06:08.800 years and it being shut down in a dead, dirty city, 110 00:06:08.959 --> 00:06:12.680 and that is not accurate in any sense of it. 111 00:06:12.800 --> 00:06:15.680 So the picture he is painting is very different from 112 00:06:15.720 --> 00:06:18.560 the reality in DC. There's a political shift, there's a 113 00:06:18.639 --> 00:06:22.319 vibe shift. The people coming into Washington are different. There's 114 00:06:22.319 --> 00:06:26.639 a lot more of the businessmen buying homes here, which means. 115 00:06:26.360 --> 00:06:28.639 That they're also lobbying for some things that you would 116 00:06:28.680 --> 00:06:30.160 expect in Washington, d C. 117 00:06:30.839 --> 00:06:34.519 But the city is vibrant and has been through Biden 118 00:06:34.720 --> 00:06:38.199 and Trump previously. I mean, it took a downturn for COVID, 119 00:06:38.519 --> 00:06:41.160 but that's not the picture that he has painted in 120 00:06:41.199 --> 00:06:44.319 the past couple even months after he brought a National 121 00:06:44.360 --> 00:06:46.920 Guard in August, and now he's saying everything's back and 122 00:06:46.959 --> 00:06:49.079 you can go out and you can do things. The 123 00:06:49.120 --> 00:06:52.639 city has been open for business and thriving for quite 124 00:06:52.680 --> 00:06:55.560 some time, but people are talking about it more because 125 00:06:55.720 --> 00:06:59.360 you see things like National Guard troops walking down street. 126 00:06:59.439 --> 00:07:01.120 Still there are picking up the. 127 00:07:01.160 --> 00:07:05.279 Trash and scrubbing the sidewalks and whatnot, which is very 128 00:07:05.319 --> 00:07:09.839 different from previous administrations. But between that aspect of it 129 00:07:09.920 --> 00:07:13.279 and also the different people who have been showing up 130 00:07:13.360 --> 00:07:15.920 here in terms of business, yes, there are a lot 131 00:07:15.959 --> 00:07:19.560 more private clubs coming in, the ones that are only 132 00:07:19.600 --> 00:07:22.600 a Trump maga folk, and then the ones that are 133 00:07:22.639 --> 00:07:26.399 also just like Lesnix and Mingle, but are still very 134 00:07:26.399 --> 00:07:29.639 exclusive have been showing up, and it does raise questions 135 00:07:29.680 --> 00:07:32.240 on where the deals are actually being made and by who. 136 00:07:32.480 --> 00:07:37.639 Interesting and in terms of the idea of an archetra 137 00:07:37.759 --> 00:07:41.639 Trump opposite, as you say the Lincoln memorial, but just 138 00:07:41.680 --> 00:07:45.079 across the river, are people taking this seriously? I mean 139 00:07:45.120 --> 00:07:47.879 you say the plans were left out? Were they left 140 00:07:47.920 --> 00:07:48.959 out on purpose? 141 00:07:49.279 --> 00:07:52.360 I suspect so. I mean the Arder treeon, for instance, 142 00:07:52.399 --> 00:07:56.000 was built for the victims of the Revolutionary War than 143

00:07:56.399 --> 00:08:01.680 Nepoleo wars. There's a it's a flame underneath. It's what's 144 00:08:01.680 --> 00:08:05.319 this going to pinemory baron Trump? I mean, who knows 145 00:08:05.000 --> 00:08:07.879 what his intentions are and how he's going to but 146 00:08:08.160 --> 00:08:10.920 one one knows it's going to be a memorial, a 147 00:08:10.920 --> 00:08:14.319 giant memorial to Donald Trump himself in some form or another. 148 00:08:15.040 --> 00:08:17.399 I mean sure. I mean he was talking about the 149 00:08:17.399 --> 00:08:21.399 ballroom three administrations ago. He was offering to build it. 150 00:08:21.519 --> 00:08:24.399 He wanted to, you know, he was having Obama, he 151 00:08:24.480 --> 00:08:27.560 was having Biden that he wanted to do it, and 152 00:08:27.600 --> 00:08:31.199 he happily stump up the cash. I mean, now he's 153 00:08:31.199 --> 00:08:33.519 got the chance to do it. I mean again, this 154 00:08:33.600 --> 00:08:39.440 is all about self and growth, Randisman, and that's if 155 00:08:39.480 --> 00:08:41.720 you listen to Donald Trump any day of the week, 156 00:08:42.360 --> 00:08:43.679 that's a lot of what is about. 157 00:08:43.919 --> 00:08:46.200 It's interesting because it is all about Donald Trump, but 158 00:08:46.320 --> 00:08:48.279 it also kind of goes to show how little Donald 159 00:08:48.320 --> 00:08:50.279 Trump has been out in Washington. 160 00:08:50.320 --> 00:08:51.519 And I'm very curious to see on. 161 00:08:51.559 --> 00:08:54.200 Why they chose the location they chose, because when you 162 00:08:54.279 --> 00:08:57.159 drive into Washington, DC, if you're a visitor coming from 163 00:08:57.480 --> 00:09:00.480 Reagan Airport, which is one of the main airport it's here. 164 00:09:00.879 --> 00:09:02.759 You go through Virginia and. 165 00:09:02.720 --> 00:09:04.600 It's a bit darker right before you get to the city, 166 00:09:04.639 --> 00:09:07.000 and then you get onto the bridge and you see 167 00:09:07.039 --> 00:09:11.879 this gorgeous Lincoln Memorial the marble off across the bridge, 168 00:09:11.919 --> 00:09:14.799 all lit up, and it is a spectacular view coming 169 00:09:14.799 --> 00:09:18.159 into DC. It'll be interesting to see what changes when 170 00:09:18.200 --> 00:09:22.000 you drive into Washington if they're changing that up and 171 00:09:22.000 --> 00:09:23.720 you come out of Virginia and you see the side 172 00:09:23.720 --> 00:09:27.279 of this arc, or it'll be just a different invitation 173 00:09:27.360 --> 00:09:30.039 into Washington, but it still will be the first thing 174 00:09:30.080 --> 00:09:33.159 you'd see is the arc that Trump built if you're 175 00:09:33.159 --> 00:09:35.360 flying into that airport as. 176 00:09:35.159 --> 00:09:36.399 You make your way into Washington. 177 00:09:36.559 --> 00:09:39.720 So it'll be interesting to see how that's received in 178 00:09:39.799 --> 00:09:42.519 terms of who you think of when you drive into DC, 179 00:09:42.679 --> 00:09:47.279 but also what you see, and that'll be a different landscape, 180 00:09:47.440 --> 00:09:47.960 if you will. 181 00:09:48.120 --> 00:09:51.080 His ambition really seems to know no bounds. Do we 182 00:09:51.159 --> 00:09:53.639 know how it's going to be financed, because we know 183 00:09:53.759 --> 00:09:58.360 that the ballroom is being financed by American companies. 184 00:09:58.559 --> 00:10:01.000 That has been the big mystery for all of these projects. 185 00:10:01.600 --> 00:10:05.440 Trump has forked up the cash for the flagpoles at 186 00:10:05.440 --> 00:10:07.679 the White House, he tore up the Rose Garden, and 187 00:10:07.679 --> 00:10:09.759 he said he paid for that. He said he paid 188 00:10:09.759 --> 00:10:12.600 for this two hundred million dollar ballroom. But then it 189 00:10:12.720 --> 00:10:15.960 turns out he's also soliciting donations and it's not sure 190 00:10:16.440 --> 00:10:20.559 how exactly he's how he's soliciting those donations, or who's 191 00:10:20.600 --> 00:10:23.320 forking over that money. Yet they haven't revealed who those 192 00:10:23.360 --> 00:10:26.159 donors are or what they got in return, whether it's 193 00:10:26.399 --> 00:10:29.600 a sign on the wall in the ballroom in gold or. 194 00:10:29.480 --> 00:10:31.000 If it's something else. 195 00:10:31.279 --> 00:10:33.759 And so that is one of the biggest questions about 196 00:10:34.039 --> 00:10:36.720 all of these projects, is not just where the money 197 00:10:36.759 --> 00:10:40.200 comes from, but how exactly it. 198 00:10:40.279 --> 00:10:44.320 Was gathered suit some more media companies. Unless he's very 199 00:10:44.360 --> 00:10:46.440 good wave in to raise money for his library. 200 00:10:47.000 --> 00:10:48.320 Well, I was going to say, I think they're game 201 00:10:48.360 --> 00:10:51.519 for his library and his library, and he's had the 202 00:10:51.559 --> 00:10:57.519 building donated I think by Miami Dade County. Unless hype 203 00:10:57.200 --> 00:10:59.600 he gets on with it and can finish it faster 204 00:10:59.679 --> 00:11:03.200 than President Obama has finished his library, which is still 205 00:11:03.240 --> 00:11:06.279 outstanding in Chicago. But the other thing that you've been 206 00:11:06.320 --> 00:11:09.639 dealing with in DC while you're dealing with all things 207 00:11:09.679 --> 00:11:13.159 all the time, as the Swamp newsletter makes clear, is 208 00:11:14.039 --> 00:11:18.559 the most recent developments at the Pentagon with Pete Hegsath 209 00:11:19.320 --> 00:11:22.840 saying he's going to restrict access to journalists and that 210 00:11:23.039 --> 00:11:28.039 everybody needs to sign new rules, which sounds like a 211 00:11:28.120 --> 00:11:30.919 dua Lepa song, doesn't it. Maybe that's where he got 212 00:11:30.919 --> 00:11:35.399 it from, But in fact, what he managed to provoke 213 00:11:35.639 --> 00:11:39.759 was an unlikely allyeship among the press, who for once 214

00:11:39.879 --> 00:11:42.600 stood together and said they weren't prepared to do it. 215 00:11:43.399 --> 00:11:47.039 Can you fill us in on exactly what's going on 216 00:11:47.080 --> 00:11:49.879 there and what is he actually trying to achieve. 217 00:11:50.200 --> 00:11:53.360 We trying to achieve a situation where he doesn't get 218 00:11:53.360 --> 00:11:57.559 criticized for anything, and he keeps total control. He's the 219 00:11:57.679 --> 00:12:02.320 youngest Secretary of War. Then the end of the d war, 220 00:12:02.399 --> 00:12:04.799 defense of any on your belief, certainly in terms of 221 00:12:04.840 --> 00:12:08.840 the Trump administration, the scepty of war. Uh, he lost 222 00:12:08.879 --> 00:12:13.000 control very early. I mean, he's basically come down on 223 00:12:13.279 --> 00:12:18.279 his own staff for claiming that they're leaking information from 224 00:12:18.279 --> 00:12:20.679 the from the Pentagon, where in fact the only one 225 00:12:20.679 --> 00:12:25.159 that actually leakes energy of any significance is himself. With 226 00:12:25.320 --> 00:12:31.320 the whole signal debacle when he included the editor in 227 00:12:31.399 --> 00:12:33.440 chief of The Atlantic on his own. 228 00:12:35.240 --> 00:12:38.559 Signal chat, and this was when he was leaking classified 229 00:12:38.600 --> 00:12:39.240 war plans. 230 00:12:39.360 --> 00:12:41.879 Yeah, so basically there was there was he was talking 231 00:12:41.960 --> 00:12:46.159 about US a classified military strike on Yemen, and that 232 00:12:46.240 --> 00:12:51.279 was basically he then spread that information to his own group. 233 00:12:52.480 --> 00:12:56.919 So that so that's that's one kind of slightly ridiculous 234 00:12:56.960 --> 00:12:59.679 element of this whole thing. The other, the other bizarre 235 00:12:59.720 --> 00:13:02.720 animal is that he has a boss who is basically 236 00:13:02.799 --> 00:13:07.320 the audience. He's operating to, Donald Trump, who won't stop talking. 237 00:13:07.440 --> 00:13:11.399 He's inviting the press in the press conferences every day 238 00:13:11.600 --> 00:13:16.159 are widespreads. I mean, he's talking about every subject. Some 239 00:13:16.240 --> 00:13:22.200 of the sun with mister Hexth. He's had two actual briefings. 240 00:13:22.759 --> 00:13:26.279 He stopped all the background briefings, which basically, did journ 241 00:13:26.360 --> 00:13:28.879 us a good idea of what's going on in the 242 00:13:28.879 --> 00:13:31.200 department and what's going on in certain situations so they 243 00:13:31.200 --> 00:13:35.200 can have the perspective and the context to to get 244 00:13:35.200 --> 00:13:38.240 things right. He stopped all those. He won't he now 245 00:13:38.279 --> 00:13:43.360 won't allow anybody and journalists into his department without us 246 00:13:43.360 --> 00:13:47.519 being escorted. And this latest thing is where he said 247 00:13:47.519 --> 00:13:54.159 that any information they publicized

must be authorized by himself 248 00:13:54.240 --> 00:13:57.240 or his department. And this is this is the the 249 00:13:57.320 --> 00:14:00.759 kind of the dining rod that's causes rebellion amongst the press. 250 00:14:01.600 --> 00:14:03.919 So Sarah tell us a bit about the rebellion among 251 00:14:03.960 --> 00:14:07.559 the press, because this seems fairly unprecedented, isn't it. 252 00:14:08.480 --> 00:14:11.320 Well, we've never had an instance where the entire press 253 00:14:11.320 --> 00:14:15.919 corps at the Pentagon has been asked to sign document 254 00:14:16.120 --> 00:14:20.440 saying they won't release any information without prior approval from 255 00:14:20.480 --> 00:14:23.240 the Pentagon. I mean that goes against what reporting is. 256 00:14:24.320 --> 00:14:28.960 And so we've had multiple administrations for decades where this 257 00:14:29.080 --> 00:14:30.320 has not been something. 258 00:14:30.480 --> 00:14:31.919 But they offered up this twenty. 259 00:14:31.639 --> 00:14:35.240 One page set of rules that they must abide by. 260 00:14:36.399 --> 00:14:41.519 But it really has united every part of the media 261 00:14:41.639 --> 00:14:45.440 as across the landscape, and we've got all the way 262 00:14:45.480 --> 00:14:48.120 to NEWSMAC saying they won't sign on to this, along 263 00:14:48.159 --> 00:14:50.399 with Fox News not signing on to it, the president's 264 00:14:50.399 --> 00:14:53.200 favorite channel to watch. And of course as you talk 265 00:14:53.240 --> 00:14:56.720 about the mainstream media or the legacy media with NBC 266 00:14:58.080 --> 00:14:59.799 and ABC and CBS. 267 00:15:00.159 --> 00:15:03.639 So this has united almost everyone together. And this is 268 00:15:03.679 --> 00:15:04.879 not what journalism is. 269 00:15:04.919 --> 00:15:06.919 It's not what journalism does, and it's not what the 270 00:15:06.919 --> 00:15:10.080 First Amendment is about, which protects the freedom of the press. 271 00:15:10.240 --> 00:15:15.759 And so that has been uniting pushback on this administration 272 00:15:16.200 --> 00:15:20.360 that I think maybe was ended up with more unity 273 00:15:20.399 --> 00:15:23.080 than they had expected. And it goes to show where 274 00:15:23.159 --> 00:15:26.960 they are with this because just on Monday or this week, 275 00:15:27.120 --> 00:15:28.399 but I forget what day of the week we were in. 276 00:15:28.799 --> 00:15:33.000 On Tuesday, the President was seated right down from the 277 00:15:33.039 --> 00:15:38.799 Secretary and Hegseth was asked about this five reporters at 278 00:15:38.799 --> 00:15:41.639 the White House and point blank lied about what this 279 00:15:41.720 --> 00:15:45.480 whole thing was about, right next to the President. He said, 280 00:15:45.480 --> 00:15:49.000 they're just not allowing them to go into restricted areas. 281 00:15:49.279 --> 00:15:53.480 He said the reporters were able to roam free without badges, basically, 282 00:15:53.519 --> 00:15:55.600 and that's just never been the case. So he's going 283 00:15:55.600 --> 00:15:58.360 off of a set of lies just sitting next to 284 00:15:58.399 --> 00:16:00.639 the president, and then the president and then here's this 285 00:16:00.720 --> 00:16:02.559 and he's like, well, yeah, and maybe not going into 286 00:16:02.559 --> 00:16:05.799 classified places not something that was happening before. 287 00:16:06.399 --> 00:16:08.000 And then the President started ripping on. 288 00:16:07.919 --> 00:16:09.519 How maybe we'll kick the press out of the White 289 00:16:09.519 --> 00:16:12.240 House too and put them across the street, which he 290 00:16:12.399 --> 00:16:15.080 could do, I guess, but also I think that would 291 00:16:15.080 --> 00:16:19.480 receive similar pushback and unity from the news organizations. And 292 00:16:19.559 --> 00:16:23.039 also I can't imagine the president long term going without 293 00:16:23.159 --> 00:16:26.399 speaking to the media, so that would be another challenge 294 00:16:26.440 --> 00:16:26.639 for that. 295 00:16:27.080 --> 00:16:30.159 So it seems that Pete Hegserth has had somewhat of 296 00:16:30.200 --> 00:16:35.360 a catastrophic first few months. He leaks classified war plans, 297 00:16:35.399 --> 00:16:40.559 then pretends they weren't classified, and then he calls he 298 00:16:40.720 --> 00:16:44.360 summons all the generals ten days ago from across the world, 299 00:16:44.440 --> 00:16:48.320 creating a security issue, and then tells them that he's 300 00:16:48.360 --> 00:16:51.879 going to start firing fat generals, which I think he's done. 301 00:16:52.159 --> 00:16:56.360 Now he's trying to ban journalists from the Pentagon unless 302 00:16:56.440 --> 00:17:01.000 they sign unless they signed some things saying that they 303 00:17:01.039 --> 00:17:03.279 will show the Pentagon exactly what they're going to say. 304 00:17:03.399 --> 00:17:06.240 Is he going to fire fat journalists? 305 00:17:06.839 --> 00:17:09.279 I'm wondering if we even have the right weight and 306 00:17:09.480 --> 00:17:13.119 height ratio to be having this conversation without Pete. But 307 00:17:13.559 --> 00:17:16.200 what I'm really asking is, is this for the audience 308 00:17:16.240 --> 00:17:18.799 of one for Donald Trump, that Donald Trump knows that 309 00:17:18.880 --> 00:17:22.440 Hegseth hasn't actually been great. His birthday parade was pretty 310 00:17:22.480 --> 00:17:27.599 unimpressive compared to what the Chinese promptly put on and 311 00:17:27.640 --> 00:17:30.960 what the Brits put on when he went to Windsor Castle. 312 00:17:31.319 --> 00:17:34.000 So do we think that Hegzeth is in last chance 313 00:17:34.079 --> 00:17:38.279 saloon here and he's frantically paddling under the surface and 314 00:17:38.359 --> 00:17:42.559 trying to show his boss that he's capable of Well, 315 00:17:42.599 --> 00:17:45.000 I don't really know what this is supposed to symbolize 316 00:17:45.000 --> 00:17:46.079

that he's capable of. 317 00:17:46.640 --> 00:17:50.960 Asurik. We were told early on that Trump did not 318 00:17:51.119 --> 00:17:53.839 want to repeat of his first administration. Well, it was 319 00:17:53.920 --> 00:17:57.799 kind of chaos. He was firing people, hiring people, It 320 00:17:58.480 --> 00:18:01.279 was a lot of unrests within the administration. We were 321 00:18:01.279 --> 00:18:04.359 told he's going to give these his cabinet, most of 322 00:18:04.400 --> 00:18:08.680 his leading cabinet members a year, so there wasn't this 323 00:18:08.799 --> 00:18:14.680 kind of constant departure thing. So my guess is watching 324 00:18:14.680 --> 00:18:17.319 out for January and the hexcept because I didn't think 325 00:18:17.319 --> 00:18:19.640 he's gonna last much longer than that first year. 326 00:18:19.880 --> 00:18:21.920 I would say that was also part of the strategy, though, 327 00:18:21.960 --> 00:18:24.319 because if you say your cabinet members are not going 328 00:18:24.359 --> 00:18:27.759 to be long term choices from the get go, then 329 00:18:27.839 --> 00:18:30.559 you put them in this competition from the get go 330 00:18:31.240 --> 00:18:34.480 to basically fight it out and prove who's the most 331 00:18:34.480 --> 00:18:37.480 loyal to the president. And that has been something that 332 00:18:37.519 --> 00:18:40.759 the president has valued above all else, Above how. 333 00:18:40.559 --> 00:18:42.680 They handled the job, how they handled the. 334 00:18:42.640 --> 00:18:48.279 Policy, it is how they basically support him. And so 335 00:18:48.519 --> 00:18:52.799 Hegseth has maybe been under water this entire time as 336 00:18:52.839 --> 00:18:56.759 a Defense secretary, having little to no experience compared to 337 00:18:56.799 --> 00:19:02.319 other previous Defense secretaries. But he's underwater in the job, 338 00:19:02.440 --> 00:19:06.200 but he's not underwater in the same sense when it 339 00:19:06.240 --> 00:19:08.799 comes to his fight for the president. And you see 340 00:19:08.799 --> 00:19:12.759 them all start with lavishing, heaping praise on this president 341 00:19:12.839 --> 00:19:15.279 in every meeting. I mean, even when he was talking 342 00:19:15.279 --> 00:19:18.079 about the press requirements, he started by hitting the press 343 00:19:18.359 --> 00:19:22.119 over coverage of the Gaza agreement and then went on 344 00:19:22.200 --> 00:19:25.680 to talk about the makeup stories about why they actually 345 00:19:25.680 --> 00:19:30.039 need these restrictions. And so it's really a fight for 346 00:19:30.440 --> 00:19:34.680 the president's attention and support more than it is a 347 00:19:34.680 --> 00:19:37.079 fight for the job and the department. 348 00:19:38.160 --> 00:19:40.640 He's put of the list in terms of efficiency and 349 00:19:40.680 --> 00:19:42.599 top of the lists in terms of suck ups. 350 00:19:44.319 --> 00:19:47.960 Was it significantly hegsett wasn't on the Middle East tour?

351 00:19:48.039 --> 00:19:51.599 I mean, certainly, yeah. I mean he's taking very much 352 00:19:51.599 --> 00:19:55.359 a back step to the whole procedure, hasn't he. I 353 00:19:55.440 --> 00:19:58.799 mean Marco Rubio, who was who sits the other side 354 00:19:58.799 --> 00:20:03.359 of Chum at the cabinet meetings. He was all these 355 00:20:03.400 --> 00:20:05.880 things and he's taking them more of a central role, 356 00:20:07.079 --> 00:20:10.720 and Hegsef is stepping back. I mean, certainly, certainly, Goes. 357 00:20:10.759 --> 00:20:13.440 I don't think he's trusting him. I think to remember 358 00:20:13.480 --> 00:20:17.119 the last meeting in the Middle East, he was put 359 00:20:17.160 --> 00:20:21.400 on the separate playing from the others. Hegseth again, sending 360 00:20:21.400 --> 00:20:22.799 a message for hats Well. 361 00:20:22.839 --> 00:20:24.920 Perhaps he had his own gym on that plane, because 362 00:20:24.920 --> 00:20:27.039 the one thing he does seem to enjoy doing is 363 00:20:27.079 --> 00:20:29.200 working out, and that may be as a sort of 364 00:20:29.359 --> 00:20:33.160 post as someone who's wrestled with alcohol, that it's a 365 00:20:33.200 --> 00:20:37.519 way of channeling his energy and his anxiety. But as 366 00:20:37.559 --> 00:20:40.400 we know, he's fired people who are around him because 367 00:20:40.400 --> 00:20:42.799 he didn't trust him. The reports coming out of the 368 00:20:42.799 --> 00:20:48.079 Pentagon are that he is anxious, that he's nervous, that 369 00:20:48.319 --> 00:20:52.640 he's panicked, which is why he's enforced some of these 370 00:20:52.720 --> 00:20:58.319 new rules on the press. Other than being in good shape, 371 00:20:58.839 --> 00:21:02.039 which he appears to be in fact, I'm somewhat puzzled. 372 00:21:02.039 --> 00:21:04.799 And actually Donald Trump himself picked up on this. With 373 00:21:04.920 --> 00:21:08.079 his arms, he seems unable to close his arms next 374 00:21:08.119 --> 00:21:10.400 to his body. They're so jacked his arms that they 375 00:21:10.440 --> 00:21:13.000 sort of stick out a bit like a penguin. Anyway, 376 00:21:14.640 --> 00:21:18.920 what do we think that Donald Trump actually thinks of him? 377 00:21:19.200 --> 00:21:22.319 And then I was going to ask you. We know that. 378 00:21:22.279 --> 00:21:26.000 Fox is part of this media alliance that has decided 379 00:21:26.119 --> 00:21:30.160 not to sign his rules. He was famously a co 380 00:21:30.319 --> 00:21:34.599 host on a weekend chat show at Fox, and we 381 00:21:34.720 --> 00:21:39.759 also know he's slightly gone after at Fox's Pentagon correspondent. 382 00:21:39.839 --> 00:21:43.200 I think it's Jennifer Griffin, who he's reamed out in 383 00:21:43.279 --> 00:21:48.279 previous press conferences. Yet we know that Trump loves Fox News, 384 00:21:48.920 --> 00:21:51.000 So can you square the circle for me here? 385 00:21:51.400 --> 00:21:54.720 I think that the President in some ways picks the 386 00:21:54.759 --> 00:21:58.960 people he picks for positions based on their looks. I mean, Carolinelevitt, 387 00:21:58.960 --> 00:22:01.599 for one, whatever, you think of her in terms of 388 00:22:01.640 --> 00:22:04.160 how she's been handling the job. He always talks about 389 00:22:04.200 --> 00:22:07.880 her lips and her face when she's speaking to the media. 390 00:22:08.839 --> 00:22:11.839 He talks about central casting. He talked about the generals 391 00:22:11.839 --> 00:22:14.920 being out of central casting, of like they're also decades 392 00:22:14.960 --> 00:22:18.079 of experience, a century or more of experience among these 393 00:22:18.119 --> 00:22:20.880 men who gathered in Virginia recently. But he talks about 394 00:22:20.920 --> 00:22:24.359 things in terms of casting. And Pete Hegseth for a moment, 395 00:22:24.720 --> 00:22:27.319 was central casting in his mind in terms of a 396 00:22:27.400 --> 00:22:31.880 look whether he had the criteria and the qualifications for 397 00:22:31.960 --> 00:22:35.680 the job. That was extremely questionable from the get go, 398 00:22:35.839 --> 00:22:39.519 and many people in this world who know the Pentagon 399 00:22:39.799 --> 00:22:43.000 and know the military, know the Defense Department, said absolutely not. 400 00:22:43.200 --> 00:22:45.240 He has none of the qualifications. He has none of 401 00:22:45.240 --> 00:22:49.319 the prior experience to lead this And so the President 402 00:22:49.359 --> 00:22:52.240 went with this person then based because he was on 403 00:22:52.319 --> 00:22:55.039 Fox News it would seem and was a close ally 404 00:22:55.039 --> 00:22:55.519 and supporter. 405 00:22:56.200 --> 00:22:58.519 But now he has to actually do the job. 406 00:22:59.640 --> 00:23:01.680 And I think I think that is where he's fighting 407 00:23:01.720 --> 00:23:03.839 so much for his life. Is there are still been 408 00:23:03.880 --> 00:23:06.960 there have been so many embarrassing headlines for him that 409 00:23:07.160 --> 00:23:10.359 Trump may be someone who likes the loyalty, but he 410 00:23:10.359 --> 00:23:13.720 also doesn't like embarrassing headlines, and that could be something 411 00:23:13.720 --> 00:23:17.720 that'll come back to be the biggest problem for Pete Heagseth. 412 00:23:18.559 --> 00:23:21.759 But when it comes to Fox News, it is interesting 413 00:23:21.759 --> 00:23:24.000 because it feels like you're watching two different things. One, 414 00:23:24.039 --> 00:23:27.759 they have Jennifer Griffin, who's a fantastic Pentagon reporter and 415 00:23:27.799 --> 00:23:31.160 she has been on Fox News for a long time 416 00:23:31.200 --> 00:23:35.559 and has been accurately reporting on the Trump administration and 417 00:23:35.599 --> 00:23:39.079 been critical where do of the Trump administration. And then 418 00:23:39.119 --> 00:23:42.920 you have her former colleague Pete Hegseth, who has taken 419 00:23:42.960 --> 00:23:45.839 it out on her

on numerous occasions, called her out 420 00:23:45.880 --> 00:23:49.440 in at least one press briefing to her face, but 421 00:23:49.519 --> 00:23:52.200 she has fought back and was able to stand her 422 00:23:52.200 --> 00:23:56.599 ground because she is such a smart, capable, educated reporter 423 00:23:57.119 --> 00:24:00.119 that she has actually made him back off in one 424 00:24:00.119 --> 00:24:03.880 of the cameras himself. And so I think there's a 425 00:24:03.960 --> 00:24:07.319 divide at Fox News on when you see her versus 426 00:24:07.319 --> 00:24:09.960 where you see him. And I noticed that you haven't 427 00:24:09.960 --> 00:24:14.400 really seen the President attacking Jennifer Griffin's reporting in his tweets, 428 00:24:14.400 --> 00:24:17.519 which he has other Pentagon reporters, But I'm not sure 429 00:24:17.559 --> 00:24:19.519 if there's anything there, if he just hasn't seen her 430 00:24:19.880 --> 00:24:22.880 reporting the same way he has seen Fox and Friends 431 00:24:22.920 --> 00:24:25.839 and other shows and when he's actually watching the news. 432 00:24:26.400 --> 00:24:30.759 And can you also explain the role of Pete Hegseth's 433 00:24:30.799 --> 00:24:34.960 wife here. She was I think an executive producer at Fox. 434 00:24:35.440 --> 00:24:38.839 But the word I hear from talking to people is 435 00:24:38.880 --> 00:24:41.599 that she is sort of dragged around like an emotional 436 00:24:41.640 --> 00:24:44.400 support dog. So there are pictures of her on the wall. 437 00:24:45.160 --> 00:24:49.880 We know he's wrestled with alcohol problems and she's supposed 438 00:24:49.880 --> 00:24:55.240 to be his not necessarily marital sponsor, but she's been 439 00:24:55.359 --> 00:24:59.400 in meetings that would be considered classified meetings, which is 440 00:24:59.519 --> 00:25:01.480 very unw for the role of a spouse. 441 00:25:01.720 --> 00:25:01.839 Well. 442 00:25:01.880 --> 00:25:05.519 Yeah, Also we know that her nickname among staffers at 443 00:25:05.519 --> 00:25:11.279 the department is Yokolono because she's pretty much inseparable from Hecseth. 444 00:25:11.359 --> 00:25:16.960 He's always around and apparently offering her opinion and she's 445 00:25:16.960 --> 00:25:20.359 not appointed. She had no position there, but she's a 446 00:25:20.440 --> 00:25:23.799 constant presence at the Pentagon, So you have to ask 447 00:25:23.920 --> 00:25:26.720 what kind of influence she does have over his decisions, 448 00:25:27.480 --> 00:25:30.759 especially when you're talking about the media, something she's familiar with. 449 00:25:31.480 --> 00:25:34.359 She was executive producer at Fox and Friends and The 450 00:25:34.400 --> 00:25:38.720 Watters World, but an experienced journalist in her own right, 451 00:25:38.960 --> 00:25:44.880 not talking ken like her husband. So that is certainly 452 00:25:45.359 --> 00:25:49.680 the feeling among staff at the Pentagon, wondering exactly how 453 00:25:49.759 --> 00:25:54.519 much of a role she's played in this whole efforts 454 00:25:54.519 --> 00:25:56.359 to take it out from the press. 455 00:25:56.440 --> 00:26:00.279 And Sarah, what were the sort of what were the 456 00:26:00.359 --> 00:26:06.240 reactions from the Pentagon reporters yesterday when they gave in 457 00:26:06.319 --> 00:26:07.160 their badges. 458 00:26:07.519 --> 00:26:08.440 What were you hearing? 459 00:26:08.799 --> 00:26:12.000 I think there's a deep sadness because these are people 460 00:26:12.440 --> 00:26:15.880 who have been doing their jobs for many years, have 461 00:26:15.960 --> 00:26:19.200 been doing so accurately and working extremely hard around the 462 00:26:19.200 --> 00:26:23.400 clock for some of the most consequential events in US history. 463 00:26:24.079 --> 00:26:26.119 And some of them have years of experience, some of 464 00:26:26.160 --> 00:26:30.519 them have decades of experience, and so they have long 465 00:26:30.680 --> 00:26:34.079 ties to the building, to the career officials who have 466 00:26:34.200 --> 00:26:37.839 worked in the building. There have been tears shed over 467 00:26:37.920 --> 00:26:42.640 this and frustration because of these new rules and these 468 00:26:42.680 --> 00:26:47.599 being put in by political appointees specifically, and so there 469 00:26:47.759 --> 00:26:51.480 is a lot of reporters have been posting photos of 470 00:26:51.559 --> 00:26:54.759 the plaque on the wall that has the pictures of 471 00:26:54.799 --> 00:26:59.039 all the Pentagon reporters. The credential reporters who have been 472 00:26:59.079 --> 00:27:03.400 at the Pentagon to day, days and nights in many cases, 473 00:27:03.759 --> 00:27:07.480 and they're all saying basically a formal farewell to the 474 00:27:07.519 --> 00:27:11.039 building that they have called home and the support that 475 00:27:11.039 --> 00:27:16.039 they've had in that building for as a whole decades. 476 00:27:16.519 --> 00:27:19.440 And so it has been a tough time. And also 477 00:27:19.799 --> 00:27:22.720 it says a lot about where the media is at 478 00:27:22.720 --> 00:27:25.440 this moment and where the news media is at this moment, 479 00:27:26.079 --> 00:27:29.400 where they're slowly being held back from doing their job 480 00:27:29.519 --> 00:27:33.039 which is so important to this country and to the world. 481 00:27:33.000 --> 00:27:37.039 And yet there seems to be incredibly vigorous reporting coming 482 00:27:37.079 --> 00:27:42.519 out of Washington. Do you think that Pentagon journalists will 483 00:27:42.559 --> 00:27:45.279 stop reporting on the Pentagon as a result of this, 484 00:27:45.559 --> 00:27:48.279 or do you think that actually Pete Hegseith might have 485 00:27:48.359 --> 00:27:53.640 inadvertently unleashed a new warrior ethos, as he says, brought 486 00:27:53.680 --> 00:27:57.440 to you by Warrior. The warrior ethos in reporters. 487 00:27:57.599 --> 00:28:00.400 The Pentagon Press Corps has been

and will continue to 488 00:28:00.440 --> 00:28:04.839 be fantastic. They are dedicated individuals, They are hard working 489 00:28:04.880 --> 00:28:08.839 men and women, and they are looking to get the 490 00:28:08.920 --> 00:28:12.279 truth no matter where. And I don't expect anything else 491 00:28:12.319 --> 00:28:15.200 from them moving forward. They'll be doing it from different 492 00:28:15.240 --> 00:28:18.440 locations perhaps in the future than at the Pentagon. But 493 00:28:18.799 --> 00:28:20.960 something that is interesting is in many of these cases 494 00:28:20.960 --> 00:28:23.319 the leaks that have been coming out, well one Trump 495 00:28:23.400 --> 00:28:25.480 used to himself be one of the biggest leaks in 496 00:28:25.519 --> 00:28:29.839 New York City, But now we have this Washington where 497 00:28:29.839 --> 00:28:31.240 they're trying to clamp down on leaks. 498 00:28:31.400 --> 00:28:34.039 And I think when the information is important, and when. 499 00:28:33.839 --> 00:28:37.880 Officials actually see the danger of this information being hidden 500 00:28:37.880 --> 00:28:40.319 away or swept under the rug, they will continue to 501 00:28:40.319 --> 00:28:44.319 go to their trusted sources and deliver that information. And 502 00:28:44.359 --> 00:28:46.160 I think one thing that keep in mind as we 503 00:28:46.759 --> 00:28:48.839 go forward with all of this is this is all 504 00:28:48.839 --> 00:28:52.599 coming right before the Inspector General himself is supposed to 505 00:28:52.680 --> 00:28:54.000 release that report. 506 00:28:53.720 --> 00:28:56.359 On Signal Gate and the classified leak of. 507 00:28:56.279 --> 00:28:59.440 Information that he was investigating there with that Yemen strike 508 00:28:59.519 --> 00:29:03.400 and the group chat, the what's that chat? That or 509 00:29:03.440 --> 00:29:07.799 a signal chat rather that was reported on by the Atlantic, 510 00:29:08.200 --> 00:29:10.200 And so through all of. 511 00:29:10.160 --> 00:29:13.279 This, the biggest leaker himself. 512 00:29:13.039 --> 00:29:15.920 Has been trying to clamp down on leaks, will have 513 00:29:16.079 --> 00:29:18.160 this hanging over his head until it's released, and has 514 00:29:18.160 --> 00:29:21.839 been trying to minimize the role of the Inspector general 515 00:29:22.319 --> 00:29:24.720 throughout all of this as it hangs over his shoulder. 516 00:29:25.240 --> 00:29:28.640 So it's Pete Hegseth projecting his own behavior by trying 517 00:29:28.680 --> 00:29:33.839 to close down the Pentagon press crew. So, David, final 518 00:29:33.880 --> 00:29:36.480 word to you, what can we look forward to in 519 00:29:36.519 --> 00:29:40.079 the Swamp this week? If readers haven't read it, I 520 00:29:40.160 --> 00:29:44.079 can strongly advise your first story, which is about Pete 521 00:29:44.119 --> 00:29:47.440 Hegseth and his wife trying to close down Fox News 522 00:29:47.599 --> 00:29:48.799 access to the Pentagon. 523 00:29:48.839 --> 00:29:51.319 But what else is that in there? Because it's a 524 00:29:51.400 --> 00:29:52.440 collection of. 525 00:29:52.799 --> 00:29:56.440 Very juicy stories, not least tracking the real estate prices 526 00:29:56.480 --> 00:30:02.599 of the swanky suburbs of DC. Trump's business friends move in. 527 00:30:02.599 --> 00:30:05.799 Indeed, the prices are going up in terms of the 528 00:30:06.920 --> 00:30:10.279 billionaires are moving in, even as even as the actual 529 00:30:10.319 --> 00:30:14.160 workers don't have jobs and can't play their mortgages. But 530 00:30:14.359 --> 00:30:19.599 on the Swamp we have a lovely story. Actually, there's 531 00:30:19.640 --> 00:30:22.519 been an exodus of journalists from the Washington Post of 532 00:30:22.599 --> 00:30:28.519 late for Maney for political reasons, in this case the 533 00:30:28.640 --> 00:30:32.759 food critics and Tom Ceesimmer has left after twenty five years. 534 00:30:33.880 --> 00:30:36.200 And it's kind of fun because he's had that job 535 00:30:36.279 --> 00:30:39.799 where restaurants aren't supposed to know he's there. So he's 536 00:30:39.839 --> 00:30:43.400 kind of worn fat suits and wigs and full teeth 537 00:30:43.680 --> 00:30:45.880 and the whole sort of thing. I mean, it's very 538 00:30:45.920 --> 00:30:49.920 mar lago in a way. But he tells one funny 539 00:30:49.960 --> 00:30:54.359 story where in a photograph for one of his reviews, 540 00:30:54.400 --> 00:30:57.359 there was a couple having dinner in a specific restaurant, 541 00:30:58.319 --> 00:31:02.079 and the laid in the picture wrote in, Arthur was saying, 542 00:31:03.920 --> 00:31:06.680 so biggy button. The wife of one of the man 543 00:31:06.839 --> 00:31:10.720 in the photograph wrote in saying that he was having 544 00:31:10.720 --> 00:31:13.559 dinner with a woman who was not his wife, not me. 545 00:31:13.759 --> 00:31:17.559 So basically he managed to out this man with his 546 00:31:17.680 --> 00:31:22.680 mistress in his restaurant review accidentally, which kind of brings 547 00:31:22.720 --> 00:31:25.799 to mind the whole situation of the recent concert that's 548 00:31:25.920 --> 00:31:32.039 Coldplay when of course, so anyway, we pay refect to 549 00:31:32.119 --> 00:31:34.960 him as a critic, and so that other story. There 550 00:31:35.039 --> 00:31:38.759 is also a fun story about how the food on 551 00:31:38.839 --> 00:31:43.079 board Air Force one has changed under President Trump. It 552 00:31:43.119 --> 00:31:45.240 has done a little bit high up the brow, but 553 00:31:45.400 --> 00:31:47.240 not too much. And it used to be served in 554 00:31:47.279 --> 00:31:50.319 past it in cardboard boxes. Now he's gone a bit 555 00:31:50.359 --> 00:31:53.880 more daring. Karen Nevitt and Margaret Martin and Stephen charm 556 00:31:53.920 --> 00:31:58.079 the Communicator Director have all added their tastes to the menu, 557 00:31:58.240 --> 00:32:02.359 and there're thing by text

mechs and some Ittaviian food 558 00:32:02.599 --> 00:32:05.599 on the menu, so he's kind of chan change his 559 00:32:06.680 --> 00:32:11.880 menu for a bit. One intriguing story which we wish 560 00:32:12.200 --> 00:32:15.440 Sarah concept a little bit more about, is about how 561 00:32:16.480 --> 00:32:19.759 as a movement to try and get the lawmakers to 562 00:32:19.799 --> 00:32:24.039 also take a pay cup while they're shuffing down the government, I. 563 00:32:24.039 --> 00:32:25.480 Mean speaking of the swamp. 564 00:32:26.039 --> 00:32:29.240 We are going on fifteen days of the government shut 565 00:32:29.319 --> 00:32:34.279 down and lawmakers have been not in Washington when it 566 00:32:34.319 --> 00:32:37.839 comes to the House specifically since their last vote was 567 00:32:37.839 --> 00:32:41.240 September nineteenth, and they have not returned for a vote 568 00:32:41.319 --> 00:32:42.680 since then, and by the ends of the week it'll 569 00:32:42.680 --> 00:32:46.200 be a month. And they're still getting paid. So while 570 00:32:46.200 --> 00:32:48.880 they threaten to furlough workers, they have threatened to not 571 00:32:48.920 --> 00:32:52.079 give them back pay. They announce that they're going to 572 00:32:52.119 --> 00:32:55.599 do mass layoffs. These lawmakers who have not been doing 573 00:32:55.640 --> 00:32:58.599 their job, not been negotiating, have been in their districts. 574 00:32:58.839 --> 00:33:00.960 They always argue they're working very hard in their districts. 575 00:33:01.960 --> 00:33:05.559 They are still being paid. And lawmakers make one hundred 576 00:33:05.559 --> 00:33:09.880 and seventy four thousand dollars, which is triple the average 577 00:33:09.920 --> 00:33:12.799 salary of an American and so there have been numerous 578 00:33:12.880 --> 00:33:15.440 lawmakers who have said they're not taking their salary. There 579 00:33:15.480 --> 00:33:18.559 have been lawmakers who've said they're donating their salary. But 580 00:33:18.599 --> 00:33:20.240 at the end of the day, the vast majority are 581 00:33:20.279 --> 00:33:23.480 still getting paid to stay home from work, and so 582 00:33:23.559 --> 00:33:25.720 that contradicts with a lot of what has been said 583 00:33:25.759 --> 00:33:29.440 about work from home, about Washington, DC, and about the 584 00:33:29.440 --> 00:33:33.440 fact that the government has to tighten the purse strings, 585 00:33:33.480 --> 00:33:36.240 doesn't have the money. So there has been a lot 586 00:33:36.240 --> 00:33:39.119 of talk on that front of getting paid to vacation. 587 00:33:39.640 --> 00:33:42.119 Well, if you will, perhaps Pete hegsith as he'll be 588 00:33:42.119 --> 00:33:44.880 giving fewer press conferences because there won't be any press 589 00:33:44.920 --> 00:33:47.920 to cover him, will also donate part of his salary 590 00:33:47.960 --> 00:33:51.839 to those workers who are getting nothing right now. Well, 591 00:33:52.440 --> 00:33:55.200 I can't recommend The Swamp highly enough. We call it 592 00:33:55.200 --> 00:33:58.240 the Page six of politics. I always look forward to 593 00:33:58.279 --> 00:33:59.640 it coming out because I know there's going to be 594 00:33:59.720 --> 00:34:02.400 some you see detail in there. Thank you so much 595 00:34:02.480 --> 00:34:10.159 both of you for joining us. To everybody out there. 596 00:34:10.159 --> 00:34:12.159 If you haven't read The Swamp, you can sign up 597 00:34:12.360 --> 00:34:15.320 for it. Please subscribe, subscribe to the Daily Bees too. 598 00:34:15.440 --> 00:34:19.719 Leave us a comment wherever you get your podcasts Apple, Spotify, 599 00:34:20.519 --> 00:34:23.800 feel free to subscribe to the podcast, the Daily Beast 600 00:34:23.800 --> 00:34:27.280 podcast and join our community. You can join the Daily 601 00:34:27.280 --> 00:34:30.639 Base community where you get all sorts of extra content 602 00:34:30.760 --> 00:34:34.159 and access to some of our finest journalists. And as 603 00:34:34.199 --> 00:34:38.480 a reminder for our members only, we have a special 604 00:34:39.159 --> 00:34:45.119 live YouTube tomorrow with myself, Nico Hines, our global editorial director, 605 00:34:45.599 --> 00:34:50.199 and with another of our DC correspondents, Farah Thomasin. So 606 00:34:50.239 --> 00:34:53.800 get your questions ready, join up and we will answer 607 00:34:53.920 --> 00:34:55.519 to the best of our abilities. 608 00:34:55.719 --> 00:34:56.320 Until then. 609 00:34:56.400 --> 00:34:59.760 Don't forget obviously, as our first lady whatever she is 610 00:34:59.840 --> 00:35:04.119 up to talking to Putin who knows looking forward to 611 00:35:04.159 --> 00:35:08.199 promoting her Amazon documentary, Don't forget. 612 00:35:07.920 --> 00:35:08.639 To be Beast. 613 00:35:08.960 --> 00:35:12.039 I want to thank our special be Beast membership here 614 00:35:12.159 --> 00:35:16.559 Karen White, Heidi Riley, Connie Rutherford, Sharon Shipley, Andrea Hodel 615 00:35:16.719 --> 00:35:20.880 and Free DC. And thank you to our production team 616 00:35:21.000 --> 00:35:24.760 Devon Rogerino, Anavon Erson and our editor Jesse Millwood.