Guests - Jeff Utsch, Ian Trottier, John Donovan
Charlie Kirk: Honoring a Titan of Conservative Activism
Remembering Charlie Kirk's Legacy
This Friday marks one of the toughest weeks in recent memory following the tragic loss of Charlie Kirk, founder of Turning Point USA. Jeff Utsch, senior faculty lead instructor at the Leadership and Freedom Center in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, and head swim instructor at Streamline Performance, joins the program to reflect on Kirk's legacy.
"This is time to really have some introspection," Utsch begins. "We can't let something this tragic go by and not learn something from it."
Kirk's effectiveness stemmed from three key qualities that made him irreplaceable. First was his "insatiable appetite for knowledge." His research staff was consistently amazed by how he applied facts they provided, transforming them into compelling communication steeped in historical context.
Second, Kirk lived by what Utsch calls "the Davey Crockett Creed" - "Make sure always you are right, then go ahead." Despite his confidence, Kirk maintained humility, willingly acknowledging when he was wrong and evolving his thinking.
Third, Kirk demonstrated exceptional grace when engaging with young people at events. His relatability, especially to youth, was evident in the outpouring of grief from parents and grandparents who didn't realize their children were avid followers of Kirk's work.
The Toxic Climate of Political Discourse
Both Winn and Utsch express concern about the aftermath of Kirk's death, particularly the attempts to disparage his legacy.
"What we can't allow to happen is for the left or others to disparage Charlie Kirk and take out of context what he was saying and let them get away with it," Utsch emphasizes.
He identifies the fundamental question of our era: "What is truth and how do we find it?" Kirk understood this challenge and actively sought truth, demonstrating the courage to stand up for it despite opposition.
The discussion turns to the concerning political climate where assassination is seemingly justified because of words. "We have enabled a toxic soil to grow weeds. And these weeds are false narratives," Utsch explains. "We would have never gotten to this point had we been able to speak up."
Utsch argues that the issue isn't too much free speech but rather too little courage to use it. "It is us having too little courage that we've not taken advantage to stand up and be courageous. And we'd never be here if we would have."
Honoring Kirk's Legacy Through Action
The conversation explores how to move forward following Kirk's passing. Utsch advises that Americans need to study today's issues and become experts on at least one topic. "Seek and you shall find, knock and it shall be opened," he encourages.
Both speakers note that Turning Point USA has received approximately 57,000 requests for new chapters, indicating a surge of interest in Kirk's mission.
"Wouldn't it be wonderful if all those people that want to be part of Turning Point also returned to God in their faith?" Winn suggests, highlighting how Kirk put his faith first and wanted to be known for that above all else.
As America approaches its 250th anniversary, the speakers emphasize the importance of learning about the founding principles and Constitution that Kirk so ardently defended.
"Let's all try to do the best we can," Utsch concludes. "A lot of loving our country is learning the founding, learning why we take an oath of office in the military, why our leaders take an oath of office, what it means, and how we support and defend the Constitution."
High Stakes Treason: Exposing John Brennan's Corruption
The Origins of a Bombshell Investigation
Author Ian Trottier joins the program to discuss his explosive book "High Stakes Treason," which details alleged corruption by former CIA Director John Brennan. Trottier explains how he obtained the information that forms the backbone of his book.
"I was at CPAC two years ago in Maryland when I was approached by a fellow who identified himself as a former FBI analyst," Trottier recounts. The analyst presented him with a binder of information, assuring him it contained no classified material, only open-source information that required specialized training to connect.
The analyst, who had spent almost 12 years in the FBI, had been fired for his OCD. Later, after discovering concerning activities involving Brennan, he was also fired by his private contractor employer.
"He says, 'nobody's listening to me,'" Trottier explains. After reviewing the binder, Trautier found the information compelling and committed to publicizing it, ultimately resulting in the book published by Bombardier.
The Brennan Financial Scheme
The book alleges that Brennan engaged in serious financial misconduct during his time in government. When Brennan joined the Obama administration in 2009, he signed an ethics waiver that required him to divest from a company called The Analysis Corporation (TAC), which tracked global terror movements.
"What we show through documentation, we have SEC documentation in our appendix... what we show is that that was a false official statement," Trottier explains. "That's a major crime."
According to the book, Brennan maintained ownership of TAC stock through a 401(k) when it should have been liquidated. As terror attacks occurred, defense funding increased, benefiting TAC (later renamed Sotera Defense) and increasing the value of Brennan's holdings.
"From 2009 to 2013, which we're looking at, the allegation is that his stock value of $50,000 worth of shares ended up just shy of under $5 million," Trottier states.
The FBI Analyst's Testimony
The former FBI analyst, identified only as John, joins the conversation to provide firsthand insight into his discoveries. He explains how he noticed anomalies in terrorist attack reporting while working as a government contractor.
"These terrorist attacks would occur, and then we would be told, 'Oh, we didn't have any prior warning about these people,'" John recalls. However, when examining court and government records, "It was obvious that the NSA should have picked up a tremendous amount of information on these people."
John's investigation led him to conclude that information about potential terrorists was being placed in "code word compartment files" that only specific individuals could access. He discovered that Brennan was meeting with a particular intelligence analyst prior to three specific terrorist attacks:
The 2009 "Underwear Bomber" on a flight from Amsterdam to Detroit
The 2011 Anders Breivik attack in Norway
The 2013 Boston Marathon bombing
"What would be in it for Brennan to allow these attacks to occur?" John asked himself, which led him to investigate Brennan's financial disclosures and discover his ownership of TAC stock.
The Russian Collusion Connection
The book suggests that Brennan's alleged financial crimes may have motivated his role in promoting the Russian collusion narrative against President Trump.
"This is 4.85 million reasons for John Brennan to do the Russian hoax," John explains. "Brennan had a criminal reason to go after Trump because he realized he could be exposed for what he had done."
Roger Stone, who wrote the foreword to "High Stakes Treason," has called it "the most important and shocking book in his 50 years" in politics.
A Call for Accountability
The conversation concludes with a discussion of potential legal consequences for Brennan's alleged actions.
John notes that Brennan could face charges under Title 18, Section 1001 for false official statements, which carries up to five years in prison per count. With eight subsequent false financial disclosure forms, plus violations of conflict of interest laws for his counterterrorism discussions with the president, the potential jail time would be substantial.
However, the most serious charge would be treason, which has no statute of limitations. John explains that while treason can only be charged during a declared war, the activation of NATO's Article 5 following 9/11 could legally constitute such a declaration.
"Whether this person goes to prison for the rest of his life or whether he receives the constitutional requirement of having committed treason, we as Americans, as constitutional Republicans, must make an example of this person," Trottier emphasizes. "And when we do, other dominoes are going to begin to fall."
The timing of the book's release coincided with former President Trump calling out Obama for treason from the Oval Office during a meeting with the President of the Philippines. "We had no control over that," Trottier notes, suggesting divine timing.
The authors hope the documentation in the book will serve as leverage against Brennan: "By using that paper trail as a hammer against him, they can force him to then testify against everybody else."