We got breaking news. Representative Omar's home raided by the DHS. Keeping you informed and engaged now more than ever. This is Sekulow. We want to hear from you.
Share and post your comments. For call, one eight hundred six eight four three one one zero. And now your host, Logan Sekulow. Welcome to Sekulow. A very special start time.
Thanks for joining us. If you're watching live, if you're not, that's okay too. Phone lines are open though for you. We are live. It is Monday, October twelfth.
Give me a call. One eight hundred six eight four three one one zero. We're starting with the breaking news right now out of the Washington D.C. area. That is right.
The Feds have raided the home of Elon Omar. It is a pretty shocking thing to wake up to when you start seeing the news surrounding, of course, this. And we have some of information that has been kind of passed down; it's kind of been leaked out. Not all of it has been confirmed. It is clearly an ongoing investigation, but sources are saying this is due to a criminal fraud investigation tied.
To her immigration paperwork, potentially immigration paperwork that goes back to when she was a child, and again, this happened just this morning. They said pre-dawn. This would happen, and look. This is not a fun, laughing matter to anyone to have this happen to you. Is not a fun thing.
There's have not been reports yet whether she was in this Washington D.C. home or maybe she was in her home in Minnesota. It's unclear exactly where she was at the time. But again, no one wants to wake up to the feds knocking on their door with a a judge signed off warrant to go through your home. Again.
The raid stems, according to sources, from a criminal fraud investigation into the congresswoman's immigration paperwork filed out or filled out by her late father when she was a child. Again, there was a statement that was put out from the DOJ, from DOJ spokesperson Wasso, said today in the Washington D.C. area, Homeland Security investigations executed a judicially authorized, again, that means signed off by a judge.
So it's presented with evidence, signed off by the judge. A search warrant secured by the Department of Justice. This enforcement action is part of an ongoing federal investigation. This is no laughing matter. This is a real deal that is happening again.
What do you think about this? Do you think these are good that our elected officials are dealing with this? Do you think this is sort of the consequences of your actions, or is this a lot of people are going to say this is politics? What do you think? As we are just a few weeks out.
From the midterms, we are going to be discussing that in just a little bit as well. We also will be discussing in just a little bit. What is happening in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia? As you know, there were attacks over the weekend, and those attacks were were not insignificant. And look, there's been a lot of real moves in Saudi Arabia.
We're going to discuss that and what that could look like for a future war again. But let's let's flash back a little bit because we are going to be talking about Elon Omar, this whole situation. I'd love to have your phone calls too on this, because again we are live at one eight hundred six eight four three one one zero. Again, special start time today. If you're watching online, I appreciate so many of you joining me early.
But you know we have stuff that had to happen a little bit later.
So again, I really do appreciate it. But if if you want to help out even more, you can give me a call at one eight hundred six eight four thirty one ten one eight hundred six eight four three one one zero. And again, there have been a lot of discussions. About what's going on, and there have been a lot of hints that something like this could lead to lead to these kind of pushes that are happening. This is from Director Mark Wayne Mullen, just about a month ago, kind of about these ongoing investigations and how maybe it ties into what's happening today.
Something's going to happen. This is an ongoing investigation. We we know that she married her her brother to try to bring him to the United States. We know he lives now in London. We feel that this may you know there.
There's even may more be there may be more to this the whole family migration and possibly some illegal activity for them to come to the United States to begin with but all of us in invest we're investigating. Look, I think if you take out the scenario you saw there, which was a little laughing, was a little silly. If you take that out, look at what he's saying—the actual words there. It's saying, "Look, we're taking this seriously, and we are going to have some consequences to these actions." Once again, phone lines are open for you, and we'll continue this discussion, and we'll proceed to others at one eight hundred six eight four three one one zero. Once again, that's at one eight hundred six eight four thirty one ten.
We'll be right back with more on Sekulow. Don't go anywhere. Hey, again, we're live. We are live. Be a part of the show today.
One eight hundred six eight four thirty one ten. Welcome back to Secular. We are taking your phone calls at one eight hundred six eight four thirty one ten. Certainly, a lot of people in the chat right now saying, "Well, you reap what you sow." This is what happens. And again, we have to always remember we are dealing with someone who is an elected official.
So again, I guess you got to show some respect there. But this is someone who has time after time disrespected, not just the country, has come up with anti-Semitic rhetoric, has said so many things, flame. Fanning the flame. Of anti-Semitism around the country, and really was one of the forefathers, if you will, of what has spread so rapidly over the next few last few years.
So to say, I don't have as much love lost for this one. I understand because it is one of those situations where we've heard a lot of stories.
Some seem ridiculous, some are real, some maybe are preposterous, but somewhere in the middle maybe lies the truth. And there was enough evidence there for a judge to sign. Off of a war in Washington D.C. for a again for a raid of the home of a sitting elected official of a representative, and not only that, a representative that is very, very prominent, a well-known figure, Elon Omar. The questions have been asked for months about this, and as of right now, it looks like they are still going in and out and doing this is active.
As we're live right now, this is actively happening. That you have the agents going in and out of her DC home. Again, we haven't heard from her. We haven't heard anything necessarily whether she is there or not. And again, this is not pleasant.
I don't want to be laughing at it because I understand the severity of it. Wake up to to a FBI and a DHS raid. Is not something you want. The Fed showing up at your front door, even if you're an elected official. This is not fun, and I'm sure for her supporters, this does feel political.
Now we can go back to: Well, is it political? We just showed you a clip just a little bit ago from Markwayne Mullin in the scenario, because you see him at a what looks to be like the Republican convention kind of style. Was that the believe it the midterm convention? It does feel joyous and boisterous, and you know it doesn't feel serious. If you just took the words.
If I just read you the statement, it wouldn't feel that way. I would not feel that political. But when you see it in that moment, it's going to give people, you know, wrong vibes to what we're talking about here. I think we need counterbalance that a little bit with JD Vance discussing this, and maybe with a little bit more nuance. JD Vance discussing this again is this from earlier this year?
This is earlier this year. JD Vance was discussing specifically what happened with Elon Omar, and again, sort of the the the general issue happening. In Minnesota, in general, so let's let's take a look. This is getting back from this is from earlier this year. This is from March.
Here's Vice President Vance. Yeah, so we actually think that. Elian Omar definitely committed immigration fraud against the United States of America, and I talked to Steve Miller about this actually recently. We're trying to look at what the remedies are. That's the thing that we're trying to figure out: is what are the legal remedies now that we know that she's committed immigration fraud?
How do you go after her? How do you investigate her? How do you actually do the thing? How do you build the case necessary to get some some some justice for the American people? There's a related issue, Benny, which is she has been at the center.
Of a lot of the worst fraudsters in the Somali community.
So, do I know that Ilhan Omar was aware that the Quality Leering Center was defrauding the American people? I'm not certain of it, but we at least need to investigate it because if people can commit wrongdoing without even the fear that they're going to be found out, that that's a fundamental problem.
So, I'm worried about the immigration fraud. I'm also worried about what did Ilhan Omar know about what was happening in the Somali community and. Why was nobody looking into it until, frankly, Donald Trump came along? Yeah, I mean, again, of course, it was one of the top stories of the year. Has been the fraud coming out of the state of Minnesota, but that's not what this is about necessarily.
Clearly, there is something. There is a big issue, and clearly, it has to do with her immigration status. Which is pretty wild that you have an elected official where this is actually happening. Again, a judge signed off on this to happen. Give me a call.
What do you think about this? How would you feel? Do you like that this is happening? Do you feel like this is the right time? Do you feel like it could backfire when you're just a few weeks away from a midterm when you see someone like a Talarico?
Starting to finally show back up and having a bit of a bounce in his numbers, you're starting to see some of the ones that were maybe more considered to be shoe ins maybe getting a little closer. Is it good or does it backfire like it did when they did this to President Trump when they put President Trump and arrested him? And remember that became a national story that ended up, I believe, partially resulting in him winning at the 2020 election. What do you think about their 2024 election? Give me a call.
I want to know from you. One eight hundred six eight four three one one zero to be on the air today. We also are going to discuss not only that. We're going to go into in just a little bit the Houthi terrorists. That we're bombing the airports in Riyadh in Saudi Arabia because that is a big story.
I think we all need to keep our eyes on. You know, it's one of those ones that will it'll be in our news cycle. It will be on repeat. But if you are talking about what could end up being what is truly, we may be already in it, folks. To be honest, a World War III scenario.
It's if America lines up with Saudi Arabia and says it's time to finish some things. You could see where the government of Saudi Arabia clearly can't fully be trusted, but has had some issues here and there. Has tried to Westernize over the last handful of years. We're going to discuss that too at length. And later on, we're going to be joined by Jeff Balaban from ACLJ Jerusalem to even discuss that as well, as it is obviously all tied back into the Holy Land.
And there's even interesting things that comes out of the Houthi rebels, which to say, hey. You know it's not safe to fly into Saudi Arabia anywhere except for at our holy sites. That's you're still fine to fly into. But if you're going to fly in to one of these cities that are made, you know, for tourism and for attractions and all these things, I mean, if you have a kid, a teenager, you are in die, you know, you have been indicted with so much promotion to visit Saudi Arabia. They've put so much money into Riyadh season and all of that.
That it is pretty shocking now to see. Hundreds of people injured, multiple people dead in these attacks. It should be some front page story. We're going to get to that a little bit later, but of course, again, the main story of today is this DHS raid of Elon Omar, and I think that we can go back to even the statement that was put out because when you look at what's going on, the statement's even read today in the Washington D.C. area, Homeland Security investigations executed a judicially authorized search warrant.
Secured by the Department of Justice, and again judicially authorized. I mean, they were presented this to a judge, and a judge signed off on it. Said, "Good to go. I think this is part of it." Um, and look, there have been other. Federal raids on sitting Congress people over the last fifteen twenty years.
A lot of them had to do with very different scenarios. You had represented Jefferson, a Democrat, Louisiana, in August. They searched his home and they recovered nine hundred or ninety thousand dollars in marked bills hidden food containers. You had Henry Cuellar in January of twenty twenty two, as Democrat in Texas.
So it's not uncommon that this is to happen. I mean, it's uncommon. It's not often, but it has happened over the last few years. It's not like it's just brand new to everybody here. But what do you think?
You know, I'm so many of you are watching online right now, which I really appreciate because look, we're doing this show live at very special start time, and I wasn't sure if anyone's going to join us.
So to have so many of you joining us right now, but I would love for you to call in. I would have I have segments set aside just for your voice. What do you think about this with Omar in this situation? Again, this close. To the midterms, we're talking weeks now—three weeks, three and a half weeks until the midterms.
If that, maybe we get a day count of what that, how many days we actually are until the midterm elections. I mean, it's coming up, folks, and it is a big one. I know that they will paint paint a picture for you and say, "Look, if the Republicans lose control, that the President's still the President for two and a half years." That's true. I mean, he's still the President of the United States, but it certainly makes it a lot harder. And with impeachment talk on the horizon, that makes it even much more harder.
And again, not that an impeachment will lead to a removal from office, but what it will do is clog. It will clog up. It is so much work, and trust me, our team worked on it firsthand. It is so much work that is very difficult to get other things done, and it dominates the news story, and it becomes the biggest thing that's happening right now. But I'd love to hear from you as we head into this break.
And again, the ACLJ work doesn't stop. I'm going to continue talking to you about the work of the ACLJ, including your work. In Minnesota, even we filed five Freedom of Information Act requests to help expose that big fraud that happened in Minnesota and demand the answers about the misuse of taxpayer dollars. Remember, that was only a few months ago that we're talking about that this was going on, and it still is. It's easy to move on from from top line news of the day, but the ACLJ team is still actively working on this, and they only get to actively work on it if you support.
So I encourage you today, as we start off this week strong, started off strong with us. Go to aclj.org and become an ACLJ champion if you can. Even an ACLJ champion, by the way, I say it a lot, but ACLJ champions—it's a small group of people in the in the big scheme of things. Most of you give one time. You maybe get motivated.
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In just a minute, we will be right back, and then we'll be joined the second half hour. By ACLJ, head of ACLJ Jerusalem, Jeff Balabons. Don't go anywhere again. Support the work of the ACLJ when you can at aclj. dot org.
Phone lines are open one eight hundred six eight four thirty one ten. Welcome back to Sekulow again. Phone lines are open for you, and we're going to move this topic a little bit. Of course, if you are watching specifically because you want to know what happened here, we do know currently, right now, as we speak, as we are live. There is an ongoing raid of Elon Omar's home in Washington D.C., and this is again a judge-certified raid that is happening.
Has started happening pre-dawn is what the words were being said, but it's still happening as we speak right now. And this has to do with immigration. Paperwork, or whatever it may be, part of a ongoing federal investigation. We know this has been teased out before that maybe her immigration status was a bit fraudulent at best.
Now we don't know that. Again, this is what we're just reporting.
Some of the sources have said this, and we are going though continue to talk about this if there is more to break. And we could go through, and maybe we will a little bit later. Remember who we're dealing with here. You're dealing with someone who has continually. Created, you know, distrust in the American people has pushed back against 9/11.
Has pushed back against the Jewish people, saying they're all about the Benjamins. All those kind of, you know, horrible rhetoric.
So to now see a little bit of this, I see the comments that are going.
Well, you reap what you sow, a bit. Yeah, what does it mean also though for the future of you know sort of these? They aren't politically targeted. I really don't believe this is when you look at it. But of course, that is how they're going to spin it, and they're going to spin it that way as we are just a few weeks out from midterms.
Was this the right time to do it? I'd love to hear from you on that. Also, we are going to discuss right now the midterm elections. That's right. This starting to happen in your hometown.
We saw President Trump on the the campaign. Trail, man. I mean, coming to Tennessee, even was just an hour up the road in Clarksville, Tennessee. You had President Trump, you had Kid Rock, you had a whole group of people out there rallying the base in places where you're not used to seeing there even being some kind of concern. We saw him, you know, trying to get to Alabama during even the Alabama Georgia game, decided not to due to the storms.
Because we knew there could be some issues there. Obviously, there were. And by the way, our prayers are with the people of Florida who who had who got quite a bit of damage. I mean, it's not really making a lot of news, but there was. I mean, not as much as in previous storms like this, but certainly was damage.
People are dealing. A lot of people are dealing without power and things like that right now.
So you know, our prayers are with them. I know a lot of them are supporters of what we do here.
So you know, we're thinking about you and a lot of friends and family down there. But hit the campaign trail. President Trump was in Ohio, was in Alaska, was in Arizona and Montana. All states he won handily, and he is dealing with, of course, some of the big issues. One of which is the high gas prices.
I think everyone is feeling that. Everyone who, even if you're in extreme wealth. You see the gas prices, and you go, "Ooh, that's tough." It's tough when I, you know, I drove me and my son drove to to Memphis, Tennessee. It's about three hour drive, a three and a half hour drive from Nashville, and you know to see gas prices even outside of the town, you know, outside of the city. Hitting that four plus dollar range again, and this is in kind of small rural areas, and diesel prices skyrocketing.
It does give you that concern. The same time, you have a lot of politicians really making their way to try to push the more conservative voters to vote in a different way. Of course, the main one everyone's talking about, James Talerico. James Talerico has been missing from the campaign trail over the last few weeks, really. And there have been a lot of questions of what was happening here.
He finally did get to answer those questions. Why he was gone? His answer was, "I had the flu." And I, and you know, I went down for the count for a few days, as you'd expect. I was in bed drinking lots of liquids, and you know, was working from home, so he didn't get full days off, didn't get to rest. He said.
But he didn't want to be on the trail getting anybody else sick, and I appreciate that. You don't want people getting sick. But again, there wasn't like a very clear answer to this early on. That's a very standard thing you could say: "Is hey, I have the flu, and I'm going to be down for a little bit, and in that we're going to rerun a campaign event. I won't be at.
No big deal. I'll be back on the campaign trail in a week." I don't think that would have been that hard to say. Instead, it's Created a lot of conspiracy theories that you don't really need. We don't need more of that in this country. We don't need more people, you know, asking for conspiracy theorists or pushing it, including times where they they started using really strange words like, "Well, he went to the doctor, but he never received treatment.
He, you know, went to urgent care," he said, and then the next one said, "He went to his primary care doctor." Why are you creating seeds of doubt over having the flu? Everyone gets sick. It happens. These are the political messes that I don't understand, and I think are very avoidable. But then you see him a few days later, and he's at a concert front row in Texas, partying it up, having a great time.
I got no problem with that, but it it paints a very odd picture for the state of Texas.
Now, you do know that he is getting a lot of of push right now, and there is a bit of a spike happening in numbers, so maybe keeping him off the campaign trail actually may have helped. We've seen that work for other candidates many times.
Sometimes you just got to shut up.
Sometimes you just got to be silent, and your numbers will rise because people who are on the other side see that. And look, James Taylorico. I know a lot of you in the comments. I know a lot of people have a lot of thoughts on him. I think I I don't ever judge anyone's faith.
Like I he know he's used his Christianity, very very strategically in this. Campaign more so than probably any Democrat would, and I don't judge anyone's salvation. I don't judge anyone's faith or that kind of thing. That's not for me to decide. I do think, though, when you sort of weaponize your faith, you start using it in a way that is politically manipulative.
And I'll say this for both sides, but I will say this side specifically because I think when you actually read what he has to say, it's taking scripture and warping it. I do have a problem with it. And and it does concern me. It concerns me with a lot of what's happening in the church, not just. I mean, sure, in the far liberal churches for sure, and then in some of the conservative churches as well, where it becomes more of a political echo chamber, or becomes this church that's very self centered, very much about you, and and you start losing sort of the entire message of of the Bible, and you start justifying your own political beliefs.
And warping scripture to do it, I don't think that you have to do that. I think you could probably say, "Well, I'm a Christian." However, I believe this is should be what's legal, and I think you can have those discussions even if I disagree with them. It's when you start combining the two to a point of, again, taking the the meaning and the and the want. And I believe that, by the way, I don't think this is just happening on one side. I'm not saying this is just happening on on the the left here.
This is happening everywhere. That it starts to become. You know, hazy at best. I'd love to hear from you. Also, I want to know: Are you early voting?
As we head into a break here, I want to know. Second half hour is coming up. We're gonna have Jeff Balaban from ACLJ Jerusalem giving you a little news update because of that. Again, these Houthi terrorists that are bombing actively Saudi Arabia. You know, essentially, you you would think.
I know this is where it gets a little blurry. I know for a lot of people where they don't understand. That you know why is the Houthi rebels attacking Saudi Arabia? Shouldn't Saudi Arabia be part? This is where the world is very rapidly changing.
We're going to discuss that with Jeff when we get back. But what about early voting in general? And we're starting to get into that season. It's happening around the country, and of course, the general is only a month away—less than a month away. Are you deciding to do that?
Are you taking advantage of early voting, or will you be still the election day voter? We have seen what that could mean, and I think at this point everyone should be utilizing whatever they they can. You know, I don't think there's a political. Positive one way or the other to early vote or not early vote, but I want to know where your your brain is at right now. Phone lines are open at one eight hundred six eight four thirty one ten one eight hundred six eight four three one one zero, and with this election coming up in November, could this raid on Elon Omar's home this morning, early hours, they said pre-dawn, could in effect?
Her election status could could it affect what's happening? Look, we got a second half hour coming up. I want you to be part of the show today.
So give me a call at one eight hundred six eight four thirty one ten. The ACLU hard at work, and you want to be part of that team. Keep us in the fight moving forward. Become an ACLU champion today as we. Start to wrap up this half hour again.
Go to aclj. dot org. All you have to do is make a donation. You can opt into being a champion. You can cancel at any time.
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To be a part of the team today at aclj. dot org. Back in less than a minute. Don't go anywhere if you are watching online. We'll be right back.
Keeping you informed and engaged now more than ever. This is Sekulow. And now your host, Logan Secular. Second half hour of Secular for your Monday. Thanks for joining us.
If you're watching live, you're watching at a special start time, and know that I really appreciate that.
So many of you are joining us today. You know, it makes you go, "Huh, we need to be doing this show earlier to begin with." Because there are a lot of you joining us. I would love to hear from you, though, and hear your voice. I know maybe hard. You may be driving into work, maybe doing whatever.
If you're watching live, phone lines are open at one eight hundred six eight four thirty one ten. If you're on hold, stay on hold. I'm going to get to you in this half hour. If you aren't on hold, go ahead and do it. Get on hold.
One eight hundred six eight four thirty one ten. If you're just joining us, we are talking about a couple different topics. The main one that we started off this show with, which is right now as we speak, as we are live. Federal agents have raided Representative Elon Omar's Washington D.C. home.
This happened pre-dawn, and as we're recording, it's happening still right now. They have said that this goes back to a potential immigration issue she has with paperwork that her father filled out when she was a child, and there are going to be calls on both sides. It's going to be people saying, "Yes, this is great. We should be doing this." And then there's going to be people who are saying this is politically motivated, and this is happening just a few weeks before the midterms.
So how dare they? What do you think? Let me know in the chat or give me a call at 1-800-684-3110. At the same time, we are going to be talking to Jeff Ballaban next from ACLJ Jerusalem. It's always important to see what's happening on the world stage.
We know there have been issues with Russia and Ukraine. Russia and Ukraine have then there have been calls to. President has said, hey, the Ukrainians are now bombing the oil refineries and the diesel refineries, and and that was the note. Go that was a red line, and they've crossed that red line, and now apparently there is an agreement ceasefire on that.
So that's a big part of what's what the calls are right now. The talks are happening right now with that. On the other hand, you have the war in Iran that is still happening. And look, when there are, maybe you can answer this to me too. When you know that we are in active military conflicts around the world, in some ways with Russia, Ukraine.
Iran, Israel, now Saudi Arabia, and I could probably list you another handful that are either like involved in some ways. We saw what happened the UK, where we had our our bombers there had to pull them out.
So let's throw in the United Kingdom in that as well. At what point are we not in a world war? I mean, at what point? I mean, we really don't have China involved in the Asian countries so far involved. We don't have China, Japan.
Of course, we are in a ongoing conflict in some ways with North Korea. But are we going to be 20 years from now referring to this as something different, and that something different has a three on the end? I think that's a discussion point that needs to seriously start happening because look what is going on. You have the Houthi rebels, Iranian backed Houthi rebels, attacking airports in major major tourist destination. In Riyadh, which again, if you have kids, you have seen Mister Beast tell you to come to Riyadh.
You've seen the WWE tell you to come to Riyadh. You've seen the UFC say come to Riyadh. You've seen Riyadh season on just about everything, as they've been promoting it as a major tourist destination. You have seen Saudi Arabia play the PR game and say, "Hey, guess what? Women can drive now." Guess what?
Women can come to our live events. We're gonna have a WWE event. Guess what? Women can be in the audience and women can wrestle. Those are major changes, by the way, for this world.
I don't. I don't take those lightly. The fact that they see that there's a potential out there for a different kind of society, and though it's still very much not America, we'll clear that up. And they have very much had their issues over the last few years. Let's not pretend they haven't.
There is an ongoing effort to westernize, in their own way, that region of the world in Saudi Arabia.
So when you have now, Houthi rebels coming in and not only bombing an airport over and over again. Killing people, injuring hundreds, saying, "Hey, don't fly in. If you fly in, you're at risk. You're taking your life in your hands." And then you switch that over to what's happening, and they say, "Hey, but Mecca and Medina are fine. You can go there.
That's our religious holy sites. We're not going to do anything there." But the innocent civilians that are on the ground in Riyadh, where you can visit, you know, theme parks and all of this stuff. That's where the risk really is. We're going to talk with Jeff Balaban how Israel plays into this, and of course they do. And if you see a team up between some of these countries, whoo boy, it shall be interesting.
Phone lines are open for you because after Jeff, I want to hear from you. That's at one eight hundred six eight four three one one zero. It's one eight hundred six eight four thirty one ten. We'll be right back with more on Sekulow. Let's reset a little bit.
Look, the work of the ACLJ continues around the world, and that's why we have offices like ACLJ Jerusalem. We're joined by Jeff Balaban right now, but before we get to Jeff, again, we need to talk about. These attacks that are happening now on a bigger scale—you know there have always been conflicts with Israel—and people will discuss that. And then Iran backed, you know, terrorist groups will do what they did. Of course, we know we just got done with the October seventh anniversary, but now we have videos and we're seeing them happen of these attacks where thirteen people are killed in Riyadh.
Saudi Arabia, and again, this comes at a time when Saudi Arabia is really trying to push to be. I mean, that's horrible. I mean, let's. I don't know if we show all of that. You're seeing the destruction that's happening.
Again, many people killed, hundreds injured, in a major international airport. And we're talking about, by the way, an American, four Saudi nationals, two Bangladeshis, a Egyptian, a Jordanian, a Palestinian, a Syrian, a Sudanese, and an Indian national. We're all killed.
So we're not talking about just one. Why? Because it's a major international airport with major business and tourism. And we know. I mean, like I said earlier in the show, if you have a kid, you've seen Mister Beast say, "Come to Riyadh." You've seen the WWE say.
Come to Riyadh. WrestleMania was supposed to be happening. It's still, according to schedule, happening in Riyadh in just a few months, where hundreds of thousands of people were expected to attend because they have done a a job of trying to say, look, we are very different. We're a little bit more of a Western, you know. Building towards, I'd say, trying to be more Western, and we know what happens with Israel with that.
And now we're seeing what's happening, even with what you would assume of your friend Jeff. You are joining us now. I think this is a discussion point we need to be happening because if the U.S. and Saudi Arabia end up linking arms and Israel, we're going to have a very different world on our hands. Yeah, this look the the President in the first administration really set up something which it's it's.
Almost eerie how there was this four-year absence because he couldn't be President then, right? And he couldn't be President now if he had been President from you know from 2020 to 2024. And it's amazing that he's President again now as these things are happening and the the peace, the truly the unprecedented peace in the Middle East that started in the first administration. Is now bearing fruit in the midst of war.
So Israel and Saudis, there's obviously been some level of cooperation. It's not publicly friendly, but they understand that the major enemy of interests, American interests and their interests in the Middle East, has been Iran. Iran has, you know, this messianic idea of global hegemony. And they see the the Arabs because they're Persians. They see the Arabs as their enemies.
They see, especially the Sunni Muslims, as their enemies. And the Saudis are the the most powerful Sunni Muslim nation, and so they see them as natural enemies. Israel has always been the the the Jewish joint democratic you know enemy, but now things have changed. In the first administration, Trump set up real peace with a bunch of Muslim countries and Israel. Arab Muslim countries and Israel.
There's a question whether Saudi will join that right now. It's very questionable because the war has made it harder for them because their street don't like what they see. But they've been attacked relentlessly by Iran, and and I don't know where this goes forward. No one knows where this goes forward, but it does seem like more and more cooperation is in the works here in a way that really could lead to. Stability—the exact opposite of what Iran intended to begin with.
Right. I mean, we were talking about this in our pre-show and going, "Look, I don't want to be the person using the sort of World War III language." But when you start having Israel linking up with the United States, linking up with potentially the United Kingdom, linking up with, then all of a sudden Saudi Arabia gets involved. And when you have these attacks, I think Jeff, it's easy to kind of paint the Middle East with a broad brush if you're not that informed. Like I said, the Middle East is very, very different. Than it even was a few years ago.
You have Saudi Arabia making big, big plays.
Now it's not to say they're not brutal, and they haven't done some horrendous things over the last ten years, but. They have made some serious plays to try to commercialize themselves, even to the American people. Again, how often do we see promotions in our major sporting events and those kind of things? Saying, "Come to Riyadh," you know, we see, "Come to our theme parks," "Come to everything that's happening here," "Come to Saudi Arabia." Look, women can drive now. Look, all of these things.
They have at least, from a PR standpoint, tried to make some big moves. This, when there are attacks on their major airport, and it seems to happen continually. I don't know if they let that slide because they are a very different country than they were even just a few years ago. Agree, hundred percent. Look, from Saudi Arabia, I don't think we can ever expect the kind of friendship and same set of ideals.
What we think of as Judeo Christian ideals that we we accept in Israel, because that's the Judeo part of Judeo Christian, right? And so there's there's a tremendous alliance of ideals and and notions of right and wrong between Israel and America. The Saudis they can be excellent allies based on strategic interest, and right now those interests are aligned. And you know, often the statement the enemy. Is the enemy of my enemy is my friend?
Isn't true sometimes, but they but they could be good allies. And in this case, it's true. And something I heard this weekend that will be fascinating for ACLJ listeners and viewers. I was at a at a meeting over the weekend, and and somebody got up and said something, and then two people in the room said that they could verify this from their own direct experience in intelligence work. Which was that?
If you'll notice, I think was last April was the last time that you know Israel went in and had a major attack over Tehran, over Iran. Since then, there has not been a single response to the Israeli homeland, right? From from Iran, they've they've attacked Saudi, they've attacked Kuwait, they've attacked a number of Arab countries. They have not attacked Israel. And what they're saying is because the chatter has been across the Middle East from Sunni Egypt.
to To Shia Iran has been. It looks like God is really with the Jews in this fight, and so they're afraid to attack. This is you know, it's not. This is this is this is their battle plan. This is their strategy.
Is linked to the fact that not that they're not believers. They're actually believers. What they believe in may be hostile to us. But it's not just words. They actually believe this.
They have very messianic ideas, and they and and apparently they saw. And again, there were three people in the room who all independently verified this. That that that listening to chatter, you know, that that's their job for intelligence, and that's what they heard across the board across the Middle East is a recognition that God is is with Israel's with the Jews. Extraordinary. That really is.
I mean, that's something you have to start again. You have to reframe the way you think about modern warfare and society and everything. When you have deeply religious groups, and you have a group, again, you're going to disagree with them for sure. But saying, hey, you know what? I think we may have gotten God wrong here, and God may be on the side of Israel at this point.
And that's real military operations that are happening. That's what the discussion point is. And I mean, like we've always said, it's like Israel saying, well, we're a secular State we allow all people of faith, then of course you go and you read what Israel is doing and everything, and of course there always is some sort of spiritual connection. There is some connection to the Holy Words and to those the books of the Bible, and it's always ingrained in there, even if it's not you know specifically stated. But then when you have this other response, I mean that's a wild thing to think about that they are discussing it.
I mean I think they're probably right, but it is a it's crazy that we. Are there? I think we should also hear real quick from President Trump. President Trump was asked directly because you know he said you know probably not going to have any Iranian strikes until after the midterms.
Now that has changed a little bit.
So let's hear again. This is a White House press gaggle just a couple days ago. Have you decided whether to join the Saudi strikes on the? We may. We're going to look at it.
How soon? We just found out about the recent attack, so we'll make a decision. We we move very quickly. We move very quickly, Jeff. Before we have to wrap up, just your thoughts on that of this strategy.
Of course, President Trump ran originally saying no wars, and we know it's been a little bit more controversial as he has jumped into some of these. But when you have moments where you have something like Saudi Arabia getting bombed and hundreds of people getting injured, and if Saudi Arabia wants help, I think it'll be curious to see where the President goes with this. Super complex. I know. You know, Logan, your dad likes to say that it's it's nine dimensional chess in the Middle East, and and somehow it seems to gotten even more complex now.
But let's hope that that that the NBC is that that God's on our side also. You know, and I think that it will be as as long as America sticks with Israel. And and and by the way, you know, we're in this for our interest as well. I mean, that's something I have a piece coming out this week about this. About how you know about the the the direct danger.
Just a piece came out a couple weeks ago by somebody about how the direct danger that Iran Iranian nukes would would pose to the American homeland, and and so the fact that we're fighting a war thousands of miles away, and people say why are we fighting foreign wars? We're not. We're fighting our war. Thankfully, thankfully, thousands of miles away from our homeland, so that our homeland isn't actually being hurt while we're fighting for our own interest to save ourselves. From these people who do believe what they believe, they do believe in their version of God, and it's leading to things that are pretty hostile to to America.
Well, Jeff, thank you so much for joining us today. I always appreciate getting your advice and your feedback because when you're on the ground in Jerusalem, of course, you're going to get a different set of eyes than any of us who are trying to watch it through a TV screen or watch it through social media.
So I appreciate you joining us. Look, it's always important to have the ACLJ Jerusalem. It's always important to have the European Center for Law and Justice. You know, it's a small world, really. And we are all involved in what's happening.
And when you're talking about global war, of course, we want to make sure that the ACLJ team is represented wherever we can be. Many of those places you'll hear about.
Some of them you may never hear about. But we have teams all over. Representing these values throughout the world, and that only happens because people like you support the work of the ACLU at ACLU. dot org and become champions, or just even just make a one time donation. Know that I appreciate that.
Hey, we get back. I do want to hear from you, and we do have quite a few lines open. A lot of you watching, not a lot of you calling.
So stay on hold if you are on hold. I am going to get you, but I would love to hear from you. Whether that is about a potential war, adding our, you know, what do you think about us linking arms with Saudi Arabia and helping them out? I know, just a few years ago, that would be pretty shocking to hear. What do you think about it right now?
One eight hundred six eight four thirty one ten. Of course, the current raid happening on Elon Omar's home. One eight hundred six eight four three one one zero. And the midterm elections around the corner. And of course, this all plays into that.
Let's discuss it. Let's keep it going. Again, phone lines are open, and I do want to hear from you.
So, as we head to the final segment of the day, I want you on the show. One eight hundred six eight four. Thirty-one ten, and again, if you want to see some credible content, including content from Jeff Balaban, go to aclj.org right now. Just great free stuff there. Take a look.
Welcome back to Secular. We do have a little bit of time. If you want to call in, really call in the next minute or two, and I'll get you on the air if you fit in with you. If you really, if you're nice to the phone screener, they make the final call.
So be nice. Don't say things you can't say on radio, and you'll probably get on the air today. One eight hundred six eight four thirty one ten. I do want to kick this off with the caller. Let's go to Paula in Texas.
Thanks for calling, Paula, and thanks for staying on hold. You've been on hold for a while. We had a lot of ground to cover, but I appreciate it. Go ahead. Take your time.
Thank you. Yeah, I just wanted to call in response to your question about: Do we feel like this is a political motivated? Search of Ilhan Omar's home, but I want to just say that this has been a long, ongoing investigation. From the part where when she came to this country, did she do it legally? The suspicions and the proof they say they're supposed to have or getting.
About her father line, about her birth certificate, which would make her not even eligible to be a member of Congress in our country. And then, way back to COVID, there's been so much mass applied, and she is, I believe, one of the leaders, if not the one, who Came up with the idea of feed the children or whatever it was that program. They have her on video preparing the meals to send out to feed the children. That became a master product, and then she's also just recently, a couple years ago, had the income tax.
Well, Paul, there's been a lot. There's been a lot, and look, some of that is accurate.
Some of it is maybe a little blurry here. Also, by the way, you can you can be the President of the United States if you, according to law, if you are not born in this country. That's one of the that's one of the qualifications. You can serve, though. I mean, you can serve in all different kinds of of ways in our country and run for elected office.
I believe you should be able to. That being said, I understand the concern when there seems to be a mounting amount of evidence, and that is why it's going to be very interesting to see. That this raid that is going on five hours right now, what are they looking for? Because what is is this like? Many have said is this a broad raid of all of these issues that she has had?
We we've been told sources have been said that this has to do with her immigration status. Like you said, stuff that her dad may have filed out decades ago when she was a child. I think we have to judge that separately too. You know what that looks like. I, but there have been a lot of issues with Ian Omar.
This is not a one, you know, one thing now. Is this a narrow raid that has to do with that one specific issue, or, like you said, does it cover so much of what's happening? And it's sort of interesting that happened in the Washington D.C. home. This isn't in her Minnesota home.
As far as we know, then nothing has happened in Minnesota. This has happened all in Washington D.C. Of course, that is primarily where they are living when they are serving. But still, you think of those kind of documents, you don't know necessarily that they would be with them in their D.C. residence.
Just some interesting to think about, but she has been certainly not without controversy. She's someone who has had a lot of issues, but I know a lot of you are somewhat excited to hear about this. But again, I think we do have to always be wondering how the American people, how the American voters, are going to take something like this if they're able to spin it, say it's politically motivated, even if it's not. When you're just a couple weeks from a midterm. Because remember, I always go back to what happened in ours.
You had President Trump get arrested, mugshotted—that whole deal. And what happened? He won in what would be considered a modern landslide. A modern landslide being, you know, a couple percentage points, but winning all swing states. That does sort of, you know, reflect on the way the American people feel about sometimes the the federal government getting involved in some of these scenarios, whether they do feel they're politically motivated or not.
We'd still hear from you. We still got a few minutes at one eight hundred six eight four thirty one ten. I mean, and look, Representative Omar, she was on the Breakfast Club podcast just a few months ago, and they asked specifically about this. And let's take a look at what she had to say. No, I mean, and I listen.
Suggest all you want. Please investigate all you want. Right? Like to me, I'm not. I'm not like I'm above the law.
She said she's not like she's above the law.
So you know what? Maybe that that was a bit of a prod. Or they said, fine, you're not above the law. Let's see what happens here. I want to take another call.
Let's go to Kim in Montana. Watching on YouTube. Thanks, Kim, for joining us at this earlier start time. I appreciate it. Yeah.
Thank you so much for letting me come on the show and share my thoughts. I I am a truck driver, so I got a couple of deal points here, if you don't mind. I own an own my truck and trailer, a woman-owned business, and totally trust President President Trump and what he's doing. Elon Omar, this is a long time coming. It's not politically.
Lawfare. She committed a crime. It's probably there. They have the evidence, and it's just like how Vice President said. It's a matter of how do we prosecute this?
How do we follow it through? If there is that that certainty of a crime, and as far as Saudi Arabia, I think the Houthis is an arm of Iran. And till President Trump takes out the complete IRGC, the freedom people in Iran are not going to be able to rise up. And we're not going to get the world peace if he doesn't finish this. But I want to say, as a truck driver, and my fuel costs going up.
I mean, I've had a fuel cost of like twenty eight hundred for one week. I am not mad.
Okay.
Okay.
I I cannot get mad at a President in the current position over a war that started under Biden, and Ukraine has is meddling in our political with hitting Russia, doing it exactly the day after that he. That Trump, you know, right, made that with Putin. Excuse me, I get, I'm paid. No, it's fine. Kim, Kim, look, I'm, I'm only going to cut you off for time.
And look, what I'll say is that I think that there are a lot of people that feel that way. I'm happy to hear from you as someone who that. I mean, look, fuel prices affect all of us, but they certainly affect you. As someone who is running, like you said, a woman-owned truck driving company who's dealing with diesel fuel on the daily, you're talking about thousands of dollars a week being spent.
So it's interesting to hear from your point of view, and I appreciate you actually calling in and sharing that that you are willing to say, you know what, for the global good, we're going to take the hit right now. I think there's a lot of people who feel that way. I think a lot of people that don't, and I don't, I don't blame them. I don't blame them. I understand that you are running a business and you are trying to put food on your, uh, yeah, the the you're trying to feed your family.
Keep food on the table, so I understand it, but I appreciate so much the work you do, Kim, and I appreciate you watching this show and and also being so informed because to be able to to jump from topic to topic to topic that's something we do here, and I know that's not easy, and I love that our listeners are so informed of what's going on around the world that they can understand the sort of global nuance that is happening here, and I think you're right. I have called for that with the IRGC and all that the entire time since the very beginning that we hoped we'd have a brand new. Government and not have to be dealing with an IRGC, and there are ramifications from that. And now you have Saudi Arabia get involved, and like I said, that may be the tide that needs to turn. If you have Saudi Arabia and the United States of America teaming up with Israel, whoo, that is a force to be reckoned with.
And hopefully, you're right. Hopefully, they can do the job. That's going to do it for today's show. I appreciate everyone who joined us here live. It's a lot of fun.
We'll be back tomorrow, normal time tomorrow. We'll join you at noon Eastern time. We'll be live. If you liked this time slot, let me know in the chat right now. If you didn't, let me know right now in the chat.
I'd love to hear your thoughts on this. You never know. We can always change things up from time to time. But I'd love to hear from actual viewers and listeners. Thanks again for watching.
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