Mike Benz

I think my opinions on this are not hard to tease out from what I say, but I do feel it is inappropriate for me to... My mission is about speech freedom.

I think my opinions on this are not hard to tease out from what I say, but I do feel it is inappropriate for me to... My mission is about speech freedom.

And in the course of that, I talk about all these adjacent things. I talk about the unions and the universities and all these other things because that's important to understand how the apparatus works why they were doing the censorship and the other things related to that operation. But that's for the Brazilian people to decide. And I think what was done to Bolsonaro was a human rights violation.

And in the course of that, I talk about all these adjacent things. I talk about the unions and the universities and all these other things because that's important to understand how the apparatus works why they were doing the censorship and the other things related to that operation. But that's for the Brazilian people to decide. And I think what was done to Bolsonaro was a human rights violation.

It was the sort of thing that we typically put sanctions on foreign countries. for doing in terms of destroying the democratic process. This is what we have democracy promotions programs to stop. When countries arrest their political opponents, when their court systems get corrupt. That's why we have a judicial reform mandate for USAID is when

It was the sort of thing that we typically put sanctions on foreign countries. for doing in terms of destroying the democratic process. This is what we have democracy promotions programs to stop. When countries arrest their political opponents, when their court systems get corrupt. That's why we have a judicial reform mandate for USAID is when

court systems get too corrupt to use the carrots and sticks of our diplomatic sphere to get them to course correct their judiciary. In this case, we literally did it to them. We said, you're not corrupt enough. You need to get more corrupt. But this is a testament to the corruption we had in our own country. under the Biden administration. And in the beginning, this happened under Trump's nose.

court systems get too corrupt to use the carrots and sticks of our diplomatic sphere to get them to course correct their judiciary. In this case, we literally did it to them. We said, you're not corrupt enough. You need to get more corrupt. But this is a testament to the corruption we had in our own country. under the Biden administration. And in the beginning, this happened under Trump's nose.

Part of this is because USAID does not have to report to the president when they do these type of operations. Unlike the CIA, they do not need to get a presidential finding for covert action. They can simply earmark the funds for humanitarian relief in Pakistan And then just run it through contractors to do things in Brazil.

Part of this is because USAID does not have to report to the president when they do these type of operations. Unlike the CIA, they do not need to get a presidential finding for covert action. They can simply earmark the funds for humanitarian relief in Pakistan And then just run it through contractors to do things in Brazil.

And I think the Trump administration had so much going on with Russiagate and everything else happening at DHS and the border and COVID. And they frankly didn't really know how the anatomy of the beast that they were operating on. This is why I'm so encouraged that USAID was targeted in this way right out the gate.

And I think the Trump administration had so much going on with Russiagate and everything else happening at DHS and the border and COVID. And they frankly didn't really know how the anatomy of the beast that they were operating on. This is why I'm so encouraged that USAID was targeted in this way right out the gate.

So that at least you stop the the the bleeding and you go straight to the heart of it, which leads to, you know, all the other malfeasance in the Intel world and its state and and DOD. But, you know, the yes, but but that is for the Brazilian people to decide. But I'm interested, obviously, in the human rights act.

So that at least you stop the the the bleeding and you go straight to the heart of it, which leads to, you know, all the other malfeasance in the Intel world and its state and and DOD. But, you know, the yes, but but that is for the Brazilian people to decide. But I'm interested, obviously, in the human rights act.

Dan, great to talk as always.

Dan, great to talk as always.

Dan, great to talk as always.

Oh, absolutely. I think what you're getting at is that there is a kind of difficult tango dance about the role of the money that the government takes from U.S. taxpayers to spend on influencing the course of events in foreign countries in order to make pro-U.S. interests promulgate there. And there's different schools of thought in terms of the morality or the efficacy of those efforts. But

Oh, absolutely. I think what you're getting at is that there is a kind of difficult tango dance about the role of the money that the government takes from U.S. taxpayers to spend on influencing the course of events in foreign countries in order to make pro-U.S. interests promulgate there. And there's different schools of thought in terms of the morality or the efficacy of those efforts. But

Oh, absolutely. I think what you're getting at is that there is a kind of difficult tango dance about the role of the money that the government takes from U.S. taxpayers to spend on influencing the course of events in foreign countries in order to make pro-U.S. interests promulgate there. And there's different schools of thought in terms of the morality or the efficacy of those efforts. But