Tuesday on the RealClearPolitics podcast, Tom Bevan, Andrew Walworth, and Carl Cannon discuss the record number of members leaving Congress, a surprising poll about the Texas Senate race, and whether Turning Point USA can endure as an institution without Charlie Kirk. After that, former FBI agent Phil Andrew joins the show to talk about running in the Democratic primary in Illinois’ ninth congressional district. They wind down the show with new reporting confirming accounts that Donald Trump warned the FBI about Jeffrey Epstein as early as 2006, and the budget battle over ICE on Capitol Hill. You can listen to the show live, weekdays at 11:00 a.m. on SiriusXM’s Megyn Kelly Channel 111, and then on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, and here on our website. *** The show opens with the record number of members leaving Congress — nine senators and 51 representatives have decided not to run for reelection. Is it the toxic nature of politics today, the total institutional dysfunction, or something more? “If you look at a position like being a mayor or a governor, being an executive at some level, and you can actually do a lot more and have a lot more impact if you’re in it for public service,” Bevan suggested. “That’s also a better way to get to the White House.” “Don’t leave out the 800-pound gorilla in the room, also known as Donald John Trump,” Cannon added. “Some traditional conservatives have gotten so wrapped around the axle that they’ve become Democrats.” *** And then, around minute 9, the panel takes a closer look at the Senate race in Texas, where the latest poll shows polarizing candidates up on both sides: Republican Ken Paxton and Democrat Jasmine Crockett. “I think if you administered truth serum to most political reporters, this is the race they want to see,” Walworth joked. “If these polls are accurate, we’ll see the two most controversial, flame-throwing types being the nominees of their parties in the state of Texas. It would be a pretty amazing race, no question about it,” said Bevan. “And again, we always say, don’t make too much of any one poll. We always follow the average, and we want to see more data to understand really if Paxton is ahead-and by that much.” *** After that, at minute 16, the group asks whether Turning Point USA will remain a major political power player after Charlie Kirk, in light of the group’s alternative Super Bowl halftime show. “Even if their views were low, like five million, can you imagine somebody saying, ‘Hey, I have a program-it’s going to run during the Super Bowl-and it’s only going to get five million people watching’? What do you mean, only five million? That’s fantastic. That’s quite an accomplishment,” Cannon said. “But we already have Republican and Democratic churches, restaurants, and neighborhoods. But having Democratic and Republican halftime shows seems to me a bridge too far.” *** Next, at minute 19, former FBI hostage negotiator Phil Andrew joins the panel to talk about his decision to run for Congress while so many others appear to be running for the exit. He’s one of more than a dozen candidates running in the Democratic primary for Illinois’ ninth district. “Congress itself is one of the most unhealthy governing bodies we’ve seen in decades. It’s not getting things done, and it’s not providing the oversight and accountability that is required for a healthy constitutional government,” he said. “It is one of the most gerrymandered districts,” Phil Andrew said. “Jan Schakowsky held it for 26 years, and the demographics and boundaries have changed a lot, which I think creates a lot of opportunity.” “I have 21 years of public service as an FBI agent. Sixteen of those years, very relevantly, were as a hostage negotiator,” he said. “I have experience going into the most difficult circumstances and building teams and strategies to really help people when lives are on the line.” “I think regardless of where you are on the political spectrum, everybody feels that the political process is broken, that Congress doesn’t get things done, and the people that we have been sending don’t have the skills and experience to navigate that in effective ways.” *** Finally, at minute 37, among the new salacious details of the Jeffrey Epstein case this week, more evidence for the story that Donald Trump warned the FBI about Epstein’s activities nearly two decades ago. Is the public learning anything new from this trove of documents-or just gossiping at a national scale? “Basically, more exculpatory information coming out about Trump,” Bevan said. “As much as the Democrats tried-and they’ve done dirty tricks-to try and make it look like he’s been associated with Epstein and engaged in all this illicit behavior, the evidence just continues to show in many cases the opposite.” “This ‘The Epstein files’ is a misnomer. These are emails from a guy who went to prison,” Cannon commented. “Some of the stuff’s embarrassing, like Larry Summers seeking dating advice from him, but this was supposed to be about getting the victims justice. It’s not. It’s about embarrassing the other political party or just embarrassing people in general.” *** Don’t miss a single episode of the RealClearPolitics weeknight radio show – subscribe at Apple, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.
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