All star panelist and recovering journalist Clint Brewer joined The Tennessee Star Report’s Michael Patrick Leahy in studio Thursday to discuss the Winners and Losers of this news-packed week.
TRANSCRIPT
Michael Patrick Leahy: It’s that time of week again. It’s time for Clint Brewer’s ‘Winners and Losers of the Week.
Well, what you got there, Clint?
Clint Brewer:Â Well, I’d say winners nationally Congressman James Comer. Yeah. Big revelations in his probe of the Hunter Biden, President Biden situation. The incredible text message, oh my goodness, that was covered to Xi whoever “Xi” is in Chinese business circles.
Michael Patrick Leahy: ‘I’m sitting here with my dad, where’s the money, buddy?’
Clint Brewer: I mean, it was stark.
Michael Patrick Leahy: And it’s, it was confirmed by his attorneys.
Clint Brewer: I think there was other reporting in more mainstream sources. I think it was the New York Times – that they actually had confirmed previously through other reporting that they, the president and his son were in the same place at the same time on that day.
So the plot thickens. But Comer’s been much-maligned in the press for this probe, and I think it’s starting to turn up some really compelling details.
I’d say locally, mayoral candidate, Matt Wiltshire had a good week. He got the Fraternal Order of Police endorsement.
That’s a big deal, which is, is typically a pretty significant endorsement in a municipal race citywide.
Michael Patrick Leahy: Â I would say this, you know, we’ve had here in studio Freddie O’Connell, Alice Rolli, Jim Gingrich. Natisha Brooks.
Matt hasn’t showed up yet.
Clint Brewer: But I will say, my sense is that the combination of the Fraternal Order of Police endorsement as well as his onslaught of television advertising – Matt’s he’s got a little bit of momentum.
He does, and he, you know, he’s, he’s a former business person and he he was a good one and he understands.
How to put money to work. So I think his campaign will, will use his fundraising prowess well in the final stretch. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. I think his TV will be meaningful and, and he’s got a good chance. But he had the election, he had a good week.
Michael Patrick Leahy: The election is August 3rd.
Clint Brewer: So we’ve still gotten about five weeks.
Michael Patrick Leahy: 45 percent still undecided.
Clint Brewer: It’s anybody’s race right now. And then we’re gonna have a runoff.
Michael Patrick Leahy: Losers; who’s the loser of the week?
Clint Brewer: I think the biggest loser of the week is Putin.
Michael Patrick Leahy: Yeah, he’s been the undisputed power man in Russia for what, three decades.
Clint Brewer: And I mean, when your own private army turns on you and starts marching towards your capital and you have to flee to your vacation home, I mean, that is about the weakest look you can have.
Michael Patrick Leahy: And you might not be having a good day. I mean, if your own private army turns on you.
Clint Brewer:Â I think that brief interlude was one of the most fascinating geopolitical stories of the last 30 years.
Imagine an army – a state-sanctioned army of 25,000 mercenaries – pulling out of a war zone and starting to march towards your capital in anger with the stated reason being to remove your minister of defense.
I mean, that’s unheard of. I don’t remember anything ever happening like that anywhere.
Michael Patrick Leahy: Not with a former superpower. It’s like one of these, you know political thrillers.
Clint Brewer: It is, except you wouldn’t believe it.
Michael Patrick Leahy: No. If, if you read that in a political thriller, You wouldn’t believe it?
Clint Brewer: No; who was the British author? John le Carré?
It’s like le Carré and Tom Clancy mentally bonded or something and created this.
I mean, it’s fascinating. It’s absolutely fascinating.
But it is but he’s scary, too. It’s terrifying because, of course, Russia has a massive nuclear arsenal.
Michael Patrick Leahy: This thing could have gotten very bad, very quickly. Because I mean Putin, the strong man of Russia is purportedly not the most mentally stable guy right now.
Clint Brewer: No. And his health’s been in question, I think. And you know, he’s in constant fear of assassination. Paranoid, very paranoid.
Which is why he fled the capitol. But I mean, that is, that’s a bad look.
Michael Patrick Leahy: But I mean, the leader of this Wagner mercenary army of up to 25,000. This Prigozhin guy. He looks like a villain. In a James Bond movie. He really does.
Clint Brewer: The best part is he’s a former chef. It wasn’t like he was some rock star soldier, or anything.
I mean, he’s an opportunist.
Michael Patrick Leahy: Well, he was also in prison as a kid, like for nine years for stealing. So I mean, you just can’t make this stuff up.
Which is, back to the other issue, is why we need a strong leader in the United States of America In this world, right now.
Clint Brewer: Absolutely.
Michael Patrick Leahy: And on that note, thank you Clint Brewer – thanks so much for joining us. See you next Thursday.
Back after this with Roger Simon.
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Photo “James Comer” by Congressman James Comer.
