Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: Foreign.
[00:00:12] Speaker B: Welcome back to Going Underground. Broadcasting all around the world from Dubai, the main target of Iranian retaliation of a joint UK aided US Israeli military aggression in this region. It is Easter Monday where Iranians have been mourning the targeting of Iranian Christians by the usa. And it is Passover for Iran's Jewish community, the largest in West Asia outside in Israel under hourly retaliatory attack for its corruption and genocide. After more than a million now killed, wounded or displaced by Epstein Fury, Trump did have a deadline for today to open the Strait of Hormuz. But news is moving at a pace set by the whimsy of Trump. And at the time of recording, Iran retains its superpower ability to choke world trade, with the world's most powerful military unable to defeat it. The dissembling of Trump has some in the USA wanting to invoke the 25th amendment to replace replace him. But an Iran still officially led by Khamenei has anyway arguably crafted regime change in the usa. Trump's unpopularity in polls looks set for regime change away from the Republicans in Congress this autumn. It's in this context that in the past few weeks a combat veteran bravely confronted those who, far from supporting America first, are merely servants of those whose mantra is Israel first. Here is the Iraq invasion. U.S.
marine Corps veteran being forcibly removed from a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing. His arm was broken. His exercising of his First Amendment rights.
[00:01:39] Speaker A: Israel is the reason for this war. America does not want to fight this war for Israel.
Come on, let's hope America does not want to save its sons and daughters. No more for Israel. Your inability to name that shows you exempt this as leaders.
Out.
This is wrong and nobody wants to fight for Israel.
Just a reminder to all our Commandant, please stand up as a Marine.
Stand up for America.
Out. No one wants to fight for Israel. His hand. His hand. Oh, his hand.
Let go of your.
Let go of the door.
[00:02:43] Speaker C: Of the door.
[00:02:44] Speaker A: The senator broke his hand.
A sitting US Senator just broke the hand of a Marine.
[00:02:52] Speaker B: That was Sgt. Brian McGinnis, Green Party candidate for the U.S. senate, who joins me now from North Carolina.
Sergeant, thanks so much for coming on. I better ask before anything, how is your arm?
[00:03:04] Speaker C: The arm is doing well. It's mended. I had great care at the George Washington University Hospital where the orthopedic team put me back together and so I'm healing well. Thanks for asking.
[00:03:13] Speaker B: Well, so glad to hear it. Obviously those pictures were beamed all around the world, your bravery about it. I know you can't talk about the actual incident because of legal Concerns, is that right?
Yes.
[00:03:28] Speaker C: I have to be careful about what I say about it. I'm still facing charges and so I want to be careful about how I speak. But I do have a question. Could you understand what I said in the terms of your inability to name that it shows your ineptness as leaders?
I've seen some people say I shows they accept this, but I'm just curious if my vocabulary came through there.
[00:03:51] Speaker B: I think everyone in the world heard you loud and clear, specifically about what you were talking about.
Troops for dying for another country, Israel, not the United States of America.
[00:04:06] Speaker C: Yes, sir, exactly. And we've known that through the last 25 years and the recent genocide in Gaza, you know, Israel's hell bent on, you know, proliferating their land, their Greater Israel project, and they are all in on trying to accomplish that. And they're using American military to execute their mission.
[00:04:29] Speaker B: And it should be said that whereas say 10 years ago or maybe during the Iraq war, which you fought in, it would have been more controversial, arguably, but polls show that the majority in the United States now has an unfavorable opinion of Israel.
[00:04:46] Speaker C: It shows that the American people are paying attention and can connect the dots where our government simply refuses to because they're paid off by lobby groups such as aipac, the large military industrial complex. And so they aren't working for the people, they're working for large corporate donors. That's a big differentiation with me. We're running for the Green Party, we do not accept big money, so we do represent the people.
[00:05:12] Speaker B: And of course you were a soldier, so I gotta ask you what you might be feeling.
I suppose this interview is being recorded before any ground troop invasion. So in a sense it's the button pushers that are launching these missiles and the Air Force. I mean, even the so called New York Times says review shows new weapons hit school site. They're of course talking about the Minab Girls School. Primary school girls aged 5 to 12, 168 of them. We thought they had been incinerated and lacerated by titanium from a Tomahawk missile, but now there's some confusion about it. What do you think the mood is amongst the US military as they carry out Trump's mission in Iran and in
[00:06:02] Speaker C: this region, it's hard to speculate how the troops are feeling because they are in the military and they are well trained and mentally prepared for carrying out orders that they've volunteered to do.
And so that's a whole different dynamic that they hold me as a 20 year removed veteran assimilated to the civilian world. I see the injustice now, how the American military is being used for nefarious reasons, the profiteering of the elites of the Epstein class and therefore what I participated in, which was the occupation of Iraq. From my personal experience and knowing that that was all based upon lies of WMDs that were never found or I don't see any difference with what this war is being started with.
It's being based on lies as well. And the American government have lied their way up to this point and are trying to, you know, they're threatening ground troops. And the escalation, the trajectory of this war is, has me very concerned.
I don't limit it to beyond nuclear weapons being used. The rhetoric used by our government officials are so cocky and confident. I don't see how they can back them back up.
I pray they do and I hope they find an off ramp to de escalate these things. I think reining in Israel is paramount in what America must do to bring true de escalation. And I'm very, very saddened and disgusted by our government's inability to claim its responsibility for the Gaza genocide over the last two and a half years.
The lies they perpetrated to justify Israel's genocide of the Palestinians and they're. And then taking it forward even further with this Iranian war.
America has to face accountability. Israel must face accountability. And the people know this.
But. So I hope that they capitulate to that.
[00:08:23] Speaker B: Yeah, of course. The propaganda system used to be so strong in the United States that, that the Americans, ordinary Americans, could never have known of a genocide in Gaza, say. But we know that social media, other avenues have managed to educate the American youth specifically about what was happening in Gaza, supported by the United States, the European Union and Britain to slaughter so many tens of thousands of people.
How does it work in the military? How do they keep the information from the military from understanding why they are.
It could be invading Iran or it could be targeting schools and hospitals in Iran.
[00:09:09] Speaker C: When I was in the military from 2000 to 2004, the Internet was not as prolific as it is today. I've talked to plenty of people who are in the military since then and there's a lot more ability to connect with family members even when you're overseas.
So I would imagine that there is also Internet access to social media as well.
I do understand the military is pretty tight in certain times to, you know, limit expo, you know, limits leaking information that would be important to, to keep private.
But I would think people are able to Access social media, catch wind of cultural trends and more of these anti war sentiments. And so I wonder if that is having an effect and causing American troops to question what we're doing in Iran. I know there's a conscientious objection as a policy within the American military and I do encourage people who do object this war to use your right in that way confidently and reach out and find an organization that could support you in those efforts.
[00:10:26] Speaker B: Yeah, you were in Camp Lejeune in Iraq, had its fair share of scandals, of course, the Mahmoudak detainee abuse scandal. Hilario Pantano, you probably know all those scandals. What does it feel like now to HEAR that the U.S. embassy in Iraq has been bombed? I think it's one of the biggest US embassies abroad in the world.
To hear about US assets being destroyed in the early days in the first couple of weeks of the war as retaliation for the strikes on Iran.
[00:10:56] Speaker C: Devastating to hear as well as devastating to know that I participated in the devastation of Iraq as a whole.
Devastating to meet an Iraqi citizen during my Freedom flotilla stint in the Istanbul. This man was 30 years old and he looked at me in the eye, said I'm tired. He's been active with emergency services.
He's met isis who looked red haired, white skinned, German family, and he assisted their young children. Which is speaking to how ISIS is an international group, you know, recruited from all around to fill their ranks.
And it is an artificial group that is falsely representing the large community of Israel, Muslims across the globe to show that they are extremists. Part of the propaganda tool.
This Iraqi man talked about his humanitarian efforts was trying to rebuild his community. He had an art museum. He is connected with a large donor and he uses those funds to build bathrooms in Gaza. He had already been active in Sudan, Southern Sudan, northern Sudan, and making trips and bringing people who need medical attention back to hospitals in cities nearby.
And so while I'm devastated that there's violence affecting US infrastructure in Iraq, it begs the question, why are we there in the first place and what happened before this?
And so this all has to be understood by everybody and American people are smart enough to handle this. It's just egregious that our government tries to hide all the large picture from us and tries to funnel us into believing that these wars are justified.
[00:12:53] Speaker B: Yeah. And Israel, for its part, is involved in because this is a United States, Israeli project. War in Iran.
What's it felt like for you watching what's been happening in the west bank where you have actually Been.
After you retired as a soldier, what's it like learning of what Israel is doing to the West Bank?
I mean, now you're safe in North
[00:13:16] Speaker C: Carolina, it's tremendously troubling.
It hurts.
It drives me to do what I'm doing now. When I was in the West Bank, I personally witnessed a lot of settler violence.
You know, those settlers had security provided by their military.
It is so apparent. If anybody were to visit there, you could see the, the apartheid government, the unjust, fair, unfair laws, the pain endured by the Palestinians, the impunity enjoyed by the Israelis and their settlers youth, the sadness that these youth are being exploited to perpetrate violence, to harass and evacuate and ethnically cleanse the West Bank.
So seeing it firsthand, seeing it through social media, painful pictures and videos of children being killed, weeping families, children losing their parents.
Myself as a parent of four young children, when I lean into loving them and kissing them and caring for them, my heart can't help but picture and feel the loss of Palestinians who have had their children stolen from them. Or to imagine my kids losing their children, at least losing their families.
[00:14:44] Speaker B: Sergeant Brian McGinnis. I'll have to stop you there. More from the U.S. marine Corps veteran and 2026 U.S. senate candidate after this.
Welcome back to Going Underground. I'm still here with U.S. marine Corps veteran and Green Party candidate for the U.S. senate, Sergeant Brian McGinnis. Sergeant, you were telling me about your feelings in watching the devastation of the west bank since Trump started bombing Tehran.
I mean, what do you feel when you watch Pete Hegsett, the putative head of the Pentagon, who would have been your boss, I guess, if you'd still been in the Marines?
The way he describes being in the military and what war is like for him, a holy war against Islam.
[00:15:37] Speaker C: I think he's a mouthpiece, spreading propaganda, trying to capture the naivete of young youth that are very wise in the world and using a soul narrative to emotionally encourage them or emotionally push them towards fighting an unjust war. And I, I find it unacceptable. I don't think he has the respect of generals, true military types. I just think he's such a.
I really don't have any respect for him whatsoever.
[00:16:16] Speaker B: Even though he, of course, was a veteran. Veteran too.
[00:16:19] Speaker C: That's fine.
There is good and bad people in every aspect of this world.
You know, I'm a veteran. I'm, I'm not a saint.
I will put myself forward in this, this cause and judge me how you will. I will judge Pete Hegseth as I Will and I don't think he is a good person.
[00:16:41] Speaker B: Well, there were certainly some investigations about his trades ahead of the decision to start bombing Iran.
His financial traits. I know that Goldman Sachs, top Goldman Sachs executive actually said it's in the FT here. Goldman clients glad for Iran diversion.
I mean that.
And obviously thousands have been killed, a million displaced in Lebanon. What do you feel about the financial dimension to this war? Who's making the money out of the war?
[00:17:17] Speaker C: It saddens me that people are struggling in Lebanon and Gaza, in the west bank, in Sudan, in Iran, in Congo.
And it infuriates me that politicians like Hegseth and everybody else profit off of it. It infuriates me. It is a dagger to know these people are suffering and it's a twist to know that people are profiting off of it. And it's encouraged me and motivates me to want to get into politics myself and change this selfish, disgusting dynamic of our government, of our American government officials.
[00:17:53] Speaker B: And what did you think when Joe Kent resigned saying in his letter that's the former director of counterterror in the Trump administration saying that this war on Iran was for Israel sympathies with him.
[00:18:10] Speaker C: I wholeheartedly appreciate his bravery and stepping up and stating that to, to disregard his statements as a 11 tour long term veteran, well accomplished who has sacrificed and lost his wife to the cause, to question his character and question his statements against Donald Trump, a businessman, a part of the Epstein class is baffling to me.
The American people, the globe should be able to make this a right decision and choose the right side on this one.
[00:18:48] Speaker B: I mean Trump said he didn't know anything about security actually and that other commentators I think perhaps on the Murdoch Fox News was saying these are anti Semitic tropes.
[00:18:59] Speaker C: There is anti Semitism in this world and I never wish for Jews to ever be persecuted. I don't want anybody to be persecuted. But Jews themselves know that anti Semitism is being used to smear people just to avoid accountability for this Gaza genocide and try to avoid any accountability. The state of Israel is at fault for all these horrible murders and death and this proliferation of war just for land stealing. So I want to just split that hair and know that Jews are being exploited and they are speaking out against this and those are the voices that we must rally around and champion.
[00:19:42] Speaker B: I know you can't talk about the actual protest in Congress specifics but you did say that the corporate legacy media go to infinite lengths to project false narratives. What did you mean by that? Were you surprised by the way they.
I don't know whether you feel they twisted the coverage of the actual events and the dramatic visuals of Capitol Police of them breaking your arm in. In Congress.
[00:20:10] Speaker C: Well, I'm 44 years old. I've seen how stories get expressed or told on the media. And there's a lot of ways you can change the meaning of things. And I just hope that my genuineness and authenticity came through. I'm serious about wanting the soldiers, sailors, marines and airmen to not go into harm's way for lies of the Epstein class. And that's why I spoke up. I am a veteran myself. I know the brutality of war and the random nature of its devastation.
And once it's enacted, there's no telling what it will destroy. And so it's a criminal. It's criminal to employ the United States military for these lies. And that's why I'm speaking out. It's for humanity and it's the only thing. It's for the right reasons. And that's what I hope people will believe and that will win out, no matter what type of slant they tried to put on me. I know that Senator Sheehy disingenuously said, I hope he gets the help he needs without causing further violence.
That was very disingenuous. And I hope to prove that I am not unhinged and I am a very reasonable and compassionate person that has serious concerns that's shared by millions of Americans. And we want our voices heard above our government at this time.
[00:21:44] Speaker B: And what would you say to Rupert Murdoch's journalist, the New York Post, of course, saying you broke your own arm? And what would you say to, I don't know, the people who work at CBS News now under the new Ellison regime of Zionism?
[00:21:59] Speaker C: I would say that that's a lie.
I was resist. I was holding my ground to speak my First Amendment right. And I hold my expression and my rights to do that very seriously as an American, especially as a combat veteran who's fought for this very constitutional right. And so expressing myself is my right. And I did not purposely, you know, stick my arm there to be stuck. My hand was stuck. And their over aggressive measures or actions to pull me out of there was the cause for my arm to break.
And that's what I have to say to anybody in regards to. To that.
[00:22:45] Speaker B: I mean, clearly in Iraq you probably never saw false flags. But given that the United States people are coming to your side as regards their views of how Israel dominates American foreign policy, how fearful should we be of false flags from Israel as they try to drag the United States further into wars in the Middle east and West Asia.
[00:23:10] Speaker C: I don't ever like to use the word fear, but I think we should have great concern and stay very aware and, and recognize that there's a great chance there could be some false flag event to happen to wipe the American public of rational thinking. Throw them into a fearful state. There I just use that word. But.
And just motivate them or push them into a war mentality.
And so I think it's important that we use the evidence of the past.
A great example is the USS Liberty. I just had the honor to listen to Staff Sergeant Lockwood who was a survivor from the USS Liberty and spoke about the horrible attacks they had and the ignoring of their cries for help by the United States government in efforts to take care of the US Israel allyship. And to think that they sacrificed American sailors and Marines lives just for optics amongst two allied countries.
It shows the depravity of our leadership even at that time by the President Lyndon Johnson.
And it must be recognized that this evil takes place at the tops of our ranks. And we can't wait around to let the big media groups tell us what is. We have to make our own minds up and stand against these evil forces that have somehow found their ways at the top of our leadership. And we must not wait for their permission, but just know in our hearts and trust our eyes and ears to know better. Trump has been indicted on many accounts of, you know, sexual predatory behavior. We don't need convictions to prove he is a, a man of low character, of no character at all. Same with many others that, that invest in profit off of wars and had their own pockets. So American people are waking up and we must have initiative in standing up and saving our own country. That's the only way America is going to survive this.
[00:25:31] Speaker B: And just finally, you're going for the Senate seat for North Carolina in November. Many people expecting Trump to lose the Senate, in which case he may well be impeached. Your opponents, Roy Cooper is a Democrat. Michael Whatley for the Republicans.
I mean, Whatley is receiving money from Israel supporting groups. Roy Cooper as well.
How does that work? Just finally and very briefly and can you defeat the Israeli money in the election you'll be facing for the seat in North Carolina to become the Senator this autumn, this fall?
[00:26:09] Speaker C: I believe I will.
And defeat is not an option.
Mike Whatley is receiving ironically less money from AIPAC than Governor Cooper is. Governor Cooper is receiving 300,000. Mike Wiley is either receiving 6,000 or 60,000.
Either way, they have already shown that they are Israel first by accepting that money. We all know that their foreign policy will be led by AIPAC or by Israel. I'm a Green Party member. Like I stated before, we do not accept any money from any corporate donors or pack money. And so that allows us to serve the people.
My opponent, Governor Roy Cooper, has already denounced this resolution number one, which would mean America stopped funding Israel arm, stop arming Israel. And the state Democratic Party has worked very hard to pass that bill and he and the governor, Josh Stein, are already saying they will reject that. So there's proof that the Democratic representative will not listen to his party. So I encourage those people to come to the Green Party and believe in me and the Republicans. I think we all know with having Trump endorse him, you're going to get the, you know what you're going to get with him. So this is the time to be brave with your vote. Don't follow the narrative that you're throwing your vote away by voting third party.
We've known what the duopoly, the Republicans and Democrats have brought us into this mess.
So why repeat that same step? They've lost their trust. So thank you so much.
[00:27:45] Speaker B: Sergeant Brian McGinnis.
[00:27:46] Speaker C: Yes, sir.
Be safe.
[00:27:49] Speaker B: Thank you.
That's it for our show. Continued condolences to all those bereaved by today's NATO wars. NATO nation wars of aggression. We'll be back on Saturday for continuing coverage of the Trump Netanyahu war in Iran. Until then, keep in touch via all our social media, if it's not censored in your country. And head to our channel going undergroundtv on rumble.com, to watch new and old episodes of Going Underground. See you Saturday.
