Ask a Pol politics

Who?Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA) — Vice Chair, Senate Intelligence CommitteeAsk a Pol asks:Is Anthropic’s new Mythos AI model on your radar? Has full Intelligence Committee had any classified briefing on it?Key Warner:“Preemption makes sense, but only if you’ve got strong guardrails,” Sen. Mark Warner exclusively tells Ask a Pol Politics. “But I mean, we don’t even have a federal law yet.”Find Ask a Pol on YouTube, TikTok or Instagram!Consider chipping in to support our independent journalism —Venmo, PayPal, Cash App — or just buy us a beer!Caught our ear:“You don’t even have a federal law on — perhaps I don’t know — federal law on social media,” Warner tells us.TRANSCRIPT: Sen. Mark Warner (4-29-2026)SCENE: Ask a Pol’s Matt Laslo corners Sen. Mark Warner about artificial intelligence as he awaits an underground Senate tram.Matt Laslo: “How much is [Anthropic’s new] Mythos AI model on your radar?”Mark Warner: “A lot.”ML: “Have you guys had a hearing on it in Intel?”Warner shakes head.ML: “What’s your biggest fear? Like, are we ready for it?”MW: “Thank goodness there was a, you know, a company that was open. I’m not sure every AI company would have been this responsible in terms of timing of release.”ML: “Yeah?”ICYMI — Ask a Pol founder Matt Laslo’s latest AI featureMW: “For me, it raises a huge amount of questions about, you know, who can we rely on before this gets released into the wild? On a number of these issues.”ML: “And yet here on the other side of the aisle, they're still talking preemption of state laws with a federal bill?”MW: “Again, over a long-term basis, I've always said, you know, well, preemption makes sense, but only if you've got strong guardrails.”ML: “Yeah? But I mean, we don’t even have a federal law yet.”MW: “We don’t even have a federal law on privacy!”ML: “I know!”MW: “We don’t even have a federal law on social media!”Warner’s about to enter a tram car.ML: “My data privacy — Section 230 coverage — for WIRED, from like 2019 is quoted in like 30 law reviews: Harvard, Cornell, etc. — just because no one else was f*cking covering it! And they still aren’t.”About Ask a Pol: We give listeners a front row seat to Congress. Transparency matters, so come inside the Capitol with us! Politicians disappoint. Ask a Pol keeps em honest. Find us on social media:SubstackXSpotifyAppleDon’t miss our other Ask a Pol sites! Ask a Pol politics.Ask a Pol crypto. Ask a Pol drugs. Ask a Pol ai. Ask a Pol uaps. Find Ask a Pol founder @MattLaslo on social media.PSA: Student? Unemployed? Underemployed?Ping us for a free VIP subscription. No questions asked. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.askapolpolitics.com/subscribe

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez tells Ask a Pol Politics founder Matt Laslo that while she supports descheduling marijuana because it reduces harm, it still leaves untouched the deeper injustice of people whose lives were damaged by the war on drugs. Her argument is that legalization should not just enrich the same people who profited before while leaving criminalized communities behind.About Ask a Pol: We give listeners a front row seat to Congress. Transparency matters, so come inside the Capitol with us! Politicians disappoint. Ask a Pol keeps em honest. Find us on social media:SubstackXSpotifyAppleDon’t miss our other Ask a Pol sites! Ask a Pol politics.Ask a Pol crypto. Ask a Pol drugs. Ask a Pol ai. Ask a Pol uaps. Find Ask a Pol founder @MattLaslo on social media. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.askapolpolitics.com/subscribe

Podcast Show Notes:Visit Ask a Pol ~ asking your lawmakers your questions at your US Capitol ~ Let us know what to ask next!In our latest episode — Rep. Derrick Van Orden (R-WI) fires back at the premise that Republicans need to retool ahead of the midterms, telling Ask a Pol Politics the only thing needing a retool is the “legacy media” that “intentionally reports falsehoods.” He then touts GOP tax bill wins: a $50B rural healthcare bond, 89% of seniors paying zero taxes on Social Security, and a $15M death tax exclusion to protect family farms.Who?Rep. Derrick Van Orden (R-WI) — U.S. Army Special Forces veteranAsk a Pol asks:Republicans are at record low approval ratings — should GOP leaders retool the agenda ahead of the midterms?Key Van Orden:“The only thing that needs to be retooled is the legacy media that consistently and intentionally reports falsehoods about the Republican Party or ignores our wins,” Rep. Derrick Van Orden exclusively told Ask a Pol Politics. “That’s what needs to be retooled.”TRANSCRIPT: Rep. Derrick Van Orden (4-22-2026)Matt Laslo: “...with record low approval ratings — do you think you guys [should retool]?”Rep. Derrick Van Orden: “Me?”Laslo: “No, just for Congress.”Van Orden: “Oh, I don’t know. But should you guys retool? Should Republican leaders — should we — what? Retool it all ahead of the midterms or—”Laslo: “What’s that mean? Retool your focus. Retool the agenda.”Van Orden: “The only thing that needs to be retooled is the legacy media that consistently and intentionally reports falsehoods about the Republican Party or ignores our wins. That’s what needs to be retooled.”Laslo: “They’re terrible. Really. Yeah.”Van Orden: “You get money back?”Laslo: “No.”Van Orden: “Guess what? On average, the American public individually and by family got back thousands and thousands of dollars they never got back. You know why? Because they wanted to get rid of the bill.”Laslo: “Yeah. There’s a $50 billion rural healthcare infrastructure bond.”Van Orden: “It’s the greatest expenditure on rural healthcare in the history of the country. 89% of all seniors are going to pay zero taxes on their social security.”Laslo: “Yeah.”Van Orden: “What about the farmers hurting? $15 million per person exclusion for federal taxes for the death tax to save family farms.”Laslo: “Yeah, that’s all there.”Van Orden: “Appreciate you. Stay dry.” This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.askapolpolitics.com/subscribe

Visit Ask a Pol ~ asking your lawmakers your questions at your US Capitol ~ Let us know what to ask next!In this episode, House Judiciary Ranking Member Rep. Jamie Raskin decries Trump’s alleged violations of the emoluments clause from the Capitol steps, telling Ask a Pol Politics that Trump has never sought Congress’s consent for the millions he collected in his first term — and that the number has now grown into the hundreds of millions in his second.About Ask a Pol: We give listeners a front row seat to Congress. Transparency matters, so come inside the Capitol with us! Politicians disappoint. Ask a Pol keeps em honest. Find us on social media:SubstackXSpotifyAppleDon’t miss our other Ask a Pol sites! Ask a Pol politics.Ask a Pol crypto. Ask a Pol drugs. Ask a Pol ai. Ask a Pol uaps. Find Ask a Pol founder @MattLaslo on social media.  This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.askapolpolitics.com/subscribe

‘Knows he’s a joke’: Capitol Hill goes nuclear on Hegseth after mid-war ‘score-settling’About Ask a Pol: We give listeners a front row seat to Congress. Transparency matters, so come inside the Capitol with us! Politicians disappoint. Ask a Pol keeps em honest. Find us on social media:SubstackXSpotifyAppleDon’t miss our other Ask a Pol sites! Ask a Pol politics.Ask a Pol crypto. Ask a Pol drugs. Ask a Pol ai. Ask a Pol uaps. Find Ask a Pol founder @MattLaslo on social media. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.askapolpolitics.com/subscribe

Who?Rep. Robert Garcia (D-CA) — Ranking Member, House Oversight CommitteeAsk a Pol asks:Do you think there’s any chance Pam Bondi actually gets held in contempt? You’re trying to move those charges — but the DOJ is still run by her top deputy.Key Garcia:“We filed civil contempt charges because obviously her own DOJ is not going to probably go after her,” Rep. Robert Garcia exclusively told Ask a Pol Politics. “But we believe through the courts there would be some success.”45 minutes after you announced the civil charges, Comer announces a date. Interesting timing.“We had heard nothing from the DOJ, nothing from Pam Bondi’s counsel,” Garcia said. “It’s been two weeks since she missed her first actual deposition. So we’re glad there’s finally a date. That’s all we wanted.”Caught our ear:“If she appears, we’re obviously not moving forward with contempt,” Garcia tells us.Do you think she’ll show up?“She didn’t show up for her first one, so we’ll wait and see,” Garcia said. “She needs to show up.”What’s Congress missing?Let us know and we’ll let them know!TRANSCRIPT: Rep. Robert Garcia (4-29-2026)SCENE: Ahead of a vote, House Oversight Committee Ranking Member Robert Garcia makes time for the TV cameras lined up at the base of the Capitol steps.Do you think there’s any chance that former Attorney General Pam Bondi actually gets held in contempt? I mean, you’re trying to move those charges at this point, but the DOJ is still run by her top deputy.Rep. Robert Garcia: “Well, I mean, look — first, I think that we filed civil contempt charges, because obviously her own DOJ is not going to probably go after her. But we believe through the courts there would be some success.Support independent journalism!Find us on Venmo, PayPal, Cash App — or just buy the team a beer.Garcia: “And look, they’ve actually set the date — 45 minutes after we announced the civil charges, [House Oversight Committee Chair James] Comer announces a date, and so I think that the timing is interesting.“We had heard nothing from the DOJ, nothing from Pam Bondi’s counsel, it’s been two weeks since she missed her first actual deposition and so we’re glad there’s finally a date. That’s all we wanted. And so if she appears, we’re obviously not moving forward with contempt.”Do you think she’ll show up?Garcia: “She didn’t show up for her first one, so we’ll wait and see. She needs to show up.”Ask a Pol AI Disclosure:Ask a Pol’s playing around with as many new AI tools as we can, so this small, unfunded startup can compete in today’s new media landscape. (generative) AI isn’t tomorrow’s tech — it’s yesterday’s…About Ask a Pol: We give listeners a front row seat to Congress. Transparency matters, so come inside the Capitol with us! Politicians disappoint. Ask a Pol keeps em honest. Find us on social media:SubstackXSpotifyAppleDon’t miss our other Ask a Pol sites! Ask a Pol politics.Ask a Pol crypto. Ask a Pol drugs. Ask a Pol ai. Ask a Pol uaps. Find Ask a Pol founder @MattLaslo on social media. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.askapolpolitics.com/subscribe

Who?Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL)Ask a Pol asks:What do you make of the first lady’s call to have public hearings with the Epstein survivors — and how do you broach that with GOP leaders?Key Luna:“I actually had been encouraging that,” Rep. Anna Paulina Luna tells Ask a Pol Politics.But there are obstacles?“The Department of Justice gave plea deals to people that they knew were trafficking people, and so there is no justice for the victims,” Luna says. “Ghislaine Maxwell should not be the only one sitting in prison.”Full video of interview & transcript at Ask a Pol Politics on SubstackAbout Ask a Pol: We give listeners a front row seat to Congress. Transparency matters, so come inside the Capitol with us! Politicians disappoint. Ask a Pol keeps em honest. Find us on social media:SubstackXSpotifyAppleDon’t miss our other Ask a Pol sites! Ask a Pol politics.Ask a Pol crypto. Ask a Pol drugs. Ask a Pol ai. Ask a Pol uaps. Find Ask a Pol founder @MattLaslo on social media.  This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.askapolpolitics.com/subscribe

Who?Joe Rogan — Oval Office, White HouseKey Rogan:“We have a gigantic opiate problem in this country, obviously. In 2024, more than 80,000 people died of overdoses. It’s a horrible number. And there’s more than 5 million people that are addicted to opiates right now in this country,” Rogan said at the White House. “With one dose of ibogaine, more than 80% of people are free of that addiction. With two doses, it’s more than 90%.”Caught our ear:“These drugs are illegal not because they’re harmful — they’re illegal because of the 1970 Controlled Substances Act that was passed by the Richard Nixon administration,” Rogan tells us. “They did it to target the civil rights movement and the anti-war movement. It’s not because these drugs harm people.”Below find a rough transcript of Joe Rogan’s statement at the Oval Office, slightly edited for clarity.What should we ask federal policymakers next?TRANSCRIPT: Joe Rogan at the White House (4-18-2026)SCENE: On Saturday, Joe Rogan joined President Donald Trump and Health and Human Services Secretary RFK Jr. in the Oval Office to unveil the new, Accelerating Medical Treatments for Serious Mental Illness Executive Order, which encourages research into federally-illegal psychedelics.Joe Rogan: “I’ll tell everybody how this happened. I sent President Trump some information. We have a gigantic opiate problem in this country, obviously. In 2024, more than 80,000 people died of overdoses. It’s a horrible number. And there’s more than 5 million people that are addicted to opiates right now in this country.Rogan cont’d: “With one dose of ibogaine, more than 80% of people are free of that addiction. With two doses, it’s more than 90%. I sent him that information. The text message that came back: ‘Sounds great. Do you want FDA approval? Let’s do it.’ Literally that quick.Rogan cont’d: “These drugs are illegal not because they’re harmful — they’re illegal because of the 1970 Controlled Substances Act that was passed by the Richard Nixon administration. They did it to target the civil rights movement and the anti-war movement. It’s not because these drugs harm people.”About Ask a Pol: We give listeners a front row seat to Congress. Transparency matters, so come inside the Capitol with us! Politicians disappoint. Ask a Pol keeps em honest. Find us on social media:SubstackXSpotifyAppleDon’t miss our other Ask a Pol sites! Ask a Pol politics.Ask a Pol crypto. Ask a Pol drugs. Ask a Pol ai. Ask a Pol uaps. Find Ask a Pol founder @MattLaslo on social media.  This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.askapolpolitics.com/subscribe

Who?Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY)Ask a Pol asks:Is there momentum behind this latest push to close Rikers Island?Key AOC:“I mean, we’ve been pushing to close Rikers for quite some time now,” Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez exclusively tells Ask a Pol Politics.About Ask a Pol: We give listeners a front row seat to Congress. Transparency matters, so come inside the Capitol with us! Politicians disappoint. Ask a Pol keeps em honest. Find us on social media:SubstackXSpotifyAppleDon’t miss our other Ask a Pol sites! Ask a Pol politics.Ask a Pol crypto. Ask a Pol drugs. Ask a Pol ai. Ask a Pol uaps. Find Ask a Pol founder @MattLaslo on social media.  This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.askapolpolitics.com/subscribe

Who?Sen. Roger Marshall (R-KS) — Obstetrician & gynecologist by trade**one of four doctors in the US SenateAsk a Pol asks:Is TrumpRX working — and could a future Democrat expand it into socialized medicine?Key Marshall:“Indeed it is working and it’s not perfect. It doesn’t cover every drug, but people are seeing some significant savings, maybe 50, 70, 80 in some instances,” Sen. Roger Marshall exclusively tells Ask a Pol Politics. “I think there’s a downside to everything that the government does to get involved.”Caught our ear:“The real problem is the pharmacy benefit managers. Three of them are controlling 80% of the industry. They’re taking at least 58 cents on every dollar,” Marshall tells us. “That’s the real riddle that we need to solve up here.”Below find a rough transcript of Ask a Pol’s exclusive interview with Sen. Roger Marshall (R-KS), slightly edited for clarity.TRANSCRIPT Sen. Roger Marshall (3-26-2026)SCENE: During a vote in the US Senate, Ask a Pol’s Matt Laslo sees Sen. Roger Marshall hurrying through the basement of the Capitol, so he quickens his pace and proceeds to hop the Senator’s elevator up to the Senate floor.Matt Laslo: Have you been able to look at TrumpRX? Or do you get any feedback from constituents? Do you think it’s working?EXCLUSIVE SUBSCRIBER-ONLY CONTENTPSA: Student? Unemployed? Underemployed?Ping us for a free VIP subscription. No questions asked.Sen. Roger Marshall: I do. I’ve actually visited multiple community pharmacists across the state of Kansas.Laslo: Nice.Marshall: And indeed it is working, and — it’s not perfect…Laslo: Yeah?Marshall: It doesn’t cover every drug, but people are seeing some significant savings, maybe, 50%, 70%, 80% in some instances.Laslo: Do you think…?They approach a Senators Only elevator.Senate attendant: I’ll get out. I’m in your way here.Laslo: Are you worried…?Laslo sees a closer elevator.Laslo to the Senator: Want this one?The Senator keeps walking to the further elevator.Laslo: Are you worried at all that if a Dem takes over the White House that they could expand that and this becomes socialized medicine or…?Marshall: Yeah. I think there’s a downside to everything that the government does to get involved. But certainly, the cost of prescription drugs is a huge concern for folks back home. The real problem is the pharmacy benefit managers. Three of them are controlling 80% of the industry. They’re taking at least 58 cents on every dollar. That’s the real riddle that we need to solve up here.Laslo: Yep. Thank you, sir.The Senator walks towards the Senate floor to vote.About Ask a Pol: We give listeners a front row seat to Congress. Transparency matters, so come inside the Capitol with us! Politicians disappoint. Ask a Pol keeps em honest. Find us on social media:SubstackXSpotifyAppleDon’t miss our other Ask a Pol sites! Ask a Pol politics.Ask a Pol crypto. Ask a Pol drugs. Ask a Pol ai. Ask a Pol uaps. Find Ask a Pol founder @MattLaslo on social media.  This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.askapolpolitics.com/subscribe

Who?Rep. Becca Balint (D-VT) — Vice Ranking Member, House Judiciary CommitteeAsk a Pol asks:Are Republicans hypocrites for hammering Democrats on socialism while the Trump administration takes equity stakes in private companies like Intel?Key Balint:“He’s using the words, you know, “socialism,” “communism,” “leftist” as rhetoric against us — and yet there are so many things happening in this administration that to any, like, sober outside observer would be like, that actually smacks of socialism,” Rep. Becca Balint exclusively tells Ask a Pol Politics. “It’s an interesting paradox.”About Ask a Pol: We give listeners a front row seat to Congress. Transparency matters, so come inside the Capitol with us! Politicians disappoint. Ask a Pol keeps em honest. Find us on social media:SubstackXSpotifyAppleDon’t miss our other Ask a Pol sites! Ask a Pol politics.Ask a Pol crypto. Ask a Pol drugs. Ask a Pol ai. Ask a Pol uaps. Find Ask a Pol founder @MattLaslo on social media.  This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.askapolpolitics.com/subscribe

Who?Rep. Andy Harris (R-MD) — Chair, House Freedom CaucusAsk a Pol asks:Is the Trump administration taking a 10% stake in Intel and grabbing 15% of profits from chip manufacturers socialism from the right?Key Harris:“Generally, I’m not supportive,” Freedom Caucus Chair Rep. Andy Harris exclusively tells Ask a Pol Politics of the Trump administration’s moves to take a stake in Intel. “But I don’t know enough about these specifics to make a call.”Caught our ear:“I haven’t put much thought into it, be honest with you,” Harris tells Ask a Pol Politics. “We’ve got other issues.”Find Ask a Pol on YouTube, TikTok or Instagram!Below find a rough transcript of Ask a Pol Politics’ exclusive interview with House Freedom Caucus Chair Rep. Andy Harris (R-MD), slightly edited for clarity.TRANSCRIPT: Rep. Andy Harris (3-27-2026)SCENE: Ask a Pol founder Matt Laslo catches up with House Freedom Caucus Chair Rep. Andy Harris at the US Capitol.Matt Laslo: Any worries about the Trump administration taking a 10% stake in Intel, getting 15% of profits from a couple of these chip manufacturers?Rep. Andy Harris: You know, I haven’t put much thought into it, be honest with you. We’ve got, you know, we’ve got other issues.ML: Yeah.Harris: And I’m no expert in that, so I’ll leave that to other people.ML: Isn’t it a little bit like socialism from the right though?Harris: Again, you know, I don’t — I don’t know the specifics of the deal. Generally, I’m not supportive, but I don’t know enough about these specifics to make a call.ML: Yeah.About Ask a Pol: We give listeners a front row seat to Congress. Transparency matters, so come inside the Capitol with us! Politicians disappoint. Ask a Pol keeps em honest. Find us on social media:SubstackXSpotifyAppleDon’t miss our other Ask a Pol sites! Ask a Pol politics.Ask a Pol crypto. Ask a Pol drugs. Ask a Pol ai. Ask a Pol uaps. Find Ask a Pol founder @MattLaslo on social media.  This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.askapolpolitics.com/subscribe

Who?Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) — Ranking Member, House Committee on Oversight and AccountabilityAsk a Pol asks:What do you make of your Republican colleagues standing by Trump’s mental acuity and saying you should have done this commission for Biden?Key Raskin:“I’d say they are in a distinct minority in the country. Look, I am for the body called for by the 25th Amendment as a standing permanent body for every president — Democrat, Republican, independent,” Rep. Jamie Raskin exclusively tells Ask a Pol.Caught our ear:“The Republicans refuse to deal with this as a serious constitutional question. And that’s sad,” Raskin tells us.What should we ask Congress next?Below find a rough transcript of Ask a Pol’s exclusive interview with Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD), slightly edited for clarity.TRANSCRIPT: Rep. Jamie Raskin (4-15-2026)SCENE: Ask a Pol’s Matt Laslo catches Rep. Jamie Raskin as he’s walking up the steps of the Capitol to vote on the floor of the US House of Representatives.Matt Laslo: “What do you make of your Republican colleagues standing by Trump’s mental acuity and saying you should have done this commission for Biden?”Jamie Raskin: “I’d say they are in a distinct minority in the country. Look, I am for the body called for by the 25th Amendment as a standing permanent body for every president — Democrat, Republican, Independent. The Republicans refuse to deal with this as a serious constitutional question. And that’s sad.”About Ask a Pol: We give listeners a front row seat to Congress. Transparency matters, so come inside the Capitol with us! Politicians disappoint. Ask a Pol keeps em honest. Find us on social media:SubstackXSpotifyAppleDon’t miss our other Ask a Pol sites! Ask a Pol politics.Ask a Pol crypto. Ask a Pol drugs. Ask a Pol ai. Ask a Pol uaps. Find Ask a Pol founder @MattLaslo on social media.  This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.askapolpolitics.com/subscribe

Who?Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-MA) — Member, AOC’s “Squad”Ask a Pol asks:Isn’t it curious how congressional Republicans are falling in line behind President Donald Trump even as he’s taking 10% of Intel, taking 15% of profits from American chip makers and rolling out TrumpRX, which many on the right hypocritically fear is dangerously close to “socialized” medicine? Key Pressley:“No, it’s not curious why they are,” Rep. Ayanna Pressley exclusively tells Ask a Pol Politics. “They are because he’s unleashed a politic of retribution and grievance, and they’re more concerned with keeping their jobs. They’re not focused on future generations or being on the right side of history; they’re just trying to keep a seat.” Find Ask a Pol on YouTube, TikTok or Instagram!Caught our ear:“They don’t want to be in the sideline and retire,” Pressley tells Ask a Pol. “History repeats itself.”Below find a rough transcript of Ask a Pol Politics‘ exclusive interview with Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-MA), slightly edited for clarity.TRANSCRIPT: Rep. Ayanna Pressley (3-26-2026)SCENE: Ask a Pol founder Matt Laslo catches up with Squad member Rep. Ayanna Pressley as she’s about to enter the US Capitol to cast her vote on the floor of the US House of Representatives.Matt Laslo: No, it’s not curious why they are?Rep. Ayanna Pressley: They are because he’s at least a policy of retribution and grievance and they’re more concerned with keeping their jobs. They’re not sold to some future generations or being on the right side of history, they’re just trying to keep a seat. They don’t want to be in the sideline of desire, you know?ML: So it’s just pathetic.Pressley: History repeats itself.About Ask a Pol: We give listeners a front row seat to Congress. Transparency matters, so come inside the Capitol with us! Politicians disappoint. Ask a Pol keeps em honest. Find us on social media:SubstackXSpotifyAppleDon’t miss our other Ask a Pol sites! Ask a Pol politics.Ask a Pol crypto. Ask a Pol drugs. Ask a Pol ai. Ask a Pol uaps. Find Ask a Pol founder @MattLaslo on social media.  This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.askapolpolitics.com/subscribe

Who?Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) — US Senate Armed Services CommitteeAsk a Pol asks:What do you make of President Donald Trump publicly calling out America’s NATO allies — including threats to withhold Pentagon support in future conflicts — after European countries refused to send military support to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz?Key Kaine:“He’s been non-stop screwing around with NATO allies during his whole time in office — imposing tariffs on them, threatening to invade a NATO ally. It is international relations 101 that after you’ve kicked people around, when you suddenly ask them to help you out, they’re not going to be that interested,” Sen. Tim Kaine exclusively tells Ask a Pol Politics.Find Ask a Pol on YouTube, TikTok or Instagram!Caught our ear:“If the president was full-throated in his support of Ukraine, that might be a more powerful argument — instead, the Europeans are looking at this going, wait a minute,” Kaine tells us.Below find a rough transcript of Ask a Pol‘s exclusive interview with Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA), slightly edited for clarity.TRANSCRIPT: Sen. Tim KaineSCENE: As Sen. Tim Kaine was making his way to the Senate floor to vote via the US Capitol’s basement, Ask a Pol’s Matt Laslo started walking with him before hopping a Senators Only elevator with the senior member of the powerful and largely bipartisan Senate Armed Services Committee.Matt Laslo: What do you make of President Donald Trump threatening to ditch America’s NATO allies in future conflicts because they have refused to help provide the naval support to reopen the Strait of Hormuz?Sen. Tim Kaine: “He’s been non-stop screwing around with NATO allies during his whole time in office.”ML: “Yeah?”Kaine: “Imposing tariffs on them, threatening to invade a NATO ally* and, you know, it is Human Relations 101 that after you’ve kicked people around, when you suddenly ask them to help you out, they’re not going to be that interested.”*ie, GreenlandML: “Yeah?”Kaine: “So he should stop kicking them around, and then he might get more cooperation.”ML: “And the comparison between Ukraine and Iran — just the conflicts themselves?”Kaine: “Well then, if the President was full-throated in his support of Ukraine, that might be a more powerful argument.”ML: “Yeah?”Kaine: “Instead, the Europeans are looking and going, ‘But wait a minute, you know, this was going on…’”ML: “Yup.”Kaine: “Biden was really supportive of Ukraine. What have you done but been equivocal about it from the very beginning?”ML: “Yeah?”Kaine: “So it’s not an argument where the President is standing on really solid ground to make an argument.”ML: “Yeah.”About Ask a Pol: We give listeners a front row seat to Congress. Transparency matters, so come inside the Capitol with us! Politicians disappoint. Ask a Pol keeps em honest. Find us on social media:SubstackXSpotifyAppleDon’t miss our other Ask a Pol sites! Ask a Pol politics.Ask a Pol crypto. Ask a Pol drugs. Ask a Pol ai. Ask a Pol uaps. Find Ask a Pol founder @MattLaslo on social media.  This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.askapolpolitics.com/subscribe

Who?Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) — Chair, House Judiciary CommitteeAsk a Pol asks:Despite Attorney General Pam Bondi attacking members of both parties who pressed her for answers on the Justice Department's bungling of the Epstein files' release, survivors at today's hearing say they still need a lot more from the government?Key Jordan:“Attorney General Bondi’s doing the best she can to comply with the law and adhere to what the court said had to happen,” Rep. Jim Jordan exclusively tells Ask a Pol Politics.Below find a rough transcript of Ask a Pol‘s exclusive interview with Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH), slightly edited for clarity.TRANSCRIPT: Rep. Jim Jordan (2-11-2026)SCENE: After Attorney General Pam Bondi testified before the House Judiciary Committee in February, Ask a Pol founder Matt Laslo caught up with the panel's fast-paced Chairman, Rep. Jim Jordan, as he scurried from the Rayburn House Office Building to the US Capitol via an underground tunnel.Matt Laslo: “How’d it go, Mr. Chair?”Rep. Jim Jordan: “Pardon?”ML: “How’d it go in there?”Jordan: “I think clear message. Just look at the District of Columbia — every category of crime is down because of the good work of the Attorney General and the Trump administration. And that’s the big contrast between this administration and the previous one. The previous one was focused on going after moms and dads and pro-life Catholics and President Trump and lawfare and on and on. This one’s focused on making sure there’s less robberies, less murder, less carjackings, particularly here in the nation’s capital. So I think that was a clear message. Democrats want to talk about everything but that. I think the American people care about that first and foremost.”ML: “What about the [Epstein] survivors saying that they still need a lot more from the government?”Jordan: “Attorney General Bondi’s doing the best she can to comply with the law and adhere to what the court said had to happen.”Reporter II: “Do you agree with the Attorney General that Thomas Massie is a hypocrite?”ML: “Thank you, sir.”Consider chipping in to support our independent journalism — Venmo, PayPal, Cash App — or just buy us a beer!About Ask a Pol: We give listeners a front row seat to Congress. Transparency matters, so come inside the Capitol with us! Politicians disappoint. Ask a Pol keeps em honest. Find us on social media:SubstackXSpotifyAppleDon’t miss our other Ask a Pol sites! Ask a Pol politics.Ask a Pol crypto. Ask a Pol drugs. Ask a Pol ai. Ask a Pol uaps. Find Ask a Pol founder @MattLaslo on social media.  This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.askapolpolitics.com/subscribe

Who?Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE) — Ranking Member, Appropriations Defense SubcommitteeAsk a Pol asks:What do you make of NATO allies being reluctant to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz after President Donald Trump and Israel attacked Iran?Key Coons:“That the President keeps disrespecting our NATO ally this way leads to the unsurprising result. Then when he didn’t consult with them before launching a war of choice with Iran, they don’t feel quite into opening the Strait of Hormuz,” Sen. Chris Coons exclusively tells Ask a Pol Politics.ICYMI — Coons, McConnell Statement on NATO (4-1-2026)Caught our ear:“The only time NATO has actually invoked Article 5 and deployed to war was in defense of us in Afghanistan. A third of the combat deaths in Afghanistan were NATO troops,” Coons tells us.What should we ask Congress next?Below find a rough transcript of Ask a Pol’s exclusive interview with Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE), slightly edited for clarity.TRANSCRIPT: Sen. Chris CoonsSCENE: Ask a Pol founder Matt Laslo sidles up to Sen. Chris Coons as he’s walking to the US Capitol via an underground tunnel along with a couple staffers ahead of a Senate vote.Once the Senator stops addressing his team, Laslo slides in…Matt Laslo: What do you make of President Donald Trump threatening to ditch America’s NATO allies in future conflicts because they have refused to help provide the naval support to reopen the Strait of Hormuz?Sen. Chris Coons: “The only time NATO has actually invoked Article 5 and deployed to war was in defense of us to Afghanistan.”ML: “Huh.”Coons: “A third of the combat deaths in Afghanistan were NATO troops. I led a bipartisan delegation to Denmark, and Sen. [Thom] Tillis and I laid a memorial wreath at the site that remembers the 52 Danes who died in combat in Afghanistan and Iraq.”ML: “Yeah?”Coons: “That the president keeps disrespecting our NATO allies this way leads to the unsurprising result that when he didn’t consult with them before launching a war of choice with Iran, they don’t feel bought into opening the Strait of Hormuz.”ML: “Thank you, sir.”With Coons moving away from his mic, Laslo repeats the last thing the Senator said.ML: “Strait of Hormuz.”About Ask a Pol: We give listeners a front row seat to Congress. Transparency matters, so come inside the Capitol with us! Politicians disappoint. Ask a Pol keeps em honest. Find us on social media:SubstackXSpotifyAppleDon’t miss our other Ask a Pol sites! Ask a Pol politics.Ask a Pol crypto. Ask a Pol drugs. Ask a Pol ai. Ask a Pol uaps. Find Ask a Pol founder @MattLaslo on social media. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.askapolpolitics.com/subscribe

Who?Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA) — Vice-chair, Senate Intelligence CommitteeAsk a Pol asks:In President Donald Trump’s cabinet meeting this week, it seemed the administration was totally blindsided by Iran’s stranglehold on the Strait of Hormuz — were they?Key Warner:“No. If they had read any intelligence, it’s obvious they would close the Strait,” Senate Intel Vice-chair Mark Warner tells Ask a Pol Politics. “Somebody didn’t read the intelligence or some of the intelligence community’s leadership is totally inept.”Caught our ear:“If you’re spending $2.4 million per missile to take down a $50,000 drone, if you’re going to do a war of choice, why in the hell wouldn’t you have had the Trump White House accept the Ukrainian drone capability that they can knock down Ukrainian or Iranian drones for under five grand a pop,” Warner tells us.TRANSCRIPT: Sen. Mark WarnerSCENE: Ask a Pol founder Matt Laslo catches Senate Intelligence Committee Vice-chair Mark Warner in the basment of the US Capitol as he’s on his way to a vote on the Senate floor.Matt Laslo: “Were they totally blindsided by the Strait warning?”Sen. Mark Warner: “No.”ML: “So, how does this…”MW: “No. If they had read any intelligence that Iran, this is one of the reasons the Iranian regime has been awful for 47 years. Why do you think somebody else hasn’t done this before, including Trump one? Because it’s obvious they would close the strait. Obvious they would hit all the Gulf nations adjacent. And if you were planning this, this is the part that I’m terrified about right now is that we are exhausting our number of interceptors.”MW: “And when you keep, it doesn’t take a lot of rocket science to realize if you’re spending $2.4 million per missile to take down a $50,000 drone, if you’re going to do a war of choice, why in the hell wouldn’t you have had the Trump White House accept the Ukrainian um, drone capability that they can knock down Ukrainian or Iranian drones for under five grand a pop.”ML: “Trump said he was surprised that US allies in the region were hit. What do you make of it then?”MW: “Somebody didn’t read the intelligence or some of the intelligence community’s leadership is totally inept.”MW: “Yeah. You know, the absurdity of what was said by some of the witnesses of maybe Tulsi Gabbard last week that the President of the United States, one of them said, the President of the United States is the only person that can determine what’s an imminent threat.”ML: “Yeah. That is totally bonkers.”MW: “Yeah. The role of the intelligence community is to speak truth to power and provide them with their most honest assessment of how close the bad guys are to being a real threat. It’s not the President of the United States’ responsibility to do that.”About Ask a Pol: We give listeners a front row seat to Congress. Transparency matters, so come inside the Capitol with us! Politicians disappoint. Ask a Pol keeps em honest. Find us on social media:SubstackXSpotifyAppleDon’t miss our other Ask a Pol sites! Ask a Pol politics.Ask a Pol crypto. Ask a Pol drugs. Ask a Pol ai. Ask a Pol uaps. Find Ask a Pol founder @MattLaslo on social media.  This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.askapolpolitics.com/subscribe

Who?Rep. Steve Scalise (R-LA) — House Majority LeaderAsk a Pol asks:How worried are you by these special election returns? And this time in the president’s own backyard?Key Scalise:“Special elections are always unique because they’re very low turnout,” House Majority Leader Steve Scalise exclusively tells Ask a Pol Politics. “The big election is going to be the November midterm and we’re laser focused on that — not only holding the House, but the opportunity to grow our majority.”Caught our ear:“We’ve got some real opportunities in a number of districts to actually flip more seats from Democrats to Republican,” Scalise tells Ask a Pol Politics.Below find a rough transcript of Ask a Pol Politics’ exclusive interview with House Majority Leader Rep. Steve Scalise (R-LA), slightly edited for clarity.TRANSCRIPT: Rep. Steve Scalise (3-25-2026)Matt Laslo How worried are you by these special election returns? And this time in the president’s own backyard?Rep. Steve Scalise Yeah, special elections are always unique because they’re very low turnout. You know, surely you look at those and see — are there things we can learn and improve upon when the big election comes? And obviously November is the election that we are focused on. We’ve still got primaries to go through in a lot of states. There’s runoffs in Texas. There’s, you know, there’s always going to be elections — but the big election is going to be the November midterm, and we’re laser focused on that. Not only holding the House, but the opportunity to grow our majority. And we’ve got some real opportunities in a number of districts to actually flip more seats from Democrats to Republican. And that’s our focus.About Ask a Pol: We give listeners a front row seat to Congress. Transparency matters, so come inside the Capitol with us! Politicians disappoint. Ask a Pol keeps em honest. Find us on social media:SubstackXSpotifyAppleDon’t miss our other Ask a Pol sites! Ask a Pol politics.Ask a Pol crypto. Ask a Pol drugs. Ask a Pol ai. Ask a Pol uaps. Find Ask a Pol founder @MattLaslo on social media.  This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.askapolpolitics.com/subscribe

Who?Rep. Mike Johnson (R-LA) — Speaker of the US House of RepresentativesPresser:Hours before President Donald Trump signed an Executive Order “instructing the Secretary of Homeland Security, Markwayne Mullin, to immediately pay our TSA Agents in order to address this Emergency Situation,” Speaker Mike Johnson was irate after House Democrats opposed another bill to fund the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) without any of Democrat’s demands the measure reform ICE.Find Ask a Pol on YouTube, TikTok or Instagram!Key Johnson:“I think it puts an exclamation point on what they try to do here. It’s shameful,” Speaker Mike Johnson told congressional reporters. “So many people have been through so many hardships because of this nonsense, and what we’re concerned about is people may actually be hurt.”Caught our ear:“We’re sick of it,” Johnson told the congressional press corps.Below find a rough transcript of the end of House Speaker Mike Johnson’s (R-LA) press conference, slightly edited for clarity.TRANSCRIPT: Speaker Mike Johnson (3-26-2026)SCENE: A couple hours before President Donald Trump signed legislation to fund the TSA and avert a government shutdown, a fired-up Speaker Johnson holds a press conference to blast Democratic opposition to the DHS funding package.Speaker Mike Johnson:“I think it puts an exclamation point on what they try to do here. It’s shameful.“So many people have been through so many hardships because of this nonsense, and what we’re concerned about is people may actually be hurt.“More people harmed by criminal illegal aliens and are being protected by the Democrat Party.“And we’re sick of it.”Reporter I: “Speaker Johnson…”Reporter I: “Are you supportive of the…”AI Disclaimer:Ask a Pol’s playing around with as many new AI tools as we can, so this small, unfunded startup can compete in today’s new media landscape. generative AI isn’t tomorrow’s tech — it’s yesterday’s.About Ask a Pol: We give listeners a front row seat to Congress. Transparency matters, so come inside the Capitol with us! Politicians disappoint. Ask a Pol keeps em honest. Find us on social media:SubstackXSpotifyAppleDon’t miss our other Ask a Pol sites! Ask a Pol politics.Ask a Pol crypto. Ask a Pol drugs. Ask a Pol ai. Ask a Pol uaps. Find Ask a Pol founder @MattLaslo on social media.  This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.askapolpolitics.com/subscribe

Who?Sen. Ben Ray Luján (D-NM) — Member, Senate Indian Affairs CommiteeAsk a Pol asks:Are you going to be supporting Sen. Markwayne Mullin to head the Department of Homeland Security?Key Luján:“Let’s see what we chat about. I mean, he has a big responsibility. His predecessor over there I think created a lot of problems. Problems that he’s going to have responsibilities unraveling, shedding light on as well,” Sen. Ben Ray Luján exclusively tells Ask a Pol Politics. “I’m open to having a conversation, but I have a lot of concerns because when Homeland was envisioned after 9/11, the ICE agents were not told to go bust into Americans’ homes or bust American windows open or do those things. They’re supposed to be going after violent criminals. Felons, not families. Criminals, not children. And that’s what’s been happening.”ICYMI: Ask a Pol founder Matt Laslo used this exclusive for his LCB wireservice client National Native NewsCaught our ear:“While I may have some policy disagreements with Senator Mullin, Mark’s Mark,” Luján tells us. “Mark’s the guy that, you know, he’s a rancher, that’s who he is. I don’t know that there’s anything out of sorts there. It’s just that’s just who he is.”“They want to cheat and steal these elections in November because they see what’s happening.”Below find a rough transcript of Ask a Pol’s exclusive interview with Sen. Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), slightly edited for clarity.TRANSCRIPT: Sen. Ben Ray LujánSCENE: Ask a Pol’s Matt Laslo sees Sen. Ben Ray Luján and an aide walking through the basement of the US Senate.As they hop an elevator up to the Senate floor, Laslo chats up the Senator about his longtime colleague Sen. Markwayne Mullin who President Donald Trump nominated to replace embattled DHS Secretary Kristi Noem.Matt Laslo: “Remember one of my clients is National Native News?”Sen. Ben Ray Luján: “Yeah.”Laslo: “Curious how it’s been working with Mullin on Indian Affairs Committee?”Luján: “Look, Senator Mullin has been good to work with on issues where we’ve been able to find agreement to provide support to Native American communities, to First Nations in numerous areas. Markwayne and I have worked on legislation together. I’ve supported bills that he’s led.”Laslo: “Huh?”Luján: “And you know, the tradition of another Oklahoman that has always been a leader in Tom Cole...”**Like Mullin, Cole’s an enrolled member of the Cherokeee Nation.Laslo: “Yeah.”Luján: “...who I worked with in the House when I was there and still reach out to. Mark has been one of those members — not just, you know, Democrat, Republican — he’s been a member that tribal leaders have sought out to support different efforts.”Laslo: “And he’s gotten a little bit of trouble — not just with the union boss, but remember over the Lumbee? He kind of offended some within the audience, ‘look at these faces.’ What do you make of his temperament at Homeland Security?”ICYMI — Sen. Mullin was accused of racially stereotyping his fellow Native Americans in 2025Luján: “Look, while I may have some policy disagreements with Senator Mullin, Mark’s Mark.”Laslo: “Yeah?”Luján: “Mark’s the guy that, you know, he’s a rancher. That’s who he is, you know?”Laslo: “Yeah?”Luján: “So, yeah, I don’t know that there’s anything out of sorts there. It’s just, that’s just who he is.”Laslo: “Are you going to be supporting him or too early to tell?”Luján: “Let’s see what we chat about. I mean, he has a big responsibility. His predecessor over there I think created a lot of problems. Problems that he’s going to have responsibilities unraveling, shedding light on as well. And so I’m open to having a conversation, but I have a lot of concerns because when Homeland [Security Department] was envisioned after 9-11, the ICE agents were not told to go bust into Americans’ homes or bust American windows open or do those things. They’re supposed to be going after violent criminals. Felons, not families. Criminals, not children. And that’s what’s been happening, so I have a lot of questions over that way. But, you know, I’ve served with Mark in the House and now in the Senate as well, and you know, Mark’s always been true to who he is.”Laslo: “Yeah?”Luján: “Yeah.”What should we ask Congress next? Let us know! About Ask a Pol: We give listeners a front row seat to Congress. Transparency matters, so come inside the Capitol with us! Politicians disappoint. Ask a Pol keeps em honest. Find us on social media:SubstackXSpotifyAppleDon’t miss our other Ask a Pol sites! Ask a Pol politics.Ask a Pol crypto. Ask a Pol drugs. Ask a Pol ai. Ask a Pol uaps. Find Ask a Pol founder @MattLaslo on social media.  This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.askapolpolitics.com/subscribe

Who?Sen. Roger Marshall (R-KS)Ask a Pol Asks:What have you made of the pushback from NATO allies — like forbidding US troops from accessing their military bases — on President Donald Trump’s and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s war with Iran?Key Marshall:“It’s time for Europe to put some jeans on, take their skirts off, maybe put some boots on and help the rest of the world out,” Sen. Roger Marshall says.Find Ask a Pol on YouTube, TikTok or Instagram!Caught Our Ear:“I’ve given up on Europe helping us years ago,” Marshall tells us. “The World War II is over with. The Marshall Plan is over with.”TRANSCRIPT: Sen. Roger Marshall (3-12-2026)SCENE: Ask a Pol founder Matt Laslo and a small gaggle of congressional reporters interview Sen. Roger Marshall as he’s walking back to his office after voting on the US Senate floor.Sen. Roger Marshall: “I’ve given up on Europe helping us years ago. Uh, they’re all talking, they’ll, you know, they told us they would get to troopers in a GEP and they never did. Half of them never did. Now they’re bosing 5%. They’re all talk. You know, the World War II is over with. The Marshall Plan is over with. It’s time for Europe to put some jeans on, take their skirts off, maybe put some boots on and and help the rest of the world out.”About Ask a Pol: We give listeners a front row seat to Congress. Transparency matters, so come inside the Capitol with us! Politicians disappoint. Ask a Pol keeps em honest. Find us on social media:SubstackXSpotifyAppleDon’t miss our other Ask a Pol sites! Ask a Pol politics.Ask a Pol crypto. Ask a Pol drugs. Ask a Pol ai. Ask a Pol uaps. Find Ask a Pol founder @MattLaslo on social media. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.askapolpolitics.com/subscribe

Who?Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX)Ask a Pol asks:Now that the Republican primary for the Texas US Senate seat currently held by Sen. John Cornyn is headed to a runoff — after Cornyn and his GOP allies spent upwards of $70 million ahead of this week’s primary election day — are you prepared to back your colleague Cornyn or his challenger, Attorney General Ken Paxton?Key Cruz:“I’m continuing to stay out of it,” Sen. Ted Cruz exclusively tells Ask a Pol Politics.Below find a rough transcript of Ask a Pol’s exclusive interview with Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), slightly edited for clarity.TRANSCRIPT: Sen. Ted Cruz (3-5-2026)SCENE: Ask a Pol’s Matt Laslo catches Sen. Ted Cruz as he’s hopping in a waiting car outside the US Capitol.Find Ask a Pol on YouTube, TikTok or Instagram!Matt Laslo: Any thoughts on Cornyn v. Paxton?Sen. Ted Cruz : I’m continuing to stay out of it.ML: Wise man. Have a good one.Ask a Pol AI DisclosureAsk a Pol’s playing around with as many new AI tools as we can, so thissmall, unfunded startup can compete in today’s new media landscape. Generative AI isn’ttomorrow’s tech—it’s yesterday’s.About Ask a Pol: We give listeners a front row seat to Congress. Transparency matters, so come inside the Capitol with us! Politicians disappoint. Ask a Pol keeps em honest. Find us on social media:SubstackXSpotifyAppleDon’t miss our other Ask a Pol sites! Ask a Pol politics.Ask a Pol crypto. Ask a Pol drugs. Ask a Pol ai. Ask a Pol uaps. Find Ask a Pol founder @MattLaslo on social media.  This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.askapolpolitics.com/subscribe

Who?Rep. Al Green (D-TX)Ask a Pol asks:Why did you choose to protest during the President’s State of the Union address tonight?Key Green:“I wanted him to know and I wanted him to see it and hear it up close,” Rep. Al Green exclusively tells Ask a Pol. “I wanted the President to know that we are not going to sit by while he disparages an entire race of people with these racist tropes.”Find Ask a Pol on YouTube, TikTok or Instagram!Caught our ear:“If you tolerate this level of racism, you perpetuate it,” Green tells us. “I refuse to tolerate it. I don’t want to see it normalized.”Below find a rough transcript of Ask a Pol’s exclusive interview with Rep. Al Green (D-TX), slightly edited for clarity.TRANSCRIPT: Rep. Al Green (2-24-2026)SCENE: After Rep. Al Green unfurled his hand-drawn “Black people aren’t apes” sign, was escorted out of the House chamber by the Sergeant-at-Arms following his protest during President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address, Ask a Pol’s Matt Laslo left his seat in the chamber, rushed down 3 flights of stairs and through back cooridoors before catching the Congressman before he exited the Capitol on the first floor.ICYMI — Ask a Pol founder Matt Laslo first sold this through his wire service, The LCB, to client, Raw StoryMatt Laslo: “What happened?”Rep. Al Green: “Well, as you know, the President has depicted the former President and First Lady Obama as apes.”Rep. Al Green: “And if you tolerate this level of racism, you perpetuate it, and I refuse to tolerate it. I don’t want to see it normalized. And that’s why I pledge this to the President, so that there will be no question as to where I stand, how he needs to know that there are some people who have the courage to tell him things that he doesn’t want to hear, and that nobody else will tell him. And on some issues, it’s better to stand alone than not stand at all. So I stood alone.”Ask a Pol AI Disclosure:Ask a Pol’s playing around with as many new AI tools as we can, so this small, unfunded startup can compete in today’s new media landscape. (generative) AI isn’t tomorrow’s tech — it’s yesterday’s… This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.askapolpolitics.com/subscribe

Who?Rep. Tom McClintock (R-CA) — Member, House Judiciary CommitteeAsk a Pol asks:Are you worried the Second Amendment’s being attacked by members of the administration?Key McClintock:“I utterly reject the premise of your question,” Rep. Tom McClintock exclusively tells Ask a Pol Politics when asked if the Second Amendment is under attack from the administration. McClintock points to concealed carry laws in 29 states as evidence against that premise.Below find a rough transcript of Ask a Pol’s exclusive interview with Rep. Tom McClintock (R-CA), slightly edited for clarity.TRANSCRIPT: Rep. Tom McClintock (2-3-2026)SCENE: Ask a Pol’s Matt Laslo catches Rep. Tom McClintock walking through the basment of the US Capitol…Matt Laslo: “What do you make of — like you think your party needs to hold hearings on the Second Amendment?”The partially perplexed (partially pissed…) Congressman — who Laslo covered for Sacramento’s Capital Public Radio for a decade or so — shakes head.Laslo: “Are you worried that it’s being attacked by members of the administration?”Rep. Tom McClintock: “No, I don’t.”Laslo: “No?”McClintock: “I reject the premise of your question.”Laslo: “29 states have concealed carry! And they said that’s illegal?!”McClintock: “I utterly reject the premise of your question.”Laslo: “Yeah?”Laslo’s ears perked, so he does 180.Laslo: “So what do you think?”McClintock: “I just told you.”McClintock boards elevator.Laslo: “Alright, go ahead, sir.”Ask a Pol AI Disclosure:Ask a Pol’s playing around with as many new AI tools as we can, so this small, unfunded startup can compete in today’s new media landscape. (generative) AI isn’t tomorrow’s tech — it’s yesterday’s…About Ask a Pol: We give listeners a front row seat to Congress. Transparency matters, so come inside the Capitol with us! Politicians disappoint. Ask a Pol keeps em honest. Find us on social media:SubstackXSpotifyAppleDon’t miss our other Ask a Pol sites! Ask a Pol politics.Ask a Pol crypto. Ask a Pol drugs. Ask a Pol ai. Ask a Pol uaps. Find Ask a Pol founder @MattLaslo on social media. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.askapolpolitics.com/subscribe

Who?Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) — Senate Armed Services CommitteeAsk a Pol asks:What have you made of President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth…?Key Kelly:“The president wanting to hang me?” Sen. Kelly exclusively tells Ask a Pol founder Matt Laslo. “Yeah, I take a little bit of offense to it, you know? And saying I should be prosecuted, executed, yeah, it’s outrageous. I mean, he’s the President.“The real thing that matters is there are over 2 million retired veterans whose First Amendment rights are on the line with this case, because if they can say that me, as somebody who left the military 15 years ago and is a retired service member, that I do not have freedom of speech rights — and I’m a US senator, right?“If they can take away my rank after 25 years and take away some of my retirement pension, they can do that to anybody. Much easier to do that to somebody else.”ICYMI — Find Ask a Pol on YouTube, TikTok or Instagram!Caught our ear:“This government doesn’t want us speaking out against them,” Kelly tells us. “Such a fundamental American right that we all have is to criticize the government. They don’t like criticism.”TRANSCRIPT: Sen. Mark Kelly (Feb. 2026)SCENE: Sen. Mark Kelly invites Ask a Pol’s Matt Laslo to ride the underground tram from the US Capitol to his office across the street.Matt Laslo: “What do you think about this, the President and the Pentagon…?”Mark Kelly: “The president wanting to hang me?”ML: “Yeah.”MK: “Yeah, I take a little bit of offense to it, you know? And saying I should be, you know, prosecuted, executed…”ML: “Yeah.”MK: “…yeah, it’s outrageous. I mean, he’s the President.”ICYMI — Ask a Pol founder Matt Laslo used this exclusive interview for his wireservice, The LCB, client Raw StoryML: “Yeah?”MK: “He should — every day he just says outrageous stuff.”ML: “Are you worried, though, seeing the Pentagon then carrying out his unconstitutional will?”MK: “There is a — am I worried? There’s a process.”ML: “Yeah.”MK: “This is part of the process. I filed a lawsuit against Pete Hegseth to, you know, stop that process.”ML: “Yeah?”MK: “But the real thing is…”Kelly and his aides already boarded the underground tram when Kelly invites Laslo aboard.MK: “Here, you want to hop in?”ML: “Yeah.”MK: “You know, the real thing that matters is there are over 2 million retired veterans whose First Amendment rights are on the line with this case, because if they can say that me, as somebody who left the military 15 years ago and is a retired service member, that I do not have freedom of speech rights — and I’m a US senator, right?”ML: “Yeah.”MK: “If they can take away my rank after 25 years and take away some of my retirement pension, they can do that to anybody. Much easier to do that to somebody else.”ML: “Yeah.”MK: “And, you know, this government doesn’t want us speaking out against them — and such a fundamental American right that we all have is to criticize the government. They don’t like criticism.”ML: “Do you — are you feeling good about your case?”MK: “The law and the Constitution are on our side here.”ML: “Yeah?”MK: “So yeah, I mean, anything can happen, but, yeah, I felt pretty good about it.”ML: “Seeing you on TV a lot because of it.”Laslo laughs; Kelly doesn’t.MK: “Yeah. I didn’t ask for this.”ML: “I know.”MK: “I mean, I was just trying to send a really very simple, basic message that I felt needed to be said.”ML: “Yeah?”MK: “And, you know, this is all Donald Trump and Pete Hegseth’s doing.”ML: “Yeah.”Let us know what to ask your US Senator next!About Ask a Pol: We give listeners a front row seat to Congress. Transparency matters, so come inside the Capitol with us! Politicians disappoint. Ask a Pol keeps em honest. Find us on social media:SubstackXSpotifyAppleDon’t miss our other Ask a Pol sites! Ask a Pol politics.Ask a Pol crypto. Ask a Pol drugs. Ask a Pol ai. Ask a Pol uaps. Find Ask a Pol founder @MattLaslo on social media. Ask a Pol AI Disclosure:Ask a Pol’s playing around with as many new AI tools as we can, so this small, unfunded startup can compete in today’s new media landscape. (generative) AI isn’t tomorrow’s tech — it’s yesterday’s… This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.askapolpolitics.com/subscribe

Who?Rep. Madeleine Dean (D-PA)Key Dean:“We either uphold this Constitution and call out the criminal, lawless behavior of this president and his administration, or we could be doomed,” Rep. Madeleine Dean lectured congressional reporters from the steps of the Capitol.ICYMI — Ask a Pol’s on YouTube, TikTok & InstagramCaught our ear:“Americans are being shot and killed. Journalists like you are being arrested. This is in violation of our First Amendment guarantees,” Dean said.“They were put in there by the very first Congress to the United States, because some were worried that states didn’t have — and individuals didn’t have — enough protections within the Constitution. Are we going to walk away from the First Amendment to the Bill of Rights today?”Below find a rough transcript of Ask a Pol’s exclusive interview with Rep. Madeleine Dean (D-PA), slightly edited for clarity.TRANSCRIPT: Rep. Madeleine Dean (2-3-2026)SCENE: After voting on the floor of the US House of Representatives, Rep. Dean stops at the bottom of the US Capitol steps to answer questions from the press corps.Rep. Madeleine Dean: “This is a historic moment, folks. Americans are being shot and killed. Journalists like you are being arrested. This is in violation of our First Amendment guarantees.“They were put in there by the very first Congress to the United States, because some were worried that states didn’t have — and individuals didn’t have — enough protections within the Constitution. Are we going to walk away from the First Amendment to the Bill of Rights today?“This Congress will be held to account. Republicans will be held to account, as Americans are shot and killed in the street, little Liam is taken, fearful — our children in this country are fearful they are going to be taken by authorities in America.“We are at an incredibly historic time. We either uphold this Constitution and call out the criminal and lawless behavior of this president and his administration, or we could be doomed.”About Ask a Pol: We give listeners a front row seat to Congress. Transparency matters, so come inside the Capitol with us! Politicians disappoint. Ask a Pol keeps em honest. Find us on social media:SubstackXSpotifyAppleDon’t miss our other Ask a Pol sites! Ask a Pol politics.Ask a Pol crypto. Ask a Pol drugs. Ask a Pol ai. Ask a Pol uaps. Find Ask a Pol founder @MattLaslo on social media.What should we ask Congress this week? Let us know! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.askapolpolitics.com/subscribe

Ask a Pol ~ interactive political journalism ~ what should we ask Congress next?Who?Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN)Ask a Pol asks:Is ICE escalating tactics in Minnesota?Key Omar:“They are. They are. I mean, “occupation,” I think, is a light word. It’s terror at this point,” Rep. Ilhan Omar exclusively told Ask a Pol Politics.Do you think it’s because of fmr. VP candidate, Gov. Tim Walz or is it the Somali community? Or both?“They have a desperate need to show that they are able to do something there,” Omar said. “Obviously, the Somalis are not in the crossfire of this, because nearly 60% of Somalis in Minnesota are US-born. Almost 99% of us are citizens, so when they couldn’t find Somalis, I think, they’re taking their anger out on the Latino and Asian community. And it is, like I said, it’s pure terror…”About Ask a Pol: We give listeners a front row seat to Congress. Transparency matters, so come inside the Capitol with us! Politicians disappoint. Ask a Pol keeps em honest. Find us on social media:SubstackXSpotifyAppleDon’t miss our other Ask a Pol sites! Ask a Pol politics.Ask a Pol crypto. Ask a Pol drugs. Ask a Pol ai. Ask a Pol uaps. Find Ask a Pol founder @MattLaslo on social media. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.askapolpolitics.com/subscribe

Who?Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) — lead Republican sponsor of Epstein file measure President Donald Trump signed into law**Massie and his Democratic partner, Ro Khanna, authored the “Epstein files“ discharge petition, which forced Speaker Mike Johnson and other GOP leaders to bring the Epstein measure to the House floor for a vote.LISTEN: Laslo & MassieThe measure sailed through after overcoming a fierce lobbying effort by President Donald Trump, Attorney General Pam Bondi and others who fought the documents’ release, and who, according to Massie and Khanna, have now failed to abide by the law by refusing to release all the Epstein files Congress overwhelmingly mandated be released publicly.Ask a Pol asks:Any update on the Epstein files the Justice Department has refused to release?Key Massie:“No,” Massie exclusively tells Ask a Pol Politics. “There’s a court angle now. I think there’s a path. We asked for a special master, and the judge says, ‘Alright, tell us what you’re thinking.’ And he asked the DOJ to tell them — to send something…”Caught our ear:Do you want to see a Contempt of Congress or is going through the courts better to get the outcome you want?“This is quicker and has more precedent,” Massie tells us.And you think they’ll listen to a judge a little more than Congress?“I think so,” Massie says. “That’s just the world they live in — courtrooms.”TRANSCRIPT: Rep. Thomas Massie (1-15-2026)SCENE: Ask a Pol’s Matt Laslo is showing the managing editor of one of his wire service clients around the Capitol during a vote on the floor of the House of Representatives.Rep. Thomas Massie leaves the House floor and starts peeking around the Speaker’s Lobby — a rare Members and Press Only area — so Laslo ditches his British guest in the hall to get this update on the Department of Justice slow-walking the release of the Epstein files, a rare successful legislative effort spearheaded by Massie and California Rep. Ro Khanna.Matt Laslo: “Mr. Massie.”**Laslo covered Congress for Kentucky Public Radio for years, so the two know each other.Rep. Thomas Massie: “Hey, how are you?”Massie’s on the Democratic side of the Speaker’s Lobby looking for someone…Laslo: “Any update on Epstein [files]?”Massie: “On the..?”Laslo: “Epstein and DOJ?”Massie: “No.”Massie stops looking around corners…Massie: “We’re working with the — there’s a court angle now.”Laslo: “Do you think — do you feel good about that or…?”Massie: “I think there’s a path.”Laslo: “Even with this DOJ?”Massie: “Well — no, with the court…”Laslo: “Yeah?”Massie: “…with the judges. We asked for a special master, and the judge says, ‘Alright, tell us what you’re thinking.’ And he asked the DOJ to tell them — to send something.”Laslo: “But in the end, if the judge rules in your guys’ favor, it would still be up to [Attorney General Pam] Bondi and the Trump administration to implement it. Do you think they would?”Massie: “Well, then she’s in contempt of the judge.”Laslo: “Yeah?”Massie: “Which is a little more clear-cut than…”Laslo: “…Contempt of Congress.”Massie: “…Contempt of Congress.”Laslo: “Yeah?”Massie: “Yes.”Laslo: “Interesting. Do you…?”Massie: “Judges, hit people every day for being in contempt.”Laslo: “Yeah?”Massie: “We haven’t done it 85 years.”Laslo: “Do you want to see a Contempt of Congress or this is better — to get the outcome you want?”Massie: “This is quicker and has more precedent.”Laslo: “And you think they’ll listen to a judge a little more than you all?”Massie: “I think so.”Laslo: “Yeah.”Massie: “I mean they’ve all — that’s just the world they live in…”Laslo: “Yeah?”Massie: “…courtrooms.”If you support our work, support our work! We’re on Venmo, PayPal, Cash App, etc.Or just buy the team a beer!Laslo: “Yeah. Interesting. We’ll see.”Massie: “We’ll see. Yup.”Massie turns away from Laslo’s mic as he starts looking around the Speaker’s Lobby again.Massie: “I’m looking for Ro Khanna.”Massie heads south and Laslo peeks around a north corner closer to the House floor.Laslo: “There he is.”Laslo politely rushes and catches up to Massie.Laslo: “Mr. Massie — he’s over here.”Massie: “Oh, is he?”While Laslo escorts Massie to Khanna, a throng of congressional reporters crowd around the Kentucky Republican.Laslo: “He’s sitting down…”Massie chats briefly with Khanna before doing an impromptu press conference with a dozen or so journalists in the Speaker’s Lobby.As the other reporters pepper Massie with questions, Laslo slides next to Khanna for an exclusive with the California Democrat on the Epstein files.What should we ask Congress next?AI Disclosure:Ask a Pol’s playing around with as many new AI tools as we can, so this small, unfunded startup can compete in today’s new media landscape. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.askapolpolitics.com/subscribe

Ask a Pol ~ interactive political journalism ~ what should we ask Congress next?Who?Sen. Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) — Member, Senate Banking CommitteeCaught our ear:“I myself have a nephew, I mean this kid was salt to the earth and now he tried meth just once and now he’s in prison. And it turned him into a totally different person,” Sen. Cynthia Lummis tells us. “He was the neatest kid. Yeah. And he’s gone. Yeah. That person is gone. And so I’m pretty hardcore about keeping it away from people, but I don’t know how to do it.”About Ask a Pol: We give listeners a front row seat to Congress. Transparency matters, so come inside the Capitol with us! Politicians disappoint. Ask a Pol keeps em honest. Find us on social media:SubstackXSpotifyAppleDon’t miss our other Ask a Pol sites!Ask a Pol politics.Ask a Pol crypto. Ask a Pol drugs. Ask a Pol ai. Ask a Pol uaps. Find Ask a Pol founder @MattLaslo on social media.  This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.askapolpolitics.com/subscribe

Ask a Pol ~ interactive political journalism ~ what should we ask Congress next?Who?Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-OH) — Member, Banking, Housing & Urban AffairsAsk a Pol asks:Has the “war on drugs” worked?Key Moreno:“Well, we actually didn’t have a war on drugs until the operation that’s being done now [in Venezuela and the Caribbean],” Sen. Bernie Moreno exclusively tells Ask a Pol Drugs. “We had a conversation about drugs — but not a war on drugs. We’re actually conducting a war and that’s why you’re seeing the kind of seizures that we’re seeing.”Moreno’s now lead Republican on SAFER Banking ActPresident Donald Trump’s rescheduling of cannabis — how would that, maybe, affect your SAFER Banking Act?“Well, it changes the big time, right?” Moreno says. “Obviously.”Support Ask a Pol’s groundbreaking interactive political journalism today!Pity us Venmo, PayPal, Cash App — or just buy us a beer!About Ask a Pol: We give listeners a front row seat to Congress. Transparency matters, so come inside the Capitol with us! Politicians disappoint. Ask a Pol keeps em honest. Find us on social media:SubstackXSpotifyAppleDon’t miss our other Ask a Pol sites!Ask a Pol politics.Ask a Pol crypto. Ask a Pol drugs. Ask a Pol ai. Ask a Pol uaps. Find Ask a Pol founder @MattLaslo on social media.  This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.askapolpolitics.com/subscribe

Ask a Pol ~ interactive political journalism ~ what should we ask Congress next?Who?Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) — Combat veteran; Armed Services & Veterans Affairs CommitteesAsk a Pol asks:Curious your thoughts on the latest Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth “scandal” — but more so the strikes that we’re seeing the US military do without congressional authorization against drug cartels?Key Duckworth:“We never had a debate on whether or not we’re even at war, right?” Duckworth exclusively tells Ask a Pol Politics. “The other aspect of this is, I worry about the servicemembers being put into jeopardy by this, right? We’re violating international laws of armed conflict. We are putting servicemembers in legal jeopardy.”Subscribe for FREE to get our latest first!About Ask a Pol: We give listeners a front row seat to Congress. Transparency matters, so come inside the Capitol with us! Politicians disappoint. Ask a Pol keeps em honest. Find us on social media:SubstackXSpotifyAppleDon’t miss our other Ask a Pol sites!Ask a Pol politics.Ask a Pol crypto.Ask a Pol drugs.Ask a Pol ai.Ask a Pol uaps. Find Ask a Pol founder @MattLaslo on social media.  This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.askapolpolitics.com/subscribe

Visit Ask a Pol ~ interactive political journalism ~ what should we ask Congress next? Let us know!Who?Sen. Roger Marshall (R-KS)Ask a Pol asks:What do you make of this Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth “scandal” — some say extrajudicial killings? Do you think this is good policy?Key Marshall:“This is a war on drugs… as far as I’m concerned, it’s war. War is ugly. Americans don’t like to see it,” Sen. Roger Marshall exclusively tells Ask a Pol.Do you think the war on drugs has been successful?“Obviously, it’s not been successful,” Marshall says. “I think that the open borders under Joe Biden for four years exacerbated the situation and just opened all the gates…”NEW: Find Ask a Pol on YouTube, TikTok or Instagram!Caught our ear:“We lose 200 Americans every day to poison. I think the emphasis is that it’s poisoning,” Marshall tells us. “They’re not necessarily overdosing. There’s just such inconsistency in the drugs that kills them.”About Ask a Pol: We give listeners a front row seat to Congress. Transparency matters, so come inside the Capitol with us! Politicians disappoint. Ask a Pol keeps em honest. Find us on social media:SubstackXSpotifyAppleDon’t miss our other Ask a Pol sites! Ask a Pol politics.Ask a Pol crypto. Ask a Pol drugs. Ask a Pol ai. Ask a Pol uaps. Find Ask a Pol founder @MattLaslo on social media.  This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.askapolpolitics.com/subscribe

Visit Ask a Pol ~ interactive political journalism ~ what should we ask Congress next? Let us know!Who?Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) — Speaker EmeritaBackground:After a handful of Democratic veterans in Congress released a video telling service members to refuse unlawful orders from their superiors, President Donald Trump tweeted, “SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR, punishable by DEATH!”Ask a Pol asks:*President Trump even disregards the attack on your husband.*the best questions rarely end with a question mark. - Prof. LasloKey Pelosi:“Yeah, and he made a joke of it, as did [Charlie] Kirk, by the way,” Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi exclusively tells www.AskaPolPolitics.com*Like, how painful is that? Or are you just steel?“It’s painful,” Pelosi tells us. “No, it’s painful. And I’m steel, but my grandchildren, my children are not steel. It’s a traumatic effect of his cruelty, is what it is.”Ask a Pol‘s on YouTube, TikTok & Instagram!*this exclusive was for one of Ask a Pol founder Matt Laslo’s regionally-focused, national wire service, TheLCB.com, but it fell through the holiday cracks so this is an exclusive to Ask a Pol Politics.What would you ask your lawmaker? Let us know and we’re on it!About Ask a Pol: We give listeners a front row seat to Congress. Transparency matters, so come inside the Capitol with us! Politicians disappoint. Ask a Pol keeps em honest. Find us on social media:SubstackXSpotifyAppleFind Ask a Pol founder @MattLaslo on social media. Don’t miss our other Ask a Pol sites! Ask a Pol politics.Ask a Pol crypto. Ask a Pol drugs. Ask a Pol ai. Ask a Pol uaps. More about Matt Laslo https://www.thelcb.com/more-about-matt-laslo© Ask a Pol 2025. All rights reserved. Reproduction without attribution prohibited. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.askapolpolitics.com/subscribe

Visit Ask a Pol ~ interactive political journalism ~ what should we ask Congress next? Let us know!Who?Rep. Becca Balint (D-VT) — Member, Judiciary CommitteeAsk a Pol asks:After pulling out all stops to try and quash the bipartisan effort to release the Epstein files, both President Donald Trump and House Speaker Mike Johnson changed their tunes at the end and said they were fine releasing the files. Does that signal that your work isn’t done and GOP leaders have something up their sleeves, even after the House of Representatives approved the bill 427 to 1 before the Senate unanimously passed the measure President Trump signed into law earlier this week?Key Balint:“We’re very, very worried,” Rep. Becca Balint exclusively told Ask a Pol Politics. “If that f*cking happens to them, they’re going to be so devastated, because they feel like every single step of the way, they thought they were getting to action.“And it was so moving and so powerful what these women had to say. And yeah, they’re worried they’re going to be dragged through all of this only to have it snatched at the last minute. Yes, that is my concern, that this is what [Speaker Mike] Johnson is sort of teeing up for, ‘Yeah, fine, we’ll do this because it’s not going to happen.’”*Discharge Petition explainer: The Speaker has godlike control of everything that happens in the US House of Representatives, but if more than half the members of the 435 person chamber — typically 218, though the number fluctuates based on vacant seats — sign off on a discharge petition, House rules mandate the measure come before the full chamber for debate and a vote.About Ask a Pol: We give listeners a front row seat to Congress. Transparency matters, so come inside the Capitol with us! Politicians disappoint. Ask a Pol keeps em honest. Find us on social media:SubstackXSpotifyAppleDon’t miss our other Ask a Pol sites!Ask a Pol politics.Ask a Pol crypto. Ask a Pol drugs. Ask a Pol ai. Ask a Pol uaps. Find Ask a Pol founder @MattLaslo on social media. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.askapolpolitics.com/subscribe

Visit Ask a Pol ~ interactive political journalism ~ what should we ask Congress next? Let us know!Who?Sen. Deb Fischer (R-NE) — Member, Senate Ethics and Appropriations CommitteesAsk a Pol asks:What do you make of President Donald Trump saying the US government owes him $230 million because of past Department of Justice prosecutions of him?Key Fischer:“Don’t know,” Sen. Deb Fischer exclusively tells Ask a Pol Politics. “I’m serious. I’m not focused on that.”NEW: Find Ask a Pol on YouTube, TikTok or Instagram!Caught our ear:“You always ask me questions I really don’t care about,” Fischer tells us.About Ask a Pol: We give listeners a front row seat to Congress. Transparency matters, so come inside the Capitol with us! Politicians disappoint. Ask a Pol keeps em honest. Find us on social media:SubstackXSpotifyAppleDon’t miss our other Ask a Pol sites!Ask a Pol politics.Ask a Pol crypto. Ask a Pol drugs. Ask a Pol ai. Ask a Pol uaps. Find Ask a Pol founder @MattLaslo on social media. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.askapolpolitics.com/subscribe

Visit Ask a Pol ~ interactive political journalism ~ what should we ask Congress next? Let us know!Who?Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI)Ask a Pol asks:Do you have concerns about Biden’s autopen signing pardons at the end?Key Johnson:“Yeah. We all should be,” Sen. Ron Johnson exclusively tells Ask a Pol. “It all speaks to the question: who was in charge? Okay? And that’s a serious question.“And again, what we’re doing in my committee is, we’re interviewing the constitutional officers: ‘What’d you know? What’d you see?’ Provide historical record.”NEW: Find Ask a Pol on YouTube, TikTok or Instagram!Caught our ear:If Biden did use the autopen, would that negate his pardons?“It probably would,” Johnson tells us.And then what happens? Should we see prosecutions?“Depends on what crimes people may have committed,” Johnson says.Yeah?About Ask a Pol: We give listeners a front row seat to Congress. Transparency matters, so come inside the Capitol with us! Politicians disappoint. Ask a Pol keeps em honest. Find us on social media:SubstackXSpotifyAppleDon’t miss our other Ask a Pol sites! Ask a Pol politics.Ask a Pol crypto. Ask a Pol drugs. Ask a Pol ai. Ask a Pol uaps. Find Ask a Pol founder @MattLaslo on social media.  This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.askapolpolitics.com/subscribe

Visit Ask a Pol ~ interactive political journalism ~ what should we ask Congress next? Let us know!Who?Sen. Adam Schiff (D-CA) — Member, Senate Judiciary CommitteeAsk a Pol asks:Curious your thoughts on the new House Oversight Committee report Chair James Comer dropped this week, arguing many of former President Joe Biden’s end-of-term pardons should be voided because they were allegedly signed with an autopen?Key Schiff:“I hope there will be an analysis by Republicans of [President Donald] Trump’s pardon of 1,550 people. He must have a very fast hand to have signed all those, so I look forward to Comer announcing that investigation.”But are you worried at all, because they’re sending the report to DOJ and making a formal case against you, potentially, in the courts?“No, I’m not concerned about it,” Schiff says. “As I said at the time, I didn’t think President Biden should be issuing pardons.”NEW: Find Ask a Pol on YouTube, TikTok or Instagram!Caught our ear:“It is all part of a broader portrait of an administration that is trying to silence and intimidate critics — at universities and law firms, in private companies, among media organizations — so it’s all part of the same whole,” Schiff tells us. “Very much a part of the wannabe dictator’s playbook.”About Ask a Pol: We give listeners a front row seat to Congress. Transparency matters, so come inside the Capitol with us! Politicians disappoint. Ask a Pol keeps em honest. Find us on social media:SubstackXSpotifyAppleDon’t miss our other Ask a Pol sites! Ask a Pol politics.Ask a Pol crypto. Ask a Pol drugs. Ask a Pol ai. Ask a Pol uaps. Find Ask a Pol founder @MattLaslo on social media.  This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.askapolpolitics.com/subscribe

Visit Ask a Pol ~ interactive political journalism ~What should we ask Congress next? Let us know!In our latest episode,Who?Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) — Chair, Senate Commerce Committee*Ask a Pol asks:Sounds like you’d welcome a Senate run from Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX)?Key Cruz:“Sadly, today’s Democrat Party has no shortage on crazy,” Sen. Ted Cruz exclusively tells Ask a Pol. About Ask a Pol: We give listeners a front row seat to Congress. Transparency matters, so come inside the Capitol with us! Politicians disappoint. Ask a Pol keeps em honest. Find us on social media:SubstackXSpotifyAppleDon’t miss our other Ask a Pol sites!Ask a Pol politics.Ask a Pol crypto. Ask a Pol drugs. Ask a Pol ai. Ask a Pol uaps. Find Ask a Pol founder @MattLaslo on social media. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.askapolpolitics.com/subscribe

Visit Ask a Pol ~ interactive political journalism ~ what should we ask Congress next? Let us know!Who?Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA)Ask a Pol asks:Are you worried about what Democrats are warning about, these huge health insurance premium hikes slated to hit folks back in Iowa in the new year?Key Ernst:“These were expanded premium subsidies for Covid,” Sen. Joni Ernst exclusively tells Ask a Pol. “And when people talk about subsidies going away — subsidies are not going away. The expanded subsidies are going away, but we still have subsidies.”Caught our ear:Feels like there’s not dialogue happening about how to end the government shutdown?“No, I think there is dialogue,” Ernst tells us. “It’s on a much smaller scale.”About Ask a Pol: We give listeners a front row seat to Congress. Transparency matters, so come inside the Capitol with us! Politicians disappoint. Ask a Pol keeps em honest. Find us on social media:SubstackXSpotifyAppleDon’t miss our other Ask a Pol sites!Ask a Pol politics.Ask a Pol crypto. Ask a Pol drugs. Ask a Pol ai. Ask a Pol uaps. Find Ask a Pol founder @MattLaslo on social media. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.askapolpolitics.com/subscribe

Visit Ask a Pol ~ interactive political journalism ~ what should we ask Congress next? Let us know!Who?Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon (D-PA)In our latest episode, Ask a Pol asks:Do President Donald Trump’s cuts to the federal workforce over the weekend worry you?Key Mary Gay Scanlon:“Yes!” Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon exclusively tells Ask a Pol. “Well, I mean, it continues this pattern of going after the most vulnerable.” What’s changed since March? “A lot has changed even since the vote in March, and one of the big changes is all of the layoffs, all of the gutting of federal services and I’ve spent a lot of time over the last couple of weeks with the federal employees in my district, and they’re saying, ‘no, he’s he’s already done so much damage. There has to be a line in the sand,’” Scanlon says. “We’re here and with respect to how that plays out, I don’t think cruelty is a winning argument. I don’t think terrorizing Americans or bullying companies and law firms and universities is a winning argument.”About Ask a Pol: We give listeners a front row seat to Congress. Transparency matters, so come inside the Capitol with us! Politicians disappoint. Ask a Pol keeps em honest. Find us on social media:SubstackXSpotifyAppleDon’t miss our other Ask a Pol sites! Ask a Pol politics.Ask a Pol crypto.Ask a Pol drugs. Ask a Pol ai. Ask a Pol uaps. Find Ask a Pol founder @MattLaslo on social media.  This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.askapolpolitics.com/subscribe

Visit Ask a Pol ~ asking your lawmakers your questions at your US Capitol ~What should we ask Congress next? Let us know!In our latest episode, Ask a Pol asks:With Indian Health Service (IHS) being funded and federal workers promised back pay, does that kind of take the pressure off Congress just generally when it comes to this government shutdown?Key Mullin:“There is no pressure taken off of us. We’re in a shutdown,” Sen. Markwayne Mullin exclusively told Ask a Pol. “The thing is, like when are level heads going to prevail in the Democrat Party? That’s what we’re waiting on.” About Ask a Pol: We give listeners a front row seat to Congress. Transparency matters, so come inside the Capitol with us! Politicians disappoint. Ask a Pol keeps em honest. Find us on social media:SubstackXSpotifyAppleDon’t miss our other Ask a Pol sites!Ask a Pol politics.Ask a Pol crypto. Ask a Pol drugs. Ask a Pol ai. Ask a Pol uaps. Find Ask a Pol founder @MattLaslo on social media. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.askapolpolitics.com/subscribe

Visit Ask a Pol ~ asking your lawmakers your questions at your US Capitol ~What should we ask Congress next? Let us know! Caught our ear:“When you bomb you often don’t recover narcotics,” US Senator Tim Kaine tells us. “In at least one of the instances, there’s no narcotics recovered. It’s not clear that was what was on the boat. It might have been human traffick.”About Ask a Pol: We give listeners a front row seat to Congress. Transparency matters, so come inside the Capitol with us! Politicians disappoint. Ask a Pol keeps em honest. Find us on social media:SubstackXSpotifyAppleDon’t miss our other Ask a Pol sites!Ask a Pol politics.Ask a Pol crypto. Ask a Pol drugs. Ask a Pol ai. Ask a Pol uaps. Find Ask a Pol founder @MattLaslo on social media. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.askapolpolitics.com/subscribe

Visit Ask a Pol ~ asking your lawmakers your questions at your US Capitol ~ what should we ask Congress next? Let us know!In our latest episode, Ask a Pol asks Senate president pro tempore (who's 3rd in line for presidency):Does this feel different than shutdowns in the past? Key Grassley:“No. They’re all the same,” Sen. Chuck Grassley exclusively tells Ask a Pol Politics. “They cost money to shut down. It costs money to open government up. Government’s supposed to be service for the American people. You can’t serve the American people if the government’s shut down.”About Ask a Pol: We give listeners a front row seat to Congress. Transparency matters, so come inside the Capitol with us! Politicians disappoint. Ask a Pol keeps em honest. Find us on social media:SubstackXSpotifyAppleDon’t miss our other Ask a Pol sites!Ask a Pol politics. Ask a Pol crypto. Ask a Pol drugs. Ask a Pol ai. Ask a Pol uaps. Find Ask a Pol founder @MattLaslo on social media. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.askapolpolitics.com/subscribe

Visit Ask a Pol ~ interactive political journalism ~ what should we ask Congress next? Let us know!Who?Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE)LISTEN: Laslo & BaconIn our latest episode, Ask a Pol asks:How are you feeling about the new President Donald Trump-sponsored Jan. 6 committee?Key Bacon:“I personally think it’s old news,” Rep. Don Bacon exclusively tells Ask a Pol. “Why can’t we just say those who hurt cops, they were wrong? They deserve to be punished — 140 cops were injured. I don’t know why we can’t have just some honesty, that there were some bad apples in this whole crowd. They deserve to be punished.”ICYMI — Laslo’s video escaping Capitol Jan 6, 2021…*Laslo’s Jan. 6, 2021 experience has been featured in the LA Times, VICE News, Wyoming Public Radio, Committee to Protect Journalists, etc.Caught our ear:“I just feel like both sides lost their minds,” Bacon tells us.About Ask a Pol: We give listeners a front row seat to Congress. Transparency matters, so come inside the Capitol with us! Politicians disappoint. Ask a Pol keeps em honest. Find us on social media:SubstackXSpotifyAppleDon’t miss our other Ask a Pol sites! Ask a Pol politics.Ask a Pol crypto. Ask a Pol drugs. Ask a Pol ai. Ask a Pol uaps. Find Ask a Pol founder @MattLaslo on social media.  This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.askapolpolitics.com/subscribe

Visit Ask a Pol ~ interactive political journalism ~ what should we ask Congress next? Let us know!Who?Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA)In our latest episode, Ask a Pol asks:Wondering your reaction to the reaction of some on the left who are celebrating Charlie Kirk’s assassination?Key Fetterman: “It's horrific. It's absolutely horrific. I mean, I've seen the video multiple times,” Sen. John Fetterman exclusively tells Ask a Pol. “I'm not going to talk about the politics. I'm not going to talk about who's right or who was this or that. It's just like: Don't shoot, kill people if they have different political views. It's just, don't do it.” About Ask a Pol: We give listeners a front row seat to Congress. Transparency matters, so come inside the Capitol with us! Politicians disappoint. Ask a Pol keeps em honest. Find us on social media:SubstackXSpotifyAppleDon’t miss our other Ask a Pol sites! Ask a Pol politics.Ask a Pol crypto. Ask a Pol drugs. Ask a Pol ai. Ask a Pol uaps. Find Ask a Pol founder @MattLaslo on social media.  This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.askapolpolitics.com/subscribe

Visit Ask a Pol ~ interactive political journalism ~ What should we ask Congress next? Let us know!In our latest episode, Ask a Pol asks:What do you make of how ICE — Immigration and Customs Enforcement — and the Department of Homeland Security — DHS — are using all these new technologies in new ways on migrants that they aren't on American citizens? Key Rashida Tlaib:`This is not their first attempt and from what I understand, they've been collecting DNA without any public knowledge,” Rep. Rashida Tlaib exclusively told Ask a Pol. “It absolutely should be worrisome and I think it's important for people to understand our immigrant neighbors, these are human beings. ” About Ask a Pol: We give listeners a front row seat to Congress. Transparency matters, so come inside the Capitol with us! Politicians disappoint. Ask a Pol keeps em honest. Find us on social media:SubstackXSpotifyAppleDon’t miss our other Ask a Pol sites!Ask a Pol politics.Ask a Pol crypto. Ask a Pol drugs. Ask a Pol ai. Ask a Pol uaps. Find Ask a Pol founder @MattLaslo on social media. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.askapolpolitics.com/subscribe

Visit Ask a Pol ~ asking your lawmakers your questions at your US Capitol ~What should we ask Congress next? Let us know!In our latest episode, Ask a Pol asks:What do you make of the new tech — from facial recognition apps to DNA swabs — being deployed by ICE against migrant communities?Key AOC:“I think it's horrible from any agency perspective whatsoever,” Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez exclusively told Ask a Pol. “ICE, of course, is one of the most concerning, not just because it's an immigration thing, but because they have some of the least guardrails.” About Ask a Pol: We give listeners a front row seat to Congress. Transparency matters, so come inside the Capitol with us! Politicians disappoint. Ask a Pol keeps em honest. Find us on social media:SubstackXSpotifyAppleDon’t miss our other Ask a Pol sites! Ask a Pol politics.Ask a Pol crypto. Ask a Pol drugs. Ask a Pol ai. Ask a Pol uaps. Find Ask a Pol founder @MattLaslo on social media.  This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.askapolpolitics.com/subscribe

Visit Ask a Pol ~ interactive political journalism ~What should we ask Congress next? Let us know!In our latest episode,Who?Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) — Chair, Senate Commerce Committee**just a few weeks ago at the end of July, Chair Cruz was forced to pull a measure from consideration before his Commerce Committee that would place minimal guardrails around the TSA — or Transportation Security Administration — and its expanding use of facial recognition technology.At the same time, Cruz and other Republican leaders oppose any attempt to limit the use of facial recognition apps, DNA swabs and other new tech surveillance being deployed by masked ICE — Immigration & Customs Enforcement — agents.LISTEN: Laslo & CruzAsk a Pol asks:Some Democrats, including AOC and her fellow Squad member Rashida Tlaib, worry about surveillance creep.They fear that once ICE officers normalize facial recognition apps or mandatory DNA swabs those surveillance techniques will become normalized in agencies like the TSA and then deployed against everyday citizens?Key Cruz:“ICE is confronting an acute public safety and national security challenge,” Sen. Ted Cruz exclusively told Ask a Pol founder Matt Laslo.ICYMI — the other side of the debate…AOC ICE exclusiveAbout Ask a Pol: We give listeners a front row seat to Congress. Transparency matters, so come inside the Capitol with us! Politicians disappoint. Ask a Pol keeps em honest. Find us on social media:SubstackXSpotifyAppleDon’t miss our other Ask a Pol sites!Ask a Pol politics.Ask a Pol crypto. Ask a Pol drugs. Ask a Pol ai. Ask a Pol uaps. Find Ask a Pol founder @MattLaslo on social media. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.askapolpolitics.com/subscribe

Visit Ask a Pol ~ asking your lawmakers your questions at your US Capitol ~What should we ask Congress next? Let us know!In our latest episode, Ask a Pol asks:Do you think Elon Musk starting a new, third “America Party” is gonna mean anything?Key Slotkin:“I don’t know yet,” Sen. Elissa Slotkin exclusively tells Ask a Pol. “Like, he certainly has the money, but he also has to have people who decide that they’re with him.”About Ask a Pol: We give listeners a front row seat to Congress. Transparency matters, so come inside the Capitol with us! Politicians disappoint. Ask a Pol keeps em honest. Find us on social media:SubstackXSpotifyAppleDon’t miss our other Ask a Pol sites!Ask a Pol politics.Ask a Pol crypto. Ask a Pol drugs. Ask a Pol ai. Ask a Pol uaps. Find Ask a Pol founder @MattLaslo on social media. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.askapolpolitics.com/subscribe