Dennis Interviews Hugh Hewitt

Hey, Hugh, it's been a very long time.

You know, Dennis, I have thought about you a lot since 10/7, and I want to spend an entire show with you when the war is over. But I pray for you, and I worry about our friends who are Jewish and in LA every day.

I believe you. I 100% believe you, and it means the world to me. We— there is a lot actually to talk about in that arena. It's not obviously why I'm having you on now, but it's— this is a testing time. You're a committed Christian, and you know I've spent much of my life defending Christians from the left, from others who have anger at some parts of Christian history, whatever it might be. But this is a testing time. It is a testing time for all groups because it's so— the issue of right and wrong is so obvious. Anyway, what you said means a great deal to me. So you have no idea how often I mention you in speeches. In regard usually to your book, If It Isn't Close, They Can't Cheat. Is that the correct title? Yeah. Good. Okay, good. Because I—

2004.

Yeah, I don't— right. I don't remember the titles of all of my books accurately. But you were a prophet, by the way. I mean, to think that that came out 20 years ago, it is quite remarkable. So I might as well ask you about that. And of course, I want to touch on the PragerU video because it's your video this week that has come out. Uh, but, uh, I'm putting you on the spot, and I don't expect you to be a prophet, but do you think that— let's put it this way, I'll put it in a gentler way— do you think that there is a chance that we will have more honest elections now than before?

Yes. I listened this morning to Michael Watley, member of the RNC, talking on the Ruthless podcast at length about the fact that we learned the laws, we've mastered the laws, and we have already successfully sued Virginia and Pennsylvania whenever no-goodniks show up. And it's very important that people not file false claims because they have lots of resources, but they can't chase every rumor. But they go after every indiscretion and illegality, and they're winning.

And do, do you believe that it is— we're in a much— we being those who want honest elections, because it's not only Republicans, there are Democrats who want, want honest elections as well. Do you think that those of us who do are in a— consider, I'm repeating my question in a different way— are in much better condition than 4 years ago?

Much better. Like the difference between when I wrote the book in 2004 and everyone knew Chicago and Philadelphia and St. Louis had histories of cheating. And as everyone knows, 2020 was a wacky, crazy election with Zuckerbox and Zuckerboxes changed rules a month before the election. That was the worst ever. And now we're to the best ever because the RNC got better.

That's big, right? Listen, from your mouth to God's ears. So do you— if you were emperor of the country— this is not a cute question— in other words, if what you wanted became policy, what changes would you want in the way we vote for president?

No, I am very worried that eventually the Chinese are going to learn how to fix our elections from abroad. And we have a distributed system, 51 systems, 50-50 count one. And Puerto Rico doesn't get to vote, but Guam does, I believe. And so I think it's a 51 system. That's some protection, but the CCP is intent, as is Iran and Russia, on electing people that they view as less threatening than more threatening. And they will learn how to hack our elections if they can. I'm not worried about Democrats. We've got them beat. I'm worried about the JICOM. 4 years from now, 8 years from now. And I would go to in-person voter ID. I would let them vote for a month. I know I got no problem with a week or early voting. In-person ID. Prosecute the heck out of everyone. You know, in my alma mater, University of Michigan Law School.

All right. Hold on there, Hugh. Hold on. As you know— wait, hold on. We got to take a break. Don't forget that point. This is really important. We're talking about the issue of Well, I'll be very precise. I asked Hugh if he could have whatever he wants to ensure honest elections in the United States, what would he recommend? So Hugh, you were talking about your worry about enemies of the United States hacking our system, right? Is that correct? I hear you correctly, right?

And I want to give you the purpose of this. This is from this morning's South China Post. I sent it to Al and Eskandar. Chinese student in Michigan arrested for trying to vote in 2024 U.S. election. A Chinese student at the University of Michigan was arrested Wednesday, yesterday, after he found himself caught up in the Republican campaign in recent months claiming widespread voter fraud by illegal immigrants. Crazy framing. The Michigan Department of State said the unnamed 19-year-old student voted in the U.S. presidential election on Sunday in Ann Arbor and was subsequently charged with an unauthorized elector attempting to vote and with perjury for making a false statement to secure registration. Michigan's law is that if you walk in with a student ID in Ann Arbor, you can vote. But you got to be a citizen. This week, the Supreme Court upheld Glenn Youngkin's—

Wait, wait, wait, forgive me, I don't understand. What does it mean you have— wait, wait, wait, wait, hold on. You have to be a citizen? I don't understand. If there's no ID, how do you prove you're a citizen?

You have— if Michigan does have a voter ID requirement, and they have a requirement in Michigan to show an ID, and they accept the University of Michigan student ID as ID, right?

But there— but, but wait a minute, but there are many students who are not citizens, correct?

And this is one of them, and they tried to vote and they got arrested. And he's a, he's a tycoon. And so if one person does that, maybe it's one knucklehead, but there are 1,300 people in Virginia who got driver's licenses They checked on the form that they were non-citizens. They're on our voting rolls. And Glenn Youngkin said, no, get them off, purge them. And the Democrats sued to keep them. And the Supreme Court yesterday said, no, get them off, they're non-citizens. So you can get a driver's license, you can get ID, but that doesn't mean you're a citizen. So I'm just afraid that the malicious intent actors out there. And I'm not talking about Democrats, I'm talking about foreign nationals. But you know, China would much rather have Kamala Harris than Donald Trump. That's like a given. They're going to attack us again and again. They attack depending on thousands of times a day with cyber malware attacks. They're going after our election, and we've got to make them stronger.

Well, it— so if I were asked if I could have one wish regarding election, it would be we go back to paper ballots. You can't hack paper ballots. Oh, okay, fine. I wanted to make sure because you know more about this.

You have to go home, you have to go to the ballot. We don't give you an absentee unless you're in the army or you are in the hospital, and we double-check who you are. Israel's got the best in the West.

Interesting. Didn't know that. You have a video out this week at PragerU. We have videos on every single president. You were assigned, so to speak, or volunteered to do Gerald Ford. And it's a terrific video. And I just want to remind people, 90% of our videos are apolitical. They're just, you wouldn't even know if it was made by a conservative or a left-wing, well, you would know if it was a left-wing or a liberal think tank. And this includes the presidential series. So I have always thought of Gerald Ford as a particularly decent man. And who did a very decent thing in pardoning Richard Nixon. What is your assessment?

Love Jerry Ford. Jerry Ford went to Michigan. Um, a very smart man, great lawyer, lovely family, and he did the right thing for the country, pardoning former President Nixon, even when it cost him a lot. It's why I asked Donald Trump last week he would pardon Hunter Biden. And he said it's not off the books. And the reason is it would be good for the country to turn the page. Gerald Ford did not get reelected because he pardoned Richard Nixon. It was brave and courageous. He was a good, modest, and wonderful president, by the way. We discussed in the video— I mean, he was Jerry Ford. He was everybody's next-door neighbor.

Yeah, it was a different— that's truly a different America, an America that had Gerald Ford as president. So I'm sorry to say, but it doesn't speak well of the American people that they would vote him out because he did the right thing with regard to Richard Nixon. Is that a sad but fair assessment?

As much or more than they hated Trump. And that's all I can tell our young listeners, is that people practiced hating Richard Nixon from the Hiss case in 1950 until 1974. So, not putting him in jail or even giving up on the chance to put him in jail, that made the Nixon haters, mostly in D.C., hate Jerry Ford. And he lost that election by this much. This much.

I don't think people know, especially young people, they don't realize that Democrats' hatred of Republican presidents on essentially the level of Trump is not new.

Oh my God, Dennis, calling Trump a fascist is only the 10th time that They've been calling Trump a fascist since he came down the elevator, but they called George W. Bush a fascist. They called Mitt Romney a fascist. They just were all fascists. Doesn't that offend you?

You're a joy, my friend, and God willing, Israel will be victorious and you and I will have an hour together. Watch his video, the latest at PragerU on Gerald Ford. Bless you, my friend. It's great to be with you.

Be well.

Back in a moment. Thank you.