On last night’s Glenn Beck Program, Glenn revealed a story that was over a year in the making. Just weeks before the 2012 election, Glenn announced on his radio program that he had learned of “the biggest news story is going on,” but he chose not to divulge the information in order to maintain peace ahead of the election.
So what was the story?
Around this time last year, the establishment GOP tried desperately to take the wind out of the sails of the conservative and libertarian movement, by going after FreedomWorks in what Glenn referred to as a “hostile takeover.” Last August, Glenn received a phone call from Matt Kibbe right after he had been forcibly removed from his office by armed guards. GOP operatives had influence within the FreedomWorks ranks and, once Kibbe had returned to FreedomWorks, it took several months to rid the organization of their power.
Glenn explains how the situation unfolded in the clip below:
On radio this morning, Glenn elaborated on why now was the time to tell this story. When you look at the in-fighting and corruption within the GOP between the establishment Republicans and the more conservative members of the party, a situation very similar to what happened at FreedomWorks last year begins to unfold.
“Now, I didn't say anything about it during the election because it took about a week to get [Kibbe] back in [FreedomWorks], maybe just a couple of days… And I didn't say anything because, quite honestly, I looked at my wife when I first heard it, and I said, ‘We're done.’ If they can do this, these guys can do anything. And it just took the wind out of my sails for about two weeks,” Glenn said. “And I didn't want to tell you because I didn't want you to be hammered because it was being fixed. But I told you on the air, there is something happening behind the scenes that I think is the most important political story to happen in the year. And it's happening right now and nobody knows about it. And someday I will tell you about it. That's what I said on the air, and I said it several times.”
In the lead up to the 2012 election, Glenn didn’t feel releasing the story served any purpose. Other outlets reported various versions of the story, but it didn’t gain much traction. Today, however, in the midst of stories about Republicans turning on one another and calling each other names, the incident takes on a whole new meaning.
“But I never said anything about it [then] because it didn't serve a purpose at that point,” Glenn said. “It does now because what is happening in the GOP, in the Senate to Ted Cruz and to Mike Lee, and in the House of Representatives to all of those who are standing up for the Constitution, and [it is] being done by people like Mitch McConnell, John McCain, Lindsey Graham, John Cornyn, John Boehner, all of those guys. What's being done right now is what they tried to do to FreedomWorks.”
FreedomWorks was able to reclaim its identity and get itself back on track. Its board of directors elected to reinstate Matt Kibbe as CEO, and slowly but surely the non-conservative/libertarian elements of the group began to leave. The American people find themselves in a very similar situation. We are the board of directors, and it is our turn to make a decision about the future of the Republican Party.
“And you are the board of directors. You are the ones that can change the path. So, when I said to you last week, ‘Defund the GOP.’ This is why I said it. You are the board of directors. The board of directors opened their eyes to all of this, because they [knew], ‘We got nothing,’” Glenn said. “That's why I am coming to you, the board of directors, and saying, ‘Is the [GOP] ranchers in your cattle?’ Because that's the way they look at you. They don't want the choices coming from you. They want to give you the choices. They say, ‘This guy or this guy.’ And you say, ‘The lesser of two evils. I guess I'll take that guy.’ That's the way they want it. They don't like it that you picked somebody from the ranks that they don't have control over. And this is the end game. Just like it was with FreedomWorks.”
“If FreedomWorks would have lost that, it would have meant that we would have been destroyed. All of the work they had done, all of the work and a lot of the credibility that the Tea Party had and everything else would have all been destroyed, would have all been gone,” he continued. “Because it would have been then a GOP operative and we would have had to start all over again. And we would have lost years. Years. And I'm telling you, the same thing is happening now. But if the board of directors, you, stand up, and you know what's the going on, and you know who the bad guys are. And you know who they are. But they are trying to convince you that you have no power.”
The John Cornyns, the Lindsey Grahams, the Mitch McConnells, the John Boehners, have all worked years and years and years to gain their status and power and they are not about to go down without a fight. But many of them are up for re-election this year, and it is your turn to decide.
“They want you to feel like you are powerless. You can't do it. You will never make it. And if they win, it means that it will be just a GOP that goes against all of the Constitution. And we will lose years, if not lose the fight. This fight in Washington is not about the President. It is not even about the debt. It is about the Constitution,” Glenn said. “It's not even about fairness. It's about an equal shot. It's about everybody being free to be able to do and follow the desires of their heart… It's not about debt. It's about bottom up control. We the people, equal justice, and equal chance because all men are created equal. We just want the chance to be who we believe we can be.”