CLAY: We’re bringing in now Jake Bequette. He is a former NFL player. He’s been in the armed forces. He is running for the Senate in Arkansas. And, Jake, I’ll start with this. I’m out in L.A. for the Super Bowl. Which side of the equation do you like here? Do you like the Rams? Do you like the Bengals? How would you assess the two teams here before we get into the political situation in Arkansas and beyond?
BEQUETTE: Well, first of all, I hope you brought your mask out West, Clay.
CLAY: (laughing) Unfortunately, I’ve gotta have it.
BUCK: Worried that there’s like the Old West wanted posters out for the unvaxxed bandit Clay Travis. But anyway.
BEQUETTE: I love it. I love it. Yeah. Burn that sucker! I’m gonna go for the Bengals. I’ve been a very outspoken critic of the NFL, but if you’re gonna force me to make a choice, I’ll go with the Bengals, go for the underdog. I think they are the team of destiny this year. I like Joe Burrow. It’s good to see two former SEC quarterbacks getting after it. So, I’ll go for the Bengals.
CLAY: Yeah, Jake, now let’s dive into the larger political environment. What are you hearing from people in Arkansas? I had a great time, great experience in Fayetteville, all over the state of Arkansas. We were there for the Arkansas-Texas game — I think the biggest crowd ever in Razorback Stadium there. I love being able to interact with football fans because it really feels like the heartbeat of America very often, particularly college football fans. What are you hearing from your potential constituents the most as you travel the state of Arkansas and run for the Senate there?
BEQUETTE: Well, first of all, it was great to have you in Fayetteville for that game. And Arkansas just had a big basketball victory. Just knocked off number one Auburn.
CLAY: I saw that. A heck of a storming of the court scene there in Fayetteville over that win. That was a big one for Eric Musselman.
BEQUETTE: Absolutely, and that’s where I was going. We’ve had two. We stormed the field after the UT game, we stormed the court after the Auburn victory, and I’m so proud of SEC Country because we had been holding the line on this covid tyranny from the beginning.
BEQUETTE: I think we’ve led the charge, we’ve led the fight to restore some sanity for this country because you can’t escape the images on TV, people around the country, and in Los Angeles and New York and D.C., they’re seeing all these SEC stadiums fully packed, they’re seeing students pack into the student sections, having a great time, you see them storming the field in Razorback Stadium or in Bud Walton Arena.
It never made sense with these Draconian lockdowns and mask mandates and vaccine passports that their reality was in those coastal liberal elite cities. So in Arkansas people are fed up, they’re angry, they’re ready to take our country back. That’s part of the reason why I’m running for the U.S. Senate is because there really is a huge gap between the beating heart of the grassroots, the base of the Republican Party, and these establishment, career politician RINOs who are in D.C. And part of the reason why I’m running is to close that gap.
BUCK: We’re speaking to Jake Bequette former Army Ranger and former NFL player running for Senate in Arkansas. Jake, as you’ve seen, no doubt, some members of the military have been fired, have been kicked out for vaccine refusal. That’s coming right before, of course, we have a lot of vaccine mask mandate and mask mandates essentially suspensions going on, right?
They’re stopping at least for a period of time some of these programs in a lot of states, the blue states. You don’t have to worry about this in Arkansas the same way. What do you think should be done for the folks — and if you were to be in the Senate, what would you like to see the federal government do for anyone who’s been involuntarily separated from and/or fired from the military for vaccine refusal?
BEQUETTE: Well, this is an issue that is near and dear to my heart. I was recently a rifle platoon leader in the 101st Airborne Division. And look, some of the bravest and best soldiers that I ever served with are being forced out of the military. Some have already been fired due to these insane, tyrannical vaccine mandates. If I’m elected to the U.S. Senate, I will lead the fight to either restore these troops to active duty status with full back pay, or just give them the money and the retirement they are owed as if they were never fired.
It’s an absolutely ridiculous situation we are in that we are firing some of the most elite troops in this country, including Navy SEALs, Green Berets some of the bravest Americans, some of our bravest fellow citizens who have sacrificed so much for this country, laid it all on the line. Just one story anecdotally: A good friend of mine, a Marine, came home from Kabul, Afghanistan.
CLAY: Jake, by the way, we’re gonna have Senator Ron Johnson on tomorrow with us. He’s been a great guest on Clay and Buck, obviously running for reelection in the state of Wisconsin here coming up in November. You just mentioned Dr. Fauci. We’ve had Rand Paul on the show — obviously, Rand is a doctor — and he has said that we should hold Dr. Fauci accountable.
If you’re elected to the Senate from Arkansas — and we’re talking to Jake Bequette, former NFL player, former Arkansas Razorback, also a soldier — what would you consider accountability for Dr. Fauci to look like as a senator from Arkansas if you have the ability to be asking him questions?
BEQUETTE: Look, I think he should be held accountable. He should first and foremost be brought before hearings in both the House and the Senate. I was among the first to sign the Michael Knowles pledge to hold Dr. Fauci accountable — to, if elected, reduce his salary to zero, he should be paid nothing by the American taxpayer — and, quite frankly, I think he belongs in prison.
I think he should be liable to criminal prosecution for the lies he has told to the American people, for the untold damage that has been done to our country, the small businesses that have been shuttered, lives that have been shattered, young people who have been driven to drug abuse and societal disruption. It’s totally insane that the children across this country… I think a story that hasn’t been told enough is the complete collapse in achievement among standardized test scores across the country.
Some of these-left-leaning outlets have begun to let some information trickle outlet. But I think the last couple years have been an absolute disaster for the progress — the intellectual and social development — of so many young children across this country and the consequences of which are going to be reverberate for years to come. And so, as I said, again: “Accountability” is the watchword, and I think that includes possible imprisonment.
BUCK: Jake, what’s your site, for folks who want to learn more about you and your race for the Senate in Arkansas?
BUCK: Jake, thanks so much. Great to have you.
BEQUETTE: Thanks, Buck. Thanks, Clay.
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