On Wednesday's radio program, Frank Gaffney, founder of the Center for Security Policy, alleged that Grover Norquist was acting as an agent of influence on behalf of the Muslim Brotherhood. Norquist is currently up for re-election to the board of the NRA, and Glenn said he had heard enough bad things about Norquist that he was going to drop his membership if the re-election was a success. Friday morning, Glenn revealed that he had spoken with Wayne LaPierre, executive vice president of the NRA, and the NRA was opening an ethics investigation in Norquist.
Below is a rush transcript of this segment from radio:
I have a -- an important and personal conversation with you about the NRA. I know that a lot of our listeners are NRA members. I am an NRA member. I am a member -- a lifetime member. And one that -- I'm a reluctant member to almost anything. The only two organizations I belong to are my church and the NRA. I believe in Wayne LaPierre and the direction he's set for the NRA. I don't always agree with him. But I believe they're honest people trying to do the right thing.
Two days ago I was on the air, and I brought up Grover Norquist. And he's a board member on the NRA, and he's running for reelection. And I said something then that I meant then and I mean now. That if Grover Norquist remains on the board of the NRA, I don't believe that I can remain a member of the NRA. I so deeply believe this is a very, very bad man. And I so deeply that he -- and I'm not assigning. I shouldn't say he's a very bad man. I don't know him. And so I don't want to assign his reasons. I don't know why he does what he does. And I just know the people that he hangs out with and the people that he helps empower, and they are agents of influence for the Muslim Brotherhood.
And many of the reasons why we're off on the wrong track now in the Middle East is because of the influence of Grover Norquist. He is a guy that the left used to say was the all powerful, all mighty and powerful Oz during the Bush administration. I used to mock that. I didn't know anything about Grover Norquist and I thought that was the most ridiculous thing ever heard. We heard it so many times that we started doing our own homework on it. And instead of mocking it, we decided, let's just dismiss this. We started doing our homework on Grover Norquist, and I'm sorry, he is Oz. And he is a -- it's really sad because what he does on taxes, I happen to agree with. I happen to agree with some of his policies.
But when it comes to the Muslim Brotherhood and Islam, this guy is on the wrong side. Whether he knows it or not, I don't -- I don't believe he's out trying to destroy America, but his efforts and his work will lead to the destruction of America. And he is one of 76 board members of the NRA. I am not saying to the NRA, it's either him or me, I'm just saying, he's up for election, and it is the lifetime members that vote for him. And if the lifetime members think that he is a guy that should be on the NRA, just like I did with General Motors, General Motors was my biggest client at the time. And I loved General Motors. And I loved the direction they were going in. And then they switched directions and they took money from the federal government.
And I had to make the hardest call I've ever made. I turned down seven figures for my business because it violated my principles. And I told General Motors, the minute you get out of bed with the government and you start doing the things that you told me you were going to do, I would love to represent you again. But I don't have an axe to grind against General Motors. It's a personal decision.
Yesterday, I spent about an hour on the phone with Wayne LaPierre at the NRA. And we discussed this issue. And I am happy to report that the NRA, after hearing this a couple of days ago, and they've been trying to get on my schedule the last couple of days and I haven't had the chance. But they reacted immediately because of your phone calls. Hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of phone calls have apparently come into the NRA and have said, if Glenn leaves the NRA, we leave the NRA. And I don't want you to be a lemming by any stretch of the imagination, I assume you've done your own homework on Grover Norquist as well. And don't ever take my word. Just because I do something, doesn't mean you should do it. And I don't mean to talk down to you. I know you know that.
PAT: It's more for the media than it is for --
GLENN: Thank you very much.
We can be in lockstep. But not mindless. And you must do your own homework. And I urge you to do your own homework on Grover Norquist. Because he is an influential player in the G.O.P. And he is, I believe, a dangerous man. Because of what he believes about Islam.
This is going to raise all kinds of charges. The game will be played. I have now thrown down the chips on the table, and so Grover Norquist is a very powerful man. And we don't have friends in Washington as it is, and I'm happy about that. But he is a very powerful man, and so I believe that, you know -- you know, we've started a little war here because of our principles.
But he is the first to lead the charges of, well, you're a racist and everything else if you say anything against the Muslim Brotherhood or him. And there's not a racist bone in my body. I don't hate Muslims. I just had Zuhdi Jasser here who I think is a guy that should be held up. He's a Muslim. He's of Arab descent. So please, shut up.
Now, let me tell you about the phone call. So Wayne calls me yesterday, and he said, Glenn, I understand your concerns. And before I say anything -- because I honestly expected some sort of defense. And he said, I want you to know, because of the phone calls that have come in, I want you to know and I want your audience to know, I take our members voice's seriously.
Now, I have been -- I have been in rooms with a lot of people, I have talked to a lot of company heads and everything else. There's no organization bigger than the NRA. More powerful than the NRA. And I was humbled and shocked by how seriously they take your voice. And when you called, they went into action. And they said that they were opening up an ethics investigation on Grover. They said they're going to get down to the bottom of this once and for all. Grover denies all of these allegations.
PAT: Always has.
GLENN: And always has.
And they said, I want you to know, and when they said that, I thought, what does that mean? They said, I want you to know, it will be fully transparent. It will be posted on the web. You will know everything we did and everything we found. And then we will take action from that point. You know, they -- my feeling is, this really hurts the NRA. This really -- just the question of whether he's in with the Muslim Brotherhood or not really hurts the NRA. And the last thing I said to Wayne was: Wayne, if I were on the board, and when I said foolishly on Fox that morning, I think the president was a racist. And I was thinking out loud. And the gates of hell opened up. If I were on the board and people were starting to question the NRA because of what I said, do you think you would have had to call me?
And he said, no. And I said, no. I would have called you. The NRA is more important than me, I said. Take me off the board. Get this heat off of me. The fact that Grover Norquist hasn't said I won't run for reelection I think speaks volumes because he's one of 76 board members. He goes to the meetings, but he doesn't really even speak up. It's not like he's leading anything. So he's one of 76. What difference does it make that he's on the board of the NRA?
So I think that says a lot about his personal character, myself. But I also can understand someone digging in their heels if they think they're right. And I'm not leaving. I'm not going to be bullied like this. Et cetera, et cetera. I'm not trying to bully. I have nothing against the NRA. I think if we lose the NRA, we lose a lot. We cannot lose the NRA. And that's why I say this, because I believe Grover Norquist is an agent of influence. And I believe that he is influencing people to look the other way when it comes to people like the Muslim Brotherhood. And the facts are clear.
And I want to just give a story. This was written by Bill Gertz.
Islamists linked to the Muslim Brotherhood are seeking to influence the US conservative movement as a part of a nonviolent jihad against the United States. This is according to a group of retired national security leaders. Ten former US officials, including the retired attorney general, former CIA director, a retired general and an admiral, and a former counterterrorism prosecutor, among others, have challenged an assessment made years ago by the political outreach activities by the antitax activist, Grover Norquist.
Now, this story, you can read it online. It's from Bill Gertz. It's called Influence Operation. But I want you to hear the names of the people that put their name on a cover letter saying, he's an agent of influence.
Now, again, I don't have any firsthand knowledge. I will tell you that I have, A, been on Grover Norquist's side at the beginning. I thought this was ridiculous. We used to mock the people who used to say this about Grover Norquist. So it's not like I have an axe to grind. I don't know the guy. I like his other policies. And I also mocked the people who used to say this. But then we did our homework.
And there is enough smoke to worry about fire. And our homework has included talking to some very good, reasoned, well educated and well balanced individuals. Now, I want you to listen just to the names of the people who have signed this cover letter saying, there is fire here.
Former Attorney General Michael Mukasey. Pretty significant. Former CIA director James Woolsey. Allen West. Lieutenant general, retired, William Boykin. General Boykin is one of the most honest, decent, and clear-minded men I know. Former Undersecretary of Defense for Intelligence, a former federal prosecutor, Andrew McCarthy, who is really clear on this. Former FBI agent, retired admiral, James Lyons. Former commander of the US Pacific Fleet. Former Pentagon inspector general. An ambassador. Former Director of the Pentagon Strategic Defense Initiative Organization. And a former CIA officer, Clare Lopez.
I know many of these people. I find them to be sound and of sound mind and sound judgment. And I am warning you that Grover Norquist is an agent of influence. Whether he knows it or not, I'm not assigning in any ill will toward him. Whether he knows it or not, he's placing himself near and around members of the Muslim Brotherhood. And he is assisting, whether knowingly or not, agents of influence from the Muslim Brotherhood. And he's currently on the board of directors on the NRA. And I've said to Wayne last night that I -- I appreciate the NRA. I love the NRA. And I support the NRA. And I will wait to see what they do. And I know it will be open and transparent.
And he said, Glenn, I will take you and your audience through it every step of the way. And I believe him.
Now, I will tell you, I said to him, this is a matter of opinion. A lot of this. This is a matter of opinion on whether he is knowingly doing this or not knowingly doing this. I don't know how you remove somebody -- you know, from a position because you disagree with their opinion. And this might turn out to be, I disagree with the opinion -- I agree with the opinion of the former CIA director and the former generals and admirals and commanders of the Pacific fleet. I happen to agree with them and not the people defending Grover Norquist. And that doesn't make either of us wrong.
It's a matter of opinion. But I think when it comes down to something this important, of agents of influence. Of people who are intentionally trying to destroy us from within, we do not take a risk. Especially with an organization as important as the NRA.
So goes the NRA, so goes America. It's really critical that they remain healthy. And that's why I am bringing this to their attention. And I'm asking you, especially if you're a lifetime member to bring this to the attention of every lifetime member. Because it's the lifetime members that vote for the board. And no matter what it says, if the lifetime members with uneducated and they vote for him on the board, you are doing a grave disservice to the -- to the NRA.
And as I said to Wayne, I don't want this to happen. I don't want this to happen. And he said, Glenn, it's not going to happen. It's not going to happen. It's not going to happen. But, again, it's a matter of opinion. And my opinion is, he's a very dangerous man, whether knowingly or unknowingly. And if he remains on the board of the NRA, I will to have resign my membership. And that comes at great pain for me because I love these people. I really love them and I believe in them.
But let's play this out and see what they do. They have promised that they will be transparent. And I want you to know, Wayne was open and honest. Not hedging. There was nothing. It was -- he was so deferential to you. And I want to bring the message that this is one of the only organizations of this weight that I've ever seen that is truly reacting to you. They listen to their membership. They listen to their membership. So let's see how this plays out. But I want you to do your own homework on Grover Norquist. And see what you feel. He's a very dangerous man when it comes to Islam I believe.