Rep. David Kustoff (R-TN) said he is stunned by allegations that Vanderbilt University Medical Center is mutilating the private parts of young children.
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Kustoff said on the Todd Starnes Radio Show that most stories don’t shock him, but this story out of Tennessee shocked him.
“I don’t get shocked very often. I definitely don’t. When I saw this story that came out about Vanderbilt, I really was shocked. It’s just incredible to think that this is being done, these ‘gender-bender’ techniques to young adolescents.”
LISTEN TO THE FULL INTERVIEW BELOW:
The following is a rush transcript from the Todd Starnes Show which airs daily from noon to 3:00 p.m. EST.
TODD STARNES: [00:59:02] I want to go to the Patriot Mobile Newsmaker Line. A very honor to have with us, my congressman. And he’s, by the way, a great congressman, congressman David Kustoff. Good to have you with us today. [00:59:12][10.4]
REP. DAVID KUSTOFF (R-TN-08): [00:59:13] Hey, Todd, thank you very much. Thanks for having me. It’s a pretty active, pretty active news day, pretty active news week. Some for the right reason. Some for the well. For the wrong reasons. [00:59:24][10.4]
STARNES: [00:59:27] I love This story coming out of Pennsylvania today. And we heard some of the audio a little while ago from Kevin McCarthy. How do you feel about this commitment and what do you think it’s going to do, for example? I’m a big fan of the police component based on what’s happening in Memphis these days. [00:59:43][16.1]
KUSTOFF: [00:59:44] Well, yesterday, Kevin McCarthy, the Republican leader, previewed this commitment to America for the other Republican congressmen. And you may know that Newt Gingrich was in the briefing and so was Kellyanne Conway. And so it was a really deep dive on these really on the four pillars that I know that you’ve been talking about an economy that’s strong, a nation that’s safe, a future that’s built on freedom, a government that’s accountable. And I listened very carefully, very carefully to everything. But Newt, both Newt Gingrich and Kellyanne Conway, both who are brilliant and thoughtful conservatives. But when Newt talked about what went into the Contract with America 1994, which I think a lot of people listening will agree with, really set the stage for Republicans, taking back the House for the first time in 40 years when Newt said that the commitment to America is so much more thorough and I’m paraphrasing what he said and better thought out than the Contract with America, that really said something. And then you dial it back Todd, to when I’m in West Tennessee and I’m speaking to whatever groups I’m speaking to and I’m talking about all the problems. I’m talking about the high cost of living, the high crime that you just talked about, and the border. And we’re all really good about talking about the problems. We get to talk about solutions because, you know, under one-party rule in Washington, Biden, Pelosi, Schumer, it means that hey set the agenda. We fight back and we fight back hard, but they are driving. This is really our driving vehicle. And so when we can talk about these four pillars, including that safety component, and be able to offer real solutions compared to what Democrats, are offering, which is more of the same. We win. [01:01:49][124.9]
TODD STARNES: [01:01:51] No, we do win. And Congressman, I’m we just had a Scott Perry on in the last segment. He seems to be very encouraged by the polling numbers. And, you know, how this goes with a political cycle. It’s good when the polls are breaking in your favor in the lead-up to the weeks leading up to the election. And that certainly appears to be the case. What is it, though, that Republicans need to be doing aside from this commitment to America, what do we need to be doing to make sure that we win the midterms? [01:02:23][31.9]
KUSTOFF: [01:02:24] Yeah, well, so a number of things. One is I’ll say to the people who are listening and you heard Kevin McCarthy unveil the commitment to America today. The other thing that I would tell people on the Republican side, is we have some really good I mean, really good candidates running for the House of Representatives all around the country and good, strong conservatives, people who have accomplished really incredible things in their lives. And I look at some of the people not only who are first-time candidates running maybe either for open seats or challenge candidates. But somebody like Maya Flores, for example, who just was elected, as you know, in a special election a few months ago, doesn’t fit what some people would think is the typical profile of a Republican candidate or even a Republican. She, you know, was born in Mexico, elected from a deep Texas district that had never elected a Republican before. But her constituents agree with her, agree with Republican ideals that she talks about just like I do. And that’s happening all across the country. So going back to what you just asked, you know, we’ve got now less than 49, 47 days left until the November election. We all know that. And wherever you live across the country, most states have some type of early voting. And the main thing is you cannot leave anything on the table. We cannot assume that our voters are going to go vote, which means we’ve got to do the blocking and tackling, which, frankly, I think we saw at the local level Todd, and in Memphis that we haven’t done so well in a while. We have to physically get people to go, mark their ballot, go in and vote and make sure that nothing’s left on the table. So my main message is, yeah, this is a tough time for the nation. We’re offering up some really good ideas so that we can govern on day one in January of 2023 with really good candidates. But it doesn’t do any good if people sit at home and they don’t go vote. [01:04:42][137.9]
TODD STARNES: [01:04:43] I mean, that is a fair statement right there. And elections have consequences. And we certainly saw that in Memphis with the George Soros-styled district attorney who is now in the office on the Patriot Mobile Newsmaker Line. Our good friend, Congressman David, Kustoff from Tennessee’s eighth Congressional District. Congressman, I’d love for you to weigh in on this very disturbing story out of Vanderbilt. It’s really the talk of the nation. Governor Bill Lee calling for an investigation into the allegations that the hospital is doing these transgender surgeries on minors. What can you tell us? [01:05:18][34.6]
KUSTOFF: [01:05:19] Well, a number of things. I think, like a lot of people and, you know, you’ve covered things for a long time. But you know, I’ve had a number of different lives as a lawyer and a federal prosecutor and now as a congressman. I don’t get shocked very often. I definitely don’t. When I saw this story that Matt Walsh broke and then some of the audio that came out of Vanderbilt, I really was shocked. It was just it’s incredible to think that this is being done, these gender bender techniques to young adolescents. And so, number one, I’m glad that the governor of Tennessee, Governor Bill Lee, made the statement that he made about the investigation. Jonathan Skrmetti, who is now the Tennessee State Attorney General, has made affirmations about what he wants to try to do. And I will say at the federal level, this was ironical as it was introduced, I don’t know, a few weeks or so before this announcement for Vanderbilt was made. There’s a there is a federal bill that was introduced just recently that it’s pending. And the title of it is The Protect Children’s Innocence Act, the Protect Children’s Innocence Act. And it would prohibit taxpayer-funded general performing care. In other words, no federal money goes to do these types of procedures. It would stop colleges and places of higher education from providing instruction on gender-affirming care. And then maybe the real important provision is that it would be a Class C felony for any position, anybody in medical care to perform these types of operations on a minor. 10 to 25 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. So at the federal level, we’re paying attention to it, at the state level in Tennessee looks like Governor Lee and the attorney general’s Skrmetti are paying attention to it. And obviously, a lot of things have happened very quickly. [01:07:45][145.8]
TODD STARNES: [01:07:46] Well, Congressman, we appreciate you weighing in on both those big stories. As you said, a lot of big news dropping today and of course, watching the stock markets take another tumble. It’s going to be a rough day for it for a lot of people. But again, elections have consequences and we’ve got an opportunity to stop the Biden agenda in its tracks on Election Day. [01:08:10][23.2]
KUSTOFF: [01:08:11] You’re exactly right, Todd. And you know that the headline right now on The Wall Street Journal is Dow. And to your point, Dow Industrials hit 2022 low on growth fears. This is hitting real people right in their pocketbooks. It’s expensive to live today. And with Democrats controlling the White House and the Senate in the United States House of Representatives, this is all self-inflicted. And I’m really looking forward. We’ve got to work hard. I’m looking forward to after November so that we can start putting in place our plans for governing and setting the country on the right path. [01:08:51][40.4]
TODD STARNES: [01:08:51] All right. And full disclosure, I endorsed you a long time ago, so I’m proud that you’re my congressman. And we need more folks like you up on Capitol Hill. [01:09:01][9.4]
KUSTOFF: [01:09:02] Thank you very much. And I’m very proud that your media studios emanate right there from the heart of the eighth Congressional District of Tennessee. I’m glad to have you right where you are. [01:09:14][11.7]
TODD STARNES: [01:09:14] Your kind to say that Congressman, we’re going to let you go. [01:09:17][2.3]