Who?

Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) — leading Alabama gubernatorial candidate

Transcript: Sen. Tommy Tuberville (9-23-2026)

SCENE: Ask a Pol founder Matt Laslo’s been staking out the Capitol’s basement all morning on a slow day on Capitol Hill when he spots Sen. Tommy Tuberville and an aide walking toward a bank of elevators.

ICYMI — Ask a Pol founder Matt Laslo’s write-up…

After they greet each other, Laslo hops on as they ride an elevator up to Tuberville’s office in the historic Russell Senate Office Building. He then proceeds to ask the leading Alabama gubernatorial candidate what he makes of the news that Vice President JD Vance’s fraud task force was booting 750,000 people out of Obamacare (aka, the Affordable Care Act).

Matt Laslo: “Do you think JD Vance did a good job?”

Sen. Tommy Tuberville: “Yeah. I mean, good job; this is the first group that ever tried to clean it up. We’re losing hundreds of millions of dollars a day to fraud. We can’t afford it.”

Laslo: “Some people say your party’s, you know, punishing the ‘least of these?’”

Tuberville: “Punishing what?”

Laslo: “‘The least of these’ — biblical reference.”

*Bible Reference: “’Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’” — Matthew 25:40

Tuberville: “The least of these?”

Laslo: “The least of these — the poor people — that they’re getting punished.”

Tuberville: “Well, we’re all getting punished. We’re all in the same boat.”

Democrats wept.

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Who?

Rep. Derrick Van Orden (R-WI)

Ask a Pol asks:

How do you feel about canceling the early session early?

Key Van Orden:

“I work. I will be here tomorrow,”* Rep. Derrick Van Orden exclusively tells Ask a Pol.

*Interview was conducted Wednesday; Speaker Mike Johnson canceled the previously scheduled Thursday legislative session.

Caught our ear:

“I will f****** punch someone in the face for talking about Hegseth,” Van Orden tells us.

Below find a rough transcript of Ask a Pol’s exclusive interview with Rep. Derrick Van Orden (R-WI), slightly edited for clarity.

TRANSCRIPT: Rep. Derrick Van Orden (9-16-2026)

Laslo: How do you feel about canceling the early session early?

Van Orden: I work. I will be here tomorrow.*

*Interview was conducted Wednesday; Speaker Mike Johnson canceled the previously scheduled Thursday legislative session.

Laslo: Some folks are saying it’s because of [Republican Rep. Thomas] Massie’s impeachment against [Defense Secretary Pete] Hegseth.

Van Orden: I have no idea.

Laslo: But wouldn’t a lot of you want to stand up for Hegseth?

Van Orden: Yeah. I will f****** punch someone in the face for talking about Hegseth.

Laslo: Yeah?

Van Orden: He just changed the culture of the Department of War to focus on war. And anybody that’s talking s*** about him doesn’t know what they’re talking about. I’m talking about [the June 2025 Iranian Operation] Midnight Hammer. Absolute resolve. The greatest special operations mission in the history of special operations.

Laslo: Yeah?

Van Orden: And they prevented Iran from having a nuclear weapon by pulling off the most amazing air raid in the history of air raids. So it’s incredible. The amount of effort that Pete Hegseth has put into this job is absolutely, it’s insane how good it is. And I still have a ton of friends on active duty.

Laslo: Yeah?

Van Orden: And they were just demoralized. Look at the recruiting numbers. They’re meeting and exceeding recruiting numbers, you know, by months and months and months. You know why? Leaders.

Laslo: Huh?

Van Orden: So if these morons are talking s*** about Pete, you know, they’re barking up the wrong tree.

Laslo: Why were they demoralized?

Van Orden: Because of Biden. Oh, my God, are you kidding me?

Laslo: Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Van Orden: You got a corpse as commander-in-chief who abandoned thousands of American citizens and our allies to the Taliban. Abbey Gate never had to happen. Any of that stuff. Gutted the military. The reason you didn’t hear them talking smack is because members of the military are professional.

Laslo: Would you...?

Van Orden: Publicly.

Laslo: Yeah?

Van Orden: Privately, oh my gosh!

Laslo: What’d you make of your boy Massie — fellow Republican — dropping it?

Van Orden burps.

Van Orden: Excuse me.

Van Orden: Thomas Massie has lost the bubble.

Laslo: Lost the what?

Van Orden: Lost the bubble.

Laslo: The bubble? What’s the bubble?

Van Orden: Thomas Massie has done more damage to the Republican Party than any Democrat in Congress.

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Who?

Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY)

Ask a Pol asks:Will your Epstein Files Transparency Act 2 have a tangible impact on the lives of these survivors?

Key Massie:“It’s going to be hard to have more tangible impact than 3 million files,” Rep. Thomas Massie exclusively tells Ask a Pol.

Caught our ear:“It will be a very tangible impact on the perpetrators, because one of the things it does is give the New Mexico attorney general the tools he needs to prosecute crimes at Zorro Ranch. And [Attorney General] Todd Blanche is not cooperating right now, so that’s a biggie,” Massie tells us.

Below find a rough transcript of Ask a Pol’s exclusive interview with Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY), slightly edited for clarity.

TRANSCRIPT: Rep. Thomas Massie (9-3-2026)

SCENE: After casting his last vote before Congress' 10-day Labor Day recess, Massie's speaking with a gaggle of reporters about process when Ask a Pol founder Matt Laslo cuts in with this question focused on survivors.

Laslo: Will your Epstein Files Transparency Act 2 have a tangible impact on the lives of these survivors?

Massie: “It’s going to be hard to have more tangible impact than 3 million files [released from the Epstein Files Transparency Act 1].

Massie: “But it will be a very tangible impact on the perpetrators, because one of the things it does is give the New Mexico attorney general the tools he needs to prosecute crimes at Zorro Ranch. And [Attorney General] Todd Blanche is not cooperating right now, so that’s a biggie.

Massie: “We don’t need to release any more names; we need the names that have been released to be prosecuted. And I’m sure there will be more names that show up in the 3 million files and the 302 forms that he’s withheld, and some of the redactions that they still won’t redact. I’m sure there’ll be more names come out when we get this passed.”

About Ask a Pol: We give listeners a front row seat to Congress. Transparency matters, so come inside the Capitol with us! Politicians disappoint. Ask a Pol keeps em honest.

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Who?

Rep. Tim Burchett (R-TN)

Ask a Pol asks:

Why are you skipping the first-ever Republican Party midterm convention in Dallas, Texas?

Key Burchett:

“Apparently, it’s like $25,000 they want from members of Congress,” Rep. Tim Burchett told Ask a Pol Politics. “But they said they’d work something out, but it was too late at that point. They should have told me that at the beginning.”

Caught our ear:

“They said they’d work something out, but it was too late at that point,” Burchett told us. “They should have told me that at the beginning.”

What should we ask Congress when they’re back in DC next week? Let us know!

About Ask a Pol: We give listeners a front-row seat to Congress. Transparency matters, so come inside the Capitol with us! Politicians disappoint. Ask a Pol keeps em honest.

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Sen. Rand Paul: Whether people take Ambien or hemp for sleep is “none of their damn business”

Who?

Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY)

Ask a Pol asks:

With this hemp hang-up, what do you make of this last-minute wrangling?

Key Paul:

“I think the people that are so opposed to hemp need to realize that people take all kinds of prescription drugs to help them sleep, and they’re making a judgment that somehow taking Ambien or Percocet is somehow better than taking hemp,” Sen. Rand Paul exclusively told Ask a Pol Politics.

“But really, I think it’s none of their damn business. I think people, adults ought to be able to make a decision on what they want to take for sleep.”

Caught our ear:

Some are saying this last-minute push by the White House involves special interests. “There are a couple industries that are opposed to hemp and that also sell competing products,” Paul said. “The cannabis industry as well as … some in the alcohol industry don’t like it because it competes.”

About Ask a Pol: We give listeners a front row seat to Congress. Transparency matters, so come inside the Capitol with us! Politicians disappoint. Ask a Pol keeps em honest.

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WASHINGTON — The third poll in a row shows Democratic state Rep. James Talarico ahead of Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton in Texas’ U.S. Senate race.

While it’s early, Texas lawmakers say it’s not an anomaly and Democrats have a real chance of winning a Texas Senate seat for the first time in more than three decades.

“What do you make of all these polls coming out showing Paxton down?” Raw Story asked outgoing Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) of the latest Texas Southern University poll that has Talarico up by two points.

“Umm, well, I suspected that would be the case,” Cornyn — who lost the GOP primary to Paxton — told Raw Story. “But we made our case and didn’t prevail.”

“Do Democrats have a chance?” Raw Story pressed.

“Yes,” Cornyn replied.

“Really?”

“Yeah,” Cornyn said.

“Are you going to be helping Paxton at all?” Raw Story asked as Cornyn boarded an elevator in the Capitol’s basement.

“Ummm,” Cornyn said as the elevator doors shut. “I wasn’t thinking of it.”

About Ask a Pol: We give listeners a front row seat to Congress. Transparency matters, so come inside the Capitol with us! Politicians disappoint. Ask a Pol keeps em honest.

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