"This Week's" Undisclosed PEU Guests

ABC's This Week interviewed General Joseph Votel this morning.  General Votel is Strategic Advisor and Board member for DC Capital Partners, a "sector-focused private equity firm that invests in middle market companies in the Government and Engineering markets."  It has one Ambassador and six Admiral/Generals on board.  

This Week also had former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy on its powerhouse roundtable.  McCarthy has his own private equity underwriter (PEU) ties with defense focused Albion River..

This Week failed to disclose either man's PEU ties.

Fun fact:  A former McCarthy aide now heads the PEU lobby, the American Investment Council.  

Politicians Red & Blue love PEU and their new TechGod brethren.  Increasingly, more are one.

Smerconish Reveals Admiral's Day Job

For the first time since Trump II started his war of choice on Iran CNN host Michael Smerconish shared Admiral James Stavridis' day job as Vice Chairman for international activities and global strategy at The Carlyle Group, a politically connected private equity underwriter (PEU).  Smerconish disclosed this role when he introduced his guest and later in the program CNN showed it on screen.

Smerconish cited a Bloomberg article by Stavridis in their interview.  He did not mention a Semafor story.

Stavridis has been a regular on Smerconish.  I chronicled a number of their nondisclosures over the last six weeks and am glad to see the most basic declaration to have happened today.  I hope they keep it up.

PEU or PEW?

Much has been said and written about Tucker Carlson's interview with Nathan Apffel.  If nothing else, I am grateful it cited the possibility of the U.S. "ending" the Iranian civilization (Trump II's threat) via tactical nuclear bombs.  

The thought briefly entered my mind as I considered the President's social media threat but I discounted the idea as even too insane for Trump II.  The pair called it unChristian.  

They took some time to get to that conclusion, mostly via Christian theology combined with investigative journalism.  Tucker setup his guest:

Carlson began with discounting the Western corporate mantra, measurement matters and is nearly the only thing that does.  "If you can't measure it, you can't manage it" has always been bunk.  There is underlying management theory, just as there is theology.  Tucker and his guest tackled Christian theology.

The host made room for people being wrong but being in the right celestial/cognitive neighborhood.  (This is the spot in the interview where Peter Thiel came to mind with his recent anti-Christ views.)

The pair talked about Jesus' charge to his disciples to go into the world and spread the good news (what eventually became the Gospels in the Bible).  

Tucker Carlson cut his teeth inspiring revolutions, not necessarily the peaceful kind.  I wondered if this was an "announcer call" for committed followers.  If so, followers of what?  

The focus was on institutions, church and government.  It had a Grover Norquist/DOGE ring to it.  People are taking advantage of institutions for earthly gains and that should be stopped immediately.

Letting go is a key for individual religious transformation.  It may be key for corporations today pursuing AI, but corporations typically wish to control things vs. freeing them up.  TechGods are disruptors, regularly killing professions and whole industries.

Apffel cited globalism and competition for consumers as factors influencing nonprofits and religious institutions.  That has a familiar ring as private equity underwriters (PEU) sent U.S. jobs overseas (mostly to Asia)  while expanding internationally.  Pick a PEU and check out their global office locations.

The filmmaker noted that corrupt religious organizations usually have an appealing mission that brings in donor money and diverts attention from sketchy or unethical business practices.  Sam Bankman-Fried's "effective altruism" and Carlyle co-founder David Rubenstein's "patriotic philanthropy" came to mind as Apffel spoke.

They delved into Christian Zionism and what drives that belief system.  Religions are not governments and governments aren't religions.  Conflating the two is problematic.   

The interview closed with talk of the anti-Christ.  Apffel suggested it would come as institutional power.  He located it in the church with the use of the word "pew."

To what are people chained to today?  Many things, but certainly our phones and social media apps stand at the top of the list.  People are also chained to their jobs, where executives and company investors seemingly have all the resources of the world.  I'd say the church has competition on many of these anti-Christ parameters.  

Each of these two men have every right to wrestle with the Good Book and its application to the present day.  I am not criticizing their theology.  My father, were he still alive, could have done that as an Episcopal minister who taught Clinical Pastoral Education at a major teaching hospital.

I can observe Tucker Carlson's addressing someone he found wrong in the past, religion wise.

Lord, have mercy upon us all.  Help us to love our neighbor and love you, our God.  Some days it's darned hard given our neighbors.

Headlines Divert: Trump Boys' Drone Project

Prior to Trump II's Easter meltdown I found an interesting relationship in Aureus Greenway's March 23rd 8-K filing.  It stated:

On March 20, 2026, the Company entered into an Advisory/Consulting Services Agreement date March 1, 2026 (the “Consulting Agreement”) with C&H Capital Inc., a Georgia corporation (“C&H”), pursuant to which C&H was engaged to provide strategic investor relations, communications planning, and related advisory services to the Company in connection with the proposed Business Combination and the Company’s public company investor relations program. 

 Under the Consulting Agreement, C&H is entitled to a monthly cash fee of $5,000 for a 12-month term commencing March 1, 2026. In addition, the Company agreed to issue to C&H an aggregate of 200,000 restricted shares of the Company’s common stock, par value $0.001 per share (“Common Stock”), as equity compensation over the course of two years, provided that the Consulting Agreement has not been earlier terminated for cause and C&H remains engaged through such date.

Dominari backed Aureus plans to merge with drone maker Powerus.  The Trump boys have huge stakes in Dominari and likely hold shares in Aureus.  They may even have a stake in Powerus as well (not confirmed as the company is private). 

It is C & H Capital's job to paint the series of insider political connections as "just normal" in America today.  The firm has done work for many companies and a smattering of them are shown in the image at the top of this piece.  Founder Jason Assad and C & H Capital are mostly absent from the internet, other than corporate press releases that show Jason as the company contact or SEC filings which show firms engaging his services.  

There is an interview by Jessica Starman, founder of Elev8 New Media, with Jason.  They discuss the services he provides and how he likes to work with management.

Both Starman and Assad speak frequently about integrity.  Two hundred thousand shares of stock in a Trump sons' backed drone project while Dad asks for a 50% increase in the Pentagon budget (outside the Iran War supplemental) sounds more like opportunity.  

I take it integrity has been redefined since I graduated from Commerce School at a university with a strong honor code.  

Business has been good for Starman, as well.  Elev8 New Media just opened a second office in New York City.  Their new associate is a former Fox News producer on "The Clayman Countdown."

Everybody has to make it in the world today.  Thank heaven I am retired as I could not digest the thin ethical gruel being served up by private equity underwriters (PEU), TechGods, their sponsored politicians and connected insiders, seemingly front-running everything.

I would have covered this sooner but Trump II's "F-in'" and "civilization ending" statements required focused attention, specifically an Easter letter to my Congressman and watching Tucker Carlson's interview with filmmaker Nathan Apffel.  Everybody has a role to play, especially the guys with television studios.

God bless us all.

Trump II to End Iranian Civilization: Fast or Slow?

Trump II latest savage whim offered Iran leaders the option of ending their civilization in one of two ways, fast or slow.  Fast from the exercise of military might.  

Slow from the toxic effects imposed by the private equity underwriter (PEU) ownership and TechGod products that disrupt real relationships and the acquisition/use of actual knowledge.  

PEUs are legendary for manipulating government and siphoning large amounts of cash from federal coffers.  TechGods awakened to this and are now deeply ensconced on the federal tit.

It's strange to think that a country's civilization can end in a special military operation, specifically "not a war" from the U.S. Department of War (Christian but expressly not Catholic version).  The Pentagon is headed by a number of former PEUs and has its own private equity initiative.  

The greed and leverage boys ended ethics in business dealings by being of both sides of deals, getting to value their holdings at whatever they wish and withholding the most basic information from investors and regulators.  PEU Apollo founder Leon Black funded Jeffrey Epstein in a major way for decades.

TechGods did their part to put children at risk.  Meta allowed child sex predators seventeen strikes according to a USA Today piece.  Tech founders know the damage their products do and restrict their own children's access.  

TechGods gave total loyalty and servitude to Trump II and this unholy alliance drives much of U.S. foreign policy.  Take Trump II's Under Secretary for Economic Affairs at the State Department Jacob Helberg.  His ethics filing reveals conflicts that cannot be undone.    

While TechGods are new to the overt political influence game, they are a quick study, learning from their PEU mentors.  Both would love access to Iran's economy and its 92 million people.

Admiral and Carlyle Group Vice Chairman James Stavridis (PEU) told Semafor:

There’s always been a sense that there’s a looming tower of Iran out there and there was a sense of, “we’re going to invest anyway.” I think that tower’s been knocked down. Iran could still do damage, they could use terrorism, they could use cyber, they could continue to close the strait. But their capability is reduced to a point where, as an investor, I continue to be comfortable in getting into the region. 

And all of this, I think, ultimately is going to move the Israelis and the Gulf Arab states closer together. Put those two things together, I think the Gulf remains highly investable.

I believe firmly that the people of Iran, in the next two or three years, are going to flip this regime. It’s going to be done internally. You can just feel the discontent. If that happens, the investment opportunities in a post conflict Iran are very high. It’s three times the size of Texas, full of oil and gas, a highly educated population, and a deep sense of history.

Private equity underwriters are not known for their sensing capabilities when it comes to little people.  I worked for several PEU affiliates and employee dissatisfaction soared after we were taken over by TPG and another private equity firm.  The new operating model ignored poor patient feedback and often could not provide the most basic service, like an answerable telephone system or patient supplies for the home.  It also ripped off staff in the area of pay for time worked and reimbursement for miles driven.

PEU sponsors crapified industry after industry.  TechGod customer service is a misnomer.  They are deep inside federal departments with their garbage in-garbage out LLMs.  Employing people is no longer a primary aim.  

So Iran, which will it be?  Civilization destruction today or a protracted adoption of unethical business practices where insiders take all the spoils?  

Trump II the Usurper and his gang of PEUs/TechGods have plans.  

Update 4-8-26:  Tucker Carlson finally got that Trump has been usurping Christianity as a self appointed global monarch who possesses the only set of magic keys to our earthly kingdom.  

Tucker noted the possible use of a nuclear weapon on Iranian civilization, the very people Trump II "intended" to free in his special military conflict.  Freeing "from life" is very different than freeing "to live."   

Trump spoke at the National Prayer Breakfast numerous times and never mentioned Jesus' name.  He stole equity from a large tech company.  Trump II bore false witness to the leader of South Africa.  Applying Christ's gospels to Trump II for five minutes would create a scroll-length list of incongruences for pastoral coaching.  Trump would not tolerate such gross insubordination.  

After Carlson's warning, which likely arose from powerful Christian elements within the Red Team, Trump agreed to a two week cease fire.  

This morning Trump II noted there is "big money to be made" in the Persian Gulf.  We'll see if the "slow loss" of Iranian civilization under the TechGod Age holds or if Trump returns to his prior fast "Stone Age/Civilization Ending" position.  

Vance: Trump's New Fraud Czar

Trump II gave Vice President J.D. Vance a highly whittled down job, fraud czar.  Serious fraudsters received Presidential pardon after pardon in the last year.  Trump II's "Just Us" department carved out white collar and corporate crime for special treatment.  They did after dropping thousands of fraud/white collar crime cases to focus on immigration.

This assignment comes after Iran asked for Vance to negotiate on ending Trump's/Netanyahu's war of opportunity on Iran.  Anything that takes attention away from Trump II is detested and must be countered.  

Vance got his V.P. job after Trump dined with David Sacks and fellow TechGods.  Vance worked for TechGod Peter Thiel before starting his own firm Narya Capital, a private equity underwriter (PEU).

Politicians Red & Blue love PEU and their new TechGod brethren, but love affairs come with spats.  Trump II may be the spatiest of them all.  If you think it's tedious watching from the outside, it's sheer hell on the inside.  

Trump is the bringer of carnage, the destroyer of human connection and the thief of even the smallest item of value.  And that is his good side.

Bondi Has PEU Shoulder to Cry On

Loyalty is the one over-riding demand from Trump II and that was not enough to save Pam Bondi's job (Attorney General).  Women fare poorly in Trump world and Pam became the second female cabinet member to be let go.  

It happened in the midst of Trump II's flailing in his horrific war of choice on Iran.  Pam's boyfriend has a substantial shoulder to cry on.  As a private equity underwriter (PEU), John Wakefiled is a member of the elite financial class that sponsors politicians, writes laws/regulations, ensures preferential tax rates and taps Uncle Sam's wallet for massive sums.  

Let's reminisce about Pam's good days with Trump.  The Trump Foundation gave Bondi's political campaign $25,000 as the Florida Attorney General considered whether to bring criminal charges in conjunction with the failed Trump University.  Foundations are barred from making political donations, but Trump did it anyway as rules and laws do not apply to him.

Pam advised Trump Media & Technology Group for a handsome sum, $3 million.  TMTG is in the midst of going nuclear and that may be the private sector job calling Pam so badly.  Trump likes his chess pieces (people) to stay on the board even if they've gone from Queen to pawn.

Trump has usurped law in the U.S. such that his savage whims constitute same.  Pam Bondi did her part willingly.  Now it's her PEU boyfriend's job to reassemble the shell of person that remains.  

A redemption path exists but that takes courage, brutal honesty, the removal of masks/fake language and dropping attachment to earthly things.  It requires placing the relationship with our maker at the very top.  

Pam would have to drop Trump II, the slimy dealmaker who ditched her, the one who entangled her with his demands, financial strings, and damning by feint praise.  He loves you Pam but only in the private sector.