NPR CEO Katherine Maher faced a brutal showdown before the House DOGE Subcommittee, as lawmakers demanded answers on why NPR deserves taxpayer funding. Grilled alongside PBS CEO Paula Kerger, Maher took heat for her radical past tweets on white privilege, oppression, and reparations—alleged proof of NPR’s leftist bias. As Republicans gear up to defund NPR, Glenn breaks down why Maher is a “wolf in sheep’s clothing” and argues that NPR’s taxpayer funding should end now. Plus, Glenn reveals the one question Congress missed that could’ve sealed her fate.
Transcript
Below is a rush transcript that may contain errors
GLENN: Jim Jordan is laying out the sweeping agenda for judicial reform. Which I don't think could happen to a better group of people. We'll talk about that here in a second. But I also want to talk about the NPR CEO that was -- that was called up to the House, to -- to testify, on a few things yesterday. Stu, you want to take us through this?
STU: Yeah. I would like to talk about this as well.
It was an interesting hearing. First of all, good fundamental hearing of what was happening.
Was, hey. Maybe we shouldn't be paying a bunch of money for left-wing propaganda at NPR and PBS. Does and I think there's absolutely no reason for that to be occurring. I don't know what country we are. I understand the UK as the BBC. They have Pravda going on. I don't know why we need one of those. I'm totally with this, and I don't think this should happen. However, even if it was actually doing a good job, I would think it's a bad idea. They are not however, doing a good job, and they are led by -- NPR is led by Katherine Maher. She is -- well, she is, is a leftist.
She has some really extreme views. We've covered some of them before. Never really had their answer for them. Part of what happened is that process. And one of the big complaints about NPR in particular, was they were probably -- you tell me if I'm wrong on this, Glenn. The worst offender when it came to the Hunter Biden laptop scandal.
GLENN: Oh, yeah. They said, on day one: We will not cover conspiracy theories. That's not worth the time for us to cover for the American people.
STU: Really bad. They just -- absolutely dismissed it. With no evidence. Because obviously the story was true.
They absolutely dismissed the story, right before the election, assuming it was some sort of right-wing conspiracy.
GLENN: Yeah. Almost on day one.
STU: It did not turn out to be a right-wing Soros. It did turn out to be a conspiracy between Hunter Biden and then a bunch of hookers. But that's a different situation.
This is Katherine Maher, trying to answer about -- for some of the poor showings of journalism that they -- they have produced over the past couple years. Listen.
VOICE: Can we expect that you will bring the same lack of reverence for truth to your management at NPR?
VOICE: Thank you, Congressman. First of all, I do want to say that NPR acknowledges that we were mistaken in failing to cover the Hunter Biden laptop story more aggressively, and sooner. Our current editorial leadership.
VOICE: Wuhan.
VOICE: We recognize that we were reporting at the time. But we acknowledge that the new CIA evidence is worthy of coverage, and have covered it.
VOICE: What have you done to clean up the bias before you? You mentioned, I wasn't there for that. What are you doing to clean up and make sure that we have --
VOICE: Absolutely. Thank you, Congressman.
As I mentioned, I came in, in May. Mr. Berliner published his story two weeks into my tenure, regarding stories that had happened prior. I wish that I had had the opportunity to speak with Mr. Berliner. I would have loved to have him engaged, and come back to us in suggestions as to what we could do editorially in order to address what he perceived as bias.
STU: Hmm.
GLENN: So may I just -- I want to point out who she is here, for just a second.
Chris Rufo has pointed out, hmm.
What's -- well, her -- let's shall we say, interesting work history.
Before NPR she was employed by the US State Department. And the national democratic alliance. Or Democratic Institute.
The NDI is one of the main branches of the National Endowment for Democracy, and when was she there?
During the Arab Spring. What were they doing?
Promoting the Arab Spring. Remember, it was the NED and US government strategy during the Arab Spring, they were training youth movements on how influence public opinion through mass media, and ultimately, organize in the streets.
And then topple the regime. Okay.
Chris Rufo has said that -- I should rephrase it. He all, but called her a CIA agent. Okay?
Also, she was with Wikimedia, which is Wikipedia. And when she got there, you know, they changed -- they changed a little bit.
And started controlling information. And then she is now the head of -- of NPR? And we're supposed to be comfortable with this? She's part of this whole Deep State revolutionary thing, that is exactly what we told you is, I think what the JFK files are showing us. They're showing us the pattern.
This is what happened in the '60s. This is what's happening right now.
It's the same story.
And she's right at the head of it.
STU: Yeah. And if you -- sometimes it's difficult, Glenn. When you look at someone's resume. To be able to determine who the person is.
Right? You might work at an organization that could disagree with you.
There's a lot of people who worked at X.
With it&Twitter. That we now know were really upset what Twitter was doing at that time.
We consider them kind of a left-wing social media network. And at the time, there were people inside, who were really upset about that.
We learned about those things later. This particular case, though. Not a good example of that, though. At all.
GLENN: Yeah. Let me just point out too, currently she is currently on the board of signal.
STU: Okay. Yeah. That's an often newsworthy edition to the story.
GLENN: Interesting thing to point out.
STU: And, again, you could even say. Someone who is a left-leaning person.
Who is controlled of NPR.
They've been controlled forever. You could be a left-leaning person. And okay. That could be something that could work. Obviously, everyone has an opinion. Everyone has some opinion on news stories.
This particular person, however, Katherine Maher has a fascinating history, and what she has done is not just work in these places. And not just have influence in these stories that keep coming up over and over again.
But explicitly state her crazy positions over and over and over and over again on Twitter, on X.
So she -- she had to know this stuff was coming. But she was asked by Brandon Gill. He's a Congressman from Texas about some of her previous tweets. And it is just absolute gold.
VOICE: Do you believe that America is addicted to white supremacy?
VOICE: I believe that I tweeted that. And as I've said earlier, I believe much of my thinking has evolved over the last half decade.
VOICE: It has evolved. Why did you tweet that?
VOICE: I don't recall the exact context, sir. So I wouldn't be able to say.
VOICE: Okay. Do you believe that America believes in black plunder and white democracy?
VOICE: I don't believe that, sir.
VOICE: You tweeted that in reference to a book you were reading at the time, apparently, the Case for Reparations.
VOICE: I don't think I've ever read that book, sir.
VOICE: You tweeted about it. You said, you took a day off to fully read the case for reparations, on January of 2020.
VOICE: Apologies, I don't recall that I did. No doubt, that your tweet there is correct, but I don't recall that.
GLENN: Okay. Stop. Stop. Stop.
STU: So good.
GLENN: So the question there is: Is she -- was she just lying about, you know, reading that?
And if she was lying about reading that then, was she just doing that, because she's part of a circle that you've got to read this book. And solve this. And blah, blah, blah.
And so she just didn't do her own homework. She made up she was taking the full day off, to really understand the case in the book. She was just being a shill to promote this point of view.
STU: That's the best case scenario, right?
The fact that she's just lying an opposer, right? Is the best-case scenario.
The worst-case scenario would be she actually believes the United States is nothing but black plunder. So -- and that's I think actually the truth.
But fascinating, number one, she should absolutely be prepared for that. She should know that tweet is coming. How do you go into a Congressional hearing, and not know that they are going to bring up that tweet?
GLENN: Wait. Wait. Wait.
Let's be fair to her. Almost everything she said has been crazy, batcrap nuts.
STU: Yeah.
GLENN: So, I mean, can I narrow it down to which ones he's going to bring up.
STU: Yeah. And there is an element to this.
If I went back, Glenn.
Examine we did a fake congressional hearing. Where I was a Congressman. And we were giving testimony.
And I said, hey. Glenn. Do you remember tweeting this?
I'm sure I can find a tweet that you don't remember tweeting. I'm sure I can find even a topic. Maybe even a show.
Hey, Glenn. You said you were watching this show. Do you remember that?
I don't think so. Actually, you tweeted that in 2018. 100 percent, could happen. Right?
GLENN: Yes. Yes.
STU: However, what you wouldn't find in there, is, you know, something that completely disagreed with your entire philosophy of life.
Right?
STU: Right. If you went back and said, Stu, I'm looking back at your tweets, why did you tweet in 2019, that you loved the Dallas Cowboys? That wouldn't happen.
Right? I would certainly know that I tweeted something like that. Because it's actually more evil than claiming the entire country is a bunch of white supremacists.
GLENN: And I agree with you. And let me add one more thing, on the -- on the statement that my views have evolved.
The wrong question was asked by the senator.
Really?
How? Why?
What changed your mind.
Because you've been tweeting this forever.
And you're still against Trump and everything that he's doing. I haven't seen any change of anything.
What's changed your mind, that makes you now say, that America is not just based on white supremacy?
STU: It's the most interesting part of the story. The transition story is the story.
Right? To walk me through the moment that good God, why was I saying all those terrible things?
GLENN: Correct. That's the question these guys have to ask. Wow. You know what, we all change. Tell me about that moment, when I realized, you were on the wrong track.
STU: By the way, I think, Brandon Gill did a very good job in this hearing. But it is a fundamental problem of these hearings, that most of these guys. And I'm not saying him, but most of these guys are up there, to just say their thing. And not actually listen to the answers.
GLENN: No. He's not. He's not.
STU: He is listening. He does want to know.
But time is limited, and everything else.
I would have loved to know the answer to that Congress. Because whoever the next Congressman up should -- should have followed up with that.
But --
GLENN: Can we play the rest of it?
STU: There's more. Yeah, it's worth it.
VOICE: Yeah, no doubt that your tweet there is correct, but I don't recall.
VOICE: Okay. Do you believe that white people inherently feel superior to other races?
VOICE: I do not.
VOICE: You don't? You tweeted something to that effect. You said, I grew up feeling superior. Ha, how white of me. Why did you tweet that?
VOICE: I think I was probably reflecting on what it was -- to grow up in an environment where I had lots of advantages.
VOICE: It sounds like you're saying white people feel superior.
VOICE: I don't believe that anybody feels that way, sir. I was just reflecting on my own experience.
VOICE: Do you think that white people should pay reparations?
VOICE: I've never that said, sir.
VOICE: Yes, you did. You said it January 2020. You tweeted, yes, the North. Yes, all of this. Yes, America. Yes, our original collective sin and unpaid debt. Yes, reparations. Yes on this day.
VOICE: I don't believe that was a reference to fiscal reparations, sir.
VOICE: What kind of reparations was it a reference to?
VOICE: I just think it was a reference to the idea that we all owe much to the people who came before us.
VOICE: That's a bizarre way to frame what you tweeted.
(laughter)
Okay.
STU: I mean, that's obviously just nonsensical thing to -- justification for what she actually said.
GLENN: So funny. So funny. Yeah. And that's why she should not be at NPR. And NPR should not be there.
If that company is being run by this woman. And people -- and NPR is not saying, okay. Come on. The whole thing needs to be abolished.
They're obviously not telling the truth.
I don't have a problem with you, if you're a lefty, and you're just telling the truth.
And you're like, no.
I do believe that. I have more respect foy, saying that. Than I do her.
And making up all kinds of stuff.
Because the temperature of the room has changed. Have the balls to stand up for what you actually believe and want to do. That's not -- that is a revolutionary. That is in -- that is a wolf in sheep's clothing.
And we keep seeing the wolf. But it's because the sheepskin just keeps slipping a little bit. Wow. Sheep. Grandma, you have mighty big teeth.
Yeah. NPR should be abolished. Should start with just firing her.