Matt Hoh critiques the U.S. preemptive war in Iran, alleging it lacks public consent and is driven by "hardcore Zionists" like Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff. He warns that without American air power, Israel faces imminent defeat from Iranian drones, while predicting a fragile Middle Eastern bloc of Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Egypt will ultimately prioritize self-preservation over resistance. Refuting Pete Hegseth's claims of 45,000 Iranian deaths, Hoh attributes casualties to U.S. weapons and Mossad agents, arguing that despite Democratic co-option of the anti-war movement, shifting demographics will eventually erode the Israel lobby's influence within a corrupt two-party system. [Automatically generated summary]
Transcriber: CohereLabs/cohere-transcribe-03-2026, WAV2VEC2_ASR_BASE_960H, sat-12l-sm, script v26.04.01, and large-v3-turbo
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Illegitimate Use of Force00:06:06
Undeclared wars are commonplace.
Tragically, our government engages in preemptive war, otherwise known as aggression, with no complaints from the American people.
Sadly, we have become accustomed to living with the illegitimate use of force by government.
To develop a truly free society, the issue of initiating force must be understood and rejected.
What if sometimes, to love your country, you had to alter or abolish the government?
What if Jefferson was right?
What if that government is best which governs least?
What if it is dangerous to be right when the government is wrong?
What if it is better to perish fighting for freedom than to live as a slave?
What if freedom's greatest hour of danger is now?
Hi, everyone.
Judge Andrew Napolitano here for Judging Freedom.
Today is Tuesday, May 5th, 2026.
Matt Ho will be with us in just a moment on Is There a Resistance Movement Over There and Here?
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Matt, welcome here, my dear friend.
Thank you for your time as always.
Why should the Iranians? Negotiate with hardcore Zionists purporting to represent the United States?
I guess the only answer, Judge, and thank you for having me back on, of course.
I guess the only answer is because there's no one else to negotiate with.
You know, I mean, I think that's unfortunately reality we're dealing with here is that this is who Donald Trump is going to continue to present Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, his son in law and his real estate buddy.
As his negotiators, we seem to understand that JD Vance was included in the one negotiation in Islamabad a couple weeks ago at the insistence of the Iranians.
But, you know, the point of your question, Judge, why should they?
Yeah, absolutely, they should not.
I mean, this is ludicrous.
It's ridiculous.
It'd be hysterically funny if it wasn't so tragic.
But I think this is the only thing to have.
This assistant to Steve Whitcourt by the name of Nick Stewart, an arch Zionist who comes from AIPAC and the Foundation for Defense of Democracy, which should be called the Foundation for the Destruction of Democracy or the Foundation for the Defense of Israel.
I'm quoting our friend Max Blumenthal on this.
Right, as well.
And forgive me, Judge, because I'm forgetting their names.
I knew them a few weeks ago, and we're no longer talking about the Board of Peace.
But if you look at who the senior advisors, the principal advisors are for the Board of Peace, these are both men that are similar to what Max just described about this gentleman who is Steve Witkopf's Svengali, I guess, right?
He's the one who's supposedly telling Witkopf everything Witkopf needs to know about the world.
And you have the same thing too in the Board of Peace.
You have these arch Zionists, these men who.
See the world through fantastical lenses that is just like a child's creation.
And I think that's the way Witkoff sees the reality, the world.
Jeremy Scahill from Dropside News reported last week that the Iranians told him dealing with Witkoff was like having a fourth grader at the table.
You know, our friend Mohammed Morandi made similar comments.
He was not in the room.
He was there as part of the negotiating team to be their PR to Western English speaking press.
And of course, as you know, he's American, born in Virginia, as well as Iranian.
But he made similar comments about Witkov and about the vice president, who he said was a nervous wreck and couldn't answer a simple question, yes or no, without getting on the phone.
Uh, to the president, then of course, there's that infamous call or calls to Prime Minister Netanyahu, which Netanyahu, in a very poor choice of words, referred to the vice president as reporting to me, right?
Iran's Dangerous Nuclear Ambitions00:09:58
Exactly, Judge.
That's the that's what we're dealing with here.
Yeah, this is 2020.
If Trump caves, let's say Trump caves because he loses his appetite for war or the domestic politics is really looking bad, uh, for the midterms, what will Netanyahu do?
The Israelis can't.
Defeat, unless they use a nuclear bomb, the Israelis can't defeat Iran on their own.
Iran would crush them.
Is that not the general understanding of the relationship between the two?
Right.
They would be overwhelmed by Iranian drones and missiles within a week's time.
Without the American Air Force, without American Army missile systems, the Israelis would be overwhelmed by missiles and drones in a week's time, even if that long.
They simply can't fight without the Americans, let alone say it wasn't the case with the missiles and drones.
Just the Israeli military can't perform, can't campaign, can't operate for more than a few weeks without massive resupply from the Americans.
And the Israelis have said this themselves out loud on many occasions.
But your point, though, Judge, about the nuclear weapons, I want to go back to that because you're not being glib.
That's serious.
This is why the Israelis have these nuclear weapons.
Israelis didn't develop nuclear weapons in the 60s because they wanted to deter the Soviet Union or something like that.
They developed nuclear weapons to dominate the Middle East.
And now, if a scenario presents itself where those weapons are needed to dominate Iran in a war that they're losing, to which they have lost the backing of the United States, which I think is pretty, that would be incredibly extraordinary.
But this danger of the Israelis using a nuclear weapon is something that cannot be dismissed.
It's something we have to take seriously.
And it's again the reason why the Iranian excuse me, the Israelis have the nuclear weapons in the first place.
And for all of us who have been watching, just not the 80 years of ethnic cleansing by the Israeli state, uh, their wars to dominate and to conquer, but also, too, just in the last few years, how they've uh, the genocide in Gaza, uh, the mass slaughter in Lebanon.
Why wouldn't the Israelis use a nuclear weapon?
Is there a resistance in the Middle East, Egypt?
Jordan, Turkey, or have these countries been bought off by the United States?
I think there's a big show right now of states, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Egypt to an extent, saying they're forming a new bloc, that they are going to have agreements, and that they will be the hinge in the Middle East around which power pivots.
I think there's a lot of speculation in that.
I think their intentions may be genuine, but I think the reality is when American pressure starts to come on these capitals, In a sense of a prisoner's dilemma, what are these capitals going to do?
Their self preservation is what is the most important thing to these men in power, almost all of whom are autocrats, right?
Almost all of whom are, some are actually kings.
So I don't believe we'll see these states put up a resistance against the Americans.
In the way that many in the region and throughout the world hope that this will be the new world order in the Middle East, or this will be the new Middle East order, excuse me, through some alliance of what should be powerful states, particularly if they work together.
But there is that idea there.
We see the foundations of it being laid.
But unfortunately, I think in the next 10 years, the strength of the Americans still exists.
And that these leaders, whether they be the Gulf monarchies, whether it be Erdogan in Turkey or Sisi in Egypt, They still understand at this point for their own self preservation, sticking with the Americans, not angering the Americans, not disrupting the benefits they get from the current order is what's best for them.
Now, these states start to have their own problems internally.
Some of these states get overthrown.
You have occurring in Egypt what occurred in 2011 again, or another state like Bahrain, the same similar dynamics occur.
And some of these autocrats, some of these monarchs, Start to disappear.
Now you start to see a real reshaping of the Middle East.
And I think that is possible too.
Will the attacks by Iran on American military bases in the Gulf states alienate the Gulf states from Iran and drive them into the American or Israeli camps?
That's certainly what the Americans and especially the Israelis are hoping.
The Israelis, in particular, as well as I think this White House.
Thinks that the best case that's going to come out of this is that these states are going to double down on the Abraham Accords, that this will be what pushes the Saudis to join the Abraham Accords, that we really do need the Americans and the Israelis here because the Iranians are dangerous.
Now, of course, anyone with two cents between their ears in any of these capitals, in Abu Dhabi and Riyadh and Manama, wherever, they're going to say, well, they're attacking us because we support the American empire.
They're attacking us because we're complicit.
In Israel and America's war on Iran.
And this is causing us great harm.
We are sponges for Iran's missiles and drones.
Our revenues are drying up.
Our future is looking bleaker and bleaker.
And the idea that the Americans were supposed to prevent anything like this from ever happening, and with the first shot of the war, they abandoned their bases and ran away.
Well, shouldn't we be doing something differently?
But there's such infighting, judge, between the Gulf states themselves, right?
That the idea of them actually lying, that the idea of the GCC, the Gulf Coordination Council, actually becoming something robust and real, is very unlikely.
So I think what the Israelis, the Americans may get out of this in their perception is they may not get these states, you know, locking arms with the Israelis, although the UAE certainly seems like they will.
But the other states, this fragmented, divided, disjointed community of Gulf monarchs, well, okay, if we can't get them in our camp, then at least they're in nobody's camp.
And they're not working together against us.
So that's better than any other alternative.
So similar to the American idea or any empire's idea of divide and conquer.
Within a country that you conquer, right?
Within a territory that you occupy, then at least here too in the Middle East, if they're not fully firmly in our camp, then at least they're fighting among themselves and they're in nobody's camp.
I plan to ask you where is the anti war movement in the United States?
But before you respond to that, I want to play a clip of my friend and former Fox and current Newsmax colleague, James Rosen.
Interrogating Hegseth.
Hegseth comes off as a jerk, but Jimmy Rosen's question is profound.
Sonia, the James Rosen question.
A central default that has occurred here, and I would like you both to address it.
On the first day of this conflict, President Trump addressed the Iranian people directly and said, When we're finished, take over your government, it'll be yours to take.
And then on the seventh day of the conflict, in a Truth Social Post, the president said, There will be no deal with Iran except, all caps, exclamation mark, unconditional surrender.
What happens to that pledge to the Iranians?
And when did the president decide to capitulate on his demand for unconditional surrender?
James, I wouldn't.
You started out nicely, but you ended exactly where we knew you would end.
The president hasn't capitulated on anything.
He holds the cards.
We maintain the upper hand, and Project Freedom only strengthens that hand.
And so he will ensure that whatever deal is made or whatever end state is reached creates ensuring that Iran never has a nuclear weapon, which is A number one.
And he's been focused on that, and the deal and discussions are centered on that.
And what the Iranian people take advantage of after the fact is up to them.
And he's been very clear about that.
And maybe you do it now, maybe it happens later, but ultimately he's also been clear we're not going to entangle this into some nation building project.
Our objectives are clear.
They've been pursued from day one.
Hopefully, the Iranian people take advantage of that because they're being taken advantage of by this regime.
As you know, 45,000 Iranians, innocent Iranians, killed before the outset of this.
That's what this government does kills their own innocent civilians.
Getting out from underneath that is going to be a challenge of the Iranian people, and we certainly hope they take advantage of that.
Thank you.
Democrats Lose Israel Lobby Control00:12:10
Aside from not answering the question, this is really a lot of nonsense.
Trump holds the cards?
Have you heard anybody make a Claim as outlandish as that?
Well, he did judge when he said 45,000 Iranians were massacred by their government.
That's outlandish and that's inaccurate and that's untrue.
Thousands were killed in that fighting back in the end of December and January, sparked by the United States providing communication systems and weapons to various actors throughout Iran, sparked by Mossad agents being on the ground, as Mike Pompeo told us, but also to the Israelis couldn't keep their mouths shut in their own press about.
So, but yeah, like you said, Judge, it doesn't make any sense because I'm sitting there thinking, Am I missing the point here?
Because I don't understand what the heck he's talking about.
He reminds me of an inarticulate Donald Rumsfeld.
Up there trying to defend something that's incredibly undefendable.
And, you know, this is what we're going to be haunted by as long as this war goes on Pete Hegseth and Carolyn Levitt and others lying to us as this war continues on a path that all of us know where it leads to.
Why is there no anti war movement in the U.S.?
Or is there one, but we just don't see it?
Yeah, it's more of that.
It's more of the latter, Judge.
I mean, there certainly is real concerns about the anti war movement, the way it was co opted by the Democratic Party, served Democratic Party purposes throughout the Bush years, was betrayed by the Democrats as soon as the Democrats took power in 2006, and still went along with the Democratic Party, was betrayed again by President Obama, still went along with the Democratic Party.
So, I think that's what a lot of your answer is that much of the anti war movement that we understood from the Bush Iraq years, such as that led by organizations like Move On, is a Democratic Party front.
And at this point, you have an incredibly feckless and incompetent Democratic Party.
So, even when well more than two thirds of Americans are opposed to this war, the Democrats can't get their act together to oppose it.
But you do have some real heroes, some of the best Americans this country's ever produced in the anti war movement that have not been co opted by the Democrats.
Talking specifically, my brothers and sisters and veterans for peace, as well as an about phase, the great and courageous people at Code Pink, led by Medea Benjamin and Jody Evans.
I mean, so there are those out there doing God's work.
And I mean that honestly.
Let's not forget Ray McGovern, who often texts and says, I might be arrested before I come on your show.
If I'm arrested, here's how to find me.
I mean, yeah.
He's 90 years old and he's threatening, he's taunting them to arrest him.
Yeah.
I'm not certain when the last time Ray got arrested was.
He's been arrested many times.
He once got arrested before entering a talk by General Davis Petraeus before he even got in the venue.
And they threw him in prison in New York City and he spent the night there.
But that's nothing.
I mean, he's done a thousand things like that.
We have had leaders who have passed on Howard Zinn, Dan Ellsberg, the men, the minds, the souls that were the leadership of the anti war movement.
I think there's been an absence in the loss of many of those men and women.
But some of it is simply it's occurring, but it's not being shown.
We had a marvelous, beautiful action a couple of weeks ago by Veterans for Peace and about Face.
And I think Common Defense was the other group involved, where about 150, 200 veterans got arrested in the Capitol building in a very solemn, sober protest.
It shocked many Americans seeing these veterans being arrested.
And, you know, I don't know if that made the New York Times.
I don't think it made the Washington Post.
I'm not sure if ABC or CNN or Fox News covered that.
So, some of it is just simply that a lot of it's not being seen.
But, you know, how much of a vocal focus movement do you look like, do you need when you have, again, well more than two thirds of the population against this war?
What you need to be other news, turn that into political purpose, turn that into political capital, turn that into some type of political effort.
And this is where it gets stymied because we have a two party system here.
And there's nowhere for it to go.
So I will say this you look back in the last few years and look at what the anti war movement has done in terms of educating the American population about Palestine and Israel.
And we go back to the fall of 2003 and you see American views on Israel and Palestine.
And then over the years, we see how that shifts.
And now there's no age group, I think, except maybe the oldest people in the Republican Party.
I think they're the only people who have majority support.
Support for Israel now in the United States.
The rest of the United States, the entire demographic, again, besides the oldest people in the Republican Party, do not support Israel.
And that has a lot to do with the anti war movement.
Certainly has a lot to do through the courageous voices we heard coming from Palestine, we saw coming from Palestine, all the testimony, the witness we saw on our phones over the years, the hundreds of Palestinian journalists who were murdered by Israel.
We certainly owe that to them, but also, too, we have to recognize that.
It was the anti war movement in the United States that did so much educating over the years to get us to this point that now the Democratic Party will hang on to it for a while, but eventually it will no longer be controlled by the Israel lobby as it is now because they'll continue to lose elections.
They've got to get rid of the Jeffries and the Schumers and they've got to let these people die out.
But eventually, when the Clintons and the Wasserman Schultz and the Steny Hoyers are all gone, There will be a different Democratic Party and it will not align with Israel because the American people will be against it.
Now, will that make any difference in our policies?
I don't think so because, again, we have a two party, corrupt, legalized bribery system of government that's entirely gerrymandered.
But at least the party will not represent those views as it does now, which are the views of Israel and its lobby.
Here's another question to Secretary Hagseth from Liam Cosgrove of Zero Hedge.
And here's another.
None answer, Sonia.
Last question.
Thank you.
Liam Cosgrove with Zero Hedge.
In recent weeks, both Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israel's head of Mossad have stated their intent not to cease combat with the Iranians.
Netanyahu put this on Twitter Israel's head of Mossad said Israel's goals are not finished until the Iranian government collapses.
And so they're referring to the government that President Trump has brokered a ceasefire with and is working on a lasting peace in the region with.
And so that's something many Americans, especially American farmers, are hoping he does get to a lasting peace.
So, if President Trump is successful in that and the Israelis are explicitly stating their intent to continue fighting at a later date, how can you ensure America doesn't get roped back into a war if that comes?
And secondly, with Netanyahu comfortable tweeting something like that out, and also Netanyahu has continued bombing Lebanon despite President Trump explicitly tweeting it out.
I'll say the question is based on the false premise that somehow President Trump is being pulled in by Prime Minister Netanyahu to any of these actions.
And that's where you're going.
Just to be clear, President Trump has led at every step of this based on his view of American interest and America first.
And we're grateful that Israelis have been very capable partners at many steps of this.
And they may have some objectives at times that are slightly different than ours.
But there's only one hand on the wheel ultimately directing this, whether it's Project Freedom or previously Operation Epic Fury, and it's President Trump.
So we're grateful for their input, their insights, the existential nature of the threat they face from an Iranian bomb, the capabilities that they can bring to that.
But ultimately, the coordination will happen with the leadership of President Trump.
Thank you very much.
I appreciate it.
Thank you.
And bomb that Tulsi Gabbard has sent her oath doesn't exist, which hasn't been worked on since 2003.
And by the way, Peach had talked to his buddy Marco Rubio, who stated publicly, We're in this war because Israel was going to go on it on its own.
And the U.S. State Department said the same thing on their webpage.
Right.
Well, first, Judge, I was glad to see Zero Hedge in the audience there.
I've read their stuff for years now.
Unfortunately, I think that's the last time I'll see Zero Hedge in the audience.
Such a great guy.
I don't know how they let him in.
They probably didn't know what Zero Edge was.
I'm sure they did.
And that's the last time, Judge, we'll ever.
What we need to do is we need to get like a Judge Knapp.
We need to get Ray McGovern in there for judgeknapp.com asking questions.
That's what we need to do.
But all Heg Seth did was ridiculously lavish praise on his boss.
He can't answer those questions.
This is what all of us, I think, had in our stomach.
The first time we watched one of the cabinet meetings, you know, back at the end of January 25 or early February 25, when they were showing the cabinet in action and just the sycopathy, right?
That just, just, just, there's nothing but yes men and yes women there.
And this is what you get.
You know, this is the reality that we were all feeling at the time of what is it going to look like?
How are we going to have to deal with this?
And here we are now.
We have this.
You know, I don't even want to try and describe him, but he's in charge.
He's in charge.
And no matter what Dan Kane, no matter how good of a general he is, no matter what his position, he can only do so much.
He should resign, is what he should do.
But, but yeah, I mean, this, these non answers that we're seeing, this word salad, this, this jumble of, of nonsense coming out of this man's mouth, he's not obfuscating.
He's not trying to, to, to dance around the question.
He's trying not to be dismissive.
He simply doesn't know his nonsense, his verbal verbosity, his, however you want to describe this, it's not a tactic, it's not an act.
It's the reality of Pete Hegsteth.
He doesn't know what he's doing.
And we see that when he's behind the microphone like that.
Wow.
Matt Howe, great commentary as always.
Thank you, my dear friend.
And if you talk to your buddy and neighbor, Ray, tell him not to be so laid back.
Kidding, of course.
It's a pleasure to work with them as it is with you.
Thank you, Matt.
All the best.
We'll see you next week.
All right.
Thanks, Judge.
Sure.
Coming up this afternoon, if you're watching us live in 90 minutes at 4 o'clock today, Larry Johnson has up to date information for all of us on, I'm sorry to say, President Trump's preparation for our recommencement of the war.