Journalists’ Roundtable: Epstein files vote, Trump vs. Kelly & more

Nov. 21

Trump vs. Kelly

Wayne Schutsky: “They were telling our country’s military members if the president gives you an illegal order, you don’t have to follow it… The president believes it constitutes seditious activity and should be hanged.”

Dennis Welch: “When you repost something that says ‘HANG THEM,’ that’s making a real statement… One of the attorneys I spoke with said sedition doesn’t carry the death penalty. Treason does.”

Camryn Sanchez: “You’re not obligated or supposed to follow unlawful orders… That’s the law.”

Dennis Welch: “With this president, it could be a one- or two-day story, or he could instruct his attorney general to do something. We’ve seen that before.”

Epstein Files Vote

Wayne Schutsky: “Nothing that we didn’t know… just more in-depth information. Friendly emails, nothing new in terms of trafficking.”

Camryn Sanchez: “Talk about a story that has legs. Arizona connections are everywhere… we’re seeing a shift in the narrative from Republicans.”

Dennis Welch: “Let’s be real. They changed their tune after Donald Trump said they could vote for this… After that, suddenly everyone was ‘for transparency.’”

Camryn Sanchez: “Some members parroted Speaker Johnson and said they worried about releasing victim names… but they still voted for it.”

Dennis Welch: “If you’re Biggs or Schweikert running for governor, do you really want to risk being seen as voting to keep the Epstein files secret?”

Epstein Connections w/ Arizona

Wayne Schutsky: “The ASU professor… we already knew about that. It confirmed what we knew… nothing involving sex trafficking.”

Dennis Welch: “We haven’t seen all the files yet.”

Smith Convicted of Forging Signatures

Dennis Welch: “He had to admit he forged these signatures… It’s rich with irony given the crowd he hangs with — election deniers.”

Camryn Sanchez: “I opened the filings and went ‘whoa.’ I wasn’t surprised he took a plea.”

Wayne Schutsky: “The last time we had an election like this, the rejection rate was much lower… his explanation didn’t hold up.”

Dennis Welch: “He’s on a five-year time-out from running for office. And Turning Point still brought him back.”

AZ Supreme Court Considers Public Records Cases

Camryn Sanchez: “This affects journalists directly. When public institutions decide not to provide records, it raises questions… ‘It’s not in our interest’ isn’t a reason.”

Dennis Welch: “Arizona has some of the friendliest public records laws… If you’re withholding documents, you need better reasons than that.”

Wayne Schutsky: “These cases end up before the Supreme Court because the language is open to interpretation.”

Camryn Sanchez: “If the Court keeps siding with agencies refusing to release records, that sets a precedent for all of us.”