Counterweight with Will Chamberlain

Will Chamberlain
  • 4.3 (23)
  • Politics

Twice a week, Will Chamberlain sits down with guests who know their stuff on the subjects that matter most to the American Right: immigration, courts, elections, foreign policy, and whatever else is dominating the news cycle. Will Chamberlain is Senior Counsel at the Article III Project and Vice President of External Affairs at the Edmund Burke Foundation. X: @willchamberlain counterweightpod.com

  1. 4h ago

    Ignore The Polls, Vote Republican with Kurt Schlichter

    Will Chamberlain talks with Kurt Schlichter, trial lawyer, retired Army colonel, Townhall columnist, and author of the new novel American Warlord, in an election-eve special recorded the day before Election Day. Schlichter argues that the polls showing a Democratic wave rest on samples that Republicans refuse to answer, and that this cycle looks nothing like 2018 or 2020. The conversation also covers Haley Stevens endorsing Mike Rogers over Abdul El-Sayed, El-Sayed's 60 Minutes interview with Ross Douthat, the Texas Senate race, Iran and Venezuela, and the Insurrection Act. In this episode: Will and Kurt react to Haley Stevens, El-Sayed's primary opponent, endorsing Mike Rogers in the Michigan Senate race They break down El-Sayed's 60 Minutes interview with Ross Douthat and his answer that kids already carry phones in their pockets Schlichter explains why cross-examination is the best engine of truth detection and why so few interviewers use it He describes his X poll of 2,800 followers, in which 81% said they never answer polls or never get polled Will explains why he thinks nonresponse bias is skewing the New York Times polls, and why 2026 looks better for Republicans than 2018 or 2020 They discuss John Cornyn, the Bush family, Mitt Romney, and the Republicans who expect the base's support Schlichter reports from Texas on Ken Paxton versus James Talarico, and Will credits Elon Musk's ad spending Schlichter compares polling to the expert witnesses he hired as a trial lawyer: "It's nothing but an educated guess." They discuss Iran, Venezuela, and Will's debates with Michael Tracy and Piers Morgan Schlichter argues that the Democrats are trying to bait President Trump into invoking the Insurrection Act, and they discuss Elissa Slotkin They react to the TPUSA poem girl's apology, which Will says she had AI write Schlichter talks about his family's history in Chambersburg, the Los Angeles riots, serving in Kosovo, and why he is "never going to be a serf" Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/counterweight-with-will-chamberlain/id6803321469 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/18jtv7U8cB0IW82qM9xoK8 Kurt Schlichter: American Warlord (Passage Press) · @KurtSchlichter Will Chamberlain: @willchamberlain Instagram / TikTok: @counterweightpod 00:00 Why the polls are nothing but an educated guess 01:49 An election-eve special 02:28 Haley Stevens endorses Mike Rogers 09:23 El-Sayed on 60 Minutes and the phones answer 11:41 The lost art of cross-examination 15:41 The New York Times polls and Kurt's X poll 18:51 Why 2026 is not 2018 or 2020 22:52 Cornyn, the Bushes, and Romney 27:02 Young men, Anduril, and reindustrialization 29:20 Paxton versus Talarico, and Elon's ads 33:16 Where are the Republican defectors? 36:43 Ted Cruz and the 2028 field 38:52 Iran, Venezuela, and debating Tracy and Piers Morgan 46:41 The Insurrection Act and Slotkin 48:14 The TPUSA girl's AI apology 50:44 Kosovo, the LA riots, and "never going to be a serf" 52:59 American Warlord

  2. 3d ago

    Trump Charges FBI Officials Over Biden Laptop with Bill Shipley

    Will Chamberlain talks with Bill Shipley, a former federal prosecutor, about the criminal case against two former FBI officials accused of lying to Congress about the Hunter Biden laptop and what the charges reveal about the FBI’s role in 2020. They also discuss the DOJ’s effort to identify possible noncitizens on California voter rolls, the deliberate ignorance standard, the legal risk for election officials, and why presidential elections cannot be meaningfully audited after the fact. In this episode: Bill explains the case against Nikki Flores and Benjamin Benavidez, who are accused of denying their involvement with the Hunter Biden laptop during congressional interviews. He discusses the 2020 briefing to Senators Grassley and Johnson, which suggested their investigation could involve Russian disinformation despite the FBI already having the laptop. Bill explains why he believes the alleged false statements were an act of self preservation and why criminal cases may only reveal part of the broader story. They discuss the DOJ’s list of possible noncitizens on California voter rolls and the theory that officials could face legal consequences if they knowingly keep sending ballots to ineligible voters. Bill explains deliberate ignorance through his own prosecution of an Oakland chemical supplier whose owners avoided learning that their products were being used to manufacture meth. They also discuss California’s mail ballot system, the difficulty of auditing presidential elections, and what Judge Carter’s possible special master could mean for voter roll cleanup before 2028. Youtube: Counterweight with Will Chamberlain Will Chamberlain: @willchamberlain Instagram / TikTok: @counterweightpod 00:00 Introduction 02:32 The FBI officials charged over the Hunter Biden laptop 05:50 Nikki Flores and the FBI agents versus analysts rivalry 12:37 True believers inside the FBI 13:25 The briefing to Grassley and Johnson 18:24 Why lie to Congress in 2023? 19:59 FBI briefings to social media companies 21:38 Can prosecutions reach the laptop cover up? 25:25 DOJ’s 20,000 names in California 31:13 Deliberate ignorance and the Oakland meth case 36:12 The 28 arrests 37:11 An ocean of mail ballots 39:26 Why you cannot audit a presidential election 43:08 Judge Carter and the special master

  3. 4d ago

    Is The Republican Party Destroying Itself? with William Wolfe

    Will Chamberlain talks with William Wolfe, executive director of the Center for Baptist Leadership and a former State Department and Pentagon official, about why conservatives frustrated with the Iran war, the pace of deportations, or their own candidates should still vote Republican, eight days out from the midterms. The conversation also digs into the ICE detention of evangelical writer Samuel Sey and the fight over Christian nationalism behind it, the backlash Wolfe drew from both sides for speaking at NatCon Jerusalem, and what went wrong at Christianity Today. In this episode: William explains who Samuel Sey is, and why his detention by ICE became a flashpoint in the evangelical divide between Christian nationalists and their critics He traces “Christian nationalism” from a label coined by left-wing sociologists to attack Trump voters to a term some conservatives now openly embrace He rejects Neil Shenvi’s argument that a good man with an American wife and kids belongs here, saying only citizens fundamentally belong in America He argues that sitting out the midterms or voting for Democrats over the Iran war makes no sense, and that Trump’s second term has been a success on immigration Will argues the Iran war, a naval blockade with airstrikes, is categorically different from Iraq, and asks critics which promise they would rather Trump had kept: no new wars, or no Iranian nuke William steelmans the anger over “no new wars” and gas prices, says those voices are loud but small, and argues the war needs to be over before 2028 He recalls the Romney autopsy and the Gang of Eight, and says he never expected to see Republicans officially posting about remigration and questioning legal immigration Will offers his theory that reflexive contrarians can’t adapt once their views on immigration go mainstream, and William adds that they are allergic to governing Will explains how he thinks about Franco, and defends Majority Leader John Thune against William’s criticism of the Senate They discuss the Ohio governor’s race, and why William would still choose Vivek Ramaswamy over Amy Acton William describes the attacks he took from both pro-Israel and anti-Israel camps for speaking at NatCon Jerusalem, and answers Marc Thiessen’s criticism He explains how Christianity Today, founded by Billy Graham and Carl F.H. Henry, drifted left, and why he rejects the pietism that tells Christians to stay out of politics Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/counterweight-with-will-chamberlain/id6803321469 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/18jtv7U8cB0IW82qM9xoK8 William Wolfe: Center for Baptist Leadership · @William_E_Wolfe Will Chamberlain: @willchamberlain Instagram / TikTok: @counterweightpod 00:00 Throwing the midterms to the Democrats 01:28 Who is Samuel Sey? 03:02 What is Christian nationalism? 07:44 Why vote straight ticket Republican 11:28 Deportations and the Iran war 16:06 No new wars or no Iranian nuke? 21:38 From the Gang of Eight to remigration 24:58 Why reflexive contrarians can’t take the win 28:57 Red Caesar, Franco, and the Constitution 32:25 In defense of John Thune 35:53 Vivek Ramaswamy and the Ohio governor’s race 38:33 Taking fire from both sides over Jerusalem 45:21 What went wrong at Christianity Today 51:10 Don’t teach the party a lesson by electing Democrats

  4. Oct 23

    #19: Slotkin Wants To Scare Conservatives Out of Government with Jeremy Carl

    Will Chamberlain talks with Jeremy Carl about Senator Elissa Slotkin's vow to prosecute senior Trump officials, why lawfare may be worse than corruption, and why so few Republican senators have answered her. Carl also describes his two weeks in South Africa and what he thinks America should do about it. The conversation also digs into the backlash to the Sarah Huckabee Sanders ad, the Trump administration's record on anti-white discrimination, and the fake independents running in red states like Montana. eremyIn this episode: Will argues that lawfare is worse than corruption and that lawfare helped end the Roman Republic. Carl says Slotkin openly admitted that her goal is to scare young conservatives away from serving in government. He expects the president to use the pardon power to shield his people, and he warns that state prosecutors could still come after them. Carl explains how the threat of lawfare weighed on him and his family when he was nominated for Assistant Secretary of State. He says Republican senators' silence on Slotkin reflects weakness and an older Senate that struggles to push back against smears. Carl describes his trip to South Africa, from world-class business districts to dangerous townships and patrolled areas. He describes walled communities ringed with razor wire, and Will compares them to settlements in the West Bank. Carl says Free Palestine billboards across Cape Town show how tightly South Africa's ruling left is tied to global leftism. He argues that South Africa now has more race laws than it had under apartheid. Carl argues for American engagement in South Africa, including support for coalitions among Afrikaner, Coloured, and black groups. He walks through Trump's demands on the ANC, including rolling back Black Economic Empowerment rules and the "kill the Boer" rhetoric. Carl says the backlash to the Sarah Huckabee Sanders ad shows that younger conservatives will no longer accept anti-white messaging. He gives the Trump administration high marks on fighting anti-white discrimination and credits Harmeet Dhillon's Civil Rights Division. Will and Carl explain how fake independents in Montana and other states hide Democratic candidates behind independent labels. Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/counterweight-with-will-chamberlain/id6803321469 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/18jtv7U8cB0IW82qM9xoK8 Jeremy Carl: Claremont Institute senior fellow, author of The Unprotected Class: How Anti-White Racism Is Tearing America Apart · @realjeremycarl Will Chamberlain: @willchamberlain Instagram / TikTok: @counterweightpod 00:00 Lawfare ended the Roman Republic 01:45 Slotkin's "signature cases" 04:12 Is lawfare worse than corruption? 05:24 Pardons, state prosecutors, and a sunk nomination 07:50 Why won't GOP senators answer Slotkin? 10:57 Two weeks in South Africa 14:57 Walled cities and razor wire 17:00 Free Palestine billboards and the West Bank comparison 20:05 More race laws than under apartheid 21:20 What America should do about South Africa 26:42 Trump's demands on the ANC 31:19 The backlash to the Sarah Huckabee Sanders ad 38:55 Grading Trump on anti-white discrimination 44:28 Montana and the fake independents

  5. Oct 19

    #18: Will Ilhan Omar Lose Her Citizenship with Ben Weingarten

    Will Chamberlain talks with Ben Weingarten about the federal investigation into Representative Ilhan Omar, the questions about her father's refugee application and her own naturalization that appear to sit behind the recent search of her home, and what a case to strip her citizenship could look like. The conversation also digs into the evidence that the man she married is her brother, Minneapolis's Somali community, fraud in Somali refugee resettlement, and the red-green alliance. In this episode: Ben explains how a column applying the Russiagate standard of links and ties to Omar grew into his 2020 book, American Ingrate He argues that Omar personifies the red-green alliance between the progressive left and Islamists, and that the Democratic Party has moved in her direction since He describes her father as a senior military officer in Siad Barre's Marxist regime who, according to reporting, presented himself as an educator when the family sought refugee status Will lays out the legal theory that concealing service in a communist regime could be enough on its own to undo both her father's naturalization and hers Ben describes Minneapolis's Somali community as clannish and insular, and says nearly everyone he spoke with there feared for their safety if they talked about Omar He walks through the evidence that the man she legally married is her brother, including shared addresses, social media posts in which the man called her children his nieces and nephews, and the family naming convention He says her testimony in a Minnesota campaign finance case that she had lost contact with the man conflicts with social media messages between them Will and Ben discuss a new Washington Post report that the man withdrew a petition for permanent residency after immigration officials asked about the marriage, and Ben connects it to a 2016 FOIA request by Omar's immigration lawyers Ben explains how the birth year in her official biography changed from 1981 to 1982, and why that one year matters for whether she qualified for citizenship through her father Will argues that even if the marriage fraud is too old to charge, it could unravel the story her family told when it first came to the United States Ben discusses why part of the family appears to have settled in the UK, and the fraud that led the State Department to suspend a Somali refugee program in 2008 He closes on the Islamist networks backing Omar and similar candidates, and recalls the longtime incumbent she unseated, Phyllis Kahn, telling him Omar was unbeatable in the district Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/counterweight-with-will-chamberlain/id6803321469 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/18jtv7U8cB0IW82qM9xoK8 Ben Weingarten: The Federalist, author of American Ingrate · @bhweingarten Will Chamberlain: @willchamberlain Instagram / TikTok: @counterweightpod 00:00 Her father's past 02:42 Why Ben wrote American Ingrate 03:07 Ilhan Omar and the red-green alliance 07:58 Who was Ilhan Omar's father? 13:27 Could her father's past be enough to denaturalize her? 14:34 Inside Minneapolis's Somali community 20:55 The evidence that she married her brother 28:43 The Washington Post's buried revelation 29:30 Omar's immigration lawyers and the 2016 FOIA request 31:26 Two husbands at one address 34:03 1981 or 1982? Her birth year and her naturalization 38:01 Why the marriage could unravel the whole story 39:25 Why did the family split between the UK and the US? 43:14 Fraud in Somali refugee resettlement 48:51 The Islamist machine behind Omar

  6. Oct 15

    #17: Why NatCon Went to Jerusalem with Yoram Hazony

    Will Chamberlain talks with Yoram Hazony, chairman of the Edmund Burke Foundation, about why the National Conservatism conference went to Jerusalem and what happened when four young American nationalists told an Israeli audience how support for Israel is softening on the American right. Hazony argues that the fight over Israel and the Jews has become the main threat to the cohesion of the Trump coalition, and that most American and Israeli Jews misread the Republican Party as a contest between Ben Shapiro and Tucker Carlson. The conversation also digs into Bezalel Smotrich's speech on Muslim immigration, Mike Doran's critique and the John Locke debate, James Lindsay, and the coming fight over who inherits the Trump coalition. In this episode: Hazony explains why NatCon, which normally alternates between the United States and Europe, held its twelfth conference in Jerusalem He describes Israel as a model nation state and reflects on what a young, religious, high-fertility society can show Americans and Europeans He argues that Bezalel Smotrich's speech was the first time a senior Israeli minister said plainly that Muslim immigration to America and Europe is bad for the West, for Jews, and for Israel He introduces Gadi Taub, the former man of the left who has become one of the most popular intellectuals on the Israeli right He explains why Israel and the Jews, barely mentioned in NatCon's first seven years, have become the main threat to the cohesion of the Trump coalition He lays out the idea behind the panel with Matthew Peterson, Amanda Milius, Jonathan Keeperman, and William Wolfe: bringing the tough American right to Jerusalem to talk with the tough Israeli right He argues that Jewish leaders in both countries see the Republican Party as Ben Shapiro versus Tucker Carlson and skip over the roughly 70 percent of the party in between Will and Hazony respond to Mike Doran's argument that the panel failed to make the realist case for the alliance Hazony answers the charge that he wants to write John Locke out of the founding and describes the four factions that make up the NatCon coalition He contrasts Jeremy Boreing's constructive role on the right with James Lindsay's campaign against the nationalist camp He argues that young American nationalists broke a de facto ban on going to Israel, and he previews NatCon in Washington, DC, three months from now Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/counterweight-with-will-chamberlain/id6803321469 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/18jtv7U8cB0IW82qM9xoK8 Yoram Hazony: Edmund Burke Foundation · @yhazony Will Chamberlain: @willchamberlain Instagram / TikTok: @counterweightpod 00:00 Cold Open: The Fantastic Four 02:18 How did NatCon Jerusalem go? 03:06 Why hold NatCon in Jerusalem? 06:16 A young, religious society 09:00 Bezalel Smotrich on Muslim immigration 12:37 Gadi Taub and the Israeli right 13:55 What was the panel trying to accomplish? 19:15 Softening support on the right, and why the audience was Israeli 21:41 Ben Shapiro versus Tucker Carlson, and the 70 percent in between 26:20 Mike Doran's critique 35:56 Does Hazony want to expunge John Locke? 40:42 Lindsay, Jeremy Boreing, and the libertarian wing 51:09 James Lindsay in Israel 55:09 Breaking the taboo on nationalists going to Israel, and NatCon DC

  7. Oct 13

    #16: Who Really Blew Up Nord Stream with Bojan Pancevski

    Will Chamberlain talks with Bojan Pancevski, the Wall Street Journal's chief European political correspondent, about his book The Nord Stream Conspiracy and the small Ukrainian team that blew up the Nord Stream pipelines in September 2022. Pancevski explains how a seven-person crew on a rented sailing yacht destroyed one of Europe's most expensive pieces of energy infrastructure for about $250,000, and how German investigators tracked them down. The conversation also digs into Germany's long bet on trade with Russia, the Russia and CIA theories, Poland's refusal to cooperate, and what American conservatives misunderstand about Putin. In this episode: Pancevski recounts the September 2022 explosions, first registered as an earthquake, that tore through the world's biggest offshore pipeline system He traces Nord Stream to Germany's decades-old "change through trade" policy toward Moscow and to Merkel's post-Fukushima nuclear shutdown, which deepened the reliance on Russian gas He describes how a small group of Ukrainian intelligence and special forces veterans drew up a list of targets meant to choke off Putin's oil and gas revenue He walks through how the team recruited civilian deep-sea diving instructors and tested them with wiretaps, hidden cameras, and staged arrests He explains how the operation was paid for almost entirely by private donors, and what is known about who in Ukraine's chain of command approved it He lays out why the theory that Russia blew up its own pipeline never made sense He argues that Biden's pledge to end Nord Stream 2 referred to sanctions, which have kept the pipelines offline more effectively than explosives He reports that senior CIA officials were relieved when Putin blamed the United States rather than Ukraine He tells how German detectives cracked the case by combing through thousands of speed-camera photos and running one driver's face through recognition software He explains why German prosecutors charged the suspects with war crimes ahead of the Hamburg trial that opens October 14 He describes how Poland obstructed the investigation, including a Polish judge who refused extradition and called the sabotage part of Ukraine's just war He closes on what he thinks American conservatives get wrong about the war and why commercial deals will not move Putin YouTube: [YOUTUBE LINK] Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/counterweight-with-will-chamberlain/id6803321469 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/18jtv7U8cB0IW82qM9xoK8 Bojan Pancevski: The Wall Street Journal · @bopanc Will Chamberlain: @willchamberlain Instagram / TikTok: @counterweightpod 00:00 Ukraine's target list 02:28 What happened to Nord Stream in September 2022? 05:25 Germany's change-through-trade bet on Russia 10:21 Merkel's nuclear shutdown and the gas addiction 12:46 How he got inside both the plot and the investigation 14:52 The Ukrainian team behind the sabotage 18:28 Recruiting and testing civilian deep-sea divers 21:28 A privately funded operation, and who signed off 27:44 Did Russia or the CIA do it? 32:07 What Biden meant, and why sanctions beat explosives 36:54 The German investigation and the speed-camera breakthrough 41:52 Arrests, the Hamburg trial, and the war crimes charge 46:12 Poland's refusal to cooperate 49:43 What American conservatives get wrong about the war 55:09 Why deals will not move Putin

  8. Oct 7

    #15: Trump's Venezuela Endgame with Daniel Di Martino

    Will Chamberlain talks with Daniel Di Martino about Trump's Venezuela endgame after the capture of Nicolás Maduro, why the old regime can still run Caracas under Delcy Rodríguez, and what it would take to force a real exit. The conversation also digs into Cuba's decades living off Venezuelan oil, the Cartel of the Suns, María Corina Machado's election prospects, the U.S.–Venezuela oil deal, and whether Havana is next. In this episode: Di Martino explains how Chávez turned Latin America's richest country into its poorest after Venezuelans voted themselves into socialism He walks through Venezuela's fall from 1950s top-tier GDP per capita to an roughly 80 percent economic collapse He argues the regime became a drug cartel once oil loot dried up, with diplomatic passports moving cocaine into the United States He says Trump's Delta Force arrest of Maduro solved the credibility problem Maduro thought was a bluff He maps Cuba's Special Period and how Caracas sent free oil that Havana resold through dark fleets He describes Cuban intelligence embeds in the Venezuelan military as the price of that subsidy He says Delcy Rodríguez is less popular than Maduro and cannot staff a competent central bank while she remains in power He explains the colectivos as a Chavista paramilitary used to crush street protests He argues top leaders cannot safely stay in Venezuela even with amnesty, because the public will kill them He says only Trump can force exile deals — Qatar, Turkey, elsewhere — because Cuba is next and cannot be the safe house He says María Corina Machado is the only figure who wins a free Venezuelan election in a landslide He praises the oil deal's terms but warns U.S. government ownership and a future Democratic administration put long-horizon investment at risk He backs striking Tren de Aragua leadership and drug boats when identification is solid He closes that Venezuela was free and prosperous before socialism — and America should not be oblivious to that threat Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/counterweight-with-will-chamberlain/id6803321469 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/18jtv7U8cB0IW82qM9xoK8 Daniel Di Martino: Manhattan Institute · @DanielDiMartino Will Chamberlain: @willchamberlain Instagram / TikTok: @counterweightpod 0:00 Cold open — Cuba is next 1:11 Host intro 2:27 Growing up under Chávez 4:43 The deepest economic collapse on record 5:51 First Trump term and recognizing Guaidó 9:08 The Cartel of the Suns 12:19 Maduro in U.S. custody 13:24 Cuba's Special Period and free Venezuelan oil 18:38 Why a blockade alone will not topple Havana 20:38 Delcy Rodríguez's unpopularity 23:30 The colectivos 25:26 Amnesty, exile, and forcing the regime out 27:44 Diosdado Cabello 29:19 María Corina Machado 31:35 The oil deal and the 2028 risk 34:09 Tren de Aragua and the drug boats 37:57 Earthquakes and rebuilding 43:11 Venezuela as a warning for America

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About

Twice a week, Will Chamberlain sits down with guests who know their stuff on the subjects that matter most to the American Right: immigration, courts, elections, foreign policy, and whatever else is dominating the news cycle. Will Chamberlain is Senior Counsel at the Article III Project and Vice President of External Affairs at the Edmund Burke Foundation. X: @willchamberlain counterweightpod.com

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