Captain Scott Butler joins David Wheeler on this episode to discuss the campaign of their mutual friend, Brian Bengs, who is running for the United States Senate in South Dakota. Scott, a retired Navy officer with a deep history serving alongside Brian, emphasizes the candidate's strong work ethic, ethical standards, and commitment to serving the people rather than self-interest. Their conversation highlights Brian's unique qualifications and character, showcasing not only his military background but also his principled approach to leadership. As they delve into anecdotes from their time together, Scott illustrates how Brian's dedication and accountability make him the right choice for South Dakota. The episode is a heartfelt endorsement for Brian Bengs, emphasizing his readiness to bring positive change to the Senate. David Wheeler hosts Captain Scott Butler on American Muckrakers, where they delve into the Senate campaign of Brian Bengs, a man Butler has known for over 16 years. Butler, a former Navy officer, passionately advocates for Bengs, sharing insights from their time together at NATO, where Bengs served as a lead legal advisor. He describes Bengs as not only a brilliant legal mind but also a dedicated public servant who exemplifies the highest standards of ethics and integrity. Their shared experiences in navigating complex international legal frameworks highlight Bengs' ability to handle difficult situations with poise and accountability, making him an ideal candidate for the Senate. Butler paints a vivid picture of Bengs' work ethic, recalling how he consistently went above and beyond in his duties, often making Butler feel as if he was slacking by comparison. This dedication is reflected in Bengs' teaching methods, where he reached across cultural divides to impart essential lessons on military ethics to students from various nations. Butler emphasizes that Bengs embodies the core values of honor, courage, and commitment that are crucial for effective leadership in today’s political landscape. He believes that Bengs' candidacy represents a refreshing shift away from self-serving politics and towards genuine public service, which is sorely needed in South Dakota and across the nation. As the episode progresses, Butler discusses the ethical challenges facing politicians today, arguing that Bengs is uniquely qualified to address these issues due to his unwavering commitment to accountability. He expresses hope that the voters of South Dakota will recognize Bengs' potential to lead with integrity and serve the interests of the people rather than party agendas. The conversation culminates in Butler's heartfelt plea for support, urging listeners to consider Bengs not only as a candidate but as a person of character who will bring a principled approach to governance. This episode serves as a powerful endorsement of Bengs, illustrating the critical need for leaders who prioritize ethical conduct and genuine service in political office.

Takeaways:

• Captain Scott Butler shares his strong belief that Brian Bengs is the right candidate for the Senate, emphasizing his dedication and work ethic.
• The relationship between Scott and Brian Bengs is rooted in years of military service, reflecting a deep mutual respect and camaraderie.
• Scott recounts how Brian Bengs handled difficult situations during their time at NATO, showcasing his principled approach to leadership and accountability.
• The discussion highlights Brian Bengs's commitment to ethics in politics, emphasizing the importance of integrity and public service in his campaign.
• Scott Butler describes South Dakota as a welcoming place, suggesting that Brian's approach to politics aligns well with the values of its residents.
• The podcast emphasizes Brian Bengs's independence from political parties, which Scott believes enables him to advocate for the people of South Dakota without self-interest.

Links referenced in this episode:

• vote roi.com

Companies mentioned in this episode:

• American Muckrakers
• United States Air Force
• NATO
• North Atlantic Treaty Organization
• Northern South Dakota State
• Senator John McCain

Hey, folks, this is David Wheeler with American Muckrakers and muck you.

And today we've got Captain Scott Butler on in one of our series of folks that we're asking to testify on behalf of our good friend Brian Bengs in South Dakota. Welcome to the show, Scott.

Hey, David, thanks so much for having me and it really is a pleasure to talk to you and to the muckraker nation. And I'm glad to have the opportunity to testify or at least to talk about Brian Bengs as he faces a tough race in South Dakota.

But I really think he's the right man for the job.

You're, you're absolutely right. He's the right man and that's why we're spending time and energy on this and taking up a little bit of your day. So where, where are you today?

And, and how do you know Scott? Or how do you know Brian? Sorry.

That's okay, David. I'm talking to the crowd today from Virginia Beach, Virginia.

So, just across the border from you in North Carolina. But I've known Brian for more than a decade. We initially served together when he was an active duty Air Force Judge Advocate General.

That's the lawyer corps, the attorneys for United States Air Force.

When we were serving together for NATO, the North Atlantic Treaty alliance in a small area called Oberammergau, Germany, we were both working at the NATO school in Oberammergau, Germany.

Cool. So you've known him how many years now?

16 Years.

Wow.

And you were not necessarily in combat together, but you know, when you're in the military and in a courtroom, whether it's civil or military, I'm sure it sometimes feels like battle.

There were times at NATO school, although it's a small command, less than 300 people there, but there are officers and enlisted folks serving from all the different members of NATO countries, so some 32 nations.

And at times it felt a little combative, I have to be honest, because although we're all partners within the alliance, everyone brings a different set of work ethics and morals to the job. And so Brian, as I was the commandant, I was the commander of the school and Brian was my lead U.S. attorney.

So he helped me sort through a lot of sticky situations that required some sensitivity to both international law and the expectations of those nations that were serving there.

So you were not only A lawyer, but kind of a diplomat. It sounds like I was more the.

Diplomat and Brian was definitely the lawyer. So, yeah, it took a team. It took a team to get that done. He was, he was supported by several German attorneys.

But at the end of the day, because the NATO school is primarily under the US Military code of ethics, Brian was my lead attorney and he really steered me clearly through some very difficult international situations.

Terrific.

Well, we're here today with Scott Butler from Philadelphia, a good friend and former colleague of our chosen candidate, Brian Bengs, here on Muck you. So, Scott, tell us a little bit more about did you hire Brian or was he assigned to you or how did you come to come to work with him?

Sure. This falls under the axiom that it's better to be lucky sometimes than good. So I was just lucky. I inherited Brian when I showed up at the school.

He was assigned there by the United States Air Force primarily because of his experience, his deep experience in international law and international relations.

And so I was the beneficiary of an Air Force decision, but I was grateful to them for the entire time that we served there together, which was almost four years.

Wow. So four years is a long time in the military to work together. Yes, sir.

Tell us what, tell us a little bit about Brian's work habits and his ability to get things done.

So again I mentioned, I'm a 30 year Navy veteran, and during that career I've had the opportunity, I had the opportunity to serve with some of the best and brightest, most passionate, most dedicated Americans that our country can offer. And Brian stands at the very top of that line. Not just wicked smart, as they would say up north, but also principled, intelligent, dedicated.

I used to joke that, you know, even as the commander, you would expect that I'd be the one working hardest for the good of the command. But Brian's work ethic made me look like I was pretty lazy. So it was great to have that kind of support for the entire time.

And I, I know he's brought that to his entire career.

I'm not sure how widely known it is, and I, I hope that I don't go too far off script here, but, you know, Brian actually started off in the Air Force, which for us Navy guys, Navy tribe, means that he actually hadn't served in the military.

Be careful. Be careful. Air Force guys on here and women.

But if they are Air Force guys, they'll get the joke and I think they'll chuckle along. But yeah, the Air Force invested a lot into Brian training him up, making His.

Sure, he was an expert in his trade, and it paid off for me at the NATO school because he was more than just my legal advisor, to be honest, he was one of my primary educators, which means that for the more than 10,000 students that would come through the school each year, Brian stood in front of many of them to teach them about the law of war, about military ethics and those kinds of things. And he was always ranked very highly by those students that sat through his presentations.

And I think he's carried on teaching a little bit. We. We had Professor Monahan from Northern. Must be Northern South Dakota State on, and his.

Her classes always increase in attendance whenever Brian is the substitute.

But.

So let's talk a little bit about ethics. You know, without getting into the politics of. Of the day, military and ethics seem like they're opposite definitions these days. Where.

Where does ethics sit in the military, in your view? In the past, and maybe a couple examples of. Of Brian's teaching method around ethics.

Thanks. Thanks for that. So, you know, Brian embodies the core values for the Navy, you know, of courage, honor, and commitment.

And at least for those with whom I've served, again, I've been retired for about eight years now. That was important. That was at the core of who we were. I mean, we served with honor. We served each other. We upheld the Constitution.

That was primarily what we did. And, you know, Brian is about principle. And he also understands that with our rights comes great responsibilities.

So he would teach that to folks from, again, a myriad of nations, and some weren't even NATO, some were from partner nations where some of those ethics weren't built into their military code.

And so he was often challenged about, you know, why was it important to have a code of conduct, why was it important to follow the rules of engagement? And again, he is a better extemporaneous speaker than am I, which is why I'm sure he's been a great professor since his retirement.

But he always found the right answers and the way to reach out across cultural lines.

So, you know, what works for a US Service member to help them better understand the code by which we serve may not be the right words to talk to someone from another nation, like Bulgaria or any of the other nations that served.

But Brian invariably found a way to reach across that cultural divide and make sure they understood why he was instructing the way he was and why he held the values that he does and does before and does to this day.

So, Commandant. Captain, have you been to South Dakota yet?

Yes, sir. Not since Brian's been running there but many times in my childhood. I mean, it is truly one of the most beautiful states in our nation.

And, you know, appreciate just the openness, the vastness of it. The, the folks there are tremendously warm and welcoming. They are, this is too overused, I guess, the salt of the earth.

But they are just tremendously nice, hard working people that I, I think would welcome Brian's approach to life and to politics because he is who he seems to be and he walks the walk. What he tells you is what he believes.

Well, we got to get you back out there because you're a great spokesman for Brian and, and, and you're coming at it from facts. You know, you're not simply trying to gratiate yourself or trying to look smarter than him. Well, you sound like a really good guy.

And the sort of person that Brian associates himself with is also a definition of him. So, Captain, I, I really appreciate you talking today again. This is Mucku with Captain Scott Butler. He's in Phil.

Philadelphia, or he's from Philadelphia, but he's in Virginia now. And we're talking about our good friend Brian Bengs and why he ought to be in the United States Senate.

So Captain, tell us a good, good story about Brian that may embarrass him without embarrassing him too much, but Jennifer had a good story. Have you met his wife, Jennifer?

Yes, we were, we were very close friends and I guess I should have brought this up. There was, for about a year and a half of our time there together, we were actually neighbors living down in that little village of Ober Ammergal.

So I've known Jennifer and their two lovely daughters for as long as I know Brian.

Oh, wow, that's cool. That's great. So give us that story, would you?

Well, I prefer to tell one if that's okay, without embarrassing him. But it goes back to how Brian walks and lives. The code.

And it has to do with a specific event at NATO school where when I arrived that some of the German national employees, some of the finance folks had been doing some really, really sketchy things with the school's finances for years and years, to be honest. And people before Brian and before myself had kind of elected to turn a blind eye to that. But that's just not the way Brian operates.

So I remember not long into my command tour, Brian came to me and presented this case and said, this is going to be difficult, Captain Butler, but it's the right thing to do to hold these people accountable. And I think the quote he used again, I may not be attributing it to him. It could be Winston Churchill.

But you take care of the good people by taking care of the bad people. And so that was a difficult presentation. It took a lot of guts to come to me and to stand up for that.

But he followed through with that and did the right thing.

And as he said, we took care of the good people working hard at the school by taking care of those that weren't necessarily keeping the school's best interests at heart. And I'm convinced that Brian hasn't changed since then.

So were he to be elected to the Senate, as I deeply hope he will be, he will take that same level of accountability with him. I mean, he will hold the people accountable.

He will take care of those that aren't so good, that don't have the best interests of South Dakota or the best interests of this country in mind to make sure that those that do have have the best chance to serve both the people of South Dakota and the people of this great nation.

So you're not going to give me that story? That's all right. I appreciate your candor. And I'll just say this.

If Brian ever passes himself off as, I don't know, like an exceptionally good outdoorsman or skier, I mean, I know he lives by the cowboy code, I know he's toughened up in South Dakota, and the beard really does help him look the role. But I. I've seen Brian on the ski slopes and he's not. He's not good. He's not.

All right, well, we got a little bit of a story out of it. So have you had a chance to meet many politicians or work with them in the past?

Yeah, it's interesting.

And to be a part of his legislative staff while he was running for the presidency and with Sarah Palin and others.

So I have a chance to see really at the most intimate level, the functioning of the highest level of our US government, at least in the executive or in the legislative branch, which was a completely eye opening experience for me. I had spent most of my time before then just flying jets, living, living on carriers, serving the Navy.

So to come to a place and have to put on a suit and tie Every day. And to talk to people that were, some of whom were career politicians, many of whom were not. It was really an interesting experience for me.

I bet it was. And what a great man. I think Senator McCain would probably be a fan of Ryan's today.

There's no doubt in my mind if he were alive. Yeah, there's no doubt in my mind.

And I wish, I wish we just. I wish he was still around, because I think he would bring some.

Some sanity to what's happening in the United States Senate right now that isn't there.

If I could mention one thing, I mean. So go ahead. McCain. Senator McCain, JSM always considered himself a maverick. Right. Kind of speak truth to power.

But, you know, again, some of the things that I know Brian stands for is do what has to be done. That, that is. Well, maybe some listeners remember when McCain was held out for.

For killing the affordable, you know, put the thumbs down at the last moment and kill the medical bill. He knew that had to be done. He also knew that when you make a promise, you have to keep it.

That came from his military service, from his commitment to his fellow prisoners of war when he was in Vietnam as a prisoner of war. And that defined his character. And I think it defines Brian as Well, he is. McCain was.

And Brian is a tough but fair leader, a great judge of character, and again, who embodies what he says and he walks the walk. So what Brian says, he lives or believes, that's how he lives his life.

Yeah. You know, what I really enjoyed about McCain was he didn't really seem to take himself too seriously.

I mean, he could have a good laugh and obviously posture himself when needed, but I just. I just miss that kind of leadership and, and I hope Brian can bring it, bring that to the United States Senate.

So you've worked with some politicians. Some, I'm sure, less than interesting than McCain.

Do me a favor and tell us, you know, you've been around the block a couple times, you've landed on a couple carriers here and there.

Sure.

What, what sort of character in Brian makes you think he'd be a good senator?

I think I've mentioned some of the things, David. I guess. I think so. Politics and the profession of being a politician has come since maybe John passed away.

But certainly the last couple years, politics and politicians have come to sound like. I hate to say a dirty word. Right. They can't be trusted. All they are is their own self interests. They'll say and do anything. And I know the joke.

The number one job of every Politician everywhere on the planet. The number one job is to get reelected. But I don't think Brian sees it that way. I think I'm pretty convinced. I know that he is. Advocates term limits.

So he's not looking to get himself into a position, his last job, for the rest of his life. He's looking to literally serve the people of this great state of South Dakota. He wants to get in there and make a difference.

He's going to say and do those things that are necessary to help the people of South Dakota, to help America. And he won't be afraid to do that. He's not working for his next job. He's in a job that the people of South Dakota have sent him there to do.

And I don't think a day will go by where he doesn't reflect on that and act on that, which is the kind of politicians I would argue we need from every state in America.

Yeah, I agree. Can you imagine him in the Senate?

I mean, it'd just be a bright new day to see Brian working in Senate and casting votes that matter and maybe holding this administration accountable once in a while.

From the, from the day that I learned he was running until today, when I've had a chance to talk publicly about it, I thought of nothing else. I mean, I really, I hope that there's a way to find, you know, I understand especially well across our nation with the more or less two party system.

Brian running as an independent is. It is a more difficult road.

But I think that level of independence, that fact that he's not beholden to Super PACs or to one of the two reigning parties empowers him even more. So he's able to without fear of retribution or of losing the party support, he's able to say and do those things that need to be said and done.

Yeah, I think it was a very smart move on his part. We just need to get this Democrat to realize that he doesn't have a chance against Rounds.

And if he were to endorse Brian, it would probably be the most magnanimous thing he'd do in his life. But we'll, we'll leave that for another day.

So, Captain, I, I think you need to get out to South Dakota and spend some time on the ground, not only with Brian, but you know, there's obviously a huge navy or large military presence at South Dakota.

Yes, sir.

People need to, people need to hear directly from you about this, that you're very articulate, you're smart, obviously, and you know the guy. So I would. I don't want to tell you what to do, but.

And obviously Brian has his campaign managers and team in place, but just listening to you today and having been around politics, I think people would really warm up to a guy from the east coast that knows Brian and, and can talk about Brian from the heart. And so I would, I'd encourage you before too long to maybe make some plans to do a tour out there.

And I'll, I'll go and I'll come drive you and help you.

I hope you like long drives. It's, it's a pretty, it's a pretty big state. So listen.

Yeah, yeah. No road time is when I, my thinking time. So I love a good road trip, but. So.

All right, well, Captain Scott Butler has been with us today here on mucu. I really appreciate your time and your endorsement.

O', Brien, why don't you take us out with your final words on the, on the Bengs family and Jennifer and Brian and the girls and we'll call that a day.

All right. Well, it's been a, it's been an honor and a pleasure to talk with you, David, and the entire muck wrecker audience.

I, I hope that what I've said has done no harm, if nothing else before else do no harm and has given the listeners a little bit of a better insight into the character of my friend and former military comrade, Brian Bengs. His, his commitment to the state of South Dakota is equaled by his commitment to his family. It's, it's a great family.

So if you want to look into the character of a man, you can look maybe no further than his family because they are truly the best of the best. I hope that the people of South Dakota.

I pray that the people of South Dakota can find a way to send Brian through and put him in Washington where he will begin the process of doing things that actually benefit South Dakotans and not just himself or his family and will hold those in power accountable. I think those are two important things, especially in the times we live in.

So I couldn't be more proud to have a chance to talk about Brian because it has been my pleasur e to know him fora number of years. And like I mentioned, I hope South Dakotas can do the right thing and send him to Washington.

All right. Well, that's a terrific endorsement.

You heard it directly from his colleague and friend, Brian's colleague and friend, captain Scott Butler today on muck. You. If you like what you heard, please go to vote roi.com that's v o t e r o I dot com. BB that's Brian's landing page. Make a donation.

We all know that campaigns cannot survive unless they've got money. 25 Bucks. 50 Bucks. I think you can give up to 6,500 if you're interested. Brian needs that ammunition right now to. To win this race. And, and.

And here at McHugh, we've fully endorsed Brian. And again, thank you to Captain Scott Butler today. Thank you.

My pleasure. Thanks for. Thanks for the time.

You bet.