Meet the Press - February 18, 2024 Rep. Mike Turner (R-Ohio), Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Cornell Belcher, Sara Fagen, Mara Liasson and Patti Davis
Interview
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Thank you, Kristen. Appreciate it.
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Well, the – the threat is very serious. Everyone who's looked at it used the same language that I have, that it is a very serious threat. And I'm very – I’m very glad that the administration is beginning to take action. We met with Jake Sullivan, and he began to lay out a plan that hopefully would begin to address this. I understand that Secretary Blinken here at Munich met with leaders from China and India, according to how the New York Times is reporting. That certainly would be an important big step to try to avert this.
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Well, I can't – I can’t confirm or deny this. What I have called for is for the administration to declassify this. And my concern is that this is kind of like the Chinese spy balloon, and the – the administration is kind of hiding perhaps some inaction. The – but as this becomes more and more public and the administration grapples with – with what we're dealing with, I think they are going to be taking it seriously. I think they will be taking action. And that, obviously, is the goal.
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Yeah, so the – our rules under the committee, and really the purpose for our committee, is that when we receive intelligence that the House of Representatives should – should view, that we have the ability to share it. But the rules provide that we're supposed to first do this in consultation with the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, which we did. And including our statement, which we sent to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and received no – no objections whatsoever.
Our committee voted 23 to 1 to vote this out of the committee and send it to the members of Congress, believing that they needed to know this information. And also, the statement that we issued to the members was signed both by me and my – my ranking member. So this was not just an action by myself. But I am glad, after meeting with Jake Sullivan, that the administration is taking this seriously, and we'll now be able to see action from the administration.
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Well, the – the Speaker has made a commitment to secure the funding for – for Ukraine. When we met with Zelenskyy today, we did meet in the backdrop of – of Ukraine troops having conceded land to Russia as a result of shortage of stockpiles of weapons. Zelenskyy described the math that he's facing of dwindling stockpiles at the same time Russia is turning to both Iran and North Korea for weapon systems. Zelenskyy, of course, did not blame his current situation, nor what occurred today, on the delay that's occurring, although he did indicate that he's certainly worried that the delay could cause a gap in weapons getting to the Ukraine.
Those in attendance of the U.S. delegation certainly pledged their support. And I do think that there is an opportunity when we get back to Washington to move this important aid package forward because it is so critical. You know, Vladimir Putin is a murderous thug. And what he is doing and the atrocities and the war crimes in Ukraine need to be responded to. I was speaking to the mayor of Kyiv today. And he was saying this is the front line of the – of the authoritarian regimes in democracy. And it is.
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Well, President Johnson has made a number of public statements committing to finding a pathway for the aid for Ukraine. I believe him. I think that we will. And this does need to get done. This is absolutely critical for U.S. support for Ukraine and to oppose Russian aggression.
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Well, certainly people are very disappointed that the negotiations on the border deal in the Senate broke down and did not result in a plan. Now, the House of Representatives passed H.R.2, which would've resulted in closing the border, the Remain in Mexico policy of the prior administration, and would've allowed for moving forward with aid for Ukraine, Taiwan –
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– and Israel. All important funding.
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It is critical. And I think there's certainly a sufficient support in both the House of Representatives and the Senate in order to get that aid package done. I think members who are in opposition, you know, have had their own path to get there, their own concerns. But I do know that if you look at this issue of the – the effects of allowing Russia to continue in its aggression, the fact that it would jeopardize other areas of Europe. This is very, very important for the United States to stand strong and stand with Ukraine.
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Well, this is what I know. When Donald Trump was president he actually increased funding to NATO itself. He continues to push countries to – to fully fund, to meet the 2% commitment that each of them have. And I know that his – his work is important to get increase funding to Ukraine – excuse me, increase funding to – to NATO. You're already seeing NATO countries begin to spend more as a result of Donald Trump's words, and I think that's kind of important.
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He's motivating them to do so, but I think he is very, very strong in his support for NATO.
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This is what I know. Donald Trump's political rallies don't really translate into Donald Trump's actual policies. If you look at his policies, if you look at his record, he actually increased funding for NATO, increased the European Reassurance Initiative, and in fact for Ukraine, he was the first president to give lethal weapons to Ukraine. So I think his record is strong, and I think that's what's important.
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You know, in a dramatic moment here, she took the stage at the Munich Security Conference, just as the world was learning that Navalny had – had passed. She expressed her surprise that – and her really disbelief – that her husband was dead. She later then met with the U.S. delegation. We prayed with her. We shared her sorrow. And certainly, she points the finger directly at – at Vladimir Putin, who had previously poisoned Navalny with military nerve agent, and then of course imprisoned him. And now Navalny is dead. This is certainly very troubling. It's part of the murderousness that we see, both in Ukraine and here, as the record of Vladimir Putin. And it certainly shows how dangerous he is.
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I think that as a result of Navalny's death, that – that we should even be that more strong in funding Ukraine and passing this in the House and Senate, and dedicated, in Navalny's off – in his legacy, sending a message to Putin.
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Absolutely. I mean, this – this inquiry, and it is an inquiry, is based upon actual bank records, documents, transactions of money, large sums of money. And doing an inquiry as to, you know, how these funds got to the Biden family from international sources – China, Russia, Ukraine – that is certainly an issue that – that Congress needs to take up. And I think the investigation will continue.
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I think you have to continue it until it reaches its natural conclusion. But I'm not surprised at all that a business associate and associate of the – the Biden family might be untruthful. But we'll just have to continue to see what the bank records, the transactions tell, how that story unfolds. And I believe that Chairman Comer's doing a great job in this.
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Actually, I don't trust this court decision. You know, being a practicing lawyer in commercial transactions, I think the whole premise of the case, which all legal analysts have said is unusual, is not really justifiable. We'll have to see ultimately how the appeals run in this case. But I think if this case stands, it's going to be a threat to really just all businesses, including those who are currently operating in New York.
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You know, all of those issues were taken into consideration as the – as the country elected him to president last time. And his record as president is what we really need to look at. Our country was stronger. Our economy was stronger. And – and I think our border certainly being secured is probably the most important issue that Americans are going to look at. The 8 million people who have gone across the border during the Biden administration is absolutely an invasion. This is something that President Trump had addressed. And the fact that President Biden reversed by executive orders that – those issues that had been put in place to protect our country are going to be important to voters.
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Well, I'm absolutely opposed to a government shutdown. And I do think that Speaker Johnson is diligently working with the leadership in the House and the Senate to put together a package that hopefully can pass the House and the Senate. And I think he's certainly going to work diligently to ensure that we don't have a government shutdown. But I am adamantly opposed to a government shutdown. I do believe that it is detrimental, not only to our – our country, but also our government.
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Kristen, thanks for having me.
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Thanks, Kristen.
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