Bannon's War Room - January 30, 2025


Episode 4233: Tragedy Over The Potomac; Kash, Tulsi, And RFK Hearings Cont.


Episode Stats

Length

1 hour and 14 minutes

Words per Minute

157.66037

Word Count

11,684

Sentence Count

950

Hate Speech Sentences

10


Summary

Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) and Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) speak at a hearing on Christopher Hayden's nomination to become the next Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. They discuss his confirmation hearings, his background in law enforcement, and his views on abortion.


Transcript

00:00:00.000 is not only illogical, but completely devoid of any evidence in the record.
00:00:05.900 That's from a judge.
00:00:09.920 This is a dangerous time, and I ask all my colleagues to consider
00:00:14.980 whether these plain comments by this person
00:00:19.660 and by his own Trump administration colleagues
00:00:24.720 should be given a blind eye, just overlooked.
00:00:30.000 Or whether, like the warnings of pardoning violent January 6th offenders,
00:00:37.540 there are warnings to be heeded.
00:00:39.940 There is an unfathomable difference
00:00:43.360 between a seeming facade being constructed around this nominee here today
00:00:50.440 and what he has actually done and said in real life
00:00:55.440 when left to his own devices.
00:00:58.400 Conduct shows character, and if you look at history,
00:01:08.560 you see the danger of security chiefs in authoritarian regimes
00:01:17.700 becoming the tools of political power.
00:01:21.400 The characteristics that they often show are that they are vengeful,
00:01:27.780 that they are grandiose,
00:01:31.260 that they are intemperate,
00:01:34.820 that they are partisan and blindly loyal,
00:01:39.700 and that they are servile and won't say no.
00:01:48.340 I'm afraid that the history of this nominee's conduct raises those warnings.
00:01:57.620 And I yield my one second back.
00:02:01.360 Before, Senator Cornyn, you said you'd like to explain something.
00:02:06.920 I forget the point he made.
00:02:09.080 You can do that now if you want to.
00:02:10.940 Simply this, Senator.
00:02:14.900 In the collective, all of those statements are taken out of grotesque context,
00:02:21.100 and anyone that thinks my 16 years of service is an exemplary
00:02:25.640 on how I would proceed if confirmed as FBI
00:02:28.540 is intentionally putting false information into the public ether
00:02:32.740 and creating more public discourse.
00:02:35.560 The only thing that will matter if I'm confirmed as a director of the FBI
00:02:39.180 is a de-weaponized, de-politicized system of law enforcement
00:02:43.340 completely devoted to rigorous obedience of the Constitution
00:02:47.480 and a singular standard of justice.
00:02:49.460 Before I call on Senator Cornyn,
00:02:54.840 I'd like to say that we've heard about the January 6th pardons.
00:03:03.400 I think it's important that we remind people at the same time
00:03:07.820 of some pardons by the previous administration.
00:03:11.080 Thomas Sanders, a kidnapper who murdered a 12-year-old girl named Lexus
00:03:16.460 and her mother, Swell and Roberts,
00:03:20.320 Adrian Peeler, a Connecticut drug kingpin
00:03:24.560 who was convicted in the death of an 8-year-old boy
00:03:28.200 and his mother, Leonard Peltier,
00:03:32.420 that's already been referred to that murdered two FBI agents,
00:03:39.740 and even Director Wray, at that time former Director Wray,
00:03:47.220 said that that shouldn't have happened
00:03:49.080 and Judge Michael Conahan, who took kickbacks
00:03:53.420 for wrongly sending juveniles for profit detention centers
00:03:58.380 and Alex Saab, who laundered illicit proceeds
00:04:03.300 for narcotics terrorists,
00:04:05.240 Nicholas Madero, and was a key connection
00:04:09.040 between Venezuela and Iran
00:04:12.060 and five family members of his own family.
00:04:16.100 President Biden did that.
00:04:18.120 Senator.
00:04:21.040 Welcome, Mr. Patel.
00:04:23.420 Do you believe America is an exceptional nation?
00:04:27.140 It's the greatest nation.
00:04:29.040 Your family went through a lot to get here.
00:04:31.760 They sure did.
00:04:32.420 And your life story is, I think,
00:04:36.140 a great example of people pursuing the American dream.
00:04:40.560 Do you believe what a large part of what makes America
00:04:43.800 an exceptional nation is the rule of law?
00:04:46.680 It is one of the fundamental precepts that determines that.
00:04:49.980 And why is that?
00:04:51.260 Because without a singular application of a rule of law,
00:04:54.240 we go back to the Uganda that my father fled in Idi Amin.
00:04:58.180 20 trusted studies?
00:04:59.640 It depends what the...
00:05:01.820 What's your number?
00:05:03.440 It completely depends on the kind of study you're talking about,
00:05:06.520 randomized studies or observational studies.
00:05:08.780 Is it safe to assume that 100 studies
00:05:11.200 that are replicable and peer-reviewed is enough?
00:05:14.460 Well, it could be one study
00:05:16.220 if it was a powerful enough study.
00:05:18.360 The most widely used medication abortion drug,
00:05:21.680 mifepristone,
00:05:22.680 has been FDA-approved for nearly 25 years.
00:05:26.600 More than 100 studies have confirmed
00:05:28.760 that 99% of patients who took the abortion pill
00:05:32.860 had no complications.
00:05:34.700 So with all of that,
00:05:36.340 I can only conclude that you would commit
00:05:38.600 to keep this science-backed and proven medication
00:05:41.940 on the market and accessible for women.
00:05:44.560 Is that correct?
00:05:45.180 I'm going to, with mifepristone,
00:05:48.720 President Trump has not chosen a policy,
00:05:52.620 and I will implement his policy.
00:05:57.820 So regardless of the studies,
00:06:01.600 regardless of the data,
00:06:02.880 regardless of the science,
00:06:04.080 you've been talking about show me the data,
00:06:05.940 show me the studies.
00:06:07.860 Well, if you...
00:06:09.180 You would have that policy
00:06:10.560 regardless of what the science says.
00:06:13.240 The senator, the devil is in the details.
00:06:15.740 If you're telling me 99% of women did okay,
00:06:18.780 but 1% died,
00:06:20.020 I would say that is not a beneficial risk profile.
00:06:23.700 That is not what the studies show.
00:06:25.280 I know, but you're not showing me
00:06:26.560 I need those details from the study
00:06:28.460 before I can't buy a pig and a poke.
00:06:31.500 Show me what the study says.
00:06:33.380 Let's move on.
00:06:35.680 Next, it would be Senator Mullen.
00:06:40.500 Thank you, Mr. Kennedy, for being here.
00:06:43.240 You know, we have...
00:06:45.040 Going to Tulsi Gabbard,
00:06:46.160 being grilled by Warner.
00:06:49.580 Remember, the 702 is critical
00:06:51.220 to our national security,
00:06:52.080 60% of the president's daily brief,
00:06:54.900 60% of the information
00:06:55.980 President Trump gets every day
00:06:57.760 in a PDB will come from this.
00:07:00.520 You've had a long history
00:07:02.080 of opposing 702.
00:07:03.900 Many members of Congress have.
00:07:05.800 But one of the things you've actually done
00:07:07.200 that not many have
00:07:08.200 is not to reform it,
00:07:09.340 but you actually said
00:07:10.780 you wanted to repeal it.
00:07:12.580 But now, whether it's, you know,
00:07:14.900 confirmation conversion
00:07:16.080 or whatever you call 702 vital,
00:07:19.580 and I'm quoting,
00:07:21.420 because of significant Pfizer reforms
00:07:23.200 have been enacted
00:07:23.800 since you left Congress.
00:07:25.780 Ms. Gabbard, what are the reforms
00:07:27.360 that have led you
00:07:28.520 to now support 702?
00:07:30.620 In the short time that I have, Senator,
00:07:33.160 I will just note that
00:07:34.920 my actions in legislation
00:07:37.040 in Congress were done
00:07:38.660 to draw attention
00:07:39.560 to the egregious civil liberties violations
00:07:41.720 that were occurring at that time.
00:07:44.240 Ms. Gabbard, you said...
00:07:45.060 Some of the...
00:07:45.440 Ms. Gabbard, I ask you a question.
00:07:47.140 Please give me the courtesy of responding.
00:07:49.020 You said the reforms
00:07:50.300 now make you supportive.
00:07:52.260 What...
00:07:52.640 Can you cite?
00:07:53.160 Which reforms?
00:07:53.920 There are a number of reforms
00:07:55.220 to include...
00:07:56.160 In the new law, right?
00:07:56.840 In the new law, right?
00:07:57.720 That all of you and your wisdom...
00:07:59.240 Ms. Gabbard, my time is getting short.
00:08:02.000 But I got to just tell you,
00:08:03.380 after the reforms
00:08:05.740 were passed into law
00:08:07.460 in April of 24,
00:08:10.780 you went on Joe Rogan's podcast
00:08:14.300 in May.
00:08:16.160 The bill is now law.
00:08:18.560 And you said, quote,
00:08:21.140 this bill took an already bad problem
00:08:23.580 and made it many, many times worse.
00:08:28.420 Again, in my mind,
00:08:30.560 this is a question of judgment.
00:08:31.740 702 is critical.
00:08:34.840 I appreciate this late conversion,
00:08:36.860 but I'm not sure I'd buy it
00:08:38.680 because you've had such
00:08:39.620 a consistent position.
00:08:42.560 Again, I know my colleagues
00:08:43.920 are going to raise these,
00:08:44.640 but rather than standing up
00:08:46.120 to dictators like Putin and Assad,
00:08:48.980 you know, you've sometimes
00:08:50.100 amplified his talking points.
00:08:52.140 I mean, I just do not understand
00:08:53.720 how you can blame NATO
00:08:55.380 for Putin's brutal invasion
00:08:57.340 of Ukraine.
00:08:59.180 And when Assad used chemical weapons
00:09:02.540 against his own people,
00:09:05.480 he didn't condemn him.
00:09:06.240 I can go through all the quotes.
00:09:08.180 He actually questioned
00:09:08.940 Americans' intelligence.
00:09:10.840 Now, you mentioned a lot
00:09:12.520 about trust.
00:09:14.900 You know, and one of the things
00:09:15.660 that I'm so proud
00:09:16.240 on this committee is
00:09:17.040 my friend Senator Burr said,
00:09:20.140 we always follow the truth.
00:09:21.040 I say on this committee,
00:09:24.200 the most valuable work
00:09:25.060 I do in this,
00:09:25.520 and we have a bipartisan
00:09:26.800 approach to intelligence.
00:09:28.080 I think we have worked
00:09:29.140 to try to keep
00:09:29.680 the intelligence community
00:09:30.580 and earn their trust
00:09:31.480 and frankly, earn the trust
00:09:32.500 of the American people.
00:09:34.940 But I respectfully,
00:09:38.620 ma'am, I just don't believe
00:09:39.940 on your judgment
00:09:42.000 and credibility issues
00:09:43.320 that this is the appropriate role
00:09:45.860 that you should take going forward.
00:09:47.700 Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
00:09:48.500 Senator Collins.
00:09:49.840 Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
00:09:51.220 Ms. Gabbard,
00:09:53.340 Edward Snowden does stand out
00:09:56.040 as having done particularly grave harm
00:09:59.580 to our national security
00:10:01.420 by revealing top-secret information,
00:10:05.920 including sensitive sources
00:10:08.560 and methods,
00:10:10.280 thus jeopardizing agents
00:10:12.540 in the field.
00:10:14.100 So let me ask you a question.
00:10:16.920 If confirmed,
00:10:19.240 would you support
00:10:21.020 or recommend
00:10:22.840 a pardon
00:10:24.440 or any kind of clemency
00:10:27.760 for Edward Snowden?
00:10:30.640 Thank you for the question,
00:10:32.500 Senator Collins.
00:10:33.420 If confirmed as the Director
00:10:34.620 of National Intelligence,
00:10:35.960 my responsibility would be
00:10:37.420 to ensure the security
00:10:39.460 of our nation's secrets
00:10:41.000 and would not take actions
00:10:42.820 to advocate for any actions
00:10:44.720 related to Snowden.
00:10:46.060 So the answer is no.
00:10:48.980 Is that correct?
00:10:51.020 In 2020,
00:10:52.900 you introduced
00:10:54.040 the Protect Brave Whistleblowers Act,
00:10:56.700 which would amend
00:10:58.080 the Espionage Act
00:11:00.240 to make it more difficult
00:11:02.540 to prosecute individuals
00:11:05.080 who reveal classified information.
00:11:08.880 In particular,
00:11:10.400 the bill would allow individuals
00:11:12.980 to disclose even top-secret information
00:11:17.540 as long as it's not done
00:11:20.600 with the specific intent
00:11:22.960 to injure the United States
00:11:25.240 or advantage any foreign nation.
00:11:27.940 Your bill would also have created
00:11:31.180 an affirmative defense
00:11:32.900 if public disclosure
00:11:35.020 of classified information
00:11:36.740 were made for several reasons,
00:11:39.140 one of which was
00:11:40.300 to expose gross waste of funds.
00:11:44.100 I strongly oppose this legislation,
00:11:48.000 which would hamper our ability
00:11:50.760 to prosecute people
00:11:52.540 who give our adversaries
00:11:55.700 classified information.
00:11:57.640 So let me ask you this.
00:12:00.560 Ms. Gabbard,
00:12:01.380 do you still support
00:12:03.340 providing individuals
00:12:05.440 who have access
00:12:06.960 to top-secret information
00:12:09.440 with the ability
00:12:10.980 to make their own decisions
00:12:13.440 regarding whether
00:12:15.200 that information
00:12:16.360 should be publicly disclosed,
00:12:19.080 even though disclosure
00:12:21.120 may cause tremendous harm
00:12:23.600 to our country
00:12:24.680 or our allies?
00:12:27.140 Senator,
00:12:27.940 we cannot and should not
00:12:29.600 have individual vigilantes
00:12:31.600 within the intelligence community
00:12:33.380 making their own decisions
00:12:34.940 about how and where and when
00:12:36.640 to expose our nation's secrets.
00:12:39.280 The intent of the legislation
00:12:40.980 that you have pointed out
00:12:43.040 was pointed towards
00:12:44.900 ensuring due process
00:12:46.100 for those who are charged
00:12:47.560 under the Espionage Act.
00:12:49.080 ...on the record.
00:12:50.600 These claims
00:12:51.760 made in that statement
00:12:53.540 were rejected by courts,
00:12:55.400 including by Republican judges.
00:12:57.160 Is that correct?
00:12:58.780 I don't have enough
00:12:59.840 of the facts in front of me
00:13:00.780 to make that assessment.
00:13:01.600 I will put that statement
00:13:02.380 on the record,
00:13:03.020 but I think everyone
00:13:03.860 in this committee,
00:13:05.020 including the Republican members,
00:13:06.540 knows that these statements
00:13:07.560 were rejected by courts.
00:13:09.980 You were asked about
00:13:10.820 the police officers
00:13:12.340 in the Capitol
00:13:13.240 who testified
00:13:15.120 in the January 6 hearings
00:13:16.880 and you accused them of lying.
00:13:18.920 Is that correct
00:13:19.720 or not correct?
00:13:20.800 I don't think that's accurate.
00:13:21.860 Okay, Joe Peck's podcast,
00:13:24.360 March 2024.
00:13:25.880 We'll put it on the record.
00:13:27.580 I was there.
00:13:28.480 The police officers
00:13:29.440 were heroes that day.
00:13:31.580 Yes.
00:13:31.820 Did you post
00:13:32.860 on your personal
00:13:34.060 social media account
00:13:35.240 in May of 2024,
00:13:37.560 January 6,
00:13:38.920 never an insurrection,
00:13:40.660 cowards in uniforms exposed?
00:13:42.880 They broke the chain of command.
00:13:45.900 I believe you're referencing
00:13:47.340 a post that was shown
00:13:48.520 in part earlier.
00:13:49.640 I don't have it in front of me.
00:13:50.780 You posted it
00:13:53.420 and it was on your account
00:13:54.820 and we will again
00:13:56.400 put that out there
00:13:57.520 once more
00:13:58.500 as we go on.
00:14:00.440 I don't want to lose
00:14:01.080 any more time on this,
00:14:02.100 but every one of these,
00:14:03.140 there's a record of it
00:14:04.280 and you haven't answered.
00:14:07.280 You promoted
00:14:08.220 a COVID vaccine reversal
00:14:10.000 or detox supplement.
00:14:11.960 One scientist said,
00:14:13.020 I quote,
00:14:13.720 none of these substances
00:14:14.840 in any form
00:14:15.980 would minimize side effects
00:14:17.760 from a COVID-19 vaccine.
00:14:19.360 that is preying
00:14:20.360 on innocent people.
00:14:21.720 Did you perform
00:14:22.600 clinical trials
00:14:23.640 before you made that claim?
00:14:26.740 I'm not a doctor,
00:14:27.920 so no.
00:14:28.560 But you did promote
00:14:29.460 this supplement
00:14:30.180 and told people
00:14:30.980 that it would reverse
00:14:31.920 or mitigate
00:14:32.840 the side effects
00:14:35.220 from COVID vaccine.
00:14:37.080 Did I give people
00:14:37.820 an opportunity
00:14:38.340 to make an independent choice
00:14:39.580 for what's best
00:14:40.180 for their families?
00:14:40.980 Yes.
00:14:41.400 You did that last year,
00:14:42.560 correct?
00:14:43.180 I don't have it
00:14:43.880 in front of me.
00:14:44.420 Again, Senator?
00:14:44.960 Mr. Patel,
00:14:46.960 the FBI tackles
00:14:47.860 some of the most
00:14:48.500 complex threats
00:14:49.580 that we face.
00:14:50.440 Terrorists,
00:14:51.220 hostile foreign powers,
00:14:52.560 violent gangs,
00:14:53.680 fentanyl,
00:14:54.200 criminal organizations.
00:14:56.460 Your mission, though,
00:14:57.700 has been to go after people.
00:14:59.680 I've looked at it.
00:15:00.500 I've read this stuff.
00:15:02.480 Yes or no?
00:15:03.580 When Trump wins,
00:15:04.580 did you say this?
00:15:05.380 When Trump wins
00:15:06.240 in 2024
00:15:07.100 and is in power
00:15:08.560 in 2025,
00:15:09.960 we can prosecute them,
00:15:11.900 referring to
00:15:12.780 Justice Department officials
00:15:14.260 for an actual
00:15:15.560 RICO statute violation
00:15:16.980 for criminally organizing
00:15:18.620 the United States government
00:15:19.840 to break the law
00:15:20.700 to rig presidential elections.
00:15:22.940 Did you say that,
00:15:23.700 yes or no?
00:15:24.400 Again, Senator,
00:15:24.980 you're reading
00:15:25.360 a partial statement,
00:15:26.420 so I'm unable
00:15:27.000 to fully respond.
00:15:28.440 Okay, again,
00:15:29.100 we'll put it on the record.
00:15:30.280 X-22 Report Podcast 20.
00:15:34.960 That is from
00:15:35.880 I'll Get You the Date
00:15:36.760 about a year ago.
00:15:38.720 One of the names
00:15:39.620 on your list
00:15:40.180 was Bill Barr.
00:15:41.000 Chairman Grassley
00:15:44.220 has called him
00:15:44.980 one of the most capable
00:15:46.120 cabinet officials
00:15:47.060 I've ever been able
00:15:47.880 to vote for.
00:15:48.920 Senator Graham has said,
00:15:50.020 I have nothing
00:15:50.420 but total respect
00:15:51.440 and admiration
00:15:52.380 for the job done
00:15:53.420 by William Barr
00:15:54.300 as Attorney General
00:15:55.540 of the United States.
00:15:58.000 Is Bill Barr
00:15:59.340 on your list
00:16:00.200 of whatever you want
00:16:00.920 to call them,
00:16:01.760 you know,
00:16:03.020 been referred to
00:16:04.080 as an enemy's list?
00:16:05.340 You've called them
00:16:05.920 Deep State
00:16:06.580 after serving his country
00:16:08.540 as the Attorney General
00:16:09.760 of the United States.
00:16:11.080 Is he on your list
00:16:12.080 because of a personal vendetta?
00:16:13.980 Well, it's not
00:16:14.620 whatever we want
00:16:15.280 to call it,
00:16:15.880 Senator,
00:16:16.100 with all due respect.
00:16:16.960 It's not an enemy's list.
00:16:18.520 That is a total
00:16:19.380 mischaracterization.
00:16:20.600 I ask you,
00:16:21.620 I actually use
00:16:23.260 the words you use
00:16:24.160 for the list,
00:16:25.200 which was Deep State,
00:16:26.320 right?
00:16:26.620 That's what you put
00:16:27.220 at the time.
00:16:27.380 It is a glossary
00:16:28.200 against the Attorney General
00:16:29.260 of the United States.
00:16:30.780 Is it because
00:16:31.620 of a personal vendetta
00:16:32.660 that he's on the list?
00:16:33.740 You're under oath.
00:16:34.560 I have no personal
00:16:35.440 vendetta against Bill Barr.
00:16:36.140 Okay, he said about you,
00:16:37.400 you would never be able
00:16:38.320 to command the respect
00:16:39.460 necessary to run
00:16:40.380 the day-to-day operations
00:16:41.480 of the Bureau.
00:16:42.280 That was actually
00:16:43.120 in writing in his book.
00:16:44.440 He had virtually,
00:16:45.320 about you,
00:16:45.880 no experience
00:16:46.660 that would qualify you
00:16:47.700 to serve at the highest level
00:16:49.340 of the world's preeminent
00:16:50.380 law enforcement agency,
00:16:51.860 and that your appointment,
00:16:53.160 as noted by Senator Durbin
00:16:54.820 as Deputy Director
00:16:56.000 to the FBI,
00:16:57.280 would happen over his dead body.
00:16:59.580 Is it, yes or no,
00:17:00.640 why you would put him
00:17:01.440 on the list of Deep State
00:17:02.660 as a former Attorney General,
00:17:04.020 Trump Attorney General
00:17:04.880 of the United States?
00:17:05.960 Because he wouldn't break
00:17:07.240 the law for Donald Trump.
00:17:08.540 Is that why?
00:17:09.360 Absolutely not.
00:17:10.840 As you know,
00:17:11.440 he repeatedly told the president
00:17:13.100 in no uncertain terms
00:17:14.460 that he did not see evidence
00:17:15.960 of fraud that would have affected
00:17:17.400 the outcome of the election.
00:17:19.600 Did you say in February of 2021
00:17:21.680 that the election stuff
00:17:23.080 was never my job,
00:17:24.600 and I state all of it all
00:17:25.900 I state out of that stuff?
00:17:28.020 Again, I don't know
00:17:28.840 what comment you're referring to,
00:17:30.000 but I'm sure you're reading
00:17:30.700 a piece of something.
00:17:31.340 You said it on pushback
00:17:33.980 on a podcast.
00:17:35.480 Is it true, though,
00:17:36.400 that in December of 2020,
00:17:38.140 you reached out
00:17:39.100 to the Trump acting
00:17:40.400 Deputy Attorney General
00:17:41.640 and asked him
00:17:42.620 to investigate
00:17:43.360 a conspiracy theory
00:17:44.680 claiming that people
00:17:45.760 in Italy
00:17:46.400 had used military technology
00:17:48.440 and satellites
00:17:49.180 to remotely tamper
00:17:50.260 with voting machines
00:17:51.420 in the U.S.
00:17:52.120 and switch votes
00:17:53.260 for Trump
00:17:54.280 from Biden
00:17:55.960 to from Trump
00:17:57.240 to Biden.
00:17:58.100 Is that true?
00:17:58.820 What was the date?
00:18:00.300 That was out
00:18:01.360 of December of 2020.
00:18:03.360 I was chief of staff
00:18:04.240 to the Department of Defense,
00:18:05.600 so I don't believe
00:18:06.400 that's accurate in any way.
00:18:07.460 That came out
00:18:07.980 of testimony
00:18:08.540 before Congress.
00:18:09.740 I will give it to you.
00:18:12.800 Have you referred
00:18:13.840 to the media
00:18:14.500 as the most powerful
00:18:15.700 enemy of the United States
00:18:17.240 that they have ever seen?
00:18:18.500 Is that right?
00:18:19.580 Again,
00:18:19.980 you're reading a quote.
00:18:20.860 I take that you're reading
00:18:22.480 it accurately.
00:18:23.360 H-2-C-PAC-223-24.
00:18:25.800 You said we're going
00:18:26.580 to come after
00:18:27.140 the people in the media
00:18:28.180 who lied about
00:18:29.000 American citizens
00:18:29.940 who helped Joe Biden
00:18:31.300 rig the elections.
00:18:32.680 We're going to come
00:18:33.780 after you whether
00:18:34.440 it's criminally
00:18:35.220 or civilly.
00:18:36.800 Is that something
00:18:37.440 you said?
00:18:38.280 That's a partial statement
00:18:39.440 of what I said.
00:18:40.340 Steve Bannon's podcast.
00:18:42.800 You also said
00:18:43.760 you would put
00:18:44.200 the entire fake news
00:18:45.340 mafia press corps
00:18:46.420 on your list.
00:18:47.420 Is that correct?
00:18:48.940 Is that what you said?
00:18:49.700 I don't have that
00:18:51.020 in front of me.
00:18:51.480 Benny Johnson's podcast
00:18:52.780 8-21-23.
00:18:55.000 You have said
00:18:56.120 that the FBI,
00:18:57.920 including today,
00:19:00.080 you said that
00:19:01.200 they remain utterly corrupt.
00:19:02.740 This is an agency
00:19:03.560 with agents
00:19:05.160 who have taken down
00:19:06.220 terrorists,
00:19:06.960 taken down bank robbers,
00:19:09.180 taken down crime.
00:19:10.660 And you wrote
00:19:11.540 that the FBI
00:19:12.240 has become so thoroughly
00:19:13.520 compromised
00:19:14.080 that it will remain
00:19:14.960 a threat to the people
00:19:16.100 unless drastic measures
00:19:17.680 are taken.
00:19:18.300 Do you know
00:19:19.900 that under
00:19:20.440 Chris Wray's leadership
00:19:21.460 he took over
00:19:22.220 at a very difficult time,
00:19:23.560 we all know that,
00:19:24.340 appointed by President Trump,
00:19:26.420 that during his tenure
00:19:28.920 the applications
00:19:29.820 to the FBI
00:19:30.900 has in fact tripled.
00:19:33.940 Do you think
00:19:34.340 people would be applying
00:19:35.260 to that agency
00:19:36.040 like in those numbers
00:19:37.240 if they thought
00:19:37.880 it was so corrupt?
00:19:39.720 The American public's
00:19:40.720 trust in it
00:19:41.280 is at 40%.
00:19:42.260 That's an all-time low.
00:19:43.460 Did you say
00:19:44.940 that the FBI headquarters
00:19:46.560 should be shut down
00:19:47.920 and reopened
00:19:48.660 as a museum
00:19:49.440 of the deep state?
00:19:51.180 Mr. Chairman,
00:19:51.720 are we allowed
00:19:52.100 to go in extra time?
00:19:53.480 Let's see.
00:19:54.620 You get a second round.
00:19:57.060 Before I call
00:19:57.720 on Senator Leahy.
00:19:58.460 Could he just
00:19:59.100 answer the question
00:20:00.000 if he said
00:20:00.980 that the FBI headquarters
00:20:02.520 where they investigate
00:20:03.700 cybercrime
00:20:04.560 and terrorism
00:20:05.260 should be shut down
00:20:06.460 and open
00:20:06.900 as a deep state?
00:20:07.680 Mr. Chair.
00:20:08.180 As a museum.
00:20:09.180 Did he say
00:20:09.780 that the headquarters
00:20:10.980 should be shut down?
00:20:11.940 I deserve an answer
00:20:13.460 to that question.
00:20:14.560 He is asking
00:20:15.280 to be head of the FBI
00:20:16.780 and he said
00:20:17.720 that their headquarters
00:20:18.500 should be shut down.
00:20:19.660 Mr. Chair,
00:20:20.260 parliamentary inquiry.
00:20:21.500 You got anything
00:20:22.140 you want to say,
00:20:22.960 Mr. Patel,
00:20:24.000 before I go on
00:20:24.780 to Senator Lee?
00:20:25.780 Simply this.
00:20:27.220 If the best attacks
00:20:28.120 on me are going
00:20:28.700 to be false accusations
00:20:29.720 and grotesque
00:20:30.480 mischaracterizations,
00:20:31.540 the only thing
00:20:32.120 this body is doing
00:20:33.100 is defeating
00:20:34.020 the credibility
00:20:35.120 of the men and women
00:20:35.860 at the FBI.
00:20:37.140 I stood with them
00:20:38.100 here in this country
00:20:39.320 in every theater
00:20:40.340 of war we have.
00:20:41.420 I was on the ground
00:20:42.280 in service
00:20:42.760 of this nation
00:20:43.580 and any accusations
00:20:45.540 leveled against me
00:20:46.620 that I would somehow
00:20:47.660 put political bias
00:20:48.860 before the Constitution
00:20:49.940 or grotesquely unfair
00:20:51.200 and I will have you
00:20:53.100 reminded that I have
00:20:54.260 been endorsed
00:20:54.820 by over 300,000
00:20:56.720 law enforcement officers
00:20:58.320 to become the next
00:20:59.320 director of the FBI.
00:21:00.460 Let's ask them.
00:21:01.380 Mr. Chairman,
00:21:02.220 I am quoting
00:21:02.980 his own words
00:21:04.560 from September
00:21:05.660 of 2024.
00:21:07.340 It is his own words.
00:21:08.820 It is not
00:21:09.600 some conspiracy.
00:21:10.760 It is what
00:21:12.180 Mr. Patel
00:21:13.000 actually said
00:21:14.260 himself.
00:21:15.420 Facts matter.
00:21:16.820 You forget
00:21:17.340 that you had
00:21:18.240 three minutes
00:21:19.000 in the next round
00:21:19.960 to say what you just said.
00:21:21.500 Okay, I'll say them again.
00:21:23.100 Okay.
00:21:24.120 Before I call Lee.
00:21:25.580 Mr. Chair,
00:21:26.300 just parliamentary inquiry
00:21:27.820 and it was on time.
00:21:28.720 It wasn't disputing
00:21:29.580 any of the debate
00:21:30.300 but I intend to keep
00:21:31.420 to my seven minutes
00:21:32.440 and I appreciate
00:21:33.100 you keeping everyone
00:21:33.960 to it.
00:21:34.760 If we go over,
00:21:35.820 can we have that decrement
00:21:36.840 against the time
00:21:37.680 in the second round?
00:21:39.940 If a member goes over.
00:21:41.920 That was actually
00:21:43.100 ten minutes,
00:21:43.760 Mr. Chair.
00:21:44.320 I'm not sure
00:21:45.120 that I want to.
00:21:46.840 Sometimes it's faster
00:21:48.200 to get things done here
00:21:49.520 just letting people
00:21:50.720 shout
00:21:51.340 than it does
00:21:53.680 to shut them up.
00:21:54.280 Mr. Chairman.
00:21:54.840 You're a wise man,
00:21:55.720 Mr. Chair.
00:21:56.080 Thank you.
00:21:56.680 Mr. Chairman.
00:21:57.800 Mr. Chairman.
00:21:58.620 Before we go to Lee.
00:21:59.580 Mr. Chairman.
00:22:00.960 Yes,
00:22:01.460 what do you want?
00:22:02.100 I love this guy.
00:22:08.940 Mr. Chairman,
00:22:10.060 I'm like Senator Tellis.
00:22:11.740 I mean,
00:22:11.940 if we're going to start this,
00:22:13.800 I don't,
00:22:14.780 I want an extra
00:22:15.820 three minutes.
00:22:17.140 Now my friend
00:22:18.120 Senator Kovachar
00:22:19.380 with three minutes over.
00:22:20.720 So here what you're saying
00:22:22.740 is the chairman
00:22:23.500 wasn't a very good chairman
00:22:25.080 by not shutting her up
00:22:26.380 but I've gone through
00:22:27.380 this before
00:22:28.160 and I think
00:22:29.740 I know how to handle it
00:22:31.180 and get this done.
00:22:31.360 Well, I think you're,
00:22:32.000 I think you're
00:22:32.700 a star-spangled awesome chairman.
00:22:34.600 I just want to say that
00:22:35.580 for the record
00:22:36.180 but if you're going to let
00:22:37.560 somebody over there
00:22:38.520 go three minutes over,
00:22:39.640 I want my extra three minutes.
00:22:41.080 Well, let's see,
00:22:41.820 let's see if it's abused
00:22:43.080 by anybody else
00:22:44.180 before we make that decision.
00:22:45.580 I'm just telling you
00:22:46.320 I'm going to abuse it.
00:22:48.660 Well, I'm not going
00:22:49.620 to let you abuse it.
00:22:51.840 You're a good man,
00:22:52.680 Mr. Chairman.
00:22:53.520 Before I go to Lee,
00:22:54.720 I want to put a record,
00:22:56.020 a statement in the record
00:22:57.500 from 56 former FBI agents
00:23:00.900 wrote to this committee
00:23:02.600 to support this nominee.
00:23:04.920 Quote,
00:23:05.360 never has the FBI
00:23:06.720 faced such an urgent
00:23:08.380 and compelling need
00:23:09.840 for comprehensive reform
00:23:11.880 as it does today.
00:23:13.580 Mr. Patel has proven
00:23:15.180 he possesses
00:23:16.480 the breadth of experience
00:23:18.640 required to address
00:23:19.860 these challenges.
00:23:21.320 You said you never said that.
00:23:22.940 Now, I'm not asking you
00:23:23.600 to explain what you said.
00:23:24.460 I didn't say I'd never said that.
00:23:26.120 You didn't say that.
00:23:27.060 Senator Warnock.
00:23:27.220 I did not say
00:23:28.120 that I hadn't said that,
00:23:29.340 Senator.
00:23:29.640 I said the other question
00:23:31.640 he asked me about
00:23:32.440 Nazi death camps.
00:23:33.620 That's fine.
00:23:33.960 You're doubling down on that.
00:23:35.320 You said,
00:23:36.460 Senator Warnock
00:23:37.100 also asked you
00:23:38.340 if you compared
00:23:39.140 America's vaccine campaign
00:23:40.560 to the Nazi death camps
00:23:41.900 and the Holocaust.
00:23:43.740 Again, you said yesterday
00:23:44.960 you didn't say that.
00:23:46.220 I did not say that.
00:23:47.300 You did not say that.
00:23:48.620 Senator Bennett asked you
00:23:50.240 if you had made
00:23:52.580 an allegation
00:23:53.440 that AIDS
00:23:54.900 is a different disease
00:23:56.940 in Africa
00:23:57.740 than it is in America.
00:23:59.700 On that one,
00:24:00.200 you said you didn't recall.
00:24:01.640 Having had a day
00:24:02.720 to think about it,
00:24:04.000 do you recall
00:24:05.700 saying that AIDS
00:24:07.740 is a different disease
00:24:09.100 in Africa
00:24:09.960 than it is in the United States?
00:24:11.320 I looked up that passage
00:24:12.880 in my book
00:24:13.960 and found that indeed
00:24:16.400 the diagnostics
00:24:19.320 diagnostics
00:24:19.960 for AIDS
00:24:20.840 are very different
00:24:21.600 in Africa
00:24:22.180 than in the United States
00:24:24.020 that the list of symptoms
00:24:26.540 is almost completely different.
00:24:29.120 So let me just,
00:24:30.740 I'll submit this
00:24:31.440 for the record,
00:24:32.220 but having denied
00:24:33.820 the first two statements,
00:24:35.020 let me just read
00:24:35.740 what you said.
00:24:37.700 You said in 2013,
00:24:41.040 is it hyperbole
00:24:42.300 to say that the people
00:24:43.540 who run our vaccine programs
00:24:45.160 should be in jail?
00:24:45.920 They should be in jail.
00:24:47.500 To me,
00:24:48.940 this is like
00:24:50.560 Nazi death camps.
00:24:53.000 Look at what it does
00:24:53.820 to the families
00:24:54.480 who participate
00:24:55.100 in the vaccine program.
00:24:56.360 I can't tell why somebody
00:24:57.620 would do something like that.
00:24:58.700 I can't tell you
00:24:59.480 why ordinary Germans
00:25:00.960 participated in the Holocaust.
00:25:04.500 I can't tell you
00:25:05.640 what was going on
00:25:06.460 in their minds.
00:25:07.840 With respect
00:25:08.720 to the pedophilia scandal,
00:25:12.080 you said
00:25:12.700 the pedophilia scandal
00:25:14.880 in the Catholic Church
00:25:15.620 is a perfect metaphor
00:25:17.580 for what's happening
00:25:18.460 in the United States.
00:25:20.040 The vaccine program,
00:25:21.480 it's the same reason
00:25:22.280 we had a pedophilia scandal
00:25:23.620 in the Catholic Church,
00:25:24.620 because people
00:25:25.320 were able to convince themselves
00:25:26.900 that the institution
00:25:27.680 of the Church
00:25:28.140 was more important
00:25:28.980 than these little boys
00:25:30.280 and girls
00:25:30.780 who were being raped.
00:25:32.720 I don't disagree
00:25:33.640 with Senator Mullen.
00:25:34.520 I don't want
00:25:35.420 an HHS secretary
00:25:36.340 that's not going
00:25:37.060 to question science.
00:25:38.420 I think it's important
00:25:39.100 to question science.
00:25:39.960 But you're not
00:25:41.720 questioning science.
00:25:43.080 You've made up your mind.
00:25:45.340 You have spent
00:25:45.900 your entire career
00:25:47.940 undermining
00:25:49.700 America's vaccine program.
00:25:51.660 You make these
00:25:52.300 purposeful comparisons
00:25:53.840 to those that
00:25:56.300 are administering
00:25:57.820 the vaccine program
00:25:59.260 to the Nazi executioners,
00:26:01.580 to the people
00:26:02.380 who covered up
00:26:03.240 the Catholic Church's
00:26:05.100 pedophilia scandal,
00:26:06.060 because you have
00:26:07.100 made a decision
00:26:07.900 that there is
00:26:09.640 a comparison
00:26:10.500 that there is
00:26:12.320 evil
00:26:13.280 in the vaccine program
00:26:15.080 as there was evil
00:26:16.140 in the pedophilia scandal
00:26:17.240 and the Nazi death camps.
00:26:18.880 You aren't
00:26:19.420 exploring science.
00:26:21.080 You have
00:26:21.340 made up your mind.
00:26:23.060 You've spent
00:26:23.460 your entire career
00:26:24.720 trying to undermine
00:26:25.820 these programs.
00:26:26.900 The reason that
00:26:27.640 these statements,
00:26:28.520 these incredibly aggressive,
00:26:30.080 over-the-top statements,
00:26:31.400 matter to us
00:26:32.200 is because
00:26:33.400 it just isn't believable
00:26:34.600 that when you
00:26:35.940 become secretary,
00:26:37.760 you are all of a sudden
00:26:38.920 going to be
00:26:39.740 consistent with science.
00:26:42.460 People who have
00:26:43.220 spent their career
00:26:44.260 saying these kinds
00:26:45.920 of things,
00:26:46.580 running the kinds
00:26:47.300 of campaigns
00:26:47.920 that you have run,
00:26:48.840 don't all of a sudden
00:26:50.100 change their stripes.
00:26:51.420 And so,
00:26:51.680 Mr. Chairman,
00:26:52.100 I will submit
00:26:53.640 these statements.
00:26:55.520 Can I respond to that,
00:26:56.860 Senator?
00:26:57.140 With an objection.
00:26:57.780 My statement
00:27:01.040 about the Catholic Church
00:27:01.960 is almost identical.
00:27:03.920 The findings
00:27:04.720 of the Government
00:27:05.360 Oversight Investigation
00:27:07.200 Committee
00:27:08.060 had investigated
00:27:09.940 CDC's vaccine program
00:27:11.800 in 2003.
00:27:13.180 Senator Burton
00:27:13.780 was chairman
00:27:14.320 of that committee.
00:27:15.880 And he said
00:27:16.740 that certain individuals
00:27:19.020 in that program
00:27:20.040 had written off
00:27:21.640 a generation of kids
00:27:22.820 because of
00:27:24.500 misplaced
00:27:26.200 institutional loyalty
00:27:27.700 to the CDC
00:27:28.460 and because of
00:27:30.380 entanglements
00:27:31.000 with the drug companies.
00:27:32.220 Let me finish
00:27:33.420 what I'm saying.
00:27:35.300 You made some
00:27:36.140 grave accusations.
00:27:37.300 Did you equate
00:27:37.640 pedophilia
00:27:38.000 to the administration
00:27:40.560 of vaccines?
00:27:41.560 No,
00:27:42.020 it wasn't pedophilia.
00:27:43.960 So it was a perfect metaphor.
00:27:45.640 Well,
00:27:45.820 if you have one
00:27:46.340 in 36 kids
00:27:47.600 who has neurological
00:27:48.560 injuries,
00:27:49.480 and if that is
00:27:51.980 linked,
00:27:53.400 that's something
00:27:53.800 that we should study.
00:27:55.120 Is it a perfect metaphor?
00:27:56.380 It's not a perfect metaphor,
00:27:57.560 but there's no
00:27:58.380 metaphor that's perfect.
00:27:59.820 But I am pro-vaccine.
00:28:01.440 I am going to support
00:28:02.560 the vaccine program.
00:28:03.840 I want kids
00:28:04.540 to be healthy.
00:28:06.020 And I'm coming in here
00:28:07.200 to get rid of the
00:28:07.940 conflicts of interest.
00:28:09.140 Big victory
00:28:09.840 on 5 November.
00:28:11.380 Now the work
00:28:12.060 can finally start
00:28:12.900 on the big issues
00:28:13.920 facing the country.
00:28:14.960 One of the biggest
00:28:15.660 is the national debt
00:28:17.420 and the deficits
00:28:18.560 that drive it.
00:28:20.000 Hey,
00:28:20.280 you think the country's broke?
00:28:21.540 The country is broke.
00:28:22.560 We're just printing money
00:28:23.660 to keep this house
00:28:24.880 of cards going.
00:28:26.880 The strategy
00:28:27.700 remains the same
00:28:28.520 for you.
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00:32:04.080 Action, action, action.
00:32:05.400 And the agency
00:32:06.800 make sure that we have
00:32:08.560 gold standard
00:32:09.300 evidence-based science.
00:32:10.920 And if you show me
00:32:11.820 where I'm wrong
00:32:12.400 and show me a single
00:32:13.460 statement I've made
00:32:14.480 about science
00:32:15.980 that is erroneous.
00:32:18.260 Thank you.
00:32:19.100 Senator Hawley.
00:32:21.760 Thank you very much,
00:32:22.620 Mr. Chairman.
00:32:23.320 Mr. Kennedy, welcome.
00:32:24.700 I enjoyed our conversation
00:32:26.200 last month in our office.
00:32:27.940 And thank you for
00:32:28.880 remembering as you did.
00:32:29.960 I met with people
00:32:31.600 We're going to cut
00:32:32.280 to the White House
00:32:32.920 briefing room.
00:32:33.620 President Trump is coming
00:32:34.780 out, give brief remarks
00:32:35.780 about the tragedy
00:32:37.860 last night.
00:32:38.540 But then I think
00:32:39.120 he's going to take
00:32:39.540 questions.
00:32:40.040 This could be a wild one.
00:32:41.300 We're going to go
00:32:41.680 to the White House,
00:32:42.300 President of the United States.
00:32:45.260 Their families, please.
00:33:03.620 Thank you very much.
00:33:14.300 I speak to you this morning
00:33:16.000 in an hour of anguish
00:33:17.720 for a nation.
00:33:20.480 Just before 9 p.m.
00:33:22.600 last night,
00:33:23.220 an American Airlines
00:33:24.220 regional jet carrying
00:33:25.420 60 passengers
00:33:26.420 and four crew
00:33:27.260 collided with an Army
00:33:29.280 Black Hawk helicopter
00:33:30.660 carrying three military
00:33:31.860 service members
00:33:32.660 over the Potomac River
00:33:34.020 in Washington, D.C.,
00:33:36.200 while on final approach
00:33:37.500 to Reagan National Airport.
00:33:40.220 Both aircraft crashed
00:33:41.460 instantly
00:33:42.060 and were immediately
00:33:43.080 submerged into the icy
00:33:44.780 waters of the Potomac.
00:33:46.840 Real tragedy.
00:33:48.680 The massive search
00:33:49.620 and rescue mission
00:33:50.420 was underway
00:33:51.320 throughout the night,
00:33:52.900 leveraging every asset
00:33:54.100 at our disposal.
00:33:55.160 and I have to say
00:33:56.120 the local, state,
00:33:57.380 federal, military,
00:33:59.100 including the United States
00:34:01.140 Coast Guard in particular,
00:34:02.600 they've done a phenomenal job.
00:34:04.960 So quick, so fast.
00:34:06.460 It was mobilized immediately.
00:34:10.380 The work has now shifted
00:34:11.860 to a recovery mission.
00:34:15.760 Sadly, there are no survivors.
00:34:18.900 This was a dark
00:34:20.020 and excruciating night
00:34:21.260 in our nation's capital
00:34:22.840 and in our nation's history.
00:34:24.520 And a tragedy
00:34:26.060 of terrible proportions.
00:34:28.440 As one nation,
00:34:29.780 we grieve for every
00:34:30.860 precious soul
00:34:32.780 that has been taken
00:34:33.640 from us so suddenly.
00:34:36.440 And we are a country
00:34:37.880 of really,
00:34:39.580 we are in mourning.
00:34:40.960 This is really shaking
00:34:42.600 a lot of people,
00:34:43.700 including people,
00:34:44.680 very sadly,
00:34:45.240 from other nations
00:34:46.420 who were on the flight.
00:34:48.280 For the family members
00:34:49.880 back in Wichita, Kansas,
00:34:51.480 here in Washington, D.C.,
00:34:52.900 and throughout
00:34:53.260 the United States
00:34:54.240 and in Russia.
00:34:56.680 We have a Russia contingent,
00:34:59.360 some very talented people.
00:35:00.680 Unfortunately,
00:35:01.440 we're on that plane.
00:35:02.380 Very, very, very sorry
00:35:03.620 about that.
00:35:04.680 Whose loved ones
00:35:05.500 were aboard the passenger jet.
00:35:07.680 We can only begin
00:35:08.800 to imagine the agony
00:35:10.400 that you're all feeling.
00:35:12.600 Nothing worse.
00:35:13.320 On behalf of the First Lady,
00:35:15.920 myself,
00:35:16.460 and 340 million Americans,
00:35:18.360 our hearts are shattered
00:35:19.320 alongside yours,
00:35:20.480 and our prayers
00:35:21.100 are with you now
00:35:22.140 and in the days to come.
00:35:24.740 We'll be working
00:35:25.520 very, very diligently
00:35:26.640 in the days to come.
00:35:27.900 We're here
00:35:28.300 for you to wipe away
00:35:30.040 the tears
00:35:30.540 and to offer you
00:35:31.680 our devotion,
00:35:32.480 our love,
00:35:32.820 and our support.
00:35:33.980 There's great support.
00:35:35.660 In moments like this,
00:35:36.920 the differences
00:35:38.440 between Americans
00:35:39.540 fade to nothing
00:35:40.740 compared to the bonds
00:35:42.000 of affection
00:35:42.580 and loyalty
00:35:43.200 that unite us all,
00:35:44.860 both as Americans
00:35:45.820 and even as nations.
00:35:47.900 We are one family,
00:35:49.600 and today we are
00:35:50.600 all heartbroken.
00:35:51.900 We're all searching
00:35:53.420 for answers.
00:35:54.200 that icy, icy Potomac.
00:35:57.600 It was a cold,
00:35:58.700 cold night,
00:36:00.680 cold water.
00:36:02.180 We're all overcome
00:36:03.600 with the grief
00:36:04.480 for many who have
00:36:05.620 so tragically perished
00:36:07.000 will no longer
00:36:07.760 be with us.
00:36:09.040 Together we take solace
00:36:10.480 in the knowledge
00:36:11.140 that their journey
00:36:11.920 ended not in the cold
00:36:13.400 waters of the Potomac,
00:36:14.660 but in the warm embrace
00:36:15.940 of a loving God.
00:36:17.740 We do not know
00:36:19.060 what led to this crash,
00:36:20.960 but we have some
00:36:21.520 very strong opinions
00:36:22.800 and ideas
00:36:23.960 and I think we'll
00:36:24.560 probably state
00:36:25.280 those opinions now
00:36:26.400 because over the years
00:36:28.260 I've watched
00:36:28.800 as things like this happen
00:36:30.220 and they say,
00:36:30.960 well, we're always
00:36:31.880 investigating
00:36:32.580 and then the investigation
00:36:33.800 three years later
00:36:34.640 they announce it.
00:36:35.440 We think we have
00:36:36.560 some pretty good ideas,
00:36:37.820 but we'll find out
00:36:39.420 how this disaster occurred
00:36:40.760 and we'll ensure
00:36:41.720 that nothing like this
00:36:43.960 ever happens again.
00:36:45.580 The FAA
00:36:46.200 and the NTSB
00:36:47.920 and the U.S. military
00:36:49.000 will be carrying out
00:36:50.020 a systematic
00:36:51.280 and comprehensive investigation
00:36:53.180 our new Secretary
00:36:54.340 of Transportation,
00:36:55.900 Sean Duffy,
00:36:57.300 his second day
00:36:58.800 on the job
00:36:59.360 when that happened.
00:37:01.440 It's a rough one.
00:37:04.700 We'll be working tirelessly.
00:37:06.180 He's a great gentleman.
00:37:07.220 The whole group
00:37:08.140 is these are great people
00:37:09.560 and they are working tirelessly
00:37:11.860 to figure out
00:37:13.120 exactly what happened.
00:37:14.920 We will state
00:37:15.880 certain opinions, however.
00:37:17.040 I'm also immediately appointing
00:37:19.420 an acting commissioner
00:37:20.500 to the FAA,
00:37:22.140 Christopher Rochelieu,
00:37:24.220 a 22-year veteran
00:37:26.160 of the agency,
00:37:27.000 highly respected.
00:37:29.040 Christopher,
00:37:29.720 thank you very much.
00:37:30.700 Appreciate it.
00:37:32.160 We must have only
00:37:32.960 the highest standards
00:37:33.920 for those who work
00:37:34.740 in our aviation system.
00:37:36.160 I changed
00:37:36.860 the Obama standards
00:37:39.040 from very mediocre
00:37:40.700 at best
00:37:41.280 to extraordinary.
00:37:42.060 you remember that.
00:37:44.720 Only the highest aptitude,
00:37:47.940 they have to be
00:37:48.760 the highest intellect
00:37:50.800 and psychologically
00:37:52.120 superior people
00:37:53.340 were allowed to qualify
00:37:55.360 for air traffic controllers.
00:37:57.100 That was not so prior
00:37:59.520 to getting there
00:38:01.620 when I arrived
00:38:02.720 in 2016.
00:38:04.460 I made that change
00:38:05.280 very early on
00:38:06.140 because I always felt
00:38:07.060 this was a job that
00:38:08.180 and other jobs too,
00:38:09.620 but this was a job
00:38:10.600 that had to be
00:38:11.360 superior intelligence
00:38:13.020 and we didn't really
00:38:15.580 have that
00:38:16.080 and we had it.
00:38:17.460 And then when I left office
00:38:19.700 and Biden took over,
00:38:21.660 he changed them back
00:38:22.940 to lower
00:38:23.780 than ever before.
00:38:26.160 I put safety first.
00:38:28.960 Obama, Biden
00:38:29.800 and the Democrats
00:38:30.640 put policy first
00:38:31.800 and they put politics
00:38:34.480 at a level
00:38:35.980 that nobody's ever seen
00:38:39.000 because this was
00:38:39.940 the lowest level.
00:38:41.440 Their policy was horrible
00:38:43.060 and their politics
00:38:44.600 was even worse.
00:38:46.680 So as you know,
00:38:47.320 last week,
00:38:47.940 long before the crash,
00:38:49.120 I signed an executive order
00:38:50.480 restoring our highest standards
00:38:52.840 for air traffic controllers
00:38:54.420 and other important jobs
00:38:55.700 throughout the country.
00:38:56.560 So it was very interesting.
00:38:58.060 About a week ago,
00:39:00.040 almost upon entering office,
00:39:03.920 I signed something last week
00:39:06.000 that was an executive order,
00:39:09.340 very powerful one,
00:39:10.220 restoring the highest standards
00:39:11.340 of air traffic controllers
00:39:12.620 and others, by the way.
00:39:14.560 And my administration
00:39:16.580 will set the highest possible bar
00:39:18.480 for aviation safety.
00:39:19.900 We have to have
00:39:20.320 our smartest people.
00:39:22.160 It doesn't matter
00:39:22.780 what they look like,
00:39:24.560 how they speak,
00:39:25.580 who they are.
00:39:26.160 It matters intellect,
00:39:27.760 talent,
00:39:28.460 the word talent.
00:39:29.840 You have to be talented,
00:39:31.060 naturally talented geniuses.
00:39:34.120 You can't have regular people
00:39:35.600 doing that job.
00:39:36.480 They won't be able to do it.
00:39:37.820 But we'll restore faith
00:39:39.900 in American air travel.
00:39:41.180 I'll have more to say about that.
00:39:43.240 I do want to point out
00:39:44.640 that various articles
00:39:46.720 that appeared prior
00:39:49.180 to my entering office,
00:39:51.180 and here's one,
00:39:53.260 the FAA's diversity push
00:39:55.040 includes focus on hiring people
00:39:57.080 with severe intellectual
00:39:59.180 and psychiatric disabilities.
00:40:01.060 That is amazing.
00:40:04.700 And then it says,
00:40:05.360 FAA saves people
00:40:07.100 with severe disabilities,
00:40:08.440 the most underrepresented segment
00:40:11.000 of the workforce,
00:40:11.960 and they want them in
00:40:12.680 and they want them,
00:40:14.400 they can be air traffic controllers.
00:40:16.420 I don't think so.
00:40:17.740 This was on January 14th,
00:40:21.000 so that was a week
00:40:23.140 before I entered office.
00:40:24.480 They put a big push
00:40:25.360 to put diversity
00:40:27.160 into the FAA's program.
00:40:29.420 And then another article,
00:40:33.460 the Federal Aviation Administration,
00:40:35.320 this was before I got to office,
00:40:38.940 recently, second term.
00:40:41.540 The FAA is actively recruiting workers
00:40:44.400 who suffer severe intellectual disabilities,
00:40:48.780 psychiatric problems,
00:40:50.080 and other mental and physical conditions
00:40:51.840 under a diversity
00:40:52.860 and inclusion hiring initiative
00:40:54.740 spelled out on the agency's website.
00:40:57.760 Can you imagine?
00:40:58.520 These are people
00:40:59.480 that are,
00:41:02.040 I mean, actually,
00:41:03.020 their lives are shortened
00:41:04.280 because of the stress
00:41:05.540 that they have.
00:41:08.440 Brilliant people
00:41:09.460 have to be in those positions.
00:41:11.840 And their lives
00:41:12.340 are actually shortened,
00:41:13.560 very substantially shortened,
00:41:14.800 because of the stress
00:41:15.720 where you have many,
00:41:17.180 many planes coming in
00:41:18.180 to one target.
00:41:18.880 And you need a very special talent
00:41:23.260 and a very special genius
00:41:24.540 to be able to do it.
00:41:26.580 Targeted disabilities
00:41:27.700 are those disabilities
00:41:28.800 that the federal government,
00:41:30.280 as a matter of policy,
00:41:31.380 has identified
00:41:32.000 for special emphasis
00:41:33.220 in recruitment and hiring.
00:41:34.720 The FAA's website states,
00:41:37.060 they include hearing,
00:41:39.260 vision,
00:41:40.080 missing extremities,
00:41:42.140 partial paralysis,
00:41:43.560 complete paralysis,
00:41:44.880 epilepsy,
00:41:45.660 severe intellectual disability,
00:41:48.060 psychiatric disability,
00:41:49.780 and dwarfism
00:41:50.520 all qualify
00:41:51.920 for the position
00:41:54.080 of a controller
00:41:56.640 of airplanes
00:41:57.780 pouring into our country,
00:41:59.220 pouring into
00:41:59.800 a little spot,
00:42:01.160 a little dot on the map,
00:42:02.320 a little runway.
00:42:02.980 The initiative is part
00:42:06.560 of the FAA's
00:42:07.660 Diversity and Inclusion
00:42:09.020 Hiring Plan.
00:42:09.840 Think of that.
00:42:10.420 The initiative is part
00:42:11.700 of the FAA's
00:42:13.660 Diversity and Inclusion
00:42:14.860 Hiring Plan,
00:42:15.740 which says diversity
00:42:16.580 is integral
00:42:18.160 to achieving FAA's
00:42:19.480 mission of ensuring
00:42:20.400 safe and efficient travel.
00:42:21.900 I don't think so.
00:42:22.920 I don't think so.
00:42:23.500 I think it's just the opposite.
00:42:25.760 The FAA website
00:42:26.900 shows that the agency's
00:42:28.980 guidance on diversity hiring
00:42:30.440 were last updated
00:42:32.080 on March 23rd of 22.
00:42:34.600 They wanted to make it
00:42:35.340 even more so.
00:42:36.960 And then I came in,
00:42:38.400 and I assume maybe
00:42:39.260 this is the reason,
00:42:41.220 the FAA,
00:42:42.920 which is overseen
00:42:43.900 by Secretary Pete Buttigieg.
00:42:46.920 A real winner.
00:42:48.000 That guy's a real winner.
00:42:49.040 Do you know how badly
00:42:49.720 everything's run
00:42:50.580 since he's run
00:42:51.380 the Department of Transportation?
00:42:53.480 He's a disaster.
00:42:55.740 He was a disaster as a mayor.
00:42:58.000 He ran his city
00:43:00.000 into the ground,
00:43:00.740 and he's a disaster now.
00:43:02.200 He's just got a good line
00:43:03.100 of bullshit.
00:43:05.240 The Department of Transportation,
00:43:07.920 his government agency
00:43:09.340 charged with regulating
00:43:10.580 civil aviation.
00:43:11.720 Well, he runs it,
00:43:13.120 45,000 people,
00:43:14.540 and he's run it right
00:43:15.300 into the ground
00:43:16.040 with his diversity.
00:43:18.160 So I had to say
00:43:20.340 that it's terrible.
00:43:22.060 Then it's a group
00:43:23.940 within the FAA,
00:43:24.980 another story,
00:43:26.080 determined that the workforce
00:43:27.180 was too white
00:43:28.700 that they had concerted efforts
00:43:31.340 to get the administration
00:43:34.860 to change that
00:43:35.880 and to change it immediately.
00:43:38.440 This was in the Obama administration
00:43:40.480 just prior to my getting there.
00:43:43.160 And we took care of African Americans,
00:43:45.980 Hispanic Americans.
00:43:47.200 We took care of everybody
00:43:48.520 at levels that nobody's ever seen before.
00:43:50.580 It's one of the reasons I won.
00:43:51.760 But they actually came out
00:43:53.760 with a directive to white.
00:43:56.180 And we want the people
00:43:58.960 that are competent.
00:44:00.280 But now we mourn
00:44:01.400 and we pray
00:44:02.060 and would like to ask
00:44:03.900 all Americans to join me
00:44:05.340 in a moment of silence
00:44:06.420 as we ask God
00:44:07.300 to watch over those
00:44:08.280 who have lost their lives
00:44:09.400 and bring comfort
00:44:11.040 to the loved ones.
00:44:12.820 And I just want to say
00:44:15.040 God bless everyone in this room.
00:44:16.480 This has been a terrible,
00:44:18.920 very short period of time.
00:44:21.520 We'll get to the bottom of it.
00:44:23.940 So we all saw the same thing.
00:44:26.260 We've seen it many times.
00:44:27.320 I've had the honor of hearing tapes.
00:44:31.520 Tapes are scary.
00:44:33.460 Very scary tapes.
00:44:36.140 You had an airliner coming in,
00:44:40.220 American Airlines.
00:44:41.600 He was doing everything right.
00:44:43.540 He was on track.
00:44:44.360 He was the same track
00:44:45.360 as everybody else that came in.
00:44:46.860 It's probably the same track
00:44:48.180 as they've had for 25 years or more.
00:44:50.800 He's coming in the path.
00:44:53.180 And for some reason,
00:44:56.100 he had a helicopter
00:44:56.960 that was at the same height,
00:45:01.200 obviously when they hit,
00:45:02.880 but pretty much the same height,
00:45:04.780 and going at an angle
00:45:06.940 that was unbelievably bad
00:45:09.700 when the air traffic controller
00:45:12.200 said, do you see?
00:45:14.780 He was talking about,
00:45:15.880 do you see him?
00:45:16.600 But there was very little time left
00:45:18.620 when that was stated.
00:45:20.540 And then also,
00:45:21.640 he said, follow him in.
00:45:22.980 And then almost immediately after that,
00:45:26.480 you know, seconds after that,
00:45:28.620 there was the crash that took place.
00:45:30.480 Well, you follow him in.
00:45:31.780 That means like everything's fine.
00:45:33.220 Follow him in.
00:45:33.860 You had a pilot problem
00:45:38.740 from the standpoint of the helicopter.
00:45:42.520 I mean, because it was visual.
00:45:44.080 It was a very clear night.
00:45:46.280 It was cold,
00:45:47.980 but clear and clear as you could be.
00:45:51.060 The American Airlines plane
00:45:54.120 had lights blazing.
00:45:55.700 They had all their landing lights on.
00:45:57.640 I could see it from the Kennedy Center tape.
00:46:00.180 We had a tape up on the Kennedy Center.
00:46:02.900 That seems to be the primary.
00:46:04.300 Thus far, I'm sure we'll see other tapes
00:46:05.600 because it's such an area
00:46:07.980 where there are a lot of cameras,
00:46:09.420 a lot of cameras looking up
00:46:10.660 into the air, into space.
00:46:13.580 So we'll probably see many other shots of it
00:46:15.920 before too much time goes by.
00:46:18.420 But we had a situation
00:46:21.800 where you had a helicopter
00:46:24.180 that had the ability to stop.
00:46:26.080 I have helicopters.
00:46:27.520 You can stop a helicopter very quickly.
00:46:30.360 It had the ability to go up or down.
00:46:32.540 It had the ability to turn.
00:46:35.780 And the turn it made
00:46:37.160 was not the correct turn, obviously.
00:46:40.840 And it did somewhat the opposite
00:46:43.780 of what it was told.
00:46:45.160 We don't know that
00:46:45.820 that would have been the difference
00:46:46.760 because the timing was so tight.
00:46:48.840 It was so little.
00:46:51.200 There was so little time to think.
00:46:52.900 But what you did have
00:46:54.280 is you had vision.
00:46:56.420 The helicopter had vision of the plane
00:46:58.820 because you had vision of it
00:47:00.680 all the way,
00:47:01.260 perfect vision of it
00:47:02.200 all the way from at Kennedy Center
00:47:04.600 where the tape was taken.
00:47:06.980 And for some reason,
00:47:08.860 there weren't adjustments made.
00:47:10.460 Again, you could have slowed down
00:47:12.260 the helicopter substantially.
00:47:13.740 You could have stopped the helicopter.
00:47:15.120 You could have gone up.
00:47:15.940 You could have gone down.
00:47:16.860 You could have gone straight up,
00:47:18.020 straight down.
00:47:18.620 You could have turned.
00:47:19.340 You could have done
00:47:19.840 a million different maneuvers.
00:47:22.220 For some reason,
00:47:24.260 it just kept going
00:47:26.240 and then made a slight turn
00:47:29.300 at the very end.
00:47:31.560 And by that time,
00:47:32.580 it was too late.
00:47:35.200 They shouldn't have been
00:47:36.120 at the same height
00:47:37.200 because if it was at the same height,
00:47:39.740 you could have gone under it
00:47:40.860 or over it.
00:47:41.860 And nobody realized
00:47:43.940 or they didn't say
00:47:44.980 that it's at the same height.
00:47:46.760 At the same height,
00:47:47.980 it still wouldn't have been great,
00:47:49.540 but you would have missed it
00:47:50.440 by quite a bit.
00:47:51.180 It could have been
00:47:52.000 a thousand feet higher.
00:47:53.120 It could have been
00:47:53.500 200 feet lower,
00:47:54.760 but it was exactly
00:47:56.220 at the same height
00:47:57.060 and somebody should have been
00:47:58.000 able to point that out.
00:47:59.600 So all of this
00:48:00.460 is going to be studied,
00:48:01.640 but it just seems to me
00:48:02.800 from a couple of words
00:48:05.420 that I like to use,
00:48:06.200 the words common sense,
00:48:07.440 some really bad things happened
00:48:11.820 and some things happened
00:48:14.100 that shouldn't have happened.
00:48:16.100 So you had a helicopter
00:48:17.200 going in identical direction.
00:48:20.900 You had a helicopter
00:48:22.060 that was at the exact same height
00:48:24.240 as somebody going
00:48:25.240 in essentially
00:48:25.820 the opposite direction.
00:48:27.760 You had a plane
00:48:28.680 that was following a track,
00:48:30.020 which is a track
00:48:30.660 that every other plane followed.
00:48:31.960 And I don't imagine,
00:48:35.080 I know I've heard today
00:48:36.300 that they might have been
00:48:37.380 following the preceding plane,
00:48:38.660 which was pretty close,
00:48:39.720 but not that close,
00:48:41.520 the preceding plane.
00:48:42.780 But you wouldn't have even
00:48:43.640 been able to see that
00:48:44.540 because of the direction
00:48:45.500 that the helicopter
00:48:46.360 was coming in at.
00:48:47.460 So you had a confluence
00:48:49.900 of bad decisions
00:48:52.380 that were made.
00:48:53.180 And you have people
00:48:57.000 that lost their lives,
00:48:58.780 violently lost their lives.
00:49:02.340 We're going to take
00:49:03.220 a few questions.
00:49:04.080 I'd like to ask
00:49:04.720 our new Secretary of Transportation
00:49:06.940 to say a few words,
00:49:08.500 Sean Duffy,
00:49:09.320 a great gentleman,
00:49:10.320 just started.
00:49:11.680 It's not your fault,
00:49:14.580 and I know you agree
00:49:15.300 with me very strongly
00:49:16.280 on intellect
00:49:17.000 and even psychological well-being
00:49:20.320 of the air traffic control.
00:49:22.140 It's such an important position,
00:49:23.660 and I think I can't
00:49:24.960 emphasize stronger.
00:49:26.580 I changed it
00:49:27.980 when I first ran in 2016.
00:49:30.760 I changed it.
00:49:31.780 We had the highest standard
00:49:33.020 that you could have.
00:49:34.560 And then they changed it back.
00:49:38.100 That was Biden
00:49:38.740 to a standard you just,
00:49:41.180 I read it to you.
00:49:41.820 That was from one of your papers.
00:49:44.280 One of the people in this room
00:49:45.840 actually wrote that.
00:49:47.780 And then I changed it back
00:49:49.360 a few days ago.
00:49:50.240 And unfortunately,
00:49:55.180 that was, we'll see.
00:49:57.560 We don't know that necessarily
00:49:58.920 it's even the controller's fault.
00:50:00.720 But one thing we do know,
00:50:01.840 there was a lot of vision,
00:50:03.120 and people should have been able
00:50:04.300 to see that, you know,
00:50:05.920 at what point do you stop?
00:50:07.180 At what point do you say,
00:50:08.100 wow, that plane's getting
00:50:08.980 a little bit close?
00:50:10.160 So this is a tragedy
00:50:11.300 that should not have happened.
00:50:13.500 Please, Sean.
00:50:14.100 Thank you, Mr. President.
00:50:18.160 And I would just note
00:50:19.420 the President's leadership
00:50:20.820 has been remarkable
00:50:22.380 during this crisis.
00:50:24.060 We have had a whole
00:50:25.060 of government response,
00:50:26.780 local, state, federal.
00:50:29.040 And when you see
00:50:30.000 that kind of cooperation,
00:50:32.440 it begins with the leadership
00:50:34.020 in this body.
00:50:35.040 So thank you for that,
00:50:35.880 Mr. President.
00:50:36.440 you make our jobs
00:50:37.840 a lot easier.
00:50:39.320 You made an important point
00:50:40.860 that when we deal with safety,
00:50:43.760 we can only accept
00:50:45.580 the best and the brightest
00:50:46.900 in positions of safety
00:50:49.340 that impact the lives
00:50:51.100 of our loved ones,
00:50:52.520 our family members.
00:50:53.580 And I think you make
00:50:54.480 a really important point
00:50:55.280 on that, Mr. President.
00:50:56.120 That is the motto
00:50:56.980 of your presidency,
00:50:58.340 the best and the brightest,
00:50:59.820 the most intelligent
00:51:00.720 coming into these spaces.
00:51:02.380 I want to take a moment
00:51:03.440 and extend my condolences
00:51:05.160 to the families
00:51:06.500 of the loved ones.
00:51:08.300 We commit to them
00:51:09.720 that we are going to get
00:51:11.320 to the bottom
00:51:11.880 of this investigation,
00:51:13.660 not in three years,
00:51:14.900 not in four years,
00:51:15.660 but as quickly as possible
00:51:16.880 with the NTSB
00:51:18.320 who is here today
00:51:19.100 as well as the FAA.
00:51:20.920 What happened yesterday
00:51:22.180 shouldn't have happened.
00:51:24.160 It should not have happened.
00:51:25.900 And when Americans
00:51:26.840 take off in airplanes,
00:51:28.720 they should expect to land
00:51:30.380 at their destination.
00:51:32.180 That didn't happen yesterday.
00:51:33.920 That's unacceptable.
00:51:35.580 And so we will not
00:51:36.860 accept excuses.
00:51:38.440 We will not accept
00:51:39.700 passing the buck.
00:51:42.680 We are going to take
00:51:43.600 responsibility at the Department
00:51:45.680 of Transportation
00:51:46.320 and the FAA
00:51:47.480 to make sure we have
00:51:48.620 the reforms that have been
00:51:49.720 dictated by President Trump
00:51:51.140 in place to make sure
00:51:53.060 that these mistakes
00:51:54.280 do not happen again.
00:51:55.960 And again, I want to thank
00:51:56.580 you for your leadership,
00:51:57.200 Mr. President.
00:51:58.320 And I appreciate the confidence
00:52:01.580 you've placed in me.
00:52:02.280 Thank you very much.
00:52:04.380 Pete, would you like to say,
00:52:05.580 Senator, please?
00:52:09.400 Well, thank you,
00:52:10.040 Mr. President.
00:52:11.120 Again, I want to echo
00:52:12.220 what the Transportation
00:52:13.000 Secretary said about
00:52:14.100 your leadership.
00:52:15.260 From the moment
00:52:16.260 we found out about this,
00:52:17.360 we were in contact
00:52:17.980 with the White House
00:52:18.640 trying to determine
00:52:19.240 exactly what happened.
00:52:21.000 I would echo it as well.
00:52:22.180 No excuses.
00:52:22.880 We're going to get
00:52:23.200 to the bottom of this.
00:52:26.020 We first and foremost
00:52:27.160 from the Defense Department
00:52:28.160 want to pass our condolences
00:52:29.320 to the 64 souls
00:52:30.720 and their families
00:52:32.620 that were affected
00:52:33.600 by this
00:52:34.220 never should happen.
00:52:36.460 And certainly
00:52:37.280 the three service members,
00:52:38.340 the three soldiers,
00:52:39.640 a young captain,
00:52:41.980 staff sergeant,
00:52:42.880 and a CW-2,
00:52:43.920 chief warrant officer.
00:52:45.060 Honor.
00:52:45.660 Routine annual retraining
00:52:47.520 of night flights
00:52:48.580 on a standard corridor
00:52:49.960 for a continuity
00:52:52.380 of government mission.
00:52:54.100 The military does
00:52:55.080 dangerous things.
00:52:55.860 It does routine things
00:52:56.820 on the regular basis.
00:52:58.840 Tragically, last night,
00:53:00.220 a mistake was made.
00:53:01.440 And I think the President
00:53:02.080 is right.
00:53:03.260 There was some sort
00:53:05.300 of an elevation issue
00:53:06.260 that we have immediately
00:53:07.880 begun investigating
00:53:08.780 at the DOD
00:53:09.500 and Army level.
00:53:10.940 Army CID
00:53:11.720 is on the ground
00:53:12.580 investigating.
00:53:13.460 Top-tier aviation assets
00:53:15.520 inside the DOD
00:53:16.640 are investigating, sir,
00:53:17.800 to get to the bottom of it
00:53:19.040 so that it does not happen again
00:53:20.560 because it's absolutely
00:53:21.660 unacceptable.
00:53:22.400 But I want to echo
00:53:22.940 what the Transportation Secretary
00:53:25.340 and you, Mr. President,
00:53:26.400 said because it pertains
00:53:27.960 to the DOD as well.
00:53:29.720 We will have the best
00:53:30.920 and brightest
00:53:31.360 in every position possible.
00:53:33.580 As you said
00:53:34.300 in your inaugural,
00:53:35.060 it is colorblind
00:53:36.500 and merit-based.
00:53:38.440 The best leaders possible,
00:53:40.520 whether it's flying Blackhawks
00:53:41.720 and flying airplanes,
00:53:43.380 leading platoons,
00:53:44.200 or in government.
00:53:45.720 The era of DEI
00:53:48.080 is gone
00:53:49.240 at the Defense Department
00:53:50.240 and we need the best
00:53:51.640 and brightest
00:53:51.980 whether it's in
00:53:52.660 our air traffic control
00:53:53.880 or whether it's
00:53:54.900 in our generals
00:53:55.860 or whether it's
00:53:56.940 throughout government.
00:53:57.780 So thank you
00:53:58.200 for your leadership
00:53:58.700 and courage on that, sir,
00:53:59.880 and we'll stand by you on it.
00:54:01.140 Thank you very much.
00:54:02.700 J.D., please.
00:54:07.220 Well, thank you,
00:54:08.460 Mr. President,
00:54:08.940 for your leadership.
00:54:09.700 I just want to reemphasize
00:54:10.660 something the President said
00:54:11.800 and you've heard
00:54:12.400 from the Secretary
00:54:13.080 of Transportation
00:54:13.800 and of Defense.
00:54:15.160 There really was
00:54:15.620 a whole-of-government response.
00:54:16.760 We were all on the phone.
00:54:17.700 We were all communicating yesterday,
00:54:18.940 trying to get to the bottom
00:54:19.660 of this immediately,
00:54:20.460 but also try to communicate
00:54:22.700 with the American people
00:54:23.560 about what happened.
00:54:25.020 Something the President said
00:54:26.100 that I think bears reemphasizing,
00:54:28.660 which is that
00:54:29.100 when you don't have
00:54:29.860 the best standards
00:54:30.940 in who you're hiring,
00:54:32.700 it means, on the one hand,
00:54:34.140 you're not getting
00:54:34.520 the best people in government,
00:54:35.920 but on the other hand,
00:54:37.100 it puts stresses
00:54:38.040 on the people
00:54:38.720 who are already there.
00:54:40.220 And I think that is
00:54:41.160 a core part
00:54:41.960 of what President Trump
00:54:43.040 is going to bring
00:54:43.700 and has already brought
00:54:44.600 to Washington, D.C.
00:54:46.020 is we want to hire
00:54:47.440 the best people
00:54:48.180 because we want
00:54:48.800 the best people
00:54:49.440 at air traffic control,
00:54:50.540 and we want to make sure
00:54:51.200 we have enough people
00:54:52.340 at air traffic control
00:54:53.300 who are actually competent
00:54:54.660 to do the job.
00:54:55.760 If you go back
00:54:56.420 to just some of the headlines
00:54:57.320 over the past 10 years,
00:54:58.780 you have many hundreds
00:55:00.040 of people suing the government
00:55:01.580 because they would like
00:55:02.360 to be air traffic controllers,
00:55:03.500 but they were turned away
00:55:04.360 because of the color
00:55:05.180 of their skin.
00:55:06.280 That policy ends
00:55:07.580 under Donald Trump's leadership
00:55:08.700 because safety
00:55:09.600 is the first priority
00:55:10.840 of our aviation industry.
00:55:12.100 Thank you, Mr. President.
00:55:12.800 On DEI and the claims
00:55:17.800 that you've made,
00:55:18.380 are you saying
00:55:18.960 this crash
00:55:19.620 was somehow caused
00:55:21.300 and the result
00:55:22.020 of diversity hiring?
00:55:23.320 And what evidence
00:55:24.280 have you seen
00:55:25.220 to support these claims?
00:55:26.520 It just could have been.
00:55:27.680 We have a high standard.
00:55:28.920 We've had a much higher standard
00:55:30.460 than anybody else.
00:55:32.280 And there are things
00:55:33.120 where you have to go
00:55:34.120 by brain power.
00:55:35.060 You have to go
00:55:35.560 by psychological quality.
00:55:39.680 And psychological quality
00:55:41.060 is a very important element of it.
00:55:42.920 These are various,
00:55:44.120 very powerful tests
00:55:45.040 that we put to use
00:55:45.900 and they were terminated
00:55:46.820 by Biden.
00:55:47.980 And Biden went by a standard
00:55:49.360 that's the exact opposite.
00:55:51.560 So we don't know,
00:55:52.500 but we do know
00:55:53.180 that you had two planes
00:55:54.420 at the same level.
00:55:55.540 You had a helicopter
00:55:56.560 and a plane.
00:55:57.400 That shouldn't have happened.
00:55:58.340 And we'll see.
00:56:00.100 We're going to look into that
00:56:01.100 and we're going to see.
00:56:01.820 But certainly for an air traffic controller,
00:56:05.580 we want the brightest,
00:56:06.760 the smartest,
00:56:07.440 the sharpest.
00:56:08.200 We want somebody
00:56:08.860 that's psychologically superior.
00:56:12.440 And that's what we're going to have.
00:56:13.800 Yeah.
00:56:15.640 Yeah, please.
00:56:16.520 Go ahead.
00:56:16.780 Mr. President,
00:56:17.460 you mentioned
00:56:17.980 at the top of the briefing
00:56:19.040 that there were several
00:56:20.100 Russian nationals on the flight.
00:56:22.620 Yes.
00:56:22.980 Will the U.S. government
00:56:23.940 be willing to facilitate
00:56:26.840 the transfer of their remains
00:56:28.960 considering the fact
00:56:30.080 there is no direct air travel
00:56:32.100 between the two countries?
00:56:33.040 We've already been in contact
00:56:34.260 with Russia
00:56:34.920 and the answer is yes,
00:56:36.080 we will facilitate.
00:56:37.520 Yes.
00:56:39.740 Please, go ahead.
00:56:41.000 Thank you, Mr. President.
00:56:43.600 The situation
00:56:44.680 in the Democratic Republic
00:56:46.240 of the Congo
00:56:46.880 is getting worse.
00:56:48.180 Even though President
00:56:49.040 John Lorenzo
00:56:49.840 has been mediating
00:56:51.400 the conflict
00:56:52.420 between Rwanda
00:56:53.540 and the Democrat
00:56:54.300 Republic of the Congo
00:56:55.060 because he wants
00:56:55.580 to bring peace
00:56:56.520 and stability,
00:56:57.940 the situation
00:56:58.580 is really bad right now.
00:57:00.100 I want to hear
00:57:00.860 from Mr. President
00:57:01.660 if you have any plan
00:57:03.040 in the future
00:57:03.860 to bring peace
00:57:04.940 in the Democrat
00:57:05.820 Republic of the Congo.
00:57:06.780 Well, there is going to be
00:57:08.200 a question about Rwanda
00:57:08.940 and it is a very serious problem.
00:57:09.080 I agree,
00:57:09.480 but I don't think
00:57:10.040 it's appropriate right now
00:57:11.040 to talk about it,
00:57:11.860 but it is a very serious problem.
00:57:13.180 Mr. President,
00:57:14.360 we haven't yet know
00:57:15.140 the names
00:57:15.660 of the 67 people
00:57:16.800 who were killed
00:57:17.500 and you are blaming
00:57:18.860 Democrats
00:57:19.360 and DEI policies
00:57:20.880 and air traffic control
00:57:22.160 and seemingly
00:57:22.680 the member
00:57:23.600 of the U.S. military
00:57:24.300 who was flying
00:57:24.940 that Blackhawk helicopter.
00:57:26.300 Don't you think
00:57:26.720 you're getting ahead
00:57:27.280 of the investigation
00:57:27.920 right now?
00:57:28.600 No, I don't think
00:57:29.080 so at all.
00:57:29.700 I don't think
00:57:30.220 where the names
00:57:30.940 of the people,
00:57:31.580 you mean the names
00:57:32.220 of the people
00:57:33.140 that are on the plane,
00:57:34.720 you think that's
00:57:35.980 going to make a difference?
00:57:36.900 Does it comfort
00:57:37.360 their families
00:57:37.860 or are you blaming
00:57:38.560 DEI policies?
00:57:38.900 They are a group of people
00:57:39.260 that have lost their lives.
00:57:40.940 If you want a list
00:57:41.860 of the names,
00:57:42.500 we can give you that.
00:57:43.320 We'll be giving that
00:57:44.080 very soon.
00:57:44.720 We're in coordination
00:57:45.540 with American Airlines.
00:57:46.960 We're in coordination
00:57:47.920 very strongly,
00:57:48.740 obviously,
00:57:49.180 with the military.
00:57:49.760 But I think that's
00:57:51.460 not a very smart question.
00:57:52.720 I'm surprised
00:57:53.620 coming from you.
00:57:54.280 Are you blaming
00:57:54.660 your time?
00:57:55.380 Please.
00:57:56.400 Thank you.
00:57:56.820 Thank you, President Trump.
00:57:57.860 Thank you for being here.
00:57:58.940 Based on your analysis
00:58:00.200 so far,
00:58:00.780 do you have a sense
00:58:01.600 of who was at fault
00:58:03.120 if it was the plane,
00:58:04.160 the helicopter,
00:58:05.100 air traffic control?
00:58:06.120 And can you assure people
00:58:07.160 that it is safe
00:58:08.120 to fly in and out of D.C.?
00:58:09.720 Well, I've given
00:58:10.420 you the analysis
00:58:11.220 and the analysis
00:58:12.080 was based on vision.
00:58:15.360 You had a lot of people
00:58:17.860 that saw what was happening.
00:58:19.580 You had some people
00:58:20.440 that knew what was happening.
00:58:22.640 There were some warnings,
00:58:24.160 but the warnings
00:58:24.620 were given very, very late.
00:58:25.980 You know,
00:58:26.200 those warnings
00:58:26.740 were given very late.
00:58:27.740 It was almost
00:58:28.860 as they were given
00:58:29.680 a few seconds later
00:58:30.640 there was the crash.
00:58:32.140 It should have been
00:58:32.960 brought up earlier.
00:58:35.220 But the people
00:58:37.200 in the helicopter
00:58:38.040 should have seen
00:58:39.140 where they were going.
00:58:41.300 I can't imagine
00:58:42.520 people with 20-20 vision
00:58:46.180 not seeing, you know,
00:58:48.300 what's happening up there.
00:58:50.480 Again, they shouldn't
00:58:51.420 have been at the same height.
00:58:53.060 You're going in reverse directions
00:58:55.400 or sideway directions.
00:58:57.760 Obviously, you want
00:58:58.640 to be at different heights.
00:58:59.780 I see it all the time
00:59:00.700 when I'm flying.
00:59:01.460 I have planes going
00:59:02.560 in the opposite.
00:59:03.280 They're always lower.
00:59:04.300 We're higher.
00:59:06.240 So if somehow
00:59:07.740 there's a screw-up,
00:59:09.580 there's not going
00:59:10.340 to be a tragedy.
00:59:11.180 It'll be close.
00:59:11.900 But, you know,
00:59:12.520 there's never going
00:59:13.080 to be a tragedy
00:59:13.720 if you're at
00:59:14.160 a different elevation.
00:59:15.400 For whatever reason,
00:59:16.660 they were at
00:59:16.960 the same elevation.
00:59:18.420 And also,
00:59:19.580 from the American
00:59:20.920 Airlines Center,
00:59:21.700 he's along the track
00:59:22.860 that every plane
00:59:23.920 is along.
00:59:25.760 You say,
00:59:26.140 what was a helicopter
00:59:27.800 doing in that track?
00:59:29.460 It's very sad.
00:59:30.560 But visually,
00:59:31.820 somebody should have
00:59:32.540 been able to see
00:59:33.300 and taken that helicopter
00:59:34.940 out of play.
00:59:36.040 And they should have
00:59:36.880 been at a different height.
00:59:37.940 All right.
00:59:40.140 Thank you, sir.
00:59:40.920 You mentioned the Russians
00:59:42.620 that were on board
00:59:43.320 that plane.
00:59:44.220 What other nationalities
00:59:45.180 were on board
00:59:45.740 that are passing
00:59:46.320 there were a couple
00:59:47.020 of others.
00:59:47.520 We're going to be
00:59:47.860 announcing it in about
00:59:48.800 an hour.
00:59:49.300 We have some very
00:59:50.160 specific information.
00:59:52.740 We're calling the
00:59:53.640 countries.
00:59:54.140 We've spoken to most
00:59:54.980 of them,
00:59:55.400 but there were some
00:59:56.100 other countries
00:59:56.800 represented.
00:59:57.420 Have I spoken
00:59:59.260 to President Putin?
01:00:00.880 I have not,
01:00:01.520 no.
01:00:02.020 Not about this.
01:00:04.160 On your executive order,
01:00:05.840 you've already issued
01:00:06.560 an executive order
01:00:07.120 that you say will
01:00:07.700 restore aviation safety.
01:00:09.860 This crash happened
01:00:10.600 after that.
01:00:12.060 Was the executive order
01:00:12.780 successful,
01:00:13.600 and what more do you
01:00:14.580 need to change
01:00:15.040 to keep people safe?
01:00:15.860 Well, you know,
01:00:16.600 we issued it three days
01:00:17.700 ago, and we're in the
01:00:19.180 process of making
01:00:19.980 those changes.
01:00:20.820 This is something
01:00:23.720 that should have been
01:00:25.160 done a long time ago.
01:00:26.080 Actually, my original order
01:00:27.700 should have never been
01:00:28.460 changed, and I think
01:00:29.340 maybe you wouldn't
01:00:29.920 have had this problem.
01:00:30.940 Maybe.
01:00:32.800 Yeah, please.
01:00:33.560 Go ahead.
01:00:33.780 Yes, thank you.
01:00:34.900 We see, like, everyday life
01:00:36.240 that very often
01:00:37.340 those diversity hires
01:00:39.260 cause sometimes issues,
01:00:41.460 as you just mentioned.
01:00:43.020 So, what plan do you have?
01:00:45.240 Are we going to see
01:00:45.880 some fire?
01:00:46.660 Are you going to fire
01:00:47.360 some of those diversity
01:00:48.840 hires in the federal
01:00:49.700 government?
01:00:50.400 What plan do you have?
01:00:52.000 I would say the answer
01:00:52.780 is yes.
01:00:53.260 If we find that people
01:00:54.360 aren't mentally competent,
01:00:56.780 you see the language.
01:00:58.300 The language is put out
01:00:59.400 by them.
01:01:00.780 And if you see that,
01:01:02.560 I'm not going to bore you
01:01:04.180 by reading it again,
01:01:05.160 but these are not people
01:01:06.560 that should be doing
01:01:07.680 this particular job.
01:01:08.900 They'd be very good
01:01:09.560 for certain jobs,
01:01:10.420 but not people that
01:01:11.240 should be doing
01:01:11.700 this particular job.
01:01:14.720 Mr. President,
01:01:15.640 you have today blamed
01:01:18.340 the diversity elements,
01:01:19.640 but then told us
01:01:20.760 that you weren't sure
01:01:22.780 that the controllers
01:01:24.140 made any mistakes.
01:01:25.420 You then said
01:01:26.100 perhaps the helicopter pilots
01:01:28.180 were the ones
01:01:29.260 who made the mistake.
01:01:30.820 It's all under investigation.
01:01:32.120 I understand that.
01:01:33.380 That's why I'm trying
01:01:34.240 to figure out
01:01:34.900 how you can come
01:01:35.960 to the conclusion
01:01:36.580 right now that diversity
01:01:37.860 had something to do
01:01:39.000 with this crash.
01:01:40.100 Because I have
01:01:40.600 common sense, okay?
01:01:42.740 And unfortunately,
01:01:44.320 a lot of people don't.
01:01:46.260 We want brilliant
01:01:47.320 people doing this.
01:01:48.300 This is a major chess game
01:01:49.900 at the highest level.
01:01:51.420 When you have 60 planes
01:01:53.980 coming in during
01:01:54.840 a short period of time,
01:01:56.080 and they're all coming
01:01:56.740 in different directions,
01:01:57.660 and you're dealing
01:01:58.820 with very high-level
01:01:59.740 computer work
01:02:02.620 and very complex computers.
01:02:05.220 And one of the other things
01:02:06.100 I will tell you
01:02:06.820 is that the systems
01:02:08.340 that were built,
01:02:09.740 I was going to rebuild
01:02:10.740 the entire system,
01:02:12.460 and then we had an election
01:02:13.560 that didn't turn out
01:02:14.500 the way it should have.
01:02:15.900 But they didn't build
01:02:17.440 the systems properly.
01:02:18.720 They spent a lot of money
01:02:19.840 renovating a system,
01:02:21.200 spending much more money
01:02:22.300 than they would have spent
01:02:23.520 if they bought a new system
01:02:24.640 for air traffic controllers,
01:02:26.080 meaning the computerized systems.
01:02:28.500 There are certain companies
01:02:30.040 that do a very good job.
01:02:31.320 They didn't use those companies.
01:02:32.580 They used companies
01:02:33.300 that should not
01:02:34.340 have been doing it.
01:02:35.560 No, I think it's very important
01:02:37.660 to understand that
01:02:38.420 for some jobs,
01:02:40.020 and not only this,
01:02:41.040 but air traffic controllers,
01:02:42.680 they have to be
01:02:43.440 at the highest level
01:02:45.120 of genius.
01:02:46.800 Okay.
01:02:48.380 I want to ask you
01:02:50.060 about the ice skaters
01:02:50.680 in a moment
01:02:51.140 because the U.S.
01:02:51.800 ice skating community
01:02:52.480 was affected.
01:02:52.980 But first, if I can,
01:02:54.000 the cited FAA text
01:02:55.200 that you read is real,
01:02:56.740 but the implication
01:02:57.360 that this policy is new
01:02:58.720 or that it stems
01:02:59.280 from efforts that began
01:03:00.520 under President Biden
01:03:01.460 or the Transportation Secretary
01:03:02.900 Pete Buttigieg
01:03:03.940 is demonstrably false.
01:03:05.320 It's been on the FAA's website.
01:03:06.500 Who said that, you?
01:03:07.140 No, it's on the website.
01:03:08.340 The FAA's website.
01:03:09.060 It was there in 2013.
01:03:10.500 It was there for the entirety.
01:03:11.300 Take a look at what I read.
01:03:12.200 It was there for the entirety
01:03:13.160 of your administration, too.
01:03:14.600 So my question is,
01:03:15.380 why didn't you change the policy
01:03:16.740 during your first administration?
01:03:18.060 I did change it.
01:03:18.900 I changed the Obama policy,
01:03:20.900 and we had a very good policy.
01:03:22.240 And then Biden came in,
01:03:23.620 and he changed it.
01:03:24.860 And then when I came in,
01:03:26.420 two days, three days ago,
01:03:27.500 I signed a new order
01:03:28.400 bringing it to the highest level
01:03:30.400 of intelligence.
01:03:31.600 Okay.
01:03:31.800 It was on the website.
01:03:33.300 Please.
01:03:34.200 Quiet.
01:03:35.580 Quiet.
01:03:35.640 Thank you, Mr. President.
01:03:36.020 You mentioned that a vision
01:03:39.480 was probably the problem
01:03:41.820 that was at issue in this crash.
01:03:44.140 There's been some reports
01:03:45.020 that one of the pilots
01:03:46.260 in a helicopter
01:03:47.500 may have been using
01:03:48.180 night vision equipment.
01:03:49.140 Was there any indication?
01:03:50.080 I heard that.
01:03:50.140 We don't know.
01:03:50.840 We're going to know that pretty soon.
01:03:52.920 It may change your view plane
01:03:55.280 if you do have the night vision.
01:03:56.780 So it's very possible
01:03:58.140 that could have happened.
01:03:58.920 That would be maybe a reason
01:04:01.800 why you wouldn't actually see
01:04:03.360 as well as on a clear night.
01:04:05.480 You can see sometimes
01:04:06.200 better without it.
01:04:08.600 I'll have a couple of more.
01:04:10.640 Mr. President,
01:04:11.900 is it helpful to have
01:04:12.660 your Secretary of Transportation
01:04:13.840 confirmed,
01:04:14.720 and does this intensify
01:04:15.760 your interest in getting
01:04:16.720 other nominees confirmed quickly?
01:04:18.160 Go ahead.
01:04:18.580 Go ahead.
01:04:19.160 What?
01:04:19.760 Is it helpful to have
01:04:20.580 your Secretary of Transportation
01:04:21.860 confirmed,
01:04:22.860 and does this intensify
01:04:23.840 your interest in getting
01:04:24.880 other nominees confirmed
01:04:25.840 quickly as well?
01:04:26.560 Well, sure.
01:04:26.900 We want fast confirmations,
01:04:28.600 and the Democrats,
01:04:30.520 as you know,
01:04:30.940 are doing everything
01:04:31.780 they can to delay them.
01:04:32.940 They've taken too long.
01:04:35.040 We're struggling
01:04:36.900 to get very good people
01:04:38.300 that everybody knows
01:04:39.140 are going to be confirmed,
01:04:40.640 but we're struggling
01:04:41.420 to get them out faster.
01:04:43.980 We want them out faster.
01:04:45.000 It's a good question, actually.
01:04:47.860 We've been pushing Sean.
01:04:49.340 Everyone knows Sean
01:04:51.140 for a long time.
01:04:51.940 He got many, many Democrat votes,
01:04:53.520 but they want to take
01:04:54.820 as long as they can.
01:04:55.880 They ask questions
01:04:56.640 like some of the questions
01:04:58.000 that Peter would ask
01:04:59.540 that were totally irrelevant
01:05:01.440 and not very good questions,
01:05:02.920 but they want to just
01:05:03.740 keep it going.
01:05:04.500 They want to keep it going
01:05:05.340 as long as possible.
01:05:06.440 I was very honored, actually,
01:05:08.640 that you got so many
01:05:09.460 Democrat votes.
01:05:10.280 That was really good.
01:05:11.840 That was really good.
01:05:12.440 when I applied to meet with the families
01:05:19.580 and second question,
01:05:20.980 is it your impression
01:05:21.800 that military training
01:05:23.400 that was done during that time?
01:05:25.240 The what?
01:05:25.660 The training that the helicopter
01:05:27.740 was involved in.
01:05:29.060 Is it anything you can tell us about that?
01:05:30.460 You don't know.
01:05:31.180 These are the things
01:05:31.860 that will come up
01:05:32.600 with the investigation.
01:05:33.720 You don't know,
01:05:34.280 but the helicopter
01:05:35.220 obviously was in the wrong place
01:05:37.320 at the wrong time
01:05:38.300 and a tragedy occurred.
01:05:40.580 Please.
01:05:41.540 Thank you, Mr. President.
01:05:42.520 I've got a question about the office.
01:05:43.740 No, go ahead.
01:05:44.360 Thank you, Mr. President.
01:05:46.360 You've been critical
01:05:47.520 of the current regulations
01:05:49.620 and you've called
01:05:50.300 for big reforms at FAA.
01:05:53.660 I'm curious, sir,
01:05:54.940 what is your message?
01:05:55.340 Well, I made the reforms, actually.
01:05:56.540 What is your message?
01:05:57.200 Three days ago, I made the reforms.
01:05:58.140 Yes, sir.
01:05:58.520 What is your message, then,
01:05:59.520 to the American public
01:06:00.260 in the weeks and months ahead?
01:06:01.480 Should they feel hesitant to fly?
01:06:04.900 And if you could clarify,
01:06:06.920 perhaps, something
01:06:07.360 that the Defense Secretary said
01:06:08.880 when he said
01:06:09.360 that this helicopter
01:06:10.420 was on a continuity
01:06:11.780 of government mission?
01:06:13.680 I don't know what that refers to,
01:06:16.920 but they were practicing.
01:06:19.220 They do that.
01:06:20.320 They call it practicing
01:06:21.180 and that's something
01:06:23.900 that should be done.
01:06:26.140 It's only continuity
01:06:27.140 in the sense
01:06:27.740 that we want to have
01:06:28.420 very good people
01:06:29.200 and that has to be in continuity
01:06:31.800 and that's what they refer to.
01:06:33.420 But it was basically practice
01:06:35.800 and it was a practice
01:06:36.800 that worked out
01:06:37.460 very, very badly.
01:06:39.180 Okay?
01:06:42.320 On his question,
01:06:45.800 the first question,
01:06:47.040 should people be hesitant
01:06:48.320 to fly right now?
01:06:49.320 No, not at all.
01:06:50.700 I do not hesitate to fly.
01:06:52.380 This is something
01:06:53.200 that it's been many years
01:06:55.340 that something like this
01:06:56.540 has happened
01:06:57.040 and the collision
01:06:59.780 is just something
01:07:01.460 that we don't expect
01:07:03.240 ever to happen again.
01:07:04.120 We are going to have
01:07:04.740 the highest level people.
01:07:07.320 We've already hired
01:07:08.020 some of the people
01:07:09.280 that you've already hired
01:07:10.480 for that position
01:07:11.240 long before we knew about this.
01:07:12.780 I mean, long before,
01:07:13.980 from the time I came in,
01:07:15.260 we started going out
01:07:16.300 and getting the best people
01:07:17.780 because I said
01:07:18.500 it's not appropriate
01:07:20.520 what they're doing.
01:07:21.460 I think it's a tremendous mistake.
01:07:23.060 You know,
01:07:23.680 they like to do things
01:07:25.060 and they like to take them too far
01:07:26.440 and this is sometimes
01:07:27.340 what ends up happening.
01:07:28.460 Now, with that,
01:07:29.380 I'm not blaming the controller.
01:07:32.480 I'm saying there are things
01:07:33.600 that you could question
01:07:34.760 like the height of the helicopter
01:07:36.440 and the height of the plane
01:07:37.280 being at the same level
01:07:38.260 and going in opposite directions.
01:07:39.840 It's not a positive.
01:07:41.820 But, no,
01:07:42.500 we're already hiring people.
01:07:44.060 No, flying is very safe.
01:07:45.660 We have the safest
01:07:46.340 flying anywhere in the world
01:07:47.720 and we'll keep it that way.
01:07:48.780 Thank you all very much.
01:07:51.520 Thank you very much.
01:07:52.560 Okay, welcome back.
01:07:58.400 The President of the United States
01:08:00.060 with a just absolutely
01:08:01.120 incredible press conference
01:08:02.220 about this tragedy last night
01:08:03.720 kind of threw down hard.
01:08:05.660 His theories of the case
01:08:06.820 of what happened
01:08:07.620 looked like he's got questions
01:08:09.020 about air traffic controllers.
01:08:10.600 Also has a question
01:08:11.340 about why the night vision training
01:08:13.760 by the United States Army
01:08:14.800 and the Apache helicopter.
01:08:16.680 We have Brian Glens there.
01:08:18.320 Natalie Winters
01:08:19.060 were there for the briefing.
01:08:21.360 Also, let's go back.
01:08:22.240 We're going to punch out here
01:08:23.720 in a couple of minutes
01:08:24.920 with the War Room.
01:08:27.560 Hopefully, we've got
01:08:28.320 different channels.
01:08:29.160 Go to Grayson.
01:08:29.820 We've got the Rumble channel,
01:08:30.780 the Ghetto channel.
01:08:31.460 We're going to try to show
01:08:32.660 as much of the hearings
01:08:34.780 as possible.
01:08:35.460 The President was there
01:08:36.240 approximately for 35 minutes
01:08:38.040 at the press briefing.
01:08:39.600 He had Secretary of Transportation
01:08:40.960 Duffy,
01:08:41.620 head of the Pentagon,
01:08:43.580 Pete Hegseth.
01:08:44.580 He had the Vice President
01:08:45.260 of the United States,
01:08:45.820 J.D. Vance.
01:08:46.880 I'll step up,
01:08:47.620 say a few words,
01:08:48.660 and then took questions
01:08:49.960 after his statement.
01:08:50.700 You saw the press
01:08:52.320 is back into the feeding frenzy
01:08:54.180 of President Trump's first term.
01:08:56.320 You saw it right there.
01:08:58.240 The hand-to-hand combat,
01:09:00.660 let's be brutally frank
01:09:01.680 about what's going on
01:09:02.540 at Capitol Hill
01:09:03.100 on the Senate side.
01:09:04.820 Cash Patel,
01:09:05.720 they're coming at Cash hard.
01:09:07.380 They're coming at Bobby Kennedy hard.
01:09:08.940 They're coming at Tulsi Gabbard hard.
01:09:11.320 The Democrats right here
01:09:12.280 are trying to do two things.
01:09:13.420 Number one,
01:09:14.480 they hope to knock down
01:09:15.820 these appointments
01:09:16.660 because they don't want
01:09:17.280 President Trump
01:09:17.780 to have his team,
01:09:18.500 and particularly a team
01:09:19.420 of disruptors,
01:09:20.440 which all three of these
01:09:21.380 are today.
01:09:22.100 But remember,
01:09:23.720 what they're also trying to do
01:09:24.560 is get them on the record
01:09:25.500 of certain policies
01:09:26.220 to basically make sure
01:09:27.480 they've constrained
01:09:28.780 what these folks can do
01:09:30.680 when they take over
01:09:31.220 the departments.
01:09:31.940 They don't want Bobby Kennedy
01:09:32.980 doing what Bobby Kennedy
01:09:34.320 has done historically.
01:09:35.900 They don't want Tulsi Gabbard
01:09:36.940 with kind of her opinions
01:09:38.100 and thoughts
01:09:38.740 about intelligence
01:09:40.000 and deconstructing
01:09:41.020 the intelligence community.
01:09:42.660 They don't want
01:09:43.140 Cash Patel
01:09:43.800 with what he feels
01:09:44.820 has to be done
01:09:45.420 with the FBI.
01:09:46.700 So it's a two-pronged approach.
01:09:48.820 Number one,
01:09:49.880 to ding them up enough
01:09:51.040 to get them
01:09:51.520 to actually get
01:09:53.000 what I call
01:09:53.740 the fourth Republican
01:09:55.880 to bail,
01:09:56.660 and that came very close
01:09:57.440 to Pete.
01:09:58.020 The inside story
01:09:58.660 in that was very close.
01:10:00.820 They're going to try
01:10:01.520 to do that
01:10:01.980 because they feel
01:10:02.400 they've got Murkowski,
01:10:03.420 they've got Collins,
01:10:04.100 they've got McConnell.
01:10:04.760 All they need is one more.
01:10:05.880 They get one more J.D.'s vote.
01:10:08.100 Vice President Vance's vote
01:10:09.520 cannot change it.
01:10:12.580 The second thing
01:10:13.600 they're trying to do
01:10:14.120 is make sure
01:10:14.600 they limit the field
01:10:15.680 of action
01:10:16.600 that these cabinet
01:10:17.840 sectors can take
01:10:19.260 if and when
01:10:20.400 they are confirmed.
01:10:21.840 You saw him try
01:10:22.320 to do that
01:10:22.760 with Pete Hegsett
01:10:24.160 and Scott Besant
01:10:25.340 and Russ Vought.
01:10:27.020 President Trump
01:10:27.560 right there
01:10:27.980 saying he,
01:10:28.740 asked John Thune,
01:10:29.820 he needs his cabinet
01:10:30.900 sectors.
01:10:31.460 I think this tragedy
01:10:32.240 last night shows
01:10:33.240 we need to get a process
01:10:34.580 where you get people
01:10:35.580 in there quicker.
01:10:37.600 President Trump
01:10:38.520 on offense right there
01:10:39.800 talking about
01:10:40.840 what his policies were.
01:10:42.720 Okay,
01:10:43.500 I want to thank
01:10:43.940 Birch Gold,
01:10:44.620 birchgold.com.
01:10:45.720 We're coming out
01:10:46.100 with a new special
01:10:47.200 on Birch Gold.
01:10:48.780 Price of Gold
01:10:49.300 today on fire.
01:10:50.480 I think it's up 40%
01:10:51.640 Kobayashi newsletter,
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01:10:54.700 Remember,
01:10:54.980 we don't tell you
01:10:55.740 what to invest in.
01:10:57.180 All we do is give up
01:10:57.880 a platform
01:10:58.280 so you can meet people
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