Speaker 1: Bloomberg Audio Studios, podcasts, radio News. Joining us now is
Speaker 1: Congressman Mike Turner of Ohio, chair of the House Select
Speaker 1: Committee on Intelligence, who has been pushing for these votes
Speaker 1: for some time now. Mister Chairman, welcome to Bloomberg. We're
Speaker 1: glad to have you here. I wonder your thoughts on
Speaker 1: what we just heard from the Speaker of the House.
Speaker 1: I really do believe the intel and the briefings that
Speaker 1: we've gotten, and it comes just hours after your committee,
Speaker 1: yourself and the ranking member of the Intelligence Commission Committee
Speaker 1: issued a statement that made clear that Ukraine funding needed.
Speaker 2: To pass this week.
Speaker 1: Can you speak to the urgency as to why this
Speaker 1: week and what you told Speaker Johnson to bring him
Speaker 1: to this point?
Speaker 3: Joe, Well, the intelligence is very clear. Ukraine is at
Speaker 3: a critical point. As the Speaker just said, they are
Speaker 3: running out of ammunition. Russia is certainly surging and putting
Speaker 3: additional pressure on that front line, and also the lack
Speaker 3: of US support is impacting morale even in Ukraine. But
Speaker 3: their ability to be able to sustain the fight, and
Speaker 3: they are fighting honorably to keep Russia from taking additional
Speaker 3: ground in Ukraine is essential. Also, we have the issue
Speaker 3: of that in this package. I think this will result
Speaker 3: in the Administration giving additional weapons capabilities to Ukraine so
Speaker 3: we can change the.
Speaker 2: Dynamics on the battlefield.
Speaker 3: They need longer range weapons, they need to be able
Speaker 3: to hit Crimea, they need to be able to hit
Speaker 3: the supply lines of Russia as they're coming into Ukraine
Speaker 3: as part of this aggression.
Speaker 2: I think this package is.
Speaker 3: Desperately needed to turn the tide on this conflict and
Speaker 3: support Ukraine.
Speaker 4: But sir, how quickly can it do? So you speak
Speaker 4: of changing the dynamics on the ground, how quickly can
Speaker 4: this make a difference in a fight that Ukraine has
Speaker 4: already engaged in, knowing there may be a lag for
Speaker 4: them to receive some of this.
Speaker 2: So I've asked this question both to our Department of Defense.
Speaker 3: We had the US ambassador from Ukraine, the US Master
Speaker 3: Chie Ukraine that was here with us today. All of
Speaker 3: them report that we are boys going to get this
Speaker 3: aid to them immediately. So if this passage passes, and
Speaker 3: I think it will overwhelmingly this Saturday, the United States
Speaker 3: is POI to make certain that the ammunition is in
Speaker 3: the hands of the Ukrainians and that they're able to
Speaker 3: take it directly to the fight with Russia.
Speaker 1: There's been a call for border funding as well. Of course,
Speaker 1: this is a big debate leading into the Senate bill
Speaker 1: that passed. I know border aid was a question in
Speaker 1: the Senate, Congressman, and there was an attempt to get
Speaker 1: some border legislation cleared through rules last evening.
Speaker 2: It didn't work out.
Speaker 1: Congressman chip Roy, you're a colleague from Texas, issued a
Speaker 1: statement saying sorry, not sorry. If we're opposing a crappy
Speaker 1: rule that is a show vote, a cover vote for
Speaker 1: funding Ukraine instead of border security. The refrain been hearing
Speaker 1: from the Republican conferences. Protect our own border before we
Speaker 1: do so our allies. Will there be a border piece
Speaker 1: that comes along with this legislation this weekend?
Speaker 2: The House has.
Speaker 3: Already passed HR two that would effectively complete the border
Speaker 3: wall and close the border and at the same time
Speaker 3: hold accountable the administration for what they've created.
Speaker 2: In this open border situation. Well over inter still in peace.
Speaker 1: It didn't get a single democratic Bothe though, mister Chairman,
Speaker 1: will it be attached to this package again for another look?
Speaker 3: I want to see what the final packages that comes
Speaker 3: off the House floor Saturday, but currently it is not
Speaker 3: expected to be attached to the Ukrainian funding, the Israeli
Speaker 3: funding and the other and the funding for Southeast Asia.
Speaker 3: But this bill is sitting over in the Senate and
Speaker 3: it is a bill.
Speaker 2: That needs to pass.
Speaker 3: Overwhelmingly, the American public are just disgusted and just shocked
Speaker 3: if the administration is not doing anything to protect what
Speaker 3: is the environment, the threat environment that we have in
Speaker 3: the country as a result of these eight million people
Speaker 3: who walked across the border. The FBI director has repeatedly
Speaker 3: said that we're the highest threat level currently for a
Speaker 3: terrorist attack in this country as a result of the
Speaker 3: open border. The Biden administration needs to take action, and
Speaker 3: certainly this House has with SAR two and the City
Speaker 3: should take up that bill immediately.
Speaker 4: Well, mister Chairman, as you rightly point out, it's not
Speaker 4: just aid for Israel and Ukraine and Taiwan that are included.
Speaker 4: There are other elements as well. But on the subject
Speaker 4: of Israel, of course, we are still waiting to see
Speaker 4: what the response from Israel might be to the Iranian
Speaker 4: attack over this past weekend, which of course the US,
Speaker 4: together with others like the UK, did intercept the vast
Speaker 4: majority of what was sent Israel's way. Knowing that that
Speaker 4: attack largely was unsuccessful, what would be a proportionate response
Speaker 4: from Israel. Is it possible in your mind, Sir, that
Speaker 4: Israel could go too far?
Speaker 3: I will leave it to what their response should be,
Speaker 3: But first of all, let's put this in perspective. Unfortunately,
Speaker 3: this administration believes that if you use missile defense to
Speaker 3: thwart an attack, that the attack didn't happen.
Speaker 2: The attack did happen.
Speaker 3: Iran attacked Israel directly from its soil with over three
Speaker 3: hundred drones and missiles. Previously, though Iran has been continuously
Speaker 3: attacking Israel through Hamas HESBLA and of course through the
Speaker 3: Hoho thies have been even attacking our commercial shipping lanes.
Speaker 3: They train them, they equipped and provide them weapons.
Speaker 2: To these groups and terrorist organizations.
Speaker 3: Of course, AMAS or betraying the October seventh attackle on Israel.
Speaker 3: So Iran already has been attacking Israel. This is the
Speaker 3: first time that it was direct and certainly I don't
Speaker 3: think that just because missile defense is effective that Iran
Speaker 3: or the United Say.
Speaker 2: Should look the other way.
Speaker 1: So if the attacker doesn't lay a glove on you.
Speaker 1: You still respond, is what you're saying, mister Chairman. But
Speaker 1: what is a proportionate response? What could Israel do here
Speaker 1: as a military answer that would not wear on the
Speaker 1: alliance that includes the UK, France and others. This has
Speaker 1: been a very delicate matter, of course domestically for President Biden.
Speaker 2: What's the right move?
Speaker 3: Well, you know, certainly they won't be sending three hundred
Speaker 3: missiles and kamikaze drones into Iran. So I think if
Speaker 3: you're asking for what is a proportionate issue, I think
Speaker 3: certainly Israel's not going to be responding at the same
Speaker 3: level that I Ran did. Iran sent a lethal force
Speaker 3: toward Israel, and it just because we have invested with them,
Speaker 3: we've co developed their missile defense, and of course we
Speaker 3: ate it. As you widely reported, Joe, the u K
Speaker 3: was part of that umbrella that gave missile defense its
Speaker 3: ability to take down these missiles. But this was a
Speaker 3: serious threat and attack by Iran and it should be
Speaker 3: be viewed as such.
Speaker 4: Sir. We'd like to turn back to just the affairs
Speaker 4: in your chamber with our final minutes, with you knowing
Speaker 4: that the cost of bringing aid for Israel and Ukraine
Speaker 4: and everyone else to the may be ultimately the Speaker's gavel.
Speaker 4: What is your degree of confidence that Mike Johnson, having
Speaker 4: said today that he will not change the rules that
Speaker 4: allows any one member to bring forward a motion to vacate,
Speaker 4: is going to be able to make it out the
Speaker 4: other side of this. Is it a mistake for him
Speaker 4: not to change those rules? Would that be a better decision?
Speaker 3: Now we Speaker Johnson is being incredibly courageous, and you've
Speaker 3: heard him as you were reporting. He is saying he's
Speaker 3: doing the right thing, and certainly he should be rewarded
Speaker 3: for doing the right thing bringing this bill to the
Speaker 3: floor so that we can pass this on to the Senate,
Speaker 3: and since the presence desk is essential for our national security,
Speaker 3: and I certainly did, but I think overwhelmingly the membership
Speaker 3: of Congress is thankful that he's doing so. Now. I
Speaker 3: don't think that the small band of the Chaos Caucus,
Speaker 3: those who want to remove to Johnson, have the votes
Speaker 3: on the Democrat side to be able to remove. You
Speaker 3: have to remember that the small group that removed Kevin
Speaker 3: McCarthy could only do so with the support of the
Speaker 3: Democrats on the floor, and I think this time that
Speaker 3: if they go to the floor, they're going to stand alone.
Speaker 3: There'll be a very small minority, they'll be exposed for
Speaker 3: being a very small minority, and they will be unsuccessful.
Speaker 4: All Right, mister chairman, thank you so much for joining
Speaker 4: us this evening. That's House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Turner
Speaker 4: of Ohio. We appreciate your time, sir,