WEBVTT - Massachusetts Rep. Jake Auchincloss Talks Epstein Files, Rescission Package

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<v Speaker 1>Bloomberg Audio Studios, podcasts, radio news.

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<v Speaker 2>Democratic Congressman Jake Auchincloss of Massachusetts Congressman, it's great to

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<v Speaker 2>see it, Welcome back to Bloomberg TV and radio. Spent

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<v Speaker 2>a lot more time talking about Jeffrey Epstein than any

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<v Speaker 2>particular policy this hour, and I'm wondering what you're hearing,

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<v Speaker 2>what's going on here. I thought Republicans wanted to expose

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<v Speaker 2>these files, and it looks like everybody's going home.

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<v Speaker 3>Americans perceived that there's one set of rules for the

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<v Speaker 3>powerful and one set of rules for the average American.

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<v Speaker 3>And that's confirmed when they look at Donald Trump protecting

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<v Speaker 3>Jeffrey Epstein. And it's also confirmed when they see Secretary

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<v Speaker 3>Kennedy who pledges radical transparency and then refuses to require

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<v Speaker 3>his top aid CALLI Means, to issue conflict of interest reports,

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<v Speaker 3>despite the fact that calli Means is running his own

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<v Speaker 3>business on the side that's benefit from Health and Human

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<v Speaker 3>services policy. Same thing with Howard Lutnik, Secretary of Congress,

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<v Speaker 3>who's shilling his own cryptocurrencies in the Middle East while

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<v Speaker 3>administration policy benefits his tether empire. So Americans are tired

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<v Speaker 3>of the corruption and grift they're seeing in Washington, DC,

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<v Speaker 3>and they want a forceful response from Democrats to address

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<v Speaker 3>the corruption in corporate capture.

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<v Speaker 4>Well, Congressman, we mentioned earlier on the program that the

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<v Speaker 4>House Oversight Committee is looking to get a subpoena to

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<v Speaker 4>get some testimony from Galaine Maxwell. I'm wondering if you're

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<v Speaker 4>in support of that, and what sort of additional information

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<v Speaker 4>that you're looking for that you would want to hear

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<v Speaker 4>from her potential testimony.

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<v Speaker 3>I'm in support of a transparent, impartial investigation, including the

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<v Speaker 3>resolution from Representative Kana to require the disclosure of the

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<v Speaker 3>investigation files. And then I'm also in favor of Congress

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<v Speaker 3>addressing this issue and then moving on to issues that

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<v Speaker 3>affect cost of living financial freedom for Americans. We have

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<v Speaker 3>legislation bipartisan that lowers the cost of prescription drugs for

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<v Speaker 3>Americans that should have passed the House in December, but

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<v Speaker 3>Elon Musk killed it. We should pass it right now

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<v Speaker 3>before we go on recess. We've got bipartisan legislation that

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<v Speaker 3>I have helped to draft that would.

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<v Speaker 1>Take on.

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<v Speaker 3>Fentanyl importing from China, bipartisan. We should pass that now

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<v Speaker 3>before we go on recess. And these are issues that

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<v Speaker 3>I think affect Americans in their daily lives and that

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<v Speaker 3>we need to address right now.

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<v Speaker 2>Well, we've been talking with a lot of upset Democrats.

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<v Speaker 2>Congressman since the Recisions Package passed. Ralph Norman just told

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<v Speaker 2>us there's another Recisions package coming. The White House has

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<v Speaker 2>promised this as well, following the passage of the President's

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<v Speaker 2>Big Beautiful Bill that of course Democrats did not support.

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<v Speaker 2>Are you prepared to part ways with Republicans and allow

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<v Speaker 2>the government to shut down or will you in fact

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<v Speaker 2>sit down at the table and consider a deal. A

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<v Speaker 2>deal when a budget is written with a Republican majority

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<v Speaker 2>in the House.

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<v Speaker 3>Well, let's look at the impact of the last Recisions package.

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<v Speaker 3>Elon Musk came in with those pledged a trillion dollars

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<v Speaker 3>in savings. He was going to mail checks to the

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<v Speaker 3>American people. They were going to make government more efficient.

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<v Speaker 3>What they've done, they've cost American taxpayers more than one

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<v Speaker 3>hundred billion dollars. And then the Recisions Package had nine

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<v Speaker 3>billion dollars in savings that gutted public broadcasting and polio vaccines. So,

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<v Speaker 3>thanks to Doze, we have taken on polio vaccines.

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<v Speaker 1>Great.

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<v Speaker 3>So this next recisions package, I'm sure is going to

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<v Speaker 3>be as incompetent and cruel. And Democrats stand by a

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<v Speaker 3>bipartisan appropriations process. But if the Republican's are going to

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<v Speaker 3>go through the back door and negate those deals through

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<v Speaker 3>partisan recisions packages, then it's very hard to negotiate in

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<v Speaker 3>good faith.

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<v Speaker 1>And that's exactly what they're pledging to do.

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<v Speaker 4>But Congressman, so just for clarity, do you think that

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<v Speaker 4>Democrats should be risking a shutdown here in order to

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<v Speaker 4>get through a negotiating leverage at this point? Is this inevitable?

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<v Speaker 3>Of course, I want to fund the government, and I

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<v Speaker 3>want to fund the government through a bipartisan appropriations process

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<v Speaker 3>that gives Congress more power over the executive and allow

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<v Speaker 3>us to set funding levels that are appropriate to the

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<v Speaker 3>needs of the American people. The challenge that Democrats have

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<v Speaker 3>right now, just to be very clear, is we can

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<v Speaker 3>work in a bipartisan way to pass a funding deal,

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<v Speaker 3>but then Republicans, in a partisan way can do a

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<v Speaker 3>recisions package that negates the funding that had hitherto been agreed.

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<v Speaker 3>So you can see the catch twenty two the Democrats

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<v Speaker 3>are in. It's like, okay, we shake hands on a

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<v Speaker 3>Tuesday and estab us in the back on a Wednesday.

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<v Speaker 1>We're getting a little tired of that game.

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<v Speaker 2>Well, it's been an interesting game listening to the conversations

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<v Speaker 2>around Jeffrey Epstein. Not that I'm going back to that Congressman,

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<v Speaker 2>but the President has been talking about a lot of things,

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<v Speaker 2>likely in an effort we keep hearing to change the subject.

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<v Speaker 2>And today he went back to the Russia investigation and

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<v Speaker 2>involving interference of the twenty sixteen and twenty twenty elections,

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<v Speaker 2>calling out former President Obama. He called him a trader.

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<v Speaker 2>He also talked about James Comby, Hillary Clinton, and some

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<v Speaker 2>other members of the former administration. Speaker Johnson says he

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<v Speaker 2>has no concern when it comes to compelling testimony from

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<v Speaker 2>President Obama regarding what the President of the United States

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<v Speaker 2>now calls the Russia hoax allegations. What's your response to

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<v Speaker 2>that kind of language and the potential for a subpoena

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<v Speaker 2>for former President Obama?

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<v Speaker 3>Grossly inappropriate, of course, and in pattern with President Trump's

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<v Speaker 3>knee jerk reflex to every issue, which is to blame

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<v Speaker 3>somebody else. It's always somebody else's fault with Donald Trump, right,

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<v Speaker 3>It's just this one long litany of grievances.

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<v Speaker 1>It's pathetic when it comes to Russia.

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<v Speaker 3>What I hope Donald Trump would do is stop looking

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<v Speaker 3>at twenty sixteen and start looking at twenty twenty five,

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<v Speaker 3>when Russia is bombing Ukraine and is trying to open

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<v Speaker 3>up a second front against NATO in the Western Balkans.

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<v Speaker 3>He needs to get strong against Vladimir PuO, and that

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<v Speaker 3>means seizing the three hundred billion euros and frozen assets

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<v Speaker 3>held in Brussels and appropriating that towards Ukrainian defense. That

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<v Speaker 3>means authorizing long range strikes against Russian oil refineries. That

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<v Speaker 3>means tightening sanctions and price caps against Russian oil exports,

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<v Speaker 3>which funds their war machine. It's time to demonstrate some

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<v Speaker 3>strength as opposed to supplication of Vladimir Putin. Because frankly,

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<v Speaker 3>the Kremlin right now is looking at the US national

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<v Speaker 3>security team and that looks like a junior varsity squad.

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<v Speaker 4>Well, let's actually build on that. Because President Trump has

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<v Speaker 4>threatened that there could be a so called secondary sanction

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<v Speaker 4>on those countries that buy or import Russian oil, we're

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<v Speaker 4>looking at how that could potentially impact China and India,

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<v Speaker 4>for example. Is that the sort of escalation that you

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<v Speaker 4>would be.

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<v Speaker 1>In support of.

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<v Speaker 3>It's hard to take the president seriously. So I mean,

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<v Speaker 3>the short answer is yes, I am glad that the

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<v Speaker 3>President the United States recognizes that NATO is our ally

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<v Speaker 3>and Russia is our enemy. It is promising that he

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<v Speaker 3>is talking about secondary sanctions and getting tough their oil exports.

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<v Speaker 3>But the problem is when he changes his mind every

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<v Speaker 3>twenty four hours based on what he sees on Fox

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<v Speaker 3>and Friends or whatever Vladimir Putin texts him, he doesn't

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<v Speaker 3>actually signal strength. The Kremlin needs to understand that they

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<v Speaker 3>are facing an enemy in Ukraine that is going to

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<v Speaker 3>be armed for the long haul, and it's going to

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<v Speaker 3>have the support of NATO to create a military industrial

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<v Speaker 3>complex in Eastern Europe.

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<v Speaker 1>And right now they don't see that with Donald Trump.

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<v Speaker 3>They see somebody who vacillates and supplicates himself.

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<v Speaker 2>When you head home to Newtonville on your August recess, Congressman,

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<v Speaker 2>will you be able to look voters in the eyes

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<v Speaker 2>tell them that Democrats can help avoid a government shutdown.

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<v Speaker 3>Yes, Democrats have been negotiating on appropriations in good faith

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<v Speaker 3>over the last two administrations. In fact, and we're the

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<v Speaker 3>ones who want to see responsible funding levels for programs

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<v Speaker 3>and services and American Americans rely upon. Republicans are the

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<v Speaker 3>ones who just cut Medicaid for ten million Americans. That's

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<v Speaker 3>going to raise health insurance premiums on tens of millions

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<v Speaker 3>of more Americans who get their insurance through their employers.

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<v Speaker 3>So when it comes to supporting the programs that Americans

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<v Speaker 3>rely on for stable government, Democrats are the ones they

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<v Speaker 3>should count on.

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<v Speaker 4>All right. Democratic Congressman Jake Auchincloss of Massachusetts, we thank

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<v Speaker 4>you so much for joining Bloomberg