WEBVTT - Arizona Senator Mark Kelly Talks European Foreign Policy 0:00:02.520 --> 0:00:07.040 Bloomberg Audio Studios, podcasts, radio News. 0:00:07.840 --> 0:00:10.280 Joining us now on Balance of Power live from the 0:00:10.360 --> 0:00:14.960 Munich Security Conference is Democratic Senator Mark Kelly of Arizona. Senator, 0:00:15.000 --> 0:00:18.200 thank you very much for your time in Munich. Last year, 0:00:18.280 --> 0:00:22.240 Vice President JD. Vance sent a very clear message to Europe. 0:00:22.320 --> 0:00:24.599 I would imagine the message you are bringing to those 0:00:24.640 --> 0:00:26.880 gathered there is a bit of a different one. But 0:00:26.920 --> 0:00:29.080 what can you really tell them and what assurance can 0:00:29.120 --> 0:00:32.240 that provide them? When you are currently in the minority 0:00:32.320 --> 0:00:35.440 power in Washington? Are you effectively just telling them hold 0:00:35.440 --> 0:00:39.959 out three more years? 0:00:40.200 --> 0:00:40.480 Well? 0:00:41.640 --> 0:00:44.040 Kaylee, Yeah, I mean I just got here today. I've 0:00:44.080 --> 0:00:49.519 had multiple meetings with you know, prime ministers, foreign ministers, 0:00:49.520 --> 0:00:51.000 defense ministers. 0:00:50.560 --> 0:00:52.320 You know, many of our allied countries. 0:00:52.720 --> 0:00:55.760 What I'm hearing from them is, you know, they're they're 0:00:55.760 --> 0:01:00.520 really concerned about some of the actions at this White 0:01:00.560 --> 0:01:04.320 House has taken over the last year and some of 0:01:04.360 --> 0:01:07.240 the plans that they've had. I was just meeting with, 0:01:08.440 --> 0:01:11.680 you know, somebody from Denmark and the discussion, as you 0:01:11.760 --> 0:01:15.160 might imagine, goes to Greenland and you know, how is 0:01:15.200 --> 0:01:20.760 it that the United States of America made, you know, 0:01:21.040 --> 0:01:22.760 was starting to go down the path of making a 0:01:22.840 --> 0:01:27.000 decision to use force against one of our NATO allies. 0:01:28.040 --> 0:01:31.240 This is unprecedented. So I'm here. 0:01:32.600 --> 0:01:36.399 Because these are issues discussed here that I really care about. 0:01:36.400 --> 0:01:39.399 I'm on the Armed Services and the Intelligence Committee, and 0:01:39.440 --> 0:01:43.480 I think it's important to send the message that, you know, 0:01:43.560 --> 0:01:47.400 what this President and White House might believe is not 0:01:47.440 --> 0:01:50.840 what all Americans believe. And if you go just like 0:01:50.960 --> 0:01:54.520 one level down in the government or maybe two, there 0:01:54.560 --> 0:01:59.160 is a there's a huge difference of opinion on you know, 0:01:59.200 --> 0:02:02.880 the way we should be treating our allies and that 0:02:02.960 --> 0:02:07.120 we have common adversaries, and that if we continue to 0:02:07.960 --> 0:02:11.200 as we've had since you know, the nineteen forties, continue 0:02:11.200 --> 0:02:14.680 to work together, that benefits all of us. 0:02:16.600 --> 0:02:21.560 Senator, you're arriving in Munich as the Pentagon redeploys the 0:02:21.720 --> 0:02:25.919 USS jerry Ford Carrier Strike Group once again, heading back 0:02:25.960 --> 0:02:29.880 toward Iran to join the USS Lincoln. From your perch 0:02:29.960 --> 0:02:32.520 on the Armed Services Committee and as a naval aviator, 0:02:32.560 --> 0:02:35.280 do you believe that we will strike Iran when that 0:02:35.320 --> 0:02:36.760 carrier strike group gets there. 0:02:39.560 --> 0:02:43.080 Well, I can't predict what this administration is going to do. 0:02:43.600 --> 0:02:46.040 I mean, we're at a moment of time with Iran, 0:02:46.440 --> 0:02:50.000 you know right now where they are potentially at a 0:02:50.040 --> 0:02:55.440 tipping point, and we could see a regime, the suppressive 0:02:55.480 --> 0:02:59.360 regime that has been in place since the late nineteen 0:02:59.440 --> 0:03:03.960 seventy we could see it finally go away and the 0:03:03.960 --> 0:03:08.720 Iranians could build a government that they deserve, and that 0:03:08.760 --> 0:03:11.920 would be a huge win for the entire reason. 0:03:12.360 --> 0:03:13.640 I mean, just think for a second. 0:03:14.040 --> 0:03:18.280 You know what happens to the Huthis and hesbalah Hamas 0:03:18.400 --> 0:03:21.200 without the support of the Iranians, the militias in Iraq. 0:03:21.960 --> 0:03:25.040 So this is a moment in time we got, as 0:03:25.080 --> 0:03:27.280 you say, we got the Ford battlegroup going over there. 0:03:27.440 --> 0:03:31.920 I also think it's a really hard decision to make, 0:03:32.200 --> 0:03:34.840 to be especially if we're going to use kinetic action 0:03:36.040 --> 0:03:41.040 against the Iranian regime a second time to try to 0:03:41.080 --> 0:03:42.200 push this in a direction. 0:03:42.560 --> 0:03:43.520 It could backfire. 0:03:44.400 --> 0:03:48.200 And my biggest concern here with this president is I 0:03:48.240 --> 0:03:51.160 don't see a guy who brings the right people together 0:03:51.320 --> 0:03:55.160 to get the right information to make informed decisions about anything. 0:03:56.880 --> 0:03:59.960 Does this mean that we did not totally a blitter 0:04:00.080 --> 0:04:03.000 rate Iran's nuclear program as the President told. 0:04:02.920 --> 0:04:11.840 Us, that is correct, I mean there was significant damage 0:04:12.000 --> 0:04:16.120 done to the Iranian nuclear program, But what the President 0:04:16.160 --> 0:04:18.560 said was far from true. 0:04:18.880 --> 0:04:20.000 We did not obliterate it. 0:04:20.640 --> 0:04:25.719 They have the ability to rebuild it, to start enriching uranium. 0:04:25.760 --> 0:04:27.600 And we're going to track this rather closely. 0:04:28.400 --> 0:04:32.720 And you know, having said that, it was an incredibly 0:04:33.080 --> 0:04:36.640 successful operation. When I was brief by the members of 0:04:36.640 --> 0:04:40.159 the military who actually fly in the planes, you know, 0:04:40.360 --> 0:04:43.760 the ones that led elements of that strike, they did 0:04:43.839 --> 0:04:47.679 a remarkable job. It almost could not have gone better, 0:04:48.120 --> 0:04:51.320 you know. But once those bombs, you know, hit the targets, 0:04:51.120 --> 0:04:53.800 it's not up to the pilots for what happens after that. 0:04:54.480 --> 0:04:58.600 And we're gonna have to see what the Iranians decide 0:04:58.680 --> 0:05:02.960 to do here in reconstituting that capability. Are they going 0:05:03.000 --> 0:05:04.960 to rush at some point to get a nuclear weapon 0:05:05.040 --> 0:05:08.760 or not? Until we know the final outcome, I think 0:05:08.760 --> 0:05:12.120 it's hard to say whether this was a good decision 0:05:12.240 --> 0:05:15.440 or not. But I will give the US military a 0:05:15.480 --> 0:05:16.840 tremendous amount of credit. 0:05:17.360 --> 0:05:20.159 It went exceedingly well. 0:05:22.120 --> 0:05:25.400 Well. Senator. The man who helps lead the US military, 0:05:25.400 --> 0:05:29.400 Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, of course, has made an effort 0:05:29.440 --> 0:05:32.160 to demote you and cut your retirement benefits over the 0:05:32.200 --> 0:05:35.239 illegal orders video, You and five of your Democratic colleagues 0:05:35.279 --> 0:05:39.120 participated in a federal judge just yesterday ruled in your favor, 0:05:39.240 --> 0:05:42.680 saying that that likely violates your First Amendment rights. But 0:05:42.720 --> 0:05:45.560 the Defense Secretary has said he will appeal this. He says, 0:05:45.800 --> 0:05:47.520 to quote him, sedition is sedition? 0:05:48.120 --> 0:05:48.560 Captain? 0:05:48.839 --> 0:05:51.240 How far are you anticipating this will go? And how 0:05:51.240 --> 0:05:54.839 did this become per personal enough that you believe that 0:05:54.880 --> 0:05:57.039 even if courts continue to rule in your favor on 0:05:57.120 --> 0:05:59.920 this specific issue, they will come after you in other ways. 0:06:02.880 --> 0:06:05.240 Well, I mean I said something the President didn't like. 0:06:05.480 --> 0:06:07.920 I said something what was lawful that's in the Uniform 0:06:07.960 --> 0:06:10.960 Code of Military Justice. And Donald Trump said I should 0:06:11.000 --> 0:06:16.359 be hanged, executed, prosecuted. And then he sicked Pete hegg Seth, 0:06:16.880 --> 0:06:19.840 the Secretary of Defense, on me, to demote me, take 0:06:19.880 --> 0:06:23.039 away some of my retirement pay. And sure you, the 0:06:23.080 --> 0:06:26.240 grand jury didn't indict me a couple days ago. 0:06:26.279 --> 0:06:28.159 But I don't put anything past these guys. 0:06:28.720 --> 0:06:33.560 You know, the president often doubles down on bad ideas. 0:06:34.120 --> 0:06:35.920 I mean, he has a habit of doing. 0:06:35.680 --> 0:06:40.279 This, so I expect him to continue with this effort. 0:06:40.680 --> 0:06:43.200 But here's the thing. This is much more important than me. 0:06:43.960 --> 0:06:47.240 This is about the free speech rights of two million 0:06:47.279 --> 0:06:51.440 retired service members and millions of other Americans who have 0:06:51.480 --> 0:06:54.839 a right to say what they believe and speak out 0:06:54.880 --> 0:06:58.880 against the government. And it might sound like a couple 0:06:59.000 --> 0:07:01.360 days ago when they failed to indict me, that was 0:07:01.400 --> 0:07:04.520 a good thing, But think about this for a second. 0:07:04.560 --> 0:07:08.880 The President just tried to throw myself and another US 0:07:08.920 --> 0:07:12.120 Senator and members of the House in prison. 0:07:12.760 --> 0:07:14.840 He's trying to imprison. 0:07:14.280 --> 0:07:20.240 Us because he doesn't like what we're saying. So this 0:07:20.440 --> 0:07:24.920 is we're getting close here to what we're certainly in 0:07:24.960 --> 0:07:28.800 an uncharted territory already. But I'm going to continue to 0:07:28.840 --> 0:07:33.800 fight this because this is about the constitution. Something I 0:07:33.920 --> 0:07:36.680 served in the United States Navy for for twenty five years. 0:07:36.720 --> 0:07:37.720 I went to War four. 0:07:37.880 --> 0:07:42.080 I fought our enemies for our country and our constitution, 0:07:42.560 --> 0:07:44.320 and I'm not going to back down from this president 0:07:44.400 --> 0:07:45.120 or anybody else. 0:07:46.520 --> 0:07:49.720 Well, Senator you referenced that failed grand jury indictment. One 0:07:49.760 --> 0:07:51.760 of your colleagues who appeared in that video alongside you, 0:07:51.840 --> 0:07:54.920 Senator Lissa Slotkin, has asked the DOJ to confirm whether 0:07:55.000 --> 0:07:57.520 or not the investigation into the six of you has 0:07:57.560 --> 0:07:59.960 indeed concluded, have you heard from her? As to web 0:08:00.120 --> 0:08:02.360 There has been a response to that. Have you yourself heard 0:08:02.680 --> 0:08:04.080 from the DJ in that regard? 0:08:07.400 --> 0:08:10.480 We hear very little from the DJ I think as 0:08:10.560 --> 0:08:12.960 my office, the last thing we may have heard was 0:08:12.960 --> 0:08:15.760 that we were not under investigation, and the next thing 0:08:15.800 --> 0:08:18.840 we find out from the press is the attempted to 0:08:18.880 --> 0:08:23.160 indict us. I mean, this is not how these processes 0:08:23.160 --> 0:08:27.080 are supposed to work. You know, these folks seem to. 0:08:27.120 --> 0:08:29.200 Not know how to do their jobs. 0:08:30.760 --> 0:08:35.320 And the worst thing about this, though, is the message 0:08:35.400 --> 0:08:38.520 it sends to the American people that if you speak 0:08:38.559 --> 0:08:43.199 out against this government, this president, the Attorney General, US attorneys, 0:08:43.320 --> 0:08:43.719 they're going. 0:08:43.720 --> 0:08:48.120 To come after you. And that is just fundamentally un Americans. 0:08:49.880 --> 0:08:52.320 Senator Kelly, when you get back to Washington, it looks 0:08:52.320 --> 0:08:54.800 like the Department of Homeland Security will be closed. It's 0:08:54.800 --> 0:08:56.880 set to shut down tonight, of course, because of the 0:08:56.920 --> 0:09:03.200 dispute over DHS and more specifically restrictions around ICE. When 0:09:03.240 --> 0:09:05.280 you return, we're also going to be talking about the 0:09:05.320 --> 0:09:08.400 prospect of missed paychecks for folks in the TSA. We're 0:09:08.440 --> 0:09:11.000 going to be looking at the Coastguard and FEMA. How 0:09:11.040 --> 0:09:12.760 long can Democrats hold the line on this. 0:09:16.960 --> 0:09:20.240 Well, what we've seen from my sover the past months 0:09:20.240 --> 0:09:24.000 in Minneapolis and other cities is an agency that has 0:09:24.080 --> 0:09:28.120 just run amok and is violating the constitutional rights of 0:09:28.720 --> 0:09:32.040 thousands and thousands of Americans. We have two dead Americans, 0:09:32.040 --> 0:09:34.040 we have people that have been beaten up. I have 0:09:34.080 --> 0:09:36.360 a constituent that was just standing on the sidewalk and 0:09:36.400 --> 0:09:39.400 a federal agent in a vehicle just Spraser in the 0:09:39.440 --> 0:09:43.679 face with mace. I mean, is what is going on? 0:09:43.760 --> 0:09:47.440 I mean, this agency needs to be overhauled. People need 0:09:47.440 --> 0:09:53.000 to be fired. Why are they in uniforms that tactical 0:09:53.040 --> 0:09:54.680 operators in Fallujah wear? 0:09:55.640 --> 0:09:56.800 I mean, why don't they wear. 0:09:56.679 --> 0:10:00.840 Named has they seem to not follow a a reasonable 0:10:00.960 --> 0:10:06.960 use of force criteria? The agency needs to be fixed 0:10:07.120 --> 0:10:11.040 in a dramatic way. And until that happens, I mean, 0:10:11.080 --> 0:10:15.240 I am not in favor of funding them beyond what 0:10:15.440 --> 0:10:19.000 they what the President gave them, and Republicans in the 0:10:19.000 --> 0:10:21.760 House and Senate gave them in his big piece of legislation, 0:10:21.840 --> 0:10:24.680 which was seventy five billion dollars to be spent over 0:10:24.720 --> 0:10:25.280 three years. 0:10:26.000 --> 0:10:27.479 You know, they have resources. 0:10:27.679 --> 0:10:31.160 They do not need more resources that will go towards 0:10:31.280 --> 0:10:34.400 violating the rights of the American people. 0:10:35.320 --> 0:10:38.960 But of course, says we've established the TSA FEMA Coastguard 0:10:39.000 --> 0:10:42.040 get penalized by this action as well. Senator, are there 0:10:42.080 --> 0:10:45.240 talks underway in Munich about crafting a deal? Because we 0:10:45.320 --> 0:10:47.560 know that negotiations have been underway in the background. 0:10:47.559 --> 0:10:50.480 What are you hearing? You know, Hey, the Republicans know 0:10:50.559 --> 0:10:51.560 what they need to do here. 0:10:51.920 --> 0:10:56.240 You know, we sent a reasonable proposal to the White House. 0:10:56.679 --> 0:11:01.600 They sent an unreasonable and unseerious response. Yes, you know, 0:11:01.640 --> 0:11:05.280 and I think at this point many of them realize 0:11:05.679 --> 0:11:08.800 that this situation has gotten out of control and it 0:11:08.880 --> 0:11:12.200 has to be fixed. So if they would sit down 0:11:12.240 --> 0:11:17.680 with us and seriously consider what we're asking them to 0:11:17.760 --> 0:11:19.640 do with this agency. 0:11:19.640 --> 0:11:21.800 I think we could rather quickly get to a deal. 0:11:24.000 --> 0:11:27.640 Senator Mark Kelly joining us live from the Munich Security Conference. Senator, 0:11:27.679 --> 0:11:29.720 thank you for being here on Bloomberg, and thank you 0:11:29.760 --> 0:11:30.400 for your service.