WEBVTT - Alejandro Mayorkas

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<v Speaker 1>Alohundro Mayorchis is the Secretary of Homeland Security, a department

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<v Speaker 1>created after nine to eleven. Alohundro Mayorchis overseas through his department,

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<v Speaker 1>border security a top issue for certain in the next

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<v Speaker 1>presidential election. Recently, I had a chance to sit down

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<v Speaker 1>with Alohandro Mayorchis, an immigrant from Cuba, to talk about

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<v Speaker 1>issues facing his department, including the challenges from TikTok. Let

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<v Speaker 1>me talk about the elephant in the room, because you

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<v Speaker 1>were the second secretary in the history of our country

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<v Speaker 1>to be impeached. Was what was it like living through

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<v Speaker 1>that impeachment process and is it finally over now?

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<v Speaker 2>To the best of my knowledge, it's over, so you know,

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<v Speaker 2>quite frankly, I have said publicly a number of times

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<v Speaker 2>that I did not allow it to distract me. That

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<v Speaker 2>was actually sincere I focused intensely on my work throughout.

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<v Speaker 2>In a week where it was an issue of greater

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<v Speaker 2>prominence in the life of the department, I might have

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<v Speaker 2>spent twenty minutes on it. I really just focused on

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<v Speaker 2>my work. It had its impact on loved ones.

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<v Speaker 3>So it's behind us now.

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<v Speaker 1>Though, as Will Rogers once said, and paraphrasing him, the

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<v Speaker 1>country is never safe as long as the house is

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<v Speaker 1>in session, right, so you never know, but may never

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<v Speaker 1>come back, right, one would hope not.

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<v Speaker 3>Okay, so let's talk about the border.

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<v Speaker 1>It appears that there are a lot of people coming

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<v Speaker 1>in over the border. This is obviously one of the

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<v Speaker 1>subjects of that people wanted to impeach you. Some people

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<v Speaker 1>wanted to them peach you over Is it really that

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<v Speaker 1>we're getting more people coming in over the border illegally

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<v Speaker 1>or is it just the appearance of that?

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<v Speaker 2>Oh no, No, The number of encounters at the southern border

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<v Speaker 2>is very high, but it's very very important number one

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<v Speaker 2>to contextualize it and number two to explain it from

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<v Speaker 2>a context perspective. The world is seeing the greatest level

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<v Speaker 2>of displacement since at least World War Two. I think

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<v Speaker 2>the recent report was that there are seventy three million

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<v Speaker 2>displaced people in the United States. And so the challenge

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<v Speaker 2>of migration is not exclusive to the southern border, nor

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<v Speaker 2>to the western hemisphere.

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<v Speaker 4>It is global.

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<v Speaker 2>And when I speak to partners across the Atlantic, it's

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<v Speaker 2>the first issue that they raise.

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<v Speaker 4>The first challenge that what is the reason for that?

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<v Speaker 4>So well, one has.

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<v Speaker 2>The customary reasons of displacement, violence insecurity, poverty, corruption, authoritarian regimes,

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<v Speaker 2>now increasingly extreme weather events that propel people to leave.

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<v Speaker 2>Why are we experiencing what we are? It is for

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<v Speaker 2>those very reasons why people leave their countries of origin.

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<v Speaker 2>We also remember, in our hemisphere we overcame COVID more

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<v Speaker 2>rapidly than any other country. We had, in a post

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<v Speaker 2>COVID world, eleven million jobs to fill. We are a

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<v Speaker 2>country of choice as a destination. And one takes those

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<v Speaker 2>two forces, and then one considers the fact that we

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<v Speaker 2>have an immigration system that is broken fundamentally, and we

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<v Speaker 2>have a level of encounter that we do. And when

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<v Speaker 2>we speak of a broken system, let me just capture

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<v Speaker 2>that as succinctly as I can. The average time between

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<v Speaker 2>encounter and the point of final adjudication of an asylum

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<v Speaker 2>claim is seven plus years. Approximately seventy percent of the

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<v Speaker 2>people who meet an initial threshold for asylum the credible

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<v Speaker 2>fear standard about seventy qualify and so they stay for

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<v Speaker 2>seven plus years, and the ultimate adjudication about twenty percent qualify.

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<v Speaker 1>So in our country, if somebody seeks political asylum and

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<v Speaker 1>they legitimately need political asylum, is it our law that

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<v Speaker 1>they automatically get it if they have legitimate means. There's

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<v Speaker 1>no quotas or anything on how many people we can

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<v Speaker 1>accept for a political asylum.

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<v Speaker 2>There is no quota on the asylum population, and one

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<v Speaker 2>just has to persuade a judge.

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<v Speaker 1>So you've been Homeland Security secretary under President Biden from

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<v Speaker 1>the beginning of administration. So how many people would you

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<v Speaker 1>say since that time have come over the border of

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<v Speaker 1>the southern border, let's say, illegally seeking asylum. They're bringing

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<v Speaker 1>drugs or whatever they're doing.

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<v Speaker 2>I do want to differentiate because we're in a political

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<v Speaker 2>environment that demonizes individuals encounter at the border, and there's

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<v Speaker 2>a vulnerability to painting with a broad brush people who

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<v Speaker 2>are fleeing in coming to the United States. And so

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<v Speaker 2>I want to separate and I will be incessant in

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<v Speaker 2>this separate drug smugglers from individuals seeking asylum or even

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<v Speaker 2>if they don't have a basis to remain in the

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<v Speaker 2>United States seeking.

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<v Speaker 4>A better life.

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<v Speaker 2>And so the number of encounters have been very well

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<v Speaker 2>published this past year. This past month, we had about

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<v Speaker 2>one hundred and thirty four thousand encounters in.

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<v Speaker 1>This past month. But let's say since the beginning of

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<v Speaker 1>the administration. Is it millions of people? It's several million people. Well,

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<v Speaker 1>there was legislation that was developed, I think in the Senate,

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<v Speaker 1>bipartisan legislation, and it got stalled. AT's say in the House?

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<v Speaker 1>Would that have solved our problem?

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<v Speaker 2>Had it passed, it would have been a transformative change

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<v Speaker 2>in managing the number of people we encounter.

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<v Speaker 1>What was the main thing that would have been in

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<v Speaker 1>that law that we don't have now.

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<v Speaker 3>That you would have liked to have.

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<v Speaker 2>So we would have taken a seven plus year time

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<v Speaker 2>period between the time of encounter and final adjudication and

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<v Speaker 2>reduced it to as little as ninety days. And that

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<v Speaker 2>changes an intending migrants risk calculus, because if they know

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<v Speaker 2>that they can stay for multiple years and work and

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<v Speaker 2>make more money than they can and safely so than

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<v Speaker 2>in their country of origin, they will decide to make

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<v Speaker 2>that journey. If they understand that they have to pay

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<v Speaker 2>their life savings to a smuggling organization only to stay

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<v Speaker 2>for a matter of weeks, that is a very different

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<v Speaker 2>risk calculus. The world of migration has changed dramatically over

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<v Speaker 2>the last even fifteen years. We're not dealing with the

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<v Speaker 2>coyotes that I dealt with as a federal prosecutor that

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<v Speaker 2>where they smuggled two three people at a time. We're

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<v Speaker 2>dealing with extremes, ordinarily sophisticated smuggling organizations in a multi

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<v Speaker 2>billion dollar industry that is also international.

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<v Speaker 1>But that industry is it one design to bring drugs

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<v Speaker 1>into the United States or designed to get people to

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<v Speaker 1>come United States for which they get a fee.

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<v Speaker 4>It is the latter.

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<v Speaker 2>But what we are seeing, and it should be unsurprising

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<v Speaker 2>to everyone that we're seeing a not quite a merger,

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<v Speaker 2>I would say, a synthesis of transnational criminal organizations and

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<v Speaker 2>the smuggling organizations.

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<v Speaker 4>There's so much money to be made.

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<v Speaker 3>The people who.

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<v Speaker 1>Are now coming over. Are we separating families like words?

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<v Speaker 1>Under the Trump administration, there was a lot of controversy

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<v Speaker 1>children being separated from parents.

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<v Speaker 3>Is that happening now or not happening?

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<v Speaker 2>No, that was a deliberate practice to deter families from

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<v Speaker 2>reaching the southern border. Was the separation of them That

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<v Speaker 2>was condemned across the board. Cruelty is not something that

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<v Speaker 2>is an instrument of a value based country, and we

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<v Speaker 2>eliminated that practice. I actually was eliminated in all fairness

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<v Speaker 2>towards the end of the Trump administration, we issued a

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<v Speaker 2>policy preventing it, and we actually the president created a

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<v Speaker 2>Family Reunification Task Force that I chair that is actually

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<v Speaker 2>reuniting separated families.

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<v Speaker 1>Okay, so President Trump campaigned when he first campaigned for president,

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<v Speaker 1>on creating a wall, and I guess some part of

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<v Speaker 1>the wall was built. But would not a wall have

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<v Speaker 1>helped somewhat if we had a big wall? Would that

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<v Speaker 1>not block people from coming? Even though people like to

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<v Speaker 1>make fun of the wall and expensive, would it not

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<v Speaker 1>have had some impact on reducing illegal immigration?

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<v Speaker 2>So look, in the twenty first century, I wouldn't necessarily

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<v Speaker 2>propose cementing ballards on the ground and constructing an immovable wall,

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<v Speaker 2>given the dynamism and you know, the rapid change in

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<v Speaker 2>migratory patterns. But I just have to quote Secretary of Politano,

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<v Speaker 2>you build a twenty foot wall, they'll build a twenty

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<v Speaker 2>one foot ladder.

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<v Speaker 3>Let's talk about your background.

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<v Speaker 1>You don't come to the cabinet with the conventional background

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<v Speaker 1>of many people who had this position.

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<v Speaker 3>So where were you born?

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<v Speaker 4>I was born in Havana, Cuba.

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<v Speaker 3>Really, and what age did you leave?

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<v Speaker 2>My parents brought my sister and me here to the

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<v Speaker 2>United States as political refugees when I was about one.

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<v Speaker 3>And did they come in I legally or illegally?

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<v Speaker 4>They came in illegally.

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<v Speaker 2>My father was a bit prescient. Although we didn't leave early,

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<v Speaker 2>but we left early enough.

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<v Speaker 1>So there isn't that big a Cuban or wasn't that

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<v Speaker 1>big a Cuban Jewish community. But your mother and father

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<v Speaker 1>both Jewish. Her father was Sephardic, yes, and his ancestors

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<v Speaker 1>came from His.

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<v Speaker 4>Father was from Turkey, his mother from Poland.

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<v Speaker 3>And your mother was Ashkenazi Jewish.

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<v Speaker 2>My mother fled Romania to France, France to Cuba late.

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<v Speaker 2>Her father lost eight brothers and other family in the

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<v Speaker 2>concentration camps. They left so late they couldn't get to Israel,

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<v Speaker 2>and our policies at that time were not as welcoming

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<v Speaker 2>as one would have hoped at a time of great

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<v Speaker 2>human distress.

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<v Speaker 1>Okay, so they came to the United States legally. Where

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<v Speaker 1>did they come?

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<v Speaker 2>So we arrived in Miami, and we lived in Miami

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<v Speaker 2>until my father found a better work opportunity in Los Angeles, California.

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<v Speaker 3>You were growing up in Los Angeles.

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<v Speaker 4>I grew up for most of my life in Los Angeles.

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<v Speaker 2>And you speak Spanish fluently, I speak at my grammar

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<v Speaker 2>is not something that I take great pride in.

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<v Speaker 3>Okay, So where did you go to high school?

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<v Speaker 4>I went to Beverly Hills High School.

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<v Speaker 1>Beverly Hills High School with a lot of movie stars

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<v Speaker 1>kids and things like that.

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<v Speaker 2>You know, it's interesting that you would you consider Jack

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<v Speaker 2>Abramoff a movie star. I don't remember any movie stars.

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<v Speaker 2>You know, when you hear probably when everyone hears Beverly

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<v Speaker 2>Hills High School, they think you know the Clampet family.

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<v Speaker 2>There were four elementary schools that fed into the high school.

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<v Speaker 4>Two were tended to be.

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<v Speaker 2>Of a more affluent community and the other two were

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<v Speaker 2>quite frankly modest. I grew up in a lower middle

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<v Speaker 2>class the middle class home, never wanting for anything, an

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<v Speaker 2>incredibly close family.

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<v Speaker 3>You have siblings.

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<v Speaker 1>I have three siblings, And are they interested in homeland

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<v Speaker 1>security or not so much?

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<v Speaker 4>They are probably recent devotees.

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<v Speaker 3>Okay, So where did you go to Where did you

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<v Speaker 3>go to college?

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<v Speaker 4>I went to University of California at Berkeley.

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<v Speaker 1>Okay, so you graduate me or then you went to

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<v Speaker 1>law school in Los Angeles?

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<v Speaker 4>Loyal law school?

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<v Speaker 3>All right? So you graduated from law school, and what

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<v Speaker 3>did you do?

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<v Speaker 2>I went into a law firm. I wanted to go

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<v Speaker 2>into public service. This country has given my family everything,

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<v Speaker 2>and I very much wanted to give back. I wanted

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<v Speaker 2>to go into public service, and I had my eyes

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<v Speaker 2>on the United States Attorney's Office in Los Angeles. They

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<v Speaker 2>required three years of experience, and so I gained three

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<v Speaker 2>years of experience in a private law firm.

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<v Speaker 4>And then went into the US Attorney's office.

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<v Speaker 1>So you went into as a federal prosecutor, and you

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<v Speaker 1>were an assistant US attorney in Los Angeles.

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<v Speaker 2>For eight and a half years, specializing in sophisticated fraud cases.

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<v Speaker 1>Did you get involved in the campaign when Barack Obama

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<v Speaker 1>was running for president?

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<v Speaker 3>Were you involved in his campaign anyway? I was okay.

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<v Speaker 1>So you ultimately get involved in the transition with Barack Obama.

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<v Speaker 4>Yeah.

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<v Speaker 2>I led the Criminal Division of the Department of Justice

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<v Speaker 2>transition to.

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<v Speaker 1>And you took a position in the Obama administration. Initially,

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<v Speaker 1>what was your position?

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<v Speaker 2>The position was the Director of US Citizenship and Immigration Services,

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<v Speaker 2>an agency within the Department that administers the Legal Legal

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<v Speaker 2>Immigration Center.

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<v Speaker 1>And then after that you got promoted to be the

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<v Speaker 1>Deputy Homeland Security Secretary under Janet Napolitano. Yes, okay, And

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<v Speaker 1>so that didn't convince you that this is a complicated

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<v Speaker 1>area and you shouldn't want to come back as secretary, or.

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<v Speaker 2>That I am complicated, difficult, challenging and extraordinarily full.

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<v Speaker 1>Right, So you go back after the President Obama Leave's office,

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<v Speaker 1>you go back, you join held Wilma hal And in

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<v Speaker 1>Whatsch City here in Washington. Okay, so you're a partner there.

0:13:52.240 --> 0:13:55.360
<v Speaker 1>How did you get connected to the Biden administration? Did

0:13:55.360 --> 0:13:58.320
<v Speaker 1>they remember you from the Obama administration or they did

0:13:58.400 --> 0:13:59.960
<v Speaker 1>They just called you up and said, guess what we

0:14:00.120 --> 0:14:02.640
<v Speaker 1>like us, deputy, Now you can be the secretary.

0:14:03.360 --> 0:14:09.760
<v Speaker 4>I wouldn't say it was in that way, but I was.

0:14:11.360 --> 0:14:16.640
<v Speaker 2>Extraordinarily proud to be contacted by the incoming president, the

0:14:16.679 --> 0:14:19.080
<v Speaker 2>president elect, to be considered.

0:14:20.080 --> 0:14:23.040
<v Speaker 1>Then, did your family say you're making a lot of

0:14:23.040 --> 0:14:25.320
<v Speaker 1>money here, your way up here in compensation and you're

0:14:25.360 --> 0:14:27.480
<v Speaker 1>going to go down here again and that was a factor.

0:14:28.320 --> 0:14:32.840
<v Speaker 4>No, you didn't care, Okay, didn't care. It wouldn't be.

0:14:34.240 --> 0:14:36.000
<v Speaker 4>It is what it is, what it is. Okay.

0:14:36.120 --> 0:14:39.080
<v Speaker 1>So let's talk about the Department of Homeland Security. How

0:14:39.120 --> 0:14:42.280
<v Speaker 1>many people work at the Department of Homeland Security.

0:14:41.920 --> 0:14:44.800
<v Speaker 2>About two hundred and sixty thousand. When are they third

0:14:44.880 --> 0:14:47.320
<v Speaker 2>largest department in the federal government.

0:14:47.400 --> 0:14:48.720
<v Speaker 3>What are the main parts of it?

0:14:48.800 --> 0:14:51.000
<v Speaker 1>I know you have certain parts that were put together

0:14:51.080 --> 0:14:52.560
<v Speaker 1>out of Treasury Department other things.

0:14:52.640 --> 0:14:53.880
<v Speaker 3>What are your main divisions?

0:14:54.120 --> 0:14:58.960
<v Speaker 2>The expanse of our portfolio is extraordinary, from online child

0:14:59.040 --> 0:15:04.640
<v Speaker 2>sexual exploitation and abuse, crimes of exploitation, human trafficking, to

0:15:05.120 --> 0:15:11.240
<v Speaker 2>facilitating lawful trade and travel, to search and rescue and

0:15:11.480 --> 0:15:15.120
<v Speaker 2>security in the Arctic and the Indo Pacific, to addressing

0:15:15.400 --> 0:15:22.600
<v Speaker 2>the flooding yesterday and today in Houston, Texas, where we

0:15:22.680 --> 0:15:26.760
<v Speaker 2>have a number of fatalities, and the frequency and gravity

0:15:26.760 --> 0:15:30.920
<v Speaker 2>of extreme weather events is only growing, the cyber attacks

0:15:31.240 --> 0:15:37.440
<v Speaker 2>from China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, It's just it's extraordinary.

0:15:37.480 --> 0:15:38.960
<v Speaker 1>Do you ever get a weekend off you don't have

0:15:38.960 --> 0:15:40.560
<v Speaker 1>to worry about some crisis somewhere?

0:15:41.720 --> 0:15:44.160
<v Speaker 4>I take My goal is to take half a Saturday.

0:15:44.320 --> 0:15:46.960
<v Speaker 1>So a number of people I think from Homeland Security

0:15:47.040 --> 0:15:50.000
<v Speaker 1>and or the CIA or NSA have gone to Capitol

0:15:50.080 --> 0:15:52.920
<v Speaker 1>Hill and said that TikTok is a danger to our

0:15:52.960 --> 0:15:56.600
<v Speaker 1>NAB security, but the public hasn't been given that much

0:15:56.880 --> 0:16:00.320
<v Speaker 1>detailed information about what the threat is. How much of

0:16:00.320 --> 0:16:02.600
<v Speaker 1>a threat to our nation security is TikTok?

0:16:04.520 --> 0:16:07.560
<v Speaker 4>The People's Republic of China.

0:16:09.480 --> 0:16:14.360
<v Speaker 2>Acts adversely to the interests of the United States in

0:16:14.440 --> 0:16:20.680
<v Speaker 2>different ways. One of those ways is through the dissemination

0:16:20.800 --> 0:16:28.360
<v Speaker 2>of disinformation, the intentional communication of false statements, and TikTok

0:16:28.480 --> 0:16:35.160
<v Speaker 2>is an extraordinary avenue through which to disseminate disinformation to

0:16:35.760 --> 0:16:36.960
<v Speaker 2>millions and millions of people.

0:16:37.280 --> 0:16:41.600
<v Speaker 1>But newspapers can disseminate this information. Why is it If

0:16:41.600 --> 0:16:44.600
<v Speaker 1>it's over social media, it's got to be banned. If

0:16:44.600 --> 0:16:47.200
<v Speaker 1>a newspaper says the kind of same things that is

0:16:47.240 --> 0:16:49.760
<v Speaker 1>over TikTok, it wouldn't be banned because of the First Amendment.

0:16:49.800 --> 0:16:53.320
<v Speaker 1>Why is the First Amendment not protecting the TikTok social

0:16:53.320 --> 0:16:54.480
<v Speaker 1>media devices?

0:16:54.680 --> 0:16:59.600
<v Speaker 2>Well, it's not to me an issue of the First Amendment.

0:17:00.120 --> 0:17:04.040
<v Speaker 2>It's an issue of security. As we are talking about

0:17:04.520 --> 0:17:08.959
<v Speaker 2>a company and an algorithm that is controlled by a

0:17:09.040 --> 0:17:14.320
<v Speaker 2>foreign state that acts adversely to the interests of the

0:17:14.440 --> 0:17:17.400
<v Speaker 2>United States, and we have an obligation.

0:17:18.680 --> 0:17:20.080
<v Speaker 4>To protect Americans.

0:17:20.160 --> 0:17:22.600
<v Speaker 1>But the presumption is that people aren't smart enough to

0:17:22.680 --> 0:17:25.680
<v Speaker 1>know that it's disinformation, and they can't make the decision

0:17:25.720 --> 0:17:26.480
<v Speaker 1>for themselves.

0:17:26.760 --> 0:17:27.560
<v Speaker 3>Is that right?

0:17:28.000 --> 0:17:33.400
<v Speaker 2>Well, we're talking about many, many young people that access TikTok.

0:17:33.520 --> 0:17:36.439
<v Speaker 2>I would posit that in this country we don't have

0:17:36.480 --> 0:17:41.000
<v Speaker 2>the level of digital literacy that I think we would

0:17:41.000 --> 0:17:48.119
<v Speaker 2>all want. We're all vulnerable to disinformation, and the reality

0:17:48.280 --> 0:17:51.080
<v Speaker 2>is that we have an obligation to safeguard against it.

0:17:51.240 --> 0:17:54.720
<v Speaker 2>We're talking about the intentional dissemination of false information.

0:17:55.119 --> 0:17:57.880
<v Speaker 1>Okay, I should disclose that my firm is an investor

0:17:58.000 --> 0:18:01.600
<v Speaker 1>in bteedance. I'm not personally an investor, but my firm

0:18:01.640 --> 0:18:03.639
<v Speaker 1>did invest in it. So let me go on to

0:18:03.720 --> 0:18:05.960
<v Speaker 1>another subject. Then, okay, so.

0:18:07.440 --> 0:18:08.080
<v Speaker 3>What is you know?

0:18:08.119 --> 0:18:09.880
<v Speaker 2>My answers would have stayed the same had I known

0:18:09.920 --> 0:18:12.160
<v Speaker 2>that at the outset.

0:18:12.440 --> 0:18:15.040
<v Speaker 1>People who are watching this, you would like to say

0:18:15.040 --> 0:18:17.480
<v Speaker 1>to them that they are safer today in the United

0:18:17.480 --> 0:18:20.240
<v Speaker 1>States than they were ten or twenty or thirty years ago,

0:18:20.480 --> 0:18:21.959
<v Speaker 1>but we still have big risks.

0:18:22.000 --> 0:18:24.399
<v Speaker 2>I would say the following. I would say, we are

0:18:24.440 --> 0:18:30.240
<v Speaker 2>safer today than we were yesterday. The threat landscape is

0:18:30.359 --> 0:18:35.399
<v Speaker 2>heightened and everyone needs to be vigilant because what we

0:18:35.480 --> 0:18:39.840
<v Speaker 2>have observed. If one takes a look at the domestic

0:18:40.560 --> 0:18:44.680
<v Speaker 2>violence that has occurred, whether it is the tragic shooting

0:18:45.040 --> 0:18:50.719
<v Speaker 2>in Buffalo, New York, in the supermarket, whether it is

0:18:51.280 --> 0:18:57.200
<v Speaker 2>the July fourth parade in a suburb of Chicago, whether

0:18:57.280 --> 0:19:01.119
<v Speaker 2>it is Uvaldi, Texas. What we have learned earned is

0:19:01.160 --> 0:19:07.879
<v Speaker 2>that the individuals, the assailants, we're exhibiting signs of radicalization

0:19:08.040 --> 0:19:12.840
<v Speaker 2>to violence before they committed their heinous acts. And what

0:19:12.960 --> 0:19:20.000
<v Speaker 2>we see something, say something campaign that Secretary of Neapolitano developed. Really,

0:19:20.040 --> 0:19:23.000
<v Speaker 2>I think to the general public speaks of the abandoned

0:19:23.000 --> 0:19:26.840
<v Speaker 2>backpack at a bus stop or in the airport, it

0:19:26.880 --> 0:19:31.400
<v Speaker 2>doesn't necessarily speak to the individual who is exhibiting signs

0:19:32.040 --> 0:19:35.280
<v Speaker 2>that should cause us all to worry. And so the

0:19:35.440 --> 0:19:40.360
<v Speaker 2>question is, and what we are building is an architecture

0:19:40.720 --> 0:19:46.760
<v Speaker 2>where people understand what the ndisha are and know that

0:19:47.200 --> 0:19:51.600
<v Speaker 2>what help they can call, because it's not to call

0:19:51.720 --> 0:19:56.320
<v Speaker 2>the accountability regime, law enforcement because nothing has occurred yet,

0:19:56.600 --> 0:20:02.000
<v Speaker 2>but to call a trusted source, whether it is a teacher,

0:20:02.960 --> 0:20:07.520
<v Speaker 2>a faith leader, a mental health practitioner, to say, look,

0:20:08.400 --> 0:20:12.840
<v Speaker 2>this individual is coming to school in a hazmat suit,

0:20:13.880 --> 0:20:19.760
<v Speaker 2>or this individual has withdrawn from all social interaction and

0:20:20.080 --> 0:20:25.160
<v Speaker 2>is communicating messages that speak of an interest in committing

0:20:25.160 --> 0:20:30.040
<v Speaker 2>a violent act, who do I call? What outreach do

0:20:30.119 --> 0:20:33.399
<v Speaker 2>I make to prevent something from materializing?

0:20:33.960 --> 0:20:35.680
<v Speaker 3>So on the Secret Service.

0:20:36.800 --> 0:20:40.639
<v Speaker 1>Recently, I think a candidate running for president, Robert Kennedy's

0:20:40.640 --> 0:20:43.640
<v Speaker 1>father was assassinated. They didn't have Secret Service protection. Then

0:20:43.760 --> 0:20:45.800
<v Speaker 1>he has asked for Secret Service protection as.

0:20:45.800 --> 0:20:46.359
<v Speaker 3>In received that.

0:20:47.200 --> 0:20:49.440
<v Speaker 1>Who makes a decision or who gets Secret Service protection

0:20:49.480 --> 0:20:50.520
<v Speaker 1>when you're running for president?

0:20:51.160 --> 0:20:55.120
<v Speaker 2>I do, And what we do is we have set

0:20:55.240 --> 0:21:01.959
<v Speaker 2>up a process. We have a defined criteria in the process.

0:21:02.760 --> 0:21:10.760
<v Speaker 2>The process provides for a bipartisan group of congressional leaders

0:21:11.160 --> 0:21:16.040
<v Speaker 2>to make recommendations to me after they have analyzed the

0:21:16.040 --> 0:21:19.280
<v Speaker 2>factors that we have established. This is a protocol that

0:21:19.359 --> 0:21:24.040
<v Speaker 2>was established prior to the Trump administration, and so we

0:21:24.359 --> 0:21:25.720
<v Speaker 2>resuscitated it.

0:21:25.720 --> 0:21:27.640
<v Speaker 4>It is a political it.

0:21:27.600 --> 0:21:31.879
<v Speaker 2>Is bipartisan, and the factors are a political and I

0:21:31.960 --> 0:21:36.159
<v Speaker 2>have followed in each each instance the recommendation of the

0:21:36.160 --> 0:21:40.359
<v Speaker 2>bipartisan group. There has been no light between or amongst us.

0:21:40.560 --> 0:21:42.960
<v Speaker 1>When I worked in the White House one hundred years

0:21:42.960 --> 0:21:46.440
<v Speaker 1>ago or so, it was a president and the vice

0:21:46.480 --> 0:21:49.560
<v Speaker 1>president got Secrets Art protection as they do now. But

0:21:49.720 --> 0:21:52.040
<v Speaker 1>it seems as if a lot of White House aids

0:21:52.080 --> 0:21:55.000
<v Speaker 1>and other people have Secret Service protection. It seems like

0:21:55.040 --> 0:21:58.080
<v Speaker 1>it's proliferated. I mean, how do you decide who gets it,

0:21:58.080 --> 0:21:59.320
<v Speaker 1>if you're a White House AID or not.

0:22:00.200 --> 0:22:06.560
<v Speaker 2>It is based on a threat assessment, and very sadly,

0:22:07.680 --> 0:22:13.159
<v Speaker 2>the threat environment in which we are living is more acute.

0:22:13.400 --> 0:22:16.399
<v Speaker 1>What about baseball owners, so they need secretary protection?

0:22:16.520 --> 0:22:17.359
<v Speaker 3>You ever thought about that?

0:22:17.400 --> 0:22:21.760
<v Speaker 2>You know, if I recall my reading of the standings

0:22:22.520 --> 0:22:26.080
<v Speaker 2>circa this morning, you are safe and secure since you're

0:22:26.160 --> 0:22:27.200
<v Speaker 2>resting in first place.

0:22:28.160 --> 0:22:30.679
<v Speaker 1>Thanks for listening to hear more of my interviews. You

0:22:30.720 --> 0:22:34.840
<v Speaker 1>can subscribe and download my podcast on Spotify, Apple, or

0:22:34.840 --> 0:22:35.679
<v Speaker 1>wherever you listen