Transcription
Massachusetts Congressman Seth Moulton. He is a member of the House Armed Services Committee and is a former Marine Corps officer.
In CONGRESSMAN WELCOME, GOOD TO SEE YOU. FIRST, YOUR THOUGHTS ON WHAT WE WERE TALKING ABOUT THERE, THE REMOVAL OF THE PRESIDENT'S NAME FROM THE KENNEDY CENTER, THAT IS PRESIDENT TRUMP FROM PRESIDENT KENNEDY CENTER IT HAPPENED, OF COURSE, WE REMIND OUR VIEWERS AFTER A COURT RULED ONLY CONGRESS CAN MAKE CHANGES TO THE CENTER'S NAME.
It's kind of pathetic that we're at a point in American history where we're celebrating stopping the desecration of a memorial by the current president of the United States. But that's where we are, and it is a victory for the law. It is a victory for democracy, and it's a victory for congresswoman Beatty, who I'm so proud to serve with. I mean, she put this, put this lawsuit forward after serving on the Kennedy Center board. And as she said, this is a victory for all the citizens of the United States who do not want to see our country desecrated by Donald Trump.
How do you describe the audacity, I mean, that's what I don't want to call it, of Donald Trump's vanity projects? And how important was this this pushback?
It's incredibly important. And every bit of this is taxpayer dollars wasted. They spent 10 hours, I think, putting up that tarp just so that he wouldn't be ashamed, you know, because he doesn't like the look of having his name taken off the building. Well, that's taxpayer dollars, you know, just putting the name up in the first place when it should never have ever been there. That's taxpayer dollars. Donald Trump said he was going to grow the economy and save Americans money, but he's just wasting money on his vanity projects. And that's why it's so important that we put this to an end.
Also important, let's move on to the potential agreement to end the Iran war. President Trump just moments ago posting on Truth Social that it is scheduled to be signed tomorrow. The proposal reportedly establishes a 60-day ceasefire, leading to another far more complicated negotiation that could take months. But it would WOULD REOPEN THE STRAIGHT OF HORMUZ TO GLOBAL SHIPPING. DOES ENDING THE CHOKEHOLD ON THE STRAIGHT ALONE MAKE THIS DEAL WORTH IT?
I mean, no. I mean, this is a terrible deal. It's basically a we have a surrender document from Donald Trump to the Supreme Leader of Iran. I mean, $100 billion of taxpayer money already put into this war. 14 Americans dead and we get a deal that just reopens a straight that was already of the open before he started this stupid war. How is that a win, Alex?
Well, MSNOW reports the MOU as described by a senior administration official, does not achieve several of the president's key war goals, including whether Iran can enrich uranium for its civilian nuclear program and if there will be limits on missile production. Also unclear is how and when Iran will be compensated. So when all is said and done, final negotiations, will they get to a place that that is tougher with their constraints on Iran than before the war?
I don't think so. I mean, it certainly won't be as tough as President Obama had with the Iran nuclear deal that Donald Trump tore TRASHED IT, AND NOW IRAN HAS PRODUCED A LOT MORE ENRICHED URANIUM. THEY ARE MUCH CLOSER TO A BOMB THAN THEY EVER WERE UNDER PRESIDENT OBAMA. AND TRUMP STARTED THIS WAR THAT HE IS LOSING AND AT THE END OF IT, IT DOESN'T SOUND LIKE HE IS GOING TO GET EVEN A SEMBLANCE OF A NUCLEAR DEAL. THE DEAL TO REOPEN THE STRAIGHT, WHICH AGAIN WAS OPEN, IT WAS ALWAYS OPEN BEFORE HE STARTED THIS DUMB WAR. ALL THAT SENSE IS WE ARE GOING TO START NUCLEAR negotiations. And although you're right that we don't know what this will cost, we're hearing numbers like $24 billion of unfrozen assets. When Obama unfroze just 1.7 billion. Trump and MAGA said that was treason. Now we're giving Iran 24 billion to just start negotiations about the nuclear situation? I mean, this is really pathetic. And of course, that's on top of the $100 billion of U.S. taxpayer money that we've already spent prosecuting this war. So this is just lose-lose-lose across the board for Trump and the United States OF AMERICA, AND YET I WILL STILL SAY THAT STOPPING THIS WAR AND GETTING OUT OF IT IS THE BEST THAT WE CAN DO AT THIS POINT. AND SO THAT'S WHY WE ARE STILL HOPING FOR A DEAL EVEN THOUGH WE HAVE TO ADMIT IT'S A LOSING DEAL FOR AMERICA.
But you know the parable about the boy who cried wolf, right? I think it's been 37 times that we have been told DEAL IS ABOUT TO HAPPEN, IT'S CLOSE, JUST AROUND THE CORNER. or whatever it is, whatever verbiage is being used. Do you think this deal for the MOU will happen this weekend? Tomorrow, maybe Monday, let's give it a little space.
I would be shot. I mean, MY TEAM JUST TOLD ME IT WAS 39. SO I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S 37 OR 39, ALEX, BUT IT'S A LOT OF TIMES. I STAND CORRECTED. TO YOUR POINT, THERE YOU GO. I DON'T KNOW. MAYBE YOUR TEAM HAS GOT THE NUMBER I THINK IT WAS 37 A COUPLE DAYS AGO. THE BOTTOM LINE IS THAT TRUMP HAS TOLD US COUNTLESS TIMES THERE'S A DEAL, IT'S ABOUT TO HAPPEN. AND IT REALLY SOUNDS LIKE DONALD TRUMP WANTS A DEAL. It sounds like the Iranians are pretty content dragging out negotiations because guess what? They have a stranglehold on the world economy by closing the strait. And all of this is thanks to Donald Trump and a dumb war that's gotten 14 Americans killed a hundred billion dollars of taxpayer dollars wasted and put us in a worse position against Iran. And that, by the way, is not taking anything away from the fact that Iran is a national security threat to the United States and our allies. So that's why you shouldn't be losing wars to Iran. You shouldn't start wars with Iran that you're going to lose. You shouldn't start wars you don't have a plan to end, and you shouldn't get Americans killed for a losing effort. I mean, this is just an utter disaster for Donald Trump. And it's time for Democrats to really hold him accountable and make him own this massive failure.
I want to pivot to President President Trump having nominated Jay Clayton, U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York and former SEC chairman as director of national intelligence after Democrats refused to renew foreign intelligence surveillance powers unless Trump pulled Bill Pulte to lead that agency. So Clayton oversaw cases involving national security threats, of course, but has few intelligence credentials specifically. Is he qualified for the?
I THINK IT'S A GOOD JOB. WILL DEMOCRATS SUPPORT HIS CONFIRMATION TO PUSH POLTTY OUT OF THE ACTING ROLE AND REAUTHORIZE FISA? WELL, THESE ARE COMPLICATED QUESTION IS A LITTLE BIT OF A COMPLICATED PICTURE, ALEX, BECAUSE OBVIOUSLY HE'S IMMEASURABLY BETTER THAN BILL PULTE. AND YET HE'S STILL NOT GOOD ENOUGH. I MEAN, HE DOES NOT HAVE ANY NATIONAL SECURITY QUALIFICATIONS. SO WHILE I THINK A LOT OF PEOPLE ON CAPITOL HILL ARE RELIEVED THAT BILL PULTE, WHO'S JUST FALLEN THROUGH CORRUPT, IS OUT, JAY CLAYTON, WHO USED TO HAVE BIPARTISAN SUPPORT AND RESPECT, HAS MOST RECENTLY DISTINGUISHED HIMSELF BY SUPPORTING THE PRESIDENT'S CONSPIRACY THEORIES ABOUT THE CALIFORNIA ELECTION, AND EVEN SUPPORTING HIS SO-CALLED ANTI-WEAPONIZATION SLUSH FUND TO TAKE AMERICAN TAXPAYER DOLLARS AND PAY OFF THE JANUARY 6TH INSURRECTIONISTS. SO, JAY CLAYTON IS NOT SOMEONE THAT I WOULD EVER SUPPORT BECAUSE HE MAY HAVE BEEN A GOOD GUY IN THE PAST, BUT THAT'S WHAT HE'S DOING TODAY. SUPPORTING ELECTION CONSPIRACY THEORIES AND SUPPORTING THIS SLUSH FUND TO PAY OFF JANUARY 6TH INSURRECTIONISTS. THAT IS NOT SOMEONE THAT WE SHOULD HAVE IN CHARGE OF OUR NATIONAL SECURITY. THAT'S NOT SOMEONE WE SHOULD EVEN TRUST WITH A SECURITY CLEARANCE TO BEGIN WITH.
Congressman Seth Moulton, my friend, good to see you. Thank you so much for weighing in.