00:00As I speak to you now for the second consecutive day and for the first time in many, many years,
00:04the leaders of the legitimate government of Lebanon and leaders from the government of Israel
00:08are seated at the State Department for the second day in a row.
00:11And hopefully today we'll produce a joint statement and an action plan on a track for security in that country,
00:17independent from Hezbollah, independent from nefarious influence.
00:21They had similar meetings last week at the Pentagon at the military level.
00:25Will you tell us, the Congress and the American people, whether Israel, in fact, possesses nuclear weapons?
00:31You know that that's a question that we don't, they've never acknowledged to have a nuclear program.
00:35People can have, as you know, an open source and other reporting suspicions about what they possess.
00:40If we're speaking frankly, I think most of the world assesses that they do.
00:43But they've never acknowledged that publicly.
00:45And as a feature of our foreign policy for a variety of reasons, we don't discuss it in that way
00:50either.
00:51Well, I guess a few things.
00:52This is the first time, especially for an extended period, that we are at war with an ally, Israel, against
00:59Iran.
01:00And we have service members deployed.
01:03And we don't, if they in fact possess nuclear weapons, and you're right, in open source reporting that has come
01:08across,
01:09we don't know what their red lines are for using those nuclear weapons.
01:12And so I guess I'm shocked that our government wouldn't make an effort to know, to understand,
01:19and then to give our oversight body the information that we need to make decisions about the war as well.
01:25That's a fair observation.
01:26And I would answer that if perhaps you make that request and you're open to it being answered in a
01:31different setting other than a public...
01:33A classified setting?
01:34A classified setting?
01:36Yes.
01:37Both classified and sensitive.
01:39Did you warn President Trump before the war in Iran began that this conflict would drive up costs on gas,
01:49food, travel, and shipment?
01:52Yeah, I'll warn you right now.
01:53I don't do yes or no answers.
01:54I only have five minutes.
01:56I know when you were the senator, you know about this business.
01:59I never did yes or no answers.
01:59And I know you're trying to go out so that you can run out my five minutes.
02:03That's a simple question.
02:04I'm trying to run out your five minutes.
02:05You're running out your five minutes.
02:06Did you?
02:06I don't do yes or no questions.
02:07You want to ask me a question, I'll answer you a question.
02:09I'm answering you.
02:09You're answering my question.
02:10It was my time.
02:11Did you?
02:12Did I what?
02:13Yes or no.
02:14Did you warn President Trump before the Iran war began that this conflict would drive up costs on gas, food,
02:23travel, and ship?
02:24The president...
02:25Yes or no?
02:25The president and the full administration was aware that there would be consequences to action, but the consequences of Iran
02:30having a nuclear weapon were worse.
02:31Did you warn him that launching a war on Iran could result in the regime placing a chokehold on the
02:40state of Hormuz?
02:41All the risk factors were understood, but the most important risk factor was Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon.
02:45Did you warn him?
02:47If you didn't warn him, say yes.
02:49It's simple.
02:50Everyone was aware of what Iran might do in retaliation.
02:52I'm asking you a second.
02:53Everyone was aware of what Iran might do.
02:55Let me ask you the next question.
02:56But the worst...
02:57Did you warn the president that launching U.S. strikes against Iran would result in retaliatory attacks on U.S.
03:05allies, partners, and Americans living or working in the Middle East?
03:09Everyone understood what Iran would do in response.
03:11Did you warn him?
03:12We were prepared for any response that came out when we knew it, but they can't have a nuclear weapon.
03:16So you're saying you warned them?
03:18Did you warn the president that the personal stock purchases and companies profiting from the war that he launched could
03:25present a conflict of interest?
03:27I'm not aware of the president's stock purchases.
03:29I don't deal with that, and I don't even know what you're saying is true.
03:31Well, we know because it is made public what his stock purchases were.
03:37You say so.
03:37I don't read the president's financial disclosure, but I don't believe that could be true.
03:40Well, I think then the president should be more transparent.
