EXPECTING ALL OF THAT MONEY TO
GET TO UKRAINE.
JOINING ME NOW IS VIRGINIA
CONGRESSMAN AND VICE CHAIRMAN OF
HOUSE ARMED SERVICES COMMITTEE
ROB WHITMAN.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR BEING
HERE.
WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON ALL OF
THIS AID TO UKRAINE?
>> WELL, FIRST OF ALL, MARIA,
THERE NEEDS TO BE CONSISTENT
STRATEGY OUT OF THE BIDEN
ADMINISTRATION.
THEY VERY LURCHING BACK AND
FORTH WITH WHAT THEY SAY THEY
ARE GOING TO DO AND NOT GOING TO
DO IT.
YOU LOOK AT THE MEDIUM RANGE
MISSILE SYSTEM, FIRST THEY SAID
YES OR FIRST THEY SAID NO AND
THEN YES, THE SAME WITH PATRIOT
MISSILE BATTERIES AND THE SAME
WITH ABRAM TANKS.
THERE’S NOT BEEN A CONSISTENT
POLICY, THERE’S NOT BEEN
STRATEGY ON HOW WE ARE GOING TO
GET UKRAINE TO A POINT IN THIS
WAR.
YOU CAN’T HAVE IT INDEFINITELY.
AMERICAN PEOPLE WANT TO HELP BUT
NOT BLANK PAYCHECK.
THERE HAS TO BE THE STRATEGY AND
HAS TO BE ADDITIONAL OVERSIGHT
ABOUT WHERE THE MONEY GOES AND
IT’S NOT JUST FOLKS IN THE
PENTAGON, THE INSPECTOR GENERAL,
IT HAS TO BE INCLUDING THE
INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE.
IF ANY OF THIS WEAPONS OR ANY OF
THE WEAPONS GO ANYWHERE ELSE, WE
NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THAT.
THOSE ARE THINGS THAT AREN’T
BEING DONE THAT HAVE TO BE DONE.
MARIA: WELL, ARE YOU ENSURING
THAT THIS IS HAPPENING?
YOU’RE THE VICE CHAIRMAN OF
ARMED SERVICES, PEOPLE WANT TO
KNOW, YOU’RE AN ELECTED
OFFICIAL.
ARE YOU GOING TO MAKE SURE OF
IT?
>> ABSOLUTELY.
I HAVE A BILL IN THAT WILL RAMP
UP THE OVERSIGHT ON THIS EFFORT
AND MAKE SURE WHERE EVERY SINGLE
ALMOST OF U.S. AID TO UKRAINE
GOES AND MAKE SURE THAT WE TRACK
IT.
ANOTHER THING TOO WE CONTINUE TO
PUSH THE ADMINISTRATION FOR A
STRATEGY.
OUR COMMITTEE I BELIEVE HAS AN
OPPORTUNITY NOT ONLY WITH THE
BIDEN ADMINISTRATION BUT ALSO
OFFICIALS IN THE PENTAGON TO
HAVE THEM DEFINE WHAT THE
STRATEGY IS GOING TO BE.
THEY HAVEN’T TO THIS POINT.
OUR RESPONSIBILITY IS TO MAKE
THEM COME IN AND DEFINE THAT
STRATEGY.
MARIA: YEAH, I WANT TO GET YOUR
TAKE ON THE NEWS THAT THE UNITED
STATES IS NOW GOING TO BEEF UP
MILITARY PRESENCE IN TAIWAN.
OFFICIALS PLANNING TO SEND UP TO
200 TROOPS TO TAIWAN TO HELP
TAIWAN FOCUS ON TACTICS AND
WEAPON SYSTEMS WHICH WOULD MAKE
THE ISLAND HARDER TO ASSAULT.
CONGRESSMAN, WE HAD THE CHAIRMAN
OF THE CHINA SELECT COMMITTEE ON
THIS PROGRAM MIKE GALLAGHER WHO
SAID HE’S EXPECTING CHINA TO TRY
TO INVADE IN 2024.
HOE-- HE SAID THAT’S GOING TO BE
THE VULNERABLE TIME BECAUSE OF
THE ELECTION THERE.
HERE IS MIKE GALLAGHER, WATCH
THIS.
>> 2024 IS THE YEAR I’M LOOKING
AT.
WE HAVE A PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION
AND INTERNALLY DIVIDED AND
DISTRACTED.
MORE IMPORTANTLY TAIWAN HAS
PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION AND SO I
THINK THOSE TWO THINGS CONSPIRE
TO CONVINCE XI JINPING HE CAN
ACHIEVE POLITICAL WARFARE SO HE
MIGHT CHOOSE THE KINETIC OR HIGH
POWER OPTIONS.
2024 IS REALLY THE YEAR OF
MAXIMUM DANGER IN MY OPINION.
MARIA: MAXIMUM DANGER.
IS THAT WHY WE ARE INCREASING
TROOP LEVELS IN TAIWAN AND
YOU’RE EXPECTING SOME KIND OF A
RETALIATION FROM COMMUNIST CHINA
FROM THIS?
>> WELL, I EXPECT XI JINPING TO
ACT AS HE ALWAYS HAS TO BE A
BULLY.
HE’S GOING TO REACT AND I AGREE WITH CHAIRMAN GALLAGHER, I THINK
WITH CHAIRMAN GALLAGHER, I THINK
THAT THE WINDOW OF VULNERABILITY
AND WHEN CAN THEY HAVE THE
GREATEST WINDOW TO COME IN AND
TAKE TAIWAN. IT’S HELPFUL FOR
US TO AND TRAIN THE TAIWANESE
ARMY AND THEY HAVE TO HAVE
GREATER CAPABILITY TO DETER THE
CHINESE.
IT’S ALSO HELPING THEM IN
DEPLOYING ASSET THAT IS THEY
ALREADY HAVE THAT WOULD BE VERY
HELPFUL LIKE SHIP THAT IS COULD
MINE TAIWANESE STRAITS.
WE NEED TO BE DOING EVERYTHING
TO HELP TAIWAN AND HELP ITSELF
AND HAVE THEM AS SIGNIFICANT
FORCE THAT MAKES CHINA THINK
TWICE ABOUT COMING ACROSS THE
TAIWANESE STRAIT TO TAKE TAIWAN.
MARIA: WELL, WHY HAVEN’T ALL OF
THE ARMS THAT WE’VE CONTRACTED
WITH TAIWAN BEEN SENT TO TAIWAN?
I MEAN, YOU KNOW, THAT’S ANOTHER
ISSUE.
THEY’RE EXPECTING ALL OF THIS
AID IN THE FORM OF MILITARY
EQUIPMENT FROM THE U.S. AND THEY
HAVEN’T RECEIVED IT.
>> WELL, MARIA, THAT’S A GREAT
POINT.
WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY
RECEIVE IT, YOU KNOW, MAKING THE
COMMITMENT IS WASN’T THING BUT
MAKING SURE THAT TAIWAN GETS IT
IN A TIMELY MANNER IS ANOTHER
THING BUT NOT ONLY TO GET THE
EQUIPMENT BUT ONCE YOU GET IT,
YOU TO TRAIN ON IT.
IT’S NOT LIKE IT APPEARS
AUTOMATICALLY.
WE HAVE TO MAKE SURE THAT THE
TAIWANESE ARMY ARE TRAINED AND
SUPPLY EQUIPMENT AND TRAINING,
THAT HAS TO HAPPEN POST AND IT’S
OUR RESPONSIBILITY TO MAKE SURE
THE PENTAGON GETS THAT DONE.
>> YEAH. WE COMPLAIN ALL OF THE TIME ON
WE COMPLAIN ALL OF THE TIME ON
THIS PROGRAM ABOUT THE
POLARIZATION AND THEY IMPROPERLY
RELEASED MILITARY MEMBERS.
BOTH HAD RECORDS RELEASED
WITHOUT APPROVAL DURING MIDTERM
CAMPAIGN CONGRESSMAN, MORE
POLITICS HERE IN THE FACE OF
DANGEROUS SITUATIONS, WHAT
HAPPENED?
>> MARIA, THIS IS AGAINST THE
LAW.
THERE NEEDS TO BE A FULL
INVESTIGATION AND THE PEOPLE
RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS NEED TO BE
HELD ACCOUNTABLE.
THIS IS CLEARLY A VIOLATION OF
THE LAW AND THIS CROSSES THE
LINE WHERE NOW YOU HAVE
POLITICAL OPPOSITION RESEARCH
TURNS INTO AND ILLEGAL ACTIVITY.
I SHARE REPRESENTATIVE BACON AND
REPRESENTATIVES NUNN’S OUTRAGE,
HAS TO BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE AND
YOU CANNOT ALLOW THIS TO HAPPEN
AND FRUSTRATES PEOPLE WHERE
POLITICS NOW CREEPS INTO THE
FUNCTION OF GOVERNMENT.
UNACCEPTABLE.
MARIA: IT’S UNACCEPTABLE AND
HAPPENED AT THE IRS TOO.
THEY START DIVULGING PEOPLE’S
TAX RETURNS.
IT’S JUST REALLY HORRIBLE.
CONGRESSMAN, THANKS VERY MUCH