HE IS GOING TO RESIGN, NOT RUN FOR REELECTION WHEN CONGRESS RECESSES IN OCTOBER.
HE’S GOING TO BE BECOME CEO OF
AMERICAN JEWISH COMMITTEE HAC.
CONGRESSMAN JOINS NOWS FROM HOME
WHERE HE IS RECOVERING FROM A
CASE OF COVID-19.
CONGRESSMAN, GLAD TO SEE YOU.
HOW ARE YOU FEELING
>> I’M FEELING MUCH BETTER,
THANKS VERY MUCH.
IT’S GOOD TO BE WITH YOU.
GOOD TO BE WITH YOU BOTH
>> WE’RE SO GLAD YOU ARE TOO.
CONGRESSMAN
>> SAME.
>> I’M SORRY GLENNA.
SHE’S BREATHE GROOETING YOU AS
WELL.
CONGRESSMAN LET ME ASK YOU, YOU
WERE ALL BUT GUARANTEED
REELECTION IF YOU CHOSEN TO RUN.
YOU’RE FINISHING YOUR SEVENTH
TERM IN THE HOUSE OF
REPRESENTATIVES.
WHAT WHAT WERE FACTORS THAT MADE
YOU SAY NO I’M NOT GOING TO GO
BACK?
>> MIKE I LOVE THE JOB MORE THAN
ANYTHING ELSE I LOVE
REPRESENTING PEOPLE OF SOUTH
FLORIDA.
SUCH A, SUCH A SPECIAL COMMUNITY
THAT WE LIVE IN AND THAT I’M SO
PRIVILEGED TO REPRESENT.
THE FACT IS I WASN’T THINKING
ABOUT BUT THIS OPPORTUNITY
PRESENTED ITSELF TO FOCUS FULL
TIME ON GLOBAL LEVEL ON ISSUES
THAT I REALLY PASSIONATE ABOUT I
KNOW MATTER TO FLORIDA TOO FIGHT
AN ANTI SEMITISM A DEFENDING
GLOBAL JEWISH COMMUNITY.
THEIR REAL CHALLENGE THAT IS
WE’RE GRAPPLING WITH IN CONGRESS
AND THEY ARE REAL THREATS
ONGOING THREATS TO THE
COMMUNITY.
THIS SEEMS LIKE AN OPPORTUNITY
THAT WILL GIVE ME A CHANCE TO
REALLY DO EVEN MORE.
AND IT WAS A HARD, HARD
DECISION.
BUT I’M EXCITED ABOUT THE
TRANSITION.
>> CONGRESSMAN, WE THOUGH THAT’S
TRUE.
JUST FROM THE AMOUNT OF TIMES
THAT WE’VE WORKING WITH YOU AND
REPORTING ON YOU AND WE’LL TALK
ABOUT THAT MORE IN DEPTH.
BUT JUST TO PICK UP ON WHAT
MICHAEL WAS SAYING, YOU BECOME
THE 31ST DEMOCRAT TO NOT SEEK
REELECTION IN CONGRESS.
THE FOURTH FROM FLORIDA AS A
MATTER OF FACT.
IT SEEMS LIKE THERE’S A LITTLE
BIT OF AN EXODUS.
THAT IS HOW YOU SEE IT?
>> NO.
LOOK, AS I’VE TRIED TO EXPLAIN
TO PEOPLE I’M NOT RUNNING AWAY
FROM CONGRESS.
I THINK THAT THE THINGS ARE
GOING TO GO BETTER IN NOVEMBER
THAN PEOPLE THINK.
BUT REGARDLESS HOW IT WORKED OUT
SERVED IN MAJORITY AND SERVED
MINORITY I’M PROUD OF RECORD I
HAVE.
I AM NOT RUNNING FROM CONGRESS
I’M RUNNING TO THIS OPPORTUNITY
TO REALLY STAND UP AND LEAD THE
EFFORT TO STRENGTHEN GLOBAL
JEWISH COMMUNITY A TIME WHEN
CHALLENGES ARE SO GREAT.
SO THAT’S, THAT’S WHAT DRIVING
ME.
>> YEAH.
WELL IT’S CLEARLY A VERY GOOD
FIT WITH YOU AND THE AGC WHICH I
PERSONALLY KNOW AND RESPECT.
IT DOES GREAT WORK AROUND THE
WORLD.
BUT LET’S GO BACK TO PURE
POLITICS HERE.
CONGRESSMAN, YOU ARE THE
CHAIRMAN OF THE HOUSE ETHICS
COMMITTEE.
IT’S A GREAT COMPLIMENT TO YOU
THAT YOUR COLLEAGUE BOTH SIDES
OF THE AISLE MADE YOU CHAIR OF
THAT COMMITTEE.
YOU ALSO CHAIR THE HOUSE FOREIGN
RELATIONS SUBCOMMITTEE ON THE
MIDDLE EAST.
NOW IF YOU HAD BEEN REELECTED,
AND REPUBLICANS THEY CONTROL THE
HOUSE YOU WOULD HAVE LOST THEIR
CHAIRMAN SHIPS.
DID THAT FACTOR INTO YOUR
THINKING?
>> NO.
NOT AT ALL.
AS I SAID BEFORE, MICHAEL I’VE
ACTUALLY SERVED IN MINORITY AS
YOU KNOW, AS YOU GLENNA KNOW I
SERVE
SERVED UNDER MY GOOD FRIEND WHEN
SHOW WAS A CHAIR OF THE
COMMITTEE.
SO AND WE WORKED REALLY
CLOSINGLY TOGETHER BECAUSE THE
ISSUES THAT MATTER REALLY MATTER
TO EVERYONE, THEY ARE NOT
PARTISAN ISSUES IN FOREIGN
AFFAIRS JUST LOOK WHAT’S
HAPPENING IN UKRAINE.
SO THAT DIDN’T REALLY HAVE
ANYTHING TO DO WITH IT.
AND, I, I WOULD HAVE CONTINUED
ON DOING THE SAME SORT OF WORK
THAT I’VE DOING SINCE I’VE
NUMBER CONGRESS TRYING TO WORK
ACROSS THE AISLE AND ADDRESS THE
NEEDS THAT THE COMMUNITY WANTS
ME TO FOCUS ON.
>> CONGRESSMAN, AS LONG YOU
BROUGHT UP UKRAINE I WANT TO
TALK ABOUT YOUR NEW POSITION
ANTI SEMITISM THE RISE OF HITLER
IN CONTEXT OF UKRAINE RIGHT NOW.
KIND FLOATING AROUND IN MY HEAD,
WATCHING THIS HORROR AND HEART
ACHE IN REAL TIME ON SOCIAL
MEDIA.
WHAT’S GOING ON.
I WONDER IF YOU CAN TALK A
LITTLE BIT ABOUT YOUR THOUGHTS
ON IF WE COULD HAVE DONE THAT 70
YEARS AGO IF WE COULD HAVE
WATCHED THE RISE OF HITLER IN
REAL TIME.
NOW WITH HINDSIGHT WHAT SHOULD
THE U.S. HAVE BEEN DOING?
WHAT SHOULD U.S. BEEN DOING NOW?
THAT CONTEXT?
>> WELL, THE ONE THING THAT’S I
THINK VERY CLEAR FROM THIS IS
IT’S A REMINDER THAT WHEN
SOMEONE TELLS US WHAT THEY
INTEND TO DO, THAT WE HAVE TO
TAKE IT SERIOUSLY.
AND BY THE WAY, THAT’S TRUE FOR
PUTIN IN UKRAINE AND IT’S TRUE
FOR THE SUPREME LEADER IN IRAN
AS WE PIVOT POSSIBLY NEXT WEEK
GOING FORWARD IN UKRAINE.
WE HAVE TO CONTINUE TO DO WHAT
WE HAVE DONE.
I THINK PRESIDENT BIDEN HAS I
WAS IN MUNICH FOR SECURITY
CONFERENCE.
I SAW THE IMPACT THAT THE
PRESIDENT’S LEADERSHIP HAS HAD
IN REALLY BRINGING TOGETHER THE
WESTERN WORLD TO STAND AGAINST
PUTIN AND STAND WITH THE PEOPLE
OF UKRAINE.
THERE’S JUST NO QUESTION PUTIN
DIDN’T EXPECT THE RESOLVE TO BE
AS GREAT AS IT HAS BEEN.
HE DIDN’T EXPECT THE UNIFIED
APPROACH JUST STARTING HIM OLETH
RUSSIAN ECONOMY, ALL OF THAT HAS
HAD A SIGNIFICANT IMPACT.
WE NEED TO DO MORE.
WE SHOULDN’T IMPORTING ANY
RUSSIAN OIL.
WE SHOULD WORKING TO MAKE SURE
THAT WE’RE SHUTTING DOWN EVERY
COUNTRY WHO IMPORTING RUSSIAN
OIL.
SHUT DOWN THAT EXPORTS FROM
RUSSIA ALTOGETHER.
WE SHOULD BE WORKING WITH MORE
BUSINESSES SO THAT THEY, THEY
WALK AWAY FROM RUSSIA JUST AS WE
SAW VISA AND MASTER CARD DO OVER
THE WEEKEND.
THERE IS, THERE SO MUCH THAT WE
THEED DO TO INCREASE THE
PRESSURE.
I WAS ON CALL YESTERDAY WITH
PRESIDENT ZELENSKY AND A NUMBER
OF MY COLLEAGUES.
HE SPOKE ABOUT THE NEED FOR
AIRPLANES SO THAT THEY COULD
FURTHER AND BETTER DEFEND
THEMSELVES.
I THINK WE SHOULD BE WE SHOULD
FOCUSED ON THAT.
SO THERE IS A LOT MORE WE COULD
BE DOING AND THEN JUST THE ONE
THING MICHAEL GLENNA I WOULD SAY
THAT THE BEAUTY OF THE AMERICAN
RESPONSE IS THAT PEOPLE HAVE
REALLY STEPPED UP TO BE THERE
FOR UKRAINIAN PEOPLE.
WE SHOULD BEEN SUPPORTING WHAT
IS ALREADY AND WILL CONTINUE TO
BE A MASSIVE HUMANITARIAN CRISIS
GOING FORWARD AS WELL.
>> AGREED.
THE OUT POURING OF SUPPORT IN
SOUTH FLORIDA ACROSS COUNTRY.
ACROSS THE WORLD HAVE BEEN JUST
ASTOUNDING.
AND WELL DESERVED.
CONGRESSMAN GREAT TO SPEAK WITH
YOU AND UNTIL YOU GO TO WORK FOR
THE AGC WE WILL BE ASKING YOU
SOME POINTED QUESTIONS FOR YOUR
ROLE AS MEMBER OF CONGRESS.
THANKS FOR JOINING US.