>> THERE’S TALKS OF FOREIGN
INTELLIGENCE AGENCIES WHO IS
SUPPLYINGS WHAT IN WHAT WARS AND
FUNDING CERTAIN THINGS.
THERE’S TALKS OF NUCLEAR
WEAPONRY.
THAT’S HARDLY TOUCHING THE
ICEBERG.
THERE’S JUST STUFF THAT IF YOUR
TAX DOLLARS ARE FUNDING THESE
ATROCITIES, YOU SHOULD BE ABLE
TO KNOW ABOUT IT.
MARIA: THAT’S A SOURCE TELLING
THE WASHINGTON POST ABOUT THE
PERSON BEHIND THE MASSIVE
PENTAGON INTELLIGENCE LEAK AND
THE DOCUMENTS DISCLOSED.
HE SAYS THE LEAKER WHO GOES BY
THE INITIALS OG WORKED ON A
MILITARY BASE AND SHARED THE
CLASSIFIED INFORMATION WITH A
GROUP OF FRIENDS ONLINE
INCLUDING HIM.
THE HUNDREDS OF SECRET DOCUMENTS
POSTED ONLINE CHAT ROOM ON
DISCORD, POPULAR WITH GAMERS.
JOINING US MIKE LAWLER,
CONGRESSMAN, THANK YOU VERY MUCH
FOR BEING HERE AND TAKING THIS
ON.
FROM A FOREIGN AFFAIRS
PERSPECTIVE, WHAT’S THE IMPACT
OF THIS LEAK?
>> WELL, HONESTLY, THIS IS
OUTRAGEOUS.
IT IS CERTAINLY ESPIONAGE AND
THE INDIVIDUAL WHO IS FOUND TO
BE LEAKING THESE DOCUMENTS NEEDS
TO BE CHARGED CRIMINALLY AND PUT
BEHIND BARS.
THIS HAS CREATED AN
INTERNATIONAL CRISIS WITH OUR
ALLIES AND OBVIOUSLY PUT IN
JEOPARDY SOURCES AND INDIVIDUALS
WHO HAVE BEEN COOPERATING WITH
U.S. INTELLIGENCE SERVICES
PARTICULARLY IN THE RUSSIAN
INVASION INTO UKRAINE.
AND GIVEN THE FACT THAT THAT WAR
IS STILL ONGOING, THIS REALLY
PUTS FOLKS IN JEOPARDY AND
FRANKLY IT’S OUTRAGEOUS.
MARIA: LEE CARTER. LEE: CONGRESSMAN, DO YOU GET THE
LEE: CONGRESSMAN, DO YOU GET THE
SENSE THAT THIS IS ONGOING OR
ONE-OFF?
PERHAPS HE WAS SHOWING UP TO
FRIENDS AND YES, WE HAVE TO TAKE
SERIOUSLY BUT THIS MIGHT NOT BE
BROADER THREAT, SHOULD WE BE
AFRAID THAT MORE IS TO COME?
>> WELL, GIVEN THE FACT THAT
THESE DOCUMENTS WERE ABLE TO
SEEMINGLY, YOU KNOW, WALK OUT
THE DOOR OBVIOUSLY I THINK WE
NEED TO BE VERY CONCERNED ABOUT
WHAT OTHER INFORMATION IS OUT
THERE.
YOU KNOW, I’VE BEEN IN
CLASSIFIED BRIEFINGS.
YOU’RE NOT ALLOWED TO TAKE THE
DOCUMENTS OUT OF THE ROOM, SO
THE FACT THAT THESE DOCUMENTS
WERE ABLE TO LEAVE, THAT THEY
WERE ABLE TO BE POSTED ON, YOU
KNOW, SOME GAMING WEBSITE AND --
AND COMMUNICATION FORUM IS
DEEPLY DISTURBING AND OBVIOUSLY
THE FBI AND THE DEPARTMENT OF
JUSTICE, THE DEPARTMENT OF
DEFENSE NEED TO GET TO BOTTOM OF
IT QUICKLY TO MAKE SURE THERE
ARE NO POTENTIAL LEAKS.
MARIA: I WANT TO GET YOUR TAKE
ON CHINA, CHINA ISSUING WARNING
AFTER U.S. ISSUING LARGEST
DRILLS WITH THE PHILIPPINES.
SHOULD BE CONDUCIVE TO REGIONAL
PEACE AND STABILITY.
CONGRESSMAN, YOU WERE PART OF
THE CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION TO
TAIWAN, ASSESS THE CHINA THREAT
AND THE DRILLS?
>> WELL, THAT STATEMENT IS
COMICAL IN LIGHT OF THE FACT
THAT THEY PERFORMED DRILLS
SURROUNDING THE ISLAND OF TAIWAN
WHILE I AND MY COLLEAGUES WERE
THERE.
CHINA IS OUR GREATEST
GEOPOLITICAL FOE AND WHEN YOU
LOOK AT THEIR CONDUCT AND THE
NAKED AGGRESSION THAT THEY HAVE
ENGAGED IN INCLUDING FLYING A
CHINESE SPY BALLOON OVER THE
CONTINENTAL UNITED STATES
UNIMPEDED, COLLECTING SENSITIVE
DATA OF OUR MILITARY BASIS, THEY
ARE A THREAT AND THE UNITED
STATES AND THE BIDEN
ADMINISTRATION NEEDS TO TAKE
THAT THREAT SERIOUSLY.
WE NEED TO BE WORKING WITH OUR
ALLIES, SPECIFICALLY, JAPAN,
SOUTH KOREA, THAILAND AND
TAIWAN.
60% OF INTERNATIONAL TRADE COMES
THROUGH THE STRAIT OF TAIWAN.
OVER 90% OF SEMICONDUCTORS ARE
MANUFACTURED IN TAIWAN AND
TAIWAN IS OUR EIGHTH LARGEST
TRADING PARTNER.
CHINA NEEDS TO UNDERSTAND THAT
ANY PROVOCATIONS, ANY POTENTIAL
INVASION OF TAIWAN OR BLOCKADE
IN THE STRAIT OF TAIWAN IS NOT
ONLY UNACCEPTABLE BUT WILL BE
MET WITH ECONOMIC SANCTIONS AND
FORCE.
MARIA: YEAH.
>> AND ONE OF THE LESSONS THAT
MUST BE LEARNED FROM THE RUSSIAN
INVASION OF UKRAINE IS THAT WE
NEED TO DETER CHINA EARLY WHICH
MEANS WE NEED TO ARM TAIWAN.
WE NEED TO GET THE WEAPONS THAT
THEY HAVE PURCHASED,
MANUFACTURED AND TO THEM AS
QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE AND THE
BIDEN ADMINISTRATION HAS BEEN
ASLEEP AT THE SWITCH ON THIS AND
THEY NEED TO GET SERIOUS ABOUT
IT QUICK.
MARIA: WHY WOULD CHINA
UNDERSTAND THAT?
THERE’S BEEN NO PUSHBACK
WHATSOEVER.
YOU JUST MENTIONED THE
SURVEILLANCE BALLOON.
WE DID NOTHING ABOUT IT.
THEY WERE SENDING DATA FROM
MILITARY INSTALLATIONS BACK IN
REALTIME.
WE DID NOTHING ABOUT THE FACT
THAT THE CCP WOULD NOT ALLOW NEW
INVESTIGATION INTO THE WUHAN
LAB.
MORE THAN A MILLION -- MILLIONS
AND MILLIONS OF PEOPLE ACROSS
THE WORLD DIED FROM COVID-19 AND
WE CAN’T EVEN FIND OUT THE
ORIGINS BECAUSE THE CCP SAID NO.
YOU HAVE WISCONSIN CONGRESSMAN,
MIKE GALLAGHER ON THE SHOW WITH
ME YESTERDAY DISCUSSING THAT
CHINA IS PREPARING FOR WAR
AGAINST TAIWAN AND HE SAID THE
POSSIBILITY IS REAL THAT THEY
WILL INVADE NEXT YEAR.
WATCH THIS.
>> THEY ARE TRYING TO INTIMIDATE
THE PEOPLE OF TAIWAN.
THEIR REAL GOAL IS TO INFLUENCE
THE UPCOMING TAIWANESE ELECTION
IN 2024.
THIS IS REALLY A FORM OF
COGNITIVE WARFARE.
THEY HAVE DONE A FEW EXERCISES
AROUND TAIWAN.
THEY HAVE THREATENED TO START
BOARDING SHIPPING VESSELS TO
TAIWAN.
THAT WOULD AMOUNT TO VIRTUAL
BLOCKADE.
THAT WOULD BE MASSIVE ESCALATION
AND SO WE SHOULD COMMUNICATE IN
NO UNCERTAIN TIMES THAT WE WANT
TO ABIDE BY THAT.
MARIA: AND HE SAID BECAUSE
THERE’S AN ELECTION IN TAIWAN IN
’24 AND IN ELECTION IN AMERICA
IN ’24, HE’S WORRIED THAT THAT’S
GOING TO BE THE YEAR THAT CHINA
MOVES INTO TAIWAN.
IF THEY DO, WHAT ARE WE DOING
ABOUT IT?
>> WELL, HE IS 100% CORRECT.
THE GREATEST THREAT RIGHT NOW
THEIR INTERFERENCE IN THE
UPCOMING PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION
IN THE BEGINNING OF ’24.
WE MET WITH PRESIDENT TASI LAST
WEEK AND HAD THE VERY
DISCUSSIONS, CERTAINLY THERE IS
THAT CONCERN AND IF THEY ARE NOT
SUCCESSFUL IN IMPACTING THAT
ELECTION AND GETTING THEIR
PREFERRED CANDIDATE THROUGH WE
ARE DEEPLY CONCERNED THAT THEY
THEN WILL INVADE OR CAUSE AN
INCIDENT IN STRAIT OF TAIWAN AND
SO THE UNITED STATES NEEDS TO
BRING OUR ALLIES TOGETHER IN A
NATO-LIKE ALLIANCE IN THE INDO
PACIFIC AND WE NEED TO RECOGNIZE
THE UNHOLY ALLIANCE THAT HAS
FORMED BETWEEN RUSSIA, CHINA,
NORTH KOREA AND IRAN.
THEY ARE CREATING SERIOUS
THREATS ACROSS THE GLOBE.
THEY ARE WORKING TOGETHER IN SO MANY DIFFERENT WAYS INCLUDING
MANY DIFFERENT WAYS INCLUDING
THE SALE OF WEAPONS AND -- AND
COOPERATION ECONOMICALLY.
WE NEED TO TAKE THAT SERIOUSLY
AND THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION
CONTINUES TO BE WEAK.
THE FACT THAT YOU HAD A EMANUEL
MACRON GO VISIT PRESIDENT XI AND
TALK ABOUT THE NEED TO WORK WITH
CHINA AND NOT FOLLOW THE LEAD OF
THE UNITED STATES.
I SAID YESTERDAY HE’D BE EATING
INSTEAD OF CROISSANTS INSTEAD OF
THE UNITED STATES.
HE’S AN ABSOLUTE JOKE OF A
LEADER AND HE NEEDS TO LEARN
QUICKLY THAT CHINA IS NOT A
FRIEND, NOT AN ALLY AND HE NEEDS
TO BE WORKING WITH THE UNITED
STATES.
MARIA: WELL, LULA IS THERE FROM
BRAZIL.
HE’S MEETING WITH XI JINPING,
THEY ARE TALKING ABOUT DITCHING
THE DOLLAR.
THEY WANT TO USE THE YUAN FOR
TRANSACTIONS ON OIL.
ARE YOU WORRIED ABOUT THE DOLLAR
LOSING ITS RESERVE STATUS?
>> ABSOLUTELY.
THIS HAS BEEN CHINA’S GOAL FROM
THE START, TO UNDERMINE THE
UNITED STATES ECONOMICALLY.
THEY HAVE SOUGHT TO DEVALUE OUR
CURRENCY.
THEY HAVE STOLEN INTELLECTUAL
PROPERTY RIGHTS FROM OUR
COMPANIES.
WE ARE AT WAR BASICALLY.
I MEAN, LET’S GET SERIOUS.
WE ARE DEALING WITH AN ECONOMIC
POWER HOUSE IN CHINA AND THEY
ARE BASICALLY EATING OUR LUNCH.
MARIA: WELL, THAT’S NOT WHAT JOE
BIDEN SAYS.
JOE BIDEN SAYS THEY ARE A
COMPETITOR.
WHY ARE THEY SOFT ON COMMUNIST
CHINA?
HE WOULD NOT CALL THEM AN
ADVERSARY.
>> WELL, HE’S WRONG.
THEY ARE AN ADVERSARY AND WE