>> THAT’S A TRUE STATEMENT, YES,
MA’AM.
>> AND REMARKABLY THEY ARE NOT
CUTTING THE GRASS AND USING LEAF
BLOWERS.
CRITICS ARE NOT ONLY QUESTIONING
THE DISINFORMATION BOARD BUT HOW
THE ADMINISTRATION HAS TRIED AND
FAILED REPEATEDLY TO EXPLAIN
WHAT IT WOULD ACTUALLY DO AND
HOW IT WOULD DO IT.
LET’S BRING IN ARKANSAS SENATOR
TOM COTTON ON THE ARMED SERVICES
JUDICIARY, AS WELL AS THE SELECT
COMMITTEE ON INTELLIGENCE AND
STILL LOOKING FOR MORE WORK.
SENATOR, GOOD TO BE WITH YOU
TODAY.
YOUR THOUGHTS ON WHAT NOW LOOKS
LIKE A DEFUNCT DISINFORMATION
GOVERNANCE BOARD.
>> I’M GLAD TO KNOW THE
ORWELLIAN MINISTRY OF TRUTH IS
PAUSED FOR THE MOMENT BUT
IMPORTANT TO REALIZE IT’S ONLY
PAUSED BECAUSE THE AMERICAN
PEOPLE FOUND OUT ABOUT IT.
THE GOVERNMENT HAS NO BUSINESS
REFEREEING DISPUTES ENGAGED IN
POLITICAL CAMPAIGNS OR PUBLIC
DEBATES.
IF YOU DON’T LIKE SOMEONE ELSE’S
SPEECH, THE SOLUTION IS MORE
SPEECH.
IT’S NOT TO USE THE DEPARTMENT
OF HOMELAND SECURITY, FOR
GOODNESS SAKES, TO TRY TO CENSOR
OR LABEL SOMEONE’S ARGUMENT IN
THE PUBLIC SPHERE.
I THINK THE DEMOCRATS OFTEN
BELIEVE THAT DISINFORMATION AND
MISINFORMATION ARE SIMPLY FACTS
THAT REFLECT POORLY ON JOE BIDEN
AND THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY.
IT’S GOOD THEY FINALLY CAME TO
THEIR SENSES AND PAUSED THIS
BOARD, BUT CONGRESS NEEDS TO ACT
IN THE WEEKS AHEAD TO MAKE SURE
NOTHING LIKE IT CAN BE CREATED
IN THE FUTURE.
>> John: YOU SAY IT HAS GONE THE
WAY OF THE DODO IS BECAUSE THE
PEOPLE FOUND OUT ABOUT IT, BUT
TAYLOR LAWRENCE SUGGESTS IT’S
BECAUSE D.H.S., THE BIDEN
ADMINISTRATION AND NINA
JANKOWICZ WERE BEATEN UP ON BY
PEOPLE FROM THE RIGHT.
HER EXPERIENCE IS AN EXAMPLE HOW
THE RIGHT WING INTERNET
APPARATUS OPERATES, ATTEMPT TO
IDENTITY A TARGET, AND
DISCREDITING ANYONE WHO SEEKS TO
CHALLENGE THEM.
SHE PUT A LOT OF STUFF OUT THERE
THAT WASN’T TRUE.
>> YEAH, I DON’T KNOW WHO THAT
REPORTER IS, BUT SHE SEEMS AS
EXCITEABLE AND UNHINGED AS NINA
JANKOWICZ DID.
NOT ONLY SHOULD WE NOT HAVE
MINISTRY OF TRUTH LIKE THIS
BOARD, BUT SHOULDN’T HAVE A
WOMAN LIKE THAT PURPORTING TO
REFEREE DEBATES AMONG THE
AMERICAN PEOPLE.
THERE WAS NO COORDINATED RIGHT
WING INTERNET CAMPAIGN OR
ANYTHING ELSE.
WHAT YOU HAD WERE MILLIONS OF
AMERICANS WHO SAW THE SAME SET
OF OMINOUS ACTS AND ELECTED
REPRESENTATIVES HERE IN
WASHINGTON AND AND THE COUNTRY
RECOILING THE DEPARTMENT OF
HOMELAND SECURITY WITH ALL ITS
LAW ENFORCEMENT AND NATIONAL
SECURITY POWERS MIGHT BE REFEREE
POLITICAL DEBATES IN THE PUBLIC
SPHERE.
IT’S NOT COORDINATION OR A
CAMPAIGN, THAT’S THE CITIZENS OF
A FREE COUNTRY GUARDING THEIR
FREEDOMS.
>> John: SENATOR, JUMP TO
ANOTHER TOPIC, WE ARE MINUTES
AHEAD EXPECTING JAKE SULLIVAN TO
COME OUT AND GIVE US A PREVIEW
OF THE PRESIDENT’S TRIP TO SEOUL
AND TOKYO.
THE PRESIDENT IS GOING TO SOUTH
KOREA AND JAPAN TO REINFORCE
U.S. TIES WITH ALLIES IN THE
FACE OF CHINA’S RISING REGIONAL
DOMINANCE.
IF YOU WERE PRESIDENT OF THE
UNITED STATES, WHAT WOULD YOU
TELL OUR ALLIES IN KOREA AND
JAPAN?
>> FIRST THING, JOHN, I WOULD
HAVE GONE EARLIER THAN 16 MONTHS
INTO JOE BIDEN’S TENURE.
CHINA IS OUR NUMBER ONE THREAT
IN THE WORLD, ASIA IS THE MOST
IMPORTANT THEATER IN THE WORLD.
UNFORTUNATELY, JOE BIDEN’S
FAILURES IN PLACES LIKE AFRICAN
AMERICAN AND UKRAINE HAVE TAKEN
THE ATTENTION OFF COUNTER ACTING
THE THREAT.
IN JAPAN, HE WILL MEET WITH
MEMBERS OF THE SO-CALLED QUAD,
OUR PARTNERS IN EAST ASIA AND
THE INDOPACIFIC REGION, AND MAKE
SURE WE RECOGNIZE CHINA AS A
THREAT, NOT ONLY TO US BUT TO
THEM, AND TAKE EVERY MEASURE
NECESSARY TO DEFEND OUR SAFETY,
FREEDOM AND PROSPERITY.
>> THE UNITED STATES HAS CLOUT
OVER CHINA, MODERN CHINA WAS
BUILT OFF THE POCKET BOOKS OF
AMERICAN CONSUMERS, AS WELL AS
THEIR MILITARY.
HOW SHOULD PRESIDENT BIDEN USE
THE LEVERAGE OVER CHINA, NOT
JUST REGIONAL DOMINATION BUT
GLOBAL.
>> OUR POLICY SHOULD BE
STRATEGIC DECOUPLING.
WE CANNOT BE DEPENDENT ON CHINA
FOR CRITICAL GOODS THAT ARE
NECESSARY TO OUR SAFETY, TO OUR
HEALTH, TO OUR PROSPERITY.
SOMETIMES THOSE ARE HIGH-TECH
GOODS OR THE COMPONENTS OF
HIGH-TECH GOODS LIKE RARE EARTH
MINERALS SO IMPORTANT IN
COMPUTERS AND SMARTPHONES, AND SOMETIMES THINGS LIKE IBUPROFEN
SOMETIMES THINGS LIKE IBUPROFEN
AND ACE -- AND GLOVES, WE
CANNOT -- YOU HAVE COUNTRIES
LIKE JAPAN AND AUSTRALIA WHO ARE
IN THE SAME POSITION, AND THEY
WOULD LOOK TO US FOR LEADERSHIP
TO HELP STRENGTHEN THE
RESILIENCY OF THEIR OWN ECONOMY
AS WELL.
BETTER TO PARTNER WITH OUR
FRIENDS RATHER THAN THE
COMMUNISTS.
>> John: REGIONAL COUNTRIES
OUTSIDE OF CHINA, LIKE TAIWAN --
NOT TAIWAN, PARTICULARLY,
THAILAND WHAT I MEANT TO SAY,
VIETNAM, CAMBODIA, MALAYSIA,
INDONESIA IN ORDER TO SURPLANT
OUR RELIANCE ON CHINA FOR
MANUFACTURED GOODS?
>> WE NEED TO REBUILD
MANUFACTURING HERE AT HOME, AND
BRING IT BACK HOME AS WE CAN.
ESPECIALLY IN THE CRITICAL
INDUSTRIES THAT AMERICANS DEPEND
ON FOR OUR SAFETY AND HEALTH AND
PROSPERITY.
IT WAS A TERRIBLE MISTAKE EVER
TO OUT SOURCE SO MANY OF OUR
JOBS AND INDUSTRIES TO CHINA OF
ALL PLACES, A COUNTRY THAT IS
FOUR TIMES OUR SIZE, COUNTRY
THAT VIEWS ITSELF AS THE MIDDLE
KINGDOM, SITTING AT THE MIDDLE
OF THE EARTH WITH ALL OTHER
STATES -- WE HAVE OTHER
COUNTRIES, MANY WHICH YOU
MENTIONED LIKE THE PHILIPPINES
OR TAIWAN OR THAILAND THAT ARE
FRIENDS, SOME ARE TREATY
PARTNERS, AND SECURITY MATTERS,
THAT WOULD BE HAPPY TO TRADE
MORE WITH US.
AND THAT ALSO LOOK TO US FOR
LEADERSHIP AGAINST THE CHINESE
COMMUNISTS.
>> John: MORE ON THIS TOPIC,
THAT IS NORTH KOREA SEEMS TO BE
MISBEHAVING AGAIN AND BEFORE THE
PRESIDENT OR WHILE HE’S THERE IN
ASIA THEY ARE GOING TO HAVE
EITHER AN ICBM TEST OR MAYBE
ANOTHER NUCLEAR TEST.
I REMEMBER FOR A TIME DURING THE
LAST ADMINISTRATION NORTH KOREA
SAID A LOT OF THINGS, THEY DID
NOT GET VERY FAR IN TERMS OF
DENUCLEARIZATION, BUT THEY WERE
NOT BLOWING OFF NUKES. >> UNFORTUNATELY THE ENGAGEMENTS
>> UNFORTUNATELY THE ENGAGEMENTS
DID NOT LEAD THEM TO DE-- WE
SHOULD BE DEVOTING MORE OF OUR
DEFENSE DOLLARS TOWARDS A
REGIONAL MISSILE DEFENSE SYSTEM
STATIONED IN THE WESTERN PACIFIC
AS WELL AS IN ALASKA, HAWAII,
THE WEST COAST, THAT WILL
NEUTRALIZE THE THREAT TO THE
AMERICAN PEOPLE.
>> John: AND BACK TO WHERE WE
STARTED HERE, APPARENTLY SENT
MAYORKAS AFTER GETTING RID OF
THE DISINFORMATION GOVERNANCE
BOARD IS ASKING MICHAEL CHERTOFF
AND FORMER ATTORNEY GENERAL TO
LEAD A THOROUGH REVIEW AND
ASSESSMENT TO FOCUS ON ANSWERING
TWO QUESTIONS, HOW COULD THE
DEPARTMENT MOST EFFECTIVELY AND
APPROPRIATELY ADDRESS
DISINFORMATION THREATS AGAINST
OUR COUNTRY, WHILE PROTECTING
FREE SPEECH, CIVIL LIBERTIES AND
PRIVACY, AND HOW CAN THEY HAVE
GREATER TRANSPARENCY AS WELL.
SO MAYORKAS, ABOUT FACE, GO THE
OTHER WAY.
>> SOUNDS LIKE HE’S RUNNING LIKE
A SCALDED DOG FROM THE ISSUE BUT
I WOULD SAY THE MOST SIMPLE WAY
TO ANSWER THE QUESTION, KEEP HIS
NOSE OUT OF POLITICAL DEBATES.
THE AMERICAN PEOPLE CAN DEBATE
THE PUBLIC SPHERE, QUESTIONS OF
GREAT IMPORTANCE WHETHER IT’S
QUESTIONS OF WASHINGTON OR LOCAL
COMMUNITIES AT SCHOOL BOARDS
BETWEEN THEMSELVES.
WE DON’T NEED THE FEDERAL
GOVERNMENT AND CERTAINLY NOT THE
DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY
TRYING TO BUD IN AND LABEL