MARIA:.
SHOCK, HORROR AND DISBELIEF THIS
MORNING AFTER FORMER JAPANESE
PRIME MINISTER SHINZO ABE WAS
ASSASSINATED IN BROAD DAYTIME ON
FRIDAY WHILE -- DAYLIGHT WHILE
MAKING A SPEECH.
SECURITY OFFICIALS AT THE SCENE
TACKLED THE GUNMAN, AND THE
41-YEAR-OLD SUSPECT IS NOW IN
POLICE CUSTODY FACING CHARGES.
FORMER PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP
POSTED THIS ON TRUTH SOCIAL, HE
SAID: FEW PEOPLE KNOW WHAT A
GREAT MAN AND LEADER SHINZO ABE
WAS, BUT HISTORY WILL TEACH THEM
AND BE KIND.
HE WAS A UNIFIER LIKE NO OTHER,
BUT ABOVE ALL, HE WAS A MAN WHO
LOVED AND CHERISHED HIS
MAGNIFICENT COUNTRY, JAPAN.
SHINZO ABE WILL BE GREATLY
MISSED, THERE WILL NEVER BE
ANOTHER LIKE HIM, WRITES
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP.
IN A SAINT, PRESIDENT BIDEN
CALLED ABE’S MURDER A TRAGEDY
FOR JAPAN AND FOR ALL WHO KNEW
HIM BEFORE PIVOTING TO HIS OWN
AGENDA, SAYING GUN VIOLENCE
ALWAYS LEAVES A DEEP SCAR ON THE
COMMUNITIES THAT ARE AFFECTED BY
IT.
THAT WAS HIS ANSWER TO SHINZO
ABE’S MURDER.
JOINING ME RIGHT NOW IS
TENNESSEE SENATOR MARSHA
BLACKBURN, SHE SITS ON THE
SENATE ARMED SERVICES AND
JUDICIARY COMMITTEES.
SENATOR, THANKS VERY MUCH FOR
BEING HERE.
>> GOOD TO BE WITH YOU, THANK
YOU.
YES, GOOD TO BE WITH YOU AND
YOU’RE RIGHT.
YES.
MARIA: GO AHEAD.
>> ABE WILL BE MISSED.
HE WAS A STABILIZING FORCE IN
THE REGION.
HE WAS PRO-U.S., PRO-TAIWAN.
HE WAS ANTI-CHINA DOMINANCE.
HE WAS VERY HELPFUL WITH THE
NORTH KOREAN AGGRESSION.
AND, MARIA, HE DID SO MUCH TO DO
JAPAN/TAIWAN RELATIONS, ECONOMIC
NORMALIZATION.
THE FISHERIES, OF COURSE,
FLIGHTS DIRECTLY INTO TAIPEI.
SO THE PRESIDENT, PRESIDENT
TRUMP IS RIGHT, HE IS GOING TO
BE DEEPLY MISSED.
MARIA: I WANT TO GET YOUR TAKE
ON WHAT WAS VERY TROUBLING TO ME
TO SEE ON SOCIAL MEDIA, AND THAT
WAS SOME OF THESE POSTS ON WAIVE
SLOW WHERE THE CHINESE STATE
MEDIA WAS MOCKING ABE AND
CELEBRATING HIS DEATH.
>> YEAH.
MARIA: WE KNOW THAT THE CCP HAD
THREATENED A, QUOTE-UNQUOTE,
BLOODBATH IF SHINZO ABE DID NOT
STOP ADVOCATING FOR INDEPENDENCE
FOR TAIWAN.
WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF THE CHINESE
STATE MEDIA CELEBRATING SHINZO
ABE’S DEATH?
WE KNOW THAT THESE MEDIA
PLATFORMS ARE RUN BY THE CCP.
THEY ARE DIRECTED BY THE CCP --
>> THAT’S RIGHT.
MARIA: -- AND OFTEN ARE JUST A
MOUTHPIECE FOR THE COMMUNIST
PARTY.
>> YOU’RE RIGHT ABOUT THAT.
THEY ARE MOUTHPIECE.
AND WE KNOW THAT THE CHINESE
COMMUNIST PARTY IS INTENT ON
THIS MALIGN INFLUENCE CAMPAIGN
THAT THEY ARE CARRYING OUT
AGAINST ELECTED OFFICIALS.
LAST FALL WE WERE INFORMED THAT
THEY WERE CARRYING OUT ONE
AGAINST ME.
THE FBI IS FOLLOWING THESE, DOJ
SHOULD BE PAYING MORE ATTENTION
TO THESE, BUT YOU SEE WHAT THEY
WERE DOING AGAINST ABE AND
AGAINST THE JAPANESE GOVERNMENT
AND THE ABE POLICIES.
THE ECONOMIC POLICY, HIS
OPPOSITION TO CHINA.
SO THIS IS A FORM OF THEIR, AS
THEY CALL IT, SOFT PROPAGANDA.
THEY ARE SEEKING TO INFLUENCE
NOT ONLY THE JAPANESE PEOPLE,
BUT THE U.S. PEOPLE.
THEY ARE SEEKING TO BREAK DOWN
NOT ONLY THE JAPANESE
INSTITUTIONS, BUT U.S.
INSTITUTIONS.
AND THE MORE WE HAVE DONE TO
CLOSE DOWN CONFUCIUS INSTITUTES
AND CLASSROOMS AND SISTER CITY
PROGRAMS, THE MORE THEY’RE
PUSHING TO GET THEIR PEOPLE INTO
THE COUNTRY, MANY OF THEM
ILLEGALLY AS GOVERNOR ABBOTT WAS
JUST TALKING ABOUT AND THEN
INFILTRATE THESE INSTITUTIONS.
MARIA: OKAY.
SENATOR, I WANT TO GET YOUR TAKE
ON THE SURVEILLANCE UNDERWAY
FROM CHINA.
ARE YOU BEING SURVEILLED BY
COMMUNIST CHINA?
A NEW WARNING FROM THE FBI ABOUT
BEIJING’S SPY CAMPAIGN IN
AMERICA AND THEIR EFFORT TO
>> ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I LOOK
AT IS WHAT’S CALLED GATES
INFORMATION OR GATES PROCEDURES.
I LOOKED AT IT, IT WAS SO
OVERWHELMING RELATED TO CHINA
THAT I HAD TO LOOK AT THE
NUMBERS, AND WHAT WE’VE LEARNED
IS THAT CHINA ENGAGES IN THAT
ACTIVITY AT A LEVEL SIX TIMES
GREATER THAN RUSSIA, TWELVE
TIMES GREATER THAN IRAN.
IT’S A MASSIVE INFLUENCE
CAMPAIGN, AND REALLY WHAT IT’S
INTENDED TO DO, MARIA, IS
INFLUENCE MEMBERS OF CONGRESS TO
MAKE SURE THAT THEY’RE PASSING
LAWS THAT ARE A FAVORABLE FOR
CHINA AND NOT PASSING LAWS THAT
ARE ANTI-CHINA.
AND THEY’VE BEEN SUCCESSFUL.
MARIA: YES, THAT WAS FORMER
DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL
INTELLIGENCE JOHN RATCLIFFE ON
THIS PROGRAM BACK IN DECEMBER
2020 ON CHINA’S COVERT OPERATION
TO INFLUENCE MEMBERS OF CONGRESS
INTO SUPPORTING PRO-BEIJING
POLICIES, SOMETHING HE MADE A
SPECIAL TRIP TO CAPITOL HILL TO
BRIEF LAWMAKERS ON.
WE’RE BACK WITH SENATOR MARSHA
BLACKBURN.
U.S. COUNTERINTEL OFFICIALS
ISSUED A SIMILAR WARNING THIS
WEEK ABOUT CHINA’S EFFORTS.
FBI DIRECTOR KEYSER IF WRAY WAS
ALREADY -- CHRISTOPHER WRAY WAS
ALREADY AWARE OF THIS THREAT,
BUT HAS HE DONE ANYTHING TO STOP
IT?
>>
>> WE DO NOT KNOW OF ANYTHING
DIRECTLY THAT THEY ARE DOING TO
STOP IT, MARIA.
AND AS I SAID, WHAT HEIR TRYING
TO DO IS INFLUENCE -- THEY’RE
TRYING TO DO IS INFLUENCE NOT
ONLY MEMBERS OF CONGRESS, BUT
STATE AND LOCAL OFFICIALS AND
CARRYING OUT WHAT THESE CALL --
THEY CALL THESE A MALIGN
INFLUENCE CAMPAIGNS WHERE
THEY’RE TRYING TO INFLUENCE
ORGANIZATIONS AND CHURCHES AND
SCHOOLS AND PUSH THEM SO THAT
THEY WILL COME IN LINE WITH
CHINESE COMMUNIST PARTY IDEALS,
PRINCIPLES AND GOALS.
AND, OF COURSE, WE KNOW THAT
GLOBAL DOMINANCE IS ONE OF
CHINA’S GOALS.
NOW, SOFT PROPAGANDA IS A BIG
PART OF THIS.
SO USING THIS A MALIGN
INFLUENCE, GOING AFTER PEOPLE
LIKE ME ONLINE IN NOT ONLY THE
VIRTUAL, THE PHYSICAL SPACE TO
TRY TO PUSH PUBLIC OPINION
AGAINST ME AND OTHER MEMBERS OF
THE HOUSE AND SENATE, BUT ALSO
TO GET DOWN TO THAT MORE GRAN
JEWISH LAHR -- GRANULAR LEVEL
MANY YOUR UNIVERSITIES, YOUR
CHURCHES, YOUR ORGANIZATIONS.
MARIA: YEAH.
WELL, LOOK, HERE’S CHRISTOPHER
WRAY THIS WEEK ON THIS ISSUE,
AND THEN I WANT TO SHOW YOU WHAT
JOE BIDEN HAS BEEN DOING WITH
REGARD TO POLICY ON CHINA.
HERE’S THE DIRECTOR OF THE FBI,
WATCH.
>> THIS SPRING THE CHINESE
GOVERNMENT WENT SO FAR AS
DIRECTLY INTERFERING IN A
CONGRESSIONAL ELECTION IN NEW
YORK.
THEY DIDN’T WANT THE CANDIDATE,
A TIANANMEN SQUARE PROTESTER AND
CRITIC OF THE CHINESE
GOVERNMENT, TO BE ELECTED.
A FORMER CHINESE INTELLIGENCE
OFFICER HIRED A PRIVATE
INVESTIGATOR TO DIG UP
DEROGATORY INFORMATION AND
DERAIL THE CONGRESSIONAL
CANDIDATE’S CAMPAIGN, AND WHEN
THEY COULDN’T FIND ANYTHING,
THEY DECIDED TO MANUFACTURE A
CONTROVERSY USING A SEX WORKER.
AND AND WHEN THAT DIDN’T WORK
OUT, THEY EVEN SUGGESTED USING
VIOLENCE SUCH AS ARRANGING FOR
THE CANDIDATE TO BE STRUCK BY A
VEHICLE AND MAKING IT LOOK LIKE
AN ACCIDENT.
MARIA: WOW.
THIS IS JUST EXTRAORDINARY.
DO YOU SEE ANY POWELL PLAY
BEHIND THE -- FOUL PLAY BEHIND
THE MURDER OF SHINZO ABE?
>> I DON’T KNOW.
WE’RE GOING TO FIND OUT MORE
ABOUT AHA INVESTIGATION.
I KNOW -- THAT INVESTIGATION.
I KNOW THEY’RE LOOKING AT ALL
OPTIONS BUT, MARIA, ALL OF THAT
WILL BE INFORMATION TO COME IN
THE FUTURE.
BUT IT IS SO PUZZLING WHEN YOU
KNOW THIS, WHY DOES JOE BIDEN
CONTINUE TO SUPPORT POLICIES
THAT EMBOLDEN THE CHINESE
COMMUNIST PARTY AND THE --
MARIA: WELL, LET’S TAKE A LOOK
AT THAT.
YEAH.
LET’S TAKE A LOOK AT THAT RIGHT
NOW, BECAUSE I HAVE A GRAPHIC OF
WHAT APPEARS TO BE JOE BIDEN’S
CHINA POLICY.
IT IS A TOTAL SOFT-ON-CHINA
POLICY.
FIRST, WE KNOW THAT THE FAMILY
REPORTEDLY ACCEPTED $31 MILLION
AT LEAST FROM DEALS IN CHINA.
THAT IS FROM HUNTER’S LAPTOP AND
SENATOR RON JOHNSON’S
INVESTIGATION AND PETER
SCHWEIZER’S REPORTING.
WE HAVE NO EVIDENCE THAT JOE
BIDEN EVER BROUGHT UP THE
ORIGINS OF COVID TO XI JINPING
IN THE FIVE PHONE CALLS THAT
HE’S HAD.
HE’S FAILING TO CALL FOR AN END
TO THE FENTANYL TRAFFIC THING.
I HAVE NOT HEARD HIM MENTION IT
ONCE, AND FENTANYL IS MADE IN
CHINA, PUSHED THROUGH MEXICO
INTO AMERICA, AND IT CONTINUES.
HE HAS CANCELED THE CHINA
INITIATIVE, THIS WAS ANISH -- A
INITIATIVE THAT WAS CONTINUING
LOOKING AT INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY
THEFT.
HE SENT OIL FROM AMERICA’S
STRATEGIC RESERVE TO OTHER
COUNTRIES INCLUDING CHINA, AND
HE IS PUSHING ELECTRIC VEHICLES,
SOLAR PANELS AND BATTERIES
AGGRESSIVELY IN HIS CLIMB CHANGE
AGENDA, AND MANY OF THOSE ARE
MADE MANY CHINA.
SO WHAT’S THE ANSWER, SENATOR?
WHY?
>> WELL, THE ANSWER IS THIS:
FIRST OF ALL, YOU HAVE TO KEEP
THE TARIFFS IN PLACE.
I WAS VISITING WITH A TENNESSEE
WIRE MANUFACTURER THIS WEEK.
I SAID, HEY, DID THE TARIFFS
HELP OR HURT?
THEY SAID, MARSHA, IT KEEPS
CHINA FROM DUMPING INTO THE U.S.
YOU HAVE TO KEEP THOSE.
AND SECONDLY, SERVING 5 MILLION
BARRELS OF OIL, CHINA GETTING A
MILLION BARRELS OF OUR STRATEGIC
PETROLEUM RESERVE.
MARIA, THIS IS DANGEROUS, IT’S A
NATIONAL SECURITY ISSUE.
IT WOULD LEAD YOU TO BELIEVE
HUNTER BIDEN IS OUT HERE
NEGOTIATING THESE DEALS BECAUSE
UNITECH IS TIED TO A COMPANY
THAT HUNTER IS DOING SOME
BUSINESS WITH.
THIS IS WRONG, AND PEOPLE ARE
FED UP WITH THIS.
IT IS A CHINA-FIRST POLICY, NOT
AN AMERICA-FIRST POLICY.
IT HAS GOT TO END.
IF.
MARIA: JUST EXTRAORDINARY.