NEWS: John Kennedy Grills Hegseth About Iran Nuclear Program: 'We Need Straight Answers!'

[0:00] Thank you, Madam Chair. Thank you all for being here today. General, in the war between Russia and Ukraine, who do we want to win? [0:20] Sir, I want Ukraine to win. [0:24] Is Russia America's friend? [0:27] I'm sorry, sir. I couldn't quite hear your question. [0:29] Is Russia America's friend? [0:33] I think that depends on your definition of friend. I think it's a complicated relationship. But no, I don't think they're our friends. [0:43] Thank you. If we could cut off Russia's cash flow, which depends substantially on its sale of oil, would that help Ukraine win? [1:04] Sir, I think militarily, any time you can restrict resources and cash flows against an adversary, that's a good thing. [1:13] General, I have so much respect for you, but I have so little time. [1:17] Yes, sir. I'll try to be briefer. [1:19] Give me succinct answers. [1:20] Yes, sir. It would assist a... [1:23] It would help, wouldn't it? [1:24] Yes, sir. Yes, sir. [1:25] Okay. If we could stop people, entities, and countries from buying Russia's oil, that would help cut off its cash flow, wouldn't it? [1:40] Yes, sir. [1:43] We have a bill to do that, as I'm sure you're aware. [1:47] We have the votes today to pass it overwhelmingly. [1:55] I have also have enormous respect and admiration for our majority leader, Senator Thune. [2:06] But I hope everybody on this panel will today contact Senator Thune and ask him to bring that bill to the floor. [2:20] We should vote on it at a minimum of next week. [2:26] Some of my colleagues, General, want America to just stop in Iran, end the blockade, bring all of our warriors home. [2:45] What would be the consequences of that, in your estimation? [2:50] Sir, I think termination criteria is always a political decision. [2:57] However, I assess that Iran will continue to be a challenge moving forward, so we have to be thoughtful about that. [3:06] Why don't we put tolls on the straight? [3:08] I don't know, sir. That's a decision that's a hypothetical and will depend on what happens in the future. [3:12] It's not hypothetical. We've got a blockade to stop them. [3:16] We do, sir. That's putting economic pressure on it. [3:18] I want you to look me in the eye. I'm not trying to get you in trouble. [3:22] I know your advice to the president is private, but this is serious as four heart attacks and a stroke. [3:32] Now, what happens if we come home and end the blockade to the world? [3:43] Sir, Iran has the potential to continue to be a threat, and we will need to prepare military options to do that. [3:50] Will they toll the straight? [3:52] Sir, that's a hypothetical question, and I don't know the answer to that. [3:56] Oh, it's not hypothetical. We come home. It's not going to be hypothetical. [4:01] You know that, General, and I do, too, and I appreciate your discretion, but we're down to it. [4:10] We need some hard answers and some straight talk. What will happen, Pete? [4:17] Senator, I would agree with the chairman, but the likely outcome is they would try to impose their will on the waterways in ways that the world would not like. [4:26] Call it a toll. Call it a fee. Call it an exchange. Call it control. [4:29] They would do something that they would try to hold it at issue. Yes, sir. [4:32] Would they would they try to to to redevent to commence development again of a nuclear warhead? [4:42] Part of the reason President Trump had to have the courage to do what he did after Midnight Hammer is that they didn't give up their ambitions, even though their nuclear sites had been obliterated. [4:49] So this is a regime hellbent on nuclear ambitions and President Trump's willing to go after. [4:54] We need straight answers. Do we have the ability to destroy whatever is underneath Pickaxe Mountain? [5:06] A lot of Senator, a lot of our capabilities are classified. But if anybody in the world can reach anything on this on God's given God's green earth, it's the United States military, the most powerful military in the world. [5:18] It's all about options and tradeoffs. I'm going to take a little extra time because others got it. Madam Chair, I won't abuse it. [5:25] Secretary, are shrimpers farmers? [5:29] Absolutely. Yes. They're farmers of the sea. [5:33] Are oyster harvesters farmers? [5:35] Yes. In this USDA, yes. [5:37] Are they having to compete with other countries who grow oysters and shrimp in a ditch and shoot them full of antibiotics? [5:46] One hundred percent, yes. [5:47] And if you eat too much of that foreign shrimp and oysters, you'll grow an extra ear, won't you? [5:55] I'm not sure about that, but I know it is not good. And I also know we import 90 percent of our shrimp. [6:00] Why aren't we inspecting the shrimp and the oysters from abroad? [6:03] Well, it goes much larger than that. Why are we importing so much from abroad, which goes to the president's trade agenda? [6:08] I'm in big trouble. [6:10] Yes, you are. [6:12] Guys, look, we need straight answers now. We're down to it. [6:16] We're down to it.