JUST IN: Hearing Descends Into Chaos As Keating Grills Waltz Over Human Trafficking Prevention Cuts

[0:00] In your opening statement, you took great pride in pointing out the hundreds of countries that sided with the U.S. on given resolutions. [0:07] And I just want to note a point of shame brought to this country when the U.S. sided with three countries, Russia, Belarus, and North Korea, [0:18] in refusing to condemn Russia's actions, illegal actions, illegal aggression against Ukraine, and denied supporting their territorial integrity. [0:28] Prior to being in Congress, I was a district attorney. [0:34] I had my own sexual assault unit, my own sexual assault investigatory unit, prosecutorial unit. [0:40] I started a child advocacy to treat children that were victims of sexual assault. [0:47] And I worked with regional and federal-based task force dealing with human trafficking, particularly trafficking of children. [0:55] And in Congress, I had the opportunity to travel and to hold a hearing with Ukrainian, mostly women, on the ground, risking their lives in a hot war zone, [1:10] trying to bring rescue, recovery, and treatment to children that were sexually assaulted by Russian soldiers. [1:18] The stories they told me were horrific, serial rapes occurring to young children with Russian soldiers, starting in the morning, continuing through the day and all night, [1:28] with their parents and grandparents being forced to witness this. [1:32] Terrible, terrible examples of sexual assault time and time again, and war crimes with Ukraine. [1:41] Now, I want to ask you, given all that, and given my experience knowing that we're going to combat this, we have to do this on an international basis and a regional basis to be successful, [1:55] the way I was with those task force, why did the U.S. withdraw from the U.N. on key offices, the offices for children in armed conflict, [2:07] the office of sexual violence in conflict, the office of violence against children, why would the U.S. ever withdraw, [2:16] given what I just laid out, given what Russia's doing, but given what's happening all over the world, why would they ever withdraw for that? [2:26] Congressman, I would not conflate our evaluation of the effectiveness of a particular office of an organization versus caring about the issue. [2:35] I just, last week, hosted with Tim Tebow and the Tebow Foundation. [2:39] To your point, to your point, sir. [2:40] I know about Tebow. [2:41] Can I answer your question? [2:41] Thank you for Tebow. [2:42] Is five seconds filibustering? [2:43] No, you answered that. [2:44] Now, I'm taking your answer that you gave me, and I'm asking you another question. [2:48] Sure. [2:48] And I wasted time doing it. [2:50] Don't filibusque me. [2:51] Listen. [2:52] Is 10 seconds a filibustering, Mr. Chairman? [2:53] You just said you were talking about having agencies that you didn't have control over, that were ineffective. [2:59] Okay, let's talk about one that the Trump administration does have control over, that does have the ability to shape, and that's the State Department. [3:08] If that's the case, why did the Trump administration, when it has control with the State Department, why did they fire 70% of the department's trafficking in person's office? [3:20] And that office, as you know, closes legal gaps and deals with online exploitation, sexual exploitation of children. [3:31] The office develops protection and partnerships with foreign countries with the goal of strengthening that capacity, preventing, and effectively prosecuting and convicting child traffickers. [3:44] So, all right, you don't want, you just want to dismiss the meager, probably, monies that it takes to deal with international, you had control over. [3:54] President Trump just signed this year an executive order. [3:57] President Trump just signed this year an executive order getting after, in a very serious way, sexual exploitation of children. [4:05] I just hosted a major event at the UN around the sexual exploitation of children. [4:10] Why isn't that effective? Why is that so effective? When countries as a whole, when that's ineffective, you're subjectively choosing what's effective, what is it? [4:20] No, I'm giving you an answer. The president takes this very seriously. [4:23] You just don't like the answer because it cuts against your narrative. [4:25] Isn't it? I wonder how you would have reacted when you were on the other side of this. [4:28] Listen, Mr. Chairman, would you allow the witness to answer this question? [4:32] The first lady has expatriated Ukrainian children from Russian camps. [4:39] The first lady herself is going after this issue. [4:42] The executive order, and we know how they're working out, the executive order dealing with it. [4:46] It has the force of law, as you know. [4:48] Your administration is sitting there withdrawing from having a place at the table on these critical issues, and you're sitting there putting your own spin on the religious aspect of that being the most important thing. [5:00] And you're hurting children. [5:03] We are saving children around the world while this body learns hot air. [5:06] They shouldn't be cutting personnel from this. [5:09] I yield back. [5:11] Mr. Keating, would you like an extra five seconds where he was answering you earlier? [5:16] Sir, I was answering the in-part question that was there. [5:20] He kept trying to filibuster. [5:21] Let's not have this hearing be about filibustering. [5:24] What goes around comes around. [5:25] I just wanted to make sure you didn't want an extra five seconds when you're trying to...