Meet the Press Full Episode — April 26

[0:01] This Sunday, security breach. [0:04] President Trump is rushed off the stage at the White House Correspondents' Dinner [0:08] after shots were fired at a security checkpoint as police take a suspect into custody. [0:14] A man charged a security checkpoint armed with multiple weapons, [0:20] and he was taken down by some very brave members of Secret Service. [0:25] As the investigation unfolds this morning, [0:28] new questions about the rise in political violence in America. [0:32] We're not going to let anybody take over our society. [0:34] We're not going to cancel things out because we can't do that. [0:38] I'll talk to Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche. [0:41] Plus, standoff. [0:43] President Trump struggles to end the war with Iran as the conflict nears the 60-day mark. [0:49] I don't want to rush it. I want to take my time. [0:51] We have plenty of time, and I want to get a great deal. [0:54] With concerns growing over the war's impact on the economy, [0:58] will the White House bend to political pressure and Fed fight? [1:03] The Justice Department drops its criminal probe of Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell [1:08] after Republican Senator Tom Tillis threatened to block the confirmation of his successor, Kevin Warsh. [1:15] Will it be enough to secure his vote? [1:17] I'll talk to Senator Tillis and Democratic Congressman Ro Khanna of California. [1:23] Joining me for insight and analysis are NBC News Capitol Hill correspondent Melanie Zanona, [1:30] Leanne Caldwell, Chief Washington Correspondent for PAC, [1:33] Adrian Elrod, former senior advisor to the Harris campaign, [1:37] and Lonnie Chen, a fellow at the Hoover Institution. [1:41] Welcome to Sunday. It's Meet the Press. [1:46] From NBC News in Washington, the longest-running show in television history, [1:51] this is Meet the Press with Kristen Welker. [1:55] Good Sunday morning. We are coming on the air after a terrifying night here in the nation's [2:01] capital. The president, first lady, vice president, many cabinet members, and lawmakers on both sides [2:08] of the aisle had gathered with the press for the annual White House Correspondents Dinner, [2:13] a celebration of the First Amendment and freedom of the press. It was Mr. Trump's first appearance [2:18] at the dinner as president. When moments into the program, a gunman armed with multiple weapons [2:24] charged at a Secret Service checkpoint in the hotel lobby of the Washington Hilton where the event was [2:30] held. Law enforcement quickly tackled him to the ground, taking him into custody. The suspect [2:36] identified as 31-year-old Cole Thomas Allen from Torrance, California. Inside the dining room, [2:43] Secret Service rushed to the stage, evacuating the president, first lady, and other top officials. [2:50] As the chaos unfolded, many attendees, including myself and many other journalists here at NBC News, [2:57] tried to take cover at or near our tables. Later, back at the White House, the president, [3:03] still in black tie, addressed reporters in an impromptu news conference. [3:07] The man has been captured. They're going to his apartment. I guess he lives in California. [3:16] And he's a sick person, a very sick person. And we don't want things like this to happen. [3:21] My impression is he was a lone wolf, a whack job. These are crazy people. These are crazy people. [3:29] And they have to be dealt with. [3:31] The president also said a Secret Service agent who was struck in his bulletproof vest during the [3:36] incident is doing, quote, great. The agent was later released from the hospital. The incident comes [3:42] as the nation continues to grapple with the threat of political violence. [3:48] Are you concerned about political violence? This could be politically motivated. [3:52] All violence. I'm concerned about everything. But I can't be so concerned that you can't function. [3:58] No, I'm here. It's a dangerous profession. [4:01] And joining me now is acting attorney general, Todd Blanche. Mr. Blanche, welcome back to Meet [4:08] the Press. Thank you for being here on what is a somber morning in the nation's capital. [4:14] It is. Good morning. Thank you. [4:16] Good morning. You were in the room when this all unfolded. And I want to just start [4:21] on a personal level, Mr. Deputy Attorney General, when you realized what was going on, [4:27] how did you react? [4:28] I think I reacted like a lot of people in that room. There was obviously initial confusion. [4:37] But law enforcement, I think what everybody saw in that room, and I was in the briefing room an [4:42] hour later and saw a lot of the people that were in that room along with me, was the great work of [4:49] law enforcement. I mean, everybody virtually immediately felt safe because the law enforcement [4:54] presence in that hotel and in that conference room was overwhelming. And so while I didn't know [5:00] what had happened, nobody did it at first, I felt safe. And then obviously the night unfolded as it did. [5:06] Okay, let's get to the facts. What is the very latest you can share about the investigation [5:12] into the suspect and any potential motive? [5:16] So we, law enforcement, FBI, Secret Service, police departments in Los Angeles and in D.C., [5:25] work through the night executing search warrants on a couple of different locations and also on [5:30] devices to try to continue to investigate. It's been about 12 hours or so since the incident happened. [5:36] And what we believe happened, at least as of now, is that the suspect traveled by train [5:42] from Los Angeles to Chicago and then Chicago to Washington, D.C., where he checked into the hotel [5:50] where the correspondence center was at in the last day or two. We believe that the two firearms he had [5:58] on him he had purchased within the past couple of years. And there's also, there's, we're still [6:04] investigating motive. And that's something that will necessarily take a couple of days at least. [6:09] We believe that he was targeting administration officials in this attack, attempted attack. [6:15] But that's, again, quite preliminary as law enforcement continues to go through all the evidence. [6:21] I was on the phone with Director Patel after one o'clock in the morning. The FBI agents at both [6:27] coasts were up all night and will continue doing their work. Prosecutors were up all night working. [6:33] So it's a tragic, horrible event that happened. On the other hand, it really shows the best and [6:40] brightest are keeping us safe. And the work that they did is great. So. [6:44] And you are saying that you believe he was targeting administration officials. [6:49] Was he targeting administration officials or the president himself, Mr. Acting Attorney General? [6:54] We're still looking into that. And so we know that, that there were some writings and we've [7:01] already spoken with several witnesses who knew him. And we believe, I kept it a little general [7:07] because we do believe it was administration officials. Obviously, President Trump is a member [7:10] of the administration, the head of it. But, but as far as exacting threats that may have been [7:16] communicated beforehand, we are still, we're still actively investigating that, that evidence. [7:22] You're saying there were some writings online. What specifically are you referencing? What's [7:27] leading you to believe that he was targeting the administration and the president? [7:31] We have, we have preliminary work and into some of his electronic devices and talking to some of [7:39] the individuals who knew him. And based upon that work, I want to, I want to be careful not to say [7:44] something that ends up not being true. Cause like I said, this is 12 hours old, but it does appear [7:50] that, that he, he did in fact have, uh, set out to, to target folks that work in the administration, [7:57] likely including the president. But, but I want to wait and not get ahead of us on that. [8:00] Was it safe to have the president, cabinet officials, members of Congress, the first lady, [8:09] the vice president, such high ranking officials all in the same room at the same time? [8:15] Yes, of course. We're not going to stop living. We're not going to start doing our jobs. We're not [8:22] going to start, stop all the work that we're doing every day. And, and by the way, and you, you were, [8:27] you were there last night as well. Let's not forget that this, the suspect didn't get very far. [8:32] He barely broke the perimeter. And by barely, I mean by a few feet. And so while this was [8:37] extraordinarily dangerous and, and put a lot of lives at risk, and there's no doubt that, [8:42] that that's something that we're going to have to learn from over the next couple of weeks, [8:46] the system worked. We were safe. President Trump was safe. His secret service agents have kept him [8:51] safe. All of us were, were, were safe. And so while yes, it was a, a very tragic situation that, [8:58] as president Trump said last, last night, we are not going to stop living. We're not going to start, [9:03] stop being out there with the American people. And, and that's, if that was his goal, he failed. [9:08] And he was stopped. He was able, as you say, to breach that security checkpoint by merely a few [9:14] feet. How was he able to get even that far? And did he assemble his gun on site at the hotel? [9:23] We, we believe he was staying at the hotel. So I know there's been some reports about assembling the, [9:31] the gun somewhere outside of his, his room or somewhere else in the hotel. We're still, [9:35] we're still investigating, investigating that. I don't, I don't, we don't have all the answers [9:40] on to how he got far, but the perimeter is the perimeter. So necessarily, if somebody is outside [9:45] the perimeter and they try to breach it, assuming they don't get very far, that's what we want. [9:50] That's what we want law enforcement to stop. And, and, and they did. And, and that's a real testament. [9:56] I know there's some video out there that shows his efforts to break through. And you saw these [10:01] secret service agents, they were remarkable. And by the way, they're about to, you know, [10:06] the fact that, that DHS is not being funded after what we saw those men, those men and women doing [10:11] last night should be a wake up call to, to Congress. And I, and I hope that it is. [10:15] Do you think the funding fight is making America less safe? Is that what you're saying? [10:21] Look, I'm not, no, no, these men and women are doing their jobs. I'm not saying that at all. [10:26] To the contrary. I mean, listen, what we saw last night with law enforcement was something that, [10:32] that should be a testament to, to, to, to every single American that they have men and women [10:36] protecting them, not only outside these borders with our great military, but also inside these [10:41] borders with law enforcement. So it was, that made me very proud to lead the Department of Justice last [10:47] night when I saw the work that everybody was doing, keeping, keeping everybody safe and also [10:51] launching and, and very quickly conducting an investigation that will necessarily take time. [10:56] But, but we've got a lot done already. President Trump said the shooter was a lone [11:01] wolf. Can you confirm that the shooter acted completely alone, that you are not looking for [11:06] any other suspects this morning? Well, what President Trump said is that as of now, [11:12] we think that that's what the police chief said as well. And that's that, [11:15] but this is an investigation that is 12 hours, 13 hours old. And so those facts can change and [11:20] they often do change. And, and if they, if there is anybody else involved, we will leave no stone unturned [11:26] to find out everything we can about that. But from what we know right now, from what we know, [11:32] given what happened last night and the evidence we've gathered so far, we don't believe anybody else [11:37] was involved. But again, we have a lot of work left to do and a lot of evidence left to invest, [11:42] to go through and to collect. Is the suspect cooperating with investigators? [11:50] I don't think he's cooperating with investigators. I don't want, I want to be careful the way I talk [11:55] around that, but no, it's not. At this point, we do not have somebody who's cooperating. I expect [11:59] he will be charged formally tomorrow morning in, in federal court in Washington, D.C., and I expect [12:06] that, that we'll go forward from there. Do you know what the charges will be? Can you give us a [12:11] sense of that this morning? Yes, not atypically in a case like this. There will be an assault of [12:18] a federal officer charge. There'll be a charge about, you know, him discharging a firearm and [12:23] attempting to, to kill a federal officer. And then there are potentially charges beyond that, that come [12:28] from reviewing of, of the evidence. And if we understand his motivations and as we continue to [12:33] gather. But initially, I expect those two charges to be filed tomorrow morning. So assault of a federal [12:39] officer and then using a firearm and discharging a firearm during that assault. Is there any potential [12:47] nexus to terrorism here, Mr. Blanche? Any connection to what's happening in Iran? No. And [12:55] President Trump talked about that last night. We just don't know yet. And that's not surprising, [12:59] given, you know, where we are here on Sunday morning after something happens Saturday night. [13:03] I promise you that we will get to the bottom of that. That's, that's what the FBI does every day. [13:08] But as of now, we don't have any connection to any particular, uh, policy directive of President [13:15] Trump or, or, um, Iran or anything else that we're doing in this country. Uh, but, but we are, [13:21] we are looking into it and we'll know more. And when we know more, we'll share it with the American [13:25] people. And just to be very clear, do you believe that law enforcement met all of the standards for an [13:32] event of that magnitude? Was anything missed? Absolutely. 100%. Because listen, you cannot [13:42] stop living. You cannot stop being in public like we talked about a minute ago. And so how do you [13:47] create an environment that keeps people safe, but still allows them to, to live in this great country [13:53] and to walk around and to have a dinner. And, and so, yes, I am proud of the work that the law enforcement [13:59] did. It also just, it was a great example of the collective work of law enforcement. You have [14:04] the secret service taking the lead and keeping us safe, supported by the metropolitan police [14:09] department. And then you had every other federal agency there as well, whether they were there [14:13] because they were protected, protecting cabinet members or just there to support. And that's why at [14:18] the end of the day, although it was a very scary evening for you and a very traumatic evening for a lot [14:24] of us, we were all safe. That is absolutely correct. I do want to ask you big picture, [14:31] Mr. Acting Attorney General, the security breach does come amid reporting in the Atlantic that FBI [14:37] Director Kash Patel has alarmed some of his colleagues with episodes of what the Atlantic describes as [14:43] excessive drinking, unexplained absences. Does President Trump still have confidence in Kash Patel to [14:50] lead the FBI at this critical moment? That article was full of unnamed sources and should be completely [15:00] discounted. I was with Director Patel last night. I was with him at the crime scene. I was with him in [15:06] the Oval Office. I was with him afterwards. I was on the phone with him late into the evening. He was at [15:12] the command center of leading the investigation along with the, our great attorney, great U.S. attorney from [15:18] D.C., Jeanine Pirro. And that's, that's, that's what he's doing. So there's, there's all these fake [15:24] articles with unnamed sources claiming things. And then there's the reality of what's happening and [15:29] what we all saw last night. And so I'm not going to speak for President Trump, but I certainly have [15:34] confidence in Director Patel and, and also the men and women working with him that work through the [15:39] night, will work through the day and through the night tonight to, to investigate this crime. And, and it's [15:44] something that, that I'm very proud of and, and everybody in this country should, should be proud [15:49] of that as well. Okay. And you're saying that the Atlantic has stood by its reporting. I do want to [15:53] ask you looking forward, what specific steps is the Department of Justice taking to monitor or disrupt [16:02] more potential acts of violence and potentially political violence? We work every day to protect [16:10] this country. There's thousands of agents that are working every day to protect this country. And [16:14] there it's regular investigative steps. It's tips coming in from members of the public. It's us [16:19] doing the, the investigative work that, that, that we have done for decades that we continue to do. [16:25] And you've seen that in the results. You've seen that in the, in the charges that we brought in the, [16:29] the attempts at terrorism that have been stopped by the FBI and by, by DHS agents as well. And so this [16:36] is an all government approach to, to make sure that our country is safe, not only within our borders, [16:40] but also outside as well. And, and that's the work that we have always done. And notwithstanding [16:46] the noise that comes from, from some parts of this country about the work that we were not doing, [16:51] it's not true. And, and so I, I think that the, the work that, that happened last night [16:57] is something that the whole world got to see, but that's what happens every day inside the FBI, [17:03] the Department of Justice and DHS. [17:05] Two more very quickly, King Charles, as you know, set to visit Washington this week. [17:10] Are you confident that King Charles, that world leaders can be safe here? [17:17] Yes. Yes. I'm very confident. I mean, this, this is not, we, we have to learn from what happened [17:22] last night and we will, but the, the first takeaway, the takeaway that it should be obvious is that the [17:27] system worked and that we stopped this suspect and we stopped him as soon as he tried to do what he [17:32] was trying to do. And the president was safe, his cabinet was safe and, and every reporter and every [17:37] member of the, of the press and their guests were safe as well. [17:40] Okay. And just finally, I want to ask you this question. I'm going to be talking to Senator Tom [17:45] Tillis coming up. The Justice Department just dropped its criminal probe of Fed Chair Jerome Powell [17:51] after Senator Tillis threatened to block the nomination of the president's [17:55] pick to lead the Fed, Kevin Warsh. Does the Justice Department commit to not reopening this [18:01] investigation if and after Kevin Warsh is confirmed? [18:05] But what we said last week remains true. We are letting Horowitz, the inspector general do his job. [18:15] He necessarily needs to be, he has a lot of tools. He can talk to people. He can look at records. He, [18:20] he, the, the work that the, every inspector general would, especially him can do. We have a lot of faith [18:25] in, we're going to let that process play out. There's a lot, by statute, if he identifies any [18:31] criminal conduct. He's required to make a referral to the U.S. attorney's office. I don't know what [18:35] his investigation will, will uncover and, and nobody does because it's an investigation. But if he [18:40] uncovers evidence of criminal conduct, there is no doubt that we will investigate. And we're, we're, [18:45] we're, what, what, what we wanted to make sure is that this conduct is investigated. That, that's been [18:50] the goal from the start is to understand what is going on with that situation and with the building [18:55] and the cost overruns and why it's costing so much money. And, and the president has, [19:00] has faith and trust in, in the inspector general to do his work and we'll be watching it. And we'll [19:05] go from there depending on what he finds. So very quickly, you don't rule out the possibility [19:09] that there could be a criminal investigation reopened into Jerome Powell over those alleged [19:15] crossover runs. This is an investigation. And so I'm not going to pre judge what the investigation [19:22] will find and say there's absolutely going to be charges or absolutely not going to be charges. [19:26] That wouldn't be fair to the process. We are, we are going to let the investigation unfold, [19:31] let him do his work at the conclusion. He will, he will issue a report of some sort, [19:36] and that may include a referral. It may not. So we'll, we'll see what happens. [19:40] Acting attorney general, Todd Blanche, thank you for being here. We are grateful that you are safe, [19:46] that members of the cabinet are safe, that the president and the first lady are safe. And we are [19:50] thankful to the secret service, as you say, for keeping us all safe last night. Thank you for being here. [19:56] Thank you. [19:59] When we come back, Republican Senator Tom Tillis joins me next. [20:03] And joining me now is Republican Senator Tom Tillis of North Carolina. Senator Tillis, [20:18] welcome back to Meet the Press. [20:20] Good morning. Thanks for having me. [20:23] Good morning. Thank you so much for being here. We are grateful. I do want to start off by getting [20:30] your reaction to the events that unfolded here at the White House correspondence dinner last night. [20:36] What are the key questions that you have this morning, Senator? [20:42] Well, I think the, the first observation is what an extraordinary job, the secret service, [20:46] local law enforcement and other agencies that were there to protect not only the president [20:51] and cabinet officials, but the people in attendance. I think it was a textbook execution. [20:58] We owe all of those people who stood in harm's way, a debt of gratitude. And hopefully I can convince [21:03] some of my Democrat colleagues to get on my protect and serve bill, which would have increased the [21:08] penalties for the perpetrator in this particular event. Hope to get that done before I get out of [21:13] the Senate. But I think that, thank God, no one was hurt. Thank God the president is safe and everybody [21:19] else who was there, including you. [21:20] Yeah. Thank goodness for that. And thank you for that, Senator. I appreciate that very much. [21:25] I do want to ask you big quick picture. I was just discussing this with the acting attorney general [21:30] about FBI director Cash Patel. His agency obviously will play a prominent role in this investigation. [21:36] Again, the Atlantic reporting earlier this month that his tenure has been marked by what it calls, [21:43] quote, conspicuous inebriation and unexplained absences. Now, Mr. Patel denies those allegations. [21:51] Do you have confidence in Cash Patel to lead the FBI in this moment? [21:57] As you know, I was one of the people that led his confirmation and judiciary committee. [22:03] This is one article. I work purely on facts and corroboration. When I see a corroboration, [22:10] then I'm willing to have a discussion about these allegations. But at this point, [22:14] look, I get hit with articles. Everybody gets hit with articles in DC and in politics. [22:19] They've got facts out there. They've got witnesses. They want to lay them out. I'll take a look at it. [22:24] But at this point, I'm not changing my position on the FBI director. I support them. [22:28] Okay. I want to ask you about political violence broadly. You are no stranger to it. Unfortunately, [22:35] you've said you've been threatened so many times that it's like, quote, going to 7-11 and getting [22:41] a gallon of milk. You were, of course, there when violence broke out on January 6th, 2021, something [22:47] that you have continued to speak out about. The president said last night that political violence [22:53] is the cost of doing business. Now, do you agree with that sentiment? And what can the country do [22:59] about that, Senator? Well, sadly, I agree with the president. I think he's right. I think the [23:06] amplifier and the instigator of social media is able to really target vulnerable people. In many cases, [23:14] we're seeing people who are committing these horrible acts have behavioral health and other [23:19] challenges, stability issues in their lives. And now we have platforms that can focus on them, [23:25] state actors, terrorist organizations fomenting hate in this country. Well, [23:30] the American people need to do is take a breath, confirm their facts, talk to their elected [23:35] officials, think a bit before they judge people. They all have a role to play. And elected officers do [23:45] as well. Our words matter. The weight of our words matter. And we need to be very measured in [23:50] the way that we use them. All right. I do want to turn to another big topic, a big headline this week, [23:56] the Fed Chair. Of course, the Department of Justice on Friday announced it was going to close its [24:02] investigation into Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell. You had pledged to block the confirmation [24:08] of Powell's successor, Kevin Warsh, until the investigation was dropped. U.S. Attorney Jeanine [24:15] Pirro did not close the announcement or added this caveat with her announcement saying, quote, [24:22] I will not hesitate to restart a criminal investigation should the facts warrant doing so. [24:29] You just heard the acting attorney general effectively leave the door open to the investigation [24:34] potentially being reopened. So let me ask you, will you now vote yes to confirm Kevin Warsh? [24:40] Well, let me back up. The announcement on Friday was well received by me. I think it's the first time [24:51] that the Department of Justice in D.C., or I should say the D.C. prosecutors have acknowledged that [24:59] they're not going to carry this case forward. The case is on appeal. But after that statement, [25:04] I've had a number of discussions with the Department of Justice. They have made it very clear that the [25:11] current investigation is completely and fully ended. There may be some confusion because they're [25:16] moving forward with the appeal. But I have been assured by the Department of Justice that that [25:20] appeal is simply to challenge the basis for judging on the motion to quash the subpoenas. It would not [25:27] in any way constitute a basis for reopening the investigation. And we heard from acting attorney, [25:34] Attorney General Blanche just a few minutes ago, that the only thing that would trigger an investigation [25:40] is criminal, potential criminal misconduct identified by the Inspector General Horowitz, [25:45] who's one of the most respected inspector generals in Washington or in the whole of government. [25:52] I believe, I have studied this and I believe that there will not be any wrongdoing. Maybe we find a [25:57] little stupid here in terms of somebody responsible for the project making a decision they shouldn't? [26:03] Maybe. But it doesn't rise to a criminal prosecution. That was my problem to begin with, [26:07] because I feel like there were prosecutors in D.C. that thought this was going to be a lever to have [26:12] Mr. Powell leave early. But now with this, I am prepared and with the assurances from [26:18] the Department of Justice that the case is completely and fully settled, that the appeal would only be [26:26] used to potentially abrogate or change the ruling for administrative purposes, not as a basis for [26:33] reopening the investigation, and that the only way an investigation would be open would be a criminal [26:39] referral from one of the most respected inspector generals there. I am prepared to move on with the [26:45] confirmation of Mr. Warsh. I think he's going to be a great Fed chair. I just want to put a fine point [26:50] on it, because what you're saying is significant, Senator. You are now a yes to vote on the confirmation of [26:57] Kevin Warsh. That's right. We'll be putting out a statement. We worked a lot over the weekend to [27:06] make sure that we were very clear that we had assurances from the D.O.J. that I needed to feel [27:12] like they were not using the D.O.J. as a weapon to threaten the independence of the Fed. So this will [27:18] allow Mr. Warsh to move on with his confirmation on time. And that's the absurdity of this whole thing. [27:24] If this investigation, which is now closed, had never occurred, we wouldn't be having this [27:28] discussion. He would have been confirmed on May the 15th. Fortunately, I think, by May 15th, [27:33] I think we'll get there. And then Mr. Powell will have to make his own decisions at some point in the [27:39] future about when and if he leaves the board before the end of his 2028 term expiration. You know, [27:46] I suspect Mr. Powell wants to see what happens with the appeal and to make sure that it is fully [27:51] settled after the appeal. It could be a lengthy process, hopefully not. And then we can move on [27:56] and let the Fed be independent. Because if we had allowed this to occur, I think it would have had [28:02] devastating consequences for our financial systems and the markets worldwide. Thank God we avoided that. [28:07] So, and just to be clear, are you confident that Kevin Warsh will act independently of the [28:14] president if he is, in fact, confirmed? Yeah. As a matter of fact, I wouldn't be surprised if [28:20] the president doesn't get annoyed with them once or twice. Look, the Fed body that determines rate hikes, [28:28] that works on their dual mandate for employment and for inflation, it's a consensus building body. [28:38] You have 12 voting members. No one person can actually control it. You have to get a majority [28:43] of it. And ideally, you get a super majority. So Kevin's going to go in there with a great reputation, [28:49] with past experience, with relationships with, I think, as many as five prior Fed chair boards. [28:55] He's going to understand he's got to work on gaining consensus. You know, the president's right to just [29:00] press and press and press. I don't begrudge him for demanding that inflation goes down. We've got to [29:06] deal with the affordability problem. And this president's trying to do it better than Biden and Obama ever [29:10] did. But you've got to do it by the rules. And you've got to do it within the bounds of the [29:14] institution so that we maintain this precious, exceptional gift that we have as a nation [29:20] and the gold standard for a financial system. Senator, let me turn now to the war in Iran, [29:26] which approaches its 60 day mark this week. As you know, by law, the president needs congressional [29:32] approval to continue the use of force beyond 60 days. Senate leadership doesn't have plans right now [29:39] to put a measure on the floor authorizing the use of military force in Iran. At the end of these 60 [29:45] days, do you think there needs to be a vote authorizing the use of military force in Iran, [29:50] Senator? Well, I think the only thing that's going to avoid pressure to do that is clarity from the [29:58] White House, from the Department of Defense on what the strategic objectives are. If you go back [30:03] to the war powers resolution, 60 days is roughly the amount of time we give the administration leeway to [30:09] take action. And this is clearly to get to a lasting peace and to achieve the objectives of the [30:15] president, which I support. It may take longer. So we need clarity on what that looks like. In fact, [30:21] I think that if it's going to be a longer term engagement, the authorization for the use of [30:25] military force could demonstrate to Iran this isn't just about the president in Iran. This is about the [30:31] whole of the United States and the U.S. Congress supporting the president through an authorization for [30:37] the use of military force for for the long term, for as long as it takes to get to a lasting peace [30:42] in a non-nuclear Iran. And so would you vote in favor of authorizing military force in Iran if it [30:48] were brought to the floor? We would have to work with the administration. Clearly, this is that we're [30:55] not going to play the game that the Democrats have tried over the past couple of weeks doing these [31:00] discharge resolutions on war powers. We want to be productive. We want to be supportive of the [31:06] president. And to do that, we just have to be briefed on what the objectives are so that we can [31:10] support that, either support a formal extension, which is allowed under the war powers resolution, [31:17] or build the support for the authorization, the use of military force. Democrats should come on board. [31:22] We are fixing a mess that started with President Obama and continued with President Biden. They aided and [31:29] abetted the ability of the mullahs in Iran to kill their people and to build their nuclear capabilities. [31:35] This president, and I've told him, is the first president who had the guts to act with the kind [31:40] of power that's necessary to bring these hateful, deadly leaders of Iran to heal. And we've got to [31:46] do everything we can to support them. But most people know I'm a by-the-book kind of guy. And we need [31:51] to do it by getting clarity from the administration on what they need to do short-term, intermediate-term, [31:56] and long-term, and to what extent Congress can help and get Democrats on board fixing problems that [32:02] their predecessors created. All right, well, we've covered a lot of ground today. Senator Tom Tillis, [32:07] thank you so very much for being here. Thank you. And when we come back, [32:12] Democratic Congressman Ro Khanna joins me next. Welcome back. And joining me now is Democratic [32:23] Congressman Ro Khanna of California. Congressman Khanna, welcome back to Meet the Press. [32:30] Thank you for having me. I'm glad you're safe and back to work this morning. Thank you so much, [32:35] Congressman. That really means a lot. I appreciate it. I do want to start off [32:39] by getting your reaction to the events that unfolded here overnight in Washington. And [32:44] everyone's so grateful to the Secret Service for keeping us safe. [32:47] It was absolutely horrific. I'm so relieved that the president, the first lady, [32:53] every administration official, and all the guests are safe. I appreciate law enforcement, [32:58] and particularly the Secret Service agent was shot and hope he makes a full recovery. But as you know, [33:04] Krista, this is an event that is actually the symbol of an open, free society. And to see journalists [33:11] like you and others ducking under tables was just horrifying. We need a bipartisan national [33:18] commission for political violence in this country. I heard Senator Tillis speak. We should look at [33:23] social media. We should look at mental health issues. We should look at language. But we need to do [33:28] something to bring the temperature down. Well, let me ask you about what happens next [33:33] in terms of this investigation. Do you have confidence in the Secret Service [33:37] and the FBI as they carry out this investigation, Congressman? [33:43] On this issue, I do. I heard Acting Attorney General Blanche. As you know, we've had disagreements on [33:51] the Epstein files. But I do believe that he's going to do everything to have a thorough investigation. [33:57] I appreciate what law enforcement did to make sure that the breach was not more than a few feet. We can [34:02] look at whether there needs to be even more security in the future. I mean, I've gone to those events. [34:07] It's always struck me as a bit odd that the metal detectors are before the ballroom as opposed to [34:13] before the hotel. So maybe there will be some things that need to be fixed. But I do believe he [34:20] will do a thorough job on this. Speaking of the Acting Attorney General, [34:24] you heard him just tell me that this should be a wake-up call for Congress to fund DHS. Does Congress [34:31] need to act in the wake of this incident to fully fund DHS? Absolutely. We've been funding the [34:41] Democrats have been saying we want to fund DHS. We just don't want to fund ICE agents with the ICE [34:46] raids against American citizens and against immigrants in ways that broke the law. But the [34:53] Democrats have said that we will fund DHS as long as you separate that from the ICE funding. And we've done [35:00] that many, many times. Let me turn to Iran now, this 60-day deadline that is coming up. Of course, [35:07] the key deadline to legally authorize any continued military action in Iran. You have authored, [35:13] you've supported several unsuccessful resolutions to limit President Trump's war powers in Iran. [35:20] Do you think President Trump will be able to secure congressional authorization for this war? [35:28] No. Christian, let me be clear. We need to end this war. Americans are struggling. Gas prices are [35:34] up. Food prices are up. Housing costs are up. The reason those prices are up is because the [35:40] Strait of Hormuz is closed and because of this war. It's caused devastation for working families. [35:46] The president ran saying that he would bring prices down. Prices are up in his administration. [35:54] And the way most Americans want this war to end, even 54% of Republicans believe we need negotiation [36:00] to end the war. The pope is saying end the war. Americans agree with the pope. We need a negotiated [36:06] settlement and this war needs to end this week. But Congressman, let me ask you, if Congress does, [36:11] in fact, side with President Trump in that key vote, should that be an end to any legislation trying [36:18] to block him? Would that effectively tie the commander in chief's hands? [36:25] If they authorized the vote of force, you're saying? I mean, we need to be having a war powers [36:31] resolution that says that this is an illegal war. And I believe we will have the votes to do that. [36:38] That would tie the president's hands in terms of not being able to get funding to continue this war. [36:43] That's how we ended the Vietnam War. It's how we ended the Iraq War, not funding this. But this idea [36:48] that we're going to put $400 billion more into a war in Iran and that we're going to watch prices go [36:53] up is just hurting working class Americans. It's not what the president ran on. [36:58] All right. A few other quick topics. I want to turn to the big news out of Virginia, [37:02] that redistricting referendum that passed this week in that state, potentially giving Democrats [37:07] a chance to flip up to four Republican seats. Some of the same Democratic leaders who backed it, [37:14] like former President Barack Obama, Governor Abigail Spanberger had previously spoken out [37:20] against gerrymandering. Let me give you an example. President Obama saying in 2020, [37:24] it has warped our representative government. Governor Spanberger saying in 2019, [37:29] it is detrimental to our democracy. Do you think this political win for Democrats [37:36] ultimately comes at the expense of a healthier democracy? [37:39] No, the Democrats, including President Obama, supported the John Lewis Voting Rights Act. [37:47] That would have ended gerrymandering across the country. The Republicans, not a single Republican, [37:54] supported that bill. Then Donald Trump says, I want to have partisan gerrymandering [37:59] because I know we're going to lose the midterms otherwise. Well, [38:02] the Democrats are not going to unilaterally disarm. In a game that the Republicans started, [38:08] they're actually losing. They're down a seat. And so the Democrats still would welcome an effort [38:14] to ban gerrymandering, to go and pass the Voting Rights Act and have independent commissions. But what [38:20] we're not going to do is watch unilateral disarmament and just Republicans get to gerrymander and we don't. [38:27] Congressman, finally, let me ask you about the Epstein files. You mentioned that earlier. You told me [38:32] last time we spoke that you actually wanted King Charles, who's poised to visit the United States, [38:37] to meet with the Epstein survivors during his upcoming visit. He has said that he will not. What [38:44] was your reaction to hearing that? What are the implications, do you think? [38:50] I was disappointed. I had a constructive meeting with the British ambassador. I am hopeful that King [38:56] Charles, when he speaks to the Congress, will acknowledge the Epstein survivors, will call [39:03] for justice, will call for investigations and prosecutions. It would be an enormous gesture [39:08] if when he's speaking at the Congress, he does that. And I'm hopeful that he will. [39:12] OK, we'll watch and see what he has to say. Congressman Ro Khanna, [39:16] thank you so very much for being here. We appreciate it. [39:21] Thank you, Kristin. [39:22] And when we come back, the very latest on the investigation into Saturday night shooting [39:26] suspect. Much more after a quick break. When we come back, how is America grappling with the [39:36] rise in political violence? The panel is next. Welcome back. The panel is here. NBC News Capitol [39:49] Hill correspondent Melanie Zanona, Leanne Caldwell, chief Washington correspondent for POC, [39:54] Lonnie Chen, a fellow at the Hoover Institution, and Democratic strategist Adrian Elrod. Welcome to [40:00] all of you. It is wonderful to see all of you doing OK after last night. Mel and Leanne, [40:07] obviously you were in the room as well. Mel, I want to start with you. Just what was your reaction [40:11] as the events unfolded at the Washington Hilton last night? Well, you know, Kristin, [40:15] I was there in the Capitol on January 6th and I was in the chamber and it was a similar duck and [40:19] cover situation. I think what was so chilling to me about yesterday was how normalized this has [40:25] almost become. And that's not to say we weren't terrified in the moment, but it has almost become [40:30] acceptable. And, you know, for me, something kicked in where it's like, OK, I've been through this [40:34] before. I need to protect myself, listen to the police officers, but was really telling to me [40:40] yesterday was when our colleague Garrett Haig asked the president, is this the cost of doing [40:44] business in politics? And he said yes. And he is not the only one who feels that way. I've talked [40:49] to a number of lawmakers on Capitol Hill who also have come to almost accept this and are resigned to [40:54] the fact that they're going to face threats or worse or actual attempts on their lives. And there [41:00] has been a rise in threats to members of Congress. It is at an all-time high. It is not only changing [41:05] how lawmakers conduct business and are on the campaign trail. I'm worried it's also impacting [41:09] whether people even want to get into politics in general. Which is just a terrifying and tragic [41:14] thought. Leanne, you were there picking up on what Mel is saying. We all watched the lawmakers get [41:21] evacuated, the cabinet secretaries. How are they responding today? Because as Mel says, [41:27] the backdrop to this is an increase in political violence. Yeah, absolutely. As you said, Mel, [41:32] this is something that has been increasing year by year by year. I was also at the Capitol complex on [41:38] January 6th. I was actually also in the Capitol on 9-11. And the through line is the law enforcement [41:45] response has always been amazing to watch, but also really intense as well. And there are going to be [41:52] questions. Ag. Todd Blanche told you, acting Ag. Todd Blanche told you that it proved that the system [41:59] worked. But there's going to be a lot of questions about how there was a security breach. And remember, [42:05] this Hilton actually has history. This is where Ronald Reagan, the Hilton where Ronald Reagan [42:11] was shot in an attempted assassination in 1981. And so there was, they fortified the space so that the [42:18] president could have events there, but they're still with some sort of security breach. And the [42:24] political violence is, as you said, Mel, becoming more and more common. [42:28] What an important backdrop to keep in mind as we continue to report this out. Lonnie, [42:33] let me turn to you because President Trump, as he held that impromptu extraordinary news conference, [42:39] still dressed in black tie last night, said this is why he believes he needs to build a ballroom. Of [42:46] course, it has been under scrutiny, legal challenges. He also posted about it this [42:51] morning. I want to play a little bit of what he had to say last night. Take a look. [42:55] I didn't want to say this, but this is why we have to have all of the attributes of what we're [43:02] planning at the White House. It's actually a larger room and it's much more secure. It's got [43:07] it's drone proof. It's bulletproof glass. We need the ballroom. That's why Secret Service. That's why [43:12] the military are demanding it. Lonnie, what did you make of the president's message last night? [43:16] Well, unquestionably, the safety and security of the president, administration officials, [43:20] and guests, that is paramount, obviously. So we have to see how this investigation plays out, [43:26] how facilities can be fortified. But we should be able to have events without fear [43:30] of there being some kind of incident like we saw last night. But if we step back, it is true, [43:35] political violence does seem to have become a part of doing business, but it should not be normal. [43:41] It should not be normalized. And that is something we should not lose sight of. And ultimately, [43:46] it is incumbent upon public leaders to set the right tone. I thought the president did that [43:51] in his press conference last night. I think it's important for others to follow suit. But ultimately, [43:56] we should not say that, hey, we're used to this. It's America. It's happened before. [44:01] Somebody has to draw the line. And we've seen this too many times now, just many, too many times. [44:06] Adrienne, how do lawmakers, how do we as a country draw the line? [44:10] Well, I mean, look, Lonnie raises a really important point. I mean, I've been working [44:15] in Washington for about 30 years, and I have seen the political violence really uptick in [44:19] the last few years. In particular, it's terrifying. Members of Congress should not have to spend money [44:24] out of their campaign accounts to fund their security measures. I mean, I think there's a lot of [44:28] reforms that need to take place. But ultimately, the rhetoric has got, [44:32] we've got to take it down a couple of notches. I thought President Trump was incredible last night. [44:35] I thought he really struck a conciliatory tone. And we just need to have more rhetoric where we're [44:40] all coming together and protecting each other first. Well, undoubtedly, that will be part of [44:44] this conversation moving forward. I do want to shift gears a little bit, talk about some of the news [44:49] that was made here this morning, Mel. Senator Tom Tillis now saying he is going to vote yes to [44:55] confirm Kevin Warsh. That's President Trump's pick to lead the Fed because he said he wanted the [45:00] investigation dropped into Jerome Powell. He says he's gotten assurances from the Justice [45:05] Department that it's not going to necessarily reopen the investigation willy nilly into him. [45:09] Yeah, this was some big news that you made with the senator here because he had been silent all [45:12] weekend. Now we know why he was working behind the scenes to get those assurances. He seemed pretty [45:17] confident that this pro would not be reopened. That means essentially Warsh is on the glide path now. [45:22] But of course, the question is, what if they go back on their word? If so, what if something happens? [45:25] Todd Blanche seemed to leave the door open a little bit with you in your earlier interview. [45:29] So that's certainly something we'll be watching. [45:31] Yeah, it's important to note that this investigation into Jerome Powell was never [45:35] popular. Republican senators have increasingly been speaking out saying that this was not a good [45:40] move by the president. The president, they were talking to him privately as well, telling him so. [45:45] So there was pressure for him behind the scenes to drop this and he finally did. [45:49] Lonnie, is he effectively, is Kevin Warsh effectively on a glide path now to confirmation? How do you see this? [45:56] I certainly do think that Kevin will be confirmed hopefully by May 15th when [46:00] Chairman Powell's term expires. I've had the opportunity to work alongside Kevin Warsh for [46:06] many years. I consider him a good friend and colleague. I think he's going to be a tremendous [46:10] chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank. And look, ultimately, this is an important job. Determining [46:16] how monetary policy looks for the next couple of years will be critical to jumpstart US economic [46:21] growth to make sure that we continue to have high employment as well as low inflation. So they're [46:25] going to have a lot of challenges. The Fed's going to have a lot of challenges in this economy going [46:28] forward. And Adrian, I asked Tom Tillis if he was confident in Warsh's independence. He said, [46:33] yes, absolutely. How do you see this? Yeah, I mean, I hope he's right. I mean, [46:36] what we've seen play out in the last few years with Trump going head to head with Powell has not been [46:41] effective for the economy. We've seen Republicans join Democrats and saying there's got to be a [46:45] separation. So maybe this will be a chance to have a new clean start. All right. Wonderful conversation. [46:52] Thank you to all of you. I'm so glad you're all here and that everyone is safe. Thank you. [46:57] That is all for today. Thank you for watching. We will be back next week because if it's Sunday, [47:02] it's Meet the Press. We thank you for watching. And remember, [47:35] stay updated on breaking news and top stories on the NBC News app or watch live on our YouTube channel.