Rep. Mike Turner defends Trump's handling of Iran war

[0:00] We're back now with Republican Congressman Mike Turner. Thank you for coming back to town early [0:04] to talk to us in person. Thank you. Let's start on our polling, because you, like many people [0:10] right now, are running for re-election, right? You look at this poll, 64% of the American people [0:15] disapprove of the war, 62% say the president has no clear plan. There are these negative perceptions [0:20] of the president's handling of the economy and inflation. Dayton isn't immune, gas prices up a [0:26] buck from where they were same time last year. How are you explaining to people in your district [0:31] that this war is worth it? Well, first off, no conflict ever polls well. I mean, when there's [0:38] a conflict occurring, no one says it's being handled well, because you have to go through [0:43] the conflict. The president has articulated, I think very well, that this is about ensuring that [0:49] Iran does not become a nuclear state. And no one is willing to trade lower gas prices for Iran [0:56] becoming a nuclear state. And when Vice President Vance stood at the podium and said that the [1:04] negotiations had broken off because Iran was not willing to declare that they would not become a [1:09] nuclear state, that should have set a chill both through Europe and around the world. And I think, [1:13] you know, for everyone, because that truly is what this is about. That puts away what, you know, [1:20] what Senator Warner was trying to dismissively say that this was not an imminent threat and what [1:24] everyone else has been saying in Europe and around the world. But that, that, that this is a, a, [1:33] an immediate, the IAEA Grossi, the director had said they were weeks away from being, having enough [1:41] material to have. He said there was no evidence that they were pursuing a nuclear weapon. He said [1:43] they were, they were weeks, they were weeks away. And, and now you have it. No longer can people say [1:49] that they did not, they did not have the ambition. Here they are all the way at the table. They have been in [1:53] this, this massive conflict and they're unwilling to say they're not going to pursue, they're unwilling [1:58] to pursue a nuclear weapon. [2:00] Preventing that. However, the negotiation itself is proof of the fact that militarily you cannot [2:06] achieve destruction of nuclear ambition. Is it not? No, it's not because they're still ongoing. [2:11] And the, and the president has said this, this, this conflict, this, this act, the negotiations, [2:17] this is not, this is, this is not over. And, and as it's not over, Iran is going to have to come to [2:25] the realization as, as our, you know, the JCPO, the original enrichment deal that Obama had [2:32] negotiated where he said, we're not going to allow them to have a nuclear weapon, but we're just [2:35] going to watch. And they didn't have a nuclear weapon. And we're going to watch. And they don't [2:38] have a nuclear weapon now. And we're going to watch them enrich until they get close enough and then [2:41] we'll take military action. Every, Europe, everyone was a party to this deal. This is not just a United States. [2:47] They still won't agree. This is not just a United States issue. As we saw during this conflict [2:53] where Iran, um, in their missile technology, sent a missile all the way to Diego Garcia. This was a [2:58] wake up call for Europe. They now have missile technology that can reach Europe. Right. This [3:02] is a regime, a terrorist regime that we cannot allow to have a nuclear weapon. So you said the [3:06] president has been very clear here in his goals and intent. Art polling shows the American people [3:10] aren't persuaded in the same way you are. Let me run through some of the things he said on the [3:15] Hormuz Strait. At the outset of the war, March 3rd, he said the Navy would begin escorting tankers no [3:20] matter what the U.S. will ensure the free flow of energy to the world. March 9th, he said he was [3:25] still thinking about taking it over. March 15th, he said it was someone else's problem. Our allies [3:30] would take care of it. Maybe we shouldn't even be there. We don't need it. We have a lot of oil. [3:34] Six days later, he threatened online the U.S. would attack Iran's power plants if it didn't open the [3:39] strait within 48 hours. March 26th, he went back to blaming allies, saying he's disappointed [3:44] in NATO. And then he announced a two-week ceasefire saying Iran had agreed to open the strait. [3:52] I'm not done because yesterday he said that CENTCOM announced they're sending two ships to set the [3:58] conditions for clearing mines. This morning, he said the Navy's going to start blockading the [4:01] strait and interdict ships. Is that the final answer? I mean, can you see here why the public [4:08] doesn't think that the president has a clear strategy? Your adversary has a vote in this, [4:14] too, and they have a position in it, too, which there were just negotiations just yesterday. [4:18] They changed with the days. Just yesterday, there were negotiations, [4:22] and literally, Iran had an opportunity just yesterday to say to the world, we're not going [4:28] to pursue a nuclear weapon. Can you imagine? The largest exporter of terrorist regime having a [4:36] nuclear weapon, they have been enriching. They have been enriching uranium. They've been enriching [4:41] to the point where the IAEA, they had the IAEA, so they were weeks away from having enough to have a [4:47] nuclear weapon. There has not been a single congressional hearing on this issue. No one's [4:51] disagreeing. It's an important one. Since this war began, you have been in session for [4:58] nuclear ambitions for decades. Do you think this is adequate oversight? [5:02] There have been decades of, well, actually, we have had classified briefings on this issue. Now, [5:09] this is an ongoing conflict. There are going to be continued briefings. I think the administration [5:14] certainly could, and the chairman of the Armed Services Committee has chastised the department [5:21] on needing to provide Congress with more information, but we've had classified briefings. [5:25] But the issue that's the crux of this, that Iran cannot be permitted to have a nuclear weapon, [5:31] which is what the vice president stood before the world and said that Iran is unwilling to declare [5:38] just yesterday, which was the breaking point of the negotiations, has been the subject of hearings. [5:45] Do you know what the president means when he says that the United States Navy is now going to be [5:49] blockading the Strait of Hormuz that we are trying to open? Has that been briefed to Congress? [5:53] I think, well, of course not, because it was just announced yet, as you were discussing this morning. [5:59] Well, if it was a clear strategy all along, and this was part of the plan, you would think it happened. [6:01] What is clear in the strategy, as the president has said, is the Straits are not just a United [6:05] States issue. It is also a Europe issue. It is a worldwide issue. And the president said today we have to [6:10] reexamine NATO because of that. Iran should not be permitted to control the Straits, [6:14] and it's not just the United States issue. Did they mine it? [6:17] And Iran should not be permitted to just decide who gets through. And Europe, our NATO allies, [6:24] others who have certainly an interest in the Straits should be coming to the table, [6:28] and it should not just be a U.S. issue. And the president, by saying we're not just going to let [6:36] them decide who gets through, is certainly calling all of our allies and everyone to the [6:41] table of, this needs to be addressed. Did they mine the Straits of Hormuz? Because in that tweet [6:46] today, the president also said they might not have. Well, I think- Because he said no ship- [6:51] I think you'll have to ask the president. It's his tweet. [6:53] That's the point, that Congress has not been briefed on that. [6:56] It's his tweet. I think you'll have to ask the president. [6:58] As a member on oversight and armed services, do you feel like this has actually been adequately [7:03] explained to you? Because the American public does not. [7:06] The president just tweeted this this morning. So you'll have to ask the president. [7:11] We would love to ask the president or the secretary of state or the secretary of defense. [7:17] But members of Congress from his party are the only ones sitting here today, [7:20] and we do appreciate you answering questions on it.