Tense moments from Marco Rubio's House Foreign Affairs Committee testimony

[0:00] and look for about 30 years that made a lot of sense until the end of the post-cold war era [0:04] so that made a lot of sense for a long period of time during the cold war mr chairman it's [0:22] our job to oversee the state department you can't do that by over by having think tank [0:29] witnesses come before us our job isn't to oversee the think tanks in 2023 we had 44 government [0:36] witnesses this year we have our first and i hope very much that we have all the not only the [0:45] secretary but the under secretaries and assistant secretary so that we can really do our job um [0:51] secretary rubio in the 1970s there was a powerful middle east monarch who claimed to be a friend of [0:57] the united states wasn't like may very well have been claimed to be at least uh uh agreeable to [1:05] israel and so in the 1970s we transferred enormous sophisticated weapons to him in 1979 the shah was [1:14] disposed and all those weapons were in the hands of the ayatollah today mbs wants a nuclear weapon but [1:21] he says what he wants is a nuclear cooperation agreement well we have a nuclear cooperation [1:26] agreement with the united arab emirates that and turkey and morocco that all provide for a gold [1:31] standard of safety can you assure us that you will not enter into a or a nuclear cooperation [1:40] agreement with saudi arabia that does not have that same gold standard of uh security to make sure [1:46] they're not building a nuclear weapon well first i will tell you that uh there is no been no [1:50] conversation about entering into one for example during the recent trip can you i i've got a limited [1:54] time so here's the thing i can i can either give me a yes give me i'm going to give you my answer if [1:58] you want my answer i want to yes or no reclaiming my time well reclaim your time but it's not a game [2:03] show i get to answer these are complex questions let me mr secretary i'm reclaiming my time the [2:08] filibustering takes place in the senate not here i'm not filibustering i'm trying to answer your question [2:13] you're trying let's go on to the next question with regard to iran can you assure us that you will [2:22] continue sanctions on iran until they verifiably agree to abandon all enrichment that's a yes or [2:30] no question no it's not well can you give me a yes or no should i go on to go on to the next we [2:36] believe that iran should not be allowed to enrich uranium correct you believe that we believe that [2:42] an acceptable deal with iran is one in which they cannot enrich because if they can enrich they can [2:46] weaponize i know why we don't want i asked you will we agree will we continue the sanctions until [2:52] they verifiably agreed to get rid oh you have no worry about us the worry was the previous [2:56] administration this administration has been refusal to give me an answer is loud and clear [3:03] reclaiming my time mr mr chair you told us about all these wonderful business deals [3:09] that were announced in the middle east it's reminiscent of the first year of the first term [3:14] of donald trump where he announced a 10 billion dollar investment by foxcom in wisconsin it is still an [3:21] empty field i am sure that the only deals announced in the middle east that will actually happen were [3:27] the bribery deals the 400 million dollar plane and the two billion dollars abu dhabi will put into the [3:33] cryptocurrency sponsored by mr trump um tick tock mr secretary you led the effort to say that it [3:41] shouldn't be controlled by the chinese communist party we passed a law with your help that law requires [3:48] that we ban tick tock now because all of the expiration dates have uh have gone uh have expired um but [3:57] instead we saw chinese interests associated with tick tock transfer 300 million dollars into uh the trump [4:07] coin which is a pure gift it's 300 million dollars for nothing but monopoly money and so uh there's a word in [4:14] mandarin for this it's it's called bribery and uh it raises the question that i'll ask you to respond [4:20] to for the record and that is is there any statute this administration will not violate for a 300 [4:25] million dollar chinese bribe the uh we next focus on the uh on usa id uh musk gutted it he said no one died [4:36] as a result uh or do you agree that no one has died yet as a result of the chainsawing of usa id yes or no [4:45] i'm sorry the question is has anyone what has anyone in the world died because of what elon musk [4:51] did yes or no reclaiming my time if you won't answer that's a loud answer no one has died because [4:57] of usa people who have died that's as a result of cutting off the oxygen of a woman uh in burma and [5:05] denying hiv aids treatment to those in africa they are dead now at the hands of elon musk and his co [5:12] conspirators now recognizes representative wilson from south carolina secretary in 1944 my uncle [5:21] james arthur keating was serving in france and uh his soldiers uh his fellow soldiers were dying [5:28] around him he wrote a letter back in combat back home about the cost of human sacrifice [5:34] and whether it was worthwhile to defend a piece of mud on the earth only a week after that letter [5:42] he answered that question while carrying lead in himself as one of the people in his command was [5:47] exposed and injured uh he he was wounded himself carrying lead and crawled out there brought him [5:54] back to safety saved his life and as he was going for another person was machine gunned to death himself [5:59] and killed in action 400 000 other american families gave the same sacrifice but the peace and prosperity [6:08] that came forward the world has never seen it's a transatlantic alliance where our allies sacrificed [6:15] their young men and women when america was attacked in 9 11 and economically their 1.6 trillion [6:23] dollar trading partner with us with 16 million jobs on both sides of the continent so my questions [6:28] today are looking for clarity on where we stand with our allies and partners for more than 80 years because [6:35] they're expressing their doubts expressing the doubts publicly they've expressed it to me privately [6:41] so as the face of our country as the lead foreign policy representative in the united states [6:47] i'm just looking for this clarity so first simply answer this question if you will is russia the [6:57] aggressor in this ukraine war yeah russia invaded ukraine so they are the aggressor in this war correct [7:04] they invaded them yes well thank you sir because it's important to get this clarity [7:09] because president donald trump said it was ukraine that started this war and our allies have the [7:16] right to know this uh secondly uh the person we're negotiating with vladimir putin is he a war [7:26] criminal well i think you can look at instances that have happened there and certainly characterize [7:32] them as war crimes but our intent is to end the war is he a war criminal we can't end the war without [7:36] talking to mr that's pretty simple is he a war criminal well that's this man we're negotiating with [7:41] vladimir putin is he a war criminal that's not tough but what i'm trying to answer your question [7:46] by telling you that we're trying to end the answer go ahead no it's not a simple answer you are [7:50] equivocating sir just answer the question i'm answering your question and the answer is that [7:54] war crimes have been committed no doubt and who's responsible for that there will be time and place [7:58] for that accountability but right now the job is to end so you won't answer we don't know what people [8:03] are going to reclaiming my time sir let me go on because because i don't understand this because [8:10] you're sitting in front of us now as secretary of state it wasn't long ago that you were sitting as a [8:17] senator with secretary of state nominee rex tillerson at the time in the exact same circumstances only [8:25] reversed and you question him about putin directing attacks against schools markets hospitals playgrounds [8:34] and on top of this in this instance he's abducted 20 000 children a clear war crime so you were very [8:42] clear then vladimir putin is was a war criminal now he's you're unmaking him a war criminal and you [8:51] won't answer the question about the exact same circumstances words in my i'm reclaiming my time [8:56] sir you're putting words and you know what you said to secretary tillerson at the end of his answer [9:01] when he equivocated just as you are right now i'm not equivocated you said it just don't let me answer [9:05] sounds like it to me then i'll give you a second chance is vladimir never gave me a war criminal [9:11] i already told you war crimes have been no you didn't tell me if he's a war criminal mr chairman [9:16] am i allowed to answer questions i'm reclaiming my time sir and listen i'm using your own words so you [9:21] don't have to answer do you know what you said to then nominee secretary of state tillerson you said you [9:28] were very discouraged in his inability to accept that putin was indeed a war criminal your words [9:34] we don't need any more you're inconsistent the third question i have there is i answered your [9:38] question you just don't let me answer you did not answer the question about putin's well you [9:42] keep reclaiming your time in ukraine you asked me the question then you reclaim your time so how [9:46] can i answer you answered it listen let me go forth with this three questions or are you going to [9:51] reclaim time on those i'm i'm i'm giving you a chance to answer give me a chance to ask the question [9:56] here it is so there's a concern among these allies that we've had our closest allies about the one [10:04] sidedness of the negotiations with russia and ukraine general order expired secretary ruby if [10:10] you'd like to respond by all means can i reclaim my time for a few seconds thank you number one [10:16] crimes have been committed in the war on ukraine and there will be accountability for that but our [10:20] goal right now is to end that war because let me tell you every single day that that war goes on [10:24] more people are killed more people are maimed and frankly more crimes are more war crimes are [10:28] being committed every day that the war lasts number one number two i don't know how european allies [10:33] could say that i talk to european allies literally every single day i see or talk to the foreign [10:38] minister of the uk and france and germany more than i see or talk to my own kids in some days chairman so [10:43] these are all i'm reclaiming my time now because you've given him time and i asked you not recognized [10:49] mr chairman you're not recognized i'm asking for unanimous consent to mr keating you're not [10:54] recognized the second i am asking unanimous consent to put in the record mr keating you're not right [11:00] oh so you're not going to recognize mr chairman anyone that asked you can consent to put in for [11:05] the record a document you're not allowing you are not recognized right now your time expired you might [11:10] have a minute and a few mr secretary please continue the last point is our goal is to end [11:16] this war we have to be able to talk to point of order to do it chairman in order to be we have to [11:20] end this my time is answered his time answering my question ended too it's the next person's time [11:26] that's the rules in this committee when you won't even let a person enter into the record something [11:31] from our ambassador to recently from ukraine ambassador brink who resigned because of the [11:38] conduct of this administration after 30 years of service sir you should keep a better eye of the [11:43] clock in front of your time expired continue our goal is to end this war so more people don't die [11:49] and by the way we want all those kids returned back to their homes that were kidnapped from their [11:52] parents we just want people to stop dying every day this war goes on people die things are [11:57] destroyed and lives are ruined and we want it to stop thanks secretary did you have something you [12:02] want to submit for unanimous consent thank you mr now would be your opportunity thank you sir [12:07] uh i want to submit for the record an op-ed by ambassador uh brink from ukraine the regional [12:14] ambassador that was close until we've seen 30 years of service of democrat uh presidents and [12:19] so ordered once it's an op-ed that says so representative vice is recognized and she [12:25] details how so ordered any cost is yes for an answer so ordered representative vice is recognized [12:30] chairman i'd like to ask unanimous consent that the accomplishments of the secretary of [12:34] state in the first hundred days be placed in the record so ordered as a member of the legislative [12:39] branch i don't have a special exemption to violate the law you would agree with me wouldn't you that [12:44] in america no one is above the law of course okay and in our system of government it's congress that [12:50] makes the laws the executive branch that executes the laws and the judicial branch when there's a [12:56] dispute that says what the law is is that right within the context of separation of powers yes okay [13:01] and the reason that due process is so fundamental to america is before we put the entire weight of [13:08] the federal government and snatch someone off the street we might want to ask hey do you have something [13:15] to say about that might we have the wrong person and in case mr garcia the trump administration [13:23] admitted in court that they mistakenly deported him to el salvador the supreme court in a 9-0 decision [13:30] said that trump administration has to facilitate getting him back do you believe the administration [13:36] has to follow that supreme court order well i don't believe he was wrongfully deported he's [13:41] an al salvadorian citizen that's not my question do you believe that trump has to follow the supreme [13:45] court 9-0 unanimous decision within the context of separation of powers okay no court can tell me [13:51] how to conduct foreign policy they can't tell me what i have to say to a president of another country [13:55] nor do i need to tell them what i told the president of another country because i can't i'm just asking you [13:59] do you believe that trump administration has to follow the unanimous supreme i believe we are [14:04] following it okay so my next question is what steps have you or the state department taken to [14:11] facilitate the return of mr garcia who was mistakenly deported to el salvador the conduct [14:16] of our foreign policy is an executive function and how i can i'm just asking you well let me ask you [14:22] have you or the state department taken any steps to facilitate we've taken steps but i'm not going [14:26] to tell you what they are and i don't have to because i we conduct the foreign policy of the [14:29] united states and i can't conduct diplomacy with a foreign leader if i come to committees and tell [14:33] you what they said to me what i said to them and more certainly a court can't tell me to say you [14:37] have taken steps to facilitate mr garcia's return we've made those we've made that assertion and [14:42] we've made those assertions in court and thank you i appreciate that i'd like to ask you now about [14:47] ukraine on august 24th 2022 you tweeted the following in the past six months since putin's criminal [14:53] invasion of ukraine ukrainians have shown incredible bravery and strength as they fight to defend their [14:58] homeland on ukraine's independence day the free world applause your courage and celebrates ukraine [15:02] sovereignty and then also in 2022 you said the people of ukraine are tough people who will never [15:07] accept being ruled by putin i uh want to ask you i assume you continue to believe what you said in [15:14] 2022 right that we should celebrate ukraine sovereignty and that the people ukraine will never accept being [15:19] ruled by putin right yeah that's why we're trying to end the war all right on [15:23] april 3rd of 2018 you tweeted glad you see state department confirmed delivery of javelin anti-tank [15:29] missiles to ukraine the u.s should continue empowering ukraine and other allies to defend [15:34] against a threat of russian aggression you'd agree with your prior statement that the u.s should [15:38] continue to support ukraine against russian aggression right we've supported them more than anyone in the [15:42] world all right unfortunately it appears secretary defense pete hexeth went rogue and decided unilaterally [15:49] to stop support for ukraine earlier this year various organizations reported that secretary [15:54] hexeth paused military support to ukraine without president trump's knowledge i'm going to read you [16:00] from one article dated may 6th quote pete hexeth canceled military aid flats ukraine just a week into [16:07] trump's second term without the president even knowing according to reuters the order initially sparked [16:12] mass confusion within administration as national security affairs on the white house the pentagon and [16:16] the state department couldn't figure out who ordered the halt and flights this is yet another [16:20] example of the chaos and lack of cohesion that hexeth has brought to the pentagon from day one [16:25] did secretary hexeth tell you before he ordered the halt in flights to ukraine of military weapons [16:31] i can't comment on that because i don't remember that i don't remember ever hearing that to [16:34] what you're claiming now so your understanding is he never told you he was going to help these [16:38] i just know we're providing them assistance now but the war ultimately has to end [16:43] in 2016 he stated the following from his repression of the russian people and assassination of his [16:47] critics to his dangerous invasion of ukraine occupation of crimea to his threats against our [16:52] native allies in central eastern europe to the war crimes committed by russian forces putin's russia [16:57] is a threat to global stability you'd agree with your prior statement right that putin's russia [17:02] is a threat to global stability i would agree that in my role as secretary of state my job is to [17:07] bring russia to the table to end the war and that's what we're trying to do right now we're trying [17:11] to end the war so that more people don't die thank you and and trying to end the war i simply note [17:16] that putin on palm sunday launched a barrage of missiles killed a bunch of civilians right before [17:22] his conversation with trump recently he launched a bunch of missiles killed a bunch of civilians [17:27] so clearly putin is giving the middle finger to you and to the president i urge you to defeat putin [17:33] on the battlefield that's the only way to get him to negotiate table i yield back on march 21st 2025 [17:40] the state department approved the revocation of a student visa for rameza osterk a turkish citizen [17:47] who is a graduate student at tufts university apparently simply for writing an op-ed according [17:54] to an internal state department memo you took this action under your discretionary authority to revoke visas [18:00] and soon after you revoked her visa armed and masked plain clothes officers snatched ms osterk off the [18:07] street and transported her to a prison in louisiana mr secretary do you really think that ms osterk's [18:13] op-ed results in a foreign policy consequence for the united states i believe that case involves [18:19] someone whose visa we never would have granted had we known ahead of time i'm not asking you that [18:22] question i'm asking you if you think an op-ed if an op-ed which but that's exactly in fact what [18:30] happened the state department wrote a memo concluding that you did not have sufficient grounds to revoke [18:35] ms osterk's visa there was no evidence showing that she'd engaged in any activities were a threat [18:41] to national security and in fact in may a federal court ordered ms osterk's release from detention [18:46] noting that the sole basis sole basis for the government's detention appeared to be the fact [18:51] that she co-authored this opinion piece in the tufts newspaper in march of 2024 where in the constitution [18:58] does it say that the secretary of state can override the first amendment uh protections of free speech [19:07] is there a footnote that i missed there's no constitutional right to a student visa so it but [19:11] is there a constitutional right is it does it say somewhere that marco rubio gets to determine whether [19:17] which speech is appropriate and revoke student visas based on what you think constitutes free speech [19:23] there's a statute there's a statute that says the secretary of state gets to determine whether [19:27] someone is the threat we deny visas every day do you think that the ima do you think that the [19:30] immigration nationality act trumps the constitution of the united states mr secretary well congress [19:35] can always change the law if you want but i'm telling you mr secretary let me be clear i will [19:38] continue to revoke the visas of these people that come here to tear this country you said that mr [19:41] secretary let me reclaim my time because you are talking about revoking student visas based on [19:46] what somebody says and that means that you are trumping the uh legal supreme court the supreme law of [19:55] the land which is the constitution of the united states no one why did the administration mr rubio why [20:00] did the administration need to use masked armed unidentified agents to whisk somebody off the street [20:07] and deny her counsel for almost 24 hours after you have to ask the agencies that did that work i'm not [20:12] responsible that i'm responsible for revoking the visas of these people that come secretary rubio [20:17] i'm talking about this particular case where you revoke the student visa of a turkish citizen a turkish [20:24] citizen who was a graduate student who wrote an op-ed that you didn't like and suddenly you allowed [20:29] for masked men to whisk her off the street and you have multiple jobs apparently you're the national [20:34] security advisor as well so don't tell me it's not your job who snatches her off the street [20:39] we don't do the snatching but i can tell you we do the visa revocations let me ask you about the [20:42] national security consequences of people masked men on the street snatching people off the streets [20:50] if these are legitimate law enforcement agents carrying out proper arrests why are they hiding [20:54] their identities because then radical crazies will try to hurt them so you so you think that u.s [21:00] agents who have almost always gone without face coverings even when they're arresting some of the [21:04] most some of the country's most dangerous criminals suddenly have so much to fear from a graduate [21:11] student who wrote an op-ed that they need to be masked is that is that that law student was a [21:16] guest in the united states on a student visa no one's entitled to a student visa so you revoked her [21:21] student visa on based on an op-ed which trumps the supreme law of the land which is the constitution [21:28] coming up here to store problems on our campus we're going to revoke their she didn't do any of [21:31] that she wrote an op-ed she wrote an op-ed and i'm talking to you about her particular claims and [21:36] you reclaim you reclaiming my time you revoked her student visa because she wrote an op-ed would [21:43] you want to do more i have another question for you would you revoke the visa of someone in the united [21:48] states who published claims that quote jews are an untrustworthy and dangerous group yes or no we [21:54] will revoke the visa of anyone who's in this country as a guest are you are you going to revoke the [21:58] visa of somebody who made that in the case i'll look at it i'm looking i'm looking to get crazy [22:02] actually it's not just about revoking you actually secretary rubio excuse me reclaiming my time [22:08] can you explain to me why the trump administration granted refugee status to charl klein house the [22:14] white africaner who tweeted that exact statement that i just said there's the case that's you granted [22:21] you who granted that person to enter the united states that someone that applied here through a [22:26] totally different process student secretary rubio pieces are a privilege secretary all the time [22:30] you revoked a visa based on an op-ed and then you allowed for the last time has expired to snatch [22:37] somebody off the street that's your claim that's not accurate recognize ranking member meeks for a [22:43] closing statement