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'We want answers' Top Armed Services Dem demands Hegseth address USS Lincoln controversy · DEEP INSIGHT

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  Speaker 1: Look at it.
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  Speaker 2: We want to bring in the ranking member of the
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  Speaker 2: Armed Services Committee, the Democratic Senator Jack Reid of Rhode Island.
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  Speaker 2: Senator Reid, I appreciate your being with us here on
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  Speaker 2: state of Play.
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  Speaker 1: Thanks for your time. Peter, Thank you.
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  Speaker 2: You, along with your fellow Democratic members on this Armed
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  Speaker 2: Services Committee, are now demanding answers from Secretary Defense Secretary
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  Speaker 2: Pete Hagsath about these poor conditions on board the USS
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  Speaker 2: Abraham Lincoln, what do you need to hear from Hagsath
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  Speaker 2: and how do you intend to hold this administration accountable?
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  Speaker 1: Well, we intend to hear what exactly happened? What were
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  Speaker 1: the structural defects and the ship broken plumbing, etc. What
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  Speaker 1: were these crew members going through for two hundred and
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  Speaker 1: fifty days. That is an excessive time at sea, particularly
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  Speaker 1: in a combat zone. And we want answers, And we
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  Speaker 1: also want him to tell us what's a hit? What
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  Speaker 1: about our other ships? George borshten is coming in to
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  Speaker 1: relieve Abraham Liken. Is that ship ready to extend further?
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  Speaker 1: But most importantly, and this is not taking place? What
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  Speaker 1: is their plan? What do they intend to do? How
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  Speaker 1: long will it take? What resources do they need? What
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  Speaker 1: are the options considering they've basically sort of shut us
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  Speaker 1: all out. And that's not just Democrats, that's my Republican
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  Speaker 1: colleagues also.
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  Speaker 2: And Centater, let me ask you to make note of
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  Speaker 2: the USS George Washington that is now headed to the
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  Speaker 2: Middle East, that would replace the USS Abraham Lincoln there.
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  Speaker 2: It's significant not just because of the change that we'll
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  Speaker 2: see excuse me taking place in that region, but what
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  Speaker 2: it means and what the vacuum it leaves behind in
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  Speaker 2: the Pacific. It'll be the first time that we are
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  Speaker 2: without a US carrier presence in that region. Why is
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  Speaker 2: that such a significant concern? And what message does that
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  Speaker 2: send to China?
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  Speaker 1: Well, it sends a message to Chya is we're not
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  Speaker 1: as prepared as we are to deter any action that
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  Speaker 1: you might take that are contrary to the United States.
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  Speaker 1: So we're sending them the signal that we're missing an action. Literally,
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  Speaker 1: this is a strategic blunder of the first order, consistent
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  Speaker 1: with so many things that Trump has done, you know,
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  Speaker 1: his focus on the Americas rather than his focus on
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  Speaker 1: the greatest threats we face, which is China in Russia.
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  Speaker 1: All of this is strategic miscalculation, very poor plans. They're
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  Speaker 1: simply trying to make it up as they go. It'll
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  Speaker 1: be day by day, and that's going to give the Chinese.
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  Speaker 1: I think that, unfortunately, the notion that they may be
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  Speaker 1: prepared or better able to take us on, and that's
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  Speaker 1: the wrong messages.
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  Speaker 2: At excuse my interruption, center read help me understand this
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  Speaker 2: for seconds. I think a lot of people watching this
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  Speaker 2: conversation are asking the same thing. Right now. Aroan we
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  Speaker 2: know wants nuclear weapons. North Korea already has nuclear weapons.
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  Speaker 2: The president here is a effectively siding with Kim Jungan, who,
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  Speaker 2: in an extended post that he wrote earlier today, described
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  Speaker 2: the North Korean leader as unthreatening and respectful. How do
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  Speaker 2: you respond to that language about an authoritarian dictator, Well.
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  Speaker 1: The president and that's this sense is delusional. He has
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  Speaker 1: this egomania that says every powerful friggure in the world
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  Speaker 1: is must bow down to me. They do that. That's
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  Speaker 1: exactly approach he took to Putin when he took over
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  Speaker 1: the Ukrainians. He dismissed. He says, you don't have the cards, etc.
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  Speaker 1: There was this relationship with Putin and we know how
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  Speaker 1: that is wingful and it's the same situation with North Korea.
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  Speaker 1: Kim Jong un is not, I think, terribly impressed with
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  Speaker 1: Donald Trump, and withdrawing forces from career canceling exercises plays
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  Speaker 1: into his game. So this is just again at the
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  Speaker 1: terrible strategy and reflection of just the egomania and the
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  Speaker 1: self centered as president no strategy.
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  Speaker 2: I want to ask you if I can. President Trump
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  Speaker 2: told Fox News just this morning that he is, in
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  Speaker 2: his words, in no hurry to reach a deal with Iran.
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  Speaker 2: He also threatened to bomb the expletive out of Oman
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  Speaker 2: if they get in the way of a deal with
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  Speaker 2: Iran to manage the straight of Hormuz. What do you
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  Speaker 2: make of this threat to Aman another US ally, Why
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  Speaker 2: this hostility to our friends in that region.
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  Speaker 1: Well, he does not have I think, a grasp of
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  Speaker 1: the situation in detail of what the options, the real
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  Speaker 1: options are. He's floundering around trying to come up with something,
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  Speaker 1: and he takes out his animosity, which is constant on
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  Speaker 1: the closest target. He's upset that the Amani have talked
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  Speaker 1: to the Iranians, etc. But it's all spike, it's all
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  Speaker 1: a childish fight. It's not strategy. It's not doing the
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  Speaker 1: best for the country and in threats that are in
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  Speaker 1: many cases idol. He's been threatening to destroy Iran and
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  Speaker 1: then two days later he says piece is just a
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  Speaker 1: few days away. Right, this is sending the signal to
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  Speaker 1: the Iranians that he's not capable and also not tuned
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  Speaker 1: into the real world.
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  Speaker 2: Senator, my time's limited. One quick WATS question I wanted
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  Speaker 2: to ask you. President Trump's son in law, Jared Kushner,
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  Speaker 2: is said to be meeting today with the Israeli Prime
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  Speaker 2: Minister Benjamin at Yahoo, after leading with Amas the meeting
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  Speaker 2: with Hamas leadership yesterday. Obviously he's not a government official.
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  Speaker 2: That means that Congress has really no oversight over any
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  Speaker 2: actions that he's taking. Why is that dangerous? Is that dangerous?
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  Speaker 1: Well, it is dangerous because he's sort of playing not
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  Speaker 1: only his part for the President, but also the spot
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  Speaker 1: for himself. I mean there's a lot of I think
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  Speaker 1: business activities going on the same spirit that he's talking
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  Speaker 1: to other people. So you know, this is a situation
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  Speaker 1: where he does not have the background, he doesn't have
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  Speaker 1: the bedding that's necessary to be unofficial representative the United States,
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  Speaker 1: and his business enterprises I don't think are too far
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  Speaker 1: away from any of his sort of strategic discussions.
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  Speaker 2: That's wrong, the senator Jack read Rhode Island Democrat. We
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  Speaker 2: very much appreciate you making time to speak to us
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  Speaker 2: here on state of Thank you.