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NewsTranscript
00:00 [ Background Conversations ]
00:29 >> Good morning.
00:30 Thank you all for being here today.
00:32 This week, House Republicans are commemorating National Police
00:35 Week to honor our men and women in blue as well as their families
00:39 who sacrificed so much for our communities across America.
00:43 Every single day, our brave law enforcement heroes put their
00:47 lives on the line to ensure law and order across the country.
00:52 But under Joe Biden and far left failed leadership,
00:55 the safety of America's law enforcement has been sacrificed
00:58 for the sake of the Democrats pro-criminal agenda.
01:01 Lawless liberals handicap our police from doing their jobs
01:05 with failed bail reform like my home state in New York
01:08 and pro-criminal policies
01:09 that appease the far left Democrats defund the police agenda.
01:14 Now more than ever, Republicans recognize the need to fight
01:17 for our police and against the far left extremist
01:20 anti-police movement.
01:22 Republicans have and always will proudly back the blue.
01:26 This week, we will bring to the House floor a series of bills
01:28 to ensure that law enforcement has the tools and resources needed
01:32 to preserve law and order.
01:34 Today, we are honored to be joined by several of our colleagues
01:37 who previously served in law enforcement
01:39 and have great legislation on the floor this week.
01:41 Their voices are so incredibly important
01:43 to our House Republican Conference.
01:45 We are also joined by two special guests, Sheriff Chad Bianco
01:50 of Riverside County in California,
01:52 representing the major county sheriffs of America.
01:55 And we're also joined by the President
01:57 of the National Fraternal Order of Police, Patrick Yost.
02:00 Thank you so much to our special guests for joining us.
02:02 I want to first hand it over to Sheriff Bianco from California.
02:06 Sheriff, come on.
02:12 >> Good morning.
02:14 I am Chad Bianco.
02:16 I am the elected sheriff of Riverside County in Southern California.
02:20 Today at the National Law Enforcement Memorial,
02:22 we recognize law enforcement officers
02:24 who have made the ultimate sacrifice in the service of others.
02:28 On behalf of all law enforcement leaders,
02:31 I applaud Republican lawmakers at the federal and state level
02:34 for their efforts in making public safety a priority.
02:38 Over the past decade or so, the rule of law, a requirement
02:43 of a civilized society, has been severely eroded by a sick
02:47 and twisted progressive social experiment fraudulently called
02:52 criminal justice reform.
02:55 In this alternate universe, law enforcement officers are the bad
02:58 guys, and criminals are somehow victims of society.
03:02 We cannot have a country without respect for law enforcement
03:06 and an adherence to the law and order of our country.
03:12 There must be consequences for criminal behavior.
03:15 It is time to make crime a crime again.
03:18 Today, my prayers go out to the families of those
03:20 who have paid the ultimate price in the service above self.
03:24 Thank you.
03:25 >> Thank you so much, Sheriff.
03:27 [ Applause ]
03:30 It is now my honor to introduce the President
03:32 of the National Fraternal Order of Police, Patrick Yost.
03:35 >> Good morning.
03:39 Today we come together to honor the lives of 222 law enforcement officers
03:44 who gave their life in the service of others, that last full measure.
03:47 You know, 43 years ago, the Fraternal Order of Police had a small group
03:51 of people to get together, about 100 or so, met at Senate Park
03:55 and had the very first National Peace Officers Memorial Day.
03:57 Today, we're going to have tens of thousands recognizing the sacrifice
04:02 of our fallen and their families in the struggles that we all endure.
04:07 You know, when we go about our daily lives, you know, we're going
04:10 to get up in the morning, we're going to feed our kids,
04:12 send them off to work.
04:14 We're going to do the things that we do as Americans,
04:16 and next day we're going to do it all again.
04:18 And we often take this cycle of life for granted.
04:21 But let me tell you the reality of it.
04:22 It's bought and paid for by a whole lot of men and women who suit up
04:25 and show up every day in communities across this country
04:28 and make a difference in the lives of those they serve.
04:30 Some 24,067 engraved on a granite wall,
04:34 on a marble wall not very far from here.
04:36 Now, when you look at that wall and you say, you know,
04:38 that's a lot of numbers, I think it really brings home to you the
04:41 sacrifice of so many people, so many people, the names,
04:45 just one name after another.
04:47 The sacrifice of so many people who protect our way of life.
04:51 But really what it is, every name has a face.
04:55 It has a story.
04:57 It has a memory.
04:58 It has a family that has been left behind.
04:59 And that's why we're here today.
05:01 As a free society, it is our responsibility to make sure
05:04 that we always honor the sacrifice of our fallen
05:06 and support the families as they move on.
05:09 So I am honored to have all of you here today to be part
05:11 of our memorial service where we pay tribute to those men
05:14 and women who are brave enough to suit up and show
05:17 up every single day in going communities across this country
05:20 and make a difference in the lives of the people they serve.
05:22 Thank you.
05:24 [ Applause ]
05:28 >> Thank you.
05:29 We'll now hear from our members who are former law enforcement,
05:30 who as I said are important voices
05:32 in our House Republican Conference,
05:33 starting with Sheriff Clay Higgins from Louisiana.
05:36 [ Inaudible ]
05:41 >> It was captain, but I'll take the promotion.
05:43 [ Laughter ]
05:46 >> Ladies and gentlemen, we honor the thin blue line this week
05:52 in Washington, D.C. And it's appropriate that we do so.
05:57 But I'd like to remind America that the lives of police officers
06:02 and deputies rank and file front line men and women
06:06 that wear the badge across the country.
06:09 They're American men and women just like you wherever you are
06:14 in your living room, watching this on your phone.
06:19 In the years that I served wearing a badge, which were many,
06:23 over eight of those years were night shift.
06:27 And before I'd leave our humble little home, my wife Becca,
06:33 who had returned home from her day at work, she'd see me off
06:39 and hand me my little lunch.
06:42 We had a little ritual.
06:43 She would say, "Be safe and come home to me."
06:48 And I would say, "Don't worry about me.
06:49 Worry about the other guy."
06:52 And off I would go.
06:54 And yes, it was a ritual, and yes, it was reflective of the love
06:59 and joy that filled our home.
07:03 But it was very real as well,
07:06 because we didn't know if I was coming home.
07:09 And sometimes officers leave for the night, and they don't come home.
07:17 And as Americans, we can sometimes take that for granted.
07:21 And this is a week where Washington, D.C. comes together,
07:27 Democrats and Republicans, all of us, and we recognize the service
07:32 and sacrifice of the men and women of the Thin Blue Line.
07:39 So it's with great honor that I introduce some of my colleagues
07:47 that have worn a badge and continue to serve.
07:52 I have -- is Pete here?
07:55 >> Yes.
07:57 >> Pete, come on up, brother.
07:58 Pete Stauber, Minnesota, is in the house.
08:00 Yes, sir.
08:02 [ Applause ]
08:05 >> Good morning, everyone.
08:07 My name is Pete Stauber, and I'm proud to have served
08:09 over 20 years as a police officer.
08:12 Policing is an honorable and noble profession, which is why I'm
08:16 so disturbed by the dramatic rise in violent attacks
08:20 on America's law enforcement.
08:22 2023 was the worst year on record,
08:25 as 378 police officers were shot in the line of duty.
08:30 Make no mistake, this uptick in violence is the direct result
08:35 of the radical Democrats' soft on crime policies
08:39 and the defund the police movement.
08:43 With attacks on our law enforcement at an all-time high,
08:46 it is no wonder that so many cities
08:48 across this nation are now experiencing a crime crisis.
08:52 More and more officers are retiring early,
08:56 and police departments are having a difficult time recruiting.
09:00 Recruitment, retention, and morale are at an all-time low.
09:06 Fortunately, there are still amazing officers who continue
09:09 to preserve the thin blue line between citizens and criminals.
09:14 I am proud to know and to have worked with many of them.
09:17 These men and women show up for us every day,
09:20 and now it is our turn to show up for them.
09:24 That's why I'm proud that this National Police Week,
09:27 the House will consider my resolution
09:29 to condemn the anti-police sentiment that has resulted
09:33 in increased violence against our law enforcement community.
09:37 And to acknowledge the impact this institution has on the safety
09:41 of officers who are on the job.
09:44 I believe the best way we can honor those
09:46 who made the ultimate sacrifice is
09:49 by showing our unwavering support for the heroes
09:52 who are still doing this dangerous and much-needed job.
09:57 I now want to introduce Representative Anthony D'Esposito
10:02 from the state of New York.
10:05 [ Applause ]
10:08 >> Well, thank you, Pete.
10:10 And first and foremost, I think I speak for not only the members
10:15 of law enforcement that join us here today, but thousands upon thousands
10:20 of men and women who wear the uniform each and every day.
10:23 I want to say a sincere thank you to our leadership,
10:26 because they have the courage to put onto the floor this week bills
10:32 that will dramatically affect and improve the lives
10:36 of law enforcement officers.
10:37 And they walk the walk and talk the talk.
10:41 When very often our colleagues on the other side
10:44 of the aisle seem very sad and upset and send out a nice tweet,
10:49 when one of our loved ones are killed or injured in the line of duty.
10:55 I look forward to seeing how they vote on so much
10:58 of this legislation this week.
11:02 On Monday night, we joined with thousands on the lawn for the vigil,
11:12 hearing the names of men and women who, like Clay mentioned,
11:16 kissed their loved one before they headed off to shift and never came home.
11:24 And sadly enough, my department, the NYPD,
11:27 often leads that list each and every year.
11:32 Whether it's those still dying from the devastation on September 11th,
11:38 or those killed in the line of duty, like most recently,
11:42 and a name that we'll add next year, Jonathan Diller,
11:47 who kissed his wife Stephanie before he headed out to work
11:51 to do what he did best, reduce crime, arrest bad guys,
11:57 and take illegal firearms off the street.
12:00 But that afternoon in Queens,
12:05 on what many thought would have been a routine traffic stop,
12:10 he was met with a barrage of bullets.
12:13 Barrage of bullets from an illegal firearm,
12:16 fired by an individual who was arrested 21 times.
12:23 New York State had the opportunity 21 times
12:27 to keep this cold-blooded killer rotting in a jail cell where he belonged.
12:34 But yet, because of democratic policies, rogue district attorneys,
12:42 and the anti-police rhetoric that plagued many places like New York,
12:48 Jonathan Diller's killer was freed after 21 times
12:54 and allowed to murder a New York City police officer.
13:02 The legislation that we're going to see on the floor this week
13:04 seems pretty common sense.
13:09 And one of the inscriptions on a monument
13:12 at the National Law Enforcement Memorial,
13:15 right under the bust of a lion,
13:18 simply says, "It's not how they died that made them heroes.
13:24 It's how they lived."
13:26 And this week, House Republicans are putting legislation on the floor
13:31 that's going to improve the way that these law enforcement officers live.
13:36 So to our leadership, thank you very much.
13:38 And I'd now like to introduce my friend from Mississippi, Mike Eazell.
13:43 [applause]
13:47 -Thank you, and thank you to all our leadership
13:49 for all your support for law enforcement.
13:51 I couldn't be more proud to be serving here with you in this house.
13:55 I'd like to say, as a second-generation law enforcement officer,
13:59 a three-term sheriff, a chief of police, a chief of detectives,
14:03 but the greatest job that I ever had was being a patrolman.
14:06 Being a patrolman out there at night,
14:09 being responsible for the safety of my town and my county.
14:14 My dad taught me early on about protecting the citizens that we served.
14:20 I was always glad to be the guy that showed up at 2 o'clock in the morning
14:24 when it was storming and pouring down rain
14:25 and some little old lady was scared
14:27 because somebody had been knocking on her door
14:29 or been disturbing her peace.
14:31 I was always glad to be that guy that showed up
14:34 when nobody else was available.
14:36 And if you think about what's going on in this country right now,
14:39 with the defund the police movement,
14:41 the way that the police are being demonized,
14:43 who are you going to call at 2 o'clock in the morning when you need help?
14:48 When your son or daughter is out there, broke down,
14:52 maybe away at college and need help, who are you going to call?
14:55 You think that the left's going to show up?
14:57 Absolutely not.
14:59 They're not going to do it.
15:00 They're going to send out their nice little tweets
15:02 when somebody gets killed or something happens,
15:05 but you'll see where the proof's in the pudding.
15:10 Actions speak a lot louder than words.
15:13 Being a police officer in my life was one of the greatest opportunities
15:18 that I ever had to be able to serve the citizens that I worked for.
15:22 I loved that job.
15:23 I loved being a police officer.
15:25 But what's going on in this country right now cannot stand another day,
15:29 and we've got to stand up to them every day.
15:32 It's a fight that we're willing to take,
15:34 and I ask you to stand with us.
15:37 God bless you.
15:38 God bless America.
15:39 Protect our men and women of law enforcement.
15:41 Thank you very much.
15:43 [APPLAUSE]
15:48 I need to introduce Tom Emmer.
15:50 Sorry about that, Tom.
15:51 It's great.
15:52 All right.
15:53 Thank you, Mike.
15:54 And to my other colleagues, it's been 3 and 1/2 years
15:57 of Joe Biden and the Democrats' pro-crime, anti-law enforcement agenda.
16:02 And in those 3 and 1/2 years, we've had the highest number
16:06 of law enforcement officers intentionally killed
16:08 in the line of duty in two decades, double-digit increases in crime
16:13 throughout major cities across this country,
16:16 a nationwide police hiring shortage that my colleague from Minnesota
16:20 mentioned, and the demonization of law enforcement officers
16:24 for simply doing their jobs, including the political prosecution
16:29 of a state trooper in my home state of Minnesota,
16:33 all because the Democrat Party would rather cave to the leftist lunacy that
16:37 has made them the most anti-law enforcement party in our history.
16:42 They'd rather do that than support the brave men and women in blue.
16:46 This National Police Week, House Republicans
16:48 will counteract the Democrats' pro-crime, anti-police agenda
16:52 by bringing seven bills to the floor that support our nation's law
16:55 enforcement and give them the resources they
16:57 need to keep our communities safe.
17:00 But it's clear the Democrats don't just have a law and order problem.
17:05 They also have an Israel problem, so much so
17:08 that they'd rather stand in solidarity with terrorists
17:11 than support our strongest ally in the Middle East.
17:14 This week, we will also force House Democrats
17:17 to go on the record about Joe Biden's decision to circumvent Congress
17:22 and unilaterally halt military aid to our ally Israel
17:26 for his own political gain, a move that was once
17:29 considered an impeachable offense by House Democrats in 2019.
17:34 And to be clear, initiating the process for a separate arms sale
17:38 does not make up for withholding previously approved sales.
17:43 Make no mistake, whether it's standing with our brave law enforcement
17:47 officers or standing with one of our most precious allies,
17:51 House Republicans will continue to govern
17:54 where Joe Biden and the Democrats continue to fit.
17:56 And with that, I turn it over to our leader, Steve Scalise.
17:59 [APPLAUSE]
18:04 Thank you, Webb.
18:05 And as we kick off National Police Week,
18:08 let me first thank all of our men and women
18:11 in law enforcement across the country who risk their lives
18:14 to keep our communities safe.
18:16 We all owe a deep debt of gratitude to the sacrifice they make.
18:21 And of course, this week, we're pausing,
18:23 especially for those who made the ultimate sacrifice, those
18:26 who have fallen in the line of duty as we had a tribute last night.
18:30 And we will continue to pay tribute to their families,
18:34 who will always pay that price.
18:37 I want to take you back to June 14 of 2017.
18:42 I've always had such reverence for our men and women in law enforcement,
18:47 worked with them when Pat Yost and I worked together in the state legislature
18:52 to make sure the laws were right for our police officers in Louisiana.
18:56 But on that day, on a baseball field of all places,
19:01 I got to see the bravery and heroism at a different level of our men
19:05 and women in uniform.
19:08 And Craze Gunman comes out to kill all of us on the ball field that day.
19:12 The only reason I'm here today, before you alive,
19:16 is because of David Bailey and Crystal Griner with the United States
19:20 Capitol Police, who risked their life for all of us.
19:23 There were over a dozen members of Congress
19:25 who would have been taken out that day.
19:26 [APPLAUSE]
19:29 And when you walk around the Capitol, we see them all around.
19:33 There have been days where they've been challenged.
19:35 There have been officers who have fallen in a line of duty here.
19:40 That day, thank God, none of them fell.
19:44 But both the United States Capitol Police and the Virginia police
19:47 who came to our rescue that day put their lives at risk,
19:53 just like law enforcement officers do every day.
19:56 It's a special calling to be willing to risk your life to save somebody else's,
20:01 to protect somebody else who is being threatened by someone
20:05 who just wakes up one day and decides they want
20:08 to go and wreak havoc on society.
20:09 They want to go and try to take someone else's life.
20:12 They want to, in some cases, try to take a law enforcement officer's life.
20:16 And by the way, both David and Crystal that day
20:19 were shot while the shooter was trying to kill us.
20:24 But the shooter wasn't successful because they were there.
20:28 They answered that call.
20:30 And they do it every day.
20:31 And again, there's colleagues of mine that
20:34 are going to be voting on the floor later today for some of these bills
20:37 who were on the ball field that day who wouldn't be here as well
20:41 if they didn't do their job.
20:42 And so we don't hear about it all the time.
20:45 You hear about an incident if maybe a law enforcement
20:47 officer is killed in the line of duty.
20:50 As tragic as that is, every day a law enforcement officer
20:53 puts their life at risk.
20:55 And it's not as well reported because the day ended well for everybody
20:59 but the bad guy, as Clay said.
21:01 Don't worry about me, worry about the other guy.
21:04 And so while they're risking their lives,
21:07 it's important that they know that the community has their back.
21:11 We surely have their backs.
21:13 I'm especially proud to serve with colleagues of mine who actually
21:17 served in law enforcement before they answered this calling
21:21 to come and serve in Congress.
21:22 And so as they make that sacrifice, just know in communities
21:26 across America, when someone here illegally, for example,
21:29 assaults a police officer and is let go the next day by a DA who just
21:34 thinks it's all right for somebody to beat up a cop,
21:36 we're passing a bill that says it's not OK.
21:38 And in fact, you will be deported if you assault a cop here in America.
21:43 We stand up for our men and women in law enforcement.
21:45 I hope the vote is huge on that.
21:47 Not just all Republicans, every Democrat
21:49 should vote for these bills too.
21:51 To not just in deed but in vote support our men and women in uniform
21:55 because they have our back at the most troubling of times.
21:59 Let's have their back and we will this week.
22:01 With that, the man who's always had our back, our speaker, Mike Johnson.
22:05 Thank you all so much for being here.
22:11 It is an important day.
22:13 I do want to thank Sheriff Bianco.
22:15 Your words are very inspiring, Sheriff, and the National Fraternal Order
22:19 of Police President Yoes for his words.
22:22 And of course, our dear friends, as Steve pointed out,
22:24 our colleagues here who have worn the badge.
22:27 Clay Higgins and Pete Stauber and Anthony D'Esposito and Mike Eazell
22:31 and others in our conference who have served in many capacities
22:34 and we're delighted that they're here now.
22:36 You see behind us standing here others who have worn the badge, who
22:39 have stood on that thin blue line and put their lives
22:41 on the line for everybody else.
22:43 And so we honor, we do this every day.
22:44 We look for new ways, the House Republicans,
22:47 to stand with law enforcement.
22:48 We stand with the men and women in blue.
22:51 We stand with all of our sheriffs and police officers,
22:54 our border patrol agents, our law enforcement officers
22:57 across the board in every capacity because they
22:59 are doing the hard thing.
23:01 They are doing the often difficult thing.
23:03 Increasingly, it is a difficult calling and vocation.
23:07 Today is Peace Officers Memorial Day, of course.
23:10 And so as was mentioned earlier, we pay tribute
23:12 to all those who out of that selfless sacrifice
23:15 have paid the ultimate price.
23:16 They have given their lives for our safety
23:19 and they have laid down their lives for others.
23:21 And that is the greatest blessing of all.
23:23 26,000 officers have died in the line of duty,
23:26 56 in America just this year alone.
23:29 And these officers exemplify the American spirit.
23:32 They are the best of us, the best in every city
23:34 and community.
23:35 They have pledged their own lives and their sacred honors
23:38 so that others may live in peace.
23:40 And we honor that.
23:41 And that's a biblical admonition to give honor
23:44 where honor is due, especially on a week
23:46 and on a day like this.
23:48 And this week, we pay tribute to those
23:50 who do clothe themselves with that dignity and decency
23:52 and who stand on the lines of justice and keep us safe.
23:55 So as Leader Scalise mentioned, we'll
23:57 be passing legislation on the floor to make that clear
24:00 and to do everything we possibly can to celebrate those officers
24:04 and to protect those who protect all of us.
24:07 And oftentimes, it's a thankless job, as you know.
24:09 As has been mentioned today, there
24:11 are many people, too many people,
24:12 and often some elected officials in Washington
24:15 who have given voice to this idea
24:17 that we should defund the police or have
24:19 anti-police legislation or policy.
24:21 It's absolute madness.
24:23 And we are now seeing the completely foreseeable results
24:27 of that in communities around the country with crime
24:30 off the charts, violent crime rising,
24:32 and all of these problems with the open border,
24:34 all of it related together.
24:35 And the common denominator in all of it
24:39 is a disrespect for law and order,
24:41 as was mentioned earlier, for the rule of law.
24:43 And that is something that we have to maintain.
24:45 An FBI report just yesterday has reported
24:48 that the rate of assaults on law enforcement officers in America
24:51 is at a 10-year high.
24:53 We have got to reverse that.
24:55 As the sheriff said earlier, we've
24:56 got to make crimes criminal again.
25:00 I mean, it's just common sense.
25:02 And I think everybody in the country
25:03 who looks at this objectively understands it.
25:05 Anybody who's not involved in the radical, woke,
25:08 progressive left understands clearly
25:10 that you've got to maintain the peace.
25:12 We are-- this week on the House floor, we'll be voting,
25:14 for example, other legislation to expand the concealed carry
25:18 rights of qualified police officers.
25:20 How many of you understand that when the good guys are armed,
25:24 the bad guys do less harm, right?
25:27 We're going to address anti-police attacks,
25:28 protect law enforcement in the line of duty,
25:30 support the mental health of those
25:32 who serve as police officers.
25:34 And we'll be voting to deport illegal aliens who
25:37 assault law enforcement.
25:39 Boy, we sure hope everybody votes for that one.
25:41 This ought to be easy.
25:43 This ought to be non-controversial.
25:45 And we're going to make sure that everybody sees where
25:47 all of us in the House stand.
25:49 Our law enforcement officers keep us safe.
25:51 They put their lives on the line to do it,
25:52 and we are forever indebted.
25:53 And these gestures and these pieces of legislation
25:56 that we passed this week is the very least
25:58 that we can do to support them.
26:00 With that, we'll take a few questions.
26:02 Front row.
26:03 So the DOJ has been stonewalling on some of y'all's
26:07 investigations.
26:08 Y'all have the H.E.R. Garland markup, content markup thing
26:13 for the H.E.R. and refusing to give that.
26:15 The DOJ is also stonewalling the House Advocacy Committee
26:17 and not giving over any record for Dougherty, Matt Gates
26:19 and their investigation.
26:21 Do you think that the DOJ should be giving over those records
26:23 that House Ethics is requesting?
26:25 I haven't paid any attention to that at all.
26:27 I can tell you that the Department of Justice
26:29 has clearly been politicized.
26:31 Some of us consider this actually to be a weaponized DOJ.
26:35 And Merrick Garland is in charge.
26:36 He is the attorney general at the top.
26:38 And I think that they have used our system of justice
26:41 against political opponents, of course,
26:43 the most prominent of which is Donald J. Trump.
26:45 I was with him yesterday in Manhattan.
26:47 And many in the press have asked, why did you go there?
26:49 Because I'm a former litigator.
26:51 I'm an attorney.
26:54 This is an egregious violation, a travesty of justice.
26:59 They are using the judicial system for political purposes.
27:02 And this is something the framers warned us against.
27:05 In a constitutional republic, look, everybody, remember,
27:09 I remind us all the time here, we're still an experiment
27:12 in the world stage.
27:13 There has never been a system of government like ours.
27:15 We started something new in 1776,
27:17 a constitutional republic.
27:18 We removed the monarch.
27:19 And we said it's going to be a government
27:21 of, by, and for the people.
27:22 You know what's critical to maintain,
27:24 to maintain, to keep a republic, is
27:27 that you have to have the people-- we're self-governing.
27:30 The people have to believe that we have equal justice
27:34 under law.
27:34 There's a reason that Lady Justice is
27:36 depicted with a blindfold.
27:37 There cannot be two tiers of justice.
27:39 There can't be two systems.
27:41 You can't exact political revenge
27:43 on one political figure using the justice system
27:46 and then give a pass to the other.
27:47 That's what the American people see.
27:49 And it doesn't matter how they try to spin it or make it
27:53 into something that it is not.
27:55 We see what is happening.
27:56 The soon-to-be official nominee of the Republican Party
28:00 is tied up in court in Manhattan and cannot be on the campaign
28:03 trail throughout the week.
28:05 This is the fifth week that he's been tied up
28:07 on what is not even easily defined as a crime
28:10 that he had nothing to do with.
28:11 The GOJ officials, prosecutors, looked at all these charges
28:15 eight years ago.
28:16 They did not bring charges because there
28:18 was nothing there.
28:19 Now they've done it suddenly.
28:20 Why?
28:20 Because Donald Trump is running for president again.
28:23 And this is repeated across the system.
28:25 Jack Smith, the special counsel, just last week
28:28 it was revealed that they had tampered with evidence.
28:32 They had moved around the evidence in the boxes.
28:34 And that trial now is apparently being postponed indefinitely.
28:37 Why?
28:38 Because they have real problems on the prosecution side now.
28:40 So it's a simple question.
28:42 And it's a simple answer.
28:44 We have great concern about this Department of Justice
28:46 and these state prosecutors, local prosecutors
28:49 around the country who are using our judicial system
28:52 and our court system for political revenge.
28:55 We've got to bring an end to this.
28:56 We have to, because the people have to believe in our system.
28:59 And we're eroding their faith in our system through all this.
29:01 And that's what's so concerning about it.
29:03 Let that grow.
29:04 Let that grow.
29:04 Speaker Johnson, we've heard a lot this week
29:06 about Democrats supporting defund the police.
29:09 The Republican study committee budget
29:11 cuts the main federal grant program
29:13 that local departments use to hire officers.
29:16 How is that not proposing to defund the police?
29:20 I haven't looked into the details of the RSC budget.
29:22 There's lots of nuances.
29:23 They also plus up other areas where
29:26 you support law enforcement, because that's
29:28 a central theme of what we believe.
29:29 It's part of our worldview.
29:30 It's part of our party platform.
29:31 And it will always be consistent.
29:34 A lot of the Democrats in the House
29:36 now are trying to revise history and pretend as though
29:40 and even say that they never supported defund police.
29:42 But I served on House Judiciary.
29:45 And I have some pretty famous vignettes, viral videos,
29:48 where I went through and literally took all the time
29:51 reading all of their quotes.
29:52 I mean, it's top Democrats in the House
29:54 who, just a few years back, were all on board
29:56 with defunding the police.
29:57 And we told them at that time, and we remind them again today
30:00 that that's a fool's errand.
30:01 You cannot defund the people who keep your communities safe,
30:04 obviously.
30:05 But they did it anyway.
30:06 They said it anyway.
30:07 And in some of these communities,
30:08 they actually went forward with that policy.
30:10 And that's the places around the country
30:12 where you have the greatest levels of crime.
30:14 And the people are crying out for change.
30:16 And I think you'll see a lot of that reflected in the election
30:18 cycle in November.
30:19 Yes, sir.
30:20 Far ahead, please.
30:21 The House Education and Workforce Committee
30:23 is going to be looking at HHS and its policies
30:27 and priorities.
30:29 Can you elaborate a little bit on the job
30:31 that Becerra has done there?
30:34 Yes.
30:35 Look, we feel like there's a lot of agencies
30:37 of the federal government who are doing things that
30:40 are beyond the scope of what they're supposed to do
30:42 and that they're abusing that authority.
30:45 We set up a select committee on the weaponization
30:47 of the federal government at the beginning of this Congress
30:49 when Republicans took over.
30:50 And people balked and said, how could
30:52 you use such a hyperbolic term, weaponization?
30:54 Well, I was on that committee.
30:56 And we began to look, overturning stone
30:58 after stone after stone of all these three-letter agencies
31:01 that have been actually turned against the very people
31:03 that they're supposed to serve.
31:04 So the House Education and Workforce Committee
31:07 is a very important one.
31:08 It has broad jurisdiction over a lot of these areas.
31:11 And they're looking into-- they're
31:12 overturning some of those stones as well.
31:14 Our oversight committee is as well, Energy and Commerce,
31:17 many of these committees.
31:18 And they're trying to determine where these agencies went awry.
31:21 There's probably a lot of examples
31:22 there that they'll uncover.
31:24 And so we'll see what that develops.
31:25 It's a methodical, very careful, deliberate investigation.
31:28 And I think that's what our constitutional responsibility
31:31 is, to carry that out in that way.
31:33 Second row.
31:33 Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
31:34 You had mentioned yesterday that you were going
31:36 to be working with the oversight and judiciary committees
31:39 about avenues to, your words, rein in special counsel
31:42 Jack Smith.
31:43 I wanted to know if you have any details on what
31:44 that might look like, what you're looking at.
31:46 Well, look, there's a lot of different ideas.
31:48 People are alarmed that the special counsel in that
31:51 capacity has been abused in recent years.
31:53 And we can cite multiple examples of that.
31:55 What is the-- how does Congress rein that in?
31:58 How does Congress correct that error
32:00 and ensure that a special counsel is not
32:02 abusing their authority?
32:04 We have oversight, of course.
32:05 But we also have the power of the purse.
32:06 And so there's a lot of different ideas
32:08 being discussed right now on what that would look like.
32:10 Do you defund the entire special counsel office?
32:13 What most people don't realize is
32:15 that is not funded in the regular appropriations process.
32:18 It's a separate, distinct account.
32:20 And it's effectively on auto fund and autopilot.
32:23 And so it's not part of the regular appropriations process.
32:27 So it has to be dealt with separately.
32:28 It has to be dealt with very carefully and methodically.
32:31 There's a role for an individual like that
32:35 when there are conflicts of interest within DOJ itself.
32:38 But it has to maintain and follow the rule of law.
32:41 We can't have special counsels engaged
32:43 in political vendettas either.
32:44 And that's what a lot of people see right now.
32:46 So we haven't yet come to a consensus
32:49 on what that remedy looks like.
32:51 But we are actively discussing it, even today, among members.
32:55 And how about stay tuned on that?
32:56 We'll get you more information.
32:58 Thank you so much.
32:58 And thanks for the law enforcement
32:59 officer for being here.
33:00 Thank you.
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