Luke Thomas

I mean, today, to my knowledge, this is the first time that the Secretary of Defense has even testified in public since this war began two months ago.

And the Republicans in Congress have shown zero inclination, zero inclination to use their oversight power in any meaningful way.

That's a fair point.

That's a fair point.

And it probably should have, although I will say I don't think he was occupying the same sort of role of diplomatic prominence during that period.

But he was clearly advising the administration on foreign policy during the first term.

But look, the oversight and investigations muscles in Congress generally have atrophied.

I mean, the Republicans in office right now are –

living in fear of the White House.

They're not going to impose any accountability or transparency.

But I'll just say generally, I've spent the last few years using oversight power in Congress to investigate civil rights abuses in our prison system, to investigate abuses in ICE detention, to investigate the mistreatment of military families by defense contractors.

And part of what's happened in the United States, part of the reason that power has shifted so much toward the unaccountable executive is

is because Congress doesn't bother doing real investigations and real oversight.

Yeah, I mean, I'm the first Jew elected to the Senate in Georgia history.

And maybe if you're willing, throw in your show notes or the description here, a link to some of the speeches I've given on the Senate floor on this subject.

The Jewish community is not monolithic in its views of American foreign policy and its views of the U.S.-Israel alliance.

Jewish voters, Jewish Americans have a wide range of views and see the complexity and nuance inherent to complex foreign policy issues.

And what I have done is taken the decisions and made the statements that I think are in the national interest and in my constituents' interest and let the political chips fall where they may.

And I think that that's my job and that's the oath that I took.

complexity in our minds at once.