Senator Adam Schiff Responds to Trump’s Oval Office Meltdown
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What was the Oval Office meeting controversy about?
I'm joined by Senator Adam Schiff. Senator, I want to get your reaction to that travesty in the Oval Office today where Donald Trump was attacking Ukrainian President Zelensky in the Oval Office with J.D. Vance laundering talking points, seems directly from the Kremlin. You had President Zelensky, in my view, kind of holding his ground, defending his country and, frankly, all democracies. I want to get your reaction to what you observed.
How did Senator Adam Schiff react to Trump's actions?
I was horrified and sickened by it. I think about what other generations of Americans have done going off to war in World War II, fighting for our freedom, fighting for democracy, fighting for our values. To see them so utterly betrayed in this meeting, it is just really incomprehensible to have the President of the United States and the Vice President of the United States siding with the Kremlin dictator, regurgitating his talking points, a country that brutally invaded its neighbor, that has massacred tens of thousands of people, that has kidnapped children, that is torturing POWs. That's the guy they're defending, and they're abusing the president of Ukraine, Zelensky, who was forced to defend himself, defend his country, and all in the service of what, exactly?
The mineral rights, is that what this is about? That President Trump is upset he didn't get the mineral rights to Ukraine? Are we that transactional? Does nothing matter to us but some kind of protection racket? Or I don't know what, but whether this was a deliberate sabotage, an orchestrated sabotage, or whether a small, petty, weak President Donald Trump was just offended that the president of Ukraine stood up for his country. I don't know, but we are going to be living with the consequences of this for a very long time.
Your colleague, Senator Lindsey Graham, a Republican, he spoke after the meeting and he said that he thinks that after that, Moscow will be more afraid than ever. Let me show you what Senator Graham had to say and I'll get your reaction to it.
What was Senator Lindsey Graham's perspective on the meeting?
I told President Trump, I said, there's two ways to look at this. Your interaction with Zelensky was maybe the best television I've ever seen, but it's deeper than that. The world is now watching how Trump behaves and acts when he's pressed. I thought he stood up for America, that we're a good people. We want to help you, but we're going to be respected. So I think Moscow is probably more afraid of Trump than ever. Hope the Chinese are, and I hope the Iranians are. As to Zelensky and Ukraine, to the Ukrainian people, America wants to help you. The way the meeting went today, you made it almost impossible to help you.
Senator Schiff, do you think Moscow is more afraid than ever after what they observed in the Oval Office earlier today with Trump and Zelensky?
I can't imagine a better meeting from the point of view of Vladimir Putin. He has to be just overjoyed with this, watching the President of the United States betray Ukraine, watching the President of the United States call Ukraine the aggressor, make out Zelensky to be a dictator. Literally, they must be celebrating in the Kremlin. This has been such a dramatic transformation of American policy. So I don't know what meeting my colleague was watching, but it could not have been the same meeting that the rest of America and the world were watching. This is a dream come true for the Kremlin, but for our allies, and I think you can see the reaction of our allies, world leaders in Europe and elsewhere, all coming to the defense of Ukraine.
They witnessed the same meeting and they're all expressing support for Ukraine. And why? Because they witnessed the president of the United States betray Ukraine. So I don't think there's any question about what the mood is in Moscow. It's just jubilant. But everywhere else, it's a cataclysm. And frankly, if the President of the United States won't defend our values, won't defend democracy, won't stand by our allies, then we damn well need to do it in Congress. And I hope that what we heard from one of my colleagues is very much an outlier, because if it isn't, I don't know what happened to the party of Ronald Reagan. Ronald Reagan must be rolling over at his grave right now.
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Chapters
5 chapters
1
What was the Oval Office meeting controversy about?
0:00–0:27
2
How did Senator Adam Schiff react to Trump's actions?
0:27–2:11
3
What was Senator Lindsey Graham's perspective on the meeting?
2:11–4:34
4
Is there bipartisan support for Ukraine in Congress?
4:34–6:03
5
What is Senator Schiff's stance on Ukraine and NATO?
6:03–11:35