Transcripts For CNNW The 20240703

Peacefully. It which was not how he, played not at the university of illinois, certainly not throughout the 60s and 70s with the chicago bears. He was a terror on the field, and a champion in the every sense of the word, both on and off it. Hall of fame but chris was 83 years old. That is it for, us the news continues with kaitlan collins. Tonight, straight from the source, a major new report, that donald trump allegedly revealed sensitive u. S. Secrets about nuclear submarines, to a Billionaire Member of maralago. He could potentially get a lot worse, because that businessman, reportedly shared those secrets with dozens of others. I have new reporting on that story, in just a moment. Also tonight, one of the deadliest attacks yet on civilians in ukraine, is now prompting new calls from the white house to keep u. S. Aid flowing, while some republicans, including at least one who is a leading contender to be the next House Speaker, still say no more money. And today, President Biden has said that walls do not work, yet his administration is expanding one of Donald Trumps signature policy goals, even after biden said not another foot will be built on his watch. Im kaitlan collins, and this is the source. Tonight, i have new reporting on the Trump Classified documents investigation. This comes as abc news dropped this report tonight, that months after leaving the white house, donald from allegedly discussed potentially Sensitive Information, about u. S. Nuclear submarines, with a member of his maralago beach club. And, not just any member, that member is the australian billionaire Anthony Pratt, who runs the Worlds Largest packaging companies. And, sources are confirming tonight that federal investigators have interviewed pratt, as part of his investigation into whether trump mishandled classified documents. He is someone who had a close relationship with trump, when he was in the oval office. His company, that industry has actually opened a plant in ohio, when trump was president , in 2019. You can see him here, at that opening together. During that, prep and trump unveiled an official plaque, commemorating the opening. But, a source tells me tonight that during that visit, pratt also wanted to unveil a second, secret plaque, in honor of trumps catchphrase, which read, make america, and australia, great again. We was told that pratt was advised against that move, and ultimately, did not do so. Now, according to abc, front has told investigators that during a conversation they had, trump allegedly disclosed the exact number of nuclear warheads, u. S. Submarines carry. And also, exactly how close they can supposedly get to a russian submarine, without being detected. Perhaps allegedly that went on to share this information with at least 45 other people, including more than ten australian officials, three former australian prime ministers, 11 of his own employees, and six journalists, not this one. Trump spokesperson has put out this statement tonight, saying quote, these illegal leaks are coming from sources, which totally lack proper context, and relevant information. They say President Trump did nothing wrong, he has always insisted on truth, can transparency, and acted in a proper manner,. I should note, according to the law. I want to go straight to former Deputy Director of the fbi, and cnns senior Law Enforcement analyst andrew mccabe. Andrew, when you read this, and you see that this information apparently spread far and wide, from journalists to former foreign politicians. If trump actually was telling an australian billionaire this information, how damaging is that . Oh my gosh, kaitlan, it is so unbelievably sensitive. Nuclear information about some of our most Sensitive National defense assets. And, before i talk about this, i should just say in response to the trump teams public statement, there is no proper context, there is no context that makes disclosing National Defense information, to a foreign national, acceptable or lawful, really under any circumstances whatsoever. So, that is where we are, this information is so sensitive, that it is one of the very very few categories of information, that even a sitting president cannot unilaterally declassify. So, congress has carved out special laws to cover Nuclear Defense information. This clearly would fall within that purview, so it is not something that trump could declassify, even if he was president. And we know of course when this conversation took place in april of 21, he was not. So, it is just incredibly concerning. Well, and it is not even just that he told this one person. And, apparently pratt then went on to allegedly, i should know, because he hasnt responded to our request for comments, totallys 45 others. I mean, you are in the fbi for more than 20 years, what does the Intelligence Community think, when they read a report like this . Folks in the Intelligence Community, and in the military, i should add, are, they spend their lives collecting, perfecting, and disseminating very carefully, National Defense information, top secret, highly classified information. So, to see someone, anyone, so blatant ali abuse, and misuse that information, and handlers so irresponsibly, communicated, to disseminated to a foreign national. It is just like an offense to everything that those folks hold sacred, everything they have spent their lives defending. It is just an absolute, disgusting offense. I am hearing, from sources, that pratt has been questioned by jack smith investigators, by his team. If you were in that room, what kind of questions would you be asking Anthony Pratt . Well you, know, you obviously want to establish, with as much granular detail, exactly how that interaction took place, where they were, when it happened, who might have been around them, who might have been standing with the former president. The details of everything that he said, questions that practice may have asked, or what his reaction was to the things he heard the president say. And then, you would want to move on to find out, who did he first speak to after hearing that information. We know from at least one former maralago employee, Who Overheard Pratt then relaying that information to a another person. So, you literally have to track the chain of disclosure here, from pratt to all of those 45 people, and then you are investigating all of those 45 people, to find out who they told. It just becomes an incredibly burdensome investigation, but one that is essential to pursue. Yeah, and apparently pratt is on the list of people who could be called to trial, we will see if that ultimately does happen. Andrew mccabe, thank you for joining us tonight with your expertise on this. Thank you. I want to get more reaction now from someone who is challenging trump for the 2024 republican nomination, former new jersey governor, and maybe more importantly on this subject, former u. S. Attorney chris christie. Governor i mean, when you hear that trump allegedly discussed potentially Sensitive Information about u. S. Nuclear submarines, with a member of maralago, and an australian national. I mean, what is your reaction to that . It just shows you how unfit he is for the presidency. I mean, its just that simple. You know, this is him, though. He wants to show off, he wants to make himself seem important. It is not enough for him to have been the former president of the United States, now he has to spew secrets, Sensitive Information, to people, to show off on the balcony at maralago. Its just, it is both completely on thinkable, but also completely typical, at the same time. It is why he does not have the temperament, the self control, the self discipline, to be president of the United States. Do you think that is why, if he did this, why he did this . He was just showing off . Oh, no doubt in my mind about it. I have known him for 22 years, he wasnt trying to do anything nefarious, he cant shut up. He cant help himself. If he thinks its going to make him look good, or important, or in the know, for a second to somebody, he does it. He has done it his whole life, he has never been able to keep a secret. And, even when he has access to some of the most important secrets in our country, he cant help himself. Its, its just so typical, and its another reason why he is unfit to be president of the United States. Well i mean, and everyonewheo many times and he was actually in the oval office, that it was kind of a nightmare for intelligence officials, whether it was bringing the u. S. , the Russian Ambassador to the u. S. Into the oval office, other instances. But in this case, if he did actually tell this australian billionaire this information, and then he went on and told at least 45 other people, apparently. And trump is under investigation for mishandling classified information. If you are a prosecutor, how much does this factor into your case, to make your case . Its just more whipped cream on a sunday, kaitlan, thats it. It is just more and more evidence, that he is not only willing to mishandle secrets, but anxious to do it. I have told people all along he took those documents, he kept those documents because, it made him feel important. You know it allowed him to show off to other, people you have seen the examples, allegedly of him flashing the documents around on a table at maralago. Hes got intelligence reports, in the top desk drawer in his office at maralago. I mean look, this is a guy who is so insecure, a guy who is just so needy, that you have to get through these things. Being one of only 45 people, that has ever been president of the United States, aint enough. He has got to keep showing off. Who do you think it matters to Republican Voters . Though i think it will matter to Republican Voters. Look, what Republican Voters should understand is two nights ago, we saw our own party, a very small element of them, eight of them, who are trump supporters, dispatching the speaker of the house. And when this tumult is going on, in our house of representatives, and our caucus, where is the guy who is the nominee for the party twice . The guy who is the front runner right now . Was he there in congress, helping . Was he on the phone, talking to folks, trying to convince them to support the speaker . No, he was in a courtroom, defending himself against civil fraud charges. I want everybody to understand out there who is watching, that is going to be the scene a week after week after week, from now through the election, and after. A guy who is not leading our party against the democrats, a guy who is not making the case, a guy who is sitting there whining and moaning, and complaining about his own misfortunes. And, then spending all this time in a courtroom, because that is where he is going to be compelled to be. I mean, and now, youve got some people in washington, who are talking about making him speaker of the house, for even five seconds . I mean, this is outrageous. Trump is talking about that. I mean, what do you make of. Well, of course he is. Of course, it would aggrandize him, it would give him another title, he could plane around there like the peacock he is, and act like a big shot. It wouldnt do anything, this is the guy who didnt get obamacare repealed and replaced, when he had a majority in both houses. This is the guy who had 7. 8 Trillion Dollars to the national debt, when he had control of the house and the senate. This is the guy who said he was going to build a big beautiful all across the entire border with mexico, and build 52 miles of new wall in his entire presidency, and mexico hasnt paid the first pay so towards it. This is the guy who gets things done as speaker of the house, who as the president of United States couldnt get anything done. He should not be speaker, and every president ial candidate should be out Tthe Exactbut remember, thes people who raithei, o, y be the hou me and asa hu it was well, pence weighed today, sshould not be t bi thank o Kaitlan For Ha appreciate source. Absolutely. Up n refe about on candidates to ja the list of republicans angling for a chance to be the next speaker of the house is continuing to grow, ranging from a long shot, seemingly donald trump, who is actually planning a trip to capitol hill on tuesday, we are told, even though his multiple criminal indictments would seemingly disqualify him from that job, to the underdog, oklahomas kevin hern, who is also said to be considering running, and throwing his hat in the race, to the current number two, House Majority leader steve scalise, who says he is officially in this race, working to get votes from his home state of louisiana, in recent days. And then, there is jim jordan, a man the former speaker, john boehner, once called a quote, legislative terrorist. By the end of the, week there may be even more republicans lining up to be the third in line, for the presidency. And joining me now is Louisiana Republican congressman garrett graves. Congressman, thank you for being here. Obviously, when liz cheney was on capitol hill, you worked with her on several issues. Here is what she said recently, about one of the contenders for the next House Speaker. Jim jordan knew more about what donald trump had planned for january 6th, than any other member of the house of representatives. Now, somebody needs to ask jim jordan, why didnt you report to the capitol police, what you knew donald trump had planned . If they were to decide that, there were no longer be any possible way to argue that a group of elected republicans, could be counted on to defend the constitution. Congressman, what do you make of what liz cheney was saying there about jim jordan, possibly becoming House Speaker . Look, i dont know anything about what liz is talking about. I know that obviously, there is a bit of animosity there, with her and some house republicans. But look, i want to tell you something that i think is really important. Jim jordan came to congress before i started, and had been there a number of years. And, the number of members of congress who said to jim jordan of 2010, or 2020, it is a night and day difference of the jim jordan of 2023, and there has been a lot of change in, i guess maturity in the way he has approached things. I think he is a great communicator, and i think that jim is absolutely a viable candidates, i think that steve is a viable candidate. But more importantly, i think one of the things that we need to be doing, is really focusing on the stability, or structure, of the job, the position of speaker of the house. Jim jordan obviously, defied a congressional subpoena from the January 6th Committee. Is that a factor at, all of whether not he is the right person to succeed Kevin Mccarthy . Look, the January 6th Committee was a partisan effort. If there had been a committee that was actually set up, that republicans got to choose who was on it, and got to appoint their own members, i think that would have been a different story. But to go out and structured the way they did, at the beginning, you really did undermine the integrity of that committee. While every other committee in congress, you have the respective parties, that get the choose who their members are, with expertise to serve. Well that was a decision of, by Kevin Mccarthy, there were two republicans on, including liz cheney. But put into committee aside, it sounds that youd be willing to potentially vote for jim jordan, as the next House Speaker. Look, i think what is most important, and what i am prioritizing, is stabilizing the structure of the position of speaker of the house. Kaitlan, after that, yes, we need to have a robust discussion about who is best. Is it steve scalise, is it jim jordan, is it a third candidate out there . But what i am focused on is the functionality of the house of representatives, undoing this disaster that matt gaetz and the rest of the chaos caucus have done to the house. And, making sure that we get back on track, doing the things that we need to be doing, for this country. Okay, so it sounds like you dont think it is a two man race, at this point. You are a close ally of Kevin Mccarthys, you were there during his 15 rounds to become speaker in january. Are you disappointed that the former president didnt try to come to his defense more, as he was in the throes of being ousted from his job . I am disappointed that matt gaetz went out, and fabricated this narrative, and then acted on it. I mean, this was the Jack Abramoff of congress, the disgraced lobbyist that created problems for his clients, and then charge them more money to fix them. Thats what matt gaetz did, thats where my frustration is. This is something that is internal to congress, this is not something that is external to outside sources. Well, thats interesting you said that, because trump is coming, apparently he is considering it, likely im told, by sources, to the capital on tuesday, as you are having your Candidate Forum the day before. You are going to have your actual speaker, and he is claiming tonight that he is actually going to take the job, as House Speaker, on a short term basis. Do you believe that that could happen . You know, there is a part of me that just sitting down and buying tickets to watch the chaos, would be incredibly entertaining, to see what the democrats just created. But if i guess, a more serious fashion, my focus is on restoring functionality and stability. My guess is, just based upon precedent, that the next speaker of the house is going to be a member of the house of representatives. But as you have seen, and i have seen, there are a few members of congress that have said that they think that he would be a viable speaker. But as you know, there has not been an external speaker. I think that while the constitution does provide for it, i think were going to have a member of the house, then that is a speaker of the house. That is a pretty big sigh from, you are you saying that you dont think trump should come on tuesday, that you dont think it is helpful . No, i didnt say that at all. It is just that, when you look already. Well, do you feel that way . Im sorry . Do you feel that he should, that his influence there, his presence on tuesday night is not helpful . No, i am not saying that. I am just saying that we are in this situation, we we have chaos, we have uncertainty, and i do think his presence is certainly going to add another dynamic of incitement. But, what i am focused on, and what im going to remain focused on, is getting the functionality of the house. Look kaitlan, we can talk about all these externalities all day long. What we need to be doing is securing our southern border. We need to be fixing energy policy, that is so brainless night right now, that we are becoming more dependent on other countries. And, watching emissions go up, ask appeared to what they did under President Trump, where they actually went down. We need to be focused on getting spending under control, getting our fiscal house in order. Those are the things that i am concerned about, and i hear the most mark institutions. Yeah, i hear the word can cite excitement there, that you just said, chaos. But obviously congressman, what is at the center of this as well, is ukraine funding, on the line here. A russian strike today, as you saw, on a grocery store, killed at least 50 people. You recently voted in favor of an amendment, that would have blocked Security Assistance to ukraine. It didnt past, but in total, 93 republicans voted for that, including you. Does an attack like what you see today, where the ukrainian Officials Say there is no military target anywhere near where this attack happened, does that shift your position at all . Let me be very clear, what Vladimir Putin has done in ukraine is absolutely inexcusable, as a defender of liberty and human rights, the United States has a responsibility, and an obligation to participate. But, i cant go to our constituents, and people that we represent, and say that we need to invest tens, or even hundreds of billions of dollars in ukraine, and were not going to do a dam thing about our southern border, because our president has blocked efforts to secure it. Number one. Number two, lets be really clear what is going on right now, because this is important. Today, the Department Of Defense has Six Billion Dollars available, to offer assistance to ukraine. Today, the State Department has Three Billion Dollars available to ukraine. They have, there was some discrepancy here, but we believe they have full authority, transfer of authority to those dollars, to shift them around, different d. O. D. Programs. So, there is not an imminent crisis on funds. Is there one, potentially in the future . Yes, weve got to have a candid discussion about accountability, about transparency of the funds, about objectives, and about the participation of our european allies, and im willing to have that conversation. I think the white house has not done a sufficient job, in explaining the justification for the dollars that we, that they are requesting so far. Well, i think on the border, thats another subject, we are going to be speaking about that later in the show. Obviously, we are seeing a White House Bill the barrier there. But, when it comes to doing this, are you saying that you would be willing to vote for ukraine funding in the future . I am willing to have that discussion, i absolutely am. But, i want to be clear kaitlan, youve got to put yourself in the position of a representative. We are to take american taxpayer dollars, and secure ukraines border, and were not going to do a darn thing about our own . We are having cartels, weve got 106,000. Well, republicans do have the House Majority. The cartels are profiting 13 Billion Dollars a year from human smuggling, this is unforgivable. So, we do something about our southern border, this Administration Provides justification, i am willing to have that conversation with. Them cant you do both at the same time, if you want to . Again, there is not an imminent loss of dollars, there is not a zero account balance. Theyve got time, with the Six Billion And Three billion. They have time to have a conversation about. Yes, we can have a conversation about the southern border, and ukraine, at the same time, but again, i want you to put yourself in my position. I represent 800,000 people, that are taxpayers. I am not going to go out and say, another countrys border is more important than our own, when our own citizens are being shot are being killed, are being poisoned, as a result of the fentanyl, the hundred and 47, i think, folks on the terrorist watchlist, that have come across the southern border. This is dangerous, the conditions right here in america. Congressman garrett graves, thank you for your time tonight, good luck next week. You bet, thank you. And tonight, President Biden once said it was not a serious policy solution. Trump campaigned on build that wall, are you willing to tear that wall down . There will not be another foot of wall constructed, in my administration. Well now, he is adding more than another foot, he is actually building miles more of what was Donald Trumps Signature Objective at the southern border. Were going to speak to the reporter that you saw there, getting biden on the record, next. President biden, expanding the wall of the u. S. Mexico border. Yes, you did hear that right. His administration, waving 26 laws to do so, despite once vowing that he would never add another foot to that wall. Today, President Biden said that he had no choice. The money is appropriate for the border wall. I tried to get the appropriate amount to redirect that money, they didnt, they wouldnt. And in the meantime, there is nothing under the law, other than that i have to use the money for what is appropriate. I cant stop. Do you believe that a Border Wall Works . No. Despite that one word answer there, the project is set for the rio grande valley, where Homeland Security secretary Alejandro Mayorkas says, and im quoting him now, in a in a federal registry, and acute immediate need to construct physical barriers, to ease the surge in migrant crossings. Doing so will require biden to bypass laws that his administration has moved to protect, including the National Environmental policy act, the endangered species act, and the clean water and air act. The white house is defending the move, saying that they are just simply following a law, by using this money to expand the law. And this is not new, right. Something that came to the last administration, under the republican leadership, in fiscal year 2019. And, we are required to do this, we are required, the dhs is required to comply by the law, that is what we are doing here. I want to bring in lulu garcia a New York Times host who interviewed biden on the border wall, and talk about this issue, as he was a candidate. Lulu, you are the reporter, who of course pressed then candidate biden about this. I want to remind our viewers what it was exactly, that he told you. Trump campaigned on build that wall. Are you willing to tear that wall down . No, there will not be another foot of wall constructed in my administration. Im going to make sure that we have border protection, but its going to be based on making sure that we use high tech capacity to deal with it. Given how forceful that he was, in that answer to you, what do you make of then, versus what he is doing now . I think there is that old adage, never say never. And, i think what we are seeing now is precisely that. He was very clear, that he was not going to build any barrier, on the southern border. And of course, what we are seeing now is that plan to make about 18 miles of, 18 to 20 miles of new border fencing. It is going to be about sorry, 18 feet high. So, it is going to be an actual barrier. And, i think the administration is trying to have it both ways. On the one hand, they are saying barriers dont work, walls dont work, that is something from the republican administration. But on the other hand we are seeing, as you pointed out quite clearly, that there is a need on the southern border, according to the dhs, saying that there are these very large surges in migrant crossings. And this area, were it is going to be built, it is a very porous area. I have been down there many times, it is a place with a lot of crossings. And there is, according to dhs a need for a barrier yeah and of course, you hear the white house saying this money has been appropriated, and there is no choice. Of course, money is appropriate all the time, and its not use. But when you look at this from a political perspective, every politician knows what you said essentially, which is there is a difference to when you are campaigning, and when you are actually an office. And, unpredictable things can happen. And, the president s approval rating, when it comes to Border Security and immigration, it is actually lower than his overall approval rating, which is also quite low. Do you believe part of that is also what is at stake here for him . I think so, i mean the situation on the southern border, and just immigration writ large, is becoming a very important topic, not only for republicans, who have been campaigning on this for a very long time, but for democrats. We have been seeing, in democratic cities across the country, chicago, new york, washington d. C. , denver, huge numbers of immigrants. I was just talking to one of my colleagues from the New York Times, who is in chicago, and he was stunned by what he was seeing. Migrants camped out of police stations, theres about 800 migrants in one of the terminals in ohare airport. This, of course, has brought this issue home to the very constituents that biden needs to win the next election. And so, what we are seeing here is him try to thread the needle. Or on the one hand, building more barriers on the southern border isnt going to appease the right. But on the other hand, it is going to infuriate the left, and we have already seen that. I have been seeing quotes all day from bidens supporters, and others saying, this is a horrific step backwards. And so, he is in a very difficult position. There is real urgency around this, but on the other hand, he needs to be seen as doing something. Yeah, lulu garcia navarro, you are the perfect person to speak with this about, thank you so much for joining me. Thank you. Up next, he has been viewed as a potential spoiler, of the president ial cycle, a label that he has denied on this program. Now, cornell west says he is running as an independent. Why, and what changed . We will ask him, in his first interview, next. Progressive president ial candidate dr. Cornell west is changing lanes, again, in his bid for the white house. He announced today that he will no longer seek the green partys nomination, and instead is going to run as an independent. That was just a course a few months ago, that doctor west left a little known group to run for that ticket. He defended his quest for the white house, in criticism from democrats and many of President Bidens allies, that his run could tip the election to potentially donald trump, if he is the gop nominee. Dr. Cornell west is back with me, welcome back to the source. Oh, its a blessing to be here again, i salute you in the work you. Doing thank you very much, weve had you on the first week of the show. Absolutely. Tell me what you think of this, move and youre going to run as an independent now . Well, im thoroughly convinced that we are at a such a low level at the history of our country, the spiritual decay and moral decadence, political paralysis, the corporate greed, suppressions in so many ways of uaw workers, and now health care workers. We have to raise our voices, in a serious way. And, i am thoroughly convinced that both parties are beyond redemption. You know, its like plantations. The green party is a progressive party, and i was so glad about sister and jill stein and my dear brother came in, and allow me to become part of that process. But i discovered that low and behold, even their, there are certain impediments. And you see, sister kaitlan, i really am a jazz man, in the life of the mine, and the world of politics, which means it is difficult to play in a party band, it is difficult have to deal with those constraints. What do you mean, impediments . The impediments having to do with, first theres a long nomination process, youve got a number of different appearances you have to make. You have to make your case. And i understand that democratic process. But when it becomes so internal that i dont have time to focus on the pain and the social misery of the people. But do you worry it complicates your bid for the white house . Because, if you did run as the green party nominee, you know, you are on the ballot and i think 20 or so states. Now, youve got to raise a lot of money, and have this effort to get your name on the ballot, which you know as well as i do, it requires Tens Of Thousands of signatures. Well, my green Party Brothers and sisters have 18 states, so they still have 32. And the two party system, the corporate duopoly is just so unjust, in terms of making it difficult for any independent party. And that shows you, the way in which they want to reduce the status quo. Now, ive got 50, but its easier as an independent, to gain access to the ballot. Then it is to be part of a third party. You see, weve got hope on the ground, operations on the ground. Ive got an organizational genius in my dear brother peter tao. And, magnificent, high quality team, and we are hitting the ground running. And we are going to bring in at least 35 or 40 states. Did you hear anything from anyone in the white house, or the biden campaign, or any of President Bidens associates, about this move . No, not at all. Not at all. And, we want to continue to put some fear into them, because you see, when you speak to the greed of wall street, when you really speak to the military adventurism, and the possibility of a world war three, with the United States and the russian federation, mediated with that ugly ugly suffering of our precious ukrainian brothers and sisters. When you really speak to the mass incarceration, the plight of those in the hood, and the reservations, poor white folk, Poor Working People across the board. That puts fear in the status quo. Both democrats and republicans. You dont think i dont know candidate, he is running out of gas. Trump may even be on the way to jail. I have to be true to my colleague and most importantly, i want to be an example, as fallible as i can, i want to be an example of a quest for integrity, honesty, and decency, in a moment where there is so much hatred and greed and resentment. Given that you want to be that example, and you just mentioned what you said is a potential for world war iii. You know, you and i have talked about this before, with russia and nato, The Last Time you were here. You recently were headlining an event, that was put on by an antiwar group. But mother jones is saying that that event, that there were, it was cosponsored by activists who are known to have worked for russian state media, for the Chinese Communist party, the north korean regime. I mean, how do you justify being on that stage . Mother jones, what a great figure she was. She will be critical of what is being done in her name. It was sponsored fry merely by code pink, Medea Benjamin and others, who have been critical of oppression across the board. It could be oppression in russia, it could be oppression of muslims in china, what we were calling for was a stoppage of the war, because we dont want another endless war like afghanistan and vietnam. We dont want billions and billions being spent, when we dont have money for health care, jobs with a living wage, decent housing, quality education. It is part of the legacy of Martin Luther king jr. , when bombs are dropped overseas, landing in poor and Working Class communities here, because we dont have resources. That was the spirit of that gathering, that we had. Youve said that you are against funding to ukraine, and you have said that you have blamed nato for russias invasion, which of course you know, u. S. Officials say that is kremlin propaganda, kremlin talking points. You havent said yet what terms of a ceasefire you would accept. I dont blame nato, i blame the United States using nato as part of their imperial policy, to provoke russia. But russia provoked russia. Russia didnt invade a nato country, they invaded ukraine. Russias an empire, its a small empire, its repressive. Putin himself of course, authoritarian. Well, the economy is roughly the size of italy, i mean its small compared to the United States. Its one of the biggest militaries, its not effective, clearly. While russias gotten what, 30 Military Units around the world . Weve got 800 around the world, there is no comparison. A strike with what you saw today. But my point is this though, we have to be consistent in our critiques of oppression, wherever it is. If its russian oppression, were critical of it, it could be oppression in iran, visavis our precious young muslim sisters. It could be oppression in guatemala, it could be oppression in uganda, we have to be consistent. But we have to take u. S. Responsibility, and u. S. Responsibility is what . Special operation units over 150 countries, 800 Military Units in over 85 . Im just speaking about ukraine specifically. But nato is a particular expression of u. S. Power. And it has been, from the very beginning. So, that doesnt in any way justify the criminal invasion of putin, but it means when you provoke any nation, i mean if russia had missiles in mexico and canada, what would be the response of the democrats and republicans, below it to smithereens . Blow it to smithereens. We disagree on this, thats all i have for time. We did not provoke. But i mean we had deep disagreements on, but thats, somebodys right or wrong. Its a conversation that we will continue to have. Dr. Cornell west, now running as an independent, thank you for coming and joining. Thank you indeed, and i salute the work that you have done, putting smiles on the faces of folks in alabama. Thank you dr. West. [laughter] coming up, a new guilty plea, that could mean even more trouble for the indicted for congressman George Santos. We will tell you who it is, next. The former Campaign Treasurer for George Santos, pleading not guilty today, in a blow to the already embattled congressman. Her charge, conspiring to defraud the United States. Nancy marks, a major operative for new york republicans, admitted today that she falls fight financial documents, and donation records, for the santos campaign. Joining me now, political commentator errol louis. I mean, essentially saying that she tricked these republicans into supporting santos, and help falsified documents, that does not mean good things for him. Oh no no, that smells of huge political problems from, and very, very serious legal consequences as well. The political problems are obvious, she is going to be sentenced to prison, this comes with the recommendation that she serve as much as five years in prison. She is going to be sentenced in april. Now, in those six months before that happens, she is going to be talking, obviously with prosecutors, and they were indicted at the same time. This is a campaign that benefited him, so the crimes that she admitted to in court today were really on his behalf. And while he claims that she went rogue and he had nothing to do with it, that is going to be very very difficult claim to explain. Both to voters and prosecutors. Yeah, our testimony she doesnt have a Cooperation Agreement yet but this seems to almost guarantee she will get. One thats. Right and look, the findings were preposterous. She had to plead guilty. There is no way she could have survived a trial. They were things, kaitlan collins, like 250,000 worth of an itemized expenses, each of which was 199 and the 99 cents, which is the threshold for expanding what you spent the money on. It was an outrageous campaign. There were people who were listed who had never donated to anyone. There were addresses that were given as the address of where donors live where there was no one there. So, she explained what it was all about, why it was, done how it was done, and for George Santos to say that this person, my very close associate, that i worked with, that i went to business with did all of this behind my back. Absolutely prosperous. It is as unbelievable as the filings themselves. Yeah, it just adds to this ever growing story. And i know you have been covering it closely. Thank you. Of course, we will be right back after a quick break. Cmon, were right there. Cmon baby. Its the only we need. Go, go, go, go ah Touchdown Baby touchdown are your neighbors watching the same game . Yeah, my 5g Home Internet delays the game a bit. But you get used to it. Try these. Theyre noise cancelling earmuffs. I stole them from an airport. Its always something with you, man. Great solid greek salad . Exactly dont delay the game with verizon or tmobile 5g Home Internet. Catch it on the xfinity 10g network. Thank you so much for