House Republican Conference Chair Liz Cheney discusses the GOP push for Swalwell removal from the Intelligence Committee.
This is an unofficial transcript meant for reference. Accuracy is not guaranteed.
Steve seventeen House, Republicans
Steve seventeen House Republicans,
including our next guest, sent a
letter to Speaker Nancy Pelosi
yesterday, demanding that Nancy
Pelosi remove congressman Eric
Swalwell of California from the
Intel Committee over his
ties to a suspected chinese spy
who helped fund raise for him.
Wyoming Republican, congresswoman
and House GOP Conference chair
Liz Cheney joins us right now
from the rotunda congresswoman
good morning to you
good morning great to be
with you guys, as always
Steve good to have you as well.
Does Eric Swalwell represent a
national security hazard?
I think that he does.
I think there are real questions
about the extent to which he was
clearly cultivated. Financial
support was provided by this
bundling by this chinese
spy sounds like she placed an
intern in his office, and I
think the real question is why
Speaker Pelosi hasnt, taken
action,
youve watched her again and
again treat herer responsibility
over the intelligence committee
with something less than
seriousness.
At this moment where we face
grave national security threats,
not only has she let Congressman
Swalwell stay on that committee,
not taking action. She diverted
the attention to that committee
for months and months and months
on to impeachment, instead of
being focused on the threat from
China, the threat of the
coronavirus, for example, so
I think its an issue of grave
concern and she needs to take
action and thats why we sent
the letter
Steve well. She said you know
last week she wasnt concerned,
but at the same time shes the
one who heard from law
enforcement or the Intel
community that Swalwell had been.
You know compromised by
this chinese asset, but it was
her judgment, even though she
heard that to put him on the
committee
right- and I think you know,
on the whole issue of the
threat that China poses to
the United States. This is a
grave grave threat and weve
got to have bipartisan agreement
on being able to work together
to defend this nation
across the board. From that
threat,
its one of the reasons it was
so disappointing that the
speaker said she wasnt
going to participate in the
China task force that the
leader setup in the house,
its one of the reasons. Frankly,
why the National
Defense Authorization ACT is so
critically important.
It has really important language
in it that helps to protect
against chinese industrial
espionage, helps us to be much
more independent, our supply
chains and to protect our bases
from the threat of chinese
espionage.
We really need to make sure
across the board were defend,
ing ourselves.
Steve congresswoman weve been
talking about the Swalwell case
for a while, but we had Tom
cotton on with us a little while
ago, the senator from across the
chamber there.
I know Tom
Steve, you do know Tom.
We all know Tom,
and I asked him. Why exactly did
he think the New York Times has
not even touched this story
about Swalwell and China
and listen to Tom Cottons
answer?
I was told we had it, but
apparently we dont so im
going to go.
I heard it the first time
Steve. He said it makes you
wonder how deeply in the pocket
of chinese interest on these
major media corporations the
New York Times. Washington
Post has gotten money from
running chinese propaganda over
the years, and many tv stations
are owned or affiliated with
major movie studios trying to
get access to the chinese
theatre market.
In my Tom cotton voice in a
quick way, there
look theres, no question,
look at things like the Mulan
movie that came out
recently where they actually
thanked the chinese government
entity that runs the
concentration camps that the
wegers are now in and look
at things like the NBA, where
players are absolutely condemned
and not allowed to speak out in
support of human rights in Hong
Kong,
the Chinese Communist Party, the
chinese government, has
managed to infiltrate at the
highest levels of our
entertainment industry of our
media. Certainly, weve got you
know. We know theyve been
engaged in the hack of personnel
information,
its a very serious, very
significant threat and the fact
that Speaker Pelosi refuses to
address the situation with
Congressman Swalwell shes,
called it a diversion when weve
said to her. We need to make
sure were protected against
this threat from China.
She simply is not serious about
the threat
we, as a nation cannot afford to
have somebody as a speaker of
the house, whose not serious
about the most important
national security threat we face
Steve. Do you worry? There are
fellow members of Congress who
may be right now influenced by
China.
Look, I think we all have to
protect ourselves.
We all have to assume we know
from what weve seen publicly.
We know what the Chinese
Communist Party is attempting to
do, and I think weve all got to
assume that theyre targeting
anybody that they can target
weve got to make sure that
people understand. Look. I think
that the coronavirus, the extent
to which they caused that to be
spread around the world has
really shown a spotlight on the
nature of that regime and
has really focused the attention
of not just people in the United
States, but our allies around the
world on the threat they
pose and how important it is. We
protect ourselves by moving
supply chains by ending our
dependence on the chinese
government for things like rare
earth, minerals how important it
is that we make sure our allies
do not allow Huawei to have
access to their 5g systems. They
are a real threat and they do
not. We do not want to live in a
world where the Chinese
Communist Party sets the rules.
That is a world in which their
massive individual surveillance
state is imposed on. All of us.
Weve got to stand up against it.
America has to lead the way
in doing that.
Steve and now some people are
just finally waking up to the
threat it has been posing for a
while
representative Cheney. Thank you
very much for joining us
have a safe trip, as you travel
back to Wyoming, to be with your
family over the holiday.
Transcript generated on 2020-12-17.