State Department Spokesperson Tammy Bruce held a press briefing.
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NewsTranscript
00:00All right.
00:01How are you doing?
00:02Matt Lee.
00:03How are you?
00:04Nice to see Andrea Mitchell here again.
00:05Thank you, ma'am.
00:06I'm here after a rather big trip.
00:07All right.
00:08So, are we – we're set?
00:09Everybody good?
00:10Great.
00:11So, I'm going to start with a little bit of a statement here today.
00:12Welcome aboard, everyone.
00:13Nice to see you.
00:14During my first briefing, I said that under President Trump, peace through strength is
00:15back.
00:31That was clear from day one under this administration the 11 days since my first briefing have further
00:37proven it.
00:38In an important advancement for peace, America's top diplomat, Secretary Marco Rubio, and national
00:44Security Advisor Mike Waltz traveled to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, to meet with the Ukrainian delegation.
00:51As a result, Ukraine expressed readiness to accept the U.S. proposal to enact an immediate
00:56interim 30-day ceasefire to the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
01:02The ball is now in Russia's court, and even more advances have been made after Envoy Witkoff's
01:09visit there as well.
01:10During this historic meeting, Secretary Rubio traveled to the G7 in Canada, where our partners
01:16expressed support for a swift end and a durable end to this conflict.
01:21And as we pursued peace, our nation also showed strength.
01:25Under the President's direction, this administration invoked the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to
01:31initiate the removal of hundreds of dangerous members of the Trinidad, a vicious, violent
01:37foreign terrorist organization, which has been threatening our nation, conducting irregular
01:42warfare, and terrorizing Americans.
01:46We expect our sincere – we express our sincere gratitude to President Bukele of El Salvador
01:52for playing a pivotal role in this transfer.
01:54As Secretary Rubio said once again, President Bukele has shown he is not only the strongest
02:01security leader in our region, he is also a great friend of the United States.
02:06In our fight against terrorists, President Trump ordered the launch of decisive and powerful
02:10U.S. military deterrence operations against the Iranian-backed Houthi terrorists in Yemen.
02:16Following the strikes, Secretary Rubio noted that the President, quote, sent a powerful
02:21and clear message.
02:23These attacks on U.S. vessels and global shipping must stop, and we will hold you accountable.
02:29We will protect our people and freedom of navigation.
02:33In furtherance of President Trump's maximum pressure policy on the Iranian regime, last
02:37week the State Department announced sanctions on Iran's oil minister and shadow fleet
02:42that facilitates Iran's illicit crude oil trade.
02:46These actions were taken to stop the flow of revenue to the Iranian regime that uses
02:52to fuel conflict in the Middle East, advances its nuclear program, and supports its terrorist
02:58proxies.
02:59In addition, the State Department will consider revoking the visas of foreigners who have
03:04supported Hamas and unleashed anti-Semitic harassment, intimidation, vandalism, and violence
03:09on America's college campuses.
03:11As Secretary Rubio said on March 6th, those who support designated terrorist organizations,
03:17including Hamas, threaten U.S. national security.
03:21And we intend to use the department's broad authority to revoke visas when information
03:26comes to light indicating a visa holder may be inadmissible or ineligible under U.S. immigration
03:33law.
03:34Here's the bottom line.
03:36Secretary Rubio's State Department remains committed to advancing the national interests
03:40of the United States.
03:42Peace through strength is back.
03:45Not that we have a lot of things to discuss, and I see it all on your faces, but it is
03:49good to be back.
03:50I've been away for, oh, I don't know, 10 days now or so, but I'm looking forward to answering
03:55your questions.
03:56We will begin again with Matt Lee.
04:00Thank you, Tammy.
04:02I had three process-y kind of questions, but for the sake of my colleagues, I know there's
04:08a lot to ask.
04:09I'll only – I'll break it down to two.
04:10They'll be very brief.
04:11All right.
04:12One, on the South African ambassador who the Secretary declared PNG on Friday, the South
04:19African seemed to be a little bit miffed that they learned about this from a ex-post.
04:29And I understand there was a meeting at which a formal diplomatic note explaining this was
04:33handed over.
04:34Yes.
04:35Can you – what day was that, the meeting?
04:37Well, it was the same day of the announcement, yes.
04:41So after Secretary Rubio made his decision, our senior-level diplomats convoked the South
04:47African embassy staff for an in-person meeting at the State Department.
04:53At this meeting, our officials delivered the official notification of Ambassador Rasool's
04:58persona non grata status, and it was done.
05:02Okay.
05:03And I understand that his privileges and immunities expire today and that he has to leave by Friday?
05:09That's right.
05:10So he has – for these three days that passed, he's been – he's had his privileges.
05:17But those did expire today, and he has – technically, it's a week from the notice, and so that
05:22expires now on Friday.
05:23Okay.
05:24He'll need to be out of the country.
05:26Okay.
05:27And then my second one is what you mentioned before on the AEA, the Alien Enemies Act.
05:35As you know, as this building certainly knows, there are several provisions that have – or
05:41several criteria that have to be met in order to invoke this.
05:45One is there being a declaration of war with the country in which this force is from, or
05:50that the invasion or incursion or however you want to call it is being orchestrated
05:56or influenced by a sovereign state.
06:02Does the U.S. now regard Nicolas Maduro as the legitimate head of state of Venezuela?
06:09And secondly, if you do, or even if you don't, are Maduro and the state of Venezuela now
06:17covered by the Foreign Sovereign Enemies Act?
06:21Just before I came up here, my colleague Caroline Levitt had a great deal to say about this.
06:27This belongs at the White House.
06:28This is a dynamic that's happening out of the White House.
06:30No, this is only –
06:31Well, but I also, beyond – in addition to that fact of referring you back to the White
06:35House and to DHS regarding this, this is in the courts.
06:40And as you know, I'm not going to pontificate on or guess or muse about what's going on
06:44with the courts at this point.
06:45So it clearly – the White House has been very transparent.
06:50Caroline was very clear this afternoon about their approach.
06:54Clearly they feel that this is something they want to litigate and they're going to.
06:58And for the good of the American public, it's an important thing to do.
07:03Everything we know that the Trump administration is doing, certainly President Trump himself
07:07and his team, is in the interest of the United States.
07:09I understand that.
07:10And that's why he was elected.
07:12People are excited about the nature of the actions that we're taking swiftly, and this
07:17is one of them.
07:18And we will see it play out in court, and that's the extent of what I'll be saying.
07:22Okay.
07:23My question is not about Maduro.
07:24So now there's a third section.
07:25I thought you said you were going to forego the third part.
07:26No.
07:27No, no, no.
07:28I'd just like to have an answer to the first question.
07:29Sure, sure.
07:30Does the U.S. consider Nicolas Maduro to be the legitimate President of the United States?
07:34Well, I'm not going to discuss with you again a national issue that belongs both with the
07:39White House and the Secretary himself, so I'm not going to be able to remark on that.
07:43All right.
07:44Based on the same dynamic here, I guess for the Americas, the situation – Andrea Mitchell,
07:49please.
07:50This is related to the immigration issue and peace through strength.
07:57Does Secretary Rubio believe that if Afghanistan is among the countries that are – they are
08:03on a list, a draft list to be banned, that legitimate SIVs who were approved by the State
08:11Department during the fall of Afghanistan and its withdrawal should be a carve-out and
08:18that these people who help the State Department, the CIA, the DOD, can come and have refugee
08:26status?
08:27I do have a follow-up.
08:28Well, first of all, there is no list.
08:32What people are looking at over these last several days is not a list that exists here
08:36that is being acted on.
08:39There is a review, as we know through the President's executive order, for us to look
08:44at the nature of what's going to help keep America safer in dealing with the issue of
08:48visas and who's allowed into the country.
08:50But what has been touted as something that is an item through the State Department just
08:55simply isn't the case.
08:57So the premise, I have to say, I certainly can't speak to because it's not accurate.
09:03When it comes to the nature of Afghanistan and those who have helped us, the arrangements
09:08we've made already in the past, getting as many people from that conflict here, certainly
09:14those who have assisted us and worked with us, that's been a policy and a dynamic that
09:19we've worked on from the – certainly even the previous administration, working to try
09:24to get that happening.
09:26So that's not something that is – certainly I can talk about regarding something that
09:32doesn't exist, but certainly when that review is done, we'll have something that we can
09:37discuss.
09:38Okay.
09:39Then let me ask you also about your view, the Secretary's view, about the legality
09:46of a foreign country holding an American citizen from Iowa who has not been charged with any
09:51crime and holding his passport and not permitting him to return home in the case of what's
10:00happening in Punta Cana and the Dominican Republic, where this young man and his family
10:05and his lawyers say that he has not been permitted to leave the Dominican Republic, that he has
10:12been a cooperating witness, he's not charged with any crime.
10:16Does the State Department have any view about the rights of that U.S. citizen?
10:22Well, I think what's appropriate here is for me to not – and this is, unfortunately,
10:27the nature of the State Department and what we do.
10:30When it comes to diplomatic efforts, whether they exist or not, the nature of legal frameworks
10:35for individuals, the privacy issues involved, that's not something I can get into any
10:40detail about.
10:41He has spoken publicly and his family have.
10:45Does he have consular access in the Dominican Republic?
10:48Well, that's his – I think all of us have a right to speak and to be known, but we have
10:52a standard and a protocol here that we won't discuss a private situation, a private case,
10:59certainly, when it comes to diplomacy, diplomatic relationships between one country and another.
11:04I'm not going to go into those details.
11:06All right.
11:07Sean.
11:08Thanks.
11:09Can I go back to South Africa, the ambassador?
11:10Sure.
11:11The Secretary, of course, had his ex posted on Friday.
11:13Can you explain a little bit the reasons?
11:14It's quite an extraordinary step.
11:15I was looking back – I mean, if I'm not mistaken, even in the height of tensions with
11:16Russia, there was no expulsion of the ambassador and no PNG there.
11:17What is it?
11:18I mean, essentially, this was remarks that the ambassador made at a think tank or at
11:19a conference –
11:20That's correct.
11:21– that were critical.
11:22What I'm getting at is should other ambassadors be on alert?
11:23Can they not criticize President Trump without fear of being expelled?
11:24Well, I think it's not about – I mean, I think it's not about – I mean, I don't
11:25think it's about fear.
11:26I think it's about being alert.
11:27I think it's about being alert.
11:28I think it's about being alert.
11:29I think it's about being alert.
11:30I think it's about being alert.
11:31What I'm getting at is should other ambassadors be on alert?
11:33I think it's about being alert.
11:34I think it's about being alert.
11:35I think it's about being alert.
11:36I think it's about being alert.
11:37I think it's about being alert.
11:38What I'm getting at is should other ambassadors be on alert?
11:39Can they not criticize President Trump without fear of being expelled?
11:40Well, I think it's not about criticism.
11:43This was the equation of the President and the country with white supremacy.
11:50It was an allegation that casts such an awful light on the nature of the country, on individuals.
11:59It is – I mean, if we don't have a standard about the nature of someone who is in this
12:04country who is supposed to be a diplomat to help facilitate the relationship between two
12:09countries and that this is the standard of it, we deserve better.
12:14We want – we've had a decent level of diplomacy with South Africa.
12:22There are some challenges.
12:23But you want people in each embassy who can actually facilitate a relationship.
12:28And these remarks were unacceptable to the United States, not just to the President,
12:33but to every American.
12:35It was – they were pretty much obscene when it came to the nature of what was alleged.
12:41And so that is, I think, at the very least what we should expect, is a standard of some
12:48respect, basic, low-level respect, if you're in a position that is going to help facilitate
12:56any kind of diplomatic relationship with another country.
13:02This particular individual certainly didn't meet that standard, and it is a message to
13:08people of what America expects, what the President expects, what the Secretary of State expects,
13:12what this whole administration expects when it comes to treatment of the nation itself
13:17and as a result of the people in this country.
13:20And so that's why it was done.
13:21QUESTIONER 1 Sure.
13:22If you could just expand on that.
13:23South Africa today said that it wants to have a better relationship with the United
13:26States.
13:27Are you open to that?
13:28I mean, there's been other – the Secretary of State aware from the G20 – are you of
13:32the view that South Africa can repart the relationship despite the criticism that's
13:35come from this building?
13:36Are you open to that?
13:37UNDER SECRETARY GOTTEMOELLER Well, they – I think the – both the President
13:40and the Secretary of State have made it clear what the problems are and what they have an
13:45issue with when it comes to South Africa.
13:47The unjust land expropriation law, as well as its growing relationship with countries
13:54like Russia and Iran, it has prompted – that's what prompted the serious review of our South
13:59Africa policy, which continues to be underway.
14:02They have taken also the South African Government aggressive positions toward the United States
14:07and its allies, including accusing Israel, not Hamas, of genocide in the International
14:13Court of Justice and reinvigorating its relationship with Iran to develop commercial, military,
14:18and nuclear arrangements.
14:20So this isn't one just of demeanor or decorum, however they add into it.
14:25This is a matter of a nation that is – we've, again, made it very clear – taking steps
14:31that are not in the interest – the best interest of providing a safe, secure, more
14:37prosperous America, let alone world, when it comes to the decisions they're making.
14:42So all of this is under review, and – but obviously, part of it is, within the diplomacy
14:47of it, is to encourage a change in policy and posture.
14:53Of course that would be the point.
14:54The point is to encourage a change.
14:57What I've seen with the trips with – we've made with the diplomatic adventures, of course,
15:04as well as the G7 Summit in Canada, is the nature of the Secretary of State is to make
15:11things better for people.
15:12It is not to punish or to target people or countries.
15:18It's a nature of changing policy and creating better environments for all of us.
15:24And I've seen that in motion in every dynamic, and that's the case here with South Africa
15:28as well.
15:29Nadia, yes.
15:30Thank you so much, Tammy.
15:31Good to see you.
15:32I have a couple of questions.
15:33On Yemen first, what is the U.S. strategy regarding Yemen?
15:37Is it degrading the capabilities of the Houthis that they don't pose a threat to U.S. interests,
15:43or is it destroying them completely?
15:46Because there's conflicting statements from U.S. officials saying, like, we're not going
15:50to interfere with the civil war in Yemen.
15:52Well, what we've seen, of course, in the past when it comes to the Houthis, it was
15:57a tit-for-tat strike.
16:00If the Houthis would be sending missiles or attacking both commercial and military ships,
16:07what the previous administration did is they would do one strike as a tit-for-tat dynamic.
16:13What's happening now is a complete shift when it comes to the nature of why it's going on,
16:18which is to stop the assault on the maritime traffic in that area.
16:23And up to this point, there's about 174 attacks on American naval ships, which is an extraordinary
16:32number of attacks.
16:34And this isn't a situation that should be managed.
16:37It has to stop.
16:38So the message to the Houthis is, you know, this will end when you end the attack on both
16:45commercial and military ships in that region.
16:50So it's a maritime issue, and it's meant to completely change the posture of the Houthis
16:57and, of course, in conjunction in that dynamic with Iran, that the days of pinprick responses
17:05where we allow that to occur is over.
17:08That's I think a pretty clear statement from the administration as a whole as well.
17:11On the visa thing, just a quick one.
17:13The visa, sure.
17:14Can you – is the area clear when it comes to revoking visas for foreign students?
17:20Are you revoking visas for students who clearly support Hamas and shows literature that support
17:27in Hamas?
17:28Or is it also include students who support Palestine or the free – they say the freedom
17:34of the Palestinians or showing sympathy with civilians in Gaza?
17:38Is that area very clear?
17:39Well, what Secretary Rubio has been saying on a number of different interviews is that
17:45this is about – if you were – when you think about someone applying to come into
17:48the country to get a visa, if you were to say everything that he was – ended up doing
17:54as would be his goal upon entering the country, we would never have issued the visa.
17:59So you have a dynamic, whereas if there's going to be certain kinds of actions that
18:02you're going to undertake, that we don't accept that.
18:06Every country has a right to control its borders and to determine who's going to come into
18:12the country.
18:13So in this particular instance, there's also, I know, a freedom of speech argument.
18:19But this is not about speech.
18:21It's about actions.
18:22It's about things that were done.
18:25And of course, I don't want to go further because also this is within a court dynamic.
18:30America's got the best court system in the world, and there will be arguments on both
18:35sides no doubt regarding this, but it has to be argued, it has to be litigated.
18:40But the actions that we take and the decisions we make are not about content.
18:44It's about actions that are occurring, and certainly in that particular case.
18:48Yes.
18:49Go ahead.
18:50Go ahead.
18:51Go ahead.
18:52Hi, Secretary.
18:53Hi.
18:55Just to follow up on the Houthis question, so President Trump said every shot fired by
18:57the Houthis will be looked upon as a shot fired by Iran.
19:01So we're wondering if Houthis don't back down, is the United States prepared to attack
19:07Iran or give Israel to do so?
19:10I think you're referring to President Trump's Truth Social tweet, and I'm sure you all have
19:16it on your phones.
19:17You should, because I'm going to refer you right back to that tweet.
19:19It speaks for itself.
19:20All right.
19:21Just to follow up on a different topic in that case, so Voice of America and Radio Free
19:28Asia is one of the outlets under Voice of America.
19:32They have written extensively on the oppression of Uyghur Muslims by Chinese authorities.
19:37Actually, their reports have raised awareness about the plight of Uyghurs.
19:44And this is a topic that the Secretary feels strongly about as well.
19:47We've just seen him last week impose sanctions on Thai officials over deportation of Uyghurs
19:52to China.
19:53That's right.
19:54What does he think about the shutdown of this outlet?
19:56Does he support this decision?
19:57Well, what you're referring to, I think, is the VOA and some other outlets involved with
20:03the current – some budgetary changes and actions that have been taken.
20:07What I can tell you, like, with all the aspects that are happening in this shift is that it's
20:12a fluid situation, and I look forward to watching it unfold, as you do.
20:18I know you're all reporters, and some reporters here in the bullpen have been affected.
20:23But the fact of the matter is this is serious business.
20:26It's the business of government using taxpayer dollars.
20:28So the same standard applies here.
20:31And of course, it's just happened.
20:34Carrie Lake, as essentially the envoy within this framework, is someone that Americans
20:41know and trust, and I look forward to seeing how this unfolds.
20:45But right now, it's new.
20:46It's a fluid situation.
20:48And we'll have more for you as it unfolds.
20:50All right.
20:51Please, go ahead.
20:52All right.
20:53Go ahead.
20:54Can I just follow up on Yemen and your assessment of civilian casualties?
20:58Because you'll know there have been reports of several.
21:01What's your assessment on that?
21:03On civilian casualties?
21:05Well, under no situation does anyone want that.
21:10This is a horrible dynamic.
21:12At the same time, the Houthis are pirates who have commandeered an entire country, in
21:17addition to attempting to commandeer and threaten and harass shipping in the maritime area there.
21:24So when we think about this dynamic, certainly America seeks to avoid that situation.
21:32But we're now in a position where it has become untenable.
21:35And America's position in this kind of a regard, it's an unfortunate framework of war and of
21:45tensions and conflict like this.
21:47But of course, we lament, I think, this country, of all countries, and what we've done and
21:53what we've accomplished, we lament what the Trump administration, what Secretary Rubio
22:04and everyone now in this new administration is focused on, and maybe it surprised people,
22:08it shouldn't have, is peace, is to stop the wholesale slaughter of people, is to stop
22:14the chaos that reigns through certain regions, is to make sure, especially with certainly
22:20Ukraine and Russia, is to make sure in every place where there's conflict that the people
22:26that are alive today might be alive tomorrow.
22:29And it's imperfect.
22:31It's not something that any of us can sometimes predict the end result of.
22:35But this is an administration and a president and a Secretary of State who's made it clear
22:39that this, if there is a hallmark, the hallmark is fighting for peace and an end to this kind
22:45of chaos that has destroyed Yemeni's lives and it destroys, obviously, too many lives
22:51around the world.
22:52Now, yes, sir.
22:53You've been waiting patiently.
22:54Yes, sir.
22:55Two quick questions on the Palestinian issue.
22:57One pertaining to Gaza, aid has not been allowed in since the 2nd of March.
23:04The situation is very dire.
23:06I was wondering if you are really concerned about this, especially this coincided with
23:11the beginning of Ramadan, as well, where people need food and water and so on.
23:16I mean, is starvation used as a method to pressure people?
23:23Is that – isn't that a war crime of some sort?
23:28For the horrible suffering of the Gazan people, we know where that sits.
23:32It sits with Hamas.
23:34We know that within the ceasefire and why we fight for the ceasefire and want it to
23:39continue is, in fact, to allow, to make sure that food and aid is moved into that region.
23:45The United States has led the way in that regard.
23:50We also know that at this point, when it comes to the nature of what Envoy Whitcoff has worked
23:56on and what all of us still focus on, is, in fact, what your concern is, making sure
24:01that there's a situation on the ground that allows food to get to the people who need
24:06it, that allows aid to move through to the people who have been suffering because of
24:10the choices that Hamas has made throughout the years.
24:15And that is what we continue to work on.
24:17So everyone – certainly, it's a concern, and that is why we continue to work to make
24:22sure that aid can get to the people who need it.
24:24Yes, sir.
24:25Go ahead.
24:26I have a follow-up.
24:27Yeah.
24:28A question on Syria.
24:29The Syrian interim authority last Thursday approved a new constitution.
24:33It has granted likely no rights for the minority, like Kurds and Jews, in Syria and has been
24:38rejected by these minorities, labeling it's against the democracy.
24:42What's the U.S. view on that constitution?
24:45And is anyone in this department connected with the new Syrian interim authority?
24:51Do you have any engagement with them?
24:53Again, when it comes to diplomatic engagements, situations as fluid and as situational like
25:00that one, that's not something I'm going to be able to answer.
25:02Well, we'll – I'll see what we can do when it comes to the specifics of what you've
25:08asked for.
25:09On Syria.
25:10Yes.
25:11I have another question on Iraq.
25:12All right.
25:13Yeah.
25:14This administration, including Secretary Rabio himself, has called the Iraqi Government to
25:17resume the Iraqi Kurdistan oil export and solve the U.S. oil companies issue that are
25:24working in Iraq, but this has not happened.
25:27What is the U.S. view on that?
25:29Are you urging the Iraqi Government to resume the oil export?
25:33Again, I'm not – at this press briefing, I'm not going to go into international negotiations
25:39or diplomatic negotiations or thoughts that might be held by the Secretary of State.
25:45But we'll see.
25:46When it comes to actions on that, it'll be, I think, abundantly clear.
25:48Yes, ma'am.
25:49Syria.
25:50Thank you, Tammy.
25:51So Syria's new government, along with regional countries such as Turkey, Jordan, Qatar, and
25:57others, have been calling on the U.S. to lift the sanctions that was put in place during
26:04the Assad regime, and many view these sanctions as a significant barrier to stabilizing and
26:11rebuilding the country.
26:12Is the administration considering removing or maybe easing these sanctions?
26:17Well, again, when we think about the administration, I think of President Trump and their posture
26:22and point of view regarding Syria, and the fact that when it comes to the department,
26:26the State Department and the Secretary, these are things that would be negotiations that
26:31would have to be contemplated, and I'm not going to do that right here from this – from
26:35this podium.
26:36Yes, sir.
26:37Thanks so much, Tammy.
26:38I appreciate you taking the question.
26:39Over the weekend –
26:40It depends on what the question is, but go for it.
26:42Over the weekend, the U.S. deported a Lebanese citizen who was a doctor at Brown University.
26:48I was wondering if you might be able to elaborate why.
26:53And I would say when it comes to that kind of action on everything we might discuss,
26:57that's the Department of Homeland Security.
26:58So that's – that would be them.
27:00And on violence – escalating violence in the West Bank, I guess, are there any concerns
27:05amongst the – at the State Department over what we're seeing in terms of Israeli actions
27:10in the north, in Jenin, in Tokaram?
27:12Well, the United States position, certainly the State Department, is that we stand steadfastly
27:17with Israel.
27:19Israel has seen certain security concerns that they have, and they're taking actions
27:23regarding those security concerns.
27:25And we stand with those decisions and what the Israelis choose to do in that framework.
27:31Yes, sir.
27:33Two questions changing subject to South Asia.
27:36Few days before the elections, President Trump, then as a candidate, has – had spoken about
27:41– expressed concern about attacks on the Hindus in Bangladesh.
27:45Now that Secretary has been here for about 60 days, what is his assessment about the
27:51situation of Hindus in Bangladesh, and what steps he's taking to address it?
27:55President Trump?
27:56Well –
27:57Secretary – no, Secretary Rubio.
27:59Well, again, we've – you're talking about President Trump in certain aspects about
28:04how the nation and how his administration views the nature of what's happening in
28:09another country.
28:10And Secretary Rubio, of course, follows through with his vision and the nature of the choices
28:14that are made in that regard.
28:16But when it comes to, again, negotiations, diplomatic considerations, and the conversations
28:22that those involve and what might happen, I don't want to have a – I don't want
28:27to presume here what the outcome will be.
28:30You don't want me to either.
28:31I think that the best thing to do would be to –
28:33Can you rephrase the question?
28:34I'm sorry?
28:35Can I reframe the question?
28:36Well, no, no, I'm – because I'm not – what I'm not going to answer is diplomatic
28:40considerations from government to government or attitudes and approaches when it comes
28:45to what's happening in a certain country that belong within a diplomatic kind of conversation
28:51that clearly I can't speak on and – or would I hypothesize about what might happen.
28:58So yes.
28:59Yes, there you go.
29:00Yes, ma'am.
29:01Follow-up.
29:02I have one more question.
29:03Go ahead.
29:04Go ahead.
29:05Thank you, Amy.
29:06Just to follow up quickly on what Hamaya was saying about USAGM, Radio Free Asia –
29:07Sure.
29:08– because I think you're going to get a lot of questions about this from now on.
29:11Oh, I expect it.
29:12I've got – I just got back into the country over the weekend.
29:14I thought, well, this will be discussed.
29:16You mentioned it's affected colleagues we know in the bullpen.
29:20Yes.
29:21Can you just clarify, when you say that you're watching this unfold, do you know if this
29:26is something that could be reversed in terms of what they're doing with USAGM?
29:30You want me to speculate?
29:31No.
29:32And I know you know I can't.
29:33And there's – and I know I come from a background where that's mostly what I did
29:38for a very long time.
29:39That I can't do here.
29:40Okay.
29:41So my next question is about a – something different.
29:45The State Department, according to some reporting by the New Republic, terminated a contract
29:50to the Yale School of Public Health's humanitarian research lab.
29:55They were tracking evidence of Ukrainian children that have been abducted by Russia since Russia's
30:01invasion of Ukraine.
30:03Some of that evidence was about to be – from their work, it was about to be transferred
30:08to European law enforcement officials.
30:11Can you comment at all on whether it is true that this grant was terminated, and whether
30:18you have any other comment?
30:19Well, I can't confirm that.
30:22But obviously, I'll take it back and I'll get back to you to get some details in that
30:28regard.
30:30Yes, sir.
30:31Thank you so much.
30:32I also have a question on Russia-Ukraine.
30:33But before that, let me follow up on Radio Free Europe quickly from a different angle.
30:36This administration last month secured one of the reporters jailed in Belarus, was working
30:41for Radio Free Europe.
30:43And I won't give you credit for that.
30:45Now, given how strongly you feel about their cases, can you assure us that you will continue
30:50securing the release of Radio Free Europe reporters, one of them in Azerbaijan and other
30:54countries, even if you end up defunding them?
30:57Well, I – that's not something I can answer here, again, when it comes to the nature of
31:02the choices that will be made.
31:03But what I can tell you is that this is a country that has led the way from the very
31:08start of radio of making sure that voices are heard everywhere, that this is something
31:14this country can be proud of, and it sits within the framework of what matters to us.
31:19At the same time, this nation has to look – and I don't think it's anything to
31:25be ashamed of – look to the nature of how America is going to be able to remain strong
31:30and safe and secure and more prosperous so that we can continue to move through with
31:35foreign aid, with facilitating voices that normally other parts of the world would not
31:40hear.
31:42It is a part of democracy.
31:43And of course, you want every nation to have that kind of commitment as well when it comes
31:47to who is able to be heard.
31:49So that's a commitment that stands.
31:51It is the heart of this nation, and certainly that's not going to be ending.
31:57The framework of certain things might change or how we facilitate them, but certainly not
32:03that commitment.
32:04And I think we've done a good job of that, and we should all be proud of it as well.
32:07How are we doing?
32:08QUESTIONER 1 I must have a question, Tammy.
32:09On Russia-Ukraine, I was going to actually – that was my original question.
32:12Can you please comment on —
32:13MS.
32:14CARRINGTON I've clearly lost the bucket of issues here
32:15as we've gone from a few things back, but go ahead.
32:17QUESTIONER 1 Very quick.
32:18Can you comment on reports that the United States pulled back from international group
32:22investigating Russian crimes?
32:24What is the strategy there?
32:25And what message are you sending to Russia, who continues actually committing crimes as
32:30we speak?
32:31MS.
32:32CARRINGTON Yeah.
32:33Yeah.
32:34Look, this is – we're going to be looking into a number of different things.
32:37That's anecdotal.
32:38The nature – I'm not familiar with the nature of what happened, so I'm not going
32:41to be able to speak to that.
32:42Yes, right down the middle here.
32:43Yes, sir.
32:44QUESTIONER 2 Thank you.
32:45Thank you so much.
32:46I mean —
32:47MS.
32:48CARRINGTON I think – yeah, the gentleman in front of
32:49you, sir.
32:50Go ahead.
32:51QUESTIONER 2 Thank you.
32:52Thank you, Tammy.
32:53I'm from Prime Time Media.
32:54So we both were at the G7 the last week.
32:57MS.
32:58CARRINGTON Yes, we were.
32:59QUESTIONER 2 And the focus was Ukraine.
33:00So today in Europe there was European Council.
33:05They met the foreign minister and they discussed about Ukraine and the European Union proposals.
33:11So it seems like there are – Europe is very divided right now, like Italy, Spain, Ukraine
33:18– I mean, Hungary and Slovakia are more aligned to Trump proposal.
33:23It's not proposal, but like plan.
33:27And the other ones, more lefties, are like want to keep giving aids, military aids to
33:33Ukraine.
33:34MS.
33:35CARRINGTON Sure.
33:36QUESTIONER 2 So what is the – what do you – as a State
33:37Department, how do you guys will interact with the European right now?
33:41Are we going to go for the Trump plans or the European ones?
33:46MS.
33:47CARRINGTON We're going to go with the Marco Rubio approach,
33:50which is to talk to everybody, which is to put out the new ideas, which is to argue for
33:55them on the merits of those ideas.
33:57That's what happened at the G7.
33:59What happened at the G7 was a collection of people who have very different points of view,
34:03some big disagreements, but a direct, specific decision mentioned by the Canadian Foreign
34:09Minister Jolie that we're going to focus on what we do have in common, what we can
34:14get done together, and really the importance of the gathering itself and what we can do
34:19together.
34:20There's a lot of people, I think, that would prefer us to be distracted by the disagreements.
34:27But what I've seen Secretary Rubio accomplish is remarkable, and in different environments,
34:33environments where there's negotiations between countries attempting to stop war,
34:40a minister's meeting where they're all aligned in some fashion or another and want to work
34:45together but have disagreements.
34:47I can say this, fortunately, having been there, is that it's been his voice, and I'm proud
34:54as an American that it happens to be the American Secretary of State, it's his voice that has
35:00brought conversations together, that has brought groups of people together.
35:04And we know this is why you need a State Department and why you need diplomats, because everybody's
35:09going to have different ideas.
35:11Everybody's going to think there's a better way, and we all have investments in the nature
35:15of the outcome.
35:17America is the strongest country in the world for a reason, all the combination of things
35:21we do, but mostly because we are a nation of merit and arguments and speech and the
35:27ability for people to be heard and for all of us to have an open mind.
35:32That is what Marco Rubio brings to this debate, especially in Europe where there are disagreements.
35:37We will, and he expects to, win people over based on the merits of the arguments that
35:42we continue to make every day.
35:44And I'm going to leave it there, everyone.
35:45I'll see you Wednesday and Friday this week if you didn't get enough.
35:48There'll be more to talk about.
35:50Thank you, everyone.
35:51I appreciate it.
35:52Have a good day.