TAPE_NUMBER: EN9919/a IN_TIME: 11:25:29 LENGTH: 01:24 SOURCES: ABC; APTN/UNIVERSAL (UIP) RESTRICTIONS: ABC MATERIAL - NO ACCESS N.AMERICA/CBC *** MUSIC/PERFORMANCE RIGHTS MUST BE CLEARED FEED: SCRIPT: xfa NEW YORK, MAY 11 1999 BACKSTREET BOYS ON THE CONCERT CIRCUIT Hundreds of young fans were at the New Amsterdam Theatre in New York City to see the Backstreet Boys in concert on Tuesday night. The American boyband proved they're still very much at the top of their profession , despite younger bands like N-Sync biting at their heels. - The band is getting ready to release their second album, Millennium, on May 18th..They delighted fans with a preview of some of their new songs as well as many of the big hits. - Since the band first hit the scene back in 1995, the boys - Nick, brian, AJ, Kevin and Howie have dominated the charts throughout the world, have gone multi-platinum in 16 countries and sold over 10 million records worldwide. They've scored 4 Top Ten singles, including the number one sensation "Quit Playin' Games (With My Heart)." They've also racked up numerous awards, including the 1996 MTV Europe Viewers Choice Award, beating out the Spice Girls and Jamiroquai. - Backstreet Boys incredible saga began four years ago in Orlando, Florida. It was there that high school students AJ MCLEAN, HOWIE DOROUGH and junior high student NICK CARTER began to run into each other at local acting auditions. The three young men became friends and formed a singing group, inspired in part by Boyz II Men and Color Me Badd. The trio then decided to expand, by two. They met KEVIN RICHARDSON through a mutual friend. After scouring Orlando for a fifth member, Kevin thought of his cousin BRIAN LITTRELL, who was in Kentucky. A phone call was made, Brian relocated and The Backstreet Boys were ready to write the first chapter of their story. - At first the group did some of their favorite cover tunes, a practice that continues even today. Laughs Brian, "We still do Shai's "If I Ever Fall In Love," but eventually they began to find their own distinctive sound. Stressing their strong harmonies and a blend of pop and R&B, the fivesome began to try to secure a record deal. "We'd go to local labels and sing acappella in their foyers," recalls Howie. "We'd sing anywhere, for anybody." The hard work began to pay off and within six months of forming, BSB had become one of Florida's hottest live acts. They played everything from a high school gymnasium, Grad Night at Sea World, to an opening slot for Brandy. With all that stage experience and an indie single "Tell Me That I'm Dreaming" under their belts, BSB started writing the next chapter. Their manager Donna Wright was friends with David McPherson of Jive Records. After pleading with him to hear the band, she called him during one of BSB's dates, held up her cell phone and let him hear the pandemonium the group generated. "We got signed right after that," smiles Brian. - In 1995, BSB began to lay down tracks and released "We've Got It Going On." The song took off in England and throughout the continent, where BSB's brand of R&B-Pop was just gaining a foothold. "Over there they had a bunch of what's called "boy groups,' so we had a ready made market," explains Brian, "but since we were Americans, we were a fresh new sound for Europe. We had more of an edge, and unlike a lot of those other boy groups, we were more than just a bunch of pretty guys. We could sing." In a short period of time, "I'll Never Break Your Heart" began to climb the charts. Its success laid the foundation for what was to come. - In 1995, BSB won a Smash Hits Award in London for Best New Tour Act and performed the gold single "I'll Never Break Your Heart" on Top Of The Pops. - 1996 kicked off with BSB being voted #1 International Group by TV viewers in Germany. Their next single, "I'll Never Break Your Heart" went gold in Germany and hit #1 in Austria. By February, the up tempo jam had entered into video and radio rotation in Montreal. BSB's sold out shows, with hordes of screaming fans, soon became legendary throughout Europe and Canada. If BSB could accomplish all that with only two singles, just imagine the reaction when BSB's self titled debut album was released in April of 1996. That summer BSB embarked on a sold out 57 date headlining European tour. By the time fall came BSB fever had swept Asia, the Pacific Rim and Australia. The year continued with BSB wrapping up a second European tour and earning the coveted 1996 MTV Europe Viewers Choice Award. Then it was off to Canada, where their CD has gone six times platinum and hit the number one spot on the charts. BSB's 32 shows sold out in under 20 minutes as the intensity moved closer to the US. "It was some kind of year," laughs Kevin, and it only laid the groundwork for the next part of the BSB story. The homecoming. - Now back home in Orlando, BSB spent the early part of 1997 in the studio; crafting new vibrant songs, sharpening up their vocals, taking a more active role in the creative process and eagerly looking forward to bringing their infectious sound to a home grown audience. "We've always wanted to bring it back home," asserts Nick. "But we wanted to make sure we brought it back strong." - SHOTLIST: SHOWS : PULL DOWN THEATER ; PAN SCREAMING FANS ; FANS SINGING ; FANS GOING IN ; BACKSTREET BOYS PERFORMANCE ; BACKSTREET BOYS PERFORMANCE ?

MISCELLANOUS VALLEE SHORTS #4

LATEST ON CONTROVERSIAL CATHOLIC BISHOPS CONFERENCE IN DALLAS. KATHLEEN SHANNON HAS MORE...

The National Fair Housing Alliance holds a news conference to release a report showing that housing discrimination continues throughout the US.

1600 COHEN HRG WITNESS FS9 81 UNITED STATES HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES COMMITTEE ON OVERSIGHT AND GOVERNMENT REFORM HEARING: Michael Cohen, Former Attorney to President Donald Trump Date: Wednesday, February 27, 2019 - 10:00am Location: 2154 Rayburn House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515 WITNESS: Michael Cohen Former Attorney for Donald Trump Michael Cohen Testifies Before House Oversight Committee 2/27/19 Michael Cohen, President Trump's former lawyer, testifies before the House Oversight and Reform Committee about various investigations related to the 2016 Trump presidential campaign. 162729 Mr. Cummings >> Mr. Cohen I want to finalize this issue in truth in testimony form. The form requires do you list your contracts or payments originating from a foreign government not from all foreign entities. We said we would give you to consult with your attorneys. Have you done that and do you have any additional information? 162800 Mr. Cohen >> My four attorneys continue to believe as they did before that the language of the truth in testimony forum which I was given and assigned to right before this hearing and which requires disclosure of any contracts or payments from foreign governments in the last two years did not apply to my work for bta bank which is Kasak owned entity. They advised that had entities been intended for disclosure, that word would have been in the disclosure definition. If the committee's counsel has a different view that I should disclose my contract with BTA bank, we would be willing to do that. >> Mr. Chairman? >> Let me finish. >> Sure. Mr. Cummings >> I want to understand clearly, you are -- you sought the advice, is that right? Mr. Cohen >> That's right. Mr. Cummings >> And counsel advised you to say what you just said, right? Mr. Cohen >> That's correct. Mr. Cummings >> And you know that to be the truth, right? Mr. Cohen >> Yes, sir. 162910 Mr. Meadows >> I thank the chairman for his courtesy. Instead of making points of order and going back and forth on this, perhaps the way to do this is to request he give to this committee all of the foreign payments that he has received over the last two years, whether they are an entity or government. We have strong believe there is over $900,000 that came from the government of Kazakhstan on behalf of Mr. Cohen. It is either the truth -- the whole truth or nothing but the truth. The rules look at foreign payments that come from or with foreign governments. The bank he is talking about is owned 81% by Kazakhstan the government. 163007 Mr. Cummings, Chairman >> reclaiming my time and then we're going to move on. First of all, let me be clear. I said to Mr. Cohen that if he came in here and lied I would nail him to the cross. Didn't I? Mr. Cohen >> Yes. You did more than once. Cummings: So if there's any ambiguity I want that to be cleared up. I have no problem working with you to make sure that's straightened out. I don't want him to think one thing and we think one thing. We can clear that up. We have other members that are waiting. Mr. Meadows >> on that subject, i don't think we should limit it to the BTA bank which has the affiliation with Kasakhstan, I thin kwe should look at Korea air space industries and any other client that's foreign that may have some connection to that respective country's gov't. I hope that his attorneys look at all those and we get the exactly right as Mr. Meadows wants. 163101 Mr. Cummings >> Reclaiming my time. We will take that certainly under advisement. I am a man of my word. We will work with you and see what we can do to come up with that. I don't think it's an unreasonable request. Mr. Khanna >> I want to focus my questions on the smoking gun document you have provided this committee. This document is compelling evidence of fed and state crimes including financial fraud. You provided this cmte with a check from president donald trump revocable trust account which is marked as marked as exhibit 5b. It is a check for $35,000 and it is dated March 17th, 2017 after the president took office. It is right now on the screen. Do you see it, sir? Mr. Cohen >> Yes, sir. 163154 Mr. Khanna >> To be clear the revocable trust is the trust the president set up to hold his assets after he became president. Is that correct? Mr. Cohen >> I believe so. Mr. Khanna >> Do you know why you were paid from the trust as opposed to the president's personal account? Mr. Cohen >> I don't know the answer to that. Mr. Khanna >> Did you think it was odd he paid you once and he is paying you through the scheme of a trust? Mr. Cohen >> I'll be honest, I was just happy to get the check. 163221 Mr. Khanna >> Today you testified that the check was signed by Don Jr and the Trump org CFO alan weiselberg, is that correct. Mr. Cohen >> that is correct. Mr. Khanna >> Acc to criminal charges against you you sent monthly invoices containing false info to an individual ID'd as exec 1. Weiselberg is exec 1, correct? Mr. Cohen >>yes Mr. Khanna The criminal charge against you then states that exec one forwarded your invoice to someone referred to as exec 2, presumably Don Jr was signing this chceck as exec 2. Correct? Mr. Cohen >>I believe so. 163302 Mr. Khanna >> payments like this check resulted in numerous false statements in the books of the trump org. This is financial fraud. It was disguised as a payment for legal services to you but this was not a payment for legal services, was it Mr. Cohen ? Mr. Cohen >> no sir. Mr. Khanna >> It could give rise to serious state and federal criminal liability if a corporation is cooking its books. Based on your testimony today Donald Trump Jr. and Alan Weiselberg Directed this payment to you and approved this. 163351 >> Mr. Trump initially acknowledged the obligation I was instructed by Allen at the time that we were going to do this over 12 installments. And what he decided to do then was to have me send an invoice. In which case they could have a check cut. Yes, the answer would be yes to your follow up. Mr. Khanna >> and Donald Trump Jr. obviously signed off on this? Mr. Cohen >> It would either be Eric Trump, Donald Trump Junior, and/or Allen Weisselberg. Always Allen Weisselberg on the check. Mr. Khanna >> And you think executive 2 is Donald Trump Jr.? Mr. Cohen >> Yes. Mr. Khanna >> They knew this payment were false and illegal, correct? 163430 Mr. Cohen >> I can't make that conclusion. Mr. Khanna >> You told representative Kelly that the president was aware of this scheme, is that correct? Mr. Cohen >> That's correct. Mr. Khanna >> I just want the American public to understand the explosive nature of this testimony. Are you telling us, Mr. Cohen, that the president directed in conspiracy with Allen Weisselberg and his son, Donald Trump Jr. As part of a civil criminal -- 163501 >> part of a criminal conspiracy of financial fraud. Is that your testimony today? Mr. Cohen >> Yes. Mr. Khanna >> And do you know if this criminal financial scheme that the president, Allen Weisselberg and Donald Trump Jr. are involved in is being investigated by the southern district of New York? Mr. Cohen >> I would rather not discuss that question because it could be part of an investigation that's currently ongoing. Mr. Khanna >> But I just want to American public to understand that solely 163530 >> apart from Bob Mueller's investigation there is garden variety financial fraud and your allegation and the explosive smoking gun document suggests that the president, his son and his CFO may be involved in a criminal conspiracy and isn't it true, Mr. Cohen, that this criminal conspiracy that involved four people that there is only one person so far who suffered the repercussions and that's why you're there jail? Mr. Cohen >> I'll be going to jail, yes. 163558 Mr. Khanna >> The three other people though who are equally involved in this conspiracy, is that true? Mr. Cohen >> Yes. That's true. Mr. Khanna Thank you Mr. Cohen. I yield back my time. Mr. Cummings, Chairman >> Mr. Gomez Mr. Gomez >> Thank you Mr. Chair. Mr. Cohen, I'm going to tackle the president's tax returns. During the 2016 campaign you said you personally wouldn't, quote, allow to release those returns until the audits are over. Unquote. 163630 >> For the record nothing prevents individuals from sharing their own tax returns even while under audit by the IRS. Mr. Cohen, do you know whether President Trump's tax returns were really under audit in 2016? Mr. Cohen >> I don't flow the answer. I asked for a copy of the audit so that I could use it in terms of my statements to the press. I was never able to obtain one. 163659 Mr. Gomez >> Do you have any insight or knowledge about what was in the President's tax returns that he refused to release? Mr. Cohen >> I do not. Mr. Gomez >> Can you give us any insight into what the real reason is that the President has refused to release his tax returns? Mr. Cohen >> The statement that he said to me, was that what he didn't want was to have an entire group of think tanks that are tax experts run through his tax return and start ripping it to pieces and 163730 then he'll end up in an audit and he'll ultimately have taxable consequences, penalties and so on. Mr. Gomez >> So that's a point he said he didn't want to release his tax returns. He might end up in an audit. So could you presume from that statement that he wasn't under audit? Mr. Cohen >> I presume that he's not under audit. Mr. Gomez >> And the reason that I bring this up because I'm also the only Democrat on this committee that also serves on the Committee of Ways and Means. It's the Chief Tax Writing Committee in the House of Representatives. 163801 >> And it's the only committee in the House of Representatives that has jurisdiction to request an American's tax returns. And that includes the President of the United States. My constituents need to know whether the President has financial ties that are causing him to protect his own bottom line, rather than the best interests of this country. Can he be blackmailed because of his financial and business ventures? Including by foreign governments? And I know the opposition, the first thing they will ask or say 163830 >> is that he released his financial disclosure forms. But I believe that there are other things we can learn from his taxes. Do you have any idea what he can learn in his tax returns if we got our hands on them? Mr. Cohen >> No, I have actually - I have seen them I just have never gone through them. They are quite long. 163851 Mr. Gomez >> Quite long. One of the things I also find ironic is the way they're also attacking you as to undermine your credibility, is one of the ways, by saying that you committed bank fraud and tax evasion. 163902 >> And the reason why is a big deal, is that it really goes down to a person's character when it comes to taxes. But yet the Republican minority never asked to see his taxes. Something that for 40 years Democrats and Republicans alike have released their tax returns to prove to the American people that they didn't have financial interest that would be leverageable by a foreign government. 163926 >> This minority refuses to ask for his tax returns. I also want to kind of go on, I'm noticing a pattern. I'm noticing a pattern. About the president and those in his inner circle. Special Counsel Mueller has indicted or received guilty pleas from 24 people and 3 companies that we know of. The longest one being long term Trump advisor Roger Stone. 163954 >> It includes six former trump adviser. It appears that a president has a fondness for entrusting those who will one: lie for him, two, break the law for him, three, cheat the system for him. Essentially he wants to surround himself with people just like him. Would you agree with that statement? Mr. Cohen >> With the facts and circumstances, it appears so. Mr. Gomez >> Mr. Cohen, the American people have a lot of questions when it comes to this president to his conduct. When he went to Helsinki and he bowed before Putin and nobody could really understand why he acts the way he acts. We believe the way we gets those answers is looking at everybody that surrounds them, who he has been associated with and his tax returns. That's the only way we can get down to the bottom line. Thank you and I yield back. Mr. Meadow >> Mr. Chairman, I have a unanimous consent request. He begged me to give him a job in the administration. He is still lying under oath. I asked unanimous consent. I have one more from Bob Diddle. Getting sick watching these hearings I know Michael Cohen personally for many years. He told me several times he was very angry and upset he didn't get a post in the white house and that he would do what he has to do now no protect his family. Close quote, I ask that that be-- 164153 Mr. Jordan >> All right. I ask unanimous consent written in Salon Magazine by Stanley Bran former house counsel to Tip O'neill The title is oversight looks like an illegitimate show hearing. I asked unanimous consent that a letter requesting you call to testify at this hearing also be part of the record. Mr. Cohen >> Mr. Chairman, can I respond? Mr. Cummings, Chairman >> Just one second. The article. I want to deal with this one right away. We -- when we saw that article we knew it was inaccurate. just on basics. The case is that Mr. Brand are distinguishable what's going on here. We got former general counsel it is February 2019 and where are we? Mr. Cummings, Chairman >> Where are we? Ms. Ocasio-Cortez 164324 Ms. Ocasio Cortez >> Thank you Mr. Chair. Mr. Cohen I'd like to quickly pick up on some previous lines of questioning before getting into my own. So I may go a little quickly to get it all in in 5 minutes. First my colleague from Vermont had asked you several questions about AMI, the parent company of the national inquirer. And in that you mentioned a treasure trove, a quote, treasure trove of documents in David Pecker's office relating to information assembled from all these catch and kill operations against people who potentially had damaging information against the president. You also mentioned that the president was very concerned about the whereabouts of the documents and who possessed them. Does this treasure trove of documents still exist? 164406 Mr. Cohen >> I don't know. I asked had asked David pecker for them. Ms. Ocasio Cortez >> So you would say the person who knows the whereabouts of these documents would be David pecker? Mr. Cohen >> David Pecker or Barry Levine or Dylan Howard. Ms. Ocasio Cortez >>Okay thank you. Secondly, I want to ask a little bit about your conversation about my colleague from Missouri about acid inflation. To your knowledge, did the president ever provide inflated assets to an insurance company? Mr. Cohen >> Yes. Ms. Ocasio Cortez >> Who else knows that the president did this? 164436 Mr. Cohen >> Allen Weisselburg, Ron Leberman and Matthew Calamari Ms. Ocasio Cortez >> And where would the committee find more information on this? Do you think we need to review his financial statements and his tax return in order to compare them? Mr. Cohen >> Yes. And you would find it at the trump org. Ms. Ocasio Cortez >> Thank you very much, And the last thing here, the trump golf organization currently has a golf course in my home burrough of the bronx, Trump Links. I drive past it every day between going between the bronx and queens. 164508 In fact. The Washington post reported on the Trump Links Bronx course in an article entitled taxpayers built this New York golf course and trump reaps the rewards. That article is where many new yorkers learned that taxpayers spent $127 million to build Trump Links in a quote generous deal allowing president trump to keep almost every dollar that flows in on a golf course built with public funds. It doesn't seem to be the only time the president has benefitted at the expense of the public. 164543 Mr. Cohen, I want to ask you about your assertion that the president may have improperly devalued his assets to avoid paying taxes. According to an August 21st 2016 report by the Washington post where the president claimed in financial disclosure forms that trump national golf club in Florida was worth more than 50 million he had reported otherwise to local tax authorities that it was worth quote no more than 5 million. Mr. Cohen do you know whether this specific report is accurate? 164617 Mr. Cohen >> It is identical to what he did at Trump National Golf Club at Bryer Cliff Manner Ms. Ocasio Cortez >> To your knowledge was the president interested in reducing his local real estate bills? Tax bills? Mr. Cohen >> Yes. Ms. Ocasio Cortez >> How did he do that? Mr. Cohen >> What you do is you deflate the value of the asset and then put in a request to the tax department for a deduction. Ms. Ocasio Cortez >> Thank you. In October 2018 The New York Times revealed quote president trump participated in dubious tax schemes during the 1990s including instances of outright fraud that greatly increased the fortune he received from his parents. 164658 It further statement from Mr. Trump quote he also formulated a strategy to undervalue his parent's real estate holdings by hundreds of millions of dollars on tax returns, sharply reducing his tax bill when those properties were transferred to him and his siblings. Mr. Cohen do you know whether that specific report is accurate? Mr. Cohen >> I don't. I wasn't there in the 1990's. Ms. Ocasio Cortez >> Who would know the answers to those questions? Mr. Cohen >> Allen Weisselburg Ms. Ocasio Cortez >> And would it help for the committee to obtain federal and state tax returns from the president and his company to address that discrepancy. Mr. Cohen >> I believe so. Ms. Ocasio Cortez >> Thank you very much. I yield the rest of my time to the chair. Mr. Cummings, Chairman >>Ms. Pressley 164746 Ms. Pressley >> Thank you Mr. Chairman. One more time, Mr. Chairman I want to thank you for your leadership and for the way which you comport yourself. I know there are some that would have you believe the more you say something the more true it is. But in fact this committee. thanks to democratic majority has been doing to work of the American people. Before this alone we looked at the issue of making election day a federal holiday, reducing drug pricing and pursued subpoenas to reunite families and recently before we returned here, tried to pass a universal background check gun bill. 164821 We are doing the business of the American people including today. It has been said that the best sunlight -- sunlight is said to be the best of disinfectants. Let there be light. The point of oversight, is for us to pursue the trust, to pursue the truth and justice for the American people, to understand if lies, deceit and corruption are threatening American democracy and our safety. Mr. Chairman, charities should not be abused as personal piggy banks. It is against the law and extremely unfair to charities that play be the rules. A line of questioning that we have not yet addressed is that of the abuses of the Trump foundation. 164915 The President's charitable foundation agreed to dissolve in response to an ongoing investigation and lawsuit by the NY AG. The NY AG found clear and repeated violation of state and federal law.. In mid 2013, you arranged for a straw purchaser, paid 60,000 for a portrait of Mr. trump? Mr. Cohen >> That's correct. Mr. Pressley >> Why would the president want to bid at the price of something he was ultimately paying for? Mr. Cohen >> It's all about ego. Mr. Pressley >> How was it paid for? Mr. Cohen >> I believe it was paid for by a check from the trust. Mr. Pressley >> And abuse and again, you know, this is not a partisan pursuit here. I think we are demonstrating patriotism. Did they reimburse? Can you explain the mechanics of that payment? Mr. Cohen >> I'm not involved. Mr. Pressley >> Did the president know what was happening? Mr. Cohen >> Yes. Mr. Pressley >> How did he know what was happening? 165028 COHEN >> He tasked me to find the straw bidder, to ensure that his painting which was going last in the auction would go for the highest amount of any of the paintings that have been on the auction block for the day. PRESSLEY>> What happened to the painting? COHEN>> I believe it's in one of the clubs. PRESSLEY>> According to the New York attorney general Mr. Trump used the foundation to pay $10,000 for the winning bid that ended up in one of his golf courses in Miami. Are you familiar with that transaction? COHEN>> Yes. PRESSLEY>> Are you aware of any other instances where the trump foundation was used to benefit the trump family? COHEN>> Yes. PRESSLEY>> Could you elaborate? 165110 COHEN>> There was a contract that I ended up creating on Mr. Trump's behalf. It was a Ukrainian oligarch by the name of Victor Plsik (?). It was that Mr. Trump was asked to come into participate what was the ukrainian American economic forum. I wasn't able to go. I was able to negotiate 15 minutes by Skype where they would have a camera very much like that one. They would translate Mr. Trump to the questioner and he would respond back. I negotiated a fee of $150,000 for 15 minutes. I was directed by Mr. Trump to have the contract done in the name of the Donald J. Trump foundation as opposed to Donald J. Trump or services rendered. PRESSLEY>> Thank you. Any other abuses of the foundation you would like to share? Again, it is against the law and extremely unfair to clarities playing by the rules. COHEN>> Not at this time. PRESSLEY>> And then for the balance of my time would you agree that someone could deny units to African Americans, lead the movement refer to to it as country and refer as fond people have a black friend and still be racist? COHEN>> Yes. PRESSLEY>> I agree. >> Her time has expired. You play answer the question. >> Yes. >> I have two unanimous consent es since we are finishing up. I want to go ahead and -- 4:53:06 PM >> Give me one second. >> Yes, sir. >> I want today get to him and come to you. >> Okay. >>Ms Tlaib. >> Thank you for the committee on the sole purpose of exposing the truth. Some of my colleagues can handle the truth. They want criminal schemes to stop especially those from the oval office. We are upset that some of our colleagues are so disconnected of what it means to have the president sending checks to cover bribe payments you made on 4:54:07 PM his behalf. One in 2017 of March and another August 2017 after he was sworn in as president. They are upset while my colleagues are trying to discredit by some of your own unlawful acts and lies they are disconnected with the fact that you were the personal lawyer for this president and this president close you as his legal counsel. My stance has always been the same based on the facts not on future reports that we are all waiting on. My residents back home don't need a collusion cause with a foreign government to know this president has disregarded the law of the land, the united States constitution and he misused his pardon powers. Filed in December of last year they stated in particular and as Cohen himself has admitted with 4:55:12 PM respect to both payments he acted at the direction of individual one. Based on what we flow now is that he used his money and platform to enrich himself, his grant and in the process directed you. And you covered it up, correct? >> That's correct. >> Mr. Cohen, with this do you think the president of the United States is making decisions. They said you used horrible words about like Muslim Americans and immigrants? >> Yes. >> Just to make a note Mr. Chairman, just because someone has a person of color, a black person working for them does not mean they aren't racist. It is insensitive some would 4:56:14 PM even say it's the fact that someone would actually use a prop, a black woman in this chamber, in this committee is alone racist in itself. >> Mr. Chairman I ask -- >> I reclaim my time. >> Setting a president -- >> Mr. Chairman the rules are clear -- >> Cover up and hold onto business assets to campaign finance laws. What we have here Mr. Chairman is criminal conduct and pursuit of the highest public office by Mr. Cohen and individual one. I hope that the gravity of this situation hits everybody in this body and across this body. Thank you. I yield the rest of my time. >> Mr. Chairman, I ask that her words which she is referring to an individual member of this body be taken down and stricken 4:57:15 PM from the record. I'm sure she didn't intend to do this. But if anyone knows my record as it relates it should be you, Mr. Chairman. >> I would like -- >> Hold on. >> I want the words read back. >> No. >> We want to know exactly what she said. >> Would you like to rephrase that statement? >> Thank you Mr. Chairman. I can actually read it from here. Just to make a note that just because someone has a person of color, a black person working for them does not mean they are racist. It is insensitive some would say it to use a black woman as a prop. I can submit this for the record if they are thinking that's what I'm saying. As a person of color that's how I felt at that moment and I 4:58:15 PM wanted to express that. I'm saying it is a racist act. >> I hope not. I need to be clear on this. >> Mr. Meadows. Wait a minute. >> I defended you. >> Mr. Meadows. I'm the chair. >> Yes, sir, you are. >> I will clear this up. >> Now, is it -- I want to make sure I understand. >> I'm trying as a person of color to express myself and how I felt at that moment. For the record that was my intention. >> Mr. Chairman, there's nothing more personal to me than my 4:59:16 PM relationship. My nieces and nephews are people of color. Not many people know that. You know that Mr. Chairman. To indicate that I asked someone who is a personal friend of the trump family who has worked for him, who knows this individual it is racist to suggest them to come in here for that reason. The president's own person, she is a family member Mr. Chairman, you and I have a personal >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> ve go down this direction is wrong, Mr. Chairman. >> I want to thank the gentleman for what you're saying. If there is anyone who is sensitive with regard to race it's me. So I get it. I listened very carefully. I think she said she was not calling you a racist. I thought that we could clarify that because Mr. Meadows you know of all of the people on this committee I have said it and got in trouble for it, that you're one of my best friends. I know that shocks a lot of 5:01:02 PM people. >> And likewise, Mr. Chairman. >> I could see and feel your pain. I feel it. And so -- and I don't think she intended to cause you that, that kind of pain and that kind of frustration. Did you have a statement? I will yield to you. >> And to my colleague that was not my intention. I do apologize if that's what it sounded like. I said someone in general. As everybody knows in this chamber I'm pretty direct. If I wanted to say that I would have but that's not what I said. Thank you Mr. Chairman for allowing many we to clarify. It was not referring to you at all as a racist. >> I thank the gentlewoman for her comments and working to clarify this. I appreciate the chairman 5:02:15 PM intervening. >> I knew the unanimous consent. I think I need to officially withdraw my request. >> You did it? >> I did. >> Okay. Sounds good. Now, I will recognize you for your unanimous consent. I think you want to put in records and documents. >> Thank you, Mr. Chairman. >> Thank you. I ask that the la times article of July 16, 2018 actually be put in the record which outlines the $1.2 million statement. >> Without objection to order 5:03:16 PM any other unanimous consent requests? >> Thank you Mr. Chairman. I ask unanimous consent to make Washington post profile of Michael Cohen part of the record. The story shows Cohen to be a selfish manipulator. >> So ordered. >> I ask unanimous consent to make the Washington post article south Korean firm paid him $150,000 as it saw as part of the record. I ask to make sentencing statement part of the record. It is a statement establishes 5:04:16 PM that Michael Cohen continues to falsely blame his crimes on blind loyalty to the president but only Cohen is to blame for as many false statements. I ask unanimous consent to make the CNN article part of the record. His accountant was required a lawyer in his sentencing memo. They sent him to blame tax evasion on his accountant. >> Without objection to order. >> Two more. >> To make February 26th, order filed by appellant division regarding disciplinary proceedings part of the record. This order which proactively applies starting February 28th establishes Cohen committed a serious crime and ceased being an attorney when he was convicted of lying to congress. >> Without objection so ordered. 5:05:30 PM The article describes a lawyer, Cohen recording his client, trump without the client's knowledge. >> Thank you. >> Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I ask consent to make the Huffington post article part of the record. It is a place for women that describe business oriented. >> Without objection so ordered. >> Thank you. >> I would ask to make the April 20th, 2018 article in mother Jones titled Michael Cohen said he he has never been the Prague part of the record. >> Without objection to order. >> Thank you, sir. >> Very well. 5:06:41 PM Mr. Cummings >> I have some closing remarks. Mr. Cohen >> I have some I would like to say myself. Is this appropriate time? >> Yes. Mr. Cohen >> I appreciate the opportunity to share some final thoughts. I knowledge I have made my own mistakes and I have owned up to them publicly and under oath but silence and complicity in the face of the daily destruction of the our basic norms and civility to one another will not be one of them. I did things and I acted improperly. I blindly followed his demands. My loyalty has cost me everything, my family's happiness, my law license, my company, my livelihood, my honor, my reputation and soon my freedom. I will not sit back and allow 5:07:43 PM him to do the same to the country. Given my experience working for President Trump I fear that if he loses the election in 2020 that there will never be a peaceful transition of power. This is why I agreed to appear before you today. In closing I would like to say directly to the president we honor our veterans. You tell the truth even when it doesn't you. You respect the law and our incredible law enforcement agents. You don't Vil annize them. You don't disparage gold star families, prisoners of war and other heros who have the courage to fight for this country. You don't attack the media and those that question what you don't like or don't want them to say. You take responsibility for your own dirty deeds. You don't use your power to 5:08:44 PM destroy the credibility of those that speak out against you. You don't demonize those looking to America for a better life. You don't vilify people based on the god they pray to and you don't cuddle up to our adversaries at the expense of our allies. You don't shut down to appease your base. This behavior the office of the president and it simply is un-american. It's not you. So to those that support the president and his rhetoric as I once did, I pray the country doesn't make the same mistakes that I have made or pay the heavy price that my family and I are paying and I thank you for the additional time. >> Thank you very much. Mr. Jordan >> Thank you Mr. Chairman. 5:10:01 PM He said he never defraud any bank. He is going to prison for that very offense. Earlier he admitted to having consulted agreements with at least two foreign entities owned by foreign governments. He said to chairman Cummings that Donald Trump directed him and the trump organization to go book his officer and figure out how to make a $130,000 payment. 5:11:01 PM In his testimony he says Mr. Trump directed me to use my own personal funds to avoidfully money being traced back to him that could negatively impact the campaign. In response to him paying to set up the fake Twitter account that he didn't direct the commission of that Twitter account. He says I didn't set that up and it was done by a young lady that works with the firm. He did asking them to set it up according to the owner of red finch. The attorneys with the southern district of New York stated that this was when canned about this they said I wouldn't call them liars but that statement is not accurate. Mr. Chairman, I think maybe more importantly is what we should have been doing 5:12:25 PM today. That's what we shoush focused on not this sad display the last several hours. It's not my words. You can take the words of former general counsel. I hope we learned some things here today. The first for the gentleman going to prison in two months for lying to congress. I don't think that's what we should be focused on. I yield back. >> Thank you very much. Mr. Cummings FINAL REMARKS 171249 >> You know, I sat here and listened to all of this. It's very painful. It's very painful. You made a lot of mistakes Mr. Cohen, and you admitted that. And one of the saddest parts of this whole thing is some very innocent people are hurting too and you acknowledged that. And that is your family. 171336 So You come here today. Deep in my heart --when I practice law I respect a lot of lawyers who got in trouble and you've come saying 'I had made my mistakes but now I want to change my life'. And you know, if we as a nation, did not give people an opportunity after they made mistakes to change their lives, a lot of people would not do very well. 171430 I don't know where you go from here. As I sat here and I listened to both sides, I just felt as is if -- and people are now using my wording that they took from my that they took from me that didn't give me any credit. We are better than this. We are so much -- we really are. As a country, we are so much better than this. You know, I told you -- and for some reason, Mr. Cohen I tell my children, I say when bad when bad things happen to you, do not ask the question why did it happen to me, ask the question buy did it happen for me. I don't know why this is happening for you. 171531 But my it's hope that a small part of it it is for our country to be better. If I hear you correctly it sounds like you're crying out for a new Normal for us getting back to Normal. It sounds to me like you want to make sure that our democracy stays in tact. The one meeting I had with Mr. Trump I said to him, the greatest gift that you and I Mr. President, can give to our children is making sure that sure that we give them a democracy that is in tact. 171619 And a better democracy than the one we came upon. I'm hoping that the things you've said today will help us get back there. I mean come on now, when you go according to WaPo our President has made at least 8,717 -- 8,718 false or misleading statements. That's stunning. That's not what we teach our children. I don't teach mine that. For whatever reason, sounds like you got caught up in it. 171701 You got caught up in it. You got caught up in it. And some kind of way, I hope that you will I know that it's painful to go to prison, I know it's gotta be painful being called a rat. A lot of people don't know the significance of that. But I live in the inner city of Baltimore and when you call somebody a rat, that's one of the worst things you can call them because in prison that means a snitch. 171738 I'm just saying. And so, president called you a rat. We're better than that! We really are. And i'm hoping that all of us can get back to this democracy that we want and that wwe should be passing to our children so that hey can do better than what we did. So you wonder whether people believe you- i don't know. I don't know whether they believe you but the fact is, that you've come, you have your head down and this is one of the hardest things that you could do. 171816 Let me tell you the picture that really really pained me? You were leaving the prison. You were leaving the courthouse and I guess it's your daughter had braces or something on. Man that thing, that thing hurt me. As a father of two daughters, it hurt me. [MICHAEL COHEN CRYING] I can imagine how it must feel for you. I'm just saying to you, I want to first of all thank you. I know that this has been hard. 171851 I know that you face a lot, I know that you are worried about your family, but is is a part of your destiny. And hopefully this portion of this destiny, will lead to a better Michael Cohen. A better Donald Trump, a better United States of America and a better world. And I mean that from the depth of my heart. When we are dancing with the angels the question will be asked, in 2019 what did we do? 171940 To make sure we kept our democracy in tact? Did we stand on the sidelines and say nothing? People come in here and say this is the first hearing. It is not the first hearing. The first hearing was with regard to prescription drugs. Remember, a little girl - a lady sat there. Her daughter, died because she could not get three hundred and 33 dollars a month in insulin. That was our first hearing. Second hearing, HR1 voting rights, corruption in government. Come on, now. We could do more than one thing. We have got to get back to Normal. With that this meeting is adjourned.

1600 COHEN HRG DEM ISO FS7 79 UNITED STATES HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES COMMITTEE ON OVERSIGHT AND GOVERNMENT REFORM HEARING: Michael Cohen, Former Attorney to President Donald Trump Date: Wednesday, February 27, 2019 - 10:00am Location: 2154 Rayburn House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515 WITNESS: Michael Cohen Former Attorney for Donald Trump 162729 Mr. Cummings >> Mr. Cohen I want to finalize this issue in truth in testimony form. The form requires do you list your contracts or payments originating from a foreign government not from all foreign entities. We said we would give you to consult with your attorneys. Have you done that and do you have any additional information? 162800 Mr. Cohen >> My four attorneys continue to believe as they did before that the language of the truth in testimony forum which I was given and assigned to right before this hearing and which requires disclosure of any contracts or payments from foreign governments in the last two years did not apply to my work for bta bank which is Kasak owned entity. They advised that had entities been intended for disclosure, that word would have been in the disclosure definition. If the committee's counsel has a different view that I should disclose my contract with BTA bank, we would be willing to do that. >> Mr. Chairman? >> Let me finish. >> Sure. Mr. Cummings >> I want to understand clearly, you are -- you sought the advice, is that right? Mr. Cohen >> That's right. Mr. Cummings >> And counsel advised you to say what you just said, right? Mr. Cohen >> That's correct. Mr. Cummings >> And you know that to be the truth, right? Mr. Cohen >> Yes, sir. 162910 Mr. Meadows >> I thank the chairman for his courtesy. Instead of making points of order and going back and forth on this, perhaps the way to do this is to request he give to this committee all of the foreign payments that he has received over the last two years, whether they are an entity or government. We have strong believe there is over $900,000 that came from the government of Kazakhstan on behalf of Mr. Cohen. It is either the truth -- the whole truth or nothing but the truth. The rules look at foreign payments that come from or with foreign governments. The bank he is talking about is owned 81% by Kazakhstan the government. 163007 Mr. Cummings, Chairman >> reclaiming my time and then we're going to move on. First of all, let me be clear. I said to Mr. Cohen that if he came in here and lied I would nail him to the cross. Didn't I? Mr. Cohen >> Yes. You did more than once. Cummings: So if there's any ambiguity I want that to be cleared up. I have no problem working with you to make sure that's straightened out. I don't want him to think one thing and we think one thing. We can clear that up. We have other members that are waiting. Mr. Meadows >> on that subject, i don't think we should limit it to the BTA bank which has the affiliation with Kasakhstan, I thin kwe should look at Korea air space industries and any other client that's foreign that may have some connection to that respective country's gov't. I hope that his attorneys look at all those and we get the exactly right as Mr. Meadows wants. 163101 Mr. Cummings >> Reclaiming my time. We will take that certainly under advisement. I am a man of my word. We will work with you and see what we can do to come up with that. I don't think it's an unreasonable request. Mr. Khanna >> I want to focus my questions on the smoking gun document you have provided this committee. This document is compelling evidence of fed and state crimes including financial fraud. You provided this cmte with a check from president donald trump revocable trust account which is marked as marked as exhibit 5b. It is a check for $35,000 and it is dated March 17th, 2017 after the president took office. It is right now on the screen. Do you see it, sir? Mr. Cohen >> Yes, sir. 163154 Mr. Khanna >> To be clear the revocable trust is the trust the president set up to hold his assets after he became president. Is that correct? Mr. Cohen >> I believe so. Mr. Khanna >> Do you know why you were paid from the trust as opposed to the president's personal account? Mr. Cohen >> I don't know the answer to that. Mr. Khanna >> Did you think it was odd he paid you once and he is paying you through the scheme of a trust? Mr. Cohen >> I'll be honest, I was just happy to get the check. 163221 Mr. Khanna >> Today you testified that the check was signed by Don Jr and the Trump org CFO alan weiselberg, is that correct. Mr. Cohen >> that is correct. Mr. Khanna >> Acc to criminal charges against you you sent monthly invoices containing false info to an individual ID'd as exec 1. Weiselberg is exec 1, correct? Mr. Cohen >>yes Mr. Khanna The criminal charge against you then states that exec one forwarded your invoice to someone referred to as exec 2, presumably Don Jr was signing this chceck as exec 2. Correct? Mr. Cohen >>I believe so. 163302 Mr. Khanna >> payments like this check resulted in numerous false statements in the books of the trump org. This is financial fraud. It was disguised as a payment for legal services to you but this was not a payment for legal services, was it Mr. Cohen ? Mr. Cohen >> no sir. Mr. Khanna >> It could give rise to serious state and federal criminal liability if a corporation is cooking its books. Based on your testimony today Donald Trump Jr. and Alan Weiselberg Directed this payment to you and approved this. 163351 >> Mr. Trump initially acknowledged the obligation I was instructed by Allen at the time that we were going to do this over 12 installments. And what he decided to do then was to have me send an invoice. In which case they could have a check cut. Yes, the answer would be yes to your follow up. Mr. Khanna >> and Donald Trump Jr. obviously signed off on this? Mr. Cohen >> It would either be Eric Trump, Donald Trump Junior, and/or Allen Weisselberg. Always Allen Weisselberg on the check. Mr. Khanna >> And you think executive 2 is Donald Trump Jr.? Mr. Cohen >> Yes. Mr. Khanna >> They knew this payment were false and illegal, correct? 163430 Mr. Cohen >> I can't make that conclusion. Mr. Khanna >> You told representative Kelly that the president was aware of this scheme, is that correct? Mr. Cohen >> That's correct. Mr. Khanna >> I just want the American public to understand the explosive nature of this testimony. Are you telling us, Mr. Cohen, that the president directed in conspiracy with Allen Weisselberg and his son, Donald Trump Jr. As part of a civil criminal -- 163501 >> part of a criminal conspiracy of financial fraud. Is that your testimony today? Mr. Cohen >> Yes. Mr. Khanna >> And do you know if this criminal financial scheme that the president, Allen Weisselberg and Donald Trump Jr. are involved in is being investigated by the southern district of New York? Mr. Cohen >> I would rather not discuss that question because it could be part of an investigation that's currently ongoing. Mr. Khanna >> But I just want to American public to understand that solely 163530 >> apart from Bob Mueller's investigation there is garden variety financial fraud and your allegation and the explosive smoking gun document suggests that the president, his son and his CFO may be involved in a criminal conspiracy and isn't it true, Mr. Cohen, that this criminal conspiracy that involved four people that there is only one person so far who suffered the repercussions and that's why you're there jail? Mr. Cohen >> I'll be going to jail, yes. 163558 Mr. Khanna >> The three other people though who are equally involved in this conspiracy, is that true? Mr. Cohen >> Yes. That's true. Mr. Khanna Thank you Mr. Cohen. I yield back my time. Mr. Cummings, Chairman >> Mr. Gomez Mr. Gomez >> Thank you Mr. Chair. Mr. Cohen, I'm going to tackle the president's tax returns. During the 2016 campaign you said you personally wouldn't, quote, allow to release those returns until the audits are over. Unquote. 163630 >> For the record nothing prevents individuals from sharing their own tax returns even while under audit by the IRS. Mr. Cohen, do you know whether President Trump's tax returns were really under audit in 2016? Mr. Cohen >> I don't flow the answer. I asked for a copy of the audit so that I could use it in terms of my statements to the press. I was never able to obtain one. 163659 Mr. Gomez >> Do you have any insight or knowledge about what was in the President's tax returns that he refused to release? Mr. Cohen >> I do not. Mr. Gomez >> Can you give us any insight into what the real reason is that the President has refused to release his tax returns? Mr. Cohen >> The statement that he said to me, was that what he didn't want was to have an entire group of think tanks that are tax experts run through his tax return and start ripping it to pieces and 163730 then he'll end up in an audit and he'll ultimately have taxable consequences, penalties and so on. Mr. Gomez >> So that's a point he said he didn't want to release his tax returns. He might end up in an audit. So could you presume from that statement that he wasn't under audit? Mr. Cohen >> I presume that he's not under audit. Mr. Gomez >> And the reason that I bring this up because I'm also the only Democrat on this committee that also serves on the Committee of Ways and Means. It's the Chief Tax Writing Committee in the House of Representatives. 163801 >> And it's the only committee in the House of Representatives that has jurisdiction to request an American's tax returns. And that includes the President of the United States. My constituents need to know whether the President has financial ties that are causing him to protect his own bottom line, rather than the best interests of this country. Can he be blackmailed because of his financial and business ventures? Including by foreign governments? And I know the opposition, the first thing they will ask or say 163830 >> is that he released his financial disclosure forms. But I believe that there are other things we can learn from his taxes. Do you have any idea what he can learn in his tax returns if we got our hands on them? Mr. Cohen >> No, I have actually - I have seen them I just have never gone through them. They are quite long. 163851 Mr. Gomez >> Quite long. One of the things I also find ironic is the way they're also attacking you as to undermine your credibility, is one of the ways, by saying that you committed bank fraud and tax evasion. 163902 >> And the reason why is a big deal, is that it really goes down to a person's character when it comes to taxes. But yet the Republican minority never asked to see his taxes. Something that for 40 years Democrats and Republicans alike have released their tax returns to prove to the American people that they didn't have financial interest that would be leverageable by a foreign government. 163926 >> This minority refuses to ask for his tax returns. I also want to kind of go on, I'm noticing a pattern. I'm noticing a pattern. About the president and those in his inner circle. Special Counsel Mueller has indicted or received guilty pleas from 24 people and 3 companies that we know of. The longest one being long term Trump advisor Roger Stone. 163954 >> It includes six former trump adviser. It appears that a president has a fondness for entrusting those who will one: lie for him, two, break the law for him, three, cheat the system for him. Essentially he wants to surround himself with people just like him. Would you agree with that statement? Mr. Cohen >> With the facts and circumstances, it appears so. Mr. Gomez >> Mr. Cohen, the American people have a lot of questions when it comes to this president to his conduct. When he went to Helsinki and he bowed before Putin and nobody could really understand why he acts the way he acts. We believe the way we gets those answers is looking at everybody that surrounds them, who he has been associated with and his tax returns. That's the only way we can get down to the bottom line. Thank you and I yield back. Mr. Meadow >> Mr. Chairman, I have a unanimous consent request. He begged me to give him a job in the administration. He is still lying under oath. I asked unanimous consent. I have one more from Bob Diddle. Getting sick watching these hearings I know Michael Cohen personally for many years. He told me several times he was very angry and upset he didn't get a post in the white house and that he would do what he has to do now no protect his family. Close quote, I ask that that be-- 164153 Mr. Jordan >> All right. I ask unanimous consent written in Salon Magazine by Stanley Bran former house counsel to Tip O'neill The title is oversight looks like an illegitimate show hearing. I asked unanimous consent that a letter requesting you call to testify at this hearing also be part of the record. Mr. Cohen >> Mr. Chairman, can I respond? Mr. Cummings, Chairman >> Just one second. The article. I want to deal with this one right away. We -- when we saw that article we knew it was inaccurate. just on basics. The case is that Mr. Brand are distinguishable what's going on here. We got former general counsel it is February 2019 and where are we? Mr. Cummings, Chairman >> Where are we? Ms. Ocasio-Cortez 164324 Ms. Ocasio Cortez >> Thank you Mr. Chair. Mr. Cohen I'd like to quickly pick up on some previous lines of questioning before getting into my own. So I may go a little quickly to get it all in in 5 minutes. First my colleague from Vermont had asked you several questions about AMI, the parent company of the national inquirer. And in that you mentioned a treasure trove, a quote, treasure trove of documents in David Pecker's office relating to information assembled from all these catch and kill operations against people who potentially had damaging information against the president. You also mentioned that the president was very concerned about the whereabouts of the documents and who possessed them. Does this treasure trove of documents still exist? 164406 Mr. Cohen >> I don't know. I asked had asked David pecker for them. Ms. Ocasio Cortez >> So you would say the person who knows the whereabouts of these documents would be David pecker? Mr. Cohen >> David Pecker or Barry Levine or Dylan Howard. Ms. Ocasio Cortez >>Okay thank you. Secondly, I want to ask a little bit about your conversation about my colleague from Missouri about acid inflation. To your knowledge, did the president ever provide inflated assets to an insurance company? Mr. Cohen >> Yes. Ms. Ocasio Cortez >> Who else knows that the president did this? 164436 Mr. Cohen >> Allen Weisselburg, Ron Leberman and Matthew Calamari Ms. Ocasio Cortez >> And where would the committee find more information on this? Do you think we need to review his financial statements and his tax return in order to compare them? Mr. Cohen >> Yes. And you would find it at the trump org. Ms. Ocasio Cortez >> Thank you very much, And the last thing here, the trump golf organization currently has a golf course in my home burrough of the bronx, Trump Links. I drive past it every day between going between the bronx and queens. 164508 In fact. The Washington post reported on the Trump Links Bronx course in an article entitled taxpayers built this New York golf course and trump reaps the rewards. That article is where many new yorkers learned that taxpayers spent $127 million to build Trump Links in a quote generous deal allowing president trump to keep almost every dollar that flows in on a golf course built with public funds. It doesn't seem to be the only time the president has benefitted at the expense of the public. 164543 Mr. Cohen, I want to ask you about your assertion that the president may have improperly devalued his assets to avoid paying taxes. According to an August 21st 2016 report by the Washington post where the president claimed in financial disclosure forms that trump national golf club in Florida was worth more than 50 million he had reported otherwise to local tax authorities that it was worth quote no more than 5 million. Mr. Cohen do you know whether this specific report is accurate? 164617 Mr. Cohen >> It is identical to what he did at Trump National Golf Club at Bryer Cliff Manner Ms. Ocasio Cortez >> To your knowledge was the president interested in reducing his local real estate bills? Tax bills? Mr. Cohen >> Yes. Ms. Ocasio Cortez >> How did he do that? Mr. Cohen >> What you do is you deflate the value of the asset and then put in a request to the tax department for a deduction. Ms. Ocasio Cortez >> Thank you. In October 2018 The New York Times revealed quote president trump participated in dubious tax schemes during the 1990s including instances of outright fraud that greatly increased the fortune he received from his parents. 164658 It further statement from Mr. Trump quote he also formulated a strategy to undervalue his parent's real estate holdings by hundreds of millions of dollars on tax returns, sharply reducing his tax bill when those properties were transferred to him and his siblings. Mr. Cohen do you know whether that specific report is accurate? Mr. Cohen >> I don't. I wasn't there in the 1990's. Ms. Ocasio Cortez >> Who would know the answers to those questions? Mr. Cohen >> Allen Weisselburg Ms. Ocasio Cortez >> And would it help for the committee to obtain federal and state tax returns from the president and his company to address that discrepancy. Mr. Cohen >> I believe so. Ms. Ocasio Cortez >> Thank you very much. I yield the rest of my time to the chair. Mr. Cummings, Chairman >>Ms. Pressley 164746 Ms. Pressley >> Thank you Mr. Chairman. One more time, Mr. Chairman I want to thank you for your leadership and for the way which you comport yourself. I know there are some that would have you believe the more you say something the more true it is. But in fact this committee. thanks to democratic majority has been doing to work of the American people. Before this alone we looked at the issue of making election day a federal holiday, reducing drug pricing and pursued subpoenas to reunite families and recently before we returned here, tried to pass a universal background check gun bill. 164821 We are doing the business of the American people including today. It has been said that the best sunlight -- sunlight is said to be the best of disinfectants. Let there be light. The point of oversight, is for us to pursue the trust, to pursue the truth and justice for the American people, to understand if lies, deceit and corruption are threatening American democracy and our safety. Mr. Chairman, charities should not be abused as personal piggy banks. It is against the law and extremely unfair to charities that play be the rules. A line of questioning that we have not yet addressed is that of the abuses of the Trump foundation. 164915 The President's charitable foundation agreed to dissolve in response to an ongoing investigation and lawsuit by the NY AG. The NY AG found clear and repeated violation of state and federal law.. In mid 2013, you arranged for a straw purchaser, paid 60,000 for a portrait of Mr. trump? Mr. Cohen >> That's correct. Mr. Pressley >> Why would the president want to bid at the price of something he was ultimately paying for? Mr. Cohen >> It's all about ego. Mr. Pressley >> How was it paid for? Mr. Cohen >> I believe it was paid for by a check from the trust. Mr. Pressley >> And abuse and again, you know, this is not a partisan pursuit here. I think we are demonstrating patriotism. Did they reimburse? Can you explain the mechanics of that payment? Mr. Cohen >> I'm not involved. Mr. Pressley >> Did the president know what was happening? Mr. Cohen >> Yes. Mr. Pressley >> How did he know what was happening? 165028 COHEN >> He tasked me to find the straw bidder, to ensure that his painting which was going last in the auction would go for the highest amount of any of the paintings that have been on the auction block for the day. PRESSLEY>> What happened to the painting? COHEN>> I believe it's in one of the clubs. PRESSLEY>> According to the New York attorney general Mr. Trump used the foundation to pay $10,000 for the winning bid that ended up in one of his golf courses in Miami. Are you familiar with that transaction? COHEN>> Yes. PRESSLEY>> Are you aware of any other instances where the trump foundation was used to benefit the trump family? COHEN>> Yes. PRESSLEY>> Could you elaborate? 165110 COHEN>> There was a contract that I ended up creating on Mr. Trump's behalf. It was a Ukrainian oligarch by the name of Victor Plsik (?). It was that Mr. Trump was asked to come into participate what was the ukrainian American economic forum. I wasn't able to go. I was able to negotiate 15 minutes by Skype where they would have a camera very much like that one. They would translate Mr. Trump to the questioner and he would respond back. I negotiated a fee of $150,000 for 15 minutes. I was directed by Mr. Trump to have the contract done in the name of the Donald J. Trump foundation as opposed to Donald J. Trump or services rendered. PRESSLEY>> Thank you. Any other abuses of the foundation you would like to share? Again, it is against the law and extremely unfair to clarities playing by the rules. COHEN>> Not at this time. PRESSLEY>> And then for the balance of my time would you agree that someone could deny units to African Americans, lead the movement refer to to it as country and refer as fond people have a black friend and still be racist? COHEN>> Yes. PRESSLEY>> I agree. >> Her time has expired. You play answer the question. >> Yes. >> I have two unanimous consent es since we are finishing up. I want to go ahead and -- 4:53:06 PM >> Give me one second. >> Yes, sir. >> I want today get to him and come to you. >> Okay. >>Ms Tlaib. >> Thank you for the committee on the sole purpose of exposing the truth. Some of my colleagues can handle the truth. They want criminal schemes to stop especially those from the oval office. We are upset that some of our colleagues are so disconnected of what it means to have the president sending checks to cover bribe payments you made on 4:54:07 PM his behalf. One in 2017 of March and another August 2017 after he was sworn in as president. They are upset while my colleagues are trying to discredit by some of your own unlawful acts and lies they are disconnected with the fact that you were the personal lawyer for this president and this president close you as his legal counsel. My stance has always been the same based on the facts not on future reports that we are all waiting on. My residents back home don't need a collusion cause with a foreign government to know this president has disregarded the law of the land, the united States constitution and he misused his pardon powers. Filed in December of last year they stated in particular and as Cohen himself has admitted with 4:55:12 PM respect to both payments he acted at the direction of individual one. Based on what we flow now is that he used his money and platform to enrich himself, his grant and in the process directed you. And you covered it up, correct? >> That's correct. >> Mr. Cohen, with this do you think the president of the United States is making decisions. They said you used horrible words about like Muslim Americans and immigrants? >> Yes. >> Just to make a note Mr. Chairman, just because someone has a person of color, a black person working for them does not mean they aren't racist. It is insensitive some would 4:56:14 PM even say it's the fact that someone would actually use a prop, a black woman in this chamber, in this committee is alone racist in itself. >> Mr. Chairman I ask -- >> I reclaim my time. >> Setting a president -- >> Mr. Chairman the rules are clear -- >> Cover up and hold onto business assets to campaign finance laws. What we have here Mr. Chairman is criminal conduct and pursuit of the highest public office by Mr. Cohen and individual one. I hope that the gravity of this situation hits everybody in this body and across this body. Thank you. I yield the rest of my time. >> Mr. Chairman, I ask that her words which she is referring to an individual member of this body be taken down and stricken 4:57:15 PM from the record. I'm sure she didn't intend to do this. But if anyone knows my record as it relates it should be you, Mr. Chairman. >> I would like -- >> Hold on. >> I want the words read back. >> No. >> We want to know exactly what she said. >> Would you like to rephrase that statement? >> Thank you Mr. Chairman. I can actually read it from here. Just to make a note that just because someone has a person of color, a black person working for them does not mean they are racist. It is insensitive some would say it to use a black woman as a prop. I can submit this for the record if they are thinking that's what I'm saying. As a person of color that's how I felt at that moment and I 4:58:15 PM wanted to express that. I'm saying it is a racist act. >> I hope not. I need to be clear on this. >> Mr. Meadows. Wait a minute. >> I defended you. >> Mr. Meadows. I'm the chair. >> Yes, sir, you are. >> I will clear this up. >> Now, is it -- I want to make sure I understand. >> I'm trying as a person of color to express myself and how I felt at that moment. For the record that was my intention. >> Mr. Chairman, there's nothing more personal to me than my 4:59:16 PM relationship. My nieces and nephews are people of color. Not many people know that. You know that Mr. Chairman. To indicate that I asked someone who is a personal friend of the trump family who has worked for him, who knows this individual it is racist to suggest them to come in here for that reason. The president's own person, she is a family member Mr. Chairman, you and I have a personal >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> ve go down this direction is wrong, Mr. Chairman. >> I want to thank the gentleman for what you're saying. If there is anyone who is sensitive with regard to race it's me. So I get it. I listened very carefully. I think she said she was not calling you a racist. I thought that we could clarify that because Mr. Meadows you know of all of the people on this committee I have said it and got in trouble for it, that you're one of my best friends. I know that shocks a lot of 5:01:02 PM people. >> And likewise, Mr. Chairman. >> I could see and feel your pain. I feel it. And so -- and I don't think she intended to cause you that, that kind of pain and that kind of frustration. Did you have a statement? I will yield to you. >> And to my colleague that was not my intention. I do apologize if that's what it sounded like. I said someone in general. As everybody knows in this chamber I'm pretty direct. If I wanted to say that I would have but that's not what I said. Thank you Mr. Chairman for allowing many we to clarify. It was not referring to you at all as a racist. >> I thank the gentlewoman for her comments and working to clarify this. I appreciate the chairman 5:02:15 PM intervening. >> I knew the unanimous consent. I think I need to officially withdraw my request. >> You did it? >> I did. >> Okay. Sounds good. Now, I will recognize you for your unanimous consent. I think you want to put in records and documents. >> Thank you, Mr. Chairman. >> Thank you. I ask that the la times article of July 16, 2018 actually be put in the record which outlines the $1.2 million statement. >> Without objection to order 5:03:16 PM any other unanimous consent requests? >> Thank you Mr. Chairman. I ask unanimous consent to make Washington post profile of Michael Cohen part of the record. The story shows Cohen to be a selfish manipulator. >> So ordered. >> I ask unanimous consent to make the Washington post article south Korean firm paid him $150,000 as it saw as part of the record. I ask to make sentencing statement part of the record. It is a statement establishes 5:04:16 PM that Michael Cohen continues to falsely blame his crimes on blind loyalty to the president but only Cohen is to blame for as many false statements. I ask unanimous consent to make the CNN article part of the record. His accountant was required a lawyer in his sentencing memo. They sent him to blame tax evasion on his accountant. >> Without objection to order. >> Two more. >> To make February 26th, order filed by appellant division regarding disciplinary proceedings part of the record. This order which proactively applies starting February 28th establishes Cohen committed a serious crime and ceased being an attorney when he was convicted of lying to congress. >> Without objection so ordered. 5:05:30 PM The article describes a lawyer, Cohen recording his client, trump without the client's knowledge. >> Thank you. >> Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I ask consent to make the Huffington post article part of the record. It is a place for women that describe business oriented. >> Without objection so ordered. >> Thank you. >> I would ask to make the April 20th, 2018 article in mother Jones titled Michael Cohen said he he has never been the Prague part of the record. >> Without objection to order. >> Thank you, sir. >> Very well. 5:06:41 PM Mr. Cummings >> I have some closing remarks. Mr. Cohen >> I have some I would like to say myself. Is this appropriate time? >> Yes. Mr. Cohen >> I appreciate the opportunity to share some final thoughts. I knowledge I have made my own mistakes and I have owned up to them publicly and under oath but silence and complicity in the face of the daily destruction of the our basic norms and civility to one another will not be one of them. I did things and I acted improperly. I blindly followed his demands. My loyalty has cost me everything, my family's happiness, my law license, my company, my livelihood, my honor, my reputation and soon my freedom. I will not sit back and allow 5:07:43 PM him to do the same to the country. Given my experience working for President Trump I fear that if he loses the election in 2020 that there will never be a peaceful transition of power. This is why I agreed to appear before you today. In closing I would like to say directly to the president we honor our veterans. You tell the truth even when it doesn't you. You respect the law and our incredible law enforcement agents. You don't Vil annize them. You don't disparage gold star families, prisoners of war and other heros who have the courage to fight for this country. You don't attack the media and those that question what you don't like or don't want them to say. You take responsibility for your own dirty deeds. You don't use your power to 5:08:44 PM destroy the credibility of those that speak out against you. You don't demonize those looking to America for a better life. You don't vilify people based on the god they pray to and you don't cuddle up to our adversaries at the expense of our allies. You don't shut down to appease your base. This behavior the office of the president and it simply is un-american. It's not you. So to those that support the president and his rhetoric as I once did, I pray the country doesn't make the same mistakes that I have made or pay the heavy price that my family and I are paying and I thank you for the additional time. >> Thank you very much. Mr. Jordan >> Thank you Mr. Chairman. 5:10:01 PM He said he never defraud any bank. He is going to prison for that very offense. Earlier he admitted to having consulted agreements with at least two foreign entities owned by foreign governments. He said to chairman Cummings that Donald Trump directed him and the trump organization to go book his officer and figure out how to make a $130,000 payment. 5:11:01 PM In his testimony he says Mr. Trump directed me to use my own personal funds to avoidfully money being traced back to him that could negatively impact the campaign. In response to him paying to set up the fake Twitter account that he didn't direct the commission of that Twitter account. He says I didn't set that up and it was done by a young lady that works with the firm. He did asking them to set it up according to the owner of red finch. The attorneys with the southern district of New York stated that this was when canned about this they said I wouldn't call them liars but that statement is not accurate. Mr. Chairman, I think maybe more importantly is what we should have been doing 5:12:25 PM today. That's what we shoush focused on not this sad display the last several hours. It's not my words. You can take the words of former general counsel. I hope we learned some things here today. The first for the gentleman going to prison in two months for lying to congress. I don't think that's what we should be focused on. I yield back. >> Thank you very much. Mr. Cummings FINAL REMARKS 171249 >> You know, I sat here and listened to all of this. It's very painful. It's very painful. You made a lot of mistakes Mr. Cohen, and you admitted that. And one of the saddest parts of this whole thing is some very innocent people are hurting too and you acknowledged that. And that is your family. 171336 So You come here today. Deep in my heart --when I practice law I respect a lot of lawyers who got in trouble and you've come saying 'I had made my mistakes but now I want to change my life'. And you know, if we as a nation, did not give people an opportunity after they made mistakes to change their lives, a lot of people would not do very well. 171430 I don't know where you go from here. As I sat here and I listened to both sides, I just felt as is if -- and people are now using my wording that they took from my that they took from me that didn't give me any credit. We are better than this. We are so much -- we really are. As a country, we are so much better than this. You know, I told you -- and for some reason, Mr. Cohen I tell my children, I say when bad when bad things happen to you, do not ask the question why did it happen to me, ask the question buy did it happen for me. I don't know why this is happening for you. 171531 But my it's hope that a small part of it it is for our country to be better. If I hear you correctly it sounds like you're crying out for a new Normal for us getting back to Normal. It sounds to me like you want to make sure that our democracy stays in tact. The one meeting I had with Mr. Trump I said to him, the greatest gift that you and I Mr. President, can give to our children is making sure that sure that we give them a democracy that is in tact. 171619 And a better democracy than the one we came upon. I'm hoping that the things you've said today will help us get back there. I mean come on now, when you go according to WaPo our President has made at least 8,717 -- 8,718 false or misleading statements. That's stunning. That's not what we teach our children. I don't teach mine that. For whatever reason, sounds like you got caught up in it. 171701 You got caught up in it. You got caught up in it. And some kind of way, I hope that you will I know that it's painful to go to prison, I know it's gotta be painful being called a rat. A lot of people don't know the significance of that. But I live in the inner city of Baltimore and when you call somebody a rat, that's one of the worst things you can call them because in prison that means a snitch. 171738 I'm just saying. And so, president called you a rat. We're better than that! We really are. And i'm hoping that all of us can get back to this democracy that we want and that wwe should be passing to our children so that hey can do better than what we did. So you wonder whether people believe you- i don't know. I don't know whether they believe you but the fact is, that you've come, you have your head down and this is one of the hardest things that you could do. 171816 Let me tell you the picture that really really pained me? You were leaving the prison. You were leaving the courthouse and I guess it's your daughter had braces or something on. Man that thing, that thing hurt me. As a father of two daughters, it hurt me. [MICHAEL COHEN CRYING] I can imagine how it must feel for you. I'm just saying to you, I want to first of all thank you. I know that this has been hard. 171851 I know that you face a lot, I know that you are worried about your family, but is is a part of your destiny. And hopefully this portion of this destiny, will lead to a better Michael Cohen. A better Donald Trump, a better United States of America and a better world. And I mean that from the depth of my heart. When we are dancing with the angels the question will be asked, in 2019 what did we do? 171940 To make sure we kept our democracy in tact? Did we stand on the sidelines and say nothing? People come in here and say this is the first hearing. It is not the first hearing. The first hearing was with regard to prescription drugs. Remember, a little girl - a lady sat there. Her daughter, died because she could not get three hundred and 33 dollars a month in insulin. That was our first hearing. Second hearing, HR1 voting rights, corruption in government. Come on, now. We could do more than one thing. We have got to get back to Normal. With that this meeting is adjourned.

1600 COHEN HRG GOP ISO FS8 80 UNITED STATES HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES COMMITTEE ON OVERSIGHT AND GOVERNMENT REFORM HEARING: Michael Cohen, Former Attorney to President Donald Trump Date: Wednesday, February 27, 2019 - 10:00am Location: 2154 Rayburn House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515 WITNESS: Michael Cohen Former Attorney for Donald Trump 162729 Mr. Cummings >> Mr. Cohen I want to finalize this issue in truth in testimony form. The form requires do you list your contracts or payments originating from a foreign government not from all foreign entities. We said we would give you to consult with your attorneys. Have you done that and do you have any additional information? 162800 Mr. Cohen >> My four attorneys continue to believe as they did before that the language of the truth in testimony forum which I was given and assigned to right before this hearing and which requires disclosure of any contracts or payments from foreign governments in the last two years did not apply to my work for bta bank which is Kasak owned entity. They advised that had entities been intended for disclosure, that word would have been in the disclosure definition. If the committee's counsel has a different view that I should disclose my contract with BTA bank, we would be willing to do that. >> Mr. Chairman? >> Let me finish. >> Sure. Mr. Cummings >> I want to understand clearly, you are -- you sought the advice, is that right? Mr. Cohen >> That's right. Mr. Cummings >> And counsel advised you to say what you just said, right? Mr. Cohen >> That's correct. Mr. Cummings >> And you know that to be the truth, right? Mr. Cohen >> Yes, sir. 162910 Mr. Meadows >> I thank the chairman for his courtesy. Instead of making points of order and going back and forth on this, perhaps the way to do this is to request he give to this committee all of the foreign payments that he has received over the last two years, whether they are an entity or government. We have strong believe there is over $900,000 that came from the government of Kazakhstan on behalf of Mr. Cohen. It is either the truth -- the whole truth or nothing but the truth. The rules look at foreign payments that come from or with foreign governments. The bank he is talking about is owned 81% by Kazakhstan the government. 163007 Mr. Cummings, Chairman >> reclaiming my time and then we're going to move on. First of all, let me be clear. I said to Mr. Cohen that if he came in here and lied I would nail him to the cross. Didn't I? Mr. Cohen >> Yes. You did more than once. Cummings: So if there's any ambiguity I want that to be cleared up. I have no problem working with you to make sure that's straightened out. I don't want him to think one thing and we think one thing. We can clear that up. We have other members that are waiting. Mr. Meadows >> on that subject, i don't think we should limit it to the BTA bank which has the affiliation with Kasakhstan, I thin kwe should look at Korea air space industries and any other client that's foreign that may have some connection to that respective country's gov't. I hope that his attorneys look at all those and we get the exactly right as Mr. Meadows wants. 163101 Mr. Cummings >> Reclaiming my time. We will take that certainly under advisement. I am a man of my word. We will work with you and see what we can do to come up with that. I don't think it's an unreasonable request. Mr. Khanna >> I want to focus my questions on the smoking gun document you have provided this committee. This document is compelling evidence of fed and state crimes including financial fraud. You provided this cmte with a check from president donald trump revocable trust account which is marked as marked as exhibit 5b. It is a check for $35,000 and it is dated March 17th, 2017 after the president took office. It is right now on the screen. Do you see it, sir? Mr. Cohen >> Yes, sir. 163154 Mr. Khanna >> To be clear the revocable trust is the trust the president set up to hold his assets after he became president. Is that correct? Mr. Cohen >> I believe so. Mr. Khanna >> Do you know why you were paid from the trust as opposed to the president's personal account? Mr. Cohen >> I don't know the answer to that. Mr. Khanna >> Did you think it was odd he paid you once and he is paying you through the scheme of a trust? Mr. Cohen >> I'll be honest, I was just happy to get the check. 163221 Mr. Khanna >> Today you testified that the check was signed by Don Jr and the Trump org CFO alan weiselberg, is that correct. Mr. Cohen >> that is correct. Mr. Khanna >> Acc to criminal charges against you you sent monthly invoices containing false info to an individual ID'd as exec 1. Weiselberg is exec 1, correct? Mr. Cohen >>yes Mr. Khanna The criminal charge against you then states that exec one forwarded your invoice to someone referred to as exec 2, presumably Don Jr was signing this chceck as exec 2. Correct? Mr. Cohen >>I believe so. 163302 Mr. Khanna >> payments like this check resulted in numerous false statements in the books of the trump org. This is financial fraud. It was disguised as a payment for legal services to you but this was not a payment for legal services, was it Mr. Cohen ? Mr. Cohen >> no sir. Mr. Khanna >> It could give rise to serious state and federal criminal liability if a corporation is cooking its books. Based on your testimony today Donald Trump Jr. and Alan Weiselberg Directed this payment to you and approved this. 163351 >> Mr. Trump initially acknowledged the obligation I was instructed by Allen at the time that we were going to do this over 12 installments. And what he decided to do then was to have me send an invoice. In which case they could have a check cut. Yes, the answer would be yes to your follow up. Mr. Khanna >> and Donald Trump Jr. obviously signed off on this? Mr. Cohen >> It would either be Eric Trump, Donald Trump Junior, and/or Allen Weisselberg. Always Allen Weisselberg on the check. Mr. Khanna >> And you think executive 2 is Donald Trump Jr.? Mr. Cohen >> Yes. Mr. Khanna >> They knew this payment were false and illegal, correct? 163430 Mr. Cohen >> I can't make that conclusion. Mr. Khanna >> You told representative Kelly that the president was aware of this scheme, is that correct? Mr. Cohen >> That's correct. Mr. Khanna >> I just want the American public to understand the explosive nature of this testimony. Are you telling us, Mr. Cohen, that the president directed in conspiracy with Allen Weisselberg and his son, Donald Trump Jr. As part of a civil criminal -- 163501 >> part of a criminal conspiracy of financial fraud. Is that your testimony today? Mr. Cohen >> Yes. Mr. Khanna >> And do you know if this criminal financial scheme that the president, Allen Weisselberg and Donald Trump Jr. are involved in is being investigated by the southern district of New York? Mr. Cohen >> I would rather not discuss that question because it could be part of an investigation that's currently ongoing. Mr. Khanna >> But I just want to American public to understand that solely 163530 >> apart from Bob Mueller's investigation there is garden variety financial fraud and your allegation and the explosive smoking gun document suggests that the president, his son and his CFO may be involved in a criminal conspiracy and isn't it true, Mr. Cohen, that this criminal conspiracy that involved four people that there is only one person so far who suffered the repercussions and that's why you're there jail? Mr. Cohen >> I'll be going to jail, yes. 163558 Mr. Khanna >> The three other people though who are equally involved in this conspiracy, is that true? Mr. Cohen >> Yes. That's true. Mr. Khanna Thank you Mr. Cohen. I yield back my time. Mr. Cummings, Chairman >> Mr. Gomez Mr. Gomez >> Thank you Mr. Chair. Mr. Cohen, I'm going to tackle the president's tax returns. During the 2016 campaign you said you personally wouldn't, quote, allow to release those returns until the audits are over. Unquote. 163630 >> For the record nothing prevents individuals from sharing their own tax returns even while under audit by the IRS. Mr. Cohen, do you know whether President Trump's tax returns were really under audit in 2016? Mr. Cohen >> I don't flow the answer. I asked for a copy of the audit so that I could use it in terms of my statements to the press. I was never able to obtain one. 163659 Mr. Gomez >> Do you have any insight or knowledge about what was in the President's tax returns that he refused to release? Mr. Cohen >> I do not. Mr. Gomez >> Can you give us any insight into what the real reason is that the President has refused to release his tax returns? Mr. Cohen >> The statement that he said to me, was that what he didn't want was to have an entire group of think tanks that are tax experts run through his tax return and start ripping it to pieces and 163730 then he'll end up in an audit and he'll ultimately have taxable consequences, penalties and so on. Mr. Gomez >> So that's a point he said he didn't want to release his tax returns. He might end up in an audit. So could you presume from that statement that he wasn't under audit? Mr. Cohen >> I presume that he's not under audit. Mr. Gomez >> And the reason that I bring this up because I'm also the only Democrat on this committee that also serves on the Committee of Ways and Means. It's the Chief Tax Writing Committee in the House of Representatives. 163801 >> And it's the only committee in the House of Representatives that has jurisdiction to request an American's tax returns. And that includes the President of the United States. My constituents need to know whether the President has financial ties that are causing him to protect his own bottom line, rather than the best interests of this country. Can he be blackmailed because of his financial and business ventures? Including by foreign governments? And I know the opposition, the first thing they will ask or say 163830 >> is that he released his financial disclosure forms. But I believe that there are other things we can learn from his taxes. Do you have any idea what he can learn in his tax returns if we got our hands on them? Mr. Cohen >> No, I have actually - I have seen them I just have never gone through them. They are quite long. 163851 Mr. Gomez >> Quite long. One of the things I also find ironic is the way they're also attacking you as to undermine your credibility, is one of the ways, by saying that you committed bank fraud and tax evasion. 163902 >> And the reason why is a big deal, is that it really goes down to a person's character when it comes to taxes. But yet the Republican minority never asked to see his taxes. Something that for 40 years Democrats and Republicans alike have released their tax returns to prove to the American people that they didn't have financial interest that would be leverageable by a foreign government. 163926 >> This minority refuses to ask for his tax returns. I also want to kind of go on, I'm noticing a pattern. I'm noticing a pattern. About the president and those in his inner circle. Special Counsel Mueller has indicted or received guilty pleas from 24 people and 3 companies that we know of. The longest one being long term Trump advisor Roger Stone. 163954 >> It includes six former trump adviser. It appears that a president has a fondness for entrusting those who will one: lie for him, two, break the law for him, three, cheat the system for him. Essentially he wants to surround himself with people just like him. Would you agree with that statement? Mr. Cohen >> With the facts and circumstances, it appears so. Mr. Gomez >> Mr. Cohen, the American people have a lot of questions when it comes to this president to his conduct. When he went to Helsinki and he bowed before Putin and nobody could really understand why he acts the way he acts. We believe the way we gets those answers is looking at everybody that surrounds them, who he has been associated with and his tax returns. That's the only way we can get down to the bottom line. Thank you and I yield back. Mr. Meadow >> Mr. Chairman, I have a unanimous consent request. He begged me to give him a job in the administration. He is still lying under oath. I asked unanimous consent. I have one more from Bob Diddle. Getting sick watching these hearings I know Michael Cohen personally for many years. He told me several times he was very angry and upset he didn't get a post in the white house and that he would do what he has to do now no protect his family. Close quote, I ask that that be-- 164153 Mr. Jordan >> All right. I ask unanimous consent written in Salon Magazine by Stanley Bran former house counsel to Tip O'neill The title is oversight looks like an illegitimate show hearing. I asked unanimous consent that a letter requesting you call to testify at this hearing also be part of the record. Mr. Cohen >> Mr. Chairman, can I respond? Mr. Cummings, Chairman >> Just one second. The article. I want to deal with this one right away. We -- when we saw that article we knew it was inaccurate. just on basics. The case is that Mr. Brand are distinguishable what's going on here. We got former general counsel it is February 2019 and where are we? Mr. Cummings, Chairman >> Where are we? Ms. Ocasio-Cortez 164324 Ms. Ocasio Cortez >> Thank you Mr. Chair. Mr. Cohen I'd like to quickly pick up on some previous lines of questioning before getting into my own. So I may go a little quickly to get it all in in 5 minutes. First my colleague from Vermont had asked you several questions about AMI, the parent company of the national inquirer. And in that you mentioned a treasure trove, a quote, treasure trove of documents in David Pecker's office relating to information assembled from all these catch and kill operations against people who potentially had damaging information against the president. You also mentioned that the president was very concerned about the whereabouts of the documents and who possessed them. Does this treasure trove of documents still exist? 164406 Mr. Cohen >> I don't know. I asked had asked David pecker for them. Ms. Ocasio Cortez >> So you would say the person who knows the whereabouts of these documents would be David pecker? Mr. Cohen >> David Pecker or Barry Levine or Dylan Howard. Ms. Ocasio Cortez >>Okay thank you. Secondly, I want to ask a little bit about your conversation about my colleague from Missouri about acid inflation. To your knowledge, did the president ever provide inflated assets to an insurance company? Mr. Cohen >> Yes. Ms. Ocasio Cortez >> Who else knows that the president did this? 164436 Mr. Cohen >> Allen Weisselburg, Ron Leberman and Matthew Calamari Ms. Ocasio Cortez >> And where would the committee find more information on this? Do you think we need to review his financial statements and his tax return in order to compare them? Mr. Cohen >> Yes. And you would find it at the trump org. Ms. Ocasio Cortez >> Thank you very much, And the last thing here, the trump golf organization currently has a golf course in my home burrough of the bronx, Trump Links. I drive past it every day between going between the bronx and queens. 164508 In fact. The Washington post reported on the Trump Links Bronx course in an article entitled taxpayers built this New York golf course and trump reaps the rewards. That article is where many new yorkers learned that taxpayers spent $127 million to build Trump Links in a quote generous deal allowing president trump to keep almost every dollar that flows in on a golf course built with public funds. It doesn't seem to be the only time the president has benefitted at the expense of the public. 164543 Mr. Cohen, I want to ask you about your assertion that the president may have improperly devalued his assets to avoid paying taxes. According to an August 21st 2016 report by the Washington post where the president claimed in financial disclosure forms that trump national golf club in Florida was worth more than 50 million he had reported otherwise to local tax authorities that it was worth quote no more than 5 million. Mr. Cohen do you know whether this specific report is accurate? 164617 Mr. Cohen >> It is identical to what he did at Trump National Golf Club at Bryer Cliff Manner Ms. Ocasio Cortez >> To your knowledge was the president interested in reducing his local real estate bills? Tax bills? Mr. Cohen >> Yes. Ms. Ocasio Cortez >> How did he do that? Mr. Cohen >> What you do is you deflate the value of the asset and then put in a request to the tax department for a deduction. Ms. Ocasio Cortez >> Thank you. In October 2018 The New York Times revealed quote president trump participated in dubious tax schemes during the 1990s including instances of outright fraud that greatly increased the fortune he received from his parents. 164658 It further statement from Mr. Trump quote he also formulated a strategy to undervalue his parent's real estate holdings by hundreds of millions of dollars on tax returns, sharply reducing his tax bill when those properties were transferred to him and his siblings. Mr. Cohen do you know whether that specific report is accurate? Mr. Cohen >> I don't. I wasn't there in the 1990's. Ms. Ocasio Cortez >> Who would know the answers to those questions? Mr. Cohen >> Allen Weisselburg Ms. Ocasio Cortez >> And would it help for the committee to obtain federal and state tax returns from the president and his company to address that discrepancy. Mr. Cohen >> I believe so. Ms. Ocasio Cortez >> Thank you very much. I yield the rest of my time to the chair. Mr. Cummings, Chairman >>Ms. Pressley 164746 Ms. Pressley >> Thank you Mr. Chairman. One more time, Mr. Chairman I want to thank you for your leadership and for the way which you comport yourself. I know there are some that would have you believe the more you say something the more true it is. But in fact this committee. thanks to democratic majority has been doing to work of the American people. Before this alone we looked at the issue of making election day a federal holiday, reducing drug pricing and pursued subpoenas to reunite families and recently before we returned here, tried to pass a universal background check gun bill. 164821 We are doing the business of the American people including today. It has been said that the best sunlight -- sunlight is said to be the best of disinfectants. Let there be light. The point of oversight, is for us to pursue the trust, to pursue the truth and justice for the American people, to understand if lies, deceit and corruption are threatening American democracy and our safety. Mr. Chairman, charities should not be abused as personal piggy banks. It is against the law and extremely unfair to charities that play be the rules. A line of questioning that we have not yet addressed is that of the abuses of the Trump foundation. 164915 The President's charitable foundation agreed to dissolve in response to an ongoing investigation and lawsuit by the NY AG. The NY AG found clear and repeated violation of state and federal law.. In mid 2013, you arranged for a straw purchaser, paid 60,000 for a portrait of Mr. trump? Mr. Cohen >> That's correct. Mr. Pressley >> Why would the president want to bid at the price of something he was ultimately paying for? Mr. Cohen >> It's all about ego. Mr. Pressley >> How was it paid for? Mr. Cohen >> I believe it was paid for by a check from the trust. Mr. Pressley >> And abuse and again, you know, this is not a partisan pursuit here. I think we are demonstrating patriotism. Did they reimburse? Can you explain the mechanics of that payment? Mr. Cohen >> I'm not involved. Mr. Pressley >> Did the president know what was happening? Mr. Cohen >> Yes. Mr. Pressley >> How did he know what was happening? 165028 COHEN >> He tasked me to find the straw bidder, to ensure that his painting which was going last in the auction would go for the highest amount of any of the paintings that have been on the auction block for the day. PRESSLEY>> What happened to the painting? COHEN>> I believe it's in one of the clubs. PRESSLEY>> According to the New York attorney general Mr. Trump used the foundation to pay $10,000 for the winning bid that ended up in one of his golf courses in Miami. Are you familiar with that transaction? COHEN>> Yes. PRESSLEY>> Are you aware of any other instances where the trump foundation was used to benefit the trump family? COHEN>> Yes. PRESSLEY>> Could you elaborate? 165110 COHEN>> There was a contract that I ended up creating on Mr. Trump's behalf. It was a Ukrainian oligarch by the name of Victor Plsik (?). It was that Mr. Trump was asked to come into participate what was the ukrainian American economic forum. I wasn't able to go. I was able to negotiate 15 minutes by Skype where they would have a camera very much like that one. They would translate Mr. Trump to the questioner and he would respond back. I negotiated a fee of $150,000 for 15 minutes. I was directed by Mr. Trump to have the contract done in the name of the Donald J. Trump foundation as opposed to Donald J. Trump or services rendered. PRESSLEY>> Thank you. Any other abuses of the foundation you would like to share? Again, it is against the law and extremely unfair to clarities playing by the rules. COHEN>> Not at this time. PRESSLEY>> And then for the balance of my time would you agree that someone could deny units to African Americans, lead the movement refer to to it as country and refer as fond people have a black friend and still be racist? COHEN>> Yes. PRESSLEY>> I agree. >> Her time has expired. You play answer the question. >> Yes. >> I have two unanimous consent es since we are finishing up. I want to go ahead and -- 4:53:06 PM >> Give me one second. >> Yes, sir. >> I want today get to him and come to you. >> Okay. >>Ms Tlaib. >> Thank you for the committee on the sole purpose of exposing the truth. Some of my colleagues can handle the truth. They want criminal schemes to stop especially those from the oval office. We are upset that some of our colleagues are so disconnected of what it means to have the president sending checks to cover bribe payments you made on 4:54:07 PM his behalf. One in 2017 of March and another August 2017 after he was sworn in as president. They are upset while my colleagues are trying to discredit by some of your own unlawful acts and lies they are disconnected with the fact that you were the personal lawyer for this president and this president close you as his legal counsel. My stance has always been the same based on the facts not on future reports that we are all waiting on. My residents back home don't need a collusion cause with a foreign government to know this president has disregarded the law of the land, the united States constitution and he misused his pardon powers. Filed in December of last year they stated in particular and as Cohen himself has admitted with 4:55:12 PM respect to both payments he acted at the direction of individual one. Based on what we flow now is that he used his money and platform to enrich himself, his grant and in the process directed you. And you covered it up, correct? >> That's correct. >> Mr. Cohen, with this do you think the president of the United States is making decisions. They said you used horrible words about like Muslim Americans and immigrants? >> Yes. >> Just to make a note Mr. Chairman, just because someone has a person of color, a black person working for them does not mean they aren't racist. It is insensitive some would 4:56:14 PM even say it's the fact that someone would actually use a prop, a black woman in this chamber, in this committee is alone racist in itself. >> Mr. Chairman I ask -- >> I reclaim my time. >> Setting a president -- >> Mr. Chairman the rules are clear -- >> Cover up and hold onto business assets to campaign finance laws. What we have here Mr. Chairman is criminal conduct and pursuit of the highest public office by Mr. Cohen and individual one. I hope that the gravity of this situation hits everybody in this body and across this body. Thank you. I yield the rest of my time. >> Mr. Chairman, I ask that her words which she is referring to an individual member of this body be taken down and stricken 4:57:15 PM from the record. I'm sure she didn't intend to do this. But if anyone knows my record as it relates it should be you, Mr. Chairman. >> I would like -- >> Hold on. >> I want the words read back. >> No. >> We want to know exactly what she said. >> Would you like to rephrase that statement? >> Thank you Mr. Chairman. I can actually read it from here. Just to make a note that just because someone has a person of color, a black person working for them does not mean they are racist. It is insensitive some would say it to use a black woman as a prop. I can submit this for the record if they are thinking that's what I'm saying. As a person of color that's how I felt at that moment and I 4:58:15 PM wanted to express that. I'm saying it is a racist act. >> I hope not. I need to be clear on this. >> Mr. Meadows. Wait a minute. >> I defended you. >> Mr. Meadows. I'm the chair. >> Yes, sir, you are. >> I will clear this up. >> Now, is it -- I want to make sure I understand. >> I'm trying as a person of color to express myself and how I felt at that moment. For the record that was my intention. >> Mr. Chairman, there's nothing more personal to me than my 4:59:16 PM relationship. My nieces and nephews are people of color. Not many people know that. You know that Mr. Chairman. To indicate that I asked someone who is a personal friend of the trump family who has worked for him, who knows this individual it is racist to suggest them to come in here for that reason. The president's own person, she is a family member Mr. Chairman, you and I have a personal >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> ve go down this direction is wrong, Mr. Chairman. >> I want to thank the gentleman for what you're saying. If there is anyone who is sensitive with regard to race it's me. So I get it. I listened very carefully. I think she said she was not calling you a racist. I thought that we could clarify that because Mr. Meadows you know of all of the people on this committee I have said it and got in trouble for it, that you're one of my best friends. I know that shocks a lot of 5:01:02 PM people. >> And likewise, Mr. Chairman. >> I could see and feel your pain. I feel it. And so -- and I don't think she intended to cause you that, that kind of pain and that kind of frustration. Did you have a statement? I will yield to you. >> And to my colleague that was not my intention. I do apologize if that's what it sounded like. I said someone in general. As everybody knows in this chamber I'm pretty direct. If I wanted to say that I would have but that's not what I said. Thank you Mr. Chairman for allowing many we to clarify. It was not referring to you at all as a racist. >> I thank the gentlewoman for her comments and working to clarify this. I appreciate the chairman 5:02:15 PM intervening. >> I knew the unanimous consent. I think I need to officially withdraw my request. >> You did it? >> I did. >> Okay. Sounds good. Now, I will recognize you for your unanimous consent. I think you want to put in records and documents. >> Thank you, Mr. Chairman. >> Thank you. I ask that the la times article of July 16, 2018 actually be put in the record which outlines the $1.2 million statement. >> Without objection to order 5:03:16 PM any other unanimous consent requests? >> Thank you Mr. Chairman. I ask unanimous consent to make Washington post profile of Michael Cohen part of the record. The story shows Cohen to be a selfish manipulator. >> So ordered. >> I ask unanimous consent to make the Washington post article south Korean firm paid him $150,000 as it saw as part of the record. I ask to make sentencing statement part of the record. It is a statement establishes 5:04:16 PM that Michael Cohen continues to falsely blame his crimes on blind loyalty to the president but only Cohen is to blame for as many false statements. I ask unanimous consent to make the CNN article part of the record. His accountant was required a lawyer in his sentencing memo. They sent him to blame tax evasion on his accountant. >> Without objection to order. >> Two more. >> To make February 26th, order filed by appellant division regarding disciplinary proceedings part of the record. This order which proactively applies starting February 28th establishes Cohen committed a serious crime and ceased being an attorney when he was convicted of lying to congress. >> Without objection so ordered. 5:05:30 PM The article describes a lawyer, Cohen recording his client, trump without the client's knowledge. >> Thank you. >> Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I ask consent to make the Huffington post article part of the record. It is a place for women that describe business oriented. >> Without objection so ordered. >> Thank you. >> I would ask to make the April 20th, 2018 article in mother Jones titled Michael Cohen said he he has never been the Prague part of the record. >> Without objection to order. >> Thank you, sir. >> Very well. 5:06:41 PM Mr. Cummings >> I have some closing remarks. Mr. Cohen >> I have some I would like to say myself. Is this appropriate time? >> Yes. Mr. Cohen >> I appreciate the opportunity to share some final thoughts. I knowledge I have made my own mistakes and I have owned up to them publicly and under oath but silence and complicity in the face of the daily destruction of the our basic norms and civility to one another will not be one of them. I did things and I acted improperly. I blindly followed his demands. My loyalty has cost me everything, my family's happiness, my law license, my company, my livelihood, my honor, my reputation and soon my freedom. I will not sit back and allow 5:07:43 PM him to do the same to the country. Given my experience working for President Trump I fear that if he loses the election in 2020 that there will never be a peaceful transition of power. This is why I agreed to appear before you today. In closing I would like to say directly to the president we honor our veterans. You tell the truth even when it doesn't you. You respect the law and our incredible law enforcement agents. You don't Vil annize them. You don't disparage gold star families, prisoners of war and other heros who have the courage to fight for this country. You don't attack the media and those that question what you don't like or don't want them to say. You take responsibility for your own dirty deeds. You don't use your power to 5:08:44 PM destroy the credibility of those that speak out against you. You don't demonize those looking to America for a better life. You don't vilify people based on the god they pray to and you don't cuddle up to our adversaries at the expense of our allies. You don't shut down to appease your base. This behavior the office of the president and it simply is un-american. It's not you. So to those that support the president and his rhetoric as I once did, I pray the country doesn't make the same mistakes that I have made or pay the heavy price that my family and I are paying and I thank you for the additional time. >> Thank you very much. Mr. Jordan >> Thank you Mr. Chairman. 5:10:01 PM He said he never defraud any bank. He is going to prison for that very offense. Earlier he admitted to having consulted agreements with at least two foreign entities owned by foreign governments. He said to chairman Cummings that Donald Trump directed him and the trump organization to go book his officer and figure out how to make a $130,000 payment. 5:11:01 PM In his testimony he says Mr. Trump directed me to use my own personal funds to avoidfully money being traced back to him that could negatively impact the campaign. In response to him paying to set up the fake Twitter account that he didn't direct the commission of that Twitter account. He says I didn't set that up and it was done by a young lady that works with the firm. He did asking them to set it up according to the owner of red finch. The attorneys with the southern district of New York stated that this was when canned about this they said I wouldn't call them liars but that statement is not accurate. Mr. Chairman, I think maybe more importantly is what we should have been doing 5:12:25 PM today. That's what we shoush focused on not this sad display the last several hours. It's not my words. You can take the words of former general counsel. I hope we learned some things here today. The first for the gentleman going to prison in two months for lying to congress. I don't think that's what we should be focused on. I yield back. >> Thank you very much. Mr. Cummings FINAL REMARKS 171249 >> You know, I sat here and listened to all of this. It's very painful. It's very painful. You made a lot of mistakes Mr. Cohen, and you admitted that. And one of the saddest parts of this whole thing is some very innocent people are hurting too and you acknowledged that. And that is your family. 171336 So You come here today. Deep in my heart --when I practice law I respect a lot of lawyers who got in trouble and you've come saying 'I had made my mistakes but now I want to change my life'. And you know, if we as a nation, did not give people an opportunity after they made mistakes to change their lives, a lot of people would not do very well. 171430 I don't know where you go from here. As I sat here and I listened to both sides, I just felt as is if -- and people are now using my wording that they took from my that they took from me that didn't give me any credit. We are better than this. We are so much -- we really are. As a country, we are so much better than this. You know, I told you -- and for some reason, Mr. Cohen I tell my children, I say when bad when bad things happen to you, do not ask the question why did it happen to me, ask the question buy did it happen for me. I don't know why this is happening for you. 171531 But my it's hope that a small part of it it is for our country to be better. If I hear you correctly it sounds like you're crying out for a new Normal for us getting back to Normal. It sounds to me like you want to make sure that our democracy stays in tact. The one meeting I had with Mr. Trump I said to him, the greatest gift that you and I Mr. President, can give to our children is making sure that sure that we give them a democracy that is in tact. 171619 And a better democracy than the one we came upon. I'm hoping that the things you've said today will help us get back there. I mean come on now, when you go according to WaPo our President has made at least 8,717 -- 8,718 false or misleading statements. That's stunning. That's not what we teach our children. I don't teach mine that. For whatever reason, sounds like you got caught up in it. 171701 You got caught up in it. You got caught up in it. And some kind of way, I hope that you will I know that it's painful to go to prison, I know it's gotta be painful being called a rat. A lot of people don't know the significance of that. But I live in the inner city of Baltimore and when you call somebody a rat, that's one of the worst things you can call them because in prison that means a snitch. 171738 I'm just saying. And so, president called you a rat. We're better than that! We really are. And i'm hoping that all of us can get back to this democracy that we want and that wwe should be passing to our children so that hey can do better than what we did. So you wonder whether people believe you- i don't know. I don't know whether they believe you but the fact is, that you've come, you have your head down and this is one of the hardest things that you could do. 171816 Let me tell you the picture that really really pained me? You were leaving the prison. You were leaving the courthouse and I guess it's your daughter had braces or something on. Man that thing, that thing hurt me. As a father of two daughters, it hurt me. [MICHAEL COHEN CRYING] I can imagine how it must feel for you. I'm just saying to you, I want to first of all thank you. I know that this has been hard. 171851 I know that you face a lot, I know that you are worried about your family, but is is a part of your destiny. And hopefully this portion of this destiny, will lead to a better Michael Cohen. A better Donald Trump, a better United States of America and a better world. And I mean that from the depth of my heart. When we are dancing with the angels the question will be asked, in 2019 what did we do? 171940 To make sure we kept our democracy in tact? Did we stand on the sidelines and say nothing? People come in here and say this is the first hearing. It is not the first hearing. The first hearing was with regard to prescription drugs. Remember, a little girl - a lady sat there. Her daughter, died because she could not get three hundred and 33 dollars a month in insulin. That was our first hearing. Second hearing, HR1 voting rights, corruption in government. Come on, now. We could do more than one thing. We have got to get back to Normal. With that this meeting is adjourned.

1600 COHEN HRG SWITCH FS10 82 UNITED STATES HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES COMMITTEE ON OVERSIGHT AND GOVERNMENT REFORM HEARING: Michael Cohen, Former Attorney to President Donald Trump Date: Wednesday, February 27, 2019 - 10:00am Location: 2154 Rayburn House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515 WITNESS: Michael Cohen Former Attorney for Donald Trump Michael Cohen Testifies Before House Oversight Committee 2/27/19 Michael Cohen, President Trump's former lawyer, testifies before the House Oversight and Reform Committee about various investigations related to the 2016 Trump presidential campaign. 162729 Mr. Cummings >> Mr. Cohen I want to finalize this issue in truth in testimony form. The form requires do you list your contracts or payments originating from a foreign government not from all foreign entities. We said we would give you to consult with your attorneys. Have you done that and do you have any additional information? 162800 Mr. Cohen >> My four attorneys continue to believe as they did before that the language of the truth in testimony forum which I was given and assigned to right before this hearing and which requires disclosure of any contracts or payments from foreign governments in the last two years did not apply to my work for bta bank which is Kasak owned entity. They advised that had entities been intended for disclosure, that word would have been in the disclosure definition. If the committee's counsel has a different view that I should disclose my contract with BTA bank, we would be willing to do that. >> Mr. Chairman? >> Let me finish. >> Sure. Mr. Cummings >> I want to understand clearly, you are -- you sought the advice, is that right? Mr. Cohen >> That's right. Mr. Cummings >> And counsel advised you to say what you just said, right? Mr. Cohen >> That's correct. Mr. Cummings >> And you know that to be the truth, right? Mr. Cohen >> Yes, sir. 162910 Mr. Meadows >> I thank the chairman for his courtesy. Instead of making points of order and going back and forth on this, perhaps the way to do this is to request he give to this committee all of the foreign payments that he has received over the last two years, whether they are an entity or government. We have strong believe there is over $900,000 that came from the government of Kazakhstan on behalf of Mr. Cohen. It is either the truth -- the whole truth or nothing but the truth. The rules look at foreign payments that come from or with foreign governments. The bank he is talking about is owned 81% by Kazakhstan the government. 163007 Mr. Cummings, Chairman >> reclaiming my time and then we're going to move on. First of all, let me be clear. I said to Mr. Cohen that if he came in here and lied I would nail him to the cross. Didn't I? Mr. Cohen >> Yes. You did more than once. Cummings: So if there's any ambiguity I want that to be cleared up. I have no problem working with you to make sure that's straightened out. I don't want him to think one thing and we think one thing. We can clear that up. We have other members that are waiting. Mr. Meadows >> on that subject, i don't think we should limit it to the BTA bank which has the affiliation with Kasakhstan, I thin kwe should look at Korea air space industries and any other client that's foreign that may have some connection to that respective country's gov't. I hope that his attorneys look at all those and we get the exactly right as Mr. Meadows wants. 163101 Mr. Cummings >> Reclaiming my time. We will take that certainly under advisement. I am a man of my word. We will work with you and see what we can do to come up with that. I don't think it's an unreasonable request. Mr. Khanna >> I want to focus my questions on the smoking gun document you have provided this committee. This document is compelling evidence of fed and state crimes including financial fraud. You provided this cmte with a check from president donald trump revocable trust account which is marked as marked as exhibit 5b. It is a check for $35,000 and it is dated March 17th, 2017 after the president took office. It is right now on the screen. Do you see it, sir? Mr. Cohen >> Yes, sir. 163154 Mr. Khanna >> To be clear the revocable trust is the trust the president set up to hold his assets after he became president. Is that correct? Mr. Cohen >> I believe so. Mr. Khanna >> Do you know why you were paid from the trust as opposed to the president's personal account? Mr. Cohen >> I don't know the answer to that. Mr. Khanna >> Did you think it was odd he paid you once and he is paying you through the scheme of a trust? Mr. Cohen >> I'll be honest, I was just happy to get the check. 163221 Mr. Khanna >> Today you testified that the check was signed by Don Jr and the Trump org CFO alan weiselberg, is that correct. Mr. Cohen >> that is correct. Mr. Khanna >> Acc to criminal charges against you you sent monthly invoices containing false info to an individual ID'd as exec 1. Weiselberg is exec 1, correct? Mr. Cohen >>yes Mr. Khanna The criminal charge against you then states that exec one forwarded your invoice to someone referred to as exec 2, presumably Don Jr was signing this chceck as exec 2. Correct? Mr. Cohen >>I believe so. 163302 Mr. Khanna >> payments like this check resulted in numerous false statements in the books of the trump org. This is financial fraud. It was disguised as a payment for legal services to you but this was not a payment for legal services, was it Mr. Cohen ? Mr. Cohen >> no sir. Mr. Khanna >> It could give rise to serious state and federal criminal liability if a corporation is cooking its books. Based on your testimony today Donald Trump Jr. and Alan Weiselberg Directed this payment to you and approved this. 163351 >> Mr. Trump initially acknowledged the obligation I was instructed by Allen at the time that we were going to do this over 12 installments. And what he decided to do then was to have me send an invoice. In which case they could have a check cut. Yes, the answer would be yes to your follow up. Mr. Khanna >> and Donald Trump Jr. obviously signed off on this? Mr. Cohen >> It would either be Eric Trump, Donald Trump Junior, and/or Allen Weisselberg. Always Allen Weisselberg on the check. Mr. Khanna >> And you think executive 2 is Donald Trump Jr.? Mr. Cohen >> Yes. Mr. Khanna >> They knew this payment were false and illegal, correct? 163430 Mr. Cohen >> I can't make that conclusion. Mr. Khanna >> You told representative Kelly that the president was aware of this scheme, is that correct? Mr. Cohen >> That's correct. Mr. Khanna >> I just want the American public to understand the explosive nature of this testimony. Are you telling us, Mr. Cohen, that the president directed in conspiracy with Allen Weisselberg and his son, Donald Trump Jr. As part of a civil criminal -- 163501 >> part of a criminal conspiracy of financial fraud. Is that your testimony today? Mr. Cohen >> Yes. Mr. Khanna >> And do you know if this criminal financial scheme that the president, Allen Weisselberg and Donald Trump Jr. are involved in is being investigated by the southern district of New York? Mr. Cohen >> I would rather not discuss that question because it could be part of an investigation that's currently ongoing. Mr. Khanna >> But I just want to American public to understand that solely 163530 >> apart from Bob Mueller's investigation there is garden variety financial fraud and your allegation and the explosive smoking gun document suggests that the president, his son and his CFO may be involved in a criminal conspiracy and isn't it true, Mr. Cohen, that this criminal conspiracy that involved four people that there is only one person so far who suffered the repercussions and that's why you're there jail? Mr. Cohen >> I'll be going to jail, yes. 163558 Mr. Khanna >> The three other people though who are equally involved in this conspiracy, is that true? Mr. Cohen >> Yes. That's true. Mr. Khanna Thank you Mr. Cohen. I yield back my time. Mr. Cummings, Chairman >> Mr. Gomez Mr. Gomez >> Thank you Mr. Chair. Mr. Cohen, I'm going to tackle the president's tax returns. During the 2016 campaign you said you personally wouldn't, quote, allow to release those returns until the audits are over. Unquote. 163630 >> For the record nothing prevents individuals from sharing their own tax returns even while under audit by the IRS. Mr. Cohen, do you know whether President Trump's tax returns were really under audit in 2016? Mr. Cohen >> I don't flow the answer. I asked for a copy of the audit so that I could use it in terms of my statements to the press. I was never able to obtain one. 163659 Mr. Gomez >> Do you have any insight or knowledge about what was in the President's tax returns that he refused to release? Mr. Cohen >> I do not. Mr. Gomez >> Can you give us any insight into what the real reason is that the President has refused to release his tax returns? Mr. Cohen >> The statement that he said to me, was that what he didn't want was to have an entire group of think tanks that are tax experts run through his tax return and start ripping it to pieces and 163730 then he'll end up in an audit and he'll ultimately have taxable consequences, penalties and so on. Mr. Gomez >> So that's a point he said he didn't want to release his tax returns. He might end up in an audit. So could you presume from that statement that he wasn't under audit? Mr. Cohen >> I presume that he's not under audit. Mr. Gomez >> And the reason that I bring this up because I'm also the only Democrat on this committee that also serves on the Committee of Ways and Means. It's the Chief Tax Writing Committee in the House of Representatives. 163801 >> And it's the only committee in the House of Representatives that has jurisdiction to request an American's tax returns. And that includes the President of the United States. My constituents need to know whether the President has financial ties that are causing him to protect his own bottom line, rather than the best interests of this country. Can he be blackmailed because of his financial and business ventures? Including by foreign governments? And I know the opposition, the first thing they will ask or say 163830 >> is that he released his financial disclosure forms. But I believe that there are other things we can learn from his taxes. Do you have any idea what he can learn in his tax returns if we got our hands on them? Mr. Cohen >> No, I have actually - I have seen them I just have never gone through them. They are quite long. 163851 Mr. Gomez >> Quite long. One of the things I also find ironic is the way they're also attacking you as to undermine your credibility, is one of the ways, by saying that you committed bank fraud and tax evasion. 163902 >> And the reason why is a big deal, is that it really goes down to a person's character when it comes to taxes. But yet the Republican minority never asked to see his taxes. Something that for 40 years Democrats and Republicans alike have released their tax returns to prove to the American people that they didn't have financial interest that would be leverageable by a foreign government. 163926 >> This minority refuses to ask for his tax returns. I also want to kind of go on, I'm noticing a pattern. I'm noticing a pattern. About the president and those in his inner circle. Special Counsel Mueller has indicted or received guilty pleas from 24 people and 3 companies that we know of. The longest one being long term Trump advisor Roger Stone. 163954 >> It includes six former trump adviser. It appears that a president has a fondness for entrusting those who will one: lie for him, two, break the law for him, three, cheat the system for him. Essentially he wants to surround himself with people just like him. Would you agree with that statement? Mr. Cohen >> With the facts and circumstances, it appears so. Mr. Gomez >> Mr. Cohen, the American people have a lot of questions when it comes to this president to his conduct. When he went to Helsinki and he bowed before Putin and nobody could really understand why he acts the way he acts. We believe the way we gets those answers is looking at everybody that surrounds them, who he has been associated with and his tax returns. That's the only way we can get down to the bottom line. Thank you and I yield back. Mr. Meadow >> Mr. Chairman, I have a unanimous consent request. He begged me to give him a job in the administration. He is still lying under oath. I asked unanimous consent. I have one more from Bob Diddle. Getting sick watching these hearings I know Michael Cohen personally for many years. He told me several times he was very angry and upset he didn't get a post in the white house and that he would do what he has to do now no protect his family. Close quote, I ask that that be-- 164153 Mr. Jordan >> All right. I ask unanimous consent written in Salon Magazine by Stanley Bran former house counsel to Tip O'neill The title is oversight looks like an illegitimate show hearing. I asked unanimous consent that a letter requesting you call to testify at this hearing also be part of the record. Mr. Cohen >> Mr. Chairman, can I respond? Mr. Cummings, Chairman >> Just one second. The article. I want to deal with this one right away. We -- when we saw that article we knew it was inaccurate. just on basics. The case is that Mr. Brand are distinguishable what's going on here. We got former general counsel it is February 2019 and where are we? Mr. Cummings, Chairman >> Where are we? Ms. Ocasio-Cortez 164324 Ms. Ocasio Cortez >> Thank you Mr. Chair. Mr. Cohen I'd like to quickly pick up on some previous lines of questioning before getting into my own. So I may go a little quickly to get it all in in 5 minutes. First my colleague from Vermont had asked you several questions about AMI, the parent company of the national inquirer. And in that you mentioned a treasure trove, a quote, treasure trove of documents in David Pecker's office relating to information assembled from all these catch and kill operations against people who potentially had damaging information against the president. You also mentioned that the president was very concerned about the whereabouts of the documents and who possessed them. Does this treasure trove of documents still exist? 164406 Mr. Cohen >> I don't know. I asked had asked David pecker for them. Ms. Ocasio Cortez >> So you would say the person who knows the whereabouts of these documents would be David pecker? Mr. Cohen >> David Pecker or Barry Levine or Dylan Howard. Ms. Ocasio Cortez >>Okay thank you. Secondly, I want to ask a little bit about your conversation about my colleague from Missouri about acid inflation. To your knowledge, did the president ever provide inflated assets to an insurance company? Mr. Cohen >> Yes. Ms. Ocasio Cortez >> Who else knows that the president did this? 164436 Mr. Cohen >> Allen Weisselburg, Ron Leberman and Matthew Calamari Ms. Ocasio Cortez >> And where would the committee find more information on this? Do you think we need to review his financial statements and his tax return in order to compare them? Mr. Cohen >> Yes. And you would find it at the trump org. Ms. Ocasio Cortez >> Thank you very much, And the last thing here, the trump golf organization currently has a golf course in my home burrough of the bronx, Trump Links. I drive past it every day between going between the bronx and queens. 164508 In fact. The Washington post reported on the Trump Links Bronx course in an article entitled taxpayers built this New York golf course and trump reaps the rewards. That article is where many new yorkers learned that taxpayers spent $127 million to build Trump Links in a quote generous deal allowing president trump to keep almost every dollar that flows in on a golf course built with public funds. It doesn't seem to be the only time the president has benefitted at the expense of the public. 164543 Mr. Cohen, I want to ask you about your assertion that the president may have improperly devalued his assets to avoid paying taxes. According to an August 21st 2016 report by the Washington post where the president claimed in financial disclosure forms that trump national golf club in Florida was worth more than 50 million he had reported otherwise to local tax authorities that it was worth quote no more than 5 million. Mr. Cohen do you know whether this specific report is accurate? 164617 Mr. Cohen >> It is identical to what he did at Trump National Golf Club at Bryer Cliff Manner Ms. Ocasio Cortez >> To your knowledge was the president interested in reducing his local real estate bills? Tax bills? Mr. Cohen >> Yes. Ms. Ocasio Cortez >> How did he do that? Mr. Cohen >> What you do is you deflate the value of the asset and then put in a request to the tax department for a deduction. Ms. Ocasio Cortez >> Thank you. In October 2018 The New York Times revealed quote president trump participated in dubious tax schemes during the 1990s including instances of outright fraud that greatly increased the fortune he received from his parents. 164658 It further statement from Mr. Trump quote he also formulated a strategy to undervalue his parent's real estate holdings by hundreds of millions of dollars on tax returns, sharply reducing his tax bill when those properties were transferred to him and his siblings. Mr. Cohen do you know whether that specific report is accurate? Mr. Cohen >> I don't. I wasn't there in the 1990's. Ms. Ocasio Cortez >> Who would know the answers to those questions? Mr. Cohen >> Allen Weisselburg Ms. Ocasio Cortez >> And would it help for the committee to obtain federal and state tax returns from the president and his company to address that discrepancy. Mr. Cohen >> I believe so. Ms. Ocasio Cortez >> Thank you very much. I yield the rest of my time to the chair. Mr. Cummings, Chairman >>Ms. Pressley 164746 Ms. Pressley >> Thank you Mr. Chairman. One more time, Mr. Chairman I want to thank you for your leadership and for the way which you comport yourself. I know there are some that would have you believe the more you say something the more true it is. But in fact this committee. thanks to democratic majority has been doing to work of the American people. Before this alone we looked at the issue of making election day a federal holiday, reducing drug pricing and pursued subpoenas to reunite families and recently before we returned here, tried to pass a universal background check gun bill. 164821 We are doing the business of the American people including today. It has been said that the best sunlight -- sunlight is said to be the best of disinfectants. Let there be light. The point of oversight, is for us to pursue the trust, to pursue the truth and justice for the American people, to understand if lies, deceit and corruption are threatening American democracy and our safety. Mr. Chairman, charities should not be abused as personal piggy banks. It is against the law and extremely unfair to charities that play be the rules. A line of questioning that we have not yet addressed is that of the abuses of the Trump foundation. 164915 The President's charitable foundation agreed to dissolve in response to an ongoing investigation and lawsuit by the NY AG. The NY AG found clear and repeated violation of state and federal law.. In mid 2013, you arranged for a straw purchaser, paid 60,000 for a portrait of Mr. trump? Mr. Cohen >> That's correct. Mr. Pressley >> Why would the president want to bid at the price of something he was ultimately paying for? Mr. Cohen >> It's all about ego. Mr. Pressley >> How was it paid for? Mr. Cohen >> I believe it was paid for by a check from the trust. Mr. Pressley >> And abuse and again, you know, this is not a partisan pursuit here. I think we are demonstrating patriotism. Did they reimburse? Can you explain the mechanics of that payment? Mr. Cohen >> I'm not involved. Mr. Pressley >> Did the president know what was happening? Mr. Cohen >> Yes. Mr. Pressley >> How did he know what was happening? 165028 COHEN >> He tasked me to find the straw bidder, to ensure that his painting which was going last in the auction would go for the highest amount of any of the paintings that have been on the auction block for the day. PRESSLEY>> What happened to the painting? COHEN>> I believe it's in one of the clubs. PRESSLEY>> According to the New York attorney general Mr. Trump used the foundation to pay $10,000 for the winning bid that ended up in one of his golf courses in Miami. Are you familiar with that transaction? COHEN>> Yes. PRESSLEY>> Are you aware of any other instances where the trump foundation was used to benefit the trump family? COHEN>> Yes. PRESSLEY>> Could you elaborate? 165110 COHEN>> There was a contract that I ended up creating on Mr. Trump's behalf. It was a Ukrainian oligarch by the name of Victor Plsik (?). It was that Mr. Trump was asked to come into participate what was the ukrainian American economic forum. I wasn't able to go. I was able to negotiate 15 minutes by Skype where they would have a camera very much like that one. They would translate Mr. Trump to the questioner and he would respond back. I negotiated a fee of $150,000 for 15 minutes. I was directed by Mr. Trump to have the contract done in the name of the Donald J. Trump foundation as opposed to Donald J. Trump or services rendered. PRESSLEY>> Thank you. Any other abuses of the foundation you would like to share? Again, it is against the law and extremely unfair to clarities playing by the rules. COHEN>> Not at this time. PRESSLEY>> And then for the balance of my time would you agree that someone could deny units to African Americans, lead the movement refer to to it as country and refer as fond people have a black friend and still be racist? COHEN>> Yes. PRESSLEY>> I agree. >> Her time has expired. You play answer the question. >> Yes. >> I have two unanimous consent es since we are finishing up. I want to go ahead and -- 4:53:06 PM >> Give me one second. >> Yes, sir. >> I want today get to him and come to you. >> Okay. >>Ms Tlaib. >> Thank you for the committee on the sole purpose of exposing the truth. Some of my colleagues can handle the truth. They want criminal schemes to stop especially those from the oval office. We are upset that some of our colleagues are so disconnected of what it means to have the president sending checks to cover bribe payments you made on 4:54:07 PM his behalf. One in 2017 of March and another August 2017 after he was sworn in as president. They are upset while my colleagues are trying to discredit by some of your own unlawful acts and lies they are disconnected with the fact that you were the personal lawyer for this president and this president close you as his legal counsel. My stance has always been the same based on the facts not on future reports that we are all waiting on. My residents back home don't need a collusion cause with a foreign government to know this president has disregarded the law of the land, the united States constitution and he misused his pardon powers. Filed in December of last year they stated in particular and as Cohen himself has admitted with 4:55:12 PM respect to both payments he acted at the direction of individual one. Based on what we flow now is that he used his money and platform to enrich himself, his grant and in the process directed you. And you covered it up, correct? >> That's correct. >> Mr. Cohen, with this do you think the president of the United States is making decisions. They said you used horrible words about like Muslim Americans and immigrants? >> Yes. >> Just to make a note Mr. Chairman, just because someone has a person of color, a black person working for them does not mean they aren't racist. It is insensitive some would 4:56:14 PM even say it's the fact that someone would actually use a prop, a black woman in this chamber, in this committee is alone racist in itself. >> Mr. Chairman I ask -- >> I reclaim my time. >> Setting a president -- >> Mr. Chairman the rules are clear -- >> Cover up and hold onto business assets to campaign finance laws. What we have here Mr. Chairman is criminal conduct and pursuit of the highest public office by Mr. Cohen and individual one. I hope that the gravity of this situation hits everybody in this body and across this body. Thank you. I yield the rest of my time. >> Mr. Chairman, I ask that her words which she is referring to an individual member of this body be taken down and stricken 4:57:15 PM from the record. I'm sure she didn't intend to do this. But if anyone knows my record as it relates it should be you, Mr. Chairman. >> I would like -- >> Hold on. >> I want the words read back. >> No. >> We want to know exactly what she said. >> Would you like to rephrase that statement? >> Thank you Mr. Chairman. I can actually read it from here. Just to make a note that just because someone has a person of color, a black person working for them does not mean they are racist. It is insensitive some would say it to use a black woman as a prop. I can submit this for the record if they are thinking that's what I'm saying. As a person of color that's how I felt at that moment and I 4:58:15 PM wanted to express that. I'm saying it is a racist act. >> I hope not. I need to be clear on this. >> Mr. Meadows. Wait a minute. >> I defended you. >> Mr. Meadows. I'm the chair. >> Yes, sir, you are. >> I will clear this up. >> Now, is it -- I want to make sure I understand. >> I'm trying as a person of color to express myself and how I felt at that moment. For the record that was my intention. >> Mr. Chairman, there's nothing more personal to me than my 4:59:16 PM relationship. My nieces and nephews are people of color. Not many people know that. You know that Mr. Chairman. To indicate that I asked someone who is a personal friend of the trump family who has worked for him, who knows this individual it is racist to suggest them to come in here for that reason. The president's own person, she is a family member Mr. Chairman, you and I have a personal >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> ve go down this direction is wrong, Mr. Chairman. >> I want to thank the gentleman for what you're saying. If there is anyone who is sensitive with regard to race it's me. So I get it. I listened very carefully. I think she said she was not calling you a racist. I thought that we could clarify that because Mr. Meadows you know of all of the people on this committee I have said it and got in trouble for it, that you're one of my best friends. I know that shocks a lot of 5:01:02 PM people. >> And likewise, Mr. Chairman. >> I could see and feel your pain. I feel it. And so -- and I don't think she intended to cause you that, that kind of pain and that kind of frustration. Did you have a statement? I will yield to you. >> And to my colleague that was not my intention. I do apologize if that's what it sounded like. I said someone in general. As everybody knows in this chamber I'm pretty direct. If I wanted to say that I would have but that's not what I said. Thank you Mr. Chairman for allowing many we to clarify. It was not referring to you at all as a racist. >> I thank the gentlewoman for her comments and working to clarify this. I appreciate the chairman 5:02:15 PM intervening. >> I knew the unanimous consent. I think I need to officially withdraw my request. >> You did it? >> I did. >> Okay. Sounds good. Now, I will recognize you for your unanimous consent. I think you want to put in records and documents. >> Thank you, Mr. Chairman. >> Thank you. I ask that the la times article of July 16, 2018 actually be put in the record which outlines the $1.2 million statement. >> Without objection to order 5:03:16 PM any other unanimous consent requests? >> Thank you Mr. Chairman. I ask unanimous consent to make Washington post profile of Michael Cohen part of the record. The story shows Cohen to be a selfish manipulator. >> So ordered. >> I ask unanimous consent to make the Washington post article south Korean firm paid him $150,000 as it saw as part of the record. I ask to make sentencing statement part of the record. It is a statement establishes 5:04:16 PM that Michael Cohen continues to falsely blame his crimes on blind loyalty to the president but only Cohen is to blame for as many false statements. I ask unanimous consent to make the CNN article part of the record. His accountant was required a lawyer in his sentencing memo. They sent him to blame tax evasion on his accountant. >> Without objection to order. >> Two more. >> To make February 26th, order filed by appellant division regarding disciplinary proceedings part of the record. This order which proactively applies starting February 28th establishes Cohen committed a serious crime and ceased being an attorney when he was convicted of lying to congress. >> Without objection so ordered. 5:05:30 PM The article describes a lawyer, Cohen recording his client, trump without the client's knowledge. >> Thank you. >> Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I ask consent to make the Huffington post article part of the record. It is a place for women that describe business oriented. >> Without objection so ordered. >> Thank you. >> I would ask to make the April 20th, 2018 article in mother Jones titled Michael Cohen said he he has never been the Prague part of the record. >> Without objection to order. >> Thank you, sir. >> Very well. 5:06:41 PM Mr. Cummings >> I have some closing remarks. Mr. Cohen >> I have some I would like to say myself. Is this appropriate time? >> Yes. Mr. Cohen >> I appreciate the opportunity to share some final thoughts. I knowledge I have made my own mistakes and I have owned up to them publicly and under oath but silence and complicity in the face of the daily destruction of the our basic norms and civility to one another will not be one of them. I did things and I acted improperly. I blindly followed his demands. My loyalty has cost me everything, my family's happiness, my law license, my company, my livelihood, my honor, my reputation and soon my freedom. I will not sit back and allow 5:07:43 PM him to do the same to the country. Given my experience working for President Trump I fear that if he loses the election in 2020 that there will never be a peaceful transition of power. This is why I agreed to appear before you today. In closing I would like to say directly to the president we honor our veterans. You tell the truth even when it doesn't you. You respect the law and our incredible law enforcement agents. You don't Vil annize them. You don't disparage gold star families, prisoners of war and other heros who have the courage to fight for this country. You don't attack the media and those that question what you don't like or don't want them to say. You take responsibility for your own dirty deeds. You don't use your power to 5:08:44 PM destroy the credibility of those that speak out against you. You don't demonize those looking to America for a better life. You don't vilify people based on the god they pray to and you don't cuddle up to our adversaries at the expense of our allies. You don't shut down to appease your base. This behavior the office of the president and it simply is un-american. It's not you. So to those that support the president and his rhetoric as I once did, I pray the country doesn't make the same mistakes that I have made or pay the heavy price that my family and I are paying and I thank you for the additional time. >> Thank you very much. Mr. Jordan >> Thank you Mr. Chairman. 5:10:01 PM He said he never defraud any bank. He is going to prison for that very offense. Earlier he admitted to having consulted agreements with at least two foreign entities owned by foreign governments. He said to chairman Cummings that Donald Trump directed him and the trump organization to go book his officer and figure out how to make a $130,000 payment. 5:11:01 PM In his testimony he says Mr. Trump directed me to use my own personal funds to avoidfully money being traced back to him that could negatively impact the campaign. In response to him paying to set up the fake Twitter account that he didn't direct the commission of that Twitter account. He says I didn't set that up and it was done by a young lady that works with the firm. He did asking them to set it up according to the owner of red finch. The attorneys with the southern district of New York stated that this was when canned about this they said I wouldn't call them liars but that statement is not accurate. Mr. Chairman, I think maybe more importantly is what we should have been doing 5:12:25 PM today. That's what we shoush focused on not this sad display the last several hours. It's not my words. You can take the words of former general counsel. I hope we learned some things here today. The first for the gentleman going to prison in two months for lying to congress. I don't think that's what we should be focused on. I yield back. >> Thank you very much. Mr. Cummings FINAL REMARKS 171249 >> You know, I sat here and listened to all of this. It's very painful. It's very painful. You made a lot of mistakes Mr. Cohen, and you admitted that. And one of the saddest parts of this whole thing is some very innocent people are hurting too and you acknowledged that. And that is your family. 171336 So You come here today. Deep in my heart --when I practice law I respect a lot of lawyers who got in trouble and you've come saying 'I had made my mistakes but now I want to change my life'. And you know, if we as a nation, did not give people an opportunity after they made mistakes to change their lives, a lot of people would not do very well. 171430 I don't know where you go from here. As I sat here and I listened to both sides, I just felt as is if -- and people are now using my wording that they took from my that they took from me that didn't give me any credit. We are better than this. We are so much -- we really are. As a country, we are so much better than this. You know, I told you -- and for some reason, Mr. Cohen I tell my children, I say when bad when bad things happen to you, do not ask the question why did it happen to me, ask the question buy did it happen for me. I don't know why this is happening for you. 171531 But my it's hope that a small part of it it is for our country to be better. If I hear you correctly it sounds like you're crying out for a new Normal for us getting back to Normal. It sounds to me like you want to make sure that our democracy stays in tact. The one meeting I had with Mr. Trump I said to him, the greatest gift that you and I Mr. President, can give to our children is making sure that sure that we give them a democracy that is in tact. 171619 And a better democracy than the one we came upon. I'm hoping that the things you've said today will help us get back there. I mean come on now, when you go according to WaPo our President has made at least 8,717 -- 8,718 false or misleading statements. That's stunning. That's not what we teach our children. I don't teach mine that. For whatever reason, sounds like you got caught up in it. 171701 You got caught up in it. You got caught up in it. And some kind of way, I hope that you will I know that it's painful to go to prison, I know it's gotta be painful being called a rat. A lot of people don't know the significance of that. But I live in the inner city of Baltimore and when you call somebody a rat, that's one of the worst things you can call them because in prison that means a snitch. 171738 I'm just saying. And so, president called you a rat. We're better than that! We really are. And i'm hoping that all of us can get back to this democracy that we want and that wwe should be passing to our children so that hey can do better than what we did. So you wonder whether people believe you- i don't know. I don't know whether they believe you but the fact is, that you've come, you have your head down and this is one of the hardest things that you could do. 171816 Let me tell you the picture that really really pained me? You were leaving the prison. You were leaving the courthouse and I guess it's your daughter had braces or something on. Man that thing, that thing hurt me. As a father of two daughters, it hurt me. [MICHAEL COHEN CRYING] I can imagine how it must feel for you. I'm just saying to you, I want to first of all thank you. I know that this has been hard. 171851 I know that you face a lot, I know that you are worried about your family, but is is a part of your destiny. And hopefully this portion of this destiny, will lead to a better Michael Cohen. A better Donald Trump, a better United States of America and a better world. And I mean that from the depth of my heart. When we are dancing with the angels the question will be asked, in 2019 what did we do? 171940 To make sure we kept our democracy in tact? Did we stand on the sidelines and say nothing? People come in here and say this is the first hearing. It is not the first hearing. The first hearing was with regard to prescription drugs. Remember, a little girl - a lady sat there. Her daughter, died because she could not get three hundred and 33 dollars a month in insulin. That was our first hearing. Second hearing, HR1 voting rights, corruption in government. Come on, now. We could do more than one thing. We have got to get back to Normal. With that this meeting is adjourned.

TAPE_NUMBER: EN9920 IN_TIME: 10:59:23 LENGTH: 03:58 SOURCES: APTN RESTRICTIONS: No re-use/re-sale of film/video clips without clearance, No access Internet Music/performance rights must be cleared. FEED: VARIOUS (THE ABOVE TIME-CODE IS TIME-OF-DAY) SCRIPT: xfa Story: Backstreet Boys Location: New York Date: May 17th On the eve of the 'MILLENNIUM' release, BACKSTREET BOYS hosted an internationally televised press conference in New York City to announce plans for their worldwide arena tour kicking off on June 2 in Ghent, Belgium. 'MILLENNIUM', the highly anticipated album by the BACKSTREET BOYS - NICK CARTER, HOWIE DOROUGH, BRIAN LITTRELL, A.J. McLEAN and KEVIN RICHARDSON - hits the stores today, May 18th worldwide. Howie D said he hoped the album would be 'heard for another thousand years to come.' Last week hundreds of young fans turned out in New York to see the pop pin-ups perform a special warm up concert. With their perfect harmonies and scintillating stage dance routines, the American boy band proved they're still very much at the top of their profession, despite younger bands like N-Sync biting at their heels. 'MILLENNIUM' is the follow-up to BACKSTREET BOYS' self titled U.S debut album and the group's third international release. The first single 'I want It That Way' is already #18 on Billboard's 'Hot 100 Singles' chart in its fifth week. The BACKSTREET BOYS, currently recognized as one of the biggest international pop groups, have dominated worldwide charts and have received gold and platinum awards in 45 countries with over 28 million albums sold. The group are winners of the 1998 MTV Video Music Award as well as the 1998 Billboard Music Award for 'Best Group and 'Best Adult Contemporary Group'. They have just picked up four awards at the 1999 World Music Awards for 'World's Best Selling Pop Group,' 'World's Best Selling R&B Group,' 'World's Best Selling Dance Group,' and 'World's Best Selling American Group.' The 42 European dates announced encompass 13 countries and will wrap up on August 7 in Stockholm Sweden. After this first leg of the tour, the group will take a break before hitting the U.S portion which will resume in September. Members of the group, who have been itchy to stretch out creatively, have taken the opportunity on 'MILLENIUM'. KEVIN RICHARDSON, wrote the acoustic-framed ballad 'Back To Your Heart' while BRIAN LITTRELL wrote 'The Perfect Fan' - a song written for his mom. Since the band first hit the scene back in 1995, the boys - Nick, brian, AJ, Kevin and Howie have dominated the charts throughout the world, have gone multi-platinum in 16 countries and sold over 10 million records worldwide. They've scored 4 Top Ten singles, including the number one sensation "Quit Playin' Games (With My Heart)." They've also racked up numerous awards, including the 1996 MTV Europe Viewers Choice Award, beating out the Spice Girls and Jamiroquai. Backstreet Boys incredible saga began four years ago in Orlando, Florida. It was there that high school students AJ MCLEAN, HOWIE DOROUGH and junior high student NICK CARTER began to run into each other at local acting auditions. The three young men became friends and formed a singing group, inspired in part by Boyz II Men and Color Me Badd. The trio then decided to expand, by two. They met KEVIN RICHARDSON through a mutual friend. After scouring Orlando for a fifth member, Kevin thought of his cousin BRIAN LITTRELL, who was in Kentucky. A phone call was made, Brian relocated and The Backstreet Boys were ready to write the first chapter of their story. At first the group did some of their favorite cover tunes, a practice that continues even today. Laughs Brian, "We still do Shai's "If I Ever Fall In Love," but eventually they began to find their own distinctive sound. Stressing their strong harmonies and a blend of pop and R&B, the fivesome began to try to secure a record deal. "We'd go to local labels and sing acappella in their foyers," recalls Howie. "We'd sing anywhere, for anybody." The hard work began to pay off and within six months of forming, BSB had become one of Florida's hottest live acts. They played everything from a high school gymnasium, Grad Night at Sea World, to an opening slot for Brandy. With all that stage experience and an indie single "Tell Me That I'm Dreaming" under their belts, BSB started writing the next chapter. Their manager Donna Wright was friends with David McPherson of Jive Records. After pleading with him to hear the band, she called him during one of BSB's dates, held up her cell phone and let him hear the pandemonium the group generated. "We got signed right after that," smiles Brian. In 1995, BSB began to lay down tracks and released "We've Got It Going On." The song took off in England and throughout the continent, where BSB's brand of R&B-Pop was just gaining a foothold. "Over there they had a bunch of what's called "boy groups,' so we had a ready made market," explains Brian, "but since we were Americans, we were a fresh new sound for Europe. We had more of an edge, and unlike a lot of those other boy groups, we were more than just a bunch of pretty guys. We could sing." In a short period of time, "I'll Never Break Your Heart" began to climb the charts. Its success laid the foundation for what was to come. In 1995, BSB won a Smash Hits Award in London for Best New Tour Act and performed the gold single "I'll Never Break Your Heart" on Top Of The Pops. 1996 kicked off with BSB being voted #1 International Group by TV viewers in Germany. Their next single, "I'll Never Break Your Heart" went gold in Germany and hit #1 in Austria. By February, the up tempo jam had entered into video and radio rotation in Montreal. BSB's sold out shows, with hordes of screaming fans, soon became legendary throughout Europe and Canada. If BSB could accomplish all that with only two singles, just imagine the reaction when BSB's self titled debut album was released in April of 1996. That summer BSB embarked on a sold out 57 date headlining European tour. By the time fall came BSB fever had swept Asia, the Pacific Rim and Australia. The year continued with BSB wrapping up a second European tour and earning the coveted 1996 MTV Europe Viewers Choice Award. Then it was off to Canada, where their CD has gone six times platinum and hit the number one spot on the charts. BSB's 32 shows sold out in under 20 minutes as the intensity moved closer to the US. "It was some kind of year," laughs Kevin, and it only laid the groundwork for the next part of the BSB story. The homecoming. Now back home in Orlando, BSB spent the early part of 1997 in the studio; crafting new vibrant songs, sharpening up their vocals, taking a more active role in the creative process and eagerly looking forward to bringing their infectious sound to a home grown audience. "We've always wanted to bring it back home," asserts Nick. "But we wanted to make sure we brought it back strong." Always a big draw in Europe, the Backstreet Boys will face stiff competition from fellow boys band rivals Boyzone whose enduring popularity continues unabated. This week they celebrated their sixth number one in Britain with the single 'You Needed Me.' SHOTLIST: WS PAN INT HALL; MS BACKSTREET BOYS PHOTOCALL; PAN ALONG GROUP; PERFORMANCE; WS PRESSER; C/A PRESS; SOT NICK; VIDEO CLIP `AS LONG AS YOU LOVE ME'; SOT KEVIN; PERFORMANCE; SOT BRIAN; WS PHOTOCALL; PAN ALONG GROUP?

FS102 SENATE FLOOR 2200 SENATE FLOOR DEBATE: The Senate convenes and proceeds to a period of morning business, disposing of objections to the Electoral College ballots of Arizona and Pennsylvania. The Senate reconvenes after Pro Trump supporters breached secrity and entered the Capitol building trying to disrupt the counting of electoral college votes TVU 29 US SENATE FLOOR 01062021 195900 PENCE 200630 PENCE>> The Senate will come to order. The Vice President, as President of the Senate, would like to give a brief statement with the indulgence of the Senators. Today was a dark day in the history of the United States Capitol. But thanks to the swift efforts of US Capitol Police, federal, state, and local law enforcement, the violence was quelled. 200658 The Capitol is secured, and the people's work continues. We condemn the violence that took place here in the strongest possible terms. We grieve the loss of life in these hallowed halls, as well as the injuries suffered by those who defended our Capitol today. And we will always be grateful to the men and women who stayed at their posts to defend this historic place. 200733 To those who wreaked havoc in our Capitol today, you did not win. Violence never wins. Freedom wins, and this is still the people's house. And as we reconvene in this chamber, the world will again witness the resilience and strength of our democracy. 200800 For even in the wake of unprecedented violence and vandalism at this Capitol, the elected representatives of the people of the United States have assembled again, on the very same day, to support and defend the Constitution of the United States. 200823 So may god bless the lost, the injured, and the heroes forged on this day. May god bless all who serve here and those who protect this place, and may god bless the United States of America. 200842 Let's get back to work. [ Applause ] 200904 MCCONNELL>> Mr. President. PENCE>> The Majority Leader. MCCONNELL>> I ask unanimous consent, the majority leader and democratic leader be allowed to speak and that the time not count against two hours of debate in relation to the objection raised on the state of Arizona. PENCE>> Is there objection? >> Without objection [inaud] PENCE>> Without objection, so ordered. MCCONNELL 200927 MCCONNELL>> I want to say to the American people, the United States Senate will not be intimidated. We will not be kept out of this chamber by thugs, mobs, or threats. We will not bow to lawlessness or intimidation. We are back at our posts. We will discharge our duty under the Constitution and for our nation, and we are going to do it tonight. 201005 This afternoon, Congress began the process of honoring the will of the American people and counting the electoral college votes. We have fulfilled this solemn duty every four years for more than two centuries whether our nation has been at war or at peace, under all manner of threats. Even during an ongoing -- ongoing armed rebellion and the civil war, the clockwork of our democracy has carried on. 201040 The United States and the United States Congress have faced down much greater threats than the unhinged crowd we saw today. We have never been deterred before, and we will be not deterred today. They tried to disrupt our democracy, they failed. They failed. 201107 They failed to attempt to obstruct the congress. This failed insurrection only underscores how crucial the task before us is for our Republic. Our nation was founded precisely so that the free choice of the American people is what shapes our self-government and determines the destiny of our nation. 201133 Not fear, not force, but the peaceful expression of the popular will. Now, we assembled this afternoon to count our citizens' votes and to formalize their choice of the next president. Now, we are going to finish exactly what we started. We will complete the process the right way, by the book. 201203 We will follow our precedents, our laws, and our Constitution to the letter. And we will certify the winner of the 2020 presidential election. Criminal behavior will never dominate the United States Congress. 201226 This institution is resilient. Our democratic Republic is strong. The American people deserve nothing less. PENCE>> Democratic leader. SCHUMER 201250 SCHUMER>> Mr. President. Mr. President, it is very, very difficult to put into words what has transpired today. I have never lived through or even imagined the experience like the one we have just witnessed in this Capitol. President Franklin Roosevelt set aside December 7, 1941, as a day that will live in infamy. 201317 Unfortunately, we can now add January 6th, 2021, to that very short list of dates in American history that will live forever in infamy. This temple to democracy was desecrated. Its windows smashed, our offices vandalized. The world saw Americans' elected officials hurriedly ushered out because they were in harm's way. 201348 The House and Senate floors were places of shelter until the evacuation was ordered, leaving rioters to stalk these hallowed halls. Lawmakers and our staffs, average citizens who love their country, serve it every day, feared for their lives. I understand that one woman was shot and tragically lost her life. We mourn her and feel for her friends and family. 201417 These images were projected to the world. Foreign embassies cabled home their capitol -- home capitols to report the harrowing scenes at the very heart of our democracy. This will be a stain on our country not so easily washed away. The final terrible, indelible legacy of the 45th president of the United States, undoubtedly our worst. 201447 I want to be very clear: those who performed these reprehensible acts cannot be called protesters. No, these were rioters and insurrectionists, goons and thugs, domestic terrorists. They do not represent America. They were a few thousand violent extremists who tried to take over the capitol building and attack our democracy. 201517 They must and should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law, hopefully by this administration. If not, certainly by the next. They should be -- they should be provided no leniency. I want to thank the many of the Capitol Hill Police and Secret Service and local police who kept us safe today, and worked to clear the Capitol and return it to its rightful owners and its rightful purpose. 201547 I want to thank the leaders, Democrat and Republican, House and Senate. It was speaker Pelosi, leader Mcconnell, leader McCarthy and myself who came together and decided that these thugs would not succeed, that we would finish the work of our Constitution -- that our Constitution requires us to complete in the very legislative chambers of the House and Senate that were desecrated. 201613 But we know always belong to the people, and do again tonight. But make no mistake. Make no mistake, my friends, today's events did not happen spontaneously. The President, who promoted conspiracy theories that motivated these thugs, the President who exhorted them to come to our nation's Capitol, egged them on, he hardly ever discourages violence, and more often encourages it. 201646 This President bears a great deal of the blame. This mob was in good part President Trump's doing, [audible groans] incited by his words, his lies. This violence in good part, his responsibility, his everlasting shame. 201711 Today's events certainly, certainly would not have happened without him. Now, January 6th will go down as one of the darkest days in recent American history, a final warning to our nation about the consequences of a demagogic president, the people who enable him, the captive media that parrots his lies, and the people who follow him as he attempts to push America to the brink of ruin. 201749 As we reconvene tonight, let us remember in the end, all this mob has really accomplished is to delay our work by a few hours. We will resume our responsibilities now and we will finish our task tonight. The House and Senate chambers will be restored good as new and ready for legislating in short order. 201812 The counting of the electoral votes is our sacred duty. Democracy's roots in this nation are deep, they are strong, and they will not be undone ever by a group of thugs. Democracy will triumph as it has for centuries. So, to my fellow Americans who were shocked and appalled by the images on their televisions today, and who are worried about the future of this country, let me speak to you directly. 201845 The divisions in our country clearly run deep, but we are a resilient, forward-looking, and optimistic people. And we will begin the hard work of repairing this nation tonight because here in America we do hard things. In America, we always overcome our challenges. I yield the floor. MCCONNELL>> Mr. President. PENCE>> Majority Leader. MCCONNELL>> I yield two minutes to the senator from Oklahoma, Senator Lankford. PENCE>> Senator from Oklahoma. JAMES LANKFORD 201924 LANKFORD>> The Vice President, you said things more eloquently than how we say it in Oklahoma. In Oklahoma, we'd say something like, "why in god's name would someone think attacking law enforcement and occupying the United States capitol is the best way to show that you're right? Why would you do that?" 201945 Rioters and thugs don't run the Capitol. We're the United States of America. We disagree on a lot of things and we have a lot of spirited debate in this room, but we talk it out and we honor each other, even in our disagreements. That person, that person, that person is not my enemy. That's my fellow American. 202010 And while we disagree on things and disagree strongly at times, we do not encourage what happened today, ever. And I -- I want to join my fellow senators in saying thank you to the capitol hill police, the law enforcement, the National Guard, the secret service who stood in harm's way. While we were here debating, they were pushing back. And I was literally interrupted mid-sentence speaking here because we were all unaware of what was happening right outside this room. 202045 Because of their faithfulness and because of what they have done, and I want to thank you them -- thank them. Ronald Reagan once said, "peace is not the absence of conflict. It is the ability to handle conflict by peaceful means." The peaceful people in my state in Oklahoma want their questions answered, but they don't want this, what happened today. 202115 They want to do the right thing, and they also want to do it the right way. They want to honor the constitutional process, but they also want to have debate about election security because they want to make sure it's right, which is why it's an important issue that still needs to be resolved. Transparency in government just doesn't seem like a bad idea. 202137 Obviously, the commission that we have asked for is not going to happen at this point. And I understand that. And we're headed towards tonight, towards the certification of Joe Biden to be the President of the United States. And we will work together in this body to be able to set a peaceful example for the days ahead. I yield the floor. PENCE>> Democratic leader. SCHUMER>> Senator from Nevada, Senator Cortez Masto. PENCE>> Senator from Nevada. CATHERINE CORTEZ MASTO 202212 MASTO>> Mr. Vice President, I know that this room is full of leaders of both parties who love this country, and many believe that for America to succeed, our politics must find common ground. And that has never been clearer than today when armed rioters stormed the U.S. Capitol, emboldened by President Trump's false and inflammatory rhetoric about the 2020 elections. 202243 I believe that we, in this chamber, have a special duty as leaders to work together to lower the temperature of our politics. And I hope that my colleagues who have questioned the legitimacy of this election in Arizona and all of these other states now see the dire and dangerous consequences of sowing doubt and uncertainty. 202309 I also know that, as U.S. Senators, we all take solemnly the oath we swear to support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic. At this moment in history, I can think of nothing more patriotic than renewing our faith in the charters of freedom that our founding fathers crafted for our Republic, starting with the fundamental American principle in our Declaration of Independence that governments derive their just powers from the consent of the government. 202345 The people have spoken in this election. And our only job here today is to do what they ask. It is not to argue election security. That's not the place for what we are doing today. Our Constitution specifically reserves to the people the right to meet in their representative states and vote for the President and Vice President. As a result, individual states oversee and implement the process, not the federal government. 202416 To guard against fraud or irregularities in the voting process, the states are required to have robust election security measures. Likewise, state legislatures have the opportunity to examine evidence of voter fraud before they certified their electoral college votes, and our courts from district courts to the United States Supreme Court adjudicate legal challenges and election disputes. 202443 All of those things happened after the 2020 election. Statehouses and courts across the country took allegations of voter fraud seriously, and followed the constitutional process to hear challenges to this year's elections. No state found evidence of any widespread voter fraud, and neither did any court ask to review the state's findings. 202507 In Arizona, Republican Governor Doug Ducey, Democratic Secretary of State Katie Hobbs, Republican attorney general Mark Bernovich and state supreme court chief Justice Robert Brutinel certified the results of the election on November 30th. And we know, we have heard, Arizonans have been voting by mail for almost 30 years, and Governor Ducey has expressed confidence in the state's process numerous times. 202536 In November, he said "we do elections well here in Arizona. The system is strong and that's why I have bragged on it so much." He further stated, "we have some of the strongest election laws in the country, laws that prioritize accountability and clearly lay out our procedures for conducting, canvassing and even contesting the results." And they are right. Arizona has one of the most transparent election processes in the country, with built-in accountability, starting with the internal auditing. 202610 We have heard unfounded allegations that voting machines in Arizona and elsewhere somehow changed vote tallies or somehow improperly rejected ballots, while claiming to accept them. These allegations all ignore the fact that Arizona counties conducted ballot audits by hand to double-check the machine counts, and these audits found no widespread fraud or irregularities. 202637 Maricopa County, the county where the -- more than 60% of the state's population resides, conducted a post-election hand count audit in the week after the election, which showed perfect, 100% accuracy in the machine tabulations. So why would we need, my colleagues, to call for a ten-day emergency audit to be conducted by a legislative commission when it's already been done by the state of Arizona? What happened to states' rights? 202710 The audit involved checking ballots for the presidential election, but also ballots for federal and state legislative elections. The audit report shows every precinct's machine and hand count for each of the races audited, and for every single race in every precinct, the difference between the hand count and machine count was zero. Maricopa's audit report stated "no discrepancies were found by the hand count audit boards." 202740 Seeking to find any reasons to contest these results, some of the state Republicans even tried to claim that Maricopa County failed to follow state law in conducting this audit by selecting voting center locations to audit instead of voting precincts. [8:27:55 pm] This is wrong. It went to a court, state court in Arizona found the county followed the issue guidance from the Arizona secretary of state. The court found maricopa could not perform the audit the way the plaintiff wanted it done. PENCE>> Senator's five minute is expired. >> Thank you, Mr. Vice president. I would close by saying please my colleagues, do not disenfranchise the voters of Arizona and certify their votes tonight. Thank you. >> Majority leader. [8:28:58 pm] >> I yield the five minutes to the Utah senator. >> Senator from Utah. MIKE LEE >> Mr. President, the time I prepared my remarks seems like a lifetime ago. A lot changed in last few hours. And so I'm going to deliver some of the same remarks but has a little bit of a different feel. Than it would have just a few hours ago. My thoughts and prayers go out to the family members of those who have been injured or killed today. My heart felt gratitude goes out to the capitol hill police that defended our building and our lives. Legitimate concerns habeen raised to how the battleground states conducted their presidential elections. This is not the end of the [8:30:01 pm] story. We each have to remember that we swore an oath to uphold, protect, and defend this document. Written nearly 2 1/2 centuries ago by a Wiseman raised up by god to that very purpose that document makes clear what our rule is and what it isn't. It makes clear who does what when it comes to deciding presidential elections. You see, because in our system of government, presidents are not directly elected. They're chosen by presidential electors. And the constitution makes very clear that the states shall appoint presidential electors accord procedures that their legislatures develop. Then comes the 12th amendment. It explains what we're doing here today in the capitol, explains that the president of the senate, the vice president of the United States shall open the ballots and the votes shall then be counted. It's those words that confine, [8:31:01 pm] define, and constrain every scrap of authority we have in this process. Our job is to open and then count, open then count. That's it. That's all there is. Now there are, of course, rare instance instances in which multiple slates of electors can be slated for each state. That doesn't happen very often. It happened in 1960, it happened in 1876. Let's hope it doesn't ever happen again. In those rare moments, Congress has to make a choice and has to decide which of the electoral votes will be counted in which will not that did not happen here. Thank heavens and let's hope that it never does.Now, many of my colleagues have raised objections, or had previously stated their intent to raise objections with regard to these. [8:31:40 pm] I've spent an enormous time on this issue over the last few weeks. I've met with lawyers on both sides of the issue. I've met with lawyers representing the Trump campaign, reading everything I could find about the constitutional provisions in question. And I've spent a lot of time on the phone with legislators and other leaders from the contested states.I didn't initially declare my position, because I didn't get have one. I wanted to get the facts first and I wanted to understand what was happening. I wanted to give the people serving in government in the contested states, the opportunity to do whatever they felt they needed to do to make sure that their election was properly reflected. [8:32:25 pm] I spent an enormous amount of time reaching out to state government officials in those states but in none of the contested states No Not even one.Did I discover any indication that there was any chance that any state legislature, or Secretary of State, or governor or lieutenant governor had any intention to alter the slate of electors. That being the case, our job is a very simple one. This simply isn't how our federal system is supposed to work. That is to say, if you have concerns with the way that an election in the presidential race was handled in your state, the appropriate response is to approach your state legislators. [8:33:14 pm] First and foremost, these protests from hearing from those who have raised concerns. They should have been focused on their state capitals, not their nation's Pac capital, because our role is narrow our role is defined our role is limited. Yes, we are the election judges. When it comes to members elected to our own body, and guess the House of Representatives. They're the judges of their own races there. We also have the authority to prescribe as a congress rules governing the time place and manner of elections for senators and representatives, there is no corresponding authority with respect to presidential elections. None, what so ever, it doesn't exist. Our job is to convene to open the balance, and to count them. That's it. Thank you, Mr. President, I yield the floor. [8:34:03 pm] PENCE>> Yes, Democratic leader, SCHUMER>> Colorado, Mr. Bennett. PENCE>> Senator from Colorado. MICHAEL BENNET BENNET>> Thank you, Mr. Vice President. Thank you, Mr President, colleagues. It's been a terrible day for everybody here and, and I, and for our country. One of the things I was thinking about today is something I often think about when I'm on this floor which is that the founders of this country the people that wrote our constitution actually knew our history better than we know our history. [8:34:40 pm] And I was thinking about that history today as we saw the mob riot in Washington DC thinking about what the founders were thinking about when they wrote our constitution which was what happened to the Roman Republic. When armed gangs, doing the work for politicians prevented Rome, from casting their ballots. For console's for prayers for senators. These were the offices in Rome. And these armed gangs ran through the streets of Rome, keeping elections from being started keeping elections from ever being called and in the end. [8:35:23 pm] Because of that, the Roman Republic valve and a dictator took its place. And that was the end of the Roman Republic or any Republic for that matter. Until this beautiful Constitution was written in the United States of America. So it is my fervent hope that the way that we respond to this today, my dear colleagues, is that we give the biggest bipartisan vote we can, in support of our democracy, and in support of our constitution and in rejection for what we saw today and what the Roman Republic saw in its own time. [8:36:05 pm] There's a tendency around this place, I think, to always believe that we're the first people to confront something when that's seldom the case. And to under appreciate what the effect of our actions will be. We need to deeply appreciate in this moment, our obligation to the Constitution obligation to the democracy obligation to the Republic. There are people in this chamber that have twisted the words, [8:36:59 pm] twisted the words of a statue written in the 19th century that was meant to settle our electoral dispute, to leave them with the state. As the senator from Utah was saying, to give us a ministerial role except in certain circumstances, that's what the law is about that the senator from Texas was talking about today. That's the law that's leading us to be asked to overturn the judgments of 60 courts in America, many of the courts in Arizona, some of whom have held the president's lawyers out of the courtrooms because there's no evidence of fraud. By the way, the fact that 37% or 39% of Americans think there's no evidence of fraud or they think there's evidence of fraud does not mean there is fraud. If you turned a blind eye to a [8:38:03 pm] conspiracy theory, you can't now come to the floor of the senate and say you're ignoring the people who believe their election was stolen. Go out there and tell them the truth! Which is that every single member of this senate knows this election wasn't stolen and that we, just as in the Roman republic, have a responsibility to protect the Independence of the judiciary from politicians who will stop at nothing to hold on to power. There is nothing new about that either. That's been true since the first republic was founded. So now we find ourselves in the position just days after many senators here swore an oath to uphold and defend the constitution, every single member of the house of representatives swore the same oath as well. I think we've got a solemn [8:39:05 pm] obligation and responsibility here to prove once again that this country is a nation of laws and not of men. The only result that we can reach together is one that rejects the claim of the senator from Texas and the other members of the house and senate who seek to overturn the decisions that have been made by the states, by the voters in the states and by the courts. If we follow what they have proposed, we will be the ones that will have disenfranchised every single person who cast a vote in this election, whether they voted for the present or they didn't. I urge you to reject this and I deeply appreciate the opportunity to serve with every single one of you. Thank you, Mr. President. PENCE>> Majority leader. [8:40:06 pm] MCCONNELL>> I yield up to five minutes to the senator from Georgia, senator Loeffler. PENCE>> The senator from Georgia. KELLY LOEFFLER LOEFFLER>> Mr. President, when I arrived in Washington this morning I fully intended to object to the certification of the electoral votes. However, the events that have transpired today have forced me to reconsider and I cannot now in good conscience object to the certification of these electors. The violence, the lawlessness and siege of the halls of congress are abhorrent and stand as a direct attack on the very institution my objection was intended to protect, the sanctity of the American democratic process. I thank law enforcement for keeping us safe. I believe that there were last-minute changes to the November 2020 election process and serious irregularities that resulted in too many Americans losing confidence not only in [8:41:07 pm] the integrity of our elections but in the power of the ballot as a tool of democracy. Too many Americans are frustrated at what they see as an unfair system. Nevertheless, there is no excuse for the events that took place in these chambers today, and I pray that America never suffers such a dark day again. Though the fate of this vote is clear, the future of the American people's faith in the core institution of this democracy remains uncertain. We as a body must turn our focus to protecting the integrity of our elections and restoring every American's faith that their voice and their vote matters. America is a divided country with serious differences but it is still the greatest country on Earth. There can be no disagreement that up holding democracy is the only path to preserving our Republican. I yield the floor. [8:42:08 pm] PENCE>> Democratic leader. SCHUMER>> -- Minutes to senator booker an two-and-a-half minutes to senator Kane, in reverse order. Mr. President and my colleagues. PENCE>> The senator from Virginia. TIM KAINE KAINE>> I applaud the comments of my colleague from Georgia deeply. My first job after school was in Macon, Georgia, working for a federal judge, Lanier Anderson. I learned a lot about integrity and a lot about law from him. I also learned some sad lessons, that in the history of Georgia and, indeed, Virginia and many states so many people, especially people of color, have been disenfranchised over the course of our history. Our late friend John Lewis, congressman from Georgia, was savagely beaten on bloody Sunday just for marching for voting [8:43:10 pm] rights. That act of violence inspired this body, the U.S. Senate, to come together in March of 1965 and work to pass in a bipartisan fashion the voting rights act. We should be coming together today after acts of violence as a United States senate to affirm the votes of all who cast ballots in November. Instead, we are contemplating an unprecedented objection that would be a massive disenfranchisement of American voters. The Georgia result was very clear, a 12,000 vote margin, two certifications by Republican officials, four separate recounts and canvasses, seven lawsuits, as in the other states. If we object to results like this, the message is so clear. We are saying to states, no matter how secure and accurate [8:44:12 pm] your elections are, we will gladly overthrow them if we don't like who you voted for. But more importantly, what we'll be saying, really what we will be doing is as the body that acted together to guarantee ICANs the right to vote, we will become the agent of one of the most massive disenfranchisements in the history of this country. So I urge all of my colleagues, please oppose these objections. Thank you and I yield to my colleague from New Jersey. PENCE>> Senator from New Jersey. CORY BOOKER BOOKER>> Mr. Vice president, I can only think of two times in American history that individuals laid siege to our capitol, stormed our secret [8:45:12 pm] civic spaces and tried to upend and overrun this government. One was in the war of 1812. The other one was today. What is interesting about the parallel between the two is they both were waving flags to a sole sovereign, to an individual, surrendering democratic principle to the cultive personality. One was a monarch in England and the other were the flags I saw all over our capitol including in the hallways and in this room to a single person named Donald Trump. The sad difference between these two times is one was yet another nation in the history of our country that tried to challenge the United States of America, but this time we brought this hell upon ourselves. [8:46:17 pm] My colleague from Texas said th that this was a moment where there were unprecedented allegations of voter fraud. Yes, that is true. They were unprecedented when the president before the election en happened said, "If I lose this election then the election was rigged." That's unprecedented. It is unprecedented before the night of the voting even count -- the counting of the vote was even done that he called it rigged. It is unprecedented that he is fanning the flames of conspiracy theory to create a smoke screen in this nation to cover what he is trying to do, which is undermine our democratic principles, but it is not just that. The shame of this day is being aided and abetted by good Americans who are falling prey, who are choosing trump over truth, who are surrendering to [8:47:19 pm] the passion of lies as opposed to standing up and speaking truth to power, who are trying to fund raise off of the shame of conspiracy theories as opposed to doing the incalculably valuable, patriotic thing to speak truth to our nation. Our democracy is wounded and I saw it when I saw pictures of yet another insurgency, of a flag of another group of Americans who tried to challenge our nation. I saw the flag of the confederacy there. What will we do? How will we confront this shame? How will we confront this dark second time in American history? I pray that we remember a Georgian and his words. All I can say is we must in spirit join together like those [8:48:21 pm] Georgians on a bridge called the Edmond Pettis who joined hands, who were called threats to our democracy, who were called outrageous epithets when they sought to expand our democracy, to save it, to heal it, when joiey joined arm inrm and said what we should say now, commit ourselves to that ideal, that together we shall overcome. PENCE>> Majority leader. MCCONNELL>> Mr. President, I yield up to five minutes to the senator from Nebraska, senator sasse. PENCE>> Senator sasse. BEN SASSE SASSE>> Thank you. Mr. Vice president, let me say before I begin, thank you for the way you have fulfilled your constitutional duties and your oath of office today, it obviously hasn't been easy. Colleagues, today has been ugly. And when I came to the floor this morning I planned to talk about the lesson of 1801, because I'm kind of a history [8:49:22 pm] nerd. I wanted to celebrate the glories of the peaceful transition of power across our nation's history. It feels a little naive now to talk about ways that American civics might be something that could unite us in bringing us back together. 1801 blew everybody's mind all over the world, by the way. John Adams loses to Thomas Jefferson and Adams willingly leaves the executive mansion and moves back to Massachusetts and Jefferson peacefully assumes power. People all over Europe said, that must be fake news, that must be bad reports. There's no way an executive will willingly lay down power. Yet Adams in defeat did something glorious to give all of us a gift. I wanted to celebrate that, and it feels a little bit harder now. This building has been hallways. I was with octogenarian members of this chamber that needed to have troops and police stabilize them to get down the sirs at a [8:50:22 pm] time when a lot of our staffs were panicked and under their desks and not knowing what was going to happen to them. It was ugly today. But it turns out when something is ugly, talking about beauty isn't just permissible. Talking about beauty is obligatory at a time like that? Why would we talk about beauty after the ugliness of today? Because our kids need to know this isn't what America is. What happened today isn't what America is. They've been given a glorious inheritance. This is the 59th presidential election. If the vice president wasn't the chair and if the president pro tem was, I would have made some joke that chuck grassley had voted in two-thirds of those presidential elections. He's laughing. It's not as good as hit deer, deer dead, but it still got a ghastly laugh. I don't think we want to tell the Americans that come after that this is broken, that our [8:51:22 pm] institutions can't be trusted. We don't want that in this body. We don't want that in our hometowns. I don't think we want to tell our kids that America's best days are behind us because it's not true. That isn't who we are. America isn't hatfields and mccoys, blood feud forever. America is a union. There's a lot that's broken in this country, but anything that's so big that the American people can't rebuild it, that freedom and community and entrepreneurial effort and that neighborhoods can't rebuild. Nothing that's broken is so big that we can't fix it. Generations of our forefathers and our foremothers, our ancestors have spilled blood to defend the glories of this republic. Why would they do that? Because America is the most exceptional nation in the history of the world and because the constitution is the greatest political document that's ever been written. Most governments in the past have said might makes right, and [8:52:23 pm] we saw some of that nuttery today. Might makes right. No, it doesn't. God gives us rights by nature, and government is just our shared project to secure those rights. America has always been about what we choose to do together, the way we reaffirm our constitutional system. We've got some governmental tasks and we all in this body could do better at those governmental tasks. But the heart of America is our government. The center of America is not Washington, D.C. The center of America is the neighborhoods where 330 million Americans are raising their kids and trying to put food on the table and trying to love their neighbor. That's the center of America. We're not supposed to be the most important in America. We're supposed to be servant leaders who try to maintain a framework for ordered liberty so there's a structure that back home where they live, they can get from the silver frame of structure and order to the golden apple at the center, as Washington would have said it, which is the things that they build together, the places where they coach little league, the places where they invite people [8:53:23 pm] to synagogue or church. Sometimes the big T things we do together are governmental, like kicking hitler's ass or going to the moon. Sometimes there is governmental stuff, but the heart of America is about places where moms and dads are raising kids, and we're supposed to serve them by maintaining order and by rejecting violence. You can't do big things like that if you hate your neighbors. You can't do big things together as Americans if you think other Americans are the enemy. There' a lot of uncertainty about the future. I get it. There's a lot that does need to be rebuilt. But if you're angry, I want to beg you don't let the screamers who monetize hate have the final word. Don't let nye hillists become your drug dealers. Don't let them be your prophets. Instead, organize, persuade, but most importantly, love your [8:54:24 pm] neighbor. Visit the widower down the street who is lonely and doesn't have a lot of friends. Shovel somebody's driveway. You can't hate somebody who just shoveled your driveway. The heart of life is about community and neighborhood, and we're supposed to be servant leaders. The constitutional system is still the greatest order for any government ever, and it's our job to steward it and protect it. Let's remember that today when we vote. PENCE>> Democratic leader. SCHUMER>> Senator Durbin. PENCE>> Senator from Illinois. DICK DURBIN DURBIN>> Thank you, Mr. Vice president. In March of 1861, a Springfield lawyer caught a train to Washington. His name was Abraham Lincoln. It wasn't his first trip here. He'd served as a congressman 15 years before, and he returned in the beginning of the civil war to serve as president. It was a different place than he [8:55:24 pm] knew it as congressman. In 15 years it had changed a lot. The sprigs boarding house, which is now the library of congress, was gone. And this building was changing. Big changes. They were building a dome on the capitol. But they were also in the earliest day of the wars -- and president Lincoln was counseled -- stop building the dome. Costs too much money. We can't spend any more time on it. And he said, no. We're going to build that dome, and we're going to finish it. That dome and this building will be a symbol of this country that will survive this civil war and come back strong. So they built the dome. They won the war. And since those days, that dome and this building have been a symbol to this country, a symbol of unity and of hope. Tourists come through here before covid-19 by the tens of [8:56:25 pm] thousands. And if you've ever noticed their tours, they're often shushed. People are saying, show some respect for this building. We know this building in the rotunda as a pla where some of the greatest American heroes of both political parties lie in state, and we go there to honor them. We know this building bec we work here. We enact laws here that change America. We gather for state of the union messages from presidents and honor the people in the gallery. This is a special place. This is a sacred place. But this sacred place was deseated by a mob today on our watch. This temple to democracy was defiled by thugs W who roamed T the halls and sat in that chair, Mr. Vice president, the one that you vacated at 2:15 this afternoon, sat and posed for [8:57:28 pm] pictures, those who were roaming around this chamber. What brought this on? Did this mob spring spontaneously from America? No. This mob was invited to come to Washington on this day by this president for one reason, because he knew the electoral college vote was going to be counted this day. He wanted this mob to disrupt the constitutional process which we are part of. This mob was inspired by a president who cannot accept defeat. If you wonder whether I'm going too far in what I say, just read the transcript with the secretary of state from Georgia and ten to this president's wild conspiracy theories, one after the other, swatted down by that Republican elected official and his attorney as having no basis in fact. This president begs, he coaxes, [8:58:30 pm] he even threatens that secretary of state to find the votes E needs. In any other venue, that would be a simple, obvious crime. The lengths he will go to are obvious. The Texas senator says to us, well, many people still agree with him, you know, when it gets down to the bottom LI. Many people have fallen for this presidential position that it must hav been a rigged election if lost. Well, I would say that after we'-- we'veost lost count -- 57 lawsuits, 62 lawsuits? I've heard so many different numbers. After 90 judges. After this president took his case, the best he could put together, to the highest court in the land across the street where he has personally chosen three justices on the supreme court, I say to the senator from Tes, you know much more about that court than I do. I don't believe they let that paper that he sent tp there even [8:59:31 pm] hit the desk before they laughed it out of the court. And that's the best he had to offer. No evidence whatsoever of this rigged election and this fraud lens. The senator from Texas says, we just want to create a little commission. Ten days. We're going to audit all the states, particularly the ones in contention here, and find out what actually occurred. And it really draws its parallel to 1876, Hayes and Tilden. Don't forget what that commission, that so-called political compromise, achieved. not just some ordinary governmental commission. It was a commission that killed recons thauction that established Jim crow, that even a civil war which tore this nation apart, it re-enslaved African-Americans, and it was a commission that invited the voter suppression we are still fighting today in America. Let me close by saying this. The vote we're going to have here is a clear choice of whether we are going to to feed the beast of ignorance or we are going to tell the truth to the American people. We saw that beast today roaming the halls. Let's not invite it back. PENCE>> Majority leader. MCCONELL>> I yield up to five minutes to the senator fro Kansas, senator Marshall. PENCE>> Senator from Kansas. ROGER MARSHALL MARSHALL>> Thank you, Mr. Esidpresident. Free spem of speech and the freedom to protest are provided [9:01:07 pm] in our constitution, and while I share the same frustrations many Americans have over the presidential election, the violence and mob rule which occurred at the U.S. Kpom today and across the country over the past year are unacceptable, and I condemn them at the highest level. And like all of us in the chamber, I'm thankful for the heroic law enforcement officers who worked feverishly to restore order so we can get back to the electoral certification process. During my 29-year career as an on STE trigs and gynecologist, too often had to sit down with patients and give them a very bad diagnosis. It might have been a young mother of three who delivered all three of her babies now with metastatic cancer. But before I sat down with each one of those patients, I carefully reviewed all their labs, their x-rays, and their pathology to make sure I had the facts straight. But at the end of the day, my [9:02:07 pm] final recommendation was always going to be a recommendation from my heart. I want all my foal low Kansas and Americans to know I gave much consideration to objecting to state electoral votes as I did for a treatment plan for a serious health concern and today's decision is again from my heart. Mr. President, I rise today to restore integrity to our public and I rise to join many of our colleagues concerned for future and current generations. We must restore faith and confidence in our patriotic duties, voting. There is no question our U.S. Constitution empowers state legislatures to execute free, legal and fair elections. And fortunately in several states the clear authority of those state legislatures to determine the rules for voting were usurped by governors, secretaries of states and activist courts. Our laws and constitution should always be followed, especially [9:03:09 pm] in a time of crisis. I rise in hopes of improving the integrity of the ballot to hold states accountable to the system of the electoral college. This is why I urge the formation of electoral commission to give constructive suggestions and recommendation the states can make to make our election once again safe, free, and fair after a year of jarring irregularities. We must and will have a peaceful transition to power. To all my fellow Americans, I have no doubt that our republic can grow stronger through this difficult day. May god blss this great republic. Thank you, Mr. President. I yield back. [9:03:40 pm] PENCE>> Democratic leader. SCHUMER>> Senator Duckworth PENCE>> senator from Illinois TAMMY DUCKWORTH [9:03:50 pm] DUCKWORTH>> resident in 2004. I packed up my rucksack laced up my boots and deployed to Iraq, ready to sacrifice whatever was asked of me. All because I love this nation, willing to sacrifice my life is if needed. Because I believe in the sanctity of our electoral system, which had declared george w bush my commander in chief. I earned my wounds proudly fighting in a war I did not support on the orders of a president, I did not vote for because I believed in, and I still do believe in the values of our nation. Because I believe in a government of by and for the people, where voters voters, choose who leads them, not the other way around. 210442 I have spent my entire adult life defending our democracy, but I never, never thought it would be necessary to defend it from an attempted violent overthrow in our nation's own Capitol Building. [9:04:57 pm] Well, I refuse to let anyone intent on instigating chaos, or inciting violence deter me from carrying out my constitutional duties. You know when my army buddies and I raised our right hands. When 240 5000 troops in Arizona, raised their right hands and swore to protect and defend the Constitution. We did not qualify our oath by saying that we'd follow orders, only when the commander in chief was someone whose election we were happy with. Just like when every senator in this chamber was sworn into office, we didn't mutter under our breath that we discharge our duties, only when it served our political interests or helped us to avoid the wrath of a petty insecure wannabe tin pot dictator on the precipice of losing power and relevance. [9:05:48 pm] No, there is no ambiguity here. Joe Biden won the election, with a record number of votes republican officials nationwide confirm those results, including an Arizona, as has judge after Trump appointed judge. Even Trump's Attorney General admitted that the United States Department of Justice, had not found widespread fraud that would have affected the outcome. Yet still many of my Republican colleagues are asking us to ignore all of that, with no evidence of their own, they're asking us to ignore court rulings ignore republican election officials and even worse. Ignore the will of the people across this vast great nation by trying to overturn this election. They are placing more trust in Reddit conspiracy theories over the Constitution, proving that appeasing Trump is more important to them than protecting the most basic tenet of our republic. That adherence to free and fair elections. 210658 There's one thing I know, it's that my troops didn't sign up to defend our democracy in war zones thousands of miles away, only to watch it crumble in these hallowed halls here, at home. Yet, that is what this effort amounts to -- an attempt to subvert our democracy and, in the process it is threatening what makes America American. [9:07:21 pm] Because in this country, in this country, the power of the people has always mattered more than the people in power. That is the ideal that this nation was founded upon. That is why a few patriots threw some tea in Boston Harbor. Why Washington crossed the Delaware. Why suffragists were arrested a century ago, and why my friend john lewis cross that bridge in Selma in 1965. It is why millions spent a Tuesday in November, standing in line braving a pandemic to make their voices heard. Listen, this administration has always had an advanced adversarial relationship with the truth. [9:08:05 pm] Trump, always cries conspiracy. Always foment chaos. Whenever something doesn't go his way. But today we here in this chamber, have the opportunity to prove that here, in this country, truth matters that right matters that the will of the people matters more than the whims of any single powerful individual. I have no tea to throw in Boston Harbor tonight. And I regret that I have no rucksack to pack for my country. No Blackhawk to pilot. Nor am I asking for any grand gesture for my Republican colleagues. [9:08:55 pm] All that I'm asking of you is to reflect on the odds that you have sworn on the damage done to our union today. And on the sacrifices made by those who have given so much to this nation from the service members at Fort Huachuca and Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, to the marchers who bet America's moral Ark a bit more towards justice with every single step that they took every bridge that they cross, then ask yourself whether the democracy, they were willing to believe for the country that each of us in this chamber has sworn to defend is worth damaging. In order to protect the porcelain ego of a man who treats the constitution as if it were little more than a yellowing piece of paper. [9:09:45 pm] I think we all know the right answer. [applause] PENCE>> Majority later MCCONNELL>> misread on a yield up to five minutes, that the Senator from Kentucky senator paul PENCE>> senator from Kentucky. RAND PAUL PAUL>> I wrote a speech for today. I was planning to say that I fear the chaos of establishing a precedent that Congress can overturn elections. Boy, was I right chaos anarchy. The violence today was wrong, and unAmerican. The vote we're about to cast is incredibly important. Now more than ever, the question is, should Congress override the certified results from the States, and nullify the state's rights to conduct elections. [9:10:35 pm] The vote today is not a protest. The vote today is literally to overturn elections. We've been told that this is a protest. This is about an electoral commission. No, it's not. It's about whether to seat the electors that have been certified by a state. It's not about an electoral commission it's not about a protest, you can go outside if you want to protest. This is about overturning a state certified election, if you vote to overturn these elections, wouldn't it be the opposite of what states rights Republicans have always advocated for him. This would do the electoral college forever. It was never intended by our founders that Congress have the power to overturn state certified elections, my oath to the Constitution doesn't allow me to disobey the law. [9:11:20 pm] I can't vote to overturn the verdict of states. Such a vote would be to overturn everything held dear by those of us who support the rights of states in this great system of federalism those bequeathed to us by our founders, the electoral college was created to devolve the power of selecting presidential lectores to the States. The Electoral College is without question, and inseparable friend to those who believe that every American across our vast country deserves to be heard. If Congress were to give the power to overturn the state's election. What terrible chaos would ensue every four years. [9:12:05 pm] Imagine the Fuhrer against the electoral college if Congress becomes a forum to overturn state's Electoral College slates. It's one thing to be angry. It's another to focus one's anger in constructive ways that hasn't happened today, to say the least. We simply cannot destroy the Constitution, our laws and the Electoral College in the process. I hope as the nation's anger cools, we can channel that energy into essential electoral reforms at the state level. America's admired around the world for our free elections. [9:12:45 pm] We must we absolutely must fix this mess and restore confidence and integrity to our elections, we must PENCE>> Democratic leader. SCHUMER>> Senator from Virginia Senator Warner PENCE>> senator from Virginia, MARK WARNER WARNER>> Mr. President. I think like most of us I'm still pretty reeling from what happened today. what I was going to talk about was the work and the work that I'm most proud of since I've been here with my good friend Richard Burr, and all the members of the Intelligence Committee, [9:13:25 pm] about a multi year report we did into foreign interference in our elections are probably our top recommendation of that five volume bipartisan report was that any official or candidate should use restraint and caution when questioning results of our elections. Because when you do so, you often carry out the goals of our foreign adversaries. Use caution because whether knowingly or unknowingly. And whether the adversary is in Russia or China or Iran, their goals are pretty simple. [9:14:10 pm] They want to make it appear to Americans to folks around the world for their own people that there's nothing special about American democracy. I was going to try and a feeble way to maybe reach some of the rhetorical heights and Ben sasse and I knew I couldn't do that. So instead, on violate rules here and he's a day for violence. This is a photo prepared today on one of the most prominent German newspapers. You don't need to drop it you can drop photos from any newspaper or any television feed anywhere across the world. And what is this photo of it's of thugs thugs in the halls of this Capitol diminishing everything we say we believe in. [9:15:04 pm] In this democracy. When you look at those images, realize those images are priceless. For our adversaries are willing tonight. In an overwhelming way, we're going to take a small step in a bipartisan way to start restoring that trust of our people and hopefully the billions of people around the world who believe in that notion of American democracy. Remember, these images will still enter a yield. [9:15:44 pm] PENCE>> Majority Leader. MCCONNELL>> Mr. President, I yield five minutes to the Senator from Missouri, Senator Hawley PENCE senator from Missouri JOSH HAWLEY HAWLEY>> Mr. President. Thank you. I want to begin this evening, by saying thank you To the men and women of the capitol, the police, the national guards men, the metropolitan police and others that came to this capitol that [9:16:26 pm] put their lives on the line to protect everyone here working inside it. I want to thank law enforcement all across the country who do that day in and day out. I just want to acknowledge when it comes to violence, this has been a terrible year in America against law enforcement and today we saw it here in the capitol of the United States. And in this country, in the United States of America, we cannot say emphatically enough violence is not how you achieve change. Violence is not how you achieve something better. Our constitution was built and put into place so that there would be, in the words of Abraham Lincoln, no appeal from ballots to bullets, which is what we saw unfortunately attempted tonight. There is no place for that in the United States of America. And that's why I submit to my colleagues that what we're doing here tonight is actually very important. Because for those that have [9:17:27 pm] concerns about the integrity of our elections, those that have concerns about what happened in November, this is the appropriate means, this is the lawful place where those objections and concerns should be heard. This is the forum that the law provides for our laws, provide for for those concerns to be registered, not through violence. Not by appealing from ballots to bullets but here in this lawful process. So to those who say that this is just a formality today, an antique ceremony that we have engaged in for a couple of hundred years, I can't say that I agree. I can't say that our precedence suggests that. I actually think it is very vital what we do because this is the place where those objections are to be heard and dealt with, debated and finally resolved, in this lawful means peacefully without violence, without attacks, without bullets. [9:18:28 pm] So, Mr. President, let me just say briefly en lieu of speaking about it later, Pennsylvania, which is a state I have been focussed on, objected to as an example of why people are concerns, millions of Americans concerned about our election integrity, to say that Pennsylvania you have a state constitution that has been interpreted for over a century to say there is no mail-in balloting permitted except for circumstances provided for in the law. And, yet, last year Pennsylvania elected officials passed a whole new law that allows universal mail-in balloting and did it irregardless of what the Pennsylvania constitution said. Then when Pennsylvania citizens tried to go and be heard on this subject before the Pennsylvania supreme court, they were dismissed on grounds of procedure, timeliness in violation of that supreme court's own precedent. So the merits of the case have [9:19:28 pm] never been heard. The constitutionality of the statute has never been defended. I'm not aware of anybody that has defended the constitutionality and this was the statute that governed this last election in which there are over 2.5 million mail-in ballots in Pennsylvania. This is my point, that this is the forum, the Pennsylvania supreme court hasn't heard the case. There is nother court to go to to hear the case in the state and so this is the appropriate place for those concerns to be raised, which is why I have raised them here today. And I hope that this body will not miss the opportunity to take affirmative action to address the concerns of so many millions of Americans to say to millions of Americans tonight that violence is never warranted, that violence will not be tolerated, that those who engaged in it will be prosecuted but this body will act to address concerns of Americans all over the country. We do need an investigation irregularities, fraud. [9:20:28 pm] We do need a way forward together. We need election security reforms. I bet my friends on the other side of the aisle don't disagree with that. We need a way to move forward together so that the American people from both parties, all walks of life can have confidence in their elections at wand that we can arrange ourselves under the rule of law together. Thank you, Mr. President. I yield the floor. PENCE>>Democratic leader. Senator from Pennsylvania Mr. Casey senator from Pennsylvania. CASEY>> I rise tonight to defend the people of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to defend the more than 6.9 million voters who vote in this election -- MITT ROMNEY 212624 ROMNEY>> Mr. President, today was heartbreaking. And -- and I was shaken to the core as I thought about the people I met in China and Russia and Afghanistan and Iraq and other places who yearn for freedom, and who look to this building and these shores as a place of hope. 212643 And I saw the images being broadcast around the world, and it breaks my heart. I have 25 grandchildren. Many of them were watching TV, thinking about this building, whether their grandpa was okay. I knew I was okay. I must tell you, as well, I was proud to serve with these men and women. This is an extraordinary group of people. I'm proud to be a member of the United States Senate, and meet with people of integrity as we do here today. 212717 Now, we gather due to a selfish man's injured pride and the outrage of supporters who he has deliberately misinformed for the past two months and stirred to action this very morning. 212730 What happened here today was an insurrection incited by the President of the United States. Those who choose to continue to support his dangerous gambit by objecting to the results of the legitimate democratic election will forever be seen as being complicit in an unprecedented attack against our democracy. 212751 Fairly or not, they'll be remembered for their role in this shameful episode in American history. That will be their legacy. I salute Senator Lankford and Loeffler and Braun and Daines and I'm sure others who, in the light of today's outrage, have withdrawn their objection. For any who remain insistent on an audit in order to satisfy the many people who believe that the election was stolen, I'd offer this perspective. 212823 No congressional audit is ever going to convince these voters, particularly when the President will continue to say that the election was stolen. The best way we can show respect for the voters who were upset is by telling them the truth. [ Applause ] 212903 That's the burden. That's the duty of leadership. The truth is that President-Elect Biden won the election. President Trump lost. I've had that experience myself. It's no fun. [laughter] Scores of courts, the president's own attorney general, state election officials -- both Republican and Democrat -- have reached that unequivocal decision. 212928 And in light of today's sad circumstances, I ask my colleague: do we weigh our own political fortunes more heavily than we weigh the strength of our Republic, the strength of our democracy, and the cause of freedom? What's the weight of personal acclaim compared to the weight of conscience? Leader McConnell said that the vote today is the most important in his 36 years of public service. Think of that. 212952 Authorizing two wars, voting on two impeachments. He said that not because the vote reveals something about the election. It's because this vote reveals something about us. I urge my colleagues to move forward with completing the electoral count, to refrain from further objections and to unanimously affirm the legitimacy of the presidential election. Thank you, Mr. President. [ Applause ] [9:3025 pm] PENCE>> Democratic leader. SCHUMER>> Senator from New Hampshire. JEANNE SHAHEEN SHAHEEN>> Mr. President, on January 3, I along with 31 of my colleagues stood in this chamber and swore an oath to support and defend the constitution of the united States. It's both ironic and deeply disappointing that only three days after swearing these oaths, some of my colleagues are willfully coming close to breaking this promise. Since 1797, each U.S. Senate has peacefully handed over power to the next, and that will happen again on January 20 when Donald Trump, despite the protesters today, the violence today, when Donald Trump leaves the white house at noon and Joe Biden becomes president. And we've heard tonight from [9:31:40 pm] both Democrats and Republicans about the importance of the voters speaking in the election and about the fact that there is no evidence of widespread voter fraud. But this is not just an issue for us here in the united States. This is an issue for nascent democracies around the world who, as senator Romney said, look to the United States as an example. We are the shining city on the hill. We give those struggling under oppression hope for a better future. Now, like so many of us in this chamber, I've traveled to developing democracies around the world -- to Afghanistan and Iraq, to the western Balkans, to Africa, to the country of Georgia. I went there with my colleague, senator Risch, in 2012. We went to Georgia to observe [9:32:41 pm] officially on behalf of the senate the election between outgoing president Mikhail cashville Lee and his united national movement part and the change by Georgian dream, which was a newly formed party supported and funded by billionaire oligarch kabanishvili. It was a battle for parliament but also for control of the government. Senator Risch and I visited multiple polling places on election day, and we agreed with the international assessment, that that election was free and fair and that Georgian dream were the winners. But there was real concern in the country that is they were going to refuse to give up power, that [9:33:42 pm] would end up with violence, and would end the nascent forms happening in that republic. So senator Risch and I, the day after the election, went to visit the new president -- the president to try and talk him out of staying in power. I remember very clearly going to his home, and we sat down with him and we pointed out that the hallmark of a democracy, what he had worked so hard for in his eight years as president of Georgia, the hallmark of that was to turn over power in a peaceful election to the person that the voters chose. Well, the president listened to us and he did leave office peacefully. But it's important that future generations recognize that [9:34:43 pm] America, like democracies everywhere, depends on a peaceful transition of power on believing in what the voters say and in ensuring that happens. Unfortunately, we've heard from some senators today who have been enabling president trump's willful disregard of the votes of our citizenry, even as they speak out against foreign leaders who ignore their own people. They will fail, and history will remember them. And I hope that future generations will view the actions of some of those folks today as little more than an unfortunate anomaly. Future opportunists may use this ill-fated effort to seek short-term political gain over the long-term stability of our republic. But for the sake of our great country and America's standing in the world, I ask my colleagues today to fully endorse the results of the free [9:35:46 pm] and fair election and set aside this partisan attempt to subvert the will of the people. We should be venerating the peaceful transition of power, even if our own preferred candidate didn't win. That is, after all, who we are in the United States of America. Thank you, Mr. President. The vice president: The majority leader. Mr. Mcconnell: Mr. President, I yield up to five minutes to the senator from Ohio, senator portman. The vice president: The senator from Ohio. Mr. Portman: Mr. Vice president, you have fulfilled your duties as president of the senate tonight with distinction, and we all appreciate it. [Applause] Mr. Portman: I thought I might change my mind about speaking [9:36:46 pm] tonight given the lateness of the hour and I know all of my colleagues would have appreciated that greatly, but I felt it was necessary to speak because I want the American people, particularly my constituents in Ohio, to see that we will not be intimidated, that we will not be disrupted from our work, that here in the citadel of democracy we will continue to do the work of the people. Mob rule is not going to prevail here. Now, let's face it ... We did not reclaim this chamber tonight. Brave and selfless law enforcement officers stood in the breach and ensured that the citadel of democracy would be protected, and that we would be defended. And we are deeply grateful for that, as is the nation. I've listened carefully to the comments of my colleagues and I've listened over the past couple of weeks as this issue has been discussed, and I tell you, for me, it's not a hard [9:37:48 pm] decision. I stand with the constitution. I stand with what the constitution makes clear -- the people and the states hold the power here, not us. My oath to the constitution and my reverence for our democratic principles make it easy for me to confirm these state certifications. By the way, I opposed this process some 15 years ago when some Democrats chose to object to the electors from my home state of Ohio after the 2004 elections. I opposed it then and I oppose it now. I said at the time, congress must not thwart the will of the people. That's what we would be doing. Let's assume for a moment that those who 0 be to the certifications are right -- that those who object to the certifications are right, that the constitution intended that a bare majority of the members of congress could circuit vent the [9:38:50 pm] will of the states chosen to certify the votes of theater own citizens. I ask the object terse to think about the precedent that would be set if we were to do that. What if the majority in the house and the senate was of the other party? When a presidential candidate of our party came through a close presidential election. Would you want a congress controlled by the Democrats to play the role you now intend for us? It is asking congress to substitute its judgment for the judgment of the voters. And its judgment for the judgment of the states that certified the results. And even forgetting the dangerous precedent that would be set, what would be the basis for objecting in this election? Look, I voted for president trump. I supported him because I believe the trump administration's policies are better for Ohio and for the [9:39:50 pm] country. And I supported the trump campaign's right to pursue recounts. They had every right to do it -- and legal challenges. I agree that there were instances of fraud and I.G. Regularities in the 2020 -- irregularities in the 2020 elections. There's fraud and irregularities in every presidential election. But it is also true that after two months of recounts and legal challenges, not a single state recount changed the result. And of the dozens of lawsuits filed, not one found evidence of fraud or irregularities widespread enough to change the result of the election. This was the finding of numerous republican-appointed judges and the trump administration's own department of justice. Every state has now weighed in and chosen to certify its electoral slate based on the popular vote, as set out in the constitution. [9:40:53 pm] I understand that many Americans who would never storm this capitol don't trust the integrity of the 2020 election, don't think the states should have certified, don't think we should have accepted the results from the states, and are insisting on more transparency and accountability. In the 2016 elections, lest we forget, many Democrats objected to the results and distrusted the election. I challenge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to listen but also to do our part to try to restore faith in our elections. Mr. President, we should all work to improve the integrity of the electoral system and the confidence of the American people in this bedrock of our great democratic republic. Today I'll do my constitutional duty and oppose these efforts to [9:41:53 pm] reject the state-certified rums and tomorrow in the wake of this attack on the capitol, the pandemic that engulfs us and other national challenges, let's work together for the people. I yield back. The vice president: The democratic leader. Mr. Schumer: Mr. President, I believe we've eight minutes left, so I'd like to give four to senator king and four to senator van Hollen. The vice president: That's correct. King: Mr. President, Winston Churchill said if he could do a two-hour speech extemporaneously but a ten-minute speech took immense preparation. I don't know what he would have said about a four-minute speech. We are a 240-year anomaly in world history. We think that what we have here in this country is the way it's [9:42:54 pm] always been. It is a very unusual form of government. The normal form of government throughout world history is dictators, kings, czars, pharaohs, warlords, tyrants. And we thought 20 years ago the March of history was toward democracy, but it is in retreat in Hungary and Turkey, goodness knows in Russia. Democracy, as we have practiced it, is fragile. It's fragile, and it rests upon trust. It rests upon trust in facts. It rests upon trust in courts. In public officials, and, yes, in elections. I don't simple that thighs or justice -- I don't sympathize or justify or in any way support -- [9:43:57 pm] that's a mild -- that's putting it mildly -- what happened here today, but I understand it. I understand it because I saw those people interviewed today, and they said, we're here because this election has been stolen, and the reason they said that is that their leader has been telling them that every day for two months. We cannot afford to pull bricks out from the foundation of trust that underlines -- underlies our entire system. And I agree with governor Romney that the answer to this problem is to tell people the truth. It is to tell them what happened. It's easy to confront your opponents. It's hard to confront your friends. It's hard to tell your [9:44:59 pm] supporters something they don't want to hear. But that's our obligation. That's why the word "Leader" is applied to people in jobs like ours. It's not supposed to be easy. It's supposed to be something that we take on as a sacred obligation. And if people believe something that isn't true, it's our obligation to tell them, no, I'm sorry, it isn't. Just as senator portman just said, as Mike Lee just said. I'm sorry, we can't do this here. We don't want to do this here. This is a power reserve to the states, not to the congress. And I agree with the majority leader. I think this is one of the most important votes any of us will ever take. On December 1, 1862, Abraham Lincoln came to this building. He came to this building in the darkest days of the civil war. He was trying to awaken the [9:46:02 pm] congress to the crisis that we were facing. And he didn't feel that they were fully and effectively engaged and he ended his speech that day with words that I think have an eerie relevance tonight. Here's what Abraham Lincoln said. Fellow Americans, we cannot escape history. We of this congress and this administration will be remembered in spite of ourselves. No personal significance or insignificance can spare one or another of us. And here's his final words. The fiery trial through which we pass will light us down in honor or dishonor to the latest [9:47:04 pm] generation. The fiery trial through which we pass will light us down in honor or dishonor to the latest generation. Thank you, Mr. President. I yield the floor. A senator: Mr. President. The vice president: The senator from Maryland. Mr. Van Hollen: Thank you, Mr. President. The mob violence and attack we saw on our capitol today should be a wakeup call to each and every one of us of what happens when we fail to come together, not as Democrats and Republicans, but each of us as Americans to stand up to a president who time and again has shown contempt for our democracy, contempt for our [9:48:04 pm] constitution. 214750 Today, here on the Capitol, we witnessed people taking down an American flag and putting up a Trump flag. That is not democracy in the United States of America. As every Senator who has spoken has mentioned, we have -- for hundreds of years -- had a peaceful transfer of power. Nobody likes to lose, and supporters of the losing candidate are always disappointed. 214824 What's different this time? We all know what's different this time. We had a president, who as the senator from New Jersey said, even before a vote was cast -- that if he didn't win the election, it was going to be a fraud. And every day since then, has perpetrated that lie. We have a President who, just today, criticized the (?) very loyal Vice President who is presiding right now, urging him to disregard his responsibilities our of the Constitution of the United States in order to reinstall Donald Trump as President. 214904 The same person who got on the phone to the Secretary of State in Georgia and threatened him to change the results of the election. [9:49:16 pm] Mr. President, I read something this week I never thought I'd read in a newspaper in the United States of America. It was an op-ed by all the living secretaries of defense, including secretaries Rumsfeld, Cheney, and Mattis warning -- warning the country about our tradition of peaceful transfer of power and that it would be inappropriate for the military to take sides. In the United States of America. We talk to the world about how we want to promote democracy and [9:50:07 pm] our values and right here at home too many are undermining those values. And, Mr. President, Donald Trump could not do this alone. He can only do it if he's aided and abetted by individuals who are willing to perpetrate those lies and those conspiracies. And that is why it is so important that we, as Democrats and Republicans and senators, stand up together, stand up together and tell the truth. You know, when you go into a court of law like those 60 cases, you're testifying under penalty of perjury. That's very different than here in the house and the senate and in all of those 60 cases under penalty of perjury, there was no evidence of widespread fraud. So it should be easy for us, all together, to tell the truth. 215052 On January 20th, Joe Biden will be sworn in as the next president of the United States. He has said he wants to bring the country together. He has said he wants to bring Democrats and Republicans together to do some of the pressing business of this country -- to defeat this pandemic, to get the economy going again, to face challenging issues of racial and social justice. 215117 I hope we will learn from what happened today, the mob attack on this Capitol -- the price we pay when we don't stand up for the truth and for democracy. [9:51:30 pm] James McHenry, Maryland's delegate to the constitutional convention wrote about a famous exchange in his diaries between Elizabeth Willie Powell and Benjamin Franklin. Wrote, a lady asked, well, doctor, what have we got a republic or monarchy. A republic replied Dr. Franklin, if you can keep it. [9:52:09 pm] My colleagues, this is a test of whether we're united to keep our republic. I hope we will pass the test together. Thank you, Mr. President. The vice president: The majority leader. Mr. Mcconnell: Mr. President, I yield up to five minutes to the senator from South Carolina, senator graham. The vice president: The senator from South Carolina. LINDSAY GRAHAM 215218 GRAHAM>> Many times, my state has been the problem. I love it. It's where I want to die, but no time soon. Tim and I have a good relationship. I love Tim Scott. 1876, South Carolina, Louisiana, and Florida sent two slate of electors -- they had two governments, by the way, and we didn't know what to do. 215249 Why did South Carolina, Florida, and Louisiana do it? To hold the country hostage, to end reconstruction. It worked. The commission was 8-7. It didn't work, nobody accepted it. The way it ended is when Hayes did a deal with these three states -- you give me the electors, I'll kick the union army out. The rest is history. 215319 It led to Jim Crow. If you're looking for historical guidance, this is not the one to pick. [laughter] If you're looking for a way to convince people there was no fraud, having a commission chosen by Nancy Pelosi, Mitch McConnell, and John Roberts is not going to get you to where you want to go. [laughter] It ain't gonna work. 215346 So it's not going to do any good. It's going to delay, and it gives credibility to a dark chapter of our history. That's why I'm not with you, but I will fight to my death for you -- you're able to object. You're not doing anything wrong. Other people have objected. I just think it's a uniquely bad idea to delay this election. 215406 Trump and I -- [laughs] we've had a hell of a journey. I hate it being this way. Oh my god, I hate it. From my point of view, he's been a consequential president but today, the first thing you'll see (?). All I can say is "count me out." 215425 Enough is enough. I tried to be helpful. But when the Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled 4-3 that they didn't violate the Supreme -- the Constitution of Wisconsin, I agreed with the three, but I accept the four. If Al Gore can accept 5-4 and he's not president, I can accept Wisconsin 4-3. Pennsylvania, it went to the Second Circuit. So much for all the judges being in Trump's pocket. They said, "no, you're wrong." 215453 I accept the Pennsylvania's second circuit, that trump's lawsuit wasn't -- wasn't right. Georgia, they said the secretary of state took the law into his own hands and he changed the election laws unlawfully. A federal judge said "no." I accept the federal judge, even though I don't agree with it. Fraud -- they said there's 66,000 people in Georgia under 18 voted. How many people believe that? I asked, "give me ten." I hadn't had one. They said 8,000 felons in prison in Arizona voted. Give me ten, I hadn't gotten one. Does that say there's -- there's problems in every election? 215532 I don't buy this. Enough's enough. We've got to end it. Vice President Pence, what they're asking you to do you won't do, because you can't. 215542 You talk about interesting times. I associate myself with Rand Paul. How many times will you hear that? [laughter] The mob has done something else nobody else could do -- to get me and Rand to agree. Rand is right. If you're a conservative, this is the most offensive concept in the world, that a single person could disenfranchise 155 million people. The President of the Senate shall, in the presence of the Senate and House of Representatives, open all certificates and the vote shall then be counted. 215618 The person having the greatest number of votes for President shall be President. Where in there does it say, "Mike can say 'I don't like the results. I want to send them back to the states. I believe there was fraud'"? To the conservatives who believe in the constitution, now is your chance to stand up and be counted. Originalism, count me in. It means what it says. So my -- Mr. Vice president, just hang in here. They said "we can count on Mike." All of us can count on the Vice President. 215650 You're gonna do the right thing. You're gonna do the Constitutional thing. You got a son who flies F-35's, you got a son-in-law who flies F-18's. They are out there flying, so we get it right here. There are people dying. To my good friend from Illinois -- to make sure we have a chance to argue among ourselves. And when it is over, it is over. It is over. 215713 The final thing -- Joe Biden. I've travelled the world with Joe. I hoped he lost. I prayed he would lose. He won. He's the legitimate President of the United States. I cannot convince people, certain groups, by my words, but I will tell you by my actions that maybe I, among any -- above all others in this body need to say this: 215738 Joe Biden and Kamala Harris are lawfully elected, and will become the President and the Vice President of the United States on January the 20th. [applause] [9:57:57 pm] gThe vice president: Majority leader. Mr. Mcconnell: Mr. President, I yield back the balance of our time. The vice president: All time has expired. The question is, shall the objection submitted by the gentleman from Arizona, Mr. Gosar and the senator from Texas, Mr. Cruz, and others, be sustained? Is there a second? There is. The clerk will call the roll. Vote: VOTE 215843 CLERK>> Miss Baldwin. BALDWIN>> No. CLERK>> Mr. Barrasso. BARRASSO>> No. CLERK>> Mr. Bennet. BENNET>> No. CLERK>> Mrs. Blackburn. BLACKBURN>> No. CLERK>> Mr. Blumenthal. BLUMENTHAL>> No. CLERK>> Mr. Blunt. BLUNT>> No. CLERK>> Mr. Booker. BOOKER>> No. CLERK>> Mr. Boseman. BOOZMAN>> No. CLERK>> Mr. Braun. BRAUN>> No. CLERK>> Mr. Brown. BROWN>> No. 215920 CLERK>> Mr. Burr. BURR>> No. CLERK>> Miss Cantwell. CANTWELL>> No. CLERK>> Mrs. Capito. CAPITO>> No. CLERK>> Mr. Carden. CARDIN>> No. CLERK>> Mr. Carper. CARPER>> No. CLERK>> Mr. Casey. CASEY>> No. CLERK>> Mr. Cassidy. CASSIDY>> No. CLERK>> Miss Collins. COLLINS>> No. CLERK>> Mr. Coons. COONS>> No. CLERK>> Mr. Cornyn. CORNYN>> No. CLERK>> Miss Cortez-Masto. CORTEZ-MASTO>> No. CLERK>> Mr. Cotton. COTTON>> No. 220004 CLERK>> Mr. Cramer. CRAMER>> No. CLERK>> Mr. Crapo. CRAPO>> No. 220013 CLERK>> Mr. Cruz. CRUZ>> Aye. CLERK>> Mr. Daines. DAINES>> No. CLERK>> Miss Duckworth. DUCKWORTH>> No. CLERK>> Mr. Durbin. DURBIN>> No. CLERK>> Miss Ernst. ERNST>> No. CLERK>> Mrs. Feinstein. FEINSTEIN>> No. CLERK>> Mrs. Fischer. FISCHER>> No. CLERK>> Mrs. Gillibrand. GILLIBRAND>> No. CLERK>> Mr. Graham. 220047 GRAHAM>> No. CLERK>> Mr. Grassley. GRASSLEY>> No. CLERK>> Mr. Hagerty. HAGERTY>> No.

TVU 21 TULSI GABBARD LOS ANGELES TOWN HALL ABC UNI 111119 2020 P2 [22:33:08] Money that they squandered public sector is the service provider, community is first and property. [22:33:17] Patch first power federally. But what happens is we're not voting for federal officials or state officials accountable for the money that is sent and it barely makes it to list. And we as public servants have to provide your services on less money. It's how you do it. It's not even a bigger budget. The champagne tastes when I hit the water level in the part of the company. So how is that as public sector employees? [22:33:42] We don't have enough affordable housing. I don't care for the communities they serve. That is the problem. And those who produce affordable housing is not the same thing as low income. When you have that for making eighty thousand dollars a year and they can live in the same communities and we're talking about two households. You know, you've got people, public sector teachers and working in public sector, good government jobs service. But you can't afford. [22:34:13] They can't afford to live. I just met certain people who actually sat on an airplane. I have quite a few members who live outside of our county. L.A. County is simply expensive strap. Gas is like, oh, yes, I it's probably going to be driving a friendly car. But I didn't read it from a truck. OK. So that is why we go for it. But what exactly are you. You just want more public sector officials accountable because this is too much to keep your lead in the public sector to go private because it's jumping into to the barrel. [22:34:52] So I'd like to know what your are. Sure. Thank you. [22:35:00] If you're in the public sector, because these jobs across this public sector, they are public service jobs. If you were in it just for the money, you would have chosen a different path. Exactly. Look, it starts with leadership. It starts with what kind of culture of leadership we are setting. I talk a little bit earlier about it, whereas whereas all of our taxpayer dollars going in the context of foreign policy, that because of these constant and countless regime change wars we've been waging since 9/11 alone. [22:35:35] We as taxpayers have seen over six trillion dollars taken out of our pockets, taken out of our schools, taken out of our hospitals, taken out of our infrastructure needs, taken out of our communities to continue to go and wage these wasteful, counterproductive wars that actually are counter to and undermine our interests in this country. [22:35:56] Our national. [22:36:01] So just as we must hold the Department of Defense physically accountable and responsible. Same goes for each of our federal agencies going through and saying, hey, what's the objective of these programs and departments? What are we actually trying to accomplish? How does it serve the common good and well-being of the people in our country? And looking at the costs that go into these programs, if they're not effective, if they're not actually helping people get more affordable housing, then those dollars should not be wasted. [22:36:43] And I've seen this these these things go programs that are started maybe with good intention a long time ago and continue to go on and go on and get reauthorized without really taking that hard line, having that self audit of what exactly are we trying to accomplish and are we being the responsible custodians and taxpayer dollars that we as elected leaders and leaders in our federal government have to be. [22:37:13] One last question, yes, ma'am. Right. [22:37:17] Yes. Really? I'm coming. OK. Thank you. [22:37:24] Hi. I'm really happy that you're me again and see you in the White House. And I wanted to know what you will do to preserve Americans freedoms, because as a Californian, I'm extremely concerned that over the past 40 years, we've had the removal of both religious and medical exemptions or vaccines. [22:37:54] And they show extreme corruption at the CDC and we desperately need to have an eye over our own bodily autonomy preserved. I love seeing hundreds of. [22:38:13] I haven't seen that documentary yet. This is awesome. Thank you very much. [22:38:21] I'm concerned about this issue. I need to learn more about what's been going on here in California. I'm conflicted. [22:38:30] My honest answer to you on this, because I understand the need for the preservation and personal choice. [22:38:37] There are also public health concerns that that. So I have to do my work to be able to give you a solid answer like this. As with every other issue, I'm going to do my own homework before taking a position on. [22:39:01] So got so many more questions here. [22:39:04] We don't have a lot of time tonight. I wanted to allows for some time to be able to stop it just being great. Say hello to you guys with more. We have to leave here. I want to say thank you most of all for your making the choice to come here tonight and to be a part of the solution. I want to invite you to join our movement, to join our campaign. California is voting very early this year and March. [22:39:35] Therefore, I don't yet know the date on November 20. [22:39:48] We're going to make the most we're going to make the most of that opportunity. I think we are. We are about 5000 contributions short of the requirement in the December debates. The point being, our campaign is firmly in every single respect of an people power. Been. Guys, you know, we had a critical line from some of the media and political operatives has the last. We don't have a number of field offices or physical headquarters opened up in an interface. I'll tell you why. Because we're saving money and it comes with the Internet that we have virtual headquarters. [22:40:35] We have people's garages and living rooms and volunteers were working on in the back of their cars. [22:40:41] We are bringing our message directly to people, not waiting for them to come to us. [22:40:46] And I want to ask all of you to come here and to help us in this mission, because we got a lot of work to do. Thank you for. GAGGLE 224210 Q: What do you believe the biggest challenge is facing our country? 224214 GABB>> I think the hyperpartisanship and the divisiveness that's tearing our country apart poses the greatest challenge for us to be able to come together and solve problems and move forward together as a country. Q: If elected, what would be one of the first moves you make in regards to foreign policy? 224238 GABB>> The greatest national security and existential threat that we face in this country is New Cold War and Nuclear Arms race that's ensuing with increasing tensions between the United States and nuclear armed countries like Russia and china. So, one of the first things I'll do is call for a summit with these two countries to begin the work, the diplomatic work to de escalate these tensions, work out differences that we have, find areas of common interest so that we can make progress towards reducing the number of nuclear weapons in the world. 224311 Putting an end to this nuclear arms race and making it so that not the American people or people of any other nation have to live in fear of nuclear war. Q: NH poll has you at 6%. Reaction? 224330 GABB>> I'm grateful for the support that we're seeing growing in places like New Hampshire and in other states in the country. Look, our pools are moving in the right direction, so it's encouraging. I take the approach in our campaign of being the tortoise rather than the hare. And so we are continuing to move forward in delivering our message. And we're seeing how it's resonating and that support is growing. Q: We have another candidate in the race right now who questions if the country is ready for a female president or a woman of color president. I mean, you're especially in that poll right now. You would just maybe address that issue. 224412 GABB> I think the country is ready. I think what people are looking for is a president who can unify our country, who will put the best interests of our country first, and who is qualified and ready to serve as commander in chief on day one. Q: Have you heard from Hillary Clinton at all? GABB>> No. Q: Are there any--- GABB>> neither directly or indirectly Q: What is your opinion on what is going on in Bolivia with Evo Morales, who was just ousted in what appears to be a U.S. backed coup? 224447 GABB>> I'm really gathering the facts and the information around this. I don't have the full picture or the full story. There are a lot of different narratives being brought forward on what has led to his announced resignation. And so, I need to get the facts first. Thank you. Q: Would you consider meeting with your Hong Kong as prime minister? And if you did? What would you be your ideological coach to bring peace to that region? 224515 GABB>> Yeah. Of course, we've got to have the courage to meet with leaders of other countries in the pursuit of peace and national security. Look, India and Pakistan have a long standing conflict with many issues that they need to resolve themselves. I think both leaders have recognized that it's only through those direct negotiations and diplomacy that they do that. And I think in the interest of peace, given that these two countries are nuclear armed nations, to do what we can to be able to support those peaceful negotiations and all of our best interests. Thank you. Q: If you if you don't win the Democratic nomination, would you consider a third party? 224559 GABB>> No. Anyone who says otherwise is not interested in the truth. I've been asked this question since probably I started running for president and every single time my answer has been the same. Yet for some reason, there are voices within our political sphere who continue to traffic in this rumor mongering, and I just think it's unfortunate because they know it's not true and they're using it as a way to try to undermine my campaign by making people suspicious that something else is going on. 224633 Nothing else is going on. I'm running for president. I plan on being the Democratic nominee that is best positioned to defeat Donald Trump. Q: You talked about how you don't have many field offices at a time when other campaigns are closing offices, slashing staff. The lean campaign strategy of your campaign right now. How you expected to get the nomination, the way you're running it now? 224656 GABB>> Well, you're seeing a lot of people who opened a lot of field offices now having to shut them down and some of those people are seeing their poll numbers dropping. My trend in polling is moving in the right direction. We are using---being very fiscally responsible with the hard earned resources people are donating to our campaign and using those dollars to reach voters directly. 224719 I give so much credit to our incredible volunteers who are pouring their heart and passion and time and resources into this campaign because they believe in our mission of putting service above self and the change that we are trying to bring about. I think there's nothing more powerful than that to help us win this election. Thank you. ###

AP-APTN-2000: US Beyonce Tuesday, 23 June 2009 STORY:US Beyonce- NEW Grammy-winning singer helps fight hunger LENGTH: 02:31 FIRST RUN: 2000 RESTRICTIONS: Check script for details TYPE: English/Nat SOURCE: General Mills' Hamburger Helper STORY NUMBER: 610594 DATELINE: New York, 22 June 2009 LENGTH: 02:31 SHOTLIST (including transcript): General Mills' Hamburger Helper New York - 22 June 2009 1. Wide shot of Hamburger Helper truck 2. CU of ShowYourHelpingHand.com poster 3. CU of Beyonce/Donate Here poster 4. Wide shot of Beyonce walking on stage 5. SOUNDBITE (English) Beyonce, Recording Artist: "Well families are really struggling right now during this economic downturn and I wanted to do something to help. So I teamed up with General Mills, Hamburger Helper for the Show Your Hand Helping campaign and our goal is to help Feeding America deliver 3.5 million meals to local food banks. But we can't do this alone, so we need people to get involved so we can reach our goal. 6. CU, then pan out of donated food 7. Wide shot of people putting can foods in boxes 8. SOUNDBITE (English) Beyonce, Recording Artist: "You know something I recently learned that really surprised me: one in eight Americans struggle with hunger, and it's crazy. I also learned that it's a problem, especially for kids. It's getting worse during the summer because the kids are on summer vacation, they lose access to school lunches, so they turn to local food banks for help, and I really wanted to help, but I can't do it on my own." 9. Mid shot of crowd and photographers 10. SOUNDBITE (English) Beyonce, Recording Artist: "I'm asking all of my fans to get involved too. They can bring non-perishable food items to my U.S. concerts and that will be donated to Feeding America. And if they can't make it to the concert, it's OK, but there are many other ways to help. Just go to ShowYourHelpingHand.com to learn more." 11. Wide shot of Beyonce on stage putting food in boxes 12. Mid shot of crowd 13. Mid shot of Beyonce posing with food BEYONCE HELPS FIGHT HUNGER Beyonce is providing food for thought, literally. The 27-year-old entertainer announced yesterday (22 June 2009) her partnership with Feeding America and General Mills to help fight hunger. "Well families are really struggling right now during this economic downturn and I wanted to do something to help," she said. Beyonce made the announcement in New York outside of Madison Square Garden, where she opened up the U.S. leg of her "I Am" tour Monday (21 June 2009). She performed at MSG again Tuesday night. Beyonce's is partnering with General Mills' Hamburger Helper with the goal of helping Feeding America deliver more than 3.5 million meals to local food banks through the Show Your Helping Han campaign. Those interested should visit www.showyourhelpinghand.com for more information. The Grammy-winning singer is inviting fans in the U.S. to support the campaign. "They can bring non-perishable food items to my U.S. concerts and that will be donated to Feeding America," she said. Beyonce's U.S. tour will wrap up on August 2 in Las Vegas. Here are additional U.S. tour dates: Jun 23 2009 Baltimore, MD First Mariner Arena Jun 24 2009 Washington, D.C. Verizon Center Jun 26 2009 Philadelphia, PA Wachovia Center Jun 27 2009 Greensboro, NC Greensboro Coliseum Complex Jun 29 2009 Ft. Lauderdale, FL Bank Atlantic Center Jul 1 2009 Atlanta, GA Phillips Arena Jul 3 2009 New Orleans, LA Superdome (Essence Music Festival) Jul 4 2009 Houston, TX Toyota Center Jul 5 2009 Dallas, TX American Airlines Center Jul 7 2009 Phoenix, AZ US Airways Center Jul 9 2009 Sacramento, CA Arco Arena Jul 10 2009 Oakland, CA Oracle Arena Jul 11 2009 Anaheim, CA Honda Center Jul 13 2009 Los Angeles, CA Staples Center Jul 16 2009 Minneapolis, MN Target Center Jul 17 2009 Chicago, IL United Center Jul 18 2009 Detroit, MI Palace of Auburn Hills Jul 20 2009 Toronto, Ontario, Canada The Molson Amphitheatre Jul 21 2009 Montreal, CAN Bell Centre Jul 23 2009 Uncasville, CT Mohegan Sun Jul 24 2009 Meadowlands, NJ Izod Center Jul 30 2009 Las Vegas, NV Encore Theater, Wynn Las Vegas Jul 31 2009 Las Vegas, NV Encore Theater, Wynn Las Vegas Aug 1 2009 Las Vegas, NV Encore Theater, Wynn Las Vegas Aug 2 2009 Las Vegas, NV Encore Theater, Wynn Las Vegas APTN APEX 06-23-09 1619EDT ------------------- END -- OF -- ITEM ------------------- AP-APTN-2000: UK Natalie Imbruglia Tuesday, 23 June 2009 STORY:UK Natalie Imbruglia- NEW Singer has filmed an appeal to raise awareness of the importance of the global water cycle LENGTH: 02:03 FIRST RUN: 2000 RESTRICTIONS: Check script for details TYPE: English/Nat SOURCE: Ecover/WaterAid STORY NUMBER: 610598 DATELINE: UK, recent LENGTH: 02:03 CLIENTS PLEASE NOTE: ALL SUBSCRIBERS PLEASE ENSURE THAT FILM CLIPS ARE CLEARED FOR MEDIA BROADCAST AND/OR INTERNET USE OR THAT THEY COME WITHIN THE PROMOTIONAL WINDOW FOR YOUR TERRITORY. CONTACT DETAILS, WHERE AVAILABLE, MAY BE FOUND BELOW. SHOTLIST (including transcript) :- Ecover/WaterAid UK, Recent 1. Clip Natalie Imbruglia charity film for Ecover/WaterAid 2. Clip Natalie Imbruglia charity film for Ecover/WaterAid 3. Clip Natalie Imbruglia charity film for Ecover/WaterAid NATALIE IMBRUGLIA RECORDS CHARITY FILM Singer Natalie Imbruglia has filmed an appeal to raise awareness of the importance of the global water cycle. The star brings the cameras into her home to offer water saving tips for people in the UK, such as having a shower instead of a bath, and fitting water saving devices in toilet cisterns. She explains how actions in UK homes can have an impact on those elsewhere around the globe with limited access to clean water. Imbruglia also advises using eco-friendly detergents, to minimise impact on the aquatic environment. The full film has been posted for internet viewing at www.ecoverwateraid.com/natalie. APTN APEX 06-23-09 1623EDT ------------------- END -- OF -- ITEM ------------------- AP-APTN-2000: US McMahon Remembered Tuesday, 23 June 2009 STORY:US McMahon Remembered- NEW Fans remember McMahon at his star on Hollywood Walk of Fame LENGTH: 01:53 FIRST RUN: 2000 RESTRICTIONS: Check script for details TYPE: English/Nat SOURCE: AP Television STORY NUMBER: 610603 DATELINE: Hollywood, Calif., 23 June 2009 LENGTH: 01:53 SHOTLIST: Associated Press Television Los Angeles, 23 June 2009 1. Wide pedestrians on Hollywood Boulevard 2. Close street sign: Hollywood Boulevard 3. Wide worker places wreath and flowers on Ed McMahon star on Hollywood Walk of Fame 4. Close Ed McMahon ribbon on wreath 5. Close note on memorial wreath from Hollywood Historic Trust 6. Medium tilt down Ed McMahon memorial wreath to Hollywood Walk of Fame star 7. SOUNDBITE (English) Kim Ward/Onlooker at wreath ceremony, on Ed McMahon: "He was a great sidekick to Johnny Carson. 'Star Search' -- a lot of stars became famous because of him. Publishers Clearing House -- he could've came to my house and said 'Hey, you're a winner! Ten million dollars!' He was just a great guy." 8. SOUNDBITE (English) Tom Schriber/Onlooker at wreath ceremony, on Ed McMahon: "I mean he was almost as important I think as Johnny himself in those shows. You know, the shows always began with Ed saying at some point along the line 'Here's Johnny!' A very important contribution, I think. Sorry to see him go. I understand in recent years he had fallen on hard times." 9. SOUNDBITE (English) Marlene Cote/Passerby, on EdMcMahon: "I remember when he used to come to the houses. People used to win money. He used to be a giver, not a taker." 10. Wide camera operators gathered at Ed McMahon's star on Hollywood Walk of Fame, tilt down to star 11. Close Ed McMahon star on Hollywood Walk of Fame 'TONIGHT' SIDEKICK ED MCMAHON DIES AT 86 Ed McMahon, the loyal "Tonight" show sidekick who bolstered boss Johnny Carson with guffaws and a resounding "H-e-e-e-e-e-ere's Johnny!" for 30 years, died early Tuesday. He was 86. McMahon died shortly after midnight at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center surrounded by his wife, Pam, and other family members, said his publicist, Howard Bragman. McMahon broke his neck in a fall in March 2007, and battled a series of financial problems as his injuries prevented him from working. On Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood on Tuesday, workers placed flowers and a wreath bearing McMahon's name on top of his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Cameramen and reporters gathered as onlookers -- tourists and locals -- remembered McMahon. "He was a great sidekick to Johnny Carson. 'Star Search' -- a lot of stars became famous because of him," tourist Kim Ward said. "Publishers Clearing House -- he could've came to my house and said 'Hey, you're a winner! Ten million dollars!' He was just a great guy." Tom Schriber, another tourist, said: "I mean he was almost as important I think as Johnny himself in those shows. You know, the shows always began with Ed saying at some point along the line 'Here's Johnny!' A very important contribution, I think. Sorry to see him go. I understand in recent years he had fallen on hard times." McMahon and Carson had worked together for nearly five years on the game show "Who Do You Trust?" when Carson took over NBC's late-night show from Jack Paar in October 1962. McMahon played second banana on "Tonight" until Carson retired in 1992. McMahon's medical and financial problems kept him in the headlines in his last years. It was reported in June 2008 that he was facing possible foreclosure on his Beverly Hills home. By year's end, a deal was worked out allowing him to stay in his home, but legal action involving other alleged debts continued. Born Edward Leo Peter McMahon Jr. on March 6, 1923, in Detroit, McMahon grew up in Lowell, Mass. He got his start on television playing a circus clown on the 1950-51 variety series "Big Top." But the World War II Marine veteran interrupted his career to serve as a fighter pilot in Korea. McMahon and Clark also teamed up as pitchmen for American Family Publishers' sweepstakes, with their faces a familiar sight on contest entry forms and in TV commercials. McMahon was known for his ongoing commercials for Budweiser as well. Besides his wife, Pam, McMahon is survived by children Claudia, Katherine, Linda, Jeffrey and Lex. Bragman said no funeral arrangements have been made. APTN APEX 06-23-09 1623EDT ------------------- END -- OF -- ITEM ------------------- AP-APTN-2000: US Nick Cannon Tuesday, 23 June 2009 STORY:US Nick Cannon- NEW Host of 'America's Got Talent' on season 4 LENGTH: 04:17 FIRST RUN: 2000 RESTRICTIONS: Check script for details TYPE: English/Nat SOURCE: AP Television/NBC STORY NUMBER: 610589 DATELINE: Los Angeles, 22 June 2009 LENGTH: 04:17 CLIENTS PLEASE NOTE: COMMERCIAL MUSIC, MUSIC VIDEO AND OR PERFORMANCES, MUST BE CLEARED ACCORDING TO YOUR OWN LOCAL MUSIC PERFORMANCE AND COPYRIGHT AGREEMENTS WITH YOUR APPLICABLE COLLECTING SOCIETY. DETAILS OF THE TRACKS, WHERE AVAILABLE, MAY BE FOUND AT THE END OF THE SCRIPT.YOU HAVE EDITORIAL RESPONSIBILITY FOR USE OF ALL AND ANY CONTENT INCLUDED WITHIN THE SERVICE, AND FOR LIBEL, PRIVACY, COMPLIANCE AND THIRD PARTY RIGHTS APPLICABLE TO THEIR TERRITORY. SHOTLIST (including transcript):- NBC Universal 1. Show clip: 'America's Got Talent' AP Television -- via satellite Los Angeles, 22 June 2009 2. SOUNDBITE (English) Nick Cannon/Host: "Any changes to the show? Other than the new black guy hosting the show? (Laughs) No, it's so many changes. I've been a fan of the show for the past three seasons and to kind of be the host now and step in to see the extraordinary talent that's come out, I believe there's quite the buzz on the show, so I think that even brought out the most amazing talent this show has seen thus far. And I mean the judges are there, they're excited as possible, and I think we just trying to do a bigger, better, and you know, more extravagant." NBC Universal 3. Show clip: 'America's Got Talent' AP Television -- via satellite Los Angeles, 22 June 2009 4. SOUNDBITE (English) Nick Cannon/Host, on if he'll do anything differently than previous hosts Regis Philbin and Jerry Springer: "To me, I'm all about having a good time. I don't even really see it as hosting the show, I see it as just me hanging out with, you know, the public. It might be a different approach because I'm kind of more, you know, a laid-back, class clown type of character." AP Television Los Angeles, 21 May 2009 5. Wide of Orpheum marquee reading 'America's Got Talent/LA Auditions' 6. Walking shot of people waiting to audition in Los Angeles 7. Wide of contestant on stage, zoom out to mega wide shot AP Television -- via satellite Los Angeles, 22 June 2009 8. SOUNDBITE (English) Nick Cannon/Host, on whether America has any undiscovered Susan Boyles: "I always say we got Boyle and beyond. We got every type of talent, I mean, we got wonderful singers just as Susan was, then at the same time we got some phenomenal young people, we got some amazing dancers, we got some strange, quirky people that just want to be on TV. I mean, we got it all." AP Television Los Angeles, 21 May 2009 9. Mid-shot of contestant playing keyboards during audition AP Television -- via satellite Los Angeles, 22 June 2009 10. SOUNDBITE (English) Nick Cannon/Host, on the craziest talent he's seen: "So far, I've seen a man drill into his face and that was strange. He had a power drill and he was drilling into his face. I don't ever want to see that again, but it was talent in some people's book." AP Television Los Angeles, 21 May 2009 11. 'America's Got Talent' judge Piers Morgan talks to a reporter 12. 'America's Got Talent' judge Sharon Osbourne talks to a reporter 13. 'America's Got Talent' judge David Hasselhoff talks to a reporter AP Television -- via satellite Los Angeles, 22 June 2009 14. SOUNDBITE (English) Nick Cannon/Host, on the show's trio of judges: "We get a chance to hang out all the time. I mean, in Vegas me and Piers was playing basketball. He's horrible. He should never pick up a basketball ever again. You know, Sharon Osbourne is probably one of the most lovely, nurturing people in the world. She's just always all smiles and hugs and David is just a bucket of fun. He makes me laugh every time we hang out." AP Television Los Angeles, 21 May 2009 15. Wide shot of quintet performing 'Twist and Shout' a cappella 16. Wide shot of judges' backs as they critique a performance NICK CANNON TAKES OVER 'AMERICA'S GOT TALENT' Nick Cannon -- recording artist, actor and Mariah Carey's husband -- can add a new title to his resume: Reality TV host. The 28-year-old Cannon will conduct the fourth season of "America's Got Talent." The variety show features everything from frisbee-catching dogs to singers, dancers, and a guy who demonstrates his unique skill -- power drilling his face. "I don't ever want to see that again, but it was talent in some people's book," said Cannon during a satellite interview to promote the show. The show is hoping for a ratings bump this season, following the buzz generated by Susan Boyle on the UK counterpart, 'Britain's Got Talent.' "I always say we got Boyle and beyond," said Cannon. "We got every type of talent, I mean, we got wonderful singers just as Susan was, then at the same time we got some phenomenal young people, we got some amazing dancers, we got some strange, quirky people that just want to be on TV." Cannon succeeds Jerry Springer and Regis Philbin as host, but wasn't very specific when asked if his hosting approach would be radically different. "I see it as just me hanging out with, you know, the public," he said. "It might be a different approach because I'm kind of more, you know, a laid-back, class clown type of character." Piers Morgan, Sharon Osbourne and David Hasselhoff return as judges. Cannon said he's close to all three of them. "We get a chance to hang out all the time. I mean, in Vegas me and Piers was playing basketball. He's horrible. He should never pick up a basketball ever again. You know, Sharon Osbourne is probably one of the most lovely, nurturing people in the world. She's just always all smiles and hugs and David is just a bucket of fun. He makes me laugh every time we hang out." 'America's Got Talent' premieres June 23 on NBC. The winner gets $1 million (USD). APTN APEX 06-23-09 1624EDT ------------------- END -- OF -- ITEM ------------------- AP-APTN-2000: US Vincent Longo Tuesday, 23 June 2009 STORY:US Vincent Longo- NEW Celebrity makeup artist gives tips for a fresh summer look LENGTH: 03:00 FIRST RUN: 2000 RESTRICTIONS: Check script for details TYPE: English/Nat SOURCE: AP Television/Beauty 360 STORY NUMBER: 610597 DATELINE: New York, 18 June 2009 LENGTH: 03:00 SHOTLIST(including transcript):- Beauty 360 Ridgefield, Connecticut, 18 May 2009 1. Medium shot, Vincent Longo applies lipstick to model 2. Close up, Vincent Longo doing makeup Associated Press Television New York, 18 June 2009 3. SOUNDBITE (English) Vincent Longo, Celebrity Makeup Artist: "The thing is this, makeup should be seen like your wardrobe. Each season you change your wardrobe. The sweater that I had last season that was a certain color, doesn't necessarily fit this season because for some reason it looks odd." Beauty 360 Ridgefield, Connecticut, 18 May 2009 4. Medium shot, Vincent Longo applies blush to model 5. Close up, Vincent Longo applies eye shadow to model Associated Press Television New York, 18 June 2009 6. SOUNDBITE (English) Vincent Longo, Celebrity Makeup Artist: 'The look for this summer and the start of the spring was kind of slowly to move away from the bronze look. For many years we've seen that bronze look, the goddess look and it was pretty prominent. I feel this spring/summer we're starting to move away from all of that and playing into more of a natural complexion if you want, the natural hue of your own skin." Beauty 360 Ridgefield, Connecticut, 18 May 2009 7. Medium shot, Vincent Longo applies foundation to model 8. Close up, Vincent Longo applies foundation to model Associated Press Television New York, 18 June 2009 9. SOUNDBITE (English) Vincent Longo, Celebrity Makeup Artist: "I feel that one of the things women should put away for the spring summer is definitely too much shine on the lips. Be it the outline, the contour that goes on beyond the natural lip line with lots of globby gloss on your lips. I feel that is totally dated. It does not look chic. It does not look now." Beauty 360 Ridgefield, Connecticut, 18 May 2009 10. Medium shot, Vincent Longo applies lip liner to model 11. Close up, Vincent Longo applies lipstick to model 12. Close up, model looks into camera Associated Press Television New York, 18 June 2009 13. SOUNDBITE (English) Vincent Longo, Celebrity Makeup Artist: "I don't feel that there should be too much of the smokey eye. Like we've seen the smokey eye, we've played with it, it's fantastic. I feel the smokey eye should be more for fall, those wintry season. When it comes to spring/summer, absolutely as we were saying before, a strong lash line is very cute. It's very sexy." 14. Close up, Vincent Longo applies eye makeup to model 15. Medium shot, Vincent Longo applies eye makeup to model 16. Close up, Vincent Longo applies eye makeup to model 17. SOUNDBITE (English) Vincent Longo, Celebrity Makeup Artist: "The lips are definitely the focus. With those bright, beautiful colors that give just a nice statement to the whole look." 18. Close up, Vincent Longo applies lipstick to model CELEBRITY MAKEUP ARTIST: GLOSS IS OUT, BRIGHT LIPS ARE IN Vincent Longo, creator of Vincent Longo Cosmetics and makeup artist to stars including Gwyneth Paltrow and Julia Roberts, says it's important to switch up your cosmetics each season. "Makeup should be seen like your wardrobe," says Longo "Each season you change your wardrobe. The sweater that I had last season that was a certain color, doesn't necessarily fit this season because for some reason it looks odd." His first tip for a chic summer look: lose the bronzer. "For many years we've seen that bronze look, the goddess look and it was pretty prominent," he says. "I feel this spring/summer we're starting to move away from all of that and playing into more of a natural complexion if you want, the natural hue of your own skin." Longo says another "dated" trend is excessive gloss: "I feel that one of the things women should put away for the spring summer is definitely too much shine on the lips. Be it the outline, the contour that goes on beyond the natural lip line with lots of globby gloss on your lips." Along with bright, bold matte lip color, Longo advises women when it comes to lashes, the bigger the better. "When it comes to spring/summer, absolutely as we were saying before, a strong lash line is very cute. It's very sexy," he says. His final words of wisdom are to toss the ever-popular smokey eye look and instead go for bright colors on the eyes, dewy cheeks and a well-defined lip. APTN APEX 06-23-09 1625EDT ------------------- END -- OF -- ITEM ------------------- AP-APTN-2000: US The Cleaner Tuesday, 23 June 2009 STORY:US The Cleaner- NEW Benjamin Bratt on 'The Cleaner' and Whoopi Goldberg LENGTH: 04:41 FIRST RUN: 2000 RESTRICTIONS: Check script for details TYPE: English/Nat SOURCE: AP Television, A&E STORY NUMBER: 610583 DATELINE: New York, 22 June 2009 LENGTH: 04:41 CLIENTS PLEASE NOTE: COMMERCIAL MUSIC, MUSIC VIDEO AND OR PERFORMANCES, MUST BE CLEARED ACCORDING TO YOUR OWN LOCAL MUSIC PERFORMANCE AND COPYRIGHT AGREEMENTS WITH YOUR APPLICABLE COLLECTING SOCIETY. DETAILS OF THE TRACKS, WHERE AVAILABLE, MAY BE FOUND AT THE END OF THE SCRIPT.YOU HAVE EDITORIAL RESPONSIBILITY FOR USE OF ALL AND ANY CONTENT INCLUDED WITHIN THE SERVICE, AND FOR LIBEL, PRIVACY, COMPLIANCE AND THIRD PARTY RIGHTS APPLICABLE TO THEIR TERRITORY. SHOTLIST(including transcript):- A&E 1. Clip - "The Cleaner" AP Television New York, 22 June 2009 2. SOUNDBITE (English) Benjamin Bratt/Actor "For those people out there who don't know what the show is about I play a recovering heroin addict who is now devoted to helping other addicts put their lives back on track." A&E 3. Clip - "The Cleaner" AP Television New York, 22 June 2009 4. SOUNDBITE (English) Benjamin Bratt/Actor "Part of the crux for my character William Banks in the first season is it was always an awkward balance between what he did as a profession and what he strives to be which is a good husband and a good father. For however how much success he had in his job he was a miserable failure at home. He was never there." A&E 5. Clip - "The Cleaner" AP Television New York, 22 June 2009 6. SOUNDBITE (English) Benjamin Bratt/Actor "Warren Boyd is the real life guy on which my character is based and he still cleans (laughs) he does indeed. At any given time while on the set you can see him with multiple, digital devices talking to his team. He's a bit of a mysterious guy and it remains kind of an enigma to me even but once you meet him you can kind of get the natural gravitas, the natural aura that he has in his persona and you kind of get that he's no joke. And the character that I play really is based on him and his life maybe 13 years ago when he first started helping people with recovery." A&E 7. Clip - "The Cleaner" AP Television New York, 22 June 2009 8. SOUNDBITE (English) Benjamin Bratt/Actor "Most people they sort of forget that she's a brilliant actress. She's inarguably an American icon and she's in our lives daily if you tune into 'The View' but um I think it's been awhile since she's actually acted by her own admission and the fact that she (A) started off as a fan of the show and developed a friendship with the show runner Jonathan Prince and then when invited jumped at the chance to come play with us. It really speaks highly of the show and of course we all were amazed and it was so fun to play opposite her. She does have one of those little gold statues as you know from a film she did called "ghost" and so to play with someone of her caliber and her soul really she's an amazing woman and has been really, really great for us." A&E 9. Clip- "The Cleaner" RETURN OF 'THE CLEANER' Benjamin Bratt is back playing a recovered drug addict trying to help others get clean by any means necessary in 'The Cleaner.' The show's second season premieres Tuesday (23JUNE2009) on A&E in the United States. What many people don't realize is Bratt's character is based on a real man named Warren Boyd who is an executive producer on the show. He also still works as an addiction counselor. He's even worked with individual celebrities but won't say who. "At any given time while on the set you can see him with multiple, digital devices talking to his team. He's a bit of a mysterious guy and it remains kind of an enigma to me," says Bratt. Whoopi Goldberg has a recurring role on this season of 'The Cleaner.' "It really speaks highly of the show and of course we all were amazed and it was so fun to play opposite her," says Bratt. "The Cleaner" airs Tuesdays at 10/9C on A&E. APTN APEX 06-23-09 1627EDT ------------------- END -- OF -- ITEM -------------------

TVU 22 BETO OROURKE PITTSBURGH PA TOWN HALL ABC UNI 092519 2020 120607 Hey. how's everybody doing? Good to see you. Thank you, first of all, thank you Grace for helping organize this for bringing so many good people together on such a beautiful day, under such a beautiful sky as we walked over here. So many people so kind, so warm to us. 120629 This guy in a black sabbath t-shirt yelling out "Hey Beto" as we came in. Another guy gave me a plastic pumpkin that I will treasure forever (crowd laughs) I just met Trudy the 2 year old dog who gave me a big kiss as I came in. Maybe the best part of the day so far. And then all of you being here in this extraordinarily beautiful community. The last time I was here was 25 years ago and at that time I was living in Brooklyn New York. 120702 And the night before I came here I was at a bar and having a couple of beers, saw an old friend who was from Pittsburgh and had gone to school with me in New York and asked her what she was up to and she said, Well, tomorrow I'm moving back to Pittsburgh, I'm packing up everything in my apartment and I'm going back home. 120724 And I said, Well, who's helping you out? And she said well, really no one, I'm gonna do this by myself. And so you know, here we are a couple of beers into the night and I gallantly volunteered my services and the services of my unassuming, defenseless friend sitting next to me. And so bright and early the next day we wake up remembering that we made this commitment to come to Pittsburgh and to drive in this rental UHaul truck to come here. 120756 A city I've never been to, and frankly, not a city that I had a very positive impression of. I mean, the things that I had heard about Pittsburgh and remember, Texas is the home of the Dallas Cowboys Okay, so, and the way that I felt about Pittsburgh, maybe not, to be honest with you and frank and candid maybe not the most positive feelings in the world. We get in the truck wiht all the equipment after we've loaded it in, all the furniture and we make the drive, I don't know what it is, five hours or more to -- six hours. 120831 We were young and we were driving fast. So, and we come into the outskirts of the city, and it is, it is just devastatingly beautiful. I come from the Chihuahuan desert in El Paso Texas, which is -- (lady in crowd screams, crowd laughs) -- and all 1 of you know what I'm talking about. 120854 It is beautiful in its own right, we're in the Rocky Mountains in the Mountain West where the only city in the state of Texas that's in the mountain time zone. We are closer to Chihuahua city or Santa Fe, New Mexico, or Phoenix Arizona than we are so our own state capitol in Austin, Texas. But coming into this community, so green, beautiful hills, stately homes, and just really kind people. And then all this water and these rivers and these bridges and this fierce pride that exists in Pittsburgh, as we got to meet people in the community was really inspiring. 120931 Very cool, and driving in last night, we have been yesterday in Cincinnati and in Dayton, and in Columbus, and after being at Ohio State we drove here to Pittsburgh, and it was that same feeling. I'd over those 25 years, just how beautiful this city is and we saw it again this morning in the people that we've met with so far. 120954 And I got to tell you, it binds us together, the people of Pittsburgh, and the people of El Paso my city is one perhaps not unlike the way some feel or traditionally have felt about Pittsburgh. Where you don't know the real beauty, the real magic. The true secret of our community. This, this mountain, Chiuauan desert city, that is connected not divided by the Rio Grande River with Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico forming the largest bi-national community in the Western Hemisphere. There are 3 million of us speaking two languages, who come from two countries two histories, two cultures, who are joined to form something far greater and bigger than the sum of the parts or the people involved. 121041 The first night of the first date that I ever had with my wife, which was a blind date. This was 15 years ago before Tinder was invented so we didn't, we didn't have the chance to scope each other out, or to swipe left or right. I took her over to Ciudad Juarez. She wasn't from El Paso, to the Kentucky club where the Margarita was invented, walked down Avanida (?) Juarez over to the mission of Guadalupe which has been there for 330 years. 121106 And we took in the sights and the sounds and the smells and the people dancing and just being out and living their lives, and I could see, Amy, getting what was so magical about El Paso and Juarez, and our community, maybe not unlike me coming to Pittsburgh and seeing the magic here and 14 years later we actually celebrated our 40th wedding anniversary yesterday. 121130 3 kids, Ulysses and Molly and Henry, who are 12, 11, and eight years old. All of them are going to schools in el Paso. The same schools I went to, schools where they're learning math today in English. Tomorrow they'll be learning math in Spanish, their entire curriculum and education and life is dual language. Making the most of that bi-national community where before that might have been a mark of shame, right? 121159 Something that we were defensive for, apologized for. If you were speaking Spanish in the halls of Mesita, the school that my son Henry goes to, you might be disciplined, keep it up you might be suspended. Now we celebrate this as our competitive advantage in our community. It's what sets us apart. (speaks Spanish) Our city, of immigrants and asylum seekers and refugees and the sons and daughters of immigrants and asylum seekers and refugees, is one of, if not the safest cities in the entire United States of America. 121237 So all that rhetoric about immigrants coming to invade our country, about asylum seekers as the president calls them being animals, or an infestation, predators and killers, there are children her so I will not use the 4 letter word that comes to mind. But it's bullshit. 121254 We are safe not despite the fact that we are a city of immigrants, and that we're connected to the rest of the world, we are safe because we are a city of immigrants and that we're connected to the rest of the world. Those who left their hometown, who left their country, who left their families to start a new as strangers in a strange land to do better for themselves and their kids, just like I want to do better for myself and my kids but who were also called to do better for all of us, inspired by this idea of America 243 years ago we said to the world. 121334 That we are all created equal, and though we never live up to that promise or fulfilled that potential, we've never stopped trying until perhaps now under this administration. And with this president. Because he's description -- I'll give you a mic in a little bit bud -- because his description of these immigrants, as an invasion, describing those who come from Mexico as rapists and predators and killers, those asylum seekers who traveled from Honduras, and Guatemala and El Salvador more than 2000 miles, much of that on foot, some of that on top of train known as the beast, or La Besita, to arrive here as vulnerable. And as defenseless as a human being can be. 121420 Very often kids without their parents who are as young as my children are, no one sets their eight year old daughter on a 2000 mile journey unless there is no other choice but to send their daughter on a 2000 mile journey. And how did we meet them? How did we welcome them, this country of immigrants and asylum seekers and refugees? Under this president, we placed them in cages. If they were lucky enough to show up with their parents that mom or dad who risked their very life to bring them here was sent to the very country from whence she fled in the first place. 121459 We have lost the lives of seven children just over the course of the last year in our custody and in our care in a border patrol station, just outside of El Paso, Texas. Kids separated from their parents, sleep on a cold, concrete or under a tin foil blanket. This administration, arguing that we shouldn't be forced to put diapers on the behinds of toddlers, that we shouldn't be forced to provide toothpaste and toothbrushes and soap a change of clothes to those kids who are living and sleeping in their own filth. 121534 This is the wealthiest, the most powerful country on the face of the planet. And this is how we, this is how we treat and how we will be judge for taking care of the most vulnerable among us, but it gets worse and we bore the brunt of that in El Paso, Texas. This rhetoric. This language of fear and incitement and paranoia, describing people as animals to dehumanize them. That's the first step to putting them in cages and taking their lives. 121605 And then at a rally in Florida in May of this year when the President is warning again about this invasion And asking - (person in crowd shouts "Fuck them/him") --- asking the crowd there "what are we going to do to stop these people from coming to this country," and someone yells out "shoot them." And the entire crowd roars in laughter and in consent. 121631 And the President of United States of America, the most powerful man in the world, he smiles and he laughs as well. On August 3 of this year, a gun man, armed with an ak 47 a weapon designed and engineered and sold to the militaries of the world, because it is so devastatingly effective at killing people efficiently and effectively in as great a number as possible drove 600 miles from Allen Texas to El Paso, Texas, but before he did his mom when she learned that he ordered that ak 47 called the police in Allen and said What in the hell does my son need with a weapon of war? 121711 He is not in the military, you don't need an ak 47 to hunt. You don't need it for self defense in your home. And the police in Allen said, I'm sorry ma'am this is perfectly legal, nothing we can do about it. That man listening to our President warning about an invasion drives 600 miles with that ak 47 walks into a Walmart on the Saturday before school would start that next Monday in El Paso, Texas, and opens fire 121739 on people who were buying their back to school supplies, on parents and grandparents who are with their kids and grandkids. Kills 22 people. A 15 year old boy who's about to start his sophomore here of High School. A 90 year old man who was there with his 87 year old wife, they'd been married for 17 years. They had survived one another for that long and everything that life can throw at them, but they were no match with someone armed with a weapon of war, the high impact high velocity rounds that were shot out of that gun shredding everything inside of his body, so he would bleed to death before anyone could get to him and help him. 121820 We have to draw the connections, make sure people understand the consequence, and cost of this president, he does not just offend our sensibilities when he talks about immigrants in this way. When he welcomes violence out into the open and into our communities, when he talks about banning all people of one religion from the shores of a country that is comprised of all people from the planet over. The mosque in Victoria Texas was burned to the ground, within 24 hours of him signing an executive order, attempting to ban Muslim travel to the United States. 121857 When he yells out at one of his rallies, that we should send her back, talking about a duly elected representative in the US House of Representatives, who happens to be a woman of color, the signal is sent and received. When he describes Klansmen and neo nazis and white supremacists as very fine people. When white supremacist terror is on the rise in every community in this country, and you saw it right here on October 27 of last year, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and he lives not a finger to defend us. 121932 You understand what we are up against in this country. So yes, we must see this clearly. We must speak honestly, and we must act decisively. Here's what we do, beyond universal background checks and red flag laws and ending the sale of weapons of war, we will mandatory buyback every ak 47 and AR 15 that is out there. Bring them back home. 122000 They should not and they will not be used against one another, againt our kids, agaisnt our fellow Americans. We'll also acknowledge the truth, that when Christopher Ray, the director of the FBI, testifies this year before Congress, he says the majority of the domestic terror groups that he's investigating right now are of white supremacists. Hate crimes are on the rise, every one of the last three years, in this country. 122029 We're going to make it the number one domestic law enforcement priority, and we are going to shut down these groups, protect our fellow Americans. And to those who've been marginalized, or hurt or harmed by this president we're going to lift them up. Right after El Paso we went to Forest and Canton, Mississippi sites of the largest single state ice raid in the history of this country. And those workplace ice immigration raids are up tenfold under this administration, striking terror and terrifying those communities of immigrants. 122111 Who by the way, were working in chicken processing plants making $8 and 25 cents an hour maybe all the way up to 11 bucks an hour. Working one of the toughest jobs in the United States of America. Nearly 700 families, broken up. 122126 Not a single one of them posing any threat or violence to the United States of America, but the message unambiguously sent: you should live in fear to go to work, to take your child to school, your kid may not know if you're going to come home at the end of the day. So the answer to that is not only defending those communities of immigrants, but rewriting our immigration laws in our own image, in the image of Pittsburgh in the image of El Paso, freeing every single dreamer from any fear of deportation by making them US citizens in this their true home country. 122202 Legalizing millions more like those who are working in those chicken processing plants, and no longer building walls or cages, or persecuting and prosecuting those who are fleeing historic violence and persecution. And by the way, droughts like the one that we see in Guatemala, which was not caused by God, nor by Mother Nature, nor by the people of Guatemala, byut by you and me, our emissions, our excesses, our inaction in the face of the facts and the science and a changing climate. 122237 We got to be there for them. And we gotta confront this challenge. Avail ourselves of this opportunity. In 1979, we knew everything we know today in the year 2019 about climate change. We understood that if this planet cooks another degree and a half Celsius, the storms, the floods the droughts the fires that we see today that are killing thousands of people around the world will pale in comparison for what is to come. 122311 Cities like El Paso Texas will no longer support human life. It's warming as fast as any city in the United States of America right now. We broke every heat record on the books in the month of August, in 2019, so these 10 years, which is all the scientists say that we have left, must be used to maximum advantage to free ourselves forever from a dependence on fossil fuels to embrace wind and solar and the high wage high skill, high valued jobs that come with them. 122343 To ask or allow our rural communities and our farmers to lead the way as well, planting cover crops to pull more of that carbon out of the air, and sequester it in the soil. Use precision, or no till farming and regenerative agricultural practices to make sure that they are doing their part that we're all doing our part. Given the challenge that we face no half measures, no half steps, no half the country. 122412 Not just Democrats or Republicans or independents, not just big cities, not just small towns, but all of us as Americans first before we are anything else. And only in that way willl we meet this challenge, and lead the world, to ensure we do not cook this planet beyond our ability to support human life and the other life around us. 122432 What do you all say? You in for this challenge? I just met -- and I think I saw Alex here earlier, some of the folks I was meeting with from SEIU, and I see Savannah right over here. There's Alex in the back. We were talking about, dignity, and being treated with respect in the workplace and having that dignity in our lives. 122459 We were talking about this great wealthy country, but millions looking in from the outside, on that greatness, on that wealth, on that success, unable to fully participate in it. We were talking about ensuring that one job is not enough, so you don't have to work a second or a third because we decided that a minimum wage of $15 and no less should be the minimum wage for everyone in the United States of America. We decided that health care should not be a function of luck or circumstance or privilege. 122537 But it's just something that you can count on so that you're well enough to finish your education here, or to go to work or start a business, or tour the country in a punk rock band like I did when I was 17 and 18 years old. Whatever you were placed on this planet to do I want you to be well enough to do it. I don't want you to have to live in fear of the medical bills that James described, though he works at the hospital here in town, he cannot afford to avail himself of the care at the hospital here in town. 122605 Not unlike the story that I heard in Charleston, South Carolina, met a woman named Louise Brown, who 50 years ago, marched, so that she and other women of color would be treated equal to the white men who worked in the same hospital, and I said Louise thank you for doing all that work, we made such great progress. And she said, actually no we haven't. 122625 50 years later, those who work in that hospital in Charleston, just like UOMC here in in Pittsburgh are unable to afford the care that they are providing to others, right now, and women, especially women of color are making 61 cents on the dollar that a white man makes in this country. Latinas making 53 cents on the dollar. So in order to have dignity, and economic justice for everyone, not only must we paid a minimum wage that is a living wage, not only must we having universal health care that means Primary Health Care, prescription medication, health care, mental health care in this country. 122705 That also means that every woman makes your own decisions about her own body and has access to the care to make that possible. But we must also -- we must also end discrimination in that workplace. One of the best ways to get there, is to ratify the equal rights amendments so that's in the Constitution 122732 It is perfectly clear that everyone would be treated equally in this country. And speaking of equality and civil rights, in far too many states in this country, including in my home state of Texas, you can be fired for your sexual orientation. In my home state of Texas, 30,000 Kids recently in the foster care system, Child Protective Services so underfunded understaffed that those kids were sleeping on top of the desks, underneath the desks in the CPS offices at night. 122807 And yet in Texas, by law, you can be too gay to adopt one of those kids into your home. So what if we decided we were going to stand up for the full civil rights of every American and sign into law the equality act, so not matter who you love you are treated with equality in this country. 122829 Bottom line, we want everyone in this country to rise to their full potential, as a nation to fulfill our promise and in order to do that, you got to be able to live without fear. You gotta be able to live without being held down. And the last thing that I will say, and grace mentioned this in her introduction, our criminal justice system, which tonight will have 2.3 million people behind bars, the largest prison population on the face of the planet, and it's happening here in what is reportedly, the world's greatest democracy. 122909 That prison population disproportionately comprised of people of color, too many there for a nonviolent drug crime, like possession of marijuana, a substance that is legal in more than half the states in the union today. To do so at extraordinary costs, not just to us as taxpayers, but to that person who's been deprived of their liberty and also understanding that it is not by accident that that prison population is more black and brown than the general population in this country. 122940 A war on drugs has become a war on people and some communities more than others, though white Americans and black Americans will use marijuana at the same rate, only black Americans are more likely than not to be stopped by law enforcement, to be frisked, to be patted down, to be arrested, to be incarcerated, and upon release to be forced to check a box on every employment application form, saying that they have a conviction, making it less likely that they will get the job. 123008 No longer eligible for federally supported student loans to come here to this university, or to qualify for a home loan, or a loan to start a small business. Their future, their options, their choices, narrowed and constrained. What's the way out. Number one, Let's end that war on drugs, legalize marijuana in the United States of AMerica. 123032 Use our powers of clemency to commute those sentences of everyone who is behind bars and expunge the arrest record of anyone arrested for possession of marajuania in this country. But in addition to doing this, and ending for profit prisons in America, ending a cash bail system in this country, we have to get to the foundational systemic endemic problem that we have in America, that is a problem of our very creation and helps to describe or explain why our capitalism in this country is so brutal. 123114 Because what if we acknowledged that the start date for this country is not the Fourth of July 1776 but the 20th of August, 1619. The first time someone kidnapped from west Africa was brought here against their will and as a slave in bondage, forced to create the wealth and the success, and the greatness of this country literally on their backs, from which their descendants alive today in 2019 are still not able to fully participate in. 123148 10 times the wealth in white America than there is in black America.Texas, a state ranked 50th and voter turnout, not by accident, but because of the color of your skin you were drawn out of a congressional district to diminish the power of your vote. In Georgia, Stacy Abrams would be the governor, if not for racist voter ID purges in that state. A maternal mortality rate crisis that is 3 times as deadly for women of color in this country, 123219 And in our kindergarten classroom, in my home state, and this is true too much of the country, a black child is five times as likely to be suspended or disciplined, or expelled. That six year old child who was recently handcuffed and arrested for throwing a tantrum is not the exception in this country. That is the rule in this country for far too many people in this country. 123243 The best way to address the systemic racism that we see in this country, that is every big part of this country for as long as we've been a country, is to sign into law the reparations bill offered by Sheila Jackson Lee so that the full tory of this country is told to everyone in this country. Only then do I believe a very divided, highly polarized America, can come together, not again, because we were never together in the first place, but can achieve that promise that we describe to ourselves and the rest of the world back in 1776. 123319 That is why I'm here today with you in Pittsburgh. That's why I'm running to serve you as the next president of the United States of America. And that is why I'm asking for your help - if you want to be part of this campaign, join this effort, go to our website, Beto Orourke .com. We would love to have your help. 123339 This is the kind of company I want to keep Thank you all for being here today. Gracias. Cynthia Cano right here, hold that microphone up, She's got a microphone if you've got a question, a comment an idea. We're going to take this microphone to you and bring as many people into the conversation as we can. 123359 Q>> Securing our elections with paper ballots. Would you include a provision for a disabled person to tell someone else who they vote for if they are unable to do so themselves? [Beto hugs the man, who says he is a long-time supporter] 123530 BETO>> so, Benjamin, is talking about election security. Very appropriate given the news that we've learned today about our president, inviting yet another foreign power to involve themselves to invade this country's democracy and invite the question about whether or not the vote that you cast is going to go to the intended recipient. 123605 To question whether or not we're going to be able to decide our future together, and on our own, and to decide who is going to be allowed into that ballot box. I talked about racial gerrymandering that's taken place in Georgia, and in Texas for that we need a new voting rights act that removes every single barrier to every single person in this country. We need to have automatic and same day voter registration, we could add 10s of millions more to the rolls able to participate in our elections. 123634 And to Benjamin's question: we need to be able to verify, and then audit our elections, at every level of government so the question is about paper ballots because we don't trust the integrity of an all digital all internet based system right now. And we should not trust that. We should be able to have a paper receipt, but his question is for those living with disabilities in this country, how do we ensure their autonomy and independence and privacy in the ballot box? 123703 You ask if we will make provisions for those who need that help. And the answer is yes, and we will make that amendment, and we will name it after you when we pass that and sign it into law. It'll be the Benjamin Amendment. So thank you. Yeah. Really great question. Q>> I'm from el Paso -- BETO>> What school? 123731 Q>> Del Vaya (?) So I'm from the lower valley. How do you find common ground with those Republicans who don't feel the way I feel how do we find common ground with them 123828 BETO>> Thank you for being here for asking then question and for being so honest and even vulnerable, talking about what you feel like now after Pittsburgh. After El Paso, after what's happened, and will continue frankly to happen in this country until we decide we're going to change it. I was telling someone earlier today. One of those stories that stays with me from El Paso was being at the makeshift Memorial outside of the Walmart and a young woman who's a mariachi came up to me, she said hey Beto, Do you remember me I played in one of your events last year, 123901 And we got to talking and I asked her how she and the rest of the mariachi were doing. And she says, I no longer will play in public. I'm such a symbol for Mexican culture that I feel like I have a target on my back and I'm just not going to do that anymore. And I thought that was a really sad indictment on all of us, that this young woman no longer feels comfortable in her community, sharing her culture and and bringing us all in to her traditions, just a part of life, as you know, in El Paso, Texas. 123929 So want to share her story with those owners of ar 15s who say, look, I acknowledge that I don't need this to hunt. I acknowledge, I don't need it for self defense, but I just like owning it. I love the way it feels, I like collecting it. I like to go to the range, and use it for target practice. All that may be true, but this is a weapon designed for war. We wouldn't say it's okay to have a bazooka or to drive a tank down the street. In that same way it's not okay to have a weapon which in under three minutes, killed 22 people --- when the Second Amendment was written. It took three minutes to reload your musket. 124005 Three minutes to kill 22. In Dayton Ohio where we were yesterday in under 40 seconds, 10 people were killed by one of these weapons of war. What I would share with them is the story that I heard in Odessa, Texas, another site of another mass shooting in West Texas. Seven killed in that community. And I met a mother who lost her 15 year old daughter, watched her bleed to death in front of her eyes as she waited because there were so many people shot, not enough ambulances to get to them in time. 124036 That mother asked me, Why do we allow this to happen in this country? What is it going to take. And I can't look her in the eyes or look myself in the mirror or see my kids and think about what I owe them and fear their judgment and not do and say the right thing right now. You ask what I'm hearing from the rest of the country, owners of ak 40 sevens and ar 15s are stopping me in airports, and they're saying you know what, you're right. I don't need this. 124104 I'm a republican, voted for Trump, will not vote for you in this next election, but I've got three kids in school as well. I have grandchildren. I care about them. I want them to be okay, I'm going to sell my weapon back. There are others, to be clear, who disagree, but that's okay, this democracy can handle the argument, the disagreement, the debate, and then ultimately do the right thing for you and everyone in this country by buying those guns back off the streets and that's what we're going to do. Thank you or asking the question. 154131 Q>> Do you feel you've betrayed environmentalists by taking money from fossil fuel industires and big oil? BETO>> That's okay, let's let her ask the question, cause I can't hear. Q>> ---- (microphone cuts out) --- why do you take money from big fossil fuels? 124209 BETO>> I'm so glad that you asked this question publicly, so that I can answer it publicly. I have signed the fossil fuel pledge, I don't take any money from any packs and corporations, any lobbyists, any oil, gas or fossil fuel energy executives at all. Okay. I don't want there to be a conflict or a perceived conflict of interest, given the challenge that we face right now. 124232 I mentioned earlier, it is going to take all of us doing all we can to completely free ourselves from oil and gas to make sure that we are 100% renewable energy, and that we get to net zero greenhouse gas emissions, as soon as possible, no later than the year, 2050, and halfway there by the year, 2013, 124251 If we can get there sooner, by God, we will. We're going to do everything that we can. So, I want to clear up the misperception that you have and the confusion that you might have introduced. I'm not taking money from the fossil fuel industry. Thank you for asking the question. Q: I'm liking all the things you're saying about like universal healthcare and buying back AR-15s and stuff. I was just curious, my inferene is that you'll pay for that with a raise in taxes, and I'm wondering how you'll like push that upon an America that is very resistant to that. >> Tax the rich! 124349 BETO>> Really good question. We want to do a lot of great things. But it's gonna create a need for resources, for money to invest in health care, in Universal pre k, in making sure that college is affordable for all, and that we wipe clean the debt of those who dedicate their lives to public service. So, somebody mentioned earlier, they said it as succinctly as possible, tax the rich. Those who, those who are doing really well at a time of historic wealth and income inequality should be asked to pay their fair share. 124423 In fact, the people of the future will not be able to believe that in the face of more than $100 trillion in infrastructure needs, or the fact that people are dying of diabetes and the flu and curable cancers in this country, or that we have to marshal all the resources in this country against climate change, that our answer that in 2017 was a $2 trillion tax cut that flowed disproportionately to the wealthiest and corporations who are already sitting on record piles of cash. 124452 The answer to this, take a corporate tax rate that moved from 35 to 21% back up to at least 28%. That generates hundreds of billions of dollars over the next 10 years. Tax capital or returns on capital, the same that you tax ordinary wage income. That generations hundreds of billions of dollars over the next ten years. Ensure that there is a greater tax on wealth and especially intergenerational wealth, the ability to pass on a huge fortunes that have been emassed and to entrench wealth where it is, remember 10x the wealth in white America than there is in black America. 124530 There is no chance to break out of this unless we break this system up. And then a couple of other choices that we can make that sound like they're unrelated, but they're very much connected to the resources of this country. We are in our 18th year of war in Afghanistan. Our 28th year of war in Iraq. We've been there every single year, every president since George HW Bush in 1991 committed this country to that country. But we're also at war in Syria, in Somalia, in Yemen, in these other countries of the world away, spending hundreds of billions of dollars, adding trillions of dollars to the debt. 124609 Our answer to this is to end those wars, to bring these servicemembers back home, to decide that we will not start new wars going forward. And use the dividend to invest in veterans who bore the battle to make sure that they're okay, and then to address the needs that we have in this country. We have more than enough resources, we just got to direct them in the right place. Thank you for asking the question. Q: A lot of people are dying from guns, but probably are dying from hospital care and pharmaceutical companies that abuse the privilege. On the news last night, a lady went to get a heart test, $780. She went somewhere else, it was $8,001. There's something obviously wrong with our health system. It can be fixed. What do you think you can do? 124704 BETO>> Thank you. You're absolutely right. And many of these pharmaceutical corporations, for example, are able to act with complete impunity. They sell back to us the medications and the cures that we all developed as American taxpayers. Our investment in the research and development, the clinical trials. We purchase the medications and cures for Medicare, Medicaid, Tri-Care, and VA beneficiaries, and yet they're sold back to us at the highest rates on the planet. 124737 We have an opioid epidemic in America that has killed hundreds of thousands of people over the last 10 years. And though we have the largest prison population on the planet, and there are people serving time for marijuana possession, not a single executive from Purdue Pharma or Johnson and Johnson has done a single hour in a jail or paid any meaningful price. So making sure that those who profit from the status quo are held accountable and that there's real justice and that we follow the lead of your attorney general here Josh Shapiro who's going to make sure that he's in this fight until the very end to hold them accountable. 124812 That's part of it. Making sure that everyone who is uninsured today is immediately enrolled in Medicare, the best bang for the buck, a 2% overhead rate compared to private insurance, which is 15 or 16%. Those who have insurance but cannot afford it, because they can't come up with a copay or the premium or bridge the deductible, they're able to move into Medicare as well. 124838 But those, especially members of unions, who fought for health care plans that they liked, that work for them and their families are able to keep them, because that's the choice that we made. That gets us to universal, guaranteed, high quality care. And if we compliment that by holding those who are obscenely profiting from healthcare in America today, where we spend more than any other country, but we do not get the best results, more than any other country, then we will have a health care system that delivers for everyone. 124906 Thank you for asking. Appreciate it. Thank you all so much for being out here today. [speaks in Spanish] Thank you for having us. We'll see you soon. Thank you Pittsburgh. Gracias. Thank you very much. Thank you. ##

AP-APTN-0600: US America's Got Talent Thursday, 18 June 2009 STORY:US America's Got Talent- NEW David Hasselhoff and Sharon Osbourne talk about finding talent LENGTH: 04:58 RESTRICTIONS: Check script for details TYPE: English/Nat SOURCE: APTN/NBC STORY NUMBER: 610063 DATELINE: Los Angeles, 21 May 2009 LENGTH: 04:58 CLIENTS PLEASE NOTE: COMMERCIAL MUSIC, MUSIC VIDEO AND OR PERFORMANCES, MUST BE CLEARED ACCORDING TO YOUR OWN LOCAL MUSIC PERFORMANCE AND COPYRIGHT AGREEMENTS WITH YOUR APPLICABLE COLLECTING SOCIETY. DETAILS OF THE TRACKS, WHERE AVAILABLE, MAY BE FOUND AT THE END OF THE SCRIPT.YOU HAVE EDITORIAL RESPONSIBILITY FOR USE OF ALL AND ANY CONTENT INCLUDED WITHIN THE SERVICE, AND FOR LIBEL, PRIVACY, COMPLIANCE AND THIRD PARTY RIGHTS APPLICABLE TO THEIR TERRITORY. SHOTLIST(including transcript):- AP Television Los Angeles, 21 May 2009 1. Exterior of the Los Angeles auditions of "America's Got Talent" at the Orpheum Theatre 2. Audience members walking into the Orpheum Theatre 3. "America's Got Talent" sign outside the Orpheum Theatre 4. Audience members in line waving to the camera 5. Interior of the Orpheum Theater during auditions 6. SOUNDBITE (English) Piers Morgan/Reality TV Judge, on what to expect this season: "'America's Got Talent' has gone completely crazy. We've had some of the most diluted mad acts I can ever remember on any talent show in the world, but that's part of the magic. We've also had some great talent. I think the Susan Boyle effect has had a huge effect on the show because what she has done is lay the gauntlet down to America. Beat that. She's the biggest star from any talent show ever. See what you can do, America. I like that." 7. "America's Got Talent" sign on the stage inside the Orpheum Theatre 8. SOUNDBITE (English) Piers Morgan/Reality TV Judge, on how Susan Boyle affected him: "I don't think I am being nice. I think the whole Susan Boyle thing meant that everywhere I went, people said, 'Oh, you're so sweet in that video.' This is killing my brand. So I think, if anything, I've stepped up the honesty this year. You have to keep it real. David and Sharon would put through a dancing pig. I have to be there to be the honest one, who says 'look that dancing pig is ridiculous. It's not going to Vegas. How would he get there? Fly?' " 9. Judges talking to a contestant on stage 10. SOUNDBITE (English) Sharon Osbourne/Reality TV Judge, on the wackiest act she's seen so far this season: "The most outrageous was a guy whose toe moved to the music. He made this little theatre to put his toe in. He put a little wig on his toe, but the wig fell off, and you couldn't see his toe in his little theatre. It was just insane." 11. Contestant singing and playing the piano on stage 12. SOUNDBITE (English) Sharon Osbourne/Reality TV Judge, on the level of talent this season: "We've got some great dancers, unbelievable dancers and great young dance groups. A lot of the really good talent is kids under the age of 18." 13. Contestant standing on stage listening to the judges 14. SOUNDBITE (English) David Hasselhoff/Actor-Musican-Reality TV Judge, on the Los Angeles auditions: "It's kind of weird, wacky, wonderful, crazy long days sometimes because you never know whose coming through the wings sometimes. We're doing a gig with MySpace, so we're kinda at the mercy of the Internet. You never know what's going to jump out at you. It's been pretty wild today, some pretty good acts. Nothing fantastic so far in Los Angeles, but we've seen a lot of people from all over the country. We've got a great show. It's funny this year, most of the talent is really young. Really young from seven to like 18 years old and then there was an 86-year-old-guy singing a Gene Autry song. So we've run the gamut this year, but some of the most amazing talent this year are the children." 15. Group of singing contestants entering the theatre 16. SOUNDBITE (English) Nick Canon/Actor-Rapper-Reality TV Host, on his first season as "America's Got Talent" host: "It's like a family here. Literally. I've known each judge individually for awhile, you know, Hollywood-know, like, 'Hey, how you doing?' But to come here and them just receive me with open arms and treat me like I'm part of the family is great." 17. Singing group performing and then being buzzed by one of the judges 'AMERICA'S GOT TALENT' SEEKS ITS OWN SUSAN BOYLE "America's Got Talent" has got a problem: Susan Boyle. Will the NBC talent show, which begins its fourth season June 23, be able to find its own version of the 48-year-old Scottish singing sensation? Boyle's first appearance on the British edition earlier this year generated millions of YouTube hits and sparked an immeasurable amount of attention. The show's judges are putting the onus on the auditioning public. "'America's Got Talent' has gone completely crazy," said judge Piers Morgan. "We've had some of the most diluted mad acts I can ever remember on any talent show in the world, but that's part of the magic. We've also had some great talent. I think the Susan Boyle effect has had a huge effect on the show because what she has done is lay the gauntlet down to America. Beat that. She's the biggest star from any talent show ever. See what you can do, America. I like that." Among the acts the judges have seen so far this season that may reach Boyle status stateside: a trio of siblings called Voices of Glory who serenaded their comatose mother, an impressive singer who said she was turned away from auditioning for a cruise line because of her appearance and a chicken farmer who clucked one mean Garth Brooks tune. "It's kind of weird, wacky, wonderful, crazy long days sometimes because you never know whose coming through the wings sometimes," said judge David Hasselhoff. "We're doing a gig with MySpace, so we're kinda at the mercy of the Internet. You never know what's going to jump out at you. It's been pretty wild today. We've had some pretty good acts. Nothing fantastic so far in Los Angeles, but we've seen a lot of people from all over the country. We've got a great show. It's funny this year. Most of the talent is really young. Really young from seven to 18 years old. And then there was an 86-year-old-guy singing a Gene Autry song. So we've run the gamut this year, but some of the most amazing talent this year are the children." This season, the show has scoured for Boyles of all kinds - comedians, contortionists, jugglers, magicians, dancers and singers - in nine cities: Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Washington, Atlanta, Miami, Seattle, Boston and Houston. Former host Jerry Springer was replaced by actor-rapper Nick Canon, who says he was welcomed by the show's judges. "It's like a family here," said Canon. "Literally. I've known each judge individually for awhile, you know, Hollywood-know, like, 'Hey, how you doing?' But to come here and them just receive me with open arms and treat me like I'm part of the family is great." The show's previous winners - tween crooner Bianca Ryan, ventriloquist Terry Fator and operatic insurance salesman Neal E. Boyd - haven't become household names in the vein of Boyle after winning the $1 million prize. It's usually the odd acts that have viewers talking each season. Sharon Osbourne said the wackiest she's seen so far is a man with a dancing toe. "He made this little theatre to put his toe in," said Osbourne. "He put a little wig on his toe, but the wig fell off, and then you couldn't see his toe in his little theatre. It was just insane. Why would you think to build a theatre around your toe? What's so great about your toe moving to the music? It can only go from side to side and back and forth." "America's Got Talent" premieres June 23 on NBC. APTN APEX 06-18-09 0224EDT ------------------- END -- OF -- ITEM ------------------- AP-APTN-0600: US Sculpture Thursday, 18 June 2009 STORY:US Sculpture- NEW Intv with US student arrested for using traffic barrels to make art sculpture LENGTH: 01:18 FIRST RUN: 0530 RESTRICTIONS: AP Clients Only TYPE: English/Nat SOURCE: AP TELEVISION/Joseph Carnevale Stills STORY NUMBER: 610060 DATELINE: Raleigh, 16 June 2009/Recent LENGTH: 01:18 SHOTLIST: Still photos by Joseph Carnevale - AP Clients Only Raleigh, North Carolina - Recent 1. Various still photos of barrel monster sculpture AP Television - AP Clients Only Raleigh, North Carolina - 16 June 2009 2. SOUNDBITE (English) Joseph Carnevale, artist: "On Wednesday June 10th I was arrested by Raleigh police department for misdemeanour larceny, misdemeanour destruction of property." Still photos by Joseph Carnevale - AP Clients Only Raleigh, North Carolina - Recent 3. Still of barrel monster sculpture 4. Stlll of crocodile sculpture AP Television - AP Clients Only Raleigh, North Carolina - 16 June 2009 5. Close up of spray paint cans 6. Close up of stencils 7. Wide of Carnevale's car decorated with bottle caps 8. Medium of Carnevale's car Still photos by Joseph Carnevale - AP Clients Only Raleigh, North Carolina - Recent 9. Still photo of barrel monster sculpture AP Television - AP Clients Only Raleigh, North Carolina - 16 June 2009 10. SOUNDBITE (English) Joseph Carnevale, artist: ++FIRST PART OF SOUNDBITE IS OVERLAID WITH PREVIOUS STILL++ "In general the response has been really, really positive. It's surprising about how many people have called attention to it." Still photos by Joseph Carnevale - AP Clients Only Raleigh, North Carolina - Recent 11. Still photo of barrel monster sculpture AP Television - AP Clients Only Raleigh, North Carolina - 16 June 2009 12. SOUNDBITE (English) Joseph Carnevale, artist: "They expressed they had no desire to press charges, nor did they have any desire for me to pay for the barrels. They actually want the sculpture back to use it for their own advertising." Still photos by Joseph Carnevale - AP Clients only Raleigh, North Carolina - Recent 13. Still photo of barrel monster sculpture POLICE NOT IMPRESSED BY STREET ART When Joseph Carnevale chopped up three stolen orange and white traffic barrels from a construction site to create a massive sculpture of a roadside monster thumbing a ride, the North Carolina college student said he saw it as a form of street art. Raleigh, North Carolina, police just saw vandalism. They dismantled the 10-foot (three-metre) "barrel monster" and arrested Carnevale. Hundreds of online supporters want the charges dropped and the publicity has turned the history major and part-time construction worker into a local celebrity. Even the construction company has become a fan, and wants the 21-year-old to create a replica of the figure that led to his arrest on June 10. "It's surprising how many people have called attention to it," Carnevale said. The college junior hadn't spent much time planning when he set out the night of May 31 and snatched the barrels from the site near the North Carolina State University campus where he studies. He went back to his Raleigh apartment and in an hour and a half returned to the site to assemble the freshly painted pieces before driving away. Although photos quickly spread on the Internet featuring the "barrel monster," it was a North Carolina State University newspaper article that offered enough clues to lead police to a Web site that identified Carnevale. Police charged him with larceny and destruction of property, both misdemeanours, and he's scheduled to appear in court next month. Carnevale, an Indianapolis native, prides himself on his street art, but said he's most interested in guerrilla photography - making art and snapping images from restricted locations. His apartment walls serve as a canvas, covered in various hues of paint, with images on the walls and doors of sharks, hollow skulls and even Gandhi. His 1997 Volkswagen Jetta is almost completely covered in hot-glued beer bottle caps. Carnevale has made other street art pieces with stolen barrels, including an alligator and caricatures with small arms. Hamlin Associates, the construction company whose barrels were turned into a monster, doesn't want to press charges and Carnevale is weighing up an offer from the company to reconstruct the monster at their offices in Climax, North Carolina. Raleigh police spokeswoman Laura Hourigan said the charges won't be dropped, despite the company's stance. APTN APEX 06-18-09 0230EDT ------------------- END -- OF -- ITEM ------------------- AP-APTN-0600: File Billy Joel Thursday, 18 June 2009 STORY:File Billy Joel- NEW Singer files for divorce from third wife LENGTH: 01:10 RESTRICTIONS: Check script for details TYPE: English/Nat SOURCE: APTN STORY NUMBER: 610062 DATELINE: File, various LENGTH: 01:10 CLIENTS PLEASE NOTE: ALL SUBSCRIBERS PLEASE ENSURE THAT FILM CLIPS ARE CLEARED FOR MEDIA BROADCAST AND/OR INTERNET USE OR THAT THEY COME WITHIN THE PROMOTIONAL WINDOW FOR YOUR TERRITORY. CONTACT DETAILS, WHERE AVAILABLE, MAY BE FOUND AT THE END OF THE SCRIPT. CLIENTS PLEASE NOTE: COMMERCIAL MUSIC, MUSIC VIDEO AND OR PERFORMANCES, MUST BE CLEARED ACCORDING TO YOUR OWN LOCAL MUSIC PERFORMANCE AND COPYRIGHT AGREEMENTS WITH YOUR APPLICABLE COLLECTING SOCIETY. DETAILS OF THE TRACKS, WHERE AVAILABLE, MAY BE FOUND AT THE END OF THE SCRIPT.YOU HAVE EDITORIAL RESPONSIBILITY FOR USE OF ALL AND ANY CONTENT INCLUDED WITHIN THE SERVICE, AND FOR LIBEL, PRIVACY, COMPLIANCE AND THIRD PARTY RIGHTS APPLICABLE TO THEIR TERRITORY. SHOTLIST(including transcript):- AP Entertainment FILE: Hong Kong, Nov 10 2008 1. Wide shot Billy Joel holding gold record for photo opportunity 2. Close up till up Billy Joel holding gold record 3. SOUNDBITE (English), Billy Joel, Singer: " I usually stay out of politics. I didn't get on the soap box to tell people how to vote. I don't even like when people do that, but in this particular case I thought it was something I should do. I think the country need to change. I was excited about Barack Obama and when they asked me I said OK, yes. It was a fun show, Bruce (Springsteen ) and I rehearsed for about two days and had to learn each other's material, deconstruct each other's material. It was a lot of fun." 4. Wide of Billy Joel in the press conference AP Entertainment FILE: Johannesburg, 25 October 2006 5. Mid shot Billy Joel entering press conference 6. Mid shot Billy Joel sitting down 7. Mid shot Joel signs autographs AP Entertainment FILE: Hong Kong, 12 November 2008 8. Billy Joel performing "Angry" AP Entertainment FILE: Paris, France, 1 July 2008 9. SOUNDBITE (English) Katie Joel, wife of Billy Joel: "Well, I've always really admired Lacroix's designs, I've never actually got to wear any of them, so I am hoping today I'll see something that I can sport at some fabulous ball." PIANO MAN AND THIRD WIFE CONFIRM SPLIT Billy Joel and his third wife Katie Lee are confirming a split. In a statement, the pair said that they remain "caring friends with admiration and respect for each other." They got married five years ago at Joel's mansion on New York's Long Island. A representative for Joel did not immediately respond to the question of whether the couple were getting a divorce. This was the Piano Man's third marriage, her first. The 60-year-old Joel is one of pop's most successful singer-songwriters; Katie Lee Joel hosted the first season of Bravo TV's "Top Chef." He recorded the song "All My Life" as an anniversary gift to his 27-year-old wife two years ago. CLEARANCE DETAILS APTN APEX 06-18-09 0233EDT ------------------- END -- OF -- ITEM ------------------- AP-APTN-0600: US Jim Jonsin Thursday, 18 June 2009 STORY:US Jim Jonsin- REPLAY Music producer talks about working with Lil Wayne, T.I. and Lady GaGa LENGTH: 04:19 FIRST RUN: 0000 RESTRICTIONS: Check script for details TYPE: English/Nat SOURCE: Various STORY NUMBER: 610038 DATELINE: New York, 11 June 2009 LENGTH: 04:19 CLIENTS PLEASE NOTE: COMMERCIAL MUSIC, MUSIC VIDEO AND OR PERFORMANCES, MUST BE CLEARED ACCORDING TO YOUR OWN LOCAL MUSIC PERFORMANCE AND COPYRIGHT AGREEMENTS WITH YOUR APPLICABLE COLLECTING SOCIETY. DETAILS OF THE TRACKS, WHERE AVAILABLE, MAY BE FOUND AT THE END OF THE SCRIPT.YOU HAVE EDITORIAL RESPONSIBILITY FOR USE OF ALL AND ANY CONTENT INCLUDED WITHIN THE SERVICE, AND FOR LIBEL, PRIVACY, COMPLIANCE AND THIRD PARTY RIGHTS APPLICABLE TO THEIR TERRITORY. SHOTLIST (including transcript): Atlantic Records 1. Music video clip - 'Whatever You Like' T.I. Associated Press Television New York - 11 June 2009 2. SOUNDBITE (English) Jim Jonsin, Music Producer: "That particular sound that's working now...like 'Lollipop' and the T.I. song ('Whatever You Like') and 'Kiss Me Thru the Phone,' it's like ear candy, like really pretty melodies in there and it just sounds good, feels good, you know. So I approach it like a DJ right, so if I do a record for (Lil) Wayne and it worked, I'm smart enough to know that OK that sound worked, let me make a few like that feels similar, maybe changed a few things." Cash Money Records 3. Music video clip - 'Lollipop' Lil Wayne featuring Static Major Associated Press Television New York - 11 June 2009 4. SOUNDBITE (English) Jim Jonsin, Music Producer: "Well I'll take the artist and try to find their vision. So listening to T.I., if you listened to his last album, his music, what tuned with him in the past, I did something similar to that. You know, and put some popcorn changes in the music to make it a little more epic for someone like him, which almost big like that. And the Lil Wayne thing, to be honest about it, it was more that particular track was being done for another group when I was working on the instrumental. I was working at a studio in Miami, it's called Circle House, for Danity Kane; it was a Diddy session. So they wanted the next 'Show Stopper,' because I had done that, you know, and they wanted something like that so I made that track ('Lollipop') but they weren't really into it too much so I brought it over to Static Major and we wrote the song for Lil Wayne." Interscope Records 5. Music video clip - 'Just Dance' Lady GaGa featuring Colby O'Donis Associated Press Television New York - 11 June 2009 6. SOUNDBITE (English) Jim Jonsin, Music Producer on Lady GaGa: "This was right...I mean, it could have been two weeks before her record took off, the dance record ('Just Dance'). And I just met her, she came in the studio, she had a long night in the club, she was out late, I didn't know who she was, she really didn't know me, so she kind of sat in the studio with her glasses on and she's like, 'I'm looking for Jim.' I'm looking like, 'Who's this chick, man?' I didn't know...and so she went over to the room to start writing over some of my tracks and I walked in there and it was like, 'Wow.' She's very talented. So I asked her to come over to the room with us and we ended up writing three songs in a matter of like five hours." Interscope Records 7. Music video clip - 'Kiss Me Thru the Phone' Soulja Boy Tell Em featuring Sammie Associated Press Television New York - 11 June 2009 8. SOUNDBITE (English) Jim Jonsin, Music Producer on Soulja Boy: "Actually I made the track and Mr. Colli Park came by the studio in Atlanta, that was during a B.O.B. (new artist) session, and him and Soulja Boy came by to listen to a couple of instrumentals and they liked that one and they took it back to the studio. And I think like a week later, they had that chorus that Soulja Boy and Sammie came up with, which was brilliant." Interscope Records 9. Music video clip - 'Kiss Me Thru the Phone' Soulja Boy Tell Em featuring Sammie Associated Press Television New York - 11 June 2009 10. SOUNDBITE (English) Jim Jonsin, Music Producer on future collaborations: "People like Leona Lewis to the possibility of working with Jay-Z, a publisher, Big Jon, talked about Jay-Z getting in, Ludacris, things like that are opening up. And even broader stuff...some rock projects and stuff. Like Linkin Park, they're talks about that." Sony Music Entertainment 11. Music video clip - 'Bleeding Love' Leona Lewis HIP-HOP PRODUCER HOPING TO CROSS OVER James Scheffer, aka Jim Jonsin, is one of the most successful writers-producers in contemporary music. No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for 13 weeks (five weeks for "Lollipop" and eight weeks for "Whatever You Like"), Jonsin has stayed in the top five chart positions for 24 weeks. He also scored multiple Grammy nominations for these two songs and took home an award for Best Rap Song for "Lollipop" and a contributing award for Rap Album of the Year, which was awarded to Lil Wayne's "The Carter III." Most recently, he's seen success with "Kiss Me Thru the Phone," Soulja Boy's hit song produced by Jonsin. The producer says his success in hip-hop has opened doors for him to work outside of that genre. "Even broader stuff...some rock projects and stuff. Like Linkin Park," he said in a recent interview. That list also includes Leona Lewis, Backstreet Boys and Jordin Sparks. And he's also been in the studio with Lady GaGa. "She came in the studio, she had a long night in the club, she was out late, I didn't know who she was, she really didn't know me, so she kind of sat in the studio with her glasses on and she's like, 'I'm looking for Jim.' I'm looking like, 'Who's this chick, man?' I didn't know...and so she went over to the room to start writing over some of my tracks and I walked in there and it was like, 'Wow.' She's very talented. So I asked her to come over to the room with us and we ended up writing three songs in a matter of like five hours," he said. Jonsin also produced three records for Beyonce's last album, has two songs on Michelle Williams' album "Unexpected," both singles "The Greatest" and "Hello Heartbreak." He also continues to develop his artist B.O.B. from Atlanta through his label Rebel Rock Entertainment/Atlantic Records. The Brooklyn-born producer, who was raised in South Florida, began his career in music as a scratch DJ. In 2006, BMI named him Urban Songwriter of the Year and added Jonsin to its Top Urban Producers list. APTN APEX 06-18-09 0235EDT ------------------- END -- OF -- ITEM ------------------- AP-APTN-0600: US Salinger Thursday, 18 June 2009 STORY:US Salinger- NEW Judge finds similarities between "The Catcher In The Rye" and new book LENGTH: 01:28 FIRST RUN: 2330 RESTRICTIONS: See Script TYPE: English/Nat SOURCE: AP TELEVISION/AP PHOTOS STORY NUMBER: 610048 DATELINE: New York, 17 June 2009/File LENGTH: 01:28 SHOTLIST: AP Entertainment New York, June 17 2009 1. Wide shot of exterior of federal court house 2. Mid shot of exterior of federal court house 3. SOUNDBITE: (English) Edward Henry Rosenthal, lawyer for author Fredrik Colting: "It is a significant case because there are not many cases like this. I think it is significant because criticism evolves and using a work of fiction, as Mr Silverman just said, to criticise another work of fiction is relatively unusual and relatively new, but it is done, at the university level. Post-modern criticism often uses some sort of work in a different genre than typical scholarly criticism in order to make the point and I think this is clearly criticism commentary." 4. Wide shot exterior of federal court house 5. SOUNDBITE: (English) Aaron Silverman, president of potential North American distributing company for Colting's book: "I would say that I'm very pleased that she didn't ban the book and agreed with us that there are fair use issues going on." 6. Silverman and Rosenthal walking past camera 7. Salinger's attorney Marcia Beth Paul walking past camera 8. Close of the cover of the book "60 Years Later" 9. Close of the cover of "60 Years Later" 10. Wide of cover of "60 Years Later" AP PHOTOS - NO ACCESS CANADA/FOR BROADCAST USE ONLY - STRICTLY NO ACCESS ONLINE OR MOBILE Location unknown, 1951 11. STILL photo of J.D. Salinger BOOKS TOO SIMILAR A federal judge said on Wednesday (17JUN09) she found substantial similarities between US author J.D. Salinger's "The Catcher In The Rye" and a new book by a Swedish author and questioned whether it should be published in the United States. US District Judge Deborah Batts commented as she listened to lawyers argue whether Salinger had a right to stop publication this summer in the United States of a novel called "60 Years Later" by Fredrik Colting. He writes under the name John David California. The judge said she had read both books and could rule that the substantial similarities left her to decide whether the new book made fair use of Salinger's work by providing commentary, criticism or parody. She temporarily blocked publication of the book until she can decide what she called serious legal questions raised by the dispute. The temporary order makes it likely that a ruling would occur in the next month. Edward Henry Rosenthal, a lawyer for Colting, argued that the book should be allowed to be published because it provided meaningful criticism of Salinger and his chief character, Holden Caulfield. "Post-modern criticism often uses some sort of work in a different genre than typical scholarly criticism in order to make the point and I think this is clearly criticism commentary," he said. Batts said the issue was not that she was having trouble determining whether the criticism in the book was effective. Marcia Beth Paul, a lawyer for Salinger, said the book copied her client's book and was "pure commercialism" meant to capitalise on the spectacular success of Salinger's classic novel. It tells the story of the first days of a disaffected teenager's life after he is thrown out of a boarding school and has a series of experiences in New York City. Paul said it was wrong of the defendants to claim that blocking publication of the book because it infringes copyrights would be the same as banning a book. Salinger lives a reclusive life in rural New Hampshire. He has not published a book in decades and has rarely been heard from except when he takes legal actions to protect his works. In "60 Years Later," scheduled to be published in Great Britain this summer and in the United States soon after, a character very much like Caulfield is 76 years old. Rosenthal did not dispute that the character is meant to be Caulfield years later. In the book, the character, identified as "Mr. C," escapes from a retirement home and has experiences similar to those Caulfield went through decades earlier. APTN APEX 06-18-09 0255EDT ------------------- END -- OF -- ITEM ------------------- AP-APTN-0600: UK Bruno premiere Thursday, 18 June 2009 STORY:UK Bruno premiere- REPLAY Sacha Baron Cohen premieres new mockumentary LENGTH: 04:08 FIRST RUN: 2000 RESTRICTIONS: Check script for details TYPE: English/Nat SOURCE: AP Television, Universal Pictures STORY NUMBER: 610037 DATELINE: London, 17 June 2009 LENGTH: 04:08 CLIENTS PLEASE NOTE: ALL SUBSCRIBERS PLEASE ENSURE THAT FILM CLIPS ARE CLEARED FOR MEDIA BROADCAST AND/OR INTERNET USE OR THAT THEY COME WITHIN THE PROMOTIONAL WINDOW FOR YOUR TERRITORY. CONTACT DETAILS, WHERE AVAILABLE, MAY BE FOUND BELOW. SHOTLIST (including transcript): AP Television London, 17 June 2009 1. Wide of Leicester Square, London 2. Wide of cinema poster VNR London, 17, June 2009 3. UPSOUND: "Please welcome Bruno!" 4. Various of Bruno marching with Beefeaters 5. UPSOUND: "Ich love you, London! Ich bin Bruno! The Austrians have finally invaded. Let's hear it for mine soldier boys. Ich will be joining them later for the schtupping of the color. Danke schoen for coming to my premiere today. This is the most important movie starring a gay Austrian since 'Terminator 2.' AP Television London, 17 June 2009 6. Wide of Kings of Leon on red carpet 7. Sacha Baron Cohen posing with fans 8. Close-up of Baron Cohen preparing to talk to a reporter 9. SOUNDBITE (English) Sacha Baron Cohen as Bruno: "I just wanted to do something that was flattering for the royal family. Something that the Queen, I'm not talking about Elton John, would really appreciate, so just came like this. You know the British royal family and the Austrians have got a lot in common, we're still the only people who are proud to wear a Swastika." 10. Close up of Bruno's shorts, pan up 11. SOUNDBITE (English) Sacha Baron Cohen as Bruno: "I like to slip in; I don't like to be noticed. I'm not here to promote my film, which is on July 10th. I'm just here wearing something under the radar." 12. Tilt up of Bruno Universal Pictures 13. Clip 'Bruno' AP Television London, 17 June 2009 14. SOUNDBITE (English) Sacha Baron Cohen as Bruno: "You know my baby, at the moment I've got one. Its uber cool, he's black, it's really cool, no? And he does scheisses in his underpants but you know my ex-boyfriend did as well. So it's no big deal." Universal Pictures 15. Clip 'Bruno' AP Television London, 17 June 2009 16. SOUNDBITE (English) Sacha Baron Cohen as Bruno: "It's going to be the most important documentary about a gay white guy since the 'Passion of the Christ' enjoy, love you. Love the (inaudible) overcoat." Universal Pictures 17. Clip 'Bruno' GREAT IN BRITAIN: IT'S BRUNO After thrusting his bottom in Eminem's face at the MTV Movie Awards, Sacha Baron had a lot to live up to at the UK premiere of his new film 'Bruno.' Held at the Empire Leicester Square in London on Wednesday evening (17 JUNE 2009) - fans turned out to witness what the comedian would do. Marching around the black carpet in a bearskin hat, with a gold sceptre, red military waistcoat and tight black shorts - complete with back-up soldiers, the flamboyant gay TV presenter character made sure to play up the English angle of the event, even in the rain, by dressing up like a Beefeater. But judging from his wardrobe, this Beefeater moonlights as a stripper. "I like to slip in; I don't like to be noticed," said Cohen in character. "I'm not here to promote my film, which is on July 10th. I'm just here wearing something under the radar." Cohen addressed the crowd as his alter ego Bruno complete with his Austrian accent, and thanked them for coming to his premiere with a short speech paying homage to Arnold Schwarzenegger. Bruno said his grand entrance was in honour of the British royal family. "I just wanted to do something that was flattering for the royal family. Something that the Queen, I'm not talking about Elton John, would really appreciate, so just came like this," he said. "You know, the British royal family and the Austrians have got a lot in common, we're still the only people who are proud to wear a Swastika." Bruno is an Austrian fashionista who tends to get on the wrong side of people. This time he's adopting a baby, Madonna- and Angelina Jolie-style, just because it's a trendy thing to do. "He's black," joked Bruno. "It's really cool no? And he does scheisses in his underpants, but you know my ex-boyfriend did as well. So it's no big deal." 'Bruno' is Baron Cohen's follow-up to 'Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan' from 2006, also directed by Larry Charles - another feature aimed at drawing uncomfortable laughs from the audience. And how would Bruno have you view the film? "It's going to be the most important documentary about a gay white guy since the 'Passion of the Christ,'" he said. 'Bruno' opens in the UK on July 10th. Additional release dates: Belgium 8 July 2009 Iceland 8 July 2009 Australia 9 July 2009 Germany 9 July 2009 Greece 9 July 2009 Israel 9 July 2009 Netherlands 9 July 2009 New Zealand 9 July 2009 Portugal 9 July 2009 Switzerland 9 July 2009 (German speaking region) Bulgaria 10 July 2009 Denmark 10 July 2009 Estonia 10 July 2009 Finland 10 July 2009 Norway 10 July 2009 Spain 10 July 2009 Sweden 10 July 2009 UK 10 July 2009 USA 10 July 2009 France 22 July 2009 Switzerland 22 July 2009 (French speaking region) Brazil 31 July 2009 Czech Republic 6 August 2009 Turkey 14 August 2009 Singapore 20 August 2009 Mexico 28 August 2009 Argentina 15 October 2009 APTN APEX 06-18-09 0511EDT ------------------- END -- OF -- ITEM -------------------

WASH 7 HILLARY CLINTON SANFORD FL EVENT POOL C16 110116 19:18:54 I listened to some of the speakers who came before and I see these last days as both the opportunity to continue to tell you what I want to do as your president because i want to give you something to vote for, not just against. But I also feel it is important to keep drawing the contrast with my opponent because we have never had someone so unqualified and unfit to be president and commander in chief. And I want to say a word to people who are still making up their minds because i want to be the president for everybody, democrats republicans and independents everybody. I want to represent those who vote for me and those who vote against me because I think the next president has three big challenges. We got to get the economy working for everybody not just those at the top, right. 19:20:11 And there couldn't be a clearer contrast between what I have laid out, the policies I am promoting because I think they will help us grow the economy from the middle out, not the top down the way DT has suggested. And then we have a big challenge to keep our country safe and to lead the world with strength in accordance with our values and we have to make sure we have someone in the white house with the temperament, the steadiness, the composure to deal with the challenges and crisis which we will face in the world. There are a lot of thing about national security that I think a lot about because I've had the privilege of serving in the senate, serving on the armed services committee in the senate. 19:21:17 Being your sec. Of state. I was in the situation room when the mission to bring Osama bin Laden to justice took place.So I have no ilusions. I have no doubt that this is a challenging time but I believe with all my heard that our country is up to whatever challenges we face if we work together we are stronger together that's exactly what I believe. Sand when I think about keeping americans safe obviously I think about defeating terrorism. 9/11 19:21:59 I know what happened not far from here at Pulse nightclub in Orlando, I was in New York City on 9/11 as one of the two senators. I will defeat ISIS. I will protect America. But I also want to protect Americans from the epidemic of gun violence that is stalking our country. I cannot come to Sanford without talking about Trayvon Martin. It's heartbreaking that this young man, all he did was go to a corner store. Bought a pack of skittles and walked back home in the rain and his life was cut short. I have had the great honor of getting to know his other Sybrina Fulton and many of the mothers who have lost their children to gun violence. 19:23:11 And what I have been so impressed by is how they have taken this mountain of grief and decided to do everything they could to protect the children of other mothers and father's. And that will take all of us, working together 33 thousand people a year die from guns and we have got to do a better job my friends. You see, I believe we have a fundamental human even a moral obligation to protect our children no matter who they are and what zip code they live in. We have a moral obligation to reduce gun violence and that will require us to stand against systemic racism and promote justice and equality and criminal justice reform. 19:24:26 Something is wrong when young people just starting their lives are dying. Something is wrong when so many parents live in fear that their child will be hurt or killed going to the movies, sitting in a first grade classroom. Attending a bible study. The list goes on. This has nothing to do with the second amendment and responsible gun owners. There is no conflict between that the second amendment and common sense gun safety measures. I am willing with your help and the help of responsible gun owners to stand up to the gun lobby and bring about changes to save lives. 19:25:45 And so we are going to get the economy working for everybody not just those at the top. Lead our world, take on and defeat terrorism. Help to keep our young people here at home safe and we are also going to heal the divides. The bible says go be a repairer of the breach and we have a lot of breaches right now. I have tried to stay focused in this campaign not at the barrage of insults. My opponent can say whatever he wants about me I don't really care. What I care about is your lives, especially the lives of the young people here in this audience tonight. I care about your families, how are you going to have the tools you need to overcome the problems that you face. To help you get ahead and stay ahead. That's why I have plans for new jobs with rising income, infrastructure, advanced manufacturing, technology, clean renewable energy jobs. 19:27:09 And i want to do more to help small business because that's where most of the new jobs are going to come from and while we grow the economy and create more jobs we got to make sure it's fair. We should raise the national minimum wage no one who works full time should still be in poverty. You see I believe in hard work. I was raised to believe in hard work. My dad was a small business man. He taught me you gotta be self reliant you gotta work hard. But you know working hard, doing everything you can to get ahead and never making any progress has gotta be pretty discouraging right. 19:27:54 Two thirds of all minimum wage workers are women. Many of whom are the sole support of their children. I have met women across this country who are literally working from 6am to midnight because they have two, two minimum wage jobs. So we are going to tackle that and give more people a chance and we are going to finally guarantee equal pay for women's work. I mean think about it, it is 2016. This is not just a woman's issue. If you've got a mother a wife a sister a daughter who is working it's your issue. Why should you be discriminated against because you are a woman. I think we got to end those days. It is time to move forward. Now I gotta tell you, everything I just said donald Trump disagrees with. 19:29:13 He doesn't think we need clean renewable energy jobs because he doesn't think climate change is a problem. He doesn't think we should raise the national minimum wage and he doesn't believe that women should be guaranteed equal pay for the work we do. And now whenever I talk about this, he accuses me of playing the woman card. And you know what I say, if that's playing the woman card then deal me in.And you know, there's another issue that I have spent a lot of time working on and that is how do we make college affordable for everybody. I want to be a strong, advocate for education starting with preschool education so kids get prepared to do well in school. I also believe that we should not have taken technical education out of high schools and i want to put it back into high schools. 19:30:31 There are a lot of very good jobs that provide a good income and the dignity of doing a good job that don't require a 4 year college education right. So let's help more young people who are interested in those jobs, machinist, welders, tool and dye makers, carpenters, computer coders, health professionals. Give them a chance from high school and a community college to get prepared for those jobs. And then if you want, if you want a four year college degree here is my plan. If your family makes less than $125,000 a year you will not pay tuition at public colleges and universities. 19:31:26 And if you make more than that, you can go to college debt free. Pay what you can but don't have to go into debt. We should be making an investment in our young people and for those of you who already have student debt we are going to help you refinance it, pay it down and get it off your backs. You see i'm very excited about the future. And every election is about the future and in fact there's such a difference in our visions for the future. I have a positive optimistic unified visions of where america is going. When I listen to Donald Trump's dark and divisive vision I sometimes don't know what country he is talking about. 19:32:20 He just spends all of his time just denigrating, criticizing america. I got to tell you I think America already is great but we can be greater. I think America is big hearted not small minded I think americans are about lifting people down not treating each other down. I believe we truly are stronger together in order to set goals and achieve those goals. LIST OF PEOPLE HE HE HAS INSULTED 19:33:05 When I think about all the people that Donald trump has insulted in this campaign. Literally he has insulted a huge majority of the American people. I mean think about it, started with immigrants. Moved on to Latinos, African Americans, muslims, people with disabilities, prisoners of war. And then women. I mean think about it. You know, did any of you see the debates? Well you know before every debate there was always a story about how you know he was really going to attack me and he's going to get into my head he's going to really mess me up. I'm sitting there thinking no, he's not. And so. 19:34:26 So you know, standing there for four and a half hours on that debate stage proved for once and for all I have the stamina to do this job. But don't get me wrong that doesn't mean I you know, enjoyed listening to some of the things he had to say. I mean earlier today I was in Pasco county talking about one of the reasons why the choice is so stark in this election because of all the things Donald Trump has said and done to women and girls. Now i was proud to be introduced by Alicia Machado, the Miss universe pageant winner. Now here is a woman who wins the miss universe Pageant. 19:35:20 I mean you gotta expect she's pretty amazing looking right. But Donald insulted her appearance, calling her Miss Piggy. He insulted her heritage because she was latina he called her Miss Housekeeping. But as Alicia said today she refused to let such a small person get her down. And I was proud of her because she knows that Donald Trump doesn't get to decide her value. And she understands that we should be lifting up young people. We should be lifting up the confidence of young women and men. We should be building up their self worth so that any young person in America can say, they are going after their piece of the american dream because the american dream is big enough for everybody. 19:36:36 Now we know what the tape about Donald Trump said, we know that he said some terrible things about what he does to women. I'm not going to repeat it. But bragging about treating women like that is not the message we want either our little girls or our little boys to hear. You see I believe with all my heart that we have so much ahead of us. There's so much we can do together. Do we have problems? Of course we have problems but we've never not had problems in America's history. What mattered with whether people came together to address those problems. 19:37:29 So every time he started in on me or going on about what he said about other people, I just kept thinking about what Michelle Obama said at the convention right. When he goes low we go high. But you know we can't do any of the things we have planned, any of the ideas we have laid out there without your help. TAXES 19:38:01 This is when it really matters. We've got someone running for president who has not only bullied people and made bigoted comments about everyone but he is the only major party nominee for president in 40 years who hasn't released his tax returns. Now a few weeks ago we got to see 3 pages of his tax returns and they told us a lot. They told us that Donald lost almost a billion dollars in just one year and then he used that loss to avoid paying federal income taxes for 18 years so he went nearly two decades without paying a dime toward our military, our veterans, our education, our healthcare, our highways or anything else. I believe that most of us here have paid a lot more federal income taxes that Donald Trump has paid. And he claims he's worth 10 billion dollars well, he also said that not paying taxes was smart. 19:39:16 Well some more information just came to light yesterday and now we know that Donald Trump meant when he said he was smart for not paying his fair share. He meant that he used what the NY times called and I quote 'a legally dubious scheme' to avoid paying taxes. Even his own high priced lawyers warned him it likely wouldn't fly with the IRS and he took everything. He took everything our great country has to offer he scooped it up with both hands and then paid nothing to support us and then he has the nerve to call our military a disaster, to insult POW's when he hasn't paid a penny to support the people who put on the uniform of the United States of America. So if you know anybody who is thinking about voting for Trump, well first of all stage an intervention. I mean this.. 19:40:32 And you know if they've ever paid a dollar of income tax ask them whether they think it's so smart to lose other people's money, claim a loss and then not pay income taxes. Now with the election just 7 days away, we should demand again that Donald Trump immediately release his tax returns. He has no excuse because he's 2015 taxes are not even under audit. And I think the American people deserve to know if he paid any penalty for skirting the law and how much he is actually worth and who he does business with. I am particularly interested in the Russian business deals that he has. And of course it would be interesting to know has he ever even given a penny to charity. But you know this is all part of a pattern for Donald Trump. 19:41:41 Time after time he's done things not because he thinks they are right. Not even because he thinks they are legal but because he thinks they will get away with it. He's hired hundreds of small businesses and contractors to do work for him at his hotels and casinos. Cabinet makers, piano sellers. Drapery printers, so many more. They did the work and then Donald refused to pay what he owed. Why well, he knew small businesses didn't have the resources to sue him so he stiffed them. He told the students at Trump university that they would get an Ivy league education. They paid ten, 20 even 70 thousand dollars for courses that turned out to be worthless. 19:42:34 Now they are suing him for fraud but he, he walked away with 5 million dollars. He put his name on a condo development down in Fort Lauderdale and you should hear those people's stories. They handed over their savings, a lot of retirees. Then their calls stopped getting answered. The condos were never built. Some of them never got their money back, but Donald got paid. At the end of the day Donald Trump is the poster boy for everything that is wrong with our economy. 19:43:22 I think we deserve a president who stands up for you, not somebody who stiffs you who cheats you and walks away with money and I will promise you this. I am going to wake up everyday and fight hard for you. I am going to do whatever I can to knock down the barriers and make the economy work for everyone and I will never ever quit on you. I will work my heart out for you. And we are going to find a way over, under around or through all the barriers that stand in the way. I have been fighting for families and underdogs my entire life. When I was in the senate I was there mostly when the republicans were in charge. There are 400 pieces of legislation with my name on it as a sponsor or a co sponsor. Because I understand we gotta work together and I want you to tell your republican and independent friends, WE WON'T BACK DOWN 19:44:35 I have proven I know how to work across the aisle. I will work to find the best answers to the problems we face, but we won't back down. We won't be knocked off course. We know what we have to do and it all starts with winning this election next Tuesday. So here's what i'm asking please do everything you can between now and when the polls close to make a difference. Donald Trumps strategy is to get women to stay home, young people to stay home, people of color to stay home. That's more than half the population. But it's all part of his scorched earth campaign and it goes against everything we stand for. So do you know the best way to stop him? By showing up and voting and getting the biggest turnout in history. 19:45:39 We need more people to vote! How many of you have already voted? Well i'm asking you to go out and make sure you get more people to vote to get them to vote early because something is happening my friends. 26 million people in America have already voted. More than 4 million of them right here in Florida. So if we can keep this up, there is no doubt if we vote, we win. And it's very easy, tell your friends and your family and your coworkers that they can vote, that they can help make history. You can go to early vote in this county in every country. 19:46:37 And you can do it between now and the end of business next sunday. I hope on the way over here or on the way somewhere tomorrow you will go to the nearest early voting site. Not far from here is the north branch library one block away on the North palmetto Avenue. All the early voting sites in Seminole county are open from 7am to 7pm everyday until Nov 6th. And you know Florida has a lot more early voting sites than some of the state's around our country. So early voting here is convenient. Now if you don't know where to go vote go online to I will vote.com to fiund the nearest early voting locaiton. 19:47:25 Because at the end of the day this election really is about your futures. It's about who we are as a country, it's about every issue that matters to us. The future of our economy, do we build it from the middle out and the ground up or do we go back to the failed policies of trickle down economics and give trillions of tax cuts to millionaires and billionaires. Raising the minimum wage, making college affordable. Fighting climate change, florida is one of the places that really need to do everything it can to fight climate change. Comprehensive immigration reform. LGBT equality. Defending planned parenthood. Standing up for Puerto Rico to get a just effective solution. In the end the american dream itself is at stake and it's just so exciting to me to think of what we can do. 19:48:44 I want to build on the progress that President Obama has made. So think how you will feel if there was something you could have done, but didn't on November the 9th. If this, if this doesn't work. Personally I can't imagine. And then throw your minds a little further when your kids and your grandkids asked you what you did in 2016 when everything was on the line. I hope you will be able to say I voted for a better, fairer stronger america. Let's build that future together and let's prove once and for all that love trumps hate. Thank you! SANFORD, FL - Hillary Clinton continued her assault on Donald Trump one week from the election by bringing new heat on his taxes, backed up by the New York Times article about how Trump used a "legally dubious method to avoid paying taxes." <http://mobile.nytimes.com/2016/11/01/us/politics/donald-trump-tax.html> 19:39:00 "I believe that most of us here have paid a lot more federal income taxes that Donald Trump has paid. And he claims he's worth 10 billion dollars well, he also said that not paying taxes was smart." Clinton said the article exposes what Trump meant by calling himself "smart" for not paying his fair share. "He took everything our great country has to offer he scooped it up with both hands and then paid nothing to support us and then he has the nerve to call our military a disaster, to insult POW's when he hasn't paid a penny to support the people who put on the uniform of the United States of America. So if you know anybody who is thinking about voting for Trump, well first of all stage an intervention." But, Clinton didn't stop there as she laid out the conversation she'd like her supporters to have with Trump supporters. 19:40:32 "If they've ever paid a dollar of income tax ask them whether they think it's so smart to lose other people's money, claim a loss and then not pay income taxes. Now with the election just 7 days away, we should demand again that Donald Trump immediately release his tax returns. He has no excuse because he's 2015 taxes are not even under audit. And I think the American people deserve to know if he paid any penalty for skirting the law and how much he is actually worth and who he does business with. I am particularly interested in the Russian business deals that he has. And of course it would be interesting to know has he ever even given a penny to charity." Clinton misspoke on 9/11, saying she was in New York City on 9/11 instead of her normal "I was a senator from NY on 9/11" 19:21:59 I know what happened not far from here at Pulse nightclub in Orlando, I was in New York City on 9/11 as one of the two senators. I will defeat ISIS. I will protect America. But I also want to protect Americans from the epidemic of gun violence that is stalking our country. I cannot come to Sanford without talking about Trayvon Martin. It's heartbreaking that this young man, all he did was go to a corner store. Bought a pack of skittles and walked back home in the rain and his life was cut short. Giving voters something to vote for, not just against "I see these last 7 days an an opportunity to continue to tell you what i want to do as your president. because i want to give you something to vote for, not just against, but i also feel it is important to keep drawing the contrasts with my opponent because we've never had someone so unqualified and unfit to be president and commander in chief. and i want to say a word to people who are still making up their minds, because i want to be a president for everybody. I want to represent those who vote for me and those who vote against me." "I have tried to stay focused in this campaign not on the barrage of insults. My opponent can say whatever he wants about me. I don't care. What I care about is your lives, especially the lives of young people here in his audience tonight." On gun violence/Trayvon Martin: 19:23:37 "I also want to protect Americans from the epidemic of gun violence that is stalking our communities. I cannot come to Sanford without talking about Travyon Martin. It is heartbreaking that this young man all he did was go to a corner store, brought a pack of Skittles and walk about in the rain and his life was cut shit. I have had the great honor of getting to know his mother, Sabrina Fulton and many of the mothers who lost their children to gun violence. And what I have been so impressed by, is now they have taken then mountain of grief and decided to do everything they could to protect the children of other mothers and fathers. And that will take all of us working together."

1100 SCHUMER IMPEACHMENT PRESSER FS8 83 SENATE MINORITY LEADER SENATOR CHUCK SCHUMER DELIVERS A PRESS CONFERENCE ABOUT THE TRUMP IMPEACHMENT TRANSCRIPT: SCHUMER: Okay, good morning. We are going to have a contest who has a brighter jacket. HIRONO: That would be me. (INAUDIBLE) SCHUMER: I called Mazie this morning Madame Magenta. UNKNOWN: Beautiful color. SCHUMER: Thank you. It is. On behalf of our caucus, we thank you for the compliment to Ms. Hirono's jacket. All right. Well, good morning everyone. Thanks for coming and let me say that by thought the questioning period yesterday was very good for us. It showed how flimsy, how specious and how dangerous the Republican arguments were. I want to go over some important moments from that first period of senators' questioning yesterday, nearly all of which made the case for witnesses and documents and some of the best questions actually came from Republicans. From Senator Collins and Murkowski asked if the president's--asked the president's counsel if they could give an example of the president expressing concern about Hunter and Joe Biden before the former vice president announced his candidacy. The president's counsel could not point to a single example to support the claim so he made up a bogus excuse that his answer was limited to what is in the record. Senator Romney asked the president's counsel if they could clarify the specific date when the president ordered the delay in military assistance and what reason he gave for doing it. Again the president's counsel could not point to anything to answer Senator Romney. Now, these are crucial points and they get right at the question of corrupt motive. The simple factual questions and the president's counsel unable to answer them, wow. Do you know who could help them answer those questions? Mick Mulvaney, John Bolton and our other two witnesses. So could the documents that we have asked to subpoena. A few other moments stood out. I asked president's--they said they were not demanding absolute immunity, so I asked them to name a single document or a single witness that the House counsel requested as they went through the process that the president said okay. Not one, they couldn't name one. Mr. Philbin had to filibuster, P-H, get it Philbin, filibuster. Had to filibuster an answer as to the general reasons they might call immunity. Another moment stood out amazingly. On Monday night, Mr. Dershowitz advanced a scarcely believable argument of impeachment. Yesterday he went even further suggesting that because president's believe their reelection that is in the public interest when they do things to benefit their reelection, it is in the public interest and they can basically do whatever they want. I hear he is correcting it on TV today. That seems to be Mr. Dershowitz's pattern. He gives a statement on the floor and then spends the next day correcting it. What a load of nonsense. By Dershowitz logic, President Nixon did nothing wrong in Watergate. He was just breaking into the DNC to help his reelection which is, of course, is in the public interest according to Dershowitzian(SP) logic. The Dershowitz argument frankly would unleash a monster; more aptly, it would unleash a monarch. Think about this according to Dershowitz, impeachment is only for criminal offenses meanwhile President Trump's Justice Department argues that a sitting president can't be indicted, can't indict for criminal conduct, can't impeach for non-criminal conduct. The president could blackmail a foreign country into poisoning our elections and get away with murder literally so long as he is in office. Republicans have gone from denying the president--what the president did, to normalizing it by claiming every president does it to now saying there's nothing wrong with it even if he did it. It's incredible the lengths they will go to justify something most of them, not all but most know is wrong. The president's counsel is asking us to confer two new rights on the presidency, the right to ask foreign countries to investigate their political opponents and the right to prevent Congress from investigating their opponents. If Senate Republicans vote to endorse these ideas by shutting down a fair trial, they could spell the end of presidential accountability as we know it. Today we will finish the question and answer period then tomorrow we will take a crucial vote on whether we will debate having four witnesses--having witnesses and documents in this trial. The fate of much of the future of how this Republic conducts itself is on the shoulders of four Republicans. I believe Senate Republicans and the president's team are worried about the vote. Yesterday Mr. Sekulow said that if the Senate elects to subpoena witnesses and documents, the president's team will force all sorts of manner of delay, take the managers to court, assert privilege, drag it on forever. It was a shocking admission from Mr. Sekulow revealing how concern the president's team are, how afraid they are of eyewitnesses to the president's conduct coming before the Senate. Of course, his argument isn't true. There's no reason for endless delays. The documents are compiled, one key witness has already said he would testify. We would expect the others to comply if subpoenas--if subpoenaed and questions of privilege, can be sorted out right here in Senate. Mr. Sekulow's argument was no more than a threat, a shakedown. He told senators to their faces that the president's team will do whatever it possibly can to prevent them from seeing the truth. It reminds you of something the president would do or say and it should refend(SP) my Republican colleagues just as much as it offends us Democrats. We are a nation founded on the idea of truth, of reasoned debate, of facts, ideas, argument. That is all we are seeking in the trial. As we have said before, we don't know what the four witnesses will say. They are presidential appointees. We don't know what the documents will reveal. It might be exculpatory, they might be further incriminating. We will live with the facts. We will live with the truth and let the chips fall where they may. Will our Republican friends? It is certainly in their interest and the president's interest that we have a fair trial. A trial without truth, without key evidence, without witnesses and documents would render the president's acquittal meaningless, a giant asterisk next to it because the trial was so rigged in his favor. Senator Durbin? DURBIN: Thanks, Senator Schumer. I don't know if there is such a thing as a gruntled former employee but it turns out that President Trump has plenty of disgruntled former employees and it seems to be the genesis of a lot of tweets these days. John Kelly, John Bolton. Listen to what they said yesterday when they talked about the John Bolton manuscript which they never ever really conceded that they received at a certain date. They said this manuscript contained top-secret information and therefore, couldn't be released to the American public. Excuse me if I am suspicious but I think the John Bolton manuscript is now the same desk drawer as the president's tax returns. Instead of an IRS audit, the John Bolton manuscript is going through a security audit that I am sure will not be completed until after this trial is over. So now we have John Bolton's professed position that the president told him that he was actually doing this, withholding funds from Ukraine for political purposes which is going to be held back from the American public so long as possible. John Bolton should be testifying. What we heard yesterday from those on the other side was the continuing position that this is going to be something like a trial without witnesses and evidence. The American people know a lot more about trials than that and they certainly understand there is no trial without evidence and witnesses and John Bolton, Mick Mulvaney and the two others we mentioned should be starters. Now this threat too that they are going to prolong this indefinitely because it--it is going to be the only way to deal with this issue really raises another question. Do I understand that Senator McConnell is now arguing we cannot wait to get back to the business of the Senate? The business of the Senate. Last calendar year we considered 22 amendments on the floor of the United States Senate in the entire year, 22, six of them from Rand Paul that were dead on arrival; he insisted on a vote before we could leave town. Twenty-two amendments and now they are arguing with a straight face if this trial goes on for another week it's going to keep us away from serious Senate business. The only Senate business we know has been Mitch McConnell's passion to fill every federal vacancy with a lightly qualified, maybe even unqualified person for a lifetime appointment. And can I say a word about Professor Dershowitz? 50 years on the Harvard faculty and I am sure many people respect him for that and I certainly do too but it is no longer Professor Dershowitz appearing before the United States Senate; it is advocate Dershowitz. Those of us who have been in a trial situation know that when you are hired by someone when you have a client, you do everything in your power to argue that the law and the facts are on your side sometimes pushing the truth just to make sure that your client will win. What we have seen from Professor Dershowitz is exactly that. He is arguing now as Senator Schumer said that if you can identify something as president that is in your public--your political interests and say that is the national interests, then all bets are off. They can go forward from that point and do anything they wish with impunity. Is that really where we want to go as a nation? Honestly if people are going to believe that this is a true republic or democracy depending on your taste, they have to understand that the leaders in this country are subject to accountability and the rule of law. The Republicans have missed that and unfortunately, it is at our expense. The last point I would make is this. I listened to these questions yesterday and understood that there are at least I hope three Republicans who are seriously considering joining us when it comes to witnesses. We need more and I hope that there will be more who will join us. This has to be a real trial at the end of the day for the American people to believe in it. If we are going to bring this nation together, we won't with the short-circuited trial so Mitch McConnell can re--return to his judicial vacancies. I hope the questioning today moves along that track. I also want to say that the closing comments by Mr. Philbin in the first part of the question period that suggested that we could--he could receive information from foreign sources without any concern really is a problem. If that is the new standard God save us because we are now relying unfortunately on an election process that is not protected from information sources that do not have the best interests of the United States in mind. The efforts they are making to distort and twist the truth when it comes to the security of our elections could hurt us for many years to come. SCHUMER: Senator Hirono? HIRONO: Thank you. We are witnessing the coronation of Trump with Mitch McConnell holding the crown and the Republicans holding his train. So we already know that Trump believes that he can do anything he wants under article 2 of the Constitution, so yesterday we listened to during eight hours of questions and answers this what I would call insane view being pushed out to the rest of the country. Amazing. My colleagues talked about you know in very concrete terms what they think Trump can do and I want to put this into a larger context of what a president who believes that he can do anything he wants under Article 2. This is not a president who cares about checks and balances. So this is a president who already brought us to the brink of war with Iran. Who knows what is going to happen with North Korea as Kim Jong-un continues to play him. The president continues to go after immigrants tooth and nail. We have to ask ourselves what group is he going to go after next and he has already given us that information. The next group he's going to go after our seniors because he is going to cut Social Security benefits. I represent a state that has a lot of seniors and believe me you know I looked it up Alabama, Arkansas, Maine, Vermont, West Virginia; these are states that have almost one in five, more than one in five of their population relies on Social Security. So when he continues to go after immigrants not enough of us speak out but all of the people who live in these states I hope they are listening because we now have King Trump who is going to go after your Social Security. This is the larger context in which the--the president believes he can do anything he wants under article 2 operates and that is the danger we face and what is it going to take for us to fight back? Well is by fighting back and that is why we are here. Thank you. SCHUMER: Thank you, Mazie. HIRONO: Thank you. SCHUMER: Okay. Questions? QUESTION: Mr. leader? SCHUMER: Yes? QUESTION: Mr. Leader, the possibility that this witness vote could end 50-50 has been raised. Do you anticipate that the Chief Justice would weigh in there or step back? SCHUMER: Look, right now, our focus is on getting four Republicans. We shouldn't have to rely on what the Chief Justice will or will not do. We need four Republicans to understand what the crisis the president has created, to understand the weightiness of the arguments and the fact that in impeachment, you must have a fair trial. That is where our focus is. QUESTION: If you don't get the votes-- SCHUMER: No, that is it. QUESTION: Leader Schumer could you give us some insight on those conversations you are having with Republicans one-on-one? SCHUMER: I don't get-- QUESTION: Are you persuading them, or are they listening? SCHUMER: We all talk to Republican colleagues and we have made these same arguments we have made here which is that fairness dictates a fair trial and impeachment dictates a fair trial. We would forever give up the right--one of the last checks on an overreaching president who thinks he can do anything he wants if you can't get witnesses and documents and you know I think some of them are weighing it. Yes? QUESTION: Leader Schumer you mentioned the future of the republic is on the shoulder-- SCHUMER: I couldn't--you have got to speak up a little bit. QUESTION: You mentioned that the future of the republic is on the shoulder of four Republicans. Do you feel like that fourth vote is still up for grabs and if so how do you plan to (INAUDIBLE)? SCHUMER: Look, we have always said this is an uphill fight. The pressure that Trump was who is a vindictive, nasty President, and McConnell place on them is large but we are still hopeful. Truth prevails. We--our caucus is so strong and so united because frankly, we believe we have truth and right on our side and to boot after four weeks of talking about this the American people are strongly on our side. The overwhelming majority, 75 percent including a significant majority of Republicans are for witnesses and documents, and you know it's rare in a public poll that you get Republican rank and file dis--disagreeing with President Trump but in this case, they do so we are continuing to make the argument and make the fight and we think that truth can prevail and we can get the four votes. Yes, Mr. CNN. (LAUGHTER) QUESTION: So GOP leaders seem increasingly confident that they can block witnesses and documents from being called and they say they want to move to a vote on acquittal tomorrow night, and I would like to know is there anything you can do to delay or stall? I know there's a remote (INAUDIBLE). SCHUMER: I don't want--I don't want to characterize. The bottom line is our focus is on the vote on witnesses and documents. As you know, the leader's resolution doesn't go past that. The minority has rights and we will exercise those rights. Yes? QUESTION: I was actually going to (INAUDIBLE). SCHUMER: Okay. Yes? QUESTION: Just more specifically on the motions, like what motions would you-- SCHUMER: We are not going to get into that here. Our focus right now is on getting the four votes. (INAUDIBLE), yeah? QUESTION: Do you believe that the Senate should deliberate as a jury privately on the question of witnesses? SCHUMER: We will decide--we will decide. That is allowed by the rules. QUESTION: It is ambiguous. SCHUMER: Well, it says you can deliberate. Obviously, the majority vote determines everything and again, we will decide that as we move forward. But the bottom--nope, nope, nope. That is it. Yes, Cheryl? QUESTION: You talked about Democrats being united, and you have also talked about this being a vote, the ultimate vote to acquit or convict as a vote of conscience. What message would it send if some Democrats voted to acquit the president? SCHUMER: Look, we are focused on the four votes here to get witnesses and documents. I believe the House managers have made an extremely strong argument and we are focused on getting the four and that is where the focus will be. Our caucus is totally united on that issue which will determine where we go from there. Yes? QUESTION: I wonder if you could speak to the Senate as a deliberative body dealing with impeachment, from the Clinton times, how it behaved then, what your observation was versus now? SCHUMER: Well, there is obviously two things. A, much more polarization, obviously. I think a lot of our Republican colleagues frankly know what the right thing to do is, know we have truth on our side but we have never had a president as I said who is as vindictive and nasty as this one and he strikes fear in the hearts of a lot of people. But the second difference is with Nixon trial and Clinton trial there was cooperation. Clinton went before the grand jury. There were loads of witnesses and documents made available by both Nixon and Clinton. This is the first president who in this guise of absolute immunity, has stonewalled everything. That is a huge difference. That is why the need for witnesses and documents even though they were available in Nixon and in Clinton are even more needed now. No, no. You. Last question. QUESTION: You have dismissed over the last couple of days the idea of a witness deal. Has your thinking changed at all, given where the votes stand? And Sekulow yesterday he gave his list of people that he would call. Hunter Biden, Adam Schiff-- SCHUMER: Yes. QUESTION: You have argued that their smack that none of them are relevant witnesses. Is there anybody on that list who you-- SCHUMER: Look, we are not going to--we need the four votes. First, the Republicans can call any witness they want right now. What they are afraid of is the witnesses we have asked for, okay? And so that is the first step. Now, if we get the four votes, I imagine there would be some negotiations. First step, get the votes. Thank you everybody.

TVU 23 BERNIE SANDERS COUNCIL BLUFFS IA TOWN HALL ABC UNI 110819 2020 P2 194326 And then I -- And then I started working in the restaurant to supplement my income, because my mom was now on the brink of foreclosure, our home was about to get taken away. And so I did what I could, and I started working a second job and, and this is the reality of America today. When we wake up and we feel like anything could happen. We're one accident away, one, one car breaking down away, one diagnosis away from everything falling apart. 194403 And there is no reason that in the richest country in American history -- in global history to, you know, almost in global history -- that we should be living like this. It's wrong. We should not be living like this, and we don't have to live like this, and we don't have to accept this. Because in the wealthiest nation in the world, we can choose to become an advanced society. 194437 And I think that at the core, at the core, that's the decision that we need to make this year, now, today is what is the difference between here, what is the distance between here and there, what is the distance between what we have today and an America that guarantees health care, education, and housing as human rights. 194510 Because the thing is, is that none of this is an accident. Okay? None of this is an accident. Climate change is not an accident. People passing away because they can't afford their insulin is not an accident. Millions of Americans that go without insurance, that is not an accident. They are not coincidences of America today. They are consequences of the system that we have. These are consequences. They are consequences of a political system and an economy that prioritises corporate profit at any and all human, economic, and social cost. 194614 And here's the deal. The deal is, is that it's not one person that's going to change that. I'm not going to change it. Senator Sanders alone is not going to change it. We have to change it together, together. And I want to talk tonight a little bit about what that means, how do we change this together. Because while we have a plan and while we have an agenda to pass a green new deal, to pass, to pass Medicare for All, to make colleges, public colleges tuition free to any and all who seek -- to seek to have an education in America. 194705 The thing is is that these policies are not self enacting. The only way that we achieve and become an advanced society is not through a technocratic policy proposal but through a political revolution of working people in the United States. So tonight, and this campaign, and everything that we're here to talk about tonight is actually not about Bernie. And it's not about me. We're here to talk about you. 194746 That's what this is about. That's what a political revolution is about. It's about being seen and seeing each other. And the way that we create this movement, because you know I see a lot of of the coverage sometimes of our political campaign, of this presidential race, this is not something that we watch. We don't watch the polls, we change the polls. Whether you're running for city council, whether you're running for your PTA, whether you're running for president, this is not about something that we allow to happen to us. 194830 We don't let this race happen to us. We don't watch the presidential race. This is not a movie. This is a movement. So here's the deal. I, you know, and, and what it also -- and so the deal is -- sorry, and here's the deal. The deal is -- I'm like, I've got so much going on in my mind, because I'm just talking to you all this evening. I was like trying to prepare some remarks on the plane, I was like, I'm just going to talk to them. Okay? 194906 And so here's the deal is that we have to -- [FEED FREEZES] stitch ourselves together, we have to connect ourselves to one another. I came here today from the Bronx. And the thing is is that our destinies are tied, and there's so many folks that want to say, what do Iowans believe, what do New Yorkers believe, what do Texans believe, all of us need health care. That's what all of us need. All of us make college. All of us need to save this planet. 194947 But the deal is, is that, Iowa, you're the first in the nation, baby. You need to set the tone. And so you need to understand that when you walk in on caucus night, you're not just going in and walking in for yourself. You're not walking in just for your family or just for your neighborhood. I'm asking you to bring other folks with you. That's what I'm asking you to do. 195019 I mean that in the literal sense but I also mean it figuratively, because in order for this to work. I need to go back home to the Bronx and tell my community in the Bronx, we need to fight for Iowa. And what I'm asking you all to do is to walk into that caucus and say you all -- I'm going to fight for the Bronx. Because there's a lot of talk about unity. But I want something better than unity. I want solidarity. 195057 Unity means, I guess we're in this room together. I guess we're in this together, I guess. Right? But solidarity means I fight for you, and you fight for me. That's what solidarity means. So I want us to think, because when Senator Sanders uses the term, when he, when he walks up to this podium and when he says, brothers and sisters, that is a choice. That is deliberate. And that is what this means. It means we are in this movement to gather. 195139 And so what it means is that each and every one of us needs to get bigger in order for this to succeed. Every single one of us has to grow. I'm here today in Iowa, because I want to grow, because I want to learn, because I want to learn about your fight so that I can take that and stitch it together with the Bronx, and stitch it together with Baltimore, and stitch it together with rural upstate New York, and stitch it together with our black brothers and sisters in the south, and stitch it together, and stitch it together with our immigrant neighbors at the border, and stitch it together with our queer brothers and sisters fighting for recognition, and stitch it together with the poor who trying to make a living and stitch it together with people trying to afford chilcare. 195230 We need to stitch this movement together bit by bit, stitch by stitch, and that is how we are going to win. That's how we're gonna win not just this -- not just in this presidential cycle. That's not how we're going to win a Bernie Sanders presidency, although -- it's not only how we're going to win a Bernie Sanders presidency, but that's how we're going to win our future back. That's how we're going to win our country back. 195300 That's how we're going to win it all, because we're not going to get there with Medicare for some. We're not going to get there with public college for some. We're not going to get there with a living wage for some. We are rooting this movement in principles of universality, no ifs, ands, or buts, every single human being on this land deserves a dignified life, and that's what we're fighting for. 195334 And with that, I want to introduce to you all my tio, our tio, but also the senator who has paved the path for us to talk about this today, who has helped created the space along, shoulder to shoulder with each -- [feed freezes] -- and every one of us to be here today. Senator Bernie Sanders. BERNIE SANDERS 195456 You are a loud crowd! Thank you all very much for coming out. Let me thank, let me thank -- Let me thank Ali Peeler, Neil Francis, (?), Trisha (?), Jessica Burbank, Kenneth Hanson, Michelle Amir. And let me give a very special thanks to Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortes for joining us. 195549 And here is the truth. You know, as I am a member of the United States Senate, and I kind of follow the Congress a little bit, and I honestly cannot think of any one member of the Congress in less than a year, you know sometimes we forget this, Alexandria was elected less than a year ago. Served less than a year. And yet, I cannot think of any member of Congress who has done more within one year to fundamentally transform American politics. 195639 Alexandria has been a bold and leading voice for the working families of our country, for the women of our country, for people of color, and for the immigrant community. She has been an inspiration to millions of young people and has made it clear that the younger generation of this country will not patiently wait on line for power. They want their agenda moving forward, they want that progressive agenda passed now. 195738 Alexandria understands as I do and as you do, and we've worked together on this issue, that it is unacceptable that Wall Street makes billions of dollars a year charging you and the American people, 20 or 25 percent, interest rates on your credit card on money they get for two and a half percent. That is called usury, and we are going to end that. Alexandria understands that in the richest country in the history of the world, it is totally vulgar and unacceptable that tonight, a half a million Americans are sleeping out on the street or are in emergency shelters and that 19 million Americans are paying half of their limited incomes for rent. 195852 And that is why we are going together to end homelessness in America and build up to 10 million units of affordable and low income housing. And perhaps among, among many other issues, perhaps most importantly, the Congresswoman understands what Donald Trump does not. And that is that climate change is not a hoax but an existential threat to Iowa, our country, and the entire planet. 195950 And that is why she introduced the concept of the green New Deal, a proposal we incorporated in our climate change legislation, which is the most comprehensive climate change proposal ever introduced by any candidate running for federal office. And our proposal understands that we have a moral, moral responsibility to make sure that this planet is habitable and healthy for our kids and future generations. 200052 And that is why we are going to take on the greed and corruption of the fossil fuel industry. And whether they like it or not, we are going to transform our energy system away from fossil fuel to energy efficiency and sustainable energy and create up to 20 million good paying jobs. And tomorrow at Drake University in Des Moines, we are going to do a whole conference on climate change. And I hope some of you will be able to attend that. I think you'll find it very interesting. 200150 So let me thank Alexandria for all that she is doing and for being part of our campaign. And in this unprecedented moment in American history, let me thank the several thousand people who are here tonight, the many more who are watching this event on live stream, thank you all for being part of a political revolution. 200238 A revolution which will not only defeat the most dangerous president in modern American history, a president who is a pathological liar, a president who is running an incredibly corrupt administration, a president who is a racist, a sexist, a homophobe, a xenophobe, and a religious bigot. 200320 Other than that, pretty good. But what our -- and this is an important point -- our And this is an important point, our political movement is not just about the defeating Trump. It is about transforming our country and creating an economy and a government that works for all of us, not just the 1%. And when our campaign talks about us, not me, that's not just a bumper sticker, although it is a pretty good bumper sticker. 200414 What that is about, I think, are two things. Number one, it is the understanding, as Alexandria said, that whether you live in the Bronx, whether you live in Vermont, whether you live in Iowa, Nebraska, or wherever you live, we are in this together. And that we become more human when my family cares about your family, and when your family cares about my family. Donald Trump believes that the future of politics in America is to divide the American people up based on the color of their skin, based on where they were born, based on their sexual orientation or their religion. 200530 Well, Donald Trump does not understand what America is about. And that is why Donald Trump is going to lose this election. We are going to win the Democratic nomination, and we are going, and we're going to defeat Trump, because we are doing exactly the opposite of what he is doing. 200615 He is trying to divide us up. And we are bringing our people together, black and white and Latino, Native American and Asian American, gay and straight, immigrants and native born. 200650 We're going to win, because when we bring our people together around the principles of justice, economic justice, social justice, racial justice, environmental justice, when we do that, there is no stopping us. >> [chanting "bernie"] 200731 Now, people sometimes say that Alexandria and I are an odd couple, that she is so old and I am so young. But that's okay, I'm not an ageist. No, but here is the point. The point is, as you heard Alexandria's family came from Puerto Rico and struggled to maintain and live a life of dignity. 200809 My family fled, my father fled anti-semitism and poverty in Poland and came to this country. My campaign manager's family came from Pakistan. We have my wife came from Ireland. People in this room came from all over the world. That is what -- that diversity is what makes us great. And that is something that Trump and his friends will never be able to tear apart. 200853 Now, it is important, and I'm picking up on a point that Alexandria made. It is important to take a hard look at where we are as a people today. The media or Trump often talks about how great the economy is. Wel, the economy is not great when half of our people are living paycheck to paycheck. 200925 The economy is not great when 87 million Americans are uninsured or underinsured, when 30,000 people a year die because they don't get to a doctor on time because they're underinsured, and when 500,000 people go bankrupt because of medical bills. 200957 This economy is not doing well when hundreds of thousands of bright young people are unable to get the higher education they dream of and when tens of millions, including many in this room, struggle with the incredible oppressive burden of student debt. 201033 The economy is not doing well when we got senior citizens in Iowa trying to survive on 12 or 13 thousand dollars a year Social Security, when many workers, 55 or 60, don't have a nickel saved for retirement, and when many of our senior citizens are cutting their prescription drugs pills in half because they cannot afford the outrageous price that the pharmaceutical industry is charging us. 201117 Meanwhile, while so many of our people are struggling, while child care is unaffordable, while teachers are taking money out of their own pockets to buy school supplies, while all of that is happening, there is another reality taking place in America today and that is that the wealthiest people in our country have never, ever had it so good. 201154 And we are looking at more income and wealth inequality today than at any time since the 1920s. Today, the wealthiest three people, three people, own more wealth than the bottom half of this country. Today the top 1% own more wealth than the bottom 92%. Over the last 30 years, the top 1% have seen a $21 trillion increase in their wealth, while the bottom half of the American people have actually seen a decline in their wealth. 201249 As I have traveled around Iowa, I have talked to too many workers who tell me how difficult it is to take care of their families on 10, 11, 12 bucks an hour, and they're working 50 or 60 hours a week. Meanwhile, 49% of all new income goes to the top 1%. 201318 Today, 25 hedge fund managers earn double the income of 140,000 kindergarten teachers. And here's something that we should never forget, that when we talk about income and wealth inequality, it's not just that one group has a lot more money than another group. People on top are living 15 years longer than the people at the bottom. 201354 In other words, poverty in America, and there are 40 million people living in poverty, is a death sentence. And for the last three years, we have actually seen a decline in life expectancy in America. Now, that is where we are today as a nation, a nation in which a handful of billionaires exercise enormous power over our economy and the political life of our country while many of you are struggling to put food on the table. 201436 And given that reality, it is clear to me and I believe to you, that the enormous problems facing our country cannot be solved by the same old, same old style of politics. 201503 The time is now to tell the corporate elite with all of their greed and their corruption that enough is enough -- that this country belongs to all of us, not just the few. 201541 We need a new vision for our country, and that is what this campaign is about. And in terms of that political struggle that we are engaged in and how we bring about the transformative changes that we need, let me quote a statement from Nelson Mandela, one of the great political leaders of our period. 201617 A man who spent most of his adult life in jail fighting apartheid in South Africa. And this is what Mandela said, I want you to hear this clearly. He said and I quote, it always seems impossible until it is done. 201642 It always seems impossible until it is done. In other words, what Mandela was talking about is that whether it is the economic establishment, whether it is the political establishment, whether it is the media establishment, they want us to believe that real and fundamental change can never, ever take place. 201717 They want you to believe that poverty is always going to be with us. They want you to believe that all you deserve as a worker is 10, 12 bucks an hour. They want you to accept the fact that you do not have health care, and maybe you will never have health care. 201743 They want you to believe that education is not a human right, that housing is not a human right, that a decent job is not a human right. The greatest obstacle that we face is not just Wall Street. It's not just the insurance companies, and the drug companies, and the fossil fuel industry. 201815 It's not just the military industrial complex or the prison industrial complex. The greatest obstacle that we face is the limitation to our own imagination. If you believe, if you believe as they tell you that health care is not a human right, you will never have health care. 201846 If they tell you you've got to continue working for starvation wages, you will continue working for salvation wages, if that is what you believe. So what this campaign is about, it's not just taking on the political establishment, not just taking on the economic establishment. What this campaign is about is a new vision for what Americans are entitled to as human beings. 201928 This campaign is about thinking big not small. This campaign when we talk about us not me is the understanding that the only way that real change ever takes place, has ever taken place is from the bottom on up, not from the top on down. 202002 Because when tens of millions of people stand up for justice, there is nothing that the corporate elite can do to stop it. So let me just give you a glimpse about what the progressive agenda means to ordinary Americans. 202034 We believe that quality education is a human right from preschool to graduate school. We believe that it is a terrible, terrible tragedy for the young children, for our little kids, that they do not have quality childcare or pre K, and that working families cannot afford that child care and that the workers who do the work with the little kids are almost always underpaid. 202118 If you love this country, you love the children. And if you love the children, we are going to have universal high quality affordable childcare. We are gonna have the best public education system in the world, because we are going to honor and respect our teachers and provide them with the compensation that they deserve. 202200 We are going to make public colleges and universities tuition free. And we are going to cancel all student debt in this country. >> [chanting "Bernie"] 202226 Now you're gonna hear -- You're gonna hear from our critics, and they are all over the place. Well, how are you going to afford the 1.4 trillion you need to make public colleges and universities tuition free and cancel all student debt over a 10 year period? How are you gonna afford it? 202247 And our response is that eleven years ago, apparently we could afford to provide trillions of dollars in zero interest loans to the crooks on Wall Street who destroyed this economy. Apparently, we could afford to give hundreds of billions of dollars in tax breaks and subsidies to the fossil fuel industry. 202319 Apparently we could give more than a trillion dollars in tax breaks under Trump to the 1 percent and large profitable corporations. Well, between you and me, if we can do all that, I think we can cancel all student debt in this country. In my view, every American who wants a job should be able to find a job through a federal jobs guarantee program which pays them a living wage. 202409 Brothers and sisters, there is an enormous amount of work that needs to be done. We need child care workers. We need teachers. We need millions of workers to help us rebuild our crumbling infrastructure. We need many millions of workers to help us transform our energy system. 202431 We need workers in health care as more and more people will come into the health care system because they have insurance. We need more doctors. We need more nurses. We need more people to take care of an aging population. 202450 There is more than enough work to do. Let us guarantee a job for everyone who is prepared to do that work. Four years ago, when I came to Iowa, I said something that I have believed for my whole adult life. And that is that health care is a human right, not a privilege. 202522 And I talked about the need to expand Medicare to cover every man, woman and child in this country. Four years ago, that seemed like a radical idea. Ain't so radical anymore. 202549 And it's not radical because the American people, the people in Iowa, the people in Vermont, people all over this country understand the incredible dysfunctionality and cruelty of the current system. Brothers and sisters, hear this. We are spending twice as much per person on health care as do the people of any other country. 202616 We're spending close to eleven thousand dollars a year, twice what the Canadians spend. And yet, despite that, we have 87 million who are uninsured or underinsured. High deductibles, high copayments. We have 30,000 who die each year because they don't get to a doctor when they should. And as I mentioned earlier, really this is really unbelievable when you talk about the cruelty of the system. 202644 Half a million people go bankrupt every year because of medical bills. Think of it. Somebody is diagnosed with cancer or Alzheimer's or some terrible illness, you got enough to worry about dealing with your illness, ou should not have to worry that your family's going bankrupt to pay the bills. 202715 Now, people, people talk about it. Everybody's got a health care plan out there. I know that. Healthcare for some, healthcare for this one, healthcare for that one. So let me tell you what Medicare for all is. First of all, we expand Medicare to cover dental care, to cover the hearing aids, to cover my glasses to cover home health care so folks are not pushed into nursing homes. 202754 And under Medicare for all, this is just building on what the Canadians and people all over the world have done. There is -- there are no premiums. There are no-copayments. There are no insane deductibles. You know, you talk to people, who have, oh yeah, I got a insurance program, I got a $12 thousand deductible. Doesn't kick in unless I get hit by a truck. 202825 And we end all out-of-pocket expenses. That is Medicare for all? You go to any doctor you want, you go to any hospital you want, you don't take out your wallet, you don't take out your credit card. 202849 And people say, oh, Medicare for all, it's so radical. You tell me how every other major country on earth has managed to provide health care to all people at a fraction of the cost. Please don't tell me we can't do that in the United States. 202915 People say, oh, Medicare for all is going to be disruptive. Not at all. In fact, it is the easiest way to do universal health care. So a four year transition period right now, Medicare eligibility is at 65 first year down to fifty five, then forty five thirty five. [20:29:32] We cover everybody a complicated a bit. Don't let anybody let anybody tell you that this is a debate about health care. [20:29:46] It is not. Nobody can rationally defend the cruelty and dysfunctionality of the current system. We spend a fortune and we get very little value for it. Here is what the debate is about. [20:29:59] Last year, you'll all be pleased to know that the health care industry made a hundred billion dollars in profit. [20:30:13] And the CEOs of the insurance companies and the drug companies doing phenomenally well. You all know that not only do we pay the highest prices in the world for health care. Many of you are paying 20 percent of your incomes for health care. But we pay by far the highest prices in the world for prescription drugs. Couple of months ago, I took a trip from Detroit into Canada with people who were dealing with diabetes. Anybody here know folks who are dealing with diabetes? And we bought insulin made by the same company who sells the product in the United States. Same company for one tenth the price in Canada. And it's not just insulin. By the way, you want to talk about crazy. Twenty five percent of the seven and a half million people in this country who use insulin are rationing their insulin. Elderly people cut their prescription drugs in here. Meanwhile, the six major drug companies made 69 billion in profits last year. [20:31:33] Under Medicare for all, we are going to take on the drug companies and by the way, they're not just greedy. [20:31:39] They are corrupt and they are engaged in massive price fixing and collusion. [20:31:45] So to the pharmaceutical industry with all of your money and all of your power. We are going to take you on. You're no longer going to rip off the American people. [20:32:03] And under Medicare for all. [20:32:06] Nobody in America will pay more than two hundred dollars a year for their prescription drugs. [20:32:20] Love you, too. Donald Trump. [20:32:32] I was thinking of how to describe Donald Trump. [20:32:36] He himself believes he is a stable genius. [20:32:44] Maybe not. Maybe not. [20:32:49] Donald Trump thinks that climate change is a hoax. And this is not just a danger for our country, but obviously for the entire world. And that is why our administration. [20:33:10] We'll not only take on the fossil fuels and the chin, I want you to think about this for a moment because this is the kind of corruption that we are taking on. You got drug companies, as you know, being sued for many billions of dollars. The manufacturers of opiates, opiates who were selling their product knowing that it was causing addiction and death. That's who we're dealing with. And then you've got the fossil fuel industry. I want you to think about this for a second. These guys have known for a very long time. [20:33:42] They're engineers. They're scientists are not stupid. They have known that the product that they are producing carbon is helping to destroy our planet. And yet they have lied. They have funded organizations and think tanks that have tried to obfuscate the reality of what the fossil fuel industry is doing. [20:34:06] Think about it, guys sitting them making huge amounts of money while they destroy the planet. [20:34:12] So tonight we say to the fossil fuel industry, your short term profits are not more important than the future of this planet. [20:34:31] And not only will we transform our energy system. [20:34:37] We will lead the world in transforming the global energy system. [20:34:52] Tonight in America as we speak. There are currently two million people behind bars. Two million people. We have more people in jail in the United States than any other country on Earth, including China, communist authoritarian country. Four times our size. And that is why we are going to bring fundamental reform to a broken and racist criminal justice. Instead of spending 80 billion dollars a year locking up our fellow Americans, we are going to invest in our young people in jobs and education, not more jails and more incarceration. [20:35:57] No more private jails and detention centers. [20:36:07] And we are going to end the horrific so-called war on drugs, which has hurt so many. [20:36:20] We are going to legalize marijuana. We are going to expunge the records of those arrested for possession. And when marijuana is legal in every state, we're not going to allow a handful of corporations to make billions in product and profit. We're going to help those communities that were hurt most, the African-American community, Latino community. [20:37:04] We're going to help them earn an honest product, honest profit when marijuana is legal. [20:37:16] Brothers and sisters. I am sick and tired. I know you all. [20:37:21] Trump and his allies demonizing the immigrant community in this country. [20:37:33] And I feel that especially strongly as the son of an immigrant, we are going to go forward and pass comprehensive immigration reform and a path toward citizenship for the 11 million undocumented. [20:37:55] On our first day in office, we will restore the legal status of the one point eight million young people eligible for the doctor program. We're going to end the ice raids that are terrorizing. [20:38:23] And we're going to develop a humane border policy. [20:38:31] Not a policy where federal officials are snatching babies from the arms of their mothers. [20:38:41] Not a policy in which children are locked up in cages. And families are separated. [20:38:53] Brothers and sisters, I know that all of us recoil in horror. When we hear about another terrible mass shooting in the United States. So I want to assure you. That our administration will not be intimidated by the end are a. [20:39:24] The American people, whether in rural communities or urban, whether they are gun owners or non gun owners, understand that we need a common sense gun policy in this country. [20:39:44] People who have histories of violence should not and under our administration will not own guns. We're going to do away with the gun show loophole. We're going to do away with the so-called straw man provision, which allows people to legally buy guns and sell them to criminals. [20:40:13] We are going to end the sale and distribution of assault weapons in this country. You know, as a United States senator, I often hear my conservative colleagues go to the floor and talk about their vision of small government, how they want to get government out of the lives of the American people. [20:40:47] Well, I say to those conservatives, if you want to get government out of the lives of the American people, understand that it is the women of this country who have the right to control their own bodies, not the government. You can't talk about getting the government out of people's lives when you have politicians at the local, state and federal level telling every woman in this country what she can or cannot do. And here is my promise to you. [20:41:35] I will never nominate anyone to the U.S. Supreme Court was not 100 percent pro Roe v. Wade. [20:41:56] As brothers and sisters, what the political revolution means is that we're ending politics as usual. We don't have to hustle money from billionaires or from super PACs. Because we have earned the respect of working people all across this country. And I've received more individual contributions than any candidate. [20:42:25] At this point in a campaign in American history. [20:42:35] And that average contribution is sixteen dollars. [20:42:42] And that money is coming from teachers. [20:42:46] It is coming from workers at Amazon, at Wal-Mart and McDonald's and Burger King, people who are struggling to keep themselves going economically. But they understand. That when we are all working together, we can bring about the transformative change that this country requires. [20:43:09] And let me let me conclude by getting back to a point that Alexandria made. And that is at the end of the day. The 1 percent is enormously powerful. I'm a U.S. senator. I deal with these guys every day. You don't know how much wealth and power they have. [20:43:31] You don't know about the six Wall Street banks that have assets of over 10 trillion dollars right now here in Iowa. You're seeing ads on television coming from the health care industry, lying about Medicare for all. They have unlimited sums of money to do those ads all across this country. The military industrial complex has managed to create a situation where there are massive cost overruns, where the Department of Defense is the only major agency of government. [20:44:07] Never submitted to a independent audit. And we now spend more money on the military than the next 10 countries combined. [20:44:21] And by the way, we intend to end the endless wars. [20:44:35] But the political revolution is not just taking on greed and corruption of the corporate elite or the political leadership of this country. It is more than that. It is making each and every one of you and all Americans understand that when we stand together. [20:44:54] When we rebuff Trump's Trump's effort to try to divide us up by the color of our skin or whatever, that when we stand together for a common humanity and humanity that understands whether you're black or white or Latino, you want your kids to have a great education. You want your kids to drink clean water. [20:45:17] You understand that no matter what background you have, health care is a human right. People should not be penalized for decades in pain or student debt for the crime of getting a higher education. [20:45:35] When we understand that as human beings, economic rights are human rights. [20:45:48] That you are not really free if you're working for nine bucks an hour and you don't have health care, that you're not free if you can't afford to get the higher education you dreamed up that you are surely not free. [20:46:03] If the planet is undergoing cataclysmic changes as a result of climate change. [20:46:13] So what this campaign is about is all of us coming together. [20:46:20] To understand that if we stand together, there is nothing we cannot accomplish. [20:46:27] And here in Iowa, you guys have a very oversized role in American politics. You all know and I know that you take it seriously. You are the first caucus state, the first state that will be voting. [20:46:44] And I believe that if we win here in Iowa and I think with the kind of volunteer support we have, we all gonna win here in Iowa. [20:46:58] If we win here in Iowa, I'm pretty confident we're going to win in New Hampshire. We're going to win in Nevada. We're going to win in California. We're gonna do really well in South Carolina. [20:47:07] And when we do all of that, we have a direct path not only to victory, but to the opportunity to transform this country in a way that has never been seen in the modern history of this country. So this struggle, this struggle is not just about you or you or you. It's about future generations. It's about whether, in fact, this planet remains healthy and habitable. [20:47:49] We are living in an unprecedented moment in American history, and it goes beyond Trump and his lies and his corruption. It is a moment in which we have got to summon up the courage to take on the corporate elite and their greed and their corruption. So this is the moment for us to stand up, not just for ourselves, but for our kids, our grandchildren and generations yet to come. [20:48:20] Let us go forward together. Let us win this election. [20:48:24] Let us transform this country. Thank you all very much.

lehman bankruptcy House Financial Services hearing with Treasury Secretary, Tim Geithner, Federal Reserve Board Chairman, Ben Bernanke, Mary Schapiro, the chair of the SEC, Richard Fuld, the former chairman and CEO of Lehman, Thomas Cruikshank, former member of the board of directors and chair of Klehman Brothers' Audit Committee. 15:00:00 JUST DIDN'T HAVE THE LIQUIDITY. I MEAN, WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY 15:00:02 THAT? I MEANT THAT IN -- WHAT 15:00:06 CAUSED THE FAILURE ULTIMATELY WAS THE LACK OF LIQUIDITY. 15:00:09 THEY DIDN'T HAVE THE CASH RESOURCES, THE MONEY NECESSARY 15:00:14 TO CONTINUE THEIR BUSINESS. THEY COULDN'T OPEN UP IN THE 15:00:16 MORNING AND CONTINUE TO TRADE BECAUSE THEY DIDN'T HAVE THOSE 15:00:19 RESOURCES. AND THEY ARE A FINANCIAL 15:00:22 SERVICES BUSINESS, IS THAT -- IN ORDER FOR THEM TO SURVIVE 15:00:25 THEY NEEDED TO BE ABLE TO DO REPO TRANSACTIONS TO GATHER CASH 15:00:28 AGAINST COLLATERAL. AS OF THAT WEEKEND, THAT WAS 15:00:31 OVER. WHAT KIND OF BANKRUPTCY ARE 15:00:32 THEY IN RIGHT NOW? CHAPTER 11. 15:00:38 SO ARE THEY DOING BUSINESS OR LIQUIDATING CHAPTER 11? 15:00:42 THEY ARE LIQUIDATING AT THIS POINT. 15:00:44 SEE, ONE OF THE ISSUES WE HAVE IN FRONT OF THIS COMMITTEE 15:00:46 IS WHETHER OR NOT A FINANCIAL SERVICES ORGANIZATION SHOULD BE 15:00:51 ALLOWED TO REORGANIZE OR WHETHER THEY SHOULD BE LIQUIDATED AS IN 15:00:55 A CHAPTER 7. AND SO THE REPUBLICANS THINK 15:00:59 THEY OUGHT TO BE ABLE TO REORGANIZE. 15:01:01 THE DEMOCRATS THINK THEY OUGHT TO BE PUT OUT OF THEIR MISERY. 15:01:04 WE THINK THEY SHOULD BE LIQUIDATED. 15:01:06 NOW ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE'VE SEEN HERE, I'M CURIOUS. 15:01:14 DID YOU LOOK TO SEE IF THERE WERE ANY ASSETS LEFT FOR PAYMENT 15:01:17 OF CREDITORS? YOU MAY HAVE HEARD MY AREA WE 15:01:20 HAD SOME LOCAL GOVERNMENTS THAT GOT HIT HARD BY THE LEHMAN 15:01:24 BROTHERS BANKRUPTCY. IS THERE SOMETHING FOR THEM TO 15:01:26 COLLECT AGAINST? I AM NOT A BANKRUPTCY LAWYER, 15:01:30 AND I'M NOT A BANKRUPTCY LAWYER ON THIS PARTICULAR CASE, BUT I 15:01:33 DO KNOW FROM THE REPORTS I'VE SEEN FILED BY THE DEBTORS 15:01:37 COUNSEL, I THINK THERE ARE SEVERAL BILLIONS OF DOLLARS LEFT 15:01:39 IN THE ESTATE TO WHICH THERE ARE -- AND MAYBE MORE THAN 15:01:44 SEVERAL, FOR WHICH THERE ARE NUMEROUS CLAIMS NAR EXCESS OF 15:01:48 THOSE DOLLARS. THE -- MR. ROYCE AND MR. 15:01:54 GARRETT WERE SORT OF FOCUSING ON -- WELL IT WAS THE FEDERAL 15:01:59 RESERVE'S RESPONSIBILITY. MAYBE IT WAS THE S.E.C.'S 15:02:02 RESPONSIBILITY. ONE OF THE THINGS THAT YOU FOUND 15:02:04 WHEN YOU LOOKED AT THESE CSEs, AND I THINK IT'S PAGE 1512 OF 15:02:11 YOUR REPORT, YOU RECITE FROM THE MOU WHICH SAYS AS PRIMARY 15:02:15 SUPERVISOR OF CSEs, THE S.E.C. WILL PROVIDE THE FEDERAL RESERVE 15:02:18 ON AN ONGOING BASIS WITH THE REQUESTED INFORMATION. 15:02:22 DID YOU LOOK AT THE S.E.C. AS THE PRIMARY SUPERVISOR, PRIMARY 15:02:26 REGULATOR IN THIS IN THE LEHMAN BROTHERS SITUATION? 15:02:29 YES. AND I THINK YOUR TESTIMONY 15:02:33 WAS THAT THEY TOOK ON MORE OF A ROLE OF JUST AN OBSERVER THAN AN 15:02:39 ACTOR. MY VIEW ON IT WAS THEY 15:02:41 ACQUIESCED IN THIS AREA. THEY ACQUIESCED IN THE RISK 15:02:45 EXCEEDENCES OCCURRED. THEY ACQUIESCED IN SOME OF THESE 15:02:48 OTHER AREAS AND THEY WERE NOT DIRECTING THEM TO DO THINGS 15:02:51 WHICH ULTIMATELY WERE ISSUES THEY SHOULD HAVE BEEN DIRECTING 15:02:53 THEM. THANK YOU. 15:03:00 NOTHING FURTHER. THANK YOU VERY MUCH, MR. PERL 15:03:06 MT MUTTER. I APPRECIATE HIM CLEARING UP 15:03:12 A LOT OF MY CONFUSION AS TO WHERE WE WERE GOING. 15:03:17 I THINK HE MADE IT VERY CLEAR, RIGHT? 15:03:19 THE GENTLE LADY FROM CALIFORNIA. 15:03:23 THANK YOU, MR. CHAIRMAN. MR. VALUKAS, I JUST WANT TO 15:03:27 THANK YOU PUBLICLY FOR AN OUTSTANDING REPORT. 15:03:30 YOUR TESTIMONY, YOUR STATEMENT HERE THIS AFTERNOON COULD NOT BE 15:03:36 CLEARER AS TO WHO WAS RESPONSIBLE. 15:03:39 WHAT'S KIND OF HUMOROUS TO ME IS HOW ON MANY STATEMENTS THAT WE 15:03:45 HAVE BEFORE US TODAY, THEY ARE ATTEMPTING TO REWRITE HISTORY. 15:03:47 ONE OF THEM APPEARS TO BE MR. FOLD WHO HAS SAID IN HIS 15:03:53 TESTIMONY, WHICH HE WILL BE GIVING LATER, THAT HE HAD 15:03:56 ABSOLUTELY NO RECOLLECTION WHATSOEVER OF HEARING ANYTHING 15:03:58 ABOUT REPO 105 TRANSACTIONS WHILE HE WAS CEO OF LEHMAN. 15:04:02 DO YOU BELIEVE THAT STATEMENT COULD BE TRUE? 15:04:05 I DON'T KNOW THAT IT'S APPROPRIATE FOR ME TO COMMENT ON 15:04:10 MR. FOLD'S CREDIBILITY. WE FOUND IN THE REPORT, WE 15:04:14 CONCLUDED IN THE REPORT THAT A FACT-FINDER CAN CONCLUDE THAT IN 15:04:17 FACT, HE DID KNOW AND ACTED UPON INFORMATION HE KNEW OR SHOULD 15:04:22 HAVE KNOWN. THERE WAS AT LEAST ONE WITHIN 15:04:24 WHO TESTIFIED HE DISCUSSED REPO 105 TRANSACTIONS WITH HIM AND 15:04:29 THE MAGNITUDE OF THOSE TRANSACTIONS. 15:04:31 THERE WERE DOCUMENTS SENT TO HIM BY E-MAIL AND OTHERWISE WHICH 15:04:34 REFLECTED THE REPO 105 TRANSACTIONS WHICH WAS THE -- 15:04:38 ALL WHICH WERE DEALING WITH BALANCE SHEET WHICH WERE GREAT 15:04:40 ISSUE AND CONCERN TO LEHMAN BROTHERS AT THE TIME. 15:04:43 THE TWO PRESIDENTS OF LEHMAN BROTHERS ACKNOWLEDGED THEY KNEW 15:04:46 ABOUT REPO 105. THE THREE CFOs AT THE TIME CLAIM 15:04:50 THEY KNEW ABOUT REPO 105. MR. FOLD'S POSITION WAS THAT HE 15:04:54 DID NOT KNOW ABOUT IT. SO IF AN ACTION IS BROUGHT, 15:04:57 SOMEONE WILL DETERMINE WHETHER THAT IS OR IS NOT CREDIBLE. 15:05:01 YOU ALSO REFERENCED IN YOUR STATEMENT THAT YOU FOUND THAT 15:05:06 THERE WERE COLORABLE CLAIMS AGAINST LEHMAN FOR VIOLATING 15:05:13 REGULATION SK, WHICH REQUIRES A REGISTRANT TO DISCUSS KNOWN 15:05:18 TRENDS INVOLVING ITS CAPITAL RESOURCES, SPECIFICALLY 15:05:22 INCLUDING OFF BALANCE SHEET FINANCING ARRANGEMENTS. 15:05:26 YES. SO LEHMAN DID NOT IN ITS 15:05:34 ACTUAL NOTIFICATION TO INVESTORS TALK ABOUT THE OFF BALANCE SHEET 15:05:39 FINANCING ARRANGEMENTS. THEY DID NOT. 15:05:40 AND WE ASKED EXECUTIVES OF LEHMAN BROTHERS WHO WERE 15:05:43 INVOLVED IN THE PREPARATION, AND THEY TOLD US THAT A 15:05:47 SOPHISTICATED INVESTOR REVIEWING THE BALANCE SHEETS -- REVIEWING 15:05:50 THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS WOULD NEVER BE ABLE TO OBSERVE 15:05:54 ANYTHING WHICH DISCLOSED THE REPO 105 TRANSACTIONS. 15:05:57 IN YOUR OPINION, ARE REPO 105s POTENTIALLY A VERY 15:06:03 DANGEROUS INSTRUMENT THAT CAN BE USED AS LEHMAN USED IT TO CREATE 15:06:09 THE IMPRESSION THAT IT WAS LEVERAGED LESS THAN IT ACTUALLY 15:06:13 WAS? WELL, THE -- I DON'T THINK 15:06:16 THERE'S ANYTHING INHERENTLY WRONG WITH THE REPO 105 15:06:20 TRANSACTION. IT'S ANOTHER REPO TRANSACTION, 15:06:22 NO DIFFERENT THAN ANY OTHER, JUST PUTTING ADDITIONAL 15:06:24 COLLATERAL AND SECURING THE OPINION OF A LAWYER IN A 15:06:27 DIFFERENT JURISDICTION THAT IT WOULD QUALIFY AS A TRUE SALE. 15:06:30 IT IS IN ALL OTHER ASPECTS, A REPO TRANSACTION. 15:06:34 IT WAS A FAILURE TO DISCLOSE TO THE PUBLIC AND THE REGULATORS 15:06:38 WHAT THEY WERE DOING AND THEY WERE DOING THIS TO SHIFT ASSETS 15:06:41 OFF BALANCE SHEET IN ORDER TO AFFECT THEIR LEVERAGE AT QUARTER 15:06:44 END THAT WE FOUND TO BE THE MISSTATEMENT. 15:06:47 NOT REPO 105 INHERENTLY AS A BAD INSTRUMENT BECAUSE IT IS SIMPLY 15:06:52 NEUTRAL. IT'S HOW WE SAY IT WAS USED AND 15:06:54 MORE IMPORTANTLY, NOT DISCLOSED. SO DO YOU THING ISSUE WOULD 15:06:58 BE RESOLVED SOMEWHAT IF ALL REPO 105 TRANSACTIONS HAD TO BE 15:07:02 DISCLOSED SO THERE WAS THE TRANSPARENCY THAT DIDN'T EXIST 15:07:05 IN THESE? YES. 15:07:06 AT THAT POINT, IN THE LEHMAN SITUATION THERE WOULD HAVE BEEN 15:07:11 NO REASON TO DO A REPO 105 TRANSACTION IF YOU WERE GOING TO 15:07:16 DISCLOSE IT. AND THEN YOU ALSO REFERENCED 15:07:18 THAT AS PART OF THEIR CSE BEING GRANTED CSE STATUS, THEY ADVISED 15:07:27 THE S.E.C. THAT THEY HAD ROBUST PROCEDURES TO CALCULATE AND SET 15:07:31 RISK LIMITS AS A, QUOTE, BINDING CONSTRAINT ON ITS RISK-TAKING, 15:07:36 UNQUOTE, THAT, QUOTE, COULD NOT BE EXCEEDED UNDER ANY 15:07:40 CIRCUMSTANCES. SO THEY MAKE THE STATEMENT AND 15:07:41 THEN THEY GO RIGHT AHEAD AND VIOLATE IT BY LIFTING THE LIMITS 15:07:47 ON THE RISK THAT THEY CAN TAKE. IS THAT CORRECT? 15:07:50 THAT IS CORRECT. AND THEY FULLY DISCLOSE THAT TO 15:07:53 THE S.E.C. AS THEY WERE DOING IT. 15:07:55 SO THEY FULLY DISCLOSED IT WHILE WE WERE GRANTED CSE STATUS 15:08:01 BECAUSE OF THIS STATEMENT, WE ARE NOW GOING TO VIOLATE THE 15:08:06 STATEMENT AND THEY INFORMED THE S.E.C. AND THE S.E.C. TOOK NO 15:08:08 ACTION? THE S.E.C. ACQUIESCED. 15:08:10 THE S.E.C. -- WELL, THEY STATED IN THAT WRITTEN POSITION THAT IT 15:08:13 WAS A HARD LIMIT. THEY SUBSEQUENTLY TOOK THE VIEW 15:08:16 THAT IT WAS A SOFT LIMIT. THE S.E.C.'S POSITION WAS AS 15:08:19 LONG AS THEY DISCLOSED IT TO SENIOR MANAGEMENT, WHICH THEY 15:08:22 DID, THAT THE S.E.C. AND SENIOR MANAGEMENT REVIEWED IT, WHICH 15:08:25 THEY DID, THAT THEY WOULD -- THAT SATISFIED THE S.E.C. 15:08:29 SO LEHMAN, WHEN LEHMAN SAID THEY MADE FULL DISCLOSURE TO THE 15:08:32 S.E.C. IN THIS AREA, THEY DID IN FACT, DO THAT. 15:08:34 THANK YOU. MY TIME IS EXPIRED. 15:08:39 GENTLE LADY FROM OHIO. THANK YOU, MR. CHAIRMAN, AND 15:08:44 THANK YOU, MR. VALUKAS FOR BEING HERE TODAY. 15:08:47 LIKE MY COLLEAGUES, I VERY MUCH APPRECIATE YOUR REPORT. 15:08:50 IT'S VERY USEFUL IN PERFORMING THIS SORT OF AUTOPSY TO FIND OUT 15:08:54 MORE OF WHAT WAS GOING ON. AND FROM OUR POINT OF VIEW, WHAT 15:08:57 ARE THE POLICY IMPLICATIONS. THERE'S CERTAINLY SOME VERY REAL 15:09:03 WORLD IMPLICATIONS OF WHAT HAPPENED WITH LEHMAN BROTHERS. 15:09:06 PEOPLE IN OHIO, PEOPLE IN CALIFORNIA, PEOPLE IN COLORADO, 15:09:08 PEOPLE IN OTHER STATES AS WELL HAD INVESTED -- WORKED THEIR 15:09:14 LIVES, HAD PENSION FUNDS AND IN MY CASE, OHIO PUBLIC EMPLOYEES, 15:09:19 TEACHERS, POLICE OFFICERS. ALL HAD INVESTED -- THEIR 15:09:24 PENSION FUNDS WERE INVESTED IN OFFERINGS BY LEHMAN. 15:09:27 AND WE'VE LEARNED THAT THERE'S A SUBSTANTIAL DECREASE IN VALUE. 15:09:32 CAN'T SORT IT ALL OUT ENTIRELY YET. 15:09:35 BUT A SUBSTANTIAL INCREASE IN VALUE BETWEEN DECEMBER OF '07 15:09:41 AND SEPTEMBER OF 2008. SO ALTHOUGH THE HIGH-RISK 15:09:46 STRATEGY MAY HAVE BEEN A BUSINESS DECISION, THE HIGH-RISK 15:09:50 STRATEGY CERTAINLY HAD CONSEQUENCES, FAR BEYOND THE 15:09:55 LEHMAN BOARD ROOM. AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I 15:09:58 GLEAN FROM YOUR REPORT WAS THAT SOME OF THE REASONS THAT YOU 15:10:05 FOUND SOME ACTIONS NOT TO HAVE VIOLATED OR HAVE -- BE A 15:10:13 COLORABLE CLAIM OF FIDUCIARY OR OTHER STANDARDS WAS BECAUSE OF 15:10:17 THE STANDARD INDICATED IN THE COURT IN CARE MARK. 15:10:20 AND I WAS WONDERING IF YOU WOULD ADVISE US TO TAKE ACTIONS AND 15:10:25 LEGISLATION TO TIGHTEN DOWN THOSE STANDARDS AND TO PUT MORE 15:10:30 RESPONSIBILITY ON CORPORATE OFFICERS, BOARDS, CEOs AND 15:10:35 OTHERS WHO ARE ENGAGED IN HIGH-RISK GAMBLING BUT MAYBE NOT 15:10:40 TELLING THE PEOPLE FINANCING THAT THAT THEY'RE ON THEIR WAY 15:10:43 TO THE CASINO. YOU ARE ASKING ME A POLICY 15:10:48 QUESTION, AND I'M NOT SURE THAT I'M QUALIFIED TO ANSWER THAT 15:10:51 QUESTION. SO I'M NOT COMFORTABLE ANSWERING 15:10:53 IT. I CAN SAY THIS. 15:10:54 LEHMAN HAD IN PLACE A PROCESS OF REPORTING MATTERS UP. 15:10:58 AND, IN FACT, WE FOUND THAT MATTERS WERE REPORTED UP. 15:11:02 FOR INSTANCE, ELEVATED TO THE BOARD. 15:11:03 SO THE PROCESS THAT WAS IN PLACE AT LEHMAN ON ITS FACE WAS A GOOD 15:11:09 PROCESS. THE BUSINESS JUDGMENT RULE 15:11:11 PRETTY MUCH SAYS IF YOU HAVE THIS PROCESS IN PLACE AND YOU 15:11:14 ARE MAKING RATIONAL DECISIONS, YOU ARE PERMITTED TO DO SO. 15:11:18 SO IT'S NOT JUST -- I WOULD SAY THAT THE ISSUE WASN'T 15:11:21 NECESSARILY JUST WITHIN LEHMAN AS TO WHAT LEHMAN WAS DOING. 15:11:25 SO MUCH AS IT MIGHT HAVE BEEN WITH REGARD TO THE REGULATORS 15:11:27 WHO NEED TO BE ABLE TO SAY TO A BUSINESS PERSON THAT MAY BE A 15:11:30 BUSINESS JUDGMENT YOU ARE PREPARED TO MAKE BUT WE'RE NOT 15:11:32 PREPARED TO LET YOU MAKE THAT JUDGMENT. 15:11:35 AND THAT'S WHERE I SEE I DON'T NECESSARILY SEE IT'S INHERENTLY 15:11:41 AN ISSUE OF INTERNAL REGULATION. AS I SAID IN MY TESTIMONY, THEY 15:11:45 HAD THOSE PROCESSES IN PLACE. TO SOME EXTENT, I THOUGHT THEY 15:11:48 WERE FOLLOWING THEM. TO SOME EXTENT THEY WERE 15:11:52 FOLLOWED. CERTAINLY IN OTHER CRITICAL 15:11:53 AREAS THEY WEREN'T FOLLOWED. AND SOME PEOPLE, MR. GELMAND, 15:12:01 MR. LEE, MADE KNOWN THEIR POSITION INSIDE THE COMPANY THAT 15:12:07 THEY WERE ENGAGED IN BEHAVIORS THAT WERE FAR TOO RISKY, THAT 15:12:10 THEY WERE OVERLEVERAGED, THAT THEY WERE EXCEEDING THE RISK 15:12:13 MANAGEMENT LEVELS. AND THOSE PEOPLE NO LONGER WORK 15:12:16 FOR THE COMPANY, LO AND BEHOLD. AND, IN MY OPINION, I DON'T KNOW 15:12:20 IF YOU SHARE THIS OPINION OR NOT, BUT THAT KIND OF ACTIVITY 15:12:24 WITH KEY PEOPLE WHO HAVE SPOKEN UP BEING REMOVED FROM THE 15:12:30 COMPANY OR RESIGNED FROM THE COMPANY AFTER SPEAKING UP, HAS A 15:12:34 CHILLING EFFECT ON THE ABILITY OF OTHER PEOPLE TO BECOME 15:12:38 WHISTLEBLOWERS. AND SO I GUESS THE OTHER 15:12:40 QUESTION IS, DO YOU HAVE ANY RECOMMENDATIONS FOR US WHETHER 15:12:44 WHISTLEBLOWERS DESERVE OR SHOULD HAVE ADDITIONAL PROTECTION SO 15:12:47 THAT THEY CAN SPEAK UP WHEN BEHAVIORS ARE RISKY AND MAKE 15:12:50 SURE THAT THE APPROPRIATE PEOPLE KNOW IT, NOT MAYBE JUST THE NEXT 15:12:54 ONE UP IN THE CHAIN, BUT SOMETIMES ALL THE WAY UP TO THE 15:12:57 BOARD. WELL, I THINK -- I AM -- AND 15:13:01 THIS IS OUTSIDE MY ROLE AS AN EXAMINER, BUT I BELIEVE THAT IT 15:13:06 IS CRITICAL IN CORPORATIONS THAT WHISTLEBLOWERS BE HEARD AT THE 15:13:09 HIGHEST LEVELS SO THAT, IN FACT, THEIR CONCERNS SUCH AS THEY ARE 15:13:15 SHOULD BE RESPONDED TO SO THAT THE HIGHEST OFFICERS TO WHOM 15:13:18 THEY REPORT ARE HELD RESPONSIBLE. 15:13:20 IF THEY DON'T RESPOND, SO I DO THINK IT'S NOT SIMPLY TO YOUR 15:13:23 SUPERIOR. AND I THINK MY OWN EXPERIENCE IS 15:13:27 THAT WITH SARBANES OXLY AND SOME OF THE OTHER LAWS PASSED, THAT 15:13:32 HAS GOTTEN BETTER WITHIN CORPORATE AMERICA. 15:13:35 SIGNIFICANTLY BETTER. IN THIS INSTANCE, THE RISK 15:13:38 MANAGEMENT FUNCTION DID NOT HAVE A DIRECT LINE TO THE BOARD. 15:13:41 THAT IS CORRECT. THE -- THEY ALSO HAVE LEARNED 15:13:47 THAT NOT ONLY WERE REPO 105s MOVED OFF BALANCE SHEET AT 15:13:51 QUARTER'S END AND PRESENTATIONS MADE TO POTENTIAL INVESTORS THAT 15:13:55 MADE THINGS LOOK BETTER THAN THEY ACTUALLY WERE, BUT THAT 15:14:00 ALSO WHEN STRESS TESTS WERE UNDERTAKEN, THE CERTAIN RISKY 15:14:04 INVESTMENTS WERE ALSO NOT INCLUDED IN THOSE STRESS TESTS. 15:14:08 THAT IS CORRECT. WE DIDN'T FIND THAT IT WAS 15:14:11 DELIBERATELY EXCLUDED, BUT WE DID FIND THAT THE STRESS TEST, 15:14:14 IN FACT, WERE NOT TESTING THE THINGS WHICH WERE GOING TO BE 15:14:17 THE MOST SIGNIFICANT PROBLEM FOR LEHMAN AND ULTIMATELY TURNED OUT 15:14:21 TO BE THE MOST SIGNIFICANT PROBLEM FOR LEHMAN. 15:14:23 THE ITEMS WHICH WERE TESTED MIGHT ACCOUNT FOR $4 BILLION 15:14:26 WORTH OF POTENTIAL LOSS OF THE ITEMS NOT BEING TESTED COULD 15:14:29 COUNT FOR AS MUCH AS $12 BILLION TO $14 BILLION WORTH OF 15:14:32 POTENTIAL LOSSES. SO THE GREATEST PROBLEM THAT 15:14:34 THEY MIGHT FACE WAS NOT BEING TESTED FOR. 15:14:36 SO IT SEEMS THAT I MIGHT COME TO AGREE WITH ONE OF THE 15:14:42 EMPLOYEES WHO STATED THAT EVERYONE SAW THE TRAIN WAS 15:14:44 COMING, BUT NO ONE GOT OUGHT OF THE WAY. 15:14:47 TO SOME EXTENT, TRUE, YES. I THINK I AM OUT OF TIME. 15:14:53 MR. CHAIRMAN, I YIELD BACK. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. 15:15:02 MR. VALUKAS, I JUST GOT TO TELL YOU. 15:15:05 YOUR TESTIMONY HAS BEEN OUTSTANDING. 15:15:07 MY GREAT RESPECT GOES OUT TO YOU. 15:15:08 ANYBODY THAT CAN WORK ON 25 MILLION E-MAILS -- 15:15:14 I DNTS LOOK AT THEM MYSELF. I TRUST YOU DIDN'T, BUT JUST 15:15:18 TO HAVE THAT VOLUME OF MATERIAL. AND THEN TO BE ABLE TO SO 15:15:23 DIRECTLY RECALL AS MUCH AS YOU HAVE TODAY. 15:15:26 YOU CERTAINLY HAVE HELPED US ON THE COMMITTEE GET A GRASP OF AT 15:15:30 LEAST WHAT HAPPENED AND THE COMPLICATIONS OF THIS THING. 15:15:32 SO WE THANK YOU. I GUESS ALL CHICAGO LAWYERS OF 15:15:36 YOUR CALIBER -- THANK YOU. 15:15:40 I ALSO WOULD LIKE TO SAY, I THINK IT GIVES US SOME VALUABLE 15:15:44 INSIGHT INTO ANY TIME YOU WANT TO FIX THE SYSTEM OR AT LEAST 15:15:49 YOU WANT TO HAVE REGULATORY REFORM, YOU FIRST WANT TO 15:15:53 DETERMINE WHAT WENT WRONG AND WHY. 15:15:58 SO I THINK, YOU KNOW, THIS WILL HELP US BECAUSE IT'S ONE OF THE 15:16:03 CLEAREST PICTURES, I THINK, OF A LACK OF REGULATION. 15:16:08 AND I DON'T MEAN THE LAWS. I MEAN THE LACK OF THE 15:16:13 REGULATORS ENFORCING THE REGULATIONS OR REALLY ALSO 15:16:19 CONVEYING TO PEOPLE OR FAILING TO CONVEY INFORMATION THEY KNEW 15:16:22 TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC EVEN THOUGH IT'S THEIR DUTY TO 15:16:25 PROTECT INVESTORS. AND TO WITHHOLD THAT 15:16:29 INFORMATION. SO I THINK IT WOULD BE VERY 15:16:32 VALUABLE TO US AS WE DETERMINE WHAT TO DO IN RESPONSE. 15:16:34 THANK YOU. IT'S AN HONOR TO BE HERE. 15:16:36 I KNOW WHAT YOU ARE STRUGGLING WITH. 15:16:39 BUT AS A CITIZEN, WE'RE ALL HOPEFUL THAT YOU'RE GOING TO BE 15:16:41 ABLE TO HELP US GET THROUGH THIS. 15:16:43 IT'S CRITICALLY IMPORTANT. SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR 15:16:46 HAVING ME HERE. THANK YOU VERY MUCH, MR. 15:16:48 VALUKAS. WE NOW HAVE THE FINAL PANEL 15:18:43 AND OUR FIRST WITNESS ON THAT PANEL WILL BE MR. S. FOLD, 15:18:48 FORMER CHAIRMAN AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER OF LEHMAN 15:18:52 BROTHERS. MR. FOLD? 15:19:01 MR. CHAIRMAN, RANKING MEMBER BACHUS AND MEMBERS OF THE HOUSE 15:19:05 COMMITTEE. WILL YOU TURN ON YOUR 15:19:08 MICROPHONE, PLEASE. IS THERE A LIGHT ON? 15:19:14 IS THAT BETTER? YES. 15:19:16 I APOLOGIZE. MR. CHAIRMAN, RANKING MEMBER 15:19:20 BACHUS AND MEMBERS OF THE HOUSE COMMITTEE ON FINANCIAL SERVICES. 15:19:22 YOU HAVE INVITED ME HERE TODAY TO ADDRESS A NUMBER OF PUBLIC 15:19:27 POLICY ISSUES RAISED BY THE LEHMAN BROTHERS BANKRUPTCY 15:19:30 REPORT FILED BY THE EXAMINER. SINCE SEPTEMBER OF 2008, I HAVE 15:19:35 GIVEN MUCH THOUGHT TO THE FINANCIAL CRISIS THAT FORCED 15:19:40 LEHMAN INTO BANKRUPTCY. THE IDEA OF THE SUPERREGULATOR 15:19:43 THAT MONITORS THE FINANCIAL MARKETS FOR SYSTEMIC RISK, I 15:19:47 BELIEVE IS A GOOD ONE. THIS NEW REGULATOR SHOULD HAVE 15:19:50 ACTUAL EXPERIENCE AND A TRUE UNDERSTANDING OF THE BUSINESS OF 15:19:54 FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS, THE CAPITAL MARKETS AND RISK 15:19:58 MANAGEMENT. THE NEW REGULATOR SHOULD ALSO 15:20:00 HAVE ACCESS ON A REALTIME BASIS TO ALL INFORMATION AND DATA FROM 15:20:04 ALL MARKET PARTICIPANTS REGARDING ALL TRANSACTIONS AND 15:20:08 POSITIONS AND HAVE CLEAR STANDARDS FOR CAPITAL 15:20:11 REQUIREMENTS, LIQUIDITY AND OTHER RISK MANAGEMENT METRICS. 15:20:15 THE JOB OF THE NEW REGULATOR CAN ONLY BE DONE WITH THE CREATION 15:20:18 AND UTILIZATION OF A MASTER MARK TO MARKET CAPABILITY THAT HAS 15:20:23 THE RESPONSIBILITY FOR DETERMINING VALUATIONS AND 15:20:26 CAPITAL HAIRCUTS ON ALL ASSETS, COMMITMENTS, LOANS AND 15:20:30 STRUCTURES. AS TO THE FED AND S.E.C., 15:20:33 OFFICIALS FROM BOTH WERE PHYSICALLY PRESENT IN OUR 15:20:36 OFFICES, SEEING EVERYTHING IN REALTIME, MONITORING AND 15:20:39 REVIEWING OUR DAILY ACTIVITIES OF LIQUIDITY, FUNDING, CAPITAL, 15:20:43 RISK MANAGEMENT AND MARK TO MARKET PROCESSES. 15:20:46 AFTER AN EXTENDED INVESTIGATION INTO LEHMAN'S BANKRUPTCY, THE 15:20:50 EXAMINER RECENTLY PUBLISHED A LENGTHY REPORT STATING HIS 15:20:54 VIEWS. DESPITE POPULAR MISCONCEPTION 15:20:59 ABOUT LEHMAN'S REAL ESTATE VALUATIONS, THE EXAMINER FOUND 15:21:05 NO BREACH OF DUTY BY ANYONE AT LEHMAN WITH RESPECT TO ANY OF 15:21:09 THESE. THE EXAMINER DID TAKE ISSUE, 15:21:12 THOUGH, WITH LEHMAN'S REPO 105 SALE TRANSACTIONS. 15:21:16 AS TO THAT, I BELIEVE THE EXAMINER'S REPORT DISTORTED THE 15:21:20 RELEVANT FACTS AND THE PRESS, IN TURN, DISTORTED THE EXAMINER'S 15:21:24 REPORT. THE RESULT IS THAT LEHMAN AND 15:21:26 ITS PEOPLE HAVE BEEN UNFAIRLY VILIFIED. 15:21:29 LET ME START BY SAYING THAT I HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO RECOLLECTION 15:21:33 WHATSOEVER OF HEARING ANYTHING ABOUT OR SEEING DOCUMENTS 15:21:37 RELATED TO REPO 105 TRANSACTIONS WHILE I WAS THE CEO OF LEHMAN. 15:21:43 THEREFORE, WHAT I WILL SAY ABOUT REPO 105 TRANSACTIONS IS BASED 15:21:46 ON WHAT I HAVE RECENTLY LEARNED. AS CEO, I OVERSAW A GLOBAL 15:21:51 ORGANIZATION OF MORE THAN 28,000 PEOPLE WITH HUNDREDS OF BUSINESS 15:21:54 LINES AND PRODUCTS AND WITH OPERATIONS IN MORE THAN 40 15:21:58 COUNTRIES SPREAD OVER FIVE CONTINENTS. 15:22:02 MY RESPONSIBILITY WAS TO CREATE AN INFRASTRUCTURE OF PEOPLE, 15:22:05 SYSTEMS AND PROCESSES ALL DESIGNED TO ENSURE THAT THE 15:22:08 FIRM'S BUSINESS WAS PROPERLY CONDUCTED IN COMPLIANCE WITH THE 15:22:12 APPLICABLE STANDARDS, RULES AND REGULATIONS. 15:22:15 THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF MISINFORMATION ABOUT REPO 105. 15:22:18 AMONG THE WORST WERE THE COMPLETELY ERRONEOUS REPORTS ON 15:22:21 THE FRONT PAGES OF MAJOR NEWSPAPERS CLAIMING THAT LEHMAN 15:22:24 USED REPO 105 TO REMOVE TOXIC ASSETS FROM ITS BALANCE SHEET. 15:22:30 THAT SIMPLY WAS NOT TRUE. AND ACCORDING TO THE EXAMINER, 15:22:34 VIRTUALLY ALL OF THE REPO 105 TRANSACTIONS INVOLVED HIGHLY 15:22:38 LIQUID INVESTMENT GRADE SECURITIES, MOST OF THEM 15:22:41 GOVERNMENT SECURITIES. SOME OF THE NEWSPAPERS THAT GOT 15:22:47 IT WRONG WERE FAIR MINDED ENOUGH TO PRINT A CORRECTION. 15:22:50 ANOTHER PIECE OF MISINFORMATION WAS A REPO 105 TRANSACTIONS WERE 15:22:55 USED TO HIDE LEHMAN'S ASSETS. THAT ALSO WAS SIMPLY NOT TRUE. 15:22:59 REPO 105 TRANSACTIONS WERE SALES AS MANDATED BY THE ACCOUNTING 15:23:04 RULE FAS-140. ANOTHER MISPERCEPTION WAS THAT 15:23:08 REPO 105 TRANSACTIONS E CONTRIBUTED TO LEHMAN'S 15:23:15 BANKRUPTCY. THAT TOTALLY WAS UNTRUE. 15:23:17 LEHMAN WAS FORCED INTO ENTERPRISE AMID ONE OF THE MOST 15:23:20 TURB RENT LETS IN OUR ECONOMIC HISTORY WHICH CATAPULTED IN A 15:23:24 CRISIS OF CONFIDENCE AND A RUN ON THE BANK. 15:23:26 THAT CRISIS ALMOST BROUGHT DOWN A LARGE NUMBER OF OTHER 15:23:30 FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS BUT THOSE INSTITUTIONS WERE SAVED BECAUSE 15:23:33 OF GOVERNMENT SUPPORT IN THE FORM OF ADDITIONAL CAPITAL AND 15:23:36 FUNDAMENTAL CHANGES TO THE RULES AND REGULATIONS GOVERNING BANKS 15:23:40 INSIDE INVESTMENT BANKS. AS TO REPO 105, THE EXAMINER 15:23:44 HIMSELF ACKNOWLEDGES FIRST REPO 105 TRANSACTIONS WERE NOT 15:23:50 INHERENTLY IMPROPER. SECOND, LEHMAN VETTED THOSE 15:23:53 TRANSACTIONS WITH ITS OUTSIDE AUDITOR. 15:23:56 THIRD, LEHMAN PROPERLY ARK COUNTED FOR THOSE TRANSACTIONS 15:23:58 AS REQUIRED BY GAP. REPO 105 TRANSACTIONS WERE 15:24:03 MODELED ON FAS-140. IN THOUSAND, THE ACCOUNTING 15:24:08 AUTHORITIES WROTE RULES WHICH EXPRESSLY PROVIDED FOR THEM, 15:24:12 DESCRIBED THEM AND DEDICATED HOW THEY SHOULD BE ACCOUNTED FOR. 15:24:15 IN 2001, LEHMAN'S WRITTEN ACCOUNTING POLICY INCORPORATED 15:24:19 THOSE ACCOUNTING RULES. THE INDEPENDENT OUTSIDE AUDITOR 15:24:26 REVIEWED THAT POLICY AND SUPPORTED THE FIRM'S APPROACH 15:24:29 AND APPLICATION OF THE RELEVANT RULE FAS-140. 15:24:33 AS I SAID, THAT RULE MANDATED THAT THOSE TRANSACTIONS BE 15:24:38 ACCOUNTED FOR AS A SALE AND THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT I BELIEVE LEHMAN 15:24:42 DID. LEHMAN SHOULD NOT BE CRITICIZED 15:24:45 FOR COMPLYING WITH THE APPLICABLE ACCOUNTING STANDARDS. 15:24:50 MY JOB AS THE CEO WAS ALSO TO PUT IN PLACE A ROBUST PROCESS TO 15:24:53 ENSURE THAT LEHMAN COMPLIED WITH ALL OF ITS OBLIGATIONS TO MAKE 15:24:57 ACCURATE PUBLIC DISCLOSURES. I HAD HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE IN THE 15:25:02 INTERNAL AUDIT, FINANCE RISK MANAGEMENT, LEGAL FUNCTIONS TO 15:25:05 ENSURE THAT WE DID, IN FACT, COMPLY WITH ALL OF OUR 15:25:09 OBLIGATIONS. THAT PROCESS HAD A NUMBER OF 15:25:13 COMPONENTS. FIRST, IAN WISE'S ROLE IN 15:25:15 AUDITING OUR FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND REVIEWING OUR 15:25:18 QUARTERLY AND ANNUAL S.E.C. FILINGS. 15:25:20 SECOND, A RIGOROUS CERTIFICATION PROCESS BEFORE EVERY ANNUAL AND 15:25:25 QUARTERLY S.E.C. FILING INVOLVING HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE WHO 15:25:30 HAVE FIRSTHAND KNOWLEDGE OF THE FIRM'S DAY-TO-DAY BUSINESS AND 15:25:33 THE RESPONSIBILITY TO REVIEW AND CERTIFY FOR ACCURACY THE FIRM'S 15:25:37 S.E.C. DISCLOSURES BEFORE THEY WERE FILED. 15:25:42 THIRD, IN ALL HANDS, MANDATORY MEETING CHAIRED BY THE CLEAVE 15:25:48 LEGAL OFFICER, INCLUDING ME AND MANY OTHER SENIOR OFFICERS WITH 15:25:51 RESPONSIBILITY FOR ALL PARTS OF LEHMAN. 15:25:54 I RELIED ON THE CERTIFICATION PROCESS BECAUSE IT SHOWED THAT 15:25:58 THOSE WITH GRANULAR KNOWLEDGE BELIEVED THE S.E.C. FILINGS WERE 15:26:03 COMPLETE AND WERE ACCURATE. AND I NEVER SIGNED AN S.E.C. 15:26:09 FILING UNLESS IT WAS FIRST APPROVED BY THE CHIEF LEGAL 15:26:14 OFFICER. IN CONCLUSION -- ACTUALLY, GIVEN 15:26:19 ALL THAT'S BEEN SAID, I WOULD LIKE TO ADD THAT I AM VERY MUCH 15:26:28 AWARE THAT ONE DAY WE HAD A FIRM. 15:26:32 THE NEXT DAY WE DID NOT. AND A LOT OF PEOPLE GOT HURT BY 15:26:39 THAT. AND I HAVE TO LIVE WITH THAT. 15:26:43 BUT I THANK YOU, MR. CHAIRMAN. THANK YOU, MR. FULD. 15:26:46 WE'LL NEXT HEAR FROM MR. THOMAS CROOKSHANK, FORMER MEMBER OF THE 15:26:51 BOARD OF DIRECTORS AND CHAIR OF LEHMAN BROTHERS AUDIT COMMITTEE. 15:26:55 MR. CROOKSHANK? THANK YOU, MR. CHAIRMAN, 15:27:00 RANKING MEMBER BACHUS. I WOULD LIKE TO THANK THE 15:27:03 COMMITTEE -- CAN YOU TURN YOUR -- 15:27:07 IS IT NOT ON? SORRY. 15:27:10 YOU CAN ALSO PULL IT TOWARDS YOU. 15:27:12 CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW? SORRY. 15:27:14 I'D LIKE TO THANK THE COMMITTEE FOR INVITING ME TO APPEAR AT 15:27:18 TODAY'S HEARING. NO ONE CAN DENY THAT THE 15:27:22 BANKRUPTCY OF LEHMAN BROTHERS HAS HAD A DISASTROUS IMPACT ON 15:27:26 THE COMPANY, ITS EMPLOYEES, ITS INVESTORS AND EVEN ON OUR 15:27:31 COUNTRY AND ITS ECONOMY. AS THE DIRECTOR OF THE FIRM, 15:27:37 LEHMAN'S COLLAPSE WEIGHS ON ME PERSONALLY EACH AND EVERY DAY. 15:27:44 IT IS VITAL THAT WE LEARN FROM LEHMAN'S HISTORY SO WE DO NOT 15:27:47 REPEAT IT. THE DAY LEHMAN FILED FOR 15:27:51 BANKRUPTCY WAS PROBABLY THE DARKEST OF MY PROFESSIONAL 15:27:55 CAREER. LOOKING BACK, I'M SURE THERE ARE 15:27:57 THINGS LEHMAN COULD HAVE DONE DIFFERENTLY. 15:28:00 BUT WHAT MAY SEEM CRYSTAL CLEAR TODAY WAS MUCH LESS SO THREE 15:28:06 YEARS AGO. INDEED, EVEN AFTER BEAR STEARNS 15:28:10 NEARLY COLLAPSED IN MARCH 2008, THEN TREASURY SECRETARY STATED 15:28:14 THAT THE WORST WAS LIKELY BEHIND US. 15:28:17 IF ONLY HE AND OTHER FINANCIAL LEADERS HAD BEEN RIGHT. 15:28:22 STILL, EVEN IN RETROSPECT, THE EXAMINER FOUND THAT THERE WERE 15:28:26 ABSOLUTELY NO COLORABLE CLAIMS AGAINST THE INDEPENDENT 15:28:29 DIRECTORS IN CONNECTION WITH OUR WORK ON BEHALF OF THE COMPANY. 15:28:34 THIS CONCLUSION COMPORTS WITH OUR OWN BELIEF THAT WE DID OUR 15:28:37 ABSOLUTE BEST TO TRY AND HELP NAVIGATE LEHMAN THROUGH WHAT WAS 15:28:42 THE GREATEST FINANCIAL TSUNAMI SINCE THE GREAT DEPRESSION. 15:28:48 BETWEEN 2007 AND LEHMAN'S BANKRUPTCY FILING, OUR BOARD AND 15:28:54 ITS COMMITTEES CONVENED ON MORE THAN 80 OCCASIONS. 15:28:56 WE RECEIVED DETAILED REPORTS FROM MANAGEMENT ON LEHMAN'S 15:29:01 FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE AND OTHER IMPORTANT ISSUES. 15:29:04 BOARD MEMBERS WERE AN ACTIVE AFFAIR AS WE PROBE MANAGEMENT 15:29:07 AND DEMANDED AND RECEIVED DETAILED COGENT ANSWERS. 15:29:13 ONE ISSUE THAT MANAGEMENT SPENT A GREAT DEAL OF TIME DISCUSSING 15:29:15 WITH THE BOARD WAS RISK. AS DIRECTORS, WE TOOK GREAT 15:29:20 COMFORT FROM THEIR REPORTS REGARDING LEHMAN'S EXTENSIVE 15:29:24 RISK MANAGEMENT SYSTEM. IN PERFORMING ITS OVERSIGHT 15:29:28 ROLE, LEHMAN'S BOARD OF DIRECTORS RELIED UPON THE 15:29:31 EXPERTISE OF A VARIETY OF OUTSTANDING OUTSIDE 15:29:35 PROFESSIONALS, INCLUDING ERNST S 15:29:40 & YOUNG. AT MOW TIME DURING OUR 15:29:42 SUBSTANTIVE DISCUSSIONS THROUGHOUT 2007 AND 2008 DID 15:29:45 THEY RAISE ANY RED FLAGS REGARDING LEHMAN'S RISK 15:29:48 MANAGEMENT, VALUATION OR THE FIRM'S CERTIFIED FILINGS. 15:29:52 AS A BOARD OF DIRECTORS, WE ALSO HAD CONFIDENCE IN WHAT WE 15:29:57 UNDERSTOOD TO BE LEHMAN'S CLOSE WORKING RELATIONSHIP WITH 15:30:00 GOVERNMENT REGULATORS. EVEN BEFORE THE FINANCIAL 15:30:04 CRISIS, LEHMAN VOLUNTARILY SUBJECTED ITSELF TO THE SCRUTINY 15:30:09 OF THE S.E.C. LEHMAN CONTINUED TO WORK 15:30:12 INTIMATELY WITH THE S.E.C. AND THE NEW YORK FED AS THE 15:30:15 FINANCIAL CRISIS DEEPENED. LEHMAN TOOK NUMEROUS STEPS TO 15:30:20 ADJUST TO THE WORSENING ECONOMIC CLIMATE. 15:30:23 THEY SHUT DOWN THE SUBPRIME MORTGAGE LENDING UNIT, 15:30:28 SUBSTANTSIALLY REDUCED MORTGAGE AND ASSET-BACKED SECURITIES 15:30:32 EXPOSURE BY MANY BILLIONS OF DOLLARS, RAISED MORE THAN $15 15:30:36 BILLION IN NEW CAPITAL AND PURSUED A NUMBER OF STRATEGIC 15:30:41 ALTERNATIVES IN ORDER TO HELP STABILIZE THE FIRM. 15:30:44 THE EXAMINER'S REPORT HAS RAISED QUESTIONS ABOUT CERTAIN 15:30:49 TRANSACTIONS NOW KNOWN AS REPO 105. 15:30:52 AS THE EXAMINER HAS CONCLUDED, THIS ISSUE WAS NEVER BROUGHT TO 15:30:55 THE ATTENTION OF THE BOARD. IF THERE WERE ANY QUESTIONS 15:31:00 WHATSOEVER ABOUT LEHMAN'S ACCOUNTING OR DISCLOSURES, I 15:31:03 BELIEVE OUR FIRM'S AUDITORS WOULD HAVE PROMPTLY RAISED IT, 15:31:06 INSIDE I WOULD HAVE EXPECTED THEM TO DO SO. 15:31:08 THEY DID NOT. NOW I AM NOT SO PRESUMPTUOUS AS 15:31:14 TO SAY I KNOW PRECISELY WHY LEHMAN COLLAPSED. 15:31:16 I BELIEVE THAT THERE WERE MANY CONTRIBUTING FACTORS, INCLUDING 15:31:20 THE FIRM'S REAL ESTATE EXPOSURE, WHICH WAS EXACERBATED BY THE 15:31:27 RULES APPLYING MARK TO MARKET ACCOUNTING, THE SHORT SELLERS 15:31:31 WHO WERE FUELING RUMORS, THE TIGHTENING OF THE SHORT-TERM 15:31:35 CREDIT MARKET AND A LOSS OF CONFIDENCE IN LEHMAN THAT LED TO 15:31:38 A RUN ON THE BANK. THAT SAID, I WAS DISMAYED WHEN 15:31:43 THE S.E.C. AND THE NEW YORK FED ESSENTIALLY TOLD THE BOARD THAT 15:31:47 LEHMAN NEEDED TO FILE FOR BANKRUPTCY. 15:31:50 I DO NOT UNDERSTAND WHY THE GOVERNMENT DID NOT HELP FINANCE 15:31:53 THE SALE OF LEHMAN TO BARCLAYS LIKE IT DID IN THE CASE OF BEAR 15:31:58 STEARNS OR EXPAND ACCESS TO THE FED'S PRIMARY DEALER CREDIT 15:32:03 FACILITY LEHMAN LIKE IT DID FOR OTHER MAJOR INVESTMENT BANKS OR 15:32:08 EXPEDITE LEHMAN'S CONVERSION TO A BANK HOLDING COMPANY AS WAS 15:32:12 DONE FOR GOLDMAN SACHS AND MORGAN STANLEY. 15:32:18 THERE MAY BE GOOD AND REASONABLE EXPLANATIONS FOR THESE 15:32:21 DISTINCTIONS, BUT I DO NOT KNOW WHAT THEY ARE. 15:32:22 WHILE WE CANNOT REWRITE HISTORY, HAD THE GOVERNMENT ACTED TO 15:32:26 STABILIZE LEHMAN SO THAT IT COULD HAVE BEEN SOLD OR UNWOUND, 15:32:30 OUR COUNTRY'S FINANCIAL CRISIS MIGHT NOT HAVE BEEN NEARLY AS 15:32:35 SEVERE AND WIDESPREAD. MY THANKS TO THE COMMITTEE FOR 15:32:38 THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK WITH YOU TODAY. 15:32:41 AND WHILE I MAY NOT HAVE THE KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERTISE OF THE 15:32:44 OTHER WITNESSES BEFORE YOU, I AM HAPPY TO ADDRESS ANY QUESTIONS 15:32:48 YOU MAY HAVE. THANK YOU. 15:32:50 THANK YOU, MR. CRUIKSHANK. NOW WE'LL HEAR FROM MR. WILLIAM 15:32:56 K. BLACK, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF ECONOMICS AND LAW AT THE 15:32:58 UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI, KANSAS CITY SCHOOL OF LAW. 15:33:02 MR. BLACK? THE COMMITTEE, THANK YOU. 15:33:04 YOU ASKED EARLIER FOR A STERN REGULATOR. 15:33:08 YOU HAVE ONE NOW IN FRONT OF YOU. 15:33:11 AND WE NEED TO BE BLUNT. AND YOU HAVEN'T HEARD MUCH 15:33:15 BLUNTNESS IN HOURS OF TESTIMONY. WE STOPPED A NONPRIME CRISIS 15:33:22 BEFORE IT BECAME A CRISIS IN 1991 BY SUPERVISORY ACTIONS. 15:33:27 WE DID IT SO EFFECTIVELY THAT PEOPLE HAVE FORGOTTEN THAT IT 15:33:30 EVEN EXISTED, EVEN THOUGH IT CAUSED SEVERAL HUNDRED MILLION 15:33:34 DOLLARS IN LOSSES, BUT NONE TO THE TAXPAYERS. 15:33:36 WE DID IT BY PREEMPTIVE LITIGATION. 15:33:41 AND BY SUPERVISION. WE BROKE A RAGING EPIDEMIC OF 15:33:45 ACCOUNTING CONTROL FRAUD WITHOUT NEW LEGISLATION IN THE PERIOD 15:33:50 1984 THROUGH 1986. LEGISLATION WOULD HAVE BEEN 15:33:53 HELPFUL. WE SOUGHT LEGISLATION, BUT WE 15:33:55 DIDN'T GET IT. AND WE WERE ABLE TO STOP THAT 15:34:01 BECAUSE WE DIDN'T SIMPLY CONTINUE BUSINESS AS USUAL. 15:34:06 LEHMAN'S FAILURE IS A STORY IN LARGE PART OF FRAUD. 15:34:10 AND IT IS FRAUD THAT BEGINS AT THE ABSOLUTE LATEST IN 2001. 15:34:17 AND THAT IS WITH THEIR SUBPRIME AND THEIR LIARS LOAN OPERATION. 15:34:23 LEHMAN WAS THE LEADING PERHAVE AOR OF LIARS LOANS IN THE WORLD. 15:34:30 FOR MOST OF THIS DECADE, STUDIES ON LIARS LOANS SHOW INCIDENTS OF 15:34:37 FRAUD OF 90%. LEHMAN SOLD THIS TO THE WORLD 15:34:43 WITH REPS AND WARRANTIES THAT THERE WERE NO SUCH FRAUDS. 15:34:49 IF YOU WANT TO KNOW WHY WE HAVE A GLOBAL CRISIS, IN LARGE PART, 15:34:55 IT IS BEFORE YOU. BUT IT HASN'T BEEN DISCUSSED 15:34:59 TODAY, AMAZINGLY. FINANCIAL INSTITUTION LEADERS 15:35:04 ARE NOT ENGAGED IN RISK WHEN THEY ENGAGE IN LIERS LOANS. 15:35:10 LIERS LOANS WILL CAUSE A FAILURE. 15:35:14 THEY LOSE MONEY. THE ONLY WAY TO MAKE MONEY IS TO 15:35:16 DECEIVE OTHERS BY SELLING BAD PAPER. 15:35:19 AND THAT WILL EVENTUALLY LEAD TO LIABILITY AND FAILURE AS WELL. 15:35:25 WHEN PEOPLE CHEAT, YOU CANNOT, AS A REGULATOR, CONTINUE 15:35:31 BUSINESS AS USUAL. THEY GO INTO A DIFFERENT 15:35:33 CATEGORY AND YOU MUST ACT COMPLETELY DIFFERENTLY AS A 15:35:40 REGULATOR. WHEN WE'VE GOTTEN SAD EXCUSES. 15:35:43 THE S.E.C. WE'RE SOLD THERE ARE ONLY 24 15:35:45 PEOPLE IN THEIR COMPREHENSIVE PROGRAM. 15:35:47 WHO DECIDED HOW MANY PEOPLE THERE WOULD BE IN THEIR 15:35:50 COMPREHENSIVE PROGRAM? WHO DECIDED THE STAFFING? 15:35:52 THE S.E.C. DID. TO SAY THAT WE ONLY HAD 24 15:35:55 PEOPLE IS NOT TO CREATE AN EXCUSE. 15:35:57 IT'S TO GIVE AN ADMISSION OF CRIMINAL NEGLIGENCE, EXCEPT IT'S 15:36:02 NOT CRIMINAL BECAUSE YOU ARE A FEDERAL EMPLOYEE. 15:36:05 IN THE CONTEXT OF THE FDIC, SECRETARY GEITHNER TESTIFIED 15:36:10 TODAY THAT THIS EVENT PUSHED THE FINANCIAL SYSTEM TO THE BRINK OF 15:36:17 COLLAPSE. BUT CHAIRMAN BERNANKE TESTIFIED 15:36:19 WE SENT TWO PEOPLE TO BE ON SITE AT LEHMAN. 15:36:25 WE SENT 50 CREDIT PEOPLE TO THE LARGEST SAVINGS AND LOAN IN 15:36:29 AMERICA. IT HAD $30 BILLION IN ASSETS. 15:36:32 WE HAD A WHOLE LOT LESS STAFF THAN THE FED DOES. 15:36:36 WE FORCED OUT THE CEO. WE REPLACED THE CEO AND WE DID 15:36:41 THAT NOT THROUGH REGULATION BUT BECAUSE OF OUR LEVERAGE AS 15:36:45 CREDITORS. NOW I ASK YOU. 15:36:47 WHO HAD MORE LEVERAGE AS CREDITORS IN 2008? 15:36:53 THE FED COMPARED TO THE FEDERAL HOME LOAN BANK OF SAN FRANCISCO, 15:36:56 19 YEARS EARLIER? INCOMPREHENSIBLE GREATER 15:37:00 LEVERAGE IN THE FED. AND IT SIMPLY WAS NOT USED. 15:37:07 AND WE'VE HEARD -- SO LET'S START WITH THE REPOS. 15:37:12 WE HAVE KNOWN SINCE ENRON IN 2001 THAT THIS IS A COMMON SCAM 15:37:18 IN WHICH EVERY MAJOR BANK THAT WAS APPROACHED BY ENRON AGREED 15:37:24 TO HELP THEM DECEIVE CREDITORS AND INVESTORS. 15:37:26 BY DOING THESE KIND OF TRANSACTIONS. 15:37:29 AND SO WHAT HAPPENED? THERE WAS A PROPOSAL IN 2004 TO 15:37:34 STOP IT. AND THE REGULATORY HEADS IT WAS 15:37:38 AN INTERAGENCY EFFORT, KILLED IT. 15:37:42 K THEY CAME OUT WITH SOMETHING PA 15:37:44 THE NICK 2006 AND STALLED ITS IMPLEMENTATION IN 2007, BUT IT'S 15:37:49 MEANINGLESS. WE HAVE KNOWN FOR A DECADE THAT 15:37:52 THESE ARE FRAUDS. WE HAVE KNOWN FOR A DECADE HOW 15:37:55 TO STOP THEM. ALL OF THE MAJOR REGULATORY 15:37:59 AGENCIES WERE COMPLICIT IN THAT STATEMENT IN DESTROYING IT. 15:38:02 WE HAVE A SELF-FULFILLING POLICY OF REGULATORY FAILURE BECAUSE OF 15:38:07 THE LEADERSHIP IN THIS ERA. WE HAVE THE FED -- THE FEDERAL 15:38:13 RESERVE BANK OF NEW YORK FINDING THAT THIS IS THREE-CARD MONTY. 15:38:18 WHAT WOULD YOU DO AS A REGULATOR IF YOU KNEW THAT ONE OF THE 15:38:24 LARGEST ENTERPRISES IN THE WORLD, WHEN YOU -- THE NATION IS 15:38:27 ON THE BRINK OF COLLAPSE -- ECONOMIC COLLAPSE, IS ENGAGED IN 15:38:31 FRAUD. THREE-CARD MONTY. 15:38:33 WOULD YOU CONTINUE BUSINESS AS USUAL? 15:38:37 THAT'S WHAT WAS DONE. OH, THEY MET A LOT. 15:38:40 THEY SAY WE DIDN'T HAVE -- WE ONLY HAD A NUCLEAR STICK. 15:38:44 SOUNDS PRETTY GOOD STICK TO USE IF YOU ARE ON THE BRINK OF 15:38:48 COLLAPSE OF THE SYSTEM. BUT THAT'S NOT WHAT THE FED HAS 15:38:51 TO DO. THE FED IS THE CENTRAL BANK. 15:38:54 CENTRAL BANKS FOR CENTURIES HAVE GOTTEN RID OF THE HEADS OF 15:39:00 FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS. THE BANK OF ENGLAND DOES IT WITH 15:39:04 A LUNCHEON. THEY -- THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS 15:39:07 ARE INVITED. THEY DON'T SAY NO. 15:39:11 THEY ARE SAT DOWN. THE HEAD OF THE BANK OF ENGLAND 15:39:14 SAYS WE HAVE LOST CONFIDENCE IN THE CEO OF YOUR ENTERPRISE. 15:39:19 WE BELIEVE THAT MR. JONES WOULD BE AN EFFECTIVE REPLACEMENT. 15:39:25 AND BY 4:00 THAT DAY, MR. JONES IS RUNNING THE PLACE. 15:39:31 AND HE HAS A MANDATE TO CLEAN UP ALL THE PROBLEMS. 15:39:37 INSTEAD, EVERY DAY THAT LEHMAN REMAINED UNDER ITS LEADERSHIP, 15:39:42 THE EXPOSURE OF THE AMERICAN PEOPLE TO LOSS GREW BY HUNDREDS 15:39:46 OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS ON AVERAGE. 15:39:50 AURORA WAS PUMPING OUT UP TO $3 BILLION A MONTH IN LIARS LOANS. 15:39:57 LOSSES ON THOSE ARE RUNNING ROUGHLY 50% TO 85 CENTS ON THE 15:40:04 DOLLAR. IT IS CRITICAL NOT TO DO 15:40:09 BUSINESS AS USUAL, TO CHANGE. WE'VE ALSO HEARD FROM SECRETARY 15:40:13 GEITHNER AND SECRETARY BERNANKE -- I'M SORRY, CHAIRMAN 15:40:16 BERNANKE -- WE COULDN'T DEAL WITH THESE LENDERS BECAUSE WE 15:40:19 HAD NO AUTHORITY OVER THEM. THE FED HAD UNIQUE AUTHORITY 15:40:25 SINCE 1994 UNDER HOEPA TO REGULATE ALL MORTGAGE FINANCIAL 15:40:33 LENDERS. IT FINALLY USED IT IN 2008. 15:40:35 THEY COULD HAVE STOPPED AURORA. THEY COULD HAVE STOPPED THE 15:40:39 SUBPRIME UNIT OF LEHMAN THAT WAS REALLY A LIARS LOAN PLACE AS 15:40:42 WELL AS TIME WENT BY. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. 15:40:45 THANK YOU VERY MUCH. AND NOW OUR LAST WITNESS, I 15:40:52 PROBABLY SHOULD REITERATE THAT WE ASK OUR WITNESSES TO CONFINE 15:40:55 THEMSELVES TO FIVE MINUTES. SUMMARIZE YOUR TESTIMONY. 15:40:58 MR. MATTHEW LEE, FORMER SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT OF LEHMAN 15:41:02 BROTHERS. MR. LEE. 15:41:03 THANK YOU, MR. CHAIRMAN, RANKING MEMBER BACHUS AND THE 15:41:06 OTHER MEMBERS OF THE COMMITTEE. THANK YOU FOR INVITING -- 15:41:09 IF YOU CAN PULL THAT A LITTLE CLOSER TO YOU. 15:41:11 SHALL I START AGAIN? YES, PLEASE. 15:41:14 MR. CHAIRMAN, RANKING MEMBER BACHUS AND OTHER MEMBERS OF THE 15:41:18 COMMITTEE, THANK YOU FOR INVITING ME HERE TODAY TO ANSWER 15:41:24 QUESTIONS ABOUT MY STORY. I PROVIDED A WRITTEN STATEMENT. 15:41:30 I WILL DEFINITELY COME UNDER FIVE MINUTES. 15:41:32 I'LL GIVE AN EVEN BRIEFER ORAL STATEMENT. 15:41:35 MANY PEOPLE DON'T KNOW ME. I WAS BORN AND EDUCATED IN THE 15:41:39 UNITED KINGDOM. I HAVE AN UNDERGRADUATE AND POST 15:41:42 GRADUATE DEGREE FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF EDINBOROUGH IN 15:41:47 SCOTLAND. IN 1977, I JOINED THE ARTHUR 15:41:50 YOUNG OFFICE -- LONDON OFFICE IN THE UK. 15:41:52 I WAS TRANSFERRED IN 1991, 29 YEARS AGO, TO THE NEW YORK 15:41:57 OFFICE OF ARTHUR YOUNG. I HAVE THREE ACCOUNTS 15:42:04 QUALIFICATIONS, ONE CERTIFIED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING. 15:42:06 I'M REGISTERED IN THE STATE OF NEW YORK AT ARTHUR YOUNG, I 15:42:10 SPECIALIZED IN FINANCIAL SERVICES COMPANIES. 15:42:14 I ATTAINED THE POSITION OF PRINCIPAL, AND I SPECIALIZED IN 15:42:19 FINANCING PRODUCTS, REPO, REVERSE REPO, SECURITIES 15:42:23 LENDING. I ALSO SPECIALIZE IN 15:42:26 INTERNATIONAL SECURITIES AND U.S. TRUST BANKS. 15:42:30 I MADE MY CAREER OUT OF UNDERSTANDING INTERNAL CONTROL. 15:42:37 IDENTIFYING ISSUES, FIGURING OUT POTENTIAL ISSUES, RESOLVING 15:42:41 ISSUES. THAT'S WHAT I DID FOR A LIVING. 15:42:42 I WAS KIND OF LIKE A PROFESSIONAL WHISTLEBLOWER IF 15:42:46 YOU WOULD. TYPICALLY, MY BUSINESS WAS 15:42:50 TRANSACTION BY WORD OF MOUTH. IF YOU HAVE A PROBLEM, YOU FIX 15:42:53 IT. PEOPLE USUALLY FIX IT. 15:42:54 I VERY RARELY REDUCED MY ISSUE, RESOLUTION TO WRITING. 15:42:59 I JOINED LEHMAN BROTHERS JUST AS THEY WENT PUBLIC IN 1994. 15:43:04 I WAS HIRED IN. I DIDN'T ANSWER AN AD. 15:43:07 I WAS APPROACHED BECAUSE OF MY SKILLSET AS AN ISSUE -- THEY HAD 15:43:13 AN ISSUE IN THEIR EQUITY FINANCE BUSINESS AT THE TIME. 15:43:17 I BECAME GLOBAL PRODUCT CONTROLLER, EQUITY FINANCE IN 15:43:22 '94. I HELD THAT POSITION TWICE. 15:43:24 I ALSO HELD MY FINAL POSITION TWICE WHICH WAS THE GLOBAL 15:43:28 PRODUCT CONTROLLER OF THE GLOBAL BALANCE SHEET -- NOT GLOBAL 15:43:34 PRODUCT CONTROL, GLOBAL FINANCIAL CONTROLLER OF THE 15:43:36 FIRM'S BALANCE SHEET AND GLOBAL LEGAL ENTITIES. 15:43:43 THERE WERE A NUMBER OF ISSUES OVER THE YEARS AT LEHMAN. 15:43:46 IF I FAST FORWARD TO THE END OF 2007, BEGINNING OF 2008, I HAD 15:43:51 MY NORMAL LOAD OF ISSUES WHICH WERE DISCUSSED REGULARLY WITH MY 15:43:55 PEERS, WITH MY BOSS. THOSE INCLUDED ALL THE ITEMS IN 15:43:59 MY MAY 16th LETTER WHICH I'LL GET TO IN A SECOND. 15:44:03 THEY ALSO INCLUDED ISSUES IN THE SECOND E-MAIL THAT WAS TALKED 15:44:08 ABOUT EARLIER. I'M SURE WE'LL TALK ABOUT IT 15:44:13 LATER. MY OWN PERSONAL ISSUES WERE NOT 15:44:17 BEING ADDRESSED AT ALL IN THE SIX MONTHS IN 2008. 15:44:20 OTHER ISSUES WERE NOT BEING ADDRESSED. 15:44:22 THERE WAS VERY LITTLE COMMUNICATION BETWEEN PEOPLE 15:44:26 SENIOR TO I AND MYSELF GIVING ME SOME KIND OF PACIFICATION AS TO 15:44:32 WHY THESE ISSUES WEREN'T BEING RESOLVED. 15:44:35 SO ON MAY 16th, WHICH WAS TWO WEEKS BEFORE THE END OF THE 15:44:40 SECOND QUARTER, I HAND DELIVERED MY LETTER TO THE FOUR 15:44:46 ADDRESSEES. AND I'LL GIVE A QUICK TIMELINE 15:44:47 OF WHAT HAPPENED. MAY 16th WAS A FRIDAY. 15:44:50 ON THE MONDAY I SAT DOWN WITH THE CHIEF RISK OFFICER AND 15:44:54 DISCUSSED THE LETTER. ON THE WEDNESDAY, I SAT DOWN 15:44:57 WITH GENERAL COUNSEL AND THE HEAD OF INTERNAL AUDIT AND 15:45:00 DISCUSSED THE LETTER. ON THE THURSDAY, I WAS ON A 15:45:03 CONFERENCE CALL TO BRAZIL. SOMEBODY CAME INTO MY OFFICE, 15:45:06 PULLED ME OUT AND FIRED ME ON THE SPOT WITHOUT ANY 15:45:12 NOTIFICATION. I STAYED -- SORRY. 15:45:19 SORRY. I STAYED ANOTHER TWO WEEKS. 15:45:25 I HAD OTHER MEETINGS WITH INTERNAL AUDIT. 15:45:29 I REALIZED THAT NOTHING WAS BEING DONE ABOUT MY LETTER. 15:45:37 I WAS SO MAD THAT NOTHING WAS BEING DONE THAT I SAID, OKAY, 15:45:40 I'M GOING TO WRITE DOWN SOME ANSWERS -- SORRY, SOME OTHER 15:45:44 ISSUES THAT WERE OUTSIDE MY DOMAIN. 15:45:46 I DRAFTED A SECOND LETTER. I SENT IT TO MY ATTORNEY WHO 15:45:51 DECIDED NOT TO ISSUE IT. INSTEAD, HE WROTE THE MEAT OF 15:45:55 THE LETTER IN TWO PARAGRAPHS IN AN E-MAIL. 15:45:58 IT WAS DISCUSSED EARLIER. THE REPO 105 ISSUE WAS INCLUDED 15:46:08 IN THERE. I MENTIONED THAT WAS OUTSIDE MY 15:46:12 DOMAIN. THAT LETTER WAS ISSUES ON JUNE 15:46:14 10th. ON JUNE 12th, I MET WITH 15:46:17 ERNST & YOUNG FOR THE FIRST TIME. 15:46:19 IN ATTENDANCE ALSO WAS THE GENERAL COUNSEL OF LEHMAN 15:46:22 BROTHERS AND THE HFD INTERNAL AUDIT. 15:46:24 AT ONE POINT, GENERAL COUNSEL AND HEAD OF INTERNAL AUDIT LEFT. 15:46:28 I WAS LEFT ALONE WITH ERNST & YOUNG, TWO PARTNERS. 15:46:32 AS I'VE SAID, I STARTED OUT LIFE. 15:46:34 I WORKED SEVERAL YEARS FOR ENst & YOUNG. 15:46:37 I HAVE A LOYALTY TO THEM. I SAID IF LEHMAN BROTHERS IS NOT 15:46:40 GOING TO ADDRESS THIS, THEY'D ALREADY DISMISSED MY E-MAIL 15:46:44 THROUGH MY ATTORNEY. THEY WERE HAVING NOTHING TO DO 15:46:47 WITH MY ISSUES AND OTHER PEOPLE'S ISSUES. 15:46:52 SO I TOLD THE CONTENTS OF THAT E-MAIL -- I DIDN'T HAVE THE 15:46:57 E-MAIL WITH ME -- TO ERNST & YOUNG, WHICH IS WHERE 15:47:00 THEY LEARNED ABOUT REPO 105 AND A COUPLE OTHER ISSUES. 15:47:03 THERE WAS AN AUDIT COMMITTEE THE NEXT DAY. 15:47:05 I THINK THE NEXT -- SORRY. I'M DESCENDING NOW. 15:47:10 THE ONLY OTHER POINT OF NOTE IS ON PAGE 960 OF THE EXAMINER'S 15:47:14 REPORT IS REFERENCE TO A PRESENTATION TO THE AUDIT 15:47:17 COMMITTEE ABOUT MY MAY 16th LETTER. 15:47:19 SOME OF THE POINTS. IT DOES NOT HAVE ANY CONTENT OF 15:47:24 THE E-MAIL IN IT. I WAS NOT ASKED TO GIVE ANY 15:47:28 INPUT OR PRESENTATION TO THE AUDIT COMMITTEE. 15:47:30 SORRY. I'VE GONE OVER ON MY TIME. 15:47:33 I'LL ACCEPT ANY QUESTIONS. THANK YOU. 15:47:40 THANK YOU VERY MUCH, MR. LEE. I'M GOING TO TAKE MY FIVE 15:47:43 MINUTES TO START WITH. I THOUGHT WHEN THE FIRST TWO 15:47:46 WITNESSES STARTED IT WAS GOING TO BE A BORING SESSION. 15:47:49 I HEARD THE NEXT TWO WITNESSES AND I WONDERED WHY WE DIDN'T 15:47:52 PROVIDE BASEBALL BATS. IT SEEMS TO BE A MATERIAL 15:47:58 DISAGREEMENT AS TO WHETHER THERE'S ANY RESPONSIBILITY AT 15:48:05 LEHMAN OR WHETHER OR NOT ANY RULES OR REGULATIONS WERE 15:48:09 VIOLATED. CERTAINLY THAT'S, OBVIOUSLY, THE 15:48:12 CONCLUSIONS WE DRAW FROM THE LATTER TWO WITNESSES. 15:48:16 LET ME JUST SIMPLY TRY AND CLASSIFY YOUR TESTIMONY. 15:48:24 AS I HEARD YOU TESTIFY, YOU DID NOTHING WRONG. 15:48:29 YOU PERFORMED TO THE STANDARD YOU'D EXPECT FROM THE CHIEF 15:48:38 EXECUTIVE OFFICER, AND THE TERMINATION OF LEHMAN BROTHERS 15:48:42 WAS JUST SOMETHING THAT HAPPENED. 15:48:44 IS THAT RELATIVELY CORRECT IN YOUR TESTIMONY? 15:48:55 I WISH IT WERE THAT EASY. I DIDN'T HEAR YOU SAY -- I 15:49:05 DIDN'T HEAR YOU TAKE ANY RESPONSIBILITY. 15:49:09 I HAVE TESTIFIED BEFORE WHERE AT THAT TIME I SAID BOTH IN MY 15:49:19 WRITTEN AND ORAL THAT I TAKE FULL RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE -- 15:49:27 LET ME ASK -- FOR THE DECISIONS THAT I 15:49:31 MADE. AND ALL I CAN SAY TO YOU IS THAT 15:49:35 I MADE THOSE DECISIONS. I HAD THE INFORMATION AT THE 15:49:39 TIME THAT I THOUGHT WAS ACCURATE. 15:49:42 AND WITH THAT MADE A PRUDENT DECISION. 15:49:46 WHAT CAUSED THE DEMISE OF LEHMAN BROTHERS? 15:49:54 A NUMBER OF FACTORS. WHAT ARE THEY? 15:50:11 A LITTLE BIT OF HISTORY. I'M NOT GOING TO GO BACK 150 15:50:14 YEARS BECAUSE THAT'S NOT APPROPRIATE. 15:50:16 LEHMAN STARTED AS A PUBLIC COMPANY IN 1994. 15:50:19 WE WERE PREDOMINANTLY A FIXED INCOME HOUSE. 15:50:25 WE GREW OVER TIME, ADDED EQUITY CAPABILITY, ADDED A STRONG 15:50:32 INVESTMENT BANKING CAPABILITY, BUILT OUT EUROPE, BUILT OUT 15:50:34 ASIA. WE EVENTUALLY BUILT OUT TO AN 15:50:39 ORGANIZATION THAT HAD 28,000 PEOPLE, HUNDREDS AND HUNDREDS OF 15:50:43 BUSINESS LINES AND PRODUCTS, AS I TALKED ABOUT. 15:50:46 40 COUNTRIES, FIVE CONTINENTS. I'M NOT SURE I UNDERSTAND. 15:50:52 YOU GOT TO BE TOO LARGE, IS THAT THE POINT YOU'RE MAKEING? 15:50:55 NO. WHAT HAPPENED? 15:50:56 I THINK THERE WERE OTHER ORGANIZATIONS THAT WERE -- THAT 15:51:00 WERE LARGER THAN OURS. I AGREE. 15:51:02 BUT WHAT HAPPENED? CAN YOU SUCCINCTLY TELL US JUST 15:51:09 WHY DID LEHMAN BROTHERS FAIL? THERE -- THERE WERE A NUMBER 15:51:15 OF INITIATIVES THAT -- THAT WE UNDERTOOK AS WE GREW. 15:51:22 PLEASE UNDERSTAND THAT THE LAST FIVE YEARS OF OUR OPERATION WERE 15:51:25 ALL RECORD YEARS. WE HAD GROWN FROM AN 15:51:28 ORGANIZATION THAT WENT FROM NET INCOME OF ABOUT $100 MILLION TO 15:51:34 AN ORGANIZATION THAT HAD 4 BILLION. 15:51:36 WE WENT FROM AN ORGANIZATION THAT HAD EQUITY OF ABOUT 1 15:51:40 BILLION TO ABOUT 28.5 BILLION. WE HAD BEEN KNOWN FOR STRONG 15:51:47 RISK MANAGEMENT. WE HAD BEEN KNOWN FOR WHEN IN 15:51:53 DOUBT, FALL BACK AND DO THE RIGHT THING. 15:51:55 WE HAD BEEN KNOWN FOR A STRONG CULTURE. 15:51:58 I'M TRYING TO PUT IN PLACE THOUGH THE PIECES OF WHAT WERE 15:52:09 THE BASES UPON WHICH WE MADE DECISIONS. 15:52:12 YOU'RE ASKING ME WHERE DID WE GO WRONG? 15:52:14 VERY SIMPLY, WHAT CAUSED YOUR DEMISE? 15:52:17 I DON'T THINK IT'S HARD FOR -- I MEAN, DID YOU OVERINVEST IN 15:52:20 RISKY OBLIGATIONS? DID YOU HAVE A LESS THAN 15:52:23 ADEQUATE STAFF HIRED AND EXECUTIVE EXECUTION? 15:52:25 THERE'S GOT TO BE SOME FUNDAMENTAL REASONS. 15:52:28 I CAN AGREE THAT YOU WON'T GIVE US ONE CAUSE, BUT DON'T GIVE ME 15:52:33 AN ADVERTISEMENT OF 25 YEARS OR 20 YEARS OF -- 15:52:37 MR. CHAIRMAN, I DIDN'T TRY TO DO THAT. 15:52:41 I WAS TRYING TO LAY A FOUNDATION THOUGH FOR THE MENTALITY FROM 15:52:44 THE PLACE FROM WHICH WE WERE COMING 15:52:46 YOU HEARD THE TESTIMONY EARLIER THAT YOU HAD RESERVE 15:52:48 FUNDS THAT WERE -- I'M SORY. 15:52:51 THAT WERE INADEQUATE BECAUSE THEY WERE PLEDGED IN TWO 15:52:54 DIFFERENT CATEGORIES. THAT WE HAD WHAT, SORRY? 15:53:00 THAT YOU HAD CAPITAL RESERVE FUNDS, BUT THAT THEY IN FACT HAD 15:53:05 BEEN PLEDGED IN DIFFERENT DIRECTIONS SO THAT THEY WEREN'T 15:53:07 ADEQUATE AND SHOULDN'T HAVE BEEN EXPOSED ON YOUR BALANCE SHEET AS 15:53:11 REFLECTING THE STANDARD OF EQUITY THAT YOU HAD. 15:53:13 IS THAT TRUE OR NOT TRUE? I'M NOT -- I'M NOT SURE OF 15:53:17 WHAT YOU MEANT BY THAT. THERE WAS TESTIMONY EARLIER I 15:53:22 THINK BY THE EXAMINER THAT IN ONE INSTANCE YOU HAD $2 BILLION 15:53:27 ON THE BOOK AND ANOTHER INSTANCE A 15:53:32 5 BILLION, NEITHER OF WHICH SHOULD HAVE BEEN ON THE BOOKS 15:53:35 BECAUSE THEY WERE ENCUMBERED BY OTHER TRANSACTIONS. 15:53:37 YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT LIQUIDITY. 15:53:40 YES. WE BUILT A STRONG LIQUIDITY 15:53:42 BASE FROM THE MID-'20s, '30s TO THE LOW '40s. 15:53:50 WE HAD A SERIES OF STRESS TESTS WITH THE FED. 15:53:56 I WENT PERSONALLY TO ALL THREE OF THOSE. 15:54:06 NOT ONCE DID I HEAR ANY FEEDBACK THAT LED ME TO BELI -- BELIEVE 15:54:14 THAT WE WERE DEV. HOW ABOUT THE DAY THEY TOLD 15:54:16 YOU HAD TO TO GO DOWN? NOBODY TOLD YOU WERE 15:54:19 INSUFFICIENT OR YOU DIDN'T REALIZE YOU COULD COVER YOUR 15:54:22 OBLIGATIONS ON THAT FAMOUS SUNDAY? 15:54:24 THERE WAS A FACILITY IN PLACE WHERE LEHMAN HAD ACCESS TO THE 15:54:30 FEDERAL RESERVE BORROWING WINDOW. 15:54:32 SO YOU WERE LOOKING FOR A BAILOUT? 15:54:34 I DID NOT SAY THAT. NO. 15:54:36 WELL, LET'S SAY WHEN YOU'RE LOOKING AT THE FEDERAL RESERVE 15:54:38 ACCESS TO FUNDS, IF YOU CAN'T GET THAT, WHAT WAS -- WHAT WAS 15:54:43 YOUR METHODOLOGY TO STAY IN MISS, AND WHERE WERE YOU GOING 15:54:47 TO GET THE SUFFICIENT COLLATERAL TO DOING SO? 15:54:49 MY MEANING FOR SAYING THAT IS THAT FACILITY HAD BEEN IN PLACE. 15:54:53 WE HAD NEVER NEEDED IT. WE HAD NOT USED IT. 15:54:57 WE FINANCED OURSELVES THAT FRIDAY NIGHT. 15:55:08 WHEN THE FED OPENED THE WINDOW FOR ALL THE INVESTMENT BANKS FOR 15:55:11 ADDITIONAL COLLATERAL, WE ALL TURNED TO EACH OTHER AND SAID WE 15:55:16 ARE FINE. WE WILL GET THROUGH THIS. 15:55:20 WE THEN LEARNED THAT THAT WINDOW WAS DENIED TO US. 15:55:22 YEAH. THAT WASN'T QUITE CORRECT, WAS 15:55:24 IT, BECAUSE OBVIOUSLY YOU WENT DOWN. 15:55:26 THE WINDOW WAS CLOSED TO US. LET ME ASK THE QUESTION. 15:55:30 DID YOU FALSELY GO DOWN? WERE YOU ABLE TO SURVIVE AND THE 15:55:35 FEDERAL GOVERNMENT FORCED YOU TO GO INTO BANKRUPTCY IN SOME WAY? 15:55:39 I KNOW WE HAVE -- I CAN JUST TELL YOU THE 15:55:43 FACTS. THE FACTS ARE THAT -- 15:55:47 MY TIME HAS EXPIRED SO I'M GOING TO PASS THEM ON TO MY 15:55:50 FRIEND FROM ALABAMA. LET ME ASK YOU -- 15:55:52 WELL, YOU HIT ON A GOOD QUESTION. 15:55:54 I'D LOVE TO -- YOU KNOW, UNFORTUNATELY, WE 15:55:56 DON'T HAVE ALL AFTERNOON FOR AN ANSWER. 15:55:58 I WAS HOPING WE WOULD GET SIMPLE RESPONSES. 15:56:02 THE GENTLEMAN FROM ALABAMA. BEFORE MY TIME STARTS, IF YOU 15:56:09 WILL, COULD WE HAVE AN ADDITIONAL THREE MINUTES ON OUR 15:56:11 SIDE, TOO. I'D LIKE TO -- 15:56:13 TO MAKE UP FOR THAT, I WOULD CERTAINLY HAVE NO OBJECTION. 15:56:16 I'LL DIVIDE A MINUTE AND A HALF FOR -- WELL, A MINUTE 15:56:22 BETWEEN THE THREE GENTLEMEN THAT ARE HERE PRESENTLY ON THIS SIDE. 15:56:25 THANK YOU, THANK YOU, MR. CHAIRMAN. 15:56:29 MY FIRST QUESTION, PROFESSOR BLACK, BOTH SECRETARY GEITHNER 15:56:33 AND CHAIRMAN BERNANKE IN ANSWER TO MY QUESTION ABOUT THE FAILURE 15:56:36 OF THE FEDERAL RESERVE AND THE FEDERAL RESERVE NEW YORK TO 15:56:39 REQUIRE LEHMAN TO CORRECT ITS MATERIAL MISREPRESENTATIONS ON 15:56:45 THE GROUNDS THAT THEY SAID THEY DIDN'T BECAUSE THEY WEREN'T 15:56:48 LEHMAN'S PRIMARY REGULATOR, DO YOU FIND THAT EXPLANATION 15:56:55 CONVINCING? NO. 15:56:56 I THINK I HAVE -- TURN THAT ON, IF YOU WILL. 15:56:58 TURN YOUR MIKE ON. NO. 15:57:02 I THINK I HAVE IT WORD FOR WORD THAT SECRETARY GEITHNER SAID 15:57:06 THAT THIS PUSHED THE FINANCIAL SYSTEM TO THE BRINK OF COLLAPSE. 15:57:10 I DON'T FOLLOW BUSINESS AS NORMAL AND I WAS A REGULATOR 15:57:16 WHEN THAT HAPPENED. I INSIST THAT THE PROBLEM BE 15:57:19 FIXED, AND THE FED HAD ASTONISHINGLY LARGE LEVERAGE. 15:57:25 ALL THE LEVERAGE THAT IT NEEDED IF IT HAD EXERTED IT, AND, OF 15:57:30 COURSE, CHAIRMAN BERNANKE WAS THE ONE WHO SHOULD HAVE BEEN 15:57:33 EXERTING IT. RIGHT, AND THEY IGNORED 15:57:37 THIS -- WHAT THE EXAMINERS AS I THINK CORRECTLY SAID MATERIAL 15:57:42 MISREPRESENTATIONS ON THE GROUND THAT THEY WEREN'T ACTING IN A 15:57:44 REGULATORY CAPACITY. IS IT EVER APPROPRIATE FOR A 15:57:47 GOVERNMENT REGULATOR TO LOOK THE OTHER WAY BECAUSE HE'S NOT 15:57:52 THE -- THE REGULATORY -- THE REGULATOR? 15:57:59 IT'S WORSE THAN THAT. WE HAVE A DIET AS REGULATORS, WE 15:58:04 SWEAR AN OATH TO PROTECT. WE HAVE A DUTY TO MAKE A 15:58:08 REFERRAL TO THE SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION WHEN WE FIND 15:58:12 ANY EVIDENCE OF SECURITIES FRAUD. 15:58:15 WE ALWAYS DID THAT AS REGULATORS, AND WE HAVE A DUTY 15:58:18 TO MAKE CRIMINAL REFERRALS. RIGHT. 15:58:23 I DIDN'T HEAR ANYTHING ABOUT CRIMINAL REFERRALS EXCEPT FROM 15:58:26 THE BANKRUPTCY EXAMINER. THEY WERE ALSO A CREDITOR AND 15:58:29 A COUNTERPART, AND THEY ARE OBVIOUSLY AN AGENCY OF THE U.S. 15:58:34 GOVERNMENT AND THE TAXPAYER. WELL, THAT MAKES IT EVEN MORE 15:58:38 BIZARRE. AS I SAID, WE HAD A STAFF AT THE 15:58:41 FEDERAL HOME LOAN BANK OF SAN FRANCISCO, A FAR SMALLER PLACE, 15:58:45 OF 50 GOING THROUGH THE CREDIT FILES. 15:58:48 IF WE WERE GOING TO TAKE EXPOSURE TO SOMETHING LIKE 15:58:50 LEHMAN, WHICH WAS VASTLY MORE COMPLICATED AND HAD FAR MORE 15:58:55 PROBLEMS, WE WOULD HAVE HAD A STAFF -- THE EQUIVALENT STAFF 15:58:58 WOULD BE SENDING 300 PEOPLE FROM THE FEDERAL RESERVE BANK OF NEW YORK.

lehman bankruptcy House Financial Services hearing with Treasury Secretary, Tim Geithner, Federal Reserve Board Chairman, Ben Bernanke, Mary Schapiro, the chair of the SEC, Richard Fuld, the former chairman and CEO of Lehman, Thomas Cruikshank, former member of the board of directors and chair of Klehman Brothers' Audit Committee. 17:00:00 THEY'VE LOST IT ALL. NOW, I HAVE NO CONSOLATION IN 17:00:03 THE FACT THAT YOU MAY HAVE TO LIVE WITH THAT EVERY DAY. 17:00:06 THAT'S NOT GOOD ENOUGH. WHY IS IT YOU SOLD YOUR HOME IN 17:00:11 FLORIDA TO YOUR WIFE FOR $100? THAT WAS -- THAT WAS 17:00:25 MISREPRESENTED. LONG BEFORE LEHMAN HAD ANY 17:00:30 PROBLEMS, THIS A LITTLE BIT PERSONAL. 17:00:34 BUT YOU ASKED ME THE QUESTION. WELL, IT'S PUBLIC 17:00:37 INFORMATION. YOU'VE ASKED ME. 17:00:42 KATHY DECIDED TO SELL SOME OF HER ART. 17:00:46 AND SO THAT WE HAD EQUAL ASSETS, IT WAS HER ART IN HER NAME. 17:00:52 I PUT THE HOUSE IN HER NAME TO REBALANCE THAT. 17:00:55 VERY PLAIN. VERY SIMPLE. 17:00:57 THAT WAS DECIDED LONG BEFORE LEHMAN WENT DOWN. 17:00:59 BUT IT TOOK PLACE IN OCTOBER -- 17:01:01 BLOWN WAY OUT OF PROPORTION. IT TOOK PLACE IN OCTOBER 17:01:05 AFTER LEHMAN HAD FALLEN. I HAD MADE THE DECISION BACK 17:01:10 IN MAY AND JUNE. ALL RIGHT. 17:01:13 LET'S MOVE ON, THEN. IN ALL FAIRNESS, THESE THINGS 17:01:16 DON'T GET DONE OVERNIGHT. I UNDERSTAND. 17:01:18 YOU'VE ANSWERED THE QUESTION. LET ME MOVE ON TO ANOTHER 17:01:21 QUESTION. YOU'VE SAID IN YOUR TESTIMONY 17:01:22 THAT YOU FEEL VINDICATED BY THE RESULTS IN MR. VALAKIS'S REPORT. 17:01:29 YET MR. VALAKIS CLEARLY STATES OVER AND OVER AGAIN IN HIS 17:01:35 REPORT THAT THERE ARE COLORABLE CLAIMS THAT CAN BE MADE AGAINST 17:01:41 LEHMAN FOR MISREPRESENTING THE 10 K AND THE SK DOCUMENT. 17:01:53 IN FACT, HE SAYS, BILLIONS OF LEHMAN'S SHARES TRADED ON 17:02:01 MISINFORMATION. SO THERE'S NOTHING IN THIS 17:02:02 REPORT THAT VINDICATES YOU. THERE'S PLENTY OF INFORMATION IN 17:02:05 THIS REPORT THAT SUGGESTS THAT THE SEC DID NOT DO ITS JOB, THAT 17:02:08 THE FED MAY NOT HAVE DONE ITS JOB, BUT YOU, IN FACT, 17:02:13 MISREPRESENTED LEHMAN'S STATUS. NOW, YOU HAD SAID THAT YOU DID 17:02:17 NOT KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT REPO 105. 17:02:19 YET, ACCORDING TO MR. VALAKIS HAVING LOOKED AT 5 MILLION 17:02:24 E-MAILS, HE SAYS THERE'S EVERY REASON TO KNOW THAT YOU DID. 17:02:28 HAVING SAID THAT, YOU HAVE TO BE CONCERNED AS THE CEO OF THE 17:02:32 COMPANY WITH THE RATING AGENCIES' RATING OF LEHMAN. 17:02:38 CORRECT? YES. 17:02:39 THAT'S GOT TO BE NUMBER ONE ON YOUR PRIORITY LIST, TO MAKE 17:02:43 SURE THEY CONTINUE TO RATE YOUR COMPANY AND YOUR PRODUCTS AS 17:02:48 INVESTMENT GRADE. CORRECT? 17:02:51 ON MY LIST. CLEARLY NOT NUMBER ONE, BUT ON 17:02:54 MY LIST, YES. WAS IT NUMBER TEN? 17:02:56 I CAN'T QUANTIFY. MY NUMBER ONE CONCERN WAS 17:02:59 PROTECTION OF OUR CAPITAL. AND SHAREHOLDER EQUITY. 17:03:02 AND SHAREHOLDER EQUITY HAS EVERYTHING TO DO WITH WHETHER OR 17:03:06 NOT THE -- THE RATING AGENCIES ARE GRADING YOUR PRODUCTS AS 17:03:12 INVESTMENT GRADE? THAT'S ACTUALLY A VERY 17:03:14 INTERESTING QUESTION. THE RATING AGENCIES REACTED MORE 17:03:20 TO OUR STOCK PRICE THAN THEY DID TO OUR TIMELINESS -- THE RATING 17:03:34 AGENCIES' FOCUS ON DEBT IS THE TIMELY ABILITY TO PAY BACK DEBT. 17:03:38 THEY REACTED MORE TO OUR STOCK PRICE WHERE THEY HEARD THE 17:03:48 RUMORS ABOUT THE HOLE IN THE BALANCE SHEET AND THOUGHT THAT 17:03:51 WE COULDN'T RAISE EQUITY. ONE OF THE REAL SHORT FALLS WAS 17:03:55 OUR ABILITY, WHEN I SAID WE COULDN'T CONVINCE THE WORLD, 17:04:00 THERE WERE SO MANY RUMORS ABOUT LEHMAN'S CONDITION THAT PEOPLE 17:04:04 THOUGHT THAT GIVEN THAT HOLE, WE WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO RAISE EQUITY 17:04:11 WHEN, IN FACT, WE HAD THE EQUITY. 17:04:13 MR. FULD, MY TIME IS ABOUT TO RUN OUT. 17:04:15 LET ME ASK YOU ONE LAST QUESTION. 17:04:17 HAVE YOU EVER SHORTED SECURITIES THAT YOU WERE SELLING TO THE 17:04:22 PUBLIC? I MYSELF? 17:04:24 PARDON ME? I MYSELF? 17:04:26 YOUR COMPANY. NOT THAT I'M AWARE OF. 17:04:33 THANK YOU. THANK YOU. 17:04:44 THANK YOU, MR. CHAIRMAN. MR. FULD, THERE'S BEEN SEVERAL 17:04:51 THINGS THAT YOU'VE ANSWERED TODAY OR ANSWERED TO THE 17:04:56 BANKRUPTCY EXAMINER, NOT THAT YOU'RE AWARE OF OR NOT THAT YOU 17:05:03 RECALL. DID YOU REVIEW ANY DOCUMENTS IN 17:05:05 PREPARATION FOR TODAY'S HEARING? YES, MA'AM, I DID. 17:05:08 WHAT WERE THOSE? I DON'T EVEN KNOW HOW TO 17:05:21 BEGIN TO ANSWER THAT. DID YOU -- DID YOU PRACTICE 17:05:24 YOUR ANSWERS FOR TODAY'S HEARING WITH ANY KIND OF A -- 17:05:28 WITH A WHO? DID YOU REHEARSE? 17:05:32 DID YOU GO OVER SOME PRACTICE QUESTIONS? 17:05:35 I WROTE QUESTIONS FOR MYSELF. I THOUGHT ABOUT THEM. 17:05:38 ENGAGE IN A MURDER BOARD PREPARATION WHERE OTHER PEOPLE 17:05:42 ASKED YOU QUESTIONS? I'M SORRY. 17:05:43 A MURDER BOARD? YOU'VE NOT HEARD THAT TERM 17:05:47 BEFORE? ALL RIGHT. 17:05:49 MOVE ON. EXCUSE ME. 17:05:51 LET ME ASK YOU, I DON'T WANT TO LEAVE THAT HANGING. 17:05:54 A MURDER BOARD IS WHAT THEY CALL IN ADMINISTRATION WHEN THEY 17:05:59 PREPARE A POTENTIAL -- A NOMINEE WHO'S FACING CONFIRMATION TO 17:06:03 APPEAR BEFORE A SENATE COMMITTEE AND BE ATTACKED. 17:06:08 A SEPARATE GROUP? NO. 17:06:10 I ACTUALLY WROTE OUT A NUMBER OF QUESTIONS MYSELF. 17:06:13 SO WHEN -- DID YOU CONSIDER THAT WE MIGHT ASK ABOUT THE 17:06:17 WARNINGS MR. PAULSON GAVE TO -- TO LEHMAN ABOUT THE STATE OF 17:06:23 LEHMAN'S BALANCE SHEET, REVIEW THAT? 17:06:25 NO, I DIDN'T. YOU DON'T -- DO YOU RECALL 17:06:29 MR. PAULSON'S WARNINGS? I READ HIS BOOK, I'M 17:06:37 EMBARRASSED TO SAY. BUT I READ HIS BOOK. 17:06:40 DO YOU RECALL MR. GEITHNER'S CONCERNS AND URGING THAT LEHMAN 17:06:44 MOVE TO A MORE CONSERVATIVE PLACE WITH ITS BALANCE SHEET? 17:06:56 MR. GEITHNER AND I HAD A NUMBER OF CONVERSATIONS 17:07:03 REGARDING LIQUIDITY, POTENTIAL CAPITAL RAISED. 17:07:05 I DO NOT RECALL A WARNING FROM HIM. 17:07:06 OKAY. DO YOU RECALL A WARNING FROM THE 17:07:10 OFFICE OF SUPERVISORS THAT WITH THE ARCH DONE DEAL THAT YOU WERE 17:07:15 MATERIALLY OVEREXPOSED? I DO NOT. 17:07:17 DO YOU RECALL THE CONCERNS OF MADELEINE OR MICHAEL GEL VIN OR 17:07:27 MATTHEW LEE WITH RESPECT TO THE RISK MANAGEMENT OF -- RISK 17:07:31 LEVELS OF LEHMAN OR OFF BALANCE SHEET ACCOUNTING? 17:07:38 I'LL START BACKWARDS. I SAW MATTHEW LEE TODAY. 17:07:45 HE REMINDED ME THAT HE AND I HAD MET AT A SOCIAL EVENT. 17:07:50 SO I WAS NOT FAMILIAR WITH HIM. MICHAEL GELVAN, A LONG-TIME 17:08:01 MEMBER OF THE FIRM, I WILL ONLY TELL YOU THAT THE DAY AFTER MR. 17:08:09 GELVAN LEFT THE FIRM, THE SENIOR OFFICER THAT TOOK HIS PLACE CAME 17:08:17 TO SEE ME, TOLD ME THAT WE WERE OVEREXPOSED IN LEVERAGE LOANS. 17:08:25 I SAID HOW BAD IS IT? HE TOOK ME THROUGH IT. 17:08:29 I SAID, WHAT'S YOUR RECOMMENDATION? 17:08:32 HE SAID, LET ME BRING IT TO EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE. 17:08:35 BUT I'D LIKE TO BRING IT DOWN. I SAID, BRING IT TO EXECUTIVE 17:08:39 COMMITTEE. START TO BRING IT DOWN TODAY. 17:08:42 AND FROM THAT POINT, WE TOOK IT DOWN SOMETHING LIKE FROM $45 17:08:46 BILLION TO $7 BILLION. AND IN ANY OF THESE 17:08:54 DISCUSSIONS OF LOWERING YOUR EXPOSURE OR LOWERING YOUR 17:08:59 LEVERAGE INCLUDE LOWERING THE LEVERAGE SPECIFICALLY FOR A 17:09:04 QUARTERLY REPORT TO INVESTORS? SPECIFIC TARGETS OF LOWERING 17:09:11 YOUR LEVERAGE FOR THE QUARTERLY REPORTS FOR THE INVESTORS? 17:09:13 I'M SORRY. ARE YOU ASKING ME DID I EVER SET 17:09:16 A SPECIFIC TARGET? YES. 17:09:17 NO. AND SO YOU CONTINUE TO SAY 17:09:21 THAT YOU DO NOT RECALL ENGAGING IN ANY DECISION MAKING OR EVEN 17:09:26 HEARING ABOUT THE USE OF REPO 105 WITH RESPECT TO THAT 17:09:31 QUARTERLY REPORT AND MOVING THEM ON OR OFF BALANCE SHEET TO 17:09:36 IMPROVE HOW THAT BALANCE SHEET LOOKED FOR THOSE INVESTORS? 17:09:39 I RECALL NO CONVERSATION, AND I RECALL SEEING NO DOCUMENT. 17:09:44 DID YOU -- DO YOU RECALL AN INDIVIDUAL BY THE NAME OF, I 17:09:49 BELIEVE, DAVID EINHORN? I KNOW HIS NAME. 17:09:54 WERE YOU CONCERNED WITH WHAT SHORT SELLERS WERE SAYING ABOUT 17:09:59 YOUR COMPANY? YES, I WAS. 17:10:01 AND WAS HE ONE OF THOSE SHORT SELLERS? 17:10:05 I BELIEVE HE WAS. AND WERE YOU AWARE OF A 17:10:09 SPEECH THAT HE GAVE TO A HIGH-LEVEL GROUP OF INVESTORS IN 17:10:13 WHICH HE CRITICIZED YOUR FIRST QUARTER REPORTS AND QUESTIONED 17:10:20 THE NUMBERS IN YOUR FIRST QUARTER REPORT VERSUS YOUR 10 Q 17:10:26 FILING? I DON'T HAVE ALL THE PIECES 17:10:28 OF THAT, BUT I WAS VERY MUCH AWARE THAT HE WAS CLAIMING THAT 17:10:32 WE MISREPRESENTED ITEMS IN OUR -- I FORGET. 17:10:38 CDOs AND CLOs, CLAIMING THAT THEY WERE ALL MORTGAGES. 17:10:41 THEY, IN FACT, WERE NOT. THEY WERE CORPORATE LOANS. 17:10:44 WE TRIED TO TELL HIM THAT. HE IGNORED THAT. 17:10:47 HE CONTINUED TO TALK ABOUT % LEHMAN -- I'LL BE KIND AND JUST 17:10:54 SAY IN AN UNFLATTERING WAY. IN ANY OF THAT DISCUSSION AND 17:10:59 TAKING A LOOK AT WHAT THE REASONS WERE FOR SOME OF THESE 17:11:04 DISCREPANCIES, DID THE USE OF REPO 105 COME UP AT ALL? 17:11:08 NOT AT ALL. AND -- AM I OVER TIME? 17:11:18 NOT AS FAR AS, SAY, SOME OTHER MEMBERS, BUT YES. 17:11:22 THE CHAIR DOES THINK ALL THE WITNESSES FOR THEIR TESTIMONY 17:11:25 TODAY. THE CHAIR NOTES THAT SOME 17:11:27 MEMBERS MAY HAVE ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS FOR THIS PANEL, WHICH 17:11:31 THEY MAY WISH TO SUBMIT IN WRITING. 17:11:33 WITHOUT OBJECTION, THE HEARING RECORD WILL REMAIN OPEN FOR 30 17:11:35 DAYS FOR MEMBERS TO SUBMIT WRITTEN QUESTIONS TO THESE 17:11:39 WITNESSES AND TO PLACE THEIR RESPONSES IN THE RECORD. 17:11:42 THIS HEARING IS ADJOURNED.

FS24 WH BRFG CUTS POOL 4 1200 NBC POOL 120610 PSAKI>> Hi, everyone! Happy Monday. Okay! Couple of things happening around here today. Today is the deadline to file your taxes. That's not a reminder to all of you, but take it as one if you'd like to. And we encourage everyone to file as soon as possible to make sure they receive the full amount of benefits they are owed. Filing taxes will ensure people benefit from the 3 rounds of relief and rescue payments issues since the start of the pandemic, including up tp $1400 per person provided in the President's American Rescue Plan. 120646 Filing also ensures people get all of the refundable tax credits they may be eligible for like the Earned Income tax credit, the Child -- and the Child tax credit. And today, Treasury and the IRS announced that, starting the July, the American Rescue Plan will deliver critical tax relief to middle class and hardpressed working families with children. The first monthly payments of the expanded child tax credit will be made on July 15th to 39 million households, covering more that 88% of children in the United States. 120716 These payments will be made on the 15th of each month unless the 15th falls on a weekend or holiday, allowing families who receive the credit by direct deposit to plan their budgets more effectively. And eligible families will receive a monthly payment of up to $300 per month for each child under the age of 6, and up to $250 per month for each child age 6 until the year they turn -- over age 6, sorry, til the year they turn 18. 120741 More than 30% of the 39 million households will receive the child tax credit by direct deposit to ensure safe and fast delivery. Only other item for the top for all of you -- today, we recognize -- join the international community in recognizing International -- the International Day of Homophomia -- Homophobia, Transphobia, and Biphobia. [12:08:03] The Biden-Harris administration will always stand with the lgbt Q. I community and it's steadily implementing the presidential memorandum on advancing the human rights of Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and intersex persons around the world. As the president stated, everyone [12:08:25] is entitled to dignity and equality. We will continue to engage with our a lot. Allies and partners to advance the human rights of lgbt. Q I people at home and in all corners of the world. Josh wanted to kick us off. Q>> Thanks, Jen, too quick subjects. President Biden said Last Thursday, Israel has a right to defend itself. That its actions and thus far we're not a significant overreaction. After the events of the past few days. Does the president still believe that Israel's actions have been proportionate? PSAKI>> Well, first, Josh, let me remind people that the president also did two calls over the weekend that we did readouts of and in those calls. Hey, conveyed, stressed the need for Hamas to cease firing rockets into Israel and affirmed. Again Israel's right to defend itself against terrorist attacks is I would note from the reports There have been more than 3000 rockets that have been shot from Hamas into Israel over the last several days. He also expressed his concern that this current period of conflict has [12:09:26] tragically claimed the lives of Israeli and Palestinian civilians, including Children, and he raised concerns about the safety of journalists, including those two Had to leave the building from the where The Associated Press was based, and reinforced the need to ensure their protection. So-- 120936 How we are looking at this, from our standpoint, is that our focus, our goal -- every single action we take, every statement we make is with the objective of reducing the violence and bringing an end to the conflict on the ground. There are times, in diplomacy, where the -- we'll need to keep those conversations quieter, where we won't read out every component of it, but that is our objective and that is the -- the prism through which every action and every comment is being made. [12:10:05] Q>> Gotcha, and then -- PSAKI>> Oh, go ahead. Sorry [inaud] Q>>Actually, that's a good service, to. The Supreme Court agreed today to hear a Mississippi law of ban abortions. 15 minutes of pregnancy. And I was curious. Does the administration believe that law is constitutional? And if the court upheld the law? [12:10:27] What would this administration to be prepared to do? PSAKI>> Well, I don't have a comment specific to the Supreme Court taking the case, but generally speaking, given this is a state law. I can say that over the last fou years critical rights like the right to health care, the right to choose have been under withering an extreme attack, including your draconian state laws and the president and the vice president are devoted to ensuring that every American has access to health care, including reproductive health care. Regardless of their income, zip code race, health insurance status or immigration status. A such the president is committed to codifying row regardless of the. Unrelated alcohol related, but to the outcome of this case. Go ahead, Q>> just stepping back a little bit from the current situation with Israel on the Palestinian territories. We reported over the weekend that the convoy in the region has been basically telling both sides that they need to start thinking about what he's process might look [12:11:28] likefter this. Happens I'm just curious whether the president is willing to invest himself in being a broker in that kind of a process and whether you're starting to think about what that might look like. PSAKI>> Well, Trevor. I think it's clear to everyone who's been a part of and covered or been a part of us that the State Department back in 2014. We all know that -- 121147 The only way to bring an end to violence, to bring an end to this escalation of violence is for there to be a two-state solution over time. [12:11:55] And in both calls the president made this weekend he underscored his strong commitment to a negotiated. Two state solution is the best best path to reach a just and lasting resolution of the Israeli Palestinian conflict. But in terms of what that would take or what form and what it would look like. 121211 It is going to require both parties wanting to engage in that and wanting to have a discussion about the path forward. And who would be the point person from this end, we're certainly not quite there yet. It will be up to both parties to decide if they want to move forward on that pathway. [12:12:25] Q>> And then just one more question on that subject, which is what would be the value in. Uh making a case for a cease fire from from your standpoint and Would you do that? PSAKI>> Well, let me first say that. What's most important is that we all share the United States shares with a range of countries around the world. Those who have been out spoken at the U. N are partners and friends in Europe. A commitment and a desire to bring an end to the violence and how we are approaching. This is through the prison again of what steps can we take? What actions can we take behind the scenes. 121301 We've had over 60 calls in the past week from the President on down with senior leaders in Israel, the Palestinian Authority, and across the region. And how can we bring an end to the violence through our relationships In the region, both with the Israelis and the Israeli government and also with key other partners, whether it's the Egyptians, the Qataris, and other key countries in the region. So that is how we are approaching it from the United States. Go ahead. 121326 CECILIA VEGA Q>> Thanks, Jen. I want to ask that in the inverse way. Why not? What is the value in not calling for a ceasefire right now, given many of those countries that you just listed are our close allies -- France, UK, Egypt, Jordan, have done so, are doing so? 121339 PSAKI>> That is true, but what we -- the role we're playing, the action -- the prism we are making all of our decisions through is: how can we help bring an end to the violence and bring an end to de-escalate the situation on the ground? And our calculation at this point is that having those conversations behind the scenes, weighing in with our important strategic partnership we have with Israel, also with other countries in the region, is the most constructive approach we can take. 121406 So our approach is through quiet, intensive diplomacy, and that's where we feel we can be most effective. CECILIA VEGA Q>> And does the President's assessment from last Thursday still stand, that he does not see Israel's strikes a significant overreaction? 121422 PSAKI>> Again, I think I noted that the President also had two calls over the weekend, since Thursday, where he conveyed his concerns about the current period of conflict, the lives of Israeli and Palestinian civilians that have been lost and, certainly, raised his concern about the safety and security of journalists and others who have been impacted on the ground. So we're not going to give a day-by-day evaluation. 121446 I will say that our objective is to -- just like it is with other countries and our partners around the world, is to play the role we can play in the most constructive way possible to bring -- to reduce the violence, to de-escalate the situation on the ground. And a great deal of that is going to be through intensive, quiet diplomacy behind the scenes. 121503 CECILIA VEGA Q>> Just one last question, if I may. You mentioned the journalists on the ground on that Gaza Tower strike. The Prime Minister, Netanyahu, called this "a perfectly legitimate target." Does this White House agree with that? 121513 PSAKI>> Well, I would say that any intelligence is being handled through intelligence channels. I don't have a further readout or confirmation of any of that -- those details from here, nor do I have an assessment of that intelligence that was stated by the Prime Minister. Go ahead. [12:15:28] Q>> The president obviously has a decades long relationship with prime minister met a number of times. Course, most recently when he was the vice president Tom Friedman wrote today about this being a January 6th moment for Prime Minister Netanyahu. Is there concern at the White House by the president. That domestic politics in Israel are currently a barrier to an ending to this escalation of violence. Well I will say I will say, Mike, Good to see you. First of all, I will say that it's not our role to assess or analyze the politics on the ground in Israel. Everybody has their own politics in different regions of the world, and we see that play out. In foreign policy all the time. What our role is, is to play the most be as constructive as possible in de escalating the violence, bringing an end to the conflict and. There certainly is. The president has known the prime minister for some time. They [12:16:32] have obviously spoken as hence we did the readout this weekend on I'm sure they will speak again. We're also deeply engaged at the highest levels are national security advisor spoke with his counterpart. Earlier this morning. We've done again more than 60 calls over the past week with a range of partners in the region. So our objective here our role is not to do political analysis. Or or or provide motivation for any actions, but to take steps we can take as a leader in the world as a country with deep relationships in the region to discuss de escalate the violence on the ground, domestic politics you have a letter from a majority of the Senate Democrats calling for the White House to demand. Ceasefire You also have Democrats in the party. Alexander Acosta Cortez, calling Israel an apartheid state Senator Bernie Sanders, saying that potentially this should lead the U. S to reevaluate. Foreign system. What's the White House's message to those in the president's party on this? PSAKI>> I will say if we are messages. 121722 Sometimes you have the step back from politics for a moment. It's not easy to do, and we recognize and agree that watching the lives lost of these Palestinian children, of these families, the fear you see in the eyes of the Israeli people, it is heartbreaking. We want to bring an end to the violence. We want to dis-- de-escalate the situation on the ground. The role we feel we can do that through, the most effective way we feel we can do that is through quiet and intensive diplomacy, and that is what our focus is on at this point in time. [12:17:53] But we share an objective of de escalating the circumstances on the ground. We share a view that a two state solution is the only way to bring the lasting end to the violence. Just another matter. You have to self imposed. Deadlines coming up here for the White House next Tuesday is the anniversary of George Footsteps. The president has said he wants to see that legislation moved by then. And then Memorial. There's only two weeks from today as well. The White House has said they want to see progress on infrastructure talks by then What is the White House doing to try to meet those? Lines. And can you define what progress on infrastructure means? Does that mean Bill on [12:18:33] the floor? Does that mean a breakthrough agreement with some of these Republican senators? 121831 PSAKI>> I would not expect a bill to be on the floor before Memorial Day. And all of you, including you, who have covered The Hill know that would be some sort of record breaking pace. So, that is not what we expect, but I will also say that almost two weeks, which is the period of time between now and Memorial Day, is a lifetime in legislating. It's a lifetime in negotiations and conversations, in conversations in hallways and phone calls and meetings in person. 121855 It will be an active period. It will be an engaged period between high level officials at the White House and members of -- members of Congress and their staffs and committee staff. But in terms of where we will be right before or around Memorial Day, our hope is that we will have a better sense on the path forward and what the opportunity is, looking ahead. Q>> And on George Floyd? 121917 PSAKI>> And George Floyd! I will say that we are deeply engaged, of course, with the members and in close touch with the members who are negotiating the path forward, including Senator Booker, including Cong-- including the members of the House, Karen Bass, who is leading this effort. 121932 And we stay abreast of their discussions and the negotiations. The President, of course, is eager to sign a bill. He thinks police reform and the -- is long overdue. But you know, we'll continue to press forward, but we feel that is best placed in those negotiations and those constructive negotiations that are happening between members on The Hill. [12:19:51] Q>> What has the president seen this letter that was sent by Senate Democrats today calling for a ceasefire. Has he seen it? I I'm I'm not sure if he's physically seen the letter. I know that he is, of course, aware. Of the calls and the points of view of a range of members of Congress on the conflict in Israel, spoken with any members of Congress about the situation. I don't have any calls to read out. When members of his own party. Share the belief that he is giving too much credence to Israel in this situation. Are they wrong? Situation on the ground. I don't. Don't think we [12:20:36] are. It would be constructive to put any labels on it As you've just outlined the president to you and the view of senior leaders and the White House. Is that our role as the White House as the federal government as the president of the United States? Is to play a constructive role in diplomacy to use our role our relationships around the world to have intensive quiet discussions with leaders in the region that we have long standing relationships with. We share an objective. Of de escalating the situation on the ground of bringing an end to the conflict. That's a no objective we share with members of Congress who have different points of view. And of course, you know, we support their ability to have different points of view, but we're approaching it. Through the prism of how we feel we can come to most effective outcome over the weekend. There were these reports that the Israelis had shared intelligence with the United States regarding what was going on in that tower that was blown up. How's The Associated Press The numbers? Said he was shared with the United States Secretary of State this morning overseas, [12:21:37] said he didn't see it. He's not the intelligence director. So perhaps that's why has the president seen it? And can you confirm that the Israelis actually share that intelligence? The United States. Well this would be handled Azul attitude through intelligence channels, and I'm not going to be in a position now wherever of committing or confirming who has or hasn't seen intelligence. What I believe. The State Department has confirmed that the secretary was saying he's not personally seen the intelligence because such matters would be appropriately be handled through intelligence channels. So that's not necessarily a surprise. But in terms of who has or hasn't seen it, what's been communicated? I'm just not gonna be in a position to confirm that. Yes You wanna go over different some pushback on the idea that those of us in this room. Or indoor places generally should be doing so without masks on even though that's now the policy here should be not wearing masks. Oh, should be where, Okay, Despite this evening, she got plenty of accident. People say that all ready to take their masks off here. We leave them unprotected, even though doctors have said master the protecting. Other people, not necessarily you're wearing. The [12:22:40] White House here that concern and criticism of the governors and mayors over the weekend have expressed concern that this came with very little notice. What says the warehouse? Well, the CDC director. Promised the American people that she would convey the latest science to them as she knew it, that she would not delay that she would not be impacted by politics or influenced by. Political pressure on the White House or elsewhere, And that's exactly what she did now. That also means that she base that conclusion as she outlined on the fact that the vaccines work in the real world vaccines work against the variants and vaccinated people are unlikely to spread Cove it based on their data and analysis by health and medical experts at the CDC. Now because we are working in a way that we feel is what is going to rebuild trust with the American people and what it should have always been the case, which is that health and medical experts will determine that guidance. It may mean it's going to take some time for various sectors to implement. It also is important [12:23:40] to note what the president said in his remarks last Thursday. People may choose to. You still continue to wear masks. They aren't through their vaccine they have. They're not to expose second vaccine they have not gotten the vaccine yet. They're immuno compromised somebody in their families. We need to pre people with kindness, and this has already been such a politically charged issue. That's not our objective. Our objective is to share and the president talked about in his remarks this afternoon, too. And make sure people have understanding and clarity of what the CDC guidance was conveying to people, which is that they're safe not to wear their mask. 122408 -- if they have been vaccinated. Q>> Is there anything else he's announcing in those remarks that we should be listening for? 122415 PSAKI>> He is announcing -- he does have some news in his remarks, Ed. He will also be announcing that the United States will send 20 million doses authorized for use in the United States to help countries battling the pandemic by the end of June. This is in addition to sending all of the manufactured AstraZeneca vaccine doses overseas during May and June, as soon as these 60 million doses are cleared. So that is a total of 80 million doses. And this is the most doses donated by any country in the world by five times. [12:24:45] S O we're waiting for, Of course, astrazeneca's, you know. To go through the approval process of the fda, but this will put 80 million doses out into the world by the end of June. My job. Thank you. Wait You just want to ask what is real, but the 20 Million doses are astrazeneca doses are there other other doses of approved vaccines? Yes, exactly. Yes, um So my question is. If you say that the ultimate, the only solution is a two state solution, that requires both parties to want that, which they don't seem to right now, Does that mean that despite all of your quiet intensive diplomacy behind the scenes, the U. S really has limited leverage and power to solve this problem? PSAKI: Well, I would say first that right now our quiet, intensive diplomacy is, of course, not negotiating a two state solution. I know you're not suggesting that, but just for [12:25:42] clarity purposes. That is to bring an end and to de-escalate the violence on the ground now. On Certainly, we feel we have strong relationships with Israeli leaders. We have strong relationships with key partners in the region, and we're hopeful that those conversations that quiet diplomacy will help bring an end to the violence and reduce the conflict on the ground. As it relates to a two state solution. You've been through many of these, as have I, and It is clear, that it will require both parties to be committed themselves. The United States could not manufacture on our own a two state solution, it would have required both parties having that desire to move forward. 12:26:16 MAURAL So it sounds like what you want the American people to understand is that although you are trying your hardest and doing everything you can with all your relationships behind the scenes, you can, the U. S Does not have the power to solve this problem. Or it doesn't have the leverage to solve this problem. PSAKI >> Well, I would say first that it's been seven days. Every single life that is lost a [12:26:44] Palestinian life and Israeli life is a tragedy. It has been seven days. As you know, these conflicts have been far longer than that. That is not our objective. Of course, we want to de escalate as quickly as possible. But yes, it would require actions from Israel, it would require actions from Hamas to end the violence on the ground. There are a range of parties and entities who involved in those discussions and we want to play as constructive role as humanly possible. Q>> One more quick one. 122707 Is it fair to say that you don't want to answer the question, yes or no, whether the President feels the Israeli response has been disproportion? 122715 PSAKI>> We don't think -- I don't think it's constructive. We are going to take everything we convey, whether it's a statement or an action, is going to be to the end of de-escalating the situation on the ground. Hence, we're not going to give a day-by-day grade. Clearly, we want to end the violence. Clearly, we want to de-escalate. Clearly, we want the lives of Palestinians, Israelis to be saved. Go ahead, Nancy. [12:27:40] Q>> From Washington Press reported that the by an administration earlier this month approved $735 million in weapons sales to Israel is the way house considering putting that on hold during the fighting. And it is the Israeli response, forcing the administration to reconsider future arms sales. I've seen the report. Would say the State Department would be the entity to confirm which I don't believe they have any future sales or weapons sales. We do have an on going and abiding strategic security relationship and partnership with Israel. But in terms of the status of that are considerations moving forward, I'd point to the State Department Just one more question. Did the president speak directly with any Republican senators over the weekend on the infrastructure proposal or the negotiations? I don't have any calls to read out for you. Sometimes these air scheduled. Sometimes they happen on the fly and. Often times. Maybe we'll just keep the theme going of diplomacy here. Sometimes those air best happening without particular readouts to have a constructive outcome. Let's go ahead. Thanks [12:28:46] Judges for more on Israel's as this prices gets worse worse every day. Are there any concerns that. You might not be able to hit that game, standard withdrawal deadline and might need to intervene in a peacekeeping fashions. No. I've not been. I've not been made aware of any concern of the overlapping of a impact on our Afghan withdrawal here. It's on a different notion or a different subject, rather, the mask guidance again. Has this trigger a new conversation about whether we need to have perhaps on a man date but a standard vaccine passport that businesses can use or. This decision should be left up to the states under the president was pretty critical of his predecessor. We're sort of taking that. Hands off a bridge. We is not changed our view that the federal government will not be playing that role. The private sector may and it may prompt the private sector moving forward on actions, which is where we think it's appropriately situated. But thanks to you, so [12:29:49] you ficials actually announced earlier that Johnson and Johnson would be cutting into over 19 vaccine deliveries to the block by about half this week on day we're already behind schedule for the second quarter, just in light of Biden's of parent announcement later, he's gonna be spending 20 million back some dessert abroad. Is there any um. You have any readouts for what on countries are actually that vaccine directly when we sent to So let me just make sure Anderson your questions. So which countries are going to get these 80 million doses that we are announcing? It's a great question. I know everybody's eager to know where they're going. I expect we'll have more in the coming days on what our criteria will be in our approach and. Some of where it will be sent to once it's approved through the fda. The year was disputes over intellectual property has all to do with reduced exports there or any conversation. I think that's really questioned for Johnson and Johnson and their manufacturing one woman. So inflation numbers obviously last week came back higher than were expected. A divided administration deliberates [12:30:49] internally on the American jobs and families plant with consistent levels of inflation or changes in the drop. Reports influence the proposals that you all will be bringing to Congress. The package or changing some of the policy that you want to propose if I continue. Is just make sure interfering in question is, are the cpi numbers from a few weeks ago impacting our planes are proposals that we are? He's you would propose. Given increased inflation numbers. No, it's a good question. I just wanna make sure understood it. It is, as we looked and dug into the data, and we talked about this a little bit last week. Some of this data is kind of fascinating, I'll say, but Is that. Economies turning back on. We take inflation very seriously. Our secretary of Treasury, obviously the federal service in responsible for monitoring it, but there are a number of factors as the economy turns back on, including their areas like the cost of airline tickets. Where you know if you look back at pre pandemic. They dropped by [12:31:51] about 20% They're up about 10% since then, Right, so there are there are prices where the baseline was actually lower than itwas prior to the pandemic, And that's one of the things we're seeing in the data, but it has not changed our view. On our view of economists, I would say around the country that there's more that needs to be done. To put 8.5 million Americans back to work to ensure that we are getting working families, working mothers, the assistance they need and to ensure we're competitive over the long term, so it has not changed our overarching objectives and approach. In our proposals. Go ahead, George, one of the follow on your opening remarks on taxes. What you be releasing today? The presidents and vice president's tax returns. We will be soon Releasing, as we believe is that transparent approach and what the public expect expects the tax returns of the president will have to double check on the vice president, but I would expect those will be out soon. Not [12:32:52] necessarily today. Uh soon S O. I would say, Stay tuned. Stay at your computer. What one last thing on that used to at least be the policy that presidents returns were always automatically audited. Yes. If he is audited, that doesn't change your decision at all on releasing return. No, I would expect that we will continue to release the president's tax returns. I should be expected by every president of the United States. Good. I guess I'm Friday once the news was able to within minutes, find President violence. Private family account, which is funny, but also speaks to the epidemic of privacy concerns. Everyone in this country has little the president and I was wondering whether any kind of federal digital privacy reform and you legislation is on your radar. It's a really good question. I very aware of the Buzzfeed story that came out last week. I will have to probably check with our team and see if there's any specific privacy [12:33:52] concerns. I privacy legislation or proposals that is are being considered. I would suspect there may be, but I would be link it from the Venmo report, which was a very interesting report, because obviously this is something that impacts millions of Americans out there who have a range of accounts, But I'm happy to check with them and we can get back to you. And I need to ask the candidate question Canada question. Okay Josh isn't here something sure. Are there any talks right now, With Hagen government about reopening the northern border? Is that something that this administration is pushing for, and. You know Canada's a bit behind us and vaccination rates and wondering whether there is any directional. You'd like to see them hit in Canada before the border is reopened way. I don't have any update on the timeline. We're certainly always assessing as it relates to travel borders, etcetera, what we need to do and keep in place in order to keep the American people safe, especially during a global pandemic, But we're constantly evaluating. I don't think we have specific criteria to make [12:34:52] available But you can. You can let me know. After let us know. After which reporter we should follow up with on it. We can see if there's more specifics on that going to mean Thanks so much for taking my question. The president, But I didn't think that there any work crimes being committed right now in the Middle East, there's some experts and told The New York Times I think they could have been working on both sides. We're not going to be making an assessment of that from here. Our objective is on taking every step we can to reduce the violence to de escalate the situation on the ground to save lives, too. Ensure that we're bringing some stability back on the ground. Just be just a follow up is the White House that August, Maybe the president all concerned just about the number of civilians that are being killed. That's why some of these experts are telling The New York Times that things air War crimes. Well, I would say, Mitch, that in the readouts that we put out this weekend, we included and as I've noted a little bit early in the briefing his concern about the lives lost every life lost is a tragedy. And certainly that's [12:35:53] why we are eager to de escalate. Violence on the ground, bringing into the conflict S so that more lives could be saved. Q>> Miss I'm gonna also in the switch Did Cole big? 123557 The largest national Nurses' Union is saying that CDC guidelines on masks is putting frontline workers, and especially people of color, at risk and that they're -- they're calling for the CDC to reverse that. What's the White House's stance on that union, in particular, saying that their members and people of color are at risk? 123615 PSAKI>> Well, I would say, we don't have any particular response to -- directly to the union. I will say that, again, the objective of the CDC and of Dr. Walensky was to deliver on the commitment she made to the American people, which was to provide guidance based on health and scientific evidence on what people can do that is safe. And so, her guidance that was put out last week makes clear that, if you are -- have been vaccinated, their recommendation is that you are safe not to wear a mask inside, outside, and when you're not in large public gatherings. 123650 There is going to be a determination about implementation, and there are going to be populations and communities where they take a different approach to implementation, because a lot of it is going to be based on the level of vaccination, the level in each community. So we certainly, respect, and value that but it is still -- our view is that, that science is the North star. 123716 She was delivering on her promise, and we will continue to work with a range of communities on implementation. Q>> Can I ask you a follow-up on Covid? I've talked to some people who are very worried about the idea that we're operating on an honor system in a lot of ways, that we're -- in places like WalMart and Target, there is already starting to me rule changes based on the CDC guidance. What do you say to people who think this is -- that it's worrisome to be operating on an honor system, that it could put kids or even immune-compromised Americans at risk? 123743 PSAKI>> Well, I would say that what this guidance provides is information to the public about what they can do to be safe. Wear a mask if you're not vaccinated. That applies to kids. I have two kids. That isn't always easy, but that is the health and medical guidance. If you are vaccinated, you no longer need to wear a mask in these settings. So the guidance is actually pretty clear, but it gives people the information and the power to be able to protect themselves. 123813 If you get vaccinated, you go through your two doses, you're two weeks past your doses, you no longer need to wear a mask. If you're not, you should still wear a mask to protect others, but also to protect yourself. And it also makes clear that kids should still wear masks. So I would say that we know people are digesting this. They are -- we've all been wearing masks -- many of us have been wearing masks, I should say, for 14 months now. 123837 And different companies, different organizations, different -- different communities are going to implement based on a range of factors including vaccination levels, cases, transmission rates, and we all should respect that. But it was the responsible step to put out the data from the scientists when it was available, and that's exactly what we did. 123857 Q>> Right. The question that was on kind of the enforcement of this and the honor system idea that you're trusting Americans all over this country to follow those guidelines -- 123907 PSAKI>> Well, what I'm saying is that, though, you're empowered, if you are not vaccinated, to wear a mask. So it is less about the honor system. You don't have to trust the person next to you has been vaccinated. If you have not been vaccinated, if you wear a mask, the guidance is saying that you will be -- that provides protection. So you know, it doesn't -- if you're vaccinated, you don't need to wear a mask. 123927 So the honor system is -- I'm not -- I don't always guide -- I'm not sure I completely understand that argument, given it provides guidance directly to individuals about what they can do to protect themselves. [12:39:40] Q>> One quick. Last one short is the CDC for my understanding it Z saying that it's back to tracking breakthrough. Um You people would put people to get the back the virus if they're [12:39:57] already vaccinated unless they're hospitalized, or they die. I'm wondering if you could talk a little bit. About what the thinking behind that. By the president in the best the best way forward to not track but people get the virus if they're not if they're vaccinated, but they don't get hospitalized with that. I would I know the seat that will have a health briefing a covert team briefing. I believe tomorrow if I'm remembering correctly the schedule and it's an excellent question that I encourage you to ask them and it's certainly one that should be answered by medical experts. Go ahead. Blow it. Thank you. I want people asking about India. What is your assessment of the public 19 situation in India on business has already lost 100 million off assistance to India. He's thinking about additional more more assistance from you. Well, I would say, Well, I'm not gonna be able to give an assessment is a non public health experts of the situation on the ground in India. We remain closely and touched and engage in touch and engaged and we will continue to work through how we can provide assistance during this difficult time. As you noted. [12:40:59] We expect our systems to be about $100 million. We've sent seven air shipments funded by the U. S Agency for International Development to India. The seventh flight carrying additional oxygen concentrators via commercial shipping center, arrived today on those that obviously is it is critical for a number of the patients who have already been. Already battling Cove. It S so we will continue to provide a range of assistance. We will remain in touch about what the director needs are on the ground on hope that we can play a constructive role in reducing the numbers and bring some relief to the people of India. As the president review the situation himself with his senior officials on all those 50 million estrogen car vaccines. Would India be one of the recipients if yes. How much interest Well, first Let me say the president is, of course, kept abreast of the. Covert pandemic, how it's impacting different regions in the world, including are important partners in India, and he has been deeply engaged as we've [12:42:00] made determinations about the type of relief and assistance that. We can and should provide in terms of how we will distribute the doses is an excellent question. I expect and hope will have more in the coming days on how our team led by Jeff Zions in partnership with our national security team will be making those determinations what criteria they'll be looking at, and with their the doses will be going. One of the consequences are presidents. Visa ban travel back with India has bean several 100 families have been separated across India us, some of them walking there some of the rental travel. Either way to unite those families back off, not to wait and Leslie within India. Within India. There's some families were walking here. They went to India travel or get the Visa stamp. But because the band they're not able to come back and join the families, I know that's very difficulty is a great question. I think the State Department's probably the best entity to have a discussion with about that. Okay, thanks, Everyone. [END]

FS36 WH BRFG HEAD ON ROBO 1200 NBC POOL 120610 PSAKI>> Hi, everyone! Happy Monday. Okay! Couple of things happening around here today. Today is the deadline to file your taxes. That's not a reminder to all of you, but take it as one if you'd like to. And we encourage everyone to file as soon as possible to make sure they receive the full amount of benefits they are owed. Filing taxes will ensure people benefit from the 3 rounds of relief and rescue payments issues since the start of the pandemic, including up tp $1400 per person provided in the President's American Rescue Plan. 120646 Filing also ensures people get all of the refundable tax credits they may be eligible for like the Earned Income tax credit, the Child -- and the Child tax credit. And today, Treasury and the IRS announced that, starting the July, the American Rescue Plan will deliver critical tax relief to middle class and hardpressed working families with children. The first monthly payments of the expanded child tax credit will be made on July 15th to 39 million households, covering more that 88% of children in the United States. 120716 These payments will be made on the 15th of each month unless the 15th falls on a weekend or holiday, allowing families who receive the credit by direct deposit to plan their budgets more effectively. And eligible families will receive a monthly payment of up to $300 per month for each child under the age of 6, and up to $250 per month for each child age 6 until the year they turn -- over age 6, sorry, til the year they turn 18. 120741 More than 30% of the 39 million households will receive the child tax credit by direct deposit to ensure safe and fast delivery. Only other item for the top for all of you -- today, we recognize -- join the international community in recognizing International -- the International Day of Homophomia -- Homophobia, Transphobia, and Biphobia. [12:08:03] The Biden-Harris administration will always stand with the lgbt Q. I community and it's steadily implementing the presidential memorandum on advancing the human rights of Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and intersex persons around the world. As the president stated, everyone [12:08:25] is entitled to dignity and equality. We will continue to engage with our a lot. Allies and partners to advance the human rights of lgbt. Q I people at home and in all corners of the world. Josh wanted to kick us off. Q>> Thanks, Jen, too quick subjects. President Biden said Last Thursday, Israel has a right to defend itself. That its actions and thus far we're not a significant overreaction. After the events of the past few days. Does the president still believe that Israel's actions have been proportionate? PSAKI>> Well, first, Josh, let me remind people that the president also did two calls over the weekend that we did readouts of and in those calls. Hey, conveyed, stressed the need for Hamas to cease firing rockets into Israel and affirmed. Again Israel's right to defend itself against terrorist attacks is I would note from the reports There have been more than 3000 rockets that have been shot from Hamas into Israel over the last several days. He also expressed his concern that this current period of conflict has [12:09:26] tragically claimed the lives of Israeli and Palestinian civilians, including Children, and he raised concerns about the safety of journalists, including those two Had to leave the building from the where The Associated Press was based, and reinforced the need to ensure their protection. So-- 120936 How we are looking at this, from our standpoint, is that our focus, our goal -- every single action we take, every statement we make is with the objective of reducing the violence and bringing an end to the conflict on the ground. There are times, in diplomacy, where the -- we'll need to keep those conversations quieter, where we won't read out every component of it, but that is our objective and that is the -- the prism through which every action and every comment is being made. [12:10:05] Q>> Gotcha, and then -- PSAKI>> Oh, go ahead. Sorry [inaud] Q>>Actually, that's a good service, to. The Supreme Court agreed today to hear a Mississippi law of ban abortions. 15 minutes of pregnancy. And I was curious. Does the administration believe that law is constitutional? And if the court upheld the law? [12:10:27] What would this administration to be prepared to do? PSAKI>> Well, I don't have a comment specific to the Supreme Court taking the case, but generally speaking, given this is a state law. I can say that over the last fou years critical rights like the right to health care, the right to choose have been under withering an extreme attack, including your draconian state laws and the president and the vice president are devoted to ensuring that every American has access to health care, including reproductive health care. Regardless of their income, zip code race, health insurance status or immigration status. A such the president is committed to codifying row regardless of the. Unrelated alcohol related, but to the outcome of this case. Go ahead, Q>> just stepping back a little bit from the current situation with Israel on the Palestinian territories. We reported over the weekend that the convoy in the region has been basically telling both sides that they need to start thinking about what he's process might look [12:11:28] likefter this. Happens I'm just curious whether the president is willing to invest himself in being a broker in that kind of a process and whether you're starting to think about what that might look like. PSAKI>> Well, Trevor. I think it's clear to everyone who's been a part of and covered or been a part of us that the State Department back in 2014. We all know that -- 121147 The only way to bring an end to violence, to bring an end to this escalation of violence is for there to be a two-state solution over time. [12:11:55] And in both calls the president made this weekend he underscored his strong commitment to a negotiated. Two state solution is the best best path to reach a just and lasting resolution of the Israeli Palestinian conflict. But in terms of what that would take or what form and what it would look like. 121211 It is going to require both parties wanting to engage in that and wanting to have a discussion about the path forward. And who would be the point person from this end, we're certainly not quite there yet. It will be up to both parties to decide if they want to move forward on that pathway. [12:12:25] Q>> And then just one more question on that subject, which is what would be the value in. Uh making a case for a cease fire from from your standpoint and Would you do that? PSAKI>> Well, let me first say that. What's most important is that we all share the United States shares with a range of countries around the world. Those who have been out spoken at the U. N are partners and friends in Europe. A commitment and a desire to bring an end to the violence and how we are approaching. This is through the prison again of what steps can we take? What actions can we take behind the scenes. 121301 We've had over 60 calls in the past week from the President on down with senior leaders in Israel, the Palestinian Authority, and across the region. And how can we bring an end to the violence through our relationships In the region, both with the Israelis and the Israeli government and also with key other partners, whether it's the Egyptians, the Qataris, and other key countries in the region. So that is how we are approaching it from the United States. Go ahead. 121326 CECILIA VEGA Q>> Thanks, Jen. I want to ask that in the inverse way. Why not? What is the value in not calling for a ceasefire right now, given many of those countries that you just listed are our close allies -- France, UK, Egypt, Jordan, have done so, are doing so? 121339 PSAKI>> That is true, but what we -- the role we're playing, the action -- the prism we are making all of our decisions through is: how can we help bring an end to the violence and bring an end to de-escalate the situation on the ground? And our calculation at this point is that having those conversations behind the scenes, weighing in with our important strategic partnership we have with Israel, also with other countries in the region, is the most constructive approach we can take. 121406 So our approach is through quiet, intensive diplomacy, and that's where we feel we can be most effective. CECILIA VEGA Q>> And does the President's assessment from last Thursday still stand, that he does not see Israel's strikes a significant overreaction? 121422 PSAKI>> Again, I think I noted that the President also had two calls over the weekend, since Thursday, where he conveyed his concerns about the current period of conflict, the lives of Israeli and Palestinian civilians that have been lost and, certainly, raised his concern about the safety and security of journalists and others who have been impacted on the ground. So we're not going to give a day-by-day evaluation. 121446 I will say that our objective is to -- just like it is with other countries and our partners around the world, is to play the role we can play in the most constructive way possible to bring -- to reduce the violence, to de-escalate the situation on the ground. And a great deal of that is going to be through intensive, quiet diplomacy behind the scenes. 121503 CECILIA VEGA Q>> Just one last question, if I may. You mentioned the journalists on the ground on that Gaza Tower strike. The Prime Minister, Netanyahu, called this "a perfectly legitimate target." Does this White House agree with that? 121513 PSAKI>> Well, I would say that any intelligence is being handled through intelligence channels. I don't have a further readout or confirmation of any of that -- those details from here, nor do I have an assessment of that intelligence that was stated by the Prime Minister. Go ahead. [12:15:28] Q>> The president obviously has a decades long relationship with prime minister met a number of times. Course, most recently when he was the vice president Tom Friedman wrote today about this being a January 6th moment for Prime Minister Netanyahu. Is there concern at the White House by the president. That domestic politics in Israel are currently a barrier to an ending to this escalation of violence. Well I will say I will say, Mike, Good to see you. First of all, I will say that it's not our role to assess or analyze the politics on the ground in Israel. Everybody has their own politics in different regions of the world, and we see that play out. In foreign policy all the time. What our role is, is to play the most be as constructive as possible in de escalating the violence, bringing an end to the conflict and. There certainly is. The president has known the prime minister for some time. They [12:16:32] have obviously spoken as hence we did the readout this weekend on I'm sure they will speak again. We're also deeply engaged at the highest levels are national security advisor spoke with his counterpart. Earlier this morning. We've done again more than 60 calls over the past week with a range of partners in the region. So our objective here our role is not to do political analysis. Or or or provide motivation for any actions, but to take steps we can take as a leader in the world as a country with deep relationships in the region to discuss de escalate the violence on the ground, domestic politics you have a letter from a majority of the Senate Democrats calling for the White House to demand. Ceasefire You also have Democrats in the party. Alexander Acosta Cortez, calling Israel an apartheid state Senator Bernie Sanders, saying that potentially this should lead the U. S to reevaluate. Foreign system. What's the White House's message to those in the president's party on this? PSAKI>> I will say if we are messages. 121722 Sometimes you have the step back from politics for a moment. It's not easy to do, and we recognize and agree that watching the lives lost of these Palestinian children, of these families, the fear you see in the eyes of the Israeli people, it is heartbreaking. We want to bring an end to the violence. We want to dis-- de-escalate the situation on the ground. The role we feel we can do that through, the most effective way we feel we can do that is through quiet and intensive diplomacy, and that is what our focus is on at this point in time. [12:17:53] But we share an objective of de escalating the circumstances on the ground. We share a view that a two state solution is the only way to bring the lasting end to the violence. Just another matter. You have to self imposed. Deadlines coming up here for the White House next Tuesday is the anniversary of George Footsteps. The president has said he wants to see that legislation moved by then. And then Memorial. There's only two weeks from today as well. The White House has said they want to see progress on infrastructure talks by then What is the White House doing to try to meet those? Lines. And can you define what progress on infrastructure means? Does that mean Bill on [12:18:33] the floor? Does that mean a breakthrough agreement with some of these Republican senators? 121831 PSAKI>> I would not expect a bill to be on the floor before Memorial Day. And all of you, including you, who have covered The Hill know that would be some sort of record breaking pace. So, that is not what we expect, but I will also say that almost two weeks, which is the period of time between now and Memorial Day, is a lifetime in legislating. It's a lifetime in negotiations and conversations, in conversations in hallways and phone calls and meetings in person. 121855 It will be an active period. It will be an engaged period between high level officials at the White House and members of -- members of Congress and their staffs and committee staff. But in terms of where we will be right before or around Memorial Day, our hope is that we will have a better sense on the path forward and what the opportunity is, looking ahead. Q>> And on George Floyd? 121917 PSAKI>> And George Floyd! I will say that we are deeply engaged, of course, with the members and in close touch with the members who are negotiating the path forward, including Senator Booker, including Cong-- including the members of the House, Karen Bass, who is leading this effort. 121932 And we stay abreast of their discussions and the negotiations. The President, of course, is eager to sign a bill. He thinks police reform and the -- is long overdue. But you know, we'll continue to press forward, but we feel that is best placed in those negotiations and those constructive negotiations that are happening between members on The Hill. [12:19:51] Q>> What has the president seen this letter that was sent by Senate Democrats today calling for a ceasefire. Has he seen it? I I'm I'm not sure if he's physically seen the letter. I know that he is, of course, aware. Of the calls and the points of view of a range of members of Congress on the conflict in Israel, spoken with any members of Congress about the situation. I don't have any calls to read out. When members of his own party. Share the belief that he is giving too much credence to Israel in this situation. Are they wrong? Situation on the ground. I don't. Don't think we [12:20:36] are. It would be constructive to put any labels on it As you've just outlined the president to you and the view of senior leaders and the White House. Is that our role as the White House as the federal government as the president of the United States? Is to play a constructive role in diplomacy to use our role our relationships around the world to have intensive quiet discussions with leaders in the region that we have long standing relationships with. We share an objective. Of de escalating the situation on the ground of bringing an end to the conflict. That's a no objective we share with members of Congress who have different points of view. And of course, you know, we support their ability to have different points of view, but we're approaching it. Through the prism of how we feel we can come to most effective outcome over the weekend. There were these reports that the Israelis had shared intelligence with the United States regarding what was going on in that tower that was blown up. How's The Associated Press The numbers? Said he was shared with the United States Secretary of State this morning overseas, [12:21:37] said he didn't see it. He's not the intelligence director. So perhaps that's why has the president seen it? And can you confirm that the Israelis actually share that intelligence? The United States. Well this would be handled Azul attitude through intelligence channels, and I'm not going to be in a position now wherever of committing or confirming who has or hasn't seen intelligence. What I believe. The State Department has confirmed that the secretary was saying he's not personally seen the intelligence because such matters would be appropriately be handled through intelligence channels. So that's not necessarily a surprise. But in terms of who has or hasn't seen it, what's been communicated? I'm just not gonna be in a position to confirm that. Yes You wanna go over different some pushback on the idea that those of us in this room. Or indoor places generally should be doing so without masks on even though that's now the policy here should be not wearing masks. Oh, should be where, Okay, Despite this evening, she got plenty of accident. People say that all ready to take their masks off here. We leave them unprotected, even though doctors have said master the protecting. Other people, not necessarily you're wearing. The [12:22:40] White House here that concern and criticism of the governors and mayors over the weekend have expressed concern that this came with very little notice. What says the warehouse? Well, the CDC director. Promised the American people that she would convey the latest science to them as she knew it, that she would not delay that she would not be impacted by politics or influenced by. Political pressure on the White House or elsewhere, And that's exactly what she did now. That also means that she base that conclusion as she outlined on the fact that the vaccines work in the real world vaccines work against the variants and vaccinated people are unlikely to spread Cove it based on their data and analysis by health and medical experts at the CDC. Now because we are working in a way that we feel is what is going to rebuild trust with the American people and what it should have always been the case, which is that health and medical experts will determine that guidance. It may mean it's going to take some time for various sectors to implement. It also is important [12:23:40] to note what the president said in his remarks last Thursday. People may choose to. You still continue to wear masks. They aren't through their vaccine they have. They're not to expose second vaccine they have not gotten the vaccine yet. They're immuno compromised somebody in their families. We need to pre people with kindness, and this has already been such a politically charged issue. That's not our objective. Our objective is to share and the president talked about in his remarks this afternoon, too. And make sure people have understanding and clarity of what the CDC guidance was conveying to people, which is that they're safe not to wear their mask. 122408 -- if they have been vaccinated. Q>> Is there anything else he's announcing in those remarks that we should be listening for? 122415 PSAKI>> He is announcing -- he does have some news in his remarks, Ed. He will also be announcing that the United States will send 20 million doses authorized for use in the United States to help countries battling the pandemic by the end of June. This is in addition to sending all of the manufactured AstraZeneca vaccine doses overseas during May and June, as soon as these 60 million doses are cleared. So that is a total of 80 million doses. And this is the most doses donated by any country in the world by five times. [12:24:45] S O we're waiting for, Of course, astrazeneca's, you know. To go through the approval process of the fda, but this will put 80 million doses out into the world by the end of June. My job. Thank you. Wait You just want to ask what is real, but the 20 Million doses are astrazeneca doses are there other other doses of approved vaccines? Yes, exactly. Yes, um So my question is. If you say that the ultimate, the only solution is a two state solution, that requires both parties to want that, which they don't seem to right now, Does that mean that despite all of your quiet intensive diplomacy behind the scenes, the U. S really has limited leverage and power to solve this problem? PSAKI: Well, I would say first that right now our quiet, intensive diplomacy is, of course, not negotiating a two state solution. I know you're not suggesting that, but just for [12:25:42] clarity purposes. That is to bring an end and to de-escalate the violence on the ground now. On Certainly, we feel we have strong relationships with Israeli leaders. We have strong relationships with key partners in the region, and we're hopeful that those conversations that quiet diplomacy will help bring an end to the violence and reduce the conflict on the ground. As it relates to a two state solution. You've been through many of these, as have I, and It is clear, that it will require both parties to be committed themselves. The United States could not manufacture on our own a two state solution, it would have required both parties having that desire to move forward. 12:26:16 MAURAL So it sounds like what you want the American people to understand is that although you are trying your hardest and doing everything you can with all your relationships behind the scenes, you can, the U. S Does not have the power to solve this problem. Or it doesn't have the leverage to solve this problem. PSAKI >> Well, I would say first that it's been seven days. Every single life that is lost a [12:26:44] Palestinian life and Israeli life is a tragedy. It has been seven days. As you know, these conflicts have been far longer than that. That is not our objective. Of course, we want to de escalate as quickly as possible. But yes, it would require actions from Israel, it would require actions from Hamas to end the violence on the ground. There are a range of parties and entities who involved in those discussions and we want to play as constructive role as humanly possible. Q>> One more quick one. 122707 Is it fair to say that you don't want to answer the question, yes or no, whether the President feels the Israeli response has been disproportion? 122715 PSAKI>> We don't think -- I don't think it's constructive. We are going to take everything we convey, whether it's a statement or an action, is going to be to the end of de-escalating the situation on the ground. Hence, we're not going to give a day-by-day grade. Clearly, we want to end the violence. Clearly, we want to de-escalate. Clearly, we want the lives of Palestinians, Israelis to be saved. Go ahead, Nancy. [12:27:40] Q>> From Washington Press reported that the by an administration earlier this month approved $735 million in weapons sales to Israel is the way house considering putting that on hold during the fighting. And it is the Israeli response, forcing the administration to reconsider future arms sales. I've seen the report. Would say the State Department would be the entity to confirm which I don't believe they have any future sales or weapons sales. We do have an on going and abiding strategic security relationship and partnership with Israel. But in terms of the status of that are considerations moving forward, I'd point to the State Department Just one more question. Did the president speak directly with any Republican senators over the weekend on the infrastructure proposal or the negotiations? I don't have any calls to read out for you. Sometimes these air scheduled. Sometimes they happen on the fly and. Often times. Maybe we'll just keep the theme going of diplomacy here. Sometimes those air best happening without particular readouts to have a constructive outcome. Let's go ahead. Thanks [12:28:46] Judges for more on Israel's as this prices gets worse worse every day. Are there any concerns that. You might not be able to hit that game, standard withdrawal deadline and might need to intervene in a peacekeeping fashions. No. I've not been. I've not been made aware of any concern of the overlapping of a impact on our Afghan withdrawal here. It's on a different notion or a different subject, rather, the mask guidance again. Has this trigger a new conversation about whether we need to have perhaps on a man date but a standard vaccine passport that businesses can use or. This decision should be left up to the states under the president was pretty critical of his predecessor. We're sort of taking that. Hands off a bridge. We is not changed our view that the federal government will not be playing that role. The private sector may and it may prompt the private sector moving forward on actions, which is where we think it's appropriately situated. But thanks to you, so [12:29:49] you ficials actually announced earlier that Johnson and Johnson would be cutting into over 19 vaccine deliveries to the block by about half this week on day we're already behind schedule for the second quarter, just in light of Biden's of parent announcement later, he's gonna be spending 20 million back some dessert abroad. Is there any um. You have any readouts for what on countries are actually that vaccine directly when we sent to So let me just make sure Anderson your questions. So which countries are going to get these 80 million doses that we are announcing? It's a great question. I know everybody's eager to know where they're going. I expect we'll have more in the coming days on what our criteria will be in our approach and. Some of where it will be sent to once it's approved through the fda. The year was disputes over intellectual property has all to do with reduced exports there or any conversation. I think that's really questioned for Johnson and Johnson and their manufacturing one woman. So inflation numbers obviously last week came back higher than were expected. A divided administration deliberates [12:30:49] internally on the American jobs and families plant with consistent levels of inflation or changes in the drop. Reports influence the proposals that you all will be bringing to Congress. The package or changing some of the policy that you want to propose if I continue. Is just make sure interfering in question is, are the cpi numbers from a few weeks ago impacting our planes are proposals that we are? He's you would propose. Given increased inflation numbers. No, it's a good question. I just wanna make sure understood it. It is, as we looked and dug into the data, and we talked about this a little bit last week. Some of this data is kind of fascinating, I'll say, but Is that. Economies turning back on. We take inflation very seriously. Our secretary of Treasury, obviously the federal service in responsible for monitoring it, but there are a number of factors as the economy turns back on, including their areas like the cost of airline tickets. Where you know if you look back at pre pandemic. They dropped by [12:31:51] about 20% They're up about 10% since then, Right, so there are there are prices where the baseline was actually lower than itwas prior to the pandemic, And that's one of the things we're seeing in the data, but it has not changed our view. On our view of economists, I would say around the country that there's more that needs to be done. To put 8.5 million Americans back to work to ensure that we are getting working families, working mothers, the assistance they need and to ensure we're competitive over the long term, so it has not changed our overarching objectives and approach. In our proposals. Go ahead, George, one of the follow on your opening remarks on taxes. What you be releasing today? The presidents and vice president's tax returns. We will be soon Releasing, as we believe is that transparent approach and what the public expect expects the tax returns of the president will have to double check on the vice president, but I would expect those will be out soon. Not [12:32:52] necessarily today. Uh soon S O. I would say, Stay tuned. Stay at your computer. What one last thing on that used to at least be the policy that presidents returns were always automatically audited. Yes. If he is audited, that doesn't change your decision at all on releasing return. No, I would expect that we will continue to release the president's tax returns. I should be expected by every president of the United States. Good. I guess I'm Friday once the news was able to within minutes, find President violence. Private family account, which is funny, but also speaks to the epidemic of privacy concerns. Everyone in this country has little the president and I was wondering whether any kind of federal digital privacy reform and you legislation is on your radar. It's a really good question. I very aware of the Buzzfeed story that came out last week. I will have to probably check with our team and see if there's any specific privacy [12:33:52] concerns. I privacy legislation or proposals that is are being considered. I would suspect there may be, but I would be link it from the Venmo report, which was a very interesting report, because obviously this is something that impacts millions of Americans out there who have a range of accounts, But I'm happy to check with them and we can get back to you. And I need to ask the candidate question Canada question. Okay Josh isn't here something sure. Are there any talks right now, With Hagen government about reopening the northern border? Is that something that this administration is pushing for, and. You know Canada's a bit behind us and vaccination rates and wondering whether there is any directional. You'd like to see them hit in Canada before the border is reopened way. I don't have any update on the timeline. We're certainly always assessing as it relates to travel borders, etcetera, what we need to do and keep in place in order to keep the American people safe, especially during a global pandemic, But we're constantly evaluating. I don't think we have specific criteria to make [12:34:52] available But you can. You can let me know. After let us know. After which reporter we should follow up with on it. We can see if there's more specifics on that going to mean Thanks so much for taking my question. The president, But I didn't think that there any work crimes being committed right now in the Middle East, there's some experts and told The New York Times I think they could have been working on both sides. We're not going to be making an assessment of that from here. Our objective is on taking every step we can to reduce the violence to de escalate the situation on the ground to save lives, too. Ensure that we're bringing some stability back on the ground. Just be just a follow up is the White House that August, Maybe the president all concerned just about the number of civilians that are being killed. That's why some of these experts are telling The New York Times that things air War crimes. Well, I would say, Mitch, that in the readouts that we put out this weekend, we included and as I've noted a little bit early in the briefing his concern about the lives lost every life lost is a tragedy. And certainly that's [12:35:53] why we are eager to de escalate. Violence on the ground, bringing into the conflict S so that more lives could be saved. Q>> Miss I'm gonna also in the switch Did Cole big? 123557 The largest national Nurses' Union is saying that CDC guidelines on masks is putting frontline workers, and especially people of color, at risk and that they're -- they're calling for the CDC to reverse that. What's the White House's stance on that union, in particular, saying that their members and people of color are at risk? 123615 PSAKI>> Well, I would say, we don't have any particular response to -- directly to the union. I will say that, again, the objective of the CDC and of Dr. Walensky was to deliver on the commitment she made to the American people, which was to provide guidance based on health and scientific evidence on what people can do that is safe. And so, her guidance that was put out last week makes clear that, if you are -- have been vaccinated, their recommendation is that you are safe not to wear a mask inside, outside, and when you're not in large public gatherings. 123650 There is going to be a determination about implementation, and there are going to be populations and communities where they take a different approach to implementation, because a lot of it is going to be based on the level of vaccination, the level in each community. So we certainly, respect, and value that but it is still -- our view is that, that science is the North star. 123716 She was delivering on her promise, and we will continue to work with a range of communities on implementation. Q>> Can I ask you a follow-up on Covid? I've talked to some people who are very worried about the idea that we're operating on an honor system in a lot of ways, that we're -- in places like WalMart and Target, there is already starting to me rule changes based on the CDC guidance. What do you say to people who think this is -- that it's worrisome to be operating on an honor system, that it could put kids or even immune-compromised Americans at risk? 123743 PSAKI>> Well, I would say that what this guidance provides is information to the public about what they can do to be safe. Wear a mask if you're not vaccinated. That applies to kids. I have two kids. That isn't always easy, but that is the health and medical guidance. If you are vaccinated, you no longer need to wear a mask in these settings. So the guidance is actually pretty clear, but it gives people the information and the power to be able to protect themselves. 123813 If you get vaccinated, you go through your two doses, you're two weeks past your doses, you no longer need to wear a mask. If you're not, you should still wear a mask to protect others, but also to protect yourself. And it also makes clear that kids should still wear masks. So I would say that we know people are digesting this. They are -- we've all been wearing masks -- many of us have been wearing masks, I should say, for 14 months now. 123837 And different companies, different organizations, different -- different communities are going to implement based on a range of factors including vaccination levels, cases, transmission rates, and we all should respect that. But it was the responsible step to put out the data from the scientists when it was available, and that's exactly what we did. 123857 Q>> Right. The question that was on kind of the enforcement of this and the honor system idea that you're trusting Americans all over this country to follow those guidelines -- 123907 PSAKI>> Well, what I'm saying is that, though, you're empowered, if you are not vaccinated, to wear a mask. So it is less about the honor system. You don't have to trust the person next to you has been vaccinated. If you have not been vaccinated, if you wear a mask, the guidance is saying that you will be -- that provides protection. So you know, it doesn't -- if you're vaccinated, you don't need to wear a mask. 123927 So the honor system is -- I'm not -- I don't always guide -- I'm not sure I completely understand that argument, given it provides guidance directly to individuals about what they can do to protect themselves. [12:39:40] Q>> One quick. Last one short is the CDC for my understanding it Z saying that it's back to tracking breakthrough. Um You people would put people to get the back the virus if they're [12:39:57] already vaccinated unless they're hospitalized, or they die. I'm wondering if you could talk a little bit. About what the thinking behind that. By the president in the best the best way forward to not track but people get the virus if they're not if they're vaccinated, but they don't get hospitalized with that. I would I know the seat that will have a health briefing a covert team briefing. I believe tomorrow if I'm remembering correctly the schedule and it's an excellent question that I encourage you to ask them and it's certainly one that should be answered by medical experts. Go ahead. Blow it. Thank you. I want people asking about India. What is your assessment of the public 19 situation in India on business has already lost 100 million off assistance to India. He's thinking about additional more more assistance from you. Well, I would say, Well, I'm not gonna be able to give an assessment is a non public health experts of the situation on the ground in India. We remain closely and touched and engage in touch and engaged and we will continue to work through how we can provide assistance during this difficult time. As you noted. [12:40:59] We expect our systems to be about $100 million. We've sent seven air shipments funded by the U. S Agency for International Development to India. The seventh flight carrying additional oxygen concentrators via commercial shipping center, arrived today on those that obviously is it is critical for a number of the patients who have already been. Already battling Cove. It S so we will continue to provide a range of assistance. We will remain in touch about what the director needs are on the ground on hope that we can play a constructive role in reducing the numbers and bring some relief to the people of India. As the president review the situation himself with his senior officials on all those 50 million estrogen car vaccines. Would India be one of the recipients if yes. How much interest Well, first Let me say the president is, of course, kept abreast of the. Covert pandemic, how it's impacting different regions in the world, including are important partners in India, and he has been deeply engaged as we've [12:42:00] made determinations about the type of relief and assistance that. We can and should provide in terms of how we will distribute the doses is an excellent question. I expect and hope will have more in the coming days on how our team led by Jeff Zions in partnership with our national security team will be making those determinations what criteria they'll be looking at, and with their the doses will be going. One of the consequences are presidents. Visa ban travel back with India has bean several 100 families have been separated across India us, some of them walking there some of the rental travel. Either way to unite those families back off, not to wait and Leslie within India. Within India. There's some families were walking here. They went to India travel or get the Visa stamp. But because the band they're not able to come back and join the families, I know that's very difficulty is a great question. I think the State Department's probably the best entity to have a discussion with about that. Okay, thanks, Everyone. [END]