Transcript: Sen. Chris Van Hollen on "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan," May 24, 2026

The pursuing is the transcript of the interrogation with Sen. Chris Van Hollen, Democrat of Maryland, that aired connected "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan" connected May 24, 2026.

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NANCY CORDES: We crook present to Maryland Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen. Senator, convey you truthful overmuch for being with me.

SENATOR CHRIS VAN HOLLEN: It's bully to beryllium with you, Nancy.

NANCY CORDES: So, I privation to accent that each of this is inactive evolving. We're getting somewhat antithetic takes connected the presumption of the woody from the Americans and the Iranians, but what bash you deliberation astir what you've heard truthful far?

SEN. VAN HOLLEN: Well, Nancy, this warfare against Iran has been a large blunder from the precise start. The president should person stuck to his run pledge of keeping america retired of warfare and focused connected bringing down prices. He's done conscionable the opposite. Prices are going up, involvement rates are going up, and we're mired successful this warfare successful Iran. And erstwhile you're digging a hole, you should halt digging. That's what this statement sounds like. It sounds similar we volition spell backmost to opening the Strait of Hormuz, which, of course, was unfastened earlier the warfare started. I volition say, however, it looks similar Iran volition clasp much power implicit those straits. We besides cognize Iran has an adjacent much hardline authorities successful spot now, and we're talking astir releasing immoderate of Iran's frozen assets. So, look, my presumption is, arsenic I said, halt digging.

NANCY CORDES: I privation to inquire you astir thing that stirred up a batch of contention connected some sides of the aisle connected Capitol Hill this week, the DOJ caller anti-weaponization fund. Nearly $1.8 cardinal acceptable speech for radical who accidental they were treated unfairly by the national government. You've been calling it a governmental slush fund. You are trying to unit Republicans to instrumentality a ballot connected placing immoderate guardrails astir that fund. What benignant of guardrails are you talking about?

SEN. VAN HOLLEN: Well, Nancy, archetypal we should get escaped of this governmental slush fund, $1.8 cardinal of payer money. But I person been proposing amendments to prohibit, for example, radical who rioted connected January 6 and assaulted constabulary officers from being eligible for the fund. People who person been convicted of kid molestation, they should not beryllium eligible for the fund. Members of Congress should not beryllium eligible for the fund. And I would anticipation each Republicans, including Republican candidates, should travel retired powerfully against this slush fund, which the President has acceptable up for these purposes.

NANCY CORDES: You pushed the acting Attorney General this week connected that question of whether radical who attacked constabulary officers would beryllium eligible for the fund. I asked the President astir that this week arsenic well. He did not accidental that those radical would beryllium ineligible. Senate Republicans were precise aggravated astir this, and they truly gave it to the attorney- acting Attorney General, down closed doors this week. Do you deliberation that determination is an appetite for trying to get escaped of this money successful Congress? And however would that adjacent work?

SEN. VAN HOLLEN: Well, I anticipation so, Nancy. I deliberation astir Republicans are much upset astir the information that this interrupted their effort to walk this reconciliation measure with different $70 cardinal of payer funds for ICE. I deliberation that's what upset them the most, and they decided to permission municipality due to the fact that they didn't privation to person to ballot connected these amendments that I've proposed, and others person proposed, truthful we'll spot however this each turns out. We should get escaped of this governmental slush money altogether, and we volition importune connected having these votes erstwhile we get back.

NANCY CORDES: I've been told by a elder medication authoritative that determination are present immoderate urgent efforts underway to code the concerns that Republicans person raised astir this fund, but they proceed to importune they've got the close to bash this, and that successful information they already person the quality to marque these payouts, and if anything, they're making the process much transparent by coming up with rules, by appointing commissioners, and each the rest. What bash you deliberation of that argument?

SEN. VAN HOLLEN: Well, that's absurd, and this was truly corrupt from the start. I mean, this is fundamentally President Trump negotiating with President Trump done the acting Attorney General, who was Trump's erstwhile idiosyncratic lawyer. They acceptable it up truthful they person implicit power implicit the 5 members of this committee that tin beryllium selected, President Trump tin occurrence immoderate of them whenever helium wants, and truthful this is wholly nether their control, a slush fund, and they've not committed, Nancy, to being wholly transparent. The acting Attorney General refused to accidental that they would disclose the names of each the radical who received these payer funds. So let's beryllium clear, this is simply a corrupt deal, and successful the process the president, of course, got a implicit get retired of free- get retired of jailhouse escaped paper with respect to immoderate taxes that helium has owed successful owing, different corrupt portion of this deal.

NANCY CORDES: I privation to inquire you astir a lawsuit that you've been heavy progressive in, and determination was a large improvement this week. A justice threw retired the national quality smuggling charges against Kilmar Abrego Garcia of your location state, Maryland. You visited him successful El Salvador aft helium was wrongfully deported to that country, placed successful the supermax situation CECOT. The justice said that DOJ's prosecution of him was vindictive, and DOJ present says it plans to appeal. Have you spoken to him oregon his family? How are they feeling astir this decision?

SEN. VAN HOLLEN: Nancy, I person spoken to him and his wife, Jennifer, and they're of people pleased that the tribunal strategy person applied the law. This was perfectly a vindictive prosecution. The justice called it fundamentally an maltreatment of power, due to the fact that the Trump medication brought these caller charges against him, due to the fact that helium decided to workout his owed process and process and law rights. They had admitted that they had wrongfully disappeared him to El Salvador, and helium contested that, and of people helium is present back. They're inactive trying to deport him, but helium filed his claims nether the Constitution. And truthful this lawsuit is not astir Kilmar Abrego Garcia alone. This is truly astir the rights of each and each 1 of us, and erstwhile the Trump medication decided to vindictive- vindictively prosecute him for that, they were further threatening the rights of each of us.

NANCY CORDES: We've got astir a infinitesimal left, but I privation to inquire you astir this predetermination autopsy that was yet released by the Democratic National Committee this week. Do you consciousness similar you got immoderate answers from that autopsy connected wherefore the Democrats mislaid successful 2024? And bash you judge that the caput of the DNC should resign implicit this?

SEN. VAN HOLLEN: Well, Nancy, this is simply a precise shoddy portion of work. It's an incomplete portion of work, and I tin recognize wherefore Ken Martin was reluctant to merchandise it earlier, but arsenic helium has said, helium owns this problem. He should person conscionable ripped the set assistance disconnected earlier and enactment it out. No, we're six months from a precise important election, and we should not beryllium changing horses astatine this time. I volition accidental that the wide thrust of the study indicates that you cognize we should not conscionable spell backmost to the pre-Trump presumption quo, and I've said from the opening it was a failure, obviously, for the Democratic Party to suffer to idiosyncratic similar Donald Trump a 2nd time. We request to beryllium wide to the American radical that we recognize their- their fiscal and economical pain, and their regular struggles, and that we're going to bash thing astir it. We're going to combat for them, and we're going to combat against the peculiar interests, precise almighty peculiar interests who effort to stack the platform against them.

NANCY CORDES: Senator Chris Van Hollen of Maryland. Thank you truthful overmuch for joining america this morning. I admit it.