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The pursuing is the transcript of the interrogation with Sen. Mark Kelly, Democrat of Arizona, that aired connected "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan" connected June 14, 2026.
MARGARET BRENNAN: We crook present to Arizona Democratic Senator Mark Kelly, who joins america from Phoenix. Welcome backmost to Face the Nation. Senator, I conscionable privation to work thing that the president posted connected his societal media relationship moments agone successful respect to the events contiguous successful Beirut. He said the attack, the Israeli onslaught connected Beirut, should not person happened, peculiarly connected a peculiar time erstwhile we are truthful adjacent to a bid woody with Iran. Israel has a close to support itself, but the onslaught it was responding to was precise tiny and meaningless, and each sides should basal down. That's a antithetic effect than what the Secretary of Defense shared with us. It seems similar the president is disquieted this could disrupt the dialog and the anticipation of a woody being signed. Do you enactment the memorandum of understanding?
SENATOR MARK KELLY: Well, I haven't seen the details yet, Margaret, and you know, I don't cognize if this is simply a peculiar day, and if we're precise adjacent to a deal. I bash hold with what the president said astir lasting down. It's evident that we're negotiating with the Iranians astatine this point. I deliberation it's ever important for folks to remember, however did- however did we get here? We're present due to the fact that successful 2018, Donald Trump tore up the JCPOA and got america into an unauthorized warfare with the Iranians, and each this has done for the American radical is driven up costs, the costs of energy, so, specifically gasoline, the outgo of food. And this is astatine a clip erstwhile the American radical are having a historical clip conscionable affording their lives.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Well, you questioned Secretary Hegseth past period astir what this warfare did to American subject preparedness, specifically restocking munitions that are depleted by the Iran war. As I questioned him astir that, helium said it was a media narrative, that I was making it up, but besides said his grounds earlier your committee was speculation. What's the world cheque there? Do we person a munitions problem?
SEN. KELLY: Well, arsenic Secretary Hegseth said successful beforehand of the Armed Services Committee, of which I'm a member, this volition instrumentality years to rebuild the stockpiles of munitions, truthful of people we person a munitions issue. I mean, it conscionable came from him, and I deliberation it's wide understood that erstwhile you onslaught implicit 10,000 targets from the aerial with cruise missiles and ballistic missiles and bombs from airplanes, you are utilizing a batch of munitions, and we bash not person an endless proviso of these things. So, present we're successful a posture wherever we've got to beryllium incredibly careful, and this is besides astatine a clip erstwhile Ukraine continues to request immoderate help. President present sells munitions to the Europeans, due to the fact that I think, arsenic everybody understands, this is ever astir the bottommost enactment for him. But Ukraine is an ally, they've been illegally- illegally attacked by the Russians, and they inactive request our assistance.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Well, President Zelenskyy was connected this programme and told america he's waiting connected President Trump to accidental yes to a US-Ukraine drone deal. Do you cognize what the holdup is?
SEN. KELLY: I bash not astatine this point, and I don't deliberation determination should beryllium a holdup. I besides hold that we should see immoderate co-manufacturing. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, you know, intelligibly indicated that helium didn't- helium didn't look precise funny successful this, but if Ukraine is going to win, and I got to say, close present it seems similar the momentum is connected their side, they request further assistance from us. So co-production of immoderate interceptors could beryllium a possibility, but besides assistance with their drone manufacturing, and this could besides assistance america successful the future. Ukrainians are truly bully astatine this, and we person a batch we could larn from them.
MARGARET BRENNAN: I privation to travel backmost to thing we were discussing with Senator Warner, and that is the information hazard that is resulting from having this warrantless surveillance program, Section 702, suspended close now. You, earlier this month, voted against a bipartisan measure extending surveillance authority. You said immoderate abbreviated oregon semipermanent hold you would not beryllium successful favour of until you lick the Bill Pulte problem. Hasn't that occupation been solved present that Jay Clayton is the nominee?
SEN. KELLY: Not completely, due to the fact that erstwhile Tulsi Gabbard leaves, we're not truthful definite if the president is going to enactment Bill Pulte successful arsenic the acting DNI, but this is precise casual to solve. The president could contiguous marque it precise wide to the American radical that Bill Pulte is going to person nary relation successful the bureau of the Director of National Intelligence. When I perceive that, past we person a precise straightforward way to getting FISA renewed.
MARGARET BRENNAN: That's the terms of your vote, is that connection from the president himself?
SEN. KELLY: I mean, you know, I'm perpetually reevaluating the situation. I worth FISA, particularly 702B, that allows surveillance of overseas nationals successful different countries. It is incredibly important to our nationalist security, and erstwhile it lapses, determination is immoderate risk. But I besides deliberation determination is arsenic much, if not much hazard of putting somebody, Bill Pulte specifically, who is- who is unqualified for this job, Margaret. If you made a database of the 1 cardinal astir qualified Americans for this position, I americium precise assured that Bill Pulte would not beryllium connected that list. There's hazard successful putting him successful this position, and it's beauteous straightforward close present however we lick this.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Well, the proceeding for Jay Clayton, who would beryllium the Senate-confirmed caput of National Intelligence, if helium gets each these votes, is this Wednesday. Are you beauteous overmuch a definite yes? I mean, fixed your absorption to Pulte, you request a solution. It sounds similar this is not a question.
SEN. KELLY: Hey, I don't cognize Clayton. I mean, I'm reviewing his background. He's got a process to spell through. We request to vet him. The statute for this occupation says idiosyncratic volition person extended nationalist information oregon quality experience. Does helium person that? I deliberation it's beauteous wide helium does not. Is helium amended than Bill Pulte? Yes, I deliberation a batch better. Does helium conscionable immoderate benignant of, possibly a minimum, hardly minimum standard? Perhaps. So, I'm looking guardant to Wednesday. He's got to reply immoderate tough, pugnacious questions from the committee, and I'll measure his inheritance and whether oregon not I deliberation he's prepared to bash this job.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Wow. Meanwhile, determination are truthful galore issues of- of superior interest connected the nationalist information front. One of them, artificial intelligence. The White House connected Friday came retired and seemed to truly ramp up the quality with Anthropic. The White House told them to suspend entree to immoderate overseas nationals, which led the institution to suspend each customers from accessing its astir precocious AI systems. Do you cognize if determination is an emergency, and is it, arsenic reported by Semafor, due to the fact that determination was suspicion that a China nexus radical had accessed it?
SEN. KELLY: Well, I haven't officially heard that, but Mythos and immoderate of their different models from AI companies are incredibly capable, and immoderate of the capabilities that these models person to entree systems, not lone national authorities systems, but fiscal systems, is precise concerning to us. So we've got to instrumentality immoderate clip with these tools and bash extended evaluations arsenic to what is the hazard to the American radical erstwhile we merchandise these. So I hold with the medication connected this. We've got to beryllium incredibly careful, and the AI companies, and you know, I deliberation Anthropic is simply a bully example, seems to beryllium consenting to enactment with the national authorities connected this to marque definite that we bash not marque a mistake and merchandise thing that we volition aboriginal regret.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Senator Mark Kelly, convey you for your clip today. We'll beryllium backmost successful a moment.
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