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The pursuing is the transcript of the interrogation with Sen. Mark Warner, Demcorat of Virginia, that aired connected "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan" connected June 14, 2026.
MARGARET BRENNAN: We're joined present by the apical Democrat connected the Intelligence Committee, Virginia Senator Mark Warner. It's bully to person you here.
SENATOR MARK WARNER: Thank you, Margaret.
MARGARET BRENNAN: As you heard from the Secretary, a batch of these precise important details person to inactive beryllium negotiated. What bash you think, though, of the emerging ceasefire and agreement, due to the fact that you favored diplomacy?
SEN. WARNER: Listen, if the President tin state victory, truthful beryllium it. You heard Pete Hegseth's pitch. Let's look astatine the existent facts. 107 days into Donald Trump's warfare of choice, tin anyone marque the lawsuit that we, oregon our allies, are successful a amended spot than earlier this war? The regime's enactment is much extremist than ever. The quality for america to get the enriched uranium out, I believe, volition necessitate troops connected the ground, which I don't deliberation America wants to do. The thought that we person a 60 time further negotiation, wherever does that lead? We'll beryllium present 60 days, inactive won't person entree to it. Clearly, aft Hegseth had said, "We've destroyed each their capabilities," they inactive person plentifulness of missiles and thousands of drones, and the thought that the strait is abruptly going to beryllium magically reopened. Look astatine the state prices, they went from $2.80 to $4.20 and I judge they'll spell up much due to the fact that the wide satellite reserves person each travel down. How is that amended for America oregon amended for our allies?
MARGARET BRENNAN: Well, it's- determination are a batch of details successful present that, similar I said, inactive person to beryllium negotiated, and erstwhile we look astatine Congress's relation successful presumption of peeling backmost immoderate of these sanctions, this was hugely arguable during the Obama administration. Do you deliberation yet that immoderate is hammered retired by Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner and JD Vance, the Vice President, volition travel up for approval? Do you get immoderate say?
SEN. WARNER: Well, archetypal of all, the thought that these 3 gentlemen that person precise small inheritance successful presumption of negotiations oregon the method quality of atomic negotiations going against a hardened Iranian squad that's been doing this for decades. I privation we had immoderate of our experts astatine the array arsenic well, but I'm not definite immoderate of this volition beryllium coming earlier Congress, and it should. I mean, if the President wanted to commencement this war, a warfare of choice, determination was nary imminent menace from Iran. Come to the Congress, travel to the people, and laic retired the case. He has not, and we person not done the benignant of oversight that is required.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Yeah.
SEN. WARNER: We are dilatory moving on and getting further Republicans to accidental halt connected the War Powers Act, but Congress has failed miserably.
MARGARET BRENNAN: I- earlier I determination connected to different things, I conscionable privation to enactment a good constituent connected the U.S. quality appraisal was not that Iran was creating a atomic weapon, but that they wanted the anticipation to marque 1 successful the future. Given what they have, the atomic dust, the soiled weaponry successful the godforsaken scenario, does that inactive interest you? How acrophobic should Americans be?
SEN. WARNER: Yes, I'm inactive worried. And for each his critique of JCPOA, we had planetary observers, we really had an confederation determination that included the Europeans, and Russia and China were each signatories. Now it is America going unsocial oregon going with Israel only, and that does not marque america safer. And again, I volition beryllium blessed to travel backmost connected the amusement and devour my words if the Iranians implicit the adjacent 60 days springiness up that enriched uranium.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Yeah, well, we'll ticker for immoderate happens next. I privation to inquire you astir surveillance present and the lapse of a cardinal authority. On Thursday, the President did name Jay Clayton, helium said, who volition beryllium the adjacent Director of National Intelligence, alternatively of Bill Pulte, to who I cognize you oppose--
SEN. WARNER: Not lone I oppose--
MARGARET BRENNAN: Yeah--
SEN. WARNER: --but each of the Republican senators who volition cognize thing astir nationalist information opposed arsenic well.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Yes, determination are immoderate beauteous colorful statements, but Clayton is the existent US lawyer for the Southern District of New York, a erstwhile SEC chair. How rapidly tin helium determination into the role? I mean, helium doesn't needfully person the benignant of extended nationalist information inheritance that--
(CROSSTALK)
SEN. WARNER: Law enforcement, helium was caput of the SEC, and arsenic Southern District of New York, that's wherever we prosecute a batch of our terrorists. I cognize Jay. I deliberation he's got the close temperament. I've got a batch of questions, similar who won the predetermination successful 2020, truthful helium astatine slightest acknowledges that truthfulness. But remember, Margaret, this was wholly caused by Donald Trump.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Well--
SEN. WARNER: He could person nominated Jay Clayton a week ago--
MARGARET BRENNAN: Yeah.
SEN. WARNER: --and we wouldn't person gone dark.
MARGARET BRENNAN: This is an bonzer bid of events that we person to instrumentality much clip to speech astir connected the different broadside of the break. Let maine instrumentality it, and we'll decorativeness it. We'll beryllium close back.
(ANNOUNCEMENTS)
MARGARET BRENNAN: Welcome backmost to Face the Nation. We instrumentality to our speech present with Senator Mark Warner. Before the break, Senator, we were talking astir the adjacent Director of National Intelligence. The proceeding for Jay Clayton is adjacent week, this Wednesday, right? How rapidly tin helium get confirmed, and what does that bash successful presumption of blocking Bill Pulte from ever taking the job?
SEN. WARNER: Well, I've got questions for Jay, like, privation to marque definite that he's going to support the integrity of our elections, not effort to propulsion the things that Miss Gabbard did, wherever she was interfering successful home predetermination activities with the seizure of the ballots successful Fulton County. My anticipation is, if we tin get unanimous consent, we could adjacent get him confirmed this week. I would anticipation that the President would past accidental to Tulsi Gabbard, who is going to enactment till the extremity of the month, enactment astatine slightest until Clayton is confirmed, oregon let the fig 2 to stay.
MARGARET BRENNAN: That's a shocking connection from you, due to the fact that you are a immense professional of Tulsi Gabbard.
(CROSSTALK)
SEN. WARNER: I americium a immense critic.
MARGARET BRENNAN: How overmuch harm could Bill Pulte really bash successful a substance of days?
SEN. WARNER: Well, my fearfulness is not truthful overmuch the harm helium could bash connected Section 702, which has a afloat audit trail. If helium misuses that, we'll fig it out, but having him exposed wherever helium doesn't adjacent person a information clearance to each our nation's classified programs, retired of ignorance, helium mightiness springiness distant information. I've had heads of our quality communities accidental to america they're terrified of showing him information. I've had overseas governments explicit immense concern. The 1 happening we cognize astir Bill Pulte is helium volition bash immoderate Donald Trump says. He was capable to weaponize backstage owe security information, giving them the keys to the 18 quality agencies would beryllium a catastrophe and a nationalist information threat.
MARGARET BRENNAN: So, I'm knowing you volition withhold your ballot to reauthorize FISA based connected this.
SEN. WARNER: Listen, we person to get FISA reauthorized. We were connected a glide path--
(CROSSTALK)
MARGARET BRENNAN: This is simply a warrantless surveillance tool. This is simply a foreigner interest abroad.
SEN. WARNER: Foreigners listening successful connected foreigners talking to foreigners abroad. None of this needed to hap if Donald Trump had- helium didn't adjacent travel retired successful enactment of this instrumentality until astir six weeks ago. If helium enactment guardant Clayton oregon idiosyncratic other six weeks ago, if helium would person done adjacent Jay Clayton a fewer days earlier. I really deliberation Donald Trump wants this instrumentality to expire due to the fact that helium would past effort to blasted Democrats if, God forbid, if thing happens. And the singular happening connected this is usually we travel connected present and it's Democrats versus Republicans--
MARGARET BRENNAN: Yeah.
SEN. WARNER: --this 1 is not. My Republican colleagues person worked manus successful glove. If determination is thing that happens, God forbid, the work lies with 1 man, Donald Trump.
MARGARET BRENNAN: That is simply a tremendous connection that you deliberation the president really wants this instrumentality to not beryllium accessible. I mean, it's the legislature authorization expired connected Friday. Your Republican counterpart, Senator Tom Cotton, described the consequences arsenic severe, perchance fatal, considering each the wide gatherings successful America close now. How susceptible is the US close now? Have Google and Verizon and the remainder said, if you travel and inquire maine for information, I won't manus it over?
SEN. WARNER: What has happened is those investigations that person already started continue.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Okay.
SEN. WARNER: Our quality to proceed to perceive to atrocious guys talking to atrocious guys overseas continues. The question is whether you tin commencement caller actions, and we are now, and I've not gotten a study yet whether the telcos and the Googles are going to proceed to adhere oregon whether, due to the fact that they don't person the indemnification, they'll halt participating. We don't have, I don't- arsenic of Sunday morning, I don't person an reply connected that. I anticipation the Justice Department would usage each the tools they tin to effort to promote them to proceed this program, for what volition be, whether we similar it present oregon not, a short-term lapse.
MARGARET BRENNAN: But Democrats are utilizing their leverage present with FISA to unit the president to alteration his nominees. He did that, truthful wherefore bash we person a Democrat lasting up, and for example, blocking unanimous consent successful respect to reauthorizing adjacent a short-term surveillance too? This seems to beryllium nationalist information hazard of immense proportion.
SEN. WARNER: National information hazard caused due to the fact that Donald Trump did not enactment guardant Clayton oregon anyone other that was morganatic until the timepiece had tally out. There is nary question. If you got immoderate of my Republican colleagues here, they would hold this was a White House-created problem. And finally, idiosyncratic got to Trump and said, "You got to enactment a rational idiosyncratic in, not this feline who's not adjacent got a nationalist information clearance." We volition get Clayton, I hope, confirmed arsenic rapidly arsenic possible. We volition past determination precise rapidly to get FISA reauthorized. In the interim, I anticipation the telcos volition proceed to cooperate with the government.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Senator Mark Warner, convey you for your clip today.
SEN. WARNER: Thank you, Margaret.
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