Speaker of the House Mike Johnson spoke to Brian Kilmeade about his visit to Columbia University. Johnson said they confronted the mob who have been terrorizing Jewish students, calling it disgusting and unacceptable. Johnson says the college administrators need to be held immediately accountable for the rampant anti-Semitism. Johnson responded to Congresswoman Omar saying he stirred up more anger, hate and endangered the lives of young people at Columbia. Johnson said, “It’s absurd. It’s absolutely absurd for her to say that. It’s incredible that us was going there to meet with and speak out on behalf of Jewish students safety could be seen as divisive in any way. This is exactly the problem. It’s actually an issue that ought to be uniting every elected official. But some of these folks are afraid to speak out, and others, like my colleague Omar, are saying exactly the wrong thing.” Speaker Johnson also addressed Senator Chuck Schumer avoiding getting involved in supporting Jewish students under attack. Johnson says Senator Schumer, who is the highest-ranking Jewish official in the history of our country, ought to be using his huge megaphone to protect Jewish students. Johnson also called out Schumer for not allowing House passed legislation to come up for a vote such as the Deterrent Act, which shines a light on foreign money influence in American universities, and the No Immigration Benefits for Hamas Terrorist Act, which would remove illegals who supported Hamas’s terrorist attack on October 7th.
On the recently passed Ukraine aid package, Johnson says what is lost on most people is that of the 60 billion dedicated to Ukraine, 48 billion is going to be used to replenishment of American weapons, stocks and facilities, all of which creates American jobs. Johnson added, the other 20% of the Ukraine funds are not a blank check, they are converted into a loan, something former President Donald Trump and others have championed. Another point about the bill Johnson stressed was in the legislation that President Biden signed into law, there is a requirement that the Presidents office has to present Congress within 45 days, a specific game plan and endgame strategy for Ukraine.
Rough transcript
Brian Kilmeade [00:00:00] The speaker of the House, Mike Johnson. Mr. speaker, thanks so much for joining us.
Speaker Mike Johnson [00:00:03] Hey, my friend, great to hear your voice.
Brian Kilmeade [00:00:05] Well, I’m in New York. You’re smart enough to have left New York, I hope. How would you describe. I just salute you for having the courage to go down there and speak your mind with Congressman, Despot Dee Esposito as well as Mike Lawler to go down there and Virginia Fox and speak your mind. Were you surprised about the backlash you got?
Speaker Mike Johnson [00:00:25] I guess I wasn’t surprised, but I was certainly disappointed. We confronted that mob, and that’s what it is. It’s a mob. Mob rule is being allowed there on the campus, and they’re terrorizing Jewish students. And it’s the same mob, by the way, Brian, that Hamas officially endorsed. I mean, literally two hours before we had our press conference, Hamas issued an endorsement statement of these kids and heralded them as the next generation of leaders in America. God help us. I mean, what we’re seeing on these college campuses across America is disgusting. It is unacceptable. It is not who we are as a country. No student of any race or religion should have to leave campus because it’s become too dangerous. It’s just outrageous. And the rampant anti-Semitism is, is something that these administrators have to be immediately accountable for.
Brian Kilmeade [00:01:11] Well, one of your colleagues, not your peer, but one of your colleagues in Congress, Democrat, Congresswoman Omar, whose daughter was kicked out of campus and suspended and I believe detained, briefly said this yesterday.
Speaker 3 [00:01:23] And it is not surprising that he would go out to Columbia University and stir up, really more anger and, and hate, and endanger the lives of young people who are, at the encampment at Columbia University.
Brian Kilmeade [00:01:40] So you stirred things up in her mind.
Speaker Mike Johnson [00:01:43] It’s absurd. It’s absolutely absurd for her to say that. It’s incredible that us was going there to meet with and speak out on behalf of Jewish students safety could be seen as divisive in any way. This is exactly the problem. It’s actually an issue that ought to be uniting every elected official. But some of these folks are afraid to speak out, and others, like my colleague Omar, are saying exactly the wrong thing. Look, if these universities would be held accountable and then protect their students on campus. We wouldn’t need to be there. We wouldn’t need to speak out. And the House has taken action to do everything that’s within our power, and we’re going to do more. But we need everybody who has a platform, every elected official to to be on the right side of this. And sadly, some of them are doing exactly the wrong.
Brian Kilmeade [00:02:28] Well, some Democrats like Moskowitz got it and he gets it on this. He’s out there fighting for it. Josh Gottheimer is fighting for it. Senator Schumer is not. You’ve dealt with him a lot of late. Where is the highest, most powerful Jewish American in political history? The majority leader in New York. Where is he?
Speaker Mike Johnson [00:02:46] It’s a it’s a very important question. You know, he is the highest ranking Jewish official in the history of our country. He has a huge megaphone, and he ought to be using it to protect Jewish students. We went to a Passover meal before we begin our press conference. And these students are afraid for their safety. They can’t go to class. They can’t walk around on campus wearing a Star of David, or they are targeted. They’re being harassed. Intimidated. You know, it’s it’s turning the violence on some of these campuses and it’s completely out of hand. You know, we’ve sent legislation to Chuck Schumer’s desk. The House Education and Workforce Committee, of course, has been having these high profile oversight hearings of these colleges and their leadership holding them accountable. And you’ve seen that. But we’ve also passed legislation. We passed the Deterrent Act, which shines a light on foreign money influence in American universities. We passed the No Immigration Benefits for Hamas terrorist act. Okay. That just says simply remove illegals who have supported Hamas’s terrorist attack on October 7th. But Chuck Schumer is allowing those measures to sit on his desk and collect dust. He is he is strangely silent here. Why? We need him and the president to speak out. Why?
Brian Kilmeade [00:03:51] You know what? Well, go ahead, say it. Yeah.
Speaker Mike Johnson [00:03:53] Well, because they have a political problem, right? They have a pro Hamas wing that is rising in their party, and they’re terrified to step in in the middle of that. But this is the time for decisive moral leadership. This is not a gray area. This is good versus evil. You have to protect the physical safety of students. That’s what’s at stake here. It’s chaos and mayhem and anarchy. And that’s not who we are in this country.
Brian Kilmeade [00:04:17] So Speaker Johnson, our guest, and he’s on the road in between appointments. Just had an important conversation. But, Mr. Speaker, Ukraine, you know, I’ve been firmly for Ukraine aid. I absolutely think Ronald Reagan would have done it. It was we’re still we’re back in the Cold War mindset. America should never have left it. So you get, you get 30. You get 65 billion over to Ukraine to get more money to Israel. I understand the first billion is going over. Can you give me an idea of what we’re sending and what we’re replenishing?
Speaker Mike Johnson [00:04:47] It’s such an important point. Brian. And I think this is lost on most people. But of the 60 billion that dedicated for Ukraine, 48 billion of that 80% is going to be used for the replenishment of American weapons and stocks and facilities. Our operations. This is us. This is American jobs, building updated equipment. And, there’s a lot of accountability. You know, we broke the Senate supplemental package up into four pieces, and we added some really important, innovations and changes to that. Among that is oversight and strict accountability. By the way, we put in the legislation that Joe Biden just signed into law, a demand, a requirement of his office to present to Congress within 45 days a specific game plan and endgame strategy for Ukraine. We haven’t had that before. We added all that accountability into it. And remember, the other 20% of Ukrainian funds we converted into, into a loan. And that’s something that President Trump, among others, have championed that that just makes sense. These are not blank checks, a very different thing. But to your point, Brian, it’s a very important time in the history of our country and of the world that the world is on fire because Joe Biden is such a weak leader on the world stage. All of our adversaries are working together, by the way, and acting so provocatively China, Russia, Iran, even North Korea, they are coordinating these efforts. And if if America shrinks back right now, we upset the entire world order since World War II to the leadership of the free world has been hoisted upon our shoulders. That’s what Ronald Reagan said. We have to acknowledge that. It doesn’t mean. It does not mean that we’re the world’s policeman. But if you’re going to pursue America First policies, our own national security is critical to keep in mind.
Brian Kilmeade [00:06:27] But here’s what’s different. And I don’t have to tell you that there’s a huge contingent in the House and people like JD Vance in the Senate. And no one doubts JD Vance. His service to our country is a remarkable personal story and his intellect, but he wants nothing to do with this aid. What what is your message? And not that you guys all have to agree on everything, but this is a fundamental thing that conservatives used to agree on.
Speaker Mike Johnson [00:06:50] It is. JD Vance is a friend. I love him, he’s great and he’s he’s very intelligent and all of that. But we see this very differently. There is there are people in our party now who self-described as isolationist. I’m not putting words in JD’s mouth. He can speak for himself, but there are people who believe that it’s not America first, but America only that that is not an acceptable result. Because what happens is, listen, the only reason that terrorists and tyrants are kept at bay is because there is the perception of a strong America. The perception of us being the great superpower is what keeps peace on the world stage. It’s Reagan. It’s peace through strength. We have to send that message to the world and let them know America will not shrink back. Because if it does, Brian, everything escalates and we will wind up in another world war conflict. You know, if Vladimir Putin was allowed to march through Ukraine, he would take Kyiv in a short period of time, and he would be on the border of NATO states like he bit the Baltic states and Poland would be there. And our generals are four star generals who are in charge of that region, anticipate that our costs would go up exponentially because there would be a demand for U.S. troops there right now, a small investment to hold Putin at bay and get this thing to a point where Trump can broker a peace is exactly the right strategy, and we have no choice.
Brian Kilmeade [00:08:07] And what about the repo act of the Russian assets that have been captured and detained from the yachts around the world? I know most of the money’s in Europe. What have you done on that?
Speaker Mike Johnson [00:08:17] Yeah, well, we added that into the legislation, and we have, a little less than 10 billion in that account that we can use, you know, the seized assets of corrupt Russian oligarchs funding the the resistance in Ukraine is just pure poetry. Right.
Brian Kilmeade [00:08:32] So you are going to take that 10 billion and give it to Zelensky.
Speaker Mike Johnson [00:08:36] Well, yes, we’re going to use it for the Ukrainian effort. That will be part of the funding. That’s part of the law that’s just been signed, that we will convert that. And because we have it’s, I think 6 or 7 billion something in that range. It’s a start, but there are over 100 billion or more that’s out there to some estimates, 300 billion that are held in our European allies account. And what we’re trying to do is send a message that they need to assist and use those funds as well. I think that’s the right result here, and I think it makes a lot of sense to a lot of people.
Brian Kilmeade [00:09:06] All right. So are you going to are you also going to condemn anytime a rocket hits Russian in Russian land?
Speaker Mike Johnson [00:09:14] Yes. I mean, listen, what Ukraine is trying to do. What I believe their plan is, is to use the attack arms and the and the weapons systems that they specifically requested from us. By the way, for a long time that Joe Biden will not send. They’ll have that now, and they’ll be able to push back their longer range rockets. But their objective is to defend their own land. They are not the aggressor. It’s Vladimir Putin and the Russians who are doing that. Their, their their goal is to push them back and hold them at bay. And I think they will, and I hope that’s where it ends. We need to get this thing to a point of, of a peace resolution to stop the bloodshed and stop the madness. But I fear, Brian, that we won’t be able to do that until we have a strong leader in the white House again, and I believe that’s going to be Donald Trump in the future.
Brian Kilmeade [00:09:54] Speaker Mike Johnson, thanks so much.
