Rep. Krishnamoorthi Discusses Trump’s Disastrous War

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1:51Ben Meiselas:Donald Trump has lost all control as the war in Iran spirals out of control. Now, Iran is potentially going to strike in the United States, according to the FBI, in retaliation against the Trump regime's invasion. The FBI is now warning police departments in California, where I'm reporting from, that Iran could launch a retaliatory attack at the U.S. West Coast using drones. This according to the latest report by ABC. The alert said that the FBI recently acquired information of a potential surprise attack, likely here in California. Iran aspired to do this using unmanned aerial vehicles from an unidentified vessel off the coast of California.

2:41Ben Meiselas:Targets are unspecified, but they are expected to be in California. A spokeswoman for the FBI office in Los Angeles declined to comment. This as oil prices are now up over 6 % today. So Donald Trump is in Cincinnati right now, and he was asked about the war, the fact that it's spiraling out of control, the fact that oil prices are surging, the fact that we're learning more about the men and women and the people of our service, armed services who are put in arms way, the service members who have been seriously wounded and injured. Here's what Donald Trump responded to Peter Doocy of State Regime Media, which calls itself Fox.

3:23Ben Meiselas:When he asked Donald Trump, you said it's an excursion, but you're saying it's in a war. So is it an excursion or a war, Donald? Watch what he had to say here play this clip. The situation is great when you're expensing.

3:36Raja Krishnamoorthi:Everyone loves it. And we did a little excursion. We had to take this little couple of weeks, few weeks of excursion, but it's been incredible. Our military is unbelievable, the job they're doing. I would say, to put it mildly, way ahead of schedule. We've knocked out their Navy, their military in all forms. We've knocked out just about everything there is, including their leadership, twice. We knocked out twice their leadership. And now they have a new group coming up. Let's see what happens to them.

4:09Ben Meiselas:Now, in addition, Iran is saying that they are switching from reciprocal hits to continuous strikes. And they're warning that they will drive oil prices up to$200 per barrel, according to Reuters. Details include the following. Iran says that the U.S. will not be able to control oil prices. They said, we won't allow even one liter of oil to reach the U.S., Israel and its partners. Now, Iran is actually exporting more oil than ever itself right now, while preventing all the other countries from doing so without getting permission. Any vessel or tanker bound to them will be a legitimate target, Iran says, and they appear to be shifting their military strategy as oil prices have temporarily declined.

4:59Ben Meiselas:Although, as I mentioned, they're back up again based on everything that we are seeing today. You should also note that there were three major incidences in the Strait of Hormuz where cargo ships that did not get Iran permission were struck by the Iran Navy. And these three shipping boats were seriously damaged by uh iran also uh in oman uh their main oil depot there was hit as well uh by an iranian drone uh let's show you that show you that in a moment very serious things that are happening right now but donald trump went on social media this morning to post the following uh the supreme court really messed this up badly i guess he's sharing text messages between himself and Senator Mike Lee.

5:50Ben Meiselas:Donald Trump posting Trump right to revisit the 2020 elections. Donald Trump also posting photographs of Harvard's history department chair. And Donald Trump saying that this individual should not be hired. She is a misfit. So while all these very serious things are going on, this is what Donald Trump is posting. Contrasted to what the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy chief is saying, were ships assured they could pass through the Strait of Hermos? Ask the crews of the ships, the Maori Nari, the Express Rome, and the others today that trusted empty promises, ignored warnings, and intended to pass through the Strait.

6:29Ben Meiselas:They were caught. So moments ago, when Donald Trump was flying out to Cincinnati, he held a press conference where he told CEOs, keep doing it, try to get through the Strait of Hermos. And then Iran has been able to strike those ships. But here's what Donald Trump said. Here, play this clip.

6:46Raja Krishnamoorthi:Are you talking to CEOs of various oil companies encouraging them to use this straight up? Yeah, I think they should. I think they should. I think they should use this. Look, we took out just about all of their mine ships in one night. We're up to vote number 60. I didn't realize that that big a Navy. I would say it was big and ineffective. But every one of their ships, just about all of their navy is gone. It's bottom of the stage. Mr. President, how do you find? Mr. President, how do you find? Have they laid any mines in this great apartment? We don't think so. Are you? Mr. President.

7:25Ben Meiselas:And Donald Trump in this presser also says that America should stop doing trading with Spain. We're going to we're going to stop doing any trade with Spain. OK, here, play this clip.

7:35Raja Krishnamoorthi:Who? Spain? No, they're not. I think they're not cooperating at all. Spain? I think they've been very bad. Very bad. Not good at all. We may cut off trade with Spain. Do guys all trade? All trade with them? I don't know what Spain's doing. They've been very bad to NATO. They get protected. They don't want to pay their fair share. And they've been that way for many years.

8:00Ben Meiselas:Donald Trump is asked about the new report from our military, which shows that, yes, indeed, as we've been reporting, the United States struck the elementary school school in Iran and killed 150 little girls and more people. So what do you say about your own military report, Donald? He's like, I don't know anything about that. Here, play this clip.

8:18Raja Krishnamoorthi:A new report says that the military investigation has found that the United States struck the school in Iran. As commander in chief, you take responsibility for that. That is what? As commander in chief, you use for what? For the strike on the school in Iran. A new report says the military investigation has found it was the United States that struck I don't know.

8:42Ben Meiselas:And then a reporter asked Donald, can you declare victory even if the new Ayatollah Monjabi remains in place? And Trump's like, I can't answer any questions like that. Play the clip.

8:56Raja Krishnamoorthi:Can you declare victory in this war if the Supreme Leader remains the Ayatollah's son? I don't want to comment on that. But I will tell you, I just spoke with various countries and leaders of various countries. You'll have a list. And they said they've never seen anything like it. We have and I built it during my first term and I used it. I didn't realize I was going to use it this much. But we have the greatest military in the world by far. Nobody's left.

9:26Ben Meiselas:While that's all going on, the U.S. Navy is actually refusing the near daily requests, the requests from oil and shipping industries for military escorts through the Strait of Hormuz since the start of Operation Epic Fury. So Trump's saying, do it. We're protecting you. But in reality, there is no protection. Let me show you right here. You can see for yourself this drone strike that hit the Oman-Salala port. That's the main oil depot, the main oil rig that exists in Oman. Several drones struck the fuel storage tanks at the port of Salal in southern Oman, according to Omani security sources. Just watch the video for yourself of what went down.

10:05Ben Meiselas:Here's just more footage that shows the massive fire after Iranian drones struck Oman's largest oil depot. Take a look right here. What's going on in northern Israel right now? Hezbollah just fired 100 rockets at once in northern Israel. You can see the situation right here in northern Israel amid the Hezbollah missile attacks. Just look at what you're seeing right now, the massive barrage right now. There's also some expectations that Hezbollah, the Houthis in Yemen are also going to get more involved and try to shut down any transport of oil in the Red Sea. Right. So you have the Persian Gulf area, the Strait of Hormuz, that's basically shut down.

10:47Ben Meiselas:What about the Red Sea area? I think the Houthis are going to try to shut that down as well. As Iran said, our goal, make sure oil is over$200 a barrel. Trump has asked, are you willing to withdraw the U.S. from Iran, even if we don't stop the enrichment of the uranium, which you promised occurred last time? Here's what Donald Trump said. Let's play this clip. Mr. President, are you willing to withdraw the U.S. from Iran, even if they have not turned over and allowed the U.S. to seize their remaining... I'm not going to answer that.

11:22Raja Krishnamoorthi:I'm not going to answer that. But we have hit them harder than virtually any country in history has been hit. And we're not finished yet.

11:34Ben Meiselas:Now, here's what the president of Iran put out moments ago, put out a message that he's talking to the leaders of Russia and Pakistan, reaffirming Iran's commitment to peace in the region. That's what he's that's the statement. But the part for you to realize is that he's speaking with Russia and Pakistan and they're allied with Russia, even though Donald Trump is trying to suck up to Putin. The only way to end this war ignited by the Zionist regime in the U.S., the president of Iran, Pazeshkian says, is recognizing Iran's legitimate rights, payment of reparations, and firm international guarantees against future aggressions.

12:09Ben Meiselas:In other words, this war is not ending anytime soon. Meanwhile, the national average price of diesel in the U.S. has reached$4.81 per gallon, its highest level since December 15, 2022. Earlier in the day, I spoke with Democratic Congress member Raja Krishnamoorthy about everything that's going on. Let's bring in that interview with Congress member Krishnamoorthy. I want to bring in Democratic Congress member Raja Krishnamoorthy right now. It seems yet again that not only has Trump lied about what's going on in Iran, what's going on internationally, but with all things Trump, it seems far worse than even what many people expected.

12:47Ben Meiselas:worst case scenarios are. We're learning about Iran now putting these mines throughout the Strait of Hormuz. We're learning about Reuters exclusive, that there could be as many as 150 of our troops injured, wounded, maybe even more than that. These are normally things, congressmen, that in press conferences, even where we disagree with administrations, they would explain to us these things. And what we've just been seeing, whether it's Trump or Hegseth or Caroline Levitt, is this propaganda. And I said this on the show last night. It's not even good propaganda. And all propaganda to me is not good, let me be clear.

13:32Ben Meiselas:But it's like, it's so obviously like comic book level junk stuff that it's like, it's gross, I guess is what I'm trying to say, Congressman. What do you make of it all?

13:42Raja Krishnamoorthi:I think that's a good characterization. I think that we're kind of in this kind of situation where obviously this was an illegal unconstitutional war. And the reason why Trump did not come to Congress and the people as he should have is because he didn't have answers to basic questions. And he couldn't make a case for why it was time to strike Iran. There's no clear objective. One day it's regime change. Well, it turns out the regime is actually getting worse. Another day, it's about obliterating the nuclear weapons program, which we supposedly obliterated last summer, and which is, to my knowledge, without giving away classified details, is very much in existence even today.

14:26Raja Krishnamoorthi:And I wouldn't be surprised if they were accelerating. And we don't have a timeline. We don't have an exit strategy. All we know are the costs, and they're trying to mask the costs, as you said. They're not allowing us full transparency into the number of injured. We know seven have been killed. We do know one thing. We know the economic costs. And here in the Chicago area, we're seeing gas prices go up by 50 to 90 cents per gallon in one week. And there's no end in sight right now. And Trump keeps saying this is going to end very soon. Well, guess what, Mr. President? The Iranians have a say in that as well, unfortunately.

15:09Raja Krishnamoorthi:And I'm not sure what their intentions are, but they're wreaking havoc throughout the Middle East today.

15:15Ben Meiselas:And one of the things that we've seen as well is I looked at the UAE interceptor efficacy and the amount of Iranian drones that are getting through now, specifically today as we're recording this, is like 20%, 25 % significantly higher. You look at the chart and today is very different from these other days. And so it seems also that it's exposed this war, massive defects in the way the entire American military has been built. And frankly, rather than observing what's been happening in Ukraine, especially when Zelensky said, let me help you, Trump, get some of the, we have the technology. Here's how you deal with the drones.

16:00Ben Meiselas:And Trump was like, no, no, no, no, no. But we have all these weapons that cost billions of dollars and we're using billions of dollars to strike at$20 ,000 drones and we're depleting these resources and it's being exposed, this asymmetrical war. And if we just looked what was happening over there, we should have known. And then you may say, I'm sorry, I'm rambling, but if you may say, well, then, okay, well, then isn't that past administration's fault? You could go, yeah, it's systemic. It could be an issue. However, Trump randomly, and went to war all of a sudden without the preparation. So at least the other ones didn't do this.

16:41Ben Meiselas:Let me toss it to you.

16:42Raja Krishnamoorthi:That's right. I mean, if you know that you're not prepared, then it's probably a good thing not to undertake the military strike and go to war. And that's what's happened here. We were not prepared. We were not prepared for the numerous strikes that Iran has made on our friends, partners, and allies in the Middle East, including on our U.S. bases. including on airports. Remember, we have thousands of tourists, Americans who are stranded in airports and hotels throughout the Middle East. They can't get back home. And guess what? They've become targets. And we weren't ready to defend them or to evacuate them.

17:19Raja Krishnamoorthi:We're not ready for these drones. These are one-way attack drones known as Shahid drones. Tens of thousands of them have been used Ukraine. So we should have known what their capability was, their lethality, and how the Ukrainians defended against it. And yet we didn't seem to learn that lesson either. And now we're in a situation where they have thousands of these drones left. They have thousands of ballistic missiles left, including ones where they can put a one-ton warhead on those ballistic missiles, which they haven't done yet. And so it's basically adding up to, to me, an unmitigated disaster.

17:59Raja Krishnamoorthi:Epic fury has become epic failure. And at this point, I think, you know, I think we should adopt the war powers resolution again. I think more Republicans will consider joining. And we just got to, we got to end these hostilities.

18:14Ben Meiselas:You know, the part that shouldn't amaze me anymore. It's just when I observe these Trump press conferences, or when I see his social media posts, I see the behavior. I mean, yesterday he was posting Trump prophecies and it's someone saying, and the trumpet said, let God rain down and make Donald Trump. It's like some crazy stuff. And I'm watching him at the press conference, joking about striking defenseless ships that were leaving parades in India, you know, and saying, you know, we got them, we got them, ha ha ha, you know, we're going to rain down death or, you know, and then he pivots to just saying, you know, making noises and, and it's just, it's very, it's strange.

19:05Ben Meiselas:I just, I don't get how anybody observes this behavior that we watch, just the way he can't speak in sentences and just say, yeah, this is the guy who like, it's obvious to me, in my opinion, that we've got a guy with dementia or something very serious going on doing this. It's like obvious. It's like red alert, red alert. And people are like, well, you can't say that. I'm like, what else am I observing right now? Stop gaslighting me.

19:30Raja Krishnamoorthi:That's exactly right. And I think, look, we have an unserious man for a serious job. We knew that. We just didn't necessarily anticipate so many military adventures for a guy who promised to his base that he would not enter into any more endless wars or military excursions. Now we've seen, I think, eight countries. Maybe I've gotten the number wrong. Eight countries where he has either entered into war or has bombed them or, you know, taken away their leader. and I think this is not what even I think the MAGA base wanted. And you're seeing people like Tucker Carlson and of course Marjorie Taylor Greene and others make an uproar about this as they should.

20:17Raja Krishnamoorthi:And I think it's going to split his base. And it's evident to me, I have not yet met just an average person on the street who said, hey, don't deal with the pressing economic challenges that I'm facing, such as I can't afford my groceries or my rent, or I can't afford to buy a home or get childcare, healthcare, or an education for my kids. Let's go bomb Iran. Let's do that instead. I have not yet met that person. Right.