The following is a transcript of an interview with House Intelligence Committee chairman Mike Turner, Republican of Ohio, on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan” that aired on August 18, 2024.
MARGARET BRENNAN: We’re joined now by the Chairman of the Ohio House Intelligence Committee, Republican Congressman Mike Turner. Good morning, sir.
REPRESENTATIVE MIKE TURNER: Good morning. Thanks for having me.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Welcome to be here. I want to talk about the election meddling that you have heard about. US intelligence and the Justice Department say Iran is trying to influence the outcome of the next election. The FBI is investigating phishing attempts on people associated with the Trump and Harris campaigns, but we know in 2020, the Supreme Leader has sanctioned Iran’s meddling to undermine Donald Trump in the election. Are you satisfied with what US social media and intelligence companies are doing now?
REP. TURNER: You know, I think what’s missing here is a response from the administration. You have Microsoft come forward and say that the Trump administration has been the reason, the Trump campaign has been hacked. The administration, the Biden administration has found out that Iran is trying to do this, including spreading false information. But even further, the administration has admitted that Iran has carried out a plan to assassinate Donald Trump. He even claimed that someone he owned was part of the plot. But you have no response from the administration. You know, most national security experts pretty much agree that killing a presidential candidate would be an act of war by a foreign power. Well, sure try–
MARGARET BRENNAN: — Yes, they have increased protection–
REP. TURNER: – try of course – try, although at least it requires a response, and this administration both on the hacking side, on the misinformation side, and in the alleged attempt on the life of Donald Trump does not hold Iran responsible. There is no red line.
MARGARET BRENNAN: So you’re not counting the arrests and prosecutions of the individuals who recruited the killers?
REP. TURNER: This is not a law enforcement issue. This is not a law enforcement issue. These are the countries that the administration has identified as having carried out a plot to try to kill Donald Trump and to carry out wrongful election interference, including hacking. This requires a response to the administration.
MARGARET BRENNAN: You have intelligence community oversight. You cannot talk about confidential information. But are you suggesting here that no covert action was taken against Iran?
REP. TURNER: I said that there was, there was no response that caused Iran or had a deterrent effect or accountability, and- and, of course, increased activity and increased Iranian boldness. to interfere in our elections and to, I, you know, have people at risk in our country.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Do you want to see sanctions?
REP. TURNER: At least for you, you should probably start with a statement from the administration. And you can also go to there should be statements of the red line and the understanding of what action will happen, and then there should not be action. I think the administration needs to see what their response is now that they’re saying that someone is being held as part of an Iranian plan to kill Donald Trump.
MARGARET BRENNAN: And the other officials involved are still getting protection, especially from diplomatic security–
REP. TURNER: – Also- in addition to the Cabinet members who have been threatened.
MARGARET BRENNAN: So, the administration approved it, but I mean. But in terms of what the US intelligence community assessed about the interference in the election, the Director of National Intelligence briefed journalists and said that Moscow did not change the choice of the previous candidate, namely in 2016 and 2020 which was Donald Trump. Is enough being done on that front, in terms of that level of intervention, that we also expect it to continue?
REP. TURNER: I think what we’re seeing here, especially on the Iranian side, is that they understand that Donald Trump is anti-Iranian, and they understand that a strong America is a safer world. Now – if you look more at the meddling of what Russia has done, I think in this case, Trump has definitely shown that he wants to end the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. And certainly not an anti-Ukrainian position, but certainly a stronger American position. And you just talked to Senator Kelly about the sanctions imposed on Ukraine by the Biden administration in this conflict. That is definitely a problem and causing a status quo like this can be a game of attrition in Ukraine.
MARGARET BRENNAN: So in terms of limiting more restrictions, which I want, I know you also support this, but how much of this is based on the mandate that there are still five months of the Biden administration, and Trump Vance’s view is, “it’s not in America’s interest to sustain a war that.” Do you have to raise it in the next five months, because JD Vance, who has been interviewed several times about this, is clear that he does not support financial support?
REP. TURNER: Well, no one is prolonging this war, but I certainly support Ukraine, and I think the concern about the Biden administration’s ban that also needs to be changed is that Ukraine is finally in a position where it can hold Russia accountable. If possible, they would have entered Russian territory by now. If we can use long-range weapons systems to hold true Russian military targets attacking Ukraine, we can change the dynamics on the ground. You can not continue only the front line in Ukraine, where Russia is out producing weapons systems that Ukraine from- from what Ukraine has, and has this turned out well for Ukraine. In this case, if the limits of the Biden administration are lifted, we also know, even if there is a Harris administration that follows this, that the support of Ukraine will be there. The ability to hold Russia accountable will be there.
MARGARET BRENNAN: You said you are concerned about the aggressiveness of authoritarian countries that endangers democracy. Donald Trump recently called Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin “very good individuals”, and he said so on Thursday.
(BEGIN SOUND ON TAPE)
DONALD TRUMP: I don’t want to be bad for Iran. We will be friendly. Hopefully with Iran, maybe, but not, but we will be friendly. I hope we will be friendly. But they cannot have nuclear weapons. They can’t have nuclear weapons, and we’re ready to make sure they don’t have nuclear weapons, because if they do, it’s a whole different world.
(End sound on tape)
MARGARET BRENNAN: I’m sure you would criticize the Democrats for saying they want to be friendly with Iran. Are you making mixed messaging from Mr. Trump?
REP. TURNER: Well, I don’t think that the mixed messaging of acknowledging some of your opponent’s strengths doesn’t have its own weaknesses. In fact, Donald Trump, with his campaign of maximum pressure on Iran, is putting the most pressure on Iran that has been put under any administration, economically, militarily, they are on the ropes. In fact, he had–
MARGARET BRENNAN: — He started again —
REP. TURNER: — in his proceedings he has slowed down. What we’re seeing now with this administration, they may — they may declare themselves a nuclear weapons state by the end of this year, with the reports — news reports have come out that say there’s a possibility —
MARGARET BRENNAN: — Are you saying that the Supreme Leader has changed his conclusion on this?–
(CROSSTALK)
REP. TURNER: — There is a possibility, with the progress that has been made under the policies of the Biden administration, that Iran could, reports are not out, that Iran could declare a nuclear weapons state by the end of the year, if– and you won’t have that–
MARGARET BRENNAN: — But the conclusion hasn’t been made, has it?–
REP. TURNER:–No–
MARGARET BRENNAN: — Okay–
REP. TURNER: – But you won’t have it in the Trump administration’s maximum pressure campaign. The flexibility and freedom he has in the Biden administration has given him the ability to try to influence our election, to actively try to devise a plan to kill Donald Trump, and to continue his nuclear weapons and nuclear enrichment program.
MARGARET BRENNAN: We’ll have to leave it there, Turner Chair. We will be right back.
