[0:00]The president and prime minister meet again. Why did Benjamin Netanyahu come to the White House this time? We'll speak with someone who knows both leaders. A cage match or a congressional
[0:11]hearing? The attorney general spars with Democrats and Republicans over her oversight of the Epstein affair. We'll share the blowby-blow. Plus, our conversation with the Buddhist monk who
[0:22]led a 109-day walk for peace to Washington. His tips on having a more peaceful day. Welcome to the takeout. I'm Ed O'keefee
[0:39]again today for Major Garrett. Hear me out. Today is going to be my peaceful day. Today is going to be my peaceful day. It's a mantra and a mindset being
[0:50]shared by 20 Buddhist monks as they've walked from the Fort Worth, Texas area to here in Washington over the last 109 days, covering nearly 2,300 miles on a
[1:00]walk for peace. The monks have walked often barefoot through bone chillingly frigid temperatures and through some of the most tumultuous weeks in recent American history. So, it may be hard to absorb and even think about the concept
[1:11]of peace at times like these, but the venerable Biku Pakara wants you to try. We spoke with him earlier today before he led the final full day of walking. The day began on the campus of George
[1:22]Washington University and we sat with him in the campus gym where we worked out his concept of peace at the end of the journey.
[1:32]What do you hope to have accomplished? >> That people will live in harmony, unity and live with mindfulness so that this world will become a better place for all
[1:42]people to live. And the message the key that I always share that I always talk about that is mindfulness is the only way for us to have peace for ourself.
[1:53]Peace always begins from with ourself is not the world peace out there. No one can change this world but together all people and all the venerable monks are walking together on this uh on this
[2:05]journey this path we can make a difference. we can change and that is my hope that people will live in peace, harmony and unity.
[2:15]>> That was their rescue dog loca by the way in the background running around. Maybe you've heard about this walk for peace you know online as it snaked its way from Texas into Mississippi, Georgia
[2:25]and points north. Any car said it didn't hit him how it was resonating with fellow Americans until crowds spontaneously started showing up along the route in Mississippi and Georgia. Now, back to the idea that today is
[2:36]going to be my peaceful day. How would that work? Well, this is a tease, folks. Stay tuned. We'll share his tips on peace towards the end of the program. But we begin tonight with a very peaceful colleague of mine, Ouija Jiang,
[2:48]over at the White House, where President Trump today met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss what else? World peace. Ouija, this was the Prime Minister's sixth visit to the
[2:58]White House during the president's second term. You have any sense of how it went? Well, Ed, you know, we know that they met for three hours here in the Oval
[3:09]Office, and it's a little rare not to see these particular to uh foreign leaders during any of that, but we did not. He did not open up the meeting
[3:18]during any part to the press. Perhaps that's because they typically do that when there's a deliverable, when there's something announced. And the president made clear in a very detailed readout
[3:29]himself that nothing definitive was reached after this meeting except for his own insistence that negotiations continue with Iran because as you
[3:40]mentioned he wants to be the ultimate peacemaker in chief. He wants there to be a deal with Iran. He says that he let the prime minister know that that will be the preference. But Ed, he also went
[3:52]on to say, "What happens if that doesn't happen?" And he mentioned operation midnight hammer, which was of course that stealthy operation by the US
[4:01]military to take out most of Iran's nuclear capabilities. And the president, not only today, but in the past, has said, "Don't test me. Uh, don't call my
[4:13]bluff because I will act on it." So that is again what he is saying here that there could be consequences if a deal is not reached. >> You know the US and Iran held talks
[4:24]through a mediator last week and and that's ostensively part of why the prime minister was here today to have some influence over the US side of this. Do we have any sense of when the US and
[4:33]Iran may talk next? >> So the president says in an Axio interview that the second round of those talks will be sometime next week. But even though they're talking, what we
[4:45]don't know is how much substantial progress they're actually making toward an agreement. And of course, that's what matters. uh because parallel to that,
[4:55]the president not only continues to make clear that other military options are on the table, but he also said during this interview that he could send a second uh
[5:06]US uh carrier fleet over to that region in the Middle East in case military action is required. Um, and so while he
[5:17]continues to signal that he wants to find a diplomatic off-ramp, he's also preparing in case that doesn't happen. Ed. >> All right, Ouija Jen over at the White House starting us off tonight. Ouija,
[5:27]thank you so much. Earlier, I spoke with the brother of Israel's current president and the former Israeli ambassador to the United States, Michael Herszog, about Netanyahu's visit and more. Ambassador Herszog, thank you so
[5:39]much for joining us. uh in the wake of his meeting with Prime Minister Netanyahu today, President Trump signaled his preference is to continue
[5:46]trying to work out a deal with Iran. Ideally, what would that look like to Israel? Uh or are we at a point where
[5:58]there's perhaps no preference for conversation with Iran? So um Israelis understand that diplomacy is the first preference of President
[6:09]Trump and respect it from Israeli standpoint. Any deal with Iran should be a strong one because the Israel believes that US has strong cards. Iran is as
[6:20]weak as we can remember. And Israel would like to see any deal effectively block Iran's pathway to a nuclear bomb.
[6:30]That means shipping out all the 60% enriched uranium, non-enrichment on Iranian soil and intrusive inspection. But on top of that, Israel also would
[6:41]like to see the inclusion of the Iranian missile program in any deal, mainly limitations on the number and on the range of Iranian missiles who could threaten
[6:53]Israel and Europe. And to the extent that that is not included in a deal, and President Trump, by the way, made reference to this when he talked about
[7:02]the deal, but if it is not included, at a minimum, Israel would like to maintain its freedom of action against that emerging threat because we see Iran
[7:13]really speeding up its pro missile program, developing it to a point where they can overwhelm Israeli defenses. So
[7:23]that's a focal point point as far as Israel is concerned. I believe the chances for a deal are not very high because it is difficult to see Iran
[7:33]conceding to the American terms. Um but I think President Trump is correct in giving giving it a chance.
[7:43]When you, by the way, for the uninitiated or those that don't follow this as closely, when you talk about the missile program, you're talking about the ballistic missile program, not a not a nuclear missile program.
[7:55]>> I'm talking about the ballistic missile program, which is the main focus for Iran since the war, and they've been really building up their arsenal in a very dangerous way.
[8:06]>> Right. President Trump has also pushed back against the idea of Israel expanding its presence in the West Bank. Uh wouldn't that expansion jeopardize
[8:16]the ceasefire with Gaza anyway? Why why continue pushing for that? Especially if the president continues signaling the United States couldn't support it. >> So as you know there are pressures from
[8:27]within the Israeli government to there have been pressures to formally enex the West Bank and President Trump pushed back against
[8:37]it at the time. So the government refrained from doing that. But uh the recent decisions taken by the cabinet
[8:45]are uh kind of a um the U de facto annexation of some parts of the West Bank. And uh I don't know if this came
[8:55]up in a conversation between the two leaders, but if it did, I I assume that President Trump articulated his opposition to those measures. Later this
[9:06]month, there's expected to be uh a meeting here in Washington for this so-called Gaza Board of Peace. Uh we still don't know everyone attending. We still don't entirely understand the
[9:17]scope of what this board is going to be in regards to Gaza, let alone to the rest of the world, because the president has said he could see it one day dealing with other global crises. Do you have
[9:27]confidence in the president leading this group and in it potentially being effective at all? So uh Israel formally joined the board
[9:38]of peace. The prime minister signed up to it. But here in Israel, most people are skeptical that this could effectively lead to the disarmament of
[9:48]Hamas and demilitarization of Gaza. It is still not clear how this is going to come about because no external force is
[9:59]going to confront Hamas and disarm Hamas and Hamas is not going to disarm voluntarily. I understand that the idea
[10:08]is to push Hamas through diplomacy to agree to some kind of disarmament but I think most Israelis feel uncomfortable
[10:19]with that. Um so we'll just have to wait and see. All the institutions which is supposed to be established
[10:28]by the 20 point Trump plan are now only in the bing. So it'll take some time before we have effective forces on the
[10:40]ground. In the meantime, Hamas controls about 50% of Gaza in a very effective way. >> Right. Well, Ambassador Herszog, we could go on for a very long time.
[10:50]Unfortunately, we cannot today, but we appreciate your perspective. We know you'll be back to talk about us, to speak with us as events continue to unfold. Thanks again for your time.
[11:00]>> With pleasure. Thanks for having me. >> Take care. >> In other news, Attorney General Pam Bonnie had several heated exchanges with lawmakers over the Justice Department's handling of the Epstein files. Here was
[11:12]one of those exchanges with Kentucky Republican Congressman Thomas Massie. >> This guy has Trump derangement syndrome. He needs to get You're a failed politician. >> I'm glad you're asking about Mary Garland.
[11:23]>> You get a reclaimed bigger than Watergate when I don't answer a question. >> This goes over four administrations. You don't have to go back to Biden. Let's go back to Obama. Let's go back to George
[11:33]Bush. This cover up spans decades and you are responsible for this portion of it. And >> CBS News congressional correspondent Nicole Killian joins me now. Nicole, you
[11:44]and I are both parents. Uh, this sure felt like the kids squabbbling with each other uh once or twice at least during this hearing today, did it not?
[11:55]>> Well, it certainly was more than once or twice and certainly more than several exchanges. I mean, that really is kind of the headline coming out of this hearing because it's like, well, what did we hear? What did we learn? because there was so much uh back and forth
[12:06]fingerpointing, fighting, trading accusations, particularly between many Democratic lawmakers and the attorney general. And the attorney general even had uh what some were calling a burn book where she, you know, after a
[12:18]lawmaker would speak, she would then read off some opposition research, if you will, against that particular member. And it just got to the point where some of those members were just like, "Hey, I'm ready for this. What
[12:29]What you got?" So, uh it was very combative. uh and you know for the survivors in the room, many of whom stood up multiple times, uh you know, they didn't necessarily get the answers
[12:40]uh that they were seeking. And there was a particularly poignant moment at the start of this hearing uh where we saw things start to go off the rails. It started with Congresswoman Primila
[12:50]Gyipol asking the attorney general to turn around to the survivors who were in the room and to apologize to them. That didn't exactly happen. and instead it turned into an argument, a back and
[13:02]forth between the attorney general and congresswoman Gyipal. Take a listen to what the congressman told me right after that exchange. >> I felt it was really important. I've
[13:12]spent a lot of time with them and they're devastated and also furious. And it felt like an opportunity for her on a
[13:22]very human level to turn around and take responsibility for the trauma that she has caused to them and she didn't do it. >> And how do you feel about how she handled that moment?
[13:33]>> Curious because she once again dismissed them. she once again did what people had been doing to them um from Epstein on
[13:44]through every single investigation. >> So, as you heard the congresswoman tell me there uh she felt survivors were furious. She said she was furious at the attorney general's conduct. The attorney general for her part though, I would
[13:56]point out Ed in her opening statement did apologize to the Epstein survivors and said that she was sorry for what happened to them and encourage them if
[14:06]they had any further information certainly to come forward and talk to the department to talk to law enforcement, but she did acknowledge them uh from the outset. That being
[14:17]said, I talked to one survivor by the name of Jess Michaels after the hearing. Take a listen to what she told me about what she thought of the hearing. >> At the end of the day, do you feel like
[14:29]you got any answers in this hearing? >> Oh, I got clarity that that I want to sit down with Pam Bondi. I want to talk to her about the fact that I have I can't find a 302
[14:41]anywhere in any of the files. Um, a message got back to members that have looked at the files and they can't find a victim statement for me anywhere. Now, when the attorney general exited
[14:54]the hearing, I did ask her if she plans to meet with survivors now that this hearing is over. She did not respond to questions coming out of the hearing or going in. Uh, but that certainly was
[15:04]something that many of these survivors survivors were seeking, just an opportunity to either meet with the attorney general or to sit down with officials at the Department of Justice
[15:13]to assist them uh with, you know, this ongoing case. >> All right, Nicole Killian, thank you for tracking it. We know you'll continue to do so. We appreciate it. We turn now,
[15:24]however, to the search for Nancy Guthrie. The FBI today conducted searches along several roadways in Tucson, Arizona. It comes after a man was detained last night for questioning and then released after a search of his home. Man who only wants to be
[15:36]identified as Carlos spoke out. Here's some of what he had to tell CBS's Andres Gutierrez. >> I'm innocent. >> And you don't even know who the lady is. Do you know who Savannah G is?
[15:46]>> No, I don't follow the news. >> Right. I don't watch. >> You don't watch the Today Show? >> No. >> So, this was a complete shock. >> It was.
[15:55]>> And CBS's Andre Gutierrez joins us now from Tucson. Good to see you again. The FBI says agents are conducting an extensive search along roadways in the Catalina foothills there in the Tucson area. What do we know about the
[16:07]investigation at this hour? >> Well, Ed, they are tackling this with a two-prong approach. They are harnessing modern advancements in technology that
[16:16]allowed them to extract that video with from Nancy Doorbell's camera. There's also the oldfashioned detective work where they are right now on the ground in NY's neighborhood going through that t thick brush as well as the rough
[16:28]terrain uh trying to find any tips or follow up on any leads. And those tips are coming in fast and furious. Ed, the sheriff's department late this afternoon said that they have received nearly
[16:39]18,000 calls since Nancy was last seen on February 1st. More than 4,000 of those calls came in the last 24 hours, ever since the FBI ended up releasing
[16:50]those images and videos of this uh very chilling man masked and armed at her front doorstep the night that she ended up disappearing. So far, they still do
[17:01]not have a person of interest or any suspects in this case. Uh Nancy is still out there. They believe still alive, and they're hoping that a $50,000 reward
[17:10]that the FBI is offering will churn up any leads in finding her uh safe and bringing her back home to be reunited with her children or perhaps also
[17:20]arresting the individual or person who ended up doing this to her. >> 4,000 leads since the video. an important reminder of how important it is to have those kinds of images. Andre Cucher is there in Tucson who I know
[17:32]will continue tracking this for us as well. Thank you so much. We'll be in touch. Coming up on the Takeout, some House Republicans defy President Trump on the hot topic of tariffs. One of them is
[17:44]California's Kevin Kylie. He joins me to explain why he's voting against the White House on this one. Plus, the FAA closes airspace around El Paso, Texas. Why the Trump administration is blaming Mexican drug cartels and a group of
[17:56]Buddhist monks. Sodom at the top completes a 15week walk for peace. More of our conversation with the man who organized it all. The takeout returns
[18:04]in 90 seconds. Welcome back. Three House Republicans
[18:15]have helped thwart a White House push to block lawmakers from voting on resolutions designed to object to the president's emergency tariffs. The procedural measure failed 217 to 214
[18:26]last night. The GOP defections came despite the White House and Speaker Johnson's attempts to contain GOP unrest over the administration's trade war. Among those who voted with the Democrats
[18:36]and flouted the speaker's warnings, California Republican Congressman Kevin Kylie, good friend of the program, who joins us now from just off the House floor. Congressman, good to see you once again. Why did you vote against this
[18:48]measure? >> Well, ultimately this was an attempt by the House leadership to take power away from members. uh under existing law, it is the prerogative of any member of the
[18:58]house at the very least to be able uh to uh bring up a particular tariff under this statute uh for consideration to debate it and to for the house to uh to weigh in and the leadership was using
[19:10]this very bizarre uh accounting trick uh to try to prevent that from happening and to keep this power uh for itself. So that that first and foremost was a big problem for me is this attempt to reduce
[19:21]the power of members of the house. And then this is also you know just authority that the house of representatives has under article one of our constitution. And I think that you know it's important in our system of checks and balances uh that we protect
[19:32]the the powers that belong to our branch of government. Well the underlying issue is this idea of voting against uh or or in opposition to the president imposing
[19:43]tariffs on Canada. That vote is scheduled for tonight. How are you going to vote? >> Well, I'm looking at that one closely and I think that uh you know, you're you're likely to see a number of people
[19:53]who uh who object to this on on both sides. Um I think that that's not necessarily going to be the case uh for each uh and everyone that's considered though. I think that each presents its
[20:02]own uh arguments for and against its own nuances. And so, you know, the point of my uh decision yesterday uh was that we should have these debates. Let's have the discussion. Let's uh do so in front
[20:13]of the American people. That's what, you know, representative government is all about. >> So, wait, are you a vote no, hope yes kind of guy, or what on earth could you possibly still need to know with a vote just minutes away about whether or not
[20:25]to vote for against tariffs on Canada? >> Oh, no. I' I've decided how I'm going to vote. I'll be going out and voting in a in a few minutes here and uh and you'll you'll see how it goes. Uh but uh you
[20:35]know this one I will say is uh is a little different than some of the others uh because we have uh an existing free trade agreement that exists uh with our our neighbors to the north uh and the
[20:46]south which I think makes uh the 35% tariff here uh a little more uh problematic for folks. Uh but uh you know when we if we get uh other tariffs across the world that come before the
[20:57]house I think that everyone's going to look at each one a little differently. But I think that's a good thing. You know, that's the that's the virtue of uh of the House of Representatives as a body is we can all bring our different perspectives and values to bear and have
[21:08]the debate. >> I see where you're headed on that one. You are also a member of the House Judiciary Committee, so you spent a good chunk of the day engaged in the hearing with the attorney general, Pam Bondi.
[21:18]What, if anything, did you find helpful about today's exchanges? Well, there was a lot of topics covered and uh you know, the Department of
[21:29]Justice has a huge jurisdiction. You know, for me, I focused on how can we uh you know, resolve this uh big debate we're having in this country right now uh when it comes to immigration
[21:39]reforcement. And so I have suggested that there are some reforms that make a lot of sense that uh you know have support on both sides of the aisle that can form the basis of a deal. But those
[21:49]reforms have to go hand in hand with more cooperation between the local uh and state and federal authorities. And where you're seeing big problems develop and things get out of hand is in those jurisdictions that refuse to honor what
[22:01]are called detainer requests, for example, where you have someone who's here illegally and has committed a crime. ordinarily they just get handed over to the federal immigration authorities in a custodial setting. But you have some uh jurisdictions that
[22:13]refuse to do that that are releasing them into the community and then that creates the need for a much more disruptive form of immigration enforcement. >> But the shouting, the evading of
[22:22]questions, the reclaiming of time for the uninitiated or those that only watch this from afar, is that is that the way to hold a hearing?
[22:32]you know, it's not that unusual to have this sort of uh, you know, uh, confrontational uh, back and forth. We saw it a lot during uh, the Biden administration uh, with some of the
[22:43]cabinet secretaries there and we've seen it here and uh, you know, there is an inherently adversarial nature to this and I know people watch this and they say, well, why are you interrupting all the time? You know, is that a little
[22:54]rude? But then you only get five minutes and so you kind of have to. Uh so you know it would be nice if we could have these hearings take place with a a somewhat higher level of of decorum but um you know when you're talking about
[23:06]issues that people feel passionately about then uh sometimes things do get a little tense. Real quick the Supreme Court of course has upheld California's redrawn congressional map. uh means your
[23:16]district's being split up into several different parts and you've been going through at least on X and and in and in exchanges back home explain to people why you're not running in certain parts
[23:27]of your existing district as it's been cleaved off into new ones. Are you any closer to deciding which one you will ultimately seek re-election in? >> Uh yes, I am pretty close. So, you know, uh for those who who don't know about
[23:39]Prop 50 in California, this brought gerrymandering back uh to our state. I'm against gerrymandering wherever it occurs. uh in any state, but be that as it may, uh my district has now been cut into six different pieces. And so I can
[23:51]of course only run uh in one of them. Uh and so I've been trying to figure out what the best path forward is and making this kind of impossible decision. Uh so I have narrowed it down to two. Uh and
[24:01]uh we have until March 4th in California to make a final decision. >> All right. So you got a few more weeks. Uh let us know or come back to us once you have made that decision and we'll talk about it. Kevin Kylie, congressman from the great state of California, you
[24:13]got a busy night ahead. We appreciate you taking some minutes beforehand to talk to us. We'll talk to you soon. >> You bet. Thanks for having me. >> What could the Mexican cartels have to
[24:24]do with your flight getting delayed? Well, it happened today. We'll explain the brief closure of airspace over El Paso, Texas, and how it resulted in a big disagreement between the FAA and the Pentagon. Stay with us. The plates are
[24:36]still hot here. This is the Takeout. Welcome back to the takeout. You may have seen earlier this morning the airspace over the El Paso, Texas airport
[24:48]was closed. Well, now it's reopened after the FAA temporarily closed it. Officials announced a 10-day closure overnight because of quote special security reasons, but then flights were allowed to resume just a few hours
[25:00]later. Sources now tell CBS News that disruption was actually because of a disagreement between the FAA and the Pentagon over drone related tests. So, we've brought in Olivia Rinaldi, who
[25:10]reported on this all day, knows a thing or two about aviation, uh, and can answer some questions about what on earth was going on here. So, do we know what sort of tests the Pentagon was trying to conduct?
[25:19]>> So, they're actually testing a highbeam laser, high energy laser that was supposed to help shoot down some drones that have been coming over the US Mexico border. And these are drones that have
[25:31]been coming from the cartels. They've been having issues like this for a while, but they're saying that they're growing in intensity. And because of that, they're trying out this new technology. So, high energy laser was one of the things they were planning to
[25:42]try that really set off this whole issue >> because we have a military base sitting next to a civilian commercial airport that's also a major cargo facility for that very western tip of Texas and and
[25:54]southeastern New Mexico. >> Yeah. >> And the conflict just boiled over. >> It really did. And we got to take a step back and kind of look at this from 30,000 feet up. If you'll take the airplane, pun intended.
[26:04]>> If you'll take it. Uh, but this really stems back to last year and DCA and the plane crash that happened when an Army Blackhawk here in Washington when an Army Blackhawk helicopter collided with
[26:15]a passenger jet. It killed 67 people. We just had that memorial two weeks ago. And so there's still a lot of tension between the FAA, Department of Transportation, and the Pentagon. They
[26:26]kind of feel like the Pentagon uh doesn't always let them know when they're planning to do things that could impact civilian aircraft. I'm thinking of Venezuela earlier in January when
[26:37]they did not reopen that airspace for several days because the Department of uh defense was not telling the Department of Transportation whether they were done conducting exercises. So,
[26:47]they've been really in the dark. This boiled to a point though last night where they were planning to try these new high energy lasers. Uh, I suspect that the FAA was arguing with them about
[26:59]whether this would be safe to do in that airspace. And essentially, we found out that Brian Bedford, who is the acting administrator of the FAA, said, "No way. 10day no TAM, which is un unheard of,
[27:09]unprecedented in peace time." >> So, he knew it would get attention in essence. >> Absolutely. >> And the fact that this was resolved just before 9:00 a.m. Eastern, >> 8:00 a.m. uh out in El Paso, right,
[27:21]>> signaled how quickly he That's right. Mountain time. Uh they that's how big Texas is. Uh >> multiple times >> signaled how quickly yes >> it got the White House's attention and basically told these guys to sort it out
[27:32]>> and it happened at such an interesting time because it started at midnight, right? So no one's really flying in at midnight, but they do start to get those flights going in the morning uh in the early hours around 7:00 a.m. So just a
[27:44]handful of flights were cancelled, but it was enough time for the airlines uh FAA, Department of Transportation, and certainly the White House to go, "Wait a second. What is going on here? We're
[27:55]told there was a meeting at the White House this morning with Chief of Staff Susie Wilds. After that, no TAM was lifted. Conversation was flowing. We don't know what's going to be the impact
[28:06]of whether or not someone's going to get fired over this. Uh but this issue, sources have been telling me, has been boiling in this government for a long time, at least for the past year. So,
[28:17]we'll have to see what actually is the fallout, if there is one. But there needs to be a conversation between the FAA and the Pentagon. >> And it sounds like the chief of staff started that conversation this morning. I'd be remiss if I didn't ask, is it
[28:28]safe to fly right now? >> It is safe to fly right now. It is always safe to fly. We are one of the safest countries uh in the world. >> Even El Paso, DCA, Burbank, the places where there's conflicts, >> you know what? Because you'll have
[28:39]people uh in this government who are willing to put the safety of Americans flying in civilian aircraft before testing a new high energy laser. >> All right. You know, we kind of joke
[28:50]that she's we call her runway Raldi because she knows all things aviation. So, >> I was prepared for that and I came up with Ed after dark, which is what we have right now. >> Oh, I like that. All right. Well, thank
[29:00]you. Uh Olivia, thank you for being here. We appreciate it. >> Absolutely. >> Uh members of Congress are making their way to the Justice Department to view the unredacted Epstein files. One of them is Massachusetts Democratic
[29:11]Congressman Steven Lynch. He joins us next to discuss that here on the Takeout. Welcome back. Bill and Hillary Clinton
[29:25]are pushing to make public their testimony scheduled for later this month to the House Oversight Committee on what they know about Jeffrey Epste. They've agreed to testify to the panel to avoid criminal contempt charges. Committee's
[29:36]Republican chairman, James Comr of Kentucky, is planning for their testimony to be held behind closed doors and is accusing the Clintons of trying to quote muddy the waters. Massachusetts Democratic Congressman Steven Lynch
[29:47]joins me now. He sits on the oversight committee, but he's one of those nine Democrats who actually voted to hold the former president in contempt of Congress if he didn't show up. Congressman Lynch, longtime member of the oversight
[29:58]committee. He was on the oversight committee when I was a young Washington Post reporter who covered that panel. So, we go way back. Uh, it's good to see you, sir. Remind us why you felt
[30:08]compelled to join other Democrats in voting to hold the former president in contempt. Sure. Well, there was a clear distinction, Ed, between uh what the documents revealed
[30:20]regarding Hillary Clinton versus uh former President Clinton. So, there were very few documents, almost none that that actually mentioned Hillary Clinton. So, uh the committee felt that there was
[30:31]no basis to bring her before before uh the committee. Uh many of us voted against that with respect to Hillary. uh with with respect to uh the former
[30:41]president. However, there were a number of of flights that were he was on. There were uh there were uh flight lists uh where he was on and and his his uh
[30:52]security team was on. Uh there were a number of photographs and correspondents back and forth. Uh he he had a number of conversations with uh Gain Maxwell. uh
[31:03]she claimed that uh that Bill Clinton was her friend and not uh and not uh connected with Jeffrey Epstein. So there was enough there that we felt that uh
[31:14]President Clinton at least had an opportunity to observe uh both Epstein and especially Gain Maxwell uh in during a time when this network was ongoing.
[31:26]There there were no there were no allegations by the witnesses or or uh by anyone at this point that there was any wrongdoing on the part of of the former
[31:36]president. However, there was clear evidence that he had an opportunity to observe and that's that's why the committee felt that it would be good to ask him some questions to see if he
[31:46]might be able to to to give us some more information that that might lead to to other people who were involved in this. >> Should his testimony though be held out
[31:56]in public so that we can all see it? >> I think his wishes should be granted. However, he would prefer uh that his testim we just want the we just want the
[32:07]information, right? That's that's from the committee. However, we get it is uh you know, we're agnostic as far as that goes. The president feels that if he doesn't if he doesn't from my from I
[32:18]heard his statements and and apparently he feels that if he does it in private that the Republicans may use things out of context and he would rather have a a
[32:29]public hearing where people hear the the whole testimony. So I I can appreciate that. Um however the bottom line for us is we we just want any information that
[32:39]he might have that could be helpful to the investigation. We've had some suggestions by fellow Democrats, including those who agree with you, that he should testify. The part of the reason Republicans don't want him to
[32:50]testify publicly because he's a pretty good partisan and might school these Republicans and and publicly shame them for continuing to use congressional time and taxpayer treasure to focus on this
[33:00]when he would argue at least he is not someone who should be investigated, but in fact many other individuals and many other names that haven't even been revealed yet.
[33:11]That that's correct. That's fair enough. I mean, he he has shown the ability to defend himself and like I said, there's no evidence of wrongdoing on his part and uh yeah, it would give him an
[33:22]opportunity to fight back uh against uh any any unfair questions or any u inappropriate suggestions. In our remaining moments, you have uh been one
[33:33]of those lawmakers who's made it over to the Justice Department to start reviewing the Epstein documents that apparently are available to lawmakers on just four computers. What have you seen so far? What else are
[33:45]you hoping to see? Well, uh we we are able to uh review the unredacted uh documents and then and then review
[33:55]the the redacted documents. So, we can see where the FBI has deleted uh co-conspir the names of co-conspirators
[34:05]and others who uh you know, they're they're clearly identified. Uh there's a description as what their involvement was. So, there's a lot there and and uh
[34:15]I I'm I'm stunned that that there were no further prosecutions of some of these people. Uh and that and that uh Todd Blanch says uh you know there's there's
[34:25]nothing else to be seen here. I I think there's a lot of investig and I and I've only had one day of of reviewing the documents, but I've seen enough to believe that there are a lot of people
[34:36]who were were part of this and uh and we need to speak to some of the witnesses who are available and uh and get to the bottom of this. We we promised these
[34:46]young women justice and and we should be diligent about our efforts to do so. But when you go home to the greater Boston area, maybe you're in uh Quinsey or
[34:57]Brockton or Hull. That's right. I looked at the map. Um, how does Epstein come up? >> By the way, >> yes. Yes. I've got family there myself.
[35:08]But how does Epstein come up if at all? >> Well, you know, we do hear Look, everybody's got daughters. uh you know
[35:17]you know so uh they can appreciate how how a young teenager might might be swept up in this you know these are very powerful individuals uh you know Epstein
[35:27]was a billionaire and and that whole crew and and the network here there's there's a personal connection for some families you know uh there are even some
[35:37]some of the uh women here in Congress who have had similar experiences of of abuse and so there's a lot of passion behind this this investig stigation. So,
[35:47]uh, it's it's important that we follow this through. >> All right, Congressman Steven Lynch of the great Commonwealth of Massachusetts, thank you for spending a few minutes with us in between votes tonight. We appreciate it. We'll talk to you again
[35:58]soon. >> Thank you, Ed. All righty. Take care. Demanding peace from Texas to Washington DC, Buddhist monks complete their
[36:08]15-week walk. Next, my conversation with the man who organized the trick right here on the takeout. Welcome back. back. A group of Buddhist
[36:33]monks have reached Washington DC, concluding a 15-week walk that began in Texas with a simple message, peace. The track began October 26th and covered
[36:43]about 2,300 miles. Earlier today, I spoke with Venerable Viku Pakara, who led the walk alongside his rescue dog, Aloca. Here's some of our conversation.
[36:55]When you see the crowds waiting to see you walk by, you're obviously meditating and you're focused on the walk.
[37:05]What does that how do you react to seeing all those people there? >> Well, the first crowd was in uh
[37:15]Mississippi, Georgia. uh a lot of people that is overwhelmed and that is when I
[37:24]cry. It touched my heart that I never expected that much of people coming out for this mission but uh so many people coming out to
[37:34]greet us and to wait for us ours and seeing that it's really touched my heart and then it tells me that I have
[37:44]choose the right path and the right thing to do to support the people and of course seeing so much people coming out also make me sad.
[37:54]Because without suffering they wouldn't come out >> right seeing so much people coming out
[38:02]means we are shuffer a lot deeply and that also make me sad as well >> since you've begun this journey there
[38:12]have been so many examples of violence of disunityity >> of a lack of harmony certainly in this country and around the
[38:24]I don't know to what extent you're aware of all of it as you continue the journey but it's got to make that message hard to resonate with some people when they see all the suffering and the trouble
[38:35]that we face. There are always you know different people out there and uh my goal my message just focus on what we are doing raise the awareness of peace
[38:46]is the only way that we want to do and regardless of people how people receiving it right just on our journey along there haters there people shout
[38:57]and there people curse at us as well and protest everything we have but those will not bother us Because our goal is
[39:07]to bring the awareness of peace to all people. And so we just focus in that. Just continue with that message. Continue with that goal and then follow
[39:16]it. Do not let anything else out there to bother us. You know, peace with a condition that is not peace will not
[39:25]last. So in any condition, if we be able to stay calm and cool and patient, that is when peace begins. This is a real peace.
[39:36]>> Can peace be achieved in such a broken world? >> It is possible. Like these days from Texas to here,
[39:46]I I always say that peace has begun, has bloomed because everywhere we go now, people just lining up on the street and gathering to support this mission and to
[39:57]walk with us in spirit. millions of people now not just uh thousand or hundred thousand millions and millions of people join in this and they actually
[40:07]practice that just the message that uh that I share every within every talk today is going to be my peaceful day just write that down on the piece of paper and a pen with
[40:19]>> today's going to be my peaceful day >> yes in the morning when we we wake up just get a p paper and a pen write down today is going to be my peaceful day be mindful with it throughout our Okay. Do
[40:30]one thing at a time. Do not multitask and be mindful with it. Do everything within that day to make your day peace,
[40:39]peaceful. And of course, when we react to anything that is coming to us, we ruin our day. Right? With that message alone, if all the people in this world
[40:50]are doing together and saying that together to spread that to the universe, this world definitely will change because there will be no hate, no anger, no delusion, no greedy, no nothing. Just
[41:02]peace, message, compassion and loving kindness. I truly believe this world will be changed by the power of all people together. >> Would you ever take this walk again?
[41:13]Um people ask me about a lot about this too yesterday uh as well that uh I say I don't know uh after finish this journey
[41:23]in DC then we still have a lot of things to to handle to take care of but uh if we have another chance of course we
[41:31]would because it definitely obviously brought a lot of joy to the people and support them and help them in some ways.
[41:42]So it is benefits to to many people and if we do have a chance we definitely will. That does it for the takeout today. Our thanks again to the monks. May you have
[41:53]a peaceful day and as you do stay tuned because the daily report is coming up next.