The next is the transcript of the interview with Rep. Jim Himes, Democrat of Connecticut, that aired on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan” on Oct. 12, 2025.
MARGARET BRENNAN: We’re joined now by Connecticut Congressman Jim Himes. He’s the highest Democrat on the Intelligence Committee. Good to have you ever right here. You’re a Home lawmaker on the town, however I need to speak to you about your intelligence portfolio. The Monetary Instances is reporting, proper now, that the USA helps Ukraine to focus on Russian oil installations. In different phrases, hitting Russia proper in that pocketbook. What are you able to say in regard to how the Trump administration is altering its coverage? Are they really now standing as much as Vladimir Putin?
REP. JIM HIMES: Yeah, probably not, proper. We have heard now for months that we’re two weeks away. I believe that is the President’s terminology, used a number of instances now over many months from actually cracking down on Russia. And naturally, , there are bipartisan payments within the Congress proper now which might impose very extreme sanctions on the Russians that may do so much to cease the export of their oil, which, after all, is the gas that drives their conflict machine, the {dollars} that drive their conflict machine. These haven’t been moved ahead by the White Home, so it is exhausting to say that President Trump is doing something apart from what he is performed perpetually when he was president, which is making an attempt to form of have it, have it each methods. Now, I’ll say, and I can not get into explicit assaults or explicit authorities that the federal government has, however these assaults on the refineries have had the impact of lowering Russia’s capacity to provide gasoline and different stuff virtually by 20%. That actually, actually hurts the Russians. And I’ll inform you, once more, with out being particular, that I want the President can be rather more aggressive with respect to turning off these faucets and with respect to arming the Ukrainians, however he hasn’t taken any significant step back- steps again from the Biden administration, so we have a minimum of received that.
MARGARET BRENNAN: So, it isn’t a lot that he is doing extra, it is that, maybe, he is liberating up extra to be performed by the Ukrainian army? Not placing the identical restrictions on them that he had been? Is that honest to say?
REP. HIMES: Effectively, once more, I do not need to get- I do not need to get particular with respect to authorities, however, , his rhetoric has all the time been skeptical of the Ukrainians and bizarrely pleasant to Vladimir Putin. I am telling you that his actions so far have been inadequate, by the way in which, simply as Biden’s actions have been inadequate, however they have not been per this very skeptical rhetoric. There, I have not seen a dramatic change, pullback, if you’ll, from the Biden administration with respect to our help to the Ukrainians.
MARGARET BRENNAN: I ask you as a result of Zelensky and Trump spoke twice previously 48 hours, which is notable. Venezuela: There are shut to- the numbers we have seen are like 6,000 or so service folks within the Southern Command area of operations. There have been 4 US strikes on vessels. The US says 21 folks killed. You could have been asking for authorized justification from the administration to clarify their actions, and you probably did it together with the Head of International Affairs, Armed Companies, Judiciary, and Homeland Safety. Are you able to, in any approach, compel extra data sharing so the US is aware of what’s being performed?
REP. HIMES: I imply one of many many troubling elements about these deadly assaults within the Caribbean towards supposedly drug-dealing boats. Now, we do not know that, as a result of, in contrast to our counterterrorism applications, the Congress will not be being instructed who have been on these boats, how they have been recognized, what the intelligence was, completely completely different factor. Congress is being instructed nothing on this. And that is okay, apparently, with the Republican majorities within the Home and the Senate. It is not okay with me. I will depart a bit of little bit of a crack within the door right here, as a result of, once more, the White Home has not shared what they imagine their authorized justification is. They did put out a memo. I’ll inform you that, based mostly on what I do know now and the studying of that memo, these are unlawful killings. They’re unlawful killings as a result of the notion that the USA, and that is what the administration says is their justification, is concerned in an armed battle with any drug dealers- Venezuelan drug sellers is ludicrous. It would not get up in a single courtroom of regulation.
MARGARET BRENNAN: They are saying they’ve designated them as terrorists, due to this fact —
REP. HIMES: Does not matter. There’s tons of people that have been designated terrorists. That doesn’t routinely give the authority to take deadly motion. So, their authorized justifications are laughable and what- and once more, except they need to share greater than what they’ve shared with me, these are unlawful killings. And what amazes me about that’s that the President, after all, because of this very compliant Supreme Court docket, has been given absolute immunity. However what in regards to the Secretary of Protection? What in regards to the Deputy? What about all people else in that chain of command, proper on right down to the man who’s pulling a set off that leads to the deaths of individuals with out clear authorized authority? What about them? Take a look at me on this. It would not shock me if, within the subsequent couple of years, there are presidential pardons provided to that whole chain of command, as a result of it isn’t in any respect clear, nicely, it’s getting more and more clear, that these are that these are unlawful killings. Setting apart the regulation for a second right here. Margaret, , I do not know this as a result of they don’t seem to be telling Congress something, however the press has all kinds of rumors that the primary assault was on a ship that had circled and was fleeing. Even when this have been a respectable army motion, which it isn’t, as a result of the Congress hasn’t accredited it, firing on a fleeing enemy can be a violation of the legal guidelines of armed battle. My Republican pals are saying, however these are horrible folks doing horrible issues. Okay, I do not disagree with you on that, however are we now within the enterprise of killing people who find themselves doing dangerous issues with out authority?
MARGARET BRENNAN: Do you- are you saying that these weren’t lawful orders? That the army was- as a result of what we continually hear from our army leaders is, don’t worry. Our United States army goes to be reliant on the Structure and solely perform lawful orders. Are you saying that these members of the army who have been the set off pullers did one thing else?
REP. HIMES: I’m saying that, to all appearances, these are unlawful killings. And you will get 1,000 completely different attorneys of each events on this present to inform you that, at finest, the authorized authorities are questionable. So I’m fascinated by why the chain of command is so assured that the deadly actions they’re taking are authorized. They do not look that approach to me. And this can be a massive deal, proper? I imply, I perceive that proper now we’re in a really polarized surroundings, so it is going to be very exhausting for a Republican colleague of mine to make the statements that I’ve simply made. However, the worm turns, Margaret. You realize, in 1968 we prosecuted, convicted of homicide a lieutenant, Lieutenant Cawley, as a result of he and his unit killed, most likely, lots of of individuals in My Lai and Vietnam, and there have been prosecutions after that. So I am a bit of fascinated about why that chain of command is so comfy endeavor killings simply because the Trump administration says, oh, it is okay. Not an administration that’s recognized for his or her adherence to the regulation or to the Structure.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Effectively, that may be a large subject, and I need to proceed protecting that with you. However, I must ask you as nicely in regards to the shutdown and the associated fee in your house state. We noticed from simply USAA, which is a lender and a financial institution, to many individuals who work for the federal authorities, they stated that they’ve had to supply $150 million in no-interest loans to 45,000 folks in simply over 48 hours. That is a cash-crunch for lots of people. What’s taking place in Connecticut?
REP. HIMES: So, I imply, I’ll inform you a Connecticut story. The day after the shutdown went into impact, I went as much as see the Nationwide Guard at Windsor Locks Airport. We have been deploying 500 Connecticut Nationwide Guard members to the Center East. These have been 22, 23 12 months olds. None of them are rich. None of them are going to receives a commission on October fifteenth. And I heard the Vice President in your present say that that is in regards to the Democrats. The American folks perceive that the Republicans management the White Home, they management the Senate, they usually management the home. So when the Vice President United States is saying, that is all about Chuck Schumer, who the American folks rejected within the final election, I believe the American folks see via that.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Effectively, the White Home appears to be making an attempt to take that concern off the desk. The President posts on social media that they will repurpose funds by some means to pay the army, a minimum of for this pay cycle. Is that sustainable? Is that authorized?
REP. HIMES: Effectively, most likely not. Once more, we simply had a bit of dialog in regards to the White Home’s understanding of United States regulation, which is- which is- which is fairly tentative to say the perfect. The Speaker of the Home, as a result of I believe to pay the army throughout a shutdown would require laws. The Speaker of the Home has taken that off the desk. So, I imply, is Donald Trump going to say a bunch of stuff? Sure, he will say a bunch of stuff. However, I do not see something transferring. The home is, as Senator Murphy identified, the home is on trip. So no, I do not suppose that that is very possible.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Effectively, the Speaker says that if the federal government wasn’t shut down, the army be getting a pay if Democrats voted for the brief time period funding invoice. However, nobody’s working proper now, as you simply stated. We’ll need to proceed to trace this. Thanks, Congressman Himes. We’ll be again in a second.
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