English subtitles for clip: File:4-29-16- White House Press Briefing.webm

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Ms. Janney: Hi, everyone.

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Good afternoon.

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I was going to tell you all
to be seated, but I see you

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are already seated,
so we can begin.

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Josh is out today.

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He has, I believe,
it's a root canal.

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(laughter)

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Yes, he has a root canal.

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But let's be honest, I'm
better at this than he

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is anyway.

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Just between us.

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First, I have two
announcements and then I'll

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take questions.

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First, the President is
still working on his jokes

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for the White House
Correspondents' Dinner.

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I don't have any details on
that other than he intends

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to be funny -- very funny.

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Okay, and second, it is
Friday, which means at

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half-past five I will be
performing The Jackal in my

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office for anyone who is
interested or remembers

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or cares.

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(laughter)

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So now I'll take
your questions.

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Oh, Josh!

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You're back!

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Mr. Earnest: This is
not your show anymore!

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Ms. Janney: Oh, my gosh!

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I'm so sorry.

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I just -- I was in town and
I just wanted to take a moment.

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Totally, this
is your office.

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Mr. Earnest: Well, you're
standing at the podium, so

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you might as well use it.

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Ms. Janney: All right.

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In all seriousness
-- what do you mean?

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This is just happening.

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In all seriousness, my name
is Allison Janney and I am

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here today to draw attention
to the opioid epidemic and

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to celebrate those who are
working to help others

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combat substance-use
disorder.

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And I'm actually on a show
now called "Mom," which

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deals with people
in recovery.

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And I'm here with my
co-creator and executive

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producer, Chuck Lorre, who
is -- this issue is very

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important to both of us.

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He's in the back there.

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Today, here at the White
House, 10 individuals from

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across the country will
be honored as White House

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Champions of Change.

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They've been selected from
over 900 nominations for

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their leadership in
preventing prescription drug

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abuse and heroin use, and
for increasing access to

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treatment and to support
their fellow Americans in

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recovery -- for supporting
their fellow Americans

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in recovery.

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This is a disease that can
touch anybody, and all of us

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can help reduce drug abuse
through evidence-based

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treatment, prevention,
and recovery.

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Research shows it works.

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And courageous Americans
show it works every day.

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I'm so nervous
I can't believe.

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(laughter)

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So thank you for the
opportunity to be here

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today, and to highlight
this important issue.

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And now I return the podium
to its rightful owner, Josh.

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Thank you.

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The Press: Can I ask C.J.

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a question?

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(laughter)

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Ms. Janney: Yes, sure.

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The Press: Who is President
Bartlett supporting in the

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Democratic Primary?

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(laughter)

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Ms. Janney: I think you know
the answer to that question.

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(laughter)

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Mr. Earnest: Thank
you, Allison.

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Nice job.

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Ms. Janney: Thank you.

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(applause)

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Mr. Earnest: You're
welcome to stay.

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The Press: Josh,
when is the fun part?

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(laughter)

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Mr. Earnest: Well, I wa
going to say, who says we

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don't have some
fun around here?

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So, obviously Allison thinks
-- feels very passionately

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about the work that she's
spending some time here at

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the White House
focused on today.

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And so we obviously owe her
a debt of gratitude for

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really taking on this cause
and it's something that she

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passionately believes in.

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And we obviously are pleased
that we can work with

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somebody who is as committed
and as talented as she is on

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something that's
that important.

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All right, the fun stuff
is out of the way now.

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We can go back to our
regular Friday

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afternoon briefing.

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But we'll try to
keep it short, Mark.

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I know you're ready
to start your weekend.

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(laughter)

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The Press: Aren't we all?

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(laughter)

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Mr. Earnest: That is true.

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Kathleen, do you
want to start?

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The Press: Sure, sure.

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Well, I feel like a
bit of a downer here.

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I wanted to ask about the
report that came out on the

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helicopter attack on
the hospital in Kunduz.

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I know you mentioned
yesterday that the President

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planned to read it.

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I'm wondering if he's either
been briefed or read it, and

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if he feels that justice has
been served in this case at

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this point, and if the
appropriate reforms and

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changes have been made.

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Mr. Earnest: Well, Kathleen,
you're right, this is a very

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serious topic.

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And it is certainly a topic
that the Commander-in-Chief

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has made a priority.

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The United States goes to
tremendous lengths to avoid

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civilian casualties.

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And when those casualties
occur, as they did in this

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instance, the President
called for a transparent,

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thorough, and objective
accounting of what

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exactly transpired.

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As you point out, this
objective accounting was put

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forward by the Department
of Defense today.

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The President has been
briefed on the report.

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The report is available --
or at least a redacted,

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declassified version of
the report is available on

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Central Command website, and
that is consistent with the

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President's view
of transparency.

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The report goes into some
detail about what

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exactly transpired.

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The conclusion of the
investigation is that there

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were human error
that causes tragedy.

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Now, that human error was
compounded by systems and

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procedural failures.

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The Department of Defense
has announced a set of steps

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that will be taken to
provide accountability for

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those who were involved.

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The Department of Defense
has also laid out some

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specific reforms moving
forward that will prevent

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this kind of tragedy
from occurring again in

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Afghanistan or
anywhere else.

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And, again, all of this is
consistent with the priority

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that President Obama places
on avoiding civilian

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casualties.

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Our adversaries certainly
don't go to these lengths.

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In some cases, our
adversaries target civilian

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populations.

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But these are the kinds of
reforms that are consistent

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with our values as a country
and are consistent with the

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priorities that are
established by the

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Commander-in-Chief.

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The Press: So someone
looking at it at a distance,

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how exactly then does the
President sort of explain

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how something like this
could happen, given all of

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these safeguards and
assurances he gives about

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civilian casualties?

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That 42 people died in a
hospital could be hit and

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there's no criminal
charges filed, it's just

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administrative punishment.

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How does explain
the justice?

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Mr. Earnest: Well, what the
President called for from

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the beginning was a
thorough, objective, and

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transparent accounting
of what transpired.

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And that's what the
Department of Defense has

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put forward.

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This is an investigation
that was conducted by

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military officers that were
outside of the

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chain of command.

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These were individuals --
the individuals who led this

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investigation are
professional investigators,

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and they're individuals who
are not involved

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in the incident.

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So they were able to provide
an objective perspective on

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what transpired.

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And obviously they've spent
months interviewing people

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who were involved, reviewing
relevant facts and material

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to understand exactly what
happened, to understand

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exactly what led to the
failures, including the

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human error that
led to this tragedy.

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And based on their own
working knowledge of how

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these kinds of military
operations are carried out,

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they made specific
suggestions for reforms that

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could be instituted to
prevent something like this

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from happening again.

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But there's no denying that
what's occurred here is a

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genuine tragedy, and when
this incident occurred, you

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heard the President and
others express their

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profound sorrow at the loss
of innocent life, including

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individuals who had put
themselves in harm's way to

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try to treat the wounds of
innocent people caught in

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the crossfire.

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So there are multiple
dimensions of this tragedy.

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And the significance and
scale of what transpired

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explains why such a detailed
investigation has been

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conducted and made public.

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All of that is consistent
with our values.

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It's consistent with
the priorities that the

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President has established.

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It's consistent with our
commitment to avoiding

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civilian casualties.

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And it's consistent with
our values as a country.

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The Press: Okay,
on another topic.

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There seems to be a little
bit of new momentum behind

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the criminal justice
reform effort on the Hill.

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I just thought I'd give
you an opportunity to see

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whether (inaudible) you felt
that momentum here or is

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there any prospects for
this actually happening?

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Mr. Earnest: Well, I know
there was a bipartisan

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announcement that was made
on Capitol Hill, I believe

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at the end of the day or at
least yesterday afternoon.

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And what we have been saying
for months is that the White

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House role has been to try
to nurture and facilitate

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bipartisan cooperation on
this issue on Capitol Hill.

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Fortunately, the bipartisan
interest in this legislation

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has been there
at the beginning.

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Democrats and Republicans
observed that common-sense

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reforms to our criminal
justice system could not

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just save taxpayer dollars
but it could actually make

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our communities safer, lower
recidivism rates, and give

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those who have paid their
debt to society a better

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chance at reentering
American life and making a

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substantive
contribution to it.

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So what we have done all
along is to try to encourage

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both sides to continue to
find common ground, to

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present ideas for making
that common ground more

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easily recognized, and there
have been some strange

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bedfellows, given the
context of these efforts.

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There have been
representatives from

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conservative political
organizations that had been

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interested in contributing
to this effort as well.

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So I think it does reflect
that what is the subject of

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some debate is not
necessarily something that

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should provoke a partisan or
ideological objection, but

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rather a more common-sense,
practical approach to

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recognizing the potential
benefits of reforms like this.

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So, sometimes, that kind
of pragmatic approach gets

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drowned out by the
partisanship and ideology

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and occasional histrionics
that are endemic on

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Capitol Hill.

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But in this case, we're
going to continue to work

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with Democrats and
Republicans to try to

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navigate those
cross-currents and hopefully

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emerge on the other side
with a genuine bipartisan

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reform bill that would
have enormous positive

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consequences
for our country.

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And the President identified
this as a top legislative

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priority of his last year,
and we've been working since

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then to try to
make it a reality.

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And I do anticipate that
the President will devote a

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significant portion of his
eight months that remain

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here in office to getting
this legislation passed

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through Congress
an onto his desk.

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00:11:54,213 --> 00:11:57,413
Hi, there.

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00:11:57,416 --> 00:12:00,816
The Press: In Syria, there
was the short-term truce

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00:12:00,820 --> 00:12:03,090
announced earlier today,
and it doesn't seem like it

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00:12:03,089 --> 00:12:05,859
addresses the
fighting in Aleppo.

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00:12:05,858 --> 00:12:07,528
So I wanted to see what more
information you could give

259
00:12:07,526 --> 00:12:09,666
us and what the plan is to
address fighting there.

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00:12:09,662 --> 00:12:12,532
And also, are you confident
that a date could be set for

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00:12:12,531 --> 00:12:14,001
peace talks to resume?

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00:12:13,999 --> 00:12:16,739
Mr. Earnest: Well, let's
first talk about the

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00:12:16,735 --> 00:12:18,975
agreement that was
announced today.

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Since the beginning of the
cessation of hostilities,

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fighting has continued in
the area of north Latakia

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00:12:24,310 --> 00:12:27,480
and eastern Ghouta, putting
armed opposition groups

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00:12:27,480 --> 00:12:29,980
there and in other areas
controlled by the opposition

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00:12:29,982 --> 00:12:31,852
under pressure.

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Persistent violations in
this area are unacceptable

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00:12:34,753 --> 00:12:36,993
and damaging.

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As a result, the U.S.

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00:12:38,357 --> 00:12:41,757
government and Russia have
been working to secure a

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00:12:41,760 --> 00:12:44,260
general recommitment to the
cessation of hostilities by

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all parties in Latakia
and eastern Ghouta to be

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00:12:47,933 --> 00:12:52,843
implemented beginning at
midnight tonight, Damascus time.

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It's our view that this
essentially would be a

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refreshment of the cessation
of hostilities, and getting

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00:13:03,949 --> 00:13:06,889
both sides to commit to
refreshing the commitments

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00:13:06,886 --> 00:13:09,056
that they made in the
context of the cessation of

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00:13:09,054 --> 00:13:14,924
hostilities could have
potentially a catalyzing effect.

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And what we would like to
see is a return to the

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situation on the ground that
prevailed a couple of weeks

283
00:13:24,436 --> 00:13:30,946
ago, which was not an
all-out end to the fighting,

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00:13:30,943 --> 00:13:34,713
but rather a broad
acceptance of the terms of

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00:13:34,713 --> 00:13:36,213
the cessation
of hostilities.

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00:13:36,215 --> 00:13:38,385
And that agreement was only
possible because the United

287
00:13:38,384 --> 00:13:43,994
States and Russia used our
influence with the relevant

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00:13:43,989 --> 00:13:47,729
groups to bring about that
agreement and that cessation

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00:13:47,726 --> 00:13:49,126
of hostilities.

290
00:13:49,128 --> 00:13:52,498
And we acknowledged all
along that there were likely

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00:13:52,498 --> 00:13:55,498
to be violations of the
cessation of hostilities.

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00:13:55,501 --> 00:13:58,941
But what's happened over the
last week or so is that the

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00:13:58,938 --> 00:14:05,178
frequency of violations has
increased, and that's been a

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00:14:05,177 --> 00:14:06,517
source of
significant concern.

295
00:14:06,512 --> 00:14:09,012
So our hope is that by
refreshing this agreement,

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00:14:09,014 --> 00:14:13,054
focusing our attention on
these two particular areas,

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00:14:13,052 --> 00:14:20,662
we can build momentum again
toward a broadly observed

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00:14:20,659 --> 00:14:22,399
cessation of hostilities.

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00:14:22,394 --> 00:14:24,194
The Press: And how
confident are you that this

300
00:14:24,196 --> 00:14:28,066
refreshment is going to help
push forward these talks?

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00:14:28,067 --> 00:14:32,207
Mr. Earnest: Well, the thing
that we know is that the

302
00:14:32,204 --> 00:14:33,304
opposite is true.

303
00:14:33,305 --> 00:14:40,115
The thing that we know is
that the weakening of the

304
00:14:40,112 --> 00:14:43,452
cessation of hostilities, or
the repeated violations of

305
00:14:43,449 --> 00:14:47,519
the cessation of hostilities
have tangibly undermined

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00:14:47,519 --> 00:14:51,519
efforts to reach -- or at
least to advance

307
00:14:51,523 --> 00:14:53,123
political talks.

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00:14:53,125 --> 00:14:58,565
So the question is, can we
give some more momentum to

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00:14:58,564 --> 00:15:06,674
those political talks by
expanding the area in Syria

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00:15:06,672 --> 00:15:07,942
where the cessation of
hostilities is

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00:15:07,940 --> 00:15:09,840
once again observed.

312
00:15:09,842 --> 00:15:13,782
And again, our goal of
trying to refresh the

313
00:15:13,779 --> 00:15:18,079
cessation of hostilities is
motivated by a desire to

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00:15:18,083 --> 00:15:19,953
advance the political talks.

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00:15:19,952 --> 00:15:21,622
The other benefit -- and
this is another important

316
00:15:21,620 --> 00:15:30,300
benefit of refreshed
cessation of hostilities,

317
00:15:30,296 --> 00:15:32,466
particularly in these two
areas -- is it could create

318
00:15:32,464 --> 00:15:36,204
space for the delivery of
additional humanitarian relief.

319
00:15:36,201 --> 00:15:40,341
This part of Syria has been
subject to quite intense

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00:15:40,339 --> 00:15:42,079
fighting for a
long time now.

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00:15:42,074 --> 00:15:45,514
And there are communities
and innocent people there

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00:15:45,511 --> 00:15:46,841
that are suffering.

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00:15:46,845 --> 00:15:49,485
And bringing much-needed
humanitarian relief in the

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00:15:49,481 --> 00:15:53,991
form of food and water and
medicine could relieve, at

325
00:15:53,986 --> 00:15:56,856
least a little bit, so much
of the widespread suffering

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00:15:56,855 --> 00:15:58,825
that we've seen
in that country.

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00:15:58,824 --> 00:16:00,824
The Press: On another topic,
on the Korean Peninsula,

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00:16:00,826 --> 00:16:06,396
China and Russia today said
that they wanted the United

329
00:16:06,398 --> 00:16:09,468
States to back off its
possible plan to put in an

330
00:16:09,468 --> 00:16:12,538
anti-missile defense
system near South Korea.

331
00:16:12,538 --> 00:16:14,078
What's your
reaction to that?

332
00:16:14,073 --> 00:16:17,073
Mr. Earnest: Well, the
reaction to that is that the

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00:16:17,076 --> 00:16:22,286
United States' commitment to
South Korea's security is

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00:16:22,281 --> 00:16:23,681
rock-solid.

335
00:16:23,682 --> 00:16:25,882
The Republic of Korea is a
close ally of the United

336
00:16:25,884 --> 00:16:28,684
States, and that means the
United States is prepared to

337
00:16:28,687 --> 00:16:32,727
invest resources in
keeping them safe.

338
00:16:32,725 --> 00:16:34,865
We have seen repeated
provocations, particularly

339
00:16:34,860 --> 00:16:38,960
in just the last few months,
from North Korea, vowing to

340
00:16:38,964 --> 00:16:41,834
use their military might
against our allies.

341
00:16:41,834 --> 00:16:44,334
And we've begun -- there
already has been a

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00:16:44,336 --> 00:16:49,046
significant commitment of
military firepower and

343
00:16:49,041 --> 00:16:53,951
manpower by the United
States to defend South Korea.

344
00:16:53,946 --> 00:16:58,316
And the assessment of our
military and national

345
00:16:58,317 --> 00:17:02,287
security experts is that
additional resources could

346
00:17:02,287 --> 00:17:05,257
be necessary to ensure the
safety and security of the

347
00:17:05,257 --> 00:17:06,697
Republic of Korea.

348
00:17:06,692 --> 00:17:10,162
So that's why the United
States has engaged in

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00:17:10,162 --> 00:17:15,272
conversations with our
South Korean allies about

350
00:17:15,267 --> 00:17:17,607
deploying what's
called a THAAD battery.

351
00:17:17,603 --> 00:17:20,573
This is essentially a
sophisticated anti-ballistic

352
00:17:20,572 --> 00:17:25,582
missile system that would
enhance our ally's security.

353
00:17:29,715 --> 00:17:31,985
Those discussions
are ongoing.

354
00:17:31,984 --> 00:17:35,484
I'll just point out that
that equipment would be

355
00:17:35,487 --> 00:17:37,857
oriented toward the threat
that is posed by North

356
00:17:37,856 --> 00:17:40,296
Korea, not oriented
toward China or Russia.

357
00:17:42,461 --> 00:17:45,031
That's been our contention
all along, and those are

358
00:17:45,030 --> 00:17:46,030
the facts.

359
00:17:46,031 --> 00:17:49,331
And it's certainly changes
in the environment, at least

360
00:17:49,334 --> 00:17:52,234
in the behavior of the North
Korea government, that is

361
00:17:52,237 --> 00:17:56,547
prompting this consideration
of increasing our posture on

362
00:17:56,542 --> 00:17:57,542
South Korea.

363
00:17:57,543 --> 00:18:02,683
It's not a result of changes
that are made by

364
00:18:02,681 --> 00:18:03,681
Russia or China.

365
00:18:03,682 --> 00:18:05,682
The Press: So talks are
ongoing with South Korea.

366
00:18:05,684 --> 00:18:09,354
Can you give us any sense of
timing or when you expect

367
00:18:09,354 --> 00:18:10,524
the talks to conclude?

368
00:18:10,522 --> 00:18:12,322
Mr. Earnest: I don't have an
updated sense of timing at

369
00:18:12,324 --> 00:18:15,294
this point.

370
00:18:15,294 --> 00:18:17,294
But obviously these
conversations have been

371
00:18:17,296 --> 00:18:19,296
occurring for
several weeks now.

372
00:18:19,298 --> 00:18:23,298
But I don't have an
announcement to make yet

373
00:18:23,302 --> 00:18:25,972
about a particular decision.

374
00:18:25,971 --> 00:18:27,001
Michelle.

375
00:18:27,005 --> 00:18:27,635
The Press: Thanks, Josh.

376
00:18:27,639 --> 00:18:29,909
More than once, China has
now expressed its annoyance

377
00:18:29,908 --> 00:18:32,178
at this THAAD possibility.

378
00:18:32,177 --> 00:18:34,477
So if that's going to go
through -- and you do expect

379
00:18:34,480 --> 00:18:36,680
that to be completed,
is that right?

380
00:18:36,682 --> 00:18:38,822
Mr. Earnest: Well, I
wouldn't prejudge the outcome.

381
00:18:38,817 --> 00:18:41,857
Obviously we would defer
to the preferences of our

382
00:18:41,854 --> 00:18:43,854
allies in South Korea about
whether or not they would

383
00:18:43,856 --> 00:18:45,226
like to have this additional
equipment located on

384
00:18:45,224 --> 00:18:49,194
their territory.

385
00:18:49,194 --> 00:18:50,994
The assessment of our
military and national

386
00:18:50,996 --> 00:18:52,736
security experts is that it
could be a good idea for

387
00:18:52,731 --> 00:18:53,971
them to do that.

388
00:18:53,966 --> 00:18:57,636
But ultimately, this is
a sovereign country, and

389
00:18:57,636 --> 00:18:59,636
because they're an ally of
the United States, we're

390
00:18:59,638 --> 00:19:00,638
looking for ways
to help them.

391
00:19:00,639 --> 00:19:02,639
And this is one potential
way we could offer some

392
00:19:02,641 --> 00:19:04,641
assistance to them and
enhance their security.

393
00:19:04,643 --> 00:19:06,643
But ultimately, they would
make the final call.

394
00:19:06,645 --> 00:19:09,885
The Press: But at this
point, there's no reason to

395
00:19:09,882 --> 00:19:11,882
think that that wouldn't
be completed, right?

396
00:19:11,884 --> 00:19:13,884
Mr. Earnest: Well, I
wouldn't prejudge what the

397
00:19:13,886 --> 00:19:14,886
outcome here would be.

398
00:19:14,887 --> 00:19:17,827
I would just note that our
officials have concluded it

399
00:19:17,823 --> 00:19:20,063
might be prudent, and we'll
have a conversation with the

400
00:19:20,058 --> 00:19:20,758
Koreans about that.

401
00:19:20,759 --> 00:19:21,459
The Press: Okay.

402
00:19:21,460 --> 00:19:24,160
So if we already know that
China is not happy about

403
00:19:24,162 --> 00:19:26,802
this, and they've expressed
it more than once, if this

404
00:19:26,798 --> 00:19:30,198
does go through and that
system is deployed there, is

405
00:19:30,202 --> 00:19:33,672
that going to affect China's
pressure on North Korea,

406
00:19:33,672 --> 00:19:37,112
which many feel is the only
way to eventually get North

407
00:19:37,109 --> 00:19:38,849
Korea to change
its behavior?

408
00:19:38,844 --> 00:19:40,284
Mr. Earnest: Well,
it shouldn't.

409
00:19:40,279 --> 00:19:42,679
Let me explain a
couple reasons why.

410
00:19:42,681 --> 00:19:44,681
The first is, of course,
the THAAD battery would be

411
00:19:44,683 --> 00:19:46,753
oriented to the threat in
North Korea, not oriented to

412
00:19:46,752 --> 00:19:47,582
China in any way.

413
00:19:47,586 --> 00:19:49,086
The Press: What if they
don't like it, though?

414
00:19:49,087 --> 00:19:51,487
Mr. Earnest: They don't,
but those are the facts.

415
00:19:51,490 --> 00:19:58,860
The second fact is that we
already know that China is

416
00:19:58,864 --> 00:20:04,704
understandably concerned
about the behavior of the

417
00:20:04,703 --> 00:20:06,443
North Korean government.

418
00:20:06,438 --> 00:20:09,638
These repeated provocations
and violations of U.N.

419
00:20:09,641 --> 00:20:12,511
Security Council resolutions
are destabilizing.

420
00:20:12,511 --> 00:20:16,951
And it's not at all in
China's interest to have

421
00:20:16,949 --> 00:20:21,649
that kind of destabilizing
activity right on

422
00:20:21,653 --> 00:20:23,393
their doorstep.

423
00:20:23,388 --> 00:20:28,398
So the point is, China,
using its influence on the

424
00:20:30,529 --> 00:20:34,329
North Korean government
to get them to end their

425
00:20:34,333 --> 00:20:36,973
provocative acts, is not
something that they do as a

426
00:20:36,969 --> 00:20:39,769
favor to the United States.

427
00:20:39,771 --> 00:20:42,241
They're focused on getting
North Korea to end their

428
00:20:42,240 --> 00:20:45,280
provocations is rooted in
their own self-interest,

429
00:20:45,277 --> 00:20:49,147
which is that having all
this provocative behavior

430
00:20:49,147 --> 00:20:51,247
and this conflict and this
destabilizing activity on

431
00:20:51,249 --> 00:20:53,249
their doorstep is not
in their interest.

432
00:20:53,251 --> 00:20:55,251
The Press: Do you expect
THAAD to affect the

433
00:20:55,253 --> 00:20:56,423
relationship
between the U.S.

434
00:20:56,421 --> 00:20:57,561
and China in
any way, though?

435
00:20:57,556 --> 00:21:00,326
Or do you expect it to
prompt China to, I don't

436
00:21:00,325 --> 00:21:04,595
know, keep on militarizing
or militarizing faster the

437
00:21:04,596 --> 00:21:05,936
islands that the U.S.

438
00:21:05,931 --> 00:21:07,261
disagrees with?

439
00:21:07,265 --> 00:21:09,405
Mr. Earnest: I mean,
obviously, there's a

440
00:21:09,401 --> 00:21:11,401
reference to the situation
on the South China Sea.

441
00:21:11,403 --> 00:21:17,043
That is obviously an
entirely -- I mean, it is an

442
00:21:17,042 --> 00:21:19,042
entirely different part of
the world, both literally

443
00:21:19,044 --> 00:21:19,974
and figuratively here.

444
00:21:19,978 --> 00:21:20,908
The Press: But do you expect
some tit for tat if this

445
00:21:20,912 --> 00:21:21,952
goes through?

446
00:21:21,947 --> 00:21:23,077
Mr. Earnest: Well, I
wouldn't predict what the

447
00:21:23,081 --> 00:21:27,051
Chinese response would be,
even if this is something

448
00:21:27,052 --> 00:21:28,052
that were
eventually decided.

449
00:21:28,053 --> 00:21:33,063
I think what I would say is
that there's an opportunity

450
00:21:36,428 --> 00:21:39,198
for the United States and
China to work together --

451
00:21:39,197 --> 00:21:42,267
and we have, effectively --
to increase the pressure on

452
00:21:42,267 --> 00:21:44,867
the North Korean government
to change their behavior.

453
00:21:44,870 --> 00:21:47,370
We've ramped up the
pressure, but thus far we

454
00:21:47,372 --> 00:21:50,872
have not seen the change
that we are both seeking.

455
00:21:50,876 --> 00:21:57,446
And as a result, we have
felt that it's necessary to

456
00:21:57,449 --> 00:22:00,419
begin at least talking to
our allies in South Korea

457
00:22:00,419 --> 00:22:03,959
about enhancing their
national security.

458
00:22:03,955 --> 00:22:08,225
But that is not going to
in any way diminish our

459
00:22:08,226 --> 00:22:13,566
interest in trying to make
the Korean Peninsula more

460
00:22:13,565 --> 00:22:16,405
stable and less a source
of tension in the region.

461
00:22:16,401 --> 00:22:17,201
The Press: Okay.

462
00:22:17,202 --> 00:22:19,972
And looking at the way the
campaigns are playing out,

463
00:22:19,971 --> 00:22:22,341
it was just a few days ago
that Hillary Clinton's

464
00:22:22,340 --> 00:22:25,910
communications director
called Bernie Sanders

465
00:22:25,911 --> 00:22:29,781
"destructive," said that
he's not "productive for

466
00:22:29,781 --> 00:22:33,721
Democrats, not productive
for the country."

467
00:22:33,719 --> 00:22:38,689
Does the President feel like
Democrats are united right now?

468
00:22:38,690 --> 00:22:41,260
Mr. Earnest: Well,
obviously, we're still in

469
00:22:41,259 --> 00:22:42,959
the midst of a primary.

470
00:22:42,961 --> 00:22:47,031
And obviously, the
Democratic Party has been

471
00:22:47,032 --> 00:22:48,902
engaged in a
competitive process.

472
00:22:48,900 --> 00:22:51,200
That's appropriate.

473
00:22:51,203 --> 00:22:55,973
That's a way we can --
that's the way the party can

474
00:22:55,974 --> 00:22:57,974
evaluate who the
strongest candidate is.

475
00:22:57,976 --> 00:23:00,416
And obviously, the party
has a strong interest in

476
00:23:00,412 --> 00:23:02,852
choosing the strongest
candidate to represent the

477
00:23:02,848 --> 00:23:05,048
party in the
general election.

478
00:23:05,050 --> 00:23:10,160
But these are decisions
for voters to make.

479
00:23:10,155 --> 00:23:14,625
And the President, as a
voter, has cast a ballot,

480
00:23:14,626 --> 00:23:17,626
but has not weighed in
publicly about who his

481
00:23:17,629 --> 00:23:19,629
preference is.

482
00:23:21,133 --> 00:23:26,603
So at some point, I think
the President will make a

483
00:23:26,605 --> 00:23:32,315
strong case about the need
for the Democratic Party to

484
00:23:32,310 --> 00:23:36,280
come together in support
of the policies that he's

485
00:23:36,281 --> 00:23:38,151
fought so hard
to put in place.

486
00:23:38,150 --> 00:23:40,150
That will be a fundamental
question in the election.

487
00:23:40,152 --> 00:23:42,922
The Press: So you said
multiple times that you

488
00:23:42,921 --> 00:23:45,421
welcome robust debate, this
is just what happens with

489
00:23:45,423 --> 00:23:47,863
the election; it's
good for the country.

490
00:23:47,859 --> 00:23:50,599
But at the same time, we've
heard the President say at a

491
00:23:50,595 --> 00:23:54,295
private event that Democrats
really need to come together

492
00:23:54,299 --> 00:23:55,739
right now.

493
00:23:55,734 --> 00:23:59,174
So would you disagree with
words like that, that

494
00:23:59,171 --> 00:24:01,811
Sanders has been a
destructive influence not

495
00:24:01,807 --> 00:24:04,107
only on Democrats
but on the country?

496
00:24:04,109 --> 00:24:06,879
Mr. Earnest: Well, I've done
my best to stay out of the

497
00:24:06,878 --> 00:24:10,448
middle of the debate
between the two Democratic

498
00:24:10,448 --> 00:24:14,018
candidates, and I'm going to
try to do that in this case.

499
00:24:14,019 --> 00:24:19,029
I think what the President
is focused on is ensuring

500
00:24:21,393 --> 00:24:24,333
that when the general
election does roll around --

501
00:24:24,329 --> 00:24:27,499
and it hasn't yet -- but
when we get knee-deep in a

502
00:24:27,499 --> 00:24:32,509
general election, it will be
important for Democrats to

503
00:24:39,711 --> 00:24:42,481
keep in mind what
their priorities are.

504
00:24:42,480 --> 00:24:45,680
And obviously, the President
has spent the better part of

505
00:24:45,684 --> 00:24:47,684
seven and a half years
fighting for a set of

506
00:24:47,686 --> 00:24:51,726
priorities, and he'll, I'm
confident, make a case in

507
00:24:51,723 --> 00:24:54,723
the general election about
the wisdom of continuing

508
00:24:54,726 --> 00:24:55,726
that fight.

509
00:24:55,727 --> 00:24:59,827
But the time for that part
of the debate has

510
00:24:59,831 --> 00:25:00,831
not yet arrived.

511
00:25:00,832 --> 00:25:05,272
The Press: So Sanders being
called "destructive" and

512
00:25:05,270 --> 00:25:07,310
"not productive for
Democrats, not productive

513
00:25:07,305 --> 00:25:09,305
for this country," you don't
want to weigh in on whether

514
00:25:09,307 --> 00:25:11,377
you agree or
disagree with that?

515
00:25:11,376 --> 00:25:11,976
Mr. Earnest: I don't.

516
00:25:11,977 --> 00:25:18,687
Because part of working on
a campaign is engaging in

517
00:25:18,683 --> 00:25:23,893
charges and counter-charges,
and I think it is a fair

518
00:25:23,889 --> 00:25:29,129
observation to note the
difference in tone and tenor

519
00:25:29,127 --> 00:25:32,597
between the debate on the
Democratic side and the

520
00:25:32,597 --> 00:25:34,437
debate on the
Republican side.

521
00:25:34,432 --> 00:25:36,432
Many Republicans have
made that observation.

522
00:25:36,434 --> 00:25:38,404
I don't think I'm saying
anything

523
00:25:38,403 --> 00:25:39,403
particularly controversial.

524
00:25:39,404 --> 00:25:44,844
But the President does
believe in the value of a

525
00:25:44,843 --> 00:25:45,713
robust debate.

526
00:25:45,710 --> 00:25:47,750
And politics are tough.

527
00:25:47,746 --> 00:25:52,546
But I think what the
President is focused on is a

528
00:25:52,550 --> 00:25:54,890
general election, and making
sure that the people that

529
00:25:54,886 --> 00:25:58,026
have been so strongly
supportive of his policies

530
00:25:58,023 --> 00:26:01,363
over the last seven or eight
years realize the stakes of

531
00:26:01,359 --> 00:26:03,659
the general election.

532
00:26:03,662 --> 00:26:06,202
And the President will have
ample opportunity to make

533
00:26:06,197 --> 00:26:07,197
that case.

534
00:26:07,198 --> 00:26:09,198
The Press: And not sure if
he knows, but this weekend

535
00:26:09,200 --> 00:26:11,200
is the White House
Correspondents' Dinner.

536
00:26:11,202 --> 00:26:12,302
Mr. Earnest: I was aware.

537
00:26:12,304 --> 00:26:16,174
The Press: This being the
President's last year, is he

538
00:26:16,174 --> 00:26:17,444
going to do
anything different?

539
00:26:17,442 --> 00:26:20,082
Or can you sort of give us a
little foreshadowing of what

540
00:26:20,078 --> 00:26:22,148
he plans to do
with his time?

541
00:26:22,147 --> 00:26:24,947
I mean, it's always -- kind
of follows the routine, he

542
00:26:24,950 --> 00:26:26,580
has a lot of jokes.

543
00:26:26,584 --> 00:26:27,924
Is he going to try to
put his stamp on it?

544
00:26:27,919 --> 00:26:29,689
Anything like
that you can say?

545
00:26:29,688 --> 00:26:31,088
Mr. Earnest: Well, I don't
want to give away any

546
00:26:31,089 --> 00:26:34,429
surprises, but -- The Press:
Will there be surprises?

547
00:26:34,426 --> 00:26:36,726
Mr. Earnest: I wouldn't rule
out a couple of surprises.

548
00:26:36,728 --> 00:26:39,528
I think surprise is a key
element in humor, and the

549
00:26:39,531 --> 00:26:43,731
President is certainly -- I
want to protect his ability

550
00:26:43,735 --> 00:26:47,635
to surprise you with
some good jokes.

551
00:26:47,639 --> 00:26:51,639
The President does enjoy
this opportunity, that it is

552
00:26:51,643 --> 00:26:55,043
something -- the President,
over the course of eight

553
00:26:55,046 --> 00:26:58,146
years, has given thousands
of speeches in public in one

554
00:26:58,149 --> 00:26:59,519
form or another.

555
00:26:59,517 --> 00:27:03,217
The vast majority of them
are dealing with very

556
00:27:03,221 --> 00:27:04,221
serious topics.

557
00:27:04,222 --> 00:27:08,932
And this is one unique
opportunity that he has

558
00:27:08,927 --> 00:27:13,867
every year to poke a little
fun at himself, poke a

559
00:27:13,865 --> 00:27:17,335
little fun at the process,
maybe even poke a little fun

560
00:27:17,335 --> 00:27:22,645
at a political adversary
or two, but it's also a

561
00:27:22,640 --> 00:27:29,250
reminder of how in one way
or another, we all have a

562
00:27:29,247 --> 00:27:30,987
role to play in
our democracy.

563
00:27:30,982 --> 00:27:33,122
And obviously the President
has an important role to set

564
00:27:33,118 --> 00:27:36,158
the agenda, but you all have
an important role, too, to

565
00:27:36,154 --> 00:27:38,454
hold those in
power accountable.

566
00:27:38,456 --> 00:27:41,726
And the President is
respectful of that role, and

567
00:27:41,726 --> 00:27:43,896
I'm confident that the
President will acknowledge

568
00:27:43,895 --> 00:27:46,365
that in the serious portion
of his speech because he

569
00:27:46,364 --> 00:27:49,434
believes in the value of
professional,

570
00:27:49,434 --> 00:27:50,934
independent media.

571
00:27:50,935 --> 00:27:54,535
But, look, the other way
that we can reflect the

572
00:27:54,539 --> 00:28:00,649
importance of political
journalism in our country is

573
00:28:00,645 --> 00:28:03,815
to poke a little fun at the
process, and there are ample

574
00:28:03,815 --> 00:28:05,815
opportunities to
do so this year.

575
00:28:05,817 --> 00:28:07,817
The Press: Is he just going
to let loose this year, is

576
00:28:07,819 --> 00:28:08,249
basically what I'm asking.

577
00:28:08,253 --> 00:28:08,923
(laughter)

578
00:28:08,920 --> 00:28:11,820
Mr. Earnest: Well, I think
I'll let you judge, based on

579
00:28:11,823 --> 00:28:13,823
his comments, about whether
or not he took advantage of

580
00:28:13,825 --> 00:28:14,525
the opportunity to let
loose, as you described it.

581
00:28:14,526 --> 00:28:16,396
Go ahead, JC.

582
00:28:16,394 --> 00:28:17,764
The Press: To
misquote Richard M.

583
00:28:17,762 --> 00:28:21,932
Nixon, the President won't
have Donald Trump to kick

584
00:28:21,933 --> 00:28:22,933
around anymore.

585
00:28:22,934 --> 00:28:25,434
The last time he appeared,
I believe, was 2011.

586
00:28:25,437 --> 00:28:26,707
He will not be
in the audience.

587
00:28:26,704 --> 00:28:29,404
Look, does the President
regret that opportunity?

588
00:28:29,407 --> 00:28:32,447
Mr. Earnest: Well, again,
I'm going to preserve the

589
00:28:32,444 --> 00:28:34,814
element of surprise here.

590
00:28:34,813 --> 00:28:39,823
And I don't think that
ducking in the room means

591
00:28:41,986 --> 00:28:47,426
that you are going to avoid
some attention in the speeches.

592
00:28:47,425 --> 00:28:48,565
But we'll see.

593
00:28:48,560 --> 00:28:50,330
Laura.

594
00:28:50,328 --> 00:28:55,438
The Press: Is the President
concerned about the

595
00:28:55,433 --> 00:28:59,503
protestors -- again last
night, took the street,

596
00:28:59,504 --> 00:29:01,244
protesting Donald Trump?

597
00:29:01,239 --> 00:29:02,439
That's the first question.

598
00:29:02,440 --> 00:29:04,780
Mr. Earnest: Well, Laura, I
think in general there is a

599
00:29:04,776 --> 00:29:10,186
long history of and a long
tradition of protest in the

600
00:29:10,181 --> 00:29:12,221
American political system.

601
00:29:12,217 --> 00:29:13,857
In fact, this country was
started by a bunch of

602
00:29:13,852 --> 00:29:17,392
protestors, some of whom
decided that they were

603
00:29:17,388 --> 00:29:20,828
pretty unhappy about taxes
and threw some barrels of

604
00:29:20,825 --> 00:29:22,665
tea in the Boston Harbor.

605
00:29:22,660 --> 00:29:28,030
So there's a history of
protest in this country.

606
00:29:28,032 --> 00:29:31,072
What the President believes
is that we also have a

607
00:29:31,069 --> 00:29:34,609
system of government, and
there is an opportunity for

608
00:29:34,606 --> 00:29:37,776
voters to make their voices
heard at the ballot box.

609
00:29:37,775 --> 00:29:42,315
And there should be a
debate, and there should be

610
00:29:42,313 --> 00:29:43,883
a public debate.

611
00:29:43,882 --> 00:29:49,552
And that debate is likely to
be filled with some emotion.

612
00:29:49,554 --> 00:29:51,724
These are serious issues
that are being discussed.

613
00:29:54,225 --> 00:29:59,065
So while people surely
should take advantage of the

614
00:29:59,063 --> 00:30:01,063
history and tradition in
this country of engaging in

615
00:30:01,065 --> 00:30:04,435
political protest, they need
to do so with some respect

616
00:30:04,435 --> 00:30:06,435
for the system and for
our country and for our

617
00:30:06,437 --> 00:30:10,337
government, and to ensure
that that protest isn't a

618
00:30:10,341 --> 00:30:13,811
source of violence, it
doesn't incite violence.

619
00:30:13,811 --> 00:30:18,781
The protest should not
be used to drown out the

620
00:30:18,783 --> 00:30:21,483
ability of other people to
participate in our political

621
00:30:21,486 --> 00:30:23,486
system or to participate
in the political debate.

622
00:30:23,488 --> 00:30:27,458
But there's a strong history
of protest in this country

623
00:30:27,458 --> 00:30:28,458
-- that's a good thing.

624
00:30:28,459 --> 00:30:30,459
That's something we're
proud of as Americans.

625
00:30:30,461 --> 00:30:31,701
The Press: But in
presidential election,

626
00:30:31,696 --> 00:30:34,136
outside the United States,
the whole world now is

627
00:30:34,132 --> 00:30:37,932
watching with quite
astonishment what's

628
00:30:37,936 --> 00:30:40,876
happening when Donald
Trump is speaking.

629
00:30:40,872 --> 00:30:42,872
You don't think the
President has a

630
00:30:42,874 --> 00:30:45,314
responsibility to do
something about the

631
00:30:45,310 --> 00:30:48,410
potential of violence, which
is happening now each time

632
00:30:48,413 --> 00:30:49,583
Donald Trump is speaking?

633
00:30:49,581 --> 00:30:53,221
Mr. Earnest: Well, I'll just
say, as a general statement,

634
00:30:53,218 --> 00:30:55,218
the President has been
outspoken on a number of

635
00:30:55,220 --> 00:31:01,330
occasions about how our
political system, our form

636
00:31:01,326 --> 00:31:04,296
of politics in the United
States was geared toward

637
00:31:04,295 --> 00:31:05,995
resolving conflicts.

638
00:31:05,997 --> 00:31:08,597
This is a big, diverse
country, and people are

639
00:31:08,600 --> 00:31:10,640
going to have different
points of view.

640
00:31:10,635 --> 00:31:12,635
And we resolve those
differences not through

641
00:31:12,637 --> 00:31:14,737
violence, not by taking up
arms against one another,

642
00:31:14,739 --> 00:31:20,279
not by questioning someone
else's patriotism or judging

643
00:31:20,278 --> 00:31:23,778
someone based on their
religion or their color or

644
00:31:23,781 --> 00:31:28,891
who they are, but rather
through our system of

645
00:31:28,886 --> 00:31:33,326
government, where every
citizen has an opportunity

646
00:31:33,324 --> 00:31:35,964
to cast a vote and make
their voices heard at the

647
00:31:35,960 --> 00:31:36,960
ballot box.

648
00:31:36,961 --> 00:31:42,601
And that's how our system
of government was designed.

649
00:31:42,600 --> 00:31:44,900
And that's the way
that it should work.

650
00:31:44,902 --> 00:31:46,902
The Press: On
Donald Trump again.

651
00:31:46,904 --> 00:31:49,474
Yesterday in California,
he was talking about his

652
00:31:49,474 --> 00:31:53,074
solution to fight ISIS,
referring to General

653
00:31:53,077 --> 00:31:57,047
Pershing, and it was quite
astonishing also for a lot

654
00:31:57,048 --> 00:31:59,618
of foreign observers.

655
00:31:59,617 --> 00:32:02,887
And on NBC News, he
was talking about the

656
00:32:02,887 --> 00:32:07,087
possibility to
a nuclear ISIS.

657
00:32:07,091 --> 00:32:11,801
He said that he won't
exclude, if he is elected

658
00:32:11,796 --> 00:32:15,936
President, to use the
nuclear weapon against ISIS.

659
00:32:15,933 --> 00:32:18,973
What's the White House
reaction on that?

660
00:32:18,970 --> 00:32:24,240
Mr. Earnest: Well, I'll let
all of you sort of conclude

661
00:32:24,242 --> 00:32:26,742
the wisdom of that
kind of strategy.

662
00:32:26,744 --> 00:32:28,744
I think the President has
been pretty clear about what

663
00:32:28,746 --> 00:32:30,116
our strategy is.

664
00:32:30,114 --> 00:32:33,354
And that is a strategy that
is mindful of the need to

665
00:32:33,351 --> 00:32:37,091
protect the American people,
and that our success in the

666
00:32:37,088 --> 00:32:40,558
effort to degrade and
ultimately destroy ISIL is

667
00:32:40,558 --> 00:32:44,558
not unrelated to how those
efforts are carried out.

668
00:32:44,562 --> 00:32:49,532
For example, we make it a
priority in this country to

669
00:32:52,704 --> 00:32:55,104
avoid civilian casualties.

670
00:32:55,106 --> 00:32:58,906
That certainly is going to
be a lot harder to do if

671
00:32:58,910 --> 00:33:00,750
you're using nuclear
weapons, or advocating the

672
00:33:00,745 --> 00:33:03,785
use of nuclear weapons.

673
00:33:03,781 --> 00:33:08,921
In this country, we have
made clear that people are

674
00:33:08,920 --> 00:33:12,260
included and not
discriminated against just

675
00:33:12,256 --> 00:33:14,226
because of their religion or
what their name is, or how

676
00:33:14,225 --> 00:33:21,065
they may have entered the
country, but rather they're

677
00:33:21,065 --> 00:33:25,605
judged based on their
contributions to the country

678
00:33:25,603 --> 00:33:28,203
and their contributions
to the political debate.

679
00:33:28,206 --> 00:33:35,076
And that's not just a
reflection of our values,

680
00:33:35,079 --> 00:33:38,949
but our commitment to our
values is also an important

681
00:33:38,950 --> 00:33:42,090
part of advancing our
interests around the world

682
00:33:42,086 --> 00:33:44,086
and protecting our
national security.

683
00:33:44,088 --> 00:33:46,088
The Press: You don't see the
need to quiet down the tone

684
00:33:46,090 --> 00:33:48,330
at this moment due to what's
happening -- the level of

685
00:33:48,326 --> 00:33:50,296
anger, frustration, and
what's happening in

686
00:33:50,294 --> 00:33:51,434
this country?

687
00:33:51,429 --> 00:33:53,329
You don't think there's a
responsibility to quiet down

688
00:33:53,331 --> 00:33:55,431
this tone?

689
00:33:55,433 --> 00:33:58,433
Mr. Earnest: Well, again,
there's a long history of

690
00:33:58,436 --> 00:34:03,746
tough political debate and
protest in this country.

691
00:34:03,741 --> 00:34:10,411
And, again, that kind of
protest and debate was

692
00:34:10,415 --> 00:34:14,885
present at the creation
of our country.

693
00:34:14,886 --> 00:34:17,026
At the same time, leaders
in both parties have a

694
00:34:17,021 --> 00:34:23,491
responsibility not to incite
violence, not to promote

695
00:34:23,494 --> 00:34:30,264
discrimination, but rather
to, even in the midst of

696
00:34:30,268 --> 00:34:33,768
tough political debates,
remind us all that there's a

697
00:34:33,771 --> 00:34:36,341
whole lot more that we have
in common than divides us.

698
00:34:36,340 --> 00:34:41,750
And that certainly has been
part and parcel of the

699
00:34:41,746 --> 00:34:46,246
President's leadership
style, even before he

700
00:34:46,250 --> 00:34:47,290
entered the Oval Office.

701
00:34:47,285 --> 00:34:52,225
And that is a legacy --
certainly an aspect of his

702
00:34:52,223 --> 00:34:55,463
legacy that President
Obama is quite proud of.

703
00:34:55,460 --> 00:34:56,190
Ron.

704
00:34:56,194 --> 00:34:57,834
The Press: I was reading
through the MSF response to

705
00:34:57,829 --> 00:35:01,769
the DOD investigation, and
without going through all

706
00:35:01,766 --> 00:35:04,736
the details, they point out
that they've been asking for

707
00:35:04,735 --> 00:35:06,605
the International
Humanitarian Fact-Finding

708
00:35:06,604 --> 00:35:08,204
Commission to
look into this.

709
00:35:08,206 --> 00:35:11,776
And they say that that has
so far gone unanswered.

710
00:35:11,776 --> 00:35:14,446
Is there an answer
to that request?

711
00:35:14,445 --> 00:35:18,815
Or is this the final word on
this from the United States?

712
00:35:18,816 --> 00:35:22,056
Mr. Earnest: I think at this
point this is the final word.

713
00:35:22,053 --> 00:35:24,723
This is the transparent,
thorough, and objective

714
00:35:24,722 --> 00:35:26,722
accounting that the
President asked for.

715
00:35:26,724 --> 00:35:28,994
The Press: There were other
investigations, though, right?

716
00:35:28,993 --> 00:35:30,533
There was one involved in
the Afghan government,

717
00:35:30,528 --> 00:35:32,168
wasn't there?

718
00:35:32,163 --> 00:35:33,503
There were other
investigations.

719
00:35:33,498 --> 00:35:34,998
Mr. Earnest: I
don't remember.

720
00:35:34,999 --> 00:35:37,099
I guess you could check with
the Afghan government

721
00:35:37,101 --> 00:35:38,101
about that.

722
00:35:38,102 --> 00:35:41,172
The Press: So why not have
an international body, a

723
00:35:41,172 --> 00:35:43,572
more impartial body?

724
00:35:43,574 --> 00:35:45,014
Obviously, the U.S.

725
00:35:45,009 --> 00:35:47,009
military has a vested
interested in this.

726
00:35:47,011 --> 00:35:51,651
Why not have an
international nonpartisan?

727
00:35:51,649 --> 00:35:53,489
Why not have that?

728
00:35:53,484 --> 00:35:56,084
Mr. Earnest: Because the
President has confidence

729
00:35:56,087 --> 00:35:59,157
that the investigation that
was conducted was objective.

730
00:35:59,156 --> 00:36:01,156
It was conducted by people
who were not involved in the

731
00:36:01,158 --> 00:36:03,298
particular operation, and it
was conducted --

732
00:36:03,294 --> 00:36:05,864
The Press: These are
commanders, though.

733
00:36:05,863 --> 00:36:07,863
Mr. Earnest: No, the
investigation was conducted

734
00:36:07,865 --> 00:36:09,865
by individuals who are
not involved in

735
00:36:09,867 --> 00:36:10,667
the investigation.

736
00:36:10,668 --> 00:36:11,298
They were outside of the
chain of command of those

737
00:36:11,302 --> 00:36:12,802
who were involved in
the investigation.

738
00:36:12,803 --> 00:36:15,243
So that's why we would
describe it as an objective

739
00:36:15,239 --> 00:36:17,209
investigation and an
objective accounting of what

740
00:36:17,208 --> 00:36:18,808
exactly transpired.

741
00:36:18,809 --> 00:36:23,519
What's also clear here, Ron,
is that an investigation

742
00:36:23,514 --> 00:36:31,124
that includes suggestions
for reforms needs to be

743
00:36:31,122 --> 00:36:33,192
conducted by individuals
that have their own working

744
00:36:33,190 --> 00:36:36,960
expertise of how U.S.

745
00:36:36,961 --> 00:36:38,961
military operations
are conducted.

746
00:36:38,963 --> 00:36:44,803
So I understand sort of the
case that you're making for

747
00:36:44,802 --> 00:36:47,302
the benefits of an
investigation that's

748
00:36:47,305 --> 00:36:51,105
conducted by someone outside
of the United States

749
00:36:51,108 --> 00:36:55,418
military, but I think it's
important that you don't

750
00:36:55,413 --> 00:36:59,313
overlook the value of
choosing somebody who

751
00:36:59,317 --> 00:37:00,317
understands how the U.S.

752
00:37:00,318 --> 00:37:02,318
military works, who
understands how these kinds

753
00:37:02,320 --> 00:37:05,020
of operations are carried
out, but is also somebody

754
00:37:05,022 --> 00:37:08,592
who can be objective because
they weren't involved in the

755
00:37:08,593 --> 00:37:10,593
operation, they're not in
the chain of the command

756
00:37:10,595 --> 00:37:12,595
with the individuals who
were involved in

757
00:37:12,597 --> 00:37:13,597
the operation.

758
00:37:13,598 --> 00:37:15,598
They're professional
investigators, and they can

759
00:37:15,600 --> 00:37:20,610
put forward a clear
rendering of what transpired

760
00:37:20,605 --> 00:37:24,905
of what steps toward
accountability should be

761
00:37:24,909 --> 00:37:27,349
taken and what reforms
should be implemented to

762
00:37:27,345 --> 00:37:29,345
prevent something like
this from happening again.

763
00:37:29,347 --> 00:37:31,347
The Press: This
internationally renowned and

764
00:37:31,349 --> 00:37:32,679
respected organization does
not think that this is

765
00:37:32,683 --> 00:37:35,023
justice when there are 42
people dead and there's no

766
00:37:35,019 --> 00:37:37,189
one held criminally
responsible.

767
00:37:37,188 --> 00:37:39,428
How do you reconcile that?

768
00:37:39,423 --> 00:37:43,423
Mr. Earnest: I reconcile
that by saying the United

769
00:37:43,427 --> 00:37:47,767
States goes to great
lengths to avoid

770
00:37:47,765 --> 00:37:49,835
civilian casualties.

771
00:37:49,834 --> 00:37:52,674
And when those casualties do
occur as a result of human

772
00:37:52,670 --> 00:37:55,670
error that was compounded
by systemic and procedural

773
00:37:55,673 --> 00:37:59,073
failures, the United States
of America owns up to it.

774
00:37:59,076 --> 00:38:02,916
The United States of America
conducts an independent

775
00:38:02,913 --> 00:38:04,953
investigation to determine
what exactly happened.

776
00:38:04,949 --> 00:38:07,289
The United States of
America, consistent with our

777
00:38:07,284 --> 00:38:11,524
values, is transparent
about those failures.

778
00:38:11,522 --> 00:38:13,522
They're published on a
website that all of you can

779
00:38:13,524 --> 00:38:14,524
see right now.

780
00:38:14,525 --> 00:38:15,525
We've owned up to it.

781
00:38:15,526 --> 00:38:17,496
The individuals who were
involved and do bear some

782
00:38:17,495 --> 00:38:19,865
accountability are
held accountable.

783
00:38:19,864 --> 00:38:20,794
That's our system.

784
00:38:20,798 --> 00:38:24,268
And that is a system that's
consistent with our values.

785
00:38:24,268 --> 00:38:28,108
It's also a system that
follows through on

786
00:38:28,105 --> 00:38:29,875
implementing reforms that
makes something like this

787
00:38:29,874 --> 00:38:35,014
much less likely to
ever happen again.

788
00:38:35,012 --> 00:38:35,882
And that's what the
Commander-in-Chief asked

789
00:38:35,880 --> 00:38:36,580
for, and that's what he got.

790
00:38:36,580 --> 00:38:37,380
The Press: Another thing
I'd point out is that they

791
00:38:37,381 --> 00:38:42,721
believe this focus on intent
is not a valid answer to the

792
00:38:42,720 --> 00:38:46,220
question of responsibility
in determining a crime or a

793
00:38:46,223 --> 00:38:49,863
war crime.

794
00:38:49,860 --> 00:38:50,700
Clearly, you don't
agree with that.

795
00:38:50,695 --> 00:38:53,835
But do you see the point,
that this idea of intent is

796
00:38:53,831 --> 00:38:57,131
not -- it's the result, it's
what happened -- and intent

797
00:38:57,134 --> 00:39:02,444
is not a way to essentially
explain away

798
00:39:02,440 --> 00:39:03,540
someone's responsibility.

799
00:39:03,541 --> 00:39:06,111
Mr. Earnest: I think the
passion that's evident in

800
00:39:06,110 --> 00:39:10,720
the arguments that are being
made by MSF is entirely

801
00:39:10,715 --> 00:39:14,885
understandable, and
this is a tragedy.

802
00:39:14,885 --> 00:39:17,785
And this is an organization
that does heroic work around

803
00:39:17,788 --> 00:39:18,888
the world.

804
00:39:18,889 --> 00:39:21,059
And in this case, some of
the individuals that they

805
00:39:21,058 --> 00:39:25,128
employ, or at least support,
were killed while they were

806
00:39:25,129 --> 00:39:28,669
trying to attend to wounds
of innocent people who were

807
00:39:28,666 --> 00:39:30,506
injured in this conflict.

808
00:39:30,501 --> 00:39:37,311
So I think their response is
entirely human; one that's

809
00:39:37,308 --> 00:39:39,648
entirely understandable, one
that's entirely reasonable.

810
00:39:42,379 --> 00:39:44,979
But what's also true is that
the investigation that was

811
00:39:44,982 --> 00:39:47,582
conducted by the Department
of Defense is consistent

812
00:39:47,585 --> 00:39:49,585
with the orders they
received from the

813
00:39:49,587 --> 00:39:50,587
Commander-in-Chief.

814
00:39:50,588 --> 00:39:52,588
And the American people and
people around the world can

815
00:39:52,590 --> 00:39:54,630
go and decide for themselves
whether or not this

816
00:39:54,625 --> 00:39:55,765
investigation was serious.

817
00:39:55,760 --> 00:39:59,500
I think when you take a look
at a report that extends

818
00:39:59,497 --> 00:40:03,497
beyond 100 pages, there's
ample detail in there, and

819
00:40:03,501 --> 00:40:07,171
it does discuss what
transpired and what steps

820
00:40:07,171 --> 00:40:10,641
could be taken to prevent
these errors from happening

821
00:40:10,641 --> 00:40:12,541
somewhere else.

822
00:40:12,543 --> 00:40:18,483
And I think that's what the
President has been focused

823
00:40:18,482 --> 00:40:20,782
on, even in the midst of
this terrible tragedy.

824
00:40:20,785 --> 00:40:24,085
The Press: On a much lighter
note, the Correspondents'

825
00:40:24,088 --> 00:40:25,728
Dinner, when you answered
the question before, you

826
00:40:25,723 --> 00:40:28,463
said "ducking the room."
Were you referring to

827
00:40:28,459 --> 00:40:30,359
Mr. Trump in that?

828
00:40:30,361 --> 00:40:31,531
Mr. Earnest: No, I was just
suggesting that --

829
00:40:31,529 --> 00:40:33,569
The Press: Or generally anybody
who doesn't show up.

830
00:40:33,564 --> 00:40:36,134
Mr. Earnest: Even people
who don't show up are not

831
00:40:36,133 --> 00:40:38,103
necessarily guaranteed
to be spared from some

832
00:40:38,102 --> 00:40:40,702
good-natured ribbing by the
President of the United

833
00:40:40,704 --> 00:40:42,544
States or by anybody else
who speaks tomorrow night.

834
00:40:42,540 --> 00:40:44,210
The Press: And just
one other thing.

835
00:40:44,208 --> 00:40:50,178
The Invictus Games --
there's a video going around.

836
00:40:50,181 --> 00:40:54,381
Did the Royal Family ask --
how did that come about, I

837
00:40:54,385 --> 00:40:56,385
guess is the question that
some folks want to know.

838
00:40:56,387 --> 00:40:58,387
Mr. Earnest: Well, the
Invictus Games is obviously

839
00:40:58,389 --> 00:41:03,659
an international competition
by our men and

840
00:41:03,661 --> 00:41:05,031
women in uniform.

841
00:41:05,029 --> 00:41:08,469
And there's a friendly
rivalry between the United

842
00:41:08,465 --> 00:41:11,535
States and our allies
in the United Kingdom.

843
00:41:11,535 --> 00:41:14,935
And the offices of the
President and First Lady

844
00:41:14,939 --> 00:41:20,279
coordinated closely with the
Royal Family to tape these

845
00:41:20,277 --> 00:41:24,047
videos and to organize this
effort to show their support

846
00:41:24,048 --> 00:41:26,648
for our citizens who will be
competing in those games.

847
00:41:26,650 --> 00:41:28,650
The Press: And there
was what be called some

848
00:41:28,652 --> 00:41:29,952
transatlantic
trash-talking involved --

849
00:41:29,954 --> 00:41:30,984
(laughter)

850
00:41:30,988 --> 00:41:34,328
-- where the Obamas said,
"Bring it on," or something

851
00:41:34,325 --> 00:41:35,255
to that effect.

852
00:41:35,259 --> 00:41:37,729
And the Queen's response
was, "Oh, please," or

853
00:41:37,728 --> 00:41:40,228
something like that.

854
00:41:40,231 --> 00:41:41,231
What is their response?

855
00:41:41,232 --> 00:41:42,232
(laughter)

856
00:41:42,233 --> 00:41:46,103
Mr. Earnest: I was going
to say, that was quite a

857
00:41:46,103 --> 00:41:47,303
reenactment there, Ron.

858
00:41:47,304 --> 00:41:49,204
The Press: I spent
a lot of time on it.

859
00:41:49,206 --> 00:41:50,776
Mr. Earnest: I encourage
everybody to go take a look

860
00:41:50,774 --> 00:41:51,104
at the video.

861
00:41:51,108 --> 00:41:52,208
The Press: The "Oh, please,"
from the Queen -- what is

862
00:41:52,209 --> 00:41:57,079
the -- you're not frightened
by that, I guess.

863
00:41:57,081 --> 00:41:58,481
Mr. Earnest: Not
frightened at all.

864
00:41:58,482 --> 00:42:05,292
This is just an attempt to
show our strong support for

865
00:42:05,289 --> 00:42:07,459
the American and British
heroes who will be

866
00:42:07,458 --> 00:42:09,458
participating in
the Invictus Games.

867
00:42:09,460 --> 00:42:12,530
And obviously -- I guess no
pun intended -- the Queen

868
00:42:12,529 --> 00:42:15,029
was a good sport about it.

869
00:42:15,032 --> 00:42:17,202
And so people should
check out the video.

870
00:42:17,201 --> 00:42:22,211
But obviously, this is
a competition to really

871
00:42:24,375 --> 00:42:29,175
highlight the service and
sacrifice of the best that

872
00:42:29,179 --> 00:42:30,979
the United States has to
offer, and it's also the

873
00:42:30,981 --> 00:42:35,151
best that our allies in
the UK have to offer.

874
00:42:35,152 --> 00:42:37,152
And it should be a
great set of games.

875
00:42:37,154 --> 00:42:39,154
They're hosted next weekend
in Orlando, Florida.

876
00:42:39,156 --> 00:42:41,156
The Press: Is he going to
make fun of the Queen during

877
00:42:41,158 --> 00:42:42,158
the dinner?

878
00:42:42,159 --> 00:42:43,159
Mr. Earnest: I doubt it.

879
00:42:43,160 --> 00:42:49,270
She probably does spare some
ridicule by not attending

880
00:42:49,266 --> 00:42:50,736
the dinner.

881
00:42:50,734 --> 00:42:51,434
Angela.

882
00:42:51,435 --> 00:42:52,775
The Press: Thanks, Josh.

883
00:42:52,770 --> 00:42:54,640
You said that the President
has been briefed on the

884
00:42:54,638 --> 00:42:58,038
report about the accidental
hospital bombing.

885
00:42:58,042 --> 00:43:01,112
You mentioned yesterday that
he might read the entire report.

886
00:43:01,111 --> 00:43:02,281
Do you know if he
plans to do that?

887
00:43:02,279 --> 00:43:04,519
Mr. Earnest: I don't know
whether or not he plans to

888
00:43:04,515 --> 00:43:05,515
read the entire report.

889
00:43:05,516 --> 00:43:07,856
I know that he hasn't so
far, but he was briefed on

890
00:43:07,851 --> 00:43:09,851
the details of the
report earlier today.

891
00:43:09,853 --> 00:43:12,093
The Press: And has he or
does he plan to reach out to

892
00:43:12,089 --> 00:43:15,059
anybody within Doctors
Without Borders now that the

893
00:43:15,059 --> 00:43:16,459
report has been released?

894
00:43:16,460 --> 00:43:18,530
Mr. Earnest: You'll recall
the President did have an

895
00:43:18,529 --> 00:43:21,099
opportunity to speak to
one of the leaders of that

896
00:43:21,098 --> 00:43:23,498
organization shortly after
this incident occurred.

897
00:43:23,500 --> 00:43:26,300
I know that the Department
of Defense, including

898
00:43:26,303 --> 00:43:29,573
General Votel, the newly
installed commander of

899
00:43:29,573 --> 00:43:32,473
Central Command, has been in
touch with senior officials

900
00:43:32,476 --> 00:43:34,716
at MSF to discuss
the report.

901
00:43:34,712 --> 00:43:37,282
At this point, I'm not sure
and I don't know of any

902
00:43:37,281 --> 00:43:41,721
planned phone calls from the
President to MSF officials

903
00:43:41,719 --> 00:43:42,719
at this point.

904
00:43:42,720 --> 00:43:44,720
The Press: And then on one
other topic, the Supreme

905
00:43:44,722 --> 00:43:47,962
Court this morning declined
to block Texas's voter ID law.

906
00:43:47,958 --> 00:43:49,858
The President has talked
frequently about voter

907
00:43:49,860 --> 00:43:52,300
access this year.

908
00:43:52,296 --> 00:43:55,466
What's his reaction to that
action by the Supreme Court?

909
00:43:55,466 --> 00:43:57,506
Mr. Earnest: Well, I didn't
see the announcement from

910
00:43:57,501 --> 00:43:58,501
the Supreme Court.

911
00:43:58,502 --> 00:44:03,342
The President has expressed
his significant concern with

912
00:44:03,340 --> 00:44:05,410
politically motivated
efforts to make it harder

913
00:44:05,409 --> 00:44:07,279
for people to vote.

914
00:44:07,277 --> 00:44:09,277
As the President observed
I believe at this podium

915
00:44:09,279 --> 00:44:13,389
yesterday, the United
States is the only genuine

916
00:44:13,384 --> 00:44:16,454
democracy in the world that
actually makes it harder for

917
00:44:16,453 --> 00:44:18,293
its citizens to vote
than it should be.

918
00:44:18,288 --> 00:44:22,628
And there's increasing
evidence to indicate that

919
00:44:22,626 --> 00:44:29,736
Republicans engage in these
kinds of tactics to make it

920
00:44:29,733 --> 00:44:33,403
harder for people to vote
because they perceive a

921
00:44:33,404 --> 00:44:35,004
political interest
in doing so.

922
00:44:35,005 --> 00:44:37,405
They somehow believe that
if fewer people vote, that

923
00:44:37,408 --> 00:44:39,508
that's good for Republicans.

924
00:44:39,510 --> 00:44:44,920
It's not exactly a motto to
be proud of, I don't think.

925
00:44:44,915 --> 00:44:50,555
And so the President
obviously believes that when

926
00:44:50,554 --> 00:44:54,724
cities and states, and even
the federal government, are

927
00:44:54,725 --> 00:44:58,665
considering voting laws,
that they should do so with

928
00:44:58,662 --> 00:45:03,232
an eye toward making it
easier and more convenient

929
00:45:03,233 --> 00:45:09,143
for citizens who are
registered to vote.

930
00:45:09,139 --> 00:45:14,579
And that's a principle that
he's going to keep fighting for.

931
00:45:14,578 --> 00:45:17,078
But it's hard for me to
comment directly on a

932
00:45:17,081 --> 00:45:18,781
Supreme Court decision
without having seen.

933
00:45:18,782 --> 00:45:20,282
Kevin.

934
00:45:20,284 --> 00:45:21,154
The Press: Thanks, Josh.

935
00:45:21,151 --> 00:45:24,951
Does the President support
the idea that some of the

936
00:45:24,955 --> 00:45:27,855
women and men who are
involved in the accident in

937
00:45:27,858 --> 00:45:30,998
Afghanistan should in
fact lose their jobs?

938
00:45:30,994 --> 00:45:33,364
Mr. Earnest: Well, Kevin,
I'm not in a position to

939
00:45:33,363 --> 00:45:37,203
comment specifically on the
accountability measures that

940
00:45:37,201 --> 00:45:40,601
were announced by the
Department of Defense.

941
00:45:40,604 --> 00:45:45,074
As the Commander-in-Chief,
and as the spokesman for the

942
00:45:45,075 --> 00:45:48,045
Commander-in-Chief, I need
to avoid even the appearance

943
00:45:48,045 --> 00:45:52,585
of any potential undue
command influence.

944
00:45:52,583 --> 00:45:57,283
So the President was clear
that an objective accounting

945
00:45:57,287 --> 00:45:59,287
of the facts and
circumstances of this

946
00:45:59,289 --> 00:46:02,089
tragedy needed to be brought
forward, and that's what the

947
00:46:02,092 --> 00:46:04,192
Department of Defense did.

948
00:46:04,194 --> 00:46:07,334
And commanders at the
Department of Defense took a

949
00:46:07,331 --> 00:46:09,431
look at the evidence, they
took a look at the report,

950
00:46:09,433 --> 00:46:13,703
and they made a decision
about the appropriate

951
00:46:13,704 --> 00:46:16,144
accountability
measures to be imposed.

952
00:46:16,140 --> 00:46:18,140
But I'd refer you to the
Department of Defense to

953
00:46:18,142 --> 00:46:19,142
speak to those.

954
00:46:19,143 --> 00:46:21,143
The Press: But just to put
a fine point on it, the

955
00:46:21,145 --> 00:46:23,515
President would support
their decision should those

956
00:46:23,514 --> 00:46:26,184
commanders decide to
relieve someone of duty?

957
00:46:26,183 --> 00:46:28,553
Mr. Earnest: Well, Kevin,
I just can't speak in any

958
00:46:28,552 --> 00:46:33,522
detail about the specific
accountability measures that

959
00:46:33,524 --> 00:46:35,424
have been imposed or any
potential accountability

960
00:46:35,425 --> 00:46:37,965
measures that could be
announced at a later date.

961
00:46:37,961 --> 00:46:41,301
This is something that was
decided by the

962
00:46:41,298 --> 00:46:42,838
Department of Defense.

963
00:46:42,833 --> 00:46:45,303
But what I can tell you is
that the report that was

964
00:46:45,302 --> 00:46:48,502
made public today by the
Department of Defense is

965
00:46:48,505 --> 00:46:51,205
consistent with the
President's expectations

966
00:46:51,208 --> 00:46:53,348
about the need for a
thorough, transparent and

967
00:46:53,343 --> 00:46:55,443
objective accounting
of the facts.

968
00:46:55,445 --> 00:46:57,815
The Press: Can I ask
you about smart guns?

969
00:46:57,814 --> 00:47:02,154
The federal government, from
my research, is still the

970
00:47:02,152 --> 00:47:05,492
largest purchaser of weapons
in the United States.

971
00:47:05,489 --> 00:47:09,559
Is this an area where the
President would like to get

972
00:47:09,560 --> 00:47:13,430
more smart guns in the hands
of the federal government

973
00:47:13,430 --> 00:47:15,630
and make that part of his
mandate to push forward

974
00:47:15,632 --> 00:47:17,202
this technology?

975
00:47:17,201 --> 00:47:19,441
Mr. Earnest: Well, Kevin,
earlier today, the White

976
00:47:19,436 --> 00:47:22,576
House actually did announce
the moving forward on an

977
00:47:22,573 --> 00:47:25,313
executive action that the
President announced actually

978
00:47:25,309 --> 00:47:27,249
early this year.

979
00:47:27,244 --> 00:47:29,244
And this is an executive
action that would

980
00:47:29,246 --> 00:47:31,246
essentially allow law
enforcement officials at the

981
00:47:31,248 --> 00:47:33,488
Department of Justice and
the Department of Homeland

982
00:47:33,483 --> 00:47:38,753
Security to begin developing
guidelines and standards for

983
00:47:38,755 --> 00:47:40,925
smart gun technology.

984
00:47:40,924 --> 00:47:46,764
And the idea is there are
a set of standards and

985
00:47:46,763 --> 00:47:49,603
guidelines that can be
developed that would ensure

986
00:47:49,600 --> 00:47:53,000
that smart gun technology
could effectively be used by

987
00:47:53,003 --> 00:47:55,103
law enforcement officers.

988
00:47:55,105 --> 00:48:00,345
And the idea is that, yes,
the federal government is a

989
00:48:00,344 --> 00:48:05,144
bulk purchaser of firearms,
and so it does raise

990
00:48:05,148 --> 00:48:07,348
questions about
that potential.

991
00:48:07,351 --> 00:48:09,951
But that is not the
announcement that we

992
00:48:09,953 --> 00:48:11,123
made today.

993
00:48:11,121 --> 00:48:13,791
The announcement that we
made today was this question

994
00:48:13,790 --> 00:48:17,160
about specific guidelines
and standards, and whether

995
00:48:17,160 --> 00:48:20,530
or not those could be
developed consistent with

996
00:48:20,530 --> 00:48:23,300
the needs of law
enforcement officials.

997
00:48:23,300 --> 00:48:25,770
The Press: How concerned
is the President about the

998
00:48:25,769 --> 00:48:29,269
notion from some gun owners
that this is yet another

999
00:48:29,273 --> 00:48:31,343
intrusion by the federal
government to try to get

1000
00:48:31,341 --> 00:48:34,741
regular, law-abiding gun
purchasers and gun owners to

1001
00:48:34,745 --> 00:48:37,915
purchase a technology that
they're not interested in,

1002
00:48:37,914 --> 00:48:40,384
which is, somehow mandate
this in the future?

1003
00:48:40,384 --> 00:48:46,954
Mr. Earnest: I think this is
consistent with the kind of

1004
00:48:46,957 --> 00:48:52,597
wild-eyed conspiracy
theories that we've heard on

1005
00:48:52,596 --> 00:48:54,566
this issue for years now.

1006
00:48:56,900 --> 00:49:00,340
I think what is true is I
couldn't think of another

1007
00:49:00,337 --> 00:49:04,437
industry off the top of my
head that isn't interested

1008
00:49:04,441 --> 00:49:08,011
in looking at new technology
that could make their

1009
00:49:08,011 --> 00:49:09,011
product safer.

1010
00:49:09,012 --> 00:49:12,052
Just about every other
industry that I can think

1011
00:49:12,049 --> 00:49:15,589
of, that's what people do.

1012
00:49:15,585 --> 00:49:17,585
That's what
manufacturers do.

1013
00:49:17,587 --> 00:49:19,587
That is a source of
innovation in a variety

1014
00:49:19,589 --> 00:49:20,589
of fields.

1015
00:49:20,590 --> 00:49:22,590
I think the best example
of this is in the

1016
00:49:22,592 --> 00:49:24,192
auto industry.

1017
00:49:24,194 --> 00:49:27,594
Auto manufacturers actually
market the degree to which

1018
00:49:27,597 --> 00:49:30,697
they use new technology to
make their products safer,

1019
00:49:30,701 --> 00:49:34,041
to make cars and
trucks safer.

1020
00:49:34,037 --> 00:49:37,537
And it is surprising
to me that so many gun

1021
00:49:37,541 --> 00:49:41,941
manufacturers shirk
that responsibility.

1022
00:49:44,114 --> 00:49:47,854
I think one of the other
questions that can be

1023
00:49:47,851 --> 00:49:52,121
answered by this effort
to try to devise a set of

1024
00:49:52,122 --> 00:49:56,222
standards and guidelines
is whether or not a market

1025
00:49:56,226 --> 00:50:02,566
would emerge for a gun
manufacturer that deploys

1026
00:50:02,566 --> 00:50:04,566
smart gun technology.

1027
00:50:06,870 --> 00:50:09,070
Is there a manufacturer that
comes forward and says, hey,

1028
00:50:09,072 --> 00:50:12,472
I can adopt those standards
that the federal government

1029
00:50:12,476 --> 00:50:15,146
has said would be consistent
with the needs of law

1030
00:50:15,145 --> 00:50:21,855
enforcement officials and
maybe I can make some money

1031
00:50:21,852 --> 00:50:24,522
by marketing to people who
are interested in actually

1032
00:50:24,521 --> 00:50:28,561
being safer, but all of that
is an open question and a

1033
00:50:28,558 --> 00:50:30,558
question that will
ultimately be determined by

1034
00:50:30,560 --> 00:50:31,560
the free market.

1035
00:50:31,561 --> 00:50:34,861
But it certainly is a
question that's been

1036
00:50:34,865 --> 00:50:38,435
answered in the affirmative
by the free market in just

1037
00:50:38,435 --> 00:50:40,435
about every other
product imaginable.

1038
00:50:40,437 --> 00:50:42,637
The Press: Lastly, let me
ask you about Puerto Rico.

1039
00:50:42,639 --> 00:50:45,809
You and I spoke yesterday
about the ticking of the clock.

1040
00:50:45,809 --> 00:50:48,179
May 1st is around
the corner now.

1041
00:50:48,178 --> 00:50:51,548
Can you discuss the
restructuring of the debt

1042
00:50:51,548 --> 00:50:54,188
effort that is ongoing
for Puerto Rico and the

1043
00:50:54,184 --> 00:50:58,224
possibility that American
taxpayers can end up having

1044
00:50:58,221 --> 00:51:02,631
to if not be on the hook
for the problems there,

1045
00:51:02,626 --> 00:51:06,226
responsible for trying
to mitigate the damage?

1046
00:51:06,229 --> 00:51:08,399
Mr. Earnest: Well, the
problem right now, Kevin, is

1047
00:51:08,398 --> 00:51:11,138
that the government of
Puerto Rico does not have

1048
00:51:11,134 --> 00:51:14,504
the authority that they need
to effectively restructure

1049
00:51:14,504 --> 00:51:16,304
their debt.

1050
00:51:16,306 --> 00:51:18,906
The kind of authority that
the federal government has

1051
00:51:18,909 --> 00:51:22,449
proposed giving the Puerto
Rican government is the kind

1052
00:51:22,446 --> 00:51:24,916
of restructuring authority
that's available to cities

1053
00:51:24,915 --> 00:51:26,345
all across the country.

1054
00:51:26,349 --> 00:51:28,849
So this is not a strategy
that had to be designed from

1055
00:51:28,852 --> 00:51:33,692
scratch -- there's a
template for giving the

1056
00:51:33,690 --> 00:51:35,930
government the authority
that they need -- the local

1057
00:51:35,926 --> 00:51:38,926
government the authority
that they need to

1058
00:51:38,929 --> 00:51:40,329
restructure their debt.

1059
00:51:40,330 --> 00:51:42,900
Now, what's also true is the
Obama administration, at

1060
00:51:42,899 --> 00:51:45,199
least, is interested in
making sure that that

1061
00:51:45,202 --> 00:51:49,302
restructuring authority is
paired with a commitment on

1062
00:51:49,306 --> 00:51:52,506
the part of the Puerto Rican
government to implement

1063
00:51:52,509 --> 00:51:56,949
long-overdue economic,
financial and fiscal reforms.

1064
00:51:56,947 --> 00:52:01,957
And we should write into the
law oversight that ensures

1065
00:52:04,488 --> 00:52:07,688
the Puerto Rican government
makes good on their

1066
00:52:07,691 --> 00:52:09,691
commitment to implement
those reforms.

1067
00:52:09,693 --> 00:52:11,693
The Press: So where are
we in the process then?

1068
00:52:11,695 --> 00:52:13,695
Because May 1st is
around the corner.

1069
00:52:13,697 --> 00:52:15,697
Mr. Earnest: Well, where we
are in the process is that

1070
00:52:15,699 --> 00:52:18,699
now for 191 days we've seen
Republicans in Congress fail

1071
00:52:18,702 --> 00:52:21,442
to act on the common-sense
proposal that the

1072
00:52:21,438 --> 00:52:25,338
administration put forward
back on October 21st.

1073
00:52:25,342 --> 00:52:29,482
And that delay has allowed
the situation in Puerto Rico

1074
00:52:29,479 --> 00:52:31,219
to only get worse.

1075
00:52:31,214 --> 00:52:34,654
And that's why the case
that I've made is that

1076
00:52:34,651 --> 00:52:38,951
Republicans who are falsely
suggesting that the proposal

1077
00:52:38,955 --> 00:52:40,955
that I've outlined
is a bailout.

1078
00:52:40,957 --> 00:52:42,957
That's wrong; it's
not a bailout.

1079
00:52:42,959 --> 00:52:47,159
But the more they delay, and
the more that Republicans

1080
00:52:47,163 --> 00:52:51,063
drag their feet, the more
likely it is that a bailout

1081
00:52:51,067 --> 00:52:53,407
becomes the only option.

1082
00:52:53,403 --> 00:52:55,903
So it's irresponsible for
Republicans to be handling

1083
00:52:55,906 --> 00:52:59,176
this in the way that
they have thus far.

1084
00:52:59,175 --> 00:53:02,575
Frankly, their false
accusations only further gum

1085
00:53:02,579 --> 00:53:07,179
up the process in a way that
makes the worst possible

1086
00:53:07,183 --> 00:53:09,583
outcome even more likely.

1087
00:53:09,586 --> 00:53:11,086
The Press: Any chance that
there will be work on this

1088
00:53:11,087 --> 00:53:11,987
over the weekend?

1089
00:53:11,988 --> 00:53:14,428
Because between now and
Monday, something has

1090
00:53:14,424 --> 00:53:15,254
got to give.

1091
00:53:15,258 --> 00:53:17,198
Mr. Earnest: Well, I know
that there have been

1092
00:53:17,193 --> 00:53:19,463
extensive conversations
already between

1093
00:53:19,462 --> 00:53:21,462
administration officials,
mostly at the Treasury

1094
00:53:21,464 --> 00:53:24,504
Department, and officials
on Capitol Hill.

1095
00:53:24,501 --> 00:53:26,501
Obviously Puerto Rican
officials have been involved

1096
00:53:26,503 --> 00:53:27,503
in this, too.

1097
00:53:27,504 --> 00:53:29,744
Look, this is an island that
is inhabited by 3 million

1098
00:53:29,739 --> 00:53:33,009
Americans, and these are
American citizens who are

1099
00:53:33,009 --> 00:53:39,479
increasingly at risk because
of the dire fiscal situation

1100
00:53:39,482 --> 00:53:40,652
of the local government.

1101
00:53:40,650 --> 00:53:43,450
So this is where Congress
has to step in and act, show

1102
00:53:43,453 --> 00:53:46,393
some leadership, and act in
a way that is not just in

1103
00:53:46,389 --> 00:53:49,789
the best interest of the
Americans in Puerto Rico,

1104
00:53:49,793 --> 00:53:52,593
but actually act in the best
interests of the 300 million

1105
00:53:52,596 --> 00:53:54,896
Americans that live here on
the mainland to make sure

1106
00:53:54,898 --> 00:53:56,898
we're not on the hook for
bailing out Puerto Rico.

1107
00:53:56,900 --> 00:53:57,900
Mark.

1108
00:53:57,901 --> 00:54:02,501
The Press: Josh, have the
Russians ever responded to the

1109
00:54:02,505 --> 00:54:04,545
U.S. complaint about the

1110
00:54:04,541 --> 00:54:06,541
buzzing of the U.S. naval vessel?

1111
00:54:06,543 --> 00:54:11,113
Mr. Earnest: I don't know
how the Russians responded

1112
00:54:11,114 --> 00:54:13,614
to the concerns that were
expressed by our

1113
00:54:13,617 --> 00:54:14,387
military attachĂŠ.

1114
00:54:14,384 --> 00:54:15,114
The Press: Never responded?

1115
00:54:15,118 --> 00:54:20,958
Mr. Earnest: I just don't
know whether or not, or how

1116
00:54:20,957 --> 00:54:25,027
the Russians communicated or
responded to the concerns

1117
00:54:25,028 --> 00:54:26,028
that we raised.

1118
00:54:26,029 --> 00:54:30,069
But obviously those concerns
were raised by the military

1119
00:54:30,066 --> 00:54:31,536
attachĂŠ at the U.S.

1120
00:54:31,534 --> 00:54:33,604
embassy in Moscow to his
military counterpart.

1121
00:54:33,603 --> 00:54:37,573
The Press: Do you know if
there was another complaint

1122
00:54:37,574 --> 00:54:41,314
after the incident with a U.S. reconnaissance plane?

1123
00:54:41,311 --> 00:54:44,111
Mr. Earnest: I do not know
whether or not additional

1124
00:54:44,114 --> 00:54:46,284
concerns were raised about
that incident, but you could

1125
00:54:46,282 --> 00:54:48,282
check with the Department
of Defense about that.

1126
00:54:48,284 --> 00:54:50,284
The Press: Also, I saw that
there's a movie coming out

1127
00:54:50,286 --> 00:54:51,956
about the Obamas'
first date.

1128
00:54:51,955 --> 00:54:54,095
Do you know whether the
President and First Lady

1129
00:54:54,090 --> 00:54:56,130
have cooperated in the
making of that movie?

1130
00:54:56,126 --> 00:54:57,426
Mr. Earnest: I've read a
little bit of the news

1131
00:54:57,427 --> 00:54:58,627
coverage about this.

1132
00:54:58,628 --> 00:55:01,228
It was a couple of months
ago that I first saw the

1133
00:55:01,231 --> 00:55:03,771
first story about it.

1134
00:55:03,767 --> 00:55:06,607
I'm not aware of any
cooperation on the part of

1135
00:55:06,603 --> 00:55:09,373
the White House or the Obama
family in the making of that

1136
00:55:09,372 --> 00:55:11,842
movie, but I do know that
the President and the First

1137
00:55:11,841 --> 00:55:13,611
Lady have heard
of the movie.

1138
00:55:13,610 --> 00:55:15,610
I don't know if
they've seen it.

1139
00:55:15,612 --> 00:55:16,612
The Press: You don't know.

1140
00:55:16,613 --> 00:55:17,613
Could you find out?

1141
00:55:17,614 --> 00:55:18,684
Mr. Earnest: I'll
look into it.

1142
00:55:18,682 --> 00:55:19,552
Margaret.

1143
00:55:19,549 --> 00:55:20,849
The Press: Josh, apologies
if you talked about this at

1144
00:55:20,850 --> 00:55:22,220
the beginning.

1145
00:55:22,218 --> 00:55:24,558
On Afghanistan, with this
incident in Kunduz, there

1146
00:55:24,554 --> 00:55:27,754
was a reference at the
briefing at the Pentagon

1147
00:55:27,757 --> 00:55:30,027
that there was some combat
fatigue that played a role

1148
00:55:30,026 --> 00:55:30,496
in all this.

1149
00:55:30,493 --> 00:55:32,633
And it made me wonder if the
White House has any timeline

1150
00:55:32,629 --> 00:55:37,069
or any update on when you're
going to move from that

1151
00:55:37,067 --> 00:55:40,107
9,800 down to 5,500 U.S. troops.

1152
00:55:40,103 --> 00:55:44,273
Mr. Earnest: I don't have an
update on our troop posture

1153
00:55:44,274 --> 00:55:45,344
at this point.

1154
00:55:45,341 --> 00:55:48,681
Obviously the President has
laid out a strategy, one

1155
00:55:48,678 --> 00:55:51,478
that he spoke about as
recently as the end

1156
00:55:51,481 --> 00:55:53,321
of last year.

1157
00:55:53,316 --> 00:55:56,756
And the strategy that he's
laid out is consistent with

1158
00:55:56,753 --> 00:55:59,453
the recommendations that
he's received from our

1159
00:55:59,456 --> 00:56:01,596
military leaders, both here
in Washington and on the

1160
00:56:01,591 --> 00:56:02,691
ground in Afghanistan.

1161
00:56:02,692 --> 00:56:05,462
Our men and women in
uniform have two missions.

1162
00:56:05,462 --> 00:56:10,602
The first is continuing
to fight terrorism.

1163
00:56:10,600 --> 00:56:13,540
We know there are extremist
elements that could be

1164
00:56:13,536 --> 00:56:18,006
trying to use the chaos in
Afghanistan as cover to

1165
00:56:18,007 --> 00:56:19,107
establish a safe
haven there.

1166
00:56:19,109 --> 00:56:21,109
We want to make sure that
they're not able to do that.

1167
00:56:21,111 --> 00:56:25,511
But in addition to that, our
military servicemembers are

1168
00:56:25,515 --> 00:56:29,715
also providing some advice
and assistance to Afghan

1169
00:56:29,719 --> 00:56:34,859
security forces whose
capacity is only improving.

1170
00:56:34,858 --> 00:56:41,698
So those dual missions will
continue, and I don't have

1171
00:56:41,698 --> 00:56:45,398
any update at this point
about whether or not a

1172
00:56:45,401 --> 00:56:47,001
change in our
posture is imminent.

1173
00:56:47,003 --> 00:56:50,543
The Press: Is it fair to say
that the troop position is

1174
00:56:50,540 --> 00:56:53,610
still under review as is the
consideration of allowing

1175
00:56:53,610 --> 00:56:56,710
U.S. troops more of what their
requesting, in terms of

1176
00:56:56,713 --> 00:57:00,753
leeway to engage
on the battlefield?

1177
00:57:00,750 --> 00:57:03,090
Mr. Earnest: Well, what the
President has said about

1178
00:57:03,086 --> 00:57:07,626
this is that it is important
for the broader strategic

1179
00:57:07,624 --> 00:57:13,194
decisions that are made
about things like force

1180
00:57:13,196 --> 00:57:18,206
posture to be influenced, at
least, by conditions

1181
00:57:21,004 --> 00:57:22,004
on the ground.

1182
00:57:22,005 --> 00:57:23,975
We need to be mindful of
what's happening on the

1183
00:57:23,973 --> 00:57:26,413
ground, even as we are
making higher-level

1184
00:57:26,409 --> 00:57:27,949
strategic decisions.

1185
00:57:27,944 --> 00:57:30,284
That certainly is why the
Commander-in-Chief gets

1186
00:57:30,280 --> 00:57:33,180
regular updates from his
military and civilian

1187
00:57:33,183 --> 00:57:35,183
leadership at the Department
of Defense about what's

1188
00:57:35,185 --> 00:57:36,415
happening in Afghanistan.

1189
00:57:36,419 --> 00:57:39,489
He understands that as
he's setting the broader

1190
00:57:39,489 --> 00:57:41,929
strategic direction, it
needs to reflect the

1191
00:57:41,925 --> 00:57:44,025
changing situation
on the ground.

1192
00:57:44,027 --> 00:57:46,897
At this point, I'm not aware
of any changes that are

1193
00:57:46,896 --> 00:57:49,436
being contemplated with
respect to the mission that

1194
00:57:49,432 --> 00:57:52,232
our men and women in
uniform are fulfilling.

1195
00:57:52,235 --> 00:57:55,605
The Press: On Syria, I
wanted to ask you, some of

1196
00:57:55,605 --> 00:57:59,675
the friendly groups to the
U.S., rebel groups have come

1197
00:57:59,676 --> 00:58:03,546
out and really strongly hit
back, saying why isn't the

1198
00:58:03,546 --> 00:58:07,316
White House condemning
specifically the Russian

1199
00:58:07,317 --> 00:58:10,287
build-up around Aleppo and
the regime's -- what they

1200
00:58:10,286 --> 00:58:14,056
believe were regime strikes
on medical personnel and

1201
00:58:14,057 --> 00:58:17,827
hospitals, believing that it
is, to them, obvious who did

1202
00:58:17,827 --> 00:58:22,027
it, and wondering why the
White House isn't condemning

1203
00:58:22,031 --> 00:58:25,471
it, saying that that makes
you complicit in allowing

1204
00:58:25,468 --> 00:58:27,508
this sort of thing to
continue to happen.

1205
00:58:27,503 --> 00:58:29,203
Mr. Earnest: Well, I
can tell you that this

1206
00:58:29,205 --> 00:58:32,675
particular incident about
-- I'm referring to the MSF

1207
00:58:32,675 --> 00:58:37,345
facility in Syria -- was not
the result of any action

1208
00:58:37,347 --> 00:58:41,817
taken by the United States
or our coalition partners.

1209
00:58:41,818 --> 00:58:46,318
I noted yesterday that
the tactics used in that

1210
00:58:46,322 --> 00:58:48,492
incident were consistent
with tactics that we've seen

1211
00:58:48,491 --> 00:58:52,661
used by the Assad regime in
other parts of the country.

1212
00:58:52,662 --> 00:58:57,502
But at this point, I'm not
aware of any analysis that

1213
00:58:57,500 --> 00:59:02,370
has concluded definitively
that the Assad regime or

1214
00:59:02,372 --> 00:59:05,542
associated forces are
directly responsible.

1215
00:59:05,541 --> 00:59:09,441
But like I said, the early
evidence that is already

1216
00:59:09,445 --> 00:59:13,615
available indicates that
it is quite similar to the

1217
00:59:13,616 --> 00:59:15,256
tactics that have been used
by the Assad regime in

1218
00:59:15,251 --> 00:59:16,921
other places.

1219
00:59:16,920 --> 00:59:22,860
And this administration,
from the President on down,

1220
00:59:22,859 --> 00:59:27,829
have repeatedly and
forcefully condemned the

1221
00:59:27,830 --> 00:59:32,700
immoral tactics of
the Assad regime.

1222
00:59:32,702 --> 00:59:35,942
We've noted that this
blood-thirsty dictator has

1223
00:59:35,939 --> 00:59:37,879
time and time again used
the military might of that

1224
00:59:37,874 --> 00:59:41,014
nation to attack
innocent citizens.

1225
00:59:41,010 --> 00:59:44,410
That is, in fact, why
the Obama administration

1226
00:59:44,414 --> 00:59:46,254
believes that he has lost
the legitimacy to lead

1227
00:59:46,249 --> 00:59:47,789
that country.

1228
00:59:47,784 --> 00:59:49,724
And it's why we believe a
political transition is

1229
00:59:49,719 --> 00:59:53,159
necessary to try to bring an
end to the chaos, and to try

1230
00:59:53,156 --> 00:59:57,256
to address the series of
consequences that have

1231
00:59:57,260 --> 01:00:01,630
stemmed from President
Bashar al-Assad's failed

1232
01:00:01,631 --> 01:00:02,931
political leadership.

1233
01:00:02,932 --> 01:00:06,272
The Press: But th
opposition sees that hedging

1234
01:00:06,269 --> 01:00:10,609
as a defense of a broken
peace and a desperate

1235
01:00:10,606 --> 01:00:15,616
attempt to save a faltering
-- didn't really even get

1236
01:00:15,611 --> 01:00:18,011
started -- a peace process
here, saying that this is

1237
01:00:18,014 --> 01:00:20,614
some political theater;
call it what it is and say

1238
01:00:20,616 --> 01:00:22,286
directly what it is.

1239
01:00:22,285 --> 01:00:24,425
How do you put that
concern to rest?

1240
01:00:24,420 --> 01:00:26,190
Mr. Earnest: Well, I think
what I would say is simply

1241
01:00:26,189 --> 01:00:29,459
that the observations that
we have made are based on

1242
01:00:29,459 --> 01:00:32,599
available information
and available evidence.

1243
01:00:32,595 --> 01:00:37,835
And there's no denying that
the United States of America

1244
01:00:37,834 --> 01:00:40,004
has, on a variety of
occasions, starting at the

1245
01:00:40,003 --> 01:00:43,503
level of the President on
down, has repeatedly and

1246
01:00:43,506 --> 01:00:46,976
forcefully condemned the
attacks that the Assad

1247
01:00:46,976 --> 01:00:50,376
regime has launched against
innocent civilians.

1248
01:00:50,380 --> 01:00:54,820
What's also true is that
this administration has made

1249
01:00:54,817 --> 01:00:58,257
reaching a political
settlement and a political

1250
01:00:58,254 --> 01:01:01,554
transition inside of
Syria a top priority.

1251
01:01:01,557 --> 01:01:03,127
There's no military solution
that can be imposed

1252
01:01:03,126 --> 01:01:07,226
successfully on Syria.

1253
01:01:07,230 --> 01:01:09,070
The way to resolve the chaos
in that country --

1254
01:01:09,065 --> 01:01:12,235
The Press: What if the Russians
don't believe that?

1255
01:01:12,235 --> 01:01:13,205
Mr. Earnest: Well, actually,
the Russians themselves have

1256
01:01:13,202 --> 01:01:14,402
acknowledged that a
political transition

1257
01:01:14,404 --> 01:01:15,534
is necessary.

1258
01:01:15,538 --> 01:01:17,338
They've indicated that
they share that view.

1259
01:01:17,340 --> 01:01:20,280
And what we have challenged
the Russians to do is to use

1260
01:01:20,276 --> 01:01:22,276
their influence with the
Assad regime to get them to

1261
01:01:22,278 --> 01:01:24,278
participate on those talks
more constructively.

1262
01:01:24,280 --> 01:01:27,250
And look, the fact that
those talks convened, and

1263
01:01:27,250 --> 01:01:30,950
the fact that there was, at
least for several weeks, a

1264
01:01:30,953 --> 01:01:34,223
cessation of hostilities
that largely held, was a

1265
01:01:34,223 --> 01:01:39,233
testament to the efforts of
the United States and our

1266
01:01:39,228 --> 01:01:44,338
ability to persuade the
Russians to influence the

1267
01:01:44,333 --> 01:01:45,333
Assad regime.

1268
01:01:45,334 --> 01:01:50,474
So this is a strategy that
has shown at least a little

1269
01:01:50,473 --> 01:01:55,113
glimmer of progress,
a glimmer of hope.

1270
01:01:55,111 --> 01:01:57,981
And that's why the
administration continues

1271
01:01:57,980 --> 01:01:58,980
to push.

1272
01:01:58,981 --> 01:02:02,851
That's why you see the
dogged engagement of

1273
01:02:02,852 --> 01:02:04,792
Secretary Kerry
in this effort.

1274
01:02:04,787 --> 01:02:08,887
His repeated calls to
Foreign Minister Lavrov and

1275
01:02:08,891 --> 01:02:13,261
other participants in these
talks are an indication that

1276
01:02:13,262 --> 01:02:15,262
we're trying to capitalize
on a very, very

1277
01:02:15,264 --> 01:02:17,264
narrow opening.

1278
01:02:18,835 --> 01:02:23,405
Because, as the President
observed during his trip

1279
01:02:23,406 --> 01:02:27,576
last week, all the
options in Syria are bad.

1280
01:02:27,577 --> 01:02:31,417
There are no good
options there.

1281
01:02:31,414 --> 01:02:36,154
So we might as be focused on
the one thing that we know

1282
01:02:36,152 --> 01:02:38,352
can address the wide array
of problems in that country,

1283
01:02:38,354 --> 01:02:42,424
and that is seeking a
political transition that

1284
01:02:42,425 --> 01:02:44,695
would bring leadership to
Syria that reflects the will

1285
01:02:44,694 --> 01:02:51,534
and ambition of the Syrian
people, that can unite that

1286
01:02:51,534 --> 01:02:54,674
country, that can restore
some order, that can be a

1287
01:02:54,670 --> 01:02:55,200
partner of the United States
and our coalition partners

1288
01:02:55,204 --> 01:02:57,404
to degrade and ultimately
destroy ISIL, and begin to

1289
01:02:57,406 --> 01:03:00,446
try to govern that
country once again.

1290
01:03:00,443 --> 01:03:01,643
This is long-term goal.

1291
01:03:01,644 --> 01:03:03,644
It's not going to
happen overnight.

1292
01:03:03,646 --> 01:03:05,646
And there will be lots of
starts and stops to try to

1293
01:03:05,648 --> 01:03:06,648
achieve that end.

1294
01:03:06,649 --> 01:03:13,189
But that is the path that
we're trying to carve out.

1295
01:03:13,189 --> 01:03:18,199
And it's painstaking work,
and it is -- goodness knows

1296
01:03:20,329 --> 01:03:21,099
it's frustrating.

1297
01:03:21,097 --> 01:03:28,407
But that is the path to an
outcome that reflects the

1298
01:03:28,404 --> 01:03:30,444
best interest of the United
States, and the path to an

1299
01:03:30,439 --> 01:03:38,819
outcome that reflects the
best way to resolve a

1300
01:03:38,814 --> 01:03:42,284
conflict that has
contributed to tensions in

1301
01:03:42,285 --> 01:03:45,125
an already volatile
part of the world.

1302
01:03:45,121 --> 01:03:48,061
The Press: So this isn't a
failure to confront on the

1303
01:03:48,057 --> 01:03:49,357
part of the U.S.

1304
01:03:49,358 --> 01:03:54,828
in an attempt to rescue what
remains a hopeful idea but

1305
01:03:54,830 --> 01:03:56,770
not a real political
process at this point?

1306
01:03:56,766 --> 01:03:59,266
Mr. Earnest: Well, again,
the United States has

1307
01:03:59,268 --> 01:04:02,968
willingly and forcefully
condemned the immoral and

1308
01:04:02,972 --> 01:04:05,172
bloodthirsty actions
of the Assad regime.

1309
01:04:05,174 --> 01:04:09,844
They have repeatedly used
grotesque military tactics

1310
01:04:09,845 --> 01:04:12,015
to attack innocent men,
women and children.

1311
01:04:12,014 --> 01:04:16,254
And we have forcefully
condemned those actions more

1312
01:04:16,252 --> 01:04:18,252
times than I can count.

1313
01:04:20,056 --> 01:04:24,026
And yes, the United States
has been focused on trying

1314
01:04:24,026 --> 01:04:27,966
to bring along political
talks -- and not because

1315
01:04:27,964 --> 01:04:31,904
it's easy, but because we
recognize that political

1316
01:04:31,901 --> 01:04:36,441
talks are the best path to
resolving the chaos and

1317
01:04:36,439 --> 01:04:38,439
turmoil and violence
inside of Syria.

1318
01:04:38,441 --> 01:04:41,981
The Press: And lastly,
on North Korea.

1319
01:04:41,978 --> 01:04:42,578
Is the U.S.

1320
01:04:42,578 --> 01:04:45,718
open to doing what they've
done in the past and perhaps

1321
01:04:45,715 --> 01:04:47,985
entertain the idea of
sending an envoy to bring

1322
01:04:47,984 --> 01:04:50,954
back the two Americans who
are now in prison there, one

1323
01:04:50,953 --> 01:04:53,193
of them sentenced today?

1324
01:04:53,189 --> 01:04:58,629
Mr. Earnest: Well, what we
have said, particularly as

1325
01:04:58,628 --> 01:05:02,568
it relates to Mr. Warmbier,
the college student who was

1326
01:05:02,565 --> 01:05:08,335
detained in North Korea back
in January, is we've called

1327
01:05:08,337 --> 01:05:10,337
on the North Korean
government to release him on

1328
01:05:10,339 --> 01:05:12,339
humanitarian grounds so that
he can be reunited

1329
01:05:12,341 --> 01:05:13,111
with his family.

1330
01:05:13,109 --> 01:05:16,049
Our engagement with the
North Koreans has been

1331
01:05:16,045 --> 01:05:20,815
through the Swedish
government.

1332
01:05:20,816 --> 01:05:23,456
The Swedes are our
protecting power in North

1333
01:05:23,452 --> 01:05:26,222
Korea, and we're going to
continue to work through

1334
01:05:26,222 --> 01:05:28,722
Swedish diplomats to secure
the release of these

1335
01:05:28,724 --> 01:05:29,554
American citizens.

1336
01:05:29,558 --> 01:05:32,198
The Press: But as for
sentencing today, can you

1337
01:05:32,194 --> 01:05:33,964
say anything about that?

1338
01:05:33,963 --> 01:05:36,233
Mr. Earnest: As for the
sentencing today, I don't

1339
01:05:36,232 --> 01:05:37,232
have much to say about it.

1340
01:05:37,233 --> 01:05:42,703
We continue to go to great
lengths to try bring home

1341
01:05:42,705 --> 01:05:45,145
Americans that we believe
are wrongfully held around

1342
01:05:45,141 --> 01:05:46,141
the world.

1343
01:05:46,142 --> 01:05:48,542
And those efforts will
continue, and those efforts

1344
01:05:48,544 --> 01:05:54,584
in North Korea are done
through our Swedish

1345
01:05:54,583 --> 01:05:56,253
protecting power there.

1346
01:05:56,252 --> 01:05:57,692
John.

1347
01:05:57,687 --> 01:06:01,087
The Press: Talking about the
Zika funding, the bipartisan

1348
01:06:01,090 --> 01:06:05,630
Budget Act of 2015, it
increased discretionary caps

1349
01:06:05,628 --> 01:06:10,098
-- $80 billion over two
years, including non-defense

1350
01:06:10,099 --> 01:06:13,069
discretionary spending,
about $40 billion over the

1351
01:06:13,069 --> 01:06:15,239
next fiscal year.

1352
01:06:15,237 --> 01:06:18,307
Does that money give
the administration any

1353
01:06:18,307 --> 01:06:21,107
flexibility to work with
appropriators to try to come

1354
01:06:21,110 --> 01:06:25,450
up with a way to fund
the emergency for Zika?

1355
01:06:25,448 --> 01:06:30,588
Mr. Earnest: Well, I'm
certainly no expert when it

1356
01:06:30,586 --> 01:06:33,156
comes to the intricacies of
the congressional

1357
01:06:33,155 --> 01:06:34,295
budget process.

1358
01:06:34,290 --> 01:06:38,560
What I do know, and what
requires no expertise to

1359
01:06:38,561 --> 01:06:41,661
include, is that the budget
process that's being run by

1360
01:06:41,664 --> 01:06:44,704
Republicans in the House and
Senate right now is

1361
01:06:44,700 --> 01:06:46,240
totally broken.

1362
01:06:46,235 --> 01:06:50,505
The prospects of any sort of
budget agreement, even by

1363
01:06:50,506 --> 01:06:52,476
the strong Republican
majorities in the House and

1364
01:06:52,475 --> 01:06:57,485
Senate, are basically nil --
which is why it is totally

1365
01:07:00,816 --> 01:07:06,986
irresponsible for
Republicans to suggest that

1366
01:07:06,989 --> 01:07:12,629
this broken budget process
should be pursued to meet an

1367
01:07:12,628 --> 01:07:14,668
urgent need.

1368
01:07:14,663 --> 01:07:16,663
Our public health
professionals have called

1369
01:07:16,665 --> 01:07:17,665
this a public
health emergency.

1370
01:07:17,666 --> 01:07:22,676
It has prompted an emergency
response by the CDC and the

1371
01:07:27,042 --> 01:07:29,042
NIH and other public health
professionals all

1372
01:07:29,044 --> 01:07:30,044
across the country.

1373
01:07:30,045 --> 01:07:32,545
And it's time for Congress
to treat it accordingly.

1374
01:07:34,650 --> 01:07:37,290
Democrats in Congress are
certainly committed to

1375
01:07:37,286 --> 01:07:42,056
addressing this emergency,
but Republicans aren't.

1376
01:07:42,057 --> 01:07:44,397
And, frankly, I
don't know why.

1377
01:07:44,393 --> 01:07:46,393
I don't know what
their explanation is.

1378
01:07:46,395 --> 01:07:49,565
There's no -- it's not as if
the Zika virus only

1379
01:07:49,565 --> 01:07:53,605
affects Democrats.

1380
01:07:53,602 --> 01:07:55,672
Pregnant women in both
parties are affected by the

1381
01:07:55,671 --> 01:07:57,671
Zika virus and are at risk.

1382
01:08:01,844 --> 01:08:04,944
It's time for Congress to do
something to protect them.

1383
01:08:04,947 --> 01:08:10,217
And every day that goes by
that Republicans in Congress

1384
01:08:10,219 --> 01:08:15,159
fail to act is another day
lost to our efforts to

1385
01:08:15,157 --> 01:08:17,157
prepare for this emergency.

1386
01:08:18,294 --> 01:08:21,364
And that's the subject of
intense disappointment.

1387
01:08:21,363 --> 01:08:25,933
And it is highly
irresponsible, and I don't

1388
01:08:25,935 --> 01:08:30,235
know how Republicans who are
in the majority in Congress

1389
01:08:30,239 --> 01:08:32,839
right now are going to
explain that to their

1390
01:08:32,842 --> 01:08:36,942
constituents as they spend
the next 10 days not

1391
01:08:36,946 --> 01:08:39,186
in Congress.

1392
01:08:39,181 --> 01:08:43,151
So I don't know if these
members of Congress are

1393
01:08:43,152 --> 01:08:45,152
planning a vacation or if
they're planning town hall

1394
01:08:45,154 --> 01:08:47,154
meetings, but I suspect
they're going to get some

1395
01:08:47,156 --> 01:08:49,296
pretty direct questions from
their constituents asking

1396
01:08:49,291 --> 01:08:53,091
them why they haven't done
anything to address a public

1397
01:08:53,095 --> 01:08:54,535
health emergency.

1398
01:08:54,530 --> 01:08:56,530
And I suspect that
Republicans at some point

1399
01:08:56,532 --> 01:09:01,502
later this summer, when the
television networks and the

1400
01:09:04,073 --> 01:09:08,013
newspapers are warning of
this public health crisis,

1401
01:09:08,010 --> 01:09:10,350
the Republicans themselves
are going to be wondering

1402
01:09:10,346 --> 01:09:12,816
why they didn't do
something earlier.

1403
01:09:12,815 --> 01:09:15,155
And I don't know what the
answer to that question will

1404
01:09:15,150 --> 01:09:16,550
be, either.

1405
01:09:16,552 --> 01:09:17,892
The Press: And then
quickly on the White House

1406
01:09:17,887 --> 01:09:19,157
Correspondents' Dinner.

1407
01:09:19,154 --> 01:09:21,924
In 2011, the President
really went after Donald

1408
01:09:21,924 --> 01:09:25,664
Trump, but since then he's
said that the rhetoric he's

1409
01:09:25,661 --> 01:09:28,931
using is dangerous and it's
making our allies nervous.

1410
01:09:28,931 --> 01:09:31,301
Is Donald Trump still
a laughing matter?

1411
01:09:31,300 --> 01:09:33,200
Can he still prove to be the
butt of jokes at the dinner

1412
01:09:33,202 --> 01:09:35,042
this weekend?

1413
01:09:35,037 --> 01:09:36,137
Mr. Earnest: Tune in on
Saturday night and we'll all

1414
01:09:36,138 --> 01:09:37,008
find out.

1415
01:09:37,006 --> 01:09:39,276
The Press: And Bernie
Sanders is the only

1416
01:09:39,275 --> 01:09:40,915
presidential candidate that
will be in attendance.

1417
01:09:40,910 --> 01:09:42,580
You said before that he
would be going after his

1418
01:09:42,578 --> 01:09:45,318
adversaries, but do you
expect Democrats to also be

1419
01:09:45,314 --> 01:09:46,854
on the receiving end?

1420
01:09:46,849 --> 01:09:49,549
Mr. Earnest: Well, I know
that the President will

1421
01:09:49,552 --> 01:09:53,892
certainly poke a little fun
at himself, and I suspect a

1422
01:09:53,889 --> 01:09:56,389
little good-natured ribbing
of his friends will occur

1423
01:09:56,392 --> 01:09:57,392
as well.

1424
01:09:57,393 --> 01:09:58,393
The Press: Okay.

1425
01:09:58,394 --> 01:10:00,994
Lastly, after the party, is
the President planning any

1426
01:10:00,996 --> 01:10:02,366
sort of after-party here at
the White House with his

1427
01:10:02,364 --> 01:10:03,764
friends and supporters?

1428
01:10:03,766 --> 01:10:06,406
Mr. Earnest: Not that I'm
aware of, but that would be

1429
01:10:06,402 --> 01:10:07,632
a pretty hot ticket if
he were, wouldn't it?

1430
01:10:07,636 --> 01:10:11,176
John, in the back.

1431
01:10:11,173 --> 01:10:12,273
The Press: Thanks, Josh.

1432
01:10:12,274 --> 01:10:16,044
I've noticed on Donald Trump
a reluctance -- especially

1433
01:10:16,045 --> 01:10:17,815
on Wednesday I noticed you
wouldn't say his name.

1434
01:10:17,813 --> 01:10:20,983
Look back and it
seems to be a pattern.

1435
01:10:20,983 --> 01:10:23,153
And when asked about
some of his proposals and

1436
01:10:23,152 --> 01:10:25,252
pronouncements, you talk
about the President's

1437
01:10:25,254 --> 01:10:27,194
record, especially
on foreign policy.

1438
01:10:27,189 --> 01:10:28,629
Why is that?

1439
01:10:28,624 --> 01:10:32,824
And as he moves closer to
being the nominee, will the

1440
01:10:32,828 --> 01:10:34,828
White House have to
change that approach?

1441
01:10:34,830 --> 01:10:38,030
Mr. Earnest: Well, look,
over the course of the last

1442
01:10:38,033 --> 01:10:41,633
nine months or so, I've
been asked frequently about

1443
01:10:41,637 --> 01:10:45,377
presidential candidates
in both parties.

1444
01:10:45,374 --> 01:10:50,384
And I think I've been pretty
candid about the fact that

1445
01:10:54,016 --> 01:10:56,186
there are some opportunities
that I've taken to weigh on

1446
01:10:56,185 --> 01:11:00,225
that debate, but mostly I've
tried to stay out of it.

1447
01:11:00,222 --> 01:11:05,192
And I think as the general
election advances, I'm going

1448
01:11:08,597 --> 01:11:12,437
to try to fulfill what
responsibilities I have

1449
01:11:12,434 --> 01:11:17,644
here, which is to obviously
help all of you understand

1450
01:11:17,640 --> 01:11:19,640
exactly what's happening at
the White House, but also to

1451
01:11:19,642 --> 01:11:22,112
be an advocate for the
President's policies and the

1452
01:11:22,111 --> 01:11:24,111
President's values and the
President's priorities.

1453
01:11:24,113 --> 01:11:26,853
That will be the subject of
some debate in the

1454
01:11:26,849 --> 01:11:29,189
general election.

1455
01:11:29,184 --> 01:11:34,194
And so I anticipate that
I'll be asked about what

1456
01:11:37,026 --> 01:11:39,666
some of the other candidates
have to say about it.

1457
01:11:39,662 --> 01:11:44,672
And that will be a -- I'll
have to make some strategic

1458
01:11:46,702 --> 01:11:51,442
decisions about how to most
effectively make the case

1459
01:11:51,440 --> 01:11:52,780
for the President.

1460
01:11:52,775 --> 01:11:55,375
Obviously the President
himself is going to be out

1461
01:11:55,377 --> 01:11:58,117
there making his case too,
and he'll do that here at

1462
01:11:58,113 --> 01:12:00,113
the White House but also
as he travels across

1463
01:12:00,115 --> 01:12:01,115
the country.

1464
01:12:01,116 --> 01:12:04,156
And it's going to be an
interesting fall, I suspect.

1465
01:12:04,153 --> 01:12:09,093
The Press: And on Zika,
Senator Blunt says the Zika

1466
01:12:09,091 --> 01:12:11,991
gang in the Senate, they're
trying to produce something

1467
01:12:11,994 --> 01:12:14,134
that can move to
final passage.

1468
01:12:14,129 --> 01:12:14,999
Mr. Earnest: Is "Zika
gang" a thing now?

1469
01:12:14,997 --> 01:12:16,497
The Press: I'm
giving it a shot.

1470
01:12:16,498 --> 01:12:18,598
Mr. Earnest: There you go.

1471
01:12:18,600 --> 01:12:22,340
I imagine they all have,
like, black leather jackets

1472
01:12:22,337 --> 01:12:25,207
and maybe a certain color
of bandana or something.

1473
01:12:25,207 --> 01:12:27,207
"Hey, man, we're
the Zika gang."

1474
01:12:27,209 --> 01:12:28,309
It's got a good ring to it.

1475
01:12:28,310 --> 01:12:30,510
The Press: They're trying
to produce something.

1476
01:12:30,512 --> 01:12:32,412
(laughter)

1477
01:12:32,414 --> 01:12:33,654
Mr. Earnest: Maybe
it should be.

1478
01:12:33,649 --> 01:12:35,049
I'll call Cody and let him
know we have some edits.

1479
01:12:35,050 --> 01:12:36,620
The Press: So Senator Blunt
says they're trying to

1480
01:12:36,618 --> 01:12:39,218
produce something that can
get to final passage in both

1481
01:12:39,221 --> 01:12:41,791
chambers and the
President's desk.

1482
01:12:41,790 --> 01:12:44,030
Senator Graham, yesterday,
who's part of the gang,

1483
01:12:44,026 --> 01:12:47,366
mentioned possibly
offsetting the funds,

1484
01:12:47,362 --> 01:12:49,832
whatever additional funds
that they might come up with.

1485
01:12:49,832 --> 01:12:54,202
Is the White House open to
some offsets, some or all of it?

1486
01:12:54,203 --> 01:12:56,443
And might that be a way to
pass it with a majority of

1487
01:12:56,438 --> 01:12:59,978
the majority in the House?

1488
01:12:59,975 --> 01:13:02,045
Mr. Earnest: Well, look, I
don't want to prejudge

1489
01:13:02,044 --> 01:13:03,744
the process.

1490
01:13:03,746 --> 01:13:08,916
What I will say is the
process has already been

1491
01:13:08,917 --> 01:13:13,227
delayed for too long by
Republicans who have not

1492
01:13:13,222 --> 01:13:15,222
recognized that this
needs to be a priority.

1493
01:13:17,626 --> 01:13:23,566
One of the reasons that
emergency funding is

1494
01:13:23,565 --> 01:13:28,575
typically not offset is that
funding bills can often get

1495
01:13:31,340 --> 01:13:34,640
bogged down in debates
about the pay-fors.

1496
01:13:38,514 --> 01:13:41,084
The essence of an emergency
is that Congress should

1497
01:13:41,083 --> 01:13:42,783
act quickly.

1498
01:13:42,785 --> 01:13:46,325
So what we would like to see
is Congress to act quickly,

1499
01:13:46,321 --> 01:13:49,791
to act consistent with the
urgent needs that our public

1500
01:13:49,792 --> 01:13:51,692
health professionals
say exist.

1501
01:13:51,693 --> 01:13:56,703
So if there were a way to
design a package that had

1502
01:13:58,901 --> 01:14:02,041
strong bipartisan support
that could be quickly and

1503
01:14:02,037 --> 01:14:04,677
easily resolved that
included pay-fors, I

1504
01:14:04,673 --> 01:14:07,443
wouldn't rule
that out of hand.

1505
01:14:07,442 --> 01:14:13,312
But given how long it has
taken to just discuss the

1506
01:14:13,315 --> 01:14:16,955
funding in and of itself, I
find it hard to imagine a

1507
01:14:16,952 --> 01:14:19,552
scenario in which there
isn't a protracted debate

1508
01:14:19,555 --> 01:14:21,085
about the pay-fors.

1509
01:14:21,089 --> 01:14:23,429
That protracted debate at
this point is frankly not

1510
01:14:23,425 --> 01:14:25,825
something that
we can afford.

1511
01:14:25,828 --> 01:14:30,368
The fact is there is no
debating among scientists

1512
01:14:30,365 --> 01:14:33,735
that Congress needs to act
urgently so that we can

1513
01:14:33,735 --> 01:14:36,775
prepare for this emergency.

1514
01:14:40,409 --> 01:14:44,879
But Republicans in Congress
have failed to do it, and

1515
01:14:44,880 --> 01:14:46,880
we're going to continue to
make the case that

1516
01:14:46,882 --> 01:14:48,282
they should.

1517
01:14:48,283 --> 01:14:50,183
Dave.

1518
01:14:50,185 --> 01:14:50,685
The Press: Thanks, Josh.

1519
01:14:50,686 --> 01:14:53,626
On the Garland nomination
with these progressive

1520
01:14:53,622 --> 01:14:56,922
groups starting a campaign
this weekend to push for the

1521
01:14:56,925 --> 01:15:00,965
hearing, nine states they've
planned in nine days.

1522
01:15:00,963 --> 01:15:04,103
I wanted to talk a little
bit about -- Mr. Earnest: I

1523
01:15:04,099 --> 01:15:06,099
guess they're calling
it the 9-9-9 plan, huh?

1524
01:15:06,101 --> 01:15:09,671
The Press: And speaking of
the congressional delays,

1525
01:15:09,671 --> 01:15:10,301
you've been speaking about
--

1526
01:15:10,305 --> 01:15:10,935
Mr. Earnest: It has a little ring to it, doesn't it?

1527
01:15:10,939 --> 01:15:11,939
The Press: It does.

1528
01:15:11,940 --> 01:15:16,040
It's going on seven weeks
since the President made

1529
01:15:16,044 --> 01:15:17,414
this nomination.

1530
01:15:17,412 --> 01:15:20,582
It doesn't appear like
you're any closer to a hearing.

1531
01:15:20,582 --> 01:15:23,952
And the congressional
calendar, you might call it

1532
01:15:23,952 --> 01:15:26,022
less than robust for
the rest of the year.

1533
01:15:26,021 --> 01:15:30,091
Do you view this campaign
coming up as the last best

1534
01:15:30,092 --> 01:15:32,632
shot you've got at
getting a hearing?

1535
01:15:32,628 --> 01:15:36,828
Mr. Earnest: Well,
no, not necessarily.

1536
01:15:36,832 --> 01:15:40,902
Look, I think we've made a
forceful case for why Chief

1537
01:15:40,903 --> 01:15:43,643
Judge Garland deserves to
be treated fairly by

1538
01:15:43,639 --> 01:15:44,639
the Senate.

1539
01:15:44,640 --> 01:15:46,840
The Senate has a
constitutional

1540
01:15:46,842 --> 01:15:49,982
responsibility to offer
their advice and consent of

1541
01:15:49,978 --> 01:15:51,948
a presidential nominee.

1542
01:15:51,947 --> 01:15:55,547
President Obama has taken
that advise and consent

1543
01:15:55,550 --> 01:15:56,790
responsibility
quite seriously.

1544
01:15:56,785 --> 01:15:59,155
The President conducted
extensive negotiations and

1545
01:15:59,154 --> 01:16:03,054
conversations with members
of Congress prior to putting

1546
01:16:03,058 --> 01:16:05,058
Chief Judge Garland's
name forward.

1547
01:16:05,060 --> 01:16:08,930
And it's not a coincidence
that the President actually

1548
01:16:08,931 --> 01:16:12,031
nominated somebody that even
leading Republicans have

1549
01:16:12,034 --> 01:16:14,604
described as a
consensus nominee.

1550
01:16:14,603 --> 01:16:16,343
Chief Judge Garland is
somebody who has served on

1551
01:16:16,338 --> 01:16:22,478
the second-highest court
in the land for 19 years.

1552
01:16:22,477 --> 01:16:25,517
He's got more federal
judicial experience than any

1553
01:16:25,514 --> 01:16:28,214
other Supreme Court nominee
in American history.

1554
01:16:28,216 --> 01:16:30,916
He is an individual who
spent his life in

1555
01:16:30,919 --> 01:16:32,159
public service.

1556
01:16:32,154 --> 01:16:34,154
He is somebody who has
demonstrated that he

1557
01:16:34,156 --> 01:16:36,226
understands that a judge
should interpret the law,

1558
01:16:36,224 --> 01:16:38,194
not advance a
political agenda.

1559
01:16:39,828 --> 01:16:43,968
That's why it's particularly
disappointing that somebody

1560
01:16:43,966 --> 01:16:49,336
with a set of credentials
and experience like this is

1561
01:16:49,338 --> 01:16:53,878
being treated so unfairly by
Republicans in the Senate.

1562
01:16:53,875 --> 01:16:58,615
So we're going to continue
to press upon Republicans

1563
01:16:58,613 --> 01:17:02,853
and make the case that they
should do what every other

1564
01:17:02,851 --> 01:17:07,251
Supreme Court nominee since
*1975[1875] has gotten,

1565
01:17:07,255 --> 01:17:11,195
which is a hearing
and/or a vote.

1566
01:17:11,193 --> 01:17:13,033
Those are just the facts.

1567
01:17:13,028 --> 01:17:17,738
And those arguments have
gotten some traction.

1568
01:17:17,733 --> 01:17:22,633
Certainly there's ample
public evidence to indicate

1569
01:17:22,637 --> 01:17:26,337
that Republicans' political
standing has suffered as a

1570
01:17:26,341 --> 01:17:29,141
result of the unreasonable
position they've taken with

1571
01:17:29,144 --> 01:17:31,144
respect to Chief Judge
Garland's nomination.

1572
01:17:31,146 --> 01:17:37,556
I saw some polling just
yesterday that the approval

1573
01:17:37,552 --> 01:17:42,322
rating of the Republican
Party as a whole is as low

1574
01:17:42,324 --> 01:17:46,264
as it has been since
I was in high school.

1575
01:17:46,261 --> 01:17:48,261
This is despite the fact
that there are strong

1576
01:17:48,263 --> 01:17:50,263
Republican majorities in
the House and Senate

1577
01:17:50,265 --> 01:17:51,265
in Congress.

1578
01:17:51,266 --> 01:17:54,436
I think that's an indication
that people aren't

1579
01:17:54,436 --> 01:17:58,636
particularly pleased in
either party by the way that

1580
01:17:58,640 --> 01:18:03,210
Republican leaders in
Washington, D.C. have

1581
01:18:03,211 --> 01:18:05,281
handled the
people's business.

1582
01:18:05,280 --> 01:18:07,280
I think in many cases
they've refused to handle

1583
01:18:07,282 --> 01:18:08,652
the people's business.

1584
01:18:08,650 --> 01:18:11,050
They've refused to move on
emergency funding for Zika.

1585
01:18:11,053 --> 01:18:14,123
They've refused to consider
restructuring authority for

1586
01:18:14,122 --> 01:18:16,422
Puerto Rico, despite the
dire financial situation there.

1587
01:18:16,425 --> 01:18:20,625
They've refused to even give
a hearing, let alone a vote,

1588
01:18:20,629 --> 01:18:23,769
to the President's consensus
Supreme Court nominee --

1589
01:18:23,765 --> 01:18:27,365
consensus is a word that is
often used by Republicans --

1590
01:18:27,369 --> 01:18:31,539
to say nothing of the budget
process that Republicans

1591
01:18:31,540 --> 01:18:35,310
have previously described as
critically important and a

1592
01:18:35,310 --> 01:18:37,910
basic function of Congress,
but yet we've seen that

1593
01:18:37,913 --> 01:18:40,813
process utterly break down
in both the House

1594
01:18:40,816 --> 01:18:42,186
and the Senate.

1595
01:18:42,184 --> 01:18:44,884
So there are some difficult
questions for

1596
01:18:44,886 --> 01:18:46,586
Republicans to answer.

1597
01:18:46,588 --> 01:18:52,958
And certainly moving forward
with fair consideration of

1598
01:18:52,961 --> 01:18:55,531
the President's Supreme
Court nominee is one way

1599
01:18:55,530 --> 01:19:00,540
that Republicans could try
to restore confidence in

1600
01:19:02,704 --> 01:19:07,314
their ability to do the
simplest, most basic thing.

1601
01:19:07,309 --> 01:19:10,249
This is a responsibility to
consider these Supreme Court

1602
01:19:10,245 --> 01:19:11,215
nominees, it's a
responsibility that's

1603
01:19:11,213 --> 01:19:13,383
outlined in the
Constitution.

1604
01:19:13,381 --> 01:19:19,351
And the President could
have chosen somebody who is

1605
01:19:19,354 --> 01:19:24,194
outside the mainstream,
somebody who is a strong

1606
01:19:24,192 --> 01:19:30,002
progressive that has
political views that are far

1607
01:19:29,998 --> 01:19:33,568
different than any
Republican senator.

1608
01:19:33,568 --> 01:19:35,108
But that's not
what he's done.

1609
01:19:35,103 --> 01:19:37,103
He's actually chosen
somebody that even

1610
01:19:37,105 --> 01:19:39,645
Republicans have described
as a consensus nominee;

1611
01:19:39,641 --> 01:19:41,841
somebody that's demonstrated
time and time again that he

1612
01:19:41,843 --> 01:19:44,283
has what it takes to serve
on the Supreme Court.

1613
01:19:44,279 --> 01:19:47,219
In fact, I made note of an
op-ed that was written by

1614
01:19:47,215 --> 01:19:48,655
Ted Olson today.

1615
01:19:48,650 --> 01:19:51,120
Ted Olson is
certainly no liberal.

1616
01:19:51,119 --> 01:19:55,319
He's a conservative, and a
widely respected legal mind,

1617
01:19:55,323 --> 01:19:57,323
frankly on both
sides of the aisle.

1618
01:19:57,325 --> 01:20:01,425
But his conservative
credentials are well-known.

1619
01:20:01,429 --> 01:20:03,569
He wrote, "By temperament,
character and

1620
01:20:03,565 --> 01:20:06,535
qualifications, Judge
Garland is precisely the

1621
01:20:06,535 --> 01:20:09,405
kind of jurist we want
on the Supreme Court.

1622
01:20:09,404 --> 01:20:12,604
For Republicans, there is
much to recommend giving

1623
01:20:12,607 --> 01:20:15,747
Mr. Garland a good look, a
respectful hearing, and a

1624
01:20:15,744 --> 01:20:16,844
vote on the merits."

1625
01:20:16,845 --> 01:20:21,855
That's a conservative lawyer
who's making that argument.

1626
01:20:24,186 --> 01:20:26,186
So this is an argument
that's gotten traction.

1627
01:20:26,188 --> 01:20:28,188
And I think the pressure on
Republicans who refuse to do

1628
01:20:28,190 --> 01:20:29,490
their job is only
going to increase.

1629
01:20:29,491 --> 01:20:32,191
The Press: Given the
calendar realities, aren't

1630
01:20:32,194 --> 01:20:34,794
they succeeding in running
out the clock on you guys?

1631
01:20:34,796 --> 01:20:37,636
Mr. Earnest: Well, look, I
think it is clear that they

1632
01:20:37,632 --> 01:20:40,702
are stalling, that they
aren't doing their jobs, and

1633
01:20:40,702 --> 01:20:44,102
they're hoping that
no one will notice.

1634
01:20:44,105 --> 01:20:46,105
I think, unfortunately,
they're going to be wrong

1635
01:20:46,107 --> 01:20:47,107
about that.

1636
01:20:47,108 --> 01:20:49,108
If they wanted to reverse
course, there's still ample

1637
01:20:49,110 --> 01:20:50,110
time for them to do so.

1638
01:20:50,111 --> 01:20:52,111
There is no reason that
Republicans couldn't act

1639
01:20:52,113 --> 01:20:55,383
quickly to schedule a
hearing, put Chief Judge

1640
01:20:55,383 --> 01:20:56,753
Garland through his paces.

1641
01:20:56,751 --> 01:20:58,991
Again, I'm not expecting
that -- I'm not suggesting

1642
01:20:58,987 --> 01:21:01,587
or in any way expecting that
Chief Judge Garland should

1643
01:21:01,590 --> 01:21:03,230
get a pass.

1644
01:21:03,225 --> 01:21:05,465
He should just get what
every other Supreme Court

1645
01:21:05,460 --> 01:21:07,660
nominee has gotten since
1875, and that's a fair

1646
01:21:07,662 --> 01:21:09,532
hearing, a tough hearing.

1647
01:21:09,531 --> 01:21:12,071
Every year since television
was invented, those Supreme

1648
01:21:12,067 --> 01:21:14,907
Court justices have gone on
in front of the cameras to

1649
01:21:14,903 --> 01:21:17,003
answer questions under
oath, and those are tough

1650
01:21:17,005 --> 01:21:19,005
questions that they've
gotten from senators on both

1651
01:21:19,007 --> 01:21:20,347
the right and the left.

1652
01:21:20,342 --> 01:21:23,282
That's all we're asking for
Chief Judge Garland to get.

1653
01:21:23,278 --> 01:21:25,278
And I think the reason that
Republicans don't want to

1654
01:21:25,280 --> 01:21:27,850
give him that venue is
they're concerned that he's

1655
01:21:27,849 --> 01:21:29,849
going to actually perform
well in that venue.

1656
01:21:29,851 --> 01:21:31,851
And that's the reason that
they don't even want to

1657
01:21:31,853 --> 01:21:32,853
invite that possibility.

1658
01:21:32,854 --> 01:21:35,624
It would only serve to
increase pressure on them to

1659
01:21:35,624 --> 01:21:36,754
confirm his nomination.

1660
01:21:36,758 --> 01:21:40,028
And we're going to
keep the pressure up.

1661
01:21:40,028 --> 01:21:41,428
This is a powerful argument.

1662
01:21:41,429 --> 01:21:45,569
And the effective
functioning of our Supreme

1663
01:21:45,567 --> 01:21:47,607
Court with the full
complement of justices

1664
01:21:47,602 --> 01:21:49,602
depends on it.

1665
01:21:49,604 --> 01:21:51,674
And that's an important
thing because we know that

1666
01:21:51,673 --> 01:21:56,483
the Supreme Court has a
rather full docket next term.

1667
01:21:56,478 --> 01:22:00,578
And they should have a full
complement of justices up

1668
01:22:00,582 --> 01:22:01,682
there to consider it.

1669
01:22:01,683 --> 01:22:05,323
Let me see if I've got a
week ahead here and we'll

1670
01:22:05,320 --> 01:22:09,360
try to move on.

1671
01:22:09,357 --> 01:22:11,357
I don't know if I have
a week ahead in here.

1672
01:22:11,359 --> 01:22:12,699
Do we not?

1673
01:22:12,694 --> 01:22:13,694
Oh, I do.

1674
01:22:13,695 --> 01:22:14,725
Look at this!

1675
01:22:14,729 --> 01:22:16,729
Brian Gabriel
never lets me down.

1676
01:22:16,731 --> 01:22:18,271
(laughter)

1677
01:22:18,266 --> 01:22:20,266
On Monday, the President
will attend meetings at the

1678
01:22:20,268 --> 01:22:21,268
White House.

1679
01:22:21,269 --> 01:22:23,369
On Tuesday, the President
will honor the 2016 National

1680
01:22:23,371 --> 01:22:26,641
Teacher of the Year and
other finalists here at the

1681
01:22:26,641 --> 01:22:27,641
White House.

1682
01:22:27,642 --> 01:22:29,642
The President will thank
them for their hard work and

1683
01:22:29,644 --> 01:22:32,814
dedication each and every
day in the classroom.

1684
01:22:32,814 --> 01:22:34,814
On Wednesday, the President
will travel to Flint,

1685
01:22:34,816 --> 01:22:37,686
Michigan, to hear firsthand
from Flint residents about

1686
01:22:37,686 --> 01:22:40,526
the public health crisis,
receive an in-person

1687
01:22:40,522 --> 01:22:43,592
briefing on the federal
efforts that are in place to

1688
01:22:43,591 --> 01:22:46,131
help respond to the needs
of the people of Flint, and

1689
01:22:46,127 --> 01:22:49,397
deliver remarks to
members of the community.

1690
01:22:49,397 --> 01:22:51,467
Additional details about
the President's travel to

1691
01:22:51,466 --> 01:22:53,866
Michigan will be available
in the coming days.

1692
01:22:53,868 --> 01:22:56,008
That evening, the President
will deliver remarks at the

1693
01:22:56,004 --> 01:22:58,244
Asia Pacific American
Institute of Congressional

1694
01:22:58,239 --> 01:23:02,509
Studies 22nd annual
awards gala dinner.

1695
01:23:02,510 --> 01:23:04,250
That's here in Washington.

1696
01:23:04,245 --> 01:23:06,815
On Thursday, the President
will host a Cinco de Mayo

1697
01:23:06,815 --> 01:23:08,785
reception at
the White House.

1698
01:23:08,783 --> 01:23:10,783
In the afternoon, the
President will be joined by

1699
01:23:10,785 --> 01:23:13,825
the Vice President, First
Lady and Dr. Biden to kick

1700
01:23:13,822 --> 01:23:17,222
off the fifth anniversary of
Joining Forces and the 75th

1701
01:23:17,225 --> 01:23:19,025
anniversary of the USO.

1702
01:23:19,027 --> 01:23:22,297
The event that's called "A
Celebration of Service" will

1703
01:23:22,297 --> 01:23:24,737
include nearly 1,500
servicemembers and their

1704
01:23:24,733 --> 01:23:26,063
families.

1705
01:23:26,067 --> 01:23:28,067
On Friday, the President
will attend meetings at the

1706
01:23:28,069 --> 01:23:29,069
White House.

1707
01:23:29,070 --> 01:23:31,070
And then on Saturday, the
President will deliver the

1708
01:23:31,072 --> 01:23:33,742
commencement address to the
2016 graduating class of

1709
01:23:33,742 --> 01:23:37,042
Howard University here in
Washington, D.C. As one of

1710
01:23:37,045 --> 01:23:39,015
the nation's top
historically black colleges

1711
01:23:39,013 --> 01:23:41,253
and universities, Howard
University is recognized for

1712
01:23:41,249 --> 01:23:43,449
its rigorous education and
legacy of building lasting

1713
01:23:43,451 --> 01:23:45,691
bridges of opportunity
for young people.

1714
01:23:45,687 --> 01:23:47,887
And I know the President is
certainly looking forward to

1715
01:23:47,889 --> 01:23:49,889
giving that speech
next weekend.

1716
01:23:49,891 --> 01:23:51,891
So with all of that, have
a great time this

1717
01:23:51,893 --> 01:23:52,463
weekend, everybody.

1718
01:23:52,460 --> 01:23:53,030
And we'll see you on Monday.