English subtitles for clip: File:7-25-16- White House Press Briefing.webm

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Mr. Earnest: Good
afternoon, everybody.

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You look like
you're staying cool.

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I do not have any comments
to make at the top, so we

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can go straight
to your questions.

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Josh, you want to go first?

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The Press: Thanks, Josh.

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Let's start with the
pandemonium in Philadelphia.

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(laughter)

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Does the President feel that
what we're seeing the last

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couple days in the party
hurts the party's unity,

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heading into the general?

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Does he think the emails
show favoritism by the DNC

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towards Clinton
during the primary?

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And does he have any
thoughts on who should be

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the next leader of
the Democratic Party?

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The Press: Well, Josh, he's
obviously -- well, let me

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start it this way.

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There are plenty of people
who are in Philadelphia who

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can speak to the current
state of our party and the

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current efforts to organize
our party for success in the

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general election, and I'll
let them speak to that.

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There are also a variety
of ways to measure that.

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One measure that I think
is relevant is the crowd

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reaction when the First Lady
of the United States

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speaks tonight.

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And I do feel confident that
when Mrs. Obama walks out on

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stage, that everybody in
the crowd is going to be on

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their feed applauding.

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That, I think, is a strong
indication of their strong

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support for the First Lady
and the deep admiration and

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respect that they
have for her.

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She's also going to be
giving voice to the kinds of

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values and priorities that
this administration has been

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fighting for, for seven
and a half years now.

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And there is strong support
all across the Democratic

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Party for the agenda that
President Obama has pursued

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and the vigor with
which he has pursued it.

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As it relates to the
situation at the, the

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President has been clear
about a couple of things.

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The first is he deeply
appreciates what

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Congresswoman Wasserman
Schultz has done during her

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five-year-plus tenure at

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the Democratic National Committee.

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She took the helm at the DNC
at a critically important

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time in President
Obama's career.

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She had to, on a pretty
short turnaround, work to

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prepare the DNC for the
general election in 2012.

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And obviously the President
won that reelection campaign

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with more than 50
percent of the vote.

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He's the first President
since Eisenhower to both be

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elected and reelected with
more than 50 percent

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of the vote.

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And that certainly speaks
to some of Congresswoman

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Wasserman Schultz's skills
because the apparatus at the

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DNC was an important
part of that effort.

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So that's the first thing.

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And I think the President
conveyed that appreciation

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in the context of the
statement that we issued

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last night.

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What's also true, and what's
been true for some time, is

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that the President believes
that the leadership at the

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DNC is something that should
be determined by the

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party nominee.

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The ability of the party
apparatus and the Democratic

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nominee's campaign working
effectively together will be

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important to our
success in the fall.

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And so as the leader of
the party, that's the

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President's interest.

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So he's long said that it's
the party nominee that

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should make the decisions
about the leadership

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of the DNC.

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And he certainly has been
unequivocal in his support

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for Secretary Clinton, the
presumptive nominee, and her

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ability to make
that decision.

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The Press: Does he think
Wasserman Schultz was fair

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to Sanders in the primary?

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Mr. Earnest: Listen, I'm
not going to get into the

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content of the email.

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Obviously there are plenty
of people with plenty of

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opinions about that, and I
know that Senator Sanders,

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himself, spoke to this a
little bit yesterday and

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certainly in those comments
he indicated his unwavering

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support for
Secretary Clinton.

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The Press: Turning to the
investigation into this hack

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that the FBI is now leading,
after the Sony hack, you

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were all relatively quick to
point the finger

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at North Korea.

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Are you prepared at this
point to say anything about

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whether Russia was involved
in this hack and whether it

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may have been an attempt by
a foreign state to try and

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sway the election
towards Donald Trump?

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Mr. Earnest: At this point,
Josh -- well, let's go back

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to the Sony situation
back in late 2014.

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There was a careful and
intensive law enforcement

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investigation
into that hack.

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Obviously it generated
lots of headlines.

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And an assessment was
reached by a variety of

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national security agencies,
including the FBI, that the

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actor involved was clear and
the impact that it would

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have on the investigation to
release the conclusions that

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they'd reached about the
attribution would be beneficial.

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So those are two separate
determinations that have to

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be reached.

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Ultimately those conclusions
will be reached by these

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national security agencies
who are focused on the

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national security of the
United States and the

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successful completion
of the investigation.

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So I know that there's been
a lot of public reporting

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about this particular matter
and I know that there are

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some private sector entities
that have conducted their

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own investigations and even
released their own reports

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on these investigations.

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I'm not in a position to
speak to the veracity of

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what conclusions have been
reached by private

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sector entities.

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At this point, it's my
responsibility to protect

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the ability of the FBI and
other national security

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agencies to do their
work, to conduct these

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investigations and to follow
the facts where they lead.

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So if there's a decision
that is made by our national

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security professionals
to release additional

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information about what
they've learned in the

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context of this
investigation, it seems

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likely, as was the case in
2014, that they will be the

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first to release
that information.

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So the FBI has put out a
statement indicating that

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they are investigating this
situation, and the President

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and his team obviously have
made cybersecurity

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a top priority.

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We know that there are a
variety of actors, both

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state and criminal, who are
looking for vulnerabilities

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in the cybersecurity of the
United States, and that

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includes Russia.

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But as it relates to this
situation, we're going to

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conduct -- the FBI is
going to lead a careful

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investigation, and if there
is a decision that's made to

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release information about
conclusions that have been

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reached about the
attribution of this attack,

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then it's likely that the
FBI would be the first one

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to make that announcement,
as they were with regard to

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the Sony hack in 2014.

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The Press: Just one on the
President's endorsement for

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Kamala Harris.

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Congresswoman Loretta
Sanchez pretty strongly

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implied that the President
endorsed the Attorney

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General over her because
they're both

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African American.

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Do you take issue with
that characterization?

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Mr. Earnest: Well, Josh,
I know that shortly after

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doing that interview that
Congresswoman Sanchez issued

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a statement indicating that
she did not mean to imply

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that that was the reason for
the President's endorsement

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of Attorney General
Kamala Harris.

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I'm not really sure what
she intended to imply.

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I think you'd
have to ask her.

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The President's endorsement,
though, I think spoke

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volumes about his deep
appreciation for Attorney

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General Harris's
service and her skill.

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And that's led President
Obama to conclude that she

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would make an excellent
successor to Barbara Boxer,

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representing California in
the United States Senate.

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The President certainly
stands by that endorsement

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and is quite
enthusiastic about it.

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Roberta.

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The Press: Donald Trump said
this weekend that he would

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be willing to pull the U.S.

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out of the World Trade
Organization if WTO stood in

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the way of his plan to put
tariffs on certain imports.

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I guess I'm just wondering
whether the White House has

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a reaction to this general
idea, the possibility of the

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U.S. leaving the WTO.

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Mr. Earnest: Well, I'll let
the Republican nominee make

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his own case for the
policies that he

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hopes to pursue.

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But I think there are a
couple of relevant facts

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that I'll just point out
in terms of the way that

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President Obama has
managed the U.S.

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relationship with other
countries in the WTO.

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Given the increasingly
interconnected nature of the

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global economy, the United
States benefits from

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effective trading
relationships with countries

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around the world.

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The President has used the
example of the American auto

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industry when highlighting
how damaging it would be to

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try to wall off the United
States from the global

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supply chain.

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There are parts for American
cars that are made around

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the world, and many
thousands of American jobs

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would be put at risk if
the United States and U.S.

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automakers were not able to
benefit from this global

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market both in terms of
being able to make the

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products, but also in terms
of being able to sell them.

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And withdrawing from the
WTO could certainly rupture

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those relationships in a
way that would have starkly

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negative consequences
for the U.S.

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economy and for
American workers.

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Now, what's also true is
that the WTO has been an

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effective location for the
United States to enforce our

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trade rights.

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In fact, earlier this month,
the United States launched a

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WTO case against China for
export duties that were --

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or are levied on raw
materials that have critical

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input from many
industrial products.

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This is the 13th WTO
complaint that the United

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States has brought
against China.

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Over all, this
administration has brought

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22 WTO complaints against
other countries, 13 of them

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against China.

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That's more cases than any
other country has brought

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both against China
individually, and overall at

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the WTO, over the course
of the last eight years.

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And it's notable that
of the cases that this

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administration has brought
forward at the WTO that have

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been decided, we've
won every single one.

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So that's an indication that
the WTO actually does end up

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being a very effective venue
for enforcing the rights of

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U.S. workers and U.S.

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companies in a way that has
positive consequences for

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the U.S. economy.

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So, again, I'll let other
candidates make their own

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case, but I think what has
been proven under President

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Obama's leadership
is that U.S.

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involvement in the WTO
contributes significantly to

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the overall health of our
economy and to our ability

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to enforce the trade rights
of the American people.

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The Press: What does the
President make of Tim

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Kaine's shift on TPP?

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He was supportive of
it; right now he's not

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supportive of it.

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And secondly, how
enthusiastically does the

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President plan to speak
about TPP in his speech at

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the convention this week?

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Mr. Earnest: Well, I don't
have any aspects of the

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President's speech to
preview at this point.

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But stay tuned.

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If we can get you some
information in advance, we will.

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As it relates to Senator
Kaine, obviously the

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President, as was noted
over the weekend, is quite

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enthusiastic about
Secretary Clinton's choice.

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President Obama knows
Senator Kaine well.

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Then-Governor Kaine endorsed
President Obama's first

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presidential campaign back
in 2007, at a time when few

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other people were willing
to make that commitment.

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But, again, then-Governor
Kaine did that, and the

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President deeply
respected that decision.

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Ultimately -- I guess it's
a little ironic now -- I'm

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00:13:05,184 --> 00:13:09,054
just sort of putting this
together -- many Democrats

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00:13:09,054 --> 00:13:12,494
were unwilling to commit to
supporting Senator Obama's

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00:13:12,491 --> 00:13:17,501
campaign that early because
then-Senator Clinton was the

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00:13:19,565 --> 00:13:23,505
prohibitive favorite and not
many people were willing to

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00:13:23,502 --> 00:13:26,972
take a risk of rupturing
their relationship with

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00:13:26,972 --> 00:13:30,472
Senator Clinton in order
to support Senator Obama.

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And Governor Kaine
demonstrated a lot of

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00:13:33,546 --> 00:13:38,146
courage, so much so that
President Obama, after he

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00:13:38,150 --> 00:13:40,690
was elected, ask
then-Governor Kaine to take

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00:13:40,686 --> 00:13:43,126
on the significant
responsibility of

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00:13:43,122 --> 00:13:44,692
running the DNC.

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00:13:44,690 --> 00:13:48,330
So President Obama knows
Senator Kaine well.

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00:13:50,362 --> 00:13:54,672
Senator Kaine is somebody
who early in his career was

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00:13:54,667 --> 00:13:57,837
a civil rights attorney,
spent time as a missionary

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00:13:57,836 --> 00:14:00,976
and aid worker in Honduras,
and he's been somebody who's

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00:14:00,973 --> 00:14:02,973
been fighting for values
and fighting for people

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00:14:02,975 --> 00:14:04,975
throughout his career in
public life, including as an

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00:14:04,977 --> 00:14:07,347
elected official.

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00:14:07,346 --> 00:14:11,446
That's something that deeply
resonates with a President

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00:14:11,450 --> 00:14:13,620
who began his career
in public service as a

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00:14:13,619 --> 00:14:14,889
community organizer.

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00:14:14,887 --> 00:14:22,357
So President Obama is pretty
excited about the fact that

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00:14:22,361 --> 00:14:26,061
Senator Kaine has been
added to the ballot.

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00:14:26,065 --> 00:14:28,805
I'll let Senator Kaine
discuss his position on the

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00:14:28,801 --> 00:14:32,601
Trans-Pacific Partnership.

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00:14:32,605 --> 00:14:34,605
Obviously President Obama
and our administration

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00:14:34,607 --> 00:14:36,607
believes we have a very
strong case to make about

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00:14:36,609 --> 00:14:38,609
how the American people and
our economy would benefit

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00:14:38,611 --> 00:14:40,911
from a trade agreement
like the Trans-Pacific

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00:14:40,913 --> 00:14:43,413
Partnership that raises
environmental standards,

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00:14:43,415 --> 00:14:46,155
that raises labor standards,
that makes them enforceable,

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00:14:46,151 --> 00:14:48,421
that protects intellectual
property that's developed

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00:14:48,420 --> 00:14:50,020
here in the United States.

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And our failure to enter
into these kinds of

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00:14:52,224 --> 00:14:54,224
agreements, particularly
with countries in Southeast

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00:14:54,226 --> 00:14:56,226
Asia that have some of the
fastest-growing economies in

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00:14:56,228 --> 00:15:01,338
the world, only gives China
an opportunity to write the

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00:15:01,333 --> 00:15:03,433
rules of the road in a
way that would further

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00:15:03,435 --> 00:15:06,735
disadvantage the U.S. economy and U.S.

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00:15:06,739 --> 00:15:07,809
workers and U.S. businesses.

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00:15:07,806 --> 00:15:12,046
So we've got a
strong case to make.

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00:15:12,044 --> 00:15:15,314
It's a persuasive one,
it's one that recent polls

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00:15:15,314 --> 00:15:17,584
indicate the majority of
Americans in both

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00:15:17,583 --> 00:15:18,583
parties support.

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00:15:18,584 --> 00:15:24,754
But I'll let Senator Kaine
make his own case or explain

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00:15:24,757 --> 00:15:25,857
his own position
on this issue.

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00:15:25,858 --> 00:15:26,758
Michelle.

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00:15:26,759 --> 00:15:28,059
The Press: Thanks, Josh.

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00:15:28,060 --> 00:15:30,700
How does the President or
you feel about what was in

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00:15:30,696 --> 00:15:32,396
those emails
that were leaked?

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00:15:32,398 --> 00:15:35,168
Mr. Earnest: Well, listen,
I have very little insight

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00:15:35,167 --> 00:15:37,207
into the inner workings of
the Democratic National

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00:15:37,202 --> 00:15:41,572
Committee, so I'll refer you
to the DNC and the Clinton

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00:15:41,573 --> 00:15:44,313
campaign to describe the
content of those emails and

301
00:15:44,310 --> 00:15:48,250
what it says about the
operations of the DNC.

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00:15:48,247 --> 00:15:50,547
The Press: That's really the
whole story here and part of

303
00:15:50,549 --> 00:15:54,749
the argument for a
breakdown in unity.

304
00:15:54,753 --> 00:15:57,293
So is the President aware of
the emails themselves and

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00:15:57,289 --> 00:15:58,189
what was in them?

306
00:15:58,190 --> 00:16:00,730
Mr. Earnest: Well, I'm
confident the President read

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00:16:00,726 --> 00:16:03,426
the newspaper today so I'm
sure that he's aware of

308
00:16:03,429 --> 00:16:05,899
this story.

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00:16:05,898 --> 00:16:07,768
But I haven't gotten -- I
don't have a reaction of his

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00:16:07,766 --> 00:16:09,036
to convey to you.

311
00:16:09,034 --> 00:16:12,204
The Press: So you don't have
a feeling on whether that

312
00:16:12,204 --> 00:16:15,344
was -- whether it seemed to
be an attempt to undermine

313
00:16:15,341 --> 00:16:17,311
Bernie Sanders while
this was going on?

314
00:16:17,309 --> 00:16:20,249
Mr. Earnest: Again, I can't
speak to the veracity

315
00:16:20,245 --> 00:16:21,245
of the emails.

316
00:16:21,246 --> 00:16:22,246
I'd refer you to the DNC.

317
00:16:22,247 --> 00:16:25,217
The Press: And what role
did the President play in

318
00:16:25,217 --> 00:16:27,987
Wasserman Schultz
stepping down?

319
00:16:27,986 --> 00:16:29,626
Did he want that to happen?

320
00:16:29,621 --> 00:16:33,261
And I know the conversation
happened afterwards, but how

321
00:16:33,258 --> 00:16:36,728
did the President make
his feeling known

322
00:16:36,729 --> 00:16:38,569
in the process?

323
00:16:38,564 --> 00:16:42,934
Mr. Earnest: Well, I think
what has -- the President's

324
00:16:42,935 --> 00:16:47,905
view is that the Democrat at
the top of the ticket in the

325
00:16:52,778 --> 00:16:57,748
fall is the one who should
make decisions about the

326
00:16:57,750 --> 00:16:59,620
leadership of the DNC.

327
00:16:59,618 --> 00:17:01,618
It's been the President's
view for quite some time.

328
00:17:01,620 --> 00:17:03,620
The President obviously had
that prerogative when he was

329
00:17:03,622 --> 00:17:04,652
running in 2008.

330
00:17:04,656 --> 00:17:07,226
The President had that
prerogative when he was at

331
00:17:07,226 --> 00:17:08,696
the top of the
ticket in 2012.

332
00:17:08,694 --> 00:17:11,334
But his name is not
on the ballot in 2016.

333
00:17:11,330 --> 00:17:16,700
And what the President does
know, from having run and

334
00:17:16,702 --> 00:17:21,672
won in 2008 and 2012, is
that the party benefits when

335
00:17:26,345 --> 00:17:31,355
the party's nominee and the
apparatus of the DNC are

336
00:17:34,653 --> 00:17:36,653
effectively integrated.

337
00:17:38,123 --> 00:17:42,793
And that's why it makes
sense to him that the person

338
00:17:42,795 --> 00:17:46,135
at the top of the ticket
should get to decide.

339
00:17:46,131 --> 00:17:50,301
And that is something that
was clear to Congresswoman

340
00:17:50,302 --> 00:17:54,702
Wasserman Schultz and
to the Clinton campaign.

341
00:17:54,706 --> 00:17:58,106
So, ultimately, the Clinton
campaign had to determine

342
00:17:58,110 --> 00:18:00,110
what they believed was in
the best interest of their

343
00:18:00,112 --> 00:18:02,612
campaign and the best
interest of the party.

344
00:18:02,614 --> 00:18:04,314
And that's what they did.

345
00:18:04,316 --> 00:18:08,216
The substance of the phone
call yesterday was simply

346
00:18:08,220 --> 00:18:10,820
the President taking the
opportunity to express his

347
00:18:10,823 --> 00:18:13,293
appreciation to
Congresswoman Wasserman

348
00:18:13,292 --> 00:18:16,332
Schultz for her service
to the country and

349
00:18:16,328 --> 00:18:18,328
to the party.

350
00:18:18,330 --> 00:18:22,170
And he certainly continues
to be enthusiastic about her

351
00:18:22,167 --> 00:18:25,967
reelection campaign -- he
endorsed her earlier this year.

352
00:18:25,971 --> 00:18:28,471
And he believes that the
people of South Florida have

353
00:18:28,474 --> 00:18:32,074
been remarkably well-served
by having her represent

354
00:18:32,077 --> 00:18:35,377
their interests in the
United States Congress, and

355
00:18:35,380 --> 00:18:38,920
he believes they'll -- as he
said in his statement that

356
00:18:38,917 --> 00:18:43,087
we issued earlier this
spring -- he made clear that

357
00:18:43,088 --> 00:18:44,088
he supports her reelection.

358
00:18:44,089 --> 00:18:46,529
The Press: The timing of
this -- I mean, obviously,

359
00:18:46,525 --> 00:18:48,225
it was timed for a reason.

360
00:18:48,227 --> 00:18:52,467
What does he think about how
this affects Democrats right

361
00:18:52,464 --> 00:18:56,334
now and what this does just
before the convention and so

362
00:18:56,335 --> 00:18:58,105
close to the
general election?

363
00:18:58,103 --> 00:19:00,973
Mr. Earnest: Well, listen, I
can't speak to the motives

364
00:19:00,973 --> 00:19:05,743
of the individual who may
have released --

365
00:19:05,744 --> 00:19:08,184
leaked this material.

366
00:19:08,180 --> 00:19:10,780
Obviously, at this point, I
can't even speak to who is

367
00:19:10,782 --> 00:19:12,552
responsible for obtaining
the material in the first place.

368
00:19:12,551 --> 00:19:16,491
The Press: I'm asking
really about the reaction.

369
00:19:16,488 --> 00:19:19,158
Mr. Earnest: Well, again,
I think that most of the

370
00:19:19,157 --> 00:19:21,697
reaction I've seen is from
journalists who are covering

371
00:19:21,693 --> 00:19:25,393
the convention, and
I think that's fine.

372
00:19:25,397 --> 00:19:30,167
Ultimately, I think there
are a variety of ways to

373
00:19:30,168 --> 00:19:32,468
assess how the state of the
Democratic Party -- and

374
00:19:32,471 --> 00:19:34,471
there will be a lot of
people who will be spending

375
00:19:34,473 --> 00:19:36,473
a lot of time doing that
over the course of the next

376
00:19:36,475 --> 00:19:39,945
few days -- but one measure
that I would recommend is to

377
00:19:39,945 --> 00:19:41,945
consider the reaction of the
crowd when Mrs.

378
00:19:41,947 --> 00:19:43,177
Obama speaks tonight.

379
00:19:43,181 --> 00:19:45,221
The Press: I was just going
to ask you about that,

380
00:19:45,217 --> 00:19:47,787
because here we have the
chairman having to step down

381
00:19:47,786 --> 00:19:50,126
a day before the convention.

382
00:19:50,122 --> 00:19:52,162
Bernie Sanders supporters
right now are rallying on

383
00:19:52,157 --> 00:19:54,097
the bridge to Philadelphia.

384
00:19:54,092 --> 00:19:55,962
He just gave this fiery
speech -- he's going to

385
00:19:55,961 --> 00:19:57,401
speak again tonight.

386
00:19:57,396 --> 00:20:01,236
How can you say that a
measure of the unity of the

387
00:20:01,233 --> 00:20:04,503
Democratic Party right now
is based on how well the

388
00:20:04,503 --> 00:20:07,573
crowd receives the
First Lady's speech?

389
00:20:07,573 --> 00:20:10,473
I mean, what does that have
to do with everything else

390
00:20:10,475 --> 00:20:11,675
that's going on right now?

391
00:20:11,677 --> 00:20:14,247
Mr. Earnest: I think what
the First Lady will give

392
00:20:14,246 --> 00:20:16,816
voice to are the kinds of
values and priorities that

393
00:20:16,815 --> 00:20:23,555
have guided this President
and this administration.

394
00:20:23,555 --> 00:20:25,555
And it's not just that
Democrats are quite

395
00:20:25,557 --> 00:20:29,057
enthusiastic about those
values and priorities --

396
00:20:29,061 --> 00:20:31,601
Democrats all across the
country strongly support them.

397
00:20:31,597 --> 00:20:34,267
They are unified
behind them.

398
00:20:34,266 --> 00:20:38,236
So, again, I think that's
one indication of the

399
00:20:38,236 --> 00:20:40,236
condition of the
Democratic Party.

400
00:20:40,238 --> 00:20:43,308
I recognize that there will
be some skeptics who will

401
00:20:43,308 --> 00:20:45,778
cite other data points.

402
00:20:45,777 --> 00:20:46,977
That's not illegitimate.

403
00:20:46,979 --> 00:20:50,379
I think there are a lot of
ways to assess the state of

404
00:20:50,382 --> 00:20:51,922
the Democratic Party.

405
00:20:51,917 --> 00:20:53,917
And there may be some
skeptics who might overlook

406
00:20:53,919 --> 00:20:59,959
the fact that the Democratic
Party is enthusiastic about

407
00:20:59,958 --> 00:21:02,458
the values and agenda and
priorities that President

408
00:21:02,461 --> 00:21:05,761
Obama has pursued over the
last seven and a half years.

409
00:21:05,764 --> 00:21:08,264
So, again, I think there are
a lot of ways to reach this

410
00:21:08,266 --> 00:21:11,306
analysis, and I'll mostly
leave that to other people

411
00:21:11,303 --> 00:21:13,803
-- except when it comes to
the First Lady of the United

412
00:21:13,805 --> 00:21:16,175
States, who I think is going
to give a great speech and

413
00:21:16,174 --> 00:21:18,714
one that will be warmly
received by Democrats in the

414
00:21:18,710 --> 00:21:20,710
hall and all
across the country.

415
00:21:20,712 --> 00:21:22,382
The Press: Just so it's
clear, and quickly, can you

416
00:21:22,381 --> 00:21:24,951
just give us your assessment
of the unity of the party

417
00:21:24,950 --> 00:21:25,780
right now?

418
00:21:25,784 --> 00:21:26,914
Mr. Earnest: There are
plenty of other people who

419
00:21:26,918 --> 00:21:29,218
are on hand and in a
position to do that.

420
00:21:29,221 --> 00:21:29,951
The Press: Thanks, Josh.

421
00:21:29,955 --> 00:21:30,855
Mr. Earnest:
Thanks, Michelle.

422
00:21:30,856 --> 00:21:31,686
Mike.

423
00:21:31,690 --> 00:21:34,130
The Press: Just
on that hack also.

424
00:21:34,126 --> 00:21:36,696
Has the President spoken
with President Putin about

425
00:21:36,695 --> 00:21:39,935
that hack, or have other
high-level administration

426
00:21:39,931 --> 00:21:42,071
officials spoken with
Russian officials

427
00:21:42,067 --> 00:21:43,907
about this hack?

428
00:21:43,902 --> 00:21:49,512
Mr. Earnest: I'm not aware
that the President has

429
00:21:49,508 --> 00:21:53,078
mentioned any of these
reports to President Putin

430
00:21:53,078 --> 00:21:54,748
in their conversations.

431
00:21:54,746 --> 00:21:58,786
I know the issue of
cybersecurity is one that

432
00:21:58,784 --> 00:22:02,054
President Obama has
prioritized, and I feel

433
00:22:02,054 --> 00:22:05,454
confident that at one point
or another, that issue has

434
00:22:05,457 --> 00:22:08,797
come up in his previous
conversations with

435
00:22:08,794 --> 00:22:09,994
President Putin.

436
00:22:09,995 --> 00:22:12,665
But I'm not aware that this
particular incident, or the

437
00:22:12,664 --> 00:22:15,964
reports of this particular
incident have been a subject

438
00:22:15,967 --> 00:22:18,407
of conversation between
President Obama and

439
00:22:18,403 --> 00:22:19,373
President Putin.

440
00:22:19,371 --> 00:22:20,911
The Press: Do you have a
sense of the motive for

441
00:22:20,906 --> 00:22:21,906
this attack?

442
00:22:21,907 --> 00:22:25,047
And would it possibly have
been to interfere with the

443
00:22:25,043 --> 00:22:26,313
electoral process?

444
00:22:26,311 --> 00:22:28,311
Mr. Earnest: Well, as
the FBI conducts their

445
00:22:28,313 --> 00:22:30,313
investigation, they
certainly would be looking

446
00:22:30,315 --> 00:22:33,355
to ascribe some
responsibility for this

447
00:22:33,351 --> 00:22:40,121
breach, and, in doing so,
I'm sure they will consider

448
00:22:40,125 --> 00:22:40,695
potential motives.

449
00:22:40,692 --> 00:22:43,762
The Press: You don't -- the
administration doesn't have

450
00:22:43,762 --> 00:22:45,402
an opinion on that
at this point?

451
00:22:45,397 --> 00:22:47,567
Mr. Earnest: Again, this
particular situation is

452
00:22:47,566 --> 00:22:49,566
still being investigated by
the FBI, and I just don't

453
00:22:49,568 --> 00:22:51,568
want to do anything that
would make their -- or say

454
00:22:51,570 --> 00:22:52,770
anything that would make
their investigation more

455
00:22:52,771 --> 00:22:53,841
complicated than
it already is.

456
00:22:53,839 --> 00:22:55,979
The Press: Have you said
anything to the Russian

457
00:22:55,974 --> 00:22:59,574
government at this point
about, hey, we don't think

458
00:22:59,578 --> 00:23:01,418
it's kosher for you to
interfere in our

459
00:23:01,413 --> 00:23:03,113
political process?

460
00:23:03,115 --> 00:23:04,045
The Press: Kosher?

461
00:23:04,049 --> 00:23:07,549
The Press: We don't accept
you interfering with our

462
00:23:07,552 --> 00:23:08,892
political process?

463
00:23:08,887 --> 00:23:12,527
Have you sent any preemptive
message, that regardless of

464
00:23:12,524 --> 00:23:15,024
whether or not they were
responsible for this hack,

465
00:23:15,026 --> 00:23:17,326
that they shouldn't
interfere with the election?

466
00:23:17,329 --> 00:23:19,299
Mr. Earnest: Well, again,
I'm not aware of any

467
00:23:19,297 --> 00:23:22,867
communication like that at
least from the White House,

468
00:23:22,868 --> 00:23:28,578
in part because this is the
subject of an ongoing FBI

469
00:23:28,573 --> 00:23:30,573
investigation.

470
00:23:33,745 --> 00:23:36,045
But I'm not aware of a
message like that being sent.

471
00:23:36,047 --> 00:23:37,517
The Press: You mentioned
two criteria that the

472
00:23:37,516 --> 00:23:41,156
administration examined in
deciding to reveal that

473
00:23:41,153 --> 00:23:43,653
North Korea was the
source of the Sony leak.

474
00:23:43,655 --> 00:23:46,495
One was clarity of evidence,
and the other was a

475
00:23:46,491 --> 00:23:48,761
determination by the
intelligence agencies that

476
00:23:48,760 --> 00:23:51,400
it was beneficial to the
United States to release

477
00:23:51,396 --> 00:23:55,336
that information.

478
00:23:55,333 --> 00:23:58,073
In this case, would there
be other criteria you

479
00:23:58,069 --> 00:23:59,069
would consider?

480
00:23:59,070 --> 00:24:01,710
And would that decision be
shaped by the possibility

481
00:24:01,706 --> 00:24:04,076
that this would be an
attempt to interfere with

482
00:24:04,075 --> 00:24:06,915
the U.S. electoral process?

483
00:24:06,912 --> 00:24:09,552
Mr. Earnest: Well, listen,
what I can tell you is that

484
00:24:09,548 --> 00:24:14,558
this investigation will be
guided by the facts and not

485
00:24:16,688 --> 00:24:18,188
by the political
implications, or potential

486
00:24:18,190 --> 00:24:20,560
political implications.

487
00:24:20,559 --> 00:24:23,099
The FBI and other national
security agencies are

488
00:24:23,094 --> 00:24:25,694
focused on this, and they
have experts that they can

489
00:24:25,697 --> 00:24:27,237
use to examine
this situation.

490
00:24:27,232 --> 00:24:30,072
And they will use that
expertise and they will

491
00:24:30,068 --> 00:24:34,268
follow the facts where they
lead to reach conclusions,

492
00:24:34,272 --> 00:24:38,442
and then they will
determine, based on broader

493
00:24:38,443 --> 00:24:41,713
policy implications, how
much of that they can

494
00:24:41,713 --> 00:24:42,953
discuss publicly.

495
00:24:42,948 --> 00:24:45,848
So this is a process
that is ongoing.

496
00:24:45,851 --> 00:24:48,591
And again, there's just not
that much that I can say

497
00:24:48,587 --> 00:24:54,897
about it as the President's
spokesperson that doesn't

498
00:24:54,893 --> 00:24:59,663
risk potentially interfering
or somehow making their

499
00:24:59,664 --> 00:25:01,664
investigation even more
complicated than it

500
00:25:01,666 --> 00:25:02,836
already is.

501
00:25:02,834 --> 00:25:04,174
The Press: When Josh
asked whether you and the

502
00:25:04,169 --> 00:25:07,369
administration thought that
Debbie Wasserman Schultz and

503
00:25:07,372 --> 00:25:10,512
the DNC have been fair
to Bernie Sanders, you

504
00:25:10,508 --> 00:25:12,908
demurred, saying, "Well,
we're not going to comment

505
00:25:12,911 --> 00:25:14,281
on the email."

506
00:25:14,279 --> 00:25:17,479
But you and President
Obama and others in the

507
00:25:17,482 --> 00:25:20,052
administration know a thing
or two about politics.

508
00:25:20,051 --> 00:25:23,091
Looking at it, looking at
the way it's played out, do

509
00:25:23,088 --> 00:25:26,088
you think she and the DNC
have been fair to Bernie

510
00:25:26,091 --> 00:25:28,761
Sanders, as you, as astute
political observers, can

511
00:25:28,760 --> 00:25:30,330
determine from the outside?

512
00:25:30,328 --> 00:25:34,268
Mr. Earnest: Well, listen, I
think what is true is that

513
00:25:34,266 --> 00:25:37,836
there are going to be people
with intense passions with a

514
00:25:37,836 --> 00:25:41,176
variety of points of view.

515
00:25:41,172 --> 00:25:43,872
And given the fact that I
don't have much insight into

516
00:25:43,875 --> 00:25:46,745
the inner workings of the
DNC beyond what I guess what

517
00:25:46,745 --> 00:25:47,515
we've all read in the --

518
00:25:47,512 --> 00:25:48,382
The
Press: -- what we all saw.

519
00:25:48,380 --> 00:25:50,750
Mr. Earnest: Yes, based on
what we've all read in the

520
00:25:50,749 --> 00:25:52,749
newspaper, that's given
plenty of people an

521
00:25:52,751 --> 00:25:54,751
opportunity to develop their
own perspective and, in some

522
00:25:54,753 --> 00:25:58,153
cases, share their
point of view.

523
00:25:58,156 --> 00:26:00,196
I just don't have much
insight into the inner

524
00:26:00,191 --> 00:26:02,191
workings of the DNC,
particularly over the course

525
00:26:02,193 --> 00:26:03,433
of this campaign.

526
00:26:03,428 --> 00:26:06,098
So I'll let other people
make up their own minds

527
00:26:06,097 --> 00:26:07,097
on this.

528
00:26:07,098 --> 00:26:12,838
But what is true is that
Senator Sanders himself has

529
00:26:12,837 --> 00:26:19,107
indicated that even in light
of all this news and some of

530
00:26:19,110 --> 00:26:22,310
these emails, his support
for Secretary Clinton

531
00:26:22,314 --> 00:26:23,844
hasn't changed.

532
00:26:23,848 --> 00:26:28,858
And so I guess in some ways,
when it comes to the view of

533
00:26:33,091 --> 00:26:35,091
the DNC and whether they
were fair to Senator

534
00:26:35,093 --> 00:26:38,763
Sanders, the person whose
opinion matters the most is

535
00:26:38,763 --> 00:26:40,963
not mine, it's
Senator Sanders's.

536
00:26:40,966 --> 00:26:44,236
And so he's spoken of this
a little bit, I suspect not

537
00:26:44,235 --> 00:26:45,205
for the last time.

538
00:26:45,203 --> 00:26:47,403
The Press: And lastly this
-- just slightly different

539
00:26:47,405 --> 00:26:50,245
than what people have asked
before, but not too distant.

540
00:26:50,241 --> 00:26:55,251
Is the President happy that
he kept Ms. Schultz in

541
00:26:55,246 --> 00:26:57,986
charge of the DNC up through this point --

542
00:26:57,983 --> 00:27:00,283
Mr. Earnest: Congresswoman Wasserman Schultz has done --

543
00:27:00,285 --> 00:27:02,185
The Press: -- through
this primary process?

544
00:27:02,187 --> 00:27:04,827
Mr. Earnest: Look, the
President believes that

545
00:27:04,823 --> 00:27:06,823
Congresswoman Wasserman
Schultz, over the course of

546
00:27:06,825 --> 00:27:08,825
the last five years that she
was leading the DNC, did an

547
00:27:08,827 --> 00:27:10,157
excellent job.

548
00:27:10,161 --> 00:27:13,261
And again, I think the
results speak for themselves

549
00:27:13,264 --> 00:27:15,904
in terms of the President's
success in winning

550
00:27:15,900 --> 00:27:19,300
reelection with more than
a majority of the vote.

551
00:27:19,304 --> 00:27:21,674
Obviously the DNC made an
important contribution to

552
00:27:21,673 --> 00:27:22,973
that effort.

553
00:27:22,974 --> 00:27:25,614
And Congresswoman Wasserman
Schultz has also been

554
00:27:25,610 --> 00:27:31,120
responsible for leading the
party through a competitive

555
00:27:31,116 --> 00:27:35,086
Democratic primary process.

556
00:27:35,086 --> 00:27:40,896
And the prospects -- again,
based on the -- there are

557
00:27:40,892 --> 00:27:42,892
many people, publicly, who
have taken a look at the

558
00:27:42,894 --> 00:27:45,694
election and have concluded
that the Democratic Party is

559
00:27:45,697 --> 00:27:48,437
in good shape in the
general election.

560
00:27:48,433 --> 00:27:52,503
And certainly the condition
of the Democratic Party is

561
00:27:52,504 --> 00:27:54,774
something that Congresswoman
Wasserman Schultz deserves

562
00:27:54,773 --> 00:27:55,773
credit for.

563
00:27:55,774 --> 00:27:59,674
I would just add that
there's nobody who thinks

564
00:27:59,677 --> 00:28:04,147
that being the chair of a
national party is an easy

565
00:28:04,149 --> 00:28:08,289
job, or is a job where a
whole bunch of people come

566
00:28:08,286 --> 00:28:11,156
up to you and say thank you.

567
00:28:11,156 --> 00:28:14,026
And having worked for
two previous DNC chairs

568
00:28:14,025 --> 00:28:18,765
directly, I can speak
firsthand to that.

569
00:28:18,763 --> 00:28:21,663
So it's not just that
Congresswoman Wasserman

570
00:28:21,666 --> 00:28:24,036
Schultz served for five
years; it's not just that

571
00:28:24,035 --> 00:28:26,035
she did an excellent
job both in helping the

572
00:28:26,037 --> 00:28:28,037
President get reelected but
also in positioning the

573
00:28:28,039 --> 00:28:30,579
party for success in 2016;
it's that this is a job

574
00:28:30,575 --> 00:28:32,545
that's really hard and is
subject to a lot of

575
00:28:32,544 --> 00:28:34,444
intense criticism.

576
00:28:34,446 --> 00:28:38,886
And again, I think given all
of that, the President felt

577
00:28:38,883 --> 00:28:41,083
it was appropriate to give
her a call yesterday and

578
00:28:41,086 --> 00:28:44,786
convey to her once again how
deeply appreciative he is of

579
00:28:44,789 --> 00:28:47,729
her service to the party
and to the country, and how

580
00:28:47,725 --> 00:28:51,165
strongly supportive he is
of her reelection campaign.

581
00:28:51,162 --> 00:28:52,162
Margaret.

582
00:28:52,163 --> 00:28:54,163
The Press: Josh, it
now appears that the

583
00:28:54,165 --> 00:28:57,135
Congresswoman will not be
gaveling at the DNC to kick

584
00:28:57,135 --> 00:28:58,475
it off officially.

585
00:28:58,470 --> 00:29:02,470
Does the White House have a
view on the appropriate role

586
00:29:02,474 --> 00:29:04,444
-- this is a diminished
role -- if that's something

587
00:29:04,442 --> 00:29:06,412
you're disappointed with
given the praise that you

588
00:29:06,411 --> 00:29:07,511
just outlined?

589
00:29:07,512 --> 00:29:11,582
Mr. Earnest: Again, these
are the kinds of decisions

590
00:29:11,583 --> 00:29:14,823
that Secretary Clinton and
her team will make as the

591
00:29:14,819 --> 00:29:17,919
presumptive nominee of
the Democratic Party.

592
00:29:17,922 --> 00:29:23,992
The focus of this convention
is on formally nominating

593
00:29:23,995 --> 00:29:28,235
Secretary Clinton and giving
her a venue to make a speech.

594
00:29:28,233 --> 00:29:32,333
So when it comes to the
day-to-day functioning of

595
00:29:32,337 --> 00:29:34,537
the convention I'd refer
you to convention staff and

596
00:29:34,539 --> 00:29:35,709
Secretary Clinton's team.

597
00:29:35,707 --> 00:29:37,907
The Press: Was there a
meeting here at the White

598
00:29:37,909 --> 00:29:41,649
House over the weekend
regarding the DNC hack?

599
00:29:41,646 --> 00:29:44,286
Mr. Earnest: Well, I know
that there have been some

600
00:29:44,282 --> 00:29:49,952
reports about national
security officials

601
00:29:49,954 --> 00:29:53,194
discussing this breach.

602
00:29:53,191 --> 00:29:57,461
I don't have any specific
meetings to tell you about.

603
00:29:57,462 --> 00:30:01,602
What I can tell you is that
it shouldn't be a surprise

604
00:30:01,599 --> 00:30:02,999
that there are national
security officials that meet

605
00:30:03,001 --> 00:30:05,141
on a regular basis here at
the White House to

606
00:30:05,136 --> 00:30:06,006
discuss cybersecurity.

607
00:30:06,004 --> 00:30:10,744
The President has made that
a top priority and obviously

608
00:30:10,742 --> 00:30:13,782
the cybersecurity, both
the public sector but also

609
00:30:13,778 --> 00:30:16,018
private sector, entities is
important to our

610
00:30:16,014 --> 00:30:17,014
national security.

611
00:30:17,015 --> 00:30:20,515
And this is something that
is discussed frequently by

612
00:30:20,518 --> 00:30:23,358
national security officials
across the government, but

613
00:30:23,354 --> 00:30:25,324
including here at
the White House.

614
00:30:25,323 --> 00:30:26,423
The Press: So you can't say?

615
00:30:26,424 --> 00:30:28,824
Mr. Earnest: I can't speak
to any specific meetings.

616
00:30:28,826 --> 00:30:32,296
The Press: But more than
that -- you can't read it out?

617
00:30:32,297 --> 00:30:35,467
Mr. Earnest: I think what
I'm trying to convey is that

618
00:30:35,466 --> 00:30:37,866
there are regular meetings
at the White House that are

619
00:30:37,869 --> 00:30:40,369
focused on cybersecurity.

620
00:30:40,371 --> 00:30:42,671
And I can't speak to any
specific meetings or any

621
00:30:42,674 --> 00:30:46,374
specific agenda items, but
cybersecurity is obviously a

622
00:30:46,377 --> 00:30:48,447
priority of this
administration and our

623
00:30:48,446 --> 00:30:52,846
national security agencies,
and this is a subject that

624
00:30:52,850 --> 00:30:54,220
they need to
discuss regularly.

625
00:30:54,219 --> 00:30:57,219
The Press: You outlined that
it's going to be a very

626
00:30:57,222 --> 00:30:59,322
deliberate process, and you
can't say whether or not

627
00:30:59,324 --> 00:31:01,224
officially that
Russia is behind this.

628
00:31:01,226 --> 00:31:03,266
But the Clinton campaign
is being pretty direct in

629
00:31:03,261 --> 00:31:07,431
attributing this
attack to Russia.

630
00:31:07,432 --> 00:31:10,202
Do you think they're
jumping the gun?

631
00:31:10,201 --> 00:31:12,541
Mr. Earnest: Well, they're
not the only ones that have

632
00:31:12,537 --> 00:31:13,367
been pretty direct.

633
00:31:13,371 --> 00:31:15,771
I know that a number of your
news organizations have been

634
00:31:15,773 --> 00:31:17,843
quite direct in
drawing that link.

635
00:31:17,842 --> 00:31:21,312
And there are also some
private sector -- at least

636
00:31:21,312 --> 00:31:23,652
one high-profile private
sector group that's issued a

637
00:31:23,648 --> 00:31:26,888
report drawing that link
in rather bright lines.

638
00:31:26,884 --> 00:31:28,684
The Press: -- credibility
to it, you're saying.

639
00:31:28,686 --> 00:31:30,056
Mr. Earnest: So I'm saying
that this is an observation

640
00:31:30,054 --> 00:31:33,394
that other people have made
and at least one private

641
00:31:33,391 --> 00:31:35,691
sector entity that has
looked at this matter

642
00:31:35,693 --> 00:31:38,363
provided a whole lot of
evidence that's appeared in

643
00:31:38,363 --> 00:31:39,863
all of your news
reports about this.

644
00:31:39,864 --> 00:31:43,904
I'd refer you to that
company or to the DNC or the

645
00:31:43,901 --> 00:31:47,201
Clinton campaign about
those conclusions.

646
00:31:47,205 --> 00:31:50,805
Right now, the United States
government is conducting an

647
00:31:50,808 --> 00:31:53,048
investigation to formulate
our own conclusions about

648
00:31:53,044 --> 00:31:56,344
this situation, and I just
don't want to get ahead of

649
00:31:56,347 --> 00:31:58,687
their investigation
from here.

650
00:31:58,683 --> 00:32:00,853
The FBI is the lead in that
investigation, and when

651
00:32:00,852 --> 00:32:06,262
they're ready to make --
when they're ready to share

652
00:32:06,257 --> 00:32:08,997
some information about what
they've learned they'll be

653
00:32:08,993 --> 00:32:10,733
the first to do so.

654
00:32:10,728 --> 00:32:12,598
The Press: Josh, I mean the
thing that's different is it

655
00:32:12,597 --> 00:32:14,637
wouldn't be unprecedented
for Russia to hack the

656
00:32:14,632 --> 00:32:15,632
administration.

657
00:32:15,633 --> 00:32:18,673
They recently have hacked
unclassified systems at

658
00:32:18,670 --> 00:32:20,240
State and the White
House, and that's

659
00:32:20,238 --> 00:32:21,308
been acknowledged.

660
00:32:21,306 --> 00:32:23,976
When it comes to this
particular thing, though,

661
00:32:23,975 --> 00:32:26,645
this seems a different level
to be directly interfering

662
00:32:26,644 --> 00:32:27,944
in an election.

663
00:32:27,945 --> 00:32:29,185
This is something that
Russia does in its own

664
00:32:29,180 --> 00:32:30,920
backyard, meddling
in other states.

665
00:32:30,915 --> 00:32:34,215
To do it here in the States
would make this seem to be a

666
00:32:34,218 --> 00:32:35,318
whole other level of attack.

667
00:32:35,320 --> 00:32:37,820
Can you explain how
you're thinking of this?

668
00:32:37,822 --> 00:32:40,392
Mr. Earnest: I actually
don't believe, at least from

669
00:32:40,391 --> 00:32:44,931
here, we have been direct
about ascribing any

670
00:32:44,929 --> 00:32:48,499
attribution for the other
breaches that you mentioned,

671
00:32:48,499 --> 00:32:49,999
including at the State
Department and here at the

672
00:32:50,001 --> 00:32:50,931
White House.

673
00:32:50,935 --> 00:32:52,935
That's not because we
don't take those

674
00:32:52,937 --> 00:32:53,867
breaches seriously.

675
00:32:53,871 --> 00:32:55,441
I assure you that we do.

676
00:32:55,440 --> 00:32:59,510
And those breaches have been
thoroughly investigated and

677
00:32:59,510 --> 00:33:03,680
there are a number of steps
that have been taken to

678
00:33:03,681 --> 00:33:08,191
prevent future
breaches of that sort.

679
00:33:08,186 --> 00:33:11,486
So this is something that
we're vigilant about and

680
00:33:11,489 --> 00:33:13,889
will be moving forward.

681
00:33:13,891 --> 00:33:19,731
We take those matters quite
seriously, and the fact that

682
00:33:19,731 --> 00:33:22,801
I'm unwilling to talk in
much detail about this

683
00:33:22,800 --> 00:33:25,140
situation is not an
indication that somehow the

684
00:33:25,136 --> 00:33:27,806
administration or our
national security agencies

685
00:33:27,805 --> 00:33:28,875
take this lightly.

686
00:33:28,873 --> 00:33:31,973
In fact, I think it might be
an indication of just how

687
00:33:31,976 --> 00:33:34,176
seriously we treat this
matter that I don't want to

688
00:33:34,178 --> 00:33:37,718
say something that could,
as a representative of the

689
00:33:37,715 --> 00:33:38,955
White House and as a
spokesperson for the

690
00:33:38,950 --> 00:33:42,020
President, that would make
this investigation even more

691
00:33:42,019 --> 00:33:43,819
complicated than
it already is.

692
00:33:43,821 --> 00:33:47,761
So that's why I'm being
a little circumspect.

693
00:33:47,759 --> 00:33:51,529
And I would acknowledge
that fact on the front end.

694
00:33:51,529 --> 00:33:52,829
The Press: One
more question.

695
00:33:52,830 --> 00:33:56,570
It appears that the last
hospitals remaining in

696
00:33:56,567 --> 00:33:59,637
Aleppo, Syria have been
destroyed by the Syrian air

697
00:33:59,637 --> 00:34:02,177
force, with the backing of
the Russians, according to

698
00:34:02,173 --> 00:34:04,273
U.S.-backed Syrian
opposition.

699
00:34:04,275 --> 00:34:07,715
There's claims of 400,000
civilians in immediate risk

700
00:34:07,712 --> 00:34:10,212
and in need of aid.

701
00:34:10,214 --> 00:34:11,954
France has called
this a war crime.

702
00:34:11,949 --> 00:34:12,919
Do you agree with that?

703
00:34:12,917 --> 00:34:14,387
And what is the U.S. doing?

704
00:34:14,385 --> 00:34:16,455
Mr. Earnest: Well, Margaret,
I have seen the news reports

705
00:34:16,454 --> 00:34:24,024
of the situation in Aleppo,
and it's gut-wrenching.

706
00:34:24,028 --> 00:34:34,508
The targeting of medical
facilities that treat

707
00:34:34,505 --> 00:34:40,515
civilians is something
that's impossible to justify.

708
00:34:40,511 --> 00:34:50,191
Unfortunately, these reports
out of Syria are not unique.

709
00:34:50,188 --> 00:34:56,558
We know there's been a
specific strategy carried

710
00:34:56,561 --> 00:35:02,101
out by the Assad regime to
use their country's military

711
00:35:02,099 --> 00:35:07,609
might and attack
innocent people.

712
00:35:07,605 --> 00:35:16,615
It's why the United States
and the rest of the

713
00:35:16,614 --> 00:35:18,284
international community
-- almost the rest of the

714
00:35:18,282 --> 00:35:20,582
entire international
community -- has concluded

715
00:35:20,585 --> 00:35:24,385
that President Assad has
lost the legitimacy to lead

716
00:35:24,388 --> 00:35:25,758
in Syria.

717
00:35:25,756 --> 00:35:27,096
We believe that he must go.

718
00:35:27,091 --> 00:35:30,731
And it's just not possible
for him to make a credible

719
00:35:30,728 --> 00:35:33,468
case that he is the right
person to unify that country

720
00:35:33,464 --> 00:35:36,764
when he's spent so much time
and energy and resources

721
00:35:36,767 --> 00:35:39,607
attacking the citizens
of the country.

722
00:35:39,604 --> 00:35:42,174
So we continue to be
deeply concerned about the

723
00:35:42,173 --> 00:35:44,973
situation in Syria, and
particularly the situation

724
00:35:44,976 --> 00:35:45,976
in Aleppo.

725
00:35:45,977 --> 00:35:48,977
That's why we are redoubling
our efforts to try to get

726
00:35:48,980 --> 00:35:52,780
the Russians and the Assad
regime to live up to the

727
00:35:52,783 --> 00:35:55,123
commitments that they made
in the context of the

728
00:35:55,119 --> 00:35:56,049
Cessation of Hostilities.

729
00:35:56,053 --> 00:35:58,253
We've tried to do
that for two reasons.

730
00:35:58,256 --> 00:36:00,126
The first is, by
implementing the Cessation

731
00:36:00,124 --> 00:36:03,864
of Hostilities, we can first
and foremost try to bring

732
00:36:03,861 --> 00:36:06,031
humanitarian relief to
innocent people that have

733
00:36:06,030 --> 00:36:07,630
been caught in the crossfire for years now --

734
00:36:07,632 --> 00:36:09,002
The Press: The French called that a smokescreen

735
00:36:09,000 --> 00:36:11,840
today, that the ceasefire, the Cessation of

736
00:36:11,836 --> 00:36:13,236
Hostilities has just been a

737
00:36:13,237 --> 00:36:15,337
smokescreen for Russia and
Syria to continue

738
00:36:15,339 --> 00:36:16,409
to do this.

739
00:36:16,407 --> 00:36:19,507
Mr. Earnest: There have been
places where implementing

740
00:36:19,510 --> 00:36:21,750
the Cessation of Hostilities
successfully has allowed

741
00:36:21,746 --> 00:36:24,046
hundreds of thousands of
people in Syria to get some

742
00:36:24,048 --> 00:36:25,548
humanitarian relief.

743
00:36:25,550 --> 00:36:27,490
There are places
where it has worked.

744
00:36:27,485 --> 00:36:29,255
And I think it's important
we not overlook those,

745
00:36:29,253 --> 00:36:31,453
because that essentially
serves as a model for what

746
00:36:31,455 --> 00:36:35,155
we would like to do in other
places in the country.

747
00:36:35,159 --> 00:36:37,029
At the same time, Margaret,
I would readily agree that

748
00:36:37,028 --> 00:36:39,968
there are some places where
the Russians and the Syrians

749
00:36:39,964 --> 00:36:43,104
have not lived up to the
commitments that they've

750
00:36:43,100 --> 00:36:47,000
made, where they have
engaged in the kinds of

751
00:36:47,004 --> 00:36:50,044
actions that are not allowed
under the

752
00:36:50,041 --> 00:36:51,111
Cessation of Hostilities.

753
00:36:51,108 --> 00:36:53,248
And as a result, the
humanitarian situation

754
00:36:53,244 --> 00:36:54,274
has worsened.

755
00:36:54,278 --> 00:36:58,048
So we continue to be quite
concerned about that.

756
00:36:58,049 --> 00:36:59,619
The other reason that we're
concerned about it is that

757
00:36:59,617 --> 00:37:05,387
it's impossible to broker
political talks between

758
00:37:05,389 --> 00:37:09,599
government representatives
and the opposition as long

759
00:37:09,594 --> 00:37:11,294
as there's
fighting going on.

760
00:37:11,295 --> 00:37:15,865
So we're trying to get the
fighting to stop so that we

761
00:37:15,866 --> 00:37:18,806
can bring the much-needed
humanitarian relief, but

762
00:37:18,803 --> 00:37:20,603
also to try to kick-start
the kind of political

763
00:37:20,605 --> 00:37:23,405
transition that everybody
acknowledges -- everybody

764
00:37:23,407 --> 00:37:26,147
except for Bashar al
Assad -- acknowledges

765
00:37:26,143 --> 00:37:27,213
is necessary.

766
00:37:27,211 --> 00:37:30,181
So that's the state of play.

767
00:37:30,181 --> 00:37:33,381
And, again, what's happening
in Aleppo is deeply,

768
00:37:33,384 --> 00:37:35,454
deeply concerning.

769
00:37:35,453 --> 00:37:40,093
And we condemn in the
strongest terms the effort

770
00:37:40,091 --> 00:37:46,231
by anybody to target medical
facilities that treat civilians.

771
00:37:46,230 --> 00:37:49,430
That's completely
unacceptable and contravenes

772
00:37:49,433 --> 00:37:52,603
just about every
international agreement that

773
00:37:52,603 --> 00:37:56,373
applies to these
kinds of situations.

774
00:37:56,374 --> 00:37:57,704
Kevin.

775
00:37:57,708 --> 00:37:58,678
The Press: Thanks, Josh.

776
00:37:58,676 --> 00:38:01,846
Speaking of Syria, at last
check, according to State

777
00:38:01,846 --> 00:38:04,786
Department figures, there
are about 6,900 Syrian

778
00:38:04,782 --> 00:38:07,482
refugees that have been
admitted to the U.S.

779
00:38:07,485 --> 00:38:09,355
in fiscal 2016.

780
00:38:09,353 --> 00:38:13,393
That number seems to be
accelerated by some 1,500

781
00:38:13,391 --> 00:38:14,321
since July.

782
00:38:14,325 --> 00:38:18,465
Is the White House concerned
at all by the inflow of

783
00:38:18,462 --> 00:38:21,732
refugees given what has
happened in Germany over the

784
00:38:21,732 --> 00:38:23,972
past week?

785
00:38:23,968 --> 00:38:25,138
Three of the four deadly
attacks there have been

786
00:38:25,136 --> 00:38:28,276
carried out by refugees.

787
00:38:28,272 --> 00:38:31,972
Mr. Earnest: Kevin, the
refugee process in the

788
00:38:31,976 --> 00:38:35,946
United States involves
thorough screening and vetting.

789
00:38:35,946 --> 00:38:37,916
In fact, individuals
entering the United States

790
00:38:37,915 --> 00:38:41,155
as a refugee undergo more
rigorous screening than

791
00:38:41,152 --> 00:38:43,222
anybody else who tries to
enter the United States.

792
00:38:43,220 --> 00:38:46,220
That means that these
individuals, before they're

793
00:38:46,223 --> 00:38:48,723
allowed to enter the
country, that they're

794
00:38:48,726 --> 00:38:51,626
subjected to interviews;
that biometric information

795
00:38:51,629 --> 00:38:55,099
is collected about them --

796
00:38:55,099 --> 00:38:55,829
The Press: Mental health screening?

797
00:38:55,833 --> 00:38:58,133
Mr. Earnest: Well, I can't
speak to the specifics of

798
00:38:58,135 --> 00:39:01,375
those but you certainly
can check with the State

799
00:39:01,372 --> 00:39:03,912
Department that can provide
you some more incite.

800
00:39:03,908 --> 00:39:06,308
But once that information is
collected, it then is run

801
00:39:06,310 --> 00:39:08,210
through a wide variety
of databases, including

802
00:39:08,212 --> 00:39:09,412
databases that are
maintained by the

803
00:39:09,413 --> 00:39:11,213
intelligence community,
by the military, by law

804
00:39:11,215 --> 00:39:14,155
enforcement organizations,
including international law

805
00:39:14,151 --> 00:39:17,391
enforcement organizations,
to make sure that this

806
00:39:17,388 --> 00:39:21,228
person is appropriate to
admit to the United States.

807
00:39:21,225 --> 00:39:25,425
So that's why the President
has confidence in ramping up

808
00:39:25,429 --> 00:39:30,669
the number of refugees that
are admitted to the United

809
00:39:30,668 --> 00:39:34,368
States, because obviously
almost all of them are

810
00:39:34,371 --> 00:39:37,471
innocent people fleeing
violence in their home country.

811
00:39:37,475 --> 00:39:40,415
Some of them are people
who are fleeing genocide.

812
00:39:40,411 --> 00:39:43,611
And the President feels like
the United States has a

813
00:39:43,614 --> 00:39:47,384
responsibility to do our
part to try to provide

814
00:39:47,384 --> 00:39:52,194
relief to people who are
fleeing that kind of

815
00:39:52,189 --> 00:39:53,489
violence and including
people who are

816
00:39:53,491 --> 00:39:54,521
fleeing genocide.

817
00:39:54,525 --> 00:39:56,895
The Press: Is it an
irrational concern, then, to

818
00:39:56,894 --> 00:39:59,694
have more refugees come to
the country, given what's

819
00:39:59,697 --> 00:40:01,337
happening in Germany?

820
00:40:01,332 --> 00:40:03,802
Mr. Earnest: Concern for
the United States and our

821
00:40:03,801 --> 00:40:05,801
national security is the
President's top priority.

822
00:40:05,803 --> 00:40:09,003
So I can understand why
people are concerned about

823
00:40:09,006 --> 00:40:11,106
our national security -- the
President is concerned about

824
00:40:11,108 --> 00:40:12,208
our national security.

825
00:40:12,209 --> 00:40:16,479
In fact, that is why he has
ensured that refugees who

826
00:40:16,480 --> 00:40:19,280
are admitted to the United
States are subjected to all

827
00:40:19,283 --> 00:40:20,923
of the screening that
I just described.

828
00:40:20,918 --> 00:40:22,758
They undergo more screening
than anybody else who tries

829
00:40:22,753 --> 00:40:23,853
to enter the United States.

830
00:40:23,854 --> 00:40:25,654
They undergo more screening
than somebody who tries to

831
00:40:25,656 --> 00:40:27,426
enter the United
States as a tourist.

832
00:40:27,424 --> 00:40:29,364
They undergo more screening
than anybody who enters the

833
00:40:29,360 --> 00:40:31,930
United States to
do business here.

834
00:40:31,929 --> 00:40:34,129
So the screening
is thorough.

835
00:40:34,131 --> 00:40:36,131
And the President has made
clear that even as we

836
00:40:36,133 --> 00:40:39,473
increase the number of
refugees that are admitted

837
00:40:39,470 --> 00:40:41,370
to the United States, we're
not going to cut corners

838
00:40:41,372 --> 00:40:42,972
when it comes
to our security.

839
00:40:42,973 --> 00:40:45,843
The President has made
clear that those kinds of

840
00:40:45,843 --> 00:40:49,643
shortcuts are
not appropriate.

841
00:40:49,647 --> 00:40:53,347
So we can do the rigorous
screening, even as the

842
00:40:53,350 --> 00:40:57,860
United States fulfills our
responsibility to our fellow

843
00:40:57,855 --> 00:41:02,925
human beings that are
innocently caught in the

844
00:41:02,927 --> 00:41:03,897
middle of a conflict.

845
00:41:03,894 --> 00:41:05,034
The Press: I want to draw
your attention to

846
00:41:05,029 --> 00:41:05,729
something else.

847
00:41:05,729 --> 00:41:08,729
House Democrats are pressing
the President to take action

848
00:41:08,732 --> 00:41:10,972
on nuclear weapons
before he leaves office.

849
00:41:10,968 --> 00:41:15,008
You may be familiar with
a letter sent by five

850
00:41:15,005 --> 00:41:18,075
Democrats urging the
President to take bold

851
00:41:18,075 --> 00:41:21,245
action and implement a
no-first-use policy.

852
00:41:21,245 --> 00:41:24,685
What is the President's
belief about a

853
00:41:24,682 --> 00:41:25,812
no-first-use policy?

854
00:41:25,816 --> 00:41:28,716
And would he be interested
in pursuing that given the

855
00:41:28,719 --> 00:41:30,189
brevity of his
time in office?

856
00:41:30,187 --> 00:41:31,557
He has not to this point.

857
00:41:31,555 --> 00:41:34,025
Mr. Earnest: Well, Kevin,
the President has made

858
00:41:34,024 --> 00:41:37,524
counter-proliferation --
preventing the spread of

859
00:41:37,528 --> 00:41:39,728
nuclear weapons
a top priority.

860
00:41:39,730 --> 00:41:43,270
And the President organized
I believe on four or five

861
00:41:43,267 --> 00:41:45,037
different occasions a
Nuclear Security Summit,

862
00:41:45,035 --> 00:41:47,735
where, essentially, world
leaders gathered in one

863
00:41:47,738 --> 00:41:50,778
place -- twice in the
United States -- to have a

864
00:41:50,774 --> 00:41:52,574
discussion about what
additional steps could be

865
00:41:52,576 --> 00:41:54,646
implemented to prevent the
further spread of

866
00:41:54,645 --> 00:41:56,745
nuclear weapons.

867
00:41:56,747 --> 00:42:00,187
So this has been a top
priority when it comes to

868
00:42:00,184 --> 00:42:03,224
the President's
foreign policy agenda.

869
00:42:03,220 --> 00:42:07,390
So I don't have any news to
make about any sort of new

870
00:42:07,391 --> 00:42:09,861
policy or any additional
steps that the President

871
00:42:09,860 --> 00:42:10,900
may take.

872
00:42:10,895 --> 00:42:13,535
But the President is
certainly interested in

873
00:42:13,530 --> 00:42:17,500
taking advantage of
opportunities that are

874
00:42:17,501 --> 00:42:19,441
available over the last six
months that he has in office

875
00:42:19,436 --> 00:42:24,676
to further move us toward a
vision that Presidents in

876
00:42:24,675 --> 00:42:26,845
both parties have
articulated, which is a

877
00:42:26,844 --> 00:42:28,584
world without
nuclear weapons.

878
00:42:28,579 --> 00:42:30,619
And it's a long-term goal.

879
00:42:30,614 --> 00:42:33,014
It's not likely to happen --
it's obviously not going to

880
00:42:33,017 --> 00:42:33,987
happen in this
administration.

881
00:42:33,984 --> 00:42:34,954
It's probably not going
to happen in any of

882
00:42:34,952 --> 00:42:36,852
our lifetimes.

883
00:42:36,854 --> 00:42:39,854
But the President certainly
does believe that our world

884
00:42:39,857 --> 00:42:41,827
would be safer and the
American people would be

885
00:42:41,825 --> 00:42:44,795
more secure if we could
succeed in that effort.

886
00:42:44,795 --> 00:42:46,165
The Press: And to put a
button on that, then is it

887
00:42:46,163 --> 00:42:49,363
fair to say he is, in
principle, supportive of a

888
00:42:49,366 --> 00:42:51,036
no-first-use idea?

889
00:42:51,035 --> 00:42:52,505
Or not?

890
00:42:52,503 --> 00:42:56,873
Mr. Earnest: Well, again, I
don't have any news to make

891
00:42:56,874 --> 00:42:58,414
when it comes to laying out
any new sort of principles

892
00:42:58,409 --> 00:43:00,709
when it comes to the
use of nuclear weapons.

893
00:43:00,711 --> 00:43:03,811
The President's view is that
obviously it's a dangerous

894
00:43:03,814 --> 00:43:06,454
world, and we're aware of
the fact that some of our

895
00:43:06,450 --> 00:43:08,890
adversaries do have
a nuclear stockpile.

896
00:43:08,886 --> 00:43:13,056
And the work that we have
engaged in over the course

897
00:43:13,057 --> 00:43:16,597
of this administration has
been to prevent particular

898
00:43:16,593 --> 00:43:22,063
tools or some equipment, or
even some nuclear material,

899
00:43:22,066 --> 00:43:25,836
falling into the hands of
rogue actors -- whether

900
00:43:25,836 --> 00:43:28,636
they're terrorists or
criminal entities, or even

901
00:43:28,639 --> 00:43:31,709
some other countries -- that
would allow them to develop

902
00:43:31,709 --> 00:43:33,279
nuclear capability.

903
00:43:33,277 --> 00:43:35,777
And we have made progress in
safeguarding that material.

904
00:43:35,779 --> 00:43:37,879
We've made progress in
reaching an international

905
00:43:37,881 --> 00:43:39,751
agreement with Iran to
prevent them from obtaining

906
00:43:39,750 --> 00:43:40,920
a nuclear weapon.

907
00:43:40,918 --> 00:43:43,088
So we've made important
progress in stemming the

908
00:43:43,087 --> 00:43:47,927
proliferation of nuclear
materials and nuclear weapons.

909
00:43:47,925 --> 00:43:51,095
That enhances our
nation's security.

910
00:43:51,095 --> 00:43:54,065
But we've also been able to
work effectively, through

911
00:43:54,064 --> 00:43:56,764
diplomacy, to try to get
other countries to reduce

912
00:43:56,767 --> 00:43:59,837
their nuclear stockpile.

913
00:43:59,837 --> 00:44:01,807
Now, there's more progress
on this that we would like

914
00:44:01,805 --> 00:44:07,345
to make, but this has been a
priority and one that we're

915
00:44:07,344 --> 00:44:08,484
going to continue to track.

916
00:44:08,479 --> 00:44:11,849
The Press: You mentioned the
First Lady -- just one more

917
00:44:11,849 --> 00:44:15,049
-- values and agenda
and priorities that the

918
00:44:15,052 --> 00:44:15,722
Democrats stand for.

919
00:44:15,719 --> 00:44:17,419
Can you give us sort of a
preview of what we should

920
00:44:17,421 --> 00:44:19,421
expect to hear from her
tonight, and why it's so

921
00:44:19,423 --> 00:44:23,093
important that she really
take on the mantle of

922
00:44:23,093 --> 00:44:26,833
healer, if you will, given
what's been happening in the

923
00:44:26,830 --> 00:44:29,170
last couple days
with the Democrats?

924
00:44:29,166 --> 00:44:30,966
Mr. Earnest: I don't think
that's how she sees her role.

925
00:44:30,968 --> 00:44:33,438
I think what you can expect
from Mrs. Obama is for her

926
00:44:33,437 --> 00:44:37,007
to make a very forceful
case, obviously in support

927
00:44:37,007 --> 00:44:38,847
of Secretary Clinton.

928
00:44:38,842 --> 00:44:43,582
And Mrs. Obama's case will
be rooted in her own sense

929
00:44:43,580 --> 00:44:45,650
of values and in the sense
-- and in the values that

930
00:44:45,649 --> 00:44:47,149
she wants to instill
in her children.

931
00:44:47,151 --> 00:44:57,331
I think, like many
Americans, she considers her

932
00:44:57,327 --> 00:45:00,697
choice in this election from
the perspective of a parent

933
00:45:00,697 --> 00:45:02,597
who deeply loves her kids.

934
00:45:02,599 --> 00:45:04,839
She's also a First Lady
that's had an opportunity to

935
00:45:04,835 --> 00:45:08,505
travel all across the
country and meet parents and

936
00:45:08,505 --> 00:45:10,105
kids in communities all
across the country.

937
00:45:10,107 --> 00:45:13,577
And she certainly knows that
her husband, when he was

938
00:45:13,577 --> 00:45:15,647
sitting in the Oval Office
making decisions about our

939
00:45:15,646 --> 00:45:19,386
country, whether it was
related to domestic or

940
00:45:19,383 --> 00:45:22,183
foreign policy -- that he
had the best interests of

941
00:45:22,186 --> 00:45:23,686
the country and the best
interests of our country's

942
00:45:23,687 --> 00:45:25,087
kids in mind.

943
00:45:25,089 --> 00:45:29,059
That certainly is what
Mrs. Obama believes is

944
00:45:29,059 --> 00:45:31,429
important as people consider
who to support in the

945
00:45:31,428 --> 00:45:32,998
next election.

946
00:45:32,996 --> 00:45:35,236
And she'll make a forceful
case that when it comes to

947
00:45:35,232 --> 00:45:39,602
the next President looking
out for our kids and their

948
00:45:39,603 --> 00:45:43,003
interests, she's made the
decision to strongly support

949
00:45:43,006 --> 00:45:44,146
Secretary Clinton.

950
00:45:44,141 --> 00:45:47,141
But she'll make that case
much more eloquently than I

951
00:45:47,144 --> 00:45:49,284
just did, and I certainly
would encourage people to

952
00:45:49,279 --> 00:45:50,819
tune in and check it out.

953
00:45:50,814 --> 00:45:51,714
Hans.

954
00:45:51,715 --> 00:45:52,985
The Press: Josh, I want to
make sure I have this all

955
00:45:52,983 --> 00:45:55,383
clear in response to the
answer on the genocide

956
00:45:55,385 --> 00:45:58,925
question on ISIS and --
you used genocide twice.

957
00:45:58,922 --> 00:46:01,162
And Mark was asking
about Aleppo as well.

958
00:46:01,158 --> 00:46:03,798
I just want to make sure who
the genocide designation is

959
00:46:03,794 --> 00:46:05,764
currently applied to.

960
00:46:05,762 --> 00:46:07,302
Mr. Earnest: Well, the
State Department makes that

961
00:46:07,297 --> 00:46:08,897
designation, so they can
sort of walk you through

962
00:46:08,899 --> 00:46:10,299
the particulars.

963
00:46:10,300 --> 00:46:13,970
I know that they've made
an announcement about a

964
00:46:13,971 --> 00:46:15,971
determination they've
made over there.

965
00:46:15,973 --> 00:46:17,443
The Press: You weren't
extending that.

966
00:46:17,441 --> 00:46:20,811
You're keeping this just
genocide for ISIL, not beyond.

967
00:46:20,811 --> 00:46:27,521
Mr. Earnest: The point that
I'm making is that there are

968
00:46:27,518 --> 00:46:34,388
a large number of people who
are fleeing Syria because of

969
00:46:34,391 --> 00:46:37,031
the violence that has
torn that country apart.

970
00:46:37,027 --> 00:46:42,797
And too often, some people
that may even have a

971
00:46:42,799 --> 00:46:46,399
political agenda have tried
to describe those people as

972
00:46:46,403 --> 00:46:50,403
would-be terrorists.

973
00:46:50,407 --> 00:46:58,417
I don't think that's an
accurate description.

974
00:46:58,415 --> 00:47:04,755
This is a group of
individuals that I think can

975
00:47:04,755 --> 00:47:10,695
best be described as almost
entirely innocent people

976
00:47:10,694 --> 00:47:11,894
fleeing violence.

977
00:47:11,895 --> 00:47:14,195
In some cases, these are
people who are fleeing

978
00:47:14,198 --> 00:47:18,398
violence that could be
directed at them because of

979
00:47:18,402 --> 00:47:20,702
their religion, or because
of their ethnicity, or for

980
00:47:20,704 --> 00:47:26,044
reasons that could
potentially put them at risk

981
00:47:26,043 --> 00:47:27,243
of genocide.

982
00:47:27,244 --> 00:47:34,854
Now, there is a concern that
has been expressed by our

983
00:47:34,851 --> 00:47:39,021
intelligence community that
terrorists could try to

984
00:47:39,022 --> 00:47:42,022
capitalize on this situation
in a way that could

985
00:47:42,025 --> 00:47:43,465
undermine our
national security.

986
00:47:43,460 --> 00:47:46,160
And that's why the President
has insisted on protecting

987
00:47:46,163 --> 00:47:49,433
these rigorous screening
standards and making sure

988
00:47:49,433 --> 00:47:52,673
that any refugee that's
admitted to the United

989
00:47:52,669 --> 00:47:55,669
States undergoes screening
that involves background

990
00:47:55,672 --> 00:47:57,542
checks, in-person
interviews, collecting

991
00:47:57,541 --> 00:47:59,681
biometric information and
making sure that it's cycled

992
00:47:59,676 --> 00:48:01,576
through all these databases.

993
00:48:01,578 --> 00:48:04,748
And he does that -- the
President advocates this

994
00:48:04,748 --> 00:48:07,348
point of view not because he
believes that most of these

995
00:48:07,351 --> 00:48:12,191
people are likely terrorists
and we just need to find the

996
00:48:12,189 --> 00:48:17,829
innocent people among them;
rather, we understand that

997
00:48:17,828 --> 00:48:21,368
almost every individual
in this group is somebody

998
00:48:21,365 --> 00:48:23,035
that's fleeing violence
in their hometown.

999
00:48:23,033 --> 00:48:24,703
In some cases, it's an
individual who is

1000
00:48:24,701 --> 00:48:25,671
fleeing genocide.

1001
00:48:25,669 --> 00:48:27,709
And we need to make sure
that we're doing rigorous

1002
00:48:27,704 --> 00:48:30,204
screening to prevent
terrorist organizations from

1003
00:48:30,207 --> 00:48:33,907
capitalizing on
the situation.

1004
00:48:33,910 --> 00:48:40,120
And by doing this kind of
screening, we can certainly

1005
00:48:40,117 --> 00:48:44,687
and significantly reduce the
likelihood that terrorist

1006
00:48:44,688 --> 00:48:46,128
organizations are going to
be able to capitalize on

1007
00:48:46,123 --> 00:48:49,693
this chaos and sneak
somebody into the United States.

1008
00:48:49,693 --> 00:48:50,693
The Press: But you're not
trying to broaden the

1009
00:48:50,694 --> 00:48:52,834
definition of entities who's
being tagged by the State

1010
00:48:52,829 --> 00:48:54,599
Department with genocide?

1011
00:48:54,598 --> 00:48:55,568
Mr. Earnest: No.

1012
00:48:55,565 --> 00:48:58,965
Again, I'm just trying to
help people understand the

1013
00:48:58,969 --> 00:49:01,139
context in which these
decisions are made.

1014
00:49:01,138 --> 00:49:03,508
And the truth is, almost
every single person that's

1015
00:49:03,507 --> 00:49:04,977
being considered for refugee
status is a person that's

1016
00:49:04,975 --> 00:49:07,575
fleeing violence
in their country.

1017
00:49:07,577 --> 00:49:10,717
And the United States has a
responsibility to step up

1018
00:49:10,714 --> 00:49:14,154
and respond to the call of
providing for at least some

1019
00:49:14,151 --> 00:49:15,751
of those people.

1020
00:49:15,752 --> 00:49:17,792
The Press: And if I could
just go back to the DNC issue.

1021
00:49:17,788 --> 00:49:20,958
When Robin Mook said this
morning that they have

1022
00:49:20,957 --> 00:49:23,497
information that it is
Russia that is doing this,

1023
00:49:23,493 --> 00:49:26,033
that's behind this, you're
saying that's solely based

1024
00:49:26,029 --> 00:49:28,629
on private intelligent
and private assessment?

1025
00:49:28,632 --> 00:49:30,402
There's nothing then from
the government that has

1026
00:49:30,400 --> 00:49:33,500
given them that indication
that Russia is behind it?

1027
00:49:33,503 --> 00:49:34,403
Mr. Earnest: Yes,
that's a good question.

1028
00:49:34,404 --> 00:49:37,444
You should ask Mr. Mook
exactly what information he

1029
00:49:37,441 --> 00:49:38,411
was relying on.

1030
00:49:38,408 --> 00:49:43,148
The point that I was making
is that there's plenty of

1031
00:49:43,146 --> 00:49:46,116
outside analysis that's been
done that has reached the

1032
00:49:46,116 --> 00:49:48,786
same conclusion that he
articulated over the weekend.

1033
00:49:48,785 --> 00:49:52,385
The federal government,
using tools that -- using a

1034
00:49:52,389 --> 00:49:55,329
variety of tools -- is
working to complete our

1035
00:49:55,325 --> 00:49:56,725
own assessment.

1036
00:49:56,727 --> 00:49:59,027
And that work is
being done by the FBI.

1037
00:49:59,029 --> 00:50:00,629
And there's not a whole lot
I can say about that because

1038
00:50:00,630 --> 00:50:01,730
I don't want to compromise
their investigation.

1039
00:50:01,732 --> 00:50:03,162
The Press: Are you aware
of any official government

1040
00:50:03,166 --> 00:50:05,606
communication from the
United States government or

1041
00:50:05,602 --> 00:50:08,472
the FBI or the White House
to either the Clinton

1042
00:50:08,472 --> 00:50:10,072
campaign or the DNC that
they'd been hacked?

1043
00:50:10,073 --> 00:50:11,513
Mr. Earnest: I can't
speak to any of that.

1044
00:50:11,508 --> 00:50:15,708
The Press: Because in 2008,
I mean, Josh Bolten called

1045
00:50:15,712 --> 00:50:17,552
-- when the Chinese hacked
the McCain campaign and the

1046
00:50:17,547 --> 00:50:19,187
Obama campaign, when you
were on the Obama campaign,

1047
00:50:19,182 --> 00:50:21,582
it was Josh Bolten who
called up David Plouffe.

1048
00:50:21,585 --> 00:50:23,955
And there was something
official, that they weren't

1049
00:50:23,954 --> 00:50:26,494
just relying on
private assessments.

1050
00:50:26,490 --> 00:50:28,020
Mr. Earnest: Well, look,
what I'm sure is true is

1051
00:50:28,024 --> 00:50:30,964
that as the FBI conducts
their investigation into

1052
00:50:30,961 --> 00:50:32,401
what happened at the
DNC, they'll have some

1053
00:50:32,396 --> 00:50:34,466
interaction with the DNC
as they conduct

1054
00:50:34,464 --> 00:50:35,904
their investigation.

1055
00:50:35,899 --> 00:50:38,199
But I can't speak to any
specific conversations that

1056
00:50:38,201 --> 00:50:38,931
have taken place.

1057
00:50:38,935 --> 00:50:40,635
The Press: So they could
be relying, though, on

1058
00:50:40,637 --> 00:50:42,977
something from the FBI that
said -- telling them that

1059
00:50:42,973 --> 00:50:43,973
they were hacked?

1060
00:50:43,974 --> 00:50:45,374
Mr. Earnest: Well, again, I
don't know whether or not

1061
00:50:45,375 --> 00:50:47,715
the FBI has provided
them any information.

1062
00:50:47,711 --> 00:50:49,481
I guess the point that I'm
trying to make is there is

1063
00:50:49,479 --> 00:50:52,979
always a lot of public
speculation out there,

1064
00:50:52,983 --> 00:50:56,923
including some evidence that
has been marshalled by a

1065
00:50:56,920 --> 00:51:02,760
private sector entity, and
based on that evidence, that

1066
00:51:02,759 --> 00:51:05,129
this outside group that is a
group of experts -- I'm not

1067
00:51:05,128 --> 00:51:06,268
trying to diminish them --
but they've reached their

1068
00:51:06,263 --> 00:51:07,293
own conclusions about this.

1069
00:51:07,297 --> 00:51:10,197
So it certainly is possible
that Mr. Mook was relying on

1070
00:51:10,200 --> 00:51:13,470
that publicly
available information.

1071
00:51:13,470 --> 00:51:14,270
You'd have to ask him
if that's the case.

1072
00:51:14,271 --> 00:51:15,141
The Press: But it's also
possible that he's heard

1073
00:51:15,138 --> 00:51:17,108
from the FBI or
the White House?

1074
00:51:17,107 --> 00:51:19,277
Mr. Earnest: Well, again,
you'd have to ask him who he

1075
00:51:19,276 --> 00:51:20,546
has spoken to.

1076
00:51:20,544 --> 00:51:22,714
David.

1077
00:51:22,712 --> 00:51:24,112
The Press: Just
a couple topics.

1078
00:51:24,114 --> 00:51:26,214
One is last week you talked
about the President not

1079
00:51:26,216 --> 00:51:27,756
watching the RNC convention.

1080
00:51:27,751 --> 00:51:32,521
And you also suggested that
he would certainly watch his

1081
00:51:32,522 --> 00:51:34,922
wife, but you weren't clear
who else he would watch

1082
00:51:34,925 --> 00:51:36,425
other than maybe
Secretary Clinton.

1083
00:51:36,426 --> 00:51:38,226
I'm wondering if you could
tell us whether he plans to

1084
00:51:38,228 --> 00:51:40,568
tune into Bernie Sanders's
speech tonight, considering

1085
00:51:40,564 --> 00:51:42,534
Sanders's role in this
primary process and leading

1086
00:51:42,532 --> 00:51:43,632
up to this?

1087
00:51:43,633 --> 00:51:44,733
Mr. Earnest: I don't know
whether or not he'll watch

1088
00:51:44,734 --> 00:51:47,004
Senator Sanders's
speech tonight.

1089
00:51:47,003 --> 00:51:50,573
But I'll see if I can find
out tomorrow if he watched

1090
00:51:50,574 --> 00:51:51,504
it and we'll let you know.

1091
00:51:51,508 --> 00:51:52,278
The Press: That
would be great.

1092
00:51:52,275 --> 00:51:53,145
On another topic.

1093
00:51:53,143 --> 00:51:56,343
Susan Rice -- Ambassador
Rice was in Beijing today,

1094
00:51:56,346 --> 00:51:59,046
had a meeting with a number
of Chinese officials.

1095
00:51:59,049 --> 00:52:00,819
In the readout from the
White House and I think some

1096
00:52:00,817 --> 00:52:02,687
brief remarks that she
made in her meeting with

1097
00:52:02,686 --> 00:52:05,386
President Xi -- they talked
about a range of issues but

1098
00:52:05,388 --> 00:52:08,088
did not specifically mention
the South China Sea.

1099
00:52:08,091 --> 00:52:10,431
I'm wondering if you could
tell us if that issue was --

1100
00:52:10,427 --> 00:52:13,567
and the recent ruling by the
tribunal was brought up by

1101
00:52:13,563 --> 00:52:16,563
Ambassador Rice, what kind
of message she delivered on

1102
00:52:16,566 --> 00:52:19,666
that point, and if she got
any reassurances from either

1103
00:52:19,669 --> 00:52:23,909
State Councilor Yang or
President Xi about China's

1104
00:52:23,907 --> 00:52:26,207
behavior in that region --
whether they'll tone down

1105
00:52:26,209 --> 00:52:29,049
some of their
provocative behavior.

1106
00:52:29,045 --> 00:52:31,615
Mr. Earnest: David, I did
not get a detailed readout

1107
00:52:31,615 --> 00:52:34,115
from Ambassador Rice and her
team who are traveling in

1108
00:52:34,117 --> 00:52:36,257
China right now.

1109
00:52:36,253 --> 00:52:39,893
What I can tell you is
that there were a range of

1110
00:52:39,890 --> 00:52:41,990
maritime issues on her
agenda when she went to meet

1111
00:52:41,992 --> 00:52:44,132
with President Xi.

1112
00:52:44,127 --> 00:52:46,497
So it certainly was her
expectation that it would

1113
00:52:46,496 --> 00:52:48,736
come up in their
conversation, so I expect

1114
00:52:48,732 --> 00:52:49,702
that it did.

1115
00:52:49,699 --> 00:52:52,999
I'm not able to speak to the
reaction from the Chinese

1116
00:52:53,003 --> 00:52:56,203
leader when it was
discussed at this point.

1117
00:52:56,206 --> 00:52:58,606
But this was certainly among
the wide range of issues

1118
00:52:58,608 --> 00:53:02,648
that Ambassador Rice was
prepared to discuss with

1119
00:53:02,646 --> 00:53:07,316
Chinese officials,
including President Xi.

1120
00:53:07,317 --> 00:53:09,957
This included conversations
about the upcoming G20

1121
00:53:09,953 --> 00:53:11,723
meeting -- the President,
of course, is planning to

1122
00:53:11,721 --> 00:53:13,091
attend and I would
anticipate he'll do a

1123
00:53:13,089 --> 00:53:15,329
bilateral meeting with
President Xi when he's there.

1124
00:53:15,325 --> 00:53:17,765
They spent some time
preparing for

1125
00:53:17,761 --> 00:53:19,731
that conversation.

1126
00:53:19,729 --> 00:53:22,069
I know that she also
discussed with them things

1127
00:53:22,065 --> 00:53:25,705
like human rights and
the treatment of U.S.

1128
00:53:25,702 --> 00:53:28,072
businesses and NGOs in China
-- something that we've

1129
00:53:28,071 --> 00:53:29,611
raised concerns
about in the past.

1130
00:53:29,606 --> 00:53:31,276
There also was an
opportunity for them to talk

1131
00:53:31,274 --> 00:53:33,244
about a couple of issues in
which the United States and

1132
00:53:33,243 --> 00:53:35,013
China have been able to
coordinate effectively.

1133
00:53:35,011 --> 00:53:42,121
Both in terms of trying to
denuclearize the Korean

1134
00:53:42,118 --> 00:53:46,388
Peninsula and to make
progress on climate change,

1135
00:53:46,389 --> 00:53:49,359
and obviously we've talked
a lot in the past about how

1136
00:53:49,359 --> 00:53:51,299
the ability of the United
States and China to work

1137
00:53:51,294 --> 00:53:56,234
together on fighting carbon
pollution was essential to

1138
00:53:56,232 --> 00:53:59,672
the broader international
effort to reach a climate

1139
00:53:59,669 --> 00:54:03,839
change agreement at
the end of last year.

1140
00:54:03,840 --> 00:54:04,170
The Press: Overall, the
White House readout seemed

1141
00:54:04,174 --> 00:54:04,674
fairly positive.

1142
00:54:04,674 --> 00:54:05,574
It talked about cooperation
at unprecedented levels and

1143
00:54:05,575 --> 00:54:08,345
a very fruitful meeting
between the Ambassador and

1144
00:54:08,345 --> 00:54:09,545
President Xi.

1145
00:54:09,546 --> 00:54:12,346
I mean, there are others who
would suggest that the sort

1146
00:54:12,349 --> 00:54:16,119
of differences among the
two countries are also

1147
00:54:16,119 --> 00:54:17,089
pronounced at this moment.

1148
00:54:17,087 --> 00:54:19,127
And under the current
President of China, things

1149
00:54:19,122 --> 00:54:21,222
have, in some ways,
deteriorated in these

1150
00:54:21,224 --> 00:54:22,024
other areas.

1151
00:54:22,025 --> 00:54:24,325
Why was it such an
optimistic sort of readout

1152
00:54:24,327 --> 00:54:25,667
on this?

1153
00:54:25,662 --> 00:54:27,532
And when you call it a
fruitful meeting, there

1154
00:54:27,530 --> 00:54:30,070
wasn't a lot of detail about
what fruit it delivered

1155
00:54:30,066 --> 00:54:32,966
between Ambassador
Rice and the President.

1156
00:54:32,969 --> 00:54:36,839
Could you be more specific
about what the outcomes were?

1157
00:54:36,840 --> 00:54:38,270
Mr. Earnest: Well, I think
our expectation is that

1158
00:54:38,274 --> 00:54:40,574
moving forward, that these
kinds of meetings are

1159
00:54:40,577 --> 00:54:44,877
intended to lay the
groundwork for positive

1160
00:54:44,881 --> 00:54:46,321
results down the road.

1161
00:54:46,316 --> 00:54:50,556
And Ambassador Rice was
explicit about in her

1162
00:54:50,553 --> 00:54:53,453
conversations with Chinese
officials -- and not just

1163
00:54:53,456 --> 00:54:54,626
her counterpart but also the
Chinese President -- that

1164
00:54:54,624 --> 00:54:57,994
she's interested in --
that the administration is

1165
00:54:57,994 --> 00:55:03,064
interested in a constructive
relationship with the Chinese.

1166
00:55:03,066 --> 00:55:05,536
It doesn't mean there
won't be disagreements.

1167
00:55:05,535 --> 00:55:08,675
Obviously there are a range
of disagreements, including

1168
00:55:08,672 --> 00:55:09,742
on cyber issues.

1169
00:55:09,739 --> 00:55:14,749
So those of you who know
Ambassador Rice know that

1170
00:55:14,744 --> 00:55:22,684
she is unlikely to shy away
from being blunt about

1171
00:55:22,686 --> 00:55:23,886
those differences.

1172
00:55:23,887 --> 00:55:28,087
But we've also worked hard
in the context of our

1173
00:55:28,091 --> 00:55:30,031
relationship with China
to make sure that those

1174
00:55:30,026 --> 00:55:34,696
differences don't prevent
us from making progress in

1175
00:55:34,698 --> 00:55:35,528
other areas.

1176
00:55:35,532 --> 00:55:37,632
And certainly when it comes
to things like climate

1177
00:55:37,634 --> 00:55:42,474
change and the
denuclearization of the

1178
00:55:42,472 --> 00:55:43,942
Korean Peninsula, and
even some aspects of our

1179
00:55:43,940 --> 00:55:46,610
military-to-military
relationship, we've made

1180
00:55:46,609 --> 00:55:50,779
some important progress that
has enhanced the standing

1181
00:55:50,780 --> 00:55:55,850
and status of citizens
in both our countries.

1182
00:55:55,852 --> 00:55:56,622
So there are definitely
differences of opinion.

1183
00:55:56,619 --> 00:55:57,959
I'm confident those were
discussed in these meetings

1184
00:55:57,954 --> 00:55:59,454
that Ambassador Rice had.

1185
00:55:59,456 --> 00:56:03,396
But I'm confident that it's
in the context of these

1186
00:56:03,393 --> 00:56:05,633
discussions, she went to
great lengths to make clear

1187
00:56:05,628 --> 00:56:08,328
that, even despite our
differences, let's look for

1188
00:56:08,331 --> 00:56:09,931
opportunities to make
some progress together.

1189
00:56:09,933 --> 00:56:12,033
And when the United States
and China can cooperate on

1190
00:56:12,035 --> 00:56:14,805
something, the
sky is the limit.

1191
00:56:14,804 --> 00:56:16,804
Megan.

1192
00:56:16,806 --> 00:56:19,146
The Press: Josh, a question
for you on the U.N.

1193
00:56:19,142 --> 00:56:23,082
report that's out showing a
record number of civilian

1194
00:56:23,079 --> 00:56:25,679
casualties in Afghanistan in
the first six months

1195
00:56:25,682 --> 00:56:26,982
of this year.

1196
00:56:26,983 --> 00:56:31,323
The majority of those
it would show were

1197
00:56:31,321 --> 00:56:33,821
anti-government forces
like the Taliban, but a

1198
00:56:33,823 --> 00:56:36,023
significant number were
pro-government forces.

1199
00:56:36,025 --> 00:56:40,265
What is the
concern of the U.S. as the U.S.

1200
00:56:40,263 --> 00:56:43,933
is getting more involved or
renewing its commitment to

1201
00:56:43,933 --> 00:56:48,143
work with Afghan security
forces for these numbers?

1202
00:56:48,138 --> 00:56:50,408
Specifically, there's a huge
number of children that have

1203
00:56:50,406 --> 00:56:51,946
been killed or injured.

1204
00:56:51,941 --> 00:56:54,741
Mr. Earnest: Well, obviously
there was a bombing in

1205
00:56:54,744 --> 00:56:58,844
Afghanistan over the weekend
in which dozens of innocent

1206
00:56:58,848 --> 00:57:01,318
people were killed and
many more were injured.

1207
00:57:01,317 --> 00:57:03,957
Almost all of those
were citizens.

1208
00:57:03,953 --> 00:57:06,993
And, again, based solely on
the public reports, it does

1209
00:57:06,990 --> 00:57:12,600
appear that the individual
or individuals who carried

1210
00:57:12,595 --> 00:57:16,165
out that attack were
intentionally trying to

1211
00:57:16,166 --> 00:57:17,336
harm civilians.

1212
00:57:17,333 --> 00:57:21,133
This is a tactic that
we've seen from ISIL.

1213
00:57:21,137 --> 00:57:22,937
It's a tactic we've seen
from other

1214
00:57:22,939 --> 00:57:23,969
terrorist organizations.

1215
00:57:23,973 --> 00:57:26,073
And it's one of the many
things that distinguishes

1216
00:57:26,075 --> 00:57:29,815
terrorists from the
rest of the world.

1217
00:57:29,813 --> 00:57:32,653
The United States, and
certainly the Afghan

1218
00:57:32,649 --> 00:57:35,289
government, go to great
lengths to try to prevent

1219
00:57:35,285 --> 00:57:36,825
civilian casualties.

1220
00:57:36,820 --> 00:57:41,620
And I would anticipate that
as we see the performance of

1221
00:57:41,624 --> 00:57:44,824
Afghan security forces
improve, their ability to

1222
00:57:44,828 --> 00:57:47,198
successfully prevent
civilian casualties when

1223
00:57:47,197 --> 00:57:49,437
they're carrying out
operations will also improve.

1224
00:57:49,432 --> 00:57:54,542
But there's just -- it's
important not to draw an

1225
00:57:54,537 --> 00:57:59,107
equivalent between
organizations that set out

1226
00:57:59,108 --> 00:58:03,918
to harm civilians and
government forces, including

1227
00:58:03,913 --> 00:58:06,183
those backed by the United
States, that go to great

1228
00:58:06,182 --> 00:58:08,082
lengths to try to protect
those civilian --

1229
00:58:08,084 --> 00:58:10,124
innocent civilians.

1230
00:58:10,119 --> 00:58:14,929
And it doesn't mean
Afghanistan is not a

1231
00:58:14,924 --> 00:58:16,164
dangerous place;
it surely is.

1232
00:58:16,159 --> 00:58:20,159
But this administration and
this country places a high

1233
00:58:20,163 --> 00:58:21,863
priority on preventing
civilian casualties and

1234
00:58:21,865 --> 00:58:22,965
that's not going to change.

1235
00:58:22,966 --> 00:58:25,006
The Press: But what
role does the U.S. play?

1236
00:58:25,001 --> 00:58:28,501
The report showed a 47
percent increase in the

1237
00:58:28,504 --> 00:58:32,004
number of civilians killed
by pro-government forces.

1238
00:58:32,008 --> 00:58:33,348
So what role does the U.S. play?

1239
00:58:33,343 --> 00:58:35,913
Or how does the U.S. play into that?

1240
00:58:35,912 --> 00:58:37,452
Mr. Earnest: Well, the
United States is certainly

1241
00:58:37,447 --> 00:58:39,387
playing an important role in
enhancing the training of

1242
00:58:39,382 --> 00:58:42,282
Afghan forces.

1243
00:58:42,285 --> 00:58:45,855
And improved training
certainly will have a

1244
00:58:45,855 --> 00:58:46,955
positive impact on their
ability to prevent

1245
00:58:46,956 --> 00:58:48,526
civilian casualties.

1246
00:58:48,524 --> 00:58:52,024
I think that's the most
direct impact that we can

1247
00:58:52,028 --> 00:58:53,868
have on that
particular situation.

1248
00:58:53,863 --> 00:58:59,903
I would also expect that
as Afghan security forces

1249
00:58:59,903 --> 00:59:02,643
continue to make progress
against the Taliban and

1250
00:59:02,639 --> 00:59:04,069
other extremists that are
operating in Afghanistan, as

1251
00:59:04,073 --> 00:59:07,573
the situation stabilizes,
that also makes it less

1252
00:59:07,577 --> 00:59:12,717
likely that innocent
civilians could be in

1253
00:59:12,715 --> 00:59:13,915
harm's way.

1254
00:59:13,917 --> 00:59:18,057
And that's why a lot of the
focus that we've been --

1255
00:59:18,054 --> 00:59:20,324
that Afghan forces have made
a priority is on stabilizing

1256
00:59:20,323 --> 00:59:24,223
the security situation in
Afghanistan's major cities.

1257
00:59:24,227 --> 00:59:33,307
But again, these kinds of
civilian casualties

1258
00:59:33,303 --> 00:59:34,473
are a tragedy.

1259
00:59:34,470 --> 00:59:42,480
And that's why the United
States goes to such great

1260
00:59:42,478 --> 00:59:44,278
lengths to avoid them, and
it's also part of why we go

1261
00:59:44,280 --> 00:59:44,880
to such great lengths to
support the Afghan people

1262
00:59:44,881 --> 00:59:45,981
and Afghan government and
Afghan security forces as

1263
00:59:45,982 --> 00:59:48,022
they take the fight to the
Taliban and other extremist

1264
00:59:48,017 --> 00:59:49,757
organizations
in Afghanistan.

1265
00:59:49,752 --> 00:59:51,322
The Press: Thank you, Josh.

1266
00:59:51,321 --> 00:59:53,191
One question on the
convention and Hillary

1267
00:59:53,189 --> 00:59:56,389
Clinton and trustworthiness.

1268
00:59:56,392 --> 01:00:00,192
CNN and CBS have polls out
showing record highs in

1269
01:00:00,196 --> 01:00:02,366
terms of the number of
American people that don't

1270
01:00:02,365 --> 01:00:05,665
believe that Hillary
Clinton is trustworthy.

1271
01:00:05,668 --> 01:00:09,838
What can, or is there
anything the President and

1272
01:00:09,839 --> 01:00:12,279
First Lady will say in their
remarks that could help

1273
01:00:12,275 --> 01:00:14,615
Hillary Clinton
in this area?

1274
01:00:14,610 --> 01:00:17,650
Mr. Earnest: Well, when
it comes to the campaign

1275
01:00:17,647 --> 01:00:20,587
strategy, I'd refer
you to the campaign.

1276
01:00:20,583 --> 01:00:23,523
I think certainly something
that you've heard the

1277
01:00:23,519 --> 01:00:29,359
President say before is he's
in a unique position to

1278
01:00:29,359 --> 01:00:34,229
offer up his own assessment
of Secretary Clinton.

1279
01:00:34,230 --> 01:00:37,330
He worked closely with
Secretary Clinton when she

1280
01:00:37,333 --> 01:00:39,673
was Secretary of State
in his administration.

1281
01:00:39,669 --> 01:00:45,279
He obviously competed
against Secretary Clinton in

1282
01:00:45,274 --> 01:00:49,414
an historic Democratic
primary campaign.

1283
01:00:49,412 --> 01:00:51,712
They served together for a
brief time in the United

1284
01:00:51,714 --> 01:00:53,354
States Senate.

1285
01:00:53,349 --> 01:00:57,649
Through their extensive work
relationship they've

1286
01:00:57,653 --> 01:00:59,393
become friends.

1287
01:00:59,389 --> 01:01:05,359
So his firsthand
experience is relevant.

1288
01:01:05,361 --> 01:01:09,131
And that firsthand
experience is not just drawn

1289
01:01:09,132 --> 01:01:10,602
from the fact that he is the
current President of the

1290
01:01:10,600 --> 01:01:13,400
United States, but it's also
drawn from the fact that he

1291
01:01:13,403 --> 01:01:17,743
knows her personally, and
he can speak with his own

1292
01:01:17,740 --> 01:01:22,280
personal knowledge of her
skills and her character.

1293
01:01:22,278 --> 01:01:24,778
And he's already done that.

1294
01:01:24,781 --> 01:01:29,581
He certainly did that in the
joint campaign event that

1295
01:01:29,585 --> 01:01:34,195
they did in Charlotte back
in -- I guess it was just a

1296
01:01:34,190 --> 01:01:36,730
couple of weeks ago now,
seems like a long time ago.

1297
01:01:36,726 --> 01:01:39,326
But I certainly would
anticipate that you'll hear

1298
01:01:39,328 --> 01:01:43,368
the President make that case
in his convention speech and

1299
01:01:43,366 --> 01:01:47,806
in his future advocacy for
her campaign down the line.

1300
01:01:47,804 --> 01:01:51,004
He's got a unique
perspective to relate based

1301
01:01:51,007 --> 01:01:51,907
on his own personal
experience with

1302
01:01:51,908 --> 01:01:53,038
Secretary Clinton.

1303
01:01:53,042 --> 01:01:55,312
And I imagine that some
people will find that

1304
01:01:55,311 --> 01:01:56,611
quite persuasive.

1305
01:01:56,612 --> 01:01:59,052
The Press: Will the First
Lady be speaking about her

1306
01:01:59,048 --> 01:02:02,518
relationship with
Hillary Clinton?

1307
01:02:02,518 --> 01:02:04,858
Was there any interaction
between the First Lady and

1308
01:02:04,854 --> 01:02:07,624
Hillary Clinton over
her remarks tonight?

1309
01:02:07,623 --> 01:02:09,493
Mr. Earnest: Well, obviously
Mrs. Obama has had an

1310
01:02:09,492 --> 01:02:11,232
opportunity to get to know
Mrs. Clinton a little bit

1311
01:02:11,227 --> 01:02:12,697
as well.

1312
01:02:12,695 --> 01:02:15,995
But the nature of their
relationship is different.

1313
01:02:15,998 --> 01:02:19,138
So much of President Obama's
interactions with Secretary

1314
01:02:19,135 --> 01:02:22,575
Clinton have taken place in
a professional context, and

1315
01:02:22,572 --> 01:02:27,682
that is the context through
which he can evaluate her

1316
01:02:27,677 --> 01:02:29,877
skills and her character.

1317
01:02:29,879 --> 01:02:32,579
Mrs. Obama's relationship
with Secretary Clinton is a

1318
01:02:32,582 --> 01:02:33,852
little bit different.

1319
01:02:33,850 --> 01:02:36,450
But stay tuned.

1320
01:02:36,452 --> 01:02:38,422
Yes, ma'am.

1321
01:02:38,421 --> 01:02:40,761
The Press: Two quick
follow-ups on Germany.

1322
01:02:40,756 --> 01:02:44,696
One, I know that there are
big differences between how the

1323
01:02:44,694 --> 01:02:47,234
U.S. admits refugees and the
situation in Germany, but

1324
01:02:47,230 --> 01:02:50,170
are you concerned that there
will be a political backlash

1325
01:02:50,166 --> 01:02:52,836
here, given this recent
string of attacks?

1326
01:02:52,835 --> 01:02:55,575
And also, has the U.S.

1327
01:02:55,571 --> 01:02:58,171
taken any steps in recent
days to increase security

1328
01:02:58,174 --> 01:03:00,544
cooperation with
the Germans?

1329
01:03:00,543 --> 01:03:03,443
Mr. Earnest: Well, I can
certainly tell you that

1330
01:03:03,446 --> 01:03:05,916
German officials
-- German and U.S.

1331
01:03:05,915 --> 01:03:07,715
officials have been in
touch in recent days.

1332
01:03:07,717 --> 01:03:11,857
And we've been saddened by
the violence that we've seen

1333
01:03:11,854 --> 01:03:14,624
in Germany over the last
week or so that has harmed a

1334
01:03:14,624 --> 01:03:17,194
number of innocent people.

1335
01:03:17,193 --> 01:03:23,363
And of course, the United
States stands resolute

1336
01:03:23,366 --> 01:03:29,236
alongside our German allies
as they confront the forces

1337
01:03:29,238 --> 01:03:31,308
of extremism in
their own country.

1338
01:03:31,307 --> 01:03:34,377
I can't speak to any
specific steps that have

1339
01:03:34,377 --> 01:03:37,147
been taken, but the United
States is certainly

1340
01:03:37,146 --> 01:03:41,686
interested in doing whatever
we can to support the German

1341
01:03:41,684 --> 01:03:44,484
government and the German
people and German national

1342
01:03:44,487 --> 01:03:47,427
security agencies as they
safeguard their own country.

1343
01:03:47,423 --> 01:03:50,893
With regard to the political
situation in Germany, I'll

1344
01:03:50,893 --> 01:03:58,773
let more informed
individuals offer up their

1345
01:03:58,768 --> 01:04:00,608
own analysis of the
political situation

1346
01:04:00,603 --> 01:04:01,673
in Germany.

1347
01:04:01,671 --> 01:04:07,541
But what I will just say as
a general matter is that one

1348
01:04:07,543 --> 01:04:11,183
of the things that makes the
alliance between the United

1349
01:04:11,180 --> 01:04:14,680
States and Germany so strong
is our shared values and our

1350
01:04:14,684 --> 01:04:16,354
shared commitment
to those values.

1351
01:04:16,352 --> 01:04:25,632
And those values include
protecting innocent

1352
01:04:25,628 --> 01:04:28,428
civilians and offering
humanitarian relief to those

1353
01:04:28,431 --> 01:04:31,201
in need, and not treating
people differently just

1354
01:04:31,200 --> 01:04:32,440
because of their religion.

1355
01:04:32,435 --> 01:04:38,245
And those values are not
unique to the United States

1356
01:04:38,241 --> 01:04:41,711
and Germany, but our shared,
deep commitment to those

1357
01:04:41,711 --> 01:04:46,721
values certainly
strengthens our alliance.

1358
01:04:46,716 --> 01:04:47,746
Yes, sir, I'll give
you the last one.

1359
01:04:47,750 --> 01:04:48,950
The Press: Thanks so much.

1360
01:04:48,951 --> 01:04:51,691
On Turkey, Josh, a couple
of questions, if I may.

1361
01:04:51,687 --> 01:04:56,227
Just today, there are about
42 journalists -- issued

1362
01:04:56,225 --> 01:05:02,635
arrest warrant for 42
journalists -- there's

1363
01:05:02,632 --> 01:05:13,342
another warrant for arrest
for another 19 journalists.

1364
01:05:13,342 --> 01:05:20,582
These are the only reported
warrants, and there are many

1365
01:05:20,583 --> 01:05:23,083
other across Turkey.

1366
01:05:23,085 --> 01:05:26,455
A crackdown goes on.

1367
01:05:26,455 --> 01:05:29,925
It has been 10 days since
the coup attempt failed.

1368
01:05:29,925 --> 01:05:33,595
Are you watching what's
going on in Turkey in terms

1369
01:05:33,596 --> 01:05:40,036
of a government's, some
call purge, some other call

1370
01:05:40,036 --> 01:05:43,976
crackdown after the coup?

1371
01:05:43,973 --> 01:05:46,173
Mr. Earnest: President Obama
was asked about this on

1372
01:05:46,175 --> 01:05:48,945
Friday, and I think the
President spoke quite

1373
01:05:48,944 --> 01:05:52,184
directly about the
situation in Turkey.

1374
01:05:52,181 --> 01:05:56,691
I think it should be evident
from his response that it's

1375
01:05:56,686 --> 01:05:59,726
not just that the United
States government is closely

1376
01:05:59,722 --> 01:06:01,722
following the
situation in Turkey.

1377
01:06:01,724 --> 01:06:03,294
President Obama is
personally following the

1378
01:06:03,292 --> 01:06:05,362
situation in Turkey
quite closely.

1379
01:06:05,361 --> 01:06:09,101
Turkey is an important
ally of the United States.

1380
01:06:09,098 --> 01:06:11,138
And there's a reason that
the United States was one of

1381
01:06:11,133 --> 01:06:13,903
the first countries around
the world to issue our own

1382
01:06:13,903 --> 01:06:18,643
swift condemnation of the
coup attempt in Turkey.

1383
01:06:18,641 --> 01:06:25,551
The United States values
our alliance and certainly

1384
01:06:25,548 --> 01:06:28,148
deeply respects the
democratic traditions

1385
01:06:28,150 --> 01:06:29,590
inside of Turkey.

1386
01:06:29,585 --> 01:06:33,055
And when President Obama had
an opportunity to speak with

1387
01:06:33,055 --> 01:06:34,995
President Erdogan on the
telephone last week,

1388
01:06:34,990 --> 01:06:43,630
President Obama conveyed his
view that Turkish democratic

1389
01:06:43,632 --> 01:06:45,072
institutions are
worth protecting.

1390
01:06:45,067 --> 01:06:47,537
It's those very institutions
and traditions that were

1391
01:06:47,536 --> 01:06:50,736
critical to repelling the
coup in the first place.

1392
01:06:50,740 --> 01:06:53,880
And there's strong support
among the Turkish people and

1393
01:06:53,876 --> 01:06:55,676
within the Turkish
government for those

1394
01:06:55,678 --> 01:06:56,978
democratic institutions.

1395
01:06:56,979 --> 01:07:00,219
In fact, in the midst of the
coup, you saw the parties in

1396
01:07:00,216 --> 01:07:03,216
the Turkish parliament come
forward issuing their own

1397
01:07:03,219 --> 01:07:06,389
sweeping condemnation of the
coup attempt, even though

1398
01:07:06,389 --> 01:07:08,659
some of those parties
have vigorous political

1399
01:07:08,657 --> 01:07:11,357
disagreements with
President Erdogan.

1400
01:07:11,360 --> 01:07:16,570
So these kinds of democratic
institutions and traditions,

1401
01:07:16,565 --> 01:07:20,135
the democratic values that
are enshrined in Turkey's

1402
01:07:20,136 --> 01:07:21,906
constitution are all
worth protecting.

1403
01:07:21,904 --> 01:07:25,774
And even as the Turkish
government conducts the kind

1404
01:07:25,775 --> 01:07:30,115
of investigation that's
necessary to get to the

1405
01:07:30,112 --> 01:07:31,182
bottom of what happened in
the context of the failed

1406
01:07:31,180 --> 01:07:33,450
coup, it's also important
for them to keep in mind

1407
01:07:33,449 --> 01:07:37,949
that those democratic
institutions were

1408
01:07:37,953 --> 01:07:41,023
instrumental from preventing
the coup from succeeding.

1409
01:07:41,023 --> 01:07:44,763
The Press: Do you think that
these many journalists being

1410
01:07:44,760 --> 01:07:48,000
detained or arrested,
is it justified?

1411
01:07:47,997 --> 01:07:49,737
Mr. Earnest: Well, freedom
of the press is one of the

1412
01:07:49,732 --> 01:07:52,202
rights that's enshrined in
the Turkish constitution.

1413
01:07:52,201 --> 01:07:57,511
And President Obama on more
than one occasion has had a

1414
01:07:57,506 --> 01:08:02,016
conversation with President
Erdogan about the United

1415
01:08:02,011 --> 01:08:04,281
States' own view
and the U.S.

1416
01:08:04,280 --> 01:08:07,750
government's own view that
protecting those rights

1417
01:08:07,750 --> 01:08:08,780
is important.

1418
01:08:08,784 --> 01:08:11,924
And the President certainly
has conveyed that to

1419
01:08:11,921 --> 01:08:14,191
President Erdogan in the
past, even before the coup

1420
01:08:14,190 --> 01:08:16,760
took place.

1421
01:08:16,759 --> 01:08:21,199
So the United States'
commitment to those values

1422
01:08:21,197 --> 01:08:22,727
and those principles,
including the freedom of the

1423
01:08:22,731 --> 01:08:25,031
press, is rock solid.

1424
01:08:25,034 --> 01:08:28,134
And we certainly have
-- well, I'll just say,

1425
01:08:28,137 --> 01:08:30,477
President Obama has
certainly conveyed our

1426
01:08:30,473 --> 01:08:33,773
rock-solid commitment to
those issues to President

1427
01:08:33,776 --> 01:08:37,346
Erdogan in the hopes that
he'll demonstrate a similar

1428
01:08:37,346 --> 01:08:38,516
commitment to them.

1429
01:08:38,514 --> 01:08:39,884
The Press: So you think
it's not justified? Can you --

1430
01:08:39,882 --> 01:08:43,482
Mr. Earnest:
Well, again, I can't from

1431
01:08:43,486 --> 01:08:44,656
here render a
judgment on that.

1432
01:08:44,653 --> 01:08:47,223
But President Obama made
clear that he's personally

1433
01:08:47,223 --> 01:08:48,823
watching the
situation closely.

1434
01:08:48,824 --> 01:08:51,594
U.S. officials continue to be
in close touch with their

1435
01:08:51,594 --> 01:08:55,394
Turkish counterparts, and we
certainly believe that it's

1436
01:08:55,397 --> 01:08:58,567
important, even as the
Turkish government goes to

1437
01:08:58,567 --> 01:09:01,607
great lengths to determine
what exactly happened in the

1438
01:09:01,604 --> 01:09:04,844
context of the failed
coup -- and to bring some

1439
01:09:04,840 --> 01:09:06,240
accountability to those who
may have been complicit in

1440
01:09:06,242 --> 01:09:08,942
that effort -- that it's
critically important that

1441
01:09:08,944 --> 01:09:12,344
the Turkish government not
also undermine the very

1442
01:09:12,348 --> 01:09:15,548
democratic institutions
that, ostensibly, they're

1443
01:09:15,551 --> 01:09:16,551
trying to protect.

1444
01:09:16,552 --> 01:09:18,722
The Press: In the same press
conference, President Obama

1445
01:09:18,721 --> 01:09:22,321
last week stated that some
of the rumors "that the U.S.

1446
01:09:22,324 --> 01:09:28,034
involved" about coup would
threaten critical alliance

1447
01:09:28,030 --> 01:09:29,630
between Turkey and U.S.

1448
01:09:29,632 --> 01:09:33,132
Yet over the weekend,
Turkish Justice Minister

1449
01:09:33,135 --> 01:09:39,475
said that however knows
his name is Obama and U.S.

1450
01:09:39,475 --> 01:09:43,845
also knows that it
is behind the coup.

1451
01:09:43,846 --> 01:09:47,016
This came from
justice minister.

1452
01:09:47,016 --> 01:09:50,786
And today, very staunch
pro-government newspaper

1453
01:09:50,786 --> 01:09:57,726
headline accusing the former
General Campbell is behind

1454
01:09:57,726 --> 01:10:03,866
the coup -- who operated and
coordinated the coup from

1455
01:10:03,866 --> 01:10:05,906
Turkey -- visiting Turkey
several times in recent

1456
01:10:05,901 --> 01:10:08,541
months -- with a
picture and the name.

1457
01:10:08,537 --> 01:10:14,007
Do you think your message
has been listened to

1458
01:10:14,009 --> 01:10:15,409
in Turkey?

1459
01:10:15,411 --> 01:10:16,951
Mr. Earnest: Well, listen,
the allegation against

1460
01:10:16,946 --> 01:10:21,616
General Campbell is baseless
and barely worth a response.

1461
01:10:21,617 --> 01:10:27,287
President Obama was, to use
his word, unequivocal in the

1462
01:10:27,289 --> 01:10:32,159
East Room about the United
States and our strong

1463
01:10:32,161 --> 01:10:34,661
commitment to our
alliance with Turkey.

1464
01:10:34,663 --> 01:10:39,673
The President was
unequivocal in his

1465
01:10:39,668 --> 01:10:43,538
condemnation of the attempt
by some members of the

1466
01:10:43,539 --> 01:10:46,479
military to overthrow the
democratically elected

1467
01:10:46,475 --> 01:10:48,715
civilian government
of Turkey.

1468
01:10:48,711 --> 01:10:50,851
There's some pretty good
evidence to indicate that we

1469
01:10:50,846 --> 01:10:52,746
mean what we say.

1470
01:10:52,748 --> 01:10:55,248
The United States was among
the first countries to issue

1471
01:10:55,250 --> 01:11:02,220
a statement critical of
the failed coup attempt.

1472
01:11:02,224 --> 01:11:05,264
So President Obama can
obviously speak to this more

1473
01:11:05,260 --> 01:11:11,870
authoritatively than I can,
and he did, as recently as

1474
01:11:11,867 --> 01:11:16,337
last Friday in saying that
the United States was, of

1475
01:11:16,338 --> 01:11:20,848
course, not just not
involved in the coup attempt

1476
01:11:20,843 --> 01:11:25,543
but rather was and has been
critical of the failed coup

1477
01:11:25,547 --> 01:11:29,957
attempt and strongly
supportive of the

1478
01:11:29,952 --> 01:11:32,092
democratically elected
government of Turkey.

1479
01:11:32,087 --> 01:11:33,527
The Press: Final question.

1480
01:11:33,522 --> 01:11:37,692
There is an Amnesty
International report saying

1481
01:11:37,693 --> 01:11:40,833
that there is credible
evidence of torture,

1482
01:11:40,829 --> 01:11:45,539
including rape, applied to
detainees -- over 10,000

1483
01:11:45,534 --> 01:11:47,934
people so far have
been detained.

1484
01:11:47,936 --> 01:11:49,336
Have you seen the report?

1485
01:11:49,338 --> 01:11:50,508
Do you have a
comment on that?

1486
01:11:50,506 --> 01:11:53,676
Mr. Earnest: I've been
briefed on the report.

1487
01:11:53,676 --> 01:12:01,546
What I can tell you is
that there are important

1488
01:12:01,550 --> 01:12:06,690
democratic institutions and
traditions inside of Turkey

1489
01:12:06,689 --> 01:12:08,259
that are worth protecting.

1490
01:12:08,257 --> 01:12:11,097
There are rights enshrined
in Turkey's constitution

1491
01:12:11,093 --> 01:12:13,163
that are worth protecting.

1492
01:12:13,162 --> 01:12:15,402
These basic human rights are
an important part of the

1493
01:12:15,397 --> 01:12:18,837
alliance between the United
States and Turkey -- both

1494
01:12:18,834 --> 01:12:21,734
the United States and Turkey
are strongly committed to

1495
01:12:21,737 --> 01:12:25,307
those universal human rights
and strongly committed to

1496
01:12:25,307 --> 01:12:28,007
protecting those
universal human rights.

1497
01:12:28,010 --> 01:12:31,310
And it's important, even
as Turkey conducts an

1498
01:12:31,313 --> 01:12:33,483
investigation to determine
who may have been

1499
01:12:33,482 --> 01:12:36,152
responsible for the failed
coup attempt, that they

1500
01:12:36,151 --> 01:12:40,561
protect those basic human
rights moving forward.

1501
01:12:40,556 --> 01:12:43,096
And that is something that
President Obama has conveyed

1502
01:12:43,092 --> 01:12:46,432
directly in private
to President Erdogan.

1503
01:12:46,428 --> 01:12:47,968
It's something that
President Obama discussed

1504
01:12:47,963 --> 01:12:51,333
publicly yesterday --
or on Friday in his

1505
01:12:51,333 --> 01:12:52,803
news conferences.

1506
01:12:52,801 --> 01:12:54,641
And it's something I
anticipate that the

1507
01:12:54,636 --> 01:12:56,806
administration will continue
to watch closely

1508
01:12:56,805 --> 01:12:58,205
moving forward.

1509
01:12:58,207 --> 01:13:01,007
The Press: Turkey suspended
the human rights convention,

1510
01:13:01,009 --> 01:13:04,449
so it is not bound to it.

1511
01:13:04,446 --> 01:13:06,486
And also there is a state of
emergency in Turkey

1512
01:13:06,482 --> 01:13:07,612
right now.

1513
01:13:07,616 --> 01:13:14,126
So you have been mentioning
the (inaudible) suspend

1514
01:13:14,123 --> 01:13:15,493
in Turkey.

1515
01:13:15,491 --> 01:13:17,891
Mr. Earnest: Well, what also
happened in Turkey, as you

1516
01:13:17,893 --> 01:13:18,923
pointed out, was just 10
days ago there was an

1517
01:13:18,927 --> 01:13:20,467
attempt by some members of
the military to overthrow

1518
01:13:20,462 --> 01:13:22,002
the democratically elected
civilian government

1519
01:13:21,997 --> 01:13:23,067
of Turkey.

1520
01:13:23,065 --> 01:13:25,505
So it's understandable that
the Turkish government and

1521
01:13:25,501 --> 01:13:27,201
the Turkish people would
be interested in a full

1522
01:13:27,202 --> 01:13:31,042
investigation and in
some accountability.

1523
01:13:31,039 --> 01:13:34,339
So the situation
in Turkey is tense.

1524
01:13:34,343 --> 01:13:36,183
People are
understandably on edge.

1525
01:13:36,178 --> 01:13:40,448
But what is clear is that
it's important for Turkey's

1526
01:13:40,449 --> 01:13:42,089
government to protect
the kinds of democratic

1527
01:13:42,084 --> 01:13:45,554
institutions and traditions
that Turkey has long stood

1528
01:13:45,554 --> 01:13:47,454
for.

1529
01:13:47,456 --> 01:13:49,326
Ostensibly, that is what the
government is protecting --

1530
01:13:49,324 --> 01:13:54,794
is the Turkish democracy.

1531
01:13:54,797 --> 01:13:55,497
And as they protect the
Turkish democracy, it's

1532
01:13:55,497 --> 01:13:58,367
important that they are
protective of the principles

1533
01:13:58,367 --> 01:14:01,207
that form the foundation
of that democracy.

1534
01:14:01,203 --> 01:14:03,173
Thanks, everybody.

1535
01:14:03,172 --> 01:14:04,172
We'll see you tomorrow.