On “Face the Nation” this morning, Sen. Mark Warner discussed a number of subjects, including aid to Ukraine; sanctions against Russia; TikTok; Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA); etc. According to Sen. Warner:
- “Well the great news is, this is finally happening. It should have happened six months ago, but the next time is right now…We’ve seen the Ukrainians overperform…Getting this additional equipment as quickly as possible…I hope once the President signs, we’ve been told…that these materials will be in transit by the end of the week…If they don’t have the materials, they can’t carry this fight to the Russians…Yes…the ATACMS [will be provided to Ukraine]…It is written into this legislation.”
- The U.S. sanctions regime against Russia “has not been as tight as we’d have liked to see it”; China has been “the worst offender, with direct military support” to Russia (also India purchasing Russian oil); Russia, China, North Korea and Iran “may be the 2024 Axis of Evil combination of nations.”
- On TikTok, Sen. Warner said it has “more than the power of eyes that your network reaches on a daily basis” and where a lot of young people “get their news”; “the idea that we would give the Communist Party this much of a propaganda tool, as well as the ability to scrape 170 million Americans’ personal data, it is a national security risk”; also a risk to U.S. elections…
- On Section 702 of FISA, Sen. Warner said this gives the U.S. the ability to surveil foreigners who are abroad, including fentanyl drug cartels…”this ability to listen in on the bad guys’ communications is extraordinarily powerful.”The screw-up level [by the FBI] has dropped from about 30% to less than 1%…We think we’ve got a very strong reform bill.”
The U.S. shipments of long-range ATACMS missiles “will be in transit” next week, once Pres. Biden signs the Congress-approved foreign aid package for Ukraine, Senate Intel Chair @MarkWarner says.
“If they don’t have the materials, they can’t carry this fight to the Russians.” pic.twitter.com/J1VN9XRirt
— Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) April 21, 2024
The U.S. sanctions regime “has not been as tight as we like to see,” Sen. @MarkWarner says, calling China “the worst offender, with direct military support” to Russia. Warner adds that Russia, China and North Korea “may be the 2024 Axis of Evil combination of nations.” pic.twitter.com/qjjvLEMqja
— Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) April 21, 2024
A bill passed by the House that could lead to a ban of TikTok in the U.S. allows up to a year for a forced sale. The timeline, which extends beyond the 2024 U.S. elections, is one that “from a business standpoint, makes sense,” Senate Intel Chair @MarkWarner tells @margbrennan. pic.twitter.com/vjfzQsdMoS
— Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) April 21, 2024
Those against the surveillance program reform bill “have a right,” given the “FBI itself was screwing up,” Senate Intel Chair @MarkWarner says.
“The screw-up level has dropped from about 30% to less than 1%,” he says. “We think we’ve got a very strong reform bill.” pic.twitter.com/5UeQQi7f1W
— Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) April 21, 2024
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