Virginia senator on Ukraine aid, TikTok and changes to 702
WASHINGTON (CBS, KYMA/KECY) - Virginia Senator Mark Warner spoke with Face the Nation moderator Margaret Brennan Sunday about the foreign aid bill that was passed in the House Saturday.
"The great news is this is finally happening. It should have happened six months ago. The next best time is right now this week. We've seen the Ukrainians overperform if you step back for a moment and think about the fact that for most of my life, most of America's defense forces were focused on Russia getting this additional equipment as quickly as possible. I hope once this gets to the President by Tuesday or Wednesday, that these shipments will be literally launched with that longer range attack. I hope once the president signs, uh we've been told that there is, it is the president's signature, making sure Congress does its job that these materials will be in transit by the end of the week."
Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA), Senate Intelligence Committee
When asked what Ukraine will receive, Warner said they will be getting the Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) while adding, "I believe the administration was prepared over the last couple of months to prepare or to provide ATACMS. It is written into this legislation."
During the interview Brennan and Warner talked the House vote that would force the Chinese owned parent company to sell TikTok.
"TikTok...170 million Americans a day, 90 minutes a day...That's frankly, more than the power of eyes that your network reaches on a daily basis. And that information and many young people on TikTok 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."
Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA), Senate Intelligence Committee
Later in the interview, Brennan and Warner spoke about the changes to 702, with Warner stating:
"Let's remember what 702 is. It is the ability for the United States government to surveil, listen in, on non Americans foreigners who are abroad. And many times the fentanyl drug cartels are being run out of Mexico, many times supplied with basic goods out of China. And this ability to listen in on the bad guys' communications is extraordinarily powerful. Matter of fact, the President gets a daily brief of all of the intelligence hotspots around the world. 60% of what he reads each day, is material that comes out of the 702 program. Now, let me be clear, there have been times in the past where particularly the FBI didn't even follow its own rules on making sure that a foreign individual, foreign terrorist that might be talking to American, that we put appropriate protections on that American...But five years ago, the FBI itself was screwing up on 30% of their queries, just meeting their own criteria. We put in place reforms. The screw up level has dropped from about 30% to less than 1%. We put requirements so that you can no longer do batch queries. We got to make sure FBI agents have to show a national security purpose. If a journalist or a political figure or a religious figure, were even to be query- query about, you have to get approval from me, the director, the deputy director, or head, the National Security Division. We think we've got a very strong reform bill. It's why it passed the Senate 60 to 33."
Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA), Senate Intelligence Committee
To watch more of Brennan's interview with Warner, click here.
