Ohio congressman on Afghani immigration vetting, Ukraine talks and Venezuela

WASHINGTON (CBS, KYMA) - Rep. Mike Turner (R-Ohio) spoke with Nancy Cordes on Face the Nation Sunday about the Afghani immigration vetting.

Two members of the National Guard were shot near the White House Wednesday. One of the Guard members, Sarah Beckstrom, died Thursday while another Guard member, Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, remains in critical condition.

A day after the announcement, Jeanine Pirro, U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, said the charges against 29-year-old Rahmanullah Lakanwal, an Afghani national, has been upgraded to first-degree murder.

His other charges include three counts of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence and two counts of assault with intent to kill while armed.

When asked if he believes it was a failure of vetting, or if he believes Lakanwal became radicalized or mentally disturbed after coming to America back in 2021, Rep. Turner said:

This is very difficult because, I mean, this is classic terrorism. And this is where an individual who tries to break the heart of a nation who doesn't enact a murderous act right before Thanksgiving...So obviously the vetting process was flawed, and it was also a process that should have been unnecessary, if there hadn't been this hasty fall of Afghanistan in which the Biden administration had promised us all that they were not going to run for the exits. And they not only ran for the exits, they did so at night. You know, Congress...raised the issues of the manner in which the Biden administration fled and what the consequences would be, and we're all living with this consequence now."

Cordes followed up saying President Donald Trump called for more than 500 National Guard troops to be sent to D.C., with Turner's state contributing to more than 150 Guard members.

This prompted her to ask the congressman if he believes more troops being deployed is the answer, or if he thinks it's time to wind the deployment down, to which Turner said:

"You have to first talk about what the question is, and the question is, is there a national issue of crime and safety? And certainly the American people, by all polls, indicate that people are experiencing it and report that there is. And certainly in the nation's capital, there has been unbelievable reports of just the criminal activity, though, those individuals who have succumbed to, you know, violent crime. And certainly, there's been a reporting that the National Guard presence has made a difference."

During the interview, Cordes and Turner talked about the ongoing Ukraine talks as there were concerns that a plan from the White House was deemed too pro-Russia.

This led her to ask the congressman if he has those concerns, and Turner said:

"I think we all have those concerns. The president's goal of peace is incredibly important, and we saw today with Secretary Rubio his statement of, you know, we have to have a strong and sovereign Ukraine, and that's everyone's goal, and certainly a prosperous Ukraine. And we saw the Ukrainian representative there, who is, you know, committed. And we certainly think, and I think everyone thinks that President Zelenskyy is committed to peace. But you know, one thing that I think everybody understands is that you can't have- you can't be America first and pro-Russia, because Russia is a self declared adversary of the United States. It's fielding new, advanced nuclear weapons that are specifically targeting the United States. It's constantly attacking the United States with offensive cyber. It continuously identifies both NATO and the West, the United States as its adversary. So in this and of course, when it identifies Ukraine as its adversary, it does so in identifying the West and the United States as its adversary. You have to understand that the balance of this peace arrangement has to be one where you have to look at Russia as a skeptical adversary."

Later in the interview, Cordes and Turner talked about Venezuela, with President Trump saying airlines should consider Venezuelan airspace closed.

When asked if he takes it to mean a military operation is imminent, Turner said:

"The president did not say that, and the President certainly has not given Congress any notice that that is going to occur. And he certainly has not made the case. There is a buildup that the President has not explained in a way that relates solely to the actions that are currently going down in the Caribbean, and with respect to the drug trade that the president has been discussing with Congress, it is certainly a significant concern in Congress."

To watch more of Cordes' interview with Turner, click here.