This is a rush transcript from "Sunday Morning Futures," June 16, 2019. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.
CHARLES PAYNE, ANCHOR: Good morning. Good Sunday morning, everyone. Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there.
I'm Charles Payne, filling in for Maria Bartiromo. And this is "Sunday Morning Futures."
A brand-new Fox News poll out this morning on a wide range of issues, including immigration, tariffs, and how President Trump matches up against 2020 Democrats. We will get reaction to all from both sides of the political aisle.
And joining us exclusively straight ahead, two top Republicans from the House and Senate, Congressman Michael McCaul and ranking member on the House Foreign Affairs Committee. We're going to talk about these rising tensions with Iran.
And also Senator Marsha Blackburn on -- who -- well, she sits on the Judiciary Committee. What is the latest on Attorney General William Barr's probe into how the Russian collusion narrative was propagated?
Plus, White House trade adviser Peter Navarro on trade talks with China and where a -- where a meeting -- President Trump and President Xi stand right now, also the latest on the state of USMCA, the trade deal the administration wants to replace NAFTA.
And Democratic Congressman Matt Cartwright and his party's push for an impeachment inquiry, why he thinks Democrats need to move on to other issues that Americans care about, plus his take on the 2020 Democratic field.
Also, Asia analyst Gordon Chang reacts to Maria's interview just days ago with Huawei's U.S. security chief. Is the Chinese telecommunications giant open to American government officials really taking a closer look at their company's infrastructure?
All that and more, as we look ahead on "Sunday Morning Futures."
But, first, we begin with the latest on U.S. tensions with Iran. Damage assessments are now under way on those two oil tankers attacked off Iran's coast last week near the Strait of Hormuz. Here is a look at one of them.
It was docked off the coast of the United Arab Emirates, this as Britain's foreign minister joins the United States in pointing the finger at Iran, saying London doesn't believe anyone else could have done it.
Here is what President Trump said on Friday on "Fox & Friends":
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT: Well, Iran did do it, and you know they did it because you saw the boat. I guess one of the mines didn't explode, and it's probably got essentially Iran written all over it.
That was their boat. That was them. And they didn't want the evidence left behind.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PAYNE: The president referring to this surveillance video released by CENTCOM purporting to show Iran's Revolutionary Guard pulling an unexploded mine off one of the tankers. Tehran maintains that it's not responsible,
Joining me now, Republican Congressman from Texas Michael McCaul. He is the ranking member on the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
Congressman, thanks for joining us.
REP. MICHAEL MCCAUL, R-TX: Hey. Good morning, Charles.
PAYNE: Well, it's interesting, because it's -- we have seen a lot of provocation in this region recently, particularly these type of attacks.
And everyone for the most part is unanimously pointing fingers at Iran here. So where do we go from here as more and more of our allies probably come to the same assessment that we have?
MCCAUL: Well, I think the evidence is very clear this is IRGC, the Islamic Republic of Iran, that made these attack on these two tankers.
It's not the first time. We had four tankers a couple weeks ago. We had attacks in Saudi. We had a rocket trying to bring down one of our drones just yesterday that was taking a surveillance video of these vessels or these ships, trying to cover up the evidence that they had laid on these ships.
And so I think it's very clear it's Iran. I think what's happening, Charles, is the sanctions are working. We're crippling Iran's economy. The waivers were not granted for oil exports, and they're getting desperate.
And so they want to attack oil tankers in the Straits of Hormuz. And I think it's important that we defend that commerce and work with our allies. I think the end goal here, when I talk to the administration, is to negotiate and get a better deal with Iran.
PAYNE: What purpose, though, does it provide for them to really increase this provocation?
And, also, let's point out their proxies in the region who are committing a lot more heinous acts than just blowing holes in the sides of oil tankers.
MCCAUL: Yes.
PAYNE: I mean, why are they ratcheting this up right now? What is their endgame in their minds?
MCCAUL: It's a response to, I think, the sanctions and the waivers not being granted.
PAYNE: So, is it desperation?
MCCAUL: Yes, I think it's desperation. I think the top general for Iran called for -- to prepare for war, called on the proxies, prepare for war.
Our top general said the threat is imminent. And that's why we're there. We have 100,000 tons of diplomacy with our ships in the Persian Gulf. And we're hopeful that we can reach an agreement with Iran to stop. We don't want war in the region. We want peace.
PAYNE: In the meantime, though, it feels like the wild card here could be our European allies, who are contemplating an economic system, to do trading with Iran that goes around the current system, and so, therefore, they don't have to join with President Trump in getting out of this Iranian nuclear deal.
And they have been far less vocal about taking on the misconduct of Iran. What's going on with our allies?
MCCAUL: I think our allies in Europe hold the cards here. I think they have a choice. You do business with Iran, or you do business with the United States. And I think...
PAYNE: But it feels like they're trying to find a way to do business with Iran.
MCCAUL: And the United States.
PAYNE: Right.
MCCAUL: Right. And they can't have it both ways.
And I think, at the end of the day, that's what's going to bring this to the negotiating table.
PAYNE: In the meantime, I know that I see a lot of videos and people reach out to me from inside of Iran, and it feels like something is going on there, sort of the beginnings of perhaps a counter-revolution, if you will.
This happen a few years ago under the Obama administration. A lot of people were frustrated that there wasn't any help from the Obama administration for that grassroots uprising. What role should America be playing if indeed there are people, more people than the American public will ever know, in Iran looking for freedom and looking for a different way of life?
MCCAUL: Not only did President Obama not help the counter-revolutionary movement. He actually funded their terror operations with the JCPOA -- $150 billion, and some of it cash in airplanes, went to Iran.
They are in Iraq and Syria and Lebanon, the Houthi rebels in Yemen. It's gotten out of control. But what we seen lately with the president snapping back the sanctions is that they're cash-starved. They can't sell their oil anymore, and that it's having a crippling effect that I think will create the conditions, Charles, I hope, for a revolution within Iran.
It's got to be the people of Iran standing up against the oppressive theocracy of the ayatollah.
PAYNE: You know, the interesting point is, with that $150 billion, that's one of the contentions, and -- points of contention.
MCCAUL: Right. That's a lot of money.
PAYNE: The average Iranian is saying, hey, you know what, I see generals building mansions, right? I see folks in the Revolutionary Guard living pretty good. But the average Iranian's life is more miserable than ever.
MCCAUL: It's...
PAYNE: It's ironic how that might actually be the one thing that -- since they used a lot of this money to fund terrorism, instead of growing their own economy.
MCCAUL: And that's what's happening.
I think their economy and that 40 percent of their economy is energy, right? That's almost half. If they can't sell their oil, their economy collapses. And if their economy collapses, the people will stand up. And that's what we hope.
PAYNE: I want to switch gears a little bit.
Former Democratic vice president nominee Joe Lieberman, he's the chairman of the United Against Nuclear Iran. And he was here just a few days ago, and he weighed in on "Mornings With Maria." Just take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOSEPH LIEBERMAN, FORMER U.S. SENATOR: Credit. Turned it around. The president broke out of the Iran nuclear agreement, squeezing Iran with sanctions economically. They are on the defensive.
So this is one of the ways they can fight back. And this is why we got to hang tough right now.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PAYNE: So there is some bipartisan recognition of what's happening here and some support, at least the administration and what they're trying to accomplish here.
MCCAUL: Well, I think people like Joe Lieberman get Iran.
Chairman Eliot Engel, the chairman of Foreign Affairs Committee -- I'm ranking member -- he understands that Iran's not our friend. You can't -- he was against the JCPOA, by the way.
And so I think there is bipartisan support. There are others on the Democrat side that don't -- to go back to Obama's policies, which I think were clearly a failure.
PAYNE: Let's switch gears a little bit.
Hong Kong, the uprisings there, in the midst of our negotiation with China on trade, I think it gives us a stronger hand. I think the world gets a first-hand glimpse of how Hong Kong feels about the Chinese government and their ability to renege on deals, their ability to have a police state, and just what we're dealing with here, because, for me, this trade negotiation goes much further than just the deficits that we have incurred.
MCCAUL: This president is the first president in decades to take China head on. And I commend him for it. And it's not easy.
The trade discussions, as you know, it impacts the economy and the stock market. I think, at the end of the day, we're going to get a better trade deal. But, also, when you look at China's intellectual property theft, espionage, we talk a lot about Huawei, 5G.
When they plant 5G, now they're -- they're basically covering half of the globe now in 5G. When their 5G goes in -- that's through telecommunications -- they own and control that data, and they steal the data from those countries.
So I think, from an espionage, I.P. theft standpoint, it's a good thing.
PAYNE: And, yes, you talked about the impact on the markets.
On Friday, Thursday afternoon, Friday, a major tech company, Broadcom, warned that their numbers, their revenues wouldn't be as good as they had been. And there's a $2 billion warning. And they talked about not being able to do business with Huawei.
It was interesting, because they had only done 900 million with them the year before, so I'm not sure how it became a $2 billion hit. But these are the headlines you see on Wall Street.
So Wall Street is against this; 600 CEOs wrote a letter to President Trump saying, hey, listen, let's stop with the fight against China.
It's frustrating for me, because we're going into the last, perhaps the most pivotal part of these negotiations at the G20 meeting, for them to do this so publicly. But what do you make of it that, on one side, in this country, the business, large business leaders, multinational companies, really visibly pushing back against President Trump's efforts?
MCCAUL: Well, we do want -- I think the G20 raises a good point.
I think the president has a good opportunity to meet with President Xi and work out a deal. I think that's very much on the table. Both sides want to get something done. And I hope that we do accomplish that.
I think, at the end of the day, you are going to see a better result with this deal. But we -- I look at it from a national security standpoint, Charles. I mean, when you have got the cybersecurity operations where intellectual property means nothing to them culturally, they steal -- they stole my security clearance and 20 million others.
They -- again, to go back to 5G, it's -- Huawei, it's a big issue, because wherever they plant down their telecommunications, they own that country's data. And I think a lot of countries, we try to educate them that if the Chinese come in, it's not going to be in your best interest. They are going to steal everything you have. They are going to bring their own workers in and they're going to put ports there.
They took the port in Sri Lanka and Djibouti.
PAYNE: Right. Right.
MCCAUL: They are all over the world.
PAYNE: All over the world, that diplomacy. Interesting. The prime minister of Malaysia, 90 years old, went to Hong Kong and said, I don't want your $20 billion. It's a new form of colonialism.
MCCAUL: That's right.
PAYNE: Stay with us.
We are going to have more with Texas Congressman McCaul on the crisis at the southern border.
Plus, still ahead, we will hear from the White House, their trade adviser, Peter Navarro, also GOP Senator Marsha Blackburn, Democratic Congressman Matt Cartwright, and Asia expert Gordon Chang.
Please stay with us, a lot to look ahead for on "Sunday Morning Futures."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PAYNE: And we're back with the ranking Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Texas Congressman Michael McCaul.
Want to ask you about this story that's been breaking, United States stepping up cyberattacks on Russia. You know, listen, everyone's complaining, or had been complaining that we weren't doing enough about Russia and their interference.
Where are we going with this?
MCCAUL: Well, I think we are stepping up our attacks on Russia. And we should.
And this disinformation campaign and the 2016 election, I got briefed in the Gang of Eight in October of 2016. I think it's a little -- I don't know who leaked this story. It's more in the classified space. So, I think it's irresponsible, though, to leak that and have The New York Times print this.
But I think, overall, the American people should know that we're ramping up our cyber-operations.
PAYNE: It feels to me that every country does a fair amount of interference, a fair amount of spying. I mean, this is not new at all.
MCCAUL: No.
PAYNE: And I think, though, it's sort of -- again, we would anticipate that we are pushing back, because Russia has really been pretty successful with the amount of interference that they have done, not just with America, but throughout the world in recent times.
MCCAUL: No. And Ukraine is getting hit every day. And I think the Baltic states in the former Soviet Union getting hit every day.
The Russians -- unlike the Chinese, who their cyber is more about espionage and stealing, the Russians are very aggressive at trying to bring things down and also disinformation campaign. So I think it's a positive thing.
I have been briefed on this, that we're responding in a very powerful way against Putin.
PAYNE: You're just not happy the way the public is finding out about it?
MCCAUL: Well, Putin is not our friend. He's our enemy. And we're hitting him back.
PAYNE: Want to ask you about immigration.
Of course, that's a very, very hot topic, and a few things going on. We just released some polls at FOX News this morning. Want to reference those polls now, because they ask one big question is the Trump administration enforcement of immigration laws.
Fifty percent say that the administration has gone too far, 24 percent say not far enough, and another 21 percent think it's just about right.
So, essentially, the country is split right down the middle on this.
MCCAUL: Yes. It's always a divisive issue, but we do have a crisis at the border.
I live in Texas. It's a humanitarian crisis. We're trying to get funding right now in the Congress just to take care of these kids down there in a humanitarian way. Health and Human Services will run out of money this month.
Even The New York Times agreed with Republicans that we need to do something. And yet Nancy Pelosi and the Democrats continue to block this measure. I think we need to address these family units down there, and we're going to run out of money to house them.
PAYNE: Well, you know, Mexico apparently will be doing more after being threatened with tariffs, 6,000 National Guard -- their National Guard/police force at their southern border.
Do you think that will help to curb this issue? But is it enough? I mean, it's one thing to curb this. It's another thing for -- to have the solutions for this.
MCCAUL: I think it was pretty significant.
And I have been following this since I was chairman of Homeland Security and as a federal prosecutor. I think the tariffs actually -- it's interesting to watch this president work, right? And a lot of people disagreed with these tariffs on Mexico.
At the end of the day, it got us better security. And they're going to put 6,000 National Guard down at the southern border, which is -- with Guatemala is 200 miles vs. 2,000 miles U.S.-Mexico. And it gets more to the root cause of the problem. I think that's positive.
The other thing that's positive is that they will be processing asylum claims not in the United States, but rather in Mexico. So, in other words, the -- someone who crosses will be extradited to Mexico, and the claims will be adjudicated in the United States.
This should help push some of this flow back into Mexico, and not in the United States.
PAYNE: Mexico, ultimately, do you think they will say, OK, we will be a safe third country?
MCCAUL: And that's a big deal.
If I were in the administration, I would be working so hard to get that agreement done. We have that with Canada right now. If Mexico signed that agreement, it would be a game-changer.
I tried to change the asylum laws last Congress with Chairman Goodlatte last Congress. Every Democrat voted against it, but we need to change those laws. But short of that...
PAYNE: Explain to the audience, though, what that would mean, what that -- how it changes the dynamics of everything.
MCCAUL: Well, we would treat people from Central America the same way we treat people from Mexico.
If you touch base in the United States from Mexico, you're expeditiously removed from the country. If you come from Central America, you're granted special status, and you can actually stay in the United States.
The cartels, it took them about five to 10 years to figure out our laws. Now they understand it. And they're manipulating it and making a lot of money off it.
PAYNE: Finally, I know you wanted to -- you had a special message for the audience?
(CROSSTALK)
MCCAUL: Well, yes.
I'm a father of five children. I want to say happy Father's Day to all the dads out there. And, of course, I think about my own father as I went to Normandy last weekend to celebrate the 75th anniversary.
My dad was a World War II veteran, D-Day veteran. And just happy Father's Day to everyone. And happy Father's Day...
(CROSSTALK)
PAYNE: Absolutely. Thank you very much. Appreciate it.
The question now is -- up next, we're going to have White House trade adviser Peter Navarro. He's next on "Sunday Morning Futures."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PAYNE: Brand-new Fox News polls show 57 percent of voters feel optimistic about the economy. That's down from 63 percent in February. And it's on the heels of the U.S.-Mexico deal on immigration.
Now, over half of voters there say they oppose President Trump's initial plan to use tariffs to pressure our southern neighbor; 45 percent also disagree with President Trump saying tariffs hurt, rather than help the economy.
This comes ahead of the G20 summit in Japan later this month, where President Trump says he expects to meet with China's President Xi Jinping to discuss the trade showdown.
Want to bring in White House trade adviser Peter Navarro.
Peter, it's interesting, because President Trump gets high marks on the economy, but the marks are lower when people are asked about the tactics.
(LAUGHTER)
PAYNE: So, what do you make of these things? Because you are perhaps the chief architect, if you will, or advocate of the use of tariffs in these negotiations?
PETER NAVARRO, DIRECTOR, WHITE HOUSE OFFICE OF TRADE AND MANUFACTURING POLICY: Charles, I think a lot of it has to do with how the question is asked.
Polls show that about 80 percent of Americans believe there's a crisis at the border. If you ask Americans in a poll, what do you think about 100,000 illegal aliens moving every day on a conveyor belt from Guatemala up to San Diego and El Paso, I would say about 90 percent of them would object to that.
And the tariffs that President Trump used, he got in two days more than Congress did in 20 years on this. We have got troops down at the southern border that Mexico has deployed. We have got Mexico committing to take the asylum seekers onto Mexican soil, which will deter further immigration from the Northern Triangle down at the southern border with Mexico.
PAYNE: Right.
NAVARRO: And we have a very strong commitment to break up that conveyor belt, which is this Rube Goldberg machine of narco-traffickers and human traffickers making billions of dollars off these poor immigrants coming up, and off the American people who have to take their drugs, and the illegal immigrants, which hurt us in terms of jobs.
PAYNE: And, Peter, there's no doubt that it works swiftly with Mexico.
It hasn't worked as fast with China.
NAVARRO: Beautifully.
PAYNE: It hasn't worked as fast with China. And now critics are saying it won't work at all.
What are your thoughts?
NAVARRO: Again, let's do the polling on this.
Harvard-Harris poll came out and showed a strong majority of Americans support the China tariffs, and eight out of 10 Republicans. And they do that because there's a growing awareness now of China's economic aggression.
We had a deal with China. And it was over 150 pages on seven chapters. And I think, Charles, it's always useful to remind the American people what we're trying to negotiate an end to. It's the cyber-intrusions into our business networks to steal our trade secrets. It's the forced technology transfer practices as a condition of market access.
It's the intellectual property theft that China engages in, Charles, to the tune of several hundred billion dollars a year. It's the dumbing of the product, the fentanyl. And that's the one that just fries me, the fentanyl coming and killing tens of thousands of Americans. And that's made right in China.
I was in Buenos Aires, Argentina, back in December, when the president of China promised to stop that flow, and we haven't seen any of that yet.
PAYNE: Peter, all of that stuff is why those tariffs have become popular with the American public.
Multinational businesses, though, they revert back to the notion that any kind of a trade with partners is good. And you just wrote a piece about this. I don't want to get too wonky, but you say...
(CROSSTALK)
NAVARRO: Oh, let's get wonky. I love it.
PAYNE: I know, but we want to make sure the audience loves it too, so...
NAVARRO: I understand.
PAYNE: So, Ricardo is dead, essentially someone -- the idea of comparative advantage, and, hey, if some country wants to sell us cheap plastic stuff, we benefit and they benefit.
You're saying that we should smash that, despite the fact that 600 CEOs just wrote President Trump a letter this week saying that they're against his tariff tactics. What are they getting wrong?
NAVARRO: I think what we have learned in the last 20 years under O'Biden and Bush and Billary Clinton is that, when you offshore our factories and jobs to take advantage of the so-called cost efficiencies in the globalized supply chain, you wind up just tearing the heart out of the American economy.
And that ripples down into national security problems. President Donald J. Trump figured that out 20 years ago when this was happening. He's president now. He's doing something about it. We like localized supply chains because they bring the jobs home.
And from a national security point of view, it provides us with less risk. So, to those CEOs who want to go off the foreign lands and then sell their products back here using cheap labor and bad regulations out there, we say, no, that's not going to happen under Donald J. Trump's watch.
PAYNE: I think it's also a great time to point out that, for people who want to feel proud about this country, you know, if you insist on doing business with a country that's locked up one million people for their religious beliefs, you should think about that.
These 600 CEOs probably should consider that when they put pressure on the White House ahead of the G20 meeting. Everyone is entitled to their opinion. I understand classic economics.
But, like you, Peter, I'm concerned. And I think, for me, I'm wondering whether the administration should continue to articulate their position, because, listen, the billionaires in this country have a lot of platforms, and they get their message out every single day.
NAVARRO: Well, I think we're getting our message out as well.
In the two-and-a-half years that the president has been in office -- and, by the way, Charles, it is the fourth-year anniversary of the most famous escalator ride in history. And congratulations to Donald J. Trump.
But in the two-and-a-half years President Trump has been in office, he has changed the narrative on China forever. Prior to him taking office, the idea was, economically engage with the Chinese.
PAYNE: Right. Right.
NAVARRO: It would be peace and kumbaya.
Today, bipartisan consensus is that China is a strategic rival out to take our jobs, our factories. And we're taking a much harder line.
PAYNE: And let me jump in here real quick, Peter, because I got to ask you about this.
You brought up bipartisan agreement on China. You're right. The world sees -- Americans now see that cheap plastic stuff came at a cost that we should never have endured.
(CROSSTALK)
PAYNE: But where is the bipartisanship on the USMCA? When is that going to get approved? Why is it being held up?
NAVARRO: Yes, great question, Charles.
Let's talk about what that is. The USMCA, U.S.-Canada -- Mexico and Canada agreement, is a replacement for the worst trade deal in history, which is NAFTA.
My favorite part of the deal is the strict rules of origin provisions on autos and other products, coupled with strong environmental and labor provisions, which will bring our manufacturing home and keep it home.
PAYNE: Will it get passed? Peter, will it -- when does it get passed?
NAVARRO: I think it will get passed.
It's in the great interest of American workers, farmers, ranchers and manufacturers. I think there's a broad bipartisan support. We're hoping to implement legislation onto the floor of the House and the Senate this summer.
PAYNE: Yes.
NAVARRO: That's what we're targeting.
PAYNE: All right, Nancy Pelosi, I hope she's watching.
Hey, Peter Navarro, always great having these conversations with you. Thank you very much.
NAVARRO: Great to talk with you here, sir.
PAYNE: Happy Father's Day.
NAVARRO: Happy Father's Day.
PAYNE: Hey, just released, a Fox News poll shows former Vice President Joe Biden way ahead of all of the other Democrats. Can he keep this momentum through the primary season?
Our next guest is a Democrat from a district that went for President Trump in 2016. He says Biden is the best candidate to unseat Trump.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PAYNE: Brand-new Fox polls on where the race for the White House stands today.
Former Vice President Joe Biden still has a commanding lead for the Democratic nomination, with primary voters saying they want a steady leader with high ethical standards who will unite Americans. Biden tops the list of Democratic contenders at 32 percent. Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders comes in at second at 13 percent.
In a head-to-head matchup with President Trump, Biden leads by 10 points.
Joining us now for more, Pennsylvania Congressman Matt Cartwright. He is the co-chair of the House Democratic Policy and Communications Committee. And he also sits on the House Appropriations Committee and the Subcommittee for Commerce and Justice.
Congressman, thanks for joining us.
REP. MATT CARTWRIGHT, D-PENN.: Oh, my pleasure, Charles.
And I want to echo Mike McCaul's sentiments, wish everybody a happy Father's Day.
And I want to -- if you will indulge me, I want to mention that Mike was with me on that trip to Normandy last weekend. And we -- my own father volunteered for Army duty after Pearl Harbor. And we remember the Greatest Generation.
I want to say, a week ago today, Mike and I were standing on a great open field at Sainte-Mere-Eglise, where they reenacted the 82nd Airborne and 101st Airborne paratroopers' jump. Over 1,000 jumpers in the current Army jumped out.
PAYNE: Right. Yes.
CARTWRIGHT: It was awesome. It was unbelievable.
And I ran into a Pennsylvanian from Punxsutawney named Wally Herd (ph), who was 19 years old, 94 now. He was there for the reenactment. Amazing people.
PAYNE: It was wonderful. And I saw the video of that. It was just absolutely wonderful.
In the meantime, you know, America has its own new battle, and it's going - - going through next year. And that's for the next president, the next president in the White House.
What do you make of Joe Biden's lead here? It feels like he's becoming something of a Teflon candidate in the Democratic Party, with the soul focus on the general election. Not many hits from his rivals. How long can that go on? Or is everyone else now just vying for the V.P. slot?
CARTWRIGHT: Well, Charles, I have to say you're asking the wrong guy, because I'm way biased. I endorsed Joe Biden, I think, before he got to the end of the sentence where he announced for president.
And it's because I have been pretty friendly with Vice President Biden for a long time. He's from Scranton. He's a person of great humility. I think that's what people like about him. Here is a man who has known sorrow and pain as much as any other American, starting when he was a little kid, and his father lost his job, and they had to move from Scranton down to Delaware in search of other work.
But you know the personal sorrow and pain that he's gone through.
PAYNE: Sure. Sure.
CARTWRIGHT: And it gives him a humility that enables him to connect to everyday Americans. And I think it serves him well.
PAYNE: Now, setting up this election, right now, the Democrats are grappling with what to do with respect to impeachment. I want to share with you and the audience a new FOX poll on whether President Trump should be impeached and removed from office.
Right now, according to the poll, impeachment and remove is at 43 percent, impeach, but not remove just 7 percent, not impeach, 48 percent.
And by the same token, we have another poll that says, should Congress -- congressional Democrats spend more or less time investigating President Trump? Only 22 percent say more time, 48 percent say less time, and the rest say it's about right.
So it's interesting, because, in one of these polls, what I guess will reflect the Democrats in the polls saying, yes, let's impeach and remove. But when you get to the idea of these investigations and relitigating things after the Mueller report, it feels like America is tired of this.
Where are the Democrats going to go with this? Because you have got a very vocal part of your party that wants to see this done.
CARTWRIGHT: Well, I think you touched on it, Charles.
It's about the Mueller report. If you took a poll to see how many Americans read through the whole Mueller report, you would find a very low percentage. So, I think...
PAYNE: Same thing with the Constitution. Same thing with the Bill of Rights. You know what? You're absolutely right.
But the poll is out there, sir. And, with all due respect, it feels like America wants to move on.
CARTWRIGHT: And I respect you too, Charles.
And I want to say this, that what we want to do is make sure all Americans know what was in the Mueller report. And, you know, Republicans can walk and chew gum at the same time, and so can Democrats.
So while we do have those hearings to explain what was in the Mueller report, we're passing legislation that helps Americans with health care and infrastructure and bringing down the cost of pharmaceutical medications. We can walk and chew gum. And we're doing that.
PAYNE: Are you for or against impeachment?
CARTWRIGHT: So, when people get polled, well, are the Democrats doing enough on other things, maybe it's because we haven't been thumping our chests enough about all of the great bills that we have been passing.
PAYNE: Although this Congress overall has passed a partial -- it's just like you can count them on one hand, right, compared to the last Congress.
But I don't want to diverge too much from the topic here. Are you for or against impeachment yourself?
CARTWRIGHT: Oh, I'm against it at this point.
Clearly, there's not enough groundswell of support for that in this country. And why would we want to go through that? Why would we want to put the country through that if they don't want to see that happen? There's an election next year.
PAYNE: Thank you very much.
I want to say thanks to your father and the Greatest Generation. And you're right. It's been an amazing scene. And, for a while, all of us really were galvanized by that as Americans. It was refreshing and wonderful.
Sir, thank you so much for your time this morning.
CARTWRIGHT: My pleasure, Charles. Be good.
PAYNE: Thank you.
Hey, up next, Republican Senator Marsha Blackburn.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PAYNE: We're awaiting a report from the Justice Department inspector general, Michael Horowitz, on the FBI's handling of its investigation into the 2016 Trump campaign.
Meantime, the DOJ is expanding its investigations into the origins of the Russian probe, to include several -- quote -- "non-governmental organizations and individuals."
Let's bring in Republican Senator Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee. She sits on the Senate Judiciary, Armed Services and Commerce committees.
Senator, thanks for joining us.
SEN. MARSHA BLACKBURN, R-TENN.: Good to be with you. Thank you.
PAYNE: Where are we right now? Everyone is kind of waiting and waiting, and pretty excited, but where is this A.G. report? Any kind of ETA? And what do you expect from it?
BLACKBURN: I'm not certain what the...
(CROSSTALK)
PAYNE: I'm sorry, I.G. report.
(LAUGHTER)
BLACKBURN: Yes -- what the ETA on the I.G.'s report is going to be.
But here is what we do know, Charles, is that the Democrats are getting mighty antsy about what might be found in that report and about what Attorney General Barr could possibly be looking at, because they are the ones who did some outsourcing and working with the Russians and foreign nationals and trying to get information, the dossier, paying for that through the Clinton campaign, some of the other connections.
Of course, we know that Adam Schiff was looking forward to talking to some Russian agents and getting information. So all of that does come into play. We look forward to getting the report.
And I can assure you that Chairman Lindsey Graham there at the Senate Judiciary will do a tremendous job of conducting appropriate oversight.
PAYNE: Senator, you took some criticism this week: "Tennessee senator blocks a bill to mandate foreign -- reporting of foreign election aid."
What was that about? Why did you object to this, to this so-called FIRE Act presented by Senator Mark Warner?
BLACKBURN: Yes.
You know, it was truly a political stunt that he and Chuck Schumer were trying to pull off on the floor after votes had finished on Thursday. Then, about an hour later, they go to the floor. They're going to try to push through a U.C., saying you -- you would have to report all contact from any vendor, door-knocker, participant, anybody having conversation or even commenting on your campaign.
You would open them up to an FBI investigation. And everyone has vendors that work for their campaigns. This is something that was overly broad. They were doing it as a political stunt. It was beneath the dignity of the Senate, and it's something they ought not to do.
Everyone is against, everybody is against foreign interference into U.S. policy or elections or influence or any such. It was wrong in 2016. It'll be wrong in 2020 and forever more.
PAYNE: Right.
BLACKBURN: But, Charles, here is the thing.
The Russians have been trying to interfere in U.S. policy for decades. So, out of all of this, I do congratulate my Democrat colleagues for finally admitting that Russia is not our friend. They're a foe.
Of course, that is something that former President Obama obviously didn't think was a problem because of the comments that he had back when Mitt Romney was his opponent. They were in that debate.
PAYNE: Right. I remember that. Yes.
BLACKBURN: It's also something. He had said to Medvedev, please tell Vladimir I will have more flexibility after the election.
PAYNE: I want to ask you about the southern border, the crisis there.
BLACKBURN: Sure.
PAYNE: Because now it's -- no one can dispute that it's a crisis.
The numbers are astronomical. And they're being driven by unaccompanied children, family units.
BLACKBURN: Yes.
PAYNE: They're making an extraordinarily dangerous trek.
And President Trump had scored a big success with this threat of tariffs against Mexico. They are taking action, but obviously more needs to happen. What are your thoughts there?
BLACKBURN: President Trump is precisely correct when he talks about the border and the crisis there, yes, a humanitarian crisis.
And I will tell you also it is a national security crisis. My hope is that we're going to surge resources there. Two different crossing posts that I was in are no longer used for inspections. They are centers that are reception centers.
PAYNE: Right.
BLACKBURN: One built to hold 85 people is now holding 1,200 people.
And, Charles, changing the asylum laws is an imperative. Building the wall is an imperative. Putting more officers and agents on the ground, that is an imperative, and getting judges and resources. We have to surge resources to this area to end this crisis.
PAYNE: Senator Blackburn, always a pleasure. Thank you very much.
BLACKBURN: Good to be with you. Thank you.
PAYNE: Asia expert Gordon Chang next on China and North Korea.
We will be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PAYNE: Top members of the Trump administration, including Vice President Pence and Secretary of State Pompeo, calling out Chinese tech giant Huawei, as the company remains a centerpiece of trade talks between Washington and Beijing.
The White House says Huawei is essentially a mouthpiece for the Communist Party. But the telecom giant is pushing back on that.
Marsha Blackburn sat down with Huawei's chief U.S. security officer, Andy Purdy, last week.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANDY PURDY, HUAWEI U.S. SECURITY CHIEF: We don't speak through the Chinese government. They don't speak through us. But it's also very important to remember two other things.
The network operators control all the data and all the access. And, third, we only have very limited access to that data, and then not from Huawei networks, then only after written permission from the network operators. And then special laptops are connected to the customer network, where every keystroke is logged. That provides assurance and transparency.
Those are the facts.
MARIA BARTIROMO, ANCHOR: They're -- the facts also are that Huawei has settled lawsuits with a number of American companies for stealing trade secrets.
The company has settled with Cisco, Motorola, T-Mobile, Microsoft. All of these lawsuits happened in the last eight years, and you have been forced to settle. So how do you say there were no cyber-breaches? I mean, this is what we discussed, you and me, the last time, to completely ignore all of these lawsuits that were settled because Huawei stole trade secrets.
PURDY: The fact is, the industry has quite a checkered past and quite a bit of litigation.
In terms of significant cybersecurity wrongdoing, there's been no evidence in 170 countries. And the U.S. could give no evidence of that to the U.K. or Germany or other allies.
BARTIROMO: Well, the evidence I just mentioned, that you settled these lawsuits, and they were about stealing trade secrets, that's evidence.
(CROSSTALK)
BARTIROMO: Would your company allow U.S. government officials into look at the Huawei telecom infrastructure closer?
PURDY: I mean, I would be very much open to trying to arrange such a conversation and such a visit by the United States government, absolutely.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PAYNE: Joining me now, Gordon Chang. He's the author of "The Coming Collapse Of China."
Gordon, Huawei now becoming a centerpiece of the negotiations that may -- may or may not happen or be extended at the G20 meeting.
Your thoughts?
GORDON CHANG, AUTHOR, "THE COMING COLLAPSE OF CHINA": Well, first of all, Huawei is a separate issue from the trade talks. And so I don't think that we should put the two of them together.
You know, Purdy said a number of things which were just not true in that interview with Maria. One of them is, first of all, that there is evidence that Huawei has been allowing its equipment to surreptitiously take data from foreign countries.
They did that from 2012 to 2017 at the headquarters of the African Union. Each night, China surreptitiously took data using backdoors in Huawei equipment.
And one other thing. Purdy says they don't speak for the Chinese government. Well, Huawei is 99 percent controlled by the Chinese central government.
PAYNE: And it -- but it does feel like China, if we do get some sort of a deal, will want Huawei to be able to operate in America.
CHANG: I hope not, because I think that there should be a ban.
The 2017 national intelligence law in China requires every Chinese entity to spy for Beijing, if asked. So, that fact alone would disqualify Huawei from providing equipment in the U.S.
PAYNE: Right.
Real quick, do you think Presidents Trump and Xi will meet at the G20 summit?
CHANG: I think so, because China has every reason to do so, although they have not now confirmed Xi Jinping's presence there.
But I don't think they have a choice, especially with those horrible numbers coming out of the Chinese economy for the last month.
PAYNE: Yes. It's been ugly, ugly, ugly.
Gordon, appreciate your expertise, always.
And that does it, folks, for "Sunday Morning Futures." Maria is back next week. It's been my pleasure and honor to fill in for her.
Happy Father's Day.
I'm Charles Payne. We will talk to you soon.
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