On Wednesday, State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller held a press briefing.
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NewsTranscript
00:00Good afternoon, sorry to be a few minutes late, just start with a couple things.
00:11Earlier today, Evan Gershkovich appeared in a courtroom in Yekaterinburg, Russia.
00:16We have been clear from the start that journalism is not a crime and that Evan should never
00:19have been detained in the first place.
00:22What happened today was a performance put on by Russian authorities to justify their
00:26repression of journalists and independent voices.
00:29Embassy Moscow officials were granted brief access to the courtroom before proceedings
00:33began.
00:34However, they were not permitted to speak to Evan.
00:37Russia should stop using individuals like Evan Gershkovich and Paul Whelan as bargaining
00:40chips.
00:41They should both be released immediately.
00:44And I can attest to both Evan and Paul and their families that the United States will
00:50not rest until we have brought both of them home.
00:53And then on one note, just much closer to home, so this is the last week of Nathan Tech,
00:58the Deputy Spokesperson, who is ending his tour in the Spokesperson's Office at the end
01:02of the week and moving on to hopefully greener pastures.
01:08He has been – agreed, agreed.
01:14Nathan has been an absolute joy to work with, one of the people that makes this place really
01:19work, does a lot of hard things and makes them look easy.
01:23And I've appreciated him, appreciated all his efforts on behalf of the Spokesperson's
01:27Office, and wish him well in his next endeavors.
01:31So thank you, Nathan.
01:32And with that, Matt.
01:33Right.
01:34Sorry, I was late.
01:35So I'll defer to Holly.
01:36Can I just follow up on Evan while you start with that?
01:37Sure.
01:38Given officials in the Biden administration have said once a trial begins, it's not
01:50highly likely that there will be a deal to secure that person's release, now that we're
01:55seeing this trial begin, what do you guys expect in terms of the likelihood of any deal
02:00coming to fruition in the near term here?
02:02I don't want to make any kind of public assessment or speak to negotiations that happen,
02:06of course, in private.
02:07We have been working to bring both Evan and Paul home since they were detained.
02:12And as we've said, we have put a significant offer on the table some months ago.
02:16We continue to work privately to try to secure their release.
02:20We shouldn't have to do that.
02:21They should both be released immediately, but we will continue our efforts.
02:26Those have been happening before Evan's trial.
02:28They will continue during the trial.
02:29And should he be convicted, which of course he will be, it's not a free trial, they will
02:34continue after the trial, but we want to see him returned home immediately.
02:37And that significant offer that you guys have repeatedly referred to that was put on the
02:41table months ago, has that offer been re-opted in any way or changed and put back on the
02:48table in any way?
02:49Or are we still standing at that singular offer that you guys keep pointing back to?
02:54I just don't want to speak to this in public.
02:55I don't want to negotiate in public.
02:57I've seen that Russian officials have made comments about this matter in recent days,
03:02and I don't want to respond to those either.
03:04We are working day and night to try to secure the release of both Evan and Paul, and that
03:09will continue.
03:10Just to follow up, if I understood you correctly, the embassy officials were ushered out prior
03:15to the —
03:16They were there before the start of the hearing, and they were not allowed to attend the hearing
03:19itself.
03:20Thank you.
03:21What can you tell us about his condition?
03:22We all saw his pictures from this glass – behind the glass cage.
03:27Where is he being held right now during the trial?
03:31I can follow up with you to that offer.
03:32I don't have it here at the podium.
03:33I can follow up with just where he's being held off.
03:35Did embassy officials have a chance to interact with him?
03:37They did not.
03:38I said that in my opening statements.
03:39And I know you guys don't typically get into politics from this podium, but given that
03:43it directly intersects with your efforts to secure Evan, the former President Trump,
03:51who's now the Republican nominee, said earlier that Evan would be released prior to him taking
04:01office if he wins the election on November 5th.
04:06Is that – is there any legitimacy to that claim as far as this building knows?
04:11So I am not going to deal with comments made in a political context, in a political campaign,
04:17but I would note that I would hope that every American who cares about the safety and security
04:23of their fellow American citizens would demand the release of Evan and Paul now – not November,
04:29not December, not January, but now.
04:31That ought to be the position of every American, because I would hope that every American citizen
04:35who wants to see these two wrongfully detained Americans return home immediately.
04:39Anything else?
04:41Yes, Jan?
04:44Thank you very much.
04:45And two questions.
04:48North Korea's launched another ballistic missile early yesterday morning, and following
04:55the spray of garbage balloons into South Korea, due to the impact of these trash balloons
05:04operation at Incheon International Airport are being disrupted and flight cancellation
05:12occurred.
05:13What comment can you make on this?
05:16We continue to call on the DPRK to refrain from these provocative actions and return
05:20to diplomacy.
05:22And Russian deputy foreign minister said that South Korea must retaliate North Korea and
05:32Russia recent agreement.
05:34On the other hand, it was announced that the North Korean workers would be dispatched to
05:42reconstruction for Donetsk, Ukraine.
05:45How do you view this?
05:49So I don't have any specific comment on that.
05:51I had not seen that report.
05:52But obviously, we have been quite concerned about the burgeoning relationship between
05:56North Korea and Russia.
05:58Obviously, Donetsk is part of Ukraine, not part of Russia.
06:01And so any kind of increased cooperation between those two countries when it relates
06:05to activities on occupied Ukrainian territory is something that we would oppose.
06:10Thank you.
06:11So, yeah.
06:12Moving on to Julian Assange, now that he's free and in Australia, are you satisfied with
06:18the outcome of this and that – and can you give us any details on the diplomatic negotiations
06:26that you – that went ongoing between Australia and U.S., UK, and all that, give us any light
06:31on that?
06:32So with respect to the first question, I'm not going to have any comment, only because
06:37under our system we have an independent Justice Department that makes its own decisions on
06:41these matters, and it's appropriate that they be the ones that speak to them and not
06:45have other departments in the United States weigh in one way or the other.
06:48That has always been our case, but of course, we have confidence in our colleagues at the
06:52Justice Department to make these decisions and make them in full – with the full interests
06:57of the United States in mind.
06:59As it pertains to involvement of the State Department, I can tell you it was very limited
07:02only in the last few days.
07:03This was a matter that was handled by the Justice Department through law enforcement
07:07channels.
07:08There was some small coordination role between our embassy and the Australian Government
07:12just in the past few days, but this was, other than that, a law enforcement matter handled
07:17through law enforcement channels.
07:19But are you satisfied that the case is over?
07:22So look, the Justice Department has spoken to that and I don't have anything to add.
07:25Obviously, the ambassador put out a statement that said we were happy to work with our Australian
07:30colleagues on it, and that remains the case.
07:32I do think it is important when we talk about Julian Assange to remind the world that the
07:37actions for which he was indicted and for which he has now pled guilty are actions that
07:41put the lives of our partners, our allies, and our diplomats at risk, especially those
07:46who work in dangerous places like Afghanistan and Iraq.
07:50This was some years ago now, almost 15 years ago, so I think the world has forgotten much
07:53of it.
07:55I recall when WikiLeaks first disseminated and published State Department documents,
07:59State Department cables.
08:00They did so without redacting names.
08:02They just threw them out there for the world to see.
08:05And so the documents they published gave identifying information of individuals who were in contact
08:12with the State Department.
08:14That included opposition leaders, human rights activists around the world whose positions
08:21were put in some danger because of their public disclosure.
08:24It also chilled the ability of American personnel to build relationships and have frank conversations
08:29with them.
08:30And at the time, those of you who covered the State Department at the time will probably
08:33remember that in the days leading up to that release, the State Department really had to
08:37scramble to get people out of danger, to move them out of harm's way.
08:41It was an extraordinary effort performed by dozens of government officials around the
08:46world, but that doesn't change the danger that those actions put innocent people all
08:52around the world in through no fault of their own.
08:55And that's, of course, not even to mention the further actions by WikiLeaks down the
08:59road to essentially serve as a conduit for Russian intelligence interfering in the U.S.
09:04presidential election.
09:05QUESTIONER 2 Sorry, Matt.
09:06So I actually did cover the State Department back then, and I don't remember there being
09:10any public – there was a public concern that was raised about the potential security
09:17risk posed to sources who might have been quoted.
09:22Was there actually any – did you ever discover anyone who was injured, killed, had to go
09:30into hiding because of them?
09:32MR.
09:33HUTCHINSON So a few things about that.
09:34One, I can't give you a definitive answer, only because I wasn't here at the time in
09:37so much time.
09:38And so – hold on.
09:39So – oh, no.
09:40Let me – Matt, let me finish.
09:42I have a full answer on it.
09:43One, I can't speak to that because it was some years ago, and I don't have a full
09:47accounting of what happened.
09:48But number two, the State Department did an extraordinary amount of work when we found
09:54out that these cables were going to be published to get people out of harm's way, to go around
09:59and look at what might become public and take action so people that would be put in danger
10:05would be put out of harm's way.
10:06But third, if you drive drunk down the street and get pulled over for drunk driving, the
10:12fact that you didn't crash into another car and kill someone doesn't get you out
10:15of the – of the reckless actions and the endangerment that you put your fellow citizens
10:20in.
10:21And it's the same thing – the same principle applies here.
10:23QUESTION Right.
10:24Well, I – and I don't think that it does.
10:26But the fact of the matter is, is that the State Department has been, at least as far
10:30as I know – and maybe I'm wrong – but has been – has never been able to point
10:35to anyone who was compromised or killed or put at risk because of this.
10:42Their identities were compromised.
10:44The State Department went to great work to get people out of harm's way, to prevent
10:47that very action from happening.
10:49QUESTION Do you know how many people about it?
10:50MR.
10:51RATHKE As I said, this was some time ago.
10:52I was in the government at the time, not at the State Department, and I'd have to go
10:55back and look at it.
10:56But I do know that there was work around the world, especially in places like Afghanistan,
11:00Iraq, and other places around the world, where they did have to do a great amount of work
11:04to kind of move people out of harm's way.
11:05QUESTION Well, one of your predecessors, P.J.
11:07Crowley, went to – who was the – standing at the podium at the time – went to great
11:12pains to talk about the potential damage that could or would be caused by these revelations.
11:20And I – unless I missed it, I didn't hear that there was any.
11:27MR.
11:28RATHKE As I said, number one, the Department went
11:32to a great amount of effort to avoid people being put in harm's way.
11:36But it doesn't absolve anyone of their responsibility.
11:40I know, but it's – but I know you're not, but it's an important point.
11:43Just because people were able to mitigate the harm done by your actions, that doesn't
11:48absolve you of your actions in the first place.
11:50QUESTION Okay.
11:51MR.
11:52RATHKE Shannon, go ahead.
11:53QUESTION Oh, I'm sorry.
11:54MR.
11:55RATHKE Oh, yeah.
11:56QUESTION I know one other thing.
11:57You said there was some small coordination between the U.S. and Australia over the last
11:59couple of days.
12:00Was that involving the flight?
12:01MR.
12:02RATHKE It was with relation to his landing and transfer
12:04in Australia.
12:05Yeah.
12:06QUESTION Can I ask a follow-up?
12:07MR.
12:08RATHKE Sure.
12:09QUESTION It said in the agreement that Mr. Assange
12:10would not be able to enter the United States without permission.
12:12Who will he be seeking permission from?
12:14Who would grant that permission, and how would that happen if that were to occur?
12:16MR.
12:17RATHKE It would – so I'm not going to speak to
12:19provisions in what was a Justice Department plea agreement, but that would be handled
12:22as is the case for anyone seeking permission to enter the United States.
12:26QUESTION And in the judgment – the sentencing part
12:28of the judgment, the judge noted that there were no victims of Mr. Assange's behavior,
12:34which is part of the reason that the sentence was what it was.
12:37Do you disagree with that?
12:38You think there were victims of his actions?
12:40MR.
12:41RATHKE I'm not going to speak to a comment made by
12:44a judge in a ruling.
12:45It would never be appropriate for me to do so, but I stand by the comments I made just
12:48a moment ago.
12:49QUESTION What?
12:50MR.
12:51RATHKE Hmm?
12:52QUESTION You're not going to speak to a comment made
12:53by a judge?
12:54I mean, if he did – I didn't – I don't know that he did, but that's exactly the
12:56point of my question.
12:57MR.
12:58RATHKE No, I'm —
12:59QUESTION And he made two other comments earlier, which
13:00is that the State Department has never come up – even though it was one of the prime,
13:04quote-unquote, victims of these leaks, was never able to identify anyone who came under
13:16or was killed or came under contamination.
13:18MR.
13:19RATHKE I think the point I made a moment ago is an appropriate response to that, which
13:24just because the State Department was able to take actions to keep people out of harm's
13:29way.
13:30People that he put in harm's way.
13:31He doesn't hold them responsible.
13:32What actions did the State Department take?
13:34The State Department at the time was able to reach out to individuals whose names were
13:38going to be, I can't tell you that, it was almost 15 years ago, Matt, I wasn't here.
13:43But I know.
13:44But I can tell you.
13:45The case has just come to a close.
13:46But I cannot give you a full account of something that happened almost 15 years ago, but people
13:50that were here will tell you that the State Department went to great lengths to reach
13:52out to people whose identities were exposed and get them out of harm's way.
13:56And the other point I made is that when something like that happens, it does chill the ability
14:01of American personnel to build relationships with people and count on the fact that the
14:05information they provide us will be held confidential.
14:08So it is not just a potential harm to the safety and security of those individuals.
14:12It's a harm to American diplomacy.
14:15No doubt.
14:16But the fact of the matter is that you have not been ever been able to identify anything
14:23tangible about any tangible negative effect.
14:28That is a different – I think I just did point to a tangible negative effect when people
14:32are less willing to trust the United States Government to keep information secret.
14:38Who was willing to lie?
14:40So I was in government at the time, and I can tell you traveling the world with a different
14:45– a different agency, we often heard from foreign counterparts that they were – I'm
14:51obviously not going to speak to – I'm not going to speak to the exact conversations,
14:55but we often heard from foreign counterparts that they were worried about providing information
14:59to the United States Government because of our ability to keep it too secret.
15:02I remember one, having been here at the time, and I remember that Berlusconi told former
15:08Secretary Clinton that he was concerned mainly because of what the WikiLeaks – what the
15:14cables suggested about his activities and the –
15:19Activities.
15:20There were –
15:21His lifestyle.
15:22Yes.
15:23There were more substantive and serious concerns, yeah.
15:25Were there?
15:26Yeah.
15:27Okay.
15:28Yeah.
15:29Raise –
15:30Can you name a – not a person, a country?
15:31So I think you could see why, if the point of the conversation is someone raising concern
15:35about private conversations being made public, it wouldn't be helpful for me to then make
15:40those private conversations public in response to a question at this podium.
15:43I'll stop it.
15:44Go ahead, Alex.
15:45Thank you, Matt.
15:46A couple of questions on Russia.
15:47Yeah.
15:48There are multiple reports claiming that Russian Government plane was headed to New York this
15:49morning.
15:50Are you in a position to confirm it?
15:51What are they doing there?
15:52It's first time since last year.
15:53I don't – I'm not able to confirm those reports.
15:54I don't have any information about it at all.
15:55We'll take it only if possible.
15:56This is not the FAA, Alex, so –
15:57About the phone call between Moscow – between Russian and U.S. defense –
15:58Yeah.
15:59About the phone call between Moscow – between Russian and U.S. defense –
16:00Yeah.
16:01About the phone call between Moscow – between Russian and U.S. defense –
16:02Yeah.
16:03About the phone call between Moscow – between Russia and U.S. defense –
16:04I'm sorry.
16:05What's – what –
16:06The phone – yesterday's phone call to Moscow.
16:07Why did the Administration feel a need to make that phone call yesterday on the same
16:08day when ICC issued an arrest warrant against –
16:09Why did who feel the need to make a phone call?
16:10I mean, the Secretary of Defense called the –
16:11It's a question you should direct to the Secretary of Defense or the Pentagon, not to
16:12the State Department.
16:13But is there any change in the Administration's position on that?
16:14No.
16:15No.
16:16No.
16:17No.
16:18No.
16:19No.
16:20No.
16:21No.
16:22No.
16:23No.
16:24No.
16:25No.
16:26No.
16:27No.
16:28No.
16:29No.
16:30No.
16:31No.
16:32No.
16:33No.
16:34No.
16:35No.
16:36No.
16:37No.
16:38No.
16:39No.
16:40No.
16:41And is there any change in the Administration's policy in terms of discussing Ukraine without
16:42Ukraine?
16:43Of course there's not.
16:44But with respect to questions about calls made by other agencies, especially agencies
16:45that hold public briefings, you should go to their public briefings and ask them.
16:46Do you have any concern about timing of it?
16:47Because yesterday was about –
16:48Of course not.
16:49Of course not.
16:50Of course not.
16:51And on the South Caucasus –
16:52Yeah.
16:53Assistant Secretary's head, Azerbaijan, he was in Yerevan two weeks ago, he was in
16:54Georgia last month.
16:56Why having this visit separately to these capitals?
16:59years you guys have?
17:00MR.
17:01RATHKE.
17:02We continue to engage in diplomacy to resolve a number of the outstanding issues in that
17:04region.
17:05It's something we've been working on for some time.
17:07The assistant secretary regularly travels there.
17:08Go ahead.
17:09QUESTION.
17:10Thanks.
17:11There was a Hill hearing today that singled out China's growing influence in the hemisphere,
17:14specifically a megaport that's being built in Peru, set to launch later this year.
17:20Is State concerned about China's gaining a stronger foothold in the hemisphere, and
17:25what steps are you taking to counter that?
17:26MR.
17:27RATHKE.
17:28Well, we have long understood, and have spoken to this publicly, the fact that other countries
17:31are going to have relationships with China, they're going to have diplomatic relationships
17:34with China, we're going to have – they're going to have economic relationships with
17:37China.
17:38That is no different than the United States.
17:39We have diplomatic and economic relationships with China, their governments, and most importantly,
17:45in the people of their countries, and to make sure that they've – are fully meet international
17:52standards.
17:53Nadia.
17:54QUESTION.
17:55Thank you.
17:56On Gaza.
17:58So you have a number of activities.
17:59You have a strong turnover of Haida, especially in the north, and actually WFP has described
18:04in the situation as full-blown famine.
18:07So what exactly are you doing to pressurize or persuade or cajole the Israelis to make
18:13sure that this is not going to happen and not materialize in actually a full famine?
18:18MR.
18:19RATHKE.
18:20So we continue to work day and night.
18:22Our special envoy for Middle East humanitarian issues is back in the region today after being
18:27back for – in Washington for consultations around Minister Golan's visit.
18:30She's back in the region working on this exact issue today, trying to not just get
18:36humanitarian aid into Gaza, but most importantly, make sure it is distributed around Gaza.
18:41I think everyone's aware that that has been the chief impediment to actually getting food
18:46to the Palestinian people.
18:47It's not getting aid into the pier.
18:50It's not getting aid into Kerem Shalom.
18:52It's then making sure that it can be distributed from those points onward.
18:55We have had a number of discussions between – or have been – I should say we have
19:00been involved in a number of discussions in the past few days between the various United
19:04Nations agencies and various components of the Israeli Government to try to work through
19:09some security challenges that the UN is currently facing to deliver humanitarian assistance.
19:14We continue to push to try to resolve their legitimate concerns about the safety and security
19:19of their personnel, and are continuing to push to try to get – to try to work through
19:24some asks that they have on the table pending with the Government of Israel to try to make
19:30it safer for their personnel to take humanitarian assistance and deliver it around to the people
19:35of Gaza.
19:36QUESTIONS That was my follow-up, actually, because the UN said that Israel —
19:38MR.
19:39RATHKE I anticipated that.
19:40QUESTIONS I read my mind.
19:41MR.
19:42RATHKE Or I —
19:43QUESTIONS That Israel – so you believe that actually the Israelis can improve the way
19:45that the UN agencies, especially their workers, are delivering the aid?
19:50It could be met?
19:51MR.
19:52RATHKE There are a number of things that Israel can do.
19:54I spoke to some of them yesterday.
19:56Some of them is to allow protective personnel equipment – protective personal equipment
19:59for UN workers.
20:01Some is to kind of increase communications between the IDF and COGAD and UN workers.
20:09And then there's some other things too that the UN workers have asked for that I'm not
20:12going to get into from this podium, but there is more that can be done.
20:14There are some of the requests where Israel has legitimate security concerns, and what
20:17we're trying to do is broker agreements that give the UN personnel the assurances
20:23they need that they can offer – that they can operate securely while still protecting
20:27Israel's legitimate security concerns.
20:30QUESTION One last question is I'm sure you've seen these detailed reports.
20:34Most of them have harrowing accounts of Palestinian prisoners being rounded up.
20:39Some of them are being sexually assaulted, shackled for hours, inhumane conditions, and
20:47that's a description of Israeli human rights organizations like B'Tselem and others,
20:52and witnesses who are actually a part of the IDF who came and talked about what happened.
20:56So you often call Israel as an ally who you share values with.
21:02So how can the United States make sure that these things, which is obviously unacceptable
21:08for most democracies, that is not allowed to happen?
21:13What exactly are you doing?
21:15What mechanism are you using to make sure that this is not happening, and if you're
21:20investigating it yourself?
21:21MR.
21:22RATHKE So with respect to any investigations, there
21:23are, as I've said before, a number of incidents that we are reviewing when it relates to potential
21:27human rights abuses, potential violations of the laws of war, and I'm not going to
21:31speak to any particular incident from here.
21:33But there are a number of incidents where we have reviews ongoing.
21:38But that said, separate and apart from that, we have made clear to Israel that we fully
21:43expect them to comply with all human rights laws, international laws of war.
21:49That includes the treatment of prisoners and detainees.
21:53And when there are abuses, those ought to be investigated.
21:56If accountability is appropriate, there ought to be accountability, and we'll continue to
22:00make that clear then.
22:01QUESTION Did I follow on that, too?
22:02MR.
22:03RATHKE Sure.
22:04Who was that?
22:05Who asked the question?
22:06MR.
22:07RATHKE I wanted to follow on that.
22:08MR.
22:09RATHKE Sure.
22:10And I would say that's the last time today I'm going to do one without raising hand,
22:11but go ahead.
22:12MR.
22:13RATHKE Oh, I apologize.
22:14It was a follow on her?
22:15MR.
22:16RATHKE Yeah, go ahead.
22:17MR.
22:18RATHKE On investigation of the use of Palestinians as human shields, or video that was on social
22:21media today about Israeli forces using attack dogs, you talk about investigations.
22:26Logistically, what does an investigation look like, and when would we see results of that
22:32type of investigation?
22:33MR.
22:35RATHKE Well, it depends whose investigation you're speaking to.
22:36If you mean the reviews that are going on by the United States, there are personnel
22:40inside the State Department that conduct reviews with respect to the laws of war in this conflict,
22:46as we do in other places around the world.
22:49And I don't speak to those reviews before they're finalized, nor can I preview when
22:55they would be finished.
22:58But just to speak to some of the complexity that we face in launching those reviews – and
23:04it's the same complexity I face sometimes in answering questions about this from the
23:07podium.
23:08So yesterday, Doctors Without Borders put out a statement saying that a doctor who was
23:14a member of Doctors Without Borders was killed by an IDF strike while, I believe, on his
23:19way to work inside Gaza.
23:21I was asked about it at the podium.
23:22I said I can't give you an assessment on that strike because I don't know the details.
23:26Hours later, the IDF put out a statement saying that that particular doctor was also a terrorist
23:30member of Palestinian Islamic Jihad who was a member of their – a participant in their
23:35rocket program.
23:36I don't have the ability to litigate that claim.
23:38We don't, at first blush, often have the ability to litigate claims made by the different
23:44parties in this conflict.
23:45And so I know sometimes when I'm asked to pronounce judgment, it's frustrating that
23:49we can't do it.
23:50But that – the incident yesterday is the exact situation why oftentimes in the middle
23:55of a conflict it is difficult to draw definitive conclusions when there is conflicting information
24:02that we all face.
24:03So I will say as it pertains to our reviews, we collect information from all the relevant
24:08parties.
24:10As we said when we released a report on this matter some time ago, we have open inquiries
24:14to the Government of Israel asking for information about these specific incidents, and we'll
24:19– those reviews will continue.
24:20Sorry.
24:21On this, though, do you have any reason to believe that the IDF claim is more credible
24:26than the MSF claim?
24:28So both things can be true.
24:30What MSF claimed was that he was a doctor who was a member of MSF.
24:33Okay.
24:34What Israel claimed is that in –
24:35Are you saying that that's wrong?
24:36No, I'm not saying that's wrong.
24:37What Israel claimed is that he was a doctor who was a member of MSF who was also a terrorist
24:41involved in Palestinian Islamic Jihad's rocket program.
24:44My point is neither of those are United States-verified information.
24:49So when I get asked about a –
24:50He was a doctor and he was also involved in the – in Hamas's missile program?
24:56Rocket program.
24:57Rocket program.
24:58Rocket program.
24:59Yeah?
25:00Yeah.
25:01How?
25:02I don't know.
25:03That – but that goes – no, no, that goes to my –
25:04Did the IDF tell you?
25:05They put out a statement on this.
25:06This goes to my – this goes to my exact point, that you see claims made by various
25:09parties on the ground, and then oftentimes you see conflicting claims made by the IDF.
25:13We will reach out to our Israeli partners about –
25:16Hold on.
25:17We will reach out to our Israeli partners for more information about these, but oftentimes
25:20when I'm asked for definitive conclusions about the specifics of a strike, we are operating
25:27on incomplete information.
25:28And that's why it's frustrating as it is, is why I can't offer a definitive conclusion
25:30about any one strike.
25:31There are plenty of instances in history where physicians have been also criminals of some
25:36kind or other.
25:37That's my – yeah.
25:38But –
25:39Independent investigation.
25:40You're just saying that – you're just saying – well, MSF, which is a respectable
25:43organization, IDF, a respectable organization, but they have completely different views.
25:51So you guys need to come in and – in the middle and decide what could – don't you?
25:57And that's – that is what we do with respect to the ongoing assessments.
26:01That's the point I was making – two points I was making.
26:04One with respect to ongoing assessments, when you look at that information environment,
26:07sometimes that's why it takes time to reach a definitive conclusion, because things aren't
26:12as simple as they appear at first blush, right?
26:14I get a question about it – hold on.
26:15I get a question about it yesterday.
26:16No, I –
26:17It's not as simple as they were at first blush.
26:19You just don't – you don't –
26:20Correct.
26:21Exactly right.
26:22And you don't know.
26:23The second thing is that's why it's hard oftentimes to give definitive answers when
26:26I get asked about this from the podium, because information changes, more information comes
26:30to light, and maybe that information is correct, maybe it's not.
26:32We try to gather it and make definitive determinations.
26:34But Matt, don't you make assessment to other countries when you don't have equally the
26:38same information, whether it's Iran, whether it is China, whether even in other – Russia
26:44or Ukraine or others?
26:46So is it just with Israel that you're always unable to make that conclusive results, or
26:53is it just because you don't have the information?
26:55So first of all, I would say there are times when it is quite obvious what happened, and
27:00we do make specific determinations very quickly.
27:05Look at the World Central Kitchen strike, where it's quite obvious within a few hours,
27:09within certainly the first 24 hours, what happened and that it was a mistaken strike,
27:12and we spoke to that exactly.
27:14Other times it is less clear.
27:15So that's the first thing.
27:17But then I would say with respect to Israel, as with any other country, we make determinations
27:22based on the information that's available to us.
27:25We reach out, in this case, to NGOs and others who are on the ground, and we reach out to
27:29the Government of Israel when trying to make assessments about individual strikes before
27:33making any definitive conclusions.
27:35But you do accept at least what both sides agree on, that this person was a doctor?
27:41I have no reason to dispute that.
27:43I have no reason to dispute at all that he was a doctor.
27:45And to be clear, you – sorry.
27:47Yeah.
27:48And –
27:49Yeah.
27:50That's funny.
27:51And to be clear, you have explicitly asked Israel for evidence that this doctor was involved
27:59in Hamas.
28:00I don't know if we have in – with – pertains to this strike.
28:03We often do –
28:04Will you?
28:05It is – no, hold on a second.
28:07We often do, when it comes to strikes like these, when there are claims of human rights
28:10abuses or claims of civilian casualties, it is regular practice for us to do so through
28:16our embassy in Jerusalem.
28:17I can't say we've done so in this case, but it would be normal practice for us to
28:21have done so.
28:22I just don't have it verified that we did in this one specific one or that we're not
28:24doing it in the coming days, but it would be our standard practice to do so, yes.
28:28Can I follow up, please?
28:29Sorry.
28:30Can we move to Kenya?
28:31Sure.
28:32We can move back later.
28:34So according to the White House, you've – the Administration has been in touch with
28:39the Kenyan Government after the shootings of protesters yesterday, expressed concern
28:45about the violence.
28:47But since then, the – Kenya has withdrawn the bill that was being discussed.
28:53Is that something that you – that the U.S. sort of pushed for or welcomes?
28:58So I won't speak to the withdrawing of the bill.
29:00That ultimately is a matter for the Kenyan Government to determine.
29:04I will say that in our conversations with the Kenyan Government, what we did is tell
29:09them that the freedom of peaceful assembly and habeas corpus are rights that are enshrined
29:13in the Kenyan constitution, and we urge them to ensure that the Kenyan security forces
29:19use nonlethal methods and prevent civilian harm in responding to any security concerns.
29:24Yesterday, I think in the White House comments today, it talked about reports of violence
29:29against protesters.
29:30It sounds like you have a little bit more of a solid conclusion.
29:33Like, do you have a – like, an understanding of what actually happened?
29:37Yeah, we've seen well-documented reports of violence against protesters, and what we
29:41have said is in our – in our conversation with the Kenyan Government is that they should
29:46use nonlethal methods and prevent civilian harm in dealing with peaceful protests.
29:50And this is the same country that has obviously sent police to Haiti for this multinational
29:58security support mission.
30:00Does that raise concerns to you about – if you've got those particular concerns about
30:06how Kenyan security forces are operating inside their country, should we be concerned about
30:12how they're going to operate now in Haiti?
30:14So a few things with respect to that.
30:16Number one, all MSS mission personnel, both from Kenya and from other countries that we
30:22expect to participate in the MSS, receive pre-deployment training.
30:27That is in accordance with UN training standards for similar UN missions, including training
30:32on human rights, child protection, countering sexual and gender-based violence.
30:36We've also worked with Kenya and other partners to integrate critically important accountability
30:41and oversight measures in accordance with the authorizing UN Security Council resolution.
30:47And that includes operating in the highest standards of transparency, conduct, and discipline,
30:53and includes compliance mechanisms to prevent, investigate, address, and publicly report
30:58any violations or abuses of human rights related to the MSS mission.
31:02So we have both, working with the UN and others, worked to establish training on the front
31:08end and then to ensure transparency and accountability for any alleged abuses on the back end should
31:14they occur.
31:15Who has oversight over that mission?
31:17The United Nations, ultimately.
31:18It's a United Nations Security Council-authorized mission.
31:22Jan.
31:23Also on Kenya, President Rudeau claimed that organized crime groups infiltrated those protests.
31:29Is that a claim that they've also repeated in your private conversations?
31:33And also, do you see any validity that that happened?
31:36So I'm not going to speak to private conversations, and I can't assess the validity of that or not.
31:42I would say, in addition to the point I made about restraint by Kenyan security forces,
31:47we do urge Kenyan protesters not to put anyone, including government officials, in harm's way.
31:53Protests should remain peaceful in Kenya, as they should remain peaceful all around the world.
31:58Yeah, Dita.
32:02This morning, the Secretary released the 2023 International Freedom – Religious Freedom
32:08Report, where there is a considerable chapter on Iran.
32:13Today is also the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, which is tortures rampant
32:20in Iranian jails, per your own annual reports on human rights in Iran.
32:27On Tuesday, yesterday, a group of political prisoners in Iran, they called – they asked
32:32that the world pay more attention to the human rights situation in Iran, especially in view
32:38of the recent comment by Ali Khamenei that among the officials of the judiciary system,
32:47he was saying ignore international or Western – quote-unquote – Western human rights
32:53standards, and only national laws apply.
32:58And I was wondering, besides sanctions against Iranian officials, what other alternatives
33:06do you have to try to secure Iranian people's human rights?
33:11So first of all, we absolutely agree that the world should pay more attention to the
33:15oppression of the Iranian people.
33:17And one of the things that we have done since the outset of this administration is to work
33:22to highlight human rights abuses inside Iran, highlight crackdowns on the freedom of the
33:29Iranian people.
33:30And we do that not just through our bilateral engagements around the world.
33:33We do it through public reports that we issue.
33:36You referred to one of them.
33:37And we also do it working through international fora, where we consistently raise the regime's
33:42brutal crackdown and brutal repression of the Iranian people and encourage other countries
33:46to raise their voices and object to it publicly and object to it privately.
33:51We also take measures to ensure that the Iranian people can stay connected to the outside world.
33:56We've talked before – you've heard me talk before from this podium about what we
33:58have done to ensure that they have access to the internet through VPNs.
34:02So they – the Iranian people can find out from independent news sources outside Iran
34:08more about what their government is doing.
34:11And then I do think the measures that we impose, the accountability measures that we impose
34:15are important.
34:16We can – we have imposed more than – I believe it's 600 sanctions and other measures
34:21on Iran and Iran-related entities since the outside of this administration.
34:25Some of those are for their support for terrorism and other destabilizing actions, but a number
34:29of them are for their oppression of the Iranian people, and we will continue to take those
34:34actions as appropriate.
34:35QUESTIONER 2 But Matt, sanctions don't – are not helping
34:38people.
34:39MR MCGURK Well, so my point is sanctions are just one
34:40of the tools in our arsenal, ultimately calling out that oppression, making sure other countries
34:46focus on it.
34:47And we wish more countries would.
34:48Let's be perfectly frank.
34:49It would be – we would welcome other countries objecting to the brutal crackdowns of the
34:54Iranian people.
34:55We see some, of course, and to that statement, yes, a lot of them are in the Western world,
34:59we would welcome every country in the world speaking out against Iran's brutal crackdowns.
35:05And as I said, we also work to support the Iranian people, and those are the measures
35:09that we have available to us and we will continue to use them.
35:11QUESTIONER 3 Well, clearly, they're not going to listen
35:13as Khamenei has said to Qatar.
35:14MR MCGURK I certainly don't think the regime in Tehran
35:19is going to listen, but as I said, we're going to continue to try to make sure the
35:23Iranian people can also get information from outside sources, and we support the Iranian
35:28people in their rights to exercise their freedom of expression and other basic rights
35:33available to them.
35:34Go ahead.
35:35QUESTION 3 Thank you, Matt.
35:36Staying on the religious group, in your report in the Iraqi section, it says there are restrictions
35:44on freedom of religion remain quite spread outside of Kurdistan but in some parts of
35:48the Iraq.
35:49And also, there are continual reports of violence by the armed groups, sectarian groups like
35:53Iranian-backed groups on the religious minority in Iraq, especially in Sinjar.
35:58And there are reports that the people, the Yazidi people, they fear to go back to their
36:01region because of these groups.
36:03So what tools and what measures do you have and have you put in place against these groups
36:09in order to take their responsibility?
36:11MR MCGURK So first of all, when it comes to the report
36:13that we released today, I'm not going to be able to give you a detailed answer as pertains
36:16to what's in the report.
36:17It's a long, detailed report.
36:18It covers scores of countries around the world, and I'm not an expert who can speak to every
36:24piece of information that was in the report.
36:27I will say the report itself is a – the point of the report itself is to make information
36:33public.
36:34It is not a – it is not the vehicle through which we impose accountability measures.
36:39It is the vehicle that informs the policy choices that we make.
36:43So it is one of the things that we do to gather information, to make that information public,
36:46and then we take into account all the information that's in the report to inform the policy
36:52choices, none of which I'm going to preview from here.
36:54QUESTION Another question on the Kurdistan region.
36:57After a long postponement today, the Kurdistan Region President Necman Barzani sets October
37:0220th as the new date for the Kurdistan Region's election.
37:06As the U.S.
37:07Government were engaged and so encouraged the Kurdistan Region to schedule a date for
37:11that election, so what's your comment on that, and how do you see the process of preparation
37:16for that election and also the recent change to the election in that region?
37:19MR MCGURK So we welcome the announcement of parliamentary
37:21elections on October 20th in the Iraqi Kurdistan Region.
37:25Elections are a vital element of the democratic process, and we expect the authorities to
37:29ensure that they are free, transparent, and occur without further delay.
37:33And we appreciate the Iraqi Kurdistan Region's president's efforts to reach agreement between
37:37all parties.
37:38QUESTION Following?
37:39MR MCGURK Go ahead.
37:40QUESTION Thanks, sir.
37:41So the members of – the members of foreign – Senate Foreign Relations Committee wrote
37:47a letter to Secretary Blinken calling for a strong diplomatic response on Indian Government's
37:53involvement in assassination of a U.S. citizen at U.S. soil.
37:57They're also asking for a briefing on this matter.
37:59What is your response on this?
38:00MR MCGURK So we will respond to those members privately,
38:05as we always do.
38:06I won't speak to that here.
38:07But as it pertains to the other issue, when this issue first arose, we made clear that
38:13we had raised it with the Government of India and told them that we expected there to be
38:20a full investigation.
38:21They've announced that they are conducting an inquiry, and we will look forward to the
38:25results of that inquiry.
38:26QUESTION So U.S. lawmakers yesterday passed a resolution
38:28supporting democracy in Pakistan.
38:30In a significant bipartisan support, U.S. lawmakers urged Biden administration to collaborate
38:35with Pakistan in upholding democracy, human rights, and rule of law.
38:40Any comments on that?
38:41MR MCGURK I'm not going to comment on that resolution
38:42specifically, but speaking generally, our most senior officials, including Secretary
38:47Blinken and Ambassador Blum, have consistently, both privately and publicly, urged Pakistan
38:52to respect the rights of its people and live with its constitutional and international
38:56obligations.
38:57We continuously urge the Government of Pakistan to respect human rights and fundamental freedoms,
39:02including the freedoms of expression, association, peaceful assembly, and religion, as well as
39:07the rights of marginalized populations, such as women and religious minorities.
39:10Go ahead.
39:11QUESTION Yeah.
39:12About Kurdistan parliamentary elections, how do you expect the elections to be conducted,
39:20and what steps will you take to ensure their success?
39:24MR MCGURK I don't have anything to speak to – I don't
39:28have anything to add beyond the comment that I gave a moment ago.
39:33Elections are obviously a vital important of the democratic process, and we welcome
39:36the announcement of parliamentary elections on October 20th.
39:39So go ahead.
39:41QUESTION So I just wanted to ask about the IRF report
39:45in regards to China.
39:47Secretary Blinken said that religious freedom is the worst it's been, citing a Pew Research
39:51poll study that says it's the worst it's been since 2001 when it first started recording.
39:58In China, the House just passed a bill yesterday called the Falun Gong Protection Act, which
40:04would sanction any individual involved in forced organ harvesting related to the Chinese
40:08government.
40:11It would – so it would also stop the U.S. from cooperating with China in the organ transplant
40:15field.
40:16What further measures does the State Department have in countering the forced organ harvesting
40:20by the Chinese regime?
40:21MR MCGURK So let me take that comment back and get you
40:23– let me take that back and get you a comment.
40:24QUESTION All right.
40:25Is the IRF report out?
40:26MR MCGURK I believe it's out.
40:27The Secretary did a public event earlier today, so —
40:29It should be released.
40:30Yeah, I think it's posted online.
40:31So —
40:32QUESTION I don't think it was sent to —
40:33MR MCGURK My apologies, if that's correct.
40:34And I have no reason to doubt it is, but we will get it to you, Simon.
40:35QUESTION All right.
40:36Thank you, sir.
40:37Two questions, please.
40:38One is as far as talking about democracy and U.S.-India relations, a lot of analysis were
40:39going on as far as this report is concerned.
40:40And the second question is, is there any indication that the U.S.-India relations are going to
40:41improve?
40:42MR MCGURK I don't think so.
40:43I don't think so.
40:44I don't think so.
40:45I don't think so.
40:46I don't think so.
40:47I don't think so.
40:48I don't think so.
40:50the globe, 700-plus million people went to the polls in India.
41:06And by the Indian-American community here, and also analysis in India press, what they
41:12are saying is that many groups and people here in the U.S., they undermined the democracy
41:21of India, that they wanted to break the democracy or the government there.
41:26What happened?
41:27A lot of people here, they have admitted that they have sent a lot of money from here, including
41:31a billionaire, to defeat Prime Minister Modi or undermine the democracy in India.
41:36What I'm asking you here, do we follow all these things as far as larger democracy, India,
41:43and the oldest democracy, the United States of America?
41:47And so many reports also have come out and we're going through so many ups and downs
41:52between the two countries, but relations are greater, all the officials here in India are
41:58talking about.
41:59So where we stand about this in the future as far as undermining the democracy in India
42:05because of some groups they might not like or they hate something in India, or maybe
42:11Prime Minister Modi or the democrats there.
42:14So I can't speak to those specific reports, I'm just not sure what they refer to, but
42:17I can tell you when it comes to the Indian elections, we have been quite clear on behalf
42:23of the United States Government that we celebrate what was the largest exercise of democracy
42:29in the history of the world.
42:30It was an extraordinary achievement, and then when it comes to the outcome of the election,
42:34we obviously take no side, though that is a question for the people of India to decide.
42:38Thank you so much, and before I go, my second question, if I just follow up quickly on this
42:43one.
42:44Prime Minister Modi said that he is a friend with every leader on the globe and he has
42:49very good relation with President Biden and the United States, and we have no ill of any
42:55kind against anybody, and I have never done anything wrong with anybody, and why they
43:01have been doing this to me?
43:03That's what he said, but anyway, it's a statement.
43:05My second question is, sir, that as far as Afghanistan is concerned, there will be now
43:11a UN Women's Conference and Summit on Afghanistan, and what they are saying now before the conference
43:19that Taliban have broken their promise to the international global community they made
43:26and women in Afghanistan are under – or girls, they cannot go to school, there is
43:30no freedom of press, there is no freedom of worship, nothing, and they are going through
43:34really a lot and they are crying and they are helping – need a help or asking help
43:39from the United States and from the global community to help them out.
43:43So if this is a reference to the UN-led Doha Conference – Doha 3 Conference, which I
43:47know they just announced, it's – ultimately defer to the UN to talk about the details
43:53of the meeting.
43:54The U.S. will participate.
43:55Both our special representative for Afghanistan, Tom West, and our special envoy for Afghan
44:00women, girls, and human rights, Rina Ahmari, will be attending.
44:04They – but I should note, they only committed to participate once they secured clarity regarding
44:11the substantive agenda and, more importantly, confirmed that there would be meaningful engagement
44:15at the conference with Afghan women and members of Afghan civil society.
44:21And so we will be participating in that conference because we take – we will continue with
44:26the international community to impress upon the Taliban that they need to take seriously
44:30their obligations under the Doha agreement, and that includes with regards to the treatment
44:34of women and girls, which, of course, continues to be appalling.
44:36Thank you very much.
44:37Yeah.
44:38Thanks, Matthew.
44:39So I know you talked about Kenya and that the U.S. is calling for the Kenyan forces
44:45to use nonlethal methods, but is the U.S.
44:49Government investigating reports of abductions by police during these protests in Kenya?
44:54I just don't have any further comment to make other than what I already said about
44:57– with regards to this.
44:58Okay.
44:59And what's the latest on the Gaza pier?
45:03I would refer you to the Pentagon for that, but they have made clear over the last few
45:06days that the Gaza pier is operational.
45:09It is receiving aid.
45:10I think they had a number of reporters who were actually at the pier over the last couple
45:15of days.
45:16So yeah, it's operational.
45:17And is the U.S. concerned that Israel and Hezbollah will fight a full-scale war?
45:22We have made quite clear that we do not want to see further escalation, and we have been
45:27pursuing a diplomatic resolution to the situation along the Israel-Lebanese border.
45:31Thank you.
45:32Yeah.
45:33A big debate tomorrow.
45:34Has the Secretary played any role whatsoever in the debate?
45:37Which one is that?
45:38No, he's not.
45:39It's not on right now.
45:40He's not.
45:41No.
45:42Played no role.
45:43No.
45:44Yeah.
45:45Just one final question.
45:46Do you have anything to say on the report of the U.S. diplomat who died at a hotel in
45:51Kiv, reportedly?
45:52I do, and so we can confirm the death of a U.S.
45:56Government employee who was under chief of mission authority at Embassy Kiv.
46:00We extend our deepest condolences to the family and loved ones of our colleague.
46:04Don't have any further comment about the situation other than to say – and I hate
46:09to even bring this up, but I know sometimes conspiracies, theories spin out of control
46:13– that it's our understanding that he died of natural causes and there's no sign
46:16of foul play.
46:17And with that, we're out for today.
46:18I just want to go back to one thing that Kylie asked at the very beginning when she asked
46:23of you about Trump's comments on Evan Gershkovich.
46:32There is actual and alleged precedent for deals being tried to – for people trying
46:42to arrange deals for detainees going back years – decades, right?
46:5045 years.
46:5144 years, right.
46:521980, 79?
46:53Yeah, right.
46:54Yes?
46:55Check my math.
46:56Yeah, good.
46:57Yeah.
46:58But not just that.
46:59There were also allegations that in 2016 that the Trump campaign was involved in trying
47:06to do some stuff behind the scenes with Israel and with Turkey.
47:12And then there are also maybe non-political campaign-related things – Bill Richardson's
47:19efforts and others of that ilk.
47:24Are you saying that – or are you discouraging any non-governmental attempt to free Evan
47:33and Paul Gershkovich and Paul Whelan?
47:36A few things about that.
47:37We would welcome any productive efforts to secure the release of Evan and Paul.
47:42I'm not aware of any non-governmental efforts.
47:46I would hope that anyone pursuing such an effort would do it in coordination with the
47:51United States Government.
47:52As I said, I'm not aware of any now, but I think that would be an important principle.
47:56But the other principle I said I think is the most important thing, which is we want
47:59to see them released now, not any time down the road.
48:01Right.
48:02Fair enough.
48:03But I mean, it doesn't matter to you guys, but if there is such an effort going on, whether
48:07it is potentially politically motivated or not, or does it?
48:11I think we – I would want to – we would want to see that effort fully coordinated
48:15with the United States Government.
48:16Beside that, I don't think I'd want to go too far down the rabbit hole of hypotheticals.
48:20So with that, we'll wrap for today.
48:22Thanks.