Tom McClintock Warns Trump: 'The Iranian Regime Is Untrustworthy To Abide By Any Agreement'

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In a House floor Special Order last Wednesday, Rep. Tom McClintock (R-CA) warned President Trump not to trust Iran.

Transcript

00:00Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'd ask unanimous consent that all members may

00:04have five legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and

00:07include extraneous material on the topic of this special order.

00:10Without objection.

00:11Mr. Speaker, this week we passed a major milestone when a majority of the

00:17entire House of Representatives signed on as co-sponsors of House Joint

00:21Resolution 166, supporting a democratic, secular, and non-nuclear Republic of Iran.

00:29This truly bipartisan and broad-based House majority of 224, consisting of 139

00:35Republicans and 85 Democrats, endorses the general principles propounded by the

00:41Iranian democracy groups, most notably the 10-point plan proposed by the National

00:47Council of Resistance of Iran. It calls for the universal right to vote, free

00:52elections, a market economy, separation of religion and state, gender

00:58religious and ethnic equality, foreign policy based on peaceful coexistence, peace

01:05in the Middle East, and a non-nuclear Republic of Iran. It also condemns the

01:10Iranian regime's terrorism, regional proxy wars, and internal oppression. Over 4,000

01:18parliamentarians worldwide, the majority of 33 national legislative assemblies, over 130

01:24former world leaders, and 80 Nobel laureates have endorsed these principles, and I'm gratified

01:31that a majority of the entire House has stepped forward to support this resolution.

01:34You know, there are several Iranian groups fighting the Iranian dictatorship, and it will

01:40ultimately be up to the people of Iran to chart their own future, as the 10-point

01:45plan proposes. But now, one cause should unite us all, and that is the collapse of the

01:52current regime. To this end, we've organized the Iranian Human Rights and Democracy Caucus

01:58within the House of Representatives. This is a truly bipartisan caucus. Like the various

02:04liberation groups of Iran, we Republicans and Democrats differ and quarrel about many things,

02:10but we are solidly united in support of the people of Iran and their struggle for their own

02:15liberation from the tyranny of the mullahs. The Iranian regime has made clear that it intends

02:21to acquire nuclear weapons and, once acquired, to use them. President Trump has made clear

02:27that this cannot be allowed to happen. I, for one, appreciate the efforts of this administration

02:33to stop that from happening without bloodshed. But the Iranian regime has proven itself to

02:38be utterly untrustworthy to abide by any agreement it makes. That makes any negotiation with this

02:44regime highly problematic. There is only one solution that promises to resolve this danger

02:51without the risk of a terrible war that could claim many thousands of innocent lives, and that's

02:57the collapse of the regime from within. Opposition to the oppression of the mullahs has been simmering

03:04in Iran for many years. It's time to provide material support to help these groups liberate their country.

03:11Past administrations sent cargo pallets of cash on cargo planes to these bloodthirsty mullahs in hopes

03:19of currying their favor and cooperation. However good the intentions, the result was to help fund the

03:25oppression of the Iranian people and the export of terrorism throughout the world. I believe the time has

03:31now come to provide the same assistance not to the oppressors of Iran, but to the people of Iran and the

03:38resistance groups actively seeking their overthrow. The overthrow of this regime from within would be

03:45the cheapest, surest, and most peaceful way to remove it as a threat to the freedom of the Iranian people,

03:51the stability of the region, and the peace of the world. That's what the Iran Human Rights and Democracy

03:57Caucus was organized to promote, and what House Joint Resolution 166 pledges to accomplish. And now I'm very

04:04pleased to represent the, or to introduce the representative from Florida, Mr. Randy Fine.

04:11Mr. Randy Fine Well, thank you, and thank you for having me here today to talk about this important

04:17subject. I came to speak because the cause of Iran is not just a cause that we should care about for

04:24the Iranian people. Though we should, as Americans, we're a people whose country was founded because a group of

04:30people were unhappy by the tyranny that we face, and there's no question that they face it over there

04:35as well. But that the cause of Iran is one that we should care about because it's in the best interest

04:40of the United States to care about. We live in a world that unfortunately is on fire, whether it's in

04:47China, whether we see it in Russia, but certainly in Iran. And Iran has chosen to not only take their horrific,

04:55genocidal, lunatic policies to kill their own people, to hurt women, to hurt people who won't abide

05:03by their radical Islamic faiths, but they've done it to other people around the world. They are the leading

05:09sponsor of terrorism around the world. Now, we saw this most dramatically just a little over 18 months ago.

05:17On October 7th, 2023, 1,200 people, most of which were Jews, but not all people from dozens of countries,

05:25including Americans, were attacked and killed. And we focus on Hamas, but Hamas only exists

05:34because Iran funds and supports it. And so just as we saw President Trump free the last American citizen

05:43who is being held hostage because of Iran, those problems, those challenges continue to happen

05:50today. I did a little research. Obviously, I have an affinity to Jewish problems around the world

05:57because I am one and I always have been part of a small minority throughout my life. I'm one here

06:03in Congress as well, where it's a great honor to be here. But in 1979, 100,000 Jews lived

06:13in Iran. And the same people that Iran likes to fund that talk about genocide and suffering and

06:20rooting out people and all these problems around the world, you can go say, well, how many of those

06:25folks still live in Iran today? Well, today estimates are 10,000 Jews live in Iran. Now, I'm not saying

06:34that 90,000 of them have been killed, although certainly some of them have had, but 90,000 have left.

06:3990% of this population, of just one population, there's many populations of people who would be

06:47at risk in a place like Iran. 90% have left and fled. Many, by the way, coming to the United States.

06:54And they do that because they are not free to live their lives the way they want to live them.

07:02So today, when we talk about this, we stand with Iran not only because we believe in freedom for

07:07all people around the world, the freedom of self-determination to decide what kind of government

07:11you want, frankly, to allow women to vote, to have equal rights with men, to live in a society

07:17where religion is important, but it is not a tool for oppression. But we care about these issues

07:23because they create for the peace and security in the Middle East, and ultimately that leads to the

07:30peace and security here in the United States. So it's my honor to speak here today to support you

07:35in your resolution and to do everything that we can to get these lunatics out of power and to allow

07:43the great Persian people, where many say civilization began thousands and thousands of years ago,

07:50to re-seize that initiative that they had at the founding of civilization to rebuild the kind

07:55of society they once had and they certainly could have again. And I yield back.

08:03Mr. Speaker, Mr. Fine has only been here now, what, about six weeks? But as you can see,

08:08he is already distinguishing himself as a vital voice for freedom abroad and for liberty at home.

08:15And I couldn't be more pleased to have him here today speaking on behalf of this resolution,

08:20so thank you again. Mr. Speaker, Iran is one of the oldest and greatest civilizations in history.

08:27It was the most free, advanced, prosperous, and open countries in the Middle East just a few decades ago.

08:35Then came the revolution of 1979, when the progress abruptly ended with the takeover by the theocratic

08:42despots who introduced a reign of terror that has gone on now for decades. Twice before, Iranians were

08:50at the verge of overthrowing this regime. In 2009, as Iranians took to the streets during the so-called

08:57green movement, they looked to the United States for support, but got only silence. In 2016, the American

09:05government set $1.7 billion in cash to the moolahs on shrink-wrapped cargo pallets, and in 2015,

09:13released $150 billion more in frozen assets, all to get a nuclear agreement that Iran never honored.

09:21Today, America must stand with the people of Iran. The regime in Tehran has been crystal clear about

09:28its intent to develop nuclear weapons, and once developed, to use them. There are only two ways

09:33this is going to end, either with thousands, perhaps millions, dead in a terrible war, or with a

09:38successful revolution and the long-overdue collapse of this regime. The President is speaking out

09:45forcefully and he is acting decisively. So must Congress. House Resolution 166 has 224 co-sponsors

09:54representing both political parties. It expresses support for the Iranian resistance and its vision

10:00of a free, secular, and non-nuclear Iran. I urge the leadership to bring it to the floor for a vote.

10:07Our Declaration of Independence proclaims that whenever a government becomes destructive of the

10:13natural rights of its people, it becomes their right to alter or abolish it. This critical hour has

10:20come for the people of Iran. I believe it is time for the United States to step forward with material

10:25support for the freedom movement. For every dollar this government has given over the years to this

10:30brutal dictatorship, we owe many times over to the Iranians who are desperately trying to overthrow their

10:37oppressors and restore the blessings of liberty to themselves and their posterity. They need direct

10:43satellite access to the internet that the regime has denied them on the ground. They need us to

10:47restore economic sanctions, as the President is doing against the regime, and a renewed boycott of Iran.

10:56Decisive turning points in history do not come often. When history commands, we must answer,

11:02and that answer will follow us far into the future. This time, in this hour, let the United States take its

11:11stand with the people of Iran and, by so doing, fulfill those proud words in our Liberty Bell,

11:17to proclaim liberty throughout all the land and unto all the inhabitants thereof. And with that, Mr. Speaker,

11:24I yield back. The gentleman yields.

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