00:00Chair recognizes representative Jacobs. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Secretary, I want to turn to the war in Sudan. This is, as you know, the world's largest displacement and humanitarian crisis. Half a million people are facing famine. I saw firsthand the suffering when I visited Sudanese refugees in Chad earlier this year and again yesterday you reiterated that the rapid support forces, a militia, is committing
00:29a genocide in Sudan. Is that correct? We're very concerned about what both sides are doing, frankly, but the RSF in particular. Correct. I agree with that. You also said as part of that that all of our engagement with the UAE, we need to raise the fact that they are openly supporting an entity that is carrying out a genocide. And yet, President Trump continues to arm the UAE. In fact, he just blew through ranking member Meek's congressional hold on over $1 billion in
00:59arms sales, ignoring this committee's longstanding role as an independent check on major arms sales. And we can have a policy debate here about the merits of continuing to arm the UAE or not, despite this genocide. I had that same conversation with Secretary Blinken. But actually, I want to talk about the events that led up to that decision. So on April 30th, the Trump Organization, which Donald Trump still owns, unveiled plans to build an 80-story Trump Tower in Dubai.
01:26Then on May 1st, Trump's crypto company, World Liberty Financial secured a $2 billion deal with an Emirati company with deep ties to the government. And only 11 days later, on May 12th, your department notified our committee that it would ignore ranking member Meek's holds on UAE arms sales.
01:44Secretary Rubio, we have a president who is personally profiting from a deal with a foreign government-backed company at the same time he is selling lethal weapons to that same government. Isn't that a clear conflict of interest?
01:56I think no matter who was president, they would have to deal with the UAE. We have to.
02:00That's not my question. We can have a policy debate about how we should engage with the UAE. I just visited there a few weeks ago.
02:06They're making claims about corruption, and I'm answering that any president in the United States, I don't care who the president is, would have to deal with the UAE.
02:11They're a member of the Abraham Accords, number one. They've been incredibly cooperative on a bunch of other issues. We don't agree with them on 100%.
02:17We have concerns about some of the things they do. But this is called the balancing of foreign policy.
02:21Secretary Rubio, I don't disagree with you.
02:23We have no interest to have a good relationship with the UAE, despite the fact that there are things we do we don't like.
02:28Secretary Rubio, I don't disagree with you. I just visited the UAE a couple weeks ago and had these very same conversations there.
02:33But I don't think this is a complicated question.
02:36President Trump is personally profiting from a deal with a foreign government while selling weapons to that same government who is enabling a genocide.
02:44Policy aside, are you really saying you don't think this is a conflict of interest?
02:48No, you're making claims. The president's family owns a business and they can conduct business anywhere in the world they want.
02:53The president's never once raised business deals in UAE when talking about it.
02:56Any president would have to have a relationship with the UAE.
02:59Secretary Rubio, that's just silly. The previous administration had one too.
03:01President Trump has retained his ownership of these companies.
03:04And I have an image right here from World Liberty Financial's website.
03:09So the idea that President Trump is not the face of the brand of this company on top from benefiting from them.
03:15And it literally says on the website that Mr. Trump and his family members own a 60% stake in this company.
03:21That's silly. So we can talk about the policy merits. That's not what I'm asking you.
03:25I'm asking you a very simple question.
03:27Do you believe it's a conflict of interest to have a president personally profiting from a deal with a foreign government while selling weapons to that same government who's enabling a genocide?
03:37I don't accept the premise of your question. I think this has nothing to do with personally benefiting from anything.
03:42This has to do with the fact that in order to conduct foreign policy in the Middle East, you're going to have to deal with the UAE.
03:47Mr. Secretary, this is a clear conflict of interest and anyone with any common sense can see that.
03:52The president is personally benefiting from billions of dollars of deals and he doesn't care at all about the people of Sudan who are experiencing famine and genocide.
04:00It's shocking to me that you can't admit that. It's clear that you seem more concerned about staying in Trump's good graces than sticking up for human rights and American values that you once weren't a champion for.
04:12With that, I'm going to yield the remainder of my time to Representative Olszewski.
04:16Representative Olszewski.
04:17Well, you make these claims about staying in good graces, you accuse people of being corrupt.
04:20Reclaiming my time, Mr. Chairman. Thank you.
04:21Mr. Secretary, I appreciate a softball for you, yes or no, since I don't have a lot of time and I appreciate it. The chairman gives me a few seconds back.
04:27Softball for you. Would you, yes or no, as Secretary, find it outrageous for you to solicit or accept a $200,000 Rolls Royce from a foreign government for personal or State Department use?
04:37That offer's never been made to me.
04:38Yes, so you would reject that offer?
04:40The offer of a Rolls Royce?
04:42Yes.
04:43I don't understand the purpose of that question. That's a silly question.
04:45The fact that you can't answer the question, Mr. Secretary.
04:47I just answered it. I said it's silly.
04:48It's silly because you wouldn't accept it or not?
04:50Of course not. Who would accept it?
04:52Well, then I think you should maybe, perhaps, Mr. Secretary, reclaim my time.
04:56I think you are an honorable man by most accounts, but the man that you work for doesn't.
05:00And the fact that he is soliciting and accepting a $400 million plane is problematic.
05:06And you should know about it. It came up in a Senate hearing.
05:09You should read about it, add it to your reading, because it is problematic for foreign policy.
05:12It adds to the corruption that my college has said, and I hope you speak out against it.
