English subtitles for clip: File:10-21-16- White House Press Briefing.webm

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Mr. Earnest: Good
morning, everybody.

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TGIF.

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I do not have any
announcements at the top, so

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we can go straight
to your questions.

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Kathleen, do you
want to start?

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The Press: Thanks.

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I wanted to ask you about
these requests that come

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into the Secretaries of
State in Texas, Oklahoma and

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Louisiana -- Russians
officials are wanting to

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observe elections
and were rejected.

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I wonder if you have any
thought for why that was and

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if you see this as another
attempt from Russia to

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meddle in the election.

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Mr. Earnest: Well, I think
it's unclear exactly what

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their intent is with regard
to this specific request.

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The IC has reached -- the
intelligence community in

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the United States has
reached a conclusion about

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what their intent is with
regard to some of their

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nefarious activity in
cyberspace, which is to

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influence the U.S.

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political process.

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There is a system in place
where the State Department

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receives requests like the
one the Russians have put

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forward, and then they refer
those requests to state

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officials, and state
officials who are

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responsible for
administering elections in

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their states can then
determine the propriety of

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allowing the observers
to participate.

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So we'll leave it to those
state officials to render

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that judgment.

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There is a process that is
organized by the OSCE -- the

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Office of Security
Cooperation in Europe --

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that does observe U.S.

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elections, and we have
been able, in the past, to

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coordinate
effectively with them.

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Russia has had an
opportunity to send

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essentially individuals to
be members of those OSCE

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delegations to observe U.S. elections.

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Russia has declined to
participate in that way.

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You'd have to ask them why
they didn't take advantage

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of that opportunity if
they were so interested in

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understanding more about the
conduct of a free and fair

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election, something -- a
concept that may not be as

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familiar to those
Russian officials.

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The Press: The State
Department called this

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a PR stunt.

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Do you think
that's what it is?

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Mr. Earnest: I wouldn't
quibble with that.

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But again, I think it is
unclear exactly what the

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Russians were intending
to do in this case.

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I think it's appropriate
that people might be

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suspicious of their motives,
or at least their motives

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might be different than what
they have publicly stated,

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given the nefarious
activities that they've

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engaged in in cyberspace.

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The Press: And then I wanted
to switch to the

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Supreme Court.

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I'm sure you saw that
Senator Flake came out

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yesterday and said that it
was time to start moving on

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a Merrick Garland
nomination.

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Mr. Earnest: Yes.

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The Press: I'm wondering if
you -- I assume you're happy

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to hear that.

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Have there been any new
conversations, or do you see

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that as a window to restart
that process in any way?

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Mr. Earnest: Well, this is
largely the case that we've

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been making for more than
200 days now, which is that

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Republicans in the Senate
do have an obligation to do

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their job and to fulfill
their responsibility to

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treat Chief Judge Garland
fairly, meet with him and

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give him a hearing and a
timely yes or no vote.

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And we obviously welcome the
comments of Senator Flake

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that he believes that's
what should happen.

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He is somebody who has a
special influence here

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because he serves on the
Senator Judiciary Committee.

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This is the committee that
would be responsible for

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organizing these kinds of
hearings, as they have

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for generations.

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And I did take note
yesterday that the chairman

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of this committee, Senator
Grassley from Iowa, had a

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discussion with some members
of the Des Moines Register

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Editorial Board about this
process, and in the context

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of that discussion, Chairman
Grassley indicated that

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taxpayers couldn't afford
for him to hold those hearings.

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It would require hiring
additional staff in order to

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do so.

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The American people have
actually hired, already,

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senators to fulfill their
basic responsibility.

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And that basic
responsibility is to give a

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fair hearing to the
President's nominee to the

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Supreme Court.

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So Senator Grassley is
wrong when he says that the

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American people can't afford
to hold those hearings.

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The truth is, the American
people and the people of

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Iowa can't afford to be
paying the salary of a

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Senator who's not
doing his job.

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And Chairman Grassley has
not been doing his job.

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And that is, unfortunately,
a rather significant

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departure from the rest
of his Senate career.

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I know that he's somebody
who prides himself on acting

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in a nonpartisan fashion and
putting the best interests

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of the people of Iowa and
the people of this country

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above his party.

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But in this regard, he has
failed to do that in this

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situation and I think as is
evident from his rather lame

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explanation for why he
hasn't been doing his job.

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That's different than
Senator McConnell bragging

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about not doing his job, but
is concerning nonetheless.

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And I think in some ways the
comments of Senator Flake

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underscore just how
indefensible the position is

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that's been adopted
by Chairman Grassley.

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The Press: And
just one more.

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I'm sure you noticed then
that Secretary Clinton

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didn't mention Garland by
name when she was asked

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about the Court in the
debate the other night.

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And I'm wondering if you
take that as a sign that she

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doesn't intend to
re-nominate him.

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Mr. Earnest: Well, I think
what she stated pretty

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candidly is her view that
the United States Senate has

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a responsibility to consider
the nominees that a

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President puts forward.

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And she indicated her strong
support for that principle.

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She also has indicated her
strong support for the

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President's decision to nominate Chief Judge Garland.

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She did that on the very day
that Chief Judge Garland's

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name was put forward.

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So I don't know who
President Clinton would

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nominate to fill a vacancy
on the Supreme Court if she

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is elected President.

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At this point, I don't know
if there will be a vacancy

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on the Supreme Court the
day that she takes office.

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We continue to make the case
that the Congress should act.

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Either way, if she's
President of the United

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States and there's a vacancy
on the Supreme Court, she

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will decide who she believes
is the person that should

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fill that vacancy, and
the Senate would have a

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responsibility to give that
person a hearing and a

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timely yes or no vote.

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Jeff.

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The Press: Josh, can you
confirm a report by some of

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my colleagues
today that a U.S.

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Navy warship has carried
out a freedom of navigation

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operation in the
South China Sea?

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And if so, can you
explain what the U.S.

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hopes to achieve with
that type of operation?

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Mr. Earnest: Jeff, I can
confirm that last night, the

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USS Decatur conducted a
freedom of navigation

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operation in the South China
Sea, specifically in the

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vicinity of the
Paracel Islands.

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The purpose of this mission
was to uphold the rights and

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freedoms of all states
under international law as

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reflected in the Law
of the Sea Convention.

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This operation demonstrated
that coastal states may not

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unlawfully restrict the
navigation rights, freedoms

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and lawful uses of the sea
that the United States and

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all states are entitled to
exercise under

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international law.

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As we've discussed at some
length in here, the United

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States is not a claimant to
land features in the

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South China Sea.

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The view of the United
States is that disputes

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about claims to those
features should not be

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resolved through coercion
or military force or

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intimidation, but rather
through negotiation.

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And that's a principle that
we believe strongly in.

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And our interests in the
region, again, are not

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rooted in particular claims
or supporting particular

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claims that are made by
countries with overlapping

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disputes, but rather our
view that international

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order is best maintained if
these kinds of disputes are

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resolve through negotiation.

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And our interest is that
this is a region of the

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world through which a lot
of commerce passes and the

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disruption of some of these
commercial shipping lanes

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could have a negative impact
on the global economy, and

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even a negative
impact on the U.S. economy.

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So that's what our interest
is, and that is an interest

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that we will look for
opportunities to convey.

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And that essentially is the
message that was sent by the

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operation that was carried
out by the USS Decatur

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last night.

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The Press: Are you concerned
at all that China will view

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this as a provocative act?

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Mr. Earnest: They shouldn't.

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I guess you'd have to
ask them for a response.

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They shouldn't, because this
is a principle that reflects

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what we believe is the
broad interest of the

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international community.

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We believe that it's in
China's interest to ensure

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that international norms
are not violated or

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international order is not
disrupted in this region of

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the world.

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China has a significant
economic interest in this

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region of the world in the
same way that the United

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States does as well.

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And the kind of -- or the
principle of freedom of

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navigation in international
waters is one that we assert

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not just on behalf of the
United States and the United

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States military, but one
that we assert on behalf of

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states all around the
world, including China.

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So you'll have to ask the
Chinese for a response to

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this particular action, but
we would not intend for this

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to be viewed as some sort
of a controversial or

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confrontational action on
the part of the United

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States, but rather an
illustration of our firm

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commitment to an important
principle that serves the

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interests of countries
around the world.

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Michelle.

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The Press: We've heard some
interesting statements from

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the President of the
Philippines, Rodrigo

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Duterte, the
last couple days.

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I mean, his office today is
seeming like they want to

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walk some of it back and
saying that he wasn't fully

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saying that he wants to
completely -- I think you

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know what I'm saying.

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Mr. Earnest: I do.

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The Press: Okay.

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Mr. Earnest: I've dubbed
that person the

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Filipino Mike Pence.

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(laughter)

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The Press: But what do you
make of the impact

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of his words?

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I mean, there's a point --
often we say, okay, let's

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look at actions,
this is rhetoric.

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But is there a point now
with Duterte that it's gone

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beyond rhetoric and that
some of what he's saying is

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actually either damaging

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or dangerous to the relationship?

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Mr. Earnest: Well, Michelle,
we certainly have seen a lot

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of this kind of troubling
rhetoric recently.

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The rhetoric is inexplicably
at odds with the warm

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relationship that exists
between the Filipino and

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American people, and the
important cooperation that's

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existed between the U.S.

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and the Philippines at a
government and military

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level for decades.

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We haven't heard any
specifics from the Filipino

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government about what
precisely President Duterte

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means when he refers to
a separation, but those

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comments are creating
unnecessary uncertainty in

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our relationship.

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Danny Russel, who is a
senior State Department

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official, is actually
traveling to the Philippines

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on a previously scheduled
trip to have a discussion

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about the scope of the
relationship between the

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00:12:50,569 --> 00:12:52,570
United States and the
Philippines, and I'm

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confident that these recent
comments from President

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Duterte will be on the
agenda as we seek some

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clarity from the
Filipino government.

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For the United States, I
can tell you that we will

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continue to do what we've
been doing for a long time,

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which is we're going
to honor our alliance

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commitments and our
treaty obligations.

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And our expectation is that
the Philippines will do the

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same thing.

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00:13:22,401 --> 00:13:24,402
The United States and the
Philippines have been allies

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for 70 years, and we value
the relationship that we

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have with the Philippines.

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And the truth is, the
Filipino people and the

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00:13:32,378 --> 00:13:34,947
Filipino government have
benefitted tremendously from

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00:13:34,947 --> 00:13:36,949
the warm relationship that
they have with the

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United States.

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And you can evaluate that
in terms of our

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security cooperation.

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You can evaluate that in
terms of the deep economic

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ties between our
two countries.

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You can even evaluate that
based on the deep cultural

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00:13:46,425 --> 00:13:48,694
ties between our two
countries, including a

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00:13:48,694 --> 00:13:52,330
vibrant and active Filipino
American population that's

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00:13:52,331 --> 00:13:58,837
concerned about the
relationship -- or the

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00:13:58,837 --> 00:14:01,973
uncertainty that's been
added to the relationship

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00:14:01,974 --> 00:14:03,976
between the United States
and the Philippines.

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The Press: This is somebody,
obviously, who is now known

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00:14:05,978 --> 00:14:07,346
around the world
for his rhetoric.

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00:14:07,346 --> 00:14:09,348
That's probably
why he was elected.

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So at this point, do you
take those words seriously?

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00:14:12,484 --> 00:14:15,754
I mean, does it reach a
certain point where you do?

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00:14:15,754 --> 00:14:19,291
Or do you generally just see
this as more rhetoric that

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00:14:19,291 --> 00:14:24,296
is designed to make a
statement or get some rise

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00:14:24,296 --> 00:14:26,632
out of the United States.

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00:14:26,632 --> 00:14:28,566
Mr. Earnest: Listen, when
you're the leader of a

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00:14:28,567 --> 00:14:34,540
nation that has a
seven-decade-long alliance

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00:14:34,540 --> 00:14:38,577
with the United States,
it comes with a set of

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00:14:38,577 --> 00:14:44,483
important responsibilities,
including understanding the

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00:14:44,483 --> 00:14:47,018
consequences for your
public statements.

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00:14:47,019 --> 00:14:50,356
And we've seen too many
troubling public statements

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00:14:50,356 --> 00:14:53,158
from President Duterte over
the last several months.

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00:14:53,158 --> 00:14:58,430
And the frequency of that
rhetoric has added an

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00:14:58,430 --> 00:15:00,531
element of unnecessary
certainty into our

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00:15:00,532 --> 00:15:03,369
relationship that doesn't
advance the interests of

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00:15:03,369 --> 00:15:04,436
either country.

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00:15:04,436 --> 00:15:07,940
And, frankly, it is at odds
with the warm relationship

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00:15:07,940 --> 00:15:13,112
between the citizens of
our two countries, and it

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00:15:13,112 --> 00:15:16,281
certainly is at odds with
the benefits that the

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00:15:16,282 --> 00:15:18,984
Philippines has enjoyed as
a result of the alliance

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00:15:18,984 --> 00:15:19,985
between our two countries.

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00:15:19,985 --> 00:15:21,987
The Press: Are you seeing
within some of his

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00:15:21,987 --> 00:15:24,356
statements a real intent
to back away from the

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00:15:24,356 --> 00:15:27,192
agreements and the
relationship with the

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00:15:27,192 --> 00:15:28,827
United States?

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00:15:28,827 --> 00:15:30,829
Mr. Earnest: Well, again, I
think the bottom line here,

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00:15:30,829 --> 00:15:32,830
Michelle, is that there is
some uncertainty about what,

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00:15:32,831 --> 00:15:34,833
exactly, his intent is.

304
00:15:36,568 --> 00:15:38,871
Again, you all have
extensively covered the kind

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00:15:38,871 --> 00:15:40,539
of rhetoric that
he has used.

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00:15:40,539 --> 00:15:45,444
Some of it personal, some
of it offensive, some of it

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00:15:45,444 --> 00:15:50,449
confusing, all of it walked
back by senior officials in

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00:15:55,587 --> 00:15:57,589
his government.

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00:15:59,458 --> 00:16:04,129
So that's the source of
the uncertainty that will

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00:16:04,129 --> 00:16:06,465
certainly be part of the
discussions that the

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00:16:06,465 --> 00:16:09,935
Assistant Secretary of
State, Mr. Russel, will

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00:16:09,935 --> 00:16:13,104
convene in the Philippines
when he arrives there.

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00:16:13,105 --> 00:16:14,106
The Press: Okay.

314
00:16:14,106 --> 00:16:16,875
And we just heard from the
Italian Prime Minister,

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00:16:16,875 --> 00:16:20,446
talking about the potential
of further sanctions on

316
00:16:20,446 --> 00:16:24,283
Russia over Syria, saying
that he doesn't think that

317
00:16:24,283 --> 00:16:27,319
that works, that that
doesn't change the behavior,

318
00:16:27,319 --> 00:16:29,354
that there's no point to it.

319
00:16:29,355 --> 00:16:33,125
What do you think of
his thoughts on that?

320
00:16:33,125 --> 00:16:37,796
Mr. Earnest: Well, the
United States approach has

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00:16:37,796 --> 00:16:41,433
been to leave the option
of sanctions on the table.

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00:16:43,736 --> 00:16:50,008
And what we -- in discussing
publicly these options,

323
00:16:50,008 --> 00:16:53,212
we've made clear that our
concerns about Russia's

324
00:16:53,212 --> 00:16:56,148
behavior in Syria
are significant.

325
00:16:56,148 --> 00:16:59,318
And we've also made clear
that the use of this

326
00:16:59,318 --> 00:17:02,654
particular option --
financial sanctions -- is

327
00:17:02,654 --> 00:17:06,992
most effective when
implemented in careful

328
00:17:06,992 --> 00:17:10,495
coordination with our allies
and partners around the world.

329
00:17:12,964 --> 00:17:16,935
We've also been reluctant
to speak in much detail in

330
00:17:16,935 --> 00:17:21,005
advance about what a
potential sanctions

331
00:17:21,006 --> 00:17:24,643
architecture could look
like, because, frankly, we

332
00:17:24,643 --> 00:17:27,780
don't want to tip off
individuals or entities that

333
00:17:27,780 --> 00:17:29,782
could be the target of those
sanctions so that they could

334
00:17:29,782 --> 00:17:31,516
begin to take steps to evade
them before they've even

335
00:17:31,517 --> 00:17:33,852
been put in place.

336
00:17:33,852 --> 00:17:38,390
So I can't get into a
lot of detail in terms of

337
00:17:38,390 --> 00:17:40,959
characterizing our thinking
about this, but the United

338
00:17:40,959 --> 00:17:46,565
States is deeply engaged
with our allies in Europe,

339
00:17:46,565 --> 00:17:49,802
but also with countries in
the region, to look for ways

340
00:17:49,802 --> 00:17:52,437
to reduce the violence
inside of Syria, including

341
00:17:52,438 --> 00:17:57,509
by holding Russia
accountable for their

342
00:17:57,509 --> 00:18:01,513
actions in Syria, which
have been entirely

343
00:18:01,513 --> 00:18:03,982
counterproductive to
reaching a solution that

344
00:18:03,982 --> 00:18:07,219
advances the national
security interests of

345
00:18:07,219 --> 00:18:08,220
countries around the world.

346
00:18:08,220 --> 00:18:11,790
So Secretary Kerry and other
State Department officials

347
00:18:11,790 --> 00:18:13,892
remain deeply engaged in
a variety of multilateral

348
00:18:13,892 --> 00:18:17,429
efforts to try to arrive at
that kind of conclusion, and

349
00:18:17,429 --> 00:18:20,098
we're going to discuss with
those partners a wide range

350
00:18:20,098 --> 00:18:24,803
of options, including the
potential of using some of

351
00:18:24,803 --> 00:18:28,307
the financial sanctions
tools that, in the context

352
00:18:28,307 --> 00:18:31,376
of Ukraine, have imposed
some economic costs on

353
00:18:31,376 --> 00:18:33,312
Russia that have
hurt their economy.

354
00:18:33,312 --> 00:18:34,580
The Press: It doesn't change
his behavior, though.

355
00:18:34,580 --> 00:18:37,216
It sounds like you agree that the behavior hasn't changed.

356
00:18:37,216 --> 00:18:38,550
I mean, that's obvious
for all to see.

357
00:18:38,550 --> 00:18:41,053
But by leaving it on the
table, it seems like you're

358
00:18:41,053 --> 00:18:43,388
saying that there is a
potential for it to do

359
00:18:43,388 --> 00:18:44,389
something, though.

360
00:18:44,389 --> 00:18:46,891
Mr. Earnest: Well, I think
there is the potential that

361
00:18:46,892 --> 00:18:50,295
adding additional sanctions
and imposing additional

362
00:18:50,295 --> 00:18:54,433
costs on Russia -- we know
at least one impact it will

363
00:18:54,433 --> 00:18:56,835
have, and it's a negative
impact on the Russian economy.

364
00:18:58,837 --> 00:19:00,839
And it is among the tools
that are available to the

365
00:19:00,839 --> 00:19:02,841
President and the rest of
the international community

366
00:19:02,841 --> 00:19:06,410
for trying to reduce the
violence in Syria that's

367
00:19:06,411 --> 00:19:07,846
gone on for far too long.

368
00:19:07,846 --> 00:19:11,950
And as we discussed in here
at some length, there is a

369
00:19:11,950 --> 00:19:15,354
fundamental contradiction in
the strategy that President

370
00:19:15,354 --> 00:19:17,055
Putin has pursued.

371
00:19:17,055 --> 00:19:20,792
He has intervened militarily
in a conflict to shore up

372
00:19:20,792 --> 00:19:24,096
the Assad regime even though
he says that the Assad

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00:19:24,096 --> 00:19:26,965
regime needs to negotiate a
political transition

374
00:19:26,965 --> 00:19:27,933
in that country.

375
00:19:27,933 --> 00:19:34,673
So if we can mobilize the
international community to

376
00:19:34,673 --> 00:19:39,912
apply additional pressure
to Russia to resolve that

377
00:19:39,912 --> 00:19:42,514
fundamental contradiction in
their strategy and in their

378
00:19:42,514 --> 00:19:46,784
tactics, then that could
potentially lead to the kind

379
00:19:46,785 --> 00:19:51,924
of reduction in violence
that's, frankly, long overdue.

380
00:19:51,924 --> 00:19:52,925
Justin.

381
00:19:52,925 --> 00:19:56,161
The Press: There were
attacks overnight in Kirkuk

382
00:19:56,161 --> 00:19:57,963
and at a power
plant in Iraq.

383
00:19:57,963 --> 00:20:00,132
That seemed to be an
indication that even if the

384
00:20:00,132 --> 00:20:03,802
coalition is advancing
towards Mosul, ISIS's focus

385
00:20:03,802 --> 00:20:07,773
may be shifting from holding
territory to insurgency or

386
00:20:07,773 --> 00:20:10,141
terror attacks.

387
00:20:10,142 --> 00:20:12,978
So I know we've heard a lot
about the preparations for

388
00:20:12,978 --> 00:20:14,947
Mosul, but I'm
wondering if the U.S.

389
00:20:14,947 --> 00:20:17,582
has done anything in
coordination with Iraq --

390
00:20:17,583 --> 00:20:20,752
the Iraqi government -- to
help them sort of fortify

391
00:20:20,752 --> 00:20:22,854
themselves for the
possibility of terror

392
00:20:22,854 --> 00:20:27,059
attacks, and also if that
concern could spread to the

393
00:20:27,059 --> 00:20:29,494
U.S. and Europe about
ISIS-directed or

394
00:20:29,494 --> 00:20:33,197
ISIS-inspired attacks and
whether that would spur the

395
00:20:33,198 --> 00:20:35,834
U.S. government to kind of --
Homeland Security to worry

396
00:20:35,834 --> 00:20:37,069
about the doing some --

397
00:20:37,069 --> 00:20:38,103
Mr. Earnest: Well, why don't

398
00:20:38,103 --> 00:20:39,972
I take the first part of
your question first in terms

399
00:20:39,972 --> 00:20:43,008
of the situation in Iraq.

400
00:20:43,008 --> 00:20:45,010
You'll recall, Justin, that
there were a series of

401
00:20:45,010 --> 00:20:47,846
bombings in Baghdad earlier
this year, and in response

402
00:20:47,846 --> 00:20:51,984
to that situation, the
United States did ramp up

403
00:20:51,984 --> 00:20:54,052
the kind of assistance that
we can provide to the Iraqi

404
00:20:54,052 --> 00:20:56,053
central government to help
them better protect their

405
00:20:56,054 --> 00:21:00,859
homeland and to better help
prevent the infiltration of

406
00:21:00,859 --> 00:21:04,495
ISIL personnel into major
urban areas where they could

407
00:21:04,496 --> 00:21:06,565
do significant damage.

408
00:21:06,565 --> 00:21:08,834
So that kind of cooperation
already exists between the

409
00:21:08,834 --> 00:21:12,270
United States and Prime
Minister Abadi's government.

410
00:21:12,270 --> 00:21:16,074
And we stand ready to offer
assistance or equipment or

411
00:21:16,074 --> 00:21:19,611
expertise or advice to the
Iraqi government as they

412
00:21:19,611 --> 00:21:24,216
respond to this latest
breach of their homeland

413
00:21:24,216 --> 00:21:25,950
security, if you will.

414
00:21:25,951 --> 00:21:31,456
With regard to ISIL's
ability to focus its efforts

415
00:21:31,456 --> 00:21:35,827
outward and to expand and
inspire people around the

416
00:21:35,827 --> 00:21:38,764
world to carry out acts of
violence, this is a threat

417
00:21:38,764 --> 00:21:41,233
that we have long been
focused on mitigating.

418
00:21:41,233 --> 00:21:44,569
Many of the military
operations that the

419
00:21:44,569 --> 00:21:46,571
President of the United
States has ordered have been

420
00:21:46,571 --> 00:21:51,176
focused in taking ISIL's
chief external plotters off

421
00:21:51,176 --> 00:21:52,744
the battlefield.

422
00:21:52,744 --> 00:21:54,846
And we do know that the
success of a couple of those

423
00:21:54,846 --> 00:22:00,185
military operations has had
an impact on the ability of

424
00:22:00,185 --> 00:22:04,956
ISIL to organize and plot
overseas attacks, but we

425
00:22:04,956 --> 00:22:09,895
remain vigilant about it.

426
00:22:09,895 --> 00:22:12,664
Our principal concern from
the very beginning was that

427
00:22:12,664 --> 00:22:15,500
ISIL could try to establish
some kind of safe haven in

428
00:22:15,500 --> 00:22:18,270
this region of the world and
use it to plot and organize

429
00:22:18,270 --> 00:22:20,605
attacks against the United
States and our allies.

430
00:22:20,605 --> 00:22:25,010
So that is the most direct
threat that we are very

431
00:22:25,010 --> 00:22:27,546
focused on, and
we continue to be.

432
00:22:27,546 --> 00:22:29,715
We've made progress in
minimizing that threat.

433
00:22:29,715 --> 00:22:31,716
We know that taking these
external plotters off the

434
00:22:31,717 --> 00:22:34,686
battlefield makes it harder
for them to plot and plan.

435
00:22:34,686 --> 00:22:36,754
We know that just applying
pressure to ISIL's

436
00:22:36,755 --> 00:22:41,426
leadership in general makes
it harder for them to plot

437
00:22:41,426 --> 00:22:43,962
and plan against
the United States.

438
00:22:43,962 --> 00:22:45,330
If they're very focused on
their own safety it makes it

439
00:22:45,330 --> 00:22:47,432
harder for them to threaten
the safety of other p around

440
00:22:47,432 --> 00:22:49,634
the world.

441
00:22:49,634 --> 00:22:53,505
Another key aspect of ISIL's
propaganda efforts has been

442
00:22:53,505 --> 00:22:57,542
to try to send a message to
people around the world that

443
00:22:57,542 --> 00:22:59,543
they're establishing a
caliphate there and that

444
00:22:59,544 --> 00:23:02,814
using the establishment of
that caliphate added a lot

445
00:23:02,814 --> 00:23:06,051
of credibility to their
argument and could aid their

446
00:23:06,051 --> 00:23:08,986
ability to inspire people to
carry out acts of violence.

447
00:23:08,987 --> 00:23:11,556
So that's why we've been
steadily focused on trying

448
00:23:11,556 --> 00:23:14,259
to undermine that message.

449
00:23:14,259 --> 00:23:16,828
And we rolled back more than
50 percent of the territory

450
00:23:16,828 --> 00:23:19,764
that ISIL previously
controlled in Iraq.

451
00:23:19,765 --> 00:23:24,770
We now have the Iraq capital
of ISIL in the crosshairs.

452
00:23:28,473 --> 00:23:33,645
So that certainly had
undermined their ability to

453
00:23:33,645 --> 00:23:39,651
deliver a potent propaganda
message about the power and

454
00:23:39,651 --> 00:23:40,819
influence of ISIL.

455
00:23:40,819 --> 00:23:42,821
That is going to have a
negative impact on their

456
00:23:42,821 --> 00:23:44,822
ability to inspire people
around the world to carry

457
00:23:44,823 --> 00:23:46,825
out acts of violence
in their name.

458
00:23:46,825 --> 00:23:48,827
But I guess the shortest
answer to your question,

459
00:23:48,827 --> 00:23:51,630
Justin, is simply that the
United States continues to

460
00:23:51,630 --> 00:23:56,468
be very focused on
protecting the American

461
00:23:56,468 --> 00:23:59,905
people and our allies from
the threat that emanates in

462
00:23:59,905 --> 00:24:02,774
Iraq and Syria from ISIL.

463
00:24:02,774 --> 00:24:04,208
The Press: Ash Carter is
visiting Turkey today.

464
00:24:04,209 --> 00:24:07,312
I'm wondering if he's going
to be explicitly asking

465
00:24:07,312 --> 00:24:10,415
Erdogan to pull his troops
back from the camp outside

466
00:24:10,415 --> 00:24:13,284
of Mosul and not participate
in this defensive.

467
00:24:13,285 --> 00:24:21,259
If so, what you kind of rate
the likelihood of being able

468
00:24:21,259 --> 00:24:23,361
to broker a solution there
or an agreement between the

469
00:24:23,361 --> 00:24:25,330
Iraqis and the Turks.

470
00:24:25,330 --> 00:24:27,799
Mr. Earnest: Justin, I'll
let my colleagues at the

471
00:24:27,799 --> 00:24:29,968
Department of Defense read
out the specifics of the

472
00:24:29,968 --> 00:24:32,070
meetings that Secretary
Carter has with

473
00:24:32,070 --> 00:24:33,672
President Erdogan.

474
00:24:33,672 --> 00:24:36,608
The message that we have
delivered publicly is the

475
00:24:36,608 --> 00:24:42,681
same one we delivered
privately, which is that our

476
00:24:42,681 --> 00:24:48,453
Counter-ISIL Coalition is
operating in Iraq at the

477
00:24:48,453 --> 00:24:52,324
request of the Iraqi central
government to support Iraqi

478
00:24:52,324 --> 00:24:55,293
security forces who are
fighting for their own country.

479
00:24:55,293 --> 00:24:57,795
And that is a principle that
we have insisted on from the

480
00:24:57,796 --> 00:25:04,636
very beginning of our
counter-ISIL efforts.

481
00:25:04,636 --> 00:25:09,608
And Turkey has had a
military presence in Iraq

482
00:25:11,710 --> 00:25:13,945
because of a concern that
they have about some

483
00:25:16,481 --> 00:25:20,252
extremist Kurdish
elements in Iraq.

484
00:25:20,252 --> 00:25:24,923
But we have made clear that
any effort, or any operation

485
00:25:24,923 --> 00:25:27,759
that's undertaken in
support of the counter-ISIL

486
00:25:27,759 --> 00:25:31,630
operation is one that must
be coordinated with and in

487
00:25:31,630 --> 00:25:36,501
support of orders given
by the Iraqi central government.

488
00:25:36,501 --> 00:25:42,007
And thus far, with regard
to that Turkish presence

489
00:25:42,007 --> 00:25:48,313
outside of Mosul, we have
not seen movements that have

490
00:25:48,313 --> 00:25:52,751
raised concerns about
the Turks violating

491
00:25:52,751 --> 00:25:54,085
that principle.

492
00:25:54,085 --> 00:25:56,054
But obviously, this is
a situation that we'll

493
00:25:56,054 --> 00:25:57,088
continue to monitor.

494
00:25:57,088 --> 00:25:59,090
And Secretary Carter and
others will continue to stay

495
00:25:59,090 --> 00:26:03,495
in close touch with their
Turkish counterparts to

496
00:26:03,495 --> 00:26:06,363
remind them of, frankly, how
strongly we feel about

497
00:26:06,364 --> 00:26:07,365
that principle.

498
00:26:07,365 --> 00:26:09,334
The Press: There was a
report from the United

499
00:26:09,334 --> 00:26:12,304
Nations that as many as 550
families outside of Mosul

500
00:26:12,304 --> 00:26:15,173
might have been gathered up
by ISIL, brought into the

501
00:26:15,173 --> 00:26:17,809
city to be used
as human shields.

502
00:26:17,809 --> 00:26:22,580
I'm wondering if you guys
have seen that, if you agree

503
00:26:22,580 --> 00:26:25,750
with that assessment, and if
you're doing anything sort

504
00:26:25,750 --> 00:26:28,920
of in response to
redirect the offensive.

505
00:26:28,920 --> 00:26:31,623
Mr. Earnest: Well, I can't
independently confirm

506
00:26:31,623 --> 00:26:33,591
that report.

507
00:26:33,591 --> 00:26:34,525
Obviously, the U.N.

508
00:26:34,526 --> 00:26:38,063
has extensive resources on
the ground, so I'd refer you

509
00:26:38,063 --> 00:26:42,100
to them in terms of trying
to get to the facts of that

510
00:26:42,100 --> 00:26:44,101
specific matter.

511
00:26:46,137 --> 00:26:48,139
The truth is, Justin, there
are more than a million

512
00:26:48,139 --> 00:26:50,976
people in the population of
Mosul, and all of them are

513
00:26:50,976 --> 00:26:53,445
at risk of being used
as human shields.

514
00:26:53,445 --> 00:26:57,014
And there has been deep
concern expressed by some

515
00:26:57,015 --> 00:26:59,150
observers about the
potential humanitarian

516
00:26:59,150 --> 00:27:01,753
contingencies that could
arise from an operation

517
00:27:01,753 --> 00:27:03,788
against Mosul.

518
00:27:03,788 --> 00:27:06,891
The truth is there's already
a serious humanitarian

519
00:27:06,891 --> 00:27:09,561
situation that exists
inside of Mosul right now.

520
00:27:09,561 --> 00:27:15,500
We know that ISIL in Mosul
has carried out heinous acts

521
00:27:15,500 --> 00:27:19,604
of violence in order to
subdue the local population.

522
00:27:19,604 --> 00:27:24,576
They have flagrantly
violated the rights of the

523
00:27:24,576 --> 00:27:31,483
citizens of that city, and
we know it is likely that

524
00:27:31,483 --> 00:27:34,152
they will try to use some of
those innocent civilians as

525
00:27:34,152 --> 00:27:36,888
human shields, even in the
context of this operation.

526
00:27:36,888 --> 00:27:38,956
So we continue to be
deeply concerned about the

527
00:27:38,957 --> 00:27:39,958
situation there.

528
00:27:39,958 --> 00:27:43,728
And while I can't confirm
that report that you've

529
00:27:43,728 --> 00:27:47,732
cited, if true, it would
only add to the longstanding

530
00:27:47,732 --> 00:27:49,968
concerns that we already
have about the current

531
00:27:49,968 --> 00:27:55,273
situation inside of Mosul,
even in advance of Iraqi and

532
00:27:55,273 --> 00:27:58,576
Kurdish forces
entering the city.

533
00:27:58,576 --> 00:28:00,645
The Press: Last one,
on a different topic.

534
00:28:00,645 --> 00:28:03,415
There's a massive denial of
service attack this morning

535
00:28:03,415 --> 00:28:07,218
that caused problems
for dozens of U.S.

536
00:28:07,218 --> 00:28:09,521
businesses -- Twitter,
Reddit, Spotify.

537
00:28:09,521 --> 00:28:11,188
Is the U.S. aware of this?

538
00:28:11,189 --> 00:28:13,591
And is there any concern
that this could be part of

539
00:28:13,591 --> 00:28:15,994
what seems to be an
escalating cyber war

540
00:28:15,994 --> 00:28:17,995
with Russia?

541
00:28:17,996 --> 00:28:20,031
Mr. Earnest: I have seen
the reports of this.

542
00:28:20,031 --> 00:28:22,367
I know that the Department
of Homeland Security -- that

543
00:28:22,367 --> 00:28:23,768
is the U.S.

544
00:28:23,768 --> 00:28:27,472
government agency that is
responsible for monitoring

545
00:28:27,472 --> 00:28:30,908
our security in cyberspace
and coordinating with the

546
00:28:30,909 --> 00:28:35,513
public and private
sector to protect U.S.

547
00:28:35,513 --> 00:28:38,283
interests in cyberspace
-- is monitoring

548
00:28:38,283 --> 00:28:39,283
this situation.

549
00:28:39,284 --> 00:28:41,820
And they'll take a
close look at it.

550
00:28:41,820 --> 00:28:45,356
But at this point, I don't
have any information to

551
00:28:45,356 --> 00:28:49,594
share about who may be
responsible for that

552
00:28:49,594 --> 00:28:50,862
malicious activity.

553
00:28:50,862 --> 00:28:51,996
Andrew.

554
00:28:51,996 --> 00:28:55,400
The Press: Jacob Zuma has
decided to pull South Africa

555
00:28:55,400 --> 00:28:56,534
out of the ICC.

556
00:28:56,534 --> 00:29:01,005
I'm wondering whether that
alters your view on South

557
00:29:01,005 --> 00:29:05,110
Africa's role in fomenting
instability and the rule of

558
00:29:05,110 --> 00:29:06,711
law in the region.

559
00:29:06,711 --> 00:29:09,681
Mr. Earnest: Andrew, I have
to admit I had not seen that

560
00:29:09,681 --> 00:29:11,816
report before I came out
here, but why don't we take

561
00:29:11,816 --> 00:29:13,818
a look at it and
get you a response.

562
00:29:13,818 --> 00:29:16,454
The Press: The President
yesterday called for a big

563
00:29:16,454 --> 00:29:17,254
victory in November.

564
00:29:17,255 --> 00:29:21,493
I wonder if he agrees
with your old colleague,

565
00:29:21,493 --> 00:29:25,163
Mr. Plouffe, and his
assessment that it's

566
00:29:25,163 --> 00:29:27,565
necessary to run up the big
score against Donald Trump

567
00:29:27,565 --> 00:29:31,336
in order to repudiate not
just the candidate

568
00:29:31,336 --> 00:29:33,071
but his ideas.

569
00:29:33,071 --> 00:29:37,242
Mr. Earnest: Well, I think
the President has spoken at

570
00:29:37,242 --> 00:29:38,909
length about what he
believes the stakes are of

571
00:29:38,910 --> 00:29:41,446
this election.

572
00:29:41,446 --> 00:29:44,448
And the President is
certainly not taking any

573
00:29:44,449 --> 00:29:45,450
votes for granted.

574
00:29:45,450 --> 00:29:48,253
I think that's why you
have seen him make such a

575
00:29:48,253 --> 00:29:52,122
vigorous case for Secretary
Clinton and for other

576
00:29:52,123 --> 00:29:55,493
Democrats on the
campaign trail.

577
00:29:55,493 --> 00:29:59,364
And his activity in the two
and a half weeks that remain

578
00:29:59,364 --> 00:30:02,800
before Election Day is
only going to increase.

579
00:30:02,800 --> 00:30:09,674
So the President is not
just guarding against, but

580
00:30:09,674 --> 00:30:12,543
warning against complacency.

581
00:30:12,544 --> 00:30:15,547
And I recognize how that can
be confused for trying to

582
00:30:15,547 --> 00:30:19,584
run up the score, but the
President understands the

583
00:30:19,584 --> 00:30:25,190
stakes of this election, and
as he alluded to yesterday,

584
00:30:25,190 --> 00:30:27,192
his view is that the only
way that Democrats lose this

585
00:30:27,192 --> 00:30:29,194
election is if they don't
actually show up at the

586
00:30:29,194 --> 00:30:31,763
polls; that there's ample
public evidence to indicate

587
00:30:31,763 --> 00:30:37,869
that most voters and most
Americans are supportive of

588
00:30:37,869 --> 00:30:39,937
the ideas that Democrats
have put forward.

589
00:30:39,938 --> 00:30:45,610
And the challenge now is
just ensuring that those

590
00:30:45,610 --> 00:30:48,413
voters express that view
at the polling place.

591
00:30:48,413 --> 00:30:51,149
And the President will be
making that case in the

592
00:30:51,149 --> 00:30:54,785
days ahead.

593
00:30:54,786 --> 00:31:01,893
If that includes a clear,
unambiguous, unmistakable

594
00:31:01,893 --> 00:31:06,164
repudiation of the divisive
rhetoric and cynical tactics

595
00:31:06,164 --> 00:31:11,135
that are used by
Republicans, that would be a

596
00:31:15,840 --> 00:31:16,841
welcome outcome as well.

597
00:31:16,841 --> 00:31:21,912
The Press: I take your point
that the broader sense that

598
00:31:21,913 --> 00:31:23,781
you see the margin of
victory in the general

599
00:31:23,781 --> 00:31:25,683
election is important.

600
00:31:25,683 --> 00:31:30,121
Mr. Earnest: Well, again,
the President has expressed

601
00:31:30,121 --> 00:31:32,323
his deep concerns about the
divisive rhetoric and the

602
00:31:32,323 --> 00:31:35,793
cynical tactics that
have been deployed

603
00:31:35,793 --> 00:31:37,562
by Republicans.

604
00:31:37,562 --> 00:31:40,831
His concern is that that
rhetoric and those tactics

605
00:31:40,832 --> 00:31:43,034
are inconsistent with
American values and

606
00:31:43,034 --> 00:31:45,436
inconsistent with the kinds
of democratic traditions

607
00:31:45,436 --> 00:31:48,906
that previous generations of
Americans fought and died for.

608
00:31:48,906 --> 00:31:53,911
And so the President is
cognizant of the stakes in

609
00:31:56,714 --> 00:32:03,553
this election and believes
that people should not be

610
00:32:03,554 --> 00:32:08,559
complacent, and that a
strong outcome in terms of

611
00:32:14,632 --> 00:32:20,238
repudiating the rhetoric and
pessimistic vision that's

612
00:32:20,238 --> 00:32:24,142
put forward by the other
side would be a good outcome.

613
00:32:24,142 --> 00:32:27,045
It's not going to end the
debate, because, ultimately,

614
00:32:27,045 --> 00:32:30,348
there is going to have
to be a decision made by

615
00:32:30,348 --> 00:32:32,350
Republicans -- not just
those that are on the ballot

616
00:32:32,350 --> 00:32:35,218
but those that are in
Congress -- to decide if

617
00:32:35,219 --> 00:32:40,291
they're prepared to actually
focus on some kind of

618
00:32:40,291 --> 00:32:42,827
governing agenda again.

619
00:32:42,827 --> 00:32:48,366
For the last several years,
we've seen Republicans focus

620
00:32:48,366 --> 00:32:54,205
all their efforts on
colorfully opposing any

621
00:32:54,205 --> 00:32:59,476
progress that President
Obama advocates -- so much

622
00:32:59,477 --> 00:33:03,748
so that they end up opposing
the kinds of policies that

623
00:33:03,748 --> 00:33:06,217
they'd previously backed
just because President Obama

624
00:33:06,217 --> 00:33:09,854
is the one that's putting
them on the table.

625
00:33:09,854 --> 00:33:14,325
And that has led Republicans
to a situation where even

626
00:33:14,325 --> 00:33:17,495
Republicans are wondering
what Republicans in Congress

627
00:33:17,495 --> 00:33:19,129
stand for.

628
00:33:19,130 --> 00:33:21,132
And I think that's why
you see such intense

629
00:33:21,132 --> 00:33:23,134
dissatisfaction for
Republican leadership in

630
00:33:23,134 --> 00:33:28,873
Congress, not just across
the American electorate, but

631
00:33:28,873 --> 00:33:34,846
even among voting
Republicans.

632
00:33:34,846 --> 00:33:39,283
So this election is
important because of the

633
00:33:39,283 --> 00:33:41,284
people who will take
office as a result of this

634
00:33:41,285 --> 00:33:43,888
election, but it's also
important to recognize that

635
00:33:43,888 --> 00:33:47,692
this debate and this
question about the health

636
00:33:47,692 --> 00:33:51,596
and vitality and
functionality of our system

637
00:33:51,596 --> 00:33:55,333
of government is going to
extend beyond Election Day,

638
00:33:55,333 --> 00:33:58,336
and it's going to include
some pretty significant

639
00:33:58,336 --> 00:34:00,772
soul-searching on the
part of Republicans.

640
00:34:00,772 --> 00:34:04,375
And this is not just a
view that you've heard the

641
00:34:04,375 --> 00:34:05,576
President express.

642
00:34:05,576 --> 00:34:08,112
This is a view that leading
Republicans in Washington,

643
00:34:08,112 --> 00:34:10,047
D.C. have expressed.

644
00:34:10,047 --> 00:34:14,519
This is part of what Senator
Flake I think is referring

645
00:34:14,518 --> 00:34:20,524
to and expressing his
concern about the way that

646
00:34:20,525 --> 00:34:23,060
the Senate has treated Chief
Judge Garland for the last

647
00:34:23,060 --> 00:34:24,594
200 days or so.

648
00:34:24,594 --> 00:34:27,364
He is somebody that some
Republicans have described

649
00:34:27,364 --> 00:34:28,832
as a consensus nominee.

650
00:34:28,833 --> 00:34:33,004
Some of those same
Republicans are refusing to

651
00:34:33,004 --> 00:34:35,739
even hold a hearing to
consider his nomination.

652
00:34:35,739 --> 00:34:43,214
I think that is exhibit A in
illustrating how Republicans

653
00:34:43,214 --> 00:34:45,783
have abandoned any sort
of principle, any sort of

654
00:34:45,783 --> 00:34:50,922
notion of advancing a
common-sense governing

655
00:34:50,922 --> 00:34:58,162
ideology so they can
prioritize throwing sand in

656
00:34:58,162 --> 00:34:59,930
the gears of government.

657
00:34:59,931 --> 00:35:03,801
And when it comes to midterm
elections, that has allowed

658
00:35:03,801 --> 00:35:08,306
them make some
political gains.

659
00:35:08,306 --> 00:35:11,409
That's proved to be an
effective political tactic,

660
00:35:11,409 --> 00:35:14,278
but it has not proved to be
an effective strategy for

661
00:35:14,278 --> 00:35:17,048
running the country or
enhancing the confidence of

662
00:35:17,048 --> 00:35:20,183
the American people that
Republicans have a clue as

663
00:35:20,184 --> 00:35:23,688
to what they should do about
the future of the country.

664
00:35:23,688 --> 00:35:26,824
So that's a longer answer,
I think, than I intended to

665
00:35:26,824 --> 00:35:29,327
give when I started giving
it, but I think it's an

666
00:35:29,327 --> 00:35:31,329
illustration of how the
question that you're asking

667
00:35:31,329 --> 00:35:36,367
is relevant not just for the
next 18 days, but for --

668
00:35:36,367 --> 00:35:39,103
certainly these are the
kinds of questions that

669
00:35:39,103 --> 00:35:42,340
Democrats and Republicans
are going to have to answer

670
00:35:42,340 --> 00:35:44,342
on into the next
administration.

671
00:35:44,342 --> 00:35:46,077
The Press: Just
a very quick one.

672
00:35:46,077 --> 00:35:49,614
Duterte was just speaking in
his hometown, and he said he

673
00:35:49,614 --> 00:35:52,216
won't sever ties
with the U.S.

674
00:35:52,216 --> 00:35:53,784
Does that clear things up?

675
00:35:53,784 --> 00:36:01,259
Mr. Earnest: Well, I think
that we will -- based on his

676
00:36:01,259 --> 00:36:07,798
extensive, colorful previous
comments, there is greater

677
00:36:07,798 --> 00:36:11,868
clarity that we would like
to get about the intent of

678
00:36:11,869 --> 00:36:14,038
President Duterte
and his government.

679
00:36:14,038 --> 00:36:18,876
But based on what you've
read me, that seems to be a

680
00:36:18,876 --> 00:36:23,881
change in tone that is more
consistent with the seven

681
00:36:28,686 --> 00:36:30,821
decade-long alliance between
the United States and

682
00:36:30,821 --> 00:36:31,422
the Philippines.

683
00:36:31,422 --> 00:36:32,456
Kevin.

684
00:36:32,456 --> 00:36:33,624
The Press: Thanks, Josh.

685
00:36:33,624 --> 00:36:39,062
Do you deny that the White
House is so confident that

686
00:36:39,063 --> 00:36:41,332
Secretary Clinton is going
to win the election that the

687
00:36:41,332 --> 00:36:45,102
President can really expend
a lot of capital down ballot?

688
00:36:45,102 --> 00:36:47,370
It seems to me that he's
putting a lot of energy and

689
00:36:47,371 --> 00:36:50,341
effort in that, and not just
the President, but also key

690
00:36:50,341 --> 00:36:52,476
surrogates -- the Vice
President, the First Lady.

691
00:36:52,476 --> 00:36:56,814
Mr. Earnest: The good news,
Kevin, is that the White

692
00:36:56,814 --> 00:36:59,183
House has the
capacity to do both.

693
00:36:59,183 --> 00:37:01,185
You saw President Obama
deliver a very forceful

694
00:37:01,185 --> 00:37:03,453
speech not just in support
of Secretary Clinton

695
00:37:03,454 --> 00:37:05,456
yesterday, but also in
support of the Democratic

696
00:37:05,456 --> 00:37:07,291
candidate for the Senate.

697
00:37:07,291 --> 00:37:10,962
So I would expect that in
the two and a half weeks or

698
00:37:10,962 --> 00:37:15,266
so that remain, that you'll
see the President, as he

699
00:37:15,266 --> 00:37:19,303
travels, make a forceful
case not just for Secretary

700
00:37:19,303 --> 00:37:22,006
Clinton -- although that's
his primary objective -- but

701
00:37:22,006 --> 00:37:25,509
also to articulate his
support for Democrats up and

702
00:37:25,509 --> 00:37:26,510
down the ballot.

703
00:37:26,510 --> 00:37:29,146
I would also hasten to add
that President Obama's

704
00:37:29,146 --> 00:37:34,151
ability to try to persuade
voters in the context of

705
00:37:34,151 --> 00:37:38,154
this election is not just
limited to the geographic

706
00:37:38,155 --> 00:37:40,992
locations where he
chooses to travel.

707
00:37:40,992 --> 00:37:46,631
President Obama has already
appeared in a wide range of

708
00:37:46,631 --> 00:37:48,833
television ads that will be
airing across the country

709
00:37:48,833 --> 00:37:51,636
over the next couple of
weeks -- again, not just for

710
00:37:51,636 --> 00:37:54,772
Secretary Clinton, but for
Democratic candidates for

711
00:37:54,772 --> 00:38:00,344
the House and Senate, but
also even some Democrats at

712
00:38:00,344 --> 00:38:01,545
the state level, as well.

713
00:38:01,545 --> 00:38:06,183
And again, I think this
is a testament to the deep

714
00:38:06,183 --> 00:38:10,821
reservoir of political
will and support that the

715
00:38:10,821 --> 00:38:13,557
President has not just
among Democrats across the

716
00:38:13,557 --> 00:38:16,127
country, but also
among independents.

717
00:38:16,127 --> 00:38:18,895
And the President is
prepared to use that capital

718
00:38:18,896 --> 00:38:23,267
to benefit Democrats in
this election because those

719
00:38:23,267 --> 00:38:25,368
Democrats share his values,
and those Democrats are

720
00:38:25,369 --> 00:38:28,339
committed to building on the
kind of progress that we've

721
00:38:28,339 --> 00:38:29,340
made over the
last eight years.

722
00:38:29,340 --> 00:38:33,244
It doesn't mean that
President Obama agrees with

723
00:38:33,244 --> 00:38:36,313
every Democrat on every
issue, but it does mean he

724
00:38:36,313 --> 00:38:40,551
has confidence that
Democratic candidates are

725
00:38:40,551 --> 00:38:43,020
the ones who are committed
to pursuing the kind of

726
00:38:43,020 --> 00:38:45,723
economic strategy that
benefits the middle class

727
00:38:45,723 --> 00:38:46,724
and that will
benefit the U.S.

728
00:38:46,724 --> 00:38:49,360
economy over the long term,
and a national security

729
00:38:49,360 --> 00:38:51,395
strategy that will
effectively advance our

730
00:38:51,395 --> 00:38:52,730
interests around the world.

731
00:38:52,730 --> 00:38:54,398
The Press: Let me ask
you about that strategy.

732
00:38:54,398 --> 00:38:56,400
Because on the one hand, it
seems like the President is

733
00:38:56,400 --> 00:39:01,038
sort of -- pretty pointedly
talks to the GOP base and

734
00:39:01,038 --> 00:39:04,775
says things like, well, how
can you support a guy who

735
00:39:04,775 --> 00:39:08,879
did X, Y and Z, but then at
the same time, the woman who

736
00:39:08,879 --> 00:39:11,281
had hoped to be his
successor seems to be

737
00:39:11,282 --> 00:39:13,317
courting that very same
base, saying, hey, listen,

738
00:39:13,317 --> 00:39:15,720
GOP voters out there,
you should vote for me.

739
00:39:15,720 --> 00:39:16,953
Why the disconnect?

740
00:39:16,954 --> 00:39:20,224
Mr. Earnest: Well, I think
you may be misunderstanding

741
00:39:20,224 --> 00:39:21,225
the President's message.

742
00:39:21,225 --> 00:39:23,227
I think the President is
actually making a broad

743
00:39:23,227 --> 00:39:25,529
appeal to Democrats,
Republicans and independents

744
00:39:29,734 --> 00:39:35,206
that frankly they should be
asking tough questions of

745
00:39:35,206 --> 00:39:38,442
Republican candidates for
office who continue to

746
00:39:38,442 --> 00:39:41,011
support the Republican
presidential nominee, based

747
00:39:41,011 --> 00:39:44,281
on all of the controversial
rhetoric, based on all of

748
00:39:44,281 --> 00:39:49,253
his comments that indicate
an abject opposition to the

749
00:39:55,426 --> 00:39:58,729
kinds of values that we
hold dear in this country.

750
00:39:58,729 --> 00:40:01,765
I think that does raise some
serious questions about the

751
00:40:01,766 --> 00:40:09,240
judgment and character of
many Republican candidates

752
00:40:09,240 --> 00:40:10,174
for office.

753
00:40:10,174 --> 00:40:14,111
And that is something the
President believes that

754
00:40:14,111 --> 00:40:16,913
Democratic, independent, and
Republican voters should

755
00:40:16,914 --> 00:40:21,519
consider as they evaluate
the candidates below the top

756
00:40:21,519 --> 00:40:22,520
line of the ticket.

757
00:40:22,520 --> 00:40:24,755
The Press: Let me ask you
about the latest

758
00:40:24,755 --> 00:40:26,590
round of leaks.

759
00:40:26,590 --> 00:40:28,959
And I know that you've been
loath to sort of comment on

760
00:40:28,959 --> 00:40:31,962
them, specifically, because
some of the veracity of what

761
00:40:31,962 --> 00:40:34,632
has been leaked has
been in question.

762
00:40:34,632 --> 00:40:38,836
But still, it seems to be
sort of a cascade of more

763
00:40:38,836 --> 00:40:41,337
inside information that
seems to buffet the argument

764
00:40:41,338 --> 00:40:45,543
that Bernie Sanders and
others weren't treated

765
00:40:45,543 --> 00:40:48,012
equally by the
Democratic Party.

766
00:40:48,012 --> 00:40:52,950
How do you reach out then to
the voters who backed him so

767
00:40:52,950 --> 00:40:56,287
strongly, and make the case
to them that they should

768
00:40:56,287 --> 00:40:59,957
back Secretary Clinton --
when it seems to me, and

769
00:40:59,957 --> 00:41:03,194
certainly seems to a lot of
them, the books were cooked,

770
00:41:03,194 --> 00:41:06,163
if you will, throughout
that process?

771
00:41:06,163 --> 00:41:08,966
Mr. Earnest: Well, I think
each voter is going to have

772
00:41:08,966 --> 00:41:10,334
to make up their own mind.

773
00:41:10,334 --> 00:41:16,573
And many of those people all
across the country who chose

774
00:41:16,574 --> 00:41:21,979
to be active in support of
Senator Sanders's campaign

775
00:41:21,979 --> 00:41:26,750
for President did so because
they were animated by a core

776
00:41:26,750 --> 00:41:31,355
set of values and priorities
and an idea of where they

777
00:41:31,355 --> 00:41:33,858
would like to see
the country go.

778
00:41:33,858 --> 00:41:37,127
They were supportive of a
candidate who is looking for

779
00:41:37,127 --> 00:41:40,631
a more just America, and a
government that was looking

780
00:41:40,631 --> 00:41:43,933
out for the interests of
middle-class families and

781
00:41:43,934 --> 00:41:46,103
college students who are
borrowing significant sums

782
00:41:46,103 --> 00:41:49,073
of money to try to prepare
themselves for a 21st

783
00:41:49,073 --> 00:41:50,607
century global economy.

784
00:41:50,608 --> 00:41:54,078
They got involved in his
campaign because they want

785
00:41:54,078 --> 00:41:55,813
to make sure that the next
President is somebody who

786
00:41:55,813 --> 00:41:58,082
actually acknowledges the
reality of climate and is

787
00:41:58,082 --> 00:41:59,516
committed to doing it.

788
00:41:59,516 --> 00:42:01,385
They supported his campaign
because they want somebody

789
00:42:01,385 --> 00:42:03,687
who is going to responsibly
try to advance the interests

790
00:42:03,687 --> 00:42:06,490
of the United States in the
international community.

791
00:42:06,490 --> 00:42:09,759
And our expectation is that
they will continue to be

792
00:42:09,760 --> 00:42:13,397
motivated by those values
and that vision, and use it

793
00:42:13,397 --> 00:42:15,866
to determine who they should
support in the

794
00:42:15,866 --> 00:42:17,434
upcoming election.

795
00:42:17,434 --> 00:42:19,770
And that certainly is what
Senator Sanders himself has

796
00:42:19,770 --> 00:42:21,205
urged them to do.

797
00:42:21,205 --> 00:42:25,676
And if they take his advice,
I think basically all of

798
00:42:25,676 --> 00:42:29,613
them are going to be
supportive of Democrats in

799
00:42:29,613 --> 00:42:30,614
the next election.

800
00:42:30,614 --> 00:42:32,616
The Press: Is there a
concern that that won't be

801
00:42:32,616 --> 00:42:33,617
the case?

802
00:42:33,617 --> 00:42:35,619
Mr. Earnest: Well, we're
certainly not going to take

803
00:42:35,619 --> 00:42:36,620
anything for granted.

804
00:42:36,620 --> 00:42:38,622
And I think that you've
heard the President make

805
00:42:38,622 --> 00:42:42,058
rather direct appeals to
people who had previously

806
00:42:42,059 --> 00:42:44,595
supported Senator Sanders's
campaign and talked to them

807
00:42:44,595 --> 00:42:46,596
about the stakes in this
election, and that the same

808
00:42:46,597 --> 00:42:50,134
kinds of values and
priorities that prompted

809
00:42:50,134 --> 00:42:53,203
them to be engaged in
support of Senator Sanders

810
00:42:53,203 --> 00:42:55,272
are the kinds of values and
priorities that should lead

811
00:42:55,272 --> 00:42:57,274
them to support Democrats up
and down the ballot in

812
00:42:57,274 --> 00:42:58,275
this election.

813
00:42:58,275 --> 00:43:00,477
The Press: Lastly, I want to
ask you about something that

814
00:43:00,477 --> 00:43:02,779
we've talked about just a
bit, and that's the

815
00:43:02,780 --> 00:43:03,914
Clinton Foundation.

816
00:43:03,914 --> 00:43:07,551
Is it the administration's
perspective that the Clinton

817
00:43:07,551 --> 00:43:10,921
Foundation and sort of the
relationships that Secretary

818
00:43:10,921 --> 00:43:14,191
Clinton had with leaders
and others from different

819
00:43:14,191 --> 00:43:18,361
countries around the globe
who were then later found to

820
00:43:18,362 --> 00:43:21,031
have donated to the Clinton
Foundation -- is that

821
00:43:21,031 --> 00:43:23,866
consistent with the
messaging that this

822
00:43:23,867 --> 00:43:27,271
administration wanted by way
of its Secretary of State?

823
00:43:27,271 --> 00:43:29,239
Mr. Earnest: Listen, I
don't think this is

824
00:43:29,239 --> 00:43:30,240
about messaging.

825
00:43:30,240 --> 00:43:32,241
This is about making sure
that you have a Secretary of

826
00:43:32,242 --> 00:43:34,244
State that is putting the
interests of the United

827
00:43:34,244 --> 00:43:36,246
States of America first
when she's engaged in her

828
00:43:36,246 --> 00:43:38,248
professional
responsibilities and

829
00:43:38,248 --> 00:43:40,250
representing the interests
of the United States at a

830
00:43:40,250 --> 00:43:40,851
very high level.

831
00:43:40,851 --> 00:43:41,485
The Press: But blur the
line, wouldn't you admit?

832
00:43:41,485 --> 00:43:44,054
Mr. Earnest: I don't think
there's any evidence that

833
00:43:44,054 --> 00:43:45,923
Secretary Clinton did
anything that was contrary

834
00:43:45,923 --> 00:43:47,091
to the interests of
the United States.

835
00:43:47,091 --> 00:43:49,893
In fact, we saw that she
acted and conducted herself

836
00:43:49,893 --> 00:43:52,763
very effectively to advance
our interests around the world.

837
00:43:52,763 --> 00:43:53,864
And the President is proud
of her service as

838
00:43:53,864 --> 00:43:54,698
Secretary of State.

839
00:43:54,698 --> 00:43:56,500
Jordan.

840
00:43:56,500 --> 00:43:57,701
The Press: Thanks, Josh.

841
00:43:57,701 --> 00:43:59,036
I want to follow up on
something Kevin asked about.

842
00:43:59,036 --> 00:44:01,505
The speech yesterday -- I
mean, it seemed less of a

843
00:44:01,505 --> 00:44:05,142
speech in support of Patrick
Murphy than a takedown of

844
00:44:05,142 --> 00:44:06,310
Marco Rubio.

845
00:44:06,310 --> 00:44:09,645
I mean, it almost sounded
like that Marco Rubio spit

846
00:44:09,646 --> 00:44:11,281
in the President's
coffee or something.

847
00:44:11,281 --> 00:44:15,019
He seemed really
going hard at him.

848
00:44:15,019 --> 00:44:18,254
And beyond what you said
about Senator Rubio

849
00:44:18,255 --> 00:44:21,625
continuing to support Donald
Trump, and everything the

850
00:44:21,625 --> 00:44:23,961
President mentioned, I
mean, is there some kind of

851
00:44:23,961 --> 00:44:25,662
personal history there?

852
00:44:25,662 --> 00:44:28,332
Why did the President go
after Senator Rubio so hard

853
00:44:28,332 --> 00:44:31,969
when we really haven't seen
him go that hard on other

854
00:44:31,969 --> 00:44:35,072
specific Republican senators
the way he did yesterday?

855
00:44:35,072 --> 00:44:37,207
Mr. Earnest: Look, I think
the President made a very

856
00:44:37,207 --> 00:44:39,209
vigorous case in
support of Democrats.

857
00:44:39,209 --> 00:44:44,448
And yes, he raised sharp
questions about the judgment

858
00:44:44,448 --> 00:44:47,551
of Senator Rubio and others
who continue to pursue a

859
00:44:47,551 --> 00:44:51,255
strategy that prioritize
obstruction and opposition

860
00:44:51,255 --> 00:44:53,357
over everything else.

861
00:44:53,357 --> 00:44:57,995
There's a great example,
which is Senator Rubio, at

862
00:44:57,995 --> 00:45:00,364
one point, played a
constructive role in trying

863
00:45:00,364 --> 00:45:05,736
to broker a bipartisan
compromise for

864
00:45:05,736 --> 00:45:08,372
immigration reform.

865
00:45:08,372 --> 00:45:11,642
He did so -- Senator Rubio
did so because he recognized

866
00:45:11,642 --> 00:45:16,145
that that would benefit the
country and because it's

867
00:45:16,146 --> 00:45:21,051
consistent with our values,
and because it reflects his

868
00:45:21,051 --> 00:45:23,787
own personal story.

869
00:45:23,787 --> 00:45:27,457
But he turned his back
on all of that when the

870
00:45:27,458 --> 00:45:29,460
politics got tough.

871
00:45:32,229 --> 00:45:35,365
The President believes, as
he said yesterday, that that

872
00:45:35,365 --> 00:45:37,366
says something
about his character.

873
00:45:37,367 --> 00:45:44,141
It says something about his
priorities that he pursues

874
00:45:44,141 --> 00:45:46,376
when he's in
elective office.

875
00:45:46,376 --> 00:45:51,315
And it sounds like, and it
appears from that episode,

876
00:45:53,784 --> 00:45:58,789
that those priorities are
much more centered on his

877
00:46:01,058 --> 00:46:05,629
political ambition, his
desire to be loyal to his

878
00:46:05,629 --> 00:46:10,567
party, his desire to raise
money from Republican

879
00:46:10,567 --> 00:46:15,506
donors, and not the best
interest of the U.S.

880
00:46:15,506 --> 00:46:20,511
economy or securing the
border, or fighting for the

881
00:46:23,780 --> 00:46:27,050
kinds of values that he
occasionally speaks rather

882
00:46:27,050 --> 00:46:30,854
eloquently about on
the campaign trail.

883
00:46:30,854 --> 00:46:34,725
Again -- and this is not --
I know it may have seemed to

884
00:46:34,725 --> 00:46:39,328
Senator Rubio like a pretty
direct and even

885
00:46:39,329 --> 00:46:41,899
personal criticism.

886
00:46:41,899 --> 00:46:44,067
But this is a concern that
the President has about a

887
00:46:44,067 --> 00:46:46,603
wide variety of Republicans
that he's been dealing with

888
00:46:46,603 --> 00:46:48,272
over the last eight years.

889
00:46:48,272 --> 00:46:53,610
Republicans in Congress time
and time again prioritize

890
00:46:53,610 --> 00:46:56,213
political tactics that
obstruct the President's

891
00:46:56,213 --> 00:47:01,318
agenda over the national
interests, over the success

892
00:47:01,318 --> 00:47:03,420
of the national economy,
over investments in the

893
00:47:03,420 --> 00:47:09,359
middle class, over the
safety of our national security.

894
00:47:09,359 --> 00:47:11,828
That's unfortunate.

895
00:47:11,828 --> 00:47:15,832
And it is an indication of
the state of the

896
00:47:15,832 --> 00:47:16,833
Republican Party.

897
00:47:16,833 --> 00:47:19,002
And it's how you end up in a
situation where a bunch of

898
00:47:19,002 --> 00:47:25,542
Republican voters nominate
somebody who has gained

899
00:47:25,542 --> 00:47:28,478
notoriety because of his
colorful opposition to

900
00:47:28,478 --> 00:47:33,150
President Obama, but doesn't
actually show much interest

901
00:47:33,150 --> 00:47:36,753
in trying to advance a
conservative governing agenda.

902
00:47:36,753 --> 00:47:38,755
That's how Republicans have
ended up where they are.

903
00:47:38,755 --> 00:47:40,757
And that's the kind of soul
searching that they're going

904
00:47:40,757 --> 00:47:44,361
to have to engage in after
the election to figure out

905
00:47:44,361 --> 00:47:46,395
how they're going to
get back on track.

906
00:47:46,396 --> 00:47:48,398
The President -- and you
guys have heard him say this

907
00:47:48,398 --> 00:47:51,935
too -- the President is
interested in a Republican

908
00:47:51,935 --> 00:47:54,871
Party -- he believes the
country is well-served by a

909
00:47:54,871 --> 00:47:58,475
Republican Party that, for
all their differences with

910
00:47:58,475 --> 00:48:01,211
Democrats, is actually
interested in trying to move

911
00:48:01,211 --> 00:48:02,613
the country forward.

912
00:48:02,613 --> 00:48:05,214
It doesn't mean folding
on all their principles.

913
00:48:05,215 --> 00:48:07,217
In fact, it means trying
to stand up for those

914
00:48:07,217 --> 00:48:09,219
principles and looking for
opportunities to work with

915
00:48:09,219 --> 00:48:11,622
Democrats to advance them.

916
00:48:11,622 --> 00:48:13,924
And there was an opportunity
to do that in the context of

917
00:48:13,924 --> 00:48:16,627
immigration reform until
people like Senator Rubio

918
00:48:16,627 --> 00:48:18,629
walked away when the
political heat got a little

919
00:48:18,629 --> 00:48:19,630
too tough.

920
00:48:19,630 --> 00:48:25,202
And the President is hopeful
that the next President of

921
00:48:25,202 --> 00:48:28,739
the United States will have
a different set of partners

922
00:48:28,739 --> 00:48:29,973
in Congress to work with.

923
00:48:29,973 --> 00:48:31,908
Lana.

924
00:48:31,908 --> 00:48:32,709
The Press: Hey, Josh.

925
00:48:32,709 --> 00:48:35,846
Has the White House been
assured by Judge Garland

926
00:48:35,846 --> 00:48:38,015
that if Hillary Clinton is
elected President, he will

927
00:48:38,015 --> 00:48:40,917
not remove his name
from consideration?

928
00:48:40,917 --> 00:48:42,919
Mr. Earnest: Well, Lana,
that's not how it works.

929
00:48:42,919 --> 00:48:47,557
His name is in consideration
until the Congress adjourns

930
00:48:47,557 --> 00:48:52,895
at the end of the year, and
then there will have to be a

931
00:48:52,896 --> 00:48:54,965
reevaluation by the White
House about whether or not

932
00:48:54,965 --> 00:48:56,733
to put him forward.

933
00:48:56,733 --> 00:48:59,503
And Secretary Clinton, if
the vacancy is still there,

934
00:48:59,503 --> 00:49:01,505
will have to decide if she
wants to nominate him or

935
00:49:01,505 --> 00:49:03,507
somebody else to
fill that vacancy.

936
00:49:03,507 --> 00:49:06,576
But I can tell you that
President Obama certainly is

937
00:49:06,576 --> 00:49:08,879
committed to his candidacy
and believes that he should

938
00:49:08,879 --> 00:49:09,880
serve on the Supreme Court.

939
00:49:09,880 --> 00:49:14,384
And I certainly know
that somebody with the

940
00:49:14,384 --> 00:49:17,187
credentials of Chief Judge
Garland, who could serve the

941
00:49:17,187 --> 00:49:21,458
country so well on the
Court, is still very

942
00:49:21,458 --> 00:49:23,960
interested in using those
skills to benefit the

943
00:49:23,960 --> 00:49:25,962
American people on
the Supreme Court.

944
00:49:25,962 --> 00:49:27,964
The Press: But there will be
a period of reevaluation, as

945
00:49:27,964 --> 00:49:32,703
you mentioned, after the
election, as to whether or

946
00:49:32,703 --> 00:49:37,240
not -- let me
say it this way.

947
00:49:37,240 --> 00:49:39,343
Republicans have said that
they will consider Judge

948
00:49:39,343 --> 00:49:41,778
Garland's nomination if
Secretary Clinton is

949
00:49:41,778 --> 00:49:42,645
elected President.

950
00:49:42,646 --> 00:49:46,516
We have been wondering if
that's going to happen.

951
00:49:46,516 --> 00:49:49,986
And can we be assured that
Judge Garland is not going

952
00:49:49,986 --> 00:49:53,190
to say, now that a Democrat
has been elected he no

953
00:49:53,190 --> 00:49:54,191
longer wants to
be considered?

954
00:49:54,191 --> 00:49:56,493
Mr. Earnest: I have seen no
evidence to indicate that

955
00:49:56,493 --> 00:49:58,495
Chief Judge Garland is
somehow going to withdraw

956
00:49:58,495 --> 00:49:59,663
his name from the process.

957
00:49:59,663 --> 00:50:02,399
And President Obama is
certainly committed to doing

958
00:50:02,399 --> 00:50:05,035
everything we can to see
Chief Judge Garland be

959
00:50:05,035 --> 00:50:06,203
confirmed to the
Supreme Court.

960
00:50:06,203 --> 00:50:09,106
The Press: But has the White
House asked him about that

961
00:50:09,106 --> 00:50:11,108
specifically, since
it's something that the

962
00:50:11,108 --> 00:50:13,176
Republicans are
discussing very publicly?

963
00:50:13,176 --> 00:50:17,781
Mr. Earnest: I'm not aware
of any -- I don't know why

964
00:50:17,781 --> 00:50:18,782
we would ask him.

965
00:50:18,782 --> 00:50:20,784
I don't know why he would
wait around for 200 days and

966
00:50:20,784 --> 00:50:22,786
then pull out at the very
moment that it seemed likely

967
00:50:22,786 --> 00:50:24,788
that he was going
to get confirmed.

968
00:50:24,788 --> 00:50:25,856
So I think that's
not likely to happen.

969
00:50:25,856 --> 00:50:28,925
The Press: WikiLeaks.

970
00:50:28,925 --> 00:50:31,962
Your statement last night
was -- or your office's

971
00:50:31,962 --> 00:50:34,464
statement last night was
that you wouldn't comment on

972
00:50:34,464 --> 00:50:36,466
hacked emails of
a private citizen.

973
00:50:36,466 --> 00:50:39,435
At that point, Mr. Obama
was a sitting senator.

974
00:50:39,436 --> 00:50:40,804
He was President-elect.

975
00:50:40,804 --> 00:50:43,273
Why make the distinction
about a public citizen?

976
00:50:43,273 --> 00:50:47,444
And certainly you can't
claim that for Mr. Obama at

977
00:50:47,444 --> 00:50:48,278
that point.

978
00:50:48,278 --> 00:50:48,812
Mr. Earnest: Right, they
weren't his emails that were

979
00:50:48,812 --> 00:50:51,080
hacked, they were the emails
of Mr. Podesta, who is a

980
00:50:51,081 --> 00:50:53,750
senior official on
the Clinton campaign.

981
00:50:53,750 --> 00:50:55,752
And it's his emails
who were hacked.

982
00:50:55,752 --> 00:50:59,856
And again, you guys get to
make your own journalistic

983
00:50:59,856 --> 00:51:02,225
determination about whether
or not it is appropriate to

984
00:51:02,225 --> 00:51:06,062
report on that kind of
stolen material, but I'm not

985
00:51:06,062 --> 00:51:08,598
going to comment on material
that was stolen from a

986
00:51:08,598 --> 00:51:11,768
private citizen just because
it's been thrust into the

987
00:51:11,768 --> 00:51:16,373
public sphere, in part
because there has been a

988
00:51:16,373 --> 00:51:18,642
determination that's been
made by the intelligence

989
00:51:18,642 --> 00:51:23,446
community that the kinds of
tactics that were used to

990
00:51:23,447 --> 00:51:28,385
plunder Mr. Podesta's emails
are the same tactics that we

991
00:51:28,385 --> 00:51:31,388
know the Russians have used
in other settings to get

992
00:51:31,388 --> 00:51:38,328
access to material and make
it public in an effort to

993
00:51:38,328 --> 00:51:39,963
undermine our
political system.

994
00:51:39,963 --> 00:51:42,833
So I guess I have lots
of good reasons, lots of

995
00:51:42,833 --> 00:51:44,000
principled reasons for
not commenting on it.

996
00:51:44,000 --> 00:51:45,101
The Press: Okay.

997
00:51:45,101 --> 00:51:48,238
And finally, just one more
question about the election.

998
00:51:48,238 --> 00:51:50,240
How is the White House
feeling about the

999
00:51:50,240 --> 00:51:51,073
down-ballot effects of
Donald Trump and

1000
00:51:51,074 --> 00:51:52,676
Hillary Clinton?

1001
00:51:52,676 --> 00:51:57,279
Mr. Earnest: Well, again, I
think -- I'll let you guys

1002
00:51:57,280 --> 00:51:59,382
play the sort of
political analysts.

1003
00:51:59,382 --> 00:52:02,018
And I think that there's
lots of spinning going on by

1004
00:52:02,018 --> 00:52:03,220
both sides.

1005
00:52:03,220 --> 00:52:07,189
I haven't heard a lot of
people spinning that the

1006
00:52:07,190 --> 00:52:09,192
Republican nominee is
helping Republicans down the

1007
00:52:09,192 --> 00:52:11,194
ballot, but maybe there are
some people out there who

1008
00:52:11,194 --> 00:52:13,497
can make that case, and it's
a free country so they're

1009
00:52:13,497 --> 00:52:14,897
welcome to do so.

1010
00:52:14,898 --> 00:52:17,634
What the President is
focused on is making sure

1011
00:52:17,634 --> 00:52:20,670
that Americans understand
the stakes of this election.

1012
00:52:20,670 --> 00:52:26,109
And it matters deeply who
succeeds President Obama in

1013
00:52:26,109 --> 00:52:28,712
the Oval Office, but it's
also pretty important who

1014
00:52:28,712 --> 00:52:35,418
will represent communities
across the country in the

1015
00:52:35,418 --> 00:52:37,354
United States Senate,
who is going to represent

1016
00:52:37,354 --> 00:52:38,622
communities across
the country in

1017
00:52:38,622 --> 00:52:40,223
state legislatures.

1018
00:52:40,223 --> 00:52:42,526
The stakes in this election
are high, not just at the

1019
00:52:42,526 --> 00:52:44,528
presidential level but at
the legislative level, too

1020
00:52:44,528 --> 00:52:46,296
-- both for the federal
government but also for

1021
00:52:46,296 --> 00:52:48,564
state government.

1022
00:52:48,565 --> 00:52:51,434
And the President is going
to make his voice heard, and

1023
00:52:51,434 --> 00:52:53,470
he's going to make a
forceful case for Democrats

1024
00:52:53,470 --> 00:52:54,471
up and down the ballot.

1025
00:52:54,471 --> 00:53:00,243
And he's in a position where
we expect a lot of Americans

1026
00:53:00,243 --> 00:53:02,145
to be persuaded
by his advocacy.

1027
00:53:02,145 --> 00:53:04,247
The Press: Any other
candidates that the

1028
00:53:04,247 --> 00:53:06,249
President will really be
pushing for in these

1029
00:53:06,249 --> 00:53:07,250
final days?

1030
00:53:07,250 --> 00:53:08,652
Mr. Earnest: Yes, many.

1031
00:53:08,652 --> 00:53:09,185
Stay tuned.

1032
00:53:09,185 --> 00:53:10,687
Chip.

1033
00:53:10,687 --> 00:53:11,321
The Press: Thanks, Josh.

1034
00:53:11,321 --> 00:53:13,890
Of course, the First Lady is
out on the campaign trail, too.

1035
00:53:13,890 --> 00:53:15,825
They've both been making
a lot of noise lately.

1036
00:53:15,825 --> 00:53:19,629
And a lot of pundits and
writers have been saying

1037
00:53:19,629 --> 00:53:24,601
that the First Lady is
Hillary Clinton's most

1038
00:53:24,601 --> 00:53:26,036
potent surrogate.

1039
00:53:26,036 --> 00:53:28,738
Would the President agree
that she has more power to

1040
00:53:28,738 --> 00:53:30,807
move the needle in this
election than he does?

1041
00:53:30,807 --> 00:53:33,009
Mr. Earnest: I think the
President would agree that

1042
00:53:33,009 --> 00:53:35,478
there are just some basic
facts about the First Lady.

1043
00:53:35,478 --> 00:53:40,917
The first is, she is
somebody who enjoys the deep

1044
00:53:40,917 --> 00:53:44,321
respect of a large
majority of Americans.

1045
00:53:44,321 --> 00:53:45,956
The Press: But does she have
more power than he has in

1046
00:53:45,956 --> 00:53:48,458
this election to
change people's minds?

1047
00:53:48,458 --> 00:53:49,526
Mr. Earnest: Well, she also
is somebody who is a very

1048
00:53:49,526 --> 00:53:51,060
persuasive speaker.

1049
00:53:51,061 --> 00:53:54,230
She is somebody who has been
able to make a forceful,

1050
00:53:54,230 --> 00:53:56,700
personal case about why
she's involved in

1051
00:53:56,700 --> 00:53:57,667
this election.

1052
00:53:57,667 --> 00:54:00,036
And yes, I think the
President would admit that

1053
00:54:00,036 --> 00:54:08,612
his wife is an enormously
influential and powerful

1054
00:54:08,612 --> 00:54:11,781
surrogate in support
of Secretary Clinton.

1055
00:54:11,781 --> 00:54:13,283
The Press: More than he?

1056
00:54:13,283 --> 00:54:15,618
Mr. Earnest: Yeah, I think
he would -- for all the

1057
00:54:15,619 --> 00:54:18,922
reasons that I just cited,
based on the strong support

1058
00:54:18,922 --> 00:54:21,257
and deep respect that people
across the country have for

1059
00:54:21,257 --> 00:54:27,230
her; based on the compelling
personal argument that she

1060
00:54:27,230 --> 00:54:30,400
has been making in support
of Secretary Clinton.

1061
00:54:30,400 --> 00:54:34,504
And she's also quite
talented in her own right

1062
00:54:34,504 --> 00:54:36,506
when it comes to
delivering a speech.

1063
00:54:36,506 --> 00:54:38,774
And those things I do think
combine to make her a very

1064
00:54:38,775 --> 00:54:41,911
powerful advocate for
Secretary Clinton and

1065
00:54:41,911 --> 00:54:43,913
probably the most powerful
advocate that

1066
00:54:43,913 --> 00:54:44,914
Secretary Clinton has.

1067
00:54:44,914 --> 00:54:46,916
The Press: Could we rewind
the tape for a second here

1068
00:54:46,916 --> 00:54:48,184
and go back to your
conversation with Michelle

1069
00:54:48,184 --> 00:54:50,887
when you said -- when you
compared President Duterte

1070
00:54:50,887 --> 00:54:52,922
of the Philippines
to Mike Pence.

1071
00:54:52,922 --> 00:54:55,592
Can you repeat what you said
and explain the likeness a

1072
00:54:55,592 --> 00:54:56,993
little bit?

1073
00:54:56,993 --> 00:55:00,130
Mr. Earnest: So I'm glad you
asked, because Michelle was

1074
00:55:00,130 --> 00:55:02,966
actually making reference to
the significant number of

1075
00:55:02,966 --> 00:55:09,105
senior Filipino officials
who have tried to walk back

1076
00:55:09,105 --> 00:55:11,441
certain things that
President Duterte has said.

1077
00:55:11,441 --> 00:55:14,243
In some cases, they've gone
to the extraordinary length

1078
00:55:14,244 --> 00:55:18,248
of denying that he's even
said them when the videotape

1079
00:55:18,248 --> 00:55:19,249
would suggest otherwise.

1080
00:55:19,249 --> 00:55:23,486
And I think many of you have
observed that Governor Pence

1081
00:55:23,486 --> 00:55:25,821
found himself in a similar
position a couple weeks ago.

1082
00:55:25,822 --> 00:55:27,257
Ron.

1083
00:55:27,257 --> 00:55:28,792
The Press: Just
back to Mosul.

1084
00:55:28,792 --> 00:55:31,094
Do you have anything more on
the American servicemember

1085
00:55:31,094 --> 00:55:32,862
who was killed
in the operation?

1086
00:55:32,862 --> 00:55:37,267
Mr. Earnest: Well, Ron, let
me start by saying that the

1087
00:55:37,267 --> 00:55:39,535
Department of Defense did
announce yesterday that an

1088
00:55:39,536 --> 00:55:45,542
American had been killed in
support of -- while he was

1089
00:55:45,542 --> 00:55:51,114
supporting a Peshmerga
operation in Iraq.

1090
00:55:51,114 --> 00:55:53,116
And the thoughts and prayers
of everybody at the White

1091
00:55:53,116 --> 00:55:55,085
House are with the
family of that U.S.

1092
00:55:55,085 --> 00:55:57,620
servicemember who was
killed in action yesterday.

1093
00:55:57,620 --> 00:56:00,089
As you've heard me say on a
number of occasions, those

1094
00:56:00,090 --> 00:56:06,563
American servicemembers who
are serving our country in

1095
00:56:06,563 --> 00:56:11,935
Iraq are doing very
dangerous work and they are

1096
00:56:11,935 --> 00:56:14,170
putting their lives on the
line to protect our

1097
00:56:14,170 --> 00:56:15,205
national security.

1098
00:56:15,205 --> 00:56:18,607
There is a clear threat that
emanates from ISIL and they

1099
00:56:18,608 --> 00:56:22,378
are operating in a dangerous
part of the world to try to

1100
00:56:22,378 --> 00:56:23,947
mitigate that threat.

1101
00:56:23,947 --> 00:56:27,584
Now, the role that they are
playing is to offer their

1102
00:56:27,584 --> 00:56:31,154
advice and assistance to
Iraqi security forces and

1103
00:56:31,154 --> 00:56:34,057
Kurdish forces that are
taking the fight to ISIL, on

1104
00:56:34,057 --> 00:56:36,058
the ground, in
their own country.

1105
00:56:36,059 --> 00:56:39,295
That means that they don't
have a combat role, but the

1106
00:56:39,295 --> 00:56:41,297
work that they are
doing is very dangerous.

1107
00:56:41,297 --> 00:56:43,299
And they are equipped for
combat because, in some

1108
00:56:43,299 --> 00:56:45,769
cases, they find themselves
in situations where they

1109
00:56:45,769 --> 00:56:48,071
need to -- are forced
to defend themselves. And so --

1110
00:56:48,071 --> 00:56:48,971
The Press: Was this individual on the front lines?

1111
00:56:48,972 --> 00:56:52,442
Mr. Earnest: I don't have
details about the

1112
00:56:52,442 --> 00:56:54,811
incident itself.

1113
00:56:54,811 --> 00:56:57,847
I know that the Department
of Defense is investigating

1114
00:56:57,847 --> 00:57:00,083
the situation to learn more
about what exactly happened,

1115
00:57:00,083 --> 00:57:02,352
and updates on the situation
will come from them.

1116
00:57:02,352 --> 00:57:04,453
The Press: But it's still
the White House assuring the

1117
00:57:04,454 --> 00:57:07,090
American public that there
are not -- maybe I'm wrong

1118
00:57:07,090 --> 00:57:09,459
-- that there are not
Americans on the front lines

1119
00:57:09,459 --> 00:57:11,294
in this fight.

1120
00:57:11,294 --> 00:57:13,328
Mr. Earnest: Well, I think
what we see in these

1121
00:57:13,329 --> 00:57:15,899
situations, Ron, is that
there are -- and this sort

1122
00:57:15,899 --> 00:57:19,868
of goes to Andrew's question
-- Kirkuk, for example, has

1123
00:57:19,869 --> 00:57:22,872
not been on the front lines
of the conflict, but it was

1124
00:57:22,872 --> 00:57:27,977
the site of very serious
violence yesterday in Iraq.

1125
00:57:27,977 --> 00:57:31,848
And there were significant
casualties as a result of

1126
00:57:31,848 --> 00:57:34,317
ISIL's activities in that
location that was not on the

1127
00:57:34,317 --> 00:57:35,451
front lines.

1128
00:57:35,451 --> 00:57:39,155
So I can't speak to exactly
where this servicemember

1129
00:57:39,155 --> 00:57:42,458
was, but based on the fact
that they were serving our

1130
00:57:42,458 --> 00:57:48,998
country in Iraq, acting in
support of the Peshmerga

1131
00:57:48,998 --> 00:57:51,568
advance on Mosul, is an
indication that they were in

1132
00:57:51,568 --> 00:57:53,570
a very dangerous situation
and that they were in that

1133
00:57:53,570 --> 00:57:55,672
dangerous situation because
they were trying to protect

1134
00:57:55,672 --> 00:57:56,673
the United States
of America.

1135
00:57:56,673 --> 00:57:58,640
And we owe that
servicemember and their

1136
00:57:58,641 --> 00:58:01,010
family a deep, deep
debt of gratitude.

1137
00:58:01,010 --> 00:58:03,546
The Press: Is the President
willing to do -- to win this

1138
00:58:03,546 --> 00:58:07,383
battle, this offensive -- is
the President willing to do

1139
00:58:07,383 --> 00:58:09,718
anything it takes to win
this particular battle,

1140
00:58:09,719 --> 00:58:13,890
including increasing the
American military role there?

1141
00:58:13,890 --> 00:58:17,426
Mr. Earnest: Ron, the
President has made the case

1142
00:58:17,427 --> 00:58:23,199
that the success of this
operation over the long term

1143
00:58:23,199 --> 00:58:26,102
depends on a
couple of things.

1144
00:58:26,102 --> 00:58:29,038
The first is the ability of
Iraqi security forces and

1145
00:58:29,038 --> 00:58:32,242
Peshmerga forces to
effectively coordinate in

1146
00:58:32,242 --> 00:58:33,309
this effort.

1147
00:58:33,309 --> 00:58:34,544
And that's what
we have seen.

1148
00:58:34,544 --> 00:58:38,248
They have already undertaken
some very logistically

1149
00:58:38,248 --> 00:58:42,619
challenging operations as
they begin their advance

1150
00:58:42,619 --> 00:58:43,620
toward Mosul.

1151
00:58:43,620 --> 00:58:46,256
And we certainly would
compliment them on their

1152
00:58:46,256 --> 00:58:48,223
ability to coordinate
their efforts.

1153
00:58:48,224 --> 00:58:54,530
But ultimately, Ron, in
order for us to see the kind

1154
00:58:54,530 --> 00:58:57,934
of sustained success in
resolving the security

1155
00:58:57,934 --> 00:59:02,205
situation inside of Mosul,
we know that it has to be

1156
00:59:02,205 --> 00:59:04,207
Iraqis fighting for
their own country.

1157
00:59:04,207 --> 00:59:06,209
And they have to be
operating under the command

1158
00:59:06,209 --> 00:59:08,211
and control of the Iraqi
central government.

1159
00:59:08,211 --> 00:59:10,212
And there's an important
role the United States

1160
00:59:10,213 --> 00:59:12,215
military can play to advance
their efforts on

1161
00:59:12,215 --> 00:59:13,216
the battlefield.

1162
00:59:13,216 --> 00:59:15,183
We can carry out airstrikes
in support of their operations.

1163
00:59:15,184 --> 00:59:18,288
We can provide them
equipment and expertise that

1164
00:59:18,288 --> 00:59:20,890
can be used on the
battlefield to make them

1165
00:59:20,890 --> 00:59:23,893
more successful
against ISIL targets.

1166
00:59:23,893 --> 00:59:25,895
But ultimately, they have
to be the ones on the front

1167
00:59:25,895 --> 00:59:27,897
lines fighting for
their own country.

1168
00:59:27,897 --> 00:59:30,299
Because they also need to be
the ones who are responsible

1169
00:59:30,300 --> 00:59:33,903
for rebuilding that
community once ISIL has

1170
00:59:33,903 --> 00:59:34,904
been dislodged.

1171
00:59:34,904 --> 00:59:36,906
The Press: So it's
some 5,000 troops.

1172
00:59:36,906 --> 00:59:38,741
That's the top,
that's the cap?

1173
00:59:38,741 --> 00:59:42,045
That's the number that the
American public can expect

1174
00:59:42,045 --> 00:59:45,581
in Iraq during
-- for how long?

1175
00:59:45,581 --> 00:59:47,717
Mr. Earnest: Certainly for
as long as President Obama

1176
00:59:47,717 --> 00:59:48,718
is Commander-in-Chief.

1177
00:59:48,718 --> 00:59:51,687
The role that will be given
to our men and women, our

1178
00:59:51,688 --> 00:59:56,492
servicemembers who are
serving in Iraq, will be to,

1179
00:59:56,492 --> 00:59:58,761
in some cases, provide
training to Iraqi security

1180
00:59:58,761 --> 01:00:01,564
forces, in other cases
to provide advice and

1181
01:00:01,564 --> 01:00:04,466
assistance to Iraqi security
forces that are taking

1182
01:00:04,467 --> 01:00:06,469
responsibility for the
security situation in their

1183
01:00:06,469 --> 01:00:07,470
own country.

1184
01:00:07,470 --> 01:00:09,638
We do maintain Special
Operations forces that do

1185
01:00:09,639 --> 01:00:12,375
have a unique
counterterrorism capability

1186
01:00:12,375 --> 01:00:14,644
that, in some cases,
they may be called on to

1187
01:00:14,644 --> 01:00:18,113
undertake raids, to go after
high-value targets or to go

1188
01:00:18,114 --> 01:00:21,551
after caches of information
that could have significant

1189
01:00:21,551 --> 01:00:23,386
intelligence value.

1190
01:00:23,386 --> 01:00:24,487
There are obviously U.S.

1191
01:00:24,487 --> 01:00:29,058
military fighter pilots who
are carrying out operations,

1192
01:00:29,058 --> 01:00:31,194
dropping bombs
on ISIL targets.

1193
01:00:31,194 --> 01:00:34,464
All of that work is very
dangerous, and all of that

1194
01:00:34,464 --> 01:00:40,636
work is a testament to the
bravery and skill of the

1195
01:00:40,636 --> 01:00:43,038
American military, but it
is also a testament to the

1196
01:00:43,039 --> 01:00:45,341
strategy that President
Obama believes is critical

1197
01:00:45,341 --> 01:00:48,144
to our long-term success,
which is that we need to

1198
01:00:48,144 --> 01:00:51,413
build the capacity of
security forces to fulfill

1199
01:00:51,414 --> 01:00:55,084
the responsibility of
fighting for their own country.

1200
01:00:55,084 --> 01:00:56,319
The Press: Just
one on Aleppo.

1201
01:00:56,319 --> 01:00:58,654
There's talk of another
humanitarian pause, and I

1202
01:00:58,654 --> 01:01:02,091
can anticipate your
skepticism about that.

1203
01:01:02,091 --> 01:01:04,761
At the debate the other
night, Secretary Clinton

1204
01:01:04,761 --> 01:01:07,563
again said that she supports
the idea of safe havens in

1205
01:01:07,563 --> 01:01:11,067
that area.

1206
01:01:11,067 --> 01:01:15,705
In terms of the transition
that's going on, the talks

1207
01:01:15,705 --> 01:01:18,341
that are going on, is there
ever any discussion between

1208
01:01:18,341 --> 01:01:21,009
Secretary Clinton's people
and the White House at that

1209
01:01:21,010 --> 01:01:26,682
level about her views about
something like that, a safe

1210
01:01:26,682 --> 01:01:30,819
haven in Syria versus the
current White House position

1211
01:01:30,820 --> 01:01:31,921
of no safe haven?

1212
01:01:31,921 --> 01:01:33,856
I know you're talking about
a lot of things, but is

1213
01:01:33,856 --> 01:01:37,693
there ever that kind of
level discussion about those

1214
01:01:37,693 --> 01:01:38,895
kinds of matters?

1215
01:01:38,895 --> 01:01:40,263
Mr. Earnest:
No, there's not.

1216
01:01:40,263 --> 01:01:42,932
The fact is, the President
and his national security

1217
01:01:42,932 --> 01:01:44,933
team are working to
formulate the kind of

1218
01:01:44,934 --> 01:01:47,804
strategy that advances our
interests against ISIL in

1219
01:01:47,804 --> 01:01:48,971
Iraq and in Syria.

1220
01:01:48,971 --> 01:01:53,976
And if Secretary Clinton
is elected to be the next

1221
01:01:56,079 --> 01:01:58,714
President of the United
States, then she'll have an

1222
01:01:58,714 --> 01:02:00,716
opportunity to participate
in a transition process in

1223
01:02:00,716 --> 01:02:02,718
which there will be
extensive conversations

1224
01:02:02,718 --> 01:02:04,720
about what our
strategy has been.

1225
01:02:04,720 --> 01:02:07,589
And then on January 20th,
Secretary Clinton will take

1226
01:02:07,590 --> 01:02:09,892
office as the President of
the United States, and she

1227
01:02:09,892 --> 01:02:12,395
can form her own national
security team and implement

1228
01:02:12,395 --> 01:02:14,397
the strategy that she
believes best advances

1229
01:02:14,397 --> 01:02:15,398
our interests.

1230
01:02:15,398 --> 01:02:17,633
All that is obviously
contingent on the outcome of

1231
01:02:17,633 --> 01:02:18,634
the election.

1232
01:02:18,634 --> 01:02:21,804
But before the election, I
would not anticipate that

1233
01:02:21,804 --> 01:02:26,275
kind of consultation that
you're asking about.

1234
01:02:26,275 --> 01:02:27,443
The Press: And it's still
the President's position

1235
01:02:27,443 --> 01:02:29,178
that this is not in
America's national security

1236
01:02:29,178 --> 01:02:32,048
interest to create this sort
of safe haven, as it's been

1237
01:02:32,048 --> 01:02:33,216
generally described?

1238
01:02:33,216 --> 01:02:35,817
Mr. Earnest: Well, look,
I'll also point out that

1239
01:02:35,818 --> 01:02:38,020
it's also the conclusion of
the United States military

1240
01:02:38,020 --> 01:02:40,756
that imposing a safe haven
like this is not the most

1241
01:02:40,756 --> 01:02:42,758
effective way to advance our
interests in the region.

1242
01:02:42,758 --> 01:02:47,964
And the President has
routinely pushed his

1243
01:02:47,964 --> 01:02:50,900
national security team to
evaluate different options,

1244
01:02:50,900 --> 01:02:54,904
to consider the likelihood
that different strategies

1245
01:02:54,904 --> 01:02:57,273
could be more successful, to
look for ways to reinforce

1246
01:02:57,273 --> 01:03:00,743
or ramp up our investment
in some tactics that are

1247
01:03:00,743 --> 01:03:02,511
yielding progress.

1248
01:03:02,512 --> 01:03:04,814
That's the kind of rigorous
process that the President

1249
01:03:04,814 --> 01:03:07,817
has been focused on, and
that has allowed us to make

1250
01:03:07,817 --> 01:03:10,419
a lot of important progress
against ISIL, both in Iraq

1251
01:03:10,419 --> 01:03:12,989
and in Syria.

1252
01:03:12,989 --> 01:03:15,691
But thus far, the conclusion
of the President's national

1253
01:03:15,691 --> 01:03:18,227
security team is that the
approach that we're pursuing

1254
01:03:18,227 --> 01:03:22,330
now in trying to reduce
violence in Aleppo through

1255
01:03:22,331 --> 01:03:27,069
diplomacy and using our
military might to focus on

1256
01:03:27,069 --> 01:03:29,605
ISIL has advanced the
security interests of the

1257
01:03:29,605 --> 01:03:31,607
United States, has made the
American people safer, has

1258
01:03:31,607 --> 01:03:33,609
degraded ISIL.

1259
01:03:35,378 --> 01:03:38,514
But we haven't yet seen
the kind of reduction in

1260
01:03:38,514 --> 01:03:41,250
violence in Syria that we'd
like to see, because there

1261
01:03:41,250 --> 01:03:44,420
continue to be too many
innocent people in harm's way.

1262
01:03:44,420 --> 01:03:45,454
The Press: So his
strategy is working.

1263
01:03:45,454 --> 01:03:47,523
Mr. Earnest: Well, there's
no denying that we've made

1264
01:03:47,523 --> 01:03:48,491
important progress.

1265
01:03:48,491 --> 01:03:49,692
The Press: But you just said
that you haven't seen the

1266
01:03:49,692 --> 01:03:52,328
reduction in violence that
you want to see, so that

1267
01:03:52,328 --> 01:03:54,397
aspect of it is not -- the
strategy is not working in

1268
01:03:54,397 --> 01:03:56,799
terms of that
particular goal.

1269
01:03:56,799 --> 01:03:59,168
Mr. Earnest: We haven't
accomplished our goal yet.

1270
01:03:59,168 --> 01:04:01,204
We have made important
progress in driving ISIL out

1271
01:04:01,204 --> 01:04:03,206
of about 50 percent of
the previously populated

1272
01:04:03,206 --> 01:04:05,708
territory that they
previously controlled in Iraq.

1273
01:04:05,708 --> 01:04:08,978
We've been able to drive
them out of about 25 percent

1274
01:04:08,978 --> 01:04:10,980
of the territory in Syria
that they previously

1275
01:04:10,980 --> 01:04:13,716
controlled, and this is
a swath of territory in

1276
01:04:13,716 --> 01:04:15,718
northern Syria that's about
the size of the state of

1277
01:04:15,718 --> 01:04:16,719
New Jersey.

1278
01:04:16,719 --> 01:04:21,090
So there have been important
gains in dislodging ISIL

1279
01:04:21,090 --> 01:04:23,392
from certain territory and
reducing the violence in

1280
01:04:23,392 --> 01:04:24,393
certain territory.

1281
01:04:24,393 --> 01:04:26,429
But there are some populated
areas, including in Aleppo,

1282
01:04:26,429 --> 01:04:28,431
where we haven't seen the
reduction in violence that

1283
01:04:28,431 --> 01:04:29,232
we'd like to see yet.

1284
01:04:29,232 --> 01:04:30,866
Scott.

1285
01:04:30,866 --> 01:04:32,935
The Press: Josh, a minute
ago you talked about -- you

1286
01:04:32,935 --> 01:04:35,938
made a comparison of the
tactics used in the Podesta

1287
01:04:35,938 --> 01:04:39,475
hack and tactics that have
been blamed on the

1288
01:04:39,475 --> 01:04:40,875
Russian government.

1289
01:04:40,876 --> 01:04:44,547
I just want to make sure
I'm clear that the Homeland

1290
01:04:44,547 --> 01:04:46,849
Security Secretary and the
DNI talked about the attacks

1291
01:04:46,849 --> 01:04:49,852
on the Democratic National
Committee and others.

1292
01:04:49,852 --> 01:04:52,087
Do you know something about
who's responsible for the

1293
01:04:52,088 --> 01:04:53,756
Podesta attacks?

1294
01:04:53,756 --> 01:04:56,225
Mr. Earnest: The United
States has not reached a

1295
01:04:56,225 --> 01:04:58,828
formal determination about
that, but I believe what the

1296
01:04:58,828 --> 01:05:02,131
intelligence community and
the Department of Homeland

1297
01:05:02,131 --> 01:05:05,634
Security have said is that
the kinds of tactics that we

1298
01:05:05,635 --> 01:05:10,640
saw with regard to the
malicious activity on

1299
01:05:10,640 --> 01:05:13,875
Mr. Podesta's email account
are similar to the kinds of

1300
01:05:13,876 --> 01:05:16,178
tactics that we've seen
used in other places.

1301
01:05:16,178 --> 01:05:21,450
Obviously, the outlet is the
same, but I'm not aware of

1302
01:05:21,450 --> 01:05:24,687
any sort of formal
determination that ascribes

1303
01:05:24,687 --> 01:05:29,392
responsibility to one
country or one actor with

1304
01:05:29,392 --> 01:05:31,694
regard to the malicious
activity in Mr. Podesta's

1305
01:05:31,694 --> 01:05:32,795
email account.

1306
01:05:32,795 --> 01:05:34,230
Jeanne.

1307
01:05:34,230 --> 01:05:36,265
The Press: Thank you, Josh.

1308
01:05:36,265 --> 01:05:39,769
On North Korea -- North
Korea is continuing to

1309
01:05:39,769 --> 01:05:46,274
threaten to launch ballistic
missiles, and it would also

1310
01:05:46,275 --> 01:05:48,277
devastate the White House.

1311
01:05:48,277 --> 01:05:50,913
How do you address that?

1312
01:05:50,913 --> 01:05:52,014
Mr. Earnest: I'm sorry, can
you repeat the question one

1313
01:05:52,014 --> 01:05:52,948
more time?

1314
01:05:52,948 --> 01:05:55,451
The Press: North Korea
threatening with their

1315
01:05:55,451 --> 01:05:57,687
ballistic missiles.

1316
01:05:57,687 --> 01:06:01,957
It would also devastate the
United States and the

1317
01:06:01,957 --> 01:06:02,525
White House.

1318
01:06:02,525 --> 01:06:03,192
Mr. Earnest: I see.

1319
01:06:03,192 --> 01:06:05,995
Well, as we've discussed in
here before, the President

1320
01:06:05,995 --> 01:06:10,933
over the last several years
has increased the U.S.

1321
01:06:10,933 --> 01:06:15,237
military presence in the
Asia Pacific to counter the

1322
01:06:15,237 --> 01:06:17,306
ballistic missile threat
from North Korea.

1323
01:06:17,306 --> 01:06:22,244
And that includes the
deployment of anti-ballistic

1324
01:06:22,244 --> 01:06:26,449
missile capabilities in
places like Japan and Alaska

1325
01:06:26,449 --> 01:06:27,750
and Guam.

1326
01:06:27,750 --> 01:06:29,652
There are
Aegis-equipped U.S.

1327
01:06:29,652 --> 01:06:33,289
naval vessels in the Pacific
that can be used to protect

1328
01:06:33,289 --> 01:06:34,290
the United States.

1329
01:06:34,290 --> 01:06:37,793
And the President, his
national security team and

1330
01:06:37,793 --> 01:06:40,730
military leaders believe
that sufficient resources

1331
01:06:40,730 --> 01:06:43,165
have been deployed to
protect the United States.

1332
01:06:43,165 --> 01:06:48,304
We're looking to enhance the
kind of cooperation that we

1333
01:06:48,304 --> 01:06:51,741
already have with South
Korea to locate a THAAD

1334
01:06:51,741 --> 01:06:54,410
battery, an anti-ballistic
missile battery in South

1335
01:06:54,410 --> 01:06:57,212
Korea that would better
protect the South Korean

1336
01:06:57,213 --> 01:07:00,649
people, our allies in South
Korea from the ballistic

1337
01:07:00,649 --> 01:07:02,084
missile threat
in North Korea.

1338
01:07:02,084 --> 01:07:07,923
But we continue to be
confident that the

1339
01:07:07,923 --> 01:07:10,959
President's decision to
deploy those military assets

1340
01:07:10,960 --> 01:07:13,429
adequately protects the
United States from that

1341
01:07:13,429 --> 01:07:14,430
threat in North Korea.

1342
01:07:14,430 --> 01:07:16,432
What I will say is those
repeated threats and

1343
01:07:16,432 --> 01:07:18,500
provocations from
North Korea do have a

1344
01:07:18,501 --> 01:07:20,503
destabilizing impact
on the region.

1345
01:07:20,503 --> 01:07:26,976
And our goal is to work
with the rest of the

1346
01:07:26,976 --> 01:07:29,578
international community to
apply sufficient pressure to

1347
01:07:29,578 --> 01:07:33,082
the North Korean regime so
that they will abandon those

1348
01:07:33,082 --> 01:07:36,252
destabilizing, provocative
tactics and actually pursue

1349
01:07:36,252 --> 01:07:38,254
an approach that's more
consistent with their

1350
01:07:38,254 --> 01:07:39,188
international obligations.

1351
01:07:39,188 --> 01:07:41,891
The Press: Yesterday,
Secretary Kerry mentioned

1352
01:07:41,891 --> 01:07:47,663
that U.S. and South Korea, 2+2
ministerial meeting.

1353
01:07:47,663 --> 01:07:53,269
He said that the United
States has the ability to

1354
01:07:53,269 --> 01:07:56,705
devastate North
Korea any time.

1355
01:07:56,705 --> 01:07:58,574
Do you agree?

1356
01:07:58,574 --> 01:08:00,476
Mr. Earnest: Well, I
certainly would not

1357
01:08:00,476 --> 01:08:02,645
contradict Secretary Kerry.

1358
01:08:02,645 --> 01:08:05,848
The United States maintains
significant capabilities.

1359
01:08:05,848 --> 01:08:09,718
But what we would like to
see is a de-escalation in

1360
01:08:09,718 --> 01:08:12,620
Northeast Asia and an end to
the provocative rhetoric and

1361
01:08:12,621 --> 01:08:14,924
the destabilizing actions
like nuclear tests and

1362
01:08:14,924 --> 01:08:18,093
missile tests
that violate U.N.

1363
01:08:18,093 --> 01:08:19,995
Security Council
resolutions.

1364
01:08:19,995 --> 01:08:22,965
That's the constructive path
we would like to see North

1365
01:08:22,965 --> 01:08:23,966
Korea pursue.

1366
01:08:23,966 --> 01:08:26,302
And when I said "we," I
don't mean just the United

1367
01:08:26,301 --> 01:08:32,207
States -- I mean the United
States, South Korea, Japan,

1368
01:08:32,207 --> 01:08:34,844
Russia and China all agree
that that's what the North

1369
01:08:34,844 --> 01:08:36,712
Korean government should do.

1370
01:08:36,712 --> 01:08:37,713
JC.

1371
01:08:37,712 --> 01:08:40,316
The Press: I'd like to
follow up on my colleague

1372
01:08:40,316 --> 01:08:44,519
Chip's line of thought
regarding an individual who

1373
01:08:44,520 --> 01:08:47,189
was in the middle of all
this divisiveness, as you

1374
01:08:47,189 --> 01:08:50,960
call it, and rhetoric has
come out very favorably and

1375
01:08:50,960 --> 01:08:54,930
very powerfully, and that's
the First Lady -- her very

1376
01:08:54,930 --> 01:08:58,901
speeches, her surrogate
opportunities for

1377
01:08:58,901 --> 01:09:01,170
Secretary Clinton.

1378
01:09:01,170 --> 01:09:03,939
Would she ever consider
coming back into this White

1379
01:09:03,939 --> 01:09:07,409
House on a future date,
not as the First Lady but

1380
01:09:07,408 --> 01:09:08,676
perhaps as the President?

1381
01:09:08,676 --> 01:09:09,511
Mr. Earnest: No.

1382
01:09:09,511 --> 01:09:11,279
(laughter)

1383
01:09:11,279 --> 01:09:11,679
The Press: That's it?

1384
01:09:11,680 --> 01:09:12,748
Mr. Earnest: That's it.

1385
01:09:12,747 --> 01:09:14,782
Pam, I'll give
you the last one.

1386
01:09:14,783 --> 01:09:18,454
The Press: The President's
email was hacked last year

1387
01:09:18,453 --> 01:09:20,255
on the unclassified server.

1388
01:09:20,256 --> 01:09:23,092
Is there any concern that
any of those emails could

1389
01:09:23,091 --> 01:09:24,826
find their way
onto WikiLeaks?

1390
01:09:24,827 --> 01:09:27,263
And was the perpetrator
ever identified there?

1391
01:09:27,263 --> 01:09:30,299
And if so, is that the kind
of thing that would provoke

1392
01:09:30,299 --> 01:09:32,968
a proportionate response
from the U.S.?

1393
01:09:32,968 --> 01:09:35,638
Mr. Earnest: Pam, I've never

1394
01:09:35,638 --> 01:09:39,375
discussed the President's email

1395
01:09:39,375 --> 01:09:45,848
system, and so I've never
been in a position of

1396
01:09:45,848 --> 01:09:50,051
suggesting that somehow the
integrity of the President's

1397
01:09:50,051 --> 01:09:51,286
email system has
been violated.

1398
01:09:51,287 --> 01:09:54,924
What we have acknowledged
is that there is a -- that

1399
01:09:54,924 --> 01:09:59,962
there was an intrusion on
White House email networks a

1400
01:09:59,962 --> 01:10:02,398
year or two ago.

1401
01:10:02,398 --> 01:10:08,771
I'm not aware that any
public attribution for that

1402
01:10:08,771 --> 01:10:15,210
malicious activity has been
revealed by the intelligence

1403
01:10:15,210 --> 01:10:17,846
community, but that is
something that was obviously

1404
01:10:17,846 --> 01:10:23,718
closely investigated by the
intelligence community and

1405
01:10:23,719 --> 01:10:26,755
by the Department of
Homeland Security and

1406
01:10:26,755 --> 01:10:28,757
other agencies.

1407
01:10:30,125 --> 01:10:33,562
The White House did take
steps to enhance the safety

1408
01:10:33,562 --> 01:10:38,166
and security of the email
system here, but I don't

1409
01:10:38,167 --> 01:10:42,171
have any response
to discuss publicly.

1410
01:10:42,171 --> 01:10:45,808
The Press: And just on that
OPM hack, did that -- was

1411
01:10:45,808 --> 01:10:48,544
that ever determined
publicly who was the

1412
01:10:48,544 --> 01:10:51,180
perpetrator and whether
that would require a

1413
01:10:51,180 --> 01:10:53,349
proportionate response?

1414
01:10:53,349 --> 01:10:57,453
Mr. Earnest: With regard
to the breach of the OPM

1415
01:10:57,453 --> 01:11:01,156
systems, I'm not aware that
any public announcement was

1416
01:11:01,156 --> 01:11:03,359
made about who was
responsible for that

1417
01:11:03,359 --> 01:11:07,329
intrusion, but we did talk
at some length, in the

1418
01:11:07,329 --> 01:11:10,299
context of that intrusion,
about the kinds of

1419
01:11:10,299 --> 01:11:12,534
capabilities and potential
responses that the President

1420
01:11:12,534 --> 01:11:14,702
could use with regard
to that intrusion.

1421
01:11:14,703 --> 01:11:19,708
But I don't have any insight
to share about what public

1422
01:11:21,844 --> 01:11:25,347
response -- or what sort
of response was mobilized.

1423
01:11:25,347 --> 01:11:27,916
The Press: Is it that you
haven't figured out who did it?

1424
01:11:27,916 --> 01:11:30,753
Because you were pretty
clear about North Korea did

1425
01:11:30,753 --> 01:11:34,556
the Sony hack and Russia
hacking to influence the

1426
01:11:34,556 --> 01:11:37,125
elections, but we still
don't know who, officially,

1427
01:11:37,126 --> 01:11:39,828
who did that OPM hack.

1428
01:11:39,828 --> 01:11:43,766
Mr. Earnest: When these
breaches are reported, there

1429
01:11:43,766 --> 01:11:46,735
is a careful investigation
that's conducted by experts

1430
01:11:46,735 --> 01:11:50,205
at DHS and other
investigative agencies like

1431
01:11:50,205 --> 01:11:52,374
the Department of
Justice and the FBI.

1432
01:11:52,374 --> 01:11:54,576
And, in the context of those
investigations, what they do

1433
01:11:54,576 --> 01:11:59,014
is they try to learn as
much as possible about the

1434
01:11:59,014 --> 01:12:01,717
individuals or organization
or country that perpetrated

1435
01:12:01,717 --> 01:12:02,718
the attack.

1436
01:12:02,718 --> 01:12:06,488
They try to get insight into
what vulnerabilities they

1437
01:12:06,488 --> 01:12:10,759
were able to exploit, and
try to determine what

1438
01:12:10,759 --> 01:12:12,961
information was put at risk.

1439
01:12:15,597 --> 01:12:20,602
What they also do is they
also evaluate whether or not

1440
01:12:24,440 --> 01:12:29,445
naming the malicious
actor would advance the

1441
01:12:31,613 --> 01:12:33,615
investigation or advance
the interests of the

1442
01:12:33,615 --> 01:12:34,616
United States.

1443
01:12:34,616 --> 01:12:40,689
And that's why, on a
case-by-case basis, the

1444
01:12:40,689 --> 01:12:42,691
intelligence community and
the Department of Homeland

1445
01:12:42,691 --> 01:12:47,696
Security and law enforcement
carefully evaluate whether

1446
01:12:51,467 --> 01:12:54,769
or not naming a country or a
criminal organization would

1447
01:12:54,770 --> 01:12:56,472
be helpful.

1448
01:12:56,472 --> 01:13:01,844
For what decision they have
reached or why they have

1449
01:13:01,844 --> 01:13:04,146
that decision, I'd refer
you to those

1450
01:13:04,146 --> 01:13:05,179
investigative agencies.

1451
01:13:05,180 --> 01:13:10,486
But what the President has
tried to do is to prioritize

1452
01:13:10,486 --> 01:13:12,521
the resources that are
used by the United States

1453
01:13:12,521 --> 01:13:14,690
government to protect the
American people and to

1454
01:13:14,690 --> 01:13:16,692
protect our interests
in cyberspace.

1455
01:13:16,692 --> 01:13:19,394
And there is a lot of work
to be done because the

1456
01:13:19,394 --> 01:13:21,897
United States is in a
position where we're

1457
01:13:21,897 --> 01:13:23,866
quite vulnerable.

1458
01:13:23,866 --> 01:13:27,035
So much of the work that we
do on a daily basis, not

1459
01:13:27,035 --> 01:13:29,037
just in government but also
in the private sector and in

1460
01:13:29,037 --> 01:13:32,374
the lives of our daily
citizens involves

1461
01:13:32,374 --> 01:13:34,376
connectivity to the
Internet, and that

1462
01:13:34,376 --> 01:13:38,714
includes risks.

1463
01:13:38,714 --> 01:13:41,016
And so that's why the United
States government has been

1464
01:13:41,016 --> 01:13:42,351
working aggressively.

1465
01:13:42,351 --> 01:13:46,021
And it's why, frankly, we
retain better defensive and

1466
01:13:46,021 --> 01:13:48,991
offensive capabilities than
any other country in the world.

1467
01:13:48,991 --> 01:13:52,194
We need them, given how much
our country and our economy

1468
01:13:52,194 --> 01:13:56,965
and our national security
relies on the Internet and

1469
01:13:56,965 --> 01:14:01,970
our ability to use the
Internet in the context of

1470
01:14:05,073 --> 01:14:06,408
our daily lives.

1471
01:14:06,408 --> 01:14:07,843
The Press: Anything on the
mass outing today online?

1472
01:14:07,843 --> 01:14:09,745
Mr. Earnest: I'm sorry.

1473
01:14:09,745 --> 01:14:11,180
The Press: Is the White
House aware of the mass

1474
01:14:11,180 --> 01:14:13,248
Internet outage today?

1475
01:14:13,248 --> 01:14:14,583
Mr. Earnest: Yeah, Justin
asked me about it.

1476
01:14:14,583 --> 01:14:15,983
So the DHS is tracking it.

1477
01:14:15,984 --> 01:14:18,253
Why don't we do
the week ahead.

1478
01:14:18,253 --> 01:14:21,190
On Sunday, the President
will travel to Las Vegas,

1479
01:14:21,190 --> 01:14:24,326
Nevada to deliver remarks at
an event for Hillary Clinton

1480
01:14:24,326 --> 01:14:28,363
and for Senate candidate
Catherine Cortez Masto.

1481
01:14:28,363 --> 01:14:30,599
In the evening, the
President will travel to San

1482
01:14:30,599 --> 01:14:32,668
Diego, California, where he
will deliver remarks and

1483
01:14:32,668 --> 01:14:35,003
take questions
at a DCCC event.

1484
01:14:35,003 --> 01:14:37,005
On Monday, the President
will deliver remarks at a

1485
01:14:37,005 --> 01:14:38,407
Hillary Victory
Fund reception.

1486
01:14:38,407 --> 01:14:41,076
And then, in the afternoon,
the President will travel to

1487
01:14:41,076 --> 01:14:43,478
Los Angeles where he will
participate in a taping of

1488
01:14:43,478 --> 01:14:45,314
Jimmy Kimmel Live.

1489
01:14:45,314 --> 01:14:47,316
In the evening, the
President will participate

1490
01:14:47,316 --> 01:14:50,952
in a DNC and Hillary
Victory Fund roundtable.

1491
01:14:50,953 --> 01:14:53,455
On Tuesday, the President
will participate in a DSCC

1492
01:14:53,455 --> 01:14:55,757
roundtable, and in the
afternoon he'll come back to

1493
01:14:55,757 --> 01:14:56,525
the White House.

1494
01:14:56,525 --> 01:15:00,795
On Wednesday and Thursday,
the President will attend

1495
01:15:00,796 --> 01:15:02,064
meetings at the White House.

1496
01:15:02,064 --> 01:15:03,732
And then on Friday, the
President will travel to

1497
01:15:03,732 --> 01:15:07,002
Orlando, Florida, where
he will participate in a

1498
01:15:07,002 --> 01:15:09,004
Hillary For America
event down there.

1499
01:15:09,004 --> 01:15:11,206
Have a good
weekend, everybody.