English subtitles for clip: File:6-20-14- White House Press Briefing.webm
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
1 00:00:00,433 --> 00:00:02,233 Mr. Earnest: Good afternoon, everybody. 2 00:00:02,233 --> 00:00:03,266 It's nice to see all your smiling 3 00:00:03,266 --> 00:00:06,032 faces this afternoon. 4 00:00:06,033 --> 00:00:08,367 It must be because it's Friday there 5 00:00:08,367 --> 00:00:09,100 are so many smiles. 6 00:00:11,500 --> 00:00:13,700 Well, today is my final briefing 7 00:00:13,700 --> 00:00:15,200 as the Principal Deputy Press Secretary. 8 00:00:15,200 --> 00:00:17,533 (laughter) 9 00:00:18,233 --> 00:00:20,600 I'm pleased that there's such a strong turnout 10 00:00:20,600 --> 00:00:21,633 to mark this occasion. 11 00:00:23,640 --> 00:00:25,000 So I'll be looking for your Hallmark 12 00:00:25,000 --> 00:00:26,033 cards later today. 13 00:00:26,400 --> 00:00:27,933 The Press: We're still on Jay time, then. 14 00:00:28,200 --> 00:00:30,400 Mr. Earnest: We are still on Jay time. 15 00:00:30,400 --> 00:00:33,699 Since you brought him up, I will say one thing. 16 00:00:33,700 --> 00:00:36,900 He did his last briefing here on Wednesday, 17 00:00:36,900 --> 00:00:40,300 and he is somebody who devoted a significant portion 18 00:00:40,300 --> 00:00:42,733 of his life over the last three years working hard 19 00:00:42,734 --> 00:00:45,667 to serve this President and to serve all of you. 20 00:00:45,667 --> 00:00:48,567 And we are sad to see him go, but wish 21 00:00:48,567 --> 00:00:52,500 him all the best as he pursues the next chapter in his career 22 00:00:52,500 --> 00:00:56,367 and sensibly, will spend more time with his family 23 00:00:56,367 --> 00:00:57,800 in a way that he's pretty happy about 24 00:00:57,800 --> 00:00:58,934 and presumably, they are too. 25 00:01:00,160 --> 00:01:00,879 The Press: And Colbert. 26 00:01:00,940 --> 00:01:02,132 Mr. Earnest: Exactly. 27 00:01:02,133 --> 00:01:03,767 So, Josh, I'll let you do the first question today. 28 00:01:04,099 --> 00:01:04,632 The Press: Thanks, Josh. 29 00:01:04,632 --> 00:01:08,133 (laughter) 30 00:01:08,133 --> 00:01:11,199 At risk of jumping the gun for Monday, I on behalf 31 00:01:11,200 --> 00:01:12,333 of my colleagues wanted to welcome 32 00:01:12,333 --> 00:01:14,600 you to your new role behind the podium. 33 00:01:14,600 --> 00:01:15,833 I know it's not your first rodeo, 34 00:01:15,834 --> 00:01:17,166 but it's official now. 35 00:01:17,166 --> 00:01:17,567 So, welcome. 36 00:01:18,367 --> 00:01:20,400 If we could start on Ukraine, 37 00:01:20,400 --> 00:01:22,780 President Poroshenko has declared a unilateral 38 00:01:22,780 --> 00:01:24,160 ceasefire for the next week. 39 00:01:24,166 --> 00:01:27,233 But at the same time, the Russian troops 40 00:01:27,233 --> 00:01:29,767 along the border that we had seen pulled back 41 00:01:29,767 --> 00:01:31,866 looks like they're heading back to the border. 42 00:01:31,867 --> 00:01:32,967 So is the U.S. concerned 43 00:01:32,967 --> 00:01:34,266 about a buildup of Russian 44 00:01:34,266 --> 00:01:35,900 forces along the border? 45 00:01:41,066 --> 00:01:42,000 Mr. Earnest: The short answer to your question, 46 00:01:42,000 --> 00:01:43,400 Josh, is yes, we are. 47 00:01:43,400 --> 00:01:47,934 The United States has been very clear in our support 48 00:01:47,934 --> 00:01:49,533 for President Poroshenko's efforts to bring 49 00:01:49,533 --> 00:01:52,266 peace and unity to Ukraine. 50 00:01:52,266 --> 00:01:54,700 President Poroshenko has been clear since 51 00:01:54,700 --> 00:01:56,333 he took office that he is committed to finding 52 00:01:56,333 --> 00:01:59,100 a peaceful resolution to the crisis, and he has offered 53 00:01:59,100 --> 00:02:00,866 to grant amnesty to separatists within 54 00:02:00,867 --> 00:02:04,033 Ukraine and provide safe passage back to Russia 55 00:02:04,033 --> 00:02:05,700 to those Russian militants operating 56 00:02:05,700 --> 00:02:06,700 in eastern Ukraine. 57 00:02:06,700 --> 00:02:08,567 He has also committed to continue a national 58 00:02:08,567 --> 00:02:10,533 dialogue to unite the country and pledged 59 00:02:10,532 --> 00:02:13,166 to de-centralize power and undertake constitutional 60 00:02:13,166 --> 00:02:15,367 reform to address the legitimate concerns 61 00:02:15,367 --> 00:02:17,700 of the Iranian people -- of the Ukrainian people. 62 00:02:18,533 --> 00:02:20,399 Now, we've also been very clear that there 63 00:02:20,400 --> 00:02:24,533 are some asks of President Putin as well. 64 00:02:24,533 --> 00:02:27,065 We have repeatedly called on the Russians to support 65 00:02:27,066 --> 00:02:30,734 peace and to promote some stability 66 00:02:30,734 --> 00:02:33,633 to the security situation in Ukraine. 67 00:02:33,633 --> 00:02:37,233 We've also asked them to halt the provision 68 00:02:37,233 --> 00:02:39,467 of arms and materiel across the border 69 00:02:39,467 --> 00:02:41,767 from Russia to Ukraine. 70 00:02:41,767 --> 00:02:46,500 We also want them to stop supporting the militants 71 00:02:46,500 --> 00:02:48,300 who are fomenting so much violence 72 00:02:48,300 --> 00:02:50,800 and instability in that country. 73 00:02:50,800 --> 00:02:53,000 Now, unfortunately, there is mounting evidence 74 00:02:53,000 --> 00:02:55,166 that shows a buildup of Russian military forces 75 00:02:55,166 --> 00:02:59,367 near the border with Ukraine, contrary to the statements 76 00:02:59,367 --> 00:03:01,033 by Kremlin officials. 77 00:03:01,033 --> 00:03:02,733 We do not see any evidence that the Russian 78 00:03:02,734 --> 00:03:04,300 military units arriving to the region 79 00:03:04,300 --> 00:03:07,400 are connected to any type of border security mission. 80 00:03:07,400 --> 00:03:08,967 And further, reports from Moscow that 81 00:03:08,967 --> 00:03:10,734 the Russian Defense Ministry is considering 82 00:03:10,734 --> 00:03:13,967 creating military cordons in eastern Ukraine 83 00:03:13,967 --> 00:03:15,367 are also troubling. 84 00:03:15,367 --> 00:03:16,966 So we're monitoring the situation closely. 85 00:03:16,967 --> 00:03:19,066 And we will not accept any use of Russian military 86 00:03:19,066 --> 00:03:22,400 forces under any pretext in eastern Ukraine; 87 00:03:22,400 --> 00:03:25,600 after all, eastern Ukraine is a sovereign country. 88 00:03:25,600 --> 00:03:30,533 And interference by outside countries 89 00:03:30,533 --> 00:03:33,100 is a violation of their sovereignty 90 00:03:33,100 --> 00:03:35,033 and territorial integrity. 91 00:03:35,033 --> 00:03:36,833 There is one other point that I actually want 92 00:03:36,834 --> 00:03:39,500 to raise here that is also important 93 00:03:39,500 --> 00:03:40,500 and of some concern. 94 00:03:40,500 --> 00:03:44,266 In addition, inflammatory statements such as those 95 00:03:44,266 --> 00:03:47,367 by Foreign Minister Lavrov earlier this week 96 00:03:47,367 --> 00:03:49,733 in which he described ethnic cleansing taking place 97 00:03:49,734 --> 00:03:52,367 in Ukraine are simply false. 98 00:03:52,367 --> 00:03:53,632 We see these statements for what they 99 00:03:53,633 --> 00:03:57,300 are, an attempt to create pretext for further illegal 100 00:03:57,300 --> 00:03:59,400 Russian intervention in Ukraine. 101 00:03:59,400 --> 00:04:01,800 In fact, responsibility for the deterioration 102 00:04:01,800 --> 00:04:03,867 in the human rights situation in Ukraine 103 00:04:03,867 --> 00:04:07,166 lies with the armed separatists who are targeting the population 104 00:04:07,166 --> 00:04:09,567 and their backers in Russia. 105 00:04:09,567 --> 00:04:11,500 Multiple reports by human rights monitors 106 00:04:11,500 --> 00:04:13,633 over the past several months have indicated 107 00:04:13,633 --> 00:04:15,867 that armed separatists groups supported by Russia 108 00:04:15,867 --> 00:04:18,800 are perpetrating an increasing number of killings, 109 00:04:18,800 --> 00:04:20,567 abductions, and other violent human 110 00:04:20,567 --> 00:04:23,233 rights abuses in eastern Ukraine. 111 00:04:23,233 --> 00:04:25,433 And the same is happening in Crimea 112 00:04:25,433 --> 00:04:26,633 under Russian occupation. 113 00:04:27,700 --> 00:04:31,033 What the President said in Europe and actually 114 00:04:31,033 --> 00:04:32,500 had the opportunity to communicate directly 115 00:04:32,500 --> 00:04:35,166 to President Putin was that there is an opportunity 116 00:04:35,166 --> 00:04:36,734 for Russia to play a constructive 117 00:04:36,734 --> 00:04:38,599 role in this process. 118 00:04:38,600 --> 00:04:40,300 There is no reason for the people of Ukraine 119 00:04:40,300 --> 00:04:43,066 to have to choose between good relations with Russia 120 00:04:43,066 --> 00:04:46,599 and good relations with the West. 121 00:04:46,600 --> 00:04:47,600 In fact, there's an opportunity 122 00:04:47,600 --> 00:04:49,233 for them to have both. 123 00:04:49,233 --> 00:04:51,700 But they're only going to have those solid relations 124 00:04:51,700 --> 00:04:56,599 if Russia respects the sovereignty of Ukraine 125 00:04:56,600 --> 00:04:59,734 and works in a cooperative fashion to bring 126 00:04:59,734 --> 00:05:01,532 some stability to the security situation there. 127 00:05:01,767 --> 00:05:02,433 The Press: And just to clarify, 128 00:05:02,433 --> 00:05:04,400 you said that eastern Ukraine was a sovereign country, 129 00:05:04,400 --> 00:05:06,000 but you're referring to eastern Ukraine 130 00:05:06,000 --> 00:05:07,633 as part of a sovereign Ukraine. 131 00:05:07,834 --> 00:05:08,300 Mr. Earnest: That's correct. 132 00:05:08,633 --> 00:05:11,767 The Press: And to move to Iraq, the top Shiite 133 00:05:11,767 --> 00:05:15,066 cleric there, al-Sistani, is now calling for there 134 00:05:15,066 --> 00:05:16,366 to be a new government. 135 00:05:16,367 --> 00:05:20,533 Considering that he's a member of al-Maliki's 136 00:05:20,533 --> 00:05:23,633 own religious group, does that lead 137 00:05:23,633 --> 00:05:27,332 the U.S. to think that it's time for a new government 138 00:05:27,333 --> 00:05:28,333 there to take over? 139 00:05:28,600 --> 00:05:30,767 Mr. Earnest: The views of this administration 140 00:05:30,767 --> 00:05:32,400 have not changed, which is that the leadership 141 00:05:32,400 --> 00:05:34,032 of the Iraqi government should be determined 142 00:05:34,033 --> 00:05:35,066 by the Iraqi people. 143 00:05:35,066 --> 00:05:40,366 That is the policy of this administration. 144 00:05:40,367 --> 00:05:42,266 It's something that the President reiterated 145 00:05:42,266 --> 00:05:44,500 when he spoke to you yesterday from this podium. 146 00:05:45,066 --> 00:05:47,566 Now, it is also the belief of the Obama 147 00:05:47,567 --> 00:05:50,200 administration and of the President personally 148 00:05:50,200 --> 00:05:52,567 that a successful Iraqi government, 149 00:05:52,567 --> 00:05:55,066 that is an Iraqi central government that has control 150 00:05:55,066 --> 00:05:56,799 over the country and can bring some stability 151 00:05:56,800 --> 00:06:00,533 to the security situation there, will be a government that 152 00:06:00,533 --> 00:06:02,734 governs in an inclusive fashion. 153 00:06:02,734 --> 00:06:07,265 Pursuing an inclusive political agenda 154 00:06:07,266 --> 00:06:10,233 is critical to the success of that country, 155 00:06:10,233 --> 00:06:12,300 and it's critical to demonstrating to all of the 156 00:06:12,300 --> 00:06:16,100 people in Iraq that they have an interest in that country's 157 00:06:16,100 --> 00:06:18,767 prosperity and in that country's future. 158 00:06:18,767 --> 00:06:22,033 So we're going to continue to support the Iraqi 159 00:06:22,033 --> 00:06:25,800 people and support the Iraqi government as they 160 00:06:25,800 --> 00:06:30,200 consider pursuing a diplomatic or political 161 00:06:30,200 --> 00:06:31,767 agenda along these lines. 162 00:06:32,967 --> 00:06:33,967 Roberta, I'll give you the next. 163 00:06:33,967 --> 00:06:36,633 The Press: The new programs announced today 164 00:06:36,633 --> 00:06:39,667 to deal with the child immigration problem, 165 00:06:39,667 --> 00:06:42,667 where is the money for those new programs 166 00:06:42,667 --> 00:06:43,599 going to come from? 167 00:06:43,600 --> 00:06:45,000 Does Congress have to approve that? 168 00:06:45,433 --> 00:06:47,066 Mr. Earnest: Well, let me just back 169 00:06:47,066 --> 00:06:48,232 up just a little bit to make sure that everybody 170 00:06:48,233 --> 00:06:51,700 is up to date in terms of what we're talking about here. 171 00:06:52,600 --> 00:06:53,834 What was announced earlier today 172 00:06:53,834 --> 00:06:55,633 by the Department of Homeland Security 173 00:06:55,633 --> 00:06:58,667 was a commitment of additional judges, asylum officers 174 00:06:58,667 --> 00:07:04,967 and immigration attorneys to deal with what we're seeing 175 00:07:04,967 --> 00:07:08,767 in terms of the increasing flow of adults who are showing 176 00:07:08,767 --> 00:07:12,000 up at the border between the United States and Mexico. 177 00:07:12,767 --> 00:07:15,867 In addition, we have also committed resources 178 00:07:15,867 --> 00:07:19,467 to opening up facilities in this country to deal 179 00:07:19,467 --> 00:07:21,800 with the growing problem of adults who appear 180 00:07:21,800 --> 00:07:25,600 on the border with children; that is adults from other 181 00:07:25,600 --> 00:07:27,567 countries who are seeking to illegally enter 182 00:07:27,567 --> 00:07:32,133 this country, and have children with them. 183 00:07:32,166 --> 00:07:33,467 And then once those facilities 184 00:07:33,467 --> 00:07:37,300 are up and running, we will then deploy a similar surge 185 00:07:37,300 --> 00:07:40,667 of judges, asylum officers and attorneys 186 00:07:40,667 --> 00:07:44,667 to more quickly and efficiently deal 187 00:07:44,667 --> 00:07:46,933 with those immigration cases. 188 00:07:46,934 --> 00:07:48,567 In many cases, these are asylum requests. 189 00:07:48,567 --> 00:07:52,500 And that's why we'll have asylum officers 190 00:07:52,500 --> 00:07:56,667 and judges there to process them quickly and efficiently. 191 00:07:57,800 --> 00:08:01,567 In terms of paying for this, I don't have 192 00:08:01,567 --> 00:08:04,000 any details to offer you specifically here. 193 00:08:04,000 --> 00:08:07,133 I will just point out that in recent weeks, 194 00:08:07,133 --> 00:08:09,933 we've seen comments from Democrats and Republicans 195 00:08:09,934 --> 00:08:11,934 in Congress expressing concern 196 00:08:15,467 --> 00:08:17,900 about this situation, about this influx 197 00:08:17,900 --> 00:08:21,032 that we're seeing along the southern border, 198 00:08:21,033 --> 00:08:23,033 mostly in the Rio Grande Valley. 199 00:08:25,233 --> 00:08:27,934 So it would be our hope and expectation 200 00:08:27,934 --> 00:08:29,967 that those members of Congress who are expressing concern 201 00:08:29,967 --> 00:08:33,066 about this situation will work collaboratively 202 00:08:33,066 --> 00:08:35,266 with the administration to make sure we have 203 00:08:35,265 --> 00:08:39,467 the resources necessary to deal with this growing problem. 204 00:08:39,967 --> 00:08:40,933 The Press: So there's no information about 205 00:08:40,933 --> 00:08:43,766 how many officers, judges, and how this 206 00:08:43,767 --> 00:08:45,300 will be paid for at this point? 207 00:08:45,567 --> 00:08:46,266 Mr. Earnest: At this point, no. 208 00:08:46,266 --> 00:08:47,266 But again, in terms of paying 209 00:08:47,266 --> 00:08:51,233 for it, we would want to work with members of Congress 210 00:08:51,233 --> 00:08:53,699 to make sure that the necessary resources are available 211 00:08:53,700 --> 00:08:55,500 to deal with a problem they admit exists. 212 00:08:55,934 --> 00:08:58,100 The Press: Just quickly on -- there 213 00:08:58,100 --> 00:09:01,400 was lots of excitement today about the IRS. 214 00:09:01,400 --> 00:09:04,132 And I'm wondering whether the White House 215 00:09:04,133 --> 00:09:06,667 would consider naming an independent prosecutor, 216 00:09:06,667 --> 00:09:09,133 some kind of independent person to clear 217 00:09:09,133 --> 00:09:10,767 the air over that? 218 00:09:10,767 --> 00:09:11,533 And if not, why not? 219 00:09:12,100 --> 00:09:17,467 Mr. Earnest: Well, I think that many Republicans 220 00:09:17,467 --> 00:09:18,800 in Congress at least, particularly 221 00:09:18,800 --> 00:09:25,367 in the House have demonstrated a pretty aggressive appetite 222 00:09:25,367 --> 00:09:28,500 for investigating this issue. 223 00:09:28,500 --> 00:09:31,567 You've seen extensive cooperation 224 00:09:31,567 --> 00:09:33,867 by the Internal Revenue Service and members 225 00:09:33,867 --> 00:09:35,733 of the Obama administration with that investigation. 226 00:09:35,734 --> 00:09:39,734 There have been 750,000 pages of documents 227 00:09:39,734 --> 00:09:43,033 that have provided; 64,000 different emails 228 00:09:43,033 --> 00:09:46,533 from one specific IRS employee. 229 00:09:46,533 --> 00:09:48,800 So our willingness to cooperate 230 00:09:48,800 --> 00:09:52,834 with this investigate is evident from the numbers. 231 00:09:53,700 --> 00:09:58,166 The thing that is also true is that there 232 00:09:58,166 --> 00:10:00,467 have been a large number of claims and conspiracy 233 00:10:00,467 --> 00:10:01,766 theories that have been floated about 234 00:10:01,767 --> 00:10:04,734 this process by Republicans that 235 00:10:04,734 --> 00:10:09,333 just have not panned out, frankly. 236 00:10:09,333 --> 00:10:15,333 And we've demonstrated our willingness to collaborate 237 00:10:15,333 --> 00:10:17,033 with them with legitimate oversight. 238 00:10:17,033 --> 00:10:18,233 We'll continue to cooperate, 239 00:10:18,233 --> 00:10:22,766 and that's why you've -- that's why there's 240 00:10:22,767 --> 00:10:25,867 been the testimony that you've seen today because there 241 00:10:25,867 --> 00:10:27,733 are senior Obama administration officials that 242 00:10:27,734 --> 00:10:31,166 are going up there and answering all of these questions; 243 00:10:31,166 --> 00:10:36,734 again, some of which are rooted in the kinds 244 00:10:36,734 --> 00:10:38,767 of conspiracy theories that don't have any truth to them. 245 00:10:39,066 --> 00:10:40,166 The Press: So wouldn't it help just having 246 00:10:40,166 --> 00:10:41,500 an independent person come in and look at it? 247 00:10:41,500 --> 00:10:43,767 I mean if you're saying that what they're doing 248 00:10:43,767 --> 00:10:45,300 is political, wouldn't it help 249 00:10:45,300 --> 00:10:47,032 to have an independent person look at it? 250 00:10:47,367 --> 00:10:49,266 Mr. Earnest: No, because I think even 251 00:10:49,266 --> 00:10:51,733 the politically motivated investigation 252 00:10:51,734 --> 00:10:57,767 has not turned up any facts that support the conspiracy theories 253 00:10:57,767 --> 00:10:59,467 that they've propounded. 254 00:10:59,467 --> 00:11:01,433 The fact of the matter is after 13 months 255 00:11:01,433 --> 00:11:03,033 of multiple congressional investigations, 256 00:11:03,033 --> 00:11:06,066 including 14 congressional hearings, 30 interviews 257 00:11:06,066 --> 00:11:09,233 with IRS employees, 50 written congressional requests, 258 00:11:09,233 --> 00:11:12,300 and as I mentioned 750,000 pages of documents, 259 00:11:12,300 --> 00:11:15,099 there is zero evidence to support Republican claims. 260 00:11:15,100 --> 00:11:17,734 And that's even -- again, 261 00:11:17,734 --> 00:11:20,567 these are investigations that have 262 00:11:20,567 --> 00:11:22,800 a pretty transparent political motive. 263 00:11:22,800 --> 00:11:25,333 So I'm not sure that there's a whole 264 00:11:25,333 --> 00:11:27,666 lot more to be discovered here. 265 00:11:27,667 --> 00:11:30,000 I guess the other thing I would point 266 00:11:30,000 --> 00:11:32,233 out is that there has been an independent 267 00:11:32,233 --> 00:11:34,400 inspector general investigation that's 268 00:11:34,400 --> 00:11:37,165 also been conducted here. 269 00:11:37,166 --> 00:11:38,300 And according to his testimony, 270 00:11:38,300 --> 00:11:40,433 he also found no evidence that anyone outside 271 00:11:40,433 --> 00:11:42,667 of the IRS had any involvement in the inappropriate 272 00:11:42,667 --> 00:11:44,633 targeting of conservative groups 273 00:11:44,633 --> 00:11:46,333 who applied for tax-exempt status. 274 00:11:46,333 --> 00:11:49,165 So we've cooperated extensively with 275 00:11:49,166 --> 00:11:50,967 a large number of congressional hearings, 276 00:11:50,967 --> 00:11:53,367 many of which were politically motivated. 277 00:11:53,367 --> 00:11:55,934 We've cooperated with an independent inspector 278 00:11:55,934 --> 00:11:59,300 general investigation, who did not find 279 00:11:59,300 --> 00:12:01,800 any evidence that supports Republican claims. 280 00:12:02,867 --> 00:12:07,000 I think frankly we'd prefer that Republicans 281 00:12:07,000 --> 00:12:08,767 would devote this kind of attention and energy 282 00:12:08,767 --> 00:12:11,600 to policies that are actually going to create jobs, 283 00:12:11,600 --> 00:12:14,967 as opposed to partisan fishing expeditions. 284 00:12:15,333 --> 00:12:16,533 So let's move around the room just 285 00:12:16,533 --> 00:12:16,867 a little bit. 286 00:12:16,867 --> 00:12:17,666 Justin. 287 00:12:17,667 --> 00:12:19,200 The Press: Thanks, Josh. 288 00:12:19,200 --> 00:12:21,200 I was wondering if I could get your reaction 289 00:12:21,200 --> 00:12:23,667 to the Republican leadership yesterday. 290 00:12:23,667 --> 00:12:26,600 And specifically kind of what your guys' 291 00:12:26,600 --> 00:12:29,000 opinion on Kevin McCarthy is in the building, 292 00:12:29,000 --> 00:12:32,166 and how you think you're going to work with him kind 293 00:12:32,166 --> 00:12:33,333 of moving forward? 294 00:12:36,133 --> 00:12:37,567 Mr. Earnest: Well, I would certainly first begin 295 00:12:37,567 --> 00:12:39,567 by congratulating Mr. McCarthy 296 00:12:39,567 --> 00:12:43,333 and Mr. Scalise for their successful elections. 297 00:12:43,333 --> 00:12:48,666 They were voted into their leadership positions 298 00:12:48,667 --> 00:12:53,734 by their peers in the Republican Congress. 299 00:12:53,734 --> 00:12:57,700 And as the elected leaders of one party 300 00:12:57,700 --> 00:13:00,433 and one house of Congress, the administration 301 00:13:00,433 --> 00:13:03,200 will seek to work with them to try to find common ground. 302 00:13:03,967 --> 00:13:05,400 There's no doubt they haven't papered 303 00:13:05,400 --> 00:13:06,400 over the differences. 304 00:13:06,400 --> 00:13:08,699 I won't either in terms of our policy views 305 00:13:08,700 --> 00:13:10,300 and what we think is in the best interest 306 00:13:10,300 --> 00:13:11,400 of the country moving forward. 307 00:13:11,400 --> 00:13:13,066 There are plenty of differences. 308 00:13:13,066 --> 00:13:15,066 What we hope we can focus on are those areas 309 00:13:15,066 --> 00:13:17,533 of common ground, and we'll see whether 310 00:13:17,533 --> 00:13:19,100 or not they are -- they're willing to do that. 311 00:13:19,100 --> 00:13:21,667 If there is a willingness by those members 312 00:13:21,667 --> 00:13:24,266 of the Republican leadership to try to find common ground 313 00:13:24,266 --> 00:13:26,333 with the administration on a range of policies 314 00:13:26,333 --> 00:13:30,400 that would better support middle-class families 315 00:13:30,400 --> 00:13:32,632 all across the country, they'll find willing 316 00:13:32,633 --> 00:13:34,300 partners on this end of Pennsylvania Avenue. 317 00:13:34,300 --> 00:13:36,834 The Press: Valerie Jarrett earlier this morning 318 00:13:36,834 --> 00:13:40,099 suggested that McCarthy's election kind of opened 319 00:13:40,100 --> 00:13:42,533 a window of opportunity for immigration reform 320 00:13:42,533 --> 00:13:43,967 to happen this summer. 321 00:13:43,967 --> 00:13:46,333 So I'm wondering, both, if you guys have reached 322 00:13:46,333 --> 00:13:48,266 out to him in any way, or had discussions 323 00:13:48,266 --> 00:13:50,766 with him about pursuing immigration reform this summer? 324 00:13:51,333 --> 00:13:54,333 And secondly, conventional wisdom of course 325 00:13:54,333 --> 00:13:55,867 is that Eric Cantor's defeat 326 00:13:55,867 --> 00:13:58,900 would make Republicans skittish in Congress. 327 00:13:58,900 --> 00:14:01,699 And so why do you feel like that's -- 328 00:14:01,700 --> 00:14:04,567 in fact, the opposite is true? 329 00:14:05,300 --> 00:14:06,967 Mr. Earnest: Well, I don't have any specific 330 00:14:06,967 --> 00:14:09,400 phone calls or meetings with Mr. McCarthy 331 00:14:09,400 --> 00:14:11,667 to read out to you at this point. 332 00:14:11,667 --> 00:14:14,367 I've expressed my own bemusement about 333 00:14:14,367 --> 00:14:16,666 the political analysis that has reached 334 00:14:16,667 --> 00:14:20,900 the conclusion that a candidate for office 335 00:14:20,900 --> 00:14:25,699 who was strongly opposed to immigration reform was somehow 336 00:14:25,700 --> 00:14:28,700 the key to the passage of immigration reform, right? 337 00:14:28,700 --> 00:14:30,700 I think as I mentioned earlier, 338 00:14:30,700 --> 00:14:31,700 I just moved to Virginia. 339 00:14:31,700 --> 00:14:33,133 I didn't move into the 7th Congressional District, 340 00:14:33,133 --> 00:14:36,567 but I saw a lot of those mailers that Mr. Cantor's 341 00:14:36,567 --> 00:14:39,133 campaign distributed, and he made pretty clear 342 00:14:39,133 --> 00:14:40,600 that he was opposed to immigration reform. 343 00:14:40,600 --> 00:14:43,900 I'm not sure why there is this notion that 344 00:14:43,900 --> 00:14:46,467 if he had been elected that it's more likely that 345 00:14:46,467 --> 00:14:47,667 immigration reform would have passed. 346 00:14:47,667 --> 00:14:49,200 He was promising to do everything 347 00:14:49,200 --> 00:14:50,033 he could to block it. 348 00:14:50,367 --> 00:14:54,065 Now, that's unfortunate, and I think 349 00:14:54,066 --> 00:14:56,633 it is an open question whether or not the prospects 350 00:14:56,633 --> 00:14:59,333 for immigration reform's passage are enhanced 351 00:14:59,333 --> 00:15:04,132 by Mr. McCarthy's ascension to a higher position 352 00:15:04,133 --> 00:15:05,500 in the Republican leadership. 353 00:15:05,500 --> 00:15:09,500 I know that there are many in Mr. McCarthy's district 354 00:15:09,500 --> 00:15:11,967 in California that are strongly supportive 355 00:15:11,967 --> 00:15:14,934 of comprehensive immigration reform. 356 00:15:14,934 --> 00:15:17,100 That's not actually unique. 357 00:15:17,100 --> 00:15:18,900 There are a lot of people all across the country 358 00:15:18,900 --> 00:15:21,667 for a wide range of reasons in both parties 359 00:15:21,667 --> 00:15:23,834 who are strongly in favor of comprehensive immigration 360 00:15:23,834 --> 00:15:26,032 reform; along the lines of the compromise 361 00:15:26,033 --> 00:15:27,500 that was passed in bipartisan fashion 362 00:15:27,500 --> 00:15:29,033 in the Senate last year. 363 00:15:29,033 --> 00:15:32,133 So there are plenty of good economic reasons 364 00:15:32,133 --> 00:15:33,533 to support immigration reform. 365 00:15:33,533 --> 00:15:36,800 There's -- I think as the Congressional Budget 366 00:15:36,800 --> 00:15:38,199 Office has found that there are hundreds 367 00:15:38,200 --> 00:15:40,433 of billions of dollars in deficit reduction 368 00:15:40,433 --> 00:15:42,766 over the next couple of decades that would be enjoyed 369 00:15:42,767 --> 00:15:44,834 by this country if immigration reform 370 00:15:44,834 --> 00:15:45,834 were to pass. 371 00:15:45,834 --> 00:15:49,733 But again, this will have to be a decision 372 00:15:49,734 --> 00:15:52,333 that Mr. McCarthy makes as he gets settled 373 00:15:52,333 --> 00:15:55,433 into what presumably is a fancy new office in the Capitol. 374 00:15:55,834 --> 00:15:57,300 All right, Jim. 375 00:15:57,633 --> 00:15:59,166 The Press: Back on the unaccompanied minors, 376 00:15:59,166 --> 00:16:00,600 if you could talk about this a moment. 377 00:16:00,800 --> 00:16:01,132 Mr. Earnest: Sure. 378 00:16:01,367 --> 00:16:02,632 The Press: I know the Vice President is down 379 00:16:02,633 --> 00:16:06,633 in Central America today, and the White House 380 00:16:06,633 --> 00:16:09,000 has been adamant that White House policies, 381 00:16:09,000 --> 00:16:12,166 the DREAM Act and also comprehensive immigration reform 382 00:16:12,166 --> 00:16:15,333 are not the reasons why people are crossing the border. 383 00:16:15,333 --> 00:16:17,834 But, in fact -- and in fact, that may be true. 384 00:16:17,834 --> 00:16:19,233 What we're hearing is that they're coming 385 00:16:19,233 --> 00:16:21,900 here not because of that, but because they realize 386 00:16:21,900 --> 00:16:24,967 that once they get here -- moms with kids, 387 00:16:24,967 --> 00:16:27,667 and kids themselves -- that the bureaucratic system 388 00:16:27,667 --> 00:16:30,800 in this country allows them to stay in many cases. 389 00:16:30,800 --> 00:16:32,632 And we can't get answers from 390 00:16:32,633 --> 00:16:34,967 this administration about the numbers. 391 00:16:34,967 --> 00:16:37,400 We've asked repeatedly how many people 392 00:16:37,400 --> 00:16:41,600 who are given these promises to appear notices, 393 00:16:41,600 --> 00:16:44,934 these are the mothers who get promises to appear notices, 394 00:16:44,934 --> 00:16:47,333 and then are allowed to go stay with relatives 395 00:16:47,333 --> 00:16:50,100 and go to -- and promise to go to court -- 396 00:16:50,100 --> 00:16:52,633 how many of them are actually going to court versus 397 00:16:52,633 --> 00:16:56,433 how many are disappearing into the fabric of the country? 398 00:16:56,800 --> 00:16:58,632 And a related question to that is, how many 399 00:16:58,633 --> 00:17:02,500 of the unaccompanied minors are then released 400 00:17:02,500 --> 00:17:04,767 to foster homes or their relatives in this country 401 00:17:04,767 --> 00:17:06,165 and, in fact, are allowed to stay? 402 00:17:06,165 --> 00:17:08,433 Isn't that the real reason they're coming across? 403 00:17:08,433 --> 00:17:09,633 And why won't the administration 404 00:17:09,633 --> 00:17:10,734 answer those questions? 405 00:17:11,200 --> 00:17:13,467 Mr. Earnest: Well, Jim, I do want to take 406 00:17:13,467 --> 00:17:14,967 this opportunity to make something really 407 00:17:14,967 --> 00:17:17,233 clear first of all that so much of what we're 408 00:17:17,233 --> 00:17:23,165 seeing on the southern border is the result of a deliberate, 409 00:17:23,165 --> 00:17:26,332 misinformation campaign that is propagated 410 00:17:26,333 --> 00:17:30,433 by criminal syndicates in Central America. 411 00:17:30,433 --> 00:17:33,767 That misinformation is causing some people 412 00:17:33,767 --> 00:17:36,567 who are in a rather desperate situation 413 00:17:36,567 --> 00:17:40,133 to risk their lives to come to the United States border 414 00:17:40,133 --> 00:17:41,300 expecting that they'll be able 415 00:17:41,300 --> 00:17:42,800 to stay in this country. 416 00:17:42,800 --> 00:17:45,166 That is simply not true. 417 00:17:45,166 --> 00:17:49,700 And it is important for people all across 418 00:17:49,700 --> 00:17:52,734 this country and for people in Mexico 419 00:17:52,734 --> 00:17:55,567 and Central America to understand what the facts are. 420 00:17:56,767 --> 00:17:57,867 And the reason for that is simple. 421 00:17:57,867 --> 00:17:58,867 What we're seeing there 422 00:17:58,867 --> 00:18:01,734 is a very serious humanitarian situation. 423 00:18:01,734 --> 00:18:04,265 It is one that is the source of significant 424 00:18:04,266 --> 00:18:05,333 concern to the President. 425 00:18:05,333 --> 00:18:09,700 And so his administration is trying to deploy 426 00:18:09,700 --> 00:18:11,266 a lot of resources to deal with this. 427 00:18:11,767 --> 00:18:14,734 And that's manifested itself in a number 428 00:18:14,734 --> 00:18:15,734 of different ways. 429 00:18:15,734 --> 00:18:17,300 You saw that we put a readout just yesterday 430 00:18:17,300 --> 00:18:19,300 of the President's phone call with President Peña Nieto 431 00:18:19,300 --> 00:18:22,734 of Mexico in which they discussed this situation. 432 00:18:22,734 --> 00:18:24,199 The Vice President, as you mentioned, is traveling 433 00:18:24,200 --> 00:18:25,433 in Central America, where he's meeting 434 00:18:25,433 --> 00:18:29,900 with leaders of El Salvador and Guatemala, 435 00:18:29,900 --> 00:18:31,600 as well as senior government representatives 436 00:18:31,600 --> 00:18:33,734 from Honduras and Mexico. 437 00:18:33,734 --> 00:18:36,166 The State Department and DHS officials 438 00:18:36,166 --> 00:18:38,633 have been engaged with their colleagues and their 439 00:18:38,633 --> 00:18:41,467 counterparts in countries throughout 440 00:18:41,467 --> 00:18:43,934 the hemisphere to talk about this issue. 441 00:18:43,934 --> 00:18:46,700 And what we're trying to do is to address 442 00:18:46,700 --> 00:18:49,200 this problem in two ways. 443 00:18:49,200 --> 00:18:51,367 The first is to address the needs of those 444 00:18:51,367 --> 00:18:52,767 who have been apprehended on the border. 445 00:18:52,767 --> 00:18:56,800 So I was mentioning to Roberta that DHS announced 446 00:18:56,800 --> 00:18:57,934 earlier today that we're going to open 447 00:18:57,934 --> 00:19:00,899 up some additional detention facilities that 448 00:19:00,900 --> 00:19:02,867 can accommodate adults who show 449 00:19:02,867 --> 00:19:05,200 up on the border with their children. 450 00:19:05,200 --> 00:19:07,500 And we're going to deploy some resources to work 451 00:19:07,500 --> 00:19:09,200 through their immigration cases more quickly, 452 00:19:09,200 --> 00:19:12,233 so that they're not held in that detention facility 453 00:19:12,233 --> 00:19:14,633 for a long time and can, hopefully, 454 00:19:14,633 --> 00:19:16,633 be quickly returned to their home country. 455 00:19:17,433 --> 00:19:20,033 What we're also doing is working in collaborative 456 00:19:20,033 --> 00:19:22,065 fashion with countries in Central America 457 00:19:22,066 --> 00:19:24,266 to try to address the problem at its root. 458 00:19:24,266 --> 00:19:29,567 Some of that is an information campaign 459 00:19:29,567 --> 00:19:33,834 and countering this intentional misinformation 460 00:19:33,834 --> 00:19:36,800 campaign that's being propagated by criminal 461 00:19:36,800 --> 00:19:38,966 syndicates, but also working through 462 00:19:38,967 --> 00:19:42,600 a range of USAID programs and the host governments -- 463 00:19:42,600 --> 00:19:44,600 the governments in these countries -- 464 00:19:44,600 --> 00:19:47,433 to try to meet some of the citizen security needs that 465 00:19:47,433 --> 00:19:49,500 are so acute in these countries right now. 466 00:19:49,500 --> 00:19:51,233 The Press: I understand all that, Josh, 467 00:19:51,233 --> 00:19:53,033 but the question is, is it really 468 00:19:53,033 --> 00:19:54,065 a misinformation campaign? 469 00:19:54,066 --> 00:19:55,066 Mr. Earnest: It is. 470 00:19:55,066 --> 00:19:56,066 It is. 471 00:19:56,066 --> 00:19:58,633 The Press: Here's why I'm asking, okay. 472 00:19:58,633 --> 00:20:00,500 What is happening now is that the Border Patrol 473 00:20:00,500 --> 00:20:04,000 is taking those mothers and kids, putting them 474 00:20:04,000 --> 00:20:06,133 in a bus and taking them to the bus station 475 00:20:06,133 --> 00:20:07,667 in McAllen, Texas. 476 00:20:07,667 --> 00:20:11,699 And they're buying tickets to go stay with 477 00:20:11,700 --> 00:20:14,900 relatives in this country with a promise -- 478 00:20:14,900 --> 00:20:17,633 all they have to do is promise that they will appear in court. 479 00:20:17,633 --> 00:20:20,300 And the administration will not tell us how many 480 00:20:20,300 --> 00:20:22,133 of those we're promising to go to court 481 00:20:22,133 --> 00:20:24,033 are really going to court, and are going into 482 00:20:24,033 --> 00:20:26,367 the system or are actually disappearing 483 00:20:26,367 --> 00:20:28,466 into the fabric of American society. 484 00:20:28,467 --> 00:20:31,066 That's what the coyotes are telling people, 485 00:20:31,066 --> 00:20:33,500 is that the bureaucracy in this country 486 00:20:33,500 --> 00:20:34,867 is allowing them to stay. 487 00:20:34,867 --> 00:20:37,133 Mr. Earnest: Well, I'll say a couple 488 00:20:37,133 --> 00:20:38,133 of things about that. 489 00:20:38,133 --> 00:20:41,133 It's hard for me to make a blanket statement 490 00:20:41,133 --> 00:20:46,133 about our immigration policy other than this 491 00:20:46,133 --> 00:20:47,700 administration's commitment 492 00:20:47,700 --> 00:20:49,300 to enforcing the law. 493 00:20:49,300 --> 00:20:50,934 And the law is very clear about this, 494 00:20:50,934 --> 00:20:54,633 that those individuals who want to show up on the border -- 495 00:20:54,633 --> 00:20:55,834 whether they have their children with them 496 00:20:55,834 --> 00:20:58,567 or not -- are not eligible for the deferred action 497 00:20:58,567 --> 00:21:00,633 that the administration announced 498 00:21:00,633 --> 00:21:01,633 a year or two ago. 499 00:21:02,600 --> 00:21:04,867 And what we are doing is we are mobilizing 500 00:21:04,867 --> 00:21:07,633 additional resources to try to deal with 501 00:21:07,633 --> 00:21:09,633 this problem more effectively 502 00:21:09,633 --> 00:21:11,333 and in a more humanitarian fashion. 503 00:21:11,333 --> 00:21:12,033 And in this case -- 504 00:21:12,233 --> 00:21:13,834 The Press: Why won't you just tell us the 505 00:21:13,834 --> 00:21:16,300 percentage of those who are promising to appear, 506 00:21:16,300 --> 00:21:18,133 are they appearing or not? 507 00:21:18,133 --> 00:21:20,900 And are the unaccompanied minors who are then given 508 00:21:20,900 --> 00:21:22,934 to foster homes or allowed to stay with their 509 00:21:22,934 --> 00:21:25,000 families in this country while waiting 510 00:21:25,000 --> 00:21:26,867 for a court appearance, how many of those 511 00:21:26,867 --> 00:21:28,466 are actually showing up? 512 00:21:28,467 --> 00:21:29,467 Why won't the administration 513 00:21:29,467 --> 00:21:30,467 tell us those numbers? 514 00:21:30,467 --> 00:21:31,900 Mr. Earnest: I don't have those numbers here, Jim. 515 00:21:31,900 --> 00:21:35,834 But what I do have is a clear commitment 516 00:21:35,834 --> 00:21:37,867 from this administration to deal with what 517 00:21:37,867 --> 00:21:39,966 is an emerging humanitarian situation. 518 00:21:39,967 --> 00:21:41,767 And it's important for your viewers 519 00:21:41,767 --> 00:21:44,800 to understand and it's important for viewers or those 520 00:21:44,800 --> 00:21:47,000 consumers of information in Central America 521 00:21:47,000 --> 00:21:51,633 to understand that showing up at the border illegally 522 00:21:51,633 --> 00:21:53,533 is not a ticket into this country. 523 00:21:53,533 --> 00:21:56,100 One of the reasons that the President 524 00:21:56,100 --> 00:21:58,500 is a strong and powerful advocate of the kind 525 00:21:58,500 --> 00:22:01,567 of commonsense immigration reform that I was discussing 526 00:22:01,567 --> 00:22:04,066 in response to an earlier question is that it would 527 00:22:04,066 --> 00:22:06,533 streamline our legal immigration process. 528 00:22:06,533 --> 00:22:12,100 For a variety of reasons -- some of them economic, 529 00:22:12,100 --> 00:22:14,367 some of them humanitarian -- there should 530 00:22:14,367 --> 00:22:18,300 be strong support for streamlining this process. 531 00:22:18,300 --> 00:22:19,934 Democrats and Republicans have both 532 00:22:19,934 --> 00:22:22,800 acknowledged that the legal immigration process 533 00:22:22,800 --> 00:22:25,899 is not as efficient as it could be. 534 00:22:25,900 --> 00:22:29,300 And better resources devoted to that 535 00:22:29,300 --> 00:22:31,800 system could mitigate some of this problem, 536 00:22:31,800 --> 00:22:34,265 but it does not change the fact that 537 00:22:34,266 --> 00:22:40,266 it is not a good idea for people to make the trek through Mexico 538 00:22:43,600 --> 00:22:45,132 and to appear at the southern border 539 00:22:45,133 --> 00:22:47,433 in the Rio Grande Valley of the United States and think 540 00:22:47,433 --> 00:22:51,166 that once they are detained by customs 541 00:22:51,166 --> 00:22:54,100 or Border Patrol personnel, that they will be allowed 542 00:22:54,100 --> 00:22:55,166 into the country. 543 00:22:55,166 --> 00:22:55,899 They will not. 544 00:22:56,233 --> 00:22:57,332 Mr. Acosta. 545 00:22:59,166 --> 00:23:00,533 The Press: Yes, Josh, back to Russia. 546 00:23:00,533 --> 00:23:03,065 Earlier this morning on that conference call 547 00:23:03,066 --> 00:23:07,133 with senior administration officials, they described 548 00:23:07,133 --> 00:23:09,967 that potential sanctions that could be imposed 549 00:23:09,967 --> 00:23:13,333 on Russia next might not be sectoral, 550 00:23:13,333 --> 00:23:17,500 but rather something more along the lines of a scalpel 551 00:23:17,500 --> 00:23:19,967 is the way it was described during 552 00:23:19,967 --> 00:23:21,300 that conference call. 553 00:23:21,300 --> 00:23:23,533 That sounds like less than sectoral, obviously. 554 00:23:23,533 --> 00:23:25,500 And does that mean that the administration 555 00:23:25,500 --> 00:23:27,333 is now backing away from that threat 556 00:23:27,333 --> 00:23:28,333 of sectoral sanctions? 557 00:23:28,333 --> 00:23:30,367 Mr. Earnest: No, sectoral sanctions remain 558 00:23:30,367 --> 00:23:31,367 on the table. 559 00:23:31,367 --> 00:23:34,834 And, again, this is something that the 560 00:23:34,834 --> 00:23:37,867 administration is working in cooperative 561 00:23:37,867 --> 00:23:41,533 fashion with our partners and allies in Europe 562 00:23:41,533 --> 00:23:45,934 to present a united front, that the more that 563 00:23:45,934 --> 00:23:50,133 Russia plays a destabilizing role in Ukraine, 564 00:23:50,133 --> 00:23:51,533 the more isolated from the international 565 00:23:51,533 --> 00:23:52,734 community they will become. 566 00:23:52,734 --> 00:23:58,966 We've already seen that the sanctions that have 567 00:23:58,967 --> 00:24:01,867 been put in place so far in a cooperative fashion, 568 00:24:01,867 --> 00:24:04,700 again, with our allies in Europe, has had an impact 569 00:24:04,700 --> 00:24:06,734 on the Russian economy and has had an impact 570 00:24:06,734 --> 00:24:08,899 in terms of isolating them 571 00:24:08,900 --> 00:24:10,934 in the international financial markets. 572 00:24:11,266 --> 00:24:12,200 The Press: They don't seem to be deterring 573 00:24:12,200 --> 00:24:13,066 their behavior though. 574 00:24:13,066 --> 00:24:14,200 Is that fair to say? 575 00:24:14,500 --> 00:24:19,967 Mr. Earnest: No, I'm not sure that that's 576 00:24:19,967 --> 00:24:20,867 a fair thing to say. 577 00:24:20,867 --> 00:24:25,332 I think we're seeing a lot of mixed signals 578 00:24:25,333 --> 00:24:29,500 from Russia right now about what their intentions are. 579 00:24:29,500 --> 00:24:31,600 And I think that is evidenced 580 00:24:31,600 --> 00:24:35,300 by the fact that we've seen some troop movements on the border, 581 00:24:35,300 --> 00:24:36,466 some away from the border and some 582 00:24:36,467 --> 00:24:37,867 are toward the border. 583 00:24:37,867 --> 00:24:40,100 And in those situations where Russia 584 00:24:40,100 --> 00:24:42,000 has made the decision to withdraw their troops, 585 00:24:42,000 --> 00:24:43,967 we welcomed the evidence of that. 586 00:24:43,967 --> 00:24:46,333 But we're concerned about this latest evidence 587 00:24:46,333 --> 00:24:48,367 that indicates that additional troops are being 588 00:24:48,367 --> 00:24:51,399 deployed to the border under the auspices 589 00:24:51,400 --> 00:24:56,066 of a border security policy or exercise that does 590 00:24:56,066 --> 00:24:57,100 not seem to be underway. 591 00:24:57,400 --> 00:25:01,800 So what the President will continue to do is to work 592 00:25:01,800 --> 00:25:04,533 with our partners in Europe that will 593 00:25:04,533 --> 00:25:06,533 maximize the impact of any sanctions 594 00:25:06,533 --> 00:25:08,466 that are implemented. 595 00:25:08,467 --> 00:25:09,467 And what we're going to do is we're going 596 00:25:09,467 --> 00:25:10,967 to give Russia the opportunity to pursue 597 00:25:10,967 --> 00:25:13,834 a policy of de-escalation, to play a constructive role 598 00:25:13,834 --> 00:25:16,166 in bringing some stability to the situation in Ukraine. 599 00:25:16,467 --> 00:25:20,300 The Press: And on Iraq, yesterday 600 00:25:20,300 --> 00:25:25,567 Senator Chris Murphy said that if more than 300 assets 601 00:25:25,567 --> 00:25:27,367 on the ground are deployed to Iraq 602 00:25:27,367 --> 00:25:30,000 that the administration would need to go through 603 00:25:30,000 --> 00:25:31,834 Congress for authorization. 604 00:25:31,834 --> 00:25:33,700 Is the President okay with that? 605 00:25:33,700 --> 00:25:35,266 Mr. Earnest: Well, what this President 606 00:25:35,266 --> 00:25:37,100 has said, and I think that there is pretty widespread 607 00:25:37,100 --> 00:25:39,567 agreement about this, maybe even ostensibly 608 00:25:39,567 --> 00:25:41,767 from Mr. Murphy, is that the actions that 609 00:25:41,767 --> 00:25:44,233 the President has taken so far do not require 610 00:25:44,233 --> 00:25:45,466 additional congressional authorization. 611 00:25:45,467 --> 00:25:47,867 But you have seen a demonstrated commitment 612 00:25:47,867 --> 00:25:49,133 from this administration to continue 613 00:25:49,133 --> 00:25:50,467 to consult with Congress. 614 00:25:51,066 --> 00:25:53,066 The President hosted a consultation meeting 615 00:25:53,066 --> 00:25:54,200 with the four leaders of Congress 616 00:25:54,200 --> 00:25:56,166 in the Oval Office earlier this week. 617 00:25:56,166 --> 00:25:59,265 Over the weekend, as administration officials 618 00:25:59,266 --> 00:26:02,133 were assessing the situation in Iraq, 619 00:26:02,133 --> 00:26:03,667 there were a number of phone calls from senior 620 00:26:03,667 --> 00:26:05,833 members of the President's national security 621 00:26:05,834 --> 00:26:09,033 team to leaders in Congress -- 622 00:26:09,033 --> 00:26:11,500 both those in the congressional leadership, but also those 623 00:26:11,500 --> 00:26:13,767 who are the leaders of relevant committees. 624 00:26:13,767 --> 00:26:15,467 So that congressional 625 00:26:15,467 --> 00:26:17,700 consultation will continue. 626 00:26:17,700 --> 00:26:21,633 And we certainly welcome the interest 627 00:26:21,633 --> 00:26:24,100 and the support of the American policy in Iraq. 628 00:26:24,100 --> 00:26:25,833 The Press: But when you heard the Senate Majority 629 00:26:25,834 --> 00:26:27,266 Leader say he doesn't want to see any 630 00:26:27,266 --> 00:26:31,100 U.S. forces returning to Iraq, it must have dawned 631 00:26:31,100 --> 00:26:35,100 on all of you here that there's a real reluctance 632 00:26:35,100 --> 00:26:38,300 inside the Democratic Party when it comes 633 00:26:38,300 --> 00:26:40,867 to getting re-engaged in Iraq. 634 00:26:40,867 --> 00:26:44,433 That's where it goes without saying. 635 00:26:44,433 --> 00:26:45,567 How do you deal with that? 636 00:26:45,834 --> 00:26:47,200 Mr. Earnest: Well, I think there's -- 637 00:26:47,200 --> 00:26:52,433 that any time that you're talking about the risks 638 00:26:52,433 --> 00:26:56,667 to our security that are posed by Iraq, that the memory 639 00:26:56,667 --> 00:26:59,766 of the Iraq war is fresh in the mind of everybody 640 00:26:59,767 --> 00:27:05,066 in this country, that this country made great 641 00:27:05,066 --> 00:27:08,800 sacrifices in pursuit of trying to create an opportunity 642 00:27:08,800 --> 00:27:12,899 for the Iraqi people to enjoy democracy 643 00:27:12,900 --> 00:27:15,934 and determine the future of their own country. 644 00:27:15,934 --> 00:27:17,667 But the fact of the matter is that there are some 645 00:27:17,667 --> 00:27:19,065 Americans -- some very brave Americans 646 00:27:19,066 --> 00:27:20,667 who served in our military -- who sacrificed 647 00:27:20,667 --> 00:27:22,433 even more than others. 648 00:27:22,433 --> 00:27:25,467 That is fresh in the mind of every policymaker, 649 00:27:25,467 --> 00:27:26,633 in the same way that I think it's fresh 650 00:27:26,633 --> 00:27:27,667 in the mind of every American. 651 00:27:28,300 --> 00:27:29,966 That said, I think the President was pretty 652 00:27:29,967 --> 00:27:32,266 clear when he spoke here yesterday about 653 00:27:32,266 --> 00:27:33,667 what exactly our priorities are. 654 00:27:33,667 --> 00:27:36,233 If you'll indulge me for a minute, 655 00:27:36,233 --> 00:27:37,265 let me just repeat them. 656 00:27:37,266 --> 00:27:39,066 The first is that our top priority 657 00:27:39,066 --> 00:27:40,166 is the safety of U.S. personnel 658 00:27:40,166 --> 00:27:41,700 that currently is in Iraq. 659 00:27:41,700 --> 00:27:43,767 And that's why you saw a movement over 660 00:27:43,767 --> 00:27:46,700 the weekend to deploy some additional security resources 661 00:27:46,700 --> 00:27:48,567 to safeguard the embassy. 662 00:27:48,567 --> 00:27:51,400 There's been an increase of intelligence 663 00:27:51,400 --> 00:27:53,300 resources in the region. 664 00:27:53,300 --> 00:27:54,867 There is now around-the-clock 665 00:27:54,867 --> 00:27:57,332 visibility in Iraq, with particular attention 666 00:27:57,333 --> 00:28:00,734 to those areas where ISIL is operating. 667 00:28:00,734 --> 00:28:05,100 There has also been an increased support 668 00:28:05,100 --> 00:28:06,966 for Iraqi security forces. 669 00:28:06,967 --> 00:28:08,900 There has been an enduring military-to-military 670 00:28:08,900 --> 00:28:12,100 relationship between the United States and Iraq. 671 00:28:12,100 --> 00:28:14,000 And we're going to ramp up that support 672 00:28:14,000 --> 00:28:17,200 through training, through the provision of equipment 673 00:28:17,200 --> 00:28:20,700 and in other ways; and in the context of advisers 674 00:28:20,700 --> 00:28:22,266 that the President talked about yesterday. 675 00:28:22,266 --> 00:28:24,400 The President has also ordered 676 00:28:24,400 --> 00:28:26,200 the prepositioning of some military assets. 677 00:28:26,200 --> 00:28:28,467 There have been some announcements 678 00:28:28,467 --> 00:28:30,767 from the Department of Defense about where those assets 679 00:28:30,767 --> 00:28:33,000 are located and what role they could 680 00:28:33,000 --> 00:28:34,633 play if necessary. 681 00:28:34,633 --> 00:28:35,900 And finally, there has been 682 00:28:35,900 --> 00:28:37,467 a stepped up diplomatic engagement. 683 00:28:38,200 --> 00:28:39,333 You all have been on the receiving end 684 00:28:39,333 --> 00:28:42,133 of a number of readouts of phone calls between the Vice President 685 00:28:42,133 --> 00:28:44,300 and Prime Minister Maliki. 686 00:28:44,300 --> 00:28:46,233 And it was reported yesterday I think -- 687 00:28:46,233 --> 00:28:47,533 well, the President announced yesterday 688 00:28:47,533 --> 00:28:50,033 that Secretary Kerry would be traveling to the region this 689 00:28:50,033 --> 00:28:52,600 weekend to meet with his counterparts in the 690 00:28:52,600 --> 00:28:54,132 region, all of whom have a vested interest 691 00:28:54,133 --> 00:28:56,133 in the same way the United States does 692 00:28:56,133 --> 00:28:58,233 in a stabilized security situation in Iraq. 693 00:28:58,233 --> 00:28:59,667 The Press: And yesterday -- just to wrap this 694 00:28:59,667 --> 00:29:01,734 up, yesterday one of the senior administration 695 00:29:01,734 --> 00:29:02,766 officials on that conference 696 00:29:02,767 --> 00:29:05,200 call following the President's statement did not rule 697 00:29:05,200 --> 00:29:09,166 out air strikes on ISIS targets or ISIL targets in Syria. 698 00:29:09,166 --> 00:29:12,533 That was on a conference call on background, 699 00:29:12,533 --> 00:29:15,734 and so forth, so can we just get you on camera about this? 700 00:29:15,734 --> 00:29:16,867 Is that a possibility? 701 00:29:16,867 --> 00:29:19,200 Mr. Earnest: Well, let me tell you about 702 00:29:19,200 --> 00:29:20,633 the President's resolve. 703 00:29:20,633 --> 00:29:22,433 The President is resolved to take the action 704 00:29:22,433 --> 00:29:25,100 that's necessary to protect the United States of America, 705 00:29:25,100 --> 00:29:27,600 the homeland, certainly our American 706 00:29:27,600 --> 00:29:29,533 men and women who are serving in uniform, 707 00:29:29,533 --> 00:29:30,734 and our allies around the globe. 708 00:29:30,734 --> 00:29:33,466 The President has demonstrated a willingness 709 00:29:33,467 --> 00:29:35,500 to go into other countries where necessary 710 00:29:35,500 --> 00:29:40,266 to protect our national and homeland security. 711 00:29:41,467 --> 00:29:44,233 You guys often report about actions that 712 00:29:44,233 --> 00:29:49,934 are taken in Yemen to neutralize those groups 713 00:29:49,934 --> 00:29:51,633 or individuals that are seeking to do harm 714 00:29:51,633 --> 00:29:52,633 to the United States. 715 00:29:52,967 --> 00:29:54,567 The Press: Is congressional 716 00:29:54,567 --> 00:29:55,266 authorization needed though? 717 00:29:55,433 --> 00:29:58,533 Mr. Earnest: There are similar actions that 718 00:29:58,533 --> 00:30:01,065 are taken in Somalia under similar circumstances. 719 00:30:01,066 --> 00:30:03,800 And just last weekend, we saw that the military 720 00:30:03,800 --> 00:30:06,567 and law enforcement action in Libya to ensure 721 00:30:06,567 --> 00:30:11,367 that one of the perpetrators of the attack 722 00:30:11,367 --> 00:30:16,166 on the Benghazi diplomatic post is brought to justice. 723 00:30:16,166 --> 00:30:18,833 So there is a willingness by this President 724 00:30:18,834 --> 00:30:22,900 that has been determined -- that has been demonstrated 725 00:30:22,900 --> 00:30:24,834 to act where necessary to safeguard 726 00:30:24,834 --> 00:30:25,834 the national security. 727 00:30:25,834 --> 00:30:29,200 And that applies in this situation too. 728 00:30:29,200 --> 00:30:31,033 We'll move around a bit. 729 00:30:31,033 --> 00:30:32,033 JC. 730 00:30:32,033 --> 00:30:33,033 The Press: Thanks, Josh. 731 00:30:33,033 --> 00:30:34,033 And congratulations. 732 00:30:34,033 --> 00:30:35,033 Mr. Earnest: Thank you. 733 00:30:35,033 --> 00:30:36,065 The Press: Is the President in touch 734 00:30:36,066 --> 00:30:39,266 with his allies -- Great Britain, France, 735 00:30:39,266 --> 00:30:43,934 Germany -- on a coordinated response to ISIL in Iraq? 736 00:30:43,934 --> 00:30:45,200 And can you give us any information 737 00:30:45,200 --> 00:30:47,300 on any conservations that may have taken place? 738 00:30:47,700 --> 00:30:48,400 Mr. Earnest: I'm not in a position 739 00:30:48,400 --> 00:30:49,734 to read out any phone calls at this point. 740 00:30:49,734 --> 00:30:56,766 But there is strong concern about what's 741 00:30:56,767 --> 00:31:01,033 happening in Iraq, both that we've seen 742 00:31:01,033 --> 00:31:02,867 exhibited by countries in the region, 743 00:31:02,867 --> 00:31:06,600 those countries that neighbor Syria and Iraq 744 00:31:06,600 --> 00:31:08,567 are concerned about the rapid progress 745 00:31:08,567 --> 00:31:11,734 that ISIL was able to make there. 746 00:31:11,734 --> 00:31:15,233 There's also concern that's been 747 00:31:15,233 --> 00:31:18,200 expressed by countries who worked closely 748 00:31:18,200 --> 00:31:23,200 with the United States over the years 749 00:31:23,200 --> 00:31:25,367 in Iraq to try to, again, stabilize the security 750 00:31:25,367 --> 00:31:27,867 situation, give the Iraqi people the opportunity 751 00:31:27,867 --> 00:31:28,867 to determine their own future. 752 00:31:29,100 --> 00:31:30,100 So there are a lot of people 753 00:31:30,100 --> 00:31:31,500 who are concerned about this. 754 00:31:31,500 --> 00:31:32,900 My colleagues at the State Department, 755 00:31:32,900 --> 00:31:34,834 the Department of Defense and other places have been 756 00:31:34,834 --> 00:31:37,834 in touch with their counterparts as we pursue 757 00:31:37,834 --> 00:31:40,533 a coordinated approach to dealing with the challenges 758 00:31:40,533 --> 00:31:43,667 that are posed by extremists like ISIL 759 00:31:43,667 --> 00:31:48,500 who are operating too freely in Iraq. 760 00:31:48,533 --> 00:31:49,533 Juliet. 761 00:31:49,533 --> 00:31:51,600 The Press: The President today signed a memorandum 762 00:31:51,600 --> 00:31:54,833 on the first-ever federal pollinator initiative. 763 00:31:54,834 --> 00:31:57,300 And Dan Pfieffer has referred in the past 764 00:31:57,300 --> 00:31:58,934 to how this is a personal interest 765 00:31:58,934 --> 00:31:59,500 of the President's. 766 00:31:59,500 --> 00:32:02,133 Can you talk a little about both that initiative 767 00:32:02,133 --> 00:32:03,400 and how it is that the President 768 00:32:03,400 --> 00:32:09,133 got interested in the honey bee, that crisis? 769 00:32:09,133 --> 00:32:10,400 And butterflies, monarch butterflies? 770 00:32:10,567 --> 00:32:12,166 Mr. Earnest: And butterflies. 771 00:32:12,166 --> 00:32:16,066 Well, Juliet, when I walked out here today, 772 00:32:16,066 --> 00:32:17,033 I knew I was going to be handling a range 773 00:32:17,033 --> 00:32:17,766 of sensitive issues. 774 00:32:17,767 --> 00:32:19,667 I didn't know I was going to be talking 775 00:32:19,667 --> 00:32:20,667 about the birds and the bees. 776 00:32:20,667 --> 00:32:23,233 (laughter) 777 00:32:23,233 --> 00:32:25,533 That was pretty good, right? 778 00:32:25,533 --> 00:32:26,899 I've been thinking about this one all morning. 779 00:32:26,900 --> 00:32:28,633 Groans, huh. 780 00:32:29,033 --> 00:32:31,433 The Press: Better writers -- get better writers. 781 00:32:31,433 --> 00:32:32,200 (laughter) 782 00:32:32,533 --> 00:32:33,065 Mr. Earnest: I'll get these guys 783 00:32:33,066 --> 00:32:33,867 on some better material here. 784 00:32:33,867 --> 00:32:34,767 (laughter) 785 00:32:34,767 --> 00:32:37,533 You think I'd get a better crowd 786 00:32:37,533 --> 00:32:39,199 on my first day here, but no. 787 00:32:39,200 --> 00:32:42,333 Oh, my last day. 788 00:32:42,333 --> 00:32:43,734 I've got to get my story straight, don't I -- 789 00:32:43,734 --> 00:32:46,265 okay, let's get back to it. 790 00:32:48,000 --> 00:32:49,867 Despite my lame attempt at humor, this actually 791 00:32:49,867 --> 00:32:51,867 is a serious issue. 792 00:32:53,834 --> 00:32:55,467 The pollinators, the so-called pollinators 793 00:32:55,467 --> 00:32:57,467 that are covered by this Presidential memorandum, 794 00:32:57,467 --> 00:33:00,266 actually have an impact of about $24 billion 795 00:33:00,266 --> 00:33:03,066 a year on the United States economy. 796 00:33:03,066 --> 00:33:04,900 And they are vital to keeping fruits, 797 00:33:04,900 --> 00:33:07,233 nuts and vegetables in our diets. 798 00:33:07,233 --> 00:33:08,600 So over the past few decades, 799 00:33:08,600 --> 00:33:11,065 we've actually seen a significant decline 800 00:33:11,066 --> 00:33:13,633 in pollinators from our budget -- or I'm sorry, 801 00:33:13,633 --> 00:33:16,667 from our environment. 802 00:33:16,667 --> 00:33:20,399 So what the President will include in his 2015 budget 803 00:33:20,400 --> 00:33:23,800 are some commonsense steps and strategies that 804 00:33:23,800 --> 00:33:26,233 we can take to try to respond to this challenge. 805 00:33:26,233 --> 00:33:29,133 So everything from directing federal 806 00:33:29,133 --> 00:33:31,633 government research and land management that 807 00:33:31,633 --> 00:33:36,300 would better facilitate a habitat for pollinators -- 808 00:33:36,300 --> 00:33:39,500 we can also work with states and tribal leaders, 809 00:33:39,500 --> 00:33:40,700 and even private landowners 810 00:33:40,700 --> 00:33:43,867 in some circumstances, to try to make sure that 811 00:33:43,867 --> 00:33:47,166 we are protecting the environments 812 00:33:47,166 --> 00:33:51,433 for pollinator habitats. 813 00:33:53,000 --> 00:33:55,834 And, again, there is a clear economic 814 00:33:55,834 --> 00:33:59,100 incentive for us to continue to do so. 815 00:33:59,100 --> 00:34:00,500 And we're going to continue to work 816 00:34:00,500 --> 00:34:03,800 in collaborative fashion with industry, with state 817 00:34:03,800 --> 00:34:06,233 and local leaders, with private landowners 818 00:34:06,233 --> 00:34:07,567 to address this problem. 819 00:34:07,567 --> 00:34:09,065 So thank you for the question, Juliet. 820 00:34:09,065 --> 00:34:10,132 I appreciate it. 821 00:34:10,132 --> 00:34:11,132 Roger. 822 00:34:11,132 --> 00:34:12,132 The Press: Thank you. 823 00:34:12,132 --> 00:34:13,132 I want to clarify something. 824 00:34:13,132 --> 00:34:15,699 The White House is opposed to a special prosecutor, 825 00:34:15,699 --> 00:34:17,500 right, on the email controversy? 826 00:34:17,734 --> 00:34:19,967 Mr. Earnest: Yes, I think for the wide range 827 00:34:19,967 --> 00:34:22,066 of reasons that I recited earlier. 828 00:34:22,065 --> 00:34:24,033 The Press: On the investigation 829 00:34:24,033 --> 00:34:26,799 of the emails, did the investigators 830 00:34:26,800 --> 00:34:30,867 or White House Counsel look at or look for emails 831 00:34:30,867 --> 00:34:34,300 between the White House and the chief of staff, 832 00:34:34,300 --> 00:34:36,967 or other aides of Lerner's? 833 00:34:37,266 --> 00:34:40,033 Mr. Earnest: Are you asking about emails 834 00:34:40,033 --> 00:34:41,033 that would have been exchanged -- 835 00:34:41,266 --> 00:34:43,600 The Press: From the White House to Lerner's 836 00:34:43,600 --> 00:34:47,833 chief of staff or her other aides, top aides? 837 00:34:48,132 --> 00:34:50,600 Mr. Earnest: Well, I guess I wasn't aware that 838 00:34:50,600 --> 00:34:52,232 that was a specific request from Republicans. 839 00:34:52,233 --> 00:34:54,767 Have they asked for that? 840 00:34:55,000 --> 00:34:57,166 The Press: I don't know. 841 00:34:57,166 --> 00:34:57,400 I'm asking you. 842 00:34:57,400 --> 00:34:58,900 Was it just confined -- 843 00:34:59,800 --> 00:35:01,367 Mr. Earnest: Roger, it turns out that there 844 00:35:01,367 --> 00:35:03,000 have been 13 months of multiple congressional 845 00:35:03,000 --> 00:35:05,233 investigations, including 14 congressional hearings, 846 00:35:05,233 --> 00:35:07,200 30 interviews with IRS employees, 847 00:35:07,200 --> 00:35:10,500 50 written congressional requests and 750,000 848 00:35:10,500 --> 00:35:11,433 pages of documents. 849 00:35:11,433 --> 00:35:13,767 And all of that has done nothing 850 00:35:13,767 --> 00:35:16,165 to substantiate false Republican claims 851 00:35:16,166 --> 00:35:18,900 of a broader political conspiracy. 852 00:35:18,900 --> 00:35:21,667 So I don't know if you're floating another 853 00:35:21,667 --> 00:35:23,933 conspiracy or if this is a request from 854 00:35:23,934 --> 00:35:25,633 Republicans who are floating a conspiracy, 855 00:35:25,633 --> 00:35:27,633 or what exactly the suggestion is. 856 00:35:27,967 --> 00:35:30,533 But the fact of the matter 857 00:35:30,533 --> 00:35:33,967 is we've cooperated extensively. 858 00:35:33,967 --> 00:35:35,567 And despite that cooperation, 859 00:35:35,567 --> 00:35:39,200 we've seen continued allegations of Republican 860 00:35:39,200 --> 00:35:41,767 conspiracy theories that just never pan out. 861 00:35:42,200 --> 00:35:46,332 The Press: Just on that point, we understand -- 862 00:35:46,333 --> 00:35:48,900 I think what Roger is trying to get at is what I asked 863 00:35:48,900 --> 00:35:50,400 Jay a couple of days ago, which is that 864 00:35:50,400 --> 00:35:51,834 we understand you've turned over -- 865 00:35:51,834 --> 00:35:54,165 the IRS has turned over tens of thousands of emails. 866 00:35:54,166 --> 00:35:56,333 But when two years of emails from 867 00:35:56,333 --> 00:35:58,166 the time period that's being investigated, 868 00:35:58,166 --> 00:36:00,633 when tea party groups were allegedly targeted, 869 00:36:00,633 --> 00:36:04,899 we don't know all the facts, how can you say there's 870 00:36:04,900 --> 00:36:07,166 been extensive cooperation if two years 871 00:36:07,166 --> 00:36:09,100 of emails are just missing? 872 00:36:09,100 --> 00:36:11,232 You don't seem to be taking that point seriously. 873 00:36:11,233 --> 00:36:13,700 Mr. Earnest: Well, I guess what I would 874 00:36:13,700 --> 00:36:16,232 say, Ed, is that I think it's fair that we recognize 875 00:36:16,233 --> 00:36:18,867 that software moves on and that archiving 876 00:36:18,867 --> 00:36:23,834 in a digital age is not as easy as it might seem to the public. 877 00:36:23,834 --> 00:36:25,433 Those aren't just my comments, but those 878 00:36:25,433 --> 00:36:27,867 are actually the comments of Congressman Darrell Issa 879 00:36:27,867 --> 00:36:30,967 on February 26th, 2008. 880 00:36:30,967 --> 00:36:34,667 So his suggestion that somehow there's a 881 00:36:34,667 --> 00:36:37,667 political conspiracy going on here is not consistent 882 00:36:37,667 --> 00:36:38,933 with what he's previously said 883 00:36:38,934 --> 00:36:39,367 on this kind of issue. 884 00:36:39,533 --> 00:36:40,200 The Press: But, again, not conspiracies. 885 00:36:40,200 --> 00:36:41,466 If the emails are there, you could show, 886 00:36:41,467 --> 00:36:42,633 hey, there's no conspiracy. 887 00:36:42,633 --> 00:36:43,533 That's the question. 888 00:36:43,533 --> 00:36:44,734 I understand you want to keep saying 889 00:36:44,734 --> 00:36:45,933 it's about the Republicans. 890 00:36:45,934 --> 00:36:47,600 But why are two years missing? 891 00:36:47,800 --> 00:36:49,100 Mr. Earnest: I think Republicans keep making 892 00:36:49,100 --> 00:36:49,533 it about Republicans. 893 00:36:49,767 --> 00:36:50,165 The Press: Why are two years of emails missing? 894 00:36:50,467 --> 00:36:51,633 Mr. Earnest: Well, because there 895 00:36:51,633 --> 00:36:52,899 was -- the computer crashed. 896 00:36:52,900 --> 00:36:56,433 And what we've seen is a demonstrated effort 897 00:36:56,433 --> 00:36:58,567 by this administration and by the IRS 898 00:36:58,567 --> 00:37:00,800 to try to cooperate with legitimate questions 899 00:37:00,800 --> 00:37:02,567 that have been posed by the committee on this. 900 00:37:02,567 --> 00:37:04,000 So what that meant is that meant that we've 901 00:37:04,000 --> 00:37:06,600 turned over 64,000 different emails 902 00:37:06,600 --> 00:37:08,433 from Ms. Lerner's account. 903 00:37:08,433 --> 00:37:10,233 We've also gone back and tried to -- 904 00:37:10,233 --> 00:37:14,633 when I say "we," I mean the IRS has gone back and looked 905 00:37:14,633 --> 00:37:18,567 for emails that may have been sent or received 906 00:37:18,567 --> 00:37:22,066 by her colleagues at the IRS, so that they could 907 00:37:22,066 --> 00:37:25,866 basically try to sort of build in a structure to give people 908 00:37:25,867 --> 00:37:28,266 a sense about what those emails were 909 00:37:28,266 --> 00:37:29,266 and what they indicate. 910 00:37:29,266 --> 00:37:31,734 So that constitutes 24,000 emails -- 911 00:37:31,734 --> 00:37:35,266 additional emails or part of that -- let me say it this 912 00:37:35,266 --> 00:37:38,166 way, 67,000 emails have been provided to Congress, 913 00:37:38,166 --> 00:37:41,800 24,000 of them come from this period during 914 00:37:41,800 --> 00:37:44,100 which her hard drive crashed and which those 915 00:37:44,100 --> 00:37:45,200 emails were lost. 916 00:37:45,200 --> 00:37:48,100 So there's been an effort to reconstruct that path. 917 00:37:48,100 --> 00:37:50,366 And I think that is a pretty clear demonstration 918 00:37:50,367 --> 00:37:51,800 of this administration's willingness 919 00:37:51,800 --> 00:37:53,767 to cooperate with legitimate oversight. 920 00:37:53,767 --> 00:37:55,966 What's just as important for people 921 00:37:55,967 --> 00:37:59,333 to understand is that despite all of the data 922 00:37:59,333 --> 00:38:01,166 that has been provided to Congress, 923 00:38:01,166 --> 00:38:03,967 there's not a shred of evidence that substantiates 924 00:38:03,967 --> 00:38:05,400 Republican conspiracy theories. 925 00:38:05,400 --> 00:38:06,400 The Press: I'll move on to a couple 926 00:38:06,400 --> 00:38:07,400 of other subjects. 927 00:38:07,400 --> 00:38:09,033 On immigration, to follow up on what Jim was asking, 928 00:38:09,033 --> 00:38:13,366 not to belabor the point, but when you said that 929 00:38:13,367 --> 00:38:15,633 this is not a ticket into this country -- 930 00:38:15,633 --> 00:38:18,000 based on what Jim is saying, it is a ticket into 931 00:38:18,000 --> 00:38:20,767 this country for some illegal immigrants. 932 00:38:20,767 --> 00:38:22,567 So will you at least take the question? 933 00:38:22,567 --> 00:38:24,133 I understand you might not have the stats in front 934 00:38:24,133 --> 00:38:25,633 of you at this moment. 935 00:38:25,633 --> 00:38:27,066 Will you take the question and by the end 936 00:38:27,066 --> 00:38:29,533 of today give us the numbers on how many people 937 00:38:29,533 --> 00:38:32,000 who promised to go to court actually go to court? 938 00:38:32,000 --> 00:38:33,400 Mr. Earnest: I will take a look 939 00:38:33,400 --> 00:38:34,433 and see if those numbers are available. 940 00:38:34,433 --> 00:38:36,233 I can't commit to giving them to you, 941 00:38:36,233 --> 00:38:37,834 but I will take a look and see if we can. 942 00:38:37,834 --> 00:38:40,933 The Press: And then, a couple of quick things. 943 00:38:40,934 --> 00:38:42,100 How do you respond to Republicans who are saying 944 00:38:42,100 --> 00:38:44,366 that what we're seeing play out in Iraq 945 00:38:44,367 --> 00:38:47,066 could happen in Afghanistan when our troops leave? 946 00:38:47,066 --> 00:38:48,966 I understand we're leaving at least a small 947 00:38:48,967 --> 00:38:50,767 residual force behind, unlike Iraq. 948 00:38:50,767 --> 00:38:53,232 But that we could see the same situation where 949 00:38:53,233 --> 00:38:55,333 the Taliban and other terrorists move 950 00:38:55,333 --> 00:38:57,433 in and take advantage of the situation. 951 00:38:57,433 --> 00:39:00,266 Mr. Earnest: We're certainly concerned 952 00:39:00,266 --> 00:39:04,433 about making sure that we leave behind 953 00:39:04,433 --> 00:39:11,600 a stable, self-governing, and self-securing Afghanistan 954 00:39:11,600 --> 00:39:13,900 when our troops come home. 955 00:39:13,900 --> 00:39:17,900 That is an important part of this mission, 956 00:39:17,900 --> 00:39:20,433 is to turn over a stable Afghanistan 957 00:39:20,433 --> 00:39:24,500 so that the Afghan people can pursue the kind of future that 958 00:39:24,500 --> 00:39:26,000 is best for their country. 959 00:39:27,266 --> 00:39:28,800 I guess what I would say to Republicans who 960 00:39:28,800 --> 00:39:32,433 are worried about this is what's the alternative? 961 00:39:32,433 --> 00:39:34,433 Is the alternative a commitment 962 00:39:34,433 --> 00:39:37,100 of American service personnel indefinitely 963 00:39:37,100 --> 00:39:40,299 in countries like Afghanistan and Iraq? 964 00:39:40,300 --> 00:39:41,700 They're welcome to make that case. 965 00:39:41,700 --> 00:39:43,299 The President does not believe that that 966 00:39:43,300 --> 00:39:44,600 is in the national security interest 967 00:39:44,600 --> 00:39:45,366 of the United States of America. 968 00:39:45,667 --> 00:39:45,900 The Press: Last one -- you mentioned 969 00:39:45,900 --> 00:39:47,667 the Mexican President -- the President had a phone 970 00:39:47,667 --> 00:39:49,967 call with President Peña Nieto. 971 00:39:49,967 --> 00:39:52,233 In the readout, it did not mention whether 972 00:39:52,233 --> 00:39:53,033 they talked about the jail 973 00:39:53,033 --> 00:39:54,633 of the U.S. Marine in Mexico. 974 00:39:54,633 --> 00:39:55,767 Did the President press that case 975 00:39:55,767 --> 00:39:56,799 with the Mexican President? 976 00:39:57,066 --> 00:39:58,332 Mr. Earnest: I don't have any more details 977 00:39:58,333 --> 00:40:00,133 of that conversation, but I can take a look 978 00:40:00,133 --> 00:40:00,834 into that for you, too. 979 00:40:01,100 --> 00:40:01,799 Tamara. 980 00:40:02,000 --> 00:40:04,533 The Press: Regarding the unaccompanied minors, 981 00:40:04,533 --> 00:40:05,467 I have two questions. 982 00:40:05,467 --> 00:40:07,800 First one, House Speaker John Boehner 983 00:40:07,800 --> 00:40:10,867 is calling for the National Guard to be sent to the border 984 00:40:10,867 --> 00:40:13,100 to help with the situation. 985 00:40:13,100 --> 00:40:15,400 Does the White House have any reaction to that? 986 00:40:15,400 --> 00:40:17,166 It was a letter I guess to the President. 987 00:40:17,500 --> 00:40:20,000 Mr. Earnest: Well, I've heard about the letter. 988 00:40:20,000 --> 00:40:21,700 I haven't actually read it myself. 989 00:40:21,700 --> 00:40:26,000 What I can tell you is that there is the view 990 00:40:29,033 --> 00:40:35,165 that there are already significant enforcement 991 00:40:35,166 --> 00:40:37,934 resources that have been deployed to the border. 992 00:40:37,934 --> 00:40:39,367 In fact, there's been a historic commitment 993 00:40:39,367 --> 00:40:41,033 by this administration to ensure that there 994 00:40:41,033 --> 00:40:42,799 are boots on the ground securing our border. 995 00:40:44,300 --> 00:40:49,000 And the fact is the commonsense immigration 996 00:40:49,000 --> 00:40:51,433 reform proposal that passed through 997 00:40:51,433 --> 00:40:54,633 the Senate a year ago actually includes a significant 998 00:40:54,633 --> 00:40:56,600 additional investment in resources 999 00:40:56,600 --> 00:40:59,533 to securing our border. 1000 00:40:59,533 --> 00:41:04,834 The fact is that last year 360,000 individuals 1001 00:41:04,834 --> 00:41:06,933 who are attempting to cross the border 1002 00:41:06,934 --> 00:41:08,433 were detained and removed from this country 1003 00:41:08,433 --> 00:41:10,867 by existing resources. 1004 00:41:10,867 --> 00:41:14,500 So what that indicates is that there is already 1005 00:41:14,500 --> 00:41:16,100 a robust effort on the border to secure 1006 00:41:16,100 --> 00:41:19,533 this country and enforce our immigration laws. 1007 00:41:20,033 --> 00:41:23,133 It's also an indication that the President 1008 00:41:23,133 --> 00:41:25,265 is willing to enforce that law strictly. 1009 00:41:25,266 --> 00:41:28,133 But those who are interested 1010 00:41:28,133 --> 00:41:31,799 in additional resources being deployed to the border 1011 00:41:31,800 --> 00:41:34,300 should support the commonsense, bipartisan immigration 1012 00:41:34,300 --> 00:41:35,500 reform proposal that passed through 1013 00:41:35,500 --> 00:41:37,900 the Senate and right now is being blocked 1014 00:41:37,900 --> 00:41:39,333 by House Republicans. 1015 00:41:40,300 --> 00:41:40,533 The Press: So that is to say the President 1016 00:41:40,533 --> 00:41:42,232 is not going to send in the National Guard 1017 00:41:42,233 --> 00:41:43,734 at least immediately? 1018 00:41:44,133 --> 00:41:46,332 Mr. Earnest: There's no specific plan right 1019 00:41:46,333 --> 00:41:47,367 now to do that. 1020 00:41:47,367 --> 00:41:53,433 But again, there has been a demonstrated record of 1021 00:41:53,433 --> 00:41:57,033 enforcing our immigration laws at the border. 1022 00:41:57,033 --> 00:42:01,600 And the enforcement of those laws will continue. 1023 00:42:01,600 --> 00:42:03,232 If there are those who believe that there should 1024 00:42:03,233 --> 00:42:05,700 be additional resources placed to secure 1025 00:42:05,700 --> 00:42:08,000 our border, I would strongly encourage them 1026 00:42:08,000 --> 00:42:10,967 to consider supporting the bipartisan immigration 1027 00:42:10,967 --> 00:42:12,667 reform proposal that passed in the Senate last year. 1028 00:42:12,667 --> 00:42:14,165 The Press: And could you also give a little bit 1029 00:42:14,166 --> 00:42:16,900 more detail about what the hope is with the tens 1030 00:42:16,900 --> 00:42:18,700 of millions of dollars that are being sent 1031 00:42:18,700 --> 00:42:24,133 to Central American countries to presumably help relieve 1032 00:42:24,133 --> 00:42:25,399 some of the situations there that 1033 00:42:25,400 --> 00:42:26,900 are causing people to want to come here? 1034 00:42:27,200 --> 00:42:29,433 Mr. Earnest: Well, these are programs -- 1035 00:42:29,433 --> 00:42:32,467 some of which are funded through USAID. 1036 00:42:32,467 --> 00:42:35,000 Others are part of security programs 1037 00:42:35,000 --> 00:42:38,567 that we have -- or the continuation 1038 00:42:38,567 --> 00:42:40,700 of security programs that we have with these countries. 1039 00:42:40,700 --> 00:42:41,734 I'd refer you to my colleagues 1040 00:42:41,734 --> 00:42:42,734 at the Department of State. 1041 00:42:42,734 --> 00:42:43,734 They may be able to provide you some 1042 00:42:43,734 --> 00:42:45,433 more details on those programs, okay? 1043 00:42:45,834 --> 00:42:47,066 Yes, this gentleman in the back. 1044 00:42:47,400 --> 00:42:49,133 The Press: Josh, in regards with the telephone 1045 00:42:49,133 --> 00:42:51,332 call of President Obama with President Peña Nieto, 1046 00:42:51,333 --> 00:42:54,200 did he make any specific requests 1047 00:42:54,200 --> 00:42:57,133 like maybe controlling better the south border 1048 00:42:57,133 --> 00:43:02,866 with Mexico to prevent the crossing of these minors? 1049 00:43:02,867 --> 00:43:05,467 And also, there is going to be a special 1050 00:43:05,467 --> 00:43:07,233 commission that analyze this situation 1051 00:43:07,233 --> 00:43:12,467 with members of the U.S. Cabinet 1052 00:43:12,467 --> 00:43:14,767 like Homeland Security, 1053 00:43:14,767 --> 00:43:17,232 Health and Human Services, et cetera? 1054 00:43:17,233 --> 00:43:19,066 Mr. Earnest: I don't have any additional 1055 00:43:19,066 --> 00:43:21,600 details about that phone call to tell you about. 1056 00:43:21,600 --> 00:43:25,700 But I will say that the United States 1057 00:43:25,700 --> 00:43:28,232 and the Obama administration in particular believes 1058 00:43:28,233 --> 00:43:30,500 that there is an opportunity for us to work 1059 00:43:30,500 --> 00:43:32,567 cooperatively to address this problem. 1060 00:43:32,567 --> 00:43:34,300 That means cooperating with the government 1061 00:43:34,300 --> 00:43:36,133 of Mexico, and that also means cooperating 1062 00:43:36,133 --> 00:43:38,332 with the governments of Guatemala and Honduras, 1063 00:43:38,333 --> 00:43:42,100 El Salvador, and other nations in the region, that 1064 00:43:42,100 --> 00:43:44,967 if we can address this problem before individuals 1065 00:43:44,967 --> 00:43:50,100 show up on the border, that would be good and clearly 1066 00:43:50,100 --> 00:43:52,866 in the best interests of those who are risking 1067 00:43:52,867 --> 00:43:54,300 their lives to try to come to this country. 1068 00:43:54,300 --> 00:43:56,333 The Press: That means that maybe you are asking 1069 00:43:56,333 --> 00:43:59,800 these governments to start campaigns to inform 1070 00:43:59,800 --> 00:44:03,934 the people about the lies of the smugglers perhaps 1071 00:44:03,934 --> 00:44:05,633 and make them aware of the danger? 1072 00:44:05,834 --> 00:44:07,567 Mr. Earnest: We are very interested in making sure 1073 00:44:07,567 --> 00:44:12,333 that we use every available resource 1074 00:44:12,333 --> 00:44:15,533 to correct the record and counter the coordinated 1075 00:44:15,533 --> 00:44:17,066 misinformation campaign that's being 1076 00:44:17,066 --> 00:44:18,834 spread by criminal syndicates 1077 00:44:18,834 --> 00:44:19,899 throughout Central America. 1078 00:44:19,900 --> 00:44:20,900 There's no doubt about that. 1079 00:44:20,900 --> 00:44:21,900 And there have been a range of things 1080 00:44:21,900 --> 00:44:24,433 that have already done that. 1081 00:44:24,433 --> 00:44:26,100 And we're working with the governments 1082 00:44:26,100 --> 00:44:28,700 of those countries to make sure that message gets out. 1083 00:44:29,200 --> 00:44:30,533 In terms of what you reference in your 1084 00:44:30,533 --> 00:44:34,066 first question about the efforts of the President's Cabinet 1085 00:44:34,066 --> 00:44:36,767 to address this problem, a couple of weeks 1086 00:44:36,767 --> 00:44:38,966 ago, the President directed the Federal 1087 00:44:38,967 --> 00:44:42,633 Emergency Management Agency to take a hands-on role 1088 00:44:42,633 --> 00:44:44,600 in coordinating the government response 1089 00:44:44,600 --> 00:44:46,567 to the influx of immigrants we're seeing at the border. 1090 00:44:47,367 --> 00:44:48,633 And so they have played a leading role 1091 00:44:48,633 --> 00:44:51,366 in working with DHS and with HHS to open up additional 1092 00:44:51,367 --> 00:44:53,700 facilities and make sure that we're following 1093 00:44:53,700 --> 00:44:58,433 the law both in terms of detaining individuals, 1094 00:44:58,433 --> 00:44:59,900 but also making sure that we're doing 1095 00:44:59,900 --> 00:45:01,900 that in a humanitarian fashion. 1096 00:45:01,900 --> 00:45:04,400 And it's our hope that the announcement today 1097 00:45:04,400 --> 00:45:07,367 of additional resources to process those asylum 1098 00:45:07,367 --> 00:45:10,166 requests and to process these cases through 1099 00:45:10,166 --> 00:45:12,633 the immigration courts more efficiently 1100 00:45:12,633 --> 00:45:15,232 will also ensure that those individuals 1101 00:45:15,233 --> 00:45:17,400 who are here are treated more humanely. 1102 00:45:17,400 --> 00:45:19,700 The Press: Is there any emphasis 1103 00:45:19,700 --> 00:45:24,265 on more security in the southern border of Mexico? 1104 00:45:24,266 --> 00:45:27,000 Mr. Earnest: I'd refer you to the Mexican government 1105 00:45:27,000 --> 00:45:28,500 to provide you with any updates about that. 1106 00:45:28,767 --> 00:45:29,165 Chuck. 1107 00:45:29,400 --> 00:45:29,867 The Press: I want to follow 1108 00:45:29,867 --> 00:45:30,900 up on that criminal syndicate. 1109 00:45:30,900 --> 00:45:35,667 There's been some implications that 1110 00:45:35,667 --> 00:45:39,767 it's possible the drug cartels are simply doing this 1111 00:45:39,767 --> 00:45:41,000 as a money-making operation. 1112 00:45:41,000 --> 00:45:42,400 Do you guys have evidence of this? 1113 00:45:42,400 --> 00:45:44,567 You're identifying them as a criminal syndicate 1114 00:45:44,567 --> 00:45:47,500 that is perpetuating this misinformation. 1115 00:45:47,500 --> 00:45:50,600 What more do you guys know about 1116 00:45:50,600 --> 00:45:51,400 who these people are? 1117 00:45:51,567 --> 00:45:52,066 Mr. Earnest: Well, I would -- 1118 00:45:52,333 --> 00:45:53,200 The Press: Is it the narcos? 1119 00:45:53,200 --> 00:45:54,033 Or is it some of these -- 1120 00:45:54,333 --> 00:45:55,367 Mr. Earnest: I think there's -- I think there 1121 00:45:55,367 --> 00:45:58,000 is a concern that there are criminal elements 1122 00:45:58,000 --> 00:46:00,433 like narco-gangs and human traffickers 1123 00:46:00,433 --> 00:46:01,433 who are involved in this. 1124 00:46:01,433 --> 00:46:02,967 The Press: They're simply trying to profit 1125 00:46:02,967 --> 00:46:04,133 off of rumors? 1126 00:46:04,133 --> 00:46:05,700 Mr. Earnest: Well, who are taking advantage 1127 00:46:05,700 --> 00:46:09,767 of vulnerable populations to try to make some money. 1128 00:46:09,767 --> 00:46:11,299 We remain very concerned about this. 1129 00:46:11,300 --> 00:46:12,834 For more details on this, I'd refer you 1130 00:46:12,834 --> 00:46:16,299 to DHS who is working the criminal element 1131 00:46:16,300 --> 00:46:17,300 of this more aggressively. 1132 00:46:17,300 --> 00:46:21,166 The Press: Do you have -- would the FBI be involved? 1133 00:46:21,166 --> 00:46:22,200 Who would be involved of trying 1134 00:46:22,200 --> 00:46:24,799 to get at these criminal elements that are doing this? 1135 00:46:24,800 --> 00:46:27,400 Mr. Earnest: Well, there is a role for DHS to play. 1136 00:46:27,400 --> 00:46:28,633 The President has talked quite a bit about 1137 00:46:28,633 --> 00:46:31,165 human trafficking, and the threat that this poses 1138 00:46:31,166 --> 00:46:32,934 to our national security, and the humanitarian 1139 00:46:32,934 --> 00:46:33,967 problem that it presents. 1140 00:46:34,467 --> 00:46:35,867 We're obviously going to have to work closely 1141 00:46:35,867 --> 00:46:37,133 with the Mexican government to address 1142 00:46:37,133 --> 00:46:38,133 this problem, as well. 1143 00:46:38,133 --> 00:46:39,834 And I think that was mentioned in the readout. 1144 00:46:40,166 --> 00:46:41,367 The Press: Right, going to the Border Patrol 1145 00:46:41,367 --> 00:46:43,033 issue that Speaker Boehner brought 1146 00:46:43,033 --> 00:46:46,700 up, are you guys convinced that the Border Patrol is not over -- 1147 00:46:46,700 --> 00:46:48,332 is not being overburdened by this right now? 1148 00:46:48,767 --> 00:46:50,500 Mr. Earnest: I think what's being overburdened 1149 00:46:50,500 --> 00:46:52,800 by this are actually the immigration courts, right? 1150 00:46:52,800 --> 00:46:53,934 That that's where we're seeing the backlog. 1151 00:46:54,133 --> 00:46:54,899 The Press: That's where you think the burden is? 1152 00:46:55,133 --> 00:46:55,633 Mr. Earnest: Yes. 1153 00:46:55,834 --> 00:46:56,200 The Press: You don't feel like 1154 00:46:56,200 --> 00:46:57,399 it is the Border Patrol itself, that they can still 1155 00:46:57,400 --> 00:46:59,934 do their regular job on the border in addition to this, 1156 00:46:59,934 --> 00:47:01,100 handle this as well? 1157 00:47:01,300 --> 00:47:01,633 Mr. Earnest: Well, I think what I would 1158 00:47:01,633 --> 00:47:03,066 say is that our most acute concern right 1159 00:47:03,066 --> 00:47:06,500 now is the immigration courts, and that the backlog 1160 00:47:06,500 --> 00:47:09,600 that is building up because of the surge that we've seen 1161 00:47:09,600 --> 00:47:10,600 along the southern border. 1162 00:47:10,600 --> 00:47:12,567 So that's why we are, in fact, surging resources 1163 00:47:12,567 --> 00:47:15,000 to try to address that. 1164 00:47:15,000 --> 00:47:16,633 The Press: Senate Menendez, Democratic 1165 00:47:16,633 --> 00:47:17,633 Chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, 1166 00:47:17,633 --> 00:47:20,834 said he's concerned about the idea of you guys trying 1167 00:47:20,834 --> 00:47:23,399 to find more camps -- essentially detention 1168 00:47:23,400 --> 00:47:25,533 camps for these children, that there is a more 1169 00:47:25,533 --> 00:47:29,165 humanitarian way to do this that guarantees 1170 00:47:29,166 --> 00:47:31,533 that these children do make their court dates. 1171 00:47:31,533 --> 00:47:35,299 Are you guys looking into alternatives other 1172 00:47:35,300 --> 00:47:38,500 than putting them in some camps or detention camps, 1173 00:47:38,500 --> 00:47:39,266 however you want to describe them? 1174 00:47:39,667 --> 00:47:42,066 Mr. Earnest: Well, there are a couple of things 1175 00:47:42,066 --> 00:47:42,966 that we're looking at. 1176 00:47:42,967 --> 00:47:44,400 The first is -- what we announced today 1177 00:47:44,400 --> 00:47:48,367 was detention facilities that could accommodate adults 1178 00:47:48,367 --> 00:47:49,867 who traveled here with their children. 1179 00:47:49,867 --> 00:47:53,000 There are also alternatives to detention 1180 00:47:53,000 --> 00:47:55,433 programs like ankle bracelets that 1181 00:47:55,433 --> 00:47:57,033 are also being deployed to try to address this problem. 1182 00:47:57,233 --> 00:47:57,900 The Press: You are deploying? 1183 00:47:58,066 --> 00:47:58,366 Mr. Earnest: We are. 1184 00:47:58,367 --> 00:47:58,800 We are. 1185 00:47:58,800 --> 00:47:59,734 And again -- 1186 00:47:59,934 --> 00:48:00,433 The Press: For the children? 1187 00:48:00,600 --> 00:48:01,066 Mr. Earnest: I'm sorry? 1188 00:48:01,367 --> 00:48:02,066 The Press: For the children? 1189 00:48:02,066 --> 00:48:03,933 Or is it specific? 1190 00:48:03,934 --> 00:48:05,633 Or anybody with the ankle -- are you going 1191 00:48:05,633 --> 00:48:07,165 to be putting ankle bracelets on this kids? 1192 00:48:07,166 --> 00:48:08,200 Or on the adults? 1193 00:48:08,500 --> 00:48:09,266 Mr. Earnest: Well, in terms 1194 00:48:09,266 --> 00:48:10,834 of the way that these policies are implemented, 1195 00:48:10,834 --> 00:48:13,165 I'd refer you to DHS for that. 1196 00:48:13,166 --> 00:48:16,233 But we are looking for a variety of ways 1197 00:48:18,400 --> 00:48:22,734 to handle what we see is at root a humanitarian problem, 1198 00:48:22,734 --> 00:48:25,767 but in a way that makes clear this administration's 1199 00:48:25,767 --> 00:48:26,966 commitment to enforcing the law. 1200 00:48:26,967 --> 00:48:28,400 And that's why it's so important, 1201 00:48:28,400 --> 00:48:30,567 as Jim and I talked about, for people to understand 1202 00:48:30,567 --> 00:48:31,734 what that law actually is. 1203 00:48:31,734 --> 00:48:32,734 Because when they show up here, 1204 00:48:32,734 --> 00:48:33,799 that law is going to be enforced. 1205 00:48:33,800 --> 00:48:35,300 The Press: But the law with these -- 1206 00:48:35,300 --> 00:48:37,867 since it's a -- the law says, the United States 1207 00:48:37,867 --> 00:48:39,367 has to keep them for some time, does it not? 1208 00:48:39,633 --> 00:48:42,232 Mr. Earnest: Well, each situation is different. 1209 00:48:42,233 --> 00:48:44,333 And each is handled on a case-by-case basis. 1210 00:48:44,333 --> 00:48:45,467 That's why we want to make sure that 1211 00:48:45,467 --> 00:48:47,867 we have immigration judges and asylum officers 1212 00:48:47,867 --> 00:48:49,967 and others who can make sure that these cases 1213 00:48:49,967 --> 00:48:51,133 are processed efficiently. 1214 00:48:51,433 --> 00:48:53,834 And when those cases call, as they do in many, many 1215 00:48:53,834 --> 00:48:56,633 cases for the removal of these individuals back 1216 00:48:56,633 --> 00:48:58,299 to their home country, that that's something 1217 00:48:58,300 --> 00:49:00,367 that can be executed pretty 1218 00:49:00,367 --> 00:49:00,834 efficiently and effectively. 1219 00:49:01,567 --> 00:49:01,867 The Press: Do you think this law needs 1220 00:49:01,867 --> 00:49:02,066 to be changed? 1221 00:49:02,333 --> 00:49:06,934 Mr. Earnest: Well, what we think needs to be changed 1222 00:49:06,934 --> 00:49:09,667 and reformed is the legal immigration system, 1223 00:49:09,667 --> 00:49:11,066 that what we're concerned about is that there 1224 00:49:11,066 --> 00:49:12,633 are a lot of people who do want to follow the 1225 00:49:12,633 --> 00:49:14,366 law and want to come to this country, 1226 00:49:14,367 --> 00:49:16,467 but can't because the law is so -- 1227 00:49:16,467 --> 00:49:17,800 The Press: This is different than 1228 00:49:17,800 --> 00:49:18,800 the immigration law. 1229 00:49:18,800 --> 00:49:21,000 This has to do with -- this has to do with -- 1230 00:49:21,000 --> 00:49:23,767 this is not about Mexican immigration. 1231 00:49:23,767 --> 00:49:24,866 This is not Canadian. 1232 00:49:24,867 --> 00:49:26,066 This is a separate law. 1233 00:49:26,066 --> 00:49:27,466 That's why I asked if you want this law changed. 1234 00:49:27,633 --> 00:49:28,667 Mr. Earnest: Well, the inefficiency 1235 00:49:28,667 --> 00:49:32,533 of our legal immigration system is not irrelevant here, right, 1236 00:49:32,533 --> 00:49:35,400 that if we did have a much better functioning 1237 00:49:35,400 --> 00:49:38,667 legal immigration system, as is contemplated 1238 00:49:38,667 --> 00:49:42,866 by the current immigration reform proposal, 1239 00:49:42,867 --> 00:49:45,800 that would contribute to solving this problem? 1240 00:49:45,800 --> 00:49:48,300 It probably wouldn't solve it entirely, 1241 00:49:48,300 --> 00:49:50,700 but there is more that can be done. 1242 00:49:50,700 --> 00:49:53,433 And one important step that would at least 1243 00:49:53,433 --> 00:49:55,266 mitigate this problem a little bit would 1244 00:49:55,266 --> 00:49:56,967 be passing comprehensive immigration reform. 1245 00:49:57,266 --> 00:49:59,000 Move around. 1246 00:49:59,000 --> 00:50:00,533 Alexis. 1247 00:50:01,400 --> 00:50:02,834 The Press: Josh, a follow-up on what 1248 00:50:02,834 --> 00:50:03,933 Chuck was asking because I'm still confused 1249 00:50:03,934 --> 00:50:06,667 in your response to his question, too. 1250 00:50:06,667 --> 00:50:08,500 You said the administration response 1251 00:50:08,500 --> 00:50:12,200 to Chuck is concerned that criminal syndicates 1252 00:50:12,200 --> 00:50:13,799 are responsible for this surge. 1253 00:50:13,800 --> 00:50:16,300 And a few minutes before that, your quote 1254 00:50:16,300 --> 00:50:19,767 was, "this deliberate misinformation campaign 1255 00:50:19,767 --> 00:50:21,834 by criminal syndicates in Central America," 1256 00:50:21,834 --> 00:50:23,265 which made it seem like there 1257 00:50:23,266 --> 00:50:26,233 was more affirmative evidence. 1258 00:50:26,233 --> 00:50:28,600 So can you just sort out what made 1259 00:50:28,600 --> 00:50:29,366 you so firm -- 1260 00:50:29,367 --> 00:50:30,066 Mr. Earnest: I think you might be parsing 1261 00:50:30,066 --> 00:50:30,799 it a little bit too much. 1262 00:50:30,800 --> 00:50:32,233 What I was trying to say is that we're concerned 1263 00:50:32,233 --> 00:50:36,767 that there are individuals, criminals 1264 00:50:36,767 --> 00:50:40,200 in Central America who are preying upon individual -- 1265 00:50:40,200 --> 00:50:42,533 vulnerable individuals, spreading 1266 00:50:42,533 --> 00:50:45,100 this information, and trying to capitalize 1267 00:50:45,100 --> 00:50:46,600 on their vulnerable position. 1268 00:50:47,400 --> 00:50:48,567 We're concerned about that. 1269 00:50:48,567 --> 00:50:51,233 We would like to see it put to an end. 1270 00:50:51,233 --> 00:50:52,734 There are a variety of ways that 1271 00:50:52,734 --> 00:50:55,667 we can do that working with host governments, but also 1272 00:50:55,667 --> 00:50:58,266 by communicating clearly to the American people, 1273 00:50:58,266 --> 00:51:00,166 to everybody in this country and to everybody 1274 00:51:00,166 --> 00:51:04,667 in Central American countries what the law actually 1275 00:51:04,667 --> 00:51:06,700 is and our commitment to enforcing it. 1276 00:51:06,700 --> 00:51:08,933 The Press: Here is what I'm trying to ask: 1277 00:51:08,934 --> 00:51:12,667 Obviously, DHS and Border Security officials 1278 00:51:12,667 --> 00:51:17,734 and ICE, they are debriefing the youngsters 1279 00:51:17,734 --> 00:51:20,299 and all these folks, and what I'm trying 1280 00:51:20,300 --> 00:51:23,834 to get at is, are they saying, this is how I came, this is what 1281 00:51:23,834 --> 00:51:26,366 the information was, this is -- what information 1282 00:51:26,367 --> 00:51:30,767 do you have to build this case just so that we're saying, 1283 00:51:30,767 --> 00:51:32,265 look, this is what we're seeing? 1284 00:51:32,533 --> 00:51:34,834 Mr. Earnest: I think in terms of the results 1285 00:51:34,834 --> 00:51:36,834 of debriefs like that, I'd refer you to DHS. 1286 00:51:37,166 --> 00:51:38,533 The Press: So but you haven't 1287 00:51:38,533 --> 00:51:39,734 been given any -- 1288 00:51:39,734 --> 00:51:40,834 Mr. Earnest: I don't have any insight into those 1289 00:51:40,834 --> 00:51:41,700 kinds of interviews 1290 00:51:41,700 --> 00:51:43,866 and what information they've yielded. 1291 00:51:44,100 --> 00:51:45,433 The Press: One other question on Iraq. 1292 00:51:45,433 --> 00:51:48,834 In the context of dealing with Congress 1293 00:51:48,834 --> 00:51:51,366 on the Iraq-Syria situation and ISIL, 1294 00:51:51,367 --> 00:51:55,000 what kind of budgetary implications would 1295 00:51:55,000 --> 00:51:57,834 the President's policy announcement yesterday 1296 00:51:57,834 --> 00:52:00,933 have as we head towards the end of the fiscal year? 1297 00:52:00,934 --> 00:52:05,367 Have you assessed at all what the costs -- 1298 00:52:05,700 --> 00:52:06,399 Mr. Earnest: I haven't. 1299 00:52:06,400 --> 00:52:08,066 I'll see if I can get you some 1300 00:52:08,066 --> 00:52:08,633 more information about that. 1301 00:52:08,967 --> 00:52:09,567 Major. 1302 00:52:10,800 --> 00:52:12,133 The Press: Josh, when does the President expect 1303 00:52:12,133 --> 00:52:16,100 the first teams of Green Berets to arrive in Iraq? 1304 00:52:17,000 --> 00:52:18,066 Mr. Earnest: For those kinds of operational 1305 00:52:18,066 --> 00:52:19,667 questions, I'd refer 1306 00:52:19,667 --> 00:52:21,467 you to the Department of Defense and I think they may be able 1307 00:52:21,467 --> 00:52:23,066 to provide you some more information about that. 1308 00:52:23,400 --> 00:52:25,033 The Press: So he has no expectation that 1309 00:52:25,033 --> 00:52:25,900 it will happen any time soon? 1310 00:52:26,233 --> 00:52:27,867 Mr. Earnest: What I'm saying is that 1311 00:52:27,867 --> 00:52:29,266 I don't know what -- 1312 00:52:29,700 --> 00:52:30,500 The Press: Well, he ordered it. 1313 00:52:30,500 --> 00:52:31,000 I'm just curious. 1314 00:52:31,166 --> 00:52:31,800 Mr. Earnest: He did order it, 1315 00:52:31,800 --> 00:52:33,867 and the Department of Defense, who is responsible 1316 00:52:33,867 --> 00:52:35,934 for carrying out that order will be able to provide 1317 00:52:35,934 --> 00:52:37,533 you with some more details about the time frame 1318 00:52:37,533 --> 00:52:38,799 in which that order will be carried out. 1319 00:52:38,967 --> 00:52:39,900 The Press: Understood. 1320 00:52:39,900 --> 00:52:41,500 Let me turn the Maliki question around, 1321 00:52:41,500 --> 00:52:44,600 because we've persistently asked what if he goes. 1322 00:52:44,600 --> 00:52:45,500 What if he stays? 1323 00:52:45,500 --> 00:52:47,467 What if that's the determination, 1324 00:52:47,467 --> 00:52:49,867 that the politics -- looks for some alternatives 1325 00:52:49,867 --> 00:52:52,633 and he doesn't sort anything out, and Maliki strong arms 1326 00:52:52,633 --> 00:52:54,966 his way into power and remains there because 1327 00:52:54,967 --> 00:52:56,633 he did win this third round of elections. 1328 00:52:56,633 --> 00:52:58,734 Will the U.S. by its 1329 00:52:58,734 --> 00:53:01,333 very nature have to reassess what 1330 00:53:01,333 --> 00:53:03,233 it has done so far and what it might be contemplating 1331 00:53:03,233 --> 00:53:05,367 in its continued relationship with the Iraqi government? 1332 00:53:05,834 --> 00:53:07,633 Mr. Earnest: I'm hesitant to dive too deeply 1333 00:53:07,633 --> 00:53:10,533 into a hypothetical about whether or not he stays, 1334 00:53:10,533 --> 00:53:11,232 but let me try to -- 1335 00:53:11,400 --> 00:53:12,233 The Press: But there's been plenty 1336 00:53:12,233 --> 00:53:13,667 of rhetoric about the need for an inclusive government 1337 00:53:13,667 --> 00:53:16,799 and things that obviously take on a different, 1338 00:53:16,800 --> 00:53:21,934 more inclusive and less divisive chain 1339 00:53:21,934 --> 00:53:24,867 of events than we've seen from the Maliki regime so far. 1340 00:53:24,867 --> 00:53:28,667 Mr. Earnest: Well, what I think I would say about 1341 00:53:28,667 --> 00:53:30,834 that is simply that it is the view 1342 00:53:30,834 --> 00:53:31,966 of the United States -- and the President 1343 00:53:31,967 --> 00:53:34,967 said this yesterday -- that there is not a military solution 1344 00:53:34,967 --> 00:53:37,800 to the challenges that are posed to the Iraqi 1345 00:53:37,800 --> 00:53:39,567 government right now; that there 1346 00:53:39,567 --> 00:53:42,400 may be an opportunity and it may be necessary 1347 00:53:42,400 --> 00:53:45,333 for the Iraqi security forces to take some steps 1348 00:53:45,333 --> 00:53:49,000 to stabilize the security situation in the short term. 1349 00:53:49,633 --> 00:53:56,332 But that is only a short-term solution. 1350 00:53:56,333 --> 00:53:59,133 To get at the root of the enduring problems 1351 00:53:59,133 --> 00:54:01,899 will require a political effort that's 1352 00:54:01,900 --> 00:54:06,100 much more inclusive, that demonstrates 1353 00:54:06,100 --> 00:54:08,232 to every Iraqi citizen that they have a stake 1354 00:54:08,233 --> 00:54:09,233 in that country's future. 1355 00:54:09,233 --> 00:54:10,500 And that will require the pursuit 1356 00:54:10,500 --> 00:54:12,867 of an inclusive political agenda. 1357 00:54:13,333 --> 00:54:14,133 The Press: Taking names 1358 00:54:14,133 --> 00:54:16,299 out of it, absent that process, would the United States 1359 00:54:16,300 --> 00:54:18,200 have to reassess its relationship with Iraq? 1360 00:54:18,533 --> 00:54:21,000 Mr. Earnest: Well, I think the United States 1361 00:54:21,000 --> 00:54:24,600 is always assessing our relationship with Iraq, 1362 00:54:24,600 --> 00:54:26,799 and assessing -- most importantly, 1363 00:54:26,800 --> 00:54:28,800 as the President, again, said yesterday -- 1364 00:54:28,800 --> 00:54:33,066 are the national security implications 1365 00:54:33,066 --> 00:54:36,366 of ongoing instability there. 1366 00:54:36,367 --> 00:54:39,500 There are serious concerns that are raised 1367 00:54:39,500 --> 00:54:43,367 by the advances that have been made by ISIL. 1368 00:54:43,367 --> 00:54:45,367 Those are concerns that have attracted 1369 00:54:45,367 --> 00:54:47,166 the attention not just in the United States 1370 00:54:47,166 --> 00:54:50,000 but other countries in the region, 1371 00:54:50,000 --> 00:54:51,333 particularly Iraq's neighbors. 1372 00:54:51,800 --> 00:54:53,100 So there is an opportunity for us to work 1373 00:54:53,100 --> 00:54:54,567 in collaborative fashion with the international 1374 00:54:54,567 --> 00:54:57,266 community to try to address this problem, 1375 00:54:57,266 --> 00:55:00,667 and I think that there is pretty widespread 1376 00:55:00,667 --> 00:55:04,933 agreement that a military solution 1377 00:55:04,934 --> 00:55:07,734 is not a long-term one, and that it will require, 1378 00:55:07,734 --> 00:55:11,100 as the President has said, the leaders of Iraq 1379 00:55:11,100 --> 00:55:14,165 to pursue an inclusive political agenda. 1380 00:55:14,767 --> 00:55:17,734 So that is an effort that we can work with 1381 00:55:17,734 --> 00:55:19,533 the Iraqis to develop. 1382 00:55:19,533 --> 00:55:21,266 It's certainly one we've been encouraging 1383 00:55:21,266 --> 00:55:22,367 them to pursue. 1384 00:55:22,367 --> 00:55:23,367 And there is an opportunity 1385 00:55:23,367 --> 00:55:25,800 for other countries in the region to play a constructive 1386 00:55:25,800 --> 00:55:30,233 role in encouraging the leaders of Iraq to pursue 1387 00:55:30,233 --> 00:55:31,667 that inclusive agenda. 1388 00:55:31,967 --> 00:55:33,133 The Press: On the unaccompanied children. 1389 00:55:33,133 --> 00:55:34,734 It sounds as if what you're trying 1390 00:55:34,734 --> 00:55:36,933 to say, among the many things you're trying 1391 00:55:36,934 --> 00:55:38,867 to articulate about what the administration 1392 00:55:38,867 --> 00:55:42,166 is now doing, is the presumption will be that 1393 00:55:42,166 --> 00:55:44,800 these children and their maybe single mothers 1394 00:55:44,800 --> 00:55:47,433 will not qualify as political refugees 1395 00:55:47,433 --> 00:55:50,934 or refugees under any definition under 1396 00:55:50,934 --> 00:55:53,467 U.S. law and that they will, once processed, 1397 00:55:53,467 --> 00:55:54,800 be sent home. 1398 00:55:54,800 --> 00:55:57,166 That's why it's misinformation to suggest, 1399 00:55:57,166 --> 00:56:01,400 as you have identified these various criminal 1400 00:56:01,400 --> 00:56:03,567 actors, telling them that they can't. 1401 00:56:03,567 --> 00:56:05,767 Is that a fair interpretation 1402 00:56:05,767 --> 00:56:09,000 of what you're saying about what the likely outcome 1403 00:56:09,000 --> 00:56:11,233 of the processing of these unaccompanied children 1404 00:56:11,233 --> 00:56:12,767 and single mothers is likely to be? 1405 00:56:13,100 --> 00:56:14,133 Mr. Earnest: No, I don't think that's quite right. 1406 00:56:14,133 --> 00:56:15,265 I think it's the other way around, which 1407 00:56:15,266 --> 00:56:16,734 is I think that the misinformation that's 1408 00:56:16,734 --> 00:56:20,967 being spread is that everybody who shows up on the border, 1409 00:56:20,967 --> 00:56:23,967 on the southern border, will be allowed to stay. 1410 00:56:23,967 --> 00:56:25,200 And what I'm saying is that's not true. 1411 00:56:25,867 --> 00:56:27,300 The Press: Some will be allowed to stay? 1412 00:56:27,867 --> 00:56:29,266 Mr. Earnest: What's I'm saying is that 1413 00:56:29,266 --> 00:56:30,834 every person who does show up at that border 1414 00:56:30,834 --> 00:56:31,667 will go through -- 1415 00:56:32,000 --> 00:56:32,567 The Press: A process. 1416 00:56:32,800 --> 00:56:33,767 Mr. Earnest: The immigration process. 1417 00:56:33,767 --> 00:56:37,399 Some of them may have legitimate, 1418 00:56:37,400 --> 00:56:39,667 viable asylum claims, and they will go through 1419 00:56:39,667 --> 00:56:43,633 the asylum process, but the vast majority of them will 1420 00:56:43,633 --> 00:56:46,700 be detained and removed and that is according 1421 00:56:46,700 --> 00:56:48,834 to the laws of this country. 1422 00:56:48,834 --> 00:56:50,232 And that is not the interpretation 1423 00:56:50,233 --> 00:56:53,233 of the laws that are being shared by these individuals 1424 00:56:53,233 --> 00:56:55,066 that have very bad intentions. 1425 00:56:55,066 --> 00:56:56,165 The Press: Right. 1426 00:56:56,166 --> 00:56:58,800 And so the overall goal of these beefed 1427 00:56:58,800 --> 00:57:04,533 up procedural facilities -- judges, attorneys, 1428 00:57:04,533 --> 00:57:08,100 asylum advisors -- is to run the people through that process 1429 00:57:08,100 --> 00:57:09,100 and get them back home? 1430 00:57:09,100 --> 00:57:10,633 Mr. Earnest: That's right, and make sure that 1431 00:57:10,633 --> 00:57:14,100 justice is administered swiftly and efficiently. 1432 00:57:14,100 --> 00:57:18,433 The Press: Josh, there was another transition 1433 00:57:18,433 --> 00:57:19,934 this week and that was the President's 1434 00:57:19,934 --> 00:57:22,834 first headlining of a super PAC fundraiser. 1435 00:57:22,834 --> 00:57:24,633 What is the President doing 1436 00:57:24,633 --> 00:57:25,700 on the other side of the equation? 1437 00:57:25,700 --> 00:57:29,332 What is he doing to limit unlimited spending 1438 00:57:29,333 --> 00:57:32,834 on campaign financing all around the country? 1439 00:57:33,233 --> 00:57:35,266 Mr. Earnest: Well, the President's support 1440 00:57:35,266 --> 00:57:38,834 for campaign finance reform is well known. 1441 00:57:38,834 --> 00:57:40,966 Unfortunately, that is support that 1442 00:57:40,967 --> 00:57:43,200 is not broadly shared on the other side of the aisle. 1443 00:57:43,200 --> 00:57:44,866 So it's something the President will continue 1444 00:57:44,867 --> 00:57:47,633 to push for and pursue and support. 1445 00:57:47,633 --> 00:57:52,533 But we've not seen a willing partner 1446 00:57:52,533 --> 00:57:53,533 on the other side of the aisle 1447 00:57:53,533 --> 00:57:54,533 at this point. 1448 00:57:54,533 --> 00:57:55,266 The Press: Is there an opportunity for some 1449 00:57:55,266 --> 00:57:56,533 pen and phone action when it comes 1450 00:57:56,533 --> 00:57:57,866 to campaign finance reform? 1451 00:57:57,867 --> 00:57:59,033 Is there anything the President 1452 00:57:59,033 --> 00:58:00,667 can do without -- there are so many things 1453 00:58:00,667 --> 00:58:03,266 that you're saying he can't do, so what can he do? 1454 00:58:03,633 --> 00:58:06,767 Mr. Earnest: Well, I don't know the answer to that, 1455 00:58:06,767 --> 00:58:11,366 but if there is, and it's one the President 1456 00:58:11,367 --> 00:58:14,767 decides to choose to pursue, you'll be among 1457 00:58:14,767 --> 00:58:15,866 the first to know. 1458 00:58:15,867 --> 00:58:18,033 The Press: But doesn't it appear that he's striding 1459 00:58:18,033 --> 00:58:19,667 confidently in the other direction 1460 00:58:19,667 --> 00:58:20,834 when he's headlining a fundraiser 1461 00:58:20,834 --> 00:58:21,899 for unlimited donations? 1462 00:58:21,900 --> 00:58:23,500 Mr. Earnest: No, it doesn't. 1463 00:58:23,500 --> 00:58:26,900 I think what it demonstrates is that 1464 00:58:26,900 --> 00:58:31,200 this President is committed to supporting those 1465 00:58:31,200 --> 00:58:36,165 who share his political agenda in the upcoming elections 1466 00:58:36,166 --> 00:58:38,533 and that one of the ways that he can help those 1467 00:58:38,533 --> 00:58:42,000 who support his agenda of expanding economic 1468 00:58:42,000 --> 00:58:43,667 opportunity for the middle class 1469 00:58:43,667 --> 00:58:45,133 is to help them raise money. 1470 00:58:45,133 --> 00:58:46,866 And that's what the President is doing. 1471 00:58:46,867 --> 00:58:50,133 But it does not in any way affect his continued 1472 00:58:50,133 --> 00:58:52,899 and unwavering support for campaign finance reform 1473 00:58:52,900 --> 00:58:56,200 that would reduce the influence of special 1474 00:58:56,200 --> 00:59:00,200 interest money in politics and give more citizens 1475 00:59:00,200 --> 00:59:02,399 a louder voice in a political process. 1476 00:59:02,400 --> 00:59:03,633 And, Mike, I'm going to give you the last one. 1477 00:59:03,834 --> 00:59:04,533 The Press: All right, thank you. 1478 00:59:04,533 --> 00:59:08,533 There is a report from Reuter's that Syria 1479 00:59:08,533 --> 00:59:10,600 has told the U.N. General 1480 00:59:10,600 --> 00:59:11,967 Assembly -- I'm sorry, 1481 00:59:11,967 --> 00:59:16,100 the Security Council -- that it will consider humanitarian 1482 00:59:16,100 --> 00:59:19,400 deliveries in the rebel areas as an attack. 1483 00:59:19,400 --> 00:59:21,800 Is the administration aware of this, 1484 00:59:21,800 --> 00:59:23,133 and do you have a reaction? 1485 00:59:24,040 --> 00:59:25,340 Mr. Earnest: I'm sure the administration 1486 00:59:25,340 --> 00:59:27,000 is aware of it. 1487 00:59:27,200 --> 00:59:28,700 I personally am not, so we'll have 1488 00:59:28,700 --> 00:59:30,600 to see if we can get you an answer to that question. 1489 00:59:30,600 --> 00:59:32,366 It may be worth checking with my colleagues 1490 00:59:32,367 --> 00:59:35,667 in the U.S. Ambassador's Office 1491 00:59:35,667 --> 00:59:36,667 at the United Nations 1492 00:59:36,667 --> 00:59:38,933 and they may be able to provide you a more detailed 1493 00:59:38,934 --> 00:59:39,467 position on it. 1494 00:59:39,767 --> 00:59:40,366 The Press: Thanks, Josh. 1495 00:59:40,600 --> 00:59:41,567 The Press: Week ahead? 1496 00:59:42,033 --> 00:59:43,100 Mr. Earnest: Let's do the week ahead. 1497 00:59:43,100 --> 00:59:45,500 We've got a note here. 1498 00:59:45,834 --> 00:59:47,165 The Press: A new joke? 1499 00:59:47,166 --> 00:59:50,400 (laughter) 1500 00:59:50,400 --> 00:59:50,834 The Press: Did you rewrite it? 1501 00:59:50,834 --> 00:59:51,567 (laughter) 1502 00:59:51,567 --> 00:59:51,800 Mr. Earnest: No, it's going to be a while 1503 00:59:51,800 --> 00:59:53,934 before I try to tell a joke from here again, 1504 00:59:53,934 --> 00:59:55,100 I'll tell you that. 1505 00:59:55,100 --> 00:59:55,667 (laughter) 1506 00:59:56,000 --> 00:59:56,800 The Press: Well, the Royals are hot. 1507 00:59:56,800 --> 00:59:57,767 You've got that going for you. 1508 00:59:57,767 --> 00:59:58,100 Mr. Earnest: They are. 1509 00:59:58,100 --> 00:59:58,767 I've got that going for me. 1510 00:59:59,200 --> 01:00:00,100 The Press: Josh, can I ask -- 1511 01:00:00,333 --> 01:00:01,266 Mr. Earnest: No, I think I'm just going 1512 01:00:01,266 --> 01:00:02,166 to do the week ahead. 1513 01:00:02,433 --> 01:00:04,200 On Monday, the President will participate 1514 01:00:04,200 --> 01:00:07,265 in the Summit on Working Families to focus on creating 1515 01:00:07,266 --> 01:00:09,166 a 21st century workplace that works 1516 01:00:09,166 --> 01:00:10,934 for all Americans. 1517 01:00:10,934 --> 01:00:13,133 This will be at the Omni Hotel here in Washington, D.C. 1518 01:00:13,133 --> 01:00:14,500 The Vice President, the First Lady 1519 01:00:14,500 --> 01:00:16,567 and Dr. Biden will also participate. 1520 01:00:17,166 --> 01:00:19,967 On Tuesday, the President will host the 2013 1521 01:00:19,967 --> 01:00:22,033 President's Cup teams at the White House. 1522 01:00:22,433 --> 01:00:25,066 On Wednesday, the President will 1523 01:00:25,066 --> 01:00:27,734 have lunch with Israeli President Shimon Peres 1524 01:00:27,734 --> 01:00:29,266 here at the White House. 1525 01:00:29,266 --> 01:00:32,300 Afterward, he'll welcome Jimmy Johnson to honor 1526 01:00:32,300 --> 01:00:35,567 him for his 2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship. 1527 01:00:35,867 --> 01:00:37,200 The Press: I was hoping to see (inaudible). 1528 01:00:39,333 --> 01:00:39,867 Mr. Earnest: Dallas Cowboy fans will have to wait 1529 01:00:39,867 --> 01:00:41,166 for another day for that, I guess. 1530 01:00:41,400 --> 01:00:42,800 The Press: (Inaudible). 1531 01:00:43,200 --> 01:00:45,033 Mr. Earnest: Well -- them, too. 1532 01:00:45,033 --> 01:00:46,000 On Thursday, the President will travel 1533 01:00:46,000 --> 01:00:48,433 to Minneapolis, Minnesota -- I know the White House 1534 01:00:48,433 --> 01:00:50,333 Chief of Staff is very excited about that trip. 1535 01:00:50,333 --> 01:00:54,000 And on Friday, we'll have a little more detail 1536 01:00:54,000 --> 01:00:57,200 about the schedule on Friday a little later. 1537 01:00:57,200 --> 01:00:59,433 So we're still working up some details on Friday. 1538 01:00:59,667 --> 01:01:00,900 The Press: He's still overnighting in Minneapolis? 1539 01:01:00,900 --> 01:01:02,433 Mr. Earnest: That is still the plan. 1540 01:01:02,433 --> 01:01:06,433 That is still the plan. 1541 01:01:06,433 --> 01:01:07,500 Thanks, everybody. 1542 01:01:07,500 --> 01:01:08,100 Have a great weekend. 1543 01:01:08,100 --> 01:01:09,620 We'll see you on Monday.