Fox News "The Ingraham Angle" - Transcript: Reps. Biggs and Garamendi debate Trump's Russia strategy

Interview

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CHAFFETZ: Here to react is Congressman Andy Biggs a Republican from Mayfair Arizona and Congressman John Garamendi a Democrats from California. Gentleman thank you for being here, I had the honor and privilege of serving with both of you in this Congress and I appreciate you coming and joining us tonight to give us a bi partisan perspective. Congressman Garamendi I'll give you the first word here. For a president to go and meet with the Russian president is a good thing isn't it? And to think that the Democrats are taking it way way too far when they talk about treason and those types of things?

REP. JOHN GARAMENDI, D--CALIF.: Well there's no doubt and your previous guest Howard said it very very well. The president really did mess up in his press conference, there's no doubt about that. What actually happened in the two hours is extremely important. Right now we're in the process of writing the final version of Annual National Defense Authorization Act and we do know that the president just four months ago said Russia and China were our principle adversaries.

What happened in that four hour meeting that we need to know as we finish it up? Do we have to change the directions that we're setting? Do we have to provide different money for different armaments or less money for some armaments? We don't know that so that secret meeting is of serious concern going forward for the policies that congress has to enact and the that we have to appropriate. Similarly we have not heard of the term confidential classified briefing on Singapore or NATO itself so there's things that this administration needs to share with Congress. As to the ongoing controversy, well the president just continues to cause it.

CHAFFETZ: Let me bring in Congressman Biggs. You know when I hear the Democrats suddenly getting tough on Russia and they sound like war mongers, I mean they've morphed into a totally different party than I've ever heard or seen in the past. I mean you had President Obama saying, "There's no threat. Hey they just need a little bit more time so they can negotiate" Yeah and Hillary Clinton with the reset button. How do you view it on the floor of the House?

REP. ANDY BIGGS, R--ARIZONA: Well I think it's true that they've changed their philosophical bent and I don't think it's permanent because I always thought of them as neo Liberal institutionalists. What I mean by that is they viewed themselves as finding some great allegiance. But I'm not classifying everybody but most of them, they viewed themselves as having allegiance to these multiple lateral institutions like the United Nations, like NATO and what have you. Now what they're spinning out is, "Wait a second, Russia is this tremendous enemy and now we need to make sure we're protecting nations like Montenegro and there's this mystery going on here" I think they've spun themselves so up because they don't like President Trump but they've actually change their fundamental understanding of who they are from a philosophical point of view.

CHAFFETZ: Congressman Garamendi, how do you feel about that, because a lot of people have said those types of things?

GARAMENDI: Well, whatever they're saying, Andy says have I changed my fundamental understanding of where I am, the reality is that the Democrats have said forever that we need a strong and wise military. Wise in the sense that how we use that military. And I voted for continuing on the Armed Services Committee for the National Defense Authorization Act. I do have questions about where the money is spent and whether it is spent wisely and that is my job.

But the president himself, if I might just a moment, the president himself has said Russia is our principal adversary. That was the national defense policy that was emanated by him just a couple of months ago. Now the Montenegro thing is extremely --

CHAFFETZ: But wait a second. Congressman, and I have the greatest respect for you. You are one of the nicest gentleman that I have ever interacted with on either side of the aisle. But I've got to tell you, the Democrats under Barack Obama, every single time we turned around the only thing they were willing to cut was the defense budget. It's only been President Trump and the Republicans that have pushed that budget up. And they went to grant thanks to mock Mitt Romney and others for even suggesting what Devin Nunes said, which is that our geopolitical foe was Russia.

GARAMENDI: The facts, yes, we want to have a wise expenditure of the taxpayers' money. And let's face it, there are many things that the military does that one should appropriately question whether that is the appropriate expenditure of the taxpayer money. On the other hand, this Montenegro thing speaks to the heart of NATO. NATO is extraordinarily important to America because it brings together European countries the --

CHAFFETZ: Congressman, we are going to have to another Montenegro segment. But I want to get Congressman Biggs to have the last word. Last word to Congressman Biggs here. How do you see this going forward?

BIGGS: I see the philosophical bent has changed. It truly has. And the idea that we are going to now ratchet up the rhetoric and potentially cause a firestorm, that is really not where the Democrats have been. They have actually emasculated the military under the previous administration. Maybe not John, because he is a great guy. But his party dead. And the administration died. And we've had to build that back up.

And I think President Trump is saying, Russia is a foe, but we are better off if we are going to have these negotiations and we can find points of commonality. That's what I think is so important. And that is why I find it very interesting that my colleagues on the other side of the aisle are spinning this out of control. And moreover, the media is casting the strange narrative of treason. It's absolutely wild.

CHAFFETZ: Congressmen, thank you both. I truly do appreciate it. But we do have to go. The story the left does not want to hear you about, Hillary Clinton's emails. That's up next.

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