Jon Decker, WOR White House correspondent Interview

Jon Decker joins Mendte in the Morning to talk about the strikes against Venezuelan boats and the Navy admiral that is responsible testifying behind closed doors today.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
John Decker, wr White House and Washington correspondent is with
us now and host of the new podcast, The White
House Briefing Room with John Decker, which can be found
on the iHeartRadio app. John is with us every Tuesday
and Thursday at this very time. So a big day
on Capitol Hill, John, and good morning to you. Big
day the Venezuelan hearings. I guess Admiral Bradley is going

(00:22):
to testify behind closed doors.

Speaker 2 (00:25):
Yes, Admiral Frank Bradley will be testifying. It will be
behind closed doors. It will be before the Senate Armed
Services Committee. Republicans and Democrats on that committee have expressed
concern about the way this strike on that alleged drug
boat took place back on September the second. Different explanations,
different stories being given by Pete Hegseeth, the Defense Secretary,

(00:49):
those who speak on his behalf. Also different explanations over
at the White House as well. And now they hope
to get some clarification by the person who led that operation,
and that is Admiral Bradley. So don't know if we'll
get a readout in terms of what was said during
the course of that hearing, but as you know. Pete
Hegseat has maintained that those two survivors from that first strike.

(01:14):
He says they still posed an imminent risk to the
United States even though they were hanging from the remnants
of that drug boat after it was struck that first
time by that military strike.

Speaker 1 (01:26):
I don't know if you heard what I played at
the top of the show was Martha Raddits, and she
has information that she got from sources that the survivors
climbed back on the boat, according to people that were
in the room, and there was also a JAG officer
right there who okayed the strike. That's what she is
reporting right now. Have you heard this, I can play

(01:48):
it for you, let me play it.

Speaker 2 (01:51):
I haven't heard that. I've heard similar types of stories
about what it is that Admiral Bradley will be testifying too,
essentially what he intends to those senators that have oversight
over the Pentagon. So it doesn't differ with what I've heard,
you know that being said, you know, I mean, I
guess you know, mister Admiral Bradley will essentially say that

(02:12):
it's the Department's lawyers that gave the green light to
take this second strike. And it's another example of fingers
being pointed at another element of the decision making process.
You know that Pete hag Seth said it was Admiral Bradley,
and now Admiral Bradley, it is believed in his sworn

(02:33):
testimony to those senators, will say he simply got the
green light from those Pentagon lawyers who were also monitoring
what was happening on September.

Speaker 1 (02:42):
The second right, Michael Molroy was also gotten sources and
he reported on it as well, and he said, if
they did indeed, and again we're going off sources right now,
so we have to confirm all this. But if they did, indeed,
these survivors climb back in the boat, they were working
the radio, they were trying to save the drugs at
that point, then the strike would have been completely legal

(03:03):
at that point. If that's what.

Speaker 2 (03:05):
Happened, Yeah, I don't. I think the big question is
you'd have to see the video. You know, was there
even a boat that climbed back into you know, from
what I understand, there were actually four strikes altogether on
that boat. I can't imagine there was even a boat
that existed that was usable in any particular way, after
the kind of strikes that we've seen on the video

(03:27):
that the Pentagon has already released. So I think a
lot of it really depends in terms of showing to
the senators on the Senate Armed Services Committee what it
is that those involved in the operations saw in terms
of video on that day.

Speaker 1 (03:42):
Let me get to another topic right now.

Speaker 2 (03:44):
You're right.

Speaker 1 (03:46):
After Admiral Bradley testifies, we're going to know a whole
lot more and it won't just be based on sources.
But let's talk about real quick, this growing scandal in Minnesota. Oh,
I guess the scandal has stopped, but at least the
growing concern about what happened in Minnesota a billion dollars
that was taken out of the government through fraud under

(04:08):
Governor Walls. It sounds like the Republicans are going to
go running with this.

Speaker 2 (04:14):
Oh absolutely, you know. I mean, that's what politics is
all about. And the President, you know, has spoken about
this publicly over the course of the past few days,
and you know, as it relates to both Minnesota and Louisiana,
the National Guard has been moved into both of those
states in the course of the past few days. That's
to deal with the crime problems specifically in New Orleans,

(04:37):
and also the crime problem that the President says exists
in the state of Minnesota. There's no word as to
how long these respective operations will last. And you know,
as it relates to Louisiana, the governor, their governor, Landry
has invited this mission, this operation that the President has
been talking about for a few months now, and finally

(05:01):
we see it in action on the streets of New Orleans.
You'd be you know, if you were down there, Larry,
you'd see National Guard on the streets in the same
way that I seen the National Guard on the streets
here in downtown Washington, d C.

Speaker 1 (05:15):
Well, you're getting more there too. Apparently you can get
more from John Decker on the iHeartRadio app. Just search
for his podcast, White House Briefing Room with John Decker,
and be sure to set a preset. John's going to
be back Tuesday at seven o five. Thanks John,