The next is the transcript of an interview with Democratic Rep. Jason Crow of Colorado that aired on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan” on Aug. 17, 2025.
MARGARET BRENNAN: And we’re joined now by Colorado Democratic Congressman Jason Crow. Good to see you in particular person. Earlier than we begin speaking about Ukraine, I need to decide up on one thing, because you sit on the Intelligence Committee. The Secretary of State simply mentioned that lawmakers had come to the Trump administration with info that they have been granting visas to people with ties to Hamas, or with organizations with ties to Hamas. That is a reasonably gorgeous accusation. Israel controls who enters and exits Gaza. America screens all visas. So, is there actually a blind spot that you’re conscious of?
REP. JASON CROW: I am not conscious of that. But when that is true, truly, that’s regarding. That will be an issue. I imply, Hamas is a brutal terrorist group. They shouldn’t be touring anyplace. So, if that is occurring, it needs to be stopped instantly. And, , the Intelligence Committee has a task to play in that.
MARGARET BRENNAN: However the Intelligence Committee wasn’t behind the data introduced to the Secretary of State.
REP. CROW: I’ve not been briefed on that. I’ve no details about it.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Okay, on Ukraine: You already know that the U.S. intelligence evaluation is that the battlefield is popping in Russia’s favor, although Putin has to depend on Iran and North Korea to maintain this factor going. If neither President Biden nor President Trump have been ever prepared to commit troops, does not the secretary have a degree that it needs to be hammered out on the negotiating desk?
REP. CROW: You already know, this totally will finish at a negotiating desk, like most conflicts will. However what occurred on Friday was a historic embarrassment for america. There is no different solution to put it. Proper? You take heed to what Marco Rubio and the president have mentioned. They carry on saying they’re dedicating time. They’re making it a precedence. They’re focusing their consideration on it. In any negotiation, if you’re making an attempt to finish an armed battle, there’s nothing extra vital than understanding what motivates your adversary. What’s making Vladimir Putin tick, on this occasion. Vladimir Putin doesn’t care in regards to the period of time that we’re nego- we’re allocating to this, doesn’t care a few B-2 bomber flyover, doesn’t care a few lineup of F-22 fighters rolled out. He does not care about any of that. What Vladimir Putin cares about is principally three issues. He cares about financial strain within the type of sanctions. He cares about political, diplomatic isolation, being a pariah state. And he cares about navy defeat. These are the three issues that may finish this battle if he feels strain on all of these three fronts. And this administration continues to be unwilling to do something to say strain in any of these three areas.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Nicely, they’ve put in place some secondary sanctions, not less than on India right here, they usually have not pulled again. They want Congress to assist them repeal plenty of these sanctions. However larger image, in hindsight, do you assume america up to now has been too hesitant to really assist Ukraine win this battle? President Obama didn’t ship offensive weapons to Ukraine. President Biden was criticized for being maybe too sluggish in supply of sure weapons.
REP. CROW: There is no doubt. As , I used to be one of many members of Congress that, on a bipartisan foundation, pushed actually laborious within the first two years of this battle, underneath the Biden administration, to do extra, to do extra faster. And I used to be involved that we have been doing simply sufficient to stop Ukraine from shedding and never doing sufficient to assist them win. And I do imagine that had we achieved extra, and we had achieved it sooner, and that we have been prepared to be extra aggressive in offering support and assist for Ukraine, then they’d be in a distinct place on the battlefield at this time. However examine that to what this administration has achieved, which has relieved nearly all strain. Like have a look at what occurred on Friday. U.S. navy personnel in uniform, actually, have been on their arms and knees, rolling out a crimson carpet for essentially the most murderous dictator of the twenty first century. Anyone who has kidnapped and is holding prisoner tens of hundreds of Ukrainian kids. Anyone who began this complete battle, proper? This both-sides-ism that the administration is participating in, that each side want to come back to the desk and negotiate. Ukraine is the sufferer. They’re the sufferer. They did not begin this battle. Russia did. And by some means we carry on performing like Vladimir Putin deserves to be introduced out into the open like another head of state. It is a historic embarrassment and defeat for U.S. international coverage.
MARGARET BRENNAN: You’ve gotten served this nation in uniform. I’m wondering, because you sit on the Armed Providers Committee, how comfy you’ll be with america giving this, regardless of the Article 5-like safety assure would appear to be. Is that one thing you must see boots on the bottom to do?
REP. CROW: I do not assume boots on the bottom can be the way in which to go. However, definitely, america has belongings and functionality that I feel are important to any sort of safety assure. I feel Europe has to come back ahead with the ahead presence of navy. However we will present intelligence. We are able to present financial assist, diplomatic assist. One of the vital vital issues that we will do proper now is definitely seize Russian belongings. This could be enormous. This could be a game-changing factor that put strain on Vladimir Putin. And really create safety ensures and reconstruction for Ukraine. There’s over $150 billion of seized Russian belongings, and america could lead on a coalition to grab that cash. Allocate it in the direction of reconstruction, allocate it in the direction of safety, allocate it in the direction of the constructing of a Ukrainian navy that might truly resist Russia going ahead. However this administration is unwilling to do it.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Final administration was too, they–
REP. CROW: –That is proper.
MARGARET BRENNAN: They did conform to the laws. However on the immigration entrance, you and your fellow Democratic lawmakers at the moment are making an attempt to problem the Trump administration’s coverage that requires discover to be given earlier than you go to an immigration facility. You simply did go to some. What did you see, and the way does that examine to the final go to?
REP. CROW: Nicely, there’s an ICE detention heart in my district, in Aurora, Colorado. I’ve visited that heart 10 occasions now over the past 5 years, six years. And oversight of federal services is without doubt one of the most vital issues that any member of Congress does. Air Pressure bases, navy bases, VA hospitals and ICE detention facilities. This administration simply tripled the finances of ICE. Made it the most important federal regulation enforcement company within the historical past of america. Greater than the FBI, ATF, DEA, all others mixed. And they’re placing in roadblocks to stop oversight, to stop transparency as a result of they have been making an attempt to cover what they’re doing. That’s unacceptable. So we filed a lawsuit to power them to abide by federal regulation that ensures us entry.
MARGARET BRENNAN: And we’ll see the place that heads subsequent. Jason Crow, thanks. We’ll be proper again.
