Transcript: Sen. Mark Warner on "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan," Dec. 14, 2025

The pursuing is the transcript of the interrogation with Sen. Mark Warner, Democrat of Virginia, that aired connected "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan" connected Dec. 14, 2025.

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MARGARET BRENNAN: And we're present joined by the apical Democrat connected the Senate Intelligence Committee, Mark Warner of Virginia. Senator, were you persuaded determination by Maria Corina Machado's statement that subject enactment unit is virtuous and necessary?

SEN. WARNER: Well, archetypal of all, fto maine astatine the apical of the show- we've got this tragic shooting astatine Brown University, and past this evidently governmental onslaught against the Jewish assemblage successful Australia. Both horrible and peculiarly connected the archetypal time of Hanukkah, which is simply a solemnisation of airy implicit darkness. And boy, we could usage a small much airy these days. Ms. Machado is simply a hero. She deserves to triumph the Nobel Prize. And 1 of the mistakes the Biden medication made past twelvemonth erstwhile the absorption candidates won overwhelmingly, was not enactment much unit connected Maduro past to leave. But the enactment present that Trump has chosen Maduro, who is simply a atrocious feline and saying, and I'm not definite what his argumentation is, but astatine the precise aforesaid time, is pardoning, for example, a Honduran erstwhile president who was convicted successful America of cause running. The president who has not been consenting to basal up beardown against Putin, who is astir apt the astir brutal authoritarian person successful the world, arsenic we spell connected and disconnected with Ukraine. I deliberation is- yes, it would beryllium large to get escaped of Maduro. But successful presumption of the question, Donald Trump has not travel to the American radical and said, present are our goals successful Venezuela. We've got troops perchance successful harm's way. We've got vessel actions, for example, wherever we're blowing up boats, wherever we tin evidently interdict, arsenic we saw with the lipid tanker. I deliberation the President needs to marque the lawsuit if he's going to effort to enactment boots connected the crushed successful Venezuela.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Well, astatine this point, each they've, arsenic I recognize it, asked for and justified to Congress were these strikes connected the alleged cause boats. Nothing with sovereign territory yet. But that gets to your statement astir what is the extremity goal. Unlike different Democrats erstwhile it comes to the cause boats, you've said you're not acceptable to telephone them warfare crimes, peculiarly what happened connected the September 2 treble pat strike. You've questioned Admiral Bradley. I cognize you privation the video released to the public. What bash you deliberation that's going to amusement to the public? What volition that change? 

SEN. WARNER: I deliberation the video is chilling, disturbing, immoderate word you privation to use-- 

MARGARET BRENNAN: -- Why?

SEN. WARNER: Because the thought of these 2 survivors hanging connected to remnants of a vessel and past America taking a bid of further strikes. The Congress needs to spot it astatine the precise minimum. I deliberation the American nationalist needs to spot it. 

MARGARET BRENNAN: You've seen it?

SEN. WARNER: I've seen it-- 

MARGARET BRENNAN:--Only a constricted fig have-- 

SEN. WARNER:-- It is extraordinarily chilling. What I'm saying is, erstwhile you marque the accusation of warfare crime, you can't instrumentality that back, right? And truthful what I've said-- 

MARGARET BRENNAN:-- But galore of your Democrat colleagues have. 

SEN. WARNER: -- I cognize that. That's wherefore I've said to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, I privation to spot the written execution order. I privation to spot the ineligible sentiment that was astir this circumstantial strike. I privation to cognize whether the overarching argumentation memorandum, which was not finished until September 5, 3 days aft the strike, was changed.

MARGARET BRENNAN: I saw you said this. That's not typical, is it? Don't you usually travel up with the ineligible justification earlier you instrumentality the action, alternatively than 3 days after?  

SEN. WARNER: This is wherever I person a question. The justification was made successful precocious July. They didn't constitute it down till September 5. 

MARGARET BRENNAN: Why?

SEN. WARNER: I don't person the answer. I besides privation to spot the after-action report. I privation to springiness the subject each accidental to marque their case, due to the fact that erstwhile you- again- erstwhile you marque that claim, what it would bash to however we presumption our military, morale, however we're viewed successful the world. It's truthful important. But this President has not- and frankly, Pete Hegseth, adjacent worse. Here's the feline who goes retired and brags astir the strikes until there's controversy, and past helium benignant of runs for the hills.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Well, the President said again this week, and I'll conscionable work it to you that onshore strikes connected Venezuela are being considered. Land strikes connected horrible radical that are bringing successful drugs and sidesplitting our people. It doesn't needfully person to beryllium successful Venezuela. It's radical that are bringing successful drugs to our state arsenic targets. Have you seen immoderate ineligible justification to deed these radical present designated arsenic terrorists connected sovereign territory, whether it's Mexico oregon Colombia oregon Venezuela? 

SEN. WARNER: The immense bulk of the cause particularly- this is each cocaine. This is not fentanyl. The immense majority-- 

MARGARET BRENNAN:-- In presumption of the cause boats-- 

SEN. WARNER: -- The immense bulk is really successful the eastbound Pacific, yet astir of the strikes person been successful the Caribbean. And is- this mean that abruptly you're going to beryllium successful unfastened warfare with each of American subject against immoderate and each cause dealers? Again, the cause dealers are awful. We request to bash each we tin to halt them, but the President, erstwhile helium puts American forces perchance successful harm's way, needs to travel and explicate to American radical what the extremity is here.  Particularly erstwhile he's then, astatine the aforesaid breath, pardoning the erstwhile president of Honduras, who was a convicted cause dealer.

MARGARET BRENNAN:  In presumption of designated terrorists, ISIS is simply a designated violent group. We conscionable saw the archetypal combat deaths, essentially, of the Trump medication yesterday. Three Americans killed, 3 injured successful Syria successful this evident ambush. The caput of the National Counterterrorism Center said it was an insider attack. Are you supportive of keeping the astir 1,000 US troops successful Syria. Do you person concerns that the Syrian Government isn't capable to support these infiltrators out?

SEN. WARNER: First of all, condolences to the 3 Americans families, Armed Forces members, 1 an interpreter. I deliberation our troops person played an important role. We are moving intimately with, for example, the Kurds. We person virtually tens of thousands of ISIS household members successful definite prisons successful that area.--  

MARGARET BRENNAN: -- So, you privation them to continue?

SEN. WARNER: But the President- I deliberation pulling retired without a program would beryllium a mistake, but the President, again, has sent signals. Months ago, helium said he's reasoning astir taking each those American soldiers retired without articulating his strategy. I mean the President, if helium wants to marque the lawsuit to the American radical of erstwhile our soldiers are successful harm's way, and peculiarly erstwhile we're talking astir the Caribbean and present imaginable Venezuela. This has not been an overnight. This buildup of unit has been months. He owes it to each of america to travel successful and explicate what his extremity is. 

MARGARET BRENNAN: Domestically, we person Senator Cassidy connected the program. We taped with him earlier. He says he's looking for chap Democrats to articulation him successful a wellness attraction woody by March, to marque these wellness savings accounts, and helium said he'll connection to widen the existing subsidies for healthcare premiums. Would you beryllium connected committee with that? 

SEN. WARNER: First of all, we've got a situation that hits arsenic of Monday, tomorrow, due to the fact that that's erstwhile radical person to motion up-- 

MARGARET BRENNAN: -- He says retroactively you tin bash it.  

SEN. WARNER: Well, listen, it's a messiness erstwhile you've signed up oregon you've dropped retired of the system. You know, the thought that you're retroactively going to hole it. Fix it now, truthful radical don't spell into Christmas reasoning they're going to not cognize if they'll beryllium capable to spend healthcare. And the notion- but the conception of what-  Bill Cassidy is simply a bully guy. I've worked with him successful a batch of antithetic efforts, but the thought that a 1 clip $1,500 outgo into your pouch is going to abruptly marque up. I had a idiosyncratic the different day. Her existent security is $544 a month. It'll spell up to implicit $1,500 a month. A 1 clip $1,500 outgo is not going to conscionable her needs, and peculiarly if that would mean that things similar pre-existing information protections would disappear.

MARGARET BRENNAN: That sounds similar you're not- not connected committee successful these remaining days of 2025 Senator, I person to-- 

SEN. WARNER: -- Fix the situation close now, widen the subsidies, and past let's statement however we hole it.

MARGARET BRENNAN: We person to permission it there. Thank you, Senator. We'll beryllium close back.