Trump’s Iran war is ‘DISGRACEFUL’: Newly elected Dem says voters gave ‘mandate’ to end conflict

ASSUMING OFFICE IN JANUARY IS KATE CONNLEY OF. NEW YORK. SHE WON 53 % OF THE VOTE IN THE. STATE'S 17th DISTRICT, FLIPPING. THE SEAT AND OUSTING THE INCUMBENT. REPUBLICAN THERE, MIKE LAWLER. CONNLEY IS AN ARMY VETERAN a decorated. combat officer and former director. for counterterrorism on the White House. National Security Council. in the last administration. So let's bring in Democratic representative. elect Kate Conley of New York. I'm so glad to see you in person. Thanks for joining me, man, here on State of Play. So you're wrapping up week one.

This is your orientation week as it were. What has struck you most as you get going? Well, it does feel like it's the first week. of school, right? You're figuring out where's your appropriate. room, where you go, who are the folks and making new friends. But I have to say the tone and tenor. of this week is incredibly serious, where we are here because the American. people gave us a mandate to come in. and solve problems. And I hope the American people feel. the confidence in the seriousness. that we are taking this charge with.

and this mission with. and the commitment to actually deliver. So one of those problems, as you and others have. described. THE U .S. KNOWS HOW TO START A WAR, A QATARI ANALYST JUST TOLD. THE. WASHINGTON POST BUT IT CANNOT. CONTROL WHAT FOLLOWS, MSNOW WE SHOULD NOTE IS REPORTING. right now that top Navy officials. have been speaking to the families. of service members aboard. the USS George Bush. That's the ship that replaced the Abraham. Lincoln. We know about the deplorable conditions.

that folks there dealt with. THEY WERE TOLD AMONG OTHER THINGS THAT. THEIR LOVED ONES WOULD BE DEPLOYED. THROUGH THE HOLIDAYS. HOW DO YOU FORCE AN END TO THIS WAR? YEAH, SO IN MY MILITARY CAREER I DID SIX. OVERSEAS DEPLOYMENTS. I HAVE LIVED FIRSTHAND WHAT IT'S LIKE WHEN YOU. HAVE AN ADMINISTRATION GET AMERICAN MILITARY. SERVICE MEMBERS INTO AN ENDLESS WAR WITHOUT A. SERIOUS MILITARY PLAN, WITHOUT AN EXIT STRATEGY, WITHOUT THE SUPPORT OF OUR ALLIES, WITHOUT THE SUPPORT OF THE AMERICAN PEOPLE.

AND THE RECKLESSNESS WITH WHICH. THIS ADMINISTRATION GOT US INTO. THE CONFLICT IS DEMONSTRATED AT EVERY TURN, WHETHER IT'S THE DEPLORABLE. CONDITIONS FOR OUR SERVICE MEMBERS, AS YOU JUST TALKED ABOUT, WHETHER it's the fact that out of Pete Hegseth, we still cannot get an assessment. of the damage to our military. installations and bases overseas. The fact that we can't get an update. on how this conflict has impacted. our military readiness for any other type. of conflict we are seeing a level. of incompetence that is frustrating. beyond words and honestly disgraceful. and our brave men and women deserve.

better i'm someone who believes we cannot. let iran get a nuclear weapon. but how this administration engaged. in this reckless war. of choice and how it has executed it is. unacceptable. So for clarity though, how do you force an end to. this war? I recognize all the problems with it. How do you end it? So I think this gets back to you. There's no magic solution. There's no magic wand you wave. and everything goes back to where we hope it was. Government shutdown for leverage on spending. Are you open to that? I don't think that's the right solution either. I think this goes back to we have to continue. to sustain economic pressure on Iran. I think we need to shift now to diplomatic.

pressure, to bringing in our allies, to get the Strait of Hormuz reopened, to get to terms where we can get the regime to. agree to not pursuing a nuclear weapon. But priority number one has to be. re-opening the Strait of Hormuz. because right now the economic hardship. that that is imposing on people here. in America is unacceptable. In my own district, I have people because of. higher gas prices, prices that have gone up 50 percent. We are seeing families that have to make. trade-offs between Dubai Philip, the gas tank or the grocery cart. and that is government failing them. You got Iran, you got Russia and Ukraine. right now as well. Trump's envoys Jared Kushner his son-in-law,

his friend Steve Witkoff right now just met. with Vladimir Putin on the heels of the U .S. broker talks between Russia and Ukraine. in Abu Dhabi there. Russia and Ukraine agreed to this large exchange. of prisoners. They said this was demonstration. of real progress. Are you comfortable with Kushner. and Witkoff leading the charge. as it relates to trying to resolve this? No, I don't think they're the right individuals. I don't trust their incentives in terms. of what they're trying to achieve. What can you do about that? And this goes back to you. We should be professionalizing our. diplomatic engagements.

This is where the State Department had. a lead role in this and administrations. prior and should be resuming that now. But I think the other part of this, this is really important. That just happened is opening these talks to. our European allies and partners. Unfortunately, I do not trust the Trump. administration to have the best. interests of America or Ukraine at heart. I do think that having our allies. in the room is going to be important. We have a responsibility as America to support. Ukraine in its defense. This is a war that Russia started. It attacked a sovereign democratic state. and what we are seeing in terms. of the civilian casualties and the toll. that it is inflicting on the Ukrainian.

people is wrong. I was going to say as it relates to that, it's not just what's happening over there. The president has invaded Venezuela. without congressional approval, invaded Iran without congressional approval. In an interview yesterday he says. he wants to quote get Cuba done. before leaving office in 2029. that he would certainly consider. his words military intervention against Cuba, your reaction to that. Do you have worries he could try to do. that in the next couple months. before the new Congress comes in? And how do you stop a president who's glad to. do these things without Congress's engagement? There is not a day that goes.

by that I'm not worried about Donald Trump. and his recklessness and his selfishness. and his corruption. And this goes really beyond him, too. When I look at Pete Hegseth, here is a man who should never have been. confirmed. Shame on the Senate for doing so. And every single day that he sits in that chair, he puts American national security at risk. I think this is someone that we need to remove. from office. And I will tell you, if the 119th Congress. doesn't get it done, the 120th will. This isn't a partisan issue. This is a patriotic one. Our brave men and women in UNIFORM DESERVE A.

HELL OF A LOT BETTER OUT OF A LEADER THAN HIM, AND OUR COUNTRY DESERVES A LOT BETTER IN TERMS. OF A SERIOUS INDIVIDUAL WHO PRIORITIZES. NATIONAL SECURITY AND PUTS COUNTRY FIRST. OVER A PERSON OR PARTY. CONGRESSWOMAN-ELECT KAYE CONLEY, NICE TO SEE YOU IN You used to be the one. on the other end of the line over there. at the White House and now in person here. Congratulations on your new election.