Top Dem on House Intel Committee Rep. Jim Himes says DOD "Wasted" Defenseless Boat Strike Survivors plus Rep. Eric Swalwell Runs for CA Gov.

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Jim Acosta Show

Episode: Top Dem on House Intel Committee Rep. Jim Himes says DOD "Wasted" Defenseless Boat Strike Survivors plus Rep. Eric Swalwell Runs for CA Gov.

Date: December 4, 2025
Host: Jim Acosta
Guests: Rep. Jim Himes (D-CT), Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA)

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Episode Overview

This episode delivers a sharp critique of recent controversial decisions by the Trump administration, particularly focusing on the Pentagon's deadly strike on a suspected drug boat and its aftermath. Acosta speaks first with Rep. Jim Himes, ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee, who describes disturbing, possibly illegal military conduct and raises alarms over the continued leadership of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. Later, Rep. Eric Swalwell joins to discuss his newly announced campaign for California governor, focusing on urgent issues facing Californians and his vision for leadership under the current climate of federal hostility toward the state.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Congressional Outrage Over Drug Boat Strike (00:07–12:36)

Guest: Rep. Jim Himes

• Briefing on the Strike:
  Himes describes attending a classified briefing where military leaders showed video of the September 2 strike on a suspected drug boat:

  “The video was some of the most disturbing video I've ever seen.” (00:56 – Himes)

• Actions After Initial Strike:
  Two survivors were left clinging to boat wreckage. Himes says they posed no real threat before being killed in a follow-up strike.

  “We watched them do that for a long time, and then we wasted them.” (01:30 – Himes)

• Ethical and Legal Concerns:

  • Himes sees the incident as reminiscent of WWII war crimes, noting a fundamental break from American values:

    “We stood up and said that’s not acceptable. And now sadly, we have a group of people saying that it’s now acceptable for the United States to do this.” (02:06 – Himes)

  • Challenges the administration’s justification that these were “terrorists”:

    “Cartels, as awful as they are... they don’t have political goals. They want to sell their drugs to willing buyers in the United States.” (03:44 – Himes)

  • Critiques murky “fog of war” excuses:

    “There was no fog of war. I've seen the video... this is not a fog of war situation.” (05:38 – Himes)

• Changing Justifications:
  Himes notes the official rationale shifted over time—from cleaning up for “safety of navigation” to neutralizing alleged terrorists.

  “We have two different stories and a Secretary of Defense saying that there was a fog of war issue. I mean, this is just a mess.” (06:27 – Himes)

• Larger Concerns About War and Accountability:

  • The U.S. is not at war, Himes asserts, and thus such military actions lack legal justification.

    “We're not at war... we're really not at war.” (07:02 – Himes)

  • Discusses the implications of Pete Hegseth’s breach of classified information (Signal Gate) and questions his fitness for office:

    “Pete Hegseth put his people and the mission at risk, and his own inspector general says that… his actions put his troops and the mission at risk.” (08:03 – Himes) “He very clearly doesn’t have the character or the disposition for the job that he’s in.” (08:27 – Himes)

• Contextualizing Administration Behavior:

  • Himes draws a parallel between the pardoning of drug lords and harsh military tactics against low-level suspects, highlighting “selective justice.”

    “The former president of Honduras… gets pardoned by the President of the United States.” (08:40 – Himes)

• Broader Critique of Leadership:

  “I don't think there is a job that is more responsible, that is more worthy of the best talent and character that we have. And Pete Hegseth ain't that guy.” (10:48 – Himes)

  • Warns of potential escalation toward military action in Venezuela, but sees key Trump promises and Rubio’s caution as roadblocks:

    “Trump promised to be the guy who didn't get us into any wars… Marco Rubio understands the possible downsides of military action in Venezuela.” (11:22 – Himes)

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2. Eric Swalwell’s Run for California Governor (12:37–26:58)

Guest: Rep. Eric Swalwell

• Motivation and Message:

  • Swalwell frames his candidacy as a response to fear and unaffordability created by the Trump administration:

    “People are scared and prices are high. And as to what's scaring them, it's a president who chases through the fields where our immigrants work...” (13:36 – Swalwell) “I'm a fighter and a protector. And I'm going to do that on behalf of Californians when we need it most.” (14:10 – Swalwell)

  • Touts practical experience as a city councilman and planner in Dublin, CA, citing dramatic improvements in education and opportunity.

    “Many of us worked for... a renaissance story in that town where we brought in builders... we added affordable and market rate housing…” (14:40 – Swalwell)

• On-the-Ground Campaigning:

  • Shares conversations with Californians about day-to-day struggles.

    [Video Segment] “The prices are too high. So, yeah, put everything as expensive right here.” (16:25 – Swalwell speaking with restaurant staff)

• Direct Rebuke of Trump on Affordability:

  • Plays Trump’s dismissive comments about affordability, calling them disconnected from people’s struggles.

    “If you talk to real people, if you go to the back of the kitchen... they're working multiple jobs and they're seeing that hard work is not adding up to doing better and dreaming bigger.” (17:05 – Swalwell)

• Policy Visions:

  • Proposes surging housing supply and a “tax holiday” for new small businesses.

    “I want to provide a tax holiday for every new small business... so that they're more focused on hiring individuals...” (17:39 – Swalwell)

  • Praises Gavin Newsom’s leadership and vows to defend California against federal overreach, as Newsom did.

    “I will be an advocate in the same style that you've seen Gavin Newsom not just fight for California, but protect the whole country...” (18:11 – Swalwell)

• Stance on ICE and Immigrant Protections:

  “If an ICE agent commits false imprisonment or assault or kidnapping, that they’ll be held accountable.” (18:58 – Swalwell)

  • Pledges to push for laws requiring ICE agents to identify themselves, removing masks, and ensuring transparency.

    “We're seeing, you know, the end of these masses and unidentified agents over the next year because the Democratic caucus is not going to fund that going forward.” (19:28 – Swalwell)

  • Shares the emotional burden felt by immigrant communities under Trump-era policies.

    “People start to tear up when you bring up immigration and how it's affecting whether people want to go to work or not...” (19:40 – Swalwell)

• National Issues:

  • Discusses the arrest of the January 6 pipe bomber suspect and the emotional toll of that day:

    “... I texted my wife and I told her that I loved her and to kiss our babies because I did not know... what would happen.” (21:08 – Swalwell)

  • Criticizes Trump’s “pardon spree” for January 6 rioters.

    “...all those January six rioters and criminals. And so it makes you wonder what's going to happen in this case.” (22:10 – Acosta)

  • Raises alarms about Jared Kushner’s direct negotiations with Vladimir Putin and potential for corrupt “for profit foreign policy” under Trump:

    “Donald Trump is running a for profit foreign policy. And it's not what's in the best interest of America... It's what will line his pockets and the pockets of his friends and family members.” (23:08 – Swalwell)

• Pushing for Epstein Files Release:

  “Donald Trump... should just be transparent and release his files.” (25:21 – Swalwell)

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3. Acosta’s Commentary & Noteworthy Events (26:58–End)

• On the Trumpification of US Institutions:

  • Acosta calls out the renaming of the US Institute of Peace after Donald Trump as an Orwellian display:

    “If you want a very clear cut example of how MAGA has basically become a cult... They have renamed the building that houses the US Institute of Peace the Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace.” (27:01 – Acosta)

  • Expresses outrage that a president accused of violent and reckless policies would claim a “peace” legacy.

    “Donald Trump… is the farthest thing from a man of peace.” (37:09 – Acosta)

• The Decimation of US Diplomacy:

  • Cites recent survey: “98% of this country’s professional diplomats (say) workplace morale has fallen since Trump took over…” (29:28 – Acosta)
  • Notes the difficulty for diplomats defending US actions abroad, particularly after revelations from the drug boat strike.

• Conservative Dissent:

  • Quotes George Will’s harsh criticism of the administration:

    "The killing of the survivors... by this moral slum of an administration... should nauseate Americans. A nation incapable of shame is dangerous, not least to itself..." (31:50 – paraphrased from broadcast)

• Immigration and ICE Raids:

  • Shares a New York Times story of a six-year-old boy separated from his father during ICE raids:

    “Little Yang Jin, 6 years old, separated from his father during ICE operations.” (36:08 – Acosta)

  • Condemns ongoing cruelty towards migrants and children.

    “He who terrorizes children, he who terrorizes six year olds is not a peacemaker.” (37:28 – Acosta)

• On Trump’s Rhetoric:

  • Highlights Trump's recent “poisoning of America” comments, tying them to his inflammatory campaign rhetoric about immigrants.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

"We watched them do that for a long time, and then we wasted them... I hope that the video is made public because what I saw was two immensely distressed people clinging to wreckage who we watched for a long time and then killed."
— Rep. Jim Himes (01:30)

“There was no fog of war. I've seen the video... this is not a fog of war situation.”
— Rep. Jim Himes (05:38)

“He very clearly doesn’t have the character or the disposition for the job that he’s in.”
— Rep. Jim Himes on Pete Hegseth (08:27)

“I'm a fighter and a protector. And I'm going to do that on behalf of Californians when we need it most.”
— Rep. Eric Swalwell (14:10)

“If an ICE agent commits false imprisonment or assault or kidnapping, that they'll be held accountable. And they have to know that you will do that. Otherwise we're always going to be on defense.”
— Rep. Eric Swalwell (18:58)

“Donald Trump is running a for profit foreign policy... It's what will line his pockets and the pockets of his friends and family members...”
— Rep. Eric Swalwell (23:08)

“Donald Trump… is the farthest thing from a man of peace. He is the farthest thing from a peacemaker. He who terrorizes children, he who terrorizes six year olds is not a peacemaker.”
— Jim Acosta (37:09)

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Important Segment Timestamps

• 00:07–02:36 – Rep. Jim Himes describes the disturbing Pentagon strike video and aftermath.
• 03:16–04:56 – Himes explains why labeling drug cartels as "terrorists" is legally dubious.
• 05:20–06:59 – Disputing "fog of war" justification; shifting official stories.
• 08:03–09:17 – The Signal Gate scandal and calls for Hegseth’s resignation.
• 10:27–11:12 – Himes on unhinged US foreign policy and leadership concerns.
• 13:36–15:26 – Swalwell discusses why he's running and his CA policy experience.
• 16:49–17:05 – Reacting to Trump’s comments dismissing affordability concerns.
• 18:58–19:40 – Swalwell on ICE, accountability, and pledges for reform.
• 21:08–22:10 – Swalwell on the emotional impact of January 6th, pipe bomb case.
• 23:08–24:46 – Trump family foreign policy entanglements and the cost of corruption.
• 25:21–26:48 – On the fight to release Epstein files.
• 27:01–29:39 – Acosta on US institutions being renamed and diplomats’ despair.
• 31:50 – Acosta relays George Will’s “moral slum” op-ed.
• 36:08–37:39 – ICE raids, cruelty to children, condemnation of Trump’s “peace” persona.

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Conclusion

Acosta’s show is a scathing indictment of the Trump administration’s conduct on both foreign and domestic fronts—from “wasting” suspects at sea, to pardoning corruption, undermining legal norms, attacking immigrants, and eroding the country’s diplomatic core. Rep. Jim Himes gives a brutally honest congressional assessment of military and leadership failures; Rep. Eric Swalwell presents a vision of California as a beacon of protection and practical progress. Through it all, Acosta’s tone is incredulous and outraged, especially over institutional decay, abuses of power, and the corrosive influence of fearmongering rhetoric.

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Transcript

[Jim Acosta]

Foreign.

Welcome to the Jim Acosta Show. And there is breaking news out of D.C. where the cracks in the ice are getting bigger under Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth after his shaky attempts to explain away the September strikes on a suspected drug boat. Joining us now is the ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, Jim Himes, Congressman from Connecticut. Congressman, great to see you as always. Thanks so much.

[Jim Himes]

Thanks for having me, Jim.

[Jim Acosta]

Yeah. And I guess you were in attendance at a hearing, at a briefing this morning where you were showed this video and it, it depicts what took place on September 2nd, that, that strike on that alleged drug boat. What did you see? What can you tell us?

[Jim Himes]

Well, you know, as I've said it, it is the, the video was some of the most disturbing.

Video I've ever seen. And, and I've been doing this job on intel for a long time. So I've, I've, I've seen an awful lot of lethal activity taken against terrorists and that sort of thing, you know, in this instance, Jim. And, and, you know, I should start out by saying it was good of Admiral Bradley and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to come to Congress to brief, I guess, four of us, the leaders of the Intelligence and the Armed Services Committee. But I mean, not to put too fine a point on it or to draw it out, you know, you had two individuals survive an initial strike, a massive conflagration.

And I watched the video as they clung to life on, you know, on a, on a destroyed boat. And we watched them do that for a long time and then we wasted them. And there's this whole context of, well, they might have gotten picked up by their guys. They might have been able to go back into the fight. They might have found a radio. It's all, might have, might have, might have. It's all supposition. But I hope that the video is made public because what I saw was two immensely distressed people clinging to wreckage who we watched for a long time and then killed. And, you know, this goes back, Jim, to some stuff that happened during World War II where the enemy would take out a US boat and in some instances machine gunned the survivors. I bet those enemies could have said, well, you know, if we leave these guys alive, they'll give away our position or they'll go back and get into the fight. But we stood up and said that's not acceptable. And now sadly, we have a group of people saying that it's now acceptable for the United States to do this stuff.

[Jim Acosta]

And I've seen some of your comments about This, I mean, I guess, first of all, I've got questions, and one is, do we know for sure that this was a drug boat?

[Jim Himes]

Yeah, I think we do. This is not one of my concerns. You know, our ability to listen in and see and make judgments about whether a boat is a drug boat is really pretty good. Now, mistakes always happen, but in this instance. And then I think. I think I haven't been briefed enough. I think we're not getting that wrong.

[Jim Acosta]

Yeah. But it is a question as to what that second strike should have, whether it should have happened, I guess. I mean, you know, what. What is. What is the legality of this?

[Jim Himes]

Yeah, look, I mean, the answer is at two levels. Right. And the whole concept is illegal. I've read the opinion. Right. And their whole argument, and they make it every single day, is that these are terrorists and that they are selling cocaine in order to do what ISIS and Al Qaeda wanted to do. To destroy America or to create mayhem and violence. That is. That is, anyone who's, like, ever thought anything or turned on TV knows that the drug business is a business that would actually prefer that there not be violence. Now there is violence, and they're very bad people, but they are not in an armed struggle against the United States the way ISIS and Al Qaeda and lots of other terrorist groups are. That's why it's so important for the administration to say that these are terrorists. Now, I get in all sorts of hot water because a lot of people believe that terrorist is an adjective that means really bad. But adjective has. The terrorist has a distinct meaning. These are people who have political goals. The cartels, as awful as they are, and they are truly awful. They don't have political goals. They want to sell their drugs to willing buyers in the United States. So the whole notion that we're involved in an armed conflict with an armed force that is in hostilities with the United States of America, the whole concept is flawed and specious. Then you get to the question of whether when you have two guys floating on a piece of wood in the open ocean with no tools to communicate, no tools to do anything, they are about to die. Whether it makes sense for the United States of America to waste them, that is both a legal and an ethical judgment. And again, I hope that this video is made public because you don't need to be steeped in the law or in the Constitution or in. Or in philosophy to see what I see and said. This is not worthy of the United States of America.

[Jim Acosta]

Yeah. And I mean, they're saying a couple of things. One is, while these are terrorists and they could reconstitute themselves, they're. They're basically enemies of the United States. And so they should be taken out. But the other day, Pete Hegseth was saying this was the fog of war. Let's play this, let's play this video. When he said that. Not personally. See, but I stand because the thing was on fire. It was exploded in fire smoke. You can't see anything.

[Jim Himes]

You got digital.

[Jim Acosta]

There's. This is called the fog of war. This is what you and the press don't understand. You sit. I mean, he was, you know, Congressman, he makes this excuse that, well, it was the fog of war. That's why the, the strike occurred. But there are multiple different ways that they're trying to talk themselves out of this. It seems to me.

[Jim Himes]

Well, first of all, there was no fog of war. I've seen the video. Look, these situations are always stressful, but our senior commanders have spent decades literally being trained in the laws of war. This was not a fog of war situation. By the way, if you notice, his language for fog of war is usually something you say when you believe that the action taken taken were controversial. It's the usual thing like, okay, we know we shot this civilian, but you weren't there. It was a complicated situation. This happens with police shootings all the time. And there's a reason for that. But that is not the situation here. Again, I can't stress enough and I can't be terribly detailed, but you have two people. Imagine what it is like to be having a massive amount of munition go up, go off over your head. Now you're floating in the middle of an ocean on a little piece of wood with no tools, no nothing. What?

[Jim Acosta]

No guns. Yeah, yeah.

[Jim Himes]

And so anyway, no, this is not. By the way, I should mention, Jim, when we got briefed on this attack in early September and we asked why were there follow up strikes? The answer was we wanted to clean it up because we needed safety of navigation. That was the first story. Then we get the story that we got today which, which was. Which was again, that these guys might go back to being bad guys. So we have two different stories and a secretary of Defense saying that there was a fog of war issue. I mean, this is just a mess.

[Jim Acosta]

And we're not at war. I mean, is this. There's this. Not a war.

[Jim Himes]

Not at war? Because of course, if we were at war, the Congress would have to authorize it. So. No, we have 20% of our naval combat power. Whatever the number is, you know, and some of our most advanced munitions and most skilled military operators killing people up to 100 now. But, no, no, no, we're not. We're not at war. We're really not at war.

[Jim Acosta]

And I mean, I'm just wondering about the viability of Pete Hegseth as the Secretary of Defense and how long this can go on. I mean, there was this inspector general report that came out of the Defense Department that said that. That he shared on this group Signal chat about a pending military operation in Yemen that was considered classified. And, you know, I mean, they're making excuses out of that, too. But this. This report seems to indicate, again, that Pete Hegseth did something that was totally inappropriate for Defense Secretary to do. And so, I mean, I. I guess I'm asking the obvious question here. I mean, should he resign? Should he be fired? Like, how can he continue in this job?

[Jim Himes]

Well, you know, Jim, the. The line that matters in that report, which is now publicly available, is what I was saying and what many people were saying when the Signal Gate scandal happened, which is that Pete Hegseth put his people and the mission at risk, and his own inspector general says that his actions put his troops and the mission at risk. So here you have a guy who very clearly doesn't have the character or the disposition for the job that he's in. But you ask a different question. What's going to happen to Pete Hexeth? This is a feature, not a bug, of the Trump administration. Right. You know, here's the. What did Donald Trump. We're talking about cocaine boats. We're talking about the wasting of two guys who I assume were probably out of work fishermen who took 500 bucks to join a boat to Trinidad. Bad guys, bad decision. No question. Those guys get wasted. But the former president of Honduras, who was doing 45 years for putting. Putting hundreds of cocaine into our country just yesterday, gets pardoned by the President of the United States. I mean, I. You asked me to explain that.

[Jim Acosta]

You can't do it. You can't do it. No, you know, absolutely.

[Jim Himes]

I think, look, the fact that Pete Hegseth, according to his own people, put his troops in the Mission at Risk, I think the president probably think that's a good thing. I. I don't. I can't explain it to you.

[Jim Acosta]

Yeah, no, I mean, he's obviously. I mean, he's. And he doesn't want to be put in the position of having to fire somebody that he. That he clearly wants in that job who is totally unqualified. For that job. The other thing I have to ask you, finally, is, and I don't know if this enters into your. Into your wheelhouse, but this arrest that was made of the pipe bomb suspect from January 6, is that something that comes into the Intel Committee purview or. I mean, what's your thought on that? Because it seems to me, I mean, it took way too long for this case to be cracked, if it has been cracked.

[Eric Swalwell]

But.

[Jim Acosta]

But it also speaks to this issue of domestic terrorism, which we saw unfold on January 6th.

[Eric Swalwell]

Yeah.

[Jim Himes]

Jim, you know, it's funny. I was in the briefing while all that news broke, so I don't. I don't have any facts on the capture of this individual. But to answer your question, unless there's a foreign nexus here, unless there's a sort of foreign terrorism nexus here, it's unlikely it will find its way into my committee. But, you know, watch this space. I'll.

[Eric Swalwell]

I'll.

[Jim Himes]

I'll. I'll learn that soon.

[Jim Acosta]

Who knows? Exactly. Well, Congressman Himes, thank you very much for your time. Appreciate it. And I guess we'll be continuing to watch. I mean, of all these. You've been doing this for a long time. You've been the ranking member of the Intel Committee for a long time.

[Jim Himes]

It.

[Jim Acosta]

I guess the overall feeling that I have just to expand this out before I let you go is it just seems as though it's getting more and more unhinged the way that this administration is conducting foreign policy. And the boat strike issue, to me, is a good illustration of that. Would you agree with that? Is that sort of where we're heading?

[Jim Himes]

Yeah, I. I fear you're right. I mean, we're talking a lot about Pete Hegseth. Let's remember that this is the guy who controls nuclear weapons. This is the guy who ultimately makes the decision about whether the sons and daughters of the American people get sent to their deaths in some foreign land there. I. I don't think there is a job that is more responsible, that is more difficult, that is more worthy of the best talent and character that we have. And Pete Hegseth ain't that guy.

[Eric Swalwell]

Yeah.

[Jim Acosta]

And do you worry, I mean, that this could be leading in the direction of military action in Venezuela?

I know that gets into your.

[Jim Himes]

Yeah. No. Complicated answer. Look, I, I still. I've been saying this for weeks now. I still don't think the United States. And God knows I may be proven wrong. This is not a predictable administration. But I. I would hang my answer on two facts that I have. Number One, President Trump promised to be the guy who didn't get us into any wars. Right. And, and, and number two, I do think that the Secretary of State, Marco Rubio understands the possible downsides of military action in Venezuela. First of all, Americans could get killed. That changes the politics inside the United States very, very quickly. And secondly, Marco Rubio is smart enough to understand that in the so called fog of war, you know, what's the old saying, you know, you have a. What is it? It's Mike Tyson. Everybody has a plan till they get punched in the face. And so we have no idea of knowing what would happen if we went into Venezuela, amongst other things. If you have refugees flowing, millions of refugees flowing over the border into Colombia, now Colombia is going down or Colombia's destabil. So anyway, given that the President says that he's the no stupid war president and that Marco Rubio, I think, appreciates the downsides of military action in Latin America, I'm still a no when I'm asked whether we're going into Venezuela.

[Jim Acosta]

Yeah, and there's also the old Colin Powell line. You break it, you bought it. Right, The Pottery Barn rule.

[Jim Himes]

Exactly.

[Jim Acosta]

All right, Congressman Ives, I know your time is short. Thanks a lot. Really appreciate it. Good to see you.

[Jim Himes]

Thank you, Jim. Take care.

[Jim Acosta]

All right, you too. All right. And another top Democrat in the House joined me earlier in the day. That is Congressman Eric Swalwell, of course. He's been on the show numerous times and you know, he is planning a different job of sorts, you might say. He is now running for governor of California. And I had a chance to talk to him about that earlier in the day. Take a look. And joining us now is California Congressman Eric Swalwell, who is now running for governor of California. Congressman, great to see you.

[Eric Swalwell]

Yeah, you too, Jim. Thanks for having me back.

[Jim Acosta]

Absolutely. You're a busy man these days. And I just saw there's a story in the Hill that says Emerson College has a new poll out that shows despite you just jumping into the race, you are now one of the leading Democratic candidates for governor, along with Katie Porter. This poll shows you at 12, she's at 11. I guess, first of all, I mean, I want to jump into a lot of issues, but why are you running for governor? California, I guess. What's the elevator pitch, as they might say to. To voters?

[Eric Swalwell]

People are scared and prices are high. And as to what's scaring them, it's a president who chases through the fields where our immigrants work. People who work hard and are being chased by ICE agents. It's a president who puts troops in our streets as he's declared war on the whole state. And it's a president who has yanked research funding that gives people hope for cures. And so the people here I've picked up and getting across the state want a fighter and a protector. And they see that my work in the last nine years against the Trump administration, with the Russia investigation, with the two impeachments, having the only lawsuit that has survived the president taking office for January 6th, that I'm a fighter and a protector. And I'm going to do that on behalf of Californians when we need it most. And he is taking so much from us. But on the cost crisis in the state, I was also a city councilman and a planning commissioner in my hometown of Dublin. And I saw in that town which, where I grew up, it was low income and low expectations. When I went on the council, many of us worked for a what's really a renaissance story in that town where we brought in builders and developers and the building trades and we searched housing, we added affordable and market rate housing, we brought in high end employers. And Jim, the high school that I graduated from in 1999, where only 25% of us went to college, today, 96% of those kids go to college. So it's a real turnaround story and I want to project that across the state as people are just paying too much. And the crux of the campaign is California is the fourth largest economy in the world. But what does that mean if you can't afford to live here? So I'm excited to be in it. The response has been overwhelming. You know, I'll take these polls as they come, but it's really about, you know, getting across the state, making the case, being that fighter, protector.

[Jim Acosta]

Yeah. We grabbed a little video that you recorded the other day where you went into a local establishment and talked to folks and they, you asked them what they're worried about. They said affordability. Let's, let's watch this on the road.

[Eric Swalwell]

From Los Angeles to Sacramento and then to the bay. Today we're stopping in Santa Nella and visiting Pea Soup Anderson's. It's a famous California restaurant off of Interstate 5. I'm going to go in and take talk to the restaurant employees and my simple question for them is what is bringing you the most stress in your life and what can the next governor of California do to relieve that? Hello, how are you? I'm Eric Swalwell. Nice to meet you. Nice to meet you. I'm Ayamo. Eric Swalwell. Hola. Hola. Yeah, biennie too. My name is Eric Swalwell. I serve in the US Congress, but I'm running for governor of California. I ask everyone that I meet what brings you the most stress and what can I do to reduce it. The prices are too high. So, yeah, put everything as expensive right here.

[Jim Acosta]

Thank you.

[Eric Swalwell]

And tell me if I can ever help with anything. Okay. She knows how to get a hold of me. Of course.

[Jim Himes]

Thank you.

[Eric Swalwell]

Thank you all. Thank you.

[Jim Acosta]

There you go. There's that.

Pretty good. I always. My mom used to make split pea soup. I used to love that growing up the best. And that looks really good right there. And I just want to play one other short little. Here's what Donald Trump said about affordability the other day. Let's play this.

[Jim Himes]

It's a conjunct. I think affordability is the greatest con. They look at you and they say affordability. They don't say anything else.

[Jim Acosta]

Everyone says, oh.

So it's just a con job. Donald Trump says affordability.

[Eric Swalwell]

Well, if you talk to real people, if you go to the back of the kitchen, you know, the people who prepare our meals for us at restaurants, you know, they're working multiple jobs and they're seeing that, you know, that hard work is not adding up to doing better and dreaming bigger. And that's in part, you know, why I want to get in this race. There's a lot that you can do is Governor, in addition to surging housing supply so that rent and homeownerships more affordable, I want to expand small business growth. We have the highest unemployment in the country in California, and we have the slowest percentage of new small business growth in the country. And so I want to provide a tax holiday for every new small business so that they're more focused on hiring individuals, getting their business off the ground, getting post revenue, and then that would increase the business to business revenue for other businesses who are hurting around the state. So excited to do it, Jim. I know we're going into the majority next year, but I will be an advocate in the same style that you've seen Gavin Newsom not just fight for California, but protect the whole country with what we did with Prop 50. I know who this guy is in the White House. I know the threat he is to California, but it's a threat that all Americans are facing right now. And from that great state approach that Gavin Newsom has taken, I will do the same.

[Jim Acosta]

And you mentioned ice, and obviously that has been a huge concern in California. We saw what took place in Los Angeles. I mean, what would you do? What can you do as governor to deal with this ICE threat? There's been talk of, you know, laws being passed to make sure they can't wear masks. I mean, can they be forced to have marked vehicles at least for Pete's sake? I mean, they just show up at Home Depots and on work sites and grab brown skinned people and doesn't feel like America. It doesn't seem legal. Is there something you can do as governor?

[Eric Swalwell]

Yeah, you can enforce the state's laws. And I will insist that if an ICE agent commits false imprisonment or assault or kidnapping, that they'll be held accountable. And they have to know that you will do that. Otherwise we're always going to be on defense.

Jim I believe when we're in the majority, there is a will among my colleagues in the House Democratic Caucus to require that the masks come off and the identification come out and that we would not write any government funding bill that did not have that in it. And that is so important to so many people across the country, not just the immigrant community, but women who are terrorized by these masked agents going through our communities. UNIDENTIFIED and they don't know who the hell they are. And so if that is a federal requirement, then anytime someone did that anywhere, they would be held to account. So I think we're seeing, you know, the end of these masses and unidentified agents over the next year because the Democratic caucus is not going to fund that going forward. I just want to tell you though, yesterday as I was talking to some of these employees on my stops, you know, people start to tear up when you bring up immigration and how it's affecting whether people want to go to work or not. And these are folks who have their documents, they are allowed to be in the United States. Many are citizens. But to them, they don't know if that means anything anymore because the president and his agents are just going after you because of the color of your skin, the language you speak and the workplace that you show up at. And we just are better than that. And as governor, we need fighter, protector. Who's going to see those important people in California, what they contribute and what we lose when they're just yanked out of our communities. Yeah.

[Jim Acosta]

And I, I know that you're focused a lot on California these days and running for governor. But you know, a couple of things in the news. I know you're a huge critic of Donald Trump. When it came to January 6th, your thoughts on the FBI saying they've arrested this January 6th pipe bomber guy identified as Brian Cole out of Woodbridge, Virginia. We don't know a whole lot as of this point, but any thoughts on that?

[Eric Swalwell]

Well, I was on the floor on January 6th, like I gaveled us in Speaker Pelosi asked me to be the speaker designate and of course was on the floor as the mob approached us and got the alert that pipe bombs were found throughout the Capitol. And I remember when I received that alert, I texted my wife and I told her that I loved her and to kiss our babies because I did not know with the mob storming the Capitol and the prospect of explosives, like what would happen or how that day would end. So I hope this is the individual. It's been nearly five years and, you know, I hope this is not politically motivated in any way because just two weeks ago we were told that there was another individual that Cash Patel and others were after and it turned out that that was completely politically motivated. So I want them to find the right person. I hope that is the case here and we can bring this individual to justice.

[Jim Acosta]

Yeah, I mean, there's also the, the, the problem that Donald Trump pardoned all those January six rioters and criminals. And so it makes you wonder what's going to happen in this case. You know, he's been on a real pardon spree lately. And you know, the other thing I want to ask you about too, is this the stuff that is going on inside the Trump White House, inside the Trump family. He just sent his son in law, Jared Kushner to negotiate face to face with Vladimir Putin. I think it's a story that sort of gets buried because there's, it's just an avalanche of craziness in Washington these days. I know you've been very much a big supporter of Ukraine and Volodymyr Zelensky and so on. I just saw a news item that said that Emmanuel Macron, the President of France, is concerned that the US Will sell out the Ukrainians, that we will betray the Ukrainians. I know running as governor of California, you've got to start moving to other, other priorities, like what's happening in California. But does this concern you just seeing this image here? Yeah.

[Eric Swalwell]

Well, this is what selling out Ukrainians looks like, but it's also what selling out Americans looks like because Donald Trump is running a for profit foreign policy. And it's not what's in the best interest of America to make us strong in the world and to support other democracies. It's what will line his Pockets and the pockets of his friends and family members, as you see in this picture. Because it has been reported that in prior conversations, even before this meeting, there were talks about how Russia and American businesses can start to link up again. And I think we know based on other deals that the President's family has been involved in as to where that likely goes. But what that means to Californians and Americans more broadly is there is a cost of corruption. And honest businesses who believe that they should, with their honesty and good work and transparency, compete for government contracts are not able to do so the same way you would in prior administrations because of the cost of corruption. Here, where we see that Don Junior's friends are getting big government contracts, Kristi Noem's friends are getting big government contracts. So I think we have to talk about it as to, like, what is the cost of corruption to you at your job or your small business? If the way it works is it's a, as I said, a for profit foreign policy or even domestically, that all of the government contracts, all of the work that you worked hard and expected to be able to compete for, first it goes to the Trump family and friends and then you get what's left over.

[Jim Acosta]

Yeah. And I mean, and just finally, we just saw some new photos and videos emerge from Epstein Island. Donald Trump. They still have not released the Epstein files. I mean, a law has now been passed. He signed it himself. Even though law wasn't necessary. He signed himself to release these damn files. They still haven't released them. And so House Democrats have to go around the Justice Department. They did this. They went to the Virgin Islands Department of Justice to get these really disturbing photos and images from inside Epstein Island. What kind of pressure can be put on Donald Trump to, to get him to release these files?

[Eric Swalwell]

It's the public sentiment that is supporting the sexual assault victims that got us to the vote where it passed nearly unanimously. And so, Jim, this guy only moves when the public pressure is put on him. His, his weakness, thank God, in many cases is his Achilles heel, is that he really wants to be liked. And he was very unlikable when he was seen as blocking the release of the Epstein files. And so we can't do enough, you know, to insist that the goods are delivered now that we learn the names of the individuals who were involved, regardless of their political background, and make sure that those victims can have closure. I also, I wouldn't discount Thomas Massie, who is threatening to go to the House floor under the protection of the speech and debate clause and read the names that he knows are in the files from the victims that he's talked to. Otherwise, the only way we will find out who truly were in these files and committed these crimes is from the victims. And as a former prosecutor, that's the last thing I want to see happen. They've already been victimized. They are terrified that if they do that in a public way that they'll be targeted, their security is at risk. They'll have lawsuits brought against them that can financially destroy them. And so Donald Trump, if he did nothing wrong, and he certainly continues to act like somebody who fears he did something wrong, he should just be transparent and release his files. Yeah.

[Jim Acosta]

Makes you wonder what's in those files every day goes by. Congressman Eric Swallow. Great to see you. Thank you for your time and best of luck in the campaign.

[Eric Swalwell]

All right, I'll see you out there.

[Jim Acosta]

All right, Good luck, sir.

[Eric Swalwell]

Yeah.

[Jim Acosta]

And you can only imagine what is going to happen if Eric Swalwell becomes the governor of California. You think sparks are flying now between Gavin Newsom and Donald Trump? Wait until, wait until Eric Swalwell becomes the governor of California. The other thing I want to make, make mention of today, there's a lot of stuff flying around. But if you want a very clear cut example of how MAGA has basically become a cult and how Donald Trump is now the David Koresh of maga, he's now the cult leader of maga, take a look at what they've done. While they haven't made any progress rebuilding the east wing of the White House that they knocked down, they have renamed the building that houses the U S Institute of Peace the Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace. That that happened here in Washington D.C. i just, and I just looked at the website for the Institute of Peace. It now has his name on the website for the Institute of Peace. I mean, first of all, I mean, this is, this is a very clear cut sign that we're heading into Orwellian territory, 1984 territory here in Washington D.C. donald Trump, who's whose own defense secretary is getting raked over the coals by both parties right now because they blew up a couple of survivors from a drug boat strike back in September. I mean, in what world does Donald Trump's name belong in a building that says the Institute of Peace?

And just to show you how seriously he takes all of this stuff, we should show you. They had, they had an event at the Institute, at the Donald J. Trump Institute piece earlier today. Here's Donald Trump at that event earlier today. Perhaps they should call it the Institute of Peace.

And beyond that, there's, there's Grandpa.

If you were to perhaps the, the letters PO and POTUS should be passed out these days because he can barely keep his eyes open. You saw what took place in the Cabinet Room earlier this week. We've seen him passing out in the Oval Office. Here he is passing the fuck out at the US Institute of Peace here in Washington, D.C. that he has named after himself. He has named the Institute of Peace after himself. And I mean, yes, of course, we can poke fun at this, we can laugh at this, but this is serious business. The, the work that diplomats do, the work that our diplomatic corps does, is extremely important. And I just want to call everybody's attention to something that just popped up in the New York Times today. It says America's professional diplomats feel demoralized and ignored, with fully 98%, 98% of this country's professional diplomats saying in a new survey that workplace morale has fallen since Trump took over in January. The findings are contained in a forthcoming report from the American Foreign Service association, or afsa. And it warns that America's diplomatic capacity is being decimated from within. The foreign Service is in crisis, said the association's president. And the reason why it's in crisis is because what do our diplomats do? They get sent out around the world. I mean, my producer Matt, who's producing the show right now, he and I, when we worked at the White House at our old place, would travel with the potus, go around the world. And in each and every one of those countries, there are our fellow Americans working as diplomats on our behalf to make sure that the wheels stay on the bus from a diplomatic standpoint and when there are crises and so on, that we have people working with us around the world, how in the world can our diplomatic corps, how can, how can these fellow Americans of ours who are dispatched all over the world, how can they defend what is going on right now? When you just heard Jim Himes a few moments ago saying we wasted a couple of survivors from a drug boat strike, that's the word he used. We wasted them. We blew them up. They were survivors paddling around in the, in the ocean. Their boat had just been blown up and the United States military just decided to waste them. As Jim Himes said, and he has said publicly, this is the most disturbing video he has ever seen from the US Military in a very long time. In a very long time. And I mean, not only is it just actions like, and I should note on this subject, George Will, who I Mean for folks who are longer in the tooth, like myself and other viewers who are out there who are a little bit older, like, like us. Remember when George Will was the conservative on this Week with David Brinkley? That was the.

You know, Sunday show of record on ABC for many, many years. This Week with David Brinkley. Now it's hosted by George Stephanopoulos and so on. But before ABC paid a bribe to Donald Trump, there was a show called this Week with David Brinkley. And George Will was the noted conservative. He was. He would show up every week and give the conservative Republican point of view, defending Ronald Reagan and the Bushes and so on. George Will just wrote an op ed in the Washington Post and it is something else. It says the killing of the survivors, talking about the drug boat by this moral slum of an administration, these are his words should nauseate Americans. A nation incapable of shame is dangerous, not least to itself, as the recent peace plan for Ukraine demonstrated. And then he goes on to talk about Ukraine. Marco Rubio, who is Secretary of State and Trump's national security advisor, seemed to be neither. When the president released his 28 point plan for Ukraine's dismemberment. The plan was cobbled together by Trump and Russian officials with no Ukrainians participating. It reads like a wish list letter from Vladimir Putin to Santa Claus. These are the words of George Will, one of the more conservative people in America, bona fides, you know, from here to live long day. And that is what he describes this administration, a moral slum of an administration. George Will. And the reason why even conservative Republicans are saying this. And it's not just the drug boat, but it's also the Ukraine situation. The photo that we were showing earlier to Eric Swalwell. What in God's name is Jared Kushner doing sitting down with Vladimir Putin going over a peace plan for Ukraine? Can somebody answer that question for me? Can somebody make sense of that for me? What is Jared Kushner, first of all, he has, despite the fact that he's been Donald Trump's son in law for quite some time, there he is sitting at a table across from Vladimir Putin. Jared Kushner, who left the first Trump administration and then struck it, Richard, doing deals with people like Saudi Arabia.

Is now sitting face to face with Vladimir Putin apparently has a pretty high threshold when it comes to dealing with brutal killers across the negotiating table. I guess he has that going for him. I guess he has that going for him, which ain't much. But he also comes across to me as a member of the Trump, Royal Court. This is not a monarchy. But yet Donald Trump seems to think it is. He keeps putting his name and his face on things all over Washington, D.C. they're the banners that are hanging on the Department of Labor. It looks like something out of Kim Jong Un's North Korea. Now his name is on the US Institute of Peace. A total joke. A total joke. And our allies will take us seriously. Our allies will see the United States as the reliable partner it can always count on when we are not going batshit crazy in this country. And I will just tell you, I'm just gonna read one more headline before I let everybody go. One more headline before I let everybody go. And it is about these goddamn ICE raids, these sadistic, inhumane ICE operations that are taking place in this country. This is in the New York Times. A six year old boy from Queens was separated from his father and placed in federal custody in New York City as Trump's deportation crackdown has swept up an increasing number of migrant families and children. The boy is among the youngest migrants to be taken from a parent by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials during a routine check in in New York City. This happened the day before Thanksgiving.

Little Yang jin, Yang Jin, 6 years old, separated from his father during ICE operations. And we've seen this time and again in this country, little children being abused, being treated inhumanely by the United States government, by ice. There used to be a thing in this country.

Not that might makes right. I mean, that, that certainly has been part of the American tradition that might makes right, but that right makes might.

That, that right makes might. Something that Alex Vindman used to talk about that right matters, that being right matters.

And can somebody point to a situation right now? Donald Trump wants to say he's the peace president, he wants the Nobel Peace Prize, he's put his name on the US Institute of Peace.

He is the farthest thing from a man of peace. He is the farthest thing from a peacemaker. He who terrorizes children, he who terrorizes six year olds is not a peacemaker.

It's disgusting. It's appalling. It's un American. It's not who we are.

He put this truth social post up earlier this morning. This is what he said. I'm dealing with the poisoning of America. And we remember during the campaign what he was talking about. He said that immigrants were poisoning the blood of America. So this morning as he's getting up, God knows what ha. What has transpired in the previous 12 hours as he's, you know, rolling around in bed on his phone and doing all kinds of crazy shit. Whatever he does to sleep through the. To get through the night, he doesn't sleep, wakes up, comes to his senses somewhat and he posts. I'm dealing with the poisoning of America. Six year old children are not the poisoning of America. You can't be a man of peace when you refer to immigrants as the poisoning of America. You will never be the Norwegians. They're lovely people. They're wonderful people. I've traveled there a couple of times and they may get bullied into giving Donald Trump the goddamn Nobel Peace Prize, but they shouldn't ever give it to him, ever.

The closest he should come to the Nobel Peace Prize is putting his goddamn name on that building. That's the closest he should ever come to the Nobel Peace Prize. So we can tear that shit down in January of 2029. All of the stupid shit, racist, stupid shit that he's going to do between now and. And January 20th of 2029, he can run wild and go do all those things, I suppose. But January 2020, January 21st, I should say 2029. We need to. It's like tearing down the Berlin Wall. We need to go around Washington D.C. and tear that down. Tear that name off of that building T. Tear that goofy banner off of the department.

Remove his stain from America.

That will put us on the path to peace not only around the world, but here at home. My thanks to Congressman Jim Himes. My thanks to gubernatorial candidate Eric Swalwell. That's going to be interesting to watch. And my thanks to all of you still reporting from Washington, I'm Jim Acosta. Have a good evening. I'll see you next time.