The next is the transcript of the interview with Sen. Tim Kaine, Democrat of Virginia, that aired on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan” on Nov. 30, 2025.
NANCY CORDES: Welcome again to Face The Nation. We’re joined by Virginia Democratic Senator Tim Kaine. Senator, thanks a lot for being with us.
SENATOR TIM KAINE: Completely, Nancy.
NANCY CORDES: I wish to begin out by asking you concerning the state of affairs in Venezuela, as a result of there are actually critical indicators that army motion, together with doubtlessly floor motion, may very well be imminent. You may have tried twice to move warfare powers resolutions that may pressure President Trump to get approval from Congress first earlier than any army motion. Twice, you’ve failed. Do you assume the numbers on this may change if there may be floor motion, and can it even matter at that time?
SEN. KAINE: I d- I do imagine the numbers will change. You’re proper, I together with others, filed a decision, no warfare in Venezuela or in opposition to Venezuela with out congressional approval. It failed, however that was earlier than all of those property have amassed round Venezuela, and earlier than President Trump mentioned that the airspace must be closed. I’ll transfer with colleagues, Senator Schumer, Senator Paul, Senator Schiff, instantly ought to there be army motion. After which secondly, I additionally tried to cease the, what I view as unlawful boat strikes within the Caribbean and the Pacific along with Adam Schiff, and the circumstances have modified within the months since we had that vote. In every of those cases, we had been capable of get two Republicans to vote along with Democrats. We expect the escalating tempo and among the current revelations, so, for instance, the current revelation concerning the kill everybody order apparently dictated by Secretary Hegseth. We do imagine that we’ll get extra assist for these motions when they’re refiled.
NANCY CORDES: You’re referring to this new Washington Submit report that claims that Secretary Hegseth referred to as for everybody aboard, the primary suspected drug boat that was focused, to be killed when two individuals survived. The army went again in, reportedly with a follow-on strike. What questions do you’ve for the Pentagon about that state of affairs?
NANCY CORDES: Quite a lot of lawmakers on either side have questions which might be much like those you’re elevating. On a associated be aware, President Trump simply introduced this weekend that he plans to pardon former Honduras President Juan OrlandoHernández, who was accused of conspiring with drug cartels to maneuver 400 tons of cocaine from Honduras to the U.S. He’s at present serving a 45-year sentence. Have been you stunned by the President’s plan to pardon him, given how strongly the President feels about medication coming from different international locations like Venezuela? SEN. KAINE: That is stunning, and once more, this isn’t a person who was accused of working medication to the US. He was convicted in a federal courtroom in the US. One of many bits of proof was his assertion that was picked up by these close to to him that he needed to shove medication up the nostril of gringos and flood the US with cocaine greater than 400 tons. He was the chief of one of many largest legal enterprises that has ever been topic to a conviction in U.S. courts, and fewer than one yr into his sentence, President Trump is pardoning him, suggesting that President Trump cares nothing about narcotrafficking. Suggesting probably that pardons are actually on the market by this White Home. And if he doesn’t care about narcotrafficking, and this was additionally proven earlier this yr with the pardoning of Ross Ulbricht, then what is that this Venezuela factor actually about? The President of Colombia has mentioned that he thinks it’s concerning the U.S. attempting to grab oil property in Venezuela. I lived in Honduras for a yr as a missionary method again when. The conspiracy theories are working wild within the Americas about why this- this army effort is so necessary to the President when he’s pardoning drug kingpins who’re working medication into the US. These are additionally questions that we’re going to need to dig deeply into after we return to Washington tomorrow.NANCY CORDES: I wish to ask you about some large developments in Washington this week. The Trump administration is making large modifications within the wake of this tragic taking pictures of two Nationwide Guard members. They’re halting all asylum selections. They’re halting Afghan immigration functions. The President says he desires a everlasting pause to immigration from what he calls “third world countries,” we don’t know what number of international locations. Have they got a case that it is sensible to place a few of these processes on maintain whereas they work out what occurred right here?
SEN. KAINE: Properly, you already know, first, let’s simply acknowledge this unhappy truth, these two guards, members, Ms. Beckstrom andMr. Wolfe, what a tragedy for them and their households. And you already know what? They need to have been at dwelling at Thanksgiving, celebrating Thanksgiving with their households, not deployed in a political deployment, to do regulation enforcement in D.C. that the D.C. police and different native regulation enforcement businesses can do. And this demonstrates, but once more, one thing we’ve seen so typically our troops, together with our guards members, they’re going to serve in courageous and brave and self-sacrificing methods, and we will be so happy with them, however the orders that they get from their civilian leaders, that’s the place the issue is available in. Whether or not it’s a Hegseth order to kill all of them, or an order to ship guardsmen and ladies in a political stunt deployment to cities across the nation, these two people ought to have been celebrating Thanksgiving with their households, and I simply mourn for them and all who are suffering in consequence. The President’s determination to say, okay, this explicit legal who ought to be prosecuted to the total extent of the regulation, who got here in underneath an asylum grant, that President Trump and his administration determined this previous summer season, that now we’re going to pause processes or asylum from 19 quote “third world countries” you don’t know which of them they’re. You shouldn’t paint with a broad brush. Go after a legal to the total extent of the regulation. However don’t say that each one Afghans in the US, those that served with our army and who misplaced their lives and their well being and their households in some ways by doing so, don’t say that they’re all unhealthy. Don’t say that individuals who come from third world international locations are unhealthy. Virginia, about one out of 9 of us is an immigrant, and our immigrant communities in Virginia have been an unlimited supply of power to our commonwealth and to our nation. And it’s fallacious to focus on all of them for the unhealthy actions of a person, identical to we wouldn’t target- goal different communities in the US for the unhealthy actions of 1 particular person.NANCY CORDES: One thing tells me that is going to be a giant matter of Congress- of dialog fairly, in Congress–SEN. KAINE: –It’ll–NANCY CORDES: –this week. Senator Kaine, I actually respect you being with us, and Comfortable Thanksgiving.SEN. KAINE: So glad we may do it. Thanks. NANCY CORDES: And we’ll be proper again.
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