(Photo by Shealah Craighead/The White House via Getty Images)
(CNSNews.com) – House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D.-Calif.) revealed on MSNBC on Tuesday that an Oct. 16, 2019 photo that shows her pointing her finger at President Donald Trump in the Cabinet Room of the White House captured a moment when she told Trump: “With you, Mr. President, all roads lead to Putin.”
MSNBC host Craig Melvin showed the photo when asking Pelosi how she would advise former Vice President Joe Biden on his Tuesday night debate with Trump.
Melvin said: “Madam Speaker, you have had some, shall we say, noteworthy encounters with this President. This photo of you standing across the table from President Trump comes to mind to a lot of folks. Advice tonight for the Vice President? What would you advise Joe Biden to do or not do ahead of the debate tonight in Cleveland?”
“Well, first let me just say,” Pelosi responded, “that that picture of my pointing to the president in that way, I’m saying to him: ‘With you, Mr. President, all roads lead to Putin.’ It’s directly related to our previous conversation.”
(Photo by Shealah Craighead/The White House via Getty Images)
Here is a transcript of the part of Nancy Pelosi’s interview with Craig Melvin where she reveals what she said when she pointed at Trump in the Cabinet Room of the White House:
Craig Melvin: “You’ve called that reporting from The New York Times, Madam Speaker, about the President’s taxes and debt, a national security issue. You’ve said that the public has a right to know to whom he owes hundreds of millions of dollars. Any plans for the House to look into that specific question?
Speaker Nancy Pelosi: “Well, right now what we’re trying to do is to crush the virus, honor our heroes and put money in the pockets of the American people.
“For a long time now, we’ve had legislation under leadership of Congresswoman Anna Eshoo, Bill Pascrell, Lloyd Doggett, John Sarbanes and others, to make–to require a candidate for president, a nominee for president releases his or her tax returns so that the American people know.
“And what’s important about this is the amount of money that the President owes is a security, a national security issue. It’s not just a question of who he owes the money to, it’s a question of how he’s going to get the money to pay it back. And that can affect his decisions on national security. I’ve had my own concerns about the Russian connection because the President has looked the other way or done bad things in terms of our commitment to NATO, what he’s done in Syria, Ukraine, across the board, ignoring the Russian interference into our elections, undermining the security and the integrity of our elections.
“What is this about? Where does the President intend to get this money, this over $400 million to pay back. So, it’s not just about who he owes it to; it’s about where he’ll get to pay it back.
“Now, let me just say, I have a long history in intelligence, 25 years or so. If we knew that someone had that exposure, that would be–they would not be able to get a federal job. And if they were on the other side, that would be an opportunity for us to exploit their indebtedness and try to recruit them to our side.
“So, this is–owing money is a factor in security clearances one way or the other. The President would not be able to be appointed to his Administration with the debt that he has. Yet, he’s President of the United States paying $750. Very unfair, not paying his fair share. But what’s important for the Commander in Chief is that he not jeopardize our national security or in any way have it affect any decision that he makes because he is expecting to get some money to pay his debts.
“It’s interesting, though. He paid more taxes to other countries than he did in the United States. That would be easy when you’re paying $750. It’s still interesting from the standpoint of why he was paying more taxes in the Philippines and India and Panama. That’s what we know so far.
“So, this is vitally important. It’s a national security issue no matter who the president is. He or she cannot have their–the leverage of their office being used for their personal–to pay their personal debts.
Melvin: “Madam Speaker, you have had some, shall we say, noteworthy encounters with this President. This photo of you standing across the table from President Trump comes to mind to a lot of folks. Advice tonight for the Vice President? What would you advise Joe Biden to do or not do ahead of the debate tonight in Cleveland?”
Pelosi: “Well, first let me just say that that picture of my pointing to the President in that way, I’m saying to him, ‘With you, Mr. President, all roads lead to Putin.’ It’s directly related to our previous conversation.”
