brilliant. host: that was the way to end. [laughter] host: we have run out of time. i want to thank them for their participation. all of the members of the council for your participation. and our wonderful speakers. [applause] during the white house briefing this afternoon, press secretary sarah sanders reiterated president trump's warning about the chemical attack in syria as well as the president's attention -- attention to announce a new strategy to syria in the coming days. intention to announce a new strategy to syria in the coming days. sec. sanders: good afternoon.

as you all saw, the president led a cabinet meeting this morning with the opioid precrisis being at the top of the agenda. in recent weeks, we have continued combating this issue on all fronts and by making the opioid raises the primary focus of the cabinet meeting, he is once again showing is one of his top priorities. there is a long road ahead and much work to be done. we will not rest until streets -- our streets are safe. and the victims of this terrible lifemic are able to live a tree of addiction. as the president noted yesterday, and again today during the cabinet meeting, the chemical weapons attack by syrian regime against innocent civilians is horrifying. the images, especially of suffering children have shocked the conscience of the civilized world. these actions are consistent with assad's pattern of chemical weapons use. his forces are already responsible for previous chemical weapons attacks and other actions targeting

civilians. the president has noted that russia and iran also bear a responsibility since they would not be possible without material support. it is also clear that russia has betrayed its obligation. the president, his national security team are consulting closely with allies and partners to determine the appropriate response. as president trump clearly stated, there will be a price to play. we call on all members of the international community to share any information related to this attack and to hold the perpetrators and their sponsors accountable. we call upon the syrian regime and russia to open the area to international medical assistance and international monitoring. with that, i will take your questions. >> the president was pretty definitive today in saying that this was an attack with chemical weapons yet, there hasn't been any concrete proof of that. russia insists that there is no evidence of chemical weapons. what makes the president so sure

that he is willing to make such a declarative statement? sec. sanders: the president is confident. he has been briefed by his national security team and been kept up to date constantly and regularly. i can't get any further with that. >> do we have any proof at this point that it was in fact a chemical weapon? sec. sanders: once again, i can't give anything beyond that, as i have made but we are confident in those comments. >> the president was talking about wanting to leave syria quickly, now you are saying there is a price that has to be paid. does the president believe there are some things that are so atrocious, which is the word to use this morning, that the united states is the world's policeman and demands presence in the region? united states is the world'ssect wants to bring troops home after we eradicate isis in syria. at the same time, he wants to

make sure a thought is deterred from chemical attacks. secondly, we want to remove our troops in no way degrades our ability to hold them responsible. >> has the president agreed that his comments in wanting to leave syria could have played a part and emboldened assad? sec. sanders: the only individuals that played a part don't reside in this country. we have made it clear who we think is responsible for these attacks. to try to conflate that and make this on any part in blame on this president is absolutely ridiculous. >> he has criticized others for signaling military plans. it seems to be what he is doing here. does he regret those comments? sec. sanders: the president has been clear that he wants to make sure that we have the defeat of isis. he wants to make serve, after previous chemical attacks what the president has done. we have been up front on that.

>> [indiscernible] does the united states leave israel was behind those? was the u.s. given a heads up by the israeli government? sec. sanders: i can only speak on behalf of this government. for questions on that i would refer you outside. at this time the u.s. is not conducting airstrikes in syria. >> did the white house get a heads up? sec. sanders: again, i can't go any further than commenting on behalf of our government. currently at this time the united states is not conducting airstrikes in syria. >> [indiscernible] last year, he said there was a deterrent obviously. what changed between months ago when the assad regime wasn't using weapons and this strike now? it seems to come so soon after

the troops making the determination on pulling troops out of syria. you can see why we're drawing that timeline. [indiscernible] sec. sanders: once again, the president has made clear that with the defeat of isis he wanted to bring our troops home. at the same time, he wants to assad is deterred from chemical weapons on innocent civilians. we think you can have separation. >> did the president, by saying he wants to get out of syria, give a green light to a sod to -- assad to do this as john mccain suggested. that we are pulling out? sec. sanders: look, we are still

there. it is outrageous to say that the president of the united states green lit something as atrocious as the actions that have taken place over the last several days. the president once again made very clear how he feels about those types of actions. when this took lace, roughly a -- took place roughly a year ago. we will continue looking at all the options on the table currently. >> but that this emboldened aside? -- assad? sec. sanders: i think the message we sent was very clear. in the president's words over the weekend and in the actions we've taken in the past. >> has the president's attitude toward vladimir putin changed because of what has happened? sec. sanders: the president has always been tough on russia as he said last week. echoed again when asked about it. this administration and president have been tougher on russia than previous administrations. i think you can see that through the actions we have taken and in the comments over the last several days. >> but he singled out vladimir putin in a tweet yesterday. does he feel that he can find

some common ground in working with him on various plans? sec. sanders: the president still feels that if we can have a good relationship with russia at some point, that is a good thing for the world. at the same time, this president is going to be tough on russia until we see changes in their behavior just as we have done every day over the last year and as we have outlined multiple times before. both from the president and as i have done from this podium on many occasions. >> thank you, sarah. this question is on the foreign-policy front. given the situation in syria, your statement today, could the president be in the process of forming an alliance with president macron of france and private may, not unlinke the

-- unlike the previous administration. sec. sanders: we certainly have relationships with both countries and are continuing relations with the u.k. as well as france. we hope to work with all of our allies and partners in a response. >> is prime minister orban, who has said many kind of things about the president, won a landslide reelection, will the president call him? are there any plans to extend an invitation for a state visit or working visit to him? sec. sanders: i am not aware of a scheduled call at this time. >> today is the first day on the job for john bolton. as the national security advisor. i wanted to ask you about comments he made about syria back in 2013 on fox and friends.

he said, i think if i were a member of congress i would vote against an authorization. he said i don't think it is an america's interest, i don't we should take sides in the syrian conflict. is that a point of view that ambassador bolton is bringing to the table now as national security advisor? sec. sanders: the point of view that matters the most of the -- is the president. as ambassador bolton himself has is here to serve as an advisor, that -- but ultimately the decisions made are the president's. comments he has made our personal. he is here to carry out the president's agenda. >> the epa administrator often flew first last. can you explain what the president meant when he said rent was about market prices and

it was ok? sec. sanders: he was referencing a report done by the epa. which we are continuing to review. in that, it sites that the apartment was at market value and goes into other details. that is what the president was talking about. >> $50 a night was the market value? yes -- sec. sanders: yes, according to the office of government ethics. >> is the president ok with epa secretary taking first-class travel? sec. sanders: we are reviewing specifics of each of those components. i know there was a much larger number of security issues surrounding the epa administrator than in the past. but for specific questions, beyond that, i would refer you back to the epa. >> were those security issues included in the police report? across the country, no one found death threats or police reports that jeopardized his life or safety. what are you talking about?

sec. sanders: i can't comment about police reports, but i know there have been a number of questions raised. again, we are continuing to review that. until it is complete i would refer you back to the epa. >> to questions on syria. -- two questions on syria. with all that has happened with russia, with sanctions last weekend strong words associating russia with the syrian attack, is there an expectation or feeling that relations are eroding? sec. sanders: we have been very tough on russia for quite some time. i think the only people that didn't understand that or see that were members of the press who continually question to that. i'm confused on which way you want to have it. the president would like to have a good relationship, but that will be determined by the actions that russia takes.

we are going to continue pushing forward. >> second question, the items on the table, beyond strikes, is tablea thought or other regime change and where does diplomacy play in this even with the strikes? sec. sanders: i can tell you we are reviewing a wide range in a number of different options. >> at the cabinet meeting this morning, the president was talking about the potential impact of chinese tariffs on american farmers. he said farmers were willing to take a hit. then he said we will make it up to them. what did he mean? sec. sanders: the president has worked with his team to determine how best to respond to china's attack on american farmers.

he has asked the department of agriculture to present a plan. >> extra crop insurance subsidies that are put in for market fluctuations? sec. sanders: i'm not going to get ahead of potential options, but the president has asked the department of agriculture to come back. >> on syria, we talked about the idea of military option being a deterrent. does the white house worry that assad is about making a mockery of president trump's run? sec. sanders: what our concern is now is the assad regime taking an outrageous action against innocent civilians. our focus is on responding to that. that is what we are looking at. >> to follow up, since we didn't get a chance to, on your comments citing the l.a. times article when asked about the president's rape remark. that didn't back up the

--sident's claim areas claim. you admonished reporters to be held to a standard of accuracy. does the president need to be held to that standard of accuracy? sec. sanders: absolutely. a number of those individuals going back to 2014, where there were articles and studies put out that said 80% of the women that go through that process and try to enter the country are raped through that process. something that should be concerning to all of us. certainly something the president has voiced concerned about. >> what about the voter fraud claims the president made last week not backed up by evidence? sec. sanders: can you be more specific? >> just giving the idea that when words matter, particularly in moments of life international pressure, like this moment right what his standard of accuracy is. sec. sanders: the president

still strongly feels there was a large amount of voter fraud and attempted to do a thorough review of it. a lot of the states did not want to cooperate or participate. we know there were a large number of incidents reported. we can't be sure how much, because we weren't able to conduct the full review the president wanted because a number of states did not want to cooperate and refused to cooperate. >> two questions regarding scott pruitt. how long is the review going to take that the white house is conducting? sec. sanders: i'm not going to lay out an arbitrary timeline, but it is something that we are looking into. >> quick or years? sec. sanders: obviously we want to get through the process as quickly as we can. i'm not just going to make up a time frame. >> did chief of staff john kelly recommend that scott pruitt be hired? sec. sanders: i'm not going to get into personal conversations.

blake, welcome back. congratulations. >> thank you. i want to ask about mark zuckerberg heading to the hill. they've often talked about the regulations and the regulatory efforts of the president. there's a question of whether or not facebook should be regulated. does the white house have a stance on whether or not they spoke should be related? sec. sanders: we don't have a specific policy announcement on that, but i think we are all looking forward to that testimony today. >> what does the president make of mark zuckerberg? fairly critical of him, and when i ask him about zuckerberg this morning. does the president have an opinion? sec. sanders: i haven't asked him directly. i would have to check with him and get back to you. one last question. >> if there anything the syrians can do at this point to prevent military action being taken? sec. sanders: i'm not going to get ahead of what actions we may or may not take. i can't answer that question. but, we will keep you posted when we have something on that front.

>> is i could follow up just because you've been saying this over the last couple weeks, no one has been tougher on russia, -- russia then this president. some hyperbole on that, ronald reagan's are down this law. john kennedy put up a blockade around cuba. carter boycotted the 1980 summer olympics in moscow. obviously there have been presidents over the course of the last several decades who up on thisbeen tougher president. also given the fact that this president wasn't really willing to criticize him by name. we all thought over the weekend and took it as a new development. sec. sanders: you cite one example for each of those individuals. let me list just a few actions president has taken the previous of ministers and haven't. the treasury department issued new sanctions on numerous individuals and entities in russia. the president has continued other sanctions on russia's malicious cyber activity.

in response to election hacking. he has expelled 60 russian operatives from the united states and closed to consulates. -- two consulates. he has issued for statements condemning russia's poisoning of the case citizens on u.k. soil. he has authorized the sale of legal aid to ukraine. -- lethal aid to ukraine. he has repeatedly called up russians act can on that front. i think that you named off one or two things. it is, without dispute that this administration and this president has done a number of things to be tough on russia. so if the president -- >> so if the president says vladimir putin who made pay a price after all the russians were supposedly responsible for helping the syrians remove weapons from syria. when the president says they may pay a price, we should take that to the bank? sec. sanders: i will not get ahead once again of any actions that the united states may or may not take. the president has been clear about what his intention is. thank you so much.

have a great day. cases,ght, on landmark whereersus united states, charles katz -- the supreme court passed decision in this case expanded america's right to privacy and forever changed the way law enforcement officers conduct their investigation. jeffrey rosen, president and ceo of the national constitution center in and the founder of the national security institute and director of the national security law and policy program, both at george mason university's law school. watch landmark cases tonight and

join the conversation. #landmarkcases. landmark cases companion book, a link to the national constitution center's interactive constitution, and the landmark cases podcast at rkcases.rg/landma week, facebook ceo mark zuckerberg will testify before senate and house committees on face the cost handling of user information and data private. eastern on2:15 c-span three, he will answer questions during a joint judiciary committee. watch live coverage on c-span3 and online at c-span.org. listen live with the free c-span radio app.

the congressional budget office released its annual budget and economic rp on capitol hill this afternoon. the report projects that by 2028, federal debt would equal the nation's post domestic growth product. hour.s a half >> good afternoon. welcome to the consi