speak at the commencement address at the u.s. coast guard academy. we wonder if he's going to weigh in today on news topics, or if he is going to stick to -- >> watching liberty university on saturday was interesting. we've got to run, have a great wednesday, we're going to catch you later. bye-bye. >> the white house strongly denying this morning on the bombshell report the president trump pressured james kony to drop an investigation of his fire to national advisor michael flynn. good morning. i'm jon scott. >> and i'm heather, great to be here. "the new york times," let's begin there, reporting that director comey wrote a memo after his meeting with the president, back in february, in it, comey reportedly quotes that the president said, i hope you can let this go. the administration denying that the president ever asked the fbi director to drop any investigation. lawmakers on both sides of the aisle say that they want to hear

from the former fbi director. they want to see this memo for themselves. >> first of all, let's see if it's true. i think this is one where you can exley find out the truth behind it. if there are such memos or documentation, we would like to see that from the fbi, they've been given a week to produce that. >> chief intelligence correspondent is following this life from washington. >> this morning, they are asking for comey's memo. they are saying they should include any memo an email probe between comey's old boss one week before hillary clinton's fbi interview. now >> just moments ago urged against a rush to judgment. >> a lot of work is being done, that is the work of the oversight of the executive

branch. we are going to do with the right way and follow the facts wherever they may lead. >> law enforcement source separately confirms that the former fbi director documented at least one meeting with president trump that made him uneasy. it's not clear from our reporting this morning whether it was the mid-february meeting cited by "the new york times" or dell where the president -- or the january meeting where the president asked comey for his loyalty and in response, comey said he would always be honest with the president. the white house has disputed both counts. because of his background as a lawyer, career prosecutor, and government bureaucrat, the law enforcement source said comey is known as a copious notetaker. it is standard practice to stick notes to memorialize the conversation. this morning, legal experts said obstruction will be a high threshold the cross. >> the out

there where you have evidence of a defendant having a conversation with a witness or someone close to the case. they make comments that can be construed a number of divorce, up prosecutor can frame the discussion a number of different ways. a good defense lawyer can say that that's not the motive at all, given a criminal case, you have to prove to a jury beyond a reasonable doubt. >> this according to republican senator john mccain, he can publicly testify in the very near future. >> in washington for us right now, thank you, as we continue to await the president's remarks. there's no political fallout, as lawmakers on capitol hill on both sides of the aisle said they need to get the facts. >> obviously i want to talk to director comey to see how contemporaneous his recording was. not just what was said, but what did he hear that can only be done by looking at the memo and

talking to director comey. >> if the document tatian is there, then we need to talk to the person who wrote those, and that would be director comey, see the facts, where they are, and if they were true, we need to see memo. >> this is as serious as it was made out to be, why is he so silent for the last two months? >> one of the important questions when to ask him is if he thought this was so concerned, that you put it into a memorandum, and discussed with your top aides the propriety of this, why didn't you bring it to the department of justice? >> firm on this let's bring jake sherman, senior writer for politico, and co-author of their playbook. he states on capitol hill are already talking about impeachment as a result of all this. >> i think people are beginning to assess the severity of the conversation, in the house people were openly talking about

whether this was obstruction of justice, and whether something drastic will have to happen. listen, these memos are going to get to capitol hill one way or another. either voluntarily or through subpoena. comey is going to testify. i imagine he's going to testify that what he wrote in those memos is true. i don't imagine he's going to back away from the memos. it's what were going to see is going to be the former fbi director testify in front of a republican congress about conduct that he thought was inappropriate by a republican president. but listen, what republicans are saying is right. there is a big issue here. why didn't comey talk to people in the justice department if he thought it was improper? granted, it's only been a few months since he's had his, should there could be an excellent nation there. i can tell you that republicans at the highest levels on capitol hill are externally nervous about this. >> the quote, which was read to

a "new york times" reporter, nobody outside comey's office as far as we know has actually seen this memorandum, but the quotas i hope you can see your way clear to letting this go, letting flynn go. he is a good guy, i hope you can let this go. that hardly rises, according to attorneys that i've talked to, to the level of obstruction of justice, it's kind of a request. >> share, i can tell you from what members of comer's tell me. i'm not an attorney, despite my wanting to go to law school, i haven't made it there yet, but i can tell you that on capitol hill the political fallout is quite, it's quite pronounced. the members of congress are now having to deal with. this cascade of events from the national security advisor doubting whether the western wall was actually in israel, to this strange situation where the president was discussing secrets, israeli secrets with russian officials in the oval office, to this.

it's been a never-ending drumbeat of things that make republicans nervous as a political fallout, they are afraid -- if you're a member of congress, you're waking up in the morning not knowing what you're going to see on twitter and not really understanding what the president is going to do, because he doesn't listen to staff consistently. so you're dealing with surprises every day. members of congress and elected officials like a certainty, and they are not getting that right now. which is alarming to many of them. >> but it's also worth considering, democrats thought they had this presidential election in the bag, so many of those democrats who hold office right now low with this president, and the echo chamber that they are using to try to amplify any missed steps from the white house. however serious or immaterial they might be. that echo chamber is extort nearly larger now. >> that's for sure. but we have to keep in mind that

republicans are the only ones that can subpoena these documents. republicans are the only ones that can hold these hearings. democrats have absently no power on capitol hill, they can do nothing. they can talk. but talking does not equate to power. so jason jabez, republican, is threatening the white house, give these documents, or here's my pen, i'm going to subpoena them. that's not something democrats are prodding him to do. so that's a reality that republicans have to contend with, and this is a very narrow line they're going to have to walk over the next couple of months. it always is, when the party controls the white house and the congress. how much oversight do you do and how much do you give your president a bright? that something were going to see. it's a political dance that's going to happen over the next couple months, and frankly, years. >> and let's talk about what isn't happening on capitol hill. this consumes the oxygen in the room. >> there are hearings on tax reform, but the people i talked to say it's very difficult to

imagine that people are going to take a political risk for a president who is rather, under all this political pressure. there's no infrastructure. the president said were noticing a restructure package, shortly come over there weeks, he said that many weeks ago. there is no one structure package. obamacare is still in the senate, we note the action that, though we do expect action on that in the coming months. there's a whole host of agenda items that republicans are now saying publicly it's going to be very difficult given the political circumstances we now face. >> jake sherman from politico. full disclosure, jake, i thought about going to law school myself. >> we made a mistake, i think. >> i was going to wait and see if i got a job in a college, and i did. so no law school for me. thank you. >> thanks. >> not to the fox news alert. did you see this protest as of the turkish msa in washington, d.c.?

really unbelievable, the fights that broke out between two groups during a demonstration believed to be in support of the turkish government. this is just hours after president trump met wish turkish president at the white house yesterday. mr. trump, calling the president a strong ally in the battle against islamic extremism, over u.s. support tech kurdish forces fighting isis in syria and iraq. >> dramatic testimony of the trial of a woman accused of hiring him and to kill her husband to collect a big insurance payment. how police describe her in the moments after the killing. tornadoes level homes across the heartland with deadly results. crews combed the rubble searching for survival spirit more dangerous weather still in the way. we are lie with an update. >> we pulled several walls of the people, i know our deputies

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>> fox news alert. we are awaiting president trump, who will deliver the commencement address at the u.s. coast guard academy. the president, the vice president, the secretary of defense, and others rotate among the various service academies. this year it's the coast guard year to you for the president, we will have that when he begins to speak. right now, new information on some crime stories we are watching. shots rang out at an amtrak station in chicago, wounding eight conductor. please say a man in the 70s fired the shot from inside the train after the conductor stepped out onto the platform. no word on the motive. the conductor is expected to recover. to oregon now, and court action

in a gruesome mother's day attack. a 36-year-old man accused of beheading his own mother, bringing her severed head to a grocery store he stabbed an employee. judge ordered the suspect held without bail. >> in new york, dramatic testimony at the trial of a woman accused of hiring a hit man to kill her husband so he could collect nearly a million dollars in insurance money. the first responding officer testifying that the woman seemed calm after the attacks. she faces life without parole if she's convicted. >> when i got back to my traile trailer, my neighbor, some people were helping the lady out of the trailer, her husband was very, so i called underneath the trailer and inside, and started removing the refrigerator, checking his vitals, tell the emts got there

there, -- >> as we get people out of here, carry babies out, we carried elderly, we've been contacted by several people that want to help. but at this time we are just searching the area with our search teams, and making sure that there's nobody in there, working with the national weather service and all the other stuff that goes beyond saving and rescuing people. >> lots going on in the world as we continue to watch the coast guard academy there, where you can see president trump has begun to head out to the stage where he is scheduled to give the commencement address there. we will to get their life when he begins to speak. in the meantime, back to the tornadoes that ripped through the heartland. spring storms sparking the powerful twisters, which flattened a mobile home park in wisconsin. and a housing subdivision in oklahoma. i believe that we are going to go, for more on this severe weather, first of all, it is not over yet. following that story, live from our midwest bureau in chicago, matt? >> heather, this morning first

first responders are searching for any survivors, having to deal with the lost of a life one. in oklahoma, near oak city, about a hundred miles west of ogle on the that twister killing at least one and leaving the neighborhood looking like a war zone. fire officials saying that destroyed entire his neighborhood and damaged homes. in wisconsin, the destruction described -- first discover saying as they arrived at the could hear the screams of victims. >> we pulled walls of a people, and then carried them come up them on stretchers, leg injuries, arm injuries, -- >> we were barely touched, we are blessed, unfortunately all others, our neighbors lost a lot of things. they lost their whole house, lost everything.

>> dramatic video of a pickup truck crashing into the opposite lane on a highway. the driver apparently losing control in the midst of strong winds and downpour, reportedly hydroplaning and hitting the cable barrier. no word on the driver's condition. they say that there still a risk of severe weather in the midwest today, then in the lower planes tomorrow. heather questioning >> we will continue to follow that. john? >> we are following to develop mental net explosive report on a memo, supposedly written by that former fbi director, accusing president trump of asking him to drop the investigation into michael flynn and his ties to russia. the semantics are very important here. florida governor weighs in on that and on the g.o.p. health health care plan ahead. new videos released of the charleston church shooter. and bazaars conversations with his family.

>> [indistinct] >> there is nothing more important to me than my vacation, so when i need booking.yeah.

>> welcome back. happening right now, life pictures there from new london connecticut where the president is set to deliver the commencement address at the u.s. coast guard academy. we are told that that will be in about 15 minutes. just last week and he delivered the commencement address at liberty university, we will see what he has to say today with lots going on. john? >> the speaker of the house, paul ryan, is calling for further investigation into the memo purportedly written by former fbi director james comey in which he accuses president trump of interfering in the rush investigation.

>> i will leave it to the committee's doing the msds. just remer, there's an investigation occurring at the fbi, there's an investigation has, and there's an investigation in the senate pits we have three investigations going on. i'm not going to micromanage or armchair quarterback investigations. the point is this, he can't deal with speculation and innuendo, and there's clearly a lot of politics being played. our job is to get the facts. >> joining us now, florida governor, chair of the new republican super pac. we will get to that in a moment. you are obviously had guy in one of the nation's largest states, were going to talk health care and medicaid and some other things, but right now the issue that is consuming all of washington is this battle between, overcome i guess, the president and the former fbi director had to say to each other. what do you make of what's going on there? >> of course, i wasn't there, so

i don't know the details. but, look, the president needed a fresh start, comey was a lightning rod to the left and the right, we need the fbi to be nonpartisan, so i'm looking for to the president appointing 70 to be nonpartisan. i do with the fbi will may have an issue like the post-terrorist attack, that shooting in fort lauderdale, the fbi does their job. no politician should, they shouldn't listen to a politician, there is a logical investigation, they should do their job. >> so a nonpartisan appointee, someone who's effective and experienced, that's what you're calling for? >> absolutely. law enforcement should be nonpartisan. that's what the fbi should be, that's what we should expect. >> is there a natural urge for politicians to try to make political hay out of the situation? >> i guess it makes good news, but the bottom line is politicians are elected to do a job. i got elected to turn my economy around, that's when i focus on every day, everyone runs their

election what they think is a part. the voters make a decision. once you're elected, do your job. congress, they need to repeal and replace obamacare, they were elected to do that. they need to fix they come in. that's what they were like a bar. there's always going to be chaos in washington, congress has to get these things done, that's a way to do is governors every day. >> talk about fixing the economy, and talk about health care, in florida a lot of retirees, you are trying to, not expand medicaid, but you would like to see some changes in the way it is administered? >> what i want to do, the federal government need to tell us how to run medicaid. i care about my citizens. we have 3.9 million people and medicaid, i want to make sure that they have access to good health care, that they can get it. it is to be a price that they can afford it, and the federal regulations make it difficult. they don't need to micromanage what we do. if i don't to the right thing, i wouldn't of gotten reelected. >> but the federal government, you are saying, is too involved in that?

>> think about it. our taxpayers pay for it, we turn the money up to the federal government, then we run a program -- we want to do a good job. i'm sure every state wants to do a good chat. give us more flexibility. we'll figure it out. if another state figures it out better, i will emulate what they are doing. i have cut 20% of regulations in my state. i said when we deregulate, we give people more options to make choices. that's what i'm doing with the super pac. give people choices, open up the government. that's what people want. they don't want the government to tell them what to do. speak at the bill that is passed the house to repeal and replace, it is suggested it got to medicaid, your response customer >> it's headed in the right direction. we know we have to repeal and replace obamacare. what i talked about is, we need more competition. think about what we have to do. way to drive the cost down. the problem with health care,

it's always cost. whether you pay for it, your employer pays for, or the government pays for. how do you get down cost? cut competition. by the insurance you want to buy, reward people for take care of themselves. if you do that, the cost will come down, and we can solve a lot of these problem's. we want to make sure that people have access to health care, but if costs skyrocket like they did under obamacare, no one will yield to afford it. >> you are the chairman of this new republican pack. it is aimed at revamping and rebranding the party. what is your focus customer >> its new republican, new republican.org, we have to open up the economy. way to get people choice, whether it's for education, for starting a business, for health care. if you do that, this economy will blossom. we'll have more choices. we want to target more people. we've to go after the young. they believe in us. if you talk to them, they like choices. they like open government. they're not looking for big government.

you talk about hispanics, the same thing. their goal is to live the dream of this country they want options. they want choices. we need to deregulate our economy, then as a republican party, focus on the young people, focus on hispanics. we've only got about 25% hispanic vote, i got about 50% because i did that. we deregulate it, we made it easier for hispanics to get involved in the economy. it's because they think the party needs a rebranding? >> what i want to do is help the party focus on the things that we want to do, deregulate you, young voters, hispanic voters, i think that will help the republican party. >> governor rick scott. >> president trump facing calls for his impeachment. one prominent democrat takes more cautious approach, is that part of a new strategy? our debate, up next. >> impeachment you're talking about, one of the facts.

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>> fox news alert from wall street where the dow is not happy. down 250 points right now. over fears that this white house will not be able to pass its pro-business agenda. wall street pays attention to the news. nicole is paying attention to wall street live from the new york stock exchange. >> good morning, this is one of those days were wall street and

washington have a direct correlation. we look at these headlines, as you noted, the dow was down 250 points at this moment. it was down nearly 290 points earlier, one of its august drops since the election. worried about the election, worried about health care reform, the like. it is on somewhat of a pause today, we are seeing a drop off across the board. dragging on some of the dow's are some of these financials which had done so well since the election, for example goldman sachs is down 4%, jpmorgan, apple, these are some of the names that are really accounting for about half the losses. were also watching how traders are moving. they are moving to say pays havens, such as gold. it's been gaining throughout this week. you see it moving to treasuries. those are some safe bets, big picture. overall i will note a couple things. this is one of those days were you remain calm. we've seen winners.

we had record highs here on wall street, including amazon, google, alibaba, mcdonald's, home depot. they've done so well since the election, they've been soaring since the election, up 29%, 26%, since the election, apple, up 37% since the election, there is some room to pull back. the market has been somewhat directionless over the last 15 days. we have not even seen that since 1969. the traders are taking this somewhat in stride, you have some people who are getting out and making a profit, you have some people who say, hey, i completely missed the boat, i'm going to jump in here and actually buy. and you have those who are betting the wrong way in the market, and they have made a big selloff, you haven't seen that. you have seen some people who are a-ok with staying the course, john? >> fox business network. thanks for the update.

>> the controversy surrounding president trump, there are calls for action and impeachment. one prominent democrat says, not so fast. >> i don't like him, i don't like his hair, what are the facts? i don't like what he said about this. but what are the facts? what are the rules that he may have violated? if you don't have that case, you're participating in hearsay. that's not the basis of what -- the american people, i mean, just, need stability in all this. this is the time worries must be be having his honeymoon. the honeymoon, so we watch and see what is going to do, what is his vision, how was going to implement it, and it's been sloppy. >> joining us now former special assistant to president bush, former political advisor to senate majority leader mitch

mcconnell, he is the president and founder, and a camp and advised the present claim, thank you for joining us. we are waiting for the president to deliver the commencement address at the coast guard academy. so we will keep an eye on that, we may have to cut you short if that begins. let's begin with you, scott. in the first time that we've heard for calls impeachment. >> yeah, that's exactly right. some of these democrats in calling for impeachment since election night. a lot of these democrats in congress, you can tell they are city folks, because they don't know much about carts and horses, and right now carts are way out in front of the horses before the deal. they're putting stock in a memo they haven't read, and words in a man that hasn't appeared before congress. the last time he did but appear before congress, it was because he had deficiencies in his testimony that rick resulted in a correction from the department of justice. we've a lot of if the ends that have to happen in a series, over a series of weeks before he should be talking about something like impeachment. it's really irresponsible, as

nancy pelosi said, to be engaged in hearsay for political purpose. >> do you think it's for political purposes, why are they doing the scratch mark >> because politicians, we have broad coalitions, people say their piece. what you heard from the democratic leaders is a very consistent message. we just want the investigation to have an unimpeded, and let see what happens then. let the chips fall where they may. this is a great meadow, russia interfered with in our elections, they should be taken far more seriously than it's been, i think. so i think the bulk of the democrats have the investigation of peter, how though white house cooperates -- >> can it really progress unimpeded limoges party had all of these calls? just today, and i can summarize, some of the things that happene happened, from congressman al green, he said i rise today with a heavy heart. he goes on to say, calling for the impeachment for the president of the united states

of america, for obstruction of justice. then you hear other democrats like nancy pelosi saying what she sang, so is this a strategy to do that? >> i think they're trying to have it both ways. simon's being a lot more measured than 99% of democrats out there. they are well beyond talking about investigations going forward unimpeded. you've got numerous democrats all over television, newspapers, radio, the internet talking about impeachment. it's extremely irresponsible. no one has seen this memo, no one has interviewed jim comey under oath yet, and no one's heard from the president yet about what happened in there. and don't forget, in january "the washington post" reported that the fbi had looked at the conversation between flynn and the russians and concluded there was no wrongdoing. that was an information that was just given to people in the government, that was on the front page of "the washington post." so the context here is really important, and i go back to my stem from earlier, carts are well in front of horses right

here, and that is the wrong order for things to be in. >> not only the midterm elections coming up, that possibly as a reason, there's a whole lot of work not being done right now. we have the infrastructure bill, health care, tax reform, with this also be a strategy to impede all of that? >> listen, people are intent to their opinion. donald trump for your said that barack obamaegally born here in the night sits, which is false. what we have to stay focused on, and what you're hearing from the leaders of the democratic party, they want the investigation to be on a pita. if i were the white house, i would want this to be over soon as possible. i think there are things that they can do to accelerate this. stop interfering, release the tax returns, third, the president could offer to testify under oath and a public hearing and congress about everything that's happened to clear the air. these are all things that they could be doing that they are not doing, i think that would accelerate the investigation and put it to bed. if used on the nothing wrong,

clear the air. clearly firing the attorney general, firing the fbi director, makes it look like he has something to hide. which is why we have to keep pushing to have this investigation brought to an end as soon as possible. >> scott, how do you do that when you keep having these leaks moving forward? should all our leaders be calling for an investigation, find out who is doing that? >> yeah, that's a critical part of what's going on. there are three investigations, the house, the senate, the fbi. i think this matter is going to be fairly and independently best to get a buy all kinds of different people. that's not really the issue. the issue is what are we going to find out. obviously some issues have come to light through the suppose it memo's, but we do need to find out who is breaking u.s. law by giving classified information to the media right now. that is happening. the only crimes that we for sure know have been committed have been committed by people giving information they are not allowed to be giving over.

so that is something that needs to come out, because it's undermining our relationships with our allies, and i think these leaks are designed to damage the institution of the president. were having a crisis of confidence in numerous institutions in this country right now, and for people who are feeding that frenzy and feeding that fire, i think it's irresponsible and it needs to come out in all these investigations that are occurring. speak up one of our guest earlier called it the never ending drumbeat, thank you both for joining us today. another busy day. thank you. speak of north carolina senator tom hillis collapsed in washington during a 3-mile race. i had, we will get to the latest on his condition.

>> political pundits weighing in on the reports that former fbi director james kony claims president trump asked him to drop an investigation into former national security advisor michael flynn. our next guest, a contributed

for the hill, an attorney of some note, offers this. the comey memo offers no proof for impeachment of trump. jonathan joins us now. first of all, the big picture, why do you say there is no, nothing in what you've seen so far that would call for impeachment? >> well, first of all, there's been a great deal of hyperventilation over the claim that this is obstruction of justice plain and simple. last night i was pretty surprised by how many pundits came out with that statement. it's simply not true. obstruction of justice is a crime, and crimes have element, and there are missing elements here. it does mean that it is an evidence of obstruction, but it's not anywhere near where would have to be to establish a crime. impeachment doesn't necessarily need a prosecutable crime, but it falls well short of the article to standard. i testified during the clinton

impeachment, and i was the last person to be lead counsel for judge porteous. i can tell you, this is a long road of impeachment. i really suggest people be a little more cautious in what they are saying about impeachment. this isn't even close to that. a high crime and misdemeanor. what the president did, frankly, if he did it, was wildly inappropriate. he said that to the director of the fbi. it was breathtakingly dumb. that he would do that. >> as your speaking, the president is just get them ready to take to the podium at the coast guard academy where he is delivering a commencement address. gently, i'm sorry if the cut too short. thank you very much. >> thank you. >> i'm sorry. i am looking at a very small monitor, and it is not the president who is taking to the podium. so let me go on to read, jonathan, from your op ed piece.

nixon's impeachment involves a host of clear criminal ice, from slush funds to blue burglaries, there is still no compelling evidence of an actual crime at the heart of the russian investigation. the investigation of flynn has not produced any reported evidence implicating trump. i think that is worth noting. we are dealing with a bunch of whispers and sort of, innuendos here out of washington. >> the most that is been alleged against flynn is a violation of the foreign agents registration act, that is an act that is rarely prosecuted. there is only been a handful of prosecutions over the last ten years. i think there's only been about seven since the act was revised. the justice department has a long policy of seeking enforcement to administrative needs, not criminal prosecution. the suggestion that you would impeach a president for obstruction based on a violation

is silly. more portly, obstruction of justice is normally anchored in some type of judicial or congressional proceeding. there wasn't one here. when this conversation occurred there wasn't a grand jury proceeding. he also has to do an act that's called corruptly influencing, which is sort of an odd term. but the president at most would likely say that i was, if i did make this statement, i was expressing concern for a friend. he wasn't on the face of it necessarily corrupting, corruptly influencing a pending proceeding. >> so if the president had said something like, drop the investigation into michael flynn or i'm going to fire you, with that rise to the level of obstruction question work >> i think that would rise to the level of a potential impeachment issue. as you know, richard nixon had impeachment count against him, even if something is not actionable as a criminal charge, it can be a valid basis for impeachment, and that's usually how this works. you don't indict and convict a

president in office, you impeach him first, and then you indict him. and by the way, that's no favor for presidents. it's the worst possible situation to be in. so, yeah, if he did something as gross as that, it would be grounds for impeachment. >> the quote from "the new york times," and again, we don't, we haven't seen the actual comey document, somebody read it to "the new york times" we understand," reads thus. "i hope you can see your way clear. "to letting it go, he is a good guy, i hope you can let this go. that sounds like one friend kind of advocating for soft treatment of another, it doesn't necessarily sound, as you say, like some kind of criminal act. >> well it certainly doesn't sound like obstruction. if you do criminal defense work as i do, it is not uncommon to have clients that cross the line. they end up speaking to a

witness either as a stupid mistake or inadvertently, they say things that can be construed as influencing testimony. the vast majority of those situations are not charged as obstruction, even when you have a pending judicial or congressional proceeding. i don't want to gild the lily here, this is certainly something that is worthy of investigation. if the president said this, and he said he didn't, it would've been a terrible mistake. >> the president is about to speak now. i've got it right this time. jonathan, thank you very much. >> thank you very much. >> president trump: thank you john. thank you. thank you, and congratulations to the class of 2017. great job. general kelly, thank you for your leadership, as the coast guard service secretary, you've really been something. very, very special to us as a

country. and to me and our administration, you've done, throughout your entire life, an incredible job defending your country. thank you very much. [applause] john and all the folks are also doing incredible job protecting our homeland. and our border. and i'm thrilled that my first address to the service academy is the graduation ceremony of the united states coast guard. believe me, it's a great honor. [applause] i've been here before, and it's a very, very special place. every cadet graduating today as your commander in chief, it is truly my honor to welcome you aboard. [applause] and you should take a moment to celebrate this incredible achievement.

governor malloy, thank you for being here, we are glad you could join us, and i know how busy the governors are nowadays. they are out there fighting, it's never easy. budgets are little tight. but we are doing a job. all of us are doing a job, working together. i also want to thank admiral, and his leadership, his leadership is been amazing. today's graduates will be fortunate to serve under such capable and experienced, he really is, fantastic. thank you also to admiral, the academy superintendent, admiral, i understand you come from a true coast guard family? two brothers, nephew, a cousin have all passed through these halls. that's very impressive. i guess you like the place? [applause]

somebody in your family has been doing something right, i can tell you that. i'm sure that they all are very proud, just as we are very proud of the fine young officers who are graduating today, admiral on your watch. i would also like to take this opportunity to express our appreciation to all of the parents and the grandparents and family members who have supported these amazing graduates. give your parents and everyone a hand, come on. [applause] because america has families like yours, and we'll keep all those families safe and very, very secure. you're keeping your family safe. if you are not already, you are about to become military families. so starting today, i hope you feel the full gratitude of our

nation. these fine young cadets are about to take their rightful place on the front line of defense to the united states of america. cadets, you deserve not only the congratulations, but the gratitude of each and every american, and we all salute you. a proud nation. [applause] you are a part of a very, very proud nation. which salutes the 195 cadets of the coast guard academy class of 2017. good job. [applause] and i understand from the admirals that this is been a very special class. you've been trained here to handle the toughest of situations, the hardest of moments, really, that you can experience, and the hardest in

people's lives is to help the week in their hour of need. but them for the coast guard this class has been exceptionally dedicated to public service preview served breakfast at the local food bank every single weekday. you rebuilt the home with habitat for humanity. last year, you lead cadets and donating a total of 24,000 hours, a lot of time, to community service. you've done amazing work, and in the true coast guard fashion, you had fewer people and fewer resources, but you accomplish the objectives, and you did it with skill, and with pride, and i'd like to say, under budget and ahead of schedule. were doing a lot of that and when the united states government. [applause] were doing a lot of that. i won't talk about how much i saved you on the f35 fighter jet, i won't even talk about it. or how much were about to save

you on the gerald ford aircraft carrier. that had a little bit of an overrun problem, you knew that. we came in when it was finished, but were going to save some good money. and when we build the new aircraft carriers, they're going to be built under budget and ahead of schedule, just a member that. [applause] that will allow us to build mor more. now, of course, there are always a few slip ups from time to time. you know that. for example, i understand that once or twice, first class cadet bruce kim, where is bruce? where is bruce? bruce how do you do this to yourself? as regimental parking officer, might've asked ellie caused a few tickets to be issued, or a few of your cars to be booted. bruce, what's going on with you?

but cadets, from this day forward we want everyone going for to have a clean slate and life. that includes bruce, right? [laughter] so for any oversights or small violations that might have occurred this year, as tradition immense, i hereby absolve every cadet of certain restrictions for minor offenses. bruce, stand up what's against, please. [laughter] they saved you, bruce, because they'll want to be to do that, okay? thank you, bruce. congratulations. [applause] job. by the way, that's a tradition, i was forced to do that, you know that, don't worry. this is truly an amazing group of cadets that are here today. you can go to school anywhere

you want, and very, very few responsibilities by comparison. instead, you chose the path of service. you chose hard work, high standards, and a very noble mission. to save lives, defend the homeland, and protect america's interests around the world. you chose the coast guard. good choice. good choice. [applause] you've learned skills they don't teach at other schools right here on the grounds of this academy, and also on your larger campus, the open sea. that is a large, large campus, isn't a question mark a beautiful campus. but the greatest lesson you've learned at this proud institution is the knowledge you've learned about yourself. at the knowledge that each and every one of you is something very special. you are leaders.

from the first stormy days of your swamp summer, tear final weeks as a first class cadet, you've been expected to take responsibility, to make decisions, and to act. and i like all leaders, that's exactly what you have to do. you have to act. and you have to act properly, and you have to learn how to act under great, great pressure. you're all going to be under great pressure. you have to learn how to respond and to act under great pressure. days from now, you will put this vital skill into the service of your ships, your sectors, and your country. you'll serve as deck watch officers on our amazing coast guard ships, you'll bring law and order to the dangerous waters as boating officers, you will block illegal shipment of

cash, weapons, and drugs. you will battle the scorch of human trafficking. something that people have been talking about, one of the big, big plagues of the world, not our country only, the world. human only americans will place their trust in your leadership, just that they are trusted generations of coast guard men and women with respect for your skill, with all at your courage, and with the knowledge that you will always be ready. it you all always ready. not only will our citizens trust in your leadership, your commanders will trust you as well. the coast guard is the gold standard. in delegating decision-making, down to chain command. so, just as your instructors have at