What did you talk about and did you press Assad on things like his use of chemical weapons,

systematic torture, and the killing of so many Syrians?

Yes, Senator.

Upon returning from this trip, I met with people like then leader Nancy Pelosi and Steny Hoyer talked to them and answered their questions about the trip and quite frankly I was surprised that there was no one from the intelligence community or the State Department who reached out or showed any interest whatsoever in my takeaways from that trip. I would have been very happy to have a conversation and give

them a back brief.

I went with former Congressman Dennis Kucinich, who had been there many times before,

and who had met with Assad before.

A number of topics were covered and discussed, and to directly answer your question, yes,

I asked him tough questions about his own regime's actions, the use of chemical

weapons and the brutal tactics that were being used against his own people.

Were you able to extract any concessions from President Assad?

No, and I didn't expect to, but I felt these issues were important to address.

It's no secret.

I have some reservations about your past positions on vaccines and a couple other issues.

And so we know a lot about you.

I'll tell you a little bit about myself.

Before I entered politics or even thought about running for office, I practiced medicine for 30 years working in public hospitals in California and Louisiana,

specializing in liver disease, caring for those who otherwise would not have had a specialist.

If you will, dedicating my life to saving lives, that is, being a doctorate.

Now there is a moment in my career that really informs me now.

In the early 2000s, I was loading a patient onto an air ambulance,

an 18-year-old young woman,

...