Former Secretary of Defense, CIA Director Leon Panetta Joins “At the Table with Susan and Lucy”

WASHINGTON – Today, the American Italian Food Coalition (AIFC) released an interview with former Secretary of Defense, CIA Director, and former U.S. House Budget Committee Chairman from California Leon Panetta as a part of its ongoing digital video series, At The Table With Susan And Lucy, hosted by AIFC co-chairs Susan Molinari and Lucy Calautti. During the discussion, Secretary Panetta shared his experience as a child of Italian immigrants, the integral role Italy plays within the intelligence community, the importance of free trade, and how his new foundation, the Panetta Institute, is working to instill a greater appreciation for civil service in the next generation.

In his At The Table With Susan And Lucy interview, Secretary Panetta said:

“I am a believer in free trade. I think it's really important, particularly in a global world… We're tied together because of communication, because of security because of financial dependencies of one kind or another, because of our diplomacy… The whole NATO Alliance now has come together and unified because of that very special relationship that we have. So I am a believer that we have to engage with that world. And I would hope that we would now develop even better trade relations with those countries because I think ultimately that's the best way not only to expose the American people to great products, but to also make them understand that we are interrelated and that we have to be that way in the future.”

To watch the full interview, please visit aifcoalition.org/atthetable or follow @aifcoalition on Instagram and Twitter. Recent guests on At the Table include Anthony Scaramucci, Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Ambassador Connie Morella, Maryland State Sen. Jim Rosapepe, former Louisiana Senator Mary Landrieu, and more.

The American Italian Food Coalition is an alliance of more than 450 Italian companies, manufacturers, and trade associations dedicated to ensuring American consumers continue to have access to high-quality, affordable imported Italian products including pasta, coffee, biscuits, and wafers.  For more information on the AIFC click HERE.

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