BASICALLY HOWEVER HE SEES FIT.
SO WE WANT TO DIVE INTO THE WAR
DEBATE -- WAR POWERS DEBATE WITH
BRETTBRUN.
FORMER TRUMP 2020 PRESS
COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR, AARON
PER REINE.
FORMER NATIONAL SECURITY CHIEF
OF STAFF FRED.
FRED, LET’S BEGIN WITH YOU.
I THINK IT’S FAIR TO SAY MOST
PEOPLE FEEL LIKE YOU HAVE TO GO
THROUGH CONGRESSIONAL LAWMAKERS
IF YOU’RE GOING TO INVOLVE
AMERICAN TROOPS IN A WAR.
THIS SEEMS TO BE OBVIOUS TO ME.
IS THE WHITE HOUSE NOT SEEING IT
THIS WAY?
>> NO, KEVIN.
I THINK WHAT THE WHITE HOUSE IS
SEEING RIGHT NOW IS A POTENTIAL
THREAT TO AMERICAN CITIZENS IN
UKRAINE AS WELL AS OUR NATO
ALLIES AND UKRAINE ITSELF.
SO THERE ARE CERTAIN POWERS THAT
ARE VESTED WITHIN THE
PRESIDENCY, VESTED WITHIN THE
COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF, AND THAT IS
WHAT I THINK IS NECESSARY IN
ORDER TO KEEP OUR NATION SAFE
AND QUITE FRANKLY TO KEEP THE
CONFIDENCE OF OUR ALLIES STRONG.
>> AARON, A LOT OF PEOPLE IN
WASHINGTON, AND I IMAGINE
ELSEWHERE AROUND THE COUNTRY,
SIMPLY FEEL LIKE WHAT DOES THIS
HAVE TO DO WITH ME?
DOES IT HELP THE GUY IN AMES,
IOWA?
WHY ARE WE OVER THERE?
IN PARTICULAR, WHY ARE WE
ENDEARING DANGERING AMERICAN
FORCES WHERE THE BORDER BETWEEN
UKRAINE AND RUSSIA APPEARS TO BE
A PROBLEM JUST BETWEEN RUSSIA
AND UKRAINE.
>> THERE ARE A COUPLE OF POINTS
I WOULD MAKE ON WHY THIS
MATTERS.
ONE, IT MATTERS BECAUSE YOU’RE
LOOKING AT AN ADMINISTRATION
THAT’S NOT BEEN STRONG WHEN IT
COMES TO NATIONAL SECURITY AND
NATIONAL SECURITY POLICIES,
ESPECIALLY WHEN IT COMES TO
EMBOLDENING PUTIN AND RUSSIA AND
GIFTING THEM NORD STREAM 2.
THERE WAS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR
CONGRESS TO STAND UP IN JANUARY,
PROVIDE FURTHER SANCTIONS TO
STORM THE NORD STREAM 2 PIPELINE
AND STOP AN EMBOLDENING RUSSIA.
INSTEAD, 44 SENATE DEMOCRATS
VOTED AGAINST THAT, SO IT DOES
MATTER TO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE
WHAT IS HAPPENING, ESPECIALLY
BECAUSE UKRAINE IS SUCH AN ALLY
TO THE UNITED STATES AND JOE
BIDEN SOLD THEM OUT AND SO DID
THE SENATE DEMOCRATS SO QUICKLY.
>> FRED, I JUST WONDER -- IT
SEEMS THAT THE U.S. IS VERY
STRONG ABOUT WHAT MAY BE
HAPPENING BETWEEN THE RUSSIANS
AND THE UKRAINIANS AND YET IT
DOESN’T APPEAR TO HAVE TAKEN ON
THE SAME LEVEL OF URGENCY AT
LEAST AMONG SOME OF THE POWERS
IN EUROPE.
AM I MISREADING THAT?
I DON’T SEE THE GERMANS, FOR
EXAMPLE, OVERLY EXERCISED ABOUT
THIS POSSIBILITY.
AM I WRONG?
>> NO, I THINK THAT’S AN
IMPORTANT OBSERVATION.
THE GERMANS HAVE DEFINITELY NOT
BEEN AS INVOLVED BECAUSE GERMANY
IS SO DEPENDENT ON RUSSIAN
NATURAL GAS AND THEY’VE SHUT
DOWN THEIR NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS.
THEY’RE SHUTTING DOWN THEIR
COAL-FIRE ELECTRICITY PLANTS.
NATO HAS BEEN DIVIDED.
WE’VE SEEN NATO MEMBERS,
EUROPEAN LEADERS MEETING WITH
RUSSIA SEPARATELY.
THE FRENCH CONVENED MEETINGS
WITH THE GERMANS AND THE FRENCH
AND RUSSIANS WITHOUT THE UNITED
STATES.
FAULTTIN ACHIEVED SOMETHING HERE
DIVIDING NATO TO A CERTAIN
POINT.
UKRAINE IS NOT A NATO MEMBER.
WE’RE NOT GOING TO SEND AMERICAN
TROOPS INTO A COUNTRY LIKE THAT
WHICH WOULD START A NUCLEAR --
POSSIBLY A NUCLEAR WAR WITH
RUSSIA WHEN UKRAINE ISN’T A
MEMBER OF NATO.
IT’S A DIFFICULT POSITION.
WE HAD TO STAND OUR GROUND ON
SELF-DETERMINATION AND THE RULE
OF LAW BUT NO TROOPS COULD GO
INTO UKRAINE.
>> VERY INTERESTING YOU POINT
THAT OUT, I WANT TO BRING YOU
BACK INTO THE CONVERSATION,
BRETT.
THERE ARE AMERICAN FORCES IN
UKRAINE AT THIS VERY HOUR.
THE ADMINISTRATION ACKNOWLEDGING
THAT.
THEY ARE CLEARLY IN HARM’S WAY
AS LONG AS THEY’RE ON THE
GROUND.
IF YOU’RE ADVISING THIS
ADMINISTRATION, WHAT WOULD BE
THE NUMBER ONE BIT OF ADVICE YOU
MIGHT GIVE THEM?
>> WELL, I THINK ONE, WE’VE GOT
TO UP OUR GAME.
IT’S A FOOTBALL WEEKEND.
VLADIMIR PUTIN IS PLAYING IN THE
SUPER BOWL OF INTERNATIONAL
STRATEGY AND WE’RE SILL
UNFORTUNATELY TRYING TO FIGURE
OUT HOW TO GET THE BALL DOWN THE
FIELD, AND I THINK IT’S
UNFORTUNATE BECAUSE WE’VE LOST
CONFIDENCE FROM A LOT OF ALLIES
AND THAT IS WHY I THINK YOU’RE
SEEING THE KIND OF DIVISIONS AND
THE DOUBTS IN GERMANY, FRANCE,
ELSEWHERE IN EUROPE.
SO WE HAVE GOT TO PUT FORWARD A
MUCH STRONGER STRATEGY.
YOU KNOW, TODAY, WE HEARD FROM
JAKE SULLIVAN, A WARNING TO
AMERICANS.
I THINK WE NEED A MUCH STRONGER
WARNING TO VLADIMIR PUTIN, AND
NOT JUST SLAPPING ON A FEW MORE
ECONOMIC SANCTIONS.
>> UM, YOU KNOW, AARON, WHENEVER
I THINK ABOUT THIS
ADMINISTRATION AND ITS BROAD
SUPPORT FROM THE MAINSTREAM
MEDIA, I THINK THAT PRETTY MUCH
GOES WITHOUT SAYING AND YET
THERE HAVE BEEN SOME, EVEN THE
"NEW YORK TIMES," WONDERING IF
THIS PARTICULAR ADMINISTRATION
IS IN A PARTICULARLY WEAK
POSITION AS IT RELATES TO TRYING
TO REIGN IN RUSSIAN AGGRESSION.
WHAT IS YOUR SENSE AS WE LOOK
NOW PERILOUSLY, PERHAPS, AT THE
NEXT 24, 48, 72 HOURS?
>> YEAH, THIS HAS BEEN AN
ADMINISTRATION MIRED BY GEO
POLITICAL DISASTER AFTER
DISASTER.
LOOK AT AFGHANISTAN.
IT WAS ONLY A MATTER OF TIME
UNTIL THE MEDIA CAME AROUND TO
REPORTING THE FACTS THAT JOE
BIDEN HAS BEEN WEAK WHEN IT HAS
COME TO GEO POLITICAL POLITICS
HERE.
HE HAS EMBOLDENED PUTIN.
THEY WENT AS FAR AS GOING OUT
AND SAYING THE PIPELINE WAS
PRETTY MUCH DONE EVEN THOUGH
SANCTIONS HAD STOPPED IT UP TO
THAT POINT.
THE NORD STREAM 2 PIPELINE
EMPOWERS RUSSIA TO CIRCUMVENT
UKRAINE AND DESTROYING THEIR GAS
STRUCTURE ALTOGETHER TO GIVE
ENERGY TO OTHER COUNTRIES.
WHEN YOU SEE THAT AND SEE A
PRESIDENT NOT STANDING AND
PUTTING FORWARD CONGRESSIONALLY
MANDATED SANCTIONS THAT WERE
WORKING AND EMBOLDENING PUTIN,
OF COURSE YOU’LL SEE THE MEDIA
EVENTUALLY A LIMITED FASHION
TURN ON THEM.
WHAT WE SEE HERE IN UKRAINE
SHOULD WORRY THE AMERICAN PEOPLE
AND THE WORLD AS A WHOLE BECAUSE
THIS WEAK LEADERSHIP IS
ENDANGERING COUNTLESS
INDIVIDUALS HONESTLY.
>> Kevin: FRED, THE LAST 30
SECONDS TO YOU.
BASED ON EVERYTHING YOU’RE
SEEING RIGHT NOW, IS THERE ANY
WAY THAT THERE’S A PULL BACK
FROM THE PRECIPICE EITHER BY THE
RUSSIANS OR PERHAPS SOME WAY
SOME HOW THE U.S. AND THE FRENCH
GET VLADIMIR PUTIN TO
RECONSIDER?
>> I THINK AN INVASION IS
INEVITABLE, NOT SIMPLY BECAUSE
OF THE ACCELERATED TROOP BUILD
UP BUT BECAUSE OF THE WAY
BRITISH AND FRENCH OFFICIALS
WERE SNUBBED THIS WEEK WHEN THEY
VISITED MOSCOW.
I DON’T THINK PUTIN IS
INTERESTED IN TALKING.
HE’S NOT INTERESTED IN
CONCESSION FROM THE WEST.
WE SHOULD STILL TRY, BUT I THINK
ASKING AMERICANS TO GET OUT OF
UKRAINE RIGHT NOW WAS THE RIGHT
MOVE.
>> Kevin: FRED, AARON AND
BRETT, THANKS ALWAYS FOR YOUR
TIME FOR JOINING US HERE ON FOX
NEWS @ NIGHT.