BALLOON WAS NOT HELPFUL WHICH IS
WHY SHOT DOWN.
>> JOINING US NOW FORMER
SECRETARY OF STATE AND FOX NEWS
CONTRIBUTE, THE GREAT MIKE
POMPEO.
GOOD TO SEE YOU, THANK YOU FOR
JOINING US ON THE BOTTOM LINE.
>> THANK YOU, GREAT TO BE WITH
YOU BOTH.
>> LET’S TALK ABOUT THE
MESSAGING FROM THE WHITE HOUSE,
THEY CAME OUT AND TOLD US THE
BALLOON IS NO BIG DEAL, NOT A
THREAT.
HOWEVER, IS OUT AND SAYS IT WAS
USED BY THE CHINESE TO SPY ON
AMERICA OVER VERY SENSITIVE
ASSETS WE HAVE IN THE COUNTRY.
WHAT YOU MAKE OF THIS?
>> THEY HAD THE NARRATIVE THEY
WANTED BUT NOT THE NARRATIVE
PROVEN TO BE THE TRUTH.
VICE PRESIDENT HARRIS SAID THE
BALLOON WAS NOT HELPFUL, THAT’S
IS UNDERSTATED AS YOU COULD
POSSIBLY GET AND TO SAY WE DON’T
WANT THIS TO CHANGE THE
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE UNITED
STATES AND CHINESE COMMUNIST
PARTY HAS A PRESUMPTION THE
CHINESE COMMUNIST PARTY ISN’T AT
THE VERY LEAST ECONOMIC WAR
AGAINST US.
THIS WAS A BALLOON THAT FLEW
ACROSS THE COUNTRY FIVE DAYS.
WE KNOW THE WHOLE WORLD WATCHED
WHILE SOVEREIGNTY WAS VIOLATED
SO THERE ARE STATEMENTS THAT
SAID IS NOT A MILITARY THREAT.
, IT’S A PRETTY NARROW
DEFINITION, IT’S HORRENDOUS LONG
RUN IN TERMS OF WHAT THE CHINESE
COMMUNIST PARTY IS LIKELY TO
HAVE LEARNED ABOUT AIR DEFENSES
AND CAPABILITIES, LIKELY THE
PRESIDENT RESPOND TO THOSE
ATTACKS INTERESTED, THIS IS
CERTAINLY SOMETHING THE CHINESE
COMMONEST PARTY IS GLEEFUL THEY
SAW FOR FIVE DAYS, AMERICAN
SOVEREIGNTY VIOLATED IN THE
UNITED STATES TO LITERALLY
NOTHING IN RESPONSE.
>> SECRETARY, TODAY’S "WALL
STREET JOURNAL" HAS THIS STORY,
BREAKING STORY THAT THERE WERE
TRUMP ERA OFFICIALS WHO WERE
AWARE OF SUSPECTED BALLOONS THAT
WERE IN U.S. AIRSPACE, IS SAYS
IT GOES BACK TO PENTAGON
ANALYSTS REACH AN ASSESSMENT IN
THE SUMMER OF 2020 BUT THE
ASSESSMENT NEVER GOT TO BE
ASSERTIVE.
IT SEEMS LIKE IT WAS BURIED
WITHIN THE PENTAGON AT THAT
TIME.
WHAT YOU MAKE OF THAT?
>> I’VE HAD THE CHANCE TO GET A
BRIEFING FROM THE ADMINISTRATION
SO WANT TO BE A LITTLE CAREFUL
BUT THE ARTICLE IN THE WTA TODAY WAS CLEAR, THERE WAS SOME
WAS CLEAR, THERE WAS SOME
KNOWLEDGE OF SOMETHING BUT MAKE
NO MISTAKE, WHAT TRANSPIRED TWO
WEEKS AGO WAS FUNDAMENTALLY
DIFFERENT THAN ANYTHING THAT
HAPPENED BEFORE SO WHETHER THESE
WERE SMALL BALLOONS, EXACTLY THE
PENETRATION THEY HAD INSIDE THE
UNITED STATES, THERE’S A LOT OF
NOISE ALWAYS CERTAINLY IN THE
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE AND CIA
WHEN I WAS THERE, A LOT OF
THINGS HAPPENED AT LOW LEVEL.
IT SOUNDS LIKE THAT’S WHAT IT
WAS, FOLKS TRYING TO FIGURE OUT,
THEY CHOSE NOT TO BRIEF TO
SENIOR LEADER BECAUSE THEY WERE
CERTAIN WITH A NEW AS WELL BUT FOR THE ADMINISTRATION TO SAY IT
FOR THE ADMINISTRATION TO SAY IT
HAPPENED BEFORE US IS SILLY.
THIS IS FUNDAMENTALLY DIFFERENT
THAN ANYTHING THAT HAPPENED
BEFORE IN THE UNITED STATES.
>> SO YOU DEALT WITH THE CHINESE
QUITE A BIT AS SECRETARY OF
STATE, HOW DO THEY READ 1 CENT A
BALLOON OVER THE COUNTRY,
PILOTED SOVEREIGNTY AS YOU
MENTIONED BUT ALSO JOE BIDEN AND
KAMALA SAYING IT’S NOT GOING TO
AFFECT OR CHANGE OUR
RELATIONSHIP WITH THEM, HOW DO
THEY READ THIS?
>> THEY READ IT LIKE VLADIMIR
PUTIN READ JOE BIDEN WHEN HE
SAID MINOR INCURSION INTO
UKRAINE WOULD BE OKAY.
THIS KIND OF WEAKNESS IS DEEPLY
PAGODA PROVOCATIVE, THEY DEAL AS
A GREEN LIGHT, THE SOUTHWEST
AIRLINES, THEY FEEL FREE TO MOVE
ABOUT THE CABIN AND IT’S RISKY
FOR THE AMERICAN PEOPLE SO THESE
BALLOONS, ONE THREAD AND THINK
ABOUT WHAT THEY ARE DOING IN OUR
SCHOOLS THEY ARE BUYING IN THE
UNITED STATES, THINK ABOUT THE
VIRUS, THEY PLACED IT ON OUR
COUNTRY AS WELL.
HIS A PATTERN AND PRACTICE AND
WHEN XI JINPING SEES HE CAN DO
THIS TO THE UNITED STATES, I
PROMISE YOU HE’S VIEWING FURTHER
AGGRESSION IS MORE LIKELY TO
TAKE PLACE AND MORE LIKELY TO BE
EFFECTIVE THAN HE DID BEFORE THE
BALLOON TRANSIT IN OUR COUNTRY.
>> IT’S ASTONISHING,
COMPETITION, NOT CONFLICT WITH
CHINA.
LISTEN TO THIS, JOHN KIRBY TODAY
ABOUT ONE OF THE OBJECTS SHOT
DOWN LAST WEEKEND.
>> I TAKE THAT MEANS YOU DON’T
HAVE PLANS TO REIMBURSE THE
BALLOON BRIGADE?
>> I DON’T KNOW OF ANY PLANS, WE
HONESTLY DON’T KNOW.
[LAUGHTER]
>> WHAT YOU MAKE OF THAT?
SEEMS LIKE JOE BIDEN WAS
EMBARRASSED THIS CHINESE
INTELLIGENCE GATHERING WAS
ALLOWED TO FLOW OVER THE WHOLE
OF THE CONTINENTAL UNITED STATES
AND THEN TURNED AROUND AND
EMBARRASSED THE ENTIRE NATION OF
THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA BY
SHOOTING HARMLESS BALLOONS OUT
OF OUR AT A COST OF ABOUT 400,
$450,000 EACH.
>> IT LOOKS LIKE THE PRESIDENT
GOT TRIGGER-HAPPY, WE CAN COME
UP WITH POTENTIAL MOTIVATIONS
FOR THAT, CERTAINLY TO CHANGE
THE NARRATIVE DECIDING TO SHOOT
DOWN SOMETHING THEY DIDN’T THINK
WAS A THREAT.
THE OBJECTS WERE DIFFERENT, THEY
HADN’T IDENTIFIED THEM
COMPLETELY.
IT SOUNDS LIKE MAYBE ONE WAS
BELONGING TO ONE HERE IN THE STATES.
I NEVER WANT TO BE CRITICAL OF
THE PRESIDENT MAKES A DECISION
BASED ON GOOD INFORMATION TO
ACTUALLY DELIVER GOOD OUTCOMES
FOR THE AMERICAN PEOPLE BUT I
HAVEN’T SEEN ANY THAT THEY FELT
THESE PARTICULAR OBJECTS WERE
PROPOSING EITHER THE
INTELLIGENCE COLLECTION THREAT
OR WHAT I CALL GEOPOLITICAL
HUMILIATION THREAT WITH THE
BALLOON THAT TRAVERSED OUR
COUNTRY.
CHUCKLING BECAUSE FOR TWO DOWNS
IN THE COURSE OF A WEEK OR TWO
IF SOMETHING WERE NOT SEEN IN
THE UNITED STATES BEFORE SO
SOMETHING WAS FUNDAMENTALLY
DIFFERENT AND IT’S UNFORTUNATE,
I HOPE THIS DOESN’T CONTINUE, I
HOPE TO CONTINUE AND WHEN THEY
PRESENT REAL RISK THEY CONTINUE
TO GO AFTER THEM.
>> THAT WOULD BE NICE.
>> LET’S TALK ABOUT 2024,
THERE’S SOME SPECULATION, I’M
NOT GOING TO ASK YOU OR PUT YOU
ON THE SPOT BECAUSE YOU WILL NOT
ANSWER ANYWAY.
>> I WILL.
I’M JUST KIDDING.
>> NIKKI HALEY IS IN THE RACE,
ONE QUESTION, WILL THIS BE LIKE
A 2016, 15, 20 CANDIDATES, A
HANDFUL OF CANDIDATES, HOW DO
YOU SEE THIS FIELD DEVELOPING, A
LOT OF PEOPLE GETTING IN?
>> A FAIR QUESTION AND BETTER
THAN THE ONE DAGEN ASKED. I THINK THAT’S A WHOLE HANDFUL
I THINK THAT’S A WHOLE HANDFUL
OF PEOPLE COMING IN, I HOPE SO,
FRANKLY.
I HOPE THERE’S ENOUGH FOLKS WE
GET A DIVERSITY OF CONSERVATIVE
IDEAS THAT THIS IS DEBATED
THROUGH IOWA AND NEW HAMPSHIRE
AND SOUTH CAROLINA ON ARGUMENTS,
NOT TWEETS.
THIS IS SERIOUS, WE’VE BEEN
TALKING ABOUT WHAT’S HAPPENING
IN EAST PALESTINE AND WHAT’S
HAPPENING FROM THE CHINESE
COMMUNIST PARTY A MOMENT FOR
SEARS AMERICAN LEADERSHIP AND I
HOPE DEBATES, THE DISCUSSIONS
AND ARGUMENTS HOWEVER MANY
CANDIDATES PUT FORWARD OUR ABOUT
THOSE THINGS.
>> DO YOU THINK IT WILL BE A
DIFFERENCE IN IDEAS, IT SEEMS
LIKE EVERYONE WILL RUN ON
AMERICA FIRST THAT FROM, DOOCY A
REAL DEBATE, IS THERE A
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE
CANDIDATES IF THIS DEVELOPS?
>> I THINK THEY WILL BE SHARP
DIFFERENCES, THE WORK WE DID FOR
YEARS BUT IN AMERICA FIRST WAS
PRETTY EFFECTIVE AND VAST
MAJORITY OF AMERICAN PEOPLE
BELIEVE THAT.
ACROSS A BROAD POLITICAL
SPECTRUM BUT THERE ARE SHARP
DIFFERENCES, TOO MUCH MONEY BY
BOTH POLITICAL PARTIES.
WE GOT TO TACKLE DIFFICULT
ISSUES AND HOW WE WILL DEFEND
OUR NATION AND THE CHINESE
COMMUNIST PARTY IS REAL AS IS THE ONE BIG TECH COMPANIES TO
THE ONE BIG TECH COMPANIES TO
MAKE SURE AND TAKE DEEP DEBATES
HOW TO APPROACH THOSE SO WE CAN
SERVE THE AMERICAN PEOPLE WELL.
>> I WAS NOT WINKING AT YOU, I
HAD ONE EYE CLOSED.
WHEN YOU DECIDING IF YOU HAVEN’T
ALREADY?
>> HAVEN’T DECIDED YET.
NEXT COUPLE MONTHS SUSAN AND ME,
MY WIFE WILL MAKE A DECISION AND
YOU WILL KNOW BECAUSE LESSEE THE
CHANGE WHERE WE SPEND OUR TIME,
IOWA AND NEW HAMPSHIRE AND SOUTH
CAROLINA ALL THE TIME.
>> WE CAN’T WAIT FOR SUSAN TO
MAKE THAT DECISION.