>>> WELCOME BACK.
FROM JOE BIDEN TO NANCY PELOSI,
THE PRAISE HAS BEEN PRETTY
UNIVERSAL.
LAST WEEK PRESIDENT TRUMP
ANNOUNCED THAT ISRAEL AND THE
UNITED ARAB EMIRATES ALSO KNOWN
AS UAE WOULD ESTABLISH FULL
DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS MAKING THE
UAE ONLY THE THIRD ARAB STATE
AFTER EGYPT AND JORDAN TO
OFFICIALLY RECOGNIZE ISRAEL.
IT WAS A SIGNIFICANT ACHIEVEMENT
WITH BROAD IMPLICATIONS FOR THE
MIDDLE EAST AND ONE OF THE MANY
ISSUES AMONG ALSO THE RUSSIAN
INTERFERENCE IN OUR ELECTIONS
THAT I WANT TO DISCUSS WITH MY
NEXT GUEST AND JOINING ME NOW IS
PRESIDENT TRUMPS NATIONAL
SECURITY ADVISER ROBERT OBRIEN.
GOOD TO HAVE YOU ON THE PROGRAM
AGAIN.
IN ANNOUNCING THIS AGREEMENT THE
PRESIDENT PORTRAYED IT AS AN
ICEBREAKER, IF YOU WILL, FOR
ISRAEL TO NORMALIZE RELATIONS
WITH OTHER COUNTRIES IN THE
REGION PARTICULARLY GULF STATES.
WHAT KIND OF TIME LINE SHOULD WE
EXPECT?
IS THIS MONTHS?
IS THIS YEARS?
WHO WILL BE NUMBER FOUR?
>> WELL, THANKS, CHUCK.
THATS A GREAT QUESTION.
LET ME ANSWER, BEFORE I DO, ITS
A BIT OF A BITTERSWEET WEEKEND
FOR THE PRESIDENT AND WE HAD THE
REMARKABLE ACCOMPLISHMENT WITH
THE ACCORDS AND HE LOST HIS
BROTHER ROBERT WHEN WAS HIS BEST
FRIEND AND I WANT TO EXTEND MY
CONDOLENCES TO THE FAMILY AS
THEY MOURN ROBERT TRUMPS
PASSING.
LAST WEEK WAS QUITE AN
ACCOMPLISHMENT AND IT WAS A
RESULT OF VERY HARD DIPLOMACY,
MUCH OF IT BEING QUARTERBACKED
BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED
STATES ITSELF ON CALLS WITH BIBI
NETANYAHU AND MUHAMMAD BIN ZAYED
AND IT TOOK COURAGE BY OTHER
LEADERS, AS WELL.
AS YOU INDICATED THERE HAVE ONLY
BEEN THREE OF THESE PEACE
TREATIES SINCE ISRAELS FOUNDING
AND ITS A HOISTERISTORICAL
ACCOMPLISHMENT.
WE FANNED OUT AS SOON AS THIS
WAS ANNOUNCED AND IVE BEEN ON
THE PHONE WITH LEADERS IN THE
REGION AND THE PRESIDENT HAS
JARED KUSHNER HAS, SECRETARY
POMPEO HAS AND WE ARE QUITE
HOPEFUL THAT WE CAN BUILD ON
THIS MOMENTUM AND I CANT GIVE A
TIME LINE BECAUSE THESE ARE THE
TOUGHEST NEGOTIATIONS IN THE
WORLD TO BROKER PEACE WITHIN
ISRAEL AND THE ARAB AND ISLAMIC
WORLD AND WE ARE CONFIDENT THAT
WE THINK THERE ARE A COUPLE OF
OTHER COUNTRIES THAT WILL GET
ONBOARD SOON AND IM CURIOUS
ABOUT THAT.
>> IM CURIOUS, SAUDI ARABIA,
BECAUSE THEYRE THE GUARDIANS OF
SOME IMPORTANT RELIGIOUS ASPECT
OF ISLAM, DO THEY END UP THE
LAST?
DUNK THEY COULD DO IT OR COULD
THEY BE NEXT?
>> ITS POSSIBLE THEY COULD BE
NEXT.
ISLAM, AS YOU KNOW, CHUCK, ARE
THE KING OF SAUDI ARABIA, THE
KEEPER OF THOSE TWO SITES AND
THE OTHER TWO SITES ARE THE AL
AQSA MOSQUE AND KING HUSSEIN OF
JORDAN SUPERVISES THAT.
ONE OF THE GREAT THINGS ABOUT
THIS AGREEMENT IS YOU WILL NOW
HAVE DIRECT FLIGHTS FROM THOSE
FANTASTIC AIRPORTS IN ABU DHABI
AND TEL AVIV.
WE WILL HAVE ARAB AND MUSLIM
PILGRIMS COMING TO JERUSALEM AND
COMING UP TO THE MOUNT AND
WORSHIPPING AT THE AL AQSA
MOSQUE AND WE THINK THAT WILL BE
A GREAT CONFIDENCE BUILDER AND
IM HOPING THAT KING SALMAN AND
MBS, MUHAMMAD BIN SALMAN SEE
THAT DEVELOPMENT AND REALIZE
THIS WOULD BE GREAT FOR SAUDI
ARABIA AND IT WILL BE GREAT FOR
THE ARAB PEOPLE AND THE ISLAMIC
WORLD, AS WELL.
SO WERE HOPEFUL.
WELL HAVE TO SEE WHAT HAPPENS,
BUT WERE TALKING TO A NUMBER OF
COUNTRIES IN ADDITION TO SAUDI
ARABIA.
>> IM CURIOUS, YOU KNOW, THERE
SEEMS TO BE A LITTLE BIT OF -- I
DONT KNOW IF ITS AN
INTENTIONAL MISUNDERSTANDING OR
NOT.
THE UAE SAYS THEY FEEL
COMFORTABLE MAKING THIS DEAL
BECAUSE ISRAEL WILL NOT BE DOING
ANNEXATION.
PRIME MINISTER NETANYAHU HAS
MADE IT CLEAR, HE MADE IT CLEAR
THIS MORNING IN REMARKS THIS
MORNING ABOUT THIS THAT ISRAEL
DID NOT HAVE TO PLEDGE TO DO
ANYTHING, AND DID NOT HAVE TO
PLEDGE NOT TO PERHAPS ANNEX
PARTS OF THE WEST BANK.
LET ME ASK YOU THIS, DOES THE
UNITED STATES BELIEVE ISRAEL IS
ENTITLED TO ANNEX THE WEST BANK?
>> WELL, WHAT WEVE SAID ALL
ALONG IS THE CON TURS OF THE
WEST BANK HAVE TO BE DECIDED BY
NEGOTIATIONS BETWEEN THE
ISRAELIS AND THE PALESTINIANS
AND PRESIDENT TRUMP AND HIS
VISION FOR MIDDLE EAST PEACE PUT
OUT A MAP AND THAT MAP WAS THE
STARTING POINT FOR NEGOTIATIONS
AND WE THINK THE ONLY WAY THIS
CAN GET DECIDED TO HAVE PEACE
BETWEEN THE ISRAELIS AND
PALESTINIANS IS FOR THEM TO COME
TO THE TABLE.
THERE ARE SOME FACTS ON THE
GROUND AND SETTLEMENTS THERE
THAT ARE DURABLE AND
LONGSTANDING AND THERE MAY HAVE
TO BE SOME LAND SWAPS AND THATS
SOMETHING THATS BEEN CONSIDERED
ALL OF THE WAY BACK TO OSLO, BUT
I THINK IN THE MEANTIME WE ARE
CONFIDENT AND IT WILL NOT EXTEND
SOVEREIGNTY AND ISRAELI LAW TO
THE WEST BANK AND THATS WHAT
PART OF THIS DEAL IS ABOUT.
I UNDERSTAND PRIME MINISTER
NETANYAHUS VIEW THAT ULTIMATELY
THERE ARE PARTS OF THE WEST BANK
THAT ISRAEL WOULD LIKE TO HAVE
AND THERE ARE PROBABLY OTHER
PARTS ALONG THE BORDERS THAT
PALESTINIANS WOULD LIKE TO HAVE
AND THATS WHY YOU WOULD HAVE A
NEGOTIATION, AND IM HOPING THAT
THIS UAE DEAL WITH ISRAEL AND
OTHER DEALS WITH ISRAEL WILL
ENCOURAGE THE PALESTINIANS TO
COME TO THE TABLE BECAUSE WE
WANT A TWO-STATE SOLUTION AND WE
WANT TO SEE THE PALESTINIAN GDP
DOUBLE AND WE WANT TO SEE A
GREAT STATE OF PALESTINE LIVING
IN PEACE NEXT TO ISRAEL.
THAT WOULD BE FANTASTIC.
>> YOUR LOSS AT THE U.N. AT THE
EXTENSION OF AN ARMS EMBARGO ON
IRAN AND GIVEN HOW MUCH THE --
HOW FEW ALLIES THE UNITED STATES
HAD ON THEIR SIDE ON THIS ISSUE,
DO YOU AT ALL LOOK AT THIS?
WOULDNT THE UNITED STATES BE IN
A BETTER POSITION TO EXTEND THIS
EMBARGO ON IRAN IF THEY HAD
REMAINED THE IRAN DEAL AND IS
THAT A BIG DIPLOMATIC MISTAKE?
>> I THINK ITS EXACTLY THE
OPPOSITE OF THAT, CHUCK, AND
GETTING OUT OF THE JCPOA AND
SHOWING OUR ALLIES AND PARTNERS
IN THE REGION WHO ARE TERRIFIED
OF IRAN THAT RECEIVED $150 UNDER
THE JCPOA IN SANCTIONS RELIEF
AND THEY DIDNT TAKE THAT MONEY
TO IMPROVE THE LIVES OF ORDINARY
IRANIANS AND THEY TOOK THAT
MONEY AND ENGAGED IN PROXY WARS
WITH SYRIA, YEMEN AND OTHER
PARTS OF THE MIDDLE EAST.
SO I THINK GETTING OUT OF THE
JCPOA WAS THE PREDICATE FOR THIS
FANTASTIC DEAL BETWEEN UAE AND
ISRAEL.
LOOK, THE ONLY PEOPLE -- YOU
HAVE THOMAS FRIEDMAN COMING OUT
WITH AN UNQUALIFIED ENDORSEMENT
OF THE DEAL WHICH I NEVER
THOUGHT I WOULD SEE PRESIDENT
TRUMP BEING ENDORSED BY THOMAS
FRIEDMAN ON THIS DEAL AND DAVID
IGNACIOUS AND OTHERS, AND THE
ONLY TWO PEOPLE WERE■ THE
AYATOLLAH AND BEN RHODES, AND IT
WAS NOT BECAUSE WE SHOULD HAVE
STAYED IN IT.
>> WANT TO MOVE TO THE ISSUE OF
RUSSIAN INTERFERENCE.
IT WAS AN ALARMING THING THAT
THE DNI PUT OUT THAT RUSSIA IS
ACTIVELY STILL INVOLVED IN
TRYING TO DENIGRATE THE
DEMOCRATIC CAMPAIGN IN
PARTICULAR.
THE PRESIDENT LIKES TO SAY AND
YOU HAVE SAID THAT THIS
ADMINISTRATION SOMEHOW HAS BEEN
TOUGH OR RUSSIA THAN THE LAST
ADMINISTRATION.
LET ME ASK YOU THIS, IF YOU HAVE
THEN WHY IS IT A POLICY FAILURE
THAT RUSSIA IS STILL INTERFERING
IN OUR ELECTIONS?
>> WELL, I THINK THE DNI REPORT
WAS REALLY TERRIFIC AND WHAT THE
DNI REPORT WHICH HAS NOT COME
OUT BEFORE IS IT DETAILS THAT
THE INFLUENCE AND THE EFFORTS OF
CHINA AND OF IRAN TO DENIGRATE
PRESIDENT TRUMP AND TO MAKE SURE
THAT HES NOT RE-ELECTED.
IT ALSO TALKED ABOUT THE RUSSIAN
INTERFERENCE.
AS I SAID AND THE PRESIDENT MADE
VERY CLEAR, WERE AGAINST EVERY
FOREIGN PARTY TRYING TO GET
INVOLVED IN OUR ELECTIONS,
WHETHER ITS THE COMMUNIST
CHINESE AND PUTINS RUSSIA AND
WHETHER ITS THEOCRACY IN IRAN.
WE WANT ALL OF THEM TO STAY OUT
OF THE ELECTION AND WHAT WEVE
DONE TO MAKE SURE THAT HAPPENS
IS WEVE SPENT MILLIONS AND
MILLIONS HARDENING ELECTION
INFRASTRUCTURE AND WORKING ON
CYBERSECURITY AND WEVE SENT
VERY STRONG MESSAGES WITH THESE
COUNTRIES.
WITH RESPECT TO RUSSIA, WE PUT
SO MANY SANCTIONS ON RUSSIA
THERES ALMOST NOTHING LEFT TO
SANCTION.
>> ITS NOT WORKING.
>> LOOK, THESE ARE FOREIGN
POWERS THAT ARE ADVERSE TO THE
UNITED STATES.
WE ARE IN A PERIOD OF GREAT
POWER COMPETITION AND LOOK,
RUSSIA AND CHINA ARE ON THE
OTHER SIDE, BUT WHAT WEVE DONE
IS WE PUSHED BACK UNLIKE THE
PAST ADMINISTRATION, WE SENT
JAVELIN ANTI-TANK MISSILES WHEN
THEY WERE SENDING BLANKETS AND
MREs.
WE TRIED OUR BEST TO STOP THE
PIPELINE FROM RUSSIA TO GERMANY
AND HAVE HAD TREMENDOUS SUCCESS
THERE.
WE PUT SANCTIONS ON HUNDREDS OF
RUSSIANS.
WE CLOSED THEIR CONSULATES IN
SAN FRANCISCO AND SEATTLE.
WE CLOSED THE DIPLOMATIC ANNEX
AND WE HAD RUSSIAN SPIES IN THE
U.S. AND ALL OF THAT WAS DONE
UNDER PRESIDENT TRUMP AND NOT
THE OTHER ADMINISTRATION.
WE STOOD UP TO CHINA IN A BIG
WAY AND WERE JUST NOT GOING TO
TOLERATE THIS.
>> IT SOUNDS LIKE YOURE
CONFLATING AND YOU DONT SEEM TO
HAVE AS MUCH EVIDENCE AS RUSSIA.
>> I DONT THINK THATS TRUE.
>> WE HAVE NO EVIDENCE.
THEY -- THEY HAVE NOT RELEASED
ANY OF THE EVIDENCE THAT YOU
HAVE SAID, AMBASSADOR.
NONE OF WHAT YOU HAVE SAID OF
CHINA WAS NOT IN THE INTEL
REPORT.
WILL YOU MAKE THIS CHINESE STUFF
PUBLIC?
>> WHAT THE INTEL REPORT SAID IS
THAT THERE IS INFORMATION TO
SUGGEST THAT THEYRE DOING THAT.
WHAT WERE NOT GOING TO DO IS
RELEASE SENSITIVE INTELLIGENCE,
BUT IF YOU BELIEVE THE DNI ON
RUSSIA, THEN YOU HAVE TO BELIEVE
THEM ON IRAN AND CHINA, AS WELL.
THE MEDIA CANT -- ITS NOT A
CAFETERIA WHERE YOU CAN GO
THROUGH AND SAY ILL TAKE THIS
AND NOT THAT.
THEYVE MADE IT VERY CLEAR AND
ILL COME OUT AND SAY THAT THERE
ARE OTHER COUNTRIES THAT WOULD
LIKE TO INTERFERE IN OUR
ELECTIONS, AS WELL, BEYOND
RUSSIA, CHINA AND IRAN AND THEY
HAVE DIFFERENT PREFERENCES.
>> RIGHT.
>> ONE QUICK QUESTION, THOUGH,
IF RUSSIA IS A BAD ACTOR, WHY
DOES THE PRESIDENT WANT A SUMMIT
WITH VLADIMIR PUTIN BEFORE THE
ELECTION?
WHY REWARD VLADIMIR PUTIN WITH
THAT IF HES A BAD ACTOR IN OUR
DEMOCRACY.
>> WEIR NOT ARE NOT HAVING A SUM
>> BUT HE WOULD LIKE IT.
>> HE IS HAVING A P-5 MEETING
WITH THE P-5 IN GERMANY AND
RUSSIA.
>> THE PRESIDENT DOESNT WANT
SOMETHING HERE?
>> NO.
WEVE REJECTED THAT AND ITS NOT
JUST RUSSIA.
WHAT THE RUSSIANS ARE PROPOSING
IS A SUMMIT WITH -- WITH RUSSIA,
GERMANY, IRAN AND THE OTHER P-5
MEMBERS TO TRY TO BULLY THE U.S.
BACK INTO THIS TERRIBLE JCPOA
DEAL WHICH IS THE WORST SINCE
MUNICH.
WED LIKE TO GET AN ARMS CONTROL
DEAL WITH RUSSIA.
WHEN THE SOVIET UNION WAS THERE
AND THE EVIL EMPIRE WAS THERE,
RONALD REAGAN NEGOTIATED TO TRY
TO REDUCE THE NUCLEAR WEAPONS
THAT ARE POINTED AT EACH
COUNTRY.
WED LIKE IT SEE THAT HAPPEN AND
HAVE GOOD RELATIONS TO RUSSIA,
BUT THATS UP TO THE RUSSIANS AS
IVE MADE IT CLEAR AND THE
PRESIDENT HAS MADE IT CLEAR THEY
HAVE TO DECIDE HOW THEYD LIKE
TO MOVE FORWARD.
WED LIKE TO GET AN ARMS CONTROL
DEAL WITH RUSSIA.
THATS SAFE FOR AMERICA.
>> DOES THE -- SO THE PRESIDENT
HAS NOT ASKED FOR A MEETING WITH
PUTIN HERE IN THE UNITED STATES?
>> NO.
WERE NOT DOING A MEETING WITH
PUTIN IN THE UNITED STATES, BUT
AT SOME TIME WED LOVE TO HAVE
PUTIN COME HERE TO SIGN A
TERRIFIC ARMS CONTROL DEAL THAT
PROTECTS AMERICANS AND PROTECTS
RUSSIANS.
>> AMBASSADOR ROBERT OBRIEN,
AGAIN, A HUGE WEEK IN THE MIDDLE