>> WHY IS THAT? WHY IS THAT?
LOTS NOR GET
LOT
LOT >>> WELCOME BACK.
THIS MORNING WASHINGTON AND THE
REST OF THE WORLD IS REACTING TO
THE RESIGNATION OF JIM MATTIS.
THE NEW YORK TIMES REPORTING
THAT AFTER HE REJECTED THE LAST
ATTEMPT TO TALK HIM OUT OF THE
DESIGTS MATTIS HANDED HIM A
RESIGNATION LETTER.
RESIGNATION LETTER. IT REBUKED THE WAY IT DEALT WITH
ADVERSARIES.
ADVERSARIES. ONE CORE BELIEF IS THAT OUR
STRENGTH AS A NATION IS LINKED
TO THE STRENGTH OF OUR UNIQUE
AND COMPREHENSIVE SYSTEM OF
ALLIANCES AND PARTNERSHIPS.
SIMILARLY I BELIEVE WE MUST BE
RESOLUTE AND UNAMBIGUOUS WLOZ
INTERESTS ARE INCREASINGLY
INTENTIONED WITH OURS.
LAWMAKERS ARE REACTING TO WHAT
ONE OFFICIAL DESCRIBES AS A
WARNING OF ALARM.
THE CHAIRMAN OF THE FOREIGN
AFFAIRS COMMITTEE WRITING NOW WE
HAVE AN UNRETRAINED TRUMP.
THE COACH OF THE EUROPEAN
COUNCIL DESCRIBED AS THE
REMAINING STRONG BOND IN THE
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION.
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION. THE FORMER FRENCH DIPLOMATIC
WARNED AMERICA’S ALLIES ARE
REVIEWING ALL OPTIONS.
THAT IS STUNNING.
THINK ABOUT IT.
JOINING US IS NBC NEWS, NATIONAL
SECURITY, COURTNEY.
SECURITY, COURTNEY. CAN YOU TELL US MORE ABOUT WHAT
HAPPENED BEHIND THE SCENES, WHAT
LEAD TO THE DECISION?
MAT
MAT MATTIS TRIED TO GET THERE.
WHAT HAPPENED?
WHAT HAPPENED? >> TWO THINGS HAPPENED RECENTLY
WHERE HE HAS BEEN AT ODDS WITH
PRESIDENT TRUMP IN THE WHITE
HOUSE.
HOUSE. THE FIRST ONE YOU MENTIONED WAS
ABOUT THE DECISION TO WITHDRAW
ALL U.S. TROOPS FROM SYRIA.
THAT IDEA HAS BEEN KICKED AROUND
FOR SEVERAL DAYS SH ABOUT A WEEK
OR SO.
OR SO. HE MADE NO SECRET OF THE FACT.
THERE HAS BEEN DISCUSSION ABOUT
SHOULD THEY LEAVE?
SHOULD THEY TAKE CERTAIN NUMBERS
OUT OR WHAT?
IT IS SOMETHING THAT MATTIS AND
OTHER LEADERS WERE AGAINST.
THE SECOND THING JUST THIS WEEK
WAS THIS DISCUSSION OF A
WITHDRAW OF U.S. TROOPS FROM
AFGHANISTAN.
AFGHANISTAN. IT IS NOT CLEAR WHAT THAT WILL
LOOK LIKE YET.
IT SEEMS THE PENTAGON IS
PRESENTING THE PLANS TO THE
WHITE HOUSE STILL.
IT IS EVERYTHING FROM A COMPLETE
WITHDRAW.
WITHDRAW. THESE ARE TWO THINGS THAT MATTIS
SAW AS A CLEAR SECURITY CONCERN
AND THEY SEEM TO BE WHAT TIPPED
HIM OVER THE EDGE TO HAVE HIM
MAKE THIS DECISION TO RESIGN
THIS WEEK.
THIS WEEK. >> OKAY.
>> OKAY. WALK US THROUGH MATTIS AND THE
SUPPORT HE HAS FROM WASHINGTON.
IT IS ONE OF THE FEW PEOPLE
WIDELY RESPECTED.
WIDELY RESPECTED. TALKS THROUGH THAT.
>> THE REALITY IS HE HAS HAD A
LOT OF DISAGREEMENTS.
HE HAS SUPPORT FROM BOTH SIDES
OF THE AISLE.
WE HAVE HEARD SOME OF THAT IN
THE TIME SINCE THE RESIGNATION
LETTER.
LETTER. REPUBLICANS SAYING THIS IS A SAD
DAY FOR AMERICA.
DEMOCRATS CALLING THIS A
NATIONAL SECURITY CRISIS.
WE HEARD FROM NANCY PELOSI
EXPRESSING HER CONCERN FOR THIS
DECISION.
DECISION. HE HAS HAD BIPARTISAN SUPPORT.
HE HAS NOT THROUGH THE COURSE OF
THIS TIME, HE HAS HAD HIS
DISAGREEMENTS WITH THE HILL.
IT IS MOST RECENTLY WITH THE
SUPPORTING THE PRESIDENT TANTD
WHITE HOUSE AND SEEMING TO
DEFEND THE SAUDIS OVER THAT
MURDER.
MURDER. HE DOES HAVE, YOU KNOW, HE HAS
MORE THAN 40 YEARS IN THE MARINE
CORP.
CORP. HE BUILT UP ON THE HILL WITH THE
AMERICAN PEOPLE AND CERTAINLY
WITH THE U.S. MILITARY DURING
THAT TIME.
THAT TIME. >> MAYBE IT WASN’T JUST ABOUT
SYRIA.
SYRIA. MAYBE IT HAD BEEN WEIGHING ON
HIM THAT HE STOOD WITH THE
PRESIDENT’S STANCE ON SAUTD DI
ARABIA AND HOW HE BASICALLY LIED
TO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE ABOUT
WHAT HE KNEW AND WHAT HAPPENED I
WANT TO BRING IN JACK JACOBS
MEDAL OF HONOR RECIPIENT.
WHAT STRUCK YOU MOST?
IT IS RARE TO SEE MILITARY GET
OUT OF THE FOX HOLE.
>> YOU KNOW, HE DIDN’T LEAVE
MUCH TO THE IMAGINATION AND WENT
ON FOR ALMOST TWO PAGES.
IT WAS PRETTY CLEAR THAT HE HAS
SOME FUNDAMENTAL DISAGREEMENTS.
GENERAL MATTIS IS THE PERSON
THAT I THINK HAS ALLOWED OTHERS
TO THINK THEY COULD WORK IN THIS
ADMINISTRATION.
ADMINISTRATION. IF IT IS OKAY THEY COULD
CERTAINLY DO IT.
IT HAS ALLOWED ALLIES AND
PARTNERS AROUND THE WORLD TO SAY
WELL, THIS IS TOUGH.
MATTIS IS THERE.
IT WILL BE OKAY I THINK IT IS
REAL LAY WATERSHED MOMENT AND
THE QUESTION IS HOW IS THE
PRESIDENT GOING TO BE TO BEHAIFR
LOOKING FORWARD?
LOOKING FORWARD? SO THIS IS A HUGE DEVELOPMENT.
I WANT TO SAY THAT SYRIA, YOU
KNOW, ALL OF THE COMPLEX
MILITARY PROBLEMS IN THE MIDDLE
EAST NONE MORE SO THAN SYRIA.
YOU AT LEAST TWO WARS GOING ON
THERE.
THERE. YOU THE WAR AGAINST ISIS.
YOU HAVE THE WAR FOR SORT OF
EVENTUAL RUNNINGOVER SYRIA AND
IT WASN’T CLEAR WHAT WE WERE
SEEKING IN TERMS OF AN INSTINCT.
CERTAINLY THIS WITHDRAW HAS LEFT
OUR ALLIES BEWILDERED AND
FRANKLY OUR ENEMIES QUITE
PLEASED.
PLEASED. >> PUTIN SAYS THE MOVE IS
CORRECT BECAUSE U.S. TROOPS
AREN’T NEEDED.
AREN’T NEEDED. ALL OF THIS SPARKING A
RESIGNATION.
RESIGNATION. WHAT’S YOUR REACTION?
>> YOU KNOW YOU’RE DOING
SOMETHING WRONG WHEN PUTIN SAYS
THEY ARE DOING IT RIGHT.
>> CAN YOU PUT THAT IN
PERSPECTIVE WHAT A BIG DEAL THAT
IS?
IS? >> WELL, RUSSIA AND IRAN ARE
BOTH THERE FOR THEIR OWN.
RUSSIA WANTS WARM WATER PORTS
WHICH THEY OTHERWISE CAN’T HAVE.
THEY DON’T WANT THAT BOTTLED UP
IN THE BLACK SEA WITH TURKEY
HAVING THE POSSIBILITY OF
CUTTING THEM OFF.
THEY WANT TO INCREASE THEIR
INFLUENCE.
INFLUENCE. RUSSIA WOULD LOVE TO HAVE THE
MEDITERRANEAN AS A RUSSIAN LAKE.
IRAN IS WORKING VERY HARD TO
EXPAND THE INFLUENCE.
IT IS GOING ON ALL OVER THE
MIDDLE EAST BETWEEN SAUDI ARABIA
ON ONE HAND.
IRAN ALSO WANTED THAT PULLOUT.
OUR ALLIES ARE THE CURDS IT IS
WORLDWIDE NOT JUST IN THE MIDDLE
EAST.
EAST. IT DEMONSTRATES WE DO NOT HAVE
THE INTENTION OF PROJECTING OUR
POWER, TO ADVANCE OURS AND OUR
ALLIES INTEREST AND AT THE END
THIS PULLOUT FROM SYRIA AND
PROBABLY WITHDRAW FROM
AFGHANISTAN BUT MOST
SIGNIFICANTLY THE RESIGNATION OF
MATTIS DEMONSTRATES THAT HE IS
WELL ON HIS WAY OF DOING WHAT HE
WANTS TO DO HE WANTS.
>> PRESIDENT TRUMP.
I KNOW YOU LIKE TO KNOW A LOT
ABOUT THE MARKETS.
IT DOESN’T DO WELL FOR THE
MARKETS AND ISOLATED THE UNITED
STATES.
STATES. AMBASSADOR HILL, WHAT DOES THIS
DO TO OUR ALLIES?
IT WAS DESCRIBED THIS MORNING
THAT OUR ALLIES ARE OUR SOUNDING
AN ALARM.
AN ALARM. EARLIER I SPOKE TO A CEO BEFORE
THE RESIGNATION THAT SAID WE
NEED TO MAKE SURE THE PRESIDENT
IS A ONE-TERM PRESIDENT.
IF HE IS A TWO-TERM PRESIDENT
OUR ALLIES WILL START TO REALLY
BE CONCERNED HE IS GETTING A
FOOTHOLD AND CHANGE WHAT AND WHO
AMERICA IS ON A GLOBAL SCALE.
IS THAT HAPPENING NOW?
>> GO IN THERE AND DO CLEAN UP
AND SAY DON’T WORRY.
WE GOT THIS UNDER CONTROL.
WE ARE DOING THE THINGS WE HAVE
ALWAYS DONE.
ALWAYS DONE. WE NEED MORE SUPPORT FROM YOU
AND WE’LL PUSH YOU ON THAT.
DON’T WORRY.
DON’T WORRY. THE BASIC ALLIANCE WILL BE IN
GOOD SHAPE.
GOOD SHAPE. THIS SORT OF MAJOR CONTENDER FOR
A ROLE HERE IS JOHN BOLTON WHO
IS NO FRIEND TO ALLIES.
ONE OTHER POINT, THE PRESIDENT
HAS TALKED ABOUT GETTING OUT OF
KOREA.
KOREA. HIS DEPARTURE WILL BE HUGE.
>> WE HAD REX TILLERSON.