>>> A LITTLE OVER A YEAR AGO THE PRESIDENT ANNOUNCED HE WAS
WALKING AWAY FROM AN
INTERNATIONAL DEAL TO LIMIT
IRAN’S NUCLEAR PROGRAM IN
EXCHANGE FOR SANCTIONS RELIEF.
ACCORDING TO HIS OWN
ADMINISTRATION, IRAN WAS FULLY
COMPLYING WITH THE SANCTIONS
IMPOSED ON THAT DEAL.
NEVERTHELESS, THE PRESIDENT
RIPPED IT UP, WITH DREW THE U.S.
FROM SIX-PARTY PACT AND
REIMPOSED SANCTIONS.
REIMPOSED SANCTIONS. BROKE THE TERMS OF THE DEAL.
ONE YEAR LATER THE CHICKENS ARE
COMING HOME TO ROOST.
IRAN IS NOW THREATENING OPENLY
TO EXCEED THE LIMIT ON ITS
STOCKPILE OF ENRICHER URANIUM IN
JUST TEN DAYS THAT IS, OF
COURSE, THE EXACT SITUATION THAT
THE NUCLEAR DEAL WAS CREATED TO
PREVENT, THE DETAIL THAT DONALD
TRUMP WALKED AWAY FOR NO
DISCERNIBLE REASON.
DISCERNIBLE REASON. BUT THIS LATEST DEVELOPMENT
COMES AMID RISING TENSIONS
BETWEEN THE U.S. AND IRAN OVER
ATTACKS ON SHIPPING IN THE
MIDDLE EAST.
MIDDLE EAST. SOME OF THE PRESIDENT’S CLOSEST
ADVISERS CONTINUE TO PUSH FOR
FURTHER ESCALATION.
FURTHER ESCALATION. TONIGHT THE PENTAGON JUST
ANNOUNCED IT’S SENDING 1,000
ADDITIONAL TROOPS TO THE REGION
FOR WHAT IT IS CALLING DEFENSIVE
PURPOSES.
PURPOSES. SOME OF THE PRESIDENT’S ALLIES
ARE NOT CONTENT TO STOP THERE.
>> THESE UNPROVOKED ATTACKS ON
COMMERCIAL SHIPPING WARRANT
RETALIATORY MILITARY STRIKE.
>> YOU’RE COMPARING THE TANKER
WAR IN THE ’80s TO NOW AND
SAYING THAT THAT’S THE KIND OF
MILITARY RESPONSE THAT YOU WANT
TO SEE?
TO SEE? >> WE CAN MAKE A MILITARY
RESPONSE AT A TIME AND IN A
MANNER OF OUR CHOOSING, BUT,
YES, UNPROVOKED ATTACKS ON
COMMERCIAL SHIPPING WARRANT A
RETALIATORY MILITARY STRIKE
AGAINST THE ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF
IRAN.
IRAN. >> I’M JOINED NOW BY DEMOCRATIC
SENATOR CHRIS MURPHY OF
CONNECTICUT, MEMBER OF THE
SENATE FOREIGN RELATIONS
COMMITTEE.
COMMITTEE. DO YOU AGREE WITH YOUR COLLEAGUE
TOM COTTON THAT THERE SHOULD BE
A U.S. MILITARY STRIKE ON IRAN?
>> WELL, THAT’S AN EXTRAORDINARY
PRECEDENT TO SET, THAT THE
UNITED STATES HAS A DEFENSE
OBLIGATION TO COME TO THE AID OF
COMMERCIAL SHIPPING COMPANIES.
IT MAY BE THAT THE IRANIANS
INSTIGATED THIS ATTACK, AS
SECRETARY POMPEO SAID THIS
WEEKEND, BUT NONE OF THAT
EVIDENCE HAS BEEN PROVIDED TO
CONGRESS YET.
CONGRESS YET. AND WHAT WE CAN SAY WITH
DEFINITIVENESS IS THAT THE
TRUMP’S POLICY TOWARDS IRAN THUS
FAR HAS BEEN AN UNMITIGATED
DISASTER.
DISASTER. HE INHERITED A RELATIONSHIP THAT
NEEDED LOTS AND LOTS OF WORK,
THE IRANIANS WERE STILL ENGAGED
IN ALL SORTS OF BAD BEHAVIOR IN
THE REGION, BUT THEY WERE NOT
ACTIVELY THREATENING U.S.
FORCES.
FORCES. THEY WERE NOT LAUNCHING ATTACKS
AGAINST COMMERCIAL INTERESTS AT
SEA.
SEA. AND THEY WERE NOT RESTARTING
THEIR NUCLEAR PROGRAM.
ALL THREE OF THOSE THINGS ARE
HAPPENING NOW.
HAPPENING NOW. THERE SEEMS TO BE NO WAY OUT OF
THIS OTHER THAN THIS NEW
SUGGESTION OF A MILITARY STRIKE.
MY WORRY, CHRIS, IS THAT THERE
ARE PEOPLE INSIDE THE
ADMINISTRATION THAT THINK THAT
YOU CAN GET AWAY WITH A TIME
LIMITED MILITARY CAMPAIGN
AGAINST IRAN.
AGAINST IRAN. ULTIMATELY I THINK THAT IF WE
BEGIN THAT CAMPAIGN THERE IS NO
SEEMING END TO IT, WHICH IS WHY
I’M PRETTY WORRIED.
>> WELL, YEAH, BRETT STEPHENS,
"NEW YORK TIMES" COLUMNIST
CALLING FOR THE SAME THING THAT
TOM COTTON CALLED FOR.
THE U.S. SHOULD HAVE A MILITARY
STRIKE.
STRIKE. THERE IS A LITTLE QUESTION OF
THE CONSTITUTION AND WHETHER IT
WOULD BE LEGAL.
THIS IS WHAT MIKE POMPEO SAID
WHEN ASKED ABOUT LEGAL
AUTHORIZATION FOR A MILITARY
STRIKE AGAINST IRAN.
TAKE A LISTEN.
>> DO YOU HAVE THE LEGAL
AUTHORIZATION FOR A STRIKE ON
IRAN?
IRAN? >> WE ALWAYS HAVE THE
AUTHORIZATION TO DEFEND AMERICAN
INTERESTS.
INTERESTS. REMEMBER, THEY NOW HAVE ATTACKED
U.S. AIRCRAFT.
U.S. AIRCRAFT. ON JUNE 6th THERE WAS A MISSILE
FILED FROM YEMEN THAT WE ASSESS
HAD IRANIAN ASSISTANCE THAT TOOK
DOWN AN MQ9 AIRCRAFT.
THESE ARE ATTACKS ON FUNDAMENTAL
INTERNATIONAL FORMS AND AMERICAN
INTERESTS AND WE ALWAYS HAVE A
RIGHT TO DEFEND OUR COUNTRY.
>> IS THAT TRUE?
>> IT’S FUNDAMENTALLY NOT TRUE.
THE PRESIDENT DOES NOT HAVE
UNCHECKED ARTICLE II AUTHORITY
TO LAUNCH WAR AGAINST A COUNTRY
OVERSEAS SIMPLY TO DEFEND
AMERICAN INTERESTS.
AMERICAN INTERESTS. NOW, A PRESIDENT CAN TAKE A
SHORT-TERM MILITARY ACTION TO
DEFEND AGAINST AN IMMINENT
ATTACK, BUT YOU DON’T HAVE THE
BROAD AUTHORITY TO DEFEND
AGAINST PERSPECTIVE ATTACKS ON
AMERICAN INTERESTS.
AMERICAN INTERESTS. BY THE WAY, THIS IDEA OF
AMERICAN INTERESTS IS A NEW
PARADIGM WITHOUT END.
I HAVE NO IDEA HOW TO DEFEND AND
EXPLAIN WHAT AMERICAN INTERESTS
ARE, AND APPARENTLY THE
ADMINISTRATION HAS A VERY
WIDE-RANGING VIEW OF THAT.
>> I AM GLAD YOU SAY THAT
BECAUSE I CAN’T TELL IF I’M
LOSING MY MIND EVERY TIME I HEAR
THAT TERM INVOKED.
THERE ARE LITERALLY MILLIONS OF
AMERICAN INTERESTS AROUND THE
GLOBE.
GLOBE. LIKE, THERE’S -- YOU KNOW, NAME
A COUNTRY IN THE WORLD.
IT’S GOT AMERICAN INTERESTS.
THERE ARE SOME AMERICAN -- SOME
AMERICAN BUSINESSES DOING
BUSINESSES
BUSINESSES BUSINESS THERE.
BUSINESS THERE. MAYBE THERE ARE STUDENTS THERE.
THAT SEEMS AN UTTERLY DERANGED
WAY TO DEFINE WAR.
>> ADD TO IT THE FACT THAT THEY
APPARENTLY ARE PREPARED TO GO TO
WAR AGAINST IRAN FOR ANYTHING
THAT -- ANYONE AFFILIATED WITH
IRAN DOES.
IRAN DOES. >> RIGHT.
>> RIGHT. >> THAT TOUCHES ANYTHING SOMEHOW
CONNECTED TO AMERICAN INTERESTS.
SO I WILL NOT SIT HERE AND
DEFEND THAT THE HOUTHI FIRED
MISSILES INTO -- THE HOUTHIS DO
NOT HAVE A RELATIONSHIP WITH THE
IRANIAN GOVERNMENT, THIS IS A
REBEL GROUP INSIDE YEMEN AND WE
DON’T HAVE A DEFENSE AGREEMENT
WITH THE SAUDI ARABIAN
GOVERNMENT.
GOVERNMENT. APPARENTLY IF THE HOUTHIS FIRE
MILES INTO SAUDI ARABIA, THAT
COULD DRAG THE UNITED STATES
INTO A WAR THAT COULD LAST
YEARS.
YEARS. >> ARE THERE VOTES IN THE SENATE
ON THE REPUBLICAN SIDE TO -- TO
OVERRIDE ANYTHING THEY DO HERE?
>> I DON’T KNOW.
I MEAN, THERE IS CERTAINLY
NOTHING IN REPUBLICANS’ BEHAVIOR
IN THE SENATE IN THE PAST TO
SUGGEST THAT THERE ARE ENOUGH.
WE PUT FORWARD A WAR POWERS
RESOLUTION LIMITING THE
PRESIDENT’S AUTHORITY TO GO TO
WAR INSIDE YEMEN.
AND WE GOT ONLY A HANDFUL OF
REPUBLICAN VOTES.
REPUBLICAN VOTES. WE HAVE A PIECE OF LEGISLATION
THAT’S PRETTY SIMPLE THAT SAYS
THE PRESIDENT CAN TAKE
PRE-EMPTIVE MILITARY ACTION
AGAINST IRAN WITHOUT
CONGRESSIONAL AUTHORITY.
CONGRESSIONAL AUTHORITY. WE OFFERED THAT FOR A VOTE IN
THE FOREIGN RELATIONS COMMITTEE
A WEEK OR SO AGO AND ONLY GOT
MAYBE ONE OR TWO REPUBLICAN
VOTES SO I WORRY THAT THE
REPUBLICANS APRIL
REPUBLICANS APRIL REPUBLICANS ARE PREPARED TO
DEFEND THE PRESIDENT’S ACTIONS
ON THIS.
ON THIS. >> QUICKLY, 1 TO 10, HOW WORRIED
ARE YOU WHERE THIS IS GOING?
>> I DON’T KNOW I’D PUT A NUMBER
ON IT.
ON IT. 1,000 NEW TROOPS INTO THE
REGION.
REGION. VAGUE TALK OF OUR ALLIES ON
NEEDING TO SUPPORT SOME CAMPAIGN
THAT’S COMING.
THAT’S COMING. AGAIN, THIS TALK WE HEAR
SOMETIMES INFORMALLY FROM THE
ADMINISTRATION THAT THEY THINK
THEY COULD GET AWAY WITH A
MILITARY CAMPAIGN AGAINST IRAN
THAT COULD BE CONTAINED.
MAKE ME MORE WORRIED TODAY THAN
I HAVE BEEN AT ANY OTHER POINT