THANK YOU, MATT BRADLEY. WE APPRECIATE IT.
>>> AND JOINING ME NOW, NATIONAL
SECURITY ANALYST EVELYN FARKAS,
THE FORMER DEPUTY ASSISTANT
SECRETARY OF DEFENSE.
AND LARRY PFEIFFER, ALSO HERE.
HE IS THE DIRECTOR OF THE HAYDEN
CENTER AT GEORGE MASON
UNIVERSITY AND A FORMER SENIOR
DIRECTOR OF THE WHITE HOUSE
SITUATION ROOM.
SITUATION ROOM. LARRY ALSO SERVED AS A CHIEF OF
STAFF TO THE CIA.
THE EVELYN, I WANT TO START WITH
YOU.
YOU. I JUST ASKED MATT THIS, I THINK
IT’S WORST ASKING YOU AGAIN, THE
BIG CONCERN IS THAT THESE ISIS
FIGHTERS AND THE FAMILIES, AS
MAT.
MAT. WAS JUST DESCRIBING, WILL ESCAPE
AND TRY TO RECONSTITUTE THE
CALIPHATE.
CALIPHATE. THE PRESIDENT WAS ASKED ABOUT
THIS AND HE SEEMED TO BRUSH IT
OFF AND SAID, WELL, THEY WOULD
ESCAPE TO EUROPE.
>> YEAH.
>> YEAH. I MEAN, KATY, IT’S ABSOLUTELY
IRRESPONSIBLE WHAT’S HAPPENING
NOW.
NOW. THE FACT THAT WE WOULD ALLOW
THIS TO HAPPEN, YOU KNOW, THE
PRESIDENT THREATENED TO DO THIS
LAST DECEMBER AND THIS IS WHY
SECRETARY MATTIS QUIT, THEN
SECRETARY OF DEFENSE, QUIT.
IN ADDITION TO THE ENVOY TO THE
REGION.
REGION. WHAT’S GOING TO HAPPEN IS NOT
EXACTLY WHAT MATT DESCRIBED,
IT’S ACTUALLY GOING TO BE WORSE,
BECAUSE THE KURDISH FIGHTERS ARE
GOING TO ABANDON THEIR POSTS
GUARDING THOSE HARDENED
TERRORISTS AND THEIR KIND OF
HARDENED FAMILIES, AS WELL, AND
THEY’RE GOING TO GO AND DEFEND
THEIR OWN TURF, THEIR OWN
TERRITORY, THEIR OWN PEOPLE,
THEIR OWN TOWNS.
THEY’RE NOT GOING TO CARE WHAT
HAPPENS WITH THE ISIS FIGHTERS
AT THAT POINT, BECAUSE THEY’RE
FIGHTING FOR THEIR LIVES.
SO, THE ISIS PEOPLE WILL -- THEY
WILL ESCAPE, WE KNOW THAT.
AND THEY WILL GO WHERE THEY CAN
GO, TO DO WHAT THEY WANT TO DO,
WHICH IS, ESSENTIALLY, TO ATTACK
US IN THE WEST.
WE WENT TO SYRIA IN PART TO
FIGHT TERRORISM.
FIGHT TERRORISM. I WAS IN THE OBAMA MIN
ADMINISTRATION WHEN WE WENT IN.
I KNOW THERE’S A LOT OAFF BACK A
FORTH ON WHETHER WE SHOULD BE
THERE, BUT IF WE’RE GOING TO
LEAVE, THIS IS NOT THE WAY TO DO
IT.
IT. >> LINDSEY GRAHAM HAS BEEN
PRETTY OUTSPOKEN ABOUT THE
PRESIDENT.
PRESIDENT. HE SAID PRESIDENT TRUMP HASN’T
ENDED THE WAR, HE’S CREATED A
BIGGER WAR AND IF YOU THINK THAT
AMERICA CAN WITHDRAW IN SYRIA IN
THE MIDEAST WITHOUT CONSEQUENCE,
YOU’RE MAKING A MISTAKE.
HE’S BASICALLY SAYING THE
PRESIDENT HAS TURNED HIS BACK,
ALSO, ON THE KURDS AND HE’S
WORRIED THAT IT WILL BE A BLOOD
BATH FOR THE KURDISH FORCES.
LARRY, HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT
THIS?
THIS? >> YOU KNOW, I FIND MYSELF IN
VIOLENT AGREEMENT WITH SENATOR
LINDSEY GRAHAM AT THIS POINT IN
TIME.
TIME. WE HAVE A NATO ALLY THAT IS
ACTING AGAINST THE INTEREST OF
NATO, UNDERSCORING WHAT EVELYN
JUST SAID, ABOUT THESE
INDIVIDUALS RETURNING TO EUROPE
AND PERHAPS ULTIMATELY DOING
HARM TO AMERICA AND ULTIMATELY
AGAINST AMERICAN NATIONAL
INTERESTS, SO, I SUPPORT SENATOR
GRAHAM’S EFFORTS AND HOPE HE AND
OTHERS CAN CONVINCE THE
PRESIDENT TO TURN THIS DECISION
BACK AS BEST WE CAN.
>> LARRY, I’M SORRY, I DIDN’T
MEAN TO CALL YOU BY THE WRONG
NAME A SECOND AGO.
>> THAT’S ALL RIGHT.
>> DO YOU THINK THERE IS -- DO
YOU THINK THERE IS A WAY TO GET
IN THE PRESIDENT’S EAR AND HAVE
HIM CHANGE HIS MIND ON THIS, OR
IS IT ALREADY TOO LATE?
IS THERE A WAY TO MITT GAME SOME
OF THE CON CONSEQUENCES GOING
FORWARD?
FORWARD? >> THERE’S POTENTIAL TO
MITIGATE.
MITIGATE. WE’VE SEEN IT HAPPEN IN THE PAST
WHERE HE HAS REVERSED COURSE OR
HE HAS SOFTENED HIS LANGUAGE,
WHICH HAS ALLOWED THE DEFENSE
DEPARTMENT, STATE DEPARTMENT, TO
THEN BEGIN TO TAKE ACTIONS TO --
TO HELP THE SITUATION.
>> WHAT DO WE DO IN THE FUTURE,
EVELYN, WHEN WE NEED HELP AGAIN
FIGHTING AGAINST ISIS?
>> WELL, I THINK IT’S GOING TO
BE REALLY HARD, KATY, TO
CONVINCE KURDS OR OTHER FORCES
TO WORK WITH US, TO HELP US
ACHIEVE OUR OBJECTIVES, IF WE
ARE SHOWN TO BE UNRELIABLE, AND
BY THE WAY, THIS IS NOT GOING TO
BE AN ISSUE JUST FUR STATELESS
FIGHTERS LIKE THE KURDS, BECAUSE
YOU LOOK AT OUR ALLIES IN ISRAEL
AND ELSEWHERE, ISRAEL, FIRST AND
FOREMOST, BECAUSE THEY’RE CLOSE,
GETTING NERVOUS.
GETTING NERVOUS. YOU KNOW, WHAT KIND OF ALLY AND
PARTNER IS THE UNITED STATES
WHERE WE’LL ACTUALLY ENGAGE,
FIGHT AND WITHDRAW AT A WEIRD
POINT IN TIME THAT MAKES NO
SENSE WHATSOEVER?
SENSE WHATSOEVER? YOU ACTUALLY SHOULD BE
WITHDRAWING OUR FORCES, MR.
PRESIDENT, AS PART OF A PEACE
DEAL, AS PART OF AN AGREEMENT
WHERE WE USE THE LEVERAGE WE
HAVE FROM THE FORCES WE HAVE ON
THE GROUND.
THE GROUND. AND BY THE WAY, YOU KNOW, LARRY
IS RIGHT, THIS IS
WE STILL HAVE FORCES THERE
NEARBY.
NEARBY. WE SHOULD BE USING OUR LEVERAGE
TO GET ALL OF THE SIDES TO THE
TABLE AND COME UP WITH AN
AGREEMENT, BECAUSE THERE’S A
CIVIL WAR GOING ON.
IT’S NOT JUST A COUNTERTERRORISM
ISSUE.
ISSUE. >> THAT’S A GOOD POINT.
AND I KNOW THE PRESIDENT DOESN’T
WANT -- DOESN’T WANT TO BE IN
ENDLESS WARS.
ENDLESS WARS. HE SAID SO, HE CAMPAIGNED ON
THAT.
THAT. HIS SUPPORTERS VOTED HIM IN,
PARTIALLY BECAUSE THEY WANTED
HIM TO PULL AMERICAN TROOPS
BACK.
BACK. IS THERE -- COULD HE HAVE
NEGOTIATED A PEACE DEAL?
WAS THERE A WAY TO DO THIS, TO
GET AMERICAN TROOPS OUT OF THERE
MORE CLEANLY, ONE THAT WOULD NOT
PUT THE KURDISH FORCES AT RISK,
ONE THAT WOULD NOT PUT -- OR
HEIGHTENS
HEIGHTENS HEIGHTEN THE RISK OF ISIS
FIGHTERS ESCAPING?
FIGHTERS ESCAPING? >> ABSOLUTELY.
>> ABSOLUTELY. YOU KNOW, HE SHOULD BE USING THE
FORCES HE HAS, YOU KNOW, AT HIS
FINGERTIPS.
FINGERTIPS. HE SHOULD BE USING HIS
DIPLOMATS, HE SHOULD BE USING
THE U.S. MILITARY AND DEFENSE
OFFICIALS.
OFFICIALS. WE SHOULD BE HAVING A FULL
FRONTAL ASSAULT, NOT WITH
WEAPONS, BUT WITH WORDS, TO
BRING PEOPLE TOGETHER, BRING
THEM TO THE TABLE.
CLEARLY, THIS ADMINISTRATION HAS
FAILED IN NOT DOING THAT AND
ALLOWS TURKEY TO PROCEED AS THEY
HAVE.
HAVE. >> DOES IT PUT AMERICANS AT RISK
AT HOME?
AT HOME? >> OH, I THINK ULTIMATELY, WITH
THESE ISIS INDIVIDUALS
POTENTIALLY GOING FREE OR LIKELY
GOING FREE, THEY’RE GOING TO GET
THEMSELVES REORGANIZED, THEY’RE
GOING TO REDOUBLE THEIR EFFORTS
AND THEIR GOALS ARE NOT JUST
LIMITED TO ATTACKS IN THE
REGION.
REGION. THE GOALS OF ISIS ARE ULTIMATELY
TO HURT AMERICANS.
>> EVELYN, LARRY THANK YOU GUYS