I THINK CHINESE BALLOONING WITH
OUR DISTINGUISHED GUEST, SENATOR
TOM COTTON FROM ARKANSAS, A
MEMBER OF THE ARMED SERVICES
COMMITTEE.
MR. COTTON, AS ALWAYS SIR
WELCOME BACK TO THE PROGRAM.
SO LET ME GET SOME THINGS RIGHT
HERE.
YOU HAD A CLASSIFIED BRIEFING.
WAS THAT THIS MORNING OR
YESTERDAY BUT YOU LEARNED
NOTHING AND I GUESS I’M GOING TO
ASK, WE KEEP DISCOVERING
BALLOONS OR METAL BALLOONS OR I
DON’T KNOW WHAT, FLYING SAUCERS?
WHAT IS UP WITH THAT?
WHAT’S GOING ON UP THERE?
IS THIS COMING FROM THE CHINESE?
PLEASE TELL US, TOM COTTON.
>> WELL, LARRY, GOOD TO BE BACK
ON WITH YOU.
WE HAD OUR SECOND CLASSIFIED ALL
SENATOR BRIEFING THIS MORNING.
WE HAD ONE LAST THURSDAY.
UNFORTUNATELY WE LEARNED NOTHING
IN THE BRIEFINGS I DIDN’T
ALREADY KNOW AS A MEMBER OF THE
INTELLIGENCE OR ARMED SERVICES
COMMITTEE OR FRANKLY WHAT YOUR
VIEWERS CAN LEARN BY WATCHING
YOUR SHOW OR OTHER PROGRAMS OR
READING A NEWSPAPER.
WHY I THINK IT IS SO IMPORTANT
THAT JOE BIDEN PERSONALLY,
DIRECTLY ADDRESS THE AMERICAN
PEOPLE.
JUSTIN TRUDEAU DID THAT OVER THE
WEAKEN FOR THE PEOPLE OF CANADA.
SURELY WE’RE NOT IN A WORLD
WHERE THE AMERICAN PRESIDENT IS
LESS DECISIVE AND ASSERTIVE THAN
JUSTIN TRUDEAU OF ALL PEOPLE?
THIS IS WHAT WE EXPECT FROM
PRESIDENTS.
YOU KNOW WHEN SOVIET RUSSIA SHOT
DOWN A KOREAN AIRLINES FLIGHT IN
1983, RONALD REAGAN, CAME OUT
ADDRESSED THE AMERICAN PEOPLE,
IN A FEW DAYS EXPLAINING EXACTLY
WHAT HAPPENED, WHY IT HAPPENED,
AND WHAT WE’RE GOING TO DO.
SAME THING WITH PRESIDENT BUSH
IN 1990 WHEN SADDAM HUSSEIN
INVADED KUWAIT.
IN THESE TENSE MOMENTS WE EXPECT
PRESIDENT TO COME FORWARD,
EXPLAIN HIS THINKING, EXPLAIN
WHAT WE’RE DURING.
PRESIDENT BIDEN OWES THE
AMERICAN PEOPLE AN EXPLANATION.
LARRY: YOU KNOW, FORMER
SECRETARY OF STATE MIKE POMPEO
CALLED THIS GLOBAL SHAME.
HE FELT THE DELAY IN GOING AFTER
THAT FIRST BALLOON THAT WAS
DISCOVERED, COMING THROUGH
ALASKA AND MONTANA, WHATEVER, HE
CALLED THAT A GLOBAL SHAME.
CERTAINLY DIDN’T BRING ANY GREAT
CONFIDENCE TO AMERICA AND TO
AMERICANS.
HOW BAD OF A STORY IS THIS IN
YOUR JUDGMENT?
>> WELL I THINK THE FAILURE TO
SHOOT DOWN THAT FIRST BALLOON
WAS HUMILIATING TO PRESIDENT
BIDEN AND THEREFORE DANGEROUS
FOR AMERICANS AND I CAN TELL YOU
THERE, LARRY, THERE IS NOTHING
MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE.
CHINA SENT A SPY BALLOON TO FLY
ACROSS AMERICA AND PRESIDENT
BIDEN AND HIS ADMINISTRATION HAD
EYES ON IT OVER THE ALEUTIANS
WHERE THEY COULD HAVE SHOT IT
DOWN BUT CHOSE NOT TO.
THEREFORE THE CHINESE SPY
BALLOON FLEW ACROSS AMERICA.
THE END.
I THINK CHINA IS SHOCKED THEY
ACTUALLY GOT A WAY WITH THAT AND
EMBOLDENS NOT ONLY CHINESE
COMMUNISTS BUT ADVERSARIES
AROUND THE WORLD.
THIS IS ANOTHER IN A LONG SERIES
OF EVENTS SINCE PRESIDENT BIDEN
TOOK OFFICE WHICH HE HAS TAKEN
AMBIVALENT, TIMID, WEAK OR
APPEASING POLICIES ONLY
ENCOURAGE MORE PROVOCATIONS,
MORE AGGRESSION, WHETHER FROM
THE CHINESE COMMUNISTS IN EAST
ASIA, RUSSIA, UKRAINE, IRAN IN
THE MIDDLE EAST.
IT IS TIME WE START RE-ESTABLISHING OUR DETERRENTS
RE-ESTABLISHING OUR DETERRENTS
AGAINST THESE AD ADVERSARIES MAK
SURE --
LARRY: THESE ARE CLARIFICATION
QUESTIONS FIRST OF ALL.
DOES THE UNITED STATES HAVE THE
CAPABILITIES OF SPOTTING THESE
WHATEVER THEY ARE, BALLOONS OR
METALLIC BALLOONS OR FLYING
SAUCERS, I DON’T KNOW WHAT THEY
ARE?
IN OTHER WORDS, DO WE HAVE THE
CAPABILITIES TO SPOT THEM AND
THEN RELATED TO THAT, SENATOR,
IN YOUR BE JUDGMENT TO THE BEST
OF YOUR KNOWLEDGE, MAYBE NOBODY
KNOWS FOR SURE, THE SECOND
BATCH, NOT THE ONES THAT WERE
FINALLY SHOT DOWN OVER
SOUTH CAROLINA THAT WAS RUNNING
FOR A WEEK BUT THE SECOND BATCH,
THE THREE, ALASKA, YUKON, LAKE
HURON WERE THESE CHINESE
MISSILES OR CHINESE AERIALS OR
WHATEVER?
I WILL CALL THEM FLYING SAUCERS.
I KIND OF LIKE THAT.
>> ON YOUR FIRST QUESTION,
LARRY, YES, WE DO.
NORAD WAS ESTABLISHED 65 YEARS
AGO.
THROUGHOUT ITS TIME IT HAS
FOCUSED PRIMARILY ON THE THREAT
OF LARGE BALLISTIC MISSILES
COMING FIRST FROM RUSSIA AND
THEN CHINA AND NORTH KOREA.
WE DETECT THOSE THINGS IN
DIFFERENT WAYS.
WE WOULD DETECT, SLOWER SMALLER
MOVING AIRCRAFT LIKE A BALLOON
BUT YES, WE DO.
ON THE SECOND POINT WE HAVE NOT
GOTTEN A CLEAR ANSWER FROM THE
ADMINISTRATION.
THE PUBLIC HASN’T GOTTEN IT AND
SENATORS STILL HAVEN’T GOTTEN IT
EITHER.
WHY I THINK IT IS SO IMPORTANT
FOR JOE BIDEN TO CHANGE HIS
THINKING.
OBVIOUSLY HE HAD A CHANGE IN
POLICY FROM THE FIRST BALLOON TO
THE LATTER THREE OBJECTS.
HE NEEDS TO EXPLAIN TO THE
AMERICAN PEOPLE WHY HE HAD THAT
CHANGE IN POLICY.
LARRY: DO YOU THINK, THE OTHER
THING THAT IS SORT OF HAGGING
OUT THERE THAT I DON’T
PARTICULARLY UNDERSTAND, THE
CHINESE ARE ACCUSING THE UNITED
STATES OF SENDING SOMETHING INTO
CHINA.
I’M NOT EXACTLY SURE WHAT BUT
THEY’RE SAYING WE HAVE BEEN DOING SOMETHING SIMILAR.
DOING SOMETHING SIMILAR.
MAYBE IT IS BALLOONS OR SPHERES
OR I LIKE TO THINK OF THEM AS
FLYING SAUCERS BUT I DON’T KNOW
WITH THEY ARE.
THEY SAY WE’RE DOING THE SAME
THING.
ARE WE?
>> THIS PRESIDENT LET A GANG OF
7th CENTURY SAVAGES BEAT US
IN AFGHANISTAN.
A PRESIDENT WHO HAD A CHANCE TO
SHOOT DOWN A CHINESE SPY BALLOON
FLYING OVER THE A LIKE SHUNS --
ALEUTIANS LIE FLYING OVER
AMERICA.
DO YOU THINK JOE BIDEN WOULD
ORDER THAT PROVOCATIVE ACTION IN
THE EYES OF THE CHINESE
COMMUNISTS? I DON’T THINK SO.
I DON’T THINK SO.
LARRY: THAT IS WELL-PUT.
I DON’T KNOW WHO IS IN CHARGE OF
THE U.S. GOVERNMENT.
I DON’T THINK THAT IS A NOT
INSIGNIFICANT ISSUE HERE.
I WORKED FOR A GUY NAMED
DONALD TRUMP.
WHATEVER YOU THOUGHT OF HIM YOU
KNEW HE WAS IN CHARGE.
I DON’T THINK I COULD SAY THE
SAME THING ABOUT MS. BIDEN,
HARRIS, BLINKEN, ANY OF THESE
PEOPLE.
I DON’T KNOW, I’M ASKING YOU
HONEST QUESTIONS.
YOU’VE BEEN TO A COUPLE OF
BRIEFINGS.
I DON’T WANT TO KNOW ANYTHING
I’M NOT SUPPOSED TO KNOW.
ONCE UPON OF TIME HAD THOSE
KINDS OF CLEARANCES.
I’M SAYING WHAT’S GOING ON HERE?
MY LAST POINT, WHAT IS GOING ON
HERE?
HOW MUCH INTELLIGENCE DID THE
CHINESE TAKE BACK?
WHERE ARE THESE SO-CALLED
METALLIC BALLOONS?
WHO ARE THEY, WHO IS RUNNING
THEM, WHAT ARE WE DOING, WHO IS
ON FIRST, WHAT’S ON SECOND, WHO
IS TELLING THE TRUTH HERE?
I DON’T THINK ANYBODY KNOWS.
LITERALLY DON’T THINK ANYBODY
KNOWS.
>> THOSE ARE ALL VERY GOOD
QUESTIONS, LARRY.
I HEARD SOME VERSION OF THOSE
QUESTIONS FOR A WEEK NOW FROM
ARKANSANS WHO ARE INTERESTED AN
CURIOUS BUT ALSO WORRIED AND
CONCERNED.
THIS IS WHY IT IS SO IMPORTANT
IN MOMENTS LIKE THIS FOR THE
PRESIDENT TO BRIEF THE AMERICAN
PEOPLE.
LARRY: YEAH.
>> NOT PRESS SECRETARIES, NOT
ANONYMOUS SOURCES BUT THE
PRESIDENT ON CAMERA AND DIRECTLY
AND IF THERE ARE CERTAIN
QUESTIONS THAT WE DON’T HAVE
ANSWERS TO EXPLAIN REQUEST WHY
WE DON’T HAVE THE ANSWERS AND
WHAT WE’RE DOING TO GET THE
ANSWERS.
THAT IS WHY PRESIDENT BIDEN OWES
THE AMERICAN PEOPLE AN
EXPLANATION.
THOSE EXAMPLES, WHEN PRESIDENT
BUSH CAME TWO THREE DAYS AFTER
THE INVASION OF KUWAIT.
NOW IT IS ALMOST A WEEK AND
PRESIDENT BIDEN NEEDS TO SPEAK.
LARRY: THANK YOU FOR TELLING US
WHAT YOU KNOW, WHAT YOU DON’T
KNOW.
OUR MUTUAL FRIEND SARAH SANDERS,
IT IS NOT LEFT OR RIGHT, IT IS
NORMAL OR CRAZY.