CANDIDATES IS PULLING AHEAD OF THE OTHERS.
THE OTHERS. BUT FIRST, BREAKING NEWS, NEW
ADMINISTRATION RESPONSE IN JUST
THE LAST HOUR AS TO THE
PRESIDENT’S SURPRISE
PRESIDENT’S SURPRISE CANCELLATION OF A PLANNED SECRET
MEETING TODAY WITH THE TALIBAN
AT CAMP DAVID.
THE PRESIDENT’S ANNOUNCEMENT IS
CITING A TALIBAN ATTACK THAT
KILLED A U.S. SOLDIER CAME LAST
NIGHT IN A TWEET.
THE SECRETARY OF STATE MIKE
POMPEO A SHORT TIME AGO
EXPLAINING.
EXPLAINING. >> WE HAVE HAD A COMMITMENT FROM
THE TALIBAN THAT SAID THAT THEY
WOULD BREAK WITH AL QAEDA
PUBLICLY AND PERMANENTLY AND A
COMMITMENT THAT THEY WOULD DO
THIS FOR THE FIRST TIME AND YOU
KNOW THIS, GEORGE, IN THE
ADMINISTRATION TO GET THE
AFGHANS TO SIT TOGETHER AT THE
TABLE, AND COMMITMENT TO MEET IN
OSLO TO BEGIN THE
RECONCILIATION, AND THEN THE
TALIBAN OVERREACHED AND KILLED
AN AMERICAN IN LEVERAGE FOR THE
NEGOTIATING TABLE, AND THE
PRESIDENT TRUMP SAID ENOUGH.
>> AND SO THERE IS A LOT TO
UNPACK HERE, AND WELCOME TO YOU,
MIKE.
MIKE. TIMING, LOCATION, AND ALL OF
THAT, AND WHAT CAN YOU TELL US
ABOUT THE STORY?
>> AND GOOD AFTERNOON TO YOU,
ALECK.
ALECK. A LOT
A LOT AND A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE UPSET
ABOUT THE CLOSE PROXIMITY OF
CAMP DAVID HERE, AND THE SITE OF
SO MUCH HISTORY AND THE PEOPLE
ARE RAISING THE EYEBROWS THAT
THE PRESIDENT WOULD CONSIDER
INVITING THE TALIBAN THERE OF
ALL GROUPS THREE DAYS BEFORE THE
ANNIVERSARY OF 9/11, AND THE
TALIBAN HARBORING AL QAEDA AND
OSAMA BIN LADEN IN AFGHANISTAN
PRIOR TO THE ATTACKS.
A LOT THE UNPACK HERE, AND YOU
ARE RIGHT, THE PRESIDENT
REVEALING LAST NIGHT THIS SECRET
NEGOTIATION ACCORDING TO THE
PRESIDENT’S TWEET TO BE HELD AT
CAMP DAVID WITH THE TALIBAN
THREE DAYS BEFORE 9/11 ONLY
CALLED OFF WHEN THE PRESIDENT
DECIDED THAT THURSDAY’S AT
ATTACK THAT KILLED 12 PEOPLE
NEAR THE U.S. EMBASSY NEAR KABUL
AND RESULTED IN THE DEATH OF AN
AMERICAN SERVICEMAN WAS REASON
ENOUGH TO CALL IT OFF.
AND VARIOUS REPORTS THAT ASHRAF
ABGANI WHO WAS INVITED AND HE IS
THE PRESIDENT OF AFGHANISTAN WAS
UPSET ABOUT THE MEETING.
HE DIDN’T WANT TO COME.
AND SECRETARY OF STATE MIKE
POMPEO, AND YOU PLAYED A SOUND
BITE FROM HIM THERE, AND HE WAS
THERE AT DOVER AIR FORCE BASE
EARLY THIS MORNING FOR THE
DIGNIFIED TRANSFER OF ARMY FIRST
CLASS ANGEL BARETTA, THE
INDIVIDUAL KILLED AND THEN HE
WENT ON THE SUNDAY PUBLIC
AFFAIRS PROGRAM AND RESPONDED TO
THE CRITICISM OF THE PRESIDENT’S
PLAN TO HAVE THIS MEETING AT
CAMP DAVID.
CAMP DAVID. >> I KNOW THE HISTORY OF CAMP
DAVID, TOO.
DAVID, TOO. AND THERE ARE DISCUSSION OF
PEACE THERE, TOO, AND SOME BAD
ACTORS HAVE TRAVELED THROUGHOUT
THAT PLACE THROUGHOUT THE
RECORDED HISTORY AND IMPORTANT
PLACE AND IMPORTANT PLACE THAT
WE THOUGHT THAT WE COULD
CONVINCE ALL OF THE LEADERS OF
AFGHAN, AND PRESIDENT BA GAUAGAN
THE OTHER PEOPLE TO SECURE
SECURITY IN THEIR NATIONS.
>> AND SO HE STANDS BEHIND
RESOLUTE SUPPORT.
RESOLUTE SUPPORT. AND ONE THING THAT HE TOLD OUR
OWN CHUCK TODD ON "MEET THE
PRESS" NOW THAT THE TALKS HAVE
TALLEN APART AND NO PLANS TO
PICK THEM UP, THEN COTEXT IS
THAT THEY HAVE BEEN GOING ON FOR
MORE THAN A YEAR WITH THE TRUMP
ADMINISTRATION, AND THE TALKS
WITH THE TALIBAN AND THINGS HAD
COME TO A HEAD AND COMING TO
REACH A RESOLUTION, AND PERHAPS
WHY THEY WERE GOING TO CAMP
DAVID, BUT POMPEO SAYS THAT THE
TALKS ARE OFF AND HE DOESN’T
KNOW WHEN THEY WILL START AGAIN
AND THE TALIBAN IS GOING TO BE
LED BY MORE AMERICAN-LED ATTACKS
IN THE COMING DAYS.
>> AND THANK YOU FOR SETTING US
UP ON A FURTHER CONVERSATION ON
THAT.
THAT. AND NOW JOINING US IS LAURA BAS
IT IS, AND CHARLIE FROM THE"THE
YORK TIMES", AND WHAT IS
STRIKING YOU MOST ABOUT THIS?
>> THE DEAL OF GETTING THE
AMERICAN SERVICEMAN OUT OF
CAPTIVITY AND OBAMA SENT FIVE
MEMBERS TO QATAR AND THE GROUP
THAT THE ADMINISTRATION HAS BEEN
WORKING WITH THAT LED UP TO THIS
ABORTED MEETING IN CAMP DAVID.
AND HALF THE COUNTRY LOST ITS
MIND TO DEALING WITH QATAR
LEADERSHIP, AND NOW THE BRING
THIS WITHOUT ANY FOR MALL
AGREEMENTING A --
FORMAL AGREEMENT AND POMPEO WAS
SAYING THAT IT WOULD BE A
HISTORIC, AND NONHISTORIC
PHOTO-OP WITHOUT ANY JUSTICE
BEHIND IT TO JUSTIFY THAT MOST
NORMAL FOREIGN POLICY EXPERTS ON
EITHER SIDE WOULD AGREE
INCLUDING JOHN BOLTON THE
NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER WHO
HAS BEEN TOTALLY SIDELINED FROM
THE PROCESS.
THE PROCESS. >> ALL RIGHT.
I WANTED TO ASK YOU HOW BIG OF A
LOSS THIS IS FOR THE TRUMP
ADMINISTRATION, BUT WHEN YOU ARE
PUTTING NIT THAT CONIT IN THAT C
MORE OF THE PHOTO-OP THAN
SOMETHING THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN
MORE SUBSTANTIVE LYLY TOWARDS AN
AGREEMENT.
AGREEMENT. >> MIKE POMPEO SAID POSSIBLY
DOING SOMETHING A LITTLE BIT AND
THIS IS NOT THE POINT WHERE YOU
WOULD NORMALLY BRING ENEMY
LEADERS WHO ARE DEEPLY COMEPLICI
IN ALL KINDS OF TERRIBLE THINGS
TO THE THE HONORABLE POSITION OF
CAMP DAVID.
CAMP DAVID. >> AND CHARLIE, THEY NEVER
INTENDED TO PUT THESE TWOING TO,
THE PRESIDENT OF AFGHANISTAN AND
THE HEAD OF THE TALIBAN,
CORRECT?
CORRECT? THEY WERE GOING TO CONDUCT
SEPARATE TALKS, AND THAT IS THE
PLAN?
PLAN? >> TREMENDOUS RELUCTANCE BY
PRESIDENT GANI TO BE INVOLVED AT
ALL AND HE IS TREMENDOUSLY
OBJECTED TO THE TALKS IN DOHA,
BECAUSE HE WANTS THE COUNTRY TO
SURVIVE EVEN IF THE U.S. PULLS
OUT, AND THE TALIBAN WANTS TO
WAIT OUT THE UNITED STATES AND
THEN TAKE BACK OVER, AND SO THE
WHOLE THING IS EXTREMELY
FRAUGHT.
FRAUGHT. >> LAURA, A BIG ISSUE IS TIMING
HERE, BECAUSE THE TRUMP
ADMINISTRATION CITED THAT DEADLY
BOMBING IN KABUL FOR THE REASON
THAT IT WAS CANCELED EVEN THOUGH
THERE HAS BEEN A SERIES OF
ATTACKS BEFORE, THAT AND IS THE
KABUL BOMBING THE WHOLE REASON
BEHIND STOPPING THE TALKS?
>> I WOULD BE HIGHLY SURPRISED,
BECAUSE THE BOMBING THAT WE ARE
TALKING ABOUT HAPPENED THURSDAY
AND THEN LATE SATURDAY AFTERNOON
TRUMP ANNOUNCED THAT HE WAS
CANCELING THE TALKS.
AND ALSO THE TIMING OF THIS IS
THE WEEK OF 9/11 AND I AGREE
WITH CHARLIE THAT IT IS PURELY A
P.R. STUNT AND HE WANTED THE
P.R. TOEPHOTO-OP TO SAY I DID
SOMETHING THAT OBAMA DID NOT DO
WHICH IS PEACE WITH THE TALIBAN.
AND SO THEY ARE STILL SUPPORTING
9/11, SO TO HAVE THEM AT CAMP
DAVID IS EXTRAORDINARILY STRANGE
THING.
THING. I THINK THAT EVERYONE IS RIGHT
TO POINTING OUT THAT IF OBAMA