END OF AMENDMENT.
THAT WOULD HAVE AN IMMEDIATE
AND POSITIVE EFFECT.
LET'S HOPE IT PASSES.
ROGER WICKER A REPUBLICAN
REPRESENTING THE STATE OF
MISSISSIPPI.
HE JOINS US TONIGHT.
SENATOR, THANKS FOR COMING
ON.
>> THANK YOU.
>> Tucker: WHAT IS THE
AMERICAN NATIONAL SECURITY
INTEREST THAT WOULD BE
SERVED BY REGIME CHANGE IN
SYRIA?
>> WELL, IF YOU CARE ABOUT
ISRAEL, YOU HAVE TO BE
INTERESTED AT LEAST IN
WHAT'S GOING ON IN SYRIA.
WE'RE FIGHTING ISIS THERE.
IRAN IS SEEKING TO DOMINATE
THE WHOLE REGION.
I THINK WE HAVE NATIONAL
INTERESTS IN SYRIA.
BUT, LET ME SAY THIS ABOUT
WHAT CANDIDATE TRUMP MAY
HAVE SAID OR WHAT HE SAID
BEFORE HE WAS A CANDIDATE.
YOU KNOW, THERE IS
INFORMATION YOU RECEIVE WHEN
YOU ARE PRESIDENT OF THE
UNITED STATES THAT YOU
REALLY DON'T HAVE AS A
CANDIDATE.
AND I APPRECIATE THE
PRESIDENT PUTTING A TEAM
AROUND HIM THAT I HAVE
CONFIDENCE IN.
SECRETARY MATTIS AND GENERAL
DUNFORD, THE CHAIRMAN OF THE
JOINT CHIEFS OF STAFF, I
THINK ARE GOING TO GIVE THE
PRESIDENT GOOD ADVICE.
JOHN BOLTON STARTING TODAY
AND I THINK.
>> Tucker: THERE ARE SMART
HIM.
>> TELL HIM WHAT HE NEEDS TO
HEAR.
>> Tucker: THERE IS
CERTAINLY A LOT OF THOSE
PEOPLE ARE SMART.
BUT I JUST WANT TO GET BACK
TO THE CORE QUESTION THAT I
THINK A LOT OF VOTERS HAVE
WHICH IS WHAT THE AMERICAN
NATIONAL SECURITY THAT IS
SERVED.
YOU SAY YOU CARE ABOUT
ISRAEL.
I DO CARE ABOUT ISRAEL.
WHAT'S THE AMERICAN NATIONAL
SECURITY INTEREST THAT WOULD
BE CHANGED BY REGIME CHANGE.
CAN YOU THINK OF DOWNSIDES,
DEATH, COST, ET CETERA.
HOW WOULD THIS COUNTRY
BECOME SAFER BY OVERTHROWING
ASSAD.
>> I'M NOT SURE REGIME
CHANGE IS STILL OUR GOAL
THERE IT WAS THE GOAL OF
BARACK OBAMA AND HASN'T
REALLY BEEN OUR STATED GOAL
DURING THIS TRUMP
ADMINISTRATION.
BUT, DEFEATING ISIS IN IRAQ
AND IN SYRIA IS STILL OUR
GOAL.
AND I THINK THAT IS IN THE
NATIONAL INTEREST.
>> Tucker: BUT WASN'T
DEFEATING ISIS ONE OF THE
GOALS OF THE ASSAD
GOVERNMENT?
OF COURSE, ISIS WAS A
RADICAL SUNNI GROUP.
ASSAD IS ALLIED WITH THE
SHIITES.
HE WAS FIGHTING ISIS AS
WELL.
WHY WOULDN'T WE IF WE
BELIEVE ISIS IS THE MAIN
ENEMY, FUNCTIONALLY FIND
OURSELVES ON THE SIDE OF
ASSAD?
>> WELL, YOU'RE CORRECT IN
THIS SENSE.
AND YOU ARE CORRECT IN MANY
WAYS.
IT'S COMPLICATED IN SYRIA.
THERE IS NO QUESTION ABOUT
IT.
I MEAN, THE -- THERE IS NOT
A BUNCH OF WHITE HATS AND A
BUNCH OF BLACK HATS.
>> Tucker: RIGHT.
I WILL GIVE YOU THAT.
WE ARE AND WE'RE NOT IN THE
BUSINESS OF REGIME CHANGE.
SO I WOULD CHALLENGE THAT
BUT, IT IS WITHIN OUR
NATIONAL INTEREST TO MAKE
SURE ISIS IS DEFEATED AND WE
ARE -- WE HAVE ALMOST GOT
THE JOB DONE.
I JUST THINK IT WOULD BE A
MISTAKE TO PULL AWAY AT THIS
POINT.
I'M VERY INTERESTED IN THE
QUESTIONS YOU ARE ASKING
ABOUT WHETHER THERE IS SOME
SORT OF A HOAX OR WHETHER
THIS POISON GAS ATTACK
REALLY DIDN'T HAPPEN WAS
DONE BY SOMEONE ELSE.
>> Tucker: I'M NOT
SUGGESTING THAT.
>> THAT'S A QUESTION THAT
MR. PUTIN IS ASKING AND HE
HAS A RIGHT TO ASK IT AND SO
DO YOU.
I FIND MYSELF ON THE OTHER
SIDE OF THE ISSUE.
>> Tucker: I'M NOT SURE I
UNDERSTAND THAT IMPLICATION.
>> THAT'S THE QUESTION HE
ASKING.
>> Tucker: SLOW DOWN,
SENATOR.
THAT'S NOT RELEVANT TO WHY I
ASKED THE QUESTION.
I HOPE YOU ARE NOT TRYING TO
IMPUGN MY MOTIVE TYING ME TO
PUTIN AS SOME ON THE LEFT
DO.
LET ME ASK AGAIN, WE WERE
TOLD A YEAR AGO THAT THE
SARIN GAS ATTACK IN SYRIA
WAS COMMITTED BY ASSAD'S
REGIME.
WE LEARNED TWO MONTHS AGO
THAT WE DON'T REALLY KNOW
THAT THAT WE WERE LIED TO
ABOUT THAT.
I WOULD THINK AS A U.S.
SENATOR YOU WOULD HAVE AN
INTEREST IN GETTING TO THE
TRUTH BECAUSE THE CHUTE
>> I THINK IT'S PERFECTLY
FINE FOR SOMEONE IN A
POSITION LIKE YOU TO ASK
THAT QUESTION.
>> Tucker: WHY AREN'T YOU
ASKING THE QUESTION?
>> WELL, I HAVE BEEN
LISTENING TO A LOT OVER THE
LAST YEAR.
AND FOR MY PURPOSES, I'M
CONVINCED THAT BASHAR ASSAD
WAS VERY MUCH INVOLVED IN
THE ATTACK A YEAR AGO.
THE UNITED NATIONS SECURITY
COUNCIL.
>> Tucker: WHAT MAKES YOU
THINK THAT?
>> BASED ON INFORMATION I
HAVE HEARD.
I THINK.
>> Tucker: CAN YOU
CHARACTERIZE IT FOR US
BECAUSE THE SECRETARY OF
DEFENSE -- I'M SORRY, I
WOULDN'T TYPICALLY INTERRUPT
YOU.
YOU SUGGESTED I WAS SOMEHOW
ALLIED WITH PUTIN.
CAN I PRESS YOU ON THIS
QUESTION.
SECRETARY OF DEFENSE.
>> I'M SUGGEST THAWING ASKED
THE SAME QUESTION THAT HE
ASKED.
>> Tucker: SO I MUST BE A
RUSSIAN AGENT.
I GET IT?
>> I'M NOT SAYING THAT AT
ALL.
I'M NOT SAYING THAT AT ALL.
>> Tucker: IT'S AN OBVIOUS
QUESTION ACTUALLY.
THE SECRETARY OF DEFENSE
SAID WE DIDN'T HAVE PROOF
BUT YOU APPARENTLY HAVE
PROOF THAT THE SECRETARY OF
DEFENSE DOESN'T HAVE.
COULD YOU CHARACTERIZE IT
FOR US?
>> NO.
>> WHY?
>> I'M NOT GOING TO GET INTO
THAT FURTHER.
>> Tucker: OKAY.
SO ARE YOU SATISFIED THAT WE
KNOW FOR A FACT THAT THE
ASSAD REGIME ACTING AGAINST
ITS OWN STRATEGIC INTEREST
WAS BEHIND THE CHLORINE GAS
ATTACK THIS WEEKEND?
>> AND AS I WAS ABOUT TO
SAY, TUCKER, THE U.N.
SECURITY COUNCIL IS LOOKING
AT THAT VERY ISSUE RIGHT
NOW.
THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED
STATES HAS CONCLUDED THAT,
IN FACT, BASHAR ASSAD WAS
INVOLVED IN THIS.
AND WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR IT.
>> Tucker: OKAY.
>> I ASSUME HE IS MAKING
THAT STATEMENT BASED ON THE
BEST FACTS CAN GET FROM THE
SECRETARY OF DEFENSE AND
FROM THE CHAIRMAN OF THE
HIS INCOMING NATIONAL
SECURITY ADVISOR.
>> Tucker: OKAY.
WELL I GUESS PUTIN AND I
WOULD LIKE A LITTLE MORE
DETAIL ON THAT BEFORE WE
LAUNCH A NEW WAR ON THE
BASIS OF IT.
DO YOU THINK THAT'S A FAIR
QUESTION TO ASK?
>> I THINK YOU ARE ASKING
INTERESTING QUESTIONS AND
THEY NEED TO BE ASKED.
>> Tucker: OKAY.
>> WHERE I COME DOWN IS THAT
WE HAVE A STRATEGIC INTEREST
THERE.
AND IT DOESN'T MAKE SENSE
FOR US TO LEAVE WITHOUT
GETTING THE JOB DONE.
I WOULD BE RESULTS-BASED IN
SYRIA RATHER THAN TIME LINE
BASED.