>>> CONGRESSWOMAN LIZ CHENEY HAS
BECOME SOMETHING OF AN OUTLYER
IN THIS VERSION OF THE
REPUBLICAN PARTY.
SHE REPRESENTS A MORE
TRADITIONAL, HAWKISH WING OF THE
GOP WHEN MANY OF THE PARTY HAVE
FOLLOWED FORMER PRESIDENT
TRUMP'S NATIONALIST,
ISOLATIONIST PERSONAL FIRST
APPROACH.
LIZ CHENEY HAS JOINED THE
CONGRESSIONAL INQUIRY ON JANUARY
6th.
CONGRESSWOMAN, WELCOME BACK TO
"MEET THE PRESS."
>> GREAT TO BE WITH YOU.
THANK YOU, CHUCK.
>> PLETLET ME START WITH A QUEST
THAT I ASKED THE NATO SECRETARY GENERAL, SENATOR MURPHY AND I'LL
GENERAL, SENATOR MURPHY AND I'LL
ASK YOU.
DO WE NEED TO ENGAGE IN THIS
WITH RUSSIA?
>> I THINK WE DO.
WE NEED TO MAKE IT CLEAR THAT WE
ARE CONSIDERING ALL OPTIONS,
NOTHING THAT WOULD ALTER OUR
CALCULATIONS, AND WE SHOULDN'T
BE IN THE BUSINESS OF -- SOME
HAVE CALLED IT SELF-DETERRENCE.
PUTIN'S ACTIONS SO FAR HAVE
DEMONSTRATED THAT THE RUSSIAN
MILITARY IS NOWHERE NEAR AS
CAPABLE AS THE WORLD PERHAPS
THOUGHT IT WAS, PROBABLY NOT AS
CAPABLE AS PUTIN THOUGHT IT WAS,
AND THEY NEED TO UNDERSTAND THAT
IF THE BRUTALITY HERE INCREASES,
THE UNITED STATES WILL
CONTEMPLATE AND CONSIDER EVERY
POSSIBLE RANGE OF ACTIONS, ALONG
WITH OUR NATO ALLIES.
I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT THAT THEY
KNOW THAT WE WILL CONTEMPLATE
CHANGING THE CALCULATION IN
TERMS OF HUMANITARIAN
CHALLENGES, THE HUMANITARIAN
DEVASTATION THE UKRANIAN PEOPLE
ARE FACING.
>> CONGRESSWOMAN, WE SEEM TO BE
IN A BIT OF A CONUNDRUM WITH
PUTIN.
HE IS EXTRAORDINARILY WEAK RIGHT
NOW ON ONE HAND.
IT'S CLEAR, AS YOU POINTED OUT,
HIS MILITARY IS NOT WHAT HE
THOUGHT IT WAS, AND YET HE IS
CORNERED AND HE DOES HAVE
NUCLEAR WEAPONS.
SO I GUESS THE THING IS, ARE YOU
GOING TO BE COMFORTABLE IF
PRESIDENT ZELENSKYY COMES TO
SOME SORT OF TRUCE WITH HIM THAT
CAUDIFIES SOME OF UKRAINE INTO
HIS HANDS, ESSENTIALLY REWARDING
HIM FOR THIS AGGRESSION?
WHAT IS THAT LINE WE STRIKE
THERE NOT AWARDING HIM FOR
AGGRESSION BUT TRYING TO GET
PEACE HERE?
>> WELL, I THINK YOU'VE PUT YOUR
FINGER ON THAT, CHUCK.
I THINK IT'S VERY IMPORTANT THAT
PUTIN NOT REAP ANY REWARDS AT
ALL FOR THIS AGGRESSION.
I THINK TERRITORIAL GAINS WOULD
BE A REWARD FOR HIM.
I THINK THAT WE CANNOT BE IN A
SITUATION WHERE, YOU KNOW, THE
SECURITY AND THE PEACE THAT HAS
BEEN GUARANTEED, REALLY, SINCE
1945 ON THE CONTINENT OF EUROPE
SUDDENLY NOW POWERS BELIEVE THAT
BY THE KIND OF ONSLAUGHT THAT
YOU'VE SEEN, THE KIND OF WAR
CRIMES, THE KIND OF BRUTALITY
YOU'VE SEEN PUTIN UNLEASH THAT
THEY CAN GAIN FROM THAT.
I THINK IT'S TIME FOR NATO TO BE
CLEAR.
OBVIOUSLY WE'RE GOING TO SUPPORT
PRESIDENT ZELENSKYY, BUT WE NEED
TO MAKE IT CLEAR THAT PUTIN
OUGHT NOT BENEFIT OR GAIN FROM
THE ACTIONS HE'S TAKEN.
>> IT'S LESS ON THE ACTIONS THAT
HAVE BEEN TAKEN AND MORE ON THE
RHETORIC THAT THEY'VE SAID OR
NOT SAID.
YOU KNOW, FOR INSTANCE, ALLOWING
THE APPEARANCE THAT PUTIN GETS
TO DICTATE THE TERMS OF
ENGAGEMENT HERE.
IS THERE SOMETHING MORE
SUBSTANTIAL YOU WOULD BE DOING
OTHER THAN CHANGING RHETORIC
RIGHT NOW?
>> MANY THINGS.
FIRST OF ALL, I WOULD COMPLETELY
STOP THE NEGOTIATIONS THAT ARE
UNDERWAY FOR REENTERING THIS
IRANIAN NUCLEAR DEAL.
IT IS ABSOLUTELY INDEFENSIBLE TO
BE IN A SITUATION RIGHT NOW
WHERE WE'RE, NUMBER ONE,
CONTEMPLATING GIVING IT RAINTHE
IRANIANS BILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN
SANCTIONS RELIEF, GIVING THEM A
NUCLEAR WEAPON.
THAT NUMBER IS GOING TO BE USED
TO NOT ONLY DESTABILIZE THE
WORLD, IT ALSO BENEFITS RUSSIA
DIRECTLY.
AND RUSSIA, AS YOU POINTED OUT,
IS ORGANIZING THOSE TALKS AS A
NEGOTIATION.
>> WHAT DO YOU THINK OF SENATOR
MURPHY SAYING, CUT THE RUSSIANS
OUT, DO THIS DEAL WITHOUT THEM?
IS THAT POSSIBLE?
>> I COMPLETELY DISAGREE WITH
SENATOR MURPHY'S CONCEPT THAT WE
SHOULD BE DOING THIS DEAL.
IT IS WRONG TO BE DOING THIS
DEAL NO MATTER WHAT.
IT IS CERTAINLY INDEFENSIBLE
WITH THE RUSSIANS IN THE MIDDLE
OF IT GIVEN THEY ARE A PARIAH
STATE, THAT PUTIN IS A WAR
CRIMINAL.
EVEN IF THEY WEREN'T IN THE
MIDDLE OF IT, THIS IS ABSOLUTELY
THE WRONG TIME TO BE PROVIDING A
WINDFALL TO THE EYEIRANIANS CHT
AND THE DEAL DOES NOT STOP THEM
FROM GETTING A NUCLEAR WEAPON,
IT GIVES THEM ACCESS TO A
NUCLEAR WEAPON.
THAT DEAL SHOULD BE STOPPED
IMMEDIATELY.
>> I'M GOING TO PUT UP WHAT ADAM
KINZINGER SAID.
HE SAID HE DIDN'T VOTE BUT HE
REGRETS HE DIDN'T VOTE IN THE
UKRANIAN SITUATION.
YOU KNOW YOU THINK THE CASE
HADN'T BEEN MADE.
BUT I'M CURIOUS, YOU'RE ON THIS
JANUARY 6 COMMITTEE.
YOU'VE SEEN ALL THE DIFFERENT
WAYS CIRCUMSTANTIALLY THAT
PRESIDENT TRUMP ACTED AND
REACTED.
IN HINDSIGHT, DOES IT NOT SEEM
CONCEIVABLE THAT HE REALLY DID
HOLD MONEY HOSTAGE FOR HIS OWN
POLITICAL GAIN AND THAT WAS,
INDEED, AN IMPEACHABLE OFFENSE?
>> I BELIEVE, CHUCK, ALL OF US
WHO WERE IN POSITIONS OF PUBLIC
TRUST VANHAVE AN OBLIGATION TO T
CONSTITUTION, SO HAVING SAT
THROUGH WATCHING THE HEARINGS,
WATCHING THE EVIDENCE THAT WAS
PUT ON FOR THE FIRST
IMPEACHMENT, THE END OF THE DAY
THE EVIDENCE THAT WAS PUT ON
DIDN'T MAKE THE CASE.
THE JANUARY 6 SITUATION AND
ATTACK IS OBVIOUSLY SOMETHING
THAT WAS FUNDAMENTALLY
DIFFERENT.
WE ALL WATCHED THAT UNFOLD IN
REALTIME.
WE ALL LIVED THROUGH THAT
ATTACK.
BUT I WILL SAY THE JANUARY 6
COMMITTEE IS VERY MUCH FOCUSED
ON LESSONS LEARNED FROM THAT
FIRST IMPEACHMENT, AND VERY MUCH
FOCUSED ON MAKING SURE THE
AMERICAN PEOPLE HAVE ALL THE
FACTS AND THE TRUTH ABOUT WHAT
HAPPENED.
>> LET ME ASK YOU ABOUT THAT,
FINALLY, JUST BEFORE I LET YOU
GO, WHICH IS THE PUBLIC EXPOSE
THAT YOU GUYS ARE EVENTUALLY
GOING TO DO.
IS THIS GOING TO -- YOU SAY IT'S
GOING TO MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS.
ARE WE GOING TO -- SHOULD WE
EXPECT CRIMINAL REFERRALS ON
THIS, AND SHOULD WE EXPECT
SOMETHING -- HOW MUCH NEW DO YOU
THINK THE PUBLIC WILL LEARN THAT
WILL ACTUALLY CHANGE THE WAY
THEY THOUGHT ABOUT JANUARY 6?
>> I THINK CERTAINLY OUR FIRST
PRIORITY IS TO MAKE
RECOMMENDATIONS, AND WE'RE
LOOKING AT THINGS LIKE DO WE
NEED ADDITIONAL ENHANCED
CRIMINAL PENALTIES FOR THE KIND
OF SUPREME DERELICTION OF DUTY
THAT YOU SAW WITH PRESIDENT
TRUMP WHEN HE REFUSED TO TELL
THE MOB TO GO HOME AFTER HE HAD
PROVOKED THAT ATTACK ON THE
CAPITOL.
SO THERE WILL BE LEGISLATIVE
RECOMMENDATIONS AND THERE
CERTAINLY WILL BE INFORMATION.
I CAN TELL YOU, I HAVE NOT
LEARNED A SINGLE THING SINCE I
HAVE BEEN ON THIS COMMITTEE THAT
HAS MADE ME LESS CONCERNED OR
LESS WORRIED ABOUT THE GRAVITY
OF THE SITUATION AND THE ACTIONS
THAT PRESIDENT TRUMP TOOK AND
ALSO REFUSED TO TAKE WHILE THE
ATTACK WAS UNDERWAY.
>> WELL, THAT'S QUITE A