CONNELL: THE DEFENSE SECRETARY
JAMES MATTIS IS RESIGNING
FOLLOWING A CLASH WITH PRESIDENT
TRUMP OVER THE ANNOUNCEMENT THE
PRESIDENT MADE TO WITHDRAW
TROOPS FROM SYRIA.
THIS IS THE CULMINATION OF A
COUPLE OF YEARS OF DISAGREEMENTS
ON SOME POLICY ISSUES BETWEEN
THE PRESIDENT AND GENERAL
MATTIS.
IN HIS LETTER OF RESIGNATION TO
MR. TRUMP SECRETARY MATTIS WROTE
HE WAS LEAVING, QUOTE, YOU HAVE
A RIGHT TO HAVE A SECRETARY OF
DEFENSE WHOSE VIEWS ARE BETTER
ALIGNED WITH YOURS.
WE'RE JOINED NOW BY RETIRED
LIEUTENANT COLONEL ALLEN WEST.
SIR, GOOD TO SEE YOU.
HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT GENERAL
MATTIS LEAVING?
>> WELL IT IS GOOD TO BE WITH
YOU, CONNELL.
MERRY CHRISTMAS.
I THINK WE SHOULD ALSO BE VERY
CONCERNED ABOUT GENERAL MATTIS
LEAVING.
WHEN YOU LOOK AT HIS HISTORY OF
SERVICE, UNDERSTAND HE COMMAND
AD BATTALION OF MARINES, DESERT
SHIELD, DESERT STORM.
HE IS ONE OF THE FIRST OF
MARINES WENT INTO AFGHANISTAN
BACK INTO KANDAHAR.
HE COMMAND AD MARINE DIVISION IN
IRAQ AND WAS UNITED STATES
CENTRAL COMMAND COMMANDING
GENERAL WHICH COVERS MIDDLE EAST
AND SOUTHWEST ASIA WHICH INCLUDE
AFGHANISTAN AND PAKISTAN.
THERE IS NO ONE BETTER THAT
KNOWS ON THE GROUND THE
SITUATION THERE, THE PLAYERS AND
INDIVIDUALS.
AND FOR HIS COUNSEL NOT TO BE
ACCEPTED OR, HIS COUNSEL NOT TO
BE TAKEN INTO CONSIDERATION AND
THIS TWITTER USE WAS, MADE A
MAJOR POLICY DECISION WHICH HAS
TO CONFOUND OUR ALLIES IN THE
REGION, I CAN UNDERSTAND HIS
FRUSTRATION.
CONNELL: NOW HIS, HIS
FRUSTRATION OR THIS DECISION
THAT THE PRESIDENT MADE THAT
APPEARS, AT LEAST TO BE THE ONE
THAT KIND OF, WAS THE FINAL
STRAW FOR GENERAL MATTIS HAS
BEEN COMPARED, LINDSEY GRAHAM,
BROUGHT IT UP TO MISTAKES IN THE
VIEW OF SOMEONE WITH
LINDSEY GRAHAM'S WORLD VIEW MADE
BY PRESIDENT OBAMA IN TERMS OF
WITHDRAWING FROM IRAQ.
I LOOK BACK AT SOME OF YOUR
COMMENTS, YOU WERE CRITICAL OF
PRESIDENT OBAMA FOR THE WAY THAT
WE GOT OUT OF IRAQ.
DO YOU SEE THAT COMPARISON?
DO YOU THINK THESE TWO ARE
SIMILAR?
>> WITHOUT A DOUBT.
ANYONE THAT WANTS TO SAY
SOMETHING DIFFERENT IS BEING
TRULY PARTISAN.
WE CRITICIZED PRESIDENT OBAMA
FOR NOT LISTENING TO HIS
GENERALS AND CREATING A GAP AND
A VACUUM IN WITHDRAWING
UNILATERALLY FROM IRAQ AND EXACT
SAME THING HERE WITH SYRIA.
THERE WERE VERY INTENSE
CONSEQUENCES, RAMIFICATIONS FOR
THAT.
WE SAW WHAT HAPPENED WITH THE
RISE OF ISIS.
NOW WE RUN THE RISK OF NOT JUST
A RESURGENCE OF ISIS AND OTHER
ISLAMIC JIHADIST GROUPS BUT WE
HAVE TO BE CONCERNED ABOUT
RUSSIA, IRAN, ALSO TURKEY.
AGAIN ANOTHER BETRAYAL OF THE
KURDS WITHOUT THEIR HELP WE
WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN ABLE TO
REDUCE THE TERRITORIAL INTEGRITY
OF ISIS IN THE FIRST PLACE.
CONNELL: THE CRITICISM,
OBVIOUSLY FROM INTERVIEWING YOU
FOR THE LAST FEW MINUTES, YOU
APPEAR TO BE PART OF THIS,
COMING FROM THE PRESIDENT'S OWN
SIDE OF THE AISLE SO TO SPEAK IN
MANY CASES FROM THE OTHER SIDE
WHERE PEOPLE HAVE SAID WE'RE
LESS SAFE WITHOUT A SECRETARY
MATTIS.
WOULD YOU GO THAT FAR?
>> WELL I'M NOT GOING TO SAY
WE'RE LESS SAFE WITHOUT
SECRETARY MATTIS.
I THINK THAT HIS VOICE AND HIS
COUNCIL WAS VERY IMPORTANT.
HE HAD ON THE GROUND EXPERTISE
AND EXPERIENCE.
THE PRESIDENT CAN WHOMEVER HE
WISHES AS SECRETARY OF DEFENSE.
I THINK ONE OF THE TOP PEOPLE TO
COME IN BEHIND HIM IS THE FORMER
ARMY VICE CHIEF OF STAFF GENERAL
KEANE.
CONNELL: RIGHT.
>> WHO ALSO UNDERSTANDS THE
IMPORTANCE OF ALLIANCES IN THAT
REGION AND NOT ALLOWING RUSSIA
AND IRAN TO PUSH US OUT.
CONNELL: CAN I ASK YOU SOMETHING
ABOUT THAT?
SAY, FOR EXAMPLE, GENERAL KEANE
WHO IS A FOX CONTRIBUTOR, SPOKEN
ABOUT THIS A FEW TIMES ALREADY,
BEEN ASKED ABOUT IT, HE WAS
SOMEONE WHO WAS ALIGNED WITH
SECRETARY MATTIS ON THIS ISSUE
THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT WITH
SYRIA.
SO WHETHER IT IS HIM OR SOMEBODY
THAT HAS HIS WORLD VIEW WHY
WOULD YOU TAKE A JOB IN AN
ADMINISTRATION YOU DON'T SHARE
THE WORLD VIEW?
WOULDN'T YOU BE SETTING YOURSELF
UP FOR MORE FRUSTRATION NOT
BEING ABLE TO GET ANYTHING DONE,
NOT SERVING THE PRESIDENT THE
BEST?
THAT IS LITERALLY WHY SECRETARY
MATTIS SAYS HE IS LEAVING,
RIGHT?
>> WELL I KNOW GENERAL KEANE
PERSONALLY.
HE WAS COMMANDING GENERAL AT
FORCE BRAG WHEN I WAS A MAJOR --
FORT BRAGG, WHEN I WAS A MAJOR
THERE.
I THINK HE WOULD NOT TAKE THE
JOB UNLESS FOR CERTAIN HIS