>>> WELCOME BACK TO "HARDBALL." REPORTS REPORT THAT PRESIDENT
TRUMP INTERVENED IN SECURITY
SCLEERNSS FOR HIS DAUGHTER
IVANKA AND SON-IN-LAW JARED AND
PROVIDED NEW INFORMATION FOR THE
COMMITTEES TO LOOK INTO.
ELIJAH CUMMINGS THREAT
ANTICIPATED TO SUBPOENA THE
WHITE HOUSE FOR DOCUMENTS
RELATED TO THE CLEARANCE
PROTOCOL.
PROTOCOL. THE LETTER TO CUMMINGS CALLED
THE REQUEST OVERLY INTRUSIVE AND
WE WILL NOT CONCEDE THE
EXECUTIVE’S CONSTITUTIONAL
EXECUTIVE’S CONSTITUTIONAL PREROGATIVES.
PREROGATIVES. IN A STATEMENT BACK COUPLE,S
RESPONDED THERE’S A KEY
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A PRESIDENT
WHO EXERCISES HIS AUTHORITY
UNDER THE CONSTITUTION AND A
PRESIDENT WHO OVERRULES CAREER
EXPERTS AND TOP ADVISERS TO
BENEFIT FAMILY MEMBERS AND
CONCEALS HIS ACTIONS FROM THE
AMERICAN PEOPLE.
AMERICAN PEOPLE. I’M JOINED NOW BY LEON PANETTA,
FORMER DIRECTOR OF THE CIA,
DEFENSE DEPARTMENT SECRETARY,
FORMER CONGRESSMAN AND FORMER
CHIEF OF STAFF TO PRESIDENT
CLINTON.
CLINTON. THANK YOU VERY MUCH, MR.
PANETTA.
PANETTA. WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF WATCHING
THIS WHOLE -- YOU HAVE BEEN
THROUGH PROCEDURAL ARGUMENTS
ABOUT CLEARANCES AND WHO GETS
THE I.D. TO WALK AROUND THE
WHITE HOUSE AND TOP SECURITY
CLEARANCE, WHAT DOES IT TELL YOU
WHEN THE FBI SAYS NO TO TWO
APPLICANTS?
APPLICANTS? >> WELL, IT IS ABOUT NATIONAL
SECURITY.
SECURITY. THAT’S THE REASON WE PROVIDE
SECURITY CLEARANCES IS TO MAKE
SURE THAT WHEN IT COMES TO
HIGHLY CLASSIFIED INFORMATION,
THAT YOU ARE NOT ALLOWING
SOMEONE WHO COULD BE A RISK TO
BE ABLE TO RECEIVE THAT
INFORMATION.
INFORMATION. AND, LOOK, THIS KIND OF
INFORMATION IS PUT TOGETHER BY
CIA OFFICERS AND SOURCES THAT
ARE PUTTING THEIR LIVES ON THE
LINE IN ORDER TO BRING THIS
INFORMATION TO THE ATTENTION OF
THE PRESIDENT AND THOSE AROUND
HIM.
HIM. TO ALLOW SOMEBODY WHO IS A RISK,
A SECURITY RISK, TO ACCESS TO
THAT KIND OF INFORMATION IS TO
NOT ONLY COMPROMISE THAT
INFORMATION, IT IS REALLY
PUTTING OUR NATIONAL SECURITY AT
RISK ITSELF.
RISK ITSELF. THAT NO PRESIDENT OUGHT TO BE
ALLOWED TO DO.
>> WHAT’S YOUR SUSPICION HERE,
IS THAT THAT JARED IS TOO CLOSE
TO NETANYAHU’S GOVERNMENT, TOO
CLOSE TO KHASHOGGI?
THAT SOUND IRONIC THAT BOTH OF
THEM WOULD BE TOO CLOSE TO HIM.
IS IT FAIR HE WOULD GIVE AWAY
THE STUFF, GIVE AWAY THE
INFORMATION PEOPLE WERE
NEGOTIATING WITH, IS THAT A
FEAR?
FEAR? >> THERE IS A SECURITY CLEARANCE
PROCESS AND IT INVOLVES THE
PERSONNEL SECURITY OFFICER IN
THE WHITE HOUSE, WHICH
INVESTIGATES AND DOES A
BACKGROUND CHECK ON ANYONE WHO’S
SUPPOSED TO GET A SECURITY
CLEARANCE.
CLEARANCE. OBVIOUSLY THEY REGISTERED
CONCERNS.
CONCERNS. WHAT THOSE CONCERNS ARE, I DON’T
KNOW.
KNOW. I ASSUME IT’S RELATED TO HIS
CONTACTS NOT ONLY WITH THE
RUSSIANS BUT WITH OTHER FOREIGN
DIGNITARIES AS WELL.
SO BECAUSE OF THAT CONCERN, THAT
THAT INFORMATION COULD BE
JEOPARDIZED, THE RECOMMENDATION
OF THE FBI AND THE SECURITY
OFFICE WAS NOT TO GIVE HIM A
CLEARANCE.
CLEARANCE. JOHN KELLY AND COUNSEL McGHAN,
OBVIOUSLY WOULD HAVE THROWN THE
BALL BY THE PRESIDENT IN THE
HOPE THAT THEY WOULD BYPASS, AND
THE FBI DID NOT DO THAT AND
INSTEAD WROTE MEMOS TO THE
RECORD ABOUT WHY THEY WERE NOT
GOING ALLOW THAT TO PROCEED.
AND THE PRESIDENT WENT AROUND
THEM AND ALLOWED THAT SECURITY
CLEARANCE TO HAPPEN.
THAT SHOULD NOT HAPPEN.
I THINK THE CONGRESS, IF IT’S
GOING TO LOOK AT ANYTHING, HAS
TO LOOK AT HOW DO YOU MAKE SURE
THAT WHEN THERE IS A SECURITY
RISK, THAT THE FBI AND THE
SECURITY PEOPLE MAKE THAT CALL,
NOT THE PRESIDENT OR ANYBODY
ELSE.
ELSE. >> WHAT WOULD IT MEAN TO YOU --
I’M NOT ASKING IF YOU HAVE HAD
TO DO IT, BUT YOU HAVE BEEN
CHIEF OF STAFF TO THE PRESIDENT,
KEEP THINGS GOING.
IF YOU HAD TO WRITE A MEMO TO
YOURSELF FOR THE RECORD IF YOU
DID SOMETHING YOU REALLY DIDN’T
WANT TO DO, IS THAT WHAT THEY
WERE SAYING?
WERE SAYING? I DID SOMETHING I DIDN’T WANT TO
DO?
DO? >> WELL, LOOK, I THINK IT’S
FOR -- IT’S FOR THE HISTORICAL
CASE, I’M SURE, THAT BOTH OF
THEM WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT
WHEN HISTORY COMES BACK, IF THEY
FOUND THAT INFORMATION WAS
JEOPARDIZED BECAUSE OF ALLOWING
THIS SECURITY CLEARANCE, THAT
THEY WOULD NOT BEAR THE BRUNT OF
BLAME FOR HAVING GRANTED IT.
SO I THINK THAT WAS THE REASON
THEY DID IT.
I HAVE NEVER HAD TO DO THAT,
THANK GOD, BUT CLEARLY, I THINK
WHAT WAS BEHIND THIS WAS TO TRY
TO PROTECT THEIR OWN REPUTATION
WITH REGARDS TO THIS SECURITY
CLEARANCE.
CLEARANCE. >> SPEAKING OF SECURITY, HERE’S
A BIG QUESTION, MEANWHILE
PRESIDENT TRUMP RESPONDED TO NEW
EVIDENCE TODAY, HE DID, THAT THE
NORTH KOREA IS REBUILDING A KEY
MISSILE SITE POSSIBLY IN
PREPARATION FOR ANOTHER TEST.
NBC NEWS REPORTS TONIGHT THE
SATELLITE IMAGES OF THE SITE --
THERE THEY ARE -- TAKING JUST
TWO DAYS AFTER TRUMP ACE FAILED
NUCLEAR SUMMIT WITH KIM JONG-UN
SHOWS THE REGIME IS QUICKLY
WORKING TO REBUILD A SITE USED
TO LAUNCH LONG-RANGE MISSILES
AND AT GUESS WHO?
PRESIDENT TRUMP SAID HIS FIRST
MEETING WITH KIM IN SINGAPORE
LAST JUNE.
LAST JUNE. HOWEVER, HERE’S THE PRESIDENT
TODAY TRYING TO EXPLAIN IT.
>> IT’S TOO EARLY TO SAY, BUT WE
HAVE TO SOLVE A PROBLEM.
WE HAVE A VERY NASTY PROBLEM
THERE.
THERE. WE HAVE TO SOLVE A PROBLEM.
THE RELATIONSHIP IS GOOD.
I WOULD BE VERY DISAPPOINTED IF
THAT WERE HAPPENING.
IT’S A VERY EARLY REPORT.
WE’RE THE ONES WHO PUT IT OUT.
BUT I WOULD BE VERY, VERY
DISAPPOINTED IN CHAIRMAN KIM,
AND I DON’T THINK I WILL BE BUT
WE WILL SEE WHAT HAPPENS.
WE WILL TAKE A LOOK.
IT WILL ULTIMATELY GET SOLVED.
>> MR. PANETTA, BY THE WAY, YOU
MISSED THIS, THERE’S THE
PRESIDENT SAYING THAT APPEASING
LINE OF HIS, WITH A BRONZE
WINSTON CHURCHILL BEHIND HIM ON
A SHELF.
A SHELF. HERE HE IS JUSTIFYING KIM
JONG-UN’S BEHAVIOR WITH WINSTON
CHURCHILL BEHIND HIM.
HE DOESN’T SEEM TO GET THE FIST
CONNECTED IF WE CALL IT THAT.
YOUR THOUGHTS, WHY IS HE
COVERING FOR KIM?
>> YOU KNOW WHAT, THIS WHOLE
THING WAS HAYWIRE FROM THE
BEGINNING, TO THINK THAT SOMEHOW
HE AND KIM COULD SIT DOWN AND
PULL OFF AN AGREEMENT THAT WOULD
DENUCLEARIZE NORTH KOREA WAS, I
THINK, A BASIC MISTAKE AND A
CRITICAL MISTAKE BY THE
PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES.
AND IT’S PROVEN TO BE A MISTAKE
BECAUSE THIS WHOLE SUMMITRY
BETWEEN THE TWO OF THEM HAS
BASICALLY FLOPPED, IT’S A
DISASTER.
DISASTER. AND THE NORTH KOREANS NOW HAVE
GONE AHEAD AND STARTED TO
IMPROVE THEIR MISSILE SITE WITH
A CLEAR MESSAGE THAT THEY MAY
VERY WELL GO AHEAD AND TEST
ANOTHER ICBM.
ANOTHER ICBM. AND THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED
STATES IS NOW STUCK BECAUSE HE’S
GIVEN KIM A WORLD STAGE, HE’S
GIVEN HIM A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF
CREDIBILITY AS A WORLD LEADER BY
VIRTUE OF THESE MEETINGS.
HE’S LOST LEVERAGE IN THAT
RELATIONSHIP.
RELATIONSHIP. SO THE PRESIDENT ONE WAY OR
ANOTHER HAS TO REGAIN SOME
LEVERAGE HERE.
LEVERAGE HERE. I DON’T KNOW HOW HE’S GOING TO
DO IT BUT HE CAN’T JUST DO IT BY
BEING NICE TO KIM.