SO WHERE IS THIS?
LET’S BRING IN OUR PANEL
KIMBERLEY CENTRAL MEMBER OF THE
EDITORIAL OF THE "WALL STREET
JOURNAL."
STEVE HAYES MEMBER OF THE
DISPATCH AND HAROLD FORD JR.
FORMER TENNESSEE CONGRESSMAN AND
CEO OF EMPOWERMENT AND INCLUSION
CAPITAL.
I WOULD VENTURE, KIMBERLEY YOU
ARE NOT GOING TO SEE THIS TOPIC
DISCUSSED ON OTHER CHANNELS AND
OTHER PLACES BUT YOUR THOUGHTS
ON THIS DEVELOPMENT AND WHAT IT
MEANS BIG PICTURE.
>> YEAH, YOU ALREADY SEE OTHER
CHANNELS DISMISSING THIS AS
SUGGESTING THIS SOMEHOW SHOWS
THAT DURHAM IS COMING UP SHORT
WITHOUT MUCH, AS MUCH AS THEY
PREDICTED BUT THE REALITY IS
THIS IS KIND OF AN IMPORTANT
DEAL BECAUSE LET’S NOT FORGET
THAT THE DNC AND HILLARY CLINTON
USED THIS LAW FIRM TO
ESSENTIALLY HIDE THE PAYMENTS
THAT THEY WERE MAKING TO FUSION
GPS AND THIS OPPOSITION
RESEARCH.
AND TO WHAT YOU ESSENTIALLY HAVE
IS AN INDICTMENT OF AN OPERATIVE
HERE OF THE CLINTON CAMPAIGN
BEING INDICTED FOR GOING TO THE
FBI, LYING TO THEM IN AN EFFORT
TO MANIPULATE THE FBI INTO
INVESTIGATING A RIVAL CAMPAIGN.
I THINK IF THIS WAS FLIPPED ON
ITS HEAD AND THIS WAS
REPUBLICANS WHO DID THIS, IT
WOULD BE FRONT PAGES EVERYWHERE.
BUT IT SHOULD BE TREATED AS AN
IMPORTANT MOMENT.
>> Bret: STEVE, WHERE DO WE
THINK THIS IS GOING?
FOR A LOT OF THESE
INVESTIGATIONS THERE IS, PEOPLE
WHO FOLLOW IT, FRUSTRATION THAT
IT NEVER ENDS UP IN ANYTHING.
IS THIS SOMETHING?
>> WE KNOWED TO KNOW MORE.
CERTAINLY THIS ISING ISING SOMET
IT’S NEVER A GOOD IDEA TO LIE TO
THE FBI.
IT’S CERTAINLY NOT A GOOD IDEA
TO LIE TO THE FBI TO CONCEAL THE
FACT THAT YOU ARE WORKING WITH A
POLITICAL CAMPAIGN THAT MAY HAVE
BEEN FEEDING BAD INFORMATION TO
THE U.S. GOVERNMENT.
WE’LL SEE WHERE THIS GOES.
OBVIOUSLY HIS ATTORNEYS HAVE PUT
OUT A STATEMENT THAT THIS IS
WRONG HE HASN’T COMMITTED A
CRIME I’M VERY INTERESTED TO SEE
IF WE SEE FROM JOHN DURHAM
SOMETHING THAT ATTEMPTS TO PUT
THIS PUZZLE PIECE IN A BROADER
PICTURE SO WE CAN PROPERLY
UNDERSTAND IT.
THE STORY ITSELF IS CERTAINLY
NOT A GOOD DEVELOPMENT FOR THE
JUSTICE DEPARTMENT, FOR MILK
SUSSMANN FOR THE CLINTON
CAMPAIGN.
>> Bret: HAROLD, WE ARE TOLD
THAT DURHAM, AS THE WAY HE
OPERATES, IS VERY DELIBERATE.
SOMETIMES WE IT TAKES TIME.
SOMETIMES IT TAKES YEARS.
IT’S OBVIOUSLY NOT SATISFYING
FOR THE TRUMP FOLKS WHO WANTED
IT TO HAPPEN BEFORE THE
ELECTION.
BUT, POLITICALLY, THE UPSIDE FOR
THE BIDEN FOLKS, PERHAPS, IS THE
MERRICK GARLAND ATTORNEY GENERAL
IS IT DOESN’T SEEM LIKE THEY ARE
STEPPING IN THE WAY OF ANY OF
THIS.
>> IT APPEARS THAT WAY.
THANKS FOR HAVING ME ON.
I DON’T DISAGREE WITH ANYTHING
THAT’S BEEN SAID AND I DON’T
KNOW MUCH THAT I CAN ADD OTHER
THAN JUST ECHO THAT THIS IS A
SERIOUS CHARGE.
I HAVE HEARD THOSE ON OUR
NETWORK A LITTLE EARLIER PERHAPS
EVEN A FEW DAYS AGO SAY THEY
DIDN’T THINK THAT MR. DURHAM
WOULD BRING JUST THIS CHARGE
THAT HE WAS PROBABLY ANGLING FOR
SOMETHING ELSE.
BUT THIS IS THE CHARGE THAT HE
HAS BROUGHT.
WE WILL SEE.
THE DEFENSE FROM MR. SUSSMANN
AND WE WILL LET IT GO FROM
THERE.
I WOULD IMAGINE, TO YOUR POINT,
BRET, THAT ATTORNEY GENERAL IS
ALLOWING THIS TO PROCEED WITHOUT
ANY INTERFERENCE.
>> Bret: I WANT TO TURN TO
AFGHANISTAN.
AND THESE QUESTIONS ABOUT WHO
MADE THE FINAL DECISION.
WAS PRESIDENT BIDEN KIND OF OUT
ON A LIMB ON THIS DECISION ABOUT
THE EXIT AND HOW IT HAPPENED
TAKE A LISTEN TO THE WHITE HOUSE
BRIEFING TODAY.
>> DID THE PRESIDENT HEAR
SPECIFICALLY THE RECOMMENDATION
FROM THE COMMANDER ON THE GROUND
IN AFGHANISTAN THAT HE FEARS
THAT A FULL WITHDRAWAL WOULD BE
DEVASTATING AND SHOULD NOT
HAPPEN?
>> HE WAS PROVIDED A RANGE OF
ADVICE.
IT IS CRYSTAL CLEAR THAT 2500
TROOPS WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN
SUSTAINABLE ON THE GROUND.
IT WOULD HAVE BEEN EITHER
INCREASED ON THE GROUND OR
WITHDRAWAL TROOPS ON THE GROUND.
HE WAS NOT GOING TO SEND
THOUSANDS AND THOUSANDS MORE
TROOPS TO FIGHT A WAR THE
AFGHANS DID NOT WANT TO FIGHT
THEMSELVES.
>> Bret: KIMBERLEY THAT STRAW
MAN, THAT WASN’T THE OFFER.
AND FROM EVERYTHING WE ARE
GETTING ABOUT GENERAL MILLER,
THE COMMANDER ON THE GROUND AND
WHAT HE RECOMMENDED AND PERHAPS
WHAT OTHER MILITARY ADVISERS
WERE RECOMMENDING, IT WAS
SOMETHING SHORT OF THAT.
>> YEAH, THE DISTRICT HERE ALL
ALONG IS THAT PRESIDENT BIDEN
HAS BEEN BLAMING THE MILITARY
FOR DECISIONS THAT WERE MADE OR
SAYING HEY THIS WAS THE BEST
ADVICE AND I WAS JUST DOING WHAT
THEY TOLD ME DO.
IT’S ON THEM IF IT WENT WRONG.
BUT THE REALITY IS, AND THIS,
YOU KNOW, PUTS IT IN BETTER
CONTEXT, IS THAT THE PRESIDENT
IS ALWAYS IN CHARGE OF SETTING
THE MISSION.
AND ESSENTIALLY WHAT THE
MILITARY IS SAYING IS THAT
WITHIN THE PARAMETERS HE HAD
GIVEN US, WE DIDN’T HAVE ANY
CHOICE.
WE HAD TO MAKE THAT THERE
WEREN’T ANY OPTIONS.
NOW, WE TOLD HIM YOU CAN DO IT
THIS WAY INSTEAD AND HE SAID NO,
THAT WON’T FIT WITH THE MISSION.
SO THAT’S WHERE WE GOT WHERE WE
GOT IS ON BIDEN.
IT’S -- HE MADE THE CALL.
>> Bret: OBVIOUSLY THAT HEARING
WE WILL GET TO SEPTEMBER 2 8TH
WITH CHAIRMAN OF THE JOINT
CHIEFS MARK MILLEY.
STEVE, THIS WILL BE A MAJOR
QUESTION BUT AS WILL, OBVIOUSLY,
THE WOODWARD, COSTA BOOK AND ALL
THE ALLEGATIONS THERE.
>> YEAH.
I THINK WE CAN BET ON A NUMBER
OF QUESTIONS ABOUT THE
WOODWARD-COSTA BOOK OR THE
FIRESTORM IN THE PAST 36 HOURS.
ON THIS QUESTION, LOOK, THE U.S.
MILITARY LEADERSHIP ON THE
GROUND IN AFGHANISTAN MADE
PLENTY OF MISTAKES.
AND I THINK GAVE PLENTY OF BAD
ADVICE.
OVER THE YEARS THEY DOWN PLAYED
THE EXISTENCE OF AL-QAEDA AND
COUNTRY.
THEY WHITE WASHED SOME OF THE
TALIBAN.
THEY DID THAT IN PUBLIC SETTING.
THEY DID THAT CERTAINLY IN
PRIVATE SETTINGS.
I THINK KIMBERLY IS RIGHT.
THIS ULTIMATELY IS JOE BIDEN’S
CALL.
AND THERE WERE CERTAINLY
INTELLIGENCE ASSESSMENTS THAT
SAID TO THE PRESIDENT IF YOU
WITHDRAW U.S. TROOPS, IF YOU
REDUCE THE AMERICAN PRESENCE ON
THE GROUND IN AFGHANISTAN, IT
WILL HAVE NEGATIVE EFFECTS ON
WHAT’S HAPPENING THERE AND WILL
HURT OUR ABILITY, CERTAINLY, TO