MORE TRANSPARENCY. >> KRISTEN WELKER, THANK YOU.
JOINING US FROM CAPITOL HILL, MEMBER OF THE SELECT COMMITTEE
ON INTELLIGENCE. JIM HINES OF CONNECTICUT, THANK
YOU FOR GOOD MORNING. >> WE CAN START WITH THE RUSSIA
INVESTIGATION AND THE PRESIDENT'S TWEETS.
THIS IS BIZARRE. I AM FEELING LIKE THERE ARE DOTS
THAT COULD BE CONNECTED ON A MUCH HIGHER LEVEL IN TERMS OF
HOW THIS PRESIDENT IS LEADING OR DICTATING HOW HE DOES HIS
BUSINESS. WHAT'S YOUR BIGGEST CONCERN?
>> WELL, I THINK MY BIGGEST CONCERN IS THAT HE IS OUT THERE
WITH THE PRIME MINISTER OF INDIA TALKING ABOUT HOW IMPORTANT
SOCIAL MEDIA IS. IN THE WORLD OF FOREIGN POLICY,
HAVING A CLEAR WELL THOUGHT OUT VOICE IS REALLY, REALLY
IMPORTANT, AND, YOU KNOW, WE JUST HAVE EXAMPLES EVERY DAY OF
HOW HIS TWEETING -- REMEMBER HIS TWEETS ON QATAR.
QATAR IS A COUNTRY PROMOTING TERRORISM.
I'M NOT EVEN SURE HE KNEW AT THE TIME.
WE HAVE 11,000 SERVICE PEOPLE IN QATAR AT AN AIR BASE THAT'S
PRETTY CRITICAL TO US THERE. THE SECRETARY OF STATE HAS A
TOTALLY DIFFERENT MESSAGE. NOW, YOU KNOW, WE WAKE UP TO
THIS CHARGE THAT PRESIDENT OBAMA COLLUDED, THAT HE DID NOTHING,
WHICH IS COMPLETELY FALSE. THIS IS CERTAINLY IN THE REALM
OF FOREIGN POLICY IT'S A VERY, VERY DANGEROUS THING.
ESPECIALLY AS YOU GUYS WERE TALKING ABOUT EARLIER, AT A TIME
WHEN THE PRESIDENT HAS LAID DOWN A THREAT, HAS DRAWN A RED LINE
FOR MILITARY ACTIVITY IN SYRIA. ARE WE TO BELIEVE THE DEPARTMENT
OF DEFENSE, OR ARE WE TO BELIEVE TWEETS?
I'M NOT SURE THE WORLD KNOWS. >> CONGRESSMAN, HAVE YOU OR TO
YOUR KNOWLEDGE HAVE ANY MEMBER OF THE HOUSE INTELLIGENCE
COMMITTEE RECEIVED A HEADS-UP ON THAT NOTIFICATION THAT CAME OUT?
>> I DON'T THINK SO. I CERTAINLY DID NOT.
I READ ABOUT IT IN THE PRESS LIKE EVERYBODY ELSE DID LATE
LAST NIGHT. I CAN'T SPEAK FOR MY COLLEAGUES,
BUT I DON'T THINK ANYBODY AROUND HERE KNEW THAT THAT WAS COMING
OUT. THIS IS REALLY CRITICAL BECAUSE
THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES THREATENED A WAR, AND AS
A MEMBER OF CONGRESS, IT IS REALLY, REALLY IMPORTANT THAT
THE AMERICAN PEOPLE BE REMINDED QUITE APART FROM THE WISDOM OF
DRAWING A RED LINE IN SYRIA. WE'VE SEEN THAT MOVIE BEFORE.
THE AMERICAN PEOPLE BE REMINDED THAT THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED
STATES CANNOT GO TO WAR WITHOUT CONGRESSIONAL AUTHORIZATION
UNLESS WE HAVE BEEN ATTACKED, AND WE NEED TO WATCH VERY, VERY
CAREFULLY WHAT HAPPENS IN THE COMING DAYS HERE BECAUSE THE
PRESIDENT THREATENED TO DO JUST THAT.
>> WHAT CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT THE DAY TO DAY OPERATIONS WITHIN
SYRIA WITH REGARD TO THE UNITED STATES FORCES GIVEN THE FACT
THAT THE RUSSIANS HAVE SAID THAT THEY'RE GOING TO EMPLOY A NO FLY
ZONE OF THEIR OWN? >> WELL, IT REALLY HIGHLIGHTS
HOW VERY DANGEROUS THE SYRIAN BATTLEFIELD IS.
FOR A COUPLE OF REASONS. NUMBER ONE, AS HAS BEEN WIDELY
REPORTED, WE'VE GOT A LOT OF TROOPS ON THE GROUND THERE NOW.
ACTUALLY ENGAGED IN COMBAT AS THE PRESS HAS REPORT.
APPARENTLY THEY'RE SHOOTING DOWN IRANIAN DRONES, HAVE SHOT DOWN A
SYRIAN AIRCRAFT. WHO IS BEHIND THE SYRIAN
AIRCRAFT? THE RUSSIANS ARE.
QUITE APART FROM THE FACT THAT IF YOU HAVE PEOPLE ON THE
GROUND, ONE OF THEM COULD GET CAPTURED.
WE COULD SEE THAT INDIVIDUAL IN AN ORANGE JUMPSUIT, HEAVEN
FORBID. NUMBER TWO, YOU KNOW, WE COULD
FIND OURSELVES FACE-TO-FACE GUN TO GUN AGAINST THE RUSSIANS,
AND, YOU KNOW, MAYBE THAT'S THE RIGHT DECISION, BUT IT'S NOT THE
RIGHT DECISION IF CONGRESS HASN'T DELIBERATED IT, IF WE
HAVEN'T THOUGHT IT THROUGH, IF THIS IS THE PRODUCT OF THE
PRESIDENT'S INDIGESTION IN AN EARLY MORNING TWEET.
IT IS TOO SERIOUS FOR IT TO HAPPEN THAT WAY.
>> IT'S WILLIE GEIST. YOU MENTIONED THERE IS NO
EVIDENCE THAT PRESIDENT OBAMA COLLUDED WITH RUSSIA, AS
PRESIDENT TRUMP ACCUSED HIM OF IN THAT TWEET.
THERE IS IN THE WASHINGTON POST LAST WEEK EVIDENCE THAT MANY
PEOPLE INSIDE THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION THOUGHT THAT NOT
ENOUGH WAS DONE. THERE'S THE FAMOUS NOW QUOTE
THAT WE KIND OF CHOKED COMING FROM ONE UNNAMED OFFICIAL.
ARE YOU DISAPPOINTED IN THE REACTION FROM THE OBAMA
ADMINISTRATION TO RUSSIAN MEDDLING?
>> WELL, I MEAN, LET'S DISPENSE WITH THIS IDEA OF COLLUSION.
>> NO. >> THAT'S JUST ABSURD.
>> OF NOT DOING ENOUGH? >> I AGREE WITH THAT.
THE PRESIDENT TRIED. HE MOBILIZED THE INTELLIGENCE
COMMUNITY. HE REACHED OUT TO PUTIN.
JOHN BRENNAN, HEAD OF THE CIA, CALLED UP TO HIS COUNTERPART IN
RUSSIA. THERE WERE THE SANCTIONS THAT
WERE TAKEN. >> BUT HE DIDN'T DO ENOUGH,
CONGRESSMAN, DID HE? >> IN MY OPINION HE DIDN'T DO
ENOUGH. YOU KNOW, PUTIN IS LIKE A SCHOOL
YARD BULLY. EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE THAT GUY
NEEDS TO GET KNOCKED DOWN TO UNDERSTAND THAT PARTICULARLY IN
A REALM IN WHICH WE ARE BETTER THAN HE IS AND, BY THE WAY,
THAT'S MOST REALMS, BUT IN THE CYBER REALM, WE ARE BETTER THAN
HE IS, AND I ALWAYS FELT THAT, YOU KNOW, GUIDED BY THE IDEA OF
PROPORTIONALITY, WHICH MEANS THAT YOU HIT BACK ABOUT AS HARD
AS ROUGHLY YOU'VE BEEN HIT, THAT WE SHOULD HAVE DONE MORE, AND
THAT COULD HAVE TAKEN A LOT OF FORUMS.
SADLY, WHAT I THINK RUSSIA SEES TODAY IS A SLAP ON THE WRIST AND
AN UNWILLINGNESS ON THE PART OF THE UNITED STATES TO USE IS
OFFENSIVE CAPABILITY TO MAKE SURE ANYONE THAT ATTACKS US AS
THEY DID PRIOR TO ELECTION DAY IS GOING TO PAY A PRETTY
SIGNIFICANT PRICE FOR DOING SO