>> THERE’S ONLY THREE
POSSIBILITIES.
EITHER THE PRESIDENT LIED TO THE
AMERICAN PEOPLE, OR LEGITIMATELY
CANNOT REMEMBER THE COUNSEL OF
HIS TOP MILITARY ADVISORS IN
WINDING DOWN THE LONGEST WAR IN
AMERICAN HISTORY.
OR, YOU HAVE NOT BEEN ACCURATE
UNDER OATH.
GENERAL, I WILL ASK YOU, WHICH
CUSTOMER >> I CANNOT SHARE
ADVICE I GIVE THE PRESIDENT, AND
I WILL NOT.
I BELIEVE THE APPROPRIATE LEVEL
OF OUR FORCES IN AFGHANISTAN
SHOULD HAVE BEEN 2500.
>> WHAT DID THE PRESIDENT NO?
DID HE FORGET WHAT WAS TOLD TO
HIM, OR IS HE NOT BEING TRUTHFUL
CUSTOMER >> THAT’S AN
INAPPROPRIATE QUESTION AND I
WILL NOT ANSWER.
>> YOU MAY THINK THAT, BUT THE
AMERICAN PEOPLE DON’T.
THEY WANT ACCOUNTABILITY.
>> TOP GENERALS BACK ON THE HILL
AFTER BLOCKBUSTER REVELATIONS
THAT PRESIDENT BIDEN IGNORED
THEIR WARNINGS ON AFGHANISTAN.
HOUSE LAWMAKERS GETTING THEIR
CHANCE TO GRILL THE TOP BRASS ON
WHY AMERICANS AND ALLIES WERE
LEFT BEHIND.
REMEMBER WHEN THE BIDEN
ADMINISTRATION HANDED OVER
COUPLED TO THE TO THE TALIBAN?
TALIBAN OFFERED TO GIVE US
CONTROL OF THAT CITY.
>> DID HE OFFER TO ALLOW YOU TO
HAVE SECURITY OVER ALL OF KABUL?
>> AS PART OF THE CONVERSATION
HE SAID "TAKE SECURITY FOR ALL
OF KABUL."
THAT’S NOT WHY I WAS THERE.
THAT WAS NOT MY INSTRUCTION.
WE DID NOT HAVE THE RESOURCES TO
UNDERTAKE THAT.
>> WHO MADE THE DECISION TO TURN
DOWN THE TALIBAN OFFERED TO
ALLOW THE U.S. MILITARY TO
SECURE KABUL AND PUT THE SAFETY
OF OUR TROOPS IN THE HANDS OF
THE TALIBAN CUSTOMER >> I DID
NOT CONSIDER THAT A FORMAL
OFFER.
IT’S NOT THE REASON WHY I WAS
THERE, SO I DID NOT PURSUE IT.
>> Dan: THERE’S A COUPLE
TAKEAWAYS.
"THE WALL STREET JOURNAL" HAD
THE BEST TAKE THIS MORNING ON
BIDEN.
HE WANTS TO TAKE CREDIT FOR THE
PULLOUT, WHICH A LOT OF
AMERICANS AGREE -- ME INCLUDED,
I DIDN’T THINK WE SHOULD BE
THERE FOREVER.
WHAT HE DOESN’T WANT TO DO IS
TAKE CREDIT FOR THE WAY IN WHICH
HE DECIDED -- HE IS THE
COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF, WE CAN FACT
FACT-CHECK THAT -- BUT HE DOES
NOT WANT TO TAKE CREDIT FOR THE
DISASTROUS METHOD HE DID IT, AND
THROUGH THE MILITARY UNDER THE
BUS.
HE HAS PUT HIS MILITARY IN THIS
AWFUL SPOT WHERE THEY HAVE TO
SIT UP THERE AND MASSAGE THE
OBVIOUS ANSWERS.
"DID YOU TELL THE PRESIDENT TO
LEAVE THIS WAY"?
"NO."
THEY CAN’T SAY THAT SO WHAT DO
THEY SAY?
"MAYBE HE HEARD IT WRONG."
IT IS SO COWARDLY.
WHY NOT JUST SAY "LISTEN, I MADE
A MISTAKE.
I WANTED TO GET OUT.
I CARED ABOUT THE LIVES OF --"
IT’S INSANE THAT I’M GIVING HIM
POLITICAL ADVICE.
I LOST MY RUN FOR OFFICE.
SAY "I MADE A MISTAKE, WE
SCREWED UP.
WE ARE GOING TO RECTIFY."
ONE OTHER THING, A COLOR IN MY
RADIO SHOW SAID THIS.
HE CALLED UP AND SAID "THIS
MERELY CHARACTER, HE CALLED
CHINA AND WAS GOING TO WARN THEM
ABOUT A NUCLEAR ATTACK.
SOMEONE SHOULD ASK HIM TO COME
HELP SOMEONE IN CONGRESS IS
LISTENING.
THEY WARNED YOU ABOUT THE WHOLE
WUHAN VIRUS THING?
THEY DIDN’T, SO IT’S A ONE-WAY
STREET."
[LAUGHTER]
THOSE ARE MY TAKEAWAYS.
BIDEN SCREWED THIS UP.
>> Dagen: DANA, THE BIGGEST
TAKEAWAY MIGHT BE THE BIGGEST
TICKET ITEM.
EITHER BUT I DIDN’T LIED OR
DOESN’T REMEMBER.
>> Dana: WE ALL KNEW THAT THIS
WAS PROBABLY GOING TO BE WHAT
CAME OUT OF THIS. FOUR MONTHS, THE
FOR MONTHS, THE MEDIA HAD BEEN
REPORTING THAT PRESENT BIDEN WAS
PROUD HE HAD OVERRUN THE
GENERAL.
THERE WERE STORIES LIKE THAT ALL
AROUND, AND THE MILITARY WAS
PLANTING STORIES AND SING "WE
ARE SUGGESTING THAT 2500 SHOULD
STAY."
WE KNEW THAT WAS THE CASE.
WHEN GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS HAD
THE INTERVIEW WITH
PRESIDENT BIDEN, HE NO WHISK.
"NOBODY TOLD YOU THAT" QUESTION
McGEORGE’S QUESTION WAS "YOUR
MILITARY ADVISORS ADVISED OF
THIS BECAUSE WHAT?
HE SAID "NO, THEY WERE SPLIT
HERE" THAT’S HOW THEY GOT TO
THAT IN THE HEARING, WHICH IS
THAT THE STATE DEPARTMENT AND
NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISOR WHO
WERE SUGGESTING TROOP NUMBERS TO
THE PRESIDENT, WHO HE WENT WITH
THOSE NUMBERS INSTEAD OF GOING
WITH WHAT THE MILITARY SAID.
I HOPE THIS IS NOT THE END OF
THE ACCOUNTABILITY TO WORK.
I THINK THAT WHAT THE
PRESIDENT -- WILL NOT TAKE
QUESTIONS FOR THE PRESS, BUT
OUGHT TO.
ANTONY BLINKEN AND JAKE SHERMAN
HAVE TO BE CALLED UP AS WELL.
>> Dagen: WHAT DO YOU SAY,
HAROLD?
>> Harold: IT WAS EMBARRASSING
TO WATCH CONGRESS REQUIRE
MEMBERS OF OUR MILITARY COME
FORWARD AND ANSWERED QUESTIONS
ABOUT ADVISED.
GEORGE BUSH AND DONALD TRUMP
WOULD NOT HAVE ALLOWED IT TO
HAPPEN.
SOME CREDIT YOU HAVE TO GIVE TO
JOE BIDEN FOR HIM TO COME
FORWARD KNOWING THAT THEY ARE
UNDER OATH AND ARE GOING TO TELL
THE TRUTH.
TWO, I WAS LOOKING FORWARD TO
THIS HEARING, NOT TO POLITICIZE
AND RELITIGATE THE
POLITICIZATION OF WHAT HAPPENED.
I WAS MORE INTERESTED IN, NOW
THAT WE ARE WHERE WE ARE, WHAT
DO YOU THINK WE SHOULD BE DOING
FOR OUR OVER THE HORIZON
STRATEGY?
ARE YOU PERSUADED THAT THE
PRESIDENT IS RIGHT?
WE HAVE A CIVILIAN CONTROL
MILITARY.
THEIR ROLE IS TO BE THE
PRESIDENT’S ADVISOR.
THE PRESIDENT WILL BE HELD
RESPONSIBLE.
WHY?
HIS PARTY WILL HAVE A MIDTERM
ELECTION IN A YEAR AND A HALF OR
LESS, A YEAR AND A QUARTER, AND
HE WILL BEAT UP FOR REELECTION,
WILL HAVE TO STAND BEFORE THE
VOTERS.
STOP BEATING UP ON.
THESE MEN ARE DOING THEIR JOBS.
THEY GAVE THE ADVICE THEY GAVE,
AND IF YOU WANT TO QUARREL,
QUARREL WITH BIDEN.
IT WAS HIS DECISION.
FOR THOSE WHO STILL WANT TO BE
IN AFGHANISTAN AND HAVE 50,000
TROOPS, JUST SAY THAT.
TO COME AND HAVE THESE GENTLEMEN
COME BEFORE CONGRESS, TO HAVE
THE WORLD WITNESS A QUESTION --
I THINK HE KIND OF LOOKS LIKE
CARMEL JESSUP FROM THE OLD
TOM CRUISE MOVIE --
[LAUGHTER]
-- TO HAVE THESE MEN HAVE TO
SIT THERE AND TAKE THIS
POLITICAL CAMPAIGNING ON THE
PART OF MOSTLY WERE REPUBLICANS,
SOME DEMOCRATS, IT WAS IN A
BASEMENT TO THE COUNTRY.
THERE WAS A QUESTION ABOUT THE
OVER THE HORIZON CAPACITY, ARE
WE THREATENED, BETTER OFF?"
>> Dana: THE ANSWER WAS YES.
>> Jesse: IT’S DIFFICULT TO
HANDLE OVER THE HORIZON.
>> Harold: THEN TELL US WHAT
YOU WOULD BE ADVISING IN LIGHT
OF WHERE WE ARE.
>> YOU’VE GOT TEN DEAD CIVILIANS
BECAUSE OF A FAULTY DRONE STRIKE
STRIKE.
>> BEHIND CLOSED DOORS, THAT’S
HOW THEY GET OUT OF IT.
IT’S NOT JUST ONE LIFE.
HE LIED ABOUT OVER THE HORIZON,
LIED ABOUT THE COLLAPSE IN THE
11 DAYS.
HE LIED ABOUT THE TALIBAN
ADVANCED, LIED WHEN HE SAID "WE
ARE GOING TO BRING BACK EVERY
AMERICAN NO MATTER HOW LONG IT
TAKES."
HE ASKED THE AFGHAN PRESIDENT TO
LIE.
IT’S 3.50.
THIS IS THE BORDER TO SECURE.
THIS GUY IS A STONE COLD LIAR,
HAS A HISTORY OF PLAGIARISM.
THE LAST PRESIDENT WOULD
EMBELLISH CROWD SIZE OR A POLL
NUMBER.
HE WAS A MARKETER.
BIDEN IS A STRAIGHT UP LIAR.
EVERYONE NEEDS TO KNOW THAT.
WE LEARNED A LOT ABOUT HIM OVER
THESE LAST EIGHT MONTHS.
YOU CANNOT DISGUISE THAT.
YOU CAN ALSO NOT DISGUISE THE FACT THAT THE U.S. MILITARY, TO
FACT THAT THE U.S. MILITARY, TO
SAY THAT YOU TRAIN THESE GUYS TO
PULL OUT THE TECHNOLOGY AND
PERSONNEL AND EXPECT THEM TO
HOLD UP, THEN HAVE THEM
COLLAPSE?
YOU DID NOT TRAIN THEM THE RIGHT
WAY!
YOU GAVE THEM ALL OF OUR --
THAT’S WITH THE CONTRACTORS
WANT.
THE SAME THING HAPPEN IN
VIETNAM, THE SAME THING IN IRAQ.
THEN GENERALS ARE SAYING "WE
HAVE TO LOOK AT THIS FROM TOP TO
BOTTOM.
ANYBODY COULD HAVE FIGURED THIS
OUT.
IF YOU PULL OUT ANYTHING, THEY
WILL COLLAPSE."
>> Harold: THEY SPOKE TO
AUTHORS, SO I THINK THEY CAN
SPEAK TO CONGRESS.
>> I LOVE HOW WE DO SUBS OFF THE
TRUMP AGREEMENT THAT ALLOWED THE
TALIBAN TO TAKE OVER.
>> HE BOMBED AFTER THE
AGREEMENTS.
>> IT WAS HIS AGREEMENT.
>> THE TALIBAN -- WE WOULD’VE
HARD TO HAVE SENT 40,000 40,000
TROOPS.
>> NOBODY WANTS 50,000 TROOPS.
>> YOU DON’T NEED 50.
WE NEED AIR STRIKES.
>> A CATASTROPHIC FAILURE
STARTING IN THE SPRING AT EVERY
TURN.
BIDEN HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO
SLOW DOWN, TURN OFF, STOP.
HE IGNORED EVERYONE.
THE GENERALS WERE PULLING OUT,
AND THEY TOOK CALLS IN FOUR
DAYS, AND HE SAID "MOVE ALONG."
HE WANTED TO MAKE THE SPEECH ON