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LOU: OUR NEXT GUEST WORKED
CLOSELY WITH JOHN BOLTON AT THE
WHITE HOUSE AND SAYS BOLTON HAS
PUT SELF-PROMOTION AHEAD OF
TRUTH AND OF THE INTEREST OF THE
COUNTRY.
JOINING US NOW WITH AN EXCLUSIVE
INTERVIEW IS TREASURY E
SECRETARY STEVEN MNUCHIN.
AND, MR. SECRETARY, GREAT TO
HAVE YOU WITH US.
I’M GOING TO BEGIN WITH THIS
QUOTE FROM JOHN BOLTON ABOUT
YOU, WHICH I THINK -- I’M SURE
THAT YOU’VE READ.
IF WE COULD PUT THAT ON THE
SCREEN FOR THE AUDIENCE, PLEASE.
MNUCHIN IS A DEMOCRAT, AND THE
VIEWS THAT HE RECOMMENDED GO
LIGHT ON SANCTIONS ON RUSSIA,
DON’T SANCTION THE CHINESE,
DON’T SANCTION MADURO, DON’T
SANCTION THE NORTH KOREANS SO
HARSHLY ARE ALL THE CONDITIONS
OF A BIG BUSINESS DEMOCRAT WHICH
IS FINE IN A BIG BUSINESS
DEMOCRATIC TYPE OF
ADMINISTRATION.
MR. SECRETARY, HE NOT ONLY HATES
PRESIDENT TRUMP, HE HATES THE
TREASURY SECRETARY.
WHAT’S THE DEAL?
>> WELL, LOU, IT’S GREAT TO BE
WITH YOU, AND HE DIDN’T LIKE ME,
AND HE OBVIOUSLY DOESN’T LIKE
THE PRESIDENT BECAUSE FROM DAY
ONE HE DISAGREED WITH THE
PRESIDENT’S STRATEGY.
SO, FIRST, LET ME JUST SAY I
HAVEN’T READ THE BOOK.
I’VE SEEN PARTS OF THE BOOK,
PEOPLE HAVE SENT ME.
I SAT IN MEETINGS, COMPLETELY
FULL OF INACCURACIES, THAT’S
NUMBER ONE.
NUMBER TWO, IT’S OUTRAGEOUS THAT
ANY NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER OR
ANY MEMBER OF THE PRESIDENT’S
NATIONAL SECURITY TEAM SHOULD BE
ABLE TO WRITE A BOOK WITHOUT IT
GETTING POSITIVELY CLEARED, AND
AFTER THE PRESIDENT IS LONG
GONE.
THE FACT THAT JOHN BOLTON WAS
MORE INTERESTED IN MAKING
MILLIONS OF DOLLARS OFF OF A
BOOK THAN SERVING THE COUNTRY IS
OUTRAGEOUS.
LOU: AND THE JUDGE HIMSELF,
ROYCE LAMBERTH, ACKNOWLEDGING
THAT HE DID NOT HAVE WRITTEN
AUTHORIZATION FROM THE NATIONAL
SECURITY COUNCIL REVIEW, THAT HE
WAS GAMBLING WITH NATIONAL
SECURITY, BUT THE JUDGE ALSO
SAYING -- AND I’M NOT SURE THAT
I AGREE WITH HIM -- THAT THE
HORSE WAS OUT OF THE BARN.
I’M NOT SURE I AGREE WITH THAT
AT ALL, IN POINT OF FACT.
WE HAVE HAD INSTANCES WITH
JUDGES HAVE RETRIEVED PUBLIC
BOOKS THAT HAVE BEEN PUBLISHED
BUT NOT BEEN SOLD.
THIS IS A BIZARRE MOMENT IN
HISTORY.
WHERE A JUDGE SAYS HE’S RECKLESS
WITH NATIONAL SECURITY, COULD
HAVE CIVIL AND CRIMINAL
PENALTIES AGAINST HIM AS A
RESULT, BUT HE WOULDN’T STOP THE
BOOK.
>> WELL, LOU, MY
UNDERSTANDING -- AND, AGAIN,
WITHOUT BEING AN EXPERT ON THE
LEGAL CASE, WHAT I CAN TELL YOU
IS MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT WHEN
BOLTON LEFT THE WHITE HOUSE, HE
WAS ASKED TO RETURN NOTES, AND
HE DIDN’T.
IS SO I FIND IT HARD TO BELIEVE
THAT HE SITS IN A PRINCIPALS
COMMITTEE MEETING IN THE
SITUATION ROOM, WHICH BY
DEFINITION, DELIBERATIONS ARE
CONFIDENTIAL AND CLASSIFIED, YET
HE MUST HAVE AN INCREDIBLE
MEMORY IF HE REMEMBERS
EVERYBODY’S QUOTES.
BUT NOT ONLY ARE MANY OF THE
QUOTES INACCURATE -- EVEN IF
THEY WERE ACCURATE, BY
DEFINITION THEY’D BE CLASSIFIED.
AND IT WAS VERY CLEAR WE’VE DONE
MORE SANCTIONS UNDER PRESIDENT
TRUMP IN THIS ADMINISTRATION
THAN THE PREVIOUS
ADMINISTRATIONS COMBINED.
SO FOR JOHN BOLTON TO SAY THAT I
OR THE PRESIDENT OR THE TREASURY
E DEPARTMENT WAS WEAK ON
SANCTIONS IS RIDICULOUS.
WHEN IT COMES TO IRAN, THE
PRESIDENT, MYSELF, SECRETARY
POMPEO, WE’RE 100% ALIGNED.
AND, YES, IT’S TRUE, JOHN BOLTON
WAS NOT NECESSARILY 100%
ALIGNED.
BUT EVERY SINGLE DECISION WE
MADE WENT TO THE PRESIDENT.
AND LET ME TELL YOU, IT WAS THE
PRESIDENT’S POLICY, NOT JOHN
BOLTON’S POLICY.
LOU: LET’S TALK ABOUT, IF WE
MAY, DECOUPLING.
ROBERT LIGHTHIZER RAISING
EYEBROWS OF MORE THAN A FEW
PEOPLE, INCLUDING MY OWN TO,
WHEN HE SAID DECOUPLING FROM
CHINA AFTER 100-PLUS THOUSAND
AMERICANS WERE MURDERED BY THE
POLICIES AND THE DECISIONS OF XI
JINPING IS, TO ME, STUNNING.
THE PRESIDENT MADE IT CLEAR THAT
THAT WAS A MISUNDERSTANDING
BETWEEN HIMSELF AND LIGHTHIZER,
BUT I WONDER WHAT YOUR
UNDERSTANDING IS.
>> I THINK AMBASSADOR
LIGHTHIZER’S COMMENT WAS TAKEN
OUT OF CONTEXT -- LIGHTHIZER.
AMBASSADOR LIGHTHIZER, AS YOU
KNOW, HE’S DONE AN AMAZING JOB.
HE WAS THE ONE WHO LED OUR TRADE
NEGOTIATIONS AT THE DIRECTION OF
THE PRESIDENT.
I SAT IN EVERY SINGLE ONE OF
THOSE MEETINGS.
NOBODY HAS EVER DONE AS MUCH ON
TRADE AS AMBASSADOR LIGHTHIZER.
SO THERE MAY BE A TIME WHEN WE
HAVE A DECOUPLING.
THAT’S SOMETHING THE PRESIDENT
WILL CONSIDER.
BUT THIS PRESIDENT HAS BEEN
TOUGHER ON CHINA THAN ANYONE,
AND IT’S ONLY BECAUSE OF THE
PRESIDENT’S TARIFFS THAT WE WERE
ABLE TO GET A PHASE ONE TRADE
DEAL WHICH HAS DONE MORE THAN
ANY PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATION
WHETHER IT’S A DEMOCRAT OR
REPUBLICAN IN THE OFFICE.
LOU: HOW MUCH -- NO, AND I’VE
BEEN, I THINK AMONGST THOSE, AT
THE FOREFRONT COMPLEMENTING YOU
THE PRESIDENT AND THE
ADMINISTRATION FOR ACHIEVING A
HISTORIC AGREEMENT WITH THE
CHINESE.
I’M ALSO NOW FEELING SOMEWHAT
LOANLY BECAUSE I’M AMONGST THE
FEW WHO LEAVE THIS
ADMINISTRATION SHOULD ALSO BE
HOLDING PRESIDENT XI AND THE
CHINESE GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABLE
FOR THE MURDER -- WHAT I SEE
PLAINLY AS THE MURDER -- OF OVER
100,000 AMERICANS.
IS THERE ANY ENERGY BEING
DEVOTED TO HOW THAT CAN BE
ACHIEVED?
>> LOU, I THINK THERE IS ENERGY,
AND I WOULD START WITH SECRETARY
TO POMPEO -- SECRETARY POMPEO.
WHEN HE HAD HIS MOST MEETING, HE
WAS VERY CLEAR WE NEED ANSWERS.
SO, YOU KNOW, IT’S NOT
ACCEPTABLE THAT CHINA HASN’T
OPENED UP, HASN’T BEEN
FORTHRIGHT WITH WHAT’S GOING ON
WITH THIS DISEASE S AND THERE’S
NO QUESTION THE DISEASE STARTED
THERE.
AND HOW DID IT SPREAD THROUGH
THE REST OF THE WORLD, AND IT
DIDN’T SPREAD THROUGH CHINA?
THAT’S WHAT WE WANT TO KNOW.
LOU: AND WHY DIDN’T, WHEN THEY
DID KNOW WHAT WAS GOING ON, THEY
DIDN’T TELL THE REST OF THE
WORLD.
AND THAT HAS COST A LOT OF
LIVES.
MR. SECRETARY, WE THANK YOU FOR
BEING HERE, AND IT’S GOOD OF YOU
TO STAND UP AND DEFEND THE
PRESIDENT AGAINST A FORMER
NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER WHO
DOES SEEM JUST A BIT TOO
INTERESTED IN HIS BOOK ADVANCE
RATHER THAN THE ADVANCEMENT OF