PEOPLE BACK IN RUSSIA, AND THEY’RE HEARING ABOUT THIS, TOO.
SO IT’S GOING TO HAVE DAMAGE.
>> AND, BRETT, WHILE I HAVE YOU,
LATER ON THIS WEEK, THE LOWER
END OF MANHATTAN WILL BE LIT UP
BY TWO BEAMS OF BLUE LIGHT
HEADING SKYWARD TO STAND FOR THE
WORLD TRADE CENTER TOWERS.
THAT BEING THE CASE, SEPTEMBER
11th BEING ON THE WAY, WHAT
WOULD YOUR REACTION HAVE BEEN IF
WE WERE COMING ON THE AIR
TONIGHT TO REPORT THE HOUSE
GUESTS AT CAMP DAVID HAD BEEN
MEMBERS OF THE TALIBAN
LEADERSHIP?
LEADERSHIP? >> YOU KNOW, IT’S ONE OF THE --
LOOK, I’VE BEEN A LOT OF
NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL
MEETINGS.
MEETINGS. I SPENT TWO YEARS ON THE TRUMP
ADMINISTRATION.
ADMINISTRATION. THIS IS ONE OF THE CRAZIEST
IDEAS I’VE EVER HEARD TO HAVE A
TALIBAN COME TO CAMP DAVID TO
CULMINATE AN AGREEMENT THAT
WASN’T REALLY EVEN CONCLUDED
BECAUSE THE TALIBAN AND THE
AFGHAN GOVERNMENT HAD NEVER
TALKED.
TALKED. THE TALIBAN IS STILL COMMITTED
TO OVERTHROWING THE AFGHAN
GOVERNMENT WHEN WE LEAVE.
SO IT’S A REALLY HALFBAKED CRAZY
IDEA THAT APPARENTLY THE
PRESIDENT THOUGHT HE COULD WORK
HIS MAGIC AND GET THESE TWO
PARTIES TOGETHER.
PARTIES TOGETHER. THAT WAS TOTALLY WISHFUL
THINKING, AND REALLY, IT’S JUST
OUTRAGEOUS TO THINK ABOUT THE
TALIBAN WHO HARBORS AL QAEDA TO
BE COMING ANYWHERE NEAR
WASHINGTON LET ALONE CAMP DAVID.
IT’S A CRAZY STORY, AND GLAD
IT’S NOT HAPPENING.
>> AND SHANNON, IS IT NOW BY
DESIGN THAT WE LEARN ABOUT
NOW-CANCELED MEETINGS VIA
TWITTER?
TWITTER? WHAT DO WE HAVE IN COMMON WITH A
HUGE PERCENTAGE OF THE STANDING
WASHINGTON GOVERNMENT, IS THIS
ALSO THE WAY THEY LEARNED?
>> THAT’S THE WAY WHITE HOUSE
STAFFERS LEARN ABOUT THINGS.
OVER AND OVER AGAIN, YOU KNOW,
INTERACTIONS WITH KIM JONG-UN,
INTERACTIONS WITH IRAN, WE’RE
LEARNING ABOUT THEM ON TWITTER.
SOME MAJOR -- I MEAN, THERE’S
BEEN INSTANCES I HAVE BEEN TOLD
ABOUT IN THE PAST WHERE
OBVIOUSLY THE PENTAGON WAS
CAUGHT OFF GUARD.
I BELIEVE IT WAS THE TIME WHEN
THE PRESIDENT ANNOUNCED TROOP
WITHDRAWAL FROM AFGHANISTAN.
A LOT OF PEOPLE IN THE PENTAGON
WERE CAUGHT OFF GUARD BY THAT.
AND, OF COURSE, THOUGH, THIS
SPEAKS TO THIS PATTERN OF THE
PRESIDENT HAVING A STRATEGY OF
CALLING OFFING OUT OF A ROOM,
WALKING OUT OF NEGOTIATIONS WITH
KIM JONG-UN, WALKING OUT OF
TALKS WITH THE DEMOCRATS ON
IMMIGRATION.
IMMIGRATION. HERE, AGAIN, A VERY PUBLIC
CANCELING OF THIS MEETING WHICH,
OF COURSE, THE PRESIDENT COULD
HAVE JUST DONE PRIVATELY.
THIS COULD HAVE BEEN JUST KEPT
BETWEEN THE U.S. AND AFGHAN
NEGOTIATORS AND THE TALIBAN, BUT
HE MADE THIS PUBLIC DISPLAY OF
IT AND IT’S ALMOST BECOME A
BARGAINING TACTIC OR NEGOTIATING
TACTIC THAT HE SEEMS TO USE
WHERE HE WALKS AWAY FROM THE
TABLE WHICH IS SOMETHING HE DID
AS A BUSINESSMAN AND THINKS
THAT’S GOING TO HELP GET THEM
BACK.
BACK. SO IF PEOPLE HAD INITIALLY
PREDICTED IN THE START OF THIS
ADMINISTRATION THAT THERE WOULD
BE GOVERNING BY TWEET, THAT HAS
CERTAINLY COME TO FRUITION, NOT
JUST ON FOREIGN POLICY BUT
ANNOUNCING KEY CABINET MEMBERS,
A DEFENSE SECRETARY BEING
ANNOUNCED ON TWITTER, FIRINGS ON
TWITTER.
TWITTER. SO, YES, THAT IS THE WAY NOT
ONLY WE ARE ALL LEARNING ABOUT
IT BUT PEOPLE IN THE
ADMINISTRATION AND THE WHITE
HOUSE ARE LEARNING ABOUT IT AS
WELL.
WELL. >> HEY, ROBERT COSTA, WHO’S ON
THE INSIDE TO SAY, MR.
PRESIDENT, TALIBAN, CAMP DAVID,
9/11 WEEK, NOT A GOOD LOOK FOR
SO MANY REASONS?
>> ALMOST EVERYONE ON THE INSIDE
HAS A MORE CONVENTIONAL APPROACH
TO FOREIGN POLICY IN NATIONAL
SECURITY AND THERE ARE RISING
TENSIONS INSIDE OF THIS WHITE
HOUSE AND THE BROADER
ADMINISTRATION ABOUT THE
PRESIDENT’S CONDUCT AND
DECISIONMAKING.
DECISIONMAKING. WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT THE
NATIONAL SECURITY APPARATUS AT
THE CIA, THE STATE DEPARTMENT,
THE NSC, AND EVEN TOP OFFICIALS
IN THE CABINET, THEY’RE TELLING
THIS PRESIDENT NOT TO PURSUE
SOME OF THESE MORE
UNCONVENTIONAL AMBITIONS, YET
THE PRESIDENT IS PUSHING BACK
AGAINST THEM AND THEY ALL ARE
TAKINGING A MORE FORMAL
POSITION, A MORE MAINSTREAM
POSITION WHEN IT COMES TO ISSUES
LIKE RUSSIA.
LIKE RUSSIA. I WAS JUST ON THE ROAD WITH VICE
PRESIDENT PENCE FOR A WEEK IN
EUROPE AND HE WAS ARTICULATING A
HAWKISH POSITION ON RUSSIA.
JUST DAYS AFTER, PRESIDENT TRUMP
WAS THINKING ABOUT INVITING
VLADIMIR PUTIN TO THE NEXT G7
MEETING.
MEETING. WHEN IT COMES TO AFGHANISTAN,
HE’S SURROUNDED BY SECRETARY OF
STATE POMPEO, NATIONAL SECURITY
ADVISER JOHN BOLTON, FAR MORE
HAWKISH IN THEIR APPROACH, YET