>>> WELCOME BACK.
JOINING US NOW FORMER U.S.
AMBASSADOR TO THE UNITED NATIONS
AND FORMER NATIONAL SECURITY
ADVISOR TO PRESIDENT OBAMA,
SUSAN RICE.
HER RECENT BOOK IS "TOUGH LOVE,
MY STORY OF THE THINGS WORTH
FIGHTING FOR".
SHE ALSO RECENTLY WROTE A "NEW
YORK TIMES" OP-ED ENTITLED
"WASHINGTON D.C. DESERVES
STATEHOOD".
VERY GREAT TO HAVE YOU ON THE
SHOW THIS MORNING, THANKS FOR
COMING ON.
>> THANKS SO MUCH, SUSAN.
WE WANT TO TALK ABOUT YOUR OP-ED
ON D.C. STATE HOOD AND THE
EVENTS OF THE LAST COUPLE WEEKS.
BUT FIRST TALK ABOUT DONALD
TRUMP’S UNI LATERAL DECISION TO
WITHDRAW FROM GERMANY AND HOW
MANY FOREIGN POLICY LEADERS ON
THE RIGHT AND THE LEFT, BOTH
REPUBLICANS AND DEMOCRATS ARE
EXTREMELY WORRIED AND WORRIED
THIS IS A BIG WIN FOR VLADIMIR
PUTIN.
>> GOOD MORNING, JOE.
GOOD MORNING, MIKA, IT’S GOOD TO
BE WITH YOU BOTH.
THE WITHDRAWAL FROM GERMANY,
WHICH THE PRESIDENT APPARENTLY
DECIDED ON HIS OWN WITHOUT ANY
CONSULTATION WITH ONE OF OUR
CLOSEST ALLIES, IS ANOTHER VERY
SERIOUS SELF-INFLICTED WOUND IN
TERMS OF OUR SECURITY AND OUR
GLOBAL STANDING.
WE HAVE LONG HAD A VERY
IMPORTANT MILITARY PRESENCE IN
GERMANY.
THAT PRESENCE IS THERE FOR MANY
DIFFERENT REASONS, BUT AMONG
THEM AS A PLACE TO PREPARE FOR
AND READY IF NECESSARY NATO AND
ALIGN FORCES IN THE EVENT OF
RUSSIAN AGGRESSION.
AND FOR THE PRESIDENT TO
UNILATERALLY DECLARE THE
WITHDRAW OF A THIRD OF THOSE
TROOPS, OVER THE OBJECTIONS OF
THE GERMAN GOVERNMENT,
UNDERSCORES THE FRAGILITY OF
NATO AND PRESIDENT TRUMP’S LACK
OF COMMITMENT TO THE ALLIANCE,
WHICH IS A GIFT, AS YOU SAID,
JOE, FOR VLADIMIR PUTIN AND IT
PUTS OUR SECURITY AT GREATER
RISK.
IT’S JUST SHAMEFUL.
>> I WOULD LIKE TO ASK YOU ABOUT
WASHINGTON D.C. AND YOUR BELIEF
THAT IT DOES DESERVE STATEHOOD.
THIS HAS BEEN AN ONGOING QUEST.
BUT YOU MAKE THE CASE IN A
RECENT PIECE THAT THE EVENTS OF
THE LAST TWO WEEKS REALLY
UNDERSCORE OR DRIVE HOME THE
REASON WHY D.C. SHOULD BE A
STATE.
CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT THAT?
>> YES, MIKA.
I THINK MOST AMERICANS DON’T
UNDERSTAND THAT THERE’S 700 --
MORE THAN 700,000 AMERICAN
CITIZENS IN THE DISTRICT OF
COLUMBIA, THEY DON’T HAVE VOTING
RIGHTS IN THE SENATE OR THE
HOUSE AND NO DEGREE OF
SOVEREIGNTY OR AUTONOMY SO WHEN
PRESIDENT TRUMP WAKES UP ON THE
WRONG SIDE OF THE BED AS HE DID
ABOUT TEN DAYS AGO, AND DECIDES
TO SEND HEAVILY ARMED FEDERAL
FORCES, HELICOPTERS, HUM VIE
INTO THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
AGAINST THE REQUEST OF THE MAYOR
HE CAN DO THAT.
THE DISTRICT, WE PAY MORE TAXES
PER CAPITA THAN ANY STATE IN THE
UNION.
WE PAY MORE ABSOLUTE TAXES AND
TOTAL TAXES THAN 22 STATES.
OUR POPULATION EXCEEDS THAT OF
WYOMING AND VERMONT AND
COMPARABLE TO SEVERAL OTHER
STATES AND YET WE ARE DENIED
VOTING RIGHTS.
IT IS TIME, THERE’S LEGISLATION
THAT IS PENDING IN THE HOUSE,
HR-51, THAT WOULD MAKE D.C. A
STATE.
WE’VE SATISFIED ALL THE OF THE
PREREQUISITE REQUIREMENTS AND IF
THE SENATE AND THE HOUSE AND THE
PRESIDENT WERE TO SIGN
LEGISLATION TO THAT EFFECT, WE
WOULD EVENTUALLY BECOME THE 51ST
STATE.
NOW OBVIOUSLY, WHILE IT MIGHT
PASS THE HOUSE, THERE’S NO
CHANCE OF IT PASSING THE SENATE
OR THIS PRESIDENT SIGNING IT,
WHICH IS IN MY JUDGMENT ONE MORE
REASON FOR SWEEPING CHANGE IN
NOVEMBER.
>> AMBASSADOR RICE, IT’S WILLIE
GEIST.
THIS HAS BEEN OUT IN THE
ATMOSPHERE FOR A LONG TIME,
RESIDENTS OF D.C. WANT
REPRESENTATION THAT HAS AS
THEY’RE BEING TAXED.
BUT WHY THE PUSH RIGHT NOW?
DO YOU SEE SOMETHING
PARTICULARLY URGENT IN THIS
MOMENT ABOUT GETTING STATEHOOD
FOR D.C.?
>> YES, WILLIE.
THE REASON IT IS SO URGENT IS
BECAUSE WE’VE SEEN, IN VERY
PAINFUL AND FRANKLY VIOLENT
TERMS, WHAT THE LACK OF
STATEHOOD CAN BRING TO THE
RESIDENTS OF THE DISTRICT OF
COLUMBIA.
WE HAD FEDERAL FORCES BEATING UP
CITIZENS OF THE DISTRICT OF
COLUMBIA IN FRONT OF THE WHITE
HOUSE.
THAT COULD NOT HAPPEN WITHOUT
THE CONSENT OF A GOVERNOR IF WE
WERE A STATE OR AT LEAST THERE
WOULD BE A VERY HIGH BAR TO BE
CROSSED LEGALLY FOR THAT TO
HAPPEN.
SO LAST WEEK WITH THE UNILATERAL
DEPLOYMENT OF ALL KINDS OF
FORCES, MANY OF THEM WITHOUT
MARKINGS, WITHOUT INSIGNIA,
WITHOUT ANY CLEAR CHAIN OF
COMMAND IN HERE DOING SOME VERY
DISRUPTIVE AND FRIGHTENING
THINGS TO LARGELY PEACEFUL
PROTESTERS TO ME UNDERSCORES THE
URGENCY AND THE NECESSITY OF
STATEHOOD, PARTICULARLY WHEN YOU
HAVE SOMEONE IN THE WHITE HOUSE
WHO COULD CARE LESS ABOUT THE
PEOPLE OF THE DISTRICT OF
COLUMBIA AND USING US, FRANKLY,
AS A POLITICAL PROP TO BOLSTER
HIS SO-CALLED LAW AND ORDER
CREDENTIALS, AND FRANKLY, ALSO,
WILLIE, TO SPARK THE KIND OF
VIOLENCE THAT I THINK THAT WOULD
BE BENEFICIAL, IN HIS JUDGMENT,
TO HIM POLITICALLY.
AND WE DO NOT NEED RACIALLY
CHARGED BATTLES ON THE STREETS
OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA OR
ANY OTHER PART OF THIS COUNTRY.
AND THANKFULLY, THE RESIDENTS OF
THE CITY, THE PEACEFUL
PROTESTERS, DIDN’T TAKE THE BAIT
AND RISE TO THE PROVOCATION.
BUT I THINK THERE’S NO QUESTION
THAT IT CAN BE PERCEIVED AS A
PROVOCATION.
>> YOU KNOW, MADAME AMBASSADOR,
AS YOU CERTAINLY KNOW FAR BETTER
THAN ME, THE MARCH TOWARDS CIVIL
RIGHTS HAS BEEN A LONG AND TORJ
ROUS ONE IN THE UNITED STATES.
1865, THE END OF THE CIVIL WAR,
1963 TO 1965 MARTIN LUTHER
KING’S MARCH, THE ELECTION OF
BARACK OBAMA IN 2008.
I’M WONDERING WHERE 2020 STANDS
IN YOUR MIND IN THAT MARCH
FORWARD THROUGH A MORE PERFECT
UNION.
>> JOE, OBVIOUSLY IT’S TOO SOON
TO SAY BUT I HOPE 2020 GOES GOWN
IN THE HISTORY BOOKS AS THE YEAR
AMERICA FINALLY RECOGNIZES WE
ARE COMBATTING SYSTEMIC RACISM,
NOT ONLY IN OUR POLICE AND LAW
ENFORCEMENT APPARATUS, BUT IN
MANY ASPECTS OF OUR SOCIETY,
FROM HOUSING TO EDUCATION, TO
HEALTH CARE, AND WE HAVE A
MOMENT.
WHAT WE HAVE SEEN ACROSS THIS
COUNTED, THESE MULTI-RACIAL,
MULTI-GENERATIONAL, LARGELY
PEACEFUL PROTESTS IN RECOGNITION
OF THIS DISPARITY, IN
RECOGNITION OF THESE INJUSTICES
AND A REAL CALL, UNLIKE ANY THAT
I’VE SEEN IN MY LIFETIME, SOME
55 YEARS, FOR RADICALLY CHANGING
A SYSTEM THAT HAS OPPRESSED
AFRICAN-AMERICANS AND PEOPLE OF
COLOR IN THIS COUNTRY.
I THINK IT CAN BE DONE.
BUT, FRANKLY, THE JURY IS OUT.
THE PROTESTS HAVE BEEN POWERFUL,
THEY’VE BEEN VERY MOVING,
PARTICULARLY THEIR CHARACTER,
THAT THEY HAVE ATTRACTED THE
SUPPORT OF SO MANY ACROSS THIS
COUNTRY, THOSE THAT HAVE COME
OUT TO PROTEST AND THOSE THAT
ARE CHEERING THEM ON FROM THE
SIDELINES.
BUT A KEY CRITICAL TEST WILL BE
SOMETHING YOU TALKED ABOUT
EARLIER IN THE SHOW, WHICH IS
WEATHER FUNDAMENTAL LEGISLATION
SUCH AS THE JUSTICE IN POLICING
ACT THAT HAS BEEN INTRODUCED IN
THE HOUSE AND SENATE BY THE
DEMOCRATS CAN GAIN BIPARTISAN
SUPPORT.
THERE IS REALLY NOTHING RADICAL
IN THAT BILL WHATSOEVER.
IT’S COMMON SENSE STUFF, BANNING
CHOKEHOLDS, BANNING NO-KNOCK
ENTRIES FOR SUSPECTED DRUG
CASES, HAVING A REGISTRY OF
OFFENDERS SO THEY CAN’T MOVE
FROM ONE CITY TO THE NEXT.
THESE ARE COMMON SENSE THINGS
BUT IF THE REPUBLICANS IN
CONGRESS AND THE WHITE HOUSE
CANNOT COME ON BOARD WITH THIS,
THIS IS A MOMENT THAT
UNDERSCORES HOW DEEPLY
ENTRENCHED ALL OF THIS IS AND
HOW MUCH RADICAL CHANGE IS
NEEDED AT THE BALLOT BOX TO MAKE
IT CLEAR WE NEED LEADERSHIP IN
THE WHITE HOUSE TO SUPPORT THESE
CHANGES THAT THE AMERICAN PEOPLE
NOW RECOGNIZE ARE LONG OVERDUE.
>> I WANTED TO ASK YOU BEFORE
YOU GO ABOUT THE MAN WHO HELD
THE POSITION THAT YOU HELD
BRIEFLY, FORMER NATIONAL
SECURITY ADVISOR MICHAEL FLYNN
AND THE CONDEMNATION BY THE
RETIRED JUDGE YESTERDAY ON THE
DEVELOPMENTS PERTAINING TO HIS
CASE.
IT IS, OBVIOUSLY, VERY STRONG
WORDS USED IN TERMS OF HOW THIS
HAS BEEN DEALT WITH, BUT WHAT
NEXT.
I DON’T THINK ANYONE EXPECTED --
THIS IS VERY UNCHARTED
TERRITORY.
WHAT’S THE OVERSIGHT?
WHAT’S THE CONSEQUENCE, THOUGH,
DOWN THE ROAD?
>> MIKA, I’M AFRAID THIS IS NOT
A SUBJECT I CAN PERSONALLY SHARE
MUCH LIGHT ON.
I READ THE ARTICLES REPORTING ON
THE FEDERAL JUDGE’S ASSESSMENT
OF THE SITUATION.
BUT I’M NOT A LEGAL EXPERT, AND
I WILL, LIKE EVERY OTHER
AMERICAN, WATCH TO SEE HOW THIS
PLAYS OUT.
>> FAIR ENOUGH.
FORMER NATIONAL SECURITY
ADVISOR, SUSAN RICE.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR BEING ON
WITH US THIS MORNING.
AGAIN YOUR NEW MEMOIR IS