ON IT AS IT CROSSED THE U.S.
NEIL?
NEIL: THANK YOU FOR THAT,
JENNIFER.
WANT TO GO NOW TO LEE SELL
DIDNT, FORMER NEW YORK
CONGRESSMAN, FORMER NEW YORK
GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE.
CONGRESSMAN, ALWAYS GREAT TO SEE
YOU.
BUT I WANT TO TAP THAT EXPERTISE
BECAUSE YOU SERVED IN THE
MILITARY HONORABLY AND SERVED
THIS COUNTRY WITH GREAT
DISTINCTION.
SO I WANT TO TAP THE FORMER
LIEUTENANT COLONEL IN YOU, WHAT
YOU MAKE OF THE WAY WE ARE
GETTING BRIEFED ON ALL OF THIS
AND THE CONFUSION AROUND ALL OF
THIS?
>> I THINK THE STATEMENTS COMING
FROM BOTH SIDES OF THE AISLE IN
CONGRESS IS REFLECTIVE OF WHERE
THE AMERICAN PEOPLE IS RIGHT
NOW.
THEY WANT TO HEAR FROM THE
PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES
DIRECTLY.
THEY WANT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT
WHAT --
NEIL: OH.
WE HAVE FEED PROBLEM HERE.
JUST GOING TO SEE IF WE CAN FIX
THAT HERE.
BUT ONE OF THE THINGS HAS COME
UP HERE, THE GOVERNMENT HAS BEEN
VERY QUICK TO SAY THESE ARE NOT
UFOs OR EXTRATERRESTRIAL
OBJECTS. THEY KNOW THAT UNEQUIVOCALLY.
THEY KNOW THAT UNEQUIVOCALLY.
BACK TO LEE ZELDIN, YOU YOU WERE
SAYING AS WE TECHNICALLY RUDELY
INTERRUPTED YOU.
>> WHAT WE’RE HEARING FROM
MEMBERS OF CONGRESS ON BOTH
SIDES OF THE AISLE IS REFLECTIVE
WHERE THE PUBLIC IS RIGHT NOW.
WE WANT TO HEAR FROM THE
PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES
DIRECTLY WHAT OUR COUNTRY KNOWS
ABOUT THESE FOUR OBJECT.
WE WANT MORE INFORMATION HOW
LONG MAYBE THIS HAS BEEN GOING
ON IN THE PAST, COMMUNICATING
ABOUT WHAT OUR GOVERNMENT
FORECASTS ABOUT THE DAYS, THE
WEEKS, THE MONTHS THAT ARE
AHEAD.
IT’S A IMPORTANT MESSAGE OUT NOT
JUST TO FOREIGN COUNTRIES,
FOREIGN ACTORS, COMMERCIAL
ACTORS, WHAT THE U.S. POSITION
IS GOING FORWARD WHAT OUR POLICY
WILL BE GOING FORWARD IN LIGHT
OF THESE MOST RECENT
DEVELOPMENTS.
SO YOU’RE COMMUNICATING NOT ONLY
TO THE AMERICAN PUBLIC TO
PROVIDE THEM THE ANSWERS TO FAR
MORE QUESTIONS THAN ANSWERS THEY
HAVE RIGHT NOW.
ALSO COMMUNICATING TO OTHERS
GOING FORWARD, WHAT THE AMERICAN
POLICY IS BECAUSE THIS IS
SOMETHING THAT IS NOW RESULTING
IN ADDITIONAL CONSPIRACY
THEORIES THAT ARE OUT THERE TO
FILL UP THIS VACUUM IN ABSENCE
OF COMMENT FROM THE PRESIDENT.
NEIL: RIGHT.
I WAS MENTIONING THAT BRIEF
GLITCH WITH YOU, CONGRESSMAN,
THAT THESE COULD BE
EXTRATERRESTRIAL OBJECTS, THESE
COULD BE UFOs.
IN THAT VOID PEOPLES MIND ARE
RACING.
THEY KNOW UNEQUIVOCALLY IT IS
NOT THAT BUT THEY DON’T SEEM TO
BE SHARING INFORMATION ON
ANYTHING ELSE BECAUSE THEY DON’T
KNOW ANYTHING ELSE.
I’M JUST WONDERING WHAT YOU MAKE
OF THAT?
>> ONE OF THE COMMENTS THAT
WE’RE HEARING FROM THE SENATORS
COMING OUT OF THE BRIEF
SOMETHING ABOUT HOW THEY BELIEVE
THAT A LOT OF WHAT HAS BEEN
SHARED WITH THEM INSIDE OF THESE
BRIEFINGS CAN BE PROVIDED TO THE
AMERICAN PUBLIC WITHOUT
COMPROMISEING SOURCES AND
METHODS.
EIGHT YEARS SERVING IN CONGRESS,
MEMBER OF HOUSE FOREIGN AFFAIRS
COMMITTEE, I HAD MANY DIFFERENT
BRIEFINGS AT THE TOP SECRET
LEVEL.
A LOT OF WHAT IS COMING AT US
WE’RE SITTING THERE SCRATCHING
OUR HEADS IN THE AUDIENCE, WHY
AREN’T YOU TELLING THE AMERICAN
PUBLIC THIS?
AT TIMES IT SEEMS ALMOST LIKE
THE INFORMATION IS BEING
CLASSIFIED NOT TO PROTECT
SOURCES AND METHODS BUT MAYBE TO
SAVE FOR SOME OTHER TYPE OF
MOTIVE OR SOMETHING, SOME OTHER
REASON, MAYBE, EMBARASSMENT OR
SOME OTHER LEVEL OF EXPOSURE
THAT JUST DOESN’T JUSTIFY THE
CLASSIFICATION.
SO IT IS VERY INTERESTING THAT
COMING OUT OF THIS BRIEFING YOU
HAVE NOT ONLY REPUBLICANS IN
CONGRESS WHO MAY DISAGREE WITH
THE PRESIDENT OFTEN ON A LOT OF
WHAT GETS DISCUSSED BUT KEY
ALLIES COMING OUT OF BRIEFING, A
LOT OF WHAT I HEARD SHOULD BE
PROVIDED TO THE AMERICAN PUBLIC.
SENATORS REPRESENTING STATES
THAT HEARING INSIDE OF THAT
STATE, QUESTION DIRECTED TO THE
SENATOR, HEY IS THIS SOME
EXTRATERRESTRIAL ACTIVITY?
THAT SENATOR WANTS TO BE IN A
POSITION TO RESPOND DIRECTLY BUT
IN A WAY THEY GET HAMSTRUNG WHEN
THE INFORMATION THEY’RE PROVIDED
WITH COMES TO THEM IN CLASSIFIED
SETTING.
THEY’RE NOT ALLOWED TO TURN
AROUND TELL THEIR CONSTITUENTS
WHAT THEY HEARD.
NEIL: UNLESS PEOPLE PROVIDING
BRIEFING ARE NOT SHARING
EVERYTHING THEY KNOW, RIGHT?
>> WHAT IS INTERESTING, INSIDE
THE BRIEFING, SENATOR,
CONGRESSMAN CAN ASK A QUESTION
TO INDIVIDUAL BRIEFING THEM, IS
IT OKAY IF I SHARE X?
IS THIS PARTICULAR INFORMATION
YOU TOLD ME IN FACT CLASSIFIED?
AND SOMETIMES IN RESPONSE TO
THOSE DIRECT QUESTIONS YOU CAN
GET PERMISSION FROM THE BRIEFER,
THEY WILL SAY THIS PART OF THE
BRIEFING IS IN FACT UNCLASSIFIED
AND CAN BE SHARED WHILE MAYBE
THE ENTIRE BRIEFING IS AT A
CLASSIFIED SETTING BECAUSE OF
ONE OR TWO OR THREE OTHER
DYNAMICS UNRELATED TO THE
UNCLASSIFIED CONTENT.
NEIL: I RAISE THAT, SIR, TO THAT
POINT SENATOR KENNEDY JUST
MENTIONED AFTER COMING OUT OF
THE BRIEFING HE SURMISED THE
OTHER OBJECTS ARE LOST, THEY
CAN’T FIND MEM AND I’M SURE
THAT’S NOT SOMETHING THAT YOU
KNOW, THE BRIEFER WANTED SHARED
BUT I COULD BE WRONG.
I DID WANT TO GET YOUR TAKE ON
THAT?
>> SO WHAT’S INTERESTING IS, AS
YOU PLAY THAT CLIP FROM SENATOR
KENNEDY THAT IS IN FACT NEWS
COMING OUT OF THE BRIEFING WHERE
SENATOR KENNEDY IS USING THE
TERM LOST AS IT RELATES TO THE
REMNANTS BUT THEN IN YOUR
REPORTING YOU TALK ABOUT HOW
GENERAL MILLEY IS SAYING WITH
CONFIDENCE THAT HE BELIEVES THAT
THE REMNANTS CAN BE FOUND ONCE
THE WEATHER CURRENTS, OTHER
DYNAMIC AS HOW FOR IT.
THERE IS BIG DIFFERENCE BETWEEN
THE REMNANTS LOST, AND NOT YET
LOCATED.
IF THE MILITARY AND GOVERNMENT
ARE CONFIDENT THEY CAN DISCOVER
THE REMNANTS, THAT MIGHT MEAN
THAT TERM LOST IS NOT ACTUALLY
ACCURATE.
NEIL: THAT IS A VERY GOOD
ANSWER, THAT IS A VERY GOOD
EXPLANATION.
I WANTED TO GET YOUR VERY, VERY
QUICK TAKE.
NIKKI HALEY MAKING IT OFFICIAL,
WILL RUN FOR PRESIDENT,
CHALLENGE DONALD TRUMP FOR
REPUBLICAN NOMINATION, MORE WILL
FOLLOW.
I DID WANT TO CHECK WITH YOU,
CONGRESSMAN, DO YOU HAVE A HORSE
IN THIS RACE?
>> SO I HAVEN’T ENDORSED ANYBODY
IN THIS PRESIDENTIAL RACE.
IT IS GOING TO BE A VERY WIDE
FIELD A ROBUST, COMPETITIVE
PRIMARY.
I THINK THAT’S HEALTHY FOR THE
REPUBLICAN PARTY.
IT IS HELPFUL AND HEALTHY FOR
WHOEVER THE HAVEN’T ALL
CANDIDATE WILL BE AT THE END OF
THE PRIMARY.
HOPEFULLY THIS IS A PARTY COMING
OUT AFTER SUBSTANTIVE POLICY
DEBATE ON A LOT WHICH IS THE
HIGHEST PRIORITY FOR AMERICANS,
YOU HAVE A STRONG CANDIDATE
PREPARED FOR A GENERAL ELECTION
BATTLE.
I BELIEVE THAT OVER THE COURSE
OF THE NEXT FEW MONTHS WE’RE
GOING TO SEE MANY, MANY
DIFFERENT CANDIDATES GET INTO
THIS FIELD.
MY ONE WAY OF HANDICAPPING THIS
RACE, I WOULD SAY THAT FORMER
PRESIDENT TRUMP IS PROBABLY MORE
BENEFICIAL WITH A LARGEST FIELD
POSSIBLE WHERE MAYBE THE SMALLER
THE FIELD THE HARDER IT BECOMES
BECAUSE YOU KNOW, HE HAS A CORE
AMOUNT OF SUPPORT WHICH MIGHT
NOT BE OVER 50% BUT MAYBE THERE
IS A SOLID 30 OR 35%.
I DON’T KNOW WHAT THE EXACT
NUMBER IS THAT WILL STICK WITH
HIM NO MATTER WHAT THE FIELD
LOOKS LIKE.
SO THE LARGER THE FIELD GETS,
THE MORE INTERESTING THIS RACE
ENDS UP BECOMING.
I THINK THAT IS THE WAY WE’RE
HEADING.
NEIL: IT WORKED FOR HIM IN 2016.
REAL QUICKLY, ARE YOU GOING TO
RUN FOR SENATE?
>> YOU KNOW, IT IS AMAZING
SENATOR GILLIBRAND KEEPS
MENTIONING MY NAME IN
FUND-RAISING, MEDIA INTERVIEWS,
LIKE SHE IS WISHING THIS INTO
EXISTENCE.
TRYING TO RAISE MONEY, INTEREST,
VIABILITY IN A COMPETITIVE RACE.
THE REASON WHY MY NAME IS BEING
MENTIONED BECAUSE SHE CAN’T GET
MY NAME OUT OF HER MOUTH, DOING
INTERVIEWS, WRITING UP THESE
EMAILS.
IT IS NOT SOMETHING I’VE BEEN
THINKING ABOUT BUT SOMETHING A
LOT OF PEOPLE ARE TALKING ABOUT.
WE’LL SEE.
MAYBE SHE WILL JUST WISH THIS
INTO REALITY.
NEIL: SHE MIGHT REGRET THAT.
YOU POLL PRETTY TIGHT IN A BLUE
STATE AND WERE TIGHT IN THE
GUBERNATORIAL BATTLE.
WILL ASK AGAIN ARE YOU
INTERESTED IN THE JOB?
>> NOT SOMETHING I’M THINKING
ABOUT AT THIS TIME.
IT IS SOMETHING THAT I WOULD SAY
GENERALLY AS RELATES TO
REENTERING GOVERNMENT SERVICE AT
SOME POINT I BELIEVE THAT WILL
HAPPEN.
AS FAR AS WHAT AND WHEN I DON’T
KNOW BUT I AT THIS POINT AM NOT
THINKING ABOUT THE SENATE RACE
IN 24 BUT ANSWERING A LOT OF
QUESTIONS ABOUT IT BECAUSE
SENATOR GILLIBRAND LIKES TO TALK
ABOUT IT.
NEIL: WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO BE
MORE, SENATOR OR GOVERNOR, TAKE
ANOTHER SHOT AT GUBERNATORIAL?
>> I WILL SAY THIS, I DO BELIEVE
THAT THIS SENATE SEAT IS A
WASTED SEAT RIGHT NOW.
I MIGHT DISAGREE WITH SENATOR
SCHUMER ON A LOT OF POLICY BUT
HE IS A HARD WORKER.
YOU SEE HIM ALL THROUGHOUT
NEW YORK STATE.
SENATOR GILLIBRAND NOT AS MUCH.
I SPENT 12 YEARS IN ELECTED
OFFICE, FOUR YEARS IN THE STATE
SENATE, EIGHT YEARS IN THE
HOUSE, I ONLY RECALL SEEING HER
IN MY DISTRICT ONCE.
THERE WERE MONTHS IN THE MONTH I
SAW SENATOR SCHUMER THREE TIMES.
AS FAR AS THE STATE IT IS
HEADING IN THE WRONG DIRECTION.
WE’LL STAY ACTIVE IN THE STATE
AND FEDERAL LEVEL FOR SURE.
IT IS SOMETHING CLOSE TO MY
HEART.
WE HAVE A PART TO PLAY FOR THE
FUTURE OF OUR FAMILIES AND A
COUNTRY.
FOR US HERE IN NEW YORK WE HAVE
VERY REAL CHALLENGES.
WHAT WE DECIDE TO DO WE’LL SEE
IN THE FUTURE.
MEANTIME I WILL DEFINITELY STAY
VERY INVOLVED AND ACTIVE BECAUSE
THERE IS SO MUCH AT STAKE.