IT’S A GREAT DAY FOR THE KURDS. IT’S REALLY A GREAT DAY FOR
CIVILIZATION.
CIVILIZATION. IT’S A GREAT DAY FOR
CIVILIZATION.
CIVILIZATION. >> WELCOME BACK.
THAT WAS THE PRESIDENT TRYING TO
PRAISE THE TEMPORARY CEASEFIRE
IN SYRIA.
IN SYRIA. A DEAL THAT GAVE THE TURKISH
PRESIDENT ERDOGAN ESSENTIALLY
EVERYTHING HE INITIALLY ASKED
FOR.
FOR. REPUBLICAN SENATOR MITT ROMNEY
AND A WHOLE LOT OF OTHER PEOPLE
HAD A MUCH DIFFERENT TAKE.
>> THE ANNOUNCEMENT TODAY IS
BEING PORTRAYED AS A VICTORY.
IT IS FAR FROM A VICTORY.
THE DECISION TO ABANDON THE
KURDS VIELTDS
KURDS VIELTDS KURDS VIOLATES ONE OF OUR MOST
SACRED DUTIES.
SACRED DUTIES. IT STRIKES AT AMERICAN HONOR.
WHAT WE HAVE DONE TO THE KURDS
WILL STAND AS A BLOOD STAIN IN
THE ANNALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY.
>> WITH ME NOW IS SENATOR CHRIS
COONS.
COONS. HE IS A DEMOCRAT FROM DELAWARE.
SENATOR COONS, ANDREA MITCHELL
HAS BEEN MONITORING THE JIM
JEFFREY READOUT TO THE PRESS
THAT’S TAKING PLACE ON THE PLANE
WITH SECRETARY POMPEO.
AND APPARENTLY, JIM JEFFREY IS
INFORMING REPORTERS THAT THE
WORD "CEASEFIRE" IS NOT PART OF
THE AGREEMENT.
THE AGREEMENT. SO WHAT THE VICE PRESIDENT TOLD
US IS NOT TRUE.
NOT PART OF THE AGREEMENT.
AND THAT THE KURDS ARE GIVING UP
MORE LAND THAN THE U.S.
INITIALLY THOUGHT.
INITIALLY THOUGHT. AGAIN, THIS IS THE TRUMP
ADMINISTRATION DIPLOMAT JIM
JEFFREY INFORMING THE PRESS OF
THIS.
THIS. SENATOR, YOUR REACTION.
>> CHUCK, THIS IS FAR FROM A
GREAT DAY FOR THE KURDS.
AND IT IS A TRAGIC DAY FOR THE
UNITED STATES AND FOR OUR
REPUTATION AROUND THE WORLD.
I’M GRATEFUL TO SENATOR ROMNEY
FOR HIS FORCEFUL SPEECH ON THE
FLOOR AND I AGREE WITH HIM THAT
THIS WILL GO DOWN IN HISTORY AS
A STAIN AN OUR HONOR.
PRESIDENT TRUMP MADE A TRAGIC
ERROR HERE.
ERROR HERE. AND THE WINNERS ARE, FIRST,
ISIS.
ISIS. AS HUNDREDS OF HARDENED ISIS
FIGHTERS ESCAPED FROM THEIR
DETENTION IMPRISONMENT.
DETENTION IMPRISONMENT. SECOND, RUSSIA.
SECOND, RUSSIA. THE MURDEROUS REGIME OF BASHAR
AL-ASSAD AND IRAN WILL NOW HAVE
AN EXPANDED REACH INTO NORTHERN
SYRIA.
SYRIA. AND OBVIOUSLY, TURKEY.
A 20-MILE BUFFER ZONE OF SYRIAN
TERRITORY WILL, ACCORDING TO
THIS AGREEMENT, BE POLICED AND
PATROLLED BY THE TURKISH ARMED
FORCES.
FORCES. ALONG THAT STRIP ARE SOME OF THE
LARGER TOWNS AND CITIES THAT
SYRIAN KURDS LIVE IN.
IMAGINE HOW SYRIAN KURDISH
FIGHTERS FEEL AT THE CONCEPT
THAT THEY ARE TO JUST WITHDRAWAL
20 MILES AWAY FROM THE BORDER
AND ALLOW THE TURKS TO GOVERN
AND CONTROL THEIR FAMILIES,
THEIR CITIES, THEIR TOWNS AFTER
THEY HAD FOUGHT BRAVELY
ALONGSIDE US FOR YEARS AND LOST
MORE THAN 11,000 OF THEIR
FIGHTERS IN THE COUNTER-ISIS
CAMPAIGN WE HELPED ORGANIZE AND
LEAD.
LEAD. I DO NOT THINK THIS IS A GREAT
DAY EITHER FOR THE KURDS OR FOR
THE UNITED STATES OR OUR ROLE IN
THE REGION.
THE REGION. >> THE VICE PRESIDENT ALSO
ANNOUNCED THAT WHATEVER
SANCTIONS THAT THE PRESIDENT DID
WANT TO LEVY ON TO TURKEY, THAT
ASSUMING THIS -- AND AGAIN, THEY
DON’T EVEN CALL IT A CEASEFIRE.
AS I’M JUST INFORMED, WE’RE
BEING TOLD DON’T CALL IT THAT
NOW.
NOW. BUT AFTER THIS PERIOD, WHY
ARE -- WHY ARE WE NOT
SANCTIONING TURKEY?
SANCTIONING TURKEY? I MEAN, WHAT DID WE GET IN
RETURN FOR THIS?
I’M TRYING TO UNDERSTAND.
>> CHUCK, IN THE SENATE, MANY OF
US INTEND TO PROCEED WITH
SANCTIONING TURKEY.
SANCTIONING TURKEY. I JOINED SENATOR VAN HOLLAND AND
SENATOR GRAHAM TODAY.
THERE WERE A DOZEN BIPARTISAN
CO-SPONSORS OF A BILL INTRODUCED
TODAY THAT WOULD IMPOSE VERY
STRONG SANCTIONS ON TURKEY.
THERE IS TWO GOALS TO THIS.
FIRST, IS TO MAKE ERDOGAN AND
TURKEY PAY A COST FOR INVADING
NORTHEASTERN
NORTHEASTERN NORTHEASTERN SYRIA AND FOR
ATTACKING OUR FORMER KURDISH
ALLIES.
ALLIES. THOSE WHO I THINK DESERVE OUR
SUPPORT FOR FIGHTING ALONGSIDE
US AGAINST ISIS.
AND SECOND, FRANKLY, TO PUT ON
NOTICE OTHER LEADERS, OTHER
STRONG MEN AROUND THE WORLD THAT
JUST BECAUSE THEY MIGHT BE ABLE
TO TALK OUR PRESIDENT INTO AN
ILL-ADVISED ABANDONMENT OF
LONG-STANDING U.S. FOREIGN
POLICY PRINCIPLES AND INTERESTS,
IN OUR FORM OF GOVERNMENT,
CONGRESS GETS A VOTE, TOO.
SO I HAVE HEARD SENATORS GRAHAM
AND VAN HOLLAND INTEND TO
PROCEED WITH SEEKING A VOTE ON
THE SANCTIONS BILL.
I SUPPORT THAT.
I, FRANKLY, THINK ALL THIS PAUSE
IN OPERATIONS BY TURKEY MEANS
THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION IS
TRYING TO MUSCLE THE KURDS INTO
COMPLETELY ABANDONING A VERY
SIGNIFICANT STRIP OF TERRITORY
ALONG THE TURKISH BORDER AND THE
TURKS WILL THEN TAKE POSSESSION
OF IT.
OF IT. >> HAVE WE ALLOWED THE TURKS TO
GAIN MORE LEVERAGE ON THE UNITED
STATES BECAUSE WE HAVE SOME
NUCLEAR WEAPONS ON THAT COUNTRY?
>> WELL, A PROVISION OF THE BILL
INTRODUCED TODAY THAT I PRESSED
TO BE ADDED WAS THAT WE EXAMINE
AND RECONSIDER OUR BASING OF
CRITICAL FORCES.
CRITICAL FORCES. THERE IS A LARGE BASE IN TURKEY
THAT HAS LONG BEEN A LOCATION
OUT OF WHICH THE UNITED STATES
HAS RUN INTO THE REGION.
AND IT OBVIOUSLY WOULD RAISE THE
QUESTION ABOUT OUR POSITIONING
OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS IN TURKEY.
FRANKLY, I THINK TURKEY OUGHT TO
BE CONCERNED ABOUT THIS STRONG
BIPARTISAN MOVE TO TRY AND
RECONSIDER OUR RELATIONSHIP,
WHICH WAS ALREADY BADLY STRAINED
BY TURKISH LEADER ERDOGAN’S
DECISION TO TAKE DELIVERY OF A
RUSSIAN S-400 MISSILE SYSTEM.
>> BUT IF YOU’RE ERDOGAN, NO
OFFENSE, WHY SHOULD HE FEAR YOU
GUYS?
GUYS? WHY SHOULD HE FEAR CONGRESS WHEN
THE PRESIDENT BASICALLY HE KNOWS
HIS ENTIRE ADMINISTRATION TOLD
HIM NOT TO DO THIS.
EVERYBODY AROUND HIM WARNED HIM
NOT TO DO THIS.
PENTAGON STATE DEPARTMENT.
YOU NAME IT.
AND HE UNILATERALLY DID IT.
IF YOU’RE ERDOGAN, YOU THINK I
GOT THIS RELATIONSHIP WITH HIM
WHERE I GET WHATEVER I WANT, I
DON’T CARE WHAT CONGRESS SAYS OR
DOES.
DOES. >> CHUCK, THAT IS EXACTLY THE
CHALLENGE BEFORE US IN THE
SENATE RIGHT NOW.
WE’RE ON NOTICE THAT PRESIDENT
TRUMP WILL NOT JUST IGNORE THE
ADVICE OF, FOR EXAMPLE, FORMER
SECRETARY JIM MATTIS.
THE SECRETARY OF DEFENSE WHO
RESIGNED IN PROTEST MONTHS AGO
WHEN TRUMP TRIED TO MAKE THE
SAME MOVE BEFORE.
BUT HE IGNORED THE ADVICE OF ALL
OF HIS SENIOR INTELLIGENCE
DIPLOMATIC AND MILITARY LEADERS.
WE IN THE SENATE ARE ON NOTICE
THAT THERE MAY BE OTHER BLUNT,
ILL-ADVISED, RISKY AND
IRREVERSIBLE DECISIONS THAT
PRESIDENT TRUMP MIGHT MAKE NEXT.
IMAGINE WHAT HE MIGHT DO ON A
CALL WITH KIM JONG-UN IN ORDER
TO ENCOURAGE ACTIONS, WHETHER
AGAINST HONG KONG OR SOUTH KOREA
OR TAIWAN THAT WOULD BE
ENORMOUSLY DETRIMENTAL TO OUR
SECURITY POSITION.
SECURITY POSITION. WE MUST WORK TOGETHER TO USE THE
POWER THAT WE HAVE TO REIGN IN
THIS PRESIDENT.
THIS PRESIDENT. >> DO YOU THINK YOU NEED TO SEE
THE TRANSCRIPTS OF THE
PRESIDENT’S PHONE CALLS WITH
ERDOGAN?
ERDOGAN? >> ABSOLUTELY BECAUSE IT IS
DEEPLY TROUBLING, PARTICULARLY
ON A DAY WHEN THE PRESIDENT’S
ACTING CHIEF OF STAFF ALSO
ANNOUNCED THE G7 SUMMIT WILL BE
HOSTED AT A TRUMP RESORT IN
FLORIDA.
FLORIDA. AND WHEN HE ADMITTED -- THIS IS
MICK MULVANEY -- THAT THERE HAD
BEEN A QUID PRO QUO, THERE HAD
BEEN A POLITICIZATION OF THE
RELATIONSHIP, HIS COMMENT WAS
SURE THERE’S POLITICS IN FOREIGN
POLICY.
POLICY. GET OVER IT.
I HAVE TO WONDER WHAT WAS SAID
IN THAT CONVERSATION BETWEEN
PRESIDENT TRUMP AND PRESIDENT
ERDOGAN THAT SO MOVED PRESIDENT
TRUMP TO ABANDON A CLOSE AND
TRUSTED ALLY IN THE REGION.
>> ALL RIGHT.
SENATOR CHRIS COONS DEMOCRAT
FROM DELAWARE.
FROM DELAWARE. THANK YOU FOR COMING ON AND
SHARING YOUR VIEWS ON WHAT HAS
BEEN A STRIKING DAY.
>> THANK YOU.
>> IN AMERICAN FOREIGN POLICY.
WE’LL HAVE MUCH MORE ON ALL THE
BREAKING DEVELOPMENTS ON THIS