>>> COURTNEY KUBE IS NBC’S NATIONAL SECURITY AND MILITARY
CORRESPONDENT.
CORRESPONDENT. SHE’S BEEN ON THIS SHOW A LOT OF
TIMES.
TIMES. YOU WILL RECOGNIZE HER WHEN WE
SPEAK TO HER IN JUST A MOMENT.
ALMOST ALWAYS WHEN WE SPEAK WITH
COURTNEY, SHE IS JOINING US FROM
THE PENTAGON OR FROM THE NEWS
BUREAU THAT WE HAVE IN
WASHINGTON, D.C.
WASHINGTON, D.C. BUT THIS WEEKEND, COURTNEY KUBE
WAS IN IRAQ WHEN U.S. SPECIAL
OPERATIONS FORCES CARRIED OUT A
RAID ON THE LEADER OF ISIS AT
HIS COMPOUND IN NORTHWESTERN
SYRIA.
SYRIA. SHE WAS ALREADY IN IRAQ WHEN
THAT HAPPENED.
THAT HAPPENED. WELL, FROM THAT VANTAGE POINT,
SHE’S IN A UNIQUE POSITION FROM
WHICH TO BE ABLE TO REPORT ON
THAT RAID AND ITS CONSEQUENCES.
SHE’S GOT FASCINATING NEW
REPORTING OUT TONIGHT ALONG WITH
REPORTER CAROL LEE ABOUT BOTH
THE SENSITIVE INFORMATION AND
THE UNTRUE INFORMATION THAT
PRESIDENT TRUMP SHARED DURING
HIS PRESS CONFERENCE ABOUT THE
>>> THIS IS THE NEW HEADLINE JUST POSTED ON NBC NEWS TONIGHT
BY COURTNEY KUBE AND CAROL LEE.
THE HEADLINE, "OFFICIALS CRINGE
AS TRUMP SPILLS SENSITIVE
DETAILS OF AL BAGHDADI RAID."
SOME DETAILS THE PRESIDENT HAS
REVEALED ARE INACCURATE, THEY
SAY, OTHERS ARE CLASSIFIED.
OFFICIALS SAY THEY WORRY WHAT TO
PUT IN BRIEFINGS FOR A MAN WITH
NO FILTER.
NO FILTER. JOINING US NOW LIVE FROM IRAQ IS
COURTNEY KUBE, NBC’S NATIONAL
SECURITY AND MILITARY
CORRESPONDENT.
CORRESPONDENT. COURTNEY, THANK YOU FOR BEING UP
AT 5:00 IN THE MORNING FOR US.
I REALLY APPRECIATE YOU STAYING
UP.
UP. >> THANKS FOR HAVING ME.
>> SO LET ME TALK TO YOU ABOUT
THE AFTERMATH OF THE BAGHDADI
RAID AND THIS REMARKABLE
ANNOUNCEMENT AND ONGOING
DISCUSSION THAT THE PRESIDENT
HAD WITH REPORTERS ABOUT WHAT
HAPPENED THERE.
HAPPENED THERE. YOU AND CAROL SAY THAT NATIONAL
SECURITY OFFICIALS ARE CRINGEING
AT SOME OF THE THINGS HE SAID
WERE CLASSIFIED.
WERE CLASSIFIED. SOME OF THE THINGS HE SAID WERE
UNTRUE.
UNTRUE. WHAT ARE THE NATIONAL SECURITY
WORRYIES ABOUT THE PRESIDENT’S
REMARKS AFTER THIS RAID?
>> SO IT WAS REALLY A
COMBINATION, TWO CATEGORIES OF
INFORMATION HERE.
INFORMATION HERE. ONE WAS THE CLASSIFIED
INFORMATION THAT HE TALKED ABOUT
AND THE OTHER WAS THE TACTICAL.
SO ON THE CLASSIFIED SIDE, HE
TALKED ABOUT THINGS, IT’S
GETTING A LOT OF ATTENTION TODAY
LIKE THE DOG, THE DOG THAT WAS
INVOLVED IN THIS RAID.
TECHNICALLY, THAT IS A
CLASSIFIED DETAIL.
CLASSIFIED DETAIL. BOTH THE EXISTENCE, THE BREED,
EVERYTHING.
EVERYTHING. THE NAME OF THAT DOG IS
CLASSIFIED.
CLASSIFIED. BUT BEYOND THAT, HE TALKED ABOUT
THINGS THAT THEY JUST DON’T WANT
OUT BECAUSE OF -- IT MIGHT HURT
THEIR ABILITY TO -- FOR FURTHER
ON RAIDS OR FURTHER ON GATHERING
OF INFORMATION.
OF INFORMATION. ONE IS THE FACT THAT HE
ACKNOWLEDGED THAT THEY ACTUALLY
TOOK SOME PEOPLE FROM THE
COMPOUND IN AS PRISONERS.
THAT’S THE KIND OF INFORMATION
THAT THE MILITARY WOULDN’T WANT
OUT BECAUSE THEY WOULD WANT TO
BRING THOSE PEOPLE BACK IN,
QUESTION THEM AND GET SOME KIND
OF VERY QUICK, FRESH,
POTENTIALLY ACTIONABLE
POTENTIALLY ACTIONABLE INTELLIGENCE THAT THEY MIGHT BE
ABLE TO ACT ON VERY QUICKLY.
THEN THERE WAS THE TACTICAL
STUFF.
STUFF. SO THAT WAS THINGS LIKE
EXPLAINING HOW THEY BREACHED THE
WALL, BECAUSE THEY WERE WORRIED
THAT THE FRONT DOOR COULD BE
BOOBY TRAPPED.
BOOBY TRAPPED. HE TALKED VERY SPECIFICALLY
ABOUT HOW THE HELICOPTERS WERE
COMING IN VERY, VERY LOW AND
VERY, VERY FAST.
YOU KNOW, IF YOU COVER THE
MILITARY AND SPEND TIME WITH
THEM, ESPECIALLY IN A COMBAT
ZONE, THOSE ARE THE KIND OF
THINGS YOU MIGHT KNOW, BUT NOT
THE SORT OF DETAIL THAT THE
MILITARY WANTS OUT.
PRIMARILY BECAUSE, LOOK, ISIS,
AL QAIDA, ANYONE COULD LOOK AT
THIS AND SAY, OKAY, NEXT TIME WE
KNOW, THIS IS HOW THEY’RE GOING
TO APPROACH AND THIS IS WHAT
THEY’RE GOING TO DO.
AND IN PARTICULAR BECAUSE THIS
MISSION INVOLVED THE MOST ELITE
DELTA FORCES.
DELTA FORCES. THAT’S A UNIT THAT THE MILITARY
DOESN’T EVEN TECHNICALLY --
PUBLICLY ACKNOWLEDGE EXISTS, LET
ALONE TALK ABOUT ANY OF THE
TACTICS THEY MIGHT USE IN A
HIGHLY SENSITIVE, HIGHLY VISIBLE
RAID LIKE THE ONE WE SAW OVER
THE WEEKEND.
THE WEEKEND. >> COURTNEY, IN TERMS OF
FOLLOW-ON ACTIONS AFTER THIS,
OBVIOUSLY, THE DEATH OF BAGHDADI
IS SIGNIFICANT IN ITSELF WHEREBY
TERMS OF WHAT THAT’S GOING TO
MEAN FOR ISIS, BUT THE IDEA THAT
IT COULD BE AN INTELLIGENCE
WINDFALL.
WINDFALL. THAT YOU COULD COLLECT SO
MUCH -- NOT ONLY PEOPLE, YOU
CANNOT ONLY TAKE OTHER PEOPLE
INTO CUSTODY, THAT COULD PROVIDE
YOU FURTHER INFORMATION OR THAT
THEMSELVES WOULD BE VALUABLE AS
PRISONERS, BUT YOU COULD GET A
LOT OF DOCUMENTS OR OTHER
MATERIAL THAT MIGHT BE HELPFUL
IN TERMS OF FOLLOW-ON RAIDS AND
OTHER THINGS THAT YOU COULD
LEVERAGE AGAINST ISIS.
THE PRESIDENT DISCLOSING BOTH
THE EXISTENCE OF THAT KIND OF
EVIDENCE AND THE ONGOING EFFORTS
TO EXPLOIT THAT EVIDENCE IS THE
SORT OF THING THAT UNDERCUTS THE
VALUE OF THAT EVIDENCE AND THAT
INTELLIGENCE?
INTELLIGENCE? >> IT UNDERCUTS THE ABILITY TO
ACT ON IT QUICKLY.
SO LET’S SAY THAT NOW ISIS, THEY
KNOW NOW THAT SEVERAL PEOPLE
WERE TAKEN INTO CUSTODY.
THE HOPE AFTER SOMETHING LIKE
THIS IS, ISIS NEEDS A LITTLE BIT
OF TIME TO FIGURE OUT EXACTLY
WHAT HAPPENED.
WHAT HAPPENED. WHO MIGHT BE DEAD, WHO MIGHT BE
ALIVE.
ALIVE. BY SAYING THAT ANYONE WAS TAKEN
INTO CUSTODY, IT MIGHT CUT OFF
SOME POTENTIAL LINE OF
COMMUNICATION OR SOME SORT OF --
SOMETHING THAT WAS ABOUT TO
HAPPEN, THAT THEY COULD HAVE
GOTTEN OUT OF THOSE INDIVIDUALS
AND EXPLOITED.
AND EXPLOITED. BEYOND THAT, ONE OF THE THINGS
THAT PRESIDENT TRUMP ALSO TALKED
ABOUT WAS THE ACTUAL
EXPLOITATION OF THE SITE AFTER
THE RAID.
THE RAID. WE ALL KNOW THAT HAPPENS.
THAT HAPPENED AFTER THE BIN
LADEN RAID.
LADEN RAID. THEY BROUGHT IN TRASH BAGS AND
TOOK THEM OUT WITH COMPUTERS AND
DISCS AND FILES AND ANYTHING
THAT THEY COULD CARRY BACK TO
THE HELICOPTERS.
THE HELICOPTERS. BUT IN THIS CASE, HE TALKS
SPECIFICALLY ABOUT HOW THEY GOT
HIGHLY SENSITIVE INFORMATION
THAT INCLUDED INFORMATION ABOUT
ISIS’ ORIGINS.
ISIS’ ORIGINS. WELL, THAT NOT ONLY GIVES AN
IDEA TO ISIS THE KIND OF
INFORMATION THAT THEY MIGHT HAVE
GOTTEN, BUT IT ALSO TALKS ABOUT
THE LOCATION ITSELF.
IF THERE WAS INFORMATION ABOUT
ISIS’ ORIGINS, IT WOULD STAND TO
REASON THAT THAT MIGHT BE THE
SORT OF SAFE HOUSE WHERE
BAGHDADI FREQUENTED OFTEN.
IT’S JUST THE KIND OF
INFORMATION THAT THE MILITARY
DOESN’T NECESSARILY WANT OUT,
BECAUSE IT MIGHT PROVIDE A
PATHWAY TO ISIS, TO FIND OUT HOW
THEY MIGHT GO ABOUT FUTURE
RAIDS.
RAIDS. YOU KNOW, WE’VE SEEN A NUMBER OF
RAIDS AGAINST ISIS AND STRIKES
IN THE IMMEDIATE AFTERMATH OF 48
HOURS OR SO SINCE THIS ACTUALLY
OCCURRED.
OCCURRED. AND YOU GENERALLY, RIGHT AFTER
SOMETHING LIKE THIS, YOU WILL
SEE THOSE SORTS OF HIGH-VIZ,
HIGH-VALUE RAIDS AND TARGETING.
AND GENERALLY, WE DON’T YET KNOW
IN THE CASES OF THE ONES LIKE
ISIS’ SPOKESPERSON, WHO WAS KILL
SUNDAY, I THINK IT WAS, I’M
SORRY, I’M LOSING TRACK OF MY
DAYS HERE, BUT ISIS’
SPOKESPERSON WHO WAS KILLED.
BUT GENERALLY, THOSE KIND OF
THINGS ARE BECAUSE THEY’VE BEEN
ABLE TO GATHER AND GAIN VERY
VALUABLE INFORMATION FROM THIS
RAID, AND THEN THEY EXPLOIT IT
VERY QUICKLY.
VERY QUICKLY. SO ANYTHING THAT LETS ON THAT
THAT WAS HAPPENING, IT JUST
HURTS THE MILITARY.
AND ALSO, IT CAN GENERALLY
INCREASE THE RISK TO THE
MILITARY MEMBERS WHO ARE TRYING
TO CARRY OUT THESE RAIDS.
>> COURTNEY KUBE, NBC NEWS
NATIONAL SECURITY AND MILITARY
CORRESPONDENT, COURTNEY, I WISH
YOU SAFETY, CONTINUED LUCK IN
YOUR REPORTING, AND A LOT MORE
SLEEP THAN YOU ARE EXPECTING.