SO MUCH FOR SHARING THAT WITH US
TONIGHT.
APPRECIATE IT.
>> THANK YOU.
>>> NOW FOR SOME PERSPECTIVE ON
WHAT EXACTLY IS HAPPENING, I WANT TO TURN TO RETIRED U.S.
WANT TO TURN TO RETIRED U.S.
ARMY LAWRENCE WILKERSON.
AT ONE POINT, COLONEL, THIS IS A
SIMILAR STORY TO OTHERS WE’VE
HEARD WHERE THE PRESIDENT HAS A
CRAZY IDEA AND PEOPLE ARE TRYING
TO WALK AWAY FROM HIM.
IN THIS CASE, THOUGH, IT’S HARD
TO GET YOUR HEAD AROUND HOW
WILDLY DANGER SBOUS OFFENSIVE IT
IS.
WHAT IS YOUR REACTION TO WHAT
YOU’VE HEARD ABOUT THIS MEETING
AND WHAT THE PRESIDENT IS
ATTEMPTING TO CONSIDER?
>> MY FIRST REACTION, OF COURSE,
IS DON’T TAKE COUNSEL OF YOUR
FEARS.
WE’VE JUST GONE THROUGH ONE OF
THE MOST INCREDIBLE ELECTION
SEQUENCES IN OUR NATION’S
HISTORY, CERTAINLY SINCE WORLD
WAR II.
MORE PEOPLE VOTED BY MORE
METHODOLOGY, IN A PANDEMIC
ENVIRONMENT, ET CETERA, ET
CETERA.
I HAVE TO COMMEND ALL THOSE
PEOPLE WHO WORKED SO HARD TO
DELIVER A FREE AND FAIR
ELECTION.
AT THE SAME TIME I SAY THAT, I
HAVE TO SAY MY FEARS ARE
SOMEWHAT SIGNIFICANT WITH A
FORMER LIEUTENANT GENERAL IN THE
UNITED STATES ARMY SAYING WHAT
FLYNN SAID WITH REGARD TO
MARTIAL LAW, GOING TO THE
BATTLEGROUND STATES AND
ESSENTIALLY RECONDUCTING THE
ELECTIONS.
WERE I SECRETARY OF DEFENSE, I
WOULD CALL HIM BACK TO ACTIVE
DUTY, IN THE PEROGATIVE OF THE
SECRETARY OF DEFENSE AND
COURT-MARTIAL HIM.
AT A MINIMUM, I WOULD CITE HIM
FOR INCITEMENT FOR INSURRECTION.
THIS IS NOT SOMETHING A MILITARY
OFFICER SHOULD DO.
YOU SERVE UNTIL YOU’RE ROUGHLY
85 YEARS OLD.
IT’S HALF PAY, NOT NECESSARILY
RETIRED PAY.
YOU CAN BE CALLED BACK AT ANY
TIME.
I GOT MY LETTER FROM SECRETARY
RUMFELD WHEN I WAS CHIEF OF
STAFF TO SECRETARY POWELL.
I WAS CALLED BACK TO ACTIVE
DUTY.
I DIDN’T HAVE TO DO IT, BUT
THAT’S THE POWER OF THE MILITARY
OVER THIS GENERAL, AND HE NEEDS
TO BE REBUKED.
HE NEEDS TO BE REPRIMANDED AND
DONE SO OFFICIALLY.
THAT WOULD BE THE BEST WAY TO DO
IT.
THESE OTHER PEOPLE LIKE BANNON,
POWELL AND SO FORTH, THEY’RE
SYCOPHANTS, SEEKING WHATEVER
THEY CAN GAIN FROM THE MAGICAL
AURA OF THIS MAN BEFORE IT
DISSIPATES, AND IT FRIGHTENS ME
AS TO THE THINGS THEY COULD DO
IF THE 25th AMENDMENT OR
SOMETHING LIKE IT IS NOT
IMPLEMENTED AND WE DON’T REMOVE
HIM FROM OFFICE.
THERE’S A LOT OF TIME LEFT.
WHEN WE WORK ON THIS AS A
TRANSITION INTEGRITY PROJECT WE
SAW TRUMP DO SOME PRETTY
DESPERATE THINGS.
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE SAW
HIM DO THAT I’M NOT WAITING
EAGERLY TO SEE IF HE FULFILLS
IT, HE DID EVERYTHING HE COULD
POSSIBLY DO TO RUIN BIDEN’S
FIRST YEAR IN OFFICE, EVERYTHING
FROM NOT ALLOWING HIM TO GET
CABINET OFFICERS CONFIRMED
BECAUSE HE HAD SUCH A CONTROL
THAT WE’VE SEEN DEMONSTRATED
OVER THE SENATE OF THE UNITED
STATES, TO NOT ALLOWING GOOD
TRANSITIONS TO TAKE PLACE.
I UNDERSTAND FROM INSIDE SOURCES
THAT THOSE TRANSITIONS ARE, FOR
THE MOST PART, TAKING PLACE, BUT
THEY’RE TAKING PLACE IN SOME
INSTANCES BEGRUDGINGLY.
THAT’S NOT THE WAY TRANSITIONS
SHOULD OCCUR.
>> YEAH, YOUR POINT ABOUT
GENERAL FLYNN, JUST TO CIRCLE
BACK TO THAT FOR A MOMENT.
I FIND THE GENERAL’S TRAJECTORY
HERE REALLY JUST UNNERVING.
THIS IS SOMEONE WHO WAS
CELEBRATED, HAD A FAIRLY
STERLING RECORD.
PEOPLE THOUGHT HE WAS AN
INCREDIBLE INTELLIGENCE OFFICER,
AND HE WAS THE HEAD OF DEFENSE
INTELLIGENCE AGENCY BEFORE HE
WAS ESSENTIALLY FIRED.
AND TO WATCH SOMEONE WHO SERVED
AND HAD THIS REPUTATION AND IS
KNOWN BY A LOT OF PEOPLE THAT
WORK WITH HIM GO ON THE
TRAJECTORY HE HAS WHERE
ESSENTIALLY HE WAS AN UNPAID
FOREIGN AGENT OF A FOREIGN
GOVERNMENT, TURKISH GOVERNMENT,
AND NOW TALKING ABOUT MARTIAL
LAW, IT’S A VERY UNNERVING
TRAJECTORY.
>> IT IS.
IN MY VIEW, HE’S A DISGRACE TO
HIS UNIFORM.
HE’S ONE OF THOSE EXAMPLES, AND
I KNEW SEVERAL OF THEM WHEN I
WAS IN THE MILITARY, SOME 30
YEARS PLUS.
HE’S ONE OF THOSE EXAMPLES OF A
PRN WHO GETS SQUIRRELED AWAY IN
A SPECIAL COMMUNITY.
IN THIS CASE, SPECIAL OPS AND
ALSO INTELLIGENCE, AND HE GROWS
UP TO FLAG RANK AND NO ONE
REALLY APPLIES ANY ADULT
SUPERVISION.
AND I INCLUDE IN THAT GENERAL
McCHRYSTAL IN AFGHANISTAN WHEN
HE WORKED FOR GENERAL
McCHRYSTAL.
I BLAME GENERAL McCHRYSTAL FOR
PUTTING HIM IN THE POSITION HE’S
IN RIGHT NOW TO A CERTAIN
EXTENT.
THESE PEOPLE COME ALONG AND GET
TO THE POSITION WHERE THEY
REALLY HAVE SOME AUTHORITY.
IN THIS CASE, MUCH BEYOND THE
THREE STARS, NATIONAL SECURITY
ADVISER ALMOST, AND THEY THEN
SHOW THEIR TRUE COLORS.
AND I THINK THAT’S WHAT FLYNN IS
DOING.
OTHERWISE I’VE GOT TO PRONOUNCE
HIM A PSYCHOTIC OR WORSE.
>> YOU SEEM UNNERVED BUT ALSO
SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT ABOUT THE
SITUATION WE’RE IN, WHICH I
THINK TRACKS OF WHERE I AM.
AGAIN, THERE IS A DWINDLING
AMOUNT OF POWER THE PRESIDENT
HAS.
THERE’S A KIND OF WHIFF OF
DESPERATION.
HE’S GOING TO SORT OF MORE AND
MORE BIZARRE, CRANKISH KIND OF
VOICES.
AND YET, YOU KNOW, THE AUTHORITY
OF THE GOVERNMENT STILL RESTS IN
THE MAN’S HANDS FOR 30 DAYS.
AND WE’VE BEEN ANTICIPATING
BREAK-GLASS MOMENTS.
I DON’T THINK WE’VE QUITE GOTTEN
ONE YET.
ARE YOU CONFIDENT BASICALLY,
BASED ON THE REPORTING AND ALSO
ON WHAT YOU KNOW ABOUT THE
INSTITUTIONS, AND PARTICULARLY
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE THAT HE
WILL NOT BE ALLOWED TO DO
ANYTHING LIKE HE IS
CONTEMPLATING?
>> THERE WILL BE NOTHING WITH
THE MILITARY, IN MY VERY STRONG
VIEW.
THE MILITARY WILL NOT DO
ANYTHING UNTOWARD, NO MATTER
WHAT ORDERS COME FROM HIM.
AND, INDEED, IF THE ORDERS WERE
TRULY UNTOWARD, THE 25th
AMENDMENT MIGHT BE IMPLEMENTED.
I DON’T SEE HOW PEOPLE COULD
STOP FROM DOING THAT.
WHAT WORRIES ME, CHRIS, RIGHT
NOW, IS THE OPPORTUNISTIC
ADVANTAGE THAT’S OUT THERE RIGHT
NOW FOR A VERY HARD PRESS BY
COVID-19 NORTH KOREA, FOR
EXAMPLE, KIM JONG-UN, FOR A VERY
PRESSURED CHINA WITH REGARD TO
WHAT TAIPEI IS DOING AND TAIWAN
IN GENERAL, AND IN THE SITUATION
WITH IRAN WHERE WE HAVE THEM
JUST WAITING.
THESE ARE THE KINDS OF THINGS
THAT TRUMP COULD LEAVE AS A BLOW