HAVE YOU, BUT AT LEAST LAYS OUT A PATH, A DIFFERENT KIND OF
ACTION/REACTION THAN WE SAW IN
THE LAST 24 HOURS.
>>> ALL RIGHT.
SO WITH IRAN THREATENING MORE
ATTACKS AGAINST THE U.S.,
TARGETS IN THE MIDDLE EAST IF
THE U.S. RETALIATES IT’S WORTH
NOTING WHERE AMERICAN TROOPS ARE
IN THE REGION.
THERE ARE BETWEEN 45,000 AND
65,000 AMERICAN MILITARY
PERSONNEL NOW DEPLOYED IN SAUDI
ARABIA AND OTHER PERSIAN GULF
NATIONS INCLUDING MORE THAN
5,000 TROOPS IN IRAQ AND 600 IN
SYRIA, NEARBY ROUGHLY 2,000
AMERICAN TROOPS ARE BASED IN
TURKEY.
TURKEY. >> BY THE WAY, LOOK AT THAT MAP
AND YOU WILL NOTE THAT IRAN’S
BORDERS TOUCH EVERY ONE OF THOSE
COUNTRIES.
COUNTRIES. >> AS YOU CAN SEE ROUGHLY 12,000
TO 13,000 TROOPS REMAIN IN
AFGHANISTAN.
AFGHANISTAN. LATE LAST WEEK THE PENTAGON ALSO
DIRECTED 4,500 ADDITIONAL U.S.
TROOPS TO THE MIDDLE EAST IN
ADDITION TO THE ROUGHLY 50,000
ALREADY THERE.
ALREADY THERE. ROUGHLY 4,000 TROOPS BASED OUT
OF FT. BRAGG, NORTH CAROLINA,
HAVE STARTED DEPLOYING TO
KUWAIT.
KUWAIT. THEY ARE PART OF THE 82nd
AIRBORNE DIVISION’S GLOBAL
RESPONSE FORCE KEPT ON STAND BY
FOR PARTICULAR EMERGENCIES.
LET’S BRING IN SOMEONE WHO KNOWS
THAT DIVISION WELL, DEMOCRATIC
COBS MAN JASON CROWE OF COLORADO
SERVED AS A PARATROOPER IN IRAQ
WITH THE 82nd AIRBORNE DIVISION
IN 2003, THE FORMER ARMY RANGER
ALSO SERVED TWO ADDITIONAL TOURS
IN AFGHANISTAN.
IN AFGHANISTAN. HE IS A MEMBER OF THE HOUSE
COMMITTEE ON ARMED SERVICES AND
HE JOINS US NOW.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR BEING ON
THE SHOW AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR
SERVICE.
SERVICE. WITH NO PRESS SECRETARY, THE
INFORMATION IS SO LIMITED AND
YOU HAVE A LETTER TO THE WHITE
HOUSE DEMANDING INFORMATION ON
THE IRAN STRATEGY.
WHAT ARE YOU HOPING TO HEAR FROM
THEM AND DO YOU EXPECT TO GET
THE ANSWERS YOU’RE LOOKING FOR?
>> YEAH, YOU’RE ABSOLUTELY
RIGHT, MIKA.
RIGHT, MIKA. THIS MORNING ALONG WITH ABOUT 35
OF MY COLLEAGUES IN THE HOUSE WE
ARE SENDING A LETTER TO
PRESIDENT TRUMP, SECRETARY ESPER
AND OTHER MEMBERS OF THE DEFENSE
AND INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY
REQUESTING REALLY IMPORTANT
INFORMATION THAT NOT ONLY DO WE
NEED, BUT WE’RE CONSTITUTIONALLY
ENTITLED TO.
ENTITLED TO. REALLY THE FIRST THING WE WANT
TO HEAR IS WHAT MEASURES ARE
BEING TAKEN TO PROTECT OUR
TROOPS.
TROOPS. DOZENS OF IRANIAN MISSILES
STRUCK U.S. BASES LAST NIGHT, WE
ARE GRAVELY CONCERNED ABOUT THE
STATUS OF THE SECURITY OF THOSE
FORCES.
FORCES. YOU MENTIONED JUST A MOMENT AGO
ALL OF THE RAPID REACTION FORCES
THAT HAVE BEEN SENT TO THAT
REGION.
REGION. THE FACT THAT WE HAVE ACTIVATED
MOST OF OUR IMMEDIATE RAPID
REACTION FORCES IN OUR MILITARY,
82nd AIRBORNE, 173rd AIRBORNE,
ELEMENTS OF THE 75th RANGER
REGIMENT AND OTHERS TELLS ME WE
WEREN’T READY FOR THIS.
TELLS ME WE HAD TO SEND ALL OF
OUR EMERGENCY FORCES THERE.
WE NEED TO GET OUR ARMS AROUND
VERY QUICKLY WHAT THE STATUS OF
OUR BASES ARE.
THE SECOND IS WHAT’S THE LONG
TERM PLAN HERE?
WHAT’S THE END GAME?
WHAT IS HE TRYING TO ACHIEVE, HE
BEING THE PRESIDENT?
WE HAVE SPENT OVER $4 TRILLION
IN THE LAST 20 YEARS ON THESE
WARS, THOUSANDS OF AMERICAN
SOLDIERS AND AIR MEN AND SAILORS
AND MARINES HAVE BEEN KILLED.
TENS OF THOUSANDS WOUNDED.
IT IS TIME FOR US TO HAVE A
NATIONAL CONVERSATION ABOUT WHAT
WE’RE TRYING TO ACHIEVE IN THIS
REGION.
REGION. >> CONGRESSMAN CROW, IT’S WILLIE
GEIST.
GEIST. GOOD TO SEE YOU THIS MORNING.
YOU OBVIOUSLY HAVE SERVED THREE
TOURS IN IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN,
YOU EARNED A BRONZE STAR.
I WILL ASK YOU IS IT GOOD NEWS
THAT GENERAL SOLEIMANI IS DEAD
AND NO LONGER CONTROLLING PROXY
FORCES THROUGHOUT THAT REGION?
>> WELL, UNDOUBTEDLY GENERAL
SOLEIMANI WAS A VERY BAD MAN
THAT DID A LOT OF DAMAGE BOTH TO
THE U.S. AND TO OUR ALLIES IN
THE REGION, BUT, YOU KNOW, THERE
IS A LOT OF BAD PEOPLE
EVERYWHERE THROUGHOUT THE WORLD
AND THERE IS A REASON WHY WE
DON’T GO AROUND SHOOTING
MISSILES AT ALL OF THE BAD
PEOPLE, BECAUSE THERE ARE
CONSEQUENCES WHEN WE DO THAT.
PRIOR ADMINISTRATIONS, YOU KNOW,
THEY WEIGHED THE BENEFITS VERSUS
THE RISKS OF KILLING GENERAL
SOLEIMANI AND OTHER PEOPLE LIKE
HIM, THEY’VE DETERMINED THAT THE
RISKS OF DOING SO OUTWEIGHED THE
BENEFITS.
BENEFITS. THIS ADMINISTRATION MADE A
DIFFERENT DETERMINATION, WE HAVE
NOT YET RECEIVED THE CLASSIFIED
BRIEFING ABOUT WHY THEY MADE
THAT DETERMINATION, WITH HE HOPE
TO GET THAT INFORMATION TODAY,
BUT, YOU KNOW, WE ALWAYS HAVE TO
LOOK AT THE BIG PICTURE HERE.
GENERAL SOLEIMANI SPENT THE LAST
TWO DECADES TRYING TO DO ONE
THING, DRIVE U.S. FORCES FROM
IRAQ BECAUSE IRAN KNOWS THAT IF
THEY DRIVE U.S. FORCES FROM IRAQ
THAT THEY CAN BE THE UNCHECKED
POWER IN THE REGION.
SO IF THROUGH HIS DEATH, YOU
KNOW, PUBLIC SENTIMENT AND WILL
IN IRAQ HAS TURNED AGAINST THE
U.S. AND WE ARE EXPELLED FROM
IRAQ, THEY ACTUALLY END UP
ACHIEVING THEIR GOALS AND IRAN
CAN BE UNCHECKED IN THE REGION
AND ISRAEL AND ALL OF OUR OTHER
PARTNERS IN IRAQ ARE IN A WORSE
POSITION THAN THEY WERE A WEEK
AGO.
AGO. THAT IS THE RISK OF ALL OF THIS.
WE’RE SEEING SOME OF THAT
HAPPENING AND WE NEED TO GET OUR
ARMS AROUND WHAT IS THE OVERALL
STRATEGY HERE.
STRATEGY HERE. >> WHAT DO YOU READ INTO IRAN’S
RESPONSE, BALLISTIC MISSILES
FIRED LAST NIGHT INTO TWO AIR
BASES, AMERICAN AIR BASES INSIDE
IRAQ.
IRAQ. IT LOOKS FOR NOW WE’RE STILL
WAITING FOR THE SUNLIGHT AND THE
DAMAGE ASSESSMENTS TO COME
OFFICIALLY FROM THE PENTAGON,
WE’RE HEARING NO AMERICAN
CASUALTIES, NO IRAQI CASUALTIES,
AGAIN, THAT’S FOR NOW.
WHAT DO YOU READ INTO THE WAY
THAT IRAN RESPONDED TO OUR
KILLING OF GENERAL SOLEIMANI?
>> WELL, A LOT OF WHAT IRAN
DOES, THIS HE DO THROUGH THEIR
OWN DOMESTIC POLITICAL LENS.
SO MUCH OF THIS HAS TO DO WITH
HOW THE HARD LINE REGIME IN IRAN
NEEDS TO CONSOLIDATE THEIR OWN
POWER.
POWER. WE GAVE THEM A BIG GIFT LAST
WEEK BY PROVIDING THIS EXTERNAL
ENEMY, THIS FOIL THAT THE HARD
LINE REGIME NEEDED TO
CONSOLIDATE THEIR POWER, TO GET
PUBLIC WILL AND SENTIMENT ON
THEIR SIDE IN IRAN AND
UNFORTUNATELY WE’RE SEEING THAT
HAPPENING AS TENS OF THOUSANDS
OF PEOPLE TURN OUT IN SUPPORT OF
THE REGIME IN TEHRAN AND OTHER
PLACES.
PLACES. THE OTHER THING IS IT’S TOO
EARLY TO REALLY TELL EXACTLY
WHAT HAPPENED WITH THE MISSILE
STRIKE, BUT THE FACT THAT SOME
OF THESE MISSILES HIT SO FAR OFF
MARK EARLY INDICATIONS REPORT
SOME OF THEM HITTING IN FIELDS
OUTSIDE OF THE BASES, THESE ARE
ACTUALLY VERY ACCURATE BALLISTIC
MISSILES.
MISSILES. IN IRAN WANTED TO HIT DIRECTLY
WHERE THEY WANTED TO IN SOME OF
THESE BASES THEY PROBABLY HAD
THE CAPABILITY OF DOING THAT.
SO IT IS POSSIBLE THAT THEY SHOT
THESE MISSILES OFF IN A VERY
PUBLIC DISPLAY OF RETALIATION,
BUT DID SO IN A MANNER THAT THEY
WERE TRYING TO AVOID MAJOR
DAMAGE TO THE U.S. FORCES, WHICH
TELLS ME THERE MIGHT BE AN
OPPORTUNITY RIGHT NOW FOR A
TACTICAL PAUSE, FOR BOTH SIDES
TO TAKE A STEP BACK, TO SAY
LET’S REEVALUATE THIS, LET’S
COME TO THE TABLE AND FIGURE OUT
A BETTER WAY TO RESOLVE THIS
CRISIS.
CRISIS. >> CONGRESSMAN CROW, THIS IS
DAVID IGNATIUS, I JUST WANT TO
ASK YOU A BASIC QUESTION.
WHAT DO YOU THINK THE
APPROPRIATE POSTURE NOW IS FOR
DEMOCRATS AS THEY LOOK AT THIS
CRISIS?
CRISIS? WHAT ARE THE KINDS OF THINGS YOU
WOULD LIKE TO HEAR FROM YOUR
DEMOCRATIC COLLEAGUES?
DEMOCRATIC COLLEAGUES? >> YEAH, FIRST OFF, WE NEED TO
PROTECT OUR TROOPS.
THAT IS PRIORITY NUMBER ONE.
WE HAVE TO MAKE SURE THAT THE
MEN AND WOMEN WHO WE REPRESENT,
THE SONS AND DAUGHTERS OF
AMERICA ARE BEING PROTECTED,
THAT WE’RE GETTING THE RESOURCES
AND THE PERSONNEL IN PLACE TO
MAKE SURE THAT IF THERE ARE
ADDITIONAL ATTACKS THAT WE ARE
PROTECTING PEOPLE.
PROTECTING PEOPLE. THAT’S PRIORITY NUMBER ONE.
NUMBER TWO WE NEED TO ENGAGE
WITH OUR ALLIES.
WE HAVE CONTINUED TO TARNISH
OURSELVES WITH OUR NATO ALLIES,
THEY WEREN’T AWARE OF THIS
ATTACK, AND THE PROBLEM IS NOT
JUST OUR OBLIGATION TO KEEP THEM
IN THE FOLD, BUT WE ACTUALLY PUT
THEM IN DANGER, TOO.
THEY ARE THERE WITH IRAQ,
FIGHTING ALONGSIDE US, THEY ARE
AT OUR BASES AND BY DOING THIS
WITHOUT THEM KNOWING ABOUT IT WE
PUT THEM AT RISK SO WE NEED TO
BRING THEM BACK IN THE FOLD AND
SHOW OUR ALLIES THAT WE’RE GOING
TO BE A STEADFAST RELIABLE
PARTNER.
PARTNER. AND THIRD WE NEED TO BE VERY
CLEAR ABOUT DIPLOMATIC EFFORTS.
I SERVED IN THE MILITARY, OUR
MILITARY CAN DO AN AWFUL LOT BUT
I ALSO REALIZED THE INHERENT
LIMITATIONS OF MILITARY POWER.
THAT AT SOME POINT MILITARY
POWER ENDS AND DIPLOMACY AND
ENGAGEMENT HAS TO BEGIN.
WE ARE AT A POINT WHERE WE HAVE
TO USE ALL OF THE TOOLS IN OUR
TOOLBOX, DIPLOMACY, ECONOMIC
SANCTIONS, OUR MORAL AUTHORITY,
OUR MILITARY POWER, WE HAVE TO
BRING ALL OF THOSE TO BEAR IN A
VERY SMART WAY TO ACHIEVE OUR
GOALS.
GOALS. >> CONGRESSMAN, YOU OBVIOUSLY
FOUGHT IN IRAQ AND UNDERSTAND
THE REGION WELL, BETTER THAN
MOST.
MOST. THERE WILL CONTINUE TO BE A
DEBATE OVER WHETHER DONALD TRUMP
MADE THE RIGHT DECISION THIS
PAST WEEK IN THE KILLING OF
GENERAL SOLEIMANI.
GENERAL SOLEIMANI. I’M CURIOUS, THOUGH, KNOWING
WHAT YOU KNOW ABOUT IRAQ WHEN
YOU WERE THERE AND NOW, ARE YOU
AS SOLDIERS SAFER WITH GENERAL
SOLEIMANI TAKEN OFF THE
BATTLEFIELD BECAUSE OF LAST
WEEK’S STRIKE?
WEEK’S STRIKE? >> I DON’T HAVE THE INFORMATION
YET TO MAKE THAT DECISION.
YOU KNOW, I HAVE BEEN VERY CLEAR
THAT CONGRESS NEEDS TO BE
ENGAGED IN THE PROCESS, WE’RE
GOING TO RECEIVE A CLASSIFIED
BRIEFING LATER TODAY.
WE’VE ASKED FOR THE INTELLIGENCE
THAT LED TO THAT ATTACK.
WE WANT TO KNOW, YOU KNOW, WHY
DID THEY THINK THAT WAS
IMMINENT.
IMMINENT. THAT’S WHAT I NEED TO SEE,
THAT’S WHAT CONGRESS SHOULD HAVE
SEEN DAYS AGO.
HOPEFULLY WE GET THAT
INFORMATION TODAY.
INFORMATION TODAY. LOOKING AT IT FROM MY
PERSPECTIVE NOW --
>> BUT, CONGRESSMAN, YOU DO HAVE
THE INFORMATION THAT GENERAL
SOLEIMANI WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR
THE DEATH OF HUNDREDS OF U.S.
SOLDIERS IN IRAQ.
SO MY QUESTION IS NOT REALLY TO
THE PURPOSES OF THE ATTACK OR
WHETHER DONALD TRUMP SHOULD HAVE
ACTUALLY LAUNCHED THAT STRIKE
AGAINST GENERAL SOLEIMANI, THE
QUESTION IS ARE U.S. TROOPS IN
THE REGION SAFER TODAY BECAUSE
GENERAL SOLEIMANI WAS TAKEN OFF
THE BATTLEFIELD?
THE BATTLEFIELD? >> YEAH, YOU KNOW, STANDING HERE
TODAY I DON’T THINK SO.
YOU KNOW, HE IS UNDOUBTEDLY A
BAD MAN, BUT YOU HAVE TO LOOK AT
THE BIGGER PICTURE HERE.
YOU HAVE TO LOOK AT THE FACT
THAT SECURITY IN OUR STRATEGIC
AND TACTICAL GOALS HAVE TO DO
WITH A LOT OF THINGS.
THEY HAVE TO DO WITH THE STATUS
OF OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH OUR
ALLIES AND PARTNERS, THE
SECURITY SITUATION IN BAGHDAD,
OUR ENGAGEMENT WITH THE BAGHDAD
GOVERNMENT, OUR ENGAGEMENT WITH
ALL THE OTHER ALLIES IN THE
REGION.
REGION. THERE IS A REASON WHY TWO PRIOR
ADMINISTRATIONS DEMOCRAT AND
REPUBLICAN DECIDED THAT THE
RISKS WERE TOO HIGH, THAT THE
RESULTS OF THE KILLING OF
GENERAL SOLEIMANI WOULD BE, YOU
KNOW, COURSE THAN THE BENEFITS
OF KILLING GENERAL SOLEIMANI AND
THAT WAS A VERY, I THINK, WISE
DECISION.
DECISION. SO STANDING HERE RIGHT NOW WE
HAVE MISSILES RAINING DOWN ON
AMERICAN AIR BASES, WE’RE
SENDING 7,000 RAPID REACTION
FORCES TO THE REGION, YOU KNOW,
THE RESPONSE ACTUALLY INDICATES
WHETHER OR NOT WE’RE SAFER AND
THE FACT THAT WE’RE HAVING TO
SEND ALL OF OUR RAPID REACTION
FORCES TO THE REGION THROUGHOUT
THE WORLD TELLS ME THAT WE ARE
IN A VERY DANGEROUS POSITION
RIGHT NOW.
RIGHT NOW. >> INDEED WE ARE.
FINAL QUESTION, SOME DEMOCRATS
OVER THE PAST FOUR OR FIVE DAYS
HAVE HAD A HARD TIME ANSWERING
THE QUESTION OF WHO GENERAL
SOLEIMANI WAS.
SOLEIMANI WAS. DO YOU CONSIDER -- DID YOU
CONSIDER HIM TO BE A TERRORIST?
THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT
CONSIDERED HIS ORGANIZATION TO
BE A TERRORIST ORGANIZATION.
DO YOU CONSIDER GENERAL
SOLEIMANI TO BE A TERRORIST?
>> YOU KNOW, I DISAGREED WITH
THE ADMINISTRATION’S
THE ADMINISTRATION’S DETERMINATION THAT THE
REVOLUTIONARY GUARD CORPS SHOULD
HAVE BEEN DISCRIMINATED A
TERRORIST ORGANIZATION.
TERRORIST ORGANIZATION. I DISAGREED OBVIOUSLY WITH THEIR
MEANS.
MEANS. I THOUGHT THEY WREAKED A LOT OF
HAVOC.
HAVOC. THIS IS A VERY DANGEROUS
PRECEDENT THAT’S SET IN
DESIGNATING A FOREIGN STATE
GOVERNMENT MILITARY UNITS AS
TERRORISTS BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, I
COULD HAVE TOLD YOU THAT THEY
WERE GOING TO DO WHAT THEY DID.
THEY TURNED AROUND AND THEY
DESIGNATED THE U.S. MILITARY A
TERRORIST ORGANIZATION, TOO, AND
THAT SETS OFF A CASCADING EFFECT
WHERE THEN EVERYBODY DOES THAT,
YOU KNOW, THE RULES GET SET
ASIDE AND PEOPLE CAN DO WHATEVER
THEY WANT TO DO.
SO, AGAIN, YOU KNOW, THERE IS A
REASON WHY WE HAVE EXERCISED
RESTRAINT AND HAVE NOT DONE
THESE THINGS IN THE PAST AND
WE’RE SEEING THAT HAS SET OFF A
CASCADING EFFECT THAT’S GOING TO
BE VERY HARD TO CONTROL RIGHT
NOW.
NOW. IT’S TIME FOR THE TACTICAL
PAUSE, FOR EVERY SIDE TO STEP
BACK AND SAY HOW CAN WE RESOLVE
THIS WITHOUT GOING TO WAR.
>> I COMPLETELY UNDERSTAND
EVERYTHING YOU SAID JUST TO GET
AN ANSWER, THOUGH, SO YOU DID
NOT CONSIDER GENERAL SOLEIMANI
TO BE A, QUOTE, TERRORIST?
>> GENERAL SOLEIMANI WAS THE
GENERAL AND ACTUAL GOVERNMENT
OFFICIAL OF THE REPUBLIC OF
IRAN.
IRAN. THAT’S VERY DIFFERENT FROM AL
BAGHDADI, OSAMA BIN LADEN.
IT’S ONE OF THE THINGS THAT
MAKES THIS KILLING
UNPRECEDENTED.
UNPRECEDENTED. THIS WAS NOT A STATELESS
INDIVIDUAL WHO WAS ROAMING
AROUND THE REGION ATTACKING
ANYBODY AND EVERYBODY.
THIS WAS A HIGH RANKING FOREIGN
GOVERNMENT OFFICIAL THAT WAS
KILLED IN THE CAPITAL OF ONE OF
OUR PARTNERS AND ALLIES.
A VERY DIFFERENT SITUATION HERE.
>> SO THAT ANSWER IS NO.
>> YEAH, I THINK DESIGNATING
BOTH THE QUDS FORCE AND THE
REVOLUTIONARY GUARD CORPS AS A
TERRORIST ORGANIZATION AND ALL
OF THE MEMBERS OF THOSE
ORGANIZATIONS AS TERRORISTS, I
THINK THAT WAS A VERY MISPLACED
MOVE.
MOVE. >> ALL RIGHT.
CONGRESSMAN, THANK YOU SO MUCH.
VERY ENLIGHTENING CONVERSATION.