REPORTER ASHLEY PARKER. WITH US AT THE TABLE FORMER FBI
ANDREW WEISSMANN.
ANDREW WEISSMANN. THIS SEEMS TO REPRESENT A FIRST
CHAPTER -- AND I WAS PART OF THE
PLANNING FOR THE BIRD FLU.
I KNOW WHAT IT IS LIKE IN THE
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TO PREPARE
FOR THE POSSIBILITY OF A GLOBAL
PANDEMIC AND JUST TO MAKE SURE
OUR VIEWERS ARE NOT MORE SCARED
THAN THEY NEED TO BE, THAT HAS
NOT BEEN DECLARED.
THE CONCERN IS WE’RE ON THE
BRINK OF ONE.
BUT THE PRESIDENT SEEMING TO SAY
WE GOT THIS AND THE ECONOMIC
TEAM SAYING IT IS ALL FINE.
THAT IS NOT MATCHING UP WITH THE
MESSAGES COMING FROM THE WORLD’S
HEALTH LEADERS.
HEALTH LEADERS. >> THAT IS EXACTLY RIGHT.
NOT JUST FROM THE GLOBAL HEALTH
LEADERS, BUT FROM THE CDC THAT
BASICALLY WARNED TODAY THAT IT
IS NOT A QUESTION OF IF, BUT
WHEN THE CORONAVIRUS COMES TO
THE UNITED STATES.
SO WHAT YOU’RE SEEING IS THIS
VERY DISCONCERTING SPLIT SCREEN
WHERE YOU HAVE THE PRESIDENT AND
SOME OF HIS TOP ADVISERS SAYING
IT IS ALL UNDER CONTROL.
NOTHING TO SEE HERE.
AND THEN ANOTHER SET OF PEOPLE
ALSO AFFILIATED WITH THE
ADMINISTRATION SAYING WE NEED TO
BE PREPARED.
BE PREPARED. WE POTENTIALLY NEED TO BE
ALARMED.
ALARMED. IT IS NOT NECESSARILY ALL UNDER
CONTROL.
CONTROL. WE’RE WORKING TO GET IT UNDER
CONTROL.
CONTROL. AND THERE IS VERY GOOD REPORTING
IN THE POST AND ELSEWHERE OF
THINGS THAT HAVE ALREADY GONE
WRONG FROM TESTS THAT HAVE BEEN
FAULTY TO TESTING NOT BEING AS
WIDESPREAD IN THE UNITED STATES
AS SOME PEOPLE WOULD LIKE TO SEE
TO THE PRESIDENT HIMSELF BEING
FURIOUS ABOUT SOME PASSENGERS
WHO WERE QUARANTINED ON THE
JAPANESE CRUISE SHIP FLYING BACK
WITH HEALTHY AMERICANS.
AND SO IT IS NOT THE SORT OF
PERFECTLY STREAMLINED MACHINE
THAT THE PRESIDENT WANTS
EVERYONE TO BELIEVE.
I’M NOT SAYING PEOPLE SHOULD BE
DEEPLY ALARMED AND PANICKED YET.
BUT I THINK THE PROBLEM IS THERE
IS A DISASSOCIATION BETWEEN WHAT
WE’RE HEARING FROM THE PRESIDENT
AT THE TOP AND OTHER PEOPLE MORE
ACUTELY INVOLVED IN THE DETAILS
OF THIS PROCESS.
>> TALK ABOUT THE INTERSECTION
OF SOMETHING THE POSTHAS BEEN
COVERING AND IT SAID AXIOS AND
THAT IS THE PRESIDENT’S
OBSESSION OF POST IMPEACHMENT
PURGE AIDED BY HIT LISTS COMING
FROM THE WIFE OF A SUPREME COURT
JUSTICE AND SOME OF THE
REPORTING, I’LL READ SOMETHING
FROM FOREIGN POLICY MAGAZINE
ABOUT THE SECURITY OFFICIALS
OUSTED.
OUSTED. IN MAY 2018, TRUMP ORDERED THE
NSC, THE NATIONAL SECURITY
COUNCIL ENTIRE GLOBAL HEALTH
SECURITY UNIT SHUT DOWN.
CALLING FOR REASSIGNMENT OF REAR
ADMIRAL TIMOTHY DISCIPLER.
THE MONTH BEFORE JOHN BOLTON
PRESSURED TOM BOSSERT TO RESIGN.
ALONG WITH HIS ENTIRE TEAM.
ANOTHER THE NSC OR THE
DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY
TEAMS HAVE BEEN REPLACED.
THE GLOBAL HEALTH SECTION OF THE
CDC WAS DRASTICALLY CUT IN 2018
THAT MUCH OF THE STAFF WAS LAID
OFF AND THE NUMBER THE COUNTRIES
WAS WORKING WAS REDUCED FROM 49
TO 10.
TO 10. MEANWHILE THROUGH 2018 THE U.S.
AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL
DEVELOPMENT AND ITS DIRECTOR
MARK GREEN CAME UNDER FIRE FROM
THE WHITE HOUSE AND THE
SECRETARY OF STATE MIKE POMPEO.
ALTHOUGH CONGRESS HAS SO FAR
MANAGED TO BLOCK THE PLANS TO
CUT THE PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE
COMMISSION CORE BY 40%, THE
DISEASE FIGHTING HAVE ERODED AS
OFFICERS GO UNREPLATED.
THERE IS A DOCUMENTED EFFORT ON
DONALD TRUMP AND OTHERS TO PURGE
THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, TO
DECAPITATE ALL OF THE LEADERS OF
OUR PUBLIC HEALTH AGENCIES.
>> THAT IS RIGHT.
I THINK YOU DO HAVE TO SEPARATE.
THERE HAS BEEN AS WE READ TODAY
A HOLLOWING OUT OF THE
SCIENTIFIC COMMUNITY IN THE
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION SINCE HE
TOOK OFFICE.
TOOK OFFICE. SEPARATE THIS FROM THE OTHER
PURGE WE’RE SEEING POST
IMPEACHMENT WHICH IS VERY MUCH
ABOUT INSTALLING LOYALISTS,
PUNISHING PEOPLE WHO TESTIFIED
AGAINST THE PRESIDENT.
BUT IT DOESN’T CHANGE THE FACTS
ON THE GROUND WHEN THERE IS
POTENTIALLY THIS GLOBAL PANDEMIC
THE PRESIDENT AT SOME POINT WILL
HAVE TO TURN TO THESE AGENCIES
THAT ARE NOT AS ROBUSTLY STAFFED
AS YOU WOULD NECESSARILY WANT
THEM TO BE.
THAT IS JUST A REALITY.
THAT IS SOMETHING THAT HE’S
GRAPPLING WITH AND IT IS JUST
THE FACTSOND GROUND.
AND I WOULD I WOULD ADD ONE
FINAL POINT.
FINAL POINT. YOU KNOW FROM THE BUSH
ADMINISTRATION, WHEN THERE ARE
HUGE CRISES OUT OF OUR CONTROL
AND WE REPORT SELF-SABOTAGING
AND THIS IS OUT OF HIS CONTROL
AND IF YOU REMEMBER PRESIDENT
BUSH WITH HURRICANE KATRINA AND
HOW TOUGH IT WAS TO RECOVER FROM
BUNGLING THAT RESPONSE.
THAT IS A POTENTIAL RISK THAT
PRESIDENT TRUMP FACES NOW.
>> I WILL NEVER FOR GOT THAT.
ANDREW WEISSMANN, I THINK THE
INTERSECTIONALITY, THE RESPONSE
AND THE PEOPLE THAT WERE
RESPONSIBLE FOR FOREIGN POLICY
WERE THE NATIONAL SECURITY
ADVISER AND THE HOMELAND
SECURITY ADVISER CONDI RICE AND
FRANKTOWN SEND AND THEY WERE IN
THE ROOM WHEN WE PRACTICED FOR
THE BIRD FLU OUTBREAK.
BY DECIMATING EVERY 12 WEEKS
YOU’RE DECIMATING ANY MUSCLE
MEMORY OR KNOWLEDGE ABOUT HOW TO
DEAL WITH A GLOBAL CRISIS.
>> SO ONE OF THE ODDITIES THAT
YOU HAVE HERE WITH THE PRESIDENT
IS HE SPENDS SO MUCH TIME
DENIGRATING ALL OF THESE
AGENCIES, WHETHER THIS IS THE
INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY, BUT THEN
WHEN IT COMES TIME THAT YOU NEED
TO RELY ON THEM, BECAUSE YOU
WANT TO GO AFTER AN IMPORTANT
ISIS LEADER, SUDDENLY THEY’RE
ACCURATE AND GOOD.
BUT HERE HE’S GOING TO HAVE THE
SAME ISSUE AFTER CHALLENGING ALL
SORTS EVER AGENCIES AND SAYING
THEIR INCOMPETENT.
THEIR INCOMPETENT. THE CDC IS REALLY GOING TO NEED
TO STEP UP AND HE’S GOING TO BE
RELYING ON THEM AND THIS IS THE
AGENCY AND MANY OTHER AGENCIES
THAT HE SAID DON’T TRUST.
AND SO THE SORT OF LACK OF
COMPETENCE THAT YOU SORT OF --
PROJECTED IS SOMETHING THAT I
THINK EVERYONE IS GOING TO BE
REALLY SEEING, IS HE ABLE TO
CARRY THROUGHMENT