TAKES DIFFERING ATTACKS AND DIFFERENT APPROACHES ON
DIFFERENT SUBJECT.
DIFFERENT SUBJECT. AND IS THISTHIS IS NO DIFFERENT.
IT SEEMS AS THOUGH THEY ARE
QUITE CONFIDENT WITH THE IDEA
THAT THE FIRST WHISTLEBLOWER HAS
SECONDHAND INFORMATION WHICH
SINKS THAT INDIVIDUAL’S CLAIMS
AND THAT SEEMED TO BE THE
GENERAL CHAT.
GENERAL CHAT. BUT WE’LL SEE WHETHER OR NOT
THEY PIVOT AT ALL IF THE SECOND
WHISTLEBLOWER DOES INDEED HAVE
FIRSTHAND ACCOUNTS AND HOW THEY
WILL TRY TO DISCREDIT THAT
INDIVIDUAL.
INDIVIDUAL. WHAT IS CLEAR IS THAT FROM THE
WHITE HOUSE’S PERSPECTIVE, IN
THE WORDS OF A SENIOR
ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL, A FAUX
IMPEACHMENT.
IMPEACHMENT. THEY DO NOT THINK THAT THIS IS A
REAL IMPEACHMENT AND THEREFORE
THAT THEY WILL NOT COOPERATE
WITH THE PRODUCTION OF DOCUMENTS
THE WAY THAT THEY WOULD IF THEY
SAY THE HOUSE DOES GO AHEAD AND
DOES A FULL VOTE IN THE HOUSE
AND DECIDES TO GO FORMALLY AHEAD
WITH IMPEACHMENT.
WITH IMPEACHMENT. >> AND WE HEARD THAT THE SECOND
WHISTLEBLOWER MAY NOT FINAL AN
OFFICIAL REPORT.
OFFICIAL REPORT. HOW DOES THAT IMPACT THINGS?
>> DOESN’T REALLY MATTER.
THE SECOND WHISTLEBLOWER HAS
PROTECT DIFFERENCE
PROTECT DIFFERENCE PROTECTIVE STATUS.
PROTECTIVE STATUS. RIGHT NOW IT IS IMPORTANT WHAT
INFORMATION THEY GIVE AND
WHETHER THEY ARE WILLING TO
TESTIFY IN CLOSED OR OPEN
SESSION.
SESSION. REMEMBER TEN DAYS AGO, THERE WAS
TALK THAT THE FIRST
WHISTLEBLOWER HAD REACHED SOME
SORT OF AGREEMENT WITH ADAM
SCHIFF’S COMMITTEE THAT HE WOULD
BE TESTIFYING.
BE TESTIFYING. THAT SEEMS TO HAVE DIED OUT.
SO THE IMPORTANT THING HERE IS
THE INFORMATION THAT IS CONVEYED
AND A LOT OF -- WHEN YOU SPEAK
TO AN IG, THE IG CREATES THE
RECORD AND THEN HAS A REPORT AND
THERE IS A PAPER TRAIL THAT HAS
THE SAME PROTECTIVE STATUS AS A
FORMAL COMPLAINT THAT SOMETIMES
IT CAN GET QUITE LEGAL.
>> AND HANS, IF THE SECOND
WHISTLEBLOWER HAS FIRSTHAND
KNOWLEDGE, THAT MEANS THAT THEY
WERE EITHER ON THE CALL OR IN
THE ROOM WHEN IT WAS HAPPENING.
SO DOES THAT NARROW DOWN THE
POSSIBILITY OF WHO IT COULD BE
AND IF THE PERSON IS THAT CLOSE
TO THE INNER CIRCLE, IS THE
WHITE HOUSE CONCERNED ABOUT
WHAELGS THAT THEY COULD WANT TO
SHARE?
SHARE? >> POTENTIALLY.
>> POTENTIALLY. I THINK THE SECOND PART WHERE
YOU ALLUDE THAT HAD THERE COULD
BE MORE TO COME IF THIS SECOND
WHISTLEBLOWER HAS A LOT OF
INFORMATION.
INFORMATION. I THINK THAT WE NEED TO BE
CAREFUL ABOUT WHAT THE SECOND
WHISTLEBLOWER HAS FIRSTHAND
INFORMATION ABOUT.
INFORMATION ABOUT. IF IT IS THE CALL, THE ACTUAL
CALL LOG, WE HAVE THE CALL
TRANSCRIPT.
TRANSCRIPT. SO THE QUESTION THEN WOULD BE
DOES THE SECOND WHISTLEBLOWER’S
ACCOUNT MATCH THE TRANSCRIPT OF
THE CALL.
THE CALL. I SHOULDN’T SAY TRANSCRIPT, I
SHOULD SAY CALL LOG.
IF IT HAS TO DO WITH HOW THE
INFORMATION WAS HANDLED AND
WHETHER OR NOT IT WAS PUT INTO A
MORE SECURE SYSTEM AS THE FIRST
WHISTLEBLOWER ALLEGED, THAT
WOULDN’T NECESSARILY NARROW DOWN
THE SCOPE OF POTENTIAL OFFICERS
OR AGENTS OR INDIVIDUALS THAT
WOULD HAVE ACCESS TO THAT.
SO IF IT IS JUST THE CALL, MAYBE
IT NARROWS IT A LITTLE BIT.
BUT THE CALL AT THIS POINT
DOESN’T SEEM TO BE THE MAIN
DISPUTE.
DISPUTE. AND IN FACT THE WHITE HOUSE
POINTS TO THE CALL AS
EXONERATING THE PRESIDENT.
SO UNLESS THERE ARE PORTIONS OF
THE CALL THAT WERE LEFT OUT OF
THE TRANSCRIPT, THEN WHETHER OR
NOT THE SECOND LISTKDCOND WHISTL
FIRSTHAND ACCOUNT IS SOMEWHAT
IMMATERIAL -- IF I DIDN’T
TOTALLY CONFUSE THAT.
>> GREAT JOB.
I KNOW THAT WE HAVE A LOT OF
THINGS GOING ON.
I WANT TO SWITCH GEARS.
A HUGE DECISION TO PULL U.S.
TROOPS OUT OF NORTHERN SYRIA.
WHAT IS THE SENSE THAT YOU ARE
GETTING FROM THE WHITE HOUSE
TODAY?
TODAY? IS THE PRESIDENT ACTING ALONE
AGAINST ADVICE FROM HIS
ADMINISTRATION WHEN HE MADE THAT
CALL?
CALL? >> WE KNOW THAT THE PRESIDENT
HAS BEEN AT ODDS IN TERMS OF
PUBLIC STATEMENTS OF WHAT THE
SECRETARY OF DEFENSE HAS SAID,
WHAT THE STATE DEPARTMENT HAS
SAID.
SAID. AND THAT IS THAT THE KURDISH
HAVE BEEN AN IMPORTANT PARTNER.
THE PRESIDENT POSITION HAS
PRAISED THEM.
PRAISED THEM. HIMSELF HAS PRAISED THEM.
THEY DID NOT ANTICIPATE THE
PUSHBACK FROM CAPITOL HILL.
CAPITOL HILL WANTS TO WALK THIS
BACK.
BACK. AND YOU ALSO HAVE THE PRESIDENT
SENDING MIXED MESSAGES.
HE HAD A THREAT WHERE HE
THREATENED TURKEY WITH ECONOMIC
DESTRUCTION AND SAID THAT HE
WOULD TOTALLY OBLITERATE THEM IF
THEY GO INTO NORTHERN SYRIA.
AND AT THE SAME TIME HE WANTS TO
PULL TROOPS OUT OF THE REGION.
AND SO THE PRESIDENT HIMSELF IS
SENDING MIXED MESSAGES.
THE POLICY IF I CAN UNDERSTAND
IT RIGHT NOW IS THAT THE U.S. IS
WITHDRAWING TROOPS FROM NORTHERN
SYRIA, BUT THAT IS NOT AN
INVITATION AND TURKEY SHOULD NOT