>> Bret: STEVE HARRIGAN LIVE IN
UKRAINE’S CAPITOL.
STEVE, THANKS.
LET’S BRING IN FORMER SECRETARY
OF STATE, FORMER CIA DIRECTOR
MIKE POMPEO.
MR. SECRETARIES, THANKS FOR THE
TIME.
>> GREAT TO BE WITH YOU, BRET.
THANKS FOR HAVING ME ON TONIGHT.
>> Bret: YOU KNOW, RONALD REAGAN
OBVIOUSLY SAID TRUST BUT VERIFY.
WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF VLADIMIR
PUTIN’S AT LEAST ANNOUNCEMENT
THAT SOME OF THE RUSSIAN TROOPS
ARE PULLING BACK FROM THAT
BORDER?
>> WELL, BRET, IT’S HARD TO GO
WRONG WITH REAGAN DISTRUST BUT
VERIFY.
I HEARD PUTIN SPEAKING ACTING IF
HE WAS THE PEACEMAKER WHEN HE
WAS THE PERSON WHO IN FACT
BROUGHT ALL OF THIS CURRENT
KERFLUFFLE ON.
WE SHOULDN’T CREDIT HIM FOR
MAKING A STATEMENT MAYBE IT’S
TIME FOR ME TO NEGOTIATE AND I
WILL PULL SOME OF MY TROOPS
BACK.
THE OTHER THING WE NEED TO MAKE
SURE TO KEEP IN MIND, BRET.
IT’S NOT BINARY WE TALK ABOUT AN
INVASION OR NOT.
IN FACT, WE SAW THESE
CYBERATTACKS TODAY.
WE WILL SEE WHERE THEY ACTUALLY
CAME FROM.
BUT VLADIMIR PUTIN HAS BEEN AT
WAR WITH THE WEST FOR AN AWFULLY
LONG TIME AND UKRAINE IN
PARTICULAR.
AND FORGET HE TOOK ONE FIFTH OF
THAT COUNTRY JUST A HANDFUL OF
YEARS AGO.
WE ARE ALWAYS CAUGHT UP IN JUST
THE MOMENT.
WE WERE WORKING SO HARD AT THIS,
BRET.
I MET WITH MY COUNTERPART MANY,
MANY TIMES MET WITH VLADIMIR
PUTIN.
VLADIMIR PUTIN THANKED ME AND
PRESIDENT TRUMP FOR SAVING LIVES
IN ST. PETERSBURG.
WE ALWAYS KNEW THAT HE NEEDED TO
MAKE SURE AND HAVE GOOD
CONVERSATIONS.
DEVELOP WHATEVER LEVEL OF
RELATIONSHIP.
YOU COULD WORK TOGETHER.
YOU COULD SAVE LIVES IN A PLACE
LIKE RUSSIA.
YOU OUGHT TO DO THAT.
BUT WHEN YOU CAME TO DEFENDING
AMERICA’S INTEREST.
WE WERE PRETTY CLEAR WE WERE
GOING TO DO THAT EVERY SINGLE
DAY.
>> Bret: DEMOCRATS ON CAPITOL
HILL OBVIOUSLY SEE THIS
DIFFERENTLY.
SOME LOOK THROUGH PARTISAN
LENSES.
OTHERS SAY THAT THE TWO
ADMINISTRATIONS DEALT WITH
THINGS DIFFERENTLY.
HERE IS SENATOR MARK WARNER.
>> THE ADMINISTRATION’S APPROACH
IS SIGNIFICANTLY DIFFERENT THAN
THE PREVIOUS PRESIDENT IN THIS
COUNTRY TO UNDERMIND THE
TRANS-ATLANTIC ALLIANCE.
QUESTIONED THE VERY NEEDS FOR
ITS EXISTENCE AND TOOK EVERY
OPPORTUNITY TO WEAKEN THE SHARED
BONDS THAT HAVE KEPT PEACE IN
EUROPE SINCE WORLD WAR II.
>> Bret: YOUR THOUGHTS ON THAT?
>> IT’S UNFORTUNATE THAT YOU SEE
A PARTISAN, FRANKLY UNFOUNDED
COMMENT LIKE THAT.
I PROMISE YOU, YOU HAD THE NATO
SECRETARY GENERAL ON JUST A
LITTLE BIT AGO.
I KNOW GENERAL SALTENBERG VERY
WELL.
HE WAS THANKFUL FOR WHAT
PRESIDENT TRUMP DID, FOR WHAT
OUR ADMINISTRATION DID.
WE FLOWED RESOURCES TO NATO.
WE MADE EACH COUNTRY STAND UP
AND PREPARE BETTER TO DEFEND
ITSELF.
SECRETARY GENERAL SALTBERG MUCH
MORE CAPABLE TODAY BECAUSE OF
WHAT THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION
DID.
NOW, IT’S PRECISELY OPPOSITE.
WHEN YOU CODDLE, WHEN YOU SAY
LOOK, THIS IS NO LONGER
IMPORTANT, WE ARE GOING TO TURN
INWARD AND LEAD FROM BEHIND.
THAT WAS THE WRONG APPROACH.
IT SHOULDN’T BE PARTISAN.
WE WANT A STRONG, UNITED NATO.
WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THE
THINGS THAT MATTER TO PEOPLE IN
NEVADA AND ACROSS THE UNITED
STATES OF AMERICA ARE STOOD UP
FOR.
AND PROTECTS A DEMOCRACY IN
UKRAINE IS SOMETHING WE OUGHT TO
DO FOR OUR OWN BEST INTEREST.
I WOULD ADD ONE MORE THOUGHT
HERE, BRET.
I HEARD PRESIDENT BIDEN SAY HE
WORRIED ABOUT AMERICAN ENERGY
PRICES BECAUSE OF SOMETHING
RUSSIA DOES.
IN FACT, AMERICAN ENERGY PRICES
ARE HIGH TODAY BECAUSE OF WHAT
PRESIDENT BIDEN HAS DONE E SHUT
DOWN THE CAPACITY FOR AMERICA TO
PRODUCE ITS OWN AFFORDABLE
ENERGY.
DON’T LET ANY LEADER HIDE BEHIND
WHAT SOME OTHER ACTOR DOES.
AMERICA CAN HAVE AFFORDABLE,
SAFE, ABUNDANT ENERGY FROM OWN
INTERNAL RESOURCES WE
DEMONSTRATED THAT IN OUR FOUR
YEARS.
>> Bret: MR. SECRETARY, YOU
MENTIONED INTERESTING PRESIDENT
BIDEN’S SPEECH TODAY.
WHAT ABOUT THE REST OF THAT
SPEECH AS YOU LOOK THROUGH IT
AND KIND OF READ THROUGH THE
LINES THERE?
AS YOU LOOK AT A MAP OF THE
RUSSIAN FORCES AROUND UKRAINE, I
MEAN, IT’S OMINOUS.
BUT SHOULD AMERICANS BE WORRIED
ABOUT RUSSIAN ACTION AGAINST
AMERICA CYBER OR OTHERWISE AND
HOW DID YOU READ THAT SPEECH?
>> YES, IT’S TRUE.
WE DO HAVE INTEREST IN UKRAINE.
I HAVE HEARD SOME SAY WE DON’T
HAVE ANY INTEREST.
I HAVE HEARD OTHERS SAY WE HAVE
MAX MALL INTEREST THERE.
IT’S THE CASE THAT WE HAVE
IMPORTANT INTEREST THAT HE WOULD
SHOULD DEFEND THEM BUT EVERY
SITUATION IS DIFFERENT.
THIS ONE CERTAINLY THE CASE.
RUSSIA DOES HAVE THE IMPACT THAT
PRESIDENT BIDEN DESCRIBED.
THEY CAN EFFECT AMERICAN LIVES.
A BIG CHUNK OF WHEAT FLOWS
THROUGH THE BLACK SEA.
ENERGY PRICES FOR SURE.
YOU CAN CONSTRICT AND
DESTABILIZE THE MARKET.
HE CAN MESS AROUND IN THE MIDDLE
EAST AND PRESENT REAL RISK TO
OUR FRIEND AND ALLY ISRAEL.
VLADIMIR PUTIN HAS MANY TOOLS.
NOT THE LEAST OF WHICH IS STILL
A THOUSAND NUCLEAR WARHEADS.
WE GAVE HIM AT THE VERY
BEGINNING OF THIS
ADMINISTRATION.
WE GAVE HIM THE BRAND NEW
EXTENSION OF NEW START ASKING
FOR NOTHING WHEN IT COVERS ALL
OF OUR WEAPONS AND A FRACTION OF
THE RUSSIAN WEAPON SYSTEMS.
THOSE ARE THE TYPES OF MISTAKE
THAT LEAD VLADIMIR PUTIN TO
BELIEVE THAT HE CAN PUSH AROUND
THE UNITED STATES.
THAT’S THE BIG MISTAKE.
THIS LAST COMMENT HERE, BRET.
PEOPLE HAVE ASKED WOULD THIS
HAVE HAPPENED UNDER PRESIDENT
TRUMP?
I DON’T THINK SO.
I CAN TELL YOU THIS: IT DIDN’T
HAPPEN AND THE ONLY THING THAT
HAS CHANGED WAS WHO WAS LEADING
THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.
>> Bret: SECRETARY MIKE POMPEO,