PEOPLE FROM DROPLET TRANSMISSION OF COVID.
OF COVID. >> THANK YOU SO MUCH, DR. VIN
GUPTA.
GUPTA. >>> MEANWHILE, CHINA IS
DRAMATICALLY REVISING ITS DEATH
TOLL IN WUHAN, THE CITY WHERE
COVID-19 ORIGINATED.
COVID-19 ORIGINATED. ADDING 50% MORE DEATHS.
OFFICIALS NOW SAYING NEARLY
4,000 PEOPLE DIED FROM THE NOVEL
CORONAVIRUS, AN INCREASE OF
ABOUT 1,300.
ABOUT 1,300. THIS AS THE U.S. INTELLIGENCE
COMMUNITY IS LOOKING INTO
WHETHER THE CORONAVIRUS
ACCIDENTLY SPREAD FROM A LAB IN
WUHAN THAT WAS STUDYING THE
VIRUS INSTEAD OF BATS IN THE WET
MARKET.
MARKET. ONE SOURCE TELLING NBC IT IS A
LIKABILITY BUT NOT THE MOST
POSSIBLE LIKABILITY.
POSSIBLE LIKABILITY. JOINING ME NOW, THE FORMER CIA
OF THE PENTAGON.
WE HAVE BEEN HEARING SEVERAL
MESSAGES HERE, MIKE POMPEO
PUSHING DIFFERENT THEORIES ON
THE LABS.
THE LABS. HE REALLY WENT FORWARD BUT NOT
MIKE ESPER OR CHAIRMAN OF THE
JOINT CHIEFS AT THE PENTAGON
SAYING IT’S LESS LIKELY.
WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT THE
ACCURACY OF OUR OWN JENSZ
INTELLIGENCE?
INTELLIGENCE? >> I THINK WE HAVE TO WAIT TO
HEAR FROM THE INTELLIGENCE
PROFESSIONALS, ANDREA.
PROFESSIONALS, ANDREA. THAT’S NOT SOMETHING THE
PRESIDENT OFTEN DOES.
BUT IT’S SO IMPORTANT HERE
BECAUSE AN ALLEGATION THAT CHINA
ALLOWED THE VIRUS TO ESCAPE FROM
A LAB THROUGH NEGLIGENCE OR
WORSE, PERHAPS BECAUSE THEY WERE
TRYING TO ENGINEER SOMETHING,
THAT’S AN EXPLOSIVE CHARGE THAT
CAN REALLY INFLAME GEOPOLITICAL
TENSIONS.
TENSIONS. I THINK THE PRESIDENT HAS SENT
MIXED MESSAGES ON CHINA.
YOU WILL RECALL ON JANUARY 24th,
THE PRESIDENT BASICALLY STOOD UP
AND SAID THE UNITED STATES
GREATLY APPRECIATES THE EFFORTS
AND TRANSPARENCY THAT CHINA HAS
UNDERTAKEN.
UNDERTAKEN. IT WILL ALL WORK OUT WELL, HE
SAID, ON BEHALF OF THE AMERICAN
PEOPLE, IN PARTICULAR I WANT TO
THANK XI JINPING.
RIGHT OUT OF THE GATE PRAISING
XI JINPING, BE CONGRATULATING
CHINA, THANKING THEM FOR THEIR
TRANSPARENCY, AND IN FACT WE
KNOW THEY’VE BEEN ANYTHING BUT.
>> WHEN WE LOOK AT CHINA, CHINA
IS THE SOURCE OF CHEMICALS WE
NEED FOR THE TESTS TO BE
PROCESSED IN LABS.
CHINA IS THE SOURCE OF THE MASKS
AND A LOT OF THE OTHER EQUIPMENT
THAT WE NEED.
SO THIS MIXED MESSAGE IS
CONTRIBUTING TO THE SUPPLY CHAIN
AS WELL.
AS WELL. >> THAT’S RIGHT, ANDREA.
I THINK AN INTEGRATE ADD
APPROACH TO CHINA HAS TO HAVE
SEVERAL ELEMENTS.
SEVERAL ELEMENTS. NUMBER ONE, WE DEFINITIVELY HAVE
TO BE TOUGH ON THEM ON THE LACK
OF TRANSPARENCY.
OF TRANSPARENCY. ALSO, I DON’T THINK WE SHOULD BE
RUNNING HEAD LONG INTO REWARDING
THEM WITH TRADE DEALS LIKE PHASE
ONE OR TRAYS ONE FOLLOW-ON TRADE
DEAL.
DEAL. BUT WE DO HAVE TO WORK
COLLABORATIVELY WITH CHINA AND
OTHER COUNTRIES TO SOLVE THIS
PROBLEM.
PROBLEM. SCAPEGOATING THAT THE CHINESE
VIRUS OR DENIGRATING OR ZENO
PHOBIC COMMENTS ABOUT CHINA IS
COUNTERPRODUCTIVE.
COUNTERPRODUCTIVE. BECAUSE A VIRUS KNOWS NO
POLITICAL BOUNDARIES, DOES NOT
UNDERSTAND NATION STATES.
IT CAN INFECT ANYONE ANYWHERE.
AND THE PRESENCE OF THE VIRUS IN
CHINA OR ELSEWHERE COULD
ULTIMATELY AND WILL ULTIMATELY
HARM AMERICA AND AMERICAN
CITIZENS.
CITIZENS. SO WE HAVE TO WORK GLOBALLY TO
TAKE ON THIS CHALLENGE, AND I
THINK EFFORTS TO TRY TO DIVIDE
US BETWEEN COUNTRIES OR TRYING
TO LOOK FOR SCAPEGOATS IS
FUNDAMENTALLY COUNTERPRODUCTIVE.
FUNDAMENTALLY COUNTERPRODUCTIVE. >> DO YOU TRUST THE INTELLIGENCE
THAT THE PRESIDENT IS GETTING
FROM THE SHAKE-UPS AND THE
FIRINGS AND LACK OF AN
INDEPENDENT WATCH DOG NOW OVER
THE INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY?
>> I TRUST THE INTELLIGENCE
PROFESSIONALS.
PROFESSIONALS. I HAVE BEEN TALKING TO MANY OF
THEM OVER THE LAST SEPARATE
WEEKS.
WEEKS. THEY’RE NOSE DOWN WORKING
DILIGENTLY.
DILIGENTLY. THEY’VE HAD TO SHIFT SOME OF
THEIR MODES OF OPERATION IN SOME
CASES ENGAGING IN TELEWORK,
WORKING REMOTELY, USING OTHER
METHODS AND MEANS TO COLLECT AND
ANALYZE INTELLIGENCE.
ANALYZE INTELLIGENCE. I THINK THEY’RE DOING A VERY
DILIGENT JOB AT PROVIDING AS
MUCH INFORMATION UP THE CHAIN OF
COMMAND AS THEY HAVE WITH
RESPECT TO CHINA AND OTHER
COUNTRIES.
COUNTRIES. AND WITH RESPECT TO WHAT OTHER
COUNTRIES ARE DOING AND HOW
THEY’RE REACTING TO THE
CORONAVIRUS CRIER SIS.SIS.
BUT I DO, WORRY, ANDREA, THAT
THE PRESIDENT SOMETIMES DOESN’T
LISTEN, DOESN’T HEED THAT
ADVICE.
ADVICE. WE HEARD EARLIER ON IN THE
ADMINISTRATION TIMES WHEN THE
PRESIDENT SAID DON’T TELL ME
ABOUT WHAT VLADIMIR PUTIN IS
DOING.
DOING. AND HE WILL GO OUT AND PRAISE XI
JINPING AS I MENTIONED JANUARY
24th, DESPITE THE INTELLIGENCE
WARNING THAT THE INTELLIGENCE
COMMUNITY PROVIDES.
COMMUNITY PROVIDES. >> JEREMY, ONE OF THE THINGS I
WAS JUST REFERENCING WITH WILLEM
MARX IS THE WHITE HOUSE PUT OUT
THIS ROSY STATEMENT ABOUT THE G7
VIDEO CONFERENCE THAT THEY HAD
YESTERDAY.
YESTERDAY. AND EVERYONE AGREES AND
CRITICIZES THE W.H.O.
AND THAT’S NOT WHAT HAPPENED
ACCORDING TO ANGELA MERKEL AND
JUSTIN TRUDEAU AND SOME OF THE
OTHER WORLD LEADERS.
THEY, IN FACT, PUSHED BACK
AGAINST THE PRESIDENT’S
CRITICISM OF THE W.H.O.
>> THAT’S RIGHT.
THIS IS PRECISELY THE MOMENT,
ANDREA, WE NEED TO HAVE GLOBAL
LEADERSHIP FROM WASHINGTON, FROM
THE WHITE HOUSE, TO BRING
TOGETHER COUNTRIES WHETHER IT’S
IN THE G7 FORMATION OR G20 OR
OTHER MULTI LATERAL
INSTITUTIONS.
INSTITUTIONS. THE WAY WE HAVE TO THINK ABOUT
THIS VIRUS IS IT’S A NEW KIND OF
THREAT, A GLOBAL THREAT THAT
AFFECTS EVERY COUNTRY, EVERY
PERSON, ALL OF HUMANITY, IN