IT.
CHERYL: PENTAGON HAS TAKEN OUT
IRANIAN COMMANDER QASSEM
SOLEIMANI, THE DEFENSE
DEPARTMENT OVERNIGHT, DEVELOPING
PLANS TO ATTACK DIPLOMATS AND
SERVICE MEMBERS IN IRAQ AND
THROUGHOUT THE REGION, THIS
STRIKE AIMED AT DETERRING FUTURE
PLANS, COMMANDER RESPONDED,
HARSH RETALIATION IS WAITING FOR
THE U.S., JOIN MANAGER TOE REACT
LIEUTENANT COLONEL GREEN BERET
MICHAEL.
GOOD MORNING, YOUR REACTION TO
OVERNIGHT AIR STRIKE THAT KILLED
THE GENERAL?
>> WELL, I THINK THIS WAS A BOLD
AND DECISIVE MOVE ON THE PART OF
THE PRESIDENT AND FRANKLY IT'S
LONG OVERDUE ON THE PART OF THE
UNITED STATES, I CAN'T OVERSTATE
HOW IMPORTANT SOLEIMANI IS IS --
WAS TO IRANIAN REGIME AND ALMOST
LIKE CULT-LIKE FIGURE TO SHIITE
MILITIAS, BUT ACCORDING TO THE
STATE DEPARTMENT AND I'VE SERVED
IN THE MIDDLE EAST, OVER 600
AMERICAN SOLDIERS BLOOD ON HIS
HANDS, RESPONSIBLE FOR THEIR
DEATHS IN IRAQ AND TENS OF
THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE ACROSS THE
MIDDLE EAST, MILITIAS THAT HE
COMMANDED, SYRIA, LEBANON, IRAQ,
AND THIS WAS A JUSTIFIED ATTACK,
NOT ONLY WAS HE ACTIVELY
PLANNING, AGAIN, HE HAD AMERICAN
BLOOD ON HIS HANDS IN THE PAST
AND FROM AN AUTHORITY STANDPOINT
YOU'RE GOING TO SEE ALL KIND OF
CARPING IN WASHINGTON ABOUT
THIS, THIS WAS DEFENSIVE ACTION,
THE PENTAGON IS CORRECT THAT IT
CAN TAKE PREEMPTIVE ATTACKS,
LOOK, THE BOTTOM LINE IS IF THE
PRESIDENT HAS INTELLIGENCE THAT
AMERICANS ARE BEING TARGETED AND
ABOUT TO BE KILLED YOU DON'T
WAIT UNTIL WE HAVE MORE BODY
BAGS AND THEN TAKE ACTION, YOU
TAKE PREEMPTIVE ACTION AND
THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT HE DID.
>> THE DEFENSE SECRETARY ESPER
WAS TALKING TO REPORTERS LAST
MONTH AN HE MADE COMMENTS THAT
MAKES ME BELIEVE THAT THIS WAS
IN THE WORKS FOR A WHILE AND I'M
CURIOUS NOW ABOUT U.S. TROOP
LEVELS IN IRAQ, WE HAVE 5,000
THERE RIGHT NOW, THIS IS AT
4,000 THAT POSSIBLY ACCORDING TO
PENTAGON COULD BE SENT INTO THE
REGION BUT THIS IS GOING TO
OBVIOUSLY BE SOMETHING THAT YOU
AND YOUR COLLEAGUES WHEN YOU GO
BACK TO DC WILL HAVE TO ADDRESS
WITH AND DEAL WITH.
>> WELL, BUT JUST FURTHER TO
THAT POINT, SOLEIMANI WAS A
DESIGNATED TERRORIST AND SO THE
STAGE WAS WITH HIM THAT WAS HEAD
OF HEZBOLLAH IN IRAQ THAT HAD
JUST TACKED OUR EMBASSY AND THIS
WAS DONE IN IRAQ, NOT IRAN, SO,
YOU KNOW, THEY'LL BE KIND OF A
PICTURE PAINTED THAT WE ARE
ABOUT TO SEND A MILLION
AMERICANS FOR A D-DAY STYLE
INVASION OF TEHRAN, THAT'S JUST
NOT THE CASE, THIS WAS A
TARGETED LIKELY DRONE STRIKE IN
IRAQ ON THE HEELS OF OUR EMBASSY
BEING ATTACKED AND AN AMERICAN
CITIZEN BEING KILLED BY THE VERY
MILITIAS THAT SOLEIMANI
COMMANDED, IT'S PROPORTIONAL, IT
WOULD HAVE BEEN IRRESPONSIBLE TO
LET HIM CONTINUE TO KILL
AMERICANS.
CHERYL: TENTACLES WERE IN SYRIA,
YEMEN.
I DO WANT TO MOVE TO WHAT'S
HAPPENING IN WASHINGTON,
LAWMAKERS HAVE OVERNIGHT
RESPONDED TO THIS ATTACK AND I
WANT TO GET YOUR REACTION ON
WHAT HOUSE SPEAKER NANCY PELOSI
SAID, SHE ISSUED A STATEMENT,
WARNED AGAINST ESCALATING
TENSIONS IN THE MIDDLE EAST,
RISK PROVOKING FURTHER
ESCALATION OF VIOLENCE, AMERICA
AND THE WORLD CANNOT AFFORD TO
HAVE TENSIONS TO ESCALATE TO THE
POINT OF NO RETURN, YOU HAD
LINDSEY GRAHAM PRAISING THE
PRESIDENT, THE PRICE OF INJURING
AND KILLING AMERICANS HAVE GONE
UP DRASTICALLY, AMERICAN BLOOD
OF ITS HAND, SOLEIMANI WAS
RUTHLESS MEMBERS OF IAOTOLA
REGIME.
NANCY PELOSI THINKS CONGRESS
SHOULD HAVE BEEN CONSULTED AND
SENATOR GRAHAM'S STATEMENT.
>> HE'S PLOT TO GO CONTINUE TO
KILL AMERICANS AFTER THEY KILLED
SOMEONE LAST WEEK, YOU DON'T GO
CONGRESS AND SAY MOTHER, MAY I,
YOU TAKE ACTION, THAT'S WHAT THE
PRESIDENT DID, I THINK IT WAS
ABSOLUTELY JUSTIFIED.
THIS IS GOING TO HAVE STRATEGIC
RAMIFICATIONS, IRAN WILL
RESPOND, BUT, AGAIN, THIS ISN'T
AMERICA IS THE BAD GUY HERE,
IRANIANS HAVE BEEN ESCALATING,
THE PRESIDENT HAS SHOWN
RESTRAINT CALLING BACK AN AIR
STRIKE LAST YEAR WHEN HE THOUGHT
IT WAS DISPROPORTIONATE, THIS
WAS A PROPORTIONATE RESPONSE AND
I THINK HE WAS ABSOLUTELY
JUSTIFIED IN DOING SO, AND I
ABSOLUTELY PRAISE HIM FOR DOING
SO, AGAIN, WE DON'T WAIT UNTIL
MORE AMERICANS ARE DEAD WHEN YOU
HAVE INTELLIGENCE THAT IT'S
COMING TO THEN TAKE ACTION, YOU
TAKE PREEMPTIVE ACTION TO STOP
IT IN THE FIRST PLACE, I THINK
THE FAMILIES OF THE AMERICAN
SOLDIERS THAT HAVE BEEN KILLED
OVER MANY YEARS BY THIS MAN WHO
WAS A PLANK HOLDER IN 179 OF
IRGC ARE CELEBRATING AS ARE
INTERESTINGLY IRAQIS AND SYRIANS
WHO HE HAS ATTACKED OVER THE
YEARS CELEBRATING IN THE STREETS
TODAY.
WE CAN'T OVERSTATE THE HUMAN
RIGHTS ABUSES THAT SOLEIMANI HAS
COMMITTED.
CHERYL: THEY ARE GOING TO MAKE
HIM A MARTYR, THAT'S THE WORRY.
>> I'M WONDERING ABOUT THE
IRANIAN RESPONSE, I THINK WE
WOULD LOVE TO SEE THEM RESPOND
TO THE LATEST OPPORTUNITY TO
START BEING A GOOD NEIGHBOR IN
THE REGION AND START CONDUCTING
THEIR FOREIGN POLICY LIKE A
CIVILIZED COUNTRY BUT WHAT
SHOULD WE REASONABLY EXPECT HERE
FROM THE IRANIAN SIDE?
>> WELL, I THINK ALL OF OUR
MILITARY FACILITIES AND
EMBASSIES IN THE REGION ARE ON
HIGH ALERT RIGHT NOW, I WOULD
EXPECT THE IRANIANS HAVE
ANNOUNCED NATIONAL SECURITY
COUNCIL MEETING THIS MORNING,
THEIR TIME, I EXPECT THEY'RE ON
THEIR HEELS ON THIS, THE REASON
SOLEIMANI WAS TRAVELING FREELY
IN THE REGION, WE'VE HAD
OPPORTUNITY TO ATTACK HIM IN THE
PAST AND HAVING DONE SO
PARTICULARLY IN THE OBAMA
ADMINISTRATION, THE ISRAELIS
HAVE ASKED AND WE WOULDN'T LET
THEM, THEY ARE GOING TAKE A
MOMENT, THEY ARE SCRAMBLING, I
WOULD EXPECT ATTACKS IN ISRAEL,
IT WOULD NOT SURPRISE ME THAT
TIE THE UNITED STATES BACK TO
WHAT THEY CALL A GREAT STATE IN
ISRAEL, BUT ON THE OTHER HAND,
THE IRANIANS IN THE PAST HAVE
BEEN DETERRED BY STRENGTH AND
EMBOLDENED BY WEAKNESS AND MY
UNDERSTANDING IS THE PENTAGON
HAS ALREADY APPROVED RESPONSES,
WE ARE READY FOR THIS, THE
PRESIDENT HAS A STRONG TEAM
AROUND HIM AND ESPER, POMPEO AND
O'BRIAN, I THINK THE PENTAGON