DON’T BE A TOUGH GUY, DON’T BE A FOOL, I WILL CALL YOU LATER.
DEMOCRATIC CONGRESSMAN ADAM
SCHIFF OF WASHINGTON WHO CHAIRS
THE HOUSE ARMED SERVICES
COMMITTEE.
COMMITTEE. >> HOW DID THIS MEETING COME
ABOUT?
ABOUT? >> WELL AND WE IN THE HOUSE AND
SENATE FOR THAT MATTER ASKED TO
BE BRIEFED BY THE ADMINISTRATION
ON WHAT WAS GOING ON IN SYRIA
AND TURKEY.
AND TURKEY. THEY CAME BACK WITH A VARIETY OF
OFFERS AND THIS WAS ONE OF THEM
TO HAVE A WHITE HOUSE MEETING
WITH SENIOR LEADERSHIP.
THE PRESIDENT WAS UNDER THE
IMPRESSION -- THAT’S SORT OF HOW
IT CAME ABOUT AND WE’RE HAVING A
CLASSIFIED BRIEFING IN THE HOUSE
AND WE WERE SUPPOSED TO HAVE
LIKE A FULL HOUSE BRIEFING BUT
THE SECRETARY OF STATE IS OUT OF
COUNTRY NOW.
COUNTRY NOW. >> I THINK YOU PROBABLY HEARD
THE REPORTING THAT ABOUT WHAT
HAPPENED IN THAT MEETING THAT I
JUST READ.
JUST READ. IS THAT ACCURATE?
>> WELL, IT’S INTERESTING.
HE DID WANT SOUND ALTOGETHER
THAT MUCH DIFFERENT THAN I’VE
SEEN HIM.
SEEN HIM. I WENT TO COLLEGE IN NEW YORK
AND MORE ACCUSTOMED TO IT.
AND ALSO IT IS PROBLEMATIC, HE’S
VERY INSULTING PARTICULARLY TO
PEOPLE WHO DISAGREE WITH HIM,
PARTICULARLY TO THE SPEAKER AND
HE WAS VERY DISMISSIVE AND
INSULTING BUT HE KIND OF ALWAYS
IS.
IS. AND, YOU KNOW, HE WAS VERY
BOASTFUL ABOUT HIS OWN
ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND HIS FACTS
WERE VERY QUESTIONABLE AS HE WAS
LAYING THEM OUT.
I DIDN’T SEE IT AS THAT MUCH
DIFFERENT THAN WHAT WE SEE
CERTAINLY AT RALLIES, VARIOUS
PRESS CONFERENCES.
PRESS CONFERENCES. IT’S WHO HE IS, THE WAY HE TALKS
P.
P. I RESPECT COMPLETELY THE
SPEAKER’S DECISION IT WASN’T A
PRODUCTIVE MEETING.
PRODUCTIVE MEETING. BUT SOME OF US STUCK AROUND TO
HAVE THE CONVERSATION BECAUSE IT
MATTERS.
MATTERS. OKAY, THEY’RE PLANNING ON
SANCTIONING TURKEY TOWARDS WHAT
END?
END? WHAT’S GOING TO HAPPEN WITH
THAT?
THAT? ARE WE KEEPING FORCES IN THE
REGION?
REGION? THERE’S A WHOLE BUNCH OF POLICY
QUESTIONS THAT MATTER THAT WE
DID DISCUSS.
DID DISCUSS. >> DOES THE PRESIDENT HAVE
COMMAND OF THOSE POLICY ISSUES?
>> NOT REALLY.
I THINK HE’S OFF ON A NUMBER OF
KEY POINTS, AND THE BIGGEST
POINT I TRIED TO EXPLAIN IS WE
WORKED WITH PARTNERS TO CONTAIN
TERRORIST THREATS FROM GROUPS
LIKE ISIS AND al-QAEDA.
I ACTUALLY AGREE WITH THE
PRESIDENT AND OTHERS IT DOESN’T
MAKE SENSE TO SEND 100,000
TROOPS INTO A COUNTRY TO TRY AND
FIX IT.
FIX IT. WHAT MAKES SENSE IS TO WORK WITH
PARTNERS TO TRY AND CONTAIN THE
THREAT, TO TRAIN AND EQUIP THEM.
THE PRESIDENT HAD SAID AT ONE
POINT WE WERE THERE AT
POLICEMEN.
POLICEMEN. HE WAS WRONG ABOUT THEM.
WE WERE THERE TO TRAIN THE KURDS
AND HELP THEM FIGHT THE FIGHT
AND THEY WERE GOOD AT IT.
THEY HELPED DEFEAT ISIS.
SO THEY’RE A KEY PARTNER.
AND IT’S NOT A MATTER FOR US
CARRYING THE FIGHT, IT’S A
MATTER OF US LEVERAGING OUR
PARTNERSHIPS TO MEET OUR
NATIONAL SECURITY INTERESTS.
>> I’M A LITTLE CONFUSED WHAT
ABOUT THOUGHT THE POLICY IS.
I HAVE HEARD THE FOLLOWING THAT
THE PRESIDENT ANNOUNCED SUDDENLY
THAT ERDOGAN WAS GOING IN AFTER
A PHONE CALL, WHICH WE ALL READ.
WE ALL READ THAT MESSAGE.
IT TOOK EVERYONE BY SURPRISE,
AND IT WAS OBVIOUSLY A GREEN
LIGHT.
LIGHT. HE WAS GIVING HIM THE GO AHEAD
TO INVASION.
TO INVASION. THE PRESIDENT IS SAYING IF HE
DID THE TOUGH WAY AND NOT THE
SOFT WAY HE WOULD DESTROY THE
ECONOMY BY HIMSELF.
PREPARATION OF SANCTIONS ALSO
THAT THE FIGHT DOESN’T MATTER,
IT DOESN’T MATTER TO US,
ALTHOUGH THAT THE ASSAD REGIME
IS PROTECTING THE KURDS, ALSO
THAT SYRIA, THE SYRIAN REGIME
REALLY WANTS TO FIGHT ISIS AND
IF THE RUSSIANS WANT TO FIGHT
ISIS AND THEY HAVE A LOT OF SAND
OVER THERE AND THEY’RE FIGHTING
EACH OTHER AND ALSO THE KURDS
ARE TERRORISTS.
ARE TERRORISTS. >> I THINK YOU SUMMED IT UP
QUITE WELL THERE.
NO, IT DOESN’T MAKE ANY SENSE.
IT STEPS OVER AND CONTRADICTS
AND MOVES IPA WHOLE BUNCH OF
DIFFERENT DIRECTIONS.
DIFFERENT DIRECTIONS. AND THAT’S WHAT I WAS TRYING TO
NARROW DOWN AND OTHERS IN THE
ROOM WERE TRYING TO NARROW DOWN
AS WELL.
AS WELL. WHAT ARE WE TRYING TO DO HERE?
AND THIS ALL STARTED WHEN THE
PRESIDENT TWEETED I THINK IT WAS
IN NOVEMBER OR DECEMBER OF LAST
YEAR, WE’RE PULLING OUT OF SYRIA
AND PULLING OUT OF AFGHANISTAN,
BY THE WAY.
AND THIS IS WHY SECRETARY MATTIS
QUIT.
QUIT. HE THOUGHT IT WAS A HORRIBLE
DECISION DELIVERED IN A HORRIBLE
WAY.
WAY. SO THE EFFORT TO REDUCE OUR
FORCES IN SYRIA STARTED A LONG
TIME AGO.
TIME AGO. AND THAT SENT THE MESSAGE TO
TURKEY THEY MIND HAVE FREE REIN
IF THEY CAME IN.
SO NOW WHAT ARE WE TRYING TO
ACCOMPLISH?
ACCOMPLISH? DO WE HAVE A FIGHT?
YES, WE DO BECAUSE WE’RE
CONCERNED ABOUTIZE.
CONCERNED ABOUTIZE. WE ALSO I THINK HAVE AN
OBLIGATION TO HELP THE KURDS AND
THE FREE DEMOCRATIC MOVEMENT IN
SYRIA THAT FOUGHT WITH US TO TRY
AND PROTECT THEM.
WHERE ARE WE GOING TO FIND
ALLIES IN THE FUTURE.
>> CONGRESSMAN, THAT SHIP HAS
SAILED.
SAILED. THE ASSAD FORCES ARE IN COKOBANI
IT’S DONE.
IT’S DONE. >> CHRIS, WHEN THEY ASKED ME
ABOUT THIS MEETING YESTERDAY,
WELL, IT’S KIND OF LIKE THE
PRESIDENT BURNED THE HOUSE DOWN
AND NOW HE WANTS TO INVITE US
OVER TO TALK ABOUT REMODELING.
YOU’RE RIGHT, IT IS DONE BUT THE
PRESIDENT’S POSITION AT THIS
POINT IS NUMBER ONE THERE WAS
NOTHING HE COULD HAVE DONE ABOUT
IT, AS I SAID I THINK I DISAGREE
FOR A NUMBER OF REASONS AND
NUMBER TWO, NOW THEY’RE GOING TO
SANCTION TURKEY TO FORCE TURKEY
INTO A CEASE-FIRE.
AT THE SAME TIME HE SPENT A LOT
OF TIME IN THE MEETING TALKING
ABOUT HOW IT DIDN’T MAKE SENSE
TO PUNISH TURKEY BECAUSE IT
WOULD PUSH TURKEY AWAY FROM US.
BUT IF YOU’RE GOING TO SANCTION
THEM INTO OBLIVION, THERE’S NO
CONSISTENCY TO THE POLICY.
THERE’S NO CLEAR PLAN.
THERE’S A BUNCH OF HALF-BAKED
IDEAS THAT CONTRADICT
THEMSELVES, AND THAT IS
INCREDIBLY DANGEROUS FOR OUR
NATIONAL SECURITY INTERESTS NOT
JUST IN SYRIA, BY THE WAY.
IF YOU’RE LOOKING AT THIS AND
THINKING OF PARTNERING WITH THE
U.S., YOU’VE GOT TO BE DEEPLY
CONCERNED ABOUT WHO YOU’RE
PARTNERING WITH.
PARTNERING WITH. >> FINAL QUESTION, THE PRESIDENT
DISTRIBUTED THAT LETTER WHICH HE
I THINK THE WHITE HOUSE CLAIMS
WAS POSTMARKED THREE DAYS AFTER
THAT PHONE CALL AND ACTUALLY
SENT THE PRESIDENT OF TURKEY.
HOW DID THAT LETTER STRIKE YOU?
>> WELL, YOU HEARD HOW IT STRUCK
ME WHEN YOU FIRST RAISED IT AND
I COULDN’T HELP BUT CHUCKLE AS
YOU RAISED THE QUESTION.
IT IS A BREATHTAKING EFFORT AT
DIPLOMACY.
DIPLOMACY. LET’S JUST PUT IT THAT WAY.
I DON’T KNOW WHAT IT WAS
SUPPOSED TO ACCOMPLISH, EXACTLY.
BUT HE PASSED OUT COPIES OF IT
ALL AND I AM GOING TO FRAME THEM
BECAUSE I WILL NEVER SEE THE
LIKES OF IT AGAIN I SINCERELY
HOPE.
HOPE. I DON’T KNOW WHAT HE WAS TRYING
TO ACCOMPLISH, IN THE WRITING,
THE WAY IT’S PRESENTED NOBODY IN
THE DIPLOMATIC WORLD IS GOING TO
TAKE THAT TYPE OF WRITING
SERIOUS.
SERIOUS. SO IF THAT WAS THE BEST EFFORT.