LEGISLATIVE VICTORY BEFORE THIS
YEAR IS OUT.
>> PETER ALEXANDER, THANK YOU.
>>> SENATOR BOB CORKER,
REPUBLICAN FROM TENNESSEE, CHAIRS THE SENATE FOREIGN,
CHAIRS THE SENATE FOREIGN RELATIONS COMMITTEE.
RELATIONS COMMITTEE. GOOD MORNING.
GOOD MORNING.
GOOD TO SEE YOU.
>> GOOD MORNING.
GOOD TO BE WITH YOU. LETS LOOK AT THE REPORTING OUT
OF NIGER, THAT THE SOLDIERS MAY
HAVE BEEN SET UP, THAT THE
TRIBAL LEADERS COULD HAVE
BETRAYED THIS EM. THAT RAISES QUESTIONS ABOUT WHAT
THE MISSION WAS.
DID THE MISSION CHANGE?
WAS THE INTELLIGENCE FAULTY?
IM SURE YOURE GOING TO BE PART
OF THAT BRIEFING ON CAPITOL HILL
ON THURSDAY.
WHATS YOUR MOST PRESSING QUESTION?R MOST PRESSING
QUESTION?
>> WELL, LOOK, THESE -- THE MILITARY THE REALIS REALLY GOOD
GOING THROUGH AND GETTING THE
FACTS OUT.
FACTS OUT.
ON THURSDAY, EVEN, THEY WILL NOT BE XHEETCOMPLETE., THEY WILL NOT
BE XHEETCOMPLETE. THE BIGGER ISSUE IS WHAT ARE WE
DOING AROUND THE WORLD?
AND WERE GOING TO HAVE HEARINGS
FROM LAST NIGHT.
WE HAVE TROOPS AROUND THE WORLD
IN A ARE FIGHTING AND WISH US
HARM.
HARM.
AND WERE WORKING ON AN OLD
CONGRESSIONAL AUTHORIZATION FOR
USE OF FORCE PUT IN PLACE? 01. OF FORCE PUT IN PLACE?
01.
I THINK JUST AN EXAMINATION OF WHAT WERE DOING AROUND THEN OF
WHAT WERE DOING AROUND THE WORLD.
WORLD.
AND WHAT OUR TROOPS ARE DOING ON
THE GROUND.
THEY HAVE BEEN HAMSTRUNG. THIS IS GOING TO BEGIN A BIGGER
DEBATE THAT WAS UNDER WAY.
>> SENATOR, LET ME ASK YOU.
AS YOU WELL KNOW, YOUR
COLLEAGUE, SENATOR GRAHAM ON THE
REPUBLICAN SIDE, SENATOR SCHUMER
ON THE REPUBLICAN SIDE, THEY DID
KNOW WE HAD THAT NUMBER OF
SOLDIERS OPERATING IN NIGER.
DID YOU KNOW?
ARE YOU SURPRISED?
ARE YOU CONCERNED THAT YOU
DIDNT?
DIDNT?
>> I DID KNOW.
I RECEIVE A CONGRESSIONAL NOTIFICATION.ONGRESSIONAL
NOTIFICATION.
I THINK IT WAS IN JUNE.
THEY LIKELY DID, TOO, AND
SOMEHOW DIDNT SEE THAT OR
NOTICE IT.
I WAS AWARE.
AND I THINK AT THE TIME THEY NOTIFIED US.AT THE TIME THEY
NOTIFIED US. WE HAD 600 TO 7 USHGS TROOPS
THAT
THAT
THAT WERE THERE. THESE THINGS EXPAND.
I WAS AWARE WE HAD TROOPS THERE.
>> LETS MOVE ON TO ANOTHER
SUBJECT.
SUBJECT.
THE PRESIDENT IS GOING TO GO TO CAPITOL HILL AND TALK ABOUT TAX
REFORM.
REFORM.
I BELIEVE YOU CALLED THIS A PHOTO OP, WHICH LEADS ME TO
BELIEVE YOU DONT THINK THIS IS
ABOUT GOVERNING.
ABOUT GOVERNING. THIS IS MORE ABOUT A SHOW.
CAN YOU EXPLAIN THAT?
>> TYPICALLY WHEN SOME THING IS
GETTING READY TO BE LAUNCHED,
THERES A PHOTO OP.
TAX WRITING COMMITTEES IN THE
SENATE AND THE HOUSE WILL BE
LAYING OUT THE $4 TRILLION IN
LOOPHOLE CLOSINGS THAT NEED TO
TAKE PLACE.
TAKE PLACE. HOPEFULLY THE WHITE HOUSE WILL
STEP ASIDE AND LET THAT OCCUR IN
A NORMAL PROCESS.
RECENTLY, THE WHITE HOUSE IN A
COUPLE CASES, HAS BEEN TAKING
THINGS OFF THE TABLE.
I WOULD JUST SAY, THERES A LOT
OF WORK TO BE DONE.
THE SPINACH PART OF THIS, THE
TOUGH PART OF THIS, IS UPCOMEING
>> YOUR MESSAGE TO THE
PRESIDENT, LEAVE WELL ENOUGH
ALONE?
ALONE?
>> I WOULD RECOMMEND THAT, BASED ON RECENT HISTORY ANDTHAT, BASED
ON RECENT HISTORY AND INTERACTIONS.
INTERACTIONS.
I THINK THATS THE BEST WAY FOR
US TO HAVE A SUCCESS. I THINK ITS FINE FOR HIM TO
COME OVER.
COME OVER.
I LOOK AT THESE THINGS AS MORE OF A PHOTO OP.E THINGS AS MORE
OF A PHOTO OP. THEYRE NOT REALLY ABOUT
SUBSTANCE.
SUBSTANCE.
MORE POWER TO HIM. >> SENATOR, YOU KNOW YOUVE BEEN
IN THE NEWS A BIT FOR YOUR
CRITICISM OF THE PRESIDENT.
YOU ANNOUNCED YOURE NOT RUNNING
FOR RE-ELECTION.
FOR RE-ELECTION. I READ WHAT YOU SAID PRETTY
CAREFULLY.
CAREFULLY.
AND AMONG THE COMMENTS IS YOURE CONCERNED THAT HIS COMMENTS, THE
PRESIDENTS COMMENTS, COULD PUT
US IN ON THE PATH TO WORLD WAR
III.
III.
LET ME PUT IT BLUNTLY, LEFT TO
HIS OWN DEVICES, DO YOU THINK THE PRESIDENT IS A THREAT TOK
THE PRESIDENT IS A THREAT TO NATIONAL SECURITY?
NATIONAL SECURITY? >> I THINK THERE ARE PEOPLE
AROUND HIM THAT WORK IN AN
EFFORT TO CONTAIN HIM.
THAT WOULD BE SECRETARY MATTIS
AND TILLERSON AND GENERAL KELLY
THERE AS CHIEF OF STAFF.
>> THAT ALMOST SEEMS TO ACCEPT
THE PREMISE OF THE QUESTION IF
HE NEEDS TO BE CONTAINED?
>> I THINK WHEN YOU HAVE THE
KIND OF ISSUE WERE DEALING WITH
IN NORTH KOREA, WHERE WE HAVE A
VERY UNSTABLE LEADER THERE, WHEN
YOU SEND OUT TWEETS INTO THE
REGION TO RAISE TENSIONS, WHEN
YOU KNEECAP, WHICH IS WHAT HES
DONE, PUBLICLY -- WHEN YOU
KNEECAP YOUR SECRETARY OF STATE,
WHOSE DIPLOMACY, YOU HAVE TO
DEPEND UPON TO BRING CHINA TO
THE TABLE, TO DO THE THINGS THAT
NEED TO BE DONE, BACK CHANNELING
IN SOME CASES TO NORTH KOREA.
WHEN YOU KNEECAP THAT EFFORT,
YOU MOVE OUR COUNTRY INTO A
BINARY CHOICE THAT COULD LEAD US
INTO A WORLD WAR.
YES.
YES.
I WANT HIM TO SUPPORT DIPLOMATIC EFFORTS, NOT TO EMBARRASS ANDTIC
EFFORTS, NOT TO EMBARRASS AND MALIGN EFFORTS THAT ARE UNDERWAY
TO TRY TO GET SOME KIND OF
DIPLOMATIC SOLUTION HERE.
AND I THINK MOST PEOPLE WOULD
AGREE WITH THAT.
>> WERE YOU DISAPPOINTED,
SENATOR?
SENATOR?
IT SEEMED LIKE WHEN YOU MADE
THESE COMMENTS RECENTLY, YOU
WERE SAYING TO YOUR COLLEAGUES, COME ON, FOLKS.YOUR COLLEAGUES,
COME ON, FOLKS. ILL GET OUT HERE.
AND LETS SPEAK TRUTH TO POWER.
AND THEN, THERE WAS THIS THUD
AND A KIND OF EERIE SILENCE.
ARE YOU DISAPPOINTED THAT MORE
OF YOUR COLLEAGUES DIDNT SPEAK
THEIR MINDS FOLLOWING YOUR
COMMENTS?
COMMENTS?
>> YOU KNOW, NOT REALLY. LOOK, I CAME HERE AS -- IN A
MISSIONAL WAY.
MISSIONAL WAY.
IM SERVING TWO TERMS AND LEAVING.NG TWO TERMS AND
LEAVING.
IVE ALWAYS BEEN AN INDEPENDENT
VOICE.
I WAS RAISED -- I BUILT A
COMPANY IN A ROUGH-AND-TUMBLE BUSINESS.N A ROUGH-AND-TUMBLE
BUSINESS.
ITS JUST MY NATURE TO BE DIRECT AND VERY INDEPENDENT. BE DIRECT
AND VERY INDEPENDENT. I THINK THATS WHAT PEOPLE FROM
TENNESSEE SENT ME TO DO.
AND SO, THIS HAS BEEN BUILDING
FOR SOME TIME, AS IVE WATCHED
THE WAY THE WHITE HOUSE HAS
OPERATED.
OPERATED.
MY CONCERNS HAVE CONTINUED TO RISE.NCERNS HAVE CONTINUED TO
RISE.
AND, LOOK. IM ONE SENATOR WHO IS
EXPRESSING WHAT I BELIEVE TO BE
SINCERE, WHAT I KNOW TO BE
SINCERE CONCERN.
SINCERE CONCERN. OTHER SENATORS MAY HAVE OTHER
ISSUES THEYRE DEALING WITH.
BUT THIS IS THE ROLE THAT I
BELIEVE I SHOULD PLAY FOR THE
GOOD OF OUR COUNTRY.
AND FOR THE GOOD OF THE WORLD,
REALLY.