Return to Transcripts main page
Wolf
New Terror Threat for West after ISIS Releases Video; A Look at Unique 1st-in-Nation Iowa Caucuses; Why Is Iowa Caucus So Important; Obama Weighs in on Presidential Candidates; Trump Talks Opposition from "Establishment"; Washington, D.C., Still Closed After Snowstorm. Aired 1:30-2p ET
Aired January 25, 2016 - 13:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[13:31:19] WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: A new terrorist threat for the West after ISIS releases a disturbing new video. The roughly 18- minute tape purports to show the final messages from the Paris terror attackers. It features audio from the suspected ringleader and goes on to show clips from eight other attackers. One claiming the group was authorized by the ISIS leader, Abu Bakr al Baghdadi, to carry out the Paris attacks. Other clips show the terrorists executing prisoners. The footage also shows the British Prime Minister David Cameron and the vote in the House of Commons when the U.K. joined the anti-ISIS coalition, conducting air strikes in Syria.
I'm joined on the phone by Republican Congressman Peter King, of New York. He is a member of the House Homeland Security Committee and chairman of the Subcommittee on Counterterrorism and a member of the Intelligence Committee.
Congressman, thanks for joining us.
Why do you believe ISIS would release this video now and didn't release it earlier immediately after the Paris terror attacks?
REP. PETER KING, (R), NEW YORK (voice-over): I think to some extent we've impaired their ability to release these videos, but also I would think that they want to stay in the forefront. They want the Islamist world to really believe that they are the dominant force in radical Islam and Islamist terrorism, and also, to send, you know, chilling feelings through -- especially Europeans. I would say the French have already been through it, and this seems to be direct threats against the British to, you know, keep the fear and the anxiety going in Europe and also against United States, but I would say right now primarily Europe. This is -- again, ISIS's way -- they have managed to dominate the airwaves for the last two years with their terror, and especially since the summer of 2014, but again, certainly at least the last 18 months, if not the last three years, they are able to dominate the media as far as terror threats.
BLITZER: As far as the propaganda, as far as recruitment, how effective are these kinds of 18-minute videos?
KING: They've been effective in the past. I mean, when they -- listen, Adolph Hitler was the most horrible person in the 20th century. I'm not comparing any of this to the Holocaust but even Hitler tried to keep secret what he was doing as far as the crematoriums and death camps. ISIS glorifies. And they go out of their way showing burning people to death, beheading people, the most inhumane things. They are appealing to the real dark edges of Islamist society, so I think it's been effective for them. By all accounts, when they show these videos, including the beheadings, including the burning to death of the Jordanian imam, they have increased their membership. This has been a recruiting tool, which really says an awful lot about the people you are dealing with.
BLITZER: The U.S. Secretary of Defense Ash Carter is now moving towards recommending more U.S. boots on the ground in Iraq as trainers, as advisors. General Joseph Dunford, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, he says he will be making recommendations to the commander-in-chief, the president of the United States, soon. Are you ready to see the 3500 -- the number of boots on the ground, U.S. troops in Iraq -- are you ready to see that number go up?
KING: Wolf, I would support that, especially if the military recommends it. I'm saying that not because anyone wants to see more American troops on the ground, but the reality is there's going to be a lot more required on the ground. There's going to be a lot more deaths in the future if we don't take these measures now. I think it's important, one, for the training and for the coordination of the Iraqi troops, but it's also as a signal to the Arab nations, particularly the Sunni nations, that the United States is committed. We're not going to pull out. We pulled too quickly out of Iraq. The president seemed too anxious to pull out of Afghanistan. When he did announce against ISIS, he went out of his way to say what we were not going to do, and that just sends the wrong message to the enemy and to the countries that we want to be our allies. It gives the impression that we are not as committed as we should be. So I think, yes, these extra troops are essential for the training and the coordination and also as a show of strength and a show of American determination.
[13:35:42] BLITZER: Peter King, thanks for joining us.
KING: Wolf, thank you.
BLITZER: Up next, the importance of being first. We're going to take a closer look at Iowa's place in the presidential race and whether either party has more at stake in this first contest. Stay with us. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[13:39:58] BLITZER: One week from today voters, in Iowa will start gathering for the first contest in this presidential race. Iowa's caucuses are unique. Not only because here first in the nation, but also because how they are conducted.
Tom Foreman has the rules.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TOM FOREMAN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The Iowa caucuses, this is what we've been leading up to all this time. For the Republicans it's a fairly simple matter. They show up and cast their ballots and count them.
For the Democrats, though, this is a process. What that means is that hundreds of precincts all across the state, they will physically gather and divide up based on which candidates they support. So, for example, if we had 100 Democrats in one place and they divided among four different candidates, it may break out like this. Now if any candidate does not have at least 15 percent of the support in that room, that candidate is basically declared out of it. The voters, however, can either go home or start going to some of the other candidates out there. That's when you get a lot of talk and horse trading and wheeling and dealing. Everyone wants to walk away with the most support for his or her candidate.
Once it's settle for the night, though, that precinct will report, as do hundreds of others to the state level where a lot of math will be done. Ad when that math is complete, we will have from both parties the first real indication of how the delegates will be divided and who is actually leading the pack on both sides in the race for the White House.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: Tom Foreman, thanks very much. Good explanation.
Now we know how it works, but why is Iowa so important to this overall process, or is it?
Our political director, David Chalian, is in Des Moines. He is joining us now. He is getting ready for tonight's CNN Democratic presidential town hall.
Can Iowa make or break a campaign, David?
DAVID CHALIAN, CNN POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Sure. There's no doubt that it can. I'll give you an example, Wolf. On the Republican side, I think it's going to be hard for somebody like Rick Santorum or Mike Huckabee, two guys that won the Iowa caucuses previously and who have been struggling this time around, that if they don't show some massive success here, I think they're going to have a hard time going on with their candidacy. It can make or break a campaign, and in 2008, we saw it make Barack Obama's candidacy.
BLITZER: You could see some of these Republican candidates drop out after this first contest in Iowa. Is that what you are saying?
CHALIAN: I would not be surprised to see that -- the Iowa role of winnowing the field, I'm sure that will apply this time around as well.
BLITZER: Does it hold the same importance for each party, Democrats and Republicans?
CHALIAN: I think at this point, looking seven days out, one week to go, Wolf, I would say that it does hold a great amount of importance for both parties. Right now, you have Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders in a very close match here. So if she is to lose Iowa again to sort of the insurgent candidate, that is going to have ramifications for her candidacy. It doesn't mean that the nomination is not attainable to her, but it will recalculate what the nomination race looks like on the Democratic side.
On the Republican side, I do think that if Donald Trump wins Iowa, one of the biggest questions of this election season will be answered, which is the support we've seen in the polls and his crowds actually did show up at the ballot box. That will be a big answer to one of the questions in this race.
Also on the Republican side, Ted Cruz, this is a tailor-made state for him. He has had a lot of success here, and if he is in a close race with Donald Trump, and if he is unable to pull out a victory here, even though he has a lot of money, he has organization well into those states that come in March, he will continue on, but I think there will be sort of a big flaw in his candidacy if he is not able to put together a victory here in Iowa.
BLITZER: OK. He has a lot at stake, Ted Cruz. Donald Trump, if he wins in Iowa, and if he wins decisively New Hampshire -- he is doing amazing there, South Carolina, Nevada, we'll see what happens. This could be decisive. Let's see what happens a week from tonight, first of all.
David Chalian, thanks very much.
CHALIAN: Thank you.
[13:44:07] BLITZER: Coming up, President Obama weighing in on the 2016 presidential race. He spoke -- talked about how one candidate's resume could play as both a strength and a weakness on the campaign trail. You'll hear what he has to say coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: President Barack Obama has not endorsed a Democratic candidate for the 2016 presidential race, but during an interview with "Politico," he did have complimentary things to say about Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES (voice-over): I think Bernie came in with the luxury of being a complete long shot.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Right.
OBAMA: Just letting lose.
As I've said before, I said, like any candidate, her strengths can be her weaknesses. Her strength, which are the fact that she's extraordinarily experienced and, you know, wicked smart and knows every policy inside or out, sometimes could make her more cautious and campaign more in prose than poetry. But those are also her strengths. It means that she can govern, and she can start here day one. More experienced than any non-vice president who has ever been who aspires to this office.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: When mentioning the current Republican presidential candidates, President Obama says their rhetoric is not just conservative, but also has become -- and I'm quoting him now -- "unrecognizable." Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: McCain and I have had real differences, sharp differences. But John McCain didn't deny climate science. John McCain didn't call for banning Muslims from the United States. You know, John McCain was a conservative but he was well within the mainstream of not just the Republican Party but within our political dialogue. And that's where ultimately any voter is going to have to pay attention, is the degree to which the Republican rhetoric and Republican vision has moved, not just to the right but has moved to a place that is unrecognizable.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[13:50:42] BLITZER: Trump and Cruz are the clear number one and number two candidates right now in the Republican race, at least in Iowa. That has led to increasing attacks between the two.
I sat down with Donald Trump just a little while ago to talk about Ted Cruz, among other things. We also spoke about the opposition he supposedly is getting from the so-called establishment.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: You say the establishment is against you. Why do you say that?
DONALD TRUMP, (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE & CEO, TRUMP ORGANIZATION: Well, I think the establishment actually is against me but really coming online. Because they see me as opposed to Cruz, who is a nasty guy, who can't get along with anybody. Look, at a certain point, you have to make deals. We can't have a guy who stands in the middle of the Senate floor while every other Senator thinks he's a whack-job, right? You have to make deals, you have to get along. That's the purpose of what our founders created. And Ted cannot get along with anybody. He's a nasty person. You don't see that. Even when he was supportive of me, I kept saying, watch what's going to happen, he's a nasty guy. He brought it up at the debate. He started it, I finished it. But he started getting very bad at the debate. Then he tells lies. He says I knocked down some woman's home, he's got bulldozers -- I never knock down her home. She didn't want it. And the words "imminent domain," you wouldn't have roads, airports, hospitals, schools. You have to have imminent domain. By the way, the Keystone Pipeline is all based on imminent domain. You wouldn't move that thing 10 feet without taking that land on which it sits. By the way, all those people get paid a lot of money. It's not like they take it. They take it and pay a lot of money. But he makes a big deal out of imminent domain. You wouldn't have one highway in this country if you -- you wouldn't have a railroad. You wouldn't have anything. (END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: Donald Trump says Ted Cruz tells lies. You can see the entire interview with the Republican presidential front runner, 5:00 p.m. eastern, later today in "The Situation Room."
Schools, government, even Congress still shut down in Washington after that massive weekend snowstorm. We're going live to D.C. We're going to find exactly -- find out exactly how the clean-up is going.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[13:56:55] BLITZER: Here in the United States, millions of people on the east coast still cleaning up after a massive weekend storm. More than 30 inches of snow dumped on six different states. Here in New York, things are returning to normal. At least in New York City, schools are open. Roads and transit is up and running.
Different story in Washington, D.C. Government and schools both closed. Significant airport delays. And the U.S. House of Representatives is putting off any votes for the remainder of the week.
The D.C. mayor, Muriel Bowser, spoke a couple of hours ago. She reminded people that Washington is still under a snow emergency and has said the city needs help from its residents.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MURIEL BOWSER, MAYOR OF WASHINGTON, D.C.: We urge you to keep shoveling. And we're very grateful for a team of volunteers who have been and span the District of Columbia to help people who need it. But if you see somebody in need of help, please continue to shovel in front of your home.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: CNN's Nick Valencia is in Washington, D.C., for us.
Nick, how's the clean-up looking from your vantage point?
NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We are right smack in the middle of day two of the clean-up efforts in the nation's capital. Hundreds of pieces of heavy machinery being brought in here, everything from snowplows to dump trucks to tractors to load all that snow, the pounds, thousands and thousands of pounds left behind by that wicked winter storm that walloped Washington over the weekend.
We're joined now by one of the local residents here, Adam Casey.
How are you, man?
ADAM CASEY, WASHINGTON, D.C., RESIDENT: Good. How are you?
VALENCIA: Good. Thanks for taking the time with CNN. You're on with Wolf Blitzer. So what was it like being in that blizzard on Saturday? CASEY: It was actually kind of eerie. The streets -- if you're from
D.C., you would know how notorious the traffic is, but I was able to pretty much walk on the streets with no concern of any cars or anything. It was kind of peaceful.
VALENCIA: You've been through winter weather before, storms, heavy snow. What was it like compared to past storms you've been through?
CASEY: This was pretty daunting. Thankfully, I prepared, and I actually went out and bought a 6,000-piece puzzle. And --
VALENCIA: Time for entertainment, huh?
CASEY: Knocking that away. I didn't have that much of a problem really keeping myself that busy. Out with some friends, you know. I went to the snowball fight yesterday. Had a great time with that. I think I made some new friends with the costume that I decided to wear.
VALENCIA: Awesome.
We appreciate you taking the time with CNN. Good luck out there. Sun is shining. Thanks for taking the time.
Sun is shining out today, Wolf. It's a lot more clear. But the concern is there's a bleak forecast tomorrow. Rain is in the forecast. As this snow melts away, not a lot of places for it to go. It's a potential for flooding here in the district. Certainly, the storm is over, but the clean-up effort is far from it -- Wolf?
BLITZER: It's going to continue for a while. At least the storm is over.
Nick, thank you.
That's it for me. Thanks very much for watching. An important note. Please join us later tonight, 5:00 p.m. eastern, in "The Situation Room," my one-on-one interview with Donald Trump. We go through a lot of issues.
For our national viewers, "Amanpour" is next.
For our viewers in North America, "NEWSROOM" with Brianna Keilar and Brooke Baldwin starts right now.
