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President Trump Defends Decision To Withdraw Troops From Syria And Afghanistan; Interview with Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL); CNN Reality Check: Fact-Checking President Trump's State Of The Union; Trump Blasts Democratic Oversight As Ridiculous Partisan Investigations; Interview with Rep. James Clyburn (D-SC). Aired 7:30- 8a ET
Aired February 06, 2019 - 07:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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[07:33:32] (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It is time to give our brave warriors in Syria a warm welcome home. I have also accelerated our negotiations to reach, if possible, a political settlement in Afghanistan.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
POPPY HARLOW, CNN ANCHOR: A lot there in that sentence. The president using the State of the Union to build support for his efforts to draw down America's military resources and troops in Syria and Afghanistan. But has the U.S. mission really been accomplished?
Joining me now is Republican Congressman Adam Kinzinger. He is an Air Force veteran who served in Iraq and Afghanistan and also, of course, now serves on the House Foreign Affairs Committee. Good morning.
REP. ADAM KINZINGER (R-IL), MEMBER, HOUSE FOREIGN AFFAIRS COMMITTEE: Morning.
HARLOW: Glad to be here in the --
KINZINGER: Yes, it's good to be here.
HARLOW: -- in the person -- in the flesh with you.
So, you have said and I quote, "I implore the president to reconsider --
KINZINGER: Yes.
HARLOW: -- withdrawing from Syria."
When you heard that last night, what was your reaction?
KINZINGER: Well, I wasn't shocked because I knew it was coming. I thought generally, it was a really good speech. This is the part that really was disappointing at a point when you're talking about American greatness --
HARLOW: Yes.
KINZINGER: -- rebuilding the military, to then put out there and say we're getting out of Syria because it's time to give people a warm welcome home.
This is a point that I think is missed by a lot of people that have never served in the military. Yes, we all want to be home for Christmas. We all want to be home with our family. But we sign up for a job to destroy America's enemies. It may not be pretty to say but that's why we do it --
HARLOW: It --
KINZINGER: -- and we want to do that.
HARLOW: It's notable that he did not repeat his false statement that he made before in December on Twitter. And subsequently --
KINZINGER: About ISIS.
[07:35:00] HARLOW: -- that ISIS has been defeated in Syria. He didn't do that.
KINZINGER: Right. Well, I mean, I think was pretty obvious after the terrorist attack against our troops that ISIS isn't gone. They are on their heels --
HARLOW: Right.
KINZINGER: -- but to make the mistake of, frankly, what President Obama did where he goes, you know, it's the J.V. team. We've got everybody on the ropes. Look, you may have an organization like ISIS on the ropes but it doesn't take much for a terrorist organization to re-form.
HARLOW: But, you know, you wonder then is he reconsidering? Is he believing his generals in the Intel Community more now than he did --
KINZINGER: I --
HARLOW: -- after that testimony --
KINZINGER: Yes.
HARLOW: -- in front of the Senate Intel Committee.
On Afghanistan, he said that he's hoping that an agreement can be reached.
Let's play a little bit more of what the president said as it pertains to negotiations with the Taliban in Afghanistan and, of course, where you served.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) TRUMP: In Afghanistan, my administration is holding constructive talks with a number of Afghan groups, including the Taliban. But after two decades of war, the hour has come to at least try for peace, and the other side would like to do the same thing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARLOW: Notable to see him supportive of these talks in --
KINZINGER: Yes.
HARLOW: -- all of these talks with the Taliban.
Can the Taliban be trusted, and what did you think when you heard that?
KINZINGER: Well, I thought his point about the other side wants to -- wants this, too, is exactly probably why we shouldn't be doing it because the other side's pretty evil in their intentions. That is -- that and Syria were kind of the two things where I felt like went over with a thud in the chamber.
Again, I thought it was a great speech overall but I sensed on our side and on the Democratic side some hesitation.
Look, you -- I -- there's going to have to be a negotiated end to Afghanistan. We all know that. Every war ends in a negotiation but it has to be from a position of strength. And when you show an enemy that you're want -- you want to leave --
HARLOW: We're out of here.
KINZINGER: -- and, by the way, let's negotiate --
HARLOW: Right.
KINZINGER: -- it's reminiscent of the Paris talks in Vietnam where you get a real bad deal.
HARLOW: There was this stunning moment -- not in the State of the Union last night, but it was an exchange between Sen. Angus King, who joins us a little later on the show, and the commander of CENTCOM, Gen. Joseph Votel.
Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEN. JOSEPH VOTEL, COMMANDER, UNITED STATES CENTRAL COMMAND: I was not aware of the -- of the specific announcement. Certainly, we are aware that he has expressed a desire and an intent in the past to depart Iraq.
SEN. ANGUS KING (I), MAINE: So, you weren't --
VOTEL: -- or depart Syria. KING: You weren't consulted before that decision was announced?
VOTEL: We were not -- I was not consulted.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARLOW: That he was not consulted --
KINZINGER: Yes.
HARLOW: -- before the Syria withdrawal was announced. It is stunning.
As a Republican congressman who has served, does it concern you?
KINZINGER: Yes, it's concerning. I mean -- and you saw that with all of his advisers. Everybody was surprised. Literally, his advisers were out three days prior saying we're not leaving Syria, and then he comes out and says we're leaving Syria.
HARLOW: But not just -- I guess beyond surprised hearing that from him --
KINZINGER: Yes.
HARLOW: -- yesterday, does it concern you in terms of the danger it presents?
KINZINGER: Yes. I mean, of course, it does. I think -- I think leaving Syria, it's the president's right to do it. He's the --
HARLOW: Yes.
KINZINGER: -- commander in chief. But without consulting is very concerning.
But I will say this, too. There's a lot of areas where there have been strengths -- Venezuela. I watched half of the Democratic Party sit on their hands yesterday when people were talking about ousting Maduro. That was -- that blew me away I think more than probably anything.
HARLOW: Are you supportive of -- the White House is not taking military intervention in Venezuela --
KINZINGER: Yes.
HARLOW: -- off the table. Would you be supportive of that?
KINZINGER: It depends. I wouldn't be supportive of using it now, but you can't take it off the table because if there's a threat of military intervention that's real, that's how the military turns in Venezuela.
HARLOW: On North Korea, we learned from the president last night that he will have a second summit with Kim Jong Un at the end of the month in Vietnam. He also said, "If I had not been elected president, we would, in my opinion, be in a major war with North Korea." There's also no fact to substantiate that argument.
You've said, and I quote, "I'm uncomfortable with the president tweeting praises of Chairman Kim."
KINZINGER: Yes.
HARLOW: Are you comfortable with him walking into a second meeting -- all of the cameras will be there -- we saw the optics last time -- with literally no progress, other than perhaps rhetoric, on the denuclearization front?
KINZINGER: Yes. I'm comfortable with it right now because I think we have to just -- we have to see this whole process through because the alternative is really bad. But I think after this second summit, if there's no progress, I think that's the point we have to understand there may just not be progress.
HARLOW: So if something doesn't change after summit two, you would not want to hear the president say again, I fell in love or we fell in love?
KINZINGER: Yes, no. Yes, please. Look, we can quit complimenting Kim Jong Un.
Let's understand that when we have our military exercises going and we have a presence in South Korea, that's how you force enemies to negotiate to the table. You force them to the table by having a stick option out there, and that's what we need.
HARLOW: Twenty-twenty.
KINZINGER: Yes.
HARLOW: So, it's already a crowded field for Democrats. An announcement -- some announcement coming from Sen. Amy Klobuchar this Sunday.
Of the field right now and those seriously considering a run, what do you think presents the greatest threat to President Trump?
KINZINGER: You know -- look, I've said I think Joe Biden can be tough because he can pull a lot of the kind of blue-collar folks that support --
[07:40:01] HARLOW: And more centrists.
KINZINGER: Yes -- support President Trump. He's always like let's all get along, you know. He's kind of a get-along guy.
All the other Democrats I'm seeing so far, to be quite honest with you, are pretty far left. And I think if they think this country is as far left as supporting them sitting on their hands when we talk about ousting Maduro or this country won't be socialist -- I think they're missing the temperature of the American people. So, yes, there's -- I mean, they'll always be a concern in 2020, but I think, you know -- I mean, some of these -- one of these candidates met with Bashar al-Assad. I mean if this is where people think the future of this country is, I think they're going to be mistaken.
HARLOW: Tulsi Gabbard, you're referring to.
KINZINGER: Yes.
HARLOW: We appreciate your time, Congressman. Thank you for being here.
KINZINGER: Yes, any time. Thank you.
HARLOW: Thanks -- John.
JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: All right. So what did the president get right and what facts need to be checked? We're digging into some of the most controversial claims, next.
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BERMAN: There were a lot of numbers in the president's State of the Union address. Some of them not so accurate, particularly when it comes to the cost of U.S. wars around the globe.
John Avlon has a reality check -- John.
JOHN AVLON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Hey, John.
All right. So, look, this is a really big thing, the State of the Union, and State of the Unions are supposed to tackle big topics like war and peace. Last night, Donald Trump recommitted to ending America's wars, but he conjured up some fantasy stats to make his case.
Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: We have spent more than $7 trillion in fighting wars in the Middle East.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[07:45:05] AVLON: Now, putting aside the fact that Afghanistan is not technically in the Middle East, that seven-trillion-dollar statistic is just false, and it's not the first time he's made that claim.
The Congressional Research Service says the operational cost for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan were $1.6 trillion between 2001 and 2014. That's serious cash. But, a CNN analysis found that to get to $7 trillion you'd have to add projected spending for the next 35 years.
Now, perhaps the president's confusing it with how much he's projected to balloon the national debt after just four years in office. That's almost $4 trillion according to the CBO.
That may be why he didn't mention the deficit or debt at all last night. So much for his 2016 promise to eliminate the debt over two terms as president.
But, maybe the strangest moment of the speech was this violent counterfactual. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: If I had not been elected President of the United States we would, right now, in my opinion, be in a major war with North Korea.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
AVLON: There's really no way to gauge that claim given that it's just one president's opinion. But it's not like Hillary Clinton was campaigning on war with No Ko. Instead, it's just a reminder that President Trump likes to make himself the hero and opponents the villain, regardless of facts, even when it comes to war and peace.
And that's your reality check.
BERMAN: John Avlon, thank you very much, especially given that foreign policy was an important part --
HARLOW: Yes.
BERMAN: -- of that speech last night.
HARLOW: A big part.
All right, it's time for "CNN Business Now."
President Trump made several claims about the economy during the State of the Union. Our chief business correspondent Christine Romans is in our Business Center to fact-check the president on that. Good morning.
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN CHIEF BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT, ANCHOR, "EARLY START": Good morning, you two. Good morning.
President Trump claimed credit for roaring economic growth.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: In just over two years since the election, we have launched an unprecedented economic boom. A boom that has rarely been seen before.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: Fact-check. The economy has accelerated on his watch but this is not an unprecedented economic boom. Four point two percent growth in the second quarter last year was fueled by the surge in defense spending. By the third quarter of last year, growth had slowed to 3.4 percent. On wages, the president said this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: Wages are rising at the fastest pace in decades and growing for blue-collar workers who I promised to fight for. They're growing faster than anyone else.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: Wage growth has picked up since late 2017, but has not matched the late 1990s and the mid-2000s. Dozens of cities and states have been raising their minimum wages, so politicians in Washington don't get the credit here.
The president also took credit for a jobs boom.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: We have created 5.3 million new jobs and importantly, added 600,000 new manufacturing jobs, something which almost everyone said was impossible to do. But the fact is we are just getting started.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: Fact-check. The economy has added 4.87 million jobs since President Trump took office. The president's claim of 5.3 million, that includes jobs created before his inauguration.
And some context here, you guys. Jobs have been added now for 100 straight months. Last year's 2.6 million new jobs -- that was great but it doesn't match the best year of jobs growth in the Obama administration.
John, I would say he's mostly right about the manufacturing jobs. Not quite 600,000, though. Again, he's counting jobs added even before he was president.
BERMAN: Yes. The question is why doesn't he just use the real --
HARLOW: That are good.
BERMAN: -- actual numbers, which are good in and of themselves.
HARLOW: Exactly.
BERMAN: Christine Romans, thank you very much.
So, as President Trump calls for investigations on his administration to end, House Democrats might just be getting started with several critical hearings. Can Democrats work with the president? We're going to ask the key member of Democratic leadership, next.
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[07:53:20] BERMAN: The State of the Union address from President Trump did have calls for unity, but it also had some new jabs at Democrats.
Joining me now is the number three Democratic in the House, Majority Whip James Clyburn of South Carolina. Congressman, thanks so much for being with us.
REP. JAMES CLYBURN (D-SC), HOUSE MAJORITY WHIP, MEMBER, CONGRESSIONAL BLACK CAUCUS: Thank you for having me.
BERMAN: One of the things that jumped out at people yesterday was when the president chose to talk about the investigations into him. Let's listen to that moment.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: If there is going to be peace and legislation, there cannot be war and investigation. It just doesn't work that way.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BERMAN: Is that a genuine choice between legislation and investigation?
CLYBURN: Oh, I don't think so. We don't have anything to do with these investigations.
The Mueller probe is outside of the Congress. What's going on up in New York at the Second District of the federal courts, outside the attorney general in New York having investigations -- that's got nothing to do with us.
So what we will be doing, though, in the Congress, is exercising our oversight authority and responsibility. And we have certain responsibilities and those committees will do their work. They will be looking at those things that they should look at, most of which have got nothing to do with him.
Now, when Mueller finishes and if called for, maybe there'll be something for the House of Representatives and the Congress to do.
BERMAN: It's interesting because given the shutdown -- the 35-day shutdown -- some of this oversight may have been a little bit delayed. It didn't start when some of us thought it might.
[07:55:02] CLYBURN: Sure.
BERMAN: Can you give us a sense of what the first priorities will be in terms of oversight? Will it be Ways and Means, perhaps, asking for the president's tax returns?
CLYBURN: No, they'll be working simultaneously. The Judiciary has got a responsibility, so Jerry Nadler will be doing what he's got to do.
Bennie Thompson has some responsibility with Homeland Security. He will be doing what he's got to do.
Bennie and I started the weekend -- or the week down in Brownsville, Texas. We were there on Monday. We were there at that port of entry.
And so, he is developing some work involving the takings that seem to be taking place down there. Families are very, very upset with losing their property and many of them have already lost their property and never been paid for it.
So these things have got to take place and they'll be doing their work.
BERMAN: You're talking about the possibility of using eminent domain to take over some property that would be needed to build a border wall.
The president, in his speech last night when he was explaining what that wall would be, saying it would be see-through steel slats.
CLYBURN: Yes.
BERMAN: You, more than most Democrats and certainly, Democrats in leadership, have seemed open to the possibility of funding for some new barrier under the right circumstances.
CLYBURN: Yes, so long as they're smartly done, listening to the experts. I don't think we ought to put ourselves in the place of the experts.
I've said that we ought to have a smart wall -- define that as a wall using drones to make it too high to get over, using x-ray equipment to make it too wide to get around, and using scanners to go deep enough not to be able to tunnel under it. Now that, to me, would be the smart thing to do.
Now, there are some walls there already. There are some barriers there already. They need to be repaired and reinforced and, sure, we ought to do that.
And if the experts say that under the circumstances that this particular port of entry -- this needs to be reinforced with certain barriers, then I don't see us turning our backs on that.
BERMAN: Do you know what this Conference Committee is going to come up with? Have you been given any insight as to where they are in their negotiations?
CLYBURN: Well, everybody I've talked to seems to be very pleased with the progress that's being made and they really think -- that's both sides of the aisle -- that they can get there to a reasonable conclusion if we stay out of it. And not just us in the Congress, but if the president stays out of it as well.
BERMAN: Are you staying out of it?
CLYBURN: Yes.
BERMAN: Is the speaker staying out of it?
CLYBURN: Well, I don't know what the speaker is doing but I hope she's staying out of it. I'm sure she is.
BERMAN: To me, the president's address last night was a bit of positioning for 2020. He talked about what he believes to be his economic record and the positive signs that are in the economy right now. And he also attacked, by name, socialism and tried to tie Democrats to that word.
Do you think that will be effective, particularly when we're talking about the Democrats who have entered this race already? They're talking about things like Medicare for All. Do you think they will susceptible to that Republican framing?
CLYBURN: Well, I think the president may have been talking to one or two people personally. I think the cameras sort of went to Bernie Sanders when he said that. But last time I checked, Bernie Sanders wasn't a Democrat.
BERMAN: Do you want Bernie to get into the race?
CLYBURN: Well, it's up to Bernie whether he wants to get in the race. But he's never considered himself a Democrat. He's made it very clear that he's not a Democrat. And so, I don't think it's our responsibility.
BERMAN: Stacey Abrams delivered the Democratic response last night. She didn't actually watch the president's speech, so what was the purpose of her message, do you think?
CLYBURN: Well, I think she had two messages. I think it was very good for the party to have her there.
Everybody knows that she ran a great race. A lot of the people suspect that things were stacked against us -- her. They think the Secretary of State played a role in defining the outcome of that election.
And so, I think that we were doing what we thought was necessary to hold her out as a part of the future of this party.
She, I think, was auditioning for a Senate race.
BERMAN: Which may be. And just in terms of 2020, very quickly, you are seen as something of a kingmaker or perhaps, a queen maker in South Carolina when it comes to the Democratic primary there.
Any thoughts about whether or not you may support one candidate or another?
CLYBURN: Oh, yes, I think about it all the time.
BERMAN: What do you think? And?
CLYBURN: I'm not going to do much about it.
BERMAN: Really?
CLYBURN: No, I don't think so. I think it would unfair for me to get involved.
I have former staffers working in three or four different campaigns. I've got family members who are split. I've got three daughters and I'm not sure they're all on the same page when it comes to that. So I'm going to stay out of it.
I'm going to vote --
BERMAN: For?
CLYBURN: -- and I might talk about that the day before I vote.
BERMAN: OK, but not now. I think about it all the time. Boy, would we like to know how you think about it all the time right now, and I'm sure the candidates would as well.
Congressman Jim Clyburn of South Carolina, thanks for being with us.
CLYBURN: Thanks for having me.
END
