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Three Americans Killed In Kenya Terror Attack; Trump Threatens U.S. Strikes If Iran Retaliates; Iraq's Parliament Votes To Expel U.S. Troops; Thousands Of U.S. Troops Deploy To The Middle East; Interview With Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO) On The Kenya Terror Attack And The Killing Of Qasem Soleimani; Iran To Continue Uranium Equipment With No Limitations; CBS Poll: Sanders, Biden & Buttigieg In Three-Way Tie In Iowa; Biden Slams Trump's Handling Of Soleimani Killing; Lawmakers Return To Impasse Over Trump Impeachment Trial; Schiff: GOP Doesn't Want Impeachment Verdict, They Want A Dismissal; Schumer: Trump Impeachment Doesn't Fit The 'Clinton Model'; Dozens Of CA Firefighters Heading To Front Lines In Australia. Aired 4-5p ET
Aired January 05, 2020 - 16:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[16:00:00]
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: U.S. service members and two civilian Defense contractors dead. We're told this happened at a base in Manda Bay where U.S. forces were working with Kenya's military. The Defense Department says two other Americans were also wounded in the attack but are now in stable condition.
CNN is covering all angles of this. Colonel Cedric Leighton is in Washington. Farai Sevenzo is in Nairobi, Kenya. But first let's go straight to CNN Correspondent, Dianne Gallagher for more on this.
So, Dianne, what else can you tell us about what you're learning?
DIANNE GALLAGHER, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. And Fred, I can tell you that we've been told by a Defense official that those two Department of Defense members were air crew members who were killed in this attack.
Now, what is especially significant about this in addition to the loss of life is the fact that this is the first known time that al-Shabaab has penetrated a base that U.S. personnel is housed at. Now, sources have told CNN previously that sources that U.S. Special Operations Forces that work with the Kenyans are at this base. Other forces in the particular area there.
And we're getting this picture from U.S.-Africa Command about what happened during this predawn, brazen attack, they're calling it. They say that it involved indirect and small arms fire, that both Kenyan and U.S. forces fought back on that attack after the initial penetration of the perimeter. Now we do know that it damaged U.S. and Kenyan aircraft. And again happened just after 5:00 a.m. here.
Kenyan Defense Forces say that a fire did break out as a result of that breach, affecting the fuel tanks in the area. We're told by a Defense official that the U.S. did not conduct airstrikes but did engage in that firefight. Kenyans attempted to provide air support, we're told as well from that official.
And again, Fred, at this point, they're working to try and continue to gather what has happened there in Kenya as they assess why this breach was able to happen and what they can do to further continue to protect the area.
WHITFIELD: And Farai, let me bring you into this. al-Shabaab has been active along the Kenyan coast and particularly along the Somali border for some time now. But this is different when you're talking about a military installation that involves U.S. personnel.
FARAI SEVENZO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely, Fredricka. It is an audacious and brazen attack as my colleague just rightly pointed out. Indeed, the Kenyan troops and other African partners that work with the U.S.-Africa Command use this area in Manda Bay as kind of a training ground. And of course, remember, that al-Shabaab just a week ago, last Sunday, we were still digesting the fact that they killed 85 people in Mogadishu proper.
Now, Lamu, where this area is, Lamu County, is one of the most beautiful, pristine-wide beaches, UNESCO World heritage site. And of course it's not just the troops in the area. Ten miles away from where this incident happened, thousands of tourists around this time of year are enjoying the sights of this thing. So if that attack had not been repelled, we can only fear what might have happened to ordinary civilians.
At the moment, of course, questions are being asked about how this could have happened. Indeed the United States military command and their partners continue to hit al-Shabaab targets. But this area in Lamu is also a very (INAUDIBLE) bodies of forest where al-Shabaab sneaks off after the hit and run and the Kenya Defense Forces, they try to comb the area to drag them out.
And of course this city, Nairobi, where I'm speaking to you from, has seen at close hand the kind of terror that al-Shabaab inflicts even to Somalis and even to Kenyans. We're nearly a year to the date since they attacked a hotel on January 15th, 2019 and killed 21 people -- Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: And, Colonel Leighton, if I could bring you in. This al- Shabaab, al Qaeda-linked terror group, when you look at an attack like this, anyone who says that they have been weakened in some regions, this kind of attack looks like they have been bolstered.
CEDRIC LEIGHTON, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: It sure does, Fred. Indeed. Now one of the things that you have to look at, though, is it just takes a very small kind of attack like this. This was actually a very small attack to make big headlines so that they then -- the terrorist group then gets a chance to really tout their cause from a propaganda standpoint, and al-Shabaab has been pretty good at doing that.
As Farai mentioned, there are a lot of attacks that they have perpetrated not only in Somalia, but also in Kenya. And that they are a very dangerous group and continue to be very dangerous as we speak.
WHITFIELD: Colonel Cedric Leighton, Farai Sevenzo, Dianne Gallagher, thanks to all of you. Appreciate it.
LEIGHTON: You bet.
WHITFIELD: And right now, tensions are intensifying in the Middle East three days after a U.S. drone strike killed top Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani. Today Iran announced that it will continue uranium enrichment with no limitations in an about-face to the Iran nuclear agreement.
[16:05:05]
This in direct response to that U.S. strike. And now even Iraq's tolerance of the U.S. seems to be wavering. This morning Iraq's parliament voted to outline a plan to end the U.S. troop presence in that country. Iran's Foreign Ministry is also complaining to the United Nations, calling on the U.N. Security Council to condemn Thursday's bombings by the U.S. that killed Soleimani and nine others.
Meanwhile, Soleimani's body returned to his home country of Iran today. Thousands of mourners filled the streets and outrage was also felt in Tehran's parliament. Lawmakers were seen chanting "death to America" during a session in Tehran. Iranian official tells CNN that they are planning a response to the U.S. against military sites. This, as President Trump is warning against any Iranian retaliation.
In a series of tweets, President Trump revealed that the U.S. is prepared to target 52 Iranian sites, some of which hold cultural significance. The warning comes as his administration faces questions here at home in the U.S. about the timing of the attack on Soleimani and if Trump -- and if Soleimani was indeed planning an imminent attack, which U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo did not answer with clarity this morning on CNN's "STATE OF THE UNION."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MIKE POMPEO, SECRETARY OF STATE: If you're an American in the region, days and weeks, this is not something that's relevant. We have to prepare, we have to be ready. We took a bad guy off the battlefield. We made the right decision. There is less risk today to American forces in the region as a result of that attack.
I'm proud of the effort that President Trump undertook and the execution by our military was phenomenal and the work that's been done by our diplomats in the region to prepare and to work diplomatically in the region has been powerful, important and effective.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: All right. CNN White House Correspondent, Jeremy Diamond is in South Florida where President Trump is wrapping up his vacation there.
And Jeremy, the president tweeting again about the kind of notification he would be conveying to Congress via tweet.
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: That's right. And he is reiterating his threats to Iran. In case you didn't hear him the first time, here is what the president is tweeting today. He says, "These media posts will serve as notification to the United States Congress that should Iran strike any U.S. person or target, the United States will quickly and fully strike back, and perhaps in a disproportionate manner. Such legal notice is not required but is given nevertheless."
So the president there clearly making clear that his threats towards Iran if indeed they do carry out any retaliation that hits any U.S. person or any U.S. interest in the region will be met with fierce military retaliation. That despite the fact that U.S. military law actually requires proportionality in any kind of retaliatory strike. So certainly some legal questions there as well.
The Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was the administration's chief messenger earlier in the day, though he did all five Sunday news programs this morning. And he was also defending the president's threats of military action against Iran, including those threats to attack cultural sites in Iran. Listen in.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
POMPEO: President Trump has been resolute. We will continue to be. We will defend America and the strikes we took over this past week including killing the terrorist, Soleimani. We will continue to take if we need to. If we need to defend American interest we will do so. What President Trump said last night is consistent with what we have said all along. Iranian proxy forces in Iraq have thought that they could act with impunity. And that if they acted, we wouldn't take strikes against Iran proper.
We've made clear. We've made clear four months to the Iranian regime that that wouldn't be the case. That we were going to hold responsible the actors, the leaders who took these actions, and who orchestrated these actions. President Trump's tweet last night made clear we will continue to do that and the American people should know we will always defend them. And we'll do so in a way that is consistent with international rule of law and the American Constitution. We've done it before. We will do it again.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DIAMOND: Now, two senior U.S. officials tell our colleague Jim Sciutto that there is deep opposition within the administration to targeting cultural sites in Iran as part of a retaliatory strike by the United States. And already we are seeing publicly several U.S. officials who are saying that the military likely would not even present those kinds of targets as options here in any kind of retaliation, namely because targeting cultural sites that have no military value is actually against international law and is considered a war crime.
But regardless of whether or not the president would actually move forward with those strikes and targeting those specific sites, the president is laying down a pretty clear line in the sand here, saying that if Iran carries out any attack that targets a U.S. individual or a U.S. military site or any other U.S. site, that he would respond with forceful military action.
[16:10:08]
And that is indeed the line that the president is now drawing. And so the question remains to be seen if Iran, as it says it will, does retaliate against the United States, targeted killing of Qasem Soleimani, will President Trump react and will he react militarily in the way that he says that he will?
Democrats in Congress, though, remain skeptical of the administration's decision to carry out that targeted killing of Qasem Soleimani. We've already heard from the House Speaker Nancy Pelosi who has said that the administration's notifications to Congress of this strike raises more questions than it answers and this morning we also heard from the House Intelligence Committee chairman Adam Schiff.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. ADAM SCHIFF (D-CA): Soleimani has been plotting against the United States for decades. The question is, did the plotting here rise to the level that required his elimination from the battlefield and would that elimination stop the plotting, or would it accelerate it or would it make the potential attacks to the United States greater, not worse?
And there I don't think the intelligence supports the conclusion that removing Soleimani increases our security. There's a big different when our generals talk about potential plots in days, weeks or months, between days and months. And particularly when you have someone like Soleimani who has been at this for so long.
So the question is, why now? Is this going to increase or decrease the risk of war? And I think it's going to increase the risk of war with Iran.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DIAMOND: And so there you have it. Those are the concerns that are being laid out now by Democrats on Capitol Hill, is that this strike that killed the top Iranian general, Qasem Soleimani, really is putting the United States and Iran closer to war. And even as we are still seeing the United States insist, top U.S. officials insist, that they are not trying to march towards the path of war, we see the president's message here laid out so clearly on his Twitter feed that again he is warning Iran if they do retaliate in any way for this killing, militarily the United States will respond forcefully -- Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: All right. Jeremy Diamond, thank you so much.
We'll have so much more straight ahead on Iran, coming up. 3,000 military families now facing the impacts of a family member being deployed to the Middle East. Live reaction from Fort Bragg next.
Plus, moments ago, Iraq's parliament votes to take steps toward expelling all foreign troops. We'll go live to Baghdad. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[16:15:00]
WHITFIELD: Iraq's parliament today rebuking the U.S. and voting to expel all foreign troops including U.S. soldiers from the country. The vote is non-binding on the Iraqi government but it is a direct reaction to the U.S. killing of Iranian military leader Qasem Soleimani at the Baghdad airport on Thursday.
CNN's Arwa Damon is in Baghdad for us.
So, Arwa, is this symbolic or is it bigger than that?
ARWA DAMON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It's a bit of both in the sense that at least in the words of the caretaker prime minister himself, he did not necessarily need to go to parliament for their approval. Analysts are saying that he chose to do so, so that he could give himself more political support and also shift some of the burden of responsibility on to the parliamentarians themselves.
It's important to note, though, Fredricka, that the Sunnis and the Kurds sat this one out. Parliament did achieve quorum but only through its Shia membership. The caretaker prime minister himself, though, was the one who made the case for foreign forces needing to leave. Here is what he had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ADIL ABDUL-MAHDI, IRAQI PRIME MINISTER (through translator): It will be difficult for foreign forces to protect themselves from strikes that come from inside or outside Iraq, and it will be difficult for Iraqi forces to protect after a recent incident and not to resort to peaceful and political solutions. Therefore, it is in the interest of both Iraq and the U.S. to end foreign troop presence in Iraq.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DAMON: And I think, Fredricka, this goes to really the very core of one of the main issues here, and that is Iraq becoming this proxy battlefield for Washington and Tehran from the perspective at least of the Iraqi government. One of the ways to deescalate the situation, at least within this country's borders, is to ask foreign forces to leave.
We do know that the caretaker prime minister spoke to the French president and they had a conversation about how at least the French would be potentially addressing this. What we do also know is that apparently the government is going through whatever legal mechanisms it needs to go through to see this come to fruition. A bit of uncertainty, though, given that Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi is in a caretaker position.
Now while he was addressing parliament, though, he also gave some interesting details, saying that the morning after Qasem Soleimani arrived in country, so about 6 1/2 hours after he was killed at 8:30 in the morning, that is when Adil Abdul-Mahdi, the caretaker prime minister, was due to meet with him. And based on what he was telling parliament, Soleimani was carrying a message from Tehran back to the Iraqi leadership regarding some sort of proposal to try to ease tensions in the region, Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: All right. Arwa Damon, thank you so much for bringing that to us.
All right, right now nearly 3500 U.S. troops are in the process of deploying to the Middle East. Yesterday multiple aircrafts from the 82nd Airborne Division were seen leaving Fort Bragg in North Carolina, as tensions between the U.S. and Iran continue to escalate.
Natasha Chen joins me now from Fort Bragg with more on this.
Natasha, what are people saying?
NATASHA CHEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fred, there's definitely a feeling of unease here in the Fort Bragg community. And keep in mind that these families all know this is what they've signed up for, the folks who are deploying. They've been prepared for this because that is exactly what the first brigade of the 82nd Airborne Division is designed to do. They're designed to respond rapidly to situations like this.
But for the families who are having to say good-bye to their loved ones right now, it's still very jarring because that notice came rather suddenly on the tail end of the holidays. Now the family members have been told to not post publicly about it on social media or discuss the deployments for security reasons but Fort Bragg officials have talked to us about the soldiers who are leaving to the Middle East.
And we also have spoken with a volunteer organization that's been in touch with some of these families and they say some of these spouses are going through the experience of their loved ones deploying for the first time. So they're going to be relying heavily on families who have been through this before.
Here's Sabrina Johannes. She's part of Deployed Love and what she had to say about the last few days.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SABRINA JOHANNES, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, DEPLOYED LOVE: They're always reaching out saying I'm really scared. I don't know what to expect that's coming up. Obviously they -- you get some training along the way but you never know what to expect. It's a quick turnaround and they're not going to hear from their spouse for a few days while they're in transition. And so a lot of them are just we're scared and we need someone there to talk to.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[16:20:02] CHEN: And her organization initially started out as trying to help families take holiday photos to send to their loved ones who are away from home. But now she's finding herself having to coordinate some social events to really bring these families together in a difficult time.
She said what's also interesting is that over the last few days for the first time she's observing a lot of parents of soldiers reaching out to their group, asking for information, because they're a little bit more as more extended family not so much in the loop of exactly what's going on.
So there are a lot of relatives all across the country really looking for answers, and many of the families do not know how long it will be until they see their loved ones again, Fred.
WHITFIELD: Tough times, indeed. All right, Natasha Chen, thank you so much.
All right, still ahead, President Trump tweets to Congress that his social media account will serve as notification about any retaliatory strikes against Iran. Senator Michael Bennet who serves on the Senate's Select Committee on Intelligence responds live, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: All right. We're continuing to follow breaking news out of Kenya, where Defense Department officials tell CNN that three Americans, including a U.S. service member and two civilian contractors were killed in a terror attack today. It's being blamed on al-Shabaab, an al-Qaeda-aligned group known for attacks in that region. We're told they struck an air base used by U.S. forces in Manda Bay near the border with Somalia.
Here with me now, Senator Michael Bennet, who serves on the Senate Intelligence Committee.
[16:25:00]
Senator, thank you so much for being with me. Your thoughts on this report out of Kenya, three Americans killed in a terror attack.
SEN. MICHAEL BENNET (D-CO), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Well, thank you for having me. My thoughts and prayers, like everybody else, goes out to the families of the people who were killed there, working in a dangerous part of a very dangerous world, and, you know, the duty of the commander-in-chief is to keep Americans safe. That's what we need to do and I think in the days ahead everybody in the Senate is going to be monitoring the situation to make sure we've done everything we can do.
WHITFIELD: Do you see any potential correlation between what has happened on the Kenyan coast and what has been threatened by Iran in its, quote-unquote, "harsh retaliation" from that U.S. drone strike?
BENNET: I think it would be much too early to speculate on that. And out of respect for the families of the people that have been killed, I certainly wouldn't want to speculate on that without having been briefed in the Intelligence Committee.
WHITFIELD: And speaking of briefing, what kind of information are you hoping to get now, if we can turn the corner to Iran, and post to that drone strike?
BENNET: Yes.
WHITFIELD: What kind of information do you believe you'll get from this administration? How much of it credible? How much of it believable? How will you approach this?
BENNET: You never really know with this administration. I mean, what I would like to hear them demonstrate is what the proximate cause of the decision -- the president's decision to strike Soleimani was, the imminent threat that he claims there was. I think I'm somewhat skeptical that what he has said is true but I'd like to see the basis for that. I'd like to understand the domestic legal basis for the decision that he's made as well as the basis in international law.
So, I believe this is going to turn out to be one more reckless and nonstrategic decision that has strengthened Iran and weakened the United States.
You know, Fredricka, just three or four weeks ago, the protests in Iraq were all about getting Iran out of Iraq. Today the protests in Iraq are about getting the United States out of there. And Donald Trump has managed to give the hardliners in Iran once again a reason to rally the region against the United States of America.
WHITFIELD: And just earlier today, President Trump tweeted that his Twitter account will serve as notification to Congress in the event that Iran strikes any U.S. targets. He says the U.S. will strike back and perhaps in a disproportionate manner.
You know, Senator, is a tweet enough or do you believe there will be a problem if the president doesn't inform Congress, get authorization before any other military action?
BENNET: You know, I hate to say this, but I think it's President Trump raising his middle finger at the Congress, and when you think about the context in which all of this is happening, 20 years of war in Afghanistan where we now know from the reports of the "Washington Post" over the last month that after the first six months we basically accomplished nothing that we were trying to set out to try to accomplish.
When the War College, our own War College, writes a report about the Iraq war and says that Iran was the winner of the Iraq war. For us to now be sending 3500 troops to the Middle East without taking account of what we've been doing for the last 20 years on the basis of the president's impetuous, uninformed, and weak decision I think creates a lot of peril. And the commander-in-chief, their first job is to keep Americans safe at home, keep Americans safe in the Middle East, and around the world. Pompeo and the president claim they were safe as a result of what
they've done. But every single American has been told to evacuate Iraq and now we're sending 3500 troops. It's hard to see how we've been made more safe by the decisions this president has made.
WHITFIELD: And President Obama's former national security adviser, Susan Rice, wrote an op-ed in "The New York Times." And I'd love to hear your, you know, reaction.
She said and I'm quoting now, you know, "Full-scale conflict is not a certainty but the probability is higher than at any point in decades, despite President Trump's oft-professional desire to avoid war with Iran and withdraw from military entanglements in the Middle East, his decision to order the killing of Major General Qasem Soleimani, Iran's second most important official, as well as Iraqi leaders of an Iranian-backed militia, now locks our two countries in a danger escalatory cycle that will likely lead to wider warfare."
How much of that do you agree with?
BENNET: I hope that Susan is wrong about that, but I doubt she is. I think that this was the most provocative act that President Trump could have taken. We now know from press reports that he was given a series of choices to make.
[16:30:00]
And he took the most provocative one. And once again, what he's done is strengthen the hardliners position in Iran just as he did when he backed out of the Iran deal. Soleimani was one of those people. Soleimani didn't want to sign the Iran nuclear deal and the hardliners in Iran, after President Trump broke the deal, turned around and said, we told you so. They wouldn't be good at their word.
Now, they've got -- they've been strengthened because of the president's attack on Soleimani. And I hope we're not going to end up in a war in the Middle East. The last 20 years shows us how terrible the results can be for the American people. And before we send further people to war, I think we should be asking Congress who's going to serve in this war, and how are we going to pay for these wars, and what are we trying to get out of these wars.
I would be surprised if President Trump could get an authorization of the use of force through the United States Senate tonight to back him in a war with Iran and he certainly better not do it illegally.
So, let's learn from our mistakes for once and try to have, you know, an approach that actually leads to an enduring peace instead of wars that have lasted for 20 years. You know, I was with kids today that are - sorry, go ahead, Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: What I was going to say, and if you were President, what would you do with the information coming out of Iran now who says it is abandoning a key provision of the 2015 nuclear agreement. They will continue uranium enrichment with no limitations? BENNET: I mean, I would restore the alliances that brought us the nuclear agreement to begin with. We're obviously now a long way from being able to renegotiate that deal as Susan Rice, the person that you quoted and said in her op-ed piece today.
But we've got to try. I mean, we can't live in a peaceful world if we don't have alliances. And what we know is that the world is much less peaceful without American leadership.
Look at what has happened under this president around the world. The Iranians had become stronger. For three years, President Trump has said, I'm in love with Kim. He's in love with me. We're writing love letters to each other. Americans don't have to worry about the nuclear threat from North Korea because I, the great leader, have negotiated a deal with North Korea. That gave Kim three years of cover to continue his nuclear program.
In Russia, the president refused to push back on Putin and his attacks on our election in 2016. He tried to extort Ukraine into doing his political dirty work. And in place after place after place, he strengthened dictators while giving our allies the stiff arm.
WHITFIELD: OK.
BENNET: The American people, I can tell you the ones I'm meeting with, want a president who can lead these alliances.
WHITFIELD: OK. And quickly before you go, do you see a senate trial on impeachment involving witnesses?
BENNET: I certainly hope so. The American people are demanding that we have witnesses. The American people should see those witnesses and they ought to have the documents as well.
WHITFIELD: OK. Senator Michael Bennet, we'll leave it there for now. Thank you very much.
BENNET: Thank you. Thank you very much.
WHITFIELD: And we'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[16:35:36]
WHITFIELD: All right. As we mentioned earlier, Iran says it will now continue uranium enrichment with no limits based on the now broken Iran nuclear agreement. That announcement is a direct response to the U.S. airstrike that killed Iranian military commander, Qasem Soleimani on Friday.
Iran also vowing retaliation telling CNN exclusively that it will be a military retaliation. In a series of tweets, President Trump said he is prepared to target Iranian sites, some of which hold cultural significance. Sulome Anderson is a journalist who has been covering Iranian proxy forces for years now. Her father is journalist, Terry Anderson, who was taken hostage by Iran-backed Shiite militias in Lebanon for seven years before being released in 1991. And of course, all the best to your dad, Terry Anderson.
So, Sulome, you know, the U.S. says it had no choice but to kill Soleimani, you know, to prevent more U.S. deaths. Do you think that ultimately is the result or is it the opposite that things have been stirred up further?
SULOME ANDERSON, JOURNALIST: Well, I mean, I think as the senator just said, you can look at the concrete results of this move. You know, U.S. citizens are being evacuated or told to leave. You can see that Iran is threatening U.S. military sites. So far, they've made it clear that they will not target civilians, U.S. civilians. But, I mean, the president just kind of opened that door himself by saying he would target cultural sites. Well, that can only --
WHITFIELD: Now, what does that threat do in your view? How is that interpreted, deciphered?
ANDERSON: I mean, I think it just -- it takes everything up to an incredibly escalatory level. It's one thing from the Iranian perspective to target military members. It's a very different thing to target civilians. And I have a feeling if the U.S. does make that move and opens that door, the results will be disastrous.
WHITFIELD: If the U.S. were to intentionally strike a cultural site, as the president, you know, has threatened via tweet, what could that potentially do not just the relationship between the U.s. and Iran but the region, the U.S. and the region?
ANDERSON: OK. Well, it would paint a target on the backs of every American civilian in the region basically. So far, that line has not been crossed. But at the same time, we're at a stand -- a point here now where the Iranians have made it clear that they will retaliate. They have said that they will retaliate against military targets.
Now, the U.S. is coming back and saying, well, no matter what you do, we will hit you twice as hard, maybe even cultural sites. So, in that way, both sides have been boxed in. There is no chance that the Iranians can let this slide and not retaliate.
And if the president continues to, you know, live up to his threats and I don't see Ayatollah Khomeini writing any love letters to him. So, it doesn't seem like there's going to be a backing down from that posturing. So, I really don't see how this could possibly deescalate at this point.
WHITFIELD: So, instead of really seeing an ending here, you can only see an escalation?
ANDERSON: Yes. I mean, I just don't -- there is no scenario I can imagine in which this doesn't turn out badly. Because the other thing is, Iran's proxy forces are deployed -- are, you know, across the region. They're usually local forces.
You have Hezbollah in Lebanon. You have the Houthi in Yemen. You have the Hashdi Shaabi in Iraq and various other groups. And these are all places in or around locations where the U.S. has assets. So, it's opening up a lot of room for U.S. assets to be attacked in different places.
WHITFIELD: Sulome Anderson, thank you so much and the best to you and your family.
ANDERSON: Thank you.
WHITFIELD: All right, straight ahead to Iowa where a new poll reveals a three-way tie for the lead. Who sits on top less than a month out from the caucus?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[16:42:40]
WHITFIELD: All right. With just under 30 days until the first in the nation Iowa caucuses, we appear to have a three-way race in the Hawkeye State. Senator Bernie Sanders, Joe Biden, Mayor Pete Buttigieg all in a first-place tie according to a new poll out this morning. CNN'S Arlette Saenz joining me now from Grinnell, Iowa, with more on the numbers. Arlette?
ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN POLITICAL REPORTER: Well, Fred, this poll really gives us our first snapshot of the year at how the 2020 race is unfolding right here in Iowa.
And as you mentioned, there is a three-way tie for first place. You have Bernie Sanders, Joe Biden, and Pete Buttigieg all at 23 percent, so, really, no clear leader here in the Hawkeye State 29 days out from the caucuses. He's followed by Elizabeth Warren at 16 percent and Amy Klobuchar at 7 percent.
And then, if you take a look at the next contest, New Hampshire, which is a week after Iowa caucus takes place, you have Bernie Sanders and Joe Biden in the top tier of candidates with Sanders at 27 percent, and Joe Biden at 25 percent then is followed by Elizabeth Warren, Pete Buttigieg, and Amy Klobuchar.
And all of these candidates are really putting in the time here both in Iowa and New Hampshire trying to make their case and their impact when it comes to the voting there.
But here on the campaign trail, foreign policy over the weekend has really been front and center since President Trump ordered that strike that killed Iran's top general. And one candidate who has particularly been honing in on that is Joe Biden.
He, over the course of his campaign, has touted his foreign policy experience. And last night and here, he's talked about how he is the candidate best prepared to take on the president as well as assume the role of commander in chief if he is elected. And take a listen to what Biden had to tell voters here in Grinnell about that situation in Iran.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN, (D) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: This is a crisis totally of Donald Trump's making. Let's not forget how we got here. What was set in motion was Donald Trump tearing up that nuclear deal in the first place. What worries me most as the walls close in on Trump, I've been saying for the last month, I'm worried he'll do something really radically bad.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SAENZ: So, Biden and the other candidates been very critical of the president's decision and his approach to Iran. Biden was also asked by reporters whether he believed President Trump was using this Iran situation to distract from impeachment. Biden said he didn't know if that was the case. But that is the effect that is unfolding right now. Fred?
[16:45:15]
WHITFIELD: All right, Arlette Saenz, thank you very much. To talk further about all of this now, joining me right now, Ron Brownstein, a senior editor for "The Atlantic" and a CNN political analyst, and Michael Zeldin, a former federal prosecutor and CNN legal analyst. Good to see you both.
All right. So, Ron, you first. Joe Biden saying not really sure, you know, whether this Iran strike will -- is a distraction for the president. But Senator Elizabeth Warren seemed to go a little further saying, yes, it does exactly that. So, how do these candidates kind of strike a balance by not politicizing what could be a very serious threat abroad involving U.S. interests?
RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Of course, there were similar charges from Republicans against Bill Clinton in 1998 during his impeachment. I don't think Democrats are going to stress that angle of their disagreement. The disagreement is much more fundamental.
You know, you have Republican. The Republican defense of what the president has done really comes down to one word. He was decisive. He acted with deliberate -- with intent and with force and showed that the U.S. has re-established deterrent.
The Democratic, I think response overwhelmingly, is that this was impulsive and that he did not think through the second and third order implications, some of which have come to bear almost immediately, in terms of Iraq parliament voting to, you know, withdraw -- as for the withdrawal of U.S. troops and Iran fully pulling out of the nuclear deal.
And I think that is the grounds on which this is going to be fought within the democratic primary. It's interesting because it may be fought between a kind of Biden argument that you need a steady hand at the tiller and Sanders type argument, no, you need someone who's going to upset the apple cart and move us out of the Middle East all together.
WHITFIELD: So, Michael, you know, House Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff was on "State of the Union" today and here's what he had to say about an impending senate trial.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. ADAM SCHIFF, (D) CHAIRMAN, HOUSE OF INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE: One success that this has already had is flushing out McConnell showing that he is working in cahoots with the president. There's both Democrats and Republicans are now having to go on the record and say, do we want witnesses? Do we want to see the documents? Do we want the American people to hear the evidence? Do we want a real trial? Or do we want a cover-up?
It's clear, I think, for the president and Mitch McConnell. They don't want a trial anymore. They don't want witnesses. They don't want documents. They don't even want jake (ph) -- they don't even want a verdict. They want a dismissal.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: So, Michael, what's the risk you see in a trial as Adam Schiff describes, one that would be, you know, thin on evidence, one that already has a conclusion before it is to begin?
MICHAEL ZELDIN, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: So, if I'm the President of the United States and I believe that I've done absolutely nothing wrong and I'm denied a trial on the merits with witnesses that can establish my innocence, the perfection of my phone call with the Ukrainian president, Then I am going to be, as a matter of history, denied that opportunity to be, you know, exonerated.
If you're the democrats and you don't have a real trial, then they get to continue the narrative that this was a cover-up and there was an abuse of his power and that's how history will record the president.
So, I think in some sense, Trump has got to make a decision about how he wants his impeachment to be recorded. Right now, we're headed to a sham trial with a possible motion to dismiss with no real evidence taken. And if that's how the president wants to record himself in history as being the third president impeached who denied the right of Americans to have a real trial, then that's his choice. I don't think that's what I would advise him. But I think that he's afraid, perhaps, of what real evidence would mean for his guilt or innocence decision.
WHITFIELD: And Ron, Adam Schiff also said there could be a third article of impeachment for obstruction of justice relating to the Mueller investigation. Is that a real possibility?
BROWNSTEIN: Well look, I think Democrats are going to be reluctant to actually do that in the end because it, you know, the president will argue that this is kind of a permanent process of impeachment against him. But look, I mean, you know, the question -- Michael is exactly right. The question of where this trial leaves the president is pretty significant. I mean, the fact that today he is saying a tweet is sufficient notification to Congress on matter of war and peace is an indication of how emboldened he feels, I believe, by the Republican willingness in both chambers to accept a systematic stonewalling of their institutional authority in Congress to conduct oversight and impeachment of the president.
The fact that all the Republicans are saying it is fine not to provide witnesses. It is fine not to provide documents. You can see the direction this is going. And the question is, how emboldened will he feel?
By the way, it is worth noting also, John Bolton felt no compunction about telling us what he felt about the strike in Iraq last week on Tweeter and yet has managed to, you know, put himself in position to keep silent on Ukraine at a moment when the country faces a momentous choice on whether or not to remove a president. It's really remarkable I think that his personal kind of choices in this matter.
[16:50:09]
WHITFIELD: And Michael, do you see that indefinitely? You know, the House Speaker could hold on to these articles of impeachment, not transmit them, or do you think she will be compelled to even if the senate says this is way it's going to be with the trial, not the one that she would prefer?
ZELDIN: Well, I think at some point she's going to make an election about how to proceed. I don't think she's going to feel compelled to do anything by Mitch McConnell. I think she'll be compelled to do things by what she thinks is the best course for her and her allies to follow.
But I would expect, at some point, we'll have some compromise on the question of witnesses and that they will, in fact, be some sort of trial. It just doesn't strike me that it's constitutionally permissible not to have a trial and not to resolve on the merits whether or not the president did something that is abusive of his powers.
WHITFIELD: We'll leave it there. Michael Zeldin, Ron Brownstein, thanks so much to both of you. Appreciate it.
BROWNSTEIN: Thanks, Fred.
ZELDIN: Thanks, Fred.
WHITFIELD: All right. Anything can happen in an impeachment trial if it comes to that, right? Join CNN's (INAUDIBLE) for a look back at the suspense and drama from the trial of President Clinton. CNN special report, "The Trial of William Jefferson Clinton" airs tonight, 9:00.
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[16:55:04]
WHITFIELD: Dozens of wildfire-tested firefighters in Southern California are answering the call for help in Australia. They are about to be deployed to the frontlines of that emergency in the southern hemisphere where nearly 150 fires are burning in New South Wales alone.
CNN's Paul Vercammen has more from their home base in the Angeles National Forest.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PAUL VERCAMMEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The 20 veteran firefighters ground crews will come here, the Angeles National Forest. This is the headquarters in Arcadia. They have been hardened by years of battling large wildfires, some of them deadly. You may recall "The Station" fire, The Saddleridge fire last October. Both firefighters in Australia and in California have faced down the same menace, large eucalyptus trees.
JONATHAN MERAGER, ANGELES NATIONAL FOREST FIRE TECHNICIAN: The eucalyptus, from what I understand, are quite a bit different than what we have here, broader leaves and the casting (ph) is quite a bit further than ours here. And it just creates some more extreme environment.
VERCAMMEN: You mean shooting out embers that can travel a lot further because of these leaves on these eucalyptus trees?
MERAGER: Correct. Absolutely. The wind will carry it a much significant distance. There's a great amount of oils and whatnot in the eucalyptus. And when it catches, it goes up -- it goes up like a torch. It goes up extreme and torches.
VERCAMMEN: And the firefighters here in the Angeles National Forest tell us, the Australians asked for experts who can fell extremely large trees, cut those big trees down. They also tell us that much of the equipment will be provided by the Australians. And this unit is made up of such experienced firefighters that all of them have been a crew boss of sorts at some point in their careers.
ROBERT GARCIA, CHIEF, ANGELES NATIONAL FOREST: These folks that we're sending are full-time firefighters here locally and they work on engine crews, hotshot crews, aviation, helicopter-deployed crews. So, they're used to this type of diversity of mission basically, traveling, breaking up into small squads, doing initial attack, meaning tackling fires early before they become large fires.
MERAGER: It's exciting. I'm looking forward to the opportunity to reciprocate to our Australian brothers and sisters the same assistance they've given us for many years that they've come over here and helped us.
VERCAMMEN: They are scheduled to deploy on Monday. Reporting from Arcadia, California, I'm Paul Vercammen. Now, back to you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: Thanks for being with me. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. My colleague, Wolf Blitzer, continues our special CNN live coverage right after this short break.
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WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: We want to welcome our viewers here in the United States and around the world. I'm Wolf Blitzer.
