CNN "The Lead with Jake Tapper" - Transcript: Interview With Rep. Tulsi Gabbard

Interview

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CNN obtained these images of Al Asad Air Base outside Baghdad from Planet Labs. Four buildings on the base appear to be damaged, and a missile seems to have hit one of the runways. Thankfully, we're told that there were no casualties from these attacks, American or Iraqi.

Joining me now to discuss is Democratic presidential candidate Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii. She's a major in the Army National Guard. She deployed to Iraq in 2005.

Congresswoman, so good to see you. Thanks for joining us.

REP. TULSI GABBARD (D-HI), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Thanks, Jake.

TAPPER: As someone who served in Iraq, what was your reaction on an emotional level, if you would...

GABBARD: Yes.

TAPPER: ... when you heard missiles were targeting bases where Americans are serving, bases you're familiar with?

GABBARD: A lot of my friends serve there.

It was last night in New Hampshire. I was literally just walking in the door, about to kick off our town hall meeting, when my staff started passing me notes and tweets and reports that this attack was happening.

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And it just brought back, like, a flood of memories of what we were going through on a daily basis at the camp where we were, which was LSA Anaconda at that time, but really highlighting we are in a state of war now, and immediately thinking, OK, where are our troops? What are they doing? Are they safe?

Thinking of their loved ones back home, highlighting the seriousness of what's really going on there. Thank God no one got hurt.

TAPPER: Yes, I agree with that.

What do you make of where we are, how we got here?

GABBARD: Yes.

TAPPER: I could see -- we have heard Trump supporters and President Trump basically say, look, no American casualties, and we took out a bad guy, Soleimani, a terrorist leader.

What would your response to that be?

GABBARD: Well, first, I just came from the intelligence briefing that the administration came and brought to Congress.

Really, they provided vague comments, no justification whatsoever for this illegal and unconstitutional act of war that President Trump took.

TAPPER: You don't buy the imminence -- imminent attack against Americans?

GABBARD: No. No. They failed to provide any compelling information to prove their point of imminence.

And, really, it brings us to the central question here, which is, is our country's national security better off because of Donald Trump's actions and decisions? The answer to that is no, in two primary ways.

Number one is, Iran is now in a position where they're not really abiding by any restrictions from the Iran nuclear agreement. They're continuing to escalate and speed towards developing their own nuclear weapons capabilities, creating a greater threat for us, to our allies and partners and to the world.

And, secondly, because the troops that we have in Iraq now, and the additional ones that this administration is sending there, are no longer focused on what their -- what their mission there really has been, which is to prevent a resurgence of ISIS and al Qaeda.

The announcement from the commander that came from there that said, we're not doing that anymore, because now we have to shift all of our efforts and focus in a defensive posture against Iran and Iranian- backed Shia militia, this leaves the door wide open for ISIS and al Qaeda to start to reconstitute and to start to be able to build a resurgence in their terrorist activities.

TAPPER: What do you make of the argument made by Secretary of Defense Esper and others, which is like, look, Soleimani and the Iranian and the IRGC, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, they have been attacking Americans for decades?

And it's not a secret. You don't need intelligence on this. They killed an American contractor at the end of December.

GABBARD: If this administration wants to go to war with Iran, they need to come to Congress, because Congress is the only body that has the authority, based on our Constitution, to decide whether or not to go to war with Iran or not.

That has not happened. And that just shows the shallowness of the argument that the Trump administration is making, where, on the one hand, they're saying, it's because of an imminent threat, but, on the other hand, they're saying, well, look at all these things that have been happening for a long time.

Once again, it comes back to this core question that our commander in chief must be able to answer, which is acting, not in a reaction to say, well, we got to go take out a bad guy here or a bad guy there, but what is in the best interest of the national security of our country? What is in the best interest of our safety and security as Americans?

And I think Trump's actions and decisions here further highlight his lack of experience and understanding at a basic level and lack of foresight in national security and foreign policy, unnecessarily putting the American people further at risk.

TAPPER: Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard, Democrat and presidential candidate, thanks so much for being here. It's always good to see you.

GABBARD: Thank you, Jake.

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