CNN "The Situation Room" - Transcript: Interview with Senator Tammy Duckworth

Interview

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

[17:40:22]

BLITZER: We're following multiple breaking stories including word U.S. military commanders are anticipating a formal order from President Trump possibly as soon as this week to begin a further withdrawal of U.S. troops from both Iraq and Afghanistan.

CNN's Jake Tapper has learned a memo from now fired Defense Secretary Mark Esper warned conditions for withdrawal from Afghanistan have not been met. Let's get reaction from Democratic senator Tammy Duckworth of Illinois. She's a member of the Armed Services Committee, as well as a combat veteran. Senator, thanks so much for joining us. I remember on Friday, you told CNN you saw President Trump's firing of Defense Secretary Esper as a way for him to be able to carry out policies that wouldn't have been a -- he wouldn't have been able to do otherwise. Is this specifically what you were worried about?

SEN. TAMMY DUCKWORTH (D-IL): This is exactly the kind of thing that I was worried about, Wolf. Basically, he has got at the Pentagon at the top ranks the people who would say no to him, and now he's carrying out a policy that he knows, those leaders would not have agreed to, because it actually puts our nation at greater risk.

BLITZER: You're uniquely qualified to weigh in on this very, very sensitive military issue. You're an Iraq War veteran, a Purple Heart recipient, do you fear this withdrawal of troops will put U.S. service members who are there on the ground, risking their lives at greater risk.

DUCKWORTH: It very much will put them at greater risk. You know, put America at greater risk also, Wolf. Remember that when you withdraw from a battlefield, it has to be done in an orderly way. And the way this President looks like he's trying to do is going to order a quick draw down. That means that we won't be properly able to properly remove our equipment for example.

Can you imagine leaving so quickly that you leave behind a whole caches of equipment for the Taliban to fall in on and then to use those against the remaining troops? That's the kind of situation we could be headed for if we do what the President, what we think the President is going to do, which is to order a rapid drawdown that's not been well planned.

BLITZER: You know, I was just looking at Jake Tapper's report. He pointed out that in addition to Esper who was fired, the U.S. military Central Command, the head of the U.S. military Central Command, General McKenzie opposes this decision. The head of the NATO mission in Afghanistan, General Miller opposes this mission.

The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs General Milley opposes what the President has in mind. They disagree totally with the president. They don't want troops withdrawn so quickly, especially during this transition period. Have you ever seen anything like this, where the top military brass so directly involved in protecting these troops are totally against what the President has in mind?

DUCKWORTH: No, I have not. And for what I've not seen as a president to go against what the top military leaders, the ones who have literally decades of experience, many of them having fought in multiple wars, they know what they're doing. They know the logistics that it takes in order to withdraw troops and to have a president, a commander in chief not listen to those advisors, and in fact, start firing them so that he can do what he wants to do.

Remember, Wolf, that the transition time to a new president is some of the most dangerous times for our national security. In fact, six weeks after President Clinton took office, the world -- the first World Trade Center bombing happened, our adversaries wait for us to do something. You know, after President Trump took office, Syria launched a chemical attack, when President Obama took office within the first four months, North Korea had launched a rocket and conducted a nuclear test. And of course, we know that in President Bush's first time, in the very first eight months, we had the 9/11 attacks.

Our adversaries look for the transition period as a time when we are most distracted and for us to be most distracted and then have the top leaders be fired by this President who then orders an immediate drawdown is just prime ground for our adversaries to look and see what they can get away with while we're distracted.

BLITZER: Well, what do you think, Senator of the -- what do you think U.S. allies make of President Trump's refusal to accept the results of the election as he purges military leadership? Perhaps more importantly, how do you think our adversaries, adversaries right now are viewing these actions?

DUCKWORTH: Well, I think our adversaries are viewing these actions as opportunities for themselves. It's an opportunity for them to try to test out how far they can get while the United States is distracted, while this President is not helping with the transition process. Our adversaries around the world are looking for weak moments, times when we are just not able to focus.

And it's hard to focus when we don't even have a transition that's going on. It's hard to focus when President-elect Biden is not getting the national security intelligence reports and briefings that he has supposed to be getting every single day. This President, our current President, is endangering America and the ability of the next president to do his job.

[17:45:09]

BLITZER: Yes. Totally, totally outrageous that he isn't getting, that Biden isn't getting these daily briefings. He's going to be the president in a matter of a few weeks. He's got to know all the latest information that's going on. Senator Duckworth, thank you so much for joining us.

DUCKWORTH: Thanks for having me on.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source