The News on CNBC - Transcript

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SHOW: The News on CNBC (8:00 PM ET) - CNBC

HEADLINE: Senator Susan Collins discusses war in Iraq

ANCHORS: REHEMA ELLIS

BODY:
REHEMA ELLIS, anchor:

And Maine Republican Susan Collins is also a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee. She, too, is on Capitol Hill tonight and joins us.

Senator, thanks for being with me.

Senator SUSAN COLLINS (Republican, Armed Services Committee): Good evening.

ELLIS: I want to pick up where we left a little bit with Senator Pryor. And that's the fact that Bob Woodward's book did come up in your hearings today and this whole issue of this transfer of money. Now Wolfowitz did defend himself and the whole administration saying-denying that there was any secret transfer. Are you satisfied with that?

Sen. COLLINS: Based on what I've seen so far, I am satisfied with the secretary's answer. We have to remember that post-9/11, the president was given very broad jurisdiction, very broad discretion in spending hundreds of millions of dollars. So based on what I know so far, I don't see any wrongdoing at all on how the funds were allocated.

ELLIS: There was a lot of criticism, however, of Wolfowitz during that hearing. Are you concerned at all that there is any evidence that might lead to any further kind of hearings or in-investigations on this matter?

Sen. COLLINS: Well, it's very important that Congress exercise its oversight role. We are responsible for deciding how funds are spent. So further hearings in our oversight capacity may well be appropriate. But I didn't hear anything today that gave me cause for alarm on how the administration spent the money that has been appropriated.

ELLIS: Senator, are you comfortable with the process of information coming from the administration and the amount of participation the Congress has had in all this? Do you, in any feel-in any way feel left out of the plan?

Sen. COLLINS: I really don't. I don't necessarily agree with the administration, particularly in its conduct of this stage of the war and its plans for transferring power on June 30th. But I have to say that we have had numerous classified briefings, private meetings and public hearings at which we've all had the opportunity to grill administration officials about their conduct of the war and their plans for reconstruction. So I just don't think it holds water to say that somehow Congress has been kept in the dark. Quite the contrary, we've been briefed and briefed and briefed and given every opportunity to ask any questions.

ELLIS: And, finally, because we have just a few seconds left, how worried are you about the fact that Honduras is following Spain? Do you have any concerns that the coalition is crumbling?

Sen. COLLINS: I am very worried about the exodus of troops from other countries. I had hoped that we would be successful in broadening the international coalition to relieve some of the burden on our very weary and overstressed American troops. Unfortunately, it appears that just the opposite is happening.

ELLIS: Senator Collins, thank you for being with us tonight.

Sen. COLLINS: Thank you.