CNN "The Situation Room" - Transcript: Iran Nuclear Deal and Terror Threats

Interview

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BROWN: And let's discuss the Iran nuclear talks and more with a leading Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Congressman Darrell Issa of California.

Congressman, nice to have you on with us.

As we heard from Elise there, she's reporting that the deadline for a deal with Iran is becoming less and less firm. In your view, is it time for the U.S. to walk away?

REP. DARRELL ISSA (R), CALIFORNIA: I don't think it's time to walk away. It's time to at least make sure that we don't give any greater concessions than the president told Congress he was going to get.

Very clearly, this is a deal that may have difficulty getting approved even if the president got everything that he said he was going to get. If he gives further concessions, it won't be the time, the 30 days vs. 60 days Congress has to respond. It will be the deal itself that kills any kind of a resolution.

BROWN: Are you concerned that concessions are being made just so that the deal will get done, just so that they can end this, end these negotiations?

ISSA: You know, in the beginning of a presidency, their legacy isn't what people are thinking about. They're thinking about making a difference.

At the end of a presidency, often they're thinking about legacy. And that does concern me. We don't need the legacy to look good as the president leaves office and end up like North Korea. I think when Bibi Netanyahu likened this to North Korea, he did so accurately, because we never made North Korea fully abandon its nuclear ambitions.

[18:10:01]

And, as result, it became essentially the ninth country to have nuclear capability and the delivery capability to threaten its neighbors.

BROWN: As we heard Elise say, this could be a game of chicken that is going on right now. Do you think that the Iranians fear the U.S. at all? Or are they the ones holding the power in these negotiations?

ISSA: Well, Pamela, I think they're in the driver's seat and I think they know it.

They are calling the shots on the ground in Iraq. They have the relationship with the Iraqi government that we're supporting over the Sunni and Kurd minorities. They recently returned jets back to Iraq as a show of good faith. It had been in Russian-made jets that had been there a long time and the Iraqis are using those.

They obviously have the relationship with both Assad and Hezbollah. And, as we speak, those forces are on the ground being supported in Syria, sometimes fighting in a direction we'd like, and sometimes very much fighting in a direction that simply is killing off the so-called Free Syrian Army, while Da'esh continues to make advances, real advances, in solidifying this caliphate.

BROWN: Congressman Issa, be sure to stay with us. We have a lot more to discuss, more of our interview just ahead right after this quick break.

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[18:16:06]

BROWN: We're back with Congressman Darrell Issa, a top Republican on the House Foreign Affairs committee.

Congressman, stand by.

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BROWN: And I want to bring back in Congressman Darrell Issa to discuss what we just heard from the director, Joe Clancy.

Congressman, you heard him say that he thinks the White House needs a taller fence. Do you agree with that?

ISSA: Well, you can have taller fences and that would take care of one problem.

But, as you know, the president and other protected individuals have a vulnerability far greater when they move. And so the problems that Clancy's dealing with at the Secret Service -- and this is something that my committee, my former committee, dealt with for my entire chairmanship -- is low morale, turnover questions, the difference between uniformed and nonuniformed personnel, and a lot of other of those sort of problems, in an organization that has an almost impossible mission.

[18:20:12]

Remember, they never get to be on offense. They have to be on defense. They don't get credit for the thousands of hours in which nothing happens. It's the times something goes wrong. And so what Clancy has to deal with is keeping an organization sharp and at the top of its game at all times, and modernizing how they deal with new threats.

And you mentioned drones. But there are lots of other threats. And it is something where, quite frankly, what you know today and you're taking steps on is not where the next problem will usually come. And the perimeter protection of the White House, as we all know, if they'd just lock the door, if basic principles had been followed, that jumper would have gotten over the fence, but he never would have gotten anywhere beyond the grass.

And so I think we have to be a little careful not to overreact, as we did years ago when we closed Pennsylvania Avenue. We did so without a plan to really justify what it was all about and go forward. I do work with the Secret Service. Historically, they are a great group of leaders and individuals. But, as I say, they're a little bit like a football team that never gets to be on offense, is always on defense.

And they don't get to know when the ball's going to be snapped. They have to be ready at all times.

BROWN: And he did not mince words, the director, when he said there will not be another White House fence jumper. Do you buy that?

ISSA: Well, there won't be another one that gets through the front door.

They are making -- taking steps to be much more vigilant, to redo their procedures, and to have more senior management really making sure that the team is doing their job and is always in position. That's important. But, again, when you look at an organization, that training field, the off-hours, the questions of alcoholism, the questions of extracurricular activities, and how people view their careers, and what the esprit de corps is like, that's really where you win and lose.

It's not necessarily a spiked fence that's going to make all the difference in the world, although it is important to have those staggered defenses to protect the building of the White House. And let's remember, a jumper is a very small threat compared to a pack of explosives on an unmanned vehicle or a manned vehicle.

And those are real threats that could happen at any time.

BROWN: And we know that the threat is constantly evolving. What do you see as the next threat to the White House, to the president?

ISSA: Well, I don't know where the next threat will come from. And I don't think anyone really does.

But let's understand that when the president is moving or the vice president or other protected individuals, they are more vulnerable. And that's generally where the possibility will occur. Many years ago, the late Rafik Hariri was assassinated in Beirut. And he was in a vehicle every bit as good as the president's vehicle, car.

The problem was that they just had thousands of pounds of explosives and had been able to bury it underneath a street. That level of explosive, the only way to win is to make sure the president never goes over that location. And when you're talking about all of Washington or any other place that a protected individual, including the president, goes, they have to be able to detect in advance activity that could lead to a large explosive charge or something else that could be devastating beyond human beings' ability to react.

Remember, the Kennedy assassination in Dallas was an exception. That was a long-range sniper. That has historically not been the threats. When they wanted to get Truman, they walked right up to the front of Blair House and would have gotten Truman if he'd answered the door.

Each time there's been an attack, we have created greater setback. But, at some point, the president cannot have absolute setback. He goes to hotels. He goes to foreign countries. And in this day and age, an unmanned aerial vehicle can carry explosive. They have got to be able to take that down proactively.

We can't have aircraft flying into the Washington space. If they can carry a man on a gyrocopter, they could have carried 200 pounds of explosive on that same aircraft.

BROWN: And Director Clancy talked about how concerned he is about ISIS. How much of a threat do you think ISIS poses to the Secret Service?

ISSA: Well, the Secret Service are ready and prepared to take those threats.

But the protected individuals, which in Washington, D.C., is not just the president and vice president and the families -- it's also up in Northwest all those embassies and residents. ISIS could look at one of those as a softer target.

[18:25:05]

And the impact of any loss in Washington, D.C., of any protected individual or building, would be pretty devastating for people's view around the world.

So, there's a large area to protect here and abroad. Very clearly, ISIS would love to get one of those. They'd like to get a lone wolf to drive hundreds of pounds of explosives or thousands of pounds right up Massachusetts Avenue and look for an embassy to blow up in front of.

So, these are real threats. ISIS has been able to recruit people. We have to be vigilant. We have to be able to find explosives and plans before they happen. And it's not easy.

BROWN: And that's growing increasingly harder with the way the threat is now with ISIS to know about an attack before it happens.

Congressman Darrell Issa, thank you so much.

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