Fox News Channel Interview - Transcript

Interview

Fox News Channel Interview - Transcript

Fox News Channel Interview With Rep. Trent Franks (R-AZ)

Subject: The CIA and Speaker Pelosi

Interviewer: Megyn Kelly

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MS. KELLY: Republican Congressman Trent Franks of Arizona joins us live on the latest.

Congressman, good morning to you.

REP. FRANKS: Good morning. Thanks for having me.

MS. KELLY: You know, it's -- it gets a little confusing, but basically she's been --

REP. FRANKS: I agree.

MS. KELLY: -- all over the board in terms of, you know, the story, And she's been trying to clarify it. Some say she's been digging a deeper hole.

Senator Jim Webb of Virginia, a Democrat says, and I quote, "This is not that big a deal," and that the Republicans, including folks like you, are making much ado about nothing. Your response?

REP. FRANKS: Well, I would have to profoundly disagree with him. You know, the entire national security apparatus of this country depends upon us being able to rely on the word of the CIA and the NSA. And for Nancy Pelosi now to call these folks liars is of profound significance.

Now, I would say to you, Megyn, it's not exactly a phenomenon that Nancy Pelosi would make others to be liars. I mean, she tried to make President Bush to be a liar every time the man turned around. She's called for truth squads. She's now called the CIA liars in a sense. And I just think that that is not something that should surprise us.

But at the very core of all of this is something of profound significance because either the CIA is lying or the Speaker of the House is lying -- third in line to the presidency. And it is of profound significance to the American people to find out which is the truth.

MS. KELLY: You know -- and for that very point, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich has come out and said that the House of Representatives needs to investigate her claims, needs to investigate her to see if she is lying, if she is falsely impuning the integrity of our intelligence officials, basically calling them criminals because if, in fact, they had lied to the U.S. Congress they would've committed a felony, or is she the one who is lying, as you point out, third in line for the presidency. Do you think hearings in the House on that are in order?

REP. FRANKS: Well, I think it's very important to see if we can do it without damaging national security to release these briefing notes, to get it clarified because, you know, I've been in these hearings myself, and -- not the same one that we're talking about here, but those related to national security, surveillance. And the CIA and the NSA have always been extremely forthright -- notwithstanding, you know, perhaps public opinion -- they've been very forthright and very specific. And I would assume that there were other members in these meetings that would be able to back that up.

And so I think the briefing notes here are going to be very important. And if indeed Nancy Pelosi has lied, which it seems to me that she has, then she either needs to resign or at the very least have a public and open apology to the CIA.

MS. KELLY: What do you think the signifiance of this is in the broader picture?; in other words, you're not surprised to hear her leveling accusations because she's done it before, including of the sitting president, President Bush, as you point out. However, one remembers after the 9/11 commission did its investigation -- discussion of how our intelligence community pre-9/11 felt its hands were tried and had been hamstrung in essence. Are we getting back to that point when we have public allegations like this, like hers, that are left unchallenged?

REP. FRANKS: Well, I really believe that one of the greatest challenges of the former administration was this constant undermining by liberal Democrats like Nancy Pelosi. They held themselves completely unconstrained to the truth in all of those debates. And it was, I think, damaging to our country and damaging to our national security. And it seems like now that they're in a supermajority, they've completely disinvited the truth from the entire discussion.

And, again, this is truly an important subject, and to be able to rely upon our leaders and to be able to rely upon the CIA who gathers critical intelligence for this country to protect us from a growing danger. Potentially, you know, we could be facing nuclear jihad in the coming years. And the truth and being able to rely upon what people say is of more and more importance to the American people. And I hope they're paying attention.

MS. KELLY: Congressman, what say you of the charge by some that it's a good thing for Republicans to have Nancy Pelosi remain one of the faces, one of the main faces of the Democratic Party and to keep the speakership because that'll be a talking point in the 2010 elections?

REP. FRANKS: Well, I think I've got to tell you honestly I think that's probably an accurate political statement. Politically, it might be better for us if she stays in because I think she's lost credibility with the American people, and it's easier for us to point out some of the foibles of the Democrat leadership with her in that position.

But, you know, we've got to always start looking for what's really right for the country. And what's right for this country is for all of us, Democrat and Republican and Independent alike, to say, okay, there is such a thing as the truth. Our founding fathers said that there were self-evident truths, and we better recognize that because truth and time travel on the same road. And if we ignore what's true and right, we do so at our peril, and we do so at the diminishment of what America's all about.

MS. KELLY: Congressman Trent Franks, thanks so much for being with us this morning.

REP. FRANKS: Thanks for having me.

MS. KELLY: Take care.

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