CNN "The Situation Room" - Transcript Interview with Adam Kinzinger
Interview
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We're joined now by Republican Congressman Adam Kinzinger.
Congressman Kinzinger, I guess, first of all, what is your reaction to that new report we have coming in, just in the last several minutes, that this information about bounties, Russian bounties on U.S. troops in Afghanistan was included in the presidential daily brief?
REP. ADAM KINZINGER (R-IL): Well, the question was it in the briefing book or was it briefed to him, because it's two separate things. You have a briefing book that goes out every day. It goes to a cabinet level folks, and then typically what happens as I understand it, I never worked in the White House, is these intel agencies then basically take the most important parts of that and brief it verbally to the president. So, that's the question. Everything I understand is that the president was not briefed about
this. Now, if it was in his book, that's one thing. Maybe he didn't read it, there's -- most presidents don't read the entire book every day. They rely on intel to brief them.
So, I think there is probably a lot more to that than just what the headline sounds like.
ACOSTA: And, Congressman, you were one of eight Republican lawmakers briefed on this intelligence today. You said that it shouldn't have risen to the president's level at that point because there was conflicting intelligence. But shouldn't the commander in chief be briefed about a threat to U.S. troops, Russian bounties on U.S. troops even if the intelligence gathering is still in progress or if there is conflicting information? It sounds serious enough where it should rise to the level of telling the president.
KINZINGER: Yeah, so, I don't -- I don't think it shouldn't have been told to the president. But what I said and what I meant if I didn't quite say it right is there was conflicting evidence. So that's where you have to make a decision, especially on something as big as Russia.
Do you want to present the president with the idea that Russia has put bounties out on U.S. troops if you don't fully know yet and if there's conflicting intelligence, or is it better to gather the rest of that?
We're in a gathering phase and now with the story out there, obviously, I think some of those trails may be wiped up if in fact it's true. So, but, you know, I think that's a question for who makes the decisions to brief the president on what. That's typically a career person.
But it's not a scandal and the point of the president knew and he didn't do anything about it. The real issue here, though, is if it's true, and we know --
ACOSTA: Do you know that to be the case, Congressman, that the president did not know about it?
KINZINGER: Yes, that's what I've been told if I was told inaccurately, then, no, but I think he -- he wasn't briefed on it, that's for sure. And from what I'm told, so.
But I do know that, look, if the Russians in fact, and they have meddled in Afghanistan for quite some time, if they were doing this, let's let this come out, and then the president needs to take aggressive action at that point. But you can't really do it if you don't know.
ACOSTA: Right, but don't you think that this is so serious, Congressman, the Russians, putting bounties on U.S. troops in Afghanistan, if you were in that situation, wouldn't you have briefed the president about this?
KINZINGER: Yes, quite possibly. I'm a Russia hawk, right? But I also know what the intelligence was, I know what the conflicts were. I can't say 'em here.
I can tell you it is a tough decision you have to make at that point, because it's not just cut and dry. It's not, you know, you're not reading Vladimir Putin's book where he wrote he's put a bounty out there. There's an art to this.
So, the question is when do you bring it up?
That was a decision made not by the president, not anybody political, by career people who make the decision on what they want to highlight to the president. So --
ACOSTA: And let me ask you this, congressman, you were among the Republicans who were briefed on this earlier today. How is it that no Democratic lawmakers were briefed on this, doesn't that politicize this entire situation when the Republicans in the House up on Capitol Hill are briefed on this before Democrats?
KINZINGER: Yes, you'll have to ask Steny Hoyer because last night Mark Meadows called him and invited him to the briefing to do a briefing. In fact, I guess they're now doing it tomorrow morning. But as of our briefing, he made it clear he hadn't heard back from Steny Hoyer.
So, look, if you're -- you know, if somebody wants to use this as a political thing, it's fine. Everything is political nowadays. Where I'm at is we need to --
ACOSTA: Right, but, Congressman --
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KINZINGER: -- process where we can get to an answer.
ACOSTA: You say everything is political nowadays. But there's nothing political about the Russians putting bounties --
KINZINGER: Right, that's my point.
ACOSTA: -- on the heads of U.S. forces in Afghanistan.
KINZINGER: Yes.
ACOSTA: Isn't this the type of situation where it shouldn't be red state versus blue state?
KINZINGER: I totally agree.
ACOSTA: The Democrats should have been brought to the White House and briefed on this.
KINZINGER: Yes, I fully agree. We were brought up. The Democrats were offered and they didn't go. Steny Hoyer didn't respond.
That's a question for him.
[18:55:01] It's not a question for me.
From what I understand, too, they've now decided to do it tomorrow morning. So hopefully they see the same thing we did. And, you know, we'll all come out and look at this and say we're united against any Russian threat to the United States of America.
ACOSTA: And you feel the president is in that category as well?
KINZINGER: Yes, certainly hope so.
ACOSTA: All right, Congressman Adam Kinzinger, we hope so too. Thank you very much for joining us.
KINZINGER: Yes.
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