PLANNING A VERY MAJOR ATTACK,

AND WE GOT HIM.

>> Pete: THAT WAS

PRESIDENT TRUMP EXPLAIN WHY HE

TOOK ACTION TO KILL YOUR BRAND'S

TOP GENERAL, HE DID IT TO HOLD

BACK A WAR, BUT HIS CRITICS ARE

PILING ON.

>> BUT WITHOUT CONGRESSIONAL

OPPOSITION, ENTERING INTO

ANOTHER MIDDLE EAST WAR.

>> I WOULD ANTICIPATE THE

PERSIAN GULF WAR WILL BEGIN

ANEW.

>> THIS ONE OFF ACTION CAN HAVE

UNBELIEVABLY HORRIFIC

CONSEQUENCES.

THE NUMBER ONE, THERE WILL BE

DEAD AMERICANS, DEAD CIVILIAN

AMERICANS AS A RESULT OF THIS.

>> IT IS NOT JUST

SERVICE MEMBERS, ALL AMERICAN

CITIZENS ARE WALKING PRIME

TARGETS FOR IRANIAN RETALIATION.

>> Lawrence: ACCUSING

PRESIDENT TRUMP AS USING THE

AIR STRIKE AS IMPEACHMENT,

TWEETING SO WHAT IF TRUMP ONCE

MORE, KNOWS IT IS AT LEAST A

WAR AND NEEDS A DISTRACTION."

OH, MY GOD.

PETE, TYPICALLY WHEN THERE IS

SOMETHING LIKE THIS, THE COUNTRY

COMES TOGETHER, YOU PUT POLITICS

ASIDE.

OF COURSE, THEY CAN HAVE THE

DEBATE IF THE PRESIDENT SHOULD

DECLARE WAR, BUT ACCUSING THE

PRESIDENT OF USING THIS FOR A

BLOCK FOR IMPEACHMENT?

>> Pete: THE WHOLE IDEA OF HIM

BEING COMMANDER IN CHIEF, THERE

WAS A COMMENTATOR TODAY THAT

SAID RIGHT ACTION, WRONG

COMMANDER IN CHIEF.

AND IT DOES NOT MATTER THE

DECISION THAT IS MADE.

THERE WAS LITERALLY JONATHAN ON

ANOTHER NETWORK THAT SAID, THE

IMPLICATION IS, I WOULD RATHER

HAVE THE CORRECT COMMANDER IN

CHIEF, MEANING HILLARY CLINTON

AND THE WRONG ACTION.

AND SUMS UP PRECISELY HOW THEY

VIEW HIM, THE REALITY IS, THE

COMMENTARY IS TRUE.

HE MADE THE RIGHT CALL.

HE MADE A CALL BASED ON ADVISORS

AROUND HIM WHO BELIEVE THIS IS

AN IMMINENT THREAT AND

SPECIFICALLY BECAUSE HE SAW A

POLICY ACTION TAKEN UNDER THE

OBAMA ADMINISTRATION WHERE

SOVEREIGN AMERICAN SOIL WHERE

THERE WAS A CONSULATE OR AN

EMBASSY THAT WAS THREATENED THEN

NOT TAKEN SERIOUSLY.

DISMISSED BY AN INTERNET VIDEO

AND THE NATIONAL SECURITY

ADVISOR LATER ON.

HE SAID IF YOU'RE GOING TO TRY

THAT.

AND WE KNOW WHAT THEY DO, IRAN

40 YEARS AGO USE THE EMBASSY IN

TEHRAN AS A LAUNCHING OFF POINT

FOR THE AMERICAN PUBLIC.

THE EMBASSY IS MEANINGFUL, IT IS

SOVEREIGN AMERICAN SOIL.

THIS WILL NOT HAPPEN AGAIN.

AND AS A RESULT, I SEE THE SIGNS

IN FRONT OF ME, AND I'M GOING TO

COMPENSATE.

I WILL SEND THE MARINES, I WILL

SEND THE 82ND AIRBORNE, WHICH HE

DID KNOWING THEY HAD

INTELLIGENCE ON THE LINE.

IT LOOKED LIKE A BIGGER REACTION

THAN PEOPLE THOUGHT AS A RESULT,

THEY KNEW WHAT WAS COMING NEXT.

THIS WAS SOMETHING INTENTIONAL,

BECAUSE HE DID NOT, IMAGINE IF

HE HAD NOT ACTED.

THE AMOUNT OF NEGLIGENCE HE

WOULD BE CHARGED WITH FOR

KNOWING ABOUT THE GATHERING

THREAT AND NOT STEPPING UP.

>> Emily: THERE BEEN THREATS

FROM HIM FOR DECADES, THAT'S WHY

I'M HARPING ABOUT KNOWING MORE

ABOUT THIS.

BECAUSE I THINK THE AMERICAN

PEOPLE DESERVE THE KNOWLEDGE

ABOUT WHY THIS TIME WAS

DIFFERENT WITH ALL OF THE

POTENTIAL DOWNSIDES THAT WILL

COME FROM THE STRIKE.

LOOK --

>> Pete: LIKE IN 2011, THERE

WERE DOWNSIDES THAT CAME FROM

THAT TOO.

>> Emily: WE ARE NOT TALKING

ABOUT 2011, WE ARE TALKING ABOUT

TODAY.

>> Pete: WHY CAN'T YOU SAY

THIS IS A BAD GUY WHO IS DEAD

AND THAT IS A GOOD THING?

>> Emily: BECAUSE A

CONSEQUENCES THAT COME FROM IT

COULD HAVE STRATEGIC AND

NEGATIVE IMPACTS ON THE

UNITED STATES THAT OUTWEIGH THE

BENEFITS.

THIS IS A CONSEQUENTIAL DECISION

THAT AMERICAN ADMINISTRATION HAS

TAKEN IN THE MIDDLE EAST SINCE

THE DECISION TO INVADE IRAQ IN

2003, AND I HAVE NOT SEEN THE

STRATEGIC PLANNING FROM THE

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION THAT MEANS

THEY KNOW WHAT WILL COME NEXT.

>> Lawrence: IT IS ONE THING

TO SAY THAT YOU NEED MORE

INFORMATION, BUT YOU HAVE OBAMA

FORMER OFFICIALS LIKE BEN ROGUE

SAYING THAT THEY QUESTION THE

PRESIDENT STRATEGY, THE

COMPETENCE TO LEAD.

>> Dana: THAT WILL HAPPEN, AND

PRESIDENTS CANNOT WORRY.

THEY HAVE TO MAKE DECISIONS

BASED ON THE INFORMATION THAT

THEY HAVE, THE RESPONSIBILITY

THAT THEY HAVE AND THE TIMING,

AND THAT IS NOT FOR THEM TO

FIGURE THAT OUT RIGHT NOW, THE

OTHER THING IS, IF THERE HAD

BEEN AN ATTACK BASED ON

SOMETHING THE PRESIDENT KNEW

ABOUT AND DID NOT ATTACK, WHAT

YOU THINK THE 2020 DEMOCRATS

WOULD HAVE SAID INSTEAD?

IT WOULD'VE BEEN A DIFFERENT

ADMINISTRATION BECAUSE OF HOW

MUCH TOUGHER THEY WOULD BE.

IT IS DIFFICULT WHEN IT HAPPENS

IN THE MIDDLE OF A PRESIDENTIAL

ELECTION.

TO THE POINT IS THAT THE

CONGRESSWOMAN FROM MINNESOTA

SAID THAT IT MAY BE

PRESIDENT TRUMP WAS JUST TRYING

TO CREATE A DISTRACTION, I THINK

YOU CAN ARGUE PLEASE SAY THAT

FROM SEPTEMBER UNTIL NOW, THE

BIGGEST DISTRACTION IN AMERICA

HAS BEEN IMPEACHMENT.

THAT WAS ACTUALLY A DISTRACTION.

AND I ALSO THINK THAT THERE IS

MORE STRATEGIES BEHIND THIS

BECAUSE OF SOMETHING YOU POINTED

OUT, PETE, THAT IN APRIL OF

2019, THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION

DESIGNATES SOLEIMANI AND HIS

GROUP AS A TERRORIST

ORGANIZATION.

I THINK THAT PROBABLY WILL LOOK

BACK AND FIND THE HISTORY IS

WRITTEN ABOUT THIS TIME THAT

THERE WAS A LOT MORE STRATEGY

THAN WE THOUGHT.

BUT YOU CAN'T PLAN EVERYTHING

OUT.

SO YES, YOU NEED TO KNOW WHERE

THINGS ARE GOING.

SPEAK TO THE POINT I WOULD LIKE

TO MAKE IS THAT WHEN PEOPLE SAY

THAT THIS IS THE S ESCALATION,

WHAT HAVE THE IRANIANS BEEN

DOING?

STEADILY ESCALATING AND BECOMING

BOLDER WITH THEIR ACTIONS

AGAINST US STARTING WITH OIL

TANKERS AND THEN THE OIL

PROCESSING FACILITIES AND THEN

U.S. POSITIONS, AND THEN AN

ALL-OUT ATTACK THAT KILLED A

U.S. CONTRACTOR AND THEN AN

ATTACK ON THE U.S. EMBASSY.

SO I ALSO DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY

ALL OF A SUDDEN OUT OF THE BLUE

WE QUESTION THE U.S.

INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY WHEN

APPARENTLY ESPECIALLY IN

DOMESTIC MATTERS THEY ARE TO BE

ABSOLUTELY BELIEVED AT ALL

POINTS.

IT IS ONLY BECAUSE OF THE

INVOLVEMENT THAT ALL OF A SUDDEN

WE ARE NOT TO TRUST THEM.

WHEN THEY HAVE THE INTELLIGENCE

COMMITTEE COMING OUT THAT A

MAJOR ATTACK NECESSITATED THE

PREEMPTION WITH THE RISK.

SO WHY NOW ALL OF A SUDDEN DO WE

NEED MORE INFORMATION WHEN WE

HAVE IT COUPLED WITH IRANIAN

BEHAVIOR AND DECISIONS IN THESE

LAST YEAR OR SO HAVE ESCALATED,

WHY WOULD WE NOT BELIEVE THAT?

>> Lawrence: 2020 DEMOCRATS

LASHING OUT AT PRESIDENT TRUMP

FOR KILLING THE IRANIAN TOP

COMMANDER.

HITTING BACK.

WE WILL DISCUSS NEXT ON

"THE FIVE."

♪ ♪

But right now, is not the time to talk about it.