Trump's Next Russia Ambassador Pick Testifies On Ukraine Scandal & Impeachment; Inside Trump's Pentagon Under Defense Secretary Mattis
KEILAR: President Trump's pick to be the next ambassador to Russia is in the spotlight, with the Ukraine scandal and impeachment questions taking center stage. Current Deputy Secretary of State, John Sullivan, is testifying before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. In a sharp line of inquiry, Democratic Senator Bob Menendez asked why the U.S. Senator (sic) to Ukraine, who Sullivan said served admirably, was recalled.</s>SEN. BOB MENENDEZ (D-NJ): So you would agree that she served the Department of State and represented the United States capably and admirably?</s>JOHN SULLIVAN, DEPUTY SECRETARY OF STATE: I told her so.</s>MENENDEZ: Yet, you were the one who told Ambassador Yovanovitch that she was being recalled early, correct?</s>SULLIVAN: I did.</s>MENENDEZ: In your view, was there any basis to recall Ambassador Yovanovitch early?</s>SULLIVAN: Yes, there was. The president had lost confidence in her.</s>MENENDEZ: You were aware there were individuals outside of the State Department seeking to smear Ambassador Yovanovitch?</s>SULLIVAN: I was.</s>MENENDEZ: And seeking to remove her?</s>SULLIVAN: I was.</s>MENENDEZ: Did you know Mr. Giuliani was one of those people?</s>SULLIVAN: I believed he was, yes.</s>KEILAR: Sullivan also testified he didn't think soliciting investigation into a domestic political opponent would be in accord with U.S. values. That speaks to the heart of the impeachment inquiry and where it stands right now. For almost two years, General James Mattis served as President Trump's secretary of defense. A new book paints a candid and often chaotic scene in the higher ranks of the Pentagon during that time and how it led to the eventual resignation of General Mattis. The book is called "Holding the Line, Inside Trump's Pentagon with Secretary Mattis." Former speechwriter to Secretary Mattis and retired Navy commander, Guy Snodgrass, is the author. And he's here with us now. Thank you for joining us in studio. We appreciate it.</s>GUY SNODGRASS, FORMER SPEECH WRITER TO GENERAL JAMES MATTIS & RETIRED NAVY COMMANDER & AUTHOR: Thanks, Brianna. Thanks for having me.</s>KEILAR: There are many interesting parts to this book, but one in particular is the president's first briefing at the Pentagon about six months into his tenure. It really seems like the Pentagon was all abuzz trying to get this ready, showing him, really briefing him on the state of U.S. forces in the world. And there's a particular part where, knowing, of course, that he's concerned about the economic piece of this, General Mattis actually said and explained that Japan was footing the bill to move U.S. troops from Okinawa to Guam. The president's reaction was surprising to you all. He wanted to know basically why the U.S. was paying for any of it. Tell me more.</s>SNODGRASS: When you're in that type of scenario, you want a president to walk into that room and be laser focused on national security, on what's best for the American public and, of course, strengthening our alliances and partnerships around the world. For him to walk in with a scowl on his face automatically dismissing anything that Secretary Mattis or Tillerson or Gary Cohn was going to share with him about America's place in this world and the importance of our military and what we do abroad was very disruptive. It was disappointing to see that. We need a president who is laser focused on national security.</s>KEILAR: Is it possible for you to square a president who talks a lot about the military and rebuilding the military, and then a president that you describe in your book, who largely does not see a place for the military in other countries.</s>SNODGRASS: We wanted to share with the president that America gets a great return on investment capital. When you send a few troops overseas, you get a lot in return for doing that, not least of which is the fact that America has an important place on the world stage. People need to be able to trust that America is a partner of choice. We're seeing that today with what's happening with the ad hoc and sporadic Syria withdrawal and in Afghanistan. That's what this book does. It brings the reader inside the room for those types of decision making. When you're in that meeting and you realize President Trump is more fixated on undermining his predecessor and pinning medals on his own chest and ripping the strips off of President Obama's sleeve, it's one of those things where, again, that's not where his focus should be.</s>KEILAR: Did you think that General Mattis was able to convince him -- I mean, in the end, General Mattis resigned because the president said he was pulling troops out of Syria. Then we saw the president didn't really make good on that until somewhat recently as he's moved them from northern Syria. Did you see General Mattis having a positive impact in convincing the president to go against his own nature and more with the prevailing ideas about what was right among the national security community?</s>SNODGRASS: There's no doubt that Mattis is a patriot. He served the country incredibly well for four decades in the Marine Corps and as a general and, further on, as secretary of defense. When you think about the service he played, maybe the first six months to a year in the administration, the president relied more heavily on those national security experts. Unfortunately, the president has certainly relied more on his confidence and his misplaced confidence than he had on his own competence. That's dangerous.</s>KEILAR: Guy Snodgrass, thank you so much. We can check out your new book, "Holding the Line." Definitely worth reading. Thanks for coming in.</s>SNODGRASS: Thanks, Brianna, appreciate it.</s>KEILAR: Appreciate it. A former Trump campaign advisor who was jailed for lying to the FBI is running for Congress in the swing district just vacated by Katie Hill. Plus, why Senate Majority Leader, Mitch McConnell, went to extraordinary lengths to dodge questions about a White House staffer's impeachment testimony.