>> IF CHEMICAL WEAPONS WERE USED
IN UKRAINE, WOULD THAT TRIGGER A
MILITARY RESPONSE FROM NATO?
>> IT WOULD TRIGGER A RESPONSE
IN KIND.
>> PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN
ADDRESSING REPORTERS IN BRUSSELS
YESTERDAY AS HE MET WITH NATO
LEADERS.
MORE THAN 3 1/2 MILLION
UKRAINIANS HAVE FLED THE COUNTRY
AND THE UNITED STATES IS NOW
PREPARED TO ACCEPT 100,000 OF
THEM.
THIS AS A RUSSIAN SPOKESPERSON
SAYS THE COUNTRY HAS NOT RULED
OUT THE POSSIBILITY OF CHEMICAL
OR NUCLEAR WEAPONS.
OUR FIRST GUEST IS A FORMER
MARINE CORPS INTELLIGENCE
OFFICER AND MEMBER OF THE HOUSE
ARMED SERVICES COMMITTEE.
REPUBLICAN CONGRESSMAN MIKE
GALLAGHER FROM THE 8TH DISTRICT
JOINS US FROM GREEN BAY.
CONGRESSMAN, THANKS VERY MUCH
FOR BEING HERE.
>> THANKS FOR HAVING ME.
>
>> SO ONE MONTH INTO THE WAR IN
UKRAINE, WHAT IS YOUR REACTION
TO THE HORROR OF WHAT'S GOING
ON?
>> EL WI WELL, NOW I FEAR WE'RE
SETTLING INTO A WAR OF ATTRITION
THAT NOT ONLY IS GOING TO BE
VERY COSTLY IN TERMS OF
SLAUGHTER AND LIVES LOST, BUT
IT'S STILL AN UNCERTAIN OUTCOME.
THOUGH IT SEEMS UNLIKELY THAT
PUTIN COULD CONSOLIDATE ANY SORT
OF CONTROL OVER THE ENTIRE
COUNTRY, HE COULD EFFECTIVELY
DISMEMBER THE COUNTRY WHICH
COULD BE A BAD OUT COME FROM THE
UKRAINIAN PEOPLE AS WELL AS TO
GIVE HIM A PLATFORM TO THREATEN
NATO IN THE FUTURE.
SO I THINK WE'RE IN THE EARLY
STAGES OF THIS AND WE NEED TO
CONTINUE TO DO WHATEVER WE CAN
TO PROVIDE LETHAL ASSISTANCE IN
PARTICULAR TO THE UKRAINIANS WHO
ARE FIGHTING VERY, VERY BRAVELY.
>> AS TO THE THREAT OF CHEMICAL
WEAPONS, HE SAID QUOTE ALLIES
WOULD RESPOND IN KIND.
FIRST WHAT KIND OF CHEMICALS
WEAPONS ARE WE TALKING ABOUT?
>> WELL, IT COULD BE ANY NUMBER
OF THINGS.
YOU COULD IMAGINE PUTIN STRIKING
TARGETS ON THE GROUND IN UKRAINE
THAT COULD HAVE A FALLOUT, A
BIOLOGICAL FALLOUT, YOU COULD
HAVE DIRTY BOMBS, OBVIOUSLY IT
COULD ESCALATE ALL THE WAY UP TO
NUCLEAR WEAPONS, AND THEN IN
SYRIA, WE'VE SEEN HIM BASICALLY
USE THE COUNTRY AS A LAVATORY
FOR HOW TO INTEGRATE CHEMICAL
AND BIOLOGICAL WAR FAR IN
PARTNERSHIP WITH THE ASSAD
REGIME AT VARIOUS TIMES AS USED
SUCH WEAPONS WHICH IS THE LAST
TIME A DEMOCRAT ADMINISTRATION
HAS SET RED LINES.
NOW THAT THE BIDEN
ADMINISTRATION HAS SET IT, HE
BETTER BE PREPARED TO BACK IT
UP.
NOW, I DON'T THINK WE SHOULD
ALLOW THE FEAR OF ESCALATION TO
DOMINATE OUR ACTIONS, IN FACT, I
THINK THAT'S PART OF WHY WE GOT
INTO THIS CRISIS IN THE FIRST
PLACE, IS WE WERE SO AFRAID OF
PROVOKING PUTIN THAT THAT WAS
USED AS AN EXCUSE TO DO NOTHING
AND TO DELAY ASSISTANCE TO THE
UKRAINIANS, SO WE WANT TO SHIFT
THE DYNAMIC AND MAKE SURE THAT
IT'S PUTIN WHO FEARS OUR
RETALIATION AND THAT'S THE ONLY
WAY WE'LL BE ABLE TO RESTORE
SOME SE SEMBLANCE OF DETERRENCEN
UKRAINE.
>> MEANWHILE, HOW MUCH FIREPOWER
HAS THE U.S. SENT TO UKRAINE AND
IS IT ENOUGH IN YOUR MIND?
>> WELL, WE RECENTLY PASSED A
OVER $10 BILLION PACKAGE.
NOW, NOT ALL OF THIS HAS
MANIFESTED ITSELF IN TERMS OF
JAVELINS, STINGERS, SNIPER
REIEFLS, BODY ARMOR, THINGS LIKE
THAT, THERE'S MUCH MORE WE CAN
DO, BUT WE ARE FINALLY WAKING UP
TO THE THREAT AND DOING A LOT
MORE TO PROVIDE LETHAL
ASSISTANCE.
THE AREAS WHERE I THINK WE CAN
STILL DO MORE, ONE, I THINK WE
SHOULD FIND A WAY TO TAKE
SLOVAKIA UP ON ITS OFFER TO
PROVIDE THE S300 SYSTEM TO
UKRAINE AND FIND A WAY TO
BACKFILL THEIR AIR DEFENSE
SYSTEMS.
I WAS IN FAVOR OF PROVIDING THE
POLISH MIGS.
I'M NOT OPTIMISTIC THE PRESIDENT
WILL FIND A SLAWTION FOR THAT OR
CHANGE COURSE ON THAT DESPITE
HIS VISIT TO POLAND, BUT THE
POINT REMAINS, I THINK THERE ARE
MORE CREATIVE OPTIONS IN
PARTNERSHIP WITH OUR NATO ALLIES
WHERE SHORT OF A NO-FLY ZONE, WE
CAN STILL GIVE THE UKRAINIANS
THE TOOLS THEY NEED TO PROTECT
THEMSELF FROM ATTACKS FROM THE
SKY AS WELL AS OTHER FORMS OF
RUSSIAN WEP RE.
ONRY.>> WHAT ARE YOUR CONCERNS T
CHINA STARTS HELPING YO RUSSIA?
>> I THINK THAT'S THE MOST
IMPORTANT NEXT PHASE OF THIS
CONFLICT.
PRIOR TO THE INNOVATION AT THE
BEGINNING OF THE OLYMPICS, THEY
SIGNED THIS 5,000 WORD PLEDGE OF
FRIENDSHIP WITHOUT LIMITS.
WE'VE HEARD VARIOUS REPORTS THAT
CHINA IS CONSIDERING PROVIDING
LETHAL ASSISTANCE TO RUSSIA,
GIVING THEM A LIFE LINE.
WE NEED TO BE ABSOLUTELY CLEAR
THAT IF THE CHINESE DECIDE TO DO
THAT, THEN THERE WILL BE
CONSEQUENCES, WE WILL PUNISH
THEM, WE SHOULD CUT OFF THE
EXPORT SEMICONDUCTOR
SUBCOMPONENTS, FOR EXAMPLE, THAT
CHINA RELIES UPON.
WE SHOULD ALREADY BE DELISTING
CHINESE COMPANIES THAT ARE
TRYING TO LIST ON AMERICAN
EXCHANGES.
OUR SEC IS REMARKABLY STILL
NEGOTIATING WITH THE CHINESE
OVER SOME ACCOUNTABILITY
STANDARDS, THESE ARE A JOKE
RIGHT NOW.
SO RUSSIA AND CHINA HAVE DECIDED
TO PARTNER IN LAUNCHING THIS NEW
COLD WAR AGAINST AMERICA AND THE
WEST, WE NEED TO START
RECOGNIZING THAT IN ORDER TO
START PUSHING BACK.
>> AS A MILITARY EXPERT, DO YOU
THINK THIS COULD BECOME WORLD
WAR THREE?
WHERE WILL PUTIN STOP?
>> WELL, THERE'S ALWAYS THE
DAIDANGER THAT ONCE YOU UNLEASHE
DOGS OF WAR, YOU DON'T KNOW
WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN.
WAR IS COMPLEX, THE FOG OF WAR
IS THICK RIGHT NOW.
THE SIMPLEST THING BECOMES VERY
DIFFICULT.
SO WE DON'T KNOW.
WE DO NOT KNOW, WE SHOULD BE
COGNIZANT OF THE RISK OF
ESCALATION, BUT I BELIEVE OUR
BEST CHANCE TO NOT ONLY AVOID
WORLD WAR THREE BUT TO ALSO HELP
PRESERVE SOME SEMBLANCE OF A
FREE UKRAINE IS TO INVEST IN
HARD POWER WITH OUR ALLIES.
WE LEARNED THE HARD WAY IN
UKRAINE THAT SANCTIONS ALONE DO
NOT DETER, #DIPLOMACY DOES NOT
DETER.
DETERRENCE DEPENDS ON AMERICAN
LEADERSHIP AND HARD POWER,
THAT'S NOT JUST IN UKRAINE,
THAT'S THE LESSON WE NEED TO
LEARN AND APLAY TO TAIWAN GOING
FORWARD BUT WE ACTUALLY SEE A
WORLD WAR THREE FOUGHT OVER THE
CHINESE INNOVATION OF TAIWAN.
>> WHAT IS YOUR RESPONSE TO SOME
REPUBLICANS INCLUDING FORMER
PRESIDENT TRUMP WHO SEEM TO HAVE
BEEN PRAISING PUTIN?
>> WELL, OBVIOUSLY PUTIN IS A
KGB THUG AND A DICTATOR, AND
THERE'S A STRAIN OF THINKING ON
THE RIGHT AND LEFT THAT SUGGESTS
WE CAN SHO SOMEHOW PEEL THE RUSS
OFF FROM THE CHINESE AND PARTNER
WITH THEM OVER THE LONG TERM TO
PUSH BACK AGAINST CHINA.
IF THAT WERE POSSIBLE, IT WOULD
BE WORTH CONSIDERING BUT IT'S
NOT POSSIBLE.
PUTIN HAS NO INTEREST IN
COOPERATING WITH US, OUR
INTERESTS DON'T ALIGN, AND HE IS
OBVIOUSLY AS I SAID AT THE START
A KGB THUG.
IN THIS SAME INTERVIEW, I
BELIEVE PRESIDENT TRUMP SAID
THIS NEVER WOULD HAVE HAPPENED
IF HE WAS STILL PRESIDENT.
HE MAY HAVE HAD A POINT THERE
BECAUSE IT DIDN'T HAPPEN FOR
FOUR YEARS WHEN TRUMP WAS
PRESIDENT.
I GUESS THAT'S THE
COUNTERFACTUAL WE'LL NEVER GET
TO PLAY OUT, BUT PUTIN IS A THUG
AND THE ONLY LANGUAGE HE
UNDERSTANDS IS THAT OF HARD