Nikki Haley 'State of the Union' full interview

THE RUSSIAN PRESIDENT FOR THE
FIRST TIME.
LET'S TALK TO AMBASSADOR NIKKI
HALEY.
THERE WERE CONFLICTING REPORTS
ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED INSIDE
PRESIDENT TRUMP'S
MUCH-ANTICIPATED MEETING WITH
PRESIDENT VLADIMIR PUTIN.
SERGEY LAVROV SAID TRUMP HEARD
AND ACCEPTS PUTIN'S STATEMENTS
THAT RUSSIA DID NOT MEDDLE IN
THE U.S. ELECTION.
IS THAT TRUE?
>> WE GOT TWO VERY IMPORTANT
LEADERS TOGETHER AND SAID OKAY,
IT'S TIME FOR THEM TO MEET.
THIS WAS LONG TIME COMING.
WHAT WE KNOW IS THAT WHEN
PRESIDENT TRUMP MEETS WITH A
LEADER, THINGS DO START TO MOVE.
FROM MY STANDPOINT AND A LOT OF
THE ADMINISTRATION, IT WAS
IMPORTANT.
WHAT HE DID WAS BRING UP RIGHT
AWAY THE ELECTION MEDDLING AND
HE DID THAT FOR A REASON.
ONE, HE WANTED HIM TO BASICALLY
LOOK HIM IN THE EYE, LET HIM
KNOW THAT, YES, WE KNOW YOU
MEDDLE IN D IN OUR ELECTIONS.
WE KNOW YOU DID IT AND CUT IT
OUT.
I THINK PRESIDENT PUTIN DID
EXACTLY WHAT WE THOUGHT HE WOULD
DO, WHICH IS DENY IT.
IT IS WHAT IT IS.
THEY'RE ALWAYS GOING TO HAVE TWO
DIFFERENT STORIES ON THIS
THEY'RE GOING TO HAVE TWO
DIFFERENT STANCES ON THIS AT THE
END OF THE DAY WHAT'S MOST
IMPORTANT IS FOR PRESIDENT PUTIN
TO HEAR FROM PRESIDENT TRUMP, WE
KNOW DID YOU THIS WE DIDN'T LIKE
IT.
DON'T DO IT AGAIN.
>> I WANT TO PLAY WHAT THE
PRESIDENT HIMSELF SAID ABOUT
RUSSIA INTERFERENCE AND CASTING
DOUBT ON THE FACT THAT THEY WERE
REALLY BEHIND THE ELECTION HACK.
TAKE A LISTEN.
>> OKAY.
>> I THINK IT WAS RUSSIA, BUT I
THINK IT WAS PROBABLY OTHER
PEOPLE AND/OR COUNTRIES, AND I
SEE NOTHING WRONG WITH THAT
STATEMENT.
NOBODY REALLY KNOWS.
NOBODY REALLY KNOWS FOR SURE.
>> NOW, AMBASSADOR HALEY, THAT
WAS A COUPLE OF DAYS AGO.
NOBODY REALLY KNOWS FOR SURE.
WITH STATEMENTS LIKE THAT, CAN
YOU UNDERSTAND WHY THE RUSSIANS,
AT LEAST THEY SAY THAT THEY TOOK
WHAT THEY TOOK FROM PRESIDENT
TRUMP'S PRIVATE STATEMENTS TO
VLADIMIR PUTIN?
>> YOU KNOW WHAT I UNDERSTAND IS
THAT PRESIDENT TRUMP LET HIM
KNOW, LOOK, WE KNOW YOU DID
THIS.
CUT IT OUT.
AND PRESIDENT PUTIN IS NEVER
GOING TO ADMIT THAT THEY DID IT.
AND SO THEY HAVE TO COME BACK
AND DEFEND THEMSELVES.
THIS IS RUSSIA TRYING TO SAVE
FACE.
AND THEY CAN.
T
THEY CAN'T.
THEY CAN'T.
EVERYBODY KNOWS THEY'RE NOT JUST
MEDDLING IN THE UNITED STATES
ELECTIONS BUT ACROSS MULTIPLE
CONTINENTS AND IN A WAY THAT
THEY'RE TRYING TO CAUSE CHAOS
WITHIN THE COUNTRIES.
IT'S NOT JUST GOING TO BE US
SAYING THIS.
I THINK YOU'LL HEAR OTHER
LEADERS COME OUT AND SAY CUT IT
OUT.
WE'RE NOT GOING TO PUT UP WITH
IT.
>> YOU SAID EVERYBODY KNOWS THAT
THE RUSSIANS MEDDLED IN THE U.S.
ELECTION AND THAT THE PRESIDENT
SAID SO BEHIND CLOSED DOORS TO
VLADIMIR PUTIN.
IF THAT'S THE CASE, WHY WON'T
THE PRESIDENT SAY THIS IN
PUBLIC?
IT WOULD PUT A LOT OF THESE
QUESTIONS AND, QUITE FRANKLY,
THE FACT THAT A LOT OF YOUR
FELLOW REPUBLICANS ARE
PERPLEXED, IT WOULD PUT IT ALL
TO REST.
WHY WON'T HE DO IT?
>> I THINK YOU CAN ASK HIM.
THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS.
LET HIM SAY THIS.
WE HEARD A LOT OF PEOPLE SAYING
THAT ABOUT ARL V, WHY DIDN'T HE
SAY IT?
HE DIDN'T SAY IT THEN BECAUSE HE
WASN'T CHANGING POLICY.
SO, YOU HEARD THIS -- WHEN HE
WAS IN POLAND, GIVE A FANTASTIC
SPEECH AND HE SAID THAT HE
SUPPORTED ARTICLE V AND HE SAID
HE SUPPORTED OUR NATO ALLIES.
I THINK EVERYBODY IS TRYING TO
NITPICK WHAT HE SAYS AND WHAT HE
DOESN'T.
TALK IS ONE THING.
ACTIONS ARE ANOTHER.
HE CONFRONTED PRESIDENT PUTIN.
HE MADE IT THE FIRST THING THAT
HE TALKED ABOUT.
I THINK WE HAVE TO NOW SEE WHERE
IT GOES FROM HERE.
>> RIGHT.
BUT, YOU KNOW, AS A CHIEF
DIPLOMAT, THAT TALK IS VERY
IMPORTANT BECAUSE IT SENDS A
SIGNAL.
AND I WOULD LOVE FOR REPORTERS
TO BE ABLE TO ASK THE PRESIDENT
BUT HE'S NOT DOING ANY PRESS
CONFERENCES.
LET'S MOVE ON TO ONE THING THAT
YOU MENTIONED, CYBER SECURITY.
VLADIMIR PUTIN DID SAY THAT THE
U.S. AND RUSSIA AGREED THAT THE
TWO COUNTRIES WOULD WORK
TOGETHER ON A NUMBER OF
DIFFERENT ISSUES, INCLUDING
CYBER SECURITY.
CONGRESSMAN ADAM SCHIFF ARGUED
THAT IT, QUOTE, ADOPTS THE
FICTION THAT THE RUSSIANS ARE A
CONSTRUCTIVE PARTNER ON CYBER
SECURITY INSTEAD OF THE WORST
ACTOR ON THE WORLD STAGE.
DOES HE HAVE A POINT?
>> I THINK THAT WE HAVE TO TALK
ABOUT CYBER SECURITY NOT JUST
WITH RUSSIA, BUT WITH EVERYONE.
AND, LOOK, YOU'RE ALWAYS GOING
TO SEE THE DEMOCRATS ARE
REPEATEDLY CRITICIZING THE
PRESIDENT.
THAT'S UNFORTUNATE.
REPUBLICANS ARE GOING TO
CRITICIZE DEMOCRATS.
THAT'S UNFORTUNATE.
BUT LET'S JUST LOOK AT THE
SITUATION.
YOU NOW HAVE A RUSSIAN WHO IS IN
CHARGE OF COUNTERTERRORISM IN
THE UNITED NATIONS.
THAT WAS A POSITION THAT THE
SECRETARY GENERAL GAVE RUSSIA.
AND YOU ALSO SEE THAT FROM A
CYBER STANDPOINT WE NEED TO GET
TOGETHER WITH RUSSIA.
WE NEED TO TELL THEM WHAT WE
THINK SHOULD HAPPEN, SHOULDN'T
HAPPEN AND IF WE TALK TO THEM
ABOUT IT, HOPEFULLY, WE CAN CUT
THIS OUT AND GET THEM TO STOP.
IT DOESN'T MEAN WE EVER TAKE OUR
EYES OFF THE BALL.
IT DOESN'T MEAN WE EVER TRUST
RUSSIA.
WE CAN'T TRUST RUSSIA AND WE
WON'T EVER TRUST RUSSIA.
BUT YOU KEEP THOSE THAT YOU
DON'T TRUST CLOSER SO THAT YOU
CAN ALWAYS KEEP AN EYE ON THEM
AND KEEP THEM IN CHECK.
THAT'S WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO
WITH RUSSIA RIGHT NOW.
>> RUDY GIULIANI IS AN ADVISER
TO THE PRESIDENT ON CYBER
SECURITY.
HE WAS ASKED IN POLAND THIS WEEK
WHY THE U.S. HASN'T PUNISHED
RUSSIA FOR INTERFERING IN THE
ELECTION.
LISTEN TO HOW HE ANSWERED.
>> I DO THINK WE HAVE TAKEN
ACTION.
I JUST DON'T THINK WE'VE
ANNOUNCED IT.
>> SO HE'S SUGGESTING THAT THE
U.S. HAS TAKEN SOME COVERT
ACTION ALREADY TO PUNISH RUSSIA.
CAN YOU CONFIRM WHETHER THAT'S
TRUE?
>> NO, I CAN'T.
I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE CONTEXT OF
HIS COMMENT WAS AND I CAN'T
CONFIRM THAT.
>> YOU CAN'T CONFIRM THAT
BECAUSE YOU'RE NOT SURE ABOUT IT
OR YOU CAN'T CONFIRM IT BECAUSE
IT'S COVERT AND YOU DON'T WANT
TO TALK ABOUT IT?
>> I DON'T KNOW WHAT HE'S
TALKING ABOUT.
I DON'T KNOW WHAT IT'S IN
REFERENCE TO.
NO, I CAN'T TALK ABOUT A
CONVERSATION HE HAD IN A
DIFFERENT FORUM WHERE I JUST
HEARD A SOUND BITE.
>> AMBASSADOR HALEY, NORTH KOREA
TESTED AN INTERCOULDN'T
BALLISTIC MISSILE THAT COULD
REACH THE STATE OF ALASKA.
THIS IS HOW THE PRESIDENT
RESPONDED.
TAKE A LISTEN.
>> AS FAR AS NORTH KOREA IS
CONCERNED, I DON'T KNOW.
WE'LL SEE WHAT HAPPENS.
I DON'T LIKE TO TALK ABOUT WHAT
I HAVE PLANNED BUT I HAVE SOME
PRETTY SEVERE THINGS THAT WE'RE
THINKING ABOUT.
>> HE ALSO SAID, JUST ON
SATURDAY WITH THE CHINESE
PRESIDENT, SOMETHING HAS TO BE
DONE ABOUT IT.
SOMETHING HAS TO BE DONE ABOUT
IT.
PRETTY SEVERE THINGS.
IS HE TALKING ABOUT A PREEMPTIVE
STRIKE?
>> I THINK THERE ARE A LOT OF
OPTIONS ON THE TABLE WHEN IT
COMES TO DEALING WITH CHINA.
THE BALL IS IN THEIR COURT.
THEY'RE EITHER GOING TO GO ALONG
WITH US AND THE REST OF THE
INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY AND SAY,
YES, WE THINK THAT WHAT NORTH
KOREA DID WAS WRONG OR THEY'RE
NOT.
THE PRESIDENT KNOWS WHAT ALL HIS
OPTIONS ARE.
ALL THE OPTIONS ARE ON THE
TABLE, AS ALWAYS WITH PRESIDENT
TRUMP.
AND I THINK WE'LL HANDLE IT
ACCORDINGLY.
AMMUNITION COMES IN MULTIPLE
FORMS.
AND I THINK WE ALWAYS HAVE TO
LOOK AT WHAT THOSE OPTIONS ARE
AHEAD OF WHAT THE ACTIONS ARE
GOING TO BE BY CHINA.
>> WHAT IF THE CHINESE DON'T GO
ALONG WITH THAT U.N. RESOLUTION?
>> I THINK THERE WILL BE A
RESPONSE.
IF THEY DON'T GO ALONG WITH
THAT, THE PRESIDENT HAS MADE IT
CLEAR THAT HE WILL START LOOKING
AT TRADE RELATIONS WITH CHINA.
SO, WE HAVE TO SEE.
I THINK THAT PRESIDENT TRUMP,
PRESIDENT XI MEETING IS
EXTREMELY IMPORTANT RIGHT NOW
AND EXTREMELY TIMELY.
AND I THINK IT'S GOING TO BE
TELLING IN THE NEXT FEW DAYS
WHAT HAPPENS AND WHAT THAT
RELATIONSHIP IS GOING TO LOOK
LIKE.
AND YOU'LL SEE HOW THE U.S.
RESPONDS ACCORDINGLY.

Nikki Haley 'State of the Union' full interview

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