POMPEO: ‘WE WEREN’T GOING TO TRADE BAD GUYS FOR CELEBRITIES’: Former CIA Director and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the freedom of WNBA star Brittney Griner was not worth the early release from an American prison of notorious arms dealer Viktor Bout, known as the “Merchant of Death.”
In an appearance on Fox News Sunday, Pompeo would not confirm a claim from former national security adviser John Bolton about whether former President Donald Trump had turned down a deal to trade Bout for former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan, who was not included in the prisoner swap. “I don’t want to talk about the private conversations I had. Ambassador Bolton is free to say whatever he might like, but we were very focused on getting Paul Whelan out, every American back home.”
“I’m glad Brittney Griner is back home,” Pompeo said. “But my mission was always to get every American back but at the same time not create the risk that more Americans would be taken.” The Bout-for-Griner deal, he said, sets a dangerous precedent that will put other “celebrities” in danger. “We weren’t going to trade bad guys for celebrities because it creates the wrong incentives for the bad guys as we go forward. It’s not good for American national security.”
WATCH: MIKE POMPEO BLASTS BRITTNEY GRINER-VIKTOR BOUT PRISONER SWAP
KIRBY: ‘HE WOULD HAVE GONE FREE ANYWAY’: “I understand the criticism. They weren’t in the room. They weren’t on the phone. They weren’t watching the incredible effort and determination … to try to get both Paul and Brittney out together,“ said John Kirby, National Security Council coordinator for strategic communications, on ABC’s Sunday program This Week.
After months of negotiations that stretched through the summer into the fall, Kirby said it became clear that the Russians were not going to let Whelan go. “There was a very serious, specific proposal made to the Russians to try to get both of them out together, and it just didn’t land anywhere, didn’t go anywhere with the Russians.”
“Nobody’s doing backflips over there about the fact that Mr. Bout is a free man six years earlier than he would have been,” said Kirby. “He would have gone free anyway in 2029. He wasn’t serving a life sentence.”
“And if Mr. Bout decides to go back to his previous line of work, then we’re going to do what we need to do to hold him accountable and to protect our interests.”
JOHN BOLTON: PAUL WHELAN-VIKTOR BOUT PRISONER SWAP WAS TURNED DOWN BY TRUMP ADMINISTRATION
TRUMP: ‘I WOULDN’T HAVE MADE THE DEAL FOR A HUNDRED PEOPLE’: On his Truth Social account, Trump insisted he would have freed Whelan and that Griner would not have been arrested had he been in office.
“I turned down a deal with Russia for a one on one swap of the so-called Merchant of Death for Paul Whelan. I wouldn’t have made the deal for a hundred people in exchange for someone that has killed untold numbers of people with his arms deals,” he posted last night. “I would have gotten Paul out, however, just as I did with a record number of other hostages. The deal for Griner is crazy and bad. The taking wouldn’t have even happened during my Administration, but if it did, I would have gotten her out, fast!”
On the CBS program Face the Nation, Fiona Hill, former National Security Council senior director for European and Russian affairs during the Trump administration, recalled that the Russians were intent on swapping Americans who had been wrongfully detained for people who were in U.S. custody “for pretty good reasons.”
“That was raised many times by the Russians, that they wanted Viktor Bout. And at the time, there was also the drug smuggler [Konstantin] Yaroshenko, who was ultimately swapped for Trevor Reed, the other former Marine,” Hill said. “It was clear that the Russians were looking to kind of set the United States up as well for just the kind of things that we’re seeing now in terms of the roiling of our domestic politics.”
“I also have to say here that President Trump wasn’t especially interested in engaging in that swap for also Paul Whelan. He was not particularly interested in Paul’s case in the way that one would have thought he would be.”
SOURCES DESCRIBE PAUL WHELAN FOR VIKTOR BOUT TRADE TRUMP SAYS HE TURNED DOWN
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ISIS LEADERS KILLED IN SYRIA: U.S. special operations commandos in Syria killed two Islamic State leaders on Sunday in what the U.S. Central Command described as “a successful helicopter raid.”
Among the confirmed dead was an official identified as “Anas,” who was said to be involved in the group’s “deadly plotting and facilitation operations in eastern Syria.”
“Extensive planning went into this unilateral operation to ensure its success. Initial assessments indicate no civilians were killed or injured,” said Central Command in a statement.
“ISIS continues to represent a threat to the security and stability of the region. This operation reaffirms CENTCOM’s steadfast commitment to ensuring the group’s enduring defeat,” said spokesman Joe Buccino. “The death of these ISIS officials will disrupt the terrorist organization’s ability to further plot and carry out destabilizing attacks in the Middle East.”
POMPEO: VACCINE MANDATE ‘WAS AN ENORMOUS MISTAKE’: In his Fox News appearance yesterday, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo praised House Republicans for adding an amendment to the 2023 National Defense Authorization Act forcing the Pentagon to drop its requirement that all troops be vaccinated against COVID-19.
“It was an enormous mistake,” Pompeo said. “They took this vaccine that we now know that you can’t get to zero. The Chinese can’t get it zero. We couldn’t get to zero in our schools. And they put this burden on the American soldiers, American sailors, American airmen, that didn’t make sense for the forces.”
“I’m glad that the Republicans have now, it appears, managed to get this out of U.S. law,” he said. “But there’s a lot more to do. We should go back and fix the wrongs that were done to people who refused the vaccine previously.”
“They’re missing recruitment goals at staggering numbers,” he added. “This is bad for America. And it’s because they are foisting some of these progressive, woke ideologies into our military and not focusing on the mission, which is deter the bad guys.”
PUTIN MULLS US-STYLE NUCLEAR DOCTRINE: In a news conference Friday, Russian President Vladimir Putin said he is thinking about adopting what he called the U.S. concept of a “preventive … disarming” first strike using nuclear weapons.
“They have the concept of a preventive strike in their strategy and other policy documents. We do not. Our strategy talks about a retaliatory strike,” Putin said. “Regarding a disarming strike, perhaps we should think about using the achievements of our U.S. partners and their ideas about how to ensure their own security. We are just thinking about this. No one was shy about discussing it out loud in the past.”
The statement came a day after Putin said the risk of nuclear war is increasing in remarks to Russia’s presidential Human Rights Council. “Concerning the threat of nuclear war … the threat is growing, to be honest,” he said.
“We have not lost our minds. We are well aware of what nuclear weapons are. We have them, and they are in a more advanced and up-to-date condition than the weapons in the possession of any other nuclear power,” he said. “It is obvious, it is an obvious fact today. Yet we are not going to wield these weapons like a razor running around the globe.”
RUSSIA AND CHINA ‘EXPANDING AND MODERNIZING’ NUCLEAR ARSENALS, LLOYD AUSTIN SAYS
‘STELLER’ REPORTER DEPARTS CNN: Barbara Starr, known for her persistent questioning of senior Pentagon and military officials and a dogged reporting style, is leaving CNN after two decades at a time when the cable network is cutting staff and attempting to rebrand itself as less opinionated.
“With the expiration of my contract in the coming days I have made the decision to move on,” Starr wrote in a memo to her CNN colleagues on Friday.
Starr joined CNN in December of 2001 after the 9/11 attacks prompted the network to increase the staffing at the Pentagon to allow for coverage from the early morning to late at night.
Previously she had been the Pentagon producer for ABC’s John McWethy and reported for Jane’s Defense Weekly.
I worked side-by-side with Starr for seven years, before I left the network in 2008. She might best be described as “indefatigable” and leaves CNN highly respected by her peers as well as the many officials with whom she traveled the world and reported on over the years.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
The Rundown
Washington Examiner: Sources describe Paul Whelan for Viktor Bout trade Trump says he turned down
Washington Examiner: WATCH: Mike Pompeo blasts Brittney Griner-Viktor Bout prisoner swap
Washington Examiner: John Bolton: Paul Whelan-Viktor Bout prisoner swap was turned down by Trump administration
Washington Examiner: Paul Whelan isn’t the only American Biden left behind in Brittney Griner deal
Washington Examiner: Jailed Russian dissident: Putin’s fall ‘just around the corner’
Washington Examiner: Russia and China ‘expanding and modernizing’ nuclear arsenals, Lloyd Austin says
Washington Examiner: Russia and Iran developing ‘full-fledged defense partnership,’ White House says
Washington Examiner: Biden administration provides new $275 million military aid package to Ukraine
Washington Examiner: Kevin McCarthy says intelligence officers will be subpoenaed as part of Hunter Biden inquiry
Washington Examiner: Biden allies reportedly at odds over Hunter strategy ahead of GOP investigations
Washington Examiner: CNN’s Jake Tapper asks Sinema if Democrats ‘take border security seriously’
Washington Examiner: Opinion: US support for Ukraine: The Reagan Doctrine in action
Reuters: Fighting rages in east Ukraine, West eyes more sanctions on Russia
New York Times: Ukraine, Facing More Outages, Strikes Farther Into Russia-Controlled Land
Wall Street Journal: Ukraine Strike Levels Hotel Used To House Russian Troops
Washington Post: Fierce Claims To Crimea Make Chance Of A Deal Slim
Associated Press: NATO chief fears Ukraine war could become a wider conflict
Bloomberg: Crucial F-35 Computing Upgrade Sees New Cost Overrun and Delay
National Defense Magazine: Navy’s Newest Aircraft Carrier Has Lot to Prove
Breaking Defense: Marine Commandant Berger Talks Ukraine, Taiwan, And Force Design When He Leaves
Air & Space Forces Magazine: Cotton Takes Command at STRATCOM, Citing ‘New Perils’ in Nuclear
Navy Times: Two Super Hornet Jets Suffer Back-To-Back Class A Mishaps
Air & Space Forces Magazine: More Pay, More Flexible BAH Lay Ahead in 2023 NDAA
Air & Space Forces Magazine: USAF Picks Oklahoma Guard Base for New Sky Warden Schoolhouse
19fortyfive.com: Russia and the West Are in a Financial War
19fortyfive.com: Is Russia Close to Using Nuclear Weapons in Ukraine?
19fortyfive.com: Putin Would Be a Total Fool to Use Nuclear Weapons in Ukraine
19fortyfive.com: Putin Is in Trouble: Ukraine Is Attacking Targets in Occupied Crimea
19fortyfive.com: Ukraine Joining NATO? History Says Don’t Bet on It
Calendar
MONDAY | DECEMBER 12
10 a.m. — Foreign Policy virtual discussion: “A New Cold War? The Rise of Authoritarianism and the Future of Democracy,” with Michael Abramowitz, president of Freedom House; Timothy Garton Ash, professor of European studies at the University of Oxford; Tomi Huhtanen, executive director of the Wilfried Martens Center for European Studies; Alina Polyakova, president and CEO of the Center for European Policy Analysis; and Reena Ninan, founder of Good Trouble Productions https://foreignpolicy.com/events/fp-virtual-dialogue-a-new-cold-war
12:30 p.m. — Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies virtual discussion: “Assessing the Ukraine War: What Analysts Got Right, What They Got Wrong, and What They Missed Altogether,” with Eliot Cohen, professor at SAIS https://sais.jhu.edu/campus-events
TUESDAY | DECEMBER 13
8 a.m. 801 Mount Vernon Pl. N.W. Washington — State Department hosts three-day 2022 U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit, with U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai participating in an “African Growth and Opportunity Act Trade Ministerial” https://www.state.gov/africasummit/
9 a.m. — Center for Strategic and International Studies virtual discussion: “The NATO alliance and the road to the 2023 Vilnius Summit,” with U.S. Permanent Representative to NATO Julianne Smith https://www.csis.org/events/conversation-ambassador
9 a.m. — German Marshall Fund of the U.S. virtual discussion: “EU-Turkey in Central Asia: Scope for Cooperation?” with Idil Bilgic Alpaslan, principal infrastructure economist at EBRD; Nargis Kassenova, senior fellow at Harvard University’s Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies; Temur Umarov, fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace; Samuel Doveri Vesterbye, managing director at the European Neighbourhood Council; and Kadri Tastan, GMFUS resident senior fellow https://www.gmfus.org/event/eu-turkey-central-asia-scope-cooperation
10 a.m. 310 Cannon — House Homeland Security Intelligence and Counterterrorism Subcommittee hearing: “Examining the Operations of the Office of Intelligence and Analysis,” with Kenneth Wainstein, Homeland Security undersecretary for the Office of Intelligence and Analysis http://homeland.house.gov
10:30 a.m. 1225 I St. N.W. — The Hill hosts an event: “Risk to Resilience: Cyber and Climate Solutions Bolstering America’s Power Grid,” with Rep. Jim Himes (D-CT); Puesh Kumar, director of the Energy Department’s Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response; Tom Fanning, chairman, president, and CEO of Southern Company; Jason Grumet, founder and president of the Bipartisan Policy Center; and Steve Clemons, contributing editor at the Hill https://thehill.com/events/3742089-risk-to-resilience
12 p.m. — Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists virtual conversation: “What’s next for Russia: Does Putin matter?” with Ukraine expert Melinda Haring, deputy director, Atlantic Council’s Eurasia Center; Charles Strozier, professor emeritus of history, John Jay College and the Graduate Center, City University of New York; and Daniel Drezner, professor of international politics and nonresident senior fellow at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register
6:30 p.m. Secretary of State Antony Blinken delivers remarks at a reception for African innovators as part of the U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit at the State Department https://www.state.gov/public-schedule
WEDNESDAY | DECEMBER 14
8 a.m. 801 Mount Vernon Pl. N.W. — State Department 2022 U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit Day Two with President Joe Biden delivering keynote remarks https://www.state.gov/africasummit
10 a.m. 2154 Rayburn — House Oversight and Reform Committee hearing: “The Rise of Anti-LGBTQI+ Extremism and Violence in the U.S. http://oversight.house.gov
10 a.m. 1616 Rhode Island Ave. N.W — Center for Strategic and International Studies book discussion: American Defense Reform: Lessons from Failures and Successes in the Navy, with co-author retired Navy Rear Adm. Dave Oliver and co-author Anand Toprani, associate professor of strategy and policy at the Naval War College https://www.csis.org/events/reforming-dod-management-lessons-navy
10:30 a.m. — McCain Institute virtual discussion: “Reaffirming America’s Strategic Alliances,” with Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte and former Defense Secretary Mark Esper, fellow at the McCain Institute https://www.eventbrite.com/e/conversations-with-secretary-mark-esper
11:45 a.m. — Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin welcomes Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi to the Pentagon.
2 p.m. — Stimson Center forum: “North Korea: Is Denuclearization Dead?’ with Robert Gallucci, distinguished professor, Georgetown University School of Foreign Service; Siegfried S. Hecker, senior fellow, Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, Stanford University; Sharon Squassoni, research professor of international affairs, George Washington University Elliott School of International Affairs; and Joel Wit, distinguished fellow in Asian and Security Studies, Stimson Center https://www.stimson.org/event/north-korea-is-denuclearization-dead/
2 p.m. — Defense News webcast: “Smart Bases for Defense,” with Jay Bonci, chief technology officer, Office of the Chief Information Officer, U.S. Air Force; and Phillip Ritter, principal architect, Federal Division, Nokia https://events.defensenews.com/smart-bases-for-defense/
2 p.m. 1616 Rhode Island Ave. N.W. — Center for Strategic and International Studies discussion: “Emerging Security Issues in Space Policy,” with Assistant Defense Secretary for Space Policy John Plumb; FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr; Jaisha Wray, associate administrator for international affairs at the Commerce Department’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration; and Sarah Mineiro, CEO and owner of Tangara Enterprises https://www.csis.org/events/emerging-security-issues-space-policy
3 p.m. 1201 Pennsylvania Ave. N.W. — Hudson Institute discussion: “Taiwan Policy in the New Congress,” with Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE) https://www.hudson.org/events/taiwan-policy
THURSDAY | DECEMBER 15
9 a.m. 801 North Glebe Rd., Arlington, Virginia — Intelligence and National Security Alliance discussion: “Today’s global challenges and CIA’s efforts to address them,” with CIA Director William Burns and former Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence Sue Gordon https://www.insaonline.org/detail-pages/event
11:30 a.m. 550 C St. S.W. — Washington Space Business Roundtable discussion: “Satellite acquisition reform,” with Assistant Air Force Secretary for Space Acquisitions and Integration Frank Calvelli and Sandra Erwin, reporter at Space News https://www.wsbr.org/events/wsbr-december-luncheon
11:30 a.m. — Carnegie Endowment for International Peace virtual discussion: “Is Russia-Ukraine a Forever War?” with Ekaterina Schulmann, Russian political scientist; Andrew Weiss, CEIP vice president for studies; and Aaron David Miller, CEIP senior fellow https://carnegieendowment.org/2022/12/15/carnegie-connects
11:30 a.m. — Brookings Institution virtual discussion: “Ukraine’s Economy: Today’s Challenges, Tomorrow’s Needs, and Lessons from Past Reconstruction Efforts.” https://www.brookings.edu/events/ukraines-economy-todays-challenges-tomorrows-needs-lessons-from-past-reconstruction-efforts/
11:45 a.m. — Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin meets with Lithuanian Defense Minister Arvydas Anusauskas
FRIDAY | DECEMBER 16
9 a.m. — Middle East Institute 11th annual Turkey Conference https://www.mei.edu/events/meis-11th-annual-turkey-conference
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“The Trump administration was always very clear: We weren’t going to trade bad guys for celebrities because it creates the wrong incentives for the bad guys as we go forward. It’s not good for American national security. It’s not good for people who are traveling across the world.”
Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, on Fox News Sunday
