Ukraine, Cuba, China, Russia report.

0:00 Speaker 1 What is today is former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. He was a CIA director, he was a Secretary of State. He was number one in his class at West Point. So who is better to talk to about what’s going on in the world than him, Well, mister Secretary, nobody really understands what’s really going on in Russia, Ukraine, what’s

0:25 going on with your Wagner group? And where where should we begin?

0:32 Speaker 2 So John’s great to be with you again. Let’s you know, I’ve heard lots of people pontificates say they think they know what’s really going on inside of Russia. I would just urge us all to watch and be cautious about what we really know. Both took place and what is what’s going to take place in the future. In Russia,

0:50 it’s pretty opaque and lots of people telling stories and they are classic propaganda. So i’d start there. Here’s a couple of things we do know for sure. I’ve heard people say this was a giant false flag operation. I can’t imagine that. The risk to Vladimir Putin’s reputation, real or perceived, is just too great. You wouldn’t do this

1:10 kind of thing. And by the way, very hard to keep something like this as quiet as they did for as long as they did, with the hundreds of people who surely would have had to have known if they were going to conduct just a giant, pure propaganda operation.

1:24 So I think Progozin was serious. I think he was trying to convince Vladimir Putin that he is the answer, not the problem. I think I think Putin has been to being told by his senior military leaders, General Grassimov and Minister Defense Shoygu that Progozen was getting too big for his britches, to use the colloquial term, and I

1:43 think they’re beginning to push back on him and constrain him, and he didn’t like that. I remember he owns a global private mercenary operation in Libya, Syria, in the Central African Republic. I mean, this is a Progosa is not some small bit player in this docu drama, and so we should we should all be where the Pergusin was

2:00 trying to figure out how to get leverage over them, maybe not to overthrow Putin. It’s hard to know, but that Putin will see this as something that is just a bridge too far, and much much like shishingping went after the leaders of commercial enterprises that had gotten out too far, and he felt like threatened his power. I’m

2:20 confident Putin began to see that Progosen was threatening his and he will clamp down on all of this. No one individual will be given the scope and the power that the leader of the Wagner group Progosen had been given.

2:32 Putin simply not going to permit that there’s too much risk, is continued tenure. I, miss Seck, tell you the way we discussed it a couple of days ago was that Progosen only had eight to ten thousand of them marching on Moscow.

2:48 Speaker 1 He can’t hope to take over Moscow with eight to ten thousand people. And maybe Putin was just waiting to see if any of his generals will jump in with them.

3:00 Speaker 2 Does that sound It’s plausible, It’s absolutely plausible. I think Progozen was waiting to see if any of those generals would jump in with him as well. I think he was hopeful that much like in Times of the Romans, will the tenth le agent joined me? Right? Will? Well, will we find some other general who thinks better to

3:20 cast my lot with Progosen than with Putin? And it turns out that uh he was marching to his own drummer.

3:27 Speaker 1 Yes, and uh uh in. People that know Putin now say that Progosen, I don’t know. Is he a dead man walking?

3:38 Speaker 2 Oh goodness, you know. I wouldn’t ensure his life, John, if I take that kind of risk, uh so. But but hard to know how he’ll play it in the media run, but on the short run. But in the media run, Progosing clearly took a chance. You know, I had a had a fellow teach me when I was

3:55 a young soldier decades ago. You know, lieutenant, if you’re gonna if you’re gonna take the king, don’t do it with a nerf bat And he did it failed, and he is not likely to find grace from Vladimir Putin again.

4:08 And whether that ends up with him, you know, drinking some bad tea or just permanently an exile, it’s hard to know.

4:15 Speaker 1 Now. The other statement I made, I said, I feel better with Putin being in charge than somebody else that might be worse. I mean, an he got feeling in that. Am I wrong?

4:28 Speaker 2 We’ll make no mistake, John, I think I sent out a note when this was still when he was still on the march, I reminded everybody there is not a good guy in the lot. Progosen is a thug. You may remember John that back in I think it was twenty eighteen, the Wagner group in Syria under the leadership

4:48 Forgoes and began to threaten American soldiers. They were coming across the Euphrates River, and they’re putting our guys and gals at risk. And so we killed three hundred Wagner mercenaries that night, sending a message of deterrence to them.

5:01 And so no, Progosen is not his It’s not like Gosh, I wish you’d have want and things will get better. He was a thug. He’s probably more even a criminal than of Vladimir Putin. And so this would this would not have been a victory for the West to see Progozin in charge. A victory for the West. Looks like

5:19 a successful effort by the Ukrainians to maintain as much territory as they possibly can.

5:25 Speaker 1 I understood now. The other thing going on is seems to be and it started with Saudi Arabia, a loss of confidence in dealing with Washington. Uh. Saudi Arabia has aligned themselves, partially with so many other countries. And the other day I heard that China made a deal with the New Zealand. I mean, where did that come from?

5:52 Speaker 2 When this is this is national security one oh one. When you demonstrate either weakness or incompetence, or in this case with the Biden administration, a little bit of both, or maybe more than a little bit, your friends begin to doubt you. Right, So the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, who helped us so much build out the Abraham Accords,

6:14 begins to sense that the United States is no longer willing to do the things necessary to protect itself and to be a good partner in friend. And you start hedging your bets. And that’s what you’re seeing all across the world, the story of New Zealand. There were stories in the tiny little outposts in the Pacific Islands, but

6:31 that matter a whole lot geostrategically. Certainly in the Middle East, they’re watching Shishinping, who picked Putin in this conflict, and they’re watching the United States that has not demonstrated resolved, and they saw the debacle in Afghanistan, and they said, goodness, this is a green light to put the pedal to the metal and try and create risk for americancy. How

6:53 far we can push before we meet steel. And that’s a really precarious place for not only the United States, but for our friends and ally in Israel, for our European friends, for the Japanese and the South Koreans. All of our allies are counting on America to lead, and when we don’t, we jeopardize those relationships and we put

7:09 those countries in a really tough spot.

7:13 Speaker 1 Agreed. Taiwan is still number one. Secretary of State Lincoln has visited China. I don’t know what really happened, and I’m not sure the American people know what the what what what happened? But I was with a military guy the other day and he jokingly or seriously, I don’t know if he’s joking as serious, saying, well, if the Chinese,

7:41 we should send the signal, if the Chinese try to take Taiwan, we should take over Cuba and Venezuela and anything else in the northern hemisphere. The same day. Is that crazy that.

7:57 Speaker 2 It seems like, what’s that in case of emergency? Brake Glass, Yeah, they you know what we instead should do? And look, we should absolutely protect our geographic position in viz, South America, Venezuela, Cuba, Mexico, all of those, right, we have to make sure that these are friends and partners, not hosting the Chinese and the Iranians. That’s certainly true. But the most important thing

8:24 we can do is to demonstrate that the United States when it draws a red line, it really means it. Right. If we say, yep, we’re going to be there to support the Taiwanese, we should do that now. We should do that today, not after they’ve been attacked or invaded, or the political pressure gets so hot that they can’t

8:42 stand it and they politically capitulate. Probably the most likely outcome that’d be really bad for the United States. And so today’s the day to begin to help the Taiwanese prepare to defend themselves. Much as we waited too long to help the Ukrainians get ready, we shouldn’t wait too long to help the taiwan need to do that. I’m

9:00 convinced that if we do that, they’ll they’ll do that. They’ll make docing things think once twice three times before he begins to try to undermine the stability on the Taiwanese Island.

9:11 Speaker 1 Agree the big picture Sunday morning, thea all America is drinking the cup of coffee. Where do you think we’re going right now? It’s not a shooting war, it’s I don’t think it’s a cold war. The new technology or new terminology. I’ve been saying it’s a worldwide economic war because North America wants sixty five dollars oil, Russia Saudi

9:43 Arabia wants ninety dollars oil. So it’s definitely at least a worldwide economic war going on. Would you describe it in any other way?

9:55 Speaker 2 Oh, John, I’ve talked about this much the same way. There is no doubt that the Chinese Communist Party has been at war economically with the United States for twenty twenty five years, and we just refused to acknowledge it.

10:07 They grew their economy on the backs of the American worker. That’s the exact kind of war that you’re describing, right. They stole our technology, they took our jobs. Then they put the product and dumped it on the American market, so the US companies couldn’t compete. That’s the most important space in which we need to continue to maintain and

10:26 you know, as you’re sitting there drinking your coffee on Sunday mornings, that urge everybody who’s listening. A couple things. First, we got to get it right around the world. But the most important thing we have to do is we’ve got to educate our children that this is a great nation.

10:39 They need to love this country. We are not a racist nation. We’re not the force for evil in the world. We’re the force for good. And if we’re teaching our kids that, you know, everybody’s racist, We’re going to think about groups, not individuals. If we’re not going to teach them basic math and reading, we’re going to do other things.

10:57 Then all the stuff we’ve been talking about this morning, John won’t make the Hillo Bean’s different. So hug your children, make sure you know what they’re learning in their schools, and if the teachers are teaching them garbage or phil get in there and get after it and fix it.

11:09 Make sure that the next generation loves our country the same way that you do. John.

11:13 Speaker 1 I agree. I think there’s forces out there that are trying to change our way of life, change our country. It happened to Venezuela and five short in twenty short years, and we have to keep our eyes out fast.

11:28 Speaker 2 Nope, that’s a good point. It can go fast, it can fall away faster than we think. And I’m praying and I’m confident that the American people will rise up, take care of our families, take care of our children, and teach that next generation, and we’ll get another two hundred and fifty great years here in the United States.

11:43 Speaker 1 John, I agree. Secretary Pompeo, thank you so much, and happy fourth of July, long weekend, and God bless you, and God bless America.

11:55 Speaker 2 God bless you, God bless you. Happy Fourth of July to everyone so long ago you