English subtitles for clip: File:4-24-15- White House Press Briefing.webm

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Mr. Earnest: Good afternoon,
everybody.

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How we doing?

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Did we get a two-minute
warning today?

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The Press: Yes.

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Mr. Earnest: Okay.

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(laughter)

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The suggestion
of some people that --

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we didn't?

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The Press: No, we did.

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Mr. Earnest: Okay, good.

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The Press: It's a Friday.

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Oh, you know that luncheon
is going on.

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Mr. Earnest: Yes.

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That's what I hear.

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My able deputy, Eric
Schultz,

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is molding young minds as we
speak.

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So you're really missing
out,

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is really what I'm trying to
say here.

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(laughter)

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All right.

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Nedra, let's go straight to
your questions.

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The Press: I wanted to ask
you a little bit about the

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hostage policy review that's
ongoing.

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Can you talk a little bit
more about the scope?

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Is it solely focused on
improving communications

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with the families, or is it
broader than that?

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Mr. Earnest: That is the
principal focus of the

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review, is to examine the
manner in which the federal

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government interacts with
and communicates with the

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families of those who are
being held hostage around

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the world.

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The reason this is a
particular challenge is that

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there are a large number of
federal government agencies

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that are actively working to
try to rescue our citizens

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who are being held hostage.

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And this means that you have
certain elements of the

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intelligence community, you
have the State Department,

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the Department of Defense,
obviously a range of law

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enforcement organizations,
and even the White House are

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typically involved in these
efforts and are involved in

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these communications, and
making sure that that

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communication is streamlined
and integrated to provide

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information as regularly and
as clearly as possible to

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these families.

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This is particularly
important, of course,

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because these families are
in a terrible situation.

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Unthinkable to imagine what
it would be like to have a

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loved one, a family member,
being held against their

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will by a terrorist
organization.

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So there is a premium on
clear, direct, specific,

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regular, reliable
communication with

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these families.

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And that can be difficult
when you have a wide range

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of agencies that are
involved in

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those conversations.

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So the effort is to try to
streamline those

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communications to make that
communication more effective

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and more sensitive to the
needs of these families.

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The Press: There's been a
call from the Hill for a

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hostage czar here at the
White House to do that

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very streamlining.

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Is that something that's
under consideration?

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Mr. Earnest: There is --
we're at an interim stage in

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this review process.

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And one of the initial
proposals is the creation of

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a -- what's called a "fusion
cell."

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This would be a
working-level,

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operationally focused group
of federal employees that

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would enable a
whole-of-government response

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to overseas hostage events.

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So again, this fusion cell
would incorporate elements

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of the FBI, the Departments
of Defense and State,

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the intelligence community
-- all of whom are involved

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in the mission to try to
rescue American citizens who

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are being held hostage.

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So this is one of the
proposals that is on

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the table.

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As you know, throughout this
process,

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the administration has been
committed to incorporating

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the viewpoint of families
that have been unfortunately

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involved in this process.

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And so we are interested --
we have on the front end

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solicited some input from
families of those who have

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been held hostage, and we're
seeking some reaction from

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those families to this
specific proposal.

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But as soon as we have more
information in terms of a

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final set of
recommendations,

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we'll let you know.

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The Press: Can you read out
any more of the interim

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considerations at this
point?

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Mr. Earnest: I don't have
any information beyond what

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I've just shared.

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The Press: And I know you've
ruled out this review going

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over the U.S.

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government policy of not
paying ransom.

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Does it include any review
of the policy toward

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families paying ransom?

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Mr. Earnest: I'll have to
check on that,

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to be honest with you.

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The policy that is advanced
by the U.S.

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government is a policy that
does -- that essentially

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prohibits offering
concessions to

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terrorist organizations.

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And as I mentioned
yesterday,

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this is a painful policy,
particularly when -- if

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you're a -- if you have a
family member that's being

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held overseas.

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And the notion that by
offering a concession or

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even a payment, that that
could result in the release

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of your loved one, that
seems like a rather

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attractive option.

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Unfortunately, this is a
policy that's in place

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because considering options
like that -- paying ransom

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or offering a concession to
a terrorist organization may

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result in the saving of one
innocent life,

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but could put countless
other innocent lives at

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greater risk.

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And that's the reason for
this specific policy -- or

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one reason for this specific
policy, as painful as it is.

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The Press: And two final
quick things.

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Who is running it?

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Is it Lisa Monaco?

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And can you say anything
more about when it will

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be ready?

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I know you said relatively
soon.

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Is that days or weeks?

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Mr. Earnest: I don't know
who the point person is.

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Obviously, the White House
is heavily involved,

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and Lisa Monaco, as the
President's top

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counterterrorism advisor is
obviously intimately

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involved in this process.

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I don't know if she would
describe herself as the

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point person for this
process or not,

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but she certainly is
somebody who's intimately

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involved in it.

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I'm not aware of any sort of
impending announcements

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about the conclusion of this
process,

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but I would anticipate that
we would see some more

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information about the
conclusion of this

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review soon.

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Roberta.

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The Press: Can you explain a
little bit more about how

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the fusion cell would differ
from the current situation,

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where you have people from
all these different agencies

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working on the problem?

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Mr. Earnest: Well, I think
the concern,

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as I understand it, is that
you have representatives of

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these agencies who are all
involved in this effort.

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And the idea behind the
creation of a fusion cell is

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that would ensure that those
efforts are closely

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integrated, both in terms of
the steps that are taken by

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the agencies to secure the
return and rescue of the

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hostage, but also as it
relates to the communication

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with the families of the
hostages.

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And that's what the fusion
cell is designed to achieve,

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is to sort of optimize the
integration of the efforts

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to seek the rescue of the
hostage,

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but also to streamline
communication with the

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hostage's family.

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The Press: So the efforts to
rescue the hostages aren't

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integrated right now?

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They aren't working
together?

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Mr. Earnest: I think,
Roberta,

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that the observation is that
there are always

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improvements that could be
made in that process,

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and this review reflects
that.

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The Press: Yesterday, you
talked about an inspector

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general review of the
operation.

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Which inspector general is
doing that review?

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Mr. Earnest: I don't have
any additional information

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about the independent review
that's being conducted other

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than to tell you that it's
being conducted by the

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relevant inspector general.

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The Press: But you can't say
who the relevant inspector

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general is?

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Mr. Earnest: I cannot.

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The Press: Okay.

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And the other review that
you talked about yesterday,

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the internal review, can you
talk a little bit about the

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parameters for that?

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Is it a review of the
operation specifically?

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Or is it broader than that
and sort of a review of the

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signature strike policy?

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Mr. Earnest: The review will
be focused on -- and this is

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something that's already
underway -- focused on this

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specific operation, and
understanding what led to

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the tragic, unintended
consequences of this

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operation, which was the
death of an innocent

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American hostage.

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And the hope is that there
may be some improvements to

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the policies and protocols
that could be implemented as

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a result of lessons learned
from this particular

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tragic incident.

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The Press: Okay, and one
last one.

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Last year, the Stimson
Center released

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recommendations from a task
force on U.S.

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drone policy, and one of its
recommendations was that --

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I mean, this is a group of
experts,

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as you likely know -- was
that responsibility for

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strikes be transferred from
the CIA to the military.

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And I'm wondering if you can
tell us whether that was

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considered at all or is
still being considered or

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ruled out?

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Did the administration ever
look at that?

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Mr. Earnest: Well, the
President alluded to these

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kinds of policy questions in
his National Defense

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University speech in 2013.

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And the Department of
Defense does have some

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unique capabilities that
they use in a variety of

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areas to protect the
American people.

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For example, it is the
routine of the Department of

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Defense on a daily basis
now, I believe,

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to put out information about
operations the Department of

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Defense has carried out
against ISIL in Iraq and

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in Syria.

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It's not uncommon for those
notifications to include

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references to strikes that
were taken by U.S.

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Department of Defense
unmanned aerial vehicles,

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or drones.

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And that is an example of
how the Department of

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Defense at the direction of
the President has worked to

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implement a policy that
offers greater insight and

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transparency to our ongoing
efforts,

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including against extremist
organizations.

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Jon.

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The Press: Just to follow up
on the subject of the drone

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strikes that killed Adam
Gadahn and Mr. Faruq.

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I asked you yesterday if
there was any regret;

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you said no.

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Was killing Gadahn and Faruq
an accident?

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Mr. Earnest: Well, the word
"accident" leaves one with a

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connotation that the
consequences of the action

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were negative.

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And as I mentioned
yesterday,

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these two individuals, both
Mr. Faruq and Mr. Gadahn,

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were al Qaeda leaders.

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They were playing an
influential role in an

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organization that is
actively planning against

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the United States and our
interests.

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They were frequenting a
compound that had been

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identified, based on
extensive intelligence,

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as an al Qaeda compound.

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And strikes were taken that
-- operations were conducted

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that took them off the
battlefield.

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And that is a result that
has improved the safety and

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security of the American
people.

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The Press: So it wasn't an
accident.

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Mr. Earnest: I think for
that reason I would not use

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that word to describe what
occurred.

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The Press: But it also was
not intentional.

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Mr. Earnest: Well, again,
I'm not sure that that's

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accurate, either, because we
were talking about -- The

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Press: So you -- these
strikes were intended to

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00:11:02,094 --> 00:11:06,032
kill Adam Gadahn and --
Mr. Earnest: The operation

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00:11:06,032 --> 00:11:09,201
against the al Qaeda
compound was carried out

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00:11:09,201 --> 00:11:14,306
with the intent to take off
the battlefield al Qaeda

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00:11:14,306 --> 00:11:16,675
leaders that frequented the
compound.

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That was the intent of the
operation,

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00:11:18,677 --> 00:11:22,515
and in that respect the
operation fulfilled

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00:11:22,515 --> 00:11:23,516
its mission.

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Now, in one respect, there
was a tragic,

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00:11:27,219 --> 00:11:29,655
unintended consequence,
which is that the operation

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also resulted in the death
of an innocent

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American hostage.

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That clearly was
unintentional,

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and that clearly was an
accident,

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00:11:38,764 --> 00:11:42,068
the death of this innocent
American hostage.

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The Press: Right, as you've
made clear.

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But would targeting Gadahn
and Faruq intentionally,

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00:11:46,939 --> 00:11:49,641
explicitly been legal?

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00:11:49,642 --> 00:11:54,313
Mr. Earnest: Well, there is
a specific legal process for

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00:11:54,313 --> 00:12:01,787
a policy decision being made
to specifically target

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00:12:01,787 --> 00:12:03,989
a U.S. citizen.

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00:12:03,989 --> 00:12:08,861
This is a process that was
put in place around the

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00:12:08,861 --> 00:12:11,764
decision to target Anwar
al-Awlaki.

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00:12:11,764 --> 00:12:16,035
This is the American citizen
who played an influential

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00:12:16,035 --> 00:12:18,471
role in AQAP in Yemen.

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00:12:18,471 --> 00:12:22,775
He had important operational
responsibilities at AQAP,

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00:12:22,775 --> 00:12:28,079
and there was a decision
that was made to take him

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off the battlefield.

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00:12:29,415 --> 00:12:32,617
So there is a separate
process for doing that --

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00:12:32,618 --> 00:12:36,755
for making that decision to
target an American citizen.

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00:12:36,755 --> 00:12:38,991
That was not done in the
case of Mr. Gadahn and

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00:12:38,991 --> 00:12:44,896
Mr. Faruq because they were
not identified as

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00:12:44,897 --> 00:12:46,532
high-value targets.

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00:12:46,532 --> 00:12:50,002
However, there is ample
evidence to indicate that

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00:12:50,002 --> 00:12:51,237
they were al Qaeda leaders.

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00:12:51,237 --> 00:12:53,238
The fact that they were
frequenting what had been

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00:12:53,239 --> 00:12:59,411
identified as an al Qaeda
compound is the reason that

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00:12:59,411 --> 00:13:02,080
they were claimed in this
operation.

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00:13:02,081 --> 00:13:05,117
The Press: So does that mean
it would have been illegal

292
00:13:05,117 --> 00:13:07,319
to intentionally target them
because you had not gone

293
00:13:07,319 --> 00:13:08,621
through that process?

294
00:13:08,621 --> 00:13:10,689
And it's kind of hard to see
how either one of them would

295
00:13:10,689 --> 00:13:13,025
have met the threshold that
the administration has set

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00:13:13,025 --> 00:13:15,694
out for intentionally
targeting an American

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00:13:15,694 --> 00:13:17,163
citizen being held?

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00:13:17,163 --> 00:13:19,331
Mr. Earnest: Well, that is a
question I don't think I can

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00:13:19,331 --> 00:13:20,499
render judgment on.

300
00:13:20,499 --> 00:13:22,434
There obviously is criteria.

301
00:13:22,434 --> 00:13:25,738
I'm not intimately familiar
with the details of how a

302
00:13:25,738 --> 00:13:27,740
process like that would be
carried out,

303
00:13:29,975 --> 00:13:31,977
so it's hard for me to
render judgment one way or

304
00:13:31,977 --> 00:13:32,978
the other.

305
00:13:32,978 --> 00:13:39,084
But we have tried to be very
clear about what led to the

306
00:13:39,084 --> 00:13:40,252
death of these two
individuals,

307
00:13:40,252 --> 00:13:43,322
which is that they were not
specifically targeted.

308
00:13:43,322 --> 00:13:47,159
But there is no question
that they were previously

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00:13:47,159 --> 00:13:48,861
identified as al Qaeda
leaders,

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00:13:48,861 --> 00:13:51,297
and they were individuals
who were killed in an

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00:13:51,297 --> 00:13:53,299
operation against an al
Qaeda compound.

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00:13:53,299 --> 00:13:56,535
The Press: In the NDU speech
on all of this,

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00:13:56,535 --> 00:13:59,271
the President indicated that
there would be a movement to

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00:13:59,271 --> 00:14:03,108
take the drone program out
of the CIA and put into the

315
00:14:03,108 --> 00:14:05,377
hands of the Pentagon as
part of the process of

316
00:14:05,377 --> 00:14:08,012
making this all more
transparent.

317
00:14:08,013 --> 00:14:09,114
What's the status with that?

318
00:14:09,114 --> 00:14:11,951
Why is the CIA still
conducting drone strikes?

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00:14:11,951 --> 00:14:19,124
Mr. Earnest: Well, let me
start by stipulating that

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00:14:19,124 --> 00:14:26,398
you are asking me a question
about a purported CIA

321
00:14:26,398 --> 00:14:28,567
activity that I'm just not
in a position to comment in

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00:14:28,567 --> 00:14:30,202
any way.

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00:14:30,202 --> 00:14:30,836
The Press: Well, we all know
the CIA has got a

324
00:14:30,836 --> 00:14:31,604
drone program.

325
00:14:31,604 --> 00:14:35,374
It's one of the least
well-kept secrets --

326
00:14:35,374 --> 00:14:36,609
Mr. Earnest: But not
something that I'm prepared

327
00:14:36,609 --> 00:14:38,410
to talk about or even
implicitly confirm.

328
00:14:38,410 --> 00:14:39,612
So I'm going to try to
answer your question,

329
00:14:39,612 --> 00:14:43,281
but I just want to get that
out of the way.

330
00:14:43,282 --> 00:14:48,754
What the President also made
clear in the NDU speech is

331
00:14:48,754 --> 00:14:54,793
that the
Afghanistan-Pakistan region

332
00:14:54,793 --> 00:14:58,764
is one that is unique from
other regions where the

333
00:14:58,764 --> 00:15:01,400
Department of Defense is
carrying out

334
00:15:01,400 --> 00:15:03,901
counterterrorism strikes
that includes the use

335
00:15:03,902 --> 00:15:04,903
of drones.

336
00:15:04,903 --> 00:15:08,607
This Afghanistan-Pakistan
region is -- had previously

337
00:15:08,607 --> 00:15:12,611
been home to a large number
of core al Qaeda leaders.

338
00:15:12,611 --> 00:15:15,781
They have been decimated,
but there are still a number

339
00:15:15,781 --> 00:15:19,984
of dangerous core al Qaeda
leaders that are hiding,

340
00:15:19,985 --> 00:15:23,789
frankly, in this region of
the world.

341
00:15:23,789 --> 00:15:26,058
By hiding there and by
plotting and planning

342
00:15:26,058 --> 00:15:28,460
against the United States
from that location,

343
00:15:28,460 --> 00:15:34,700
they pose a unique threat to
American military personnel

344
00:15:34,700 --> 00:15:37,202
that are currently stationed
in Afghanistan.

345
00:15:37,202 --> 00:15:39,538
As you know, there are about
10,000 U.S.

346
00:15:39,538 --> 00:15:41,874
military personnel in
Afghanistan right now,

347
00:15:41,874 --> 00:15:47,980
and there is a special need
to ensure that -- to try to

348
00:15:47,980 --> 00:15:49,581
ensure their safety.

349
00:15:49,581 --> 00:15:52,451
And it means -- and this is
something that the President

350
00:15:52,451 --> 00:15:54,453
acknowledged in the speech
-- it means that there are

351
00:15:54,453 --> 00:15:58,656
some different rules that
apply to our ongoing

352
00:15:58,657 --> 00:16:00,659
efforts, sort of a different
set of policies and

353
00:16:00,659 --> 00:16:03,162
procedures that apply to our
counterterrorism efforts in

354
00:16:03,162 --> 00:16:06,565
that region of the world, as
opposed to other regions of

355
00:16:06,565 --> 00:16:08,701
the world where extremists
are operating.

356
00:16:08,701 --> 00:16:11,603
The Press: Okay, I guess
we'll come back to that at

357
00:16:11,603 --> 00:16:12,338
some point.

358
00:16:12,338 --> 00:16:14,573
But if we can just do a
quick follow-up on the other

359
00:16:14,573 --> 00:16:17,910
subject from yesterday, the
issue of donations to the

360
00:16:17,910 --> 00:16:19,911
Clinton Foundation.

361
00:16:22,114 --> 00:16:25,351
We now know that there were
some $2 million in donations

362
00:16:25,351 --> 00:16:29,188
that came essentially from
Uranium One to the Clinton

363
00:16:29,188 --> 00:16:32,458
Foundation that were not
disclosed at the time.

364
00:16:32,458 --> 00:16:35,661
Can you acknowledge that at
least that did not meet up

365
00:16:35,661 --> 00:16:38,863
to the standards that were
expected based on the

366
00:16:38,864 --> 00:16:41,467
memorandum of understanding
between Hillary Clinton and

367
00:16:41,467 --> 00:16:42,701
the President?

368
00:16:42,701 --> 00:16:44,436
Mr. Earnest: Again, for the
-- in terms of compliance

369
00:16:44,436 --> 00:16:46,538
with the memorandum of
understanding,

370
00:16:46,538 --> 00:16:48,540
I'd refer you to the State
Department,

371
00:16:48,540 --> 00:16:49,540
or to Secretary Clinton's
team,

372
00:16:49,541 --> 00:16:51,543
who I'm sure would be happy
to talk to you about this.

373
00:16:51,543 --> 00:16:54,079
The Press: But you made it
clear at the time that

374
00:16:54,079 --> 00:16:56,848
donations were going to be
made public.

375
00:16:56,849 --> 00:17:00,018
This was not some promise
that Hillary Clinton made

376
00:17:00,018 --> 00:17:01,053
off to the side.

377
00:17:01,053 --> 00:17:03,489
This was an agreement that
she had with the White

378
00:17:03,489 --> 00:17:05,156
House, with the President.

379
00:17:05,156 --> 00:17:10,862
So I'm just saying we now
know $2 million in donations

380
00:17:10,863 --> 00:17:12,498
essentially from Uranium
One,

381
00:17:12,498 --> 00:17:17,002
while this transaction --
even aside from the approval

382
00:17:17,002 --> 00:17:19,805
of their transaction, the
fact that you had such a

383
00:17:19,805 --> 00:17:23,642
large donation, group of
donations coming in that

384
00:17:23,642 --> 00:17:24,877
were not disclosed.

385
00:17:24,877 --> 00:17:26,912
That doesn't concern the
White House at all?

386
00:17:26,912 --> 00:17:29,481
That lived up to the
standards that were set by

387
00:17:29,481 --> 00:17:30,315
the President?

388
00:17:30,315 --> 00:17:31,717
Forget Hillary Clinton, but
by the President.

389
00:17:31,717 --> 00:17:34,586
Mr. Earnest: Well, I think
what is clear is -- and this

390
00:17:34,586 --> 00:17:37,356
is noted in The New York
Times story today -- is that

391
00:17:37,356 --> 00:17:39,792
there is no proof
whatsoever,

392
00:17:39,792 --> 00:17:43,629
no evidence to indicate that
donations had any impact on

393
00:17:43,629 --> 00:17:45,630
this particular policy
decision.

394
00:17:45,631 --> 00:17:47,633
There is no -- The Press:
I'm asking you about the

395
00:17:47,633 --> 00:17:49,635
fact that donations weren't
publicly disclosed and you

396
00:17:49,635 --> 00:17:50,636
didn't know about that.

397
00:17:50,636 --> 00:17:52,638
Mr. Earnest: I think the
point is,

398
00:17:52,638 --> 00:17:55,340
is that the -- I've been in
a position where there have

399
00:17:55,340 --> 00:17:56,341
been other, to put it
mildly,

400
00:17:56,341 --> 00:18:02,548
conservative authors that
have launched -- written

401
00:18:02,548 --> 00:18:06,985
books based on what they
purport to be serious

402
00:18:06,985 --> 00:18:08,687
allegations against the
President of the

403
00:18:08,687 --> 00:18:10,222
United States.

404
00:18:10,222 --> 00:18:12,524
And I'm often in the
position of responding to

405
00:18:12,524 --> 00:18:15,627
those incidents and trying
to defend the President from

406
00:18:15,627 --> 00:18:18,230
accusations that are not
rooted or accompanied by

407
00:18:18,230 --> 00:18:19,231
any evidence.

408
00:18:19,231 --> 00:18:21,700
My point is that right now
that's what's happening to

409
00:18:21,700 --> 00:18:23,969
Secretary Clinton, and there
is a spokesperson that

410
00:18:23,969 --> 00:18:25,971
Secretary Clinton has hired
that can answer

411
00:18:25,971 --> 00:18:26,972
these questions.

412
00:18:26,972 --> 00:18:28,974
The Press: Okay, but I'm not
asking whether or not

413
00:18:28,974 --> 00:18:31,210
Secretary Clinton sold
favors from the

414
00:18:31,210 --> 00:18:32,211
State Department.

415
00:18:32,211 --> 00:18:34,213
I'm just asking you about
whether or not these

416
00:18:34,213 --> 00:18:36,215
donations should have been
disclosed.

417
00:18:36,215 --> 00:18:38,216
I'm asking you about
disclosure.

418
00:18:38,217 --> 00:18:40,219
I'm not suggesting that --
Mr. Earnest: Right,

419
00:18:40,219 --> 00:18:42,221
and that is something that
Secretary Clinton's team can

420
00:18:42,221 --> 00:18:45,257
talk to you about is how
they handled this

421
00:18:45,257 --> 00:18:46,258
particular incident.

422
00:18:46,258 --> 00:18:48,293
The Press: And then I asked
you yesterday -- you said

423
00:18:48,293 --> 00:18:50,361
you were going to go back
and check on this question

424
00:18:50,362 --> 00:18:53,999
of the approval process and
whether or not there were

425
00:18:53,999 --> 00:18:58,103
any other objections that
had been raised to approving

426
00:18:58,103 --> 00:19:02,307
this transaction that again
allowed a Russian company to

427
00:19:02,307 --> 00:19:05,611
go a long way towards
cornering the market for

428
00:19:05,611 --> 00:19:07,679
uranium in the United
States.

429
00:19:07,679 --> 00:19:10,249
But were there any
objections raised anywhere

430
00:19:10,249 --> 00:19:11,884
up and down the line of this
transaction?

431
00:19:11,884 --> 00:19:13,218
Mr. Earnest: I do have some
more information on this.

432
00:19:13,218 --> 00:19:15,153
So this is -- what you're
referring to is the

433
00:19:15,153 --> 00:19:16,488
Committee on Foreign
Investment in the

434
00:19:16,488 --> 00:19:17,155
United States.

435
00:19:17,155 --> 00:19:19,725
So this is a committee that
is chaired by the Secretary

436
00:19:19,725 --> 00:19:23,128
of the Treasury to evaluate
transactions involving

437
00:19:23,128 --> 00:19:25,129
foreign governments that may
have an impact on U.S.

438
00:19:25,130 --> 00:19:26,732
national security.

439
00:19:26,732 --> 00:19:32,803
This is a process that is
kept confidential for,

440
00:19:32,804 --> 00:19:34,806
frankly, to protect the
parties who are involved in

441
00:19:34,806 --> 00:19:35,807
the transactions, right?

442
00:19:35,807 --> 00:19:38,410
That there is nobody who
should be unfairly tarnished

443
00:19:38,410 --> 00:19:40,412
because of the public
discussion about the

444
00:19:40,412 --> 00:19:44,983
evaluation of their proposed
financial transactions.

445
00:19:44,983 --> 00:19:46,985
But there is one thing I can
tell you,

446
00:19:46,985 --> 00:19:51,756
which is that the process
that is conducted by CFIUS

447
00:19:51,757 --> 00:19:56,562
is one -- that's the acronym
for the -- I swore to myself

448
00:19:56,562 --> 00:19:59,331
I was not going to come out
here and say CFIUS.

449
00:19:59,331 --> 00:20:00,331
(laughter)

450
00:20:00,332 --> 00:20:01,833
So I've just
broken my rule.

451
00:20:01,833 --> 00:20:03,602
But this committee that's
been established to evaluate

452
00:20:03,602 --> 00:20:07,272
these transactions operates
based on consensus.

453
00:20:07,272 --> 00:20:11,443
So I think what that tells
you is that if other

454
00:20:11,443 --> 00:20:14,346
agencies had concerns about
the transaction moving

455
00:20:14,346 --> 00:20:18,116
forward, they would be able
to raise that in the context

456
00:20:18,116 --> 00:20:23,522
of this interagency
committee and ensure that it

457
00:20:23,522 --> 00:20:25,724
was properly considered.

458
00:20:25,724 --> 00:20:28,293
I guess the point is this,
is that the State Department

459
00:20:28,293 --> 00:20:30,728
representative to this
committee could not operate

460
00:20:30,729 --> 00:20:33,465
independently and ram the
approval process through.

461
00:20:33,465 --> 00:20:35,734
The Press: Okay, then just
one last thing on this.

462
00:20:35,734 --> 00:20:38,904
Given that this was approved
back before the Russians

463
00:20:38,904 --> 00:20:41,273
invaded Ukraine, before a
whole series of

464
00:20:41,273 --> 00:20:43,908
disagreements we have with
the Russians,

465
00:20:43,909 --> 00:20:47,446
in hindsight was it a
mistake to approve

466
00:20:47,446 --> 00:20:48,379
this transaction?

467
00:20:48,380 --> 00:20:51,416
Would this transaction be
approved today given what's

468
00:20:51,416 --> 00:20:53,418
happened with the Russians
since?

469
00:20:53,418 --> 00:20:56,221
Mr. Earnest: The other thing
that I came to learn about

470
00:20:56,221 --> 00:20:58,757
the process by this
committee is that there are

471
00:20:58,757 --> 00:21:00,759
established criteria by
which they review

472
00:21:00,759 --> 00:21:01,760
every transaction.

473
00:21:01,760 --> 00:21:03,729
I'm not privy to what that
criteria is.

474
00:21:03,729 --> 00:21:06,298
So I'm frankly not in a
position to render judgment

475
00:21:06,298 --> 00:21:09,835
about whether or not the
outcome of this particular

476
00:21:09,835 --> 00:21:11,837
committee's decision would
be different based on the

477
00:21:11,837 --> 00:21:14,006
current circumstances.

478
00:21:14,006 --> 00:21:17,943
So it's hard for me to
render judgment on that.

479
00:21:17,943 --> 00:21:19,244
Julie.

480
00:21:19,244 --> 00:21:21,446
The Press: Back to the
accidental killings.

481
00:21:21,446 --> 00:21:25,449
I wanted to ask whether the
incidents that were

482
00:21:25,450 --> 00:21:29,521
declassified yesterday have
caused the President to have

483
00:21:29,521 --> 00:21:31,923
any less confidence than he
did previously in the

484
00:21:31,923 --> 00:21:36,595
utility, the usefulness of
this technique in targeting

485
00:21:36,595 --> 00:21:38,664
terrorists overseas.

486
00:21:38,664 --> 00:21:42,768
And when do you think the
review about what may have

487
00:21:42,768 --> 00:21:45,070
gone wrong, or lessons
learned,

488
00:21:45,070 --> 00:21:48,874
or potential reforms to how
the program is run may

489
00:21:48,874 --> 00:21:49,908
be forthcoming?

490
00:21:49,908 --> 00:21:52,310
Has he asked for those in
the near term?

491
00:21:52,310 --> 00:21:55,179
And is he reconsidering his
use of this technique

492
00:21:55,180 --> 00:21:59,551
at all?

493
00:21:59,551 --> 00:22:02,154
Mr. Earnest: Let me answer
that question in two ways.

494
00:22:02,154 --> 00:22:06,391
One is that we know that
these kinds of

495
00:22:06,391 --> 00:22:10,762
counterterrorism operations
have diminished the

496
00:22:10,762 --> 00:22:11,797
effectiveness of al Qaeda.

497
00:22:11,797 --> 00:22:15,000
They've had a significant
impact on their ability to

498
00:22:15,000 --> 00:22:17,002
function and to carry out
attacks against the

499
00:22:17,002 --> 00:22:18,003
United States.

500
00:22:18,003 --> 00:22:22,139
We know that these kinds of
operations have rendered al

501
00:22:22,140 --> 00:22:25,043
Qaeda less capable of
receiving recruits.

502
00:22:25,043 --> 00:22:27,044
We know that these kinds of
operations have diminished

503
00:22:27,045 --> 00:22:29,047
their command and control
capability.

504
00:22:29,047 --> 00:22:34,286
And we know that these kinds
of operations have made al

505
00:22:34,286 --> 00:22:36,822
Qaeda leaders intensely
focused on their own

506
00:22:36,822 --> 00:22:38,356
personal security.

507
00:22:38,356 --> 00:22:41,460
And when these leaders are
so focused on their personal

508
00:22:41,460 --> 00:22:44,129
security, they're devoting
less time and attention to

509
00:22:44,129 --> 00:22:47,765
plotting and planning
against the United States.

510
00:22:47,766 --> 00:22:51,002
So this kind of pressure has
been effective in enhancing

511
00:22:51,002 --> 00:22:53,105
the national security of the
United States.

512
00:22:55,373 --> 00:23:01,012
That said, the President
will be the first to admit

513
00:23:01,012 --> 00:23:07,852
to you that weighing policy
decisions like this is one

514
00:23:07,853 --> 00:23:10,555
of the most challenging
things that he confronts in

515
00:23:10,555 --> 00:23:17,095
the Oval Office, that
weighing the important

516
00:23:17,095 --> 00:23:19,998
impact that a
counterterrorism operation

517
00:23:19,998 --> 00:23:24,336
can have in terms of
enhancing national security

518
00:23:24,336 --> 00:23:29,174
with the need to live up to
the high standards that he

519
00:23:29,174 --> 00:23:32,244
has set and that the
American people expect for

520
00:23:32,244 --> 00:23:33,245
the U.S.

521
00:23:33,245 --> 00:23:35,412
government is incredibly
challenging.

522
00:23:35,413 --> 00:23:40,585
And it's fraught with a
variety of important moral

523
00:23:40,585 --> 00:23:43,421
questions, too.

524
00:23:43,421 --> 00:23:48,560
And that is one of the
reasons that the President

525
00:23:48,560 --> 00:23:56,168
felt so strongly about
moving quickly to declassify

526
00:23:56,168 --> 00:23:58,469
a significant amount of
information about this

527
00:23:58,470 --> 00:24:01,840
particular operation; that
this is a situation where

528
00:24:01,840 --> 00:24:06,043
accountability and at least
some transparency

529
00:24:06,044 --> 00:24:11,383
is important.

530
00:24:11,383 --> 00:24:13,351
As critically important as
it is to protect our

531
00:24:13,351 --> 00:24:16,254
national security and for us
to take actions,

532
00:24:16,254 --> 00:24:18,622
even using unique
capabilities of the United

533
00:24:18,623 --> 00:24:22,460
States to do that has made
the American people

534
00:24:22,460 --> 00:24:23,461
more safe.

535
00:24:23,461 --> 00:24:25,864
But it continues to be a
very high priority of this

536
00:24:25,864 --> 00:24:29,000
President to ensure that all
of our operations are

537
00:24:29,000 --> 00:24:33,471
consistent with the values
and ideals that our country

538
00:24:33,471 --> 00:24:34,472
promotes around the globe.

539
00:24:34,472 --> 00:24:36,575
The Press: For all the
information that was

540
00:24:36,575 --> 00:24:39,144
declassified yesterday,
there are dozens more of

541
00:24:39,144 --> 00:24:42,914
these operations that go on
that we never know who else

542
00:24:42,914 --> 00:24:45,016
was killed -- whether they
were civilians or not.

543
00:24:45,016 --> 00:24:46,685
They may not have been
Americans,

544
00:24:46,685 --> 00:24:49,053
so we'll never know that.

545
00:24:49,054 --> 00:24:50,956
So my question is, I guess,
when he laid out the

546
00:24:50,956 --> 00:24:53,792
near-certainty standard in
that speech,

547
00:24:53,792 --> 00:24:55,493
does he still believe that
it's possible to meet that

548
00:24:55,493 --> 00:24:56,828
standard at all?

549
00:24:56,828 --> 00:24:59,531
Or is it a value judgment of
if you're not quite certain,

550
00:24:59,531 --> 00:25:02,667
is it still worth it to
undertake these missions to

551
00:25:02,667 --> 00:25:04,502
get the national security
benefits that he's

552
00:25:04,502 --> 00:25:05,870
talked about?

553
00:25:05,871 --> 00:25:10,041
Mr. Earnest: Well, again, I
think this is sort of what

554
00:25:10,041 --> 00:25:13,211
-- you're putting your
finger on what sort of the

555
00:25:13,211 --> 00:25:18,984
counter-balance to the
national security priority

556
00:25:18,984 --> 00:25:20,718
that is in question here.

557
00:25:20,719 --> 00:25:23,455
On one hand you have the
proven effectiveness of some

558
00:25:23,455 --> 00:25:26,957
counterterrorism operations.

559
00:25:26,958 --> 00:25:31,863
On the other hand, you have
a region of the world that

560
00:25:31,863 --> 00:25:34,499
is remote.

561
00:25:34,499 --> 00:25:38,169
You have a region of the
world where in some cases

562
00:25:38,169 --> 00:25:42,908
the capacity of local forces
is limited,

563
00:25:42,908 --> 00:25:44,943
or the reach of those forces
is limited.

564
00:25:44,943 --> 00:25:47,178
In some cases it's that the
will of those local forces

565
00:25:47,178 --> 00:25:49,514
is even limited.

566
00:25:49,514 --> 00:25:56,854
In those situations it often
is just not feasible to put U.S.

567
00:25:56,855 --> 00:25:59,891
military personnel on the
ground.

568
00:25:59,891 --> 00:26:04,195
And, in fact, doing so has
-- actually raises the risk

569
00:26:07,732 --> 00:26:12,070
of violence that could have
an impact on civilians.

570
00:26:12,070 --> 00:26:14,072
Many of our counterterrorism
professionals have talked

571
00:26:14,072 --> 00:26:21,012
about the severe risk that
was posed by the bin Laden

572
00:26:21,012 --> 00:26:24,983
mission in Abbottabad, and
that one of the chief risks

573
00:26:24,983 --> 00:26:30,722
was that individuals who
lived in the neighborhood

574
00:26:30,722 --> 00:26:33,491
saw the helicopters, would
observe military personnel

575
00:26:33,491 --> 00:26:38,196
operating, and would choose
-- feel the need to try to

576
00:26:38,196 --> 00:26:40,564
defend themselves; certainly
an understandable reaction

577
00:26:40,565 --> 00:26:43,368
when something like this is
happening.

578
00:26:43,368 --> 00:26:44,936
And you would put U.S.

579
00:26:44,936 --> 00:26:47,138
military personnel or our
special operators in a

580
00:26:47,138 --> 00:26:49,506
position of defending
themselves and

581
00:26:49,507 --> 00:26:52,277
using violence against civilians
with whom they have no

582
00:26:52,277 --> 00:26:53,912
quarrel.

583
00:26:53,912 --> 00:27:00,051
And I think that is a good
illustration of why putting U.S.

584
00:27:00,051 --> 00:27:02,654
boots on the ground, while
it may increase the

585
00:27:02,654 --> 00:27:07,192
certainty factor, doesn't
necessarily reduce the risk

586
00:27:07,192 --> 00:27:08,393
to civilian populations.

587
00:27:08,393 --> 00:27:11,396
In fact, in most cases, it
significantly increases

588
00:27:11,396 --> 00:27:14,099
that risk.

589
00:27:14,099 --> 00:27:16,668
So the point is that
narrowly tailored

590
00:27:16,668 --> 00:27:20,271
counterterrorism operations
are the kinds of operations

591
00:27:20,271 --> 00:27:25,043
that do reduce -- do the
most to reduce the risk to

592
00:27:25,043 --> 00:27:32,183
civilian -- or reduce the
risk of civilian casualties.

593
00:27:32,183 --> 00:27:35,186
But necessarily, these kinds
of operations are

594
00:27:35,186 --> 00:27:38,389
contemplated in regions of
the world where absolute

595
00:27:38,390 --> 00:27:41,126
certainty is just not
possible.

596
00:27:41,126 --> 00:27:47,632
And this is the -- this is a
difficult policy question,

597
00:27:47,632 --> 00:27:49,834
and one that the President I
think,

598
00:27:49,834 --> 00:27:52,837
as you could tell from his
comments yesterday,

599
00:27:52,837 --> 00:27:54,004
does not take lightly at
all.

600
00:27:54,005 --> 00:27:56,241
The Press: So when does he
-- any timeframe for when

601
00:27:56,241 --> 00:27:58,476
the review might yield some
results?

602
00:27:58,476 --> 00:28:01,079
Mr. Earnest: I don't have
any information about the

603
00:28:01,079 --> 00:28:03,248
timeframe for the two
reviews that we've

604
00:28:03,248 --> 00:28:04,883
talked about.

605
00:28:04,883 --> 00:28:08,353
At this point, I wouldn't
even be in a position to

606
00:28:08,353 --> 00:28:11,222
promise that we would have
an extended public

607
00:28:11,222 --> 00:28:15,026
discussion of those reviews
given the sensitive nature

608
00:28:15,026 --> 00:28:16,528
of what they're reviewing.

609
00:28:16,528 --> 00:28:19,431
The Press: And you mentioned
yesterday that he didn't

610
00:28:19,431 --> 00:28:24,636
specifically authorize the
strike that accidently took

611
00:28:24,636 --> 00:28:26,337
out these two hostages.

612
00:28:26,337 --> 00:28:29,007
Is the President briefed
each time one of these

613
00:28:29,007 --> 00:28:31,543
counterterrorism missions is
concluded?

614
00:28:31,543 --> 00:28:34,611
And is he briefed on if
there were and how many

615
00:28:34,612 --> 00:28:37,048
civilian casualties there
were?

616
00:28:37,048 --> 00:28:39,484
Mr. Earnest: Let me see if I
can get you some additional

617
00:28:39,484 --> 00:28:41,285
information about this.

618
00:28:41,286 --> 00:28:44,689
Obviously, the President
gets regularly -- get

619
00:28:44,689 --> 00:28:47,158
regular counterterrorism
briefings.

620
00:28:47,158 --> 00:28:52,062
But let me see if I can get
you some more granular

621
00:28:52,063 --> 00:28:55,233
information about the
frequency and detail of

622
00:28:55,233 --> 00:28:56,201
those briefings.

623
00:28:56,201 --> 00:28:57,702
The Press: And just quickly
on trade,

624
00:28:57,702 --> 00:28:59,404
I'm told the President
joined a conference call

625
00:28:59,404 --> 00:29:04,809
earlier today that Secretary
Perez had on the TPP and

626
00:29:04,809 --> 00:29:08,213
trade promotion authority,
and sort of made the case on

627
00:29:08,213 --> 00:29:08,879
that call.

628
00:29:08,880 --> 00:29:10,882
Can you tell us anything
about that and anything else

629
00:29:10,882 --> 00:29:14,619
he's doing personally while
the legislation is making

630
00:29:14,619 --> 00:29:17,388
its way through Congress and
in advance of the visit by

631
00:29:17,388 --> 00:29:20,358
Prime Minister Abe next week
to sort of lay the

632
00:29:20,358 --> 00:29:23,928
groundwork for his trade
agenda?

633
00:29:23,928 --> 00:29:26,498
Mr. Earnest: Well, let me
clarify one thing,

634
00:29:26,498 --> 00:29:28,500
which is Secretary Perez was
hosting a call with

635
00:29:28,500 --> 00:29:30,502
journalists who have been
focused on the trade

636
00:29:30,502 --> 00:29:31,503
issue recently.

637
00:29:31,503 --> 00:29:35,740
And the President
unannounced jumped on the

638
00:29:35,740 --> 00:29:37,909
call to deliver a message
that was similar to the

639
00:29:37,909 --> 00:29:40,345
message that many of you
heard the President deliver

640
00:29:40,345 --> 00:29:42,347
to OFA activists last night.

641
00:29:44,382 --> 00:29:46,751
And I think that
demonstrates an interest

642
00:29:46,751 --> 00:29:50,021
that the President has in
the kind of forceful

643
00:29:50,021 --> 00:29:55,760
argument that he can make
because of his conviction

644
00:29:55,760 --> 00:29:59,164
that an agreement like the
one he is trying to reach

645
00:29:59,164 --> 00:30:02,233
with 10 other countries in
the Asia Pacific region

646
00:30:02,233 --> 00:30:04,836
would have substantial
benefits for middle-class

647
00:30:04,836 --> 00:30:06,337
families in the United
States.

648
00:30:06,337 --> 00:30:09,507
And this is an argument that
the President is eager to

649
00:30:09,507 --> 00:30:12,744
have in advance, and he's
eager to build bipartisan

650
00:30:12,744 --> 00:30:13,745
support for it.

651
00:30:13,745 --> 00:30:15,879
And he knows that there is
some -- as I've mentioned in

652
00:30:15,880 --> 00:30:19,717
the past, some instinctive
resistance to even the

653
00:30:19,717 --> 00:30:21,719
consideration of trade
agreements.

654
00:30:21,719 --> 00:30:30,261
And some of that is rooted
in the consequences of

655
00:30:30,261 --> 00:30:32,564
previous trade agreements
that have been reached.

656
00:30:32,564 --> 00:30:34,699
And the President again made
pretty forcefully yesterday

657
00:30:34,699 --> 00:30:38,036
the point that the kind of
trade agreement that he is

658
00:30:38,036 --> 00:30:43,775
seeking to broker is one
that would learn the lessons

659
00:30:43,775 --> 00:30:46,844
from those previous
agreements to ensure that

660
00:30:46,844 --> 00:30:49,214
we're maximizing the upside
for American businesses and

661
00:30:49,214 --> 00:30:51,515
American workers.

662
00:30:51,516 --> 00:30:52,817
Sunlen.

663
00:30:52,817 --> 00:30:53,484
The Press: Thanks.

664
00:30:53,484 --> 00:30:56,721
Back to Adam Gadahn.

665
00:30:56,721 --> 00:30:58,122
The administration has said
that it's their preferred

666
00:30:58,122 --> 00:31:00,725
method when dealing with
American terrorists like

667
00:31:00,725 --> 00:31:03,628
this to detain them, debrief
them,

668
00:31:03,628 --> 00:31:05,964
and then persecute them in a
federal courthouse.

669
00:31:05,964 --> 00:31:11,436
Did the White House, though,
want him dead or alive?

670
00:31:11,436 --> 00:31:16,874
Mr. Earnest: Sunlen, that is
the preference.

671
00:31:16,874 --> 00:31:20,445
The preference of the
administration applies to

672
00:31:20,445 --> 00:31:23,181
not just American citizens
affiliated with al Qaeda,

673
00:31:23,181 --> 00:31:26,451
but with all terrorists.

674
00:31:26,451 --> 00:31:29,053
Our preference would be to
capture, detain,

675
00:31:29,053 --> 00:31:30,588
debrief and prosecute them.

676
00:31:30,588 --> 00:31:32,824
And we have a strong track
record of successfully

677
00:31:32,824 --> 00:31:35,460
doing that.

678
00:31:35,460 --> 00:31:38,396
And this is -- we believe
that that is consistent with

679
00:31:38,396 --> 00:31:39,497
our values as a country.

680
00:31:39,497 --> 00:31:41,499
It also is consistent with
our national

681
00:31:41,499 --> 00:31:42,533
security interests.

682
00:31:42,533 --> 00:31:45,069
The fact is that there are
some regions of the world,

683
00:31:45,069 --> 00:31:52,342
including this region of the
world that are so remote and

684
00:31:52,343 --> 00:31:57,048
where local authorities have
limited capacity,

685
00:31:57,048 --> 00:32:04,022
that it's just not feasible
to capture or detain them.

686
00:32:04,022 --> 00:32:07,692
In fact, this is why these
al Qaeda terrorists are

687
00:32:07,692 --> 00:32:08,960
hiding out here.

688
00:32:08,960 --> 00:32:10,328
They know that it's remote.

689
00:32:10,328 --> 00:32:12,697
They know that local
authorities have limited

690
00:32:12,697 --> 00:32:15,099
reach and capacity, and they
know that it's very

691
00:32:15,099 --> 00:32:18,035
difficult for the United
States to come and get them.

692
00:32:18,036 --> 00:32:20,905
So that's why they seek out
walled compounds in this

693
00:32:20,905 --> 00:32:25,710
region of the world to try
to evade the United States

694
00:32:25,710 --> 00:32:28,279
and to evade justice.

695
00:32:28,279 --> 00:32:34,819
And the fact is the United
States does have some unique

696
00:32:34,819 --> 00:32:41,392
capabilities that allow us
to carry out, in this case,

697
00:32:41,392 --> 00:32:44,896
a counterterrorism operation
against Mr. Gadahn.

698
00:32:44,896 --> 00:32:50,635
And in this case, the
operation was against an al

699
00:32:50,635 --> 00:32:52,970
Qaeda compound that we know
was frequented by

700
00:32:52,970 --> 00:32:55,039
al Qaeda leaders.

701
00:32:55,039 --> 00:33:00,812
And it resulted in the death
of an al Qaeda leader that

702
00:33:00,812 --> 00:33:02,813
we know posed a threat to
the United States.

703
00:33:02,814 --> 00:33:04,916
In this case, it happened to
be an American citizen who

704
00:33:04,916 --> 00:33:07,284
had been indicted for
treason and for providing

705
00:33:07,285 --> 00:33:08,586
material support to al
Qaeda.

706
00:33:08,586 --> 00:33:10,822
The Press: And you have said
that he wasn't

707
00:33:10,822 --> 00:33:12,189
specifically targeted.

708
00:33:12,190 --> 00:33:15,259
But you also have said and
you repeated here today that

709
00:33:15,259 --> 00:33:17,895
he was an al Qaeda leader
that was known to frequent

710
00:33:17,895 --> 00:33:19,230
this compound.

711
00:33:19,230 --> 00:33:20,765
Given that you didn't have
to go through some of the

712
00:33:20,765 --> 00:33:25,036
legal hoops that would have
had to be approved given --

713
00:33:25,036 --> 00:33:27,872
knowing that this is an
American,

714
00:33:27,872 --> 00:33:30,375
shouldn't you have out of
the abundance of caution

715
00:33:30,375 --> 00:33:32,910
realized that there would be
high probability he would be

716
00:33:32,910 --> 00:33:36,581
in this compound, and then
taken those legal steps?

717
00:33:36,581 --> 00:33:38,448
Mr. Earnest: Let me clarify
one thing about this,

718
00:33:38,449 --> 00:33:46,023
which is that what our
intelligence personnel had

719
00:33:46,023 --> 00:33:51,529
concluded is that this al
Qaeda compound was one that

720
00:33:51,529 --> 00:33:56,234
was frequented by at least
one al Qaeda leader.

721
00:33:56,234 --> 00:33:57,968
I don't want to leave you
with the impression that we

722
00:33:57,969 --> 00:34:02,273
knew specifically that
Mr. Gadahn frequented this

723
00:34:02,273 --> 00:34:04,841
compound, but rather that
this a compound that was

724
00:34:04,842 --> 00:34:06,911
frequented by an al Qaeda
leader,

725
00:34:06,911 --> 00:34:08,813
an al Qaeda leader that
turned out to be

726
00:34:08,813 --> 00:34:10,681
Adam Gadahn.

727
00:34:10,681 --> 00:34:16,754
And so that is -- again, and
that goes to this specific

728
00:34:16,754 --> 00:34:19,357
operation being targeted
against the compound,

729
00:34:19,357 --> 00:34:21,259
not against Mr. Gadahn
personally.

730
00:34:21,259 --> 00:34:23,527
Does that make sense?

731
00:34:23,527 --> 00:34:24,594
The Press: And one last on
him,

732
00:34:24,594 --> 00:34:25,696
and then I have another
question.

733
00:34:25,696 --> 00:34:26,397
Mr. Earnest: Okay.

734
00:34:26,397 --> 00:34:27,197
The Press: Why wasn't he a
high-value terrorist?

735
00:34:27,197 --> 00:34:31,201
This is someone who had been
very vocal in opposition to

736
00:34:31,202 --> 00:34:32,537
the United States.

737
00:34:32,536 --> 00:34:34,471
He tore up his passport on
camera.

738
00:34:34,472 --> 00:34:37,175
He called for specific
attacks on U.S. soil.

739
00:34:37,175 --> 00:34:39,944
Mr. Earnest: I'm not able to
speak to the kind of

740
00:34:39,944 --> 00:34:42,612
classification or the
assessment that led to a

741
00:34:42,612 --> 00:34:45,750
specific classification of
him.

742
00:34:45,750 --> 00:34:49,187
All I can say is that we
have ample evidence to

743
00:34:49,187 --> 00:34:52,255
indicate that he was a
leading figure in the al

744
00:34:52,255 --> 00:34:56,893
Qaeda network, and that the
operation that resulted in

745
00:34:56,893 --> 00:34:59,696
his death made the American
people safer.

746
00:34:59,697 --> 00:35:00,565
The Press: One last one.

747
00:35:00,565 --> 00:35:02,834
When the President spoke
with Prime Minister Renzi on

748
00:35:02,834 --> 00:35:04,435
Wednesday about the drone
strike,

749
00:35:04,435 --> 00:35:07,071
did they also have any
conversations about the

750
00:35:07,071 --> 00:35:10,775
alleged plot against the
Vatican that was

751
00:35:10,775 --> 00:35:12,410
revealed today?

752
00:35:12,410 --> 00:35:14,745
Eighteen potential members
of al Qaeda were plotting

753
00:35:14,745 --> 00:35:16,013
against the Vatican.

754
00:35:16,013 --> 00:35:16,848
Mr. Earnest: I don't believe
that came up in

755
00:35:16,848 --> 00:35:17,915
their conversation.

756
00:35:17,915 --> 00:35:20,017
The Press: Is that something
the President is aware of?

757
00:35:20,017 --> 00:35:21,919
Mr. Earnest: Well, obviously
we've seen the news reports,

758
00:35:21,919 --> 00:35:23,921
but I have not spoken to the
President about this

759
00:35:23,921 --> 00:35:25,623
specific matter today.

760
00:35:25,623 --> 00:35:26,624
Isaac.

761
00:35:26,624 --> 00:35:28,859
The Press: So this is the
first time that an American

762
00:35:28,860 --> 00:35:30,862
civilian has been killed and
an Italian civilian has been

763
00:35:30,862 --> 00:35:31,996
killed in one of these
strikes.

764
00:35:31,996 --> 00:35:35,099
It's not the first time that
a civilian has been killed

765
00:35:35,099 --> 00:35:37,001
-- whether they're nationals
of any of those countries --

766
00:35:37,001 --> 00:35:39,737
women, children, other
people around.

767
00:35:39,737 --> 00:35:42,540
Why was this -- why did the
President feel like he

768
00:35:42,540 --> 00:35:44,842
needed to apologize for this
one?

769
00:35:44,842 --> 00:35:46,143
Mr. Earnest: Well, Isaac,
the President did,

770
00:35:46,143 --> 00:35:49,146
in his NDU speech that he
gave a couple of years ago,

771
00:35:49,146 --> 00:35:52,316
acknowledge that there had
been civilian casualties as

772
00:35:52,316 --> 00:35:54,285
a result of some U.S.

773
00:35:54,285 --> 00:35:58,990
counterterrorism operations.

774
00:35:58,990 --> 00:36:00,156
The President made, in this
instance,

775
00:36:00,157 --> 00:36:06,364
an extraordinary decision to
discuss publicly a number of

776
00:36:06,364 --> 00:36:10,334
aspects of this particular
operation because of the

777
00:36:10,334 --> 00:36:13,136
tragic, unintended
consequence of this

778
00:36:13,137 --> 00:36:18,776
operation -- that is, the
death of Dr. Weinstein.

779
00:36:18,776 --> 00:36:24,448
And the President of the
United States has a special

780
00:36:24,448 --> 00:36:27,051
obligation to the American
people.

781
00:36:27,051 --> 00:36:32,089
And one of the things that
we have indicated about this

782
00:36:32,089 --> 00:36:35,660
operation and this outcome
is that it was particularly

783
00:36:35,660 --> 00:36:39,263
painful because it was an
operation that was geared

784
00:36:39,263 --> 00:36:42,098
toward trying to protect the
American people,

785
00:36:42,099 --> 00:36:44,268
but yet resulted in the
death of an

786
00:36:44,268 --> 00:36:45,970
innocent American.

787
00:36:45,970 --> 00:36:47,971
The tragedy is compounded by
the fact that the

788
00:36:47,972 --> 00:36:52,443
individuals who carried out
this operation were also

789
00:36:52,443 --> 00:36:58,115
involved in the effort to
try to rescue Dr. Weinstein.

790
00:36:58,115 --> 00:37:02,520
So given the circumstances,
the President felt it was

791
00:37:02,520 --> 00:37:07,658
important, again, in pursuit
of accountability and a

792
00:37:07,658 --> 00:37:11,629
desire to live up to the
high standard that he has

793
00:37:11,629 --> 00:37:14,031
set, to talk about this
publicly,

794
00:37:14,031 --> 00:37:16,033
in front of the American
people and in front of the

795
00:37:16,033 --> 00:37:18,202
world; to own up to the
mistakes that were made.

796
00:37:18,202 --> 00:37:20,204
The President of the United
States,

797
00:37:20,204 --> 00:37:22,206
while he didn't personally
order the mission,

798
00:37:22,206 --> 00:37:24,208
takes full responsibility
for it.

799
00:37:24,208 --> 00:37:27,979
And that is consistent with
the kinds of values that the

800
00:37:27,979 --> 00:37:31,082
President believes should be
reflected in our

801
00:37:31,082 --> 00:37:33,084
counterterrorism efforts.

802
00:37:33,084 --> 00:37:34,384
The Press: Are the other
civilians who have been

803
00:37:34,385 --> 00:37:37,688
killed in other strikes not
tragic in the same way?

804
00:37:37,688 --> 00:37:40,224
Mr. Earnest: Of course not.

805
00:37:40,224 --> 00:37:44,629
The innocent loss of life is
a tragedy.

806
00:37:44,629 --> 00:37:48,766
And that is why the
President has insisted upon

807
00:37:48,766 --> 00:37:54,238
a near-certainty standard
prior to counterterrorism

808
00:37:54,238 --> 00:37:56,741
operations being carried
out.

809
00:37:56,741 --> 00:37:59,477
The President insists that
as our counterterrorism

810
00:37:59,477 --> 00:38:02,013
professionals evaluate a
particular mission,

811
00:38:02,013 --> 00:38:05,182
that they assess with near
certainty that civilians

812
00:38:05,182 --> 00:38:07,183
will not be harmed in the
mission before it's

813
00:38:07,184 --> 00:38:08,185
carried out.

814
00:38:08,185 --> 00:38:12,657
And that is, as I've talked
about,

815
00:38:12,657 --> 00:38:14,825
is important when we're
talking about operating in

816
00:38:14,825 --> 00:38:16,794
environments where absolute
certainty is just

817
00:38:16,794 --> 00:38:18,295
not possible.

818
00:38:18,295 --> 00:38:19,130
The Press: One more on this.

819
00:38:19,130 --> 00:38:23,467
Was there any consideration
given to the fact that if

820
00:38:23,467 --> 00:38:26,137
the President comes out and
acknowledges that this was

821
00:38:26,137 --> 00:38:29,340
an American maneuver and
publicly talks about it --

822
00:38:29,340 --> 00:38:32,743
not just the civilians
killed but that the strike

823
00:38:32,743 --> 00:38:35,946
happened on American orders
-- that it would create

824
00:38:35,946 --> 00:38:40,284
blowback on the ground,
maybe incite more violence

825
00:38:40,284 --> 00:38:42,520
from al Qaeda?

826
00:38:42,520 --> 00:38:48,659
Mr. Earnest: Well, I will
say -- I'll point out -- and

827
00:38:48,659 --> 00:38:52,797
many of you have observed --
that there are certain basic

828
00:38:52,797 --> 00:38:56,534
aspects of this operation
that I'm not in a position

829
00:38:56,534 --> 00:39:01,505
to discuss, and part of that
is motivated to trying to

830
00:39:04,208 --> 00:39:07,645
minimize the kinds of
reactions that you're

831
00:39:07,645 --> 00:39:09,647
alluding to there.

832
00:39:10,881 --> 00:39:15,352
But in this case, there's
always that risk.

833
00:39:15,352 --> 00:39:19,123
The President believed that
that risk was outweighed by

834
00:39:19,123 --> 00:39:24,428
the need to be honest and
come clean about what

835
00:39:24,428 --> 00:39:25,429
exactly had happened.

836
00:39:25,429 --> 00:39:29,033
And as the
Commander-in-Chief,

837
00:39:29,033 --> 00:39:31,435
his principal focus, his
most important

838
00:39:31,435 --> 00:39:35,206
responsibility is keeping
the American people safe.

839
00:39:35,206 --> 00:39:38,776
And when an operation is
carried out in pursuit of

840
00:39:38,776 --> 00:39:43,346
that goal that results in
the death of an innocent

841
00:39:43,347 --> 00:39:47,551
American citizen, the
President of the United

842
00:39:47,551 --> 00:39:51,020
States has a responsibility
to own up to it,

843
00:39:51,021 --> 00:39:54,525
and to make sure that we are
drawing upon lessons learned

844
00:39:54,525 --> 00:39:56,527
to try to prevent something
like that from

845
00:39:56,527 --> 00:39:59,697
happening again.

846
00:39:59,697 --> 00:40:00,431
Bill.

847
00:40:00,431 --> 00:40:01,198
The Press: In the NDU
speech,

848
00:40:01,198 --> 00:40:02,866
the President made it very
clear that he wanted to

849
00:40:02,867 --> 00:40:07,638
reduce the number of what he
called "unmanned strikes"

850
00:40:07,638 --> 00:40:10,107
with the troop drawdown,
which he anticipated then

851
00:40:10,107 --> 00:40:14,178
would be over by the end of
2014,

852
00:40:14,178 --> 00:40:15,479
but which we know wasn't.

853
00:40:15,479 --> 00:40:19,450
But how can he still believe
that the unmanned strikes

854
00:40:19,450 --> 00:40:22,720
are effective and necessary,
given the fact that these

855
00:40:22,720 --> 00:40:26,723
two strikes demonstrate that
it's never possible to know

856
00:40:26,724 --> 00:40:28,993
that you're not killing
civilians?

857
00:40:28,993 --> 00:40:31,862
Mr. Earnest: Well, to be
clear about one thing,

858
00:40:31,862 --> 00:40:39,236
is that the strike against
Mr. Gadahn is one that was

859
00:40:39,236 --> 00:40:43,406
carried out with the
near-certainty standard as

860
00:40:43,407 --> 00:40:45,676
it relates to both the
presence of an al Qaeda

861
00:40:45,676 --> 00:40:52,149
leader and innocent
civilians not being harmed

862
00:40:52,149 --> 00:40:54,484
in the operation.

863
00:40:54,485 --> 00:40:56,654
So the fact is, the
President acknowledged in

864
00:40:56,654 --> 00:41:02,026
the NDU speech that innocent
civilians had been harmed in

865
00:41:02,026 --> 00:41:02,993
previous U.S.

866
00:41:02,993 --> 00:41:04,528
counterterrorism operations.

867
00:41:04,528 --> 00:41:07,096
What he also acknowledged in
the speech is that some U.S.

868
00:41:07,097 --> 00:41:09,099
counterterrorism operations
have been critically

869
00:41:09,099 --> 00:41:11,101
important to our national
security;

870
00:41:11,101 --> 00:41:13,103
that they've been effective
in disrupting the command

871
00:41:13,103 --> 00:41:15,439
and control capability of al
Qaeda leaders;

872
00:41:15,439 --> 00:41:19,176
and they have essentially
driven many al Qaeda leaders

873
00:41:19,176 --> 00:41:21,612
underground who are so
fearful for their own

874
00:41:21,612 --> 00:41:24,415
personal security that their
ability to plan and plot

875
00:41:24,415 --> 00:41:27,852
against the United States
has been sharply curtailed.

876
00:41:27,852 --> 00:41:29,420
The Press: But can you
honestly say that these two

877
00:41:29,420 --> 00:41:31,922
strikes were critical to
disrupting al Qaeda?

878
00:41:31,922 --> 00:41:35,826
Mr. Earnest: I can honestly
say that these strikes were

879
00:41:35,826 --> 00:41:39,129
-- that these operations
were successful in terms of

880
00:41:39,129 --> 00:41:43,000
taking al Qaeda leaders off
the battlefield.

881
00:41:43,000 --> 00:41:45,436
These were influential
members of a network that is

882
00:41:45,436 --> 00:41:48,339
actively plotting against
the United States.

883
00:41:48,339 --> 00:41:50,341
And that is critical to our
national security.

884
00:41:50,341 --> 00:41:53,310
The Press: But you can't say
for certain that they were

885
00:41:53,310 --> 00:41:57,281
hatching a plot that was
imminent or critical,

886
00:41:57,281 --> 00:42:00,750
and you didn't know that
there was an American and an

887
00:42:00,751 --> 00:42:03,554
Italian hostage in that one
situation?

888
00:42:03,554 --> 00:42:04,989
Mr. Earnest: It's true, we
did not know -- we were not

889
00:42:04,989 --> 00:42:08,525
aware of -- our intelligence
professionals were not aware

890
00:42:08,525 --> 00:42:09,793
of the presence of those two
hostages.

891
00:42:09,793 --> 00:42:13,464
But we did know that these
two al Qaeda leaders that

892
00:42:13,464 --> 00:42:18,102
were killed in these two
operations were individuals

893
00:42:18,102 --> 00:42:20,904
who did play a prominent
role in an organization that

894
00:42:20,905 --> 00:42:23,440
is actively plotting and
planning against American

895
00:42:23,440 --> 00:42:25,042
interests and the American
people.

896
00:42:25,042 --> 00:42:25,976
The Press: I guess my
question is,

897
00:42:25,976 --> 00:42:28,612
how do you know that
activity in any one compound

898
00:42:28,612 --> 00:42:31,916
constitutes something that
is active plotting and

899
00:42:31,916 --> 00:42:34,585
planning, and not just a
bunch of people hiding out

900
00:42:34,585 --> 00:42:41,125
in a remote part of Pakistan
or Afghanistan?

901
00:42:41,125 --> 00:42:44,161
Mr. Earnest: The
near-certainty standard that

902
00:42:44,161 --> 00:42:46,163
we've described as it
relates to ensuring that

903
00:42:46,163 --> 00:42:48,165
civilians are not harmed in
a counterterrorism operation

904
00:42:48,165 --> 00:42:50,167
also applies to the
determination about whether

905
00:42:50,167 --> 00:42:57,074
or not a compound is related
to people who are involved

906
00:42:57,074 --> 00:43:00,010
in extremist activity.

907
00:43:00,010 --> 00:43:02,880
And as I mentioned before,
as it relates to the

908
00:43:02,880 --> 00:43:07,318
compound that was frequented
by Mr. Faruq,

909
00:43:07,318 --> 00:43:10,154
it had been subjected to
hundreds of hours of

910
00:43:10,154 --> 00:43:14,191
surveillance, including
near-continuous surveillance

911
00:43:14,191 --> 00:43:17,026
in the days leading up to
the operation.

912
00:43:17,027 --> 00:43:19,563
There are other sources of
intelligence that our

913
00:43:19,563 --> 00:43:25,336
professionals can draw upon
to get some insight into

914
00:43:25,336 --> 00:43:28,604
what is exactly happening,
but again,

915
00:43:28,605 --> 00:43:30,574
the standard is not absolute
certainty.

916
00:43:30,574 --> 00:43:33,644
Absolute certainty is just
not possible in that region

917
00:43:33,644 --> 00:43:37,247
of the world given the
remote nature of that

918
00:43:37,247 --> 00:43:41,518
region, given the limited
capabilities of local

919
00:43:41,518 --> 00:43:43,921
forces, and given the risks
that would be associated

920
00:43:43,921 --> 00:43:45,622
with putting U.S.

921
00:43:45,622 --> 00:43:48,591
military boots on the ground
in that region.

922
00:43:48,592 --> 00:43:51,195
So they are operating
against a standard of

923
00:43:51,195 --> 00:43:52,663
near certainty.

924
00:43:52,663 --> 00:43:54,665
But again, as I mentioned
yesterday,

925
00:43:54,665 --> 00:43:59,269
in these two instances those
assessments were correct.

926
00:43:59,269 --> 00:44:01,404
They were successful.

927
00:44:01,405 --> 00:44:05,275
Those operations were
successful in removing from

928
00:44:05,275 --> 00:44:08,412
the battlefield two
influential members of

929
00:44:08,412 --> 00:44:09,413
al Qaeda.

930
00:44:09,413 --> 00:44:11,415
The Press: But by the
standards you expressed,

931
00:44:11,415 --> 00:44:13,851
there's never any guarantee
that there won't be a

932
00:44:13,851 --> 00:44:16,653
civilian casualty of some
kind.

933
00:44:16,653 --> 00:44:19,122
Mr. Earnest: Well, there is
the -- absolute certainty in

934
00:44:19,123 --> 00:44:21,992
these situation is just not
possible given the remote

935
00:44:21,992 --> 00:44:23,994
location that we're talking
about,

936
00:44:23,994 --> 00:44:25,996
given the limited reach of
local authorities,

937
00:44:25,996 --> 00:44:29,733
and given the infeasibility
of putting U.S.

938
00:44:29,733 --> 00:44:31,835
boots on the ground.

939
00:44:31,835 --> 00:44:33,837
Absolute certainty is just
not possible in

940
00:44:33,837 --> 00:44:35,939
that environment.

941
00:44:35,939 --> 00:44:37,975
What is possible and what's
the highest standard we can

942
00:44:37,975 --> 00:44:39,710
set is near certainty.

943
00:44:39,710 --> 00:44:41,945
And the question that is
raised by this tragic

944
00:44:41,945 --> 00:44:46,617
incident is what kinds of
changes, if any,

945
00:44:46,617 --> 00:44:49,520
to our policies and
procedures can ensure that

946
00:44:49,520 --> 00:44:53,223
we are better striking the
balance between taking the

947
00:44:53,223 --> 00:44:55,491
actions using the capacity
that we have to protect the

948
00:44:55,492 --> 00:44:59,430
American people with the
need to live up to the high

949
00:44:59,430 --> 00:45:01,432
standards that the President
has established and that the

950
00:45:01,432 --> 00:45:04,634
American people expect.

951
00:45:04,635 --> 00:45:05,769
Jordan.

952
00:45:05,769 --> 00:45:06,736
The Press: Thanks, Josh.

953
00:45:06,737 --> 00:45:07,938
I wanted to ask you about
the statement that Democracy

954
00:45:07,938 --> 00:45:10,140
for America put out last
night in response to the

955
00:45:10,140 --> 00:45:11,775
President's comments on
trade.

956
00:45:11,775 --> 00:45:14,044
They called his comparison
to Democratic criticism of

957
00:45:14,044 --> 00:45:17,580
his trade agenda "shameful"
because he compared it to

958
00:45:17,581 --> 00:45:19,917
Sarah Palin's comments about
death panels.

959
00:45:19,917 --> 00:45:21,485
They said it was beneath the
President to make

960
00:45:21,485 --> 00:45:22,419
those comments.

961
00:45:22,419 --> 00:45:24,354
What's your response to
that?

962
00:45:24,354 --> 00:45:26,223
Mr. Earnest: I guess I don't
-- I'm not really going to

963
00:45:26,223 --> 00:45:28,459
get into a response to
someone else's response.

964
00:45:28,459 --> 00:45:30,694
I think the President made a
pretty forceful case,

965
00:45:30,694 --> 00:45:33,297
and I'll let his words stand
for it.

966
00:45:33,297 --> 00:45:36,333
The Press: But in general,
he's made some pretty tough

967
00:45:36,333 --> 00:45:40,137
criticisms of Democrats'
views on trade.

968
00:45:40,137 --> 00:45:43,540
So how does he expect to
convince Democratic critics

969
00:45:43,540 --> 00:45:46,509
to come on his side if he's
really kind of taking them

970
00:45:46,510 --> 00:45:49,279
to the woodshed in public?

971
00:45:49,279 --> 00:45:52,649
Mr. Earnest: I think -- I'm
not one to frequently cite

972
00:45:52,649 --> 00:45:56,653
polls from up here, but
there has been a recent CNN

973
00:45:56,653 --> 00:45:58,654
poll, I believe, that
indicated that the

974
00:45:58,655 --> 00:46:01,625
President's approval rating
among liberal Democrats

975
00:46:01,625 --> 00:46:04,828
across the country was not
just 90 percent,

976
00:46:04,828 --> 00:46:08,198
it wasn't 95 percent -- it
was 97 percent.

977
00:46:08,198 --> 00:46:12,269
And I use that figure to
illustrate that the

978
00:46:12,269 --> 00:46:17,040
President has rightly built
up significant credibility

979
00:46:17,040 --> 00:46:19,576
with progressives all across
the country.

980
00:46:19,576 --> 00:46:23,814
And he feels confident in
making the case to them and

981
00:46:23,814 --> 00:46:26,116
to the rest of the American
people that the kind of

982
00:46:26,116 --> 00:46:30,053
agreement that he seeks is
one that is clearly in the

983
00:46:30,053 --> 00:46:32,055
best interest of American
businesses,

984
00:46:32,055 --> 00:46:33,589
American workers, and
American

985
00:46:33,590 --> 00:46:34,591
middle-class families.

986
00:46:34,591 --> 00:46:36,593
The President has got a
strong track record of

987
00:46:36,593 --> 00:46:38,595
fighting for middle-class
families.

988
00:46:38,595 --> 00:46:41,265
And as he pointed out I
think in a pretty direct

989
00:46:41,265 --> 00:46:43,267
fashion a couple of times
now,

990
00:46:45,302 --> 00:46:47,304
the President isn't doing
this because he enjoys the

991
00:46:47,304 --> 00:46:49,306
support of the Chamber of
Commerce;

992
00:46:49,306 --> 00:46:52,609
he's doing this because he
has earned the support of

993
00:46:52,609 --> 00:46:54,611
middle-class families across
the country,

994
00:46:54,611 --> 00:46:56,946
and he's earned that support
by using the authority of

995
00:46:56,947 --> 00:46:59,216
the presidency of the United
States to go and fight

996
00:46:59,216 --> 00:47:00,217
for them.

997
00:47:00,217 --> 00:47:02,219
And whether that is
championing the Affordable

998
00:47:02,219 --> 00:47:05,222
Care Act, championing Wall
Street reform,

999
00:47:05,222 --> 00:47:08,025
trying to advance policies
related to raising the

1000
00:47:08,025 --> 00:47:12,729
minimum wage and paid leave
-- these are policies that

1001
00:47:12,729 --> 00:47:14,330
benefit middle-class
families.

1002
00:47:14,331 --> 00:47:19,636
And it is that same spirit
that motivates him to pursue

1003
00:47:19,636 --> 00:47:22,639
this agreement with 10 other
nations in the Asia Pacific

1004
00:47:22,639 --> 00:47:26,410
region that would benefit
middle-class families in

1005
00:47:26,410 --> 00:47:27,411
this country.

1006
00:47:27,411 --> 00:47:30,380
And we're drawing upon
lessons that have been

1007
00:47:30,380 --> 00:47:33,717
learned from previous trade
agreements.

1008
00:47:33,717 --> 00:47:38,222
There are enforceable
provisions as it relates to

1009
00:47:38,222 --> 00:47:39,223
labor standards.

1010
00:47:39,223 --> 00:47:41,225
There are enforceable
provisions related to

1011
00:47:41,225 --> 00:47:42,625
environmental standards.

1012
00:47:42,626 --> 00:47:45,329
For the first time in a
trade promotion authority

1013
00:47:45,329 --> 00:47:48,198
bill, there are provisions
related to human rights.

1014
00:47:48,198 --> 00:47:50,834
That's why the President can
stand up and say that this

1015
00:47:50,834 --> 00:47:53,569
trade promotion authority
bill is the most progressive

1016
00:47:53,570 --> 00:47:56,073
one that's ever been passed
-- or at least one that

1017
00:47:56,073 --> 00:47:59,308
we're hoping will ever be
passed.

1018
00:47:59,309 --> 00:48:02,012
And so the President has got
a very forceful case that he

1019
00:48:02,012 --> 00:48:02,646
can make.

1020
00:48:02,646 --> 00:48:05,015
And I'm not trying to leave
you with the impression that

1021
00:48:05,015 --> 00:48:09,886
the mind of every Democrat
is going to be changed by

1022
00:48:09,886 --> 00:48:12,522
this, but I am confident
that the President has a

1023
00:48:12,522 --> 00:48:15,926
very persuasive case to make
to Democrats and Republicans

1024
00:48:15,926 --> 00:48:18,228
who are willing to keep an
open mind and willing to be

1025
00:48:18,228 --> 00:48:21,131
focused on the best
interests of middle-class

1026
00:48:21,131 --> 00:48:23,165
families across the country.

1027
00:48:23,166 --> 00:48:23,867
Francesca.

1028
00:48:23,867 --> 00:48:25,469
The Press: Thanks, Josh.

1029
00:48:25,469 --> 00:48:28,071
On a totally different
subject -- climate change.

1030
00:48:28,071 --> 00:48:31,174
A Duke study found that
global warming hasn't

1031
00:48:31,174 --> 00:48:33,744
happened as quickly as
expected,

1032
00:48:33,744 --> 00:48:37,047
and their models show that
natural wiggles -- "wiggles"

1033
00:48:37,047 --> 00:48:40,183
is their word -- can be
large enough to account for

1034
00:48:40,183 --> 00:48:43,387
a "reasonable portion of the
accelerated warming from

1035
00:48:43,387 --> 00:48:48,825
1975 to 2000, as well as the
reduced rate in warming 2002

1036
00:48:48,825 --> 00:48:50,493
to 2013."

1037
00:48:50,494 --> 00:48:53,797
And their conclusion seemed
to stand in stark contrast,

1038
00:48:53,797 --> 00:48:56,300
and potentially undermine,
the President's claims on

1039
00:48:56,300 --> 00:48:59,036
Earth Day that global
warming is a problem right

1040
00:48:59,036 --> 00:49:01,371
now for this generation, and
this generation can't afford

1041
00:49:01,371 --> 00:49:02,372
to wait.

1042
00:49:02,372 --> 00:49:04,374
And I was wondering -- for
your thoughts on that.

1043
00:49:04,374 --> 00:49:06,509
Mr. Earnest: My thoughts are
that the preponderance of

1044
00:49:06,510 --> 00:49:08,545
scientific evidence is on
the side of the President in

1045
00:49:08,545 --> 00:49:09,846
making this argument.

1046
00:49:09,846 --> 00:49:14,184
And the President believes
that to deny the existence

1047
00:49:14,184 --> 00:49:19,222
of climate change is to deny
an observable fact that is

1048
00:49:19,222 --> 00:49:21,992
substantiated by science.

1049
00:49:21,992 --> 00:49:26,563
And there are some who are
involved in politics that

1050
00:49:26,563 --> 00:49:30,233
choose to deny that fact
because it's inconvenient to

1051
00:49:30,233 --> 00:49:33,136
their case and it might be
inconvenient to some of

1052
00:49:33,136 --> 00:49:35,806
their strongest political
supporters.

1053
00:49:35,806 --> 00:49:38,675
The fact is, the President
is demonstrating genuine

1054
00:49:38,675 --> 00:49:44,681
leadership by challenging
the country and world to

1055
00:49:47,484 --> 00:49:52,022
confront this situation and
do it in a way that, again,

1056
00:49:52,022 --> 00:49:55,225
will not just safeguard the
American people.

1057
00:49:55,225 --> 00:49:57,227
Our Department of Defense
has identified climate

1058
00:49:57,227 --> 00:49:59,763
change as a significant
national security priority,

1059
00:49:59,763 --> 00:50:01,765
but also in a way that could
have significant benefits

1060
00:50:01,765 --> 00:50:03,767
for our economy; that
important investments in

1061
00:50:03,767 --> 00:50:08,105
things like solar panels and
solar energy and wind energy

1062
00:50:08,105 --> 00:50:13,577
do stand to yield long-term
benefits for our economy.

1063
00:50:13,577 --> 00:50:16,046
There are good middle-class
jobs to be had in a solar

1064
00:50:16,046 --> 00:50:19,049
panel manufacturing facility
in the United States.

1065
00:50:19,049 --> 00:50:24,287
And we know that as other
countries start to focus on

1066
00:50:24,287 --> 00:50:26,223
this challenge, that there's
going to be a pretty good

1067
00:50:26,223 --> 00:50:28,125
market for solar energy and
a pretty good market for

1068
00:50:28,125 --> 00:50:29,860
wind energy.

1069
00:50:29,860 --> 00:50:32,062
And if we can make the early
investments to capitalize on

1070
00:50:32,062 --> 00:50:35,732
those opportunities, that's
going to have economic

1071
00:50:35,732 --> 00:50:38,067
benefits for generations to
come.

1072
00:50:38,068 --> 00:50:40,504
And the President is
determined to position the

1073
00:50:40,504 --> 00:50:43,339
United States so that we can
capitalize on those trends

1074
00:50:43,340 --> 00:50:45,609
and maximize those economic
benefits for middle-class

1075
00:50:45,609 --> 00:50:47,611
families all across the
country.

1076
00:50:47,611 --> 00:50:49,613
The Press: And another topic
that we haven't had a chance

1077
00:50:49,613 --> 00:50:52,716
to discuss this week is the
Patriot Act reauthorization.

1078
00:50:52,716 --> 00:50:56,319
President Obama has called
for an end to the NSA's

1079
00:50:56,319 --> 00:50:58,422
collection of records in the
past.

1080
00:50:58,422 --> 00:51:01,458
And I just wanted to know if
he supports the legislation

1081
00:51:01,458 --> 00:51:03,794
in the Senate, introduced by
Senate Majority Leader

1082
00:51:03,794 --> 00:51:06,529
McConnell, to reauthorize
the Patriot Act to 2020.

1083
00:51:06,530 --> 00:51:09,399
Mr. Earnest: Well,
Francesca,