CNN "The Situation Room" - Transcript: Senator Angus King on ISIS and Syrian Refugees
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BLITZER: Yes, on Friday night, that concert hall in Paris, that's where an American rock band was playing. And you're right. Most of the people killed in those terror attacks were young people attending that rock concert with an American band performing.
Jim Sciutto, stand by.
I want to bring in Senator Angus King. He's a key member of the Senate Intelligence and Armed Services Committees.
Senator, thanks, first of all, for joining us. You have been well-briefed.
Can ISIS really do what they are threatening to do in these propaganda videos that they release, go after targets in Times Square, Herald Square, New York, the White House, monuments here in Washington?
SEN. ANGUS KING (I), MAINE: Well, I think the first thing to say is just what the director of the FBI said, which is, we have no credible intelligence. It's basically threats at this point.
[18:15:07]
But we don't know what they can do. I mean, we know that around July 4, they planned some of these attacks, and the FBI did a fantastic job, arrested 60 people who are now awaiting trial, but who were sympathetic with ISIS.
Here is the problem, Wolf. It's not necessarily importing people from Europe or from the Middle East into America. They have been radicalizing our own people through the Internet and through communications, texts and other things. And they may just -- all they have to do is say, OK, now is the time, go get your automatic rifle and head to Times Square.
That's the toughest thing for us to counter act, because there is no plot, if you will, to thwart. On the other hand, we have, as the FBI has shown, pretty good knowledge and access to a lot of these people. The answer to your question is, there can't be any guarantees. I think that's obvious, but we are, we do have a lot of assets that are being deployed right now.
BLITZER: So, what you're saying is that ISIS has, what, sleeper terrorist cells all over the United States that could be activated at any time to go out and commit these terror attacks?
KING: The FBI has investigations of terrorism going on in every single state of the union right now.
BLITZER: And what? And these individuals potentially could be alerted through social media or encrypted communications, this is the time, go do something?
KING: That's right. It would be what I call a terrorist APB. They send out a -- they don't -- it's somewhere between directed and inspired.
And in Paris, it was directed. That was a plot. But it could also be inspired, where they may not even know the names of the people. They just know that there are people they are communicating with on social media in Kansas City or San Diego or Chicago and give the word.
And we have seen some of those plots. Remember, there was one down in Garland, Texas, where the two guys came at the Muslim -- anti- Muslim rally and they were killed by the local police. But we know that those people are out there. And we're just going to have to keep after them day by day and we're going to have to focus on where the real threats are.
BLITZER: Yes, the nightmare is this encrypted communications capabilities that they apparently have as well.
Senator, we have more to discuss, including that.
Senator Angus King of the Intelligence Committee remains with us.
We will take a quick break, much more right after this.
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[18:22:14]
BLITZER: We're back with Senator Angus King of the Intelligence Committee.
But we're also following breaking news on the terror attacks in Paris, including the death of the mastermind behind attacks. We're also getting now for the first time the first image of the suicide bomber who blew herself up during Wednesday's raid.
Also just coming into THE SITUATION ROOM, word that the search is now expanding from France into Belgium, but now into the Netherlands, as authorities hunt for the fugitive eighth terrorist from last Friday's Paris attack, Salah Abdeslam. There he is, 26 years old, a French national.
We're back with Senator Angus King.
Senator, the European intelligence services, the French, the Belgian, some of these other intelligence services, I have heard from many U.S. experts they seem to be overstretched, overwhelmed right now. Is that what you're hearing?
KING: Yes, absolutely.
I think they are. I think the combination of the terrorist activity, a lot of people, by the way -- there is an apprehension that this is al about Syrian refugees. Most of these people you have been talking about today are citizens of France and Belgium. They have been there for years. But they are overstressed. And one of the problems is, I don't know if the Europeans consider it a problem, but you can move so easily within Europe. There are literally no borders. There are no checkpoints. You don't have to show a passport. You can drive from Hungary to Sweden, crossing the channel, of course.
So, that's one of the things that makes it easier for people to move around and harder to be keeping track of them.
BLITZER: Well, France, the president, Francois Hollande, the president of France, said he is going to -- over these next three months, these emergency decrees, he's going to do something at the borders, because you're absolutely right. For years, you could drive around Europe like you drive around the United States.
You can go from Michigan to Indiana or whatever without border controls or any checkpoints or anything like that. This visa waiver program, I know you're concerned about it. It's been around now for a long time. Citizens of friendly countries like France or Belgium, Germany, Britain, they can come to the United States as tourists, as business men and women and simply come in without a whole lot of checking. They don't need special visas.
KING: That's right.
And that's -- and I see that as our major vulnerability. There is a lot of talk about the Syrian refugees. Since 2011, 2,000 refugees have come in. Visa waiver last year, 20 million entries to the United States.
BLITZER: From countries that have visa waiver programs with the United States.
KING: Thirty-eight countries around the world, but they include the European countries.
And so that's where I think there is some real work to be done.
BLITZER: What work needs to be done? Do away with it?
KING: Well, I don't know if we need to do away with it. But we certainly need to tighten up standards and we need to be sure that the European countries are doing the proper background work.
Here's the problem.
BLITZER: But they are overwhelmed already, the Europeans.
[18:25:00]
KING: And perhaps we should pause it. I'm not sure yet what the answer is, but I'm trying to gather the data.
But when I heard that number of 20 million, that's a pretty shocking figure. And that's where I think we need to be concentrating our attention.
BLITZER: Which way are you going to vote? This House measure passed overwhelming today to put a pause on the refugees coming into the United States from Syria and Iraq. It's going to come to the Senate. How are you going to vote?
KING: I'm going to take a look at it. I probably will vote against it.
I'm suspicious of bills that are introduced on Tuesday and passed on Thursday. That's almost a definition that it didn't get proper consideration. And, again, why are we focusing on 2,000 people in the last three years and not on 20 million last year? Let's focus our attention on where the real problem is.
One of the bills that was put in today, bipartisan bill in the Senate, would say anybody who has been to Syria or Iraq in the last five years, no visa waiver. Now, then the question is, how good is the data in Europe?
BLITZER: Because, if you're a terrorist, you're going to lie. You're going to say, I have never been to Syria.
KING: And that's where it falls down. Our -- the visa waiver program is only as strong as the weakest link. And if there are weaker links in Europe, then it isn't going to work.
BLITZER: Senator King, thanks very much for coming in.
KING: Yes, sir.
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