CNN "The Situation Room" Transcript: Middle East

Interview

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BLITZER: Brian Todd reporting. Thanks very much.

Joining us now, a member of the House Armed Services Committee, Democratic Congressman John Garamendi of California.

Congressman, thanks very much for joining us.

I want to get to the discussion of what Russia and Turkey may be up to in a moment. But quickly your response to what President Obama said today. He was very clear that there's no specific credible intelligence, he said, of a terrorist plot -- those were his words -- to the U.S. homeland.

But how high is that threat level potentially to the homeland right now?

REP. JOHN GARAMENDI (D-CA), ARMED SERVICES COMMITTEE: Well, we used to have the amber and then orange and then red. Now we have these words.

I think it's in all of our interest to be very aware -- aware of our surroundings, aware of what's going on. Be aware of what's going on in our neighborhood or in our apartment building. And see something, say something.

I think that's where the president was taking this homegrown, some sort of an individual who is troubled or perhaps radicalized or just crazy engaged in some sort of activity. I think that's really the concern that all of us have.

As to a plot emanating from ISIS, the intelligence is probably correct about that. But nonetheless, all of us ought to be aware. We ought to be looking over our shoulder.

BLITZER: Explain this, if you can, a lot of viewers have asked me this question. ISIS releases these sophisticated propaganda videos that specifically say we're going after Times Square, or Herald's Square in New York City where Macy's is or going after the White House or Washington monuments and their track record and what they say they're going to do is pretty good.

Why isn't that considered a specific, credible threat?

GARAMENDI: Well, it's more than just a video. You're going to have to have the people there, you have to have the communications, all of those things. And that's where they come down to credible, the word credible.

Nonetheless in all of those areas you'll notice heightened police activity, other kinds of security going on. Because the local police as well as the federal government is aware that those are targets and therefore hire security in those areas. The same as you've reported earlier in all of the terminals, airport terminals, bus and train terminals. So, all of those things are the most likely targets.

But once again the most likely is a homegrown terrorist, possibly could be somebody that came in on a visa waiver out of Europe. But that's probably something that we would know about.

BLITZER: Somebody who might have been inspired by these ISIS videos --

GARAMENDI: Exactly.

BLITZER: -- on social media.

I know that's a huge concern right now.

Congressman, we have more to discuss including this latest rift or battle -- whatever you want to call it -- developing between Putin and Erdogan in Turkey. Much more right after this.

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BLITZER: Welcome back.

We're joined once again by the Democratic Congressman John Garamendi of California, member of the House Armed Services Committee.

Congressman, I'm going to show you an animation, show it to our viewers as well, of what the Russian warplane did. This is the border. Take a look at this between Syria and Turkey. There's a small little sliver, less than two miles at the southern tip there that Russian plane, if you believe the Turks, they went through that little area in 17 seconds, that was it.

Here's the question: Was Turkey justified in using an air-to-air missile to shoot down that SU-24?

GARAMENDI: I guess it depends whether you're a Turkish or a Russian. At this point, both would say certainly Russia say no and Turkey would say yes.

BLITZER: But what do you think?

GARAMENDI: I'm not in a position to answer that question.

The thing that we do know is, this is not good at all in the effort to get after ISIS. We have to have all of these countries heading in the same direction, working in the same goal of doing away with ISIS.

[17:20:02] And this is clearly a very, very serious diversion from that, what really needs to be done here.

And neither Erdogan or Putin are fools. They're very smart. They are certainly strong, but they're not foolish. And they, I think, understand that it's not in the interest of either country to see this escalate.

Certainly, Russia wants to push back. They want to have recognition that they were wronged and they may never get that.

But at the end of this -- or everyone at the beginning of this process: who is the real enemy here? Is Turkey going to be invading Russia? No, not really, not at all. But ISIS is a clear threat to Russia.

BLITZER: Certainly is. It's a clear threat to the whole world. I would go even further than that.

As you know, the Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov he said this looked from Russia's perspective, very much his words, like a planned provocation. And the Russians now say there will be serious consequences to what Turkey did.

What do you expect Russia will do now to retaliate, if you will? They may have been irritated at the Turkish government for bringing down that plane, but I think they were more irritated at those ethnic Turks inside Syria who shot and killed one of the pilots as he was parachuting from that downed warplane?

GARAMENDI: Well, they certainly should be. I mean, that was horrendous. That was certainly uncalled for and frankly it's a war crime.

But beyond that is Turkey responsible for those Turkmen that were in Syria that shot at that pilot? You know, that's a connection that's going to be very difficult for Russia or anybody else to make.

However, this is a very dangerous part of the world. Now, the United States does have a memorandum of understanding with Russia with regard to their airplanes, both America and Russia flying within Syria, but not within Turkey.

So, what we need to do here is to -- everybody take a step back and say what is our real goal here? Is our goal to fight amongst ourselves? Or is our goal to deal with the Syrian civil war, get that negotiated and those are the negotiations that are going on in Vienna. And then get ISIS.

Now, that's a common goal of all three of these countries, United States, Russia and Turkey.

So, keep in mind the price. Keep in mind the goal. These kinds of incidents are terrible. They're certainly disruptive. But they cannot become a game changer. And the end game itself.

BLITZER: Here's what a U.S. officials and analysts have expressed concern to me about. Now, I'll run the scenario by you, Congressman.

GAREMENDI: Sure.

BLITZER: That Russia now retaliates against those ethnic Turks, the Turkmen, as they're called, inside Syria for killing that Russian pilot as he was parachuting down. The Turks have warned the Russians don't go after their fellow Turks in Syria. If the Russians start bombing those positions big time, will the Turkish F-16s and other warplanes go after those Russian planes even if the Russian planes don't invade Turkish air space?

GARAMENDI: Neither Erdogan or Putin are fools. They're smart men. They know what the consequences are for any action. And I suspect certainly Putin is a chess player and he's thinking about the second, third, fourth move out there. And Erdogan is probably too and certainly their advisers are.

And while Russia clearly would like to have some sort of revenge, if you will, to create a war situation or a hot war with Turkey is not within either countries' interests and certainly isn't in the United States' interests. So, we can't be diverted.

And so, I'm certain the United States diplomatic and military leadership are talking to both parties and say, listen, we've got a much more important goal here than to fight amongst ourselves. There may be some sort of retribution. Maybe there will be a payment. There certainly should be from it'd seem to me that there can be something worked out here in which both countries can save face and move back to the core mission.

BLITZER: Let's see if they can calm things down. But a lot of people are concerned. Everyone is very, very nervous right now.

GARAMENDI: Certainly.

BLITZER: Congressman Garamendi, thanks very much for joining us.

GARAMENDI: Thank you.

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