MSNBC "All in with Chris Hayes" - Transcript: Interview with Rep. Ro Khanna

Interview

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HAYES: President Trump`s first ever visit with American troops stationed  abroad in a conflict zone came in the wake of the stunning resignation of  his Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and the resignation of Brett McGurk, the  special U.S. envoy in the fight against Isis. Today Trump defended his  decision to pull U.S. forces from Syria and said he no plans to pull troops  out of Iraq though he did not meet with the Iraqi Prime Minister during his  visit.

A surprise trip to a war zone also coincided with a remarkable report in  the New York Times today that details one of the ways Donald Trump dodged  military service back during the era of the draft in Vietnam in 1968. He`s  sketchy diagnosis of bone spurs which kept him from being drafted.  According to The Times, a podiatrist in Queens New York who rented his  office from you`ll never guess, Trump`s dad, made the diagnosis "as a  courtesy to the elder Mr. Trump."

Joining me now, Congressman Ro Khanna of California, Member the House Armed  Services Committee. Congressman, you`re on the oversight committee for  armed services. The President making his first trip to troops in a combat  zone today where he reiterated the idea that troops could go into Syria  from Iraq if need be in the future and that Erdogan has things covered as  far as Syria goes. What do you think?

REP. RO KHANNA (D), CALIFORNIA: Well, I obviously don`t agree with those  details, but any conversation needs to start with this basic fact. The war  in Syria was illegal under U.S. law and under international law. Now,  Democrats, many of us criticized President Trump when he had the serious  strengths a few months ago. We have to be consistent. We have to be  principled and say that the withdrawal is compliant with our law and  necessary. The way he went about that withdrawal was not right.

We should have pressured Erdogan to at least have some agreement not to  invade Syria and protect the Kurds. We shouldn`t have agreed to a patriot  missile sale with them. We should have informed SDF that we were getting  out. But we should be consistent about applauding the withdrawal of our  forces.

HAYES: What do you think about the departure of Mattis and McGurk? The  President saying the following: Brett McGurk who of course was -- had been  a hold up of the Obama administration who I do not know was appointed by  President Obama 2015. Was supposed to leave in February but he just  resigned prior to leaving. Grandstander? The fake news is making such a  big deal about this nothing event.

KHANNA: Well, that`s very concerning that the President who don`t know who  he was. But on Mattis, look, Mattis is someone who has served this country  well. But let`s not be ambiguous about who Mattis was. Obama demoted  Mattis or forced him to retire because Mattis was a hawk about getting into  war in Iran. Mattis has been largely responsible for the war in Yemen. So  I don`t think that we should sort of look at Mattis` departure as some  earth-shattering event.

I think the problem has been that there hasn`t been a coordinated effort of  what`s going to fill the vacuum up of withdrawal. You should have had as  Ben Rhodes your previous guest has said a six-month plan. There should  have been details and coordination with our allies. There should have been more pressure on Erdogan. What we need is someone like George Shultz or Bill Perry or George Mitchell negotiating things and hopefully, he`ll find someone better than Mattis to replace him.

HAYES: You just mentioned the Saudi led war in Yemen which is backed by  the U.S. both in terms of equipment and arms sales and even some targeting  assistance was given them. Mattis was a huge defender. You have been one  of the people in Congress working most doggedly to try to end that. There  is a successful war powers resolution that passed the Senate. The House,  Paul Ryan killed it in the sewer rules maneuver. What happens in the new  year and the Democratic Congress on the Yemen front?

KHANNA: We`re going to pass it. Nancy Pelosi is going to bring up a vote  in January. It`s going to pass the House with Republican support and it`s  going to overwhelmingly pass the Senate. I hope the President will sign  it. There is a humanitarian catastrophe in Yemen. Kids are dying every  ten minutes. We need to stop the bombing and we need to allow food and  medicine. We`re going to make that a huge priority as soon as we`re back  in January.

HAYES: Do you have concerns about the fact there`s an acting now who`s  going to take over a Department of Defense was the deputy of Jim Mattis.  But throughout this administration, there`s a real staffing issue. And you  when you think about what would happen in the -- in the context of an  emergency, like a genuine national emergency, does it worry you at all?

KHANNA: It does that. And we saw the consequences of that in this  withdrawal in Syria. The details on these things actually matter. Even if  the instincts and gut is right to withdraw troops, it matters how you`re  negotiating with Erdogan. It matters what you`re telling SDF. It matters  if you can get Iran and Russia to the table with Turkey and have a  complicated negotiation. And that`s why usually presidents who succeed in  negotiation have huge teams with them and they have people who work with  them with expertise. And that`s what`s been missing in this  administration.

HAYES: All right, Congressman Ro Khanna, thanks for taking some time.  Wild swings in the stock market as the administration indulges some truly  bizarre behavior. The President versus economics, next

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