57:22 It's a crazy system. Yeah, how about the Trump plane swap? Was that a good one to gin? I love that you got something with this don't you yeah i've got a lot because this was a very entertaining story. Yeah right states and the Iranian back who these carried out separate attacks on shipping vessels near the Strait of Hormuz Now, before the war began about 130 ships per day moved through that waterway. According to Reuters only eight ships traversed the strait within the past week marking a new low. Joining me now CBS News contributor H.R McMaster he was one of four national security advisors to President Trump during his first administration. HR we'll get to the Strait of Hormuz in a second but I've got to ask you
58:10 about the Air Force One misdirection story. You've flown on Air Force One many times, you have a keen understanding of national security threats flying in and out of sensitive areas of the world? How do you evaluate the evasive maneuvers the Secret Service ordered the President to take and those who flew with the president and those who were stuck on the decoy Air Force One?" Yeah hey Major, well you know it seemed like the system worked to me in terms of protecting the president. You know I mean there was a clear connection between the Secret Service and the intelligence agencies that gave the President, I'm sure, or Secret Service the heads up
58:48 You know, it's clear that the Iranians are trying to kill him. I mean this isn't a secret that they've tried to get others to kill him in the past. They released-the RGC released you know a video of patterned life video on on the first lady and and the president son Barron, so So I think that if the system worked in this case in terms of the handoff And I think we just have to remain vigilant because Iran does have a pretty extensive terrorist network, sleeper zone network especially in Europe where they've conducted many assassinations over the years major. So I think the concern was the location that he was in Europe? Yeah and rightfully so. There's an active threat. That's the Major Garrett and...so that was fairly straightforward
59:40 reporting but then you have MSNBC well, MS Now. I just want to say MSNBC got a get a shot collar on that one. One of the officials said another official called the reports of threats against Trump's life is really derived not US generated and viewed as low confidence I wanted to talk to you about this because in part, we're both quite familiar with the vernacular of government. What do you make of that report? What do you make of that Larry? There ya go! It's Pepper and Patty just giving you the what-do-you-make-of-that. And this was very low right because the president is going to hop into a catering van or whatever it was on a low chance of a threat
1:00:23 and kind of what it means about this threat as far as you can suss out. Well, it does seem to be consistent with the view of the CIA with respect to Israeli intelligence of late that you might remember there was reporting that Mr Ratcliffe was not convinced that Israeli intelligence was correct that you could decapitate the Iranian regime with a strike on Khamenei and cause regime change I mean he kind of called it, he kinda called a BS there in the situation room. So this is i think of a piece of his natural skepticism and the skepticism of the professional intelligence analysts at the CIA obviously you and I haven't seen that so we're no position to judge it but again I don't begrudge The Secret Service... Oh no but they MSLB, they are always going to judge! It doesn't matter if they've seen the uh
1:01:08 Lee, any documentation whatsoever. They're going to judge that's their job! That's their job they're judges Yeah yeah obviously you and I haven't seen that so we are in no position to judge it but again i don't begrudge the secret service for being overly cautious and not will be not being willing to take a risk even if there wasn't unanimity about the veracity of the intelligence It's true. What is also true as a president and his close advisors can go back to the Secret Service and say I understand the threat but i need a different plan that what President Clinton did, that clearly not what happened here Let's talk about where we are in this war And I want to go wait a minute Peppermint Patty I think you're wrong about the Clinton Want to hear this one more time? Yeah let's hear it again
1:01:52 It's true. What's also true is a president and his close advisors can go back to the Secret Service and say I understand the threat, but I need a different plan That's what President Clinton did that's clearly not what happened here Let let's talk about where we are in this war. Um, I'm like we need to hear any more about the war I want to go to This clip from PBS news hour How unusual is it for the Secret Service to turn Air Force One and its passengers, to include White House staff, the traveling press into a decoy? As far as we know, the decoy fact of that question has only happened once before. In 2000 President Bill Clinton landed in Islamabad you see there in an unmarked plane after
1:02:34 after Air Force One had landed and a body double who looked like Clinton got off of Air Force One. Did he look like, what is it? Daddy Longlegs the Joey clone that was impersonating him. I think it was somebody who was just fairly close so that way... Was eating a cheeseburger as he walked or something That's what sold it! He had a Big Mac in one hand and a large chocolate shake in the other Okay And probably three hookers following him Hey Jeff, though if you go beyond decoys to include feints or secret trips like George W. Bush's to Iraq the Secret Service has taken steps like that before as for questions today of the vulnerability Of those people who did fly on Air Force One without President Trump Matranga said the bottom lines the Secret Service had to make a trade-off I don't think that anybody intentionally put
1:03:37 you know, the anchors or anyone else of the White House press corps in harm's way. But that was a risk that had to be weighed and at the end of the day we have to look at continuity of American government and quite frankly I don't ask to say this but just to say it is that the president of United States is more important than every single person on that plane Oh, they're not going to want to hear that. They don't want to hear that at all. No the press is gonna be like no we're the most important one ever! Of course they are. Now this is how NPR covered it The reporting contradicts what the White House told the press traveling with the president during a recent trip to Turkey. They were contradicting! Yes And as NPR's Tamara Keith reports, that may have left reporters vulnerable President Trump boarded Air Force One as usual but The Washington Post reports he was then smuggled off the plane in a
1:04:30 catering truck and flew on an entirely different aircraft. An entirely different aircraft, not just a different aircraft! Entirely. Not just the fuselage the wings and everything it could have been a partially different aircraft yes you went on a totally different aircraft I feel like, is there anything from Scott Simon on this stuff? I kind of miss him. We gotta jam him into these shows somehow Darren." He might be your beat you can follow Scott's closely. Alright i'm gonna do that. I'm gonna put that on me. I'm carrying Scott yeah. Huggled off the plane in a catering truck and flew on an entirely different aircraft
1:05:06 NPR hasn't confirmed the report, but journalists and White House aides who unknowingly flew on the decoy plane were firmly instructed to keep their window shades lowered. Later talking to reporters Trump never let on. Were you aware of any credible threat by Iran against Air Force One? I have been threatened all the time! I'm number one on their list That's not a lie! That is no lie He is definitely number 1 It has been well known For all sorts of reasons. Yeah before you but if I go you go, right? I love that whole oh that pissed them off so much when he said But do they not understand it didn't really matter whether he was on the plane or not and these are the same people That are going to be little
1:05:56 The threats against his life yet when he leaves the plane and they're on it all of a sudden these are very credible threats. How dare you leave these other people on this plane? When you knew they were trying to shoot it down Sure, well there all the Butler false flag people right if you're going to be in the White House press corps If you're going to Be one of the few that travels with the president on Air Force One I think Unless you're a complete moron, you have to understand the dangers that are inherent to that job. How would you not? Sure. Like, you know your near guy who has had more assassination attempts I believe or was the at least there were more times that Secret Service actually had to fire on assailants than any other president. Oh no doubt
1:06:52 So, of course if you're around him that might be a little dangerous. So perhaps, perhaps someday you want to change professions. Tamara Keith, NPR News. Senator Richard Blumenthal says he wants to know details about President Trump's travel out of Turkey after a NATO summit. Blumenthal wants to know what the safety calculations were for journalists and others who traveled on Air Force One? And that's why I'd like to know what precautions were taken to make sure that they were safe flying in an airplane that could have been a target of the Iranians with
1:07:32 Missiles or other devices that were capable of baiting the defensive mechanisms on the old Air Force one Blumenthal spoke on CNN. Yeah with all due respect senator blumenthal you're a moron Yeah, he's also the stolen Valor man isn't it? Yes He is You know what I'm surprised at I would think that by now in fact maybe we should get musk on this why hasn't some reporter robots been invented so all these press people can feel safe. They can sit home in their basements and you know, converse with the president watch him while Robbie the robot you know Press Corps guy is he's who cares if he gets blown up? It's okay right? You just have your analog it's like a little walker thing exactly they did a bit like that on The Big Bang Theory which was... Did they? Sheldon as the robot and he couldn't leave the house for some reason I don't remember why
1:08:25 But it could put Grudge's hat on him with the press pass and the headband. Right, all you need is like an iPad for the head You put them on Zoom or something like that Yeah And everything is good Bob's your uncle It just seems to... Yeah So easy This I thought we don't know again Normally covers the of the podcast but Rogan I thought had an interesting take on the Trump decoy Okay, apparently there was this plot where Iran was trying to kill Trump remember when he was supposed to get in the Air Force one that Carter gave him mm-hmm, and then instead he flew in the old Air Force one okay? Well they're saying that he actually didn't even go in the old air force one that they snuck them out on a truck Okay like some fucking
1:09:15 cargo truck, and then put him in another kind of plane and flew them out of there. And then they put the press in Air Force One because they were apparently worried that we're going to target Air Force One as well. So imagine Trump with a press on Air Force One. And they were thinking about possibly targeting them. Holy shit He hid in an airport catering container and by putting him there he means they were there because they we're going to be there Anyway, the only thing that changed was Trump was taken Yes off the plane in the catering thing Genius I know Taylor Swift is used the same thing to get in and out of arenas I wonder how the food wasn't that catering truck prepared from inside their oh
1:09:57 Oh, just might have come out with a lamb shank or something. Just yeah Yeah This is some good stuff great stuff get to a military jet for a secret flight out of the country After the NATO summit last month and this is being reported by The New York Times the thing is though I think they put the press on Air Force One so if they flew him out was because they were worried They were gonna try take down Air Force One And they took the press. If you take the press off, then they know that we're not playing games. Just everything's normal. Exactly! And if the press dies so sad... Oh my god. That's fucking wild. If that is true it is so wild he didn't even tell them hey guys uh we're not really gonna get on this plane No one's getting on this plane Somebody tell Joe that Clinton did the same thing I guess he missed that as well
1:10:51 It's all right, Joe. But you know it's an interesting concept. It is and then they all want to get upset because we were on the plane and we were in harms way it's like well the only difference is whether Trump was on the plane or not? You knew you were going to be on the plane! You signed up for that gig. Hmm...you know you're covering the president, you know you're on Air Force One, you know that has some danger so come on So they can all ask for hazard pay now. They should! If you're covering the president, I'd be like pay me double man Yeah If you got to be anywhere near that guy it could get very dangerous very quick But he doesn't care UFC thing right? Hey gotta go sometime Hey we talked about on the last show He's like I gotta go We all gotta go at some point and Trump in the age that he is i think his understanding
1:11:45 you know, he's there to do a job. And it's hard to put yourself into anybody else issues no matter what. Sure. I think after the Butler thing Trump had a reckoning that if I don't know what his belief system is but if you believe in a higher power at all a bullet literally grazes your ear but does not blow your head off. I think you kind of double down, triple down quadruple down or more on the...I'm here to do a job this is clear and the man or woman upstairs whatever you believe in is looking out for him one would think yeah