>> brennan: welcome back to "face the nation" we're joined by former actor director of cia and senior national security director, michael morell and former deputy secretary of state william burns. thank you, both, for being here. >> thank you. >> thank you. brennan: i want to start with the mediate crisis around syria. mike, you know the general who clearly knows what is happening on the ground. he was slight in what he said. his frustration in terms of the promise made to the kurds is clear. how much of a loss to u.s. intelligence is it to have this pull out from northern syria. >> the kurds were doing a number of things for us. they were fighting isis for us in a very significant way.

that is now lost. they were also collected intelligence for us, giving that to us so we could use it in our fight against isis and the other side of the border, what the iraqies were doing. i don't know if we have lost that, i bet you we have or it's at significant risk. >> brennan: who pw *epbt benefis besides isis. >> isis and russian. they get the intelligence now. the syrian regime benefits. the biggest winner here is isis. >> brennan: bill, you have negotiated with erdogan. typically it's a rule that there is leverage in a negotiation. when vice president pence went to turkey this week he promised to lift u.s. sanctions. he seemed to promise the u.s. allies would with draw from this area as well.

was this a negotiation or as some say a surrender. >> i think there was a smart w . we had modest leverage in northeast seer ya. i think we chose the dumb way. we gave aware our leverage. and in a negotiated cease fire we threw the kurds under the buss and essentially gave erdogan what he wanted. the president calls this is a great deal. i hate to see the bad one. the winners are not only the turks and the russians but the iranians and i'm afraid ultimately isis that will revive is self on which it tkhraoeufbs. >> brennan: is this hyperbolic in some ways that american influence has diminished because of the one decision. >> i don't think so at all. you have all what had bill says

in the middle east. there is a broader message to the entire world. two things. one might makes right. that you can accomplish with violence differences between countries. that is not an american interest to have that view in the world. the other is the american word, right the american guarantees we provide to people are not worth anything. that at the end of the day will strengthen people like china and russia who will come in behind us and make promises they can'to hear the general say, there was a understanding that america gave their word there. i want to switch to another topic. you know personally many diplomats going to capitol hill and behind closed doors given testimony on what has happened with ukraine. you were scathing in a op ed that you wrote in terms of secretary pompeo. you said was derelict in his

stkaout he's not protecting his diplomat. he took a shot at you this morning and said you're auditioning for a roll in the next administration as elizabeth warren's secretary of state. is that what you're doing? >> no, my expression was not in politics. i served presidents of both parties, proudly. my concerns are built hollowing out of american diplomacy. however you manage. that sidelines, not standing up for your people when they're unfairly accused and intangible ways. when president trump was asked about being concerned about senior vacancies in the state department. he said no not really, i'm the only one that matters. that's a diplomacy of that are .

>> brennan: when people on the outside hear the president saying this is state bureaucrats being sidelined. what is important about doing this professionally? what is lost when you have a president's friend intervene as you did with rudy guiliani and gordon sumland. >> it's true. what we see now is career public servants like the ambassador fulfilling their obligation to tell the truth when they're asked by congress and their doing it honorably and with their heads held high. that's a pretty contrast to the behavior of the president and people around him who are doing a good job of cong their own sense of decency now. >> to add, margaret, expertise, knowledge and experience are

extraordinarily important in making the decisions in government. that's what is loss by not relying on these people. >> brennan: the intelligence community has been accused by this president for being disrupting. he didn't like it, and they pushed back. that's the president's narrative around this. the attorney general launching this investigation into the origins of the russian probe which concluded definitively it was russia that medaled in the 201 election seem to be expanding this probe. >> right. brennan: what is the impact of this on the intelligence community? >> i think thatk the trump campaign and the russians is okay in one respect and not okay in another. the respect it's okay is taking a look at what the intelligence committee did and answer the question was it done by the

book, a legal perspective. was it consistent with statute. that's okay with me. what isn't okay is putting the analysis under a spot like and say did they get that right. it's not okay for two reasons, to me. one the justice department has no experience, no knowledge of, no particular perspective to bring to bear on analysis. they're likely to get the answer wrong because their standards of making a judgment are very very very different from the intelligence community standards. i think there will be an affect on hire lawyers before they sit down with a department of justice prosecutor. there is a question about making a hard call in the brennan and m clapper have confirmed they have been approached to answer the

questions. >> yes. brennan: are you saying this is political and not legitimate? >> so, there are questions, right. there are questions whether the intelligence community and the fbi did the right thing. from a legal perspective i think it's okay to look at that and put that issue to rest. i don't like looking at a signal sis, that's a completely different issue. >> brennan: last word here. ambassador, mike brought up all of these people going out to hire lawyers and defend their position. do you see thises is a long term hit to the national security architecture of this country? >> it is. i think it's really taking a career on career public servants and expertise, as michael said. this is a precise moment when the united states needs to rely on this expertise. more than any other time. we're on a competitive international landscape and digging a deep hole for ourselves now. >> brennan: thank you very much

when you humble yourself under the mighty hand of god, in due time he will exalt you. hi, i'm joel osteen. i'm excited about being with you every week. i hope you'll tune in. you'll be inspired, you'll be encouraged. i'm looking forward to seeing you right here. you are fully loaded and completely equipped for the race that's been designed for you.

>> brennan: we turn now to our political panel for some analysis. we know you need it, it's been a busy week. susan davis of npr. jamal simmons the host of "the remedy" on hill tv. congratulations a new cbs news political contributor. >> thank you. brennan: welcome to the family. michael steel a republican strategist and paula reid a white house correspondent for

cbs keeping an eye on the justice department. paul a you're a lawyer. >> recovering. brn: this week when muvaney went to the podium. today he's walking it back. >> democrats have taken criticism for holding hearings end closed door and not in the public's ear. then they got the best witness imaginable not only publicly but nationally. not only did he confirm the qui quo pro. he has walked back. that's a significant blow to the impeachment defense and muddied the waters of the durham review. that is under scrutiny as to whether this is a review of tkpwalgtering fact or give the president a political win. democrats couldn't of asked for a better witness than mulvaney.

today he tried to deny a qui quo pro. i went back through the transcript. he was asked repeatedly are you saying this was tide in the investigation. he said, yes.>> bnnan: the doj e what they heard and issued a statement. >> yes. i have other comments i can't say on tv. they were live i did. they know the durham review, there is skep civil and barr -- to have the waters muddied they were not happy. >> brennan: you have adam schiff leading the investigation. he said mul mulvaney took it frm bad to worse and a gift to him. does this move the needle politically. >> yes, i think to paula's point this happened on public television. the problem is the democrats have had to make this to the public. we know this is linked from democrats on the committee or those giving it to us. there has been some 55 hours of

testimony last week. we don't know a lot of that. when the public moments happen certainly mulvaney helped the democrats case. it blew up thee weeks of republican messaging on public hill. that left them scrambling to defend their behavior. >> brennan: that's not the first time that has happened, michael. >> no. brennan: for republicans to adapt to the changing talking point. does it matter? >> of course it makes it much more difficult to stand by the president when he admits there is a qui quo pro. the administration admits a qui quo pro. i think this highlights the weakness of hemocrat efforts. because it's behind closed doors and not making a public case. impeachment is a political exercise. they're not telling the public why it needs to happen. >> brennan: which republicans are going to back away?

>> that's a very difficult question. i think a lot of the smartest republicans, in the senate, are sticking with what he did was it doesn't rise to a level of itch peachment. that's a position they can defend until the next shoe drops. >> brennan: the calv caveat beig key. jamal, we also had other democratic attempts to remove the president from office. anything moving the needle on the debate stage we have watched. >> the debate, the debates moved the needle for a couple of candidates. pete did something very well in the debate stage. he stood up for american honor and integrity. the national security defense on that stage, i thought very strong. amy has had a moment. it was tough for her. she doesn't have the money. to catch lightening you have to

have a pot will. she doesn't have much of one. she will have trouble voting up. what michael just said, the difference between what the republicans say trump did something wrong was not impeachable. democrat did this with bill clinton in office. the difference is bill clinton went television and said what i did was wrong. he took accountability and that gave democrats the ability to go out and say that without being in trouble with the white house. that's not the rule here with the republicans in the senate, in the house, with the president. if i was the white house, they don't pay me for advice, they need a war room fast to coordinate messaging, they need someone to stand at the podium or some part of the complex and give people the facts from the white house perspective or someone else will catch the case. >> brennan: we have to take a quick break. regroup and come back with more from our panel. stay with us.

standing up for what's right.

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capitol hill with the passing of elijah comings, a giant in washington. on a human level i think he was what fewer members of congress are. profound respect across the political spectrum. you had democrats, nancy pelosi saying they lost a north star for the party. you heard a praise from republicans who he did hardcore hand to hand combat with. on a practical political level democrats have lost one of their best chairmen. a chairman leading the impeachment investigation. beyond impeachment oversight of the committee he ran from the treatment of chirp at the border, to the cost of prescription drugs. core democratic issues he was a player. figuring out who will fill the roll is hard for democrats. the speaker of house will lie in

state this week. that doesn't happen often. the last was john mccain. it's a testament to his life and legacy, being given that honor. >> jamal, your family knew him. >> yes. he was a close member to my wife's network and moan tore. i interviewed senator -- this week. he said there were tears in the caucus, the democratic caucus in the meeting after he passed away. there is a real loss, not only there but he was a bridge hehree members of thea squad on the government oversight committee. he kind of was mentoring them. he was a voice the new guard to. the democrats have lost a big voice. >> he was a friend to the show. i know we remembered him this

week. when it came to the job he was doing this moment i think you, jamal, said he was signing subpoenas the day he died. >> the night before he asked the staff to come up, he was signing documents. >> we know one of the stories nick mulvaney brought to the public eye this week was the decision to bring the g7 world leaders to the president's golf course, next year. last night that was reversed. it didn't take house oversight to stop it from happening though. why -- >> they definitely would have tried. >> brennan: why the reversal. >> this is the first big high profile reversal i have seen from president trump. something he was committed to thinauseebiisanush back on ininf explanations tor these the

hospitality industry is disturbing. >> this morning the white house is deferring to the president's tweet. it effectively says democrat in the media were upset. since when is that his philosophy. we know this is a political calculation. the president noted the idea at the g7 this year. white house officials said he wouldn't do that without i invetting. they understand the legal and ethical concerns. they put it out this week. they decided without the republican support this was preferable to the fight. >> brennan: the president says he doesn't back down. does the fact that he did on this means that he's worried that republicans are not there. >> he he's fighting on syria and ukraine. he needs to keep the support of the senate republicans.

this is a fight he didn't want to have. >> they searched the entire country. this is the only place they could find. very dick cheney. he was the only vice president that george bush could find. the hotels function to the presidential tip jar. there is a place you go, stay in washington, the president knows you stay this before you have your meeting at the white house. also if you are now a foreign leader, you come and stay at a presidential hotel you're in the airport. it's where the money is put in the presidencies jar and then do business. >> brennan: president claims it was not going to be for profit. that's what was sked from the podium. >> they had no explanation to determine the cots were that should be donated or pass to the president. the idea that the president's n. he has taken a hit on his

personal business since come to get white house. >> brennan: i want to ask the charge of clinton, a 2020 candidate later confirmed was some how working for russia. why did she say that. >> you know, it's often hard to know what the clinton's are up to and how they think about things. what maybe true though she is worried about something happening to the democratic nominee that she feels happened to her in 201. she's willing to sacrifice herself to raise the questions very early to preempt what the attacks maybe. kelsey has a big following on the internet and more progressive voices in the party. they didn't take this laying down. they came at clinton pretty hard. now we're talking about it on "face the nation." >> brennan: they came out swinging and hard. >> yes. she has struggled in the

democratic presidential primary. it was a bizarre attack, bizarre news leak, and then the clinton attack to a member of her own party. there is a underlying truth if you listen to all of the intelligence officials and more there are on going efforts of the 2020 election. it's a present threat. i think clinton could be a voice on. that how she stepped out to use it, is a b

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narratorin a home fire,lls give youyou may have lessf action. than two minutes to get out. so when you drill show everyone two ways out of the house, pick a safe meeting spot, and get there in under 2 minutes. then practice home fire drills at least twice a year. you can even make them fun, so everyone knows the sound and exactly what to do when they hear a smoke alarm. go to ready.gov/firedrill and learn how to prepare your family for home fires. >> brennan: there are a few things left not political in this town. the world series is one of them. more vital is the public democrd republicans in office. they have stepped into the public light for the crisis. they warn their particular non

partisan brand of patriotism is in danger. this week and last diplomats were stuck between defying a white house order not to answer questions or ignoring the congression alg subpoena. each spoke out first. a respected ambassador says she had nothing to do with the ukrainian scandal and may of had her career cut short because of that. one of the men working on that project ambassador gordon sunland said he felt bad about it and even he, a president friend, thinks the professional should have been left in charge. mark pompeo, mckinley said he quit in part because in part nobody defended public servants like maria. with mortem this week it maybe worth listening to the quiet voices who have issued a warning. mixing politics and foreign

policy comes at a cost. that personal benefit shouldn't be confused >> brennan: that's it for us today. we'll see you next week. for "face the nation," i'm thank you to the jones day law firm for the facilities here on capitol hill. until next week for "face the nation" i'm margaret brennan. captioning sponsored by cbs captioned by media access group at wgbh access.wgbh.org

president trump bows to criticism. next year's g-7 summit will not be held at his florida golf resort. >> at doral, we have a series of magnificent buildings. >> this as the white house struggles to explain another about-face. >> but i never said it was a quid pro quo, but there isn't. also tonight, u.s. troops roll out of syria, leaving america's kurdish allies to fight for themselves as the cease-fire is set to end. accid multiple soldiers at an army base in georgia. plus technology and the future of work. why truckers and everyone else should buckle their seat belts. and throwing a bunch to knock out cancer. >> and the winner -- >> let's just say you don't want

to fight a cancer survivor.