Contributes to the challenge. But this my friends is of immediate danger and were going to have to use our best capabilities and senses in order to prevent what could be a catastrophic event because they do not think like us. Finally china is the only country in the world that has a significant influence on north korea. We should expect the chinese to break the activities of the roe fund ruler in pyongyang. I would tell the chinese to tell the north koreans, if you go to developing a missile that will hit north america, youre going to regret it and were going to stop it. Do you know anything about north korea . This guy is nuts. Killed half brother. Shot uncle with antiaircraft gun. Plenty of family issues. Grandfather claims to have beaten the thats where they lost me as a regime. Heres what i think. I think we would be nuts to allow a crazy man the ability to develop a missile to deliver a bomb he already has to your homeland. I dont want conflict any more than you do, but best way to avoid conflict is intervene before its too late. If youre so afraid of conflict, youre going have it. Ayatollah is a vicious nazi, what do about the Iranian Nuclear program. Anybody that has a missile that writes on the side of it death to israel, i dont want them to have it. President trump has north korea right. I would tell the chinese if you tell this guy to stop missile program, thats provocative act against our country and he will regret it and mean it when you say it. And will be repercussions with china because of failure to act. Noah, student at gw asked to not use last name because Family Member in the military. Question about isis. Are the attempts to defeat isis, obviously not succeeded thus far. And some suggested well never defeat isis unless we commit troops to wartorn regions. As military kid this idea brings back memories and less than pleasant and fears for the safety of members in the military. My question is are boots on the ground necessary to defeat isis . If so, how complete objectives keeping troops safe . Great question. Theyre necessary. Said three years ago on cnn, apparently nobody listening, needed 10,000 u. S. Forces to help destroy isil. Not 100,000. About the same to take raka back from isil in syria. Anybody told you what winning looks like in war on terror . In world war ii, we took berlin and tokyo. If youre in the military, cant promise you wont be redeployed. Need more troops in afghanistan, not less. If lose there, pay a heavy price because thats where started. The enemy we didnt have one soldier in afghanistan, dime of aid and attacked anyway. Why . Because radical islam in compelled by god to kill everyone in this room. If i can think of way to not send soldiers i would but choose to fight in their back yard and not ours. Its not a war against islam but a war against nut jobs. Bottom line is sir your Family Members may have to go back. I can tell you only reason 3,000 of us died on 9 11 instead of 3 million, couldnt get the weapons and best insurance policy is having it over there. The pentagon is having changes in how Counterterrorism Missions are approved. Military commanders could greenlight without the president s approval. Are you okay with this . Not only okay, i think if we trust these individuals with command then should trust their judgment, particularly in quickly evolving situations. I had a lot of criticisms of the obama conduct for the last eight years, particularly the micromanagement of military and its operations. And you have to if you give these people positions of responsibility, then you hold them responsibility responsible. But i really believe dana that we have to have more latitude in the field to succeed. In afghanistan after all these years is a quote, stealemate an still dont have we have to give military leadership the power. He served in the army for 25 years and Service Included every major conflict including kuwait, bosnia, afghanistan and iraq. In iraq he lost both legs above the knee and normal use of right arm in ied attack. Colonel. Good evening. Thank you senators for the opportunity to ask these questions, thank also for your service. Given the past 15plus years of war, how do we assure the military has the resources to institutionalize the lessons that weve learned . Particularly with Wounded Service members and their families . Well, sir, thank you are for your service, youre what america is all about, and cant tell you admiration and appreciation that your fellow citizens have for you. Youve kept us safe and we thank you. It was micromanagement from the National Security council staff, most of whom had never heard a shot fired in anger. Thats one of the reasons why we have a stalemate today in afghanistan. We have to give the military what they need. Cut by some 21 in the last six years. Planes not flying, ships not sailing and guns not shooting because weve shorted the military and weve got to give them what they need. And second of all i think you would share my views. Leadership of the military and National Security apparatus are those tested as you have been and as you were. They really have the experience and knowledge and background and we can have great confidence in their leadership. Thank you again. And to the veterans, every veteran out there seeking health care should have two sources. Va system and if they dont like it, go to local doctor and hospital and rest us will pay for it. Competition is the best thing that could happen to you. Veteran not well served by va and lot of great people in the va, should have a card to go wherever i want to go to get services in local community. And rest of us sitting on the sidelines are going to pay for it and shouldnt complain about it because they deserve it. About the military, headed to the Smallest Army since 1940, does that make sense . Smallest navy since 1915, how pivot to asia with navy that small. Applaud President Trump for understanding the needs to rebuild the military. You need to talk to john about his plan. But i want to waend this thought, as hawkish as i am and not hawkish, just realistic. Dealing with crazy people and better get it right. Never going to win the war through military force. If you take cities tomorrow from isil and dont have a plan for the day after, going to fall through again. Dont have a governance plan, terrorists are offering a glorious death, we have to offer a hopeful life. People get tired. We have to stick with it on the military side but state department, soft power in the key to winning the war. President trump, dont destroy soft power. We cant win through military force again. You began to do it, but also formally russia the colonel and also kyle karpenter. Thank him for service. Awarded medal of honor for rushing toward hand grenade launched at him and fellow marines in 2010. President obama honored him with the medal in 2014. Well, i would like to say thank you. You are a role model and inspiration. I also would point out youre one of the few aviators whose number of landings doesnt match the number of takeoffs. I was military lawyer prior to service. Honored to be in room with three people like this. Thanks. Before we go, i have to ask you. Harry truman famously said if you want a friend in washington, get a dog. But you two found each other. His dog ran away. So many people leading up to this town hall asked me how did they become so close and more importantly what is it about this friendship between the two of you . I think its common interests, common ideals, common goals for our country. We mentioned my war experience. This guy for 23 years spent every time on active duty in afghanistan or zblooirk hiraq. Is that how you got to know each other . Really there was impeachment and lindsey was the star. Presenting the case that the senate should decide guilty or not guilty. And he was reciting a passage where there were numerous phone calls made from the white house at 2 00 a. M. To try to get a hold of Monica Lewinski because the word was out maybe going public the next day. And congressman graham with the most solid occasion said where i come from, any man calling a woman at 2 00 a. M. Was up to no good. I knew right then Lindsey Graham was a man i wanted to spend time with. Hes entertaining, dedicated. And his beginnings humble. As many of you dont know. Clg fact he raised his sister after his parents died. Quite a Great American success story. So its common interest, common values. And sense of humor . Sense of humor. Wish our beloved friend Joe Lieberman were here, called us the three amigos. Another wonderful person that weve enjoyed pleasure of his company for 25 years. Senator graham, what do we not know about senator john mccain . That you can say on tv . Say anything. What you see is what you get. Theres not a private side of john mccain that is much different. Hes cantankerous and can be a complete jerk to his closest friends and hug you dearly next. Heres what started all this. John asked me to support him for president. You know why i did . He asked. No one ever asked me before. So over that, between then and now been all over the world with him and worst if he reads in the paper 5,000 people slaughtered, says we have to go there. Why . But john to me has a quality really special. Fight for his friends. I had six clients from mildly disturbed to completely crazy. John came down and stood by me because i worked with people on the other side to solve immigration problem. Im a good conservative i think but dont mind working with the other side. John was going to be up for election and i wasnt most popular person on talk radio. He stood with me and followed me around everywhere i went. When i ran for president , most of you missed it, john was with me. Bottom line is people he served with in jail will tell you the same thing in prison that i will tell you. He is loyal to his friends. He loves his country and if he has to stand up to his party for this country, so be it. He will die for this country. I love him to death. Thats a very nice note to end on. Can i just one more thing . We talked about some very tough issues tonight. And i still believe in america. I still believe were the greatest nation on earth. I still believe that we have the best military and by far still a shining city on a hill as Ronald Reagan called us. If theres one thing i would urge all friends on both sides of the aisle, look at Ronald Reagan and tip oneill, at time when republicans and democrats sat down together for the good of the nation. Its not accident we have low approval ratings, American People want us to get things done for them and need to do it in bipartisan fashion. Thats what were dedicated to trying to do. Thats a very nice place to end. Senators thank you so much. Wanted to thank senators mccain and graham for being here, my alma mater, George Washington university and those watching around the world and here. Don lemon right now. Thank you very much. Poignant moment to end on. Begin with breaking news. Broke during the town hall with two of the most powerful republicans in the senate. New reporting about contacts between a top trump official and the russians. Thats where we are going to begin on cnn tonight. Attorney general Jeff Sessions as adviser to the Trump Campaign had meetings with the Russian Ambassador to the u. S. But cant disclose them at confirmation hearings. Joined by greg. Correspondent at Washington Post. Youre reporting that senator Jeff Sessions spoke with russias ambassador to the u. S. During the president ial campaign, contacts he doesnt disclose in confirmation hearings. What are officials telling you . Not just during the campaign but as recent as september. At height of the alarm in washington about the russian hack of the u. S. Election. In the middle of all that that sessions has a private meeting with the Russian Ambassador in senate office. Two or three months later is asked during confirmation hearing, did you have any contacts or communications with russians during the campaign and cant remember that meeting several months earlier. I have the sound bite. Lets listen to it. If there is any evidence that any one affiliated with the Trump Campaign communicated with the russian government in the course of this campaign, what will you do . Senator franken, im not aware of any of those activities, i have been called a surrogate a time or two in that campaign and i didnt have communications with the russians and im unable to comment on it. So he was asked about that during his confirmation hearings. And that was the exchange with senator al franken. Flatout says he didnt have communications with the russians. Youre saying thats not true . Thats not true. And aside from spoken words in the hearing, he had to answer questions in writing, including one from senator leahy asked did you have contacts with russians in the campaign, answer a single word, no. Whether how to characterize what hes saying and extent to which it is at odds with our understanding of his meeting, his spokesperson is arguing that he was meeting with this Russian Ambassador in capacity as senator and therefore his answer in the confirmation hearing was not being misleading. I think thats a difficult point of view to sell. But he was asked generally if he had any contact with russians during the entire event. But lets put this up. Spokesperson saying. Absolutely nothing misleading about his answer. Had over 25 conversations with foreign ambassadors as Senior Member of the Armed Service committee, asked about Trump Campaign meetings not as senator and member of the Armed Services committee. Is that a valid difference . Reason for not disclosing it in his confirmation. Hes trying to imply its routine. Our story tried to assess that by contacting every member of the Armed Services committee we could. Senators routinely meet with ambassadors and heard back from 19 of them, and sessions the only one to meet with the Russian Ambassador. Talking about a meeting that happened in middle of unprecedented attack by the russian government, alleged attack on the 2016 president ial race. Decision to meet with the ambassador in that moment and failed to remember that several months later is really problematic. Go through it a little bit more. Officials tell you that sessions did not consider those conversations relevant to the lawmakers questions. What else did they say about it . Initially said he didnt recall that meeting when he was asked about it. At confirmation hearing. Hard to imagine given how russia was on the top of the headlines every day in the fall that he didnt anticipate a question about russia and ties to the Trump Campaign. I think i mean to his credit, his own spokespeople are acknowledging these meetings, not arguing they didnt happen or refusing to answer questions about them. But theyre just trying to navigate a pretty narrow line here by saying he met with them as senator, not as Trump Campaign person, when sessions had been one of the first senators to sign up with the Trump Campaign. Had been adviser to the Trump Campaign for months and months and months by that point. And for that very reason, that was probably one of the key reasons that the Russian Ambassador was seeking to meet with him. Read a line from your report. In the case of the september meeting, one Department Official who came do the defense of the attorney general said theres just not strong recollection of what was said. That sounds almost to me, correct me if im wrong, like what flynn said about i just dont recall the conversations. If we talked about sanctions or not, i just dont recall. Does that sound similar to you . There is a bit of an echo there. And this is the same individual, sergy kizic the Russian Ambassador who was fired just last month. Again a senior official in the Trump Administration having contact with the Russian Ambassador and having a terrible time recalling what took place in that conversation. So again, read a little bit more. The Washington Post contacted all 26 members of the 2016 Armed Services committee to see if any lawmakers besides sessions med with kiz lack. And did not respond as of wednesday evening. As far as you know no one else had any conversation with anybody from russia besides Jeff Sessions. Thats correct. And from several of the members we were told that the reason was exactly what i was pointing to a few minutes ago, just the optics of it would have been terrible. Because of what was happening, russian hack, Information Operations campaign to upend the election, i think these senators were deeply relulctant to engag with anyone from the russian embassy. Thanks for coming on. Joining us now by phone, evan perez, what can you tell us about the two meetings between Jeff Sessions and the Russian Ambassador . In addition to the september meeting, also one on the sidelines of the Republican National convention in cleveland. Event held by Heritage Foundation and according to Justice Department, about 50 ambassadors there and one of th