In a fiery panel on CNN on Monday, December 23, one that came shortly after President-elect Donald Trump called for America to retake the Panama Canal if the Panamanians don’t stop ripping off American ships as they pass through it, GOP strategist and CNN political commentator David Urban fired back against former Democratic New York Rep. Max Rose and defended Trump’s call. Particularly, Urban hit back at the idea that Trump made the call to retake the canal due to an alleged inside promise.
As background, Trump said, in part, “The Panama Canal is considered a VITAL National Asset for the United States, due to its critical role to America’s Economy and National Security. A secure Panama Canal is crucial for U.S. Commerce, and rapid deployment of the Navy, from the Atlantic to the Pacific, and drastically cuts shipping times to U.S. ports. The United States is the Number One user of the Canal, with over 70 percent of all transits heading to, or from, U.S. ports.”
A bit later, he added, “When President Jimmy Carter foolishly gave it away, for One Dollar, during his term in Office, it was solely for Panama to manage, not China, or anyone else. It was likewise not given for Panama to charge the United States, its Navy, and corporations, doing business within our Country, exorbitant prices and rates of passage. Our Navy and Commerce have been treated in a very unfair and injudicious way. The fees being charged by Panama are ridiculous, especially knowing the extraordinary generosity that has been bestowed to Panama by the U.S. This complete “rip-off” of our Country will immediately stop.”
Then, on “Erin Burnett OutFront,” former Rep. Rose told the CNN panel that he thinks that President-elect Trump was making threats about retaking the canal directed Panama’s way because “someone wrote him a check or someone had a pivotal meeting with him and made a promise for a future check if he acted on this issue.”
Urban wasn’t having it. Fact-checking Rose and bringing the heat as he did so, Urban said, “He’s so jaded! Listen to the jaded bitter guy from Staten Island there. I used to like him until a couple minutes ago. Listen, Kate, it’s important. Here’s why it’s important. There is a major player in the Panama Canal that’s not Panama, it’s China, right? So the Chinese control the two biggest ports at either end of the canal.”
Continuing, he called out Chinese involvement in the canal area, saying, “In 2017, the Panamanians rejected the notion that they rejected Taiwan as a country. They sided with China. They recognized China. They signed the Belt and Road Initiative with the Chinese in 2018, expanding their sphere of influence in an area which 70% of all traffic is U.S. traffic going through from one port to another through the Panama Canal.”
Urban also noted that there is a clause in the treaty that allows America to retake the canal in a certain situation that looks much like this one. He said, “The treaty which was signed leaves an out for the United States that says if the neutrality of the canal is threatened, we can take it back. You know how we do it? With the U.S. military.”
He added, “I don’t know if anybody remembers Operation Just Cause, but we sent the U.S. military down there to kick some ass and oust the president and put a new president in. We did it within about like 24 hours. So we could do it. If I was the Panamanians, I wouldn’t cozy up to the Chinese too much. If I was the Chinese, I wouldn’t get too cute.”
Then, when CNN’s Kate Bouldan pushed back, Urban told her, “This is U.S. national security. U.S. national security is at interest here. There’s a neutrality provision that was put in that treaty for a reason. If that neutrality is threatened by the Chinese, their Belt Road Initiative continues to expand and threatens the U.S. in terms of whether it’s allowing passage of U.S. military ships or hindering trade. That was obviously put in there for a reason. We can exercise that clause.”
Watch them here:
Featured image credit: screengrab from the embedded video
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