Rep. Gregory Meeks Talks ISIS Threats to NYC
BLITZER: We are looking at the video just coming in. Only moments ago, the U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter welcoming his French counterpart, the French defense minister, for an honor accord at the ceremony at the Pentagon. And topping the agenda is the huge development today, Turkey, a NATO ally, shooting down a Russian warplane near the Turkish and Syrian border. They will discuss the joint efforts to fight ISIS in Iraq and Syria as well as the fallout from the attacks in Paris. In light of those attacks in Paris and a series of ISIS videos threatening the United States, security is clearly being ramped up here ahead of the Thanksgiving weekend. Joining me is Democratic Congressman Gregory Meeks, of New York, who is representing part of the city directly cited in some of the ISIS videos. He's a senior member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. Thank you, Congressman, for joining us. What is going on in New York City, first of all, because the Paris attacks certainly have focused in on the threat to soft targets in your beautiful city as well?</s>REP. GREGORY MEEKS, (D), NEW YORK: Well, Wolf, what is going on is what we do every time this time of the year. We have the great New York City Police Department working with Homeland Security and other intelligence agencies to make sure that all New Yorkers and the visitors to New York are safe in this festive holiday of Thanksgiving, and the Thanksgiving Day Parade. I see people though that they are living their lives and people are walking the streets and doing shopping, and all are looking forward to the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. So, yes, security is up, and you know one thing that police Commissioner Bratton keeps talking about, "If you see something, say something." That is in place. But we feel confident all will be safe and we will have a great Thanksgiving here in New York City.</s>BLITZER: All right. Let's talk about the foreign affairs right now, one of the areas of expertise. In the news conference with the French President Hollande, President Obama said the U.S. now will share more security information with France to stop efforts to stop the flow of foreign fighters. Here is the question, is Turkey, based on everything that you know, doing enough to protect its border with Syria, and prevent ISIS terrorists from coming from Syria back into Turkey, a NATO ally from which they can go into the Europe and maybe even come to the United States?</s>MEEKS: Clearly, Wolf, we know that more can be done, that the borders between Turkey and Syria have been sparse. That is where some of the fighters have been going across the -- you know, are from the crossing one border to another. So there is much more that can be done. And Turkey, who has been helpful, and continuing to be helpful as part of the NATO ally, but we have to beef it up, and make sure that wherever is there is a weak link, it is strengthened. That is what the president is talking about along with President Hollande, and we have to make sure that happens, working in a collective way, working in a multilateral way.</s>BLITZER: And when you heard that the Turks shot down a Russian airplane along the Turkish/Syrian border, what was your reaction?</s>MEEKS: That there needs to be more communication, and that the Russians need to come on board with the other 65 nations that are part of our coalition. Because if we were all focused on Daesh, this would not happen. We would be sharing the common information necessary, and all be focused on the common enemy. Russia should understand now, because their jet was shot down by ISIL, their plane by ISIL, through a bomb, through terrorist attacks, and that we have to be on the same side and coordinate together. And so I have been told by some of my administrative sources that the Russian plane was in fact over in Turkey territory. So, that has got to be -- and I'm hopeful that the dialogue and the conversation will make Mr. Putin understand that he should come to be part of the coalition of 65, as opposed to the coalition of two as the president talked about.</s>BLITZER: Congressman Meeks, thank you for joining us. I hope it is a happy and wonderful Thanksgiving holiday for you and your family as well.</s>MEEKS: Thank you, Wolf, same to you.</s>BLITZER: Coming up, more on the breaking news, Turkey shooting down of a Russian fighter plane near the Syrian border, saying the plane violated its air space. We'll ask our intelligence panel if this is going to exacerbate tensions with Russia. The security crisis in and around Syria clearly, clearly, a very disturbing development. Much more right after this.