Krauthammer: Trump's remarks about keeping oil after Iraq invasion could be a war crime

Fox News contributor Charles Krauthammer told Fox News' Bret Baier Saturday night that President Donald Trump's remarks to the CIA, including a statement where he suggested keeping the oil after the  2003 invasion of Iraq, could be considered a "war crime."

Appearing on "Special Report," Krauthammer — along with Mollie Hemingway of The Federalist and Fox News' Digital Editor Chris Stirewalt — took part in a panel discussion on Trump's remarks to CIA officials and employees Saturday afternoon as one of his first stops as president following his inauguration Friday.

Hemingway asserted that Trump was successful in sending the message that he supports the "rank and file in the intelligence agencies." Krauthammer expressed concern that Trump's off-handed remark about keeping oil after the 2003 invasion were troubling because the president has enormous power to affect world events with just his words.

From Foreign Policy:

At one point, Trump regurgitated parts of his stump speech about how the United States “should have kept the oil” after invading Iraq. “Maybe we’ll have another chance,” he added. Aside from being physically impossible to sequester billions of barrels of underground oil, that would constitute a breach of international law. U.S. troops are currently embedded with forces of the country that Trump suggested again invading.

On "Special Report," Krauthammer took exception to those remarks as particularly troubling, even going so far as to suggest they could constitute a war crime:

Krauthammer: "The point is that when you become the president of the United States, your words...they are incredibly important, you can say one sentence and the dollar will lose its value..."

Baier: "Well for example, when he said that [we] should have taken the oil from Iraq and maybe we'll have another shot at it...I mean, if you're Iraq, you'd raise your eyebrows."

Hemingway: "Again though...people in America are wanting us to not just be careful about which wars we fight, but when we fight them, win them...That's a message that goes over extremely well with people."

Baier: "I get that, Mollie. But words matter. They do matter."

Krauthammer: "Pondering the oil is a war crime."

Watch the clip here.

The entire 'Special Report' panel embedded below.