KIDDING WHEN HE SAID THAT. AND HE CALLED THE REPORTER WHO
ASKED HIM TO CLARIFY THOSE
POINTS, QUOTE THE WORST.
JOYING ME NOW, JOHN BRENNAN.
A SENIOR INTELLIGENCE
CONTRIBUTOR HERE AT MSNBC NEWS.
WELCOME.
WELCOME. >> THANK YOU.
>> BEFORE I GET TO THE ISSUE OF
KIM AND NORTH KOREA YOU WERE
REFERENCED IN THE IG REPORT.
THE IG REPORT CONTAINS AN E-MAIL
THAT COMEY SENT TO YOU AND
CLAPPER EXPLAINING HIS SILENCE
ON THE TRUMP RUSSIA PROBE.
IN THE E-MAIL HE SAID, I THINK
THE WINDOW IS CLOSED AND THE
OPPORTUNITY FOR AN OFFICIAL
STATEMENT WITH FOUR WEEKS UNTIL
A PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION I THINK
THE MARGINAL INCREMENTAL
DISRUPTION AND IMPACT OF THE
STATEMENT WOULD BE HUGELY
OUTWEIGHED BY THE DAMAGE TO THE
INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY’S
INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY’S REPUTATION FOR INDEPENDENCE.
HOW DID YOU REACT TO THAT?
>> THERE WERE SOME TOUGH
DECISIONS AT THAT TIME.
IT DIDN’T ENVY JIM COMEY WHO HAD
A NUMBER OF INTERESTS HE HAD TO
BALANCE AT THE SAME TIME BEING
AS FORTHCOMING AS POSSIBLE WITH
THE CONGRESS AND WITH THE
PRESIDENT.
PRESIDENT. ANY CRIMINAL INVESTIGATIONS THAT
ARE UNDERWAY GET DIFFICULT.
I DID NOT ENVY HIS POSITION.
THERE WERE SOME OF THOSE
DECISIONS I DISAGREED WITH, SOME
I AGREED WITH.
IT WAS TOUGH.
>> WHOSE DECISION WAS THIS.
>> IT WAS GOING BACK AND FORTH.
THERE WERE A LOT OF DISCUSSIONS
IN THE WHITE HOUSE SITUATION
ROOM, WHAT SHOULD BE SAID, WHO
SHOULD SAY IT, WHETHER OR NOT
THERE NEEDED TO BE A CORPS
OUTSIDE OF VOICES OUT THERE.
CLAPPER AND JOHNSON, THE
DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL SFWEL SWREN
AND HOMELAND SECURITY WOULD PUT
OUT A STATEMENT.
THERE WERE QUESTIONS WITH AN
ONGOING INVESTIGATION WHETHER OR
NOT JIM COMEY SHOULD BE PART OF
THAT OR NOT.
JIM THOUGHT IT WASN’T REALLY
GOING TO HELP THE CASE IN TERMS
OF HIS NAME BEING THERE.
THE FACT IN A THE ADMINISTRATION
AT A SENIOR LEVEL WAS GOING TO
PUT IT OUT THERE WOULD SERVE THE
PURPOSE.
PURPOSE. >> WERE YOU INVOLVED IN THAT
INFAMOUS GANG OF EIGHT MEETING
WHERE REPORTEDLY MITCH McCONNELL
WAS THE ONE WHO THREW COLD WATER
ON TRYING TO MAKE A MORE
BIPARTISAN ANDER MO OF A LET’S
LINK ARMS THIS IS SERIOUS
BUSINESS STATEMENT?
BUSINESS STATEMENT? >> NO, I WASN’T INVOLVED IN THAT
MEETING.
MEETING. I HAD MY OWN INDIVIDUAL MEETINGS
WITH THE GANG OF EIGHT PRIOR TO
THAT WHERE I SPOKE WITH LEADER
McCONNELL AS WELL AS OTHERS.
>> WERE THEY QUESTIONING YOUR
FINDINGS AT THAT TIME?
>> SENATOR McCONNELL DID, YES.
>> UNDER WHAT GUISE?
>> I THINK HE WAS -- HE THOUGHT
THAT MAYBE THE DEMOCRATIC
ADMINISTRATION WAS TRYING TO
UNDERMINE A REPUBLICAN
CANDIDATE.
CANDIDATE. AND I TOOK GREAT UMBRAGE AT
THAT, AND I TOLD HIM.
AND I SAID, SENATEOR, I WOULD NO
IN ANY WAY POLITICIZE ANY TYPE
OF INTELLIGENCE.
OF INTELLIGENCE. SO I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU
UNDERSTAND THAT THIS IS THE
CONSIDERED VIEW AND ASSESS
INNENT AND INTELLIGENCE FROM
CIA.
CIA. I LET IT BE KNOWN IN KNOW
UNCERTAIN TERMS THAT I DID FIND
THAT COMMENT OF HIS A BIT
REPUGNANT.
REPUGNANT. >> DID HE ASK QUESTIONS?
DID HE WANT MORE INFORMATION?
DID HE SAY I’M SUSPECTCAL, SHOW
ME MORE?
ME MORE? WAS THERE ANY CURIOSITY?
>> I’M NOT GOING TO GO INTO
DETAILS OF THE MEETING OTHER
THAN TO SAY I THINK HE WAS
SKEPTICAL AND ALSO I DON’T THINK
HE WAS ALL THAT PLEASED WITH MY
BRINGING IT TO HIM.
>> WAS HE UN -- DID YOU GET THE
SENSE HE WAS UNINTERESTED IN
FINDING MORE INFORMATION OUT
FROM YOU.
FROM YOU. >> WELL, HE DIDN’T EVINCE A
STRONG INTEREST IN FINDING OUT
WHAT WAS GOING ON.
I THINK HE WAS REACTING TO WHAT
I WAS SAYING IN TERMS OF WHAT
IMPLICATIONS IT MIGHT HAVE FOR
THE REPUBLICAN CANDIDATE.
>> YOU COMPARED THE PRESIDENT TO
A DEMAGOGUE IN AN OP ED.
I’M INTERESTED HOW YOU THINK OF
THE PRESIDENT IN THE WAY HE IS
DESCRIBING KIM JONG-UN AND THE
WAY HE HAS BEEN TALKING ABOUT
HIM AND THE IMPACT THAT THAT HAS
AROUND THE WORLD.
>> FRANKLY I’M SAD THAT I’M NOT
FINDING ANYTHING HE SAYS
SHOCKING IM IN.
I FIND THEM ALL OUTRAGEOUS.
THE FACT HE HAS TREATED KIM
JONG-UN WITH DEFERENCE AS WELL
AS SPEAKING OF HIM AS HONORABLE.
’S DOES POT, MURDEROUS
AUTHORITARIAN MURDERER.
AUTHORITARIAN MURDERER. >> WHAT HAS HE TON.
>> MURDERED POLITICAL OPPONENTS.
>> WHEN THE PRESIDENT SAID HE IS
TOUGH.
TOUGH. TOUGH TRANSLATES INTO YEAH, HE
MURDERS HIS OPPONENTS.
>> A LOT OF AUTHORITARIAN
LEADERS AND DESPOTS HAVE BEEN
TOUGH.
TOUGH. APPARENTLY THAT’S WHAT MR. TRUMP
ADMIRES IN OTHER INDIVIDUALS.
>> WHAT ABOUT WHEN HE SAYS I AM
GOING TO DEAL WITH THE DICTATOR
BECAUSE I DON’T WANT A NUCLEAR
BOMB DROPPED ON YOUR HEAD?
>> YOU HAVE TO DEAL WITH THE
PRESIDENT.
PRESIDENT. FREB AND OTHER PRESIDENTS BEFORE
HIM SAID THEY WOULD DO THE SAME
THING OF I THINK HE IS LAYING
THE DROWNEDWORK FOR DE FACTO
ACCEPTANCE OF NORTH KOREA AS A
NUCLEAR POWER.
NUCLEAR POWER. HE IS GOING TO CLAIM KIM JONG-UN
HAS CLAIMED HE IS NO LONGER
GOING TO TEST AND FURTHER
DEVELOP IT.
DEVELOP IT. HE IS CLAIMING THEY ARE GOING
DOWN A DENUCLEARIZATION PATH BUT
EVERYTHING I HAVE READ AND THE
STATEMENTS DON’T INDICATE HE IS
GOING TO PUSH KIM JONG-UN TO
GIVE UP HIS NUCLEAR WEAPONS.
>> DOES NORTH KOREA BECOME
PAKISTAN HERE.
PAKISTAN HERE. >> THERE WAS DEBATE IN THE OBAMA
ADMINISTRATION AND THE BUSH
ADMINISTRATION WHAT CAN YOU DO
TO KEEP IT FROM.THATTING AND
SHOULD THERE BE ACCEPTANCE BUT
CONSTRAINED.
CONSTRAINED. I THINK IT HAS IMPLICATIONS ON
OTHER STATES PURSUING NUCLEAR
WEAPONS IF YOU BASICALLY SAY
NORTH KOREA IS THERE, IT HAS IT,
SO WE ARE NOT GOING TO TRY TO
TAKE THEM AWAY.
IT’S DOING TO SEND A SIGNAL.
>> BEFORE I LET YOU GO.
McCONNELL AND McCARTHY, THE
McCARTHY THE LIKELY NEXT
REPUBLICAN LEADER IN THE HOUSE.
McCONNELL, SAYING IT’S TIME FOR
THE MUELLER PROBE TO END.
DO YOU BELIEVE THE MUELLER PROBE
COULD STILL BE GOING ON IF HE
DIDN’T HAVE ANYTHING?
>> I THINK BOB MUELLER IS ONE OF
THE MOST RESPECTED PUBLIC
SERVANTS THIS COUNTRY HAS EVER
SEEN.
SEEN. HE IS ALSO DILIGENT, METICULOUS,
AND HE IS PERSISTENT.
AND I BELIEVE THAT BOB MUELLER’S
SPECIAL COUNSEL TEAM HAS A
NUMBER OF INVESTIGATIVE THREADS
THAT THEY HAVE BEEN PULLING OVER
THE LAST YEAR THAT ARE GOING TO
BE BEARING FRUIT.
AND I AM COUNTING ON DIRECTOR
MUELLER TO ONCE AND FOR ALL
ADDRESS THE ISSUE ABOUT WHETHER
OR NOT THERE WAS CONSPIRACY,
WHETHER OR NOT THERE WAS
COLLUSION WITH RUSSIA, AND
DESPITE WHAT MR. TRUMP SAID THAT
THE DODGE IG REPORT
EXONERATED -- THE D.O.J. IG
REPORT EXONERATED HIM -- IT DID
NOTHING ALONG THOSE LINES.
>> HAVE YOU SEEN EVIDENCE OF A
CONSPIRACY BETWEEN AMERICANS
CONNECTED TO -- POSSIBLY
CONNECTED TO THE PRESIDENT AND
RUSSIA?
RUSSIA? >> I THINK I FAMOUSLY SAID IN A
HOUSE HEARING THAT I DON’T DO
EVIDENCE AS AN INTELLIGENCE
OFFICER.
OFFICER. SINCE I HAVE BEEN OUT OF OFFICE,
I HAVE SEEN A LOT OF REPORTING
THAT INDICATES TO ME THERE WAS A
LOT OF COLLABORATION, A LOT OF
INTERACTION THAT TO ME REQUIRES
PEOPLE LIKE BOB MUELLER AND
OTHERS TO LOOK AT WHETHER OR NOT
IT ROSE AND REACHED THE
THRESHOLD OF CRIMINAL ACTIVITY.