>>> WELL, GOOD EVENING ONCE AGAIN FROM OUR NBC HEADQUARTERS
HERE IN NEW YORK.
DAY 505 OF THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION, AND SPECIAL
COUNSEL ROBERT MUELLER HAS FILED
NEW CHARGES AGAINST THE FORMER
TRUMP CAMPAIGN CHAIRMAN.
IT IS EVEN MORE CLEAR TONIGHT THAT PAUL MANAFORT IS IN A WORLD
OF TROUBLE.
OF TROUBLE. EARLIER TODAY MANAFORT WAS
INDICTED ON CHARGES OF
OBSTRUCTION OF JUSTICE AND CONSPIRACY TO OBSTRUCT JUSTICE
FOR ALLEGEDLY TRYING TO TAMPER
WITH WITNESSES IN HIS CASE.
AS WE REPORTED, MUELLERS TEAM IS SEEKING TO HAVE MANAFORTSM
IS SEEKING TO HAVE MANAFORTS BAIL REVISED OR TAKEN AWAY
ENTIRELY OVER THESE ALLEGATIONS.
LATE TONIGHT, MANAFORT RESPONDED TO MUELLERS BAIL FINDING,SPONDED
TO MUELLERS BAIL FINDING, SAYING THE ACCUSATIONS OF
ATTEMPTED WITNESS TAMPERING ARE BASED, QUOTE, ON THE THINNEST OF
EVIDENCE.
EVIDENCE.
MANAFORT IS DUE IN COURT ON JUNE 15 TO FIND OUT IF HE WILLON JUNE
15 TO FIND OUT IF HE WILL IMMEDIATELY HEAD TO JAIL.
THE SAME OBSTRUCTION CHARGES
WERE ALSO BROUGHT TODAY AGAINST
MANAFORTS LONGTIME RUSSIAN
ASSOCIATE, KONSTANTIN KILIMNIK.
TODAYS INDICTMENT SAYS THAT
AROUND FEBRUARY AND APRIL OF
THIS YEAR, QUOTE, THE DEFENDANTS
PAUL MANAFORT AND CONTANSTEIN
KILIMNIK KNOWINGLY AND INTENTIONALLY CONSPIRED TO
CORRUPTLY PERSUADE ANOTHER
PERSON WITH INTENT TO INFLUENCE,
DELAY, AND PREVENT THE TESTIMONY
OF ANY PERSON IN AN OFFICIAL
PROCEEDING.
PROCEEDING.
JOSH GERSTEIN OF POLITICO, WHO JOINS US IN JUST A MOMENT, WHO
JOINS US IN JUST A MOMENT, REPORTS TODAY, QUOTE, A SOURCE
FAMILIAR WITH THE CASE CALLED
THE INDICTMENT BRUTAL FOR
MANAFORT.
MANAFORT.
PAULS PROBLEM IS HE DOESNT ACTUALLY HAVE ANYTHING TO TRADE,
THE SOURCE ADDED.
COOPERATING ISNT AN OPTION
BECAUSE HE REALLY DIDNT COLLUDE
WITH THE RUSSIANS AT THE TRUMP
CAMPAIGNS REQUEST.
CAMPAIGNS REQUEST. PAUL MANAFORTS TEAM HAD NO
IMMEDIATE COMMENT ON TODAYS
INDICTMENT, BUT EARLIER THIS
WEEK, A SPOKESPERSON SAID
MANAFORT IS INNOCENT AND NOTHING
ABOUT THE ALLEGATIONS CHANGES
HIS DEFENSE.
HIS DEFENSE.
KEN VOGEL OVER AT "THE NEW YORK
TIMES" REPORTS THAT MANAFORTS
ASSOCIATE, THIS CONTANSTEIN
KILIMNIK
KILIMNIK, QUOTE, HAS STUDIED AT A LINGUIST AT THE MILITARYED AT
A LINGUIST AT THE MILITARY INSTITUTE.
INSTITUTE.
HE INITIALLY WORKED AS A
TRANSLATOR IN UKRAINE FOR
MANAFORT, WHO SPEAKS NEITHER
RUSSIAN NOR UKRAINIAN, AND BECAME A PROGRESSIVELY MORE
INTEGRAL MEMBER OF MANAFORTS
TEAM, EVENTUALLY RUNNING THE
KIEV OFFICE FOR MR. MANAFORTS
FIRM.
FIRM. EARLIER TODAY, FORMER U.S.
AMBASSADOR TO RUSSIA MICHAEL
McFAUL, SPOKE TO ARI MELBER
ABOUT THIS KILIMNIKS POSSIBLE
TIES TO RUSSIAN INTELLIGENCE
AGENCIES.
AGENCIES.
>> HE WAS WELL KNOWN WORKING
WITH MANAFORT, AND HE WAS
WORKING IN UKRAINE, BUT HES A RUSSIAN NATIONAL WORKING IN A
RUSSIAN NATIONAL WORKING IN UKRAINE.
UKRAINE.
AND THE WORLD OF INTELLIGENCE SERVICES JUST GENERALLY ISNCE
SERVICES JUST GENERALLY IS MURKY.
MURKY.
AND TO SAY THAT HE WORKED FOR THE GRU OR THE SVR, I DONT KNOW
THAT FOR SURE.
>> RIGHT. >> BUT FROM MY GENERAL
EXPERIENCE IN THE REGION, WOULD
HE HAVE RELATIONSHIPS WITH THOSE
KINDS OF ORGANIZATIONS?
MY ANSWER TO THAT WOULD BE
PROBABLY YES.
PROBABLY YES. >> AND WE SHOULD NOTE THAT OF
COURSE KILIMNIK HAS DENIED LINKS
TO RUSSIAN SPY AGENCIES.
MEANWHILE ON HIS WAY TO THE G7
SUMMIT IN CANADA EARLIER TODAY,
PRESIDENT TRUMP SPOKE ABOUT A
WHOLE HOST OF ISSUES FROM PORN
STARS TO HIS UPCOMING SUMMIT
WITH KIM JONG-UN.
HE ALSO DISCUSSED HIS PARDONS
AND THE RUSSIA INVESTIGATION.
>> DO YOU BELIEVE THAT YOU ARE
ABOVE THE LAW?
>> NO.
>> NO. NO.
NO. NO, IM NOT ABOVE THE LAW.
ID NEVER WANT ANYBODY TO BE
ABOVE THE LAW.
BUT THE PARDONS ARE A VERY
POSITIVE THING FOR A PRESIDENT.
I THINK YOU SEE THE WAY IM USING THEM. SEE THE WAY IM
USING THEM. AND, YES, I DO HAVE AN ABSOLUTE
RIGHT TO PARDON MYSELF.
BUT ILL NEVER HAVE TO DO IT
BECAUSE I DIDNT DO ANYTHING
WRONG.
WRONG.
AND EVERYBODY KNOWS IT. THERES BEEN NO COLLUSION.
THERES BEEN NO OBSTRUCTION.
ITS ALL A MADE-UP FANTASY.
ITS A WITCH HUNT.
I HAVENT EVEN THOUGHT ABOUT IT.
I HAVENT EVEN THOUGHT -- I
HAVENT THOUGHT ABOUT ANY OF IT.
IT CERTAINLY IS FAR TOO EARLY TO
BE THINKING ABOUT THAT.
THEY HAVENT BEEN CONVICTED OF
ANYTHING.
ANYTHING.
THERES NOTHING TO PARDON.
ITS FAR TOO EARLY TO BE -- IT IS FAR TOO EARLY TO BE THINKING
ABOUT IT.
ABOUT IT.
>> AS THE PRESIDENT AND RUDY GIULIANI CONTINUE TO PAINT THE
RUSSIA INVESTIGATION AS A WITCH
HUNT AND A HOAX, PHILIP BUMP OF
THE "WASHINGTON POST" POINTS OUT
THAT TODAYS NEWS, QUOTE, BRINGS
THE INVESTIGATION BY MUELLER TO
A TOTAL OF 20 INDIVIDUALS AND
THREE BUSINESSES THAT HAVE
EITHER BEEN INDICTED OR ADMITTED
GUILT AND A TOTAL OF 75 CHARGES
FILED BY THE YEAR-OLD PROBE.
ONE-THIRD OF THE COUNTS INCLUDED
IN MUELLERS INDICTMENTS, 25 OF
THEM TARGET MANAFORT.
LETS BRING IN OUR LEADOFF PANEL
FOR A FRIDAY NIGHT.
THE AFOREMENTIONED JOSH
GERSTEIN, SENIOR WHITE HOUSE
REPORTER FOR POLITICO.
JEREMY BASH, FORMER CHIEF OF
STAFF AT BOTH CIA AND THE
PENTAGON.
PENTAGON.
AND JILL WINE-BANKS, HERE IN NEW
YORK WITH US, VETERAN ATTORNEY AND FORMER ASSISTANT WATERGATE
SPECIAL COUNSEL.
SPECIAL COUNSEL. WELCOME TO YOU ALL.
JOSH, I WANT TO BEGIN WITH YOU
BECAUSE YOU WERE PRESENT FOR
PART OF THIS TODAY, EVEN AT A
POINT BEFORE WHICH YOU KNEW WHAT
YOU WERE WITNESSING.
TELL US WHAT YOU SAW.
>> WELL, I WAS DOWN AT THE
FEDERAL KOSHTCOURTHOUSE, AND THE
WAS CONSIDERABLY MORE ACTIVITY
THAN USUAL INVOLVING THE MUELLER
TEAM.
TEAM.
WE SAW ANDREW WEISSMAN, THE LEAD
PROSECUTOR ON THE MANAFORT CASE
AND ONE OF MUELLERS TOP DEPUTIES, COMING INTO THE
COURTHOUSE.
COURTHOUSE.
THERE WAS COMINGS AND GOINGS BY ANOTHER MUELLER PROSECUTOR BYBY
ANOTHER MUELLER PROSECUTOR BY THE NAME OF KYLE FREENEY, AS
WELL AS SEVERAL FBI AGENTS.
AND THERE WERE SIGNALS WITH THEM
GOING BACK AND FORTH INTO THE
CLERKS OFFICE THAT PERHAPS THE
GRAND JURY WAS PREPARING TO
RETURN AN INDICTMENT.
AND INDEED BY THE EARLY
AFTERNOON, THERE WAS A NOTICE
POSTED OUTSIDE ONE OF THE
COURTROOMS THAT JUST THAT HAD
HAPPENED, THAT THERE HAD BEEN A
SESSION WHERE AN INDICTMENT HAD
BEEN HANDED UP ALTHOUGH IT WAS
NOT IMMEDIATELY CLEAR WHO WAS
BEING INDICTED OR WHY.
IT CERTAINLY SEEMED LIKE
MANAFORT WAS A LIVE POSSIBILITY
FOR WHAT WOULD BE THE SECOND
SUPERSEDING INDICTMENT, THE
THIRD INDICTMENT TOTAL IN
WASHINGTON, D.C. GIVEN THE VERY
SERIOUS TAMPERING ALLEGATIONS THAT MUELLER LEVELED EARLIER IN
THE WEEK.
THE WEEK.
>> AND FOR SOME CIVICS 101, AN
INDICTMENT MEANS 23 MEMBERS OF A GRAND JURY HAVE FOUND REASONABLE
CAUSE THAT A CRIME MIGHT HAVE
BEEN COMMITTED.
BEEN COMMITTED. AND, JEREMY BASH, THE PRESENCE
OF THIS RUSSIAN IN TODAYS
DOCUMENT, THE PRESENCE OF THIS
RUSSIAN PERHAPS IN OUR SOCIETY,
HOW WAS TODAY DIFFERENT?
WHAT JUST HAPPENED IN THIS CASE?
>> WELL, ITS THE FIRST TIME,
BRIAN, THAT THE MUELLER SPECIAL
COUNSEL TEAM HAS REALLY DRAWN A
DIRECT LINK BETWEEN THE TRUMP
CAMPAIGNS CHAIRMAN, PAUL
MANAFORT, AND AN OFFICIAL WITH
TIES TO THE RUSSIAN GOVERNMENT.
THERE HAVE BEEN OTHER RUSSIANS
WHO HAVE BEEN INDICTED BY THE
SPECIAL COUNSEL, BUT HERETOFORE,
WE DO NOT HAVE ONE THAT HAS
SPECIFIC TIES TO THE RUSSIAN
GOVERNMENT.
GOVERNMENT.
AND THIS INDIVIDUAL, KONSTANTIN
KILIMNIK, IS A RUSSIAN ARMY-TRAINED LINGUIST.
ARMY-TRAINED LINGUIST. HE WAS DOING PRO-RUSSIAN
GOVERNMENT PROPAGANDA IN UKRAINE
FOR THE YANUKOVYCH REGIME.
YOUD HAVE TO BELIEVE ITS AN
ENTIRE COINCIDENCE THAT HE WOULD
BE A PRIVATE ACTOR, A RUSSIAN
NATIONAL LIVING IN UKRAINE,
LIVING IN KIEV, BUT ACTUALLY
HAVING NO TIES TO THE RUSSIAN
GOVERNMENT, YET DOING THEIR
BIDDING.
BIDDING.
OBVIOUSLY NOBODY BELIEVES THAT
AND PEOPLE DO BELIEVE THAT HE HAS A RUSSIAN GOVERNMENT NEXUS.
>> SO WHAT IS IT ALLEGED,
JEREMY, THAT HE WAS DOING IN OUR
COUNTRY, ESPECIALLY IN AND
AROUND OUR PRESIDENTIAL
ELECTION?
ELECTION?
>> WELL, IF THERE IS A -- IF THERE IS AN EFFORT BY MANAFORT
AND A RUSSIAN GOVERNMENT
OFFICIAL TO ADVANCE PRO-RUSSIAN
PROPAGANDA, TO ADVANCE THE
RUSSIAN GOVERNMENTS VIEW OF
POLICY AND TO INJECT THEMSELVES
INTO POLITICS, THATS PRECISELY
WHAT THEY WERE DOING DURING THE
2016 CAMPAIGN.
2016 CAMPAIGN.
AND IT SHOWS AN ELEMENT OF
SOPHISTICATION, AN ELEMENT OF
CAPABILITY, AN ELEMENT OF EXPERTISE BY PAUL MANAFORT WITH
THIS RUSSIAN GOVERNMENT OFFICIAL
IN DOING EXACTLY THAT.
AND THERES A POSSIBILITY THATS
EXACTLY WHAT THEY WERE DOING
DURING THE 2016 ELECTION.
>> SO, JILL WINE-BANKS, PUT
ANOTHER WAY, THERES A CHANCE
THAT THIS PAUL MANAFORT,
AMERICAN CITIZEN, WAS WORKING
AGAINST THE HOME TEAM DURING A
PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN.
PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN. A COUPLE QUESTIONS FOR YOU.
HOW WAS THE SCREW FURTHER TURNED
ON MANAFORT TODAY, AND WHAT ARE
YOUR REMAINING QUESTIONS ABOUT
THIS CASE?
THIS CASE? >> I HAVE VERY FEW REMAINING
QUESTIONS.
QUESTIONS.
ITS JUST A QUESTION OF HOW SOON HES GOING TO END UP IN JAILSOON
HES GOING TO END UP IN JAIL BECAUSE THESE ARE SERIOUS
CHARGES AND ARE VERY VALID
GROUNDS FOR REVOKING HIS BAIL
AND PUTTING HIM IN JAIL.
AND, REMEMBER, THIS IS NOT THE
FIRST TIME THAT HE HAS VIOLATED
HIS CONDITIONS OF BEING FREE.
HE WROTE AN OP-ED THAT HE WASNT
SUPPOSED TO HAVE WRITTEN, AND HE
STAYED FREE AFTER THAT.
BUT THIS IS THE SECOND TIME, AND
THE INDICTMENT HAS SOME VERY
SPECIFIC PIECES OF INFORMATION,
TEXTS THAT WERE WRITTEN AND
EXCHANGED AND A PHONE CALL THAT
SHOW THAT THEY WERE REALLY
TRYING TO CHANGE THE TESTIMONY
OF WITNESSES, TO HIDE THE FACT
THAT THEY WERE COLLUDING IN
AMERICA TO INFLUENCE POLICY
TOWARD RUSSIA AND THE UKRAINE.
>> AND THESE CHARGES WERE
TALKING ABOUT ARE HEAVY FEDERAL
TIME.
TIME.
SOME OF THESE ARE 20 YEARS EACH. IF HE GETS NICKED BY A PORTIONH.
IF HE GETS NICKED BY A PORTION OF THESE, HE DIES IN PRISON.
>> WELL, HE DOES JUST ON THE
INDICTMENT EVEN BEFORE TODAY.
HE WOULD HAVE HAD A LIFE
SENTENCE BASICALLY IF YOU ADD UP
ALL OF THE CHARGES CURRENTLY
PENDING AGAINST HIM.
SO IF HES CONVICTED JUST ON THE
SUBSTANTIVE CHARGES, WITHOUT HIS
HAVING TAMPERED WITH WITNESSES,
WHICH IS ONE OF THE MOST SERIOUS
THINGS THAT JUDGES AND FEDERAL
PROSECUTORS ARE CONCERNED ABOUT
IS WHEN PEOPLE ACTUALLY TAMPER