WASHINGTON POST AND FORMER CHIEF
OF STAFF FOR THE CIA JEREMY BASH
IS HERE.
I WANT TO START WITH YOU,
JEREMY.
THE INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY HAS
REACHED AN ASSESSMENT THAT THEY
HAVE BRIEFS TO CONGRESS AND MADE
PUBLIC.
IT SAYS THIS, RUSSIA IS ACTIVELY
WORKING TO DENIGRATE JOE BIDEN.
MY QUESTION FOR YOU, RON
JOHNSON, SENATOR FROM WISCONSIN
IS ACTIVELY WORKING TO DENIGRATE
JOE BIDEN.
ARE THEY IN CAHOOTS?
>> I DON’T KNOW IF THEY’RE IN
CAHOOTS.
A SENATOR, AN AMERICAN CITIZEN
HAS THE RIGHT TO PARTICIPATE IN
THE 34RI8 PROCESS.
THE FORMER KGB, VLADIMIR PUTIN
DOES NOT HAVE THE RIGHT, IT IS
UNLAWFUL AND A VIOLATION OF THE
SECURITY OF THE KREMLIN AND THE
UNITED STATES BY GETTING
INVOLVED AND DENIGRATING JOE
BIDEN.
THEY DID IT IN 2016 AND DESPITE
ALL THE PROTESTS, ALL THE
BIPARTISAN COMMISSIONS.
ALL THE WARNINGS FROM THE
INTELLIGENCE PROFESSIONAL ACROSS
CAPITOL HILL, ACROSS WASHINGTON.
HERE THEY GO AGAIN, AND WHAT
DOES DONALD TRUMP SAY ABOUT
THIS?
APPARENTLY NOTHING.
IF BILL, WHO IS THE OFFICE OF
THE DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL
INTELLIGENCE AS THE HEAD OF
COUNTER INTELLIGENCE.
IF HE HAS SAID THIS PUBLICLY, HE
CERTAINLY HAS INCLUDED REPORTING
ON THIS IN THE PRESIDENT’S DAILY
BRIEF IN CLASSIFIED ASSESSMENTS
FOR LEADERS OF THE NATIONAL
SECURITY COUNCIL.
THE FACT THAT PRESIDENT TRUMP
HAS NOT SPOKEN OUT ABOUT THIS
HAS NOT PUSHED BACK ON RUSSIA,
MEANS HE WELCOMES IT, AND I
THINK HE DOES.
>> LET ME STAY WITH THIS, I
THINK IT’S WORTH HITTING PAUSE
ON EVERYTHING ELSE.
VLADIMIR PUTIN ADMITTED HE
WANTED DONALD TRUMP TO WIN IN
2016.
ROBERT MUELLER FOUND THAT PUTIN
AND RUSSIA SOUGHT TO AID TRUMP’S
ELECTION.
AND THE TRUMP CAMPAIGN ACCEPTED
IT ENTHUSIASTICALLY.
THERE WASN’T A CRIMINAL
CONSPIRACY BETWEEN THE TWO.
WHAT IS THE CAPACITY TO PROTECT
THE 2020 ELECTION ABSENT A
PRESIDENT THAT CARES ABOUT THOSE
TWO FACTS?
>> I THINK WE’RE IN FOR SOME
VERY ROUGH TIMES, NICOLE.
I THINK THE COMBINATION OF
FOREIGN INTERFERENCE BY RUSSIA
AND OTHERS, COMBINED WITH THE
FACT THAT THE PRESIDENT HIMSELF
HAS USED COVID AS AN EXCUSE, WE
MAY NOT BE ABLE TO HAVE A LAWFUL
PROCESS NOR VOTING BY MAIL, AND
ESSENTIALLY WHAT TRUMP IS
SAYING, DON’T COUNT THE VOTES OF
AMERICANS WHO ARE VOTING AND
THAT ELECTION DAY MAY GO ON FOR
WEEKS AND MONTHS.
A REAL ECHO TO FASCIST RHETORIC,
I WOULD SAY.
FOREIGN INTERFERENCE, AND THE
PRESIDENT’S DESIRE TO USE COVID
AS AN EXCUSE SO CHAOS IN AN
ELECTION WHICH HE IS TRAILING
BADLY IN THE POLLS SHOULD SCARE
AMERICANS.
TO ME, NICOLE, THE BOTTOM LINE
IS THAT UNLESS THIS ELECTION IS
A LANDSLIDE IN FAVOR OF JOE
BIDEN, ALMOST ANY OTHER SCENARIO
WILL RESULT IN CHAOS AND EVEN
SCARIER, POTENTIALLY VIOLENCE.
>> WE CAN’T STOP THERE, JEREMY.
TELL ME MORE ABOUT WHAT THE
GOVERNMENT -- YOU WORKED AT THE
HIGHEST LEVELS OF THE PENTAGON
AND THE HIGHEST LEVELS OF THE
CIA.
WHAT ARE THE NONPARTISAN -- NOT
POLITICAL, BUT PROFESSIONALS
DOING TO PROTECT OUR COUNTRY AND
TO WHAT DEGREE CAN TRUMP
UNDERMINE THAT?
>> I THINK THERE ARE A LOT OF
OFFICIALS COLLECTING
INTELLIGENCE AND WARNING POLICY
MAKERS ABOUT THE DANGER POSED BY
THEIR FOREIGN COUNTER TERRORISM
THREATS.
AT THE END OF THE DAY, POLICY
MAKERS, THE PRESIDENT, MEMBERS
OF HIS TEAM AND CONGRESS HAVE TO
BE THE ONES THAT FASHION
POLICIES TO PROTECT OUR
ELECTIONS, TO PROTECT POLLING
PLACES, TO PROTECT THE SYSTEMS
THROUGH CYBER DEFENSES, THROUGH
ENSURING THAT WE DON’T POSTPONE
THE ELECTION DAY.
WE DON’T DISCOUNT MAIL-IN
BALLOTS.
ALL THE THINGS DONALD TRUMP HAS
SAID HE WANTS.
IT’S INCUMBENT ON EVERY POLICY
MAKER TO ENSURE THE INTEGRITY OF
OUR ELECTIONS AND TO ENSURE OUR
CONSTITUTIONAL PROCESS FOR
ELECTING PRESIDENT REMAINS
ABSOLUTELY SACRO SANKT.
>> I DON’T WANT TO LEAVE ANY
THREADS UNSEWN.
RON JOHNSON HAS A RIGHT TO
PARTICIPATE IN THE DEMOCRACY,
DOES HE HAVE A RIGHT TO USE A
DISINFORMATION EXERCISE AGAINST
AN AMERICAN POLITICIAN IF IT’S
COMING STRAIGHT FROM
KREMLIN-BACKED UKRAINIANS?
>> THERE’S NO DOUBT THAT WHEN
AMERICANS AND AMERICAN MEDIA
ORGANIZATIONS AND PEOPLE WHO ARE
ALIGNED WITH PRESIDENT TRUMP
AMPLIFY THE VOICES OF THE
RUSSIAN PROPAGANDA MACHINE, THEY
ARE UNWITTINGLY OR WITTINGLY IF
THE WARNINGS ARE PUBLIC, THEY
ARE SUPPORTING A FOREIGN COUNTER
INTELLIGENCE THREAT TO THE
COUNTRY.
I THINK IT’S STRONG TO SAY THEY
ARE IN CAHOOTS.
IT’S VERY DANGEROUS FOR MEMBERS
OF CONGRESS, POLICY MAKERS AND