THE MUELLER PROBE.
>> Laura: IT'S GETTING
INTERESTING.
THANK YOU SO MUCH.
GETTING INTERESTING.
HERE NOW TO RESPOND IS ROBERT
DRISCOLL.
HE WAS THE ATTORNEY FOR THE
RUSSIAN SPY WHO IS RIGHT IN THE
MIDDLE OF THE STORY.
ATTORNEY, TRUMP 2020 ADVISORY
BOARD MEMBER AND THE FORMER
DEPUTY ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF
COUNTERTERRORISM FOR THE FBI.
I KNOW IT'S A SENSITIVE SUBJECT
BUT WHAT CAN YOU TELL US THAT WE
HAVEN'T HEARD.
>> THE TIMELINE IS RIGHT.
THERE WAS A RELATIONSHIP THAT
STARTED AT FREEDOM FEST IN 2015
AND CONTINUED RIGHT UP UNTIL THE
TIME SHE WAS ARRESTED A FEW
MONTHS BEFORE THAT.
AND SO TO THE EXTENT -- I KNOW
THE STORY SOUNDS CRAZY.
BUT TO THE EXTENT IT INTERSECTS
WITH MARIA, IT'S CONSISTENT AND
CAN BE VERIFIED THROUGH HER.
AS TO WHAT THE CONTACTS ARE FOR
THE GOVERNMENT, MY MAIN CONCERN
AS HER DEFENSE LAWYER IS HE'S
TOLD ME THAT HE GAVE THE
GOVERNMENT EXCULPATORY
INFORMATION SAYING HE'S
CONCERNED ABOUT HER, CONCLUDED
SHE WASN'T A SPY, CONCLUDED SHE
WAS AN HONEST PERSON TRYING TO
DO WHAT SHE WAS TRYING TO DO AS
A STUDENT AND CONVEYED IT TO THE
FBI.
AND IF IT'S A 302, IT SHOULD
HAVE BEEN TURNED OVER
>> Laura: THIS IS THE BRADY RULE
FOR THE LAW GEEKS OUT THERE,
WANNABE.
SO THE BRADY RULE REQUIRES THE
PROSECUTOR TO GIVE TO THE
DEFENDANT'S TEAM ALL EX-
DEFENDANT'S TEAM ALL ECULPATORY
INFORMATION.
NOW, BYRNE IS SAYING THAT
PETER STRAUCK WAS IN THE MIDDLE
OF THIS.
THIS WENT TO THE HIGHEST LEVELS,
COMEY, McCABE, ON DOWN.
THIS IS WILD.
I HAVE A FULL DECLARATION OF
WHAT I KNOW.
I'VE KNOWN PATRICK BYRNE SINCE
OUR FIRST WEEK IN COLLEGE.
WE WERE BOTH THE SAME CLASS IN
COLLEGE.
I KNOW HIM -- I DON'T KEEP IN
TOUCH WITH HIM.
BUT TO ME IT'S -- THE
APPEARANCES ON TELEVISION WERE
PRETTY INTERESTING.
HE'S NOW KIND OF DISAPPEARED.
WE'LL GET TO IT LATER MORE.
HAVE YOU HEARD ANYTHING BACK
FROM THE GOVERNMENT REGARDING
YOUR CLIENT WHO OBVIOUSLY HAS
BEEN CONVICTING IN THE SERVING
TIME FOR HER OWN LINE OF
GOVERNMENT.
>> I SENT A LETTER RAISING THIS
ISSUE AND ASKING FOR THE
INFORMATION FOR DURHAM,
HOROWITZ, AND THE LETTER OF
RESPONSIBILITY.
A LETTER BACK FROM THE INSPECTOR
GENERAL SAYING OPR WILL BE
INVESTIGATING.
THE INVESTIGATION IS FOR OPR
RIGHT NOW TO LOOK IF THERE WAS
ANY BRADY MATERIAL WITHHELD OR
ANY MISCONDUCT WITH RESPECT TO
MARIA'S CASE.
>> DOES THIS SURPRISE YOU?
I KNOW YOU'VE KNOWN ABOUT HER
RELATIONSHIP WITH BYRNE FOR
SOMETIME.
BUT THESE OTHER ELEMENTS WE'RE
GOING TO GET TO IN A MINUTE.
HILLARY'S NAME MENTIONED BY
BYRNE SAYING SOMEONE MIGHT HAVE
BEEN TRYING TO BLACKMAIL HER AT
SOME POINT.
DOES THAT SURPRISE YOU?
>> IT'S WILD.
WHEN I SPOKE WITH PATRICK.
IT'S REALLY -- I GOT THE SAME
REACTION THREE WEEKS AGO,
EVERYBODY WATCHING CABLE LAST
NIGHT THINKING TO MYSELF, THIS
IS WILD.
BUT WHAT ALWAYS STRUCK ME WAS
THIS GUY, WHAT HE SAID ABOUT
MARIA WAS GENERALLY ACCURATE.
I CAN VARY IF MOST OF IT.
SO I HAVE TO TAKE IT SERIOUSLY.
AT LEAST THE GOVERNMENT SHOULD
TAKE IT SERIOUSLY.
BECAUSE WHAT INTERSECTS WITH
WHAT I KNOW AND WHAT I CAN PROVE
IS GENERALLY ACCURATE.
>> WHY DID THEY BREAK UP?
>> I DON'T THINK IT WAS A CLOSE
RELATIONSHIP.
THEY HAD COMMON INTEREST AND
THEY GOT TOGETHER A FEW TIMES
OVER THE YEARS.
I WOULDN'T PUT IT AS THE LOVE OF
ANYONE'S LIFE.
>> Laura: IT WAS ROMANTIC.
IT GOT SERIOUS.
THERE WERE HOTEL ROOMS INVOLVED,
TWO ROOM, ONE ROOM, UNCLEAR
THERE?
>> OF COURSE, YOU ARE, BUT,
AGAIN, I DON'T THINK IT WAS THE
MOST -- SHE WAS DATING SOMEONE
ELSE.
THERE'S COMPLICATING FACTORS.
I'M NOT DR. PHIL ON THAT FRONT.
>> Laura: HOW CREDIBLE IS THIS
CLAIM, THOUGH, THAT WITH ALL OF
YOUR EXPERIENCE WITH THE FBI
SPECIFICALLY COMEY WAS THE
DIRECTOR AT THE TIME DIRECTED
HIM TO HAVE AN ONGOING
RELATIONSHIP WITH SOMEONE THEY
BELIEVED WAS A RUSSIAN
OPERATIVE.
>> WHEN A GAL COMES TO YOU FROM
RUSSIA AND SAYS I'VE BEEN SENT
HERE TO MAKE CONTACT AND WE WANT
TO TAKE YOU TO MOSCOW AND SPEAK
ON BITCOIN AND LIBERALISM, YOU
HAVE TO REPORT THAT.
SO NOW THE MEN IN BLACK WERE
BACK IN MY LIFE.
AND I WAS TRYING TO ENCOURAGE
HER TO HAVE A RELATIONSHIP.
LAST TIME I WAS WATCHING
TELEVISION AND CONGRESSIONAL
HEARINGS, I FIGURED WHERE THE
ORDERS CAME FROM, THEY CAME FROM
A GUY NAMED PERIOD STRAUK.
CARLIN, McCABE, COMEY.
THAT'S WHO SENT THE ORDERS.
>> Laura: PEOPLE ARE WATCHING
THIS GOING, WHAT?
SO PATRICK BYRNE HAD A LOW-LEVEL
SECURITY CLEARANCE.
HE WANTED TO KEEP IT.
THAT'S WHY HE REPORTED TO
WHATEVER PERSON AT THE FBI HE
REPORTED TO ABOUT HIS
RELATIONSHIP OR THE CONNECTION
WITH MARTINA.
BUT COMEY, McCABE, INVOLVEMENT
WITH STRAUCK.
THEY'RE REJECTING THE NOTION
SAYING IT'S RIDICULOUS.
THE FBI DOESN'T WORK THAT WAY.
WHAT'S THE TRUTH HERE?
DOES THE FBI EVER WORK THAT WAY?
>> SURE, IN A
COUNTERINTELLIGENCE SITUATION,
THE FBI WOULD REACH OUT TO A
FORMER ASSET FOR THE PURPOSE OF
UNDERSTANDING IN
COUNTERINTELLIGENCE WE REFERRED
TO PEOPLE'S ASSETS RATHER THAN
INFORMANTS.
SO IF THEY USED PATRICK BYRNE IN
ANY CAPACITY BEFORE, IT WOULD
HAVE MADE SENSE TO REACH OUT TO
HER AND ASK HER TO REKINDLE
WHATEVER RELATIONSHIP THEY HAD,
IF THEY WERE INTERESTED IN HER,
WHICH WE KNEW THEY WERE.
AND THERE WERE OTHER THINGS
GOING ON IN 2015 AND 2016.
SO THEY COULD HAVE ALSO
BENEFITTED FROM THE IDEA THAT IF
YOU HAVE, FOR EXAMPLE, TAKE
HYPOTHETICALLY THE RUSSIAN TRUMP
INVESTIGATION, IF THAT WAS IN
ITS EARLY STAGES AND WAS A
PRELIMINARY INQUIRY, THEN YOU
CAN ACTUALLY REACH OUT TO A
CURRENT OR FORMER ASSET LIKE
THAT WHEREAS YOU WOULD HAVE TO
GET SPECIAL APPROVAL IN THE
PRELIMINARY INQUIRY TO REACH OUT
AND DEVELOP A NEW ASSET.
SO, THEY HAD A LOT OF REASONS
THEY MIGHT HAVE WANTED TO USE
THEM.
AS FAR AS THE PART ABOUT
DIRECTOR COMEY SPECIFICALLY SAID
SOMETHING TO ME OR DEPUTY
DIRECTOR McCABE, SOMETHING LIKE
THAT, THAT MAY NOT BE EXACTLY
WHAT HE MEANT TO CONVEY.
I WOULD THINK THAT -- AND I
WATCHED THIS INTERVIEW ON
TELEVISION.
I THINK HE MEANT TO CONVEY THE
AGENTS THAT WERE TALKING TO HIM
HAD LET HIM KNOW THAT THESE WERE
THE PEOPLE CALLING THE SHOTS.
IT'S ALL VERY INTERESTING.
IT'S ALL KIND OF -- IF YOU
WATCHED IT, IT'S THE --
>> IT'S ANOTHER CHARACTER IN
THIS ONGOING DRAMA.
AND HARMEED AND I BOTH WENT TO
THE SAME COLLEGE.
PATRICK BYRNE, I WAS LIKE WHAT
IS THIS?
THIS IS BIZARRE.
BUT IT DOESN'T SEEM TO ME TO BE
OUT OF THE REALM OF POSSIBILITY
THAT STRAUCK AND COMEY, ANYTHING
THEY CAN DO AT THIS POINT TO
STIR THE POT.
>> ABSOLUTELY, LAURA, OUT OF
THESE PEOPLE, SOME OF THEM ARE
KNOWN TO BE LIARS.
MANY OF US BELIEVE COMEY
CERTAINLY LIED REPEATEDLY.
THAT'S BEEN FOUND.
AND McCABE AND STRAUCK WERE
FIRED FOR LYING.
ALTHOUGH THESE CHARACTERS, THIS
TALE IS A WILD ONE, I HAVE TO
SAY I'M GOING TO SUSPEND
JUDGMENT ON THAT AS WE HEAR MORE
FACTS.
BUT ROBERT SAID THIS IS LINING
UP FROM THE POINT OF VIEW OF HIS
CLIENT, THE BRADY VIOLATIONS ARE
OF A PIECE OF WHAT WE HEARD OUT
OF THIS CAST OF CHARACTERS AND
FAILURE BY THE DOJ OFFICIALS TO
TURN OVER THE INFORMATION THAT'S
EXCULPATORY.
SO I'M PREPARED TO BELIEVE A LOT
OF THIS.
SOME OF THE DETAILS ARE HAZY.
A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT INTERVIEWS
FROM SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT FACTS.
>> I HAVE A QUESTION HERE.
IT'S A BIT OF AN ODD TIMELINE,
BECAUSE IF STRAUCK AND ALL THESE
GUYS, COMEY, THEY DIDN'T WANT
TRUMP TO WIN, AND THEN WHY --
WE'RE HEARING THIS STUFF ABOUT,
WELL, IT WAS AN ATTEMPT TO
BLACKMAIL HILLARY.
ROBERT, DO YOU UNDERSTAND THAT?
DO YOU GET THAT ASPECT?
>> I DO UNDERSTAND THAT ASPECT,
LAURA, HOWEVER, AGAIN, THIS IS
COUNTERINTELLIGENCE
INVESTIGATION, THERE AREN'T ANY
302s, FOR EXAMPLE,
COUNTERINTELLIGENCE ASSETS ARE
NOT REPORTED ON 302s, THEY'RE
REPORTED ON MEMOS AND WHAT WE
USED TO CALL INSERTS.
SO THEY'RE NOT THE SAME KIND
OF -- THEY DON'T HAVE THE SAME
KIND OF OVERSIGHT THAT YOU WOULD
THINK IS -- THAT YOU WOULD SEE
IN THE CRIMINAL FIELD.
WHO KNOWS?
AS WAS JUST SAID, THERE'S A
QUESTION OF ALL OF THE
CHARACTERS IN THIS PLAY AND
NOTHING ABOUT HIS INTERVIEW
BOTHERS ME AT ALL.
IT ALL SEEMS PRETTY REASONABLE.
>> WHAT I'M GOING TO SAY, THE
THREEOFF, I HOPE JOHN DURHAM IN
CONNECTICUT, I HOPE THIS IS ALL
PART OF THE EFFECTS THAT HE'S