>>> WELCOME BACK. NOW TO THE MUELLER PROBE IN THE
RUSSIAN OPERATIVE SWIRLING
AROUND DONALD TRUMP’S ORBIT.
TODAY AN ALLEGED RUSSIAN AGENT
PLANNING TO PLEAD GUILTY.
SHE’S ACCUSED OF WORKING ON
BEHALF OF THE KREMLIN TO
INFLUENCE THE NRA DURING THE
2016 ELECTION.
2016 ELECTION. HERE SHE IS, ASKING TRUMP ABOUT
RUSSIAN SANCTIONS BACK IN 2015.
>> I’M VISITING FROM RUSSIA.
>> AH, PUTIN, GOOD FRIEND OF
OBAMA.
OBAMA. >> IF YOU WERE ELECTED AS
PRESIDENT, WHAT WOULD BE YOUR
FOREIGN POLITICS IN RELATION TO
MY COUNTRY, AND DO YOU WANT TO
CONTINUE THE POLITICS OF
SANCTIONS THAT ARE DAMAGING BOTH
ECONOMIES?
ECONOMIES? OR DO YOU HAVE ANY OTHER IDEAS?
>> I BELIEVE I WOULD GET ALONG
VERY NICELY WITH PUTIN, OKAY?
AND I MEAN, WHERE WE HAVE THE
STRENGTH.
STRENGTH. I DON’T THINK YOU WOULD NEED THE
SANCTIONS.
SANCTIONS. >> I WISH WE COULD REPLAY THAT
PART AT THE END, WHERE HE SAID,
OH, GOOD FRIEND OF OBAMA.
BUT SHE APPEARS TO BE THE TIP OF
THE ICEBERG.
THE ICEBERG. TODAY, "THE WASHINGTON POST"
REPORTING ON INTERACTIONS
BETWEEN RUSSIANS AND 14 TRUMP
ASSOCIATES.
ASSOCIATES. A MUCH-DIFFERENT STORY THAN
TRUMP TOLD LAST YEAR.
>> CAN YOU SAY WHETHER YOU ARE
AWARE THAT ANYONE WHO ADVISED
YOUR CAMPAIGN HAD CONTACT WITH
RUSSIANS DURING THE CAMPAIGN?
>> I HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH
RUSSIA TO.
RUSSIA TO. THE BEST OF MY KNOWLEDGE, NO
PERSON THAT I DEAL WITH.
>> WITH ME NOW, INVESTIGATIVE
JOURNALIST, THE AUTHOR OF "TRUMP
RUSSIA."
RUSSIA." SETH, I’M GOING TO START WITH
YOU ON THIS ONE.
14 CONTACTS, THAT IS
UNBELIEVABLE TO ME.
TALK TO ME ABOUT WHY IT IS YOU
BELIEVE THE RUSSIANS FELT LIKE
THE TRUMP ORGANIZATION, THE
TRUMP CAMPAIGN, DONALD TRUMP IN
GENERAL, WAS A PRIME TARGET?
>> YEAH.
>> YEAH. I MEAN, I THINK THERE WAS
JUST -- THEY REALLY FELT LIKE
THEY COULD, YOU KNOW VSHGS, HAVE
ROAD WITH TRUMP.
TRUMP HAS BEEN DEALING WITH
RUSSIANS SINCE THE ’80s.
HE’S BEEN TO THE SOVIET UNION,
MOSCOW MULTIPLE TIMES.
HE’S WANTED HIS NAME ON A
BUILDING THERE.
BUILDING THERE. AND THIS IS WELL KNOWN IN
RUSSIA.
RUSSIA. HE’S POPULAR THERE.
HE’S WELL LIKED.
AND I THINK THAT, YOU KNOW, THEY
FELT LIKE THEY COULD HAVE AN IN
ROAD WITH HIM, BECAUSE HE SEEMED
TO -- THEY INVITED HIM IN.
IT WAS KIND OF A NATURAL FIT
BETWEEN TWO FOREIGN LEADERS, TWO
FOREIGN GROUPS, TWO FOREIGN
COUNTRIES.
COUNTRIES. >> IT SEEMS INCREDIBLE, SPECIAL
IT WILL WITH THE PETTINA
INFORMATION, HOW MANY TENTACLES
THE RUSSIANS HAD OUT THERE AND
HOW HUGE THIS OPERATION, SETH,
REALLY WAS.
REALLY WAS. DID THEY KNOW THAT PRESIDENT
TRUMP WAS GOING TO RUN FOR
PRESIDENT BEFORE HE ACTUALLY
DID?
DID? >> THAT’S THE MILLION DOLLAR
QUESTION.
QUESTION. YOU KNOW, THERE’S A LOT OF
SPECULATION, PEOPLE THINKING
THAT PUTIN PUT HIM UP TO
RUNNING, THAT HE WAS RUNNING AT
SOMEBODY ELSE’S INSTIGATION.
I THINK TRUMP WAS RUNNING FOR
HIS OWN REASONS.
I THINK IT’S A PUBLICITY STUNT
THAT WENT WRONG.
I DON’T THINK THEY HAD ANY
ADVANCED KNOWLEDGE.
ADVANCED KNOWLEDGE. BUT I THINK THEY SAW AN
OPPORTUNITY WHEN TRUMP DID RUN,
AND THEY JUMPED ON IT.
YOU KNOW, WE JUST KEEP LEARNING
AS YOU’RE MENTIONED.
EVERY WEEK THERE’S A NEW
CONTACT.
CONTACT. AND, YOU KNOW, I THINK WE’RE
STILL ONLY AT THE BEGINNING
STAGES OF UNDERSTANDING HOW KEEP
THIS PENETRATION WENT.
>> WE’RE TALKING ABOUT THESE 14
CONTACTS REVEALED IN THE MUELLER
FILINGS.
FILINGS. WHAT IS THE REASONING BEHIND
THIS?
THIS? WHY WOULD MUELLER WANT TO REVEAL
THESE CONTACTS?
THESE CONTACTS? >> I THINK WHAT HE’S INVOLVED IN
IS KIND OF A SUSPENSE GAME.
HE’S NOT GIVING US ALL THE
DETAILS, BUT HE’S GIVING US
CERTAINLY ENOUGH THAT WE CAN
DRAW THE REST OF THE CIRCLE.
I’VE ALWAYS BEEN CURIOUS ABOUT
HOW FAR BACK IT GOES IN RESPONSE
TO YOUR LAST QUESTION.
I THINK THAT WHAT MUELLER HAS
ADDED TO THE PUBLIC INFORMATION
IS THAT THIS GOES BACK A LONG
WAY.
WAY. AND I DIDN’T APPRECIATE, UNTIL
THE RECENT DISCLOSURES, HOW
IMPORTANT THE TRUMP TOWER WAS,
OR THE TRUMP -- OR THE MOSCOW
PROJECT WAS.
PROJECT WAS. GOING BACK TO 2008, THEY EVEN
HAD A PROPOSAL THAT IT WOULD BE
CALLED THE IVANKA.
AND IF YOU LOOK AT THE DEAL THAT
THEY WERE -- THERE WAS A LETTER
OF INTENT THAT TRUMP SIGNED.
AND I BELIEVE IT WAS IN NOVEMBER
OF 2015.
OF 2015. AND IN THAT, THERE’S A LOT OF
FRONT LOADING, PAYING HIM.
SO IT’S VERY INTERESTING.
IT LOOKS LIKE MONEY GOES TO HIM,
AND THERE’S A PROPOSAL TO GIVE
$50 MILLION SUITE TO PUTIN.
AND PEOPLE ASK WHAT COULD THOSE
TOWERS HAVE TO DO WITH OUR
CONCERN HERE IN AMERICA ABOUT
THE INVESTIGATION?
THE INVESTIGATION? I THINK THE ANSWER IS, THE QUID
PRO QUO WENT IN TWO DIRECTIONS
FOR THESE PEOPLE, AND IT WASN’T
JUST ABOUT HELPING IN THE
CAMPAIGN, IT WAS TO HELP IN THE
CAMPAIGN SO THEY COULD MAKE THE
MONEYS THEY HOPED TO MAKE, AND
THEY WOULD ALSO LIFT THE
SANCTIONS, WHICH WOULD
COMPROMISE THE DEAL THAT TRUMP
WANTED OVER THERE.
AND FAMILY MEMBERS WERE ALL
INVOLVED IN IT, AND WHY WERE
THEY DENIED?
THEY DENIED? THIS WAS BAD GOING ON.
THEY DON’T WANT ANYBODY TO KNOW
ABOUT THIS.
ABOUT THIS. AND LUCKILY, WE KNEW, BECAUSE
THEY’RE SUCH TERRIBLE LIARS AND
SO MANY PIECES OF PAPER AND SO
MANY PEOPLE THAT CAN’T KEEP
THEIR MOUTH SHUT AND SO MANY
PEOPLE TALKING ABOUT IT.
BUT TO HAVE A PRESIDENTIAL
CANDIDATE IN THE BACK POCKET OF
PUTIN, WHEN WE HAD SUCH BAD
RELATIONS WITH THEM FOR WHAT
HAPPENED IN THE UKRAINE AND WHAT
HAPPENED WITH THE MAGNITSKY ACT
AND INTERFERING IN OUR ELECTION,
THIS IS AN ALL HANDS ON DECK
EMERGENCY THAT WE HAVE TO DO
SOMETHING ABOUT.
SOMETHING ABOUT. THAT’S HOW I SEE THE RECENT
DISCLOSURE.
DISCLOSURE. >> JOHN, QUICKLY, WE PLAYED THAT
SOUND EARLIER OF HER ASKING THEN
CANDIDATE TRUMP IN A DINNER A
QUESTION, AS A REPORTER.
YET WE NOW UNDERSTAND EXACTLY
WHO HE IS, AS A RUSSIAN AGENT.
WHAT DOES THAT MEAN, THE
IMPENDING GUILTY PLEA WE’RE
GOING TO GET FROM HER?
>> I DON’T KNOW HOW MUCH THEY’LL
DISCLOSE, BUT IT WILL BE
INTERESTING TO SEE WHAT SHE WAS
TOLD TO DO.
WAS SHE TOLD TO GET TRUMP ON THE
RECORD PUBLICLY SO THEY WOULD BE
REASSURED THAT IF THEY
INTERFERED IN THE ELECTION ON
HIS SIDE, HE WAS ON THE RECORD
ON THEIR SIDE.
SO WE HAVE THESE STEPS, WE HAVE
THAT QUESTION BY BUTINA, AND WE
ALSO HAVE HOW THEY CHANGED THE
PLATFORM TO FAVOR BEING RELAXED
AS FOR THE UKRAINE, FAVORING THE