BRIEF A LITTLE BIT.
THEY SAY IT DOES NOT APPEAR TO
HAVE AFFECTED THE OUTCOME OF
THE ELECTION.
WE SHOULD SAY THE DOW WAS UP
EARLIER IN THE DAY AND
REVERSING THE GAINS BUT IT'S
NOW GAINING AGAIN.
KATIE, YOUR THOUGHTS.
>> IF YOU READ IN THE MEMO, IT
SAYS CAN INDICATED WITH
UNWITTING INDIVIDUALS
ASSOCIATED WITH THIS TRUMP
CAMPAIGN, THAT THESE RUSSIANS
WENT TO HUGE LENGTHS TO MAKE
SURE THESE PEOPLE HAD NO IDEA
THEY WERE RUSSIAN AND THEY
WERE JUST REGULAR AMERICANS.
ON TOP OF THAT, THEY WERE
ORGANIZING RALLIES FOR AND
AGAINST HIM.
THEY'VE BEEN HERE WORKING ON
THIS SINCE 2014, LONG BEFORE
TRUMP RAN FOR PRESIDENT.
THE KEY TO TAKE AWAY IS THAT
THESE RUSSIANS WERE INVOLVED
IN MEDDLING WITH THE ELECTIONS
BUT THEY DO NOT BELIEVE IT HAD
ANY INVOLVEMENT IN CHANGING
THE ELECTION OF THE OUTCOME
WHICH WAS DONALD TRUMP BECAME
PRESIDENT.
>> WHAT'S INTERESTING HERE IS
THAT THEY WERE DETAILING HOW
THE RUSSIANS WITH SOME
CONFUSION BOTH WAYS, PROTEST
RALLY.
OBVIOUSLY, TO JUST CONFUSE
PEOPLE, WHAT YOU THINK ABOUT
ALL THAT.
>> I THINK THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT
PEOPLE HAVE BEEN, THE
IMPRESSION PEOPLE HAVE BEEN
COMING TO THROUGHOUT THIS PAST
YEAR OR YEAR END A HALF, AND
THAT IS THAT WHICHEVER WAY THE
RUSSIANS WANTED THE ELECTION
TO GO, AND IT SEEMS THEY
WANTED PRESIDENT TRUMP TO WIN,
IT'S ALSO CLEAR THAT THEY
WANTED TO SO DISTRUST IN THE
UNITED STATES WITH ITS OWN
ELECTORAL SYSTEM.
>> IF YOU LOOK AT THE WAY THAT
THIS PAST YEAR HAS UNFOLDED,
PEOPLE TRYING TO SUGGEST THAT
PRESIDENT TRUMP IS NOT A
LEGITIMATE PRESIDENT, IT
CLEARLY WORKED FOR THE FACT
THAT THERE WERE TWO
SIMULTANEOUS RALLIES IN NEW
YORK CITY, ONE FOR AND ONE
AGAINST HIS ELECTION SHOWS
THAT THE RUSSIANS WERE
COMPLETELY CYNICAL IN
UNDERMINING THE AMERICAN
ELECTORAL SYSTEM.
THEY MAY HAVE GOTTEN THE
RESULT THEY WANTED BUT THE
BIGGEST RESULT THEY WANTED WAS
CONFUSION AND MISTRUST OF THE
SYSTEM.
>> KATIE, HOW CAN YOU READ
FROM THIS WHERE THE MULLER
INVESTIGATION MIGHT BE GOING.
IS IT TARGETING RUSSIANS AND
THOSE WHO MIGHT HAVE
UNWITTINGLY WORKED WITH THE
RUSSIANS ALTHOUGH NOT TARGETED
SPECIFICALLY FOR DOING SO.
DOES THAT MEAN ANYTHING TO
YOU?
IS THIS NOW GOING TO BE THE
DIRECTION THAT THEY WERE
UNDOUBTEDLY INVOLVED IN OUR
2016 ELECTION?
DO YOU DOUBT THAT THEY WANTED
TO CERTAINLY MIX IT UP A BIT.
THEY SUCCEEDED THAT.
THEY DIDN'T ALTER THE OUTCOME,
BUT THEY CERTAINLY TRIED.
THEY DID CERTAINLY TRY AND OF
COURSE THIS TRANSCENDS
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP, THIS
TRANSCENDS HILLARY CLINTON SO
IT'S RUSSIANS DESIRE TO CAUSE
DISCORD IN AMERICAN POLITICS
BUT I DON'T WANT TO MAKE ANY
PREDICTIONS ON THIS BUT I
THINK IT IS VERY TELLING,
CERTAIN LANGUAGE THAT WAS USED
TODAY LIKE THE WORD UNWITTING,
STRESSING AGAIN THAT ANY
AMERICANS ASSOCIATED WITH
TRUMP CAMPAIGN OR OTHERWISE
HAD NO IDEA WHO THESE PEOPLE
WERE.
IT'S FAIRLY HARD TO COLLUDE
WITH RUSSIA IF YOU HAVE NO
IDEA THE RUSSIAN.
>> THAT'S A GOOD POINT.
ANOTHER THING I'M THINKING OF,
IT'S EASIER SAID THAN DONE TO
GET RUSSIAN ENTITIES INDICTED
TO COME HERE.
>> GIVEN THAT THIS IS A
CAMPAIGN THAT PRESIDENT PUTIN
AND HORSES, THE WHOLE
INFORMATION WAR THAT HE'S BEEN
WAGING, NOT JUST AGAINST THE
UNITED STATES BUT AGAINST MANY
OTHERS, GIVEN THAT HE'S
BACKING THAT AND ENDORSING
THAT AND HE'S GOT BUILDINGS
FILLED WITH LOTS OF PEOPLE
MAKING UP NEWS, THE CHANCES OF
HIM ALLOWING THE PEOPLE TO
WORK FOR HIM TO BE INDICTED
SEEMS TO BE EXTREMELY FUN.
BUT, YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE
THINGS WE SHOULD THINK ABOUT
FROM ROBERT MULLER'S POINT OF
VIEW IS, HIS INVESTIGATION
WILL WORK TOWARD THE CENTER.
HE IS NOW INDICTED 13 RUSSIAN
INDIVIDUALS AND 13, AND THREE
RUSSIAN ORGANIZATIONS.
HE WILL SEE WHAT HE CAN GET
OUT OF THAT TO MOVE TO THE
NEXT TARGET.
THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER HAS
BEEN REPORTING TODAY THAT THEY
SEEM TO HAVE SOME PROBLEMS
WITH MIKE FLYNN AND SOME
UNUSUAL DEVELOPMENTS THERE
WITH A NEW JUDGE.
I THINK ROBERT MULLER ACTUALLY
NEEDED TO GET SOME GOOD NEWS
AND SOME DISPLAY OF ACTIVITY
GOING ON HERE BECAUSE THERE'S
BEEN SOME QUESTIONS ARISING
ABOUT HOW SOLID THE CASES
AGAINST MIKE FLYNN.
>> AND FORGET ABOUT WHERE
THEY'RE GOING WITH ALL THIS,
I'M WONDERING IF THIS HAS
CHANGED THIS WHOLE
INVESTIGATION BECAUSE AGAIN, I
SEE THINGS OFTEN AND THEY
TANKED ON THE FIRST HINT THERE
WAS GOING TO BE THIS
ANNOUNCEMENT.
AND THEN, YOU BOTH KEENLY
POINTED OUT THE FACT THAT
AMERICANS MIGHT'VE BEEN
UNWITTINGLY INVOLVED BUT NOT
DELIBERATELY INVOLVED SO THIS
MIGHT JUST INVOLVE THESE
RUSSIAN ENTITIES AND THERE'S
NOTHING STICKING TO THE TRUMP
WHITE HOUSE.
MY QUICK INTERPRETATION IS
THAT THE MARKETS TURNED AROUND
WITH 91 POINTS, THIS IS
LIMITED.
THIS IS NOT TOUCHING THE WHITE
HOUSE OR, AM I JUMPING TOO
MUCH?
>> I WOULD SAY MAYBE WE HAVE
TO WAIT AND SEE.
THERE'S A LOT WE DON'T KNOW,
THERE'S THINGS THAT HAVE NOT
COME OUT AND THIS OF COURSE IS
THE FIRST STEP, GET THOSE
INDICTMENTS ON THE RUSSIANS,
SEE WHAT WE CAN GET FROM THEM
AND IF RUSSIA COOPERATES.
>> THERE'S NO WAY HE WILL
COOPERATE.
>> YES, CLEARLY NOT BUT WE
HAVE TO WAIT AND SEE AFTER
THIS AND SEE WHERE THIS LEADS,
BUT AGAIN THE LANGUAGE BEING
USED IN THIS IS NOT CONDUCIVE
TO RUSSIAN NARRATIVE.
>> EVEN VERY GOOD FOLKS, I
APPRECIATE IT, THAT ROBERT
MULLER DIDN'T ANNOUNCE ANY OF
US THAT THIS WAS ALL.
[INAUDIBLE]
>> NOT TO READ INTO THAT
EXCEPT THAT ROBERT MULLER IS
MUCH LESS ASSESSABLE THAN ROB
ROSENSTEIN, THEY WANT TO KEEP
HIM IN THE BACKGROUND, THEY
DON'T HAVE THE QUESTIONS AFTER
HIM.
I THINK PROBABLY ROBERT MULLER
WOULD WANT TO STAY IN THE
BACKGROUND AND THE
ADMINISTRATION WOULD WANT HIM
TO STAY IN THE BACKGROUND.
>> I LIED WHEN I SAID DOES MY
FINAL QUESTION.
THAT IS SOMETHING ELSE.
KATIE, I GRANT YOU APPLES AND
ORANGES, BUT GIVEN WHAT
APPEARS TO BE A MAJOR SCREWUP
OF KNOWLEDGE BY THE FBI
DIRECTOR HIMSELF IN THIS FOR
THE CASE INVOLVING NIKOLAS
CRUZ, THE SHOOTER, THAT THEY
HAD VERY WORKABLE, TANGIBLE
EXERCISABLE INFORMATION ON A
TIP THAT CAME IN AGAIN JUST
SIX WEEKS AGO ABOUT HIS
VIOLENCE, HIS CRIMINAL
CRIMINAL, SOCIAL MEDIA POSTING
THAT HAD GOTTEN INCREASINGLY
WORRISOME, ALL CONVEYED BY
SOMEONE WHO KNEW HIM WELL
ENOUGH TO DO SO AND OUTLINE
ALL OF THIS, WHAT DOES THAT
MEAN FOR THE FBI?
>> OF COURSE, IT'S A VERY BAD,
NO GOOD, AWFUL DAY FOR THE FBI
BUT THE PROBLEM IS WE HEAR
OVER AND OVER AGAIN IN THE
SUBWAY AND THE AIRPORT, WHEN
YOU GO OUT, IF YOU SEE
SOMETHING SAY SOMETHING.
IT DOESN'T WORK IF WHEN YOU
SAY SOMETHING NO ONE DOES
ANYTHING.
MY HEART BREAKS FOR THESE
FAMILIES THAT ARE NOW PLAYING
THE WHAT IF GAME BECAUSE MAYBE
IF THE FBI HAD FOLLOWED
PROTOCOL, THINGS MAY HAVE BEEN
DIFFERENT.
>> THINK THAT'S EXACTLY
RIGHT.
AFTER THE FACT, WHEN YOU HAVE
ALL OF THE EYES OF THE MEDIA
AND ALL OF THE FBI AND SCARY
FORCES LOOKING AT WHAT THEY
DID, TO SOME EXTENT WILLING TO
SHOW THEY DID THE RIGHT THING,
LOTS OF NEW FACTS COME OUT SO
THE TROUBLE IS AFTER ANYTHING
LIKE THIS THERE WILL BE
WHAT-IFS.