DONALD TRUMP. HE MIGHT NOT TAKE THE THREAT OF
RUSSIAN INTERFERENCE ON OUR
ELECTIONS VERY SERIOUSLY BUT A
67-PAGE REPORT FROM THE SENATE
INTEL COMMITTEE SHOWS THERE’S
NOTHING FUNNY ABOUT IT.
THE BIPARTISAN REPORT, RELEASED
JUST ONE DAY AFTER ROBERT
MUELLER WARNED OF THE GRAVITY OF
THE THREAT FINDS ELECTION
SYSTEMS IN ALL 50 OF THESE
UNITED STATES WERE TARGETED.
THE REPORT STATES, QUOTE, THE
RUSSIAN GOVERNMENT DIRECTED
EXTENSIVE ACTIVITY BEGINNING IN
AT LEAST 2014 AND CARRYING INTO
AT LEAST 2017 AGAINST U.S.
ELECTION INFRASTRUCTURE AT THE
STATE AND LOCAL LEVEL.
THE REPORT FOUND THE RUSSIANS
TOOK ADVANTAGE OF THE NATION’S
DECENTRALIZED VOTING SYSTEM,
EXPLODING SEAMS -- THAT’S
EXPLOITING, NOT EXPLODING, SEAMS
BETWEEN THE OVERSIGHT SYSTEMS.
AND ALSO FOUND THE OVERNIGHT WAS
SORELY LACKING IN 2016 AND
ATTEMPTS TO WARN THE STATES
ABOUT POTENTIAL SECURITY
BREACHES DID NOT PROVIDE ENOUGH
INFORMATION OR GO TO THE
APPROPRIATE PEOPLE.
APPROPRIATE PEOPLE. >>> JOINING ME AT THE TABLE
SENIOR FELLOW AT THE POLICY
RESEARCH INSTITUTE AND FORMER
FBI AGENT CLINT WATSON, THE MAN
WHO SAW THIS STUFF COMING IN
REALTIME BEFORE JUST ABOUT
ANYBODY.
ANYBODY. THIS IS A GREAT PLACE TO START
BECAUSE YOU WERE SO PRESSING
ABOUT THIS IN 2016 AND FOLLOWED
IT LITERALLY AS CLOSE AS ANY
HUMAN I KNOW, WHAT DID YOU LEARN
FROM THE SENATE INTEL REPORT?
>> THERE WERE TWO PARTS THAT I
TALKED ABOUT.
TALKED ABOUT. ONE IS THE ELECTION WAS TRYING
TO EMPLOY MONITORS AT POLLING
PLACES, WHICH WAS OUR FEAR ON
ELECTION NIGHT, WHOCHS WAS GOING
WIN WITH, BUT WOULD WOULD
SOMEONE SHOW UP AT THE ELECTION
PLACE WITH A GUN.
AND WHAT WERE THE RUSSIANS DOING
THERE, START A PROVOCATION?
WERE THEY GOING TO CLAIM THERE
WAS ELECTION RIGGING OR VOTER
FRAUD?
FRAUD? THE OTHER WAS THE U.S. BEING A
CENTRAL POINT FOR THE RESULTS OF
THE ELECTIONS.
THE ELECTIONS. SO COULD THE RUSSIANS HACK IN
THERE AND CHANGE THE VOTES OF
THE VOTING SYSTEM AND MEDIA SUCH
AS A FALSE REPORT COMES OUT,
WHICH WOULD CREATE MASS
CONFUSION AND LEAD EVERYBODY TO
BELIEVE THERE’S ELECTION
RIGGING.
RIGGING. THOSE TWO THINGS I THOUGHT WERE
REMARKABLE AND HAVE GONE UNDER
THE TABLE TO THIS POINT.
>> KIMBERLY, I WANT TO TOSS THIS
TO YOU BECAUSE IT’S ONE OF MY
OBSESSIVE THINGS.
OBSESSIVE THINGS. I REMEMBER TALKING TO CLINT AND
OTHERS, FORGETTING ABOUT THE
VOTES CAN BE MANIPULATED,
WHETHER THE SYSTEM CAN BE
HACKED, WE HAVE A LOT TO WORRY
ABOUT THAT, BUT ANNIZY POINT EAS
ENTRY, THE NIGHT OF THE ELECTION
THE RESULTS COME IN AND THERE’S
A REPORT TO ASSOCIATED PRESS AND
THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN THERE’S A
ANNOUNCEMENT, DONALD TRUMP WON
VERMONT 92-8.
VERMONT 92-8. AND YOU HAVE FOX NEWS GOING ON
SAYING DONALD TRUMP WON OVER
WEMINGLY AND ALL OF A SUDDEN YOU
HAVE CHAOS NOT BECAUSE THE VOTES
ARE ALTERED BUT THE REPORTING OF
THE VOTES ARE ALTERED.
DO YOU THINK THIS WILL GET US TO
FOCUS ON IT MORE?
>> YES, THAT IS A VERY REAL
CONCERN CAN.
CONCERN CAN. IT WAS A CONCERN IN 2016.
BECAUSE IF YOU ALSO REMEMBER AT
THAT TIME, DONALD TRUMP, THE
REPUBLICAN CANDIDATE, HAD
ALREADY BEGUN THIS MESSAGING
THAT IF HE LOSES, THAT MEANS
THAT THE VOTE IS RIGGED IN SOME
WAY, THAT THERE’S SOMETHING
NEFARIOUS GOING ON HE WAS
ALREADY PLANTING THE SEEDS IN
HIS OWN CAMPAIGN MESSAGING WHICH
HAD FOLKS CONCERNED THERE WOULD
BE AN EFFORT TO TRY TO DENY THE
LEGITIMACY OF THE VOTE, ENDED UP
WINNING SO THAT DIDN’T HAPPEN.
BUT IT COULD HAPPEN AGAIN IN
2020.
2020. THERE ARE A LOT OF SOFT SPOTS IN
THE ELECTION SYSTEM.
WE FOCUS A LOT ON THE SENATE
INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE
INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE IMPORTANTLY SO, BUT ONE OF THE
THINGS THAT GOES ON IN THE
BACKGROUND ON CAPITOL HILL ALL
THE TIME IS THERE’S BEEN LOTS OF
HEARINGS WHERE LOTS OF LOCAL AND
STATE PEOPLE HAVE COME IN AND
LITERALLY BEGGED CONGRESS TO ACT
IN ORDER TO GIVE THEM THELE TOOS
THEY NEED TO SECURE UP THEIR
ELECTION SYSTEMS BEFORE THE
ELECTION IN CONGRESS HAS NOT
ACTED.
ACTED. >> I WANT TO READ THIS THING IN
"THE WASHINGTON POST" THAT TALKS
ABOUT THE SENATE INTELLIGENCE
REPORT.
REPORT. THE HEADLINE IS, NEW SENATE
INTEL REPORTS DEEPENS THE
MYSTERY SURROUNDING RUSSIA 2016
ELECTION INTERFERENCE.
ELECTION INTERFERENCE. THE BIGGEST FEAR OF THE HIGHEST
LEVELS OF THE INTELLIGENCE
WORLD, IS THAT MILITARY OFFICERS
WERE STUDYING THE DECENTRALIZED
ELECTION SYSTEMS IN THE UNITED
STATES TO IDENTIFY THE LINKS IN
PREPARATION FOR SOMETHING MUCH
MORE MALICIOUS AND CHAOTIC IN
2020.
2020. SO I ASK YOU, GABE, AS YOU THINK
ABOUT THIS, WE HEARD HER BOB
MUELLER IN A HEARING.
THEY’RE DOING IT NOW, THEY’RE
GOING TO KEEP DOING.
WE HAVE SEEN CHRISTOPHER WRAY IN
MULTIPLE PUBLIC SETTINGS SAY,
DUDE, LIKE MY HAIR IS ON FIRE.
THIS IS A FIVE-ALARM FIRE.
WE’RE GOING TO TALK IN A SECOND
ABOUT MOSCOW MITCH BUT I JUST
ASK YOU THIS FROM WHAT YOU KNOW
AND YOU TALK TO POLITICAL
PLAYERS ALL THE TIME, HOW
WORRIED ARE THEY AND HOW WORRIED
SHOULD THEY BE?
>> THE ANSWER TO THE SECOND
QUESTION IS EXTREMELY WORRIED,
MAYBE MORE WORRIED ABOUT THIS OR
ANYTHING ELSE WHEN IT COMES TO
ELECTION DAY IN 2020, THEY’RE
ALL VERY WORRIED ABOUT THIS,
PARTICULARLY DEMOCRATS TALK
ABOUT IT A LOT.
BUT THE ANSWER IS THEY DON’T
KNOW HOW TO WORRY BECAUSE
THERE’S NO RECOURSE FOR THEM TO
DO ANYTHING.
DO ANYTHING. YOU HAVE THEM CON STAN THELY
ASKING FOR MONEY AND POLICY AND
OVERSIGHT BUT THAT’S NOT
HAPPENING.
HAPPENING. WHEN YOU LOOK AT WHAT IS
HAPPENING IN THE SENATE,
PARTICULARLY SENATE REPUBLICANS
SHUTTING DOWN ELECTION SECURITY
MEASURES, YOU HAVE DEMOCRATS IN
PARTICULAR BUT POLITICAL PLAYERS
OF ALL STRIPES SAYING THIS IS
TERRIBLE BUT WE DON’T KNOW WHAT
TO DO.
TO DO. >> I WANT TO TURN TO THIS.
I WILL GET TO YOU BECAUSE I KNOW
YOU HAVE A LOT TO SAY ABOUT
THIS, REV, BUT I WANT TO TURN TO
THAT QUESTION NOW AND WHAT
REPUBLICANS DID THIS WEEK IN THE
FACE OF ALL OF THIS REPORT, AND
WHAT MUELLER SAID AND EVERYTHING
ELSE WE KNOW, THE REALITY THAT
DESPITE ALL OF THAT, YOU’VE GOT
MITCH McCONNELL SHUTTING DOWN A
VOTE ON ELECTION SECURITY
MEASURES, TWO OF THEM.
IT PROMPTED -- IT’S ONE OF THE
MOST ASTONISHING THINGS I HAVE
SEEN.
SEEN. MOST IRRESPONSIBLE.
MOST IRRESPONSIBLE. IT’S NOT THE FIRST TIME
McCONNELL
McCONNELL McCONNELL DOES SOMETHING LIKE
THIS.
THIS. I WANT TO PLAY A CLIP OF MY
FRIEND JSOE SCARBOROUGH ON
"MORNING JOE" THIS MORNING.
LET’S PLAY THAT RIGHT NOW.
>> HE IS AIDING AND ABETTING
VLADIMIR PUTIN’S ONGOING
ATTEMPTS TO SUBVERT AMERICAN
DEMOCRACY ACCORDING TO THE
REPUBLICAN FBI, CIA, DMI, INTEL
COMMITTEE, ALL REPUBLICANS ARE
ALL SAYING RUSSIAN IS SUBVERTING
AMERICAN DEMOCRACY AND MOSCOW
MITCH WON’T EVEN LET THE SENATE
TAKE A VOTE ON IT!
THAT IS UN-AMERICAN.
>> UN-AMERICAN?
>> UN-AMERICAN? >> ABSOLUTELY.
>> ABSOLUTELY. WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE FACT -- YOU
HAVE TO LOOK AT THE TOTAL
CONTEXT.
CONTEXT. DONALD TRUMP, MITCH McCONNELL
AND THE REPUBLICANS HAD TRIED TO
CONVINCE THE AMERICAN PUBLIC
THERE WAS THIS MASSIVE VOTER
FRAUD.
FRAUD. THEY HAD PEOPLE FEELING THAT
THEY WERE GOING TO STEAL THE
ELECTION.
ELECTION. THEY SET THE CLIMATE FOR WHAT
RUSSIA COULD HAVE AND IN THIS
CASES ACTUALLY DID.
SO IF YOU’RE GOING OUTSIDE AND
PEOPLE ARE WALKING BY WITH AN
UMBRELLA, BE EVENEVEN THOUGH IT’
RAINING, YOU’RE GETTING READY
FOR THE RAIN.
THEY TOOK THE UMBRELLA OUT.
THEY’RE THE ONES THAT RAISED THE
ISSUE.
ISSUE. NOW THEY’RE THE ONES THAT ARE
GOING TO SHUT DOWN LOOKING AT
ANY POSSIBILITY OF THE FRAUD?
THEY’RE THE ONES WHO WANTED TO
VOTE I.D. LAWS, ALL OF THESE
REQUIREMENTS.
REQUIREMENTS. NOW ALL OF A SUDDEN WE DON’T
WANT ANYTHING AND IT HAPPENS TO
COINCIDE WITH THE RUSSIAN
STRATEGY.
STRATEGY. SOME OF US FEEL THAT’S A LITTLE
BIT TOO FAR.
CLEARLY THEY HAVE SET THE TABLE
FOR RUSSIA TO CONTINUE TO DO
WHAT THEY WANT TO DO AND I THINK
NOT ONLY DEMOCRATS BUT THOSE OF
US IN THE CIVIL RIGHTS AND
VOTING RIGHTS COMMUNITY ARE VERY
CONCERNED ABOUT IT.
WHEN YOU HAVE BEEN TALKING ABOUT
PEOPLE AT THE POLLS TRYING TO
PROPOSE SOMETHING, ALL THEY NEED
IS ONE DISTURBANCE TO OVERTURN A
WHOLE PRECINCT’S VOTE.
THAT’S EXTREMELY DANGEROUS.
>> KIMBERLY ATKINS, I WANT TO TO
READ TO YOU SOMETHING FROM "THE
WASHINGTON POST," A COLUMN AND
ASK YOU ABOUT WHAT THE
MOTIVATION HERE IS.
WE HAVE SEEN REPUBLICANS
CAPITULATE TO DONALD TRUMP, WHO
PREVIOUSLY DID NOT LIKE HIM,
CURRENT THELY DOES NOT
CURRENTLY LIKE HIM, BUT HERE’S
WHAT SHE WROTE -- WHY IS AMERICA
TURNING THE GATES OPEN TO
AMERICA’S FOES?
AMERICA’S FOES? THE PRESIDENT IS CLEARLY
DISTURBING, THAT IS WHAT
PRESIDENT TRUMP WANTS.
P WHY DOEST PERFECT WANT THE CUP
UT
UT COUNTRY TO LOWER ITS GUARD
AGAINST RUSSIA?
AGAINST RUSSIA? PRESIDENT TRUMP EXPECTS VLADIMIR
PUTIN WILL HELP HIM WIN IN 2020
JUST AS HE DID IN 2016.
I’M NOT SAYING JUST THAT HE
EXPECTS IT, KIM, HE’S INVITING
IT.
IT. WE SAW HIM ON GEORGE
STEPHANOPOULOS SAYING, RUSSIA
CAN YOU HEAR ME?
COME BACK AND DO IT AGAIN.
NOW THERE ARE OTHER COUNTRIES WE
KNOW HE’S INVITING TO DO IT TOO
BY OPENING THE DOOR.
THERE’S A QUESTION IN HERE
SOMEHOW SOMEWHERE, I PROMISE
YOU.
YOU. BUT WHAT AIS THE DEALIS THE DEAL
IS MITCH McCONNELL IN THE BACK
POCKET OF A FULLY CORRUPT DONALD
TRUMP?
TRUMP? >> MITCH McCONNELL SINCE DONALD
TRUMP HAS TAKEN OFFICE HAS TAKEN
THE ROLE OF PROTECTING THIS
PRESIDENT AT ALL COSTS, HAVING A
REPUBLICAN IN THE WHITE HOUSE TO
McCONNELL IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN
ANYTHING ELSE.
ANYTHING ELSE. WE KNOW, ONE, TALK ABOUT RUSSIA
MANY REASONS, ONE OF WHICH WAS
IT MADE IT SEEM AS IF THAT CAST
SOME DOUBT OVER THE LEGITIMACY
OF HIS PRESIDENCY AND HE WAS
VERY CONCERNED ABOUT THAT.
AND HE WANTED TO DOWNPLAY RUSSIA
COMPLETELY.
COMPLETELY. THEN AS YOU POINTED OUT
SUBSEQUENTLY, WE’VE SEEN THAT
MESSAGE SORT OF SHIFT.
THERE WASN’T -- I DIDN’T DO
ANYTHING WRONG, NOTHING
HAPPENED.
HAPPENED. THERE WAS, WELL, IF IT HAPPENED,
IT WOULD BE FINE.
AND THAT WAS BASICALLY AN
INVITATION FOR FOREIGN
ADVERSARIES TO ENGAGE.
WE HEARD FROM ROBERT MUELLER,
ONE THING HE MADE CLEAR ON
WEDNESDAY IS THE EFFORTS BY
RUSSIA WERE MEANT TO AID TRUMP
AND HE KNOWS THAT.
>> CLINT, I WANT TO COME BACK
AND END THE BLOCK WITH YOU
BECAUSE YOU’RE THE SCARIEST GUY
AT THE TABLE AND I FEEL LIKE WE
SHOULD BE FILLED WITH FOREBODING
DOOM HERE.
DOOM HERE. WAS HE PROBING VULNERABILITIES,
MAYBE THEY WERE PROETING
VULNERABILITIES BECAUSE THEY
WANT UT TO EXPLOIT THEM LATER
BUT MAYBE THEY WANT US TO KNOW
THEY’RE PROBING VULNERABILITIES
FOR CY OPS.
YOU DON’T HAVE TO CHANGE VOTES
TO GET IN THE SYSTEM.
I WONDER -- THE REASON I THINK
IT’S RELEVANT IS THEY DID SO
MANY THINGS THAT WERE EASILY
DETECTIBLE.
DETECTIBLE. THEY DIDN’T COVER THEIR TRACKS.
WHEN YOU LOOK AT IT DO YOU THINK
WHAT’S SO INSIDIOUS ABOUT THIS,
THEY CAN EITHER MANIPULATE THE
ELECTION OR MANIPULATE OUR FAITH
IN THE ELECTION?
EITHER WAY IT’S A WIN FOR
RUSSIA.
RUSSIA. >> IT’S A DOUBLE-EDGED SWORD AND
THAT’S WHAT’S CONSISTENT
THROUGHOUT IT.
THROUGHOUT IT. THEY TAKE A VERY SMALL ACTION
EVEN IF WE AS THE U.S.
GOVERNMENT MA GATEITIGATE IT AND
HEY, WE FOUND AN INTRUSION AND
HAVE TAKEN CARE OF IT.
THEY ALREADY THROUGH THAT ACTION
CREATED SOME DOUBT.
HOW DO YOU KNOW?
HOW DID YOU FIX IT?
WE HAVE BEEN GOING THROUGH THIS
THREE YEARS.
THREE YEARS. I HAVE NO MORE CONFIDENCE THAN
THREE YEARS AGO WE GOT TO THE
BOTTOM OF IT ALL AND FIXED THE
PATCHES.
PATCHES. WE DON’T GO THROUGH ELECTION
INTEGRITY.
INTEGRITY. THAT IS A BLUEPRINT FOR ANY
ACTOR, FOREIGN OR DOMESTIC, TO
COMPLETELY MESS UP AMERICA FOR
THREE MORE YEARS AFTER 2020.
>> SCALE OF ONE TO TEN, TEN
BEING TOTALLY CERTAIN AND ZERO
TOTALLY UNCERTAIN, IN 2020
RUSSIA OR ANOTHER STATE FOREIGN
ACTOR WILL AK THEIVELY INTERFERE
WITH THE AMERICAN ELECTION, WHAT
IS YOUR SCALE OF LEVEL OF
CONCERN?
CONCERN? >> I THINK THAT WILL DEPEND ON
THE CANDIDATES.
THE CANDIDATES. MANY I IT COMES DOWN FROM RUSSIA
AND IRAN FROM AFAR.
BUT THE BIGGEST FEAR I HAVE ARE