>>> THERES SOME REMARKABLE NEW
REPORTING IN "THE NEW YORK
TIMES" TO TELL YOU ABOUT.
IT READS LIKE FICTION.
IT REVEALS WHAT APPEARS TO BE A
DRAMATIC ESCALATION IN THE
LENGTHS AND THE ELABORATE PLANS
THAT THE FAR RIGHT ACTIVISTS ARE
WILLING TO GO TO TO SUBVERT
THEIR POLITICAL COMPETITION.
THROUGH DOZENS OF INTERVIEWS AND
THE COLLECTION OF FEDERAL
ELECTION RECORDS, JOURNALISTS AT
"THE TIMES" TRACKED WHAT
APPEARED TO BE CONSERVATIVE
OPERATIVES, SPIES REALLY WHO
OVER THE COURSE OF SEVERAL YEARS
INFILTRATE AND IMBED THEMSELVES
INTO PROGRESSIVE GROUPS IN
MULTIPLE STATES.
FROM THAT REPORT, QUOTE, THE
ENDEAVOR IN THE WEST APPEARS TO
HAVE HAD TWO PRIMARY GOALS,
PENETRATE LOCAL AND EVENTUALLY
NATIONAL DEMOCRATIC POLITICAL
CIRCLES FOR LONG-TERM
INTELLIGENCE GATHERING AND
COLLECT DIRT ON MODERATE
REPUBLICANS THAT COULD BE USED
AGAINST THEM IN THE PARTY
BATTLES BEING WAGED BY MR. TRUMP
AND HIS ALLIES.
WHAT THE EFFORT ACCOMPLISHED AND
HOW MUCH INFORMATION THE
OPERATIVES GATHERED IS UNCLEAR.
SOMETIMES THEIR TACTICS WERE
BUMBLING AND AMATEURISH, BUT THE
OPERATIONS USE OF SPY CRAFT TO
MANIPULATE THE POLITICS OF
SEVERAL STATES OVER YEARS
GREATLY EXCEEDS THE TACTICS OF
MORE POLITICAL DIRTY TRICKS
OPERATIONS.
JOINING US, "NEW YORK TIMES"
INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPOND, MARK
MUZZETTI.
I HAD A MILLION QUESTIONS.
I WORKED ON REPUBLICAN
CAMPAIGNS, I WONT SAY DIRTY
CAMPAIGNS, BUT THERES A NORM OF
WHAT CAMPAIGNS DO.
WERE THESE PEOPLE RUN BY
CAMPAIGN OPERATIVES AND PAID BY
THEM?
>> NO.
SO ABOUT A MONTH OR SO AGO WE
DID A REPORT ABOUT AN EFFORT TO
SABOTAGE AND DISCREDIT THE
NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER, H.R.
McMASTER, BACK IN 2018.
THAT OPERATION WAS RUN BY A MAN
NAMED RICHARD SEDDIN, A FORMER
BRITISH SPY.
THIS OPERATION WE JUST REPORTED
ON STARTED ABOUT SIX MONTHS
LATER BY THE SAME PERSON,
RICHARD SEDDIN, WHO WAS PAID BY
AT LEAST ONE WEALTHY REPUBLICAN
OUT WEST, A WOMAN NAMED SUSAN
GORE.
ACTUALLY, THE HEIRESS TO THE
GORTEX FORTUNE.
IT WAS AN EFFORT PRIVATELY
FUNDED TO GATHER INTELLIGENCE
ABOUT DEMOCRATS, INFILTRATE THE
PARTY CIRCLES OVER TIME, AND
ALSO TO TRY TO TAKE OUT MODERATE
REPUBLICANS STARTING IN WYOMING,
EXPANDING IN COLORADO, ARIZONA,
EVENTUALLY, AS YOU JUST READ, TO
GO AFTER REPUBLICANS WHO ARE
SEEN NOT SUFFICIENTLY WITH
PRESIDENT TRUMPS AGENDA.
SO THIS WAS NOT DONE BY ANY
PARTICULAR POLITICAL CAMPAIGN.
IT WAS DONE PRIVATELY BUT WITH
THE AIM OF HAVING A REAL IMPACT
ON NATIONAL POLITICS.
>> NOW, WERE THEY RUN BY LIKE A
HEADQUARTERS OR WERE THEY GIVEN
A LOT OF LATITUDE TO FREELANCE
AND PICK THEIR OWN CANDIDATES TO
HURT?
>> SO OUR UNDERSTANDING IS THAT
THEY WERE PRIMARILY RUN BY
RICHARD SEDDIN, WHO HAD A NUMBER
OF THESE UNDERCOVER OPERATIVES,
TWO OF WHICH WE PRIMARILY
FOCUSED ON IN OUR STORY, A
COUPLE WHO WORKED SORT OF
DIFFERENT SIDES OF THE STREET IN
TERMS OF INFILTRATING
PROGRESSIVE GROUPS, DEMOCRATIC
LOCAL STATE OFFICIALS AND ALSO
ON THE REPUBLICAN SIDE.
SO HOW MUCH GUIDANCE THEY TOOK
FROM THEIR DONORS IS UNCLEAR.
I THINK SEDDIN DOES APPEAR TO
HAVE PRIMARILY RUN THE
OPERATION, AND HE AND THE
UNDERCOVERS APPEARED TO HAVE A
FAIR AMOUNT OF LATITUDE TO DO
THESE OPERATIONS.
>> ALL RIGHT.
I WANT TO END WITH THE HAPPILY
EVER AFTER BECAUSE IT IS
SOMETHING.
BUT I WANT TO ASK YOU ABOUT THE
LAW.
ARE THERE ANY LAWS TO PREVENT
PEOPLE FROM GIVING FRAUDULENT OR
UNINTENDED FINANCIAL DONATIONS
WITH THE PURPOSE OF INFILTRATING
AND SPYING ON CAMPAIGNS?
IS THAT -- DOES THAT VIOLATE ANY
CAMPAIGN LAWS?
>> SO WHAT WE REPORT IS THAT
THEY GAVE NUMEROUS FEDERAL
CAMPAIGN DONATIONS AS PART OF
THIS OPERATION.
THEY GAVE $20,000 TO THE
DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL COMMITTEE.
THAT GOT THEM AN INVITE TO THE
DEMOCRATIC DEBATE LAST FEBRUARY
IN LAS VEGAS.
THEY GAVE TO INDIVIDUAL
CANDIDATES.
THEY GAVE TO SENATOR MARK KELLY
IN ARIZONA.
NOW, THE LAW IS THAT YOU CANNOT
USE A -- DO WHAT IS CALLED A
STRAW DONATION.
THE MONEY HAS TO BE YOURS.
YOU CANT BE A PASS-THROUGH.
YOU CANT GIVE A DONATION FOR
SOMEBODY ELSE.
SO IT IS STILL UNCLEAR WHETHER
THERE WERE ANY LAWS BROKEN.
THEY GAVE THE MONEY IN THEIR
NAME.
THE QUESTION WAS, WHOSE MONEY
WAS IT, IF IT WAS REALLY THEIRS
OR IF IT WAS SOMEONE ELSES.
IF IT WAS SOMEONE ELSES THERE
ARE POTENTIALLY LEGAL ISSUES
HERE AND POTENTIAL
INVESTIGATIONS OF ILLEGALITY.
>> SO TALK TO ME A LITTLE BIT
ABOUT HOW THEY LIVED.
THEY LIVED, IT SOUNDS LIKE,
UNDERCOVER AS PROGRESSIVES, AS
DEMOCRATS WHEN THEY WERE REALLY
NOT JUST REPUBLICANS, BUT SO
FRINGEY THAT THEY WERE LIVING
UNDERCOVER AS DEMOCRATS SPYING
ON DEMOCRATS AND REPORTING BACK
TO SORT OF FRINGEY
CONSERVATIVES, AND THEN THEY GET
MARRIED AND THEYRE TOASTED BY
WHO?
>> BY GLEN BECK, THE
CONSERVATIVE COMMENTATOR.
THE REASON FOR THAT IS THAT HE
IS THE UNCLE OF ONE OF THE
OPERATIVES WE REPORTED ON, A GUY
NAMED BEAU MAYER, WHO ENDS UP,
AS YOU SAID, MARRYING HIS
GIRLFRIEND, THE OTHER OPERATIVE,
SOPHIA LA ROCAH.
THE BACK STORY OF THIS COUPLE IS
THAT THEY USED TO BE PART OF THE
GROUP PROJECT VERITAS, AND
THATS WHERE THEY ACTUALLY MET
WHEN THEY WERE WORKING
UNDERCOVER DOING STING
OPERATIONS AROUND WASHINGTON,
GOING AFTER THE FBI AND OTHERS.
THEY ARE THEN RECRUITED FOR THIS
WESTERN STATES OPERATION BY
RICHARD SEDDIN.
THEY ACTUALLY ARE, INDEED, A
COUPLE, AND THEN JUST A WEEK AND