>>> WELCOME BACK TO "HARDBALL." WE ARE COVERING BREAKING NEWS ON
THE MUELLER FRONT TONIGHT.
GEORGE PAPADOPOULOS FIRST TRUMP
CAMPAIGN ADVISOR HEADING TO
JAIL.
JAIL. SENDING THE FORMER CAMPAIGN
ADVISOR TO 14 DAYS.
WHO GETS 14 DAYS FOR ANYTHING.
BOARD AIR FORCE ONE PRESIDENT
TRUMP SOUGHT TO DISTANCE HIMSELF
FROM HIM.
FROM HIM. >> I DON’T KNOW PAPADOPOULOS, I
DON’T KNOW HIM.
I SAW HIM SITTING IN ONE PICTURE
AT A TABLE WITH ME.
THAT’S THE ONLY THING I KNOW
ABOUT HIM.
ABOUT HIM. I DON’T KNOW HIM.
BUT THEY GOT HIM ON A COUPLE OF
LIES IS WHAT THEY ARE SAYING.
>> I DON’T KNOW NOTHING.
PLED GUILTY TO REPEATEDLY LYING
TO FBI AGENTS.
MUELLER HAS INDICTED OR SECURED
GUILTY PLEAS NOW FROM 32 PEOPLE
AND THREE COMPANIES.
THAT IS 32 PEOPLE INDICTED SO
FAR.
FAR. FOR MORE, I AM JOINED BY JAWIA
AINSLEY AND GREG BROWER.
GIVE ME A SENSE.
I HAVE BEEN COUNTING ON YOU TO
DO THIS.
DO THIS. THIS YOUNG GUY, 29-YEARS OLD.
WITH HIS PICTURE OF HIM AT THE
MEETING.
MEETING. HOW DOES HE FIT INTO THE WHOLE
THING.
THING. >> WE UNDERSTAND THAT HE HAD
SOME KIND OF DRUNKEN
CONVERSATION WITH AN AUSTRALIAN
DIPLOMAT AND THAT COULD BE THE
CRITICAL THING THAT KICKED OFF
THIS INVESTIGATION.
THIS INVESTIGATION. THIS IN PARTICULAR BECAUSE HE
WAS OFFERED DIRT FROM THIS
PROFESSOR IN THE UK FOR DIRT ON
HILLARY CLINTON.
HILLARY CLINTON. AND HE APPARENTLY WENT AND SPOKE
TO THE TRUMP CAMPAIGN.
AND NOT ONLY DID HE OFFER THAT,
BUT ALSO OFFERED A MEETING
BETWEEN TRUMP AND PUTIN.
SO DEFINITELY SOMEONE WHO WAS
TRYING TO USE THESE CONNECTIONS
AS A YOUNG PERSON TO GET AHEAD
IN THE CAMPAIGN.
AND WHAT WAS NOT CLEAR WAS WHO
TOOK THE BAIT.
>> WAS IT SESSIONS AT ALL.
>> HE DON’T KNOW.
>> SEEMED INTERESTED IN WHAT
PAPADOPOULOS WAS PROPOSING.
AND HE ALSO WAS THE GUY WHO
LATER RECUSED HIMSELF.
AND THAT IS WHY TRUMP IS SO
FURIOUS AT HIM.
ANYWAY, ON HIS WAY TO NORTH
DAKOTA TODAY, HE DENIED ANY
CONTACT WITH RUSSIA.
>> THERE WAS NONE.
THERE WAS NO TALKING TO RUSSIA.
I DIDN’T MAKE PHONE CALLS TO
RUSSIA.
RUSSIA. I DIDN’T RECEIVE PHONE CALLS.
I DIDN’T HAVE MEETINGS.
I DIDN’T HAVE TEXT.
I HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH RUSSIA.
>> LET ME ASK YOU ABOUT THIS
SENTENCE.
SENTENCE. LAST WEEK PAPADOPOULOS SAID
LAWYERS DONALD TRUMP HAD
APPROVED EFFORTS TO SET UP A
MEETING BETWEEN TRUMP AND
RUSSIAN PRESIDENT PUTIN DURING
THE CAMPAIGN.
THE CAMPAIGN. THE LAWYERS WROTE EAGER TO SHOW
HIS VALUE TO THE CAMPAIGN,
GEORGE ANNOUNCED AT THE MEETING
THAT HE HAD CONNECTIONS THAT
COULD FACILITATE A FOREIGN
APPROXIMATELICY MEETING BETWEEN
MR. TRUMP AND RUSSIAN PRESIDENT
VLADIMIR PUTIN.
VLADIMIR PUTIN. WHILE SOME IN THE ROOM REBUFFED
GEORGE’S OFFER.
GEORGE’S OFFER. THIS IS PRETTY CLOSE TO THE BONE
HERE, RIGHT?
HERE, RIGHT? >> THAT IS A SENTENCING
MEMORANDUM IN WHICH
PAPADOPOULOS’S LAWYERS HOPED TO
GET A LIGHTER SENTENCE.
THE ATTORNEY GENERAL HAS DENIED
THAT IS THE WAY IT HAPPENED.
>> WHY DID HE ONLY GET TWO
WEEKS?
WEEKS? >> I THINK IT IS TWO FOLD,
SPECIAL COUNSEL ONE, WITH
RESPECT TO THE SENTENCING, THEY
WERE ASKING FOR SOME JAIL TIME
AND THEY GOT IT.
IN LARGE PART, THE JUDGE FELT
THAT PAPADOPOULOS WAS REMORSEFUL
AND PROBABLY DIDN’T COMPLETELY
BUY INTO THE GOVERNMENT ARGUMENT
THAT PAPADOPOULOS’ MISSTATEMENTS
INTENDED TO UNDERMINE THE
INVESTIGATION.
INVESTIGATION. >> IT WAS NOT THAT IT WAS
COOPERATION.
COOPERATION. IT SEEMS THAT THE JUDGE THOUGHT
HE WAS VERY REMORSEFUL AND HE
SAID HE WANTED A SECOND CHANCE.
THE GOVERNMENT ONLY ASKED FOR
30 DAYS.
30 DAYS. THAT WAS THE SENTENCING GIVEN TO
VAN DER ZANSWAN.
THE CHARGES ARE DISCRETE.
AND A LOT OF TIMES THE JUDGE
SAID SOMEONE WOULDN’T EVEN GO TO
JAIL FOR LYING UNLESS THEY HAD A
CRIMINAL BACKGROUND.
CRIMINAL BACKGROUND. >> DIDN’T HIS LYING ALLOWED THIS
AGENT TO ESCAPE THEY WERE GOING
TO TRY TO GRAB.
>> THE PROFESSOR.
EVERYBODY WHO HAS EVER
PROSECUTED A CASE WOULD LIKE TO
SEE SOMEONE WHO LIES TO AGENT
GET MORE TIME THAN 14 DAYS.
BUT HE DID GET SOME TIME.
THE JUDGE APPARENTLY THOUGHT HE
DIDN’T DESERVE MORE TIME THAN
THAT.
THAT. >> HE MUST HAVE GIVEN HIM
SOMETHING, WHAT DID HE GIVE HIM?
>> I DON’T THINK THAT IS
NECESSARILY THE CASE.
I DON’T THINK WE KNOW THAT.
I THINK HE WAS ACTUALLY SOMEONE
WHO IT SEEMS THE SENTENCING IS
NOT IN COOPERATION.
TONS OF E-MAILS AND TEXTS, THEY
KNOW EXACTLY WHO BIT ON THAT
BAIT THAT HE WAS OFFERING.
THEY DON’T NEED PAPADOPOULOS’
COOPERATION TO GET THE ANSWERS.
>> IF HIS COOPERATION WAS
SIGNIFICANT AND ONGOING, YOU