>>> I DON’T KNOW ABOUT THEM. I DON’T KNOW WHAT THEY DO.
BUT, I DON’T KNOW, MAYBE THEY
WERE CLIENTS OF RUDY.
I JUST DON’T KNOW.
>> OVER THERE, ASK THEM. IS RUDY GOING TO BE THE NEW
MICHAEL COHEN?
MICHAEL COHEN? TRUMP SEEMING TO THROW HIM UNDER
THE BUS MUCH LIKE HE DID TO
MICHAEL COHEN WHO NOW SITS IN
PRISON.
PRISON. COMES AS RUDY APPEARS MORE AND
MORE EXPOSED IN A FEDERAL
INVESTIGATION THAT’S ALREADY
SWEPT UP TWO OF HIS TOP FIXERS
IN UKRAINE.
IN UKRAINE. "THE WASHINGTON POST" REPORTING,
QUOTE, A PERSON FAMILIAR WITH
THE INVESTIGATION SAID FEDERAL
AGENTS ARE SKRUDCRUTINIZING
DEALINGS.
DEALINGS. AS THE FBI EXAMINE THE PA IR’S
FINANCES.
FINANCES. RUDY GIULIANI FOR HIS PART NOT
BACKING DOWN.
BACKING DOWN. AND HE IS STANDING BY HIS MECH
MEN.
MEN. GIULIANI SAID HE HAD NO REASON
TO BELIEVE HE WAS UNDER
INVESTIGATION BY THE FBI AND
SAID, QUOTE, I CERTAINLY AM NOT
GOING TO DISAVOW THEM.
I HAVE NO REASON TO DOUBT THEM.
EVERYTHING I’VE KNOWN ABOUT THEM
SAYS THEY WOULD NOT COMMIT A
CRIME.
CRIME. THE TABLE’S BACK.
I MEAN, SO, OKAY.
SDNY DIDN’T THINK SO.
>> OBVIOUSLY IF RUDY IS THEIR
PRINCIPAL LAWYER, HE’S NOT A
VERY GOOD ONE BECAUSE THEY GOT
ARRESTED GOING FROM THE
FIRST-CLASS LOUNGE TO THEIR
PLANE AT DULLES YESTERDAY.
I THINK THERE ARE MANY QUESTIONS
HERE.
HERE. NUMBER ONE IS WHAT WAS THE
NATURE OF HIS REPRESENTATION,
WHAT WAS HE REPRESENTING TO THEM
IN CONNECTION WITH?
HE ALSO SAYS IN ADDITION TO
BEING A LAWYER ON POTENTIAL
CRIMINAL MATTERS HE WAS ALSO
GIVING THEM, QUOTE, CIVIL
BUSINESS ADVICE.
BUSINESS ADVICE. NO ONE REALLY UNDERSTANDS WHAT
THAT MEANS.
THAT MEANS. AND ALSO A THIRD QUESTION IS DID
HE GO TO THEM AND SAY I WANT
YOUR SUPPORT AND YOUR ASSISTANCE
IN MY RELATIONSHIPS IN UKRAINE
TO PROMOTE THE EFFORT THAT WE
ULTIMATELY CAME TO SEE WHICH WAS
THIS ULTIMATUM PRESENTED TO
PRESIDENT ZELENSKY TO GET
INVOLVED IN THE 2020 ELECTION.
THERE ARE A LOT OF QUESTIONS
HERE.
HERE. AND NONE OF IT LOOKS GOOD FOR
RUDY GIULIANI.
RUDY GIULIANI. AND THE FBI HAS GOT WIRE TAPS
AND INVESTIGATIONS OF THESE TWO
MEN, CLEARLY THEY HAVE
COMMUNICATIONS WITH RUDY
GIULIANI AS WELL.
>> TWO NATIONAL SECURITY
OFFICIALS SAID TO ME YESTERDAY
THAT FOR THEM TO HAVE SORT OF
THE KNOWLEDGE THAT THEY WERE
GOING FROM LUNCH WITH GIULIANI
AT THE TRUMP HOTEL TO THE
AIRPORT, THEY MUST HAVE BEEN
LISTENING.
LISTENING. IF THEY WERE LISTENING TO THEM,
THEY MAY HAVE ALSO BEEN
LISTENING TO RUDY.
>> WELL, I THINK WHAT YOU JUST
TOUCHED ON IS THE MOST DAMNING
THING HERE.
THING HERE. LET’S PAINT THIS PICTURE HERE.
THEY ARE SITTING AT THE TRUMP
HOTEL WITH ONE-WAY TICKETS IN
THEIR POCKET PROVERBIALLY TO GET
ON A ONE-WAY PLANE ABROAD AS
THEY ARE ABOUT TO BE ARRESTED.
AND THEY ARE HAVING LUNCH WITH
THE PRESIDENT’S ATTORNEY.
>> I SPEND A LOT OF TIME ON TRIP
ADVISER.
ADVISER. BUYING A ONE-WAY TICKET TO A
FOREIGN COUNTRY LIKE SCREAMS GET
ME.
ME. >> I KNOW IT’S BIZARRE.
AND THE INDICTMENT DOES INDICATE
IT SEEMS TO INDICATE AT LEAST
THAT THERE ARE PHONE TAPS
BECAUSE IT REFERENCES
CONVERSATIONS THAT THEY WERE
HAVING ON THE PHONE.
SO YOU WOULD HAVE TO GUESS THAT
SOMEONE WAS LISTENING INTO A LOT
OF WHAT THEY WERE SAYING.
SO THIS WHOLE PICTURE JUST
DOESN’T LOOK TERRIBLY GOOD TO
SAY THE LEAST.
>> YOUR PAPER’S AN EXTRAORDINARY
BODY OF REPORTING ON ALL THE
HAPPENINGS AT SDNY.
THERE WAS A NOT AT ALL VEILED
INSINUATION YESTERDAY FROM JEFF
BERMAN WHO IS A DON McGAHN ALLY,
TRUMP APPOINTEE, RUNS THAT
OFFICE.
OFFICE. HE MADE PERFECTLY CLEAR THE
INVESTIGATION WAS ONGOING.
AND I THINK BOTH OF THE
GENTLEMEN THAT SPOKE YESTERDAY
HAD COMMENTS THAT DIDN’T
NECESSARILY RELATE TO THE
INDICTMENTS BUT SPOKE OUT ABOUT
FOREIGN INTERFERENCE.
FOREIGN INTERFERENCE. >> ABSOLUTELY.
>> ABSOLUTELY. AND WITH THESE TWO ASSOCIATES OF
RUDY HAD DONE AND WE’VE REPORTED
TODAY SURPRISED ME.
THEY SEEM TO HAVE NO REAL JOBS,
RIGHT?
RIGHT? NO BUSINESS THAT’S ACTUALLY
OPERATIONAL.
OPERATIONAL. AND YET THEY SOMEHOW MANAGE TO
GIVE A MILLION DOLLARS TO
REPUBLICAN CANDIDATES AND SUPER
PACS IN JUST THE LAST COUPLE OF
YEARS.
YEARS. OF COURSE THE BIG PROBLEM THEY
FACE IS THEY ARE ACCUSED OF
FUNNELING FOREIGN MONEY THROUGH
AN LLC, SO ENABLING A FOREIGN
STRAW DONOR TO GIVE TO AN
ELECTION.
ELECTION. SO THAT’S --
>> ILLEGAL.
>> ILLEGAL. >> IT’S CALLED A CLUE.
[ LAUGHTER ]
>> AND NOT A COINCIDENCE.
IT WASN’T A CANADIAN DONOR.
IT WAS A RUSSIAN DONOR.
>> ABSOLUTELY.
>> ABSOLUTELY. AND SO, I MEAN, THERE IS SO MUCH
MORE WE NEED TO EXPLORE HERE.
BUT I THOUGHT WHAT’S INTERESTING
TOO IN THAT PRESS CONFERENCE WAS
I GOT -- THEY SEEMED TO LEAVE
THE SENSE THAT THEIR COMMENTS
WERE NOT DONE YET.
THESE GUYS WERE ABOUT TO GO TO
VIENNA.
VIENNA. SO WE WENT AND GOT THEM, BUT
WE’RE NOT DONE.
>> ONE MORE OBSERVATION HERE.
WHAT THE CHARGES KAET TO ME, AND
I’M NOT A LAWYER BUT I’VE
COVERED THIS STUFF AND FOLLOWED
THEM.
THEM. THEY CHARGED THEM ON KPANS
FINANCE CHARGES WHICH ARE NOT
TERRIBLY WEIGHTY CHARGES.
IT’S STILL AGAINST THE LAW.
BUT THAT WOULD INDICATE TO ME
AND INDICATED TO SOME OF MY
COLLEAGUES THAT THEY ARE TRYING
TO GET MORE INFORMATION.
>> A DEAL MIGHT BE AVAILABLE.
>> AND THEY’RE NOT GOING TO JAIL
MOST LIKELY I DON’T THINK FOR
CAMPAIGN FINANCE CHARGES
ALTHOUGH THESE ARE SERIOUS
CHARGES.
CHARGES. IT JUST DOES SEEM LIKE THE
COMBINATION OF THEM SAYING WE
ARE STILL WALKING WITH THE
INVESTIGATION THAT IS ONGOING
PLUS THE CAMPAIGN FINANCE
CHARGE.
CHARGE. >> AND REMEMBER WHEN WE WERE
SITTING AROUND THIS TABLE
TALKING ABOUT THE CAMPAIGN
FINANCE VIOLATION FOR WHICH
MICHAEL COHEN IS NOW SITTING IN
JAIL, AND THAT WAS USED AS A
LEVER TO GET ADDITIONAL
INFORMATION.
INFORMATION. I THINK IT’S A REAL SIGNAL THAT
WE ARE AT THE VERY BEGINNING OF
THIS STORY OF AN INVESTIGATION
AND NOT AT THE END.
>> AND THEY GOT SOMETHING FOR
THEIR MONEY.
THEIR MONEY. >> RIGHT.
>> RIGHT. >> BECAUSE THEY GAVE MONEY TO
REPRESENTATIVE SESSIONS, FORMER
REP IN TEXAS.
AND THEN ASKED HIM TO WRITE A
LETTER TO URGE THE STATE
DEPARTMENT TO GET RID OF THE
AMBASSADOR IN UKRAINE.
>> AND HE DID.
SO JUST TIE THE FIRST TWO
STORIES TOGETHER FOR US.
>> I MEAN, THIS IS PART OF AN
EFFORT THAT RUDY GIULIANI WAS IN
THE MIDDLE OF TO OBTAIN SUPPORT
FROM A FOREIGN GOVERNMENT TO
INTERFERE IN THE 2020 ELECTION,
PERIOD, FULL STOP.
IN SOME WAYS THE CONDUCT HERE
WHICH HAPPENED IN 2018 ALL
PRE-DATED PRESIDENT ZELENSKY’S
EMERGENCE AS A POTENTIAL
COUNTERPARTY FOR THIS
TRANSACTION BETWEEN THE UNITED
STATES AND UKRAINE.
AND IN SOME RESPECTS THE
CRIMINAL PROCESS IS GOING TO
TAKE LONGER THAN THE IMPEACHMENT
CALENDAR.
CALENDAR. SO I’M NOT REALLY SURE AT THE
END OF THE DAY HOW RELEVANT
WHATEVER INFORMATION THEY HAVE
MAY BE.
MAY BE. HOWEVER, IT JUST PUTS A TAINT
OVER EVERYTHING.
OVER EVERYTHING. FOR THEM AS YOU NOTED TO SIT AT
THE TRUMP HOTEL WITH ONE-WAY
TICKETS IN THEIR POCKET AND TO
CLAIM WE ARE THE CORRUPTION
TEAM, WE ARE THE ANTI-CORRUPTION
TEAM, WE ARE THE ONES FIGHTING
CORRUPTION REALLY I THINK
UNDERMINES THE ARGUMENT.
>> THERE WERE SOME ALLUSIONS TO
THESE TWO GENTLEMEN AS THE
2019’S VERSION OF NIXON’S
PLUMBER.
PLUMBER. >> I LOVE THAT.
[ LAUGHTER ]
BECAUSE, I MEAN, THEY ARE KIND
OF CLOWN LIKE.
THEY GO OVER TO UKRAINE AND THEY
DROP NAMES AND, YOU KNOW, THEY
TALK ABOUT HOW CLOSE THEY ARE TO
THE PRESIDENT AND TO RUDY
GIULIANI.
GIULIANI. AND THEN THEY TRY TO GET
INVESTORS FOR THESE COMPANIES
THAT FAIL OVER AND OVER AGAIN.
AND THEN, SO, AND THEY COME BACK
HERE, AND THEY TRY TO PREVENT
LIKE THEY HAVE BIG INVESTORS
OVERSEAS THAT COULD HELP THEM
WITH ANY COMPANIES THEY TRIED TO
START IN THIS COUNTRY.