LOU:
BREAKING NEWS NOW, TWO SENIOR
ADMINISTRATION OFFICIALS UNTIL
FOX THAT PRESIDENT TRUMP IS
LOOKING TO FIRE FBI DIRECTOR
CHRISTOPHER WRAY.
PRESIDENT TRUMP MAY MAKE THAT
MOVE, THOSE SOURCES SAY, WHEN HE
ONES REELECTION NEXT TUESDAY --
WINS REELECTION NEXT TUESDAY.
JOINING US TONIGHT IS RIC
GRENELL, FORMER ACTING DIRECTOR
OF NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE, FORMER
U.S. AMBASSADOR TO GERMANY,
GREAT AMERICAN, AND AS I HAVE
SAID MORE THAN ONCE ON THIS
BROADCAST, ONE OF THE FINEST
PUBLIC SERVANTS THE COUNTRY HAS
EVER HAD.
RIC, GOOD TO HAVE YOU WITH US.
I WANT TO START WITH THE CIA.
THE CIA, IT SEEMS, INSISTING ON
BLOCKING THE RELEASE OF DEVIN
NUÑES’ INTELLIGENCE REPORT FROM
2017 AT ANY COST.
YOUR THOUGHTS ABOUT THAT
TONIGHT.
>> LOOK, WE’VE HAD A NUMBER OF
THE INTELLIGENCE AGENCIES NOT
RECOGNIZE THE IMPORTANCE OF
TRANSPARENCY.
THIS IS A REAL PROBLEM.
IT GOES ACROSS ALL OF THE
INTELLIGENCE WITH AGENCIES WHO
OVERCLASSIFY AND CONTINUE TO
MANIPULATE THE PROCESS
PRETENDING LIKE SOMEHOW SOURCES
OR METHODS ARING BEING GIVEN
AWAY.
AND I CAN ASSURE YOU THAT THAT
IS NOT HAPPENING.
I HAD LOTS OF FIGHTS WITH
INTELLIGENCE OFFICIALS AND
LEADERS WHERE THEY WERE TRYING
TO EXPLAIN TO ME WHY CERTAIN
INFORMATION WAS EITHER A SOURCE
OR A METHOD AND HOW WE DEVELOPED
THE SOURCE, AND I WOULD PUSH
BACK HARD AND SAY THAT’S NOT THE
CASE AT ALL.
WHAT THE CASE THAT YOU’RE
COVERING UP INTERNAL MISTAKES OF
THE DEPARTMENT.
AND YOU DON’T HAVE A RIGHT TO DO
THAT.
THIS IS NOT AN EXERCISE IN
TRYING TO PROTECT THE REPUTATION
OF DIFFERENT AGENCIES.
WE HAVE A CRISIS IN THIS COUNTRY
WITH INTELLIGENCE AGENCIES, AND
IF WE’RE GOING TO FIX IT, THE
AMERICAN PEOPLE NEED TO HAVE A
FAITH IN THEIR SYSTEM.
AND THE FAITH STARTS BY
ADMITTING MISTAKES AND COMING
CLEAN AND SAYING WE ERRED, AND
WE’RE GOING TO FIX THIS.
LOU: I THINK IN THIS INSTANCE,
AND I THINK YOU WOULD AGREE WITH
ME, THIS IS NOT ABOUT THEIR
MISTAKES, THIS IS ABOUT THEIR
IMMORALITY AND ILLEGALITY IN
TRYING TO OVERTHROW A PRESIDENT
AND BLOCK A PRESIDENTIAL
CANDIDATE THROUGH SPYING AND
ACTUAL COUNTERINTELLIGENCE
OPERATIONS RUN AGAINST THE WHITE
HOUSE ITSELF.
THAT MAKES IT A DIFFERENT,
DIFFERENT, SADLY, A VERY
DIFFERENT THING.
AND THE AMERICAN PEOPLE HERE
NEED THE KNOW THEIR SOURCES AND
THEIR METHODS.
IT’S ONE OF THOSE DILEMMAS THE
GOVERNMENT HAS NEVER FACED
BEFORE AND THE NATION HAS NEVER
FACED BEFORE.
THIS INTELLIGENCE REPORT, THE
DEVIN NUÑES REPORT THAT THEY
WILL NOT RELEASE FROM THE
SO-CALLED GUN BOX IN THE CIA, IS
IT ANY MORE THAN SIMPLE, SIMPLE
EFFORT TO COVER UP A CRIME ON
THE PART OF THE CIA?
>> LOOK, THIS IS A SITUATION I
HAVE TO BE VERY CAREFUL OF IN
HOW I DESCRIBE THE --
LOU: I UNDERSTAND.
>> WE’VE GONE ROUND AND ROUND
WITH THIS, AND IT IS NOT A FIGHT
ABOUT APPROPRIATE INFORMATION.
AND THAT’S WHAT IS MOST
FRUSTRATING.
AND I’VE SEEN THIS INFORMATION,
AND IT’S ANOTHER EARLY RED FLAG
RAISING CONCERNS THAT THIS
RUSSIAN COLLUSION HOAX WAS BEING
DEVELOPED WHEN INSIDE THE
INTELLIGENCE AGENCIES CAREER
INTELLIGENCE OFFICIALS KNEW THAT
THE INFORMATION WAS WRONG.
BUT POLITICAL APPOINTEES DECIDED
TO LET THE WRONG INFORMATION BE
SPREAD BECAUSE THEY DIDN’T LIKE
TO HAVE TO DOWNPLAY IT BECAUSE
IT WOULD LOOK LIKE THEY WERE
DEFENDING DONALD TRUMP.
THIS INFORMATION WAS NEGATIVE
TOWARD DONALD TRUMP.
AND POLITICAL ACE POINT TEES --
APPOINTEES IN THE OBAMA
ADMINISTRATION ALLOWED IT TO
CONTINUE DESPITE KNOWING FULL
WELL IT WAS RUSSIAN PROPAGANDA.
AND THAT’S WHAT’S MOST TROUBLING
TO ME, IS THAT WE HAD PEOPLE WHO
TOOK THE OATH TO DEFEND THIS
COUNTRY, AND INSTEAD OF
DEFENDING THIS COUNTRY, THEY
USED THEIR POWER IN GOVERNMENT
TO WEAPONIZE DIFFERENT POWERS
AGAINST THEIR POLITICAL
OPPONENTS.
AND THAT’S UNACCEPTABLE.
WE HAVE TO BE ABLE TO CALL THIS
OUT.
AND, BY THE WAY, I’VE WORKED AT
THE STATE DEPARTMENT FOR 11
YEARS.
IF WE SAW THIS HAPPENING IN
ANOTHER COUNTRY, WE WOULD CALL
IT OUT IMMEDIATELY, AND WE WOULD
TELL THEM TO KNOCK IT OFF.
LOU: INSTEAD, WE’RE LOOKING AT A
SITUATION IN WHICH THE PRESIDENT
HAS GIVEN THE POWER OF
DECLASSIFICATION, HIS POWER IF
ONE CAN ACTUAL DELEGATE SUCH A
POWER, HE HAS DONE SO, TO
WILLIAM BARR, THE ATTORNEY
GENERAL, AND TO THE, TO DNI JOHN
RATCLIFFE.
IT IS -- YET NOTHING HAS
HAPPENED.
WHAT IS YOUR HONEST, MOST
REALISTIC, DIRECT ANTICIPATION
OF WHAT WILL COME OF IT, IF
ANYTHING?
>> LOOK, DONALD TRUMP’S GOT TO
BE REELECTED IF WE’RE GOING TO
HAVE SOMETHING COME OF THIS
BECAUSE THERE HAVE BEEN THOSE --
AND I WILL JUST KEEP IT GENERAL
AS TO THOSE -- OR WHO ARE
WORKING VERY HARD TO DELAY,
OBSTRUCT AND TO COME UP WITH
BRAND NEW EXCUSES CONSTANTLY.
AND THIS IS THE A VERY WELL
KNOWN ISSUE TO PRESIDENT TRUMP.
IT’S BEEN DISCUSSED INSIDE THE
OVAL OFFICE ON A NUMBER OF
TIMES, AND I THINK THAT -- LET
ME JUST TAKE A STEP BACK AWAY
FROM THAT GENERAL, FROM THAT
SPECIFIC ISSUE AND MAKE A
GENERAL COMMENT.
I THINK THAT WHEN DONALD TRUMP
WINS RE-ELECTION, AND I BELIEVE
THAT HE WILL, THAT HE MUST
APPOINT PEOPLE THAT DON’T HAVE
ON THEIR RESUMÉ A WASHINGTON,
D.C. ADDRESS.
WE NEED OUTSIDERS LIKE DONALD
TRUMP BECAUSE PEOPLE WHO GO TO
WASHINGTON AND WHO REALLY CARE
ABOUT THEIR SOCIAL STATUS OR
THEIR FUTURE ECONOMIC STATUS ARE
NOT APPROPRIATE TO MAKE TOUGH
TRANSITIONAL DECISIONS.
WE NEED INTELLIGENCE AGENCIES
THAT ARE NOT POLITICAL.
WE NEED TO CLEAN UP THE
POLITICS.
AND RIGHT NOW IT’S A MESS.
LOU: RIC GRENELL, IT IS ALWAYS
GREAT TO SEE YOU AND HAVE, HAVE
YOUR THOUGHTS, YOUR PERSPECTIVE,
REFRESHING IN THEIR DIRECTNESS