AS WE SAID, THE RUSSIA INVESTIGATION IS HITTING A
CRITICAL STRETCH WITH PAUL
MANAFORT BACK IN THE SPOTLIGHT.
THEY’RE LOOKING TO PROTECT
SPECIAL COUNSEL ROBERT MUELLER’S
PROBE WITH INTERFERENCE, CALLING
IT TO BE INCLUDED IN
NEGOTIATIONS TO AVOID A
GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN NEXT WEEK IF
IT DOESN’T PASS ON ITS OWN.
RETIRING ARIZONA SENATOR JEFF
FLAKE JOINS IN AND SAID HE WILL
JOIN ALL JUDICIAL NOMINEES
UNLESS THE SENATE GETS A VOTE
BUT MAJORITY LEADER MITCH
McCONNELL SAID HE WOULD LIKELY
BLOCK THE SENATORS ATTEMPT TO
BRING UP THE BILL, CALLING IT A
SOLUTION IN SEARCH OF A PROBLEM.
I’M JOINED NOW BY CALIFORNIA
DEMOCRATIC CONGRESSMAN ERIC
SWALWELL, A MEMBER OF THE HOUSE
JUDICIARY COMMITTEE AND
INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEES.
INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEES. GOOD TO SEE YOU.
>> THANKS FOR HAVING ME BACK.
>> FOCUS A LITTLE ON THE
INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE AND WHAT
YOU GUYS PLAN ON DOING COME
JANUARY.
JANUARY. ARE YOU GOING TO REOPEN THE
INVESTIGATION INTO DONALD TRUMP
AND RUSSIA?
AND RUSSIA? >> WE’RE NOT GOING TO CONDUCT AN
INVESTIGATION THAT REVISITS
QUESTIONS THAT HAVE ALREADY BEEN
ANSWERED BUT WE ARE GOING TO
FILL IN THE GAPS, PARTICULARLY
AROUND MONEY LAUNDERING.
THERE’S A LONG HISTORY OF DONALD
TRUMP SEEKING TO INVEST IN
RUSSIA OR RUSSIA INVESTING IN
DONALD TRUMP.
DONALD TRUMP. WE SEE THAT’S DRIVING FOREIGN
POLICY DECISIONS BY THE
PRESIDENT.
PRESIDENT. SO WE WILL LOOK AT THOSE PAST
TRANSACTIONS WHERE REPUBLICANS
WERE UNWILLING, AND WE WILL
ALSO, I THINK, PUT TO BED ALL OF
THE QUESTIONS AROUND THE JUNE 9
TRUMP TOWER MEETING WHERE THE
PRESIDENT’S SON HAD KNOWLEDGE OF
DIRT BEING OFFERED ON HILLARY
CLINTON AND WHETHER OR NOT
CANDIDATE TRUMP KNEW ABOUT IT AT
THE TIME.
THE TIME. BUT IT WILL BE LIMITED AND
PRECISE AND I THINK ANSWER MANY
QUESTIONS I THINK REPUBLICANS
KEPT US FROM GETTING INTO.
>> WHEN YOU SAY PUT TO BED, WHO
ARE YOU GOING TO BE CALLING?
WHAT ARE YOU HOPING TO GET
ANSWERED?
ANSWERED? REMIND OUR VIEWERS.
>> YES, IF YOU RECALL THERE WAS
A BLOCKED NUMBER -- SO RUSSIANS
CALLED DONALD TRUMP JR.
THEY SET UP A MEETING MOVING
HEAVEN AND EARTH TO MAKE IT
HAPPEN AT TRUMP TOWER TO OFFER
DIRT ON HILLARY CLINTON.
DONALD TRUMP JR. TALKS TO A
BLOCKED NUMBER AND THEN HE CALLS
BACK TO RUSSIA.
WE KNOW FROM OTHER WITNESSES
THAT CANDIDATE TRUMP HAD A
BLOCKED NUMBER THAT WOULD SHOW
UP IF HE WAS TO CALL SOMEONE.
SO WE WANT TO KNOW IF DONALD
TRUMP JR. CALLED HIS FATHER,
BECAUSE THAT WOULD EXPLAIN A LOT
OF THE STATEMENTS CANDIDATE
TRUMP WOULD MAKE THROUGHOUT THE
SUMMER OF 2016, ABOUT NEW
INFORMATION COMING ABOUT HILLARY
CLINTON.
CLINTON. IF HE HAD KNOWLEDGE THAT THESE
HACKS THAT OCCURRED OR RUSSIA
WAS WORKING FOR HIM, THAT WOULD
EXPLAIN A LOT AND ALSO I THINK
MAKE HIM BE HELD A LOT MORE
ACCOUNTABLE FOR WHAT RUSSIA DID.
>> HOW DO YOU GET THAT
INFORMATION?
INFORMATION? IS IT CALL LOGS?
ARE YOU GOING TO SUBPOENA THE
PHONE COMPANY?
PHONE COMPANY? >> THAT’S EXACTLY RIGHT, KATY,
YOU WOULD SUBPOENA THE TELEPHONE
PROVIDER.
PROVIDER. I FEAR THE REPUBLICANS HAVE
OBSTRUCTED THIS FOR SO LONG,
THEY MAY NOT BE AVAILABLE.
AS A FORMER PROSECUTOR, I KNEW
THERE WAS A LIMITED WINDOW OF
TIME FOR MOST BANK RECORDS, CELL
PHONE RECORDS, TRAVEL LOGS, AND
THIS DELAY MAY JEOPARDIZE OUR
ABILITY TO GET IT BUT WE’RE
GOING TO TRY.
>> WHEN YOU’RE LOOKING AT MONEY
LAUNDERING, ARE YOU ONLY LOOKING
AT RUSSIA OR OTHER COUNTRIES AS
WELL?
WELL? >> IN REAL TIME AS WE SPEAK NOW
WE SEE THE PRESIDENT’S PRIOR
TRANSACTIONS WITH SAUDI ARABIA
MAY BE ALSO DICTATING FOREIGN
POLICY.
POLICY. AGAIN, THIS COUNTRY AND LEADERS
THERE BAILED OUT THE PRESIDENT
WHILE HE WAS IN BANKRUPTCY,
BUYING HIS YACHTS, BUYING HIS
NEW YORK HOTEL PROPERTIES AND
NOW THIS IS THE FIRST COUNTRY HE
VISITED WHEN HE WAS PRESIDENT, A
U.S. RESIDENT WORKING FOR A U.S.
PUBLICATION WAS KILLED ON THE
SOIL OF A NATO ALLY AND THE
PRESIDENT IS, AGAIN, UNDERMINING
OUR OWN INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY’S
FINDINGS.
FINDINGS. SO, YES, WE WANT TO SEE IF THAT
IS DRIVING HIS DECISION AND NOW
A MAJORITY IN CONGRESS BEING
DEMOCRATIC, WE CAN SEEK TO
INTERVENE AND PROTECT OUR
NATIONAL SECURITY.
NATIONAL SECURITY. >> WHAT’S THE MOTIVATION TO
LIMIT THE SCOPE OF THESE
INVESTIGATIONS, NOT FULLY
OPENING THE RUSSIA INVESTIGATION
BACK UP?
BACK UP? >> TO NOT WAISTSTE TIME, TO
RECOGNIZE THE AMERICAN PEOPLE
WANT US TO FOCUS ON DOING WHAT
WE CAN TO PROTECT HEALTH CARE,
INFRASTRUCTURE, GET BACKGROUND
CHECKS ON FIREARM PURCHASES AND
PUTTING IN PLACE PRESCRIPTION
DRUG REFORMS TO BRING DOWN THE
COST THERE.
COST THERE. THINGS THE PRESIDENT SAID HE’S
ACTUALLY WILLING TO DO.
BUT THERE WAS A REPUBLICAN
CONGRESS FOR TWO YEARS THAT GAVE
THE PRESIDENT IMMUNITY.
YOU SAW PRESIDENTIAL IMMUNITY
FOR TWO YEARS WHERE HE CONDUCTED
A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT ABUSES AND
HE WAS NEVER CHECKED ON THOSE.
SO THERE WILL NOW BE A BALANCE
OF POWER ON THESE ABUSES OF
POWER.
POWER. >> IF DONALD TRUMP PARDONS PAUL
MANAFORT DOWN THE LINE, SAY
AFTER RUSSIA INVESTIGATION IS
CLOSED, WILL DEMOCRATS OBJECT?
WILL THEY DRAW UP ARTICLES OF
IMPEACHMENT?
IMPEACHMENT? WHAT DO THE DEMOCRATS PLAN ON
DO, IF ANYTHING?
>> I SEE THAT AS A RED LINE, I
SEE THAT AS OBSTRUCTION OF
JUSTICE.
JUSTICE. CERTAINLY IF HE OFFERED OR
DANGLED THE EXPECTATION OF A
PARDON TO PAUL MANAFORT AND THAT
LED TO THE END OF THE
COOPERATION AGREEMENT.
COOPERATION AGREEMENT. NOW, PAUL MANAFORT BACKING OUT
OF THIS AGREEMENT AND LYING HAS
TO BE LOOKED AT IN THE CONTEXT
OF, ONE, MATT WHITAKER’S NOW THE
ATTORNEY GENERAL AND HE CAN GIVE
DONALD TRUMP A WINDOW OF THE
INVESTIGATION.
INVESTIGATION. TWO, DONALD TRUMP JUST SUBMITTED
HIS ANSWERS TO BOB MUELLER.
SO THE TRUMP TEAM MAY BE WORRIED
MANAFORT TESTIMONY COULD
CONTRADICT THOSE ANSWERS.
AND IT’S HAPPENING AT THE SAME
TIME JEROME CORSI IS BACKING
OUT.
OUT. I DON’T THINK THESE ARE
COINCIDENCES.
COINCIDENCES. KNOWING THIS GANG, THEY VERY
WELL MIGHT BE RELATED.
I WOULD SAY, AGAIN, THAT’S A RED
LINE IF THE PRESIDENT WERE TO DO
THAT.
THAT. >> DO YOU THINK LEGISLATION IS
NEEDED IMMEDIATELY TO PROTECT
THE MUELLER INVESTIGATION?
IF SO, ARE YOU WILLING TO FORCE
A GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN OVER IT?
>> I’M WILLING TO HOLD BACK MY
VOTE TO SUPPORT BIPARTISAN
LEGISLATION THAT THE REPUBLICANS
WILL NEED DEMOCRATIC VOTES FOR.
KATY, WHAT I’M SAYING IS THE
HOUSE AND THE SENATE RIGHT NOW
CONTROLLED BY REPUBLICANS, THEY
HAVE BEEN UNABLE THE PAST TWO
YEARS TO PASS ANY BUDGET WITH
THEIR OWN VOTE SO THEY HAD TO
COME TO DEMOCRATS.
IF THEY WANT DEMOCRATIC VOTES,
OUR POSITION IS YOU NEED TO PASS
THE SPECIAL COUNSEL PROTECT
MUELLER BILL THAT’S ALREADY BEEN
PASSED OUT OF THE SENATE
JUDICIARY COMMITTEE WITH
BIPARTISAN SUPPORT.
BIPARTISAN SUPPORT. THAT SHOULD BE PRETTY EASY, AND
I DON’T UNDERSTAND WHY THEY
WOULD WANT TO CREATE ANY MORE
UNCERTAINTY AROUND THIS
INVESTIGATION.
INVESTIGATION. >> McCONNELL SAID IT’S BASICALLY
D.O.A. IN THE SENATE.
IS IT WORTH PUSHING IT IF IT’S
NOT GOING TO GET ANYWHERE IN THE
SENATE?
SENATE? >> THE RULE OF LAW IS WORTH
PUSHING AND MITCH McCONNELL IS
SUBVERTING THE WILL IN THE
SENATE RIGHT NOW.
I COMMEND SENATOR GRASSLEY FOR
BRINGING THAT FORWARD BUT MITCH
McCONNELL SHOULD BRING IT TO A
VOTE BECAUSE I BELIEVE IN BOTH
HOUSES IT WAS BROUGHT TO A VOTE,
A MAJORITY OF THE MEMBERS WOULD
SUPPORT IT.
SUPPORT IT. >> YOU HAVE LEADERSHIP ELECTIONS
TOMORROW.
TOMORROW. ARE YOU KCHD IN THE
CONFIDENT IN THE LEADERS THAT
ARE THE FRONT THE RUNNER,
PELOSIS, HOYER, ET CETERA?
>> NANCY PELOSI WILL BE CHOSEN
AS OUR SPEAKER NOMINEE AND
THAT’S BECAUSE SHE’S THE MOST
EFFECTIVE LEADER WE HAVE AND
FROM NOW UNTIL JANUARY 3rd, SHE
WILL CONTINUE TO EARN THE
SUPPORT OF MEMBERS AND I EXPECT
WE WILL UNIFY ON THE 3rd AND DO