>>> WELCOME BACK TO MOSCOW ON THIS BUSY NEWS NIGHT.
WE JUST GOT SOME BREAKING NEWS TONIGHT FROM THE WHITE HOUSE.
THE PRESIDENT HAS DECIDED HE IS GOING TO SIGN THAT SANCTIONS
BILL INTO LAW. IF MOST PEOPLE THOUGHT RELATIONS
BETWEEN MOSCOW AND WASHINGTON WOULD IMPROVE AFTER PRESIDENT
TRUMP TOOK OFFICE, INSTEAD TODAY THEY ARE REACHED A NEW LOW.
NO MATTER WHAT THE WHITE HOUSE TEAM DOES, THE STORY OF THE
POSSIBLE COLLUSION BETWEEN THE TRUMP TEAM AND THE KREMLIN JUST
WON'T GO AWAY. BUT WHAT IF WE'VE ALL BEEN
LOOKING AT THIS BACKWARDS. WHAT IF TAKING OVER OUR NATIONAL
AGENDA WAS THE WHOLE POINT. WHAT IF WE'VE ALREADY TAKEN THE
BAIT. IT WAS ONE OF THE MOST CLOSELY
WATCHED POLITICAL ENCOUNTERS IN DECADES.
>> WE LOOK FORWARD TO A LOT OF VERY POSITIVE THINGS HAPPENING.
>> PRESIDENT TRUMP CLEARLY HAD HIGH HOPES FOR THE RELATIONSHIP.
BUT WE WANTED TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT WHAT PRESIDENT PUTIN WAS
THINKING. >> WHAT HE WANTS IS TO BE
PERCEIVED TO BE A MAJOR PLAYER ON THE WORLD STAGE.
>> SO WE WENT TO SOMEONE WHO HAS BEEN STUDYING HIM FOR YEARS,
FORMER CIA OFFICER DANIEL HOFFMAN.
>> I'D LOGICALLY, VLADIMIR PUTIN IS OUR ENEMY.
THE IDEALS THAT WE HOLD NEAR AND DEAR ARE AN ANATHEMA TO
PRESIDENT PUTIN. START WITH THAT AND REMEMBER
THAT. >> WHAT IS PUTIN'S OVERALL GOAL?
>> THREE OVERARCHING GOALS, INTERFERE WITH OUR ELECTORAL
PROCESS, INTERFERE WITH WOUR GOVERNING PROCESS AS WELL AND
THEN ELEVATE RUSSIA'S STATURE IN THE WORLD SO REPERCEIVE RUSSIA
TO BE ON SAME STAGE AS THE UNITED STATES.
>> HE BELIEVES THAT THEY SET PRESIDENT TRUMP'S TEAM UP FOR
FAILURE. HE FOCUSED ON THE MEETING
BETWEEN DONALD TRUMP JR., PAUL
MANAFORT, JARED KUSHNER AND FIVE OTHERS.
>> RUSSIAN WOULD NOT SEND ALL OF THOSE PEOPLE TOGETHER TO A
MEETING. IT WAS AS IF PUTIN WAS
CHANNELLING THE BROTHERS GRIM AND LEAVING BREAD KRUMS ALLAH AN
SELL AND GRETEL BACK TO THE KREMLIN
>> YOU THINK THEY WANTED US TO FIND OUT ABOUT THE MEETING?
>> ABSOLUTELY DID. >> THE INITIAL INVITATION CAME
IN THE FORM OF AN E-MAIL WITH A TANTALIZING OFFER OF HIGH LEVEL
SENSITIVE INFORMATION THAT WOULD INCRIMINATE HILLARY.
DONALD TRUMP JR. WROTE BACK RIGHT AWAY, IF IT'S WHAT YOU SAY
I LOVE IT. HOFFMAN SAYS THE E-MAIL IS WHAT
THE PROFESSIONALS CALL A POISONED PILL AND THAT THE TRUMP
TEAM SWALLOWED IT WHOLE. >> THE RUSSIANS HAVE A SAYING --
[ SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE ] .
IT MEANS THAT FREE CHEESE CAN ONLY BE FOUND IN A MOUSE TRAP.
>> SO THE OFFER FOR HELP AND INFORMATION ABOUT HILLARY
CLINTON, THAT WOULD BE THE CHEESE AND THE MEETING WOULD BE
THE TRAP? >> YES, I BELIEVE SO.
>> TONIGHT THE PRESIDENT'S SON ON DEFENSE.
>> TONIGHT DONALD TRUMP JR. PROVIDED A STATEMENT TO --
>> HOFFMAN BELIEVES THAT ONCE THE TRUMP TEAM TOOK THE BAIT,
PUTIN WAS COUNTING ON THE FREE PRESS IN AMERICA TO DO WHAT IT
DOES BEST, INVESTIGATING AND EXPOSING ALL OF THE DETAILS.
>> SOME U.S. OFFICIALS SUSPECT HIM OF HAVING TIE TO RUSSIAN
INTELLIGENCE. >> I THINK VLADIMIR PUTIN
UNDERSTOOD THAT WOULD LEAD TO A MEDIA FEEDING FRENZY AND A GREAT
DEAL OF TIME AND EFFORT BEING FOCUSED ON THIS ISSUE THAT WOULD
ULTIMATELY INTERFERE WITH OUR GOVERNING PROCESS, DRIVE A WEDGE
AMONG DIFFERENT ELEMENTS OF OUR GOVERNMENT.
>> AND TRUMP JR. WASN'T THE FIRST MEMBER OF THE PRESIDENT'S
TEAM TO BE TARGETED BY MOSCOW. >> ONE OF THE BIGGEST CHALLENGES
IS THE MISPERCEPTIONS. >> CARTER PAGE HAS ALWAYS
BELIEVED THAT AMERICANS SHOULD BE MORE FRIENDLY TOWARDS RUSSIA.
>> IT'S A BASIC SIMPLE PRINCIPLE.
IF YOU TREAT SOMEONE WITH RESPECT AND YOU HAVE A
CONSTRUCTIVE POSITIVE APPROACH, THEN PEOPLE WILL RECIPROCATE
HAS. >> WHY ARE YOU SO SYMPATHETIC
TOWARDS RUSSIA. IT SEEMS LIKE YOU'RE FEELING
THAT THE KREMLIN IS MISUNDERSTOOD.
>> THAT'S A MISCHARACTERIZATION. I THINK I AM LOOKING FOR A
BETTER SITUATION FOR THE UNITED STATES.
>> A FORNLER NAVAL OFFICER PAGE BECAME AN INVESTMENT BANKER AND
SPENT THREE YEARS WORK IN MOSCOW.
HE SAYS HE MOSTLY WORKED FOR A SINGLE CLIENT, A RUSSIAN STATE
OWNED ENERGY COMPANY. BUT PAGE INSISTED HE HAD NO
CONTACT WITH RUSSIAN INTELLIGENCE IN MOSCOW.
>> NEVER IN THE OVER 25 YEARS SINCE I FIRST WENT THERE IN
1991. >> BECAUSE WOULDN'T YOU BE THE
KIND OF PERSON THEY WOULD WANT TORY KRUT.
>> -- TO RECRUIT? >> IT WOULD OBVIOUSLY BE ME.
>> BUT YOU SAY IT NEVER HAPPENED?
>> NEVER A HINT OF IT HAPPENING. >> I WOULD SAY WITH GREAT
CONFIDENCE THAT HE WAS ON THE RADAR.
THE RUSSIANS WITH WHOM MR. PAGE ENGAGED IN MOSCOW WOULD HAVE
BEEN REPORTING ON THEIR CONTACT WITH AN AMERICAN BUSINESSMAN TO
THE FSB. THAT'S STANDARD PROCEDURE.
>> PAGE RETURNED TO NEW YORK, OPENED HIS OWN FIRM AND MOVED
INTO THE BUILDING NEXT DOOR TO TRUMP TOWER.
AT WHICH POINT HE WAS APPROACHED BY A MAN WHO SAID HE WAS A
RUSSIAN ATTACHE AT THE U.N. >> THIS IS WHAT HE REPORTEDLY
SAID IN HIS REPORTS ABOUT HIS MEETINGS WITH YOU.
HE SAID YOU TRAVELED TO MOSCOW ALL OF THE TIME, THAT YOU ARE
QUOTE HOOKED ON GAS PROM AND VERY GREEDY.
NOW THAT SOUNDS TO ME LIKE A SPY WHO IS WRITING BACK TO HIS
HANDLERS ABOUT YOUR POTENTIAL WEAKNESSES HE WANTS TO EXPLOIT.
>> I KNOW A LOT OF THE TOP MANAGERS OF GASPROM.
KNOWN THEM FOR MANY YEARS. IF THEY WANTED TO OFFER ME A
BRIBE, DO YOU THINK THEY WOULD HAVE A JUNIOR ATTACHE MAKE THIS
OFFER? IT'S SO NONSENSICAL.
>> HE REPORTS BACK TO MOSCOW THAT HE RECEIVED SOME PAPERS,
DOCUMENTS FROM YOU. DID YOU GIVE HIM ANY PAPERS?
>> I MAY HAVE GIVEN HIM, E-MAIL HIM A COPY OF SOME PUBLIC
RESEARCH REPORTS, YOU KNOW, SOME OF THE DEVELOPMENTS IN ENERGY
MARKETS. I CAN'T REMEMBER A WHAT
SPECIFICALLY. >> THIS IS A TIME HONORED TACTIC
FOR RUSSIAN INTELLIGENCE. THEY WILL SEEK TO GET THE
TARGETS COMFORTABLE WITH PROVIDING INFORMATION, EVEN IF
THE INFORMATION IS WHAT WE CALL OPEN SOURCE.
THEN YOU'RE GOING TO ASK FOR MORE PROTECTED INFORMATION.
>> THE ATTACHE WAS A SPY. HE AND TWO OTHERS WERE BUSTED BY
THE FBI. PAGE WAS INTERVIEW BUT THEY
DIDN'T PRESS CHARGES. BUT THE RUSSIANS WEREN'T DONE
WITH PAGE YET BECAUSE HE SUDDENLY BECAME FAMOUS WHEN THE
THEN REPUBLICAN CANDIDATE NAME CHECKED HIM DURING AN INTERVIEW
WITH THE WASHINGTON POST. >> WE ARE GOING TO BE DOING
THAT. I HAVEN'T THOUGHT IN TERMS OF
DOING IT. IF YOU WANT I CAN GIVE YOU SOME
OF THE NAMES. CARTER PAGE, Ph.D.
>> THAT WAS LAST MARCH. BY JULY THE CAMPAIGN'S NEW
ADVISER WU GRANTED A MEETING WITH MOSCOW'S AMBASSADOR TO
WASHINGTON, SERGEY KISLYAK ON THE SIDELINES OF THE REPUBLICAN
CONVENTION. >> WHAT DID YOU TALK ABOUT?
>> YOU KNOW, I CAN'T EVEN REMEMBER.
THERE WAS A GROUP CONVERSATION WITH A LOT OF PEOPLE.
>> YOU DIDN'T SPEAK ONE ON ONE? >> I DON'T RECALL EVER HAVING
ANY DIRECT DISCUSSIONS. >> WHY WOULD HE WANT TO MEET
WITH CARTER PAGE? >> NOTHING I SAW OF ANYTHING HE
EVER DID WOULD -- COULD EVEN VAGUELY BE CONSTRUED AS TRYING
TO INFLUENCE THE U.S. ELECTION. >> BUT HOFFMAN SAYS FOR THE
RUSSIANS, THE POINT OF THE CONVERSATION WAS NOT CONTENT BUT
CONTAMINATION. >> THE DIFFERENCE IN TERMS OF
STATUS BETWEEN MR. PAGE AND MR. KISLYAK IS QUITE SIGNIFICANT.
VLADIMIR PUTIN WOULD UNDERSTAND THAT THAT WOULD DRIVE A BIT OF
MEDIA INTEREST IN WHY MR. PAGE WAS ENGAGING WITH AN AMBASSADOR.
THEY NEVER SHOULD HAVE BEEN MEETING.
>> PAGE TRAVELED TO MOSCOW ON A TRIP HE SAID WAS PRIVATE AND
UNRELATED TO THE CAMPAIGN. >> RESPECT IS NOT SOMETHING
WHICH MAGICALLY APPEARS. >> BUT JOURNALISTS KEPT ASKING
QUESTIONS ABOUT HIS PAST. SOON THE CAMPAIGN DECIDED TO CUT
HIM LOOSE BUT THE STORIES JUST KEPT COMING.
JUST LIKE THE ONES ABOUT OTHER MEMBERS OF TRUMP'S TEAM.
THEIR CREDIBILITY AND THAT OF THE ADMINISTRATION IS CALLED
INTO QUESTION DAILY. AS INVESTIGATORS AND THE MEDIA
UNCOVER CLUE AFTER CLUE, ALWAYS LOOKING FOR THAT SMOKING GUN BUT
NEVER QUITE FINDING IT. DO YOU THINK WE'RE EVER GOING TO
FIND SOMETHING THAT WASN'T LAID DOWN FOR US, THAT WASN'T PART OF
THE TRAP? >> I THINK IF THE MEDIA CAN
DISCOVER THE BREAD CRUMBS, THEN THEY WERE DELIBERATELY PLACED.
>> WHAT HOFFMAN IS SAYING IS THAT THE RUSSIANS HAVE ALREADY
ACHIEVED THEIR GOAL. THEY SET THE TRAPS AND THEN SAT
BACK AND WAITED FOR THEM TO SNAP SHUT UNLEASHING CHAOS.
>> RUSSIAN INTELLIGENCE OFFICERS ARE FOUND OF SAYING THEY ARE
USEFUL IDIOTS WHO CAN DO THE BIDDING FOR US.
>> WHO IS A USEFUL IDIOT? DOES PRESIDENT TRUMP