>>> WE DO NOT KNOW IF TODAY WAS THE LAST PUBLIC IMPEACHMENT
HEARING OR NOT.
IT’S THE LAST ONE THAT’S ON THE
PUBLIC SCHEDULE FOR NOW.
IF THAT MEANS THAT THIS IS GOING
TO BE THE FINAL HEARING, WELL, I
THINK THAT MEANS WE CAN EXPECT
THE COMMITTEE THAT CONDUCTED
THIS HEARING TO START WORKING ON
ITS REPORT FROM THE PARTISAN
DIVISIONS THAT SEEMED EVIDENT ON
THE COMMITTEE OVER THE COURSE OF
THESE HEARINGS.
THESE HEARINGS. I THINK WE WOULD EXPECT THAT
BOTH THE COMMITTEE ITSELF, THE
MAJORITY OF THE COMMITTEE WILL
PRODUCE ITS REPORT AND THE
REPUBLICANS WILL PRODUCE SOME
SORT OF DISSENTING MINORITY
REPORT WITH COMPETING VIEWS.
REGARDLESS, THE MAJORITY REPORT
ORB AM ACTUAL REPORT OF THE
COMMITTEE WILL THEN PRESUMABLY
GO TO THE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE
BECAUSE IN IMPEACHMENTS IT’S THE
JUDICIARY COMMITTEE THAT HAS TO
DRAW UP FORMAL ARTICLES OF
IMPEACHMENT AGAINST THE
PRESIDENT.
PRESIDENT. THE HOUSE WILL THEN CONSIDER
THOSE ARTICLES OF IMPEACHMENT.
WHETHER OR NOT THE JUDICIARY
COMMITTEE HOLDS MORE HEARINGS AT
THAT POINT WE DON’T KNOW.
THE JUDICIARY COMMIT WILL
PRODUCE ARTICLES OF IMPEACHMENT.
THE HOUSE WILL DECIDE HOW
THEY’RE GOING TO VOTE ON THOSE
ARTICLES OF IMPEACHMENT, AND
THAT GOES ONTO THE SENATE.
WE’RE GOING TO TALK WITH A
MEMBER OF THE INTELLIGENCE
COMMITTEE TODAY WITH HOW MUCH WE
CAN TELL ABOUT HOW CLOSE THEY
ARE TO DONE AND THOU THEY’RE
GOING TO DECIDE.
WE’VE GOT OUR EYE ON ONE
IMPORTANT FEDERAL COURT RULING
DUE ON MONDAY THAT POTENTIALLY
COULD BE INFLUENCING THE
COMMITTEE’S DECISION TO WHETHER
OR NOT THEY’RE GOING TO BE ABLE
TO GET ANYMORE WITNESSES THEY
MIGHT WANT TO HEAR FROM.
WHILE WE’RE IN THIS SORT OF
LIMBO IN TERMS OF THE PROCESS
AND HOW THIS IS GOING TO GO TOR
FORWARD, BECAUSE OF THE SUBJECT
MATTER OF THIS INQUIRY, BECAUSE
OF THE TYPES OF EXPERTS AND
CAREER NATIONAL SECURITY PEOPLE
WHO HAVE DONE THE REAL WORK IN
THIS PART OF THE U.S. GOVERNMENT
WHEN -- WHEN THE PRESIDENT IN
THE WORDS OF FIONA HILL TODAY,
WAS HAVING HIS OWN HAND PICKED
PEOPLE INSTEAD CARRY OUT A
DOMESTIC POLITICAL ERRAND FOR
THE PRESIDENT WHICH STARTED TO
INTRUDE ON THE REAL WORK OF THE
GOVERNMENT, THIS DOMESTIC
POLITICAL ERRAND HE WAS TRYING
TO GET UKRAINE TO HELP HIM OUT
WITH HIS ELECTION EFFORT,
BECAUSE OF THE REAL PEOPLE DOING
THE REAL WORK OF THE U.S.
GOVERNMENT WHEN THAT DOMYSTIC
POLITICAL ERRAND INTRUDED
BECAUSE THOSE ARE THE PEOPLE WHO
ARE WITNESSES TO WHAT THE
PRESIDENT AND HIS SORT OF
HENCHMEN HERE DID, WHAT WAS SORT
OF AMAZING FOR US TO PUBLIC
TODAY, WAS THAT AS THEY
PRESUMABLY CLOSED OUT THESE
PUBLIC HEARINGS TODAY WE HAD
THESE TWO ADDITIONAL WITNESSES,
EXPERT, NON-PARTISAN CAREER
FOREIGN SERVICE AND NATIONAL
SECURITY EXPERTS WHO CLOSED OUT
THE WITNESS TESTIMONY TODAY.
THE FACT WITNESS TESTIMONY
TODAY.
TODAY. AND FOR US, THE PUBLIC, THOSE
EXPERT WITNESSES WERE ABLE TO
GIVE US A MASTER CLASS NOT ONLY
ON WHAT HAPPENED AND WHAT THEY
SAW BUT ON WHAT THE IMPACT OF IT
WAS, WHO THE PRESIDENT HURT WITH
THESE ACTIONS.
THESE ACTIONS. WHO HIS ACTIONS BENEFITTED.
ALSO WHO CAME UP WITH THIS
SCHEME IN THE FIRST PLACE AND
WHOSE INTERESTS DOES IT SERVE?
WHOSE INTERESTS DOES IT SERVE
THAT EVEN AS PART OF THIS
IMPEACHMENT PROCESS THE
REPUBLICAN SUPPORTERS OF THE
PRESIDENT ARE STILL TRYING TO
PUSH THE SCHEME THAT HE GOT
CAUGHT TRYING TO PUSH IN AND
STATEMENTS THAT I HAVE HEARD
SOME OF YOU ON THIS COMMITTEE
APPEAR TO BELIEVE THAT RUSSIA
AND ITS SECURITY SERVICES DID
NOT CONDUCT A CAMPAIGN AGAINST
OUR COUNTRY AND THAT PERHAPS
SOMEHOW FOR SOME REASON UKRAINE
DID.
DID. THIS IS A FICTIONAL NARRATIVE
THAT HAS BEEN PERPETRATED AND
PROPAGATED BY THE RUSSIAN
SECURITY SERVICES THEMSELVES.
THE UNFORTUNATE TRUTH IS THAT
RUSSIA WAS THE FOREIGN POWER
THAT SYSTEMATICALLY ATTACKED OUR
DEMOCRATIC INSTITUTIONS IN 2016.
THIS IS THE PUBLIC CONCLUSION OF
OUR INTELLIGENCE AGENCIES
CONFIRMED IN BY PARTISAN
CONGRESSIONAL REPORTS.
CONGRESSIONAL REPORTS. IT IS BEYOND DEDISPUTE.
EVEN IF OF THE UNDERLYING
DETAILS MUST REMAIN CLASSIFIED.
THE IMPACT OF THE SUCCESSFUL
2016 RUSSIAN CAMPAIGN REMAINS
EVIDENT TODAY.
EVIDENT TODAY. OUR NATION IS BEING TORN APART.
TRUTH IS QUESTIONED.
OUR HIGHLY PROFESSIONAL CAREER
FOREIGN SERVICE IS BEING
UNDERMINED.
UNDERMINED. U.S. SUPPORT FOR UKRAINE WHICH
CONTINUES HAS BEEN POLITICIZED.
THE RUSSIAN GOVERNMENT’S GOAL IS
TO WEAKEN OUR COUNTRY, TO
DIMINISH AMERICA’S GOVERNMENT
ROLE AND NEUTRALIZE A PERCEIVED
U.S. THREAT TO RUSSIAN
INTERESTS.
INTERESTS. PRESIDENT PUTIN AND THE RUSSIAN
SECURITY SERVICES AIM TO COUNTER
U.S. FOREIGN POLICY OBJECTIVES
IN EUROPE INCLUDING IN UKRAINE
WHERE MOSKOW WISHES TO REASSERT
POLITICAL DOMINANCE.
POLITICAL DOMINANCE. IN THE CAUSE OF THIS
INVESTIGATION I ASK YOU PLEASE
NOT PROMOTE FALSEHOODS THAT
PROMOTE RUSSIAN INTERESTS.
AS I TOLD THE COMMITTEE LAST
MONTH I REFUSE TO BE PART OF AN
EFFORT TO LEGITIMIZE THE
ULTIMATE NARRATIVE THAT THE
UKRAINIAN GOVERNMENT IS THE U.S.
ADVERSARY AND UKRAINE NOT RUSSIA
ATTACKED US IN 2016.
BUT WE MUST NOT LET DOMESTIC
POLITICS STOP US FROM DEFENDING
OURSELVES AGAINST THE FOREIGN
POWERS WHO TRULY WISH US HARM.
>> I WILL NOT BE PART OF AN
EFFORT TO LEGITIMIZE THAT
ALTERNATIVE NARRATIVE
ALTERNATIVE NARRATIVE PERPETRATED AND PROPAGATED BY
THE RUSSIAN SECURITY SERVICES
THAT UKRAINE NOT RUSSIA ATTACKED
US IN 2016.
SHE SAYS PLEASE DO NOT PROMOTE
POLITICALLY DRIVEN FALSEHOODS
LIKE THAT SO CLEARLY ADVANCE
RUSSIAN INTERESTS.
RUSSIAN INTERESTS. THIS ALTERNATIVE NARRATIVE
PERPETRATED AND PROPAGATED BY
RUSSIAN SECURITY SERVICES THAT
UKRAINE NOT RUSSIA ATTACKED US
IN 2016, WHERE DID THAT THEORY
COME FROM?
COME FROM? THAT THEORY CAME FROM RUSSIAN
SECURITY SERVICES.
SECURITY SERVICES. WHO HAS PROPAGATED IT?
IT STARTED OFF WITH RUSSIAN
SECURITY SERVICES BUT NOW IT’S
KIND OF YOU GUYS.
THAT WAS POWERFUL STUFF FROM
THIS CAREER NATIONAL SECURITY
AND INTELLIGENCE OFFICIAL WHO UP
UNTIL ABOUT FIVE MINUTES AGO WAS
THE TOP RUSSIA EXPERT IN THE
U.S. GOVERNMENT.
U.S. GOVERNMENT. RIGHT, POWERFUL.
RIGHT, POWERFUL. SHE’S SAYING DON’T DO THIS.
THIS WHOLE UKRAINE INTERFERED IN
OUR ELECTION, NOT RUSSIA, THIS
IS FALSE THING INVENTED BY
RUSSIA, INVENTED BY RUSSIAN
SECURITY SERVICES TO HELP RUSSIA
AND TO HURT THE UNITED STATES.
AND IF YOU SPREAD THAT
FALSEHOOD, IF YOU PROMULGATE
THAT FALSEHOOD, YOU ARE DOING
THE KREMLIN’S WORK AGAINST THE
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.
SHE LITERALLY SAYS PLEASE.
SHE SAYS PLEASE DON’T DO THIS.
PLEASE STOP PROMOTING THIS FALSE
IDEA THAT HAS BEEN PROPAGATED BY
THE RUSSIAN GOVERNMENT TO SERVE
THE RUSSIAN -- THE RUSSIAN
GOVERNMENT’S PURPOSES.
GOVERNMENT’S PURPOSES. PLEASE, SHE SAYS, DO NOT DO
THIS.
THIS. IT DOES NOT APPEAR TO SINK IN.
>> PRESIDENT TRUMP HAD GOOD
REASON TO BE WORRIED OF
UKRAINIAN ELECTION MEDDLING
AGAINST HIS CAMPAIGN.
>> IT’S WEIRD, RIGHT?
I MEAN THE REPUBLICAN DEFENDERS
OF THE PRESIDENT ON THE
IMPEACHMENT COMMITTEE ARE VERY
HAPPY TO CONTINUE PROMULGATING
THIS THING THAT THE PRESIDENT
WAS PROMOTING IN UKRAINE, NOBODY
IN THE U.S. GOVERNMENT AND
NATIONAL SECURITY INTELLIGENCE
BELIEVES THAT THIS IS CREDIBLE.
THE PRESIDENT’S OWN NATIONAL
SECURITY AND FOREIGN POLICY
ADVISERS TOLD HIM THIS IS NOT
CREDIBLE.
CREDIBLE. RUSSIAN SECURITY SERVICES ARE
PROMOTING IT, THOUGH, FOR THEIR
OWN PURPOSES.
OWN PURPOSES. SO THE PRESIDENT WAS PROMOTING
IT AND NOW HIS SUPPORTERS IN
CONGRESS ARE PROMOTING IT, TOO.
THEY’RE JUST SLOGGING AWAY WITH
THIS NO MATTER THE CONSEQUENCES.
>> THIS IS AN EXCERPT FROM A
FEBRUARY 2, 2017, NEWS
CONFERENCE BETWEEN PRESIDENT
PUTIN AND PRIME MINISTER ORBAN
OF HUNGARY WHERE PUTIN SAYS,
SECOND, AS WE ALL KNOW DURING
THE PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN IN THE
UNITED STATES THE UKRAINIAN
GOVERNMENT ADOPTED A UNILATERAL
POSITION IN FAVOR OF ONE
CANDIDATE.
CANDIDATE. MORE THAN THAT OLIGARCHS
CERTAINLY WITH THE APPROVAL OF
THE POLITICAL LEADERSHIP FUNDED
THIS CANDIDATE OR FEMALE
CANDIDATE TO BE MORE PRECISE.
MR. HOLMES, YOU SPENT THREE
YEARS AS WELL IN THE U.S.
EMBASSY IN RUSSIA.
WHY WOULD IT BE TO VLADIMIR
PUTIN’S ADVANTAGE TO PROMOTE
THIS THEORY OF UKRAINE
INTERFERENCE?
INTERFERENCE? >> FIRST OF ALL TO DEFLECT FROM
THE ALLEGATIONS OF RUSSIAN
INTERFERENCE.
INTERFERENCE. SECOND OF ALL TO DRIVE A WEDGE
BETWEEN THE UNITED STATES AND
UKRAINE, WHICH RUSSIA WANTS TO
ESSENTIALLY GET BACK INTO ITS
SPHERE OF INFLUENCE.
THIRDLY, TO BESMIRCH UKRAINE AND
POLITICAL LEADERSHIP FROM OTHER
KEY PARTNERS IN EUROPE AND
ELSEWHERE.
ELSEWHERE. >> THE RUSSIANS HAVE A
PARTICULAR INTEREST IN PUTTING
UKRAINE AND UKRAINIAN LEADERS IN
A BAD LIGHT.
THERE’S A GREAT DEAL OF
HOSTILITY AND MALIGNED INTENT
AND IT SUITS THE RUSSIAN
GOVERNMENT VERY MUCH IF WE ARE
ALSO LOOKING AT UKRAINE TO
SOMEHOW A PERPETRATOR OF
MALIGNED ACTS AGAINST US.
>> THERE’S ALSO A BENEFIT NOW,
ISN’T THERE, FOR RUSSIA TO PUT
THE BLAME ON UKRAINE?
TO CAST DOUBT ON WHETHER THEY
INTERVENED AT ALL IN OUR
ELECTION AND BLAME IT ON A U.S.
ALLY AS A WAY OF DRIVING A WEDGE
BETWEEN THE U.S. AND UKRAINE,
ISN’T THAT TRUE?
>> WELL, THAT’S ABSOLUTELY THE
CASE.
CASE. AND IN FACT YOU JUST MADE THE
POINT ABOUT U.S. ALLIES.
THE RUSSIANS LIKE TO PUT A LOT
OF BLAME ON U.S. ALLIES FOR
INCIDENTS THAT THEY HAVE
PERPETRATED.
PERPETRATED. WE SAW THAT RECENTLY WITH THE
UNITED KINGDOM AND THE RUSSIAN
SECRET SERVICES ATTACK ON A
FORMER SPY AND HIS DAUGHTER IN
ENGLAND WHERE YOU MAY RECALL THE
RUSSIANS ACTUALLY ACCUSED THE
BRITISH GOVERNMENT OF
PERPETRATING THIS THEMSELVES.
SO THIS FALLS INTO A LONG
PATTERN OF DEFLECTION AND THE
RUSSIAN GOVERNMENT TRYING TO PIN
THE BLAME ON SOMEONE ELSE.
>> FIONA HILL TODAY BRINGING UP
THE ATTEMPTED ASSASSINATION OF A
FORMER RUSSIAN SPY SERGEI
SCRIPPLE AND HIS DAUGHTER.
THEY WERE BASICALLY STALKED IN
THE U.K., THEY USED A MILITARY
GRADE NERVE AGENT TO TRY TO
ASSASSINATE HIM.
ASSASSINATE HIM. HE AND HIS DAUGHTER WERE VERY
NEARLY KILLED BY IT.
ALSO A BRITISH CIVILIAN WHO CAME
ACROSS THE NERVE AGENT, THAT
RANDOM BRITISH CIVILIAN WAS
KILLED IN THIS EFFORT.
FIONA HILL TODAY POINTING OUT
THAT’S THE KIND OF OUTRAGEOUS
ATTACK THAT RUSSIA COMMITTED
THAT THEY’VE ALSO TRIED TO
DEFLECT FROM, RIGHT?
HOWEVER OUTRAGEOUS SLY THEY’VE
TRIED TO PUT THE BLAME FOR THAT
ON A WESTERN POW, RIGHT?
IN THIS CASE ON THE U.K. ITSELF.
SO AS TO DEFLECT BLAME FROM
THEMSELVES AND TRY TO SMEAR A
WESTERN POWER FOR THEIR OWN
CRIMES.
CRIMES. I WILL JUST NOTE FOR THE RECORD
IT’S BEEN A LITTLE BIT LOST IN
THE SHUFFLE BUT JUST A FEW WEEKS
AGO "THE WASHINGTON POST"
REPORTED THAT IN FACT PRESIDENT
TRUMP SPENT TEN SOLID MINUTES ON
THE PHONE WITH THEN BRITISH
PRIME MINISTER THERESA MAY THAT
RUSSIA DIDN’T ACTUALLY POISON
SERGEI IN THE U.K., KBT COULDN’T
BE RUSSIA.
BE RUSSIA. THAT’S APPARENTLY ONE OF THE
CALLS THAT THE TRUMP WHITE HOUSE
HAS LOCKED UP IN THE SUPER
SECRET
SECRET SECRET SERVER IN THE WHITE HOUSE
SO THAT NOBODY CAN ACCESS THE
CALL RECORD OF THAT CALL.
FOR WHATEVER REASON, ONE OF THE
THINGS WE ARE LEARNING IN THIS
IMPEACHMENT, ONE OF THE THINGS
WE’RE GETTING IS ALL THIS
FURTHER NEWS AND CONFIRMATION
THAT PRESIDENT TRUMP IS UP TO
HIS NECK IN STUFF THAT IS BEING
PROMULGATED BY THE RUSSIAN
GOVERNMENT AND RUSSIAN
INTELLIGENCE.
INTELLIGENCE. BY STRANGE THEORIES AND STRANGE
EXCUSES FOR RUSSIAN BEHAVIOR
THAT DON’T MATCH U.S. INTERESTS
AT ALL, THAT NOBODY INSIDE THE
U.S. GOVERNMENT OR THE U.S.
NATIONAL SECURITY ESTABLISHMENT
BELIEVES WHATSOEVER, THAT ONLY
COME FROM RUSSIA BECAUSE THEY
ONLY SERVE RUSSIAN INTERESTS.
THE PRESIDENT HAS BEEN
PROMULGATING STUFF LIKE THIS
FROM THE TIME OF HIS CAMPAIGN.
AND IT HAS CONTINUED THROUGH HIS
PRESIDENCY, AND THAT SAYS
SOMETHING, WHO KNOWS WHAT ABOUT
THIS PRESIDENT.
THIS PRESIDENT. BUT WHAT THE IMPEACHMENT
WITNESSES NAILED DOWN IN
PARTICULAR ON THIS DAY ON THIS
FIFTH DAY OF TESTIMONY IS THAT
NOW REPUBLICAN SUPPORTERS OF THE
PRESIDENT ARE PROMOTING THAT
STUFF, TOO.
STUFF, TOO. AND AS SUCH, THAT STUFF ISN’T
NECESSARILY JUST FOREIGN
INFLUENCE ANYMORE.
INFLUENCE ANYMORE. FOREIGN INFLUENCE THAT THE
PRESIDENT IS ODDLY PARROTING.
NOW IT IS STARTING TO TAKE ROOT
HERE.
HERE. NOW IT IS STARTING TO BECOME AN
AMERICAN THING, TOO, IN THE
REPUBLICAN PARTY.
REPUBLICAN PARTY. THE STORY LINE IS PROMOTED BY
THE RUSSIAN GOVERNMENT AND
INEXPLICABLY BUT TIRELESSLY
PROMOTED BY THIS PRESIDENT HAS
NOW FUSED INTO REPUBLICAN PARTY
POLITICS.
POLITICS. >> AND DR. HILL, BY PROMOTING
THIS THEORY OF UKRAINIAN
INTERFERENCE IN THE 2016
ELECTION, WAS PRESIDENT TRUMP
ADOPTING VLADIMIR PUTIN’S VIEW
OVER HIS OWN SENIOR ADVISERS AND
INTELLIGENCE OFFICIALS?
INTELLIGENCE OFFICIALS? >> I THINK WE HAVE TO BE VERY
CAREFUL ABOUT THE WAY THAT WE
PHRASE THAT.
PHRASE THAT. THIS IS A VIEW THAT PRESIDENT
PUTIN AND THE RUSSIAN SECURITY
SERVICES AND MANY ACTORS IN
RUSSIA HAVE PROMOTED.
BUT I THINK THAT THIS VIEW HAS
ALSO GOT SOME TRACTION PERHAPS
IN PARALLEL AND SEPARATELY HERE
IN THE UNITED STATES.
AND THOSE TWO THINGS HAVE OVER
TIME STARTED TO FUSE TOGETHER.
>> TURNS OUT THAT VIEW PROMOTED
BY PRESIDENT PUTIN AND RUSSIAN
SECURITY SERVICES AND MANY
ACTORS IN RUSSIA, IT’S GETTING
SOME TRACTION HERE IN THE UNITED
STATES.
STATES. IT’S GETTING SOME TRACTION HERE.
OVER TIME, THAT VIEW FROM PUTIN
AND THE RUSSIAN SECURITY
SERVICES, IT’S STARTED TO TAKE
ROOT IN THE UNITED STATES.
SOME STRANDS OF THIS ARE
STARTING TO SORT OF FUSE
TOGETHER WITH THE RUSSIAN LINE
INSIDE REPUBLICAN POLITICS.
HOW DO WE UNFUSE THEM?