>>> HE’S STRONG AND POWERFUL IN
HIS DENIAL TODAY.
>> YOU DON’T REALLY BELIEVE
THIS.
DO YOU BELIEVE THIS?
>> HE SAID IT LAST WEEK?
>> OKAY.
BYE.
>> THAT WAS JUST TWO OF THE
TIMES PRESIDENT TRUMP HAS
PUBLICLY DISAGREED WITH HIS OWN
INTELLIGENCE OFFICIALS OVER THE
FACT THAT RUSSIA HAS AND IS
CONTINUING TO INTERFERE WITH
U.S. ELECTIONS.
>> JOINING US NOW IS THE STAFF
WRITER AT THE ATLANTIC MAGAZINE.
HIS NEW PIECE IS ENTITLED THE
2016 ELECTION WAS A DRY ONE AND
FRANK, YOU TWEETED ABOUT THE
PIECE, QUOTE, I HAVE BEEN
WORKING ON THIS SINCE JANUARY,
RUSSIAN INTERFERENCE IS GOING TO
HAPPEN AND IT’S A MADDENING
ACCOUNT OF TRUMP UNDERMINING WELL MEANING REFORMS.
WELL MEANING REFORMS.
SORRY TO ADD TO THE ANXIETIES.
>> THERE’S CONCERNS THAT MANY
RAISED ABOUT THE NEXT ELECTION
AND UNDERMINING IT IN SOME WAY
AND THEN OF COURSE THERE’S THE
ENTIRE ISSUE OF RUSSIA.
WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT WHAT THEY
ARE DOING AT THIS POINT TO
INTERFERE IN THE NEXT ELECTION?
>> WELL, IN SOME WAYS IT’S NOT
DISSIMILAR FROM CORONAVIRUS
WHERE WE HAVE A BIG EXPROBLEM AN
WE KNOW THAT A THREAT IS OUT
THERE AND LIKELY TO HIT US.
AND THE ENTIRE COUNTRY KNOWS THE
PLAN AND THE BIPARTISAN
CONSENSUS ABOUT THE REFORMS THAT
NEED TO BE IN PLACE TO PROTECT
US AND YET IT’S THE STATEMENTS
LIKE THE ONES THAT YOU READ AT
THE TOP OF THE SEGMENT WHERE
TRUMP UNDERMINES EVERYTHING THAT
THE BUREAUCRACY IS DOING.
HE UNDERMINES ALL THE BIPARTISAN
MOMENTUM FOR REFORM.
SO WE ARE LEFT IN THIS POSITION
WHERE WE SAW WHAT THEY DID IN
2016 AND WE HAVE SEEN WHAT THEY
HAVE DONE IN ELECTIONS SINCE
THEN AND THE MIDTERM ELECTIONS
IN 2015 SO WE KNOW THAT THEIR
TACTICS HAVE EVOLVED. THEY HAVE THIS MAP OF THE UNITED
THEY HAVE THIS MAP OF THE UNITED
STATES ELECTORAL SYSTEM AND
PEOPLE DON’T APPRECIATE THAT
THEY PROBED THE VOTING SYSTEMS
OF ALL 50 STATES AND THE VENDORS
THAT SELL TO COUNTS AND THE TO
STATE AND THERE ARE COUNTLESS
VULNERABILITIES AND THE RUSSIANS
KNOW THEM AND IN 2016 THEY
STAYED THEIR HAND.
THEY COULD HAVE GONE FURTHER AND
THE INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY IS A
LITTLE BIT CONFUSED ABOUT WHY
THEY DIDN’T CAUSE MORE IN 2016
AND GIVEN THAT HAD PRESIDENT HAS
ESSENTIALLY INVITED IT AND SHOWN
THERE’S NO PRICE TO BE PAID FOR
IT, WHAT IS THE REASON FOR THEM
NOT TO GO FURTHER AND THEY COULD
PROBABLY DO IT IN WAYS
ESSENTIALLY UNDETECTABLE TO OUR
INTELLIGENCE SERVICES.
>> FRANK.
I WANT TO ASK YOU WHEN THE
PREMIERE LEAGUE WILL RESTART IN
LIVERPOOL CAN BE CROWNED THE
RIGHTFUL CHAMPIONS OF THAT
LEAGUE AND OF ENGLISH FOOTBALL
BUT THAT QUESTION CAN WAIT.
I’M CURIOUS, YOU TALK ABOUT THE
DECENTRALIZATION OF OUR
ELECTORAL SYSTEMS.
IN FLORIDA, THERE’S 67 COUNTS
AND ALL 67 SUPERVISORS OF
ELECTIONS CAN CHOOSE THE WAY
THEY’RE GOING TO RUN.
ISN’T THAT ACTUALLY THE UNITED STATES BEST DEFENSE AGAINST
STATES BEST DEFENSE AGAINST
WIDESPREAD MANIPULATIONS TO THE
CHINESE AND JURORSURANIANS.
>> I DON’T WANT TO KNOW IF
YOU’RE WEARING LIVERPOOL
PAJAMAS.
IT’S AN ADVANTAGE IN THAT THE
RUSSIANS CAN’T STRIKE ONE
COMPUTER SYSTEM AND MANIPULATE
THE AGGREGATE TALLY WHICH IS
WHAT THEY TRIED TO DO WITH
UKRAINE IN 2014 BUT WHAT THEY
CAN DO IS THAT THEY CAN CAUSE -- THEY CAN CAUSE PROBLEMS IN
THEY CAN CAUSE PROBLEMS IN
PLACES THAT CREATE SUSPICION.
HE WILL SEIZE ON ANYTHING THAT
COULD GO WRONG.
SO REALLY WE’RE VULNERABLE TO A
FEATHER PUSH FROM THE RUSSIANS.
THE DANGER ISN’T THAT THEY WILL
KNOCKOUT THE RESULTS OR TRY TO
CHANGE THE TALLY BUT THEY COULD
HACK INTO THE WISCONSIN
SECRETARY OF STATE OFFICE ON
ELECTION NIGHT AND POST FAKE
RESULTS ON THERE AND THOSE FAKE
RESULTS WILL THEN CAUSE TRUMP
SUPPORTERS AND TRUMP HIMSELF TO
SAY THAT THIS WHOLE ELECTION
NEEDS TO BE THROWN OUT OR THAT SOMEHOW THE OFFICIAL RESULTS ARE
SOMEHOW THE OFFICIAL RESULTS ARE
ILLEGITIMATE THEY’RE SAYING WE
HAVE TO STOP THIS.
THEY’RE STARTING TO WORK ON
2020.
WE HAVE TO PUT SAFE GUARDS UP SO
THIS NEVER HAPPENS AGAIN AND AS
YOU POINT OUT IN DETAIL IN YOUR
PEACE IT’S
PIECE IT’S HAPPENING AGAINST AND
RUSSIANS HAVE GONE AROUND
WHATEVER SAFE GUARDS WERE PUT IN
PLACE.
IN FACT WHEN A REPRESENTATIVE OF
THE OFFICE OF DNI TESTIFIED TO
CONGRESS IN FEBRUARY THAT RUSSIA
WAS UP TO ITS TRICKS AGAIN
YOU’LL REMEMBER THAT PRESIDENT
TRUMP QUICKLY FIRED JOSEPH
McGUIRE, THE DNI AT THAT POINT
FOR PUTTING THAT MESSAGE OUT
THERE.
SO ARE THERE SAFE GUARDS?
HAVE ANYTHING BEEN PUT IN PLACE?
HAS ANYTHING CHANGED SINCE 2016
AND WHAT HAS PRESIDENT TRUMP
DONE TO UNDERMINE SOME OF THAT WORK?
WORK? >> SO STATES IN 2016 DIDN’T TAKE
>> SO STATES IN 2016 DIDN’T TAKE
THE RUSSIAN THREAT SERIOUSLY AND
THEY ACCUSED HIM OF TRYING TO
FEDERALIZE ELECTIONS BUT SINCE
THEN DHS HAS DONE VARIOUS
EXERCISES AND INSTALLED SOME
SENSORS ON SOME OF THE STATE COMPUTING SYSTEMS TO PROTECT
COMPUTING SYSTEMS TO PROTECT
THOSE AND THAT’S A POSITIVE.
AND THIS SHOULD BE EXTREMELY
TROUBLING TO ALL AMERICANS WHICH
IS WHEN I WENT TO TALK TO PEOPLE
ON THE HILL ON INTELLIGENCE
COMMITTEES AND YOU TALK TO
PEOPLE THAT SERVED IN THE TRUMP
NATIONAL SECURITY COUNSEL, WHAT
THEY SAY IS THAT THE BEST RUSSIA
HAND IN THE INTELLIGENCE
COMMUNITY DON’T WANT TO WORK ON
RUSSIA RELATED ISSUES BECAUSE
THEY’RE AFRAID OF THEIR WORK
BEING POLITICIZED.
THEY’RE AFRAID OF GETTING FIRED
FOR SPEAKING TRUTH AND SO THEY
HAVE ASKED TO BE REMOVED FROM
WORKING ON THE RUSSIA ISSUE.
AND WHEN I ASK SENATOR MARK
WARNER, THE RANKING DEMOCRAT ON
THE SENATE SELECT COMMITTEE ON
INTELLIGENCE HE TOLD ME THAT HE
COULDN’T BE SURE THAT HE COULD
TRUST THE INTELLIGENCE THAT HE
WAS SEEING AND THE GOVERNMENT
WAS PRODUCING ABOUT RUSSIA AND I
ASKED HIM IF THE RUSSIANS WERE
EXECUTING A MAJOR CAMPAIGN, WOULD OUR INTELLIGENCE
WOULD OUR INTELLIGENCE
COMMUNITIES REPORT THAT?
SO THAT TO ME IS THE MOST
TERRIFYING THING ABOUT WHERE WE
STAND.
>> WE’LL CLOSE BY READING THIS.
EVENTS IN THE UNITED STATES
UNFOLDED MORE FAVORABLY THAN ANY
OPERATIVE IN MOSCOW COULD HAVE
EVER DREAMED.
NOT ONLY DID RUSSIA’S PREFERRED
CANDIDATE WIN BUT HE FULFILLED
THE POTENTIAL IT SAW IN HIM,
DISCREDITING AMERICAN
INSTITUTIONS.
THE SEAMS OF AMERICAN CULTURE
AND ISOLATING A NATION THAT
STYLED ITSELF AS INDISPENSABLE
TO THE FREE WORLD BUT INSTEAD OF
COMPLACENTLY ENJOYING IT’S
TRIUMPH, RUSSIA ALMOST
IMMEDIATELY SET ABOUT
REPLICATING IT.
BOOSTING THE TRUMP CAMPAIGN WAS
A TACTIC/DEMOCRACY, REST IN
PEACE, REMAINS THE LARGER
OBJECTIVE.
VLADIMIR PUTIN DREAMS OF
DISCREDITING THE AMERICAN
DEMOCRATIC SYSTEM AND HE WILL
NEVER HAVE A MORE RELIABLE ALLY
THAN DONALD TRUMP.
A DEMOCRACY CANNOT DEFEND ITSELF
IF IT CAN’T HONESTLY DESCRIBE
THE ATTACKS AGAINST IT.
BUT THE PRESIDENT HASN’T JUST
UNDERMINED HIS OWN COUNTRY’S
DEFENSES, HE HAS ACTIVELY
ABEDDED THE ADVERSARIES EFFORTS.
KEEP THAT IN MIND.
THE PIECE IS IN THE NEW ISSUE OF
THE ATLANTIC. THANK YOU VERY, VERY MUCH.
THANK YOU VERY, VERY MUCH.
>> AND FRANK, YOU’LL NEVER WALK
ALONE.
>> ALL RIGHT YOU TWO.
A KEY MODEL IS RAISING IT’S
PROJECTION FROM THE POSSIBLE U.S. DEATHS FROM CORONAVIRUS AND