YOU KNOW, AT WHAT WAS REALLY
GOING ON THERE, AND WE LEARNED
A LITTLE MORE.
THERES STILL A LOT THAT WE
DONT KNOW.
>> IM STUCK BY THE WAY THEY
DESCRIBED WHY THEY DIDNT KNOW
WHAT KONSTANTIN KILIMNIK HAD
DONE WITH THAT DATA.
THEY SAID BASICALLY, WE DONT
KNOW WHAT HIS COMMUNICATIONS
ARE, THEY IMPLIED THAT HE WAS
USING COMMUNICATION SECURITY
AND IMPLYING THAT HE WAS USING
ENCRYPTED CHANNELS,, AND SO
THEREFORE, IT WAS AN KNOWABLE
WHAT HE HAD DONE WITH THE
INFORMATION.
THE U.S. GOVERNMENT NOW CAN
ASSERT THAT THEY KNOW WHAT
KONSTANTIN KILIMNIK DID WITH
THAT INFORMATION, DOES THAT
MEAN THAT THEY HAVE DEVELOPED
NEW INFORMATION, OR THAT SOME
PART OF THE BIDEN
ADMINISTRATION IS WILLING TO
DISCLOSE THIS INFORMATION, WHEN
UNDER THE PREVIOUS PRESIDENT,
EVEN THOUGH THEY KNEW IT, THEY
WERENT WILLING TO SHARE IT
EVEN WITH THE INTELLIGENCE
COMMUNITY?
HOW NEW IS THIS?
WHAT KIND OF CAPABILITY IT DOES
IT REFLECT?
>> I THINK YOURE HITTING ON
THE MOST IMPORTANT QUESTION
HERE.
THE THING THAT I REALLY WANT TO
KNOW WHICH IS, WHEN DID THE
U.S. GOVERNMENT FIGURE THIS OUT?
IS IT SOMETHING THAT THEY HAVE
KNOWN FOR YEARS?
THAT WOULD PUT IT BACK DURING
THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION.
OR IS THAT SOMETHING THAT WAS
RECENTLY DEVELOPED?
WE KNOW THAT THE TRUMP
ADMINISTRATION OFFICIALS WERE
VERY HESITANT TO DO ANYTHING ON
RUSSIA BECAUSE OF THE WAY OF
TRUMPS POSTURE AND ANGER ON
THIS ISSUE.
SO WHERE DID THIS COME FROM?
WHEN DID THIS CHANGE?
YOU KNOW, I WAS LOOKING AT
STATEMENTS EARLIER FROM FOLKS
LIKE ANDREW WEISS, IT IS CLEAR
THAT THE MUELLER FOLKS DID NOT
KNOW ABOUT THIS.
BUT WHEN DID THIS COME UP?
AND HOW DID IT COME UP?
WAS IT THE FBI CONTINUING TO
INVESTIGATE KONSTANTIN KILIMNIK,
EVEN AFTER THE PROSECUTION OF
2018 AND 2019, UNDER TRUMP,
WHEN TRUMP DIDNT WANT ANY OF
THIS STUFF GOING ON?
TO UNDERSTAND THAT WOULD GIVE
US A GREATER SENSE OF WHAT THIS
INTELLIGENCE IS?
HOW OLD IT IS, AND OBVIOUSLY IT
IS IMPORTANT.
>> MIKE, HAVE YOU EVER GOTTEN
ANY CLEAR SENSE THROUGHOUT THIS
WHOLE SAGA, SINCE WEVE ALL
BEEN LOOKING AT THIS QUESTION
FOR SO LONG, HAVE YOU EVER HAD
ANY CLEAR SENSE OF WHAT EXACTLY
WAS IN THAT DATA?
WHAT EXACTLY WAS COMMUNICATED,
PAUL MANAFORT HAD THE
INFORMATION ABOUT INFORMATION
AND POLLING, HE DIRECTED HIM TO
SHARE IT WITH KONSTANTIN
KILIMNIK, THEY SAY THAT ON
MULTIPLE OCCASIONS HE WANTED TO
CONVEY INTERNAL TRUMP DATA TO
KONSTANTIN KILIMNIK, HAVE WE
EVER HAD ANY CLEAR VIEW OF WHAT
THEY GAVE THEM?
THE REASON THAT IS IMPORTANT
BECAUSE YOU WANT TO KNOW HOW
VALUABLE IT WOULDVE BEEN TO
RUSSIAN INTELLIGENCE IN
TARGETING THEIR TAX.
>> THE PAST HAS SHOWN THAT SOME
OF THE POLLING DATA WAS
PUBLICLY AVAILABLE AND RICK
GATES PUTTING OUT A STATEMENT
SAYING THAT THIS INFORMATION,
THERE WAS NOTHING REALLY
SIGNIFICANT IN WHAT WAS BEING
PASSED TOO KONSTANTIN KILIMNIK.
I UNDERSTAND WHY WE FOCUS ON
WHAT WAS IT THAT WAS PASSED IN
THIS CHANNEL, BECAUSE IT IS THE
ONE THING THAT WE KNOW WAS
PASSED.
BUT WHAT I THINK WE NEED TO
LOOK AT IS THAT THERE WAS A
CHANNEL.
THERE WAS A LINE THAT WENT FROM
THE TRUMP CAMPAIGN TO RUSSIAN
INTELLIGENCE.
NOW MAYBE THE TRUMP CAMPAIGN
DID NOT FULLY APPRECIATE THAT.
MAYBE THE INFORMATION THAT WENT
WASNT THAT SIGNIFICANT.
BUT WE KNOW THAT THIS CHANNEL
EXISTED.
SOME WOULD SAY, IT IS HARD TO
BELIEVE THAT THIS IS THE ONLY
THING THAT MOVED THROUGH THAT
CHANNEL, GIVEN THE AMOUNT OF
BACK AND FORTH THAT MANAFORT
HAD WITH KILIMNIK.
I THINK THE EXISTENCE OF THE
CHANNEL IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN
WHAT WE KNOW WAS PASSED IN THE
CHANNEL.
>> NEW YORK TIMES REPORTER
MICHAEL SCHMIDT, THE WAY THIS
NEWS CAME UP TO US TODAY IN AN
ANNOUNCEMENT ABOUT 2020
ELECTION INTERFERENCE, THIS WAS
ABOUT 2016, THIS IMPLIES THAT
THEYRE TRYING TO GET THIS OUT
THERE, IN PART, BECAUSE THEYRE
TRYING TO PUT THE SPOTLIGHT ON