WIRE AT THE TOP OF THE HOUR. THE RESIGNATION OF EMBATTLED EPA
CHIEF SCOTT PRUITT.
WE ALSO HAVE THIS.
INSTEAD OF MARCHING IN 4TH OF
JULY PARADES AND SHAKING HANDS
AND KISSING BABIES AT BACKYARD
BARBECUES, MEMBERS OF CONGRESS
SPENT THEIR 4TH OF JULY BEHIND
PUTIN’S CURTAIN.
PUTIN’S CURTAIN. WHILE IN RUSSIA THEY SOUNDED
WHAT THE WASHINGTON POST IS
DESCRIBING AS A CONCILIATORY
TONE IN THEIR MEETING WITH
OFFICIALS.
OFFICIALS. RICHARD SHELBY SAID THE U.S. AND
RUSSIA DON’T NEED TO BE
ADVERSARIES.
ADVERSARIES. HE ADDED, QUOTE, I’M NOT HERE
TODAY TO ACCUSE RUSSIA OF THIS
OR THAT.
OR THAT. THOSE COMMENTS OF VERBAL WAVING
OF THE WHITE FLAG ON THE
QUESTION OF RUSSIAN ELECTION
INTERFERENCE, THE POST REPORTING
THE READ OUT CONFIRMS THIS WITH
ONE RUSSIAN OFFICIAL DESCRIBING
THE MEETING AS, QUOTE, ONE OF
THE EASIEST ONES IN MY LIFE.
THE WASHINGTON POST ALSO
REPORTING, THE REPUBLICANS’ REPU
MEETING IN MOSCOW COMING AFTER
THE LAWMAKERS VISITED ST.
PETERSBURG AND TOOK IN THE
BALLET "SLEEPING BEAUTY" HELPED
SET THE TONE FOR THE JULY 16th
PUT
PUT PUTIN-TRUMP SUMMIT IN HELSINKI.
THIS IS SETTING THE TONE FOR THE
SUMMIT?
SUMMIT? >> IT IS VERY SCARY.
IT WOULD HAVE BEEN MUCH BETTER
IF THIS WAS A BIPARTISAN
DELEGATION.
DELEGATION. ALSO IF THERE’S A LITTLE MORE
INSIGHT THAT THE U.S. PRESS
COULD HAVE INTO THIS AS OPPOSED
TO BEING DONE BEHIND CLOSED
DOORS.
DOORS. BUT THEN THE COMMENT OF THE
RUSSIAN OFFICIAL THAT THIS IS
ONE OF THE EASIEST ONES IN
MEMORY, HAVE WE FORGOTTEN WHAT
THE RUSSIANS DID IN THE 2016
ELECTION?
ELECTION? HAVE WE FORGOTTEN WHAT THE
RUSSIANS DID IN CRIMEA?
I’M ALL FOR AN IMPROVEMENT OF
RELATIONS BETWEEN MOSCOW AND
WASHINGTON, BUT ON WHOSE TERMS
AND HOW ARE WE GOING TO DO THAT?
I JUST FEEL AS THOUGH MR. TRUMP
IS DEALING AWAY WHETHER TO THE
NORTH KOREANS OR THE RUSSIANS,
ALL OF THE THINGS IN THE U.S.
NATIONAL INTEREST AND GIVING
THEM WHAT THEY WANT.
THIS IS VERY CONCERNING.
>> YOU KNOW WHAT IT DID, THOUGH,
THIS IS A BROADER PICTURE OF WHY
THEY GO ALONG WITH AND
PARTICIPATE IN THE WAR ON THE
JUSTICE DEPARTMENT AND THE FBI.
THEY CLEARLY HAVE HAD
LOBOTOMIES.
LOBOTOMIES. THIS IS NO LONGER THE REPUBLICAN
PARTY OF JOHN McCAIN OR JOE
LIEBERMAN OR PEOPLE SKEPTICAL OF
RUSSIA, THIS IS NOW THE PARTY OF
DONALD TRUMP.
DONALD TRUMP. YOU’RE RIGHT, NO ONE GOES TO A
WAR ZONE OR ANY OTHER COUNTRY
THAT WE VIEW AS A GEOPOLITICAL
ADVERSARY WITH JUST ONE PARTY
AND WITH ZERO PRESENCE OF PRESS.
>> THEY HAVE ATTACHED THEMSELVES
WHOLLY TO DONALD TRUMP.
I THINK THAT THEY SEE THE
RESULTS OF THE 2018 ELECTION AS
BEING A -- BASICALLY A DECISION
ON TRUMP.
ON TRUMP. AND SO I THINK WHAT THEY’RE
TRYING TO DO IS PAVE THE WAY AND
ALSO LEND THEIR SUPPORT AS WELL
AS LEND THEIR REPUTATIONS AND
CREDIBILITY TO THIS.
BUT I MUST TELL YOU, THE
RUSSIANS WILL FEIGN SINCERITY
BETTER THAN ANYONE I’VE EVER
DEALT WITH IN MY LIFE SO THEY
NEED TO BE VERY CAREFUL ABOUT
BEING SWEPT IN.
MR. TRUMP IS NOT SOPHISTICATED
ENOUGH, UNFORTUNATELY, TO DEAL
WITH THESE FOREIGN LEADERS IN A
MANNER THAT IS GOING TO PROTECT
U.S. NATIONAL SECURITY
INTERESTS.
INTERESTS. I THINK HE’S NAIVE IN THESE
ISSUES.
ISSUES. >> BUT THAT’S TRUMP AND WE’VE
BEEN HAVING THAT CONVERSATION
FOR MONTHS.
FOR MONTHS. BUT DOES IT WORRY YOU THAT WE’RE
ABSENT ANY GUARDRAILS IN
CONGRESS?
CONGRESS? >> WELL, I DON’T SEE THE
GUARDRAILS RIGHT NOW, AS YOU
POINTED OUT.
POINTED OUT. UNFORTUNATELY, JOHN McCAIN IS
NOT THERE TO HELP TO TELL HIS
REPUBLICAN COLLEAGUES THAT THIS
IS NOT THE WAY THAT YOU CONDUCT
U.S. NATIONAL SECURITY AND
FOREIGN POLICY.
FOREIGN POLICY. UNFORTUNATELY, I THINK THERE ARE
INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE JUST TRYING
TO THINK ABOUT WHAT THEIR
POLITICAL INTERESTS ARE AS
OPPOSED TO WHAT THE NATIONAL
SECURITY INTERESTS ARE.
>> WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THE
IDEA THAT THESE ARE THE
REPUBLICAN MEMBERS WHO MAY AT
SOME POINT HAVE TO CONTEMPLATE A
REPORT FROM BOB MUELLER ABOUT
RUSSIAN INTERFERENCE IN THE 2016
ELECTION?
ELECTION? DOES IT GIVE YOU ANY PAUSE THAT
THERE THEY’RE WITH THE RUSSIANS,
GOING TO "SLEEPING BEAUTY," NO
PRESS, NO DEMOCRATS, SAYING
THINGS LIKE I’M NOT THERE TO
QUESTION ABOUT THIS OR THAT.
THIS OR THAT IS MEDDLING IN OUR
2016 ELECTION AND DOING IT IN
2018.
2018. THAT’S THIS AND THAT’S THAT.
>> IT DOESN’T GIVE ME CONFIDENCE
THAT THEY’RE GOING TO DEAL WITH
IT IN AN OBJECTIVE AND FAIR
FASHION.
FASHION. THEY HAVEN’T DEMONSTRATED
BACKBONE YET.
BACKBONE YET. BY GOING OUT TO RUSSIA IN THIS
MANNER, IT HAS NOT SHOWN THE
AMERICAN PEOPLE THAT WE ARE
GOING TO DEAL WITH RUSSIA IN A
MANNER THAT PROTECTS OUR
INTERESTS.
INTERESTS. ON JULY 4th MOREOVER, IT JUST --
IT DOES NOT MAKE SENSE --
>> AND THE PR -- THE FORMER FLAK
IN ME DIED A THOUSAND DEATHS.
CAN WE FLIP THE SCRIPT?
DOES PUTIN GO BACK AND HIGH FIVE
HIS SCHEDULERS FOR GETTING A
BUNCH OF REPUBLICANS FROM THE
SENATE IN MOSCOW ON THE FOURTH
OF JULY?
OF JULY? >> I THINK PUTIN MUST BE VERY,
VERY PLEASED WITH HOW THIS IS
GOING.
GOING. LESS THAN TWO WEEKS BEFORE THE
SUMMIT WITH DONALD TRUMP, TO
HAVE THIS DELEGATION OF
REPUBLICAN SENATORS ACTUALLY
BEING WINED AND DINED AND SAYING
NICE THINGS ABOUT RUSSIA AND
RUSSIAN OFFICIALS SAYING THIS IS
A VERY EASY MEETING.
CLEARLY I THINK PUTIN FEELS THAT
EVERYTHING IS SMOOTH NOW AND
THEN REPORTS THAT WHETHER OR NOT
THERE’S GOING TO BE A ONE-ON-ONE
MEETING AND WHO’S GOING TO BE IN
THE MEETING WITH TRUMP AND PUTIN
IS VERY, VERY IMPORTANT TO MAKE
SURE THAT THERE’S GOING TO BE NO
FUNNY BUSINESS, LET ME PUT IT
THAT WAY, THAT’S GOING ON THERE.
>> AND THERE’S PRECEDENT FOR THE
PRESIDENT WANTING TO MEET
ONE-ON-ONE WITH VLADIMIR PUTIN.
HE DID SO ON THE SIDELINES OF
NATO.
NATO. THERE WASN’T EVEN AN AMERICAN
TRANSLATOR THERE.
TRANSLATOR THERE. HE RELIED ON VLADIMIR PUTIN’S
TRANSLATOR.
TRANSLATOR. >> THAT’S UNHEARD OF.
I THINK IT SHOWS HIS
INEXPERIENCE AS WELL AS THE LACK
OF CONTROLS ON HIM.
YOU KNOW, PRESIDENTS I WORKED
FOR IN THE PAST, THE CHIEFS OF
STAFF AND OTHERS WOULD BE RIGHT
THERE MAKING SURE THAT THE
PRESIDENT UNDERSTOOD WHAT ARE
THE EQUITIES AT STAKE AND WHAT’S
THE IMPORTANT THING TO DO?
BUT IT SEEMS LIKE DONALD TRUMP
IS THE ONE THAT’S GOING TO MAKE
THESE DECISIONS.
THESE DECISIONS. UNFORTUNATELY, IT’S FREQUENTLY
AT THE EXPENSE OF OUR NATIONAL
SECURITY.
SECURITY. >> YOU COINED THE TERM WIGTTH
ITTING OR UNWITTING WHEN YOU
WERE TESTIFYING BEFORE CONGRESS
ABOUT THE ROLE OR POTENTIAL ROLE
OF TRUMP CAMPAIGN OFFICIALS IN
RUSSIAN MEDDLING OR RUSSIAN
SHENANIGANS IN THE ELECTION.
DID THESE MEMBERS OF CONGRESS,
THESE SENATORS, BECOME WITTING
OR UNWITTING AGENTS OF THE
RUSSIAN EFFORTS TO SORT OF SNOW
WHAT THEIR ROLE WAS IN 2016?
DID THEY GIVE THEM SOME COVER?
>> THEY DIDN’T HAVE TO GO TO
MOSCOW.
MOSCOW. IT’S ONE THING BEING IN A
SITUATION AND ALL OF A SUDDEN
YOU FIND OUT THAT IT’S NOT WHAT
YOU EXPECTED.
YOU EXPECTED. BUT THEY WERE THE ONES THAT WENT
ON THEIR OWN TO MOSCOW.
THEY’RE THE ONES THAT ACTUALLY
SAT DOWN WITH RUSSIAN OFFICIALS.
THEY’RE THE ONES THAT ARE, I
THINK, ALLOWING THEMSELVES TO BE
USED AND EXPLOITED EVEN JUST
FROM A PUBLIC RELATIONS
STANDPOINT RIGHT NOW.
I DON’T KNOW WHAT WAS DISCUSSED
BEHIND THE SCENES.
I’M HOPING SOME OF THOSE
SENATORS WERE TOUGH.
MAYBE THEY WERE.
BUT AT LEAST THE PERCEPTION IS
THAT THEY ARE GIVING IN AT THIS