POTENTIALLY EMBOLDENING RUSSIA TO TRY AND UNDERMINE FUTURE
ELECTIONS.
ELECTIONS. IT WAS ONE OF THE MOST
EXTRAORDINARY MOMENTS BETWEEN AN
AMERICAN PRESIDENT AND A RUSSIAN
LEADER.
LEADER. THEIR MEETING FRAMED BY FRIDAY’S
JUSTICE DEPARTMENT INDICTMENT OF
12 RUSSIAN AGENTS FOR ELECTION
MEDDLING AND THE JUDGMENT OF
U.S. INTELLIGENCE AGENCIES
INCLUDING DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL
INTELLIGENCE DAN COTE THAT
RUSSIA INTERFERED.
RUSSIA INTERFERED. PRESIDENT TRUMP ASKED WHO DO YOU
BELIEVE -- PRESIDENT PUTIN OR
THE U.S. INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY.
HIS ANSWER --
>> PEOPLE CAME TO ME.
DAN COTES CAME TO ME AND OTHERS
AND SAID THEY THINK IT’S RUSSIA.
I HAVE PRESIDENT PUTIN.
HE JUST SAID IT’S NOT RUSSIA.
I WILL SAY THIS.
I DON’T SEE ANY REASON WHY IT
WOULD BE.
WOULD BE. >> Reporter: THE PRESIDENT
COMPLIMENTING AN OFFER FROM
PUTIN.
PUTIN. INSTEAD OF TURNING EVERY
INDICTED RUSSIAN AGENTS RUSSIAN
OFFICIALS WOULD QUESTION THE
AGENTS THEMSELVES WITH SPECIAL
COUNSEL BOB MUELLER PRESENT.
>> I HAVE GREAT CONFIDENCE IN MY
INTELLIGENCE PEOPLE.
INTELLIGENCE PEOPLE. BUT I WILL TELL YOU THAT
PRESIDENT PUTIN WAS EXTREMELY
STRONG AND POWERFUL IN HIS
DENIAL TODAY.
DENIAL TODAY. WHAT HE DID IS AN INCREDIBLE
OFFER.
OFFER. HE OFFERED TO HAVE THE PEOPLE
WORKING ON THE CASE COME AND
WORK WITH THEIR INVESTIGATORS
WITH RESPECT TO THE 12 PEOPLE.
I THINK THAT’S AN INCREDIBLE
OFFER.
OFFER. >> Reporter: TONIGHT THE
PRESIDENT’S OWN INTELLIGENCE
CHIEF SHOT BACK WITH A RARE
REBUKE.
REBUKE. WE HAVE BEEN CLEAR IN OUR
ASSESSMENT OF RUSSIAN MEDDLING
IN THE 2016 ELECTION.
WE WILL CONTINUE TO PROVIDE
UNVARNISHED AND OBJECTIVE
INTELLIGENCE IN SUPPORT OF OUR
NATIONAL SECURITY.
NATIONAL SECURITY. CRITICS LIKE FORMER OBAMA CIA
DIRECTOR JOHN BRENNAN
UNLEASHING.
UNLEASHING. >> IT’S SOMETHING THAT IS A
DISGRACE AND THAT ALL AMERICANS
SHOULD BE ASHAMED OF THAT
PERFORMANCE OF SOMEBODY WHO
HOLDS THE TITLE OF PRESIDENT OF
THE UNITED STATES.
>> Reporter: ELECTION MEDDLING
AMONG THE FLASHPOINTS THAT
HELPED SINK U.S./RUSSIA
RELATIONS.
RELATIONS. OTHERS INCLUDE RUSSIA’S ILLEGAL
OCCUPATION OF CRIMEA AND THE
BACKING OF A SYRIAN REGIME THAT
USED CHEMICAL WEAPONS.
THIS MORNING, PRESIDENT TRUMP
BLAMING TENSIONS ON THE U.S. AND
THE MUELLER INVESTIGATION
TWEETING, OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH
RUSSIA HAS NEVER BEEN WORSE
THANKS TO MANY YEARS OF U.S.
FOOLISHNESS AND STUPIDITY.
NOW THE RIGGED WITCH HUNT.
TODAY ASKED DOES HE THINK PUTIN
BEARS ANY RESPONSIBILITY?
>> YES, I DO.
I HOLD BOTH COUNTRIES
RESPONSIBLE.
RESPONSIBLE. I THINK THAT THE UNITED STATES
HAS BEEN FOOLISH.
I THINK THAT THE PROBE IS A
DISASTER FOR OUR COUNTRY.
I THINK IT’S KEPT US APART.
IT’S KEPT US SEPARATED.
THERE WAS NO COLLUSION AT ALL.
EVERYBODY KNOWS IT.
PEOPLE ARE BEING BROUGHT OUT TO
THE FORE.
THE FORE. SO FAR THAT I KNOW, VIRTUALLY
NONE OF IT RELATED TO THE
CAMPAIGN.
CAMPAIGN. THEY’RE GOING TO HAVE TO TRY
HARD TO FIND SOMEBODY THAT DID
RELATE TO THE CAMPAIGN.
THAT WAS A CLEAN CAMPAIGN.
I BEAT HILLARY CLINTON EASILY
AND FRANKLY WE BEAT HER.
>> Reporter: PUTIN REVEALING FOR
THE FIRST TIME WHO HE WANTED TO
WIN.
WIN. >> PRESIDENT PUTIN, DID YOU WANT
PRESIDENT TRUMP TO WIN THE
ELECTION?
ELECTION? >> Reporter: YES, I DID, YES, I
DID, BECAUSE HE TALKED ABOUT
BRINGING THE RUSSIAN
RELATIONSHIP BACK TO NORMAL,
PUTIN SAID.
PUTIN SAID. WAS THERE ANYTHING BEHIND IT OR
WAS HE JUST BEING HONEST AT THAT
MOMENT?
MOMENT? >> I THINK HE WAS BEING HONEST
AND WANTS TO COOPERATE WITH
TRUMP.
TRUMP. I THINK TRUMP IS SOMEBODY HE
THINKS WILL DO A LOT OF GOOD FOR
RUSSIA.
RUSSIA. WHETHER THE RELATIONSHIP WILL DO
A LOT OF GOOD FOR AMERICA IS A
DIFFERENT QUESTION.
DIFFERENT QUESTION. >> Reporter: THOSE FOUR HOURS
INSIDE HELSINKI’S PRESIDENTIAL
PALACE A SHARP 180 FROM
PRESIDENT TRUMP’S TENSE SHOWDOWN
LAST WEEK WITH MANY NATO ALLIES.
>> I THINK WE WILL END UP HAVING
AN EXTRAORDINARY RELATIONSHIP.
I HAVE BEEN SAYING IT AND I’M
SURE YOU HAVE HEARD OVER THE
YEARS AND AS I CAMPAIGNED THAT
GETTING ALONG WITH RUSSIA IS A
GOOD THING, NOT A BAD THING.
>> Reporter: PUTIN TONIGHT
DISMISSING SUSPICIONS THAT
RUSSIA HAS COMPROMISING
INFORMATION ON THE PRESIDENT.
>> DOES THE RUSSIAN GOVERNMENT
HAVE COMPROMISING MATERIAL ON
PRESIDENT TRUMP OR HIS FAMILY?
>> Reporter: I DID HEAR THIS
RUMOR, HE SAID.
IT IS HARD TO IMAGINE NONSENSE
ON A BIGGER SCALE THAN THIS.
>> I HAVE TO SAY IF THEY HAD IT,
IT WOULD HAVE BEEN OUT LONG AGO.
>> WE ONLY HAVE THEIR ACCOUNTS
OF WHAT HAPPENED BECAUSE
PRESIDENT TRUMP AND PUTIN SPOKE
FOR MORE THAN TWO HOURS BEHIND
CLOSED DOORS WITH JUST
TRANSLATORS IN THE ROOM.
PRESIDENT TRUMP SAID THERE IS
THE POSSIBILITY OF FUTURE