>>> THIS AS THE PRESIDENT’S PROMISED TO RELEASE THE COMPLETE
FULLY DECLASSIFIED AND
UNREDACTED TRANSCRIPT OF HIS
PHONE CALL WITH THE UKRAINIAN
PRESIDENT.
PRESIDENT. AND AS WE HAVE MENTIONED, A
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL
TELLS NBC NEWS THAT THE WHITE
HOUSE EXPECTS TO HAND OVER THE
WHISTLEBLOWER’S COMPLAINT TO
CONGRESS BY THURSDAY, THE SAME
DAY THAT ACTING DNI TESTIFIED
BEFORE THE SENATE AND HOUSE
INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEES.
INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEES. TONIGHT ADAM SHIF SAYS HE IS
LOOKING FORWARD TO HEARING FROM
THE ACTUAL WHISTLEBLOWER.
>> WE WILL INSIST THAT THE
WHISTLEBLOWER BE PROTECTED AND
COME TO CONGRESS AND HAVE THE
FULL AUTHORITY TO DISCUSS AND WE
SEE THE FULL COMPLAINT.
WE HAVE TOO MUCH EXPERIENCE WITH
THE ADMINISTRATION THROUGH THEIR
WILLING PARTICIPANTS LIKE BILL
BARR A MISREPRESENTING OFFICIAL
DOCUMENTS.
DOCUMENTS. THE WHITE HOUSE SHOULDN’T HAVE
THIS COMPLAINT.
THIS COMPLAINT. THE PRESIDENT SAYS EVERYBODY HAS
SEEN IT.
SEEN IT. THAT IN ITSELF IS A HUGE
PROBLEM.
PROBLEM. >> AND HERE TO TALK ABOUT ALL OF
IT, WHITE HOUSE REPORTER FOR THE
"NEW YORK TIMES" AND FORMER FBI
SPECIAL AGENT, DISTINGUISHED
FELLOW AND AUTHOR OF MESSING
WITH THE ENEMY, SURVIVING IN A
SOCIAL MEDIA WORLD OF HACKERS,
TERRORISTS AND FAKE NEWS.
YOU UNDERSTAND THIS WORLD THAT
WE’RE ALL IN SOME CASES
DISCOVERING FOR THE FIRST TIME.
WHEN WE TALK ABOUT THE
TRANSCRIPT OF THE PRESIDENT’S
PHONE CALL THAT APPARENTLY IS
DUE TO BE RELEASED TOMORROW AND
ALSO THIS WHISTLEBLOWER
COMPLAINT, WHAT CAN WE ACTUALLY
EXPECT HERE?
EXPECT HERE? WHEN A TRANSCRIPT IS PUT
TOGETHER, HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE
LISTENING IN ON THE CALL?
WHAT TYPES OF PEOPLE ARE THERE?
HOW FAITHFUL IS THAT TRANSCRIPT
GOING TO BE?
AND HOW THOROUGH WOULD A
WHISTLEBLOWER COMPLAINT BE?
>> I CAN’T IMAGINE IT BEING VERY
THOROUGH.
THOROUGH. I DON’T EXPECT IT TO BE A DIRECT
TRANSCRIPTION OF EVERYTHING SAID
ON THE CALL.
I WOULD BE SHOCKED IF THAT’S
WHAT CAME OUT TOMORROW.
I THINK WHAT IS NORMAL IS NOTE
TAKING.
TAKING. IT IS NORMAL TO HAVE ONE OR MORE
NOTE TAKERS DURING A CALL
WHENEVER YOU ARE TALKING TO A
FOREIGN LEADER.
FOREIGN LEADER. THEY WOULD WRITE THOSE THINGS
DOWN.
DOWN. THEY KEEP SOME THINGS SENSITIVE.
IF THERE IS A PERSONAL
CONVERSATION THAT MIGHT GO ON OR
SOMETHING THAT’S MAYBE --
THEY’RE NOT PROBABLY GOING TO
WRITE ALL THOSE THINGS DOWN.
SO IT REALLY MAKES ME QUESTION
WHAT WE WILL ACTUALLY SEE.
MY FEELING IS WHATEVER THE WHITE
HOUSE RELEASES, THEY PROBABLY
DON’T FEEL IS GOING TO BE
DAMAGING TO THE CAUSE.
BASED ON MY READING ON
EVERYTHING I HAVE SEEN SO FAR IN
THE PUBLIC, I DON’T SEEP WHY
THIS WOULD ONLY BE ABOUT ONE
PHONE CALL.
PHONE CALL. BASED ON THE REPORTS OUT OF THE
WASHINGTON POST TONIGHT, SEEMS
THERE WERE MULTIPLE POINTS IN
WHICH THIS CASE WAS BUILDING
OVER TIME FOR THE WHISTLEBLOWER
COMPLAINT AND MAYBE THE PHONE
CALL WAS THE LAST STRAW OR MAYBE
THE FIRST STRAW THAT STARTED TO
PUT THIS PUZZLE TOGETHER.
SO WHEN WE GET TO THE POINT
WHERE WE ARE STARTING TO TALK
ABOUT THE COMPLAINT AND THE
ACTUAL WHISTLEBLOWER I THINK IS
WHEN WE GET MORE TO THE BOTTOM
OF WHAT THIS ALL IS ABOUT.
>> TWO THINGS HAVE DRAMATICALLY
CHANGED.
CHANGED. THE HOUSE SPEAKER COMING OUT IN
FAVOR OF AN IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY,
ALL SORTS OF OTHER DEMOCRATIC
MEMBERS WHO PREVIOUSLY HAVE BEEN
QUIET ON THE SUBJECT COMING OUT
AND CALLING FOR THE SAME THING.
THE OTHER THING THAT’S CHANGED
IS THE WHITE HOUSE JUST THIS
AFTERNOON AND THIS EVENING
SAYING THE PRESIDENT SAYING ON
TWITTER HERE COMES THE
TRANSCRIPT AND MY PHONE
CONVERSATION AND APPARENTLY THIS
WHISTLEBLOWER COMPLAINT.
WHISTLEBLOWER COMPLAINT. WHAT IS BEHIND THAT CHANGE ON
THE WHITE HOUSE’S PART IN TERMS
OF POTENTIALLY RELEASING THESE
THINGS?
THINGS? >> IT’S A DRAMATIC SHIFT IF YOU
RECALL.
RECALL. THEY SENT OUT THE TWO TOP
CABINET OFFICIALS, SECRETARY OF
STATE POMPEO AND STEVE MNUCHIN
TO MAKE THE ROUNDS SAYING IT
WOULD BE A BAD PRECEDENT TO
RELEASE THE TRANSCRIPT, BUT ONLY
UNDER THE MOST EXTREME
CIRCUMSTANCES.
CIRCUMSTANCES. THAT WAS A POMPEO QUOTE.
NOW THE PRESIDENT IS SAYING
FINE, TAKE A LOOK.
WHAT HAPPENED HERE IS THAT
INSIDE THE WHITE HOUSE, THERE IS
SOME DIVIDE OVER THIS.
THE PRESIDENT CAME TO THE
CONCLUSION THAT THIS WAS A
POLITICALLY UNTENABLE POSITION
FOR HIM TO STAY IN TO SAY WE ARE
NOT GIVING ANYTHING HERE, THAT
THE APPEARANCE OF STONE WALLING
WAS POTENTIALLY MORE DAMAGING TO
HIM THAN ANYTHING THAT THE
WHISTLEBLOWER’S MIGHT HAVE
ACTUALLY SAID AND ANYTHING THAT
MIGHT BE IN THE TRANSCRIPT.
I AGREE THAT THEY ARE MAKING A
VERY AGGRESSIVE PUSH THAT THERE
IS NOTHING THAT WE WILL SEE IN
THIS TRANSCRIPT OR PARTIAL
TRANSCRIPT THAT WILL BE RELEASED
TOMORROW THAT WILL BE DAMAGING
TO THE PRESIDENT.
THEY SEEM TO BE SORT OF -- IT’S
A GAMBLE.