>> YESTERDAY IT WAS MICHAEL COHEN LAYING THE PREDICATE FOR
THE DEMOCRATS AND THE CRAZY
IMPEACHMENT PLANS.
IMPEACHMENT PLANS. >> JOINING US NOW IS MARK WARNER
OF VIRGINIA.
OF VIRGINIA. WELCOME BACK TO "MEET THE
PRESS".
PRESS". >> THANK YOU, CHUCK.
>> YOU ALSO INTERVIEWED MICHAEL
COHEN THIS WEEK.
I THINK YOU HAD HIM THE DAY
BEFORE.
BEFORE. >> NINE HOURS.
>> NINE HOURS.
FAIR ENOUGH AND WE HAD PRETTY
MUCH AN EIGHT OR NINE-HOUR
PUBLIC HEARING SO HOW WAS THE
EXCHANGE BEHIND CLOSED DOORS
FROM WHAT THE PUBLIC SAW ON
WEDNESDAY?
WEDNESDAY? >> FIRST, LET’S REALIZE THAT
THIS IS A GUY WHO WAS BACK
BEFORE US BECAUSE HE HAD LIED TO
OUR INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE ABOUT
THE FACT THAT THE ONGOING
NEGOTIATIONS ON A TOWER TO BE
BUILT IN MOSCOW WENT WAY BEYOND
WHAT HE SAID AND FRANKLY WHAT
DONALD TRUMP SAID, AND I DO
THINK IT’S CURIOUS THAT MR.
TRUMP HAS SPENT MORE THAN A
DECADE TRYING TO BUILD A
BUILDING IN MOSCOW, DIDN’T GET
MUCH TRACTION, SUDDENLY BECOMES
A CANDIDATE FOR PRESIDENT AND
HE’S GOT ALL KINDS OF OFFERS.
>> IS THAT THE ONLY THING HE
LIED ABOUT THAT YOU KNOW OF
RIGHT NOW?
RIGHT NOW? >> WE’VE GOT THE THREE THINGS
THAT ARE IN THE PUBLIC DOMAIN
THAT I THINK WE NEED FURTHER
INVESTIGATION.
INVESTIGATION. HOW LONG WERE THE NEGOTIATIONS
GOING ON FOR A TRUMP TOWER
MOSCOW.
MOSCOW. OBVIOUSLY, BEYOND JANUARY DID
THEY GO BEYOND EVEN THE
CONVENTION AND THE PRESIDENT’S
LAWYER, RUDY GIULIANI SAID THEY
MAY HAVE GONE ON ALL OF THE WAY
THROUGH THE ELECTION.
I THINK MOST VOTERS WOULD HAVE
LIKED TO HAVE KNOWN THAT PIECE
OF INFORMATION BEFORE THEY
VOTED.
VOTED. SECONDLY, THIS ALLEGATION --
>> IS THAT A CRIME, THOUGH?
>> NOT NECESSARILY A CRIME.
I’LL LET LAWYERS MAKE A
DETERMINATION ON THAT, BUT IT
WOULD BE A RELEVANT FACT THAT A
CANDIDATE FOR PRESIDENT WAS
TRYING TO NEGOTIATE WITH A
FOREIGN POWER, RUSSIA OFFERING
PUTIN A $50 MILLION FREE
PENTHOUSE.
PENTHOUSE. I THINK MOST AMERICANS WOULD SAY
THAT’S A RELEVANT PIECE OF
INFORMATION.
INFORMATION. THE OTHER TWO PIECES OF
INFORMATION WE NEED TO KNOW MORE
ON IS MR. TRUMP SAID HE DIDN’T
KNOW ABOUT THE WIKILEAKS DUMP OF
INFORMATION RELATED TO CLINTON.
MR. COHEN SAYS HE WAS IN THE
OFFICE WHEN TRUMP TOOK A CALL
FROM JULIAN ASSANGE RIGHT A DAY
OR TWO BEFORE THE DUMP OF THE
INFORMATION.
INFORMATION. WE NEED TO FIND OUT IF THAT’S
TRUE OR NOT, AND THEN WE ALSO
HEARD TESTIMONY THAT DONALD
TRUMP JR., AT LEAST, INDICATED
TO DONALD TRUMP ABOUT THE
INFAMOUS NOW TRUMP TOWER MEETING
THAT INCLUDED HIS -- THE
PRESIDENT’S SON, THE PRESIDENT’S
SON-IN-LAW, THE PRESIDENT’S
CAMPAIGN MANAGER.
CAMPAIGN MANAGER. AGAIN, THAT MEETING WAS NOT
ABOUT RUSSIAN ADOPTIONS.
IT WAS ABOUT OFFERING DIRT ON
HILLARY CLINTON.
HILLARY CLINTON. WE NEED TO FIND OUT IF ALL THOSE
THINGS ARE TRUE.
>> WAS YOUR ENTIRE FOCUS OF YOUR
PORTION OF MICHAEL COHEN ONLY
ABOUT THE RUSSIA PORTION OR DID
YOU ALSO SPEND TIME IN THE TRUMP
ORGANIZATION AND THE VARIOUS
OUTSIDE OF RUSSIA PARAMETERS
THAT YOU’VE BEEN FOCUSED ON.
>> SOME OF THOSE FACTS CAME UP.
SOME OF THE TAWDRY AND
INAPPROPRIATE BEHAVIOR, SOME OF
THE PAYOFFS, BUT THAT WAS NOT
SOMETHING THAT WE FOCUSED ON.
OUR INVESTIGATION IS THE ONLY
BIPARTISAN INVESTIGATION THAT IS
STILL FOCUSED ON
COUNTERINTELLIGENCE.
COUNTERINTELLIGENCE. WHAT HAPPENED IN 2016, WHAT
LEVEL OF COLLABORATION,
COLLUSION, HOW DO I MAKE SURE IT
DOESN’T HAPPEN AGAIN IN THE
FUTURE?
FUTURE? >> WHY DO YOU BELIEVE MICHAEL
COHEN IS SUDDENLY TELLING YOU
THE TRUTH WHEN HE LIED LAST
TIME?
TIME? >> THIS GUY DOES NOT HAVE A LOT
OF VERACITY.
OF VERACITY. WE NEED TO GET DOCUMENTS.
WE ARE RECEIVING ADDITIONAL
DOCUMENTS FROM HIM TO PROVE OR
DISPROVE, BUT I’D ALSO SAY
DONALD TRUMP DOESN’T EXACTLY
HAVE A GREAT RECORD OF TELLING
THE TRUTH, AS WELL.
>> WANT TO PLAY SOMETHING THAT
THE CHAIR OF THE COMMITTEE SAID
NOT TOO LONG AGO, RICHARD BURR.
TAKE A LISTEN.
>> I’M NOT SURE HOW TO PUT IT
ANY CLEARER THAN I SAID IT
BEFORE.
BEFORE. WE HAVE NO FACTUAL EVIDENCE OF
COLLUSION BETWEEN THE TRUMP
CAMPAIGN AND RUSSIA.
>> WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?
FACTUAL EVIDENCE?
FACTUAL EVIDENCE? >> RICHARD BURR HAVE WORKED
TOGETHER VERY WELL AND WILL
CONTINUE TO WORK TOGETHER.
I THINK THERE IS ENORMOUS AMOUNT
OF EVIDENCE AND WHAT YOU DO WITH
THAT EVIDENCE, WHERE IT LEADS --
>> IS IT FAIR TO CALL IT
CIRCUMSTANTIAL RIGHT NOW?
>> LET’S GO THROUGH THE LIT MEAN
OF WHAT WE KNOW.
THE NEGOTIATIONS ABOUT THE TRUMP
TOWER WELL INTO THE CAMPAIGN.
I BELIEVE THE FACT THAT MR.
TRUMP KNEW ABOUT THE DUMP OF THE
WIKILEAKS MATERIAL.
WIKILEAKS MATERIAL. THE FACT THAT CLEARLY THE
MEETING AT TRUMP TOWER MEETING
WHICH WAS NOT DESCRIBED
APPROPRIATELY IN TERMS OF
OFFERING DIRT.
OFFERING DIRT. THE PRESIDENT’S CAMPAIGN MANAGER
SHARING INFORMATION, POLLING
INFORMATION WITH THE RUSSIANS.
THE EARLIER INSTANCE WHERE
RUSSIANS WERE OFFERING THROUGH
ONE OF THE CAMPAIGNS
PAPADOPOULOS INFORMATION, TO ME,
THAT’S ALL EVIDENCE.
WHERE THAT EVIDENCE LEADS IN
TERMS OF A CONCLUSION AND WE
STILL HAVE OTHER KEY PEOPLE TO
COME BACK, I’M GOING TO RESERVE
JUDGMENT UNTIL I’M FINISHED, BUT
THERE’S NO ONE THAT COULD
FACTUALLY SAY THERE’S NOT PLENTY
OF EVIDENCE OF COLLABORATION OR
COMMUNICATIONS BETWEEN TRUMP
ORGANIZATION AND RUSSIANS.
>> THERE IS A REPORT IN THE
WASHINGTON POST THAT INDICATES
THAT YOUR COMMITTEE AND THE
HOUSE INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE
THAT ONE OTHER ANGLE TO MICHAEL
COHEN’S TESTIMONY HAS TO DO WITH
A PARDON.
A PARDON. OUR PARDON SHOPPING AND WHAT
MORE CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT THIS
ISSUE?
ISSUE? ARE YOU INVESTIGATING WHETHER A
PARDON OFFER WAS SERIOUS OR NOT
TO MICHAEL COHEN?
>> CHUCK, I CANNOT COMMENT ON
WHAT WENT ON.
>> WHY?
>> WHY? I SAY THIS BECAUSE AT SOME POINT
IT’S STARTING TO BECOME, YOU
KNOW, IT COMES ACROSS AS
INNUENDO WHEN YOU CAN’T SAY
CERTAIN THINGS AND YET WE SEE
REPORTS ABOUT IT.
>> WHEN WE RECEIVE INFORMATION
IN A CLASSIFIED SETTING WE WILL
INVESTIGATE THINGS THAT COME UP
IN CLASSIFIED SETTINGS AND THERE
WILL BE AN APPROPRIATE TIME TO
HAVE THE REVEAL, BUT WHEN WE
HEAR THINGS IN A CLASSIFIED
SETTING THAT’S THE DUTY I TOOK
ON AS MY CHAIRMAN --
>> YOU WON’T SAY WHETHER THIS
WASHINGTON POST STORY IS CORRECT
OR NOT.
OR NOT. >> I WON’T COMMENT ABOUT IT.
>> I WANT TO PLAY A SOUND BITE
BY THE PRESIDENT YESTERDAY.
TAKE A LISTEN.
>> IF YOU USE YOUR RIGHTS AND
YOU USE YOUR POWER, ARTICLE 2,
IT’S CALLED OBSTRUCTION, BUT
ONLY FOR TRUMP, BUT NOBODY ELSE.
>> HE’S BASICALLY SAYING HIS
FIRING -- THIS IS ABOUT THE
FIRING OF JAMES COMEY, THAT YOU
CANNOT INTERPRET THAT UNDER ANY
WAY AS OBSTRUCTION.
IS THAT FAIR?
>> I’LL LET LAWYERS MAKE BETTER
JUDGMENT, BUT I WILL TELL YOU
THIS.
THIS. AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE
PRESIDENT, HIS ORGANIZATION AND
HIS CAMPAIGN, INVOLVEMENT WITH
RUSSIANS, A FOREIGN POWER AND A
FOREIGN ADVERSARIAL POWER AND A
POWER THAT THIS PRESIDENT HAS
SAID NARY A NEGATIVE WORD ABOUT,
A RUSSIAN DESPOT THAT HE,
FRANKLY, COW TOWED TO IN FRONT
OF THE WHOLE WORLD IN THE PUBLIC
HEARING IN HELSINKI, I THINK
THAT’S ALL INAPPROPRIATE AND THE
NOTION THAT THIS PRESIDENT HAS
DONE EVERYTHING POSSIBLE TO
UNDERMINE THAT INVESTIGATION
FROM FIRING COMEY TO TRYING TO
UNDERMINE MUELLER, TO ME, THAT
DOES NOT SEEM APPROPRIATE.
>> DO YOU BELIEVE A RUSSIAN
CONSPIRACY WITHOUT AN ACTUAL
EVIDENCE OF A CRIME BEING
COMMITTED, OF A CRIME BEING
COMMIT SIDE ENOUGH TO OUST HIM
FROM OFFICE.
FROM OFFICE. >> YOU’RE GOING TO GET ME INTO
THOSE CONVERTIONS WHERE I’VE
NOT REACHED A FINAL CONCLUSION.
WHAT I DO KNOW THIS.
I’VE BEEN AROUND POLITICS A LONG
TIME JUST AS YOU HAVE.
>> YEAH.
>> YEAH. >> I HAVE NEVER IN MY LIFETIME
SEEN A PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN
FROM EITHER PARTY HAVE THIS MUCH
OUTRAGE TO A FOREIGN COUNTRY AND
A FOREIGN COUNTRY THAT THE
INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY AND OUR
COMMITTEE HAS VALIDATED
INTERVENED MASSIVELY IN OUR
ELECTION AND INTERVENED WITH AN
ATTEMPT TO HELP ONE CANDIDATE,
DONALD TRUMP AND TO HURT ANOTHER
CANDIDATE --
CANDIDATE -- >> IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU’VE MADE A
CONCLUSION.
CONCLUSION. YOU’RE CLOSE TO A CONCLUSION.
>> THOSE ARE THE FACTS THAT
WE’VE ALL AGREED TO ON A
BIPARTISAN BASIS.
BIPARTISAN BASIS. WHAT LEVEL OF COOPERATION,
COLLUSION, COOPERATION, WE’VE
CLEARLY GOT REPEATED EFFORTS
FROM THE RUSSIANS.
WE CLEARLY HAVE EVIDENCE FROM
DONALD TRUMP’S OWN SON SAYING HE
WOULD WELCOME THAT INFORMATION,
BUT AGAIN, I’M GOING TO RESERVE
MY FINAL JUDGEMENT UNTIL WE
COLLECT ALL OF THAT INFORMATION
AND CANDIDLY, SOME OF THE PEOPLE
WE WANT TO SEE ARE STILL CAUGHT
UP IN THE MUELLER CRIMINAL
INVESTIGATIONS AND THOSE
CRIMINAL INVESTIGATIONS NEED TO
CONCLUDE BEFORE WE GET A CHANCE
TO TALK TO HIM.
>> MARK WARNER, THE TOP DEMOCRAT