>>> GENERAL FLYNN IS A WONDERFUL MAN.
MAN. I THINK HE’S BEEN TREATED VERY,
VERY UNFAIRLY BY THE MEDIA.
>> I FEEL BADLY FOR GENERAL
FLYNN.
FLYNN. HE LOST HIS HOUSE, HE LOST HIS
LIFE, AND SOME PEOPLE SAY HE
LIED AND SOME PEOPLE SAY HE
DIDN’T LIE.
DIDN’T LIE. REALLY, IT TURNED OUT MAYBE HE
DIDN’T LIE.
DIDN’T LIE. >> WELL, I FEEL BADLY FOR
GENERAL FLYNN.
GENERAL FLYNN. I FEEL VERY BADLY.
HE’S LED A VERY STRONG LIFE AND
I FEEL VERY BADLY, JOHN.
I WILL SAY THIS.
HILLARY CLINTON LIED MANY TIMES
PROGRESSION OF COMMENTS. PRESIDENT BUSH, HOWEVER, HAS
LONG DEFENDED HIS FORMER
NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER AND
ALLY.
ALLY. TONIGHT WE LEARN MORE ABOUT THE
EXTENT TO WHICH MIKE FLYNN HAS
BEEN COOPERATING WITH TEAM
MUELLER.
MUELLER. WE NOW KNOW, AS WE WERE SAYING
IN THE FIRST SEGMENT, HE HAS
PARTICIPATED IN 19 INTERVIEWS
WITH THE SPECIAL COUNSEL AND
DOJ.
DOJ. HE HAS BEEN ASSISTING IN SEVERAL
ONGOING INVESTIGATIONS, AND WE
KNOW HE HAS DONE ENOUGH FOR THE
FEDS TO RECOMMEND LENIENCY IN
SENTENCING.
SENTENCING. PERHAPS NO JAIL TIME AT ALL.
MUCH OF EXACTLY WHAT THAT
ENTAILS, HOWEVER, REMAINS A
MYSTERY.
MYSTERY. HERE TO TALK ABOUT IT WITH US
TONIGHT, TWO OF OUR RETURNING
FAVORITES, PHIL RUCKER, PULITZER
PRIZE-WINNING EDITOR OF THE
"WASHINGTON POST," AND ALSO OF
THE "WASHINGTON POST," EDITOR OF
WASHINGTON WEEK ON PBS.
THE MICHAEL FLYNN YOU CAME TO
KNOW DURING THE EARLY DAYS OF
THE CAMPAIGN, WHEN RUDY GIULIANI
SAID THIS TONIGHT ISN’T A VERY
BIG DEAL AFTER ALL, SHOULD WE
ASSUME THE OPPOSITE?
>> I WAS JUST THINKING ABOUT THE
NIGHT PHIL AND I WERE FOLLOWING
FLYNN AROUND.
FLYNN AROUND. HE WAS SOMEONE CLOSE TO THE
CANDIDATE.
CANDIDATE. HE WAS EVEN CONSIDERED A VICE
PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE BY MR.
TRUMP AT THE TIME IN THE SUMMER
OF 2016.
OF 2016. HE WAS A CONFIDANTE WHEN PEOPLE
IN THE POLITICAL ADMINISTRATION
WOULDN’T GIVE HIM THE TIME OF
DAY.
DAY. HE WAS THERE BRIEFING THE
CANDIDATE, MAKING HIM FEEL LIKE
HE WAS FAMILIAR WITH FOREIGN
AFFAIRS AND MILITARY POLICY.
THIS IS A SIGNIFICANT BLOW TO
SEE THIS KIND OF COOPERATION
DETAILED OUT FOR A WHITE HOUSE
THAT’S UNDER SIEGE.
YOU SEE A PATTERN BUILDING FROM
ROBERT MUELLER.
ROBERT MUELLER. ALL THESE DIFFERENT INSTANCES
WHETHER IT’S MICHAEL COHEN,
KISLYAK AND FLYNN, PAUL
MANAFORT, ALL THESE DIFFERENT
INSTANCES.
INSTANCES. WE DON’T KNOW THE INTENT YET,
WHETHER THERE WAS A CRIMINAL
CONSPIRACY.
CONSPIRACY. WE KNOW THERE WAS A PATTERN OF
BEHAVIOR HERE THAT COULD RAISE
QUESTIONS.
QUESTIONS. >> AGAIN, PHIL, IT IS HARD TO
KNOW WHAT’S BEHIND THE BLACK
LINES, BUT PART OF WHAT WE ARE
ALLOWED TO READ TONIGHT,
MUELLER’S TEAM SEEMS TO BE
SAYING, BECAUSE HE WAS A BIG
FISH AND BECAUSE HE CAME OVER TO
TEAM USA EARLY THAT HE MIGHT
HAVE INSPIRED OTHERS TO
COOPERATE.
COOPERATE. >> YEAH, THAT SEEMS TO BE THE
SIGNAL, AND THEY’RE ALSO
SIGNALLING THAT FLYNN WAS NOT
ONLY A CAMPAIGN CONFIDANTE OF
THE PRESIDENT’S NATIONAL
SECURITY MEASURE IN THE WHITE
HOUSE BUT WAS INTIMATELY
INVOLVED IN THAT TRANSITION
PERIOD, THOSE TWO MONTHS BETWEEN
THE ELECTION IN NOVEMBER 2016
AND WHEN MR. TRUMP TOOK OFFICE,
MAKING CHOICES ABOUT WHO WOULD
BE FILLING KEY JOBS INSIDE THE
ADMINISTRATION, MAKING CHOICES
ABOUT WHICH FOREIGN LEADERS
PRESIDENT TRUMP WOULD SPEAK TO
AND ABOUT WHAT TOPICS AND SO
FORTH.
FORTH. THERE IS A LOT OF INFORMATION
THERE.
THERE. 19 DIFFERENT SESSIONS WITH THE
SPECIAL COUNSEL TEAM.
THAT IS A LOT.
THAT’S NOT FIVE MEETINGS, THAT’S
NOT SIX OR SEVEN, THAT’S 19.
I THINK IF YOU’RE PRESIDENT
TRUMP AT THIS HOUR, YOU’RE A
LITTLE BIT CONCERNED AND
WONDERING EXACTLY WHAT FLYNN WAS
TALKING ABOUT.
TALKING ABOUT. >> AND ROBERT, IF THIS WERE AN
EPISODE OF "SESAME STREET," IT
WOULD NUMBER 18.
THAELTS THE
THAELTS THE THAT’S THE NUMBER OF DAYS SINCE
SALLY YATES’ WARNING, YOU’VE GOT
TO GET THIS GUY OUT OF YOUR
MIDST.
MIDST. FOR ALL OF YOU WRITING BOOKS
ABOUT THIS PERIOD, WHAT AN
18-DAY PERIOD THAT WILL GO DOWN
AS, BECAUSE YATES IS SITTING AT
HER OFFICE IN JUSTICE WONDERING
WHAT DAMAGE IS BEING DONE.
>> PHIL WAS SO RIGHT TO POINT
OUT THE TRANSITION, BECAUSE IT’S
NOT JUST THOSE 18 DAYS, IT’S THE
TRANSITION PERIOD THAT LEADS
INTO THE FIRST MONTH OF THE
ADMINISTRATION.
ADMINISTRATION. REMEMBER, THEY KICKED OUT
GOVERNOR CHRISTIE’S PLAYBOOK.
>> HE WAS THERE UNTIL HE WASN’T.
>> AND STEEFVE BANNON TAKES OVER
MIKE PENCE TAKES OVER CERTAIN
POSITIONS.
POSITIONS. FLYNN ON HIS OWN REALLY IS AN
ISLAND WORKING WITH
PRESIDENT-ELECT TRUMP.
PRESIDENT-ELECT TRUMP. THAT’S WHERE THE PROBLEMS
STARTED.
STARTED. THAT’S WITH A LOT OF THE CHAOS
STARTED IN 2017.
IT STARTED IN THE WINTER OF 2016
BECAUSE THERE WAS NO ONE REALLY
IN CHARGE, AND SOMEONE LIKE
FLYNN BASED ON OUR REPORT, HE
WAS FREELANCING.
WAS FREELANCING. >> THE LEAD STORY WAS, IS THE
PRESIDENT ENGAGING IN
OBSTRUCTION OR WITNESS TAMPERING
IN REALTIME?
IN REALTIME? >> OR BOTH.
>> IN PLAIN SIGHT OR BOTH.
SO THAT IS PART OF THE EXPANSE
OF HIS HEAD AS HE WALKS INTO
THAT CATHEDRAL TOMORROW, ONE OF
FIVE U.S. PRESIDENTS WITH ALL OF
THIS GOING ON SUBTERRANEAN.
WHAT DO YOU THINK WE’LL
EXPERIENCE FIRSTHAND?
EXPERIENCE FIRSTHAND? >> I DON’T KNOW WHAT WE’LL SEE,
BUT I WAS STRUCK BY HOW
REMARKABLY WELL BEHAVED
PRESIDENT TRUMP HAD BEEN.
I WAS COVERING THE TRIP TO
ARGENTINA, AND HE HAS THESE
MOMENTS WHERE THERE IS AN
EXPLOSION, OR THERE IS A FEUD
WITH ANOTHER LEADER, OR HE GETS
ON THE PLANE TO GO HOME AND
STARTS TWITTER-ATTACKING THE
PRIME MINISTER AT HIS OWN HOME.
HE HASN’T DONE ANY OF THAT.
HE CONTINUES TO BE RESTRAINED,
AND THE COUNTRY IS MOURNING THE
LOSS OF GEORGE H.W. BUSH AND
TRYING TO THINK OF THE
DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE 41st
PRESIDENT AND THE 43rd
PRESIDENT.
PRESIDENT. THAT HAS TO BE GETTING UNDER
TRUMP’S SKIN ASKND YET HE HAS NO
REACTED IN A PUBLIC WAY YET.
WE’LL SEE IF HE DOES TOMORROW.
I SUSPECT HE’LL BE TRYING TO
KEEP IT TOGETHER, BUT HE’S GOT
SO MUCH WITH THE RUSSIAN PROBE
GIVEN THE COMMENTARY IN THE
COUNTRY RIGHT NOW.
>> SPEAKING OF CONFIDENCE, I WAS
ASKED, WHAT SPEAKS TO THIS
BEHAVIOR?
BEHAVIOR? WELL, HIS FATHER VENERATES THE
MILITARY, HE VENERATES THE
MILITARY, EVEN THOUGH HE DIDN’T
SERVE.
SERVE. >> THE SENSE WITH PRESIDENT
TRUMP, THE MILITARY IS SOMETHING
TO BE ADMIRED.
HE KNOWS A LOT ABOUT THE WAR