>>> AS OF THIS EVENING PRESIDENT TRUMP HAS OFILTHSY UMCAN PLEATED
18 MONTHS IN OFFICE.
WHILE IT HAS A LOT OF
COMPETITION, THIS WEEK HAS BEEN
NOMINATED AS THE MOST
REMARKABLE.
REMARKABLE. SINCE THAT MEETING WITH RUSSIAN
PRESIDENT PUTIN ON MONDAY WE
HAVE SEEN THE PRESIDENT WALK
BACK COMMENTS HE MADE ON RUSSIAN
ELECTION INTERFERENCE AND THEN
WALK BACK THOSE WALK BACKS.
HERE A FRIENDLY REMINDER OF WHAT
HAS TRANSPIRED OVER HAD COURSE
OF JUST THREE DAYS.
>> MY PEOPLE CAME TO ME, DAN
COATS CAME TO ME AND OTHERS.
THEY SAID THEY THINK IT’S
RUSSIA.
RUSSIA. I HAVE PRESIDENT PUTIN HE SAID
IT’S NOT RUSSIA.
I WILL SAY THIS I DON’T SEE ANY
REASON WHY WOULD BE.
>> HAD SENTENCE SHOULD HAVE BEEN
I DON’T SEE ANY REASON WHY IT IT
IT WOULDN’T BE RUSSIA.
A DOUBLE NEGATIVE.
I ACCEPT OUR INTELLIGENCE
COMMUNITY’S CONCLUSION THAT
RUSSIA’S MEDDLING IN THE 2016
ELECTION TOOK PLACE.
COULD BE OTHER PEOPLE ALSO.
>> IS ARE RUSSIA STILL TARGETING
THE U.S.?
THE U.S.? >> THANK YOU, NO.
>> THEN JUST YESTERDAY WE
LEARNED PUTIN’S BEEN INVITED TO
WASHINGTON IN THE FALL.
THE WHITE HOUSE ALSO HAD TO BACK
OFF THE PRESIDENT’S SUGGESTION
HE’D BE WILLING TO IT LET RUSSIA
INTERROGATE AMERICANS INCLUDING
AMBASSADOR MICHAEL McFALL.
AND POLITICO IS ARE REPORTING
QUOTE TRUMP DISASTROUS
PERFORMANCE SINCE HIS NEWS
CONFERENCE ALONG SIDE RUSSIAN
COUNTERPART VLADIMIR PUTIN HAS
SENT WEST WING MORALE TO ITS
LOWEST MORALE SINCE HAD
CHARLOTTE VILL FIASCO ALMOST A
YEAR AGO.
YEAR AGO. STAFFERS ARE ARE CONSIDERING
ACCEL
ACCEL ACCELERATING KAESH HERE TONIGHT
WHITE HOUSE REPORTER FOR HAD
ASSOCIATED PRESS AND BRYAN
BENNET, SENIOR WHITE HOUSE
CORRESPONDENT FOR TIME MAGAZINE.
BRYAN, BY THE WAY IS THE AUTHOR
OF THIS WEEK’S STORY WITH THE
TROUBLING IMAGERY.
TROUBLING IMAGERY. WHICH THE PRESIDENTS MAY COUNT
AS AN OFFICIAL TIME MAGAZINE
COVER APPEARANCE.
COVER APPEARANCE. I KNOW YOU STARTED NATO, WENT TO
THE UK, ALL THE WAY TO HELSINKI.
YOU LIVE TO TELL TALE.
I KNOW THAT EVENTS DON’T ALWAYS
OCCUR TO YOU IN THE MOMENT.
A COMMENT THAT OTHER PEOPLE CAN
JUDGE AS WEIGHTY LATER DOESN’T
LAND THE RIGHT WAY.
I IMAGINE ALL OF THIS DID AND
WHAT WAS -- YOU DON’T DO
OPINION.
OPINION. BUT YOU DO GIVE TAKE AWAY.
WHAT WAS YOUR TAKE AWAY?
>> I MEAN THIS TRIP WAS
SOMETHING THAT WAS WHIPLASH THE
ENTIRE WAY AT EVERY STOP.
STARTING WITH --
>> INSULTING YOUR HOST.
>> FROM THE VERY FIRST MOMENT HE
SAT COUN AT THAT BREAKFAST AND
COMING AT ANGELA MERKEL LIKE
THAT, CLAIMING THEY WERE THE
ONES IN CAHOOTS WITH RUSSIA TOO,
ALL OF THE DRAMA WITH NATO.
THE THREATS THAT HE DIDN’T WANT
TO PARTICIPATE ANYMORE.
THEN YOU HAVE THAT INTERGAVE TO
THE SUN IN WHICH HE LAM BASTED
TERESA MAY RIGHT BEFORE HE
ARRIVED.
ARRIVED. THAT STORPUBLISHED AS THE
PRESIDENT HAD LANDED.
THEN YOU GO INTO THE PROESTITS
ALL ACROSS LUNTDEN.
THEN YOU GO TO HEL SINK WHICH WE
ALL THOUGHT WOULD BE THE MAIN
EVENT.
EVENT. THERE ARE TIMES WHERE, AS A
REPORTER YOU’RE SURPRISED.
THERE ARE TIMES WHEN WE’VE SEEN
THE BACK LASH FROM CONGRESS,
SEEN AIDS REALLY KIND OF BURYING
INTO THEIR HOLES AND NOT WANTING
TO COMMENT.
TO COMMENT. YOU FEEL THE MORALE AND THIS
POINT SO MANY PEOPLE IN THE WEST
WING, THERE’S A SENSE OF
NUMBNESS ALL THESE THINGS
THEY’VE GONE THROUGH AGAIN AND
AGAIN.
AGAIN. >> MARK SHORT AND JOE HIGGEN IN
THE IT WEST WING.
>> I WAS UNDER THE IMPRESSION HE
WAS ALREADY DEPARTED BUT.
THESE PEOPLE WERE WIDELY
RESPECTED.
RESPECTED. MOT ONLY WITHIN HAD WEST WING
BUT IN THE WEST WING.
HE WAS SOMEBODY WHO CAME IN TO
THE WHITE HOUSE WITH YEARS OF
PAST EXPERIENCE.
PAST EXPERIENCE. AND HE HELPED SHEPERED THE
PRESIDENT’S AGENDA, AND THOSE
ARE PEOPLE WHO ARE REALLY GOING
TO BE MISESPECIALLY AT A TIME
WHEN IT IS NOT EASY TO FIND
PEOPLE TO FILL ANY OF THOSE
POSITIONS.
POSITIONS. THERE ARE A LOT OF EMPTY DESKS.
AND SO THE QUESTION NOW WHO ARE
THEY GOING TO FIND FILL THOSE
POSITIONS AND WHAT’S THEIR
COMPETENCE LEVEL GOING TO BE?
>> IT’S NOT LIKE WORKING FOR
OTHER ADMINISTRATIONS.
OTHER ADMINISTRATIONS. I’M GOING TO QUOTE YOUR FAVORITE
WRITER, BRYAN BENNET OF TIME
MAGAZINE AND WE’LL TALK ABOUT
YOUR WRITING AS SOON AS I’M DONE
WITH QUOTE.
WITH QUOTE. FROM YOUR COVER STORY THIS WEEK.
AND IT’S ON THE OVER ARCHING
TOPIC OF RUSSIA.
"TRUMP IS BRUISED BY THE IDEA
THAT RUSSIAN ELECTION MEDDLING
TANTS HIS VICTORY.
THOSE CLOSE TO HIM SAY AND CAN’T
CONCEDE THE FACT THAT RUSSIA DID
TRY TO INTERFERE IN THE
ELECTION, REGARDLESS OF WHETHER
IT IMPACTED THE OUTCOME.
FRRTS IT’S A NOTABLE QUOTE,
BRYAN, BECAUSE HERE WE ARE IN
THE POSITION OF KIND OF HOPING
WE FIND OUT FROM THE IT RUSSIAN
SOME OF WHAT WAS DISCUSSED IN
THE TWO-HOUR PLUS CLOSED DOOR
SESSION BETWEEN TWO SUPER POWER
LEADERS.
LEADERS. >> IT’S SO EXTRAORDINARY.
IN THIS PRESIDENCY WE ALWAYS
HAVE TO RELY ON THE OTHER
COUNTRY TO FIND OUT WHAT WAS
DISCUSSED IN A LOT OF THESE
MEETINGS AND WE’RE FINDING OUT
MORE FROM THE RUSSIANS THAN THE
WHITE HOUSE ABOUT WHAT THEY
TALKED ABOUT.
TALKED ABOUT. ONE OF THE MOST EXTRAORDINARY
MOMENTS THIS WEEK WAS OF COURSE
WHEN THE PRESIDENT DECIDED HE
HAD MIXED UP THE WORD WOULD AND
WOULDN’T IN HIS REMARKS.
IT IT WAS EXTRAORDINARY BECAUSE
THIS PRESIDENT IS SO RELUCTANT
TO CORRECT A RECORD ON SO MANY
OTHER OCCASIONS.
OTHER OCCASIONS. AND IT REFLECTED SUCH SINCERE
AND TROUBLESOME CONCERN AMONG
HIS STAFF THAT THEY CAME TO HIM
AND SAID LOOK, MR. PRESIDENT,
YOU NEED READ SOMETHING THAT
WALKS THIS BACK.
OF COURSE IT DIDN’T ADDRESS THE
CENTRAL PROBLEM OF HIS HELSINKI
PERFORMANCE WHICH WAS THAT HE
INSTITUTED NEXT TO PRESIDENT
PUTIN WAS ASKED BY A REPORTER
WHO HE BELIEVED THE U.S.
INTELLIGENCE OR PUTIN ABOUT
RUSSIAN INTERFERENCE AND HE
COULDN’T DEFINITIVELY SAY THAT
HE BELIEVED U.S. INTELLIGENCE
AND HE COULDN’T CONFRONT
PRESIDENT PUTIN.
PRESIDENT PUTIN. THAT WAS THE MOMENT FOR THE
PRESIDENT TO STAND UP TO
PRESIDENT PUTIN IN FRONT OF THE
REST OF THE WORLD AND TELL HIM
TO -- THAT HE SHOULDN’T HAVE