AND THE FBI OFFICIALLY LAUNCHED A COUNTERINTELLIGENCE
A COUNTERINTELLIGENCE INVESTIGATION INTO THE TRUMP
CAMPAIGN’S TIES TO RUSSIA.
SO THAT’S WHERE WE START TODAY,
WITH SOME OF OUR FAVORITE
REPORTERS AND FRIENDS, NATIONAL
INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER WITH "THE
WASHINGTON POST," CAROL LEONNIG.
KEN VOGEL, POLITICAL REPORTER AT
"THE NEW YORK TIMES."
FORMER U.S. ATTORNEY HARRY
LITMAN.
LITMAN. AT THE TABLE, ASSOCIATED PRESS
WHITE HOUSE REPORTER JONATHAN
LEMIRE AND JOHNNY DEUTSCHE.
HARRY, WE LEFT OUT FIVE OF YOUR
TITLES.
TITLES. WE WILL GET TO THOSE BEFORE WE
START TALKING TO YOU.
I HAVE TO START WITH KEN AND
CAROL, SOME UNBELIEVABLE
REPORTING FROM YOU AND YOUR
COLLEAGUES THIS WEEK.
YOU GUYS HAVE OBVIOUSLY PORED
OVER THIS TRANSCRIPT WITH ALL OF
THE KNOWLEDGE ABOUT THE MANAFORT
CASE.
CASE. KEN, YOUR PIECE MOPPED WASNDAY W
DESCRIBED BY A U.S. FIRM AKIN TO
A UNICORN SIGHTING.
THE OFFICIALS AT THE HEART OF
THE MUELLER PROBE, THE BRANCH OF
THAT, CONTACTS BETWEEN DONALD
TRUMP’S FORMER CAMPAIGN CHAIRMAN
AND KONSTANTIN KILIMNIK.
YOU HAVE BEEN ON THIS BEAT FOR
MANY MONTHS.
MANY MONTHS. TALK ABOUT WHAT THE SIGNIFICANCE
THIS IS IN THE BROADER MUELLER
PROBE.
PROBE. >> THE SIGNIFICANCE OF WHAT WAS
LAID OUT IN THE COURT FILING YOU
JUST DESCRIBED IS THAT IT GIVES
SOME VISIBILITY INTO WHAT
MUELLER IS ACTUALLY PURSUING,
THAT IS SPECIFIC TO THE MISSION
AND THE TASK HE WAS ASSIGNED BY
THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE.
THAT IS TO INVESTIGATE RUSSIAN
MEDDLING IN THE ELECTION AND
POSSIBLE COLLUSION WITH TRUMP’S
CAMPAIGN.
CAMPAIGN. WE HAVE SEEN A NUMBER OF
INDICTMENTS, GUILTY PLEAS AND
CONVICTIONS THAT HAVE SORT OF
BIT AROUND THE EDGES OF THAT AND
AT TIMES FLICKED AT SOME
RELEVANCE TO THAT CORE MISSION.
BUT THIS WAS REALLY THE FIRST
TIME THAT WE HAD SEEN HIM
DIRECTLY RELATE ONE OF THEIR
REALLY CENTRAL CASES AGAINST
PAUL MANAFORT TO THAT MISSION,
AND SO IT NATURALLY RAISES
QUESTIONS, SOME OF WHICH I, MY
COLLEAGUES AND FOLKS AT "THE
WASHINGTON POST," INCLUDING
CAROL, HAVE DONE YEOMAN’S WORK
UNPACKING IN THE MONTHS -- AND
IN SOME CASES YEARS -- BEFORE
THIS.
THIS. I REPORTED IN AUGUST 2016 WHILE
MANAFORT WAS STILL ON THE
CAMPAIGN HE HAD THIS
RELATIONSHIP WITH KONSTANTIN
KILIMNIK AND KONSTANTIN KILIMNIK
HAD COME TO THE UNITED STATES TO
MEET WITH HIM.
WOULD YOU THINK THAT WOULD RAISE
QUESTIONS AMONG FOLKS WHO WERE
LOOKING INTO TIES BETWEEN THE
TRUMP CAMPAIGN AND RUSSIA AND
POSSIBLE COLLUSION.
POSSIBLE COLLUSION. NOW WE KNOW FOR CERTAIN THAT THE
KEY PERSON, MUELLER, WHO IS
TASKED WITH REALLY INVESTIGATING
THIS, IT IS OF INTEREST TO HIM.
>> KEN, WHAT YOU’RE REPORTING
THIS WEEK, WHAT YOU’RE ANALYZING
THIS WEEK IS SO IMPORTANT IN THE
CONTEXT OF THE PRESIDENT’S PR
EFFORT AROUND THE EFFORT TO THE
SENATE INTEL COMMITTEE.
I WONDER IF IN SORT OF A SHORT
DESCRIPTION YOU CAN UNDERSCORE
WHAT YOU JUST SAID ABOUT
REPORTING THAT ON YOUR PART, ON
YOUR NEWSPAPER’S PART, GOES BACK
TO WHEN THESE EVENTS ACTUALLY
HAND IN REALTIME.
IN 2016, YOU WERE AWARE OF
MANAFORT MEETING WITH THIS PUTIN
ALIGNED OPERATIVE, AND THESE
HAVE ENDED UP BEING THE KINDS OF
CONTACTS ROBERT MUELLER IS STILL
SCRUTINIZING, SO SAID ONE OF HIS
TOP DEPUTIES, PROSECUTOR ANDREW
WEISMANN.
WEISMANN. THAT’S VERY DIFFERENT FROM WHAT
THE SENATE INTEL COMMITTEE
LOOKED AT.
LOOKED AT. THEY DIDN’T, AS FAR AS I KNOW,
SIT WITH KONSTANTIN KILIMNIK.
IT’S NOT CLEAR THE SAME
INTERACTIONS ARE AT THE HEART OF
WHAT THEY LOOKED AT, IS IT?
KEN?
KEN? >> IN SOME WAYS, NO.
THE HOUSE INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE
ARE LOOKING AT SOME OF THE SAME
STUFF BUT THEY HAVE A MUCH
BROADER AND IN SOME WAYS MORE
FREEDOM TO WEAVE A NARRATIVE AND
CONNECT SOME OF THE DOTS THAT
ARE NOT NECESSARILY REQUIRING
THE FORMAL CONFINES OF AN
INDICTMENT OR LEGAL PROCEEDING
TO INTRODUCE.
TO INTRODUCE. BUT WE KNOW THAT THEY ARE
ALSO -- WHILE THEY ARE LOOKING
AT SOME OF THE THIS STUFF,
THEY’RE ALSO LOOKING AT DONALD
TRUMP’S BUSINESSES AND THE WAYS
IN WHICH THOSE BUSINESSES HAVE
CROSSED PATHS WITH RUSSIANS AND
HAVE ACTUALLY TARGETED RUSSIA
FOR POSSIBLE DEVELOPMENT.
AND THAT IS THUS FAR WE HAVE NOT
SEEN ANY EVIDENCE THAT MUELLER
IS GOING DOWN THOSE PATHS.
SO IN SOME WAYS THESE ARE
COMPLIMENTARY.
COMPLIMENTARY. WE’VE SOUTHEASTERNLY SEENCERTAIN
SOME OF THE TRANSCRIPTS TO BRING
CHARGES.
CHARGES. AND OBVIOUSLY ALSO THE
CONGRESSIONAL INVESTIGATORS HAD
THE BENEFIT OF NOT HAVING QUITE
AS MUCH PRESSURE ON THEM TO WRAP
UP AN INVESTIGATION AS MUELLER
HAS AND THEY CAN CONTINUE TO DO
THINGS AS FAR AS NORMAL
CONGRESSIONAL OVERSIGHT YOU
WOULD SEE OF ANY ADMINISTRATION.
>> CAROL LEONNIG, I SAW YOUR
TWEET ABOUT YOUR COLLEAGUES
REPORTING TODAY RIGHT AFTER I
READ IT AND I’M GOING TO BOTCH
IT, BUT IT WAS SOMETHING -- THE
STORY HAD CIGAR BARS AND ALSO
TIES TOGETHER SOME THREADS YOU
AND YOUR COLLEAGUES HAVE BEEN
PURSUING -- AS KEN JUST SAID --
FOR MORE THAN TWO YEARS.
TALK ABOUT WHAT YOU ADDED TO OUR
UNDERSTANDING OF WHY THIS IS OF
INTEREST, AND SOME OF THE RICH
COLOR THAT WAS IN YOUR PIECE
TODAY ON THIS TOPIC.
>> YOU KNOW, NICOLLE, I FIND
THIS STORY SO FASCINATING.
IT’S ALMOST LIKE WHEN YOU HAVE
ONE OF THOSE PUZZLES YOU GET FOR
A HOLIDAY GIFT AND THERE ARE
LIKE SEVEN REALLY HARD PIECES
AND THEY’RE JUST EMPTY ON THE
BOARD AND YOU DON’T KNOW WHERE
TO PUT THEM.
AND IT’S LIKE WE’RE GETTING SOME
OF THE REALLY HARD PUZZLE PIECES
NOW IN IN UNSEALED -- I’M SORRY,
IN THIS SEALED HEARING PARTIAL
TRANSCRIPT.
TRANSCRIPT. AND THAT STORY IN TERMS OF 2 1/2
YEARS OF GATHERING STRING ABOUT
THIS CASE, KEN IS SO RIGHT ABOUT
AUGUST 2016, THE STORIES BEING
WRITTEN ABOUT MANAFORT’S UNUSUAL
CONNECTIONS TO RUSSIANS AND
KONSTANTIN KILIMNIK, FORMER GRU
OFFICER WHO WAS VIEWED BY THE
U.S. GOVERNMENT AS AN
INTELLIGENCE ASSET, I -- FORGIVE
ME, RUSSIAN ASSET, OPERATIVE,
IT’S SO AMAZING THAT NOW WE ARE
LEARNING THAT THIS AUGUST 2
MEETING COMES IN THE MIDDLE OF
SO MUCH DRAMA.
YOU HAVE THE REPUBLICAN NOMINEE
FOR PRESIDENT SAYING A TON OF
THINGS THAT DON’T REALLY SEEM TO
SPEAK TO AMERICAN VOTERS.
HEY, I THINK MOST OF THOSE
PEOPLE IN CRIMEA WANT TO BE WITH
RUSSIA ANYWAY.
RUSSIA ANYWAY. WHAT A BIZARRE THING TO BE
SAYING, RIGHT, ON THE CAMPAIGN
TRAIL.
TRAIL. YOU HAVE THE PLATFORM CHANGE AT
THE CONVENTION BECAUSE ALWAYS
SUSPICIOUS BUT POOH-POOHED BY
PEOPLE IN THE GOP AS HAVING
NOTHING TO DO WITH RUSSIANS.
YOU HAVE THE COMMENTS FROM
VARIOUS PEOPLE, NOW WE KNOW
SECRETLY AND WE REPORTED SOME OF
THIS LAST YEAR, YOU HAVE
MANAFORT SAYING I WILL GIVE
PRIVATE BRIEFINGS TO THAT GUY,
OLEG DERIPASKA, AN ALLY AND NOW
WE KNOW AUGUST 2 A DERIPASKA
ALLY WAS ASKING TO MEET WITH
MANAFORT SAYING I HAVE SPOKEN TO
THIS GUY FOR FIVE HOURS.
I HAVE IMPORTANT MESSAGES TO
RELAY TO YOU.
LET’S MEET.
LET’S MEET. IT SEEMS TO ME THERE’S SOMETHING
VERY BIZARRE ABOUT THE FACT ALL
OF THESE HAND IN THE SAME AMOUNT
OF TIME, SAME PERIOD.
>> I WANT TO STAY ON THAT,
CAROL.
CAROL. IT’S NOT JUST WHAT YOU POINT OUT
ALL OF THOSE THINGS HAND.
AND I BELIEVE AT THE TIME DONALD
TRUMP WAS SAYING EQUALLY BIZARRE
THINGS ABOUT AMERICA BEING JUST
AS BAD AS RUSSIA.
HE SAID ON "MORNING JOE," I
DON’T KNOW IF IT’S IN THOSE TWO
WEEKS, BUT SAID AMERICANS ARE
KILLERS TOO.
KILLERS TOO. HE SAID IT TO MY COLLEAGUE JOE
SCARBOROUGH AND SAID SOMETHING
EQUALLY BIZARRE TO BILL
O’REILLY.
O’REILLY. THIS IS ALSO THE ONE THING THE
CAMPAIGN THAT REALLY COULDN’T
COORDINATE MANY MESSAGES ALL
LIED ABOUT.
LIED ABOUT. THEY ALL LIED ABOUT THESE KINDS
OF CONVERSATIONS AND THOSE KINDS
OF CONTEXTS.
OF CONTEXTS. YOU CAN TAKE WHAT YOU JUST
DESCRIBED SEEMINGLY AT THE TIME
BIZARRE CONTACTS OF PEOPLE
ALINED WITH RUSSIAN INTEL AND
ADD THE MORE RECENT LAYER THAT
MANAFORT, GATES, FLYNN, THEY ALL
LIED ABOUT THEIR CONTACTS AND
THEIR CONVERSATIONS ABOUT
SANCTIONS WITH RUSSIA.
>> ABSOLUTELY.
>> ABSOLUTELY. ONE OF THE THINGS THAT REVEALED,
NICOLLE, I’M GLAD YOU BROUGHT
THIS UP, BUT ONE OF THE THINGS
REVEALED IN THAT TRANSCRIPT IS
THAT MANAFORT’S ATTORNEYS INSIST
HE WASN’T LYING IN HIS LAST 12
SESSIONS AND INTERVIEWS AND TWO
GRAND JURY APPEARANCES, BUT HE
WAS JUST CONFUSED OR FORGETFUL.
YOU KNOW, FLYNN TRIED TO SAY
THAT HE -- FORGIVE ME, MICHAEL
FLYNN, TRIED TO SAY HE ALSO HAD
NOT INTENDED TO LIE TO FBI
AGENTS JUST A FEW DAYS INTO HIS
NOMINATION, FORGIVE ME, HIS
APPOINTMENT AS NATIONAL SECURITY
ADVISER, THAT HE WASN’T
INTENDING TO LIE BUT ULTIMATELY
HE PLED GUILTY TO LYING ABOUT
CONVERSATIONS WITH A RUSSIAN
AMBASSADOR.
AMBASSADOR. ALSO, I GUESS THE MOST IMPORTANT
THING PROBABLY TO SAY ABOUT ALL
OF THOSE LIES AND ALL OF THOSE
TRUMP ALLIES IS ALL OF THOSE
LIES HAVE TO DO WITH
CONVERSATIONS THEY HAD TO
COMMUNICATE WITH RUSSIANS ABOUT
THINGS THAT PUTIN CARED THE MOST
DEEPLY ABOUT.
DEEPLY ABOUT. PUTIN CARED ABOUT FIRST AND
FOREMOST MAKING SURE SANCTIONS
WERE REMOVED BECAUSE IT WAS
PERILOUS TO HIS POWER NETWORK.
HE CARED DEEPLY ABOUT CRIMEA AND
BEING A POWER ON THE WORLD
STAGE.
STAGE. AND DONALD TRUMP, THE NOMINEE
FOR PRESIDENT, WAS ECHOING
PUTIN’S TALKING POINTS.
>> SO HARRY LITMAN, TIE THIS
TOGETHER FOR ME THE WAY A
PROSECUTOR AND INVESTIGATOR
WOULD TIE TOGETHER THE REPORT
CAROL AND KEN ARE TALKING ABOUT,
THE IDEA ALL OF THESE PEOPLE --
AND THIS IS THEIR OWN BRANDING,
THEY DESCRIBE THEIR CAMPAIGN AND
DONALD TRUMP’S CANDIDACY AS THE
GANG THAT COULDN’T HAVE COLLUDED
BECAUSE WE COULDN’T COLLUDE WITH
OUR PRESS OFFICE.
LET ME PUT THIS UP, MICHAEL
COHEN PURSUED BUSINESS DEALS ON
TRUMP’S BEHALF.
TRUMP’S BEHALF. TRUMP TOWER MOSCOW.
LIED ABOUT IT TO CONGRESS.
DONALD TRUMP JR. DISCUSSED
SANCTIONS WITH THE RUSSIAN AGENT
IN A ROOMFUL OF RUSSIANS
PROMISING DIRT ON HILLARY
CLINTON.
CLINTON. LATER LIED ABOUT IT AND GOT A
BUNCH OF WHITE HOUSE AIDES TO
LIE ABOUT IT AS WELL, SAYING IT
WAS ABOUT ADOPTIONS.
LYING IN AUGUST, PAUL MANAFORT
DISCUSSED POLICY WITH THE
RUSSIAN OPERATIVES THAT WE’RE
TALKING ABOUT TODAY.
CONSTANTINE
CONSTANTINE KONSTANTIN KILIMNIK AND OTHERS,
LIED ABOUT IT TO MUELLER.
THESE MEETINGS ARE ALL ABOUT
THOSE LIES.
THOSE LIES. DECEMBER 2016 FLYNN, WHO HAD
EVERY RIGHT, EVERY RIGHT AS A
NATIONAL INCOMING SECURITY
ADVISER TO TALK ABOUT SANCTIONS
POLICY DID SO AND THEN LIED
ABOUT IT.
ABOUT IT. WHAT DOES THAT LOOK LIKE TO
INVESTIGATORS, HARRY?
INVESTIGATORS, HARRY? >> RIGHT, TO A PROSECUTOR WHAT
REALLY GETS THEIR ANTENNA
BUZZING OUT OF CONTROL IS,
FIRST, THIS POINT THAT CAROL AND
KEN HAVE TEASED OUT AND REALLY
METICULOUS REPORTING, BY THE
WAY.
WAY. THEY HAVE THIS MANUSCRIPT AND
THEY READ IT SO CAREFULLY FOR
KEY POINTS.
KEY POINTS. AND THEN THE ATTEMPTS TO HIDE A
RICH, LITTLE DETAIL THAT WOULD
GET PROSECUTORS TOTALLY FOCUSED,
GATES, KILIMNIK AND MANAFORT ALL
LEAVE BY SEPARATE EXITS AT THIS
NOW-INFAMOUS AUGUST 2, 2016
MEETING.
MEETING. SOMETHING IS GOING ON, AND YOU
WANT TO KNOW.
AND WHAT ELSE GETS THEM GOING?
THAT THE COUNTERPOINT TO
RUSSIA’S KEY INTEREST IN CRIMEA
IN THE SANCTIONS ARE THE
PERSONAL INTEREST OF THE PLAYER,
MANAFORT’S TO GET OUT OF DEBT
WITH DERIPASKA, TRUMP TO BUILD
THE TOWER, FLYNN THAT WANTS THE
SANCTIONS RELEASED HAVING
SOMETHING TO DO WITH HIS
LOBBYING.
LOBBYING. YOU HAVE THE SORT OF THING
PEOPLE DO LIE ABOUT IT BECAUSE
THEY ARE KEEPING COVER OF THEIR
OWN PERSONAL FINANCIAL INTERESTS
IF THEY’RE TRADING FOR THE
NATIONAL INTERESTS OF RUSSIA.
ADDED TO THAT, BY THE WAY, WAS
TRUMP’S BIZARRE DOWNPLAYING OF
THE IMPORTANCE OF NATO AT JUST
THIS TIME IN THE CAMPAIGN.
SO ALL OF THAT TOGETHER BUT
ESPECIALLY THE LIES AND INTENTS
TO CONCEAL HAVE A GANG LIKE
WEISMANN AND MUELLER BORING INTO
THE VERY, VERY CORE.
>> HERE’S THE PROBLEM, AND THIS
IS A PRECURSOR, YOU CAN SEE IT
LOOKS LIKE A DUCK, IT WALKS LIKE
A DUCK, BUT UNFORTUNATELY, AND
THIS IS WHY THE SENATE
INTELLIGENCE BURNS HAVE COME OUT
AND SAID THERE NO DIRECT
COLLUSION.
COLLUSION. EVEN WITH ALL OF THIS AND MORE
WHEN THE MUELLER PROBE COMES
OUT, UNLESS YOU HAVE TRUMP SAY,
OKAY, VLAD, HERE’S THE DEAL I
GET THE MOSCOW TOWER.
YOU DON’T RELEASE THE TAPE AND I
WILL COVER YOU ON UKRAINE AND
GET THE KAMAGNITSKY ACT.
I DON’T KNOW IF THIS GETS WHERE
WE NEED TO GET TO.
DOES THIS GET YOU TWO-THIRDS
VOTE IN THE SENATE?
ABSOLUTELY NOT.
ABSOLUTELY NOT. THAT’S MY CONCERN.
THE MORE I HEAR ABOUT ALL OF
THIS, BUT I GO YEAH, IF YOU
DON’T HAVE THE SMOKING GUN, IF
YOU DON’T HAVE THAT ONE KILL
SHOT, IS THIS ALL FOR NAUGHT?
THAT’S MY QUESTION.
>> IS THAT YOU, HARRY?
>> I WAS GOING TO SAY, LOOK,
WE’RE CERTAINLY SPRAYING A LOT
OF BULLETS AROUND THAT DO SHOW
THE STRUCTURE OF A REAL
CONSPIRACY BETWEEN THE CAMPAIGN
AND RUSSIA.
AND RUSSIA. THE MISSING PIECE, I AGREE, IS
SOME SENSE OF TRUMP’S KNOWLEDGE
BUT THERE ARE MANY POSSIBLE
AVENUES, INCLUDING GATES, BY THE
WAY, WHO IS THE BIG SOURCE OF
THIS STORY FROM WHICH MUELLER
COULD CONCLUDE KNOWLEDGE ON
TRUMP’S PART, ALSO STONE.
>> LET ME JUST OFFER ANOTHER
EVENT AND WHETHER YOU WORK FOR
MUELLER, I DO NOT, BUT ONE SORT
OF OTHER PIECE OF INFORMATION --
AND YOU’RE TALKING ABOUT THE
POLITICS AND PUBLIC OPINION AND
I THINK THE TRUMP BASE SEEMS TO
BE A FACT-FREE ZONE SO I DON’T
TOTALLY DISAGREE WITH YOU.
THE CONDUCT UNDER SCRUTINY, THE
CONDUCT THAT LED THEM TO OPEN A
COUNTERINTELLIGENCE
COUNTERINTELLIGENCE INVESTIGATION WAS CONFIRMED WHEN
A COUNTERINTELLIGENCE
A COUNTERINTELLIGENCE INVESTIGATIONS WAS OPENED INTO
DONALD TRUMP WHILE HE WAS
PRESIDENT.
PRESIDENT. THE CONDUCT WAS CONFIRMED WHEN
HE ANSWERED A QUESTION TO YOU IN
HELSINKI ABOUT WHY HE BELIEVES
VLADIMIR PUTIN OVER HIS
INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY.
INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY. AND HE BASICALLY JUST LOOKED AT
YOU AND SAID BECAUSE I DO.
>> WHERE IS IT TAKING US?
>> I DON’T KNOW WHERE IT TAKES
YOU BUT MY ONLY POINT IS ALL OF
THESE THREADS, DONALD TRUMP
HASN’T MADE AN ABOUT-FACE.
WHETHER IT’S THE TAPE OR
SOMETHING ELSE, HE’S STILL
ACTING IF HE’S IN THE THROES OF
HIS AFFAIRS WITH PUTIN.
>> THE EYEBROW RAISING
STATEMENTS AND QUESTIONS HE
WOULD COME UP DURING THE
CAMPAIGN ARE THINGS HE’S STILL
DOING NOW.
DOING NOW. HE’S NOT CHANGED HIS RET RING
WHATSOEVER.
WHATSOEVER. DESPITE THE OBVIOUSLY INTENSE
PRESSURE FROM THE
INVESTIGATIONS, NOT JUST ON THE
HILL BUT MUELLER, HE’S NOT
BACKED DOWN OR TRAFRPGED HIS
STORY.
STORY. HE’S NOT DONE A 180 IN HOW HE
FEELS ABOUT VLADIMIR PUTIN.
HE’S DOUBLED HIS APPRECIATION
DOWN HIS FEELING FOR PUTIN AND
WILLING TO CRITICIZE PUTIN
AGAINST MEMBERS OF HIS OWN PARTY
AND ADMINISTRATION.
AND ADMINISTRATION. THAT HAS NOT CHANGED.
YOU’RE RIGHT, THIS IS YET
ANOTHER -- IT IS I BIG PIECE OF
THE -- A BIG PIECE OF THE
PUZZLE.
PUZZLE. WE DON’T SEE THE BIG PICTURE
YET.
YET. WE ALSO DON’T KNOW IF WE WILL
FULLY SEE IT.
WILL THAT BE THE MOMENT THE
AMERICAN PUBLIC REALLY WANTS?
>> I THINK EVERYBODY’S
ANTICIPATING AND THIS MUELLER
REPORT THERE ARE GOING TO BE 100
MORE THINGS LIKE THIS BUT IF IT
DOESN’T LAND, IT DOESN’T LAND
AND THAT’S SAD.
>> I AGREE WITH YOU.
ONE MORE QUESTION FOR YOU, THE
WITHDRAWALS FROM SYRIA, YOU
KNOW, SERVED PUTIN’S FOREIGN
POLICY INTEREST.
POLICY INTEREST. THIS IS ALL REPORTING ABOUT
SOMEONE IN THERE.
IT LOOKS LIKE THEY HARDWIRED THE
TRUMP TEAM TO CARRY OUT A
FOREIGN POLICY AGENDA.
IS THERE ANYTHING LEFT ON IT?
>> YOU’RE RIGHT.
1 IT’S BEEN SAID MORE THAN ONCE
BUT IF VLADIMIR PUTIN WERE TO
DESIGN A FOREIGN POLICY, IT
WOULD BE MANY WAYS WHAT WE’RE
SEEING FROM THE WHITE HOUSE, A
FEW EXCEPTIONS HERE AND THERE.
SYRIA BEING A GREAT EXAMPLE.
AT THIS POINT THE PRESIDENT HAS
NOT HAD REACTIONS RECOGNIZING
CRIMEA AS PART OF RUSSIA --
>> KNOCK ON WOOD, JONATHAN.
>> DON’T MEAN TO JINX ANYTHING.
BUT YOU’RE RIGHT, PUTIN WAS SO
CONCERNED, AS OUTLINED AT THE
BEGINNING OF THE SESSIONMENT,
STILL HAVING THAT POSITION AS
WORLD POWER, RUSSIA’S INFLUENCE
FADING.
FADING. HE WAS TERRIFIED OF THE IDEA OF
HILLARY CLINTON, SOMEONE HE
DEEPLY DISLIKES BECOMING
PRESIDENT, AND FURTHER
RATCHETING UP THE PRESSURE ON
RUSSIA AND REDUCING THEM ON THE
WORLD STAGE.
WORLD STAGE. INSTEAD HE’S BEEN HANDED A
SERIES OF FROM VICTORIES THAT
ELEVATED HIM AND GOTTEN THAT
FROM THIS PRESIDENT, IF NOTHING
ELSE.
ELSE. >> CAROL LEONNIG AND KEN VOGEL,
I WILL MAKE A TV CONFESSION.
AT THE BEGINNING OF THIS I WOULD
HEAR KONSTANTIN KILIMNIK AND WAS
LIKE WHO’S THAT?
I THANK GOD FOR ALL OF YOUR
REPORTING ON THIS THREAD,
KEEPING IT ALIVE AND FINDING