>>> AHEAD OF WEDNESDAYS MEETING
TO PRESIDENT VLADIMIR PUTIN,
THERE IS ONE THING THE TWO
PRESIDENTS ACTUALLY SEE EYE ON
EYE ON, THAT RUSSIA IS AT A LOW
POINT.
>> I THINK HES RIGHT THAITST IT
A LOW POINT, AND I THINK IT
DEPENDS ON HOW HE RESPONDS IN
ACTING WITH INSTITUTIONAL NORMS.
SO FAR HE HAS NOT.
AS I TOLD HIM WHEN I WAS RUNNING
BEFORE I GOT ELECTED, BEFORE I
WAS SWORN IN, THAT I WAS GOING
TO FIND OUT WHETHER OR NOT HE,
IN FACT, DID ENGAGE IN TRYING TO
INTERFERE IN OUR ELECTION, THAT
I WAS GOING TO TAKE A LOOK AT
WHETHER HE WAS INVOLVED IN THE
CYBERSECURITY BREACH THAT
OCCURRED, ET CETERA, AND IF I
DID, I WAS GOING TO RESPOND.
>> IT IS EXPECTED THAT BIDEN
WILL TAKE A TOUGH STANCE WITH
PUTIN, AT LEAST TOUGHER THAN WE
SAW DONALD TRUMP DO AS
PRESIDENT, ESPECIALLY IN
HELSINKE.
A RETURN, IF YOU WILL, TO THE
OBAMA-ERA APPROACH OF HOW TO
HANDLE RUSSIA, WHICH IS
DESCRIBED LIKE THIS IN MY NEXT
GUESTS NEW BOOK WHICH DIVES
INTO THAT INFAMOUS OBAMA
STARE-DOWN INTO RUSSIAN
INTERFERENCE IN 2016.
QUOTE, AT SIX FOOT ONE, HE
TOWERED OVER THE RUSSIAN LEADER,
LOOKING DOWN ON HIM AND POINTING
AT HIM AS HE SPOKE.
DONT TOUCH THE VOTING MACHINES.
DONT TOUCH THE DATA.
STAY OUT OF THE SYSTEMS.
THE CIA COULD SEE THEY WERE
TRYING TO GET IN. THE BOOK IS CALLED "BATTLE FOR
THE BOOK IS CALLED "BATTLE FOR
THE SOUL."
INSIDE THE BOOK WHO WROTE IS,
TELL US MORE ABOUT WHAT WE
DIDNT HEAR ABOUT THAT LAST
MEETING?
>> THANKS FOR HAVING ME, ALICIA.
WHAT WAS GOING ON, THAT WAS A G7
MEETING IN CHINA, AND IT WASNT
A FORMAL SUMMIT.
OBAMA TOOK HIM TO TASK AND THEY
WERE STANDING THERE WITH A BUNCH
OF AIDES, INCLUDING SUSAN RICE
AT THE TIME AND INTERPRETERS.
PUTIN WAS DOING WHAT HE TENDS TO
DO WHEN HES CONFRONTED, A LOT
OF ABOUT-ISM.
OH, YOU SAY WERE GETTING
INVOLVED IN THE AMERICAN
ELECTIONS, WHAT ABOUT THE ARMED
REVOLUTION AND WHAT YOU WERE
DOING WITH UKRAINE?
IT DOESNT GO OVER WELL, AND
THATS WHEN THAT SCENE YOU JUST
READ HAPPENS, AND HE REALLY
TEARS INTO HIM AND THREATENS HIM
WITH SOME CONSEQUENCES THAT --
THEYRE STILL TOP SECRET EXACTLY
WHAT THE CONSEQUENCES WERE, BUT
IT SEEMS TO BE THAT THE OBAMA
OFFICIALS FELT LIKE THAT MAY
HAVE SCARED PUTIN FROM DOING
SOMETHING EVEN WORSE, EVEN
FURTHER THAN JUST THE
DISINFORMATION THAT THEY WERE
GOING AFTER.
>> NOW WE REALLY WANT TO KNOW
WHAT THOSE CONSEQUENCES WERE.
A QUOTE FROM YOUR BOOK STANDS
OUT PARTICULARLY WHEN YOU WRITE,
FACING NO CONSEQUENCES, THE
RUSSIANS WENT ON INTERFERING AND
GETTING AWAY WITH IT.
TALK TO US MORE ABOUT HOW
TRUMPS STAND ON RUSSIA NOW
CONNECTS TO BIDEN NEEDING TO
MAKE IT CRYSTAL CLEAR WHAT IT IS
AMERICA WONT STAND FOR.
>> WELL, LOOK, ONE OF THE BIG
QUESTIONS THAT TRUMPS
PRESIDENCY LEAVES FOR THE WORLD,
AND I THINK FOR PUTIN, IS, IS
JOE BIDENS ELECTION A TEMPORARY
PAUSE OR IS IT A REAL SHIFT BACK
TO THE WAY AMERICA ACTS ON THE
REAL STAGE AND THE WAY AMERICA
ACTS WITH RUSSIA?
PUTIN WOULD LIKE TO BELIEVE THAT
AMERICA WILL CONTINUE IN WHAT HE
SEES AS THE DECLINE AND CHANGING
ITS WAY OF APPROACHING POWER AND
CHANGING ITS WAY OF APPROACHING
RUSSIA.
BIDEN IS TRYING TO SAY, AS YOUR
GUEST POINTED OUT ON THE LAST
SEGMENT, THAT COMING FROM THE G7
AND THE NATO SUMMIT, AND THEN
COMING INTO THIS MEETING WITH
PUTIN IS TO SAY, NO, IT WAS THE
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION THAT WAS
THE ABERRATION AND THIS IS THE
ONE YOULL SEE.
>> WHAT WAS HIS MESSAGE TO THEM
AND HOW DOES THAT PLAY INTO HOW
WE SEE PRESIDENT BIDEN NOW BEING
EMBRACED AND RECOGNIZED BY WORLD
LEADERS?
>> ONE OF THE THINGS HE SAID IN
THE FINAL INTERNATIONAL MEETINGS
HE HAD AFTER TRUMPS ELECTION
WAS -- HE QUOTED THE MARIO CUOMO
LINE THAT YOU CAMPAIGN IN POETRY
AND GOVERN IN PROSE.
AMONG THE PEOPLE WHO RESPONDED
THAT WAS THE PRESIDENT OF CHILE
AT THE TIME.
OBAMA WAS TRYING TO FIGURE OUT
SOME WAY TO REASSURE WORLD
LEADERS.
THERES REPORTING IN THE BOOK
ABOUT ELECTION NIGHT WHEN AIDES
SAY TO HIM WHEN HES PUTTING OUT
THIS STATEMENT CONGRATULATING
PRESIDENT-ELECT TRUMP.
THEY SAID, DO YOU WANT TO SAY
ANYTHING TO REASSURE OUR ALLIES
AROUND THE WORLD?
AND OBAMA SAID, I DONT KNOW
WHAT TO SAY TO THEM.
I DONT KNOW WHAT THAT IS RIGHT
NOW.
BUT HE TRIED TO SAY THIS WILL
PASS, THIS IS NOT WHO WE ARE.
THIS IS A REAL QUESTION AMERICA
IS FACING FOR ALL OF US AND THAT
AMERICA IS FACING IN THE WORLD.
IS AMERICA THE WORLD THAT WAS
EMBODIED BY THE PRESIDENCIES WE
HAD BEFORE TRUMP AND MORE LIKE
THE BIDEN PRESIDENCY NOW, OR IS
IT WHAT WAS EMBODIED BY THE
TRUMP PRESIDENCY?
>> AND THATS PLAYING OUT IN SO
MANY DIFFERENT FACETS OF OUR
NATIONAL DISCOURSE, INCLUDING
THE REPORTING ON HOW TRUMP USED
THE DOJ TO SEEK OUT INFORMATION
ON OPPONENTS.
I WONDER FROM YOUR PERSPECTIVE,
DOES THIS REVELATION OFFER
DEMOCRATS THE URGENCY THAT SEEMS
TO BE LACKING FROM SOME AROUND
PROTECTING VOTING RIGHTS?
>> IT WOULD BE HARD TO THINK
WHAT COULD ADD MORE URGENCY AT
THIS POINT TO THE QUESTIONS THAT
ARE I FRONT OF THE DEMOCRATIC
PARTY.
ITS NOT LIKE THEY NEEDED THE
LATEST REPORTING TO KNOW THAT
THEY DIDNT WANT TRUMP AND
TRUMP-STYLE REPUBLICANS TO BE
BACK IN POWER.
SO ARE THE REVELATIONS OF THIS
WEEK SEARING?