INTERFERENCE IN THE 2016 ELECTION, CONCERNS ABOUT THE
2020 ELECTION AND JUST HOW
FRAGILE OUR ELECTORAL
INFRASTRUCTURE IS.
INFRASTRUCTURE IS. MIKE McFAUL JOINS ME NOW.
MIKE, WHEN WE BOOKED YOU THIS
MORNING, WE ONLY WERE GOING TO
TALK ABOUT WHAT MUELLER SAID AND
IN BETWEEN WE GET THE FIRST OF
WHAT IS GOING TO BE A SERIES OF
BIPARTISAN REPORTS FROM THE
SENATE INTEL COMMITTEE.
YOU KNOW, LIKE ALL OF THESE
THINGS, WE KNEW IT WAS
EXTENSIVE, BUT OH, MY, IT WAS
MORE EXTENSIVE.
MORE EXTENSIVE. YOUR INITIAL REACTION.
>> WELL, CHUCK, I’VE BEEN AT
WORK ALL DAY AND HAVEN’T READ
THE REPORT.
THE REPORT. I KNEW IT WAS COMING.
I TESTIFIED BEFORE THAT
COMMITTEE.
COMMITTEE. WE KNEW IT WAS EXTENSIVE.
THERE’S NOW WIDESPREAD AGREEMENT
ABOUT WHAT THE RUSSIANS DID.
THE TROUBLE IS THERE’S NOT
WIDESPREAD AGREEMENT WHAT SHOULD
BE DONE.
BE DONE. AND REMEMBER, MUELLER’S REPORT
WAS NOT A 911 LIKE BIPARTISAN
COMMISSION WHERE IT SPELLED OUT
BHEETH HAD HAPPENED AND WHAT
SHOULD BE DONE AND I FIND IT
RATHER SHOCKING WHERE JULY 2019,
WE’RE TWO AND A HALF YEARS OUT,
JUST A FEW MONTHS AWAY FROM THE
ELECTION AND WE STILL ARE
ARGUING ABOUT THE PRESCRIPTIONS
AND NO LEGISLATION HAS PASSED
YET THAT ENHANCES THE SECURITY
OF AMERICAN VOTERS COME NEXT
YEAR.
YEAR. >> YOU KNOW, AND I’M GOING TO BE
AS CRASS AS I CAN POLITICALLY
HERE WHICH WILL MAKE MY FRIENDS
ON SOCIAL MEDIA HAPPY.
IT’S THIS.
IT’S THIS. THE IRONY HERE IS POLITICALLY
THE EASIEST THING FOR PRESIDENT
TRUMP TO DO WOULD BE TO CHAMPION
AND SIGN THESE ELECTORAL
SECURITY BILLS.
SECURITY BILLS. IS THE EASIEST THING IS TO
ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THIS IS A
THREAT.
THREAT. WHAT IS IT -- I’M SAYING IT
SLIGHTLY RHETORICALLY HERE.
BUT WHAT DOES THAT TELL YOU HE
DOESN’T WANT EVEN WANT TO DO THE
EASY POLITICS TO MAKE IT LOOK
LIKE HE CARES ABOUT THIS?
HE TRULY DOESN’T CARE ABOUT
THIS.
THIS. >> IT’S JUST SHOCKING.
I DON’T KNOW ANOTHER WORD TO PUT
IT.
IT. I THINK SOMEHOW, I’M JUST
PSYCHOANALYZING HERE NOW, BUT I
THINK SOMEHOW HE THINKS IT MIGHT
PLAY TO HIS FAVOR AND WHAT I
THINK THE PRESIDENT IS
FORGETTING IS.
FORGETTING IS. >> FAVOR MEANING WHAT.
>> RUSSIANS ARE NOT THE ONLY
ACTOR.
ACTOR. >> RUSSIA, IF YOU’RE LISTENING?
>> HE SAID IT HIMSELF.
RIGHT?
RIGHT? I’M, I DON’T NEED TO PUT WORDS
INTO HIS MOUTH.
HE SAID IF THEY GOT SOMETHING
INTERESTING, HE WOULD TAKE A
LOOK.
LOOK. WHAT HE’S NOT REMEMBERING, TWO
THINGS.
THINGS. ONE, PUTIN DOESN’T CARE ABOUT
TRUMP.
TRUMP. PUTIN WANTS TO WEAKEN US.
HE THOUGHT IT WAS INSTRUMENTAL
TO HIS FAVOR TO SUPPORT TRUMP TO
WEAKEN US, AND I THINK PUTIN HAS
ACHIEVED THAT OBJECTIVE.
NUMBER TWO, EVEN BIGGER, PUTIN
IS NOT THE ONLY ONE THAT CAN DO
THIS TO YOU.
DO YOU THINK THE IRANIANS IF
THEY BREAK INTO OUR SYSTEMS ON
ELECTION DAY ARE GOING TO
FALSIFY THE VOTE IN SUPPORT OF
PRESIDENT TRUMP?
PRESIDENT TRUMP? DO YOU THINK THE CHINESE ARE?
DO YOU THINK THE SILICON HACKERS
THAT DON’T LIKE THE PRESIDENT
ARE GOING TO PLAY THE PLAYBOOK
ON BEHALF OF TRUMP?
>> YOU REALIZE THAT WAS THE
FINAL SEASON OF "VEEP."
.
. THE SPEIER PREMISE.
IT’S WHICH CANDIDATE IS GOING TO
SUCK UP TO THE CHINESE MORE.
IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE A COMEDY.
AND IT DIDN’T FEEL LIKE A
COMEDY.
COMEDY. >> I DID NOT KNOW THAT FACT,
CHUCK.
CHUCK. THANKS FOR TELLING ME THAT.
I DO WORRY ABOUT IT A LOT.
I WORRY ESPECIALLY, YOU KNOW,
THE DISINFORMATION PIECE, YOU
KNOW, THAT CAN BE HANDLED.
COMPANIES OUT HERE ARE TRYING TO
WORK WITH IT.
I SUPPORT THE LEGISLATION THAT
WOULD PROVIDE MORE INFORMATION
ABOUT THAT.
ABOUT THAT. I DON’T SEE IT GOING FORWARD.
THE THING I REALLY WORRY ABOUT
IS SOMETHING ON ELECTION DAY,
EVEN SOME FRAGMENT, 100, 1,000
VOTERS IN WHICH IS THAT SHOW UP,
THEIR NAMES AREN’T ON THE LIST
AND YOU AND I AND EVERYBODY
FOCUSES ON THAT.
IN A CLOSE ELECTION, THAT COULD
BE BECOME SCANDALOUS.
THAT COULD BECOME THREATENING TO
OUR DEMOCRACY, ESPECIALLY IF
PRESIDENT TRUMP IS NOT WINNING.
THEN HE CAN SAY WELL, HEY, I
TOLD YOU IT WAS GOING TO BE
FALSIFIED.
FALSIFIED. NOW IT HAS.
THEN WE’RE REALLY IN A
CONSTITUTIONAL CRISIS.
CONSTITUTIONAL CRISIS. THIS IS SERIOUS STUFF.
>> BECAUSE I HAVE YOUR NATIONAL
SECURITY BRAIN ON THE SHOW, IT
WAS A TOPIC I QUICKLY BROUGHT UP
EARLIER IN THE SHOW AND IT HAS
TO DO WITH THE PRESIDENT
BASICALLY NOT WANTING TO PUB
NISH TURKEY FOR WORKING WITH THE
RUSSIANS.
RUSSIANS. AND I SIT HERE AND IT COMES IN
THE SAME WEEK AS WE HAVE THE
MUELLER REPORT.
MUELLER REPORT. WHY THE SHOULDN’T WE TIE THOSE
TWO THINGS TOGETHER?
>> YOU KNOW, THE HIGH MOW POE
THESIS IS STILL THERE.
YOU HEARD MUELLER SAY YESTERDAY
HE DID NOT INVESTIGATE FINANCIAL
FIPZ WE’VE BEEN SPECULATING
ABOUT THAT FOR A LONG TIME AS TO
WHY.
WHY. HE SAID IT WAS NOT IN HIS
PURVIEW.
PURVIEW. I DO THINK IT IS ONE OF THE
ODDITIES.
ODDITIES. >> IS THERE ANOTHER EXPLANATION,
LET ME ASK YOU THIS.
IS THERE ANOTHER EXPLANATION FOR
WHY THE PRESIDENT WOULD NOT WANT
TO PUNISH TURKEY HERE WHILE
EVERYBODY ELSE DOES IN THIS
COUNTRY?
COUNTRY? AND I’M QUICK HERE.
I APOLOGIZE.
I APOLOGIZE. >> YES, THERE IS.
THAT IS BECAUSE PRESIDENT TRUMP
HAS NOT ONLY EMBRACED PUTIN BUT
OTHER DICTATORS AROUND THE
WORLD.
WORLD. THERE’S A PATTERN BEYOND RUSSIA.
WE STILL DON’T KNOW THE FULL
DETAILS FINANCIAL RELATIONSHIPS
BETWEEN THE TRUMP ORGANIZATION
AND RUSSIANS.
AND RUSSIANS. >> MIKE McFAUL, I’M GOING TO