ANDREW, WERE GOING FIX YOUR
AUDIO TO MAKE SURE THAT WEVE
GOT YOU.
JONATHAN LEMIRE, I WANT TO TAKE
THE QUESTION TO YOU OF THE
SIGNIFICANCE OF WHAT WAS SO
FORCEFULLY DENIED BY DONALD
TRUMP AND HIS CAMPAIGN.
BECAUSE IT SEEMS LIKE ANDREWS
EXPLANATION OF THIS IS THAT THIS
CLOSES THE CIRCLE.
WE KNEW THAT PAUL MANAFORT HAD
TAKEN DATA, AND I WORKED ON
CAMPAIGNS.
THE INTERNAL POLLS AND THE
TARGETING DATA ISNT EVEN
DISTRIBUTED WIDELY AMONG AN
ENTIRE CAMPAIGN STAFF.
ITS REALLY HELD CLOSELY BY
SENIOR STAFF.
THERE IS NO FUNCTION FOR FOREIGN
GOVERNMENT TO ARE THAT KIND OF
DATA UNLESS THEYRE AIDING SAID
CAMPAIGN
CAMPAIGN.
SO THIS DOES SEEM TO CLOSE THE
LINK.
ITS SOMETHING THAT THE TRUMP
CAMPAIGN DENIED OVER AND OVER
AND OVER AGAIN.
AND IT SEEMED TO COME FROM
DONALD TRUMPS EGO SAYING I WON,
IM A BIG BOY, I WON ALL BY
MYSELF.
I DIDNT NEAT PUTINS HELP.
BUT THAT SEEMS TO BLOW THAT OUT
OF THE WATER.
>> NICOLLE, IT SURE LOOKS LIKE
COLLUSION, DOESNT IT?
WHICH OF COURSE WE KNOW THAT
PRESIDENT TRUMP DENIED
REPEATEDLY, THAT WAS HIS MANTRA,
NO COLLUSION, NO COLLUSION.
BUT YOURE RIGHT.
THIS IS EXTRAORDINARY EVIDENCE.
THIS IS A SIGNIFICANT
DEVELOPMENT TODAY BY FAR, THE
FURTHEST THAT WE HAVE HEARD,
THAT ANY OF THE LAST THREE
ADMINISTRATIONS, HOW FAR THE
BIDEN ADMINISTRATION WAS WILLING
TO GO TO SUGGEST A LINK BETWEEN
THE RUSSIANS AND DONALD TRUMPS
CAMPAIGN.
WE KNOW THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION
WAS LARGELY SILENT DURING 2016.
TRUMP HIMSELF OF COURSE AND HIS
ADMINISTRATION DIDNT DO
ANYTHING ABOUT IT.
BUT NOW WERE SEEING A CHANGE.
AND IT IS SIGNIFICANT.
AS YOU JUST LAID OUT, THATS
VERY PRIZED DATA, THE CAMPAIGN
THAT ENDED IN MR. KILIMNIKS
HANDS.
THATS SOMETHING IN A CAMPAIGN
VERY FEW STAFFERS HAVE ACCESS TO
BECAUSE IT IS SO IMPORTANT.
SO IT DOES TEAM THAT AT LEAST IN
SOME MEASURE, THE RUSSIANS WERE
INTERESTED IN PERHAPS TRYING TO
HELP THE TRUMP CAMPAIGN.
NOW WHAT EXACTLY THEY DID WITH
THAT DATA REMAINS UNCLEAR, BUT
IF THEY USED IT PERHAPS IT
DOESNT TAKE TOO MUCH OF AN
INFERENCE OR LEAP TO SUGGEST
THAT MAYBE THE DATA WAS USED FOR
THEIR OWN AD CAMPAIGNS.
WE KNOW HOW THEY DOM BARDED
SOCIAL MEDIA IN 2016.
WE KNOW THE SOCIAL
MISINFORMATION CAMPAIGN.
WE KNOW IF THEY HAD ACCESS TO
THAT THEY COULD MORE FINELY
TARGET THEIR OWN EFFORTS.
SO THIS IS A SIGNIFICANT
DEVELOPMENT, AND IT COMES,
NICOLLE, CERTAINLY AS THIS NEW
ADMINISTRATION, THE BIDEN
ADMINISTRATION TAKES A MUCH
HARDER LINE WITH RUSSIA IN TERMS
OF SANCTIONS, IN TERMS OF
PUSHING BACK PUTIN, WARNING HIM
ABOUT THE BUILDUP IN UKRAINE AND
HUMAN RIGHTS, ESPECIALLY ALEXEY
NAVALNY, REPORTEDLY IN POOR
HEALTH RIGHT NOW IN A RUSSIAN
PRISON.
>> CLINT, I WANT TO READ YOU THE
TWO INVESTIGATIONS THAT
ESTABLISHED WHAT WE KNEW BEFORE
TODAY ABOUT KILIMNIK AND WHAT HE
DID WITH THE POLLING DATA THAT
PAUL MANAFORT GAVE HIM FROM THE
TRUMP CAMPAIGN.
THE MUELLER INVESTIGATION
ESTABLISHED THIS BECAUSE OF
QUESTIONS ABOUT MANAFORTS
CREDIBILITY AND OUR LIMITED
ABILITY TO GATHER EVIDENCE ON
WHAT HAPPENED TO THE POLLING
DATA AFTER IT WENT TO KILIMNIK,
THE OFFICE COULD NOT ASSESS WHAT
KILIMNIK OR OTHERS HE MAY HAVE
GIVEN IT TO DID WITH IT.
THE OFFICE DID NOT IDENTIFY
EVIDENCE OF A CONNECTION BETWEEN
MANAFORT SHARING POLLING DATA
AND RUSSIAS INTERFERENCE IN THE
ELECTION WHICH HAD ALREADY BEEN
RECORDED BY MEDIA OUTLETS A THE
TIM OF THE AUGUST 2nd MEETING
BETWEEN MANAFORT AND KILIMNIK.
THEY WROTE THIS.
A CHANNEL FOR COORDINATION ON
THE GRU HACK MAY HAVE EXISTED
THROUGH KILIMNIK, BUT THE
COMMITTEE HAD LIMITED INSIGHT
INTO KILIMNIKS COMMUNICATIONS
WITH MANAFORT AND REDACTED ALL
OF USED SOPHISTICATED
COMMUNICATION SECURITY
PRACTICES.
THE COMMITTEE US UNABLE TO
DETERMINE WHY MANAFORT SHARED
SENSITIVE POLLING DATA OR
CAMPAIGN INFORMATION WITH
KILIMNIK.
WHAT THE SANCTION LANGUAGE
DESCRIBES IN SANCTIONING
KONSTANTIN KILIMNIK IS CERTAINTY
THAT WHAT MANAFORT GAVE KILIMNIK
WAS THEN CONSUMED BY, DELIVERED
TO RUSSIAN INTELLIGENCE.
WHAT IS THE SIGNIFICANCE OF
CLOSING THAT CIRCLE, AS JONATHAN
SAID, ESTABLISHING COLLUSION?
>> THAT WAS THE MISSING PART,
NICOLLE, BECAUSE THERE WERE
SEVERAL PIECES TO IT.
AND THAT ALSO CAME OUT IN THE
SANCTIONS TODAY.
IF YOU REWIND, KILIMNIK IS AN
AGENT OF THE GRU, THE RUSSIAN
MILITARY.
THE GRU IS THE HACKING OUTFIT
THAT WENT AFTER HILLARY CLINTON,
MANY OF HER EMAILS, THE DCCC,
MANY OF THESE TARGETS WERE FROM
GRU HACKERS.
SIMPLY, THERE IS A GUY NAMED EDD
FORGET PERGOSIAN.
THEY WERE DOING VERY TARGETED
SOCIAL MEDIA OPERATIONS.
WHAT WOULD THEY NEED?
IT WOULD BE GREAT TO KNOW TWO
THINGS.
ONE, WHAT IS THE TRUMP CAMPAIGN
STRATEGY?
TWO, WHERE WOULD THEY REFINE
THEIR TARGETING NET?
AND THERE IS REALLY A THIRD ONE,
WHICH IS HOW FAR DO WE WANT TO
GO WITH THE TRUMP CAMPAIGN.
IF YOU KNOW THAT DATA, KNOW BOTH
THE TRUMP CAMPAIGN STRATEGY AND
WHAT THE POLLING STRATEGY IS
SAYING AND JURY VLADIMIR PUTIN,
YOU START TO MAKE CALCULATIONS
ABOUT HOW MUCH YOU WANT TO
INTERFERE IN THE ELECTION AND
WHERE WOULD YOU INTERFERE IN THE
ELECTION?
WHERE WOULD YOU PULL THOSE
LEVERS GOING INTO ELECTION DAY.
THATS A VERY POWERFUL LOOP.
ITS THREE PARTS.
ITS HACKING, ITS INFLUENCE ON
SOCIAL MEDIA, AND NOW WE KNOW
ABOUT ACTUAL AGENTS WHO WERE
DOING INSIDE THE TRUMP CAMPAIGN
HAVING CONNECTIONS IN TERMS OF
WHAT THAT STRATEGY IS.
THAT IS THE TRIAD OF A PERFECT
INFLUENCE AND INTERFERENCE
CAMPAIGN GOING INTO ELECTION
2016.
AND I WOULD NOTE, NICOLLE, THAT
KONSTANTIN KILIMNIK, HE IS STILL
ON TWITTER.
I GUARANTEE YOU, HE IS PROBABLY
WATCHING THIS SEGMENT RIGHT NOW,
AND HE HAS BEEN SPOTTED SEVERAL
TIMES TWEETING ABOUT WHATS
GOING ON WITH U.S. ELECTION
2020.
MANY OF THE PEOPLE SANCTIONED
TODAY, PERGOSIAN, HIS NETWORK,
IT EXTENDS INTO AFRICA.
ONE OF THE PEOPLE SANCTIONED
MALKOVICH.
MALKOVICH WAS SANCTIONED IN
2018.
HE IS NOW SANCTIONED AGAIN.
THIS SYSTEM CONTINUES TO
PERPETUATE BECAUSE WE DIDNT DO
ANYTHING DURING THOSE MIDDLE
YEARS BETWEEN 2016 AND 2020.
WE HAD VERY LIMITED ACTIONS
BECAUSE PRESIDENT TRUMP WAS THE
PRESIDENT.
AND THAT WAS ALWAYS THE BARRIER
TO GOING FULL CIRCLE LIKE WE DID
TODAY.
>> WELL, YOU JUST HINTED AT
WHERE I WANT TO GO WITH YOU,
ANDREW WEISSMANN.
DO YOU THINK THIS INTELLIGENCE
ABOUT KILIMNIKS CONDUCT AFTER
HE RECEIVED THE TARGETING AND
CAMPAIGN INFORMATION FROM
MANAFORT, WHAT HE DID WITH IT
WAS KNOWN TO U.S. INTELLIGENCE?
WHAT INFORMATION OR INTELLIGENCE
DID THE U.S. TREASURY DEPARTMENT
HAVE WHEN THEY WROTE WHAT WAS
RELEASED INTO TODAYS SANCTION
THAT YOU DID NOT HAVE AS A
MUELLER TEAM INVESTIGATOR?
>> WELL, THE ONE THING THAT ITS
CLEAR, AS YOUVE REPORTED,
NICOLLE, WE DID NOT HAVE THE
PIECE THAT IS WHAT KILIMNIK DID
WITH THE POLLING DATA THAT WE
NOW KNOW FROM THE RELEASE TODAY
ACTUALLY WENT, AS CLINT SAID,
DIRECTLY TO RUSSIAN
INTELLIGENCE.
THE INTERESTING QUESTION THAT I
DONT KNOW THE ANSWER TO IS WAS
THAT INFORMATION KNOWN TO THE
INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY AT THE
TIME OF THE MUELLER
INVESTIGATION.
YOU KNOW, MY SORT OF EDUCATED
SPECULATION ON THAT WOULD BE IT
SEEM LIKE IT WOULD HAVE TO HAVE
BEEN KNOWN BECAUSE THE BIDEN
ADMINISTRATION HAS ONLY BEEN
OPERATIONAL FOR -- IM IN NEW
YORK, SO ILL SAY A NEW YORK
MINUTE.
SO IT SEEMS UNLIKELY THAT THEY
REALLY WENT AHEAD WITH THAT DEEP
INVESTIGATION AND GOT THE
INFORMATION THAT QUICKLY.
SO THE QUESTION IS WHY DIDNT IT
GET TO THE SPECIAL COUNSEL
INVESTIGATION?
AND YOU KNOW, I SPEARHEADED
MANAFORT, PART OF THAT
INVESTIGATION.
I CAN TELL YOU IT CERTAINLY
WOULD HAVE BEEN OF GREAT
INTEREST, AND WE TRIED TO TURN
OVER EVERY ROCK THAT WE COULD TO
PROVE UP THIS LINK.
AND I WOULD JUST SAY A GOOD
ANALOGY OF THIS IS WATERGATE.
YOU KNOW, IN WATERGATE, YOU HAD
THE REPUBLICANS BREAKING INTO
THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY BECAUSE YOU
WANT TO KNOW WHAT YOUR OPPONENT
IS DOING.
WELL, NOW WE HAVE THE COMPLETE
LINK OF WE HAVE RUSSIA KNOWING
EXACTLY WHAT THE TRUMP CAMPAIGN
POLLING INFORMATION WAS AND WHAT
THEY WERE SEEING AS STRENGTHS
AND WEAKNESSES OF THEIR OWN AND
OF HILLARY CLINTON.
SO THEY COULD USE THAT TO, AS
CLINT SAID, TARGET WHAT THEY
WERE DOING IN BOTH THE HACK AND
DUMP AND ALSO THE INFLUENCE
CAMPAIGN IN TERMS OF WHAT STATES
WERE VULNERABLE OR NOT.
ONE FINAL PIECE IS ITS
IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT THIS IS
IN THE MUELLER REPORT, WHICH IS
THAT PAUL MANAFORT WAS CONVEYING
TO KILIMNIK WHAT TY WERE
SEEING IN TERMS WHICH STATES
WERE SWING STATES, INCLUDING
PLACES LIKE WISCONSIN.
AND THATS SOMETHING THAT WAS
NOT GENERALLY WELL-KNOWN.
AND SO NOW WE KNOW THAT KILIMNIK
WAS RELAYING ALL OF THAT
INFORMATION BACK TO THE GRU IN
RUSSIA.
>> WELL, AND DONALD TRUMP WAS
CARRYING OUT HIS END OF THE
BARGAIN AS WELL.
JONATHAN LEMIRE, LET ME SHOW YOU
SOME OF THE LOVE HE GAVE
VLADIMIR PUTIN.
>> PUTINS A KILLER.
>> A LOT OF KILLERS.
WE GOT A LOT OF KILLERS.
YOU THINK OUR COUNTRYS SO
INNOCENT?
IF HE SAYS GREAT THINGS ABOUT
ME, IM GOING TO SAY GREAT
THINGS ABOUT HIM.
IVE ALWAYS SAID HE IS VERY MUCH
OF A LEADER.
>> I HAVE GREAT CONFIDENCE IN MY
INTELLIGENCE PEOPLE, BUT I WILL
TELL YOU THAT PRESIDENT PUTIN
WAS EXTREMELY STRONG AND
POWERFUL IN HIS DENIAL TODAY.
>> SO JONATHAN LEMIRE, THESE
COMMENTS SORT OF BORDERED ON,
YOU KNOW, UNINFORMED TO PUZZLING
TO MAYBE DEFIANT AND DISMISSIVE
OF HIS INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY.
CERTAINLY WHAT YOU GOT FROM HIM
IN HELSINKI FALLS IN THAT
CATEGORY.
BUT NOW IN LIGHT OF THE FACT
THAT THE CIRCLE HAS BEEN
COMPLETED BETWEEN NOT SOME
LACKEY ON HIS CAMPAIGN, NOT SOME
COFFEE BOY, BUT HIS CAMPAIGN
CHAIRMAN WHO GAVE THE MOST
SENSITIVE CAMPAIGN DATA TO
CONSTANTINE KILIMNIK WHO THEN
GAVE TO IT RUSSIAN INTELLIGENCE,
IT CERTAINLY CASTS ALL OF
TRUMPS FLATTERY AND LOYALTY AND
PUBLIC SERVITUDE TO VLADIMIR
PUTIN IN A NEW LIGHT.
>> PRECISELY RIGHT.
AND THAT HAS ALWAYS BEEN THE
QUESTION HERE, RIGHT, NICOLLE,
IS TO WHAT REALLY MOTIVATED
PRESIDENT TRUMP WITH HIS
ADORATION -- LETS USE THAT
WORD -- OF VLADIMIR PUTIN.
AND LOOK, WE KNOW SOME OF IT CAN
BE ASCRIBED TO THE FACT THAT
TRUMP IS ALWAYS DRAWN TO STRONG
MEN, NOT JUST PUTIN, BUT OTHERS
AROUND THE GLOBE AS WELL.
BUT IT ALWAYS RAN DEEPER THAN
THAT WITH PUTIN.
IT RAN -- IT RAN, YOU KNOW, TO
THE POINT WHERE IT SORT OF
DEFINED AMERICAN POLICY.
AND THERE WAS CERTAINLY SOME
LEVELS OF THE GOVERNMENT THAT
DID ISSUE SANCTIONS ON THE
RUSSIANS.
THE SENATE, AND IT WAS A RARE
MOMENT WHERE THEY REBUKED
PRESIDENT TRUMP, THE
REPUBLICAN-CONTROLLED SENATE
WHEN THEY ALSO TOOK MEASURES
AGAINST RUSSIA.
BUT THAT TONE WAS NEVER SET FROM
THE TOP.
AND WE KNOW THAT THERE WAS
NEVER -- TRUMP NOT ONLY DENIED
IT IN HELSINKI WHEN HE SIDED
WITH PUTIN OVER U.S.
INTELLIGENCE, BUT LATER HE
REPEATEDLY DID.
AND IF WE MOCK WARNED PUTIN,
DONT EVER DO IT AGAIN AT THE
FOLLOWING YEAR WHEN HE REFUSED
TO CONFRONT HIM ON REPORTS OF
POSSIBLE BOUNTIES ON AMERICAN
SOLDIERS.
THERE HAS CERTAINLY BEEN
EXHAUSTIVE INVESTIGATIONS INTO
FINANCE -- POTENTIAL FINANCIAL
LINKS, OTHER MEASURES.
TALK OF KOMPROMAT THAT INVOLVED
THE RUSSIANS.
NOW IT DOES RAISE MORE
QUESTIONS.
WHAT EXACTLY WAS THE OTHER END
OF THE DEAL HERE.