THAT.
TRANSPARENCY ABOUT WHO WAS
PAYING FOR THE DOSSIER WAS NEVER
A FINE POINT.
>> Martha: THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
JOINING ME NOW FOR AN EXCLUSIVE
INTERVIEW.
THE COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN, NUNEZ.
>> THANK YOU FOR BEING WITH US
THIS EVENING.
I WANT TO START FIRST WITH THE
QUESTION, VERY SIMPLE QUESTION
AND ANSWERS THAT YOU REQUESTED
FROM JAMES, BE THE DIRECTOR OF
NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE AND JOHN
BRENNAN, THE HEAD OF THE CIA AT
THE TIME OF THE OBAMA
ADMINISTRATION BEFORE THE
CHANGING OF THE GUARD AT THE
WHITE HOUSE.
DID YOU GET ANSWERS TO THEM FROM
THE QUESTIONS.
REMIND ME WHAT YOU NEEDED TO
KNOW.
>> WE SENT A DOZEN PEOPLE,
ANOTHER DOZEN ON THE LIST.
PROBABLY ABOUT TWO DOZEN FOLKS
THAT WILL GET THE QUESTIONNAIRE.
THE QUESTIONNAIRE ASKS
QUESTIONS.
WHEN DID YOU KNOW THE DEMOCRATS
PAID FOR THE DOSSIER AND WHO DID
YOU TELL?
THERE'S TEN QUESTIONS IN ALL.
THAT'S THE BOTTOM LINE.
THANKFULLY WE HAVE RECEIVED --
MOST PEOPLE RESPONDED.
A FEW PEOPLE THAT ASKED FOR AN
ADDITIONAL WEEK WHICH WE GRANTED
THAT TIME.
THERE ARE PEOPLE THAT NOT
RESPONDED.
THEY SEEM TO HAVE GONE DARK.
IF THEY DID NOT RESPOND, THEY
WILL BE GETTING A SUBPOENA TO
APPEAR BEFORE CONGRESS TO BE
TREATED WITH A DEPOSITION.
BRENNAN AND JAMES CLAPPER
RESPOND?
>> YES, THEY DID.
>> SHANNON: WHAT WERE THEIR
RESPONSES?
>> ONE THING AS WE CONTINUE TO
DO THIS.
I HOPE YOU UNDERSTAND WE HAVE TO
COMPILE THIS AND CHECK IT WITH
THEIR PAST TESTIMONY AND TALK
ABOUT IT AMONG OUR COMMITTEE
MEMBERS.
I'M NOT DODGING THE QUESTION.
I JUST DON'T THINK IT WOULD BE
APPROPRIATE TO SAY ANYTHING
OTHER THAN THE FACT THAT -- THAT
THEY DID COOPERATE AND ANSWER
QUESTIONS.
>> LET ME ASK YOU THIS.
YOU REMEMBER DOUGHTY ASKING
BRENNAN WHEN HE -- WHEN HE FIRST
LEARNED ABOUT THE DOSSIER AND
WHO HAD PAID FOR IT.
HE SAID HE DIDN'T KNOW WHO HAD
PAID FOR IT.
IS THERE ANYTHING IN HIS
RESPONSE TO YOU THAT CONTRADICTS
THAT?
>> I THINK THE INTERESTING
THING JUST GOING BACK TO PUBLIC
STATEMENTS THAT WERE MADE ABOUT
THAT IS THAT -- THAT JOHN
BRENNAN RECENTLY LET OUT THAT HE
HAD HEARD FROM FOLKS IN THE
PRESS, QUESTIONS ABOUT THE
DOSSIER.
ANYTHING FURTHER THAN THAT WE'RE
GOING TO HAVE TO WAIT -- UNTIL
WE HAVE THE -- UNTIL THE
APPROPRIATE TIME TO TALK ABOUT
WHAT THE ANSWERS ARE.
>> JUST TO GO TO THE NEW YORKER
PIECE WHICH IS EXTENSIVE BY
MAYER.
IN THE STORY IT SAYS PRESIDENT
OBAMA WAS SENT AN INTELLIGENCE
BOMBSHELL BY THE CIA IN AUGUST,
THAT WOULD BE JOHN BRENNAN,
SAYING THE RUSSIANS AND PUTIN
HIMSELF ARE DIRECTLY INVOLVED IN
A CYBER CAMPAIGN AGAINST OUR
ELECTIONS.
WHERE WAS -- WHAT WAS THE CRUX
OF THAT -- THAT INFORMATION
BECAUSE IT SAYS THAT IT CAME
FROM -- FROM THE HEAD OF THE
U.K. INTELLIGENCE ARM, ROBERT
AND INCLUDED A STREAM THAT
WASN'T INTERCEPTED.
WE HAVEN'T RECEIVED
COMMUNICATION ABOUT THAT, HAVE
WE?
>> I WOULD ALSO MAKE SURE YOUR
VIEWERS KNOW THE NEW YORKER IS
KNOWN AS LEFT WING MAGAZINE.
THEY GOT THINGS WRONG.
THEY REFUSED TO MAKE RE
THEY REFUSED TO MAKE R
RETRACTIONS.
THE TAKE AWAY I HAVE IS STATING
THE OBVIOUS THAT THE RUSSIANS
ARE TRYING TO INTERFERE WITH OUR
ELECTIONS, THAT WAS -- MYSELF
AND REPUBLICANS WHO WARNED OF
THAT WAY BEFORE THE ELECTION.
SO -- WE KNEW THE RUSSIANS, WHAT
THEY WERE UP TO.
THIS IS NOTHING NEW.
THIS IS WHY PEOPLE ARE GOING
OVERBOARD WITH THIS.
THEY'RE TAKING THINGS OUT OF
CONTEXT.
THE RUSSIANS HAD AN OPERATION
AGAINST US.
THEY HAVE ALWAYS HAD AN BRAKES
THEY HAVE ALWAYS HAD AN BRAKE
OPERATION AGAINST THE UNITED
STATES OF AMERICA.
GOING BACK MANY YEARS.
THE ONE THING I TOOK FROM THE
NEW YORKER TODAY, I HAVEN'T
GOTTEN THROUGH IT BECAUSE IT IS
SO LONG.
YOU WIND YOUR WAY THROUGH IT SO
TO SPEAK.
I THINK THIS IS MORE EVIDENCE
ABOUT HOW DIRTY THIS DOSSIER IS.
MY GUESS IS -- IS THIS IS A
REHABILITATION PROJECT TO
REHABILITATE STEELE WHO WE
THOUGH WAS SUPPOSEDLY WORKING
WITH RUSSIANS TO GET
INFORMATION.
THIS IS WHAT -- WHAT CONTINUES
TO -- TO PERPLEX ME.
WE KNOW EXACTLY WHO WAS GETTING
INFORMATION FROM THE RUSSIANS.
IT WAS THE HILLARY CLINTON
CAMPAIGN.
THEY WERE GETTING INFORMATION
FROM THE RUSSIANS, DIRT ON TRUMP
TO USE IN A CAMPAIGN.
THAT'S THE VERY THING THAT FOR A
YEAR AND A HALF WEI
YEAR AND A HALF WE'V
YEAR AND A HALF WE'VE
YEAR AND A HALF WE'VE B
YEAR AND A HALF WE'VE BEE
YEAR AND A HALF WE'VE BEEN
TRYING TO INVESTIGATE WHETHER
THE TRUMP CAMPAIGN WAS GETTING
DIRT FROM THE RUSSIANS.
WE HAVE NO EVIDENCE OF THAT.
HERE IS AN EXAMPLE, EVEN IF THE
STORY IS NOT ACCURATE.
WE KNOW THE DEMOCRATS WERE
TRYING TO GET INFORMATION FROM
RUSSIANS TO USE AGAINST THE
TRUMP CAMPAIGN.
>> IN TERMS OF THE SPREADING OF
THE INFORMATION THAT WAS IN THE
DOSSIER, THERE'S A DISCUSSION
ABOUT A MEETING IN THE SUMMER
THAT STEELE HAD WITH A NUMBER OF
NATIONAL SECURITY REPORTERS.
THE AUTHOR OF THIS PIECE SAID I
WAS AMONG THEM.
HE'S OUT THIS.
HE'S BEEN PAID BY -- THROUGH --
THROUGH BERKENS BY THE DNC AND
THE CLINTON CAMPAIGN.
SO HE -- HE IS OUT THERE
SPREADING THIS INFORMATION TO
THESE REPORTERS AND -- AND JOHN
BRENNAN IS NOT AWARE OF -- OF
WHO PAID FOR THE DOSSIER?
HE SAID HE LEARNED ABOUT IT IN
PRESS CIRCLES.
>> YEAH, HE DID SAY THAT EARLY
ON.
I THINK THIS -- THIS IS JUST
MORE OF AN EXAMPLE OF HOW
OUTRAGEOUS THE PRESS COFF
ADVANTAGE HAS
ADVANTAGE HA
--VANTAGE HA
-- ANTAGE HA
COVERAGE HAS BECOME.
MANY WRITERS WERE BRIEFED BY
STEELE, MANY OF THEM HAVE THE
DOSSIER BEFORE THE ELECTION.
THE DOSSIER ON THE FACE OF IT IS
RIDICULOUS.
THIS IS SOMETHING THAT SAID THEY
WERE GOING TO GIVE SOME GUY --
SOME GUY, CARTER PAGE WAS GOING
TO GET 20 PERCENT, BE WHICH
WOULD BE BILLIONS OF DOLLARS.
IF THE FBI REALLY BELIEVES THAT,
WE GOT A TICKER PROBLEM IN THE
FBI WITH CREDIBILITY.
>> I'M SURE YOU'VE SEEN THE