>> We need to ask you to rekindle a romantic relationship with Maria Butina and-
>> Members of the FBI that you're sure where members of the FBI asked you to do this and
you know their names. >> And I know their names.
>> That is the now former CEO of Overstock.com, Patrick Byrne is his name, and he resigned
as CEO.
Following a strange press release that he put out claiming that he had a romantic relationship
with Maria Butina, that is the Russian spy who failed to register as a foreign agent
and now she's spending some time in prison as a result. Now he suggested that former
FBI agent Peter Struck and former FBI deputy director Andrew McCain and former FBI director
James Comey directed him to engage in this romantic relationship with Butina.
This whole story is out of control, it's crazy and the interview that he had with Cuomo was
crazy, but first let me show you or read to you the press release that Overstock put out.
This was his direction, this is what he wanted them to do and this was the press released
said.
Starting in 2015 I (operating under the belief that I was helping legitimate law enforcement
efforts) assisted in what are now known as the 'Clinton Investigation' and the 'Russian
Investigation' (in fact, I am the notorious 'missing Chapter 1' of the Russian investigation).
So this is what happens under Trump, everyone losses their mind.
>> But Patrick Burns always been a little strange, I've interviewed him a couple of
times and he sounds like a rational actor and he's actually been in charge of Overstock.com
for a long time and they've had good success. So obviously there's parts that are very rational
but he always has bizarre things to say and so this story is super weird on many levels.
>> Yeah it's about to get weirder more from the press release. It was the third time in
my life I helped the Men in Black, this was an official press release guys to investors,
the first was when my friend Brian Williams was murdered, and the second was when I helped
the M.I.B., meaning Men In Black, shake up Wall Street a decade ago.
Unfortunately, this third time turned out to be less about law enforcement and more
about political espionage conducted against Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump (and to a
lesser degree, Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz). And then he continues-
>> Why would people do espionage against Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump from the government,
and Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz, I don't get any of this.
>> I mean, what had happened was that, the rabbit is the raven, and the raven is not
the rabbit and the eagle has landed. >> All right so enough from this crazy press
release, let's go to his interview with Chris Cuomo and maybe that'll clear some things
up, I don't know.
>> The FBI wanted you to continue your association to get information, they never told you you
needed to have a romantic relationship with somebody.
>> Well eventually yes they did. >> They told you that you had to have a romantic
relationship? >> That's what I'm getting to which is and
it wasn't them, it's X,Y, and Z and I'm gonna tell you who they are.
They said and the very honorable men and women, the Men in Black, they said we wanna be clear
this never happens in the United States, we are the good guys. We don't work like the
bad guys but we need to ask you to rekindle a romantic relationship with Maria Butina
and-
>> Members of the FBI that you're sure were members of the FBI asked you to do this and
you know their names. >> And I know their names and they said these
orders are coming from the personal, this is being personally supervised by Y and at
the request of X and then two months later they said Mr. Z has added his name to-
>> So did you believe that Jim Comey knew that you were being asked to do these things
in the name of the United States government? >> Not only knew, I was specifically told
this request is coming from Jim Comey at the request of somebody, whom I'm not gonna name.
Do not assume it's the president, do not assume it was President Obama, do not assume that.
>> Okay, yeah, so look, you started with the raven and the that was crazier it's like X,
Y and Z. And why are you doing that? He's like, the Men in Black, but we all know it's
the FBI, so why do you keep calling them the Men in Black and then you say X, Y and Z.
But you already said it was Stork and I think McCabe and Comey, so why do you keep calling
them X Y and Z? This dude is super weird. >> Mental illness is real, how do you say
that women's name? Maria what? >> Butina.
>> I've heard Butina, I've been watching that Netflix docuseries, The Family, which everyone
needs to watch, it's incredible and so they refer to her as Butina and I like saying it
that way.
>> No I was just asking cuz if he was dating her then he would know how to say her name,
right? >> Yeah.
>> So I just wanted to make sure. >> I, yeah-
>> I mean we laugh and I'm joking but mental illness is real, this man, but this is what
I was gonna say and I'll end.
Donald Trump looks like that every day and there are people who are like this is my leader
but we are laughing at the man the Overstock, man. If this man said Patrick Busey hold my
beer and look at him right? >> Yeah.
>> He's doing all this unhinged stuff cuz mental illness is real we keep downplaying
it.
>> Well, Butina's lawyer has responded to this story and did confirm that they had a
three-year on and off relationship. >> Butina also had a relationship with a republican
operative. >> Yes.
>> She also went to the meetings of the NRA and the prayer breakfast, that's the Fellowship
of The Family, that Anna's referring to.
When asked her lawyer said well she was just an ambitious person hoping to advance her
career by improving relations between the United States and Russia.
>> Wow. >> Just by herself right? No, no sleeping
with the Republican operatives and people working with the FBI and NRA and going to
all these things.
A Russian operative, no no no no no, just all a coincidence just an ambitious young
lady.