>>> THIS WAS JANUARY, 2018. A BIG SCOOP FROM A WIRE SERVICE.
FBI INVESTIGATING WHETHER
RUSSIAN MONEY WENT TO NRA TO
HELP TRUMP IN THE 2016 CAMPAIGN.
THE STORY SAID THE FBI WAS
LOOKING INTO WHETHER A TOP
RUSSIAN BANKER WITH TIES TO THE
KREMLIN ILLEGALLY FUNNELED MONEY
TO THE NRA TO HELP DONALD TRUMP
WIN THE PRESIDENCY.
THAT RUSSIAN BANKER TIED TO THE
KREMLIN WE KNOW IS ALEXANDER
TORSION SEEN HERE WITH HIS
FAMOUS PROTEGE BU TINA.
SHE SPREAD GUILTY TO
INFILTRATING THE NRA AND OTHER
GROUPS.
GROUPS. DESPITE A TON OF REPORTING ON
RUSSIA AND BUTINA AND THE
RUSSIAN EFFORTS TO INFLUENCE THE
NRA, WE NEVER HEARD OF WHAT
BECAME OF THAT REPORTED FBI
INVESTIGATION INTO WHETHER PART
OF WHAT WAS GOING ON WITH THE
NRA IS THAT RUSSIA WAS USING THE
GROUP TO FUNNEL FOREIGN MONEY
INTO THE 2016 ELECTION TO HELP
TRUMP.
TRUMP. SOON AFTER THAT STORY FIRST
APPEARED, A WATCHDOG GROUP FILED
A COMPLAINT ASKING THE FEC TO
LOOK INTO THE COMPLAINT.
IT WAS NEVER CLEAR WHAT THE
RESPONSE AMOUNTED TO.
TODAY WE GOT A LITTLE BIT OF AN
ANSWER TO THAT WITH AN
EXCLAMATION POINT.
EXCLAMATION POINT. THE COMMISSIONER HAS JUST GONE
PUBLIC WITH THIS STATEMENT.
STAYING THAT THE REPUBLICAN
APPOINTEES ON THE FEC BASICALLY
THROTTLED THE INVESTIGATION TO
MAKE SURE THE ALLEGATIONS WERE
NEVER REALLY LOOKED INTO.
QUOTE, THIS AGENCY BARELY LIFTED
A FINGER TO FIND OUT THE TRUTH
BEHIND ONE OF THE MOST BLOCK
BUSTER CAMPAIGN FINANCE
ALLEGATIONS IN RECENT MEMORY.
THE FEC’S REPUBLICAN
COMMISSIONERS HAVE BLOCKED THE
COMMISSION FROM TAKING EVEN THE
SMALLEST STEP TO INVESTIGATE
WHETHER THERE WAS A VIOLATION.
WE DON’T KNOW AN ANSWER TO THE
QUESTION.
QUESTION. FOR THE REPUBLICAN COMMISSIONERS
TO TURN A BLIND EYE TO THE
POSSIBILITY THAT A FOREIGN
ADVERSARY SECRETLY FUNNELED TENS
OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS INTO A
PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN IS TO
BRING THEIR OBSTRUCTION TO A NEW
AND BREATHTAKINGLY DAMAGING
LEVEL.
LEVEL. SHE CLOSES, FURTHER
INVESTIGATION WAS AND IS
REQUIRED.
REQUIRED. JOINING US NOW IS THE DEMOCRATIC
MEMBER AND CURRENT CHAIR OF THE
FEDERAL ELECTION COMMISSION.
THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE.
I APPRECIATE YOUR MAKING TIME.
>> THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME,
RACHEL.
RACHEL. >> HELP ME UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU
MEAN ABOUT THE DISTANCE BETWEEN
WHAT THE FEC, WHAT YOU AND YOUR
COLLEAGUES COULD HAVE DONE HERE
AND WHAT HAS BEEN DONE.
YOU SAY YOUR REPUBLICAN
COLLEAGUES MADE SURE THE FEC
WOULD BARELY LIFT A FINGER TO
LOOK INTO THIS.
WHAT COULD THEY HAVE DONE VERSUS
WHAT THEY DID DO?
>> WE COULD HAVE DONE AN
INVESTIGATION.
INVESTIGATION. THE FEC HAS A PROCESS.
ANYBODY CAN FILE A COMPLAINT
WITH THE FEC, AND OUR LAWYERS
WILL REVIEW IT AND THEN THE
COMMISSION GETS TO DECIDE
WHETHER WE’RE ACTUALLY GOING TO
INVESTIGATE OR NOT.
AND THE REASON -- WHAT HAPPENED
TODAY WAS THE FILE WAS MADE
PUBLIC THAT SHOWED THAT THE FEC
DID NOT DO ANY INVESTIGATION IN
THIS CASE.
THIS CASE. DID NOT TAKE THE MOST BASIC STEP
OF EVEN CALLING THE FBI.
THE COMPLAINT WAS BASED ON THAT
ARTICLE WHICH SAID THE FBI WAS
INVESTIGATING.
INVESTIGATING. SO I SAID TO MY COLLEAGUES,
WELL, LET’S AT LEAST CALL THE
FBI AND ASK THEM.
AND THEN WE’LL KNOW WHETHER THE
ARTICLE WAS WELL-FOUNDED OR NOT.
WE’LL HAVE THAT BASIC QUESTION
ANSWERED
ANSWERED ANSWERED, ARE THEY INVESTIGATING
OR AREN’T THEY.
IN ANY EVENT, WE WOULD KNOW
WHETHER THE ARTICLE WAS BASED ON
REAL INFORMATION OR NOT.
AND THIS REALLY WAS DUMBFOUNDING
TO ME.
TO ME. I COULD NOT GET AGREEMENT FROM
MY COLLEAGUES FOR OUR STAFF TO
MAKE A SINGLE PHONE CALL OVER TO
THE FBI, A SISTER AGENCY, A LAW
ENFORCEMENT AGENCY.
ENFORCEMENT AGENCY. WOULDN’T HAVE BOTHERED A
CITIZEN.
CITIZEN. ALL WE NEEDED TO DO WAS CALL
ANOTHER GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEE AND
SAY ARE YOU OR ARE YOU NOT
INVESTIGATING THIS ISSUE.
COULDN’T GET THE VOTES.
COULDN’T DO IT.
>> IF THAT HAD HAPPENED,
HYPOTHETICALLY, AND IT DIDN’T,
WOULD THE FBI HAVE TOLD YOU?
I DON’T UNDERSTAND HOW THE
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN AGENCIES
WORKS ON SOMETHING LIKE THIS,
BUT WOULD THE FBI HAVE HAD TO
TELL YOU IF THEY WERE INVOLVED
IN THE INVESTIGATION.
>> THEY DON’T HAVE TO TELL US,
BUT THEY OFTEN WILL TELL US.
THEY’LL TELL US BASIC
INFORMATION.
INFORMATION. SOMETIME THEY’LL TELL US WE’RE
IN THE MIDDLE OF AN
INVESTIGATION, AND WE’D RATHER
THAT YOU JUST SIT TIGHT FOR A
WHILE AND LET US SORT IT OUT AND
SEE WHAT WE CAN FIND OUT FIRST.
AND THAT’S FINE.
THE FEC WILL OFTEN AGREE TO
ABATE THEIR INVESTIGATIONS WHILE
THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT OR FBI IS
LOOKING INTO SOMETHING.
OR SOMETIMES THEY’LL SAY WE’VE
DECIDED IT’S NOT A CRIMINAL
MATTER.
MATTER. IT MIGHT BE A CIVIL MATTER.
WE’RE HAPPY TO SHARE INFORMATION
WITH YOU.
WITH YOU. SOMETIMES THEY SAY THERE’S
REALLY VERY LITTLE WE CAN TELL
YOU, OR THEY COULD CERTAINLY
FAIRLY EASILY SAY WE DON’T KNOW
WHAT THAT ARTICLE WAS TALKING
ABOUT.
ABOUT. WE’RE NOT INVESTIGATING AT ALL.
WE JUST DON’T KNOW THE ANSWER.
>> COULD YOU AS THE CHAIR, AS AN
INDIVIDUAL COMMISSIONER CALL AND
TRY TO GET THE FBI TO TELL YOU
THAT INFORMATION, OR IT HAS TO
BE THE VOTE OF THE COMMISSION TO
DIRECT YOUR STAFF TO MAKE THE
CALL?
CALL? >> WE HAVE A MEMORANDUM OF
UNDERSTANDING WITH THE JUSTICE
DEPARTMENT.
DEPARTMENT. THE NORMAL PROCEDURE IS FOR THE
STAFF TO CALL AND MAKE THAT
REQUEST ON BEHALF OF THE AGENCY.
IT’S NOT SOMETHING THAT
INDIVIDUAL COMMISSIONERS USUALLY
DO, AND THE FBI WOULD PROBABLY
WANT TO RESPECT THAT MEMORANDUM
OF UNDERSTANDING.
OF UNDERSTANDING. THEY’D EXPECT TO HEAR FROM THE
LEGAL STAFF, FROM OUR COUNSEL’S
OFFICE, NOT FROM COMMISSIONERS.
AND OUR STAFF WOULD BE PROBABLY
AFRAID TO MAKE THAT PHONE CALL
WITHOUT THE DIRECTION OF OR AT
LEAST THE APPROVAL OF THE
COMMISSION.
COMMISSION. >> DOES ANYTHING ABOUT THE FACT
THAT THE MARIA BUTINA CASE HAS
EVOLVED, THAT SHE’S PLED GUILTY
TO UNLAWFULLY ACTING AS A SECRET
AGENT THROUGH THE NRA WITH AN
EYE TOWARD INFLUENCING THE 2016
ELECTION, THAT WAS A BIG
DEVELOPMENT IN THIS SAGA.
DID ANY OF THAT INFLECT THE WAY
THAT THIS MOVED OR DIDN’T
THROUGH THE FEC?
WERE YOUR FELLOW COMMISSIONERS
MOVED BY THAT?
>> THEY WERE AWARE OF IT.
THEY JUST DIDN’T FIND IT A
PERSUASIVE FACT IN TERMS OF
INVESTIGATING THIS COMPLAINT.
>> UNBELIEVABLE.
>> UNBELIEVABLE. >> A DEMOCRAT SERVING ON THE
ELECTION COMMISSION.
ELECTION COMMISSION. THANK YOU FOR SENDING THE FLAG
UP THE FLAG POLE TO LET PEOPLE
KNOW THIS IS HOW IT HAPPENED.
THANK YOU FOR HELPING US
UNDERSTAND IT TONIGHT.