BUT IT’S GOING TO BE A GOOD CHRISTMAS.
CHRISTMAS. >> THAT’S CUTE.
DON’T GIVE AWAY WHAT YOU GOT.
OKAY.
OKAY. >>> SO LET’S GET TO THE NEWS.
THERE’S REALLY NOTHING TO
TALK ABOUT.
TALK ABOUT. ANOTHER REALLY QUIET MORNING
HERE.
HERE. THERE’S BEEN SWIFT REACTION ON
CAPITOL HILL TO A PAIR OF
REPORTS RELEASED BY THE SENATE
DETAILING RUSSIA’S EFFORTS TO
INFLUENCE AMERICAN POLITICS
DURING THE 2016 ELECTION AND
AFTERWARDS.
AFTERWARDS. RESEARCHERS DUG THROUGH MILLIONS
OF SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS CREATED BY
A RUSSIAN BASED FIRM CALLED
INTERNET RESEARCH AGENCY.
THE REPORTS FOUND THAT IT WAS
THE AGENCY’S MISSION TO HELP
DONALD TRUMP AND HURT HIS
OPPONENT, HILLARY CLINTON, BY
SPREADING DISINFORMATION.
SPREADING DISINFORMATION. >> OF COURSE, WE KNEW MOST OF
THAT.
THAT. >> ACCORDING TO THE REPORTS, THE
AGENCY SPREAD MESSAGES AIMED AT
SUPPRESSING TURNOUT AMONG
DEMOCRATIC VOTERS, PARTICULARLY
AMONG AFRICAN-AMERICANS.
AMONG AFRICAN-AMERICANS. RESEARCHERS COUNTED MORE THAN
260 MILLION ENGAGEMENTS WITH THE
RUSSIAN’S FIRM’S CONTENT ON
FACEBOOK AND INSTAGRAM ALONE.
>> HERE IS THE THING.
THEY DO THAT IN ELECTIONS,
RIGHT?
RIGHT? SO AFTER THE ELECTIONS, MIKA,
I’M SURE THEY SORT OF PACKED UP
THEIR BAGS AND GOT ON THE
BOAC --
BOAC -- >> NO.
>> NO. >> -- FLEW BACK AND IT WAS ON
OVER.
OVER. >> NO.
>> NO. THE RUSSIAN DISINFORMATION TEAMS
WERE STILL POSTING ON SOCIAL
MEDIA.
MEDIA. >> WHO IN THE WORLD WOULD THEY
TARGET?
TARGET? >> SPECIAL COUNSEL ROBERT
MUELLER.
MUELLER. >> WOW.
>> WOW. OKAY.
OKAY. SO LET’S JUST -- WILLIE GEIST, I
GUESS NOTHING SHOULD SURPRISE US
AT THIS POINT.
BUT THE RUSSIANS ARE SO IN BED
WITH DONALD TRUMP, SO TO SPEAK,
THAT NOT ONLY DID THEY HELP
HIM -- THEY DID EVERYTHING THEY
COULD DO.
COULD DO. THEIR SPY AGENCIES DID
EVERYTHING THEY COULD DO.
THE EX KGB AGENT DID EVERYTHING
THEY COULD DO TO HELP THE
REPUBLICANS WIN IN 2016.
BUT THAT WASN’T ENOUGH.
NOW WE FIND OUT THAT THEY WERE
FOCUSSING THEIR EFFORTS ON
ROBERT MUELLER, WHO IS
CONDUCTING INVESTIGATION INTO
RUSSIA WHO IS WORKING FOR THE
JUSTICE DEPARTMENT.
JUSTICE DEPARTMENT. >> YEAH.
>> YEAH. IT’S REALLY FASCINATING.
WE SHOULD POINT OUT THIS REPORT
WAS ORDERED BY THE
REPUBLICAN-LED SENATE INTEL
COMMITTEE LED BY RICHARD BURR OF
Mc
Mc NORTH CAROLINA.
NORTH CAROLINA. BUT, JOE, EVERYTHING WE KNEW
BEFORE THIS WAS RUSSIA HELPED
DONALD TRUMP GET ELECTED BECAUSE
THEY BELIEVED HIS POLICIES WOULD
BE BETTER FOR RUSSIA.
BUT NOW HE’S ALREADY IN THE
WHITE HOUSE AND RUSSIA IS
CONTINUING TO WORK ON DONALD
TRUMP’S BEHALF, GOING AFTER
ROBERT MUELLER, POSTING ACROSS
FACEBOOK AND TWISTER AND
INSTAGRAM.
INSTAGRAM. YOU KNOW, DIFFERENT POSTS THAT
GO AFTER ROBERT MUELLER AND
CRITICIZE HIM AND TRY TO
UNDERMINE THE INVESTIGATION THAT
THEY KNOW HE’S UNDERTAKING.
VERY INTERESTING, MATT MILLER,
WHY WOULD RUSSIA, AFTER DONALD
TRUMP IS ALREADY IN THE WHITE
HOUSE, WHAT IS THE INTEREST OF
RUSSIAN OPERATIVES?
RUSSIAN OPERATIVES? WHAT IS THE INTEREST OF VLADIMIR
PUTIN IN CONTINUE TOGGLE
EXCAVATE AND PROMOTE DONALD
TRUMP THAN TO TAKE TAKE DOWN
ROBERT MUELLER?
ROBERT MUELLER? >> WELL, THEY SPENT A LOT OF
MONEY AND MADE A LOT OF EFFORT
TO GET THEIR GUY THERE AND I
THINK THEY WANT TO KEEP THEM
THERE.
THERE. I THINK YOU HIT ON WHAT IS THE
MOST IMPORTANT THING IN THIS
REPORT.
REPORT. IT’S NOT JUST THAT THE RUSSIANS
TRIED TO INTERFERE IN THE
ELECTION TO GET DONALD TRUMP
ELECTED.
ELECTED. WE KNEW THAT.
WE’VE KNOWN THAT FOR A LONG
TIME.
TIME. IT’S THAT THEIR MESSAGES ECHO
WHAT THE PRESIDENT SAYS.
WE SEE THEM TRYING TO SUPPRESS
THE VOTE, THE CAMPAIGN MANAGER
BRAGGED ABOUT DOING IT.
WE SEE THEM ECHOING THE
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGES, ATTACKING
THE FBI, TRYING TO UNDERMINE BOB
MUELLER.
MUELLER. WHAT IT SHOWS IS THAT THE
PRESIDENT KIND OF SETS THE TONE
HERE AND YOU SEE THE TONE THAT
HE SETS BEING CARRIED OUT NOT
JUST BY HIS SUPPORTERS HERE, BUT
FOR THE ONLINE ARMY WHICH IS A
RUSSIAN-PAID, RUSSIAN FINANCE
DIRECTED EFFORT TO UNDERMINE
AMERICAN CONFIDENCE IN
DEMOCRACY, UNDERMINE AMERICAN
CONFIDENCE IN INSTITUTIONS AND
ULTIMATELY WEAKEN THE SPECIAL
COUNSEL.
COUNSEL. >> JOHN MEACHUM, THIS UNDERLINES
WHAT THE PRESIDENT’S OWN CABINET
SAYS IN THAT PRESS CONFERENCE
MOMENTS AGO WHEN YOU HAD THE
PRESIDENT’S SECRETARY FOR
HOMELAND SECURITY SAYING
AMERICAN DEMOCRACY WAS UNDER
THREAT.
THREAT. WELL, WE THOUGHT THEY WERE JUST
TALKING ABOUT WHILE ELECTIONS
WERE BEING HELD.
THIS IS OBVIOUSLY A 24/7 MISSION
BY ARE RUSSIAN SPY A AGENCY TO
UNDERMINE AMERICAN DEMOCRACY.
>> AND I HATE TO PUT IT LIKE
THIS, BUT LIKE ALL GREAT
ENEMIES, LIKE ALL GREAT FOES,
THEY HAVE FOUND A WAY TO MAKE
OUR GREATEST STRENGTH OUR
GREATEST WEAKNESS, WHICH IS OUR
ESSENTIAL OPENNESS IN
TECHNOLOGICAL AND DIGITAL SENSE.
THEY ARE TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THE
AMERICAN ETHOS OF FREE
EXPRESSION TO CONDUCT A
CONCENTRATED PROPAGANDA CAMPAIGN
ON BEHALF OF A PARTICULAR PERSON
AND THAT PARTICULAR PERSON’S
POLITICAL AGENDA.
POLITICAL AGENDA. AND I DON’T KNOW HOW MANY TIMES
WE’VE SAID THIS, BUT WE’LL SAY
IT ONE MORE TIME AND KEEP DOING
IT.
IT. THE FAILURE OF THOSE WHO
REFLEXIVELY SUPPORT THE
PRESIDENT TO CREDIT THIS KIND OF
INFORMATION AND THIS KIND OF
INVESTIGATION TO ALLOW IT TO
SHAPE THEIR VIEW OF THAT
PRESIDENT AND THAT PROGRAM IS
ONE OF THE MYSTERIES OF THE AGE.
AND IT CAN CHANGE QUICKLY.
IT CHANGED WITH JOE McCARTHY.
IT CHANGED WITH WATERGATE.
BUT IT HASN’T CHANGED YET.
AND I JUST THINK THE MORE
INFORMATION LIKE THIS, THE MORE
HARD DATA, THE MORE WE’RE GOING
TO HAVE TO FIGURE OUT WHY 38 TO
40% OF THE COUNTRY REFUSES TO
SEE WHAT IS SO OBVIOUS TO
EVERYONE ELSE.
EVERYONE ELSE. >> AND THE COMPLIANT CONGRESS,
ESPECIALLY THE COMPLIANT MEMBERS
OF THE HOUSE.
OUR FOUNDERS COULD HAVE NEVER
IMAGINED THAT A FOREIGN POWER
WOULD POSE SUCH A DIRECT THREAT
TO AMERICAN DEMOCRACY AS
PRESIDENT TRUMP’S OWN INTEL
CHIEFS AND DIRECTOR OF HOMELAND
SECURITY SAID THEY DID, YET YOU
HAVE REPUBLICANS IN CONGRESS WHO
ARE COMPLIANT WHO NOT ONLY
IGNORE THE ATTACKS FROM RUSSIA,
BUT ACTUALLY DOUBLE DOWN ON THE
AA TACK AS FROM RUSSIA.
WHAT THESE RUSSIANS WERE SAYING
ABOUT ROBERT MUELLER, YOU HAD A
LOT OF MEMBERS IN THE HOUSE OF
REPRESENTATIVES SAYING THE SAME
EXACT THING.
EXACT THING. AND I WANT TO GO TO MATT MILLER
FOR A SECOND.
MATT, WHILE DEMOCRACY IS UNDER
ATTACK, WE HAVE THE "NEW YORK
TIMES" REPORTING THAT SOCIAL
MEDIA, FACEBOOK, TWITTER,
INSTAGRAM, IGNORED ONE WARNING
SIGN AFTER ANOTHER, FAILED TO
TAKE ONE CURATIVE STEP AFTER
ANOTHER, AND BASICALLY ALLOWED
THIS TO CONTINUE BECAUSE THEY
WERE MAKING MONEY OFF OF A
SYSTEM THAT ACTUALLY, AS
MADELEINE
MADELEINE MADELEINE ALLBRIGHT AND SOME
PEOPLE WE WERE WITH AT DNI A
COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO HAVE SAID
HAVE TURNED TECHNOLOGY INTO A
HOPEFUL DEVELOPMENT FOR
DEMOCRACY INTO ACTUALLY A
THREAT.
THREAT. >> YES.
>> YES. >> YOU KNOW, WE HAVE NOT GOTTEN
ANYWHERE CLOSE AS A SOCIETY TO
FIGURING OUT HOW TO DEAL WITH
THIS THREAT.
THIS THREAT. THE SOCIAL MEDIA COMPANIES
CLEARLY HAVEN’T YET GOTTEN THEIR
ARMS AROUND IT.
THEY’VE INVESTED A BUNCH OF NEW
RESOURCES.
RESOURCES. FACEBOOK BRAGS ALL THE TIME THAT
THE WAR ROOM IS SET UP TO
MONITOR THIS ACTIVITY GOING
FORWARD.
FORWARD. BUT IT’S NOT CLEAR YET THAT THEY
HAVE A REAL HANDLE ON IT AND I
DON’T THINK WE’LL KNOW UNTIL THE
NEXT PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION WHEN
WE SEE THE RUSSIAN ARMY OUT IN
FORCE TRYING TO RE-ELECT THE
PRESIDENT THEY SUPPORTED THE
FIRST TIME.
FIRST TIME. BUT I THINK EVEN ASIDE FROM THE
SOCIAL MEDIA COMPANIES, THERE IS
A RESPONSIBILITY FOR OUR LEADERS
AND FOR OUR INSTITUTIONS.
REPUBLICAN ARES IN CONGRESS
REALLY HAVE TO STAND UP AND SAY,
LOOK, WE HAVE DIFFERENCES OF
OPINION HERE.
OPINION HERE. OTHERS MAY NOT.
BUT WE ALTOGETHER REJECT
INTERFERENCE BY A FOREIGN POWER.
WE ALTOGETHER REJECT PEOPLE
SPREADING LIES AND CONSPIRACY
THEORIES.
THEORIES. IT’S HARD FOR THE REPUBLICANS TO
SAY THAT WHEN YOU HAVE THE
LEADER OF THEIR PARTY SETTING
THE OPPOSITE TONE OVER AND OVER
AGAIN.
AGAIN. >> AND, JOE, I WOULD SUBMIT AND
DEFER TO PROFESSOR MEACHUM ON
THIS, BUT I WOULD SUBMIT THAT WE
HAVE INFER HAD A MOMENT LIKE WE
HAVE LIKE NOW AND IT ENTAILS THE
PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES
WHO TAKES THE FIELD NEARLY EVERY
DAY WITH THE INTENT TO SOW CHAOS
AND DISRUPTION AND DIVISION
WITHIN OUR POLITICAL SYSTEM.
THAT WORKS HAND AND GLOVE WITH
WHAT VLADIMIR PUTIN HAVE SET OUT
TO DO TO THIS HAD COUNTRY.
AND FOR THE FIRST TIME, I THINK
IN MY MEMORY, AND I DON’T KNOW
ABOUT ANYBODY ELSE’S MEMORY, WE
HAVE AN ENTIRE POLITICAL PARTY
STANDING BY THE SIDELINES
BASICALLY CHEERING THIS BEHAVIOR
ON.
ON. I DON’T THINK IT’S EVER OCCURRED
BEFORE.
BEFORE. IT’S HIGHLY DANGEROUS.
AND, AGAIN, TO YOUR POINT THAT
YOU JUST RAISED, WHERE ARE THE
REPUBLICANS?
REPUBLICANS? FORMER DIRECTOR COMEY SPOKE TO
THIS YESTERDAY.
THIS YESTERDAY. WHERE ARE THEY IN THIS PIVOTAL
MOMENT IN HISTORY?
I DON’T KNOW WHETHER YOU AGREE
WITH ME OR NOT, BUT I HAVE
NEVER, EVER, EVER ON A DAILY
BASIS SEEN A COUNTRY SO IMMUNE
TO THE TERROR, TO THE TREASONOUS
BEHAVIOR THAT IS GOING ON RIGHT
WITHIN US.
WITHIN US. >> IT’S QUITE THE CONTRAST FROM,
YOU KNOW, TEN YEARS AGO WHEN
REPUBLICAN ORTHODOXY WAS STRONG
FOREIGN POLICY, THE DEMOCRATS
ARE WEAK, THE UBER HAWKS AT THE
PEAT.
PEAT. AND NOW YOU HAVE THIS STUNNING
EVIDENCE OF INTERVENTION IN ON
OUR ELECTION AND JUST BLATANTLY,
THE RUSSIANS ARE TRYING TO SOW
DISCORD, THEY ARE TRYING TO JUST
MAKE WORSE THE RACIAL WOUNDS
WITHIN THIS COUNTRY.
THEY’RE TRYING TO SUPPRESS THE
VOTE.
VOTE. AND YOU HAVE REPUBLICANS WHO ARE
SILENT AND SEEMINGLY OKAY WITH
THIS KIND OF ATTACK ON OUR
DEMOCRACY.
DEMOCRACY. >> NOT ONLY SILENT, AS JAMES
COMEY SAID YESTERDAY, THEY
ACTUALLY WENT ON THE ATTACK.
AS WE’VE SAID BEFORE, YOU CAN
ACTUALLY LOOK AT WHAT VLADIMIR
PUTIN’S GOALS ARE, WHAT THE
GRU’S GOALS ARE, WHAT THE
RUSSIAN MILITARY’S GOALS ARE.
AND YOU ACTUALLY HAVE
REPUBLICANS IN THE HOUSE DOING
HIS BIDDING.
HIS BIDDING. IT WASN’T JUST DANA RORHBACHER.
JAMES COMEY SAID IT YESTERDAY
AFTER THAT HEARING THAT NOT ONLY
ARE THEY NOT ASKING THE TOUGH
QUESTIONS ABOUT HOW TO.STOP
MEDDLING FROM THE RUSSIANS, THEY
ARE TRYING ACTIVELY TO UNDERMINE
AN INVESTIGATION THAT IS
SUPPOSED TO UNCOVER THAT
INTERFERENCE.
INTERFERENCE. THEY DON’T WANT IT UNCOVERED,
APPARENTLY, BECAUSE THERE ARE A
LOT OF REPUBLICANS THAT
UNDERSTAND THAT THE GAME WAS
RIGGED, BUT IT WAS RIGGED FOR
THEM BY THE RUSSIANS.
>> AND THAT COMPLICITY IS THE