>>> WHEN DONALD TRUMP’S CAMPAIGN HANDLERS TOLD HIM TO SAY HE
WOULD DRAIN THE SWAMP IN
WASHINGTON, HE DIDN’T UNDERSTAND
WHAT DRAIN THE SWAMP MEANT.
HE HAD NEVER HEARD THAT PHRASE
BEFORE.
BEFORE. HE DIDN’T WANT TO USE IT.
BUT THEN HE READ IT ON THE TELL
PROMPTER AT ONE OF HIS RALLIES
AND THE CROWD WENT WILD BECAUSE
THEY UNDERSTOOD WHAT IT MEANT.
CLEAN UP THE CORRUPTION IN
WASHINGTON.
WASHINGTON. THE WAY DONALD TRUMP PROMISED TO
DO THAT WAS TO PUT A RICH GUY IN
CHARGE IN THE WHITE HOUSE WHO
COULD NOT BE BRIBED AND THEN HE
WOULD HIRE OTHER RICH GUYS WHO
WOULD NOT BE BRIBED.
>> I LOVE ALL PEOPLE, RICH OR
POOR.
POOR. BUT IN THOSE PARTICULAR
POSITIONS, I JUST DON’T WANT A
POOR PERSON.
POOR PERSON. DOES THAT MAKE SENSE?
DOES THAT MAKE SENSE?
>> AND, SO, DONALD TRUMP HIRED
THE RICHEST SECRETARY OF
COMMERCE IN HISTORY, WHO FORBES
MAGAZINE IS NOW CALLING AMONG
THE BIGGEST GRIFTERS IN AMERICAN
HISTORY.
HISTORY. AND CHRIS COLLINS WAS ARRESTED
AND CHARGED WITH INSIDER
TRAINING AND LYING TO THE FBI.
HE PLEADED NOT GUILTY TODAY IN
FEDERAL COURT IN MANHATTAN.
PROSECUTORS ALLEGE THAT THE
CONGRESSMAN SHARED INSIDE
INFORMATION WITH HIS SON ABOUT A
BIO TECH COMPANY IN WHICH THEY
WERE BOTH HEAVILY INVESTED.
CONGRESSMAN COLLINS SON AND HIS
SON’S WIFE AND FAMILY MEMBERS
IMMEDIATELY SOLD OFF THEIR
STOCK, AVOIDING $750,000 IN
LOSSES WHEN THE STOCK LOST 90%
OF ITS VALUE AS SOON AS THE
INSIDE INFORMATION, WHICH WAS
BAD NEWS FOR THE COMPANY, BECAME
PUBLIC INFORMSATION A FEW DAYS
LATER.
LATER. CONGRESSMAN COLLINS ACTUALLY
MADE PHONE CALLS TO HIS SON TO
PASS ALONG THE INSIDE
INFORMATION WHILE HE WAS AT A
WHITE HOUSE CONGRESSIONAL PICKNI
LAST YEAR.
LAST YEAR. THERE IS VIDEO OF HIM MAKING
THOSE PHONE CALLS.
RON WIDEN SAID THE COLLINS
INDICTMENT REPRESENTS EVERYTHING
TRUMP AND HIS ALLIES HAVE STOOD
FOR SINCE TAKING OFFICE.
INSIDERS GETTING SPECIAL DEALS
WHILE AMERICANS ARE LEFT IN THE
DUST.
DUST. FORBES HAS UNCOVERED A PATTERN
ABOUT THE TRUMP SECRETARY OF
COMMERCE WILLBUR ROSS.
FORBES UNCOVERED A PATTERN.
MANY OF THOSE WHO WORKED
DIRECTLY WITH HIM CLAIM THAT
ROSS WRONGLY LYLY LYLY SIPHONED
AT LEAST, IF YOU CONSIDER THEM
INDIVIDUALLY, BUT ALL TOLLED,
THESE ALLEGATIONS WOULD SPARK
LAWSUITS, REIMBURSEMENTS AND SEC
Pantene. World‘s number one... conditioner brand.
conditioner brand. CHRIS COLLINS REFUSED TO TAKE
QUESTIONS TONIGHT WHEN HE MADE A
BRIEF STATEMENT TO THE PRESS.
>> I BELIEVE I ACTED PROPERLY
AND WITHIN THE LAW AT ALL TIMES
WITH REGARD TO MY TO FILLUATION.
I HAVE FOLLOWED ALL RULES AND
ETHICAL GUIDELINES WHEN IT
BECOMES TO MY PERSONAL
INVESTMENTS.
INVESTMENTS. >> JOINING OUR DISCUSSION NOW,
DAN ALEXANDER AND JIM O’BRIAN,
EXECUTIVE EDITOR OF BLOOMBERG
OPINION.
OPINION. AND DAN ALEXANDER, I WANT TO
START WITH YOU AND YOUR
EXTRAORDINARY REPORTING ON
WILBUR ROSS.
WILBUR ROSS. BEING FAMILIAR WITH HIS BUSINESS
AND HIS BUSINESS HISTORY, I HAVE
BEEN WAITING SINCE HE WAS
NOMINATED TO BE THE SECRETARY OF
COMMERCE FOR THE DAM TO BREAK ON
THE MULTIPLE VERY SWAMPY
INVOLVEMENTS AND BUSINESS
HISTORY OF WILBUR ROSS.
YOU SEEM TO HAVE DONE IT WITH
THESE INTERVIEWS AND THE PATTERN
OF BUSINESS HE ENGAGED IN BEFORE
BECOMING SECRETARY AND WHAT HE’S
DONE SINCE BECOMING SECRETARY.
>> YEAH.
>> YEAH. YOU KNOW, THERE IS A LOT OF RICH
GUYS WHO GET SUED FOR VARIOUS
THINGS, BUT NOT LIKE THIS.
NOT BY SO MANY FORMER PARTNERS,
BY SO MANY INVESTORS TO HAVE
SUCH CONSISTENT ALLEGATIONS AND
TO HAVE IT ALL ADD UP TO SUCH A
SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF MONEY.
I MEAN, $123 MILLION IS A HUGE
SUM FOR ANYONE, INCLUDING WILBUR
ROSS.
ROSS. >> AND, DAN, JUST TAKE US
THROUGH WHAT HE WAS SUPPOSED TO
DO IN TERMS OF WHAT HE SAID HE
WOULD DO WITH HIS FINANCES WHEN
BECOMING COMMERCE SECRETARY AND
WHAT HE ACTUALLY DIDN’T DO.
>> SURE.
>> SURE. SO LIKE ALL PUBLIC OFFICIALS, HE
MADE AGREEMENTS BEFORE HE TOOK
OFFICE THAT HE WOULD DIVEST THE
MAJORITY OF HIS HOLDINGS AND IN
NOVEMBER OF LAST YEAR HE
CERTIFIED THAT HE, IN FACT, HAD
DONE THAT ON A SWORN STATEMENT
WHEN, IN FACT, HE HAD NOT DONE
THAT.
THAT. INSTEAD, HE OWNED MORE THAN $10
MILLION OF STOCK THAT HE DIDN’T
SELL UNTIL A MONTH AND A HALF
AFTER THAT AND HE TOLD STOCK IN
AN AIR LEASING COMPANY THAT HE
HELD ON TO FOR MORE THAN A YEAR
AFTER HE WAS SUPPOSED TO AND HE
HAD SHORTED A COMPANY THAT HE
SAID THAT HE THOUGHT THAT HE HAD
AN INTEREST IN, SO HE WAS TAKING
A SHORT TO CANCEL OUT THAT
INTEREST.
INTEREST. BUT HE DIDN’T HAVE AN INTEREST
IN IT SO THE SHORT WASN’T
NECESSARY.
NECESSARY. ALL OF THIS STUFF HE SAID WAS
THE RESULT OF SIMPLE MISTAKES.
BUT IT IS HARD TO BELIEVE THAT
ONE OF THE MOST SOPHISTICATED
INVESTORS IN THE COUNTRY WOULD
MAKE SO MANY SIGNIFICANT
MISTAKES AT SO MANY COMPANIES.
>> HOW COULD THIS HAVE GONE
WRONG FOR DONALD TRUMP?
HE TOLD HIS AUDIENCE YOU DON’T
WANT POOR PEOPLE DOING THIS
WORK.
WORK. YOU WANT RICH GUYS IN CONGRESS
WHO CAN’T BE CORRUPTED LIKE
CHRIS COLLINS AND WILBER ROSS.
>> WE LEARNED THAT TRUMP DID NOT
DRAIN THE SWAMP.
HE JUST FILLED IT WITH BIGGER
ALLIGATORS.
ALLIGATORS. AND DAN’S GREAT REPORTING HAS
REALLY EXPOSED JUST AROUND THE
FACT PATTERN EVERYTHING THAT’S
UNTOWARD ABOUT ROSS’S HOLDINGS
WHILE HE’S SERVINGS A THE
COMMERCE SECRETARY.
COMMERCE SECRETARY. THERE HAS BEEN A LOT OF GREAT
REPORTING IN ADDITION TO DAN’S
AROUND THIS.
AROUND THIS. THE LIST IS ALMOST SO LONG IT
WOULD BE IMPOSSIBLE TO GET
THROUGH IT IN THIS PROGRAM.
IN ADDITION TO THE STUFF THAT
DAN HAS ALREADY POINTED OUT,
ROSS WAS NEGOTIATING TRADE
AGREEMENTS WITH CHINA DURING A
TIME WHEN HE OWNED A COMPANY
THAT WAS EXPORTING NATURAL GAS
TO CHINA.
TO CHINA. HE HAD ANOTHER, A SHIPPING
COMPANY THAT WAS DOING BUSINESS
IN CHINA WAS AND PARTIALLY OWNED
BY THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT WHILE
HE’S OVER SEEING TRADE POLICY
WITH CHINA.
WITH CHINA. HE HAS ANOTHER COMPANY THAT HE’S
EXPORTING STEEL FROM SOUTH KOREA
AT THE SAME TIME THAT THE TRUMP
ADMINISTRATION IS IMPOSING STEEL
TARIFFS ON SOME OF OUR
COMPETITORS, BUT GIVING SOUTH
KOREA AN EXCEPTION.
ALL OF THIS STUFF JUST SMELLS.
IT IS AMAZING IT HAS TAKEN THIS
LONG TO COME TO A HEAD.
>> HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN
WORKING ON THE ROSS STORY?
>> WELL, THERE HAVE BEEN MANY
ROSS STORIES.
ROSS STORIES. BUT I FIRST STARTED COVERING HIM
ABOUT A YEAR AGO WHEN WE WERE
LOOKING TO SEE HOW MUCH MONEY HE
WAS WORTH.
WAS WORTH. THAT WAS WHEN WE UNCOVERED THAT
ALTHOUGH HE HAD BEEN CLAIMING TO
US FOR YEARS THAT HE HAD
BILLIONS OF DOLLARS, HE, IN
FACT, DID NOT.
ONCE YOU FIGURED THAT OUT, THEN
ALL THIS OTHER STUFF STARTLED
UNRIVALING.
UNRIVALING. ONE INVESTOR TOLD ME ONCE YOU
FIGURE OUT THE GUY IS
ESSENTIALLY A FRAUD YOU FIGURE
OUT THAT ANYTHING HE SAYS REALLY
ISN’T QUITE CORRECT.
>> TIM, QUICKLY TAKE US INSIDE
THE HEAD OF DONALD TRUMP
TONIGHT.
TONIGHT. HE’S WATCHING CHRIS COLLINS
CHARGED WITH THESE CRIMES, ALONG
WITH HIS SON.
DOES HE SEE THE POSSIBLE MIRROR
OF DONALD TRUMP AND DONALD TRUMP
JR. BECAUSE CHRIS COLLINS SON
MIGHT BE FACED WITH THE CHOICE
OF DO I TESTIFY AGAINST MY
FATHER IN ORDER TO STAY OUT OF
PRISON?
PRISON? >> THAT’S JUST A GREAT
OBSERVATION, LAWRENCE.
OBSERVATION, LAWRENCE. I HAVE TO BELIEVE THAT SOME OF
THAT RESONATES WITH TRUMP.
A LOT OF HIS BEHAVIOR LATELY,
LASHING OUT ON TWITTER AND
AGAINST LAW ENFORCEMENT
OFFICIALS IS BECAUSE HE CAN’T
CONTROL AN INVESTIGATION IN ITS
ENTIRETY THAT’S ALSO STARTING TO
TARGET HIS SON AND MAY
EVENTUALLYEVENTUAL
EVENTUALLYEVENTUAL LY INSNARE HIS SON-IN-LAW AND
DAUGHTER-IN-LAW.
DAUGHTER-IN-LAW. THE OTHER INTERESTING THING IN
ALL OF THIS IS WILBER ROSS’S
BEHAVIOR IS VERY SIMILAR TO