CIA OFFICER WHO RAN OPERATIONS AND RUSSIA.
AND RUSSIA. MIKA, IS IT WHAT DAVID SAID,
THAT WE SHOULD BE HEARING FROM
THE NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISOR
WHO WAS NOT IN THAT MEETING AND
SHOULD HAVE BEEN IN THAT
MEETING, OR DO YOU WANT TO HEAR
FROM THE INTERPRETER?
>> I THINK IT’S ACTUALLY MORE
IMPORTANT TO HEAR FROM THE
INTERPRETER BECAUSE THE RUSSIAN
FOREIGN MINISTRY SAID THAT THE
TWO PRESIDENTS AGREED TO
SOMETHING IN THAT MEETING, AND
THAT THEY STAND BY AS READY TO
IMPLEMENT TWHA IS AND WE HAVE NO
IDEA WHAT THE TWO PRESIDENTS
TALKED ABOUT.
TALKED ABOUT. NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISOR
TYPICALLY DOES NOT APPEAR IN
FRONT OF CONGRESS, AND
ESPECIALLY BECAUSE HE WASN’T IN
THE ROOM YOU WANT TO HEAR FROM
SOMEONE WHO WAS IN THE ROOM.
THAT’S A LOWER-LEVEL EXECUTIVE
BRANCH OFFICIAL.
BRANCH OFFICIAL. CONGRESS IS CERTAINLY WITHIN
THEIR RIGHTS TO CALL THAT
PERSON.
PERSON. >> WHAT ARE THE CONCERNS ABOUT
WHAT DONALD TRUMP MAY HAVE SAID?
WHAT WOULD BE THE TOP MOST WORRY
FOR LAWMAKERS, MIKA, THAT DONALD
TRUMP MAY HAVE AGREED TO BEHIND
CLOSED DOORS WITH VLADIMIR
PUTIN?
PUTIN? >> WELL, THE NUMBER ONE WORRY
FOR ME WORKING WITH INTELLIGENCE
AGENCIES IS THAT HE AGREED TO
PUTIN’S PROPOSAL THAT THEY WORK
HAND IN GLOVE WITH THE MUELLER
INVESTIGATORS
INVESTIGATORS INVESTIGATORS OR THE FBI TO
UNDERSTAND HOW EXACTLY U.S.
INVESTIGATORS FIGURED OUT WHAT
THE RUSSIANS WERE UP TO.
OF COURSE THE RUSSIANS WANT TO
KNOW HOW WE CAUGHT THEM.
OF COURSE PUTIN WANTS TO KNOW SO
THEY CAN HIDE BETTER THE NEXT
TIME.
TIME. BUT THAT IS GIVING UP OUR
SOURCES AND METHODS AND DEALS A
TREMENDOUS BLOW TO U.S. NATIONAL
SECURITY.
SECURITY. TO ME IF THE PRESIDENT AGREED TO
THAT, HE IS UNDERMINING OUR
ENTIRE INTELLIGENCE APPARATUS.
>> JOHN, TO REMIND EVERYBODY AT
HOME WHAT DAN COATS SAID AFTER
DONALD TRUMP HAD THAT NEWS
CONFERENCE WITH VLADIMIR PUTIN,
HE RELEASED A STATEMENT THAT WAS
NOT SANCTIONED BY THE WHITE
HOUSE, BUT A STATEMENT THAT
UNDERSCORED THE INTELLIGENCE
COMMUNITY’S ASSESSMENT OF WHAT
RUSSIA DID DURING THE ELECTION.
HERE’S WHAT HE SAID.
WE HAVE BEEN CLEAR IN OUR
ASSESSMENTS OF RUSSIAN MEDDLING
IN 2016 ELECTION AND THEIR
ONGOING, REPEAT ONGOING
PERVASIVE EFFORTS TO UNDERMINE
OUR DEMOCRACY AND WE WILL
CONTINUE TO PROVIDE UNVARNISHED
AND OBJECTIVE INTELLIGENCE IN
SUPPORT OF OUR NATIONAL
SECURITY.
SECURITY. THIS IS DNI KOEGTS ONCOATS ON MO
DONALD TRUMP TRIES TO CORRECT
EVERYTHING WITH THE CHANGE OF
ONE WORD.
ONE WORD. TODAY HE IS ASKED BY A REPORTER
IF RUSSIA IS STILL MEDDLING.
HE SAYS NO.
HIS DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL
INTELLIGENCE, THE TOP
INTELLIGENCE OFFICER IN THIS
ADMINISTRATION, A MAN HE PUT IN
THAT JOB SAYS, NO, THAT IS NOT
TRUE.
TRUE. THEY ARE STILL MEDDLING RIGHT
NOW.
NOW. WHAT DOES DNI COATS DO, JOHN?
>> I WANT TO BE CAREFUL ABOUT
TELLING DNI COATS WHAT TO DO.
HE IS IN AN INCREDIBLY BAD
POSITION.
POSITION. HE HAS BEEN IN A BAD POSITION
FOR A LONG TIME.
HE OVERSEES THE FBI, THE CIA,
THE NSA.
THE NSA. THE PRESIDENT HAS BEEN SAYING
AMAZINGLY DISPARAGING THINGS
ABOUT THOSE PLACE AS FOR A LONG
TIME.
TIME. THIS IS WHAT PRESIDENT TRUMP HAS
DONE FOR HIS BUSINESS CAREER AND
TIME IN THE WHITE HOUSE, IS HE
GETS OTHER PEOPLE INVOLVED IN
HIS CONSPIRACIES.
HIS CONSPIRACIES. HE MAKES THEM SAY THINGS THAT
AREN’T TRUE AND THEY ARE THEY
ARE SORT OF STUCK.
SO MR. COATS HAS A TOUGH
POSITION TO BE IN.
I MEAN, HE OVERSEES THE
INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY.
INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY. HE PROBABLY WORRIES LIKE ANY
PUBLIC SERVANT WOULD, IF HE
LEAVES A PARTISAN COULD COME IN
AND MAKE THINGS WORSE.
>> LET ME ASK YOU THIS.
SAY THAT THE ADMINISTRATION
STOPS WORKING HAND IN HAND WITH
THE PRESIDENT.
THE PRESIDENT. THEY DO THEIR OWN THING.
IS IT POSSIBLE TO ADEQUATELY
PROTECT OUR ELECTION SYSTEMS IF
YOU DON’T HAVE BUY-IN PUBLICLY
FROM THE PRESIDENT?
>> WELL, WHEN I WORKED IN THE
GOVERNMENT, WE USED TO TALK
ABOUT AN ALL GOVERNMENT
APPROACH.
APPROACH. THE ONLY WAY TO SOLVE THE BIG
PROBLEMS IN THIS COUNTRY,
EVERYBODY IS MOVING IN THE SAME
DIRECTION.
DIRECTION. WHAT WE HAVE HERE REALLY IS A
VERY BIFURCATED AND CRAZY SYSTEM
WHERE IT SEEMS TO BE THAT THE
EXECUTIVE BRANCH FOR THE MOST
PART IS DOING SENSIBLE THINGS
AND MOVING FORWARD AND THE
PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES
IS DOING THINGS THAT BORDER ON
LUNACY AND THERE DOESN’T SEEM TO
BE A CONNECTION.
AT LEAST IT’S NOT CLEAR WHAT
THAT CONNECTION IS.
SO THIS IS A REAL PROBLEM, I
THINK.
THINK. AND IT’S GOING TO CONTINUE TO BE
A PROBLEM AS LONG AS DONALD
TRUMP DOES THESE THINGS AND GOES
OUT ON HIS OWN.
I DON’T THINK, IN FACT, HE
SHOULD HAVE GONE TO THAT SUMMIT,
NONETHELESS SAY THE THINGS HE
DID AFTERWARDS.
DID AFTERWARDS. >> IS THERE ANY WAY FOR HIM TO
WALK THIS BACK?
>> I MEAN, IT WOULD REQUIRE A
TOTAL REVERSAL OF A NUMBER OF
THINGS THAT HE HAS BEEN SAYING
OVER MANY YEARS.
IF HE IS SERIOUS ABOUT WALKING
IT BACK, HE SHOULD STOP
INTERFERING WITH THE MUELLER
INVESTIGATION, PUT MORE
RESOURCES AGAINST HOLDING THE
RUSSIANS ACCOUNTABLE.
RUSSIANS ACCOUNTABLE. HE SHOULD BE CONSIDERING FULLY
IMPLEMENTING THE SANCTIONS THAT
CONGRESS PUT IN PLACE.