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>>> IN THE DAYS INFORMING THE WHISTLEBLOWER CALL, THERE WAS AN
EFFORT TO LOCK DOWN ALL RECORDS
OF THE PHONE CALL.
SPECIALLY OFFICIAL WORD FOR WORD
TRANSCRIPT OF THE CALL.
ACCORDING TO MULTIPLE WHITE
HOUSE OFFICIALS THE TRANSCRIPT
WAS PLACED INTO A FILE.
I HAVE A GOOD GROUP OF PEOPLE TO
EXPLAIN ALL THIS.
YOU DEALT WITH THIS DOCUMENT,
HANDLING THIS A LOT WITH THE
CIA.
CIA. EXPLAIN THE IDEA THAT’S THERE’S
A LOCKDOWN SERVER.
>> AT THE DIRECTOR OF
INTELLIGENCE PROGRAMS, THEY HAVE
AN ENCLAVE ABLE TO PROTECT THE
MOST SENSITIVE SECRET CITY
INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY.
INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY. THIS INCLUDES COVERT ACTION
PROGRAMS.
PROGRAMS. DETAILED INFORMATION ABOUT
THINGS LIKE THE BIN LADEN RAID.
SOME OF THE SPOOKY SATELLITES WE
HAVE OR COLLECTION PLATFORMS.
IT IS NOT A GOOD PLACE TO PUT
TELEPHONE CALLS UNLESS THEY
INVOLVED ONE OF THOSE CALLS.
>> THAT’S ABOUT THE ONLY TIME
YOU CAN ENVISION A PHONE CALL
BETWEEN TWO LEADERS SHOWING UP
IN THAT DATABASE?
>> WITH ONE EXCEPTION.
THE VERY, VERY SECRET INITIATIVE
IN THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION
WHERE SENATOR KERRY WAS TALKING
WITH BARACK OBAMA AND THE OMANI
LEADERSHIP IN THE BEGINNING THAT
LED TO THE IRAN NUCLEAR
AGREEMENT.
AGREEMENT. THAT WE DID PUT ON TO THAT
ENCLAVE TO KEEP IT FROM PRYING
EYES.
EYES. >> SO THE FACT THAT THIS WOULD
RAISE AN ALARM WITH PEOPLE, WHY
IS THAT PHONE CALL GOING ON
THERE?
THERE? >> THE PHONE CALL WAS BARELY
CLASSIFIED.
CLASSIFIED. IF YOU READ IT, THERE IS NO
SENSITIVE INFORMATION.
SENSITIVE INFORMATION. THEY MARGD IT SECRET WHICH IS A
LOW LEVEL CLASSIFICATION SO IT
WOULDN’T BE PUBLISHED.
HOWEVER, IT WOULD ALLOW IT TO BE
DISTRIBUTED BROADLY.
DISTRIBUTED BROADLY. WHAT PUTTING ON IT THIS
SENSITIVE ENCLAVE ACHIEVED WAS
IT LIMITED THE DISTRIBUTION.
IT SAID THE STATE DEPARTMENT
OFFICIALS, EVEN OTHER
INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY
INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY PROFESSIONALS WHO COVER UKRAINE
COULD NOT SEE THIS.
THEY WERE WORRIED ABOUT THIS
DOCUMENT LEAKING OUT.
THEY KNEW IT SHOWED WRONGDOING.
>> IN YOUR POSITION, YOU
WOULDN’T HAVE SEEN THAT
DOCUMENT?
DOCUMENT? YOU WERE DEPUTY ASSISTANT
SECRETARY OF DEFENSE.
THAT PHONE CALL READOUT WOULD
NOT HAVE MADE IT TO YOU IF IT
HAD GOT PUT IN THAT DATABASE?
>> IT DEPENDS HOW QUICKLY.
IN THEORY, I WOULD NOT HAVE SEEN
IT THEN.
IT THEN. I MIGHT HAVE HAD A PHONE CALL
WITH SOMEONE IN THE ROOM AND
TOOK NOTES.
TOOK NOTES. >> HEY, LET ME TELL YOU WHAT
HAPPENED.
HAPPENED. >> AND I WOULD HAVE FOUND OUT
WHAT HAPPENED.
WHAT HAPPENED. I WOULD HAVE HAD A SENSE OF WHY
THE AIDE WAS BEING HELD BACK.
I CAN’T IMAGINE THE OFFICIALS AT
THE POLITICAL LEVEL DID NOT
KNOW.
KNOW. >> THE OTHER THING TO NOTE IS
THIS TRANSCRIPT WAS BEING
PROCESSED IN NORMAL CHANNELS AND
IT WAS STOPPED.
I DON’T KNOW OF ANY ESSENTIAL I
HAVE THE PHONE CALL THAT WAS NOT
HANDLED IN A SENSITIVE MANNER IN
THE ORIGINAL GINS OF THE PHONE
CALL SO THIS WAS MADE AFTER THE
FACT.
FACT. >> HERE IT WAS THAT THE WOUN
LAWYER WHICH HAD WHITE HOUSE
COUNSEL TOOK CONTROL OF IT.
>> TO ME THIS IS THE MOST
SIGNIFICANT THING OUT OF A LOT
OF SIGNIFICANT THINGS.
IN THIS WHISTLEBLOWER COMPLAIN
IS THAT NOT ONLY DID THIS HAPPEN
ON THIS OCCASION, BUT THE
WHISTLEBLOWER SAYS THIS WAS NOT
THE FIRST TIME THAT WHITE HOUSE
OFFICIALS SAID SOMETHING LIKE
THIS HAS HAPPENED.
SPECIFICALLY TO PROTECT THE
PRESIDENT’S POLITICAL INTERESTS.
NOT NATIONAL SECURITY.
>> CONSIDERING HE WAS A VICTIM
OF ALL THESE LEAKS EARLY ON, IS
THAT NOT A PLAUSIBLE RESPONSE?
>> IF YOU TALK TO OBAMA
ADMINISTRATION OFFICIALS, THEY
WILL SAY THEY WERE GIVING OUT
THE TRANSCRIPTS LIKE CANDY.
THAT WAS CLEARLY THE CASE IN THE
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION AND THEY
REINED THAT IN.
SO THE NUMBER OF EYES ON IT WAS
ALREADY CURTAILED.
ALREADY CURTAILED. WHAT THE WHISTLEBLOWER IS SAYING
IS THIS WAS A VERY CONCERTED
EFFORT THAT INVOLVES WHITE HOUSE
LAWYERS AND OTHER WHITE HOUSE
OFFICIALS TO TRY TO BURY
SOMETHING THEY THOUGHT WAS
POLITICALLY DAMAGING TO THE
PRESIDENT.
PRESIDENT. >> WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF THE FACT
THAT THE, JOSEPH McGUIRE’S FIRST
DAY OF ACTING, DO YOU THINK IT
IS A COINCIDENCE?
>> I THINK IT’S POSSIBLE.
>> FOLKS SAID HE WAS NOT AWARE.
HE WAS ASKED YESTERDAY.
>> AND IT WASN’T IN HIS HANDS.
>> BUT IT HAD NOT GONE TO COATS.
AT LEAST ACCORDING TO COATS.
>> I THINK THIS SHOWED ACTUALLY
THE INEXPERIENCE OF A JOE
McGUIRE ON THE JOB.
HE HAD A DECORATED MILITARY
CAREER.
CAREER. LED AN INTELLIGENCE COMPONENT.
YOU’RE HIT WITH THIS IN THE
FIRST WEEK ON THE JOCK.
I FELT KIND OF BAD FOR HIM.
NO ONE CAN BE TRAINED FOR THIS
SQUEEZE PLAY BETWEEN EXECUTIVE
PRIVILEGE AND WRONGDOING AND THE
WHISTLEBLOWER STATUTE.
WHISTLEBLOWER STATUTE. SO I THINK HE WAS TRYING TO
NAVIGATE THIS.
NAVIGATE THIS. BUT I THINK AT THE END HE KIND
OF MADE THE WRONG CALL.
TEEING THIS UP FOR THE JUSTICE
DEPARTMENT TO REVIEW WHEN BILL
BARR WAS ONE OF THE PEOPLE
ALLEGED TO HAVE PARTICIPATED IN
THIS INAPPROPRIATE CONSPIRACY
WAS MANIFESTLY BAD JUDGMENT.
>> IN HINDSIGHT, THE BAR THING
IS GOING TO RAISE A LOT OF ALARM
BELLS ON CAPITOL HILL.
>> SO I’M SYMPATHETIC AT ONE
LEVEL TO THIS NOTION OF A
DIVISION OF LEGAL AUTHORITY
INTERPRETATION.
INTERPRETATION. WHEN I WAS AT THE CIA WITH
GENERAL HAYDEN, WE HAD OUR
STATUTORY GENERAL COIN THERE TO
ADVISE ON ALL THE ACTIVITIES.
BUT THE I.G. IS ALLOWED TO HAVE
HIS OWN INDEPENDENT COUNSEL
WORKING FOR HIM AND THERE WERE
MANY INSTANCES WHERE THEY WOULD
HAVE DIFFERENT INTERPRETATIONS
OF THE LAW SURROUNDING COVERT
ACTION.
ACTION. AND WHERE DOES ONE TAKE THAT?
IN OUR SYSTEM, A DISPUTE LIKE
THAT.
THAT. YOU TAKE IT TO THE OFFICE OF
LEGAL COUNSEL.
LEGAL COUNSEL. SO I CAN’T ARGUE WITH HIM DOING
THAT.
THAT. >> THIS IS NOT HAPPENING
PRESIDENT ZELENSKY.
PRESIDENT ZELENSKY. HE’S SAYING, IT WAS 100% WITH
THE NORMAL THING ANY PRESIDENT
SHOULD SAY SITTING NEXT TO THE
UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT WHO IS
FIGHTING A HOT WAR WITH RUSSIA.
>> WHY DOES HE KEEP SAYING,
THEY’RE GOING TO SIT DOWN AND
TALK.
TALK. >> ALL THIS STARTED BECAUSE OF
PRESIDENT TRUMP’S LIKE OR DESIRE
TO PLEASE VLADIMIR PUTIN AND IT
IS STILL GOING ON.
AND UKRAINE IS NOW DRAGGED INTO
THIS.
THIS. IT WAS PART OF IT BECAUSE IT IS
FIGHTING A HOT WAR WITH RUSCH.
NOW UKRAINE IS INTERFERING IN
OUR ELECTIONS EVEN THOUGH THEY
DON’T WANT TO.
YOU HEARD PRESIDENT ZELENSKY SAY
I DON’T WANT TO BE INVOLVED IN
AMERICAN POLITICS.
AMERICAN POLITICS. IT HAS REALLY STRAINED THE
RELATIONSHIP.
RELATIONSHIP. >> I THINK ZELENSKY HAS SHOWN
HIMSELF TO BE THE MOST NIMBLE
POLITICIAN IN A WEEK.
I THOUGHT HE HANDLED IT AS WELL
AS HE COULD.
>> AS A POLITICIAN FOR ABOUT A
WEEK.
WEEK. HE?
HE? I MAY BE A COMEDIAN BUT HE