THIS IS WRONG AND WE HAVE TO
STOP DOING IT.
>> JOINING ME NOW IS PETER
STRZOK WHO SERVED AS A FBI
COUNTERINTELLIGENCE OFFICER FOR
DECADES, RISE TO GO BECOME THE
DEPUTY OF ITS
COUNTERINTELLIGENCE DIVISION
HIS NEW BOOK IS "COMPROMISED:
COUNTERINTELLIGENCE AND THE
THREAT OF DONALD J. TRUMP.
WELCOME, THANK YOU VERY MUCH,’S
GOOD TO MEET YOU
THE ATTORNEY GENERAL NOW HAS
REALLY LAMBASTED CAREER
PROSECUTORS, SAYING THEY’RE
RECEIVING TOO MUCH DEFERENCE
RATHER THAN THE POLITICALLY
APPOINTED LEADERS WHO CAB HELD
ACCOUNTABLE AT THE BALLOT BOX
AND IS ACCUSED OF CHARGING
PROTESTERS WITH SEDITION
LET’S START WITH THE
PROSECUTORS.
WHAT’S YOUR REACTION TO THAT
>> THANKS FOR HAVING ME, ANDREA.
WHAT A HORRIBLE, DISINGENUOUS
STATEMENT FROM THE ATTORNEY
GENERAL ABOUT THE THOUSANDS OF
MEN AND WOMEN WHO WORK FOR OUR
DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE.
HE SPENDS A LOT OF TIME TALKING
ABOUT THE POLITICAL BASIS OF HIS
AUTHORITY BUT HE DOESN’T SPEND A
LOT OF TIME TALKING ABOUT
LEGITIMACY OF THAT POWER
I SPENT OVER 20 YEARS WORKING
SIDE BY SIDE WITH COUNTLESS
PROSECUTORS PURSUING THE TRUTH
IN A BLIND AND APOLITICAL
MANNER
AND WHEN I SEE PEOPLE WHO ARE
QUITTING AND LEAVING THE
DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE, THEY’RE
NOT DOING THAT BASED ON ANY
POLITICAL AGENDA
THEY’RE DOING IT BECAUSE THEY’RE
OFFICERS OF THE COURT.
THEY’RE DOING IT, WHETHER IT’S
THE FOUR ATTORNEYS ON THE STONE
PROSECUTION, THE LEAD PROSECUTOR
OF MIKE FLYNN, RECENTLY THE
DEPUTY OF JOHN DURHAM AND THE
WORK THEY’RE DOING
THEY’RE NOT DOING THE IT OUT OF
A POLITICAL AGENDA, CERTAINLY
NOT ACTING AS CHILDREN
THEY’RE DOING IT BECAUSE OF WHAT
THEY SEE AS THE UNACCEPTABLE
POLITICIZATION OF THE DEPARTMENT
OF JUSTICE AND THAT THE LAW IS
NO LONGER BEING APPLIED BLINDLY.
FOR HIM TO MAKE COMMENTS LIKE
THAT IS ASTOUNDINGLY BAD AND
INACCURATE
AND HE SHOULD KNOW BETTER.
>> I WANT TO ASK YOU ABOUT
RUSSIA
OBVIOUSLY THAT’S THE MAIN FOCUS
OF YOUR BOOK, AND YOUR CONCERNS
ABOUT THE PRESIDENT BEING
COMPROMISED.
JUST TODAY, WE’RE SEEING THIS
PLAYING OUT ON CAPITOL HILL.
AS YOU WELL KNOW, THERE IS AN
ANNUAL THREAT HEARING THAT IS
ALWAYS BEING HELD IN THE HOUSE
AND THE SENATE, USUALLY IN
FEBRUARY
AND THAT DIDN’T TAKE PLACE THIS
YEAR
THIS YEAR IT’S BEEN DELAYED,
IT’S ONLY BEING DONE ON THE
HOUSE SIDE, TODAY.
NOBODY FROM CIA, DNI, NSA, DEA,
THE FBI DIRECTOR IS THERE, AND
THE HEAD OF THE COUNTERTERRORISM
CENTER IS THERE, BUT NONE OF THE
TOP INTELLIGENCE OFFICIALS
AND THIS COMES AS THERE’S AN
OPEN ED
OP-ED TODAY FROM FORMER DIRECTOR
OF NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE DAN
COAT WRITING TODAY THAT
CONGRESS SHOULD ESTABLISH A
BIPARTISAN COMMISSION TO MONITOR
VOTING TO ENSURE THAT LAWS AND
REGULATIONS ARE FOLLOWED
THE CONCERN IS PRINCIPALLY ABOUT
RUSSIA AND RUSSIAN INTERFERENCE,
WHICH HAS NOT BEEN FOCUSED ON IN
THE WRITTEN STATEMENTS FROM THE
DNI, THEY FOCUS ON CHINA AND
IRAN AND SORT OF ANALOGIZE THAT
ALL OF THEM ARE IN THE SAME
CATEGORY, BUT THAT’S NOT WHAT
CHRIS WRAY HAD TO SAY.
TAKE A LOOK AT THIS DURING THE
TESTIMONY TODAY.
>> WE CERTAINLY HAVE SEEN VERY
ACTIVE, VERY ACTIVE EFFORTS BY
THE RUSSIANS TO INFLUENCE OUR
ELECTION IN 2020 THROUGH WHAT I
WOULD CALL MORE THE MALIGN
FOREIGN INFLUENCE SIDE OF
THINGS
SOCIAL MEDIA, USE OF PROXIES,
STATE MEDIA, ONLINE JOURNALS, ET
CETERA, AN EFFORT TO BOTH SOW
DIVISIVENESS AND DISCORD, AND I
THINK THE INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY
HAS ASSESSED THIS PUBLICLY, TO
PRIMARILY DENIGRATE VICE
PRESIDENT BIDEN AND WHAT THE
RUSSIANS SEE AS KIND OF AN
ANTI-RUSSIAN STABLISHMENT.
>> BUT THE INTELLIGENCE
OFFICIALS HAVE BEEN DOWNPLAYING
THE RUSSIAN THREAT
WHAT DO YOU SEE GOING ON THERE
>> WELL, THESE BRIEFINGS ARE CRITICAL
I SPENT ENINNUMERABLE HOURS
PREPARING OFFICIALS FOR THESE
MEETINGS
THESE HEARINGS EXPLAIN WHAT IS
GOING ON, WHAT IS FACING AMERICA
FROM A FOREIGN THREAT
PERSPECTIVE.
AND IT’S ALSO TO ASK HARD
QUESTIONS TO MAKE SURE THE
INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY IS
TELLING THE TRUTH AND THAT
THEY’RE FOCUSED ON THE RIGHT
THREATS AND THANKS ARE IN FRONT
OF US.
THINK ABOUT WHAT THE DIRECTOR OF
THE FBI SAID
HERE IS THE DIRECTOR OF THE FBI
TELLING CONGRESS TODAY THAT
RUSSIA IS ACTIVELY INTERFERING
IN OUR INVESTIGATIONS FOR THE
PURPOSE TO HURT FORMER VICE
PRESIDENT BIDEN.
HOW IS THAT POSSIBLY ACCEPTABLE?
HOW DOES THAT NOT MERIT SOME
SORT OF RESPONSE FROM THIS
ADMINISTRATION TO TELL THEM TO
STOP, TO DISRUPT THIS BEHAVIOR
THAT MAY BE GOING ON BEHIND THE
SCENES, BUT THAT’S THE SORT OF
ATTACK THAT’S FUNDAMENTALLY NOT
SOMETHING ANY AMERICAN SHOULD
STAND FOR.
AND WE NEED TO BE HEARING MORE
OUT OF THE ADMINISTRATION TO
STOP THAT BEHAVIOR
>> YOUR BOOK IS CALLED
"COMPROMISED."
YOU BELIEVE PRESIDENT TRUMP IS
COMPROMISED BY THE RUSSIANS.
YOU MAKE THE POINT OF THE WAY HE
TALKED TO LAVROV AND KISLYAK IN
THE OVAL OFFICE AND THE WHOLE
ISSUE OF COMEY’S FIRING, WHAT HE
SAID TO LESTER HOLT.
BUT THERE WAS NO PROOF
ESTABLISHED IN THE MUELLER
INVESTIGATION.
>> THAT’S NOT QUITE TRUE,
ANDREA
THE MUELLER INVESTIGATION SAID
THEY WERE UNABLE TO BRING TO A
LEGAL STANDARD TO BRING CRIMINAL
CHARGES THAT SOMETHING HAD
OCCURRED
BUT THEY POINT THROUGHOUT THE
REPORT TO A VARIETY OF DEEP
COUNTERINTELLIGENCE CONCERNS
WHEN YOU ADD THAT TO THE RECENT
BIPARTISAN SENATE INTELLIGENCE
COMMITTEE REPORT, ALMOST A
THOUSAND PAGES FROM A REPUBLICAN
SENATE COMMITTEE LAYING OUT ALL
THESE CONCERNS, THE DATA IS TOO
GREAT TO IGNORE.
SO YES, I BELIEVE THAT THE
PRESIDENT IS COMPROMISED BY THE
RUSSIANS
AND I THINK THAT TAKES A LOT OF
FORMS.
I THINK IT COMES THROUGH
FINANCIAL ENTANGLEMENTS THAT HE
IS FIGHTING TO BECOME KNOWN,
THAT THE RUSSIANS CAN HOLD OVER
HIM.
I ALSO THINK CONTINUATIONCOMES F
CAN PLAY TO HIS EGO, HIS STRANGE
FASCINATION WITH DICTATORS
AROUND THE WORLD
>> I REMEMBER TALKING TO IN THE
SUMMER OF 2017 TO A FORMER INTEL
OFFICIAL WHO SAID THAT "FOLLOW
THE MONEY" WAS GOING TO BE THE
MANTRA AND THAT THE
INVESTIGATION THAT HAD BEEN
STARTED BY THE FBI INTO DONALD
TRUMP AND HIS DEALINGS, HIS
FINANCIAL DEALINGS, WOULD MEAN
THAT THE FBI WOULD HAVE HIS
TACKS
TAXES, WOULD FOLLOW THE MONEY TO
RUSSIA, WOULD FIND OUT ABOUT THE
TRUMP/MOSCOW EFFORTS AND THEY
DID FIND OUT THAT MICHAEL COHEN
HAD LIED ABOUT THE TIMELINE OF
WHEN THE TRUMP/MOSCOW
NEGOTIATIONS STOPPED, BECAUSE
THEY DID CONTINUE DURING THE
CAMPAIGN, ALL OF THAT.
YET ROD ROSENSTEIN SEEMS TO HAVE
WALLED ALL OF THAT OFF
WERE YOU SURPRISED THAT THERE
WAS NO FOLLOWUP ON THE MONEY
ENTANGLEMENTS THAT MIGHT HAVE
LED TO COMPROMISE OF THE
PRESIDENT?
>> WELL, CLEARLY IN MY MIND,
FOLLOWING THE MONEY IS THE KEY
TO UNDERSTANDING ANY SORT OF
LEVERAGE THE RUSSIANS MIGHT HOLD
OVER THE PRESIDENT
I DID NOT EXPERIENCE, CERTAINLY
FROM THE DEPUTY ATTORNEY
GENERAL, ANY LIMITATION ON WHAT
I WAS DOING WHEN I WAS SETTING
UP THE FBI COMPONENT OF THE
SPECIAL COUNSEL’S OFFICE
DOING THAT SORT OF FINANCIAL
INVESTIGATION THAT YOU TALK
ABOUT WOULD BE A MASSIVE
UNDERTAKING.
PROBABLY ONE OF THE BIGGEST
HISTORY.
I LEFT BEFORE THAT REALLY GOT UP
AND RUNNING SO I DON’T KNOW WHAT
HAPPENED
IT MAY WELL BE THAT IT WAS A
VERY ROBUST EFFORT THAT
CONTINUES MAYBE TO THIS DAY,
INVOLVING ALL THE INTELLIGENCE
COMMUNITY.
BUT I’M CONCERNED THAT HAD THAT
HAPPENED, I WOULD HAVE EXPECTED
TO HAVE HEARD ABOUT IT
SOMEWHERE, THAT THERE WOULD HAVE
BEEN DISCUSSIONS OR PROTESTS OUT
OF THE PRESIDENT OR HIS
ATTORNEYS ABOUT TURNING OVER
FINANCIAL DOCUMENTS, MUCH LIKE
WE SEE THEM DOING TODAY.
SO WHILE I DON’T KNOW WHETHER
IT’S DONE OR NOT, I HAVE A LOT