>>> TODAY THE FBI SHOWED UP AT THE HOME OF ROBERT F. HYDE YOU
DAYS AFTERED INTELLIGENCE
COMMITTEE RELEASED TEXT MESSAGES
PROVIDED BY LEV PARNAS, IN WHICH
HYDE APPEARS TO BE REPRESENTING
HIMSELF AS ACTIVELY SURVEYING
MARIA YOVANOVITCH.
MARIA YOVANOVITCH. THE QUESTION YOU HAVE TO ASK
YOURSELF IS, HOW DID SOMEONE
LIKE ROBERT HYDE GAIN ACCESS TO
THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED
STATES?
STATES? THE ANSWER WAS LAID OUT BY LEV
PARNAS -- JUST SHOW UP AT THE
TRUMP INTERNATIONAL HOTEL IN
WASHINGTON, D.C.
WASHINGTON, D.C. >>> YOU MET HIM WHERE?
>> I MET HIM I THINK AT THE
TRUMP HOTEL, YES.
HE WAS A REGULAR AT THE BAR.
[ LAUGHTER ]
IT WAS LIKE A BREEDSING GROUND
AT THE TEMP HOTEL.
EVERY EVENT WOULD BE THERE, SO
EVERYBODY WOULD HANG OUT.
ALL THE MEETINGS WOULD BE THERE.
BASICALLY YOU WOULD SEE THE SAME
PEOPLE EVERY DAY, ALL THE SAME
CONGRESSMEN THAT SUPPORTED THE
PRESIDENT WOULD BE THERE, NOBODY
ELSE.
ELSE. HE WAS A FIXTURE ON SITE.
BUT HE WAS ALWAYS DRUNK.
YOU HAVE TO UNDERSTAND WHEN
WE’RE IN THE TRUMP HOTEL, IT’S
LIKE ONE BIG CESSPOOL AND IT’S
HARD TO KEEP ANY SECRETS.
>>> FOR MORE, I’M JOIN BY ZACH I
HAVER ZONE BY WRITING UP WHAT HE
SAW IN THE TRUMP HOTEL, IN AN
ARTICLE IN "VANITY FAIR."
THIS IS YOUR BEAT PROBABLY MORE
THAN ANYONE, AND I’M CURIOUS
HOSE PARNAS’ DESCRIPTION
SQUARED.
SQUARED. >> SPOT ON.
ROBERT HYDE WAS ON MY RADAR AS
EARLY AS APRIL.
YOU CAN’T SEE PICTURES OF HIM
WITH THE PRESIDENT, WITH THE
VICE PRESIDENT, ALL SORTS OF
IMPORTANT PEOPLE.
IMPORTANT PEOPLE. FOR HIM IT TRANSCENDED THE TRUMP
HOTEL.
HOTEL. I THINK HE WAS A SIX DIFFERENT
TRUMP PROPERTIES, BUT YOU CAN
JUST TAKE SOME PICTURE AT THE
HOTEL.
HOTEL. >> WHAT STRUCK ME, USUALLY IT’S
VERY HARD TO GET TO THE
PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES.
THAT CAN BE REALLY MADDENING FOR
PEOPLE IF YOU’RE WORKING IN THE
STAFF OF A WHITE HOUSE AND YOU
WANT TO GET THE PRESIDENT
SOMETHING ON THE AGENDA.
THIS PRESIDENT SEEMS REMARKABLY
EASY TO GET TO, BY ALL KINDS OF
PEOPLE WITH ALL KINDS OF
AGENDAS.
AGENDAS. IT SEEMS LIKE THE PROPERTIES ARE
THE NEXUS OF THIS KIND OF SOFT
CORRUPTION.
CORRUPTION. >> OH, ABSOLUTELY.
I SPOKE TO THE PRESIDENT AT THE
TRUMP HOTEL.
TRUMP HOTEL. I WAS STAYING THERE RESEARCHING
ONE OF MY ARTICLES, AND FOR THE
COST OF A NICE STEAK DINNER, I
WAS ABLE TO CHAT WITH THE
PRESIDENT, YOU KNOW, WHICH MAKES
FOR A GOOD SOCIAL MEDIA POST
THERE.
THERE. IF YOU JUST HANG OUT THERE, TAKE
YOUR PICTURES WITH YOUR KEVIN
McCARTHYS OR MIKE PENCES --
THEY’RE USUALLY NOT UP FRONT IN
THE BAR.
THE BAR. THEY’RE USUALLY GOING TO PRIVATE
ROOMS, BUT YOU SEE THEM COMING
AND GOING, YOU COLLECT PICTURES,
AND YOU LOOK REALLY IMPORTANT.
>> AND WHAT DO YOU DO WITH THAT?
>> I THINK WITH ROBERT HYDE, HE
WAS USING IT TO RUN FOR
CONGRESS.
CONGRESS. THERE WERE CERTAINLY OTHERS,
TYPICALLY CHALLENGERS ARE, WHO
ARE TAKING PICTURES.
I’VE SEEN PEOPLE MOVE FROM THE
LOBBY TO THE BACK ROOMS.
I DON’T KNOW WHAT THEY’RE DOING
TO GET BACK THERE, BUT LOOKING
ON SOCIAL MEDIA, IT LOOKS LIKE
THEY’RE PUFFING UP IMPORTANT AND
ALL OF A SUDDEN THEY GET TO BE
IMPORTANT.
IMPORTANT. >> WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY THE BACK
ROOMS?
ROOMS? PARNAS TALKED ABOUT A PRIVATE
DINNER WHICH I THINK HAPPENS
THERE IN THE HOTEL IN THE BACK
ROOM.
ROOM. >> RIGHT.
>> RIGHT. >> WHAT’S THE DISTINCT BETWEEN
THE LOBBY BAR AND LIKE THE BACK
ROOMS WHERE THERE ARE ACTUAL
IMPORTANT POWER PLAYERS.
>> THERE’S TOE TIERS.
IF YOU GO OUT IN THE LOBBY,
THAT’S WHERE YOU FIND NOT EVEN
FOX NEWS HOSTS, BUT LIKE FOX
NEWS GUESTS WILL BE HANGING OUT
THERE, PEOPLE WHO REALLY WANT TO
BE SEEN AND NEED TO BE SEEN TO
PROJECT IMPORTANCE, BUT THEY MAY
NOT ACTUALLY BE THAT IMPORTANT.
COREY LEWANDOWSKI IS SOMETHING
YOU WOULD SEE THERE.
RUDY GIULIANI WAS THE EXCEPTION,
BUT IT’S THE BACK ROOMS WHERE
LEAVE DINED WITH THE PRESIDENT.
IT’S THE FRANKLIN STUDY AND
LINCOLN LIBRARY WHERE THEY HAD
THE PRIVATE EVENTS.
THAT’S WHERE YOU SEE THE
MINGLING WITH SPECIAL INTEREST
GROUPS.
GROUPS. ANYBODY CAN SEE THEM COMING BACK
AND FORTH, THOUGH.
>>> MY UNDERSTANDING, FROM THE
REPORTING WE HAVE AND FROM THE
DISCLOSURE, THAT THE SPECIAL
INTEREST GROUPS, IF YOU’RE
TRYING TO GET A REG CHANGED, A
PIECE OF LEGISLATION, THEY KNOW
THAT’S THE PLACE TO GO.
THAT’S WHERE THOSE BACK-ROOM
MEETINGS HAPPEN?
MEETINGS HAPPEN? >> IT CAN’T HURT.
THERES NO DOWN SIDE TO BOOKING
THE TRUMP HOTEL.
I SPOKE TO A LOBBYIST REALLY
EARLY ON WHEN IT WAS CLEAR THIS
HOTEL WAS GOING TO STICK AROUND,
THEY’RE GOING TO GO THERE TO TRY
TO INFLUENCE THEM, AND THE