>>> HERE’S THE GUY ON CAPITOL HILL TODAY, THE MAN OF THE HOUR,
KURT VOLKER, CAREER DIPLOMAT.
HAPPENS TO BE A JOHN McCAIN
ALLY.
ALLY. OUR FORMER POINT MAN IN UKRAINE
WHO RESIGNED DAYS AGO, AND THAT
NICELY FREED HIM UP TO BECOME A
VERY INTERESTING CLOSED DOOR
WITNESS TODAY, AND HE DID SO FOR
OVER NINE HOURS.
DEMOCRATS WANTED HIS STORY
BECAUSE IT WAS THE FIRST INSIDE
ACCOUNT OF ALL THE ACTIONS THAT
LED TO THE WHISTLE-BLOWER
COMPLAINT AND TO RECAP WHAT WE
LEARNED THROUGH REPORTING, THE
U.S. GOVERNMENT PUSHED UKRAINE
TO LOOK INTO THE BIDENS AND THE
U.S. ENVOY WARNED RUDY GIULIANI
THAT UKRAINE WAS FEEDING HIM BAD
INFO THEN THERE IS "THE
WASHINGTON POST" REPORT ON
ANOTHER KEY FIGURE IN THE
COMPLAINT.
COMPLAINT. ACCORDING TO THEM, QUOTE,
PRESIDENT TRUMP ORDERED THE
REMOVAL OF OUR AMBASSADOR TO
UKRAINE AFTER MONTHS OF
COMPLAINTS FROM ALLIES OUTSIDE
THE ADMINISTRATION, INCLUDING
HIS PERSONAL LAWYER RUDY
GIULIANI THAT SHE WAS
UNDERMINING HIM ABROAD AND
OBSTRUCTING EFFORTS TO PERSUADE
KIEV TO INVESTIGATE FORMER VICE
PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN, ACCORDING
TO PEOPLE FAMILIAR WITH THE
MATTER.
MATTER. IN MR. GIULIANI’S VIEW, SHE HAD
ALSO BEEN AN OBSTACLE TO EFFORTS
TO PUSH UKRAINE TO INVESTIGATE
MR. BIDEN AND HIS SON HUNTER.
AND THIS IS WHAT THE PRESIDENT
HAD TO SAY ABOUT OUR FORMER
AMBASSADOR EARLIER TODAY.
>> MR. PRESIDENT, WHY DID YOU
RECALL THE U.S. AMBASSADOR TO
THE UKRAINE?
THE UKRAINE? WAS SHE A PROBLEM?
WIDE DI YOU RECALL HER?
>> I HEARD VERY BAD THINGS ABOUT
HER, AND I DON’T KNOW IF I
RECALLED HER OR SOMEBODY
RECALLED HER, BUT I HEARD VERY,
VERY BAD THINGS ABOUT HER FOR A
LONG PERIOD OF TIME.
>> BACK WITH US TONIGHT, WE ARE
SO HAPPY TO HAVE MICHAEL McFAUL,
FORMER U.S. AMBASSADOR TO
RUSSIA.
RUSSIA. AND AMBASSADOR, LET ME START
WITH THE START.
THE ONLY REASON WE KNOW ANY OF
THIS IN ADDITION TO THE FACT THE
EXISTENCE OF THE WHISTLE-BLOWER
COMPLAINT IS THAT PHONE CALL IN
JULY.
JULY. IT SEEMS TO ME ABOUT HALF THE
WEST WING PAYROLL WAS LISTENING
IN ON A DEAD KEY TO THAT PHONE
CALL, INCLUDING OUR SECRETARY OF
STATE.
STATE. HOW RARE IS THAT?
>> WELL, IN MY EXPERIENCE,
EXTREMELY RARE.
EXTREMELY RARE. I WORKED FOR THREE YEARS AT THE
WHITE HOUSE, PREPPED MANY PHONE
CALLS WITH FOREIGN LEADER,
INCLUDING THE LEADERS OF RUSSIA.
NEVER WAS A SECRETARY OF STATE
ON THE CALL, AND ALSO, ALWAYS
WAS THE NATIONAL SECURITY
ADVISER ON THE CALL OR IN THE
OVAL OFFICE.
OVAL OFFICE. WE USUALLY WERE IN THE OVAL
OFFICE.
OFFICE. IN THIS CASE, MR. BOLTON WAS
NOT.
NOT. AND IN ADDITION, THE VICE
PRESIDENT’S NATIONAL SECURITY
ADVISER, GENERAL KELLOGG WAS ON
THE CALL, NOT THE NATIONAL
SECURITY ADVISER.
SECURITY ADVISER. SO THAT IS EXTREMELY UNUSUAL.
>> AND WHY DO YOU THINK SUCH A
VAST ARRAY OF PEOPLE WERE ON --
LISTENING IN ON A TELEPHONE
CALL?
CALL? >> BECAUSE OF THE CONTENT OF THE
CALL.
CALL. AND WE’RE NOW LEARNING -- IT
JUST DROPPED, BRIAN, WHILE I WAS
WAITING TO GO ON TV WITH YOU, SO
I WAS JUST SCROLLING THROUGH IT.
WE HAVE A LOT OF INFORMATION NOW
THAT WAS JUST RELEASED ABOUT
TEXTS BETWEEN AMBASSADOR VOLKER,
BETWEEN OUR EU AMBASSADOR.
GOODNESS KNOWS WHY HE IS
INVOLVED IN ANY OF THIS, BY THE
WAY.
WAY. AND IT IS NOT JUST THIS PHONE
CALL.
CALL. WE NOW KNOW THAT THEY WERE
PREPPING THE PHONE CALL, AND THE
QUID PRO QUO IS CLEAR AS DAY IN
THESE TEXTS.
THESE TEXTS. THE QUID PRO QUO IS NOT ONLY DO
YOU NEED TO OPEN AN
INVESTIGATION, MR. ZELENSKY, BUT
YOU NEED TO PUT IT ON THE RECORD
THAT YOU ARE GOING TO DO THIS
INVESTIGATION.
INVESTIGATION. OH, AND YOU NEED TO ALSO PUT IT
ON THE RECORD THAT YOU ARE GOING
TO EXPOSE WHAT UKRAINE DID IN
INTERFERING IN THE 2016
ELECTIONS.
ELECTIONS. EXTRAORDINARY STUFF THAT JUST
DROPPED A FEW MINUTES AGO.
BUT IT SHOWS THAT IT’S A MUCH
BIGGER STORY.
BIGGER STORY. IT WASN’T JUST AN OFF-THE-CUFF
REMARK THAT THE PRESIDENT, AS HE
SOMETIMES DOES, AS YOU AND I
KNOW, THIS WAS ALL CALCULATED.
AND THEN THE NEXT DAY, WE HAVE A
DELEGATION THERE, MR. VOLKER
HIMSELF IS IN UKRAINE TO TRY TO
FOLLOW UP ON WHAT THE PRESIDENT
SAID IN THAT CALL TURKEY, YOUR
POINT JUST THEN AND THERE, OUR
MUTUAL FRIEND SUSAN GLASSER
WRITES FOR "THE NEW YORKER."
SAYS SOMETHING ALONG THE LINES
OF WHAT YOU JUST SAID.
READING TONIGHT’S LATE-NIGHT
INFO DUMP FROM THE UKRAINE
AFFAIR.
AFFAIR. MAKE NO MISTAKE.
RUDY GIULIANI WAS PLACED IN
CHARGE OF UKRAINE POLICY AND
DIPLOMATS DESPERATE TO GET UTRUM
TO MEET WITH THE UKRAINE
PRESIDENT HAD TO GO THROUGH HIM.
THIS IS A SHADOW FOREIGN POLICY
IN TEXT FORM.
WHAT IS THE DANGER OF HAVING A
GUY LIKE RUDY GIULIANI, A FORMER
MAYOR OF NEW YORK WHO IS FLYING
AROUND THE WORLD WITH
PERMISSION, IF NOT WITH
PORTFOLIO?
PORTFOLIO? >> WELL, IT’S COMPLETELY CRAZY,
LET’S BE HONEST.
HE IS THE PRESIDENT’S PERSONAL
LAWYER.
LAWYER. HE DOES NOT DO FOREIGN POLICY,
AND IT’S OBVIOUS THAT HIS OWN
MISSION HERE IS TO GET DIRT ON
THE BIDENS AND TO PUT TOGETHER
THIS COCKAMAMY STORY THAT THE
UKRAINIANS WERE INVOLVED IN
INTERFERENCE IN 2016, NOT
VLADIMIR PUTIN.
VLADIMIR PUTIN. BUT IT’S WORSE THAN THAT, BRIAN,
BECAUSE THESE DIPLOMATS, AND
THEY’RE BOTH POLITICAL
APPOINTEES, BY THE WAY.
THE EU AMBASSADOR, HE IS A TRUMP
SUPPORTER.
SUPPORTER. HE IS NOT A PROFESSIONAL
DIPLOMAT.
DIPLOMAT. THEY’RE NOT CAREER DIPLOMATS.
AMBASSADOR VOLKER, WHO I KNOW
WELL, WAS ALSO A POLITICAL
APPOINTEE IN THIS JOB.
THEY ARE WORKING WITH GIULIANI.
THEY ARE WORKING THIS.
THEY ARE PART OF WHAT IS GOING
ON HERE.
ON HERE. AND I THINK SO FAR, LET’S SEE
WHAT WE LEARN, BUT IN THESE
TEXTS TODAY, THE REAL HERO IS
THE ACTING AMBASSADOR BILL
TAYLOR, ANOTHER PERSON WHO I
KNOW WELL IN UKRAINE WHO SAYS IN
THESE TEXTS IF WE ARE GOING TO
DO A QUID PRO QUO, SECURITY
ASSISTANCE, MILITARY ASSISTANCE
FOR A POLITICAL FAVOR FOR THE
PRESIDENT, I’M NOT PART OF THAT,
AND HE SAYS I QUIT.
THAT’S WHAT EVERYBODY SHOULD
HAVE SAID WHEN THEY HEARD ABOUT
THIS CRAZY SCHEME.
>> FINALLY YOUR REACTION TO
HEARING THE PRESIDENT OF THE
UNITED STATES ASK CHINA, OUR
NUMBER ONE INFORMATION AND
ECONOMIC ADVERSARY CERTAINLY,
ASK CHINA TO INVESTIGATE THE
BIDENS.
BIDENS. >> WELL, AS YOU WERE SAYING
EARLIER, AGAIN, WE DON’T REALLY
NEED ANY MORE INFORMATION.
THE PRESIDENT KEEPS DOING THINGS
YOU’RE NOT SUPPOSED TO DO,
ASKING FOREIGN GOVERNMENTS TO
INTERFERE IN OUR ELECTIONS.
BUT IT’S WORSE THAN THAT, BRIAN.
HE IS HANDING THEM LEVERAGE.
HE’S NOW SAYING THIS IS MORE
IMPORTANT TO ME THAN ANY TRADE
DEAL.
DEAL. AND IF YOU DO THIS FAVOR FOR ME,
I’LL DO YOU A FAVOR ON THE OTHER
SIDE.
SIDE. IT’S JUST A TERRIBLE WAY TO
CONDUCT FOREIGN POLICY.
AND HE DOESN’T HAVE THE NATIONAL
SECURITY INTERESTS OF THE UNITED
STATES OF AMERICA FIRST AND