>>> JUST VERY PLAINLY, A YES OR NO ANSWER, DOES PRESIDENT TRUMP
BELIEVES THAT THE RUSSIAN GOVERNMENT INTERFERED IN THE
2016 ELECTIONS? >> I THINK I HAVE NOT SAT DOWN
AND TALKED TO HIM ABOUT THAT SPECIFIC THING.
OBVIOUSLY WE'VE BEEN DEALING WITH A LOT OF OTHER ISSUES
TODAY. I'D BE GLAD TO TOUCH BASE --
>> GENERALLY SPEAKING, THIS CONVERSATION ABOUT RUSSIAN
INTERFERENCE IN OUR ELECTIONS, THERE'S 16 INTELLIGENCE AGENCIES
THAT SAY THAT THEY DID. THE FORMER FBI DIRECTOR SAID
THAT WITHOUT A DOUBT THE RUSSIANS INTERFERED.
>> I UNDERSTAND, I'VE SEEN THE REPORTS.
>> DOES THE PRESIDENT SHARE THOSE VIEWS?
>> I HAVE NOT SAT DOWN AND ASKED HIM ABOUT A SPECIFIC REACTION TO
THEM SO I'D BE GLAD TO TOUCH BASE AND GET BACK TO YOU.
>> DIDN'T HE SAY IT WAS FAKE NEWS, SEAN?
DIDN'T THE PRESIDENT SAY THAT IT WAS FAKE NEWS?
>> WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY SEAN SPICER SAYS HE CANNOT
ANSWER WHETHER THE PRESIDENT ACCEPTS UNANIMOUS INTELLIGENCE
ASSESSMENTS THAT RUSSIA MEDDLED IN THE 2016 ELECTION.
JOINING US NOW, FORMER EDITOR IN CHIEF OF THE ONLY INDEPENDENT
RUSSIAN NATIONAL TELEVISION NETWORK, MIKHAIL ZEGER, HE IS
THE AUTHOR OF "ALL THE KREMLIN'S MEN."
HE IS THE RECIPIENT OF THE COMMITTEE TO PROTECT JOURNALISTS
INTERNATIONAL PRESS FREEDOM AWARD.
WELCOME TO THE SHOW. SO WHO ARE ALL THE KREMLIN'S MEN
AND WHAT DID YOU FIND OUT? I KNOW YOU HAD UNPRECEDENTED
ACCESS FOR THIS BOOK. >> IT TOOK ME A LONG TIME TO
TAPE ALL THOSE OFF-THE-RECORD
INTERVIEWS. I WAS WRITING THIS BOOK FOR
ALMOST SEVEN YEARS TRYING TO INTERVIEW ALL THE MEMBERS OF
PUTIN'S INNER CIRCLE. THE PROTAGONIST OF THAT BOOK IS
NOT VLADIMIR PUTIN HIMSELF, THAT'S NOT HIS BIOGRAPHY.
THAT'S ALL THE KREMLIN'S MEN. AND I MEAN NOT ONLY THE MEMBERS
OF HIS INNER CIRCLE, BUT THOUSANDS OF RUSSIAN
BUREAUCRATS. THAT'S WHAT THIS BOOK IS ABOUT.
THE WAY, HOW DECISIONS ARE TAKEN IN RUSSIA.
THAT'S NOT REALLY THE POWER THAT VLADIMIR PUTIN WAS TRYING TO
BUILD DURING MANY YEARS, IT'S BASED ON THE ABILITY OF
THOUSANDS OF RUSSIAN BUREAUCRATS TO ANTICIPATE WHAT THEIR BOSS
WANTS THEM TO DO. THEY ARE ALWAYS GUESSING WHAT
THEY'RE REQUIRED TO DO, AND THEY'RE TRYING TO DO THAT EVEN
BEFORE ANY ORDER IS TAKEN. >> SO -- THAT SOUNDS FAMILIAR.
JUST CURIOUS, ARE THERE CERTAIN FIGUREHEADS THAT HAVE MORE
INFLUENCE OVER PUTIN? DOES ANYBODY?
>> SURE. WE'VE GOT SOME KIND OF BUREAU
THAT'S CALLED THE NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL THAT GATHERS
EVERY SATURDAY. I CALL THEM SATURDAY PEOPLE.
AND THESE PEOPLE ARE JUST THE MAIN CHARACTERS OF ALL THE
CHAPTERS OF THAT BOOK. AT THE SAME TIME WE'VE GOT
SO-CALLED SUNDAY PEOPLE. THESE ARE THE CLOSEST FRIENDS OF
VLADIMIR PUTIN. THEY TEND TO BE THE MOST
IMPORTANT BUSINESSMEN OF THE COUNTRY.
THEY CANNOT INFLUENCE THE POLITICAL DECISIONS BECAUSE
THAT'S HOW VLADIMIR PUTIN SEES THE CHECKS AND BALANCES SYSTEM,
THE SEPARATION OF POWERS. BUSINESS ASIDE AND POLITICAL
ASIDE. >> SO IS VLADIMIR PUTIN THE MOST
POWERFUL PERSON IN RUSSIA OR NOT?
>> IF WE CHOOSE ONE, PROBABLY HE IS THE ONE.
BUT HIS POWER IS USUALLY, I THINK, EXAGGERATED BECAUSE HE'S
DEPENDENT ON THAT BUREAUCRATIC SYSTEM.
HE WANTS TO BE POPULAR WITH IT. HE'S NOT THE LEADER WHO'S
SUPPOSED TO TAKE UNPOPULAR DECISIONS.
LIKE WE USUALLY NAME CHARLES DE GAULLE AS A STRONG LEADER
BECAUSE HE MADE UNPOPULAR DECISION TO WITHDRAW FRENCH
TROOPS OR SIGN A PEACE TREATY WITH ISRAEL.
PUTIN IS NOT A MAN TO TAKE UNPOPULAR DECISIONS.
HE WANTS TO BE POPULAR WITHIN THAT ARMY OF RUSSIAN
BUREAUCRATS. HE KNOWS THAT HE'S DEPENDENT ON
THEM, SO THAT'S NOT THAT BLACK AND WHITE.
>> AND WHILE WE'RE ON THE TOPIC, WITH TENSIONS ESCALATING, U.S.
OFFICIALS SAY A RUSSIAN FIGHTER JET INTERCEPTED AN AMERICAN SPY
PLANE OVER THE BALTIC SEA IN INTERNATIONAL AIRSPACE.
THE RUSSIAN JET REPORTEDLY FLEW WITHIN FIVE FEET OF THE U.S.
PLANE. OFFICIALS ARE CHARACTERIZING THE
ACTION AS BOTH UNSAFE AND UNPROFESSIONAL.
THE INCIDENT HAPPENED THE SAME DAY PRESIDENT TRUMP MET WITH THE
UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT. WHITE HOUSE OFFICIALS CALLED IT
A DROP-IN VISIT INTO THE OVAL OFFICE.
BUT AHEAD OF THE MEETING POROSHENKO SAID IT WAS IMPORTANT
THAT HE MEET WITH PRESIDENT TRUMP RATHER THAN VLADIMIR
PUTIN. PUTIN AND TRUMP ARE EXPECTED TO
MEET AT THE G20 SUMMIT IN GERMANY NEXT MONTH.
>> THERE ARE SO MANY CROSS CURRENTS RIGHT NOW IN THE UNITED
STATES/RUSSIAN RELATIONSHIP. THERE'S UKRAINE, THERE'S SYRIA,
FLASH POINTS ALL OVER THE WORLD. >> AND HE IS HAPPY WITH THE
AMOUNT OF ATTENTION HE'S GETTING FROM AMERICAN MEDIA.
THAT'S PROBABLY THE BEST MOMENT OF HIS LIFE.
HE HAS REACHED THE STATUS OF THE MOST POWERFUL MAN IN THE WORLD,
AS FAREED ZAKARIA'S DOCUMENTARY CALLED HIM.
SO HE'S VERY SATIS SATISFIED WI THAT.
>> SO PUTIN HIMSELF HAS DENIED ANY MEDDLING BY THE RUSSIAN
GOVERNMENT IN THE AMERICAN PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION OF LAST
NOVEMBER. BUT AS YOU SPEAK TO ALL THESE
THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE THAT YOU'VE INTERVIEWED OVER THE YEARS AND
MORE RECENTLY ABOUT THE ELECTION, DO THEY CONCEIVE, DO
THEY WINK, DO THEY NOD TO YOU THAT, YES, OF COURSE THE RUSSIAN
GOVERNMENT WAS BEHIND INTERFERENCE IN THE AMERICAN
ELECTION? >> PROBABLY THAT'S NOT -- WHEN
YOU SAY RUSSIAN GOVERNMENT, PROBABLY THAT'S NOT EXACTLY
CORRECT. PROBABLY THAT WAS SOME PRIVATE
COMPANY IN A WAY -- >> DIRECTED BY THE RUSSIAN
GOVERNMENT? >> NO.
DEPENDENT ON THE RUSSIAN GOVERNMENT, AFFILIATED WITH
RUSSIAN INTELLIGENCE SERVICES, PROBABLY.
AS IN MANY COUNTRIES, PROBABLY IN THIS COUNTRY AS WELL, SOME
DELICATE MISSIONS ARE SUPPOSED TO BE MADE NOT BY GOVERNMENT
AGENCIES THEMSELVES, BUT BY THE PRIVATE COMPANIES AFFILIATED
WITH THE GOVERNMENT IN A WAY. SO PROBABLY THAT WAS MUCH MOREO
PRIVATE. I CAN SUPPOSE THAT THAT WAS
PRIVATE AND IN ATTEMPT TO GIVE A PRESENT FOR VLADIMIR PUTIN.
THEY GUESSED THAT HE WOULD LOVE TO HAVE THAT, TO HEAR THAT, SO
THAT COULD BE AN ATTEMPT TO DRAW HIS ATTENT