PUTIN.
THE REAL TARGET HERE IS THE
RUSSIAN GOVERNMENT, WHICH IS
SEEKING TO DO WHAT?
THEY ARE SEEKING TO SOW DISCORD.
DAGEN: WHITE HOUSE REPORTER FOR
THE "WASHTINGTON EXAMINER" SARAH
WESTWOOD.
WHAT YOU MAKE OF THE PRESIDENT'S
COMMENTS ON TWITTER TO THESE
INDICTMENTS?
>> PRESIDENT TRUMP HAS
APPOINTED.
TO UNDERMINE THE TRUST IN THEIR
INSTITUTIONS DO NOT SEEMS TO BE
SERVED BY THE FACT THAT
PARTISANS PARTICULARLY ON THE
LEFT HAVE PUT SO MUCH FOCUS ON
THE RUSSIAN INVESTIGATION.
OVER THE WEEKEND WE SAW A BIT OF
A CONFLATION OF THE ISSUES OF
POLLUTION AND INTERFERENCE WITH
A LOT OF FOLKS WITH A VICTORY
LAP THAT PRESIDENT TRUMP HAS
DESCRIBED AS A HOAX AND NOW I
KNOW IT'S ANYTHING BUT.
PRESIDENT TRUMP NEVER CALLED
INTERFERENCE A HOAX ABOUT WHAT
HE REFERRED TO AS A WITCHHUNT
WAS THE ALLEGATION OF COLLUSION
IN SO FAR AS TO WEAKEN THE
COLLUSION.
>> PRESIDENT TRUMP DID TO EAT
OVER THE WEEKEND THAT HE SAID HE
DIDN'T MEDDLE IN THE ELECTION,
BUT HE DID SAY AND I REMEMBER IT
WAS DURING ONE OF THE DEBATE
THAN HE TREATED OVER THE WEEKEND
THAT COULD'VE BEEN CHINA, RUSSIA
OR SOME 400-POUND GUY IN BED
WITH THIS COMPUTER.
THAT COMMENT BACK IN THE DAY
DIDN'T SEEM TO DISMISS WHAT WE
NOW KNOW THROUGH THE INDICTMENT
WERE BRUSH ENDS MEDDLING IN OUR
ELECTION PROCESS.
>> ABSOLUTELY.
HE DEFINITELY DOWNPLAYED
SIGNIFICANT OF THE INTERFERENCE.
HE DISMISSED THE FACT HE COULD
EVEN BE RUSSIANS ARE THEY
SPECULATED EARLIER IN THE
PROCESS.
HE EVENTUALLY CAME AROUND TO
SUPPORTING THE INTELLIGENCE
COLONEL VERSIONS THAT EVEN
CONFRONTING PUTIN ABOUT IT, BUT
HE HASN'T DONE ENOUGH IN THE
EYES OF HIS CRITICS TO PREPARE
FOR FUTURE REFERENCE IN THE
FUTURE ELECTIONS AND THE FACT
THAT HE IS MINIMIZED SAYS THE
ADMINISTRATION MAY NOT COMPARE
FOR 2018 AND BEYOND.
>> I WATCHED ALL SORTS OF SHOWS
YESTERDAY MORNING AND PEOPLE
SORT OF WANT TO SPIN IT THE WAY
THEY WANT TO SPEND IT AND BOUNCE
AROUND THE GO CHAMBER.
THE QUESTION IS, WHEN DOES THIS
END?
DOES IT TAKE SOME DEFINITIVE
RULING BY MUELLER'S
INVESTIGATION OR DOES THIS
CONTINUE INTO THE TERM ELECTIONS
THROUGHOUT TRUMP'S FIRST TERM?
>> WELL, WE DON'T KNOW WHEN
MUELLER WILL WIND DOWN, BUT WE
DO KNOW A LOT OF SERIOUS
UNANSWERED QUESTIONS STILL
HANGING OVER THE HACKING OF THE
DNC, HACKING AT JOHN PODESTA'S
IMPACT, THE WAY THEY WERE WEAPON
MASTER IN THE ELECTION.
THOSE ARE SOME KEY QUESTIONS AND
ALWAYS THE MOST SIGNIFICANT
TANGIBLE THING RUSSIA DID IN THE
ELECTION.
KEEP IN MIND FACEBOOK EXECUTIVES
TESTIFIED BEFORE CONGRESS THAT
ULTIMATELY THE AMOUNT OF ADS THE
RUSSIANS BOUGHT FOR THE LOW SIX
FIGURE OUT BY AS A DROP IN THE
BUCKET.
BUT WITH SIRIUS WAS THE
INFORMATION CAMPAIGN BASED ON
STOLEN E-MAILS THAT WE HAVEN'T
HEARD ANYTHING ABOUT THAT.
ONCE WE GET THERE WE WILL SEE
THE PROBE WIND DOWN.
>> STEVE ROGERS HERE.
THE PRESIDENT ALL ALONG WAS
RIGHT ABOUT POLLUTION IN THE
MAINSTREAM MEDIA HAVE BECOME THE
JUDGE, JURY AND EXECUTIONER.
AND NOW WE HAVE A REPORT THAT
MENTIONS NOTHING ABOUT
COLLUSION.
THE POINT IS THIS.
CAN WE NOW CONCLUDE AND ADMIT
THE PRESIDENT WAS RIGHT ALL
ALONG?
>> THIS WAS EVIDENCE THAT THIS
CLAIM THAT THE THIRD NARRATIVE.
THE INDICTMENT MAKES CLEAR THAT
SO FAR THE SPECIAL COUNSEL IS
FOUND NO EVIDENCE OF COLLUSION
THAT THE OFFERS WERE NOT JUST
AIMED AT HURTING HILLARY
CLINTON.
THE GOAL WAS TO CREATE A SENSE
OF CHAOS MORE BROADLY, BUT FOR
REPUBLICANS AS DOES HAVE A BIT
OF A WAKE-UP CALL THAT THE
RUSSIAN EFFORTS TO ADVANCE.
THERE WERE WIDESPREAD AND MANY
EFFORTS DID GO IN THE DIRECTION
OF HOPING TRUMP HURTING HILLARY
CLINTON.
BOTH SIDES HAD THEIR NARRATIVE
SCRAMBLED A LITTLE BIT BY THE
INDICTMENT.
DAGEN: I WILL BRING THIS UP TO
YOU.
RUSH LIMBAUGH SAID ON "FOX NEWS
SUNDAY" I WOULD BE CAREFUL IF I
WERE POTUS OR THE RECENT
INDICTMENTS ARE ONE LEVEL OF THE
INVESTIGATION.
THE DANGER WOULD BE FOR THEM TO
TOTALLY EMBRACE IT AND VALIDATE
THE INVESTIGATION.
IT'S ALL ABOUT SETTING UP DONALD
TRUMP.
DALLAS FROM RUSH LIMBAUGH.
>> THE PRESIDENT WOULD BE WISE
TO TAKE A LITTLE TIME OFF.
IT'S BEEN ALL 72 HOURS SINCE
INDICTMENTS CAME DOWN IN D.C. AT
TO PUT THE SANCTIONS ON, WHICH
ONLY TWO PEOPLE VOTED AGAINST
THEM, ONE IS BERNIE SANDERS.
BERNIE SANDERS AND JOEL
STEINBERG WAS HELPED BY RUSSIAN
EFFORTS.
>> JUST TO POINT SOMETHING OUT
THAT DEFENDANT SHOULD THAT THEY
ARE WORKING ON IMPLEMENTING THE
RUSSIA SANCTIONS.
>> I ANXIOUSLY AWAIT OUT.
NOT THE PRESIDENT HIMSELF IS
SEEMS TO HAVE A TOUGH TIME
OVERTLY CONDEMNING RUSSIA AND A
VERY EASY TIME CONDEMNING
EVERYONE ASK HIM EVEN BLAMING
THE FBI PROJECT THAT WAS WAS THE
MOST IMPORTANT TOOL.
DAGEN: LET ME ASK ABOUT THAT.
THAT WAS THE ONE TWEET THAT GOT
THE MOST ATTENTION.
I WAS OUTNUMBERED ON FRIDAY.
CLEARLY EVERY AMERICAN HAS THE
RIGHT TO BE UPSET ABOUT THE FBI
FAILURES WHEN IT COMES TO
CRACKING DOWN ON TERRORISTS AND
FIND THE CRIMINALS IN THIS
COUNTRY AND WE POINT TO THE
SHOOTER IN THE PARKLAND.
PRESIDENT TRUMP ESSENTIALLY IN
ONE TWEET EXPLOITS THAT IT MAKES
IT ABOUT WHERE THIS RUSSIA?
WHERE WAS FBI VISITED THE
RUSSIAN INVESTIGATION.
HOW DOES THIS HELP THEM?
>> IS NOT CLEAR BECAUSE
OBVIOUSLY THE TWO ARE UNRELATED.
THEY WOULD'VE HANDLED THAT KIND
OF TAPE WOULD'VE VIRTUALLY NO
CONTACT WITH THE TEAM HERE IN
WASHINGTON WORKING ON THE RUSSIA
INVESTIGATION.
THERE'S A LITTLE BIT RHETORIC
THAN REALITY THAT PLAY, BUT NO
QUESTION THEY'VE BEEN GOING
THROUGH A BIT OF A PR NIGHTMARE
LATELY.
A BAD TIME TO BE HIT WITH THIS
KIND OF SCRUTINY.
AGAIN, THAT TO TOTALLY
DISCONNECT IT.
IT'S NOT CLEAR.
DAGEN: THIS IS A VERY BIG
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN AN AVERAGE
CITY STANDARDS AND SOME TALKING
HEAD LIKE MYSELF ON TV BEING
UPSET ABOUT THE FBI'S HANDLING
AND HOW THEY'VE HANDLED THE FISA
COURT AND THAT'S FINE, BUT FOR
THE PRESIDENT TO COME OUT AND
SAY THAT, IT DOES LOOK LIKE HE'S
TRYING TO EXPLOIT AND HORRIFIC
TRAGEDY IN AMERICAN HISTORY.
>> I DON'T THINK SO.
I'VE GOT TO TELL YOU IT'S THE
LEADERSHIP AT THE FBI, NOT THE
FIELD OFFICES TO DROP THE BALL
ON THIS.
THEY SET THE PRIORITIES AND IN
THE LAW ENFORCEMENT FOR 38 YEARS
AM I VIEW THE FBI SHOULD HAVE
BEEN MORE FOCUSED ON THIS
PARTICULAR INCIDENT THAN
ANYTHING ELSE IN THE VIDEO CAME
OUT WITH THE LANGUAGE AND OTHER
PATHOGENS.
HE WAS ACTUALLY FOCUSING ON AND
PROBABLY COULD ARTICULATE A
LITTLE BETTER AT THE FACT THAT
THE MATTER IS HE WAS TALKING
ABOUT THE PRIORITIES BEING SENT
BY FBI LEADERSHIP.
>> THERE ARE 35,000 FBI AGENTS.
THEY HAD ALL THE COMPONENTS OF
THAT AND 35,000 SOUNDS LIKE
ENOUGH PEOPLE.
>> I'VE BEEN THERE.
I WORK THERE.
>> I KNOW THAT IN APPRECIATING
THANK YOU FOR SERVICE.
THIS WITCHHUNT WHICH I TAKE SO
PERSONALLY WHEN YOU HAVE ONE OF
THE DEADLIEST MASS SHOOTINGS IN
AMERICA AND THEIR 17 DEAD
TEENAGERS.
DAGEN: HE COULD'VE ENDED HIS
TWEET, VERY SAD THE FBI MISSED
THE MANY SIGNAL SENT OUT BY THE
FLORIDA SCHOOL SHOOTER.
THIS IS NOT ACCEPTABLE.
END OF TWEET.
IT WAS THE SECOND PART TALKING
ABOUT SPENDING TOO MUCH TIME
WITH THE TRUMP CAMPAIGN.
THAT IS WHAT IT SAID.