>>> THE PRESIDENT POINTED OUT TODAY THAT THE JULY CALL WITH
THE UKRANIAN PRESIDENT WAS THEIR
SECOND PHONE CONVERSATION.
AS WE REPORTED EARLIER, THE "NEW
YORK TIMES" IS OUT WITH NEW
DETAILS ABOUT THE FIRST TIME THE
TWO LEADERS SPOKE.
THAT WAS BACK ON APRIL 21st.
QUOTE, FOUR DAYS AFTER THIS
FIRST CALL, MR. TRUMP SAID ON
SEAN HANNITY’S FOX NEWS PROGRAM
THAT HE WOULD IMAGINE THAT
ATTORNEY GENERAL WILLIAM BARR
WOULD LIKE TO REVIEW INFORMATION
ABOUT UKRAINE’S ACTIONS IN THE
2016 ELECTION.
2016 ELECTION. HERE IS PART OF THAT APRIL 25th
CONVERSATION ON FOX.
>> I JUST SPOKE TO THE NEW
PRESIDENT A LITTLE WHILE AGO,
TWO DAYS AGO, AND CONGRATULATED
HIM ON AN INCREDIBLE RACE,
INCREDIBLE RUN, A BIG VICTORY.
>> MR. PRESIDENT, THE PRESIDENT
OF UKRAINE IS OFFERING TO THE
UNITED STATES.
UNITED STATES. THEY SAID THEY COLLUDED ON
BEHALF OF HILLARY CLINTON’S
CAMPAIGN IN 2016.
DOES AMERICA NEED TO SEE THAT
INFORMATION, ESPECIALLY IN LIGHT
OF ALL THE ATTACKS AGAINST YOU
ON COLLUSION?
ON COLLUSION? >> WELL, I THINK WE DO, AND
FRANKLY, WE HAVE A GREAT NEW
ATTORNEY GENERAL WHO HAS DONE AN
UNBELIEVABLE JOB IN A VERY SHORT
PERIOD OF TIME, AND HE’S VERY
SMART AND HE’S VERY TOUGH.
AND I WOULD CERTAINLY DEFER TO
HIM, BUT I WOULD IMAGINE HE
WOULD WANT TO SEE THIS.
>> WITH ME FOR MORE, FRANK
FAGLUIZI AND PASTEIN FROM "THE
DAILY BEAST."
DAILY BEAST." FRANK, AS THIS RECONSTRUCTED
CONVERSATION CAME OUT THIS
MORNING, YOU SAW THE NAME
WILLIAM BARR BEING MENTIONED
REPEATEDLY IN THERE AS WELL.
WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF THE ROLE
BARR HAS ASSUMED IN ALL OF THIS?
>> FIRST, IT’S A HUGE GAP IN OUR
KNOWLEDGE.
KNOWLEDGE. WE NEED TO KNOW EXACTLY AND HEAR
PRECISELY FROM THE ATTORNEY
GENERAL HIMSELF WHAT, IF ANY,
INSTRUCTIONS, GUIDANCE,
INSTRUCTIONS, GUIDANCE, REQUESTS, SOLICITATIONS CAME
FROM THE WHITE HOUSE TO HIM TO
OPEN A CASE ON BIDEN OR TO
PRESSURE UKRAINE TO START
LOOKING AT BIDEN?
WE NEED TO UNDERSTAND THAT
BECAUSE THAT WOULD BE OUTSIDE
THE ATTORNEY GENERAL’S DUTIES.
WE PAY HIM TO REPRESENT US, NOT
SO HE CAN REPRESENT THE
PRESIDENT AND FIGHT FOR HIM.
LIKELY HE WILL NEED TO TESTIFY
AS A WITNESS IN ANY IMPEACHMENT
PROCEEDINGS, AND I STRONGLY
BELIEVE AT THIS POINT THAT HE
NEEDS TO RECUSE HIMSELF FROM ANY
DECISION RELATED TO THE DNI
WHISTLEBLOWER CASE.
WHISTLEBLOWER CASE. IT MAY BE TOO LATE.
WE’VE HEARD THAT DOJ INITIALLY
TOLD THE ACTING DNI, YOU DON’T
NEED TO SEND THIS COMPLAINT TO
CONGRESS.
CONGRESS. IF THE A.G. WEIGHED IN ON THAT,
THAT’S A BIG MISTAKE.
>> SAM, IN ADDITION TO THE
REQUESTS HERE FOR THE
INVESTIGATION INTO THE BIDENS,
THERE IS REFERENCE TO 2016 AND
HIS SUSPICIONS ABOUT UKRAINE
THERE.
THERE. TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT HOW
CENTRAL UKRAINE HAS BECOME TO
THE PRESIDENT’S THINKING, AND
THERE IS REPORTING OUT THERE
THAT SUGGESTS RUDY GIULIANI HAS
A LOT TO DO WITH THIS.
>> RIGHT.
>> RIGHT. THERE IS A COUPLE THINGS GOING
ON HERE.
ON HERE. ONE IS THERE IS A SUSPICION
INSIDE THE WHITE HOUSE THAT
OFFICIALS IN UKRAINE WERE
INVOLVED IN AN EFFORT TO
ESSENTIALLY SMEAR PAUL MANAFORT
IN THE 2016 ELECTION, AND IN
ITSELF PUT TRUMP IN A WORLD OF
TROUBLE WHICH LED TO THE MUELLER
PROBE.
PROBE. MORE OR LESS THEY WANT TO FIND
OUT WHAT HAPPENED THERE, AND
THEY WANT TO DO IT AS AN EFFORT
TO ESSENTIALLY PROVE THAT THIS
ENTIRE EPISODE, THAT THE SPECIAL
COUNSEL PROBE WAS, IN FACT, A
WITCH HUNT.
WITCH HUNT. IT’S MADE THE ENTIRE OPERATION
PARANOID.
PARANOID. THEY’RE OBSESSED BY IT.
BUT IT’S ALSO FED A BUNCH OF
CONSERVATIVE JOURNALISM AS WELL.
A NAME THAT KEEPS POPPING UP
HERE IS JOHN SOVERN, A REPORTER.
AND TODAY IT WAS MENTIONED IN
THIS DOCUMENT THAT WAS RELEASED
RKTSRELEASED,
RKTSRELEASED, THIS MEMORANDUM, IS WHETHER OR
NOT DONALD TRUMP FEELS THAT THE
MISSING 30,000 EMAILS ON HILLARY
CLINTON’S SERVER ARE SOMEHOW IN
UKRAINE, WHETHER HE CAN SOMEHOW
OBTAIN THEM BY GOING TO
OFFICIALS IN UKRAINE AND ASKING
THEM FOR THEIR HELP IN GETTING
THEM.
THEM. I’M NOT TOTALLY SURE HE HAS THE
PROPER UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT’S
HAPPENING HERE, IF HE ACTUALLY
THINKS THEY ARE THERE, BUT THIS
HAS LIMITED THE CONVERSATIONS
WITH OUT CRANE YANTHE UKRANIAN P
WELL.
WELL. >> WE MENTIONED JOSEPH McGUIRE
WILL BE TESTIFYING IN FRONT OF
CONGRESS TOMORROW.
CONGRESS TOMORROW. WHAT QUESTIONS DO YOU THINK ARE
MOST IMPORTANT TO BE ASKED?
>> THE QUESTIONS WRITE
THEMSELVES.
THEMSELVES. FIRST, WHY DID YOU CHOOSE TO NOT
COMPLY WITH A CLEAR MANDATE THAT
YOU TURN OVER THIS URGENT AND
CREDIBLE WHISTLEBLOWER COMPLAINT
TO CONGRESS?
TO CONGRESS? NUMBER TWO, WHO DID YOU CONSULT
ABOUT THAT?
ABOUT THAT? NAME NAMES AT THE DEPARTMENT OF
JUSTICE THAT YOU CONSULTED WITH
WHEN THEY INITIALLY TOLD YOU YOU
DIDN’T HAVE TO TURN IT OVER.
DO YOU HAVE ANY EVIDENCE THAT
THE ATTORNEY GENERAL WEIGHED IN
ON THIS?
ON THIS? WHO AT THE WHITE HOUSE SPOKE
WITH YOU, IF ANYONE?
DO YOU HAVE ANY EVIDENCE THAT
PRESIDENT TRUMP HIMSELF WAS
BRIEFED AND/OR WEIGHED IN ON
THIS DECISION?
THIS DECISION? AND THEN MOVING FORWARD, WHAT
LEVEL OF INVESTIGATIVE EFFORT
DID YOU TAKE TO LOOK INTO THIS
THROUGH THE INSPECTOR GENERAL?
DID YOU HAVE DISCUSSIONS WITH
THE INSPECTOR GENERAL?
AND THEN I WANT TO KNOW EVEN
MORE, ARE YOU AWARE OF ANY
FURTHER INTELLIGENCE INFORMATION
THAT TENDS TO CORROBORATE THIS
ALLEGATION?
ALLEGATION? WHAT ELSE IS OUT THERE
THROUGHOUT THE INTELLIGENCE
COMMUNITY?
COMMUNITY? DID YOU DO A THOROUGH ENOUGH JOB
TO TRULY INVESTIGATE THIS
ALLEGATION?
ALLEGATION? >> SAM, JUST A QUESTION ABOUT
THIS RECONSTRUCTED CONVERSATION
TRANSCRIPT THAT CAME OUT TODAY.
IT SOUNDS LIKE -- IT CERTAINLY
SEEMS IT’S INTENSIFIED CALLS
FROM DEMOCRATS TO MOVE TOWARDS
IMPEACHMENT.
IMPEACHMENT. THERE ARE SOME REPUBLICANS THAT
ARE STICKING BY THE PRESIDENT ON
THIS SAYING THERE IS NOTHING TO
THIS.
THIS. THERE ARE PLENTY, THOUGH, YOU’RE
HEARING FROM THAT ARE EXPRESSING
SOMMER OF CONCERN OVER THIS.
WHEN YOU LOOK AT THAT REACTION,
IT DOES RAISE THE QUESTION OF
WHY THE WHITE HOUSE DID THIS.
WAS THIS AN INSTANCE OF THEIR
HAND BEING FORCED BY THESE
SUDDEN CALLS FOR IMPEACHMENT?
>> OUR WHITE HOUSE TEAM HAS
GOTTEN TWO DISTINCT READS ON
THIS.
THIS. THE FIRST IS -- AND THIS CAME
YESTERDAY -- WAS A FAIRLY
LOGICAL CALCULATION AND MAYBE
EVEN A STRATEGICALLY WISE ONE
THAT EVENTUALLY THIS WAS GOING
TO COME OUT.
THERE WAS ESSENTIALLY NO WAY TO
HOLD IT BACK.
YOU COULD HAVE DRAGGED IT ON,
BUT THAT WOULD HAVE PUT A CLOUD
OF SUSPICION OVER THE
ADMINISTRATION, TOO.
ADMINISTRATION, TOO. GET IT OUT, RIP THE BAND-AID OFF
AND MOVE ON.
THERE WERE ALSO PEOPLE INSIDE
THE PRESIDENT’S TEAM WHO FELT
LIKE IT WASN’T THAT BAD, THAT
WHAT THEY SAW THERE DID NOT
CONTAIN A EXPLICIT QUID PRO QUO,
THAT PRESS REPORTS HAD SAID
EIGHT INSTANCES OF THE PRESIDENT
TRUMP PRESSURING THE UKRAINE
PRESIDENT ON BIDEN.
IN FACT, THERE WERE NOT EIGHT.
AND THAT PEOPLE WOULD BASICALLY
MOVE ON FROM THIS BECAUSE THEY
WOULD DETERMINE IT WAS THE
EQUIVALENT OF A POLITICAL
NOTHING BURGER.
NOTHING BURGER. AND THAT IS PROVING TO BE A SORT
OF RIDICULOUS CALCULATION.
YES, IN THE CONSERVATIVE MEDIA
ECHO CHAMBER, THERE IS THIS LINE
THAT THERE IS NOTHING THERE, BUT
NO ONE OUTSIDE OF THAT SEEMS TO
REGARD IT AS ANYTHING SHORT OF A
COMPLETE BOMBSHELL.