>>> ANYTHING COMING OUT OF THIS
CONGRESS WITH BIPARTISAN
SIGN-OFF IS RARE THESE DAYS
WHICH MAKES THE RELEASE OF THE
SENATE INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE’S
FIFTH AND FINAL REPORT ON
RUSSIA’S INTERFERENCE IN THE
2016 ELECTION ALL THE MORE
MONUMENTAL.
THE NEARLY 1,000-PAGE REPORT
LAYS OUT THE MANY COMMUNICATIONS
BETWEEN THE TRUMP CAMPAIGN AND
RUSSIA.
AND AS NBC NEWS REPORTS, IT
PAINTED A STARK PORTRAIT OF A
TRUMP CAMPAIGN EAGER TO ACCEPT
HELP FROM A FOREIGN POWER IN
2016 AND A CANDIDATE CLOSELY
INVOLVED IN THAT EFFORT.
WHILE CONFIRMING THE CONCLUSIONS
REACHED BY SPECIAL COUNSEL
ROBERT MUELLER, THE FINDINGS BY
THE REPUBLICAN-LED COMMITTEE GO
EVEN FURTHER.
PARTICULARLY WHEN IT COMES TO
TRUMP’S FORMER CAMPAIGN CHAIRMAN
PAUL MANAFORT AND MANAFORT’S
INTERACTIONS WITH INDIVIDUALS
CLOSE TO THE KREMLIN.
THE REPORT DESCRIBES HIM AS A,
QUOTE, GRAVE COUNTERINTELLIGENCE
THREAT.
JOINING US, FORMER FBI GENERAL
COUNSEL ANDREW WEISMAN.
LET ME ASK YOU FIRST, YOU
PROSECUTED THE MANAFORT CASE.
DID YOU KNOW EVERYTHING THAT WAS
IN TODAY’S SENATE INTELLIGENCE
COMMITTEE REPORT?
>> I DID NOT.
THERE IS DEFINITELY NEW
INFORMATION, AND THERE ARE SOME
VERY FASCINATING THINGS IN THE
DETAILS.
I CAN’T TELL YOU I’VE FINISHED
ALL 1,000 PAGES, BUT I’D SAY THE
BIG PICTURE TO STEAL A PHRASE
THAT YOU USED ABOUT EPIC SHADE
IS, THIS IS A REMARKABLE
DOCUMENT BECAUSE YOU HAVE
REPUBLICANS AND DEMOCRATS BOTH
SAYING THAT THEY DISAGREE WITH
PRESIDENT TRUMP AND ATTORNEY
GENERAL BARR’S DISPARAGEMENT OF
THIS INVESTIGATION.
BECAUSE THEY CONCLUDE IN THIS
REPORT THAT THERE CLEARLY WAS
RUSSIAN INTERFERENCE IN THE
ELECTION AND THE INTERFERENCE
WAS TO HELP DONALD TRUMP.
AND THEY ALSO CONCLUDE THAT IT
WAS AMPLY JUSTIFIED TO UNDERTAKE
THIS INVESTIGATION.
AND AS YOU KNOW, ATTORNEY
GENERAL BARR IS BUSY TRYING TO
ARGUE THE OPPOSITE.
BUT HERE YOU HAVE BOTH
REPUBLICANS AND DEMOCRATS
SAYING, AS YOU JUST MENTIONED,
JUST ONE EXAMPLE, PAUL MANAFORT
WAS A GRAVE COUNTERINTELLIGENCE
RISK GIVEN HIS CONNECTIONS TO
RUSSIA.
>> AND LET’S DEEPEN THAT
EXPLANATION.
WHAT MY UNDERSTANDING OF THE
REPORT IS THAT THE REPORT FOUND
THAT PAUL MANAFORT, WHO WAS
DONALD TRUMP’S CAMPAIGN
CHAIRMAN, WAS IN CONSTANT
CONTACT WITH A RUSSIAN AGENT.
DOES A REPORT GO SO FAR AS TO
ASSERT THAT MANAFORT WAS THEN
ACTING AS A RUSSIAN AGENT WHEN
HE SOUGHT TO DISCREDIT THE
INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY’S
ASSESSMENT THAT RUSSIA ATTACKED
THE 2016 ELECTION AND SPREAD
RUSSIAN DISINFORMATION ABOUT IT?
>> IT DOES NOT GO THAT FAR, BUT
THIS IS WHAT IS NEW IN THE
SENATE REPORT TODAY.
IT DESCRIBES CONSTANTINE
KILIMNIK WHO IS THE RIGHT-HAND
MAN OF PAUL MANAFORT IN UKRAINE.
IT DESCRIBES HIM AS A RUSSIAN
INTELLIGENCE OFFICER.
THAT IS MUCH FURTHER THAN HE WAS
DESCRIBED PUBLICLY BY THE
SPECIAL COUNSEL’S OFFICE.
AND IT ALSO SAYS THAT THERE WAS
SOME EVIDENCE THAT THAT PERSON,
KILIMNIK, WAS INVOLVED IN THE
HACKING OPERATION.
THAT IS THE RUSSIAN OPERATION TO
HACK INTO THE DNC EMAILS AND
DISTRIBUTE THOSE.
SO THAT’S SUBSTANTIAL NEW
INFORMATION.
>> IT ALSO SAYS THAT DONALD
TRUMP LIED TO YOU, THAT DONALD
TRUMP’S ANSWERS TO THE SPECIAL
COUNSEL’S OFFICE, TO YOUR BOSS
ROBERT MUELLER, WERE LIES.
CAN YOU TALK ABOUT THAT?
>> SO YOU’RE A VERY CAREFUL
READER BECAUSE I’D SAY THAT THE
REPORT ELEGANTLY TRIES TO NOT
USE THE PHRASE "LIE" BUT IT
COMES DARN CLOSE.
AND TO GIVE YOU THE SPECIFICS ON
THAT, THE PRESIDENT IN HIS
WRITTEN ANSWERS TO THE SPECIAL
COUNSEL’S OFFICE SAYS HE DOESN’T
REMEMBER HAVING COMMUNICATIONS
WITH ROGER STONE ABOUT
WIKILEAKS.
AND THIS REPORT, SIGNED OFF BY
REPUBLICANS AND DEMOCRATS, SAYS
THAT ROGER STONE ACTIVELY WAS
TRYING TO GET THE INFORMATION
FROM WIKILEAKS AND DID SO IN
COORDINATION WITH CANDIDATE
TRUMP.
SO IT LEAVES IT TO YOU TO
DECIDE, DO YOU REALLY THINK YOU
WOULD FORGET THAT GIVEN HOW
IMPORTANT THAT INFORMATION
BECAME TO THE CAMPAIGN IN TERMS
OF IT DRIBBLING OUT, YOU KNOW,
THROUGHOUT OCTOBER?
>> I MEAN, AND TRUMP IS THE GUY
THAT CAN REMEMBER MAN, WOMAN,
CAMERA, TOE NAIL OR WHATEVER HE
IS TELLING UBUT HE FORGETS
TALKING TO ROGER STONE OVER AND
OVER AND OVER AGAIN ABOUT
WIKILEAKS WHILE AT THE SAME TIME
TALKING ABOUT WIKILEAKS OVER AND
OVER AND OVER AGAIN ON THE
CAMPAIGN TRAIL.
I MEAN, DO YOU HAVE ANY DOUBT
THAT DONALD TRUMP’S ANSWERS WERE
LIES?
>> NO, I MEAN JUST TO BE CLEAR,
THE SPECIAL COUNSEL WAS ASKED
THAT EXACT QUESTION WHEN HE
TESTIFIED UNDER OATH BEFORE
CONGRESS, WHICH IS WHETHER HE
BELIEVED THAT THE PRESIDENT’S
ANSWERS IN WRITING TO HIM WERE
ACCURATE AND TRUTHFUL, AND HE
SAID HE DID NOT THINK SO.
AND I FULLY SUPPORT THAT.
>> SO THIS IS A PERSONAL
QUESTION.
DO YOU FEEL LIKE IT’S A FAIR
CONCLUSION TO SAY, AS JUST A
VOTER AND SOMEONE WHO HAS
WATCHED ALL OF DONALD TRUMP’S
ASSAULTS ON THE RULE OF LAW.
HE IS STILL, AS YOU SAID, HE’S
GOT BILL BARR TRYING TO
PROSECUTE MEMBERS OF THE
INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY WHO
REACHED THE SAME CONCLUSIONS
THAT MUELLER AND THE SPECIAL
COUNSEL’S OFFICE DID WHICH WERE
NOW AFFIRMED BY THE
REPUBLICAN-LED SENATE
INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE.
I MEAN, IS IT INACCURATE OR
UNFAIR TO SAY THAT YOU ALL
FAILED TO STOP HIM?
BECAUSE NO ONE THINKS THAT
DONALD TRUMP ISN’T UP TO
SOMETHING MUCH WORSE IN 2020.
>> SO, I THINK -- I WROTE A BOOK
ABOUT THAT, THAT’S COMING OUT,
NOT TO PLUG THAT, NICOLLE, BUT
OUR JOB WAS NOT TO STOP HIM.
OUR JOB WAS TO UNCOVER THE FACTS
AND APPLY THE LAW TO THAT.
BUT I THINK THAT FOR A VARIETY
OF REASONS YOU COULD SAY THERE
WAS A FAIL OUR THE PART OF THE
SPECIAL COUNSEL’S OFFICE AND ON
THE PART OF CONGRESS IN TERMS
OF, YOU KNOW, HOW HARD WE WOULD
DIG FOR INFORMATION AND ALSO, I
THINK CONGRESS CAN RIGHTLY BE,
YOU KNOW, GRADED ABOUT WHAT THEY
DID WITH THE REPORT ONCE THEY
HAD IT BECAUSE THE FACTS WERE,