FOLKS, I AM TERRIBLY EXCITED BECAUSE SHE WAS FIRST A FIRST
LADY, THEN A SENATOR, THEN SECRETARY OF STATE, AND I WOULD
HAVE BET ANYTHING THE NEXT PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES.
PLEASE WELCOME HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON!
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) ♪ ♪ ♪
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) >> Stephen: THANK YOU SO
MUCH-- >> OH, STEPHEN, IT'S GOOD TO SEE
YOU.
>> Stephen: IT'S GOOD TO SEE YOU.
IT'S AN HONOR TO HAVE YOU HERE.
>> THANKS.
>> Stephen: YOU HAVE A NEW BOOK.
IT'S CALLED "WHAT HAPPENED."
( LAUGHTER ) AND I DON'T KNOW HOW ELSE TO
START THIS INTERVIEW, OTHER THAN SAYING WHAT HAPPENED?
( LAUGHTER ) >> WOW.
>> Stephen: WHAT-- WHAT HAPPENED?
>> WELL, THAT'S THE QUESTION I TRY TO ANSWER.
>> Stephen: OKAY.
>> YEAH, BECAUSE IT WAS A QUESTION I ASKED MYSELF STARTING
ON ELECTION NIGHT.
AND I STARTED -- >> Stephen: WHAT TIME ON
ELECTION NIGHT?
( LAUGHTER ).
>> WELL, AS I WRITE IN THE BOOK, MIDNIGHT.
>> Stephen: YEAH.
>> MIDNIGHT.
>> Stephen: I REMEMBER.
>> THE DARK TIME OF THE SOUL, MIDNIGHT.
>> Stephen: YEAH.
I'M WAITING FOR IT TO NOT BE MIDNIGHT SOON.
>> YEAH, RIGHT.
AND SO I-- I WAS ASKING IT LIKE YOU JUST SAID, "WHAT HAPPENED!"
AND I FIGURED, MAKE I'D BETTER TRY TO FIND OUT AND FIGURE IT
OUT.
SO THAT'S WHY I DOVE INTO THIS BOOK.
IT WAS VERY PAINFUL AND DIFFICULT.
BUT AT THE END, I REALLY FEEL LIKE I'VE DONE MY VERY BEST TO
LAY OUT WHAT HAPPENED SO 9 THAT DOESN'T HAPPEN AGAIN.
I MEAN, THAT'S MY PRIMARY GOAL HERE-- THAT IT DOESN'T HAPPEN
AGAIN.
( APPLAUSE ).
>> Stephen: WELL, A LOT OF PEOPLE HAVE SAID, "OH, BOY, I
WISH HILLARY CLINTON WOULD JUST GO AWAY."
>> YEAH.
>> Stephen: "JUST GO AWAY."
>> WELL, YOU KNOW, IF THEY'D TAKE UP A COLLECTION AND SEND ME
SOMEWHERE REALLY NICE.
>> Stephen: REALLY?
>> I MIGHT CONSIDER IT.
>> Stephen: OBAMA'S ON DAVID GEFFEN'S YACHT A LOT.
YOU COULD GO WITH HIM.
>> WELL, I AM NOT GOING ANYWHERE.
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ).
>> Stephen: BILLION, I'M GLAD YOU'RE NOT.
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ).
>> Stephen: I AGREE.
AT FIRST, I COULD UNDERSTAND SOME OF THOSE CALLS.
PEOPLE SAYING, LIKE, ," THE REPUBLICANS ARE TEARING
THEMSELVES APART.
DON'T GIVE THEM SOMEONE TO RALLY AROUND IN OPPOSITION TO,"
BECAUSE YOU WERE A CONVENIENT FIGURE FOR THEM TO UNITE
AGAINST.
>> RIGHT.
>> Stephen: BUT I ACTUALLY DO NOT THINK THAT'S HOW WHAT IS
HAPPENING TO OUR GOVERNMENT IS GOING TO BE STOPPED.
I THINK IT'S PEOPLE WHO ARE WILLING TO BE CIVICALLY ENGAGED
AND BELIEVE IN THE PROMISES OF THE PROGRESS OF THE LAST 50
YEARS THAT WILL SAVE THIS COUNTRY.
THANK YOU SO MUCH.
>> I AGREE COMPLETELY.
ABSOLUTELY COMPLETELY.
>> Stephen: BUT, WAIT A SECOND.
IT MUST NOT HAVE BEEN EASY.
>> NO.
>> Stephen: IT MUST NOT HAVE BEEN EASY TO WRITE THIS BOOK.
>> IT WASN'T EASY.
IT WAS PAINFUL.
IT WAS HORRIBLE RELIVING IT.
AND, YOU KNOW, BEING AS CANDID, OPEN AS I COULD BE ABOUT THE
MISTAKES I MADE AND TALKING ABOUT THOSE.
BUT, ALSO, TRYING TO COME TO GRIPS, AS I WRITE IN THE BOOK,
ABOUT EVERYTHING FROM, YOU KNOW, SEXISM AND MISOGYNY, TO VOTER
PUSUPPRESSION, TO THE UNUSUAL BEHAVIOR OF THE FORMER DIRECTOR
OF THE F.B.I., AND THE RUSSIANS, AND THE RUSSIANS.
AND YOU HAVE BEEN SOUNDING THE ALARM ABOUT THIS, BECAUSE I
BELIEVE SO STRONGLY THAT THEY THINK THEY SUCCEEDED IN MESSING
WITH OUR DEMOCRACY.
AND I JUST CAN'T ABIDE THAT.
SEE -- >> Stephen: DO YOU THINK THEY
SUCCEEDED IN MESSING WITH OUR DEMOCRACY?
>> YES, I DO, I DO, I DO.
>> Stephen: TO WHAT AGREE, INFLUENCING THE VOTE OR
INFLUENCING OPINION?
>> INFLUENCING VOTERS, AND, THEREFORE, INFLUENCING OPINION I
THINK IS BECOMING CLEARER AND CLEARER.
I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE CONGRESSIONAL INVESTIGATION--
AND I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE SPECIAL COUNSEL INVESTIGATION
ARE GOING TO FIND.
I'M GOING TO WAIT FOR THAT.
BUT I DON'T THINK ANYBODY CAN WITH A STRAIGHT FACE SAY THAT
THE RUSSIANS DID NOT SET OUT TO INFLUENCE OUR ELECTION, AND THEY
DID SO.
THIS LATEST REVELATION ABOUT THE WAY THEY BOUGHT AD ON FACEBOOK
AND TARGETED THEM, WE'RE GOING TO FIND OUT A LOT MORE, STEPHEN.
AND I AM SAYING AS CLEARLY AS I CAN-- I FEEL LIKE I'M A BIT OF
A, YOU KNOW, PAULA REVERE.
I'M TRYING TO SOUND THE ALARM ABOUT THIS.
IS THAT-- ( APPLAUSE )
YOU KNOW, YOU'VE GOT TO UNDERSTAND WHAT PUTIN'S STRATEGY
IS.
HE REALLY DOESN'T LIKE DEMOCRACY.
HE THINKS IT'S AN INCONVENIENT, MESSY PROCESS.
AND HE DOESN'T LIKE US, AND HE WANTS TO DESTABILIZE OUR COUNTRY
SOW DOUBT ABOUT OUR DEMOCRACY.
THE LATEST REVELATIONS WHERE YOU HAD RUSSIANS PRETENDING TO BE
AMERICANS.
FAKE AMERICANS WITH FAKE NEWS AND FAKE STORIES AND FAKE
DEMONSTRATIONS.
THAT WASN'T JUST BECAUSE HE'S BORED AND HAS NOTHING TO DO.
HE WANTS TO UNDERMINE HOW WE SEE EACH OTHER, HOW WE RESPECT EACH
OTHER, HOW WE SUPPORT OUR INSTITUTIONS AND OUR SOCIETY.
SO I THINK THAT THEY BELIEVE THEY HAD A GOOD OUTING IN 2016,
AND I THINK THEY WILL BE BACK IN 2018 AND 2020, UNLESS WE STOP
THEM.
>> Stephen: NOW YOU MENTIONED--
( APPLAUSE ) ...THAT PUTIN DOESN'T LIKE
DEMOCRACY AND HE DOESN'T LIKE AMERICA.
PART OF THE SPECULATION IS HE SPECIFICALLY DOESN'T LIKE YOU.
DO YOU THINK THIS WAS PERSONAL ON A CERTAIN LEVEL?
>> I THINK IT WAS MOSTLY ABOUT THE ROLE I PLAYED AS SECRETARY
OF STATE, WHICH HE DID MORPH INTO A GRUDGE AGAINST ME BECAUSE
I WOULD SAY THINGS LIKE, YOU KNOW, THE RUSSIAN PEOPLE DESERVE
FREE AND FAIR ELECTIONS.
THEY DESERVE TO HAVE A DEMOCRACY."
>> Stephen: QUESTION THE LEGITIMACY OF HIS ELECTION IN
2011.
>> THE PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS, THAT'S RIGHT.
AND SO OUR INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY AND OTHERS HAVE SAID
THAT HE DID HAVE A PERSONAL GRUDGE AGAINST ME.
YOU KNOW, I DON'T TAKE IT PERSONALLY.
I THINK IT'S PART OF HIS WORLD VIEW WHICH IS ALL TIED UP WITH
HIS ANGER, HIS DISAPPOINTMENT IN THE COLLAPSE OF THE SOVIET
UNION, AND HIS FEELING THAT WE'RE HIS NUMBER ONE RIVAL.
HE WANTS TO REALLY UNDERMINE THE EUROPEAN-AMERICAN ALLIANCE.
AND SO I SEE IT AS-- YOU KNOW, I WAS DOING MY JOB.
I WAS HONORED TO DO MY JOB, TO STAND UP AND SPEAK OUT ON BEHALF
OF AMERICAN VALUES AND OUR DEMOCRACY.
AND PARTLY BECAUSE I'M A WOMAN, WHICH DOES SEEM TO GET HIM A BIT
AGITATED.
( LAUGHTER ) ( APPLAUSE )
AND HE ACTUALLY HAS SAID THAT.
SOME THINGS ABOUT THAT.
>> Stephen: DID HE EVER SAY ANYTHING TO YOU PERSONALLY THAT
DEMONSTRATED HIS-- >> WELL, HE DEMONSTRATED-- AS I
WRITE IN THE BOOK, YOU KNOW, THERE'S AN EXPRESSION, WE
CERTAINLY KNOW IT IN NEW YORK, CALLED "MAN SPREADING."
( LAUGHTER ) >> Stephen: YES.
( APPLAUSE ) >> AND EVERY TIME I MET WITH
HIM, IT WOULD BE... OKAY.
THE WHOLE DEAL.
AND SO I'D GO TO MEETINGS WITH HIM-- ONE IN PARTICULAR, WE WERE
IN HIS DACHA OUTSIDE OF MOSCOW.
AND THE PRESS COMES IN, AND HE JUST BERATES AMERICA ABOUT ONE
OF THE MANY THINGS THAT ANNOYS HIM ABOUT US.
AND THEN THE PRESS LEAVES, AND I'VE GOT FOUR OR FIVE THINGS
WE'RE TRYING TO DEAL WITH HIM AND RUSSIA ON.
AND I ALWAYS CAME TO MY MEETINGS WITH HIM TRYING TO FIND
SOMETHING THAT I COULD ACTUALLY ENGAGE HIM ABOUT.
SO WE WENT THROUGH, YOU KNOW, THE ECONOMY AND HUMAN RIGHTS AND
ALL THESE OTHER THINGS THAT ARE CRITICALLY IMPORTANT AND HE WAS,
YOU KNOW, LIKE-- AS PRESIDENT OBAMA ONCE SAID, LIKE THE BORED
GUY IN THE BACK OF THE ROOM, COULDN'T CARE LESS.
THEN I SAID, "YOU KNOW, I AM REALLY PLEASED TO HEAR THAT YOU
CARE ABOUT WILDLIFE CONSERVATION, AND THAT YOU ARE
TRYING TO SAVE SPECIES IN RUSSIA, LIKE SIBERIAN TIGERS AND
POLAR BEARS."
THEN HE CAME ALIVE.
AND THEN WE HAD AN INTERESTING CONVERSATION.
>> Stephen: "I WRESTLE POLAR BEARS."
>> NO, HE SAID TO ME-- ( LAUGHTER )
HE SAID, "COME WITH ME."
HE TAKES ME DOWNTOWN STAIRS, DOWN THIS CORDO, INTO THE DOOR--
ALL OF HIS SECURITY GUYS ARE JUMPING UP BECAUSE WE WEREN'T
EXPECTED-- INTO THIS INNER SANCTUM WITH THIS HUGE DESK AND
THE BIGGEST MAP OF RUSSIA, I THINK, EXISTS.
AND HE STARTED TELLING ME HE'S GOING HERE TO TAG POLAR BEARS.
AND THEN HE SAYS TO ME, "WOULD YOUR HUSBAND LIKE TO COME?"
AND I SAID, "WELL, YOU KNOW, I'LL ASK HIM, BUT IF HE'S BUSY,
I'LL GO."
( LAUGHTER ) ( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE )
>> Stephen: WE HAVE TO TAKE A LITTLE BREAK.
WHEN WE COME BACK, SECRETARY CLINTON AND I MIGHT JUST BREAK
OUT THE CHARDONNAY.