WELL START AT THE WHITE HOUSE WITH KRISTEN WELKER.
GOOD MORNING TO YOU.
>> Reporter: GOOD MORNING TO
YOU.
YOU.
THE PRESIDENT IS POINTING THE FINGER OF BLAME AT JUST ABOUT
EVERYONE EXCEPT VLADIMIR PUTIN
AND MOSCOW, AFTER SPECIAL
COUNSEL ROBERT MUELLER INDICTED
13 RUSSIAN OFFICIALS AND 3
BUSINESSES LAST WEEK.
THE KREMLIN IS CALLING THE ALLEGATIONS UNFAIR AND BASELESS.
AND NOW, A NUMBER OF THE
PRESIDENTS CRITICS ARE ACCUSING
MR. TRUMP OF FAILING TO STAND UP
TO RUSSIA.
THIS MORNING, NEW SIGNS THE
PRESIDENTS FRUSTRATIONS WITH
THE RUSSIA PROBE ARE BOILING
OVER, AFTER SPECIAL COUNSEL
ROBERT MUELLER CHARGED 13
RUSSIANS WITH ENGINEERING A
MASSIVE SOCIAL MEDIA AND FIELD OPERATIONS CAMPAIGN AIMED ATLD
OPERATIONS CAMPAIGN AIMED AT MEDDLING IN THE 2016 ELECTION.
OVER THE WEEKEND, THE PRESIDENT
PLAYED THE BLAME GAME, LASHING
OUT IN A TWEET STORM, TO
PRESIDENT OBAMA.
PRESIDENT OBAMA. AND AT THE FBI, FOR MISSING
SIGNALS SENT OUT BY THE FLORIDA
SCHOOL SHOOTING.
SCHOOL SHOOTING. ACCUSING THE AGENCY OF SPENDING
TOO MUCH TIME TO PROVE RUSSIAN
COLLUSION WITH THE TRUMP
CAMPAIGN.
CAMPAIGN.
THERE IS NO COLLUSION, HE WROTE. AND IN ONE STUNNING TWEET, THEE.
AND IN ONE STUNNING TWEET, THE PRESIDENT WRITING, THEY ARE
LAUGHING THEIR ASSES OFF IN
MOSCOW.
MOSCOW.
THE PRESIDENTS CRITICS SLAMMING
HIM FOR NOT CALLING OUT THE
INTERFERENCE ITSELF.
>> THE INDICTMENT IS NOT ONLY A
INDICTMENT OF THE RUSSIAN FIGURES INVOLVED, ITS ANN
FIGURES INVOLVED, ITS AN INDICTMENT OF THE INACTION OF
THIS ADMINISTRATION.
THIS ADMINISTRATION. >> Reporter: THE REPUBLICANS
RECOGNIZING THE ENORMITY OF THE
INCIDENT.
INCIDENT.
>> RUSSIA IS NOT OUR FRIEND.
THIS IS HIS JOB.
THIS IS WHAT WE WANTED HIM TO DO.S IS WHAT WE WANTED HIM TO
DO.
>> Reporter: ALL WEEKEND, THE PRESIDENT WAS ON DEFENSE, THE
PRESIDENT WAS ON DEFENSE, DENYING HE EVER ABSOLVED RUSSIA
OF MEDDLING IN THE ELECTION.
THE PRESIDENT HAS FREQUENTLY
CAST COUNTY ON WHETHER RUSSIA
MEDDLED.
MEDDLED.
>> I BELIEVE THAT PRESIDENT
PUTIN REALLY FEELS -- AND HE FEELS STRONGLY, THAT HE DID NOT
MEDDLE IN OUR ELECTION.
>> THAT WAS A DEMOCRAT HOAX.
IT WAS AN EXCLUES FOR LOSING THE
ELECTION.
ELECTION.
>> Reporter: THE PRESIDENT
UNDERCUTTING HIS NATIONAL
SECURITY ADVISER, AFTER H.R.
McMASTER SAID ON SATURDAY --
>> YOU SEE WITH THE FBI
INDICTMENT, THE EVIDENCE IS NOW REALLY INCONTROVERTIBLE AND NOW
REALLY INCONTROVERTIBLE AND AVAILABLE IN THE PUBLIC DOMAIN.
>> Reporter: THE PRESIDENT
FIRING BACK.
FIRING BACK. GENERAL McMASTER FORGOT TO SAY
THAT THE RESULTS OF THE 2016
ELECTION WERE NOT IMPACTED OR
CHANGED BY THE RUSSIANS.
WHILE ITS TRUE THE INDICTMENT
DOES NOT SAY THAT RUSSIA CHANGED
THE OUTCOME OF THE ELECTION,
AMERICAN INTELLIGENCE OFFICIALS
HAVE SAID THEY HAVE NO WAY OF
CALCULATING THE EFFECT OF THE
INTERFERENCE.
INTERFERENCE. NOW, THE PRESIDENT WAS UP AND
TWEETING OVERNIGHT, NOT ABOUT
THE RUSSIA PROBE, BUT ABOUT
OPRAH.
OPRAH.
ALMOST BAITING HER TO CHALLENGE HIM IN 2020.NG HER TO CHALLENGE
HIM IN 2020. TWEETING, JUST WATCHED A VERY
INSECURE OPRAH WINFREY, WHO AT
ONE POINT I KNEW WELL,
INTERVIEWED A PANEL ON "60
MINUTES."
MINUTES." THE PANEL WAS SLANTED AND
BIASED.
BIASED.
HOPE OPRAH RUNS SO SHE CAN BE DEFEATED JUST LIKE THE OTHERS.
THERES BEEN SPECULATION ABOUT
WHETHER OPRAH WINFREY WOULD RUN
FOR PRESIDENT AFTER SHE GAVE
THAT SPEECH AT THE GOLDEN
GLOBES.
GLOBES.
BUT OPRAH SAID SHE IS NOT INTERESTED.AID SHE IS NOT
INTERESTED.
AS FOR THE PRESIDENT, HE RETURNS
FROM MAR-A-LAGO LATER TODAY. SAVANNAH?A-LAGO LATER TODAY.
SAVANNAH?
>> KRISTEN, BACK TO RUSSIAS ATTACK ON THE U.S.O RUSSIAS
ATTACK ON THE U.S. IS THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION
PLANNING TO DO ANYTHING ABOUT
IT?
IT?
>> Reporter: THATS THE KEY
QUESTION.
SO FAR, THE PRESIDENT HAS SHOWN LITTLE APPETITE FOR RETALIATEING
AGAINST RUSSIA.
AGAINST RUSSIA. MR. TRUMP DIDNT MENTION RHETT
RETRIBUTION OR SANCTIONS IN HIS
TWEET STORM.
TWEET STORM.
SO FAR, THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION
HAS NOT IMPOSED SANCTIONS AGAINST RUSSIA. SANCTIONS
AGAINST RUSSIA. THE ONLY ROBUST SANCTIONS THAT
HAVE BEEN IMPLEMENTED AGAINST
RUSSIA WAS UNDER PRESIDENT
OBAMA.
OBAMA.
REX TILLERSON DID SAY THAT THE
ADMINISTRATION IS EVALUATING
POSSIBLE SANCTIONS FOR INDIVIDUALS.CTIONS FOR
INDIVIDUALS.
MANY DEMOCRATS AND REPUBLICANS SAY THIS ADMINISTRATION ISNTNS
SAY THIS ADMINISTRATION ISNT BEING TOUGH ENOUGH AGAINST
RUSSIA.
RUSSIA.
THE CRITICS SAY, THE ROOT OF THE PROBLEM IS THAT THE PRESIDENTTHE
PROBLEM IS THAT THE PRESIDENT TAKES PERSONALLY THE ISSUE OF
RUSSIAN MEDDLING.
RUSSIAN MEDDLING. HE SEES IT AS A TOOL THAT
DEMOCRATS ARE TRYING TO
DELEGITIMIZE HIS VICTORY.
AND THAT, CRITICS CHARGE, MAY BE