Trump Again Calls Russia Probe a 'Witch Hunt'

LIVE FROM THE BROADCAST CENTER IN LOS ANGELES, THIS IS "KCAL 9
NEWS" AT NINE.
LEYNA: A SPECIAL INVESTIGATOR
HAS BEEN APPOINTED TO
INVESTIGATE THE POTENTIAL
COLLUSION BETWEEN THE TRUMP
CAMPAIGN AND RUSSIA.
REPORTER: THE PRESIDENT RARELY
HOLDS BACK AND HE WASN'T HOLDING
BACK TONIGHT.
HE MADE IT VERY CLEAR WHERE HE
STANDS ON MANY OF THE ISSUES
SWIRLING AROUND HIS
ADMINISTRATION.
WHEN ASKED ABOUT WHETHER HE
PUSHED THE FBI DIRECTOR TO SHUT
DOWN THE MICHAEL FLYNN
INVESTIGATION HE STOPPED THE
REPORTER IN MIDSENTENCE.
WHAT ABOUT COLLUSION WITH
RUSSIA?
THERE WAS NO COLLUSION.
EVERYBODY, EVEN MY ENEMIES HAVE
SAID THERE IS NO COLLUSION.
TO SAY PRESIDENT TRUMP IS
UNHAPPY ABOUT THE APPOINTMENT OF
A SPECIAL COUNSEL TO INVESTIGATE
RUSSIAN ELECTION MEDDLING AND
POSSIBLE COLLUSION WITH TRUMP
ASSOCIATES WOULD BE A COLOSSAL
UNDERSTATEMENT.
I RESPECT THE MOVES BUT THE
ENTIRE THING HAS BEEN A WITCH
HUNT.
THERE IS NO COLLUSION BETWEEN
MYSELF AND MY CAMPAIGN AND I CAN
ALWAYS SPEAK FOR MYSELF AND THE
RUSSIANS, ZERO.
SENATOR THE PRESIDENT SAID
THIS IS A WITCH HUNT.
I DON'T THINK THAT'S
APPROPRIATE.
I WOULD ADVISE HIM TO STOP.
THE PROCESS WILL GO FORWARD.
REPORTER: WHEN ASKED ABOUT HIS
COMMUNICATIONS WITH JAMES COMEY.
DID YOU URGE JAMES TOLD ME TO
CLOSE OR BACK DOWN THE
INVESTIGATION INTO MICHAEL
FLYNN?
ALSO,.
NO, NEXT QUESTION.
AS FOR THE CHARGE THAT HE MAY
HAVE OBSTRUCTED JUSTICE.
I THINK IT'S TOTALLY
RIDICULOUS.
EVERYBODY THINKS SO.
REPORTER: ROD ROSENSTEIN
TRAVELED TO THE CAPITAL TO BRIEF
SENATORS ABOUT THE NEWLY
APPOINTED SPECIAL COUNSEL WHOM
HE APPOINTED TO RUN THE RUSSIA
INVESTIGATION.
THIS IS CALIFORNIA SENATOR
DIANNE FEINSTEIN TAKE ON THAT.
IT IS BOTH A
COUNTERINTELLIGENCE
INVESTIGATION AS WELL AS A
CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION AND IT'S
THE MUELLER INVESTIGATION THAT
WOULD BRING FORWARD SOLID
EVIDENCE ON WHICH YOU COULD BASE
A CRIMINAL CASE AND INDICT
SOMEONE.
FEINSTEIN WHO IS THE RANKING
DEMOCRAT ON THE SENATE JUDICIARY
COMMITTEE ACKNOWLEDGED THAT
RIGHT NOW SHE KNOWS OF NO
EVIDENCE OF COLLUSION WITH THE
RUSSIANS.
AS HE LEFT THE MEETING, JOHN
CORNYN INDICATED HE WANTS TO SEE
THE ANSWERS TO THOSE QUESTIONS
AS WELL.
HE WILL GET TO THE BOTTOM OF
THIS AND I THINK THAT'S REALLY
IMPORTANT.
LEYNA: CBS NEWS REPORT SOME
CAMPAIGN ASSOCIATES MAY HAVE
BEEN COORDINATING WITH THE
RUSSIANS SINCE APRIL 2016.
THAT SEVEN MONTHS BEFORE THE
ELECTION.
THEY QUOTED SOURCES INCLUDING A
U.S. GOVERNMENT OFFICIAL WHO
SAID YOU COULD SEE THE HALLMARKS
THROUGHOUT.
SOME OF THE CONVERSATIONS WERE
PICKED UP BY ELECTRONIC
INTERCEPTS.
WHILE SOME OF THE CONVERSATIONS
WERE ROUTINE BUSINESS
DISCUSSIONS, SOURCES TOLD CBS
NEWS THEY DISCOVERED MULTIPLE
CONTACTS THAT ARE CAUSE
CONCERN.
REUTERS REPORTS MICHAEL FLYNN
AND OTHER CAMPAIGN
IN CONTACT WITH RUSSIAN
OFFICIALS AND OTHERS WITH
GRANDMA AND TIES IN AT LEAST 18
PHONE CALLS DURING THOSE SEVEN
MONTHS BEFORE THE ELECTION.
FAR MORE THAN PREVIOUSLY
DISCLOSED BY THE WHITE HOUSE.
NED PARKER SAYS THE CALLS
ESCALATED ASK AFTER NOVEMBER 8
BETWEEN FLYNN AND THE RUSSIAN
AMBASSADOR TO THE U.S.
AFTER THE ELECTION, FLYNN'S
CONTACTS INTENSIFIED.
THEY WERE DISCUSSING HOW TO
CREATE A BACK CHANNEL BETWEEN
PRESIDENT-ELECT DONALD TRUMP AND
RUSSIAN PRESIDENT VLADIMIR PUTIN
TO BYPASS U.S. NATIONAL SECURITY
BUREAUCRACY.
THE THINKING WAS, HAVING A BACK
CHANNEL WOULD BE A WAY TO AVOID
WHAT THE RUSSIANS SAW AS A
HOSTILE BUREAUCRACY.
NOW SOME MEMBERS OF CONGRESS
FEAR THEIR HEARINGS COULD TURN
INTO A SIDESHOW WHILE THE
SPECIAL COUNSEL WILL BE RUNNING
THE MAIN EVENT.
LINDSEY GRAHAM WAS ON THE SENATE
JUDICIARY COMMITTEE AND SAID
THEY MAY NOT BE ABLE TO FIND A
LANE BUT OTHERS BELIEVE THE
MUELLER INVESTIGATION WILL HAVE
NO IMPACT ON THE CONGRESSIONAL
HEARINGS.
WE HAVE BEEN HEARING ALL DAY
THAT PRESIDENT TRUMP WANTS TO
ANNOUNCES NEW FBI DIRECTOR
NOMINEE VERY SOON.
WE HAVEN'T HEARD ANYTHING YET.
THERE WAS SOME ANTICIPATION IT
MIGHT BE ANNOUNCED TODAY BEFORE
HE LEAVES THE COUNTRY.
THAT IS NOT GOING TO HAPPEN.
THE NAME THAT EMERGED TODAY AS A
FRONT RUNNER, JOE LIEBERMAN.
THE PRESIDENT ACKNOWLEDGED THAT,
PERHAPS THINKING HE COULD BE A
CONSENSUS CHOICE.
TONIGHT THE DEMOCRATS APPEAR TO
BE DEAD SET AGAINST LIEBERMAN.
HE DITCHED THE PARTY AND OPPOSED
MUCH OF PRESIDENT OBAMA'S
LEGISLATION.
EVEN CALIFORNIA SENATOR DIANNE
FEINSTEIN WHO WAS ONCE A CLOSE
ALLY OF LIEBERMAN'S AND IS STILL

Trump Again Calls Russia Probe a 'Witch Hunt'

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