Eric Swalwell: Donald Trump ‘Trying To Have It Both Ways’ On Russia | For The Record

NICE TO SEE YOU, SIR. >> YOU, TOO, GRETA.
THANKS FOR HAVING ME BACK. >> SO YOUR THOUGHTS ABOUT THE
PRESIDENT NOW SAYING THAT IT WAS PRESIDENT OBAMA WHO COLLUDED
WITH RUSSIA, BECAUSE AT LEAST THE REPORT THAT CAME OUT LAST
WEEK IS THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION WAS AWARE BEGINNING LAST JULY
THAT THERE WAS RUSSIA HACKING, AND PRESIDENT OBAMA CHOSE TO
WARN PUTIN IN SEPTEMBER WHEN HE MET UP WITH HIM AT A LEADERS
MEETING, AND THEN OF COURSE, THE SANCTIONS DIDN'T HAPPEN UNTIL
AFTER THE ELECTION. YOUR THOUGHTS ABOUT THIS?
>> TRY AND FOLLOW THIS LOGIC, GRETA.
DONALD TRUMP IS ATTACKING PRESIDENT OBAMA FOR THE WAY HE
RESPONDED TO AN ATTACK THAT DONALD TRUMP DOESN'T EVEN
BELIEVE HAPPENED. I THINK HE'S TRYING TO HAVE IT
BOTH WAYS AGAIN. HIS CREDIBILITY WHEN IT COMES TO
RUSSIA, FROM THE WIRETAPS, TO THE TAPES BEING IN HIS OFFICE,
TO WHAT HAPPENED WITH JAMES COMEY, JUST HAS BEEN DEVASTATED.
>> THE WHOLE RUSSIAN MEDDLING IS A SERIOUS ISSUE.
WITH THE BENEFIT OF 20/20 HINDSIGHT, WHAT DO YOU THINK
THAT PRESIDENT OBAMA SHOULD HAVE DONE WHEN HE LEARNED OF THIS?
>> SURE. FIRST, HE ACKNOWLEDGED THAT A
STORM WAS COMING. HE PREPARED FOR THE STORM.
I DON'T DISAGREE WITH A LOT OF WHAT HE DID.
I WOULD HAVE LIKED TO HAVE SEEN AN ADDRESS BEHIND THE RESOLUTE
DESK TELLING THE WORLD THAT RUSSIA WAS TRYING TO GET A
PREFERRED CANDIDATE IN OFFICE. BUT THAT IS ALL BETTER THAN WHAT
DONALD TRUMP HAS BEEN DOING. HE DOESN'T EVEN ACKNOWLEDGE
THERE'S A STORM. WHEN IT COMES TO RUSSIA, IT'S
SUNNY, WITH NO CLOUDS IN SIGHT. AND WE NEED A COMMANDER IN CHIEF
RIGHT NOW WHO TAKES THIS VERY, VERY SERIOUSLY, WHO UNDERSTANDS
THAT THE RUSSIANS ARE STILL HERE, THAT THEY STILL INTEND TO
MEDDLE IN FRANCE AND GERMANY AND IN OUR UPCOMING ELECTIONS.
>> YOU KNOW, IF THE PRESIDENT HAD DONE IT, PRESIDENT OBAMA HAD
DONE THAT, WOULD HE NOT RUN THE RISK OF THE SAME SORT OF
CRITICISM, YOU KNOW, WHEN WE LEARNED A LOT OF INFORMATION,
FOR INSTANCE, FROM FBI COMEY IN THE JULY 5th PRESS CONFERENCE,
THAT WAS THE FIRST THING, AND THEN IN A LETTER, I THINK IT WAS
OCTOBER 28th TO CONGRESS, ABOUT THE INVESTIGATION, WHEN THEY
THOUGHT THEY FOUND SOME MORE E-MAILS THAT WERE RELEVANT TO
THE INQUIRY. I'M TRYING TO UNDERSTAND, LIKE,
IF PRESIDENT OBAMA HAD SAID SOMETHING LIKE THAT, WOULD IT
NOT HAVE APPEARED THAT HE WAS TRYING TO HELP SECRETARY OF
STATE HILLARY CLINTON, AND WOULD THAT HAVE NOT FUELED ANOTHER
PROBLEM? >> AGAIN, CLARITY IS PERFECT IN
HINDSIGHT. BUT I BELIEVE THAT THE COUNTRY
WOULD HAVE BENEFITED GOING TO THE POLLS KNOWING THAT RUSSIA
WAS CONDUCTING THIS ATTACK, THAT THEY WERE TRYING TO HELP DONALD
TRUMP, THAT IT WAS ORDERED BY THEIR PRESIDENT, AND THAT IT
WASN'T JUST THE HACKEDERS MAILS, IT WAS SOCIAL MEDIA TROLLS THAT
THEY WERE GOING INTO VOTING SIS 2E78S.
BUT GRETA, ALSO REMEMBER, PRESIDENT OBAMA MADE IT HARD FOR
PRESIDENT TRUMP TO DO THAT. HE HAD HIS OWN MISINFORMED IDEAS
THAT THE ELECTION WOULD BE RIGGED.
THE PRESIDENT SHOULD HAVE JUST GONE FORWARD AND SAID IT.
>> SEAN SPICER SAYING TODAY THAT RUSSIA PROBABLY HACKED THE
ELECTION, PROBABLY, AND THAT'S ALL.
HE AND THE PRESIDENT HAD A HARD TIME ON THIS ONE.
THEY CAN'T GIVE A STRAIGHT YES OR NO ANSWER.
NOW LISTEN TO THIS. >> AS FAR AS HACKING, I THINK IT
WAS RUSSIA, BUT I THINK WE ALSO GOT HACKED BY OTHER COUNTRIES,
AND OTHER PEOPLE. >> YOU DON'T THINK IT'S PHONY
THAT THE RUSSIANS TRIED TO MEDDLE IN THE ELECTION?
>> IT COULD HAVE BEEN CHINA, IT COULD HAVE BEEN A LOT OF
DIFFERENT GROUPS. IF RUSSIA HACKED, IF RUSSIA DID
ANYTHING HAVING TO DO WITH OUR ELECTION, I WANT TO KNOW ABOUT
IT. >> VERY PLAINLY, A YES OR NO
ANSWER. DOES PRESIDENT TRUMP BELIEVE
THAT THE RUSSIAN GOVERNMENT INTERFERED IN THE 2016
ELECTIONS? >> I THINK I HAVE NOT SAT DOWN
AND TALKED TO HIM ABOUT THAT SPECIFIC THING.
OBVIOUSLY WE'VE BEEN DEALING WITH A LOT OF OTHER ISSUES
TODAY. HE'S CONCERNED ABOUT ANY COUNTRY
OR ANY ACTOR THAT WANTS TO INTERFERE IN OUR ELECTIONS.
>> ONE THING IN THE PRESIDENT'S TWEETS THAT I'VE NOTICED IS HE
DOESN'T REFERENCE THE CONCLUSION THAT THE INTELLIGENCE AGENCIES
HAVE MADE. THAT RUSSIA INTERVENED ON HIS
BEHALF, OR TO PUT A FINER POINT ON IT, AGAINST HILLARY CLINTON.
DOES THE PRESIDENT ACCEPT THAT ASPECT OF WHAT THE INTELLIGENCE
AGENCIES ARE SAYING? >> HONESTLY, I'VE NEVER ASKED
THEM THAT SPECIFIC QUESTION. I'LL BE GLAD TO FOLLOW UP.
>> CONGRESSMAN, I SOMETIMES WONDER IF WE SOMETIMES GET DOWN
IN THE WEEDS ON THIS GETTING A YES OR NO OUT OF THE PRESIDENT.
I SUSPECT IT ISN'T JUST RUSSIA CONSTANTLY TRYING TO DO MISCHIEF
IN OUR CYBER WARFARE. I EXPECT IRAN, CHINA, NORTH
KOREA, ALTHOUGH I DO BELIEVE RUSSIA WAS THE ONE IN THE
ELECTION STUFF. BUT ARE WE GETTING DOWN INTO THE
WEEDS TO TRY TO FORCE THE PRESIDENT TO SAY YES, IT WAS
RUSSIA? >> I REALLY DON'T CARE WHETHER
HE SAYS YES OR NO NOW. AT THIS POINT, I WANT TO KNOW
WHAT IS HE GOING TO DO TO PROTECT FUTURE ELECTIONS.
IS HE GOING TO GIVE THE RESOURCES OF THE DEPARTMENT OF
HOMELAND SECURITY IN EVERY STATE AND COUNTY?
IS HE GOING TO ALLOW A DIALOGUE FOR AWARENESS THAT THE AMERICANS
NEED TO HAVE AROUND FAKE NEWS? OR CONTINUE TO UNDERMINE WHAT
THE INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY'S DOING BY CASTING HIS OWN DOUBT?
>> I THINK JEH JOHNSON, FORMER HOMELAND SECURITY, SAID THAT
THEY TRIED TO GET STATES TO COOPERATE, OR TO TALK ABOUT IT
IN THE LEADUP TO THE ELECTION, AND THEY GOT RESISTANCE FROM THE
STATES. YOU KNOW, I'M NOT EVEN SURE THAT
THAT ADMINISTRATION COULDN'T GET THE STATES TO PARTICIPATE.
>> WELL, GRETA, IT TAKES LEADERSHIP.
AND THERE'S ONLY ONE STEERING WHEEL IN THE CAR, AND IF ALL THE
OTHER PASSENGERS ARE TELLING YOU THAT RUSSIA WAS RESPONSIBLE, BUT
THE PERSON DRIVING THE CAR STILL DOESN'T ACKNOWLEDGE IT, IT
DOESN'T MATTER HOW MANY EXPERTS YOU HAVE.
YOU NEED THE LEADER OF OUR COUNTRY TO PUT THIS AT THE FRONT
BURNER, TO SAY IT'S IMPORTANT, AND MOST IMPORTANTLY TO USE OUR
RESOURCES TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT.
THAT SHOULD UNITE REPUBLICANS AND DEMOCRATS.
THAT'S ONE

Eric Swalwell: Donald Trump ‘Trying To Have It Both Ways’ On Russia | For The Record | MSNBC

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