Full Interview: Senator Mark Warner

PEOPLE OF LONDON, TOO.
>> CLARISSA WARD, THANK YOU SO
MUCH.
>>> WITH ME IS THE VICE CHAIR OF
THE SENATE INTELLIGENCE
COMMITTEE MARK WARNER.
THANK YOU FOR COMING IN THIS
MORNING.
IT'S THE THIRD TERRORIST ATTACK
IN THE UK IN THE LAST TEN WEEKS.
THEY CLAIMED THE LIVES OF 34
INNOCENT VICTIMS.
WHAT CAN YOU TELL US?
WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT THE
PERPETRATORS OF LAST NIGHT'S
ATTACKS.
IS THERE ANY RISK TO AMERICANS
NOW BEYOND THE NORMAL RISK?
>> I RECEIVED A BRIEF THIS
MORNING FROM OUR NATIONAL CENTER
OF COUNTER TERRORISM CENTER, AND
BASICALLY THEY HAVE THE SAME
INFORMATION YOU'VE GOTTEN.
THEY STILL DON'T KNOW WHETHER IT
WAS TERRORIST INSPIRED OR
TERRORIST DIRECTED.
WHETHER IT WAS HOME GROWN OR
ACTUALLY DIRECTED BY ISIS OR AL
QAEDA.
I THINK THAT WILL TAKE LONGER IN
TERMS OF INVESTIGATION.
THERE'S NO SPECIFIC THREAT
AGAINST THE UNITED STATES.
BUT OBVIOUSLY WE'VE SEEN IT HIT
THREE TIMES.
SO THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS GO OUT
TO THEM.
WHAT YOU'RE SEEING IN BRITAIN IS
A RESOLUTENESS AND RECOGNITION
THAT AS THE BRITISH WENT THROUGH
THREE DECADES OF TERRORISM,
THEY'LL CARRY -ON, I THINK IN
MANY WAYS THAT'S WHAT WE NEED TO
DO HERE.
>> THAISA MAY SAID THERE'S TOO
MUCH EXTREMISM.
DO WE HAVE THE PROBLEM HERE IN
THE UNITED STATES?
>> WE DON'T HAVE IT THE SAME WAY
AS THE UK, BUT IT'S OBVIOUSLY A
CHALLENGE IN MODERN SOCIETY TO
MAINTAIN THREE SOCIETIES, AND
FREEDOM OF SPEECH BUT STILL
RECOGNIZE WE HAVE TO BE ON GUARD
AGAINST SOME THE HATEFUL VENOM
SPEWED OVER THE INTERNET.
>> WHY DO YOU THINK WE SEE THE
ATTACKS IN LONDON BUT WE
HAVEN'T, KNOCK ON WOOD, SEEN IT
HAPPEN IN THE UNITED STATES?
>> I BELIEVE IN MANY WAYS THE
MUSLIM-AMERICAN COMMUNITY IS
BETTER INTEGRATED INTO OUR
SOCIETY.
I THINK THAT'S ALWAYS BEEN OUR
SECRET SAUCE IN AMERICA.
YOU CAN COME HERE FIRST
GENERATION AND IF YOU ACCEPT OUR
LAWS AND RULES, YOU BECOME
AMERICAN.
THAT'S NOT ALWAYS BEEN THE CASE
IN SO MANY OF THE EUROPEAN
COUNTRIES.
I THINK WE'RE SEEING, AGAIN, THE
BENEFITS OF THAT.
THAT'S WHY IT TROUBLES ME SO
MUCH TO SEE THE KIND OF TYPE OF
TWEETS THAT THE PRESIDENT HAS
PUT OUT IN THE LAST 12 HOURS OR
SO.
>> PRIME MINISTER MAY SAID SHE
THINKS THAT INTERNET-BASED
TECHNOLOGY FIRMS ARE GIVING
EXTREMISM THE SAFE SPACE IT
NEEDS.
SHE WANTS NEW REGULATION OF
CYBERSPACE.
TAKE A LISTEN.
>> WE NEED TO WORK WITH ALLIED
DEMOCRATIC GOVERNMENTS TO REACH
INTERNATIONAL AGREEMENTS THAT
REGULATE CYBERSPACE TO PREVENT
THE SPREAD OF EXTREMIST AND
TROPIC
TERRORISM PLANNING.
>> FACEBOOK, GOOGLE, ARE THEY
DOING ENOUGH?
>> MY BACKGROUND IS TECHNOLOGY
BUSINESS BEFORE I WENT INTO
POLITICS.
I THINK WE HAVE TO RE-EXAMINE
THESE PLATFORM COMPANIES FOR
YEARS HAVE SAID THEY HAVE NO
RESPONSIBILITY TO CURE RATE THE
INFORMATION THAT FLOWS ACROSS
THEIR PLATFORMS.
THEY HAVE STARTED TO CHANGE.
ORIGINALLY THEY CHANGED THEIR
POLICIES AS RELATED TO CHILD
PORNOGRAPHY.
NOW THEY'RE CHANGING THEIR
POLICIES AS RELATED TO
TERRORISM.
I WAS JUST ON THE WEST COAST
LAST WEEK TALKING WITH FOLKS AT
FACEBOOK.
THEY'RE RECOGNIZING THAT
WEAPONIZATION OF FALSE
INFORMATION, EVEN AROUND
ELECTIONS, THEY SHUT DOWN 30,000
FAKE ACCOUNTS RIGHT BEFORE THE
FRENCH ELECTIONS.
BUT THIS IS GOING TO REQUIRE, I
THINK, A MUCH BROADER
CONVERSATION.
>> YOU HAVE A LOT OF BIG
HEARINGS COMING UP.
ON WEDNESDAY THE DIRECTOR OF
NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE, THE HEAD
OF THE NSA, THE ACTING DIRECTOR
OF THE FBI, AND THE DEPUTY
ATTORNEY GENERAL.
THURSDAY, OF COURSE, THE BIG ONE
JAMES COMEY.
THE FORMER FBI DIRECTOR.
DO SO YOU HAVE ANY INDICATION
WHETHER PRESIDENT TRUMP WILL
BLOCK COMEY FROM TESTIFYING
ABOUT THEIR CONVERSATIONS?
I WOULD HOPE HE WOULD NOT.
I THINK HE WOULD BE ON SHAKY
LEGAL GROUND, TO SAY THE LEAST.
DIRECTOR COMEY WAS FIRED BY THE
PRESIDENT AND YOU HAVE THE
PRESIDENT MAKING DEROGATORY
COMMENTS AND CALLING COMEY A NUT
JOB IN FRONT OF THE REPUBLICANS
IS INAPPROPRIATE.
>> IN FRONT OF RUSSIANS, I THINK
YOU MEAN.
>> IN FRONT OF THE RUSSIANS.
REGARDLESS OF WHAT YOU FEEL
ABOUT COMEY, THAT'S NOT HOW HE
SHOULD BE TREATED.
AND THE QUESTION WE HAVE, I
THINK MOST AMERICANS HAVE IS,
YOU KNOW, GOING BACK TO
WATERGATE, THERE'S A SERIES OF
RULES THAT ARE KIND OF EMERGED.
ONE THAT A PRESIDENT SHOULDN'T
ASK ABOUT AN ONGOING
INVESTIGATION.
PARTICULARLY SHOULDN'T ASK IF
THAT INVESTIGATION IS CONNECTED
TO AFFILIATES OF THE PRESIDENT.
AND IT WOULD BE ABSOLUTELY
UNTHINKABLE IF THE PRESIDENT OF
THE UNITED STATES ASKS THAT THE
FBI DIRECTOR TO BASICALLY BACK
OFF AN INVESTIGATION THAT WAS
DIRECTED AT SOME OF THE
AFFILIATES THAT MR. TRUMP.
>> HILLARY CLINTON SAID
SOMETHING INTERESTING THIS WEEK
THAT REMINDED ME OF SOMETHING
YOU SAID IN A HEARING NOT LONG
AGO.
SHE SAID SHE BELIEVES THE
RUSSIANS IN THE INTERFERENCE IN
THE U.S. ELECTION MUST HAVE BEEN
GUIDED BY AMERICANS.
TAKE A LISTEN.
>> THE RUSSIANS, IN MY OPINION,
AND BASED ON THE INTEL AND
COUNTER INTEL PEOPLE I'VE TALKED
TO, COULD NOT HAVE KNOWN HOW
BEST TO WEAPONIZE THAT
INFORMATION UNLESS THEY HAD BEEN
GUIDED.
AND HERE IS --
>> BY AMERICANS?
GUIDED BY AMERICANS AND GUIDED
BY PEOPLE WHO HAD POLLING AND
DATA --
>> WHO IS THAT?
>> IS THAT TRUE, DO YOU AGREE?
>> IT'S ONE OF THE QUESTIONS WE
HAVE TO SORT THROUGH.
AGAIN, ONE OF THE QUESTIONING I
WAS ASKS WHEN I WAS OUT ON THE
WEST COAST.
IT SEEMS STRANGE, IT APPEARS,
THAT RUSSIAN-PAID INTERNET
TROLLS WHO CREATED BOTS WERE
ABLE TO PUT FORWARD FAKE NEWS,
SELECTED STORIES IN A WAY THAT
SEEMED TARGETED.
>> AT CERTAIN STATES?
AT CERTAIN STATES AND
DEMOGRAPHICS.
WE DON'T HAVE FOUL PROOF OF
THAT.
I'M NOT WHERE SECRETARY CLINTON
IS IN TERMS OF JUMPING TO A
CONCLUSION.
THIS IS ONE OF THE MANY
QUESTIONS THAT WE NEED TO
INVESTIGATION.
>> IS THERE ANY EVIDENCE OF
COLLUSION.
>> THERE'S A LOT OF SMOKE, WE
HAVE NO SMOKING GUN.
BUT THERE IS A LOT OF SMOKE.
ONE OF THE QUESTIONS WE'LL HAVE,
NOT ONLY FOR DIRECTOR COMEY ON
THURSDAY, BUT ON WEDNESDAY FOR
DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL
INTELLIGENCE KOETSS AND NSA.
THE PRESIDENT TALKED TO THEM
ASKING THEM TO DOWN PLAY THE
INVESTIGATION.
THAT WOULD BE CONCERNING TO ME.
>> HAVE YOU HEARD ANY ACCUSATION
YET, YOU THINKS IT WAS PROVEN TO
COATES OR ADMIRAL ROGERS IT IS
OBSTRUCTION OF JUSTICE?
>> JAKE, I WENT TO LAW SCHOOL
BUT I'M NOT A PRACTICING
ATTORNEY.
I'LL LEAVE THAT FOR MUCH BETTER
ATTORNEYS THAN I.
BUT CLEARLY IT WOULD BE VERY,
VERY TROUBLING IF THE PRESIDENT
OF THE UNITED STATES IS
INTERFERING IN INVESTIGATIONS
THAT ARE AFFECT THE PRESIDENT
AND HIS CLOSEST ASSOCIATES.
WE HAVE SEEN ALREADY THE NSA
DIRECTOR, THE NSA ADVISOR
GENERAL FLYNN GET FIRED BECAUSE
HE DIDN'T FULLY DISCLOSE HIS
CONTACTS WITH THE RUSSIANS.
ATTORNEY GENERAL SESSIONS
RECAUSE HIMSELF BECAUSE HE
DIDN'T FULLY DISCLOSE.
WE'VE SEEN MR. KUSHNERS HAVING
CONTACTS WITH RUSSIANS AND
OTHERS.
AND THE AMERICAN PEOPLE DESERVE
TO GET TO THE BOTTOM OF THIS.
AND WHAT I HOPE OUR COMMITTEE IS
ABLE TO DO, AND I'M PROUD OF THE
FACT IT'S MAINTAINED ITS
BIPARTISAN APPROACH IS WE'RE
GOING TO FOLLOW THE FACTS.
WE'RE NOT GOING TO BE TAKEN OUT
BY SOME OF THESE ONEOFF STORIES.
WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE TO
FOLLOW THE FACTS.
>> THE FBI'S PROBE OF THE
MEDDLING IS LOOKING AT THE TRUMP
CAMPAIGN'S DATA AND ANALYTICS
OVERSEEN BY JARED KUSHNER.
>> WE'RE GOING TO FOLLOW ALL THE
FACTS IN TERMS WHAT KIND OF
CONTACTS AND WHETHER THE
CONTACTS WERE INAPPROPRIATE
BETWEEN INDIVIDUALS AFFILIATED
WITH THE TRUMP CAMPAIGN AND THE
RUSSIANS.
THEY ARE CONTACTS THAT WERE MADE
BEFORE THE ELECTION.
THERE HAVE BEEN A SERIES OF
STORIES ABOUT CONTACTS BETWEEN
THE ELECTION AND THE
INAUGURATION.
THEN WE HAVE THESE TROUBLING
REPORTS ABOUT THE PRESIDENT
INTERVENING AND IN THE CASE OF
DIRECTOR COMEY FIRING HIM
BECAUSE POTENTIALLY BECAUSE OF
THE

Full Interview: Senator Mark Warner

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