Joe Manchin: James Comey Was Being As Honest As He Could | Morning Joe

>>> THE RUSSIANS INTERFERED IN OUR ELECTION DURING THE 2016
CYCLE. THEY DID IT WITH PURPOSE, WITH
SOPHISTICATION. THEY DID IT WITH OVERWHELMING
TECHNICAL EFFORTS AND IT WAS AN ACTIVE MEASURES CAMPAIGN, DRIVEN
FROM THE TOP OF THAT GOVERNMENT. THERE IS NO FUZZ ON THAT.
IT IS A HIGH CONFIDENCE JUDGMENT OF THE ENTIRE INTELLIGENCE
COMMUNITY AND THE MEMBERS OF THIS COMMITTEE HAVE SEEN THE
INTELLIGENCE. IT'S NOT A CLOSE CALL.
THAT HAPPENED. THAT'S ABOUT AS UNFAKE AS YOU
CAN POSSIBLY GET. >> JOINING US NOW, MEMBER OF THE
SELECT COMMITTEE ON INTELLIGENCE, DEMOCRATIC SENATOR
JOE MANCHIN OF WEST VIRGINIA. SENATOR, GOOD MORNING.
GOOD TO SEE YOU. >> JOE.
>> HOW ARE YOU? >> I'M DOING WELL, THANK YOU.
WHAT WAS THE BIGGEST THING YOU LEARNED YESTERDAY?
WHAT WAS YOUR TAKEAWAY? SOMETHING YOU WALKED IN THAT
ROOM THAT YOU DIDN'T KNOW AND AFTER HEARING DIRECTOR COMEY'S
TESTIMONY, YOU NOW KNOW? >> MIKA, I WANT YOU TO KNOW THAT
MY WIFE, GAYLE AND I, OUR FAMILY, OUR THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS
ARE WITH YOU TODAY AND YOUR FAMILY AS YOU SAY GOOD-BYE TO
YOUR DAD. I JUST WANT YOU TO KNOW THAT
WE'RE THINKING OF YOU VERY, VERY DEEPLY.
>> THANK YOU. WE ARE SAYING GOOD-BYE TODAY,
ACTUALLY, AFTER THE SHOW. WE'RE ALL GOING TO CHURCH.
>> I KNOW. >> SENATOR, THANK YOU.
THANK YOU SO MUCH. >> I KNOW.
>> THANK YOU. SO NOW TO WILLIE'S QUESTION.
>> OKAY.
WILLIE, LET ME JUST SAY, RUSSIA'S INVOLVEMENT, RUSSIA'S
INTENT, HOW DOGGEDLY THEY TRIED HUMANLY POSSIBLE AND HOW THEY
WILL CONTINUE TO TRY TO CHANGE HOW WE DO BUSINESS IN AMERICA,
HOW WE HAVE CONFIDENCE IN OUR GOVERNMENT.
THEY ARE NOT OUR ALLIES, OUR FRIENDS.
WE NEED TO WORK WITH THEM, HAVE A WORKING RELATIONSHIP.
I'M THE FIRST TO SAY THAT. BUT I ALSO KNOW THEIR PURPOSE
AND WHAT THEY'RE TRYING TO DO AND WE'RE NOT GOING TO TOLERATE
OR STAND FOR IT. I WANT THE PUBLIC TO KNOW ABOUT
IT. >> THAT WAS THE POINT, SENATOR,
THAT DIRECTOR COMEY MADE OVER AND OVER AGAIN.
>> YES. >> THIS IS NOT A REPUBLICAN OR
DEMOCRAT THING. RUSSIA HAS ATTACKED US AND WILL
BE BACK FOR MORE. THEY'LL BE BACK IN OUR NEXT
ELECTION SO WE HAVE TO BE VIGILANT ABOUT IT.
IN TERMS OF THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE RUSSIA
INVESTIGATION, THIS WHITE HOUSE, WHAT WAS SOMETHING NEW THAT YOU
LEARNED? WHAT CAN AMERICANS TAKE AWAY
FROM THAT HEARING? >> THERE'S AN AWFUL LOT OF US ON
BOTH SIDES OF THE AISLE THAT ARE VERY UNCOMFORTABLE WITH THIS
RELATIONSHIP THAT THEY SEEM TO HAVE WITH THE WHITE HOUSE.
IT GOES ALL THE WAY THE DAY COMEY WAS FIRED TO DATE AFTER
THE RUSSIANS WERE THERE, NOT ALLOWING THE UNITED STATES OF
AMERICA'S PRESS IN, THE FREE PRESS OF AMERICA BUT LET THE
CONTROLLED PRESS OF RUSSIA IN. THOSE ARE CONCERNING THINGS.
PEOPLE HAVE TALKED ABOUT THAT. LET ME SAY, FIRST OF ALL, I
THANKED FORMER DIRECTOR COMEY FOR COMING OPENLY.
HE CAME TWICE. HE CAME, AS YOU SAW THE OPEN
MEETING WE HAD. THEN WE HAD A CLASSIFIED, CLOSED
MEETING. AND HE STAYED FOR THAT.
AND IF YOU SAW HIS ANSWERS ON SOME, HE SAYS I CAN'T SPEAK
ABOUT THAT IN THIS OPEN HEARING. WE DID GO INTO A CLOSED HEARING.
ALSO HE HAS PUT UNDER OATH WHEN HE FIRST CAME IN.
HE IS A PRIVATE CITIZEN NOW. IF HE WOULD HAVE BEEN AN ELECTED
OFFICIAL OUT OF COURTESY, THEY DON'T DO THAT BECAUSE THEY'VE
ALREADY TAKEN THEIR OATH. THAT'S HOW THAT STARTED THAT
MEETING AND SOMETIMES PEOPLE WONDER WHY IT'S DONE THAT WAY.
I WANTED TO CLARIFY THAT. >> HEARING THAT JARED KUSHNER IS
GOING TO BE MEETING WITH THE INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE STAFF, DO
WE HAVE ANY IDEA WHEN THAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN?
DO WE KNOW IF HE HAS TURNED OVER ANY DOCUMENTS?
>> LET ME JUST SAY THAT EVERYTHING THAT I KNOW, JARED
HAS BEEN VERY FORTHCOMING AND WILLING TO HELP AND SIT DOWN.
HE HAS NOT BEEN SAYING I'M NOT COMING.
HE HAS NOT BEEN DIFFICULT AT ALL.
HE AND THE PEOPLE THAT WORK WITH HIM HAVE BEEN VERY COOPERATIVE.
WE APPRECIATE THAT VERY MUCH. MIKA, I SAID IF EVERYONE WOULD
JUST COME FORTH -- IF YOU SAW THE MEETING THE DAY BEFORE WE
HAD WITH THE FOUR HIGHEST INTELLIGENCE PEOPLE WE HAD, AS
FAR AS THE FBI DIRECTOR, AND NOW THE ACTING ATTORNEY GENERAL ON
THIS RUSSIAN INVESTIGATION. WE HAD MIKE ROGERS AND ALSO DAN
COATS. THAT WAS PAINFUL.
IT WAS PAINFUL FOR US TO GET ANY INFORMATION FROM THEM.
THEY JUST SAID WE'RE NOT GOING TO SPEAK ABOUT THAT.
I FELT THAT ABSOLUTELY HORRIBLE THAT THEY WOULD TAKE THAT
POSITION. IT WAS ALMOST ON THE BRINKS OF
CONTEMPT, BECAUSE IT WAS NOT CLASSIFIED INFORMATION WE WERE
ASKING IN AN OPEN MEETING AND SO THEY DID SAY -- AND I WAS VERY
APPRECIATIVE OF THIS. I ASKED POINT BLANK MIKE ROGERS
AND DAN COATS WOULD YOU ANSWER DIVEN LY
DIFFERENTLY IF YOU CAME INTO THE SECURED CLOSED MEETING WE HAVE?
THEY SAID YES. AND THEY COULDN'T COME THAT
AFTERNOON. IT COULDN'T BE ARRANGED.
>> KATTY? >> AFTER HEARING WHITE HOUSE
COUNSEL BASICALLY SAYING THAT THE PRESIDENT DIDN'T ASK FOR
LOYALTY AND DIDN'T ASK MR. COMEY TO BACK OFF ON THE FLYNN
INVESTIGATION, AND YOU HEARD THE DIRECTOR YESTERDAY, YOU WERE
THERE. WHO SEEMS MORE CREDIBLE IF THIS
IS GOING TO COME DOWN TO HE SAID, HE SAID, WHO DO YOU
BELIEVE, JIM COMEY OR DONALD TRUMP'S LAWYER'S ACCOUNT?
>> LET'S JUST SET THE STAGE OF WHAT WE WERE IN.
WE WERE IN AN OPEN MEETING. HE WAS SWORN IN UNDER OATH.
HE IS A PROFESSIONAL, LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER OF THE
HIGHEST DEGREE, KNOWING THE CONSEQUENCES IF YOU LIE UNDER
OATH TO A SENATE COMMITTEE. SO, I WOULD THINK THAT MR. COMEY
IS BASICALLY EXPLAINING TO US AND GIVING US HIS REMINISCING OF
THE EVENTS THAT HAPPENED IN A MOST ACCURATE WAY.
THERE WOULD BE NO REASON FOR ME TO BELIEVE ANYTHING OTHER THAN
HE WAS BEING AS HONEST AND STRAIGHTFORWARD AS HE POSSIBLY
COULD. >> DOES THAT MEAN YOU DON'T
BELIEVE THE WHITE HOUSE COUNSEL'S ACCOUNT?
>> EVERYBODY SEEMS TO HAVE DIFFERENT OPINIONS OF THIS.
WE DON'T HAVE THE WHITE HOUSE COUNSEL UNDER OATH.
THEY WEREN'T THERE. IF THEY WANT TO MAKE THAT
STATEMENT IN FRONT OF US AND GO UNDER OATH AND GIVE US THE SAME
RECOLLECTION OF WHAT THEY HAVE. THAT WOULD BE THE WAY THAT YOU
COULD FIND OUT. UNTIL THAT HAPPENS WE ONLY HAD
ONE PERSON UNDER OATH AND THAT WAS JAMES COMEY.
AND, YOU KNOW, HE KNOWS THE CONSEQUENCES.
YOU CANNOT COME IN FRONT OF A COMMITTEE, RAISE YOUR HAND AND
BE SWORN IN AND TELL US SOMETHING COMPLETELY FALSE OR
LIE TO US. IT JUST DOE DOESN'T WORK.
>> MARK HALPERIN? >> WE'LL SEE.
THIS IS TROUBLING, VERY TROUBLING.
YOU KNOW THAT. WE'VE GOT TO GET PAST THIS AND
FIND OUT THE FACTS AND MOVE ON. I WAS HOPING, ALL OF YOU
THERE -- MARK, I'LL GO RIGHT TO YOU, BUT I WAS HOPING THAT
EVERYBODY CAME AWAY YESTERDAY SEEING THAT THAT WAS A
BIPARTISAN, PROFESSIONAL APPROACH TO WHAT WE SHOULD BE
DOING IN THE COMMITTEE. I ALWAYS FELT SO STRONG AND SO
GOOD ABOUT BEING ON THAT COMMITTEE.
BOTH RICHARD BURR AND MARK WARNER HAVE DONE A GENTLEMAN'S
JOB OF HOLDING IT TOGETHER IN THE MOST PROFESSIONAL MANNER.
>> WHAT WAS THE CURRENT THEORY OF THE CASE ABOUT WHAT WAS GOING
ON WITH MICHAEL FLYNN IN RUSSIA AND MICHAEL FLYNN IN TURKEY?
>> MICHAEL FLYNN, ALL OF A SUDDEN, SHUT DOWN.
FIRST OF ALL, HE WANTED TO TELL US HIS STORY.
THAT CAME OUT FIRST. I WANT TO TELL MY STORY, TELL
YOU EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENED. ALL OF A SUDDEN HE GOT LAWYERED
UP AND NOW WE HAVE TO SUBPOENA JUST TO GET HIS RECORDS, IF YOU
WILL. >> BASED ON WHAT YOU KNOW,
WHAT'S YOUR THEORY ABOUT HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH THEM?
>> WITH THE RUSSIANS? >> AND WITH TURKEY.
>> IS THAT THE QUESTION? >> TURKEY?
>> WHAT'S YOUR VIEW OF HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH RUSSIA AND
TURKEY? >> YEAH.
WELL, IT'S ONE THAT WE DIDN'T KNOW WAS AS IN DEPTH AS IT IS.
WE DID NOT KNOW THE FINANCIAL RAMIFICATIONS OF THIS AND HIS
FINANCIAL WELL-BEING, IF YOU WILL.
THAT WAS NOT GIVEN UP FRONT. WE'RE STARTING TO FIND THAT OUT
AND PULLING THAT UP AS RECORDS COME OUT.
IT'S ALL TROUBLING, ESPECIALLY PUT AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL THAT HE
WAS. AND THEY INTENDED TO KEEP HIM
THERE. THAT WAS NOT SOMETHING THAT WAS
COMFORTING FOR ANY OF US. AND WE'RE WAITING TO GET MICHAEL
BEFORE US. I MEAN, I KNEW MIKE FLYNN WHEN
HE WAS IN HIS CAPACITY AS DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE.
HAD NO PROBLEM WHATSOEVER. I CAN'T TELL YOU WHAT HAPPENED.
THIS IS NOT THE MICHAEL FLYNN I KNEW BEFORE, FROM WHAT I'M
HEARING AND SEEING AND ALSO HIS "FOR HIRE" TYPE ATTITUDE.
IT'S ONE THING TO WANT TO GO OUT AND MAKE A LIVING FOR YOUR
FAMILY. IT'S ANOTHER THING TO DO IT AND
JEOPARDIZE THE WELL-BEING OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.
>> SENATOR JOE MANCHIN, WE'LL END IT THERE.
THANK YOU VERY, VERY MUCH FOR BEING ON THIS MORNING.
>> WELL -- >> AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR KIND
WORDS. >> WELL, THANK YOU.
THANK YOU ALL FOR WHAT YOU'RE DOING.
IT'S BEEN A TOUGH DAY YESTERDAY, COUPLE OF DAYS HAS BEEN TOUGH
BUT WE'RE GOING TO GET THROUGH THIS.
THIS COUNTRY IS RESILIENT. IT'S STRONGER THAN THAT.
WE HAVE FACED MORE CHALLENGES THAN THIS AND WE'LL COME OUT OF
THIS. WE WILL.
THE SENATE INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE WILL GET THE FACTS AND
THE FACT ALSO LEAD US TO THE

Joe Manchin: James Comey Was Being As Honest As He Could | Morning Joe | MSNBC

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