Report: From Start, Donald Trump Pushed To Lift Russia Sanctions | All In

>>> A NEW REPORT TONIGHT SUGGESTS THAT FROM THE EARLIEST
DAYS OF DONALD TRUMP'S PRESIDENCY, HIS ADMINISTRATION
WAS WORKING HARD TO LIFT OR EASE U.S. SANCTIONS AGAINST RUSSIA,
INCLUDING THE VERY SANCTIONS THAT HAD BEEN PUT IN PLACE IN
RESPONSE TO RUSSIAN INTERFERENCE IN THE U.S. ELECTION.
YAHOO NEWS CHIEF INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT MICHAEL ISIKOFF
REPORTING THAT TOP TRUMP ADMINISTRATION OFFICIALS, ALMOST
AS SOON AS THEY TOOK OFFICE, TASKED STATE DEPARTMENT STAFFERS
WITH DEVELOPING PROPOSALS FOR THE LIFTING OF ECONOMIC
SANCTIONS, THE RETURN OF DIPLOMATIC COMPOUNDS AND OTHER
STEPS TO RELIEVE TENSIONS WITH MOSCOW.
THERE WAS SERIOUS CONSIDERATION BY THE WHITE HOUSE TO
UNILATERALLY RESEND THE SANCTIONS, SAID DAN FREED, A
VETERAN STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL WHO HAS SINCE RETIRED.
FREED SAID HE RECEIVED SEVERAL PANICKY CALLS FROM U.S.
GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS WHO TOLD HIM THEY HAD BEEN DIRECTED TO
DEVELOP A SANCTIONS-LIFTING PACKAGE AND IMPLORING HIM,
PLEASE, MY GOD, CAN'T YOU STOP THIS.
JOINING ME NOW, MICHAEL ISIKOFF, CHIEF INVESTIGATIVE
CORRESPONDENT AT YAHOO NEWS. THIS STRIKES ME AS A PRETTY BIG
STORY BECAUSE THE QUESTION HERE IN ALL OF THIS, RIGHT, IS IF
THERE WAS QUID PRO QUO, IF THERE WAS SOME SORT OF SENSE OF
COLLUSION, WHAT DO THE RUSSIANS WANT OUT OF IT?
WE KNOW THEY WANTED THE SANCTIONNCTIONS LIFTED, AND HER
HAVE THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION, APPEARS, LOOKING TO LIFT THEM
EARLY ON. HOW INTENT WERE THEY ON THAT?
>> EXACTLY. WE'VE ALL BEEN SO FOCUSED ON THE
MEETINGS THAT TOOK PLACE DURING THE TRANSITION AND THE QUESTION
ABOUT WHETHER THERE WAS COLLUSION ON THE CAMPAIGN.
BUT YOU'RE ABSOLUTELY RIGHT. POLICY IS WHAT MATTERED HERE.
THIS IS WHAT THE RUSSIANS WERE FOCUSED ON.
IF THEY HAD A PREFERENCE IN THE ELECTION, IT'S BECAUSE THEY HAD
BELIEVED OR HOPED THAT THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION WOULD TAKE STEPS
TO ACHIEVE WHAT THEY WANTED, WHICH IS THE LIFTING OF
SANCTIONS. SO EARLY IN THE VERY FIRST WEEKS
OF THE ADMINISTRATION, EVEN BEFORE REX TILLERSON WAS
CONFIRMED AS SECRETARY OF STATE, TRANSITION OFFICIALS WHO MOVED
INTO THE SEVENTH FLOOR OF THE STATE DEPARTMENT TASKED THE
DEVELOPING OF OPTIONS TO EASE TENSIONS WITH RUSSIA THAT WOULD
INCLUDE THE EASING OF SANCTIONS, RETURN OF THOSE DOCHAS THAT GOT
CLOSED BY PRESIDENT OBAMA AT THE END OF THE HIS ADMINISTRATION.
AND WHAT'S SO STRIKING ABOUT IT IS THAT BUREAU IS THE PLACE IN
THE STATE DEPARTMENT THAT HAD BEEN PUSHING TO IMPOSE THESE
SANCTIONS. VICTORIA NULAND, WHO WAS THE
ASSISTANT SECRETARY IN CHARGE WHO HAD BEEN ONE OF THE HAWKS IN
THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION, AND SO THE OFFICIALS WHO GOT THIS
DIRECTIVE FELT VERY UNEASY, AND THEY BEGAN LOOKING AROUND FOR
ALLIES. DAN FRIED, WHO HAD BEEN THE U.S.
COORDINATOR FOR SANCTIONS POLICY, WAS STILL THERE, AND
THEY REACHED OCHED OUT TO HIM. TOM MOL NOW SKI WHO HAD STEP THE
DOWN AS ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR HUMAN RIGHTS, THEY REACHED OUT
TO HIM AS WELL. AND THEY BEGAN AN EFFORT TO
BLOCK THE ADMINISTRATION FROM GOING TOO QUICKLY IN THIS ARENA.
>> SO WHAT'S INTERESTING HERE IS THAT WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE ACTUAL
POLICY, RIGHT, SO THEY ESSENTIALLY SUCCESSFULLY
DEFEATED THIS INITIATIVE TO THE EXTENT IT WAS SOMETHING THEY HAD
THEIR EYES ON. WE HAD THIS REPORTING FROM "THE
WASHINGTON POST" YESTERDAY ABOUT THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION MOVING
TO RETURN THOSE RUSSIAN COMPOUNDS THAT YOU JUST
MENTIONED THAT WE JUST SHOWED ON AIR THAT HAD BEEN CONFISCATED AS
PART OF THE SORT OF PUNITIVE MEASURES AFTER THE HACKING.
SO FAR, THOUGH, THE POLICY HAS LARGELY REMAINED IN PLACE EVEN
THOUGH THE RHETORIC HAS SHIFTED. HOW DO YOU ACCOUNT FOR THAT?
EXPLAIN THAT. >> LOOK WHAT'S HAPPENED HERE.
FIRST OF ALL, IN TERMS OF WHAT FRIED AND MOL NOW SKI WERE
DOING, THEY WERE GOING TO ALLIES ON THE HILL, BEN CARDIN, JOHN
McCAIN, AND THERE WAS LEGISLATION INTRODUCE ON
FEBRUARY 7 THAT WOULD REQUIRE CONGRESSIONAL APPROVAL FOR THE
LIFTING OF SANCTIONS. THAT WAS INTRODUCED.
BUT JUST REMEMBER WHAT HAPPENED A WEEK LATER, FEBRUARY 13th.
MIKE FLYNN RESIGNS. HE RESIGNS BECAUSE OF THE BLOWUP
ABOUT HIS SECRET MEETINGS WITH KISLYAK AND MISREPRESENTING THE
FACT THAT HE WAS TALKING ABOUT EASING OF SANCTIONS.
>> ON THIS ISSUE, RIGHT. >> ON THIS VERY ISSUE.
SO IT BECAME POLITICALLY TOXIC. THEY COULDN'T MOVE NEARLY AS
QUICKLY AS THEY WANTED BECAUSE OF THE FIRESTORM THAT HAD
DEVELOPED ABOUT ALL THIS. BUT I SHOULD POINT OUT IF YOU
READ THE PIECE CLOSELY, I TALK TO A SENIOR WHITE HOUSE OFFICIAL
TODAY ABOUT THIS, MAKING CLEAR THERE IS STILL AN ONGOING POLICY
REVIEW ABOUT SANCTIONS. >> RIGHT.
>> THESE OPTIONS ARE STILL ON

Report: From Start, Donald Trump Pushed To Lift Russia Sanctions | All In | MSNBC

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