Russia Hacks: Our Democracy Still In Danger

>>> THE PRESIDENT IS CONCERNED ABOUT THAT INTERFERENCE?
>> HE COMMENTED I THINK IT WAS JANUARY 5th OR 17th, SOMETHING
LIKE THAT, ON THAT AT THE TIME AND HE SAID, RUSSIA PROBABLY
INTERFERED BUT MAYBE SOME OTHER COUNTRIES DID AS WELL.
>> HE SAID I THINK IT WAS RUSSIA BUT I THINK WE ALSO GET HACKED
BY OTHER COUNTRIES AND OTHER PEOPLE.
>> THANK YOU. >> IS HE CONCERNED ABOUT THAT?
>> OF COURSE HE'S CONCERNED ABOUT ANY COUNTRY OR ANY ACTOR
THAT WANTS TO INTERFERE IN OUR ELECTIONS.
I CONFIRM HE STANDS BY THAT. >> THIS, NOTE THE LACK OF VIDEO
THERE ON THE SAME DAY "THE WASHINGTON POST" DROPPED ANOTHER
BOMBSHELL REPORT REVEALING LAST SUMMER U.S. INTELLIGENCE
AGENCIES HAD SOURCING DEEP INSIDE THE RUSSIAN GOVERNMENT
REPORTING THAT VLADIMIR PUTIN WAS DIRECTLY INVOLVED IN A CYBER
CAMPAIGN TARGETING OUR ELECTION. THE MISSION, DEFEAT OR DAMAGE
HILLARY CLINTON AND HELP ELECT TRUMP.
THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION DEBATED DOZENS OF OPTIONS FOR DETERRING
OR PUNISHING RUSSIA BUT ACCORDING TO "THE POST" OBAMA
FEARED THINGS COULD GET FAR WORSE AND ANY ACTION PERCEIVED
AS POLITICAL INTERFERENCE IN AN ALREADY VOLATILE CAMPAIGN.
JOINING ME IS FORMER PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN MANAGER
EVAN McMULULLEN, FORMER CIA OPE AND NAVID JAMALI FORMER FBI
DOUBLE AGENT AND AUTHOR OF "HOW TO CATCH A RUSSIAN SPY."
EVAN I HAVE TO GET YOUR REACTION TO DONALD TRUMP FINALLY
ACKNOWLEDGING LAST NIGHT BY HIS FAVORITE MEDIUM TWITTER THAT THE
RUSSIANS DID MEDDLE IN THE ELECTION.
HE BLAMED IT ON OBAMA. JUST OUT THEY KNEW FAR IN
ADVANCE MEDDLING BY RUSSIA AND DID NOTHING ABOUT IT.
WHY DO YOU MAKE OF BLAMING OBAMA BUT ACKNOWLEDGING IT?
>> HE CANNOT RESIST ATTACKING FORMER PRESIDENT OBAMA.
TWO THINGS HE CAN'T RESIST. B'NAI HE'S BEING INVESTIGATED IF
HE CAN STILL DO THAT THE SECOND THING IS TO ATTACK PRESIDENT
OBAMA. THIS IS A DISTRACTION.
HE'S SPEAKING TO HIS REMAINING 35% TO 40% OF THE U.S. VOTER
POPULATION THAT HE NEED TO HOLD ONTO, TO PROTECT HIMSELF IN THE
HOUSE. THE HOUSE IS IMPORTANT BECAUSE
AS THE INVESTIGATIONS MOVE FORWARD IF THERE'S SERIOUS
WRONGDOING HE MAY NEED THE HOUSE TO PROTECT HIM FROM IMPEACHMENT.
THIS IS THROWING UP A DISTRACTION TO CONFUSE THE
PUBLIC. >> DOES IT CONCERN YOU THIS
TWEET INDICATES HE WAS FULLY AWARE OF WHAT RUSSIA WAS DOING.
THIS IS THE CONSCIOUSNESS OF KNOWING IT HAPPENED AN HE'S
DENIED IT HAPPENED UP UNTIL NOW. >> THAT'S A GIVEN.
HE ABSOLUTELY KNOWS. IT WAS IN THE OPEN, IN THE
OBVIOUS. HE KNEW WHAT WAS HAPPENING, HE
ENCOURAGED IT. THAT'S A GIVEN.
HE MAY TRY TO CONFUSE THE MATTER AND HE DOES AND HAS FOR MONTHS
BUT OF COURSE HE KNOWS. I'M NOT SURPRISED BY THAT.
>> THERE IS A POLITICS THAT "WASHINGTON POST" STORY WAS
BOMBSHELL WE TRIED TO PICK OUT A FEW NUGGETS IN IT, ONE OF THEM
WAS THE REFUSAL OF REPUBLICANS TO REACT TO WHAT WAS HAIR ON
FIRE DEFCON 1 INFORMATION COMING OUT OF THE HIGHEST LEVELS OF THE
WHITE HOUSE AND THE NATIONAL SECURITY APPARATUS THAT RUSSIA
WAS ACTIVELY INTERFERING WITH OUR ELECTION.
SOMETHING WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT ON THIS SHOW SINCE LAST
JULY AND CLEARLY T THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION WAS SENDING
ALARMS ABOUT. LET'S TALK ABOUT MITCH
McCONNELL. MITCH McCONNELL ACCORDING TO
THIS BLOCKBUSTER "WASHINGTON POST" STORY, REPUBLICANS
RESISTED DOING ANYTHING IN RESPONSE, ARGUING TO WARN THE
PUBLIC THE ELECTION WAS UNDER ATTACK WOULD FURTHER RUSSIA'S
AIM. SENATOR MAJORITY LEADER MITCH
McCONNELL VOICING SKEPTICISM THAT THE UNDERLYING INTELLIGENCE
SUPPORTED WHITE HOUSE CLAIMS. THE HIGHEST LEVELS OF THE
REPUBLICAN PARTY WERE SAYING WE DON'T NECESSARILY BELIEVE THIS
OR WANT TO DO NEGLECT ABOUT IT. AUGUST 5th JEH JOHNSON TRIED TO
ENLIST THE SUPPORT OF STATE OFFICIALS Z A CONFERENCE CALL
ASKING FOR THEM TO SECURE THEIR OWN SYSTEMS.
BRIAN KEMP, REPUBLICAN SECRETARY OF STATE IN GEORGIA USED THAT
CALL TO DENOUNCE JOHNSON'S PROPOSAL AS AN ASSAULT ON STATE
RIGHTS SAYING I THINK IT'S A POLITICALLY CALCULATED MOVE BY
THE PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATION. ADDING HE REMAINS UNCONVINCED
RUSSIA WAGED A CAMPAIGN TO DISRUPT THE 2016 RACE.
THAT'S A GREATER LEVEL OF DENIAL THAN DONALD TRUMP.
WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF THAT? >> THIS IS PART OF A PATTERN OF
THE REPUBLICAN PARTY DURING THE CAMPAIGN, DISREGARDING NATIONAL
SECURITY INTERESTS, SO IT'S A DIVIDE BETWEEN POLICY AND
POLITICS AND UNFORTUNATELY GIVEN THE ELECTION SEASON POLITICS
PREVAILED. YOU HAD CIA ANALYSTS WHO WERE
DEEP IN THE RUSSIAN GOVERNMENT, GIVING INFORMATION THROUGH THE
CIA CHANNELS. THESE ARE NOT PEOPLE WHO ARE
PARTISAN IN ANY WAY RAISING IT THROUGH THEIR CHAIN, DIRECTLY TO
THE PRESIDENT SAYING THAT THIS IS A NATIONAL SECURITY PROBLEM,
AND NOT ONLY SOMETHING THAT WE SEE IN THE UNITED STATES, BUT
WE'VE SEEN PATTERNS OF THISS ELSEWHERE, FOR RUSSIA TO
UNDERMINE DEMOCRACIES THROUGHOUT EUROPE AND GIVEN THE TIMING OF
IT, THE PEOPLE IN CHARGE OF NATIONAL SECURITY IN CONGRESS
AND FOR OVERSIGHT REALLY WEREN'T ABLE TO LOOK PAST THE PARTISAN
POLITICS. >> NEITHER IN A SENSE -- I
SHOULD NOTE MITCH McCONNELL SENT A LETTER SEPTEMBER 28th,
McCONNELL AND THE OTHER SENATORS ISSUED A CAUTIOUS STATEMENT TO
ENSURE THEIR NETWORKS WERE SECURE FROM AN ATTACK.
IT MADE NO MENTION OF RUSSIA. NAVID, THIS "WASHINGTON POST"
STORY WENT INTO DETAIL WHAT THEY WERE TRYING TO DO, THINKING
ABOUT DOING OR CONCERNED ABOUT DOING.
SOME OFFICIALS LOOK BACK ACCORDING TO "THE WASHINGTON
POST" ON THE RUSSIA PERIOD WITH REMORSE.
IT IS THE HARDEST THING ABOUT MY ENTIRE TIME IN GOVERNMENT SAID
NO FORMER SENIOR OBAMA OFFICIALS.
I FEEL WE SORT OF CHOKED. WHAT DO YOU THINK?
>> THE BIGGEST THING WHEN IT COMES TO INTELLIGENCE OPTIONS IS
ATTRIBUTION. YOU WANT TO COMPLETE THE MISSION
BUT IF THE MISSION IS COMPROMISED THE TARGET CANNOT
COME BACK AND SAY IT IS THIS COUNTRY, YOU THAT LAUNCHED THIS.
IN THAT REGARD THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION CHOKED ON IT.
IT'S CLEAR THE PRESIDENT SPOKE DIRECTLY TO PUTIN AND SAID HEY
KNOCK IT OFF, SEEMS THE RUSSIANS WERE VERY MUCH GOING TO
PHYSICALLY TARGET THE PHYSICAL
INFRASTRUCTURE OF THE VOTING SYSTEM.
WHEN THE PRESIDENT CALLED THEM ON THAT, THEY BACKED IT OFF.
THAT'S ABOUT THE ATTRIBUTION. WHEN YOU GO OUT AND CALL A
FOREIGN ADVERSARY AND SAY YOU ARE BEHIND, THIS YOU REMOVE THE
CLOAK OF ATTRIBUTION. THAT IS A HUGELY IMPORTANT PART
OF THIS. THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION COMING
OUT AND BEING MORE FORCEFUL AND REALLY LAYING OUT THE CARDS
ABOUT WHAT THEY KNEW, AT THE END OF THE DAY THE PRESIDENT HAS A
RIGHT AS DONALD TRUMP TO DECLASSIFY ANYTHING AND I THINK
WHAT WE'RE LEARNING TODAY, THERE'S NO REASON WE SHOULDN'T
HAVE LEARNED THAT BEFORE THE ELECTION AND I THINK THAT WAS
UNFORTUNATELY A MISCALCULATION ON THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION,
AND ONE LAST THING, IF YOU LOOK ACROSS THE POND, FRANCE, HOW
FRANCE HAS WEATHERED THE SAME STORM THAT THE RUSSIANS LAUNCHED
AGAINST THEM, THEY'RE INN A MUC LESS CHAOTIC FREEFALL THAN WE
ARE. THERE IS A WAY TO EMERGE FROM
THIS AND UNFORTUNATELY BETWEEN THE TRANSITION AND THE CURRENT
PRESIDENT WE HAVE, THE RUSSIANS HAVE REALLY GOTTEN ONE UP ON US.
>> THAT'S EXACTLY -- >> YOU WERE, VERY QUICKLY.
>> THE POINT HE MENTIONED ABOUT FRANCE AND OTHER COUNTRIES
HAVING WEATHERED THE STORM. THIS IS PART OF A BROADER
RUSSIAN CAMPAIGN TO UNDERMINE DEMOCRACY.
THE U.S. IS NOT THE ONLY TARGET. YOU HAD RUSSIAN HACKERS WHO WERE
SYSTEMATICALLY TELLING SYRIANS THAT GERMANY WAS THE BEST
DESTINATION FOR THEM TO GO, AND THAT'S PART OF WHY YOU HAD A
MASSIVE INFLUX OF SYRIAN REFUGEES IN GERMANY THAT,
GERMANY COULD NOT HANDLE. YOU HAVE CYBER ATTACKERS LOOKING
AT UKRAINE AND FORCING BLACKOUTS BY HACKING THEIR ENERGY GRID.
THE U.S. INFRASTRUCTURE ENERGY GRID IS HORRIFICALLY OUTDATED SO
WE HAVE SERIOUS VULNERABILITIES, NOT JUST TO OUR ELECTORAL AND
DEMOCRATIC SYSTEM. WE HAVE SERIOUS INFRASTRUCTURE
VULNERABILITIES THAT NOW THE RUSSIANS ARE GOING TO BE USING
TO THEIR ADVANTAGE. >> EVAN, AT THE SAME TIME, JUST
TO GO BACK FOR A SECOND TO THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION'S RESPONSE,
IF YOU LOOK AT IT AT THE TIME, YOU WERE RUNNING FOR PRESIDENT.
YOU COULD PROBABLY VOUCH FOR THE FACT THAT HAD THE OBAMA
ADMINISTRATION, OF ALL ADMINISTRATIONS, COME OUT AND
SAID THE RUSSIANS ARE ATTEMPTING TO INTERFERE IN THE ELECTION AND
HINTED IT WAS TO HELP DONALD TRUMP, THE REACTION FROM TRUMP'S
BASE WOULD HAVE BEEN THAT THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION WAS TRYING
TO STEAL THE ELECTION. TRUMP WAS ALREADY SAYING THAT
THE ELECTION WAS BEING STOLEN FROM HIM, AND SO MY QUESTION IS,
SOMEBODY ON THE GROUND DOING THIS, RUNNING FOR PRESIDENT,
WHAT WOULD HAVE BEEN THE REACTION ON THE RIGHT, HAD THE
OBAMA ADMINISTRATION COME OUT AND SAID HEY, RED FLAG, RUSSIA
IS TRYING TO INTERFERE? >> IT WOULD HAVE BEEN
POLITICIZED ABSOLUTELY, AND THAT IS, YOUR OTHER GUESTS MADE THIS
POINT BUT SO ABSOLUTELY CRITICAL THAT AS YOU READ THAT
"WASHINGTON POST" REPORT, READ IT WITH AN EYE FOR PARTISANSHIP
AND YOU SEE IT EVERY STEP HOW OUR LEADERS DIDN'T TAKE ACTIONS
THAT MIGHT HAVE HELP IN RETROSPECT, MIGHT HAVE WISHED
THEY WOULD HAVE TAKEN THEM BUT THEY COULDN'T BECAUSE OF FEAR OF
PARTISANSHIP OR PARTISANSHIP ITSELF.
I DRAW THE VIEWERS' ATTENTION TO THE LETTER THAT THE OES TALKS
ABOUT THAT MITCH McCONNELL SENT OUT AND OTHER SENATORS IN LATE
SEPTEMBER, HE SAYS TO STATES, PROTECT YOUR VOTING SYSTEMS BUT
WE OPPOSE ANY ENGAGEMENT FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT ON THESE
ISSUES. SO THAT'S AN INCREDIBLE THING TO
DO. HE WAS MORE CONCERNED, THEY WERE
MORE CONCERNED ABOUT PROTECTING STATES FROM THE FEDERAL
GOVERNMENT THAN THEY WERE ABOUT PROTECTING OUR VOTING SYSTEM
FROM THE RUSSIANS. THAT'S WHERE OUR PARTISANSHIP
HAS GOTTEN, AND THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE AS AMERICANS HAVE TO
LOOK AT, NOT JUST OUR LEADERS IN WASHINGTON.
>> A LOT OF AMENS ON THAT. WE'RE OUT OF TIME.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH. >>> COMING UP, JARED SPEAKS!
STAY WITH US.

Russia Hacks: Our Democracy Still In Danger | MSNBC

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