Adam Schiff: Donald Trump Jr Meeting Key In 2016 Russian Hacking Timeline | Rachel Maddow

>>> WE'RE BACK WITH CONGRESSMAN ADAM SCHIFF.
AS WE ABSORBING THIS INFORMATION FROM THE NEW YORK TIEMGS TIMES,
THEY REPORT CITING AN E-MAIL THAT AHEAD OF THE MEETING WHICH
TOOK PLACE LAST JUNE WHICH WAS REPORTED ON BY THE TIMES, THE
KREMLIN BACKED LAWYER AND BASICALLY THE TOP OF TRUMP
CAMPAIGN, HIS CAMPAIGN MANAGER AND SON-IN-LAW AND ELDEST SON
DONALD JR., BEFORE THAT MEETING TOOK PLACE, THE BUSINESS
ACQUAINTANCE WHO ARRANGED THAT MEETING SENT AN E-MAIL TO DONALD
TRUMP, JR., INFORMING HIM EXPLICITLY IF THEY WERE GOING TO
GET COMPROMISING INFORMATION ABOUT HILLARY CLINTON FROM THIS
MEETING THEY SHOULD KNOW THAT THAT MATERIAL WAS FROM THE
RUSSIAN GOVERNMENT. AND IT WAS PART OF A RUSSIAN
GOVERNMENT EFFORT TO AID HIS FATHER'S CANDIDACY.
CONGRESSMAN SCHIFF, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WAS REPORTED BY "THE
NEW YORK TIMES" IN THEIR INITIAL STORY OF THIS THIS WEEKEND, WAS
THAT THIS MEETING THEY HAD DISCOVERED EVIDENCE OF WAS FIRST
DISCLOSED BY JARED KUSHNER WHEN HE REVISED HAS APPLICATION FOR A
SECURITY CLEARANCE. APPARENTLY HE'S REVISED THAT
APPLICATION MULTIPLE TIMES NOW. THEY THEN SAID THAT PAUL
MANAFORT HAD ALSO DESCRIBED THIS MEETING IN DOCUMENTS HE HANDED
OVER TO CONGRESSIONAL INVESTIGATORS.
CAN YOU TELL US ANYTHING ABOUT EITHER OF THOSE SETS OF
DOCUMENTATION, ANY OF THAT INFORMATION AS IT PERTAINS TO
YOUR COMMITTEE, HOUSE INTELLIGENCE?
>> I CAN'T. I CAN'T GO INTO WHAT DOCUMENTS
WE RECEIVED OR WHAT THE CONTENTS ARE.
ONE OTHER THING THAT REALLY LEAPS OUT ABOUT THIS TO ME IS
THIS IS TAKING PLACE IN JUNE. SO THIS IS TAKING PLACE BEFORE
THE DOCUMENTS ARE DUMPED. ONE OF THE QUESTIONS THAT WE'RE
INVESTIGATING IS DID THE RUSSIANS BEGIN THIS AS AN
INTELLIGENCE GATHERING OPERATION AND LATER DECIDE T TO MAKE IT A
WEAPONIZATION OF DATA ORGANIZATION OR DID THAT BEGIN
WITH THAT INTENT IN MIND? >> I'M SORRY TO INTERRUPT.
YOU'RE SAYING THAT THE RUSSIANS HAD DONE THE HACKING ALREADY BUT
AT THE POINT OF THIS MEETING THEY WERE HOLDING THE
INTELLIGENCE? THEY WERE HOLDING THE STUFF THAT
THEY HAD STOLEN? >> YES.
>> BUT THEN AFTER THIS MEETING HAPPENED IN TRUMP TOWER, THEY
THEN STARTED RELEASING IT PUBLICLY?
>> IF THIS IS IN JUNE OF 2016, THAT'S EXACTLY RIGHT.
SO THE HACKING HAD BEEN EARLIER. THE THEFT OF DOCUMENTS HAD BEEN
EARLIER. BUT THEY HADN'T BEEN DUMPED.
AT THIS POINT WE WOULDN'T HAVE KNOWN THAT THE RUSSIANS INTENDED
TO ESCALATE THAT WAY. SO IF THIS IS CORRECT, THE FIRST
PERSON WHO MAY HAVE FOUND OUT THAT THE RUSSIANS HAD DECIDED
NOT JUST TO GATHER INFORMATION ABOUT WHAT THE CANDIDATE'S
POSITIONS MIGHT BE OR WHAT THEY MIGHT DO IN OFFICE, BUT THEY HAD
MADE A DECISION TO TRY TO INTERVENE TO HELP A CANDIDATE.
THE FIRST PERSON WHO MAY HAVE LEARNED THAT WAS THE PRESIDENT'S
SON THROUGH THIS E-MAIL BECAUSE AT THAT TIME WE COULDN'T BE SURE
WHETHER THIS WAS GOING TO GO BEYOND THE INTELLIGENCE
GATHERING OPERATION. >> SO WHEN THEY WERE JUST
STEALING STUFF, WHEN THEY WERE STEALING DOCUMENTS, THAT'S WHAT
I TRADITIONALLY THINK OF AS A SPYING OPERATION.
I THINK OF SPYING MOSTLY AS STEALING SECRETS.
WHEN -- WHETHER IT'S, YOU KNOW, POTENTIALLY DAMAGING POLITICAL
INFORMATION OR USEFUL INDUSTRIAL INFORMATION OR MILITARY,
WHATEVER IT IS. STEALING INFORMATION IS FINE.
WHEN IT CAME TO TURN THAT AROUND AND NOT JUST USE IT FOR ITS
PURPOSES AT HOME BUT TO USE IT ON THE AMERICAN PUBLIC TO CHANGE
OUR BEHAVIOR. THAT'S WHAT YOU'RE DESCRIBING AS
THE WEAPONIZATION. >> EXACTLY.
>> THAT'S WHAT WAS NEW ABOUT THIS ATTACK, RIGHT?
>> ABSOLUTELY. OTHER COUNTRIES ENGAGE IN
FOREIGN INTELLIGENCE GATHERING. WE ENGAGE IN FOREIGN
INTELLIGENCE GATHERING. WHAT WAS REMARKABLE HERE WAS
THAT THE RUSSIANS DECIDED TO GO BEYOND THAT IN THE MOST POWERFUL
NATION ON EARTH AND THAT IS TURN THAT DATA INTO A WEAPON DESIGNED
TO INFLUENCE OUTCOMES. AND, AS I MENTIONED IN THAT VERY
EARLY OPEN HEARING WE HAD WITH JAMES COMEY IN THE HOUSE, THE
PERIOD OF THE SUMMER OF LAST YEAR WAS VERY SIGNIFICANT,
BECAUSE THAT'S WHEN IT WENT FROM INFORMATION GATHERING TO
WEAPONIZATION. WHAT WAS IT ABOUT THAT SUMMER?
WHAT WAS HAPPENING DURING THAT SUMMER?
NOW WE KNOW DURING THAT SUMMER THE REPUBLICAN PARTY PLATFORM
DID NOT INCORPORATE THAT STRONG LANGUAGE ABOUT PROVIDING
DEFENSIVE WEAPONS TO UKRAINE. SO THE PLATFORM WENT IN A
PRO-RUSSIAN DIRECTION. WAS THERE ALSO SOME EFFECT OF
THIS MEETING OR OTHER MEETINGS? THESE ARE UNANSWERED QUESTIONS
THAT WE REALLY NEED TO FIND OUT. WERE THERE THINGS THAT
CONTRIBUTED TO THE RUSSIANS WILLINGNESS TO INTERVENE ON OUR
ELECTION. >> ONE LAST QUESTION FOR YOU ON
THIS. THE RUSSIAN GOVERNMENT DOESN'T
OPERATE IN THE SAME WAY THAT OUR GOVERNMENT DOES.
ALL GOVERNMENTS ARE DIFFERENT. IT SEEMS LIKE ONE OF THE THINGS
THAT WE AS AMERICANS HAVE A HARD TIME WRAPPING OUR HEAD AROUND IS
THAT A RUSSIAN -- SOMEBODY ACTING ON BEHALF OF THE RUSSIAN
PRESIDENT ISN'T ALWAYS A RUSSIAN GOVERNMENT OFFICIAL.
SO IN THIS CASE THE PERSON WHO WAS IN THIS MEETING WITH DONALD
TRUMP, JR., AND JARED KUSHNER AND PAUL MANAFORT APPARENTLYTLY
TALKING ABOUT SANCTIONS AND THEY BELIEVED SHE WAS GOING TO BE
TALKING TO THEM ABOUT DIRT ON HILLARY CLINTON THAT THE RUSSIAN
GOVERNMENT HAD OBTAINED ACCORDING TO THIS NEW REPORTING.
SHE'S A PRIVATE LAWYER. SHE SAYS THAT SHE'S NEVER WORKED
ON BEHALF OF THE RUSSIAN GOVERNMENT.
WE CERTAINLY KNOW THAT SHE WAS MARRIED TO A RUSSIAN GOVERNMENT
OFFICIAL. SHE HAS REPRESENTED HIGH RANKING
RUSSIAN GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS AND THEIR FAMILY MEMBERS.
BUT SHE'S NOT HERSELF AN OFFICIAL.
SHE IS JUST A RUSSIAN LAWYER. DOES THAT AT ALL CHANGE YOUR
UNDERSTANDING OF WHETHER OR NOT THIS -- THIS WAS AN EFFORT
CONNECTED TO THE RUSSIAN GOVERNMENT'S OPERATIONS?
>> NOT AT ALL BECAUSE THIS IS HOW THE RUSSIAN GOVERNMENT
OPERATES. THEY USE OTHERS WHO HAVE SPENT
TIME IN OTHER COUNTRIES. WHEN WE HAD FORMER CIA DIRECTOR
BRENNAN TESTIFY IN OPEN SESSION, HE TALKED ABOUT THIS, HOW THE
RUSSIANS WILL USE PEOPLE SOMETIMES UNBEKNOWNST TO THEIR
AMERICAN TARGETS AND HE TALKED ABOUT BEING CONCERNED WITH
THINGS HE WAS SEEING, THAT HE REFERRED THESE MATTERS TO
DIRECTOR COMEY FOR COUNTER INTELLIGENCE INVESTIGATION AND
HE ALSO SAID THAT YOU MIGHT SEE CONTACTS WITH AMERICANS THAT
RISE TO THE LEVEL OF HAVING THESE COUNTER INTELLIGENCE
CONCERNS WHERE THE AMERICANS BEFORE THEY KNOW IT GET
ENTANGLED IN WAYS THEY MAY NOT HAVE BEEN ABLE TO SEE COMING.
BUT WHAT'S SIGNIFICANT HERE, OF COURSE, IS IF THIS E-MAIL, IF
THIS REPORT ABOUT THIS E-MAIL IS ACCURATE, AN E-MAIL SAID THE
RUSSIAN GOVERNMENT IS TRYING TO HELP YOUR FATHER, THEN THERE'S
NO MYSTERY ABOUT WHAT THIS LAWYER IS UP TO AND WHO SHE'S
REPRESENTING. BECAUSE THAT WAS THE WHOLE
PURPOSE OF THE MEETING. SOSO YOU CAN'T CLAIM IGNORANCE
YOU'RE TOLD IN ADVANCE THIS PERSON IS ACTING ESSENTIALLY AS
AN AGENT IN THE RUSSIAN GOVERNMENT.
>> AND IF THAT E-MAIL ENDS UP, THAT WRITTEN WARNING TO YOU END
UP IN "THE NEW YORK TIMES" MONTHS LATER, IT MAKES SENSE
THAT TODAY IS THE DAY YOU GOT YOURSELF A LAWYER.
CONGRESSMAN ADAM SHIFT, TOP

Adam Schiff: Donald Trump Jr Meeting Key In 2016 Russian Hacking Timeline | Rachel Maddow | MSNBC

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