NOW. >> I'M ARI MELBER IN FOR CHRIS
HAYES. WE HAVE BREAKING NEWS ON RUSSIA
TONIGHT AND A REPORT ON THE SPECK TACK LAIR FAILURE OF THE
PRESIDENT'S HEALTH CARE. BERNIE SANDERS WILL BE HERE ON
THAT. OUR BREAKING STORY THERE WAS
ANOTHER PUTIN MEETING. AND THE PRESIDENT ATTENDED IT
ALL BY HIMSELF. THE WHITE HOUSE DID NOT EXPOSE
IT WHEN IT OCCURRED. AND THE MEETING LOOKS EVEN MORE
ODD BECAUSE THE TWO LEADERS HAD ALREADY MET, QUITE FAMOUSLY FOR
TWO HOURS AT THE G20 SUMMIT IN GERMANY.
"THE WASHINGTON POST" BREAKING THIS RATHER EXPLOSIVE STORY THIS
EVENING NOTING THE SECOND MEETING UNREPORTED AT THE TIME
TOOK PLACE AT A DINNER FOR G20 LEADERS.
HALFWAY THROUGH THE MEAL TRUMP LEFT HI OWN SEAT TO OCCUPY A
CHAIR NEXT TO PUTIN. CONTINUING IN THE ARTICLE, TRUMP
WAS ALONE AND PUTIN WAS ATTENDED ONLY BY HIS OFFICIAL INTERPRET
OR THE "NEW YORK TIMES" ALSO REPORTING THE INTIMATE DINNER
CONVERSATION OF WHICH THERE IS NO RECORD IS THE LATEST TO RAISE
EYEBROWS. FOREIGN LEADERS WHO WITNESSED IT
LATER COMMENTED PRIVATELY ON THE ODDITY OF THE AMERICAN PRESIDENT
WITH HIS COUNTER PART. WHILE PUTIN HAD THAT STAFFER
WITH HIM, DONALD TRUMP ATTENDED ALONE.
THAT MEANS PRESIDENT TRUMP WAS ENTIRELY RELIANT ON PUTIN'S
STAFF TRANSLATOR IN THE MEETING AND HE HAD NO BACKUP OR
EXPERTISE PRESENT TO REPRESENT AMERICA'S INTERESTS.
IT'S HARD TO IMAGINE DONALD TRUMP WHO PRIDES HIMSELF ON
NEGOTIATIONS SHOWING UP ALONE AND ONLY RELYING ON THE
COMPETITORS LAWYER. IF THE WHITE HOUSE HAS A REASON
THEY WOULD DO IT WITH A FOREIGN ADVERSARY, THEY HAVE NOT OFFERED
IT TONIGHT. THIS STORY FIRST BROKE INTO THE
OPEN AFTER SOMETHING ELSE INTERESTING HAPPENED.
IAN BREMMER WAS RACING THIS SAYING THERE WAS A MEETING NO
ONE HAS HEARD OF. >> THEN HE HAS A MEETING WITH A
LOT OF PEOPLE NOT IN IT LASTED OVER TWO HOURS, DON'T HAVE A
CLEAR READ OUT ON EXACTLY WHAT WAS SAID FROM EITHER SIDE.
THEN ON TOP OF THAT YOU HAVE AN HOUR THAT EVENING THAT NO ONE'S
EVEN HEARD OF. >> THAT NO ONE'S EVEN HEARD OF
UNTIL NOW. JOINING ME IS JULIE HER SHFIELD
DAVIS. HOW DID WE LEARN ABOUT THIS?
>> IAN BREMMER IS ONE OF THE WAYS.
ALSO THIS WAS A LOT OF FOREIGN LEADERS IN THE ROOM WHO
WITNESSED THE EXCHANGE AND PRIVATELY COMMENTED ON IT.
THAT TENDS TO LEAK OUT. IT WAS WITNESSED BY A LOT OF
PEOPLE. AND THEN AFTER REALLY HOURS IN
WHICH I PRESSED THE WHITE HOUSE FOR ANSWERS ON THIS, WE FINALLY
GOT SOME CONFIRMATION FROM SENIOR WHITE HOUSE OFFICIALS,
WHO DID ACKNOWLEDGE THAT, IN FACT, THE MEETING TOOK PLACE.
THAT IT PRETTY MUCH UNFOLDED THE WAY IT'S BEEN DESCRIBED BY
PEOPLE WHO WERE IN THE ROOM. AND THAT, YOU KNOW, THEYOR
BASICALLY DESCRIBING THIS AS A ROUTINE THING.
THIS WAS LEADERS AND THEIR SPOUSES EVENT, DINNER.
>> IT'S NOT ROUTINE. >> IT'S NOTHING UNUSUAL, BUT
IT'S NOT ROUTINE FOR ONE LEADER TO APPROACH ANOTHER LEADER AND
HAVE AN HOUR-LONG CONVERSATION, SOMETHING THIS SIGNIFICANT,
PARTICULARLY AFTER THEY JUST MET FOR THE FIRST TIME FORMALLY ON
THE SIDES OF THE SUMMIT AND TO NOT EVEN HAVE AN AMERICAN
TRANSLATOR FOR THIS MEETING. IT WAS VERY UNUSUAL AND ALL THE
OTHER LEADERS RECOGNIZED THAT EVEN IF PRESIDENT TRUMP DIDN'T.
>> IN YOUR REPORTING HAVE YOU SEEN A HIGH LEVEL MEETING LIKE
THIS WHERE A U.S. PRESIDENT WOULD ENTER IT ALONE WHEN A
FOREIGN LEADER HAD HIS OWN STAFF?
>> I'VE NEVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKE THIS.
IT'S NOT UNUSUAL NECESSARILY FOR AN AMERICAN PRESIDENT TO DECIDE
THAT ONE OF THESE DINNERS IS A PLACE HE WANTS TO BUTTONHOLE
ANOTHER LEADER, BUT WHEN THAT'S THE CASE, HE PREPARES FOR THAT
MEETING HE TAKES THE TRANSLATOR THAT SPEAKS THAT LANGUAGE.
WE KNOW PRESIDENT TRUMP TOOK A TRANSLATOR THAT SPOKE JAPANESE.
IF HE PLANNED THIS, HE DIDN'T TELL ANY OF HIS STAFF OR IF HE
DID THEY DID A DISSERVICE BY NOT SENDING WITH HIM SOMEONE WHO
SPOKE THE LANGUAGE AND COULD BE IN THE CONVERSATION.
IF YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE AN HOUR LONG CONVERSATION WITH ANOTHER
LEADER -- >> RIGHT.
THESE TWO MEN HERE WERE MEETING FOR THE FIRST TIME IN THIS HIGH
PROFILE ENVIRONMENT AMIDST THE ONGOING QUESTIONS ABOUT WHETHER
ON THE TRUMP SIDE THERE WAS COOPERATION IN ILLICIT CRIMINAL
ACTIVITY IN WHICH THE U.S. INTELLIGENCE SAYS WAS A CRIMINAL
CONSPIRACY TO METAL IN THE LAEKS ELECTION WE KNOW THAT CAME UP IN
THE TWO HOURS DO WE HAVE ANY IDEA WHETHER IT CAME BACK UP IN
THIS EXTRA HOUR? >> THERE'S NO WAY OF KNOWING.
THE KREMLIN MAY KNOW. THE KREMLIN DOES KNOW.
THE TRANSLATOR OVERHEARD WHATEVER THE CONVERSATION WAS
AND INTERPRETED BOTH SIDES OF IT.
THERE IS NO OFFICIAL U.S. ACCOUNT.
THERE CAN'T BE BECAUSE THERE WASN'T ANOTHER U.S. OFFICIAL
PRESENT. IT'S POSSIBLE THE PRESIDENT READ
IT OUT TO ONE OF HIS OFFICIALS, REX TILLER SON, MAYBE H.R.
McMASTER WHO WAS ON THE TRIP. THE WHITE HOUSE IS
CHARACTERIZING IT AS A BRIEF PRIVATE CONVERSATION.
BUT THEY HAVE NO REAL WAY OF READING SOMETHING LIKE THAT OUT.
THEY KNEW GOING INTO THIS MEETING -- THE FORMAL MEETING
WITH PRESIDENT PUTIN THAT ALL THE ATMOSPHERE SURROUNDING ABOUT
POSSIBLE COLLUSION MADE IT DIFFICULT TO COME OUT OF THAT
MEETING WITH ANYTHING OTHER THAN A PUBLIC RELATIONS NIGHTMARE.
>> DID THE STAFF ADD MILT TO YOU THEY DON'T KNOW BECAUSE OF THE
REASONS YOU STATE? >> THEY DO.
THEY SAY THERE WAS NO WAY TO KNOW WHAT WAS DISCUSSED BECAUSE
WE WEREN'T