THE ATLANTIC HAS UNEARTHED SOME EVIDENCE INDICATING THAT
DONALD TRUMP, JR.
WAS IN DIRECT CONTACT WITH WIKILEAKS DURING
THE LAST PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION.
NOW, THERE ARE DIFFERENT
ELEMENTS THAT MAKE THIS STORY RELEVANT ESPECIALLY PERTAINING
TO SOME OF THE INVESTIGATIONS THAT ARE ONGOING IN REGARD TO
RUSSIA AND POTENTIAL RUSSIAN MEDDLING IN THIS PAST ELECTION.
BEFORE WE GET INTO THE DETAILS OF THE DIRECT MESSAGES THEY
SHARED WITH ONE ANOTHER, THERE IS SOME REASON TO BELIEVE THAT
SOME OF THE LEAKED INFORMATION OBTAINED BY WIKILEAKS WAS GIVEN
TO THEM BY THE RUSSIAN GOVERNMENT.
NOW, THAT IS BASED
ON ANALYSIS BY U.S. INTELLIGENCE AGENCIES AND ORGANIZATIONS, BUT
THERE ARE SKEPTICS WHEN IT COMES TO THAT PORTION OF THE STORY.
WITH THAT SAID I WANT TO GIVE YOU GUYS WHAT THEIR
COMMUNICATION WAS, AND WHAT KIND OF ACTIONS THEY TOOK, MEANING
MEMBERS OF THE TRUMP CAMPAIGN, AFTER THEY WERE GIVEN CERTAIN
LINKS AND CERTAIN INFORMATION FROM WIKILEAKS.
BEFORE YOU GET STARTED LET ME JUST CLARIFY THAT I'M AMONG THE
SKEPTICS.
INCLUDING THE IMPORTANCE OF THIS STORY.
ALL
OVER TV AND ALL OVER THE MEDIA, ANA WILL GIVE YOU THE DETAILS,
LET'S GIVE YOU THE FACTS FIRST, AND DISCUSS WHETHER IT IS
GROUNDBREAKING COLLUSION OR NOT.
FIRST, HOW DO WE HAVE KNOWLEDGE OF THIS
CORRESPONDENCE?
WELL --
THEY WERE TURNED OVER TO CONGRESS BY DONALD TRUMP, JR.
AND HIS LAWYER, THEY ARE COOPERATING WITH THE
INVESTIGATION, SO CREDIT WHERE IT IS DUE, BUT THAT'S WHERE THIS
INFORMATION IS FROM, AND THE ATLANTIC OBTAINED THIS
INFORMATION AND REPORTED ON IT LATE YESTERDAY.
HERE IS WHERE IT
ALL BEGAN -- THE FIRST MESSAGE SENT TO DONALD TRUMP, JR.
WAS
SEPTEMBER 20 OF 2016, AND IN THAT MESSAGE SOMEONE FROM
WIKILEAKS, WE DON'T KNOW EXACTLY WHO, ESSENTIALLY LET DONALD
TRUMP, JR.
KNOW ABOUT AN ANTI-TRUMP WEBSITE, AND SOMEHOW
THEY MANAGED TO GET THE PASSWORD TO THAT WEBSITE AND TOLD DONALD
TRUMP, JR., YOU SHOULD LOOK INTO WHO IS BEHIND THIS WEBSITE.
DONALD TRUMP, JR.
RESPONDED TO THAT AND SAID I WILL ASK AROUND,
AND HE DID ASK AROUND.
SO HE NOTIFIED A NUMBER OF PEOPLE
AFFILIATED WITH THE TRUMP CAMPAIGN, INCLUDING THE
SON-IN-LAW, JARED KUSHNER, A NUMBER OF CAMPAIGN OFFICIALS,
AND THROUGH THAT THEY FORWARDED THE INFORMATION TO ONE ANOTHER,
KELLYANNE CONWAY, STEVE BANNON, AND ALSO JARED KUSHNER, AS
I MENTIONED.
I THINK THERE IS ONE RELEVANT REVELATION, THIS ONE I THINK IS
COMPLETELY IRRELEVANT.
THERE WAS A WEBSITE, WE TOLD YOU ABOUT IT
AND YOU LOOKED INTO IT.
WHOOPDIE DOO.
HE COULD HAVE FOUND OUT
ABOUT THE WEBSITE IN 1000 DIFFERENT WAYS.
THE NEW YORK
TIMES COULD HAVE TOLD HIM THERE WAS A WEBSITE, AND I LOOKED INTO
IT. AND?
SINCE CENK PREFACED EVERYTHING WITH HIS OVERALL TAKE, I WILL
GIVE YOU MINE, I DISAGREE WITH CENK IN REGARD TO THIS NOT BEING
A BIG DEAL.
THAT PORTION OF WHAT WE KNOW I DON'T THINK IS A BIG
DEAL, BUT AS WE GET DEEPER INTO THE COMMUNICATION THEY HAD I
THINK IT BECOMES MORE SIGNIFICANT AND RELEVANT, NOT
NECESSARILY IN REGARD TO POTENTIAL RUSSIAN MEDDLING, BUT
FOR ME IT'S MORE IMPORTANT TO DO AN ANALYSIS OF WHETHER OR NOT
WIKILEAKS HAS A POLITICAL MOTIVE, AND I THINK THESE
COMMUNICATIONS MAKE IT CLEAR THAT THERE WAS A POLITICAL
MOTIVE TO HELP THE TRUMP CAMPAIGN.
SO LET ME GO ON --
THAT'S FINE, THAT WAS INCLUDED IN THE REPORT --
SO THEY ARE SETTING THE STAGE TO SHOW THAT ALREADY IT SEEMED
AS THOUGH THERE WAS A POLITICAL MOTIVE, AND THEN WHEN YOU LOOK
AT THE PRIVATE MESSAGES THAT DONALD TRUMP, JR. AND WIKILEAKS
HAD WITH ONE ANOTHER IT FURTHER REINFORCES THAT NOTION.
GO AHEAD --
I WANT TO BE CLEAR, I THINK WIKILEAKS WAS ON TRUMP'S SIDE,
AND I THINK THE FACT THAT THEY PUBLISHED SOME OF THE EMAILS
RIGHT AFTER THE ACCESS HOLLYWOOD TAPES IS DECENT EVIDENCE OF
THAT, AND THERE IS A LOT OF EVIDENCE OF IT, INCLUDING ONE
DAMNING PART WE WILL GET TO IN A SECOND.
SO I'M NOT DISPUTING
THAT.
ON THE OTHER HAND, WHO IS TALKING ABOUT THE STOLEN
HOLLYWOOD EXCESS TAPES?
AND WHERE THE WASHINGTON POST GOT
THEM?
AND WHO WANTED TO INTERFERE WITH OUR ELECTIONS,
AND GAVE THOSE STOLEN TAPES TO THE WASHINGTON POST?
I DON'T THINK THERE WAS EVER A QUESTION THAT A FOREIGN
GOVERNMENT OBTAINED THOSE TAPES AND LEAKS THEM IN AN EFFORT TO
MEDDLE IN THE ELECTIONS, THERE'S A DIFFERENCE THERE.
LOOK AT THE FRAMING, THE EMAILS ARE ALWAYS REFERRED TO AS
STOLEN, THE PENTAGON PAPERS AREN'T BUT YOU CAN MAKE AN
ARGUMENT, THE ACCESS HOLLYWOOD TAPES ARE NEVER REFERRED TO AS
STOLEN BY THE MEDIA, BUT WHERE DID THEY GET THEM?
AND WHO GOT
THEM?
DID THEY HAVE PERMISSION FROM WHOEVER THE OWNER OF ACCESS
HOLLYWOOD IS?
NO, THEY TOOK THEM WITHOUT PERMISSION, THERE'S
ANOTHER WORD FOR THAT, STOLEN.
IT JUST DEPENDS ON HOW YOU WANT
TO FRAME IT.
IF YOU GIVE IT TO THE WASHINGTON POST, THAT'S AWESOME, THEY
ARE A MEDIA ORGANIZATION, IF YOU GIVE IT TO WIKILEAKS WE
DON'T LIKE THEM, THEY ARE MEAN, THEY ARE THE BAD GUYS.
THERE IS OBVIOUSLY MAINSTREAM MEDIA BIAS AGAINST WIKILEAKS, I
THINK THAT'S WELL KNOWN.
BUT I WANT YOU TO FOCUS ON WHAT
WIKILEAKS IS TRANSPARENT ABOUT WHEN THEY ARE MESSAGING DONALD
TRUMP, JR., BECAUSE THEY ARE CLEAR ABOUT WHAT THEIR
INTENTIONS ARE.
SO REGARDLESS OF MEDIA BIAS, MEDIA BIAS DOES NOT
PLAY A ROLE IN THESE DIRECT MEDICATIONS, KEEP THAT IN MIND.
SO --
DONALD TRUMP, JR.
DID RESPOND TO THAT, HE SAID --
LOOK, I CAN'T STAND THE TRUMPS, I WORKED SUPER HARD TO
MAKE SURE THEY DIDN'T WIN.
I AM VERY CLEAR WITH MY PERSPECTIVE.
THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH WHAT DONALD TRUMP, JR.
SAID THERE.
IN
FACT, IT'S ABSOLUTELY OUTRAGEOUS THAT THE REST OF THE PRESS GAVE
HILLARY CLINTON A PASS FOR WANTING TO MURDER WHAT COULD BE
CONSIDERED, I THINK SOMEWHAT CORRECTLY AN ACCURATELY SO BY
ANA AS SHE POINTED OUT EARLIER, A POLITICAL OPPONENT.
EVEN IF
YOU GRANT WIKILEAKS IS AN OPPONENT OF HERS, SHE WANTED TO
MURDER A POLITICAL OPPONENT.
IF TRUMP HAD SET AT THE WORLD WOULD
HAVE EXPLODED AND YOU KNOW IT.
SHE SAID IT, I DON'T KNOW, WAS
SHE JOKING?
IT DIDN'T SOUND LIKE SHE WAS. AND EVEN IF TRUMP WAS
JOKING IF HE SAID THAT, IT WOULD'VE BEEN NEWS 24/7, AND IT
SHOULD BE, BECAUSE TRUMP IS ABHORRENT AND YOU SHOULDN'T SAY
THINGS LIKE THAT.
WHAT I'M ANNOYED WITH IS WHENEVER
ESTABLISHMENT PUBLICANS OR DEMOCRATS SAY THINGS LIKE THAT
THEY GET A PASS.
HERE IS MY ISSUE WITH THIS, THE CONNECTION WITH RUSSIA ISN'T
CLEAR ENOUGH FOR ME, MEANING THAT OKAY, OR INTELLIGENCE
ORGANIZATIONS SAY RUSSIA STOLE OR HACKED INTO THESE EMAILS, I'M
NOT PERSONALLY CONVINCED BY THAT BECAUSE THEY HAVEN'T REALLY
SHARED THAT EVIDENCE WITH US YET, JUST SAYING THAT THEY
BELIEVE IT TO BE TRUE ISN'T GOOD ENOUGH FOR ME.
BUT THAT BEING
SAID, FOR ME WHAT THIS STORY COMMUNICATED WAS WIKILEAKS IS
NOT SOME JOURNALISTIC ORGANIZATION, AND BY THE WAY I
WAS SUPPORTIVE OF WIKILEAKS EVEN AFTER ALL OF THIS HILLARY
CLINTON STUFF CAME OUT, BECAUSE MY VIEW OF THEM WAS THEY OBTAIN
DAMNING EVIDENCE THAT SPEAKS TRUTH TO POWER AND THEY LEAK IT.
TO SAY THAT THERE ARE NEVER ANY POLITICAL MOTIVATIONS OR BIASES
IS NAœVE, BUT I DID NOT HAVE PROOF OF HOW DEEP THE BIAS WAS
DURING THIS PAST ELECTION, AND I THINK THAT IS RELEVANT FOR
PEOPLE WHO ARE LOOKING AT AN ORGANIZATION LIKE WIKILEAKS
THINKING THIS IS A CREDIBLE ORGANIZATION WITH NO POLITICAL
BIAS.
CLEARLY THEY DID, AND THERE'S A LOT OF EVIDENCE TO
PROVE IT, WHICH UNFORTUNATELY WE HAVEN'T EVEN GOTTEN TO YET.
HOLD ON, I AGREE AND DISAGREE IN PARTS.
THE PART I AGREE WITH,
EVEN MIKE POMPEO, TRUMP'S CIA DIRECTOR, SAYS HE THINK THERE'S
A CONNECTION BETWEEN THE KEY LEAKS AND RUSSIA.
TAKE THAT FOR
WHATEVER IT'S WORTH, IT'S A DATA POINT AND I DO TAKE THAT
SERIOUSLY.
AT THE SAME TIME, ALMOST EVERYBODY THAT WORKS IN
THE U.S. GOVERNMENT, BOTH ESTABLISHMENT REPUBLICANS AND
DEMOCRATS, HATE WIKILEAKS WITH A PASSION, SO I WILL TAKE IT WITH
A GRAIN OF SALT.
ON THE ISSUE OF WHETHER THEY ARE CREDIBLE
JOURNALISTS, THAT'S WHERE I DISAGREE WITH YOU.
YES, I THINK
THIS STORY DOES PROVE THAT THEY WERE CLEARLY ON TRUMP'S SIDE.
THAT DOESN'T MEAN THEY CAN'T BE CREDIBLE, IT DOESN'T MEAN THE
STUFF THEY LEAKED ISN'T TRUE.
IT WAS TRUE.
AND THEY ARE STILL A MEDIA ORGANIZATION.
BUT THERE IS ALSO THE QUESTION OF WHAT THEY REFUSED TO LEAK OR
TALK ABOUT, LIKE THE RUSSIAN OLIGARCHS THAT WERE IMPLICATED
IN THE PANAMA PAPERS AND HOW WIKILEAKS REFUSED TO DO ANY TYPE
OF WORK ON THAT ISSUE.
SO I THINK THAT THIS COMMUNICATION,
THEIR CLEAR SUPPORT OF THE TRUMP CAMPAIGN COUPLED WITH THE FACT
THAT THERE WERE CERTAIN THINGS THEY REFUSED TO LEAK, DRAWS A
PICTURE THAT CONCERNS ME ABOUT THEIR CREDIBILITY.
SO I'M
PUTTING THAT OUT THERE.
I UNDERSTAND, IF YOU WANT TO TAKE THAT WITH A GRAIN OF SALT
THAT'S FINE, I WILL GO EVEN FURTHER AND SAY THEY HURT THEIR
CREDIBILITY MORE WHEN THEY AREN'T HONEST ABOUT THEIR
PERSPECTIVE.
FOX NEWS, THAT'S FINE, THEY ARE CONSERVATIVES, WE
DON'T LIKE THEM AND I THINK THEY ARE WRONG ON EACH ISSUE AND WE
DEBATE THEM, THE PROBLEM ISN'T THAT, THE PROBLEM IS THEY CALL
THEMSELVES FAIR AND BALANCED, AND THEY AREN'T, THAT'S A JOKE
AND EVERYONE KNOWS IT.
SO I WOULD HOPE WIKILEAKS WON'T
CONTINUE TO MAKE THE SAME MISTAKE.
WHATEVER YOUR
PERSPECTIVE IS YOU SHOULD BE OPEN AND HONEST ABOUT IT, WE ARE
HONEST ABOUT OUR PERSPECTIVE, AND I DON'T THINK GIVEN THIS
STORY AMONG OTHERS, I AGREE WITH ANA THAT THEY HAVEN'T BEEN OPEN
ABOUT WHAT THERE PERSPECTIVE IS.
LET'S GIVE THEM A LITTLE BIT MORE OF THEIR COMMUNICATION, AND
ONE-POINT WIKILEAKS SENT TO DONALD TRUMP, JR.
--
THEN --
IN
THAT CASE, DOES IT SHOW THAT THE TRUMP CAMPAIGN IS
COMMUNICATING WITH WIKILEAKS?
YES, OF COURSE, HE DIDN'T
RANDOMLY DO IT 15 MINUTES LATER.
BUT THIS STUFF WAS PUBLIC
ANYWAY, AND HAVE JOURNALISTS SENT OUT THEIR ARTICLES TO THE
PEOPLE THEY WROTE ABOUT IN HOPES THAT IT WOULD BE SHARED ON
SOCIAL MEDIA?
ALMOST EVERY TIME, EVERY DAY.
SO IF ANY OTHER
JOURNALISTS SAID HEY, HERE IS AN ARTICLE I WROTE ABOUT YOU OR
ABOUT SOMEONE ELSE AND SENT IT TO YOU, IT WOULD BE THE BIGGEST
NO BIG DEAL OF ALL TIME.
WHEN IT HAPPENS WITH WIKILEAKS, OH MY
GOD, THEY WANTED THEIR LINK PUBLICIZED.
OF COURSE THEY DID,
SO DOES EVERYONE.
I AGREE WITH YOU ON THE SURFACE.
IF IT IS PROVEN THAT
THEY DID NOT OBTAIN THEIR INFORMATION FROM RUSSIA, THEN
YOU ARE RIGHT, WIKILEAKS SHOULDN'T BE TREATED ANY
DIFFERENTLY THAN ANY OTHER MEDIA ORGANIZATION.
BUT THE CONCERN
HERE IS THAT A FOREIGN GOVERNMENT IS MEDDLING IN
OUR ELECTION PROCESS AND IF THAT'S PROVEN I THINK THESE
TYPES OF COMMUNICATIONS ARE RELEVANT.
I WANT TO BE CLEAR, I KNOW IT'S A TOUGH DISTINCTION BUT I
THINK IT'S AN IMPORTANT ONE -- IF RUSSIA SAYS I STOLE THESE
EMAILS, TRUMP, WOULD YOU LIKE THEM?
I THINK THAT'S A GIANT
PROBLEM AND I TALKED ABOUT THAT IN THE PAST, THAT IS A REAL
ISSUE, IT HAS LEGAL RAMIFICATIONS AND IT SHOULD BE
THOROUGHLY INVESTIGATED AND I'M THRILLED THEY ARE INVESTIGATING
IT.
BUT RUSSIA OR ANYONE ELSE GETS ACCESS TO INFORMATION,
PASSES IT ON TO SOMEONE IN THE MEDIA --
RUSSIA DIDN'T GET ACCESS TO THE INFORMATION, THEY
HACKED AND STOLE THE INFORMATION.
WHATEVER, DANIEL ELLSBERG STOLE THE PENTAGON PAPERS, HE
GOT THEM WITHOUT PERMISSION AND GAVE THEM TO THE NEW YORK TIMES.
ALMOST EVERY SINGLE WEEK IS WITHOUT PERMISSION GIVEN TO A
MEMBER OF THE MEDIA AND WE NEVER COMPLAIN ABOUT THAT, YOU WOULD
HAVE TO ARREST THREE QUARTERS OF WASHINGTON IF THEY WERE ALL
STOLEN.
YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT AMERICAN WHISTLEBLOWERS OR
AMERICAN LEAKERS, WE ARE TALKING ABOUT THE INFLUENCE OF A FOREIGN
GOVERNMENT POSSIBLY HAVING AN IMPACT ON OUR ELECTION.
THAT'S WHAT MAKES IT DIFFERENT.
IF CANADA SOMEHOW GOT SOME INFORMATION, AND IT WAS SUPER
RELEVANT TO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE, SHOULD THE NEW YORK TIMES PRINT
IT?
MY ANSWER IS ABSOLUTELY.
IF YOU DON'T AGREE AND YOU SAY
CANADA, RUSSIA -- NEW YORK TIMES SHOULD SUPPRESS THE INFORMATION
BECAUSE IT CAME FROM A FOREIGN GOVERNMENT, EITHER ONE THAT IS
FRIENDLY TO US LIKE CANADA OR ONE THAT ISN'T, LIKE RUSSIA --
OKAY, THOSE ARE FINE POINTS OF DISAGREEMENT, I SAY THEY SHOULD
PUBLISH IT BECAUSE THE AMERICAN PEOPLE HAVE A RIGHT TO KNOW, I
THINK THERE WAS VALUABLE INFORMATION IN THOSE EMAILS, I
DON'T THINK THE RUSSIANS SHOULD HAVE STOLEN IT OR THE TRUMP
PEOPLE SHOULD HAVE WORKED WITH THE RUSSIANS, THOSE ARE LEGAL
ISSUES, BUT WHEN YOU GIVE IT TO A MEDIA ORGANIZATION, THE MEDIA
ORGANIZATION HAS EVERY RIGHT TO PRINT IT.
LET'S MOVE ON TO, BY THE WAY, TWO DAYS AFTER THEY SHARED THAT
LINK WITH DONALD TRUMP, JR.
HE ALSO TWEETED IT OUT, AGAIN THE
LINK PROVIDED TO HIM BY WIKILEAKS.
MOVING FORWARD, LET'S
GO TO GRAPHIC 23, THIS IS WHEN THINGS GET INTERESTING --
SO THAT IS HONESTLY -- IT RILED ME UP MORE THAN I EXPECTED
IT TO, BECAUSE THAT IS GOING TO LEAD TO COMPLETE CHAOS AND
TURMOIL IN THE UNITED STATES, AND YOU ARE NOW PUSHING FOR
THAT.
AND YOU ARE NOW UNDERMINING AND QUESTIONING THE
ELECTION PROCESS.
AND BY THE WAY, RIGGING IS AN INTERESTING
WORD IN THIS CONTEXT.
THE DNC WAS DIRTY AS HELL, THERE'S NO
DENYING THAT WHATSOEVER, WHAT THEY DID TO UNDERMINE BERNIE IN
THE PRIMARIES WAS CLEAR AND I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT THAT THE
AMERICAN PUBLIC WAS AWARE OF THAT SO I WAS FINE WITH THOSE
LEAKS 100%.
HOWEVER THERE'S NO EVIDENCE TO INDICATE THAT VOTES
WERE CHANGED OR THAT VOTING MACHINES WERE HACKED INTO OR
THAT VOTES WERE TAMPERED WITH IN ANY WAY, SHAPE, OR FORM -- TO ME
THAT IS RIGGING.
MANIPULATING AND RIGGING ARE TWO DIFFERENT
THINGS, AND JUST THIS CONSTANT NARRATIVE COMING OUT DURING THE
ELECTION ABOUT RIGGING -- THERE WAS NO RIGGING, THERE'S NO PROOF
OF RIGGING.
MANIPULATION BY THE DNC IN ORDER TO UNDERMINE BERNIE
SANDERS, ABSOLUTELY THERE WAS EVIDENCE OF THAT, BUT RIGGING?
LET'S NOT GET SIDETRACKED BECAUSE NOW YOU WILL GET ME ON A
WARPATH ON THAT.
EVERYBODY HAS A DIFFERENT DEFINITION OF RIGGING,
PEOPLE KEEP ASSUMING THE OTHER PERSON HAS THE OTHER DEFINITION.
FOR SOME PEOPLE IT MEANS THE DNC PICKED ONE SIDE AND HELP THAT
SIDE.
THAT DEFINITELY HAPPENED, DEFINITELY.
THE DNC CHAIR
ADMITTED IT.
OTHER PEOPLE LEGITIMATELY THINK RIGGING, THAT
WORD, MEANS ACTUALLY CHANGING VOTES.
THERE, THERE IS NOT
NEARLY ENOUGH EVIDENCE, PEOPLE WILL SAY I GOT THIS SNAPSHOT --
NOBODY HAS EVER PROVEN THAT.
I DON'T WANT TO GET SIDETRACKED ON
THAT, AND IT DRIVES ME CRAZY WHEN PEOPLE MAKE DECLARATIVE
STATEMENTS ABOUT WHAT THE WORD RIGGING MEANS.
ANYWAY, ON THIS
ISSUE, THAT PARTICULAR COMMUNICATION WITH DONALD TRUMP,
JR., IT IS DAMNING.
WIKILEAKS, BY SAYING YOU SHOULDN'T CONCEDE
THE ELECTION IF YOU LOSE AND YOU SHOULD CHALLENGE IT, NUMBER ONE
IT CLEARLY SHOWS THAT THEY HAVE A PERSPECTIVE, AND IT MIGHT BE
FINE TO HAVE A PERSPECTIVE, BUT THEY WERE PRO TRUMP.
NOW IT'S
ABSOLUTELY CLEAR.
AND BY THE WAY, YOU COULD SAY HEY, IF THE
DEMOCRATS WANTED TO IMPRISON YOU, DO GOD KNOWS WHAT ELSE TO
YOU, AND IN THE CASE OF HILLARY CLINTON MAYBE MURDER YOU, YOU
MIGHT BE PRO TRUMP TOO.
OKAY, BUT THEY WERE PRO TRUMP.
THAT
COMMUNICATION PROVES IT. AND BY THE WAY, IT'S OKAY TO HAVE A
PERSPECTIVE, SO THEY WERE PRO TRUMP.
BUT THEY SHOULD BE HONEST
ABOUT IT, AND THEY ARE NOT.
THE SECOND REASON THAT IS DAMNING
IS, WAIT, WHY DO YOU CARE, THE ELECTION IS ALREADY OVER, THAT
HE NOT CONCEDE?
THAT SOUNDS LIKE YOU WANT A MESS AND YOU DON'T
CARE IF HE WON THE ELECTION OR NOT.
THEY DIDN'T SAY IF YOU
THINK YOU WON YOU SHOULDN'T CONCEDE, THEY SAID YOU SHOULDN'T
CONCEDE TO MATTER WHAT.
WHICH TO ME SAYS GOD DAMMIT, DID YOU WORK
WITH THE RUSSIANS?
IT'S NOT JUST THAT YOU GOT ACCESS TO EMAILS
EITHER THROUGH THE RUSSIANS OR SOMEWHERE ELSE, IT'S THAT YOU
ACTUALLY WORKED WITH THEM, BECAUSE THE RUSSIANS WANT TO
CAUSE A MESS HERE.
THAT IS NOW ABSOLUTELY PROVEN.
THEY HAD THE
TROLL FARMS, NOT ONLY DID THEY DO ALL THE STUFF DURING THE
ELECTION, BUT THEY WOULD SET UP FACEBOOK ACCOUNTS THAT WERE
SEEMINGLY LIBERAL AND SEEMINGLY CONSERVATIVE, THEY WOULD TRY TO
GET US TO FIGHT AND RIP US APART.
WHAT IS A GOOD WAY TO RIP
US APART?
DON'T CONCEDE THE ELECTION, SAY NO MATTER WHAT
HAPPENED ON WHEN TO FIGHT ANYWAY.
WHY IS WIKILEAKS SAYING
THAT?
IF YOU THINK DONALD TRUMP IS WONDERFUL AND YOU WANT HIM TO
WIN THAT'S ONE THING, YOU WANT TO RIP THE COUNTRY APART?
FOR
WHAT REASON?
I KNOW THE RUSSIANS WANT TO RIP US APART BECAUSE
THAT'S ALREADY ON THE RECORD, AND ALL DIFFERENT WAYS HAVE BEEN
PROVEN THAT THEY ARE TRYING TO DO THAT.
SO TO ME THAT
PARTICULAR MESSAGE IS REALLY DAMNING FOR WIKILEAKS, AND IT'S
A SHAME.
BECAUSE THEY PUBLISH REALLY VALUABLE INFORMATION, AND
I WISH THEY WOULD JUST DO THAT, AND AGAIN, I DON'T EVEN MIND IF
THEY WENT AN EXTRA STEP AND HAD A PERSPECTIVE.
BUT TO NOT BE
HONEST ABOUT IT AND TO POTENTIALLY WORK WITH THE
RUSSIANS TO TRY TO SPLIT US APART, DAMMIT, WHY DID YOU DO
THAT?
BY THE WAY THAT'S NOT CONCLUSIVE, BUT IT IS AN
IMPORTANT PIECE OF EVIDENCE, AND DENYING THAT IT IS IMPORTANT IS
RIDICULOUS.
IT IS IMPORTANT.
I ALSO WANT TO QUICKLY NOTE THAT THEY KEPT URGING TRUMP TO
GIVE HIS TAX RETURNS TO WIKILEAKS SO THEY COULD
ESSENTIALLY, I'M PARAPHRASING WHAT THEY SAID, BUT CONTROL THE
MESSAGING AROUND HIS TAX RETURNS.
BECAUSE WIKILEAKS WAS
UNDER THE ASSUMPTION THAT IT WOULD EVENTUALLY GET LEAKED
ANYWAY AND IT WOULD BE BETTER IF WIKILEAKS HANDLED IT AS OPPOSED
TO A MEDIA ORGANIZATION LIKE MSNBC OR THE NEW YORK TIMES.
90% OF THAT I HAVE NO PROBLEM WITH.
THEY ARE SAYING, GIVE US
HER TAX RETURNS AND WE WILL PUBLISH THEM.
EVERY MEDIA
ORGANIZATION WOULD HAVE DONE LIKEWISE.
MAYBE THEY WERE EVEN
TRICKING TRUMP.
JULIAN ASSANGE IS NOW ARGUING AFTER THE FACT, I
WAS TRYING TO TRICK HIM INTO GIVING ME THE TAX RETURNS.
TWO
OTHER JOURNALISTS DO THAT?
YES.
THE ONLY ISSUE THERE IS THEY
SAID SO WE CAN IMPROVE THE PERCEPTION OF OUR IMPARTIALITY
AND WE WOULDN'T BE PERCEIVED AS COMING FROM A PRO TRUMP OR
PRO-RUSSIA SOURCE.
IF YOU ARE SAYING WE ARE ON YOUR SIDE BUT
WE WANT TO APPEAR NOT TO BE ON YOUR SIDE, THAT'S A DISHONEST
ACTOR.
THAT'S A SHAME.
THERE IS A LOT OF OTHER STUFF, BUT LET'S SHORTEN THIS A LITTLE
BIT -- ONE OF THE FINAL MESSAGES THAT WAS SENT TO DONALD TRUMP,
JR.
-- BY THE WAY AT SOME POINT HE JUST STOPPED RESPONDING, AND
AT THIS POINT HE HAD STOPPED --
THIS
WAS -- LOOK, MY READ OF IT WAS IT WAS AN ATTEMPT TO KIND
OF LET ASSANGE OFF ON SOME OF THE SEXUAL ASSAULT OR RAPE
ALLEGATIONS THAT WERE LODGED AGAINST HIM, MAYBE THIS WAS A
WAY TO GET OUT OF IT, I DON'T KNOW.
BUT IT WAS INTERESTING
BECAUSE IT SEEMED AS THOUGH THEY WANTED SOMETHING IN RETURN
FOR WHAT THEY WERE DOING.
ASSANGE WANTS TO GET THE HELL OUT OF THE PRISON HE'S BEEN PUT
INTO BY THE WESTERN GOVERNMENTS, I DON'T BLAME HIM FOR THAT.
IS
THIS A WACKY SCHEME TO DO THAT?
YES, IT'S PARTICULARLY WACKY.
AND THEY KNOW IT'S NOT GOING TO WORK, BUT IT'S ABOUT FRAMING.
OKAY, YOU WORK WITH THE TRUMP CAMPAIGN FOR YOUR OWN PURPOSES,
AND I GET IT, BUT I WISH YOU HAD BEEN WAY MORE TRANSPARENT ABOUT
THAT.
THE WHOLE POINT OF WIKILEAKS IS TRANSPARENCY, AND I
HAVE A SIGNIFICANT PROBLEM WITH THEM NOT BEING TRANSPARENT ABOUT
THEIR MOTIVES AND WHO THEY SUPPORTED IN THE CAMPAIGN.
HAVING SAID THAT, AS I'VE BEEN SAYING THROUGHOUT THIS PIECE,
8 OUT OF 10 OF THESE ALLEGATIONS THAT EVERYONE IS TREATING
AS BOMBSHELLS, THE REST OF THE PRESS DOES ON A DAILY BASIS.
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