background. i don't think president trump is pulling the strings on those guys. >> it's interesting because we had reporting from a variety of sources from places like "the washington post" and nbc news other places where administration officials telling reporters president trump wanted those people to go out, he directed them to go out. i think the instinct especially the way just hours later came out and contradicted them effectively by saying russian hoax makes you think perhaps that david ignatius' view of them that they are acting -- that they are doing something that's not a partisan act, not trying to help donald trump, they are trying to speak truth to power here, that maybe more accurate. so, gene, i ask you, when you look at this, what does your gut say, what does your reporting say. are we looking at a bunch of, the front line here of the defense of the american democratic process and our election infrastructure or are we looking at kind of a janit