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Attorney generals explanation just a few minutes ago that he interpreted the question to mean did you talk to the russians as a surrogate for the campaign about the campaign. the answer was no. question wasnt did you ever talk to russians at any time during the campaign. the public can decide for themselves because you ran the entire thing if the answer was truthful. if then senator sessions interpretation of the question was a fair one on the basis of the context. i happen to think it was. but ...

All everybody was talking about is his attorney general. >> neil: especially after a couple days after the address of congress. you mentioned something interesting here. obviously this conversation got out there that he had with the russian ambassador. follows similar leaks not only involving general flynn and his conversations, but even down to the australian prime ministers conversation, that phone call between he and the president. that also got out there from someone in the state department,...

Coming out -- as gregg said, kudos to you for running the entire question and answer. i consider this another trip wire. the obama administration put down trip wires for this sort of thing. let me be clear by that. "the new york times" reported overnight about how these intelligence officers are whispering about the scene s about contacts. this is benign. he answered the question clearly. on the drive here, i listened to npr, which i sometimes do. there was a former intelligence officer that got...

Revealed quite a bit. im wondering, is this a continuation of that and who is doing it? >> yes. the people that are doing it are clearly the former staffers that are involved in the obama white house. i dont want to sound like a conspiracy guy. theres something going on here. you have former members of the intelligence committee, of the hill, the state department all working together to get information which is either embarrassing or misleading out. let me be clear. i dont believe what jeff sess...

I have been called a surrogate a time or two in that campaign. i did not have communications with the russians. and im unable to comment on it. >> neil: you see why we did that. we want you to understand the entire context of the question. it was a valid question from senator franken. it was done in the context that are you acting as a surrogate for the trump campaign. you know the drill. that was the context in which the attorney general at the time is answering that. is it a distinction? is it...

That is crucial to this. it provides context. i want to play the long question. because whats been left out is what is really being debated here. conversations about operatives for the trump campaign, surrogates for the trump campaign. it was in that context, in that light that senator jeff sessions, who was going through confirmation hearings to become the next attorney general, that is how he was thinking and responding to this question. the full question. take a look. >> cnn has just publishe...