Fbi Text Messages became public. Last night the Senate Released a criminal referral to the Justice Department against Christopher Steele. Hes the shadowy author of the trump dossier. So there is an awful lot going on. Heres some of the most Significant Developments in the last 24 hours. Now, you remember in the spring of 2016, president obama was asked if the public could have confidence that his administration would never tamper with the criminal investigation. He responded unequivocallably quote, i guarantee that there no political influence in any investigation conducted by the Justice Department or the fbi in any case, full stop, period. That sounded definitive. And, yet, newly released fbi texts suggest that may be false. Just five months after obama made that claim, fbi attorney lisa page texted senior agent peter strzok with whom she was having an affair to say, this quote potus wants to know everything were doing. Now, keep in mind at the time that page wrote the Hillary Clinton investigation had been closed but the investigation of donald trump had begun. The fbi clearly understood that president obama was watching closely. Thats the headline from todays batch of texts. There are many more texts on the way. Remember those five months of tems tha Text Messages have somehow lost they have somehow been found. Department of justice has them and congress is waiting to get them. Can you expect more revelations to come. Last night as we said the Senate Judiciary committee released a redacted version of criminal referral dossier author Christopher Steele a kerryfully written document and packet with information. Got far less attention than the now famous devin nunes memo but may tell us much more. For example, the senate memo released last night explains how Christopher Steele deliberately mislead the fbi about the dossier he assembled. Steele told federal investigators he had not spoken to any Media Outlets about his research. In fact, he has spoken to many of them, including the new york times, the Washington Post, yahoo news, the new yorker and cnn. Thats not forgetfulness. If this memo is accurate, steele lied to the fbi. And thats a federal crime. But maybe more important, thanks to steeles deception, the fbi relied on a yahoo news report to verify the dossier when, in fact, the yahoo story was itself simply citing the dossier. Circular. It would be pretty funny if it werent so incompetent. Yet, here is the striking thing. Even after the fbi learned that steele was lying to elm. This they continued to use his dossier to justify spying on carter page. As the senate memo makes clear, there are only two possible explanations for this. Either the fbi lied to the fisa court by saying steele had not spoken to journalists before october of 2016, thats one. Or, two, steele lied to the fbi and is therefore a discredited source. Neither one is good. Both are bad. There is more. The senate memo describes steele as sloppy and reckless researcher, intense partisan with passionately leftwing views about american politics who included unsolicited, unverified allegations in his asettlements you, apparently some of those allegations came from Hillary Clintons own associates, thats that seems odd sings the Clinton Campaign was helping to pay for the dossier in the first place. There you go. As memo puts it dry understatement. All of this quote raises additional concerns about steeles credibility. Yeah, thats for sure. In fact, its hard to see how any fair person could disagree with that sentence. Yet, sore some reason, the fbi seem to have no concerns about steeles credibility. His work, the dossier appears to form the basis of this entire investigation. If there is more evidence out there that points to collusion during the 2016 campaign, we havent seen it. We havent even heard whispers of it at a moment like this leaks are the realm. Primary way people communicate information, its hard to imagine we havent heard of any other evidence. So maybe there isnt any. Is the steele dossier the entire thing all they have got in the steele dossier seems to me the reason we are having this conversation in the first place. That does not inspire confidence. Congressman matt getz is a republican representing the state of florida. He joins us tonight. Thanks for coming on. Good to be on, tucker. Tucker i want to point out a story we had on last night the daily mail broke. The lead on the russia probe in the house among democrats was suckered in a prank phone call into believing that the Ukrainian Group had naked pictures President Trump was reportedly having an affair with he then dispatched researcher or aide on the committee to call back the number and set up a document drop at the ukrainian embassy. That seems like a significant story. Its not being covered today. Do you think thats a meaningful thing to know . Absolutely, tucker. Adam schiff should step aside as the lead democrat on the Intelligence Committee as a consequence of this scandal. While our fbi and Justice Department were suffering through an obama nation, an obama influence with these aitems to influence investigations, had you adam schiff off playing footies with the ukrainians trying to get naked pictures of donald trump. Adam schiff has gone with someone with oversight responsibilities to an actual principle in this investigation engaging in the ukrainians and i think for better objectivity, he ought to step aside. Tucker correct me if i am wrong, and im really trying to be openminded because maybe trump colluded with putin. Im waiting for the evidence. But the allegation appears to be this. That trumps associates, including one of his children spoke to a russian lawyer in an effort to get damaging information on the other campaign, on a political rival, Hillary Clinton. Adam schiff is basically admitted that he sought damaging Campaign Political rival from a foreign government. Why is that different . Well, even more analogous would be jeff sessions. Jeff sessions was talked into recusing himself because of a hand shake in a greeting line. Here you have adam schiff engaging with ukrainians trying to dig up dirt on the president with seemingly no interest in whether or not the information is true or false or damascu doctored. If you use the same standard applied to schiff he should have no role as a lead on this issue. If you look at his credibility with the american people, its eroded. I mean, it was only a few weeks ago adam schiff saying if we released the National Security memo there would be National Security catastrophe thats been proven to be false. Time and again he has lost credibility. The fact that he actively engaged with ukrainian principles. The fact that he goes on russian response spored Television Channel to talk about our Intelligence System certainly indicates that adam schiff should step aside. Tucker thats the level of hypocrisy that would really embarrass most people. If you are calling for a president to leave office based on charges, standards that you yoursel yourself violad wouldnt you look at yourself in the mirror and say thats too hypocritical. Why does nancy pelosi think. As she cas walling for devin nunes to be released as intelligence chairman even though there was an investigation that cleared devin nunes that found he did nothing wrong. Adam schiff clearly engaging in shady tactics and nancy pelosi spent her 8 hours on the floor with a different rambling narrative. Tucker really quick are we out on a limb suggesting that the dossier seems to be the core document that spurred this investigation . Is there other evidence that you know of . I have seen no other evidence. The reason you know dossier is the core piece of evidence because they had to have Christopher Steele go plant news articles to validate the dossier. Very author of the dossier has to create and manufacture other fax to validate the dossier it cannot validate itself. It has no mechanism to be proven true because its all false. Tucker freshman philosophy class. Youre exactly right though. Congressman, thank you. Thank you, tucker. Tucker steven cohen is Professor Emeritus of russian studies and politics at nyu and princeton, a contributing editor of the nation maybe the most famous russian scholar in the united states. He joins us tonight. Professor, thanks for coming on. So, am i missing i just want to be absolutely clear because i think this helps inform how we see this investigation. Are you aware of any other evidence at all of collusion between the Trump Campaign and russian government other than the dossier . No. None. But, there are two documents that became the foundational sources for the kremlin gate narrative. It was first the steele dossier which surely informed the socalled Intelligence Community assessment in january of 2017. We were told that was the judgement of 17 intelligence agencies. It now turns out to have been the judgment of no intelligence agency. Just a few guys at the top. Thats all thats ever been produced and its not credible. Tucker what about, we november that dossier was at least part of the rationale few of the warrant that allowed the feds to spy on carter page. Do you think other people in trumps orbit during the campaign were spied on by the federal government. Oh, i dont know. The article i just published in the nation i asked that question. We need to find out. I mean why did they, for example, get a warrant on carter page, who on the very surface of it, is no threat to american National Security. And then on paul manafort. We might assume they did it because they thought these two men would be close, even in the same room with donald trump. And wanted to surveil him. But, let me just make one point, carter tucker. What interests me is not who paid for the dossier. We know it was the Clinton Campaign. Tucker right. But where steele got this information. In the article i write, i suggest that its highly unlikely he got it from his socalled connections in the kremlin. Now, theres a tempt underway to rehabilitate steele. On the front page of the Washington Post today there is a story that portrays him as a character of the spy. He may well be. A man purpose in life. We tired early age and for hire. This is the guy who now enters our life and used and larger question that comes to my mind but you know the answer better than i do is how many branches of government do we actually have . I was taught we had three. Whats been going on above, with the Intelligence Services and not only the fbi, raises the question is there is a Fourth Branch of government thats influences not only our politicians but because they were leaking to the media, what we voters think when we go to vote. Tucker do you think that the information in the dossier and you are a credible person to ask this of. Do you think its credible . I mean, do you think its real . Do you think it came from real sources . It can be verified . It hasnt yet been do you think it will be or has it been made up. We have to deacon structure it. Some of it is true because he got it from open sources from newspapers. I mean, was it really a mystery . When i was in moscow over the years i know donald trump wanted to go to hotel in moscow. It was widely discussed. It was in the papers. You need to hire a guy for the money they paid steele to tell you that . We knew, for example, that the oil company that purportedly was going to pay carter page zil zillion of doll. It was a preposterous tale it was known they were going to privatize 15 of that oil company. You have sat steele whoever it was or his associates with and read the Russian Press and got been 50 of that information. Tucker a lot of our intelligence comes from newspapers. Thats the shocking truth as you well know. Professor, thank you for that. I appreciate it. Well rob entertain formal regional director for Barack Obamas 2008 campaign. He joins us tonight. Thank you for coming on. Thanks for having me, tucker. Tucker i think its important to have an open mind i have never been a friend of russia or anything like that. Been going on a year and prevented the government from doing whether a it ought to do as an investigation. Fair for the american citizen to say whats this about . Accusing people of treason betraying their country. Only thing i have able to come up with is this dossier prima facie flawed. What else do you know about. This you know as well as i do to obtain a fisa warrant you have to have at least 10 forms of corroborating evidence. That was just one of them. And, you know, comey was correct. Tucker what are the others . We dont know. That investigation is still ongoing. We havent been privy to that. Five other investigations. Tucker thats all we do in washington is stage investigations. I know. Right. Tucker look, at a certain point you think thats fine. Get it. Allegation is out there. Lets get to the bottom of it this is the basis much a partisan war right now. At some point the rest ofs have you a right what are you talking about . You got the dossier. What else is there . Can you point to a single other fact that suggests actual collusion between the Trump Campaign and the government of Vladimir Putin . Now, you are a smart man, you know as well as i do that fbi investigations could not work like that. We are not privy to ongoing investigations. Tucker no, no. We know that people have been charged. We know that there have been charges. Tucker none of the charges have anything to do with collusion with the russian government. You had two people charged for things they did long before the campaign and two others charged for lying to the fbi. I mean, and lets be real. We both know what that means. Its not a real thing. Honestly, like the whole leadership of your party is accusing people of betraying their country. Do we have any evidence thats real . Like any . I want to go back to the very first thing that you said. Struck a cord with me because as a veteran i had the same oath to uphold the constitution that our federal agents do. They are just doing their jobs to uphold our way of democracy. Tucker slow down. Im not attacking them. Im talking about our elected leaders in congress have gone way out on a limb accusing people they disagree with politically for work for a foreign and hostile nation and i think now after a year more that be a year its fair of me to ask what are you talking about . Do you have any evidence that thats true . And as i said the only piece i can see is the dossier which i downtown you will defend because its impossible to defend. Is there Something Else thats forming the basis of these allegations . Yes, like i said. There were at least nine other forms of corroborating evidence. We are not privy to that information because its an open fbi investigation u the public is not. Tucker what percentage of fisa warrants are granted. Something like 52 . Thats a lot. Tucker its a lot. Its only fake if its like an albanian election and for ho jo like you get all the vote. Solve think its fair tore me to ask like what was the evidence . Have you stopped our government from working. Why are you doing that . What do you know that we should know about trumps collusion with russia . And the answer is theres nothing. Its this dossier. This is all a bad joke then what else is there . Thats one i dont want to be so redundant but its pun at least forms of. Tucker can you name me any of them . No. Fbi investigation. I dont work at the fbi. They have to. I understand. In order to get a fisa document even though 90 of bench warrant is granted you dont need real evidence to get one. All of the legal analyst that i have heard these fisa warrant between 60 and 90 pages. Be salacious dossier. Tucker they are long so they therefore must be true . Is that what you are saying. Have faith in a system that clearly needs oversighted. I wonder why i cant have some facts. Because its an open investigation. Tucker oh. G. O. P. Shut party of law and order. I feel like this is an attack on the preeminent Law Enforcement agency in the country. Tucker oh, right. You feel thats a talking points the democrats sent out this morning. Its not going to work on this show. I didnt even know that. Tucker i actually do believe in law and order and in order to believe in it i need to know that the people administering it are on the level and therefore i have the right to ask honest questions and i m not getting any honest answers. My last question then since you know know believe this investigation is based on. Only the finn doss and making somebody should accuse anybody else being a tool of the federal government until we get that data, those fax. You Better Believe it i agree with you whole hortded 4reu6r7d there. I dont like. I would like for them to do their job were let him go unimpeded and let himself be exnonener rate offed. Recommendation we are all innocent until proven guilty. Good to see. Good to see you, thank you. Fbi Text Messages are pretty embarrassing. Pretty amazing, too. Mark steyn has taken a look at them. He joins us next snotz e the future thats most meaningful to you. Its protection for generations of families, and 150 years of strength and stability. And when youre able to harness all of that, thats the power of pacific. Ask a Financial Advisor about pacific life. Kayak compares hundreds of travel and Airline Sites