Communications with the russian government and publicly lying about that. Acting attorney general, justice department, came to the white house, told the Trump White House their National Security adviser was compromised by the russian government. Later emerged that National Security adviser mike flynn had also not declared income he had received from multiple russian and other foreign sources. He and his business relations ended up subject of multiple federal subpoenas and mike flynn had to retroactively register as agent of foreign power. And after that learned about further meetings between flynn and russian officials during the transition he never disclosed. So mike flynn turns out not to be awesome choice to be advising the president of the United States on National Security matters. He was allowed to resign in february. But by march the white house was insisting, honestly, they never really even heard of the guy. Has anyone from the white house can i just amend . Obviously just to be clear, trying to think through this for a second. Obviously general flynn in the campaign before the election. And im not aware of any at this time. Even general flynn was a volunteer of the campaign. He was flooik min . Mike finn . No. We didnt think of him as National Security adviser, more of coat check boy. He was campaign volunteer. Volunteered for a minute, made coffee. So National Security adviser mike flynn downgrade after the fact to a volunteer for the campaign. Then the chairman of the campaign, seen here with the last boss hes known to have have before he inexplicably starting working for the Trump Campaign for free in 2016, previous employment for proputin Political Party and dictator in the nation of ukraine. Paul manafort also ended up having to retroactively register as agent of a foreign power, turned out to have had multiple communications during the campaign with russians even though for months he publicly denied having done it. And Paul Manafort signed up for multimillion dollar contract with russian close to putin. Promote the interests of putins government around the world. Associated press published thatma march, russian billionaire sued and lost his case in federal court against the ap and ap stands by that reporting. Paul manafort also later revealed to have offered private briefings on the campaign to that same putinconnected russian oligarch, manafort made the offer for private briefings while he was Campaign Chairman and in position to deliver them. When youre chairman of a president ial campaign, that generally means you are chairing the president ial campaign, right . Just as mike flynn was dismissed as merely a campaign volunteer, when all this stuff started to come out about Paul Manafort, the white house, true to form, insisted they never even really met Paul Manafort. Maybe he was around for a while but definitely there and gone in a minute. I dont remember what he even looks like. Then obviously theres been discussion of Paul Manafort, who played a limited role for limited amount of time. But beyond are you saying john, can you stop interrupting other people . Jonathan, somebody is asking a question. Its not your press briefing, julie is asking a question, please calm down. Who needs to calm down . Followup question was limited role for limited amount of time . But he was chairman of the campaign. Calm down. The pattern here is, in a way its kind of funny. There are a large number of people, surprisingly large number of people involved in the Trump Campaign turn out to have had not just undisclosed but extensive and bewildering contacts with russian officials during the campaign and transition. But the way it goes, as soon as its exposed, Trump White House insists they never knew that guy. Happened with carter page as well. Heard you might be announcing foreign Advisory Team soon. Were going to be doing that in fact very soon, during the week well be announcing some names. Any you can start off with this morning with us . I hadnt thought in terms of if you want could give you some of the names, wouldnt mind. Be delighted. Do you have that list so i can be more accurate. You ready . Taking notes. Ferris, who you probably know. Ph. D. Adviser to the house of representatives caucus and counterterrorism expert. Carter page, ph. D. Carter page, ph. D. Candidate trump announcing to the Washington PostEditorial Board advisers on president ial campaign. Carter page as well, had multiple contacts with russian officials during the campaign and also turned out to turn up in indictment for russian spy ring run out of a bank called veb. Same bank meeting with Jared Kushner in the transition in a meeting that Jared Kushner did not publicly disclose. Only reason we ever heard the name carter page was because then president ial candidate donald trump bragged that a guy named carter page, ph. D. Was one of his five Foreign Policy advisers for the campaign. But once we learned about his undisclosed contacts with russia in the campaign, parter cage . Why are you saying this name . Never heard of this person. One person, i dont think ive ever spoken to him, met him, actual said a low level member of i think a committee for a short period of time, i dont think i ever met him. Possible i walked into room and he was sitting there. I dont think i ever met him. I didnt talk to him ever. Thats why its coveted job to be Foreign Policy adviser to president ial candidate, youll never ever speak to the candidate ever. Pattern has been, on the one level, alarming the way the whole story is but kind of funny in a way. Today we got the latest iteration. This just came out. This just came out. Wikileaks, i love wikileaks. All the new charges, just came down today, wikileaks, brutal stuff. Hillary clinton documents, released by wikileaks. Wikileaks showed something ive been warning people about for long time. Wikileaks, john podesta said horrible things about you. Described wikileaks as key element of the russian investigation. Gru, Russian Military intelligence relaid material it acquired from dnc and senior democratic officials to wikilea wikileaks. Candidate trump repeatedly talked about how much he loved wikileaks and how thrilled he was with the actions taken by wikileaks which we now know is on behalf of the russian government. Mike pompeo, also praised wikileaks. Once he became cia director, noted in first Public Comments after confirmed that wikileaks is a quote, hostile intelligence service, often abetted by russia. Now today Betsy Woodruff of the daily beast reported that the daily firm, cambridge andit ka, run by family that financed, steve bannon has multimillion dollar stake, mike flynn worked for as well. Ran data operations for the Trump Campaign. Head of the group, ceo, wrote in email last year that he reached out to wikileaks about Hillary Clinton during the campaign. According to email described by two sources familiar with congressional investigation into this matter, head of cambridge analytica, reportedly told a third party he reached out to Julian Assange in wikibealeaks about his firm somehow helping wikileaks. Integral far the of the election to hurt Hillary Clinton and help donald trump. Wikileaks is how they disseminated portions of the documents hacked and stolen by russian government hackers. Documented lovingly promoted by candidate trump himself throughout the campaign. Weve previously linked wikileaks and behavior on behalf of the russian government to a few kitchen people soeshtz of trump and the campaign. People like roger stone for example. But this new story from the daily beast, this is the firm doing the Trump Campaigns data operations. That firm trying to collude with wikileaks on hurting Hillary Clinton and helping donald trump during the campaign. Cambridge analytica doing this is different. Trump reaction . You know this is coming. Trump campaign put out this statement after the report came out. Daily beast report that indicates that they were trying to collude with a russian cutout, wikileaks, to hurt clinton and help trump from the campaign. The statement in response to this makes clear that cambridge who . We have so never heard of them, cant even spell it. This is the response. We as campaign made choice to rely on the voter data of the Republican National committee to help elect president donald j. Trump. Any claims that voter data from any other source played a key role in our victory are false. Am brj canalica . Did they volunteer . They didnt do anything for us. As more and more ties are proven between the russian government and Russian Campaign to affect our election and all the different people and entities involved in the trump for president campaign, its starting to feel like one way you can know that something is salient story and proving a point they cant get away from is when Trump White House or Campaign Starts denying all knowledge of the people and entities involved. Flynn who . Carter . Whats that . Cambridge . And as things keep happening, its harder to dismiss all as coincidences, cant all be random people after the street the Campaign Never noticed or oneoffs all disconnected from one another. Maybe the continuing revelations are why the congressional investigations into the russian attack and questions of whether or not the Trump Campaign is involved in it, maybe thats why the investigations this month seem to be going off the rails. Last week saw republicans walk out of own Committee Interviews with the digital separatiooperam to announce new investigations instead into Hillary Clinton. Seen multiple reports from New York Times and other publications, however well the various congressional investigations into the russia issue might have been doing in the past, now starting to fall apart. Today mother jones was first to report that one of the big committees, Senate Judiciary committee has officially blown up. Will no longer even attempt to put out uniform report. Republicans do their own thing, democrats theirs and so wont be a Judiciary Committee report as to what happened. Well be speaking with member of that committee in a second to find out if the reports are accurate and if its really as all over as it seems. But theres one last thing that seems important that we keep getting more and more evidence about. That committee that just reportedly blew up, what they specifically were supposed to look at, obstruction of justice. Whether the president fired fbi director james comey or took other actions to divert, suppress or try to influence the criminal counterintelligence operations into what happened with russia. What Judiciary Committee in the senate has been looking at. Oversees department of justice, justice system. So obstruction of justice is in their wheelhouse. In the house never even bothered saying they would investigate that. Senate saying they would but now appears to have imploded. On that issue, a bunch of new public evidence all of a sudden getting more damning and more funny at the same time. Im sorry i find some of it funny but some of it is so rid lick u dib lus i find it funny. Kushners did a presentation in chi when they appeared to offer green cards to live in the United States to any chinese citizen give the Kushner Family money for one of its real estate projects. Making that statement is one thing, while using pictures to remind everybody your family is in the white house, thats something else. And apparently subject of a subpoena by federal investigators out of new york. One of the kushner properties, trying to sell cash for green cards in jurisdiction of eastern new york, headquartered in brooklyn. Subpoenaed the Kushner Family according to the wall street journal. Eastern district. Southern district in manhattan, Paul Manafort is under criminal investigation by that u. S. Attorneys office for alleged money laundering. It has also recently been reported that President Trump has met personally with two lawyers who hes considering nominating to run those two u. S. Attorneys offices. Something no president has ever done before as far as anybody can tell. Meeting with people you might appoint to be federal prosecutors in jurisdictions when you and your family and campaign are potentially involved in criminal matters that may come before that office . No president is known to have ever done this with potential nominees before. I asked eric holder about is the other night, this is how he characterized it. Unprecedented. The way it was done in the Obama Administration and Clinton Administration as well and i think in the bush administrations, the highest level person you spoke to as incoming attorney general, u. S. Attorney, was the attorney general. That was it. Nobody went to talk to the white house. Why was it structured that way . To again, ensure independence, u. S. Attorney would understand your boss is attorney general of the United States, not supposed to have contacts u. S. Attorneys not supposed to have any contacts with the white house except through the justice department. And choices that have been reported of the people he spoke to are interesting. Two u. S. Attorneys in new york, one in washington, d. C. , and one in florida where maralargo is, that gives me some concern hes decided to have interactions with United States attorneys who might possibly be in a position to get at him. Whats the correction . To hopefully have good people in these positions who will in spite of the fact theyve had meetings with the president will understand what the nature of their jobs is. Thats the correction . Hope theyre good people. Yep. Yep. Only corrective we know for this situation in terms of defending the independence of federal prosecutors, independence of the criminal justice system, is to hope these candidates for u. S. Attorney jobs that the president is inappropriately meeting with, were just supposed to hope theyre good people rigorously independent from the president and his interests despite fact hes meeting with them before appointing them. We just have to hope they have no connection to him whatsoever. Potential nominee to run the u. S. Attorneys office in district of new york is member of mark jacksonville, florida owitzs law firm, lawyer on the russian issue. Potential nominee for Southern District is member of Rudy Giulianis law firm. Member of the campaign and president s good friend and also may have been a meeting with south florida, jurisdiction on the president s southern estate of maralargo. Weve been trying to track that down and figure out the person who to be the potential nominee. Would have jurisdiction over maralargo. Best guess, best reporting from south florida as to the contender for that job in the Trump White House is this man. In this clip hes feeling sad because fired by donald trump during season 5 of the apprentice. Guy from those two law firms and guy from the apprentice for maralargo. If the president is stacking key federal prosecutor jobs in jurisdictions where he and his family and campaign have potential and actual liability, this is something you would expect the Senate Judiciary committee to be all over whether or not the white house is trying to pervert the federal law system in this country to meet the president s personal needs. Thats the sort of thing the Senate Judiciary meeting might have been looking into. Until today when apparently that blew up. Thats next. Oh, you brought butch. Yeah butch growls at man hes looking at me right now, isnt he . Yup. butch barks at man butch is like an old soul that just hates my guts. laughs vo you can never have too many faithful companions. Introducing the allnew crosstrek. Love is out there. Find it in a subaru crosstrek. I tabut with my back paines, i couldnt sleep and get up in time. Then i found aleve pm. Aleve pm is the only one to combine a safe sleep aid plus the 12 hour pain relieving strength of aleve. Im back. Aleve pm for a better am. Do you know of any president , anywhere in our history previously interviewing a candidate for United States attorney . I certainly wasnt interviewed by the president , you werent interviewed by the president before we were appointed United States attorney. Has it ever happened before . A lot of the new candidates, as you know, u. S. Attorneys have friends of the president. Friends and family of the president. Youre not answering my question. Senator blumenthal wanted to know if any president ever went around interviewing candidates for u. S. Attorneys j