Especially the slovenians. That first summit between bush and putin in slovenia produced one of george w. Bushs most memorable quotes, not just because of the way he described the russian counterpart, but because its not usually the way american president s talked about other world leaders. I looked the man in the eye. I found him to be very straightforward and trustworthy. We had a very good dialogue. I was able to get a sense of his soul. Well, not everybody at the time got the same sense of putins soul. Joe biden was the senate chair Senate Relations committee and he questioned whether trust was the right word to use about the operati operative, mr. Putin, a former operative of the kgb. The soviet Intelligence Service and former head of russias domestic Intelligence Service. Michael mcfaul who would become ambassador told the times quote i think there is plenty of good reason not to trust president putin. This is a man trained to lie. George w. Bush continued to try to build his relationship with the russian president. A few months later, president bush hosted president putin at the white house and took him to a visit to his ranch on crawford, texas. If youre wondering how that was covered at the time, the best word is bemused. Finally tonight, a picture to contemplate two baby boomers who not so many years ago never expected to be president s of their country meeting in texas this weekend for pickups, barbecue and oh, yes, how to make the world safer in a nuclear age. Thats nightly news for wednesday. Im tom brokaw. Thats nightly news for wednesday. George and vladimir riding around in a pickup truck eating barbecue, but that was nothing compared to 2007 when putin got to meet the whole family. For Vladimir Putins arrival, the bushes worked some dad diplomacy. The 83yearold former president served as official greeter when the russian leader touched down by inviting putin to the place where the first family gets out to play, advisors suggestion this rare personal trust could encourage more trust. At the seaside compound, they will settle in for what is informally dubbed the lobster summit. The welcome at the seaside home quickly turned to fullthrottle diplomacy. A quick trip cutting the wavers with all that security. Advisors say bringing putin into the Family Circle is meant to develop a deeper trust. The lobster summit. In all, Vladimir Putin visited president bush in the United States five times. His last visit to the white house was in 2005 and bushs evaluation of putin as straightforward and trustworthy has not aged so well. Even texas barbecue and a boat ride with mom and dad could not make putin into an ally. Whatever your opinion of the Bush Administration and how it handled Vladimir Putin, at least we knew what they were doing. These meetings and summits were telegraphed and choreographed affairs, with the president staked out in kenebunkport and white house officials keeping reporters apprised. With our current president , there is a strange dynamic we have not seen before. Not just the overall dynamic, the difference trump seems to show putin which weve observed. I mean, specifically the way we find out about things the president does. A few days after donald trump was sworn in reports started to circulate trump would have a phone call with the russian president. The kremlin spokesman told reporters they were working with washington to nail down a date for an upcoming call. The actual call happened on january 28th but we got wind of it first from russia and then it happened again and this time it wasnt a call. In the spring after trump fired james comey, Russia State News Agency tweeted out this picture of donald trump and Russian Foreign minister Sergei Lavrov shaking hands and lavrov brought along sergei kislyak. Nobody knew about the meetings in advance. American journalist were kept out. The meeting was not on the president s official schedule and when it happened, the press pool was taken by surprise. The white house said that trump decided to take the meeting because quote putin asked him to so he said yes and then we had to learn about it all from russia. The third time was in september with the new Russian Ambassador who announced that, quote, the u. S. President received me in a warm and friendly way. It was constructive and welcoming. Thats what the Russian Ambassador told the state owned news agency. The white house announced it afterwards, once the report from russian state media started getting around and it was the Russian Embassy that tweeted out this from the oval office. Fourth time, november. There was a flurry of reporting, again all sourced to the kremlin, on how donald trump was going to meet Vladimir Putin at the Asian Pacific summit. The white house initially denied they would meet, but then they met just like the kremlin said they would. That was in mid november. By the end of november, the Russian News Agency facts reported they were set to host a call but the call happened. That was the fifth time we learned the news from russia. The sixth time was december 14th when there was a photo announcing Vladimir Putin had another call with donald trump. Thanks for the heads up. The seventh time was three days later on december 17th. The Russian State News Agency tass reported that putin and trump had another heart to heart. The eighth time came at the end of january when reuters siting russias foreign spy chief i should note is under u. S. Sanctions came to the u. S. The week before to meet with our spy chiefs. We later learned he did not come alone, but we first got the news from russia. In february, it happened again. The ninth time. Russian news agency facts put out a report that putin spoke with trump on the phone. That was quickly followed up by a statement from the kremlin with a tweet and facebook post. They blasted it all over social media for maximum effect and last month, two days after Vladimir Putin secured a term as president in a sham election, it was the kremlin then announced that donald trump called to congratulate putin on his victory after being told not to congratulate and a reporter asked trump about it prompting him to deliver news of his own. I had a call with president putin and congratulated him on the victory, his electoral victory. The call had to do also with the fact that we will probably get together in the not too distant future. We had a very good call and i suspect that well probably be meeting in the not too distant future. I think well see president putin in the not too distant future. Trump called putin to congratulate him on the election win, but for the important part he repeated it seven times, did i mention we are getting together soon . Ten times where there was a meeting or call between washington and russia but we here in the United States had to learn about it from russia and today we again got the good word what the american president is up to from the russians but this time not a call or meeting with putin, its something important he said during the last call. Today the kremlin told us that donald trump invited Vladimir Putin to visit the white house. From the Washington Post today quote, a kremlin aide disclosed the white house invitation and comments to russian journalist monday. According to the Russian News Agency, when our president s spoke on the phone, it was trump who proposed holding the meeting in washington in the white house and the white house was forced to confirm something about the president of the United States first reported by russian state media. Quote, White House Press secretary said a number of potential venues including the white house were discussed. Apparently thats how trump and putin spent their time last month. I wonder if trump mentioned he knows a great hotel across the street that used to be a pose post office. The United States expelled 60 diplomats over the nerve agent poisoning of a former spy and his daughter and less than a month ago the fbi and Homeland SecurityDepartment Russia had an alert did the mention the provocative missile tests . See, there is a reason Vladimir Putin hasnt been to the white house since 2005. Someone might want to tell the white house. Joining me is michael mcfaul. Ambassador mcfaul, thank you for joining me tonight. Thanks for having me. Lets go back to george w. Bush in sort of diplomatic speak, how big of a mistake was it for george w. Bush to come out in the very First Time Ever meeting Vladimir Putin and saying he could see into his soul and got a sense of it . Thanks for doing the research and reminding me what i said to the New York Times then. I actually briefed the president before that meeting two weeks before he went on that trip and then after that comment in the New York Times i was never invited back for eight years after that. But i do think he made a mistake, as i said, the strategy i understand, the strategy they were about to pull out of the abm treaty, the anti ballistic treaty and the president and advisors including my colleague here, condoleezza rice, the National Security vadviser at te time, they were trying to soften him up before they did that action because they knew it would be negative. But you dont say things like that. It makes it look foolish and he paid a price for that. Give us a sense of Vladimir Putin. When hes meeting with american president s, what is his goal . You saw him hanging out with the bush family. Now he keeps calling with donald trump. What is his goal in your view . Well, his goals change from time to time. I participated in summits with Vladimir Putin as a Prime Minister and as a president with president obama but the key point, joy, is to have a goal, to have an objective. Vladimir putin shows up to those meetings to try to achieve a concrete objective that he thinks is in russias National Security interest. What to me is so bizarre about President Trump and the way he deals with Vladimir Putin is it doesnt seem like he focuses on any concrete goal or objective including pushing back on the long list of very negative things that Vladimir Putin has done for our national interests. Therefore to invite him to the white house especially by the way without some concrete objective in the government you call them deliverables is inappropriate. It means he doesnt understand how diplomacy works. It will be one thing ambassador mcfaul, if both parties, the white house and kremlin decide well have this call and neither of us will talk about it or have this call and both of us will talk about it but what does it say to you they have these calls and meetings and then the white house is silent . We dont get readout. The American People do not hear from our White House Communications team but the Russian State News Agency is blasting it all over their media and social media. So if you do it the first time, you know, call it a rookie mistake like i talked about the president 18 years ago or whatever it was but the ninth or tenth time, thats just irresponsible. The readout, and i wrote many readouts when i worked at the white house for the first three years of the obama administration, thats a chance for the Trump Administration to shape their message. So theyre missing their opportunity to do that. It is shocking. They announce that president putin is coming to the white house . I cant imagine any other leader would say they are going to the white house without such a major event in the agenda. It is curious the way that donald trump deals with Vladimir Putin in russia. Its just weird. Michael mcfaul, thank you so much. Really appreciate you being here tonight. Thanks for having me. Up next, several important developments in the mueller investigation. Well be right back. Im your phone, stuck down here between your seat and your console, playing a little hidenseek. Cold. Warmer. Warmer. Ah boiling. Jackpot. And if youve got cutrate car insurance, you could be picking up these charges yourself. So get allstate, where agents help keep you protected from mayhem. Like me. Mayhem is everywhere. Are you in good hands . Racing isnt the only thing on my mind. And with godaddy, im making my ideas real. When i created my businesses, i needed a way to showcase it. With godaddy you can get a website to sell online. And it will look good. I made my own way. Now its time to make yours. Get started at godaddy. Com everything is working, working just like it should im allbusiness when i, travel. Even when i travel. For leisure. So i go national, where i can choose any available upgrade in the aisle without starting any conversations or paying any upcharges. What can i say . Control suits me. Go national. Go like a pro. Turns out Vladimir Putin isnt the only autocratic leader to get a hardy congratulations on winning from the american president. Trump congratulated the egyptian president alsisi on his reelection win after he was reelected with 97 of the vote. Trump has forged a close bond with the strong man since the two met in new york while trump was a candidate in 2016 and more recently relearned how that meeting came about. It was set up by supposed coffee boy George Papadopoulos. Thats some coffee boy. He found himself back in the headlines, a report on a liberal site says papadopoulos was apparently discussing the russia investigation last week in the club. Quote, on thursday at a chicago nightclub papadopoulos had some drinks and in a conversation with a new acquaintance made new and explosive claims about attorney general Jeff Sessions. Jason wilson a computer engineer recognized papadopoulos and his wife at the hydrate nightclub where he sat down at their table and introduced himself. Papadopoulos said sessions were was well aware of the contact between himself and joseph mitsud with high level connections in russia who first informed papadopoulos about the democratic emails. Wilson said papadopoulos said during the conversation that sessions encouraged me to find out anything he could about the hacked Hillary Clinton emails that he mentioned. Whether thats true or not, we do not know. Papadopoulos wife denies any discussions but she did admit she spoke to wilson and the russia investigation was discussed. Nbc had not independently confirmed but the allegation comes after the attorney general is under fire regarding contacts with papadopoulos. The attorney generals claims he shot down papadopoulos when the adviser broached the idea of trying to arrange a meeting between the candidate and putin. There are reports you shut skrorj george down, unquote, when he proposed this meeting with putin . Is that correct . Yes, i pushed back, i pushed back against his suggestion i thought may have been improper. It was reported three people since contradicted the account in interviews with Robert Mueller in congress. If sessions really did encourage papadopoulos to find hacked emails, that would be a major development. Now again, we dont know, but we do know that papadopoulos pleaded guilty to lying to the fbi and is currently cooperating. What information he may give up has yet to surface publicly. We know his corroboration continues as his sentencing date has been pushed back to april 23rd at the earliest and will likely be delayed further. Another cooperating witness, Michael Flynn who pleaded guilty to similar similar offense has similarly seen his sentence delayed until may 1st at the earliest and likely much longer. The one person who pleaded guilty but no cooperating with sense the special counsel is Alexander Van der zwaan, who lied about a manafort employee in ukraine whose muellers team says has ties to a russian Intelligence Service and had such ties in 2016. His sentencing is tomorrow. Tick, tick, tick. Joining us now is barbara mcquaid. Thanks for being here. Great to have you. My pleasure, joy. Lets talk about lets start going back to the papadopoulos part of this. Where papadopoulos is in the club. He meets a brandnew acquaint spills his guts and knew about and encouraged contacts with the professor about getting Hillary Clinton emails. How much jeopardy could a claim like that put Jeff Sessions in . You know, a fascinating story on so many levels. You know, first, as you mentioned, this is a story not quite confirmed from a guy in a bar but we know George Papadopoulos has a habit of spilling the beans to guys in a bar. It has that factor to it. With respect to Jeff Sessions, if this statement is true, i think its problematic for