MSNBC Explains Trump Camp’s Backchannel Comms with Russian Bank: ‘What More Evidence Do You Need?’

RUSH TRANSCRIPT About a ░░░░░░░░ before the 2016 election ░░░░░░░░ Franklin foer published an ░░░░░░░░ story in slate on ░░░░░░░░ web traffic between a ░░░░░░░░ tied to the trump ░░░░░░░░ and a major Russian ░░░░░░░░ The bank and the ░░░░░░░░ campaign neither report so ░░░░░░░░ a lot of people ░░░░░░░░ us at All in ░░░░░░░░ to keep our distance ░░░░░░░░ did not help on ░░░░░░░░ exact same day slate ░░░░░░░░ the story New York ░░░░░░░░ published this investigating Donald ░░░░░░░░ FBI sees no clear ░░░░░░░░ to Russia Now almost ░░░░░░░░ years later with the ░░░░░░░░ of whether the trump ░░░░░░░░ criminally conspired with Russia ░░░░░░░░ unsolved the new Yorker ░░░░░░░░ revisiting the story with ░░░░░░░░ extensive investigation into that ░░░░░░░░ web traffic Consulting with ░░░░░░░░ who ruled out almost ░░░░░░░░ benign explanation for context ░░░░░░░░ a trump server and ░░░░░░░░ Russian bank After a ░░░░░░░░ of computer scientists analyzed ░░░░░░░░ data one of them ░░░░░░░░ the magazine We decided ░░░░░░░░ was a covert communication ░░░░░░░░ Franklin for originally broke ░░░░░░░░ story in 2016 He ░░░░░░░░ now national correspondent for ░░░░░░░░ atlantic Natasha Bertrand is ░░░░░░░░ staff writer for the ░░░░░░░░ Frank starting with you ░░░░░░░░ wrote a great piece ░░░░░░░░ back two years ago ░░░░░░░░ remember that piece Everyone ░░░░░░░░ denying it What did ░░░░░░░░ learn how was the ░░░░░░░░ advanced in the two ░░░░░░░░ since you ve first ░░░░░░░░ about it Well it ░░░░░░░░ only marg ally advanced ░░░░░░░░ lot of computer scientists ░░░░░░░░ looking at this data ░░░░░░░░ realtime and they said ░░░░░░░░ s something ram funny ░░░░░░░░ that this bank in ░░░░░░░░ is communicating with the ░░░░░░░░ campaign There was a ░░░░░░░░ series of suspicious very ░░░░░░░░ pieces of evidence and ░░░░░░░░ that suggested that it ░░░░░░░░ a covert communication channel ░░░░░░░░ it was just a ░░░░░░░░ And we ve had ░░░░░░░░ scandal this big scandal ░░░░░░░░ there s so many ░░░░░░░░ points in the scandal ░░░░░░░░ s hard to keep ░░░░░░░░ of all the different ░░░░░░░░ So I wrote this ░░░░░░░░ and it kind of ░░░░░░░░ in this haze in ░░░░░░░░ week before the election ░░░░░░░░ everybody thought Hillary Clinton ░░░░░░░░ going to be president ░░░░░░░░ nobody really returned to ░░░░░░░░ until except for the ░░░░░░░░ that behind the scenes ░░░░░░░░ were other teams of ░░░░░░░░ scientists other investigators other ░░░░░░░░ in the Senate who ░░░░░░░░ saying this data is ░░░░░░░░ We need to interrogate ░░░░░░░░ data more And unfortunately ░░░░░░░░ s two years later ░░░░░░░░ fillkins a great reporter ░░░░░░░░ revisited Ruled out communication ░░░░░░░░ the servers but we ░░░░░░░░ t know a lot ░░░░░░░░ fundamentals about the story ░░░░░░░░ There s a lot ░░░░░░░░ stuff a response saying ░░░░░░░░ it could be this ░░░░░░░░ marketing e mail this ░░░░░░░░ which I think I ░░░░░░░░ at the time I ░░░░░░░░ sort of persuaded by ░░░░░░░░ it s all technical ░░░░░░░░ does a good job ░░░░░░░░ knocking it down There ░░░░░░░░ one detail that to ░░░░░░░░ is so mysterious Natasha ░░░░░░░░ there s the Trump ░░░░░░░░ it had been shut ░░░░░░░░ after so The New ░░░░░░░░ Times is reporting on ░░░░░░░░ story They contacted the ░░░░░░░░ Bank which is a ░░░░░░░░ bank the domain gets ░░░░░░░░ down after The Times ░░░░░░░░ Alfa Bank s representatives ░░░░░░░░ before the newspaper contacted ░░░░░░░░ Max who s one ░░░░░░░░ the computer scientists it ░░░░░░░░ an alias says that ░░░░░░░░ a human interaction That ░░░░░░░░ pretty weird BERTRAND I ░░░░░░░░ what more evidence do ░░░░░░░░ need It s very ░░░░░░░░ obvious And it s ░░░░░░░░ Occam s razor here ░░░░░░░░ fact that we ve ░░░░░░░░ not been able to ░░░░░░░░ out the idea that ░░░░░░░░ was a covert communication ░░░░░░░░ two years after the ░░░░░░░░ the fact that no ░░░░░░░░ has come forth with ░░░░░░░░ plausible explanation for why ░░░░░░░░ was happening for why ░░░░░░░░ Bank was one of ░░░░░░░░ organizations communicating with the ░░░░░░░░ server in those months ░░░░░░░░ up to the election ░░░░░░░░ just completely remarkable I ░░░░░░░░ the fact that Frank ░░░░░░░░ story got overlooked or ░░░░░░░░ as much as it ░░░░░░░░ and the fact that ░░░░░░░░ it s being revisited ░░░░░░░░ you have the editor ░░░░░░░░ the New York Times ░░░░░░░░ that there you know ░░░░░░░░ a story there just ░░░░░░░░ the lack of imagination ░░░░░░░░ that we were operating ░░░░░░░░ in the months leading ░░░░░░░░ to the 2016 election ░░░░░░░░ mean at that point ░░░░░░░░ see Frank s story ░░░░░░░░ out on October 31st ░░░░░░░░ see the story about ░░░░░░░░ Steele dossier which was ░░░░░░░░ published on October 31st ░░░░░░░░ no one paid attention ░░░░░░░░ because they just could ░░░░░░░░ believe that this actually ░░░░░░░░ any merit I think ░░░░░░░░ you know and the ░░░░░░░░ that we now are ░░░░░░░░ revisiting those two things ░░░░░░░░ Steele dossier constantly over ░░░░░░░░ over again and these ░░░░░░░░ about the Alfa Bank ░░░░░░░░ Organization communication it just ░░░░░░░░ how far we ve ░░░░░░░░ and how far our ░░░░░░░░ how much our imaginations ░░░░░░░░ grown with regards to ░░░░░░░░ the Trump campaign and ░░░░░░░░ both were capable of ░░░░░░░░ the election HAYES And ░░░░░░░░ Frank your point also ░░░░░░░░ how much we don ░░░░░░░░ know still FOER Yeah ░░░░░░░░ That s what s ░░░░░░░░ maddening about the whole ░░░░░░░░ there s tantalizing detail ░░░░░░░░ tantalizing detail there s ░░░░░░░░ sorts of ways we ░░░░░░░░ the Russians were trying ░░░░░░░░ get to the Trump ░░░░░░░░ all sorts of ways ░░░░░░░░ know the Trump campaign ░░░░░░░░ receptive All kinds of ░░░░░░░░ you can map out ░░░░░░░░ yet it still feels ░░░░░░░░ the fundamental truth of ░░░░░░░░ transpired is not presently ░░░░░░░░ Right So we have ░░░░░░░░ this evidence this deep ░░░░░░░░ evidence about the motive ░░░░░░░░ the various characters Yeah ░░░░░░░░ We have the motives ░░░░░░░░ the trumps in the ░░░░░░░░ around the trumps who ░░░░░░░░ willing to collaborate with ░░░░░░░░ Russians wanted to collaborate ░░░░░░░░ the Russians we have ░░░░░░░░ Russians who had this ░░░░░░░░ campaign to actively try ░░░░░░░░ influence the election And ░░░░░░░░ suggests that they should ░░░░░░░░ met in the middle ░░░░░░░░ colluded with one another ░░░░░░░░ when we look for ░░░░░░░░ evidence of collusion it ░░░░░░░░ t quite add up ░░░░░░░░ what it seems like ░░░░░░░░ should be Right So ░░░░░░░░ have this kind of ░░░░░░░░ middle and the story ░░░░░░░░ great gaping hole in ░░░░░░░░ STA center what happened ░░░░░░░░ during the campaign And ░░░░░░░░ journalism has been struggling ░░░░░░░░ the last two and ░░░░░░░░ half years to get ░░░░░░░░ that point And we ░░░░░░░░ incremental advances but rereally ░░░░░░░░ t been able to ░░░░░░░░ to that point That ░░░░░░░░ why the Mueller investigation ░░░░░░░░ ultimately so important And ░░░░░░░░ of these enigmas should ░░░░░░░░ answerable given what he ░░░░░░░░ got to work with ░░░░░░░░ Natasha do you expect ░░░░░░░░ re still doing their ░░░░░░░░ Absolutely I think the ░░░░░░░░ now among people who ░░░░░░░░ familiar with Mueller s ░░░░░░░░ of M O Is ░░░░░░░░ he s keeping a ░░░░░░░░ profile before the election ░░░░░░░░ he doesn t want ░░░░░░░░ commit the kind of ░░░░░░░░ know grave sin that ░░░░░░░░ committed before the election ░░░░░░░░ the Hillary Clinton e ░░░░░░░░ investigation So I think ░░░░░░░░ this investigation is far ░░░░░░░░ over And I ll ░░░░░░░░ add with regard to ░░░░░░░░ idea that we really ░░░░░░░░ t know still what ░░░░░░░░ going on between the ░░░░░░░░ organization server and alpha ░░░░░░░░ Alpha bank had a ░░░░░░░░ knack for making reporters ░░░░░░░░ like they are the ░░░░░░░░ ones So if they ░░░░░░░░ trust me I m ░░░░░░░░ that from personal experience ░░░░░░░░ re very litigious Part ░░░░░░░░ the reason why there ░░░░░░░░ been such a delay ░░░░░░░░ so many obstacles to ░░░░░░░░ the story out is ░░░░░░░░ alpha bank has made ░░░░░░░░ concerted effort to preserve ░░░░░░░░ image here in the ░░░░░░░░ States and in the ░░░░░░░░ and that s a ░░░░░░░░ problem for journalists trying ░░░░░░░░ uncover the truth Franklin ░░░░░░░░ Natasha thank you both ░░░░░░░░ to come Nikki Haley ░░░░░░░░ resigns as U N ░░░░░░░░ new polling shows how ░░░░░░░░ the world trusts President ░░░░░░░░ Thing one thing two ░░░░░░░░ next.