RUSH TRANSCRIPT Woodruff Two ░░░░░░░░ stories this Friday night ░░░░░░░░ legal charges in the ░░░░░░░░ counsel s Russia investigation ░░░░░░░░ President Trump stirs things ░░░░░░░░ in his visit to ░░░░░░░░ We begin with the ░░░░░░░░ returned by a federal ░░░░░░░░ jury in Washington I ░░░░░░░░ call it the witch ░░░░░░░░ I would call it ░░░░░░░░ rigged witch hunt Woodruff ░░░░░░░░ President Trump spent part ░░░░░░░░ his day in Europe ░░░░░░░░ the Russia probe Rod ░░░░░░░░ the deputy attorney general ░░░░░░░░ the United States met ░░░░░░░░ back in Washington to ░░░░░░░░ yet more charges in ░░░░░░░░ investigation The indictment charges ░░░░░░░░ Russian military officers by ░░░░░░░░ for conspiring to interfere ░░░░░░░░ the 2016 presidential election ░░░░░░░░ The indictment formally alleges ░░░░░░░░ a dozen Russian intelligence ░░░░░░░░ hacked into the computers ░░░░░░░░ the Clinton campaign the ░░░░░░░░ Party and state election ░░░░░░░░ and staged the public ░░░░░░░░ of damaging information The ░░░░░░░░ does not charge that ░░░░░░░░ changed the outcome of ░░░░░░░░ election nor that any ░░░░░░░░ knowingly corresponded with Russian ░░░░░░░░ We need to work ░░░░░░░░ to hold the perpetrators ░░░░░░░░ When we confront foreign ░░░░░░░░ in American elections it ░░░░░░░░ important for us to ░░░░░░░░ thinking politically as Republicans ░░░░░░░░ Democrats and instead to ░░░░░░░░ patriotically as Americans Woodruff ░░░░░░░░ announcement comes just three ░░░░░░░░ before President Trump is ░░░░░░░░ to meet in Finland ░░░░░░░░ on one with Russia ░░░░░░░░ president Vladimir Putin Today ░░░░░░░░ Capitol Hill Democrats sharply ░░░░░░░░ if that meeting should ░░░░░░░░ take place Senate intelligence ░░░░░░░░ chairman mark Warner If ░░░░░░░░ Trump and his team ░░░░░░░░ not willing to make ░░░░░░░░ facts of this indictment ░░░░░░░░ top priority at their ░░░░░░░░ in Helsinki the summit ░░░░░░░░ be canceled Woodruff And ░░░░░░░░ Schiff the ranking member ░░░░░░░░ the house intelligence committee ░░░░░░░░ s not add insult ░░░░░░░░ injury to our allies ░░░░░░░░ having a lovey dovey ░░░░░░░░ between the president of ░░░░░░░░ United States and the ░░░░░░░░ responsible for just hacking ░░░░░░░░ our elections Woodruff President ░░░░░░░░ s lawyer Rudy Giuliani ░░░░░░░░ the announcement tweeting Time ░░░░░░░░ Mueller to end this ░░░░░░░░ of the president the ░░░░░░░░ House echoed that sentiment ░░░░░░░░ that the charges did ░░░░░░░░ name anyone on the ░░░░░░░░ campaign For a closer ░░░░░░░░ at these indictments and ░░░░░░░░ questions still unanswered about ░░░░░░░░ investigations into election interference ░░░░░░░░ m joined by Asha ░░░░░░░░ She s a former ░░░░░░░░ Agent who specialized in ░░░░░░░░ intelligence investigations She is ░░░░░░░░ a lecturer at Yale ░░░░░░░░ Asha rangappa welcome to ░░░░░░░░ Newshour What is your ░░░░░░░░ takeaway from these indictments ░░░░░░░░ today I think there ░░░░░░░░ two big takeways from ░░░░░░░░ indictment The first is ░░░░░░░░ are the first charges ░░░░░░░░ re seeing from Mueller ░░░░░░░░ is directly supporting the ░░░░░░░░ C Assessment that Russia ░░░░░░░░ a nation state hacked ░░░░░░░░ the D N C ░░░░░░░░ server weaponized the information ░░░░░░░░ tried to influence the ░░░░░░░░ and went further than ░░░░░░░░ went into state boards ░░░░░░░░ elections and took voter ░░░░░░░░ We had indictments of ░░░░░░░░ s before but those ░░░░░░░░ t directly tied to ░░░░░░░░ intelligence There were links ░░░░░░░░ these are Russian military ░░░░░░░░ officers The other big ░░░░░░░░ is that Mueller is ░░░░░░░░ after the Russians and ░░░░░░░░ is important because ultimately ░░░░░░░░ is a counterintelligence investigation ░░░░░░░░ under the special counsel ░░░░░░░░ under which he s ░░░░░░░░ he does haven t ░░░░░░░░ authority to create a ░░░░░░░░ report to Congress So ░░░░░░░░ indictments are in a ░░░░░░░░ a vehicle for him ░░░░░░░░ let the public know ░░░░░░░░ how Russia executed its ░░░░░░░░ operation in their election ░░░░░░░░ efforts Woodruff I think ░░░░░░░░ people are looking at ░░░░░░░░ and saying well no ░░░░░░░░ were named The Trump ░░░░░░░░ House the president the ░░░░░░░░ around the president are ░░░░░░░░ that out the president ░░░░░░░░ personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani ░░░░░░░░ that out It s ░░░░░░░░ if they re saying ░░░░░░░░ this is just something ░░░░░░░░ Russians did Americans weren ░░░░░░░░ involved That s true ░░░░░░░░ aren t Americans directly ░░░░░░░░ in this indictment but ░░░░░░░░ we need to remember ░░░░░░░░ indictments can be superseded ░░░░░░░░ means they can be ░░░░░░░░ to include new defendants ░░░░░░░░ it s important to ░░░░░░░░ there are conspiracy charges ░░░░░░░░ this indictment conspiracy to ░░░░░░░░ computer crimes so anyone ░░░░░░░░ could be a part ░░░░░░░░ that conspiracy meaning they ░░░░░░░░ what was going on ░░░░░░░░ did even one act ░░░░░░░░ be added So we ░░░░░░░░ there s a reporter ░░░░░░░░ might be in contact ░░░░░░░░ person running for U ░░░░░░░░ Congress who was soliciting ░░░░░░░░ information and a senior ░░░░░░░░ official who was in ░░░░░░░░ Whether this was knowing ░░░░░░░░ not will make a ░░░░░░░░ difference but I think ░░░░░░░░ doesn t mean that ░░░░░░░░ s the end of ░░░░░░░░ story on this particular ░░░░░░░░ of allegations Woodruff So ░░░░░░░░ other words even though ░░░░░░░░ 12 individuals these intelligence ░░░░░░░░ may never be brought ░░░░░░░░ justice it s hard ░░░░░░░░ believe the Russians would ░░░░░░░░ turn these people over ░░░░░░░░ re saying this is ░░░░░░░░ significant This is absolutely ░░░░░░░░ significant You know in ░░░░░░░░ world of intelligence you ░░░░░░░░ don t lay out ░░░░░░░░ your adversary that you ░░░░░░░░ what you ve uncovered ░░░░░░░░ don t want to ░░░░░░░░ your cards on the ░░░░░░░░ and it s actually ░░░░░░░░ risk for Mueller because ░░░░░░░░ the previous indictment with ░░░░░░░░ the companies that were ░░░░░░░░ the disinformation campaign they ░░░░░░░░ fought back in court ░░░░░░░░ this places Mueller in ░░░░░░░░ position of having to ░░░░░░░░ in discovery how he ░░░░░░░░ this information which can ░░░░░░░░ Russia a heads up ░░░░░░░░ our sources and methods ░░░░░░░░ I think he has ░░░░░░░░ it is very important ░░░░░░░░ the public to know ░░░░░░░░ what occurred and how ░░░░░░░░ occurred in order for ░░░░░░░░ to understand the threat ░░░░░░░░ otherwise might be invisible ░░░░░░░░ Asha rangappa can we ░░░░░░░░ from looking at these ░░░░░░░░ returned today how much ░░░░░░░░ there is how much ░░░░░░░░ part of the bigger ░░░░░░░░ do we now have ░░░░░░░░ at this point So ░░░░░░░░ are several threads to ░░░░░░░░ we have been referring ░░░░░░░░ as Russia s active ░░░░░░░░ There s the disinformation ░░░░░░░░ where there have been ░░░░░░░░ there is this hacking ░░░░░░░░ which now there are ░░░░░░░░ there may be a ░░░░░░░░ finance violations for which ░░░░░░░░ may bin dimes and ░░░░░░░░ may be indictments and ░░░░░░░░ I think the question ░░░░░░░░ who is helping the ░░░░░░░░ It would be highly ░░░░░░░░ for a foreign intelligence ░░░░░░░░ to be able to ░░░░░░░░ something in the United ░░░░░░░░ without people on the ░░░░░░░░ helping them Now those ░░░░░░░░ be Russian agents they ░░░░░░░░ be U S Persons ░░░░░░░░ I would be surprised ░░░░░░░░ there weren t other ░░░░░░░░ that were eventually named ░░░░░░░░ assisting or facilitating Russia ░░░░░░░░ helping to carry out ░░░░░░░░ is a very elaborate ░░░░░░░░ to meddle in our ░░░░░░░░ Woodruff Meaning could be ░░░░░░░░ named It could be ░░░░░░░░ absolutely Woodruff Unanswered questions ░░░░░░░░ do you still want ░░░░░░░░ know What should we ░░░░░░░░ looking for for the ░░░░░░░░ counsel to tell us ░░░░░░░░ next time there is ░░░░░░░░ indictment returned if there ░░░░░░░░ one Well I think ░░░░░░░░ I am curious about ░░░░░░░░ light of this most ░░░░░░░░ set of indictments is ░░░░░░░░ this means in terms ░░░░░░░░ some of the actions ░░░░░░░░ contacts in the Trump ░░░░░░░░ For example the Trump ░░░░░░░░ meeting which was initiated ░░░░░░░░ an offer of e ░░░░░░░░ or dirt on Hillary ░░░░░░░░ which we now know ░░░░░░░░ linked back to Russian ░░░░░░░░ There is also communications ░░░░░░░░ Donald Trump Jr And ░░░░░░░░ stone with Wikileaks which ░░░░░░░░ s named as organization ░░░░░░░░ but it s in ░░░░░░░░ indictment as coordinating with ░░░░░░░░ intelligence Again these could ░░░░░░░░ unknowing or unwitting but ░░░░░░░░ think there is more ░░░░░░░░ on why these contacts ░░░░░░░░ been denied Then I ░░░░░░░░ Judy there is the ░░░░░░░░ puzzling call out during ░░░░░░░░ debate by then candidate ░░░░░░░░ for Russia to hack ░░░░░░░░ Hillary Clinton s I ░░░░░░░░ and then in the ░░░░░░░░ there was one attempt ░░░░░░░░ that evening Timing coincidence ░░░░░░░░ org not I think ░░░░░░░░ those things will take ░░░░░░░░ more scrutiny and there ░░░░░░░░ more questions on timing ░░░░░░░░ what people knew Woodruff ░░░░░░░░ quickly does this tell ░░░░░░░░ this is about to ░░░░░░░░ up soon or not ░░░░░░░░ don t think this ░░░░░░░░ close to wrapping up ░░░░░░░░ all In fact I ░░░░░░░░ what this shows is ░░░░░░░░ is investigating a number ░░░░░░░░ different fronts he is ░░░░░░░░ full speed ahead on ░░░░░░░░ of them he s ░░░░░░░░ preparing for trial for ░░░░░░░░ now So I think ░░░░░░░░ those who think this ░░░░░░░░ wrap up before midterm ░░░░░░░░ I think they will ░░░░░░░░ disappointed Woodruff Asha rangappa ░░░░░░░░ thank you very much ░░░░░░░░ you.