Editor’s Note: The following is a transcript of the Feb. 26 NBC TV news program “Meet the Press.”
SEN. TOM COTTON:
Well, Chuck, let’s step back. Russia is not our friend. Vladimir Putin is K.G.B., always has been. The Senate Intelligence Committee, for as long as I’ve been on it, has been examining Russia’s attempts to undermine faith in our electoral process and undermine our interests around the world.
We have said that we’re going to undertake in a bipartisan fashion an inquiry into everything that Russia tried to do in our election process last year. If that leads to potential contacts between Trump associates and the Russian government, then we’ll explore those as well. One of the last things I did, the week before last, before I left for home from Washington D.C. was have an hours long hearing on these very matters.
So I’m confident that we’re going to proceed in a manner that goes wherever the facts take us. But what you’re talking about is what Reince Priebus just said on your show last week. This is not something that the White House has tried to conceal. And if anything–
CHUCK TODD:
Well, it doesn’t matter whether it’s concealed, is it appropriate though?
SEN. TOM COTTON:
Well, so Chuck, let’s take that CNN article on face value. I’m not going the confirm or deny, obviously, anything in these stories because these leaks of classified information could do real harm to our national security. But just take it at face value. So it says the F.B.I. went to President Trump and Reince Priebus and said that reports of contacts between Trump associates last year and Russian intelligence officials were grossly overstated.
Isn’t it reasonable for the chief of Staff to then say to the F.B.I. director, “Well, are you going to say anything to correct the record on this, since everyone is running around Washington making these allegations?” I think that’s a perfectly reasonable response.
Now, the F.B.I. and other intelligence agencies have reasons they don’t go out and call balls and strikes on news stories because we don’t want to let our adversaries know what we do know or what we don’t know or how we know it. But again, if you just take everything in that story on face value, I don’t think there’s that much alarming in it.
