>>> WELCOME BACK TO "HARDBALL." "THE NEW YORK TIMES" IS
REPORTING RIGHT NOW THAT IT WAS CARTER PAGE'S INTRIGUING TRIP TO
MOSCOW LAST SUMMER THAT FIRST AROUSED THE BUREAU'S SUSPICIONS
THAT THE TRUMP CAMPAIGN MIGHT HAVE BEEN COORDINATING WITH THE
KREMLIN DURING THE 2016 CAMPAIGN.
ACCORDING TO THE TIMES, QUOTE, THAT TRIP LAST JULY WAS A
CATALYST FOR THE FBI INVESTIGATION INTO CONNECTIONS
BETWEEN RUSSIA AND PRESIDENT TRUMP'S CAMPAIGN ACCORDING TO
CURRENT AND FORMER LAW ENFORCEMENT AND INTELLIGENCE
OFFICIALS. IN THE MONTHS THAT FOLLOWED,
THEY SAID MORE EVIDENCE CAME TO LIGHT INCLUDING INTERCEPTS OF
RUSSIAN OFFICIALS DISCUSSING MR. PAGE AND OTHER TRUMP
ASSOCIATES. WELL, PAGE'S VISIT TO MOSCOW WAS
DAYS BEFORE HE AND OTHER CAMPAIGN ASSOCIATES CHATTED AWAY
WITH THE RUSSIAN AMBASSADOR OUT IN CLEVELAND AT THE CONVENTION.
THAT'S ALSO IN THE LANGUAGE OF THE REPUBLICAN PARTY PLATFORM
WAS EASED OVER -- WHAT WAS EASED OVER U.S. SANCTIONS ON RUSSIA.
WE ALSO KNOW THAT THE TRUMP CAMPAIGN HAD APPROVED PAGE'S
TRIP TO MOSCOW ACCORDING TO POLITICO.
THIS FOLLOWS CNN'S REPORT THIS WEEK THAT THE FBI USED THE
CHRISTOPHER STEELE DOSSIER -- THAT'S THE MI-6 GUY, TO OBTAIN A
FISA WARRANTS ON PAGE. OFFICIALS SAY THAT MEANS
INVESTIGATORS MAY HAVE INDEPENDENTLY CORROBORATED PARTS
OF THE DOSSIER. JOINING ME RIGHT NOW IS
DEMOCRATIC CONGRESSMAN DAVID KES LEECY.
CONGRESSMAN, THANK YOU FOR JOINING US.
THE DO YOU HAVE INFORMATION ON THIS THAT YOU CAN'T TELL US
ABOUT BECAUSE I'M CURIOUS. I WANT TO LEARN MORE.
>> NO I DON'T ALTHOUGH I THINK IF YOU LOOK AT ALL THE EVIDENCE
WE DO HAVE, THERE ARE A SERIES OF EVENTS THAT ARE PRETTY
SUSPICIOUS. HERE IS CARTER PAGE.
HE GOES TO MOSCOW, COMES BACK, GO TOS THE REPUBLICAN NATIONAL
CONVENTION. THE ONLY THING THEY CHANGE IN
THE PARTY PLATFORM IS A PRO-RUSSIA POLICY AS IT RELATES
TO UKRAINE. SHORTLY AFTER HE RETURNS BACK TO
THE UNITED STATES, THE WIKILEAKS BEGINS THE RELEASE OF THE
E-MAILS STOLEN FROM THE DNC. THEN YOU HAVE CARTER PAGE, WHO
HAS CHANGED HIS STORY. FIRST HE SAID, NO, I'D NEVER MET
AMBASSADOR KISLYAK AT THE CONVENTION.
THEN HE ACKNOWLEDGED TO YOUR OWN CHRIS HAYES HE DID.
THEN HE SAID WE NEVER TALKED ABOUT SANCTIONS.
THEN HE ADMITTED IN A SUBSEQUENT INTERVIEW, WELL, MAYBE WE DID
TALK ABOUT SANCTIONS. SO YOU HAVE A CHANGING STORY,
SOME VERY SUSPICIOUS BEHAVIOR. THIS IS THE FOREIGN POLICY
ADVISER TO THE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE, AND IT'S A REASON WE
NEED TO GET TO THE BOTTOM -- >> THAT'S WHAT TRUMP CALLS HIM.
>> YEAH, HE WAS, ABSOLUTELY. >> BACK WHEN HE ADMITTED HE
EXISTED. THE TIMES REPORTS IT IS UNCLEAR
WHAT EXACTLY ABOUT MR. PAGE'S VISIT DREW THE FBI'S INTEREST.
WHEN ASKED ABOUT HIS TRIP TO MOSCOW LAST WEEK, PAGE COULDN'T
SEEM TO GET HIS STORY STRAIGHT. FIRST HE TOLD CNN HE DID NOT
DISCUSS THE LIFTING OF U.S. SANCTIONS ON RUSSIA WITH ANYONE
IN MOSCOW. LET'S WATCH.
>> DID YOU EVER TALK WITH ANYONE THERE ABOUT MAYBE PRESIDENT
TRUMP, IF HE WERE ELECTED, THEN CANDIDATE TRUMP, WOULD BE
WILLING TO GET RID OF THE SANCTIONS?
>> NEVER ANY DIRECT CONVERSATIONS SUCH AS THAT.
I MEAN, LOOK, IT'S -- >> WHAT DO YOU MEAN DIRECT -- I
DON'T KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS, DIRECT CONVERSATIONS.
>> I'M JUST SAYING NO -- THAT WAS NEVER -- NEVER SAID, NO.
>> BUT THEN IN A SUBSEQUENT INTERVIEW, HE DIDN'T APPEAR SO
SURE. >> IT SOUNDS LIKE FROM WHAT
YOU'RE SAYING IT'S POSSIBLE THAT YOU MAY HAVE DISCUSSED THE
EASING OF SANCTIONS. >> SOMETHING MAY HAVE COME UP IN
A CONVERSATION. I HAVE NO RECOLLECTION, AND
THERE IS NOTHING SPECIFICALLY THAT I WOULD HAVE DONE THAT
WOULD HAVE GIVEN PEOPLE THAT IMPRESSION, GEORGE.
>> BUT YOU CAN'T SAY WITHOUT EQUIVOCATION THAT YOU DIDN'T
DISCUSS THE EASING OF SANCTIONS? >> SOMEONE MAY HAVE BROUGHT IT
UP. I HAVE NO RECOLLECTION, AND IF
IT WAS, IT WAS NOT SOMETHING I WAS OFFERING OR THAT SOMEONE WAS
ASKING FOR. >> YOU KNOW, I DON'T KNOW
WHETHER HE TALKS LIKE HE'S BEEN LAWYERED UP OR NOT OR HE'S JUST
AF LITTLE DISZY, BUT THE GUY SEEMS TO WANT ATTENTION.
THE WAY HE ANSWERS ON QUESTIONS IS A GUY NA WANTS TO BE
INTRIGUING. WHAT'S HE UP TO?
>> HE COMES ACROSS AS SQUIRRELY. HIS ANSWERS ARE KIND OF EVASIVE.
>> WHAT'S A DIRECT -- WHAT'S AN INDIRECT CONVERSATION?
>> AND WHETHER HE'S DOING THAT PURPOSEFULLY, WHETHER THAT'S
JUST THE WAY HE TALKS AND SPEAKS, IT'S HARD TO KNOW.
>> HE'S LIKE A FAN DANCER IN A BURLESQUE SHOW.
HE WANTS YOU TO FOCUS ON HIM, BUT HE WANTS YOU TO TEASE YOU
AWAY FROM IT THE WHOLE TIME. >> AND IF HE WAS WORKING FOR THE
TRUMP CAMPAIGN OR THE RUSSIANS OR COOPERATING WITH THE FBI,
NONE OF THEM WOULD WANT HIM TO DO THIS.
THE MOST INTRIGUING THING YOU JUST READ IN THAT LITTLE EXCERPT
FROM "THE NEW YORK TIMES" WAS WHEN IT SAID AND OTHER TRUMP
ASSOCIATES. SO WE'RE FOCUSING ON CARTER
PAGE. HIS NAME SEEMS TO BE FRONT AND
CENTER. >> YOU THINK HE'S A DECOY DUCK.
>> I'M NOT SURE HE'S A DECOY DUCK, BUT THE FACT THERE ARE
OTHERS THEY WERING LOOING AT
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