Meet The Press – December 11, 2016

Guests:

Reince Priebus

Doris Goodwin

Michael Steele

Kimberly Strassel

Mike Stengel

Mike Rowe

Todd: holy fuck the CIA says

Russia interfered with our election

to put Donald Trump in the White House!

Todd: and Mitch McConnell 

rejected saying anything!

Todd: it's stunning!

Todd: and when he heard about it Trump

sided with a foreign government over the CIA

Trump: the CIA said Saddam

had WMD – you can't trust them!

Todd: the CIA says Russia hacked the RNC

Trump: it could a guy on his bed

in New Jersey who weighs 400 lbs

Trump: Putin could not have

been nicer to me!

Trump: Russia if you're listening

I hope you hack more Americans

Lindsey Graham: he's destabilizing the world!

Todd: the CEO of Exxon got the

Order of Friendship and their highest

honor The Badge of the Blackhat

Tillerson: I have a very close 

relationship with Putin

McCain: he's a thug and murderer!

Tillerson: ease up – it was only an oil spill

[ break ]

Todd: welcome Michael McFaul

McFaul: thanks Ted

Todd: what about this hacking

McFaul: the CIA has

connected the dots for us

Todd: that's always helpful

McFaul: now we know they hacked

the DNC and gave it wikileaks

Todd: didn't we know that already?

McFaul: but now that conclusion

has credibility of the CIA behind it

Todd: whats Putin's motivation

McFaul: he hates Hillary Clinton

Todd: why is that?

McFaul: he was an early 

investor in Whitewater

Todd: really?

McFaul: no really it's because he says

she interfered in his Parliamentary elections

Todd: I see

McFaul: this wouldn't be so suspicious

but Donald Trump is very pro Putin and

he says it all the damn time

Todd: that's true

McFaul: that doesn't mean it was coordinated

Todd: are you concerned with CEO

of Exxon becoming Secretary of State

McFaul: Exxon made a huge deal

with Russia until they invaded Ukraine

Todd: Exxon?

McFaul: no Russia

Todd: well I wouldn't put it past them

McFaul: would Trump retain the sanctions?

Todd: how should I know

[ break ]

Todd: welcome Reince

Priebus: thanks Tad

Todd: Lindsay Graham says

Rex Tillerson is un-nerving

Priebus: he's also talking to Giuliani

and Petraeus for Secretary of State

Todd: a guy who was a Mayor 15 years

ago and another who deliberately

revealed military secrets

Priebus: this is premature speculation!

Todd: I see

Priebus: everyone is jumping

the shark on this!

Todd: is Tillerson qualified?

Priebus: he's despoiled

landscapes all over the world!

Todd: so he should be Secretary of State?

Priebus: he knows all the international laws!

Todd: he does?

Priebus: sure he's violated environmental laws, labor laws. human rights laws, sovereignty laws,tax laws...

Todd: so we're going to have

an oil CEO as America's chief diplomat

Priebus: he makes deals!

Todd: even with Putin?

Priebus: I don't believe in

having enemies or crummy relations

Todd: you're going lift the sanctions aren't you

Priebus: no not at all

Todd: it sounds like it

Priebus: we're going to cut a deal with Putin!

Todd: Trump attacked the CIA

Priebus: the Trump loves the CIA

Todd: he just humiliated them

Priebus: the RNC was not hacked!

Todd: then why was the FBI involved

Priebus: because the DNC was hacked

Todd: what about vendors or personal e-mails

Priebus: we were not hacked!

Todd: okay

Priebus: we were told by the FBI not hacked

Todd: okay but-

Priebus: don't get defensive with me!

Todd: do you believe Russia

was involved in any way shape or form

Priebus: we were not hacked!

Todd: that's not what I asked you

Priebus: it could be

Todd: do you believe 

John Podesta was hacked?

Priebus: I don't know!

Todd: but Trump was briefed on this

Priebus: you have no source!

Todd: do you believe Russia

interfered with the election – yes or no?

Priebus: stop attacking Russia!

Todd: do you even give a shit about this?

Priebus: sure we do

Todd: it doesn't seem like it

Priebus: someone hacked!

Todd: how do you know?

Priebus: who did the hacking?

Todd: 17 agencies says it was Russia

Priebus: stop attacking Putin!

Todd: what about Russia?

Priebus: its all lies!!

Todd: thanks for coming Reince

Priebus: Puuutiiiin!

[ break ]

Todd: omg Rep Schiff has seen the

evidence against Russia first hand!

Todd: welcome Congressman

Schiff: hi Chuck

Todd: talk hacking to me

Schiff: there is no doubt 

that Russia hacked us

Todd: none?

Schiff: it was not a 400 lb guy in New Jersey

Todd: good news for Chris Christie

Schiff: they had a pro-Putin candidate

Todd: I see

Schiff: Trump criticizes NATO and

wants to lift the sanctions on Russia

Todd: true

Schiff: Russia dumped information 

just to hurt Clinton

Todd: okay but the CIA 

has been wrong before

Schiff: I can't tell you how we know

but we know it was Russia

Todd: oooh I love secrets

Schiff: Russia can hack anyone at anytime

Todd: how comforting

Schiff: now I fear Trump will reject

intelligence if he doesn't like it

Todd: that's his right

Schiff: Trump is giving Russia's

hacking of our election cover

– it's extraordinary

Todd: Mitch McConnell wanted

to keep it a secret

Schiff: that's true I was there

Schiff: but Obama could have

made it public anyway

Todd: was it a mistake by Obama not to?

Schiff: yes – it invites more hacking!

Todd: thanks for coming

[ break ]

Todd: talk hacking to me Michael

Steele: he's right there was

no hacking of the RNC

Steele: but that doesn't mean

that Russia didn't try to interfere

Strassel: everyone agrees

that Russia hacked us

Todd: not Reince Preibus

Strassel: okay all normal people

Strassel: but the RNC wasn't

hacked so ergo no proof they

were trying to help elect Trump

Stengel: we are in a global information war!

Stengel: Russia Today is part of it

Todd: what's that

Stengel: it's like the Today Show

but their weatherman is still chubby

Todd: I see

Stengel: also it's Putin propaganda

Todd: all right

Stengel: they're trying to get us

to question our own elections

Todd: it's working

Goodwin: Trump is attacking

the CIA which is not wise

Goodwin: why doesn't he just say

'yes there was hacking but I won anyway'

Strassel: maybe Russia thought Hillary was

going to win and wanted to undermine her

Steele: Trump loves controversy!

Todd: full confession so do I

Steele: and he just really likes Rex Tillerson

Stengel: diplomacy is not about cutting deals

Steele: actually it is – all world politics is 

'every man for himself'

Stengel: what about freedom of

speech and freedom of religion?

Steele: screw em

Todd: John Glenn had many great moments

in his life from WWII to Korea to orbiting

the earth to the U.S. Senate but none 

as monumental as his appearances 

on 'Meet The Press'

[ break ]

Todd: Mike Rowe hosts 'Dirty Jobs'

Todd: you are suitably casually dressed

Roe: all my suits are rubber

Todd: you wrote in February that we're

losing lots of blue-collar jobs to robots

Roe: on my tv show 'Dirty Jobs' the

big lesson is important work is done

and no one pays attention

Todd: not true – I tip my 

goatee trimmer handsomely

Roe: in 2004 we heard things like

we've heard in 2016 – none of the executives

thought the show would be a hit because

they're all snobs who hate blue collar workers

Todd: retraining from factory

jobs is not realistic

Rowe: a lesson from my tv show

is hard work is satisfying

Stengel: the problem is not globalization

– it's automation

Rowe: there are 5 million jobs unfilled

because we've got a skills gap

Goodwin: a job provides dignity

Todd: unless you host a Sunday talk show

Rowe: society falls apart 

without the garbage worker

Todd: Poubelle was a goddamn hero

Strassel: we keep pushing

kids to college – and for what?

Todd: the drunken orgies?

Strassel: the smartest people

I know are skilled tradesmen

Rowe: farmers have to be really smart –

not every job requires a 4 year degree

Steele: a dirty job is a good job

Todd: thanks for coming to Meet the Press

Rowe: I'll be back to cover the show

Todd: this is a dirty job sometimes!

[ break ]

Todd: is a danger in Trump over-denying?

Strassel: he should at least acknowledge

there was some hacking

Strassel: but people act as 

if his election was illegitimate

Steele: they will forced to concede

there was Russian hacking in

Tillerson's hearings

Todd: it's unusual for President-elect 

to go after the CIA

Goodwin: Nixon had secret talks

with a country we were at war with

behind Johnson's back and the CIA knew

Todd: what a swell guy

Stengel: there is an existential information

threat and it's coming from Russia

Stengel: the Berlin Wall fell because

of an information revolution

Stengel: you can take a nation

down through information

Steele: yeah but what are you gonna do?

Todd: what a show! What a week!

Todd: and that's another

episode of Meet The Press