Transcript - Interview: Bret Baier Questions Devin Nunes on Fox's Special Report - October 27, 2017 | Factba.se

Bret Baier

00:00:00 - 00:00:09 (10 sec)

Catherine Herridge, live on the Hill. Catherine -- thank you. Let's get more now on the new Uranium One investigation. House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes of California joins us tonight from Statuary Hall. Mr. Chairman -- thanks for being here.

Devin Nunes

00:00:09 - 00:00:10 (1 sec)

Always a pleasure.

Bret Baier

00:00:10 - 00:00:11 (1 sec)

What are you looking for?

Devin Nunes

00:00:11 - 00:00:34 (23 sec)

Well, first and foremost, we want to find out whether or not the FBI or DOJ or both had an investigation, open investigation at the time that this deal was approved by several government agencies called CIFIUS -- I don't want to get into that. But basically it had to have approval from several cabinet level people, including Secretary Clinton.

Bret Baier

00:00:34 - 00:00:43 (8 sec)

You know, Secretary Clinton still on her book tour. She was on C- Span, asked about this and the potential for an investigation. Here's what she said.

Hillary Clinton

00:00:43 - 00:01:07 (24 sec)

[Begin Clip] The closes the investigation about real Russian ties between Trump associates and real Russians, the more they want to just throw mud on the wall and I'm their favorite target -- me and, you know, President Obama. We're the ones that they always like to put into the crosshairs. It's the same baloney they've been peddling for years. And there's been no -- no credible evidence by anyone. [End Clip]

Bret Baier

00:01:07 - 00:01:08 (1 sec)

Your reaction to that?

Devin Nunes

00:01:08 - 00:01:25 (17 sec)

Yes. So the difference here is whether or not there was an open FBI investigation into this matter. So, look we've been communicating back and forth through different channels with this informant as you are well aware. This informant came publicly out last week.

Devin Nunes

00:01:25 - 00:01:39 (14 sec)

So now this actually has upped the stakes in this. We want these people to come forward and share with Congress what they know. If, in fact, there was an investigation, Bret, I don't see how this can be something easily we can just look past.

Devin Nunes

00:01:39 - 00:01:54 (15 sec)

You are talking about major decisions that were made at a time when we were resetting relations with Russia that actually happened to benefit, you know, the Clinton Foundation, perhaps other avenues, we don't know yet.

Devin Nunes

00:01:54 - 00:02:02 (8 sec)

But look, I don't believe that this informant is lying. I think he was working for the FBI. But that's part of what the initial probe is going to get to the bottom of.

Bret Baier

00:02:02 - 00:02:09 (7 sec)

There was a gag order on this FBI informant. Is there a prospect that that will be lifted imminently?

Devin Nunes

00:02:09 - 00:02:27 (18 sec)

What we believe -- so the intelligence committees are made precisely to take in people that were working in the intelligence agencies or for the intelligence agencies and give them a right to go to the legislative branch and share classified information. So we believe that any informant for that matter can do this.

Devin Nunes

00:02:27 - 00:02:44 (17 sec)

And this is part of the reason why we are working with the Government Oversight Committee, because there's so many government agencies this could involve that Trey Gowdy, the chairman of that committee now and I are teaming up. So there's a place for witnesses to come to with classified information and there's a place for the rest of the folks to go that have information that may not be classified.

Bret Baier

00:02:44 - 00:02:56 (12 sec)

We should point out that people can go online and see the original stories that we did on Fox News Channel about this, tied to the book, Clinton Cash and the questions that that raised. But this is a different level.

Bret Baier

00:02:56 - 00:03:13 (18 sec)

I want to turn to another part of a different investigation and that is this dossier, the Fusion GPS folks. How would you describe the attitude of Democrats on the intelligence committee towards the probing of the origins of this so-called dossier and how they are accepting that?

Devin Nunes

00:03:13 - 00:03:28 (14 sec)

Well look, to me it looks like they are obstructing the investigation, you know. Look, this is now in the courts. The House general counsel is now representing Congress in this. That's because Fusion GPS just went to the court on this matter.

Devin Nunes

00:03:28 - 00:03:40 (12 sec)

We believe that we are going to have this matter I think fixed within the next week or so. And we believe that we will receive the financial records of Fusion GPS because we want to know a few things.

Devin Nunes

00:03:40 - 00:03:56 (16 sec)

Number one -- starting with who paid Christopher Steel, did they pay him? And if so, how much? And then, also, who paid them? Was it Republicans, donors, Republican donors, Democratic donors, both? Were they on the payroll of any Russian companies?

Devin Nunes

00:03:56 - 00:04:06 (10 sec)

This is all extremely pertinent information to the ongoing Russia investigation. And as you know, as chairman of this committee, it is my job to enforce these subpoenas --

Bret Baier

00:04:06 - 00:04:06 (0 sec)

Devin Nunes

00:04:06 - 00:04:07 (2 sec)

-- so we've been working on that.

Bret Baier

00:04:07 - 00:04:11 (4 sec)

So as we stand here, who do you think bankrolled this dossier?

Devin Nunes

00:04:11 - 00:04:29 (18 sec)

You know what, I have -- I still have no idea. That's the problem. We don't know who bankrolled this dossier and here we are ten months into this investigation and we still don't know that. I think that's a problem that the American people -- and I would think Democrats want to get to the bottom of this.

Bret Baier

00:04:29 - 00:04:45 (16 sec)

Not surprising Mr. Chairman, there's a conventional wisdom in the media -- this is from CNN Chris Cillizza -- for months congressional Republicans have watched in a combination of wonderment and terror as President Donald Trump has swerved all over the political world picking fights, fueling controversies and generally speaking making a mess of things.

Bret Baier

00:04:45 - 00:04:57 (12 sec)

On Tuesday, Republicans finally took some action, doing one of the only things left to them, they launched investigations of the past Democratic administration and the last Democratic presidential nominee.

Devin Nunes

00:04:57 - 00:05:14 (17 sec)

Well look, I had -- I'll put simple numbers here -- 90 percent of the media in this town is not just left but hard left. And they've become very vocal against this President. Anybody who has anything to say they attack as somebody who gets attacked by them on a daily basis.

Devin Nunes

00:05:14 - 00:05:22 (8 sec)

Then there's about 5 percent -- I put you in this category, Bret -- I think that are very fair. And then of course, there's another 5 percent that are hard right.

Devin Nunes

00:05:22 - 00:05:42 (20 sec)

But, you know, the President has really no chance in this town with the media after him all the time. But that has nothing to do with the fact of the matter is, is that we are trying to get answers. The American people should want the answers of who paid for the dossier. Was the dossier used by the Justice Department for warrants or was it used for any part of this investigation?

Devin Nunes

00:05:42 - 00:06:00 (18 sec)

Those are important answers that -- important questions we need answers to along with going back to the first topic, I think people need to know whether or not there was any involvement by the Russian government to sway favor with U.S. government agencies.

Bret Baier

00:06:00 - 00:06:06 (7 sec)

And as you stand there tonight, you still tonight have not seen anything that shows collusion between the Trump campaign and the Russians.

Devin Nunes

00:06:06 - 00:06:19 (13 sec)

No. And look, this is what I've said. I said this 10 months ago. I said this seven months ago. I said it last, you know, month and even today on your show. There still is no evidence of collusion between Trump and the Russians.

Devin Nunes

00:06:19 - 00:06:27 (8 sec)

And you know what, if there is, I continue to say this, I'll be the first to come out and say, here's what we found, and I think it's a big problem. And I would turn it over to Robert Mueller and his investigation.

Bret Baier

00:06:27 - 00:06:29 (2 sec)

Mr. Chairman -- we appreciate your time. We'll follow both investigations closely.

Devin Nunes

00:06:29 - 00:06:29 (1 sec)

Thank you -- Bret.