Trump Camp: Obama Playing Politics With Russia Sanctions; Some of the World's Most Feared Leaders Praising Trump.
BOLDUAN: Tonight, is President Obama playing politics with Russia? President-elect Donald Trump's team slamming the president over the timing of punishments against Moscow for U.S. election hacks. It is just the latest chapter though under the very rocky relationship between Obama and Trump. Suzanne Malveaux is OUTFRONT.</s>SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's just the latest roadblock to a smooth transition. Donald Trump praising Vladimir Putin tweeting, "Great move on delay by V. Putin. I always knew he was very smart." Trump applauding Putin's remarkable move to wait for Trump to take office before responding to President Obama's decision to expel Russian diplomats and new sanctions. This comes on the heels of a back and forth week in which Trump has blasted President Obama tweeting, "He thought it was going to be a smooth transition, not." To Trump saying it was going smoothly. Now the president-elect and his team characterizing the current White House's showdown with Russia as politically motivated.</s>KELLYANNE CONWAY, TRUMP TRANSITION SENIOR ADVISER: Even those who are sympathetic to President Obama on most issues are saying part of the reason he did this today was to, quote, "Box in President-elect Trump." That would be very unfortunate if that were the motivating factor here, politics.</s>MALVEAUX: Trump's team continuing to dismiss the U.S. intelligence assessment on Russian cyber-attacks.</s>CONWAY: We've been talking about this for a while. I think that all we heard all through the election was Russia, Russia, Russia whenever it came to anything Donald Trump said or did it seemed most days and now since the election it's just this fever pitch of accusations and insinuations.</s>MALVEAUX: Trump says he'll meet with leaders of the intelligence community next week for a briefing on the hacking matter. But Trump supporter, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, suggesting the president-elect not bother.</s>RUDY GIULIANI, FORMER NEW YORK CITY MAYOR: I would urge President Trump when he becomes President Trump have his own intelligence people do their own report. Let's find out who did it and then let's bang them back really hard.</s>MALVEAUX: Trump is now set for a direct confrontation with his own party. As top Senate Republicans John McCain and Lindsay Graham prepare to hold hearings and consider harsher sanctions against Russia when the new Congress returns. But Trump's incoming chief of staff, Reince Priebus, warns the American people may not have appetite for another conflict.</s>REINCE PRIEBUS, INCOMING CHIEF OF STAFF: They may be privy to information that we don't know, but I also know that we're not interested in going to war all over the world either.</s>MALVEAUX: Meanwhile, the political theater continues to play out over Twitter, Trump immediately sending his tweet praising Putin to the top of his profile so it is the first thing people see visiting his page. And the official account of the Russian Embassy has now retweeted Trump's tweet -- Kate.</s>BOLDUAN: Suzanne, thank you so much. All playing out on Twitter, of course. OUTFRONT now, former Republican senator and presidential candidate, Rick Santorum, and the former Democratic mayor of Philadelphia, Michael Nutter. Gentlemen, it is wonderful to see you. I can't think of a better way to set my Friday. So Senator, first to you. With that now the attack begins, the Trump transition says it seems anyway that the president took these steps to box in the president elect. Some even think it goes a step further. Let me play for you right now, Senator, Republican Congress Trent Franks and what he said today.</s>REPRESENTATIVE TRENT FRANKS (R), ARIZONA: I am completely convinced that Barack Obama's primary motivation is to try to delegitimize the election.</s>BOLDUAN: Senator, do you agree with Trent Franks?</s>RICK SANTORUM (R), FORMER U.S. SENATOR: I think that that is certainly one of the motives that the president is using. Look, the idea that you wait until a few weeks before your presidency ends to handle a problem that's been ongoing and serious one for the security of our country, where the president has not responded at all. I mean, he has been completely feckless in dealing with Russia on a variety of fronts and not the least of which on the cyberside to wait till after the election and use -- everyone talks about the hack. Some of this wasn't even a hack. It was a basic -- a phishing expedition where one of the DNC officials gave a password. I mean, that is not a hack. That is just criminal activity that Russia or maybe somebody else took advantage of. But the idea that this -- that particular event or these series of events -- Trump's -- everything that occurred for eight years where Russia has been constantly going after us, attacking us, using cyber warfare and for us not to respond to that and to respond to this is clearly political and not one that I think is going to go down as a bright spot for the Obama presidency.</s>BOLDUAN: Mayor, what do you say to that?</s>MICHAEL NUTTER (D), FORMER MAYOR OF PHILADELPHIA: Senator, nice being on with you. You are absolutely wrong. You know that President Obama is taking these actions, A, because he's actually the president of the United States of the America. Mr. Trump is not yet. There is only one president at a time. Secondly, the administration has taken numerous actions over the course of President Obama's tenure. You may not be necessarily privy or myself or the general public but certainly our intelligence community has been dealing with these issues for some time.</s>SANTORUM: Name on, Michael. Michael, name one.</s>NUTTER: Hey, Senator, Senator, let me finish. Third, the fact of the matter is that President Obama has been very diligent in dealing with this particular issue even though the intelligence community announced before the election that this activity was taking place. And if he had taken these actions before the election I'm sure we'd be having a different debate about the timing of that. So he took his time and got a report from the intelligence community which apparently will be released next week. I think it is fairly conclusive and he's doing what he's doing. He's still the president until January 20th and he'll continue to act that way.</s>BOLDUAN: Mayor, let me ask you this, we did learn today that President Obama is planning to head to Capitol Hill next week to huddle with Democrats to try to plan how to fight Republican plans to repeal Obamacare. So essentially block Donald Trump from making good on a campaign promise. I bring that up because when you take that in mind, can you understand though why Trump's team are at least worried or not even worried, they are suggesting and saying that Obama is trying to box them in with regard to Russia?</s>NUTTER: Well, you know, unfortunately, this is some of the whining that goes on in the transition of power. But when you brag that you are going to remove one of the most important piece of the legislation in modern times, putting 20 plus million people who did have health care into a health care system, you could imagine -- You know, anyone could see that the president is going to try to keep the Affordable Care Act, Obamacare, if you will, in place. So that cannot be a surprise. This time last year I was on my way out of office and, you know, there are still things to be done. There is still work to be done and sometimes people get upset about that, but you took an oath. You serve until the last day and you do things that you think are right. And then when Mr. Trump has his opportunity after being sworn in he can then try do whatever he wants to do, but until that time President Obama is still the president.</s>BOLDUAN: So let me ask you then, Senator. This is one thing that keeps nagging on me. Trump's top adviser told me yesterday that Donald Trump stands by his past statements with regard to the hack and all of those past statements have cast doubt on the intelligence that points to Russia being behind the hack during the election. If the president elect is receiving the same kind of intelligence briefings if not more than top members of Congress, and those top members of Congress are confident as Russia, why is the president- elect so reluctant to admit it?</s>SANTORUM: Well, first off, who did the actual hacking or the case I mentioned before, it wasn't a hack. It was voluntarily a password was given.</s>BOLDUAN: But it is still a hack. They use the password to then hack into your system. It is still criminal as you pointed out.</s>SANTORUM: No, no, it is clearly criminal activity. But as most people who are skilled in cyber security know that this state actors are not the ones doing the hacking. There are lots of individuals out there doing that and then say sell this information, out on the dark web and other places, and could the Russians have purchased this or --</s>BOLDUAN: According to top Republicans and Barack Obama, this was directed from the very top levels of the Russian government. That is not just from President Obama. You can talk to John McCain about that too.</s>SANTORUM: I'm unconvinced at this point. I'm willing to be convinced, but I'm unconvinced at this point that that's actually what happened here. But the bottom line is that the information that was gathered was eventually coopted potentially by the Russians. I have no doubt that they would want that information and could have purchased that information and used it. So that doesn't surprise me at all. But the more important part is why did Barack Obama wait until a few weeks before his presidency, as Michael couldn't answer the question --</s>BOLDUAN: Mayor, on this point because we have no more time because I know the senator believed this, did he wait too long? Do you wish he had done it earlier, Mayor, done this?</s>NUTTER: You know, it's one of those situations. A little bit of damned if you do and damned if you don't situation. The president waited until he had clear, solid evidence. That's what the FBI, and Homeland Security and the National Intelligence director have all said. And then as news reports have accounted, he spent some time with his team. There are a lot of debates going on back and forth, what to do, how to do it, when to do it. You know, it is interesting that all folks want to hang their hat on is the timing. The timing is the timing you take your action when you take your action --</s>BOLDUAN: And this bromance gets to take us into the New Year. Great to see you guys. Thank you very, very much. I sincerely appreciate it always. OUTFRONT for us next, the performer invited to sing at Trump's inauguration could have simply opted out instead she's protesting in a very public way. Why? Plus a top Republican on a collision course with Donald Trump as he calls for a hearing on the Russian hacks.