Rice Explains Why She Unmasked Team Trump Members.
BLITZER: We have exclusive breaking news information on the Russia investigation. New details about what President Obama's national security advisor, Susan Rice, told congressional investigators. Let's bring in our senior congressional correspondent, Manu Raju. Manu, what are you learning?</s>MANU RAJU, CNN SENIOR CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, last week when Susan Rice met with the House Intelligence Committee, I'm told she talked at length about unmasking the identities of Trump officials whose names were shielded in classified intelligence reports. Now Rice was trying to figure out why the crown prince of the United Arab Emirates was in New York last December, because the Obama administration was not notified in advance of the crown prince's visit, which is typically custom. Now, it turns out the crown prince was in New York to meet with Jared Kushner, the president's son-in-law; Steve Bannon, his chief strategist; and Michael Flynn, then the president's incoming national security advisor. Now "The Washington Post" reported on the meeting earlier this year, but this is the first we're hearing of Rice detailing it as a reason to unmask, Wolf.</s>BLITZER: We've also heard about another secret meeting involving the emirates?</s>RAJU: Yes, that's right. This New York meeting preceded a separate effort by the UAE to facilitate a back-channel communication between Russia and the incoming Trump White House. And that back-channel discussion we know took place in the Seychelles Islands in the Indian Ocean shortly before the inauguration. Now, sources who know about the New York meeting insist that the Russia meeting, Russia issue was not discussed at all at Trump Tower. But Wolf, that -- the timing of that New York meeting, followed by the Seychelles meeting and the fact that the UAE did not notify the Obama administration about why it was coming to the united states has all raised questions in the eyes of investigators.</s>BLITZER: On another sensitive issue, we know that President Trump over the summer called on President Obama's former national security advisor, Susan Rice, for unmasking. What do they say now?</s>RAJU: Well, I actually put this question directly to Sarah Sanders, the White House spokesperson. And she would not explicitly say if the president still believes that Rice committed a crime, instead saying that the issue of leaking and classified intelligence and unmasking needs to be investigated. But a number of Republicans, Wolf, who sat in on the Rice testimony said they don't believe she did anything illegal and thy believe that she acted properly. And Wolf, Rice herself declined to comment for this story, and the UAE did, as well.</s>BLITZER: You also have some exclusive reporting on the FBI's refusing to allow two FBI officials to testify up on Capitol Hill. What are you learning?</s>RAJU: Yes, that's right. The Senate Judiciary Committee actually wants to meet with these two officials to learn more about the circumstances around the firing of James Comey. But they have been told the reason why these two officials will not come before the Senate Judiciary Committee is because of the special counsel's investigation, suggesting, Wolf, that the special counsel is looking into the issue of James Comey's firing and showing that perhaps the issue of obstruction of justice is on the table in its own investigation. And the Republican and Democrat on the Judiciary Committee saying, "Look, we don't want to talk about the investigation. We just want to focus on the Comey firing." But still the Department of Justice is not playing around.</s>BLITZER: Very strong reporting. Manu Raju, thank you, very, very much. Joining us now is the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, Representative Adam Schiff. Congressman, thanks for joining us. We've got lots of issues to discuss. I know you've got to vote fairly soon. But Republicans appear to be -- correct me if I'm wrong -- satisfied with Susan Rice's explanations regarding the unmasking of Trump campaign officials. Does this put to bed any suggestion she did anything either improper or illegal?</s>REP. ADAM SCHIFF (D-CA), RANKING MEMBER, INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE: Well, Wolf, I can't go into the contents of her testimony. I can say that, you know, very broadly we were interested in the Obama administration's response once we learned that the Russians were hacking our democratic institutions. But that Ambassador Rice was also asked about the unmasking issue. And I think that people were very satisfied with her testimony, and I can certainly express my own view that I see no indication that she did anything at all wrong, and in fact, I think that what she -- what she did in her role was perfectly appropriate. So I think that people were impressed with her testimony.</s>BLITZER: During an interview with "The New York Times" earlier this year, President Trump suggested that Susan Rice actually committed a crime by unmasking people. So how does that accusation look now in retrospect?</s>SCHIFF: Well, it looks now like it did at the time, which is a baseless accusation and a slander against a dedicated public servant. Not at all unlike the president's suggestion that he had been illegally wiretapped at Trump Tower, something that even the Justice Department recently debunked. But that had already been, I think, labeled as patently false by Director Comey and Director Rogers in their testimony.</s>BLITZER: What questions, Congressman, do you have about that meeting in December that Manu Raju just reported on between the UAE crown prince and Trump officials? Apparently, the -- the Trump White House was not -- the Obama White House was not informed about that -- that the crown prince of the UAE, the United Arab Emirates, was even visiting the United States.</s>SCHIFF: Wolf, that's a subject that I can't confirm or deny. So I'm not in a position to really discuss that.</s>BLITZER: All right. I know you've got to vote. We'll continue this conversation later. Adam Schiff of California, the ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, thank you very much.</s>SCHIFF: Thank you, Wolf.</s>BLITZER: Let's get to our panel. And Gloria Borger, let's start with you. These are all pretty dramatic developments, which suggests the Russia probe, the Russia investigation is moving on to a new level.</s>GLORIA BORGER, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, you know, it is, Wolf. And you'll remember at the beginning of the Russia probe -- and I think that's one of the reasons Manu decided to pursue this -- is that there were all these questions that were raised about this issue of unmasking and when, in fact, as Devon Nunes, who was the Republican chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, had intimated, that -- that the Obama administration was unmasking names of people in these meetings inappropriately. And I think what we are reading from and learning in Manu's piece is that, in fact, Susan Rice made the case that she had a good reason to try and figure out why -- who was in this meeting, because she had not been told about it in advance. And of course, this was during the transition when she was still national security advisor. So I think that is one big partisan area that, in effect, is starting to get cleared up, because we've heard intelligence official after intelligence official say that in issue of unmasking is, in fact, something that is done all the time, that it is not done for fun or gossip, but in fact, it's done because people need to understand the context of these meetings. And to help them understand what may or may not have taken place.</s>BLITZER: Dana Bash, so what does all this suggest about Devon Nunes, the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee -- he's removed himself from the actual Russia probe -- about his involvement in this? Because he's one of those who was suggesting that Susan Rice did something improper by unmasking these Trump campaign officials.</s>DANA BASH, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: He wasn't just one of those. He was taking the lead on it with that bizarre press conference that he had, that his, you know, racing to the White House, coming out again and talking to it. It suggests that maybe he didn't have all the information when he was accusing Susan Rice of unmasking. When I say all the information, all the information about why she unmasked. And now because of Manu's reporting, we have more information. And as you were reporting, Manu, Republicans understand more why Susan Rice felt that she had to do what she did. And say that they -- you know, that they can't blame her for it, that they probably would have done the same if they were in her position.</s>BLITZER: So does this put -- does it put to rest these accusations against Susan Rice, Jim Sciutto?</s>JIM SCIUTTO, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Well, I mean, not from one party, probably, but it's interesting. Very soon after Nunes made these accusations, we spoke with both Democratic and Republican lawmakers and asked if, based on the classified information they'd seen about these unmasking requests, whether there was anything unusual about them, untoward, illegal, and they told us -- Manu and I did that story; this is weeks ago. They said, no, Democrats and Republicans. So for some time that has been the view. This makes it more definitive, because now we know exactly. She's given her explanation as to what she was looking for. So it backs that up to some degree. But will it put it to rest for some Republicans? I don't know. I will say, though, that it's interesting, talking to members of the committee, Nunes -- and I wonder if you agree, Manu -- that Nunes is somewhat on an island here about these accusations. You don't -- you don't have Republicans lining up behind him and saying, "Yes, we've got to burn the house down over there."</s>MANU RAJU, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, no question about it. Tom Rooney, who's one of the members who is now helping run this investigation after Nunes stepped aside, said that Rice didn't do anything wrong. He said, in fact, he doesn't think that she did anything illegal. Same with Trey Gowdy, said something similar. Mike Conaway, who's running this investigation, told me yesterday there's no reason to bring her back for further questions. But I tried to ask Devon Nunes these questions yesterday. He declined to entertain any questions. He was upset about a previous story that CNN reported. He did not specify which story it was, but because of that, he didn't want to answer any questions whatsoever. Suggests that perhaps he's not satisfied, but he may be the only one who's not.</s>BLITZER: Yes. And just to be precise, Susan Rice, the then-national security advisor to President Obama and other Obama officials did not know the crown prince of the United Arab Emirates was in New York...</s>BASH: Exactly.</s>BLITZER: ... was meeting with officials over at -- with Trump campaign officials. And they said, "Well, who is he meeting with?" And that's the unmasking.</s>BASH: Exactly.</s>BLITZER: And the conclusion, apparently, is there's nothing wrong with her trying to figure out who visiting the crown prince of the UAE was meeting.</s>BASH: Right.</s>SCIUTTO: In light of the fact it would have been protocol for him to let the current administration, which was still serving, of course the Obama administration, to let them know. The UAE, a U.S. ally.</s>BORGER: You know, it's unsettling if you're the national security advisor and you see an important foreign figure coming into the United States, and you don't know about it. And you don't know why. And you don't know who this person is meeting with. And, you know, so I think that -- that she probably explained, like, "I had to try and figure out what he was -- what he was doing." And, by the way, there doesn't have to be anything nefarious there, I might add. Jared Kushner and the rest of the people in that meeting have said that they were talking about foreign policy, perhaps trying to establish a back channel to Russia. And so it doesn't mean that there was anything nefarious. What it means, though, is that the national security advisor of the United States didn't know about it.</s>BLITZER: Wanted to find out who they were meeting with. All right. Stand by, guys. There are new developments involving the president's former national security advisor, Michael Flynn. We'll share that with you right after a quick break.