what makes for a good national security an adviser and effective nsc? >> good morning, everybody. od to be with you. many in washington would see the model for national security as adviser as brent sco co-- skros scowcroft. i worked for brent. he has to have a close relationship with the president and has to have a temperament congenial to the president. he doesn't necessarihy have to know the president when he takes his position as national security advisor. curio curiously, henry kissinger had one 5 minute meeting with richard nixon at a cocktail party before he was offered the job. but he certainly over time has to have that relationship. second, and of course we assume, he has to be very smart. second, it's a big management job because getting before the president decisions he needs to make and then being sure the decisions he makes are implem t implemented is a big management job. some of the nsc advisors who haven't done all that well haven't because they concentr e concentrated on their substantive advice to the president at the expense of their management role. third, this

one, the only person with some economic brown who is national secured adviser is sandy burger who trailed walt. he was one of those very broad people, but i would agree fundmentally with the neglect of big economic trade issues by the national security system. the way this has been resolved, starting actually under clinton, is that the key person doing international economic affairs on the nec reported -- reports to in the nsc. mike ferman is one of the more stronger and powerful people in that position. both the deputy advisor under robe o own and a deputy in nsc and personal merged. that. one other point on temperment. the key characterishing in the national security adviser is someone who can create the trust within his cabinet counterparts, particularly the secretary of state and secretary of defense, they're views will be represented fairly on a day-to-bay, minute-to-minute basis to the president. the national security as vicar, just because of the nature of the job, sees the president every hour on the hour almost, and at the beginning of the day, and at the end of the day, and the

structure where you had a principals committee chaired by the national security advisers and whose members are the members of the national security council minus the president and sometimes the vice president. so you have senior cabinet figures coming together on a regular basis chaired by the national security adviser. you then have the deputies committee which is the number two and most of the departments depending on what department you're talking about. that is trying to manage the process on a day-to-day basis and is a crisis manager facilitator. third and this is what changes, you'd have the assistant secretary interagency working groups which get renamed after every president because that's a presidents prerogative. so currently the policy committees is ipc. they sometime get chaired by departments sometimes by the nfc. there's always always a big fight about that issue. on whether the department gets the chair. over time in reality it's because the central mechanism is in the white house intends to be chaired by the nfc. even in the obama administration were initially there is the

we now have confirmed that donald trump's national security adviser, his choice for national security adviser communicated with russian ambassador to the u.s. on the very same day that the obama administration was opposing new sanctions on russia for election-related meddling. is that a appropriate time for the national security adviser to speak with russian officials? >> well, what i understand is that he was talking about a potential call. may have even been saying in light of this we have to delay the call. i can't know the details of it. you know, only one president at a time. the president set an agenda and decided to do something that i think all of us know hehead have done months earlier. he should have done it when they knew what they were doing. >> that's the criticism of the policy. you say there is only one president at a time and that was obama at the time. >> jim, the president chose a day. the fact is, the incoming administration was dealing with 200 heads of state around the world and communications with limited staff. so, the fact that it occurred on the same day is on

breaking news to tell you about, more information about an investigation between trump's national security advisere flynn and russia's ambassador to the u.s. the conversations took place in late december. sean spicer was asked about them in today's press briefing and our chief national security correspondent jim sciutto joins us with the latest. what exactly it is that investigators are looking into here? >> so anderson, they're looking into phone calls in late december between general flynn and the russian ambassador to the u.s. we're told by law enforcement and intelligence officials that this investigation continues, and this is crucial, that they're not just looking into the phone calls themselves, rather the fact that they took place. they're looking into some of the content of these calls, in other words, what was said on these calls which raises potential concerns. i should say and make clear at this point they've not established any wrongdoing so far by the national security adviser to trump, general flynn. >> so why was u.s. intelligence listening to phone calls between flynn -- i assume

so as a national security adviser for those that don't know, one of his jobs is to be in constant communication with counterparts and security issues all over the world. >> the tick-tock on this is that at christmas the two of them texted each other merry christmas. a couple of days later this ambassador texted general flynn that he wanted to talk and then the next day they had a conversation which did happen to be that same day, but i have talked to general flynn. none of that came up and the subject matter of sanctions or the actions taken by the obama administration did not come up in the information. in fact, it was the sports team that was in an unfortunate plane accident. they talked about setting up a phone call after inauguration, and they also talked about a conference in syria, and that conference in regard to isis in syria. those were the only subjects that came up, but there was no controversy in general flynn talking about their counterparts in the world? >> there was no challenge by the russians? >> no, sir. >> there was a new report out from "esquire" magazine that includes quote

investigators are scrutinizing calls last month between the new national security adviser, michael flynn, and the russian ambassador to the u.s. part of a broader counter intelligence investigation. why are the calls being reviewed, and what is the white house saying tonight? i'll talk to the former director of the cia, leon panetta. >>> killer storms. dozens of tornadoes bring death and destruction to the u.s., while wind, rain and snow pummel the west and northeast. we're tracking dangerous sweater across the country. >>> and day one promises. candidate trump promised action on hot button issues like the border wall and obamacare in his first day on office. which pledges is he keeping and which ones are shifting? we want to welcome our viewers in the united states and around the world. i'm wolf blitzer. you're in "the situation room." >>> this is cnn breaking news. >> we're following breaking news. president trump meeting with congressional leaders at the white house just a little while ago. he also met with business and union leaders today, and he signed three executive actions, inclu

. >>> also breaking, the president-elect, and his pick for national security adviser. tonight, word that retired general michael flynn was on the phone with the russians, the same day president obama sanctioned them for the hacking. tonight, the explanation for that call. jon karl standing by. and breaking now, congressman john lewis, saying mr. trump is not a legitimate president. >>> found alive. the baby stolen 18 years ago. tonight, the young woman discovered. >>> the blistering federal report on the chicago police department tonight. the feds now reporting excessive force and racial bias. >>> a hidden america. what it's really like for families in this country, simply trying to make ends meet. diane sawyer is back tonight. >>> and, "america strong." the famous sisters tonight, and their heartfelt letter. after all, they lived it. >>> good evening. it's great to have you with us on a friday night. a very busy news night. we begin with the dangerous drive home for tens of millions. what authorities are calling possibly the worst ice storm to hit the heartland in a d

why the incoming national security adviser may have a need to contact the representative of a foreign government based here in washington, d.c. it depends on what they discussed, depends on what they said. >> reporter: he has been scrutinized since he was tapped to be national security adviser. he was seated near putin at a dinner in 2015. trump again denied claims that russia has compromising information on him and continued to accuse the intelligence chiefs of leaking the allegations. he tweeted, it was probably released by intelligence, in quotes, even knowing there is no proof and never will be. a transition official tells cnn that there is not frequent contact between flynn and the russian ambassador to the u.s., and this key detail, that there was no discussion of those new obama administration sanctions on russia in that december 29th phone call, the same day, of course, that those sanctions were being imposed. jim sciutto, cnn, washington. >>> now on to the fbi and its director, james comey. donald trump has left open the question of whether he'll keep james comey as fbi direc

i know there was a tweet yesterday from the former national security adviser that said where is the c.i.a. out of everything. i would like to remind the former national security adviser when the memo was drafted in 2009, i don't see the obama administration including it in theirs. president trump who is including it in the n.s.c. after the d.n.i. was named and sworn in in 2005, we are the administration that is adding it back into the n.s.c. it was the obama administration that didn't have it in. to answer the former national security adviser's tweet, the c.i.a. was in ours and wasn't in theirs. ith respect to over the -- moving on to, the president signed another memo when he was at the department of defense instructing the joint chiefs of staff to deliver a plan to defeat isis. it must include a recommendation to changes of any rules of engagement and other policy restrictions that exceed the requirements of international law regarding the use of isis, public diplomacy, information operations and cyber strategies to isolate and delegitimize isis, identification of new coalition partners

. >> developing news on kangts with russia's ambassador and donald trump's national security adviser. >> donald trump pick to be national security adviser was on the phone with the russian ambassador at the same time the obama administration was considering sanctions against moscow. >> his comments about putin and russia aren't in the world of reality. >> just today, president-elect trump slamming the intelligence community again. >> the legitimacy of america's highest office is being called in to question by civil rights legend. >> i don't see president elect as a legitimate president. i think there was a conspiracy on the part of the russians and others to help him get elected. >> if donald trump knew there was no contact between the campaign and russia and the flynn calls are innocent he would be taking the opposite tactic he is taking. >>> washington was rocked this morning by news that an adviser to donald trump made several phone calls to russia's ambassador to the united states on december 29th, the same day the obama administration announced sanctions on russia in retaliation

during the first four years of the obama administration, now the national security adviser, the secondfour years, what are you most proud of when it comes to national security over these past eight years? in other words, what do you see as your greatest success? >> well, wolf, obviously i would count a number of things. but let me mention four briefly. we have spoken about one. that is the iran nuclear deal. the use of diplomacy to achieve a very important security objective without the use of force, through pressure, sanctions and diplomacy. that's made american safer. it's made our ally, israel, safer, it's made our regional partners safer. that's one. the paris climate deal and all the work that we have done to address climate change and reduce the risk of that being a catastrophic threat to the american people and to the world at large in the decades to come. i am also proud of our opening to cuba and the fact that we have put behind us 50 years of failed policy and opened a relationship that will ultimately benefit the people of cuba and certainly the people of the united states a

there's a lot of controversy around flynn, the national security adviser. is disparagement of these findings. these accusations that it's politicized intelligence, that sort of echoes flynn's argument. and more than any other figure in this national security team, flynn is really worrying people in the intelligence community. that's what i've heard from these four former officials today. >> david, gloria, pamela, thank you so much. i appreciate it. when we come right back, the former cia director who says he is no longer a top adviser to donald trump. >>> breaking news tonight. sources saying that u.s. spy agencies know who passed stole e-mails to wikileaks and they have information that russian officials celebrated donald trump's election victory. let's discuss now with michael chertoff, a former secretary of homeland security. p.j. crowley, former assistant secretary of state and author of "red line: american foreign policy in a time of fractured politics and failing states." and ambassador r. james woolsey, chairman of the foundation for defense of democr

national security. general flynn, who's been named as national security adviser, very distinguished officer hroughout his military career. ran spew problems with the white house and pent depon. some concerns have been raised that he in fact does have a reputation for being disputacious, and someone whose focus, at least through his career, has not necessarily been on a wide range of national security issues. how do you think his characteristics fit the ideal as you described it earlier? >> well, i don't want to speak to that, because i don't know the man. i don't know washington reputations that were formed in some different ways. i do want to reinforce something that was just been said about a national security advisors and economic issues, and i may be not quite right about this, but i was just sitting there thinking, has there ever been a economist that's been the national security advisor, and i guess they would qualify, but i don't think there's another one. maybe there is i'm forgetting, and they tend to be national security types, generals, admirables or people like condi on , who spent her career

. >> as the president's pick for national security adviser comes under more scrutiny. the new details about mike flynn's contact with the russian government. >>> cold case cracked. >> oh, my daughter alexis. >> teenager in tears allegedly snatched from the hospital 18 years later, her birth family brokenhearted but never giving up hope. >> i have been praying and praying for this day. >> how she was finally found. >>> and to the rescue. a state trooper ambushed. two motorists stopping to help. >> this is a civilian shot on i-10. he's in real bad shape. >> one driver using his own gun to shoot the suspect. the officer lucky to be alive this morning. >>> hey, good morning on a saturday when we've got several political firestorms brewing in washington and an major ice storm hitting the plains. >> the theme, storms. the latest on the trump transition coming up. >>> over 20 million americans are in the nation's midsection dealing with another powerful storm forecast to bring region. >>> check out this video. a driver trying to open his iced over door and then when he finall

. >>> more breaking news, new details about the investigation between trump's national security adviser mike flynn. plus my interview with bernie sanders. his take on president trump's first day in office. ah, that $s not exactly a fortune. well, a 103 yeah, 103. well, let me ask you guys. how long did it take you two to save that? a long time. then it's a fortune. well, i'm sure you talk to people all the time who think $100k is just pocket change. right now we're just talking to you. i told you we had a fortune. yes, you did. getting closer to your investment goals starts with a conversation. schedule a complimentary goal planning session today. (ee-e-e-oh-mum-oh-weh) (hush my darling...) (don't fear my darling...) (the lion sleeps tonight.) (hush my darling...) man snoring (don't fear my darling...) (the lion sleeps tonight.) woman snoring take the roar out of snore. yet another innovation only at a sleep number store. he's happy.t's with him? your family's finally eating vegetables thanks to our birds eye voila skillet meals. and they only take 15 minutes to make. ahh! birds eye voi

memo to add the cia back into the nsc so i know there was a tweet yesterday from the former national security adviserhat said "where is the cia out of everything?" i'd like to remind the former national security adviser that, when the memo was drafted in 2009, i don't see the obama administration including the cia in theirs. it is president trump that is including the cia, not the former administration. so just to be clear, when it comes to the cia, as you know, number one, it wasn't part of the restructuring of the nfc after the dni was named and sworn in, in 2005, and we are the administration that's adding it back into the nfc and amending it. it was the obama administration that didn't have it in. to answer the former national security adviser's tweet, the cia is in ours and it wasn't in theirs. with respect to over -- hold on one second. moving on. the president also signed another memo when he was at the department of definition instructing joint chiefs of staff and the next 30 days to deliver to him a plan to defeat isis. this comprehensive strategy and plan must include a recommendation to ch

russian ambassador, sergei kisliak, and general michael flynn, who is trump's designated national security adviser. i was told this by a senior u.s. government official. the trump transition team did not respond to my request for comment last night, but they did respond today, and they offered their own time line, which is contemporaneous but not identical, according to sean spicer, the campaign spokesman, the call was made on december 28th, the day before sanctions were announced, and discussed as your introductory clip said arrangements for a trump-putin conversation after the inauguration. i was told additionally today by trump transition officials that k kisliak extended an invitation to the trump administration to attend a conference in kazhakstan in late january, the conference on syria and that's interesting because the russians have been very clear that they intended to exclude the obama administration, the u.s., in the initial discussions of this, so that would signal a change. basically to your question, is this improper or not? if there was an intervention that affected the sanctions an

national security team is under investigation for his contact with russia. cbs news has learned investigators are looking into at least one phone call in december between national security adviserael flynn and russia's ambassador to the united states sergey kislyak. >> good morning. >> good morning, retired general michael flynn was during the campaign and is now one of the president's top advisers and he's acknowledged having contacts with top russian officials. but over the last several weeks investigators led by the fbi have been taking a closer look to his calls to the russian ambassador in washington. >> reporter: the call came on december 29th. the same day the obama administration expelled dozens of russian diplomats in response to a wave of cyber attacks during the presidential election. >> during the transition i asked flynn if there were any conversations beyond the ambassador, and he said no. >> reporter: sean spicer said on monday the call between flynn who is now the national security adviser and the russian ambassador covered four topics. >> one was the loss of life that occurred in the plane crash. two was christmas and holiday greetings. three was to talk about

. >> you know who michael flynn s pick for the national security adviser. what his son tweeted. what victory, women already have equal rights and yes equal pay in this country, what more do you want? free many peddies? what's your response? i know you speak your mind. >> i want to say that women do have a lot of rights in this country. if you go to other countries they really struggle. and women watch too much reality tv. because there's a lot of things going on in the world more important than mani/pedis and salary inequality can be fixed. if you do work and your evaluation rates your work then job performance is exceptional, you should get a raise. should be based on that. >> i think you're right about that. today we spent a lot of time, which we weren't going to -- just wasn't on the radar, talking about crowd sizes. crowd size, had enough to get him elected president of the united states. enough people who went out to vote for him. spent the first day talking about how big and arguing and press secretary giving wrong numbers about how many people were there and so on. do you

and more questions are raised about the president-elect's national security adviser michael flynn and his contact with the russian ambassador. meanwhile the house joining the senate in taking first steps to repeal obamacare. let's get to it. david gergen, kiersten powers and -- happy friday evening. tonight the committee announced going to investigate any links between russia and individuals in this presidential campaign, cyberactivity in the election and interview and subpoena if necessary individuals from the trump and obama administration. what is your reaction? >> it was a surprise wasn't it? earlier in the day, statements were they were not going down all those trails. now for whatever reason, maybe because looked at more evidence, they decided they should. what it means is these investigations are going to be shadowing president trump as he takes office and into the first hundred days. going to make a higher hill for him to climb. >> this is surprising because donald trump also telling the "wall street journal" tonight he's going to keep sanctions against russia for a period of

. >> tonight confirmation that president-elect trump's national security adviser michael flynn was inontact with the russian ambassador to the u.s. the same day the obama administration announced retaliation for unprecedented cyberattack. exchanged a series of text messages and a phone call. christmas day flynn texted russian ambassador, wish you merry christmas and happy new year. look forward to touching base and wish you the best. ambassador texted back, wishing merry christmas in return. then december 28th, texted flynn and said i'd like to give you a call. may i? happened december 29th, the same day white house announced sanctions on russia and ordered 35 russian diplomats to leave the country immediately. trump's transition team said didn't discuss sanctions but focused on arranging a call between vladimir putin and president-elect trump after the inauguration. say it depends. >> you can imagine these kinds of interactions may take place, incoming national security adviser may have need to contact the representative of foreign government based in d.c. depends on what was said, w

"the wall street journal" says president trump's national security adviser was investigated for alleged connections with russia. intelligence agents say michael flynn phoned russia's u.s. ambassador in late december. the calls happened on the day president trump sanctioned russia for cyber attacks on the u.s. a white house spokeswoman denies knowledge of the investigation. "the new york times" reports on a lawsuit that will accuse president trump of violating the constitution. the suit says mr. trump's hotels and other business operations should stop accepting money from foreign governments. a team of constitutional and ethics lawyers plan to file the suit today. the president's son eric says profits from foreign customers will be donated to the treasury. >>> the independent of britain says white house officials are starting to discuss moving the u.s. embassy in israel from tel aviv to jerusalem. palestinians have protested the plan, saying it would kill prospects for peace. president trump vowed while campaigning to move the embassy, despite warnings that it would violate international

know what the content of the conversation was, but it doesn't strike me as unnatural for a national security adviseresignate to reach out to the russian ambassador. after all, that's one of the most important relationships we have where by then we would have been less than one month to the inauguration, and those are two people who are going to have a relationship going forward, so no, i didn't find it particularly unusual and i was very troubled to find somebody suggest that it might be illegal. i think that's patent nonsense. >> big picture here. you have both republicans and democrats. i just had two on the air just now speaking really in unison, uniformly that russia is a major threat, that the meddling in the election, while no indication that it affected the results, but still was a serious attack on american democracy. do you believe, are you troubled by president-elect trump, in his public comments, playing down the importance of this election meddling? >> well, i think the team of the president and his -- president-elect and his team are now in the waiting room, if you will, and soon, anoth

important for the secretary of defense of course but also throughout the national security system to remember that the national security adviser is not in the chain of command. and certainly with regard to where orders come from and how they are communicated. is it from the president? is it from national security adviser? i think that tension, which again is present in many administrations will play itself out here and we will see what the answer to your question is very soon. >> once again, i agree with dr. hix. you know, it seems -- i have no idea what this will turn into. from what i have read he likes to have lots of competing powers competing for his ear and jocking around and bouncing into each other. my personal preference is for orderly processes. then again, i'm not president so i don't get to make that decision. i think there will be a lot of pushing and shofving. >> thank you boat. >> flynn versus mattis and kelly. it will be interesting, a two star versus two four-stars. the three star has the president's ear daily. you want to comment on that? >> it is one of the arguments in the long run for not having retired ge

best to wait until you get into the oval office, until you're the national security adviser. but context is important here. the let's remember that flynn did take money from rt, which is a russian propaganda mechanism, that he did sit directly next to vladimir putin. these things don't happen by accident. when you put it together, then perhaps it tells a ditfferent story rather than just christmas greetings. >> do you disagree? >> a >> i do somewhat. it would behoove the incoming administration to come up with an account of why flynn is talking to the russian ambassador during that time period, beyond just merry christmas. >> steve, the reports on trump and russia have caused an uproar here. how do other countries see it? do you think that trump's surrounding himself with pro-russia figures, like tillerson, flynn, paul manafort, is going to influence how other countries work with us? ? . >> i think it could very well, it's something we lose in some of the salacious pieces. but i think our liaison partners are going to wonder. they're going to say, okay, if that is the case th

jim sciutto has more on this story. >> confirmation that president-elect trump's national security adviser general michael flynn was in contact with the russian ambassador to the u.s. the very same day the obama administrationry nounsed retaliation for russia's unprecedented cyberattack of the 2016 election. in late december the trump transition team said that flynn and the russian ambassador exchanged a series of text messages and a phone call. on christmas day flynn texted the russian ambassador, quote i want to wish you a merry christmas and a happy new year. i look forward to working with you. i wish you all of the best. the ambassador texted back, wishing him a merry christmas. then the russian ambassador texted him saying, i would like to give you a call. may i? that phone call happened on december 29, the same day that u.s. leveled sanctions. trump's transition team said they did not discuss sanctions on russia. their focus was on arranging a call between vladimir putin and president-elect trump after the inauguration. the white house says its reaction depends. >> i would imagine wh

national security team and russia. jeff pegues is looking into this. >> reporter: when president trump left cia headquarters saturday, a couple steps behind him was his national security adviserral michael flynn. cbs news has learned that u.s. investigators have been looking into at least one phone call in late december between flynn and russia's ambassador to the united states, sergey kislyak. the call came just as the obama administration expelled dozens of russian diplomats and announced sanctions in response to the wave of election cyber attacks. on december 30th, russian foreign minister sergei lavrov suggested on russian television that the kremlin would retaliate by expelling american diplomats, but shortly thereafter, president vladimir putin sent out a note saying that he would not kick u.s. diplomats out of the country and instead talked about restoring russian-u.s. relations based on the policies of the trump administration. president-elect trump then responded in a tweet, "great move on delay by v. putin. i always knew he was very smart." investigators are trying to determine whether the trump team was coordinating with the russians leading up to and after the ele

national security council in history. it's of concern this, quote, reorganization. >> deputy national security adviser under president obaman's presence on nsc is risky. >> concern is decisions on national security and foreign policy should be a politics-free zone to the greatest extent possible. >> national security council created after world war ii for the president to be able to handle immediate threats facing the country. >> it was designed to stabilize presidential policy and constrain the president a little bit so he wouldn't talk to anybody. >> core members were president, vice president, secretaries of state and defense, chairman of the joint chiefs of staff. sometimes other secretaries like treasury or energy have been added in. the secretaries make up the principle's committee. >> the security council does not make decisions, the president makes decisions. he doesn't have to follow their advice. >> reporter: if president trump's nsc it would have included dan coates and chairman of chief of staff but under president trump the principles committee will not include dunford or coats except when expertise is called

>> what are we hearing about trump's national security adviser michael flynn and russian ambassador to the u.s., what are we learning about that? >> reporter: well, a lot of questions have been swerlg the past few days, trump team addressing it yesterday, saying michael flynn had been in touch with the russian ambassador to russia on several occasions, talking initially about when the russian ambassador to turkey was shot several weeks ago and continuing that communication in a text on christmas, both wishing each other merry christmas. the one raising eyebrows, december 29th, phone call between the russian ambassador and retired lieutenant general michael flynn. the trump transition team saying that phone call was merely to begin arranging a meeting or phone call between russian president vladimir putin and donald trump. some are expressing concerns. on december 29th, the same day that president obama did put in place sanctions against russia, expelling 35 russian diplomats, and of course that centuries old act, logan act, that does prohibit u.s. citizens from interfering in a dispute

. >> new reports of an investigation into trump's national security adviser, a lawyer behind a new trump ethics lawsuit joins me live. and about that women's march. >> and the president is not america. >> tonight cecile richards, gloria stein 'em on what may have been the largest protest in america history and what this movement does next. >> this can't end today. >> "all in" starts right now. >>> good evening from new york. i'm chris hayes on what the white house called donald trump's first working day on the fourth day, sean spicer said he is not in the business of lying to the american people. >> i believe that we have to be honest with the american people. i think sometimes we can disagree with the facts. there are certain things that we may miss -- we may not fully understand when we come out, but our intention is never to lie to you, jonathan. >> spicer felt the need to make that claim after he came under heavy criticism for his bizarre appearance on saturday where he berated the white house press kofrps for its inauguration coverage before storming off without taking questions. he

they are looking into phone calls, particularly in late december, between mike flynn the national security adviser and the russian add bass door to the u.s. that this investigation is ongoing, i should say that they have not established so far any wrongdoing by mike flynn, but they were looking in this, not only -- they are looking in this, not only at the fact that the calls took place, but they're interested in the content of the calls, the content of the calls raised some potential concerns about those conversations. i will reiterate, they have found no wrongdoing by mike flynn. mike flynn was not the target of this eavesdropping, it's routine, done by intelligence agencies targeting foreign officials, particularly those operating here in the u.s., it operated on the other end of the conversations was the national security adviser. >> jim, sean spicer made some claims today about the president's visit to the cia on saturday, trying to clean up the mess left from this weekend. what he said, was it accurate? >> not entirely, frankly. he -- donald trump went to the cia and said the media created h

we're talking about the other generals, one of whom is now his national security adviser, a very controversialho have been appointed to homeland security. talk about another one being director of intelligence. these were guys who worked with in the field, general to general. yes, i count them as friends. iadmire them. they are uniquely experienced in the business of confrontation and conflict, and they know their business. and they have learnt their business through hard yards, principally in iraq and afghanistan. they are military men with no experience of statecraft or diplomacy whatsoever. yeah, so if you ask them for a cool, clear, genuinely strategic experienced military view, then there are almost nobody better in the world to give that advice. but these are guys who know how to fight wars. now we're talking about political roles, being the head of the defence department, the boss in the pentagon. that's not a job for a bloke in uniform. that's a job for a bloke like you now, with a suit on. they are now faced with a very difficult transition. i have such confidence in their character an

today there are new questions about national security adviser michael flynn and russia. >>> plus, what can we learn from president trump's time on "the apprentice" when it comes to his insistence on inflating numbers? reality tv and how past is prolog prologue. >>> good afternoon, welcome to "the lead." i'm jake tapper. we're going to begin with our politics lead. president trump and his team trying to steer back on to a policy track after a first few days marked by accusations of score settling and digressions and of course outright falsehoods. moments ago president trump talked trade with union leaders after he fulfilled one of his top campaign promises withdrawing the u.s. from the trans-pacific partnership, formally, it's a trade agreement championed by president obama but opposed by president trump. not to mention hillary clinton and bernie sanders. also this afternoon, president trump's press secretary, a number of the administration's positions. he backed away from some of the pledges the president made on the campaign trail. for the first time in the trump administration, this

institute of peace and for peace and i especially want to thank steve hadley and many of the national security advisers and other cabinet officers for their graciousness, their time and their counsel over these past two months. with the current and former national security advisers in the way of current and former national security council staffers and others that are in the room here today this really represents the collective wisdom and experience of some of america's greatest national security thinkers, practitioners and stewards and what i would like to do is make up brief pause because i'm in awe of secretary albright was sitting here that front today and i would like everybody to give her a round of applause. thank you so much. [applause] as susan just demonstrated and as secretary albright has also demonstrated just a grace, dignity and an elegance and a commitment to this country that goes beyond our wildest imagination to people outside don't realize the sacrifices and what you see in.arise, ambassador rice and secretary albright and i think that transcends who we are. it is americans that are

trump's pick for national security adviser michael flynn is facing questions about a series of phone calls with russia's ambassador including on the day the obama administration announced sanctions retaliating against russia for its interference on the election. >> on the very eve of these sanctions, was it right to have that conversation? >> now trump tells "the wall street journal" he would be open to lifting sanctions on russia in the future. quote, if you get along and if russia is really helping us why would anybody have sanctions if somebody is doing some really great things? >> three senators in trump's own party disagree with him on russia and that disagreement dominated confirmation hearings this week. >> do you believe that vladimir putin and his cronies are responsible for ordering the murder of countless dissidents, journalists and political opponents? >> i do not have sufficient information to make that claim. >> none of this is classified, mr. tillerson. these people are dead. >> do you think the russians are behind hacking into our election? >> i just know what the med

general clapper did fire mike flynn the kin coming national security adviser. he first promoted him to be the head of intelligence and then fired him. that is one of the issues that many people believe is coloring the hostility that has gone on for weeks now from donald trump against these intelligence agency chiefs. >> that's right, andrea, and a lot of people think that that is the backdrop to that "wall street journal" record saying that donald trump is planning to revamp the dai and the cia. and today you have the trump team pushing back very firmly against this report. they are in a little bit of damage control saying that's not true. i can tell you based on my reporting there are conversations going on behind the scenes about taking a hard look at how these agencies are interacting, is there a way to streamline them, is there a way to make them more effective? at the same time as a part of that damage control, you have officials within trump tower to make the case that more broadly donald trump supports intelligence agencies. that flies in the ways agains

let's start with chief national security correspondent jim sciut sciutto, doing important reporting on this investigation into conversations that the president's national security adviserlynn, had with the russian ambassador here in the united states. >> that's exactly right. u.s. investigators scrutinizing late december phone calls between mike flynn, his national security adviser and russia's ambassador to the u.s. this is part of a broader counterintelligence investigation of russian activities here in the u.s. this according to law enforcement and intelligence officials. the calls captured by what is routine eavesdropping targeting russian diplomats, but this is what's key, wolf, is one, that this probe is continuing, but two, that investigators are looking at the content of this conversation as well as the simple fact that the conversations took place. and that's key because this point we heard sean spicer say earlier today that he spoke to general flynn about these calls and that flynn told him they were purely about scheduling things, scheduling a call between putin and trump, exchanging holiday greetings, expressing condolences for a plane crash that took place