WE’LL BE LOOKING FOR THE NEW
FEATURE ONLINE AND IN "THE NEW
YORK TIMES" MAGAZINE.
>>> NOW TO A NEW TWO-PART
DOCUMENTARY BY HBO ON RUSSIA’S
INTERFERENCE INTO THE 2016
ELECTION.
ENTITLED "AGENTS OF CHAOS."
HERE’S A LOOK.
>> PEOPLE LIKE TO THINK OF THE
SPECIAL COUNSEL’S OFFICE AS A
WITCH HUNT.
BUT THIS IS JUST NOT A PARTISAN
ISSUE.
OUR REPORT HAS ONE KEY FINDING.
CLEAR, UNEQUIVOCAL EFFORTS BY
THE RUSSIAN GOVERNMENT TO
INTERFERE WITH OUR ELECTION.
THE ISSUE THAT GOES TO THE CORE
OF OUR DEMOCRACY IS, ARE WE
DOING EVERYTHING WE CAN TO MAKE
SURE THAT AMERICANS WILL DECIDE
WHO IS RUNNING THIS COUNTRY?
>> AND THE FILM’S DIRECTOR,
ACADEMY WARD WINNING DIRECTOR
ALEX GIBNEY JOINS US.
THE CHAOS WE’RE TALKING ABOUT
TODAY NOW INCLUDES THE REPORTS
FROM THE ATLANTIC MAGAZINE WITH
JEFFREY GOLDBERG, UNBELIEVABLY
DISPARAGING THINGS THIS
PRESIDENT HAS SAID ABOUT MEMBERS
OF OUR MILITARY, THOSE WHO HAVE
DIED, THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN
INJURED.
I DON’T KNOW ANY PATRIOT WHO
WOULD THINK THAT HE IS FIT TO BE
PRESIDENT.
AND WITH THAT AS A BACKDROP, ARE
YOU WORRIED ABOUT THE ELECTION
AND WHAT THE PRESIDENT AND WHAT
IT APPEARS THE ATTORNEY GENERAL
IS DOING TO NOT ONLY SOW CHAOS
BUT TO UNDERMINE THE RESULTS,
WHATEVER THEY ARE?
>> YES, I AM.
I’M EXTREMELY LYLY WORRIED ABOUT
2020 ELECTION AND THAT WAS THE
DOMINANT REASON FOR DOING THIS
FILM.
IF YOU LOOK BACK AT 2016, SOME
OF THE SAME PLAYBOOK WAS IN
PLACE, NOT ONLY FOR WHAT TRUMP
WAS DOING.
LATE IN THE GAME HE WAS TALKING
ABOUT HOW THE ELECTION WAS GOING
TO BE RIGGED.
WELL, THAT WAS WORKING IN TANDEM
WITH A RUSSIAN CYBERCAMPAIGN TO
INFILTRATE ALL 50 STATES AND
ATTEMPT TO UNDERMINE ELECTION
DATA.
SO IT’S EXTREMELY CONCERNING.
AS WE GET REPORTS ABOUT THE
ATTEMPTS TO, YOU KNOW, CLAMP
DOWN ON MAIL-IN BALLOTS AND SO
FORTH AND SO ON.
IT’S ALL THE SAME PLAYBOOK, BUT
REINVENTED FOR 2020.
I’M EXTREMELY CONCERNED ABOUT
WHAT’S GOING TO HAPPEN THIS
ELECTION, AND THAT’S WHY, YOU
KNOW, THE FILM -- WE TAKE A BIG
LOOK AT HOW PAST IS PROLOGUE.
>> CATKATTY KAY?
>> I WANT TO ASK YOU HOW IT’S
CHANGED SINCE 2016 AND WHAT’S
BEING DONE ABOUT IT, IF ANYTHING
AT ALL.
I MEAN, THE FOCUS IN 2016 WAS
VERY MUCH ON KIND OF RUSSIAN
MEDDLING THROUGH -- AND THEN
GETTING IT ALL SPREAD THROUGH
SOCIAL MEDIA AND FACEBOOK.
IS THAT THE SAME THING WE’RE
SEEING THIS TIME AROUND?
AND IS ANYONE REALLY TRYING TO
TACKLE THIS?
>> I’M NOT SURE THAT ANYONE
REALLY IS TRYING TO TACKLE IT.
I MEAN, THE RUSSIAN ATTACK IN
2016 WAS A THREE-PRONGED ATTACK.
CYBERINTRUSIONS TO STEAL DATA.
THE CLINTON/PODESTA EMAILS AND
DNC EMAILS.
IT WAS CYBERINTRUSIONS INTO
ELECTION SYSTEMS AND ALSO SOCIAL
MEDIA.
THERE’S A REPORT BY ONE OF THE
WOMEN WHO -- THAT JUST CAME OUT
THIS WEEK BY ONE OF THE WOMEN IN
THE FILM ALL ABOUT HOW RUSSIANS
ARE NOW INFILTRATING FACEBOOK
ONCE AGAIN, CREATING FAKE
ACCOUNTS.
AND WE CAN ANTICIPATE THEY’LL
ALSO BE INVOLVED IN SOME OF THE
ELECTION INFRASTRUCTURE.
WE HAVEN’T SEEN YET ANY OF THE
INTRUSIONS INTO ATTEMPTS TO, YOU
KNOW, SUCK OUT DATA.
BUT I’M SURE THAT’S COMING.
THE CONCERNING THING IS A RECENT
REPORT THAT SAID THE DNI, THE
DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL
INTELLIGENCE IS NOT GOING TO
GIVE IN-PERSON BRIEFINGS TO
CONGRESS ABOUT POSSIBLE ELECTION
MEDDLING UNTIL THE ELECTION.
I MEAN, THAT’S A TERRIFYING
IDEA.
SO IT’S THIS KIND OF GAME WHICH
IS NOT A RED PHONE TO PUTIN, BUT
IT’S A HARMONIC SEDUCTION
BETWEEN THE TWO AGENTS OF CHAOS
THAT HAS REALLY GOT ME CONCERNED
FOR THIS UPCOMING ELECTION.
>> IN AN EFFORT TO REDUCE
MISINFORMATION, FACEBOOK SAYS IT
WILL BLOCK NEW POLITICAL ADS IN
THE WEEK LEADING UP TO ELECTION
DAY.
THE SOCIAL MEDIA GIANT SAYS IT
WILL AIM TO STRENGTHEN MEASURES
AGAINST POSTS THAT TRY TO
DISSUADE PEOPLE FROM VOTING.
MARK ZUCKERBERG MADE THE
ANNOUNCEMENT THROUGH A POST
SAYING IN PART, WE ALL HAVE THE
RESPONSIBILITY TO PROTECT OUR
DEMOCRACY.
THAT MEANS HELPING PEOPLE
REGISTER AND VOTE, CLEARING UP
CONFUSION ABOUT HOW THIS
ELECTION WILL WORK AND TAKING
STEPS TO REDUCE THE CHANCES OF
VIOLENCE AND UNREST.
CRITICS ARGUE THESE NEW RULES
MAY ALREADY BE TOO LITTLE, TOO
LATE AND SAY THE MISINFORMATION
AND OTHER TOXIC CONTENT FLOWS
FREELY OUTSIDE OF ADS INCLUDING
IN PRIVATE FACEBOOK GROUPS AND
IN POSTS BY USERS WHICH THE
COMPANY’S CHANGES DO NOT
ADDRESS.
I MEAN, FACEBOOK, THIS IS -- TOO
LITTLE, TOO LATE.
THIS IS PATHETIC.
I MEAN, FACEBOOK BASICALLY IS A
PLACE FOR ALL THESE LIES AND
MISINFORMATION CAN PROMULGATE
AND GROW AND THEN THESE ADS CAN
JUST DISAPPEAR INTO THIN AIR
WITH NO RECORD OF IT SO WE CAN’T
EVEN TRACK.
I MEAN, THIS IS A JOKE.
FACEBOOK IS A HUGE PART OF THIS,
IS IT NOT?
>> YES, THEY ARE.
BUT I THINK THE MOST IMPORTANT
THING TO FOCUS ON IS THAT THE
LAST GO AROUND, IT WAS AN
ATTEMPT AT VOTER SUPPRESSION.
THAT’S WHAT A LOT OF THE BACK
AND FORTH ON FACEBOOK WAS ALL
ABOUT.
PERSUADING PEOPLE TO GET SO
ANGRY THAT THEY WOULDN’T VOTE.
I THINK THAT’S WHAT WE ALL NEED
TO FOCUS ON IS ATTACKING VOTER
SUPPRESSION AND MAKING SURE THAT
EVERY AMERICAN HAS THE
OPPORTUNITY TO VOTE THIS COMING
ELECTION.
THAT’S WHAT’S KEY HERE.
I THINK IT GOES BEYOND FACEBOOK,
BUT FACEBOOK IS CERTAINLY PART
OF THE PROBLEM, AND THEIR
SOLUTIONS ARE, YOU KNOW,
PITIFUL, AT BEST.
>> ALL RIGHT.
ALEX, THE NEW DOCUMENTARY
"AGENTS OF CHAOS" DEBUTS
