Amanpour and Company

FROM YOUR PERSPECTIVE, AND AS A, YOU KNOW, CIA KIND OF PERSP PERSPECTIVE, WHAT DOES THIS SAY ABOUT THE CURRENT STATE OF NATIONAL SECURITY? >> WELL, CHRISTIANE, YOU KNOW, FROM MY PERCH AT CIA WHEN I USED TO WORK THERE, WE USED TO WATCH THE NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL AND OF COURSE, YOU KNOW, THE DIRECTION THAT THE ADMINISTRATION WAS GOING IN, AND YOUR CHARACTERIZATION OF JOHN BOLTON AS A HAWK IS OF COURSE ACCURATE, AND THAT IS, INDEED, I THINK WHAT PRESIDENT TRUMP WAS LOOKING FOR IN IRAN. THE RUB HAS COME, THOUGH, WHEN YOU GET SOMEBODY LIKE BOLTON, WHO IS A HAWK ACROSS THE BOARDS, SOMEBODY WHO SUPPORTS STRONG, MUSCULAR OVERSEAS ACTIVITIES ON THE PART OF THE UNITED STATES USING BOTH HARD POWER OF THE MILITARY, SOFT POWER AS WELL, BUT WHEN YOU GET SOMEBODY LIKE THAT WHO BEGINS TO TAKE THE SAME APPROACH ON RUSSIA AND ON NORTH KOREA, WHICH IS AT ODDS WITH THE PRESIDENT, THEN YOU'VE GOT A PROBLEM. OBVIOUSLY, IN THE NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL, I THINK IT WORKS BEST WHEN YOU DO HAVE PEOPLE WHO ARE DISAGREEING WITH EACH OTHER SO IN A GOOD, NORMAL, HEALTHY ADMINISTRATION YOU COME TO SOME SORT OF CONCLUSION, THE PRESIDENT MAKES THE FINAL DECISION. BUT THERE'S A FINE LINE BETWEEN THAT HEALTHY DISCUSSION AND CHAOS. A GUY LIKE BOLTON HAS SORT OF A LONG HISTORY OF BEING CONTROVERSIAL, BEING ABRASIVE AND BEING VERY, VERY PUSHY WITH HIS OWN STAFF AND WITH OTHERS. THE QUESTION IS IF JOHN BOLTON IS ON THE OUTER RING OF NORMALCY IN TERMS OF JUST HOW YOU BEHAVE AS A BUREAUCRAT AND HOW YOU PLAY AS A TEAM MEMBER AND HE'S NOT ACCEPTABLE TO TRUMP, WHO'S NEXT? DEVIN NUNEZ OR SOMEBODY AS THE NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER? I DON'T KNOW WHERE YOU GO FROM BOLTON. IT WILL BE INTERESTING TO SEE WHAT THE PRESIDENT DECIDES ON THAT. >> YOU'RE RIGHT. AND CERTAINLY EVERYBODY OVERSEAS IS WAITING AND WATCHING TO SEE WHAT COMES NEXT AND WHO SPEAKS FOR U.S. FOREIGN POLICY. YOU'RE ABSOLUTELY RIGHT. IT'S GOING TO BE FASCINATING TO WATCH WHO IS NEXT NAMED AND WHICH ACTUALLY MEANS ON THESE KEY ISSUES. JIM, LET US NOW TALK ABOUT THIS STORY THAT YOU BROKE, WHICH IS THE EXTRACTION OF THIS ASSET, FOR WANT OF AN INTELLIGENCE SORT OF INSIDE WORD, WHO FOR DECADES HAS BEEN CULTIVATED APPARENTLY BY THE CIA AS HE APPARENTLY MOVED UP THE RANKS OF POLICY AND INSIDE RUSSIA. WHAT DID THIS PERSON BRING TO THE U.S. THAT WAS SO VALUABLE? >> ENORMOUS INSIGHT INTO THE WORKINGS OF THE KREMLIN BUT INTO THE PLANS AND THINKING OF THE RUSSIAN PRESIDENT. MY REPORTING IS, AS YOU NOTED, THIS IS SOMEONE WHO HAD BEEN PROVIDING INFORMATION TO THE U.S. FOR MSH TORE THAN A DECADE DURING THAT TIME HAD RISEN TO THE TOP OF RUSSIA'S NATIONAL SECURITY STRUCTURE, HAS ITS OWN NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL AS WELL. AND THIS PERSON HAD ACCESS DIRECTLY TO RUSSIAN PRESIDENT, INCLUDING I'M TOLD BY A FORMER TRUMP ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL, THE REMARKABLE ABILITY TO TAKE PHOTOGRAPHS OF PRESIDENTIAL DOCUMENTS.