JOHN ROBERTS NORTH LAWN.

>> Sandra: FOR MORE ON THIS

LET'S TURN TO BUCK SEXTON

FORMER C.I.A. ANALYST.

WE RECEIVED A STATEMENT FROM

DAN HOFFMAN.

HE COULDN'T COME ON THIS

MORNING BUT WE REACHED OUT TO

HIM FOR A STATEMENT.

HE SAID I HAVE LESS OF PROBLEM

WITH CNN INVESTIGATIVE

JOURNALISTS RUNNING WITH A HOT

STORY THAN THE SOURCES THAT

TIPPED THEM OFF.

IF ANY OF STORY IS TRUE,

WHOEVER WAS DISCUSSING THIS

SENSITIVE STORY WITH CNN WAS

COMMITTING A MAJOR DERELICTION

IN DUTY.

PUTIN WILL NOT HESITATE TO

LAUNCH ASSASSINATIONS THOSE WHO

BRANDS TRAITORS.

JUST LOOK AT THE FATE OF OTHERS.

I CAN IMAGINE OUR OUR SOURCES

RISKING THEIR LIVES BEHIND

ENEMY LINES WHETHER IT'S WORTH

IT AND IT WILL EXPOSE THEIR

IDENTITIES.

THE KEY POINT OF THE STORY A

C.I.A. SOURCE HAD TO BE TAKEN

OUT AFTER PRESIDENT TRUMP

COMPROMISED HIM AND THEIR

SACRED WORK OUT OF PARTISAN

POLITICS.

OTHER ISSUES ON WHICH TO ARGUE

WITH THE PRESIDENT.

BEFORE I WENT OVER AS CHIEF OF

STATION MANY YEARS AGO A C.I.A.

VETERAN WAS GIVING ME SOME

ADVICE HOW BEST TO DO OUR WORK.

HE SUMMED IT UP SIMPLY.

THE SECRET OF OUR SUCCESS IS

THE SECRET OF OUR SUCCESS.

YOUR REACTION TO THE REPORTING

THIS MORNING.

>> I AGREE WITH MY OLD

COLLEAGUE DAN AND SUMS IT UP

NICELY IN THE STATEMENT.

I WOULD ADD TO IT THERE IS AN

OBVIOUS RECKLESSNESS FROM

ANYBODY WHO WOULD BE TALKING

ABOUT THIS KIND OF STORY THAT

HAD ACCESS OR KNEW ANYTHING IF

THAT'S WHAT WENT ON HERE.

SEEMS TO BE THE CASE.

THERE IS ALSO JOURNALISTS WHO

RUN WITH THIS.

THEY HAVE TO AS AMERICANS AND

PATRIOTS MAKE SOME

DETERMINATIONS WHAT THE PUBLIC

NEEDS TO KNOW VERSUS WHAT

ACTUALLY DOES PUT PEOPLE IN

JEOPARDY AND WHAT CAN BE

PROBLEMATIC FROM A NATIONAL

SECURITY PERSPECTIVE.

LEGALLY THEY CAN -- IT DOESN'T

MEAN THEY CAN REPORT ON

WHATEVER THEY WANT.

IN THIS CASE IT'S CLEAR IT WAS

JUST MEANT TO GET TRUMP.

THE STORY HERE ISN'T ABOUT THE

WHOLE OPERATION.

THE AGENCY HAS COME OUT, RARE,

AND SAID IT IS B.S. AND NOT

TRUE.

BUT THIS WAS ALL MEANT TO BE A

WEAPON AGAINST DONALD TRUMP.

AND THAT'S WHY I THINK SOME OF

THE OTHER BARRIERS BOTH FROM

PEOPLE ALLEGEDLY INSIDE THE

INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY TALKED

ABOUT THIS AND SOME OF THE

JOURNALISTS WHO RAN WITH A HALF

BACKED IF NOT ENTIRELY UNTRUE

STORY BECAUSE WE'RE IN THE GET

TRUMP ERA, ALL THE RULES OF A

SUDDEN DON'T APPLY THE SAME WAY.

THAT'S WHAT HAPPENED I THINK

WITH THIS STORY.

>> Sandra: THAT PART WAS CLEAR

BY YOURSELF AND YOUR COLLEAGUE

DAN HOFFMAN WHO I WANT TO POINT

OUT IS A FOX NEWS CONTRIBUTOR.

YOU LOOK AT THE REPORTING IN

THE "NEW YORK TIMES," THOUGH,

AND THEY DON'T SAY IT IS

BECAUSE SPECIFICALLY OF DONALD

TRUMP THAT THIS PERSON WAS

EXTRACTED FROM RUSSIA.

THEY SAY IT WAS BECAUSE OF THE

MEDIA.

YOU'VE HAVE DUG INTO THAT

REPORT AS WELL.

CNN REPORT DONALD TRUMP'S ROLE

IS THE TOP OF THE STORY AND

THEY ASSUME THEIR READERSHIP IS

INTERESTED IN THAT COMPONENT.

THE OVERALL DETAILS WOULD BE OF

MUCH LESSER INTEREST.

AGAIN, C.I.A. HAS ALREADY SAID

IT IS FALSE.

BUT WHAT THEY'VE TOLD US IS

REALLY MEANT TO BE A POLITICAL

STORY.

NOT SO MUCH A NATIONAL SECURITY

STORY.

WHY "THE NEW YORK TIMES" AND

SOME OTHER OUTLETS WOULD THINK

IT IS SOMETHING THE AMERICAN

PEOPLE SHOULD KNOW ABOUT IF

THERE WAS, FORGET ABOUT IT

BEING SPECIFIC TO RUSSIA.

ANY HIGH LEVEL SOURCE IN A

GOVERNMENT USEFUL TO OUR

INTELLIGENCE SERVICE

JOURNALISTS SHOULD KNOW THAT.

IT SHOULD NEVER BE TALKED ABOUT

PUBLICLY AS A PATRIOTIC DUTY.

IT'S A QUESTION OF JUDGMENT AND

ETHICS.

I THINK IN THIS CASE YOU'VE

SEEN A LOT OF PEOPLE JUST

DECIDED BECAUSE IT MAKES TRUMP

LOOK RECKLESS WE'LL SAY IT'S

SOMETHING PEOPLE NEED TO HEAR

ABOUT.

>> Sandra: YOU HAVE THE CNN

REPORT THE C.I.A. IS SAYING IS

MISGUIDED AND UNTRUE.

"THE NEW YORK TIMES" REPORT

SAYING THIS HAPPENED BECAUSE OF

THE MEDIA.

NBC FOLLOWED UP ON THE CNN

REPORT AND DROVE TO THE

PERSON'S HOUSE AT WHICH TIME

S.U.V.'S PULLED UP ALONGSIDE

THEM AND GOT THEM TO LEAVE AND

GO AWAY.

THIS PARTICULAR CORRESPONDENT.

HOW MUCH DAMAGE CAN THIS DO

COMING FROM THE C.I.A.

>> THE FUNDAMENTAL TRUTH AND

REALITY OF DOING INTELLIGENCE

WORK IS TO PROTECT SOURCES AND

METHODS.

IT IS NOT JUST FOR THE

INDIVIDUAL'S SAFETY.

IT IS FOR THE PEOPLE DOWN THE

LINE THAT YOU ARE GOING TO ASK

TO TAKE RISKS ON YOUR BEHALF.

THE AGENCY SAID THIS STORY IS

NONSENSE.

LET'S ASSUME FOR A MOMENT THERE

IS SOME DEGREE OF TRUTH TO IT

SOMEWHERE.

IF THE NBC REPORTERS CAN FIND

THIS PERSON THE RUSSIAN

GOVERNMENT CAN FIND THIS PERSON.

WE KNOW HOW THE RUSSIANS DEAL

WITH PEOPLE THAT SPEAK OUT OF

SCHOOL PARTICULARLY IF THEY

WERE CLOSE TO PUTIN OR A

PROBLEM FOR THE GOVERNMENT.

THERE ARE REAL RISKS HERE.

JOURNALISTS HAVE TO ASK

THEMSELVES WAS IT WORTH IT TO

GET ANOTHER GRUDGE SHOT IN

AGAINST DONALD TRUMP?

I HOPE THEY THINK THE ANSWER IS