{"id":1794,"date":"2017-02-19T12:03:37","date_gmt":"2017-02-19T17:03:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/press.nbcnews.com\/?p=1794"},"modified":"2017-02-19T12:03:37","modified_gmt":"2017-02-19T17:03:37","slug":"mtp-trump-chief-of-staff-we-dont-know-of-any-contacts-with-russian-agents-we-dont-have-problems-in-the-west-wing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nbcuniversalnewsgroup.com\/nbcnews\/2017\/02\/19\/mtp-trump-chief-of-staff-we-dont-know-of-any-contacts-with-russian-agents-we-dont-have-problems-in-the-west-wing\/","title":{"rendered":"MTP: TRUMP CHIEF OF STAFF: \u201cWE DON\u2019T KNOW OF ANY CONTACTS WITH RUSSIAN AGENTS,\u201d \u201cWE DON\u2019T HAVE PROBLEMS IN THE WEST WING\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"

PLUS: Reince Priebus: Learned We Were Misled by Gen. Flynn \u201cSometime After January 27th\u201d <\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

EXCLUSIVE: Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.): \u201cMore Hope Than Belief\u201d That Congress Can Investigate Trump If Necessary<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

EXCLUSIVE: McCain: Dictators \u201cGet Started by Suppressing a Free Press\u201d<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

EXCLUSIVE: Former Defense Sec. & Former CIA Director Leon Panetta: Fireable Offense \u201cAny Time an Intelligence Agency Withholds Vital Information to the President\u201d<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

FEB. 19, 2017 — In an interview this morning on NBC News\u2019 \u201cMeet the Press,\u201d Reince Priebus, chief of staff to President Trump,<\/strong> responded to recent reports of Trump\u2019s campaign aides having repeated contact with Russian intelligence agents, telling moderator Chuck Todd: \u201cWe don’t know of any contacts with Russian agents.\u201d<\/p>\n

When asked about a potential problem with leaks in the White House, Priebus replied, \u201cWe don\u2019t have problems in the West Wing.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

Priebus also said he did not know he had been misled by National Security Advisor Michael Flynn until \u201csometime after January 27th.\u201d<\/a> Flynn \u201cmaintained the fact that he never talked to the Russian ambassador about sanctions,\u201d said Priebus. \u201cIt turned more or less into a conversation about whether or not he was being honest with us and the vice president.\u201d Watch the full interview.<\/a><\/p>\n

Senator John McCain (R-Ariz.) <\/strong>exclusively joined the show from Germany, where he is attending the Munich Security Conference. McCain told Todd that he has \u201cmore hope than belief\u201d<\/a> when it comes to the ability of Congress to investigate the president thoroughly if necessary.<\/p>\n

He also reacted to President Trump\u2019s tweet on Friday<\/a> calling the news media \u201cthe enemy of the American people\u201d: Dictators \u201cget started by suppressing free press. In other words, a consolidation of power when you look at history, the first thing that dictators do is shut down the press.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI’m not saying that President Trump is trying to be a dictator. I’m just saying we need to learn the lessons of history,\u201d the senator added. Watch the full interview.<\/a><\/p>\n

Former Defense Secretary Leon Panetta<\/strong>, who has also served as a director of the Central Intelligence Agency, exclusively addressed the president\u2019s relationship with the intelligence community: \u201cThe last thing they need is to have a president who questions their patriotism to this country and to him.\u201d<\/p>\n

He told Todd that<\/a> \u201cany time an intelligence agency withholds vital information to the president or withholds any key information to the president, that’s a violation of their oath.\u201d Watch the full interview.<\/a><\/p>\n

The New York Times\u2019 David Brooks<\/strong>, former Rep. Donna Edwards (D-Md.)<\/strong>, radio talk show host Hugh Hewitt<\/strong> and The Cook Political Report\u2019s Amy Walter <\/strong>joined the \u201cMeet the Press\u201d roundtable for insight this morning.<\/p>\n

Read the full transcript of this morning\u2019s \u201cMeet the Press.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

For more from moderator Chuck Todd throughout the week, watch MSNBC\u2019s \u201cMTP Daily\u201d<\/a> weekdays at 5 p.m., and subscribe to \u201c1947: The Meet The Press Podcast\u201d<\/a> for on-demand interviews.<\/p>\n

MANDATORY CREDIT: NBC NEWS\u2019 \u201cMEET THE PRESS WITH CHUCK TODD\u201d \u00a0<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n