DOES HAVE RUSSIAN FROM TIME TO
TIMES ON IT.
TO DAN HOFFMAN ON THESE
DEVELOPMENTS, FORMER CIA STATION
CHIEF IN RUSSIA, FOX NEWS
CONTRIBUTOR.
DAN, ALWAYS GOOD TO SEE YOU.
OBVIOUSLY THE PRESIDENT IS
HOLDING HIS CARDS TO HIS VEST.
THERE IS PROBABLY MUCH MORE THAT
HE KNOWS AND HOW TO RESPOND IF
IT IS RUSSIA, WHAT DO WE DO?
>> WELL, FIRST OF ALL WE SNOW KNOW AT THE VERY LEAST, THIS
CYBER HACKING GROUP, REVIL IS IN
RUSSIA.
IF VLADMIR PUTIN WANTED TO STOP
THEM HE COULD DO THAT AND PUT
THEM IN JAIL AS THE HE DOES WITH
POLITICAL DISSIDENTS.
WHETHER THEY ENABLED THIS ATTACK
WITH SOME KIND OF CYBER
TECHNOLOGY WOULD HAVE MADE IT
MORE EFFECTIVE OR MIGHT HAVE
BEEN AWARE EVER THE ATTACK.
THOSE ARE THE THINGS OUR
INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY ASK FOCUS
ED ON.
NEIL: I WONDER, WE ALWAYS SEEM
TO TRY TO FIGHT THIS?
A GENTLEMANLY WAY.
WE HAVE DON’T WANT TO GET DOWN
ON THE LEVEL OF THOSE WHO ATTACK
US.
YOU’RE, YOU KNOW, A SEASONED
DIPLOMAT BESIDES AND I GUESS
SHOULD WE BE LESS GENTLEMANLY
ABOUT IT?
WHY NOT FIGHT FIRE WITH FIRE?
IF THEY HACK US, WE HACK BACK.
WHAT IS WRONG WITH THAT?
>> RIGHT.
NOTHING AT ALL, I THINK THERE
ARE THREE THINGS WE NEED TO DO,
THIS IS A RANSOMWARE ATTACK.
YOU GET IT BACK BY HARDENING
DEFENSES WITH REALLY GOOD
TRAINING.
SECONDLY WE NEED TO TAKE THE
FIGHT TO THE ENEMY.
FIND, FIX, DISRUPT THESE
CRIMINAL HACKING GROUPS.
WE CAN DO IT WITH CYBER COMMAND.
CYBER COMMAND HAS DONE IT BEFORE
PROS PROMINENTLY BEFORE THE 2018
MIDTERMS WHEN THEY TARGETED
AGENCY.
THIRD, PRESIDENT BIDEN NEEDS TO
WARN THE KGB OPERATIVES IF THEY
ENJOY HAVING THESE HACKING
GROUPS IN RUSHION TERRITORY, WE
WILL.
THAT IS WARNING THAT WE SHOULD
BE DELIVERING AT THE EXPERT
MEETING SUPPOSED TO BE TAKING
PLACE NEXT WEEK BETWEEN THE
UNITED STATES AND RUSSIA.
NEIL: WHILE I HAVE YOU, DAN, SO
MUCH WE DON’T KNOW, BUT HAITI’S
PRESIDENT WAS ASSASSINATED IN
HIS HOME.
HIS WIFE WAS INJURED.
SHE IS BEING HELICOPTERED TO
MIAMI FOR TREATMENT AFTER THE
WOUNDS SHE ENDURED, THE
PRESIDENT IS VERY DISTURBED
ABOUT IT, WORRIED ABOUT IT.
THERE HAS BEEN A LOT OF GANG
VIOLENCE THERE, A LOT OF CRIME
THERE.
GETS PEOPLE’S ATTENTION WHEN THE
LEADER OF THE COUNTRY IS KILLED.
WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF THIS?
>> I MEAN MASSIVE CORRUPTION
THERE.
QUESTIONS ABOUT, ABOUT ISSUES
WITH THE GOVERNMENT WITH
PRESIDENT MALIS RULED BY DECREED
AND WHETHER HE OVERSTAYED HIS
ELECTION TERM WHICH SOME SAY
ENDED LAST FEBRUARY.
I THINK THE INTERIM PRIME
MINISTER, CLAWED JOSEPH, HAS TO
BE CONCERNED ABOUT COLLECTING
INFORMATION WHAT HAPPENED
BECAUSE HE MAY BE THE NEXT ONE
TARGETED.
THIS HAS IMPLICATIONS FOR
ILLEGAL MIGRATION INTO THE
UNITED STATES.
WE HAVE TO BE FOCUSED ON THIS.
NEIL: A LOT OF THAT HAS BEEN
COMING FROM HAITI.
I’M WONDERING ALSO, HAITI IS A
DESPERATELY POOR COUNTRY.
IT DEPENDS ON AMERICAN TOURISM,
THE CRUISE INDUSTRY.
THIS IS YET ANOTHER BODY BLOW.
>> IT IS FOR SURE AND I THINK,
YOU KNOW THE UNITED STATES HAS
TRIED HARD THROUGH THE AGENCY
FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT TO
SUPPORT HAITI, TO BUILD GOOD
GOVERNANCE AND WE’RE SEEING
AGAIN THE COMBINATION OF
CORRUPTION AND NATURAL DISASTERS
AND POOR GOVERNMENT HASN’T
REALLY LED ANYWHERE TOO
POSITIVE.
AND WE’RE IN KIND OF INCIDENT
RESPONSE PHASE HERE.
I THINK OUR EMBASSY THERE IS ON
LOCKDOWN RIGHT NOW.
VERY DIFFICULT FOR TO US GET OUT
TO DETERMINE WHAT HAPPENED.
BUT THAT WILL BE IMPORTANT.
IT WILL BE IMPORTANT AGAIN FOR
OUR NATIONAL SECURITY BECAUSE
HAITI IS CLOSE BY TO OUR
COUNTRY.
IT DOES IMPACT OUR NATIONAL
SECURITY TO SOME EXTENT.
NEIL: DAN HOFFMAN, THANK YOU
VERY MUCH.