Retired General Explains Why the 'Extraordinary Number of Contacts' Between Trump's Campaign and Russia Needs an Explanation

Retired Gen. Michael Hayden, who has served under Republican and Democratic administrations as CIA director and NSA director, explained Thursday why special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation remains a vital investigation for the United States.

Many — particularly those in right-wing media — have insisted that Mueller's investigation has gone on too long, that there's been of evidence of collusion, and that it would be better if the special counsel's team were simply disbanded. But Hayden insists that there is good reason that Mueller's investigation should be allowed to continue. 

"The Mueller investigation has gotten pretty broad now, but it's origins are in a counterintelligence investigation. It is: What were the Russians trying to do, and did anyone over here engage in helping them?" he said to PBS NewsHour host Judy Woodruff. "So we do have, I think, an extraordinary number of contacts between the Trump campaign and the Russian security services."

He continued: "And we know for a fact what the Russians were trying to do. Now the question becomes for director Mueller: In those connections, is that born out of naivete, out of ignorance, or out of something darker?"

Watch a clip of the interview below:

"We do have an extraordinary number of contacts between the Trump campaign and the Russian security services," says former CIA & NSA Director @GenMhayden on the #RussiaProbe. "We know for a fact what the Russians were trying to do," but what were the Trump campaign's intentions? pic.twitter.com/hqOZ9fSloN

— PBS NewsHour (@NewsHour) May 3, 2018