USA: Former Trump adviser downplays 'benign' contact with Russian diplomat

Carter Page, former Trump campaign foreign policy adviser (English): "Yes."
Scottie Nell Hughes, journalist (English): "Did they approach you or did you approach them?"
Carter Page, former Trump campaign foreign policy adviser (English): "They approached me."
Scottie Nell Hughes, journalist (English): "How often did you talk with the FBI in 2013?"
Carter Page, former Trump campaign foreign policy adviser (English): "I think it was either once or twice."
Scottie Nell Hughes, journalist (English): "What was the subject of those conversations?"
Carter Page, former Trump campaign foreign policy adviser (English): "You know, typically I don't talk about these things but..."
Scottie Nell Hughes, journalist (English): "We're kind of on stage here, so...
Carter Page, former Trump campaign foreign policy adviser (English): "Well, but it was revealed through a lot of media leaks, right? So... "
Scottie Nell Hughes, journalist (English): "Well you might as well tell it yourself. We could surveil you later and maybe get it out there."
Carter Page, former Trump campaign foreign policy adviser (English): "Typically I've always tried to be discrete, but it's been... you know, it's MSNBC's co-sponsor and they... The Rachel Maddow Show, it broke the night in April 2017 that I was a source for this indictment against a couple of Russian individuals based in New York, so..."
Scottie Nell Hughes, journalist (English): "In 2013?"
Carter Page, former Trump campaign foreign policy adviser (English): "So that actual indictment came out in January 2015, and I happened to meet this young Russian diplomat in early 2013."
Scottie Nell Hughes, journalist (English): "Okay, so did you continue to have conversations with the FBI from 2013 to 2015?
Carter Page, former Trump campaign foreign policy adviser (English): [shakes head negatively]
Scottie Nell Hughes, journalist (English): "So, if the source is in 2015, was it that same subject you were talking about with in 2013?"
Carter Page, former Trump campaign foreign policy adviser (English): "I just... I didn't hear anything. It's, like, lucky that I happen to read the Washington Post, and again, I'm sort of an avid reader. And again, this is all in the indictment, so I'm not giving any additional information in terms of "sources and methods", but I was talking with him in 2013, and the next thing I knew, I just happen to see a Washington Post article in January of 2015, saying that these three Russians were indicted. So, Eric Holder and Preet Bharara, then the US Attorney General and then the US Attorney for the Southern District of New York, make this big announcement that there... this indictment."
Scottie Nell Hughes, journalist (English): "And these were people that you were involved with, or you had talked with?"
Carter Page, former Trump campaign foreign policy adviser (English): "I had a couple of conversations with this junior diplomat. So only that one individual."
Scottie Nell Hughes, journalist (English): "Did you report those conversations to the FBI?"
Carter Page, former Trump campaign foreign policy adviser (English): "They contacted me... It was so benign the conversation I had..."
Scottie Nell Hughes, journalist (English): "We've learned that there's no such thing as a benign conversation these days."
Carter Page, former Trump campaign foreign policy adviser (English): "Well, there's also a lot of things about spin, right? So, you know, it was completely innocuous all of our interactions. I was teaching a class at New York University on the weekends that semester — the Spring of 2013 semester; a continuing education course — and I was basically telling him a couple of things I was telling my students at NYU. The only difference is my NYU students were much more interested. We had a coffee and I, you know, told them a little bit what happened and ... Was telling him some of the stuff from my class..."
Former Trump campaign foreign-policy adviser Carter Page said that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) approached him "once or twice" in relation to a contact he had in 2013 with a Russian national who was later indicted. Carter was speaking on stage at the Politicon in Los Angeles on Sunday.
"I had a couple of conversations with this junior diplomat. So only that one individual," said Carter, adding that that conversation was "benign."
Journalist Scottie Nell Hughes, who was speaking with him on stage, remarked, "we've learned that there's no such thing as benign conversation these days."
"It was completely innocuous all of our interactions. I was teaching a class at New York University on the weekends that semester," replied Carter, "and I was basically telling him a couple of things I was telling my students at NYU. The only difference is my NYU students were much more interested."