Former Russian Ambassador to the U.S.: America Is Mentally Sick

Former Russian ambassador to the U.S. Sergey Kislyak said that his communication with Trump's former national security adviser Michael Flynn was about "the most simple issues," and that Kislyak would not testify before Congress if summoned. He further said that the American suspicious attitude toward ethnic Russians living in the U.S., as reflected in CNN commentary, meant that the country was "mentally sick." He was speaking on the Russia 24 TV channel on August 5.

Interviewer: "The news of the week is that they are convening a grand jury in the U.S. in order to investigate Donald Trump's ties to the Kremlin. They are saying that the grand jury is the final part of the investigation. They are also saying that the grand jury is summoning witnesses for interrogation. Did you get such a summons?"

Sergey Kislyak: "No, I didn't. In fact I think this entire process is artificial. It will be remembered as part of American political life, which is drowning in an investigation of false information, and which is wasting time dealing with things of secondary importance for the Americans who lead regular lives."

Interviewer: "But what if, hypothetically, you received such a summons? Would you testify before Congress?"

Sergey Kislyak: "Of course not. I would testify or appear only before the Russian parliament."

[…]

Interviewer: "Could you tell us what you talked about (with Michael Flynn)?"

Sergey Kislyak: "We talked about the simplest issues. There are some questions that are very important for the Russian-U.S. cooperation. First of all: terrorism. It was one of the issues raised. But our communication was correct, calm, and absolutely transparent. No secrets were (revealed), at least from our side."

Interviewer: "Did you talk over the phone, or was it a meeting in person?"

Sergey Kislyak: "You know, I didn't come here to testify.

[…]

"Let me tell you, when I was leaving (office), even the protocol meetings were far less [pleasant than I expected. I don’t take that personally. It is because of the toxic atmosphere that was created around us, around the embassy, and around the Russians in general. I was astounded, when I watched commentators on CNN saying, with regard to the investigations, that there is a new danger to which one should pay attention - ethnic Russians in the U.S. it means that the country is mentally sick."