Russia may be AMPLIFYING unrest in France, former CIA officer warns

L. NIÑO PATTERN IS FUELING THE. STORM. [INAUDIBLE CONVERSATIONS]. [BLEEP] [BLEEP]. CHARLIE: AND THE UNREST ISN'T. LETTING UP. POLICE AND PROTESTERS CLASHING. IN THE STREETS OF PARIS FOR A. FOURTH STRAIGHT WEEKEND. THE CHAOS COMES AS SECRETARY OF. STATE MAMARCO RUBIO HEADS THE. PARIS FOR THE G7 TALKS. HIS FIRST OVERSEAS TRIP SINCE.

THE HID TERM ELECTIONS AS. FOREIGN MINISTERS -- MIDTERM. ELECTIONS AS FOREIGN MINISTERS. PREPARE TO TACKING IRAN AND. OTHER GLOBAL THREATS. FORMER CIA OFFICER RAYMOND WHITE. JOINS US NOW. GREAT TO SEE YOU THIS MORNING, THANKS FOR JOINING US, RAYMOND. FIRST OF ALL --. >> MORNING, CHARLIE. CHARLIE: -- I WANT TO ASK YOU. REAL QUICKLY ABOUT THESE. PROTESTS. WHAT DO YOU SEE IS DIFFERENT. ABOUT THESE PROTESTS THAN THE. PROTESTS WE'VE SEEN FOR YEARS ON. AND OFF IN PLACES LIKE PARIS?

>> YEAH. SO THANKS FOR HAVING ME AND. AMAZING SEGMENT ON THE BONUS. BABY FOSTER CHILDREN. CHARLIE: YEAH. >> THIS IS MUCH DIFFERENT THAN. WHAT WE'VE SEEN IN THE PAST. SIMPLY BECAUSE OF THE AND. SCOPE -- DEPTH AND SCOPE IN MY. ESTIMATION OF HOW IT'S SPREAD. THROUGHOUT EUROPE. 31 COUNTRIES HAVE BEEN IMPACTED. BY THIS, MOST NOTABLY SPAIN, PORTUGAL AND ITALY. UNPRECEDENTED NUMBER OF PEOPLE. TAKING TO THE STREETS. THEY DON'T EVEN KNOW HOW LARGE. THE CROWDS ARE, UPWARDS OF 1.5.

MILLION. SO I THINK WHAT WE'RE SEEING. HERE IS SOMETHING COMPLETELY. DIFFERENT THAN THE YELLOW VEST. PROTESTS WE'VE SEEN IN THE PAST. CHARLIE: AND HOW MUCH, TO WHAT. DEGREE IN YOUR ESTIMATION IS IT. FUELED BY FOREIGN INFLUENCE, OR. DO YOU THINK THAT IT IS MOSTLY. DOMESTIC MALCONTENTS KIND OF. COMING TOGETHER IN A NASTY. STORM? >> YEAH. SO THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION. I'D SAY APART FROM THE TYPICAL. AIRING OF THE ECONOMIC.

GRIEVANCES, THINK OF THE. FESTIVUS BOWL COMING, WHAT WE'VE. SEEN HERE IS ACTUALLY, IN MY. HUMBLE OPINION, A PROTEST. THAT'S, YOU KNOW, VIOLENCE LOVES. PROTEST, THAT'S WHAT I SAY. CHARLIE: YEAH. >> AND I THINK WE'VE ALSO SEEN. RUSSIAN INFLUENCE AS WELL. AS YOU MAY RECALL, FRANCE HAS. GONE AFTER THEIR OLIGARCHS, THEY'VE GONE AFTER THEIR SHADOW. FLEETS, AND THAT'S UPSET PUTIN. I THINK ALSO WHAT WE'VE SEEN AS. FAR AS RUSSIAN INTELLIGENCE, LAMONT HAD AN INTERESTING REPORT.

SOME WEEKS AGO, IN FACT, WHERE. RUSSIAN DISINFORMATION LINES ARE. TIED TO THE AMPLIFICATION OF. THESE PROTESTS. AGAIN, WHAT NORMALLY IS A. PROTEST TURNS INTO CIVIL UNREST, UNREST TURNS INTO VIOLENCE, AND. WHEN IT'S AMPLIFIED, YOU SEE. WHAT WE HAVE ON TV TODAY. CHARLIE: SO THE G7 IS MEETING IN.

PARIS. WHAT, IF THINKING, WILL THESE. GLOBAL LEADERS BE ABLE TO DO. ABOUT ANY OF THIS, OR CAN THEY. DO ANYTHING? >> YEP. SO MARCO RUBIO OR SENATOR --. SECRETARY OF STATE RUBIO, OF. COURSE, IS GOING TO PARIS. HE ALSO WEARS TWO HATS, MULTIPLE. HATS, ACTUALLY, BUT THE NATIONAL. SECURITY ADVISER HAT IS HIS AS. WELL. SO I THINK WHEN HE GOES THE. THESE MEETINGS, UNLIKE OTHER. SECRETARY OF STATES IN THE PAST, HE GOES WITH EXTRA POWER AND.

INFLUENCE. HE ALSO HAS, AS I MENTIONED, IN. ADDITION TO THE DIPLOMATIC. MANDATE, THE NATIONAL SECURITY. MANDATE. SO HE'S ABLE IN MANY WAYS TO. SOLVE HIS OWN PROBLEMS IN A. SENSE OR PROPOSE SOLUTIONS TO. THINGS THAT MAY COME UP ON THE. DIPLOMATIC S STAGE. IT'LL, NO DOUBT, FOCUS ON. NATO --. CHARLIE: RIGHT. >> -- FOCUS ON RUSSIA-UKRAINE, OBVIOUSLY --. CHARLIE: RIGHT. >> -- AS WELL AS, YOU KNOW, FENTANYL. DRUGS HAVE CREEPED INTO EUROPE, SOMETHING, YOU KNOW, BEYOND WHAT. ANYONE WOULD EVER THINK.

CHARLIE: SURE. WELL, A LOT OF SMART THINGS. THERE, BUT VIOLENCE LOVES. PROTEST IS ONE THAT I'M GOING. THE REMEMBER, AND IT IS VERY. TRUE. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US. THIS MORNING.