HBO’s Bill Maher returned to Real Time after more than a month off on Friday and, against the backdrop of Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard claiming that assessments that Vladimir Putin preferred Donald Trump to win in 2016 were false and politicized, tried desperately to cling to the Mueller Probe, insisting there was something there.
During the panel discussion with New York Times opinion writer James Kirchick and Democratic Rep. Jason Crow, Maher tried to cast doubt on Gabbard’s conclusions, “Russia-gate was not a nothing burger. It was a burger. Maybe it wasn't a juicy steak, but it was a burger. I would like to show you one little piece of tape, and we can talk about it that I remember because their contention is that, you know, Putin had no preference in the election. That's why we know this was a conspiracy of Obama. I remember this from Helsinki. This is—they're asking Putin directly in Helsinki.”
In the clip, Reuters reporter Jeff Mason asked Putin, “Did you want President Trump to win the election, and did you direct any of your officials to help him do that?” Putin replied through an interpreter, “Yes, I did. Yes, I did.”
It shouldn’t have to be said in 2025, but apparently it does, but just because Putin says something doesn’t make it true. Nevertheless, Maher threw up his arms as if to say it is obvious, “’Yes, I did. Yes, I did.’ I mean, it’s—“
Maher did rebuke Crow for claiming Trump and Putin are still in some sort of bromance, but Kirchick brought the conversation back to Russia-gate and pushed back, “It’s not a nothing burger, but it was not what most of the Democrats were alleging it was, which was a, again, with conspiracy theories, Donald Trump was compromised and recruited 30 years ago when he visited Moscow.”
Maher wasn’t buying it, “Okay, but the question is: did it merit an investigation?”
Kirchick was willing to concede it was, “but the investigation came out and found there was no collusion.”
Maher still wasn’t convinced, “Well, that’s not exactly—let me read what Mueller said because we forget that too. ‘If we had confidence after a thorough investigation that the president clearly did not commit obstruction of justice, we would so state. We were unable to reach that judgment. While this report does not conclude the president committed a crime, it does not exonerate him.’ Of course this idiot put it in a way that everyone’s like, ‘What is not, not, not, not?’”
Observing that Maher was now shifting the goalposts, Kirchick replied, “That’s on the question of—that’s on the question of obstruction of justice, not on the underlying crime, which was collusion or working treasonously with a foreign power. There’s no evidence of that.”
The three men would go on to agree on a couple of things. First, that critics of Russia-gate confuse the concern of Russian meddling with concerns Trump colluded with Russia, claiming they're two different things. But, that’s not quite right. Most people are willing to accept Russian meddling as a fact. The controversy is over whether Putin wanted Trump or to sow chaos, and a soundbite from a former KGB hack does not answer that question.
Second, Maher insisted that nobody ever claimed that Russia hacked the election in the sense of hacking machines and altering the results. However, polls showed two-thirds of Democrats agreed with the statement “Russia tampered with vote tallies in order to get Donald Trump elected President.”
Here is a transcript for the August 1 show:
HBO Real Time with Bill Maher
8/1/2025
10:24 PM ET
BILL MAHER: Russia-gate was not a nothing burger. It was a burger. Maybe it wasn't a juicy steak, but it was a burger. I would like to show you one little piece of tape, and we can talk about it that I remember because their contention is that, you know, Putin had no preference in the election. That's why we know this was a conspiracy of Obama. I remember this from Helsinki. This is—they're asking Putin directly in Helsinki.
JEFF MASON: President Putin, did you want President Trump to win the election, and did you direct any of your officials to help him do that?
VLADIMIR PUTIN [VIA TRANSLATOR]: Yes, I did. Yes, I did.
MAHER: “Yes, I did. Yes, I did.” I mean, it’s—
JASON CROW: It's so clear, there’s a long time bromance between Trump and Putin and that continues, but I prosecuted—
MAHER: Well, no, that doesn’t continue. He just broke with Putin. Let's get the news up to date. Well, for now. Today is now.
[crosstalk]
JAMES KIRCHICK: It’s not a nothing burger, but it was not what most of the Democrats were alleging it was, which was a, again, with conspiracy theories—
MAHER: No. But—
KIRCHICK: — Donald Trump was compromised and recruited 30 years ago when he visited Moscow.
MAHER: Okay, but the question is: did it merit an investigation?
KIRCHICK: Sure. Yes.
MAHER: Okay.
KIRCHICK: Absolutely, but the investigation came out and found there was no collusion.
MAHER: Well, that’s not exactly—let me read what Mueller said because we forget that too. "If we had confidence after a thorough investigation that the president clearly did not commit obstruction of justice, we would so state. We were unable to reach that judgment. While this report does not conclude the president committed a crime, it does not exonerate him.” Of course this idiot put it in a way that everyone’s like, “What is not, not, not, not?”
KIRCHICK: That’s on the question of—that’s on the question of obstruction of justice—
MAHER: Right.
KIRCHICK: — not on the underlying crime, which was collusion or working treasonously with a foreign power. There’s no evidence of that.
