>> ALL RIGHT JACQUELINE ALEMANY,
GOOD REPORTING FOR THE
WASHINGTON POST.
THANK YOU FOR JOINING US.
CONGRESSMAN ADAM SCHIFF IS A
DEMOCRAT FROM CALIFORNIA.
HE SERVES ON THE HOUSE
COMMITTEE FOR THE JANUARY SIX
INVESTIGATION.
HE JOINS ME NOW.
CONGRESSMAN, YOUR REACTION TO
THIS NEWS ABOUT DEPARTMENT OF
JUSTICE, IT'S SIGNIFICANCE, AND
WHAT YOU THINK ABOUT IT?
>> I HAVE NO REASON TO BELIEVE
IT ISN'T.
IT IS SIGNIFICANT.
FRANKLY I BELIEVE IT IS LONG
OVERDUE.
WE ARE NOW WELL OVER A YEAR
AFTER THE ATTACK ON THE
CAPITOL.
THERE HAS BEEN CONSISTENT LEVEL
OF CONCERN, NOT JUST AMONG
MEMBERS OF CONGRESS BUT IN THE
PUBLIC.
IT SHOULD NOT JUST BE THE
PEOPLE THAT BROKE INTO THE
CAPITOL THAT DAY, BUT THOSE
THAT ORGANIZE THE ATTACK AND
ARE UNDER SCRUTINY.
I FEEL, FRANKLY, BETTER ABOUT
WHETHER THE DEPARTMENT IS DOING
EVERYTHING THEY SHOULD WHEN I
SEE SIGNS THAT THEY'RE LOOKING
BEYOND THE ATTACK ON THE SIX
AND LOOK AT SOME OF THE OTHER
WAYS IN WHICH THEY TRIED TO
OVERTURN THE ELECTION.
WHAT THEY FOUND WAS EVIDENCE OF
LIKELY CHEMICAL ACTIVITY FROM
THE FORMER PRESIDENT.
>> TRUMP'S ACTIONS MORE LIKELY
THAN NOT CONSTITUTE ATTEMPTS TO
OBSTRUCT AN OFFICIAL PROCEEDING,
THAT IS, CRIMINAL OBSTRUCTION
OF THE COURT OF PRESIDENTIAL
ECHO VOTES IN CONGRESS --
THAT IS OBVIOUSLY NOT THE
STANDARD PROOF THAT WILL BE
NECESSARY TO CONVICT IN TRIAL.
BUT IT IS A REMARKABLE FINDING
IN A SITTING JUDGE TO SAY IT IS
MORE LIKELY THAN NOT THAT THE
PRESIDENT HAS COMMITTED THIS
OFFICIAL PONY.
I GUESS MY FEELING WATCHING IS
THE WHOLE TIME IS, WHAT TRUMP
DID IN CONGRESS IS
UNPRECEDENTED, BUT NOT IN THE
CONFLICTS OF THE WORLD.
PEOPLE TRY COUPS WHERE THEY TRY
TO STAY IN POWER.
USUALLY IT IS A SHOOT THE MOON
SITUATION.
YOU SUCCEED OR YOU DON'T AND FACE CONSEQUENCES.
FACE CONSEQUENCES.
IT IS PRETTY --
>> THAT IS EXACTLY RIGHT.
IT IS IMPORTANT TO RECOGNIZE
THAT, YES, THERE IS A DIFFERENT
STANDARD THAN THE ONE THAT
GEORGE CARTER APPLIED.
HE DID NOT NEED TO FIND PROOF
BEYOND REASONABLE DOUBT WHEN
THOSE DOCUMENTS WERE TURNED
OVER TO CONGRESS.
YOU ALSO DO NOT NEED PROOF
BEYOND REASONABLE DOUBT TO
START AN INVESTIGATION.
INDEED, YOU ALMOST NEVER HAVE
PROOF BEYOND REASONABLE ABOUT
WHEN YOU BEGIN THE
INVESTIGATION.
THE FORMER JUDGE IS SAYING THAT
THERE IS PROOF THAT MORE LIKELY
THAN NOT, DONALD TRUMP ENGAGED
IN A CRIME OF TRYING TO
OVERTURN THE ELECTION.
THAT IS WELL SUBSTANTIATED.
THAT IS A PRETTY SIGNIFICANT
BASIS FOR THE JUSTICE
DEPARTMENT TO SAY WE HAVE TO
LOOK INTO THE.
AGAIN, I AM GLAD THEY ARE
EXAMINING THOSE WHO MAY HAVE
FUNDED AND ORGANIZED THE RALLY.
WE HAVE BEEN DOING THAT NOW FOR
MONTHS AND MONTHS.
IT IS LATE BUT I, I AM GLAD
THEY ARE DOING IT.
THEY ALSO NEED TO LOOK AT THE
MULTIPLE LINES OF EFFORT TO
OVERTURN THE ELECTION.
THEY NEED TO LOOK AT ANYONE
THAT IS INVOLVED, NO ONE GETS A
PASS, NOT A FORMER PRESIDENT,
OR SOMEONE WHO'S NEVER HELD
OFFICE BEFORE.
>> LET ME ASK YOU PUT THE CALL.
ALEX IT'S ONE OF THE THINGS
WHERE NO ONE HAS YET
SUFFICIENTLY ESTABLISHED THAT
THERE WAS TAMPERING AT THE TIME
WITH THE ACTUAL RECORDS.
IT SEEMS THERE IS NO PLAUSIBLE
EXPLANATION.
WHAT IS YOUR THEORY OR BELIEF
HOW THERE IS >> A SEVEN-HOUR
GAP IN THOSE LOGS?
YOU KNOW.
I SPECULATED ABOUT THE REASON
FOR THE GAP FOR THE LOGS.
THERE ARE A LOT OF
POSSIBILITIES.
OF COURSE, IT IS POSSIBLE THAT
THE RECORDS WERE DELIBERATELY
OMITTING CERTAIN CALLS.
BUT IT IS POSSIBLE THERE ARE
OTHER EXPLANATIONS THAT ARE
MORE BENIGN.
I DON'T WANT TO HAVE TO RUSH
THE JUDGMENT.
I CAN ALSO TELL YOU THAT WE
HAVE MULTIPLE SOURCES OF
INFORMATION ABOUT WHAT THE
PRESIDENT WAS DOING, AND MORE
IMPORTANTLY AS IT TURNS OUT,
WHAT HE WAS NOT DOING WHILE THE
CAPITAL WAS BEING ATTACKED.
SO WE ARE NOT RELYING JUST ON
THE LOGS WE GET FROM THE
ARCHIVES, WE ARE TALKING TO
WITNESSES, MANY OF WHOM WERE IN
THE ROOM THAT DAY WITH THE
PRESIDENT.
WE ARE KNOWLEDGEABLE ABOUT WHAT
HE WAS DOING, OR OTHERS WHO
HAVE BEEN PRIVY TO PHONE
CONVERSATIONS.
SO WE ARE GOING TO COMPLETE THE
PICTURE ABOUT WHAT HE WAS DOING,
AND IF THERE WAS ANY KIND OF
INTENT TO OBSTRUCT, CONCEAL,
COVER-UP WITH RESPECT TO THOSE
LOGS.
WE WILL GET THOSE ANSWERS AS
WELL.
>> YES.
JUST A FOLLOW-UP ON THAT, MY
UNDERSTANDING IS IF THERE WAS
ANY TAMPERING, PARTICULARLY IN
THE MOMENT, IT WOULD INVOLVE
PEOPLE, RIGHT?
I MEAN, THERE ARE OTHER PEOPLE
WHO ARE TASKED WITH THIS, OR
DETAILED BY MONROE TO HAVE TO
DO IT.
SO, IF THEY TAMPERED WITH IT,
WE WILL FIND OUT.
DO YOU FEEL CONFIDENT OF THAT?
>> I DO.
I DO FEEL CONFIDENT OF THAT.
THE OTHER THING TO BEAR IN MIND
ABOUT THE RECORD KEEPING IS, I
THINK WE HAVE SEEN ENOUGH
ALREADY TO KNOW THAT THE WHITE
HOUSE WASN'T FOLLOWING THE LAW
WHEN IT COMES TO RECORD KEEPING
IN MANY RESPECTS.
ALL OF THOSE BOXES OF DOCUMENTS
IN MAR-A-LAGO, SOME OF WHICH
ARE EVIDENTLY CLASSIFIED.
THEY WERE HIGHLY CLASSIFIED.
THOSE ARE ALSO A REALLY SERIOUS
PROBLEM, THE REPORTING OF THE
--
DOWN THE TOILET.
SO IT IS NOT LIKE THEY DON'T
HAVE A HISTORY HERE OF FAILING
TO FOLLOW THE LAW WHEN IT COMES
TO RECORD KEEPING.
>> YES.
IT IS SHOW SHOCKING TO GIVING
WHAT A FEATHER SHE HAS FOR