JULIE AND ED. >> THANK YOU SO MUCH, ED.
>> Ed: ROD BLAGOJEVICH JOINING
10 OTHERS GRANTED CLEMENCY
INCLUDING BERNIE KERIK, MIKE
MILKEN KNOWN AS THE JUNK BOND
KING.
KING. LET’S BRING IN GUY BENSON.
GOOD MORNING TO YOU.
YOU HEAR THE CRITICISM OF THE
PRESIDENT IMMEDIATELY.
PRESIDENT IMMEDIATELY. SOME OF THAT IS REFLEXIVE
PRACTICALLY NO MATTER WHAT HE
DOES.
DOES. DO HIS CRITICS NOT REALIZE THAT
CRIMINAL JUSTICE REFORM HAS
BEEN AT THE CENTER OF WHAT HE
HAS BEEN DOING?
>> IT’S A HUGE PART OF HIS LIST
OF ACCOMPLISHMENTS.
OF ACCOMPLISHMENTS. WE SAW THAT SUPER BOWL AD
TOUTING THE LEGISLATION HE
SIGNED INTO LAW AND I THINK
OVERALL, HAVING SOME LENIENCY
AND LOOKING AT COMMUTATIONS AND
CERTAIN PARDONS IS THE
APPROPRIATE THING FOR A
PRESIDENT TO DO FOR THOSE WHO
DESERVE IT.
DESERVE IT. I DO WANT TO SAY.
I LIVED IN ILLINOIS AND IN
CHICAGO WHEN ALL THE
BLAGOJEVICH STUFF WENT DOWN.
IT IS HARD TO THINK OF SOMEONE
LESS DESERVING IN MY OPINION OF
THAT TYPE OF GRACE THAN
BLAGOJEVICH.
BLAGOJEVICH. WHEN ROD BLAGOJEVICH RAN FOR
GOVERNOR OF ILLINOIS, THREE OF
THE PREVIOUS SIX GOVERNORS HAD
GONE TO PRISON.
SO HE RAN AS A REFORMER ON
ETHICS.
ETHICS. THEN HE BECAME THE FOURTH OF
SEVEN GOVERNORS OF ILLINOIS TO
GO TO PRISON.
I READ THIS MORNING IT’S THE
FIRST DAY THE SUN HAS RISEN
WITHOUT A SINGLE ILLINOIS
GOVERNOR IN PRISON SOMEWHERE
SINCE 2007.
SINCE 2007. HE NOT ONLY TRIED TO SELL A
U.S. SENATE SEAT, HE SHOOK DOWN
A CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL FOR
POLITICAL DONATIONS, TRIED TO
GET CRITICAL JOURNALISTS FIRED
FROM THEIR JOBS.
SOMEONE WHO ABUSED HIS OFFICE
AND THE PRESIDENT, I THINK, IS
DOING A GOOD THING OVERALL ON
CRIMINAL JUSTICE REFORM BUT
BLAGOJEVICH IS A TOUGH ONE TO
SWALLOW.
SWALLOW. >> Ed: WE WERE TALKING ABOUT
THAT BEFORE THE SHOW.
THE RACETRACK OWNER ALLEGEDLY
SHAKEN DOWN.
SHAKEN DOWN. A LOT OF PROBLEMS FOR
BLAGOJEVICH.
BLAGOJEVICH. THE PRESIDENT BELIEVES HE
SERVED HIS TIME.
IN TERMS OF SOME OF THE OTHER
ONES HE POINTED OUT THAT FOLKS
PAID THEIR DEBT TO SOCIETY AND
THEN HE ADDED A LITTLE TWIST.
LISTEN TO THIS.
>> President Trump: I REALLY
RELY ON THE RECOMMENDATIONS OF
PEOPLE THAT KNOW THEM.
WE HAVE BERNIE KERIK, MIKE
MILKEN WHO HAS DONE AN
INCREDIBLE JOB FOR THE WORLD
WITH ALL OF HIS RESEARCH ON
CANCER AND HE HAS DONE THIS AND
HE SUFFERED GREATLY.
HE PAID A BIG PRICE.
>> Ed: BOTTOM LINE MY POINT
BEING MICHAEL MILKEN HIS WORK
ON CANCER RESEARCH, HELPING
OTHER PEOPLE.
OTHER PEOPLE. THE PRESIDENT POINTS OUT.
ON ROGER STONE HE SAYS I
HAVEN’T GIVEN IT ANY THOUGHT.
THE QUESTION REALLY THIS
MORNING IS, IS THIS NOW OPENING
THE DOOR TO ROGER STONE, PAUL
MANAFORT AND OTHERS DOWN THE
ROAD.
ROAD. >> VERY WELL COULD BE.
HE SAID OVER AND OVER AGAIN HOW
UNFAIRLY THEY’VE BEEN TREATED.
SO IT IS HARD FOR ME TO IMAGINE
THAT HE HAS NEVER ENTERTAINED
THE THOUGHT OF WHAT THAT MIGHT
LOOK LIKE WHEN THE MOMENT COMES.
THAT MOMENT MIGHT BE AFTER AN
ELECTION.
ELECTION. YOU NEVER KNOW.
I THINK WHERE THE PRESIDENT’S
CRITIC OVERREACH AND ALWAYS
OVERREACH IS WITH THE ARGUMENTS
I’VE SEEN POPPING UP THAT LOOK,
HERE IS PRESIDENT TRUMP JUST
LETTING HIS RICH CONNECTED
WHITE MALE SUPPORTERS AND
FRIENDS AND REALITY STAR
FRIENDS OUT OF PRISON.
THAT’S TRUE IF YOU IGNORE ALL
THE PEOPLE WHO AREN’T THOSE
THINGS THAT HE HAS BEEN
COMMUTING SENTENCES FOR AND
PARDONING.
PARDONING. I THINK TO ERASE AND PRETEND IT
ISN’T HAPPENING.
ISN’T HAPPENING. IT DOESN’T TELL THE WHOLE STORY.
>> Ed: LIKE ALICE MARIE JOHNSON.
SHE WAS FEATURED IN THE SUPER
BOWL AD YOU MENTIONED DOESN’T
FIT THE NARRATIVE OF BERNIE
SANDERS AND OTHER CRITICS.
SANDERS TWEETING TODAY TRUMP
GRANTED CLEMENCY TO TAX CHEATS,
BILLIONAIRES AND CORRUPT
OFFICIALS.
OFFICIALS. MANY SIT IN JAIL FOR
NON-VIOLENT DRUG CONVICTIONS.
THIS IS WHAT A BROKEN AND
RACIST CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM
LOOKS LIKE.
LOOKS LIKE. THAT’S BERNIE SANDERS’ CLAIM.
I TALKED TO ONE OF THE FRIENDS,
A FRIEND OF THE PRESIDENT
YESTERDAY WHO WAS INVOLVED IN
ONE OF THESE PARDONS BEING
GRANTED.
GRANTED. THIS IS THE PRESIDENT FEELING
THE OPPOSITE OF WHAT SANDERS IS
SAYING.
SAYING. THERE ARE TWO TIERS OF JUSTICE.
SOME OF HIS FRIENDS AND ALLIES
HAVE GONE TO JAIL WITH MINOR
OFFENSES WHEN YOU SEE ANDREW
MCCABE AND OTHERS GET AWAY WITH
RIDICULOUS BEHAVIOR.
RIDICULOUS BEHAVIOR. YOUR THOUGHTS.
YOUR THOUGHTS. >> I DIDN’T HEAR ANYTHING FROM
BERNIE SANDERS, A NATIVE
AMERICAN WOMAN AND MOTHER
INCARCERATED FOR A
MARIJUANA-RELATED OFFENSE WHO
IS OUT AND FREE.
THAT DIDN’T MAKE IT INTO THE
SCEED FRR BERNIE SANDERS AND
HARD TO TAKE ANYTHING HE SAYS
SERIOUSLY.
SERIOUSLY. HE WENT TO THE SOVIET UNION ON
HIS HONEYMOON AND CAME BACK AND
LAVISHED PRAISE ON A SYSTEM
THAT HAS NO CRIMINAL JUSTICE
FOR ANYONE BACK WHEN THE SOVIET
UNION EXISTED.
UNION EXISTED. THESE LECTURES ARE HARD TO TAKE