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>> HOPEFULLY WE HAVE SHOWN SOME
LIGHT IN THE NINTH CIRCUIT.
I KNOW THAT CHIEF JUSTICE
ROBERTS, JOHN ROBERTS, HAS BEEN
SPEAKING A LITTLE BIT ABOUT IT.
AND I THINK WE HAVE A LOT OF
RESPECT FOR HIM, I LIKE HIM AND
I RESPECT THEM, BUT I THINK WE
HAVE TO USE SOME COMMON SENSE.
HIS NINTH CIRCUIT, EVERYBODY
KNOWS IT'S TOTALLY OUT OF
CONTROL.
WHAT THEY ARE DOING, WHAT THEY
ARE SAYING, THE OPINIONS, THEY
ARE VERY UNFAIR TO
LAW ENFORCEMENT.
THEY CAN'T BELIEVE THE DECISIONS
THAT ARE BEING MADE BY THESE
JUDGES.
>> Mike: PRESIDENT TRUMP
EXPRESSING FRUSTRATION WITH
PARTS OF THE FEDERAL JUDICIARY
ON THIS THANKSGIVING DAY, AS HE
LOOKS AT THE IMMIGRATION LAWS, A
PET PROJECT OF HIS.
ALSO HINTING AT THE POSSIBILITY
THAT THE COMMANDER IN CHIEF
COULD GO VISIT THE TROOPS
SOMETIME SOON.
>> VERY MUCH DOING THE JOB, I'LL
SEE YOU WHEN YOU ARE THE
UNITED STATES OR MAYBE I WILL
SEE YOU OVER THERE.
YOU NEVER KNOW WHAT IS GOING TO
HAPPEN.
I KNOW WHAT YOU HAVE TO DO AND I
HAVE SEEN IT AND A LOT OF
DIFFERENT FORMS BUT I HAVE SEEN
THE WATERS YOU'VE HAD TO GO
THROUGH AND VERY FEW PEOPLE CAN
DO IT.
IT TAKES SPECIAL PEOPLE TO DO
IT.
>> Mike: THE COMMANDER IN
CHIEF CALLING THE TROOPS AND
VISITING WITH COAST GUARD FOLKS
IN PERSON.
LET'S BRING IN THE PANEL.
MICHAEL WARREN, SENIOR WRITER AT
"THE WEEKLY STANDARD.
ALEX WAYNE, WHITE HOUSE EDITOR
FOR ""BLOOMBERG NEWS"," AND TOM
ROGAN, COMMENTATOR, COMMENTARY
WRITER FOR THE
"WASHINGTON EXAMINER."
YOUR THOUGHTS ON THE COMMANDER
IN CHIEF.
HE HAS NOT BEEN TO A WAR ZONE
YET.
IS HE GOING SOON?
>> I THINK HE IS GOING SOON, WE
WILL SEE THAT FOR CHRISTMAS,
POTENTIALLY THE NEXT COUPLE OF
WEEKS.
AFGHANISTAN WILL BE THE NATURAL
PLACE IF YOU WILL GO.
ONE OF THE BIGGEST INTER
ONE OF THE BIGGEST INTES
ONE OF THE BIGGEST INTEI
ONE OF THE BIGGEST INTEG
ONE OF THE BIGGEST INTET
ONE OF THE BIGGEST INTEI
ONE OF THE BIGGEST INTEG
ONE OF THE BIGGEST INTES
FOR THE PRESIDENT, WHICH WE HAVE
SEEN JOHN ROBERTS, THE NOTION OF
CONSTITUTIONAL POWERS, THE
PRESIDENT EARLIER TODAY AS WELL
WAS SPEAKING TO A NAVAL OFFICER
AND TALKING ABOUT NUCLEAR
PHYSICS, ODDLY.
IT WAS VERY STRIKING TO SEE --
THIS IS WHERE I THINK YOU SEE
PRESIDENT TRUMP HAVING A PRETTY
GOOD RAPPORT WITH THE MILITARY
BRASS, THE ELITE TO COMMIT A
FOUR STAR GENERALS, AS WELL AS
THE ENLISTED PERSONNEL.
HE DOES HAVE A DEFERENCE TO
THEIR EXPERTISE.
I THINK HE LIKES THE FACT THAT
THEY THEIR JOB IS TO DESTROY THE
ENEMY.
BUT AT THE SAME TIME, IT IS TO
THE PRESIDENT'S CREDIT.
THAT HIS BEST IN A WAY IN THE
MILITARY IN A SENSE THAT HE
DEFERS TO BETTER JUDGMENT BUT HE
ALSO HAS A RESPECT FOR AT&T IS
WILLING TO LISTEN.
THAT EARLIER DISCUSSION WITH A
NUCLEAR PHYSICS GUY, THE OFFICER
TODAY, THERE WAS A DISAGREEMENT
BUT HE WAS LIKE, OKAY, YOU DON'T
SEE THAT WITH OTHER PEOPLE.
SO I THINK THE OPPORTUNITY FOR
THE WHITE HOUSE COMING OFF THE
BACK OF THE MENTOR WAS TO GO TO
A WAR ZONE, IS TO TAKE THEM
ACTUALLY, THE PRESIDENT, AS
GEORGE W. BUSH WAS TO A DEGREE.
>> Mike: WE REMEMBER
GEORGE W. BUSH GOING TO WAR
ZONES ON THE HOLIDAYS.
PRESIDENT OBAMA MADE SEVERAL
VISITS.
YOUR THOUGHTS ON THIS PRESIDENT,
AS OUR WHITE HOUSE EDITOR ON THE
PANEL?
>> IT'S PUZZLING HE HASN'T GOT
ALREADY.
BY THIS POINT IN HIS PRESIDENCY,
BARACK OBAMA HAD GONE TO IRAQ
ONCE, GONE TO AFGHANISTAN ONCE.
IN JUST A COUPLE OF WEEKS ON
DECEMBER 3RD 2010, BARACK OBAMA
WENT TO AFGHANISTAN FOR A SECOND
TIME.
IT'S NOT CLEAR REALLY WHY TRUMP
HASN'T GONE YET.
JIM MATTIS SAID HE ADVISED HIM
NOT TO GO TO CERTAIN PLACES, DID
NOT NAME THOSE PLACES.
IT SUGGESTS THAT PERHAPS THINGS
ARE MAY BE WORSE IN AFGHANISTAN
THEN THE PUBLIC IS REALLY
UNDERSTANDING AT THIS POINT.
IT'S JUST NOT SAFE ENOUGH FOR
THE PRESIDENT TO VISIT.
>> I THINK THIS GETS TO A SORT
OF COMPLICATION WITH A TRIP FOR
THE PRESIDENT TO A COMBAT ZONE
IN THE MIDDLE EAST, WHICH IS
THAT THE PRESIDENT HIMSELF HAS
STATED HIS OPPOSITION TO THE
UNITED STATES MILITARY BEING
INVOLVED IN AFGHANISTAN.
HE SORT OF WAS BOLD KICKING AND
SCREAMING BY HIS ADVISORS TO
CONTINUE INTO OUR ENGAGEMENT AND
AFGHANISTAN.
HE'S VERY FRUSTRATED WITH THE
WAY THAT HAS GONE, SINCE HE
AGREED TO THAT SOUTHERN, SOUTH
ASIA POLICY AS HE DID LAST YEAR.
THE SAME IN SYRIA, FIGHTING
ISIS, I THINK HE WANTS TO BE
DONE AND OUT OF THERE.
WHAT A TRIP TO VISIT THE TROOPS
ASSIGNED A MIXED MESSAGE?
WHAT IT MAY BE PERCEIVED AS AN
ENDORSEMENT?
THOSE ARE THE KINDS OF THINGS
THAT THIS PUBLIC
RELATIONS-CONTRAS PRESIDENT IS
THINKING ABOUT.
IT'S INTERESTING TO HEAR HIM
TEASE THAT.
I THINK I'M SKEPTICAL HE'S GOING
TO FOLLOW THROUGH.
>> Mike: WHAT DO YOU GENTLEMEN
MAKE UP THE BACK AND FORTH
BETWEEN THE PRESIDENT AND THE
CHIEF JUSTICE OF THE
SUPREME COURT?
>> I THINK HE IS CERTAINLY NOT
THE FIRST PRESIDENT TO GRUMBLE
ABOUT A COURT RULING GOING
AGAINST HIM.
AGAINST HIS ADMINISTRATION.
I THINK WHAT IS DIFFERENT HERE
IS THE PUBLIC WAY THAT HE IS
GOING ABOUT IT AND THE PERSONAL
WAY HE SEEMS TO BE TAKING MOST,
THAT HE TALKS ABOUT THIS JUDGE
WAS APPOINTED BY A DEMOCRAT.
APPOINTED BY OBAMA.
I THINK THAT IS WHERE YOU ARE
GETTING JUSTICE ROBERTS REALLY
KIND OF FEELING LIKE HE HAS TO
DEFEND THE IMPARTIALITY OR
RATHER THE INDEPENDENCE OF THE
JUDICIARY.
THAT WE MAY BE NOMINATED BY
PRESIDENTS OF A CERTAIN PARTY
BUT IDEALLY, WE ARE THAT
PRESIDENTS GUY ON THE BENCH --
YOU DO HEAR THIS.
NEIL GORSUCH, THE PRESIDENT'S
FIRST MAJOR ACCOMPLISHMENT ON
THE SUPREME COURT, VERY EARLY ON
IN HIS SUPREME COURT TENURE,
RULED AGAINST THE PRESIDENT ON
AN IMMIGRATION ISSUE.
YOU OFTEN SEE THIS, WHERE THESE
JUDGES RULE AGAINST THEM.
THE PRESIDENT SEEMED TO TAKE IT
TOO PERSONALLY.
>> Mike: YOUR THOUGHTS?
>> I THINK THIS PRESIDENT HAS
UPSET SO MANY NORMS AND
EXPECTATIONS THAT WE HAD FOR THE
PRESIDENCY BEFORE HE TOOK
OFFICE, AND ONE OF THOSE IS IN
CHALLENGING INSTITUTIONS THAT
HIS PREDECESSORS BUT NEVER HAVE
SO PUBLICLY CHALLENGED.
THE COURTS ARE ONE OF THEM.
THE FEDERAL RESERVE IS ANOTHER
EXAMPLE.
HE IS REPEATEDLY CRITICIZED THE
FEDERAL RESERVE AND THE CHAIRMAN
OF THE PAD PERSONALLY FOR
RAISING INTEREST RATES.
YOU DO NOT HEAR THAT FROM
PREVIOUS PRESIDENTS.
I THINK THERE ARE CONSEQUENCES
TO IT.
I THINK HE RISKS SHAKING
CONSTANT DULL MY CONFIDENCE IN
THOSE INSTITUTIONS BY
CRITICIZING MEN.
>> Mike: TOM, YOUR THOUGHTS?
>> ANALYTICALLY, YOU LOOK AT THE
TRADITIONAL ROLE OF THE
JUDICIARY IN TERMS OF THE
CONSTITUTIONAL FINDING SEPARATE
BUT EQUAL, CHIEF JUSTICE ROBERTS
HAD TO STAND UP FOR THE COURT.
WE ALL KNOW THERE ARE POLITICAL
IDEOLOGIES BEHIND DIFFERENT
JUDGES BUT IT'S THE PRINCIPLE
THAT MUST BE EQUAL JUSTICE UNDER
THE LAW, CHIEF JUSTICE HAD TO
STAND UP FOR IT.
IT WAS QUITE STRIKING TODAY,
PRESIDENT TRUMP, VERY
PRESIDENTIAL, AND AN UNUSUAL
SENSE FOR THE PRESIDENT, A SENSE
QUITE NORMAL, HE WAS HAVING
THIS DISAGREEMENT POLITELY WITH
A NAVAL OFFICER BUT HE ALSO SAID
CHIEF JUSTICE ROBERTS, I RESPECT
THE GUY.
THERE IS NO ANIMOSITY THAT YOU
NORMALLY SEE PLAYED WITH TRUMP,
IT'S ALMOST LIKE HE IS OUT ON
THE YACHT TWEETING AND WHEN HE
COMES BACK INTO THAT MOMENT AND
THEN HE THINKS ABOUT IT, AND AS
LONG AS SOMEONE HAS THE
RESPECT -- HE DOES MAKE IT
PERSONAL.
IF YOU DO THAT WITH THE
PRESIDENT, HE LISTENS FOR.
>> Mike: IN OUR BRIEF TIME
LEFT IN THE SEGMENT, I WANT TO
BRIEFLY GET TO HOW JUDICIARY
REPUBLICANS CALLING FORMER
ATTORNEY GENERAL AT LORETTA
LYNCH AND JAMES COMEY TO THE
HILL.
BRIEFLY.
>> VERY BRIEFLY WHAT THEY SHOULD
HAVE DONE, AND WHAT PROBABLY
WILL HAPPEN AS YOU HAVE AN OPEN
AND CLOSED SESSION.
THEIR CLASSIFIED STUFF THERE,
SOME OF IT VERY CLASSIFIED
BECAUSE OF FOR A ALLIES.
DO IT BOTH WAY.
I THINK COMEY HAS A POINT, THAT
THERE IS A POLITICAL AGENDA.
DO BOTH COME UP AND CLOSED.
>> I'M A JOURNALIST, I'M A BIG
FAN OF JIM COMEY HAVING AN OPEN
HEARING INSTEAD OF A CLOSED-DOOR
HEARING.
>> IF IT IS CLOSED, THERE WILL
BE LEAKS FROM THE REPUBLICANS
AND DEMOCRATS, NO ONE WILL AGREE
AND WHAT IS ACTUALLY SAID.
I THINK THAT IS A PROBLEM IN
GETTING CLARITY OF WHAT THEY ARE
LOOKING FOR.
>> Mike: IS IT TOO LATE?
SHOULD THEY HAVE DONE THIS
BEFORE THE MIDTERMS?
>> YES, I THINK SO.
I THINK JIM COMEY DOESN'T DO
HIMSELF ANY FAVORS BY GETTING
OUT AHEAD OF HIS LAWYERS A
STATEMENT MAKING THIS TWEET