>>> WELCOME BACK. OVER A DOZEN DEMOCRATS ARE NOW
CALLING ON ATTORNEY GENERAL BARR
TO RESIGN.
TO RESIGN. SOME OF THOSE CALLS CAME LAST
NIGHT AFTER NEWS BROKE OF ROBERT
MUELLER’S LETTER OFFICIALLY
OBJECTING TO BARR’S EARLY
DESCRIPTION OF HIS FINDINGS.
SOME HAVE COME TODAY DURING AND
AFTER BARRES TESTIMONY.
JOINING ME NOW FROM THE OTHER
SIDE OF THE AISLE, DEMOCRATIC
CONGRESS ANN JERRY CONNOLLY OF
VIRGINIA.
VIRGINIA. CONGRESSMAN, I KNOW YOU’RE
OVERSIGHT AND WE’VE GOT
JUDICIARY.
JUDICIARY. WE ARE JUST HEARING THERE ARE
REPORTS THAT APPARENTLY THE
ATTORNEY GENERAL IS REFUSING TO
COME SIT WITH THE HOUSE FOR
TOMORROW BECAUSE OF THIS
DECISION BY THE HOUSE JUDICIARY
COMMITTEE TO HAVE STAFF AND
MEMBERS QUESTION THE ATTORNEY
GENERAL.
GENERAL. WHAT CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT THIS
AND WHAT HAVE YOU HEARD?
>> I JUST SAW A TWEET SAYING THE
SAME THING, CHUCK.
I DON’T KNOW IF IT’S ACCURATE OR
NOT.
NOT. I’VE GOT TO SAY AFTER HIS
PERFORMANCE TODAY I’M NOT
SURPRISED THAT HE DOESN’T WANT
TO REPEAT IT AGAIN TOMORROW.
A PRETTY SORRY PERFORMANCE
BEFORE THE SENATE JUDICIARY
COMMITTEE.
COMMITTEE. BUT THIS DISPUTE ABOUT WHETHER
HE WOULD BE SUBJECTED TO
QUESTIONING BY COUNSEL, NOT JUST
MEMBERS, YOU KNOW, FRANKLY IT’S
NOT UP TO THE ATTORNEY GENERAL
TO DECIDE THE RULES OF THE HOUSE
AND HOW WE COMPORT OUR BUSINESS.
MANY, MANY TIMES VARIOUS AND
SUNDRY WITNESSES HAVE IN FACT
BEEN QUERIED BY COUNSEL.
ROBERT KENNEDY WAS NOT AN
ELECTED OFFICIAL, HE WAS COUNSEL
TO THE COMMITTEE.
SAM DASH QUESTIONS WITNESSES,
INCLUDING THE FORMER ATTORNEY
GENERAL OF THE UNITED STATES.
IRONICALLY IT WAS THE
REPUBLICANS WHO INSISTED ON
OUTSIDE COUNSEL QUERYING
CHRISTINE FORD RATHER THAN DOING
IT THEMSELVES.
IT THEMSELVES. SO THIS IS JUST A FIGHT HE’S NOT
GOING TO WIN.
IT’S AN EXCUSE FOR NOT APPEARING
BEFORE THE HOUSE WHERE HE WOULD
FACE EVEN TOUGHER QUESTIONING I
THINK TOMORROW.
THINK TOMORROW. >> GIVEN YOUR SPIDEY SENSE THAT
HE’S LOOKING FOR AN EXCUSE AFTER
TODAY, AFTER BASICALLY ADMITTING
THAT THE PRESIDENT IS ASKING HIM
CONSTANTLY ABOUT VARIOUS
INVESTIGATIONS, SHOULD THE
DEMOCRATS BASICALLY SAY FINE,
WE’RE NOT GOING TO LET STAFF
TOMORROW, YOUR SUBPOENA STILL
HOLDS.
HOLDS. SHOULD THEY BACK DOWN FOR
TOMORROW OR DO YOU THINK THEY
SHOULD GO AND WIN THE TECHNICAL
LEGAL ARGUMENT HERE?
>> AT THIS POINT GIVEN THE
CONTEXT, CHUCK, WHICH IS THAT
THE PRESIDENT HAS DIRECTED NONE
OF HIS STAFF TO COOPERATE WITH
HOUSE SUBPOENAS ACROSS THE
BOARD, WHETHER IT’S ABOUT THE
MUELLER AFFAIR OR NOT, I DON’T
THINK WE CAN BACK DOWN.
I THINK HE’S GOING TO HAVE TO
AGREE TO THE RULES OF THE HOUSE
AND TO THE PROCEDURES OF THE
JUDICIARY COMMITTEE.
JUDICIARY COMMITTEE. >> WHAT SHOULD DEMOCRATS DO
HERE?
HERE? THERE’S BOTH A -- I FEEL AS IF
YOU’VE GOT LEGAL OBLIGATIONS YOU
HAVE TO THINK ABOUT PERHAPS,
PERHAPS WHAT HISTORY WILL SAY
ABOUT CONSTITUTIONAL NORMS, AND
THEN YOU’VE GOT POLITICAL
REALITY.
REALITY. SO SHOULD -- WHERE DO YOU GO
FROM HERE?
FROM HERE? DO YOU FORCE AN IMPEACHMENT
DISCUSSION?
DISCUSSION? DO YOU FORCE A CENSURING
HEARING?
HEARING? DO YOU START ARRESTING PEOPLE
THAT DON’T SHOW UP?
WHAT IS THE BEST AVENUE HERE?
>> I THINK WE’RE ON SAFEST
GROUNDS IN PROCEEDING WITH THE
INVESTIGATIONS THAT ARE UNDER
WAY AND ENFORCING THE RIGHT OF
THE LEGISLATIVE BRANCH OF
GOVERNMENT TO ENFORCE ITS OWN
SUBPOENAS, WHATEVER THAT MEANS
IN TERMS OF ENFORCEMENT
MECHANISMS, SOME OF WHICH COULD
MEAN CRIMINAL PENALTIES AND
INCARCERATION.
INCARCERATION. CERTAINLY FINES OR CONTEMPT OF
CONGRESS AND POSSIBLE CONTEMPT
OF COURT, ONCE A COURT ENFORCES
THE SUBPOENA.
THE SUBPOENA. HOPEFULLY IT WON’T COME TO THAT.
HOPEFULLY THE ADMINISTRATION
WILL SEE THAT THEY NEED TO BACK
DOWN FROM THAT ACROSS THE BOARD
DEFIANCE.
DEFIANCE. BUT IF THEY DON’T, THIS IS A
TEST OF OUR CONSTITUTIONAL
FRAMEWORK.
FRAMEWORK. WILL WE DEFEND THE FRAMEWORK
ENVISIONED BY OUR FOUNDERS,
WRITTEN INTO THE CONSTITUTION,
OR WILL WE ROLL OVER AND PLAY
DEAD?
DEAD? YOUR PREVIOUS GUEST, SENATOR
KENNEDY, APPARENTLY IS QUITE
HAPPY WITH ROLLING OVER AND
PLAYING DEAD.
PLAYING DEAD. HERE IN THE HOUSE, WE’RE NOT SO
HAPPY WITH THAT AND WE’RE NOT
GOING TO DO THAT.
>> ARE YOU HAMSTRUNG BY THE FACT
THAT THE PRESIDENT AND
REPUBLICANS DON’T VIEW ANY
PENALTY, POLITICAL PENALTY AMONG
THEIR OWN FOR ESSENTIALLY
FIGHTING ALL OF THESE
LEGALITIES?
LEGALITIES? >> I THINK THAT’S A REAL
PROBLEM.
PROBLEM. I THINK THAT IS PROBABLY A
CYNICAL CALCULATION, THE
CONSTITUTION BE DAMNED, THEIR
REQUIREMENTS TO COOPERATE BE
DAMNED.
DAMNED. EVEN RICHARD NIXON SENT ALL OF
HIS KEY OFFICIALS BEFORE THE
CONGRESS.
CONGRESS. WE’VE NEVER SEEN THIS
ACROSS-THE-BOARD DEFIANCE.
ACROSS-THE-BOARD DEFIANCE. I THINK IT’S GOING TO PUT THE
TRUMP PRESIDENCY IN PERIL.
I THINK IT’S GOING TO JEOPARDIZE
HIS RE-ELECTION CHANCES.
BUT THE CONGRESS RIGHT NOW HAS
TO INSTITUTIONALLY ENFORCE ITS
WRIT.
WRIT. WE TOOK AN OATH TO DEFEND THE
CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED
STATES.
STATES. NOT OUR PARTY, NOT THE POLITICS
OF THE MOMENT, NOT PRESIDENT
TRUMP.
TRUMP. >> DO YOU THINK BOB MUELLER IS
EVER GOING TO TESTIFY IN FRONT
OF THE HOUSE?
>> I DO.
>> I DO. I THINK AFTER TODAY THAT’S NOW
INEVITABLE BECAUSE WE HAVE BOB
BARR CHARACTERIZING MUELLER’S
LETTER, WHICH EVERYONE CAN READ.
WE HAVE BOB BARR CLEARLY
EGREGIOUSLY DISTORTING WHAT WAS
IN FACT IN THE MUELLER REPORT.
WE HAVE MUELLER SAYING VIRTUALLY
THAT, COMPLAINING ABOUT IT.
WE HAVE BARR SPLITTING HAIRS SO
HE DIDN’T QUITE PERJURE HIMSELF
PRESUMABLY TO EVADE THE
UNDERLYING FACTS HERE THAT
MUELLER’S REPORT IS MUCH MORE
DAMAGING AND DEVASTATING TO
TRUMP PERSONALLY AND LEGALLY AN
HERE
HERE HERETOFORE ADMITTED BY BARR.
TO SETTLE THAT ALONE WE’VE GOT