>>> DEVIN NUNES IS DONALD TRUMP’S BIGGEST CONGRESSIONAL
DEFENDER ON THE RUSSIA PROBE AND
IS NOW UNDER FIRE NOT FROM
CRITICS BUT FOR HIS OWN WORDS.
CAUGHT ON A SECRET TAPE FIRST
REPORTED OF RACHEL MADDOW
ADMITTING THAT HE PREJUDGES THE
MUELLER PROBE, THAT HE SEES
HOUSE REPUBLICANS AS, QUOTE, THE
ONLY ONES WHO CAN DEFEND TRUMP
REGARDLESS OF WHAT EVIDENCE OR
CRIMES MUELLER FINDS.
>> IF SESSIONS WON’T UNRECUSE
AND MUELLER WON’T CLEAR THE
PRESIDENT, WE’RE THE ONLY ONES,
WHICH IS REALLY THE DANGER.
I MEAN, WE HAVE TO KEEP ALL
THESE SEATS.
THESE SEATS. WE HAVE TO KEEP THE MAJORITY.
IF WE DO NOT KEEP THE MAJORITY,
ALL OF THIS GOES AWAY.
>> NUNES WAS DISCREDITED AS A
RUSSIA INVESTIGATOR OVER ETHICS
CHARGES THAT HE WAS COORDINATING
WITH THE WHITE HOUSE.
HE CLAIMED TO RECUSE HIMSELF
FROM RUNNING THE PROBE.
WHAT’S NEW HERE IS THAT NUNES IS
BLUNTLY ADMITTING HOW HE VIEWS
HIS PARTISAN ROLE.
HE’S PLAYING OUT A NEW CALENDAR
FOR WHEN HE WANTS TO KNEECAP THE
MUELLER PROBE AND ASSURING
DONORS THERE IS STILL A PLAN TO
IMPEACH MUELLER’S BOSS, ROD
ROSENSTEIN.
ROSENSTEIN. SO LISTEN TO THIS PART BECAUSE
HE SAYS THE KEY iSIMPLEIS SIMPLY
IT KICKS IN AFTER NOVEMBER.
>> THE SENATE WOULD HAVE TO DROP
EVERYTHING THEY’RE DOING AND
START TO -- START WITH
IMPEACHMENT ON ROSENSTEIN.
AND THEN YOU TAKE THE RISK OF
NOT GETTING KAVANAUGH CONFIRMED.
SO, IT’S NOT A MATTER THAT ANY
OF US LIKE ROSENSTEIN.
IT’S A MATTER OF -- IT’S A
MATTER OF TIMING.
>> A MAJOR CLAIM FOR THE
REPUBLICAN’S INTEL CHAIRMAN TO
MAKE.
MAKE. A PLAN TO UNDERCUT A NATIONAL
SECURITY INVESTIGATION IS JUST A
MATTER OF TIMING.
NUNES IS LAYING OUT A STRATEGY
THAT IS ONE PART RICHARD NIXON,
ONE PART WYCLEF GENE.
SAYING REPUBLICANS SHOULD HOLD
BACK FOR NOW AND BE GONE UNTIL
NOVEMBER AND THEN THEY CAN LASH
OUT AT THE PROBE AFTER
CONFIRMING THEIR SUPREME COURT
JUSTICE HAND PICKED BY TRUMP.
NUNES DID NOT KNOW HIS WORDS
WERE BEING RECORDED WHEN HE WAS
SERENADING THE GOP FAITHFUL AT
THAT PRIVATE EVENT.
BASICALLY ASSURING THEM I’LL BE
GONE UNTIL NOVEMBER.
I’LL BE GONE UNTIL NOVEMBER.
YO, TELL MY DONORS I’LL BE GONE
TILL NOVEMBER.
TILL NOVEMBER. NOW, NUNES HAS NOT RETRACTED
THIS PLAN.
THIS PLAN. IN FACT TODAY HIS SPOKESMAN
CALLED THE REMARKS THAT WERE
CAUGHT ON TAPE, QUOTE, ROUTINE
OBSERVATIONS.
OBSERVATIONS. NOW THAT’S JUST FALSE.
THERE’S NOTHING ROUTINE ABOUT
ADMITTING THAT YOU PLAN TO
ENGINEER A FIRST IMPEACHMENT OF
A DOJ OFFICIAL OVERSEEING A
SPECIAL COUNSEL IN ALL OF
AMERICAN HISTORY.
AMERICAN HISTORY. IT IS SUSPICIOUS AND TELLING
THAT NUNES WANTS TO SHUT DOWN
THIS PROBE BEFORE EVEN FINDING
OUT IF, SAY, AMERICANS ARE
CHARGED FOR CONSPIRACY OR
ESPIONAGE OR COLLUDING WITH
FOREIGNERS.
FOREIGNERS. AND THAT BRINGS US BACK TO A
FINAL LINE FROM "GONE TILL
NOVEMBER" WHICH MAY APPLY MORE
TO MUELLER THAN NUNES.
COMMIT TREASON, THEN I’LL HAVE A
REASON TO HUNT YOU DOWN.
NOW, WE DON’T KNOW IF MORE
CRIMES WILL BE CHARGED, BUT THAT
WOULD CERTAINLY BE A CRIME THAT
WARRANTS HUNTING BEFORE OR AFTER
NOVEMBER.
NOVEMBER. BACK WITH ME IS CHRISTINA GREER
AS PART OF OUR SERIOUS NEWS
COVERAGE AND ALSO WITH ME IS TY
KELLY, A FORMER DOJ LAWYER WHERE
SHE WORKED FOR, GUESS WHO, ROD
ROSENSTEIN.
ROSENSTEIN. THANK YOU BOTH FOR BEING HERE.
>> THANK YOU.
>> WHEN YOU LOOK AT THIS PLAN AS
STATED IN NUNES’ OWN WORDS, HOW
APPROPRIATE WOULD THIS BE GIVEN
THE RATIONALE THAT HE STATES?
>> WELL, LOOK, YOU SAID IT BEST,
RIGHT?
RIGHT? THERE’S NEVER BEEN AN
IMPEACHMENT OF A DEPUTY ATTORNEY
GENERAL.
GENERAL. I THINK THERE’S BEEN EIGHT
SUCCESSFUL IMPEACHMENTS IN THE
HISTORY OF ANY BROUGHT BY THE
HOUSE.
HOUSE. BUT WHAT’S MORE INTERESTING FROM
A LEGAL SPECTER ISPERSPECTIVE IS
THEY’RE BASED ON A
RUN-OF-THE-MILL SUBPOENA
RUN-OF-THE-MILL SUBPOENA DISPUTE.
DISPUTE. I MEAN SUBPOENAS ARE NEGOTIATED,
NARROWED, ARGUED ABOUT EVERY
SINGLE DAY.
SINGLE DAY. IN MY CRIMINAL DEFENSE PRACTICE
I PROBABLY TALK ABOUT ONE EVERY
SINGLE WEEK, ABOUT THE SCOPE AND
THE BREADTH.
THE BREADTH. YOU HEAR THE SAYING THE KITCHEN
SINK AND THAT IS PART OF THE
PROCESS, TO TRY TO NARROW THE
SCOPE, TRY TO FIGURE OUT THE
TIMING, TRY TO FIGURE OUT HOW
APPROPRIATE IT IS AND HOW MANY
TIMES YOU HAVE TO MEET WITH
PEOPLE AND IT’S A REALLY NORMAL
PART OF THE PROCESS.
SO FOR THAT TO HAVE ESCALATED
INTO IMPEACHMENT IS LEGALLY MORE
THE SIGNIFICANT PART.
>> SO THERE’S THE IDEA AS YOU
PUT IT SO WELL THAT THIS ISN’T A
RATIONAL OR MERITORIOUS REASON.
THERE’S NUNES OUTING HIMSELF AS
DOING THIS PURE LOWLY POLITICALL
AND THE QUESTION IF THEY DON’T
PULL IT OFF, DOES THAT GET
INSIDE MR. ROSENSTEIN’S HEAD.
SINCE YOU WORKED WITH HIM, WE’RE
CURIOUS ABOUT YOUR INPUT ON
THAT.
THAT. LET’S TAKE A LOOK AT ONE OF THE
TIMES WE SAW HIM BATTLE BACK
AGAINST SOME OF THESE PARTISAN
QUESTIONS AT A HEARING.
TAKE A LOOK.
>> I AM THE DEPUTY ATTORNEY
GENERAL OF THE UNITED STATES.
OKAY?
OKAY? I’M NOT THE PERSON DOING THE
REDACTING.
REDACTING. YOUR STATEMENT THAT I AM
PERSONALLY KEEPING INFORMATION
FROM YOU, TRYING TO CONCEAL --
>> YOU’RE THE PAWS,BOSS, MR.
ROSENSTEIN.
ROSENSTEIN. >> THAT’S CORRECT OF THE AND MY
JOB IS TO RESPOND TO YOUR
KWERNZ.
KWERNZ. WE HAVE, SIR.
>> I THINK THE HOUSE OF
REPRESENTATIVES WILL SAY
OTHERWISE.
OTHERWISE. >> BUT YOUR USE OF THIS TO
ATTACK ME --
>> MR. CHAIRMAN, MAY THE WITNESS
BE PERMITTED TO ANSWER THE
QUESTION.
QUESTION. >> IT’S NOT PERSONAL.
>> DO YOU THINK THESE EFFORTS
EVEN IF THEY DON’T REMOVE HIM
WOULD IMPACT THE WAY HE DOES HIS
JOB OR INTIMIDATE HIM?
>> NO, ABSOLUTELY NOT.
ROD ROSENSTEIN IS RULE OF LAW.
HE TAKES HIS JOB AS SERIOUSLY AS
ANYONE.
ANYONE. I THINK THAT HE WILL CONTINUE TO
DO EVERYTHING HE CAN TO DO HIS
JOB WITH INTEGRITY AND TO MOVE
FORWARD WITHOUT THE DISTRACTION
AND ANYTHING ELSE GOING ON IN
ANY SORT OF IMPEACHMENT PROCESS
OR ANY OTHER DISTRACTION.
>> CHRISTINA, YOUR VIEW OF THIS,
WE’VE COVERED WHY IT SEEMS
LEGALLY INAPPROPRIATE.
LEGALLY INAPPROPRIATE. THE POLITICS OF THIS AT A
FUND-RAISER AS A MIDTERM MESSAGE
FOR THE REPUBLICANS.
>> IT’S REALLY DANGEROUS.
OBVIOUSLY ON THIS SHOW AND OTHER
SHOWS PEOPLE HAVE COMPARED THE
MOMENT WE’RE IN TO WATERGATE.
AND I DON’T THINK THAT THERE’S A
COMPARISON.
COMPARISON. I THINK THAT WE’RE MUCH DEEPER
THAN THAT AND A MUCH MORE
CRUCIAL TIME PERIOD.
DURING WATERGATE WE AT LEAST HAD
REPUBLICANS WHO SAID THERE’S
SOMETHING NOT RIGHT ABOUT THIS
PARTICULAR PRESIDENT, EVEN
THOUGH HE’S IN OUR PARTY AND WE
WILL ACTUALLY NEED TO DO WHAT
THE CONSTITUTION IMPLORES US TO
DO WHICH IS UPHOLD THE
SEPARATION OF POWERS AND SERVE
AS A CHECK ON THE EXECUTIVE
BRANCH.
BRANCH. WE’RE NOT SEEING THAT NOW.
THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT GEORGE
WASHINGTON WARNED US ABOUT IN
1796 IN HIS FAREWELL ADDRESS.
HE TALKS ABOUT HYPERPARTISANSHIP
AND PARTIES AND HOW IT WILL
ERODE AT THE DELICATE FABRIC OF
AMERICAN DEMOCRACY.
AMERICAN DEMOCRACY. WE’RE SEEING JUST HOW FRAGILE
OUR DEMOCRACY IS BECAUSE TRUMP
IS LEANING ON THE LINE OF NOT
JUST LEGALITY BUT WHAT IT MEANS
TO BE AN AMERICAN.
>> YOU’RE MAKING ME WANTING TO
GO REREAD THAT GEORGE WASHINGTON
SPEECH.
SPEECH. WILL I FEEL BETTER OR WORSE?
>> I DON’T KNOW HOW YOU WILL
FEEL, BUT YOU CAN SIT IN ON MY
CLASS ON TUESDAYS THIS SEMESTER.
>> I FEEL LIKE WE GET TO SIT IN
ON YOUR CLASS WHEN YOU COME HERE
AND BLESS US WITH YOUR POLITICAL
SCIENCE.
SCIENCE. BUT THAT’S AN INTERESTING ONE