>> TURNING NOW TO THE LATEST
ON THE INVESTIGATION INTO THE
JANUARY 6 ATTACK ON THE
CAPITOL. THERE'S A COUPLE
PIECES OF NEWS HERE IN A NEW
COURT FILING THE HOUSE
COMMITTEE INVESTIGATING THE
INSURRECTION CLAIMS FORMER
PRESIDENT TRUMP AND MEMBERS OF
HIS CAMPAIGN WERE PART OF A
CONSPIRACY TO OVERTURN THE
2020 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION
RESULTS. THIS COMES AS THE
FIRST TRIAL RELATED TO THE
ATTACK GETS UNDERWAY. OPENING
STATEMENTS TOOK PLACE JUST
YESTERDAY IN A FEDERAL
COURTROOM IN THE TRIAL OF A
TEXAS MAN GUY REFFITT NBC NEWS
CAPITOL HILL CORRESPONDENT
ALI. BUT ALI JOINS US NOW WITH
THE LATEST. ALI, GOOD MORNING.
SO FIRST LET'S START WITH THIS
COURT FILING AND SORT OF
EXPLAIN WHAT IT MEANS FOR THE
SIGNIFICANCE OF THE HOUSE
COMMITTEE. WHAT THEY MUST HAVE
IN ORDER TO GO AHEAD AND TAKE
THIS STEP AND I KNOW IT REALLY
FOCUSES ON THIS TRUMP ALLY
LAWYER TELL US STILL COMING
OUT HERE.
>> YES, THIS IS MAJOR. THERE'S
NO OTHER WAY TO PUT
TECHNICALLY IT'S A COURT
FILING TRYING TO GET THE
DOCUMENTS OF JOHN EASTMAN WHO
WAS A TRUMP ALLY WHO WAS
ADVISING HIM ON WAYS THAT HE
CAN HELP TO OVERTURN THE
ELECTION RESULTS. EASTMAN HAS
ARGUED REPEATEDLY WITH THE
JANUARY 6 COMMITTEE THAT HE
CAN'T TURN OVER DOCUMENTS
BECAUSE OF ATTORNEY CLIENT
PRIVILEGE OR EVEN TALK ABOUT
SOME OF HIS CONVERSATIONS WITH
TRUMP. AND WHAT WE LEARNED IN
THIS LEGAL FILING IS HE'S ONE
OF THOSE ALLIES WHO SAID THAT
HE WOULD COME FORWARD AND
PLEAD THE 5TH IN THE
COMMITTEE. THERE'S A
TRANSCRIPT INCLUDED IN THIS
REALLY LEAVE THE TROVE OF
FILINGS HERE MAY INCLUDE PART
OF EASTMAN'S TRANSCRIPT WHERE
HE DOES PLEAD THE 5TH OVER A
100 TIMES IN THAT BRIEFING.
BUT WHAT'S REALLY STUNNING
HERE IS THE PART OF THE FILING
WHERE THEY SAY THAT THEY
BELIEVE THAT FORMER PRESIDENT
DONALD TRUMP AND OTHERS
COMMITTED CONSPIRACY TO
DEFRAUD THE UNITED STATES. I
WANT TO READ JUST A LITTLE
PIECE OF THAT FILING WHERE
THEY SAY THE SELECT COMMITTEE
HAS A GOOD FAITH BASIS FOR
CONCLUDING THAT THE PRESIDENT
AND MEMBERS OF HIS CAMPAIGN
ENGAGED IN A CRIMINAL
CONSPIRACY TO DEFRAUD THE
UNITED STATES. SO AGAIN, THE
FILING ITSELF, WHICH WILL BE
ARGUED NEXT WEEK IN CALIFORNIA
THAT FILING REGARD IS IN
REGARDS TO JOHN EASTMAN TRYING
TO GET HIM TO TURN OVER
DOCUMENTS AND TO CONTINUE TO
COOPERATE WITH THEM. BUT THE
HEADLINE HERE IS IT'S SORT OF
A BACK DOORWAY INTO SAYING
THAT THEY THINK THAT PRESIDENT
DONALD TRUMP DID SOMETHING
ILLEGAL, SOMETHING CRIMINAL
WHILE HE WAS IN OFFICE IN HIS
EFFORTS TO OVERTURN THE
ELECTION IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT
TO POINT AFTER A FORMER
PRESIDENT HAS NEVER BEEN
CHARGED WITH CRIMES. BUT WHAT
THIS DOES IS EVENTUALLY IT
SORT OF SHOWS US WHERE THIS
HAS BEEN GOING. WHAT WE'VE
IMAGINED, WHERE IT WAS GOING
ALL ALONG, WHICH IS EVENTUALLY
COULD FALL AT THE FEET OF THE
DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE AND
MERRICK GARLAND TO DECIDE ARE
THEY GOING TO BRING A CASE
HERE. AND THAT'S A PRETTY
STUNNING MOMENT IN HISTORY IF
AND WHEN WE GET THAT POINT AND
ALSO AS PEOPLE HAVE HEARD
ABOUT SO MUCH LACK OF
COOPERATION HERE. IT SHOWS US
A STEP BEYOND SUBPOENAING TO
TRY TO FIGURE OUT EXACTLY
WHAT'S GOING ON THERE.
>> ALRIGHT, LET'S NOW TURN TO
THAT FIRST TRIAL. AS I
MENTIONED RELATED TO THE
ATTACK UNDER WAY. NOW, WHAT IS
THIS PERSON GUY REFFITT THIS
TEXAS MAN ACCUSED OF WHAT HIS
CONNECTION TO THE ATTACK AND
WHAT HAPPENED YESTERDAY IS
IT'S GOT UNDERWAY.
>> YEAH. THIS IS THE FIRST OF
WHAT WILL BE 100 SO THERE WERE
HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE WHO WERE
ARRESTED FOR WHAT THEY DID AT
THE CAPITOL ON JANUARY 6
DIRECT. IT IS THE FIRST OF AND
HE DIDN'T GET INTO THE
BUILDING BUT THE ALLEGATIONS
HERE ARE THAT HE WAS IN THE
WORDS OF THE PROSECUTOR, THE
MATCH THAT LIT THE SPARK
RIGHT. BELIEVE THAT FROM
LOOKING YEAH. MATCH THAT
STARTED THE FIRE IN PART
BECAUSE HE HAD A HE WAS
ALLEGED TO HAVE A PISTOL ON
HIS HIP BUT ALSO THE
PROSECUTORS IN THEIR OPENING
ARGUMENTS YESTERDAY THEY
TALKED A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE
MESSAGES THAT RAFIK CONSENT.
WHAT HIS LAWYERS THAT WERE
ARGUING ARE THAT HE IS SOMEONE
WHO IS PRONE TO HYPERBOLE AND
THAT HE WASN'T ACTUALLY GOING
TO FOLLOW THROUGH WITH THE
THINGS THAT HE SAID HE WAS
GOING TO DO AND IT REALLY DOES
LAY THE GROUNDWORK HERE
BECAUSE IT'S THE FIRST
WATCHING THE WAYS IN WHICH
BOTH THE GOVERNMENT ARGUES ITS
CASE USING SO MUCH OF THE
EVIDENCE THAT THEY HAVE FROM
MESSAGES FROM THESE FOLKS BUT
ALSO VIDEO EVIDENCE OF WHAT
WAS HAPPENING ON THAT DAY. AND
THEN OF COURSE, THE WAY THAT
THE DEFENDANTS ARGUING THEIR
CASES HERE AS WELL. REALLY
IMPORTANT THAT WE'RE ABOUT TO
SEE HUNDREDS OF THESE GO
FORWARD OVER THE COURSE OF THE
NEXT FEW MONTHS AND YEARS 100
SO MUCH TO WATCH FOR. WE KNOW
YOU'LL KEEP US UPDATED ALLEY