WE'RE GETTING AN ANNOUNCEMENT FROM ATTORNEY GENERAL MERRICK
GARLAND SET TO APPOINT A SPECIAL COUNSEL IN THE TRUMP PROBE.
>> Reporter: THAT'S RIGHT. SO IN THE NEXT 20 MINUTES OR SO
WE'RE GOING TO HEAR FROM THE ATTORNEY GENERAL DIRECTLY, BUT
HE IS -- HE HAS APPOINTED A SPECIAL COUNSEL TO OVERSEE THE
INVESTIGATION -- THE TWIN INVESTIGATIONS INTO THE FORMER
PRESIDENT, ONE OF THEM OF COURSE IS THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT'S
INVESTIGATION OF THE RETENTION OF NATIONAL SECURITY INFORMATION
THESE ARE THE CLASSIFIED DOCUMENTS THAT WERE FOUND BY THE
FBI DURING THE SEARCH AT THE FORMER PRESIDENT'S RESIDENCE IN
PALM BEACH IN MAR-A-LAGO, THE SECOND PART OF THIS IS PARTS OF
THE JANUARY 6th INVESTIGATION THAT TOUCH ON THE FORMER
PRESIDENT. OF COURSE, YOU KNOW THAT ONE OF
THE THINGS THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT HAS BEEN LOOKING INTO
IS THE INVOLVEMENT OF THE FORMER PRESIDENT AND THE PEOPLE AROUND
HIM IN THE EFFORT TO OBSTRUCT THE TRANSFER OF POWER AFTER
THE -- AFTER THE 2020 ELECTION. HE WAS INVOLVED IN THE FAKE
ELECTORS SCHEME AND IN THE ENTIRE EFFORT TO TRY TO PREVENT
CONGRESS FROM CERTIFYING JOE BIDEN'S VICTORY AT THE END OF
THE 2020 ELECTION. THOSE ARE THE TWO THINGS THAT
THE SPECIAL COUNSEL WHO HAS ALREADY BEEN APPOINTED BY THE
ATTORNEY GENERAL WHO IS NOW GOING TO OVERSEE THOSE TWO SEE
ASPECTS OF THESE TWO INVESTIGATIONS.
NOW, WE'RE GOING TO HEAR A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT WHO THE
ATTORNEY GENERAL HAS APPOINTED WHEN THE ATTORNEY GENERAL COMES
OUT TO SPEAK, AGAIN, IN ABOUT 30 MINUTES OR SO AND WE'RE GOING TO
HEAR A LOT MORE ABOUT EXACTLY WHY THIS WAS DONE, BUT, LOOK, WE
PREVIOUSLY REPORTED WE BROKE THE STORY HERE AT CNN THAT THIS WAS
SOMETHING THAT WAS IN DISCUSSION AT THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT AND
PART OF THE CALCULATION WAS THE IDEA THAT, YOU KNOW, HAVING
SOMEONE NOT PART OF THE POLITICAL LEADERSHIP HERE UNDER
THE POLITICAL LEADERSHIP HERE OVERSEEING THESE INVESTIGATIONS
WAS IMPORTANT IF THE FORMER PRESIDENT DECLARES THAT HE IS A
CANDIDATE FOR OFFICE ONCE MORE, GIVEN THE FACT THAT OBVIOUSLY HE
MIGHT BE RUNNING AGAINST MERRICK GARLAND, THE ATTORNEY GENERAL'S
BOSS, JOE BIDEN, IF HE DECIDES TO RUN FOR REELECTION SO THAT'S
PART OF THE ISSUE, WHICH WAS TO TRY TO INSULATE THOSE TWO
INVESTIGATIONS AND KEEP THEM OUT OF THE REALM OF POLITICS.
OF COURSE, YOU GUYS KNOW THAT, YOU KNOW, YOU CAN TRY TO DO
THAT, BUT THEN OF COURSE IT HAS TO DO WITH DONALD TRUMP AND
THERE'S PROBABLY NO WAY TO DIVORCE YOURSELF ENTIRELY FROM
THE POLITICAL ATMOSPHERE OF THIS.
>> EVAN, STAY WITH ME I WANT TO BRING IN JESSICA SCHNEIDER WHO
IS LEARNING MORE ABOUT THE S DELIBERATIONS THAT TOOK PLACE TO
GET TO THIS POINT. >> AS EVAN JUST MENTIONED HERE
IT WAS OUR TEAM TWO WEEKS AGO THAT BROKE THAT NEWS THAT THE
DOJ WAS CONSIDERING WHETHER OR NOT A SPECIAL COUNSEL WOULD BE
NECESSARY ONCE TRUMP ANNOUNCED HIS CANDIDACY FOR A SECOND TERM.
OF COURSE, THAT ANNOUNCEMENT HAPPENING EARLIER THIS WEEK ON
TUESDAY NIGHT. SO PRESUMABLY THE DEPARTMENT OF
JUSTICE, THE ATTORNEY GENERAL ACTING FAIRLY QUICKLY HERE
WITHIN A MATTER OF DAYS TO DECIDE TO NAME A SPECIAL COUNSEL
TO OVERSEE THESE TWO PARALLEL AND VERY BIG PROBES THAT ARE
ONGOING, INTO JANUARY 6th AND ALSO THE ALLEGED RETENTION OF
CLASSIFIED DOCUMENTS AT THE FORMER PRESIDENT'S HOME IN PALM
BEACH, FLORIDA, MAR-A-LAGO. SO THIS HAS BEEN SOMETHING THAT
THE DOJ HAS BEEN CONSIDERING FOR MANY WEEKS, AS ALL OF THESE
INVESTIGATIONS HAVE REALLY CRESCENDOED AND THAT
ANNOUNCEMENT WILL BE COMING TODAY FROM THE ATTORNEY GENERAL
MERRICK GARLAND. EVAN TALKED A LITTLE BIT ABOUT A
SPECIAL COUNSEL, THE FACT THAT IT CAN SOMEWHAT INSULATE THE
DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE FROM ANY CRIES OF POLITICIZATION HERE.
OF COURSE, THOSE CRIES ARE GOING TO COME INEVITABLY.
BUT ULTIMATELY WHAT'S IMPORTANT TO NOTE HERE IS THAT EVEN THOUGH
THE SPECIAL COUNSEL WILL BE NAMED VERY SHORTLY BY THE
ATTORNEY GENERAL, HE WILL REVEAL WHO IT IS, THAT SPECIAL COUNSEL
WILL OPERATE INDEPENDENTLY, HOWEVER, ULTIMATELY ANY
DECISIONS ABOUT WHETHER TO CHARGE THE FORMER PRESIDENT,
DONALD TRUMP, OR ANY OF HIS ASSOCIATES, THAT'S SOMETHING
THAT WILL, IN FACT, BE RUN BY AND APPROVED ULTIMATELY BY THE
ATTORNEY GENERAL AND TOP OFFICIALS AT THE JUSTICE
DEPARTMENT. OF COURSE, THE UNITED STATES
PUBLIC HAS SEEN THIS BEFORE, WE SAW ROBERT MUELLER BE NAMED AS
SPECIAL COUNSEL BY THEN DEPUTY ATTORNEY GENERAL ROD ROSENSTEIN,
THAT WAS WAY BACK IN 2017. WE SAW THAT PROBE ONGOING FOR AT
LEAST A YEAR AND A HALF, I BELIEVE.
AND THEN OF COURSE WE STILL HAVE A SPECIAL COUNSEL, JOHN DURHAM,
WHO HAS BEEN ONGOING AND ACTUALLY UNSUCCESSFUL IN SEVERAL
PROSECUTIONS THAT HE HAS BROUGHT.
SO THIS WILL BE A SPECIAL COUNSEL THAT WILL BE ANNOUNCED
BY THE ATTORNEY GENERAL, WE ARE EXPECTING THAT LIVE ANNOUNCEMENT
AT 2:15, PRESUMABLY THE ATTORNEY GENERAL WILL NAME WHO THE
SPECIAL COUNSEL WILL BE AND THEN EXPLAIN THE PARAMETERS OF THIS
INVESTIGATION AND WHAT HE WILL BE OVERSEEING.
BUT, ANA, IT WILL BE QUITE BROAD BECAUSE OBVIOUSLY THESE TWO
PARALLEL TRACKS INTO THE PRESIDENT'S -- FORMER
PRESIDENT'S INVOLVEMENT IN JANUARY 6, TRYING TO OVERTURN
THE 2020 ELECTION AND THEN OF COURSE THAT CONTINUING
INVESTIGATION THAT POPPED UP OVER THE SUMMER THAT WE ALL
LEARNED ABOUT INTO THE ALLEGED RETENTION OF CLASSIFIED
DOCUMENTS AT MAR-A-LAGO. SO EXPECTING MORE FROM THE
ATTORNEY GENERAL IN JUST ABOUT A HALF HOUR HERE, ANA.
>> DO WE KNOW WHO HE IS PLANNING TO APPOINT OR IS HE JUST GOING
TO ANNOUNCE HE HAS MADE A DECISION TO HAVE A SPECIAL
COUNSEL? >> YEAH, I KNOW EVAN IS ACTUALLY
OVER AT THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT. HE SEEMED TO INDICATE THAT THE
ATTORNEY GENERAL WILL PROBABLY NAME WHO THE SPECIAL COUNSEL IS
AND BRINGING YOU BACK TO 2017 WHEN ROD ROSENSTEIN ANNOUNCED
THAT THERE WOULD BE A SPECIAL COUNSEL, HE DID NAME THAT IT
WOULD BE ROBERT MUELLER RIGHT AWAY.
SO IT'S EXPECTED THAT ATTORNEY GENERAL GARLAND WILL DO THE SAME
HERE AND ANNOUNCE WHO THE SPECIAL COUNSEL ACTUALLY WILL
BE, BUT WE WILL STAY TUNED FOR THAT.