PROBLEM WHEN "ALL IN" STARTS RIGHT NOW.
>>> GOOD EVENING FROM NEW YORK.
I’M CHRIS HAYES.
ON JANUARY 6th OF THIS YEAR,
SHORTLY AFTER NOON, NEWS LEAKS
THAT MERRICK GARLAND WOULD BE
GETTING A HUGE NEW JOB.
>> TWO SOURCES FAMILIAR TELL MY
COLLEAGUE MIKE MEMOLI AND ME
THAT PRESIDENT-ELECT JOE BIDEN
HAS SELECTED JUDGE MERRICK
GARLAND TO SERVE AS HIS ATTORNEY
GENERAL.
MERRICK GARLAND IS SOMEONE WHO
IS WIDELY VIEWED WHO CAN BE A
UNIFYING FORCE WITHIN THE
DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE, TRYING TO
RESTORE PUBLIC FAITH IN THAT
INSTITUTION AND RESTORING MORALE
WITHIN IT.
>> GARLAND, OF COURSE, EVERYONE
KNEW, WENT THROUGH A HISTORIC
SNUBBING IN 2016 AFTER
THEN-PRESIDENT OBAMA NOMINATED
HIM TO FILL ANTONIN SCALIA’S
VACANT SEAT ON THE SUPREME
COURT.
AND FOR NEARLY A YEAR, SENATE
REPUBLICANS PULLED AN
UNPRECEDENTED STUNT, REFUSING TO
EVEN MEET WITH GARLAND, NOT TO
MENTION HOLD HEARINGS OR A VOTE
ON HIS NOMINATION.
ON JANUARY 6th, THE REDEMPTION
STORY BEGAN.
HE WAS GOING TO BE JOE BIDEN’S
CHOICE FOR ATTORNEY GENERAL, AND
THEN, WELL, OF COURSE JUST AN
HOUR OR TWO LATER, THE REST OF
THAT DAY’S AWFUL EVENTS
UNFOLDED, OVERSHADOWING THE
POTENTIAL NEW A.G.
AND NOW HERE WE ARE, NEARLY TWO
MONTHS LATER.
GARLAND IS STILL THE NOMINEE,
STILL NOT CONFIRMED.
LIKE DEJA VU AS THE DEPARTMENT
OF JUSTICE REMAINS IN SHAMBLES
THANKS TO THE TRUMP
ADMINISTRATION, WHICH DESECRATED
IT EVERY CHANCE IT GOT.
AND THE REASON THAT MERRICK
GARLAND IS NOT YET THE ATTORNEY
GENERAL, THE REASONS THAT
REPUBLICANS UNDERSTAND THEY HAVE
NO REAL POWER RIGHT NOW, EXCEPT
TO DELAY AND TO TROLL AND TO
MAKE THINGS DIFFICULT FOR THE
BIDEN ADMINISTRATION.
THERE IS NO REPUBLICAN GOVERNING
AGENDA.
THEY HAVE NO AFFIRMATIVE GOALS
TO ACCOMPLISH.
THEY JUST WANT TO HURT THE NEW
DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENT AND THE
DEMOCRATIC MAJORITY IN CONGRESS
IN ANY WAY THEY CAN.
SO ENTER SENATOR TOM COTTON OF
ARKANSAS, UNILATERALLY HOLDING
UP MERRICK GARLAND’S NOMINATION
BECAUSE HE DIDN’T LIKE GARLAND’S
ANSWERS TO HIS FOX NEWS-STYLE
QUESTIONS ABOUT IMMIGRATION AND
GUNS AND RACIAL EQUALITY.
THAT LEAVES MERRICK GARLAND
STONEWALLED FOR THE SECOND TIME
IN FIVE YEARS BY TRUCULENT
REPUBLICANS WHO ARE NOT ACTUALLY
INTERESTED IN THE BUSINESS OF
GOVERNING.
UNLESS YOU THINK THIS IS THE
FIRST TIME TOM COTTON HAS PULLED
THIS KIND OF STUNT, HE HAS A
HISTORY OF THIS, INCLUDING ONE
OF THE MOST SHAMEFUL EPISODES OF
REPUBLICAN OBSTRUCTION IN THE
ENTIRE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION,
WHICH IS REALLY, REALLY SAYING
SOMETHING.
YOU SEE, BACK IN 2015, TOM
COTTON BLOCKED THE NOMINATION OF
CASSANDRA BUTTS TO BE THE UNITED
STATES AMBASSADOR TO THE
BAHAMAS.
BUTTS WAS A FRIEND AND ADVISER
AND ASSOCIATE OF PRESIDENT
OBAMA.
THE TWO OF THEM MET AT HARVARD
LAW SCHOOL.
FULL DISCLOSURE, I KNEW
CASSANDRA AS WELL.
COTTON’S HOLD ON THE NOMINATION
HAD ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO DO
WITH HER.
LITERALLY ZERO.
HE EVEN ADMITTED AS MUCH TELLING
BUTTS HERSELF THAT BLOCKING HER
WAS A WAY TO INFLICT SPECIAL
PAIN ON THE PRESIDENT.
AND, WELL, TOM COTTON GOT HIS
WISHED.
HE BLOCKED CASSANDRA BUTTS UNTIL
SHE DIED.
THAT’S RIGHT, SHE DIED AFTER A
BRIEF ILLNESS IN MAY OF 2016.
SHE SUCCUMBED TO ACUTE LEUKEMIA
WHILE STILL WAITING TO BE
CONFIRMED MORE THAN TWO YEARS,
TWO YEARS AFTER HER NOMINATION.
SO CONGRATULATIONS, TOM COTTON.
YOU DID IT.
YOU DID HURT PRESIDENT OBAMA.
I THINK THAT PROBABLY HURT WHEN
HIS FRIEND AND ASSOCIATE AND
NOMINEE DIED BEFORE SHE COULD
TAKE OVER AS AMBASSADOR TO THE
BAHAMAS.
THAT WAS A WIN, I GUESS, FOR TOM
COTTON.
HE’S TRIED IT BEFORE.
THAT’S THE MODEL OF GOVERNING
WE’RE SEEING FROM REPUBLICANS,
TEMPER TANTRUMS AND DESTRUCTION
AND NONSENSE, FOCUSING ON
PRIORITIES LIKE MR. POTATO HEAD
AND DR. SEUSS, ATTACKING JOE
BIDEN FOR REFERRING TO LIFTING
MASK MANDATES AS NEANDERTHAL
THINKING.
WE’RE SEEING A PERFECT EXAMPLE
OF THAT MODEL ON DISPLAY
TONIGHT, RIGHT NOW, AS I SPEAK
TO YOU, AS THE SENATE MOVES
TOWARDS A VOTE ON THE
$1.9 TRILLION PANDEMIC RELIEF
BILL.
AND REPUBLICAN SENATOR RON
JOHNSON OF WISCONSIN IS MAKING
GOOD ON HIS PROMISE TO SLOW DOWN
THAT RELIEF GETTING TO AMERICANS
BY WHATEVER RIDICULOUS MEANS
NECESSARY.
>> I DON’T WANT TO SOUND LIKE A
LEFTIST, BUT I’M GOING TO
RESIST, OKAY?
SO THE FIRST WAY I’M GOING TO
RESIST IS I’M GOING TO GO DOWN
AND OBJECT TO THE WAIVING OF THE
READING OF THE BILL.
I WILL MAKE THEM READ THEIR 600
OR 700 PAGE BILL.
>> GOOD FOR YOU, SENATOR.
THAT’S RIGHT.
IN THE MIDST OF A PANDEMIC
THAT’S KILLED 520,000 AMERICANS,
THOUSANDS EVERY DAY.
EVERY DAY, WE’RE JUST NUMB TO IT
NOW BUT EVERY DAY IT CONTINUES.
AND IT’S PUT MILLIONS OUT OF
WORK.
RON JOHNSON WANTS TO DELAY HELP
GETTING OUT TO THE AMERICAN
PEOPLE BY FORCING THE SENATE
CLERKS TO READ ALOUD ALL 728
PAGES OF THE BILL.
THEY HAVE BEEN AT IT FOR NEARLY
FIVE HOURS ALREADY.
THEY’RE EXPECTED TO GO INTO THE
WEE HOURS OF THE MORNING.
REMEMBER THE LAST TIME THAT WE
HAD A DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENT IN
OFFICE, REMEMBER THAT?
MITCH McCONNELL SAID THE SINGLE
MOST IMPORTANT THING WE WANT TO
ACHIEVE IS FOR PRESIDENT OBAMA
TO BE A ONE-TERM PRESIDENT.
IT WAS THE OVERRIDING IMPULSE