HE SITS DOWN TO BEGIN A
NEGOTIATION WITH NORTH KOREA'S
KIM JONG UN AT THE SINGAPORE
SUMMIT.
SPECIAL COUNSEL ROBERT MUELLER
FILING YET MORE CHARGES AGAINST
FORMER TRUMP CAMPAIGN CHAIRMAN
PAUL MANAFORT.
MANAFORT AND A UKRAINIAN
BUSINESS ASSOCIATION, ASSOCIATE
ARE NOW ACCUSED BY MUELLER OF
OBSTRUCTING JUSTICE BY TRYING TO
TAMPER WITH WITNESSES.
THIS IS THE THIRD TIME THAT
MUELLER HAS ADDED TO CHARGES
AGAINST MANAFORT.
NONE OF IT HAS ANYTHING TO DO
WITH THE TRUMP CAMPAIGN.
AND IN AN EFFORT TO REIN IN
MUELLER'S RUNAWAY $17 MILLION
INVESTIGATION, IF YOU CAN CALL
IT THAT, THE HOUSE TODAY
APPROVED A BILL BY THE CHAIRMAN
OF THE FREEDOM CAUCUS,
CONGRESSMAN MARK MEADOWS, THAT
WOULD AUDIT MUELLER'S SPECIAL
COUNSEL OPERATIONS AND STAFF.
OUR FIRST GUEST TONIGHT SAYS THE
MANAFORT INDICTMENT IS OVERKILL,
ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF MUELLER
ABUSING HIS POWER AND AN
INVESTIGATION THAT'S BECOME
DISASTROUS.
JOINING US TONIGHT JUDICIAL
WATCH PRESIDENT TOM FENTON.
TOM, GOOD TO HAVE YOU WITH US.
HOW MANY, I MEAN, MANAFORT'S
GOING TO SET SOME SORT OF RECORD
AS THE MOST INDICTED MAN IN
POLITICAL HISTORY.
WHAT IN THE WORLD IS, WHAT IS
GAINED BY THE SPECIAL COUNSEL
ADDING TO THESE CHARGES AND
MAKING THESE EXTRAORDINARY
CHARGES THAT HAVE REALLY NOTHING
TO DO WITH THE TRUMP CAMPAIGN,
THEY HAVE NOTHING TO DO EVEN
WITH THE MODERN ERA IN AMERICAN
POLITICS?
>> WELL, IT SMACKS OF OVERKILL,
AND IT SMACKS OF RETALIATION
BECAUSE MR. MANAFORT, OF COURSE,
HAS PUSHED BACK AGAINST THE
MUELLER INVESTIGATION.
AND THE RESPONSE FROM THE
MUELLER PEOPLE IS TO TRY TO
RESTRICT HIS MOVEMENT, AND WE
HAVE THIS ADDITIONAL INDICTMENT
OF HIM AND A RUSSIAN WHO'S NEVER
GOING TO PROBABLY BE IN THE
UNITED STATES TO FACE ANY
JUSTICE FOR HIS ALLEGED
INVOLVEMENT HERE.
AND IT JUST SHOWS YOU THAT
MUELLER IS FOCUSED ON JUSTIFYING
HIS OWN OPERATION AS OPPOSED TO
DOING WHAT HE WAS HIRED TO DO
WHICH IS TO INVESTIGATE WHETHER
THE RUSSIANS COLLUDED WITH THE
TRUMP CAMPAIGN.
AND OBVIOUSLY THAT NEVER
HAPPENED.
SO NOW, AS YOU POINTED OUT, HE'S
MEANDERING AND WANDERING ALONG
THESE PATHS RELATED TO MANAFORT:
AND IF I WERE THE PRESIDENT, I
WOULD LOOK AT THIS INVESTIGATION
AS SOMETHING REQUIRING A PARDON
ANALYSIS.
BECAUSE I DON'T KNOW WHETHER
MANAFORT DID ANYTHING WRONG OR
NOT, BUT I DON'T TRUST MUELLER
TO FIGURE IT OUT.
AND I KNOW THAT IF HE DID
ANYTHING WRONG OR NOT, HE WOULD
NEVER HAVE BEEN INDICTED BUT FOR
HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH
THEN-CANDIDATE TRUMP.
IS SO IT'S IN THOSE
CIRCUMSTANCES A PARDON OR MAY BE
WARRANTED.
LOU: A PARDON, BUT NONE OF IT
GETS TO THE ROOT ISSUE WHICH IS
THE FACT THAT A SPECIAL COUNSEL
IS CONTINUING TO OPERATE TO
OBSTRUCT AND TO IMPEDE
GOVERNANCE ON THE PART OF A DULY
ELECTED AMERICAN PRESIDENT.
IT MAKES ABSOLUTELY NO SENSE.
WE'RE PROBABLY GOING TO BE
CAUGHT IN THIS MORASS FOR SOME
TIME.
I WANT TO TURN TO THE MOST
RECENT DEVELOPMENT THOUGH, AN
EX-SENATE STAFFER NOW INDICTED
AS PART OF A FEDERAL
INVESTIGATION OF THE HANDLING
OF, QUOTE-UNQUOTE, SENSITIVE
INFORMATION WORKING ON THE
SENATE INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE
LED BY RICHARD BURR AND VICE
CHAIR MARK WARNER.
WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF IT?
>> WELL, THE DEEP SATE -- STATE
IS OPERATING IN THE CONGRESS, IN
THE SENATE, EVIDENTLY.
THIS ANTI-TRUMPER LEAKING
INFORMATION, IT LOOKS LIKE, TO
THE MEDIA INCLUDING EXTREMELY
FRIENDLY MEDIA, MEDIA HE HAD A
PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP WITH.
EVIDENTLY TRYING TO HARM AND
DESTROY CARTER PAGE WHO WAS
OBVIOUSLY LINKED TO THE TRUMP
CAMPAIGN, HOWEVER TANGENTIALLY.
YOU'VE GOT TO -- WHAT'S
INTERESTING HERE ABOUT THIS,
LOU, IS THE MEDIA KNOWS WHO DID
THE ILLEGAL LEAKING OF
CLASSIFIED INFORMATION.
WASHINGTON POST, NEW YORK TIMES,
BUZZING FEED, CMN -- BUZZFEED,
CNN, THEY WERE IN COMMUNICATION
WITH PEOPLE, GOVERNMENT
OFFICIALS WHO LEAKED CLASSIFIED
INFORMATION TARGETING PRESIDENT
TRUMP AND HIS TEAM.
THEY'RE ALL WITNESSES,
POTENTIALLY SUBJECTS OF
INVESTIGATION.
IT'S A VERY INTERESTING
CONUNDRUM FOR THE MEDIA, BECAUSE
THEY'RE SITTING THERE AS
WITNESSES, AND THEY KNOW ALL THE
SECRETS ABOUT WHO BROKE THE LAW
TARGETING DONALD TRUMP.
AND THIS INDICTMENT -- WHICH IS
THE FIRST MAYBE OF, REMEMBER,
THERE ARE 27 LEAK
INVESTIGATIONS, THIS IS ONLY THE
FIRST INDICTMENT.
LOU: YEAH.
27 THAT WE'VE BEEN TOLD OF, IF
YOU WILL --
>> WELL, THAT'S TRUE.
LOU: LISTENING TO ATTORNEY
GENERAL JEFF SESSIONS, HE MAKES
IT SOUND LIKE THERE COULD BE
EVEN MORE, TALKING ABOUT THREE
TIMES AS MANY LEAK
INVESTIGATIONS AS AT ANY OTHER
TIME THAT IS BEING LED FROM HIS,
FROM HIS DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE.
IT'LL BE INTERESTING TO SEE IF
ANYTHING MATERIALIZES AS A
RESULT.
JAMES WOLF INDICTED AND ALSO ALI
SON, "THE NEW YORK TIMES" --
ALSO ALI WATSON.
HER PHONE RECORDS, E-MAILS ALL
GONE THROUGH BY THE DEPARTMENT
OF JUSTICE.
AND IT'S INTERESTING, THERE'S A
CERTAIN QUIET ABOUT ALL OF THIS.
I CAN REMEMBER THE LAST TIME A
TIMES REPORTER WAS IN THE
POSITION SHE WAS, IT WAS JUDY
MILLER.
AND REFUSING TO GIVE UP HER
SOURCES, ADMIRABLY SO.
THERE IS NO SUCH ENVIRONMENT
ATMOSPHERE AROUND "THE NEW YORK
TIMES" THIS TIME, BECAUSE THEY
HAVE BEEN SUCH A FAKE NEWS
OPERATION THROUGHOUT THIS
ADMINISTRATION.
I THINK IT PLAYS A CONSIDERABLE
PART IN THE PUBLIC REACTION TO
WHAT IS HAPPENING RIGHT NOW WITH
"THE NEW YORK TIMES" AND THE
FACT THAT THE SENATE PASSED,
WITHOUT OBJECTION, A RESOLUTION
TO TURN OVER DOCUMENTS FOR
CRYING OUT LOUD FROM THE SENATE
INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE TO THE
JUSTICE DEPARTMENT EVEN THOUGH
THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT WON'T
COOPERATE WITH THE SENATE IN ITS
OVERSIGHT ROLE DEMANDING
DOCUMENTS OF THE JUSTICE
DEPARTMENT.
RECALL THE SENATE INTELLIGENCE
COMMITTEE WAS LARGELY RUN BY THE
DEMOCRATS DESPITE BEING
NOMINALLY CONTROLLED BY THE
REPUBLICANS AND WAS VERY
UNFRIENDLY TO THE TRUMP WHITE
HOUSE AND THE TRUMP
ADMINISTRATION ON RUSSIAGATE.
AND NOW IT TURNS OUT THE
SECURITY CHIEF FOR THAT
COMMITTEE WAS LEAKING ANTI-TRUMP
MATERIAL TO THE MEDIA IT LOOKS
LIKE AND LYING TO THE FBI ABOUT
IT.
SO, YOU KNOW, THE SENATE'S ON
THE CHOPPING BLOCK HERE TOO, AND
IT OUGHT TO BE EXAMED ON HOW,
WHAT ELSE WAS GOING ON AT THAT
COMMITTEE.
LOU: AND, AS WE WRAP UP HERE,
THE INSPECTOR GENERAL DUE TO
FILE AND MAKE, RELEASE HIS
REPORT TO THE PUBLIC ON THE.
14TH, NEXT WEEK.
YOUR EXPECTATIONS OF THAT
REPORT.
>> WELL, BE GOOD AND BAD ON IT,
IN IT FOR BOTH SIDES.
HILLARY CLINTON'S GOING TO FEEL
VINDICATED BECAUSE IT CRITICIZES
COMEY FOR GOING AFTER HER
INAPPROPRIATELY.
AND I'M SURE THERE'LL BE
MATERIAL ABOUT THE IMPROPRIETY
OF THE TARMAC MEETING AND THE
MISHANDLING OF THE CLINTON
E-MAIL INVESTIGATION.
LOOK, ANY I.G. REPORT IS USUALLY
BOTH A COVER-UP AND EXPOSE AT
THE SAME TIME.
CONGRESS, JUDICIAL WATCH,
JUSTICE DEPARTMENT AND FBI, THEY
STILL NEED TO TAKING ACTION TO
CLEAN UP THE CORRUPTION THAT
TOOK PLACE UNDER OBAMA AND THAT