>>> FORMER SPECIAL COUNSEL
ROBERT MUELLER MAY SOON FINALLY
TESTIFY BEFORE THE SENATE
JUDICIARY COMMITTEE AFTER HE
WROTE A BLISTERING OP-ED IN "THE
WASHINGTON POST" BLASTING
PRESIDENT TRUMP’S DECISION TO
COMMUTE THE PRISON SENTENCE FOR
LONGTIME FRIEND AND FORMER
CAMPAIGN AIDE ROGER STONE.
THE HEAD OF THE SENATE JUDICIARY
COMMITTEE, LINDSEY GRAHAM, SAYS
HE PLANS TO CALL ON MUELLER TO
TESTIFY BEFORE THE SENATE PANEL.
AFTER SHOOTING DOWN A REQUEST
LAST YEAR BY SENATE DEMOCRATS
FOR MUELLER TO TESTIFY.
THIS SAULIS ALL HAPPENING AFTER
PRESIDENT TRUMP ANNOUNCED HIS
VERY CONTROVERSIAL DECISION TO
COMMUTE STONE’S SENTENCE LATE
FRIDAY.
STONE WAS SET TO BEGIN A
40-MONTH PRISON TERM FOR LYING
TO CONGRESS DURING ITS
INVESTIGATION OF RUSSIAN
INTERFERENCE IN THE 2016
ELECTION.
>> I WILL TELL YOU THIS.
PEOPLE ARE EXTREMELY HAPPY
BECAUSE IN THIS COUNTRY, THEY
WANT JUSTICE.
AND ROGER STONE WAS NOT TREATED
PROPERLY.
SO I’M VERY HAPPY WITH WHAT I
DID.
HE -- I COMMUTED HIS SENTENCE.
>> HE’S VERY HAPPY ABOUT IT, BUT
IS ANYONE ELSE?
JOINING US, JOYCE VANCE, FORMER
U.S. ATTORNEY AND PROFESSOR AT
THE UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA SCHOOL
OF LAW AND STEVE SCHMIDT, FORMER
REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST.
STEVE, A VERY, VERY SMALL GROUP
OF REPUBLICANS BLASTED THE
PRESIDENT’S DECISION.
MITT ROMNEY, PAT TOOMEY.
WHERE IS EVERYBODY ELSE?
>> WELL, THEY ARE HIDING,
THEY’RE SILENT.
THEY’RE AFRAID.
THEY’RE TERRIFIED OF BEING
TWEETED AT.
THEY’RE TER FID OF THIS
PRESIDENT GIVING THEM A
NICKNAME.
SO ONCE AGAIN, WE SEE THIS
FECKLESS, COWARDLY, REPUBLICAN
MAJORITY IN THE SENATE,
REPUBLICAN MINORITY IN THE HOUSE
WHO WON’T STAND UP FOR THE RULE
OF LAW.
WON’T STAND UP FOR THE CHECKS
AND BALANCES.
WON’T STAND UP FOR DECENCY.
THE SECRETARY OF EDUCATION CAN GO ON A TELEVISION SHOW AND SAY
GO ON A TELEVISION SHOW AND SAY
THAT THE LAW SS OF AMERICA’S
SCHOOL CHILDREN IS ACCEPTABLE
CASUALTY NUMBERS.
WHAT WE SEE IN THIS
ADMINISTRATION IS THE STENCH,
THE ROT AND ROGER STONE IS A
NEFARIOUS CHARACTER.
HE DESERVES TO BE IN PRISON.
HE IS A CONVICTED FELON.
BUT, YOU KNOW, AT THIS POINT IN
THE ADMINISTRATION, WE SHOULDN’T
BE SURPRISED AT ANYTHING THAT
TRUMP DOES.
AND WE SHOULDN’T BE SURPRISED AT
THE TOTAL SILENCE AND COMPLICITY
OF HIS REPUBLICAN ENABLERS.
THE EXPECTATIONS ARE ZERO ON
WHAT THEY HAVE PROVEN TO DO FOR
THESE LAST FEW YEARS.
>> BUT STEVE, WHY?
ARE REPUBLICAN VOTERS DOWN WITH
THIS?
>> I’M NOT A PSYCHOLOGIST,
STEPHANIE.
I CAN’T EXPLAIN IT.
BUT IN THIS HOUR OF TESTING,
WHEN EVERY AMERICAN IDEA AND
IDEAL HAS BEEN ASSAULTED BY THIS
ADMINISTRATION, WHAT WE’VE SEEN
RAMPANT CORRUPTION, WE HAVE AN
ENTIRE POLITICAL CLASS IN THIS
COUNTRY THAT IS SCARED TO STAND
UP AND TO DO THEIR DUTY.
TO PRESERVE AND PROTECT AND
STEWARD THE CONSTITUTION OF THE
UNITED STATES TO MAKE THE
COUNTRY A BETTER PLACE TO HAND
IT OFF MORE -- A STRONGER
COUNTRY TO OUR KIDS.
YOU KNOW, I’M AT A LOSS FOR
YEARS BUT IT’S DESPICABLE.
IT’S COWARDLY.
WHEN WE LOOK AT THE CORONAVIRUS
RESPONSE ACROSS THE COUNTRY, WE
SEE STATES, BIG STATES,
MEGA STATES THAT COULD BE
NATIONS UNTO THEMSELVES.
FLORIDA AND TEXAS LED BY ABJECT
FOOLS.
THEY’LL BE RESPONSIBLE FOR
KILLING A LOT OF THEIR CITIZENS
WITH THE ODIDIOCY OF THE POLICIE
IT’S A TERRIBLE TIME IN THE
COUNTRY WITH REGARD TO OUR
LEADERS.
WE HAVE A LEADERSHIP CRISIS.
WE HAVE A COURAGE CRISIS IN THE
COUNTRY.
AND IT’S TOO BAD.
AND WE SEE THE DAMAGE THAT IT’S
ALL DONE.
>> JOYCE, ON TWITTER, YOU REALLY
DISSECTED PRESIDENT TRUMP’S
LETTER WHERE HE ANNOUNCED THE
COMMUTATION.
WHAT STOOD OUT TO YOU THE MOST?
>> SO I THINK THE LETTER JUST
PILES AWFUL ON TOP OF THE
COMMUTATION WHICH IS BAD ENOUGH
BECAUSE TRUMP DOUBLES DOWN ON
WHY HE COMMUTED ROGER STONE’S
SENTENCE.
AND HERE’S WHAT SETS THIS
COMMUTATION APART FROM ANY OTHER
TIME A PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED
STATES HAS COMMUTED A SENTENCE
FOR SOMEONE.
IT’S THAT THE PRESIDENT WAS
LIMITING HIS OWN EXPOSURE
WHETHER TO CRIMINAL
INVESTIGATION OR CONGRESSIONAL
OVERSIGHT BY ENSURING THAT ROGER
STONE WOULD NEVER TESTIFY ABOUT
HIM.
WITH THIS COMMUTATION, STONE
WILL NEVER SPEND A NIGHT IN
PRISON.
THERE IS NO RISK THAT HE WILL
COOPERATE WITH FEDERAL OFFICIALS
AND TELL THEM WHAT HE KNOWS
ABOUT TRUMP TO SAVE HIMSELF FROM
GOING TO PRISON.
SO IN ANNOUNCING THIS PARDON, IN
DECRYING IT AS PART OF THE
RUSSIA HOAX, WHICH WE ALL KNOW
WAS NOT A HOAX.
BOB MUELLER HAD TWO BLOCKBUSTER
INDICTMENTS THAT DISPLAYED FOR
EVERYONE TO SEE RUSSIA’S EFFORTS
TO INTERFERE IN OUR ELECTION.
TRUMP IS CONTINUING THIS LITANY
THAT SAYS THAT HE IS ALWAYS THE
ONE WHO IS DONE WRONG BY THE
CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM.
AS THE LEADER OF THAT SYSTEM HE
SHOULD HAVE ENSURED THAT ROGER
STONE WENT TO PRISON.
TRUMP YET AGAIN PUTS HIS OWN
INTERESTS IN FRONT OF THOSE OF
THE AMERICAN PEOPLE.
AND AS STEVE POINTS OUT, THAT’S
NO LONGER SHOCKING.
IN FACT, IT’S BECOME NORMAL.
WE WOULD ALL BE SURPRISED IF
TRUMP PUT THE COUNTRY FIRST.
>> OKAY.
THEN BECAUSE OF THAT, STEVE, AS
FOUL AS THIS IS, COULD ONE
ACTUALLY LOOK AT THIS AS A SMART
MOVE BY PRESIDENT TRUMP?
BECAUSE SINCE WE’VE COME TO
ACCEPT THAT THIS IS WHO HE IS,
IS HE REALLY GOING TO LOSE ONE
SINGLE VOTER, ONE SINGLE
SUPPORTER OVER COMMUTING ROGER
STONE’S SENTENCE?
OR WOULD HE BE OF RISK OF
EXPOSING A LOT MORE IF ROGER
STONE ACTUALLY WENT TO PRISON
AND TURNED ON HIM?
>> WELL, HE LOSES VOTERS EVERY
DAY JUST ON THE BASIS OF THE
CORONAVIRUS DEATH RATE IN THE
COUNTRY.
I DON’T KNOW THE ANSWER TO THE
QUESTION.
I DO KNOW THAT HIS POLL NUMBERS
ARE COLLAPSING.
I KNOW THEY ANNOUNCED A
MULTIMILLION-DOLLAR ADVERTISING
CAMPAIGN THAT WON’T TAKE PLACE
IN THE STATE OF MICHIGAN BECAUSE
THAT STATE HAS ALREADY LOST TO
HIM.
YOU LOOK AT THE SENATE RACES ALL
ACROSS THE COUNTRY.
TRUMPISM IS IN A LOT OF TROUBLE
AS WE HEAD INTO AN ELECTION IN
113 DAYS.
BUT UNDERSTAND THIS, WHEN WE
TALK ABOUT ROGER STONE, WHEN WE
TALK ABOUT ALL THE DEGRADATIONS
TO OUR SYSTEMS, HIS DESECRATIONS
OF HIS OFFICE, IS THAT WE LIVE
IN A COUNTRY WHERE THE WORLD’S
LEADING INFECTIOUS DISEASE
SPECIALIST, DR. ANTHONY FAUCI,
HAS BEEN SILENCED BY THE WHITE
HOUSE AND, IN FACT, THE WHITE
HOUSE IS SENDING OPPOSITION
RESEARCH LIKE HE’S AN OPPONENT.
LIKE HE’S A POLITICAL OPPONENT
TO NEWS ORGANIZATIONS TO
DISCREDIT HIM IN THE MIDDLE OF
THE PANDEMIC.
WHEN YOU PROCESS THAT, WHEN YOU
TAKE IT IN, WHEN YOU REALLY JUST
SIT BACK AND YOU THINK ABOUT
THAT, THE INSANITY THAT HAS BEEN
UNLEASHED IN THIS COUNTRY OVER
THE LAST YEAR BY THIS PRESIDENT,
BY THE FOOLISHNESS THAT WE SEE,
AND IT DOESN’T MATTER WHETHER
IT’S CORONAVIRUS RESPONSE,
WHETHER IT’S THE ASSAULT ON THE
RULE OF LAW, WHETHER IT IS HIS
BETRAYAL OF OUR MEN AND WOMEN IN
HARM’S WAY IN AFGHANISTAN WHO
HAVE RUSSIAN BOUNTSIES ON THEIR
HEADS, HE HAS REFUSED TO DEFEND
THE COUNTRY FROM HOSTILE FOREIGN
POWERS.
HE HAS REFUSED TO DO HIS DUTY.
HE HAS EVISCERATED THE NORMS OF
THE AMERICAN PRESIDENCY IN A
MOST TRAGIC WAY.
AND WHAT HE HAS EXPOSED IS THE
ROT AND CORRUPTION OF ONE OF OUR
TWO POLITICAL PARTIES IN THIS
COUNTRY THAT HAVE DECIDED TO
JOIN A CULTIVE PERSONALITY AS
OPPOSED TO BEING UNITED STATES
SENATORS AND STANDING UP FOR OUR