ABOUT THAT AND WHETHER THE
ADMINISTRATION WAS PUTTING
PRESSURE ON THE JUSTICE
DEPARTMENT TO TAKE THIS ACTION.
>> Bret: THERE ARE MANY
QUESTIONS AND WE ARE EXPECTING
TO GET THE INSPECTOR GENERAL'S
REPORT ANY DAY NOW.
THAT COULD HAVE MANY OF THE
ANSWERS THAT ARE SOME OF THESE
LAWMAKERS ARE LOOKING FOR.
IN THE MEANTIME, THE PRESIDENT
FIRST TWEETING ABOUT ANDREW
McCABE, THE NUMBER TWO MAN
FIRED BEFORE HIS RETIREMENT.
ANDREW McCABE FIRED, A GREAT
DAY FOR THE HARDWORKING MEN AND
WOMEN OF THE FBI COME A GREAT
DAY FOR DEMOCRACY.
SANCTIMONIOUS JAMES COMEY WAS
HIS BOSS AND MADE McCABE LOOK
LIKE A CHOIR BOY.
HE KNEW ALL THE LIES AND
CORRUPTION GOING ON AT THE
HIGHEST LEVELS OF THE FBI."
IN THE MEANTIME, ON THE MUELLER
PROBE, THE PRESIDENT TWEETING
OVER THE WEEKEND...
WHY DOES THE STEELE HAVE 13
HARDENED DEMOCRATS, SOME BIG
CRICKET HILLARY SUPPORTERS AND
ZERO REPUBLICANS?
ANOTHER RECENTLY ADDED, DOES
ANYONE THINK THIS IS FAIR?
YET THERE IS NO COLLUSION.
SO IT WAS A BUSY WEEKEND ON
TWITTER AND ELSEWHERE.
LET'S BRING OUR PANEL.
GUY BENSON POLITICAL EDITOR AT
TownHall.com.
MARA LIASSON, NATIONAL POLITICAL
CORRESPONDENT OF NATIONAL PUBLIC
RADIO.
AND MOLLIE HEMINGWAY, SENIOR
EDITOR AT THE FEDERALIST.
MOLLIE, FALL OUT FROM McCABE
AND THE COMMENTS ABOUT THE MOLAR
PROBE.
>> IT IS NEVER A GOOD THING WHEN
YOU'RE NUMBER TWO AT THE FBI IS
FIRED FOR BAD BEHAVIOR.
WHAT HE HAS SUGGESTED THAT THIS
IS RELATED TO HIM LEAKING AND
LACKING CANDOR ABOUT IT.
IT ACTUALLY MIGHT BE MUCH BIGGER
THAN THAT AND THERE WOULD BE
REASON TO THINK IT WOULD BE MUCH
BIGGER.
HE'S HAD A SERIES OF PROBLEMS
RELATED TO LEAKING AND
MANIPULATION OF PROCESSES AND
INVESTIGATION.
SO IT WAS A HUGE HIT FOR THIS
LARGER NARRATIVE.
BUT WE WERE TOLD A YEAR AGO WAS
THAT OUR INTELLIGENCE CHIEF AND
THE HIGHEST LEVELS OF OUR
INTELLIGENCE AGENCIES AND LAW
ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES WERE
APOLITICAL, NONPARTISAN BOY
SCOUTS WHO HAD A VERY LEGITIMATE
REASON TO BE WORRIED ABOUT
DONALD TRUMP.
A YEAR LATER, WE'VE HAD ALL
THESE FIRINGS, REMOVALS,
REASSIGNMENTS, AND YOU HAVE ON
TWITTER YOU CAN SEE PEOPLE
TWEETING IN A CRAZY FASHION
AGAINST THIS PRESIDENT.
THAT NARRATIVE LOOKS PATENTLY
ABSURD NOW.
IT LOOKS LIKE A MUCH DIFFERENT
STORY THAN WE WERE TOLD A YEAR
AGO.
>> Bret: MARA?
>> I THINK WAS REALLY
INTERESTING IS THE PRESIDENT'S
REACTION TO THIS.
WE ARE GOING TO FIND OUT THE
REASONS WHY McCABE WAS FIRED
WHEN THE IG REPORT COMES OUT.
BUT HE WAS DOING A VICTORY DANCE
IN THE END ZONE, THEN HE STARTED
ATTACKING MUELLER FOR THE FIRST
TIME BY NAME AND THEN ONE OF HIS
PERSONAL LAWYERS ISSUED A
STATEMENT SAYING THE MUELLER
INVESTIGATION SHOULD END BY THAT
IS NEVER HAPPENED BEFORE.
UP UNTIL NOW, THE WHITE HOUSE
THAT THEY WERE COOPERATING.
SO THEN BECAME AN UPROAR IS THE
PRESIDENT GETTING READY TO FIRE
MUELLER?
I DON'T THINK SO.
I THINK HE IS INTENT ON
DISCREDITING THE MUELLER
INVESTIGATION SO THAT WHATEVER
HE COMES UP WITH, HE CAN DISMISS
IT.
>> Bret: JOHN DOWD, WHO SAID
WHAT HE SAID.
TREY GOWDY, CONGRESSMAN, WAS
ASKED ABOUT THIS THIS WEEKEND.
>> THE PRESIDENT'S ATTORNEY,
FRANKLY DECIMATED SERVICE WHEN
HE SAYS THAT AND WHEN HE FRAMES
THE INVESTIGATION THAT WAY.
CHRIS, IF YOU LOOK AT THE
JURISDICTION FOR ROBERT MUELLER,
FIRST AND FOREMOST, WHAT DID
RUSSIA DO TO THIS COUNTRY IN
2016?
THAT IS SUPREMELY IMPORTANT AND
THAT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH
COLLUSION.
SO TO SUGGEST THAT MUELLER
SHOULD SHUT DOWN AND THAT ALL HE
IS LOOKING AT IS COLLUSION, IF
YOU HAVE BEEN AND IS CLIENT,
MR. DOWD, ACT LIKE IT.
>> Bret: GUY?
SPEAK ABOUT IS A FAIR POINT FOR
TREY GOWDY TO MAKE BRAIDWOOD AS
STRANGE AS OF MUELLER AND THE
"SPECIAL REPORT" FIRING.
IN MY VIEW COMPLETE OR SEPARATE
ISSUES ALTHOUGH THE PRESIDENT IS
CONNECTING THEM AND A LOT OF HIS
FIERCEST CRITICS ARE ALSO
CONNECTING THEM.
WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE McCABE
FIRING, I THINK YOU CAN MAKE A
VERY STRONG CASE BASED ON THE
FACTS THAT HE WOULD HAVE BEEN
FIRED REGARDLESS OF WHO WAS
PRESIDENT.
REGARDLESS OF THE WHOLE MUELLER
INVESTIGATION EVEN IF IT DIDN'T
EXIST AT ALL, BECAUSE THE
MALFEASANCE THAT IS ALLEGED
APPARENTLY AGAINST MR. McCABE
OCCURRED IN THE 2016 AUCTION.
AND THAT INVESTIGATION, THE IG
PROBE, WAS LAUNCHED BEFORE
DONALD TRUMP BECAME PRESIDENT.
IT WAS AN OBAMA APPOINTED
INSPECTOR GENERAL WHO CAME TO
CONCLUSIONS ABOUT WHAT McCABE
DID.
LAST BUT NOT LEAST, THE PERSON
WHO MADE THE DECISION OF THE
OFFICE HAD MADE THE DECISION TO
RECOMMEND FIRING HIM WAS THIS
ETHICS OFFICE AT THE FBI THAT
WAS COMPLETELY NONPARTISAN AND
THE WOMAN WHO RUNS IT WAS
APPOINTED BY BOB MUELLER.
ON THE MERITS, IT LOOKS LIKE
THIS WAS MISCONDUCT THAT
McCABE IS RESPONSIBLE FOR BACK
IN 2016.
IT SHOULD HAVE NOTHING TO DO
WITH MUELLER.
>> ALSO, I THINK WHAT TREY GOWDY
SAID WAS ALSO KIND OF WEIRD.
IT IS POSSIBLE FOR FEDERAL
INVESTIGATIONS TO GO OFF THE
RAILS AND IT HAS HAPPENED
BEFORE.
YOU CAN TALK TO RICHARD JEWELS
FAMILY ABOUT THAT.
THEY BASICALLY RUINED HIS LIFE
BEFORE FINDING OUT HE WASN'T
RESPONSIBLE FOR THE BOMBING IN
ATLANTA.
ROBERT MUELLER AND JAMES COMEY
THEMSELVES WERE INVOLVED IN THE
WORST BOTCHING OF AN FBI
INVESTIGATION OF HER, WHICH WAS
GOING AFTER THE INNOCENT MAN IN
THE ANTHRAX KILLING AND THEY
OVERSAW THAT AND WERE QUITE
CONFIDENT ABOUT IT.
TED STEVENS, THE SENATOR FROM
ALASKA WHO HAD HIS VACATED, I
THINK MUELLER WAS HEAD OF THE
FBI AT THAT TIME.
SOMETIMES INVESTIGATIONS CAN GO
OFF THE RAILS IN ANSWER TO COME
AT THE POND TO SAY THAT IF THE
INVESTIGATION --
>> THE PRESIDENT HAS INVOLVED
HIMSELF IN A WAY THAT NO OTHER
PRESIDENT HAS, URGING THE
DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE TO MAKE
SURE THAT McCABE WAS FIRED
BEFORE HE QUALIFIED FOR A
PENSION, WHICH HAPPENED 26 HOURS
BEFORE HE WOULD'VE QUALIFIED.
AND THEN, CONNECTING THE
McCABE FIRING WITH THE RUSSIA
INVESTIGATION.
McCABE WOULD BE POTENTIALLY A
WITNESS IN AN OBSTRUCTION OF
JUSTICE CASE.
>> IS ALSO TRUE THAT THE
PRESIDENT HAS COMPLIED WITH THE
MUELLER PROBE FOR OVER A YEAR.
>> NO, HE HASN'T --
>> IF YOU KNOW THERE IS NO
COLLUSION, BUT WORKING WITH THEM
FOR OVER A YEAR AND IT IS STILL
GOING ON IN THIS NARRATIVE IS
BEING PUSHED TO UNDERMINE THE
LEGITIMACY OF A PRESIDENT, I CAN
IMAGINE SOMEONE GETTING
FRUSTRATED.
>> Bret: THERE IS ALMOST OPERA
FOR THE PRESIDENT SPEAKING OUT
ABOUT MUELLER FOR THE FIRST TIME
AND SPEAKING OUT ABOUT THE
INVESTIGATION.
THERE WAS ANOTHER PRESIDENT TO
DID THAT.
BILL CLINTON.
"NEW YORK TIMES" ," FEBRUARY 9T,
1998.
THE WHITE HAS BROADENED ITS
ATTACK TODAY ON KEN STARR, AND
DEFENDANT COUNSEL INVESTIGATING
PRESIDENT CLINTON A FORMER
INTERN, CALLING MR. STARR
CORRUPT AND DEMANDING AN
INDEPENDENT INVESTIGATION OF
SUSPECTED LINKS TO HIS OFFICE.
A SENIOR WHITE HOUSE POLITICAL
ADVISOR ACCUSED MR. STARR OF
USING THE SWEEPING POWERS AND A
LIMITED BUDGET OF HIS OFFICE TO
CONDUCT A POLITICALLY MOTIVATED
WITCH HUNT OF THE PRESIDENT
AND TO INTIMIDATE WITNESSES INTO
TESTIFYING AGAINST MR. CLINTON.
>> I REMEMBER THAT VERY WELL.
DON'T FORGET THE BEST RIGHT-WING
CONSPIRACY.
THIS IS A TRIED A TRIED-AND-TRUE
PLAYBOOK.
YOU ARE BEING INVESTIGATED, YOU
WANT TO DISCREDIT THE
INVESTIGATOR.
IT IS REALLY SIMILAR TO CLINTON
WITH ONE DIFFERENCE, WHICH IS
BILL CLINTON DIDN'T GO AFTER THE
FBI.
AND THE PRESIDENT HAS GONE AFTER
THE FBI.
IN HIS TWEETS, HE TALKED ABOUT
CORRUPTION AND LYING AT THE
STATE DEPARTMENT, DEPARTMENT OF
JUSTICE, AND THE FBI.
HE REALLY HAS GONE AFTER
INSTITUTIONS HERE IN A WAY
THAT'S DIFFERENT.
>> I WOULD SAY THE BIG
DIFFERENCE IS THE MEDIA
TREATMENT.
A MONTH AFTER THAT
"NEW YORK TIMES" HEADLINE THAT
YOU JUST READ,
"THE NEW YORK TIMES" HEADLINE
WAS "WHITE HOUSE IS ALL OUT
ATTACK ON STARR IS PAYING OFF."
THE MEDIA WAS MUCH MORE FRIENDLY
TO BILL CLINTON AND THEY ARE TO
THIS ONE.
>> THE OTHER POINT I WOULD MAKE
IS PEOPLE ARE SAYING THERE WAS
PRESSURE FROM THE PRESIDENT TO
FIRE McCABE BEFORE HE GOT HIS
RETIREMENT BENEFITS OR HAS
PENSION.
I THINK IT IS A VERY THINGS
POINT OUT.
BUT IF IT IS DETERMINED BY THE