U.S. ATTORNEY, CHUCK ROSENBERG AND WHITE HOUSE REPORTER,
JONATHAN LAMERE.
JONATHAN LAMERE. THE PRESIDENT SAID HE WELCOMED
THE IMPEACHMENT.
THE IMPEACHMENT. WE SAW THE ANXIETY.
>> IT’S BEEN ON TWO VERY
SEPARATE TRACKS HERE.
THEY FEEL LIKE HIS NUMBERS HAVE
TICKED UP.
TICKED UP. THERE’S PUBLIC POLLING THAT
SHOWS THE MAJORITY OF AMERICANS
BELIEVE THERE SHOULD BE
WITNESSES AND A THOROUGH AND
FAIR TRIAL.
FAIR TRIAL. THOUGH THE PRESIDENT THINKS THIS
COULD HELP HIM IN 2020, HE’S
PERSONALLY OUTRAGED AND HE’S NOT
MAKING ANY SECRET OF IT.
AND THE CHAMPION LSU TEAM.
HE KNOWS THIS IS A PERSONAL
STAIN ON HIS LEGACY.
THIS IS THE FIRST LINE OF HIS
OBITUARY.
OBITUARY. GRANTS SAID IT MIGHT BE THE
FIRST PRESIDENT IMPEACHED TO BE
REELECTED.
REELECTED. HE KNOWS THIS IS GOING TO STAY
WITH HIMT HIM AND SOMETHING
CLEARLY BOTHERING HIM,
PARTICULARLY AS WE TICK TOWARDS
THE TRIAL STARTING.
>> AND THEY SHOULDN’T BE
SURPRISED TO SEE THE LINE UP OF
LITIGATORS.
LITIGATORS. A LOT OF THEM AUDITIONED
PUBLICLY ON FOX NEWS.
THE FULL-THROATED DEFENSE THE
PRESIDENT WANTS ON HIS BEHALF.
>> YOU HAVE A NUMBER OF PEOPLE
WHO HAVE BEEN FIERCE DEFENDERS
OF THE PRESIDENT.
THEN YOU HAVE WHITE HOUSE
COUNSEL AND THEN YOU HAVE JAY
SECULO, WHO THE PRESIDENT IS
PARTICULAR WITH, HE HELPED GET
HIM THROUGH THE MUELLER
INVESTIGATION.
INVESTIGATION. SO THERE’S A LOT OF TRUST THERE.
AND THEN YOU HAVE A NUMBER OF
PEOPLE WHO ARE FAMILIAR WITH
GENERALLY WITH IMPEACHMENT AND
HOW THIS WORKS.
THE WORK THEY DID IN THE CLINTON
IMPEACHMENT AND JUST PITBULLS,
BASICALLY.
BASICALLY. PEOPLE WHO HAVE REALLY GONE AND
DEFENDED THE PRESIDENT ON THIS.
PEOPLE THAT HAVE WON HIM OVER,
BY GOING ON FOX NEWS AND
ELSEWHERE.
ELSEWHERE. NOTABLY MISSING FROM THE CROWD
IS ANY HOUSE REPUBLICANS.
THERE WAS SOME TALK IN THE WHITE
HOUSE OF THE PRESIDENT POSSIBLY
HAVING SOME OF HIS MOST VICIOUS
DEFENDERS IN THE HOUSE
REPUBLICAN CAUCUS JOIN THIS TEAM
AND SOMEHOW -- IN SOME FORM AND
HELP MOUNT HIS DEFENSE IN THE
SENATE.
SENATE. THAT DIDN’T HAPPEN.
>> AND MISSING RUDY GIULIANI,
THAT SOME THOUGHT MAY HAVE A
SHOT.
SHOT. THE PRESIDENT HASN’T PRAISED
THESE INDIVIDUALS AT ALL TIME.
TAKE A LOOK AT WHAT HE HAD TO
SAY ABOUT KEN STARR DURING THE
CLINTON IMPEACHMENT ERA.
>> I THINK KEN STARR IS A
LUNETIC.
LUNETIC. I THINK KEN STARR IS A DISASTER.
I HATED THE WAY THE PRESIDENT
HANDLED IT.
HANDLED IT. IT WAS A LONG AND TERRIBLE
PROCESS.
PROCESS. >> WHAT’S STRIKING -- THERE’S
THE PRESIDENT CRITICIZING KEN
STARR.
STARR. ALAN DERSHOWITZ HAS DEFENDED
ALLEGED SEXUAL DEFENDERS.
PAM BAUNLDONDY HAS BEEN INVOLVED
THE TRUMP UNIVERSITY SCANDAL.
>> THE SENATE IS EXPECTED, THE
PRESIDENT’S ALLIES ARE EXPECTED
TO ACQUIT TO PARTICIPATE IN THE
ACQUITTAL OF DONALD TRUMP IN
THIS TRIAL IN THE SENATE, WHICH
WE ANTICIPATE WILL LAST ANYWHERE
FROM TWO TO FOUR WEEKS.
WE SHOULD NOT UNDERESTIMATE THE
IMPORTANCE OF HOW THEY PRESENT
THEIR CASE.
THEIR CASE. BECAUSE REPUBLICAN WHOSE ARE ON
THE FENCE ABOUT WITNESSES, ARE
GOING TO MAKE A JUDGMENT AFTER
TWO WEEKS OF HEARING TESTIMONY
AND BEING ABLE TO QUESTION THE
MEMBERS OF THE HOUSE IMPEACHMENT
TEAM AND THE PRESIDENT’S DEFENSE
TEAM.
TEAM. AND IF THEY DON’T LIKE THE
PRESENTATION F THE PRESIDENT’S
TEAM IS REALLY BOMBASTIC AND
TAKES IT IN ALL SORTS OF
DIRECTIONS, WHO KNOWS HOW
THEY’LL REACT AND I KEEP HEARING
IT FROM SENIOR REPUBLICAN
LEADERSHIP, WHICH IS WE NEED TO
PAY ATTENTION TO HOW THIS TRIAL
GOES BECAUSE THAT’S GOING TO
DETERMINE WHETHER THERE ARE
WITNESSES.
WITNESSES. HE’S MADE HIS BED.
THIS IS THE TEAM HE’S GOING WITH
AND WE’LL SEE IF THEY’RE ABLE TO
PUT TOGETHER AN ARG YMGT.
DONALD TRUMP HAS MADE IT CLEAR
HE WANTS A SHOW HERE.
HE HAS SAID THAT.
HE WANTS TO SUBPOENA HUNTER
BIDEN.
BIDEN. HE WAUJTSNTS TO BE ACQUITTED IN
FANTASTIC FASHION.
FANTASTIC FASHION. MITCH McCONNELL WANTS A SHORT,
EASY TRIAL.
EASY TRIAL. IT WILL BE INTERESTING TO SEE
HOW THE DEFENSE TEAM DOES THAT.
>> WHILE McCONNELL WANTS TO
PROTECT SOME OF THE VULNERABLE
REPUBLICANS LIKE SUSAN COLLINS
AND OTHERS.
AND OTHERS. THE RIGHT-HAND MAN OF RUDY
GIULIANI, LEV PARNAS, TOLD
RACHEL MADDOW, AS IT RELATES TO
ONE OF THE LEADERS OF THE TEAM.
>> DID YOU HAVE EVER ANY
COMMUNICATION WITH COUNSEL FOR
THE PRESIDENT, JAY SECULA?
>> ONE IN PARTICULAR -- I THINK
IT WAS VICTOR’S VEEZAU OR
SOMETHING AT THE TIME.
HE WAS AWARE OF EVERYTHING, THAT
HE BROUGHT HIM UP TO SPEED TO
CALL HIM.
CALL HIM. >> BY THAT, DID HE MEAN MR.
MR. SEKULOW WAS AWARE OF THIS
EFFORT TO GET INVESTIGATIONS?
>> ABSOLUTELY.
>> ABSOLUTELY. >> IS IT A PROBLEM IF ONE OF THE
ATTORNEYS COULD BE A MATERIAL
WITNESS?
WITNESS? >> THEORETICALLY, RIGHT?
ATTORNEYS CAN’T BE WITNESSES IN
THEIR OWN CASE.
THAT’S A CONFLILKTCT OF INTEREST
BUT LET’S ASSUME PARNAS IS
RIGHT.
RIGHT. THAT’S A BIT OF A LEAP.
FOR PURPOSES OF ANSWERING YOUR
QUESTION, LET’S ASSUME IT’S
TRUE.
TRUE. IF HE WERE TO BE CALLED AS A
WITNESS, HE WOULD HAVE A
CONFLICT IN THIS MATTER.
THE STRICT RULES WHERE WE
PROSECUTE CRIMINAL CASES ALL THE
TIME, DON’T REALLY APPLY AT THE
SENATE.
SENATE. SEKULOW COULD STAY ON AS THE
PRESIDENT’S LAWYER AND BE A
WITNESS.
WITNESS. THERE AREN’T THOSE HARD AND FAST
RULES IN OUR FEDERAL COURTS TO
HELP GUIDE US.
BUT ATTORNEY SHOULD BE VERY
CAREFUL.