OF THE DEREK CHAUVIN MURDER
TRIAL.
AND TONIGHT A NEW PROBLEM FACING
MITCH McCONNELL.
THATS OUR SPECIAL REPORT LATER.
>>> BUT WE BEGIN WITH THE
ONGOING SCANDAL INVOLVING
REPUBLICAN MATT GAETZ.
HE FACES THE SEX ALLEGATIONS
BEING INVESTIGATED BY THE DOJ.
HES BEEN LARGELY ABANDONED BY
DONALD TRUMP IN PUBLIC AND
DONALD TRUMPS WHITE HOUSE
REPORTEDLY REBUFFED WHAT WAS A
VERY INCRIMINATING REQUEST FROM
GAETZ IN PRIVATE.
HE ASKED FOR A PREEMPTIVE
PARDON.
HE FACES ALLEGATIONS THAT RANGE
FROM PAYING FOR SEX TO ALLEGED
SEX WITH AN UNDERAGED GIRL.
TO BE CLEAR, HE DENIED ALL OF
THOSE ALLEGATIONS AND HES NOT
BEEN CHARGED WITH A CRIME.
BUT THE TIMES REPORTS SOMETHING
STRIKING.
THEY HAVE TWO PEOPLE WHO WERE
TOLD OF HIGH LEVEL DISCUSSIONS
THAT GAETZ WAS PRIVATELY ASKING
THE WHITE HOUSE FOR A BLANKET
PREEMPTIVE PARDON FOR ANY CRIMES
THEY MAY HAVE COMMITTED.
THATS IMPORTANT.
WELL COME BACK TO THAT CLAUSE
BECAUSE IT IS QUITE TELLING.
NOW, TRUMPS WHITE HOUSE LAWYERS
DENIED THE PARDON ACCORDING TO
THE TIMES BECAUSE THEY WERE
CONCERNED ABOUT THE PRECEDENT.
WE ALSO KNOW AS A PUBLIC MATTER
HE WASNT FEDERALLY PARDONED.
DID GAETZ KNOW WHEN HE WAS UNDER
INVESTIGATION?
THE TIMES NOTES ONLY HE DIDNT
TELL THE WHITE HOUSE ACCORDING
TO THEIR REPORTING THAT HE MAY
HAVE BEEN FACING A DOJ SEX CRIME
PROBE.
HE DID KNOW ALREADY BY THAT
POINT THAT HIS ASSOCIATE JOEL
GREENBERG WAS IN TROUBLE,
INDICTED IN AUGUST OF LAST YEAR
FOR SEX TRAFFICKING AND OTHER
CRIMES.
HES PLEADED NOT GUILTY.
NOW, CONSIDER ALL THIS AS YOU
HEAR GAETZ IN NOVEMBER.
>> PRESIDENT TRUMP SHOULD PARDON
MICHAEL FLYNN, THE THANKSGIVING
TURKEY.
HE SHOULD PARDON EVERYONE FROM
HIMSELF TO JOE EXOTIC IF HE HAS
TO.
>> ROBUSTLY.
WELL, THE TIMES REPORTS
SUGGESTIONS HE WAS SAYING THAT
BECAUSE HE HAD A SELF-INTEREST,
AND IT WASNT JUST TV TALK.
GAETZ WAS DEFENDING TRUMP MORE
AGGRESSIVELY THAN ANY MEMBER OF
CONGRESS.
TRUMP IS OUT WITH HIS FIRST
COMMENTS ON THE MATTER.
IT IS BASICALLY A DENIAL
STATEMENT WHERE TRUMP SAYS GAETZ
DIDNT PERSONALLY ASK HIM FOR A
PARDON.
AND THEN TRUMP, INSTEAD OF DOING
ANYTHING TO HELP HIS SUPPOSED
FRIEND, HIS ALLY, TO DO ANY OF
THE KIND OF BARE KNUCKLE WITCH
HUNT TYPE POLITICKING, THATS
NOT THERE FOR MATT GAETZ, NO.
ALL THAT TRUMP SAID WAS THAT
GAETZ DENIED THE ALLEGATIONS
AGAINST HIM.
THEY JUST REFERRED EVERYONE BACK
TO TRUMPS STATEMENT, WHICH
ITSELF REFERS BACK TO GAETZS
STATEMENT.
YOU CAN KEEP THAT ALL STRAIGHT.
IF YOU REMEMBER NOTHING ELSE,
REMEMBER THIS, THOUGH.
AS A LEGAL MATTER, PARDONS ARE
FOR CRIMINALS.
LETS BRING IN OUR EXPERTS, A
FORMER FEDERAL PROSECUTORS, HOST
OF THE PODCAST "THAT SAID."
KATY KAY IS HERE AS IS CHRISTINA
GRIER.
I WANT TO START WITH YOU NOT ON
THE LAW, PER SE, BUT ON THE
SHEER POLITICAL MESS THAT GAETZ
SEEMS TO BE IN AND DONALD TRUMP
WAS FINALLY SNUFFED OUT TO SAY
SOMETHING, AND IT WASNT MUCH.
>> YEAH.
I MEAN, IF GAETZ WAS HOPING FOR
A FULL THROATED DEFENSE FROM
DONALD TRUMP, THAT WAS TO BE ONE
OF THE SHORTEST STATEMENTS THAT
DONALD TRUMP HAS PUT OUT.
IT WAS POSITIVELY UNTRUMPIAN.
VERY BRIEF.
AND HES NOT GETTING MUCH
SUPPORT FROM ANYWHERE ELSE
EITHER.
I SPOKE TO A REPUBLICAN
CONGRESSWOMAN AND ASKED HER WHAT
HER REACTION WAS, AND SHE
BASICALLY SAID, LISTEN, THERE
HAS TO BE AN INVESTIGATION.
AS YOU SAID, ARI, HE IS DENYING
THESE CHARGES BUT SHE ALSO SAID,
TELLINGLY, HE HAS TO BE HELD
ACCOUNTABLE IF THE INVESTIGATION
LEADS THERE.
SO HES BEING DROPPED LIKE A HOT
POTATO BY OTHER REPUBLICANS.
AS THE INVESTIGATION GOES
FORWARD, THERE IS SOMETHING
ABOUT THE COMPANY YOU KEEP,
RIGHT?
>> KATY, ARE YOU SAYING THEYRE
DROPPING HIM LIKE HES HOT?
>> IM SAYING THEYRE DROPPING
HIM LIKE HES A POTATO.
>> JUST LIKE A POTATO.
I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE I
UNDERSTOOD THE REFERENCE.
>> YEAH, YEAH.
LOOK, HES NOT GETTING ANY
SUPPORT FROM DONALD TRUMP AND
HES NOT GETTING ANY SUPPORT
FROM OTHER REPUBLICANS EITHER,
AND THERE IS SOMETHING ABOUT THE
COMPANY WE KEEP.
WE DONT KNOW WHAT HE KNEW WHEN
HE ASKED FOR THAT PARDON.
BUT ONE THING THAT WE KNEW IS
THAT JOEL GREENBERG, THE MAN
DESCRIBED AS HIS WING MAN, HAD
ALREADY BEEN ARRESTED.
>> PROFESSOR GREER?
>> WELL, WE KNOW DONALD TRUMP IS
ONLY GOING TO LOOK OUT FOR
DONALD TRUMP.
HE HAS HIS OWN LEGAL TROUBLES
FACING HIM, SO HE HAS NO TIME
FOR SOMEONE LIKE MATT GAETZ.
THE FIRST ARTICLE OF THE
CONSTITUTION IS THE LEGISLATIVE
BRANCH, SO WE KNOW FOR THE
FRAMERS INTENDED FOR THIS TO BE
A BRANCH TO UPHOLD DEMOCRACY.
HE DOES NOT HAVE A LOT OF
LONG-STANDING FRIENDS.
WERE SEEING THAT PEOPLE WITHIN
THE REPUBLICAN PARTY ARE TRYING
TO MOVE AWAY FROM THIS RIGHT
WING EXTREMIST NOTION THAT
DONALD TRUMP SOLIDIFIED IN FOUR
YEARS AND TRY TO BECOME A LITTLE
MORE MODERATE SO THEY ACTUALLY
HAVE A FUTURE MOVING FORWARD IN
2022 AND 2024.
MATT GAETZ IS NOT PART OF THAT
PLAN.
WHY WOULD YOU CAST YOUR LOT WITH
SOMEONE FACING POSSIBLE
PEDOPHILIA CHARGES AND OTHER
CHARGES WHEN THE REPUBLICANS
HAVE BIGGER FISH TO FRY WHEN
THEYRE TRYING TO WIN BACK STATE
HOUSES AND PUSH FORWARD A
DIFFERENT TYPE OF AGENDA.
THIS IS A DISTRACTION FOR
SOMEONE THEY BARELY KNOW, AND
THEYRE NOT WILLING TO SORT OF
RISK THEIR OWN REPUTATION FOR
SOMEONE LIKE HIM.
>> YEAH.
AND, MICHAEL, WHEN SOMEBODY SAYS
THAT THEY WANT A PARDON, THE
OBVIOUS QUESTION BECOMES WHAT DO
YOU WANT A PARDON FOR?
>> EXACTLY.
FOR WHAT IS IT THAT YOU ARE
CONCERNED ENOUGH TO ASK THE
WHITE HOUSE, THE WHITE HOUSE
COUNSELS OFFICE, THE DOJ
ATTORNEY, WHOEVER HE ASKED, HE
HAD SOMETHING ON HIS MIND THAT
SEEMED PERSONAL TO HIM AND HIS
COHORTS.
THATS BOTH JOEL GREENBERG WHO
IS ALREADY UNDER INDICTMENT AND
SUPPOSEDLY DEALING IN THE SAME
PERSONS THAT GAETZ IS ACCUSED OF
BEING INVOLVED WITH.
AND THEN MEMBERS OF CONGRESS,
THERE WAS A REPORT, REMEMBER, OF
HIM SHARING ON HIS CELL PHONE ON
THE FLOOR OF CONGRESS PICTURES
OF NAKED WOMEN.
SO WE DONT KNOW WHETHER THERE
IS AABAL OF PEOPLE HERE NO
INVOLVED THEMSELVES IN THE SAME
ISSUE.
IF THERE IS, SOMEONE IS GOING TO
FLIP FIRST AND THEN ALL THE
DOMINOS WILL FALL THEREAFTER.
>> AND, KATY, I WANT TO PLAY A
LITTLE OF WHAT GAETZ WAS UP TO
POLITICALLY.
OBVIOUSLY WITH THE FORMER
PRESIDENT WEIGHING IN THE WAY HE
WAS, IT IS A POLITICAL SCANDAL
OF A KIND.
MAY OR MAY NOT BE INDICTABLE BY
THE DOJ AND STILL RAISES A LOT
OF QUESTIONS AND SOME OF IT WILL
PLAY OUT ON THE LEGAL PROCESS.
GAETZ WAS GOING AFTER ANYONE WHO
DISAGREED WITH TRUMP.
HE WASNT SO MUCH A REPUBLICAN
AS HE WAS A TRUMPIAN.
GOING AFTER LIZ CHE FORMER
PRESIDENT.
TAKE A LOOK.
>> WHAT WE SEE IN THIS
IMPEACHMENT IS A KANGAROO COURT
AND CHAIRMAN SCHIFF IS ACTING
LIKE A MALICIOUS CAPTAIN
KANGAROO.
>> THERE WAS BALLOT LAUNDERING
GOING ON HERE.
>> TWO THINGS THAT LIZ CHENEY
HAS DONE IN THE UNITED STATES
CONGRESS: FRUSTRATE THE AGENDA
OF PRESIDENT TRUMP AND SELL OUT.
>> BEHIND THOSE DOORS, THEY
INTEND TO OVERTURN THE RESULTS
OF AN AMERICAN PRESIDENTIAL
ELECTION.
WE WANT TO KNOW WHATS GOING ON.
>> YEAH.
LOOK, IF THE NEW FRONT LINE IN
THE REPUBLICAN PARTY DETERMINING
WHETHER YOU ARE PRO-TRUMP OR
ANTI-TRUMP IS THE ELECTION AND
WHETHER OR NOT IT WAS STOLEN OR
NOT, WHICH CLEARLY IT WASNT,
THEN MATT GAETZ IS LIKE THE
GENERAL, THE LEADING CAUSE IN
THAT CHARGE.
YOU COULDNT HAVE GOT MORE
PRO-TRUMP PARTICULARLY ON THIS
ISSUE OF THE ELECTION THAN MATT
GAETZ.
EVEN PRESIDENT TRUMP -- NOW,
WHETHER THE REPORTING -- AND
THERE HAVE BEEN REPORTS THAT
PRESIDENT TRUMPS INSTINCTS WERE
TO GIVE A FULL THROATED DEFENSE
OF MATT GAETZ AND HE BACKED AWAY
FROM THIS BRIEF, VERY TERSE
STATEMENT.
WHETHER TRUMP IS NOW BEING
PERSUADED NOT TO, WE DONT QUITE
KNOW, BUT THIS IS SERIOUS STUFF.
I MEAN, THIS LEADS INTO, WE
HAVENT GOT THERE YET, BUT THIS
INVESTIGATION COULD LEAD INTO
THE REALMS OF PROSTITUTION.
THERE IS SEX WITH MINORS
INVOLVED WITH THIS.
AND YOU CAN SEE WHY REPUBLICANS