>> Sreenivasan: THIS WEEKEND SAW
DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL
CANDIDATES AND EVEN THE LONE
REPUBLICAN CHALLENGER TO
PRESIDENT TRUMP, FORMER
MASSACHUSETTS GOVERNOR BILL
WELD, RACING TO EVENT AFTER
EVENT IN IOWA.
MEANWHILE, THE PRESIDENT
REPORTEDLY RAISED $12,000,000 AT
FUNDRAISERS ON FRIDAY NIGHT AND
THEN BEGAN HIS VACATION AT HIS
GOLF CLUB IN NEW JERSEY, A
VACATION THAT INCLUDES A BARRAGE
OF TWEETS AND RETWEETS.
NEWSHOUR WEEKEND SPECIAL
CORRESPONDENT JEFF GREENFIELD IS
HERE NOW TO TALK ABOUT ALL
THAT AND MORE POLITICAL NEWS.
TO SAY THAT THE PRESIDENT
RETWEETING A CONSPIRACY THEORY
CONNECTING THE CLINTONS TO THE
DEATH OF JEFFREY EPSTEIN IS A
SURPRISE?
NOT SO MUCH.
I MEAN--
>> IN ONE SENSE, YOU COULD SAY
WHAT ELSE IS NEW?
YOU KNOW, HE WAS THE BIRTHER
CONSPIRACY GUY, HE SAID,
MILLIONS OF ILLEGAL ALIENS
COST HIM THE POPULAR VOTE.
HE THOUGHT JUSTICE SCALIA'S
DEATH WAS FISHY.
BUT STILL, WHEN YOU READ
SOMETHING LIKE THAT, THIS
PRESIDENT ACCUSING ANOTHER
PRESIDENT OF COMPLICITY IN A
MURDER, YOU KNOW, THAT'S WHAT WE
THINK OTHER COUNTRIES WERE LIKE
WHEN THEY WOULD JAIL OR EXECUTE
POLITICAL OPPONENTS.
AND THE BARRIER'S THAT ARE NOT
JUST PUSHED, BUT CRASHED,
COMBINED ONCE AGAIN, YOU KNOW,
WITH THE MASSIVE SILENCE OF HIS
OWN PARTY, IN ONE SENSE, I THINK
JUST LEAVES YOU, AS A HUMAN,
POLEAXED.
DID I REALLY READ THAT?
AM I REALLY HEARING THIS FROM
THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED
STATES?
THE SHEER OVERREACH IN SOME
SENSE PROTECTS HIM ,BECAUSE YOU
ALMOST LITERALLY CAN'T BELIEVE
IT.
IT'S-- IT'S-- WE DON'T KNOW HOW
TO GET OUR HEADS AROUND IT.
>> Sreenivasan: YEAH.
WELL, LET'S GET OUR HEADS AROUND
ACTUAL NEWS THAT DID MATTER THIS
WEEK, THAT WAS SUBSTANTIVE AND
OFTENTIMES IS IGNORED BY THE
TWEET STREAM AND THESE KINDS OF
SPECTACLES.
>> I THINK ONE OF THE BIG
STORIES WAS THE FACT THAT SUE
GORDY, THE DEPUTY D.N.I.,
DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL
INTELLIGENCE, WAS FORCED OUT OF
HER JOB BY HER BOSS, WHO IS
HIMSELF BEING PUSHED ASIDE, DAN
COATS.
BECAUSE THE PRESIDENT DOESN'T
TRUST THE INTELLIGENCE HE GETS
OR HE DOESN'T LIKE IT WHEN IT
CONTRADICTS HIS IDEAS.
NOW, SUE GORDY IS THE KIND OF
PERSON THAT A GOVERNMENT
SHOULD EMBRACE.
BOTH PARTY INTELLIGENCE EXPERTS
REALLY RESPECTED.
THEY WANTED HER TO GET THE CHEIF
JOB, AND FOR HER TO BE BRUSHED
ASIDE IS A PART OF A PIECE.
WE ALSO SAW A SCIENTIST IN THE
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE QUIT
BECAUSE HE WASN'T PERMITTED TO
PRESENT EVIDENCE THAT CLIMATE
CHANGE WAS HAVING AN EFFECT ON
NUTRIENTS LIKE RICE.
AND WE'VE HEARD THE F.B.I.
SAYING, YOU KNOW, WE REALLY WANT
TO FOCUS ON DOMESTIC TERRORISM,
BY WHICH THEY MEAN WHITE
NATIONALIST TERRORISM.
BUT WE'RE GETTING, WE'RE REALLY
UNCOMFORTABLE IF THAT'S GOING TO
AFFECT SOMEHOW PEOPLE IN THE
PRESIDENT'S BASE.
AND WHAT'S THE COMMON THEME?
THAT PEOPLE IN POWER DON'T WANT
TO HEAR FACTS THAT CHALLENGE
THEIR PREMISES AND WHETHER IT'S
BEEN VIETNAM OR IRAQ OR GOD
KNOWS HOW MANY OTHER EXAMPLES,
WHEN PEOPLE IN POWER DON'T WANT
TO HEAR EVIDENCE THAT MAY FORCE
THEM TO CHANGE THEIR MINDS, YOU
GOT A PROBLEM.
>> Sreenivasan: THIS WEEKEND WE
ALSO SAW EVERY DEMOCRATIC
CANDIDATE RUNNING AROUND, AND
OBVIOUSLY BILL WELD AS
WELL, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE EATING
TURKEY WINGS AT THE STATE FAIR
AND WHATEVER ELSE THEY HAVE TO
DO IN IOWA.
BUT YOU ALSO HAVE SEEN A STEADY
DRIP OF STORIES OVER THE PAST
FEW DAYS ON JOE BIDEN AND THE
VERBAL GAFFES, AGAIN, IN THE
CONTEXT OF THE TWEETS AND SO
FORTH THAT WE WERE JUST TALKING
ABOUT, THEY PALE IN COMPARISON.
BUT WHAT'S THE NET RESULT?
>> THE PROIBLEM, AND I THINK
NORMALLY I'M INCLINED TO SAY,
COME ON, YOU KNOW THIS IS HYPE.
BUT THERE ARE TIMES WHEN THESE
EVENTS HAVE A POLITICAL IMPACT,
AND THAT IS WHEN THEY TEND TO
REINFORCE A STEREOTYPE ANYWAY.
SO, FOR INSTANCE, WHEN GERALD
FORD, THE MOST ATHLETIC
PRESIDENT WE EVER HAD, PRO
FOOTBALL PLAYER HAD A FEW TRIPS
AND CHEVY CHASE OF "SATURDAY
NIGHT LIVE" TURNED IT INTO,
I GUESS, A MEME, THAT ALL OF A
SUDDEN WAS CAME, HE'S A KLUTZ.
DAN QUAYLE.
THE QUESTION ABOUT HIM WAS IS HE
REALLY UP TO THE JOB?
AND SO WHEN HE MISSPELLED THE
WORD, IT WAS, WELL, YOU KNOW,
THERE IT IS.
SO FOR BIDEN, YOU KNOW WHAT'S A
DILEMMA?
HE'S, HE'S OLD AND AN OTHERWISE
UNMEMORABLE SLIP, PARTICULARLY
IF THEY'RE A COUPLE, BEGINS TO
RAISE THAT QUESTION, SINCE IT'S
THERE ANYWAY IN THE POLITICAL
FIRMAMENT.
AND SO I, I HATE TO SOUND
SUPERFICIAL ABOUT THIS, BUT
THOSE THINGS CAN MATTER.
>> Sreenivasan: ALL RIGHT, JEFF
GREENFIELD, THANKS SO MUCH.
>> THANK YOU.