HE CAN’T AND WOULDN’T EXONERATE TRUMP ON THE QUESTION OF
OBSTRUCTION.
OBSTRUCTION. >> THANK YOU
SEE YOU AT 4:00 P.M.
MY
MY MAYA WILEY WILL STAY WITH US
AND CHRIS MATTHEWS IS JOINING
US
US CHRIS.
CHRIS. >> I’VE BEEN WATCHING YOUR GREAT
COVERAGE
COVERAGE I THINK NICOLLE HIT IT ON THE
NAIL A NUMBER OF TIMES
BUT A COUPLE THINGS I HAD THE
LEISURE OF SITTING HERE WATCHING
YOU RATHER THAN JUST -- I’VE
BEEN ABLE TO READ IT OVER AND
OVER
OVER THE FIRST THING THAT STRUCK ME
WAS THE POLITICAL BRILLIANT OF
BILL BARR FOUR WEEKS AGO
HAD HE SAID THEN WHAT HE CAME
OUT ON SUNDAY WITH 48 HOURS NO I
TO STAY WHAT WAS IN THE REPORT,
IF HE HAD COME OUT AND SAID THAT
I DISAGREED WITH ROBERT MUELLER
ON OBSTRUCTION OF JUSTICE, THAT
WORD DISAGREED, IF HE HAD SAID
THAT THEN FOR THE LAST FOUR
WEEKS, IT WOULD HAVE BEEN THE
REIGNING HEADLINE OF THE STORY
I DISAGREED WITH THE MUELLER
REPORT ON OBSTRUCTION OF
JUSTICE.
JUSTICE. HE DID THAT THIS MORNING AS PART
OF A SOFT LANDING HE WAS WHAT WE
CALL ROLLING DISCLOSURE, IN
POLITICS WHERE YOU SOFTEN THE
BAND LANDING
BAND LANDING BAD LANDING.
BAD LANDING. WHAT YOU WILL HEAR IN THE ACTUAL
MUELLER REPORT IS NOT WHAT I
AGREED WITH.
AGREED WITH. I DON’T THINK THAT THERE WAS
OBSTRUCTION OF JUSTICE
I DON’T LIKE THOSE CASES HE
POINTED OUT.
POINTED OUT. I FELT THEY WERE WRONG
SO THAT IS ONE THING
THE OTHER THING, TRUMP HAS BEEN
INSISTENT ON SAYING I DON’T OWE
THE RUSSIANS ANYTHING FOR WHAT
THEY DID IN 2016
I DON’T OWE THEM ANYTHING.
WELL, THIS REPORT IS VERY CLEAR
THE RUSSIAN GOVERNMENT
INTERFERED IN THE 2016
PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION IN
SWEEPING AND SYSTEMIC FASHION.
AND THEN IT GOES IN TO ALL THE
WAYS, RALLIES, WEBSITE, ALL THE
WORK THAT THEY DID, THE HACKING,
ALL THE WAYS THAT THEY DID
INTERFERE.
INTERFERE. BARR THIS MORNING OVER AND OVER
AGAIN IN HIS STATEMENT SAID
ATTEMPTED TO INTERFERE
EFFORTS TO INTERFERE
NEVER ONCE -- AND I THINK THIS
WAS PLAYING FOR THE PRESIDENT --
DID HE ADMIT THE STATEMENT IN
THE BOTTOM LINE OF THIS REPORT
THAT THE RUSSIANS DID IN FACT
INTERFERE WITH THE ELECTIONS
I THINK THOSE TWO POINTS, HIDING
HIS DISAGREEMENT OVER THE
OBSTRUCTION OF JUSTICE DECISION,
AND COVERING UP REALLY FOR THE
RUSSIAN INTERVENTION, EFFECTIVE
INTERVENTION IN THE CAMPAIGN,
TWO BIG POINTS HE SCORED FOR
TRUMP TODAY.
TRUMP TODAY. >> AND DON’T FORGET THE NET
EFFECT OF THE FOUR PAGE LETTER
ON AN OTHERWISE NEWSLESS SUNDAY
AFTERNOON WAS TO GIVE THE
PRESIDENT AIR COVER TO CLAIM AS
HE WAS UP UNTIL TODAY TOTAL
EXONERATION.
EXONERATION. NO COLLUSION
NO COLLUSION NO OBSTRUCTION
NO OBSTRUCTION >> AND ALONG THOSE LINES, CAN
ANYBODY BELIEVE THE PRESIDENT’S
RESPONSES, THOSE WRITTEN
RESPONSES TO THE TAKE HOME EXAM
HE WAS GIVEN BY MUELLER?
MY GOD, IT WAS LIKE HE HAD
FAILED AN ALZHEIMER’S COMPETENCY
TEST
TEST 36 TIMES HE SAID I CAN’T
REMEMBER
REMEMBER I CAN’T REMEMBER
I CAN’T REMEMBER
WE’VE BEEN TALKING IN THE LAST
COUPLE OF DAYS THANKS TO ROBERT
KAISER IN THE "POST" ABOUT WHAT
IS TOO OLD TO BE PRESIDENT
MY GOD, IF YOU CAN’T REMEMBER
ANYTHING, IS THAT TO BE
BELIEVED
BELIEVED NO
NO OF COURSE IT IS NOT TO BE
BELIEVE.
BELIEVE. HE IS COMPETENT TO REMEMBER ALL
THOSE INSTANCES BUT IS SOMEHOW
USING THAT AS HIS REFUGE
WHAT BOTHERED ME THE MOST IS
ROBERT MUELLER’S REPORT.
THERE IS SOMETHING IN THERE THAT
IT MAKES MOOT THE WHOLE EFFORT
HE SAYS I CAN’T INDICT A
PRESIDENT OR I’VE DECIDED NOT TO
BECAUSE IT WILL CURTAIL HIS
ABILITY TO BE PRESIDENT.
THEREFORE I CAN’T ACCUSE BECAUSE
IT WOULD BE UNFAIR IT SOMEONE
WHO I CAN’T INDICT TO ACCUSE
THEM BECAUSE THEN THEY WOULDN’T
HAVE THE RECOURSE OF A COURT TO
DEFEND THEMSELVES IN
SO WHAT WAS HE DOING IF HE CAN’T
INDICT THE PRESIDENT, HE CAN’T
ACCUSE THE PRESIDENT, WELL, OH,
I CAN’T EXONERATE THE PRESIDENT.
SO HIS VERDICT WAS THAT UNCLEAR
SORT OF THE OLD SCOTTISH VERDICT
THING UNPROVEN, I CAN’T
EXONERATE HIM.
EXONERATE HIM. I THINK THAT IT IS VERY
UNSATISFACTORY
UNSATISFACTORY AND HE THREW THE BALL UP AT THE
BASKETBALL GAME AND ONE SIDE
GRABBED THE BALL, THAT WOULD BE
BARR, GRABBED THE BALL AND SHOT
IT AND SAID INNOCENT
>> SO FINAL QUESTION, CHRIS.
WHERE DOES THIS LEAVE US
BECAUSE THE DEMOCRATS IN
CONGRESS HAVE A REAL CHOICE HERE
ABOUT HOW AND WHERE TO
STREAMLINE THEIR OBJECTIONS,
THEIR BILLS OF PARTICULARS, AND
THEIR INVESTIGATION.
THEIR INVESTIGATION. >> WELL, THEY CAN TAKE THE
OBSTRUCTION OF JUSTICE POINT,
THEY CAN TAKE ELEMENTS OF THE
COLLUSION PART, CLEARLY ALL THIS
BALL PLAYING
BALL PLAYING I THINK THE DECISION BY THE
MUELLER TEAM TO SAY YOU CAN’T
PROSECUTE ON A GUY WHO TAKES
DIRT FROM WikiLeaks, FROM
GUCCIFER 2 AND USES IT AS PART
OF A PROPAGANDA CAMPAIGN ALONG
THE LINES THAT RUSSIA INTENDED,
I DON’T SEE THAT -- THAT IS NOT
ADVANCING A CONSPIRACY, BI-I
GUESS THAT IS THEIR LEGAL
JUDGMENT
JUDGMENT SEEMS TO BE A BIG DIFFERENCE
BETWEEN THEM REPORTING IT FOR
THEIR POLITICAL PURPOSES AND
SOMEONE IN THE OBJECTIVE MEDIA
SIMPLY SAYING HERE IS WHAT THE
RUSSIANS ARE PUSHING
BUT I THINK THAT IT WILL COME
DOWN TO LET’S FACE IT, JERRY
NADLER, WHO IS LISTENING TO
NANCY PELOSI, AND NANCY PELOSI
HAS MADE A POLITICAL JUDGMENT
THAT WITHOUT REPUBLICAN SUPPORT
FOR AN IMPEACHMENT EXERCISE, SHE
SHOULDN’T GO ALONG WITH IT FOR
POLITICAL REASONS.
POLITICAL REASONS. IN OTHER WORDS, IF YOU CAN’T
MAKE THE CASE IN A BIPARTISAN
FASHION, DON’T MAKE IT BECAUSE
IT WILL ONLY SERVE THE PURPOSE
OF HURTING YOURSELF POLITICALLY.
AS JOURNALISTS AND COMMENTATORS,
WE CAN SAY THAT IS NOT THE RIGHT
WAY TO MAKE THE DECISION BECAUSE
YOU’RE BEEN SAYING ALL ALONG
THAT YOUR QUESTIONS ABOUT TRUMP
WERE NONPARTISAN, YOU SIMPLY
WANT TO FOLLOW THE TRUTH
BUT THEN YOU CAN’T STEP BACK AND
SAY NOW I’M GOING TO MAKE A
POLITICAL JUDGMENT, IT IS NOT IN
OUR INTERESTS TO PURSUE THIS IN
A PARTISAN FASHION IF THAT IS
WHAT IT COMES TO
THAT IS NOT BEING CONSISTENT
GO ALL THE WAY TO THE TRUTH AND
THE WAY TO GET TO THE TRUTH IS
AN IMPEACHMENT EXERCISE.
THAT IS HOW YOU GET THE SUBPOENA
POWER THAT WILL BE UPHELD.
I THINK THIS SUPREME COURT WILL