>>> THE SPECIAL COUNSELS FINDING IS CLEAR.
CASE CLOSED. >> DEMOCRATS ON THE HILL ARE
REACTING WITH OUTRAGE TO THAT
DECLARATION TODAY FROM THE
SENATE MAJORITY LEADER AND WITH
RESOLVE TO PRESS AHEAD WITH
THEIR EFFORTS TO FURTHER
INVESTIGATE THE PRESIDENT.
BUT JUST A SHORT TIME AGO, THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT SENT A NEWE
JUSTICE DEPARTMENT SENT A NEW WARNING TO HOUSE DEMOCRATS ABOUT
THEIR EFFORT TO FORCE THE
ATTORNEY GENERAL TO HAND OVER
THE FULL MUELLER REPORT.
IN JUST A FEW HOURS, THE HOUSE
JUDICIARY COMMITTEE PLANS TO
VOTE TO HOLD ATTORNEY GENERAL WILLIAM BARR IN CONTEMPT OFAL
WILLIAM BARR IN CONTEMPT OF CONGRESS FOR HIS REFUSAL TO
COMPLY WITH A SUBPOENA FOR
MUELLERS COMPLETE UNREDACTED FINDINGS.COMPLETE UNREDACTED
FINDINGS.
TONIGHT THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT
HAS NOW SENT A LETTER TO THE COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN JERROLDHE
COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN JERROLD NADLER, DEMANDING THAT THAT VOTE
BE CANCELED OR BARR WILL RECOMMEND THE WHITE HOUSE ASSERT
EXECUTIVE OVER THE REPORT AND
THE SUPPORTING MATERIAL.
A HOUSE DEMOCRATIC AIDE TELLING
MSNBC THAT MEMBERS ARE STILL SCHEDULED TO VOTE TOMORROWLL
SCHEDULED TO VOTE TOMORROW MORNING.
MORNING.
EARLIER TODAY THE WHITE HOUSE ORDERED FORMER COUNSEL DONUSE
ORDERED FORMER COUNSEL DON McGAHN TO DEFY A HOUSE JUDICIARY
SUBPOENA FOR DOCUMENTS RELATED TO THE MUELLER INVESTIGATION.D
TO THE MUELLER INVESTIGATION. McGAHN, WHO IS CITED MORE THAN
ANY OTHER WITNESS IN THE MUELLER
REPORT, HAD BEEN ORDERED BY THE
COMMITTEE TO TURN OVER THOSE
MATERIALS TODAY.
MATERIALS TODAY.
PRESIDENT TRUMP IS ALSO TRYING
TO BLOCK McGAHN FROM TESTIFYING LATER THIS MONTH BEFORE THATING
LATER THIS MONTH BEFORE THAT
SAME PANEL. TONIGHT CHAIRMAN NADLER IS NOW
THREATENING TO HOLD McGAHN IN
CONTEMPT IF HE DOESNT APPEAR AT
A HEARING OR PRODUCE THOSE
DOCUMENTS. WITH US FOR MORE, SHANNON
PETTYPIECE, WHITE HOUSE
CORRESPONDENT FOR BLOOMBERG, AND
JOSH GERSTEIN, SENIOR POLITICAL
EDITOR FOR POLITICO. THANK YOU BOTH FOR BEING WITH
US.
US.
SHANNON, THIS HAS, AS JUST SAID, ESCALATED WITHIN THE PAST HOUR.,
ESCALATED WITHIN THE PAST HOUR. NOW THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE IS
TELLING JERRY NADLERS JUDICIARY
COMMITTEE IF THEY GO FORWARD
WITH THIS CONTEMPT VOTE, THAT
THE WHITE HOUSE IS JUST GOING TO
START -- THE ATTORNEY GENERAL I
SHOULD SAY WILL RECOMMEND TO THE
WHITE HOUSE THAT THEY JUST START ASSERTING EXECUTIVE PRIVILEGE ON
WHAT?
WHAT? ON EVERYTHING THE JUDICIARY IS
ASKING FOR?
>> WELL, AND IT SEEMS LIKE THE
WHITE HOUSE WAS GOING IN THAT
DIRECTION ANYWAY.
THERE HAS BEEN THIS DANCE GOING
BACK AND FORTH, AND PART OF WHAT
WERE SEEING HERE IS THE WHITE HOUSE AND THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT
TRYING TO SLOW THAT DANCE DOWN,
SORT OF TRYING TO RUN OUT THE
CLOCK, TRYING TO DRAG THINGS
OUT.
AND THE CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEES
TRYING TO SPEED IT UP, SPEED IT
UP.
THE WHITE HOUSE WANTS TO GET IN SORT OF A BACK AND FORTH GET IN
SORT OF A BACK AND FORTH NEGOTIATION HERE, AND THE
COMMITTEES WANT TO MOVE THINGS
AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE. FOR EXAMPLE, WITH THIS DON
McGAHN SUBPOENA, THE WHITE HOUSE
DIDNT ALL-OUT SAY NO, McGAHN IS
NOT TURNING OVER THESE DOCUMENTS.G OVER THESE
DOCUMENTS.
THEY SAID WELL, ACTUALLY THESE
DOCUMENTS RESIDE WITH THE WHITE
HOUSE.
DON McGAHN HAS THEM, BUT HE IS
NOT AUTHORIZED TO GIVE THEM.
YOU NEED TO REISSUE YOUR
SUBPOENA TO THE WHITE HOUSE.
THE DOJ IN THIS LETTER IS MAKING
THIS ARGUMENT ABOUT AN
ACCOMMODATION PROCESS.
THEY WANT TO SORT OF GET INTO
THE DETAILS OF WHO CAN SEE IT
AND WHO CANT SEE IT RATHER THAN
GIVING ANY SORT OF HARD AND FAST DEFINITIVE ANSWER. HARD AND FAST
DEFINITIVE ANSWER.
SO THEIR END, ITS ALL ABOUT
RUNNING OUT THE CLOCK HERE.
>> SO, JOSH, WHAT IS LIKELY TO
HAPPEN RIGHT NOW WITH THIS
PENDING VOTE?
APPARENTLY THE JUDICIARY
COMMITTEE STILL PLANNING TO GO
FORWARD WITH IT.
IF THEY DO, WHAT WOULD THAT
MEAN?
>> WELL, IT MEANS THAT BARR, ATTORNEY GENERAL BARR COULD BE
HELD IN CONTEMPT.
POTENTIALLY DON McGAHN, ALTHOUGH I THINK THAT MAY SLIP TO THEOUGH
I THINK THAT MAY SLIP TO THE BACK BURN AREA LITTLE BIT AS
BARR TAKES CENTER STAGE.
WEVE ALSO SEEN THE FIGHT OVER
BARR BECOME A PROXY FOR THE
BAUDER DISCUSSION THAT SOME
DEMOCRATS DONT WANT TO SEE TO
HAVE ABOUT IMPEACHMENT.
ITS A MUCH SIMPLER VOTE TO GO
AFTER THE ATTORNEY GENERAL.
THE ACCOMMODATION PROCESS IS A PRELUDE TO POTENTIAL COURTIS A
PRELUDE TO POTENTIAL COURT BATTLES OVER ALL OF THESE
ISSUES.
ISSUES.
WHEN THEY GO INTO COURT, I THINK THE EXECUTIVE BRANCH WILL BE INK
THE EXECUTIVE BRANCH WILL BE IN A BETTER POSITION IF THEY CAN
ARGUE LOOK, WE TRIED TO
ACCOMMODATE CONGRESS REQUEST
AND THEYVE BEEN COMPLETELY
UNCOOPERATIVE WITH US.
ON THE OTHER HAND, YOU HAVE THE
PRESIDENT EVERY TIME HE GETS IN
FRONT OF A CAMERA SORT OF
DRAWING A RED LINE SAYING ITS OVER, WERE NOT GOING TO DO THIS
ANYMORE THAT ARGUMENT WONT GO
DOWN AS WELL IN COURT. >> SHANNON IS TALKING ABOUT THE
IDEA OF RUNNING THE CLOCK.
DEMOCRATS ARE ACCUSING THE WHITE
HOUSE OF SAYING LOOKING THEYRE
JUST TRYING TO GET PAST THE 2020 ELECTION WITHOUT ANYTHING ELSE20
ELECTION WITHOUT ANYTHING ELSE HAPPENING HERE.
HAPPENING HERE.
IF IT DOES TURN INTO THE KIND OF
LEGAL BATTLE YOURE DESCRIBING, IS THAT SOMETHING THATS GOING,
IS THAT SOMETHING THATS GOING TO TAKE MONTHS, WEEKS, YEARS?
HOW LONG DO YOU THEY WOULD TAKE TO SORT OUT?YOU THEY WOULD TAKE
TO SORT OUT? >> IT WOULD TAKE AT LEAST
MONTHS, AND IT COULD POTENTIALLY
TAKE YEARS.
TAKE YEARS.
NOW IF ITS A TOTAL STANDOFF AND
BOTH SIDES WONT NEGOTIATE AT
ALL, MAYBE IT COULD BE RESOLVED
BEFORE THE 2020 ELECTION.
BUT IF THEY REALLY GET INTO A
PROTRACTED BACK AND FORTH, IT
COULD GO ON A LONG, LONG TIME.
THE LAST ATTORNEY GENERAL WHO
WENT THROUGH THIS WAS ERIC
HOLDER, AND THAT COURT BATTLE
WHICH BEGAN ABOUT FIVE YEARS AGO IS STILL PENDING TODAY.YEARS AGO
IS STILL PENDING TODAY. ITS STILL PENDING IN FRONT OF
THE COURTS.
BOTH SIDES HAVE KIND OF SWITCHED
POSITIONS IN THAT CASE.