COOPERATIVE BEFORE SO I DON’T MEAN TO SOUND LIKE A CONSPIRACY
THEORIST.
THEORIST. BUT A LOT OF FOLKS ARE REALLY?
THE HOUSE COMMITTEE YESTERDAY
SAID DURING HOPE HICKS’
TESTIMONY TRUMP ADMINISTRATION
LAWYERS INTERVENED OVER 150
TIMES CITING IMMUNITY.
SEEKING TO CHALLENGE THAT CLAIM,
JERRY NADLER TOLD POLITICO THE
ADMINISTRATION’S OBJECTIONS VERY
MUCH PLAYED INTO OUR HANDS AND
THAT THE HICKS’ INTERVIEW WAS
VERY USEFUL TO GIVE US THE
RECORD TO SHOW THE JUDGE HOW
EXTREME IT REALLY IS.
ELLIOTT, LET ME STAY ON YOU WITH
THIS ONE.
THIS ONE. NADLER IS SAYING THAT HE GOT
SOMETHING SIGNIFICANT FROM THIS
HICKS’ TESTIMONY YESTERDAY.
IS HE OVER SELLING IT OR IS THAT
THE CASE?
THE CASE? >> HE GOT SOMETHING SIGNIFICANT
AS A MATTER OF LITIGATION
STRATEGY.
STRATEGY. I DON’T THINK HE GOT SOMETHING
SIGNIFICANT IN TERMS OF SELLING
IT TO THE PUBLIC BECAUSE NOBODY
SEES IT AND NOBODY SAW IT.
THE ARGUMENT THAT THE HOUSE WILL
BE MAKING IN THE COURTS IS THAT
THE PRESIDENT AND THE
ADMINISTRATION ARE STYMIEING AND
BLOCKING AND STONEWALLING ANY
ATTEMPTS TO INVESTIGATE.
SO, FOR INSTANCE, OF THE 155
THINGS THAT HOPE HICKS DIDN’T
ANSWER, ONE QUESTION WAS WHERE
IS YOUR DESK IN THE WHITE HOUSE?
AND SHE WAS ONLY LEFT TO ANSWER
QUESTIONS ABOUT WHAT THE WEATHER
WAS ON HER FIRST DAY.
SHE REALLY DIDN’T PROVIDE MUCH
AND SORT OF BLOCKED ANSWERS TO
EVEN BASIC QUESTIONS.
IF THE ARGUMENT FROM THE HOUSE
JUDICIARY COMMITTEE IS ACROSS
THE ADMINISTRATION’S
THE ADMINISTRATION’S RELATIONSHIP WITH CONGRESS AND
WITH THIS COMMITTEE THEY SIMPLY
ARE NOT RESPECTING US AS A
COEQUAL BRANCH OF GOVERNMENT,
THIS DOES STRENGTHEN THAT.
BUT AGAIN, STEVE, THIS IS AN
EXERCISE IN SELLING THE PUBLIC
AS MUCH AS IT’S WINNING IN
COURT.
COURT. YOU HAVE TO GET THE PUBLIC
BEHIND WHAT YOU’RE DOING, EITHER
FOR OVERSIGHT OR AN IMPEACHMENT
PROCEEDING.
PROCEEDING. THIS IS ALL HAPPENING IN SECRET
AND TO THAT EXTENT NADLER
DOESN’T WIN.
DOESN’T WIN. >> BETSY, I THINK YOU WERE
ALLUDING TO THIS BEFORE.
DEMOCRATS WERE TALKING FOR THE
LAST MONTH, WE SAID AT THE TOP
OF THE SEGMENT HERE, THIS IDEA
OF BRINGING THE MUELLER REPORT
TO LIFE, USING THESE HEARINGS TO
BREAK THROUGH TO A PUBLIC THAT
SO FAR SEEMS PRETTY STRONG
PARTISAN DIVIDE ON THESE THINGS.
IS THERE -- IS THERE MOUNTING
FRUSTRATION THERE AMONG
DEMOCRATS THAT THEY MAYBE FEEL
THEY’RE NOT SUCCEEDING IN THAT
GOAL RIGHT NOW?
>> THERE’S ACUTE FRUSTRATION
WHICH HAS BEEN THE CASE FOR
MONTHS NOW.
MONTHS NOW. ONE OF THE CHALLENGES THAT
DEMOCRATS FACE IS THAT PART OF
THE REASON THEY WERE ABLE TO
FLIP THE HOUSE IN 2018 IS
BECAUSE THEY ARGUED THEY WOULD
BE ABLE TO DO ROBUST OVERSIGHT
OF THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION.
BUT THUS FAR THE HOUSE
DEMOCRATIC CAUCUS, SPEAKING
QUITE BROADLY, IS LONG ON EFFORT
BUT PRETTY SHORT ON DELIVERABLES
WITH THE EXCEPTION OF CHAIRMAN
ELIJAH CUMMINGS INVESTIGATION
INTO EFFORTS TO SHARE NUCLEAR
TECHNOLOGY WITH THE GOVERNMENT
OF SAUDI ARABIA, THERE’S NOT A
LOT OF BRAND NEW INFORMATION OUT
OF THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION THAT
WE THE AMERICAN PUBLIC HAVE
BECAUSE OF THE WAY THAT
CONGRESSIONAL DEMOCRATS HAVE
DONE OVERSIGHT.
DONE OVERSIGHT. AND SOME OF THAT, WITHOUT
QUESTION, IS BECAUSE OF THE
OBSTRUCTION EFFORTS THE TRUMP
ADMINISTRATION HAS ENGAGED IN.
TRUMP HIMSELF, OF COURSE, SAID
WE’RE GOING TO STIFF ARM EVERY
SINGLE CONGRESSIONAL SUBPOENA
AND DOCUMENT REQUEST AND THAT’S
SOMETHING THAT DRIVES DEMOCRATS
NUTS.
NUTS. THEY FEEL THEY HAVE A
CONSTITUTIONAL OBLIGATION TO GET
INFORMATION OUT OF THIS
ADMINISTRATION.
ADMINISTRATION. PART OF THE REASON THAT THE HOPE
HICKS TESTIMONY IS LEGALLY
IMPORTANT IS THAT IT GIVES
NADLER STANDING IN COURT.
HE CAN NOW CHALLENGE THIS IDEA
THAT PRESIDENTS OF DIFFERENT
PARTIES HAVE ARGUED CALLED
IMMUNITY, THE NOTION THAT THE
PRESIDENT’S CLOSE ADVISERS DON’T
HAVE TO TELL ANYTHING ABOUT
THEIR WORK FOR THE PRESIDENT TO
CONGRESS.
CONGRESS. NADLER CAN NOW SAY THE HOUSE OF
REPRESENTATIVES HAS BEEN WRONGED
BY THE EXECUTIVE BRANCH MAKING
THIS ARGUMENT AND HE NOW IS ABLE
TO TRY TO FORCE OR DEMAND A
JUDGE TO MAKE A CALL.
SENIOR WHITE HOUSE OFFICIALS ARE
IMMUNE FROM CONGRESSIONAL
SCRUTINY.
SCRUTINY. THAT’S IMPORTANT FOR