Mercedes-Benz. The best or nothing.
>>> NOW THAT PRESIDENT TRUMP’S
LAWYER HAS CONFIRMED HE RECEIVED
BRIEFINGS FROM PAUL MANAFORT’S
LAWYER SINCE MANAFORT HAS BEEN
WORKING FOR THE FEDS, QUESTIONS
ARE BEING RAISED, AS THEY SAY,
ABOUT THE LEGALITY OF THOSE
BRIEFINGS.
BRIEFINGS. OUR OWN KEN DILANIAN WRITES
THIS.
THIS. "SOME LEGAL EXPERTS BELIEVE THAT
THE FEEDING OF INFORMATION BY
MANAFORT’S LAWYERS TO THE TRUMP
LEGAL TEAM COULD AMOUNT TO
OBSTRUCTION OF JUSTICE OR
WITNESS TAMPERING IF MANAFORT
DISCLOSED CONFIDENTIAL
DISCLOSED CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION OR THE PRESIDENT’S
SIDE DISCUSSED THE POSSIBILITY
OF A PARDON.
BUT THAT WOULD DEPEND ON EXACTLY
WHAT WAS SAID."
FORMER U.S. ATTORNEY AND ONE OF
OUR LEGAL ANALYSTS JOYCE VANCE
ADDED THIS.
ADDED THIS. "ONCE MANAFORT SIGNED UP TO
COOPERATE WITH PROSECUTORS, THE
COMMON INTEREST HE SHARED WITH
TRUMP AND OTHERS THAT LET THEM
SHIELD THEIR COMMUNICATIONS FROM
PROSECUTORS BEHIND THE
ATTORNEY-CLIENT PRIVILEGE
ATTORNEY-CLIENT PRIVILEGE EVAPORATED.
EVAPORATED. ANY INFORMATION THAT WAS SHARED
AFTER THIS POINT ISN’T PROTECTED
BY THEIR JOINT DEFENSE
AGREEMENT."
AGREEMENT." SHE GOES ON TO SAY, "IF I WERE
MUELLER, I WOULD BE ISSUING
SUBPOENAS TODAY TO RUDY GIULIANI
AND KEVIN DOWNING AND ANYONE
ELSE INVOLVED IN THESE
COMMUNICATIONS SO THEY WOULD
HAVE TO EXPLAIN UNDER OATH
EXACTLY WHAT WAS CONVEYED."
SO WITH US TONIGHT, RICHARD
PAINTER RETURNS TO THE
BROADCAST, VETERAN ATTORNEY AND
THE FORMER WEST WING ETHICS
LAWYER IN THE BUSH 43 WHITE
HOUSE.
HOUSE. RICHARD, FIRST OF ALL, IS JOYCE
RIGHT?
RIGHT? AND WHAT ABOUT THESE LAWYERS?
THEY’RE ADULTS.
THEY’RE ADULTS. THEY MAKE CAR PAYMENTS.
THEY HAVE MORTGAGES.
SHOULDN’T THEY KNOW THAT NOW
THAT MANAFORT IS ON TEAM USA YOU
CAN’T BE TALKING BACK AND FORTH
LIKE THIS?
LIKE THIS? >> ABSOLUTELY, THEY SHOULD KNOW
THAT.
THAT. AND THESE LAWYERS BETTER
THEMSELVES HIRE SOME LAWYERS
BECAUSE THEY COULD BE IN DEEP
TROUBLE.
TROUBLE. AND FIRST OF ALL, YOU’VE GOT THE
OBSTRUCTION OF JUSTICE THAT’S
GOING ON WHEN THE PRESIDENT
DANGLES A PARDON IN RETURN
PRESUMABLY FOR MANAFORT CHANGING
HIS TESTIMONY OR CHANGING HIS
LEVEL OF COOPERATION WITH ROBERT
MUELLER.
MUELLER. THAT IS OBSTRUCTION OF JUSTICE.
THE PRESIDENT HAS THE POWER TO
GRANT A PARDON AT HIS OWN
DISCRETION, BUT HE CAN’T TAKE A
BRIBE TO GRANT A PARDON AND HE
CANNOT GRANT A PARDON TO A
MATERIAL WITNESS IN A CRIMINAL
INVESTIGATION IN EXCHANGE FOR
THAT WITNESS CHANGING HIS
TESTIMONY OR NOT COOPERATING
WITH THE PROSECUTORS.
THAT IS OBSTRUCTION OF JUSTICE.
FURTHERMORE, IF THE LAWYERS WERE
FUNNELING OUT INFORMATION ABOUT
THE MUELLER INVESTIGATION AND
MANAFORT’S LAWYERS WERE DOING
THAT WHILE PRETENDING TO
COOPERATE WITH ROBERT MUELLER
AND THEN CON INVESTIGATE THAT
INFORMATION TO DONALD TRUMP’S
LAWYERS, THAT AGAIN IS
OBSTRUCTION OF JUSTICE.
THAT IS DECEITFUL, AND THE
LAWYERS THEMSELVES ARE GOING TO
BE IN VERY, VERY HOT WATER.
AND NONE OF THOSE COMMUNICATIONS
ARE SUBJECT TO THE
ATTORNEY-CLIENT PRIVILEGE.
ATTORNEY-CLIENT PRIVILEGE. THEY COULD BE -- ROBERT MUELLER
COULD GET THAT INFORMATION
THROUGH THE CRIME FRAUD
EXCEPTION TO THE PRIVILEGE.
THERE’S NO PRIVILEGE FOR
COMMUNICATIONS BETWEEN AN
ATTORNEY AND A CLIENT FOR
PURPOSES OF COMMITTING A CRIME
OR FRAUD.
OR FRAUD. AND SECOND, THERE’S OBVIOUSLY NO
JOINT PRIVILEGE ONCE MANAFORT
HAD AGREED TO COOPERATE WITH THE
GOVERNMENT.
GOVERNMENT. LYING TO ROBERT MUELLER, TRYING
THIS KIND OF STUNT ON ROBERT
MUELLER IS A VERY, VERY BAD IDEA
AND IT COULD LAND A LOT OF
PEOPLE IN JAIL AND POSSIBLY SOME
LAWYERS IN SOME VERY HOT WATER.
>> RICHARD, WHEN YOU’RE HOME IN
MINNESOTA PEOPLE COME UP TO YOU
OVER THE WEEKEND AT A COCKTAIL
PARTY OR A FOOTBALL GAME AND
THEY ASK YOU JUST TELL ME
SOMETHING, DO YOU THINK MUELLER
HAS THE GOODS, DO YOU THINK
MUELLER HAS THE CASE?
HOW DO YOU ANSWER?
>> IT’S PRETTY CLEAR HE’S GOT
THE CASE.
THE CASE. MOST PEOPLE I KNOW IN MINNESOTA
ARE WELL AWARE THAT ROBERT
MUELLER’S GOT THE CASE.
JUST LOOK AT PRESIDENT TRUMP’S
TWITTER FEED TODAY.
I MEAN, HE’S TWEETING OUT
PICTURES OF ALL OF HIS POLITICAL
ENEMIES BEHIND BARS SAYING WHEN
ARE THE TREASON TRIALS GOING TO
BEGIN?
BEGIN? HE IS ATTACKING ROBERT MUELLER
AGAIN ON TWITTER.
JUST TODAY PRESIDENT TRUMP
THREATENED TO DECLASSIFY
INFORMATION IN ORDER TO
RETALIATE AGAINST THE DEMOCRATS.
SO HE IS GOING TO DESTROY OUR
NATIONAL SECURITY, MAKE US
VULNERABLE TO OUR ENEMIES BY
DISCLOSING CLASSIFIED
DISCLOSING CLASSIFIED INFORMATION SIMPLY IN ORDER TO
GET RETRIBUTION AGAINST HIS
POLITICAL ENEMIES.
POLITICAL ENEMIES. THIS IS A VERY DANGEROUS MAN.
THAT’S THE WAY HE’S BEHAVING.
AND JUST ABOUT EVERYBODY I KNOW
IS WELL AWARE OF THAT.
AND WHAT BOGGLES PEOPLE’S MIND
IS WHY CONGRESS WON’T DO
ANYTHING.
ANYTHING. AND I’LL TELL YOU THE REASON MAY
BE THAT RUSSIA HAS HACKED A
BUNCH OF THE E-MAILS OF MEMBERS
OF CONGRESS INCLUDING A LOT OF
THE REPUBLICANS.
THE REPUBLICANS. SO I DON’T KNOW WHAT PUTIN HAS
ON THEM.
ON THEM. BUT THIS IS A VERY DANGEROUS
SITUATION FOR OUR COUNTRY, TO
HAVE THE PRESIDENT BEHAVING THIS
WAY AND THE CONGRESS DOING
ABSOLUTELY NOTHING ABOUT IT.
>> WELL, YOU PUT IT THAT WAY AND
THAT WILL SCARE THE HELL OUT OF