"ALL IN" STARTS RIGHT NOW.
GOOD EVENING FROM NEW YORK.
IM CHRIS HAYES.
WHAT DO YOU DO WITH A PERSON WHO
ABUSES THEIR POSITION OF
AUTHORITY?
ELEMENTAL QUESTION.
IN THE HISTORY OF HUMAN
GOVERNMENT AND HUMAN AFFAIRS, A
QUESTION OUR COUNTRY HAS BEEN
CONFRONTING PERSISTENTLY SINCE
LONG BEFORE DONALD TRUMP BUT
EVEN MORE CONSISTENT SINCE THEN.
TODAY AS WE LOOK AT THE SCOPE OF
THE ABUSE OF POWER THAT OCCURRED
UNDER THE FORMER PRESIDENT, WE
ARE SEEING AN ANXIOUS TO THAT
VERY QUESTION AND IT COMES FROM
REPUBLICANS.
NOT THE ONES IN THE NATIONS
CAPITOL, WITH THE CHIEFTAIN OF
MAR-A-LAGO.
RATHER FROM THE STATE OF OREGON.
STATE LAWMAKERS CONFRONTED THE
SAME QUESTION THAT WE ARE NOW
CONFRONTING AS A SOCIETY.
THE SAME THAT REPUBLICANS AND
DEMOCRATS ALIKE CONFRONTED AT
THE NATIONS CAPITOL ON JANUARY
6th.
HOW TO DEAL WITH A PERSON WHO
HAS EGREGIOUSLY ABUSED THEIR
POWER.
A PERSON WHO HAS TRANSGRESSED.
IN THIS CASE, IT WAS ONE HAVE
THEIR OWN.
REPUBLICAN STATE REPRESENTATIVE
MIKE WHO WAS CAUGHT ON
SURVEILLANCE VIDEO, OPENING THE
DOOR OF THE CAPITOL TO LET IN A
MOB LAST DECEMBER.
THAT MOB WHICH WAS ALLEGEDLY
UPSET ABOUT CORONAVIRUS
RESTRICTIONS IN THE STATE, THEN
MANAGED TO OVERCOME OFFICERS AND
INVADE THE BUILDING.
SOMEONE CARRIED GUNS AND BEAR
SPRAY AND CALLED FOR THE ARREST
OF GOVERNOR BROWN.
THEN ANOTHER VIDEO EMERGED JUST
A FEW DAYS BEFORE THE MOB
REACHED THE CAPITOL.
JOIN MIKE, EXPLAINING HOW HE
WOULD LET PROTESTERS INTO THE
BUILDING.
>> WERE SETTING UP OPERATION
HALL PASS WHICH I DONT KNOW
ANYTHING ABOUT AND IF YOU ACCUSE
ME OF KNOWING SOMETHING ABOUT
IT, ILL DENY IT.
BUT THERE WILL BE SOME PERSONS
CELL PHONE WHICH MIGHT BE 971 --
[ BLEEP ] THAT WAS A RANDOM
NUMBER.
THATS NOT ANYBODYS ACTUAL CELL
PHONE.
IF YOU SAY IM AT THE WEST
ENTRANCE AND TEXT THAT NUMBER,
THAT SOMEBODY MIGHT EXIT THAT
DOOR WHILE YOURE STANDING
THERE.
I DONT KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT
THAT.
I DONT HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH
THAT.
AND IF I DID, I WOULDNT SAY
THAT I DID.
>> YESTERDAY, HE FACED A VOTE ON
EXPELLING HIM FROM THE OREGON
LEGISLATURE.
I HAVE TO SAY, GIVEN THE
POLITICS OF THE REPUBLICAN PARTY
RIGHT NOW, I DIDNT KNOW WHICH
WAY THE VOTE WOULD GO.
AHEAD OF THE VOTE, HE DEFENDED
HIMSELF DOING HIS BEST TUCKER
CARLSON IMPRESSION.
>> CONSIDERING EXPELLING A
MEMBER FOR THE FIRST TIME IN
HISTORY BECAUSE HE THINKS THAT
PEOPLE SHOULD HAVE ACCESS TO
THEIR CAPITOL, ESPECIALLY DURING
SESSION.
AFTER THE SESSION, WERE ALL
GOING OUT TO DINNER OR STOP AT
THE GROCERY STORE OR MAYBE
TOMORROW WELL SHOP AND BUY
CLOTHES OR GET OUR OIL CHANGED,
BECAUSE ALL THESE PLACES ARE
OPEN BUT NOT THIS BUILDING.
>> OH, YOURE PERSECUTING ME
BECAUSE I WANT PEOPLE TO BE IN
THE CAPITOL.
THAT RIDICULOUS EXCUSE DIDNT
WORK.
THE RESOLUTION TO EXPEL HIM
PASSED 59-1 WITH ONLY NEARMAN
VOTING TO SAVE HIMSELF.
HE WAS FORMALLY EXPELLED FROM
THE OREGON LEGISLATURE.
AND THAT IS AN EXAMPLE OF
TANGIBLE ACCOUNTABILITY FOR A
WILD TRANSGRESSION.
AND I BRING YOU THIS STORY
TONIGHT BECAUSE IT IS NOTE
WORTHY AND NEWSWORTHY BUT ALSO
BECAUSE, BOY, IS IT RARE, HUH?
YOU PROBABLY HAVE TO GO ALL THE
WAY BACK TO RICHARD NIXON TO
FIND ANOTHER U.S. PRESIDENT WHO
ABUSED HIS AUTHORITY AT THE
SCOPE AND SCALE OF DONALD TRUMP.
AND RICHARD NIXON DID FACE SOME
ACCOUNTABILITY.
HE WAS FORCED TO RESIGN FROM
OFFICE AFTER THE HOUSE JUDICIARY
COMMITTEE DOCUMENTED THREE
ARTICLES OF IMPEACHMENT AGAINST
HIM.
EVEN THOUGH PRESIDENT GERALD
FORD PARDONED HIM IN A WILDLY
UNPOPULAR MOVE, MANY PEOPLE IN
RICHARD NIXONS ORBIT WERE HELD
ACCOUNTABLE FOR THEIR ACTIONS.
ALL OF THESE PEOPLE WERE
PROSECUTED AND SERVED TIME IN
THE WAKE OF WATERGATE SCANDAL.
IT INCLUDES HIS PERSONAL COUNSEL
AND ATTORNEY, EVEN HIS ATTORNEY
GENERAL, JOHN MITCHELL.
>> GIVEN THE CIRCUMSTANCES,
MITCHELL WAS IN A RELATIVELY
GOOD MOOD AS HE ARRIVED AT THE
PRISON.
ALL MITCHELL SAID WAS, IT IS
NICE TO BE BACK IN ALABAMA.
HE IS ASSURED OF STAYING IN
ALABAMA AT LEAST 20 MONTHS.
THATS HOW LONG IT WILL BE
BEFORE HES ELIGIBLE FOR PAROLE
FROM HIS SENTENCE OF TWO AND A
HALF TWO EIGHT YEARS.
DURING THE TIME HE IS HERE IN
THIS MINIMUM SECURITY PRISON,
OFFICIALS SAY MITCHELL WILL BE
TREATED THE SAME AS ANY OTHER
PRISONER.
SO JOHN MITCHELL, FORMER U.S.
ATTORNEY GENERAL, IS WEARING
PRISON CLOTHES NOW.
>> THE RECKONING AND THE
ACCOUNTABILITY DIDNT STOP
THERE.
ACROSS THE NATION FROM LETTERS
TO CONGRESS AND THE MEDIA AND
EVERY DAY CITIZENS, THE CIVIC
SPIRIT OF THE TIME WAS THAT WHAT
HAPPENED IN THE NIXON PRESIDENCY
WAS SO HORRIFYING AND ABERRANT,
IT MUST BE A SYMPTOM OF A BROKEN
SYSTEM AND IT HAD TO BE REFORMED
AND FIXED LEST IT HAPPEN AGAIN.
SO AN INCREDIBLE WAVE AGAIN.
THERE WAS THE CHURCH COMMITTEE
LED BY SENATOR FRANK CHURCH OF
IDAHO THAT LOOKED INTO THE
SECRETIVE DOINGS OF THE CIA AND
FBI AND FOUND THE AGENCIES WERE
SPYING ON AMERICANS AND RUNNING
ROUGH SHOD ALL OVER THE WORLD
AND AT HOME.
IN 1974 WE SAW THE BEGINNING OF
FINANCE REFORM AFTER SO MUCH OF
THE WATER WATERGATE SKANL WAS
SLUSH FUNDS WITH SHADY DONTORS
BEING MOVED BACK AND FORTH.
IN 1978, PRESIDENT JIMMY CARTER
SIGNED A NEW LAW LITTLING
ELECTRONIC SURVEILLANCE.
THE FOREIGN INTELLIGENCE
SURVEILLANCE ACT, FISA.
YOU PROBABLY HEARD ABOUT IT.
ALL OF THIS, THE ENTIRE
STRUCTURE FOR OVERSITE FOR ALL
OF THIS WAS AFFECTED.
AND THE WAKE OF MORE REVELATIONS
ABOUT THE TRUMP PRESIDENCY, IT
IS HARD TO SAY IT HELD FIRM.
WE CLEARLY NEED ANOTHER ROUND OF
REFORM.
WE NEED MORE ACCOUNTABILITY FOR
THOSE WHO HAVE DONE WRONG, THOSE
WHO HAVE TRANSGRESSED AND WE
NEED TO PROTECT OUR GOVERNMENT
AGAINST FUTURE WOULD BE DONALD
TRUMPS.
INCLUDING THIS DONALD TRUMP.
THAT IS WHAT THE "BOSTON GLOBE"
EDITORIAL BOARD IS DOING, IT IS
CALLED FUTURE-PROOFING THE
PRESIDENCY.
IT IS ARGUING THAT ALLOWING HIM
TO GO UNPUNISHED COULD SET A FAR
MORE DANGEROUS PRECEDENT THAN
HAVING TRUMP STAND TRIAL.
TO REFORM THE PRESIDENCY SO THE
LAST FOUR YEARS ARE NEVER
REPEATED, THE COUNTRY MUST GO
BEYOND PASSING LAWS.
NOT EVEN THE PRESIDENT IS ABOVE
THEM.
THIS COME IN THE WAKE OF "THE
NEW YORK TIMES" REPORT YESTERDAY
REVEALING THAT PROSECUTORS
SUBPOENAED APPLE FOR DATA IN THE
ACCOUNTS OF AT LEAST TWO
DEMOCRATS WITH AIDES AND FAMILY
MEMBERS.
ONE WAS A MINOR.
ALL TOLD THE RECORDS OF AT LEAST
A DOZEN PEOPLE WERE SEIZED IN
2017 AND EARLY 2018 INCLUDING
THOSE OF REPRESENTATIVE ADAM
SCHIFF AND ERIC SWALWELL IN
CALIFORNIA WHO SAID IN AN
INTERVIEW THURSDAY NIGHT HIS
DATA HAD BEEN SUBPOENA.
WE KNOW THE TRUMP DOJ SEIZED
PHONE RECORDS OF REPORTERS AT
THE "NEW YORK TIMES," CNN, THE
"WASHINGTON POST," IMPOSED A GAG
ORDER ON CNN AND THE "TIMES."
WHEN YOU PUT ALL THIS TOGETHER,
ERIC SCHIFF, ERIC SWALWELL,
STAFFERS, FAMILY MEMBER, A
MINOR, "THE NEW YORK TIMES,"
CNN, THE "WASHINGTON POST," IT
READS LIKE AN ENEMIES LIST,
RIGHT?
RICHARD NIXON NOTORIOUSLY ALSO
KEPT A LIST OF ENEMIES AND USED
THE GOVERNMENT TO SPY ON THEM.
NOW, LETS BE CLEAR.
THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION AS FAR
AS WE KNOW FROM THE REPORTING WE
HAVE SO FAR APPEARS TO HAVE
GOTTEN THROUGH QUOTE UNQUOTE
PROPER CHANNELS.
TO STAY DOJ ISSUED SUBPOENAS, HE
DIDNT HAVE HENCHMEN BREAKING
INTO HIS THERAPYISTS OFFICE
LIKE DONALD TRUMP DID.
WE CAN HOW DONALD TRUMP BEHAVED,
EVEN IF THEY WENT THROUGH PROPER
CHANNELS, THIS IS ALMOST EXACTLY
WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE.
NOW CONSIDERING THERES
REVELATION IN THE STATE OF
DEMOCRACY, CONSIDER THAT THERES
BEEN NEITHER ACCOUNTABILITY NOR
REFORM FOR ANY OF THE
CHARACTERS.
FOR OBVIOUS REASONS, IT CANNOT
STAND.
CANNOT GO ON LIKE THIS.
THE ABUSES WERE SO GREAT, THE
THREAT TO THE COUNTRYS RULE OF
LAW, THE DEMOCRATIC
SELF-GOVERNANCE SO SEVERE
TORSION LET IT GO UNRECOGNIZED
AND UNRECKONED WITH WILL BRING
SOME CATACLYSM.
IT IS HONESTLY A QUESTION OF
WHEN.
IT IS THE JOB OF EVERYONE IN
POWER, DEMOCRATS, REPUBLICANS
ALIKE, THOUGH I DONT HAVE MUCH
FAITH, TO GET TO THE BOTTOM OF
WHAT HAPPENED IN TOTO.
TO HOLD PEOPLE TO ACCOUNT ACROSS