♪
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♪ ♪ ♪ HOWIE: ADAM SCHIFF, THE LEAD
HOUSE PROSECUTOR WITH OPENING
STATEMENT WITH HIGH PRAISE FROM
PUNDITS.
PUNDITS. >> I THOUGHT IT WAS DAZZLING,
BEST SECOND COURTROOM ADDRESS
LIKE A COURTROOM THAT I’VE EVER
HEARD.
HEARD. >> I THOUGHT ADAM SCHIFF’S
OPENING WAS BRILLIANT.
RIVETTING.
RIVETTING. >> DREW PRAISE FROM ALL SIDES.
HOWIE: SOME FOX COMMENTATORS
WITH SUCH REACTIONS ON CNN AND
MSNBC.
MSNBC. >> THEY WERE TOO DEEP IN BLISS
TO CABLE TELEVISION AND ADAM
SCHIFF SPEECH IS A BRAIN STEM
MASSAGE WITH --
>> WHAT’S MORE CONCERNING YOU
SAW PEOPLE PRESENTING THEMSELVES
AS STRAIGHT NEWS REPORTERS,
THESE PEOPLE MUST HAVE NO PRIDE
WHATSOEVER, THIS IS A MAN WHO
SPENT YEARS CLAIMING THAT HE HAD
EVIDENCE AS RANKING MEMBER OF
SELECT COMMITTEE ON INTELLIGENCE
OF DONALD TRUMP COLLUDING WITH
RUSSIA TO STEAL THE 2016
ELECTION, THAT WAS DANGEROUS AND
THAT WAS DAMAGING TO THE COUNTRY
IN TERMS OF FOREIGN POLICY AND
ADMINISTRATION OF GOVERNMENT, HE
HAD ACCESS TO THE SAME
INFORMATION THAT DEVIN NUNES HAD
ABOUT THE FISA APPLICATIONS, HE
TOLD PEOPLE THERE’S NOTHING TO
WORRY ABOUT BEYOND REPROACH, HE
LIED ABOUT RELATIONSHIP WITH THE
WHISTLEBLOWER, HE LIED ON THE
TRANSCRIPT, ON THE DAY HE
STARTED HEARING POLITICO SAID HE
MISREPRESENTED EVIDENCE IN THIS
SITUATION.
SITUATION. JOURNALISTS NEED TO HOLD THIS
PERSON ACCOUNTABLE, THERE HAVE
BEEN NO ACCOUNTABLE FOR ADAM
SCHIFF DAMAGING LIE THAT IS HURT
THE AMERICAN PEOPLE.
HOWIE: LOOKING AT THE ROLE IN
THE SENATE FLOOR, YOU HAD ALL OF
THE PEOPLE HEAPING PRAISE ON
HIM, YOU DON’T HEAR MANY SAY PAT
CIPOLLONE DO A GOOD JOB.
>> IT GOES BACK TO THE
CONVERSATION WE WERE HAVING IN
THE LAST SEGMENT, THE
PRESIDENT’S TEAM IS GOING TO BE
HAILED AS THE BEST IN GENERATION
AND IN OTHER PLACES THEY WILL BE
VILIFIED.
VILIFIED. HOWIE: THE RATINGS ON FIRST DAY,
11 MILLION, NOT A GREAT NUMBER,
THE NEXT DAY IT WAS UNDER
9 MILLION, FOX WAS NUMBER 1
THROUGHOUT THE WEEK, THIS IS A
SERIOUS CONSTITUTIONAL MATTER,
BUT IS IT WORKING AS A
TELEVISION SHOW?
TELEVISION SHOW? >> NO, IT ISN’T, DURING THE
WATERGATE HEARINGS THERE WERE 3
NETWORKS, IT WAS NEW, WE HAVEN’T
SEEN ANYTHING LIKE THIS BEFORE,
THE COUNTRY WAS RIVETTED BY IT,
IT TOOK A WHILE TO GET THERE, IT
TOOK ABOUT A YEAR FOR PEOPLE TO
GET INTEREST IN IT, YOU SAW
STILL A LOT OF INTEREST IN THE
CLINTON IMPEACHMENT BUT LESS SO,
I THINK THIS IS NOW AS WE -- AS
WE PROGRESS THROUGH HISTORY AS
THERE’S MORE NEWS OUTLETS, AS
SOCIAL MEDIA MAKES EVERYTHING --
HOWIE: 2 OR 3 HOURS A DAY AND TO
THE EXTENT THE DEMOCRATS ARE
USING WITH GRAPHICS, VIDEO CLIPS
AS A FORM TO MOVE PUBLIC
OPINION, IF IT’S NOT WORKING IN
TELEVISION, MAYBE IT’S NOT
WORKING.
WORKING. >> I DON’T THINK IT’S ABOUT
WHAT’S HAPPENING IN THE CURRENT
MOMENT, NOT TOO LONG YOU HAD
EXPLOSIVE RATINGS FOR ROBERT
MUELLER’S TESTIMONY WHEN PEOPLE
BELIEVED THERE WAS MORE TO
RUSSIA.
RUSSIA. THESE ARE BORING, WE HAD TO SIT
AND WATCH THESE, IT’S DIFFICULT
TO WATCH, IT’S NOT JUST ABOUT
THE TOPIC WHICH IS VERY
COMPLICATED AND THAT PEOPLE HAVE
SEEN, THEY HAVE MADE THEIR
DECISION, THEY EITHER THINK
THERE’S SOMETHING GOOD OR BAD
HERE.
HERE. THE WAY THEY CHOOSE TO REPEAT,
REPEAT, ALL DAYS INTO THE WEE
HOURS OF THE NIGHT AND PEOPLE
SAY I’VE HEARD THIS 14 TIMES, I
CAN’T HEAR IT AGAIN.
>> THIS IS NOT AN ARGUMENT, I DO
THINK IF THERE WERE WITNESSES
YOU WOULD SEE RATINGS GO UP, DO
I THINK IF THERE WAS NEW FACES
AN NEW INFORMATION BEING ADDED
IN YOU WOULD SEE MORE -- HOWIE:
SO ON THURSDAY, FOR EXAMPLE, WE
DID A CHECK, MSNBC ENDED UP
CARRYING 9 HOURS OF THE PROCEED,
THE WHOLE DAY, CNN UNDER 8
HOURS, FOX WHICH HAVE BEEN
AIRING NIGHTTIME OPINION SHOWS
JUST UNDER 4 AND A HALF HOURS
AND THAT’S DRAWING CRITICISM, IS
THAT SHORT-CHANGING THE HEARINGS
EVEN IF PEOPLE --
>> WHAT DO YOU DO FORTH WHEN
SOMEBODY PUTS FORTH AN
IMPEACHMENT THAT DOESN’T HAVE
MUCH SUBSTANCE?
MUCH SUBSTANCE? I THINK A LITTLE BIT OF THIS IS
ON OUR POLITICIANS AS WELL, THEY
SHOULD KNOW THAT THIS IS AN
IMPORTANT POWER, THEY SHOULD BE
WIELDED CAREFULLY AND NOT USE
ABUSE IT FOR THE PURPOSE OF
HURTING TRUMP IN 2020 OR
WHATEVER THE GOALS ARE.
HOWIE: EVERY WORD SHOULD BE
CARRIED ON CABLE NEWS BUT AT THE
SAME TIME IT IS 24 HOURS OF
DEMOCRATIC ARGUMENTS AND I FIND
MYSELF TAKING BREAKS OR LOWERING
THE VOLUME AND I DO THIS FOR A
LIVING.
LIVING. >> I WOULD ONCE AGAIN MAKE THE
POINT THAT SOME OF THE PEOPLE
WHO JUSTIFY DECISIONS TO CUT
AWAY FROM COVERAGE ARE ALSO THE
SAME PEOPLE WHO GET FRUSTRATED
WHEN OTHER NETWORKS CUT AWAY
FROM PRESIDENTIAL PRESS
CONFERENCE OR PRESIDENTIAL RALLY
WHERE THE PRESIDENT IS
REPETITIVE AND REPEATING THE
SAME PROBLEMS.
SAME PROBLEMS. >> BY WAY OF EXAMPLE, WHEN THERE
WAS THE INSPECTOR GENERAL
HEARINGS WHICH WAS VERY FRESH,
VERY NEW, KIND OF A CONCLUSION
THE YEARS OF FALSE COVERAGE
ABOUT RUSSIA HOAX, A LOT OF
PEOPLE DIDN’T COVER IT LIKE THEY
SHOULD HAVE, THEY GAVE STORY
AMMO EVERY DAY BUT ONCE SHOWN TO
BE FALSE THEY DIDN’T COVER THAT.
>> LOOK, I THINK IT SHOULD BE
COVERED, IT SHOULD BE COVERED
GAVEL TO GAVEL, LET THE VIEWERS
DECIDE HOW REPETITIVE IT IS AND
BORING IT IS BUT THIS IS A BIG