YOUR HOME. IN YOUR COMMUNITY.
THAT’S THE MESSAGE.
>> GOT TO HAVE YOUR HEART OPEN
TO IT.
TO IT. NOW TO OUR TOP STORY --
PRESIDENT TRUMP’S LONG-AWAITED
IMPEACHMENT TRIAL RESUMES
TOMORROW AND THE PRESIDENT’S
IMPEACHMENT DEFENSE TEAM WILL
SEE WHITE HOUSE COUNSEL PAT
CIPOLLONE AND PERSONAL ATTORNEY
JAY SEKULOW PLAYING LEADING
ROLES.
ROLES. BUT WITH THE ADIX OF ALAN
DERSHOWITZ AND KEN STARR, THEY
ARE HARDLY THE MOST HIGH-PROFILE
MEMBERS.
MEMBERS. DERSHOWITZ AND STARR AMONG THE
PRESIDENT’S STAUNCHEST CABLE
NEWS NETWORKS WERE TWO OF THE
BIGGEST LEGAL NAMES OF THE ’90s.
DERSHOWITZ HELPING WITH O.J.
SIMPSON THE MURDER TRIAL AND
STARR WHO PROSECUTED BILL
CLINTON.
CLINTON. THEY FOUND A COMMON CLIENT IN
DISGRACED BILLIONAIRE AND
PEDFIRE JEFFREY EPSTEIN.
DERSHOWITZ A FRIEND OF EPSTEIN
UNTIL HIS SUICIDE SUED A VICTIM
FOR DEFAMATION AFTER SHE CLAIMED
SHE WAS TRAFFICKED TO THE
ATTORNEY WHILE UNDER AGE.
STARR, MEANWHILE, PLAYED A ROLE
IN THE CONTROVERSIAL PLEA DEAL
IN WHICH EP SPOOENSTEIN AVOIDED
CHARGES AND SERVED ONLY 13
MONTHS IN JAIL WITH WORK
RELEASE.
RELEASE. STARR DEFENDED HIS ROLE IN A
MARCH 2019 LETTER TO THE EDITOR
OF THE "NEW YORK TIMES" IN WHICH
HE AND OTHER LAWYERS FOR EPSTEIN
ARGUED THAT THE DEAL WAS FAIR.
ALSO ON THE IMPEACHMENT DEFENSE
TEAM FORMER FLORIDA ATTORNEY
GENERAL PAM BONDI, AND FORMER
INDEPENDENT COUNSEL ROBERT RAY,
WHO SUCCEEDED STARR IN THE
CLINTON INVESTIGATION.
CLINTON INVESTIGATION. THE "WASHINGTON POST" REPORTS
THAT STARR, DERSHOWITZ, BONDI
AND RAY WERE SELECTED PERSONALLY
BY PRESIDENT TRUMP FOR THEIR
CELEBRITY AND VOCAL DEFENSES OF
THE PRESIDENT IN THE MEDIA,
DESPITE THE BAGGAGE THAT WE JUST
TOLD YOU ABOUT.
HERE IS DERSHOWITZ YESTERDAY
ARGUING THAT THE PRESIDENT
SHOULD NOT BE REMOVED FROM
OFFICE, EVEN IF THESE GUILTY OF
THE HOUSE CHARGES.
>> AS YOU KNOW, THE HOUSE
MATERIALS CITED CRIMES THAT,
THAT WERE COMMITTED --
>> THEY WEREN’T ELEMENTS.
THEY ARE NOT ARTICLES OF
IMPEACHMENT.
IMPEACHMENT. THE ARTICLES OF IMPEACHMENT OF
TWO NON-CRIMINAL ACTIONS NAMELY
OBSTRUCTION OF CONGRESS AND
ABUSE OF POWER AND THOSE ARE
WHAT HAVE TO BE VOTED ON BY THE
SENATE.
SENATE. >> IS IT YOUR POSITION PRESIDENT
TRUMP NOT BE IMPEACHED EVEN WITH
ALL THE ARGUMENTS AND EVIDENCE
LAID OUT BY THE HOUSE ARE
ACCEPTED AS FACT?
>> THAT’S RIGHT.
>> BENJAMIN WITTES, SO MUCH TO
TALK ABOUT HERE.
I THINK WE CAN TALK FIRST ABOUT
WHAT ALAN DERSHOWITZ SAID
YESTERDAY AND THROUGH THE
WEEKEND ON HIS VICTORY TOUR.
IT IS OPPOSITE OF WHAT HE SAID
THROUGHOUT 1999 ON "LARRY KING
LIVE" AND OTHER SHOWS, BUT I
FIRST -- LET’S TALK ABOUT THE
SELECTION OF A LEGAL TEAM, AND
TALK ABOUT A PRESIDENT WHO HAS
SUCH TROUBLE FINDING LEGAL
REPRESENTATION THAT HE ACTUALLY
GOT THE LEGAL TEAM THAT HELPED
PUT TOGETHER THE PLEA DEAL AND
HELPED REPRESENT JEFFREY
EPSTEIN, ONE OF THE MOST
DISGRACED FIGURES IN MODERN
AMERICAN POPULAR CULTURE.
IT’S -- I CAN’T IMAGINE ANOTHER
PRESIDENT AT ANY TIME HAVING TO
SELECT A TEAM THAT WOULD BE
ASSOCIATED WITH A PEDOPHILE WHO
ACCORDING TO RECENT REPORTS
TRAFFICKED YOUNG GIRLS AS YOUNG
AS 11 YEARS OLD.
>> YEAH.
>> YEAH. I MEAN, THIS IS NOT JUST A
CHOICE OF A LEGAL TEAM TO MAKE
A, AN ARGUMENT ON BEHALF OF THE
PRESIDENT.
PRESIDENT. IN FACT, IF YOU WERE GOING TO DO
THAT, YOU WOULD PROBABLY WANT A
LEGAL TEAM WITHOUT THE BAGGAGE
OF HAVING ARGUED THE OPPOSITE
SIDE OF A BUNCH OF THESE ISSUES,
NOT THAT LONG AGO, PARTICULARLY
KEN STARR WHO, OF COURSE, ARGUED
THAT OBSTRUCTION OF CONGRESS WAS
A, OR OBSTRUCTION OF AN
INVESTIGATION AND INCLUDING OF
CONGRESS WAS AN ADEQUATE BASIS
FOR IMPEACHMENT AND ARGUED
AGAINST THE, THE IDEA THAT SORT
OF THE ASSERTION -- ARGUED
AGAINST, YOU KNOW, ROBUST
ASSERTIONS OF EXECUTIVE
PRIVILEGE AND EVEN SUGGESTED
THAT THOSE ASSERTIONS COULD BE
AN IMPEACHABLE OFFENSE.
THAT SAID, THIS IS A LEGAL TEAM
THAT WAS CHOSEN NOT FOR ITS
LEGAL ACUMEN, THOUGH IT
CERTAINLY HAS SOME SKILLS AND,
YOU KNOW, NO LACK OF TALENT.
IT WAS -- IT’S A GROUP COMPOSED
IN ORDER TO MAKE A STATEMENT,
AND THE STATEMENT IS ONE OF
UNSWERVING LOYALTY IN PUBLIC TO
THE PRESIDENT, NO MATTER HOW
AWFUL THE CIRCUMSTANCES, AND THE
STATEMENT IS ALSO A BIG MIDDLE
FINGER STUCK UP TO PEOPLE WHO
CARE ABOUT #METOO ISSUES,
BECAUSE, OF COURSE, NOT ONLY IS
THERE THE -- NOT ONLY IS THERE
THE JEFFREY EPSTEIN STUFF, BUT
THERE’S ALSO, YOU KNOW, KEN
STARR’S HISTORY AT BAYLOR
UNIVERSITY, AND THERE ARE, YOU
KNOW, SOME OTHER, WHAT YOU MIGHT
CALL #METOO ISSUES ASSOCIATED
WITH THIS GROUP, AND SO I THINK
THE GROUP MAKES A STATEMENT IN A
NUMBER OF WAYS, BUT THE MOST
IMPORTANT WAY IS THAT THEY ARE
PEOPLE WHO NO MATTER WHAT THEIR
HISTORIES ARE WILLING TO PUT
THEIR NAMES ON DOCUMENTS LIKE
THIS OUTRAGEOUS STATEMENT THAT
THE WHITE HOUSE ISSUED THE OTHER
NIGHT IN RESPONSE TO THE
ARTICLES OF IMPEACHMENT.
>> AN OUTRAGEOUS STATEMENT AND,
OF COURSE, JONATHAN LEMIRE, IF
YOU LOOK AT KEN STARR AND ALAN
DERSHOWITZ’ OWN WORDS FROM THE
LAST IMPEACHMENT OF A UNITED
STATES PRESIDENT, THOSE WORDS
UNDERCUT DONALD TRUMP’S DEFENSE
AS MUCH AS ANYBODY.
THAT HE SHOULD NOT BE IMPEACHED.
THAT, OF COURSE, DERSHOWITZ OWN
WORDS THEN UNDERCUT HIS
ARGUMENTS NOW, BUT, AGAIN,
FOLLOWING UP ON WHAT WAS JUST
SAID FROM BEN MINH WITTES, WHO,
BY THE WAY, HAS A GREAT NEW BOOK
OUT WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT, BUT
IT’S -- IT’S NOT ONLY INSULTING
ON THE #METOO FRONT BUT IMAGINE,
YOU ACTUALLY HAVE ONE OF THESE
TWO LAWYERS WHO HAS BEEN ACCUSED
OF BEING INVOLVED IN EPSTEIN’S
CRIMES, AND, OF COURSE, HE’S
FIGHTING THAT, BUT THE
ACCUSATION REMAINS OUT THERE,
AND IT’S BEEN REPORTED ON BY THE
"MIAMI HERALD," AND YOU JUST,
GIVE US SOME INSIGHT ON THE
WHITE HOUSE.
WHITE HOUSE. WHY IN THE WORLD WOULD THE
PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES,
AFTER BEING CAUGHT IN VIDEOS
WITH JEFFREY EPSTEIN AT
MAR-A-LAGO AND AFTER SAYING
REALLY NICE THINGS ABOUT JEFFREY
EPSTEIN IN THE EARLY 2000s, WHY
WOULD DONALD TRUMP THEN GET
JEFFREY EPSTEIN’S LAWYERS THAT
ALLOWED THIS PEDOPHILE TO
CONTINUE TO ROAM FREE AND PREY
ON YOUNG WOMEN?
>> SO BOTH YOU AND BEN OUTLINED
THE BAGGAGE THAT BOTH DERSHOWITZ
AND STARR BRING WITH THEM TO
THIS MOMENT.
THIS MOMENT. SIGNIFICANT ACCUSATIONS, AND AS
WELL CONTRADICTORY LEGAL
STANCES.
STANCES. ALAN DERSHOWITZ IN PARTICULAR
REALLY REVERSED HIMSELF ON THIS
ISSUE.
ISSUE. FOR THE PRESIDENT, HIS
HAND-PICKED CHOICES TO GO ALONG
WITH HIS OTHER LEGAL TEAM
BECAUSE THEY PLAY WELL ON
TELEVISION.
TELEVISION. THE PRESIDENT TOLD PEOPLE AROUND
HIM FOR WEEKS HE IS CONCERNED
ABOUT THE SPECTACLE THIS TRIAL
WILL BE ON TELEVISION.
HE HATES THE IDEA THAT IT’S
GOING TO BE SIX HOURS AT LEAST
EVERY DAY OF PROGRAMMING THAT
ALL NETWORKS ARE GOING WALL TO
WALL AND WHY HE PUSHED FOR
HAVING A REALLY SHOWY DEFENSE
AND STILL WANTS WITNESSES LIKE
HUNTER BIDEN OR THE
WHISTLE-BLOWER, PERHAPS, TO BE
INVOLVED.
INVOLVED. SHORT OF THAT, THOUGH, HE WANTS
TO HAVE THESE RECOGNIZABLE
BALD-FACED NAMES PEOPLE KNOW.
PEOPLE WHO DEFENDED HIM ON CABLE
TELEVISION PUSHING THIS OUTSIDE
OF THE SENATE.
IS ANYBODY CONCERNED IN THE
WOULD US?
WOULD US? THESE GUYS WOULD NEVER, EVER, BE
SELECTED BY ANY OTHER PRESIDENT
TO DO ANYTHING AFTER THEIR
ASSOCIATION WITH JEFFREY
EPSTEIN, ONE IS A FRIEND AND A
RUNNING BUDDY, AND THE OTHER IS
A GUY THAT WAS PART OF A PLEA
AGREEMENT THAT ALLOWED THIS
SERIAL RAINIST ISTRAPIST OF GIRL
SOME LAXED HOUSE ARREST INSIDE
HIS MANSIONS, AND THEN SET FREE?
>> A STRIKE AGAINST --
>> IS ANYBODY IN THE WHITE HOUSE
CONCERNED ABOUT THIS?
>> HOW MANY TIMES HAVE WE HAD
THAT PHRASE?
THAT PHRASE? WOULD ANY OTHER PRESIDENT DO
THIS?
THIS? THE ANSWER IS USUALLY, NO.
BUT THERE’S NO ONE IN THE WHITE
HOUSE TO PUSH BACK.
TO BE FAIR, JAY SEKULOW AND PAT
CIPOLLONE, LESS WELL-KNOWN, THE
PRESIDENT’S PERSONAL ATTORNEYS
DURING THE MUELLER
INVESTIGATION.
INVESTIGATION. SIP
SIP CIPOLLONE IS SOMEONE NOT A LOT
OF PEOPLE KNOW BUT HE’LL TAKE
THE FRONT ROLE.
AND MEMBERS OF HIS CABINET,
FORMER MEMBERS OF HIS CABINET
INVOLVED IN THE EPSTEIN PLEA
DEAL AND LOST HIS POSITION
BECAUSE OF IT.
IT’S NOT SOMETHING TRUMP IS
STHIINGSTHI
STHIINGSTHI ING
ING SHYING AWAY FROM.
THEY ARGUE THE PRESIDENT SHOULD
NEVER HAVE BEEN IMPEACHED, THE
ACCUSATIONS ARE NOT WORTHY OF
IMPEACHMENT, CERTAINLY NOT
REMOVAL, WHICH DEMOCRATS PUSH