YOU VERY MUCH FOR JOINING US
TONIGHT.
"THE 11th HOUR WITH BRIAN
WILLIAMS" STARTS RIGHT NOW.
GOOD EVENING ONCE AGAIN.
I’M ALI VELSHI IN FOR BRIAN
WILLIAMS.
THERE IS BREAKING NEWS ABOUT
TRUMP ACT LITE MATT GAETZ.
NOW UNDER INVESTIGATION FOR
POSSIBLE SEX TRAFFICKING.
TONIGHT "THE NEW YORK TIMES"
REVEALS GAETZ WAS LOOKING TO GET
A BLANKET PARDON FROM PRESIDENT
TRUMP.
QUOTE, IN THE FINAL WEEKS OF
PRESIDENT TRUMP’S TERM, HE ASKED
THE WHITE HOUSE FOR BLANKET
PREEMPTIVE PARDONS FOR HIMSELF
AND UNIDENTIFIED CONGRESSIONAL
ALLIES FOR ANY CRIMES THEY MAY
HAVE COMMITTED.
JUSTICE DEPARTMENT INVESTIGATORS
HAD BEGUN QUESTIONING MR.
MR. GAETZ’S ASSOCIATES ABOUT HIS
CONDUCT, INCLUDING WHETHER HE
HAD A SEXUAL RELATIONSHIP WITH A
17-YEAR-OLD THAT VIOLATED SEX
TRAFFICKING LAWS.
MR. GAETZ DID NOT TELL WHITE
HOUSE AIDES HE WAS UNDER
INVESTIGATION FOR POTENTIAL SEX
TRAFFICKING VIOLATIONS WHEN HE
MADE THE REQUEST.
AIDES TOLD MR. TRUMP OF THE
REQUEST, THOUGH, IT’S UNCLEAR
WHETHER MR. GAETZ DISCUSSED THE
MATTER DIRECTLY WITH THE
PRESIDENT. THE "TIMES" ADD THE WHITE HOUSE
THE "TIMES" ADD THE WHITE HOUSE
QUICKLY REJECTED GATES AND A
SPOKESMAN SAID GAETZ DID NOT
QUESTION A PARDON YET IN THE
FINAL WEEKS OF TRUMP PRESIDENCY,
THIS FLORIDA CONGRESSMAN DID
MAKE THIS CURIOUS SUGGESTION.
>> PRESIDENT TRUMP SHOULD PARDON
MICHAEL FLYNN, HE SHOULD PARDON
THE THANKSGIVING TURKEY, HE
SHOULD PARDON EVERYONE FROM
HIMSELF TO HIS ADMINISTRATION
OFFICIALS TO JOE EXOTIC IF YOU
HAVE TO, BECAUSE YOU SEE FROM
THE RADICAL LEFT A BLOOD LUST
THAT WILL ONLY BE QUENCHED IF
THEY COME AFTER THE PEOPLE WHO
WORKED SO HARD TO ANIMATE THE
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION WITH THE
POLICIES, THE VIGOR, THE
EFFECTIVENESS THAT WORK FOR THE
AMERICAN PEOPLE, SO I THINK THE
PRESIDENT OUGHT TO WIELD THAT
POWER EFFECTIVELY AND ROBUSTLY.
>> IRONICALLY, THE REPORTING
COMES AS TRUMP AND HIS ALLIES
ARE TRYING TO PUT DISTANCE BETWEEN TRUMP AND MATT GAETZ AND
BETWEEN TRUMP AND MATT GAETZ AND
THAT TRUMP IGNORE ANYONE IN HIS
CIRCUMSTANCELE IS
CIRCUMSTANCELE IS RUSHING TO
DEFEND GAETZ.
GAETZ APPEARS TO BE FUNDRAISING
OFF THE CONTROVERSY AN EMAIL TO
SUPPORTERS HE ACCUSED THE MEDIA
HOST OF THE 9:00 A.M. EASTERN
HOUR OF MSNBC.
WELCOME TO ALL THREE.
KATIE, LET’S START WITH YOU AND
THE NEWS THAT MATT GAETZ MAY
HAVE BEEN SNIFFING AROUND FOR A
PARDON.
DO YOU HAVE SOME SENSE OF WHAT
THE TIME LINE WAS?
WAS HE AWARE THE JUSTICE
DEPARTMENT WAS LOOKING INTO HIS
AFFAIRS AT THAT POINT WHEN HE
ASKED FOR THE PARDON?
DO YOU KNOW IF THEY’RE
CONNECTED?
>> WHAT’S SO INTERESTING AT THE
TIME LINE IS WE SAW BILL WAR
LAST FEBRUARY SAYING, ANYTHING
THAT -- WE WILL TAKE A PAUSE ON
THOSE AND NOT REVISIT THEM, NOT
TAKE ANY OBVIOUS INVESTIGATIVE
STEPS UNTIL AFTER THE ELECTION.
REMEMBER, THE ELECTION WAS NOT
OFFICIALLY CALLED FOR BIDEN
UNTIL AFTER NOVEMBER.
YOU DO NOT SEE THE FBI TAKING
STEPS LIKE INTERVIEWING WITNESS
WITNESSES ON ANY OF THESE
INVESTIGATIONS UNTIL AFTER THAT
TIME, AND THAT IS RIGHT AROUND
THE TEAM THAT MATT GAETZ STARTS
TALKING ABOUT PARDONS, THESE
BLANKET PARDONS.
WE DON’T KNOW HOW MUCH HE KNEW,
AND WE DON’T KNOW IF THE WHITE
HOUSE WAS INFORMED BUT WE KNOW
HE FELT LIKE THIS WOULD BE A
GOOD IDEA AND PEOPLE IN THE
WHITE HOUSE ULTIMATELY PUSHED
BACK SAYING A PREEMPTIVE PARDON
WOULD BE GOING TOO FAR.
>> WHO ELSE KNEW ABOUT THIS?
WE KNOW THE ATTORNEY GENERAL
KNEW ABOUT IT.
WE KNOW DONALD TRUMP WAS
CONSULTED ABOUT THE PARDON, BUT
DO WE KNOW HOW SORT OF WELL
KNOWN THIS ISSUE AROUND MATT
GAETZ WAS?
>> WE DON’T KNOW HOW WELL KNOWN
THE ISSUE AROUND MATT GAETZ WAS,
BUT WE KNOW BY DECEMBER THE FBI
STARTED TO INTERVIEW WITNESSES.
SO NO MATTER HOW WELL KNOWN IT
WAS, YOU CAN ASSUME THAT AS MORE
WITNESSES WERE INTERVIEWED SORT
OF AROUND THE HOLIDAYS AND LATER
AND THROUGH JANUARY THAT THAT
SOON, MAYBE THE FOURTH OF JULY
IN SMALL GROUPS BUT NOT QUITE
YET, AND WE STILL NEED TO DO OUR
PART.
>> KATIE, NOW A BIT OF A PALATE
CLEANSER SINCE STEPH NEANY TALK
ABOUT MATT GAETZ ON THE THRONE
AND IN THE THROES OF PASSION
THEM CAME OUT OF A PROBE INTO AN
ATTACKS COLLECTOR, JOEL
GREENBERG WHO IS IN JAIL AND
AWAITING TRIAL.
THERE’S SOME SPECULATION THE
FEDS ARE PUTTING PRESSURE ON
HIM -- HE’S GOT 30 PLUS CHARGES
AGAINST HIM RIGHT NOW -- TO
PROVIDE EVIDENCE AGAINST MATT
GAETZ.
WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT HIS
SITUATION AND WHAT HE’S UP TO?
>> YEAH, THE SITUATION IS VERY
SERIOUS FOR JOEL GREENBERG.
THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT FIRST
INDICTED HIM LAST SUMMER.
THEY’VE SUBSEQUENTLY INDICTED
HIM TWO MORE TIMES, THIS TIME
AROUND ACCUSATIONS HE DEFRAUDED
THE COVID RELIEF LENDING
PROGRAMS AND HE DID THAT WHILE
OUT ON BAIL.
IF YOU LOOK AT THE CHARGES
AGAINST HIM, HE IS FACING I
BELIEVE 12 YEARS MANDATORY
MINIMUM YEARS IN PRISON, 10 FOR
THE CHILD SEX TRAFFICKING
CHARGE.
THAT IS A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF
PRESSURE ON JOEL GREENBERG.
NOW ALL EYES ON A STATUS HEARING
COMING UP IN ORLANDO THIS
THURSDAY.
PEOPLE ARE WONDERING WHAT HIS
LAWYER IS GOING SAY, IF HIS
LAWYER IS GOING TO ACKNOWLEDGE
THE PRESSURE, IF HE’S GOING SAY
MY CLIENT IS INNOCENT OR WE’RE
GOING TRIAL.
THE JUDGE IN THE CASE HAS
ALREADY WAIVED RESTRICTIONS ON
REPORTERS BRINGING IN
ELECTRONICS BECAUSE HE GOT SO