REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL NOMINATION AGAINST DONALD TRUMP.
BUT WE BEGIN TONIGHT WITH THE
BREAKING NEWS OF THE NIGHT.
FEDERAL JUDGE TODAY DEMANDED
THAT THE TRUMP JUSTICE
DEPARTMENT EXPLAIN A TRUMP TWEET
AND THE TRUMP JUSTICE DEPARTMENT
ADMITTED THAT THEY HAVE NO IDEA
WHAT THE TRUMP TWEET MEANS.
FEDERAL JUDGE GEORGE HAZEL
CONDUCTED AN EMERGENCY TELEPHONE
CONFERENCE WITH THE JUSTICE
DEPARTMENT AND SOME OF THE
LAWYERS REPRESENTING PLAINTIFFS
IN THE CENSUS CASE THAT WAS JUST
DECIDED BY THE UNITED STATES
SUPREME COURT LAST WEEK,
PREVENTING THE CENSUS FROM
CONTAINING A QUESTION ABOUT
CITIZENSHIP.
CITIZENSHIP. THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION
SURRENDERED TO THE SUPREME COURT
YESTERDAY.
YESTERDAY. THEY FORMALLY SURRENDERED AND
BEGAN PRINTING THE CENSUS
WITHOUT A CITIZENSHIP QUESTION
AS ORDERED BY THE U.S. SUPREME
COURT.
COURT. THE COMMERCE SECRETARY ANNOUNCED
THE CENSUS WAS BEING PRINTED
WITHOUT THE CITIZENSHIP
QUESTION.
QUESTION. THE PRESIDENT TWEETED THE NEWS
REPORTS ABOUT THE DEPARTMENT OF
COMMERCE DROPPING ITS QUEST TO
PUT THE CITIZENSHIP QUESTION ON
THE CENSUS IS INCORRECT OR TO
STATE IT DIFFERENTLY, FAKE.
THAT SENT GEORGE HAZEL INTO
ACADEMIES
ACADEMIES ACTION, ROUNDING UP LAWYERS AND
A TRANSCRIPT OF THE CONFERENCE
CALL TODAY, THE JUDGE SAID, THIS
MORNING I SAW A TWEET THAT GOT
MY ATTENTION.
MY ATTENTION. I DON’T KNOW HOW MANY FEDERAL
JUDGES HAVE TWITTER ACCOUNTS,
BUT I HAPPEN TO BE ONE OF THEM
AND I FOLLOW THE PRESIDENT.
I SAW A TWEET THAT DIRECTLY
CONTRADICTED THE POSITION THAT
MR. GARDNER SHARED WITH ME
YESTERDAY.
YESTERDAY. JOSHUA GARDNER IS ONE OF THE
JUSTICE DEPARTMENT ATTORNEYS IN
THE CASE AND THE JUDGE ASKED A
SIMPLE QUESTION.
SIMPLE QUESTION. IS THE GOVERNMENT GOING TO
CONTINUE EFFORTS TO PLACE A
CITIZENSHIP QUESTION ON THE 2020
CENSUS?
CENSUS? ATTORNEY GARDNER SAID THE TWEET
THIS MORNING WAS THE FIRST I HAD
HEARD OF THE PRESIDENT’S
POSITION ON THIS ISSUE, JUST
LIKE THE PLAINTIFFS AND YOUR
HONOR.
HONOR. DOI
DOI I DO NOT HAVE A DEEPER
UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT THAT MEANS
AT THIS JUNCTURE OTHER THAN WHAT
THE PRESIDENT HAS TWEETED.
NO ONE ON THAT CALL KNEW WHAT
DONALD TRUMP’S TWEET MEANT
INCLUDING DONALD TRUMP’S JUSTICE
DEPARTMENT ATTORNEYS.
DEPARTMENT ATTORNEYS. ATTORNEY GARDNER DID CONFIRM
THAT THE CENSUS IS IN THE
PROCESS OF BEING PRINTED WITHOUT
THE CITIZENSHIP QUESTION.
ANOTHER JUSTICE DEPARTMENT
LAWYER TOLD THE JUDGE, WE AT THE
DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE HAVE BEEN
INSTRUCTED TO EXAMINE WHETHER
THERE IS A PATH FORWARD
CONSISTENT WITH THE DECISIONS
THAT ALLOW US TO INCLUDE THE
CITIZENSHIP QUESTION ON THE
CENSUS.
CENSUS. WE ARE EXAMINING THAT, LOOKING
AT NEAR TERM OPTIONS TO SEE
WHETHER THAT’S VIABLE AND
POSSIBLE.
POSSIBLE. THE JUDGE ORDERED THE GOVERNMENT
LAWYERS TO TELL HIM BY 2:00 P.M.
FRIDAY IF THE GOVERNMENT IS
GOING TO CONTINUE FIGHTING THE
CASE.
CASE. THEY ASKED FOR A DELAY BECAUSE
OF THE FOURTH OF JULY HOLIDAY TO
WHICH THE JUDGE AS I JUST SAID
SIMPLY SAID NO.
THE JUDGE THEN TOLD THE
GOVERNMENT LAWYERS, IF YOU WERE
FACEBOOK AND AN ATTORNEY FOR
FACEBOOK TOLD ME ONE THING AND
THEN I READ A PRESS RELEASE FROM
MARK ZUCKERBERG, TELLING ME
SOMETHING ELSE, I WOULD BE
DEMANDING THAT MARK ZUCKERBERG
APPEAR IN COURT WITH YOU THE
NEXT TIME BECAUSE I WOULD BE
SAYING I DON’T THINK YOU SPEAK
FOR YOUR CLIENT ANYMORE.
LEADING OFF OUR DISCUSSION
TONIGHT, PRESIDENT OF THE CENTER
FOR AMERICAN PROGRESS AND EUGENE
ROBINSON, PULITZER PRIZE WINNING
COLUMNIST FOR "THE WASHINGTON
POST."
POST." POLITICAL ANALYST.
POLITICAL ANALYST. THIS WAS A REMARKABLE, VERY
QUICK TELEPHONE CONFERENCE TODAY
WHERE THE PRESIDENT TWEETS
SOMETHING AND WE BRING AMERICA’S
BEST LEGAL MINDS TO STUDY IT AND
NONE OF THEM CAN FIGURE OUT WHAT
HE MEANT.
HE MEANT. >> RIGHT.
>> RIGHT. AND THEY WORK FOR THE PRESIDENT.
SO THE PRESIDENT IS THE CLIENT
AND THEY HAVE NO IDEA.
THEY CLEARLY HAD NO IDEA THIS
WAS COMING.
WAS COMING. THEY THOUGHT THE ISSUE WAS
SETTLED AND THE PRESIDENT
TWEETED THAT IT WASN’T SETTLE
AND NOW THEY GUESS THEY HAVE TO
FIND A WAY TO UNSETTLE IT AGAIN
AND TRY TO COME UP WITH
RATIONAL, WHICH THE JUDGE WAS
CLEARLY NOT AMUSED.
AND THEY MUST BE SCRATCHING
THEIR HEADS SAYING WHAT ARE WE
GOING TO COME UP WITH THAT’S NOT
GOING TO GET US LAUGHED OR
YELLED OUT OF COURT OR WHATEVER.
WE BETTER COME UP WITH IT BY
2:00 P.M. ON FRIDAY OR THIS
JUDGE, WHO KNOW WHAT IS THE
JUDGE MIGHT DO IF WE DON’T.
SO IT WAS AN EXTRAORDINARY
MOMENT IN THE LIFE OF THIS
COUNTRY.
COUNTRY. >> AND THEY WOULD HAVE TO BEGIN
TO SUBBORN PERJURY TO GET HIM TO
CHANGE HIS UNDER OATH TESTIMONY
ABOUT WHY HE WANTED A
CITIZENSHIP QUESTION.
CITIZENSHIP QUESTION. THEY WANT TO FIGURE OUT A WAY TO
GIVE THE SUPREME COURT A
DIFFERENT REASON WHY THEY WANTED
ONE.
ONE. AS YOU LISTEN TO OR READ THE
TRANSCRIPT OF THE GOVERNMENT
LAWYERS, THEY EXPRESSED ZERO
CONFIDENCE THAT THEY ARE EVEN
GOING TO COME UP WITH A THEORY
OF THIS CASE.
BASICALLY THEY ARE USING WORDS
LIKE MIGHT BE POSSIBLE.
>> WHEN YOU READ THE TRANSCRIPT,
WHAT IS CLEAR IS THAT WE HAVE A
GOVERNMENT BY CHAOS, WHICH IS
NOT NEW, ALTHOUGH IT SEEMS THAT
WE TAKE IT TO NEW HEIGHTS DAY BY
DAY.
DAY. THIS IS A NEW HEIGHT.
WHAT HAPPENED HERE IS THAT THE
DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE, THE
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
UNDERSTOOD LAST WEEK’S SUPREME
COURT DECISION AS BASICALLY
SAYING THEY HAVE TO GO FORWARD
WITH THE CENSUS WITHOUT THE
CITIZENSHIP QUESTION.
CITIZENSHIP QUESTION. THOSE PEOPLE LIVE IN REALITY AND
THE CENSUS IS SUPPOSED TO START
TAKING PLACE MONTHS AWAY.
WE ARE TALKING ABOUT PRINTING
MILLIONS UPON MILLIONS OF
DOCUMENTS AND THEY LIVE IN THAT
REALITY.
REALITY. I DON’T KNOW IF FOX NEWS OR ONE
OF THE PRESIDENT’S DONORS OR
SOME CRAZY RIGHT WING NEWS SITE
ATTACKED THE POSITION AND THEN
THE PRESIDENT DOES WHAT HE OFTEN
DOES, WHICH IS LISTEN TO THE FAR
RIGHT OF HIS BASE VERSUS HIS OWN
GOVERNMENT.
GOVERNMENT. HE PUT OUT A TWEET AND THERE WE
HAVE THE ESSENTIALLY THE
DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE SCRAMBLING
TO KEEP UP.
I THINK WHAT HAPPENED HERE IS
THE JUDGE IN THE CASE RECOGNIZED
THAT THIS IS A FARCE.
I ALMOST FEEL BADLY, BUT NOT
QUITE, FOR THE LAWYER WHO IS ARE
GOING TO SPEND THE NEXT 36 HOURS
SCRATCHING THEIR HEAD,
MANUFACTURING SOME POSSIBLE
RATIONAL.
RATIONAL. THEY ARE LIKELY TO GET LAUGHED
OUT OF COURT WHICH WILL JUST BE
AN EMBARRASSMENT FOR THEM, BUT
HOPEFULLY IT WILL MEAN OUR
CENSUS IS NOT RIDDEN WITH RACISM
AND XENOPHOBIA.
AND XENOPHOBIA. >> THIS IS A GAME THE PRESIDENT
PLAYS.
PLAYS. HE HAS BEEN DEFEATED LIKE ON
MEXICO PAYING FOR THE WALL AND
CONTINUES TO TWEET THAT MEXICO
WILL PAY FOR THE WALL.
THIS IS AN INSTANCE IN WHICH IF
YOU CONTINUE TO TWEET THINGS
THAT AREN’T TRUE, THERE IS A
JUDGE WHO CAN DRAG THE
GOVERNMENT LAWYERS IN TO COURT
AND SAY OKAY, 2:00 P.M. FRIDAY,
ME WHAT’S GOING ON HERE.
THE TWEETING GAME ENDS AT 2:00
P.M. FRIDAY.
P.M. FRIDAY. >> YEAH.
>> YEAH. IT CERTAINLY DOES.
THIS IS A WHOLE NEW SPHERE.
MEXICO WILL PAY FOR THE WALL, HE
CAN TWEET WHATEVER HE WANTS AND
THERE ARE NO CONSEQUENCES, BUT
THERE ARE IMMEDIATE CONSEQUENCES
HERE.
HERE. THE LAWYERS HAVE TO COME IN AND
AS YOU SAY, THEY CAN’T JUST COME
IN WITH SOME RIDICULOUS THEORY
THAT AMOUNTS TO PERJURY OR
SOMETHING ELSE THAT MIGHT GET
THEM IN HOT WATER WITH LEGAL
ASSOCIATIONS.
ASSOCIATIONS. BAR ASSOCIATIONS.
BAR ASSOCIATIONS. THEY HAVE TO TAKE THIS SERIOUSLY
BECAUSE AFTER ALL, THIS IS A
FEDERAL COURT.
FEDERAL COURT. YOU HAVE TO TAKE THINGS
SERIOUSLY IN A FEDERAL COURT.
WORDS HAVE MEANING AND THEY HAVE
CONSEQUENCES.
CONSEQUENCES. >> SO THE PRESIDENT IS GOING TO
HAVE A CAMPAIGN RALLY AT
GOVERNMENT EXPENSE TOMORROW IN
WASHINGTON, WHERE HE WILL
PRETEND TO BE TRYING TO INSPIRE
THE COUNTRY, BUT OF COURSE ONCE
AGAIN, HE WILL SURELY ONLY BE
SPEAKING TO PEOPLE WHO VOTED FOR
HIM.
HIM. LET’S TAKE A LOOK AT POLLS THAT
SHAPE THE FRAME THAT THE
PRESIDENT WILL BE SPEAKING IN
TOMORROW.
TOMORROW. HE WILL BE SPEAKING TO A COUNTRY
WHERE ACCORDING TO GALLUP NOW,
45% OF THE COUNTRY WANTS DONALD
TRUMP IMPEACHED AND REMOVED FROM
OFFICE.
OFFICE. IN ADDITION THAT, WE HAVE A
RECENT PEW NEALPOLL THAT IS RELE
TO TOMORROW.
TO TOMORROW. HOW DO YOU FEEL WHEN THE
PRESIDENT SPEAKS?
PRESIDENT SPEAKS? WHAT ARE YOUR FEELINGS WHEN HE
MAKES PUBLIC STATEMENTS.
76% ARE CONCERNED.
CONFUSED, 70%.
CONFUSED, 70%. EMBARRASSED 69%.
EMBARRASSED 69%. EXHAUSTED 67%.
EXHAUSTED 67%. ANGRY 65%.
ANGRY 65%. INSULTED 62%.
INSULTED 62%. FRIGHTENED 56%.
FRIGHTENED 56%. AND WHAT THE PRESIDENT IS GOING
FOR TOMORROW, ONLY 36% OF
AMERICANS ARE EVER PROUD OF THE
PRESIDENT WHEN HE SPEAKS OR FEEL
PRIDE WHEN HE SPEAKS AND ONLY
33% HAVE EVER FELT INSPIRED WHEN
DONALD TRUMP SPEAKS.
THAT’S THE AUDIENCE HE WILL BE
SPEAKING TO TOMORROW.
>> YEAH.
>> YEAH. I THINK, YOU KNOW, THE ISSUE
HERE IS WHETHER HE IS SPEAKING
FROM A TELEPROMPTER IN WHICH HE
BASICALLY SAYS A BUNCH OF WORDS
WE ALL KNOW HE DOESN’T MEAN, OR
HE SPEAK FROM THE HEART AND
CREATES ALL THE EMOTIONS ON THE
FIRST COLUMN.
FIRST COLUMN. WHAT I FELT REASSURED BY IS I
HAVE ALL OF THOSE EMOTIONS IN
ONE DAY LISTENING TO DONALD
TRUMP.
TRUMP. THE REALITY OF THIS IS THAT THE
PRESIDENT IS GOING -- WE ARE
ABOUT A YEAR FROM THIS ELECTION.
LESS THAN A YEAR FROM THIS
ELECTION AND HE IS DEEPLY
UNPOPULAR.
UNPOPULAR. THE IMPORTANT ISSUES AROUND
IMPEACHMENT IS THAT THE NUMBERS
ARE MOVING UP.
THEY WERE IN THE 30s AND THEY
ARE NOW AT 45%.
AFTER ROBERT MUELLER TESTIFIES
IT MAY BE INTO THE 50s.
THAT’S A NEW MOMENT IN THE
COUNTRY WHERE YOU HAVE A
MAJORITY ASKING FOR IMPEACHMENT
AND REMOVAL.
AND REMOVAL. THAT WILL START PUTTING SOME
PRESSURE ON REPUBLICANS IN RACES
LIKE IN CORY GARDNER AND SUSAN
COLLINS’ RACE WHERE YOU SEE SOME
OF THEM FINALLY FEEL AT LEAST
PRESSURE AROUND IMPEACHMENT.
>> AND GENE, ANOTHER SET OF POLL
THAT IS THE PRESIDENT IS FACING
TODAY, MORNING CONSULT POLL
SHOWING HIS DISAPPROVAL IN SWING
STATES LIKE MICHIGAN, WISCONSIN,
PENNSYLVANIA, OHIO AND FLORIDA,
MORE HIGHER DISAPPROVAL THAN
APPROVAL.
APPROVAL. 40% APPROVAL IN MICHIGAN.
THIS IS A CAMPAIGN EVENT FOR
HIM.
HIM. THOSE NUMBERS DON’T LOOK GOOD.
>> NO, THEY DON’T.
REMEMBER LAST TIME IN 2016, HE
HAD TO THREAD THE NEEDLE IN
WISCONSIN, MICHIGAN, AND
PENNSYLVANIA.
PENNSYLVANIA. YOU LOOK AT THE NUMBERS AND
THERE IS NO LONGER AN EYE IN
THAT NEEDLE.
THAT NEEDLE. IT’S CLOSED.
IT’S CLOSED. THERE IS NO WAY TO GET A PIECE
OF THREAD THROUGH THERE.
HE WOULD EITHER HAVE TO CHANGE
THOSE NUMBERS DRAMATICALLY OR
COME UP WITH ANOTHER THEORY OF
HOW HE GETS TO 270 ELECTORAL
VOTES.
VOTES. I’M NOT SURE HOW THAT WOULD BE.
I’M FAIRLY CONFIDENT THAT WHAT
HE IS DOING TOMORROW IS NOT A
GOOD START.
GOOD START. I AM BIASED.
I LIVE IN THE WASHINGTON AREA.
WE FEEL CERTAIN OWNERSHIP AND A
LOT OF PRIDE IN OUR FOURTH OF
JULY CELEBRATION ON THE MALL.
TO HAVE IT SORT OF USURPED IN
THIS WAY BY ANY PRESIDENT TO
GIVE A POLITICAL SPEECH IS
REALLY AN OUTRAGE.
SOMETHING THAT SOME OF US HAVE
STRONG FEELINGS ABOUT.