WILLIAMS" BEGINS RIGHT NOW.
>>> GOOD EVENING ONCE AGAIN.
DAY 143 OF THE BIDEN
ADMINISTRATION, BUT IT IS THE
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION AND ITS
ATTORNEYS GENERAL THAT ARE UNDER
SCRUTINY TONIGHT, INCREASING
SCRUTINY AT THAT.
24 HOURS AFTER THAT BLOCKBUSTER
"NEW YORK TIMES" REPORT ABOUT
THE SECRET SEIZURE OF DATA FROM
HOUSE DEMOCRATS IN THE HUNT FOR
SOURCES OF LEAKS IN 2017 AND
18.
JUSTICE DEPARTMENTS INDEPENDENT
INTERNAL WATCHDOG HAS NOW
LAUNCHED AN INVESTIGATION.
SENATE MAJORITY LEADER SCHUMER,
JUDICIARY CHAIRMAN DURBIN, SAY
THE DEMOCRATS WILL OPEN THEIR
OWN INQUIRY.
THEY INTEND TO SUBPOENA THOSE
FORMER TRUMP ATTORNEYS GENERAL,
SESSIONS AND BARR, TO TESTIFY
BEFORE LAWMAKERS.
AS OF TONIGHT, CURRENT HOUSE
INTEL CHAIRMAN ADAM SCHIFF AND
COMMITTEE MEMBER ERIC SWALWELL,
BOTH DEMOCRATS FROM CALIFORNIA,
HAVE BOTH CONFIRMED THEIR
RECORDS WERE SEIZED.
>> I THINK WEVE SHOWN THROUGH
TWO IMPEACHMENTS A WILLINGNESS
TO HOLD DONALD TRUMP
ACCOUNTABLE.
DONALD TRUMP THINKS HES GOING
TO BE REINSTATED IN AUGUST, HES
RUNNING FOR RE-ELECTION IN 2024,
YOU HAVE A NUMBER OF WANNABE
DONALD TRUMPS WHO ARE JUST AS
CORRUPT AND PROBABLY MORE
COMPETENT.
SO IF WE DONT TAKE STEPS TO
MAKE SURE THIS DOESNT HAPPEN
AGAIN, WE COULD REALLY SEE THE
EROSION, THE COMPLETE EROSION OF
THE RULE OF LAW IN OUR COUNTRY.
>> SWALWELL SAYS HE AND OTHER
HOUSE INTEL STAFFERS WERE
NOTIFIED BY APPLE LAST MONTH
ABOUT THE TRUMP DOJ GRAND JURY
SUBPOENAS IN FEBRUARY 2018 THAT
FORCED APPLE TO TURN OVER THE
DATA.
IN A STATEMENT TODAY, APPLE
REVEALED, QUOTE, THE SUBPOENA
SOUGHT CUSTOMER OR SUBSCRIBER
ACCOUNT INFORMATION FOR 73 PHONE
NUMBERS, 36 EMAIL ADDRESSES, AND
THAT THE NDO, OR NONDISCLOSURE
ORDER, WAS EXTENDED THREE TIMES.
THATS A GAG ORDER.
EACH FOR A YEAR, AND THAT MEANS
THE COMPANY WAS FORBIDDEN TO
DISCLOSE WHAT THE GOVERNMENT
TOOK FROM THEM.
MICROSOFT ALSO SAID IT RECEIVED
A SUBPOENA RELATED TO A PERSONAL
EMAIL ACCOUNT.
BACK IN 2017.
AND AS SOON AS THE TWO-YEAR GAG
ORDER AGAINST THEM EXPIRED,
MICROSOFT SAYS IT NOTIFIED THE
CUSTOMER, WHO WAS INDEED A
CONGRESSIONAL STAFFER.
IN AN INTERVIEW WITH POLITICO
TODAY, ATTORNEY GENERAL BARR IS
QUOTED AS SAYING HE DIDNT
RECALL GETTING BRIEFED ON THE
MOVES AND WAS NOT AWARE OF ANY
CONGRESSMANS RECORDS BEING
SOUGHT IN A LEAK CASE.
HE ADDED, TRUMP NEVER SUGGESTED
HE TARGET DEMOCRATIC LAWMAKERS,
AND A FORMER SENIOR JUSTICE
DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL TELLS NBC
NEWS THAT WHEN JEFF SESSIONS WAS
A.G., HE NEVER APPROVED
SUBPOENAS FOR MEMBERS OF THE
HOUSE INTEL COMMITTEE IN A LEAK
INVESTIGATION.
WHETHER OR NOT EITHER OR BOTH OF
DURING THE FIRST TRUMP IMPEACHMENT.
OF YOUR RESUME THAT WE ASKED YOU
TO BE ON TONIGHT AND ID LIKE TO
BEGIN WITH YOU
SO YOU ARE BOTH A DOJ VETERAN
AND WORKED CLOSELY WITH CHAIRMAN
SCHIFF
FOR ALL WE KNOW YOUR NAME IS ON
ONE OF THESE LISTS AND DATA IS
SHARED.
WHAT IS YOUR PERSONAL REACTION
TO STORY AND CAN YOU EXPLAIN WHY
THIS IS SUCH A DEADLY SERIOUS
MATTER?
>> IM HORRIFIED TO SEE THIS.
ITS NOT FOR A LOT OF THE
REASONS OTHERS HAVE SAID.
I THINK THE DEPARTMENT OF
JUSTICE HAS EVERY RIGHT BROADLY
TO INVESTIGATE CRIMES BUT
KNOWING THE PEOPLE WHO RECEIVED
THESE SUBPOENAS OR WHOSE RECORDS
WERE SOUGHT THROUGH THESE
SUBPOENAS, I FIND IT VERY HARD
TO BELIEVE THAT THERE WAS ANY
LEGITIMATE AND REAL AND CREDIBLE
EVIDENCE THAT WOULD HAVE LED AN
OBJECTIVE PROSECUTOR TO ISSUE
THESE GRAND JURY SUBPOENAS.
AND THAT MEANS THAT IT WAS A
PURELY POLITICAL HATCHET JOB IF
THATS ACCURATE.
WE HAVENT SEEN WHAT THE BASIS
WAS FOR THE INVESTIGATION FOR
THE SUBPOENAS.
APPARENTLY ACCORDING TO REPORTS
CHAIRMAN SCHIFFS OFFICER HAS
REQUESTED THAT INFORMATION AND
THETE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
DECLINED TO GIVE IT TO THEM.
IM SUSPICIOUS AS TO WHATS
BEHIND THERE AND SUSPICIOUS OF
MY COLLEAGUES ON THE OTHER SIDE
OF THE AISLE WITHIN THE HOUSE
INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE AND
WHETHER THEY WERE PART AND
PARCEL OF PROVIDING THE
TELEPHONE NUMBERS, EMAIL
ADDRESSES TO THE DEPARTMENT OF
JUSTICE BECAUSE THEY WOULD HAVE
HAD ACCESS TO MORE OF THAT
INFORMATION THAN JUST ABOUT
ANYONEAN AS THE MAJORITY STAFF F
THE HOUSE INTELLIGENCE
COMMITTEE.
>> WOW.
THATIT LAST BIT IS CERTAINLY FOO
FOR THOUGHT.
EUGENE, WHAT IS THE WHITE HOUSE
VIEW OF THIS?
>> RIGHT NOW THIS IS A WHITE
HOUSE.
WE HAVE TALKED ABOUT THIS
BEFORE.
THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT HAS BEEN
VERY BUSY AND IN THE NEWS OVER
THE LAST FEW WEEKS.
THEY ARE STAYING OUT OF IT.
THIS IS SOMETHING THAT THEY HAVE
TALKED ABOUT AND THE REASON IS
EXACTLY BAUCH WHAT WE ARE SEEING
RIGHT WHNOW.
THEY WANT TO MAKE SURE THEYRE
NOT SEEN AS A POLITICAL -- USING
THE DOJ IN ANY KIND OF POLITICAL
WAY AND THAT IS WHAT WHEN YOU
TALK TO PEOPLE BEHIND SCENES, ON
THE RECORD AND BACKGROUND, OFF
THE RECORD, THEY WILL TELL YOU
THE EXACT SAME THING WHICH IS
THAT PRESIDENT BIDEN WANTS TO
STAY OUT OF THE DOJ.
HE IS TELLING HIS PEOPLE TO NOT
TRY TO PUT THE THUMB ON THE
SCALE AND LET THEM INVESTIGATE
THIS AND WHATEVER ELSE POPS UP.
YOU HAVE AN INSPECTOR GENERAL
WHOS GOING TO LOOK INTO THIS
AND SEEIN WHAT HAPPENED, WHO DID
WHAT AND WHAT WAS -- WHAT WAS
SEIZED-- AND THEY KNOW WHATS
HAPPENING IN CONGRESS.
IF YOU SEE SESSIONS OR BARR OR
BOTH POSSIBLY BE SUBPOENAED AND
BROUGHT IN TO -- IN CONGRESS
THATS A BLOCKBUSTER DAY OR SO
OF BACK AND FORTH BETWEEN
CONGRESS ANDAN THOSE TWO
GENTLEMEN.
THATS SOMETHING THAT THEYRE
WATCHING.
HOWR THIS PLAYS OUT BUT
DEFINITELY TRYING TO STAY AS FAR
OUT OF IT AS THEY CAN BUT AWARE
OF THE ATTENTION.
>> EXACTLY 24 HOURSING A I TRIED
TO WARN THE PEOPLE THAT WELL
HEAR NIXONIAN TOSSED AROUND AND
ITUN HAS BEEN.
JOHN DEAN HEARD ENOUGH OF THAT.
HE KNOWS FROM NIXONIAN.
HERES WHAT HE SAID ON CNN.
>> A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE COMPARING
THAT WITH NIXON.
NIXON DIDNT HAVE THAT
DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE.
IT IS BEYOND NIXON.
NIXON ON STILTS AND STEROIDS.
>> SO SUSAN, AS YOU KNOW, NIXON
WOULD HAVE KILLED TO HAVE A DOJ
TO OPERATE WITH A LEVER AND
OPERATE ON A WHIM FOR HIM.
ARE YOU AS CONVINCED AS
EVERYBODY ELSE THAT IT DOESNT
END HERE, THAT THIS MAY BE THE
TIP OF THE ICEBERG?
>> YES.
I THINK THAT ITS HARD TO ARGUE
THAT THIS IS CLEARLY MORE
SERIOUS THAN THE ABUSES OF THE
WATERGATE ERA, THAT PRESIDENT
NIXON WAS TRYING TO PROTECT THE
PARTICULAR INCIDENT IN ABUSING
THE POWER TO DO SO.
THIS IS A BROADER ASSAULT ON THE
DEMOCRACY.
THIS IS SEEKING, SUBPOENAING
RECORDS WE THINK WITHOUT
LEGITIMATE CAUSE OF THE
REPRESENTATIVES FROM A CO-EQUAL
BRANCH OF GOVERNMENT AND AN
AGGRESSIVE PURSUIT OF REPORTERS
WHO THE ADMINISTRATION SEES AS
CRITICS THAT BEYOND -- WE HAVE
SEEN THISD BEFORE IN PREVIOUS
ADMINISTRATIONS.
THIS IS MORE SERIOUS, MORE OF A