>> Shannon: IT WOULD BE HIS
FIRST, WE ARE STANDING BY.
WHAT DO POLITICS HAVE TO DO WITH
THE MANAFORT CASE, WE'LL TALK
ABOUT IT WITH TONIGHT'S POWER
PANEL.
LESLIE MARSHALL, JIM TRUSTEE AND
FORMER CHIEF U.S. ATTORNEY
ANDREW McCARTHY.
WE'LL START WITH YOU, THIS
INDICTMENT TODAY, DISTRICT
ATTORNEY VANCE HERE IN MANHATTAN
SAID NO ONE IS BEYOND THE LAW IN
NEW YORK.
WHAT IS THIS ALL ABOUT?
>> IT'S DISTURBING, I HATE TO BE
ON A PANEL WITH ANDY McCARTHY
AND SAY ANYTHING BAD ABOUT
NEW YORK BUT THIS IS A
CIRCUMSTANCE WHERE --
PROSECUTORS ARE SUPPOSED TO GO
WHERE THE EVIDENCE LEADS THEM,
THEY MAY HAVE A VERY STRONG
JUSTIFIABLE CASE.
BUT TO ROLL IT OUT AND A PASSION
WHERE YOU ARE PICKING A
POLITICAL FIGHT AND SAY THIS
WILL STOP THE PARDON FROM
WORKING, I THINK IT'S A BAD DAY
FOR PROSECUTORS NO MATTER WHAT
YOUR POLITICS.
>> Shannon: THE FEDERAL
CHARGES, THE PRESIDENT COULD
OFFER A PARDON, HE SAID HE'S NOT
EVEN THOUGHT ABOUT IT IT'S NOT
ON HIS BRAIN RIGHT NOW.
IT'S NOT A CONVERSATION HE'S
HAVING, STATE CHARGES OR
SOMETHING DIFFERENT.
WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE TOTALITY,
IT'S NOT A GOOD DAY TO BE HIM
BUT TOP DEMOCRATS IN THE SENATE
ARE DIVIDED ON THE SENTENCE HE
GOT, YOU HEARD
SENATOR BLUMENTHAL SAY HE GOT
AWAY WITH IT.
ON THE OTHER ASIDE,
SENATOR FEINSTEIN SAID I PUT
PEOPLE BEHIND BARS I KNOW WHAT
IT'S LIKE TO DO TIME AND I KNOW
IT'S A SIGNIFICANT SENTENCE,
WHERE YOU COME DOWN ON IT?
>> TODAY IN THE GREEN ROOM, WE
WERE TAKING BETS AS TO WHAT SHE
WOULD DO WITH A MAXIMUM OF TEN
YEARS AND I HAD SAID EIGHT AND
IT CAME PRETTY CLOSE TO THAT.
QUITE FRANKLY THERE ARE A LOT OF
PEOPLE LEFT AND RIGHT WHO FELT
HIS FORMER SENTENCING WAS
EXTREMELY LENIENT AND THEY
WEREN'T SURPRISED WHEN THEY HAD
THE FORESHADOWING FROM THE JUDGE
TALKING ABOUT THE FINANCIAL
MEANS OF HIS FAMILY HAS, TALKING
ABOUT EXCUSES THAT HE HAS MADE
AND ALSO TALKING ABOUT THE FACT
THAT HE HADN'T WRITTEN A LETTER
TO HER.
I THINK SHE WAS FORESHADOWING
THE FACT THAT SHE WAS GOING TO
BE VERY TOUGH.
SHE COULD HAVE BEEN TOUGHER, SHE
DID HAVE A COMBINATION -- HE
COULD HAVE HAD CONCURRENCY AND
100% OR NOT AND CHOSE TO SPLIT
THE DIFFERENCE ON THAT.
>> Shannon: WHAT DO YOU MAKE,
YOU ARE A NEW YORKER, YOU'VE
PRACTICED LAW AND BEEN A
PROSECUTOR IN THIS JURISDICTION,
WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF THESE NEW
STATE CHARGES AGAINST MANAFORT?
>> I WAS A FEDERAL PROSECUTOR IN
NEW YORK, I THINK WITH THE STATE
DID TODAY WAS A DISGRACE.
I THINK THEY KNOW UNDER
NEW YORK STATE LAW, IT WAS
WRONG.
NEW YORK STATE FOLLOWS WHAT IS
KNOWN AS EQUITABLE DOUBLE
JEOPARDY.
WHAT THAT MEANS IS, IF SOMEONE
HAS ALREADY BEEN PROSECUTED OUT
OF SOMETHING THAT ARISES OUT OF
THE SAME FACTS, YOU'RE NOT
SUPPOSED TO PROSECUTE THEM IN
NEW YORK A SECOND TIME.
IN THIS INSTANCE, I KNOW YOUR
EARLIER REPORTS OF THE CASES ARE
UNRELATED, THEY ACTUALLY ARE NOT
UNRELATED.
THE BANK FRAUD IN NEW YORK THAT
WAS CHARGED TODAY ARISES OUT OF
THE SAME TRANSACTIONS THAT WERE
INVOLVED IN MUELLER'S
PROSECUTION IN VIRGINIA.
THIS IS A CASE THAT NEW YORK
ORDINARILY WOULDN'T BRING AND
THEY OBVIOUSLY ONLY BROUGHT IT
FOR POLITICAL PURPOSES TO BLOCK
A PARDON, WHICH IF YOU STEP BACK
AND THINK ABOUT IT, IF THIS
WEREN'T SUCH A PROSECUTION
FRAUGHT WITH POLITICS, WE WOULD
BE SAYING WHY IS THE STATE OF
NEW YORK WATERING DOWN THE CIVIL
LIBERTIES PROTECTIONS OF
NEW YORKERS JUST TO STICK IT TO
TRUMP AND MANAFORT?
I THINK THAT'S OUTRAGEOUS.
AS FOR WHAT HAPPENED TODAY IN
THE SENTENCING, I KNOW A LOT OF
CRITICISM HAS BEEN LEVELED AT
THE JUDGES BECAUSE THE
SENTENCING COULD HAVE BEEN MORE
SEVERE.
A LOT OF PEOPLE THINK IT SHOULD
HAVE BEEN MORE SEVERE.
THE REASON THIS SENTENCING TODAY
WAS CAPPED AT TEN YEARS WAS
BECAUSE THE SPECIAL PROSECUTOR'S
OFFICE MANIPULATED THE
CONSPIRACY STATUTES.
MANAFORT SHOULD HAVE BEEN
LOOKING AT A 20 YEAR CONSPIRACY
COUNT FOR MONEY LAUNDERING AND A
20 YEAR CONSPIRACY COUNT FOR
WITNESS TAMPERING.
MUELLER CAPPED EACH COUNT AT
FIVE YEARS SO THE JUDGE WAS
STUCK AT A CEILING OF TEN YEARS.
THIS IS THE KIND OF THING
MUELLER HAS DONE THROUGHOUT THE
INVESTIGATION.
THEY FILED CHARGES WITH THESE
OVERWHELMING SENSATIONAL PRESS
RELEASES AND THEY PLEAD THE CASE
IS OUT TO A SONG AND EVERYONE
ENDS UP THINKING THE PEOPLE MUST
HAVE PLED GUILTY TO THE CASES AS
ADVERTISED AND USUALLY THAT'S
JUST NOT THE CASE.
>> Shannon: I WANT TO MAKE
SURE WE TOUCH ON THE TRANSCRIPTS
THAT WERE RELEASED OF FORMER FBI
LAWYER LISA PAGE WHO WAS CAUGHT
UP IN THE TEXTING WITH PETER
STRZOK.
THE TESTIMONY THAT SHE GAVE THAT
SAID THEY WERE LOOKING AT
PURSUING POTENTIAL CHARGES
AGAINST HILLARY CLINTON WITH
GROSS NEGLIGENCE AND HANDLING
CLASSIFIED INFORMATION.
SHE SAID THEY GOT THE MESSAGE
FROM THE DOJ, NOT GOING TO
HAPPEN.
WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF IT?
>> VERY DISTURBING AGAIN.
NO MATTER WHAT YOUR POLITICAL
STRIPES, YOU SHOULD CARE ABOUT
PROCESS.
I THINK A LOT OF PEOPLE FOCUS ON
RESULTS OF LEGAL INVESTIGATIONS,
RESULTS OF SENTENCING, WHAT THE
NUMBERS LOOK LIKE.
THE PROCESS IS SO IMPORTANT IN
TERMS OF GETTING JUSTICE.
THERE ARE STILL VERY FAIR
QUESTIONS NO MATTER YOUR
POLITICAL STRIPES ABOUT THE
DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE CLINTON
PROBE AND THE TRUMP PROBE, WHAT
HAPPENED WITH THE FISA COURT?
WHO KNEW THERE WERE
MISSTATEMENTS?
THERE ARE QUESTIONS LIKE BRUCE
OHR MEETING WITH A
DECOMMISSIONED INFORMANT LONG
AFTER HE'S BEEN FIRED BY THE FBI
THAT STILL HASN'T BEEN
SATISFACTORILY ANSWERED.
THEY MAY NOT SEE LIGHT IN A
COURT ROOM BUT IT MAY BE ONLY
CONGRESS WITH THE KIND OF
SPEECHES IN PLACE WITH CROSS
EXAMINATION WILL LOOK AT IT.
SOMEBODY SOMEDAY NEEDS TO DRILL
DOWN ON THE ORIGINATIONS OF
THESE CASES AND THE BIAS THAT
INFECTED THEM RED >> Shannon:
WE CONTINUE TO GET A DRIP OF