?
WE KNEW NOTHING.
NOW WE ARE STARTING TO GET A
CLEARER PICTURE OF WHAT FEDERAL
INVESTIGATORS ARE UP TO, IN A
SERIES OF SCOOP SINCE MARCH,
THE NEW YORK TIMES REPORTED
THAT THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT HAS
SUBSTANTIALLY WIDENED ITS
INVESTIGATION TO INCLUDE TRUMP
AND ITS ALLIES, THE FAKE
ELECTORS SCHEME, AND THE
FINANCING AND PLANNING OF THE
RALLY THAT PRECEDED THE RIOT.
ONE OF THE PLANNERS OF THAT
RALLY IS COOPERATING WITH THE
FEDERAL INVESTIGATION, AND AT
THE FEDERAL INVESTIGATION HAS
BARR ON A CAREER FEDERAL
PROSECUTOR JUST TO OVERSEE
EFFORTS TO STYMIE BIDEN
CERTIFICATION.
IN THE MIDDLE OF ELECTION NIGHT
LAST NIGHT, THE NEW YORK TIMES
LANDED ANOTHER SCOOP ABOUT THE
FEDERAL INVESTIGATION.
THE TIMES REPORTS THAT LATE
LAST MONTH, THE DEPARTMENT OF
JUSTICE ASKED THE HOUSE
COMMITTEE INVESTIGATING JANUARY
6TH, FOR TRANSCRIPTS OF
INTERVIEWS IT HAS CONDUCTED.
THE HOUSE COMMITTEE HAS
INTERVIEWED NEARLY 1000
WITNESSES, INCLUDING TRUMP
WHITE HOUSE OFFICIALS, AND
TRUMP FAMILY MEMBERS.
THAT REQUEST WAS MADE LAST
MONTH.
AS TO WHETHER THE COMMITTEE
WILL ACTUALLY TURN THOSE
TRANSCRIPTS OVER, HERE'S THE
CHAIRMAN OF THE COMMITTEE
SPEAKING LAST NIGHT.
>> ARE YOU PLANNING ON TURNING
IT OVER AT SOME POINT?
>> WELL, ONCE WE FINISH OUR
WORK.
BUT WE ARE IN THE MIDST OF OUR
WORK.
IF THEY WANT TO COME IN TALK,
JUST LIKE WE'VE HAD OTHER
AGENCIES COME AND TALK, WE'D BE
HAPPY TO TALK TO THEM.
BUT WE CAN'T GIVE THEM ACCESS
TO HER WORK PRODUCT AT THIS
POINT.
>> YOU'D BE MORE OR LESS OKAY
WITH LIKE AN IN CAMERA REVIEW?
>> IF THEY SAY THEY WANT TO
COME AND LOOK AT SOMETHING,
WE'D SAY COME ON, BUT WE CAN
SHARE IT.
YOU KNOW, WE CAN'T GIVE HIM,
YOU KNOW, UNILATERAL ACCESS.
>> THE COMMITTEE IS GOING TO
HAVE SEVERAL PUBLIC HEARINGS
NEXT MONTH TO SHOWCASE ITS WORK
PRODUCT TO DATE.
WHY WOULDN'T THEY BE WILLING TO
SHARE THESE TRANSCRIPTS WITH
THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT, AND WET
WITH THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT
ASKING FOR THESE TRANSCRIPTS IN
THE FIRST PLACE TELL US ABOUT
HOW A LOT FOR A LONG'S
INVESTIGATION IS.
WHO BETTER TO ASK, JOYCE VANCE,
FEDERAL ATTORNEY --
ALABAMA SCHOOL OF LAW, JOYCE,
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING
WITH US TONIGHT.
FIRST OFF, CAN YOU HELP US
UNDERSTAND THE DISTINCTION
CHAIRMAN THOMPSON IS MAKING
HERE?
HE WOULD BE OKAY WITH LETTING
THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT REVIEW
THEIR TRANSCRIPTS, BUT HE WON'T
JUST HAND THEM OVER?
HOW IS THAT DIFFERENT?
WHY DOESN'T MATTER?
>> THIS IS SOMETHING THAT
LAWYERS WILL BE FAMILIAR WITH.
HE'S OFFERING DOJ THE
OPPORTUNITY TO COME AND SIT IN
THE COMMITTEE'S OFFICES, REVIEW
DOCUMENTS, TAKE NOTES ON THEM,
BUT HE IS SAYING HE CAN'T GIVE
THEM PHYSICAL COPIES, YOU CAN'T
GO BACK ABOUT THEM IN YOUR
COMPUTER SYSTEM, AND SCANNED
THROUGH THEM AND USE THEM IN
WHATEVER WAY YOU WANT TO.
YOU CAN USE YOUR NOTES, BUT YOU
CAN'T HAVE THE ORIGINAL
DOCUMENTS.
>> SO, WHAT COULD A JUSTICE
DEPARTMENT INVESTIGATION USE
THOSE TRANSCRIPTS FOR?
>> A LOT OF DIFFERENT THINGS,
IT'S VERY INTERESTING.
THIS MIGHT BE ONE WAY TO
STREAMLINE THE PROCESS OF
DECIDING WHAT WITNESSES YOU'D
LIKE TO INTERVIEW OR PUT IN
FRONT OF THE GRAND JURY, IF
YOU'RE DOJ.
YOU CAN LOOK THROUGH THE, NOTES
DECIDE WHO HAS INFORMATION NOT
ON MATTERS THAT THE COMMITTEE
IS INTERESTED IN, BUT ON
CRIMINAL STATUTES THE DOJ MIGHT
BE INVESTIGATING.
THAT'S ONE POSSIBILITY.
I DON'T THINK THAT THESE
TRANSCRIPTS BECOME A SUBSTITUTE
FOR DOJ THOROUGHLY
INVESTIGATING WITNESSES ON ITS
OWN.
IT IS PERHAPS AN AIDE, IN SOME
CASES, THE DOJ CAN BE OBLIGATED
TO TURN OVER INFORMATION FROM
WITNESSES, ALTHOUGH NOT
TYPICALLY WHEN IT'S IN THE
HANDS OF ANOTHER BRANCH OF
GOVERNMENT.
BUT LOTS OF GOOD REASONS FOR
DOJ TO WANT TO TAKE A LOOK AT
THESE TRANSCRIPTS.
>> SO JOYCE, AS YOU KNOW, I'M
ONE OF THOSE PEOPLE THEY KEEP
SAYING, WE ARE AWARE IS MERRICK
GARLAND, I'M IMPATIENT.
AND THE DEFENDERS OF MERRICK
GARLAND SAY, HE CAN'T COMMENT
PUBLICLY, WE DON'T KNOW WHAT'S
GOING ON BEHIND THE SCENES.
LET ME ASK YOU THIS, FROM THE
PUBLIC REPORTING WE HAVE SO FAR,
IS IMPOSSIBLE TO TELL HOW FAR
ALONG THIS DOJ BEST AGAIN IS?
WHERE IS THAT ALL STILL A BLACK
BOX?
>> I THINK YOU CAN SPECULATE,
BUT TO BE HONEST, I THINK WE
WILL FIND OUT HOW FAR ALONG DOJ
IS IN ITS INVESTIGATIONS WHEN
WE WAKE UP ONE MORNING TO FIND
THAT INDICTMENTS HAVE BEEN
RETURNED.
THIS ISN'T REALLY SOMETHING
THAT YOU CAN GAUGE BY KNOWING
THAT DOJ WANTS TO SEE THESE
DOCUMENTS.
IT IS SUGGESTIVE OF THE FACT
THAT DOJ IS ENGAGING IN A
BROADLY BASED INVESTIGATION,
THEN FULFILLS THAT PROMISE THAT
MERRICK GARLAND MADE ON JANUARY
5TH THAT HE DIDN'T CARE HOW
HIGH UP PEOPLE WERE, WHO THEY
WERE THAT IF THEY WERE INVOLVED