NOT THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT.
NOW THE COUNTRY NEEDS TO MOVE
FORWARD TOWARD A PEACEFUL
TRANSFER OF POWER.
LET’S BRING IN CHUCK ROSENBERG
AND MSNBC CONTRIBUTOR AND CLAIRE
IS STILL HERE.
AND CHUCK, JUST MORE BROADLY,
HOW DOES BARR GETTING INVOLVED
WHETHER, AT THIS POINT, SO MANY
DAYS AFTER THE ELECTION, IT IS
CLEAR THAT THERE IS NO EVIDENCE
OF WIDESPREAD VOTER FRAUD?
>> YOU KNOW WHAT YOU JUST SAID,
NICOLLE, AT THIS POINT IS THE
KEY TO UNDERSTANDING THIS.
I READ THE MEMO THAT HE ISSUED
YESTERDAY AND I DID THIS LITTLE
EXERCISE.
I MADE BELIEVE THAT IT WASN’T
ISSUED YESTERDAY AND IT WASN’T
ISSUED BY HIM AND I JUST READ
IT.
AND THAT TALKED ABOUT OPENING UP
INVESTIGATIONS WHERE THERE ARE
SUBSTANTIAL AND CREDIBLE
EVIDENCE, WHICH IS SOMETHING WE
DO ALL OF THE TIME AT THE
DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE AND IT
SAID NOT TO OPEN UP CASES WHERE
THE THEORY IS FARFETCHED OR
SPECULATIVE OR SPECIOUS.
AND WE DON’T DO THAT AT THE
DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE.
WE AVOID THOSE TYPE OF CASES.
AND SO IF YOU JUST LOOK AT IT IN
THAT WAY, FROM A NORMAL ATTORNEY
GENERAL AT A NORMAL TIME IN A
NORMAL ADMINISTRATION WITH A
NORMAL PRESIDENT, YOU WON’T
THINK TWICE ABOUT THIS.
BUT ALL OF THOSE THINGS ARE NOT
TRUE.
AND THE FACT THAT THIS ATTORNEY
GENERAL ISSUED THIS MEMO
YESTERDAY SEEMS ONLY DESIGNED TO
APPEASE A PETULANT PRESIDENT AND
THAT IS THE DANGER.
NOT THE SUBSTANCE OF THE MEMO SO
MUCH BECAUSE, AGAIN, IT IS
RELATIVELY BENIGN.
BUT IT CAME FROM THIS ATTORNEY
GENERAL OF ALL ATTORNEY
GENERALS, THE ONE THAT CONTINUES
TO SHADE FACTS TO PLEASE THIS
PRESIDENT, THAT IS THE PROBLEM
AT THIS POINT.
JUST LIKE YOU SAID.
>> CHUCK, I JUST -- PEOPLE ARE
SCARED.
AND I THINK ONE OF THE SIGNALS
WHEN WE’VE WATCHED THE BARR
JUSTICE DEPARTMENT IN TERMS OF
GAUGING HOW SCARED WE SHOULD BE
IS TO WATCH WHETHER STEADY,
STEELY PEOPLE LIKE YOURSELF AT
THE DEPARTMENT ARE AS OFFENDED
AS WE ARE AND LEAVE.
AND THAT HAPPENED.
WHEN BILL BARR SENT OUT THIS
MEMO RICHARD PILGER LEFT AND
WROTE A RESIGNATION LETTER THAT
SAID THIS, HAVING FAMILIARIZED
MYSELF WITH THE NEW POLICY AND
THE RAMIFICATIONS IN ACCORD WITH
THE BEST TRADITION OF THE JOHN
C. KEENY AWARD FOR
PROFESSIONALISM, MY MOST
CHERISHED RECOGNITION, I MUST
RESIGN FROM MY ROLE AS DIRECTOR
OF THE ELECTION CRIMES BRANCH.
I’VE ENJOYED VERY MUCH WORKING
WITH YOU FOR OVER A DECADE, OVER
A DECADE, TO AGGRESSIVELY
ENFORCE CRIMINALFECTION LAW AND
POLICY AND PRACTICE WITHOUT
PARTISAN FEAR AND FAVOR AND I
THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT IN
THAT.
HOW FIGURING OUT HOW BAD THAT
WAS, LOOKING AT SOMEONE WHO HAS
BEEN HERE FOR A DECADE AND WON
AWARDS FOR INTEGRITY AND BAILED
THE MINUTE THIS MEMO WAS
DISTRIBUTED.
>> YEAH.
AND SO THAT YOU’RE VIEWERS
UNDERSTAND, THE NAME JACK KEANY
AT THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE IS
LIKE THE NAME JOE DIMAGGIO IF
YOU’RE A FAN.
HE WAS A LEGEND IN OUR
DEPARTMENT AND GETTING THE AWARD
IS A BIG DEAL.
NOW WHAT I DON’T KNOW IS WHETHER
HE WAS OFFENDED BY THE SUBSTANCE
OF THE MEMO.
AGAIN WE SHOULD OPEN
INVESTIGATIONS WHETHER THERE IS
SPECIAL OR CREDIBLE EVIDENCE OR
BY THE PROCEDURE AND IT WOE THE
PROCEDURE BECAUSE BILL BARR
ISSUED IT YESTERDAY AND CUT THE
ELECTIONS CRIMES BRANCH OUT OF
THE CHAIN OF COMMAND FOR
EVALUATING WHETHER OR NOT THE
CASES SHOULD BE PURSUED AND WHAT
STEPS WE OUGHT TO TAKE.
AND SO EITHER WAY, WHETHER IT IS
JUST SUBSTANCE OR JUST PROCEDURE
OR BOTH, THE TIMING IS DEEPLY
TROUBLING TO ME.
ALTHOUGH, REMEMBER, WITH A
NORMAL ATTORNEY GENERAL AT A
NORMAL TIME WITH A NORMAL
PRESIDENT, I DON’T THINK YOU
COULD THINK TWICE ABOUT THIS BUT
ALL OF THOSE THINGS DON’T APPLY
HERE.
I’M REALLY SORRY THAT RICHARD
STEPPED DOWN FROM HIS POST.
I BELIEVE HE REMAINS IN THE
DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE.
BUT SOMETHING DEEPLY OFFENDED
HIM AND WHETHER SOMETHING DEEPLY
OFFENDED CAREER PROSECUTORS LIKE