WILLIAMS.
I WANT TO THANK DR. PATEL AND
RAMIREZ.
GOING ON TO MORE BREAKING NEWS
TODAY, AND THERE’S A LOT OF IT,
SENATE MAJORITY LEADER MITCH
McCONNELL JUST ANNOUNCED SENATOR
LEADER RICHARD BURR HAS
TENTATIVELY BEEN ASKED TO STEP
DOWN AS CHAIR OF THE
INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE
EFFECTIVELY TOMORROW AFTER THE
FBI SEIZED BURR’S PHONE
WEDNESDAY, PART OF AN
INVESTIGATION INTO POSSIBLE
INSIDER TRADING.
A FEDERAL AUTHORITY IS LOOKING
INTO WHETHER SENATOR BURR USED
INFORMATION AS A SO-CALLED GANG
OF EIGHT, EIGHT TOP
CONGRESSIONAL LEADERS WHO
RECEIVED THE MOST SECRET
INTELLIGENCE, WHETHER HE DID
THAT TO SELL OFF STOCKS BEFORE
THE MARKET PLUMMETED, BEFORE
MOST PEOPLE WERE WIDELY AWARE OF
THE RISKS OF GROWING COVID-19
PANDEMIC.
IN MARCH SENATOR BURR’S ATTORNEY
RELEASED A STATEMENT SAYING IN
PART, QUOTE, THE LAW IS CLEAR
THAT ANY AMERICAN, INCLUDING A
SENATOR, MAY PARTICIPATE IN THE
STOCK MARKET BASED ON PUBLIC
INFORMATION THAT SENATOR BURR
DID.
WHEN THIS ISSUE AROSE, SENATOR
BURR IMMEDIATELY ASKED THE
SENATE ETHICS COMMITTEE TO
CONDUCT A COMPLETE REVIEW.
SO NOW TO NBC’S JUSTICE
CORRESPONDENT PETE WILLIAMS AND,
OF COURSE, OUR KASIE HUNT, HOST
OF "KASIE DC."
PETE, WHAT IS THE LEGAL
SITUATION HERE?
>> THE LEGAL SITUATION IS THE
GOVERNMENT GOT A SEARCH WARRANT.
THIS IS NOT THE KIND OF THING
WHERE THE FBI WENT ON A RAID TO
SENATOR BURR’S HOUSE BUT WE’RE
TOLD HERE IS THAT THE FBI
ACTUALLY SERVED THE SEARCH
WARRANT ON SENATOR BURR’S
LAWYER, WHETHER THAT WAS ALICE
FISHER OR NOT, THE ONE YOU JUST
QUOTED, I DON’T KNOW.
BUT A LEGAL REPRESENTATIVE IN
ANY EVENT FOR THE SENATOR, WHO
THEN NOTIFIED THE SENATOR THAT
THE FBI WAS COMING.
AND WHEN THEY KNOCKED ON THE
DOOR, HE HANDED THEM THE PHONE.
THIS IS NOT A RAID.
THIS IS JUST THE FBI TAKING
POSSESSION OF A CELL PHONE WITH
A SEARCH WARRANT.
I THINK THE MOST INTERESTING
PART OF THIS IS SIMPLY THE
GOVERNMENT NOW HAS A SEARCH
WARRANT.
OF COURSE, ANY INVESTIGATION TO
GET A SEARCH WARRANT, YOU HAVE
TO GO TO A JUDGE AND SAY THERE’S
PROBABLE CAUSE THAT YOU WILL
FIND EVIDENCE OF A POTENTIAL
CRIME ON THE THING THAT YOU’RE
LOOKING FOR.
THE DIFFICULTY OF THIS CASE
THOUGH, ANDREA, IS IF THE
GOVERNMENT’S GOING TO ALLEGE
THAT ANY MEMBER OF CONGRESS USED
OFFICIAL INFORMATION IN A
COMMITTEE TO COMMIT A CRIME,
THEN THEY HAVE TO FIND OUT WHAT
THAT INFORMATION IS AND IN THE
PAST WHEN THE GOVERNMENT HAS
TRIED TO DO THAT IN OTHER CASES,
THEY RUN INTO THIS SPEECH OR
DEBATE CLAUSE.
IT’S VERY HARD TO DO.
SEPARATELY THERE’S SOMETHING
CALLED THE STOCK ACT THAT SAYS
MEMBERS OF CONGRESS CAN’T USE
ANY INFORMATION THEY GAIN AS A
RESULT OF THEIR OFFICE FOR
PRIVATE GAIN, BUT THAT’S NOT A
CRIMINAL LAW.
THAT’S JUST SOMETHING TO A FINE.
SO IT CERTAINLY INDICATES THERE
IS A RATCHETING UP OF THE
INVESTIGATION.
WHENEVER YOU SEARCH SOMETHING OR
GET SOMETHING FROM A MEMBER OF
CONGRESS LIKE THIS, THAT HAS TO
BE APPROVED BY VERY SENIOR
PEOPLE IN THE JUSTICE
DEPARTMENT.
BEYOND THAT, I DON’T THINK WE
CAN SAY A LOT HERE.
>> AND KASIE HUNT, THERE WAS A
CASE, OF COURSE, OF A REPUBLICAN
CONGRESSMAN FROM BUFFALO WHO DID
LEAVE CONGRESS AS A RESULT OF AN
INSIDER TRADING INVESTIGATION.
IN THAT CASE, THEY HAD IMAGES OF
HIM ON THE TELEPHONE FROM THE
WHITE HOUSE ITSELF MAKING THESE
TRADES.
AND THEY HAD THE TELEPHONE
RECORDS AS WELL.
BUT IN THIS CASE, THIS IS THE
HEAD OF THE INTELLIGENCE
COMMITTEE, A MEMBER OF THE GANG
OF EIGHT.
I HAVE NEVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKE
THIS.
WHAT THE ALLEGATION IS THIS
SENATOR GAINED FROM HIS
KNOWLEDGE OF THE PRIVATE
BRIEFINGS, INTELLIGENCE
BRIEFINGS ABOUT COVID-19 IN
JANUARY, VERY EARLY IN THE GAME,
BUT HE HAS A COMPLICATED
RELATIONSHIP WITH HIS OWN PARTY
AND WITH THIS PRESIDENT.
KASIE?
>> THAT’S RIGHT, ANDREA.
I WILL SAY THAT THE FACT THAT
BURR DECIDED TO TAKE THIS STEP
OF STEPPING ASIDE WHILE THIS
INVESTIGATION PROCEEDS IS PRETTY
REMARKABLE.
BECAUSE IT DIDN’T SEEM AS THOUGH
THERE WAS NECESSARILY PRESSURE
AROUND THAT.
THE PRECEDENCE THAT HAD BEEN
ESTABLISHED PREVIOUSLY, WE HAVE
DEALT LIKE THIS IN THE PAST,
SPECIFICALLY WITH BOB MENENDEZ,
DEMOCRAT FROM NEW JERSEY, AND
THE OFFICIAL RULES SAY UNLESS
THERE’S AN INDICTMENT, A FORMAL
CHARGE, THERE’S SEEMS TO BE A
GENERAL ACCEPTANCE THAT PEOPLE
CAN REMAIN IN THESE POSITIONS.
BUT I THINK IT UNDERSCORES THE
SERIOUSNESS OF HOW FAR ALONG
THIS PROBE HAS COME THAT THIS IS
WHAT SENATOR BURR IS DOING IN
STEPPING ASIDE FOR THE TIME
BEING.
NOW THAT SAID, THE POLITICAL
CONTEXT OF THIS IS PARTICULARLY
STRIKING.
AND SENATOR BURR HAS NOT MADE
MANY FRIENDS AMONG DIE-HARD
TRUMP SUPPORTERS BECAUSE OF THE
WAY HE’S HANDLED THE RUSSIA
INVESTIGATION IN HIS COMMITTEE.
REMEMBER, HE’S IN THE FINAL
STAGES OF PULLING TOGETHER THE
INVESTIGATION, THE REPORT ABOUT
RUSSIA AND THE POTENTIAL
COLLUSION, INVOLVEMENT AND
ATTEMPTS BY RUSSIA TO INTERFERE
IN OUR ELECTION TO HELP
PRESIDENT TRUMP.
IN FACT, THE COMMITTEE CONFIRMED
THE INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY’S
ASSESSMENT THAT’S WHAT HAPPENED
IN APRIL.
SOME PEOPLE MAY HAVE MISSED THAT
IN ALL OF THE CORONAVIRUS NEWS.
SO I THINK THAT’S AN IMPORTANT
THING TO REMEMBER AS WE WATCH
THIS CASE UNFOLD.
I SHOULD ALSO POINT OUT, ANDREA,
SENATOR BURR DID BRIEFLY STOP BY
THE POOL CAMERAS JUST A FEW
MOMENTS AGO TO ANSWER SOME
QUESTIONS.
HE WOULDN’T GO FAR BEYOND WHAT
WE HEARD FROM HIS LAWYERS OR
ANYTHING LIKE THAT.
HE SIMPLY SAID HE DID NOT WANT
THE DISTRACTION OF THIS.
SO I’M LOOKING TO SEE WHAT
SENATOR WARNER, THE VICE
CHAIRMAN AND OTHERS ARE SAYING
ABOUT WHAT THEY THINK MAY HAVE
UNFOLDED HERE.
THE OTHER LITTLE PIECE OF NEWS
WE’VE BEEN REPORTING, BURR IS
NOT THE ONLY MEMBER OF CONGRESS
WHO CONDUCTED STOCK TRADES OR
HAD TRADES CONDUCTED ON THEIR
BEHALF IN THE RUN-UP TO THIS
PANDEMIC.
SENATOR DIANNE FEINSTEIN HAS
ANSWERED QUESTIONS FROM THE FBI,
ACCORDING TO HER SPOKESMAN.
SHE ANSWERED SOME OF THOSE
QUESTIONS FROM LAW ENFORCEMENT A
COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO AND TURNED
OVER SOME DOCUMENTS AS WELL.
HER OFFICE SAYS THAT THOSE
DOCUMENTS SHOWED THAT SHE HAD NO
INVOLVEMENT.
WE’RE ALSO REACHING OUT TO
SENATOR KELLY LOCK LER,
REPUBLICAN OF GEORGIA, WHOSE
FAMILY SOLD THROUGH A BROKER
STOCK IN THE WAKE OR AS THIS WAS
ALL UNFOLDING BEFORE THE MARKET
CRASHED AMID THIS PANDEMIC.
SO SOME SWARMING QUESTIONS