>>> WE CAN FINALLY END THIS Book now at ChoiceHotels.com
>>> WE CAN FINALLY END THIS GROUNDHOG DAY SPECTACLE, STOP
ENDLESSLY RELITIGATING A 2
1/2-YEAR-OLD ELECTION RESULT AND
MOVE FORWARD FOR THE AMERICAN
PEOPLE.
PEOPLE. AND THE SPECIAL COUNSEL’S
FINDING IS CLEAR, CASE CLOSED.
CASE CLOSED.
CASE CLOSED. >> YOU HEARD HIM THERE.
MITCH McCONNELL SAYS CASE
CLOSED.
CLOSED. IT’S TIME TO MOVE ON.
BUT ONE OF HIS OWN REPUBLICAN
COLLEAGUES, THE CHAIRMAN OF THE
SENATE INTEL COMMITTEE, RICHARD
BURR, SAYS NOT SO FAST OF THE
HIS COMPANY SUBPOENA OF DONALD
TRUMP JR. STANDS OUT BECAUSE IT
COMES FROM A REPUBLICAN-LED
SENATE PANEL.
SENATE PANEL. BUT IT’S JUST ONE OF A HALF A
DOZEN SUBPOENAS ISSUED TO THIS
ADMINISTRATION FROM FOUR
DIFFERENT COMMITTEES.
DIFFERENT COMMITTEES. THE WHITE HOUSE HAS AGREED TO
COMPLY WITH NONE OF THEM.
ELI STOECKEL, WHITE HOUSE
REPORTER FOR "L.A. TIMES," THE
PRESIDENT AND CEO OF THE
NATIONAL CONSTITUTION CENTER AND
PROFESSION AT AT GEORGE
WASHINGTON SCHOOL OF LAW.
ELI, HERE’S THE ISSUE, THE WHITE
HOUSE HAS PAINTED ALL OF THESE
SUBPOENAS AS PART OF THE
DEMOCRATIC WITCH-HUNT AND THE --
IT’S ALL A GRAND HOAX.
BUT IN THIS CASE, THIS IS A
SENATE COMMITTEE LED BY A
REPUBLICAN AND EVEN THE HOUSE
INTELL COMMITTEE SUBPOENA FOR
THE MUELLER REPORT, THAT WAS
SIGNED OFF BY ADAM SCHIFF, YES,
DEMOCRAT, AND REPUBLICAN EVAN
NUNEZ.
NUNEZ. DO THESE FACTS CHANGE THE WHITE
HOUSE’S NARRATIVE OR DEFENSE?
>> THEY DON’T CHANGE THE PLAN,
WHICH IS CONTINUE TO STONEWALL
AND SAY NO TO THESE REQUESTS AND
SAY LOOK, MUELLER COULDN’T FIND
ANYTHING AND TOOK TWO YEARS,
THIS IS OVER WITH, MOVE ON.
THAT WILL BE THEIR PLAN.
THE PRESIDENT IS REALLY EAGER TO
END THESE INVESTIGATIONS, TO
SNUFF THEM OUT SO TO SPEAK.
I THINK THEIR ACTIONS DOING SO
ARE REALLY JUST ADDING MORE FUEL
TO THE INVESTIGATIONS.
YOU HEARD SPEAKER PELOSI TALKING
ABOUT HE’S ALMOST GETTING US
INTO CONTINUING THESE
INVESTIGATIONS AND PUSHING US
TOWARDS IMPEACHMENT.
TOWARDS IMPEACHMENT. I THINK THAT’S MAYBE THE NET
EFFECT OF SOME OF THIS WHEN
THEY’RE REFUSING SUBPOENAS AND
SO FORTH.
SO FORTH. BUT CLEARLY ON THE REPUBLICAN
SIDE, THERE’S A LOT OF
FRUSTRATION BECAUSE YOU HEAR
MITCH McCONNELL SAY CASE CLOSED.
AND SENATOR BUR IS NOT ON THE
SAME SCRIPT.
SAME SCRIPT. AND, YES, THE SUBPOENA WAS
ISSUED WEEKS BEFORE McCONNELL
TOOK TO THE FLOOR.
THIS WAS IN THE WORKS FOR A
WHILE.
WHILE. WE’RE JUST HEARING ABOUT IT NOW.
BUT THERE IS AN EXACTATION AT
THE WHITE HOUSE AND FROM OTHER
REPUBLICANS EXPRESSING
REPUBLICANS EXPRESSING FRUSTRATION THAT POLITICS SHOULD
BE THICKER THAN EVERYTHING ELSE,
SHOULD BE THICKER THAN YOUR OATH
TO UPHOLD THE CONSTITUTION AND
PRESERVE THE SEPARATION OF
POWERS.
POWERS. THAT TELLS YOU A LOT ABOUT THE
MOMENT THAT WE’RE IN, THE
EXPRESSIONS OF FRUSTRATION FROM
PEOPLE AROUND DON JR. AND INSIDE
THE WHITE HOUSE PRIVATELY,
THEY’RE FRUSTRATED AT THE FACT
THAT THIS IS COMING FROM A
COMMITTEE LED BY A REPUBLICAN.
THAT TELLS YOU A LOT.
>> YOU THINK RICHARD BURR GOT
ANY PHONE CALLS OR TEXT MESSAGES
LAST NIGHT?
LAST NIGHT? UP UNTIL NOW THE PRESIDENT
CONTINUES TO USE EXECUTIVE
PRIVILEGE TO KEEP THE MUELLER
REPORT OUT OF OTHERS’ HANDS.
BUT IN THIS CASE, THIS IS DONALD
TRUMP JR.
TRUMP JR. HE CAN’T PROTECT DONALD TRUMP
JR.
JR. HE’S NOT AN ELECTED OFFICIAL.
HE DOESN’T WORK INSIDE THE WHITE
HOUSE.
HOUSE. HE’S NOT A LAWYER AND NOT THE
SITTING PRESIDENT.
SITTING PRESIDENT. >> THAT’S ABSOLUTELY RIGHT.
EXECUTIVE PRIVILEGE ONLY COVERS
EXECUTIVE DELIBERATIONS AND ONLY
ABOUT MATTERS INVOLVING FOREIGN
POLICY OR SENSITIVE EXECUTIVE
FUNCTIONS.
FUNCTIONS. IT DOES NOT EVEN COVER GRAND
JURY SECRECY, WHICH IS WHAT MOST
REDACTIONS IN THE MUELLER REPORT
INVOLVED.
INVOLVED. IT CERTAINLY DOESN’T COVER ANY
OF THE PRESIDENT’S BUSINESS
DEALINGS BEFORE HE BECAME
PRESIDENT, AND, THEREFORE,
EXECUTIVE PRIVILEGE CANNOT
PREVENT DONALD TRUMP FROM
TESTIFYING.
TESTIFYING. MORE BROADLY, CONGRESS IS
THINKING OF BUNDLING ALL OF THE
CONTEMPT CITATIONS AGAINST
OFFICIALS WHO ARE REFUSING TO
TESTIFY, DONALD TRUMP JR.,
WILLIAM BARR, DON McGAHN,
SENDING ALL OF THOSE TO A
DISTRICT COURT IN ONE PACKAGE
AND TRYING TO GET A CONTEMPT
FINDING THAT COULD LATER BECOME
THE BASIS OF A POSSIBLE
IMPEACHMENT FINDING.
IMPEACHMENT FINDING. SO THAT’S ABSOLUTELY RIGHT
SELF-IMPEACHMENT AS THE SPEAKER
SAID IS REFERRING TO ARTICLES OF
IMPEACHMENT AGAINST PRESIDENT
NIXON FOR DEFYING CONGRESSIONAL
SUBPOENAS AND WHETHER OR NOT
THESE SUBPOENAS WERE ENFORCED IN
COURT, THEY MAY ENDS UP IN THE
IMPEACHMENT PROCEEDING ITSELF.
>> THE BUZZ FROM DAYTONAONALD TR
JR.’S CAMP IS THIS IS A PR
STUNT.
STUNT. AND RICHARD BURR, WE SHOULD
REMIND OUR AUDIENCE HE’S BEEN A
REPUBLICAN A WHOLE HECK OF A LOT
LONGER THAN THE PRESIDENT
HIMSELF HAS.
HIMSELF HAS. WHAT’S THE RATIONAL, PR STUNT
FOR WHOM?
FOR WHOM? >> RIGHT.
>> RIGHT. THE WHITE HOUSE BELIEVES ON THE
POLITICS OF THIS, THE AMERICAN
PUBLIC DOESN’T WANT IMPEACHMENT
AND READY TO MOVE ON.
THEY’RE SAYING THIS IS A PR
STUNT DONE BY POLITICS EVEN
THOUGH THEY BELIEVE THE POLITICS
ON THIS ARE KINDS OF A WASH AND
BOTH SIDES ARE FIRMLY
ENTRENCHED.
ENTRENCHED. OBVIOUSLY IF THERE’S NOTHING TO
HIDE AND YOU JUST GO DO THE
INTERVIEW, YOU’RE NOT CLAIMING
EXECUTIVE PRIVILEGE, YOU JUST
PUT EVERYTHING OUT THERE AND
THAT IS THE OPPOSITE OF WHAT
THIS WHITE HOUSE IS DOING RIGHT
NOW.
NOW. >> JERRY NADLER SAID THIS IS A
CONSTITUTIONAL CRISIS.
CONSTITUTIONAL CRISIS. YESTERDAY I SAW DOWN WITH CHRIS
CHRISTIE AND FORMER ATTORNEY
GENERAL JEFF SESSIONS.
THEY SAID NO, NOT YET, THIS IS
JUST SOMETHING THAT HAS TO WORK
ITS WAY THROUGH THE COURT
SYSTEM.
SYSTEM. WHAT’S YOUR TAKE?
>> I PUT A PRETTY HIGH BAR FOR
CONSTITUTIONAL CRISIS.
CONSTITUTIONAL CRISIS. FOUNDING, CIVIL WAR,
CONSTITUTIONAL CRISIS.
CONSTITUTIONAL CRISIS. WHEN THERE’S BLOOD IN THE
STREETS AND VIOLENCE, THAT’S
CONSTITUTIONAL CRISIS.
CONSTITUTIONAL CRISIS. RIGHT NOW WE ARE SEEING SERIOUS
CONSTITUTIONAL CONFLICT BETWEEN
BRANCHES THAT COULD LEAD AS IN
THE WATERGATE ERA OR ANDREW
JOHNSON AFTER THE CIVIL WAR TO
POSSIBLE CONTEMPT CITATIONS OR
IMPEACHMENT.
IMPEACHMENT. BUT FOR CRISIS, I WOULD SPAY YOU
HAVE TO SEND OUT THE TROOPS.