>>> WELCOME BACK TO "THE BEAT." BILL BARR NOW FACING CALLS TO
RESIGN.
RESIGN. THE ATTORNEY GENERAL UNDER FIRE
FROM DEMOCRATS SAYING HE
DECEIVED AND PURPOSEFULLY MISLED
CONGRESS TO SHIELD PRESIDENT
TRUMP.
TRUMP. MUCH OF THIS CENTERING AROUND A
MOMENT AT A HEARING LAST MONTH
WHEN CONGRESSMAN CHARLIE CRIST
CONFRONTED BILL BARR.
>> REPORTS HAVE EMERGED RECENTLY
THAT MEMBERS OF THE SPECIAL
COUNSEL’S TEAM ARE FRUSTRATED AT
SOME LEVEL WITH THE LIMITED
INFORMATION INCLUDED IN YOUR
MARCH 24th HER.
THAT IT DOES NOT PORTRAY THE
COURT’S FINDINGS.
COURT’S FINDINGS. DO YOU KNOW WHAT THEY’RE
REFERENCING WITH THAT?
>> NO, I DON’T.
>> I DON’T?
FOR REAL?
FOR REAL? DEMOCRATS ARE SAYING THAT ANSWER
LOOKS MORE AND MORE SUSPECT
AFTER MUELLER’S LETTER TO BARR
HAS EMERGED SAYING THE FOUR-PAGE
SUMMARY DID NOT FULLY CAPTURE
THE SPOUP’S WORK AND
CONCLUSIONS.
CONCLUSIONS. HERE IS BARR UNFIRE TODAY.
>> I CANNOT IMAGINE YOU RECEIVE
THAT LETTER ON MARCH 24th AND
COULD NOT ANSWER CONGRESSMAN
CRIST DIRECTLY WHEN HE ASKED YOU
WHETHER THERE WERE CONCERNS
ABOUT REPRESENTATIONS BEING
MADE.
MADE. >> MY UNDERSTANDING WAS HIS
CONCERN WAS NOT THE ACCURACY OF
THE STATEMENT OF THE FINDINGS IN
MY LETTER.
MY LETTER. BUT THAT HE WANTED MORE TO FIND
ADDITIONAL CONTEXT.
ADDITIONAL CONTEXT. >> JOINING ME NOW, DEMOCRATIC
CONGRESSMAN CHARLIE CRIST.
YOUR REACTION TO BARR’S ANSWER
ON YOUR QUESTION FROM LAST
MONTH.
MONTH. WHEN IT SURE SEEMED LIKE HE
DIDN’T KNOW ANYTHING BACK THEN.
>> IT’S REMARKABLE.
IT REALLY IS.
WHEN YOU TAKE INTO ACCOUNT THAT
WHEN I ASK THOSE QUESTIONS, BACK
ON APRIL 9th, THE ATTORNEY
GENERAL KNEW THAT HE HAD
RECEIVED A LETTER FROM BOB
MUELLER.
MUELLER. I DID NOT.
I WAS INNOCENTLY ASKING THE
QUESTION BASED ON SOME NEWS
ACCOUNTS THAT HAD REFLECTED THAT
MUELLER’S TEAM HAD BEEN
FRUSTRATED OR CONCERNED ABOUT
THE SUMMARY THAT HAD BEEN PUT
OUT BY THE ATTORNEY GENERAL IN
HIS FOUR-PAGE LETTER.
AND SO WHEN I ASKED HIM IF HE
HAD ANY INSIGHT, OR ANY IDEA
WHAT THEY WERE REFLECTING UPON,
HE SAID NO, I DON’T.
THAT’S NOT THE TRUTH.
HE HAD THIS LETTER.
BOB MUELLER SENT IT TO HIM.
HE RECEIVED ON IT MARCH 28th, I
BELIEVE.
BELIEVE. AND THE FACT THAT HE WOULD SAY
THAT TO US, AND THEN SORT OF
DOUBLE DOWN ON IT THE VERY NEXT
DAY TO THE SENATE APPROPRIATIONS
COMMITTEE FOR SENATOR VAN HOLIN
OF MARYLAND, IT IS
INCOMPREHENSIVE THAT THE
ATTORNEY GENERAL OF THE UNITED
STATES OF AMERICA WOULD
MISREPRESENT HIMSELF SO MUCH
BEFORE THE UNITED STATES
CONGRESS IS THAT IN ESSENCE,
WHAT HE’S DOING IS HE’S LYING TO
THE AMERICAN PEOPLE.
THAT’S BEYOND DISAPPOINTING.
IT IS UNCONSCIONABLE.
>> IT IS BEYOND DISPOINGS.
IF HE LIED TO CONGRESS AND THE
AMERICAN PEOPLE, AND THERE ARE
NO TANGIBLE CONSEQUENCES, ISN’T
THE BIGGEST RISK THAT HERE WE
ARE IN 2019 AND IT IS A BIG SO
WHAT?
WHAT? >> IT IS NOT A BIG SO WHAT TO
THE PEOPLE WHO WATCHED IT AND
MISSED IT.
MISSED IT. IT ERODES THE CONFIDENCE IN THE
OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL,
THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT TO HAVE
THE CHIEF LEGAL OFFICER OF THE
UNITED STATES OF MANAGER BEING
UNTRUTHFUL TO CONGRESS.
I USED TO BE AN ATTORNEY GENERAL
FOR THE STATE OF FLORIDA.
THE THIRD LARGEST STATE IN THE
COUNTRY.
COUNTRY. AND I UNDERSTOOD THE ROLE.
AND I THINK YOU’RE HELD TO A
HIGHER STANDARD.
HIGHER STANDARD. AND IT SEEMS TO ME THAT MR. BARR
DOESN’T APPRECIATE OR UNDERSTAND
THAT.
THAT. THE PEOPLE EXPECT HONESTY,
TRUSTWORTHINESS, TRANSPARENCY,
TRUSTWORTHINESS, TRANSPARENCY, PARTICULARLY WHEN IT COMES TO
THE HIGHEST LEGAL OFFICE IN THE
LAND.
LAND. AND HE JUST FAILED ON ALL THREE
FRONTS.
FRONTS. >> I’M NOT SURE HE WAS SPEAKING
OR PERFORMING OR ANSWERING FOR
THE PEOPLE.
THE PEOPLE. HE SEEMED TO BE DOING IT FOR AN
AUDIENCE OF ONE.
PRESIDENT TRUMP.
PRESIDENT TRUMP. AND I’M GUESSING PRESIDENT TRUMP
WAS HAPPY WITH BARR’S
PERFORMANCE TODAY.
PERFORMANCE TODAY. DO YOU BELIEVE HE SHOULD RESIGN?
>> I DO.
>> I DO. AS IN, YOU KNOW, ACTING, I AGREE
WITH YOU, SENATOR BOOKER SAID
BEFORE, HE DOESN’T SEEM TO
UNDERSTAND THE DISTINCTION OF
THE ROLE HE HAS.
AMAZING.
AMAZING. HE WAS THE ATTORNEY GENERAL
BEFORE.
BEFORE. BUT HE’S ACTING AS THOUGH HE IS
THE PERSONAL ATTORNEY FOR THE
PRESIDENT.
PRESIDENT. THE ATTORNEY GENERAL IS THE
ATTORNEY FOR ALL THE PEOPLE OF
OUR COUNTRY.
OUR COUNTRY. AND THAT’S WHY HE SHOULD RESIGN.
HE DOESN’T UNDERSTAND THE ROLE
AND HE’S NOT ACTING
APPROPRIATELY.
APPROPRIATELY. >> BUT HE IS NOT NAIVE.
HE KNOWS EXACTLY HOW TO DO THE
JOB.
JOB. SO WE NEED WONDER, WHY ISN’T HE
DOING IT?
DOING IT? PLEASE STAY WITH ME.
I WANT TO GET TO THAT MOMENT
THAT YOU JUST REFERENCED FROM A
HEARING BACK IN APRIL.
>> DID BOB MUELLER SUPPORT YOUR
CONCLUSION?
CONCLUSION? >> I DON’T KNOW WHETHER BOB
MUELLER SUPPORTED MY CONCLUSION.
>> HE DID KNOW.
BECAUSE HE HAD MUELLER’S LETTER.
HE HAD SPOKEN TO HIM ON THE
PHONE.
PHONE. JOINING ME NOW, THE FORMER
FEDERAL PROSECUTOR, JOHN
FLANNERY.
FLANNERY. WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF THAT?
HE HAD THIS EXACT JOB.
>> WELL, I THINK THE MISTAKE IS
ASSUMING THE ESSENCE OF THE MAN
WAS SO GOOD AND THEN TRYING ON
SQUEEZE EVERYTHING HE’S DONE
THAT’S BAD INTO A FOREGONE
CONCLUSION THAT HE’S A GOOD MAN.
I DON’T BELIEVE AS HE GOOD MAN
AND THERE ARE THINGS IN HIS
HISTORY THAT SUGGEST THAT.
HIS PERFORMANCE TODAY WAS A
SHAME AND A DISGRACE.
I COULD NOT SAY I BELIEVE MORE
STRONGLY ON WHAT CONGRESSMAN
CRIST SAID.
CRIST SAID. THAT HE’S FAILING THE COUNTRY.
HE’S SUPPOSED TO BE THE TOP LAW
ENFORCEMENT OFFICER.
ENFORCEMENT OFFICER. AND IT IS VERY INTERESTING.
THAT QUOTE THAT YOU HAD FROM THE
CRIST INTERVIEW, HE SAYS NO, I
DON’T KNOW.
DON’T KNOW. BUT THEN RIGHT AFTER THAT, HE
SAYS, I SUSPECT THAT THEY
PROBABLY WANTED MORE PUT OUT.
BUT IN MY VIEW, I WAS NOT
PUTTING OUT SUMMARIES, OR TRYING
TO SUMMARIZE.
TO SUMMARIZE. HE SAYS THAT DESPITE THE FACT
WHAT STARTED THIS WAS HIS MARCH
24th LETTER.
24th LETTER. ON THE SECOND PAGE HE SAYS
BELOW, I SUMMARIZE THE PRINCIPAL
CONCLUSION SET OUT IN THE
SPECIAL COUNSEL’S REPORT.
AND TOO MANY PEOPLE HAVE
OVERLOOKED THIS, AS FAR AS I CAN
TELL TODAY.
TELL TODAY. OTHER CONTENT IN MUELLER’S
LETTER.
LETTER. MUELLER SAID, WE HAD A MEGTETING
ON MARCH 5th.
HE SAID THEY MET ON THE
AFTERNOON OF THE 24th, THE
SUNDAY THAT LETTER CAME OUT.
WHAT WAS THAT CONVERSATION
ABOUT?
ABOUT? AND PEP THEY DISCUSSED THE
INTRODUCTIONS AND EXECUTIVE
SUMMARIES OF OUR TWO VOLUME
REPORT.
REPORT. MR. BARR TO PUT OUT.
HE DIDN’T PUT HIM OUT BECAUSE IT
DIDN’T SERVE THEIR PURPOSE.
HIS PURPOSE WAS THE DEAL HE HAD
WITH TRUMP WHICH WAS TO PROTECT
HIM AND TO WIPE AWAY THE ENTIRE
INVESTIGATION.
INVESTIGATION. AND THE REST OF THAT INTERVIEW
BY MR. CRIST, I SHOULD SAY,
HEARING, IF YOU LOOK AT IT.
THERE IS A WHOLE SERIES OF
THINGS THAT ARE THAT LIKE HE
DOESN’T KNOW WHAT EXONERATION
MEANS.
MEANS. THIS ESTEEMED LAWYER, THOUGHT SO
HIGHLY BY SO MANY, DOESN’T KNOW
WHAT EXONERATION MEANS.
HE MISSED THE WHOLE POINT.
MUELLER COULDN’T SAY WHETHER OR
NOT HE SAID HE COMMITTED A
CRIME.
CRIME. THAT HE SAID BECAUSE OF THE OLC,
OFFICE OF LEGAL COUNSEL MEMO.
WHAT COULD HE DO?
HE DID NOT WANT TO SAY EVEN IF
WE CAN’T PROSECUTE HIM, HE
COMMITTED A CRIME.
SO HE HANDED IT TO CONGRESS
WITHOUT PRE DERRELLING HOW THEY
IS HABUL IT BUT SAID HE COULDN’T
EXONERATE HIM.
EXONERATE HIM. SO HIS SUGGESTION WAS THIS IS
WORTH YOUR CONSIDERATION.
THESE TEN INSTANCE THAT’S I’M
TELLING YOU ARE OBSTRUCTION OF
JUSTICE.
JUSTICE. KIDS ON THE STREET KNOW THIS
PRESIDENT IS A SHAME AND A
DISGRACEFUL RESIGNATION,
DISGRACEFUL RESIGNATION, IMPEACHMENT, OR PROSECUTION,
DOESN’T SEEM OUT OF BALANCE.
OUT OF CONSIDERATION GIVEN HIS
CONDUCT, TODAY AND BEFORE THIS.
>> TEN INSTANCES.
ONE OF WHICH WAS THE PRESIDENT
ASKING COREY LEWANDOWSKI, A
PRIVATE CITIZEN, TO TAKE ACTION
AND FIRE THE ATTORNEY GENERAL.
JUST GET YOUR HEAD AROUND THAT.
CONGRESSMAN, JUDGE NAPOLITANO ON
FOX NEWS SAID HE DIDN’T THINK
BILL BARR LIED TO CONGRESS.
HE JUST MISLED CONGRESS.
HELP ME UNDERSTAND WHAT THE
DIFFERENCE IS BETWEEN TWO.
>> IT’S A DISTINCTION WITHOUT A
DIFFERENCE.
DIFFERENCE. THEY’RE THE SAME THING.
MISLEADING, BEING UNTRUTHFUL,
LYING, WHATEVER YOU WANT TO CALL
IT.
IT. IT IS NOT BEING HONEST.
NOT BEING TRANSPARENT.
NOT BEING APPROPRIATE WITH THE
AMERICAN PEOPLE.
AMERICAN PEOPLE. AND WHEN YOU’RE BEFORE CONGRESS,
IT IS NOT SO IMPORTANT HOW THEY
COMPORT THEMSELVES TO US AND MY
COLLEAGUES.
COLLEAGUES. THROUGH US, THEY’RE
REPRESENTATIVES, THEIR SENATORS,
THEY’RE COMMUNICATING WITH THE
AMERICAN PEOPLE.
AMERICAN PEOPLE. WE’RE ASKING QUESTIONS ON BEHALF
OF THE AMERICAN PEOPLE TO GET TO
THE TRUTH OF WHAT THAT HERE.
SO WHEN I ASKED THE QUESTION,
DID YOU REALIZE WHY THERE MAY
HAVE BEEN CONCERNS FOR MUELLER’S
TEAM.
TEAM. AND THEN HE SAID, I THOUGHT HE
WAS ASKING, MEANING ME, ABOUT
THE TEAM MEMBERS OF MUELLER’S
INVESTIGATION HE’S THE
QUARTERBACK OF THE TEAM.
SO TO TRY TO DISTANCE HIMSELF
AND TAKE IT OUT OF THAT CONTEXT,
THAT WAS SHOCKING.
ONE OF SHAKESPEARE’S CHARACTERS,
HE TELLS, I THINK THEY WANTED