Healthier brain. Better life.
>>> WE HAVE SOME BREAKING NEWS
TO TELL YOU ABOUT.
BREAKING IN "NEW YORK TIMES,"
LEARNING THAT TODAY THAT GARLAND
JUSTICE DEPARTMENT HAS TAKEN A
MOST CONCRETE STEP YET TO ERASE
FOUR YEARS OF GROSS
POLITICIZATION OF THE POWER OF
THE UNITED STATES JUSTICE
DEPARTMENT.
THE STORY WILL SOUND FAMILIAR.
BILL BARR INVESTIGATING AN
EX-NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER
JOHN BOLTON.
THE PROBLEM FOR THE BARR DOJ IS
ALWAYS THIS.
A CAREER NATIONAL SECURITY
OFFICIAL REVIEWED THE MANUSCRIPT
AND HAD TESTIFIED TO THE OPINION
ZIT THAT THERE WAS NO CLASSIFIED
INFORMATION, CLEAR DS IT.
ELLEN NIGHT, A FORMER SENIOR
DIRECTOR AT THE NATIONAL
SECURITY COUNSEL THAT CONDUCTED
THAT REVIEW OF THE BOOK.
HERE’S WHAT THE LAWYER WRITES.
QUOTE, UPON THE FIRST READING IT
WAS APPARENT THAT THE MANUSCRIPT
CONTAINED CLASSIFIED NMPGS AND
TO TAKE A -- REVIEW PROCESS IN
RECENT MEMORY AT THE NSC.
SHE GAVE IT TO THE ACTING
DIRECTOR.
THE 20-YEAR CLASSIFIED
INFORMATION EXPERT.
WHO TO THAT POINT HAD NOT BEEN
INVOLVED IN THE REVIEW.
HE CAREFULLY READ THE MANUSCRIPT
TO CONFIRM THAT IT NO LONGER
CONTAINED ANY SENSITIVE OR
CLASSIFIED INFORMATION.
HE HAD THAT LETTER BEFORE
PUBLISHING THAT BOOK.
A LAWYER WAS INVOLVED IN TODAY’S
BREAKING NEW JUST LET’S READ
FROM "THE NEW YORK TIMES"
ACCOUNT OF THIS DEVELOPMENT.
THE HEADLINE, BARR REBUKE FROM
THE GARLAND JUSTICE DEPARTMENT,
THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT HAS
CLOSED A CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION
INTO WHETHER THE DISPARAGING
MEMORY DISCLOSED CLASSIFIED
INFORMATION ACCORDING TO TWO
PEOPLE BRIEFED ON THE MATTER.
LET’S BRING IN FRANK FIGLIUZZI
AND CHARLIE SYKES.
I’M SORRY TO THROW BREAKING NEWS
ON BOTH OF YOU BUT IF THERE’S A
STORY YOU CAN HANDLE BETTER THAN
ANYONE IT’S THIS ONE.
FRANK, EXPLAIN HOW IT GOT OUT
THE GATE.
WHEN THE PROCESS OF REMOVING ANY
CLASSIFIED INFORMATION WAS ONE
ATTESTED TO BY CAREER NATIONAL
SECURITY OFFICIALS, THE BARR DOJ
SEEMINGLY PROCEEDED WITH A
CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION ANYWAY.
>> YOU KIND OF ANSWERED THE
QUESTION BY THE CONTENT OF THE
QUESTION.
BY THAT I MEAN THIS COULD NOT
HAVE HAPPENED IF BOTH THE WHITE
HOUSE AND THE DOJ WERE IN ON IT.
RIGHT?
SO THE WHITE HOUSE COULD BE
UPSET THAT SOMEONE PUBLISHED A
BOOK ABOUT THE INNER WORKINGS OF
NATIONAL SECURITY DISCUSSIONS IN
THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION BUT TO
GO SCORCHED EARTH AND TRY TO
BLOCK IT FROM BEING PUBLISHED
YOU GOT TO HAVE THE AG IN ON IT
AND PROSECUTORS AND THAT’S HOW
IT WAS ALLOWED TO HAPPEN.
THIS IS ANOTHER CASE OF TRYING
TO SILENCE SOMEBODY.
NO MATTER WHAT YOU THINK OF JOHN
BOLTON THIS IS AN EFFORT TO
SILENCE A MAN WHO SIMPLY WANTED
TO TELL HIS STORY AND TRUMP
DIDN’T LIKE THE STORY AND
BROUGHT IN THE DOJ TO DO HIS
BIDDING.
TODAY GAR LAND’S DOJ IS SAYING
ENOUGH IS ENOUGH.
NO CRIMINAL CASE AND BY THE WAY
IT APPEARS FROM THIS REPORTING
JOHN BOLTON CAN LIKELY GET THE
PROCEEDS FROM THE SALES OF HIS
BOOK.
>> THIS FEELS LIKE IT’S ABOUT
THE TIP OF THE ICEBERG THAT IS
SHOWING US THAT UNDERNEATH IS
SOMETHING UGLIER, CHARLIE.
BOLTON IS NOT AN ALLY OF THE
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION BUT IF THIS
IS ABOUT FACTLESS, BASELESS
TRITD CALL RETRIBUTION, WHAT DO
PEOPLE THINK HE DID TO SWALWELL
AND SCHIFF?
FOR YOU, CHARLIE.
>> IT IS THAT --
>> CHARLIE, YOU ARE FROZEN.
CAN YOU HEAR US?
>> I CAN HEAR YOU NOW.
IF THERE’S A THEME TO THE NEWS
TODAY IT IS THAT NORMALITY IS
NEWS
NEWSWORTHY.
AN INTERNATIONAL SUMMIT AND THE
ATTORNEY GENERAL BASICALLY
SAYING THAT WE WON’T USE THE
POWER OF THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT
TO IGNORE THE LAWS AND SUPPRESS
SPEECH.
THIS IS A ROGUE ADMINISTRATION
AND WE KNEW THIS.
WHAT’S BECOMING MORE CLEAR IS
HOW FAR THE ABUSES OF LAW
ENFORCEMENT WOULD HAVE GONE ON
THIS ADMINISTRATION IF THERE HAD
NOT BEEN PUSHBACK OCCASIONALLY.
DONALD TRUMP IS SITTING IN THE
OVAL OFFICE AND ISSUING ORDERS
TO THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT TO
HARASS AND PUNISH CRITICS.
THIS IS THE ABUSE OF POWER YOU
DON’T WANT DO SEE AND OTHERS
WOULD HAVE RESISTED SO IT IS
REFRESHING TO SEE THAT WE’RE
KIND OF REVERTING TO THE NORM
THAT THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED
STATES SHOULD NOT BE ABLE TO
CRUSH HIS OPPONENTS IN THE WAY
THAT DONALD TRUMP TRIED TO CRUSH
MANY OF HIS CRITICS INCLUDING
JOHN BOLTON.
>> I WANT TO BRING INTO OUR
CONVERSATION A REPORTER WHO
BROKE THIS STORY AT "NEW YORK
TIMES," WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT
MIKE SCHMIDT.
WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT THE
REVIEW PROCESS FOR THIS BOLTON
CASE BY THE GARLAND JUSTICE
DEPARTMENT?
>> WHEN THE GARLAND JUSTICE
DEPARTMENT CAME IN THEY SORT OF
LOOKED AT THIS CASE AS THEY
LOOKED AT A RANGE OF OTHER
MATTERS THAT THE TRUMP/BARR
JUSTICE DEPARTMENT HAD DONE AND
SORT OF EVALUATED IT.
SIMILAR TO THE CAROL LAWSUIT
DECISION THAT WAS MADE LAST
WEEK.
THEY LOOKED AT THE DECISION AND
THEY REALIZED THAT A LAWSUIT
ALLOWING A LAWSUIT TO MOVE
FORWARD WOULD -- COULD
POTENTIALLY EXPOSE SOME
WRONGDOING ON THE SIDE OF THE
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION AND THE
JUSTICE DEPARTMENT BUT THAT WAS
NO REASON FOR ESSENTIALLY A
MERITLESS SUIT TO MOVE FORWARD
AND WILLING TO PUT THIS MATTER
BEHIND THEM AND TO REACH THIS
DEAL AND THE MOST IMPORTANT --
TWO MAJOR ASPECTS HERE FOR THE
BOLTON.
THE FIRST IS THAT HE GETS TO
KEEP HIS MONEY FROM THE BOOK.
THE GOVERNMENT WILL NOT TRY TO
RECOUP THAT MONEY BECAUSE OF HOW
THE BARR JUSTICE DEPARTMENT SAID
HE DIDN’T FOLLOW THE
PRE-PUBLICATION REVIEW PROCESS,
THE WAY THE BOOK WAS REVIEWED
FOR CLASSIFIED INFORMATION.
THE SECOND THING IS THAT THE
CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION HAS BEEN
CLOSED.
WE KNOW AS OF LAST FALL THE BARR
JUSTICE DEPARTMENT WAS LOOKING
AT WHETHER BOLTON HAD BROKEN THE
LAW BY DISCLOSING THE CLASSIFIED
DETAILS.
WITH TRUMP CLASSIFIED DETAILS IN
HIS BOOK.
AND NOW, BOLTON BEING TOLD BY
THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT THAT THAT
HAS BEEN CLOSED.
>> WHAT DOES IT SAY THAT THIS
JUSTICE DEPARTMENT LOOKED AT THE
FACTS AND DIDN’T THINK THE FACTS
MEASURED UP TO A STANDARD TO
CRIMINALLY PROSECUTE JOHN
BOLTON?
WERE FACTS MANUFACTURED BY THE
BARR JUSTICE DEPARTMENT?
IT FEELS LIKE A PRETTY CLEAR
REBUKE OF THE MOST SACRED POWERS
OF THE UNITED STATES JUSTICE
DEPARTMENT, CRIMINAL
INVESTIGATIONS AND PROSECUTIONS.
>> WELL, IT CERTAINLY IS A
SIGNIFICANT REVERSAL OF THE
POSITION THAT THE BARR JUSTICE
DEPARTMENT TOOK.
PERHAPS ONE OF THE BIGGEST THAT
WE HAVE SEEN SINCE THE -- SINCE
GARLAND HAS COME IN.
THERE HAVE BEEN A LOT OF
QUESTIONS OF WHAT GARLAND IS
GOING TO SORT OF BACK UP AND GO
ALONG WITH THAT HAD BEGUN UNDER
BARR AND THIS IS ONE OF THEM
THAT THEY PUT AN END TO AND IF
YOU THINK BACK THIS IS A WIDE
RANGING BY THE JUSTICE
DEPARTMENT.
USED BOTH CIVIL AND CRIMINAL
POWERS TO EXAMINE BOLTON.
THEY TRIED CIVILLY TO INITIALLY