>>> BREAKING NEWS FROM "THE WASHINGTON POST," WHICH REPORTS
THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT PLANS TO
RELEASE A LIGHTLY REDACTED
VERSION OF SPECIAL COUNSEL
ROBERT MUELLER’S 400-PAGE REPORT
THURSDAY OFFERING A GRANULAR
LOOK AT THE WAYS IN WHICH
PRESIDENT TRUMP WAS SUSPECTED OF
HAVING OBSTRUCTED JUSTICE,
PEOPLE FAMILIAR WITH THE MATTER
SAID
SAID JOINING ME NOW ONE OF THE
REPORTERS WHO BROKE THAT STORY,
"WASHINGTON POST" NATIONAL
INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER CAROL
LEONNIG.
LEONNIG. CAROL, WHAT CAN YOU TELL US
ABOUT THE SCOPE OF REDACTIONS
THAT WE’RE EXPECTING TOMORROW?
>> SO, CHRIS, I HAVE TO TELL
YOU, I HAVE BEEN EXPECTING HEAVY
REDACTIONS
REDACTIONS SO THIS WAS A SURPRISE TO ME AND
TO MY COLLEAGUES I THINK WHEN WE
LEARNED FROM SOURCES THAT
THEY’RE GETTING INFORMATION THAT
THE REDACTIONS WILL BE FAIRLY
LIGHT, ESPECIALLY AS IT PERTAINS
TO INFORMATION ABOUT THE
INVESTIGATION OF THE PRESIDENT’S
ACTIONS AND POTENTIAL
OBSTRUCTION OF JUSTICE EVIDENCE.
AND WE ARE ALSO TOLD THAT THE
MOST IMPORTANT REDACTIONS WILL
BE THOSE THAT IMPLICATE PEOPLE
IN ONGOING INVESTIGATIONS, WHICH
IS INTERESTING IN AND OF ITSELF.
BUT WE ARE ALSO TOLD THAT THERE
WILL BE GRANULAR, TO QUOTE THE
SOURCE EXACTLY, GRANULAR LAYOUT
OF THE EVIDENCE THAT MUELLER’S
TEAM REVIEWED TRYING TO
DETERMINE WHETHER OR NOT THE
PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES
WAS TRYING TO THWART A CRIMINAL
INVESTIGATION OF HIS CAMPAIGN
AND ULTIMATELY OF HIMSELF.
>> IT SEEMS THAT’S THE AREA
WHERE THE MOST -- THERE IS THE
MOST AGITA FROM THE HOUSE ON
THIS
THIS I GUESS WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT
HOW MUCH OF WHAT’S CONTAINED
THEREIN IS ALREADY PUBLICLY
KNOWN AND HOW MUCH WILL BE NEW
>> THAT I WISH I COULD ANSWER
FOR YOU.
FOR YOU. IF I COULD, I WOULD HAVE POSTED
THAT STORY
THAT STORY BUT WHAT WE DO KNOW WILL BE LAID
OUT ARE THINGS LIKE THE
PRESIDENT’S TWEETS
PRESIDENT’S TWEETS THERE IS A VIEW THAT SOME OF HIS
TWEETS HAD THE APPEARANCE OF
TRYING TO THREATEN THE PROBE,
THREATEN PROSECUTORS, THREATEN
THE FBI, THE IDEA THAT SOME OF
HIS TWEETS SUGGESTED A NARRATIVE
THAT HE BELIEVED TO BE THE CASE.
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT
INVESTIGATORS OFTEN LOOK FOR IN
AN OBSTRUCTION PROBE IS DOES IT
APPEAR THAT A WITNESS IS TRYING
TO GET OTHER PEOPLE TO SADDLE UP
FOR THE SAME STORY OR COMPARE
STORIES.
STORIES. AND WE KNOW THAT THERE WILL BE
SOME DISCUSSION OF THAT.
THERE WILL ALSO BE KEY WITNESSES
THAT SPOKE TO ROBERT MUELLER’S
TEAM AND GAVE TESTIMONY ABOUT
THEIR PERSONAL INTERACTION WAS
THE PRESIDENT.
THE PRESIDENT. YOU CAN IMAGINE THAT SOME OF
THOSE WILL OBVIOUSLY INVOLVE
FORMER WHITE HOUSE COUNSEL DON
McGAHN, FORMER WHITE HOUSE
COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR HOPE
HICKS, PERSONAL COMMUNICATIONS
THEY HAD WITH THE PRESIDENT
ABOUT THE PROBE AND HOW MUCH
THEY VEXED HIM, HOW MUCH HE
WISHED IT WOULD BE OVER.
>> THERE IS ALSO THIS -- IN THE
STORY YOU TALK ABOUT THIS SORT
OF DEBATE THAT APPEARS TO BE
TAKING PLACE ABOUT THIS PRESS
CONFERENCE TOMORROW AND BARR’S
APPROACH TO THAT
WHAT DID YOU LEARN ABOUT THAT?
>> YOU KNOW, THERE IS A LOT
OF -- THAT’S NOT REALLY MY AREA,
BUT MY WONDERFUL COLLEAGUES
DEVLIN BARRETT AND ALSO MATT
ZAPATOSKI WHO COVER THE JUSTICE
DEPARTMENT HAVE BEEN COVERING
THAT VERY WELL, AND IT FOCUSES
REALLY THE CONTROVERSY IS REALLY
OVER WHY ARE YOU GOING TO HAVE A
PRESS CONFERENCE AT 9:30 IN THE
MORNING FOR A REPORT YOU’RE NOT
GOING TO RELEASE UNTIL SOME TIME
LATER.
LATER. I’M REMEMBERING KIND OF FONDLY
WHEN A SPECIAL COUNSEL
INVESTIGATING THE POTENTIAL LEAK
OF A CIA OPERATIVE’S NAME GAVE
US A FEW HOURS TO REVIEW HIS
FINAL REPORT, THIS WAS PATRICK
FITZGERALD.
FITZGERALD. >> THAT’S RIGHT.
>> BEFORE WE ALL GATHERED IN A
MAIN CONFERENCE ROOM AT THE
JUSTICE DEPARTMENT TO ASK
QUESTIONS.
QUESTIONS. THAT WAS, YOU KNOW, I THINK A
PUBLIC SERVICE IN ADDITION TO
BEING EASY ON REPORTERS.
>> GIULIANI IS SAID TO BE
PREPARING A COUNTERREPORT TO THE
FINDINGS
FINDINGS THERE WAS SOME BACK AND FORTH
ABOUT WHETHER THEY’RE GOING TO
GO AHEAD WITH THAT
PRESUMABLY THAT WOULD FOCUS ON
THESE OBSTRUCTION ISSUES
>> PRESUMABLY.
>> PRESUMABLY. I KNOW THAT THE WHITE HOUSE TEAM
FROM OTHER SOURCES WE’VE SPOKEN
TO IS PREPARING AT LEAST SOME
PUBLIC STATEMENTS ABOUT THE
WISDOM OR LACK OF WISDOM OF
INVESTIGATING A PRESIDENT FOR
POTENTIAL OBSTRUCTION OF
JUSTICE.
JUSTICE. SO THEY’VE GOT A BRIEFING THAT’S
DEEP ENOUGH FOR THEM TO FEEL
THAT THEY CAN START CRAFTING
THEIR RESPONSE TO MUELLER’S
REPORT
REPORT AS FOR A FULL COUNTERREPORT, I
HAVE NOT CONFIRMED THAT THAT’S
GOING TO BE PURSUED AT THIS
POINT.
POINT. >> THERE IS A PARAGRAPH IN THE
STORY THAT REALLY CAUGHT MY EYE.
I WANT TO READ IT AND GET YOUR
REACTION TO IT’S
A SENIOR WHITE HOUSE OFFICIAL
SAYS TRUMP HAS PRAISED BARR
PRIVATELY FOR HIS HANDLING OF
THE REPORT AND COMPARED HIM
FAVORABLY TO FORMER ATTORNEY
GENERAL JEFF SESSIONS WHO TRUMP
GREW TO LOATHE OVER HIS REFUSAL
FROM WHAT WOULD BECOME MUELLER’S
INVESTIGATION.
INVESTIGATION. IT SEEMS LIKE THERE IS A
THUMBS-UP FOR THE NEW GUY IN THE
WHITE HOUSE.
WHITE HOUSE. >> WELL, YOU KNOW, CHRIS, ONE
THING WE’VE ALL LEARNED IN THIS
ROLLER COASTER OF THE LAST TWO
YEARS IS THAT THE PRESIDENT
LIKES PEOPLE THAT HE VIEWS AS
FIGHTERS FOR HIM, PEOPLE HE
VIEWS AS LOYAL TO HIM.
AND THAT’S CERTAINLY HIS
IMPRESSION OF THE ATTORNEY
GENERAL.
GENERAL. NOW WE DON’T KNOW WHETHER OR NOT
THE ATTORNEY GENERAL IS COMING
OUT FIGHTING FOR TRUMP OR NOT IN
THE WAY HE’S HANDLED THIS, BUT
THE PUBLIC IMPRESSION IS NOT
THAT GOOD ABOUT THE OBJECTIVITY
OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL BASED ON
TWO THINGS HE’S DONE
IT DOESN’T MEAN THAT HE’S NOT
OBJECTIVE.
OBJECTIVE. >> SURE.
>> SURE. >> IT JUST MEANS THAT THE
IMPRESSION AND THE OPTICS ARE
PRETTY BAD WHEN YOU SAY YOU’RE
GOING TO SUMMARIZE MUELLER’S
REPORT AND YOUR FIRST BULLET OUT
OF THE GUN IS TO SAY THERE IS NO
CASE HERE.
CASE HERE. YOU MAY REMEMBER THAT WE IN "THE
NEW YORK TIMES" REPORTED -- "THE
NEW YORK TIMES" REPORTED IT
FIRST, AND WE FOLLOWED THEM
QUICKLY AFTER, WE REPORTED SOME
TIME AGO THAT PEOPLE ON
MUELLER’S TEAM WERE GROUSING
RATHER LOUDLY TO THEIR FRIENDS
AND ALLIES THAT BARR’S SUMMARY
WAS UNFAIR AND MISLEADING.
SO THAT WAS THE FIRST STRIKE
THE SECOND STRIKE IN TERMS OF
OPTICS, AGAIN, WE DON’T KNOW
ABOUT THE OBJECTIVITY OF THE
ATTORNEY GENERAL, ONLY HOW IT
APPEARS.
APPEARS. >> RIGHT.
>> RIGHT. >> AND THE SECOND STRIKE IS
OBVIOUSLY THIS PREPRESS
CONFERENCE BEFORE YOU GET TO SEE
THE REPORT
THE REPORT IT’S UNCLEAR TO ME WHY THE
ATTORNEY GENERAL WOULD NEED TO
EXPLAIN IT IF WE COULD READ IT
>> LET ME JUST -- A SORT OF
TECHNICAL REPORTER’S QUESTION
SINCE YOU BROUGHT THIS UP WITH
FITZGERALD
FITZGERALD I’VE GONE TO A LOT OF PRESS
CONFERENCES THAT CENTERED ON A
DOCUMENT OF PUBLIC IMPORT.
I’VE NEVER HAD THIS PARTICULAR
EXPERIENCE WHERE THE PRESS
CONFERENCE HAPPENS WITH NO ONE
HAVING ACCESS TO IT AT ANY TIME.
THEN IT ENDS AND PEOPLE ARE
GOING TO GET IT AFTERWARDS
HAVE YOU
HAVE YOU >> I’VE HAD SO MANY DIFFERENT
VARIATIONS ON THE PRESS
CONFERENCE AND ACTUAL DOCUMENT
THAT IT’S GOING TO BE HARD FOR
ME TO HAVE A TOTAL RECALL.
BUT I ACTUALLY THINK THAT THIS
PROBABLY HAS HAPPENED TO ME
BEFORE, PROBABLY NOT IN THIS
HIGH PROFILE A CASE.
>> ALL RIGHT
CAROL LEONNIG, WHOSE GOT
BREAKING NEWS REPORTING AT THIS
HOUR
HOUR THIS MUELLER REPORT WILL BE
LIGHTLY REDACTED, WHICH AS CAROL
SAID WAS SOMETHING OF A
SURPRISE
SURPRISE A LOT OF PEOPLE WERE EXPECTING
HEAVY REDACTIONS GIVEN THAT
THERE ARE FOUR SEPARATE