INVESTIGATING LAST JANUARY'S
ATTACK ON CAPITOL HILL IS SET
TO QUESTION JARED KUSHNER
TODAY KUSHNER AGREED TO SPEAK
TO THE COMMITTEE VOLUNTARILY
AND HE NOW BECOMES THE MOST
SENIOR MEMBER OF DONALD
TRUMP'S WHITE HOUSE TO TESTIFY
IN THE INVESTIGATION. NBC NEWS
CAPITOL HILL CORRESPONDENT
ALI. BUT ALI JOINS US NOW FOR
MORE ON THIS. ALI, GOOD
MORNING. SO I MEAN, THIS FEELS
PRETTY SIGNIFICANT AS WE'VE
SEEN SO MANY PEOPLE NOT
COOPERATE CALL ON EXECUTIVE
PRIVILEGE. THAT HIS SON IN LAW
WILL BE TESTIFYING PUT THAT
SIGNIFICANCE IN CONTEXT AND
TELL ME WHAT THE COMMITTEE IS
TRYING TO FIND OUT
SPECIFICALLY FROM JARED
KUSHNER'S TESTIMONY TODAY.
>> WELL, LOOKS FROM AN OPTICS
PERSPECTIVE. THIS IS A REALLY
BIG DEAL BECAUSE QUESTION WAS
NOT ONLY A LONG-TIME TOP AIDE
IN THE WHITE HOUSE. BUT HE IS,
OF COURSE, ALSO FAMILY TO THE
FORMER PRESIDENT. SO OPTICALLY
FOR THE JANUARY 6 COMMITTEE.
IT DOES LOOK LIKE THE
PRESIDENT'S SON IN LAW COMING
FORWARD VOLUNTARILY TO TALK TO
THEM AND PARTICIPATE IN THIS
INTERVIEW THAT SIGNIFICANT ON
THE OTHER HAND, NO. JARED
KUSHNER WASN'T IN WASHINGTON
WHEN THIS WAS HAPPENING ON
JANUARY 6TH. HE HAD BEEN
OVERSEAS IN SAUDI ARABIA, PART
OF THIS POLL, FOREIGN POLICY
PORTFOLIO. SO IN TERMS OF WHAT
TANGIBLE INFORMATION HE MIGHT
HAVE IN TERMS OF THE BEHIND
THE SCENES WHAT WAS HAPPENING
IN THE WHITE HOUSE. IT'S A
LITTLE UNCLEAR AT THIS POINT
WHAT HE COULD OFFER THE
COMMITTEE. THE INTERESTING
PIECE OF THIS, THOUGH, IS IN
GETTING A SENSE OF THOSE.
JEANNE THOMAS TAX WITH MARK
MEADOWS. WE KNOW FROM THOSE
TEXT MESSAGES THAT SHE WAS
SENDING JARED KUSHNER
INFORMATION ABOUT SIDNEY
POWELL AND OTHER OF THOSE
FRINGE CONSERVATIVE LAWYERS,
THEIR LEGAL THEORIES ABOUT
WAYS TO OVERTURN THE ELECTION
THAT COULD BE ONE OF THE WAYS
THAT COMMISSIONER COULD BE
HELPFUL TO THE COMMITTEE HERE.
WE KNOW THAT THEY'RE
INVESTIGATING A WIDE RANGE OF
THINGS. BOTH INCLUDING WHAT
THE FORMER PRESIDENT WAS DOING
IN THOSE CRITICAL HOURS BUT
ALSO THE WAYS IN WHICH THE
OPPOSITION EFFORTS AND EFFORTS
TO POTENTIALLY OVERTHROW THE
ELECTION RESULTS WERE COMING
TOGETHER. SO ALL OF ITS PART
AND PARCEL. IT'S INTERESTING
TO SEE WHAT HE MIGHT BE ABLE
TO ABSOLUTELY. AND TO YOUR
POINT, INTERESTING THAT A
FAMILY MEMBER WILL WILL BE
RIGHT THERE ON THE STAND, ALI.
NOW THE BIDEN WHITE HOUSE.
>> HAS WEIGHED IN AGAIN ON THE
ROLE EXECUTIVE PRIVILEGE
SHOULD PLAY IN THE
INVESTIGATION. LET'S FIRST
LISTEN TO WHAT COMMUNICATIONS
DIRECTOR KATE BEDINGFIELD TOLD
REPORTERS YESTERDAY.
>> HE'S BEEN QUITE CLEAR THAT
THEY POSED A UNIQUE THREAT TO
OUR DEMOCRACY AND THAT THE
CONSTITUTIONAL PROTECTIONS
EXECUTIVE PRIVILEGE SHOULD NOT
BE USED TO SHIELD FROM
CONGRESS OR THE PUBLIC
INFORMATION ABOUT AN ATTACK ON
THE CONSTITUTION ITSELF. AND
SO AS A RESULT, THE WHITE
HOUSE HAS DECIDED NOT TO
ASSERT EXECUTIVE PRIVILEGE
OVER THE TESTIMONY OF JARED
KUSHNER AND IVANKA TRUMP.
>> SO WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF THIS
STANDS BY PRESIDENT BIDEN.
ALSO THAT LAST LITTLE BIT
THERE DOES OPEN THE DOOR AT
ALL FOR IVANKA TRUMP TO BE
SPEAKING WITH THE COMMITTEE
NEXT.
>> YEAH. WELL, FIRST OF THE
WHITE HOUSE SAYING THEIR
TRACKS WITH EVERYTHING THAT
THEY'VE BEEN SAYING ALL ALONG
AT EACH TURN OF THIS ONE HIGH
PROFILE INDIVIDUALS IN THE
TRUMP ORBIT HAS SAID THEY WANT
TO CITE EXECUTIVE PRIVILEGE
FOR WHY THEY CAN'T COOPERATE
WITH THE COMMITTEE. THE BIDEN
WHITE HOUSE AND THE WHITE
HOUSE COUNSEL'S OFFICE HAVE
BEEN THERE WITH LETTERS SAYING
THAT THEY'RE NOT ASSERTING
EXECUTIVE PRIVILEGE IN THIS
AND THEY ARE THE WHITE HOUSE.
BUT WHAT IS CERTAIN EXECUTIVE
PRIVILEGE HERE. SO THAT'S ONE
OF THE KEY PIECES. AND IT DOES
OFFICIALLY CLEARED THE WAY FOR
THESE FORMER WHITE HOUSE
OFFICIALS TO SPEAK WITH THE
JANUARY 6 COMMITTEE. IT'S KIND
OF FORMALITY AND IT'S NOT
ENTIRELY UNEXPECTED. THIS IS
THE WAY THE BIDEN WHITE HOUSE
HAS BEEN HANDLING THESE SORTS
OF INQUIRIES ON THE AMOUNT OF
TRUMP PIECE OF THIS. IT WAS
MONTHS AGO NOW THAT HER
VOLUNTARY REQUEST TO APPEAR
WENT OUT WITH YOU REMEMBER
THERE WERE MULTIPLE PRONGS AND
THINGS OUTLINED THAT THE
COMMITTEE WANTED TO TALK TO
HER ABOUT INCLUDING
CONVERSATIONS THAT SHE MIGHT
HAVE HAD WITH THEN CHIEF OF
STAFF MARK POTENTIALLY EVEN
MIKE PENCE CERTAINLY WITH HER
FATHER, THE PRESIDENT, ALL OF
THAT IS IMPORTANT COMMITTEE.
AT THIS POINT, THOUGH, IT'S
SORT OF A TEA LEAF READING AND
WE'LL HAVE TO SEE WHAT COMES
OUT OF TODAY'S MEETING ON
WHETHER OR NOT CHARITY SOME
KIND OF A PRECURSOR OR
POTENTIALLY SOMETHING ELSE TO
GETTING ABOUT THE TRUMP WITH
THE COMMITTEE'S LOT. SO ALI,
WE HAVE KUSHNER'S TESTIMONY
TODAY. THEN WE ALSO JUST HAD
THIS NEW INFORMATION THIS WEEK
ABOUT THIS MISSING PHONE LOGS.
SO 7 HOURS OF WHEN THE
INSURRECTION IS ACTUALLY
HAPPENING. YOU BROUGHT UP JUST
A MOMENT AGO. GINNI THOMAS IS
TEX TO MARK MEADOWS. I THINK
IT'S GOING TO COME IN CONTACT
US. AND WE'VE BEEN TALKING
ABOUT A LOT OF FEELS LIKE IT'S
BEEN GOING ON FOR A LONG TIME.
IT HAD THE STARTS AND STOPS AS
PEOPLE COOPERATE OR NOT
COOPERATE. BUT THIS IS.
>> AN INVESTIGATION LOOKING
FOR ANSWERS TO ALL THESE
DEVELOPMENTS, PUT THE
COMMITTEE ANY CLOSER TO
FINISHING THIS OR DOES THIS
ULTIMATELY JUST RAISE MORE
QUESTIONS, MORE PEOPLE THAT
WOULD NEED TO BE TALKED TO
WHERE WE AT WITH THIS.
>> YEAH. YOU KNOW WHAT, IT'S
SO FUNNY YOU SAY THIS BECAUSE
THIS IS THE QUESTION I'VE BEEN
ASKING MYSELF AND FRANKLY
MEMBERS OF THE COMMITTEE ALL
WEEK WHAT POINT AND AS
JOURNALISTS, I THINK WE ALSO
GET THIS RIGHT. WHEN YOU'RE
ATTACKING A STORY, YOU'RE
ASKING QUESTIONS THAT LEAD TO
MORE PEOPLE. AT WHAT POINT DO
YOU PUT THE PEN DOWN AND
THAT'S THE QUESTION THAT THIS
COMMITTEE HAS BEEN GRAPPLING
WITH OVER THE COURSE OF THE
LAST FEW MONTHS YOU REMEMBER
WHEN WE WERE AT THE END OF THE
CALENDAR YEAR LAST YEAR. THE
BIG CONVERSATION WAS AROUND.
THIS WILL BE THE PHASE OF
PUBLIC HEARINGS IN 2022
THEY'LL START IN FEBRUARY WILL
START BUILDING A NARRATIVE
THAT WITH THE COMMITTEE'S GOAL
WAS IT'S BEEN PUSHED BACK THE
END OF MARCH. NOW CHAIRMAN
THOMPSON HAS SAID HE WANTS TO
FINISH THE DEPOSITION PHASE OF
THIS BY THE END OF THIS MONTH.
>> AND THAT WOULD PUT HEARINGS
PUBLIC HEARINGS IN MAY. HE
REITERATED THAT TO ME
YESTERDAY AS HE WAS LEAVING
VOTES. BUT AT THE SAME TIME
WE'VE SEEN THAT SLIDING AND
THERE HAS BEEN JUST SO MUCH
INFORMATION THAT COMES OUT,
WOULD HAVE TO WONDER IF
THEY'RE NOT GOING TO BE ABLE
TO JUST PUSH AHEAD WITH PUBLIC
HEARINGS WILL ALSO STILL FACT
GATHERING THAT KIND OF STILL
UP IN THE AIR.
>> VITALE IMPORTANT CONTEXT
THERE. THANK YOU SO MUCH. GOOD