>>> THEY SAY I HAVE THE MOST LOYAL PEOPLE.
LOYAL PEOPLE. DID YOU EVER SEE THAT, WHERE I
COULD STAND IN THE MIDDLE OF
FIFTH AVENUE AND SHOOT SOMEBODY
AND I WOULDN’T LOSE ANY VOTERS,
OKAY?
OKAY? IT’S LIKE INCREDIBLE.
>> IS THAT INCREDIBLE?
THAT WAS DONALD TRUMP AS A
CANDIDATE, MAKING A PREPOSTEROUS
BOAST.
BOAST. THAT’S CAMPAIGN TALK.
TONIGHT IS THE NEWS IS IT’S
BECOME AN ACTUAL FIGHT OVER
WHETHER DONALD TRUMP’S
ACCOUNTANTS HAVE TO DEFER TO A
LAW.
LAW. CLAIMING IN FEDERAL COURT HE
CAN’T EVEN BE INVESTIGATED IN
OFFICE, SKEPTICAL JUDGE PUSHED
BACK, THE CAME ABOUT THE
SHOOTING CAME UP AND HERE WE GO.
>> WHAT’S YOUR VIEW ON THE FIFTH
AVENUE EXAMPLE, LOCAL
AUTHORITIES COULDN’T
AUTHORITIES COULDN’T INVESTIGATE, THEY COULDN’T DO
ANYTHING ABOUT IT?
>> I THINK ONCE A PRESIDENT IS
REMOVED FROM OFFICE, ANY LOCAL
AUTHORITIES -- THIS IS NOT A
PERMANENT IMMUNITY.
PERMANENT IMMUNITY. >> I’M TALKING ABOUT WHILE IN
OFFICE.
OFFICE. >> NO.
>> NO. >> THAT’S THE HYPO.
NOTHING COULD BE DONE?
THAT’S YOUR POSITION?
>> THAT IS CORRECT.
THAT IS CORRECT.
>> JASON JOHNSON FROM THE ROOT.
SOMETIMES WE GO TO LAWYERS FOR
THE BIG LEGAL THINGS.
WE DIDN’T NEED A LAWYER FOR THIS
ONE.
ONE. IT’S NOT A SERIOUS LEGAL
ARGUMENT, BUT IT WAS SERIOUS LYL
POSED IN COURT, TRUMP’S LAWYER
SAYING HE COULD MURDER SOMEONE.
>> ARI, I DIDN’T PASS THE BAR
BUT I KNOW A LITTLE BIT.
THE PRESIDENT CAN’T GET AWAY
WITH THAT SORT OF THING.
>> WAIT.
>> WAIT. THAT SORT OF THING DOESN’T RHYME
WITH IT.
WITH IT. >> NO, IT DOESN’T.
>> APPRECIATE IT.
>> I THINK PEOPLE PICKED IT UP
WHERE IT WENT.
I THINK THIS IS HONESTLY ONE OF
THE MOST TELLING MOMENTS OF ALL
THE CONTROVERSIES, LEGAL AND
OTHERWISE, ABOUT THIS
PRESIDENCY.
PRESIDENCY. THEY GET ABSOLUTELY AT THE VERY
NOTION THEY HAVE TO BE HELD
ACCOUNTABLE.
ACCOUNTABLE. AT ITS CORE, WE JUST DON’T THINK
DONALD TRUMP CAN BE HELD
RESPONSIBLE FOR ANYTHING.
HE DID SORT OF MENTION LATER ON,
YOU CAN COLLECT INFORMATION FOR
A LONG-TERM INVESTIGATION.
BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY,
JUSTICE DELAYED IS JUSTICE
DENIED.
DENIED. THESE PEOPLE SEEM TO BELIEVE
THAT IF THEY CAN STALL LONG
ENOUGH AND DONALD TRUMP CAN GET
RE-ELECTED, NO ONE WILL BE ABLE
TO PURSUE THESE CASES FIVE, SIX,
SEVEN YEARS FROM NOW.
>> AND ON ONE HAND CAN BE AN
EXTREME THING THAT’S THROWN OUT
AND ON THE OTHER HAND WE TALK
ABOUT NOT LETTING THINGS BECOME
NORMALIZED.
NORMALIZED. SUBMITTED AS A CAMPAIGN AD OR
POLITICAL RHETORIC AND JOKES,
THIS IS IN COURT.
IT TRACKS DONALD TRUMP’S VIEW.
>> SURE.
>> SURE. >> YOU CAME OUT HERE WITH A
JAY-Z QUOTE ABOUT THE LAW.
I’M REMINDED OF A MORE FITY CENT
SONG WHERE HE SAYS I DON’T WANT
TO TALK ABOUT IT, AND LISTS OFF
A BUNCH OF THINGS WHILE SAYING I
DON’T WANT TO TALK ABOUT IT.
MAYBE THAT’S THE ONLY THING HE
AND TRUMP HAVE IN COMMON AT A
RHETORICAL LEVEL.
RHETORICAL LEVEL. BUT TRUMP DOESN’T WANT TO TALK
ABOUT THE CONSTITUTION THAT
MAKES HIM LIKE A DICTATOR.
>> THEN I HAVE IN ARTICLE II
WHERE I HAVE THE RIGHT TO DO
WHATEVER I WANT AS PRESIDENT BUT
I DON’T EVEN TALK ABOUT THAT.
>> IS THAT RIGHT?
>> NO.
>> NO. IT’S FUNNY.
IT’S FUNNY. THIS IS THE SORT OF TYPICAL
CONSTITUTIONAL FLEX THAT DONALD
TRUMP LIKES TO DO.
WE KNOW THE GUY DOESN’T READ,
RIGHT?
RIGHT? IT’S NOT LIKE THE PRESIDENT IS
READING ON A REGULAR BASIS.
WHEN HE SAYS I CAN SORT OF GET
AWAY WITH THESE SORTS OF THINGS
BUT I’M NOT GOING TO TALK ABOUT
IT, IT’S HIM SENDING THE
MESSAGE, NOT JUST TO HIS
SUPPORTERS, BUT ALL THE PEOPLE
WHO ENABLE HIM IN CONGRESS AND
THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT THAT I’M
GOING TO ACT WITH IMPUNITY AND
IT’S YOUR JOB TO PROTECT ME, NO
MATTER WHAT IT IS THAT I DO.
THE DANGER OF THIS IS -- YOU SEE
IT IN WHAT HAPPENED WITH
CONGRESS.
CONGRESS. MEMBERS OF CONGRESS TRYING TO GO
INTO -- HE EMBOLDENS OTHER
PEOPLE TO IGNORE THE LAW.
>> THAT’S THE OTHER THING I WANT
TO ASK YOU.
SOMEONE MIGHT LOOK AT THIS AND
SAY THERE’S A LOT GOING ON.
HOW BIG OF A DEAL IS THIS?
I ASK YOU, AS A POLITICAL IN
ASSIST, IF LAWYERS FOR PRESIDENT
OBAMA WENT INTO A COURTROOM AND
SAID THAT HE COULD KILL PEOPLE
AND IT COULDN’T BE DEALT WITH OR
INVESTIGATED, DO YOU THINK THAT
WOULD BE CONSIDERED AT THE TIME
A BIG DEAL?
>> YES, IT WOULD.
I MEAN, PRESIDENT OBAMA WEARING
A TAN SUIT WAS A BIG DEAL.
PRESIDENT OBAMA’S BIRTH
CERTIFICATE WAS A BIG DEAL.
AND ARI, I AM VERY HAPPY THAT
YOU MENTION THIS.
WE CAN’T NORMALIZE THIS.
WE CAN’T NORMALIZE THE IDEA THAT
A PRESIDENT AND PEOPLE WHO WORK
FOR HIM SAY CAN OPERATE WITH
IMMUNITY.
IMMUNITY. ONE DAY DONALD TRUMP WILL NOT BE
IN OFFICE.
IN OFFICE. THE PRECEDENCE HE’S SETTING NOW,
WHETHER HE SERVES ONE TERM OR
TWO, WILL BE FOLLOWED BY OTHER
PEOPLE.
PEOPLE. PERHAPS PEOPLE WHO ARE MORE
SOPHISTICATED AND DANGEROUS AND
WE HAVE TO HOLD HIM ACCOUNTABLE.
>> JASON JOHNSON NOT A LAWYER