BE JUST AND FAIR. THE OUTCOME WILL BE FAIR.
I WORRY ABOUT THE PERCEPTION.
>> ALL OF THIS BRINGS US TO THE
SO-CALLED BARR FIGHT.
>> LOVE T. THE ATTORNEY GENERAL
SAYING IN A NEW INTERVIEW WITH
ABC NEWS THAT THE PRESIDENT’S
COMMENTS AND TWEETS MAKE IT
"IMPOSSIBLE FOR HIM TO DO HIS
JOB."
JOB." WILLIAM BARR INSISTS HE WAS NOT
ASKED BY THE PRESIDENT OR ANYONE
FROM THE WHITE HOUSE TO
INTERVENE IN THE STONE CASE.
BARR SAYS HE SPOKE TO THE U.S.
ATTORNEY BEFORE THE SENTENCING
MEMO WAS TURNED IN AND ADVISED
HIM NOT TO RECOMMEND A SEVEN TO
NINE-YEAR PRISON SENTENCE.
BUT INSTEAD TO DEFER TO THE
JUDGE.
JUDGE. HERE’S WHAT THE ATTORNEY GENERAL
SAYS HAPPENED AFTER CLAIMING THE
U.S. ATTORNEY DEFIED HIM.
>> ON MONDAY NIGHT, WHEN I FIRST
SAW THE NEWS REPORTS I SAID,
GEE, THE NEWS IS SPINNING THIS.
THIS IS NOT WHAT WE WERE GOING
TO DO.
TO DO. >> YOU WERE SURPRISED?
>> VERY SURPRISED, AND ONCE I
CONFIRMED THAT THAT’S ACTUALLY
WHAT WE FILED I SAID THAT NIGHT
TO MY STAFF THAT WE HAD TO GET
READY, BECAUSE WE HAD TO DO
SOMETHING IN THE MORNING TO
AMEND THAT AND CLARIFY WHAT OUR
POSITION WAS.
POSITION WAS. I HAD MADE A DECISION THAT I
THOUGHT WAS FAIR AND REASONABLE
IN THIS PARTICULAR CASE, AND
ONCE THE TWEET OCCURRED THE
QUESTION IS, WELL, NOW WHAT DO I
DO?
DO? AND DO YOU GO FORWARD WITH WHAT
YOU THINK IS THE RIGHT DECISION
OR DO YOU PULL BACK BECAUSE OF
THE TWEET?
THE TWEET? AND THAT SORT OF ILLUSTRATES HOW
DISRUPTIVE THESE TWEETS CAN BE.
>> SO YOU’RE SAYING YOU HAVE A
PROBLEM WITH THE TWEETS?
>> YES -- WELL, I HAVE A PROBLEM
WITH SOME OF THE TWEETS.
I’M HAPPY TO SAY THAT, IN FACT,
THE PRESIDENT HAS NEVER ASKED ME
TO DO ANYTHING IN A CRIMINAL
CASE.
CASE. HOWEVER, TO HAVE PUBLIC
STATEMENTS AND TWEETS MADE ABOUT
THE DEPARTMENT, ABOUT PEOPLE IN
THE DEPARTMENT OR MEN AND WOMEN
HERE, ABOUT CASES PENDING IN THE
DEPARTMENT AND ABOUT JUDGES
BEFORE WHOM WE HAVE CASES MAKE
IT IMPOSSIBLE FOR ME TO DO MY
JOB.
JOB. >> THE WHITE HOUSE PRESS
SECRETARY RELEASED THE FOLLOWING
STATEMENT IN RESPONSE.
THE PRESIDENT WASN’T BOTHERED BY
THE COMMENTS AT ALL.
AND HE HAS THE RIGHT JUST LIKE
ANY AMERICAN CITIZEN TO PUBLICLY
OFFER HIS OPINIONS.
PRESIDENT TRUMP USES SOCIAL
MEDIA VERY EFFECTIVELY TO FIGHT
FOR THE AMERICAN PEOPLE AGAINST
INJUSTICES IN OUR COUNTRY.
INCLUDING THE FAKE NEWS.
THE PRESIDENT HAS FULL FAITH AND
CONFIDENCE IN ATTORNEY GENERAL
BARR TO DO HIS JOB AND UPHOLD
THE LAW.
THE LAW. OKAY.
OKAY. MATT MILLER, YOU KNOW, I’M
REALLY THINKING ABOUT THESE
COMMENTS, WHICH, KNOW, SEEM TO
REALLY PUSH BACK AGAINST THE
PRESIDENT AT FIRST, AT PHYSICALF
WHOA, WHAT’S GOING ON?
STEPPING AWAY A LITTLE BIT?
IS HE A LITTLE BRUISED BY ALL
THE CRITICISM HE’S GOTTEN?
BECAUSE THE LEGAL COMMUNITY IN
WASHINGTON IS SO TIGHT?
BUT SEEMS TO ME THAT WHAT HE’S
SAYING IS THAT THESE TWEETS MAKE
IT HARDER FOR BILL BARR TO HELP
HIM BE CORRUPT.
WHAT’S YOUR GUT?
>> I THINK YOU HAVE IT EXACTLY
RIGHT, MIKA.
RIGHT, MIKA. LOOK, BILL BARR OFTEN HAS A WAY
OF SAYING ALL THE WORDS YOU WANT
TO HEAR OUT OF AN ATTORNEY
GENERAL.
GENERAL. IF YOU GO BACK IN TIME AND PUT
THE WORDS SAID YESTERDAY IN JEFF
SESSIONS MOUTH WHAT WE ALWAYS
WANTED TO HEAR FROM JEFF
SESSIONS.
SESSIONS. SEE HIM PUSHING BACK AGAINST THE
PRESIDENT’S ATTACKS ON THE
JUSTICE DEPARTMENT.
JUSTICE DEPARTMENT. PROBLEM WITH BARR IS HIS WORDS
ABOUT INDEPENDENCE AND THE FACT
HE CAN’T BE BULLIED, GOING TO DO
WHAT’S RIGHT IN THE TRADITIONS
OF THAT DEPARTMENT ARE NEVER
BACKED UP BY HIS ACTIONS.
SO WHEN I SEE HIM YESTERDAY,
WHAT I HEAR IS WHEN HE SAYS
YOU’RE MAKING IT IMPOSSIBLE FOR
ME TO DO MY JOB.
HE MEANS, YOU’RE NOT GIVING ME
THE POLITICAL SPACE TO OPERATE
TO DO ALL THE THINGS YOU WANT ME
TO DO, DONALD TRUMP.
YOU KNOW, I THINK -- BARR HAS
DE IT VERY CLEAR HIS INTERESTS
AND THE PRESIDENT’S INTERESTS
ARE ALIGNED.
ARE ALIGNED. HE WILL SQUASH INVESTIGATIONS
INTO THE PRESIDENT WHEN HE CAN,
WHEN IT’S TOO LATE TO SQUASH AS
IN THE CASE OF MIKE FLYNN AND
ROGER STONE EVEN THE MUELLER
REPORT, HE WILL STEER THEM IN
THE PRESIDENT’S DIRECTION,
LAUNCH INVESTIGATIONS INTO THE
PRESIDENT’S ENEMIES AS HE’S DONE
WITH JIM COMEY AND SEEMS TO BE
DOING AGAINST JOHN BRENNAN WITH
HIS INVESTIGATION TO THE ORIGINS
OF THE ORIGINAL ELECTION
INTERFERENCE.
INTERFERENCE. HE WILL DO ALL OF THESE THINGS
FOR THE PRESIDENT, BUT HE NEEDS
THE PARTICULAR ED TO SHUT UP AND
STOP MESSING IT UP TALKING ABOUT
IT PUBLICLY.
IT PUBLICLY. WHAT HAPPENS, HE STARTS A REVOLT
INSIDE THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT.
I SUSPECT BARR WAS TRYING TO
QUELL THAT INCERTAINLY REVOLT WE
SAW START THIS WEEK WHEN FOUR
PROSECUTORS REMOVED THEIR NAMES.
TELLING THE PRESIDENT, JUST BE
QUIET, I WILL GIVE YOU WHAT YOU
WANT.
WANT. >> EXACTLY.
>> EXACTLY. >> YOU HAVE TO GIVE ME THE SPAS
I
I SPAS -- SPACE I NEED.
>> LEMIRE?
>> LEMIRE? >> AND ONE VOICE, CLOSE TO THE
PRESIDENT, INSISTING HE’S NOT
UPSET BY THESE COMMENTS.
MIGHT BE IF INDEED THIS IS THE
PLAY JUST DESCRIBED.
ALSO WE KNOW THE PRESIDENT
DOESN’T REACT WELL TO NEGATIVE
MEDIA COVERAGE AND MORE WE SEE
BARR’S COMMENTS PLAYED OVER AND
OVER, WE MAY HEAR FROM HIM.
IN THE WHITE HOUSE STATEMENT
SAID THE PRESIDENT LIKE ANY
AMERICAN HAS THE RIGHT TO VOICE
HIS OPINION.
HIS OPINION. FACT CHECK THIS FOR ME, JON
PEOPLE UCHE.
PEOPLE UCHE. MEACHAM, IS HE, THIS PRESIDENT,
LIKE ANY AMERICAN AND IF SO, WHY
IS THIS SO CONSEQUENTIAL.
>> THAT PART OF THE PHRASE
JUMPED OUBT AT ME.
WHICH EDITOR IN THE WHITE HOUSE
ADDED "INCLUDING THE FAKE NEWS."
I WONDER IF IT WAS PUT IN IN
SHARPIE.
SHARPIE. THAT HAS FEEL.
DOESN’T IT?
DOESN’T IT? THE REMARKABLE THING ABOUT THE
PRESIDENT IS HIS CAPACITY TO IN
ITS EPIC, EVEN IN PRESIDENTIAL
TERMS, HI ENCYCLOPEDIC GRASP OF
GRUDGES AND HIS ABILITY TO HOLD
THEM AND WEAPONIZE THEM GOING
FORWARD.
FORWARD. MRS. JOHN KELLY THIS WEEK.
RIGHT?
RIGHT? REMEMBERING A CONVERSATION,
CONGRESSWOMAN DINGELL, HE
ALLEGATION HSAD A PHONE CALL
ABOUT CHAIRMAN DINGELL’S
FUNERAL.
FUNERAL. REMARKABLE INTERNAL TAPING
SYSTEM THAT SPEWS OUT EVERYTHING
THAT THE WORLD AS HE WANTS TO
SEE IT, AND HE’S NOT JUST LIKE
EVERY OTHER CITIZEN, TO GO
STRAIGHT TO THE YOUR POINT.
JOHN ADAMS IN 1790 WROTE THAT
THE PRESIDENT, THE FIRST
CHARACTER WAS GOING TO BE THE
OBJECT OF ALL EYES, THE OBJECT
OF ALL ATTENTION.
THAT CREATES AN ENORMOUS AMOUNT
OF RESPONSIBILITY.
OF RESPONSIBILITY. BUT AT THIS POINT, WE’RE SO FAR
INTO THIS, WE KNOW THAT THE
PRESIDENCY IS NOT GOING TO
CHANGE HIM.
CHANGE HIM. FOR US, SEEMS TO ME TO GO TO
MICHAEL’S POINT, IT’S NOW ON US
IN A LARGE MEASURE, AND ON
REPUBLICANS IN MOST SIGNIFICANT
MEASURE TO DECIDE WHETHER HE’S
CHANGED THE PRESIDENCY ITSELF.
AND WHETHER HE’S CHANGED OUR
PUBLIC CULTURE FOREVER.
I’VE BEEN BASICALLY OPTIMISTIC
FOR ALMOST FOUR YEARS NOW THAT I
WOULD TAKE JAMES MADISON OVER
TWITTER.
TWITTER. I’M LESS SO NOW, AS THINGS GO
ON.
ON. THERE WERE A NUMBER OF
REPUBLICANS I THOUGHT WOULD
STAND UP AT THE LAST POSSIBLE
MOMENT AND SAY, ENOUGH, AND AS
YOU PLAYED THE CONGRESSMAN
JEFFRIES STATEMENT, YOU HAVE
THIS REMARKABLE MOMENT WHERE THE
TRAIN IS BLOWING PAST, RAPIDLY.
AND WHAT FOLKS ARE GOING TO HAVE
TO DECIDE AT A CERTAIN POINT IS,
DO YOU WANT A PRESIDENT PICKING
ON JUDGES, TRYING TO CHANGE
CASES?
CASES? THE TWO THINGS, MY TWO CHECK
BOXES THAT WE’RE GOING TO BE
BREAK THE GLASS KIND OF
EMERGENCIES WERE GOING TO BE,
TRY TO REMOVE A JUDGE?
EVER TRY TO OVERTURN A VERDICT
UNILATERALLY AND TRY TO POSTPONE
AN ELECTION?
AN ELECTION? THE TWO THINGS TO WATCH OUT FOR.
AND HE’S GETTING AWFULLY CLOSE
ON THE FIRST.
>> WELL, I MEAN, AT THIS POINT,
I THINK WE CAN SAFELY SAFE, IF
THERE’S A QUESTION THAT BEGINS
WITH WOULD HE EVER DO, A., B. OR
C., THE ANSWER’S, YES.