I’M GOING TO LAY IN ALL THAT SO YOU UNDERSTAND WHERE WE THINK
WE’RE HEADED.
WE’RE HEADED. WE BEGIN THE WITH THE ESCALATION
IN THE RELATED FIGHT WITH
DEMOCRATS PUSHING FORWARD TO GET
THE MUELLER REPORT.
THEY HAVE NOW VOTED FORMALLY TO
SUBPOENA IT.
SUBPOENA IT. IF ATTORNEY GENERAL BILL BARR
DOESN’T HAND IT OVER.
>> I WILL GIVE HIM TIME TO
CHANGE HIS MIND, BUT IF WE
CANNOT REACH AN ACCOMMODATION,
THEN WE WILL HAVE NO CHOICE BUT
TO ISSUE SUBPOENAS FOR THESE
MATERIALS.
MATERIALS. >> JUDICIARY CHAIR NADLER WHO WE
SPOKE WITH ON THIS BROADCAST
LAST NIGHT, SAYING TODAY THAT
BASICALLY HE WANTS TO WORK ON
THIS IN A NEGOTIATED WAY.
SO HE’S PROVIDING TIME TO THE
ATTORNEY GENERAL BEFORE THEY
MAKE GOOD ON WHAT THEY DID
TODAY, SO THEY HAVE THE
AUTHORITY, THE POWER TO MOVE
FORWARD ON THE SUBPOENA.
THEY JUST HAVEN’T ISSUED IT YET.
NADLER ALSO INSISTING HE DOESN’T
SEE A MIDDLE GROUND ON THIS.
HE NEEDS, THE CONGRESS NEEDS THE
FULL REPORT, NO REDACTIONS, OR
THEY WILL TAKE THIS TO COURT.
>> ARE YOU WILLING TO NEGOTIATE
ON ANY MIDDLE GROUND IN TERMS OF
REDACTIONS --
REDACTIONS -- >> NO.
>> NO. >> -- OF THE MUELLER -- YOU’RE
NOT?
NOT? >> NO.
>> NO. THE COMMITTEE MUST SEE
EVERYTHING.
EVERYTHING. OBVIOUSLY SOME MATERIAL WILL
HAVE TO BE REDACTED BEFORE IT’S
RELEASED TO THE PUBLIC TO
PROTECT PRIVACY, TO PROTECT THE
VARIOUS RIGHTS.
VARIOUS RIGHTS. BUT THE COMMITTEE IS ENTITLED
AND MUST SEE ALL THE MATERIAL.
>> THAT’S NOT ALL.
THE CHAIRMAN OF THE JUDICIARY
COMMITTEE MOVING FORWARD ON
SUBPOENAS FOR THE PEOPLE YOU SEE
RIGHT HERE, INCLUDING PEOPLE WHO
ARE KNOWN TO BE CLOSE TO TRUMP
AT CRITICAL MOMENTS LIKE HOPE
HICKS AND STEVE BANNON.
WITH THIS REPORT CURRENTLY
HIDDEN FROM BOTH THE CONGRESS
AND PUBLIC, WE ARE ALSO SEEING A
SHIFT IN HOW PEOPLE VIEW WHAT
MUELLER HAS DONE.
I WANT TO BE CLEAR, THIS IS AN
ONLINE POLL FROM LAW FAIR, NOT
NBC POLLING.
NBC POLLING. IT IS INTERESTING, THEY LOOKED
AT WHAT THE VIEWS WERE BEFORE
MUELLER’S REPORT WAS OUT, WHERE
19% OF REPUBLICANS SAID THEY HAD
CONFIDENCE IN MUELLER’S FAIRNESS
AND OBJECTIVITY.
AND OBJECTIVITY. MORE THAN 60% OF DEMOCRATS SAID
THEY DID HAVE THAT KIND OF
CONFIDENCE.
CONFIDENCE. AND NOW WITH THE REPORTS OF
WHAT’S IN THE REPORT, ALTHOUGH
WE HAVEN’T SEEN IT YET, LOOK AT
THIS SHIFT.
THIS SHIFT. 55% OF REPUBLICANS NOW HAVE
CONFIDENCE IN MUELLER BUOYED BY
BARR’S DESCRIPTION OF WHAT HE
FOUND AND DEMOCRATS DROPPING OFF
A LITTLE BIT.
I WILL NOTE THE SWING IS LARGER
IN REPUBLICANS THAN IN
DEMOCRATS.
DEMOCRATS. IT’S NOT CLEAR WHAT EVERYONE
WILL THINK WHEN WE ACTUALLY SEE
THE FINDINGS IN THE FULL REPORT.
HOUSE DEMOCRATS ARE TURNING UP
THE HEAT, THOUGH, AND THEY’RE
MOVING AHEAD WITH RELATED
INVESTIGATIONS, INCLUDING
INVESTIGATIONS, INCLUDING TRUMP’S INAUGURAL COMMITTEE
WHICH SPENT FAMOUSLY MORE THAN
MOST OTHERS.
MOST OTHERS. $100 MILLION.
$100 MILLION. THE HOUSE INTEL COMMITTEE NOW
LOOKING TO INTERVIEW AN
INAUGURAL ORGANIZER NAMED
STEPHANIE WINSTON WOOLKAUF.
SHE WAS AN ADVISOR TO THE FIRST
LADY.
LADY. SHE’S BEEN SUBPOENAED IN A
FEDERAL CASE IN MANHATTAN AND
SPOKE WITH THE FEDS IN NEW YORK
SINCE LAST FALL.
ALL OF THIS, OF COURSE, TEES OFF
THE INVESTIGATION INTO MICHAEL
COHEN AND IN A MOMENT WE WILL BE
JOINED BY NEW YORK CONGRESSMAN
HAKEEM JEFF REASON WHO SERVES ON
THE COMMITTEE AND WORKS WITH
NANCY PELOSI IN LEADERSHIP.
WE HAVE A LOT TO GET TO.
>>> I WANT TO BEGIN WITH OUR
PANELIST JASON JOHNSON THE ROOT,
FORD HAM, AND STAFFER WRITER
FROM THE ATLANTIC AND MSNBC
CONTRIBUTOR WHO ALSO IS JOINING,
WE SHOULD NOTE, POLITICO AS A
NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT.
CONGRATULATIONS.
CONGRATULATIONS. >> THANKS, ARI.
YOU’LL GET THE FIRST QUESTION
ALONG WITH YOUR APPARENT
PROMOTION.
PROMOTION. WHAT DOES IT MEAN THAT CHAIRMAN
NADLER IS NOT TRYING TO PRESERVE
ANY PERCEPTION OF WAITING OR
GOING SLOW OR NEGOTIATING IN
THAT WAY?
THAT WAY? HE’S CLEARLY TRYING TO SHOW THE
D.O.J. HE MEANS BUSINESS.
>> YEAH, I THINK THAT IT’S VERY
TYPICAL NADLER, RIGHT.
HE’S NEVER BEEN ONE TO KIND OF
BEAT AROUND THE BOURBON THISBUSH
THIS.
THIS. HE WANTS TO SEE THE FULL REPORT.
HE AND THE REST OF THE COMMITTEE
ARE PERPLEXED AS TO WHY BILL
BARR WOULD HAVE COME OUT AND
WRITTEN THIS FOUR-PAGE SUMMARY
BEFORE EVEN RELEASING THE REPORT
ITSELF TO CONGRESS.
HE THINKS THAT THAT GAVE TRUMP
ADMINISTRATION AN UNNECESSARY
HEAD START AND HAS ALLOWED THEM
TO SHAPE THE NARRATIVE HERE.
AND SO THEY ARE ALSO POINTING TO
THE PRESIDENT, I THINK, AND THIS
IS I THINK WHERE NADLER IS
DRAWING A BIT OF IPIRATION,
THAT REPUBLICANS SAT DURING THE
115th CONGRESS IN WHICH THEY
DEMANDED DOCUMENTS ABOUT THE
HILLARY CLINTON E-MAIL
INVESTIGATION, ABOUT THE ONGOING
RUSSIA INVESTIGATION FROM THE
JUSTICE DEPARTMENT.
JUSTICE DEPARTMENT. AND IN MANY CASES ACTUALLY GOT
THOSE DOCUMENTS.
THOSE DOCUMENTS. SO NADLER NOW IS PLAYING THE
SAME KIND OF HARDBALL WITH THE
D.O.J. THAT THE REPUBLICANS
PLAYED LAST YEAR AND BEFORE, AND
HE BELIEVES AND THE HOUSE
INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE BELIEVES
THIS, TOO, THAT THEY ARE
ENTITLED TO A SIMILAR, IF NOT
GREATER LEVEL OF TRANSPARENCY
GIVEN THE URGENCY OF THIS REPORT
THAT THE REPUBLICANS WERE WITH
REGARD TO THE ORIGINS OF THE
RUSSIA INVESTIGATION.
RUSSIA INVESTIGATION. >> JASON?
>> JASON? >> LOOK, I’M JUST GLAD THAT THE
DEMOCRATS ARE SHOWING SOME
BACKBONE.
BACKBONE. IT SEEMED FOR A LONG TIME WE
WERE GETTING THIS LIKE, ALL
RIGHT, WE NEED IT BY TOMORROW,
WELL MAYBE NOT TOMORROW, MAYBE
LATER.
LATER. MAYBE WHEN YOU SHOW UP.
SO IT’S GOOD THAT THEY FINALLY
SORT OF PULLED OUT THE SORT OF
DAMACLESE.
DAMACLESE. IF YOU DON’T DO THIS, WE’RE
GOING TO SEND A SUBPOENA.
THE SUBPOENA, UNLESS THERE IS
ADDED TO IT SOMETHING ABOUT
TIMELINESS, YOU CAN STILL ISSUE
A SUBPOENA AND BARR WILL SAY
IT’S GOING TO TAKE ME WEEKS, IT
IT’S GOING TO TAKE ME A COUPLE
DAYS.
DAYS. THERE NEEDS TO BE A PUSH ON THE
SUBPOENA HOW FAST YOU WANT THIS
TO COME ACROSS.
THIS IS A REFLECTION OF ANOTHER
COMMUNICATION SCREW UP BY THE
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION.
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION. IF THEY WERE SMOORT, THEY COULD
HAVE TAKEN THE MULTIER REPORT
AND PUT IT IN A ROOM LIKE TPP,
EVERYBODY CAN GO SEE IT.
WE’RE NOT GOING TO RELEASE THE
PUBLIC.
PUBLIC. DON’T TAKE PICTURES, DON’T TAKE
NOTES.
NOTES. IT IS MISMANAGEMENT.
THERE IS A PUBLIC GOOD TO THIS,
BUT I HOPE THIS MOVES QUICKLY
BECAUSE A SUBPOENA WILL NOT BE
ENOUGH TO GET THIS OUT.
>> HERE’S THE THING.
I THINK THAT IF NOTHING ELSE,
THE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE MUST SEE
THE FULL REPORT.
I WROTE A BOOK THAT WAS ROUGHLY
200 PAGES.
200 PAGES. IF SOMEBODY TRIED TO SUMMARIZE
MY BOOK IN FOUR PAGES IT WOULD
BE GROSSLY INADEQUATE AND NOT
HIT THE POINT.
THAT IS THE CRUX OF THE
ARGUMENT.
ARGUMENT. I DO BELIEVE THERE SHOULD BE
TIMELINESS.
TIMELINESS. MUELLER TOOK HIS DEAR SWEET
TIME.
TIME. DEMOCRATS WANT TO MOVE FORWARD
IN SOME CAPACITY.
TRUMP SAYS THE DEMOCRATS ARE
CONSTANTLY PICKING AT ME.
DEMOCRATS SAY YOU’RE MORE
CORRUPT SO WE HAVE TO GO AFTER
YOU.
YOU. BUT IF WE CAN HAVE RESPECTED
ELECTED OFFICIALS FROM THE
COMMITTEE, NOT ALL 538 MEMBERS
OF THE CONGRESS LOOKING AT THE
REPORT RIGHT NOW.
BUT IF WE CAN HAVE MEMBERS OF
THE COMMITTEE LOOKING AT THE
FULL REPORT AND MAKING THEIR
ASSESSMENT, I THINK THE AMERICAN
PUBLIC ON BOTH SIDES OF THE
AISLE WOULD FEEL A LOT MORE
COMFORTABLE.
COMFORTABLE. >> NATASHA, ON THAT POINT, THE
CHAIRMAN HAS BEEN MAKING A LOT
OF NEWS WITH HIS STANCE.
WE SPOKE WITH HIM LAST NIGHT.
TAKE A LISTEN TO JERRY NADLER ON
THE BEAT LAST NIGHT.
>> HE’S HIDING BEHIND THE RULES
AND THE REDACTIONS -- LISTEN, HE
AUDITIONED FOR THIS JOB --
REMEMBER, THE PRESIDENT GOT RID
OF SESSIONS AS ATTORNEY GENERAL
BECAUSE HE WOULDN’T PROTECT HIM.
HE FIRED COMEY BECAUSE HE
WOULDN’T PROTECT HIM AND GIVE
HIM THE LOYALTY HE WANTED.
HE TRIED TO FIRE MUELLER.
HE CLEARLY WANTED -- AND HE SAID
HE WANTED AN ATTORNEY GENERAL
WHO WOULD BE HIS ROY COHN WHO
WOULD PROTECT HIM PERSONALLY.
>> NATASHA, BRIEFLY ON THAT,
WHAT IS THE POINT THE DEMOCRATS
ARE TRYING TO MAKE ON BARR?
>> THAT HE’S BEEN CONFLICTED
FROM THE BEGINNING, WHICH I
THINK MOST PEOPLE WHO ARE --
MOST DEMOCRATS ANYWAY WOULD
DEFINITELY AGREE WITH NADLER
THERE, THE 20-PAGE, 19-PAGE MEMO
HE WROTE LAST JULY COMPLETELY
UNSOLICITED WAS ALL ABOUT THE
OBSTRUCTION INQUIRY.
OBSTRUCTION INQUIRY. IT’S NOT NECESSARILY SURPRISING
HE WOULD HAVE COME TO THIS
CONCLUSION IN THE TWO-DAY PERIOD
THAT HE HAD TO READ OVER
MUELLER’S REPORT.
MUELLER’S REPORT. BUT I THINK ANOTHER PERSON
THAT’S KIND OF ESCAPED SCRUTINY
HERE IS ROD ROSENSTEIN.
ROD ROSENSTEIN CONSULTED WITH
BARR TO DETERMINE WHETHER OR NOT
THE PRESIDENT OBSTRUCTED
JUSTICE.
JUSTICE. WHEN ROD ROSENSTEIN ACTUALLY
WROTE THE MEMO THAT WAS USED TO
JUSTIFY JIM COMEY’S FIRING, AND
SO THAT -- CLEARING THE
PRESIDENT OF OBSTRUCTION OF
JUSTICE CAN ALSO BE A LITTLE
SELF-SERVING FOR ROD ROSENSTEIN
BECAUSE HE IS A WITNESS IN THAT
ASPECT OF THIS INQUIRY.
AND SO YOU HAVE TWO HIGHLY
CONFLICTED PEOPLE HERE WHO ARE
MAKING A VERY SERIOUS JUDGMENT
BASED ON FINDINGS FROM AN