>>> WE HAVE JUST GOT SOME
BREAKING NEWS HERE IN OUR MSNBC
NEWS ROOM.
"THE NEW YORK TIMES" WITH THE
REPORT THAT REPUBLICAN N FL
CONGRESSMAN MATT GATES IS UNDER
INVESTIGATION BY THE JUSTICE
DEPARTMENT OVER CLAIMS OF A,
QUOTE, SEXUAL RELATIONSHIP WITH
A 17-YEAR-OLD PAYING FOR HER TO
TRAVEL WITH HIM, END QUOTE.
GATES, A CONTROVERSIAL AND
SOMEWHAT PROMINENT REPUBLICAN
WHO WAS A BIG ALLY OF DONALD
TRUMP GOES DIRECTLY ON THE
RECORD IN THIS REPORT.
LET ME READ YOU WHAT HE TELLS
"THE NEW YORK TIMES."
QUOTE, I ONLY KNOW THAT THE
INVESTIGATION HAS TO DO WITH
WOMEN.
HE SAYS HE SUSPECTS THAT MONEY
IS TRYING TO, QUOTE,
RECATEGORIZE BY GENEROSITY TO
EX-GIRLFRIENDS AS SOMETHING
UNTOWARD.
HIS LAWYERS SAY HE WAS THE
SUBJECT, NOT A TARGET, OF ANY
SUCH INVESTIGATION.
THE TIMES NOTES THIS WAS
INITIATED DURING THE PREVIOUS
ADMINISTRATION AND APPEARS TO BE
ONGOING.
NBC HAS ALSO REACHED OUT TO
GATES’ OFFICE.
WE HAVE NOT GOTTEN AN ADDITIONAL
COMMENT FROM THEM YET.
WE TURN NOW TO THE JOURNALIST
WHO BROKE THE STORY.
MICHAEL SCHMITD HAS BEEN WORKING
ON THIS.
THANKS FOR JOINING ME.
>> THANKS FOR HAVING ME.
>> THANK YOU, SIR.
WHAT DOES YOUR REPORTING SHOW
HERE, MICHAEL?
>> SO BASICALLY, FEDERAL
AUTHORITIES IN FLORIDA HAVE BEEN
INVESTIGATING A LOCAL
POLITICIAN, A LOCAL TAX
COLLECTOR IN SEMINAL COUNTY
NORTH OF ORLANDO.
IN THE COURSE OF THAT
INVESTIGATION, THEY FOUND A
RANGE OF THINGS ABOUT THIS TAX
COLLECTOR.
BUT IN THE EXECUTION OF THEIR
SEARCH WARRANT, THEY ALSO FOUND
STUFF RELATED TO GATES.
AND IT IS RELATED TO GATES’
RELATIONSHIP WITH A -- I DON’T
KNOW IF YOU CAN CALL IT
RELATIONSHIP, BUT DEALINGS WITH
A 17-YEAR-OLD GIRL WHO THEY’RE
INVESTIGATING WHETHER HE HAD A
SEXUAL RELATIONSHIP WITH AND
WHETHER HE PAID FOR HER TO
TRAVEL INTERSTATE TRAVEL.
NOW THAT BEING THAT THE GIRL WAS
UNDER 18 THEY ARE INVESTIGATING
WHETHER SLEEP WAS SLEEPING WITH
THE DWIRL.
THAT RAISES A MOST OF LEGAL
CONDITIONS ABOUT WHETHER GATES
BROKE THE LAW.
>> READING FROM YOUR REPORT THAT
JUST CAME OUT, BREAKING NEWS
FROM THE NEW YORK TIMES, YOU SAW
INVESTIGATORS EXAMINING WHETHER
HE, QUOTE, VIOLATED FEDERAL SEX
TRAFFICKING LAWS.
WHEN HE THEN SAID IN HIS
RESPONSE YOU REPORT, SO IT’S
YOUR REPORTING HERE, MICHAEL,
WHEN I MENTION IT, WHEN HE HIS
SIDE SAYS THEY ARE ONLY A
SUBJECT, NOT A TARGET.
THAT’S THEM TRYING TO SUGGEST
THEY DON’T SEE ANY INDICATION
THAT THE PROBE WAS FOUND THAT HE
DID BREAK THE LAW.
WHAT IS YOUR RESPONSE OR CONTEXT
FOR THAT DEFENSE?
>> SO THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT --
I MEAN, SO IF GATES IS BEING
ACCURATE THAT THEY SAID HE WAS
THE SUBJECT AND NOT A TARGET,
THAT’S LARGELY A DISTINCTION
THAT I DON’T THINK MAKES MUCH OF
A DIFFERENCE.
HILLARY CLINTON WAS NEVER THE
TARGET OF THE JUSTICE
DEPARTMENT’S INVESTIGATION.
THEY NEVER MADE HER A TARGET.
THEY SPENT THE ENTIRE TIME
INVEST GATING WHETHER SHE BROKE
THE LAW.
SHE WAS NEVER A TARGET IN THAT
INVESTIGATION.
SO WHEN HE SAYS THAT.
WHEN HE SAYS THAT THE JUSTICE
DEPARTMENT TOLD HIS LAWYERS THAT
HE’S A SUBJECT, NOT A TARGET,
THAT IS LARGELY A MEANINGLESS
DISTINCTION.
>> UNDERSTOOD BASED ON YOUR
REPORTING.
THE TIMES MENTIONS AND AXIOS
REPORTED JUST TODAY THAT GATES
WAS EYEING, QUOTE, EARLY
RETIREMENT, EXPLORING
POTENTIALLY A MEDIA JOB, FOR
EXAMPLE, AT NEWSMAX.
YOU INCLUDE SOME OF THAT
DISCUSSION IN THE ARTICLE.
ARE THESE TWO STORIES LINKED IN
ANY WAY WHEN YOU SAY THAT HE’S
MULLING RETIREMENT AND HE’S ALSO
UNDER DOJ INVESTIGATION?
>> I THINK GATES HAS KNOWN ABOUT
THIS INVESTIGATION FOR SOME
TIME.
NOW, HOW THAT IS IMPACTED, HOW
HE VIEWS HIS POLITICAL FUTURE,
I’M NOT SURE.
WE HEARD HE WAS VERY, OBVIOUSLY,
CONCERNED ABOUT THIS.
THAT WOULD -- YOU KNOW, IF YOU
WERE A CONGRESSMAN IN THAT
SITUATION YOU WOULD TRY TO
EITHER GET OUT IN FRONT OF THE
STORY OR TRY AND FIND A BETTER
LANDING PATH.
IT’S UNCLEAR WHAT HE WILL DO.
AND IT’S UNCLEAR WHAT THE
GARLAND JUSTICE DEPARTMENT WILL
DO.
GATES IS VERY CLOSELY LINKED TO
TRUMP.
IF HE WERE CHARGED, THAT WOULD
OBVIOUSLY CREATE A FAIR AMOUNT
OF POLITICAL BLOWBACK.
I’M NOT SAYING THEY WOULDN’T DO
IT BECAUSE THEY WOULD REALLY BE
ENTERING INTO, YOU KNOW, A MORE
CONTENTIOUS, YOU KNOW, PHASE
WITH THEIR MAKING CASES THAT
THEY’RE GOING TO BE, YOU KNOW,
POLITICALLY DIFFICULT AND WHICH
I ASSUME THEY DON’T HAVE TO BE
AS THINGS MOVE FORWARD AND AS
MORE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT
OFFICIALS ARE CONFIRMED.
>> INTERESTING.
AS YOU REPORT GOING ON FOR SOME
TIME.
CONGRESSMAN, AWARE OF IT FOR
SOME TIME.
FOR THOSE EYEING THE POTENTIAL
POLITICAL OVERSIGHT OF IT,