MARIA: WELCOME BACK.
PRESIDENT TRUMP DEFENDING
HIMSELF AGAINST ALLEGATIONS OF
OBSTRUCTION OF JUSTICE FROM
JUDGE ANDREW NAPOLITANO.
THE JUDGE QUESTIONED THE
PRESIDENT.
THE PRESIDENT WROTE TWEETS OVER
THE WEEKEND, SAYING THIS, THANK
YOU TO ALAN DERSHOWITZ FOR
DESTROYING THE DUMB LEGAL
ARGUMENT OF JUDGE ANDREW
NAPOLITANO.
EVER SINCE ANDREW CAME TO MY
OFFICE TO ASK THAT I APPOINT HIM
TO THE U.S. SUPREME COURT AND I
SAID NO, HE HAS BEEN VERY
HOSTILE.
ALSO ASKED FOR A PARDON FOR HIS
FRIEND, A GOOD PAL OF LOW
RATINGS SHEPHERD SMITH.
JOINING US RIGHT NOW IS JUDGE
ANDREW NAPOLITANO TO RESPOND TO
ALL OF THIS.
JUDGE, GOOD TO SEE YOU THIS
MORNING.
>> GOOD MORNING.
THIS IS THE WAY TREAT
THIS IS THE WAY YREAT
THIS IS THE WAY YOUAT
THIS IS THE WAY YOU TREAT YOUR
FRIENDS, HOW DO YOU TREAT YOUR
ENEMIES?
MARIA: WHAT HAPPENED?
DID YOU ASK HIM TO PUT YOU ON
SUPREME COURT?
>> DID YOU ASK HIM TO PARDON A
FRIEND?
>> WE SPOKE FOR ABOUT THREE
HOURS IN TWO MEETINGS.
THIS IS WHEN HE WAS THE
PRESIDENT-ELECT, ABOUT THE TYPE
OF PERSON THAT SHOULD REPLACE
JUSTICE SCALIA.
IN THE PROCESS OF MY DESCRIBING
THAT PERSON AND THE PERSON I WAS
DESCRIBING WAS THEN JUDGE NEIL
GORSUCH, HE LOOKED TO ME AND
SAID SOUNDS LIKE YOU'RE
DESCRIBING YOURSELF.
I SAID NO, NO, I'M NOT
DESCRIBING MYSELF.
I'M DESCRIBING NEIL GORSUCH
BECAUSE YOU HAVE THIS LIST OF
PEOPLE FROM WHICH YOU WANT TO
CHOOSE AND JUDGE GORSUCH IS THE
PERSON THAT I THINK MOST OF YOUR
ADVISERS ARE GOING TO POINT TO.
THIS IS EARLY ON IN THE PROCESS.
HE SAID TELL ME WHY I SHOULD PUT
YOU ON.
I GAVE HIM THE SPIEL,
SO-TO-SPEAK.
SOMEONE ELSE IN THE ROOM SAID
THAT'S INTERESTING, THE JUDGE IS
LONG IN THE TOOTH TO WHICH THE
PRESIDENT SAID BLANK YOU TO THE
PERSON WHO SAID THE JUDGE IS
LONG IN THE TOOTH.
I'M FOUR YEARS OLDER THAN THE
JUDGE AND I'M ABOUT TO BECOME
PRESIDENT.
IT WAS THAT KIND OF
CONVERSATION.
SO I THOUGHT THE PRESIDENT --
MARIA: YOU DON'T EXPECT THE
PRESIDENT TO REVEAL IT ALL.
SEEMS LIKE THAT'S WHAT HE WAS
DOING, EVEN WITH THE PARDON
SITUATIONS AS WELL.
>> THE PARDON THAT HE AND I
DISCUSSED IS OF A MUTUAL FRIEND
OF HIS A AND MINE AND HE ASKED
ME TO TELL ME WHAT THE PERSON
WAS CONVICTED OF AND IF I
THOUGHT THAT THE CONVICTION WAS
JUST.
I DESCRIBED WHAT THE PERSON WAS
CONVICTED OF.
I DESCRIBED THAT IT WAS JUST.
THE PRESIDENT USED A VERY STRONG
TERM TO CONDEMN THE CONVICTION.
AND HE SAID YOU KNOW THIS PERSON
AS WELL AS I DO.
CALL THIS PERSON UP AND TELL
THIS PERSON HE'S GOING TO BE ON
THE LIST OF PARDONS THAT I WILL
SERIOUSLY CONSIDER.
THAT WAS THE EXTENT OF THAT
CONVERSATION.
MARIA: UNBELIEVABLE.
>> I THOUGHT THE PRESIDENT'S
COMMENTS WERE BRILLIANT.
HE WANTED TO DIVERT ATTENTION
FROM WHAT MUELLER HAD SAID ABOUT
HIM AND WHAT I HAD COMMENTED
ABOUT MUELLER TO HIS
RELATIONSHIP WITH ME.
HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH ME IS NOT
THE STORY.
WE'VE BEEN FRIENDS FOR 30 YEARS
AND PROBABLY WILL BE FOR THE
NEXT 30 YEARS.
MARIA: LET ME ASK ABOUT THE
MUELLER STORY.
ATTORNEY GENERAL WILLIAM BARR
SEEMS TO BE THREATENING HE WILL
P SKIP THE HEARING ON THE
JUSTICE DEPARTMENT'S HANDLING OF
THE RUSSIA INVESTIGATION FROM
LAWMAKERS GO THROUGH WITH A PLAN
TO LET STAFF LAWYERS QUESTION
HIM.
DEMOCRATS ARE THREATENING A
SUBPOENA IF BARR DOESN'T APPEAR.
HE'S GOING WILLINGLY.
HE DOESN'T HAVE TO GO AND NOW
THEY'RE SAYING THAT THEY'RE NOT
EVEN GOING TO BE THERE.
THEY'LL HAVE STAFF QUESTION HIM.
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
>> I THINK THEY WOULD BE THERE.
BUT IT WOULD BE DEMEANING TO
HAVE STAFF QUESTIONING THE
ATTORNEY GENERAL.
THERE'S TWO ARGUMENTS.
ONE IS, THIS IS THE CONGRESS'
HEARING AND HE CAN'T TELL THEM
HOW TO RUN IT.
IT'S HIGHLY UNUSUAL AND EVEN
IMPROPER TO HAVE PERSONS OTHER
THAN ELECTED PUBLIC OFFICIALS
INTERROGATING THE ATTORNEY
GENERAL.
PREDICTION?
THEY'LL WORK SOMETHING OUT.
THE INTEREST IN THIS TESTIMONY
IS SO GREAT, THEY WILL FIND A
WAY TO MAKE IT HAPPEN AND WE'LL
BE WATCHING ON THURSDAY.
MARIA: YEAH.