STORY TOO MUCH IN MY RETELLING.
>> NO, YOU DID GREAT.
>> OKAY.
SO, LET ME ASK YOU FIRST ABOUT
CONGRESSMAN GAETZ’S PUSHBACK.
I KNOW THAT THE STORY PUBLISHED
INITIALLY YOU AND MICHAEL
SCHMIDT PUBLISHED THE STORY AND
QUICKLY AN UPDATE TO ACCOUNT FOR
CONGRESSMAN GAETZ REALLY ANGRILY
DENYING ALL OF THIS AND MAKING
COUNTER ALLEGATIONS THAT THIS IS
THE PRODUCT OF SOME SORT OF
IMPROPER EXTORTION PLOT.
CAN YOU HELP US UNDERSTAND WHAT
HIS PUSHBACK IS HERE?
>> SURE.
I THINK THAT TO UNDERSTAND THE
CONGRESSMAN’S STATEMENTS, THE
MOST IMPORTANT THING IS LOOK AT
THE TIMELINE IN THIS
INVESTIGATION.
WHAT WE FOUND IS THAT THIS
INVESTIGATION BEGAN AT THE END
OF LAST SUMMER AND IT’S BEEN
GOING ON FOR MORE THAN SIX
MONTHS.
THIS IS A SERIOUS INVESTIGATION
THAT WAS SERIOUS ENOUGH THAT
EVEN THE HIGHEST LEVELS OF THE
JUSTICE DEPARTMENT, INCLUDING
THE OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY
GENERAL, BILL BARR, SAID THAT,
YOU KNOW, THE ISSUE CONTINUED.
THAT’S THE CONTEXT.
AND THIS INVESTIGATION HAD BEEN
GOING ON SEVERAL MONTHS.
WHAT CONGRESSMAN FWAETS IS
SAYING IS SOMEBODY FOUND OUT
ABOUT IT AND USED THAT
INFORMATION TO TRY TO GET MONEY
OUT OF HIS FAMILY.
SO I AM NOT SAYING THAT THE
EXTORTION CLAIMS HE IS MAKING
ARE UNTRUE.
I AM JUST SAYING IT CAME ON THE
HEELS OF MONTHS AND MONTHS OF AN
INVESTIGATION IN A PART OF THE
COUNTRY WHERE THE OFFICES ARE
VERY SMALL AND THERE SHOULD BE
SOME EXPECTATION THAT
INFORMATION SOMETIMES LEAKS OUT
OF THESE OFFICES.
SO THE IDEA THAT THE EXTORTION
EXISTS OR IT HAPPENED, I THINK
THAT IT SHOULD BE SEEN IN THE
CONTEXT OF THAT TIMELINE OF AN
INVESTIGATION THAT’S SERIOUS,
BREWING FOR A LONG TIME,
BUBBLING OUT INTO THE LOCAL
COMMUNITY.
>> NOW, MR. GAETZ, CONGRESSMAN
GAETZ, HAS MADE THIS EXTORTION
ALLEGATION.
HE HAS NAMED SOMEBODY WHO HE
SAYS IS THE GUILTY PARTY TRYING
TO EXTORT HE AND HIS FAMILY IFFO
MONEY TO TRY TO MAKE THIS GO
AWAY.
I HAVE NO IDEA ABOUT THAT, THE
VERACITY OF THOSE ALLEGATIONS.
AS YOU SAY, WITH THE TIMELINE
IT’S IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND
THESE MAY BE TWO STORIES.
THE PERSON HE NAMED IS NOT A
PERSON INVOLVED WITH THE CLAIMIN
FALSE CHARGES AND SOMEBODY
INVOLVED IN TRUMPING UP THE
CHARGES AGAINST HIM TRIED TO
EXTORT MONEY FROM HIM.
IS THE PERSON HE NAMED SOMEBODY
INVOLVED IN THIS INVESTIGATION?
>> NO, THAT PERSON IS NOT
INVOLVED IN THE INVESTIGATION.
THAT PERSON IS IN PRIVATE
PRACTICE AND DOESN’T WORK AT THE
JUSTICE DEPARTMENT.
AGAIN, KEEP IN MIND, THIS IS AN
INVESTIGATION THAT WHEN YOU LOOK
AT THE TIME LINE WAS VERY
SERIOUS AND IT WAS SOMETHING
THAT WAS TAKEN SERIOUSLY BY
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION OFFICIALS
IN THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT.
I THINK THAT ONE.
>> REASONS HE IS TALKING
PUBLICLY ABOUT THE EXTORTION
PLOT, PUBLICLY SAID THE FBI
ASKED HIS OWN FATHER TO WEAR A
WIRE IS TO GET PEOPLE TO NOT PAY
ATTENTION TO THE FACT THAT IT
WAS IN FACT THE TRUMP
ADMINISTRATION THAT FELT IT WAS
WORTHY TO INVESTIGATE HIM.
IN PUBLICLY TALKING ABOUT THIS
INVESTIGATION, SORRY, IN
PUBLICLY TALKING ABOUT THE
EXTORTION PLOT THAT HE HAS
DESCRIBED AND PUBLICLY SAYING
HIS FATHER WORE A WIRE, HE IS
BASICALLY DESTROYING AND BLOWING
UP AN FBI INVESTIGATION, WHICH
IS IN ITSELF SOMETHING YOU WOULD
THINK WOULD BE AGAINST HIS OWN
INTEREST.
YOU WOULD THINK HE WOULD WANT TO
WORK WITH THE FBI AND KEEP THIS
QUIET.
SO YOU HAVE TO PUT THIS ALL INTO
CONTEXT AND SAY THAT IN DOING
THIS AND BASICALLY BLOWING UP AN
FBI INVESTIGATION INTO PEOPLE
TRYING TO EXTORT HIS FAMILY, YOU
KNOW, HE HAS BOTH COMPLICATED
THAT INVESTIGATION AND ALSO CAST
ASPERSIONS ON SOMEONE THAT WAS
SERIOUS ENOUGH THAT ATTORNEY
GENERAL BILL BARR APPROVED IT.
>> BILL BARR PERSONALLY APPROVED
IT?
>> YES.
HE PUT OUT A MEMO TO ALL FEDERAL
PROSECUTORS SAYING THAT IF
ANYBODY INVOLVED IN THE 2020
ELECTION WAS GOING TO BE
INVESTIGATED, IF ANY MEMBERS OF
CONGRESS WERE GOING TO BE
INVESTIGATED, THOSE
INVESTIGATIONS NEEDED TO BE
BRIEFED TO SUPERVISORS,
INCLUDING THE U.S. ATTORNEY IN
THAT DISTRICT.
THE HEAD OF THE CRIMINAL
DIVISION OR THE NATIONAL
SECURITY DIVISION.
THEY WOULD NEED TO SIGN OFF ON
IT AND BRIEF IT UP TO THE DEPUTY
ATTORNEY GENERAL AND TO THE
ATTORNEY GENERAL.
SO HE WOULD HAVE KNOWN ABOUT
THIS, YES.
>> LET ME ASK YOU, IN TERMS OF
CONGRESSMAN GAETZ AND WHETHER HE
IS, AS YOU SAY, BY HIS PUBLIC
REMARKS ABOUT THIS SUPPOSED
EXTORTION CLAIM, WHETHER HE IS
BLOWING UP A POTENTIAL FBI
INVESTIGATION, WHETHER THERE WAS
AN EXTORTION CLAIM SUBSEQUENT TO
THIS INVESTIGATION, IN TERMS OF
THINKING ABOUT HIS MOTIVATION
THERE, CAN YOU TELL US FROM YOUR
REPORTING WHETHER THE
INVESTIGATION INTO CONGRESSMAN
GAETZ IS SOMETHING THAT WAS
RESOLVING AND NOT LIKELY TO HEAD
TOWARDS CHARGES, OR IS THIS
SOMETHING THAT EITHER WAS
HEADING TOWARDS CHARGES OR COULD
POTENTIALLY STILL BE HEADING
TOWARDS CHARGES AND, THEREFORE,
VERY SERIOUS CRIMINAL LIABILITY
POTENTIALLY FOR THE CONGRESSMAN
SNRCHLTS I CANNOT BE IN
CONGRESSMAN GAETZ’S HEAD.
I AM NOT SURE WHY HE WOULD
CHOOSE TO PUBLICLY DISCLOSE
INFORMATION THAT WOULD IMPAIR AN
INVESTIGATION THAT HE HAS
PUBLICLY SAID SHOULD BE HELPING
HE AND HIS FAMILY.
BUT I WILL SAY THAT THE
INVESTIGATION, THE ALLEGATIONS
ARE THAT HE NOT ONLY HAD A
SEXUAL RELATIONSHIP WITH A
17-YEAR-OLD GIRL, BUT THAT HE
TOOK HER ACROSS STATE LINES,
WHICH WOULD BE A FEDERAL CRIME,
AND HE GAVE HER SOMETHING OF
VALUE IN RETURN.
THAT COULD BE MONEY.
IT ALSO COULD JUST BE TRAVEL
EXPENSE OR SOMETHING ELSE.
THAT EXTREMELY SERIOUS.
AGAIN WE DON’T KNOW WHETHER OR
NOT THIS WILL BE CHARGED.
THERE IS ONE REASON WHY THE
JUSTICE DEPARTMENT WANTS TO KEEP
THESE THINGS QUIET BECAUSE YOU
DON’T KNOW WHAT’S GOING TO