>>> QUIETLY ON FRIDAY NIGHT WHEN
THIS SHOW WAS OVER AND PEOPLE
WERE SLIDING INTO THE WEEKEND,
ATTORNEY GENERAL WILLIAM BARR
JUST ISSUED A SURPRISING
STATEMENT OUT OF NOWHERE
ANNOUNCING THAT THE U.S.
ATTORNEY FOR THE SOUTHERN
DISTRICT OF NEW YORK, A GUY
NAMED JEFFREY BERMAN WAS
RESIGNING.
THAT’S A WEIRD THING TO ANNOUNCE
ON FRIDAY AT LIKE 10:00.
THE SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF NEW
YORK IS ARGUABLY ONE OF THE MOST
POWERFUL DISTRICTS IN THE
COUNTRY.
AS YOU MIGHT REMEMBER, IT IS
THAT DISTRICT THAT PUT THE
PRESIDENT’S FORMER LAWYER,
MICHAEL COHEN IN PRISON.
IT IS ALSO THAT DISTRICT THAT IS
REPORTEDLY CURRENTLY
INVESTIGATING THE PRESIDENT’S
PERSONAL LAWYER AND BAGMAN, RUDY
GIULIANI.
IT’S ALSO INVESTIGATING THE
PRESIDENT’S INAUGURAL COMMITTEE,
THE PRESIDENT’S PERSONAL BANK,
DEUTSCHE BANK.
ONE OF THE MOST SURPRISING
THINGS ABOUT THE ATTORNEY
GENERAL’S SUDDEN FRIDAY NIGHT
SUMMER ANNOUNCEMENT IS THAT IT
WAS ALSO APPARENTLY A SURPRISE
TO THE MAN AT ISSUE, THE TOP
PROSECUTOR THAT WILLIAM BARR
CLAIMED HAD RESIGNED BECAUSE
THAT GUY, JEFFREY BERMAN QUICKLY
ISSUED A STATEMENT SAYING, IN
EFFECT, HELL NO.
I LEARNED IN A PRESS RELEASE
THAT I WAS STEPPING DOWN AS
UNITED STATES ATTORNEY.
I HAVE NOT RESIGNED, HAVE NO
INTENTION OF RESIGNING MY
POSITION.
OUR INVESTIGATIONS WILL MOVE
FORWARD WITHOUT DELAY OR
INTERRUPTION.
THAT LAST STATEMENT IMPLIES HIS
REMOVAL OR ATTEMPTED REMOVAL WAS
WILLIAM BARR WANTING HIM TO STOP
DOING SOME OF THOSE
INVESTIGATIONS.
THEN ON SATURDAY AFTERNOON, BARR
THEN UPPED THE ANTE, RELEASING A
PUBLIC LETTER TO BERMAN SAYING,
QUOTE, BECAUSE YOU HAVE DECLARED
YOU HAVE NO INTENTION OF
RESIGNING, I HAVE ASKED THE
PRESIDENT TO REMOVE YOU AS OF
TODAY, AND HE HAS DONE SO.
THE TOP PROSECUTOR FOR THE
SOUTHERN DISTRICT AGREED TO STEP
DOWN AFTER THAT.
BERMAN SAYS UNCLE BUT ONLY AFTER
BARR AGREED TO LET HIS DEPUTY, A
RESPECTED CAREER PROSECUTOR,
TAKE OVER THAT OFFICE AS OPPOSED
TO HAVE IT TAKEN OVER BY THE NEW
JERSEY ATTORNEY GENERAL, WHICH
IS WEIRD.
THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF THE
UNITED STATES JUST FLAT-OUT LIED
TO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE ON
FRIDAY.
THAT’S WHAT HAPPENED.
HE LIED WHEN HE SAID THAT
FEDERAL PROSECUTOR AGREED TO
RESIGN.
THAT WAS A LIE.
HE LIED TO ALL OF US WITH A
BLACK AND WHITE LIE, AND HE HAS
LIED BEFORE.
NOW, THAT U.S. ATTORNEY -- THAT
DEPARTMENT -- THAT ATTORNEY
GENERAL WHO WAS FIRED, JEFFREY
BERMAN, JEFFREY BERMAN IS NOW
AVAILABLE TO TESTIFY BEFORE
CONGRESS IF ANYBODY WANTS TO
HEAR FROM HIM BECAUSE WE STILL
DON’T REALLY KNOW WHAT THE HECK
HAPPENED HERE.
JOINING ME NOW FOR MORE ON THE
REMOVAL OF JEFFREY BERMAN IS A
MEMBER OF THE SENATE JUDICIARY
COMMITTEE.
HE PREVIOUSLY SERVED AS A U.S.
ATTORNEY HIMSELF, THE U.S.
ATTORNEY FOR RODEHODE ISLAND.
AS A MAN WHO HELD A JOB SIMILAR
TO JEFFREY BERMAN’S, WHAT DID
YOU MAKE OF THIS WHEN YOU HEARD
THIS FRIDAY NIGHT?
WHAT IS THIS?
>> I DON’T KNOW.
IT’S SOMEWHERE BETWEEN THE GONG
SHOW AND THAT BLACK COMEDY "THE
DEATH OF STALIN."
IT IS JUST AN ARRAY OF MISFIRES.
FIRST OF ALL, THERE IS THE LIE
ABOUT THE U.S. ATTORNEY
RESIGNING.
THEN IT TURNS OUT THAT NOBODY
BOTHERED TO TELL BARR OR THEY
HAD FORGOTTEN THAT THIS WAS A
JUDICIALLY APPOINTED U.S.
ATTORNEY, A RARE THING.
SO IT IS ACTUALLY NOT CLEAR THAT
BARR CAN FIRE HIM.
>> RIGHT.
>> WHICH GAVE HIM THE LEVERAGE
TO HOLD OUT AND DEMAND THAT
INSTEAD OF THE NEW JERSEY U.S.
ATTORNEY COMING IN THAT HIS OWN
SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK
DEPUTY TAKE OVER, AGAIN, IN THE
ORDINARY COURSE.
AND THEN THEY ALSO FORGOT THAT
THERE IS A BLUE SLIP IN THE
SENATE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE, SO
ACTUALLY THE NEW APPOINTEE WHO
THEY SUPPOSEDLY WANTED TO BE JAY
CLAYTON WOULD HAVE TO GO THROUGH
CHUCK SCHUMER AND CHRISTIAN
GILLIBRAND BEFORE THEY COULD GET
THERE.
SO THE AMATEURNESS AND THE
OBVIOUS OVERSIGHT, IT IS LIKE A
FIRE THE ASSOCIATE QUALITY WORK
HERE.
ALL OF THAT SUGGESTS THAT
BECAUSE BARR IS NOT AN IDIOT
THAT THERE IS SOME VERY POWERFUL
FORCES WORKING JUST BENEATH THE
SURFACE TO EXPLAIN ALL THIS
PECULIARITY.
>> WELL, I MEAN, THAT’S -- THERE
IS A MYSTERY HERE THAT IS TO ME
UNSOLVED.
CLEARLY SOMETHING HAPPENED.
THERE WAS SOME PREDICATE FOR
THIS.
THERE WAS A PRECIPITATING
INCIDENT.
THERE WAS REPORTING TODAY ABOUT
IT BEING AN OPEN LETTER ON BILL
de BLASIO’S OPENING.
I DON’T QUITE BUY THAT.
BUT IT SEEMS TO ME THAT IT’S
SOMEONE’S JOB, I DON’T KNOW THE
HOUSE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE, TO
ACTUALLY GET TO THE BOTTOM.
LIKE WE SHOULD KNOW WHAT
HAPPENED HERE, RIGHT?
>> YES, WE SHOULD KNOW WHAT
HAPPENED HERE.
AND IF WE HAD GAVELS IN THE
SENATE, WE WOULD FIND OUT.
CHAIRMAN NADLER DOES HAVE THE
GAVEL IN THE HOUSE, AND I HOPE
AND EXPECT HE WILL CONTINUE TO
LOOK INTO THIS BECAUSE IT ALL
JUST SMELLS REALLY RANCID.
I THINK PART OF IT MIGHT BE THAT
THEY WANT TO HUMBLE THE FAMOUS
SOVEREIGN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK,
WHICH IS WHY YOU BRING A NEW
JERSEY U.S. ATTORNEY TO OVERSEE
IT.
>> RIGHT.
>> AS A PART-TIME JOB.
THERE HAS ALWAYS BEEN A RIVALRY
BETWEEN MAIN JUSTICE AND THE
SO-CALLED SOVEREIGN DISTRICT.
BUT JUST THE BAD LAWYERING HERE
AND THE SLIP SHOT FACTS AND
BEING CAUGHT LYING TWICE FIRST
BY BERMAN AND SECOND BY THE
PRESIDENT SAYING, HEY, I HAVE
NOTHING TO DO WITH THIS WHEN