ALL IN WITH CHRIS HAYES STARTS NOW.
NOW. >>> GOOD EVENING FROM
WASHINGTON.
WASHINGTON. I’M ALI VELSHI FOR CHRIS HAYES.
NEW REPORTING FROM "THE
WASHINGTON POST" ON DEPUTY
ATTORNEY GENERAL ROD
ROSENSTEIN’S TEARFUL PLEA TO
KEEP HIS JOB AND THE ASSURANCES
THAT HE GAVE THE PRESIDENT
DURING THE MUELLER PROBE, PLUS
AS THE PRESIDENT SPOKE TO THE
NATIONAL RIFLE ASSOCIATION,
THERE WAS BLOCKBUSTER NEW
REPORTING ON THE ABSOLUTE CHAOS
HAPPENING INSIDE ONE OF THE
NATION’S MOST POWERFUL LOBBYING
GROUPS.
GROUPS. WE WILL HAVE THAT INCREDIBLE
STORY AHEAD, BUT WE BEGIN WITH
TODAY’S EXTREMELY DANGEROUS
RHETORIC FROM THE PRESIDENT OF
THE UNITED STATES.
DONALD TRUMP INFLAMING
SUPPORTERS BEFORE AN ADORING
AUDIENCE AT THE NRA, EFFECTIVELY
CHARACTERIZING ROBERT MUELLER
AND MEMBERS OF THE U.S.
INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY AS
TRAITORS INTENT ON STAGING A
COUP.
COUP. >> THEY TRIED FOR A COUP AND
DIDN’T WORK OUT SO WELL.
[ APPLAUSE ]
AND I DIDN’T NEED A GUN FOR THAT
ONE, DID I?
CORRUPTION AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL.
A DISGRACE.
A DISGRACE. SPYING, SURVEILLANCE, TRYING FOR
AN OVERTHROW.
AN OVERTHROW. AND WE CAUGHT THEM.
WE CAUGHT THEM.
[ APPLAUSE ]
>> THAT IS THE PRESIDENT OF THE
UNITED STATES, SUGGESTING THAT
THOSE ENGAGED IN LEGITIMATE
OVERSIGHT AND INVESTIGATION,
INVESTIGATION WHICH FOUND
SIGNIFICANT WRONG-DOING AND
POTENTIALLY IMPEACHABLE OFFENSES
ARE TRAITORS TO ATTEMPTING
LEGITIMATELY OVERTHROW THE
GOVERNMENT.
GOVERNMENT. THAT WASN’T IT.
WHILE CRITICIZING THE MUELLER
INVESTIGATION, TRUMP DEFENDED A
MAN WHO LED AN ACTUAL ARMED
REVOLT AGAINST THIS NATION.
ROBERT E. LEE.
LET ME PROVIDE THE CONTEXT.
YESTERDAY IN ANNOUNCING HE WAS
ENTERING THE RACE, JOE BIDEN
CITED TRUMP’S DEFENSE OF WHITE
NATIONALIST WHO IS MARCHED IN
CHARLOTTE
CHARLOTTE CHARLOTTESVILLE SAYING TRUMP’S
WORDS HELPED THEM UNDERSTAND
THAT WE ARE IN A BATTLE FOR THE
SOUL OF THE NATION.
WHEN ASKED ABOUT THE COMMENTS,
TRUMP MADE IT CRYSTAL CLEAR
WHICH SIDE OF THAT BATTLE HE
STANDS ON.
STANDS ON. >> DO YOU STILL THINK THERE ARE
VERY FINE PEOPLE ON BOTH SIDES.
>> I ANSWERED THAT AND IF YOU
LOOK AT WHAT I SAID, THAT
QUESTION WAS ANSWERED PERFECTLY.
I WAS TALKING ABOUT PEOPLE THAT
WENT BECAUSE THEY FELT VERY
STRONGLY ABOUT THE MONUMENT TO
ROBERT E LEE, A GREAT GENERAL
WHETHER YOU LIKE IT OR NOT.
HE WAS ONE OF THE GREAT
GENERALS.
GENERALS. I SPOKE TO MANY GENERALS HERE AT
THE WHITE HOUSE AND MANY PEOPLE
THOUGHT OF THE GENERALS THEY
THINK HE WAS MAYBE THEIR
FAVORITE GENERAL.
FAVORITE GENERAL. PEOPLE WERE THERE PROTESTING THE
TAKING DOWN OF THE MONUMENT OF
ROBERT E. LEE.
EVERYBODY KNOWS THAT.
>> ROBERT E. LEE, THE MAN TRUMP
HOLDS IN HIGH ESTEEM TRIED TO
DESTROY THIS NATION.
THE CONFEDERATE COMMANDER WAS
RESPONSIBLE FOR THE DEATHS OF
HADN’TS S
HADN’TS S HUNDRED SAYS OF THOUSANDS OF
AMERICANS IN DEFENSE TO OWN
MILLIONS OF HUMAN BEINGS AS
PROPERTY BECAUSE THEY ARE BLACK.
AS FOR WHITE NATIONALISTS IN
CHARLOTTESVILLE THAT TRUMP
CONTINUES TO DEFEND, THEY HAD A
MARCH.
MARCH. A MUCH LARGER AGENDA THAN SIMPLY
DEFENDING A STATUE OF ROBERT E.
LEE.
LEE. >> JEWS WILL NOT REPLACE US!
JEWS WILL NOT REPLACE US!
BLOOD AND SOIL!
BLOOD AND SOIL!
>> IT MAVEN HARD TO HEAR THAT.
THEY WERE CHANTING BLOOD AND
SOIL.
SOIL. BROOD
BROOD BLOOD AND SOIL.
BLOOD AND SOIL IS A NAZI
RALLYING CRY.
RALLYING CRY. THESE ARE THE SO-CALLED FINE
PEOPLE THAT TRUMP CONTINUES TO
DEFEND.
DEFEND. >> BUT NOT ALL OF THOSE PEOPLE
WERE NEO NAZIS.
BELIEVE ME.
BELIEVE ME. NOT ALL WERE WHITE SUPREMACISTS
BY ANY STRETCH.
YOU HAVE VERY BAD PEOPLE IN THAT
GROUP, BUT YOU ALSO HAD PEOPLE
THAT WERE VERY FINE PEOPLE ON
BOTH SIDES.
BOTH SIDES. YOU HAD PEOPLE IN THAT GROUP --
EXCUSE ME.
EXCUSE ME. EXCUSE ME.
EXCUSE ME. I SAW THE SAME PICTURES AS YOU
DID.
DID. YOU HAD PEOPLE IN THAT GROUP
THAT WERE THERE TO PROTECTST THE
TAKING DOWN OF A VERY, VERY
IMPORTANT STATUE.
IMPORTANT STATUE. >> LET’S DISCUSS THE PRESIDENT’S
COMMENTS.
COMMENTS. JOINING ME, THE PRESIDENT AND
DIRECTOR COUNSEL OF THE NAACP
LEGAL DEFENSE AND EDUCATIONAL
FUND AND AL SHARPTON FROM
POLITICS NATION AND FOUNDER AND
PRESIDENT OF THE NATIONAL ACTION
NETWORK.
NETWORK. THANK YOU TO BOTH OF YOU FOR
BEING HERE.
BEING HERE. THE PRESIDENT EARLIER TODAY SAID
THAT HE ANSWERED THAT QUESTION
PERFECTLY.
PERFECTLY. HE COULD BE RIGHT.
HE COULD HAVE ANSWERED IT
PERFECTLY BECAUSE HE DOESN’T
SEEM TO BE MAKING A MISTAKE
ABOUT WHAT HE INTENDS TO SAY
ABOUT THE DEMONSTRATORS AND THE
MARCHERS.
MARCHERS. HE SEEMS TO BE CLEAR ON THE FACT
THAT THEY, IN HIS CONTINUE,
CONSTITUTE A GROUP OF VERY FINE
PEOPLE.
PEOPLE. >> ALI, IT’S REALLY IMPORTANT
THAT WE NOT GET SUCKED INTO THIS
GAME THAT THE PRESIDENT TRIES TO
PLAY.
PLAY. THIS IS TWO YEARS AFTER 2017 AND
WE WERE CERTAIN IN AUGUST 2017
THAT THE PRESIDENT KNEW EXACTLY
WHAT HE WAS SAYING AND SAID WHAT
HE WANTED TO SAY.
YOU WILL RECALL HE HAD THREE
DIFFERENT OPPORTUNITIES OVER THE
COURSE OF ABOUT 48 HOURS AND
EACH TIME HE DOUBLED DOWN ON HIS
BELIEF THERE WERE VERY FINE
PEOPLE ON BOTH SIDES AND MANY
FINE PEOPLE AND HE INSISTED ON
CHARACTERIZING HIS UNITE THE
RIGHT RALLY AS A RALLY AS THOUGH
IT WERE A REALLY OF THE
CHARLOTTESVILLE HISTORICAL
CHARLOTTESVILLE HISTORICAL SOCIETY INTERESTED IN THE
MILITARY TACTICS AND ACUMEN OF
ROBERT E. LEE.
LET’S NOT GET DISTRACTED WITH
GENERAL LEE AND THE CIVIL WAR.
WE KNOW WHAT THE RALLY WAS
ABOUT.
ABOUT. THEY WERE WHITE SUPREMACISTS AND
WE SAW WHAT THEY SAID AND WHAT
THE TIKI TORCH MARCH WAS ABOUT
AND SOMEHOW THERE WERE A QUIET
PROTEST.
PROTEST. THOSE WERE THE WORDS THE
PRESIDENT USED.
PRESIDENT USED. HE KNOWS WHAT HE IS SAYING.
TWO YEARS LATER AND ALI, IN THE
INTERVENING TWO YEARS, WE HAD
THE PRESIDENT’S ACTIONS TO
CONFIRM WHAT HE WAS SAYING.
WHAT HE SAID TODAY WAS EVEN
WORSE.
WORSE. HE NOW KNOWS THAT THERE ARE
PEOPLE WHO LISTENED TO WHAT HE
SAYS AND SOME OF THEM ARE
VIOLENT.
VIOLENT. WE KNOW ABOUT THE COAST GUARD
LIEUTENANT AND THE MAN WHO WAS
PLANTING THE PIPE BOMBS AND
TARGETING PEOPLE ON THIS NETWORK
WHO HE REGARDED AS ENEMIES THE
PRESIDENT.
PRESIDENT. HE KNOWS HIS WORDS HAVE POWER
AND THERE IS AN ELEMENT OUT
THERE THAT IS FOLLOWING HIM AND
HE MAKES THESE COMMENTS.
MORE IMPORTANTLY, HIS POLICIES
ARE CONSISTENT WITH HIS WORDS.
>> NOT ONLY THAT, BUT REVERENT
AL, THE PRESIDENT AT THE NRA
EXPANDED ON THAT AND TALKED
ABOUT A COUP AND OVERTHROW AND
WE BEAT THEM.
THERE WAS AN AUDIENCE FOR HIS
LANGUAGE AND RHETORIC.
THAT RHETORIC YOU KNOW IS
FAMILIAR.
FAMILIAR. WE HAVE SEEN AROUND THE WORLD
USUALLY FROM DICTATORS.
THE IDEA THAT LEGITIMATE
INTERESTS WHO OPPOSE THE
GOVERNMENT IS ARE NOT LEGITIMATE
AND ARE TRYING TO STAGE COUPS
AND OVERTHROW THE ELECTED
GOVERNMENT OF THE UNITED STATES.
>> FIRST WE MUST UNDERSTAND HE
SAID WHAT HE MEANT AND MEANT
WHAT HE SAID.
HIS POLICIES AND HOW HE HAS
PRESIDED OVER THIS NATION
REFLECTS THAT.
REFLECTS THAT. WHEN YOU CAN CALL TRAITORS
PEOPLE THAT ARE DOING
INVESTIGATIONS ON WHETHER A
FOREIGN ADVERSEARY INTERFERED OR
IN ANY WAY WAS PART OF TRYING TO
AFFECT AN AMERICAN ELECTION AND
CALL THEM TRAITORS AND PRAISE A
TRAITOR WHO CAUSED THE DEATH OF
HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE
THAT ARE OF THIS COUNTRY AND
THEY WERE FIGHTING FOR THE RIGHT
TO KEEP BLACKS AS PROPERTY, THEY
WERE FIGHTING TO OVERTHROW THE
GOVERNMENT AND EVEN SAY THAT
THERE ARE GENERALS WHO SAT IN
THE WHITE HOUSE AND SAID HE WAS
A FINAL GENERAL LIKE HE WAS A
GENERAL IN THE U.S. ARMY.
HE WAS A GENERAL IN AN OVERTHROW
THE GOVERNMENT CONFEDERATE ARMY
CONFEDERATE GOVERNMENT.
CONFEDERATE GOVERNMENT. WE KNOW WE ARE REALLY FIGHTING
NOT ONLY FOR THE SOUL OF THE
COUNTRY, BUT FIGHTING FOR WHAT
THE COUNTRY IS GOING TO STAND
FOR.
FOR. I THINK THAT WHEN YOU LOOK AT
THE FACT THAT HE IS NOW FACING
THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES AND
SAYING I WILL DEFY THEM, WHICH
MEANS WE WILL NOT HAVE COEQUAL
BRANCHES.
BRANCHES. THE PRESIDENT IS NOW AUTOCRATIC
IN HIS MIND.
I’M ABOVE ALL OF THAT.
WHEN YOU PUT THAT ALL TOGETHER,
PRAISING A TRAITOR, CALLING
LEGITIMATE INVESTIGATORS
LEGITIMATE INVESTIGATORS TRAITORS AND THEN SAY I AM NOT
EVEN GOING TO ANSWER YOU AND I
WILL FIGHT TO BE AN AUTOCRAT,
CLEARLY HE IS CONSISTENT WITH
AUTOCRATS AND DICTATORS WITH HIS
DANGEROUS RHETORIC.
DANGEROUS RHETORIC. >> THAT IS CHILLING.
IF THAT IS TRUE, FOR 2.5 YEARS
WE KNOW WHERE HE STANDS, BUT HE
HAS A BASE OF PEOPLE WHO
CONTINUE TO BELIEVE THE IDEAS
THAT HE PUTS FORTH.
NOW WHEN HE EXERTS THE AUTHORITY
AND THE IDEA THAT PEOPLE WHO ARE
SUMMONED TO CONGRESS ARE NOT
GOING TO BE ALLOWED TO TESTIFY
BEFORE CONGRESS AND BEFORE A
COEQUAL BRANCH OF GOVERNMENT, AT
SOME POINT IT HAS TO WORRY RIGHT
MINDED AMERICANS WHO SAY WE HAVE
SEEN THIS PLAY OUT IN HISTORY
BEFORE WHERE LAW ENFORCEMENT,
MEDIA, AND THE JUDICIARY WERE
UNDERMINED BY AN OFFICIAL LEADER
AND IT LEADS TO BAD THINGS.
>> ALI, I STUDIED AND HAVE
WRITTEN ABOUT THIS.
I HAVE WRITTEN ABOUT NAZI
GERMANY AND RWANDA AND NAZI
GERMANY IN THE UNITED STATES.
WE ARE AT A PERILOUS MOMENT.
YOU SAY RIGHT MINDED PEOPLE HAVE
TO STAND UP, BUT ARE THEY
STANDING UP?
STANDING UP? ARE A MAJORITY OF AMERICANS
FIGHTING FOR THIS COUNTRY?
I HAVE BEEN CALLING OUT MY
PROFESSION.
PROFESSION. THERE ARE WONDERFUL LAWYERS,
MANY OF WHOM REGULARLY APPEAR
AND ARE SPEAKING TRUTH TO POWER
AND ABOUT THE RULE OF LAW AND
WHO ARE RECOGNIZING THAT THE
PRESIDENT IS NOT ONLY HIMSELF A
DISMISSIVE VIOLATION OF THE RULE
OF LAW, BUT DEMANDING THOSE WHO
WORK DPR HIM TO VIOLATE THE RULE
OF LAW AS WELL.
MY CONFESSION REVEALS MANY
LAWYERS VERY PROMINENT WHO HAVE
BEEN SILENT.
BEEN SILENT. WE ARE AT THE MOMENT OF IF NOT
NOW, WHEN.
NOW, WHEN. THIS PRESIDENT IS MAKING HIS
INTENTIONS PERFECTLY CLEAR.
HE IS DEMONSTRATING CLEARLY HIS
INTENTION TO DEFY THE RULE OF
LAW AND HE BELIEVES HE IS ABOVE
THE LAW.
THE LAW. HE IS ALSO GROOMING THE
POPULATION, HIS FOLLOWERS.
HE IS GROOMING A SET OF PEOPLE
TO BELIEVE WHAT HE SAYS.
TO NOT UNDERSTAND WHAT THE RULE
IS LAW IS.
TO BELIEVE HE IS A VICTIM AND
ANYONE WHO COMES AGAINST HIM IS
PART OF PART OF A PLOT.
THIS IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS
STUFF.
STUFF. SOME PEOPLE ARE THINKING WE ARE
AUTOMATICALLY GOING TO COME OUT
OF THIS AND THERE IS SOMETHING
INEVITABLE TO COME OUT AS A
DEMOCRACY.
DEMOCRACY. IT REQUIRES EACH OF US TO STAND
UP AND SPEAK AND DEMAND.
>> IT IS NOT INEVITABLE THAT WE
COME OUT OF IT AND DO NOT SLIP
DEEPER INTO THIS.
RWANDA IS A PERFECT EXAMPLE OF
WHICH A GOVERNMENTUNDERMINED.
GERMANY LOOKED VERY SIMILAR.
THESE ARE EXAMPLES?
WHICH YOU CAN’T RELATE TO IT.
SOCIETY IS NOT GOING TO COME
APART BECAUSE OF THE NONSENSE OF
RHETORIC FROM A LEADER, BUT IT
DOES.
DOES. >> I HAVE SEEN IT.
I WENT TO ARE YOU WAPDRWANDA AND
FIRSTHAND.
FIRSTHAND. THE REAL DETERMINE IS WE ARE
NORMALIZING THIS RATHER THAN
REALLY SAYING THAT WE ARE AT A
MOMENT WHERE THIS COUNTRY IS
GOING TO DECIDE NOT ON A NEW
PRESIDENT, BUT WHETHER THE
PRESIDENCY BECOMES AN AUTOCRATIC
LEADER.
LEADER. WE ARE TALKING ABOUT WHETHER OR
NOT WE REDEFINE HOW THIS COUNTRY
IS IN FACT ENFORCED IN TERMS OFS
IT LUAWS AND WE HAVE ALL
CONSUMING POWER AT HIS
DISCRETION AND HE ALONE WILL
MAKE THAT DECISION.
WE KEEP ACTING AS IF WE ARE IN A
NORMAL ELECTION.
NORMAL ELECTION. WE ARE REALLY SELECTING WHAT
KIND OF GOVERNMENT WE ARE MOVING
FORWARD WHEN YOU HAVE SOMEONE AS
BLATANT AS THIS THAT WILL COME
IN AND PRAISE TRAITORS AND
NORMALIZE PEOPLE TALKING ABOUT
JEWS WILL NOT REPLACE US AND
USING BLOOD AND SOIL, NAZI
TERMS, IN OPEN AND PUBLIC IN THE
MEDIA.
MEDIA. I THINK WE REALLY NEED TO
UNDERSTAND WHERE WE ARE IN
HISTORY AND WE MUST STAND UP, IF
THERE ARE RIGHT MINDED AMERICAN
PEOPLE, THE MAJORITY NEED TO
STAND UP NOT ONLY FROM THE LEGAL
PROFESSION, BUT ACROSS THE BOARD
FOR WHATEVER PROFESSION.
THE FUTURE OF THIS NATION IS AT
STAKE.