LIVE THAT STATE DEPARTMENT BRIEFING HAPPENING JUST MINUTES
FROM NOW.
FROM NOW. WE HAVE A TEAM OF REPORTERS AND
EXPERTS ALL OVER THIS AND THE
TOP STORIES OF THE DAY I WANT TO
GET RIGHT TO HANS NICHOLS AND
GARRETT HAAKE AT CAPITOL HILL.
A LOT OF NEWS AND ACTION
HAPPENING THIS MORNING.
WE KNEW THE DEFENSE FOR THE
PRESIDENT WAS GOING TO BE LED BY
PAT CIPOLLONE THE WHITE HOUSE
COUNSEL AND JAY SEKULOW.
HIS PERSONAL ATTORNEY.
I CAN TELL YOU AND YOU KNOW
THIS, WE ALSO KNOW NOW THAT TWO
PEOPLE WHO WERE PART OF THE
INDEPENDENT COUNSEL TEAM THAT
BILL CLINTON’S IMPEACHMENT WILL
BE PART OF THIS DEFENSE TEAM.
ROBERT WRAY AND KEN STARR, ALAN
DERSHOWITZ IS ALSO EXPECTED TO
BE A PART OF THE PRESIDENT’S
TEAM.
TEAM. I’M TOLD HE’S LIKELY TO MAKE THE
CONSTITUTIONAL ARGUMENT IF YOU
WILL.
WILL. THIS IS SOMETHING THAT
DERSHOWITZ HAS A LONG HISTORY,
LONG EXPERTISE IN.
HE COMES WITH SOME CONTROVERSIAL
BAGGAGE BUT I’VE BEEN TOLD THAT
THE PRESIDENT BELIEVES THAT
DERSHOWITZ IS A STRONG DEFENDER
OF HIS AND LIKES HOW HE’S
DEFENDING HIM ON TELEVISION THE
PRESIDENT WE KNOW THAT RUDY GIUL
HAVE BEEN REPORTING FOR LAST
SEVERAL DAYS IS NOT EXPECTED TO
TAKE A FORMAL ROLE AND THAT
HOUSE REPUBLICANS LIKE JIM
JORDAN AND CONGRESSMAN RATCLIFFE
ARE NOT ON THE TEAM AS OF NOW,
BUT THINGS ARE FLUID.
GIVE US THE CONTEXT OF WHO THE
PEOPLE ARE AND WHY THIS IS
SIGNIFICANT.
SIGNIFICANT. >> IT’S SIGNIFICANT BECAUSE
THESE ARE HEADLINE NAMES.
KEN STARR OF COURSE IS GOING TO
BE VERY CONTROVERSIAL.
AS WILL ALAN DERSHOWITZ.
AND WHAT WE’RE SEEING AS A
PRESIDENT WHO IS WILLING TO LOOK
BEYOND THE CONTROVERSY TO WHAT
HE THINKS ARE THE BENEFITS THEY
CAN PROVIDE IN THE FORUM LIKE A
SENATE TRIAL.
SENATE TRIAL. SO YOU LOOK AT THE LEGAL TEAM,
HERE AT THE WHITE HOUSE,
CIPOLLONE, NOT HOUSEHOLD NAMES
BUT SERIOUS LITIGATORS WITH NOT
A LOT OF TELEVISION EXPERIENCE.
KEN STARR HAS A LOT OF
TELEVISION EXPERIENCE AND ALAN
DERSHOWITZ FROM THE O.J. SIMPSON
TRIAL HAS A LOT OF TELEVISION
EXPERIENCE.
EXPERIENCE. THIS IS THE PUBLIC FACE OF A
TEAM THAT NOW HAS INSIDE PLAYERS
AND OUTSIDE PLAYERS.
AND IT’S CLEAR THAT THE
PRESIDENT WANTED TO GO BIG ON
THIS.
THIS. NOW, WHAT’S ALSO CLEAR IF RUDY
IS NOT ON THIS LIST IN SOME SORT
OF FINAL WAY AND YOU AND I BOTH
HEARD ONE WORD OVER AND OVER AT
THE WHITE HOUSE, THAT IS FLUID.
THIS SITUATION IS VERY FLUID.
HOW THEY ROLL THESE OUT, HOW
THEY INTRODUCE THESE LITIGATORS
TO THE AMERICAN PUBLIC IS GOING
TO BE PART OF THE WHITE HOUSE’S
STRATEGY.
STRATEGY. ALL OF THAT IS STILL BEING
PLAYED OUT, BUT THE PRESIDENT
DOES WANT TO HAVE A VERY ROBUST,
PUBLIC DEFENSE IN THE WELL OF
THE SENATE.
THE SENATE. AND NAMES LIKE THAT GUARANTEE
IT.
IT. NOW, THERE’S ALSO GOING TO BE
SOME CONTROVERSY ATTACHED.
DERSHOWITZ DID NOT COME OUT OF
THE O.J. SIMPSON TRIAL WITHOUT
CONTROVERSY.
CONTROVERSY. AND STARR VERY CONTROVERSIAL, IN
THE REPORT THAT LED TO THE
IMPEACHMENT OF BILL CLINTON AND
HE ENDED UP LEAVING BAYLOR
UNIVERSITY AFTER AN ISSUE WITH
THE FOOTBALL TEAM AND SEXUAL
MISCONDUCT.
MISCONDUCT. THERE’S CONTROVERSY ATTACHED TO
BOTH OF THE NAMES.
WE’LL SEE TO WHAT EXTENT HOW THE
WHITE HOUSE EXPLAIN THAT.
AND IMPORTANTLY, WE’LL HEAR FROM
THE PRESIDENT TWICE TODAY
POTENTIALLY ONCE WHEN HE MEETS
WITH THE FOOTBALL PLAYERS,
RIGHT, SEE IF HE SAYS ANYTHING
THERE, BUT ON DEPARTURE WE’LL
HAVE A CHANCE TO ASK HIM WHAT HE
EXPECTS OF EACH INDIVIDUAL
LITIGATOR.
LITIGATOR. HALLIE?
HALLIE? >> YOU’RE TALKING ABOUT THE
PRESIDENT SET TO LEAVE THE WROUS
WROUS -- WHITE HOUSE RIGHT
AROUND 2:30, HE’S HEADED DOWN TO
PALM BEACH, TO MAR-A-LAGO FOR
THE WEEKEND.
THE WEEKEND. I’M TOLD AS YOU TALK CONDUCT,
STREAM AND THE ROLES THAT THE
LAWYERS WILL PLAY THAT STARR AND
WRAY IN PARTICULAR WILL LIKELY
TAKE A ROLE TRYING TO TALK ABOUT
THE THRESHOLD ARGUMENT.
MAKING THE CASE AS WE HAVE HEARD
THE CASE, WE HAVE HEARD IT MADE
BY SENIOR ADMINISTRATION
OFFICIALS THAT THE IMPEACHMENT
IS BASICALLY WEAK SAUCE.
THAT’S NOT A QUOTE, THAT’S MY
INTERPRETATION OF IT.
BUT THAT THIS JUST DOESN’T MEET
THE STANDARDS FOR WHAT AN
IMPEACHMENT SHOULD BE.
>> AND IT’S SIMILAR TO WHAT WE
HEARD FROM JONATHAN TURLEY.
TURLEY WAS THE ONE REPUBLICAN
WITNESS THAT THEY CALLED WHEN
THEY TALKED ABOUT THE
CONSTITUTIONAL ARGUMENT.
CONSTITUTIONAL ARGUMENT. IT’S THE IDEA THAT WHAT THE
PRESIDENT IS BEING ALLEGED OF
DOESN’T MEET THE THRESH HOLD FOR
HIGH CRIMES AND MISDEMEANORS.
THERE’S AN ARGUMENT ON THE FACTS
AND THE LEGAL ARGUMENTS THAT YOU
NEED TO SATISFY FOR IMPEACHMENT.
AT LEAST ACCORDING TO THE WHITE
HOUSE AND THEN THE PRODDER --
BROADER CONSTITUTIONAL ARGUMENT.
THAT’S WHERE WOULD HAVE
DERSHOWITZ WEIGH IN ON THE
BROADER CONSTITUTIONAL
BROADER CONSTITUTIONAL FRAMEWORK.
FRAMEWORK. I THINK IT’S SIGNIFICANT IF THE
HOUSE ALLIES OF THE PRESIDENT
AREN’T FORMALLY PART OF THE TEAM
THAT’S AN INDICATION THAT MITCH
McCONNELL WON THE DAY ON THAT