our weekend briefing. We now know the Department of Justice is investigating
former President Trump for potentially violating the Espionage Act,
among other laws after recovering highly classified government documents
from his Mara Lago estate. Meantime, President Biden and congressional
Democrats are celebrating another landmark legislative victory after
passing a massive climate, healthcare and tax bill.
The President Biden is set to sign into law this coming week here
to talk about that, and more is special correspondent Jeff Greenfield.
Jeff. It's great to have you back with us. And let's start with the
case at Mara Lago. Because today you have Trump allies there now
pushing this claim that the that the documents retrieved from Mar
a Lago were not classified that Donald Trump verbally declassified
them.
Except that one. That's not how the process works. The declassification
process works and two it doesn't matter. The FBI search warrant listed
three statutes that make the violations crime regardless of whether
or not the materials are classified. So what's your assessment of
what we know? And what we don't know about this case?
What we don't know, because we're not seeing the affidavit in support
of the of the search is what specifically
Are they concerned about? They talk about documents related to nuclear
weapons. That can mean all sorts of things from the relatively innocent
to the really serious potential breach of security at the highest
level when they talk about referencing a criminal statute that talks
about taking documents to obstruct justice. Are they talking about
an attempt to cover up something we don't know?
What we do know Ah, to be blunt. Is it the various explanations that
Trump and his allies have given? Keep changing first? Well, maybe
the FBI was going to plant evidence that seemed a little unlikely.
Then if you pointed out, no problem, he can declassify anything with
the with the wave of his hand. Well, no, we can't. And as you pointed
out the statutes in question, don't talk about classified documents.
The last point I would make is he was he he, Trump said At one point.
We've given them everything they wanted.
Well, The New York Times reported. Not exactly one of Trump's lawyers
had signed a statement saying You now have everything that we can
find. It's classified, and the reason for the search warrant at Trump's
property was, uh, the authorities were convinced with good reason.
It turns out that not everything had been turned over. So we're still
kind of on a darkling plain about the specifics, but what we know
raises some
Eyebrows and some pretty serious questions. Meantime, Donald Trump
standing his political standing had been slipping among younger and
college educated Republicans. One of the key questions now is. Will
the Republican Party continue to circle the wagons and stick by him,
even as the picture potentially gets worse? Not just with this case
involving Mara Lago, but you have a civil action in New York and
then the criminal probe in Georgia.
I think the answer to your question for now lies in the primaries.
Uh, people were saying, Well, Trump standing in the party has started
to slip, Uh, With the exception of a few races in Georgia almost
every target, Trump aimed his anger at has gone down to defeat often
against people with very thin credentials. Other than that Trump
supported. So when this story broke the first reaction of virtually
every Republican
Not just the Maga zealots, but the office holders was, as you put
it to circle the wagons and say everything from this is an outrage
to, uh defund the FBI, which I have to admit caused a certain amount
of trouble since the Republicans were planning to make crime and
their support for law enforcement, a key to the midterms.
Speaking of the midterms. This was a big week for President Biden,
another legislative win healthcare climate deficit deficit reduction
that was included in the inflation Reduction Act. You see the totality
of his legislative successes over the past year and a half gas prices
are coming down. His approval rating is ticking up. White House officials
tell me that they're going to hit the road over the coming weeks,
and they're gonna try to paint Republicans as stewards of special
interests who are pursuing what they call an extreme.
Agenda. Will that be ineffective approach? Do you think
The first thing to be said, is that the Trump story was not what
the White House would have wanted. Well, a day after the lower inflation
atmosphere passed the day after this, this pretty impressive record
after a long string of defeats or not getting things done was about
to be celebrated by the White House. Trump, as he says, so often
done sucked all the oxygen out of the room. Um
You know, Democrats have been arguing for a long time that Republicans
are the party of special interests and whether that political argument
works really depends on facts on the ground. I think of all the things
that the Democrats have done, uh, passing a bill that will get the
government to regulate drug prices, even though that's a couple of
years away is to me the most effective arguments, saying
This is the most serious economic issue we could deal with, and every
Republican voted against us. That's what I think might be effective.
But the other thing needs to be said is. Gas prices are not in control
of Biden. He didn't deserve the blame when he went up. He doesn't
deserve the credit when they well now that they're going down, and
they may be going up again by November. Wyoming has a primary on
Tuesday. Congresswoman Liz Cheney is likely on her way to a major
defeat, given her role in trying to hold Donald Trump to account
for inciting the capital insurrection.
There are lots of Americans, Republicans and Democrats. Who really,
I think long for the days.
Of the Republican Party that Liz Cheney represents. What's her next
act as you see it, the idea that Liz Cheney represents the kind of
moderate Republican that's just doesn't fit the history. What she
is, is a very conservative Republican who was repelled by what Trump
did when he lost the election. I think she will be a star on the
cable television.
Uh, whether I think she has a future in the Republican Party. My
answer to that is not very likely special correspondent Jeff Greenfield.
Thanks as always, for your insights Great to have you with us to