YORK.
♪
PAUL: WELCOME TO THE SPECIAL
EDITION OF "THE JOURNAL
EDITORIAL REPORT."
AS WE LOOK BACK ON THE HIGHS AND
LOWS OF 2019.
I'M PAUL GIGOT.
FROM THE MUELLER REPORT TO THE
IMPEACHMENT PROBE, WE BEGIN WITH
THE INVESTIGATIONS INTO
PRESIDENT TRUMP WHICH KICKED
INTO HIGH GEAR THIS YEAR AS
DEMOCRATS TOOK CONTROL OF THE
HOUSE.
SO WHAT DID WE LEARN ABOUT THE
PRESIDENT AND THOSE
INVESTIGATING HIM AND WHICH SIDE
EMERGED STRONGER?
LET'S ASK WALL STREET JOURNAL
COLUMNIST AND DEPUTY EDITOR, DAN
HENNINGER AND COLUMNIST KIM
STRASSEL, BILL McGERN AND MARY
O'GRADY.
KIM, WHEN WE THINK ABOUT
IMPEACHMENT, I'M BEGINNING TO
THINK IN RETROSPECT THAT IT WAS
PROBABLY INEVITABLE.
WE WERE GOING TO GET IMPEACHMENT
ONE WAY OR ANOTHER FROM THE
DEMOCRATS WHO ARE REALLY INTENT
ON IT AND EVEN AFTER THE MUELLER
REPORT FAILED, THEY WERE GOING
TO LOOK FOR SOMETHING ELSE.
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
>> WELL, THAT WAS REALLY THE
KEY.
WHEN THE MUELLER REPORT CAME
OVER, I THINK SOME OF US OUT
THERE WE WAITED MORE THAN TWO
YEARS AND WE THOUGHT OKAY, NOW
WE HAVE AN A ANSWER, IT'S TIME
TO PUT THIS BEHIND US.
BUT NO, THE MINUTE IT CAME OUT,
THEY DOUBLED DOWN.
THEY DRILLED IN ON THE
OBSTRUCTION PIECE OF HIS REPORT
EVEN THOUGH THE JUSTICE
DEPARTMENT SAID THIS WAS NOT
SOMETHING THAT COULD GO FORWARD.
AND IT WAS PRETTY CLEAR AT THAT
MOMENT THAT THIS WAS GOING TO
HAPPEN ONE WAY OR ANOTHER AND IT
WAS A QUESTION OF THEIR FINDING
THE RIGHT ISSUE TO HANG IT ON.
PAUL: ANYBODY DISAGREE WITH
THAT, THEY WERE GOING TO IMPEACH
HIM FOR JAY WALKING IF THEY HAD
TO.
>> THEY WERE CALLING FOR
IMPEACHMENT BARELY AFTER HE WAS
TAKING THE OATH OF OFFICE.
I THINK THIS IS RIGHT.
MRS. PELOSI TRIED TO RESIST IT
BUT THE POINT IS, THIS IS WHAT
THE BULK OF HER PARTY WANTED.
WHEN YOU LOOK AT THOSE POLLS --
PAUL: THAT'S MY POINT.
>> YOU BREAK IT DOWN, IT'S
SOMETHING LIKE 90% THEY WERE
AGREED ON THAT.
MRS. PELOSI WAS THE OUTLIER IN
THOSE POLLS.
PAUL: GO AHEAD.
>> THE OTHER THING ABOUT THE
MUELLER REPORT THAT'S AMAZING IS
HOW HE BASICALLY DECIDED TO
IGNORE THE STEELE REPORT AND THE
IMPORTANCE OF CHRISTOPHER
STEELE'S REPORT, A FORMER
BRITISH SPY WHO WAS BASICALLY
HIRED TO TRY TO FIND DIRT ON
DONALD TRUMP.
PAUL: BY THE DEMOCRATS.
>> YEAH.
AND YOU KNOW, MUELLER JUST
DIDN'T GO INTO THAT AND I THINK
THERE'S SOMETHING WE LEARNED
MORE ABOUT NOT JUST ABOUT
MUELLER BUT IF YOU LOOK AT ALL
OF THIS, YOU SEE THAT THE
WASHINGTON ESTABLISHMENT WAS
HAPPY TO COVER UP FOR EACH
OTHER, ALL IN THE INTEREST OF
BASICALLY DAMAGING DONALD TRUMP.
>> LET'S TALK ABOUT THE
WASHINGTON ESTABLISHMENT.
I MEAN, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE TALK
ALL THE TIME ABOUT HOW RUN
TESTIFY OUR -- DISRUPTIVE OUR
POLITICS IS, HOW TENSE IT IS,
IT'S POLARIZING.
DONALD TRUMP DID NOT CREATE THE
RUSSIAN COLLUSION NARRATIVE,
RIGHT?
PAUL: RIGHT.
>> HE TALKS ABOUT WITCH HUNTS.
HE'S GOT A POINT.
IF YOU EXTRACTED THIS STUFF WHAT
YOU WOULD HAVE I THINK IS A MORE
OR LESS NORMAL PRESIDENCY.
TRUMP WOULD NEVER BE A NORMAL
PRESIDENT BUT WE WOULD BE
ARRESTING
ARGUSTING
ARGUINING
ARGUINGNG
ARGUING ABOUT NORMAL THINGS LIKE
IMMIGRATION AND OTHER TRULL P
POLICIES.
-- TRUMP POLICIES.
INSTEAD WE SPEND THE YEAR ON
THIS ZERO SUM COLLUSION
NARRATIVE WHICH IS VERY
DISRUPTIVE.
PAUL: DO YOU PUT ANY BLAME, A
LITTLE BIT, ON TRUMP FOR NOT
REPUTE DATING PUTIN AS MUCH AS
HE COULD.
>> HE COULD HAVE MADE THAT
CLEARER, FOR SURE.
IT WAS A TROUBLING ASPECT OF THE
ELECTION CAMPAIGN.
THEY IMPOSED MORE SANCTIONS ON
THE RUSSIAN THAN ANY PREVIOUS
ADMINISTRATION SO IT'S BEEN A
WASH FROM THAT PERSPECTIVE.
>> IT WOULDN'T HAVE MADE A
DIFFERENCE.
HOW DO WE KNOW?
I MEAN THAT SERIOUSLY.
HOW DO WE KNOW?
THEY GOT THE MUELLER REPORT.
YOU LOOK AT WHAT --
PAUL: THEY ARE STILL ACCUSING
HIM OF COLLUSION.
>> WHEN BOB MUELLER CAME IN,
THERE WAS ENOUGH EVIDENCE THAT
THIS WAS GOING NOWHERE, YET THEY
CONTINUED THE INVESTIGATION.
THE WHOLE THING FROM THE
BEGINNING IS FINDING OUT THAT
THE STEELE STUFF WAS NOT
CREDIBLE AND THEY WENT WITH IT
ANYWAY.
>> LET'S NOT FOR GET THE
INSPECTOR GENERAL'S REPORT WHICH
CAME OUT MORE RECENTLY.
THAT HAD EVIDENCE OF THE FBI
HIDING EXCULPATORY EVIDENCE.
THAT IS REALLY A SCANDAL.
IT'S TERRIFYING FOR I THINK
AMERICAN CITIZENS.
I MEAN, THOSE OF US WHO BELIEVE
IN CIVIL LIBERTIES, WHICH SHOULD
BE THE BULK OF WASHINGTON --
PAUL: EVERYBODY.
>> YEAH.
YOU HOW
HOU HOW
HOW HOW
HOW COW
HOW COME THERE'S SORT OF A YAWN?
PART OF THAT IS BECAUSE OF THE
MOST OF THE PRESS HAS BEEN
SPINNING IT, WHICH IS TRUMP IN A
PROBLEM.
PAUL: THE A ABUSES OF THE FBI
WERE R WORSE THAN ANYTHING WE
LEARNED ABOUT DONALD TRUMP AND
RUSSIA.
>> ABSOLUTELY.
THE IG REPORT HAS BEEN
ABSOLUTELY DEVASTATING TO THE
FBI AND WE ALREADY HAD REPORTS
COME OUT, I MEAN, PEOPLE FORGET,
SHORT MEMORIES, BUT WE'VE HAD
THREE REPORTS ABOUT JIM COMEY,
THE FORMER FBI DIRECTOR AND HIS
TENURE.
THE FIRST ONE, WHICH DEALT WITH
THE HILLARY CLINTON PROBE,
ACCUSED HIM OF BEING
INSUBORDINATE TO SUPERIORS.
WE HAD ONE ABOUT THE LEAK OF HIS
MEMO TO THE PRESS ABOUT THE
CONVERSATION WAS THE PRESIDENT
WHICH POINTED OUT WAS DANGEROUS,
RECKLESS BEHAVIOR AND WE HAVE AN
IG REPORT ABOUT THE FBI PLAYING
FAST AND LOOSE WITH THE FISA
COURT.
THIS REALLY DOES CALL INTO MANY
AMERICANS' MINDS R WHETHER OR WE
AMERICANS' MINDS R WHETHER OR WH
AMERICANS' MINDS R WHETHER OR WR
AMERICANS' MINDS R WHETHER OR WO
AMERICANS' MINDS R WHETHER OR WR
AMERICANS' MINDS R WHETHER OR WN
AMERICANS' MINDS R WHETHER OR WT
THEY CAN TRUST THE FBI AT ALL.
THERE'S BEEN INSTITUTIONAL
DAMAGE, ALL BECAUSE THEY WERE
GOING AFTER TRUMP.
BUT IT'S THE FBI WHO COMES OUT
LOOKING VERY POOR HERE.
PAUL: AND THE TWO YEARS SPENT
PURSUING THE COLLUSION NARRATIVE
AND ASSERTING IT NOTWITHSTANDING
A LACK OF EVIDENCE I THINK
REALLY HAS HURT THE ATTEMPT TO
NOW IMPEACH ON UKRAINE BECAUSE A
LOT OF THE PUBLIC SAYS WAIT A
MINUTE, WE HEARD ALL THIS BEFORE
AND WE CAN'T TRUST THESE PEOPLE
BECAUSE THEY'RE PUSHING -- THEY
PUSHED FALSEHOODS ON US BEFORE.
>> I THINK DEMOCRATS HAVE DONE
SOME DAMAGE TO THEMSELVES.
THEY COULD BE RUNNING AGAINST IN
THE ELECTION YEAR TRUMP'S
PERSONALITY AND HIS POLICIES.
THAT WOULD BE LEGITIMATE.
THEY ELEVATED IT TO THIS
SO-CALLED CONSTITUTIONAL CRISIS
WHICH I THINK IS REALLY A BRIDGE