COMMERCE COMMITTEE.
THANK YOU,MAN, VERY GOOD SEEING
YOU.
WANT TO PICK UP THAT SAME THEME
WITH BILL BARR, ONE DAMN THING
AFTER ANOTHER: MEMOIRS OF AN
ATTORNEY GENERAL, REALLY IS A
GREAT BOOK.
IT’S ALWAYS A PLEASURE TO HAVE
HIM.
ATTORNEY GENERAL, VERY, VERY
GOOD --
>> HI, NEIL.
NEIL: -- TO SEE YOU.
>> GOOD TO SEE YOU.
NEIL: A POINT I WAS RAISING WITH
THE CONGRESSWOMAN, AND THAT IS
WHETHER YOU BELIEVE THESE
HEARINGS ARE JUSTIFY OR TRUMPED
UP, NO PUN INTENDED, AGAINST THE
FORMER PRESIDENT, IT’S LIKELY IN
A COUPLE OF WEEKS THEY WILL SEEK
CRIMINAL INDICTMENTS TO KEY
PLAYERS AND MAYBE EVEN THE
FORMER PRESIDENT HIMSELF.
HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THAT?
>> WELL, I HAVEN’T SEEN ANYTHING
THAT MAKES ME THINK THE PRIME
MINISTER COMMITTEDDED A CRIME.
WHAT’S COME OUT SO FAR HAS
GENERALLY BEEN KNOWN BEFORE.
THERE WERE A FEW THINGS THAT
WERE NEW.
BUT I DO THINK THERE ARE
LEGITIMATE AREAS OF INQUIRY, BUT
I ALSO AGREE WITH THE
CONGRESSWOMAN THAT THIS ISN’T
SET UP AS AN OPTIMAL MECHANISM
FOR GETTING AT THE TRUTH, AND
THERE IS, OBVIOUSLY, A BIG
POLITICAL OVERLAY.
BUT, YOU KNOW, I THINK IT’S
LEGITIMATE TO EXPLORE WHETHER OR
NOT THERE WAS A PLAN TO USE
VIOLENCE TO STOP THE VOTE.
AND IF THERE WAS A PLAN, WAS THE
PRESIDENT INVOLVED.
I HAVEN’T SEEN ANYTHING UP UP TO
NOW THAT MAKES ME THINK HE WAS,
AND I PERSONALLY DOUBT IT.
BUT I THINK THAT, THOSE ARE
LEGITIMATE QUESTIONS.
AND THE OTHER QUESTION IS MORE
OF A POLITICAL NATURE WHICH IS,
YOU KNOW, DID THE PRESIDENT
STAND THE BY FOR HOURS WHILE THE
CAPITOL WAS UNDER ATTACK AND KID
THE NOTHING AND MADE THE
COMMENTS THAT WERE ATTRIBUTED TO
HIM ABOUT THE VICE PRESIDENT.
I THINK THAT’S A LEGITIMATE AREA
OF INQUIRY.
NEIL: ALL RIGHT.
ATTORNEY GENERAL, YOU KNOW, YOU
HAVE -- THE YOUR COMMENTS TO
THAT COMMITTEE, I DON’T KNOW IF
THEY CAME BACK TO HAUNT YOU, BUT
THEY WERE REPLAYED TO REMIND THE
WORLD THAT YOU HAD NOT AGREED
WITH PRESIDENT TRUMP AT THE TIME
THAT THE ELECTION WAS RIGGED.
I JUST WANT TO REPLAY THIS
TESTIMONY FOR THOSE WHO MIGHT
HAVE MISSED THAT.
THIS IS FROM YOUR REMARKS TO THE
COMMITTEE.
>> I DID NOT AGREE WITH THE IDEA
OF SAYING THE ELECTION WAS
STOLEN.
I DIDN’T WANT TO BE A PART OF
IT.
>> HOW’D THAT AFFECT YOUR
PERSPECTIVE ABOUT THE ELECTION?
ATTORNEY GENERAL BARR MADE THAT
STATEMENT?
>> IT AFFECTED MY PERSPECTIVE.
I RESPECT ATTORNEY GENERAL WITH
BARR, SO I ACCEPTED WHAT HE
SAID, WAS SAYING.
NEIL: AS YOU KNOW, ATTORNEY
GENERAL, PRESIDENT TRUMP
RESPONDED TO THAT SAYING OF HIS
DAUGHTER, IVANKA TRUMP WAS NOT
INVOLVED IN LOOKING AT OR
STUDYING THE ELECTION RESULTS.
SHE HAD LONG SINCE CHECKED OUT
AND WAS, IN MY OPINION, ONLY
TRYING TO BE THE RESPECTFUL TO
BILL BARR AND HIS POSITION AS
ATTORNEY GENERAL.
BY THE WAY, HE ADDED IN
PARENTHESES THAT HE SUCKED,
REFERRING TO YOU.
WHAT DID YOU THINK?
[LAUGHTER]
>> WELL, I CONSIDERED THE
SOURCE.
THAT WASN’T NEW, NEIL.
ON DECEMBER 1ST I MADE A
PUBLIC --
NEIL: NO, I REMEMBER QUITE WELL.
YOU’RE RIGHT -- THE SORT OF
STIRRED UP THE WHOLE THING.
>> YEAH.
AND JUST TO REMIND PEOPLE ON
DECEMBER THE 2 22ND BEFORE I
LEFT THE DEPARTMENT, I HAD A
PRESS CONFERENCE AND I MADE THE
SAME POINT, AND THEN I OBVIOUSLY
WENT OVER SOME OF THE DETAILS OF
MY THINKING IN MY BOOK.
SO IT WASN’T NEW.
BUT I THINK, YOU KNOW, THE
PRESIDENT’S RESPONSE IS
SOMETHING I WOULD EXPECT FROM
HIM WHICH IS, ESSENTIALLY, AD
HOMINEM ATTACKS.
NEIL: SO IF HE WERE.
TO JUDGE RUNNING AGAIN FOR
PRESIDENT, DO YOU THINK THESE
HEARINGS, PRIME TIME OR
OTHERWISE -- THERE ARE A FEW
MORE, I DON’T BELIEVE THERE’S
THE ANY MORE IN PRIME TIME --
COULD DISSUADE HIM OF THAT OR
SHOULD DISSUADE HIM OF THAT?
>> WELL, I DON’T NECESSARILY
THINK IT’S GOING TO DISSUADE HIM
OF IT.
I THINK, YOU KNOW, HE’LL MAKE
HIS DECISION, AND I THINK HE
PROBABLY RIGHT NOW INTENDS TO
RUN.
BUT AS I’VE SAID BEFORE, THERE’S
A LOT CAN HAPPEN IN THREE YEARS,
AND PART -- OR TWO AND A HALF
YEARS, AND A LOT OF IT COULD
INVOLVE THIS EPISODE.
IN FACT, I THINK I SAID AT THE
TIME, I SAID ON JANUARY 6TH THAT
HI -- I THOUGHT THE HIS BEHAVIOR
WAS SHAMEFUL.
NOT BECAUSE I FELT HE LEGALLY
INCITED THE RIOTS, BUT HE WAS
LARGELY RESPONSIBLE FOR
DIRECTING THOSE PEOPLE UP TO THE
HILL WITH THE IDEA THAT THERE
WAS SOMETHING THAT COULD BE DONE
TO TURN THINGS AROUND AND TO
STOP THE STEAL.
NEIL: NOW, HE STILL FEELS THAT
WAY, MANY OTHERS -- INCLUDING,
APPARENTLY, HIS DAUGHTER --
DON’T FEEL THE SAME WAY.
WHERE DO YOU THINK THIS WHOLE
THING GOES, ATTORNEY GENERAL?
I MEAN, WE TALK ABOUT WHETHER
DEMOCRATS COULD SUCCEED IN
FILING CRIMINAL CHARGES AND ALL
OF THAT, BUT WHERE REALISTICALLY
DO YOU THINK ALL THIS GOES?
>> WELL, FIRST, YOU KNOW, I
THINK THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT
WILL MAKE ITS OWN DECISION.
I DON’T THINK THEY WILL BE
INFLUENCED BY WHAT’S GOING ON ON
THE HILL OR PUSHED TO DO
SOMETHING.
I THINK THE DEPARTMENT WOULD
WANT TO HAVE REAL SMOKE GUN
EVIDENCE -- SMOKING GUN EVIDENCE
OF COMPLICITY AND A PLAN TO USE
FORCE BEFORE IT WENT AFTER A
SITTING PRESIDENT, I MEAN, A
FORMER PRESIDENT OF UNITED
STATES.
SO I THINK THAT’S, TO ME,
UNLIKELY UNLESS THERE’S SOME
REAL SMOKING GUN EVIDENCE THAT
IS PRODUCED.
I THINK THE NET EFFECT OF IT
WILL BE POLITICAL, AND I THINK
IT COULD HURT THE PRESIDENT A
LITTLE BIT ON THE MARGIN.
BUT I THINK PEOPLE HAVE
GENERALLY PICKED WHAT TEAM
THEY’RE ON AS REGARDS PRESIDENT
TRUMP, AND THIS MAY NOT REALLY
HAVE THAT MUCH OF AN EFFECT
OVERALL.
ING.
NEIL: ALL RIGHT.
ATTORNEY GENERAL, THANK YOU VERY
MUCH IS.
ONE DAMN THING AFTER ANOTHER IS
THE BOOK.
HE KIND OF SPELLS IT OUT, HIS
OWN EXPERIENCE IN THE WHITE
HOUSE, BUT IT IS A FAST REALIZE,
A VERY IS, VERY GOOD READ FOR
FATHER’S DAY AND FATHERS WHO
DON’T, NOT NECESSARILY GET INTO
THE POLITICAL STUFF, HE GOES WAY