FUNDAMENTALLY, MORE THAN
ANYTHING, A LOYAL HENCHMAN FOR
PRESIDENT TRUMP AND HIS
RE-ELECTION CAMPAIGN.
JOIRNG
JOINING ME NOW IS SOMEONE WHO
HAD WILLIAM BARR’S JOB UNDER
PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA, ERIC
HOLDER, WHO IS THE CHAIR OF THE
DEMOCRATIC REDIRECTING
COMMITTEE.
I REMEMBER SPEAKING TO YOU IN
THE HALL WHEN WE WERE DOING THAT
FOUR YEARS AGO.
I WANT TO START ON WILLIAM BARR.
OBVIOUSLY, I THINK ANYONE THAT
READ THE MUELLER REPORT KNEW
THAT INITIAL SPIN FROM HIM WAS
MISLEADING.
THAT APPEARS TO HAVE BEEN AN
INDICATOR OF THINGS TO COME.
WHAT IS YOUR ASSESSMENT OF HIS
PERFORMANCE AS ATTORNEY GENERAL
IN TERMS OF THE DANGER HE POSES,
BOTH TO THE DEPARTMENT OF
JUSTICE AND TO THE KIND OF
ADMINISTRATION OR FREE AND FAIR
ELECTIONS THIS FALL?
>> WELL, I THINK WE NEED TO BE
EXTREMELY CONCERNED ABOUT THE
INTELLIGENCE REPORT FROM THE
SENATE.
AMERICA NEEDS TO WAKE UP.
THE INTELLIGENCE REPORT
INDICATES THAT THE PRESIDENTIAL
CAMPAIGN OF PRESIDENT TRUMP AT
THE HIGHEST LEVELS WAS
INTERACTING WITH THE RUSSIANS.
AND THAT SHOULD GIVE US GREAT
PAUSE.
THE NEUTRAL AND OBSERVANT
JUSTICE DEPARTMENT WOULD TAKE
APPROPRIATE ACTION, WOULD TRY TO
PROBE AND FIND OUT WHAT THAT WAS
ABOUT, HOLD ACCOUNTABLE PEOPLE
INVOLVED IN THAT, HOLD
ACCOUNTABLE PEOPLE WHO MAY HAVE
LIED ABOUT THEIR ROLES IN THAT.
I DON’T THINK THAT UNDER THIS
ATTORNEY GENERAL WE’RE LIKELY TO
SEE ANY OF THAT OCCUR.
AND SO I THINK PEOPLE NEED TO
UNDERSTAND SOMETHING VERY
FUNDAMENTAL.
OUR DEMOCRACY, OUR DEMOCRACY IS
ON THE BALLOT THIS NOVEMBER.
BOTH WITH REGARD TO HOW THIS
ADMINISTRATION HAS DEALT WITH
THE ACQUISITION OF POWER
INTERACTING WITH A FOREIGN
POWER.
AND ALSO WITH THE WAY IN WHICH
THIS ADMINISTRATION HAS TRIED TO
HOLLOW OUT THE PROTECTIONS WE
HAVE INTERNALLY.
WHETHER IT IS NOT OPPOSING
GERRYMANDERING, WHETHER IT IS
CLOSING DOWN THE POSTAL OFFICE.
ON BOTH ENDS WE ARE SEEING AN
ATTACK ON OUR DEMOCRACY THAT HAS
TO STOP.
THE WAY IT HAS TO STOP IS FOR
THE AMERICAN PEOPLE TO SAY
THAT’S ENOUGH, AND TO CHANGE THE
PRESIDENCY, CHANGE THE PEOPLE
WHO WORK FOR THE PRESIDENT, PUT
IN PLACE AN ATTORNEY GENERAL WHO
IS GOING TO DO HIS JOB OR HER
JOB, WHICH IS TO PROTECT THE
AMERICAN PEOPLE, SERVE THE
AMERICAN PEOPLE, AND NOT SERVE
THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED
STATES.
>> THERE’S A POPULAR COMPONENT
IN TERMS OF POPULAR RESISTANCE
THAT YOU’RE SPEAKING TO, WHICH I
AGREE WITH, FRANKLY.
BUT THERE’S ALSO AN
INSTITUTIONAL COMPONENT.
WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT THE THREAT
TO THIS ELECTION, PERHAPS TO
FOREIGN ADVERSARIES BUT ALSO TO
PEOPLE THAT ARE ADMINISTERING
THE MECHANISMS OF JUSTICE HERE.
WE’VE SEEN THIS JUSTICE
DEPARTMENT PUT IN STATEMENTS OF
INTEREST IN ALABAMA, FOR
INSTANCE, MAKING IT HARDER FOR
PEOPLE TO VOTE.
WE KNOW THAT WILLIAM BARR HAS
GONE AROUND REPEATING THE
FALSEHOODS OF ABSENTEE BALLOTS
THAT THE PRESIDENT HAS.
DO YOU HAVE CONCERNS ABOUT THE
ROLE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT PLAYS AS
A IT WILL GADGET--
>> I’M VERY CONCERNED ABOUT
THAT.
THERE WILL BE CASES BROUGHT IN
COURT WHERE YOU EXPECT THE
JUSTICE DEPARTMENT TO, AT A
MINIMUM, BE ON THE SIDE OF
PEOPLE WHO WERE TRYING TO STAND
UP FOR OUR DEMOCRACY.
I DON’T THINK YOU’LL SEE THE
JUSTICE DEPARTMENT DOING THAT,
IF IT MEANS THAT THE JUSTICE
DEPARTMENT HAS TO GO AGAINST THE
WISHES OF THE TRUMP CAMPAIGN.
AND BEYOND THAT, THE JUSTICE
DEPARTMENT SHOULD BE LEADING
THESE EFFORTS.
YOU KNOW, THE VOTING RIGHTS ACT
WAS GUTTED IN THE SHELBY COUNTY
DECISION, BUT THE JUSTICE
DEPARTMENT STILL HAS ENORMOUS
AMOUNTS OF POWER IT CAN USE TO
BRING ON BEHALF OF THE AMERICAN
PEOPLE TO TRY TO MAKE SURE THAT
THEIR RIGHTS ARE PROTECTED.
THIS ADMINISTRATION, THIS
JUSTICE DEPARTMENT HAS GIVEN NO
INDICATION THAT THEY ARE ABOUT
THAT.
THE ATTORNEY GENERAL TALKS
ABOUT, YOU KNOW, THE
POSSIBILITIES OF ALL KINDS OF
FRAUD AND ABUSE WITH REGARD TO
THE USE OF VOTING BY MAIL.
AND YET THERE IS NO PROOF OF
THAT.
THERE IS NO PROOF OF THAT.
AND YET HE SPOUTS THESE KINDS OF
THINGS, MORE AS A POLITICAL
OPERATIVE THAN AS THE CHIEF LAW
ENFORCEMENT OFFICER OF THIS
COUNTRY THAT.
IS A VERY DANGEROUS THING, TO
HAVE THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF THE
UNITED STATES, BE A POLITICAL
OPERATIVE AND HAVE THE JUSTICE
DEPARTMENT ON THE SIDELINES OR
TAKING APART IN AN INAPPROPRIATE
WAY.
THIS IS SOMETHING WE NEED TO BE
FOCUSED ON, WE NEED TO
CONCENTRATE ON AND PUSH BACK ON
IN EVERY WAY THAT WE POSSIBLY
CAN.
>> ATTORNEY GENERAL HOLDER, IT’S
GREAT TO SEE YOU.
I HAVE A QUESTION, JUST TO
CIRCLE BACK FOR A MOMENT TO THE
SENATE INTELLIGENCE REPORT.
WE’VE ALREADY SEEN PRESIDENT
TRUMP BLINK WHEN IT CAME TO A
FULL PARDON FOR ROGER STONE.
HE COMMUTED THE SENTENCE.
NOW THAT WE HAVE THESE NEW
REVELATIONS ABOUT PAUL MANAFORT,
IF YOU CAN JUST PROTECT FORWARD.
SAY THERE IS A NEW ATTORNEY
GENERAL UNDER A PRESIDENT JOE
BIDEN.
WHAT RECOURSE MIGHT HIS ATTORNEY
GENERAL HAVE IF PRESIDENT TRUMP,
MAYBE UNDER THE ADVICE OF
WILLIAM BARR, WHO HAS DONE THIS
BEFORE IN THE PAST, PARDONS
MANAFORT AND PLACES HIM OUTOF
THE REACH OF THE JUSTICE
DEPARTMENT, WHAT RECOURSE MIGHT
THE NEXT ATTORNEY GENERAL HAVE
TO ACTUALLY SEEK SOME SORT OF
JUSTICE, REALLY FOR THE AMERICAN
VOTER BASED ON WHAT THESE MEN
DID TO OUR ELECTION?
>> YEAH.
I WOULD EXPECT THAT WITH A LOSS
IN THE ELECTION AND MAYBE EVEN
IF HE WINS, THAT THE PRESIDENT
IS GOING TO PROBABLY PARDON PAUL
MANAFORT.
I THINK WE NEED TO GIRD
OURSELVES FOR THAT.
THAT DOESN’T MEAN THAT PAUL
MANAFORT IS DONE.
THE NEXT ATTORNEY GENERAL, THE
NEXT JUSTICE DEPARTMENT, IN AN
APPROPRIATE WAY, CAN CONVENE A
GRAND JURY AND PUT PAUL MANAFORT
BEFORE THAT GRAND JURY, AND ASK
HIM QUESTIONS ABOUT ALL THE
THINGS FOR WHICH HE HAS BEEN
PARDONED.
HE CAN’T BE PROSECUTED FOR THOSE
THINGS, BUT HE CAN BE ASKED
ABOUT THEM.
AND IF HE LIES ABOUT THEM, HE
CAN BE PROSECUTED FOR PERJURY,
FOR NOT TELLING THE TRUTH BEFORE
THAT GRAND JURY.
AND THROUGH THAT INTERACTION AND
INTERROGATION, WE CAN FIND OUT
EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENED IN HIS
INTERACTION WITH THE PRESIDENT
IN REGARD TO THE SUBJECT MATTER.
WHAT HAPPENED TO HIS
INTERACTIONS WITH OTHER PEOPLE
IN THE CAMPAIGN.
SO YEAH, HE CAN’T BE CHARGED IF
THERE IS A PARDON FOR THE
UNDERLYING CONDUCT.