Verdict with Ted Cruz - June 25, 2020


Bill Barr is the Honey Badger ft. Attorney General Bill Barr


Episode Stats

Length

32 minutes

Words per Minute

162.51378

Word Count

5,309

Sentence Count

360

Misogynist Sentences

4

Hate Speech Sentences

9


Summary

As riots, vandalism, and all-out autonomous zones combine with calls to defund the police, we sit down with the nation s top cop, Attorney General William Barr, to discuss the need for the federal government to step up to the plate.


Transcript

00:00:00.000 This is an iHeart Podcast.
00:00:02.540 Guaranteed human.
00:00:04.160 As riots, vandalism, and even all-out autonomous zones
00:00:08.720 combine with calls to defund the police,
00:00:11.780 we sit down with the nation's top cop,
00:00:14.240 Attorney General William Barr.
00:00:16.180 This is Verdict with Ted Cruz.
00:00:23.420 Welcome back to Verdict with Ted Cruz.
00:00:25.520 I'm Michael Knowles.
00:00:26.560 We will get to the Attorney General in just one second,
00:00:29.060 but first, I want to thank all of you
00:00:30.780 who have listened and watched the show.
00:00:33.360 We've now hit over 10 million views.
00:00:36.960 That is more than I think we thought was going to happen,
00:00:39.780 so thank you so much.
00:00:40.480 If you haven't already, please go over to Apple Podcasts
00:00:42.680 or wherever you listen to podcasts,
00:00:44.200 leave a five-star review, and subscribe.
00:00:47.180 Now, we're in a new location today, not our usual studio.
00:00:50.920 Senator, you have brought a friend.
00:00:52.340 Thank you, Mr. Attorney General, for being here.
00:00:54.460 You know, the news broke just moments ago
00:00:55.860 that you will testify before the House Judiciary Committee
00:00:58.560 next month, so we are honored that you would sit down
00:01:01.580 with us first and very much appreciate it.
00:01:04.200 I want to get right into this.
00:01:05.620 Obviously, there's so much going on,
00:01:06.960 and it occurs to me.
00:01:08.380 We have a man who writes the laws.
00:01:10.780 We have the man who enforces the laws.
00:01:13.280 And we have popular calls for utter lawlessness
00:01:17.040 in the country.
00:01:18.500 How do we restore order?
00:01:19.920 Well, it's going to take both state and local government
00:01:24.340 as well as federal government.
00:01:26.300 The federal government is best positioned
00:01:28.140 to address this kind of violence and lawlessness
00:01:31.620 after it occurs because we don't have FBI agents
00:01:36.160 walking the beat.
00:01:38.260 And in fact, when the real violence started
00:01:41.580 around May 25th, 6th, and so forth,
00:01:44.900 we started using our Joint Terrorist Task Forces
00:01:48.300 around the country.
00:01:50.940 And there are 35 of them around the country.
00:01:54.340 It involves all state and local in those jurisdictions
00:01:56.800 and all the federal agencies.
00:01:58.620 And it's the system we designed to follow terrorists.
00:02:01.740 And now they are starting to go full-bore,
00:02:04.860 cranking out investigations, indictments
00:02:07.580 against the people who were involved in this violence.
00:02:09.880 So we've had scores of indictments already
00:02:13.060 for such things as arson,
00:02:15.180 destruction of federal property,
00:02:17.400 things like that.
00:02:19.500 And we have right now
00:02:21.600 about 500 investigations underway.
00:02:24.300 So it's picking up pace.
00:02:26.060 And we are committed to holding accountable
00:02:28.780 the people who are engaged in this.
00:02:30.820 But we still have to try to stop it before it happens.
00:02:33.200 And that's where the burden is right now
00:02:35.120 on state and local.
00:02:36.060 And in many places,
00:02:36.960 they're not stepping up to the plate.
00:02:38.760 They're not doing their job.
00:02:40.620 So I know it's early,
00:02:42.140 but how much indications are you all seeing
00:02:44.580 of coordination and planning
00:02:46.840 rather than spontaneous acts of violence?
00:02:50.080 Right.
00:02:50.740 We are seeing strong evidence of coordination
00:02:55.660 in many of these violent episodes.
00:02:59.720 Fundamentally, what you have here
00:03:00.920 is you have demonstrators.
00:03:02.180 Some of them go there
00:03:03.080 with the intent of demonstrating.
00:03:04.580 But you have a group of provocateurs and agitators.
00:03:07.880 There's sometimes a significant group
00:03:09.920 that try to convert those into violent activity.
00:03:13.740 And they seem to be very well coordinated
00:03:16.420 when they show up.
00:03:18.060 A number of them are associated
00:03:19.620 with the movement called Antifa,
00:03:22.400 but they go by various names.
00:03:24.560 But frequently anarchistic.
00:03:26.460 They want to tear down the country.
00:03:29.900 They're different than many traditional groups.
00:03:32.780 And frequently,
00:03:34.860 the signs of coordination and activity
00:03:37.360 are very close to the event itself.
00:03:39.280 So like the morning of or the day before,
00:03:41.580 and things are very fast moving.
00:03:43.760 But we definitely see signs out on the street
00:03:46.220 of communication,
00:03:48.300 of organization,
00:03:49.840 of pre-planning,
00:03:51.040 pre-positioning of things.
00:03:53.120 So it's definitely organized activity.
00:03:56.320 Well, if you're calling in
00:03:57.680 the terrorism task force,
00:03:59.260 that means presumably
00:04:00.180 that we're dealing with terrorism here.
00:04:02.940 I know the president came out
00:04:04.640 and said just a couple of days ago
00:04:06.380 that this will not be tolerated
00:04:08.560 on federal land.
00:04:09.280 You cannot destroy federal property.
00:04:10.860 And he's authorizing the government
00:04:12.460 to go and hold people accountable.
00:04:16.600 What will this mean
00:04:17.660 in terms of a change of policy
00:04:19.060 or an acceleration of a policy
00:04:20.280 that was already in place?
00:04:22.080 Well, it's not a change in policy
00:04:24.180 in the sense that
00:04:24.840 we've always had the obligation
00:04:26.300 as the federal government
00:04:27.220 to protect federal facilities
00:04:28.700 and federal landmarks
00:04:30.620 and monuments and so forth.
00:04:32.400 But now,
00:04:33.240 because in some places,
00:04:34.700 the local police
00:04:35.580 are not doing an adequate job,
00:04:37.060 we're going to have to step up
00:04:38.040 the federal effort to do that.
00:04:41.000 And there are two aspects to it.
00:04:43.060 Obviously, we're going to prosecute,
00:04:45.120 right now,
00:04:45.960 all the videos involved
00:04:47.900 in the attack
00:04:48.740 on President Jackson.
00:04:51.240 This statute
00:04:52.060 are being carefully reviewed
00:04:53.420 and we will go after people.
00:04:56.320 So if you attack
00:04:57.360 a monument on federal property,
00:05:00.060 you're going to get prosecuted.
00:05:01.060 That's right.
00:05:02.240 That's good to hear.
00:05:03.380 Yeah.
00:05:04.040 But we're also going to...
00:05:04.980 And the criminal statute
00:05:07.560 has serious jail time.
00:05:09.580 Ten years.
00:05:10.620 Ten years.
00:05:11.260 Yep.
00:05:12.180 And the other thing is
00:05:13.900 we have to do a better job
00:05:15.360 of trying to stop these groups
00:05:16.660 before they are able
00:05:18.300 to do damage
00:05:19.040 to these monuments
00:05:20.320 and statues.
00:05:20.960 It's fine to punish them afterward,
00:05:22.440 but I think a lot of us
00:05:23.140 would like the statues
00:05:23.880 to remain up.
00:05:24.900 Right.
00:05:25.460 Well, and we're seeing
00:05:26.820 a lot of local,
00:05:28.440 whether it's mayors
00:05:29.320 or police departments
00:05:30.260 or governors
00:05:30.880 that may agree
00:05:32.000 with the political agenda
00:05:33.200 of the rioters
00:05:34.240 standing by
00:05:35.820 and allowing them
00:05:36.780 to destroy,
00:05:38.380 tear down monuments
00:05:39.380 they don't like.
00:05:40.180 And, you know,
00:05:40.620 it started with
00:05:41.520 Confederate war generals,
00:05:43.100 but now they're tearing down
00:05:45.400 or defacing Ulysses Grant.
00:05:47.560 They're defacing Abraham Lincoln
00:05:50.540 because, you know,
00:05:50.960 Lincoln was a known Confederate.
00:05:54.460 Famously.
00:05:55.060 They're going after
00:05:55.760 St. Junipero Serra.
00:05:58.100 And Cervantes.
00:05:58.960 It's anarchy
00:06:05.400 is what it is.
00:06:06.960 And it's, you know,
00:06:08.980 from people
00:06:09.700 who are very ignorant,
00:06:10.840 don't care about
00:06:11.640 history at all.
00:06:13.120 I imagine they looked
00:06:14.360 at U.S. Grant's statute,
00:06:15.820 didn't know who he really was,
00:06:17.120 wasn't sure what side
00:06:17.980 he was on.
00:06:18.820 But, of course,
00:06:19.540 Old guy with a beard,
00:06:20.720 he's got to be bad.
00:06:21.380 He's a terrible guy.
00:06:22.240 He was a great Republican
00:06:23.180 president who did more
00:06:24.440 for advancing the right
00:06:26.100 of African-Americans
00:06:27.100 in this country
00:06:27.820 probably than any single president.
00:06:29.300 He crushed the Ku Klux Klan.
00:06:30.860 Came down,
00:06:32.080 crushed the Klan.
00:06:34.100 Yeah.
00:06:34.560 And I expect
00:06:35.880 the protesters attacking him
00:06:37.260 have no idea of that
00:06:38.280 and don't care.
00:06:39.000 But guess what, Ted?
00:06:40.740 He used federal troops
00:06:42.020 to do it.
00:06:42.940 He brought out
00:06:43.760 the regular army.
00:06:45.180 He brought out
00:06:46.000 the regular army
00:06:46.720 to protect the rights
00:06:47.660 of freedmen.
00:06:48.560 And he did that before
00:06:50.200 in something called
00:06:50.800 the Civil War.
00:06:51.780 There were kind of
00:06:52.560 a whole lot of federal troops.
00:06:53.900 Played an important role
00:06:54.540 in that one, too.
00:06:55.360 So, you know,
00:06:56.480 on this point
00:06:57.300 of enforcing the law
00:06:58.500 and going after these people
00:07:00.080 who were causing violence,
00:07:01.580 the place that the president
00:07:02.920 announced this policy
00:07:04.400 was, as one might expect,
00:07:06.060 on Twitter.
00:07:07.240 And then Twitter
00:07:07.980 censored
00:07:09.540 the president's tweet.
00:07:10.720 So the president said,
00:07:11.800 we are going to enforce
00:07:12.680 the law against
00:07:13.640 people committing crimes.
00:07:15.380 And Twitter said
00:07:16.300 this violated the policy.
00:07:17.620 I know, Senator,
00:07:18.120 you have been talking
00:07:18.700 about this kind of thing
00:07:19.480 for years at this point.
00:07:21.220 I think it ties
00:07:22.080 into another question
00:07:22.780 people are asking
00:07:23.360 of the DOJ.
00:07:24.160 what are we going to do
00:07:26.060 about abuses
00:07:26.960 at big technology companies?
00:07:29.540 Well, there's sort of
00:07:30.240 a couple of lines
00:07:31.600 being pursued.
00:07:33.000 You know,
00:07:33.740 we have antitrust investigation
00:07:36.200 of all the major
00:07:37.300 internet platforms
00:07:39.000 or most of the major
00:07:40.300 internet platforms.
00:07:41.280 And that's very much underway.
00:07:43.180 I expect to be making decisions
00:07:44.620 in the next few weeks
00:07:45.800 about actions on that.
00:07:48.120 So I think during the summer
00:07:50.560 we'll see some developments.
00:07:52.880 But this issue
00:07:53.900 of censorship
00:07:54.500 is very troubling
00:07:55.880 because
00:07:56.540 our country was based
00:07:58.780 and the framers,
00:07:59.560 as you know,
00:08:00.180 believed in
00:08:00.860 that the thing
00:08:01.640 that would ultimately
00:08:02.280 keep us free
00:08:03.240 and keep a majority
00:08:04.820 from repressing
00:08:05.540 a minority
00:08:06.080 is a lot of diversity
00:08:07.360 of voices out there
00:08:08.420 in a robust marketplace.
00:08:09.540 But these behemoths
00:08:11.460 have gotten
00:08:12.160 a vast,
00:08:13.040 you know,
00:08:13.320 strong control
00:08:14.500 over
00:08:14.960 the expression
00:08:16.700 of views
00:08:17.320 and public forum
00:08:18.880 here in the United States.
00:08:20.060 And they got there
00:08:20.960 and I've said
00:08:21.680 this is the biggest
00:08:22.380 bait and switch
00:08:23.040 in history.
00:08:24.000 They got there
00:08:24.640 by saying,
00:08:25.120 hey,
00:08:25.140 we're going to be
00:08:25.800 open to all views.
00:08:27.860 You know,
00:08:28.060 come join us
00:08:28.860 because then you can
00:08:29.660 have your views.
00:08:30.420 So they built up
00:08:31.100 this powerful network,
00:08:32.980 very strong market power
00:08:34.520 based on the
00:08:36.280 representation
00:08:37.140 that they were
00:08:37.920 sort of open to all
00:08:39.060 as sort of
00:08:39.840 a bulletin board.
00:08:41.020 But then when they
00:08:41.580 got that market power,
00:08:42.920 now they're censoring views
00:08:44.420 just like the example
00:08:45.500 you gave
00:08:46.140 and they're now
00:08:47.080 censoring views.
00:08:48.360 And so we're getting
00:08:50.360 increasingly
00:08:53.060 monolithic viewpoints
00:08:54.840 being presented
00:08:55.540 to the American people
00:08:56.680 rather than the kind
00:08:57.600 of robust debate.
00:08:59.440 So one thing
00:09:00.440 we're doing there
00:09:01.220 is we're saying
00:09:03.040 that Rule 230,
00:09:04.440 which is a rule
00:09:05.060 that gave immunity
00:09:06.280 to companies
00:09:07.080 for taking down
00:09:08.120 things
00:09:10.820 and didn't therefore
00:09:12.600 convert them
00:09:13.200 into a publisher
00:09:13.940 where they'd be
00:09:14.580 responsible for everything
00:09:15.880 that appears
00:09:17.000 on their site.
00:09:19.020 We want to modify that
00:09:20.740 so that they have to
00:09:22.920 have clear terms
00:09:23.800 of service.
00:09:25.500 They have to show
00:09:27.340 that what they took down
00:09:28.800 reasonably,
00:09:30.560 they had reasonable
00:09:31.320 grounds for saying
00:09:32.100 it violated their
00:09:32.900 terms of service
00:09:33.660 and they have to
00:09:34.560 give notice
00:09:35.260 and process
00:09:36.640 to people
00:09:37.240 whose content
00:09:37.960 they take down.
00:09:38.900 That's one of the things
00:09:39.860 that we're proposing.
00:09:41.000 This is perfectly
00:09:42.040 reasonable to me
00:09:43.000 and yet,
00:09:43.460 Senator,
00:09:43.720 I know when you've
00:09:44.300 brought up
00:09:44.720 Rule 230,
00:09:46.680 people have harangued
00:09:47.780 you for it
00:09:48.240 and said this is
00:09:48.840 absolutely not
00:09:49.540 the right way to go
00:09:50.420 and just leave
00:09:51.180 Twitter alone
00:09:51.800 and leave Google alone
00:09:52.740 and let them control
00:09:53.580 the flow of information
00:09:54.340 around the internet.
00:09:54.780 Well, look,
00:09:55.860 there's good news
00:09:57.540 on this
00:09:58.000 and that I think
00:09:58.620 there's growing
00:09:59.580 and even bipartisan
00:10:00.980 frustration with big tech
00:10:03.020 that you've got
00:10:04.400 a handful of
00:10:05.680 Silicon Valley billionaires
00:10:07.280 that are the new
00:10:09.020 colossus
00:10:10.400 and they are,
00:10:13.340 they behave as if
00:10:14.720 they're untouchable
00:10:15.560 and let's use the Twitter
00:10:16.680 example from this week.
00:10:18.000 You don't have to go
00:10:18.440 back very far.
00:10:19.800 So the President
00:10:20.740 of the United States
00:10:21.840 sent out a tweet
00:10:22.920 that if violent anarchists
00:10:25.920 try to set up
00:10:27.220 a lawless autonomous zone
00:10:29.420 in Washington, D.C.,
00:10:32.060 that law enforcement
00:10:33.100 will stop them.
00:10:35.160 Twitter blocked that tweet
00:10:36.920 and said it was abusive
00:10:39.380 for the president to say
00:10:41.520 we're not going to let
00:10:42.760 violent anarchists
00:10:44.160 take over our capital.
00:10:46.480 And this is,
00:10:47.980 you know,
00:10:48.500 I assume,
00:10:49.640 you know,
00:10:49.920 you've got a Silicon Valley
00:10:51.120 billionaire on his yacht
00:10:52.520 saying,
00:10:53.800 no, no,
00:10:54.280 silence, little one.
00:10:55.600 And by the way,
00:10:56.480 if they have the right
00:10:57.240 to do that,
00:10:58.260 if they can silence
00:11:00.020 the president,
00:11:01.160 if they can silence
00:11:02.200 media outlets,
00:11:03.740 what hope does
00:11:05.160 an ordinary citizen have?
00:11:07.520 I mean, look,
00:11:07.900 the president at least
00:11:08.720 has a pretty big megaphone
00:11:09.800 even if they do silence him.
00:11:11.400 True.
00:11:11.620 He doesn't have difficulty
00:11:12.620 being heard.
00:11:13.940 How about the rest of us?
00:11:15.260 Right.
00:11:15.460 And the absolute
00:11:17.260 brazenness of it.
00:11:19.400 Another example
00:11:22.360 from this week,
00:11:24.140 Google
00:11:24.480 went after the Federalists,
00:11:26.400 a conservative media outlet,
00:11:28.500 called them up and said,
00:11:29.560 okay,
00:11:29.900 our problem,
00:11:30.740 it's actually not
00:11:31.180 with your content.
00:11:32.280 They said,
00:11:32.760 we're going to demonetize you
00:11:33.980 because there's some comments
00:11:36.340 on your comment section
00:11:37.300 that are objectionable.
00:11:38.040 I don't know if they
00:11:38.440 identified the comment.
00:11:39.540 So they're going to
00:11:40.040 take this news organization
00:11:41.740 off of the advertising platform,
00:11:44.620 which the advertising
00:11:46.220 is what allows
00:11:46.940 the news organization
00:11:47.620 to exist.
00:11:48.340 If you kick them off,
00:11:49.080 you're bankrupting the news.
00:11:50.200 It is doing exactly that.
00:11:52.340 It is sucking the oxygen out.
00:11:54.540 And, you know,
00:11:55.680 a quick perusal
00:11:56.720 of liberal websites
00:11:59.960 show a bunch of them
00:12:01.140 have comment sites
00:12:02.320 and you can find
00:12:03.200 all sorts of obnoxious
00:12:05.340 and offensive comments
00:12:06.500 on the liberal websites.
00:12:08.220 They're not imposing
00:12:08.980 that on them.
00:12:10.120 And here,
00:12:10.960 and this is an interesting
00:12:11.800 development actually
00:12:12.680 for the DOJ investigation.
00:12:15.080 One place you find comments
00:12:16.640 is YouTube.
00:12:17.540 Now, YouTube is a wholly
00:12:18.860 owned subsidiary of Google.
00:12:20.760 It's an incredibly profitable
00:12:22.200 subsidiary of Google.
00:12:24.320 I guarantee you,
00:12:25.460 you can go right now
00:12:26.400 today on YouTube,
00:12:27.420 take a look at the comments
00:12:28.500 and you will find racist,
00:12:30.600 you will find profane,
00:12:31.840 you will find offensive comments
00:12:33.560 all over YouTube.
00:12:34.980 And that's just what
00:12:35.500 they write to us.
00:12:36.220 That's just what they say
00:12:37.060 about us.
00:12:37.420 Imagine all the other videos.
00:12:38.340 And Google is not imposing
00:12:40.480 those terms on its wholly
00:12:42.100 owned YouTube,
00:12:44.260 but is instead using,
00:12:45.980 and this is where
00:12:46.620 the censorship
00:12:47.280 and free speech issues
00:12:49.020 intersect with antitrust laws
00:12:51.740 because they're a monopoly power
00:12:53.440 imposing differential standards
00:12:55.620 on their competitors
00:12:56.520 than they are on their own
00:12:57.720 wholly owned subsidiary.
00:12:59.860 And also,
00:13:01.640 just think of the hypocrisy.
00:13:03.600 The point that these big
00:13:05.100 companies are saying is,
00:13:06.860 look,
00:13:07.440 we shouldn't be held
00:13:08.280 responsible for third-party
00:13:09.780 content on our website.
00:13:11.840 So, YouTube says,
00:13:13.020 if people say things
00:13:14.140 that are defamatory
00:13:14.940 on our website,
00:13:16.180 we shouldn't be held
00:13:16.900 accountable for that
00:13:18.080 because it's good
00:13:19.860 to have this kind of forum
00:13:21.420 for people to come in.
00:13:23.400 And yet,
00:13:23.800 when someone comes in
00:13:24.720 on their website,
00:13:26.220 they're saying,
00:13:27.080 the rules that we want
00:13:28.000 to apply to us
00:13:28.620 don't apply to you.
00:13:29.740 You're responsible
00:13:30.640 for what's on your
00:13:31.600 comments section.
00:13:32.520 Right.
00:13:33.460 It's hard to have those
00:13:34.900 both at the same time.
00:13:35.960 Sure, of course.
00:13:36.480 You know,
00:13:36.740 Senator,
00:13:37.100 you mentioned the autonomous zone
00:13:38.480 before.
00:13:39.320 Mr. Attorney General,
00:13:40.000 I would like to ask you
00:13:41.040 about that,
00:13:41.560 but perhaps I should
00:13:42.780 instead ask the Secretary
00:13:43.840 of State
00:13:44.260 because these zones
00:13:45.900 in Seattle
00:13:46.600 and in Washington, D.C.,
00:13:47.920 they've declared themselves
00:13:48.920 fully autonomous,
00:13:50.580 separate from the United States.
00:13:52.300 As a legal matter,
00:13:53.640 how does the DOJ
00:13:55.040 look at such a claim?
00:13:57.440 Well, obviously,
00:13:58.180 they're not separate
00:13:59.120 from the United States.
00:14:00.220 They're, you know,
00:14:01.680 a bunch of agitators
00:14:05.060 who have planted themselves
00:14:06.800 in the middle of Seattle
00:14:08.160 and are bullying
00:14:09.580 the people who live there
00:14:11.140 and the businesses
00:14:11.840 that are there
00:14:12.700 and the Seattle government
00:14:13.940 is not protecting
00:14:14.780 its people.
00:14:15.780 It's not enforcing,
00:14:17.080 it's not protecting
00:14:18.400 the federal rights
00:14:19.440 of those citizens.
00:14:20.640 Right.
00:14:21.180 And the police
00:14:22.860 do not seem to be
00:14:24.340 enforcing the law there.
00:14:26.020 But, of course,
00:14:26.740 this is another question
00:14:27.520 that has come up
00:14:28.220 on the show quite a bit.
00:14:29.040 This matter of police reform,
00:14:31.260 it's talked about
00:14:32.060 from the question
00:14:33.600 of police on the ground.
00:14:35.120 I'd like to talk about it
00:14:35.960 from a higher level,
00:14:37.160 particularly in your role.
00:14:38.920 When people talk about
00:14:39.940 corruption in the DOJ,
00:14:42.060 I am reminded of
00:14:43.780 your predecessor,
00:14:45.160 Loretta Lynch,
00:14:46.040 who sat on a tarmac
00:14:47.680 with Bill Clinton
00:14:48.380 three days before
00:14:49.540 Hillary Clinton
00:14:50.780 was going to speak
00:14:51.680 to the FBI.
00:14:53.020 I am reminded
00:14:53.980 of her predecessor,
00:14:55.920 Eric Holder,
00:14:56.580 who referred to himself
00:14:57.560 as Barack Obama's
00:14:58.700 wingman in 2013
00:14:59.760 while he was
00:15:01.120 in office.
00:15:02.380 I'm reminded
00:15:03.140 of Loretta Lynch again,
00:15:04.540 who wrote
00:15:05.360 the description
00:15:06.140 that James Comey
00:15:07.060 used of Hillary Clinton's
00:15:07.960 email server.
00:15:09.060 How politicized
00:15:10.620 was the DOJ
00:15:12.160 before
00:15:12.960 you got there?
00:15:15.400 Well,
00:15:15.900 I think there were
00:15:16.820 many examples
00:15:17.540 of political decisions,
00:15:18.960 but I think
00:15:19.720 one of the things
00:15:20.420 that's perplexed me
00:15:21.280 about this
00:15:21.980 is that we
00:15:23.320 had one of
00:15:24.760 the largest
00:15:26.440 frauds
00:15:27.860 and injustices
00:15:28.580 in American history
00:15:29.760 conducted
00:15:30.940 during the
00:15:32.220 2016 election
00:15:33.740 by the Justice
00:15:35.580 Department
00:15:36.140 and the FBI
00:15:37.120 right in the center
00:15:38.160 of it,
00:15:38.760 and that was
00:15:39.680 turning the law
00:15:40.720 enforcement
00:15:41.100 intelligence agencies
00:15:42.220 of the government
00:15:42.840 against an opponent's
00:15:44.220 political campaign.
00:15:45.660 That,
00:15:46.400 as far as I know,
00:15:46.940 has never happened
00:15:47.620 before,
00:15:48.200 and it's one
00:15:48.900 of the ultimate
00:15:49.360 dangers in a
00:15:50.200 democratic republic
00:15:51.060 like ours.
00:15:52.580 And the things
00:15:54.360 that I have been
00:15:55.040 criticized for
00:15:55.880 generally are
00:15:56.560 coming in
00:15:57.240 and trying to
00:15:58.180 get to the bottom
00:15:58.860 of that
00:15:59.280 and hold accountable
00:16:00.080 the people
00:16:00.600 that were involved.
00:16:02.380 I know there was
00:16:03.360 just a development
00:16:04.400 on this
00:16:04.940 over the past
00:16:05.880 couple of days,
00:16:06.520 too,
00:16:06.640 in the case of
00:16:07.360 Michael Flynn.
00:16:08.200 Michael Flynn,
00:16:08.960 who was entrapped
00:16:09.900 when he was coming
00:16:11.720 in as the
00:16:12.060 national security
00:16:12.720 advisor,
00:16:13.440 and the DOJ
00:16:14.520 turned over,
00:16:16.020 I believe it was
00:16:17.040 exculpatory,
00:16:18.260 to use the phrase,
00:16:19.180 of Flynn's lawyer,
00:16:20.400 memos from an
00:16:22.100 anti-Trump
00:16:22.660 official named
00:16:24.220 Peter Strzok.
00:16:25.540 Now a judge
00:16:26.880 has told
00:16:28.300 the other judge
00:16:29.240 to drop the case.
00:16:30.960 Where does this
00:16:31.620 all stand?
00:16:32.820 Well,
00:16:33.320 we moved to
00:16:34.860 drop the
00:16:35.820 prosecution
00:16:36.500 of General Flynn
00:16:37.920 because
00:16:38.340 we had
00:16:39.680 investigated
00:16:40.480 that investigation
00:16:42.140 and prosecutorial
00:16:43.240 decision,
00:16:44.160 and we had
00:16:44.840 determined
00:16:45.300 and felt
00:16:46.280 that there
00:16:47.120 was strong
00:16:48.500 indications
00:16:49.580 and evidence
00:16:50.400 that the
00:16:51.960 decision to
00:16:52.660 move against
00:16:53.320 Flynn was
00:16:54.280 not bona fide
00:16:55.160 and that
00:16:57.000 they didn't
00:16:57.460 really have
00:16:57.960 a basis
00:16:58.400 for a
00:16:58.840 counterintelligence
00:16:59.720 investigation.
00:17:01.360 And we just
00:17:01.960 filed a document
00:17:04.440 in court
00:17:05.220 yesterday
00:17:05.820 that hasn't
00:17:07.260 been seen
00:17:07.700 before.
00:17:08.240 They're handwritten
00:17:08.760 notes of the
00:17:09.760 January 5th
00:17:10.600 meeting in the
00:17:11.180 White House
00:17:11.840 between the
00:17:13.000 president,
00:17:13.460 the vice
00:17:13.760 president,
00:17:14.460 James Comey,
00:17:15.500 and others.
00:17:18.020 And in there,
00:17:19.780 Comey,
00:17:20.340 in response
00:17:20.800 to a question
00:17:21.420 from President
00:17:22.020 Obama,
00:17:23.020 seems to,
00:17:23.960 I mean,
00:17:24.200 he says,
00:17:24.640 according to
00:17:25.060 the notes,
00:17:26.160 that the
00:17:26.880 calls between
00:17:27.740 Flynn and
00:17:29.400 Kislyak,
00:17:30.020 the Russian
00:17:30.380 ambassador,
00:17:31.680 appeared
00:17:32.200 legitimate.
00:17:33.620 So,
00:17:35.260 just a few
00:17:36.560 days later,
00:17:37.520 they became
00:17:37.940 the basis
00:17:38.440 of a
00:17:38.860 counterintelligence
00:17:39.760 investigation.
00:17:40.480 And these
00:17:40.680 were Peter
00:17:41.000 Strzok's
00:17:41.400 notes.
00:17:41.740 Yes.
00:17:42.440 Who was an
00:17:42.860 FBI
00:17:43.240 counterintelligence
00:17:45.200 agent running.
00:17:46.720 So,
00:17:46.780 he's admitting
00:17:47.160 it appears
00:17:48.200 legitimate,
00:17:48.900 and then all
00:17:49.220 of a sudden,
00:17:50.380 we're being
00:17:50.740 told it isn't
00:17:51.300 legitimate,
00:17:51.920 and he's
00:17:52.480 got to be
00:17:52.860 prosecuted for it.
00:17:53.300 Now,
00:17:53.420 the notes
00:17:53.820 also indicate
00:17:54.740 that it was
00:17:55.380 Vice President
00:17:55.960 Joe Biden
00:17:56.640 who suggested
00:17:57.520 the Logan Act
00:17:58.400 could be used
00:17:59.120 to target
00:17:59.520 General Flynn.
00:18:00.640 Well,
00:18:01.020 what the notes
00:18:01.700 show is that
00:18:02.460 the vice
00:18:03.640 president raised
00:18:04.480 the Logan Act
00:18:05.280 in connection,
00:18:06.380 it appears,
00:18:07.200 with the calls
00:18:08.500 made by Flynn
00:18:09.820 to Kislyak.
00:18:10.860 which is
00:18:12.640 a ridiculously
00:18:13.440 unconstitutional
00:18:14.500 statute.
00:18:16.180 I'm no expert,
00:18:17.120 but it certainly
00:18:17.480 seems unconstitutional
00:18:18.440 to me.
00:18:19.680 Under which
00:18:20.740 no one
00:18:21.320 has been
00:18:21.800 convicted
00:18:22.260 by the
00:18:22.680 Department
00:18:23.020 of Justice,
00:18:23.940 and it
00:18:25.000 purports
00:18:25.440 to prohibit
00:18:26.080 anyone
00:18:26.420 from conducting
00:18:27.140 foreign policy.
00:18:28.080 I promise
00:18:28.840 you,
00:18:30.400 John Kerry
00:18:31.000 today is
00:18:31.720 violating
00:18:32.140 the Logan
00:18:32.520 Act.
00:18:33.320 He's talking
00:18:34.060 to the
00:18:34.340 Iranians
00:18:34.840 or to
00:18:35.100 somebody
00:18:35.520 because
00:18:35.820 John Kerry
00:18:36.280 does that
00:18:36.680 every day
00:18:37.240 trying to
00:18:38.020 undermine
00:18:38.440 the administration's
00:18:39.360 foreign policy,
00:18:40.100 and you
00:18:40.900 know what?
00:18:41.400 John Kerry
00:18:41.920 as an American
00:18:42.400 citizen has
00:18:43.000 every right
00:18:43.400 to do it.
00:18:44.160 And the fact
00:18:45.020 that Biden
00:18:46.580 and Obama
00:18:47.440 were willing
00:18:48.320 and DOJ
00:18:49.320 and the
00:18:50.000 intelligence
00:18:50.440 agencies
00:18:50.880 were willing
00:18:51.260 to go along
00:18:51.820 with it
00:18:52.240 to weaponize
00:18:54.100 law enforcement
00:18:55.240 after Donald
00:18:57.220 Trump had been
00:18:57.800 elected to go
00:18:58.420 after the next
00:18:59.020 president,
00:18:59.620 I think is
00:19:00.500 absolutely
00:19:00.940 scandalous.
00:19:02.260 It is an
00:19:02.820 abuse of power
00:19:04.000 at a level
00:19:05.240 that I think
00:19:07.400 makes Richard
00:19:08.240 Nixon's
00:19:09.000 abuses in
00:19:09.640 Watergate
00:19:10.240 pale by
00:19:11.100 comparison.
00:19:13.140 And I
00:19:14.340 got to say,
00:19:14.940 Bill,
00:19:15.640 the job
00:19:17.360 you've done
00:19:17.800 as AG
00:19:18.260 to simply
00:19:20.320 be willing
00:19:20.980 to speak
00:19:21.600 the truth,
00:19:22.800 to bring
00:19:23.700 transparency
00:19:24.360 to what
00:19:24.880 happened,
00:19:25.920 has been
00:19:28.200 historic,
00:19:30.680 and you've
00:19:32.820 done it
00:19:33.260 knowing
00:19:33.980 that the
00:19:35.400 entire world
00:19:36.380 would descend
00:19:37.040 upon you,
00:19:37.580 that you
00:19:37.860 would be
00:19:38.160 politically
00:19:38.580 targeted,
00:19:39.220 that you'd
00:19:39.460 be vilified,
00:19:40.200 that the
00:19:40.440 media would
00:19:40.880 go after
00:19:41.320 you,
00:19:41.480 that the
00:19:41.700 political
00:19:41.980 process
00:19:42.600 would go
00:19:43.600 after you.
00:19:45.440 And I
00:19:46.000 got to say,
00:19:46.860 you know,
00:19:47.600 there's a
00:19:48.180 popular video
00:19:50.020 on the
00:19:50.340 internet
00:19:50.640 of the
00:19:52.300 honey badger.
00:19:54.420 And I
00:19:55.480 got to say,
00:19:56.820 you have
00:19:58.280 been the
00:19:58.780 honey badger.
00:19:59.640 Thank you.
00:20:00.140 Thank you.
00:20:01.040 And to be
00:20:02.240 clear,
00:20:03.040 and this,
00:20:03.720 you know,
00:20:03.840 because everyone
00:20:04.240 gets this
00:20:04.680 wrong,
00:20:05.640 you have
00:20:06.060 not been
00:20:06.760 a Republican
00:20:08.180 Attorney General.
00:20:08.940 I don't want
00:20:09.300 a Republican
00:20:09.740 Attorney General.
00:20:11.280 You have
00:20:12.000 been an
00:20:12.380 Attorney General
00:20:13.140 dedicated to
00:20:14.360 following the
00:20:14.920 law.
00:20:16.040 And in
00:20:16.920 particular,
00:20:18.140 reopening some
00:20:19.260 of these
00:20:19.940 prosecutions,
00:20:21.780 going back and
00:20:22.640 looking at and
00:20:23.280 bringing in U.S.
00:20:24.220 attorneys to
00:20:24.780 say, let's go
00:20:25.460 assess what
00:20:26.060 happened here.
00:20:26.700 How did
00:20:27.100 General Flynn
00:20:27.820 get targeted?
00:20:29.060 What was the
00:20:29.500 basis for it?
00:20:30.320 I think it
00:20:32.440 is incredibly
00:20:33.300 important,
00:20:35.100 and I have
00:20:35.460 to say,
00:20:35.760 I was telling
00:20:36.220 your staff
00:20:37.140 right before
00:20:37.560 we started,
00:20:38.980 you know,
00:20:39.440 they were
00:20:39.620 sort of
00:20:39.900 commenting,
00:20:40.500 wow,
00:20:40.800 they're coming
00:20:41.980 after us
00:20:42.460 on every
00:20:42.740 front,
00:20:43.120 and I
00:20:43.320 just said,
00:20:43.740 listen,
00:20:44.320 take that
00:20:44.920 as a
00:20:45.360 compliment.
00:20:46.960 Doing the
00:20:47.400 right thing
00:20:47.840 has a
00:20:48.200 price,
00:20:49.060 and the
00:20:50.680 job you
00:20:51.560 have done
00:20:52.120 as Attorney
00:20:52.700 General
00:20:53.280 is
00:20:54.480 inspirational,
00:20:56.100 flat out,
00:20:56.820 and it's
00:20:57.340 important.
00:20:58.160 Thank you,
00:20:58.460 Ted.
00:20:58.640 That's real
00:20:59.960 important to
00:21:00.540 me that
00:21:01.080 you said
00:21:01.420 that.
00:21:02.740 You know,
00:21:03.260 and one of
00:21:03.620 the stunning
00:21:04.040 things,
00:21:04.520 and I'm
00:21:05.040 sure you'll
00:21:05.440 agree,
00:21:06.580 is that
00:21:07.160 the media
00:21:08.440 just went
00:21:09.720 hell-bent for
00:21:10.340 leather on
00:21:11.580 pushing this
00:21:12.120 Russiagate
00:21:12.660 story that
00:21:13.240 Trump was
00:21:13.680 essentially an
00:21:14.620 agent of
00:21:16.180 Russia,
00:21:17.320 and they
00:21:17.800 were merciless.
00:21:18.780 And up
00:21:18.960 until,
00:21:19.940 you know,
00:21:21.560 recently,
00:21:22.940 you had
00:21:23.360 former senior
00:21:24.480 government
00:21:25.180 officials sort
00:21:25.820 of talking
00:21:26.620 knowingly about
00:21:27.560 how the
00:21:28.160 president was
00:21:28.580 going to be
00:21:28.920 indicted and
00:21:29.600 so forth and
00:21:30.160 so on.
00:21:31.000 Do you hear
00:21:31.240 any of,
00:21:31.820 is there
00:21:32.420 anyone standing
00:21:33.020 up now and
00:21:33.640 saying that
00:21:34.040 President Trump
00:21:34.780 is an agent
00:21:35.760 of a foreign
00:21:36.280 power?
00:21:36.600 No.
00:21:37.100 Oops,
00:21:37.420 they got it
00:21:37.860 wrong.
00:21:38.560 And you
00:21:39.100 wouldn't know
00:21:39.520 that because
00:21:40.260 there's been
00:21:40.800 no retraction,
00:21:42.320 there's been
00:21:42.660 no readjustment
00:21:43.880 by the media
00:21:45.480 or all the
00:21:46.640 people who've
00:21:47.340 been pushing
00:21:47.800 this story.
00:21:49.320 They're acting,
00:21:50.060 you know,
00:21:50.480 they're just
00:21:50.740 on to the
00:21:51.320 next full
00:21:52.400 scandal because
00:21:53.320 their purpose
00:21:54.220 seems to be
00:21:55.800 to cripple this
00:21:56.500 administration and
00:21:57.460 drive it from
00:21:58.020 office at any
00:21:58.920 cost.
00:21:59.340 It's just
00:21:59.820 sort of gone
00:22:00.180 down the
00:22:00.480 memory hole.
00:22:01.120 We've
00:22:01.260 completely
00:22:01.620 forgotten about
00:22:02.160 it.
00:22:02.500 I do want
00:22:03.760 to get back
00:22:04.260 in a moment
00:22:05.040 to all of
00:22:05.760 the top
00:22:06.260 important
00:22:06.600 questions of
00:22:07.140 state,
00:22:07.780 but Senator,
00:22:08.600 you've brought
00:22:09.140 up something
00:22:09.880 that I think
00:22:10.420 a lot of
00:22:10.720 people are
00:22:10.980 curious about.
00:22:11.440 I certainly
00:22:11.780 am.
00:22:12.020 what am I
00:22:13.660 supposed to
00:22:14.020 call you?
00:22:14.380 Is it Mr.
00:22:15.840 Attorney General?
00:22:16.580 Is it
00:22:16.840 General Barr?
00:22:17.680 Is it
00:22:17.940 Honey Badger?
00:22:18.820 What is the
00:22:19.480 proper term to
00:22:20.740 refer to the
00:22:21.360 Attorney General
00:22:21.820 of the United
00:22:22.120 States?
00:22:22.900 Well, people
00:22:23.900 say Attorney
00:22:24.520 General, but
00:22:25.220 it's also in the
00:22:26.240 United States, we
00:22:27.120 also use
00:22:27.880 General to
00:22:29.700 refer to the
00:22:30.440 Attorney General.
00:22:31.400 But that
00:22:31.920 actually is a
00:22:32.860 mistake.
00:22:33.280 I like it, and
00:22:34.000 I think we should
00:22:34.560 still keep this.
00:22:35.840 But it's
00:22:37.240 actually from
00:22:37.780 the Norman
00:22:38.200 French, which
00:22:39.300 was Attorney
00:22:39.900 General, which
00:22:40.760 was then carried
00:22:41.400 over to England
00:22:42.240 by the Normans,
00:22:43.620 and they referred
00:22:44.480 to Attorney
00:22:45.080 General, something
00:22:45.820 general.
00:22:46.240 And general is
00:22:46.820 the adjective.
00:22:47.740 It meant
00:22:48.000 general attorney,
00:22:48.860 the general
00:22:49.340 attorney, like
00:22:49.900 the general
00:22:50.300 counsel.
00:22:51.680 And we just
00:22:54.800 use the term
00:22:55.540 general, but
00:22:56.220 every other
00:22:56.980 English-speaking
00:22:57.740 country to refer
00:22:58.640 to the Attorney
00:22:59.220 General says
00:23:00.080 attorney.
00:23:01.320 So the form of
00:23:02.760 address in
00:23:03.420 Britain, New
00:23:04.300 Zealand, Australia,
00:23:05.180 in Canada, is
00:23:06.120 attorney, the
00:23:07.400 form of address
00:23:08.160 in the United
00:23:08.660 States is general.
00:23:09.740 It's based on a
00:23:10.980 mistake.
00:23:11.740 It's based on a
00:23:12.780 mistake.
00:23:13.000 It's a fortunate
00:23:13.560 one.
00:23:14.240 I do like it.
00:23:15.000 It sounds very
00:23:15.680 powerful, and that
00:23:16.560 would mean that the
00:23:17.280 plural is attorney's
00:23:19.020 general, honey's
00:23:20.160 badger, but it
00:23:20.860 is not, you
00:23:21.520 wouldn't put it
00:23:22.060 on the floor.
00:23:22.220 Well, and I'll
00:23:22.700 tell you a funny
00:23:23.740 story.
00:23:24.340 So the first time
00:23:25.280 I met Bill was
00:23:26.460 25 years ago, and
00:23:28.060 I was a law
00:23:28.960 clerk for then
00:23:30.280 Judge Mike
00:23:31.600 Ludig.
00:23:32.680 And Ludig at
00:23:33.560 the time was
00:23:34.760 41, was the
00:23:36.360 strongest
00:23:36.700 conservative
00:23:37.360 appellate judge
00:23:38.080 in the country
00:23:38.640 and was an
00:23:39.260 incredible friend
00:23:40.400 and mentor.
00:23:41.540 But Ludig had
00:23:42.580 been Bill's
00:23:43.340 deputy at the
00:23:43.920 Department of
00:23:44.380 Justice.
00:23:46.200 And the
00:23:47.460 year I was
00:23:47.920 clerking was
00:23:48.400 Ludig's fifth
00:23:48.920 year on the
00:23:49.320 bench.
00:23:49.800 And so we
00:23:50.260 organized a
00:23:51.500 party, a
00:23:52.140 black tie party
00:23:52.980 to celebrate
00:23:53.480 five years on
00:23:54.160 the bench.
00:23:55.040 And in
00:23:55.340 addition to
00:23:55.780 former law
00:23:56.240 clerks, we
00:23:56.660 invited people
00:23:57.400 who had been
00:23:57.740 important in
00:23:58.660 Ludig's life.
00:24:00.360 And so
00:24:01.240 Scalia was
00:24:01.920 there, Justice
00:24:02.900 Thomas was
00:24:03.600 there, and
00:24:04.280 Bill was
00:24:04.820 there.
00:24:04.980 So that was
00:24:05.240 the first time
00:24:05.720 I met him.
00:24:07.080 And Judge
00:24:07.660 Ludig tells
00:24:08.360 stories.
00:24:08.820 You work about
00:24:09.200 18 hours a
00:24:09.820 day when you
00:24:10.200 clerk for
00:24:10.500 Judge Ludig.
00:24:11.200 But at
00:24:11.940 least six of
00:24:12.940 those hours are
00:24:13.480 just listening
00:24:13.920 to stories.
00:24:14.540 And so you
00:24:14.800 hear lots of
00:24:15.540 stories.
00:24:16.560 But one of
00:24:17.000 the stories I
00:24:17.680 remember hearing
00:24:18.420 is when, so
00:24:20.260 Bill was the
00:24:20.840 head of the
00:24:21.200 Office of Legal
00:24:21.760 Counsel, truly a
00:24:22.980 storied office of
00:24:24.060 the Department of
00:24:24.640 Justice.
00:24:25.960 Antonin Scalia
00:24:26.600 was also head of
00:24:27.460 OLC.
00:24:27.860 William Rehnquist
00:24:28.920 was head of
00:24:29.360 OLC.
00:24:29.960 So he
00:24:30.360 continued at a
00:24:31.860 grand tradition
00:24:32.520 and then got
00:24:32.940 promoted to
00:24:33.560 Deputy Attorney
00:24:34.140 General and
00:24:34.700 then Attorney
00:24:35.080 General.
00:24:36.320 And Ludig told
00:24:37.300 the story of
00:24:37.960 one day in the
00:24:39.320 AG's office, there
00:24:40.400 was, I guess, an
00:24:41.260 Army helmet in
00:24:42.140 there.
00:24:42.320 I don't know
00:24:42.720 why, but he
00:24:43.920 described Bill
00:24:44.820 putting the Army
00:24:45.520 helmet on and
00:24:46.220 going out to his
00:24:46.920 balcony and
00:24:47.480 saying, I'm a
00:24:48.420 general.
00:24:49.200 I'm surveying my
00:24:50.840 troops.
00:24:52.520 Is that true?
00:24:53.900 Is that?
00:24:54.200 Well, what
00:24:54.480 happened was
00:24:55.020 Attorney General
00:24:56.640 Thornburg had
00:24:57.320 to leave town
00:24:58.080 and he made
00:24:59.160 me acting
00:24:59.760 Attorney General
00:25:01.000 because I was
00:25:02.420 assistant attorney.
00:25:03.180 He made me
00:25:03.600 acting Attorney
00:25:04.240 General.
00:25:04.820 And I put the
00:25:05.980 helmet on and
00:25:06.520 took binoculars
00:25:07.300 and I went out
00:25:07.960 on the balcony
00:25:08.640 and Ludig comes
00:25:09.860 up, what are
00:25:10.380 you doing?
00:25:11.400 And I said, I'm
00:25:12.540 looking for
00:25:13.100 injustice.
00:25:16.540 Now you might
00:25:17.580 not need very
00:25:18.560 strong binoculars.
00:25:19.880 I'm sure half
00:25:20.540 the population
00:25:21.220 will say, oh,
00:25:22.740 we tried to
00:25:25.180 keep a sense
00:25:25.700 of humor in
00:25:26.300 the Department
00:25:26.780 of Justice.
00:25:27.620 So I will
00:25:28.460 say, so when
00:25:29.120 I was
00:25:29.860 Solicitor General
00:25:30.780 of Texas, it
00:25:31.600 follows the
00:25:32.260 same history
00:25:34.080 where when
00:25:34.800 either of us
00:25:35.380 argue in the
00:25:36.000 Supreme Court,
00:25:36.620 the justices
00:25:37.320 will refer to
00:25:38.400 you as
00:25:38.660 General Barr.
00:25:41.120 The five and
00:25:41.640 a half years I
00:25:42.200 was SG in
00:25:42.820 Texas, I
00:25:43.480 begged Heidi,
00:25:45.040 just once call
00:25:45.920 me General.
00:25:46.520 Just please,
00:25:47.140 come on,
00:25:47.620 honey.
00:25:47.900 Come on,
00:25:48.360 do it for me.
00:25:49.820 Never once.
00:25:50.740 You know,
00:25:54.040 this story too,
00:25:55.340 I mean, it
00:25:55.840 occurs to me
00:25:56.300 when you say
00:25:56.780 you were in
00:25:58.220 the office of
00:25:58.780 the Attorney
00:25:59.020 General,
00:25:59.820 this was a
00:26:00.980 while ago.
00:26:01.580 This was not
00:26:02.080 just a couple
00:26:02.580 of years ago.
00:26:03.620 30 years.
00:26:04.900 30 years ago.
00:26:06.140 So he was
00:26:06.720 41 years old.
00:26:08.260 Wow.
00:26:09.280 Bill is only
00:26:09.880 the second
00:26:10.300 person in
00:26:10.840 U.S.
00:26:11.180 history to be
00:26:11.800 Attorney General
00:26:12.540 twice.
00:26:13.440 Right.
00:26:15.100 John Crittenden
00:26:15.920 was the first
00:26:16.660 more than a
00:26:17.560 century ago.
00:26:18.260 So I'd be
00:26:19.500 interested,
00:26:19.920 Bill, how
00:26:20.360 is it
00:26:20.720 different?
00:26:21.100 You're 41,
00:26:22.400 a young man,
00:26:23.780 you're agey,
00:26:24.340 and then you
00:26:24.680 come back.
00:26:25.980 The world's
00:26:26.540 changed a lot.
00:26:27.260 How is this
00:26:28.940 job different?
00:26:29.820 How is DOJ
00:26:30.580 different?
00:26:31.560 So I would
00:26:32.340 sum it up by
00:26:33.020 saying things
00:26:34.440 on the outside
00:26:35.860 move much
00:26:37.240 faster and
00:26:38.620 things on the
00:26:39.200 inside move
00:26:40.020 slower.
00:26:40.920 And that's a
00:26:41.620 bad combination.
00:26:43.440 It's more
00:26:43.840 difficult.
00:26:44.280 And we have a
00:26:45.300 much different
00:26:46.380 political environment.
00:26:47.320 So, you
00:26:48.460 know,
00:26:48.640 Attorney General
00:26:49.220 last time,
00:26:49.820 we didn't
00:26:50.120 really have,
00:26:50.680 we had really
00:26:51.500 no internet.
00:26:52.820 Our cell
00:26:53.400 phones were
00:26:53.840 like World
00:26:54.520 War II
00:26:54.880 walkie-talkies
00:26:55.720 and my
00:26:56.360 detail had
00:26:57.040 one and
00:26:57.580 that's my
00:26:58.160 only access.
00:26:58.920 So that's
00:27:00.120 the world
00:27:00.420 we lived
00:27:00.880 in.
00:27:02.400 And the
00:27:04.280 news moved
00:27:04.860 slowly.
00:27:05.400 It was like,
00:27:05.680 oh, the
00:27:05.960 New York
00:27:06.240 Times is
00:27:06.660 working on
00:27:07.040 an article.
00:27:07.500 It's coming
00:27:07.740 out next
00:27:08.180 week.
00:27:08.960 So now
00:27:09.780 everything is
00:27:10.720 instantaneous,
00:27:11.640 obviously.
00:27:12.380 So the
00:27:12.660 world moves
00:27:13.100 much faster.
00:27:14.900 Inside the
00:27:15.600 department, I
00:27:16.220 think, it's
00:27:16.920 slower.
00:27:17.320 Because I
00:27:17.900 think the
00:27:18.180 laws are
00:27:18.500 more complicated.
00:27:20.100 People have
00:27:20.920 to dot all
00:27:21.760 the I's and
00:27:22.720 cross all
00:27:23.240 the T's.
00:27:24.160 And there
00:27:24.720 are more
00:27:25.000 rules have
00:27:25.660 been put
00:27:25.980 into effect
00:27:26.700 that can
00:27:27.620 hold prosecutors
00:27:28.540 in jeopardy
00:27:29.780 if they make
00:27:30.340 a mistake.
00:27:31.000 So things
00:27:31.400 move a lot
00:27:32.240 slower in
00:27:32.780 the department.
00:27:33.920 And you
00:27:34.720 don't really
00:27:35.300 have many
00:27:35.880 people on
00:27:36.320 the other
00:27:36.640 side, you
00:27:38.840 know, who
00:27:39.160 are willing
00:27:39.560 to work
00:27:40.620 with you
00:27:41.100 on, even
00:27:42.260 when they
00:27:42.820 know that
00:27:44.040 the merits
00:27:44.500 are on your
00:27:45.020 side and
00:27:45.720 they would do
00:27:46.320 good for
00:27:46.660 the American
00:27:47.060 people and
00:27:47.760 help law
00:27:48.200 enforcement.
00:27:48.800 They're no
00:27:49.020 longer willing
00:27:49.640 to work.
00:27:50.340 There are
00:27:50.580 few, but
00:27:51.080 not many.
00:27:51.780 So this
00:27:51.940 leads to
00:27:52.300 one last
00:27:52.980 question on
00:27:53.740 this exact
00:27:54.660 point.
00:27:55.580 Before we
00:27:56.100 go, you
00:27:57.500 did the job
00:27:58.000 before.
00:27:58.780 You got all
00:27:59.300 the glory.
00:28:00.120 You've been
00:28:00.420 there, done
00:28:00.920 that.
00:28:01.600 All that
00:28:02.120 could be
00:28:02.400 left for
00:28:02.800 you to
00:28:03.120 do are
00:28:04.320 the headaches,
00:28:05.260 are the
00:28:05.800 difficulties.
00:28:06.580 And as
00:28:06.820 you've said,
00:28:07.360 the world
00:28:07.720 has gotten
00:28:08.040 so much faster
00:28:09.440 and more
00:28:09.760 tense, why
00:28:11.340 come back
00:28:11.900 and do
00:28:12.100 the job
00:28:12.420 again?
00:28:13.460 Because I
00:28:14.540 didn't want
00:28:15.020 to and I
00:28:15.860 resisted it
00:28:16.880 for a long
00:28:17.300 time and I
00:28:17.820 suggested other
00:28:18.520 people, but
00:28:19.140 at the end
00:28:19.460 of the day,
00:28:20.580 I saw the
00:28:21.400 department being
00:28:22.040 used as a
00:28:22.600 political weapon
00:28:23.320 in our
00:28:23.880 system.
00:28:25.080 And I
00:28:25.660 thought that
00:28:26.220 that was
00:28:27.020 injurious to
00:28:27.760 the rule of
00:28:28.320 law and
00:28:28.680 injurious to
00:28:29.280 our important
00:28:29.880 institutions in
00:28:30.760 our country.
00:28:32.000 And I
00:28:32.240 thought there
00:28:32.660 was a,
00:28:33.940 you know,
00:28:34.220 this idea of
00:28:35.440 resisting a
00:28:37.180 duly elected
00:28:37.780 president of
00:28:38.420 the United
00:28:38.740 States and
00:28:39.500 using every
00:28:40.240 device to
00:28:41.980 impair his
00:28:43.980 administration
00:28:44.720 was disastrous
00:28:46.040 and I
00:28:46.640 thought that
00:28:47.800 he needed
00:28:48.220 an attorney
00:28:49.060 general at
00:28:49.880 that point
00:28:50.460 and I
00:28:50.780 agreed to
00:28:51.260 do it.
00:28:52.560 Well, and
00:28:52.920 one of the
00:28:54.100 things that I
00:28:54.680 think you
00:28:55.000 have brought
00:28:55.400 to this
00:28:55.800 job is you
00:28:56.520 have an
00:28:56.800 understanding
00:28:57.360 of the
00:28:57.820 legal authority
00:28:58.640 that the
00:29:00.000 Department of
00:29:00.520 Justice has,
00:29:01.220 the obligation
00:29:01.860 to follow
00:29:02.320 the law.
00:29:02.780 One of the
00:29:03.140 latest attacks
00:29:03.900 coming at
00:29:05.480 you is the
00:29:06.680 firing of
00:29:07.140 Jeffrey Berman.
00:29:07.780 the U.S.
00:29:08.480 attorney in
00:29:08.860 the Southern
00:29:09.100 District of
00:29:09.560 New York.
00:29:10.140 Now, all
00:29:11.300 93 U.S.
00:29:12.660 attorneys serve
00:29:13.660 at the pleasure
00:29:14.140 of the president.
00:29:14.840 The president
00:29:15.220 can dismiss
00:29:15.900 any of them.
00:29:17.440 But some
00:29:18.920 voices on
00:29:19.520 Capitol Hill
00:29:20.240 are reacting
00:29:22.060 as if it is
00:29:23.120 an astonishing
00:29:24.200 thing to
00:29:26.140 ask the
00:29:27.580 U.S.
00:29:28.140 attorney to
00:29:28.540 step down.
00:29:29.360 So I'm
00:29:31.320 curious,
00:29:31.780 why did you
00:29:33.360 fire Jeffrey
00:29:33.900 Byrne?
00:29:34.160 Well,
00:29:35.680 that particular
00:29:37.460 situation,
00:29:38.500 it wasn't
00:29:38.820 really a
00:29:39.720 move against
00:29:40.660 Jeffrey Berman
00:29:41.580 or to get
00:29:42.920 rid of
00:29:43.460 Jeffrey Berman.
00:29:44.260 It was
00:29:44.480 really that
00:29:45.520 the president
00:29:45.980 had not
00:29:46.480 nominated
00:29:47.180 his own
00:29:48.220 attorney general
00:29:49.000 for that
00:29:49.460 position.
00:29:51.060 Mr. Berman
00:29:51.440 had been
00:29:51.980 appointed by
00:29:52.560 the court
00:29:53.020 under a
00:29:53.460 particular
00:29:53.820 provision of
00:29:54.520 statute.
00:29:55.120 So how
00:29:55.420 does that
00:29:55.760 work?
00:29:56.040 How does
00:29:56.240 a court
00:29:56.700 appoint,
00:29:56.960 that's
00:29:57.420 unusual?
00:29:57.800 Yeah,
00:29:58.440 so there
00:29:59.380 are certain
00:29:59.880 situations
00:30:01.080 where if
00:30:02.880 there's a
00:30:05.280 vacancy in
00:30:05.980 the office
00:30:06.500 and there's
00:30:07.680 no one who
00:30:08.260 has been
00:30:08.720 yet confirmed
00:30:09.800 by the
00:30:10.260 Senate,
00:30:10.560 you can be
00:30:11.160 approved,
00:30:12.120 put in
00:30:12.440 place by
00:30:12.960 the court
00:30:13.520 until someone
00:30:14.780 is confirmed
00:30:15.760 by the
00:30:16.220 Senate.
00:30:17.140 And sometimes
00:30:18.080 they're put in
00:30:18.920 by the court
00:30:19.580 and then
00:30:20.460 the administration
00:30:21.880 doesn't even
00:30:22.480 proceed with
00:30:23.160 the nominee
00:30:23.560 and they can
00:30:24.080 stay in
00:30:24.540 for a
00:30:24.880 while.
00:30:25.220 But the
00:30:26.720 president
00:30:27.060 explicitly
00:30:28.240 has removal
00:30:29.080 authority
00:30:29.560 over all
00:30:30.140 U.S.
00:30:30.580 attorneys.
00:30:31.000 U.S.
00:30:31.400 attorneys
00:30:31.780 are assisting
00:30:32.980 the president
00:30:33.640 enforce the
00:30:35.040 law,
00:30:35.720 seeing that
00:30:36.420 the laws
00:30:36.780 are faithfully
00:30:37.340 executed.
00:30:38.120 So they
00:30:38.380 are agents
00:30:38.980 of the
00:30:39.380 president
00:30:39.780 in that
00:30:40.240 respect
00:30:40.640 constitutionally.
00:30:42.540 And so
00:30:43.940 in this
00:30:44.440 particular
00:30:44.900 case,
00:30:45.980 there was
00:30:46.820 a very
00:30:47.220 attractive
00:30:47.740 candidate,
00:30:50.080 a very
00:30:51.360 prominent
00:30:51.880 and distinguished
00:30:52.960 lawyer from
00:30:53.600 New York,
00:30:54.220 from one
00:30:55.340 of the
00:30:55.620 greatest
00:30:55.940 law firms
00:30:56.500 in the
00:30:56.780 world
00:30:57.100 and well
00:30:58.800 known in
00:30:59.240 New York.
00:30:59.980 And he
00:31:00.340 was the
00:31:01.940 chairman of
00:31:02.620 the Security
00:31:03.520 Exchange
00:31:04.040 Commission.
00:31:04.620 And as you
00:31:04.900 know,
00:31:05.080 securities are
00:31:05.620 really important
00:31:06.200 up in
00:31:06.580 New York.
00:31:07.060 And we
00:31:07.860 thought he
00:31:08.200 would make
00:31:08.500 a great
00:31:09.000 U.S.
00:31:09.760 attorney up
00:31:10.320 there.
00:31:10.680 And actually
00:31:11.200 initially,
00:31:12.060 you had
00:31:12.740 planned to
00:31:13.300 offer Berman
00:31:13.860 another position
00:31:14.620 in the
00:31:15.000 administration.
00:31:16.060 Yes,
00:31:16.420 we did.
00:31:16.980 We did.
00:31:17.600 But he
00:31:18.000 didn't want
00:31:18.340 to leave
00:31:18.600 that post.
00:31:19.600 And I've
00:31:20.100 got to say,
00:31:20.460 the letter
00:31:20.820 he wrote,
00:31:21.700 I thought,
00:31:22.460 was extraordinary.
00:31:23.120 He refused
00:31:24.280 to step
00:31:25.720 down.
00:31:26.180 And I don't
00:31:27.840 want to drag
00:31:28.300 you into
00:31:28.520 this,
00:31:28.740 but it was
00:31:29.000 a level
00:31:29.440 of defiance
00:31:30.440 that the
00:31:31.320 instant you
00:31:32.020 read that
00:31:32.560 letter saying,
00:31:33.460 I'm not
00:31:33.820 going anywhere,
00:31:35.700 it sets
00:31:36.460 off all
00:31:37.020 sorts of
00:31:37.500 warning bells
00:31:38.200 of someone
00:31:38.760 who has
00:31:40.960 their own
00:31:41.300 agenda.
00:31:42.020 An axe to
00:31:42.160 grind.
00:31:42.780 Which is why
00:31:44.260 it has become
00:31:44.820 a cause
00:31:45.180 to lab.
00:31:45.600 And so I
00:31:46.000 don't want to
00:31:46.320 ask you to
00:31:46.580 comment to
00:31:47.080 that,
00:31:47.300 but I'll
00:31:48.000 say that.
00:31:48.480 And I'll
00:31:49.520 agree with
00:31:49.820 that.
00:31:51.160 Mr. Attorney
00:31:51.800 General,
00:31:52.480 I am very
00:31:53.180 grateful that
00:31:53.800 you came in
00:31:54.280 to do the
00:31:55.000 job a second
00:31:55.760 time,
00:31:56.220 and I'm
00:31:56.580 very grateful
00:31:57.100 that you
00:31:57.420 came down
00:31:57.780 to speak
00:31:58.280 with us,
00:31:58.720 but we
00:31:59.100 have to
00:31:59.360 let you
00:31:59.580 get back
00:31:59.900 to work.
00:32:00.700 Thank you
00:32:01.120 for being
00:32:01.500 here,
00:32:01.920 Senator.
00:32:02.320 I will
00:32:02.600 see you
00:32:02.940 very shortly.
00:32:04.020 I'm
00:32:04.240 Michael
00:32:04.440 Knowles.
00:32:04.840 This is
00:32:05.200 Verdict
00:32:05.580 with Ted
00:32:06.080 Cruz.
00:32:06.360 This episode
00:32:15.400 of Verdict
00:32:16.020 with Ted
00:32:16.540 Cruz is
00:32:17.200 being brought
00:32:17.680 to you by
00:32:18.140 Jobs Freedom
00:32:18.960 and Security
00:32:19.700 PAC, a
00:32:20.460 political action
00:32:21.300 committee dedicated
00:32:22.100 to supporting
00:32:22.880 conservative
00:32:23.460 causes,
00:32:24.300 organizations,
00:32:25.160 and candidates
00:32:25.820 across the
00:32:26.540 country.
00:32:27.200 In 2022,
00:32:28.420 Jobs Freedom
00:32:29.040 and Security
00:32:29.640 PAC plans to
00:32:30.660 donate to
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00:32:36.360 This is
00:32:37.040 an iHeart
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