Transcripts For MSNBCW The Beat With Ari Melber 20190510 : c

He has missed multiple deadlines from other democrats. Hes said that the original request for these trump tax returns which are of course required under federal law in his view had no legislative purpose. All this caps a week that has been dominated for the historic contempt for Donald Trumps attorney general. And it is also ending with not only this tax fight but other democrats saying theyll fight fire with fire, warning of a separate contempt vote for don mcgahn. Weve subpoenaed mcgahn and were expecting him to show up on the 21st and if he doesnt, he will be subject to contempt. The democrats are pushing forward on a multifront strategy to both punish and try to deter Donald Trumps threats of defying all the subpoenas. You have now the prospect here on record of potentially multiple contempt votes against this administrations alleged defiance. Democrats warning theyre going to counter that defiance not only with jail time but also now with the prospect of major fines. Its far more practical to consider levying individual fines on the person, not on the office until they comply. The courts use that practice. I think its quite attention. Can you do that . We can do that. Democrats are arguing that this tough but practical legal strategy may provide something of a middle ground between doing nothing and beginning impeachment proceedings now. As we dig into this, there are other progressives arguing there isnt much value to middle ground when dealing with this president and that Congress Makes a big bet if they let him get away with what Many Democrats agree, wherever they are on impeachment, what many agree on is they say there is this criminal evidence outlined in the Mueller Report. And leaving that unaddressed doesnt leave things at neutral, it invites further misconduct because you dont have any deterrents around the conduct thats been exposed. Its basically the central premise of deterrence theory. Its why the hawkish don r rumsfeld always repeated the basic statement that weakness is provocative. Not only is weakness provocative but the perception of weakness on our part can be provocative as well. A perception of weakness. Almost on cue in this debate you have trump critics today pointing to these absolutely stunning statements from not just a close aide to the president or a political hack but from the person charged with the criminal defense of this president , Rudy Giuliani, who openly admits now that he will be heading to ukraine and he wants to meddle in investive probes there for the explicit purpose of helping Donald Trumps reelection. The democrats oddest talking point this week may have been the claim that the president is inviting impeachment, as if this uniquely congressional measure to potentially hold him accountable is also up to him, up to donald trump. No matter what happens here as you know, if you ever watch this show, we dont pribledict whats going to happen. Constitutionally congress will make the call if there is a call to make. I think were seeing some signs that there are democrats inching now towards the deterrence position thanlds witho position. Whether it would be successful or not, you have to consider any remedy to fight that unlawful action. If the Trump Administration is going to completely deny every single congressional subpoena, then every option has to be on the table. We have been working methodically through a process to investigate the facts. It seems to me that its the separation who is pushing us toward impeachment. Im joined now by the founder of the progressive website daily coast and a long time political professional. Melissa murray. I dont want to put anyone in a box but you are on cable news and each of you are in something of a box. I said up this panel here because basel is a very conventional democrat, having run a party in a big state. And marcos is known for pushing the party. And melissa is of course a legal expert. Is it time for impeachment . And if not, what is the Democratic Party position explaining why not coexisting from what im hearing from almost every member of congress which is that there is overwhelming evidence in the Mueller Report . I take Nancy Pelosis position that she made at the cornell club earlier this week, there is some sense that the president is goading, is taunting to try to get democrats to pull that impeachment trigger. There are some elites in our party and grassroots in the party that also want that. Where are most of the American People in the middle there . Are they really at a point where they want impeachment . I think what the democrats are doing is very smart. Without going that far, you get as much evidence as you can to go to the American People and persuade them that this is the right direction to go in. Even in new york state you have the senate creating legislation to go and get Donald Trumps state taxes. This is happening on multiple fronts and im convinced that at some point in time, if theres enough evidence there and nancy pelosi says go out and start persuading the American People, well get to that point, but were not there yet. Marcos . I know im supposed to have a box here. I kind of agree, though. But i dont see it as an either or situation. This is information that would field into any impeachment proceeding moving forward. Theres no magical impeachment power that suddenly makes these tax returns available to democrats. They still have to go through this Legal Process because republicans are doing Everything Possible to stymie and obstruct. Ultimately my goal isnt impeachment that will then die in the senate because theres not going to be a conviction in a republican senate. I want to see that whole trump clan in prison. To me, any information that leads to that in the end is a good thing. Bombs away, subpoena, contempt, all of that. Marcos, when you look at some of the groups, Justice Groups are saying its time to impeach. What is the key for democrats to navigate this . Part of the problem is the misunderstanding about what impeachment is. I think you think if you impeach trump is gone not realizing that is the first step toward a senate trial. The republicans will protect trump. Theyre bought and fapaid for b the russians. One, expose trumps crimes heading into that next years election, showing base democrats that are fighting as a party that they works their butts off last year to deliver a house that is going to deliver for them. They cant legislatively so lets do so investigatively. Its a base election next year. Trumps people are going to vote no matter what. Theyre already at 100 . Nothing democrats can do will make them even more motivated to turn out than they already are. Melissa, first of all, for viewers to know there were some audio technical difficulties. She couldnt hear, but we got it fixed. Second of all, what do you make of what does appear to be the escalation in the legal strategy by the democrats in congress against the backdrop of this discussion were having about using the impeachment power or not . Thnchts seem this seems to be trying to find a middle ground. Impeachment isnt end result. Its a process and its an investigative process and one right now that doesnt seem that will end in the democrats favor because they dont have the votes in the senate. If you can layout the evidence, if you can show there is a history of noncompliance or outright defiance by the president , maybe that raises issues for middle of the road democrats and moll fies the hard core democrats. What about what were calling the deterrence argument here . Ive spent time with the Mueller Report. Part one is decent from a criminal legal perspective for the white house. It is. Part two is highly incriminating. But if you dont do enough, then do you risk allowing these things to go on . I want to play for your analysis chairman nadler today talking about what Rudy Giuliani is doing, which i dont think its a victory lap, its quite incredible. Here is chairman nadler on seeking ukraines help. Weve come to a very sorry state when its considered okay for an american politician, never mind an attorney for the president , to go and seek foreign intervention in american politics. First, i want to push back that the first part of the Mueller Report wasnt something that we should be worried about. The Mueller Report in its first part found there was systemic and broad interference with the election by the russians. They could just find no evidence of collusion with the Trump Administration. Let me be clear. Im referring to the notion of the president s involvement in a conspiracy. Fair. The other parts obviously is why youre dealing with this russian meddling. Theyre totally interrelated. The reason why you have the obstruction is because you dont want the collusion. Its all kind of intertwined. You cant have the Obstruction Without the evidence of collusion to keep it back. These are intertwined. Theres no chargeable election conspiracy. You had a Democratic Party that spent a lot of time acting as if the election conspiracy was either proven or coming and bob mueller didnt find it at a criminal level. Not at a criminal level but then theres all of this evidence of obstruction which he cannot charge the president with because hes a sitting president. Now you have this lawless spectacle where the president is actually above the law because theres nothing you can do in a criminal context and the only avenue available is for congress to go forward with impeachment hearings and this is the big question here. Youre exactly right, this leaves open a lot of room for the administration to just play chicken. This is a game of brinksmanship and ultimately its shaping up t to be a first rate constitutional crisis. The idea that the administration is exonerated is absolutely absurd. We know you had manafort sharing polling information with the russians, so there is a sense that the two entities were working together and now of course theres a criminal case to be made. Theres standards of evidence and beyond a reasonable doubt, all that stuff. Thats why mueller didnt seem to want to go there, but the fact is they were working together i think is pretty obvious. Even if it doesnt reach that level of criminal conspiracy, the idea that republicans would be totally okay if Hillary Clinton was doing the same thing with the chinese or the canadians or even the russians is patently absurd. This notion that theres nothing to see here when they literally conspired with a foreign power and one that is hostile to United States interests in order to get donald trump elected and theyre totally okay with it is absolutely patently absurd. Im less concerned about that standard than the optics and the narrative of it. It is incredibly damning to trump and the fact is republicans dont care. Democrats do. None of it matters because in the end were so partisanized as a country that next year the candidate who wins is going to be the one who gets his or her base out more than the other side. Just a quick point about democrats. In article iii of the watergate impeachment hearings one of the charges is the president didnt respond to subpoenas. That groundwork has already been laid. What nancy pelosi is right to do is temper expectations. The call for impeachment is not nearly as odious as the calls on the right for lock her up. As long as we keep it to that point and layout a very good substantial case, thats where we can start persuading the American Public that were ready to pull this trigger. Thank you. Coming up, we have a lot of stuff, including my special report on Rod Rosenstein. He wrapped up his tenure in government today. Hes leaving behind quite a troubling record. Im going to get into all of it. And we spent days digging through the archives to find the tapes that some of these politicians might not want you to see including some serious gop flipflops about president s obstructing justice. The president has engaged in a persistent pattern of obstruction of justice. We dont want a president lying in office. Tonight comedian susanie essman joins us if her beat debut. Thats tonight. Thats tonight feel the clarity of nondrowsy claritin and relief from symptoms caused by over 200 indoor and outdoor allergens. Like those from buddy. Because stuffed animals are clearly no substitute for real ones. Feel the clarity. And live claritin clear. Every curve, every innovation, every feeling. A product of mastery. Lease the 2019 es 350 for 379 a month for 36 months. Experience amazing at your lexus dealer. You should be mad at tech that makes things worse. But youre not, because you have e trade whose tech makes life easier by automatically adding technical patterns on charts and helping you understand what they mean. Dont get mad, get e trade. I felt i couldnt be at my best wifor my family. C, in only 8 weeks with mavyret, i was cured and left those doubts behind. I faced reminders of my hep c every day. But in only 8 weeks with mavyret, i was cured. Even hanging with friends i worried about my hep c. But in only 8 weeks with mavyret, i was cured. Mavyret is the only 8week cure for all common types of hep c. Before starting mavyret your doctor will test if youve had hepatitis b which may flare up and cause serious liver problems during and after treatment. Tell your doctor if youve had hepatitis b, a liver or kidney transplant, other liver problems, hiv1, or other medical conditions, and all medicines you take including herbal supplements. Dont take mavyret with atazanavir or rifampin, or if youve had certain liver problems. Common side effects include headache and tiredness. With hep c behind me, i feel free. Fearless. And theres no looking back, because i am cured. Talk to your doctor about mavyret. Now to our special report tonight. An accounting of the most influential Deputy Attorney general in recent history to be sure, if not of all time, Rod Rosenstein. We couldnt do this full report until this week because this is rosensteins last week on the job. An earlier accounting could have easily been quite incomplete considering that rosenstein has zigged and zagged in his role overseeing what is supposed to be a very special independent probe, special counsel muellers probe, because he ultimately helped bill barr land the plane, as they both used that phrase. The two were all smiles at this cozy washington event that just occurred this week that marked rosensteins last formal day at the oj headquarters. This gathering looks like a whos who of the russia investigation from chris wray to Jeff Sessions, the a. G. To bill barr. Barr gave quite the tribute to rosenstein, a very public indication that no matter how rosenstein began this process, he ended on team trump. Keep in mind this whole scene is unfolding against quite the backdrop, the public facts that barr misrepresented key parts of the Mueller Report before ever releasing, Congress Moving to hold barr in contempt. Congress is still seeking testimony from people in the room youre looking at including white House Counsel don mcgahn. With all of that going on, those Law Enforcement leaders who you just saw, they didnt just joke around about this thing. Watch as they make the serious and unrevolved matters of the russia probe a joke itself, barr minimizing his own contempt vote as others treated this whole probe as a punch line. When we came in, i had no doubt there would be a lot of controversies during my tenure. But in truth, i have to say our run exceeded my expectations. [ laughter ] considerably. There has been a debate raging for the last few months and i think we have to get it resolved and decided tonight and that is which one of us is capable of the most deadpan expression . Ha ha ha ha. But is that funny . It is literally a reference to rosensteins now famous expression during mr. Barrs presser, when was proven to be misleading at best. That attention was not superficial. It was not about rosensteins style or mood. What youre looking at on your screen was the very real question about whether that person there, who once proclaimed the core import of an independent probe, was really fine with what barr was doing in front of the country. People searching his face for, are you okay with this . Now rosenstein has had a long career at doj. He has handled many important cases, ably according to his colleagues. But right now he is best known for his most senior position, overseeing this probe. It started remarkably. Rod rosenstein helped execute trumps firing of fbi director comey and then Rod Rosenstein ordered an independent probe into that firing. Until recently rosensteins defenders arguing, well, that sounds weird, but that was because trump used rosenstein, he was a victim in the firing. Now we have the Mueller Report and that defense doesnt hold water. It shows rosenstein knowingly helped pull off the firing and that rosenstein was on notice in advance. We know that rosenstein allowed himself to be manipulated by trump because we knew from the start trump wanted to fire comey because of russia. It shows trump asked him specifically about the russia stuff in his memo about comey. Trump said id really appreciate it if you put it in the letter anyway, which means rosenstein knew comey would be terminated when he wrote his letter. He even told colleagues his own reasons to critique james comey were, quote, not the president s reasons. That was the reality behind the scenes as white house officials went out publicly about this controversial firing, tries to pin it on rosenstein. And they knew it was trump who was asking rosenstein for the whole cover story. He took the recommendation of Donald Trumps<\/a> attorney general. And it is also ending with not only this tax fight but other democrats saying theyll fight fire with fire, warning of a separate contempt vote for don mcgahn. Weve subpoenaed mcgahn and were expecting him to show up on the 21st and if he doesnt, he will be subject to contempt. The democrats are pushing forward on a multifront strategy to both punish and try to deter Donald Trumps<\/a> threats of defying all the subpoenas. You have now the prospect here on record of potentially multiple contempt votes against this administrations alleged defiance. Democrats warning theyre going to counter that defiance not only with jail time but also now with the prospect of major fines. Its far more practical to consider levying individual fines on the person, not on the office until they comply. The courts use that practice. I think its quite attention. Can you do that . We can do that. Democrats are arguing that this tough but practical legal strategy may provide something of a middle ground between doing nothing and beginning impeachment proceedings now. As we dig into this, there are other progressives arguing there isnt much value to middle ground when dealing with this president and that Congress Makes<\/a> a big bet if they let him get away with what Many Democrats<\/a> agree, wherever they are on impeachment, what many agree on is they say there is this criminal evidence outlined in the Mueller Report<\/a>. And leaving that unaddressed doesnt leave things at neutral, it invites further misconduct because you dont have any deterrents around the conduct thats been exposed. Its basically the central premise of deterrence theory. Its why the hawkish don r rumsfeld always repeated the basic statement that weakness is provocative. Not only is weakness provocative but the perception of weakness on our part can be provocative as well. A perception of weakness. Almost on cue in this debate you have trump critics today pointing to these absolutely stunning statements from not just a close aide to the president or a political hack but from the person charged with the criminal defense of this president , Rudy Giuliani<\/a>, who openly admits now that he will be heading to ukraine and he wants to meddle in investive probes there for the explicit purpose of helping Donald Trumps<\/a> reelection. The democrats oddest talking point this week may have been the claim that the president is inviting impeachment, as if this uniquely congressional measure to potentially hold him accountable is also up to him, up to donald trump. No matter what happens here as you know, if you ever watch this show, we dont pribledict whats going to happen. Constitutionally congress will make the call if there is a call to make. I think were seeing some signs that there are democrats inching now towards the deterrence position thanlds witho position. Whether it would be successful or not, you have to consider any remedy to fight that unlawful action. If the Trump Administration<\/a> is going to completely deny every single congressional subpoena, then every option has to be on the table. We have been working methodically through a process to investigate the facts. It seems to me that its the separation who is pushing us toward impeachment. Im joined now by the founder of the progressive website daily coast and a long time political professional. Melissa murray. I dont want to put anyone in a box but you are on cable news and each of you are in something of a box. I said up this panel here because basel is a very conventional democrat, having run a party in a big state. And marcos is known for pushing the party. And melissa is of course a legal expert. Is it time for impeachment . And if not, what is the Democratic Party<\/a> position explaining why not coexisting from what im hearing from almost every member of congress which is that there is overwhelming evidence in the Mueller Report<\/a> . I take Nancy Pelosis<\/a> position that she made at the cornell club earlier this week, there is some sense that the president is goading, is taunting to try to get democrats to pull that impeachment trigger. There are some elites in our party and grassroots in the party that also want that. Where are most of the American People<\/a> in the middle there . Are they really at a point where they want impeachment . I think what the democrats are doing is very smart. Without going that far, you get as much evidence as you can to go to the American People<\/a> and persuade them that this is the right direction to go in. Even in new york state you have the senate creating legislation to go and get Donald Trumps<\/a> state taxes. This is happening on multiple fronts and im convinced that at some point in time, if theres enough evidence there and nancy pelosi says go out and start persuading the American People<\/a>, well get to that point, but were not there yet. Marcos . I know im supposed to have a box here. I kind of agree, though. But i dont see it as an either or situation. This is information that would field into any impeachment proceeding moving forward. Theres no magical impeachment power that suddenly makes these tax returns available to democrats. They still have to go through this Legal Process<\/a> because republicans are doing Everything Possible<\/a> to stymie and obstruct. Ultimately my goal isnt impeachment that will then die in the senate because theres not going to be a conviction in a republican senate. I want to see that whole trump clan in prison. To me, any information that leads to that in the end is a good thing. Bombs away, subpoena, contempt, all of that. Marcos, when you look at some of the groups, Justice Groups<\/a> are saying its time to impeach. What is the key for democrats to navigate this . Part of the problem is the misunderstanding about what impeachment is. I think you think if you impeach trump is gone not realizing that is the first step toward a senate trial. The republicans will protect trump. Theyre bought and fapaid for b the russians. One, expose trumps crimes heading into that next years election, showing base democrats that are fighting as a party that they works their butts off last year to deliver a house that is going to deliver for them. They cant legislatively so lets do so investigatively. Its a base election next year. Trumps people are going to vote no matter what. Theyre already at 100 . Nothing democrats can do will make them even more motivated to turn out than they already are. Melissa, first of all, for viewers to know there were some audio technical difficulties. She couldnt hear, but we got it fixed. Second of all, what do you make of what does appear to be the escalation in the legal strategy by the democrats in congress against the backdrop of this discussion were having about using the impeachment power or not . Thnchts seem this seems to be trying to find a middle ground. Impeachment isnt end result. Its a process and its an investigative process and one right now that doesnt seem that will end in the democrats favor because they dont have the votes in the senate. If you can layout the evidence, if you can show there is a history of noncompliance or outright defiance by the president , maybe that raises issues for middle of the road democrats and moll fies the hard core democrats. What about what were calling the deterrence argument here . Ive spent time with the Mueller Report<\/a>. Part one is decent from a criminal legal perspective for the white house. It is. Part two is highly incriminating. But if you dont do enough, then do you risk allowing these things to go on . I want to play for your analysis chairman nadler today talking about what Rudy Giuliani<\/a> is doing, which i dont think its a victory lap, its quite incredible. Here is chairman nadler on seeking ukraines help. Weve come to a very sorry state when its considered okay for an american politician, never mind an attorney for the president , to go and seek foreign intervention in american politics. First, i want to push back that the first part of the Mueller Report<\/a> wasnt something that we should be worried about. The Mueller Report<\/a> in its first part found there was systemic and broad interference with the election by the russians. They could just find no evidence of collusion with the Trump Administration<\/a>. Let me be clear. Im referring to the notion of the president s involvement in a conspiracy. Fair. The other parts obviously is why youre dealing with this russian meddling. Theyre totally interrelated. The reason why you have the obstruction is because you dont want the collusion. Its all kind of intertwined. You cant have the Obstruction Without<\/a> the evidence of collusion to keep it back. These are intertwined. Theres no chargeable election conspiracy. You had a Democratic Party<\/a> that spent a lot of time acting as if the election conspiracy was either proven or coming and bob mueller didnt find it at a criminal level. Not at a criminal level but then theres all of this evidence of obstruction which he cannot charge the president with because hes a sitting president. Now you have this lawless spectacle where the president is actually above the law because theres nothing you can do in a criminal context and the only avenue available is for congress to go forward with impeachment hearings and this is the big question here. Youre exactly right, this leaves open a lot of room for the administration to just play chicken. This is a game of brinksmanship and ultimately its shaping up t to be a first rate constitutional crisis. The idea that the administration is exonerated is absolutely absurd. We know you had manafort sharing polling information with the russians, so there is a sense that the two entities were working together and now of course theres a criminal case to be made. Theres standards of evidence and beyond a reasonable doubt, all that stuff. Thats why mueller didnt seem to want to go there, but the fact is they were working together i think is pretty obvious. Even if it doesnt reach that level of criminal conspiracy, the idea that republicans would be totally okay if Hillary Clinton<\/a> was doing the same thing with the chinese or the canadians or even the russians is patently absurd. This notion that theres nothing to see here when they literally conspired with a foreign power and one that is hostile to United States<\/a> interests in order to get donald trump elected and theyre totally okay with it is absolutely patently absurd. Im less concerned about that standard than the optics and the narrative of it. It is incredibly damning to trump and the fact is republicans dont care. Democrats do. None of it matters because in the end were so partisanized as a country that next year the candidate who wins is going to be the one who gets his or her base out more than the other side. Just a quick point about democrats. In article iii of the watergate impeachment hearings one of the charges is the president didnt respond to subpoenas. That groundwork has already been laid. What nancy pelosi is right to do is temper expectations. The call for impeachment is not nearly as odious as the calls on the right for lock her up. As long as we keep it to that point and layout a very good substantial case, thats where we can start persuading the American Public<\/a> that were ready to pull this trigger. Thank you. Coming up, we have a lot of stuff, including my special report on Rod Rosenstein<\/a>. He wrapped up his tenure in government today. Hes leaving behind quite a troubling record. Im going to get into all of it. And we spent days digging through the archives to find the tapes that some of these politicians might not want you to see including some serious gop flipflops about president s obstructing justice. The president has engaged in a persistent pattern of obstruction of justice. We dont want a president lying in office. Tonight comedian susanie essman joins us if her beat debut. Thats tonight. Thats tonight feel the clarity of nondrowsy claritin and relief from symptoms caused by over 200 indoor and outdoor allergens. Like those from buddy. Because stuffed animals are clearly no substitute for real ones. Feel the clarity. And live claritin clear. Every curve, every innovation, every feeling. A product of mastery. Lease the 2019 es 350 for 379 a month for 36 months. Experience amazing at your lexus dealer. You should be mad at tech that makes things worse. But youre not, because you have e trade whose tech makes life easier by automatically adding technical patterns on charts and helping you understand what they mean. Dont get mad, get e trade. I felt i couldnt be at my best wifor my family. C, in only 8 weeks with mavyret, i was cured and left those doubts behind. I faced reminders of my hep c every day. But in only 8 weeks with mavyret, i was cured. Even hanging with friends i worried about my hep c. But in only 8 weeks with mavyret, i was cured. Mavyret is the only 8week cure for all common types of hep c. Before starting mavyret your doctor will test if youve had hepatitis b which may flare up and cause serious liver problems during and after treatment. Tell your doctor if youve had hepatitis b, a liver or kidney transplant, other liver problems, hiv1, or other medical conditions, and all medicines you take including herbal supplements. Dont take mavyret with atazanavir or rifampin, or if youve had certain liver problems. Common side effects include headache and tiredness. With hep c behind me, i feel free. Fearless. And theres no looking back, because i am cured. Talk to your doctor about mavyret. Now to our special report tonight. An accounting of the most influential Deputy Attorney<\/a> general in recent history to be sure, if not of all time, Rod Rosenstein<\/a>. We couldnt do this full report until this week because this is rosensteins last week on the job. An earlier accounting could have easily been quite incomplete considering that rosenstein has zigged and zagged in his role overseeing what is supposed to be a very special independent probe, special counsel muellers probe, because he ultimately helped bill barr land the plane, as they both used that phrase. The two were all smiles at this cozy washington event that just occurred this week that marked rosensteins last formal day at the oj headquarters. This gathering looks like a whos who of the russia investigation from chris wray to Jeff Sessions<\/a>, the a. G. To bill barr. Barr gave quite the tribute to rosenstein, a very public indication that no matter how rosenstein began this process, he ended on team trump. Keep in mind this whole scene is unfolding against quite the backdrop, the public facts that barr misrepresented key parts of the Mueller Report<\/a> before ever releasing, Congress Moving<\/a> to hold barr in contempt. Congress is still seeking testimony from people in the room youre looking at including white House Counsel<\/a> don mcgahn. With all of that going on, those Law Enforcement<\/a> leaders who you just saw, they didnt just joke around about this thing. Watch as they make the serious and unrevolved matters of the russia probe a joke itself, barr minimizing his own contempt vote as others treated this whole probe as a punch line. When we came in, i had no doubt there would be a lot of controversies during my tenure. But in truth, i have to say our run exceeded my expectations. [ laughter ] considerably. There has been a debate raging for the last few months and i think we have to get it resolved and decided tonight and that is which one of us is capable of the most deadpan expression . Ha ha ha ha. But is that funny . It is literally a reference to rosensteins now famous expression during mr. Barrs presser, when was proven to be misleading at best. That attention was not superficial. It was not about rosensteins style or mood. What youre looking at on your screen was the very real question about whether that person there, who once proclaimed the core import of an independent probe, was really fine with what barr was doing in front of the country. People searching his face for, are you okay with this . Now rosenstein has had a long career at doj. He has handled many important cases, ably according to his colleagues. But right now he is best known for his most senior position, overseeing this probe. It started remarkably. Rod rosenstein helped execute trumps firing of fbi director comey and then Rod Rosenstein<\/a> ordered an independent probe into that firing. Until recently rosensteins defenders arguing, well, that sounds weird, but that was because trump used rosenstein, he was a victim in the firing. Now we have the Mueller Report<\/a> and that defense doesnt hold water. It shows rosenstein knowingly helped pull off the firing and that rosenstein was on notice in advance. We know that rosenstein allowed himself to be manipulated by trump because we knew from the start trump wanted to fire comey because of russia. It shows trump asked him specifically about the russia stuff in his memo about comey. Trump said id really appreciate it if you put it in the letter anyway, which means rosenstein knew comey would be terminated when he wrote his letter. He even told colleagues his own reasons to critique james comey were, quote, not the president s reasons. That was the reality behind the scenes as white house officials went out publicly about this controversial firing, tries to pin it on rosenstein. And they knew it was trump who was asking rosenstein for the whole cover story. He took the recommendation of Rod Rosenstein<\/a>, the Deputy Attorney<\/a> general. Rod rosenstein was confirmed just 14 days ago by a vote of 946 by our u. S. Senators. Rod rosenstein, who everybody across the board has unequivocally said this guy is a man of up standing character and essentially the Gold Standard<\/a> at the department of justice. Gold standard. Consider this because its weird how these things happened. All of that might have stopped right there, another white house lie. But rosenstein was livid watching those folks shred his credibility, blaming him for something that he knew trump requested. Rosenstein responded that was not a good idea because if the press asked him, he would tell the truth that comeys firing was not a good idea. Rosenstein was fine with trump firing comey. What he didnt like this is so important he didnt like getting blamed for it. It was just eight days later that rosenstein appointed mueller to try to clean this all up. And mueller in the report shows how it happened, Jeff Sessions<\/a> sitting with trump literally trying to interview for a new fbi director in that tense time and rosenstein calls. Sessions steps out of the oelva to take this call from his deputy and tells him about the special counsel appointment. Now, as you know, you dont just interrupt a meeting with the president unless you have huge news. Rosenstein called sessions because he knew he had to tell him immediately even if he was with the president and he knew he was dropping a bomb. Now we all know how the president reacted when he got rosensteins news delivered via Jeff Sessions<\/a>. Oh my god this is terrible, this is tehe end of my presidency, im fill in the blank. His spot was this is the end of my presidency im ef fd. He said im [ bleep ]. Id like to live for a little longer in the moment of him saying this is tend of my presidency im [ bleep ]. That got everyones attention and it was in the report. What was trump so concerned about among other things . He did explain his thinking succinctly a month into the probe. Im being investigated for firing the fbi director by the man who told me to fire the fbi director. He was onto something there because he was being investigated over the comey firing and while rosenstein may not have had the whole idea, he was in the on the initial cover story for it. That strange dynamic would continue, because on the one hand you have rosenstein doing what trump asked and on the other you have him initially overseeing and saying he was going to protect the independence of the probe trump hated. People who have been making threats privately and publicly against me for quite some time and i think they should understand by now the department of justice is not going to be extorted. Any kind of threats that anybody makes are not going to affect the way we do our job. Not going to affect the job. Comey in his own observation about rosenstein telling a friend, quote, road is a survivor so i have concerns. In recent months these concerns have shown exactly what rosenstein is made of. Right in the middle of the probe with months before its over credible reporting suggests from multiple sources that rosenstein did something that is not okay, telling trump that he was on his team and promising the subject of this open investigation and hed be treated fairly in this private huddle and that he was making those promises while fighting for his own job and assuring trump, im the one, i can land the plane. When it was all over, rosenstein basically didnt deal with it in any serious way and then went along with barr and his statement to the public saying there wasnt evidence to establish the president committed an obstruction of justice offense. Rosenstein of course standing by barr, not a punch line. Watch barr further mischaracterize what mueller found and then say it was bizarre that anyone would say it was misleading. Rosenstein went out of his way to praise trump, saying, quote, america first. One of the strangest things about all that praise is another episode in this rosenstein tenure because he had the land the plane conversation with trump after the New York Times<\/a> reported that rosenstein was considering wearing a wire to tap the president. Some said it was maybe sarcastic. This was that defense. We werent in the room. Rosenstein did call the story inaccurate but didnt really fully reject the idea that he would discuss taping the president. Rosenstein, who was a prosecutor for decades, is at least on record thinking he needed to treat the president like a criminal suspect at that time. Whatever you think of trump, there is something there that rosenstein saw that justified those tactics. Yet rosenstein was later so concerned about trumps conduct that how do you go from that to telling donald trump youre going to land the plane . Is that appropriate. Its human nature to care about how everything looks and youd expect that from all sorts of people to want that for their legacy. Thats not what you want from a prosecutor. He publicly said he wasnt going to be extorted. But the problem is that in private when the stakes were the highest, it appears that he bowed under pressure. The question becomes, does Rod Rosenstein<\/a> even pass the publicly stated Rod Rosenstein<\/a> test . I think they should understand by now the department of justice is not going to be extorted. Quote, i give the investigation credibility, rosenstein said, i can land the plane. Any kind of threats that anybody makes are not going to affect the way we do our job. Rosensteins Resignation Letter<\/a> today went out of his way to compliment and thank President Trump<\/a> for the president s demeanor and attitude and courtesy toward rosenstein during their, quote, personal conversations. It was the conclusion of a number of people including me and also the inclusion of the Deputy Attorney<\/a> general Rod Rosenstein<\/a>. The key to living a life of integrity is to take ownership of the consequential decisions. Rod rosenstein served for 29 years at doj and worked on many important cases as mentioned. Apply that standard there. Did he own his most consequential decisions at the time when he finally had Managerial Authority<\/a> . No. He buckled to trump in the initial comey firing. He tried to fix it with an appointment that while vital increasingly looks like something he made out of personal calculus at the time. If mr. Rosenstein has better explanations for this, he will have to go beyond the limited interview he did with his own subordinate bob mueller for the report. Right now the answers dont look very good. Well be back with a lot more on this in just 30 seconds. More on this in just 30 seconds. You wouldnt accept an incomplete job from any one else. Why accept it from your allergy pills . Flonase sensimist relieves all your worst symptoms, including nasal congestion, which most pills dont. And all from a gentle mist you can barely feel. Flonase sensimist. You can barely feel. I like to make my life easy. romo mode. beep bang good luck with that one. Yes thats why i wear skechers slipons. Theyre effortless. Just slip them right on and off. Skechers slipons, with aircooled memory foam. Breaking news on the heart of the obstruction issues facing President Trump<\/a>, the New York Times<\/a> reporting within this hour here that twice in the last month the white house formally asked white House Counsel<\/a> don mcgahn to declare that trump never obstructed justice. The former counsel mcgahn reportedly denying these newly discovered requests and that, the times reports, angered the president. Mcgahns name appeared more than any other individual in the lengthy redacted Mueller Report<\/a>. Im joined by federal prosecutor john flannery. What do you think of this story . Its a hydra headed story. Every time we turn and they cut off one head, two heads replace that it that have to do with some form of obstruction or bel lawyers, if we look back to watergate, who are the truthtellers, the ones who stand behind their integrity no matter what the pressure. Twice in the recent months we have trump going to him and saying, say i didnt obstruct, and the report says twice he declined to do so because it wasnt true. Then we have barr and rosenstein and those people who i think will be brought down ultimately. The saddest thing of course is that we have people on the hill that dont think were at a point where we should be investigating impeachment. Its outrageous. Reading from the times article, john, it says they asked twice, the white house, in the past month for the key witness against President Trump<\/a> don mcgahn to say he never believed the president obstructs justice. I think whats most important about that is that mr. Mcgahns conduct in defying the president s orders to oust mueller suggest that he did believe there was at least liability boo liability, the possibility he was being asked to participate in a crime. You dont have to call your lawyer every normal day at work at the federal government. I think it says something else. The storys been doing that he wants us to bring on impeachment. This says exactly the opposite. He is very concerned to control the evidence, to control the subpoenas, to control everything because he does not want impeachment. This is a man that gets swatted on the back with a forbes thing for the money he doesnt have. What do you think he feels about the presidency . He is prepared to do anything it takes including sending Rudy Giuliani<\/a> offshore in an unprecedented violation of our san sanctity as a nation to have them interfere in our election when the base of the investigation has been that the russians interrupted our election. What does it tell you about the strategy coming out of the white house . They do have messaging. That they viewed the report as something not to be reckoned with as evidence but as something to be bowled over. They got barr and rosenstein to do this and mcgahn for them would have been sort of a trifecta. Trump understands headlines and he figures even debatable figures, if you have enough of them saying no obstruction, the public might not care as much that the report has at least five incidents of obstruction. What it tells us is that they believe that this proves his guilty. It also tells us that he believes hes guilty. What we call consciousness of guilt is when youre doing something to contradict the evidence that you did something wrong. He plainly has. And he hears the people across the country saying, those ten acts or others that we all saw, because he does it out in the open, a 10yearold understands whats going on. I say that without exaggeration. I think the point that was most piercing was the idea that it is precisely their concern about what would happen if all of these people testified, spoke publicly, that has them scrambling which is the opposite of the fake tough, oh impeach me, i dare you, pr message, not the first time the white house would appear to have different messages, some that are false. Ive got to fit in a break. Flannery, thank you as always, sir. Coming up we have a breakdown of the sound republicans may not want you to see including Lindsey Graham<\/a> on power and impeachment. Let it be said that any president who cheats our institutions shall be impeached. Coming up tonight from the hbo show curb. The kid is all hysterical because her doll judy has been decapitated. Susie essman and kate snow where here. Essman and kate sno where here aaaah nooooo. Quick, the quicker picker upper bounty picks up messes quicker and is 2x more absorbent than the leading ordinary brand. [son loudly clears throat] [mom and dad laugh] bounty, the quicker picker upper. Now with new prints featuring characters from Disney Pixars<\/a> toy story 4 in theaters june 21. You wouldnt accept an incomplete job from any one else. Why accept it from your allergy pills . Flonase sensimist relieves all your worst symptoms, including nasal congestion, which most pills dont. And all from a gentle mist you can barely feel. Flonase sensimist. You can barely feel. Oneofakind women weg call mom. E with an engaging new experience. Ancestrydna can help her uncover her history. To tell a story as unique as she is. Order a kit for mom or dad at ancestry. Com. Some Congressional Republicans<\/a> have tried to do downplay the president s alleged felonies. Senator graham has been dismissive of the idea that mueller found obstruction by a president. Here is how he felt about a similar set of concepts being used against a president 20 years ago. He assaulted our legal system in every way. Let it be said that any president who cheats our institutions shall be impeached. The day Richard Nixon<\/a> failed to answer that subpoena was the day he was subject to impeachment because he took the power from congress. You dont even have to be convicted of a crime to lose your job in this constitutional republic. Impeachment is about cleansing the office. He encouraged people to lie for him. He lied. I think he obstructed justice. Graham is not alone. 14 current republican senators are actually on the record for at least the concept that, yes, president s can face obstruction charges in office. In the 90s, you should see this regardless of where this all goes. This is the tale of the tape. The president has engaged in a persistent pattern and practice of obstruction of justice. I believe the longterm consequences to this country of not acting on these serious charges before us far outweigh the consequences of following what the constitution provides for. Either we are a nation of laws or we are not. And if we are, then those laws have to apply equally to all people. The rule of law mean that is the commander in chief of our armed forces could not be held to a lower standard than his subordinates. We dont want a president lying in office, that we dont want obstruction of justice. The investigation is legitimate. Felonious criminal conduct by the president of the United States<\/a> cannot be tolerated. Committed federal crimes and there must be a reckoning or no american should of again be prosecuted for those same crimes. If we knowingly allow our president to break laws while some americans sit in jail for having violated the same statute, we weaken the very rule of law protecting us. Senator burr there put it pretty well. The point is to pretend that everything here in these examplexampl examples arent the same. But the basic principles that president s are not above the law or that obstruction, contrary to mr. Barrs claims, is something that president s can technically possibly do, well, that is actually clearly established as the view of so many of these individual. Then you get to the historical question. Senator graham, then representative graham, said history is the judge. The question i have is what will people 25 years from now say about the impeachment trial . Every senator voted and expressed themselves in the way it will stand in history and theyll have to be answerable for their judgments as so will i. Mr. Graham gets the last word. Up next susie essman. T susie esn really . [horn honks] man this is what i feel like when i wear regular shoes, cramped and uncomfortable. We can arrange a little upgrade. Which is why i wear skechers. Wide fit shoes. They have extra room throughout. Theyre like a luxury ride for my feet. Try skechers wide fit shoes. You might or joints. Hing for your heart. Theyre like a luxury ride for my feet. But do you take something for your brain. With an ingredient originally discovered in jellyfish, prevagen has been shown in Clinical Trials<\/a> to improve shortterm memory. Prevagen. Healthier brain. Better life. If you have moderate to Little Things<\/a> can be a big deal. Thats why theres otezla. Otezla is not a cream. Its a pill that treats plaque psoriasis differently. With otezla, 75 clearer skin is achievable. Dont use if youre allergic to otezla. It may cause severe diarrhea, nausea, or vomiting. Otezla is associated with an increased risk of depression. Tell your doctor if you have a history of depression or suicidal thoughts or if these feelings develop. Some people taking otezla reported weight loss. Your doctor should monitor your weight and may stop treatment. Upper respiratory tract infection and headache may occur. Tell your doctor about your medicines and if youre pregnant or planning to be. Ready to treat differently with a pill . Otezla. Show more of you. There but what are wes to get our messactually saying . Ys. Any message is a story. And all stories tell the tale of the times we live in right now. How do you want to be remembered . How do you want your story to play out . Our own experiences make the best stories, and your words carry a lot of weight. Think about what you want to say before you say it. Or send it. Its friday. That means its time to fall back. I am joined now by actress and comedian susie essman. You know her for her testify work which includes susie green on hbos curb your enthusiasm where she does a lot of this. The kid is home hysterical because her doll judy has been decapitated. Out out out get the hell out of my house, you ingrate you hurt sam my one more time, larry. Get the beep bleep out of [ bley house. Were also joined by my colleague nbcs kate snow. He shes im really old. Nice to have you both here. Do you feel that way when people give you credit. Ive done so much, im ancient. Why do you yell so much . Why do i yell. Everybody always provokes me. I dont just yell willie nilly. Im provoked. Its usually about my kid or something. Justified. People think you yell in real life. They walk up to you on the street and want you to yell f bombs. Im mildmannered. Larry upsets you as the character. You have to go slow with me. Larry, show larry, is always provoking susie green. Is larry supposed to seem like hes right or like hes always wrong . Larry is usually right, which is annoying. There is a style part, but the underlying point thats the point of the show. They are so relatable and he has such good morality and ethics. What can we learn as a people . Say what everybody else is thinking and afraid to say. We all need to speak up. Who are needs to fall back. This whole ba looka whale spy thing that russia is supposedly spying with a ba looka whale . This is real talk. We know we what happened to know for a fact that the russians like to align themselves with blubbery creatures which huge blow holes. We know that for a fact. Its the redacted part of the Mueller Report<\/a>. Wow. Good. Well done is. Enough with that. What about you . The met gala. Did you city . Every year people were dressing silly. The theme was camp this year. Isnt it always . Thats lady gaga. She doesnt need any attention. I dont know who that is . Cinderella . Thats katy perry. She is dressed as the ethan allen home style. Like rich people needing attention. You know what else bothered me . I dont want to hear about the coffee cup on game of thrones. Im done with that. Do you know how many long hours they worth and what goes in that show, they need caffeine. They drink coffee. Whats the big deal . I love the show and im on the edge of my seat, but the coffee cop did bug me. What are did you think of the hbo response. The latte was a mistake. It was supposed to be an herbal tea. They were being funny or trying to. You saying hbo is not always funny . They are always funny and they are my home team. I love hbo. I have a decent fall back. They are putting fanny packs on crocs. They are a worse idea together. What do you put in there . Lip gloss . I dont know. It doesnt seem right to me. Id . If you are at a concert and you want no pockets. Even saying croc fanny pack makes it uncomfortable. My 16yearold said mom, you never understand. I never understand. You dont understand. You are too old. I will not explain this to you. Its a meme thing. I said is it a dead meme now . He said just stop. Its like will smith said, parents just dont understand. Can i Say Something<\/a> . They think we are just idiots. They think we are idiots. I think they are lame. I blame it on the bike helmets. I didnt have a helmet when i was a kid. I would have been laughed from here to staten island. Show some respect. Put respect on my name, as it were. Who said that, ari . Bird man. You go rapper and i go aretha. Bird man said and this is fitting, are we finished or are we done . Thats so profound. Im a fan of both of you. Thanks. Thanks for being here. Take five. Being here. Ta fkeive. Introducing the firstofitskind lexus ux and ux f sport. Also available in hybrid allwheeldrive. Lease the 2019 ux 200 for 329 a month for 36 months. Experience amazing at your lexus dealer. What do all these people have in common, limu . Oug [ paper rustling ] exactly, nothing. Theyre completely different people, thats why they need customized Car Insurance<\/a> from liberty mutual. Theyll only pay for what they need [ gargling ] [ coins hitting the desk ] yes, and they could save a ton. Youve done it again, limu. Only pay for what you need. Liberty. Liberty. Liberty. Liberty. Oh no. Your new boss seems cool, but she might not be sweatpants cool. Not quite ready to face the day . Thats why were here with free hot breakfast. Book at hampton. Com for our price match guarantee. Hampton by hilton. Next on the agenda. Priceline will partner with even more vegas hotels to turn their available rooms into amazing deals. Ladies weekend delegates, how do you vote . wild cheering just going to count that as a yes. The nightclub djs . music plays sample yes. Yyyyes. Can you just. Turn that down . And magician delegates, how do you vote . that is freaky. The motion passes more great deals from priceline. That is freaky. The motion passes hey allergy muddlers. Achoo . Do your sneezes turn heads . Try zyrtec. It starts working hard at hour one. And works twice as hard when you take it again the next day. Zyrtec muddle no more. Woman this is your wakeup call. If you have moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis, month after month, the clock is ticking on irreversible joint damage. Ongoing pain and stiffness are signs of joint erosion. Humira can help stop the clock. Prescribed for 15 years, humira targets and blocks a source of inflammation that contributes to joint pain and irreversible damage. Vo humira can lower your ability to fight infections. Serious and sometimes fatal infections including tuberculosis, and cancers, including lymphoma, have happened, as have blood, liver, and nervous system problems, serious allergic reactions, and new or worsening heart failure. Tell your doctor if youve been to areas where certain fungal infections are common, and if youve had tb, hepatitis b, are prone to infections, or have flulike symptoms or sores. Dont start humira if you have an infection. Woman help stop the clock on further irreversible joint damage. Talk to your rheumatologist. Right here. Right now. Humira. Right here. Right now. You should be mad at airports. Excuse me, where is gate 87 . You should be mad at nonseasoned travelers. And they took my toothpaste away. And you should be mad at people who take unnecessary risks. How dare you, hes my emotional support snake. But youre not mad, because you have e trade, whose tech helps you understand the risk and reward potential on an options trade its a paste. Its not liquid or a gel. And even explore whatif scenarios. Wheres gate 87 . Dont get mad. Get e trade and start trading today. You know who we have on the beat . Musician and activist, common. We have the sense of duty he feels about being open about his true reality with his fans. As someone who is in a public eye, we show how great we like it. You got these grammys and we also have i feel like its my duty to show my flaws and show my fears. You are struggling with certain things even as you have this other claim. Exactly. The entire interview is up on facebook. Com the beat with ari. If you want to see more of what we discussed, i asked him on taking on trump at the oscars and why he said he knew it would bother the president. Dont go anywhere now. Hardball with Chris Matthews<\/a> is up next. Repeat offender. Lets play hardball. Good evening. Im Chris Matthews<\/a> in washington. Breaking news this friday night. It turns out that even the Mueller Report<\/a> itself didnt stop donald trump from obstructing justice. He continued his efforts to cover up wrongdoing to deny any intentional illegality. In a breaking story tonight, the wall street journal reports within a day of the release of the Mueller Report<\/a> last month, President Trump<\/a> sought to have don began","publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"archive.org","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","width":"800","height":"600","url":"\/\/ia903004.us.archive.org\/28\/items\/MSNBCW_20190510_220000_The_Beat_With_Ari_Melber\/MSNBCW_20190510_220000_The_Beat_With_Ari_Melber.thumbs\/MSNBCW_20190510_220000_The_Beat_With_Ari_Melber_000001.jpg"}},"autauthor":{"@type":"Organization"},"author":{"sameAs":"archive.org","name":"archive.org"}}],"coverageEndTime":"20240617T12:35:10+00:00"}