FBI Won't Be Intimidated By Donald Trump Firing Of James Comey: Expert | Rachel Maddow

>>> REUTERS FIRST REPORTED IN FEBRUARY ON THE STRUCTURE, THE
PHYSICAL STRUCTURE, GEOGRAPHIC STRUCTURE OF THE FBI
INVESTIGATION ON THE RUSSIAN ATTACK OF THE PRESIDENTIAL
ELECTION LAST YEAR AND POSSIBLE COLLUSION BY THE TRUMP CAMPAIGN
IN THAT TAKE. REUTERS HAD THE NEWS A COUPLE
MONTHS AGO THE PITTSBURGH PENNSYLVANIA OFFICE OF THE FBI
WAS PLAYING KEY ROLE IN THE FBI INVESTIGATION.
THEY HAD BEEN TASKED SPECIFICALLY WITH TRYING TO
IDENTIFY THE PEOPLE BEHIND BREACHES OF THE DNC'S COMPUTER
SYSTEMS. APPARENTLY THE PITTSBURGH FIELD
OFFICE KNOWN AS BEING A CRACK OFFICE IN TERMS OF CYBER CRIME.
ANOTHER FIELD OFFICE IN SAN FRANCISCO WAS TASKED WITH TRYING
TO IDENTIFY THE PEOPLE WHO CALLED THEMSELVES GUCIFER 2 WHO
HAD POSTED E-MAIL STOLEN FROM JOHN PODESTA'S E-MAIL ACCOUNT.
AND FBI COUNTER-INTELLIGENCE AGENTS BASED IN WASHINGTON, D.C.
WERE PURSUING LEADS IN PERFORMANCE AND FOREIGN
COMMUNICATION INTERCEPTS. IF YOU THINK OF THE FBI
INVESTIGATION, IT'S NOT LIKE A THING THAT HAPPENS ON A LIST
SERVE OR ALL IN FBI HQ, YOU HAVE PEOPLE IN AT LEAST THREE
DIFFERENT PLACES WORKING ON THREE DIFFERENT PARTS OF IT.
THERE AFTER THE FINANCIAL TIMES ADDED THIS.
THE FBI CREATING A SPECIAL UNIT IN WASHINGTON, NOT AT THE
WASHINGTON FIELD OFFICE, WASHINGTON FBI HEADQUARTERS TO
OVERSEE THIS INVESTIGATION OVERALL.
INSTEAD OF IT ALL BEING SPREAD OUT AMONG PITTSBURGH OFFICE, SAN
FRANCISCO OFFICE, OTHER FIELD OFFICES, THEY WOULD CENTRALIZE
THE MAIN PART OF THIS INVESTIGATION IN D.C.
20 DEDICATED AGENTS ALL CENTRALIZED AT FBI HEADQUARTERS.
THAT DOES NOT HAPPEN WITH EVERY INVESTIGATION AND DOES NOT
HAPPEN WITH ANY MAJOR INVESTIGATION.
THAT'S A CHANGE THEY MADE ABOUT THIS INVESTIGATION THAT WAS DUE
TO TAKE EFFECT THIS MONTH. IS THAT GOING END TO UP BEING
IMPORTANT HERE? WE KNOW NOW AS OF TODAY, FIRED
FBI DIRECTOR JAMES COMEY REQUESTED MORE RESOURCES FOR
THIS INVESTIGATION DAYS BEFORE HE WAS FIRED.
ALREADY A REAL QUESTION WHETHER THE FBI BELIEVES THERE ARE
ENOUGH RESOURCES DEDICATED TO GETTING TO THE BOTTOM OF THIS
AND NOW ALSO THIS GEOGRAPHY QUESTION, A QUESTION WHERE THIS
INVESTIGATION IS BEING HANDLE AND WHERE IT AFFECTS ITS
INDEPENDENCE. NOT EVERY INVESTIGATION IS
CENTRALIZED AT HEADQUARTERS. IN THIS CASE THEY DID IT, IN ONE
PLACE, IN FBI HEADQUARTERS FROM WHICH FBI DIRECTOR JAMES COMEY
HAS NOW BEEN FIRED. IS THERE ANY POSSIBILITY THAT
MAKES THE PEOPLE WORKING ON THE RUSSIAN INVESTIGATION MORE
SUSCEPTIBLE TO POLITICAL PRESSURE?
SHOULD WE BE WATCHING THAT KIND OF DYNAMIC TO SEE WHAT KIND OF
IMPACT THAT WILL HAVE NOW THAT THE FBI DIRECTOR HAS BEEN FIRED
IN THE MIDDLE OF AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE SITTING
U.S. PRESIDENT. NOW JOINING US AN EXPERT ON THE
INSTITUTION OF THE FBI AND SPENT YEARS THAT WON HIM A PULITZER
PRIZE AND NATIONAL BOOK AWARD, AUTHOR OF AGENCY OF ASHES" AND
"ENEMIES A HISTORY OF THE FBI" A BEST-SELLER.
GOOD TO SEE YOU? ALWAYS A PLEASURE.
>> LET ME GET YOUR REACTION TO THIS NEWS.
WHAT DID YOU THINK WHEN YOU LEARNED JAMES COMEY WAS BEING
FIRED? >> I THOUGHT THE PRESIDENT OF
THE UNITED STATES HAD COMMITTED AN ACT THAT SOME DAY MAY BE SEEN
AS OBSTRUCTION OF JUSTICE. AN IMPEACHABLE OFFENSE.
>> OBSTRUCTION OF JUSTICE WAS THE FIRST ARTICLE OF IMPEACHMENT
AGAINST NIXON? >> CORRECT.
>> HOW DO YOU KNOW WHETHER THIS IS OBSTRUCTION OF JUSTICE.
THE WHITEOUT HAS DONE AN UNUSUAL THING PUTTING OUT AN OFFICIAL
LINE THROUGH WHITE HOUSE SPOKESPEOPLE SAYING DHAIRMTS OF
JUSTICE DECISION MADE BY THE ATTORNEY GENERAL AND DEPUTY
ATTORNEY GENERAL AND THE PRESIDENT SUPPORTED THEM AND
THEN TOLD MULTIPLE SOURCES THIS WAS A DECISION DRIVEN BY THE
PRESIDENT SPECIFICALLY BECAUSE OF THE INVESTIGATION.
>> AND HER E-MAIL. AND HILLARY'S E-MAIL.
>> HE'S VERY CONCERNED ABOUT MAKING SURE HILLARY CLINTON IS
NOT DISPARAGED. >> THAT DID NOT HAVE THE DORE OF
TRUTH. THE ODOR OF TRUTH.
I BELIEVE DONALD TRUMP BELIEVES, AS HE SAID REPEATEDLY, THE
RUSSIA STORY IS A HOAX AND HE WANTS IT TO GO AWAY.
FAILING THAT, HE WANTS TO DISCREDIT THE REPORTING ON IT.
FAILING THAT, HE HAS TRIED NOW TO DECAPITATE THE FBI BY FIRING
ITS DIRECTOR. >> IS THAT ALSO WAY TO TRY TO
DISCREDIT THE FBI. >> HE CAN'T.
IT IS, LET'S SAY, COUNTER-PRODUCTIVE.
HE HAS PUT HIMSELF IN GREATER LEGAL JEOPARDY.
HE HAS REDOUBLED, I THINK, THE COMMITMENT OF THE HUNDREDS OF
PROFESSIONAL AGENTS WORKING ON THIS CASE.
HE HAS PUT HIMSELF IN BAD WAY WITH SOME IMPORTANT PEOPLE IN
CONGRESS WHO ARE REPUBLICANS, WHO ARE SENATORS.
HE HAS REVIVED TALK ABOUT THERE BEING A BICAMERAL COMMITTEE,
LIKE THE IRAN CONTRA COMMITTEE OF 30 YEARS AGO, TO GO AFTER
THIS CASE, TO DO THE WORK THAT THE SENATE INTELLIGENCE
COMMITTEE HAS BARELY BEGUN AND THE HOUSE INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE
WAS DERAILED. BY ITS OWN CHIEF.
I THINK THAT THIS STORY IS GOING TO BE WITH US FOR MONTH AND I
THINK IT WILL TORMENT TRUMP WELL INTO NEXT YEAR.
>> WE HAD THIS VERY INTERESTING REPORT FROM THE "WASHINGTON
POST," REPORTER DEV LON BARRETT HERE TALKING ABOUT THAT.
HE SAID IN HIS REPORTING FOR THAT STORY AND "WASHINGTON POST"
REPORTING FOR THAT STORY, THEY'RE LOOKING AT THE IMPACT OF
THE FIRING OF PEOPLE WHO ARE DOING THE INVESTIGATOR WORK,
SHOE LEATHER PEOPLE DOING THE INVESTIGATION.
HE'S HEARING 75% ANGER AND 25% FEAR, ACTUALLY SCARED IN TERMS
OF WHAT HAPPENS TO THEM NEXT. >> PROBABLY A HEALTHY REACTION.
>> YOU STUDIED THE FBI INTENSELY FOR YOUR SEMINAL WORK ON THEIR
STRUCTURE AS AN INSTITUTION, HOW THEY FUNCTION, GOOD THINGS ABOUT
THEM AND BAD THINGS ABOUT THEM. HOW DO YOU THINK FBI AGENTS WILL
RESPOND TO THIS FIRING? DO YOU THINK THIS COULD HAVE THE
EFFECT BY DECAPITATING THE AGENCY, COULD THAT HAVE THE
EFFECT OF DERAILING THE INVESTIGATION?
>> NO, IT CAN'T. AN INVESTIGATION HAS A LIFE OF
ITS OWN. WE HAVE FOUND WHEN YOU'RE THE
FBI AND YOU'RE LOOKING AT A PRESIDENT, INVESTIGATIONS WE GET
INVESTIGATIONS. THE FBI WENT AFTER NIXON AND
HELPED BRING HIM DOWN. THE FBI WENT AFTER RONALD
REAGAN'S NATIONAL SECURITY TEAM IN THE IRAN CONTRA WHEN THE
WHITE HOUSE WAS SELLING WEAPONS TO IRAN, SKIMMING THE PROFITS
AND SLIPPING THEM TO GUERRILLAS IN CENTRAL AMERICA.
>> RESULTED IN MANY MANY INDICTMENTS.
>> THE FBI FAMOUSLY WENT AFTER BILL CLINTON WITH THE WHITE
HOUSE PHYSICIAN IN ATTENDANCE GOT BLOOD FROM THE PRESIDENT'S
ARM TO TEST IT AGAINST THE DNA ON THE INFAMOUS BLUE DRESS.
THE FBI WILL PURSUE AN INVESTIGATION UP TO 1600
PENNSYLVANIA, KNOCK ON THE DOOR AND SERVE SUBPOENAS.
BECAUSE THEY ARE DEDICATED PROFESSIONALS WHO BELIEVE IN THE
RULE OF LAW. >> TIM WEINER, AUTHOR.
THANK YOU. GOOD TO HAVE YOU HERE, MY
FRIEND. >> YOU'RE ALWAYS HERE ON
TERRIBLE NIGHTS. SOMETHING TERRIBLE HAS HAPPENED,

FBI Won't Be Intimidated By Donald Trump Firing Of James Comey: Expert | Rachel Maddow | MSNBC

Latest Posts