Latest / THE DAILY BRIEF / Sen. Coons - Tillis & Cornyn not alone in DOJ fund fight, 'other Republicans weighing in' with WH

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Sen. Coons - Tillis & Cornyn not alone in DOJ fund fight, 'other Republicans weighing in' with WH · THE DAILY BRIEF

• 0:01
  Speaker 1: We want to get back to that breaking news, President
• 0:03
  Speaker 1: Trump opening the door to temporarily withdrawing Blanche's nomination until
• 0:08
  Speaker 1: the two main GOP holdouts leave office in January. I
• 0:11
  Speaker 1: want to bring in a member of the Judiciary Committee,
• 0:13
  Speaker 1: Democratic Senator Chris Coons of Delaware. Senator, your reaction to
• 0:17
  Speaker 1: this announcement from the President.
• 0:20
  Speaker 2: Well, Alicia, this is a stunning development. Todd Blanche was
• 0:24
  Speaker 2: President Trump's personal lawyer, and President Trump is very eager
• 0:28
  Speaker 2: to have him installed confirmed by the United States Senate,
• 0:32
  Speaker 2: and the reason he's not is because of corruption the
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  Speaker 2: Weaponization Fund. In his confirmation hearing, many of us pressed
• 0:40
  Speaker 2: him about this multi billion dollar fund set up in
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  Speaker 2: a sham piece of litigation in Florida that is designed
• 0:49
  Speaker 2: to allow President Trump and his family to get relief
• 0:53
  Speaker 2: from the IRS and to allow anyone who believes himself
• 0:57
  Speaker 2: to be a victim of DOJ weaponization to file and
• 1:01
  Speaker 2: to receive payment. He would not answer when I pressed
• 1:05
  Speaker 2: him in his confirmation hearing whether or not those who
• 1:08
  Speaker 2: were convicted of assaulting police here in the United States
• 1:12
  Speaker 2: Capitol on January sixth would be eligible for potentially multimillion
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  Speaker 2: dollar payouts, and so even though Todd Blanche and the
• 1:20
  Speaker 2: DOJ has said, oh no, no, no, this weaponization fund
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  Speaker 2: is dead. Oh no, no, we're not going to move
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  Speaker 2: forward with it. What Senator Cornyn and Senator Tillis are
• 1:29
  Speaker 2: demanding is that it actually be in writing, that there'll
• 1:33
  Speaker 2: be a binding commitment that this is over, and that
• 1:36
  Speaker 2: the potential for the Trump family and Trump businesses to
• 1:40
  Speaker 2: benefit from the IRS release part of this deal also
• 1:44
  Speaker 2: be over. Trump's not willing to do that, so he's
• 1:48
  Speaker 2: going to try and withdraw Blanche until the next Congress.
• 1:51
  Speaker 2: But frankly, I don't think they're going to have a
• 1:54
  Speaker 2: more favorable Congress or Senate to confirm Todd Blanche. He
• 1:58
  Speaker 2: was responsible for the release of the Epstein files, which
• 2:02
  Speaker 2: has been a dumpster fire. He's fired thousands of DOJ
• 2:06
  Speaker 2: employees just because they worked on Trump related inquiries in
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  Speaker 2: the past, and he's weaponized the department, issuing indictments against department,
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  Speaker 2: excuse me, against New York Times journalists, and trying to
• 2:19
  Speaker 2: indict currently serving elected Democrats. So I don't think Todd
• 2:23
  Speaker 2: Blanche has a chance of getting through our committee. And
• 2:27
  Speaker 2: this reveals how deep the corruption is around this weaponization
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  Speaker 2: fund that Trump absolutely refuses to let Blanche sign the
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  Speaker 2: document that would actually kill it.
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  Speaker 1: Your assessment of the political realities comports with Senator Cornyn.
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  Speaker 3: He just posted this a short time ago.
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  Speaker 1: Potus is mistaken if he believes concerns about the provisions
• 2:47
  Speaker 1: in his tax lawsuit settlement are limited to me and
• 2:51
  Speaker 1: Senator Tillis. Do you think this could actually bring other
• 2:53
  Speaker 1: Republicans out of the woodwork who have been using Tillis
• 2:56
  Speaker 1: and Cornyn as the frontmen on this.
• 2:59
  Speaker 3: Yes.
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  Speaker 2: I think there are other Republicans weighing in with the
• 3:02
  Speaker 2: White House saying you've got to kill this weaponization fund. Look,
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  Speaker 2: every American who's heard that there was this very convoluted
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  Speaker 2: special case where the president sued himself and got a
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  Speaker 2: multi billion dollar settlement says, wait a minute, that's not right.
• 3:23
  Speaker 2: And the settlement is the creation of this one point
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  Speaker 2: seven billion dollar weaponization fund. When the outcry against that
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  Speaker 2: was broad and bipartisan, Todd Blanche and the administration said,
• 3:36
  Speaker 2: oh no, no, we're not going to move forward. I
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  Speaker 2: think what Senator Cornyn is correctly reflecting is that that
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  Speaker 2: this example of corruption of self dealing by President Trump
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  Speaker 2: galls even those Republicans who have voted for all of
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  Speaker 2: his other nominees.
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  Speaker 1: Senator, the one thing that seems very true here is
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  Speaker 1: that the president is very comfortable halving acting leads of
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  Speaker 1: all of these agencies.
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  Speaker 3: He believes that actually gives him.
• 4:00
  Speaker 1: Him more leeway to do the things he wants to do.
• 4:03
  Speaker 1: What are your major concerns reservations with Todd Blanche continuing
• 4:07
  Speaker 1: on as an acting Attorney General.
• 4:09
  Speaker 2: Well, Alicia, you saw this in his first term. He
• 4:12
  Speaker 2: had lots of folks in his cabinet who were acting
• 4:16
  Speaker 2: for as long as was legally possible. He likes to
• 4:19
  Speaker 2: play people off against each other to hold things over
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  Speaker 2: their head. And Todd Blanche is someone who, although qualified,
• 4:26
  Speaker 2: he was a federal prosecutor for a long time, He's
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  Speaker 2: served at major law firms. He doesn't have the independence
• 4:32
  Speaker 2: from Trump. He hasn't shown a willingness to stand up
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  Speaker 2: to pressure to weaponize the department. So he's going to
• 4:42
  Speaker 2: do Trump's bidding. That's my assessment. That's why I'm a
• 4:45
  Speaker 2: no on his nomination. But that's also led several Republicans
• 4:49
  Speaker 2: to have real concerns about Todd Blanche and whether or
• 4:52
  Speaker 2: not he should be the Attorney general. So President Trump
• 4:55
  Speaker 2: thinking that he can withdraw this nomination, wait for the election,
• 4:59
  Speaker 2: and be in a better shape, better position. On the
• 5:01
  Speaker 2: other side, I think is counting as chickens before they.
• 5:04
  Speaker 3: Hatch Senator quinns before I let you go.
• 5:06
  Speaker 1: I when I ask you a question about Jake Clayton,
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  Speaker 1: the US official confirms to ms NOW that he has
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  Speaker 1: not yet been sworn in as the new Director of
• 5:12
  Speaker 1: National Intelligence.
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  Speaker 3: That is, despite being confirmed.
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  Speaker 1: That official said no date has been set for Clayton
• 5:18
  Speaker 1: to take office, which another official confirms as unusual. So
• 5:22
  Speaker 1: that means Bill Poulty is continuing in his acting capacity.
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  Speaker 3: Why would that be a Senator.
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  Speaker 2: So Alicia, Bill Paulty, who is utterly unqualified to be
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  Speaker 2: Director of National Intelligence, is acting as a hatchet man
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  Speaker 2: and is firing senior intelligence officials clearing house, removing people
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  Speaker 2: who might resist some misuse of intelligence or the resources
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  Speaker 2: of the Intelligence Committee and community. Excuse me to advance
• 5:50
  Speaker 2: President Trump's electoral interests. Jake Clayton is not as wildly
• 5:54
  Speaker 2: unqualified as Bill Poulty. But I voted against Jake Clayton
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  Speaker 2: as well, given his struggle answering questions about independence and
• 6:04
  Speaker 2: how he would lead this Department.
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  Speaker 3: This is a critical role.
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  Speaker 2: It was created after nine to eleven and its role
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  Speaker 2: is to coordinate intelligence in order to protect the American people.
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  Speaker 2: That Bill Poulti, whose single qualification is blind loyalty to
• 6:20
  Speaker 2: Donald Trump, is staying in an acting role is genuinely dangerous.
• 6:24
  Speaker 1: Senator Chris Coons and Delaware Senator thank you so much
• 6:27
  Speaker 1: for being with us.