>>> JUST BEEN HANDED?
>>> JUST BEEN HANDED? REPORTING THAT WENT PUBLIC 17
REPORTING THAT WENT PUBLIC 17 MINUTES AGO FROM THE "WALL
MINUTES AGO FROM THE "WALL STREET JOURNAL" TIME-STAMPED
STREET JOURNAL" TIME-STAMPED 11:03 P.M.
11:03 P.M. HERE’S THE HEADLINE.
HERE’S THE HEADLINE. "ATTORNEY SAYS COHEN DIRECTED
"ATTORNEY SAYS COHEN DIRECTED HIS LAWYER TO SEEK TRUMP PARDON,
HIS LAWYER TO SEEK TRUMP PARDON, CONTRADICTING TESTIMONY."
CONTRADICTING TESTIMONY." IT’S THE WORK OF REBECCA
IT’S THE WORK OF REBECCA BALLHOUSE, WHO IS WITH US BY
BALLHOUSE, WHO IS WITH US BY TELEPHONE.
TELEPHONE. REBECCA, TELL FOLKS WHO ARE
REBECCA, TELL FOLKS WHO ARE WATCHING THE LEAD AND THE IMPORT
WATCHING THE LEAD AND THE IMPORT OF YOUR REPORTING HERE.
OF YOUR REPORTING HERE. >> SURE.
>> SURE. WHAT WE LEARNED TONIGHT FROM
WHAT WE LEARNED TONIGHT FROM MICHAEL COHEN’S CURRENT LAWYER
MICHAEL COHEN’S CURRENT LAWYER IS THAT LAST SPRING, SHORTLY
IS THAT LAST SPRING, SHORTLY AFTER THE FBI RAID OF HIS
AFTER THE FBI RAID OF HIS PROPERTIES, COHEN DIRECTED HIS
PROPERTIES, COHEN DIRECTED HIS ATTORNEY TO INQUIRE ABOUT THE
ATTORNEY TO INQUIRE ABOUT THE POSSIBILITY OF A PRESIDENTIAL
POSSIBILITY OF A PRESIDENTIAL PARDON.
PARDON. WE HAD REPORTED EARLIER THIS
WE HAD REPORTED EARLIER THIS WEEK THAT HIS ATTORNEY HAD
WEEK THAT HIS ATTORNEY HAD CONTACTED SEVERAL LAWYERS FOR
CONTACTED SEVERAL LAWYERS FOR TRUMP IN THE WEEKS AFTER THE
TRUMP IN THE WEEKS AFTER THE APRIL RAID AND RAISED THE
APRIL RAID AND RAISED THE POSSIBILITY OF A PARDON, WHICH
POSSIBILITY OF A PARDON, WHICH IT SEEMS WAS PRETTY MUCH
IT SEEMS WAS PRETTY MUCH DISMISSED ALTHOUGH THEY LEFT
DISMISSED ALTHOUGH THEY LEFT OPEN THE POSSIBILITY OF A PARDON
OPEN THE POSSIBILITY OF A PARDON IN THE FUTURE.
IN THE FUTURE. BUT THE REASON THAT THIS IS
BUT THE REASON THAT THIS IS IMPORTANT IS THAT COHEN SAID
IMPORTANT IS THAT COHEN SAID LAST WEEK TO THE HOUSE OVERSIGHT
LAST WEEK TO THE HOUSE OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE THAT HE HAD NEVER
COMMITTEE THAT HE HAD NEVER ASKED FOR NOR WOULD HE ACCEPT A
ASKED FOR NOR WOULD HE ACCEPT A PARDON FROM TRUMP.
PARDON FROM TRUMP. AND WHILE THIS REPORTING DOESN’T
AND WHILE THIS REPORTING DOESN’T SHOW THAT COHEN PERSONALLY
SHOW THAT COHEN PERSONALLY SOUGHT A PARDON, IT DOES SHOW
SOUGHT A PARDON, IT DOES SHOW THAT HE WAS VERY INVOLVED IN
THAT HE WAS VERY INVOLVED IN EFFORTS IT ASK TRUMP LAWYERS FOR
EFFORTS IT ASK TRUMP LAWYERS FOR A PARDON.
A PARDON. >> YEAH, YOU JUST JUMPED TO MY
>> YEAH, YOU JUST JUMPED TO MY QUESTION.
QUESTION. BECAUSE I’VE LEARNED WITH THIS
BECAUSE I’VE LEARNED WITH THIS CROWD YOU HAVE TO FIGURE OUT HOW
CROWD YOU HAVE TO FIGURE OUT HOW MUCH ROOM EVERYBODY HAS TO
MUCH ROOM EVERYBODY HAS TO WIGGLE OUT OF A QUOTE.
WIGGLE OUT OF A QUOTE. COULD COHEN SAYING I NEVER ASKED
COULD COHEN SAYING I NEVER ASKED FOR A PARDON GIVE HIM THE ROOM
FOR A PARDON GIVE HIM THE ROOM HE NEEDS IF SOMEONE CAME BACK AT
HE NEEDS IF SOMEONE CAME BACK AT HIM AND SAID, YEAH, BUT YOUR
HIM AND SAID, YEAH, BUT YOUR LAWYER APPARENTLY DID?
LAWYER APPARENTLY DID? COULD HE FIND JUST ENOUGH
COULD HE FIND JUST ENOUGH PLAUSIBLE DENYIABILITY IN THERE?
PLAUSIBLE DENYIABILITY IN THERE? I DON’T KNOW.
I DON’T KNOW. >> I THINK IT’S LIKELY HE WILL
>> I THINK IT’S LIKELY HE WILL MAKE THE ARGUMENT THAT BECAUSE
MAKE THE ARGUMENT THAT BECAUSE HE DID NOT PERSONALLY ASK TRUMP
HE DID NOT PERSONALLY ASK TRUMP LAWYERS FOR A PARDON THAT HE WAS
LAWYERS FOR A PARDON THAT HE WAS NOT LYING TO THE COMMITTEE.
NOT LYING TO THE COMMITTEE. BUT AT THE VERY BEST IT SEEMS HE
BUT AT THE VERY BEST IT SEEMS HE WAS MISLEADING THE COMMITTEE.
WAS MISLEADING THE COMMITTEE. AND I THINK HE’S GOING TO GET A
AND I THINK HE’S GOING TO GET A LOT OF QUESTIONS ABOUT THAT IN
LOT OF QUESTIONS ABOUT THAT IN PARTICULAR FROM REPUBLICANS ON
PARTICULAR FROM REPUBLICANS ON THE COMMITTEE WHO HAVE ALREADY
THE COMMITTEE WHO HAVE ALREADY ACCUSED HMM OF PERJURING HIMSELF
ACCUSED HMM OF PERJURING HIMSELF LAST WEEK.
LAST WEEK. >> AND IN YOUR LINE OF WORK I
>> AND IN YOUR LINE OF WORK I GUESS IT’S FAIR TO SAY
GUESS IT’S FAIR TO SAY ESPECIALLY IN THESE DAYS SINCE
ESPECIALLY IN THESE DAYS SINCE THE PUBLIC COHEN HEARING THE
THE PUBLIC COHEN HEARING THE NOTION OF PARDONS AS A STORY, AS
NOTION OF PARDONS AS A STORY, AS A LINE OF QUESTIONING HAS JUST
A LINE OF QUESTIONING HAS JUST EXPLODED.
EXPLODED. CORRECT?
CORRECT? >> THAT’S RIGHT.
>> THAT’S RIGHT. AND WE SAW THESE REQUESTS GO OUT
AND WE SAW THESE REQUESTS GO OUT FROM THE HOUSE JUDICIARY
FROM THE HOUSE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE EARLIER THIS WEEK TO
COMMITTEE EARLIER THIS WEEK TO MORE THAN 80 ASSOCIATES OF THE
MORE THAN 80 ASSOCIATES OF THE PRESIDENT.
PRESIDENT. MANY OF THOSE REQUESTS
MANY OF THOSE REQUESTS REFERENCED OR ASKED FOR
REFERENCED OR ASKED FOR DOCUMENTS RELATED TO THE
DOCUMENTS RELATED TO THE DISCUSSION OF POSSIBLE PARDONS
DISCUSSION OF POSSIBLE PARDONS FOR NOT JUST MICHAEL COHEN BUT
FOR NOT JUST MICHAEL COHEN BUT ALSO FOR PAUL MANAFORT, THE
ALSO FOR PAUL MANAFORT, THE PRESIDENT’S FORMER CAMPAIGN
PRESIDENT’S FORMER CAMPAIGN CHAIRMAN, AND FOR MIKE FLYNN,
CHAIRMAN, AND FOR MIKE FLYNN, HIS FORMER NATIONAL SECURITY
