THE SENATE INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE.
>>> JOINING US NOW, VIRGINIA SENATOR MARK WARNER, VICE CHAIR
OF THE SENATE INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE.
THANK YOU FOR JOINING US, YOUR REACTION TO THE FIRING OF THE
FBI DIRECTOR? >> IT'S PRETTY OUTRAGEOUS.
AND HERE IS WHAT WE KNOW, LAWRENCE, WE KNOW THAT THIS
PRESIDENT HAS NOW FIRED THE DEPUTY ATTORNEY GENERAL IN TERMS
OF MS. YATES. HE'S FIRED NEARLY EVER U.S.
ATTORNEY. HE'S NOW FIRED THE FBI DIRECTOR.
HE HAD HIS NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER HAVE TO RESIGN BECAUSE
OF COMMUNICATIONS WITH RUSSIANS. WE'VE HAD HIS ATTORNEY GENERAL
HAVE TO RECUSE HIMSELF. WE'VE HAD THE NEW DEPUTY
ATTORNEY GENERAL, THE FIRST ACTION HE TAKES IS TO BASICALLY
FIRE THE GUY THAT'S IN CHARGE OF THE INVESTIGATION HE'S SUPPOSE
TO BE OVERSEEING. SO THIS IS NOT A VERY CONFIDENCE
BUILDING DAY FOR OUR COUNTRY AND FOR THAT MATTER, THE RULE OF
LAW. MY HOPE IS THAT MEMBERS OF BOTH
POLITICAL PARTIES WILL REALIZE THIS IS MORE SIGNIFICANT THAT
JUST THE ONE PARTICULAR PRESIDENT BUT IT IS REALLY ABOUT
HOW WE'RE DOING TO VIEW THE RULE OF LAW, HOW WE'RE GOING TO MAKE
SURE THAT WE CONTINUE THIS INVESTIGATION THAT I'M ON THE
COCHAIR OR VICE CHAIR OF THIS CONCLUSION.
WE'LL WANT TO SEE FORMER DIRECTOR COMEY NOW IN TESTIMONY
TO SAY WHAT HE KNEW. AND TO SAY IT'S TROUBLING WILL
BE A VAST UNDER STATEMENT. >> SENATOR, HOW DOES THIS CHANGE
WHAT NOW FORMER DIRECTOR COMEY WILL BE ABLE TO TESTIFY TO TO
YOUR COMMITTEE. >> WELL, THAT'S -- THAT'S STILL
A QUESTION IN TERMS OF CLASSIFICATIONS, MY HOPE IS
FORMER DIRECTOR COMEY WILL BE MORE FORTHCOMING.
I KNOW THIS, OUR INVESTIGATION HAS BEEN MORE IMPORTANT, WE HAVE
TO GET TO THE BOTTOM OF IT. THEY'LL FOLLOW THE INTEL
WHEREVER IT LEADS THE INFORMATION.
THE FACTS WHEREVER THEY LEAVE. I HAVE TO TELL YOU, I'VE LOST A
LOT OF FAITH IN THIS JUSTICE DEPARTMENT TO BE ABLE TO CARRY
OUT THE LAW. I BELIEVE WE NEED A SPECIAL
COUNSEL OR SPECIAL PROSECUTOR, I'M GOING TO BE LOOKING AT WHO
THIS PRESIDENT NOMINATES TO BE THE NEXT FBI DIRECTOR.
I'M GOING TO BE AS VIGILANT AS I CAN BE, IT'S MORE IMPORTANT IF
THEY TRY NOW TO SQUASH, SOMEHOW, WHICH IS THE MOST SIGNIFICANT
INDEPENDENT INVESTIGATION OF TIES BETWEEN TRUMP AND TRUMP
OFFICIALS AND THE RUSSIANS. >> SENATOR, AS MANY OF US HAVE
SURVEYED ALL OF THE INVESTIGATIONS GOING ON, THE
CONGRESSIONAL INVESTIGATIONS, YOUR OWN INVESTIGATION, MANY OF
US, MYSELF INCLUDED, HAVE SAID, WELL, THE FBI INVESTIGATION IS
THE MOST POWERFUL OF THESE INVESTIGATIONS.
IT HAS THE MOST POWERFUL TOOLS. IT WILL ALSO BE THE ONE ABOUT
WHICH WE WILL KNOW THE LEAST AS IT PROCEEDS.
HOW WOULD YOU EXPECT THE FBI TO BE ABLE TO RESTORE CONFIDENCE IN
ITS OWN GOING INVESTIGATION WITH A CHANGE OF LEADERSHIP.
>> LAWRENCE, YOU'VE HIT THE NAIL ON THE HEAD, FIRST OF ALL IT IS
TRUE. IT WOULD NOT ONLY POWER
SUBPOENA, WHICH WE HAVE, BUT EXTRA POWERS, THE POWERS TO
BRING CRIMINAL CHARGEs YOU CAN'T MAKE THIS STUFF UP.
I THINK IT'S -- I HAVE CONCERNS ABOUT THE FBI SH SO THAT'S WHY I
BELIEVE WE NEED A SPECIAL PROSECUTOR.
BUT BOY OH, BOY, LAWRENCE, MORE THAN EVER, THIS SENATE
INVESTIGATION, WHICH I'VE BEEN FRUSTRATED SOMETIMES AT OUR
PACE. BUT IT BECOMES MORE ABSOLUTELY
ESSENTIAL THAN EVER. AND WE'VE GOT TO KEEP IT AS MUCH
AS POSSIBLE BIPARTISAN AND WE'VE GOT TO FOLLOW THE FACTS BECAUSE
THIS IS NOW BEEN ELEVATED TO A -- YOU PICKED THE DEFCON LEVEL
THAN IT WAS. EARLIER IN THE DAY, AS WE HEARD,
AN UPDATE ON THIS INVESTIGATION AND WE HAD NOT ACTUALLY DIRECTOR
COMEY APPEARING BEFORE OUR COMMITTEE ON THURSDAY.
THE QUESTIONS AND THE TENSION LEVEL JUST BUILDS.
>> SENATOR, DO YOU HAVE ANY SUGGESTIONS TO THE WHITE HOUSE
ABOUT HOW TO CHOOSE THE NEXT FBI DIRECTOR.
WOULD THAT BE POSSIBLY SOMETHING THAT SHOULD BE A CONSENSUS PICK,
SUGGESTED BY BOTH PARTIES IN THE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE.
>> LAWRENCE, I THINK IF THERE WAS EVER A TIME FOR A CONSENSUS
PICK TO GET SOMEBODY WHO WAS A CAREER PROSECUTOR, TO GET
SOMEBODY THAT WAS, IN EFFECT, ABOVE PRESSURE, BUT THAT WAS
SUPPOSE TO BE THE DEPUTY ATTORNEY GENERAL WHO NOW WE'VE
SEEN WRITTEN FRANKLY LAUGHABLE LETTER EXPLAINING THE FIRING FOR
COMEY WAS BECAUSE HE DIDN'T TREAT THEN SECRETARY CLINTON
NICE ENOUGH, WHOEVER BELIEVES THAT, MAYBE THERE IS A PIECE OF
REAL ESTATE I CAN SELL YOU IN RUSSIA OR IN SOUTH FLORIDA.
BUT, YOU KNOW, I THINK MORE THAN EVER NOW WE NEED THAT KIND OF
CONSENSUS PICK, BUT WHAT WE'VE NOT SEEN FROM THIS
ADMINISTRATION AT ANY TURN IS THIS MOVE TO THE CENTER, OR THIS
MOVE TO RISING ABOVE THE STORY OF THE DAY.
YOU KNOW, THERE'S A WHOLE LOT OF DOTS, LAWRENCE, THAT WE'VE GOT
TO CONNECT. BOY OH BOY IF YOU LOOK AT THE
TIMELINE OF PEOPLE BEING FIRED. IF YOU LOOK AT THE TIMELINE OF
MS. YATES' TESTIMONY YESTERDAY, YOU LOOK AT THE ACTIONS TODAY,
YOU LOOK AT THE FACT THAT WE WERE MOVING FORWARD WITH OUR
INVESTIGATION NOW IN TERMS OF GETTING INFORMATION AND
SCHEDULING THE MORE INTERESTING WITNESSES, THIS IS MORE THAN A
LITTLE BIT CURIOUS THAT THEY CHOSE TODAY TO FIRE JIM COMEY.
>> FINAL QUESTION, ABOUT ROD ROSENSTEIN, WE'VE HEARD SALLY
YATES, YOU'RE SAYING TONIGHT, THE REASON HE GAVE TO THE
PRESIDENT FOR FIRING JIM COMEY ARE LAUGHABLE.
>> THEY'RE NOT BELIEVABLE ON ANY ORDER.
YOU KNOW, I VOTED FOR THIS GENTLEMAN BASED UPON HIS
REPUTATION IN MARYLAND. BUT I AM DEEPLY DISAPPOINTED AND
I IF I COULD HAVE THAT VOTE BACK, BUT I WILL BE VOTING IN A
DIFFERENCE WAY. BECAUSE THE EXPLANATION IS SO
PATENTLY LAUGHABLE THAT I'M JUST VERY DISAPPOINTED IN THE DEPUTY
ATTORNEY GENERAL BASED UPON HIS REPUTATION THAT HE WOULD PUT HIS
NAME TO THAT KIND OF LETTER. >> SENATOR MARK WARNER, VICE
CHAIR OF THE INTELLIGENCE
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