tv The Reid Report MSNBC September 25, 2014 11:00am-12:01pm PDT
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welcome to the "reid report." and we have two big stories breaking right now. top u.s. officials including the fbi are pouring cold water on the iraqi prime minister's comments claiming isis is plotting an imminent attack on the new york city subway system. and president obama is just hours away from announcing that eric holder will step down as the nation's attorney general. let's begin with eric holder. pete williams is nbc's justice correspondent. what do we know about the timing of it and the potential for replacementses?
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>> we know that the attorney general we're told by justice department officials will say this afternoon at a white house event that he intends to step down as soon as his successor is confirmed. so the only surprise here is the day on which the justice department said that. we've been expecting this for a long time. it's been widely assumed that eric holder would not serve out the two full terms that he would step down some time this year and we also assume it would be before the midterm elections so there could be no claim if he decided to announce this after the midterms that it was somehow in response to the changing make-up of the senate, whatever that might be. so he's made this decision. we're told he discussed it with the president over the labor day weekend that they met and talked about it for an hour. it's pretty clear has been trying to keep eric holder on the job as long as possible. they are personally close.
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eric holder and his wife spend time at the white house. they're friendly on more than just professional basis. and holder said he wanted to stay on the job to fulfill some promises and some commitments that he had and some things he wanted to see through, especially revitalizing the enforcement of the nation's civil rights law in light of the supreme court's decision that gutted the voting rights act. but he'll be visiting tomorrow to scranton, pennsylvania, completing his visit to all the 93 u.s. attorneys offices. that's the one where he had his first big success as a prosecutor, as a young prosecutor. sort of an emotional reunion of sorts. >> you touched on one other question i would have. you do have, still, a lot of action taking place in the justice department civil rights division as regards voting rights cases still being fought out. what are the -- what is the status of that? and is there a plan that the
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justice department has put forward to how those cases will be wrapped up? will they be done? obviously there's no timetable. we can't determine what will be done before he's gone? >> no, they won't be done. they'll continue. these cases will be on appeal and the government will continue to file them. and that work will go on. even after attorney general holder steps down. by the way, we assume that he will still be on the job in december, it'll take a while to get a successor nominated and confirmed. if he does stay into december, then he becomes the third longest serving attorney general in history. now, as for the -- as for the new york claim of a terror plot against the new york city subway. >> yeah. >> virtually the entire white pages of manhattan has debunked it. the prime minister in iraq said some captured detainees said
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there was a plan to attack the paris metro, which is what they call their subway and the new york city subway within an hour. that report had been pretty well debunked. not only by officials in the u.s., none of whom said they'd heard of it, including the director of the fbi, the police commissioner in new york. but it's been pretty well knocked down. nonetheless, of course, new york city has always considered itself a potential target. and they're saying that they have already and have done so previously bulked up their security on mass transit. >> yeah, certainly making people nervous. but when the full white pages speak, i think people should listen. thank you very much, justice correspondent pete williams, appreciate it. >> okay. and joining me now is ari melbourne. sat down for a one-on-one interview earlier this year, and ari, when you spoke with the attorney general earlier in the year, did you get a chance he
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was in his valedictory phase? or did this announcement take you by surprise today? >> well, he's very careful as a lawyer with prosecutorial responsibilities. i wouldn't describe it as that, but i would say it was clear he was thinking a lot about the work he'd done. not only in the first role of the attorney general, which is to prosecute the laws, to execute them, to bring cases. but also in the other part of the attorney general's role which is to be a leader and think deeply about the kind of criminal justice system we have. indeed, he teamed up with some republicans in his smart on crime program in looking at changes, changes to mandatory minimums. we spoke about that a little bit. i think we could take a listen to one piece of that. >> is part of your legacy moving from over incarceration to rehabilitation and other approaches to social problems? >> yeah, i would hope that one of the things that people look back on and say that we got right was to do things in a
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different way. not to be stuck in things that are traditional but perhaps ultrama thely don't work. to break the cycle. not to reflexively say we were tough on crime. but as we have used that phrase to be smart on crime. >> joy, when you hear that there, we know so many politicians in both parties, and so many prosecutors talk about only being tough on crime. i think it's certainly clear now that his tenure as attorney general will be marked by that different approach. >> yeah, and i think another thing, ari, that's going to be a huge part is go on voting rights. i want to play you a little bit of his remarks following the supreme court's decision in shelby county versus holder. take a listen. >> today the united states supreme court announced its decision in the case of shelby county and validated an essential part of the voting rights act. a cornerstone of american civil
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rights law. like many others across the country, i am deeply disappointed with the court's decision in this matter. this decision represents a serious setback for voting rights and has the potential to negatively affect millions of americans across the country. the acts have been aggressive in trying to push back against what the supreme court did. >> what you had there, this law is a tool and it's a tool that the support is limiting. he didn't stop there although he and others have talked about why congress should get involved. to date they haven't. but he also shifted resources and lawyers from the part of the doj that dealt with these issues in advance and moved to what's called section two enforcement, a different part of the law that is still on the books and they put more resources into that and they challenge voter i.d. laws in texas and other places they
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continue through the courts, but that ultimately showed something the president spoke about in both of his campaigns that the right to vote continues in ways that are both racial and sometimes nonracial if there's a hurdle, a barrier, and it's unequal, that is the business of the attorney general, of a fair and working electoral system. we need that before we even get to all of the politics and debates we want to have once people get to vote. >> and we're going to talk more about the other issues he's tackled. i want to quickly, there's another part of his legacy people thought would be a bigger part in the part of his term. stating waterboarding is torture. attempting to move terror suspects. a lot of that was brushed back by congress.
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he tried to have one of the trials here in new york. on the other hand, that didn't ultimately work out. and while some people blamed mayor bloomberg and others. congress as well as you mentioned. >> i think we're going to come back to the other part, which is voting rights, a huge deal. thank you very much. and, of course, ari and the team will have more coverage on the cycle right after this show at 3:00 p.m. eastern on msnbc. and we'll have more coming up including perry bacon, cherilyn eiffel, and the huffington post reporter will join me to discuss holder's legacy. and after the break john kerr by
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welcome back, and we're following breaking news out of syria and the u.s. involving isis and continued air strikes by american and allied militaries. here's what we know right now. top u.s. security officials are debunking claims by the iraqi prime minister that there's an imminent threat to the new york city subway system. told reporters at the u.n. that his country had uncovered intel about planned attacks in new york and paris. also, fbi director james comby
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told reporters today that the bureau believes it has identified the masked man in the isis execution videos. however, he declined to name the individual or nationality. both remarks came as the pentagon released this new video of air strikes. this time hitting oil facilities near the iraqi border controlled by the terrorist group. joining me now is john kirby. >> thank you for having me. >> 12 attacks on 12 refineries including hitting what i guess i believe is to be some of the monetary base of isis. 10 fighter jets from the uae and saudi arabia. six fighter jets from the united states. dropping 80% of that bomb tonnage. what can you tell us about the efficacy of those strikes so far. >> we're evaluating that right now, joy. we're going through the analysis. and we're going through the imagery. we were able to show a little bit of that imagery. everything that we've seen so
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far, all indications are that we were very precise that we hit the targets were aiming at. and these were successful strikes. still got work to go through to get through it all. >> the importance of that, the money that is being made by isis to fund their activities, between $1 million and $2 million a day. how much of that income do you believe these strikes will degrade? >> well, it's hard to say. the estimates of how much money they were making off the black market from the oil produced in these refineries, the refined oil is difficult to get at. clearly, each refinery can produce 300 to 500 barrels per day. that's capacity, that doesn't mean they're always doing that. and so what they sell it for on the black market varies from week to week. clearly, they were, this was a stream of revenue, and they have many, but this was one that we think was worth millions of dollars to them in total. and so that's why we went after this. and i think if you take a look at these targets as well as the ones we hit the other day, what we're really going after is this group's ability to sustain itself.
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>> and let's go to the -- this subway terror plot that was put forward an iraqi official that has been debunked. how did it get to the point where this was being basically announced? did the united states have any conversations with the iraqi government before that now debunked announcement about a plot of new york city subways? >> certainly no discussions here at the pentagon with iraqi authorities on this one. we've been watching this unfold the same as you. there were no conversations between us and iraqi military leaders on this. and we have no reason to suspect there's -- that it's valid either. >> but, so that is thoroughly debunked. you are among those saying this is not something that they need to really be worrying about? >> we have no indication there's anything to it at this point. >> and i want to get to the identity of the masked man that's been seen in those isis terrorist videos in those beheading videos. at what point will we learn the identity of this person? and there have been previous reports this might be the son of a terror suspect we currently
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have in custody in the united states. is there anything to that? >> i'm afraid i don't have much information here from the pentagon that i would kind of refer you to the intel community or to the fbi, which i think is doing the analysis on that. we're much more concerned about isil as a group and the threat they continue to pose throughout the region. >> and as we're doing these air strikes and with allies helping us out in the region is there a process of getting intelligence on the ground at the same time we're trying to hit these targets to try to find out the identities of more of these suspects to try to figure out who we're dealing with? sure, look, that's hard to do. one of the reasons why we're still assess iing in the last couple of days, we have to do it largely from the air. i got asked the same question whether we knew if we hit any
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high-value individuals, either with the khorasan group or isil. and the answer is, we don't have anything to confirm we've hit any particular leader right now. we're sifting through the information as best as we can. it could be some time. we're looking from the air. >> we are working with allies in the region. theoretical theoretically, they have the ability to get intel. how reliable would we consider these allies in terms of providing us intelligence? they do have that ability to be on the ground. >> in iraq, there's not an issue with that. but the targets in iraq are largely tack call. tactical. they're the eyes on the ground as they should be. in syria, it's difficult. we do work with them, we support them. in the military now, getting ready to do a training program for them. but it's a little bit harder. because the syrian modern opposition is not a monolithic group, doesn't have a hierarchy structure. battle damage assessments, and
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that kind of knowledge and analysis is going to take a lot longer inside syria. >> all right. john kirby, thanks so much for being here. >> thanks for having me. all right, and now, three things to know on this busy thursday. president obama today called for a stepped up global response to the deadly ebola epidemic ravaging parts of the african continent. >> everybody has the best of intelligences intentions. but people are not putting in the kinds of resources that are necessary to put a stop to this epidemic. the response to an outbreak of this magnitude has to be fast and it has to be sustained. and that's only possible if everybody chips in. if every nation and every organization takes this seriously. everybody here has to do more. >> the virus has killed nearly 3,000 people in west africa, and there have been estimates that it could become much worse. meanwhile, the second american doctor to contract the disease in liberia has been released from a hospital in
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nebraska where he's been treated from early this month. the man suspected of abducting 18-year-old university of virginia student hannah graham appears before a judge today. he was arrested in galveston county and awaiting extra diction to virginia. police believe the 32-year-old was the last person to see graham who went missing after leaving a campus party nearly two weeks ago. and opening statements are underway in the retrial of michael dunn. dunn is the florida man accused of shooting and killing 17-year-old jordan davis after an argument over loud rap music. dunn is white, davis was black. the jury is made up of mostly white men. (birds chirping softly in background.) (loud engine sounds!) what! how's it going? heard you need a ride to school. i know just the thing to help you get going. power up with new cheerios protein.
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some are happy to see him go, like this woman who tweeted, bye. but msnbc analyst jonathan cape hart had this to say to holder's foes. despite years of the right trying to force him out, attorney general eric holder is leaving on his own terms. concerned citizens are sending tweets like this. i have bad feels about holder's leaving in relation to how it impacts any chance of the doj ferguson case making any progress. many of you are also heartbroken. i'm so emotional right now, this woman tweeted. attorney general is stepping down, but why, does he know something we don't know? while we wait for the details. you're debating if isis is actually our biggest terror threat. this amateur video unconfirmed by nbc news purports to show the latest round of air strikes. but the pentagon is applauding the strikes for possibly killing one of the leaders of the khorasan group. wasn't isis our biggest threat just days ago? well, you're not the only one who is confused.
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bill maher, said even though two days ago i thought khorasan was a restaurant in brentwood. but with reports that the khorasan group is developing toothpaste bombs that could make it through airport security, today you're tweeting that confusion over who we're bombing and why is no laughing matter. now to an equally serious matter, ferguson, ferguson police chief tom jackson's video apology to the parents of michael brown, more specifically, here's part of the roughly two-minute statement posted online today. >> i want to say this to the brown family, i'm truly sorry for the loss of your son. i'm also sorry that it took so long to remove michael from the street. it was just too long and i'm truly sorry for that. >> chief jackson also apologized for the fact that brown's body as you heard was left on the body for hours citing the need for investigation. and some of you, like ferguson committee woman patricia bynes
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spo supported the chief. the chief's apology helps, it's not perfect but needed first step. but to many, jackson's words are too little and six weeks too late. you're calling for an indictment of officer darren wilson who shot and killed michael brown and not an apology. and you can join the conversation with fellow readers on twitter, facebook, instagram and msnbc.com. and the fbi reports a sharp rise in mass shootings in the past dozen years. how much money do you have in your pocket right now? i have $40, $21. could something that small make an impact on something as big as your retirement? i don't think so. well if you start putting that towards your retirement every week and let it grow over time, for twenty to thirty years, that retirement challenge
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♪ from now on, no one's i thought it'd be bigger.y. ♪ ♪ (dad) there's nothing i can't reach in my subaru. (vo) introducing the all-new subaru outback. love. it's what makes a subaru,a subaru. and we're back now with more on our breaking news. two hours from now. president obama will announce u.s. attorney general eric holder is resigning.
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a white house official tells nbc news it was holder's decision to leave the top justice department post and he will stay on until the president names a replacement. at 65, holder's six-year stint makes him the fourth longest -- at six years, makes him the fourth longest serving u.s. attorney general. we expect the president to highlight the many accomplishments of the man he calls a personal friend and for whom the past six years served as the nation's first african-american attorney general. and joining me now here from washington to talk more about holder's departure and legacy are perry bacon, cherilyn eiffel of the naacp legal defense fund and ryan riley the huffington post justice reporter. i want to start as i would want to be done on the politics. i have to start with the politics of it. because eric holder has been such a lightning rod. darrell issa, the sparring partner for quite some time had this to say about the resignation. he said eric holder is the most
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divisive u.s. attorney general in modern history and in a vote supported by 17 democratic house members has the dubious historic distinction of being the first attorney general held in criminal contempt, by the house of representatives. he's not leaving on a note of, i guess, you could say bipartisan love and appreciation. but that's part of what his tenure was about. >> exactly. i was struck in my e-mail box today how much people on the left were, said eric holder's been a great attorney general, john cornyn, that's his legacy, that's where he is. going forward, what that means, though, this will be very challenging to get a new person because republicans sort of view the doj as one they don't like what holder's done. what the key thing is to know that congress is not coming back until november. if the republicans win the majority, i suspect that in a lame duck session they would try to drag this process out so they can make sure they can have the 51 votes and they could have a
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stronger voice on who the new a.g. is in january and february. if they can keep control of the senate, that'll change the dynamics and it'll probably mean obama can choosen a replacement earlier. >> i wonder if that might impact the races. i think it might. and on the other side of the spectrum, reverend al sharpton who has marched and worked on the voting rights issue. he said we're proud he has been the best attorney general on civil rights in u.s. history and disappointed because he leaves at a critical time when we need his continued diligence most. as somebody in the trenches fighting on this core issue of voting rights, particularly after shelby, what does it mean to not have attorney general eric holder there? >> well, the good news is that attorney general holder in his leadership also recognized the need to fill the department of justice with terrific people who understand civil rights also. and the civil rights division itself is so strong. so his leadership, i mean, you just can't, i can't overstate how important it has been, especially after the shelby
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decision when he immediately convened leaders to talk about the role the justice department will continue to play in protecting voter rights, in ensuring the remaining portions were strong and utilized. we stood, you know, shoulder to shoulder with the department of justice over the last three weeks. in texas, litigating the texas voter i.d. case. and so that's been amazing. but the civil rights division is strong. and that work is going to continue. i'm not sure about whether the election really is going to affect us as much as people would like to suggest. he did not stand alone, he had an amazing team in the civil rights division and all the divisions working with him. when you think about what he's done in the criminal justice space around pointing out the issues of overincarceration, mass incarceration, the clemency program for people serving these overly long terms on nonviolent drug crimes. his willingness to go to his attorney, his u.s. attorneys and say stop overcharging drug cases. there has never been an attorney general, maybe never will be an attorney general with that kind of coverage. and he was willing to use his legitimacy as a law enforcement
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officer because he's actually quite well known and loved by law enforcement. that's his background. >> yeah. >> he often talks about his brother, the retired police officer. >> yeah. and he's a former -- >> so he has that credibility and he used it to speak powerfully to an issue that anybody who has worked in that field recognizes. and then when you add in, you know, ferguson and the willingness not only to go there and to launch this investigation, but i think many people don't know the kind of force that the justice department deployed in ferguson from the day after mike brown was shot in terms of fbi officers to get those statements from the eyewitnesss early on before anything could happen. >> right. >> community relations folks, training, police officers, getting the senior attorneys from the criminal division and the civil rights division on the ground. he's been extraordinary. >> yeah. and you were on the ground in ferguson because that is a very important point. apart from the voting rights piece, you really did have a sense that people in ferguson were like, we trust that guy, we need him to come because we
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personally trust him. >> absolutely. he was a superstar on the ground there despite how unpopular he might be in many parts of the country and among in the republican house of representatives, he was very popular there, and indeed, mike brown's family, i believe his mother actually said they didn't trust there was going to be an actual investigation and a real investigation until they spoke with holder. certainly very popular in certain communities. >> and it's interesting, perry, i'm struck by because that dichotomy between the way that republicans experienced eric holder and the way the civil rights community experiences eric holder and the way the african-american community experiences him. it strikes me this resignation right before an election actually could matter in terms of people's sentiments about who they want in charge of the united states senate to put his replacement in place. >> republicans are so opposed to him. i don't think he makes a big difference. if you like obama, you like eric holder because eric holder's led on racial issues in a lot of ways. helped obama do a lot of things he wanted to do.
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so i think it kind of keeps us where he is. he's become a polarizing figure. can a replacement do, holder's a kind of voice. he's become a voice on civil rights issues and probably says things in a way obama probably can't say at times. i'll be curious to see if a replacement can play that kind of role. >> any speculation that you're hearing right now, ryan on potential replacements? >> it's up in the air, a few names that are floating out there. one of the major ones that has emerged. i think the timing on this was not very necessarily expected. the names maybe aren't that firm right now. >> i'm quite sure there's buzz and you're talking to fellow members of the civil rights community about who you would like to see. >> we've been talking more about the qualities of who we like to see than the actual names of people.
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created a sense of momentum around civil rights which is a huge part of the portfolio of the attorney general. many people don't like that, which is part of why they don't like attorney general holder. he's been ready to step into that portfolio. i think bobby kennedy, there hasn't been an attorney general who has done it as publicly, proudly and as clearly. he came into it with the knowledge because his sister-in-law, the young woman who, you know, naacp defense fund represented in her efforts to enter the university of alabama, met at the schoolhouse door by george wallace. that's his sister-in-law. so he has kind of a almost intuitive sense also willing to expend capital. we're looking for somebody who is going to be able to continue to implement that. this is the time for us to lean in to really the progress that he's made in the momentum he's developed in the department.
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they'll have the manpower and the woman power to get it done. we just need a leader who will step to the plate and do it. there are many people stepping out to this role. >> hopefully y'all come back. a great panel. thank you, guys, for being here. really appreciate it. okay. and we will have, of course, live coverage of president obama announcing the resignation of eric holder today at 4:30 eastern right here on msnbc. we'll be right back. what! how's it going? heard you need a ride to school. i know just the thing to help you get going. power up with new cheerios protein. people who know me, to this day they say,tix. "i never thought you would quit." you know, i really didn't either but chantix helped me do it. along with support, chantix (varenicline) is proven to help people quit smoking.
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[ female announcer ] we love our smartphones. and now telcos using hp big data solutions are feeling the love, too. by offering things like on-the-spot data upgrades -- an idea that reduced overcharge complaints by 98%. no matter how fast your business needs to adapt, if hp big data solutions can keep wireless customers smiling, imagine what they can do for yours. make it matter. now to another big story that we've been covering. the justice department's civil rights division is investigating the fatal police shooting of ohio walmart shopper john crawford iii. after a grand jury yesterday declined to indict the officer who killed crawford. grand jury members saw this surveillance video taken inside
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the suburban dayton store. he was shot while carrying a bb gun which his family says and the video shows he'd taken off the shelf in the store. he can be seen walking around with the gun at his shot. police say he was shot after refusing to obey commands. he is not seen pointing the bb gun at anyone, including police. and since there's no audio on the tape, it's not possible to confirm whether or not, that police ordered crawford to put the gun down or when he was killed. prosecutors had declined to release the video previously but did so after the grand jury made its decision. and joining me now is john crawford jr., the father of john crawford iii and michael wright the attorney representing the family. and mr. crawford, sir, apologies for your loss. your reaction to the decision of this grand jury not to charge the officer with a crime.
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>> i was in total disbelief, yes, ma'am. i was in total disbelief. >> and beforehand, michael, as the attorney did you expect that this would result in an indictment based on having finally seen the footage? >> well, we were hopeful there would have been there would have been an indictment. but from the very beginning. we believe this was not handled properly. we believed the special prosecutor was not going to do what needed to be done to receive an indictment on this case. >> and mr. wright, did you have any communication with the special prosecutor? did he talk to you beforehand or at all during the process of the grand jury?
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>> we had very limited communication with the special prosecutor. >> and -- and this to you also, mr. wright, has the prosecutor spoken with you and with the family after the fact? after the decision by the grand jury? >> no, we have not. we were kind of taken aback when the prosecutor came on tv and gave a press conference related to the no indictment. it was as if he was representing the police officers. i mean, from his press conference, he gave every reason why these officers should not have been indicted. and were very concerned that presentation was the same presentation that he gave to e the -- that he gave to the grand jury during the course of th this -- during the investigation. >> did you feel at all through the process that out of the police department, the prosecutors were handling your family with care?
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>> no, frankly, i did not. kind of piggy backing off what attorney wright said. i felt as to it was not a prosecutorial type of setting. it was more that he was defending the police for the simple fact that every pretty much every item mentioned was dealing more so with the police than, you know, my son. >> he took -- he took a posture of defending the officers. it was very clear early on that he had a bias for these officers. he didn't -- the video's clear. everyone in america can see that this kid was killed unjustly. i mean, there was no reason for them to shoot and kill this kid. you can see from the video that he didn't even turn towards the officers. he was doing nothing wrong when he was shot and killed.
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and it is amazing to us that there was not an indictment returned by the grand jury. >> and mr. crawford, i've heard just, you know, you read online a great deal of criticism of the other shopper, the person who called 911. do you know anything more about why that person called 911? do you -- have you heard anything from that person? because that is what instigated that incident. >> no, i have not heard anything else regarding the 911 call. >> right. we do not know whether or not he's going to be prosecuted or if, in fact, he's been contacted at all subsequent to this grand jury. >> you know, because is there any corroboration in the video, we're just seeing a small snippet of it, mr. wright, of what he said because apparently the 911 caller was saying that john crawford iii was pointing the gun at people. is there anything on that video that shows that? and if that's the case, is there some action you've heard that even theoretically could be
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taken in that case? >> well, as you can see from the video, mr. crawford never pointed the bb gun at anyone. never pointed it at anyone. and you could -- when they overlaid both of the screens, when the 911 caller was saying he's pointing it at someone, that absolutely was false. the other lady who died in this incident was in the same aisle with john and shep didn't pay much attention. it's clear that this 911 caller either for whatever reason made up the story but everything that he said turned out to be false. >> in addition to he recanted. >> the person recanted, that made the 911 call? >> that is correct. >> very quickly. >> why would you recant it -- >> i'm sorry, i wanted to ask this very quickly, do you plan any legal action in this case? any further action on your part
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or the part of the family? >> yes. right now we are still waiting for -- we're still doing investigation. we are interested in getting the file from the bureau of criminal investigation. but we are looking into the next steps to take care of this family. >> all right. and we will be certainly paying attention to the justice department investigation in this case. thank you very much john crawford jr. as well as michael wright. thank you. and we'll be right back. ♪ fill their bowl with the meaty tastes they're looking for, with friskies grillers. tender meaty pieces and crunchy bites. in delicious chicken, beef, turkey, and garden veggie flavors. friskies grillers. this is kathleen. setting up the perfect wedding day begins with arthritis pain and two pills.
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and we're continuing to follow two big stories on the reid report. top u.s. officials including the fbi are pouring cold water on the iraqi prime minister's comments claiming isis is plotting an imminent attack on the new york city subway system. and, president obama is just a few hours away from announcing that eric holder will step down as the nation's attorney general. eric holder is many things. a new yorker, who went from
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queens to columbia law school. a former associate judge on the d.c. circuit during the reagan administration, and a deputy attorney general under bill clinton who among other things investigated the killing. and the nation's first african-american attorney general. he's the brother-in-law of the late vivian malone, one of two young african-americans who faced governor george wallace at the schoolhouse door of the university of alabama in 1963. the stand that prompted president kennedy to make a landmark, televised speech to the nation about the need to settle america's original sin of racial hatred and discrimination. and to introduce a civil rights bill that after kennedy's assassination would become the civil rights act of 1964. also perhaps the most hated member of obama administration among members of the right besides president obama himself. >> mr. attorney general, i think this committee has been frustrated for at least the last 2 1/2 years, if not the last 4 1/2 years that there doesn't
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seem to be any acceptance of responsibility in the justice department for things that have gone wrong. >> that may 2013 house judiciary hearing is just a sample. holder has been held in contempt of congress. over the bush administration era antigun running scheme called fast and furious and demonized for his relentless fight pushed into place by republican led states after the supreme court invalidated a key section of the voting rights act nullifying the doj's successful federal lawsuit against shelby, alabama. it's because of that fight on voting rights. his reinvig ration. and policies he implemented on mass incarceration and drug sentencing disparities that eric holder is also probably the most consequential u.s. attorney general since robert kennedy
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when it comes to civil rights. when he traveled to ferguson, missouri, last month to personally oversee the justice department investigation in the michael brown case, it was a healing moment for a black community that simply didn't trust the local process or the local prosecutor. and its holder's ability to identify personally with that mistrust of law enforcement and of the criminal justice system that has made him different from any previous a.g. >> as the brother of a retired law enforcement officer, i understand how well how challenging and thankless their vital work can be. i will always be proud, always be proud and steadfast in my support for law enforcement personnel and their families who make tremendous and often unheralded sacrifices every day to keep us safe. and as an african-american man who has been stopped and searched by police in situations where such action was not warranted, i also carry with me
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an understanding of the mistrust that some citizens harbor for those who wear the badge. >> which is why so many people who care about civil rights and voting rights and community rights are so sorry to see him go. and as a reminder, we will have live coverage of president obama announcing eric holder's resignation today at 4:30 p.m. eastern right here on msnbc. and that wraps things up for the "reid report" i'll see you back here tomorrow at 2:00 p.m. eastern. and a reminder about the global citizen festival this saturday, msnbc will serve as media partner. you can watch the live concert from central park starting at 3:00 p.m. eastern right here on msnbc. "the cycle" is up next. hello, cyclists. and i think i saw one of you not too long ago. >> who was that, joy? >> i don't remember. it rhymes with ari melber. >> a lot of things rhyme with ari melber.
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-- for bill clinton and robert kennedy, interesting guy on this. we're going to cover ebola, some of the breaking news on isis in the middle east and then we have chris hayes to talk here about the global citizen festival. we might find out what's his favorite song. stay tuned. >> i want to debate between you and touree. >> please, don't get him started. he'll talk about his favorite jay z rhyme and we'll be here all day. >> it would be great television. "the cycle" is up next. how much money do you have in your pocket right now? i have $40, $21. could something that small make an impact on something as big as your retirement? i don't think so. well if you start putting that towards your retirement every week and let it grow over time, for twenty to thirty years, that retirement challenge
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eric holder is resigning after six years serving in the administration. long speculated about but no one knew it was coming today. we'll hear from the president live at 4:30 eastern. pete williams broke the story on msnbc this morning and joins us live from washington. good day to you. as we know, there was a lot of talk about the attorney general doing this at some point before the midterms. walk us through this decision. and where we go here. he is, of course, one of the president's closest friends in the administration. >> right. and one of the surviving members of the original obama cabinet. if he stays through december, which seems pretty likely, he'll be the third longest serving attorney general in u.s. history. and i think that's a safe prediction because what he says is, what he will say this afternoon, we're told is that he will remain on the job until his successor is confirmed. so that's going to take a while for the white house to nominate someone and for the process to confirm it.
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