tv Yasmin Vossoughian Reports MSNBC May 23, 2021 1:00pm-2:00pm PDT
1:00 pm
9gs. the human brake light is not build to sustain any of that. 600, 700 gs just boggles the mind. >> you're on it. thank you. appreciate it. approaching the top of the hour, you're watching msnbc reports. welcome back. if you've been watching for a little bit, thanks for sticking around. the republican party trying to have it both ways on several different fronts this sunday. really o kill a commission to investigate the capitol hill while still supporting efforts like the arizona recount that perpetuate the lies that spark the violence. claiming they want bipartisan action on infrastructure, police reform and other issues while doing everything they can to sabotage talks with the white house. is it enough for the president
1:01 pm
and moderate democrats to finally admit that the nuclear option in the senate is the only option that will get things done? we'll look at that issue, ahead. one year after the death of george floyd, protests around the country today ahead of tuesday's somber anniversary. later this hour i'll talk to the reverend al sharpton live in minneapolis and what's changed and what still needs to be done. we want to begin with some breaking news. outrage across europe over what is being called an unprecedented act of state terrorism after a plane carrying a prominent critic of belarus president was diverted and he was arrested on arrival. we have more on this fast developing story. good to see you. what do we know about the arrest and why this plane was ordered to be diverted? >> it was flying from greece to lithuania over belarus.
1:02 pm
it was closer to the capital of lithuania at the time it was diverted. authorities in the capital of belarus and said there was a security threat on board and diverted them to land and it was there for several hours when mr. roman was escorted off. it's not really a news service the it was a telegram service used to great effect against lukashenko rule last year, he's been accused of terrorism and inciting violence. he could face a very serious jail term. he actually said to one of the other passengers when he was getting off that he would face the death penalty. as you mention, this is sparked protest from leaders throughout europe. they are outraged about this. the european council will meet
1:03 pm
tomorrow to decide on ramifications. they used a military pre-text in order to divert a commercial plane for political reasons. that really goes against a lot of the norms for travel throughout the european union in was an intraeu flight. that is one of the reasons why we hear about viktor. it's why people still call belarus the last dictatorship in europe. i want to get to capitol hill and the effort to establish a january 6th commission to investigate the insurrection. republicans already seem set to let the legislation for an independent commission fall through. at least ten gop senators would need to support the bill and only a handle have expressed openness to support it. garrett, good to see you.
1:04 pm
thanks for joining us. give us the latest of what your haring on this push for a commission. >> reporter: this really started late last week when mitch mcconnell came out. he said he wanted to review what was in the legislation. he came out last week and said he would oppose it. we have seen republican after republican falling. saying they will oppose this commission. their reasons for doing so have been varied. some are saying they think the politics stinks. they will be depending donald trump for weeks and week and perhaps months and month. some want small changes to the way the legislation is constructed. things about hiring staff. making sure that process is bipartisan. others feel like this isn't necessary. the process is duplicative of
1:05 pm
what's going on. >> i've opposed a commission from the very first. we'll start waiting for a commission rather than moving forward with what we know we need to do now. there's a bipartisan effort in the senate with two committees to produce not only a report and we should be able to do that in first full week of june. >> reporter: the recommendations that those reports and snats committees could produce would be helpful for directing the spends the security supplemental bill was supposed to do. what it might not do and the reason that speaker pelosi has pushed so hard on the idea of there non-partisan or bipartisan appointed commission, to take this out of congress is she want and other lawmakers want the findings to be the things people can trust without feeling like
1:06 pm
it's tantstainted by traditiona congressional politics. that ship may have sailed but that was the idea by taking the investigation out of the halls of congress and it's looking very, very difficult to find how democrats could get those ten republican votes they will need if they really want to try to do this next week. >> thank you. good to see you. welcome. thanks so much for joining us on this. i want to get your reaction to some of the reporting we heard. some of the reasons why the republicans are giving as to why that are opposed to a january 6th commission. some folks are saying it's politics. some saying it's changes to legislation. other folks thinking it's not
1:07 pm
necessary and they want to look forward, move on. what do you make of those explanations? >> look, the truth of the matter is, we could sit here and talk all day about what the various reasons are but the reality is, republicans are cowards. they are chickens. they don't want to go up against trump. they don't want to do anything to anger him and if they support this commission, that's what will happen. you know, it's such a cop out by some of these republicans to say, we're not sure we need a commission. we sort of have the levers in place right now to govern this and make sure it doesn't happen again. they are too afraid to support this legislation because they don't want to anger the president. why don't they want to anger the president? he runs the republican party. she's essential to what think need to do to take back the house in 2020 and he's essential to what they need to do in 2024 if they want any chance of gaining control of the white
1:08 pm
house. that's the reality of where we are. >> i want to read for you a quote from the washington post that kind of encapsulates. aggravation and drma have defined the republican party since trump left. they have punished his enemies. continue to pursue a revisiting of the election results and opposed bipartisan efforts to create a commission to investigate the january 6th insurrection. the move pose a threat to reclaim moderate, largely college educated voters who were turned off by trump. muddying the party's effort to shift the national focus to the less popular part of democratic policies. where is this commitment to trump and the big lie going to lead them? >> i think you really have to look at the voters. we spent a lot of talk talking
1:09 pm
about republican leaders and what they are doing and perhaps not enough attention to the voters who empower and elect these individuals to represent them and in congress. i think when you think about republicans and some of the responses, one of the things that to do out to me the most were those members who stated the politics. i just don't want to focus on this anymore. i want to move forward. what i thought about that, i remembered reading a couple of days ago an interesting report in the washington report from the autopsy report that talk about the seats that democrats lost in 2020. i'm drawing a correlation by saying i think there are republicans who want to continue to focus on beating up democrats. they want focus on whatever their messaging is because they saw some effect of that in 2020 that they believe will be beneficial come midterm. they are looking at the political advantages that they have versus the moral, ethical questions that arise based on what occurred january 6th.
1:10 pm
>> they feel like this is going to carry them all the way to the midterms and they don't want to drag that along with them. they rather we focus on things they feel like they can do. >> yeah, i think so. let's say, for example, there were enough republicans in the senate to support this committee. that would empower democrats to continue to hamper on how the republican party still so attached to donald trump. if there are enough voters out there who just don't like the president, i think they will tie that to the republican party. i think you could see a decrease in turn out from republican voters, independent, leaning republican voters. i think those members who are saying we don't want to take the chances of that, we're going to continue focusing on our message because we believe it's advantageous to us. come midterms, i think that's a political strategy. however, as it pertains to not dealing with occurred january 6th, that's something that most
1:11 pm
people will probably object to but, again, most republicans are purely looking at this through a political lens and in that case, i'm not necessarily sure i disagree with them. >> it's interesting as garrett was mentioning when it comes to the democrats wanting, finding that people can trust, think about fact that this could be a situation in which if the finger is pointed directly at the former president, this could mean a release for so many of those republicans in a way it could be advantageous for them. >> right. you can't create a commission more bipartisan than the way this is corrected. equal parties democrat and republicans coming together trying to figure out what happened. if it is found that donald trump
1:12 pm
is largely responsible for this, this could be a way for a lot of these republicans to sort of escape from underneath him and chart the course, really start the process to charting the course of getting the republican party back to the party of conservative principles. not the party focused on cultural warfare. i'm constantly dumbfounded. i worked on the hill for ten years. i worked there when democrats and republicans worked together. with the construct of congress in that era, anything like bipartisan commission would not have been passed. jump forward to where we are, the party changed so mump, the construct of congress has changed so much under trump and i think you are right. i think that republicans would allow this to go forward, this could be the way they could release themselves from trump. they don't seem to be able to do
1:13 pm
that. >> yes, please. final word. >> i absolutely agree both of you. i think the reason many republicans aren't going to sign onto this because detaching themselves from trump while that could be a pathway forward, it also could be a pathway for them to lose some of those trump voters that many of them need to be reelected because they recognize they have lost too many voters. >> it's all about politics. thank you both. appreciate it. still ahead, how president biden is handling his first big foreign policy fight. we break down what is described as biden's rapidly evolving approach to the conflict. ing approach to the conflict ♪ the light. ♪ it comes from within. it drives you. and it guides you. to shine your brightest. ♪
1:14 pm
as you charge ahead. illuminating the way forward. a light maker. recognizing that the impact you make comes from the energy you create. introducing the all-electric lyriq. lighting the way. ♪ age is just a number. and mine's unlisted. try boost® high protein with 20 grams of protein for muscle health. versus 16 grams in ensure high protein. boost® high protein also has key nutrients for immune support. boost® high protein. do you struggle with occasional nerve aches in your hands or feet? boost® high protein also has key nutrients try nervivenerve relief from the world's #1 selling nerve care company. nervive contains alpha lipoic acid to relieve occasional nerve aches, weakness and discomfort. try nervivenerve relief. wondering what actually goes into your multivitamin? at new chapter, its' innovation, organic ingredients, and fermentation. fermentation? yes. formulated to help you body really truly absorb the natural goodness.
1:15 pm
1:17 pm
president biden's focus on diplomacy has gotten us to where we need to be. >> secretary state blinken praising the president for the administration's handling of the israeli-hamas conflict. his first major international conflict as president and what may have been the first shift in his ironclad support for israel. a report examined the 11 days
1:18 pm
inside biden's rapidly evolving approach. the report points to israel's bombing of news agencies. saying after israel's attack on the high-rise of may 15th, the administration's tone change. he offered more restrained support of israel. thanks for joining us. great piece. take us behind the scenes a bit as you heard secretary blinken describing biden's approach to israeli palestinian conflict as quiet diplomacy. >> that's the way the white house approached this from the beginning. they were forced to be noisier toward the end.
1:19 pm
that was a view that biden himself held very firmly and communicated to blinken as to jake sullivan and others. that's the way they went in. weren't they weren't entirely banking on is the shift in political reaction in the united states as the conflict drags on. that leveling of the media tower in gaza city with an hour's notice really was part of a turning point after which members of the president's own party were much more vocal in their criticism of netanyahu leadership and their calls for an immediate cease-fire. president biden had not to that point called for an immediate cease-fire but we saw him call for a cease-fire without a time certain very shortly after that. then his next move was to call
1:20 pm
for a cease-fire by a time certain. >> certainly seemed like the message from bob menendez was a turning point. i want to read what he said. i'm deeply troubled by reports of israeli military action that resulted in the death of innocent civilians in gaza. i also believe there must be a full accounting of actions that have led to civilian death and destruction. all political leaders have a responsibility to uphold the rule and laws of war. not necessarily something we would have heard before from him. >> it was very striking because it's coming from him. he's one of a handful of the most staunch supporters of israel in the senate, certainly
1:21 pm
among senior democrats. israel opposes it. to have the come from him was notable. it was a surprise to the white house. they didn't have a heads up. there was other more moderate supporters of israel, mainstream democrats. lots of people who have pretty traditional levels of support for israel. strong democratic support for israel. also come out and say that the president should be doing more to bring about an immediate cease-fire. >> the president has used this kind of quite diplomacy before.
1:22 pm
he's also known netanyahu for 40 plus years when he was at the embassy in the united states. how much did that dynamic play into their relationship and the agreement that finally came down? >> certainly the fact these two men no one another extremely well played a role. it's really hard to gauge at this point what netanyahu himself, what role he played. remember, he's got a lot of political problems at home. he appeared to be on the way out before this conflict began. what we heard from a lot of democrats that really appeared to be part of the reason that biden changed his tune, wa we heard was a criticism of netanyahu's prosecution of the war. there's a slight difference there between saying democratic party is shifting away from staunch support of israel as some people are claim and many
1:23 pm
members of the democratic party are newly, highly critical of netanyahu. that played biden right in the middle. he knows netanyahu the best. he's the guy who is going to be most -- have the most leverage over netanyahu and the most leverage to try to bring the conflict to a rapid close. >> thank you. great reporting on this. up next, people are hitting the streets in protest ahead of the first anniversary of george floyd's murder on tuesday. we're live where march is set to begin shortly, after the break. plap opdivo plus yervoy is for adults newly diagnosed with non-small cell lung cancer that has spread, tests positive for pd-l1 and does not have an abnormal egfr or alk gene. opdivo plus yervoy is the only fda-approved combination of two immunotherapies
1:24 pm
opdivo plus yervoy equals... a chance for more starry nights. more sparkly days. more big notes. more small treasures. more family dinners. more private desserts. opdivo and yervoy can cause your immune system to harm healthy parts of your body during and after treatment. these problems can be severe and lead to death. see your doctor right away if you have a cough; chest pain; shortness of breath; irregular heartbeat; diarrhea; constipation; severe stomach pain, nausea or vomiting; dizziness; fainting; eye problems; extreme tiredness; changes in appetite, thirst or urine; rash; itching; confusion; memory problems; muscle pain or weakness; joint pain; flushing; or fever. these are not all the possible side effects. problems can occur together and more often when opdivo is used with yervoy. tell your doctor about all medical conditions including immune or nervous system problems, if you've had or plan to have an organ or stem cell transplant, or received chest radiation. here's to a chance for more horizons. a chance to live longer.
1:25 pm
ask your doctor about chemo-free opdivo plus yervoy. thank you to all involved in our clinical trials. wondering what actually goes into your multivitamin? thank at new chapter,lved its' innovation, organic ingredients, and fermentation. fermentation? yes. formulated to help you body really truly absorb the natural goodness. new chapter. wellness, well done.
1:27 pm
1:28 pm
into chaos when someone started firing shots. police say they do not have a motive in that shooting. in south carolina, police say 14 people were shot during an unauthorized neighborhood concert in north charleston. a 14-year-old girl has died. some victims left the scene before they arrived. no word on a suspect or motive in that shooting. protests happening now across the country. marking nearly a full year since the death of george floyd at the hands of minneapolis police which sparked a wave of protest gins police brutality. set the scene for us. >> reporter: we're expecting really emotional commemorations. they will officially start today starting with this event here by the george floyd memorial foundation. you see the stage there. you see people starting to gather. we're still about an hourand a
1:29 pm
half away from this beginning. people coming with t-shirts and making clear this is a celebration of george floyd's life and remembering his life and legacy and the change that his death really inspired. they also are making very clear they want to see and answer the question of where do we go from here. how do we heal beyond his death and where do we take this? you hear things like community healing. you're on the community healing team. what are you hearing when you talk to people? >> we're hearing lots of pain. a lot of body reaction. people have been storing all these stresses in their body. it's that emotional pain is also in the body and then we're in that persistent traumatic disorder. it's not ptsd.
1:30 pm
whether it's about the case, what's around you, historically. all of that starting to show in your body and emotion. that pain is very real. there's some relief based on the verdict that came but the relief did not sustain, that fix that people needed. people needed that know that knowledge, that this will not happen anymore. right before the verdict came we had another shoot while the trial wads going on, there was another shooting of a young man. we are not sure when to come out of this fog. >> the idea that things are building up and you have to deal with one thing after another. that's exactly what i hear from so many people within the kplunts especially as we're one year out. that's not just here what's happening in minneapolis. you'll see commemorations like this all across the country. thank you very much.
1:31 pm
i'll toss it back to you. >> thanks. appreciate it. i want to bring in "politics nation" host reverend al sharpton. good to see you, my friend. why was it so support -- >> good to be with you. >> to be there today for the one year anniversary following the death of george floyd? >> well, the family and the foundation asked me to come, mass action network here in minnesota involved in trying to pursue the justice and the healing. i did the eulogy here a year ago for george floyd. i wanted to be here with the family who has not only suffered the pain but have been the ones to stand for the justice in this matter. the george floyd bill clearly will not make the deadly but there's something that can really make permanent change and i think that's what you're going
1:32 pm
to hear today at the rally as i speak and members of the family speak. we want george floyd to be a place where the whole world dealt with the issue of policing but there was some federal legislation that began to deal with it and began to deal with the beginning of real change. the chauvin verdict was a step many the right direction but it was a step. we have a long way to go. i'm glad we're on the right path but we must continue that path. >> talk about a long way to go and change that needs to happen. i was watching the body cam footage of ronald green that came out a couple of days ago and it's so upsetting to see that footage. that happened before george floyd was killed at the hands of derek chauvin. what type of change needs to happen in your eyes beyond police reform.
1:33 pm
a lot of folks in washington pushing for the justice and policing act. what else needs to happen? >> i think there must be a readjustment on how we deal with funding programs for training, for mental health, for having police held accountable and for real community policing. i think that we have got to deal with how we deal with body cameras where police cannot decide when they are on or off. there are clearly the issues of 242 that's in the bill. i think the bill itself starts a lot of the change and then lit be the start of the culture change where people don't feel the police are occupiers but as partners to protect and serve them. if you start with the legislative change, we can then come to the cultural change because we need to see police as part of the community and other
1:34 pm
agencies and cities as part of the community rather than them against us. i think this george floyd movement has given us the possibility of that but a year later, we must say that we're not going to stop just a year ago or even at the verdict. we are at a better place than we were a year ago but we're not at the place we need to be. >> how is the family feeling today, one year later? >> i've talked to phelonious. there's still pain. it's a wound that will not heal. it gives them some sense of comfort if justice follows it. if they can say to their children and grand children juan -- one day that george floyd was wrongly killed as a jury was
1:35 pm
said but it changed how policing was in this country. it began the change. there's federal laws and state laws named after him. it gives them some comfort. it does not stop the pain. they have committed. i've not seen a family in unison that is risen to the occasion of we're going to stand and give meaning to our pain and justice to our fallen love ones. >> my friend, thank you. good to see you. thanks for joining us. we'll be watching your show in a little bit. with the video released about ronald green says about police reform. the run is next. t police reform. the run is next.
1:36 pm
1:37 pm
yes, you are. i'm gonna get this place all clean. i'll give you a hand. and i'm gonna put lisa on crutches! wait, what? said she's gonna need crutches. she fell pretty hard. you might want to clean that up, girl. excuse us. when owning a small business gets real, progressive helps protect what you built with customizable coverage. -and i'm gonna -- -eh, eh, eh. -donny, no. -oh. don't settle for products that give you a sort of white smile. try new crest whitening emulsions eh, eh. for 100% whiter teeth. its highly active peroxide droplets swipe on in seconds. better. faster. 100% whiter teeth. crestwhitesmile.com
1:38 pm
hi, i'm debra. i'm from colorado. i've been married to my high school sweetheart for 35 years. i'm a mother of four-- always busy. i was starting to feel a little foggy. just didn't feel like things were as sharp as i knew they once were. i heard about prevagen and then i started taking it about two years now. started noticing things a little sharper, a little clearer. i feel like it's kept me on my game. i'm able to remember things. i'd say give it a try. prevagen. healthier brain. better life.
1:39 pm
welcome back. i spent yesterday morning watching the body cam of ronald green. it was horrible. you hear the police officers begin the chase, picking up speed while listening to music knowing how it will all end. it's surreal knowing these were the last moments of a man's life. what becomes more shock sg the approach. the officer exiting his car and immediately beginning to spew expletives, calling ronald green every bad word imaginable over and over and over again. most specifically, mother blank over and over again. ronald green saying i'm scared over and over again. how could you not be when an officer with a weapon approaches your vehicle that way. from the beginning of their confrontation it continued to get worse. tazing his repeatedly, screaming at home and choking him.
1:40 pm
treating him not like a human but an animal. it's shocking. i can't say it enough how shocking it was. there were no deescalation tactics used. noun. instead it was pure unadultered aggression from what i saw of the officer's actions. then they lied family members about it. a mother who just lost her son. i was speaking to someone about it later who asked, what are they going to do about it? what type of police reform needs to happen? i don't know if police reform fix what is i saw in that video. i don't know if police reform fixes guys like derek chauvin or identifies bad apples as the police chief said. if they been there for a long time, people around them have known of their behavior and done nothing about it. why? maybe they condone it until they get caught or make exexcuses. this is what cops need to do to protect themselves. they don't need to do that. they don't need to act like
1:41 pm
that. it needs to change. it's about long game. it's maybe our children's generation of police officers. we need to catch them. get in front of them before those kids develop the same racist tendencies their parents carry. we need to invest in school and education further integrate schooling. we need to invest in health care and child care for minority single moms. we need to challenge ourselves to step outside our box and deal with people who may not look like you or be from your neighborhood. we'll be right back. m your neighborhood 'll be right back. if you have risk factors like heart disease, diabetes and raised triglycerides,... ...vascepa can give you something to celebrate. ♪ vascepa, when added to your statin,... ...is clinically proven to provide 25% lower risk from heart attack and stroke. vascepa is clearly different. first and only fda approved.
1:42 pm
celebrate less risk. even for those with family history. ♪ don't take vascepa if you are... ...or become allergic to icosapent ethyl or any inactive ingredient in vascepa. serious side effects may occur like heart rhythm problems and bleeding. heart rhythm problems may occur in more people... ...with persistent cardiovascular risk or who have had them in the past. tell your doctor if you experience an irregular heartbeat or other heart rhythm problems. possible side effects include muscle and joint pain. celebrate less risk. added cardio protection. talk to your doctor about adding protection with vascepa. ♪ the light. ♪ it comes from within. it drives you. and it guides you. to shine your brightest. ♪ as you charge ahead. illuminating the way forward. a light maker. recognizing that the impact you make comes from the energy you create.
1:43 pm
introducing the all-electric lyriq. lighting the way. ♪ do you struggle with occasional nerve aches, lighting the way. weakness or discomfort in your hands or feet? introducing nervive nerve relief from the world's number 1 selling nerve care company. as we age, natural changes to our nerves occur which can lead to occasional discomfort. nervive contains b complex vitamins that nourish nerves, build nerve insulation and enhance nerve communication. and, alpha-lipoic acid, which relieves occasional nerve aches, weakness and discomfort. live your life with less nerve discomfort with nervive nerve relief. nobody builds 5g like verizon builds 5g because we're the engineers who built the most reliable network in america. thousands of smarter towers, with the 5g coverage you need. broader spectrum for faster 5g speeds. next-generation servers with superior network reliability. because the more you do with 5g, the more your network matters. it's us...pushing us.
1:44 pm
it's verizon...vs verizon. and who wins? you. ♪ ♪ mornings were made for better things than rheumatoid arthritis. when considering another treatment ask about xeljanz, a pill for adults with moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis when methotrexate has not helped enough. xeljanz can help relieve joint pain and swelling, stiffness, and helps stop further joint damage, even without methotrexate. xeljanz can lower your ability to fight infections. before and during treatment, your doctor should check for infections, like tb and do blood tests. tell your doctor if you've had hepatitis b or c, have flu-like symptoms, or are prone to infections. serious, sometimes fatal infections, cancers including lymphoma, and blood clots have happened. taking a higher than recommended dose of xeljanz for ra may increase risk of death. tears in the stomach or intestines and serious allergic reactions have happened. don't let another morning go by without asking your doctor
1:45 pm
1:46 pm
up following the terror attacks. it has a mandate to provide recommendations to guard against future attacks but it did more than that. let's start with how it began. even though it took days to launch independent investigations into pearl harbor and jfk assassination, there was a divide in washington that delay the formation of the 9/11 commission. >> last year when we talked about this following september 11th, there was resistance. one year later, because of the work of the families, we're at place we will go to conference this afternoon to put this into our intelligence authorization bill. >> president bush signed the 15 million dollar commission into law november 2002, 14 months after the attacks and it took an emotional push from several victims families to make it happen. here is one of the 9/11 windows making a passionate plea. >> at ground zero turned over
1:47 pm
every single rock. i could not ever find the words. i want that same effort. i want every stone to be unturned. >> once the commission began hearings, several high profile people testified and some talked to the panel in private including president bush and clinton, vice president cheney and gore. after a year and a half of work, the commission final report came july 2004. it was printed and sold in bookstores and adapted to films. here is one of the findings. >> we have concluded that the intelligence community is not going to get its job done unless somebody is really in charge. that is just not the case now and we paid the price. >> the director of national intelligence position was born from that as a result of the commission. that was one of the 41
1:48 pm
recommendations in the report many of them still impacting today including the creation of the national counter terrorism center and the restructuring of the intelligence community overall. time will tell if history will repeat it. coming up, questions surrounding the criminal case against the trump organization and whether the former president's children are already in legal danger they cannot avoid. danger that ey cannot avoid. yes, thank you, that was fast. sgt. houston never expected this to happen. or that her grandpa's dog tags would be left behind. but that one call got her a tow and rental... ...paid her claim... ...and we even pulled a few strings. making it easy to make things right: that's what we're made for. usaa. what you're made of, we're made for. get a quote today.
1:49 pm
there are many reasons for waiting to visit your doctor right now. but if you're experiencing irregular heartbeat, heart racing, chest pain, shortness of breath, fatigue or light-headedness, don't wait to contact your doctor. because these symptoms could be signs of a serious condition like atrial fibrillation. which could make you about five times more likely to have a stroke. your symptoms could mean something serious, so this is no time to wait. talk to a doctor, by phone, online, or in-person.
1:50 pm
do you struggle with occasional nerve aches, weakness or discomfort so in your hands or feet?t. introducing nervive nerve relief from the world's number 1 selling nerve care company. as we age, natural changes to our nerves occur which can lead to occasional discomfort. nervive contains b complex vitamins that nourish nerves, build nerve insulation and enhance nerve communication. and, alpha-lipoic acid, which relieves occasional nerve aches, weakness and discomfort. live your life with less nerve discomfort with nervive nerve relief. ♪ yum yum yum yum yum yum yum ♪ ♪ yum yum yum yum yum yum ♪ ♪ yum yum yum yum yuuum yum yum yum yum yum yum yuuum ♪ ♪ yum ♪ ♪ yum yum (clap, clap) yum yum (clap) yum yum ♪
1:52 pm
former president trump is facing serious legal heat as the investigation into his organization turns criminal. prosecutors are honing in on allen weisselberg, who is now under criminal investigation over taxes. but former members of trump's inner circle are saying it won't take much for the cfo to flip. here is what barbara rez, a former executive vice president of the trump organization told me about that yesterday. >> what did you think? >> based on what he we have read about him, paying for or arranging for all their expenses so they can live like multimillionaires, clearly he has some great affection for them and that's gotting to to disappear because he wants to play indicate trump. that's not going to happen. if there is a threat of them going to jail or he himself going to jail, i think he will flip. >> all right. joining me now, david
1:53 pm
fahrenthold and the talking feds podcast. thanks for joining me on this. david, i want to start you on this one and get into the piece that you wrote to "the washington post," the seven big questions surrounding this probe fn obviously we can't get to all seven of them. you talk about intent. the elevation from civil to criminal here. the civil investigation is really concerned with did you break rules, and criminal is concerned with were you trying to wrong. what do we know about what exactly triggered this change, david? >> well, obviously concerned with trump and trump org. but as you said, the significance here talking to folks who used to work in that new york ag's office, usually when they elevated a case from civil to criminal, it's because they found evidence of intent. not just the laws were broken, but who knew the rules were wrong and who did it any way if you have evidence that attaches
1:54 pm
intent to somebody then you can elevate it to criminal. we don't know if it's allen weisselberg or donald trump or somebody else. >> what do you make of the fact they're focusing in on allen weisselberg and the fact that his children could very much be in the bulls-eye too? >> well, allen weiserberg has come under scrutiny for a lot of reasons. he is sort of the linchpin financially to this whole company. have you ever tried to figure out what donald trump's intent was, why donald trump took a particular move, you're probably going to have to have allen weisselberg involved in that. he is the person who would know. he got the order from trump and executed it. jennifer weisselberg has come forward and talked to both the manhattan d.a. and the new york ag and brought all this evidence from her marriage in which she says her ex-husband who worked for the trump organization and was allen weisselberg's son got a free apartment, got a lot of other free ben flits from the trump organization. if he wasn't paying taxes on those, if the company wasn't
1:55 pm
reporting those as benefits given to an employee, that could be tax liability for barry, for allen and for trump organization. >> harry, i want to get into the legal exposure when it comes to the trump children. but i specifically want to take a listen to what michael cohen and barbara res had to say about what could happen. >> i think donald trump is going to flip on all of them. what do youly the about that? including his children. so when he turns around and gets questions about what you're just asking about, inflation, it wasn't me. he is going to say don jr. handled that. ivanka handled that. melania. don't take me. take melania. >> is he the type of the man who would give up his kids to safe himself? >> i have such a hard time believing anyone can do that that it makes me hesitant to say this. but, yeah. yeah. >> i mean, it's fascinating, harry, to think about and also the fact that it's a family
1:56 pm
business, after all, of which they ran while he was the president of the united states. >> yeah. but let's return to first principles here. it is quite a testament to what they see as his sociopathy. but look, the authorities in new york or the feds will not try to get trump to cooperate down against his children. he may throw them to the wolves, but it's not going to be a way to get a better deal. i just want to return quickly to what david said because linchpin is the perfect word for weisselberg here. because in the absence of some kind of cooperation from him, every charge is going to be met with the defense of i don't know. i just signed whatever they said, et cetera. weisselberg is the one guy who can bring it home and say no, as michael cohen for instance has said, in this transaction, that transaction, and this other one, they knew exactly what they're doing. so in some ways, james and vance
1:57 pm
are playing a high risk gamble. they really, really need him, and they're putting maximum pressure on him. but he is the linchpin to any of the trump family and the former president himself. >> let me play, though, harry, devil's advocate here and say how do they prove weisselberg's credibility? >> well, no, it's not a matter of -- well, first of all, you know, he is going to have chapter and verse of specific transactions. and he's going to be inculpating himself if this happens. he is going to be a guy who says yep, we did it, and they were also culpable. you're right. it's a very good point. in all of these situations, they then beat him up. but the question is there corroborating evidence, and some reason to know that what he is saying is right and here i think there will be. one other quick point.
1:58 pm
i don't see this alliance between the ag and d.a. is very unusual. and i think it's easy to see why she wanted it, but it's likely, as david says, she's developed specific evidence of intent in order for vance to have wanted to partner up with her. >> so david, i want you to weigh in on what -- on something frank figliuzzi woo for an nbc op-ed talking about trump's children and lawyering up i should say. if they haven't already, it's time for members of the trump family who served as organization employees to each retain experienced criminal defense lawyers. in fact, depending on what those trump organization family members have already said and to who, it may already be too late. we know eric and don jr. are executive vice presidents at the organization currently. well also know eric gave sworn testimony to investigators back in october when this was still a civil matter. >> that's right.
1:59 pm
eric seems to be the one that has some involvement in these probes. ivanka was sort of involved in starting up hotels and sort of designing it and presenting hotels. trump's hotels don't seem to be as far as we know part of these investigations. don jr. was off doing i don't know what, but he doesn't seem to have been involved in the business enough to get drawn into this. eric, however, was. eric has been questioned because he was a liaison between the trump organization and appraisers in at least one transaction that is under the microscope now. trump owns an estate called seven springs in westchester county, new york. trump has it in conservation. he said i won't develop this land but i want a big tax value for forgoing the development. he got a $21 million tax break. and the ag or d.a. are saying well, did you lie to somebody? did you inflate the value of your land or tell about the planning permissions you had that really didn't. and eric was the person sending emails, making the contacts there. he seems to be in the middle of a e-transaction.
2:00 pm
>> the most exposure there possibly when it comes to the children. david farenthold, harry litman, thank you so much. that wraps up the hour from me. i'm yasmin vossoughian. i'll be back here next saturday, sunday, 3:00 to 5:00 p.m., "politicsnation" live from minneapolis with reverend al sharpton starts right now. good evening and welcome to "politicsnation," coming to you today from downtown minneapolis. tonight's lead in memorium right now for those of us who insist that black lives matter and that there can be no peace where there is no justice. we are wondering what the last year has meant as we mark the one-year anniv
78 Views
IN COLLECTIONS
MSNBC West Television Archive Television Archive News Search ServiceUploaded by TV Archive on