we went to washington to interview alberto gonzales. we interviewed karl rove. we interviewed chief justice rehnquist or excuse me, -- cheney, all the people who had served on that process committee. and as it turned out, the right wing of the president's party did not want harriet miers that o'connor seat, because you might remember it was called the swing seat. she a moderate conservative and sometimes voted with liberals, particularly on abortion and affirmative action and sometimes she voted with conservatives and. the right wing of the party had been just waiting, waiting, waiting for her to leave so they could put certain conservative in that role. and they didn't have that faith in harriet miers. they thought she might be more like o'connor, and she realized was hurting the president. she also said she wasn't an expert in law and she admitted that. but it would be like a language for the first time and in two or three weeks having to go up to the hill and meet with senators and 1 to 1 meetings and, not be able to speak the language. so she saw she was hur

bush attorney general alberto gonzales., as we mentioned, the former president is back at bedminster in new jersey this evening. cnn's alayna treene is nearby and is going to join us. what do we know about mr. trump's mood this evening? >> well, jake, i think you could kind of see it clearly today playing out. he was somber in court. our great reporters inside the courtroom said he appeared glum. heed a his arms crossed over him. and that lines up with what i'm hearing from donald trump's advisers. i've been speaking with him the last couple of days now, and they tell me he is very concern about these charges, and privately he has been really frustrated. he is frustrated about not only what this means for him personally and politically, but also what it means for his legacy. i know from covering donald trump for several years now, he thinks about that a lot, and that has been weighing on him today. i'll also point out publicly, you're still going to see the defiant donald trump that he likes to show voters and show viewers,

alberto gonzales, in an interview with jen psaki, says trump should be held accountable. >> if donald should he go to prison, despite being a former president? i know we are getting ahead of where we are at this moment. what is your view on that in general? >> you are right, we are getting way ahead of ourselves. there are people that on january 6 went to the capitol, maybe not at the clear direction of president trump, but certainly he did nothing to stop what happened that day. they are serving time. if, in fact, the crimes that -- if, in fact, jack smith is successful in prosecuting donald trump for the crimes that he is charged, i think it would be fair that he go to prison. >> joining me now is jen psaki. this is a world travel, a different world. alberto gonzales, a bush era attorney general talking about jail time for a former president. >> i thought the point he made is interesting. he has been advocating for -- reminding people that the justice department does not target republicans. the majority of people who work there are career officials who are not affiliated with either

bush's former attorney general, alberto gonzales, all about that new indictment. whether trump should serve time in prison whether he's convicted. breaking news on the cost of a dartmouth case on what mark meadows is reportedly telling the feds. our in-house law firm is standing by with reaction to that. later, the front other plans to give the first a bag on wednesday night. sits down for an interview with tucker carlson instead. republican candidate, will, her to talk about how to take on trump in advance of what is shaping up to be the weirdest, while, this debate week ever. with each passing week, with every new indictment, we are learning more about the kind of country that donald trump tried to turn us into after the 2020 election. a country, in his mind, where democracy is no longer the guiding principle. where votes can be found, even when they are not earned. where the justice department can be used to keep a failed leader in power. with each new indictment, the latest out of fulton county, in georgia, we're also learning more about the kind of country, i

this storm could produce heavier rainfall and flooding and meteorologist alberto gonzales is tracking it all. she's joining us now with the very latest. and roberta, this is to be expected. absolutely. christina and a lot of people forget this is an education for us. it's an extremely rare event when people heard that it was downgraded, they went, no problem. no, this is expected on a scale of 1 to 5, this is now a category two. when we left you last night, it was a category four. it's downsized because hurricanes need that warm water to continue to fuel itself. but once it braces up against land mass, it loses its punch. it starts to shear off. but nonetheless, it's extremely powerful. its location right now is 640 miles southeast of san diego. at this particular time, we still believe that we're going to see it make impact right here around san diego, the los angeles basin, move into the desert southwest and on into las vegas as well as the tahoe area. when you see a green on the screen there, those are the feeder bands running ahead of the system. keep in mind, this hurricane exten

it included alberto gonzales and the retired federal appellate judge in one of the nations leading conservative legal minds. judy woodruff visited in colorado as part of an ongoing series, america at a crossroads. >> i understood in and around those institutions that this was catastrophic for america and american democracy. >> he is one of the most influential conservatives to have served in the federal judiciary. he clerked for antonin scalia while he was on the appellate circuit. he was the assistant attorney general under georgette w bush, he was twice considered for nomination himself to the supreme. >> i felt that had a profound obligation to speak and explain what had happened. well known in republican legal circles, he burst into public view when he advised mike pence to defy the plea not to certify the 2020 election results. >> that you for being here. >> spoke about it in dramatic testimony more than a year later before the house committee that was investigating the insurrection. >> donald trump and his allies and supporters are a clear and present danger to american democracy. >> chal

the group included former attorney general alberto gonzales appointed by george w.h and a retired federal appellate judge and one of the nation's leading conservative legal minds. judy woodruff recently visited him as part of her ongoing series america at a crossroads. >> i understood the gravity of this matter, in and around those offices and institutions that this was catastrophic for america and american democracy. >> one of the most influential conservatives to have served in the federal judiciary. he was the assistant attorney general under president george h w bush. he was later appointed to the united states court of appeals. he was twice considered for nomination to the supreme court. >> i felt i had a profound obligation to the country to speak and to explain all of what had happened. >> well known in republican legal circles, on january 50 advised vice president mike pence to defy former president trump's plea not to certify the 2020 election results. >> judge, thank you for being with us here today. >> he spoke about it in dramatic testimony more than a y

attorney general alberto gonzales. he served in the george w.t university college of law and we thank you very much for being on this morning. >> attorney general, thank you so much for being with us. i have noted on this show over the past several years, republicans like yourself, republicans that have stood up and spoken out for the rule of law, even when it doesn't break in the direction. i often quote the wall street journal editorial page, whenever they've spoken out against donald trump's worst excesses. i have noticed though, since the last indictment regarding january the 6th, that establishment republicans that had been critical of donald trump's actions are now starting to talk about the two cured justice system. and you know, i read something that anne applebaum said last week that said, if the republican party continues to attack the rule of law, i don't know how our constitutional republic survives. that is why we were so struck by your opinion piece. so grateful for you to be here. can you talk about your concerns about the rule of

joining us now is alberto gonzales who served during the george w.administration, based on allegations -- we are having trouble with his audio. let's go back to jake. >> disgusting key prosecutors donald trump statements and actions related to the fake elector spot and seven, state officials in one of those seven, michigan wolverine state have already charged 16 individuals in that investigation, the fake electors investigation. today we learned they have charged a third person in a separate part of the investigation, not that same one about fake electors, but about separate conspiracy to seize and access the 2020 election, i'm joined now by michigan attorney general dana nessel. attorney general nestle, first of, all we should note that because one of the three individuals charged with trying to seize an access voting machines was your opponent, for attorney general in 2022, you have recused yourself from that investigation. i just want to know that for our viewers. but i do want to ask, you just about the contours of that investigation since the sp

bush's former attorney general, alberto gonzales, all about that new indictment.

. >> attorney general alberto gonzales, thank you so much. as we can see, the motorcade containing the 45th president of the united states as he proceeds from the pettyman courthouse in washington, d.c. back to the president's boeing on the tarmac at reagan national airport in virginia is proceeding. kaitlan collins, over to you. >> yeah, jake, after that 27-minute proceeding a ing and guilty plea we are expecting him to go to the airport. we do have kay tlan polantz with us, one of just about 50 reporters in that room as the former president was pleading to that second set of federal charges. katelyn polantz, what did you see? >> he spoke in court several times. he was addressed directly by the judge who called him mr. trump. he was asked to sedate his name. donald j. trump. john, that was how he phrased it. and then he had to say his age. he had to say that he had not had any alcohol or medication before this hearing, knew exactly what was going on, that he was aware of what was going on around him. he also was the person who formally enter