it included not only discussions that the attorney general had with residents of ferguson two weebs ago but also other meeting -- weeks ago but other meetings that other justice department officials have had with residents. we looked, of course, at public records and other pieces of information that are available to make an assessment that this was, indeed, an appropriate opening for a pattern and practice investigation. moreover, the civil rights that vision met with city leaders in ferguson yesterday and expressed a strong willingness to assist us and in fact were extremely open to this investigation. we will have cooperation from our local residents. >> what public records are we talking about? >> any number of pieces of information that we looked at which would have included demographics, and public records related to cases that may have been filed by private litigants, there are any number of different things we looked at. >> mr. attorney general, what about your visit struck you to the point where you felt comfortable to move forward with this investigation? and then secondly, wha

they think, we'll just push it back a few weebs, do it then after people have the opportunity to perhaps something about it and make their will understood at the polls. and these democrats, these vulnerable democrats, they are not saying this is bad policy or this is unwise. they're not asking the president to push this off for those reasons. they're doing it simply for their own self preservation which brings me back to the word i used at the beginning of the question, cynical. unbelievable cynicism. >> doesn't that give republicans an opportunity as well to run on the notion that president obama will, right after the midterms, go ahead with amnesty and that that was the mission, you know, from the get go? so they really do have a strong argument. >> i think republicans would have won either way because if he had used executive action, that would have been a disaster for democrats. republicans would have run with that and say here we go, the president using executive action on immigration and they would have linked that to jobs and american jobs. i think this is a win for republicans. t

it included not only discussions had the attorney general with residents of ferguson two weebs ago but also other meeting -- weeks ago but other meetings that other justice department officials have had residents. we looked, of course, at public records and other pieces of information that are available make an assessment that this was, indeed, an appropriate anding for a pattern practice investigation. moreover, the civil rights that leaders inwith city ferguson yesterday and expressed a strong willingness to assist fact were extremely open to this investigation. we will have cooperation from residents. >> what public records are we talking about? >> any number of pieces of we looked athat which would have included demographics, and public records related to cases that may have litigants,by private there are any number of different things we looked at. what. attorney general, about your visit struck you to the point where you felt comfortable to move forward with this investigation? what do youondly, say to supporters of the police that this investigation is and in fact unfair to the