Page 10 - Executive Privilege Argument News Today

Kara, stand by. i want to bring in cnns chief legal analyst, jeffrey toobin. jeffrey, how big of a win is that? this one today for house democrats? >> well, its another very important win, because the legal issue fundamentally is the same as the one yesterday regarding the accounting firm that did the presidents taxes. the issue is, is this a legitimate subject for congressional oversight. does congress have the right to investigate this area? the presidents lawyers have argued in both courts th...

30 hours. >> right to. >> to bob mueller so hes trying to put the toothpaste back in the tube, and i dont know how successfully hell be able to do that. it will clearly go to court, and this will go on a little while. >> i want to the ask about the olc, the legal counsel memo and the rationale behind the instructions not to testify. they didnt tell him not to show up. your read, and im not a lawyer much to the disappointment of my parents, your reading of the memo how much will this stand up if ...

They are not allowed to interfere in what is made public but there is a executive privilege argument they can make. >> one of the explanations that i found out about about mueller not subpoenaing the president, is it makes it easier to do that. you can hand over the evidence around the presidents conduct around obstruction or otherwise if it is not grand jury evidence. mueller and the people on his team knew this would always be a political process. it would also be incorporated into a political...

Chance of success on that? i think we have to look at is there a method for us to get that information voluntarily? is there a way to assure the country that the president behind closed doors is not sacrificing the interests of the country? its always our presence to get voluntary cooperation before we consider compulsion. >> senior political reporter and analyst is with us, gloria borger -- davand "usa today" columnist kirsten powers, mike shields, and the obama solicitor general. neal, from th...

Sacrificing the interests of the country? its always our preference to get voluntary cooperation before we consider compulsion. >> chairman, thank you very much. senior political reporter and analyst is with us, gloria borger, david gergen, columnist kirsten powers, mike shields, and the obama solicitor general. neal, from the legal standpoint, can the white house make a valid executive privilege argument on the interpreters notes? >> they can try but i think theyll lose. executive privilege goe...

New lawyers for an executive privilege argument to keep a lot of muellers finding secret. we have chris holland, a democrat from maryland. thanks for being with us. >> brianna, good to be with you. >> why is making this report public even an issue for the president, do you think? >> well, because hes afraid that it will expose information that will either show him liable of colluding with the russians or obstruction of justice. obviously we dont know whats in the mueller report. we dont know if ...

Claimed their client is innocent. two, both seem worried that their client has obstructed justice. and three, they both seem to admit in public statements that end up in the newspapers that their client will perjure himself. >> of course they have to fight the mueller report going public. because the information and the conclusions reached in that report will be devastating for this president, pratt president those around him and the presidency. it is very difficult to avoid the conclusion that ...

>> was she in there with an attorney today. >> she had a few attorneys with her. >> what is it like when she deems out of bounds? what happens? >> the answers, you know, that they would take it under advisement or they werent going to answer the question which i thought was incredibly arrogant to say were just not going to answer. we asked why? were not going to answer. >> im confused here. it seems that her conversations with the president in the white house are actually things that plausibly y...

Bank shot. but did you, as you watched this, see an attempt by sessions to set up a potential executive privilege argument by the president? >> it certainly sounded like he was sounding the alarms and saying, mr. president, if youre listening, this is the time to exert executive privilege. but im not sure thats exactly what was going on. im just wondering in response to your last question, where are the staff who are willing to talk truth to power? where are the people who are willing to stand u...

Earshot of the attorney general? in other words, why would the attorney general leave? why wouldnt he stay? the only matter substantively that he was not permitted to be in on are those matters that relate in some way to the russia investigation. >> jill, this is a bit of a bank shot, but did you -- as you watched this -- see an attempt by sessions to set up a potential executive privilege argument by the president? >> it certainly sounded like he was sounding the alarms and saying mr. president...