The House Committee on the judiciary will come to order. The chair is authorized to declare recess at any time and we welcome, we welcome everyone to this mornings hearing on oversight for the department of justice. I apologize for getting the hearing late, as many of you know i was in a minor car accident on the way in this morning. Everyone is fine, except perhaps the car. But it did cause significant delay. I think the attorney general and the members for their patience and flexibility and we will now begin. Before we begin, i want to acknowledge and note that we are joined this morning by the distinguished majority leader, the gentleman from maia maryland, leader hoyer, who has long recognized the need for vigorous congressional oversight of the executive branch under both parties and we appreciate his presence today as we question the attorney general. Before we begin, i would like to remind members that we have an established email distribution list dedicated to circulating exhib
Cspan, created by americas Cable Television companies as a Public Service and brought to you today by your television provider. Barrtorney general william was on capitol hill for an oversight hearing on the Justice Department. This was his first appearance before the House Judiciary Committee since joining the Trump Administration. The attorney general was asked about his role in criminal cases involving roger stone and others as well as the federal response to nationwide protests and the legitimacy of mailin ballots despite claims of voter fraud by the president. The House Committee on the judiciary will come to order the House Committee on the judiciary will come to order. The chair is authorized to declare recess at any time and we welcome, we welcome everyone to this mornings hearing on oversight for the department of justice. I apologize for getting the hearing late, as many of you know i was in a minor car accident on the way in this morning. Everyone is fine, except perhaps the
Of course, there is still the mueller investigation. This hearing, we can tell you, is still running a bit behind schedule. Thats because a spokesman for the Judiciary Committee says chairman nadler was involved in some kind of crash today on his way from washington to new york, were told that the congress is okay, no one was hurt. But it is delaying things just a bit there on the hill. So while we wait, lets turn to our reporters. Nbcs Garrett Haake is following the hearing for us on the hill. I want to bring in our justice correspondent Pete Williams. Garrett, ill start with you. The attorney generals first appearance before the committee. Obviously democrats are going to want answers about a number of things. I just laid out a few of them. Walk us through what you think will be among the most contentious topics, shall we say. Democrats have long sought the hearing with this attorney general. For months they wanted to get him here to talk about all those issues you laid outgoing back
Prevent him from unearthing what he calls the grave abuses involved in the bogus russiagate scandal. As we await the hearing to begin and the attorney general, lets start with our senior justice correspondent evan perez. The democrats have a lot of things they want to ask about 92 days from an election. This is guaranteed to be contentious. Thats right, john, and you know the attorney general is coming out swinging. He is defending himself. He knows that the democrats have a lot of questions regarding the influence of politics, and, in fact, president s hand in things that are going on inside the Justice Department from the attorney generals intervention in the roger stone and the Michael Flynn case to his handling of any number of other matters inside the Justice Department, including the deployment of federal police and Law Enforcement officers to portland and to other cities. Now, ill read you just a part of what he says in defense of what he says are these attacks from the democrat
About federal forces in his ci city. Joanne hardisty and i are calling for an immediate meeting with the department of Homeland Security leadership on the ground in portland, and with acting secretary dhs wolf to discuss a ceasefire and the removal of heightened federal forces from portland. Sandra fox team coverage, william la jeunesse has an exclusive look at what federal agents are facing on the ground in portland. John roberts has more on his highly anticipated appearance and to select or ted cruz will be joining us and just moments with a plan to bring back u. S. Cities under siege. But we begin with william la jeunesse was on the ground in portland for us. Hey, william. We just spent the last 12 hours inside of that court house and we want to bring that perspective. Whats it like to be a federal agent on lock down inside of this pitch black courthouse with an overwhelming crowd outside trying to burn it down, shooting these massive fireworks that hit the plywood doors and explode