So Whitaker News Today

im jonathan hunt, live in jerusalem. qatar has reportedly mediated an agreement between egypt, israel and the u.s. to allow foreign passport holders and some critically injured civilians out of gaza. this is significant since it would presumably allow some whove been stuck inside gaza for weeks to leave. and its been a deadly week for israeli troops as they battle hamas fighters inside gaza. the idf now says an additional nine soldiers have died. they were hit by an anti-tank missile w...

District of new york u.s. attorney bermans recusal, and whether the southern district went too far in pursuing the campaign finance case in which the president was listed as individual number one. >> okay. berman is jeffrey berman, a trump ally. hes the united states attorney for the southern district of new york. so he recused himself from the cohen case. so whitaker, according to nadler, admits he discussed bermans recusal. remember, "the new york times" has reported trump asked whitaker, dire...

Him politically. these are all things that an autocrat would do. so this assault on the rule of law, this effort to undermine investigations into his own conduct is really a piece of that broader tableau about the undermining of our democracy. >> chuck, talk to me about whitakers reported description of his job as the ability to jump on the grenade for the president. talk to me about the presidents reported interactions with his acting attorney general. >> sure, brian. so whitakers description o...

Investigation. but what does he consider the mueller investigation? if he only considers that the investigation into russia collusion, that leaves a very broad universe, including the southern district of new yorks investigation and prosecution of michael cohen, trumps former attorney who arguably knows the most about trumps private affairs, his family, and his business. so it does leave open the question what else has whitaker talked to trump about? >> lets stay on that. whitaker claimed he had...

Investigation to be done. so whitakers statements today were both incongruous and potentially to the trump investigation. >> the dirty trickster spent this weekend blasting muellers indictment of him, by the way, speaking to anyone who was willing to listen, stone made the television rounds to savage the special counsel investigation. today, stone indicated he would not cooperate with prosecutor mueller. >> are you willing to cut a deal with mueller to avoid going to trial? >> i dont answer hypo...

Chief concern when whitaker was installed as the interim attorney general was that he might compromise the mueller investigation. and now, critics have proof of that, at least even in a tinea way, because whitaker today revealed information that is a first. no one has revealed any information about the mueller investigation from the mueller team. so whitakers critics now have something to seize upon that he even answered a question about the progress of the investigation. what makes it even stra...

Oath. so whitaker should take that seriously. >> and jerry nadler asks him about his own recusal and refusal to recuse super visivisf had mueller investigation, and i dont see any privilege that will get him out of answering those questions. >> the office of the department of justice, he should have to answer for that. because he went -- he sidestepped the normal process and we should know what the process was that he made up. >> thank you for starting us off tonight. and when we come back, mi...

And then to refute what youre saying if youre lying, its going to come out later. and, you know, youre under oath. so whitaker should take that seriously. >> and jerry nadler asks him about his own recusal and refusal to recuse supervision of had mueller investigation, and i dont see any privilege that will get him out of answering those questions. >> the office of the department of justice, he should have to answer for that. because he went -- he sidestepped the normal process and we should kno...

Spy. so whitaker is the acting attorney general. and thats the state of play. the senate wont protect mueller. so far we have no insistence that whitaker recuse himself. you have no outcry among republicans that whitaker shouldnt be acting attorney general at all, leave aside the confirmation. he is acting attorney general of the united states of america. thats kind of an important job. you go to national security council meetings. >> youre on the national security council. >> right. thinking ba...

Days. if trump were to appoint a permanent attorney general nominee, then that clock would restart. so whitaker could be around for quite some time and because this is unprecedented in the tattorny generals position, there is a lot of vitality to this controversy on both sides of the argument. >> any chance this news were talking about makes a difference to people who have opposed whitakers appointment? >> no. i dont think so. that the trump justice department would give the stamp of approval on...