Transcripts For ALJAZ Battlefield Washington 20240712 : vima

Criticism over the security law which critics say dismantles hong kongs special freedoms House Speaker nancy pelosi has condemned the arrests of protesters in hong kong as a real tragedy its so sad but in the congress in the house and in the senate in a very unified way we have all worked together it has been a from a a joy to be bonding with my colleagues on both sides we are both sides of capitol on this very important issue and the republicans have been there every step of the way i hope the president will be. She have a chance he has more from capitol hill. Unanimous consent for the for this bill in both the house and the senate it says that within 90 days of the enactment an act of the bill the treasury the state department has to come up with names of individuals who are deemed to be to be eroding the basic law of hong kong was agreed upon in 1970 during the handover and Financial Institutions the do significant business with those individuals and bend the administration has a year to enact sanctions upon both the individuals and those foreign financial and those Financial Institutions. One of hong kongs most prominent democracy activists has fled the city nathan law says hes going overseas because of chinas tough new National Security legislation is bad to continue his work abroad but hasnt revealed his Current Location thousands of people have protested against the law which could jail people for life on charges of secession subversion terrorism and collusion with foreign forces. Democracy activists in hong kong are considering creating a parliament in exile salman chang you previously worked in the british consulate in hong kong says it would send a message that freedom cannot be crushed chain was granted asylum here in the u. K. After he was allegedly tortured by chinese secret police. The shared apartment is 0. 10 to ferry clear signals to beijing then on conforte starts actually to democracy need not to be based on the mercy of beijing and the not to be complied with the constitution or or or or the system because the people are losing hope that the beijing or the authorities can live up to promise to lots of people if they can get 11 person one folks to run to to see to elect representatives and even their leader so now we want to set the non official civic groups that truly reflects the force of arms on people. At least 2 people have been killed after Ethiopian Security forces opened fire on a crowd trying to attend a popular singers funeral a child 200 s. It was buried in his hometown and bow days after his murder by unknown gunmen sparked waves of unrest more than 80 people were killed in the violence that followed her dresses assassination in added some of us singers music gave voice to the aroma ethiopias Largest Ethnic Group a landslide at the heart of the worlds jade Mining Industry has killed at least 162 people miners were buried by a wave of muddy water when a pile of waste collapsed into a lake in northern me and mar emergency workers had to push their way through heavy mud to recover bodies in the mineral rich prachanda region at least 54 others were injured. A former partner of the convicted paedophile Geoffrey Epstein has been arrested and charged which is socialite maxwell is accused of recruiting and grooming young girls who were abused by epstein new york prosecutors say she played a Critical Role in finding victims and sometimes participated in the abuse Geoffrey Epstein committed suicide while awaiting trial last august. To see what this battlefield washington is up next more news after that ive now. Ah donald trump do solemnly swear i dawdled john traub do solemnly swear that i will faithfully execute i will faithfully execute the office of president of the United States the authors of president of the United States the day trump this morning and the 2016 election that secured his victory is already under investigation did russia help them get the presidency. So help me god directly. As he walks on pennsylvania avenue from where he took the oath of office towards the white house he steps onto a political battlefield. Pennsylvania avenue is the heart of washington it connects Major Political Players Congress the f. B. I. The department of justice. The press. The white house. This is the story set at one of the most powerful capitals in the world a political and judicial conflict. A battle that has pitted tromp against those who believe he was an accomplice and russias interference is. A battle for the truth about the president of the United States and for the principles of american democracy. Prosy. According to top u. S. Intelligence chiefs the russians interfered in the 2016 president ial election putin they say developed a clear preference for trump over clinton so russias Intelligence Services stole and leaked thousands of clintons emails to discredit her. 2 weeks before his inauguration they briefed trump. Trump rejects their conclusions he does not want his victory to be questioned. The intelligence agencies maintain their findings and partially release them to the public they say putin ordered an influence campaign to help trump win the election. Role is immediately raised in congress which calls the chiefs of the Intelligence Community to testify. In. Their question by Democratic Party sen i just go down the line in. Any of your careers have you ever seen this level of russian interference in our political process and start with drucker komi and just go down the lord no. I have known. You know. I think very few documents that i can remember would have had the political weight and the political influence of this particular document. The purpose of making that report public was to make sure the American People were aware of some of the dynamics going on behind the scenes this was the 1st time that a major covert action major clandestine action against the United States at the very heart of our democratic process had been tempted because of the sophistication of the attempts and then the pervasiveness of those attempts to have a widespread impact it was broader than anything that had been seen in prior actions. By reading. U. S. Intelligence community you know for sure is blaming bush president Vladimir Putins who were in the campaign trail russia tried Everything Possible to get to the november election i pod intelligence and there are. Only 3 days after the intelligence reports a new classified document makes the headlines want to be very precise here multiple u. S. Officials with direct knowledge of the briefings tell c. N. N. That classified documents included allegations that russian operatives claimed to have compromising personal and Financial Information about mr trump this is a confidential report written by an ex british spy Christopher Steele on secret links between trump his businesses and the russians. It claims moscow has been helping trump all along with the regular flow of intelligence and that the russians have compromising material on. The main point of the steel dossier that there was an ongoing attempt by the russians to get close to the Trump Campaign is undisputed at this point he doesnt like the fact that the press said it but it is out there is no mr president like president as if you were to i know are not a decision that you get with a still dossier made public trust battle with the press intensifies rice are going to do it mr president you say categorically why should the president like can you give us are going to be reading us can you give us are going to be you know not getting to during his 1st weeks at the White House Trump is on the defensive the man who just appointed National Security adviser general Michael Flynn is caught in the eye of the storm. He lied about his contacts with moscow and the Russian Embassy and washington. The press reveals it and trump has to retreat mike flynn is a fine person and i asked for his resignation he respectfully gave it flynn is the 1st victim of the battle of washington but firing flint is not enough the question remains what are the relations between trump and moscow did she knowingly. Cooperate with a hostile foreign power to take over the leadership of the United States. For many months to come finding the truth will test the pillars of the american political system the independence of justice the freedom of the press and the rule of long. Under pressure from the press and from the Democrats Congress gets involved. In congress before the 2018 it term elections the republicans trumps party are the majority and the democrats are the opposition but on some crucial issues its a tradition for the 2 parties to Work Together this is the spirit of bipartisanship its just. Since keeping the American People safe and maintaining a such a strong homeland of National Security is so important to this country it is the issue that demands the most bipartisan support and so democrats and republicans demanded that there be a bipartisan investigation demanded that there be bipartisan hearings and i was hopeful that this would lead to bipartisan action congressional committees have power and they can summon whomever they want as witnesses and lying to them is a crime their public hearings are followed by millions of americans and so high ranking high level government officials came to the congress the United States in front of the American People under oath and gave their assessment about russias interference in our election a key figure of these hearings is james combing the director of the f. B. I. Who heads up a staff of more than 35000 men and women. I have been authorized by the department of justice to confirm that the f. B. I. As part of our Counterintelligence Mission is investigating the russian governments efforts. Interfere in the 2016 president ial election and that includes investigating the nature of any links between individuals associated with the Trump Campaign and the russian government and whether there was any coordination between the campaign and russias efforts and early may 2017 if he is grilled over the involvement of tramaine camp komi himself gets into a minefield and have you ruled out the president out of state but i dont. I dont want people over interpret his answer im not going to comment on anyone in particular so potentially the prez United States could be a target of your ongoing investigation. I just worry i dont want to answer that that thats seems to me unfair speculation we will follow the evidence well try and find as much as we can to follow the evidence wherever it leads by refusing to say publicly that trump is not under investigation komi is just put himself on a collision course with the president. This is an n. B. C. News special report heres mr holmes and good day everyone we learned a short time ago that President Trump has fired f. B. I. Director james comey but we are in a less than a week after colemans hearing in Congress Trump fires him an attack against the f. B. I. And explosive news. Bombshell from the white house wait to be i director james could be fired by president truman we can we dont know this is something that caught all the Law Enforcement community by surprise and it caught the Intelligence Community in washington d. C. A surprise to the. State. And the dismissal came in harsh terms in a letter signed by the president you are terminated immediately. I was stunned i think most of the American Public was stunned i didnt even realize the president could fire the f. B. I. Director the f. B. I. Director serves by law for a 10 year period and so it came as a shock i talked to a number of friends colleagues after that happened who are still in the f. B. I. And it was this essence of i cant believe the president did this but i think he was just exercising what he believed was his Authority Just as if he was the c. E. O. Of trump enterprises. And congress one question needs to be addressed by the Investigative Committee why did trump fire james komi. Why do you believe you were fired. So i dont know for sure i believe the prick think the president at his word that i was fired because of the russian versification something about the way i was conducting it the president felt created pressure on him they wanted to relieve he was asking for something and i was refusing to give it. And fact early in his term trump asked to speak to call me in private. There was a meeting at the white house a one on one meeting between trump and call me call me must have had his antenna up because he felt like something was wrong because as soon as he was done that meeting he wrote up these memos. After meeting with trump call me sat in his car and wrote down what was discussed the meeting was about general fled the advisor who had lied about his contacts with russia trump said he hoped komi come let the matter go. I hope you can let this go now those are his exact words is that correct correct and you wrote them here and you put them in quotes correct ok he did not order you to let it go it is a present United States with me alone saying i hope this i took it as this is what he wanted me to do i didnt obey that but thats why it took. Colins account is correct if the president calls in the director the f. B. I. And says can you can you drop the case you guys have against this person for political reasons i think that absolutely is obstruction of justice. American law says anybody from an average citizen all the way up to the president who tries to block and a criminal investigation for the wrong reasons with what we call corrupt intent a bad motive. Is guilty of obstruction of justice did you at any time the urge former f. B. I. Director james comey in any way shape or form to close or to back down the investigation into Michael Flynn and also as you will know next question next question. Soon after firing the f. B. I. Director trump is about to face a new challenge. Feature breaking news right now tonight im sure this would be just disappointing the special counsel to counsel robert. Bob holder to now oversee the pressure probe and look at the possible connections between top Campaign Associates and rush and this is. Only 8 days after the firing of james combing the Justice Department appoints Robert Muller to take over the russian probe. For this mission Robert Mueller was called out of retirement he had been director of the f. B. I. For 12 years and in 2013 he had left the Law Enforcement agency with full honors and his Farewell Speech he proclaimed his unshakable faith in the rule of law. Have always been proud to say that i work for the department of justice because of that for which it stands which is an unyielding commitment to the rule of law and to the safety and security of the citizens we serve a know. Quite well. I worked with him for about 4 years when i was the cia Deputy Director and he was the director of the f. B. I. Hes not a self promoting individual and he has a very High Standard for what is true and what is not true administrator pistole he pointed me as his number 2 person in the f. B. I. As a Deputy Director and so i had the chance to get to know him and then. Work with him so let me say a few words about director ball or politics or just dont play any role in his calculations so he is all about finding the truth and doing it under the rule of law so yeah hes a man to be told that. Robert muller was placed under the authority of the department of justice and its Deputy Attorney general Rod Rosenstein. His new orders give him far reaching powers. Moller can investigate moscows relations with the Trump Campaign and any other matters. Most are waste no time immediately orders the preservation of millions of official documents forbidding the destruction of records that could be useful in the russia probe emails phone records audio recordings metadata and storage devices recordings eventually or exit of the buildings video surveillance. Once a person or a company or or a bureaucracy knows that theres a criminal investigation to destroy evidence after that becomes a federal crime and so i think mahlers 1st move was a smart one but the order also shows that there is a concern that these documents might be destroyed by a white house that is trying to hide the truth from investigators. This was only the beginning of the bitter struggle between muller and the president of the House Speaker<\/a> nancy pelosi has condemned the arrests of protesters in hong kong as a real tragedy its so sad but in the congress in the house and in the senate in a very unified way we have all worked together it has been a from a a joy to be bonding with my colleagues on both sides we are both sides of capitol on this very important issue and the republicans have been there every step of the way i hope the president will be. She have a chance he has more from capitol hill. Unanimous consent for the for this bill in both the house and the senate it says that within 90 days of the enactment an act of the bill the treasury the state department has to come up with names of individuals who are deemed to be to be eroding the basic law of hong kong was agreed upon in 1970 during the handover and Financial Institutions<\/a> the do significant business with those individuals and bend the administration has a year to enact sanctions upon both the individuals and those foreign financial and those Financial Institutions<\/a>. One of hong kongs most prominent democracy activists has fled the city nathan law says hes going overseas because of chinas tough new National Security<\/a> legislation is bad to continue his work abroad but hasnt revealed his Current Location<\/a> thousands of people have protested against the law which could jail people for life on charges of secession subversion terrorism and collusion with foreign forces. Democracy activists in hong kong are considering creating a parliament in exile salman chang you previously worked in the british consulate in hong kong says it would send a message that freedom cannot be crushed chain was granted asylum here in the u. K. After he was allegedly tortured by chinese secret police. The shared apartment is 0. 10 to ferry clear signals to beijing then on conforte starts actually to democracy need not to be based on the mercy of beijing and the not to be complied with the constitution or or or or the system because the people are losing hope that the beijing or the authorities can live up to promise to lots of people if they can get 11 person one folks to run to to see to elect representatives and even their leader so now we want to set the non official civic groups that truly reflects the force of arms on people. At least 2 people have been killed after Ethiopian Security<\/a> forces opened fire on a crowd trying to attend a popular singers funeral a child 200 s. It was buried in his hometown and bow days after his murder by unknown gunmen sparked waves of unrest more than 80 people were killed in the violence that followed her dresses assassination in added some of us singers music gave voice to the aroma ethiopias Largest Ethnic Group<\/a> a landslide at the heart of the worlds jade Mining Industry<\/a> has killed at least 162 people miners were buried by a wave of muddy water when a pile of waste collapsed into a lake in northern me and mar emergency workers had to push their way through heavy mud to recover bodies in the mineral rich prachanda region at least 54 others were injured. A former partner of the convicted paedophile Geoffrey Epstein<\/a> has been arrested and charged which is socialite maxwell is accused of recruiting and grooming young girls who were abused by epstein new york prosecutors say she played a Critical Role<\/a> in finding victims and sometimes participated in the abuse Geoffrey Epstein<\/a> committed suicide while awaiting trial last august. To see what this battlefield washington is up next more news after that ive now. Ah donald trump do solemnly swear i dawdled john traub do solemnly swear that i will faithfully execute i will faithfully execute the office of president of the United States<\/a> the authors of president of the United States<\/a> the day trump this morning and the 2016 election that secured his victory is already under investigation did russia help them get the presidency. So help me god directly. As he walks on pennsylvania avenue from where he took the oath of office towards the white house he steps onto a political battlefield. Pennsylvania avenue is the heart of washington it connects Major Political<\/a> Players Congress<\/a> the f. B. I. The department of justice. The press. The white house. This is the story set at one of the most powerful capitals in the world a political and judicial conflict. A battle that has pitted tromp against those who believe he was an accomplice and russias interference is. A battle for the truth about the president of the United States<\/a> and for the principles of american democracy. Prosy. According to top u. S. Intelligence chiefs the russians interfered in the 2016 president ial election putin they say developed a clear preference for trump over clinton so russias Intelligence Services<\/a> stole and leaked thousands of clintons emails to discredit her. 2 weeks before his inauguration they briefed trump. Trump rejects their conclusions he does not want his victory to be questioned. The intelligence agencies maintain their findings and partially release them to the public they say putin ordered an influence campaign to help trump win the election. Role is immediately raised in congress which calls the chiefs of the Intelligence Community<\/a> to testify. In. Their question by Democratic Party<\/a> sen i just go down the line in. Any of your careers have you ever seen this level of russian interference in our political process and start with drucker komi and just go down the lord no. I have known. You know. I think very few documents that i can remember would have had the political weight and the political influence of this particular document. The purpose of making that report public was to make sure the American People<\/a> were aware of some of the dynamics going on behind the scenes this was the 1st time that a major covert action major clandestine action against the United States<\/a> at the very heart of our democratic process had been tempted because of the sophistication of the attempts and then the pervasiveness of those attempts to have a widespread impact it was broader than anything that had been seen in prior actions. By reading. U. S. Intelligence community you know for sure is blaming bush president Vladimir Putins<\/a> who were in the campaign trail russia tried Everything Possible<\/a> to get to the november election i pod intelligence and there are. Only 3 days after the intelligence reports a new classified document makes the headlines want to be very precise here multiple u. S. Officials with direct knowledge of the briefings tell c. N. N. That classified documents included allegations that russian operatives claimed to have compromising personal and Financial Information<\/a> about mr trump this is a confidential report written by an ex british spy Christopher Steele<\/a> on secret links between trump his businesses and the russians. It claims moscow has been helping trump all along with the regular flow of intelligence and that the russians have compromising material on. The main point of the steel dossier that there was an ongoing attempt by the russians to get close to the Trump Campaign<\/a> is undisputed at this point he doesnt like the fact that the press said it but it is out there is no mr president like president as if you were to i know are not a decision that you get with a still dossier made public trust battle with the press intensifies rice are going to do it mr president you say categorically why should the president like can you give us are going to be reading us can you give us are going to be you know not getting to during his 1st weeks at the White House Trump<\/a> is on the defensive the man who just appointed National Security<\/a> adviser general Michael Flynn<\/a> is caught in the eye of the storm. He lied about his contacts with moscow and the Russian Embassy<\/a> and washington. The press reveals it and trump has to retreat mike flynn is a fine person and i asked for his resignation he respectfully gave it flynn is the 1st victim of the battle of washington but firing flint is not enough the question remains what are the relations between trump and moscow did she knowingly. Cooperate with a hostile foreign power to take over the leadership of the United States<\/a>. For many months to come finding the truth will test the pillars of the american political system the independence of justice the freedom of the press and the rule of long. Under pressure from the press and from the Democrats Congress<\/a> gets involved. In congress before the 2018 it term elections the republicans trumps party are the majority and the democrats are the opposition but on some crucial issues its a tradition for the 2 parties to Work Together<\/a> this is the spirit of bipartisanship its just. Since keeping the American People<\/a> safe and maintaining a such a strong homeland of National Security<\/a> is so important to this country it is the issue that demands the most bipartisan support and so democrats and republicans demanded that there be a bipartisan investigation demanded that there be bipartisan hearings and i was hopeful that this would lead to bipartisan action congressional committees have power and they can summon whomever they want as witnesses and lying to them is a crime their public hearings are followed by millions of americans and so high ranking high level government officials came to the congress the United States<\/a> in front of the American People<\/a> under oath and gave their assessment about russias interference in our election a key figure of these hearings is james combing the director of the f. B. I. Who heads up a staff of more than 35000 men and women. I have been authorized by the department of justice to confirm that the f. B. I. As part of our Counterintelligence Mission<\/a> is investigating the russian governments efforts. Interfere in the 2016 president ial election and that includes investigating the nature of any links between individuals associated with the Trump Campaign<\/a> and the russian government and whether there was any coordination between the campaign and russias efforts and early may 2017 if he is grilled over the involvement of tramaine camp komi himself gets into a minefield and have you ruled out the president out of state but i dont. I dont want people over interpret his answer im not going to comment on anyone in particular so potentially the prez United States<\/a> could be a target of your ongoing investigation. I just worry i dont want to answer that that thats seems to me unfair speculation we will follow the evidence well try and find as much as we can to follow the evidence wherever it leads by refusing to say publicly that trump is not under investigation komi is just put himself on a collision course with the president. This is an n. B. C. News special report heres mr holmes and good day everyone we learned a short time ago that President Trump<\/a> has fired f. B. I. Director james comey but we are in a less than a week after colemans hearing in Congress Trump<\/a> fires him an attack against the f. B. I. And explosive news. Bombshell from the white house wait to be i director james could be fired by president truman we can we dont know this is something that caught all the Law Enforcement<\/a> community by surprise and it caught the Intelligence Community<\/a> in washington d. C. A surprise to the. State. And the dismissal came in harsh terms in a letter signed by the president you are terminated immediately. I was stunned i think most of the American Public<\/a> was stunned i didnt even realize the president could fire the f. B. I. Director the f. B. I. Director serves by law for a 10 year period and so it came as a shock i talked to a number of friends colleagues after that happened who are still in the f. B. I. And it was this essence of i cant believe the president did this but i think he was just exercising what he believed was his Authority Just<\/a> as if he was the c. E. O. Of trump enterprises. And congress one question needs to be addressed by the Investigative Committee<\/a> why did trump fire james komi. Why do you believe you were fired. So i dont know for sure i believe the prick think the president at his word that i was fired because of the russian versification something about the way i was conducting it the president felt created pressure on him they wanted to relieve he was asking for something and i was refusing to give it. And fact early in his term trump asked to speak to call me in private. There was a meeting at the white house a one on one meeting between trump and call me call me must have had his antenna up because he felt like something was wrong because as soon as he was done that meeting he wrote up these memos. After meeting with trump call me sat in his car and wrote down what was discussed the meeting was about general fled the advisor who had lied about his contacts with russia trump said he hoped komi come let the matter go. I hope you can let this go now those are his exact words is that correct correct and you wrote them here and you put them in quotes correct ok he did not order you to let it go it is a present United States<\/a> with me alone saying i hope this i took it as this is what he wanted me to do i didnt obey that but thats why it took. Colins account is correct if the president calls in the director the f. B. I. And says can you can you drop the case you guys have against this person for political reasons i think that absolutely is obstruction of justice. American law says anybody from an average citizen all the way up to the president who tries to block and a criminal investigation for the wrong reasons with what we call corrupt intent a bad motive. Is guilty of obstruction of justice did you at any time the urge former f. B. I. Director james comey in any way shape or form to close or to back down the investigation into Michael Flynn<\/a> and also as you will know next question next question. Soon after firing the f. B. I. Director trump is about to face a new challenge. Feature breaking news right now tonight im sure this would be just disappointing the special counsel to counsel robert. Bob holder to now oversee the pressure probe and look at the possible connections between top Campaign Associates<\/a> and rush and this is. Only 8 days after the firing of james combing the Justice Department<\/a> appoints Robert Muller<\/a> to take over the russian probe. For this mission Robert Mueller<\/a> was called out of retirement he had been director of the f. B. I. For 12 years and in 2013 he had left the Law Enforcement<\/a> agency with full honors and his Farewell Speech<\/a> he proclaimed his unshakable faith in the rule of law. Have always been proud to say that i work for the department of justice because of that for which it stands which is an unyielding commitment to the rule of law and to the safety and security of the citizens we serve a know. Quite well. I worked with him for about 4 years when i was the cia Deputy Director<\/a> and he was the director of the f. B. I. Hes not a self promoting individual and he has a very High Standard<\/a> for what is true and what is not true administrator pistole he pointed me as his number 2 person in the f. B. I. As a Deputy Director<\/a> and so i had the chance to get to know him and then. Work with him so let me say a few words about director ball or politics or just dont play any role in his calculations so he is all about finding the truth and doing it under the rule of law so yeah hes a man to be told that. Robert muller was placed under the authority of the department of justice and its Deputy Attorney<\/a> general Rod Rosenstein<\/a>. His new orders give him far reaching powers. Moller can investigate moscows relations with the Trump Campaign<\/a> and any other matters. Most are waste no time immediately orders the preservation of millions of official documents forbidding the destruction of records that could be useful in the russia probe emails phone records audio recordings metadata and storage devices recordings eventually or exit of the buildings video surveillance. Once a person or a company or or a bureaucracy knows that theres a criminal investigation to destroy evidence after that becomes a federal crime and so i think mahlers 1st move was a smart one but the order also shows that there is a concern that these documents might be destroyed by a white house that is trying to hide the truth from investigators. This was only the beginning of the bitter struggle between muller and the president of the United States<\/a>. So we have mr miller whos known as a tough cop hes a big impose in 6 foot something experienced Justice Department<\/a> official hes a tough cop the press was saying hes a tough cop he always gets his man. And he will press and squeeze and he will flying what is truth and what is fiction he is careful he is by the book he does not speak publicly other than his Court Filings<\/a> he is incredibly hard working and focused mr trump on the other hand is a bulldog and it is impulsive where i could stand in the middle if if they have a new and shoot somebody and i wouldnt lose any voters ok its like incredibly there are not 2 more different people on earth than bob mahler and President Trump<\/a> and very early on in the in this whole process i think the trunk people realize that the best defense would be a political one and not a legal one legally they really dont have a lot to stand on trump and his people made a determination very early on were going to claim that this whole thing is politically motivated is a witch hunt that a whole new way if they really were the witch hunt i would call it the rig to which i dont. Know what youre saying if you know when she was a democrat gets fired when you dont add something. On the phone to you which you truly was of the. Is washington celebrates the 4th of july and. And instead a major offensive against the president is about to be launched. The surprise attack comes from the center of washington from the press. The New York Times<\/a> claims the Trump Campaign<\/a> was in secret contact with russian officials 5 months before the 2016 election a major scoop. This was the work of our washington best a case of saying it was over and over weeks that we learned more and more about the meeting and the fact is that occurred. So yes it was very exciting to have that scoop again we didnt know that much about the meeting we didnt learn it all at once but weve built on it since then you know and mahler is looking at that meeting the meeting is organized via emails between the son of the president and an intermediary who offered quote information that would incriminate hillary and would be very useful to donald trump ultra sensitive stuff he adds don jr answers if its what you say i love it the meeting takes place on the 9th of june 2016 in new york at trump tower around the table Donald Trumps<\/a> on his son in law his Campaign Director<\/a> paul man a for intermediary and for russian nationals the news spread like wildfire according to the New York Times<\/a> the right to New York Times<\/a> report on to the New York Times<\/a> reports the president s son Donald Trump Jr<\/a> was promised damaging information about Hillary Clinton<\/a> for agreeing to meet last summer with a russian lawyer a russian lawyer in question has been actions with from. When Donald Trump Jr<\/a> responded enthusiastically to the idea of receiving information that would be harmful to Hillary Clinton<\/a> i think that was a gift to russia it represented an attempt by. Russia to have a base of influence if you will. News comes at a time when trump was in hamburg for an International Summit<\/a> where he had a meeting with Vladimir Putin<\/a> and. The public told you a lot of very positive things happening in washington for the United States<\/a> and for everybody in that manner to be with you thank you thank you. Immediately after this handshake the trunk camp has to do damage control over the New York Times<\/a> story they put out a statement saying the story was wrong. You know from air force one they were very very alarmed by it on the plane ride back to the United States<\/a> is when the president and his team come cox this story about how the trump tower meeting was about adoptions. Flying back with his father trump jr sends an explanation to the press. At the meeting he says was merely about the adoption of russian children in the United States<\/a>. So the 1000000. 00 question with the trump tower meeting is what did the president know about it and when did his son tell and about the meeting at a time junior called his father and said hey we have this meeting coming up with some russian people that are offering us information and the president said great go for it let me know hes part of a conspiracy that is a not to bring someone into a conspiracy trump fights back. I came up with the term fake news its a lot of fake news this is fake news put out by the media is called fake news people back there you know those very dishonest people back there that these guys that crockett. Thing. Right. Back words have meaning and power and a lot of people myself included good. Were going to offer pizza dough to them yet still do they call us the enemy of the people is just going too far the press is trying to report the facts as they see them and the president has decided that he would like to shoot the messenger. From sunrise to sunset. Across asia. And the pacific. Explore untold on fascinating stories. Of diverse cultures. And conflicting politics. One o one east on aljazeera. London is one of the most important cities in the world and decisions made here have an impact right around the globe and so here at aljazeera we will show you the true impact of those decisions on people but how it affects their everyday that. We are free to put them on air and to really engage this is because we know there are all he says interested not just in the mainstream news but also the more hidden stories from parts of the world that often go under reported. In a 2 part series. Observes the lives of 2 children. Over 20 years. Where insights into circumstances that shape lives. In a rapidly changing world. 20 years of mean continues with good morning groups in young on aljazeera. Heller and Taylor Nandan<\/a> were the top stories on our jazeera tensions are growing again between the worlds 2 largest economies this time over hong kong the u. S. Senate has 4 of the house in approving new sanctions over chinas decision to impose a harsh security law on the city ability to penalize banks doing business with chinese officials whove implemented the new legislation will now be sent to President Donald Trump<\/a> for approval chinas government has faced worldwide criticism over the security law which critics say dismantles hong kongs special freedoms House Speaker<\/a> nancy pelosi has condemned the arrests of protesters in hong kong as a real tragedy and its so sad but in the congress in the house and in the senate. And a very unified way we have all worked together it has been a for me a joy to be bonding with my colleagues on both sides both sides of capitol on this very important issue and the republicans have been there every step of the way i hope the president will be at least 2 people are being killed off to ethiopia and Security Forces<\/a> opened fire on a crowd trying to attend a popular singers funeral a child who was buried in his hometown ambo days after his murder by all known gunmen spot waves of unrest 80 people were killed in the violence that followed who dresses assassination in as a suburb of the singers music gave voice to the aroma if he appears Largest Ethnic Group<\/a>. A landslide at the heart of the worlds jade Mining Industry<\/a> has killed at least 162 people miners were buried by a wave of muddy water when a pile of waste collapsed into a lake in northern me and mark emergency workers had to push their way through heavy mud to recover bodies in the mineral rich patent region at least 54 others were injured. The former partner of the convicted paedophile Geoffrey Epstein<\/a> has been arrested and charged british socialite then maxwell is accused of recruiting and grooming young girls who were abused by obscene new york prosecutors say she played a Critical Role<\/a> in finding victims and sometimes participated in the abuse Geoffrey Epstein<\/a> committed suicide while awaiting trial last August Maxwell<\/a> faces up to 35 years in prison if convicted theres that mindset to stay with us battlefield washington can his next of about the news hour show that. This is the story set in one of the most powerful capitals in the world a political and judicial conflict. A battle that has pitted donald trump against those who believe he was an accomplice and brushes interference. Could soon knowing. Cooperate with a hostile foreign power to take over the leadership of the state. This was the 1st time a major covert action of major clandestine action against the United States<\/a> at the very heart of our democratic process at the text of. An october 2017 special counsel Robert Muller<\/a> issues his 1st indictments against people close to the president. Made up for trumps Campaign Director<\/a> and gates Deputy Director<\/a> of the campaign are both charged for breaking a series of laws papadopoulos Foreign Affairs<\/a> advisor to the campaign is charged for having lied to the f. B. I. Motion festive occasion at 0 g. And on his 1st targets to the. Right here by the. French a string is a foreach. Enjoying the topless line about his contacts with foreign nationals in a series of people in d. C. Suddenly in deep deep trouble those charged by muller become fair game for the press even if theyre not directly linked to the russian and or for. In the 2016 election. When the initial indictments were issued by mueller people rightfully said wait a minute this is supposed to be about russia so whats going on and a lot of people have said none of this is collusion who cares why is moller charging these crimes if its not pollution no collusion theres no collusion and it just seems to be the focus dont collude you know up front you know nothing theres no police no good whatsoever present trumps reactions or that any time one of his colleagues or friends has been indicted or even pled guilty for him the litmus test of the bottom line is did they stab us if there was collusion between President Trump<\/a> and his inner circle and the russians and thus far that has not been charged publicly so thats what he is. Claiming as a victory one thing that people i think really misunderstand about the american federal criminal Justice System<\/a> is just how much we rely on cooperating witnesses the defendants the people of being charged the people who have done something wrong have the option of cooperating why then would incriminate characters cooperate with investigators its all about leverage you have to charge someone with a crime that you have the evidence on and then hope that that person is unwilling to take the risk of going to jail for a long time and instead decides to come in and cooperate in this drama between miller and the white house theres theres a lot of behind the scenes negotiation and strategy play its very much a game as muller builds up his case his investigation suddenly faces a setback. We start with a new explosive information be key figure in the mole investigation removed from this job one of my trusted aides is discredited its a long time efficiently impeach bush shows name is peter strong going to be an agent peter struck and struck the alleged mistress and f. B. I. And were named lisa page. The press publishes the Text Messages<\/a> of peter struck and lisa page. Struck with a trusted advisor a bomb all or transcripts of his messages show that he was for family anti trump. Oh my god hes an idiot says struck. Hes awful says page. I have no idea how destabilizing his presidency would be. Struck was dismissed but the damage was done and Congress President<\/a> s cant can now use trucks opinion to claim that the f. B. I. And the special counsel are politically tanta now the investigations into donald trump have been infected. With the fire a subsidy or bias the pro truck media escalates the attack it denounces it as a Conspiracy Theory<\/a> desiccation was weaponized to destroy his presidency who is underway right here some sort of subversion campaign for trump diehards the investigations that are closing in on the president are weapons in the hands of an anti trumped deep state weve been hijacked by a deep state it is so addition. Father we pray for President Trump<\/a> yes lord give him extra calcium it has backbone yes god made his enemies confound his enemies alou not fall into their traps this we pray in the name of jesus hey man and the mickey for watching d. The idea of a deep state is one of the dumbest ideas ive ever heard. There is no such thing as a deep state i have not seen that the state this is another made up Conspiracy Theory<\/a> that there is a deep state out to get trump hes always looking for ways to blame his own problems on other people and this is another one totally false. But a deep state notion dry. And congress well the consensus over investigating the russian meddling withstand the pressure. There was a hope an expectation that congress as a bipartisan institution could get to the bottom of all this and weve been through it well know at that and. The leader of the democrats in the House Intelligence Committee<\/a> has to admit that there will be no consensus on the issue. Last night the majority on the Intelligence Committee<\/a> made the decision to prematurely shut down the russian best occasion the only authorized investigation in the house of representatives that was a terrible disservice to the country and the American People<\/a> this is no way to run investigation it is only a way to go through the motions to give the pretense of trying to find the truth hardly the congress failure to uncover the whole truth you just asked only one name Robert Mueller<\/a>. On the 9th of april 2018. New York Attorney<\/a> becomes the latest target of Bob Marley Michael<\/a> cohen Donald Trumps<\/a> personal lawyer Michael Cohen<\/a> is Donald Trumps<\/a> longtime personal lawyer and fixer is the city president s lawyer and he has the ball as the keys to the kingdom he knows all the secrets about donald trump. Cards with. The f. B. I. Searched cohens office at the request of a local prosecutor on charges of financial fraud. The move initiated by paul miller as a direct challenge to the president himself. So i just heard that they broke into the office d of one of my personal attorneys a good man i said that its really valid a whole. New level of unfair that. Cohen is someone who might know about trumps alleged real estate dealings in russia there was fairly Common Knowledge<\/a> in the Real Estate Community<\/a> and the International Finance<\/a> community in the Political Community<\/a> the russians were funding in various ways many major trunk real estate projects cohen my also know the president why months earlier he denied having anything to do with russia i know nothing in russia i have no loans in russia i dont have any deals in russian the lack of financial transparency of the Trump Organization<\/a> and the extent to which they have received financing from russian oligarchs or russian interests is unknown to the American People<\/a> even to this day i have nothing to do with russia havent made a phone call to russia in years dont speak to people from russia not that i wouldnt and i just have nobody to speak to did putin help trump in the election is there a secret pact between the 2 men if so cohen could be a key witness a major element of the special council straw. Audigy i immediately recognize the strategy that muller was following because my own background as a federal prosecutor was doing organized crime mafia cases it is incredibly rare that youre able to right off the bat make a case against the top guys usually the way you have to build these cases is you have to do it brick by brick and you have to start on the outside and work your way in start at the bottom and work your way up and so in the mafia cases we would start with the low ranking guys and if we could get one to flip and cooperate he would then give us information about these 2 guys higher up the chain and you have to build up and it seems that thats what Robert Muller<\/a> has done here the pressure on cohen builds investigators are digging into his life the f. B. I. Also seems communications between Michael Campbell<\/a> again to president true. Even one who comes in life and possibly in Donald Trumps<\/a> life the question is asking himself at the white house tonight is will Michael Cohen<\/a> cracker crumbs lawyer is faced with a choice remain silent going to jail or reveal his client secrets and there his wrath there is this notion of loyalty one of donald trump sort of defining beliefs is youre either loyal to me or youre dead to me and thats consistent with the way the mafia. Operates if you are loyal to the boss and the family how can trump keep his lawyer loyal. He enjoys an extraordinary constitutional power the right to pardon he said he makes an expeditious use of the. President started to do with our far right commentary to were not just hearing President Donald Trump<\/a> has officially departed for america how confident that they should be it can figuring out how it is now president especially which is one terminally very very good to hear specially given the current part of. The pardons are very positive thing for a president i think you see the way im using now yes there will be more a part. Issued some high. I profile pardons and i think by doing that i think he was sending a message to some of the people who might slip on him Michael Cohen<\/a> paul metaphor and others of hey im using this this part of power and perhaps there could be one for you down the line if you stay quiet theres basically a deal if you will an informal deal that if you keep your mouth shut then ill take care of the. Club if witnesses keep silent it weakens mahler and his investigation. No im not above the law but yes i do have an absolute right to pardon myself i have the absolute right i dont have to do it never did anything wrong or you know that better than anybody the idea that. A u. S. President would even talk about or even consider pardon themselves is just unprecedented and i think undermines the credibility of our whole way of governance and democracy in general so when you have President Trump<\/a> who seems to think that he is above the law its antithetical not just to the american idea but to the idea of modern democracy heres one person who is in charge of the state on behalf of allah he has not seen. More than a year into his presidency comes actions are about to test the very hard hearing system of government. It was a tough time to try to fire. Up to the no. No no on issue on the planted issues new army and it appears to be black under control were just going to are we are carriers should be respected. As the attacks on mom are intensifying the man stands up to protect the special counsel Rod Rosenstein<\/a> the number 2 at the department of justice he appointed muller and thats the Legal Authority<\/a> to oversee his operations and to fire him. Unassuming but steady he has been shielding smaller for months. Have you seen good cause to fire special counsel no thank you if you were ordered today to fire mr mohler what would you do if there were good cause i would act if there were no good cause i would not and you have seen no good cause so far correct rod rosas that is has become a beacon for anger from donald trump and from Congressional Republicans<\/a> and i think theyre disappointed in him i think they hoped that he would be partisan because he is a long time republican but instead rosenstein has shown himself to be fairly independent and a Law Enforcement<\/a> person 1st and congressmen from somalia or at meal times and im not keeping any information from conyers thought of you why did you never mention we allow those who did not call you why didnt you have a present it is for finding a good fundraiser all for your own just because you know weve come in hiding information that you can answer if you have evidence of wrongdoing by any member of the trunk campaign presented to the damn grand jury whatever you guys finish the hell up to attack someone like that is very damaging ultimately to the system and importantly to the confidence that americans have in their government when elected representatives politicize the judicial process in this is only the independence of justice. What is remarkable now is the white house and the Justice Department<\/a> are at war that our Justice Department<\/a> and our f. B. I. Have to start doing their job and doing it right and doing it. The president s view seems to be and his lawyers have said this hes in charge of the executive branch he can do whatever he wants i want to stay out but at some point if it doesnt straighten out properly i want to do that job i will get involved and ill get in there if i have. And i would Rod Rosenstein<\/a> he does nonearning direct and there are people who have been. Making threats privately and publicly against me for quite some time and i think they should understand by now the department of justice is not going to be extorted were going to do whats required by the rule of law and any kind of threats that anybody makes are not gonna affect the way we do our job we have a responsibility and we take an oath thats the whole yes everybody in the Department Takes<\/a> that oath 115000 employees and if they violate it they know theyre going to be held accountable and i know those folks know that im not going to violate my oath. And mid july 2018 months capital post the 1st summit between donald trump and Vladimir Putin<\/a>. Just 3 days before in washington Rod Rosenstein<\/a> made a momentous announcement a new wave of indictments by bob. Good afternoon indictment charges 12 Russian Military<\/a> officers by name for conspiring to interfere with the 2016 president ial election according to the allegations in the indictment the defendants work for 2 units of the g. R. U. The g. R. U. Russias military Intelligence Service<\/a> is accused of conspiracy against the United States<\/a> units and gauged an active Cyber Operations<\/a> to interfere in the. 2016 president ial election. The russian agents targeted in particular the computers of trumps adversaries the defendants covertly monitor the computers implanted hundreds of files containing malicious computer code and stole emails and other dr. Mullers indictment of 12 Russian Military<\/a> Intelligence Officers<\/a> conspiring to interfere with the 2016 u. S. President ial election to benefit trump implicated russia at the highest level. The indictment of a dozen russian g. R. U. Intelligence officers in july 28 in was a kind of turning point the election interference is now a sacked of law as far as the United States<\/a> is concerned and it is not something that the president can dismiss it is in fact a state operation by a hostile foreign power that i see as good with words when you go to the new usual is the easy bit when you show that when it comes given to you look if were going to put it says. At a question just now president putin denied having anything to do with the election your fair answer 2016 every u. S. Intelligence agency has concluded that russia did my 1st question for you sir is who do you believe my people came to me they said they think its russian i have president putin and he just said its not russian i will say this i dont see any reason why it would be so i have great confidence in my intelligence people but i will tell you that president putin was extremely strong and powerful in his denial thank you. He basically took the side of food over his own Intelligence Service<\/a> and that was a really bad thing to do it was. The wrong thing to do the question becomes what is it that the president owes to the russians and what is his relationship with some suggest that hes an asset of putins but we dont have evidence of that. I think what i would say is that this is someone putin can use for deescalate perhaps even without trump realizing hes being used. September 2018 several accounts close aides have agreed to cooperate with investigators. His former Campaign Director<\/a> paul man ford and his lawyer Michael Cohen<\/a> have already signed agreements with Robert Mueller<\/a>. They all agree to cooperate with the investigation if they do so fully prison sentences they are facing will be reduced apparently his close aides to try to live and are ready to share with bob muller the secrets of the president. President trump finds himself in a corner the walls are closing in on him many doesnt know 2 where to run. You know that they keep the yankees the impeach word impeach trump Maxine Waters<\/a> and we will impeach him but he didnt do anything wrong it doesnt matter we will impeach him. It is a hell of a place in. November 2010 the midterm elections are approaching fast front ends up the campaign trail. If this party keeps control over congress his legal troubles might fade away. The results are a blow to the president. The American Voters<\/a> give the house of representatives to the democrats. They now have the ability to proceed with intrusive congressional investigations into trumps conduct. The day after the vote the Russian Investigation<\/a> comes back to haunt the president. Thank you mr president going back to the russia investigation some say that you could stop all this by going i insist i could fire everybody right now but i dont want to stop it because a politically i dont like stopping it i dont want to do that but youre right i could end it right now i could say that investigation is over well on the russian vesta geisha are you concerned that that you may have not going to turn about anything with you may have a joint investigation because its a hoax are you thats enough to put down the mike as president are you worried about indictments coming down. On april 18th 2900 the u. S. Department of justice releases the redacted version of special counsel Robert Miller<\/a> support it concludes there was no conspiracy between the trunk campaign in moscow. The democrats demand the underage acted report and from dollar to testified before congress on july 24th 2019 now former special counsel Robert Muller<\/a> testifies before 2 congressional committees concludes there was insufficient evidence to charge any trunk Campaign Member<\/a> with conspiracy but he cannot exonerate President Trump<\/a> on obstruction of justice and would have a total exoneration if you actually totally exonerate the president. There was no defense for this ridiculous hoax just which. Thats been going on for. A long time. A month later however pushed firmly into the background and a new twist in the tussle between the legislature and executive. Evidence emerges from an Unnamed State Department<\/a> whistleblower that attracts congressional attention to President Trump<\/a>s activities in ukraine. This triggers a house of representatives inquiry into whether trauma hours. Legibly withholding a crane to pressure president vladimir selenski to investigate former Vice President<\/a> joe biden was at the Democratic Front<\/a> runner and the sure white house race was. A 2 month inquiry finds trump did solicit foreign interference and the 2020 president ial election and so on december 18th the house of representatives approved articles of impeachment against trump on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of congress they could be very lenient with this president will be held accountable that no one is above the law. But a. Week. Or 2 impeachment strange joy. I know that most australia is fine and dry but not so across the southeast a watch in system for the last few days about of course the storms across into some fairly blustery wet weather into much of South Australia<\/a> and on into victoria as we go through fridays and all the heavy rain at times in to melbourne the winds are quite strong and very wet across much of tasmania at the same time going to front ahead of this system trading back through the north of New South Wales<\/a> right across into Western Areas<\/a> of the south and that will continue to bring rain showers as we go through south in fact at times the rain could be rather heavy still showery across areas of the southeast but generally dry it a bit cool want to scattered showers but for the next couple of days its fine and dry west australia 23 in perth on sunday but youll notice there is a front just waiting in of the wings on up towards asia well weve had some very wet weather particularly into japan and there is more of that to come of the next couple days people of course i keeping the a good as social distancing measures in place but its been very wet standing in any sort of q. And as more rain certainly on friday and some of that could be very heavy through western and central areas of japan but trading back again into the china still the heavy rain that but rather more scott to those heavy rain showers and again through south of me that very heavy rain still really impacting much of japans another wet day in tokyo at 26. Frank assessments tourism but income stream is dead in the water whats been the result seem perching lot more significant and indepth analysis of the days global headlines inside story on aljazeera. When the news breaks children here say theyre excited to be back at school but also nervous when people need to be heard while qatar certainly has friends here its the kind of the un put in part its limitations and that puts the country focus on it the method of production aljazeera has teams on the ground just because its more doesnt mean it cannot be approached what about the guy that can afford it to bring you more Award Winning<\/a> documentaries and live a nice. Aljazeera. Television is the aljazeera news hour live from london coming up as coronavirus cases rise in 40 out of the 50 us states President Trump<\/a> celebrates the news that unemployment fell as businesses reopened in june. The british socialite accused of procuring underage girls for the late Geoffrey Epstein<\/a> is arrested and charged in the u. S. Tensions still high in ethiopia as a popular singer is murder triggered deadly protests is laid to rest. And why experts are baffled by the deaths of hundreds of elephants in botswana. And im santa how much now have all the sport including french open organizers are concerned their fans will be allowed to attend this years delayed tournament which starts in september. Curran of our space is an hour rising in 40 out of the 50 states in the u. S. As the countrys outbreak threatens to spiral out of control florida alone has reported more than 10000 cases in the last 24 hours and the Texas Governor<\/a> has just made it mandatory to wear masks in public this a day after more than 50700. 00 infections were confirmed","publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"archive.org","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","width":"800","height":"600","url":"\/\/ia803207.us.archive.org\/6\/items\/ALJAZ_20200702_200000_Battlefield_Washington\/ALJAZ_20200702_200000_Battlefield_Washington.thumbs\/ALJAZ_20200702_200000_Battlefield_Washington_000001.jpg"}},"autauthor":{"@type":"Organization"},"author":{"sameAs":"archive.org","name":"archive.org"}}],"coverageEndTime":"20240716T12:35:10+00:00"}