Morning Joe regulars and guests discussed in depth the likelihood that Devin Nunes was conspiring with the White House to obstruct justice. Their conclusion? Sure looks like it!
"This also is a moment in time where I think most people have stopped fearing Donald Trump. They understand what Donald Trump is. Stopped being shocked by Donald Trump, I guess I should say," Scarborough said.
"Instead, fear that the Republican congress is so compliant, that they will allow misleading information out in a recklessly dangerous document, according to Trump's FBI and Trump's Department of Justice, and put all of this actually on Carter Page. Like that somehow Americans are going to be shocked, that that there's an extension of an investigation into Carter Page, when even the Russians had some choice words to say about Page."
He said to Mike Barnicle, "This is, I, again, mike, I'm just flabbergasted that the Republicans would be as clueless as they are, in their mad pursuit to enable the stupidest, most self-destructive things."
"Well Joe, I mean it's part of a pattern, they've held to, clung to for many months. This idea that they're more loyal to their own political party, than to the Constitution of the United States, to the nation's security interests," Barnicle said.
"It's astounding. and it is well past the time that we speak fact about Paul Ryan, the Speaker of the House. His legacy, his career, his reputation, that it was once was a year, year and a half ago, two years ago, that is over, that is over. He is married the non-facts of this story," Scarborough said.
"And Frank Figliuzzi, one of the things that stands out to a lot of people is the rhetoric surrounding the release of this memo from the chairman of the committee, Devin Nunes. If you track the rhetoric and match it to the definition of obstruction of justice, which includes the word 'intent,' wouldn't you be sort of on the right track to get to Devin Nunes, wondering about if is he now obstructing justice?" (Figliuzzi is a former assistant director for FBI counterintelligence.)
"I'm particularly zeroed in on the transcript of the testimony that was released by Congressman Schiff where they asked Congressman Nunes, 'Did anyone talk to the White House about crafting this memo? Any conspiracy there, any give and take with the White House on the release of the memo?' " Figliuzzi said
"There was essentially a nonresponse. He wouldn't take questions on this. If you look at the possibility that they're in conspiracy with the White House on crafting the content or the timing of the release or nature of the release, then indeed you are meeting the intent element of the statute for obstruction of justice.
"I also think we should be really tuned in on what happens today, if it's released with regard to the director of the FBI. Is Chris Wray, who is now being put between a rock and a hard place, right, it's kind of like, dishonestly asking somebody, 'When did you stop beating your wife?', that the mere fact that you have to come out and repeat the allegation, is damaging, and you're repeating things that you don't want out in public.
"Will Chris Wray come out today if it's released and line by line start rebutting, in which case we have an all-out face-off between the White House and the FBI, or will he quietly accept what it is and behind the scenes start working to poke holes in it? Thirdly, are we going to see the Democrats release their version that they've not been allowed to release that interprets the memo quite differently? Things to watch today," the former lawman said.
