SENTENCED AN ASSOCIATE OF
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP ON
OBSTRUCTION AND PERJURY CHARGES
RELATED TO THE RUSSIAN ELECTION
INTERFERENCE INVESTIGATION.
THE JUDGE SEVENTEEN TENNED SENTENCED ROGER STONE
TO THREE YEARS, FOUR MONTHS IN A
CASE THAT SAW PRESIDENT TRUMP
INTERFERE.
AFTER THE PRESIDENT'S TWEETS AND
COMMENTS, ATTORNEY GENERAL WILL
BUM
WILLIAM BARR OVERRULED HIS OWN
PROSECUTORS WHO THEN QUIT THE
CASE.
MORE THAN 2,000 FORMER FEDERAL
PROSECUTORS AND U.S. ATTORNEYS
HAVE SIGNED ON TO A LETTER
DEMANDING THAT WILLIAM BARR
RESIGN SAYING THEY STRONGLY
CONDEMN HIS INTERFERENCE IN THE
FAIR ADMINISTRATION OF JUSTICE.
AMONG THOSE SIGNING ON TO THE
CALL, FORMER U.S. ATTORNEY FOR
THE WESTERN DISTRICT OF
WISCONSIN JOHN VAUDREUIL.
HE JOINS US NOW.
SO I KNOW THAT PRESIDENT BARACK
OBAMA PLACED YOU AS U.S.
ATTORNEY.
IS THIS A SITUATION WHERE YOUR
CALLS AND THE CALLS OF THE
OTHERS FOR WILLIAM BARR TO
RESIGN, IS THIS POLITICAL?
>> SPEAKING FOR ME, ABSOLUTELY
NOT.
I SIGNED BECAUSE I BELIEVE WE'RE
A NATION OF LAWS, RULE OF LAW.
AND THE WAY PROSECUTORS DO THAT
IS BY MAKING DECISIONS BASED ON FACTS, NOT BASED ON FAVOR,
NOT BASED ON FEAR, NOT BASED ON
WHO SOMEBODY IS OR WHO SOMEBODY
KNOWS.
AND I THINK THE DECISIONS IN
THIS CASE AND THE PUBLIC
STATEMENTS HAVE DAMAGED THAT
TRUST WITH THE PUBLIC.
>> NOW, YOU KNOW WILLIAM BARR.
DID THIS SURPRISE YOU?
>> I MET HIM ONCE AND I KNEW
HIM, I WORKED UNDER HIM WHEN HE
WAS THE ATTORNEY GENERAL UNDER
PRESIDENT BUSH.
I THOUGHT GOOD.
HE'S A GOOD LAWYER.
AND I MUST ADMIT HIS BEHAVIOR
SINCE HE'S BECOME ATTORNEY
GENERAL HAS SURPRISED ME
CONTINUOUSLY.
>> WHY DOESN'T, THOUGH, AN U.S.
ATTORNEY GENERAL HAVE THE
AUTHORITY TO TELL HIS ATTORNEYS
WHAT TO DO IN A CASE?
>> EXCELLENT QUESTION.
AND IT'S A DIFFERENT SITUATION.
HE IS THE BOSS OF THE U.S.
ATTORNEYS.
THERE ARE CASES THAT YOU ARE
CONSULTING WITH THE ATTORNEY
GENERAL, YOU SEEK APPROVAL,
TERRORISM CASES, HIGH-LEVEL
CORRUPTION CASES LIKE THE STONE
CASE.
IT'S DIFFERENT.
AND THAT'S POLICY.
AND THE PRESIDENT HAS SET
POLICY, WHETHER IT'S PRESIDENT
OBAMA, PRESIDENT REAGAN,
PRESIDENT TRUMP.
BUT THEY DON'T WEIGH IN ON
INDIVIDUAL CASES AND PUT THEIR
THUMB ON THE SCALE OF JUSTICE.
FOR THE ATTORNEY GENERAL TO
WEIGH IN IN A CASE AND DISCUSS
IT WITH PROSECUTORS IS NORMAL.
BUT TO DO IT, IF HE DID, AT THE
DIRECTION OF THE PRESIDENT IS THINK DID DO IT AT
THE DIRECTION OF THE PRESIDENT?
>> HE SAYS HE DIDN'T.
I WOULD LIKE TO TAKE PEOPLE --
I'M THAT KIND OF PERSON FROM
WISCONSIN.
I TAKE PEOPLE AT THEIR WORD.
THE TIMING OF IT IS SUCH THAT I
THINK PEOPLE COULD PRESUME THAT
HE DID DO IT WITH THE
PRESIDENT'S DIRECTION.
>> WHAT IS YOUR EXPECTATION THAT
THE ATTORNEY GENERAL WILL HEED
YOUR CALL AND RESIGN?
>> I THINK VERY, VERY SLIM TO
NONE.
I THINK HE IS VERY COMFORTABLE.
HE'S MADE HIS PUBLIC STATEMENTS
TO THE PRESIDENT.
AND PERHAPS THAT'S ENOUGH.
PERHAPS THAT PUTS THE JUSTICE
DEPARTMENT BACK ON TRACK.
I THINK THEY HAVE DAMAGED THAT
TRUST WE'RE SUPPOSED TO BUILD
WITH THE PUBLIC AND IT WILL TAKE
A LONG TIME TO REBUILD THAT
TRUST.
>> WHAT DO YOU THINK SHOULD HE
NOT STEP DOWN, WHICH YOU SAY IS
UNLIKELY, WILL BE THE RESPONSE
OF DOJ EMPLOYEES AND U.S.
ATTORNEYS LIKE YOURSELF?
>> I THINK AND I HOPE -- AND I
KNOW A LOT OF THEM.
THESE ARE GOOD PEOPLE.
AND I THINK IF THEY ARE CALLED
TO DO SOMETHING THEY BELIEVE IS
POLITICAL, THEY WILL OBJECT,
THEY WILL RESIGN IF NEED BE,
THEY WILL REPORT ANY SUCH
CONDUCT TO THE OFFICE OF
PROFESSIONAL RESPONSIBILITY AND
THEY WILL KEEP THE DEPARTMENT
THAT THEY LOVE WORKING FOR
JUSTICE.
>> HOW UNPRECEDENT IS THIS WHOLE
SITUATION?
>> IT IS -- I CAN SPEAK FOR THE
40 YEARS WHEN I WAS IN THE
DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE.
REPUBLICAN, DEMOCRAT PRESIDENTS.
IT IS TOTALLY UNPRECEDENTED.
CERTAINLY PUBLICLY.
I DON'T KNOW WHAT'S GONE ON
BEHIND-THE-SCENES NOW AND THEN.
BUT NOTHING HAS EVER LED ME TO
BELIEVE THAT WE WERE MAKING
POLITICAL DECISIONS AND TELLING
THE PEOPLE WHO YOU ARE AS A
DEFENDANT MATTERS.
BECAUSE IT'S NOT SUPPOSED TO BE
WHO YOU ARE THAT MATTERS.
WHO YOU KNOW ISN'T SUPPOSED TO
MATTER.
AND EVERYTHING THE PRESIDENT
SAID IN THIS CASE SAYS WHO YOU
ARE AND WHO YOU KNOW MATTERS.
>> WHAT WOULD YOU HAVE DONE IF
THIS HAPPENED WHILE YOU WERE
U.S. ATTORNEY HERE IN WISCONSIN?
>> I THINK HAD I -- HAD WE
WORKED IT THROUGH THE
RECOMMENDATION JUST THE WAY IT
DOES, LINE ATTORNEYS WORK ON THE
CASE, DISCUSS IT WITH THE BOSS,
THE U.S. ATTORNEY, DISCUSS IT
WITH DOJ AND THEN MAKE THEIR
RECOMMENDATION.
AND HAD I BEEN TOLD TO CHANGE IT
AND HAD I BELIEVED IT WAS AT THE
DIRECTION OF THE PRESIDENT, I
WOULD HAVE RESIGNED.
>> WHAT WOULD BE THE REACTION,
DO YOU SUPPOSE, IF THE PRESIDENT
PARDONS ROGER STONE?
>> I THINK CERTAINLY IT'S HIS
RIGHT AND WE CAN -- WE CAN'T
QUIBBLE OVER THINGS THAT THE
PRESIDENT HAS THE RIGHT TO DO.
IT'S NOT AGAINST THE LAW.
AS A DECISION THAT SMACKS AT
JUSTICE, I THINK THERE WILL BE A
LARGE PORTION OF THE PUBLIC THAT
THINK, SURE, THE FIX WAS IN.
AND THE PROCESS PLAYED OUT.
MAN WAS SENTENCED TO PRISON.
BUT HIS FRIEND, THE PRESIDENT,
COMMUTED THAT SENTENCE OR PAR
DONS HIM.
I THINK A LOT OF PEOPLE IN THIS
COUNTRY WILL THINK THE FIX IS IN
AND THAT'S WHAT IS VERY