RUSH TRANSCRIPT Last night ░░░░░░░░ colleague Rachel Maddow discovered ░░░░░░░░ she received this memmel ░░░░░░░░ by attorney general Merrick ░░░░░░░░ back in may It ░░░░░░░░ reaffirms and restates a ░░░░░░░░ that was put into ░░░░░░░░ by Donald Trump s ░░░░░░░░ general in 2020 William ░░░░░░░░ Trump attorney general Bill ░░░░░░░░ established that new rule ░░░░░░░░ February 2020 No investigating ░░░░░░░░ declared candidate for president ░░░░░░░░ anybody working for that ░░░░░░░░ unless I personally give ░░░░░░░░ permission That new rule ░░░░░░░░ established by Bill Barr ░░░░░░░░ he was working for ░░░░░░░░ Trump Merrick Garland has ░░░░░░░░ extended that guidance and ░░░░░░░░ every employee of the ░░░░░░░░ Department that it is ░░░░░░░░ in effect This Garland ░░░░░░░░ reaffirmed suspicions and concerns ░░░░░░░░ a lot of people ░░░░░░░░ to and including clearly ░░░░░░░░ of the January six ░░░░░░░░ that the select committee ░░░░░░░░ essentially the only game ░░░░░░░░ town It may weigh ░░░░░░░░ be the only entity ░░░░░░░░ the investigation into what ░░░░░░░░ on January 6th with ░░░░░░░░ kind of durable ferocity ░░░░░░░░ to save American democracy ░░░░░░░░ many are worried and ░░░░░░░░ is been a recurring ░░░░░░░░ ve critique from Adam ░░░░░░░░ and others understandably so ░░░░░░░░ will continue to be ░░░░░░░░ case in the foreseeable ░░░░░░░░ Certainly between now and ░░░░░░░░ Americans make their very ░░░░░░░░ decision in the midterms ░░░░░░░░ Rangappa is a former ░░░░░░░░ special agent also an ░░░░░░░░ of the justice security ░░░░░░░░ Asha first I want ░░░░░░░░ get your thoughts on ░░░░░░░░ memo And it s ░░░░░░░░ or significant Yeah so ░░░░░░░░ I think Merrick Garland ░░░░░░░░ basically the Jimmy Carter ░░░░░░░░ attorney generals He is ░░░░░░░░ good dude he s ░░░░░░░░ the right values a ░░░░░░░░ of years from now ░░░░░░░░ may think of him ░░░░░░░░ the ag as we ░░░░░░░░ deserved Right now there ░░░░░░░░ a lot that doesn ░░░░░░░░ seem to fit this ░░░░░░░░ I mean the bulk ░░░░░░░░ the memo is standard ░░░░░░░░ guidance Previous attorney generals ░░░░░░░░ put it out there ░░░░░░░░ s DoJ standard procedures ░░░░░░░░ not due to time ░░░░░░░░ steps so they don ░░░░░░░░ coincide right near and ░░░░░░░░ s been there would ░░░░░░░░ my eyebrows was a ░░░░░░░░ adoption of Barr s ░░░░░░░░ additional authorization piece for ░░░░░░░░ particular types of subjects ░░░░░░░░ in spirit this is ░░░░░░░░ a bad thing You ░░░░░░░░ t want an FBI ░░░░░░░░ in Kansas to open ░░░░░░░░ case on Joe Biden ░░░░░░░░ I think that putting ░░░░░░░░ of the power in ░░░░░░░░ hands of a political ░░░░░░░░ can create the potential ░░░░░░░░ abuse I mean imagine ░░░░░░░░ future Trump Administration with ░░░░░░░░ Powell as the ag ░░░░░░░░ would not want her ░░░░░░░░ be the final say ░░░░░░░░ whether Trump or his ░░░░░░░░ get investigated So it ░░░░░░░░ t actually stop Merrick ░░░░░░░░ for pursuing an investigation ░░░░░░░░ think in his case ░░░░░░░░ a good faith after ░░░░░░░░ would unnecessarily politicize a ░░░░░░░░ depending on when he ░░░░░░░░ it And I think ░░░░░░░░ s my concern Okay ░░░░░░░░ things I find this ░░░░░░░░ I think it strikes ░░░░░░░░ heart of an existential ░░░░░░░░ about what the Department ░░░░░░░░ Justice is And how ░░░░░░░░ law and executive function ░░░░░░░░ to your first point ░░░░░░░░ counterfactual or future possibility ░░░░░░░░ sydney Powell as a ░░░░░░░░ you would not want ░░░░░░░░ to be the case ░░░░░░░░ feeling about that is ░░░░░░░░ sydney Powell is the ░░░░░░░░ no memorandum s going ░░░░░░░░ save us At some ░░░░░░░░ which is adjacent to ░░░░░░░░ deeper point here Which ░░░░░░░░ about whether the people ░░░░░░░░ the Department of Justice ░░░░░░░░ acting in good faith ░░░░░░░░ not whatever memos are ░░░░░░░░ probably gated that is ░░░░░░░░ fundamental question And the ░░░░░░░░ is that in creating ░░░░░░░░ extra step Garland is ░░░░░░░░ it s on me ░░░░░░░░ he is the political ░░░░░░░░ Right I think that ░░░░░░░░ in a case involving ░░░░░░░░ the sitting president a ░░░░░░░░ president or a future ░░░░░░░░ for president you want ░░░░░░░░ of a buffer between ░░░░░░░░ attorney general and the ░░░░░░░░ makers Not that he ░░░░░░░░ not be notified or ░░░░░░░░ aware but that you ░░░░░░░░ some objective distance Those ░░░░░░░░ on whether to pursue ░░░░░░░░ case being made by ░░░░░░░░ decision makers who do ░░░░░░░░ have the appearance of ░░░░░░░░ interest Special counsel regulations ░░░░░░░░ there to do exactly ░░░░░░░░ Ideally and the situation ░░░░░░░░ move it into that ░░░░░░░░ If you want to ░░░░░░░░ it into that realm ░░░░░░░░ can imagine more carefully ░░░░░░░░ policy For example when ░░░░░░░░ an investigation is opened ░░░░░░░░ s vetted by the ░░░░░░░░ general counsel or is ░░░░░░░░ off by the director ░░░░░░░░ the FBI who has ░░░░░░░░ bit more distance and ░░░░░░░░ from a sitting administration ░░░░░░░░ was just surprised it ░░░░░░░░ adopted I do think ░░░░░░░░ need to know it ░░░░░░░░ not stop an investigation ░░░░░░░░ don t think it ░░░░░░░░ t mean he can ░░░░░░░░ indict the president Basically ░░░░░░░░ Trump declares his candidacy ░░░░░░░░ an investigation is pursued ░░░░░░░░ that There may be ░░░░░░░░ open for all we ░░░░░░░░ But if one is ░░░░░░░░ after that Merrick Garland ░░░░░░░░ name will be right ░░░░░░░░ and the authorization I ░░░░░░░░ that can potentially open ░░░░░░░░ can of unnecessary worms ░░░░░░░░ terms of whether there ░░░░░░░░ an objective factual basis ░░░░░░░░ do it You know ░░░░░░░░ without him doing the ░░░░░░░░ off It is such ░░░░░░░░ interesting point It does ░░░░░░░░ like there are two ░░░░░░░░ intention At one level ░░░░░░░░ kind of outsourcing and ░░░░░░░░ down the organizational hierarchy ░░░░░░░░ people at the bottom ░░░░░░░░ make these decisions with ░░░░░░░░ fair nor favor who ░░░░░░░░ furthest away from the ░░░░░░░░ chain of command right ░░░░░░░░ want that At the ░░░░░░░░ time the impulse that ░░░░░░░░ could see between the ░░░░░░░░ of text in this ░░░░░░░░ is Garland saying if ░░░░░░░░ are doing this for ░░░░░░░░ first time in American ░░░░░░░░ we are not doing ░░░░░░░░ out of a field ░░░░░░░░ where some FBI agents ░░░░░░░░ open investigation because they ░░░░░░░░ a good factual predicate ░░░░░░░░ are doing it because ░░░░░░░░ given the greenlight and ░░░░░░░░ are controlling it I ░░░░░░░░ the impulse but to ░░░░░░░░ point it seems like ░░░░░░░░ double edged sword It ░░░░░░░░ I don t know ░░░░░░░░ there is a good ░░░░░░░░ In many ways I ░░░░░░░░ coming back to why ░░░░░░░░ is such an important ░░░░░░░░ for accountability You face ░░░░░░░░ of these thorny questions ░░░░░░░░ think why the special ░░░░░░░░ regulations are really a ░░░░░░░░ good escape valve for ░░░░░░░░ of these questions as ░░░░░░░░ Frankly I am curious ░░░░░░░░ that has not been ░░░░░░░░ in the situation A ░░░░░░░░ point They are there ░░░░░░░░ that for precisely that ░░░░░░░░ because of the inherent ░░░░░░░░ that arise in that ░░░░░░░░ I ll sharon got ░░░░░░░░ you so much Thank ░░░░░░░░