Alex Wagner On Gaetz Ally Joel Greenberg: ‘Henchmen Don’t Always Stay Henchmen’ | Deadline | MSNBC

BY COMMUNICATIONS, BY OTHER HARD EVIDENCE THAT WILL BOLSTER HIS TESTIMONY. >> YOU KNOW, ALEX, OUR FRIEND AND COLLEAGUE CHUCK ROSENBERG MADE THIS PARALLEL TO MICHAEL COHEN AND ITS A APTD ONE THAT MICHAEL COHEN WAS KNOWN IN 2016 FOR SAYING ID TAKE A BULLET FOR THE GUY AND COOPERATED IN TWO FEDERAL INVESTIGATIONS INTO HIM AND NOW CURRENTLY THAT WE KNOW OF COOPERATING IN TWO MORE IN THE STATE OF NEW YORK AND THE MANHATTAN DISTRICT ATTORNEY. WHEN ONE FLIPS ONE TENDS TO FLIP HARD. >> YEAH. THATS A LESSON OF THE TRUMP ERA IS HENCHMEN DONT ALWAYS STAY HENCHMEN WHY IF YOU LEARNED ANYTHING FROM THE TRUMP ERA DONT RELY -- ON THE SAME SORT OF UNDERWORLD MAFIA CHARACTERS ARE NOT GOING TO SAVE YOUR HIDE WHEN THE RUBBER MEETS THE ROAD AND THAT IS UNFORTUNATELY A LESSON THAT MATT GAETZ SEEMED NOT TO HAVE LEARNED AND ALLOWED THIS MAN TO PROCURE POTENTIALLY MINORS VIOLATING LAWS AND THEN DID SO BE IMPUNITY AND NO THOUGHT WHAT IF THINGS GO SOUTH IS ALL YOU REALLY NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE GAME AT PLAY HERE. WE HAVE WITNESSED WHAT HAPPENS WHEN ONE OF THE CRONIES FLIPS AND IT IS AN UGLY THING. AND HERE YOU HAVE A CONGRESS PERSON WHO SEEMS TO HAVE BASICALLY REPLICATED SOME OF THE WORST SINS OF THE TRUMP YEARS WITH NO LESSONS LEARNED. >> IT IS A GREAT WAY TO THINK ABOUT WHAT MATT GAETZ COULD BE FACING, MIKE. YOU THINK ABOUT HOW THE WHITE HOUSE WAS SO ROCKED AND HAUNTED AND OBSESSED WITH TEARING DOWN MICHAEL COHEN AND PERHAPS WITH SOME SUCCESS. WE DONT KNOW EVERYTHING HES BEEN THROUGH BUT IT IS USUALLY POWERFUL TESTIMONY FROM SOMEONE WHO ONCE WAS WILLING TO DO JUST ABOUT ANYTHING FOR SOMEONE WHO BECOMES A TARGET OF AN INVESTIGATION. DOES MATT GAETZ SEEM TO UNDERSTAND THATS WHAT GREENBERG COULD REPRESENT FOR HIM? >> IM NOT SURE WHAT MATT GAETZ UNDERSTANDS AT THIS POINT. BUT WHAT I THINK WE HAVE TO KEEP OUR EYE ON IN THE GREENBERG SITUATION IS BY ENTERING INTO THIS PLEA WITH THE GOVERNMENT, IT IS AN IMPORTANT, DELICATE DANCE. GREENBERG HAS TO BE FULLY TRUTHFUL WITH THE GOVERNMENT. IF HE WERE TO COOPERATE AND CANNOT TELL A LIE AND HAS TO TELL THEM ANYTHING, ANY CRIMINALITY HE WAS A PART OF AND NOT ALWAYS A FOREGONE CONCLUSION IF YOU PLEAD AND COOPERATE THAT YOU GET A MASSIVE REDUCTION. IF YOU LOOK AT MICHAEL COHEN, HE WOULD SAY THAT HE PROVIDED THE GOVERNMENT WITH EXTRAORDINARY COOPERATION AND SIGNIFICANT THINGS FROM HIM IN THE MUELLER REPORT. THE CASE THAT CAME IDENTITY OF SDNY ABOUT THE PAYMENTS BUT THE END OF THE DAY MICHAEL COHEN RECEIVED A STIFF SENTENCE IN PRISON FOR THE CRIME THAT HE HAD PLED GUILTY TO. SO, YOU KNOW, THERES A LOT MORE INVESTIGATION TO PLAY OUT HERE. THERES A LOT MORE OF THE GAME TO GO IN SORT OF A BAD TORTURED SPORTS ANALOGY. >> RENATO, DOES THAT INCENTIVIZE A DEFENDANT FACING THE KIND OF CHARGES THAT CARRY MANDATORY MINIMUMS TO COME BACK TO WHERE WE STARTED TO BE AS COOPERATIVE AS THEY WANT OR DO YOU SEE SOMEONE HEDGING THE BETS THINKING THAT SOMEONE POWERFUL LIKE GAETZ CAN -- I DONT KNOW HOW MATT GAETZ COULD HELP HIM BUT HOW DOES A DEFENDANT IN THAT KIND OF TROUBLE USUALLY CONDUCT THEMSELVES? >> THEY USUALLY ARE EAGER TO DO EVERYTHING TO HELP THE GOVERNMENT AND THATS BECAUSE THE GOVERNMENT REQUIRES THAT. THATS WHAT THE GOVERNMENTS GOING TO TELL THEM. FRANKLY, IF THEY DONT HELP THE GOVERNMENT ENOUGH, THEY WONT POTENTIALLY HAVE FULFILLED THE END OF THE BARGAIN. THEY NEED TO PROVIDE SUBSTANTIAL ASSISTANCE AND THE JUDGE MAKES A DETERMINATION. OBVIOUSLY THE JUDGE IS GOING TO BE THINKING ABOUT AND CONSIDERING THE EXTENT OF THE COOPERATION AND THE GOVERNMENT WILL BE GIVING INPUT TO THE JUDGE ON THAT POINT SO THE JUDGE WILL RELY ON THE GOVERNMENT TO SAY THE PROSECUTORS, FOR EXAMPLE, WE THOUGHT HE REALLY DID EVERYTHING HE COULD. HE PROVIDED A LOT OF HELP. WE WOULDNT HAVE MADE THE CASE WITHOUT HIM AND THATS DETAILED FOR THE JUDGE AND REALLY FOR SOMEONE IN HIS SITUATION FACING A LOT OF TIME BEHIND BARS EVERY MONTH THAT YOU CAN GET SHAVED OFF THERE MATTERS. >> ALEX, I WANT TO COME BACK TO WHERE I THINK YOU STARTED, THAT THERE IS CERTAINLY CONVERSATION ABOUT WHETHER OR NOT HE SURVIVES AS A SITTING MEMBER OF CONGRESS BUT YOU TALKED ABOUT HIM PERSISTING AND LANDING PERHAPS IN THE RIGHT WING MEDIA ECOSYSTEM AND THERES -- IT IS DIFFICULT TO ARGUE THERE ARE ANY STANDARDS FOR THAT UNIVERSE. THEYRE ONE AND THE SAME THESE DAYS AND HARD TO SAY WHETHER THERES IN THE TRUMP ERA STATE-RUN MEDIA OR MEDIA RUNNING THE STATE. THAT HAS ITS OWN BUCKET OF CONSEQUENCES. SOMEONE LIKE MATT GAETZ NO MATTER WHERE THE INVESTIGATION LEADS IS NO DOUBT IN OUR MINDS HE LIKELY WOULD BE WELCOMED IN THAT UNIVERSE. >> YEAH. INCREASINGLY FEELS LIKE IT IS ALL PART OF ONE LONG CON. RIGHT? IT IS ABOUT A GRIFT. IT IS ABOUT MISINFORMATION. ITS ABOUT -- IT IS ABOUT USING POWER WHETHER ITS A POWER OF BROADCAST MEDIA OR THE POWER OF ELECTED OFFICE FOR YOUR OWN ENDS. WHETHER THATS SEXUAL ESCAPADES WITH MINORS AND WINGMAN, WHETHER THATS GRIFTING THE TAXPAYERS AS JOEL GREENBERG APPARENTLY DID, WHETHER THATS GRIFTING THE AMERICAN PUBLIC. IT FEELS LIKE IT IS WRAPPED UP. YOU ASK WHAT IS -- I HATE SAYING THIS BECAUSE I KNOW YOURE A PRINCIPLED PERSON AND THIS PARTY IS A SHELL OF WHAT IT ONCE WAS BUT WHAT IS THE REPUBLICAN PARTY? IF BOTH THE ELECTED LEADERS THAT ARE REPUBLICANS AND THE CONSERVATIVE EM COCHAMBER THAT FUELED THE REPUBLICAN WATER, IF IT IS ALL ABOUT MISINFORMATION, WHATS LEFT? WHAT ARE THE POLICIES THAT ANYBODY EVEN AGREES ON ANYMORE? YOU KNOW? LIKE WHAT REMAINS? ITS AN INCREDIBLY SAD STATE OF AFFAIRS THAT FAILURE IN THE MOST SPECTACULAR FAILURE AS A CONGRESS PERSON LEADS TO NO

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Keywords: Congress, Deadline, Deadline White House, MSNBC, NBC News, news, breaking news, us news, world news, politics, current events, top stories, pop culture, business, health, liberal, progressive, deadline msnbc, white house, deadline white house msnbc, The Circus, Alex Wagner, New York Times, Michael Schmidt, former federal prosecutor, Renato Mariotti, Rep. Matt Gaetzs ally, Rep. Matt Gaetz, Joel Greenberg, federal charges, us news 2021, michael schmidt new york, federal prosecutor

Id: shTP-BFqqkE

Length: 6min 57sec (417 seconds)

Published: Thu Apr 08 2021