Trump's legal team visits Justice Department for just under two hours

>>> FORMER PRESIDENT TRUMP'S LAWYERS VISITED THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT EARLIER TODAY. >> THIS IS COMING WEEKS AFTER THE REQUESTED A MEETING WITH TOP FEDERAL LAW-ENFORCEMENT OFFICIALS. THE LAWYERS LEFT THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT SHORTLY AFTER NOON EASTERN TIME. ROUGHLY 2 HOURS AFTER THEY ARRIVED. ATTORNEY GENERAL MERRICK GARLAND APPOINTED A SPECIAL COUNSEL TO INVESTIGATE AFTER CLASSIFIED DOCUMENT WERE UNCOVERED AT HIS MERE LAGO RESIDENCE LAST YEAR AS MOST REMEMBER. SEVERAL SOURCES ACKNOWLEDGE THAT A CHARGING DECISION IS NOT IMMINENT. >> JOINING US NOW IS TO BE A SNOOZE CHIEF ELECTION CAMPAIGN CORRESPONDENT ROBERT COSTA. 2+ HOURS IS A LINK THE VISIT. IT IS SAFE TO SAY THEY WERE NOT STOPPING IN TO USE THE RESTROOM ANGLE ON THE WAY. WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT WHY HE MADE A VISIT TO THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT TODAY AND NOW? >> Reporter: THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT IS NOT SOMEPLACE YOU COULD JUST KNOCK ON THE DOOR AND MILL AROUND IT. YOU USUALLY NEED TO HAVE A MEETING IF YOU'RE GOING TO ENTER THOSE HEAVY DOORS DOWN THERE ON PENNSYLVANIA AVENUE. WITH CBS NEWS THIS MORNING AS THIS WAS A VERY IMPORTANT CROSSROAD IN THE EDUCATION OF FORMER PRESIDENT TRUMP AND HIS HANDLING OF CLASSIFIED MATERIAL.'S LAWYERS MET WITH JUSTICE BARRETT OFFICIALS, THOUGH NOT WITH ATTORNEY GENERAL MERRICK GARLAND TO DISCUSS THE STATE OF THE CASE AHEAD OF A POSSIBLE CHARGING DECISION. THE GRAND JURY HAS BEEN QUIET FOR WEEKS. WHAT WE ARE HEARING IS THAT TRUCK LAWYER WENT INTO DOJ OFFICIALS IS THAT WE HAVE CONCERNS ABOUT HOW YOU HANDLE THE CASE AND HOW YOU'VE ASKED WITNESSES DIFFERENT QUESTIONS IN FRONT OF THE GRAND JURY ESPECIALLY ABOUT ATTORNEY- CLIENT PRIVILEGE SOME OF THAT HAS BEEN ADJUSTED IN TERMS OF HOW EVIDENCE IS PRESENTED IN THIS CASE. >> DO YOU THINK WE WILL GET TO LEARN ANYTHING FROM THE DOJ OR SPECIAL COUNSEL OFFICE ON WHAT HAPPENED THERE TODAY? OR ON ANY POSSIBILITY FOR ANOTHER APPEARANCE? >> Reporter: WE MAY GET CLARITY ABOUT WHO WAS IN THE ROOM. THE FORMER PRESIDENT TRUMP ATTORNEYS REQUESTED A MEETING WITH ATTORNEY GENERAL MERRICK GARLAND. THEY WANTED THE SUN, THE NUMBER ONE OFFICIAL AT THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT WHAT MAKES THE CASE UNIQUE IS IT IS NOT BEING RUN OUT OF THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT. IT IS PART OF THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT AND IS A SPECIAL COUNSEL AND VACATION INVESTIGATION THAT IS SOMEHOW INDEPENDENT FOR THE MAIN JUSTICE AREA. WHAT YOU ARE SEEING IS THE ATTORNEY GENERAL DECIDING NOT TO BE IN THE MEETING AND HAVING SENIOR OFFICIALS THERE. WE COULD GET CLARITY ABOUT GARLAND SAYING HE WAS NOT THERE. JACK SMITH, SPECIAL COUNSEL MAYBE SENDING ONE OF HIS DEPUTIES OR SOMEONE TO BE A SURROGATE. >>> JACK SMITH, WE HAVE A PICTURE OF HIM ON THE SCREEN. HE IS SPECIAL COUNSEL AND LOOKING INTO THIS MATTER WITH DOCUMENTS. WE MENTIONED AT THE TOP THAT A CHARGING DECISION COULD BE IMMINENT. WHAT IS THE TIMEFRAME AND WHAT DOES IMMINENT MEAN IN THIS CONTEXT? WHAT COULD THE INVESTIGATION BE WRAPPED UP? >> WE KEEP HEARING THAT MOST OF THE WITNESSES IN THIS INVESTIGATION HAVE BEEN HEARD FROM. PEOPLE AT MAR-A-LAGO WHO WORK IN THE JANITORIAL STAFF OR FOR FORMER PRESIDENT TRUMP'S PERSONAL STAFF THEY HAVE COME BEFORE THE GRAND JURY AND TEST BUT IN RECENT MONTHS. SO HAVE SOME TRUMP LAWYERS. THE ATTORNEY-CLIENT PRIVILEGES HAVE BEEN REVOKED IN SOME SENSE. THE LAWYERS HAVE BEEN TOLD BY THE FEDERAL JUDGE TO TESTIFY IN THE CASE. AND MAKE UNUSUAL TURN, BUT IT DOES HAVE PRECEDENT IN OUR LEGAL SYSTEM FOR THE ATTORNEY- CLIENT PRIVILEGE TO BE BROKEN FOR WHAT IS CALLED A CRIME FRAUD EXCEPTION. WHAT WE ARE LOOKING AT IS AN INVESTIGATION NEAR ITS END. MAY BE IN THE EIGHTH INNING OF A NINE INNING GAME. WE ARE NOT IN THE NINTH INNING JUST YET. WE ARE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT IN THE ANAPHASE IF THEY NEED TO CALL IN FINAL WITNESSES AND ARE THEY READY TO MOVE TO THE FINAL NINTH INNING? A DECISION ON WHETHER TO CHARGE FORMER PRESIDENT TRUMP WITH SOME KIND OF CONSPIRACY TO OBSTRUCT THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AS IT SOUGHT CLASSIFIED RECORDS SOME OF THEM STREWN THROUGHOUT THE FLOOR OF HIS OFFICE FBI AGENTS AS THEY DISCOVER THEM IN THE BASEMENT OF MAR-A-LAGO AND SOME IN HIS OFFICE AS WELL. <font color="#0000FF">ID A LOT OF NUMBERS OF THE </font> PUBLIC THINK IT IS OPEN/SHUT CASE. A LOT GOES INTO THIS AND IT IS OBLIGATED. WE MAY NEVER SEE CHARGES. >> AS WE WAIT ON GEORGE. >> TO CONTINUE WITH THE METAPHOR IT IS THE NINTH INNING AND THE PITCH CLOCK AND IS AT

Channel: CBS News

Views: 86,955

Keywords: donald trump, justice department, politics, republicans

Id: 61rNGnBHAxk

Length: 4min 39sec (279 seconds)

Published: Mon Jun 05 2023