Still the Same: Trump Still Promises Political Prosecutions

The Briefing with Jen Psaki

NBC News

News, Politics

4.5 • 664 Ratings

🗓️ 10 December 2024

⏱️ 41 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Jen Psaki explains why Donald Trump’s threats remain just as dangerous after some claim the president-elect has “cooled” his rhetoric around persecuting his political foes. Former US attorney Preet Bharara joins Jen to talk about why Trump doesn’t deserve the benefit of the doubt. Later, Jen is joined by the political panel to discuss how Republicans are overlooking the controversy and allegations against Trump cabinet picks like Tulsi Gabbard, Pete Hegseth, and Kash Patel, and if any Republicans would be willing to vote against them. Jen then delves into Tulsi Gabbard’s sympathy for ousted Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad, including new reporting from NBC News revealing that Congressional aides on the House Foreign Affairs Committee did not trust the then-Congresswoman Gabbard with the identity of a Syrian defector. Investigative reporter Dan De Luce and the Executive Director of the Syrian Emergency Task Force, Mouaz Moustafa, talk to Jen about those security concerns. Finally, Governor Jared Polis of Colorado talks to Jen about his decision to buck his party and support some of Trump’s policies.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Okay. So I'm going to start tonight with something that really jumped out at me from
0:13.2	Donald Trump's interview with NBC's Kristen Welker, especially because of the way it has been
0:18.0	interpreted by some. And that is the way Trump talked about retribution.
0:23.1	You campaigned on destroying the deep state. Do you want Cash Patel to launch investigations into people on that list?
0:30.3	No, I mean, he's going to do what he thinks is right. Are you going to direct him to do it?
0:34.1	No, not at all. Are you going to go after Joe Biden?
0:38.9	I'm really looking to make our country successful. I'm not looking to go back into the past. I'm looking to make our
0:43.6	country successful. Retribution will be through success. Pam Bondi talks about investigating
0:50.4	the investigators. Do you want her to investigate Jack Smith? I want her to do what she
0:54.3	wants to do. Do you want to see Jack Smith investigated? Well, I think he's very corrupt, but I want her to
0:58.7	do whatever she has to. Are you going to direct her to prosecute Jackson? She's a very smart person.
1:03.1	She was a great attorney general in Florida. She's very experienced. I want her to do what she wants to do. I'm not going to instruct her to do it.
1:17.3	I want her to do whatever she wants to do. Now, some people are listening to that and even suggesting,
1:22.8	and I mean out loud on television, that Trump has changed. He didn't say he was going to direct anyone to go after anyone. His tone is different. He is a new man. Retribution through success? No, that doesn't
1:30.0	sound so bad. But before you jump to what I would consider an inaccurate conclusion, I'd invite
1:36.0	you to keep watching the interview, because in that same interview, he also said this.
1:41.8	Cheney was behind it. And so was Benny Thompson and everybody on that committee.
1:47.8	For what they did, honestly, they should go to jail.
1:52.7	So you think Liz Cheney should go to jail?
1:55.8	For what they did.
1:56.7	Everyone on the committee you think should be in jail.
1:58.5	Anybody that voted in favor-
	...

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