1 00:00:02,333 --> 00:00:05,633 JUDY WOODRUFF: We get reaction from Lisa Monaco, who was the homeland security and counterterrorism 2 00:00:06,733 --> 00:00:08,733 adviser to former President Barack Obama. 3 00:00:08,733 --> 00:00:13,700 She has also led the Justice Department's National Security Division, and served for 4 00:00:15,666 --> 00:00:18,800 three years as chief of staff and counsel to Robert Mueller when he was director of 5 00:00:19,266 --> 00:00:20,500 the FBI. 6 00:00:20,500 --> 00:00:23,033 Lisa Monaco, thank you for joining us. 7 00:00:23,033 --> 00:00:27,466 Is there any doubt in your mind that President Trump and Attorney General Sessions were within 8 00:00:27,466 --> 00:00:31,433 their rights to -- when they fired Andrew McCabe? 9 00:00:31,433 --> 00:00:36,100 LISA MONACO, Former Chief White House Counterterrorism Adviser: The attorney general was within his 10 00:00:36,100 --> 00:00:41,100 right to dismiss a member of the Justice Department. 11 00:00:43,100 --> 00:00:46,333 But we can't really judge the merits of that decision because we don't have the inspector 12 00:00:46,966 --> 00:00:49,100 general report. 13 00:00:49,100 --> 00:00:53,233 I will tell you, based on my nearly 15 years of experience in the Justice Department and 14 00:00:55,200 --> 00:00:58,466 being part of literally dozens of and reviewing dozens of inspector general reports, it is 15 00:01:00,466 --> 00:01:04,000 really highly unusual to not have the report itself made public when such a public action 16 00:01:06,000 --> 00:01:09,000 as happened late Friday night takes place. 17 00:01:09,000 --> 00:01:12,733 And so we have to ask ourselves, why is that the case? 18 00:01:12,733 --> 00:01:17,733 Why was there a rush to take this action 26 hours before Andy McCabe was due to retire? 19 00:01:20,166 --> 00:01:25,100 Why was the report and the investigation that was focused on Andy McCabe separated out from 20 00:01:27,666 --> 00:01:32,666 the broader investigation and accelerated from the broader investigation of the conduct 21 00:01:34,033 --> 00:01:35,866 of the FBI on the Hillary Clinton e-mail case? 22 00:01:35,866 --> 00:01:39,266 So, all of these are, I think, very significant questions. 23 00:01:39,266 --> 00:01:43,700 JUDY WOODRUFF: Well, as I understand it, that's the attorney general's decision to make. 24 00:01:43,700 --> 00:01:48,700 You worked with Andrew McCabe in your time at the FBI. 25 00:01:49,600 --> 00:01:51,166 What was his reputation then? 26 00:01:51,166 --> 00:01:54,333 LISA MONACO: McCabe had and has a very good reputation. 27 00:01:54,333 --> 00:01:58,333 I worked with him when I was at the Justice Department, when I was at the FBI and when 28 00:01:58,333 --> 00:01:59,866 I was in the White House. 29 00:01:59,866 --> 00:02:03,533 He, in my experience, is a man of very high integrity. 30 00:02:03,533 --> 00:02:06,766 He has devoted his life to public service. 31 00:02:06,766 --> 00:02:11,533 And he was literally on the other end of the phone at all hours of the day and night when 32 00:02:11,533 --> 00:02:14,533 it came to terrorist attacks, terrorist threats. 33 00:02:14,533 --> 00:02:17,833 This is a man who has devoted his life to public service. 34 00:02:17,833 --> 00:02:20,800 He is a career civil servant. 35 00:02:20,800 --> 00:02:25,800 And, you know, this is an issue that I think we really do have to wonder why was the timing 36 00:02:27,866 --> 00:02:29,933 done in this way. 37 00:02:29,933 --> 00:02:32,400 JUDY WOODRUFF: I also want to, of course, ask you about the Mueller investigation. 38 00:02:32,400 --> 00:02:37,400 You worked very closely with Bob Mueller when he ran, was head of the FBI. 39 00:02:39,366 --> 00:02:42,233 When Andrew McCabe -- when this firing took place over the weekend, he put out a statement 40 00:02:42,233 --> 00:02:47,233 he thought the president had done this in connection with the Russia investigation. 41 00:02:49,200 --> 00:02:52,433 As all of us know, the president's been very critical of the Mueller investigation. 42 00:02:52,433 --> 00:02:57,366 Based on everything you know, is the president - - does the president have a point when he 43 00:02:57,366 --> 00:03:02,366 says this is an investigation that should have never gotten under way in the first place? 44 00:03:04,300 --> 00:03:07,533 LISA MONACO: Well, I don't think there's any merit to that contention. 45 00:03:09,466 --> 00:03:13,033 This is an investigation that was begun after the president fired James Comey. 46 00:03:15,233 --> 00:03:20,233 This was an investigation that -- and the special counsel, of course, was appointed 47 00:03:22,100 --> 00:03:25,566 by Rod Rosenstein, President Trump's deputy attorney general, and a career prosecutor 48 00:03:26,933 --> 00:03:28,200 himself. 49 00:03:28,200 --> 00:03:30,933 So, you know, none of that really stands up. 50 00:03:30,933 --> 00:03:35,933 And I think, Judy, what this shows is really a pattern of an effort to distract from the 51 00:03:37,900 --> 00:03:41,733 special counsel's investigation and the results that he and his team are putting forward. 52 00:03:44,066 --> 00:03:47,633 And it also shows something else, which I think is very damaging to the institutions 53 00:03:47,633 --> 00:03:52,633 of the Department of Justice and FBI, which is the president not observing the longtime 54 00:03:54,733 --> 00:03:59,300 norm of having a wall between law enforcement and Justice Department decisions both on cases 55 00:04:01,366 --> 00:04:05,866 and in personnel matters, as was the case with the action against Andy McCabe on Friday 56 00:04:05,866 --> 00:04:10,566 night, not observing that wall between the White House and the Justice Department. 57 00:04:10,566 --> 00:04:15,566 And the reason you want to observe that wall is so there is no question, no taint or cloud 58 00:04:16,733 --> 00:04:20,000 over decisions made at the Justice Department. 59 00:04:20,000 --> 00:04:22,266 And, unfortunately, that's now what we have. 60 00:04:22,266 --> 00:04:27,266 The minute the president started tweeting and publicly calling for Andy McCabe's ouster, 61 00:04:29,266 --> 00:04:32,766 there's now a taint over any Justice Department decision that follows from that. 62 00:04:32,766 --> 00:04:34,766 JUDY WOODRUFF: One other thing. 63 00:04:34,766 --> 00:04:38,866 The original intent of this investigation, as we understand it, was to look into whether 64 00:04:38,866 --> 00:04:43,866 there was a connection between the Trump campaign and Russian officials, the 2016 campaign. 65 00:04:46,033 --> 00:04:50,933 How far can Robert Mueller stray from that original purpose in this investigation? 66 00:04:50,933 --> 00:04:55,933 LISA MONACO: Well, I think, if you look at the charge given to the special counsel, as 67 00:04:57,933 --> 00:05:01,466 laid down by Rod Rosenstein, the deputy attorney general and the acting attorney general for 68 00:05:03,366 --> 00:05:06,000 purposes of this matter, because Attorney General Sessions is, of course, recused, the 69 00:05:06,000 --> 00:05:11,000 charge, the original charge to special counsel Mueller and his team is to investigate the 70 00:05:13,033 --> 00:05:17,633 matters as you set forth, but also matters and issues that arise from that investigation. 71 00:05:20,166 --> 00:05:25,166 So, we also have the statement of Rod Rosenstein of just a few weeks ago recently where he 72 00:05:27,133 --> 00:05:32,033 said he doesn't find any fault, or words to that effect, with how special counsel Mueller 73 00:05:33,300 --> 00:05:35,400 is conducting himself. 74 00:05:35,400 --> 00:05:39,300 And, of course, any expansion of the probe would have to be approved by Rod Rosenstein, 75 00:05:40,166 --> 00:05:41,900 the deputy attorney general. 76 00:05:41,900 --> 00:05:44,000 JUDY WOODRUFF: Well, Lisa Monaco, so much to talk about here. 77 00:05:44,000 --> 00:05:46,633 We thank you very much for joining us today. 78 00:05:46,633 --> 00:05:48,000 LISA MONACO: Thanks for having me.