The privilege log from Giuliani pal Bernard Kerik has embarrassing typos and shocking revelations: reporter
Disgraced former New York Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik has been linked to Rudy Giuliani as one of those in a Trump "war room" at the Willard Hotel on Jan. 6. Kerik, who has never served in the White House or executive branch of government, is still attempting to declare executive privilege for the subpoena from the House Select Committee on the attack on the U.S. Capitol.
The privilege log documents published by Politico, range from bizarre to embarrassing. Columnist Will Bunch wrote Monday morning that one document could ultimately be the "smoking gun" to show Trump was trying to use the Insurrection Act to use the military to overturn the 2020 election.
The memo is titled: DRAFT LETTER FROM POTUS TO SEIZE EVIDENCE IN THE INTEREST OF NATIONAL SECURITY FOR THE 2020 ELECTIONS' — written on or around Dec. 17, 2020.
But MSNBC's Rachel Maddow was shocked by the absurdity of the document Kerik tried to pass off to the committee.
"Privilege logs don't look like this," said Maddow. "What Bernie Kerik produced as his 'privilege log' — this is like the bazooka bubble gum wrapper version of a privilege log. But it is his explanation to the Jan. 6 investigators what he has not handed over to them and why... and it's not a document that overall inspires confidence."
One description of a document is "Reports prepared by volunteer third parties for the Trump legal team. The basis for holding it back says it was "retained by the Trump Team in anticipation of litigation." The date was Nov. 28, 2020, and the author was Don Brown, a North Carolina attorney. But it was the name of the document that sent Maddow into a fit of giggles. "Compliation of Rants."
"That's not me misspelling or making fun of it. That's what Bernie Kerik and his lawyers say is the title of the document," Maddow said. "Compliation (sic) of rants. Yes, we can see how that's very sensitive, and that can't be handed over to investigators. The compilation — compliations (sic) of your rants or pants or whatever. Sure, your compliation (sic) of rants. I understand, very sensitive."
When she mentioned the Dec. 17, 2020 memo, the "smoking gun" memo, Maddow explained it says it is a "draft POTUS letter."
"A draft letter to be released by then-President Trump to be written for him by an attorney, a letter explaining or announcing that he is seizing evidence for the 2020 elections under some national security guise," Maddow explained. "You know, we had previously seen a reference in the Jan. 6 investigation to a draft executive order prepared for Trump related to the election, related to so-called election integrity. We had previously seen Trump advisers, including his former national security adviser Mike Flynn recommending that Trump should use the military to go seize ballots, seize elections machinery, declare Martial Law. But now, from Bernie Kerik of all people, we've got this new revelation, a lawyer of some stripe, drafting a letter for Trump about seizing evidence related to the election."
Congressional reporter for Politico, Nicholas Wu, explained that the timing of the "smoking gun" memo is important because Dec. 17 is the day before Trump held an Oval Office meeting with Mike Flynn, Sidney Powell and other Trump lawyers and allies about how to seize election machines so he could claim "fraud" of the 2020 election.
"It's unclear if these things are linked," said Wu. "But it's quite a coincidence with the timing."
See the interview below:
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