New video of a top Justice Department official ordering the arrest of a Democratic mayor during a protest at an immigration detention facility could create serious problems for top brass, a former New York prosecutor said Tuesday.
In the video, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche orders Newark, New Jersey, Mayor Ras Baraka arrested — a directive previously only alleged in court documents.
Former prosecutor Kristy Greenberg joined MSNBC's "Deadline: White House" to discuss the stunning video.
"I wish I could have this thing people talk about, being numb or not being shocked anymore. This is shocking to me," said anchor Nicolle Wallace. "The deputy attorney general of the United States is on the phone with law enforcement, not just talking about an arrest, but stagecrafting it. What happened to Todd Blanche? Why is he involved at thatpoint in the stagecraft?"
"I mean, that's so far outside what he should be discussing and, yeah, where is the U.S. Attorney at that point?" said Greenberg. "It was Alina Habba. Like, why is Todd Blanche getting involved? It shows she kind of really wasn't — wasn't the one leading the show here. It's coming all the way from the top, the number two at the Department of Justice."
"I think it really speaks to — there's an article in The New York Times, you know, recently that there was a passage about Todd Blanche that really stuck out to me and is really going to be cited, I think, by any defense attorney of any of these Democratic lawmakers," Greenberg continued. "It talked about the fact that, according to the reporting, that Todd Blanche understands that Donald Trump still sees him as his personal attorney, and that he knows his client wanted revenge and not a legal lecture, and so he knew it would be futile to protest too much."
Not only is this "a complete abdication ofany responsibility that he has," said Greenberg, but it could expose him to legal liability when the political officials he tries to order prosecuted come after him.
"This story, which is allcaptured on tape, is about lawenforcement officers on thephone with the second mostpowerful law enforcementofficial in the United Statesof America, saying, quote, turnoff your body cams, we'rewalking out of the gates andarresting him. Per the deputyattorney general, right?" Greenberg continued. "Andnot only that, they then had todrop those charges because the whole thing was bogus. And now you havethe mayor of Newark bringing amalicious, you know, vindictive prosecution lawsuit against ... Alina Habba. But maybe after seeingthis, he has to add Todd Blanche to the lawsuit."