President Donald Trump's Justice Department has become so dysfunctional that even Senate Republicans are fed up with the situation, MS NOW justice correspondent Ken Dilanian told anchor Katy Tur on Thursday.
This comes as Trump's federal prosecutor in Washington, D.C., announced, to great fanfare, charges against David Hearn, an Olympian the administration accuses of vandalizing the controversial and unsuccessful renovation of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.
"When should we expect to see this evidence that [U.S. Attorney] Jeanine Pirro has touted?" asked Tur.
"Well, that's unclear," said Dilanian. What's clear now, though, he added, is that "there is a vast difference of opinion about what exactly happened there, Mr. Hearn insisting that he did nothing wrong, that he touched some material, he didn't commit any vandalism ... and it's just an example of how this Justice Department follows the tune of the president."
"Whether it holds up in court remains to be seen," he added — and furthermore, it could put extra strain on Senate lawmakers, including Republicans, who are already losing patience with the way Trump's DOJ has been operating.
"That laundry list from those senators ... every American should read it because it just shows you the incredible things that have happened in a little over a year at this Justice Department, and it describes, essentially, a breakdown in governance in the United States," he said. "Because most of these issues have nothing to do with partisanship, with the old classic Republican and Democratic disagreements."
As an example, he continued, senators want to understand why the Trump administration border czar Tom Homan was never prosecuted for accepting a $50,000 sack of cash from an FBI sting operation. "That's not a partisan issue. The Congress deserves answers about why that case didn't go forward."
Even if some Republicans want answers, though, he added, "they won't be able to get any unless the Democrats seize power in the upcoming election."
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