On Wednesday, House Democrats on the Judicial Committee escalated their collusion delusion by voting to hold Attorney General William Barr in contempt of Congress for not turning over the unredacted Mueller report.
Despite the fact that the grand jury testimony within could not be released, the CBS Evening News and NBC Nightly News hyped the vote and Democrats declaring the country was experiencing a “constitutional crisis.”
“[T]he fight exploded today between the White House and House Democrats. The head of the House Judiciary Committee declaring the U.S. is in a “constitutional crisis” following a vote to hold Attorney General William Barr in contempt,” NBC anchor Lester Holt dramatically announced.
White House correspondent Peter Alexander showed off hyperbolic Democrats attacking Barr and President Trump:
REP. JERRY NADLER (D-NY): We've talked for a long time about approaching a constitutional crisis. We are now in it. We are now in a constitutional crisis.
PETER ALEXANDER: Tonight the House Judiciary Committee voted to hold Attorney General Bill Barr in contempt of Congress for not turning over the entire report.
REP. STEVE COHEN (D-TN): And if it weren't for him being president, he'd be in prison with Michael Cohen today.
“The contempt vote came just 84 days into William Barr's tenure as attorney general” gawked CBS congressional correspondent Nancy Cordes, “after Barr refused to give the House Judiciary Committee an uncensored version of the Mueller report on Russian meddling.”
What first looked like a flash of evenhandedness, Cordes noted that if the House voted for contempt, “Barr would become just the second attorney general to be held in contempt of Congress”, and recalled Obama-era AG Eric Holder. But it flipped as she described Holder as someone “Republicans went after.”
“If he’s held in contempt of Congress, Barr theoretically faces the possibility of fines or jail time, but only if the Justice Department, which he runs, decides to pursue charges. And that seems unlikely,” Cordes seemed to lament.
To Alexander’s credit, he noted: “The contempt vote is basically symbolic. President Obama's attorney general, Eric Holder was also held in contempt.”
Both broadcast networks also highlighted Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), who suggested that Trump was “becoming self-impeachable in terms of some of the things he's doing.” She also omitted the Republicans on the committee defending Barr and Trump.
The transcripts are below, click "expand" to read:
CBS Evening News
May 8, 2019
6:36:35 p.m. EasternJEFF GLOR: There is some late news from Washington, DC, tonight. Donald Trump, Jr., has been subpoenaed to answer more questions about Russian interference in the 2016 election. Also today, a House committee voted to hold Attorney General William Barr in contempt. Nancy Cordes is at the Capitol.
[Cuts to video]
REP. JERRY NADLER: The House of Representatives find William T. Barr, attorney general of the United States Department of Justice, in contempt.
NANCY CORDES: The contempt vote came just 84 days into William Barr's tenure as attorney general; after Barr refused to give the House Judiciary Committee an uncensored version of the Mueller report on Russian meddling.
NADLER: This Congress is entitled to the full, unredacted Mueller report, one must wonder what document we would be entitled to.
CORDES: The White House accused Committee Chair Jerry Nadler of a “blatant abuse of power” and said the vote left with the President with no other option than to exert executive privilege to block the report's release.
SARAH SANDERS: They're asking for information they know they can't have.
CORDES: The resolution now goes to the full House of Representatives. If it passes, Barr would become just the second attorney general to be held in contempt of Congress.
NADLER: The ayes have it.
CORDES: The first was Eric Holder, who Republicans went after in 2012 for failing to Hanover documents related to the Fast and Furious gun-running investigation.
(…)
CORDES: The President has urged officials like Barr not to comply with congressional subpoenas and accused his critics today of a “treasonous hoax”.
SPEAKER NANCY PELOSI: Obstruction, obstruction, obstruction.
CORDES: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
PELOSI: Every single day the President is making a case. He's becoming self-impeachable.
[Cuts back to live]
CORDES: If he’s held in contempt of Congress, Barr theoretically faces the possibility of fines or jail time, but only if the Justice Department, which he runs, decides to pursue charges. And that seems unlikely.
NBC Nightly News
May 8, 2019
7:07:19 p.m. EasternLESTER HOLT: Before news of that subpoena broke, the fight exploded today between the White House and House Democrats. The head of the House Judiciary Committee declaring the U.S. is in a “constitutional crisis” following a vote to hold Attorney General William Barr in contempt, just hours after President Trump moved to keep Congress from seeing the unredacted Mueller report. Let's get more on this from NBC's Peter Alexander.
[Cuts to video]
PETER ALEXANDER: Tonight, the battle between the White House and House Democrats is escalating. President Trump for the first time asserting executive privilege to prevent the blacked out portions of the Mueller report and the underlying evidence from being handed over to Congress. Executive privilege generally allows a president to shield information, usually his private deliberations.
REP. JERRY NADLER: We've talked for a long time about approaching a constitutional crisis. We are now in it. We are now in a constitutional crisis.
ALEXANDER: Tonight the House Judiciary Committee voted to hold Attorney General Bill Barr in contempt of Congress for not turning over the entire report.
REP. STEVE COHEN: And if it weren't for him being president, he'd be in prison with Michael Cohen today.
ALEXANDER: Republicans are accusing Democrats of political grandstanding.
REP. JIM JORDAN: I think it's all about trying to destroy Bill Barr because Democrats are nervous he's going to get to the bottom of everything. He's going to find out how and why this investigation started in the first place.
REP. MATT GAETZ: This is all about impeaching the president.
ALEXANDER: The White House is arguing Barr has been transparent.
If the Mueller report fully exonerates the President as he suggests, why doesn't he want Congress to see the entire thing?
SARAH SANDERS: Again, chairman Nadler is asking the Attorney General of the United States to break the law and commit a crime by releasing information that he knows he has no legal authority to have.
ALEXANDER: And tonight a new warning from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
SPEAKER NANCY PELOSI: Every single day the President is making a case. He's becoming self-impeachable in terms of some of the things he's doing.
[Cuts back to live]
ALEXANDER: The contempt vote is basically symbolic. President Obama's attorney general, Eric Holder was also held in contempt. It will likely be up to the courts to determine what, if anything, else from the Mueller report is turned over. Lester.
HOLT: Peter Alexander tonight, thank you.
