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>>> WELCOME BACK.
YOU KNOW THEY KEEP COMING, DRIP
DRIP INTEREST IN THE BRIDGE GATE
SCANDAL, THE GEORGE WASHINGTON
BRIDGE SCANDAL AND THE QUESTION
IS, WAS NEW JERSEY GOVERNOR
CHRIS CHRISTIE INVOLVED IN
CLOSING SOME OF THE ACCESS LANES
TO THE BRIDGE LAST YEAR TO
PARALYZE THE TOWN OF FORT LEE?
THIS MORNING THE NEWARK STAR
LEDGER'S EDITORIAL EDITOR
WEIGHED IN.
MEANWHILE, REPORTERS ARE STILL
DIGGING, DIGGING, DIGGING FOR
NEW SCOOPS AND THE LATEST, THE
MAYOR OF FORT LEE SAYS HE
BELIEVES THE LANES WERE CLOSED
IN RETALIATION FOR HIS
ENDORSEMENT OF CHRISTIE'S RIVAL
IN THE GOVERNOR'S RACE.
HE'S BEEN SKITTISH ABOUT SAYING
THAT BUT NOW SAYS ALTHOUGH HE
WAS NOT DIRECTLY ASKED TO
ENDORSE THE GOVERNOR HE WAS
SHOURD WITH POLITICAL FAVORS
FROM THE CHRISTIE CAMPAIGN UNTIL
THE DAY HE ENDORSED DEMOCRAT
BARBARA BONO.
THE GOVERNOR DENIED HAVING
KNOWLEDGE OF THE LANE CLOSURES
WHILE HAPPENING.
AT WHAT POINT DOES THIS BECOME
BIG ENOUGH TO SINK CHRIS
CHRISTIE AS THE 2016
PRESIDENTIAL CONTENDER OR HAS IT
ALREADY?
I CAN'T THINK OF ANYONE BETTER
TO ASK THAN MY NEXT GUEST CARL
BERNSTEIN ONE HALF OF THE
LEGENDARY WOODWARD AND BERNSTEIN
STORY LEADING TO THE RESIGNATION
OF PRESIDENT KNICKSEN.
>> GOOD MORNING.
>> GOOD MORNING.
>> ALWAYS DIFFERENCES WITH EVERY
SCANDAL.
DO YOU SEE SIMILARITIES IN THE
WAY NEWS HAS TRICKLED OUT ABOUT
BRIDGE GATE AND THE WAY SLOWLY
NEWS TRICKLED OUT ABOUT
WATERGATE.
>> START WITH BRIDGE GATE.
A TERRIBLE TERM UNFAIR TO
GOVERNOR CHRISTIE AND WE IN THE
MEDIA OUGHT TO ABANDON THAT TERM
RIGHT AWAY.
>> NO MORE GATES AT ALL?
>> FIRST OF ALL TRIFLIZES
WATERGATE BY CALLING EVERYTHING
GATE, BUT IN THE CASE OF
CHRISTIE IT'S PLAIN UNFAIR.
WE DON'T KNOW ALL THE FACTS YET.
LET'S WAIT UNTIL THE FACTS ARE
IN.
THE NEW JERSEY LEGISLATURE NEEDS
TO DO AN IMPORTANT BIPARTISAN
INVESTIGATION SUCH AS WAS
UNDERTAKEN IN WATERGATE AND
WE'LL LEARN MORE.
WHAT WE HAVE HERE IS A HUGE
NATIONAL STORY ON MANY LEVELS.
NOT THE LEAST OF WHICH IS THAT
IT HAS THROWN THE REPUBLICAN
PRESIDENTIAL SWEEPSTAKES WIDE
OPEN.
CHRISTIE WAS THE PRESUMED
NOMINEE AMONG THE COMMENTATING
CLASS AND MANY OTHERS.
HE NO LONGER IS UNDER ANY
CIRCUMSTANCES.
THIS MEANS THERE'S GOING TO BE A
HUGE FIGHT FOR THE PRESIDENTIAL
NOMINATION IN THE REPUBLICAN
PARTY, OTHER CANDIDATES ARE
GOING TO ENTER, MAYBE PEOPLE
LIKE JOE SCARBOROUGH, ROB
PORTMAN, MANY OTHERS, THIS IS
WIDE OPEN.
>> YOU THINK SCARBOROUGH WOULD
DO IT?
HE ALWAYS FLIRTS WITH THIS
STUFF.
DO YOU THINK HE WOULD RUN FOR
PRESIDENT?
>> I CAN'T BE INSIDE HIS HEAD.
I THINK THAT HE CERTAINLY WOULD
THINK ABOUT IT AND IF HE SAW
THERE WAS A WAY AND A PATH THAT
WAS A POSSIBILITY THAT HE
PROBABLY WOULD.
>> YOUR POINT IS NOW THERE ARE
THESE PATHS OPENING UP.
>> THIS CAN GO ANYWHERE.
>> RIGHT.
>> CHRISTIE WAS THE IDEAL
CANDIDATE MOVING TO THE CENTER,
SOMEBODY WHO SUPPOSEDLY COULD
WORK WITH DEMOCRATS, WHO HAD
GOTTEN A LOT ACCOMPLISHED IN HIS
STATE, VERY POPULAR, SO-CALLED
TRUTH TELLER WHO GOT RIGHT OUT
THERE AND SAID THINGS OTHERS ARE
AFRAID TO SAY AND NOW WHAT WE
HAVE IS AN IMPLOSION OF SORTS.
>> SOUNDS LIKE YOU DON'T THINK
HE'S TOO THOROUGHLY DAMAGED TO
BE THE NOMINEE.
WE DON'T KNOW YET?
>> I THINK IT'S UNLIKELY HE WILL
BE THE NOMINEE.
IF HE'S GOING TO BE THE NOMINEE
HE HAS TO PROVE THAT THIS WAS
ALL INVENTED AGAINST HIM.
THAT HE REALLY HAD VERY LITTLE
TO DO WITH THE AURA OF HIS
OFFICE, THAT MADE THIS POSSIBLE,
IN OTHER WORDS HIS TOP AIDES,
REGARDLESS OF WHETHER HE SAID
CLOSE DOWN THE DAM LANES, HIS
PEOPLE CLOSEST TO HIM DID IT AND
THEY DID IT IN A CYNICAL,
HORRIBLE WAY, THAT ENDANGERED
PEOPLE'S LIVES.
THIS IS NO PRANK AS RUDY
GIULIANI HAS PUT IT.
THIS IS A TERRIBLE OFFENSE
AGAINST THE CITIZENS AND
ENDANGERING THEM OF HIS STATE.
SO UNLESS HE CAN SHOW THAT HE
HAS SOMEHOW BEEN AMBUSHED BY THE
PRESS, HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH
THIS, THAT HIS ASSISTANTS WERE
INDEPENDENT OPERATORS.
>> ROGUE.
>> WHO KEPT THINGS FROM HIM,
IT'S A PRETTY ROUGH THING TO
ACCEPT FOR MOST PEOPLE, I THINK,
THAT HE'S THAT FAR REMOVED AND
IF HE'S THEN SHOWN TO BE THAT
FAR REMOVED HE DIDN'T KNOW WHAT
THE HELL WAS GOING ON IN HIS
OFFICE, THEN THAT'S ANOTHER
PROBLEM.
IF -- WE HAVE NO IDEA WHAT'S
GOING TO HAPPEN IN AN
INVESTIGATION.
HE MIGHT HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT
BEING THE GOVERNOR OF NEW
JERSEY.
WE JUST DON'T KNOW.
>> HERE'S A TWITTER MESSAGE FROM
A VIEWER WHEN I SAID WE WERE
GOING TO BE ON WITH ME TODAY.
WITHOUT MORE PROOF THAN WE NOW
HAVE, IS THIS WHOLE CHRIS
CHRISTIE THING STARTING TO FEEL
LIKE PRESS OVERKILL?
>> NO.
BECAUSE WE NEED TO KNOW WHAT
HAPPENED AND WE HAVE VERY LITTLE
EVIDENCE, HARD EVIDENCE, SO FAR
THAT HAS BEEN MADE PUBLIC.
THE GOVERNOR'S OFFICE HAS FAILED
TO MAKE IT PUBLIC.
THERE ARE MANY SUBPOENAS OUT
THERE.
THE GOVERNOR COULD OPEN UP HIS
BOOKS IF HE WANTED TO SAY THIS
IS INVENTED BY THE PRESS.
I'LL GIVE YOU EVERYTHING WE'RE
GIVING TO THE INVESTIGATING
COMMITTEES.
HERE IT IS.
COME ON IN, REPORTERS, COME ON
IN, EVERYBODY.
I HAVEN'T SEEN THAT KIND OF
WILLINGNESS TO OPEN UP THE
IDEA -- LOOK, JUST LIKE IN
WATERGATE, THERE ARE THOSE WHO
ARE GOING TO SAY LET'S MAKE THE
CONDUCT OF THE PRESS THE ISSUE
HERE, NOT THE CONDUCT OF THE
GOVERNOR AND HIS OFFICE.
>> ISN'T THAT ALWAYS THE WORLD'S
MOST BORING STORY MAKING THE
PRESS THE STORY?
>> IT WORKED IN WATERGATE FOR A
GOOD WHILE.
WE WERE KIND OF OUT THERE BY
OURSELVES.
KNICKSP TRIED TO MAKE THE
CONDUCT OF "THE WASHINGTON POST"
THE ISSUE NOT THOSE OF HIS
ASSISTANTS.
AT A CERTAIN POINT IT STOPS
WORKING IF THE FACTS ARE
COMPELLING ENOUGH AND IF THE
REPORTING IS GOOD ENOUGH.
SO FAR THE FACTS ARE COMPELLING
AND THE REPORTING IS PRETTY
GOOD.
>> PRETTY GOOD.
WE'RE ABOUT TO TALK IN THE NEXT
BLOCK ABOUT HILLARY CLINTON AND,
YOU KNOW, THE PRESUMED CANDIDATE
FOR 2016 AND HOW RAND PAUL HAS
BEEN CRITICIZING HER HUSBAND
CALLING BILL CLINTON A ***
PREDATOR.
DO YOU THINK THAT'S A FAIR LINE
OF ATTACK THAT WE'RE HEARING IN
ALL OF THESE INTERVIEWS RAND
PAUL HAS BEEN DOING SOME.
>> I'VE WRITTEN THE STANDARD
BIOGRAPHY OF A WOMAN IN CHARGE
OF HILLARY CLINTON, CAME OUT AS
SHE WAS RUNNING FOR PRESIDENT
THE LAST TIME.
LOOK, THERE WAS SOMETHING OF A
CO-PRESIDENCY IN THE CLINTON
YEARS AND IF SHE WERE TO BE
PRESIDENT, IT WOULD BE ANOTHER
CO-PRESIDENCY IN SOME WAYS.
SO BILL CLINTON'S ACTIONS, IT
SEEMS TO ME, ARE PERFECTLY FAIR
GAME, PARTICULARLY THAT HIS
PRINCIPAL DEFENDER INCLUDING HIS
LEGAL DEFENSE, DEFENSE IN
IMPEACHMENT WAS HIS WIFE,
HILLARY CLINTON.
SO IT'S FAIR GAME.
AT THE SAME TIME, WE OUGHT TO
REMEMBER THAT HE, CLINTON, IS
ABOUT THE MOST POPULAR POLITICAL
FIGURE IN THIS COUNTRY TODAY FOR
ALL KINDS OF INTERESTING
REASONS.
I'M NOT ONE, INCIDENTALLY, BASED
A LITTLE BIT ON WHAT I'M HEARING
AND A LITTLE BIT OF INSTINCT
ACTUAL NOTIONS I'M NOT CONVINCED
SHE'S GOING TO RUN FOR
PRESIDENT.
I THINK THE CHRISTIE THING MIGHT
HAVE MADE IT MORE LIKELY BUT
SHE'S LOOKING AT EVERY ASPECT OF
THIS, INCLUDING HER HEALTH,
HUSBAND'S HEALTH, THEY BOTH HAVE
TO BE HEALTHY IF SHE'S GOING TO
UNDERTAKE THIS RUN.
SHE'S NOT GOING TO UNDERTAKE A
RUN IF IT LOOKS TO THE CLINTONS
AS IF THERE'S A BIG CHANCE SHE
COULD BE BEATEN.
IT'S NOT A SURE THING SHE'S
RUNNING.
AND PEOPLE I KNOW WHO KNOW HER
WELL, AND THERE ARE VERY FEW WHO
SHE TALKS TO ABOUT THIS
QUESTION, IF ANY, BESIDE HER
HUSBAND IN TERMS OF WHAT SHE'S
REALLY GOING TO DO, BUT THERE
ARE SOME DOUBTS AMONG THOSE WHO
KNOW HER WELL SHE'S REALLY GOING