>>> LATE THIS AFTERNOON, THE FRIDAY OF A HOLIDAY WEEKEND, THE
WHITE HOUSE REVEALED A NEW POLICY TO KEEP PRIVATE THE NAMES
OF PEOPLE WHO VISIT. IT'S A CHANGE FROM HOW THE WHITE
HOUSE OPERATED UNDER PRESIDENT OBAMA.
AND CRITICS SAY IT'S THE LATEST IN A STRING OF DECISIONS BY TEAM
TRUMP TO BLOCK TRANSPARENCY. TONIGHT IT'S THE TIMING OF THIS
DECISION THAT'S GETTING A LOTS OF ATTENTION AS THE PRESS CORPS
HAS BEEN ASKING ABOUT THESE VISITOR LOGS FOR OVER A MONTH
NOW. >> WILL THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION
CONTINUE THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION'S PRACTICE OF
RELEASING PUBLICLY THE VISITOR LOGS.
>> WE ARE CURRENTLY EVALUATING OUR PROCEDURES ON THAT AND WHEN
WE HAVE AN ANNOUNCEMENT I'LL LET YOU KNOW.
>> ONE MORE QUESTION. >> YEAH.
>> WHEN WILL THE WHITE HOUSE RELEASE THE VISITOR LOGS?
>> WE ARE REVIEWING THAT NOW. >> JOINING THE CONVERSATION,
JONATHAN ALTER, SABRINA IS A DEFECTY FROM WASHINGTON.
AND HUH-UH IT, HOST OF THE APPROPRIATELY NAMED HUH-UHITY
SHOW. WELCOME TO YOU ALL.
JONATHAN WE WERE TALKING BEFORE THE BREAK.
AND I WAS MAKING THE POINT THAT THIS CAN BE A COMPLICATED
BUSINESS. THERE ARE MANY WAYS TO BRING
PEOPLE INTO THE WHITE HOUSE. DOWN THE NORTHWEST GATE DOWN THE
DRIVEWAY WITH A BANK OF CAMERAS, THEY CAN COME IN WEST EXEC
AVENUE. THEY CAN COME IN ON THE ELLIPSE.
THAT'S HOW FIRST CHILDREN HAVE FIRST SLEEPOVERS WITHOUT ALL THE
FAMILIES BEING EXPOSED TO THE MEDIA.
WHAT IS THIS HUBBUB ABOUT SPECIFICALLY?
>> THIS IS BASICALLY SAYING, ON THE PART OF THE TRUMP
ADMINISTRATION, THAT THE NATION'S BUSINESS IS NOBODY'S
BUSINESS. AND THEY CAN DO WHATEVER THEY
WANT. THEY CAN GET -- LET LOBBYISTS
INTO THE BUILDING EVERY DAY, AND THAT WE WON'T KNOW ABOUT IT
UNTIL FIVE YEARS AFTER DONALD TRUMP LEAVES THE PRESIDENCY.
SO THEY ARE CLAIMING THAT THIS IS SO THAT THEY CAN, YOU KNOW,
BRING SUPREME COURT NOMINEES IN OR BRING NATIONAL SECURITY
PEOPLE IN THE THERE IS A CRISIS WITH SOME SECRECY.
BUT THERE ARE PROVISIONS FOR THAT.
>> THERE IS ALWAYS BEEN ALLOWANCE FOR THAT.
>> THERE IS ALWAYS BEEN A WAY TO KEEP REAL THINGS SECRET.
THIS IS JUST A SMOKE SCREEN FOR MORE OF WHAT WE'VE SEEN WITH
TRUMP NOT RELEASES HIS TAXES JUST SAYING NONE OF YOUR
BUSINESS. WE'LL DO WHATEVER WE WANT.
IT'S MORE BANANA REPUBLIC STUFF. >> SABRINA WE DID SAY ON THIS
BROADCAST LAST NIGHT, WARNING WE ARE HEADING INTO A HOLIDAY
WEEKEND FOR MOST AMERICANS. FRIDAY NIGHT IS AN IDEAL TIME TO
RELEASE A STORY, THE COVERAGE OF WHICH YOU ARE NOT GOING TO LIKE.
>> ABSOLUTELY. AND THIS IS AN ADMINISTRATION
THAT HAS ALREADY FACED A GREAT DEAL OF SCRUTINY WHEN IT COMES
TO ITS COMMITMENT TO TRANSPARENCY.
AS JONATHAN MENTIONED THERE IS BREAKING WITH THE 40-YEAR
PRECEDENT OF RELEASING TAX RETURNS.
THAT'S SOMETHING WE HAVEN'T SEEP FROM THIS PRESIDENT.
NOW IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT WHO COMES IN AND OUT OF THE WHITE
HOUSE. IT'S ABOUT WHICH INDIVIDUALS OR
GROUPS MIGHT BE TRYING TO INFLUENCE THIS ADMINISTRATION ON
POLICY AND GIVING THE PUBLIC OF SENSE OF WHO HAS THE PRESIDENT'S
EAR. NOW, THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION
VOLUNTARILY RELEASED AS MANY AS 6 MILLION NAMES OF VISITORS
DURING HIS TWO TERM PRESIDENCY. AND MANY TIMES THAT DIDN'T
INCLUDE SCORES OF LOBBYISTS AND IT DIDN'T ALWAYS REFLECT WELL ON
HIS ADMINISTRATION. WHEN IT CAME TO MATTERS OF
SECURITY OR JUDICIAL ISSUES, THEN THEY DID HANDLE THOSE ON A
CASE BY CASE BASIS. I THINK THIS IS SOMETHING THAT
THE PRESIDENT IS RECEIVING A LOT OF CRITICISM FROM BOTH SIDES ON.
IT'S NOT JUST A PARTISAN MATTER AND GOVERNMENT WATCHDOG GROUPS I
HAVE SPOKEN TO SAID THEY EXPECT TO SEE HIM IN COURT.
>> HUH-UHITY, IT IS HOW WE LEARNED HOW MANY LOBBYISTS WERE
CRAWLING ALL OVER OBAMACARE INITIALLY.
I WILL SAY THIS TOMORROW, TRADITIONAL TAX DAY, YOU ARE
GOING TO HAVE MARCHES IN A LOT OF THE CITIES IN THIS COUNTRY
ABOUT TRANSPARENCY. THE THEME, TRYING TO GET DONALD
TRUMP TO RELEASE HIS TAX RETURNS, TRYING TO FOCUS
ATTENTION ON THAT ISSUE EVERY DAY.
AND NOW THIS. THIS DOESN'T -- THE OPTICS OF
THIS ARE NOT GOOD. >> I AGREE, BRIAN.
I DON'T THINK THIS IS A GOOD DECISION.
I HAVE BEEN THINKING ABOUT IT ALL AFTERNOON.
THE ONLY GOOD REASON TO MAKE THIS DECISION IS TO GIVE
PRESIDENT TRUMP THE TUNE THE REVERSE IT QUICKLY.
AND I DON'T UNDERSTAND THE TIMING EVEN THOUGH IT IS A
CLASSIC FRIDAY NIGHT DUMP. PRESIDENT TRUMP HAS FOUND HIS
FOOTING IN THE LAST TWO WEEKS. NEIL GORSUCH CONFIRMATION, A
VERY SUCCESSFUL SUMMIT WITH THE NATO SECRETARY GENERAL A VERY
WARM INTERNATIONAL WELCOME OF HIS SWIFT ACTION IN SYRIA.
JEFF SESSIONS HAS -- THERE WAS AN L.A. TIMES STORY SHOWING THAT
40% OF THE ILLEGALS CROSSING AT THE BORDER HAS DECLINED.
I THINK THAT GENERAL MATTIS AND GENERAL DUNFORD HAVE GOT A
STRATEGY THAT'S UNFOLDING IN REAL TIME.
GENERAL McMASTER ON HIS WAY TO AFGHANISTAN.
WHY IN THE WORLD, AFTER TWO GREAT WEEKS, DO SOMETHING THAT
BRINGS DOWN CRITICISM ACROSS -- I THINK SABRINA NOTED -- ACROSS
THE POLITICAL SPECTRUM. >> HUGH, LET ME ASK THE
FOLLOW-UP, WHAT WOULD IT HAVE HURT?
>> THERE ARE NEEDS FOR SECRET MEETINGS.
THERE ARE FAMOUS SECRET MEETINGS, I THINK THE MOST
FAMOUS, JOHN SCALLEY OF ABC NEWS MEETING WITH THE KGB RESIDENT
DURING THE CUBAN MISSILE CRISIS. BUT THAT WAS AT THE WILLARD
HOTEL. THERE IS A NEED FOR SECRECY BUT
YOU CAN ALWAYS GO OFFSITE I JUST DON'T UNDERSTAND THIS, BRIAN.
DUP MAKE ANY SENSE TO ME. >> YOU KNOW, THERE HAVE BEEN
MANY EXAMPLES OF PRESIDENTS SECRETLY BRINGING PEOPLE IN TO
MEET WITH THEM. AND IT'S NEVER A PROBLEM.
WHAT THIS IS ABOUT AT BOTTOM IS THAT DONALD TRUMP DOESN'T
BELIEVE HE IS ANSWERABLE TO ANYONE.
IF YOU LOOK OVER THE COURSE OF HIS CAREER, HE NEVER HAS.
THE IDEA OF ACCOUNTABILITY IS A FOREIGN CONCEPT TO HIM.
AND THE PROBLEM IS HE'S, YOU KNOW, IN THE PRESIDENCY, IT IS
AN ACCOUNTABLE OFFICE. YOU ARE ACCOUNTABLE TO THE
CONGRESS, THE COURTS, AND IN THIS CASE, TO THE PUBLIC.
IF YOU DON'T HAVE ANY OF THAT SENSE OF WHAT'S REQUIRED OF
YOU -- NOT BY LAW, BUT BY THE NORMS OF OUR CONSTITUTIONAL
SYSTEM, YOUR OPERATING AT ODDS WITH THAT SYSTEM.
>> SO SABRINA IF WE'VE SEEN A MIGRATION TO THE MAINSTREAM EVEN
JUST THIS WEEK IN THE WEST WING IT WASN'T GOING TO INCLUDE THIS
TOPIC? >> IT WASN'T.
ACTUALLY I THINK IT COULD ALSO BE RELATED TO SOME DEGREE
BECAUSE YOU ARE SEEING THE PRESIDENT ADOPT MORE MAINSTREAM
REPUBLICAN POSITIONS AND YOU SEE ALSO INDIVIDUALS WITHIN HIS
ADMINISTRATION WHO ARE GAINING IN PROMINENCE, SUCH AS GARY
COHN, FORMER GOLDMAN SACHS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE
NATIONAL ECONOMIC COUNCIL IN THE WHITE HOUSE OF THE IT COULD BE
THIS COMPONENT WHERE HE RAN VERY MUCH ON DRAINING THE SWAMP AND
PERHAPS HE DOESN'T WANT THE SUPPORTERS WHO THOUGHT HE WAS
GOING TO RID THE WHITE HOUSE THE INFLUENCE OF LOBBYISTS AND WALL
STREET TO SEE PEOPLE COMING IN AND OUT OF THE WHITE HOUSE AS
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