A Closer Look Extended Edition- Trump Fraud Trial, Biden Impeachment, House GOP Chaos
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00:00 while I try to get through this.
00:02 Donald Trump appeared in a Manhattan courthouse today
00:04 for a fraud trial after a judge ruled that he and his family
00:06 had lied about their business assets for years.
00:08 House Republicans descended to chaos and finger-pointing
00:10 after nearly shutting down the government
00:11 while simultaneously embarrassing themselves
00:12 with a sham impeachment inquiry and a Joe Biden
00:14 that even their own witnesses admitted not having evidence.
00:17 Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz announced
00:18 that he'll try to remove Kevin McCarthy as Speaker of the House.
00:20 Trump is preparing for another hearing over a proposed gag order
00:22 to stop him from making threats
00:24 in the run-up to a criminal trial attempt as coup.
00:26 Trial dates have been set in three of Trump's criminal cases
00:28 for stealing classified documents,
00:30 trying to overturn the election,
00:31 and paying hush money to a porn star.
00:32 Trump was caught on tape admitting
00:34 that secret military documents that were not declassified
00:36 kept boxed with classified documents in his bathroom.
00:38 He was found liable for sexual abuse in a civil trial,
00:40 called the former chairman of the Joint Chief of Staff
00:42 to be executed, reneged on a promise
00:43 to pay his ex-lawyer Rudy Giuliani,
00:45 who was also indicted by a grand jury in Atlanta
00:47 for election interference, and is being sued
00:48 by his ex-lawyer for failure to pay,
00:50 as well as by Hunter Biden for tampering with his laptop.
00:52 Trump was overheard saying the words "hang" on January 6th
00:55 as a riotous mob tried to hang his vice president.
00:57 Rudy was drunk during the insurrection.
00:58 Trump chief of staff Mark Mendoza burned so many documents
01:00 in his fireplace that his suit smelled
01:02 like a Boy Scout jamboree.
01:03 Ted Cruz said Barbie is indoctrinating children
01:05 with Chinese propaganda.
01:06 The Atlanta grand jury recommended
01:07 indictment of Lindsey Graham,
01:08 among many other Trump allies.
01:09 Trump's former doctor turned congressman
01:10 Ronny Jackson got detained at a rodeo.
01:14 Trump said rainbows are killing whales
01:15 and the dampening forest fires with water would stop fires.
01:17 Chris Christie called him Donald Trump.
01:19 Marjorie Taylor Greene showed off a giant poster board
01:20 with Hunter Biden nudes in Congress.
01:22 And confused Yom Kippur with Hanukkah.
01:23 Congressman George Santos said her bottom and neck
01:25 were both indicted.
01:26 Mike Lindell got mad in a lawsuit
01:27 because someone called his pillows lumpy.
01:29 And Lauren Boebert got to second base
01:30 at a Beetlejuice musical.
01:31 Did.
01:32 [ Cheers and applause ]
01:37 Did I miss anything?
01:38 [ Cheers and applause ]
01:40 Oh, right.
01:41 Trump went to a gun store and held a Glock
01:44 like he was a Price is Right model.
01:46 [ Laughter ]
01:50 For more on much of that as we can get to,
01:52 it's time for "A Closer Look."
01:54 To the Max!
01:55 [ Cheers and applause ]
01:58 To the Max!
01:59 [ Air horn blaring ]
02:01 [ Cheers and applause ]
02:10 Donald Trump arrived in New York last night
02:12 to stay at his possibly soon-to-be-renamed
02:14 residence Trump Tower,
02:16 ahead of his appearance today
02:17 at a Manhattan courthouse for a fraud trial.
02:19 And I just want to say it's really nice of him
02:21 to come back to New York for our first show.
02:23 He -- He heard the strike was over and said,
02:26 "I can't miss a closer look."
02:28 [ Laughter ]
02:29 In fact, this is very exciting.
02:30 He's in the audience with us right now.
02:32 So if you're in the studio and you hear a beeping sound,
02:35 don't worry, that's just his court-ordered
02:37 ankle bracelet going off.
02:38 [ Laughter ]
02:39 I'm just kidding. Trump's not here.
02:41 He's home recuperating after a long day of scowling.
02:43 Here he is arriving at the courthouse
02:46 for the fraud trial today and standing there
02:47 waiting to go in like a guy waiting to use
02:50 the bathroom at a concert.
02:51 [ Laughter ]
02:52 "Come on, hurry up. I want to get back to my seats
02:54 before he plays 'Piano Man.'
02:55 Where is he now?
02:57 David Crockett, Peter Pan, Elvis Presley,
02:59 Disneyland? All right, I got time."
03:01 [ Laughter ]
03:03 And then, of course, he could not restrain himself
03:04 from launching into an unhinged tirade
03:06 for the assembled press, where he, among other things,
03:08 attacked the attorney general who brought the case
03:10 and the judge overseeing it.
03:11 I don't want to amplify most of what he said,
03:14 but here's a quick time-lapse just to give you an idea
03:17 of what fraud defendant Donald Trump was doing
03:20 as he waited to enter the courtroom.
03:21 -This is a continuation of the single greatest
03:26 witch hunt of all time.
03:27 She said, "Well, now I'll go back to get Trump again."
03:30 And this is what we have. It's a scam. It's a sham.
03:33 People are being murdered all over the sidewalks of New York.
03:36 If I didn't run, I'd be sitting right now at a beach
03:38 like Biden does every time,
03:39 even though he's supposed to be working.
03:41 They have one property that's worth
03:44 anywhere from 50 to 100 times
03:47 what this judge put down as a value -- Coca-Cola.
03:50 Take a look at their value.
03:52 They have a value.
03:53 The value of their brand is more than everything else
03:55 put together.
03:56 One other thing.
03:58 We have a clause in the contract
04:01 which tells, essentially, "Buyer beware."
04:04 When you take a look at the financial statement,
04:08 don't believe anything you read.
04:10 Do not believe anything.
04:12 If I weren't running, I wouldn't have any of these cases.
04:15 I wouldn't be seeing you this morning.
04:18 But I'll be seeing a lot of you.
04:20 I'll be seeing a lot of you?
04:22 He sounds like a creepy husband from a Lifetime movie.
04:26 I'll be seeing a lot of you, Deborah.
04:27 You'll never find all the cameras I installed.
04:31 By the way, that was time-lapse. That was three days.
04:33 He started Friday during the rainstorm and hasn't stopped.
04:36 At one point, the water was up to his waist,
04:38 and he still kept going.
04:41 Also, generally speaking, I would say it's not exactly
04:43 a genius legal strategy to attack the judge
04:46 right before you walk into his courtroom.
04:48 "This guy's an ass[bleep] A loser.
04:50 I hate his guts, and I hope he rules in my favor."
04:53 [ Laughter ]
04:55 Most of that rant was the standard Trump word vomit,
04:58 but I do want to touch on a few quick things like this.
05:00 -The reason I got indicted was that I ran.
05:03 If I didn't run, I'd be sitting right now at a beach
05:06 like Biden does every time,
05:07 even though he's supposed to be working.
05:09 -Yeah, I just can't imagine Donald Trump sitting on a beach.
05:11 A beach implies relaxation.
05:13 If Trump ever did go to a beach,
05:15 he'd spend the entire time arguing with the seagulls.
05:17 "Excuse me, Mr. Seagull. Mr. Seagull --
05:19 Those are my chips. Excuse me. I'm talking.
05:22 Squawk, squawk. Squawk, squawk to you.
05:24 Excuse me."
05:26 But arguably, the most bizarre thing he said during his rant
05:29 was when he claimed he couldn't be held liable
05:31 for any of the false statements about his business assets
05:33 because his financial documents have a disclaimer in them
05:37 that says nothing in them is true.
05:39 -We have a clause in the contract
05:42 which tells, essentially, "Buyer beware."
05:45 We have a clause in the contract.
05:47 It's like a "buyer beware" clause.
05:49 It says when you take a look at the financial statement,
05:54 don't believe anything you read.
05:56 This is up front.
05:57 Don't believe anything you read.
05:59 Some people call it a worthless clause
06:00 because it makes the statement
06:03 and anything you read of the statement worthless.
06:05 It says go out and do your own research,
06:08 go out and do your own due diligence.
06:10 You have to study the statement carefully.
06:13 Do not believe anything.
06:14 -Wait, what?
06:16 You can't be held liable because your business records
06:19 have a disclaimer that says don't believe any of this?
06:23 He's talking about his bank records
06:25 like it's the warning before an episode of "Jackass."
06:29 Do his tax returns also say don't try this at home?
06:34 So then after he spent a few minutes
06:35 further incriminating himself, Trump entered the courtroom
06:37 where he sat down at the defense table,
06:39 and as you can see from these images, he's having a blast.
06:43 Generally speaking, if you're an alleged criminal
06:45 trying to look innocent at a fraud trial,
06:47 I would not go with menacing scowl.
06:50 If you didn't know the context and just saw his face,
06:52 you'd think he was on trial for all the murders.
06:56 That's his audition tape to play at Klingon General.
07:01 But I have to say, the scene that I found
07:02 especially incredible was this shot of Attorney General
07:05 Letitia James perfectly positioned in the background
07:08 over Trump's shoulder, staring at --
07:10 Look at that shot!
07:12 What cinematography?
07:13 Did they get the same director who did "Succession"?
07:18 The only thing --
07:19 This is wonderful.
07:21 The only thing missing from this scene was Cousin Greg.
07:24 What's Trump saying in the courtroom, Greg?
07:27 "I think he's suggesting that,
07:29 perhaps in terms of the jurisprudence
07:32 of the legal proceedings, that he's completely [bleep]"
07:38 Now, in a way, Trump has already lost this case
07:42 before he stepped foot in the courtroom,
07:43 because last week, before the trial even began,
07:45 the judge found Trump had lied
07:46 about his business assets for years.
07:48 And now the Attorney General is asking the judge
07:50 to bar him from doing business in New York,
07:52 which means Trump could lose everything.
07:55 -We begin with a major ruling in a civil case
07:58 against Donald Trump and his family business.
08:01 In a 35-page decision yesterday,
08:04 Manhattan judge Arthur N. Gorin found the former president
08:08 and his two oldest sons and their companies liable for fraud.
08:14 -The judge found Trump "repeatedly submitted
08:17 fraudulent financial documents about the value of his assets
08:21 to banks and other insurance companies,"
08:23 and that his financial statements were "based
08:27 in a fantasy world, not the real world."
08:30 -The Attorney General's team sought to convince the judge
08:32 in this case that Trump should be barred
08:34 from doing business in the state of New York.
08:36 -The former president could eventually lose control
08:39 of iconic properties like Trump Tower.
08:41 -Is it clear? Does he have $250 million
08:43 if that was an actual penalty that the company was to pay?
08:48 -I'm not sure how liquid he is at the moment
08:50 and whether he could pay that, but this is obviously
08:52 a big question, is what his actual assets are.
08:54 -That's right. Trump might not even have the money
08:56 to pay the penalty in his fraud trial,
08:58 which means there's a remote but realistic possibility
09:00 the Trump Tower gets taken away, he has to sell Mar-a-Lago,
09:03 and he ends up crashing with Rudy Giuliani.
09:05 [ Laughter ]
09:06 "I can't tap bunk."
09:07 "But, boss, I don't have a bunk bed."
09:09 "You can sleep under the mattress."
09:11 "Oh, this is great!
09:13 Maybe this will finally straighten out my neck.
09:15 My chiropractor says I have a condition called gargoyle spine."
09:18 [ Laughter ]
09:21 -So, the actual trial began today.
09:23 Trump and his lopsided adult sons are on the witness list,
09:26 but the judge in the case has already effectively ruled
09:29 that the facts are not in dispute.
09:31 He wrote in his ruling that Trump's inflated claims
09:33 about his business assets constitute obvious fraud.
09:37 -The judge effectively decided he didn't need a trial
09:40 to determine that Trump's were liable.
09:43 The judge wrote in his ruling,
09:45 "This is a fantasy world, not the real world,"
09:47 and admonished the former president
09:50 for his overvaluing his holdings
09:53 by as much as $2.2 billion.
09:57 In one example, Trump overestimated the size
10:01 of his Manhattan apartment,
10:02 which he spent years living in,
10:04 by 19,000 feet, or 200%.
10:10 Judge Ngorin called that absurd, writing,
10:13 "A discrepancy of this order of magnitude
10:15 by a real estate developer
10:18 sizing up his own living space of decades
10:21 can only be considered fraud."
10:23 -Trump inflated his own apartment size by 200%.
10:26 In other words, he tripled it.
10:28 I wouldn't be surprised if the photos were fake, too.
10:30 Remember how we all thought it looked like this?
10:32 That's Photoshop.
10:33 If you remove the filter, it looks like this.
10:36 [ Laughter ]
10:38 This ruling undercuts his entire mythology.
10:41 Everything about him is a lie.
10:42 Not only were his businesses and net worth inflated,
10:44 but he even pretended his own apartment
10:46 was three times bigger than it actually was.
10:48 Next, we're going to find out he and Melania are just friends.
10:50 I'm kidding. Friends like each other.
10:51 And yet, somehow, this fraud trial
10:54 could very well, very well be the least of Trump's concerns.
10:58 As we all know, he's got four upcoming criminal cases
11:01 to deal with, and trial dates have been set
11:03 for three of those cases.
11:04 We'll tell you all about that right after this break.
11:07 Wait, we're allowed to do a commercial
11:09 during a "Closer Look"? Is that a new thing?
11:11 All right, let's see how it goes.
11:12 [ Cheers and applause ]
11:14 Now, as I was saying...
11:16 [ Laughter ]
11:18 ...before I was so rudely interrupted
11:21 by our incredibly valuable advertisers,
11:23 thank you so much.
11:26 On top of the civil fraud trial,
11:27 Trump appeared out today in Manhattan.
11:29 He's also, of course, facing four indictments,
11:31 three more, it should be noted, than the Unabomber,
11:33 who, as the "Una" implies, had just the one.
11:37 One of Trump's indictments, of course,
11:38 involves the classified documents
11:39 he stole from the White House.
11:41 And at the House GOP's sham impeachment hearing
11:43 into Joe Biden last week,
11:44 Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett
11:46 compared these stolen documents,
11:48 some of which were found in Trump's bathroom,
11:50 to the allegations against Biden
11:51 with an especially memorable choice of words.
11:54 -As I walked into this chamber today,
11:58 as I prepared, I said, "What is the crime?"
12:01 Because when you're talking about impeachment,
12:03 you're talking about high crimes or misdemeanors.
12:07 And I can't seem to find the crime,
12:09 and, honestly, no one has testified
12:12 of what crime they believe
12:13 the President of the United States has committed.
12:16 But when we started talking about things
12:18 that look like evidence,
12:19 they want to act like they blind.
12:21 They don't know what this is.
12:22 These are our national secrets.
12:24 Looks like in the [bleep] to me.
12:26 [ Laughter and applause ]
12:29 -Yep.
12:30 Much like the country, when he was in office,
12:32 Trump left his classified documents in the [bleep]
12:35 and I really appreciate that choice of words
12:37 because it accurately captures the decor of Trump's bathroom.
12:40 It doesn't look like a powder room or a lavatory.
12:42 It looks like [bleep] a fancy [bleep]
12:44 but it's a [bleep] nonetheless.
12:46 I mean, put aside the fact that there are boxes
12:48 of stolen classified documents in there,
12:50 you know, just in case you run out of
12:52 Golf Digest or Family Circuses,
12:54 he's got a fancy chandelier
12:57 right next to a cheap curtain rod.
12:59 I don't think I've ever seen a weirder combination
13:01 of expensive and chintzy choices in a bathroom before.
13:04 It's like a porta-potty with monogrammed towels.
13:08 If you're going to lay out for the chandelier,
13:09 why not just get a proper shower installed
13:12 or a sliding glass door or something?
13:13 This looks like the bathroom at a funeral home in Yonkers.
13:16 And, by the way, you know Trump calls it the [bleep] too.
13:20 Like, when he's on his private jet with his gang of weirdos
13:23 complaining about the bathroom being occupied,
13:25 "Where's Rudy?" He's still in the [bleep]
13:27 or sometimes he breathes in too much hair dye
13:29 and passes out in there.
13:31 "Boss, it happened again. I had the craziest dream
13:33 where I was the president's lawyer.
13:35 I am!"
13:38 And while we're on the subject, you might be wondering
13:40 how Republicans could have possibly defended this.
13:42 Here's soon-to-be former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy
13:45 offering a defense of Trump's bathroom/filing cabinet
13:49 back in June.
13:50 -Isn't that a good look for the former president
13:51 to have boxes in the bathroom?
13:54 -I don't know. Is it a good picture to have boxes
13:56 in a garage that opens up all the time?
13:59 A bathroom door locks.
14:00 -Yeah, bathroom -- [ Laughter ]
14:02 Bathroom doors lock so you can pee in private,
14:05 not so you can use it as a home safe.
14:08 Also, the bathroom door kind of famously
14:10 has the flimsiest lock in the house.
14:11 If you're watching a horror movie and a character
14:13 runs into the bathroom and locks the door,
14:15 say your goodbyes.
14:16 There isn't a single normal human being
14:18 who keeps important things in the bathroom.
14:20 "Hey, honey, where's our marriage certificate?
14:22 It's next to the plunger."
14:25 Also, a bathroom door only locks from the inside.
14:28 If no one's in there, it's open.
14:30 So what you're saying is our nation's most sensitive
14:33 and highly guarded secrets are safe
14:35 as long as someone's in there taking a dump.
14:37 Do we assign someone from the archives department
14:40 to that job, or is that more of a Secret Service thing?
14:44 "Agent Callahan, your bathroom shift starts at 5 a.m.
14:47 Better start pounding some bran."
14:52 So the faraway front-runner for the GOP nomination
14:54 is facing four indictments and a civil fraud case
14:58 that could end his entire business.
14:59 But fair is fair, and I do want to give
15:01 the Republican Party credit.
15:02 I'm happy to report that in the five months
15:04 since we were last on the air,
15:05 the GOP has undergone a radical transformation
15:07 into a serious, sober-minded collection
15:09 of diligent professionals capable of competently
15:12 ministering the basic functions of government.
15:14 And I'm just kidding, it's still a giant
15:16 ass-over-tea kettle cluster.
15:18 -This is CNN Breaking News.
15:21 -Good evening, everyone. This is CNN special live coverage
15:24 on a chaotic night, even by Washington standards.
15:28 I'm Dana Bash, live in the nation's capital.
15:30 Here's the headline.
15:31 The United States government will not shut down,
15:34 at least not for another 45 days.
15:36 -The House speaker had his back up against the wall, it seems.
15:40 He was not going to get anywhere
15:41 with his Republican conference alone.
15:43 There was just too much infighting
15:45 going on inside the conference.
15:47 And so he had to work with Democrats to get this done here.
15:50 -This all comes, Jake, as the tension was palpable
15:53 among some of the Republicans.
15:55 -The fate of House Speaker Kevin McCarthy
15:57 is uncertain at this time, as hardliners in his party
16:01 are pushing for his ouster.
16:02 -Do you still support him, Mr. Speaker?
16:06 -I have my questions. I have my doubts.
16:07 -We cannot blame the Democrats for having not done our job.
16:12 -This is a huge mess.
16:13 I've been frustrated by the process.
16:15 I thought we would be better than this.
16:17 -Yeah, we're Republicans.
16:18 We're supposed to be better than this.
16:19 We're the party of serious statesmen,
16:21 like Rudy Giuliani, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Mike Lindell,
16:23 and the lady who got horned up at the "Beetlejuice" musical.
16:26 Seriously.
16:27 Republicans, why did you think you would be better than this?
16:30 Did you forget the entire Trump presidency?
16:32 And if so, can you send me some of the pills
16:34 that helped you do that?
16:35 You're like a Jets fan saying,
16:37 "I think this is our year after Aaron Rodgers went down."
16:40 [ Laughter ]
16:42 So, Republicans basically caused a bunch of pointless chaos
16:45 and paralysis, pushing us to the brink of a shutdown
16:47 that would imperil millions of Americans' paychecks and jobs.
16:49 And in the end, they had to be bailed out by Democrats,
16:52 who supplied most of the votes to keep the government open.
16:54 And now, because of that, GOP hardliner Matt Gaetz,
16:57 McCarthy's chief antagonist in the GOP caucus,
16:59 is threatening to stir up even more chaos
17:02 by filing a motion to remove McCarthy as Speaker.
17:04 -The future of Kevin McCarthy's speakership is in peril
17:07 after he teamed up with Democrats
17:09 to avert a government shutdown.
17:10 Well, this morning, Congressman Matt Gaetz says
17:13 that he is moving forward with a motion to vacate
17:15 to try to oust McCarthy as Speaker.
17:18 -I do intend to file a motion to vacate
17:20 against Speaker McCarthy this week.
17:22 -He says he's coming for you. Can you survive?
17:24 -Yes, I'll survive.
17:26 -Oof, that's the worst Gloria Gaynor cover I've ever heard.
17:29 Gaetz vs. McCarthy is a real alien vs. predator situation.
17:33 In fact, Gaetz and the alien have the same size foreheads,
17:35 so that's pretty cool.
17:37 So, the result, keeping the government open,
17:39 must have been a relief for millions of Americans,
17:40 including Joe Biden.
17:41 Although I will say, if the government had shut down,
17:44 I was kind of hoping Biden would follow
17:45 the late-night host's lead and start a podcast
17:47 with the other living presidents called "Air Force Five."
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18:43 Five.
18:46 Five months at impression camp paid off.
18:48 We did one president in a month, obviously.
18:50 [ Laughter ]
18:54 Got a little rushed on Carter month.
18:56 [ Laughter ]
18:58 Republicans spent weeks devouring each other
19:00 and self-immolating to the point that they couldn't be bothered
19:02 to keep the government open until Democrats bailed them out.
19:05 And that's because they were focused on an even more
19:07 embarrassing spectacle, an impeachment hearing
19:09 into Joe Biden, where even Republicans admitted
19:11 they humiliated themselves.
19:12 We'll show you some of the lowlights right after this.
19:16 So, as we told you before the break,
19:19 Republicans could barely be bothered
19:20 to keep the government open and had to turn to the Democrats
19:23 to bail them out. Now, you might be asking yourself,
19:25 what could have possibly been more important
19:27 than keeping the government functioning?
19:29 What else was the GOP focused on?
19:31 -The House GOP is focused on Hunter Biden,
19:34 spending this entire Thursday morning and afternoon,
19:37 again, just two days before the government shuts down
19:39 on Saturday, to open their impeachment inquiry
19:42 into his dad, the president.
19:44 They're looking into Hunter Biden, as well.
19:46 -Even some Republicans this morning
19:48 are privately grumbling about how that first impeachment
19:50 hearing went.
19:52 No bombshells, no direct evidence
19:54 that President Biden did anything wrong.
19:56 -I want to emphasize what it is that we're here today for.
20:02 This is a question of an impeachment inquiry.
20:05 It is not a vote on articles of impeachment.
20:09 In fact, I do not believe that the current evidence
20:12 would support articles of impeachment.
20:15 -What? That's your first witness?
20:18 He just came out and [bleep] all over your whole case.
20:20 That's like if the best man at your wedding
20:22 got up to give a toast and said,
20:23 "Hey, everybody, keep your gift receipts.
20:25 This one ain't making it through the summer."
20:26 [ Laughter ]
20:28 And I'm not the only one who was underwhelmed
20:30 by the witness choice.
20:31 Even pro-Trump hardliner Steve Bannon
20:33 was critical of the GOP's decision to call,
20:35 as their first impeachment witness,
20:37 someone who doesn't think
20:39 there's enough evidence for impeachment.
20:40 -That's maybe not a witness I call, initially,
20:44 to lay out the case.
20:46 And if that was the professor's thought
20:47 and that's what he believes,
20:49 maybe we sit around a conference table and say,
20:50 "Hey, when we have on the whiteboard
20:52 that professor's name,
20:53 why don't we put him on the maybe category?
20:56 Why don't we -- Maybe we bring him in in a couple weeks.
20:58 Maybe we don't start with him."
21:01 It's just an idea.
21:02 -Wow. You know it's bad
21:03 when even Steve Bannon is sassing you for screwing up.
21:06 This is a guy who got [bleep] canned
21:07 after six months in the White House,
21:08 got dited twice,
21:10 got sentenced to four months in prison
21:11 for contempt of Congress,
21:12 and can't decide which collared shirt to wear,
21:14 so just goes with all of the above.
21:17 Fun fact -- to raise bail money,
21:18 he's been starring in that Beetlejuice production
21:20 "Lauren Boebert Was At It."
21:23 And by the way, the GOP star witness
21:26 is not the only one to admit they don't have any evidence.
21:29 A number of House Republicans have already said the same thing.
21:32 -I have not seen any evidence that links President Biden
21:35 to Hunter Biden's activities at this point.
21:37 -I actually wrote down right here
21:38 some other Republican congressmen
21:41 who have said similar things.
21:42 Quote, "Dave Joyce, not seeing any facts or evidence.
21:46 Don Bacon, quote, "There should be a direct link
21:48 to the president in some evidence."
21:50 Dusty Johnson of South Dakota,
21:52 I've not seen that evidence.
21:53 So this is a widespread belief
21:56 among the House Republican conference.
21:58 -We don't have the evidence now, but we may find it later.
22:01 -They really said, "We don't have it now,
22:02 but we may find it later."
22:03 He sounds like a spirit employee
22:05 telling you they lost your luggage.
22:06 "We don't have it right now,
22:07 but we may find it at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean
22:10 in 30 years. Do you want us to call you?"
22:13 That should tell you everything you need to know.
22:14 If they had any evidence connecting Joe Biden
22:16 to improper foreign business dealings,
22:18 they surely would have presented it
22:20 in their first impeachment hearing, but they don't.
22:21 Why are they doing this?
22:22 Simple, it's for political revenge
22:24 for the twice-impeached Donald Trump.
22:26 And if you don't believe me, just take it from Trump himself.
22:28 -They did it to me, and had they not done it to me,
22:31 I think -- and nobody officially said this --
22:34 but I think had they not done it to me,
22:36 then I'm very popular in the region.
22:38 You know, they like me and I like them,
22:39 the Republican Party.
22:41 Perhaps you wouldn't have it being done to them.
22:43 And this is going to happen with indictments, too.
22:46 -Had they not done it to me,
22:47 you wouldn't have it being done to them.
22:49 As usual, all you really need to do is stick a microphone
22:51 in front of Trump's face, and he'll confess.
22:52 He's the world's most notorious pathological liar,
22:54 and yet he also just blurts out the truth
22:56 like he's on his way home from the dentist.
22:58 "Mom, did you know Dad has a friend named Kathy?
23:01 'Cause he says -- he says it's a secret."
23:04 [ Laughter ]
23:07 So Republicans are running interference for Trump
23:09 by pursuing pointless political revenge against Biden.
23:11 But Trump, of course, is not the only member of his inner circle
23:15 facing serious criminal or financial penalties.
23:17 Trump's ex-lawyer and co-defendant Rudy Giuliani
23:19 was sued by his ex-lawyer and Mike Lindell,
23:22 melted down in a deposition over his election lies.
23:25 We'll show you that video right after this.
23:27 As we've discussed on this show many times,
23:29 the ironclad rule of Trumpism is that devoting yourself
23:32 to this criminal weirdo will always,
23:34 without fail, end in humiliation.
23:37 And there is, of course, no better example of that
23:39 than Rudy Giuliani, seen here accidentally
23:42 getting his [bleep] caught in a zipper.
23:44 No, I'm just kidding. The way Rudy wears his pants,
23:46 he's much more likely to get his nipple caught in his zipper.
23:50 Rudy was in high demand at the impeachment hearing last week,
23:52 where Democrats kept demanding to know
23:54 why he hadn't been called as a witness,
23:56 given that he was a key player in Trump's scheme
23:58 to dig up dirt on the Bidens.
24:00 -We must receive the testimony of Rudy Giuliani and Lev Parnas,
24:04 the insiders who know the origins of the lie
24:06 upon which this sham impeachment is based
24:09 and who work to spread it.
24:10 -I reclaim my time, and I ask the question,
24:12 where in the world is Rudy Giuliani?
24:16 -Where in the world is Rudy Giuliani?
24:18 It sounds like a game show where kids would have to guess
24:21 where Rudy was based on where you told them to be.
24:24 All right, gumshoes, you tell Rudy Giuliani
24:26 to meet you at the Best Western.
24:28 Where is he going to turn up?
24:29 At a screening of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.
24:32 Correct.
24:34 He would think that is the Best Western.
24:37 Also, that piece of paper that says, "Where is Rudy?"
24:40 looks like something a limo driver
24:41 would hold up at the airport.
24:43 Rudy is, of course, a figure
24:45 in all of Trump's various schemes
24:47 and spent a lot of money helping him.
24:48 He flew around the country on his own dime
24:50 and bought hair dye by the barrel
24:52 just to try to sway state lawmakers
24:54 to overturn the election results for Trump.
24:56 And now, not only has he been indicted for that,
24:57 he's also out of cash.
24:59 Things are reportedly so bad,
25:00 Rudy reportedly pleaded with Trump to pay him,
25:03 and you'll never guess how that turned out.
25:05 -Some exclusive new reporting
25:07 on the hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal fees
25:10 that Rudy Giuliani is now staring down
25:13 and the desperate attempts that he has made
25:15 to get former President Donald Trump to cover them.
25:18 With his attorney in tow,
25:19 I am told that Rudy Giuliani traveled to Mar-a-Lago
25:22 in late April on a mission
25:24 to make a personal appeal to Trump to pay his legal bills.
25:27 But apparently, it fell on deaf ears.
25:30 Trump is notoriously strict
25:31 about digging into his own coffers.
25:33 He did not seem very interested, I'm told,
25:35 in covering everything that Giuliani and Costello wanted.
25:39 One source says that he verbally agreed to help,
25:41 but he didn't commit to any specific amount or timeline.
25:44 -I love that Trump shooed Rudy away by saying he'd help,
25:47 but wouldn't commit to an amount or a timeline.
25:49 So, no?
25:51 The answer was no. What was Trump's excuse?
25:53 "Sorry, Rudy, I can't even afford
25:55 a real shower rod in my [bleep]"
25:58 And in a truly wonderful turn of events,
26:00 Rudy is now himself being sued by his own ex-lawyer
26:05 for failure to pay his legal bills.
26:07 -Rudy Giuliani is being sued by his former attorneys,
26:10 the law firm that represented the former New York City mayor
26:12 says he owes them more than $1.3 million
26:15 in unpaid legal fees.
26:17 -So, Donald Trump's ex-lawyer, who has unpaid legal bills,
26:20 is being sued by his ex-lawyer for unpaid legal bills,
26:23 which is a reminder only Trump can pull off being Trump.
26:27 Trump's lawyer comes to him asking for money he's owed.
26:29 Trump makes up some bull[bleep]
26:30 sends him away empty-handed,
26:31 and the lawyer's like, "Oh, well, at least I tried."
26:33 Then that same lawyer tries that same move
26:36 with his legal representation,
26:37 and they're like, "[Bleep] you, pay me."
26:38 [ Laughter ]
26:40 "But what if I verbally agree to pay you
26:41 without a specific amount or timeline?"
26:44 "[Bleep] you, pay me, I swear!
26:46 This just worked on me like a day ago!"
26:48 [ Laughter ]
26:49 And Rudy's not the only Trump crony
26:51 facing serious financial consequences.
26:54 There's also MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell,
26:56 who's being sued for his own part
26:57 in spreading election lies.
26:59 And all of this has clearly taken a toll on Lindell,
27:01 as evidenced by video released from a deposition
27:03 in which he was grilled about his election lies
27:06 and lost what was left of his mind.
27:08 Tell us your full name, please.
27:10 Michael James Lindell.
27:11 Well, good morning, Mr. Lindell.
27:13 My name is Charlie Cain.
27:14 We met for the first time --
27:15 Who's paying you?
27:17 About four minutes ago.
27:19 Okay. Go on.
27:22 Is that right? What's that?
27:24 Is that right?
27:25 Is what? What was the question?
27:27 We met for the first time -- Yes, yes.
27:29 You're an ambulance-chasing lawyer,
27:31 so don't start with me.
27:32 I got all day.
27:33 I'll take as much time as you want.
27:35 The question is, do people know you as the MyPillow guy?
27:38 Blah, blah, blah. I just gave my answer.
27:40 How dare him come and sue MyPillow?
27:43 He's a scumbag for doing that.
27:46 Put that in there. Scumbag.
27:47 S-C-U-M, bag.
27:49 Does he not know how to spell the word "bag"?
27:54 I'd love to see him play Wheel of Fortune.
27:56 Pat, I'd like to buy an E, please.
27:59 I'm sorry, your turn is up.
28:00 No, please, Pat, I need this.
28:02 Just give me the money.
28:03 I'm being sued by a bunch of bad people
28:05 for saying weird things.
28:06 You don't even need to let me win the game.
28:08 Just take the money for the Hawaiian vacation
28:10 and put it in the bag.
28:12 Oh, wait, that's the word, darlin'.
28:13 It's not my turn. Please, I need the cash.
28:15 Just let me skip ahead and solve the puzzle.
28:18 Show me Hugo Chavez!
28:20 [ Buzzer ]
28:21 [ Laughter ]
28:25 But the best part --
28:26 The best part of that deposition video
28:28 came when the lawyer alluded to complaints
28:31 about Lindell's pillows using a word
28:33 that really set him off.
28:34 I'm not asking about the lumpy pillow calls.
28:38 No, they're not lumpy pillows.
28:40 That's not what they call on, okay?
28:42 When you say "lumpy pillows," now you're an [bleep]
28:45 You got that? You're an [bleep]
28:48 is what you are.
28:49 No, he's an [bleep]
28:50 He's an ambulance-chasing [bleep]
28:52 That's what you are.
28:54 Lumpy pillows kiss my ass.
28:56 Obviously, you don't have a "my pillow," too.
28:59 You don't, do you?
29:01 What I'm saying is, Mr. Lindell --
29:03 [Bleep]
29:04 The phrase "lumpy pillows" is such a funny thing
29:06 to fly off the handle over,
29:07 because even as an insult, it's pretty tame.
29:09 It sounds like Minnesota slang for testicles.
29:11 "Honey, I was watching 'C-SPAN' the other day,
29:13 and Marjorie Taylor Greene showed a picture
29:15 of Hunter Biden's lumpy pillows."
29:16 [ Laughter ]
29:18 Not to mention his Paul Bunyan.
29:21 I will say Lindell could probably generate
29:23 a lot more business if his ads had that much bleeping.
29:26 -I personally [bleep]
29:28 My [bleep] will be the most [bleep]
29:30 you'll ever [bleep] or your [bleep]
29:32 -This is the Republican Party,
29:34 and in the five months we were off the air,
29:36 it hasn't changed. Arguably, it's gotten worse.
29:37 It's a collection of aspiring despots and weirdos
29:40 doing everything in their power to insulate
29:41 an alleged criminal who instigated a coup
29:43 from accountability.
29:44 Donald Trump's place in the GOP
29:46 is kind of like a...
29:47 -Ow! [Bleep]
29:48 In the [bleep]
29:49 [ Laughter ]
29:52 -You still got it!
29:54 This has been "A Closer Look."
29:56 ♪♪
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30:08 (upbeat music)