President Donald Trump's nominee for attorney general strove at his confirmation Tuesday to assert his independence from the White House, saying he believed Russia had interfered with the 2016 presidential election, that a special counsel investigation shadowing Trump needs to move forward and that his predecessor made the correct call by recusing from the probe.

Those comments departed from Trump's own views and underscored Barr's efforts to reassure Democrats that he will not be a loyalist to a president who has appeared to demand it from law enforcement.

Trump has repeatedly castigated special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation, calling it a "witch hunt," and lambasted and ultimately pushed out his first attorney general, Jeff Sessions, for his recusal because of his work with the campaign.

"I will not be bullied into doing anything that I think is wrong, whether it be by editorial boards, Congress or the president," Barr said.

Barr repeatedly praised Mueller, who has been investigating whether the Trump campaign coordinated with the Kremlin to sway the election, and sought to provide assurance he would not undermine his work. He called him a friend of 30 years and saying he couldn't imagine that Mueller would do anything that would justify his firing.

Barr would oversee the final stages of the investigation, and said that though he would consult with ethics officials on whether he would need to recuse because of a critical unsolicited memo to the Justice Department last year, the decision would be ultimately his.

He also disclosed having discussed Mueller with Trump during a meeting in 2017 when Barr declined to join his legal team.

Trump wanted to know what Mueller, who worked for Barr when he led the Justice Department between 1991 and 1993, was like.

Barr said he told Trump Mueller "is a straight shooter and should be dealt with as such."

The nominee also said former FBI Director James Comey made the wrong decision by holding a news conference announcing he wasn't recommending charges in the Hillary Clinton email investigation.

Barr said if authorities aren't going to bring charges, then there should not be a news conference to detail derogatory information uncovered during the probe. Comey has defended his decision.

"That's not the way the Department of Justice does business," Barr said.

POOL

Washington, DC - 15 January 2019

1. Wide side shot of Barr testifying at confirmation hearing

2. SOUNDBITE (English) William Barr, Attorney General Nominee:

"I have a very good life. I love it, but I also want to help in this circumstance and I am not going to do anything that I think is wrong and I will not be bullied into doing anything I think is wrong by anybody, whether it be editorial boards or Congress or the president. I'm going to do what I think is right."

3. Cutaway of committee members

4. Cutaway of Sen. Lindsey Graham

5. SOUNDBITE (English) William Barr, Attorney General Nominee:

"It was a very brief meeting where essentially the president wanted to know, he said, 'Oh, you know Bob Mueller. How well do you know Bob Mueller?' And I told him how well I knew Bob Mueller and how you know the Barrs and Muellers were good friends and would be good friends when this is all over and so forth. And he was interested in that, wanted to know you know what I thought about, you know, Mueller's integrity and so forth and so on. And I said Bob is a, is a straight shooter and should be dealt with as such. And he said something to the effect like, 'So are you envisioning some role here?' And I said, 'No actually, Mr. President, right now I couldn't do it. You know, I just, my personal and my professional obligations are such that I'm unable to do it.' So he asked me for my phone number, I gave it to him and I never heard from him again until..."

6. Wide shot of hearing

7. SOUNDBITE (English) Sen. Patrick Leahy, Democrat, Vermont:

"So will you commit, if confirmed, to both seeking and following the advice of the department's career ethics officials on whether you must recuse from the special counsel's investigation?"

8. SOUNDBITE (English) William Barr, Attorney General Nominee:

"I will seek the advice of the career ethics personnel. But under the regulations, I make the decision as the head of the agency as to my own recusal. So, I certainly would consult with them and at the end of the day, I would make a decision in good faith based on the laws and the facts that are evident at that time."

9. SOUNDBITE (English) Sen. Patrick Leahy, Democrat, Vermont:

"Are there any circumstances that would cause you to terminate the investigation, a component of or significantly restricted funding?"

10. SOUNDBITE (English) William Barr, Attorney General Nominee:

"Under the under the regulations, Bob Mueller could only be terminated for good cause and I frankly, it's unimaginable to me that Bob would ever do anything that gave rise to good cause. But in theory, if something happened that was good cause, for me it would actually take more than that, it would have to be pretty grave and the public interest would essentially have to compel it. Because I believe right now the overarching public interest is to allow him to finish."

11. Wide shot of hearing

12. SOUNDBITE (English) William Barr, Attorney General Nominee:

"I think Jim Comey is, as I've said, is an extremely gifted man who's served the country with distinction in many roles. But I thought that to the extent he, he actually announced a decision, was wrong. And the other thing is if you're not going to indict someone then you don't stand up there and unload negative information about the person. That's not the way the Department of Justice does business."

13. Wide shot of hearing

After nearly two years of waiting, America is about to get some answers straight from Robert Mueller- but not before President Donald Trump's attorney general has his say.

Attorney General William Barr says he will give Congress a redacted copy of special counsel Robert Mueller's investigative report at 11 a.m. EST

He told reporters at the Justice Department that he would transmit to Congress copies of the public version of Mueller's investigation into Russian interference during the 2016 election and President Donald Trump's campaign.

Democrats complained that Barr's news conference was an effort to influence reaction to the report ahead of its release.

The Justice Department on Thursday is expected to release a redacted version of the special counsel's report on Russian election interference and the Trump campaign, opening up months, if not years, of fights over what the document means in a deeply divided country.

Even the planned release of the nearly 400-page report quickly spiraled into a political battle Wednesday over whether Attorney General William Barr is attempting to shield the president who appointed him and spin the report's findings before the American people can read it and come to their own judgments.

Trump himself was in a high state of alert ahead of the report's release.

He repeated what has become a near daily refrain of criticism of the Russia investigation using his favored Twitter account. "PRESIDENTIAL HARASSMENT!" he wrote.

POOL

Washington - 18 April 2019

1. Side view Attorney General William Barr walks into news conference

2. SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) William Barr, Attorney General:

"As you know one of the primary purposes of the special, special counsel's investigation was to determine whether President Trump's campaign or any individual associated with it conspired or coordinated with the Russian government to interfere in the 2016 election. Volume 1 of the special counsel's report describes the results of that investigation. As you will see the special counsel's report states that his quote investigation did not establish that members of the Trump campaign conspired or coordinated with the Russian government in its election interference activities. I am sure that all Americans share my concern about the efforts of the Russian government to interfere in our presidential election. As the Special Counsel report makes clear, the Russian government sought to interfere in our election process. But thanks to the special counsel's thorough investigation we now know that the Russian operatives who perpetrated these schemes did not have the cooperation of President Trump or the Trump campaign or the knowing assistance of any other American for that matter. That is something that all Americans can and should be grateful to have confirmed."

3. Cutaway Barr speaking

4. SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) William Barr, Attorney General:

"The special counsel report outlines two main efforts by the Russian government to influence the 2016 election first the report details efforts by the Internet Research Agency, a Russian company with close ties to the Russian government, to sow social discord among American voters through disinformation and social media operations following a thorough investigation of this disinformation campaign, the special counsel brought charges in federal court against several Russian nationals and entities for their respective roles in this scheme. Those charges remain pending and the individual defendants remain at large but the special counsel found no evidence that any American, including anyone associated with the Trump campaign, conspired or coordinated with the Russian government or the IRA in this illegal scheme. "

After nearly two years of waiting, America is about to get some answers straight from Robert Mueller- but not before President Donald Trump's attorney general has his say.

Attorney General William Barr says he will give Congress a redacted copy of special counsel Robert Mueller's investigative report at 11 a.m. EST

He told reporters at the Justice Department that he would transmit to Congress copies of the public version of Mueller's investigation into Russian interference during the 2016 election and President Donald Trump's campaign.

Democrats complained that Barr's news conference was an effort to influence reaction to the report ahead of its release.

The Justice Department on Thursday is expected to release a redacted version of the special counsel's report on Russian election interference and the Trump campaign, opening up months, if not years, of fights over what the document means in a deeply divided country.

Even the planned release of the nearly 400-page report quickly spiraled into a political battle Wednesday over whether Attorney General William Barr is attempting to shield the president who appointed him and spin the report's findings before the American people can read it and come to their own judgments.

Trump himself was in a high state of alert ahead of the report's release.

He repeated what has become a near daily refrain of criticism of the Russia investigation using his favored Twitter account. "PRESIDENTIAL HARASSMENT!" he wrote.

POOL

Washington - 18 April 2019

1. Side view Attorney General William Barr walks into news conference

2. SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) William Barr, Attorney General:

SOUNDBITE (English)

"As you know on March 22nd, Special Counsel Robert Mueller concluded his investigation into matters related to Russian attempts to interfere in our 2016 presidential election. And he submitted his confidential report to me pursuant to department regulations. As I said during my Senate confirmation hearing, and since, I'm committed to ensuring the greatest degree possible of transparency concerning the special counsel's investigation, consistent with the law. At 11:00 this morning I'm going to transmit copies of the public version of the special counsel's report to the chairmen and ranking members of the Senate and House judiciary committees. The Department of Justice will also make the report available to the American people by posting it on the department's website after it has been delivered to Congress."

3. Cutaway Barr speaking

4. SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) William Barr, Attorney General:

"As you know one of the primary purposes of the special, special counsel's investigation was to determine whether President Trump's campaign or any individual associated with it conspired or coordinated with the Russian government to interfere in the 2016 election. Volume 1 of the special counsel's report describes the results of that investigation. As you will see the special counsel's report states that his quote investigation did not establish that members of the Trump campaign conspired or coordinated with the Russian government in its election interference activities. I am sure that all Americans share my concern about the efforts of the Russian government to interfere in our presidential election. As the Special Counsel report makes clear, the Russian government sought to interfere in our election process. But thanks to the special counsel's thorough investigation we now know that the Russian operatives who perpetrated these schemes did not have the cooperation of President Trump or the Trump campaign or the knowing assistance of any other American for that matter. That is something that all Americans can and should be grateful to have confirmed."

5. Cutaway Barr speaking

6. SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) William Barr, Attorney General:

"The special counsel report outlines two main efforts by the Russian government to influence the 2016 election. First the report details efforts by the Internet Research Agency, a Russian company with close ties to the Russian government, to sow social discord among American voters through disinformation and social media operations. Following a thorough investigation of this disinformation campaign, the special counsel brought charges in federal court against several Russian nationals and entities for their respective roles in this scheme. Those charges remain pending and the individual defendants remain at large. But the special counsel found no evidence that any American, including anyone associated with the Trump campaign, conspired or coordinated with the Russian government or the IRA in this illegal scheme. "

7. Side, Barr speaking

After nearly two years of waiting, America is about to get some answers straight from Robert Mueller- but not before President Donald Trump's attorney general has his say.

Attorney General William Barr says he will give Congress a redacted copy of special counsel Robert Mueller's investigative report at 11 a.m. EST

He told reporters at the Justice Department that he would transmit to Congress copies of the public version of Mueller's investigation into Russian interference during the 2016 election and President Donald Trump's campaign.

Democrats complained that Barr's news conference was an effort to influence reaction to the report ahead of its release.

The Justice Department on Thursday is expected to release a redacted version of the special counsel's report on Russian election interference and the Trump campaign, opening up months, if not years, of fights over what the document means in a deeply divided country.

Even the planned release of the nearly 400-page report quickly spiraled into a political battle Wednesday over whether Attorney General William Barr is attempting to shield the president who appointed him and spin the report's findings before the American people can read it and come to their own judgments.

Trump himself was in a high state of alert ahead of the report's release.

He repeated what has become a near daily refrain of criticism of the Russia investigation using his favored Twitter account. "PRESIDENTIAL HARASSMENT!" he wrote.

POOL

Washington - 18 April 2019

1. Side view Attorney General William Barr walks into news conference

2. SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) William Barr, Attorney General:

SOUNDBITE (English)

"As you know on March 22nd, Special Counsel Robert Mueller concluded his investigation into matters related to Russian attempts to interfere in our 2016 presidential election. And he submitted his confidential report to me pursuant to department regulations. As I said during my Senate confirmation hearing, and since, I'm committed to ensuring the greatest degree possible of transparency concerning the special counsel's investigation, consistent with the law.  At 11:00 this morning I'm going to transmit copies of the public version of the special counsel's report to the chairmen and ranking members of the Senate and House judiciary committees. The Department of Justice will also make the report available to the American people by posting it on the department's website after it has been delivered to Congress."

3. Cutaway Barr speaking

4. SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) William Barr, Attorney General:

"As you know one of the primary purposes of the special, special counsel's investigation was to determine whether President Trump's campaign or any individual associated with it conspired or coordinated with the Russian government to interfere in the 2016 election. Volume 1 of the special counsel's report describes the results of that investigation.  As you will see the special counsel's report states that his quote investigation did not establish that members of the Trump campaign conspired or coordinated with the Russian government in its election interference activities. I am sure that all Americans share my concern about the efforts of the Russian government to interfere in our presidential election.  As the Special Counsel report makes clear, the Russian government sought to interfere in our election process. But thanks to the special counsel's thorough investigation we now know that the Russian operatives who perpetrated these schemes did not have the cooperation of President Trump or the Trump campaign or the knowing assistance of any other American for that matter. That is something that all Americans can and should be grateful to have confirmed."

5. Cutaway Barr speaking

6. SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) William Barr, Attorney General:

"The special counsel report outlines two main efforts by the Russian government to influence the 2016 election. First the report details efforts by the Internet Research Agency, a Russian company with close ties to the Russian government, to sow social discord among American voters through disinformation and social media operations. Following a thorough investigation of this disinformation campaign, the special counsel brought charges in federal court against several Russian nationals and entities for their respective roles in this scheme. Those charges remain pending and the individual defendants remain at large. But the special counsel found no evidence that any American, including anyone associated with the Trump campaign, conspired or coordinated with the Russian government or the IRA in this illegal scheme. "

7. Side, Barr speaking

President Donald Trump's nominee for attorney general strove at his confirmation Tuesday to assert his independence from the White House, saying he believed Russia had interfered with the 2016 presidential election, that a special counsel investigation shadowing Trump needs to move forward and that his predecessor made the correct call by recusing from the probe.

Those comments departed from Trump's own views and underscored Barr's efforts to reassure Democrats that he will not be a loyalist to a president who has appeared to demand it from law enforcement.

Trump has repeatedly castigated special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation, calling it a "witch hunt," and lambasted and ultimately pushed out his first attorney general, Jeff Sessions, for his recusal because of his work with the campaign.

"I will not be bullied into doing anything that I think is wrong, whether it be by editorial boards, Congress or the president," Barr said.

Barr repeatedly praised Mueller, who has been investigating whether the Trump campaign coordinated with the Kremlin to sway the election, and sought to provide assurance he would not undermine his work. He called him a friend of 30 years and saying he couldn't imagine that Mueller would do anything that would justify his firing.

Barr would oversee the final stages of the investigation, and said that though he would consult with ethics officials on whether he would need to recuse because of a critical unsolicited memo to the Justice Department last year, the decision would be ultimately his.

He also disclosed having discussed Mueller with Trump during a meeting in 2017 when Barr declined to join his legal team.

Trump wanted to know what Mueller, who worked for Barr when he led the Justice Department between 1991 and 1993, was like.

Barr said he told Trump Mueller "is a straight shooter and should be dealt with as such."

The nominee also said former FBI Director James Comey made the wrong decision by holding a news conference announcing he wasn't recommending charges in the Hillary Clinton email investigation.

Barr said if authorities aren't going to bring charges, then there should not be a news conference to detail derogatory information uncovered during the probe. Comey has defended his decision.

"That's not the way the Department of Justice does business," Barr said.

POOL

Washington, DC - 15 January 2019

1. Wide side shot of Barr testifying at confirmation hearing

2. SOUNDBITE (English) William Barr, Attorney General Nominee:

"I have a very good life. I love it, but I also want to help in this circumstance and I am not going to do anything that I think is wrong and I will not be bullied into doing anything I think is wrong by anybody, whether it be editorial boards or Congress or the president. I'm going to do what I think is right."

3. Cutaway of committee members

4. Cutaway of Sen. Lindsey Graham

5. SOUNDBITE (English) William Barr, Attorney General Nominee:

"It was a very brief meeting where essentially the president wanted to know, he said, 'Oh, you know Bob Mueller. How well do you know Bob Mueller?' And I told him how well I knew Bob Mueller and how you know the Barrs and Muellers were good friends and would be good friends when this is all over and so forth. And he was interested in that, wanted to know you know what I thought about, you know, Mueller's integrity and so forth and so on. And I said Bob is a, is a straight shooter and should be dealt with as such. And he said something to the effect like, 'So are you envisioning some role here?' And I said, 'No actually, Mr. President, right now I couldn't do it. You know, I just, my personal and my professional obligations are such that I'm unable to do it.' So he asked me for my phone number, I gave it to him and I never heard from him again until..."

6. Wide shot of hearing

7. SOUNDBITE (English) Sen. Patrick Leahy, Democrat, Vermont:

"So will you commit, if confirmed, to both seeking and following the advice of the department's career ethics officials on whether you must recuse from the special counsel's investigation?"

8. SOUNDBITE (English) William Barr, Attorney General Nominee:

"I will seek the advice of the career ethics personnel. But under the regulations, I make the decision as the head of the agency as to my own recusal. So, I certainly would consult with them and at the end of the day, I would make a decision in good faith based on the laws and the facts that are evident at that time."

9. SOUNDBITE (English) Sen. Patrick Leahy, Democrat, Vermont:

"Are there any circumstances that would cause you to terminate the investigation, a component of or significantly restricted funding?"

10. SOUNDBITE (English) William Barr, Attorney General Nominee:

"Under the under the regulations, Bob Mueller could only be terminated for good cause and I frankly, it's unimaginable to me that Bob would ever do anything that gave rise to good cause. But in theory, if something happened that was good cause, for me it would actually take more than that, it would have to be pretty grave and the public interest would essentially have to compel it. Because I believe right now the overarching public interest is to allow him to finish."

11. Wide shot of hearing

12. SOUNDBITE (English) William Barr, Attorney General Nominee:

"I think Jim Comey is, as I've said, is an extremely gifted man who's served the country with distinction in many roles. But I thought that to the extent he, he actually announced a decision, was wrong. And the other thing is if you're not going to indict someone then you don't stand up there and unload negative information about the person. That's not the way the Department of Justice does business."

13. Wide shot of hearing

House Republicans are interviewing James Comey behind closed doors Friday, hauling the former FBI director to Capitol Hill one final time before they cede power to Democrats in January.

Comey is appearing for the interview after unsuccessfully fighting a subpoena in court. It is the first time he has answered lawmakers' questions since an explosive June 2016 hearing in which he asserted that President Donald Trump fired him to interfere with his investigation of Russia's ties to the Trump campaign.

The interview comes as GOP lawmakers are wrapping up a yearlong investigation into decisions made at the Justice Department during the 2016 presidential election. Republicans argue that department officials were biased against Trump as they started the investigation into his campaign's ties with Russia and cleared Democrat Hillary Clinton in a separate investigation into her email use.

Comey was in charge of both of those investigations.

Democrats, who will also attend the interview, have said the GOP investigation is merely a way to distract from and undermine special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia probe. Mueller took over the department's investigation when he was appointed in May 2017.

"This is a waste of time to start with," Nadler said. "The entire purpose of this investigation is to cast aspersions on the real investigation ... there is no evidence whatsoever of bias at the FBI or any of this other nonsense."

Nadler said he's just learned of President Donald Trump's decision to nominate William Barr as Attorney General, but he said he was "hopeful" that Barr would protect the Mueller investigation. He also expressed concern that Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker has not been confirmed by the Senate.

Washington - 7 December 2018

1. Reporter asks Rep. Nadler question UPSOUND: (English) When you become chairman (of House Judiciary Commitee) are you going to officially end this investigation?

2. SOUNDBITE: (English) Rep. Jerrold Nadler, (D) New York:

Yes. (Reporter: Why?) Because it's a waste of time to start with. The entire purpose of this investigation is to cast aspersions on the real investigation, which is Mueller, there is no evidence whatsoever of bias at the FBI or any of this other nonsense that they're talking about."

3. Rep. Jim Jordan walking

4. SOUNDBITE: (English) Rep. Jim Jordan, (R) Ohio:

"I mean I've got lots of questions but I guess one in particular is we learned from Bruce Ohr (U.S. Department of Justice official) that Christopher Steele (former British intelligence officer) had told him he was desperate to stop President Trump from being president. I want to know when James Comey knew that. And more importantly did he know that before they went to the FISA court with Mr. Steele's work product. I think that's an important question to go, a line of questioning go down."

5. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi walks toward reporters

6. SOUNDBITE: (English) Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, (D) Illinois:

"Well we have the right witness for the wrong questions. I think the Republicans brought him here to talk about Hillary Clinton. That's a settled issue. Instead we should be talking more about the ongoing Russia investigation, Paul Manafort, Michael Cohen and Michael Flynn. I brought a copy of his (Comey's) book, I'm hoping to get a signed copy to auction off to pay for this wasteful investigation."

++SOTS SEPARATED BY BLACK FRAMES++

7. SOUNDBITE: (English) Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, (D) Illinois:

"I'm hopeful that  you know Mr. Barr would be very responsible with the Mueller investigation. Certainly, Mr. Whitaker was not the right pick, even for an acting attorney general position. So let's see what Mr. Barr would say in his confirmation hearings. I think there are going to be a lot of pointed questions about how he's going to handle the Mueller investigation going forward. The bottom line is this. We have to allow our investigation to proceed unimpeded. Let the chips fall where they may. And in the meantime I'm hoping that we pass some protect Mueller legislation to make sure that his investigation is not terminated in an untimely way."

++SOTS SEPARATED BY BLACK FRAMES++

8.  SOUNDBITE: (English) Rep. Jerrold Nadler, (D) New York:

"I just heard about William Barr. I don't really know that much about him. I know he's attorney general years ago. But the real question now is that you know Barr will have to go before the Senate for confirmation. That will take some time. The real question now is that Whitaker is still the acting attorney general without having gone through the Senate. I believe that's unconstitutional and lots of questions about his bias and his having prejudged the outcome of the Mueller investigation have not been answered."

FOR CLEAN VERSION SEE STORY NUMBER: apus118713

President Donald Trump's assertion that he would be open to accepting a foreign power's help in his 2020 campaign ricocheted through Washington on Thursday, with Democrats condemning it as a call for further election interference and Republicans struggling to defend his comments.

An expert in constitutional law tells the Associated Press that the assertion is not appropriate and "it may be unlawful".  Syracuse University College of Law Professor William C. Banks says "as a legal matter the law forbids accepting campaign contributions from foreign entities or anything of value."

Banks said, "the law here on just receiving information is a little bit murky because someone would have to determine whether the information that he received is of value. You would think that in the circumstances of the 2016 election or an upcoming 2020 election, information about an opponent would be of value and therefore unlawful."

He went further to say, "it turns on whether what he's heard is of value or if it's of value and it has an impact on his campaign. If his campaign is going to use that information, then he's violated the campaign finance laws."

Trump seemed to dismiss the threat posed by Russia's interference in the 2016 election, one that led to sweeping indictments by special counsel Robert Mueller, and his incendiary remarks come as congressional investigations into the meddling have quickened.

Asked by ABC News what he would do if Russia or another country offered him dirt on his election opponent, Trump said: "I think I'd want to hear it." He added that he'd have no obligation to call the FBI. "There's nothing wrong with listening."

Syracuse, New York - 13 June 2019

++SKYPE INTERVIEW++

++AUDIO AND VIDEO AS INCOMING++

1. SOUNDBITE (English) William C. Banks, Syracuse University College of Law:

"I don't think it is appropriate and it may be unlawful. The law clearly forbids foreign interference in our elections. Obviously, ours is a democratic system and we want the voters to choose who it is that represents us. If the president accepts information from a foreign entity about an opponent he's, he's undermining that democratic principle."

Washington - 13 June 2019

2. President Donald Trump in Cabinet Room meeting with US governors (PARTIALLY COVERS UPCOMING SOUNDBITE)

Syracuse, New York - 13 June 2019

++SKYPE INTERVIEW++

++AUDIO AND VIDEO AS INCOMING++

3. SOUNDBITE (English) William C. Banks, Syracuse University College of Law:

"As a legal matter. The law forbids accepting campaign contributions from foreign entities or anything of value. So the law here on just receiving information is a little bit murky because someone would have to determine whether the information that he received is of value. You would think that in the circumstances of the 2016 election or an upcoming 2020 election information about an opponent would be of value and therefore unlawful."

Washington - 13 June 2019

4. President Donald Trump in Cabinet Room meeting with US governors (PARTIALLY COVERS UPCOMING SOUNDBITE)

Syracuse, New York - 13 June 2019

++SKYPE INTERVIEW++

++AUDIO AND VIDEO AS INCOMING++

5. SOUNDBITE (English) William C. Banks, Syracuse University College of Law:

"Now we're talking about a political problem, one that Congress could, of course, address in an impeachment proceeding. I think it's very much against the norms and values of the presidency to allow any foreign entity to influence in any way a democratic election for president of the United States whether or not it's forbidden directly by a statutory provision."

Washington, DC - 12 June 2019

6. Donald Trump Jr. walks through halls of Senate Office building before testimony (PARTIALLY COVERS UPCOMING SOUNDBITE)

Syracuse, New York - 13 June 2019

++SKYPE INTERVIEW++

++AUDIO AND VIDEO AS INCOMING++

7. SOUNDBITE (English) William C. Banks, Syracuse University College of Law:

"Well, he's tone deaf or perhaps he's trying to protect his son who was involved in the 2016 meeting with the Russians. Or perhaps he forgot that he simply said some weeks ago that he would not accept such information in a future election. It seems that he contradicted himself. That's not unusual for this president either."

Facing thousands of cheering supporters in the nation's largest city, Democratic presidential contender Elizabeth Warren on Monday decried President Donald Trump as "corruption in the flesh" and outlined her plans to root out corruption in the White House, Congress and courts.

While aggressive, the message was a familiar one. Warren has embraced corruption as a central campaign theme from the beginning of her 2020 presidential bid. But rarely has Warren addressed such a crowd with such a symbolic backdrop.

The crowd - which exceeded 20,000 people, according to the Warren campaign - filled almost the entirety of the 10-acre (4-hectare) Washington Square Park, wrapping around a massive fountain and clogging the pathways that connect the street chess games to the classrooms of New York University to the giant marble arch the downtown park is best known for.

It was a younger audience, racially diverse and packed with women.

Warren said her anti-corruption plan would "end lobbying as we know it" by instituting a lifetime ban on members of Congress and White House Cabinet secretaries from ever becoming lobbyists. At the same time, corporate lobbyists would be blocked from working for the federal government.

Both practices are common today.

She also would prohibit federal judges from avoiding misconduct investigations by leaving their posts, prevent courts from sealing settlements in public health and safety cases and ban class-action waivers for all cases involving employment, consumer protection, antitrust and civil rights.

And taking direct aim at issues involving the Trump administration, Warren would require candidates for public office to post their tax returns online. Presidents, Cabinet secretaries and members of Congress would also be prohibited from owning businesses on the side.

Warren also said she had read all 448 pages of the Mueller report and that "impeachment is our constitutional duty."

New York - 16 September 2019

1. Crowd gathered in New York City's Washington Square Park before speech

2. SOUNDBITE (English) Sen. Elizabeth Warren, (D) Presidential Candidate:

"Now a s bad as things are, we have to recognize, our problems to start with Donald Trump. He made the worse but we need to take a deep breath and recognize that a country that likes Donald Trump is already in serious trouble."

3. People in crowd before speech

4. SOUNDBITE (English) Sen. Elizabeth Warren, (D) Presidential Candidate:

"And too many politicians in both parties have convinced themselves that playing the money for influence game is the only way to get something done. So what has this corrupt business as usual gotten us? The extiction of one species after another as the Earth heats up. Children slaughtered by assault weapons. The highest levels of inequality in a century. Wages that barely budge, crippling student loan debt, shrinking opportunity for the next generation and the one after that and the one after that. The American people get it and they are sick of it."

5. Crowd listening to music before Warren speech

6. SOUNDBITE (English) Sen. Elizabeth Warren, (D) Presidential Candidate:

"So I've got a lot of plans. But they all come back to one simple idea. Put economic and political power in the hands of people. And we start by rooting out corruption in government. No more business as usual. Let's attack corruption head on. Ready?"

7. Wide, crowd before speech

8. SOUNDBITE (English) Sen. Elizabeth Warren, (D) Presidential Candidate:

++AUDIO DROPOUT FROM SOURCE++

"Presidents, cabinet members, members of Congress will be barred from owning businesses on the side. Barred from trading in individual stocks. Look. Take care that the peoples' business or take care of your own business. But you can't do both at the same time."

9. People in crowd before speech

10. SOUNDBITE (English) Sen. Elizabeth Warren, (D) Presidential Candidate:

"We need to call it out in the Oval Office. I've read all 448 pages of the Mueller report. No one is above the law. Not even the United States president. Impeachment is our constitutional duty."

11. Wide of crowd after Warren concludes speech

Facing thousands of cheering supporters in the nation's largest city, Democratic presidential contender Elizabeth Warren on Monday outlined her plans to root out corruption in the White House, Congress and courts.

Warren has embraced corruption as a central campaign theme from the beginning of her 2020 presidential bid.

But rarely has Warren addressed such a crowd with such a symbolic backdrop.

The crowd - which exceeded 20,000 people, according to the Warren campaign - filled almost the entirety of the 10-acre (4-hectare) Washington Square Park, wrapping around a massive fountain and clogging the pathways that connect the street chess games to the classrooms of New York University to the giant marble arch the downtown park is best known for.

It was a younger audience, racially diverse and packed with women.

Warren said her anti-corruption plan would "end lobbying as we know it" by instituting a lifetime ban on members of Congress and White House Cabinet secretaries from ever becoming lobbyists.

At the same time, corporate lobbyists would be blocked from working for the federal government.

Both practices are common today.

She also would prohibit federal judges from avoiding misconduct investigations by leaving their posts, prevent courts from sealing settlements in public health and safety cases and ban class-action waivers for all cases involving employment, consumer protection, antitrust and civil rights.

And taking direct aim at issues involving US President Donald Trump's administration, Warren would require candidates for public office to post their tax returns online.

Presidents, Cabinet secretaries and members of Congress would also be prohibited from owning businesses on the side.

Warren also said she had read all 448 pages of the Mueller report and that "impeachment is our constitutional duty."

New York - 16 September 2019

1. Crowd gathered in New York City's Washington Square Park before speech

2. SOUNDBITE (English) Sen. Elizabeth Warren, (D) Presidential Candidate:

"Now as bad as things are, we have to recognize, our problems didn't start with (US President) Donald Trump. He made them worse but we need to take a deep breath and recognize that a country that elects Donald Trump is already in serious trouble."

3. People in crowd before speech

4. SOUNDBITE (English) Sen. Elizabeth Warren, (D) Presidential Candidate:

"And too many politicians in both parties have convinced themselves that playing the money for influence game is the only way to get something done. So what has this corrupt business as usual gotten us? The extinction of one species after another as the Earth heats up. Children slaughtered by assault weapons. The highest levels of inequality in a century. Wages that barely budge, crippling student loan debt, shrinking opportunity for the next generation and the one after that and the one after that. The American people get it and they are sick of it."

5. Crowd listening to music before Warren speech

6. SOUNDBITE (English) Sen. Elizabeth Warren, (D) Presidential Candidate:

"So I've got a lot of plans. But they all come back to one simple idea. Put economic and political power in the hands of people. And we start by rooting out corruption in government. No more business as usual. Let's attack corruption head on. You ready?"

7. Wide, crowd before speech

8. SOUNDBITE (English) Sen. Elizabeth Warren, (D) Presidential Candidate:

++AUDIO DROPOUT FROM SOURCE++

"Presidents, Cabinet members, members of Congress will be barred from owning businesses on the side. Barred from trading in individual stocks. You know look, take care that the peoples' business or take care of your own business. But you can't do both at the same time."

9. People in crowd before speech

10. SOUNDBITE (English) Sen. Elizabeth Warren, (D) Presidential Candidate:

"We need to call it out in the Oval Office. I've read all 448 pages of the Mueller report. No one is above the law. Not even the United States president. Impeachment is our constitutional duty."

++NIGHT SHOTS++

11. Wide of crowd after Warren concludes speech