New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu took his media education tour to CNN and Anderson Cooper 360 on Friday to inform Cooper that it is “just a fact” to say that President Biden is prosecuting President Trump and that the Justice Department needs to win back trust by doing a much better at explaining itself when it decides to prosecute Trump for mishandling classified documents, but not Biden or Hillary Clinton.
Sununu had just finished explaining that somebody from DOJ needs to go on TV to explain themselves and admit that they have made mistakes in the past, when a confused Cooper wondered why, “I guess I just don't understand, what does that mean that the Department of Justice has to own that. I mean, you can have -- two things can be true. They can have made mistakes in the past and in this case play everything by the book, no?”
Conceding this was true, Sununu still insisted that, “You have to earn back a lot of the trust, right?”
He argued that if the Trump case is truly different that may be acceptable in a court room, but without an accompanying public relations push “it's going to just, again, allow this doubt to permeate.”
Cooper still wasn’t convinced and insisted that the responsible thing to do is to uncritically accept the premise that there’s nothing political about the Trump case, “Right, but isn’t it—alright, but isn’t it responsible—a responsible leader, whether it's on the left or right, would not put out a statement saying that Joe Biden is prosecuting his political opponent?”
Particularly uneasy with House Republicans’ reaction, Cooper continued, “I mean, do you believe that Joe Biden is prosecuting? Which is what we've heard from many Republicans in the House, including Speaker McCarthy. Do you believe that Joe Biden is prosecuting Donald Trump to hurt him in the race?”
Sununu used the opportunity to reiterate his earlier point and to educate Cooper on how the Executive Branch functions:
Joe Biden's Department of Justice is prosecuting the former president, who's running against him. Look, that's just a fact, right? Now, whether you like the tone of that statement and why it's being said and how it's being drummed up by the other side doesn't matter. Those are the facts. So, it's very easy. I guess that's my point. It's so easy to make a statement like that, where the average American goes, yeah, looks like that's happening.
Of course, Sununu is correct. Optics matter and just demanding people trust the DOJ after Clinton’s e-mail server and Russia-gate is not going to work.
This segment was sponsored by Citi.
Here is a transcript for the June 9 show:
CNN Anderson Cooper 360
6/9/2023
9:14 PM ET
ANDERSON COOPER: I guess I just don't understand, what does that mean that the Department of Justice has to own that. I mean, you can have -- two things can be true. They can have made mistakes in the past and in this case play everything by the book, no?
CHRIS SUNUNU: Yeah, that's absolutely true. And that's what we hope happens, right? It's okay -- look, they made mistakes. That happened. Let's make sure that we're going forward. You have to earn back a lot of the trust, right?
And so, whether it's talking about some of the other cases, some of the issues, how this one differs -- if they do it just in the courtroom, that's fine legally. But, it's going to just, again, allow this doubt to permeate. And I think all the other candidates need to be talking about that.
I think everyone needs to be acknowledging it's okay to acknowledge that it's okay to acknowledge mistakes in the past. You can't just ignore them, but by acknowledging them you're putting transparency and that builds up public trust.
Transparency is what really builds that trust and all the candidates running for president have to acknowledge it.
COOPER: Right, but isn’t it—alright, but isn’t it responsible—a responsible leader, whether it's on the left or right, would not put out a statement saying that Joe Biden is prosecuting his political opponent?
I mean, do you believe that Joe Biden is prosecuting? Which is what we've heard from many Republicans in the House, including Speaker McCarthy. Do you believe that Joe Biden is prosecuting Donald Trump to hurt him in the race?
SUNUNU: Joe Biden's Department of Justice is prosecuting the former president, who's running against him. Look, that's just a fact, right? Now, whether you like the tone of that statement and why it's being said and how it's being drummed up by the other side doesn't matter. Those are the facts. So, it's very easy. I guess that's my point. It's so easy to make a statement like that, where the average American goes, yeah, looks like that's happening.
