John Berman on what's at stake in January 6 investigation

>>> ARE DEMOCRATIC LAWMAKERS

INVESTIGATING THE FIRST COUP

ATTEMPT THIS COUNTRY HAS EVER

SEEN TAKING A BUTTER KNIFE TO A

GUN FIGHT?

WILL THEY, AS THEY ARE SIGNALING

TONIGHT, TRULY GET TOUGH ON

THOSE WHO STAND BETWEEN THEM AND

THE TRUTH?

>>> ALSO, DID PRESIDENT BIDEN

JUST WHEEL A -- INTO THE BATTLE?

JOHN BERMAN HERE IN FOR AROUNDOR

ANDERSON.

A STRING OF NEW DEVELOPMENTS TO

BRING YOU FROM BOTH ENDS OF

PENNSYLVANIA AVENUE.

THEY ALL TOUCH ON THIS.

WHETHER THOSE WHO TRIED TO

UNDERMINE DEMOCRACY, ITSELF,

WILL BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE.

BECAUSE AS ONE POLITICAL

OBSERVER TWEETED TODAY, AN

UNPUNISHED COUP IS A TRAINING

EXERCISE.

THOSE ARE THE STAKES, AS THE

COMMITTEE TRIES TO ENFORCE

SUBPOENAS ON FOUR EX-TRUMP AIDES

AND ALLIES.

AS OF TONIGHT, ONLY TWO, FORMER

WHITE HOUSE CHIEF OF STAFF MARK

MEADOWS AND FORMER PENTAGON

OFFICIAL CASH PATEL ARE EVEN

ENGAGING AT ALL IN THE PROCESS

AFTER A MIDNIGHT DEADLINE FOR

PRODUCING DOCUMENTS CAME AND

WENT.

AND THAT'S THE COMMITTEE'S WORD,

BY THE WAY.

ENGAGING WHICH COULD MEAN

ANYTHING AND IS A FAR CRY FROM

COOPERATING.

DAN SCAVINO, IT'S NOT CLEAR

WHETHER HE HAS RESPONDED AT ALL

OR HAS EVEN BEEN SERVED.

HOWEVER, HE IS NOT EVEN

MENTIONED IN THE JOINT STATEMENT

FROM COMMITTEE CHAIR BENNIE

THOMPSON AND VICE CHAIR LIZ

CHENEY.

AS FOR STEVE BANNON, HE'S

FLAT-OUT DEFYING THE COMMITTEE.

HIS LAWYER CITING THE FORMER

PRESIDENT'S EXECUTIVE PRIVILEGE

WHICH IS A PRETTY BRAZEN CLAIM

TO MAKE, GIVEN THAT BANNON

HASN'T WORKED IN THE WHITE HOUSE

SINCE 2017.

AND FOR THE RECORD, JANUARY 6th,

2021, WASN'T IN 2017.

BANNON IS ACTING ON THE FORMER

PRESIDENT'S ORDERS.

A TRUMP LAWYER LAST NIGHT

TELLING ALL FOUR NOT TO COMPLY.

AS YOU KNOW, THE FORMER

PRESIDENT HAS MADE IT CLEAR HE

NO LONGER EVEN SEES JANUARY 6th

AS A THING.

SAYING THIS WEEK, THE REAL

INSURRECTION WAS ON ELECTION

DAY.

AND LAST NIGHT ON FOX, HE MADE

HIS CONTEMPT PLAIN FOR THOSE WHO

HAVE TRIED AND FAILED TO HOLD

HIM ACCOUNTABLE.

>> YOU HAD FAKE IMPEACHMENTS,

TWO FAKE IMPEACHMENTS WHERE THE

REPUBLICANS WERE GREAT.

I HAVE TO SAY, THEY STUCK WITH

US.

THE WHOLE THING WAS FAKE.

AND I HAD TO SURVIVE.

AND TO SURVIVE, YOU HAD TO BE

TOUGH AND YOU HAD TO BE OUT

THERE.

YOU DIDN'T HAVE TIME TO BE

NECESSARILY DAINTY AND NICE.

>> DAINTY AND NICE.

OR AS IT USED TO BE CALLED,

FOLLOWING THE RULES.

OBEYING THE LAW.

THAT SORT OF THING.

FACED WITH THAT KIND OF

ATTITUDE, THE BIDEN WHITE HOUSE,

TODAY, BROKE WITH TRADITION

SAYING THE PRESIDENT WOULD NOT

INVOKE EXECUTIVE PRIVILEGE OVER

TRUMP DOCUMENTS SOUGHT FROM THE

NATIONAL ARCHIVES BY THE SELECT

COMMITTEE.

IN OTHER WORDS, BIDEN WOULD

ALLOW THEIR RELEASE.

SO THERE IS NOW A CONFLICT.

BECAUSE WE LEARNED LATE TODAY

THAT THE FORMER PRESIDENT HAS

SENT A LETTER TO THE ARCHIVES

ASSERTING PRIVILEGE AND

THREATENING TO, QUOTE, TAKE ALL

NECESSARY AND APPROPRIATE STEPS

TO PROTECT THE OFFICE OF THE

PRESIDENCY.

AND PRESIDENT BIDEN -- LISTEN TO

HOW HIS PRESS SECRETARY FRAMED

IT.

>> THE ADMINISTRATION TAKES THE

EVENTS OF JANUARY 6th INCREDIBLY

SERIOUSLY AS THE PRESIDENT SAID

ON ITS SIX-MONTH ANNIVERSARY.

THAT DAY POSED AN EXISTENTIAL

CRISIS AND A TEST OF WHETHER OUR

DEMOCRACY COULD SURVIVE.

>> WHETHER OUR DEMOCRACY COULD

SURVIVE.

THAT'S REALLY SOMETHING TO