HETAINLY WOULDN'T FOR THIS GENERAL.
KASIE HUNT, TALK ABOUT THE REPUBLICANS ON THE HILL BEHIND
YOU. THIS HAS BEEN, AGAIN, OF ALL THE
TUMULTUOUS WEEKS, WE THOUGHT THE WEEK WITH HIM SHOVING ASIDE
MEMBERS OF NATO WAS BAD AND TRYING TO ARM WRESTLE THE
PRESIDENT OF FRANCE, WE THOUGHT THAT WAS EMBARRASSING.
WE'RE FINDING OUT HE'S, OF COURSE, CUTTING OUTLINES FROM
SPEECHES WHEN HE WAS SPEAKING TO NATO.
IS THERE ANY CRACK IN THE RESOLVE OF THESE REPUBLICANS TO
BE KNOWN FOR THE REST OF THEIR LIVES AS TRUMP REPUBLICANS, AS
TRUMPISTS, AS ENABLERS OF DONALD TRUMP, AS PEOPLE THAT ARE
ENGAGING IN THE COVERUP OF AN INVESTIGATION BETWEEN POTENTIAL
TIES BETWEEN RUSSIA AND THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES'
ADMINISTRATION. ANY CRACKS IN THAT WALL AT ALL?
>> JOE, I THINK THAT YOU ARE GOING TO BE ABLE TO SEE ON THE
SCREEN PLAIN AS DAY ON THURSDAY PART OF THE ANSWER TO THAT
QUESTION, IF THEY REALLY ARE GOING AFTER JAMES COMEY ON THESE
QUESTIONS THAT THE PRESIDENT DOESN'T REALLY WANT THEM TO BE
TALKING ABOUT. I THINK RIGHT NOW THERE'S STILL
THIS UNDERLYING SENSE OF FEAR. I THINK ALL THOSE THINGS YOU
WALKED THROUGH, ALL THOSE EVENTS, QATAR THIS WEEK, WHEN
BOB CORKER, CHAIRMAN OF FOREIGN RELATIONS WAS TOLD ABOUT THAT BY
A REPORTER, HE LOOKED EXTREMELY SURPRISED, ALMOST RAN THE OTHER
WAY. ALL THESE THINGS ARE
CONTRIBUTING TO A SENSE THAT THESE REPUBLICANS DON'T KNOW
WHAT TO DO, BUT THEY'RE TRAPPED AGAINST ALL OF TRUMP'S VOTERS.
THEY'RE STILL AFRAID OF WHAT THE VOTERS MIGHT DO IN 2018 AND 2020
TO THEM. >> THEY'RE SITTING, KASIE --
PRESIDENT BANNON IS AT 36%, 37% IN THE LATEST CALLUP POLLS.
EVEN REAL CLEAR POLITICS AVE. THAT BANNON AND HIS OB SEEK YAS
AIDE ARE AT 37%. ARE DEMOCRATS SAYING WHAT THEY
WERE SAYING WHEN BILL CLINTON WAS LYING OVER OATH.
THIS GUY IS SUCH A HORRIBLE LIAR, I CAN'T BELIEVE I HAVE TO
GO HOME AND DEFEND THEM. ARE THEY AT LEAST SAYING THAT
BEHIND THE SCENES? >> BEHIND THE SCENES THERE'S
ALWAYS BEEN INCREDIBLE NERVOUSNESS ABOUT PRESIDENT
TRUMP. THE QUESTION YOU HIT ON IS
EXACTLY THE RIGHT ONE. I THINK WHAT TO LOOK FOR IS THIS
POTENTIAL BREAKING POINT. THIS IS A PRESIDENT WHO IS
INCREASINGLY ISOLATED. ALL OF THESE STORIES WE'RE
TALKING ABOUT, ALL THESE THINGS THAT HAVE HAPPENED INDICATE A
PRESIDENT WHO IS OUT THERE ALONE.
YOU ALSO -- YOU TALK ABOUT THE TWEETS THAT HE'S BEEN SENDING
OUT AND HOW HIS STAFF ARE SAYING, YOU KNOW, HE'S DOING
MORE AND MORE OF THIS. WE CAN'T CONTROL IT.
THERE'S NO WAR ROOM FOR COMEY BECAUSE THE PRESIDENT MIGHT BE
LIVE TWEETING. THERE'S ALL THESE QUESTIONS.
EVEN HIS COMMENTS ABOUT JARED KUSHNER SAYING JARED KUSHNER IS
MORE FAMOUS THAN ME. THAT'S A LITTLE BIT OF A DIG AT
A FAMILY MEMBER. I THINK ALL OF IT IS VERY MUCH A
RISK FOR REPUBLICANS. EVEN THE STORIES YESTERDAY OUT
OF THE WHITE HOUSE MEETING WHERE
MEMBERS OF THE HILL LEADERSHIP CAME BACK AND SAID PRIVATELY,
HEY, HE PITCHED A WALL COVERED IN SOLAR PANLSD HE SAID WE COULD
TALK ABOUT IT AS LONG AS WE GAVE HIM CREDIT FOR IT.
THAT IS SOMETHING THEY CAME BACK RELATING WITH A SENSE OF DEEP
RESPECT, I WOULDN'T SAY. >> A WALL COVERED IN SOLAR
PANELS. >> GOING GREEN, JOE.
GOING GREEN. >> WE HAD A QUESTION WHETHER
NEWT GINGRICH WAS INVOLVED IN THIS ADMINISTRATION OR NOT.
OBVIOUSLY -- THAT IS SUCH A NEWT GINGRICH IDEA, A WALL COVERED IN
SOLAR PANELS. >> I WON'T BE FULL NEWS UNTIL WE
HAVE A LUNAR BASE FROM THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION.
>> IT WILL STILL BE BEAUTIFUL, JOE.
>> SETTING UP TO BE AN EXTRAORDINARY DAY TOMORROW.
I GUESS THE QUESTION IS HOW FAR DOES JAMES COMEY GO?
HOW MUCH IS HE WILLING TO SAY PUBLICLY IN AN OPEN HEARING?
IT'S HARD TO IMAGINE A UNIVERSE WHERE DONALD TRUMP DOES NOT
RESPOND TO WHAT'S HAPPENING IN REALTIME OR AFTER THE FACT.
WHAT DO YOU THINK WE'LL LEARN BY THE END OF THE DAY TOMORROW?
WILL THIS BE A DIFFERENT INVESTIGATION BY THE DAY'S END?
>> FIRST OF ALL, I THINK THIS IS HIGH POLITICAL THEATER.
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WILL HAPPEN TOMORROW IS EVERYTHING
WILL BECOME CONCRETE. IT WON'T BE LEAKS, ANONYMOUS
SOURCES. WE'LL HAVE AN INDIVIDUAL MAKING
CLAIMS, SPECIFIC CLAIMS BASED ON HIS EXPERIENCE.
THOSE CLAIMS WILL INVOLVE QUESTIONS AROUND COLLUSION AND
QUESTIONS AROUND RUSSIA. SO IT WON'T BE KIND OF FOLKS
TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT HAPPENED.
WE WILL HAVE ONE OF THE PRINCIPAL ACTORS IN THE ROOM.
NO MATTER WHAT COMEY SAYS, THE INVESTIGATIONS, THE QUESTIONS
AROUND TRUMP, THE QUESTIONS AROUND TRUMP AND FLYNN WILL GO
TO ANOTHER LEVEL. >> WHAT I'M STRUCK BY IS, YOU
KNOW, WE BASICALLY KNOW WHAT HAPPENED.
WHEN TRUMP WENT ON NBC AND TOELT LESTER HOLT HE FIRED COMEY
BECAUSE OF THE RUSSIA INVESTIGATION, I FEEL LIKE I'M
TAKING CRAZY PILLS. THE PRESIDENT ADMITTED HE DID
THAT BECAUSE OF RUSSIA. WHEN COMEY TOMORROW SAYS I WAS
FIRED BECAUSE OF MY INVESTIGATION TO RUSSIA.
WE KNOW THAT. HE ADMITTED IT.
ALL THESE THINGS THAT WOULD HAVE DERAILED ANY OTHER POLITICAL
FIGURE HAVE HAPPENED ALREADY, AND YET HERE WE ARE.
>> YOU CAN'T CONFIRM, JOE, ALL THE REPORTING WE'VE SEEN LIKE,
WERE YOU PRESSURED EXPLICITLY BY THE PRESIDENT TO DROP THE
INVESTIGATION. >> OF COURSE, WHAT DAN COATS IS
GOING TO TESTIFY TO IS GOING TO JUST ADD EVEN MORE AUTHORITY TO
WHAT COMEY SAYS. MARK HALPERIN, LET ME ASK YOU
THE QUESTION I ASKED KASIE HUNT. DO YOU SEE ANY CRACKS IN THE
WALL? >> I THINK WE'LL SEE IT
TOMORROW. IF THE REPUBLICANS ARE THERE TO
DEFEND THE PRESIDENT AND CHALLENGE COMEY OR IF THEY'RE
THERE TO TRY TO GET THE FACTS. I THINK THE FIRST TAKE ON TEAM
COMEY TRYING TO SOLVE THIS QUESTION OF WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL
ANYBODY ABOUT THIS UNTIL YOU GOT FIRED.
THE ACCOUNT -- THE STORY IS I DIDN'T KNOW WHO I COULD TRUST AT
THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT. COMEY WASN'T SURE HE COULD TRUST
AT THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT, INCLUDING THE DEPUTY ATTORNEY
GENERAL AND THE ATTORNEY GENERAL EVEN THOUGH HE SPOKE TO THEM.
I THINK THE QUESTION WILL BE -- AGAIN, THE CANARY IN THE COAL
MINE, WHEREE ARE REPUBLICANS' HEADS, ARE THEY STRATEGIZING
ABOUT HOW TO UNDERMINE COMEY IN QUESTIONING, OR IS THERE
QUESTIONING GOING TO BE JOINING WITH DEMOCRATS TO TRY TO GET AT
THE TRUTH? I THINK THAT WILL TELL US A LOT
ABOUT WHERE THEIR HEADS ARE AT RIGHT NOW.
>> ALSO, JOE, THERE'S A THREAD IN THIS STORY, A COUPLE OF
THREADS IN THE STORY. ONE OF THEM IS THE ANSWER TO THE
QUESTION THAT WILL BE ASKED COMEY, WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL
ANYONE, IT'S PART OF AN INVESTIGATION, ON GOING
INVESTIGATION. THAT'S PROBABLY GOING TO BE PART
OF HIS ANSWER. THE UNDERLYING THEME THAT IS
TRULY INTERESTING AND YOU ALLUDED TO IT EARLIER WITH
KASIE, WHERE IS THE COURAGE ON THE PART OF REPUBLICANS IN THE
UNITED STATES SENATE? WHEN DO THEY SUMMON ENOUGH
COURAGE TO MAKE A STATEMENT TO WHAT IS GOING ON WITH OUR
COUNTRY. >> WE'LL SEE IT TOMORROW.
WE'VE SEEN HEARINGS WHERE REPUBLICANS HAVE BEEN THERE TO
CARRY WATER FOR THE WHITE HOUSE. TOMORROW IS THE OPPORTUNITY FOR
SOME MEMBERS OF THE COMMITTEE TO TRY TO GET TO THE TRUTH AND
PRESS COMEY IN A WAY TO BRING OUT THE TRUTH, NOT TO UNDERMINE
HIM. >> BIG STORY.
>> IF THIS ENDS UP -- IF REPUBLICANS END UP LOOKING LIKE
THEY'RE READING THE TALKING POINTS FROM THE WHITE HOUSE OR
FROM NOW THE TRUMP RUN RNC, FROM CERTAIN CABLE NEWS SHOWS ON
OTHER NETWORKS AND ALL THEY'RE TALKING ABOUT ARE LEAKS, THEY'LL
PAY A HEAVY, HEAVY PRICE IN 2018 FOR CARING MORE ABOUT PROTECTING
A CORRUPT -- APPARENTLY CORRUPT PRESIDENT AND ADMINISTRATION
THAN GETTING TO THE TRUTH. IT IS SO UNNECESSARY.
THIS REPUBLICAN PARTY HAS TO DECIDE WHETHER IT IS THE PARTY
OF REAGAN AND LINCOLN OR WHETHER IT IS THE PARTY OF DONALD TRUMP
AND MICHAEL FLYNN. A LOT OF THAT, WILLIE, WILL BE
ANSWERED TOMORROW. A LOT OF THAT QUESTION WILL
BEGIN TO BE ANSWERED TOMORROW. IF THEY CHOOSE TO BE THE PARTY
OF DONALD TRUMP AND MICHAEL FLYNN, THEY WILL PAY A
TREMENDOUS POLITICAL PRICE MOVING FORWARD.
>> WE'LL FIND OUT IN ABOUT 28 HOURS AS OUR GIANT COUNTDOWN