New Shake-Ups Ahead For President Donald Trump Outside Legal Team | Morning Joe

POLITICAL LENS ON IT THAT MAY NOT REALLY BE THERE.
>> ALL RIGHT. SPEAKING OF RAURZ AND SHAKE-UPS.
THIS MORNING THERE ARE SHAKE-UPS TO THE EXTERNAL TRUMP LEGAL
TEAM. MARK JACKSON REPORTS THAT MARK
KASOWITZ IS NO LONGER LEADING THE COUNSEL.
POLITICO AND THE AP SAYS THAT HE IS SEEN AS A MICHIGANING
PRESENCE IN THE OPERATION. MARK, THE SPOKESMAN FOR THE
OUTSIDE LEGAL TEAM, TELLS PETER ALEXANDER, HE HAS RESIGNED.
HE STARTED JUST TWO MONTHS AGO, AND ACCORDING TO POLITICO, HAD
GROWN FRUSTRATED WITH THE OPERATION AND WARRING FACTIONS
AND LAWYERS. HE WAS ALSO REPORTEDLY CONCERNED
ABOUT WHETHER HE WAS BEING TOLD THE TRUTH ABOUT VARIOUS MATTERS.
ONE OF THOSE PEOPLE SAID. HEIDI HERE.
HEIDI, WHAT DO YOU HEAR ABOUT HOW HOPE ALWAYS SPRINGS ETERNAL
THAT SOMEONE SOMEDAY WILL BE DIFFERENT?
IT SEEMS LIKE THIS IS HOW EVERY STORY ABOUT TANGOING WITH TRUMP
ENDS. >> WELL, IT'S ALSO IN THE
CONTEXT OF WHAT IS HAPPENING AT THIS TIME.
>> I TAKE YOU BACK TO THE BEGINNING OF THIS CAMPAIGN THAT
ALL OF US HAVE BEEN PUSHING TO GET THAT DISCLOSURE, AND
SOMEHOW, YOU KNOW, THE PRESIDENT PROMISED DURING THE COURSE OF
THE CAMPAIGN THAT AFTER THE AUDIT WAS OVER, HE WOULD GIVE US
THOSE TAX RETURNS. OF COURSE, HE NEVER DID.
NOT ONLY DID HE NOT GIVE US THE TAX RETURNS THAT WEREN'T UNDER
AUDIT, WE NEVER SAW ANY TAX RETURNS THAT ARE NO LONGER UNDER
AUDIT. THIS SEEMS TO BE THE TRIGGER
POINT FOR THE PRESIDENT. >> EVEN THOSE CLOSEST ADVISORS
AROUND HIM ARE STARTING TO FEEL LIKE I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW WHAT
WAS IT THAT MADE HIM SUSPICIOUS THAT MAYBE EVEN HE ISN'T BEING
TOLD THE TRUTH? >> NICOLE, I WANT TO JUMP BACK
TO WHERE YOU STARTED THE SHOW. A GREAT INTERVIEW WITH CORKER
WHERE HE SAID IT WAS IMPLAUSIBLE THAT PRESIDENT TRUMP WOULD EVER
FIRE MUELLER. TRUMP TELLS US WHAT HE IS GOING
TO DO. HE SHOWS HIS HAND.
HE HAS SAID THERE IS A RED LINE IF YOU GO INTO MY BUSINESSES.
OF COURSE, THEY'RE GOING INTO HIS BUSINESSES.
I WANT TO REFER ANYBODY TO A SPECTACULAR ARTICLE BY GREG
UNGER IN "THE NEW REPUBLIC" CALLED TRUMP'S LAUNDROMAT WHERE
IT LAYS OUT THE DIRTY RUSSIA MONEY COMING IN.
TRUMP KNOWS HE CANNOT LET IT GO THAT FAR.
HE CANNOT. HE WILL BE DESTROYED.
HE WILL END UP POSSIBLY IN JAIL. HE WILL FIRE MUELLER AT SOME
POINT. YOU CAN SEE.
HE IS TEEING IT UP. THAT'S WHERE THIS IS GOING.
MAKE NO MISTAKE ABOUT IT. DONALD TRUMP IS NOT GOING TO --
REGARDLESS OF WHAT THE LAW IS OR REPERCUSSIONS ARE AND LET THIS
INVESTIGATION GO ON ITS OWN TERMS IN ITS CURRENT WAY.
>> YEAH. AND I JUST WANT TO JUMP IN HERE
BECAUSE, ONE, I THINK ONLY DEPUTY ATTORNEY GENERAL ROD
ROSENSTEIN CAN FIRE MUELLER, AND IT'S -- MUELLER ISN'T THE ONLY
ONE WHO ENRAGES HIM. IN YOUR INTERVIEW FROM EARLIER
THIS WEEK, I MADE A LIST OF EVERYONE DISED IN 50 MINUTES.
SESSIONS, McCAIN, ROSENSTEIN, MUELLER AND COMEY.
THEY'RE NOT ALL THE SAME, OBVIOUSLY.
THESE ARE DISTINCT MEN WITH DIFFERENT PROFILES, BUT ANYONE
ARGUABLY THAT'S GOING TO RUN THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT OR BE THE DAG
IS GOING TO HAVE SOME COMMITMENT TO THE RULE OF LAW, WHICH IS
GOING TO ALLOW MUELLER TO CONDUCT AN INVESTIGATION.
THERE'S NOTHING OUTSIDE THE SCOPE OF THE INVESTIGATION.
THAT SEEMS CENTRAL TO IT. >> YEAH.
I MEAN, YOU CAN CLEARLY SEE AS THEY DO THIS RESEARCH AND THEY
SORT OF LOOK INTO THE LAWYERS, THEY'RE ALSO LOOKING NOT ONLY TO
PUT HURDLES IN MUELLER'S WAY, BUT IF THEY HAVE TO MAKE THE
ARGUMENT TO GET RID OF MUELLER, HOW WOULD THEY DO THAT?
WOULD THIS GIVE THEM AMMUNITION TO DO THAT?
THEY'VE RAISED THESE QUESTIONS ABOUT MUELLER'S RELATIONSHIP
WITH COMEY. THERE REALLY ISN'T MUCH OF A
RELATIONSHIP THERE. THEY'VE SAID, OH, MUELLER CAN'T
DO THIS BECAUSE HIM AND COMEY ARE BEST FRIENDS AND COMEY DID
THIS TO GET HIM APPOINTED. WELL, INDEED THEY HAVE WORKED
TOGETHER IN THE PAST. MUELLER AND COMEY DID.
THEY AREN'T REALLY THAT CLOSE. THEY AREN'T REALLY BUDDY BUDDY.
THERE ARE FOLKS THAT COMEY HAS BEEN VERY CLOSE WITH OVER THE
YEARS THAT HE WORKED WITH AS A PROSECUTOR OR THAT HE TOOK WITH
HIM TO THE FBI, BUT THERE REALLY ISN'T A RELATIONSHIP THERE.
THEY'VE SEIZED ON THAT AS A WAY OF UNDERMINING MUELLER.
THERE'S PROBABLY FEW PEOPLE IN WASHINGTON AS WELL-RESPECTED BY
BOTH PARTIES AS MUELLER. THEY'RE TAKING ON SOMEONE WHO A
LOT OF PEOPLE LIKE AND WHO A LOT OF PEOPLE HAVE RESPECT FOR, AND
SOMEONE WHO IS REALLY CREDITED WITH KEEPING THE COUNTRY SAFE
AFTER 9/11 AS THE FBI DIRECTOR AND IS BASICALLY KEEPING THE FBI
INTACT AS IT MOVES FORWARD AND CHANGED ITS MISSION TOWARDS
COUNTERTERRORISM. >> I WANT TO GET TO SOME OF THE
OTHER HER NON-CANDY STRIPER VOI AROUND THE TABLE.
NICOLE JUST MADE THIS POINT, RICHARD, ABOUT THE LIST OF
PEOPLE THAT TRUMP TOOK ON IN THE LEGAL JUDICIAL LAW ENFORCEMENT
ESTABLISHMENT. IT SEEMS TO ME HE IS AT WAR WITH
ALL THE ESTABLISHMENT. THESE INSTITUTIONS THAT HAVE
QUASI-INDEPENDENT STATUS. THEY ARE POLITICAL APPOINTMENTS,
BUT THEY OPERATE INDEPENDENTLY. LAST TIME DONALD TRUMP WENT TO
WAR WITH A WASHINGTON ESTABLISHMENT, IT WAS THE
INTELLIGENCE ESTABLISHMENT. IT DID NOT WORK OUT THAT WELL
FOR HIM. AS YOU LOOK AT WHERE WE ARE
RIGHT NOW, AS THESE BATTLE LINES ARE BEING DRAWN, WHERE DO YOU
SEE THIS GOING? >> IT'S NOT CLEAR TO ME.
I THINK IT HAS AN INTERNAL LIMIT.
WHY DO WE ASSUME IT DOES? AT THE END OF THE DAY DONALD
TRUMP, LIKE ANY PRESIDENT, IS GOING TO THINK ABOUT
SELF-PRESERVATION. I THINK BECAUSE HE COMES OUTSIDE
THE POLITICAL CULTURE I DON'T THINK HIS INITIAL INSTINCT, I
DON'T THINK WHAT HIS DEFAULT POSITION IS THE PRESERVATION OF
THE SYSTEM. I THINK IT'S THE PRESERVATION OF
HIS PRESIDENCY. THE PRESIDENT PRESERVATION OF
HIMSELF, THE PRESERVATION OF HIS FAMILY.
I THINK WE HAVE TO UNDERSTAND AT SOME POINT THAT THERE'S PROBABLY
GOING TO BE A STRUCTURAL TENSION BETWEEN WHAT IS LEGAL AND WHAT
IS LEGITIMATE. >> RIGHT.
>> AND I THINK IT'S TOO NARROW A CONVERSATION TO HAVE AROUND THIS
TABLE AND OTHER TABLES TO SIMPLY SAY IS WHAT HE IS DOING LEGAL?
I THINK THERE'S GOING TO BE A LARGER CONVERSATION ABOUT HIS
VIEW OF HIS PRESIDENCY AND WHAT HE CAN DO.
>> THE "WALL STREET JOURNAL" EDITORIAL BOARD WRITES ABOUT
SESSIONS. "THE WHITE HOUSE SAID THURSDAY
THAT PRESIDENT TRUMP STILL HAS CONFIDENCE IN ATTORNEY GENERAL
JEFF SESSIONS, BUT AFTER THE PAST TWO DAYS THE BETTER
QUESTION IS WHETHER MR. SESSIONS STILL HAS CONFIDENCE IN THE
PRESIDENT." MR. TRUMP NEEDS THE AG AT THIS
POINT MORE THAN THE REVERSE. WORKING FOR A PRESIDENT WHO CAN
BE AS WILLFUL AND RASH AS MR. TRUMP CAN'T BE EASY, AND
SOMED AVIESORS MAY FIND IT IMPOSSIBLE OVER TIME.
MR. TRUMP NEEDS PEOPLE WHO CAN PROTECT HI AND THE COUNTRY FROM
HIS WORST INSTINCTS. IF MR. SESSIONS QUITS, MR. TRUMP
MIGHT NOT FIND ANYONE ELSE WHO WILL TAKE THE JOB.
>> WE BEGAN THE SHOW IN TALKING ABOUT ALL OF THIS OVER THE PAST
WEEK OR SO. WE BEGAN THE SHOW WITH BOB
CORKER TALKING WITH NICOLE. THEY MIGHT HAVE TO GO TO THE
WHITE HOUSE TO SAY, MR. PRESIDENT, YOU SHT JUST
PLAYING WITH FIRE. YOU ARE ON FIRE.
YOU HAVE TO STAY AWAY FROM BOB MUELLER.
>> WE WOULD HOPE THAT WOULD BE THE CASE.
I THINK THAT WOULD BE THE CASE, IN FACT.
WATCHING PRESIDENT TRUMP THROW JEFF SESSIONS UNDER THEHE BUS,
MAKES ONE WONDER WHY ANYONE ON THE HILL WOULD ALIGN THEMSELVES
WITH THIS GUY. IN SOME WAYS IT REMUNDS ME OF AN
EVIL CHARACTER IN ONE OF MY SON'S FAVORITE SHOWS.
VALDEMORT. ONLY I MUST LIVE AT THE END OF
THE DAY, AND THAT'S THE WAY HE SEEMS TO FUNCTION.
IT SEEMS TO -- IF YOU ALIGN YOURSELF WITH THIS GUY, YOU
MIGHT END UP, SHALL WE SAY, NOT SURVIVING.
>> ALL RIGHT. STILL AHEAD ON "MORNING JOE" AN
NBSZ NEWS EXCLUSIVE. KIER SIMMONS JUST INTERVIEWED
FOREIGN RUSSIAN -- IT WAS INVITED INSIDE THE OVAL OFFICE

New Shake-Ups Ahead For President Donald Trump Outside Legal Team | Morning Joe | MSNBC

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