Encircling him and some of his associates. The reporting is the work of four journalists, including michael schmidt, who joins us in just a moment. The Trump Presidency is under criminal investigation, and trumps public battles against the inquiries have become a signature of his administration thus far. A number of actions, including the firing of james comey, reportedly ordering the white House Counsel to fire Robert Mueller and ordering Jeff Sessions to end the mueller effort have raised questions about obstruction. However, this new times report, quote, reveals the extent of an even more sustained, more secret assault of mr. Trump on the machinery of federal law enforcement. Perhaps the biggest revelation in this piece is that trump may have tried to interfere with the investigation involving his former lawyer, Michael Cohen, about hush money payments, youll recall, made during the 2016 campaign. That investigation is being handled by the Southern District of new york, which is, despite its somewhat misleading name, in effect, the Manhattan Branch of the u. S. Department of justice. According to the times quote, mr. Trump called Matthew Whitaker, his newly installed attorney general, with a question. He asked whether jeffrey berman, the u. S. Attorney for the Southern District of new york and a trump ally could be put in charge of the widening investigation. Mr. Whitaker, who had privately told associates that part of his role at the Justice Department was to jump on a grenade for the president said he could not do that. He complained about his inability to pull levers at the Justice Department that could make the president s many legal problems go away. That report appears to somewhat contradict what Matt Whitaker told the House Judiciary Committee nearly two weeks ago. The president did not ask for and i did not provide any commitments, promises concerning the special counsels investigation or any other investigation. Later at that same hearing, whitaker was specifically asked about the Southern District of new york. Did you ever have any conversations with the president about firing or reassigning any personnel, u. S. Attorneys or others who work with the Southern District of new york . With the president or anybody . Anybody at all. I want to know whether you talked to President Trump at all about the Southern District of new yorks case involving Michael Cohen. I am not going to discuss my private conversations with the president of the United States. New york times goes on to add this about the reported call between trump and whitaker. Quote, what exactly mr. Whitaker did after the call is unclear, but there is no evidence that he took any direct steps to intervene in the manhattan investigation. He did, however, tell some associates at the Justice Department that the prosecutors in new york required adult supervision. A Justice Department spokeswoman told the times the president had not asked mr. Whitaker to interfere in the investigation. Trump himself was asked about the times report directly just this afternoon. Did you ask acting attorney general Matthew Whitaker to change the leadership of the investigation of your former personal attorney, Michael Cohen . No, not at all. Thats more fake news. There is a lot of fake news out there. No, i didnt. What is your relationship like with mr. Whitaker . Very good. Hes a great guy. Hes a straight shooter. I watched some of his hearing. I think hes exceptional. Hes a very fine man and he should be given a lot of thanks from our nation. For now Matt Whitaker remains at the Justice Department on the federal payroll as a senior counselor just as trumps new attorney general, william barr, has now taken over the department for the second time in his career. Our panel will be here to break all this down in just a moment, but first to get to the very latest on this reporting, we are joined on the phone by one of its authors. Michael schmidt, Pulitzer Prize winning correspondent with the New York Times. Michael, we are reminded that a lot of this took place just this winter. Yes, your extended piece of reporting has a twoyear timeline on it, but remember, of course, as you well know, whitaker just came in in november. So this is almost a realtime narrative. These efforts, as you report them, happened just very recently. Talk about the significance of that. One of the overarching themes of our piece is that this type of efforts the president has done, his attempts to control the investigation, have not stopped, they havent abated. He has continued to try in different ways to gain control of it. He doesnt seem to have learned a lot of lessons along the way. He discusses the idea of unrecusal, sort of a madeup legal concept with his acting attorney general. Same concept he was talking about in march of 2017, just two years into office, after Jeff Sessions, his attorney general at the time, recused himself in the russia investigation. Sessions never went back to take over the investigation, but it did create a problem for him with mueller. And mueller looked at this issue. And here we are looking at the same thing again. The other thing that runs through all this is loyalty. The president s obsession with the person overseeing the investigation being loyal to him. It starts with jim comey seven days after the president is sworn in with a oneonone dinner at the white house asking for loyalty. Its the same issue with whitaker and trying to have someone loyal to him overseeing the investigation in new york city. Im going to play a moment for our viewers. Theyll be able to see it, youll be able to hear it. You know it well. This is the president reacting in realtime to the news of the raid on Michael Cohens home and office here in new york. Its a disgrace. Its frankly a real disgrace. Its an attack on our country in a true sense. Its an attack on what we all stand for. I recognized i called it a raid. Thats probably prejudicial. It was a lawfully executed search warrant in more than one location. Michael, its very possible the president s emotion and anger there were real, though im not sure most americans would define it as an attack on our nation, because this is just a Family Business and a family law practice were talking about. Donald trump knew exactly what was in those files and what perhaps was on those recordings that the feds seized. At the heart of the cohen issue is something the president has created a red line against since december 2017. He said at the time if mueller were to look at his finances, it would be crossing that line. Well, it ultimately wasnt mueller, it was these prosecutors in new york who had sort of an offshoot of the Mueller Investigation. But when theyre going in to Michael Cohens office and looking at these things, they are heading down the road of looking at the president s finances. And that is where the investigation has focused, looking around at a couple payments, the role that the Trump Organization played in that. The president and his money is something hes been very opaque about. He has not wanted to have a lot of sunlight on that issue. He hasnt wanted his taxes out there. And the fear amongst his lawyers and the folks around him is that whatever is going on downtown in manhattan will turn into something larger about the Trump Organization. Theyre keeping a very, very close eye on that. Theyre afraid that could create more problems for him. Ive read this piece of work by the four of you twice through, and im still finding little bits of interest in it. Fwauk how notable the portion of the president firing Jeff Sessions and firing Michael Cohen in return. He wanted to get rid of Jeff Sessions, and hes trying to find someone to get rid of the attorney general, to push him out, to fire him. Because the president doesnt seem to have the ability to do that himself. He turns to folks around him, his advisers, people in the white house, talking to his white House Counsel and advisers and such. Who does he call . Corwin lewandowski, the old campaign journalist of his. Lewandowski was not around at the time and was sort of able to get himself out of it. But it showed the desperation the president would turn to that he could have lawfully gotten fired. The president said he could do it himself but didnt have the ability or the drive to do it. Michael schmidt, thank you so much for being with us. Now lets bring in our brand new leadoff panel to talk about all of it. Chuck rosenberg, former senior fbi official. Now in criminal justice at the pace school of law. And former council to the house intel committee. Jeremy, id like to begin with you. Mark rozzetti, one of the four reporters on this piece, said separately tonight they gave the white house a headsup, looked for comment days in advance apparently. The white house chose not to save the president s response today, that this was fake news. Does that tell you about the undermining of democracy. The president undermined democracy for bringing power to himself much as an autocrat would. If you think about hiring family members, if you think about der clarg an emergency. These are all things that an autocrat would do. So this assault on the rule of law, this effort to undermine investigations into his own conduct is really a piece of that broader tableau about the undermining of our democracy. Rick, talk to me about his description of his job, with the inability to be an acting attorney general. Sure, brian. Intel committee. Jeremy, id like to begin with you. Mark rozzetti, one of the four reporters on this piece, said separately tonight they gave the white house a headsup, looked for comment days in advance apparently. The white house chose not to save the president s response today, that this was fake news. Does that tell you about the undermining of democracy. The president undermined democracy for bringing power to himself much as an autocrat would. If you think about hiring family members, if you think about der clarg an emergency. These are all things that an autocrat would do. So this assault on the rule of law, this effort to undermine investigations into his own conduct is really a piece of that broader tableau about the undermining of our democracy. Rick, talk to me about his description of his job, with the inability to be an acting attorney general. Sure, brian. Whitakers description of his role or the role of an attorney general, on frankly any Senior Leader at the department of justice to jump on a grenade, to elect the president is severely and sorely misplaced. Our job is to follow the facts to whatever evidence. They lead us. So my cuiosity is what his job was. Im glad that he did that. Or that whitaker would try to get him to recuse himself, its just not good. And lili knows who runs the front skprofs exactly the people you would coauthor. The weekening of the wall is supposed to be around the Justice Department of all times. Talk to me about whether its in plain sight in your view. We talked about this so many times on the show, beginning with trump firing comey, asking comey to let the investigation into flynn go. Theyre countless examples of trump trying to influence or interject himself into different conversations. The piece that i wrote and it was speckly talking about trumps interactions with whitaker and his intents to. I think its an even more clearcut because there is simply no exploration for it. As we know, these storms have actually come. Also the Southern District has apparently continued investigating this even after Michael Cohen pled. Theres really nowhere to go beyond Michael Cohen unless theyre going to be looking at the Trump Organization and people very close to trump. He needs an inch of skmims. It just seems more clear in this series fd interactions. We talked to milt. I think its a really cool example here. What do you think it was like today for your former colleagues in that office you know so well . As i describe it, the Justice Departments manhattan Public Bureau to click on this New York Times story and read about their office in this story. Look, i cant speak for the of career professionals who im sure will. Taking that whether that is finding crimes or not. They will going to a point. There is the new. Bureau to click on this New York Times story and read about their office in this story. Look, i cant speak for the we talked about this so many times on the show, beginning with trump firing comey, asking comey to let the investigation into flynn go. Theyre countless examples of trump trying to influence or interject himself into different conversations. The piece that i wrote and it was speckly talking about trumps interactions with whitaker and his intents to. I think its an even more clearcut because there is simply no exploration for it. As we know, these storms have actually come. Also the Southern District has apparently continued investigating this even after Michael Cohen pled. Theres really nowhere to go beyond Michael Cohen unless theyre going to be looking at the Trump Organization and people very close to trump. His coal purpose. He needs an inch of skmims. It just seems more clear in this series fd interactions. We talked to milt. I think its a really cool example here. What do you think it was like today for your former colleagues in that office you know so well . As i describe it, the Justice Departments manhattan Public Bureau to click on this New York Times story and read about their office in this story. Look, i cant speak for the people who are there right now, obviously, but i can tell you that as an, i felt outrage, i said r disrespectful of these boundaries. He cant respect the world to let these investigations go on. Consciously it speaks to guilt. If i was working on these investigation, the more i thought trump, look, i dont know exactly that it seems to me he did the honorable thing and the right thing, and he left this investigation in the hands of career professionals who im sure will. Taking that whether that is finding crimes or not. They will going to a point. There is the new. Are you convinced to your satisfaction based on the fact that there are adults in the room to protect whats going on . I think so, brian. Let me tell you why im hedging a little bit. You dont remember the new Deputy Attorney general is oud to his apartment. Hell be paired with sensitive skin. He also would have confidence with mr. Rosen, so ill wait and see. In that office you know so well . As i describe it, the Justice Departments manhattan Public Bureau to click on this New York Times story and read about their office in this story. Look, i cant speak for the people who are there right now, obviously, but i can tell you that as an, i felt outrage, i said r disrespectful of these boundaries. He cant respect the world to let these investigations go on. Consciously it speaks to guilt. If i was working on these investigation, the more i thought trump, look, i dont know exactly that it seems to me he did the honorable thing and the right thing, and he left this investigation in the hands of career professionals who im sure will. Taking that whether that is finding crimes or not. They will going to a point. There is the new. Are you convinced to your satisfaction based on the fact that there are adults in the room to protect whats going on . I think so, brian. Let me tell you why im hedging a little bit. You dont remember the new Deputy Attorney general is oud to his apartment. Hell be paired with sensitive skin. He also would have confidence with mr. Rosen, so ill wait and see. Maybe we severe he is, i believe, a strong and good attorney general. That there are adults in the room to protect whats going on . I think so, brian. Let me tell you why im hedging a little bit. You dont remember the new Deputy Attorney general is oud to his apartment. Hell be paired with sensitive skin. He also would have confidence with mr. Rosen, so ill wait and see. Maybe we severe he is, i believe, a strong and good attorney general. Again, i dont share his politics but hes an institutionalist and well sort of hal enp. I think thats a good thing for that institution, not terribly bag. For a television show, the boardroom was a family. Along the way he ran a Family Company without an actual board of directors. He arrives on top of the. We are, jeremy, and youre getting the solutions you want, kind of being rebuffed and running into more trouble on the way. He may have arrived in the oval office with a lot of ignorance, but two years later, i dont think that excuse hold as a lot of water anymore. Its to prevent the wheels of justice grinding against him. Some have suggested, this is normal ebb and flow for crew tickets. This is a trial from the wu himself and against the broader efforts of our democracy. Again, another consequential night. Thank you to jeremy rec, former acting director. Later, what happens if in the midst of all this, the president fires hid director. Just Getting Started on a tuesday night. A tuesday night. Just moments ago, former later, what happens if in the midst of all this, the later, what happens if in the midst of all this, the president fires hid director. Just Getting Started on a tuesday night. Check in from afar with remote access, and have professional monitoring backing you up with xfinity home. Demo in an xfinity store. Call, or go online today. Just moments ago, former acting director Andrew Mccabe spoke to our own Lawrence Odonnell and weighed in on the New York Times story that trump may have interfered in the investigation of Michael Cohen. Its not surprising at all. Especially when youre familiar with the history that we went through in may of 2017. Its not that different from asking director comey to just let go of the investigation of mike flynn. Of course, one of the crucial steps that caused us to believe that this president might, in fact, be trying to obstruct justice. Its not surprising that the reporting in the times today, but it is incredibly alarming and its something the country should be focused on, should be asking questions about. And later tonight, during another interview on cnn, his book came out today. Hes in the midst of this book tour. Mccabe said he thought it was possible that trump could be a russian asset. Do you still believe the president could be a russian asset . I think its possible. I think thats why we started our investigation, and im really anxious to see where director mueller concludes that. For more, we welcome to the conversation shane harris, intelligence and National Security reporter for the Washington Post, and quint watts, a former fbi special agent and author of messing with the enemy surviving a world of hackers, terrorists. I grew up in a red state as a republican in missouri. Raegan years, bush years, the idea that the former soviet union would have somebody in the white house is frightening. So when you hear that just there is a possibility, it comes with great alarm. And when you look at it, though, i dont think it was that surprising. You know, when weve talked through all of this. There are three times russia is mentioned with relation to the firing of comey. Rod rosenstein takes it essentially out of the memo. He mentioned it to lester holt, and then he brings lavrov and kislyak into the oval office, two russians without u. S. Media, and brings up this will relieve pressure. I think not only is it alarming, its consistent. There is a consistent pattern that shows up there. And i dont know how the fbi at this point, after youve already been investigating several people in the trump campaign, one year later, essentially, theyre coming up on this time horizon, doesnt open an investigation. There has to be great concern. What i want to know is when Rod Rosenstein and Andrew Mccabe were sitting together trying to figure out, do we need a special counsel . Do we need what about the 25th amendment . Should i wear a wire . All of these things are alarming, so i want to know, and i think he probably cant say im hoping through the Mueller Investigation we will learn what caused such alarm that they would take such extreme measures. Shane, when you look at the stories and the headline back then in realtime. When you hear mccabe talking about it, while shocking, like common sense. Of course we have no choice but to open an investigation. Yeah, i think thats right. In retrospect it sounds perfectly coherent and mccabe has laid out all the predicates in the way you would expect an fbi investigate or to do that led openly to opening that investigation. I know as a reporter covering this period when comey was fired and we were catching flashes and fragments and flecks of information that was coming out, we were asking the same questions and finding them unbelievable that we were asking whether the president of the United States might be compromised in some way. In that meeting that he had with kislyak and lavrov in the oval office, he described isis bomb making in syria. And intelligence officials i spoke to at the time were beside themselves. They could not understand why, in this meeting that already struck them as illadvised because there were no americans present, the president of the United States was disclosing classified sources and methods of intelligence to a hostile government. It was almost unbelievable. It still is in many respects. But looking back, it does make a lot of sense that the fbi chose to go down the path that it did. Think of it this way. The pictures we just showed of our president in the oval office, we have those Photos Courtesy of the Russian Foreign ministry. Shane harris, the top intelligence official, whose job may be on the line tonight reportedly for not being loyal enough. Hes the man in the center there. Hell be the center of our conversation when we come back. Audible members know listening has the power to change us make us better parents, better leaders, better people. And theres no better place to listen than audible. With audible you get a credit good for any audiobook and exclusive fitness and wellness programs. And now, youll also get two Audible Originals titles exclusively produced for audible. Automatically roll your credits over to the next month if you dont use them, and if you dont like a book just swap it for free. Enjoy 100 ad free listening in the car, on your phone or any connected device. And when you switch a device pick up right where you left off. With our commitment free guarantee, theres never been a better time to start listening to audible. The most inspiring minds, the most compelling stories, the best place to listen. To start your free 30day trial, text listen27 to 500500 today. We have some breaking news. The white house has announced on twitter that Vladimir Putin is coming to the white house in the fall. Say that again . Vladimir putin is coming to did i hear you . Yeah, yeah. Okay. Thats going to be special. That happened in realtime on live television, and remarks like those back in july may serve as evidence that President Trump and his director of National Intelligence dan coats havent always been on the same page. And tonight a Washington Post story that happens to be cowritten by shane harris has this headline. P trump grows frustrated with coats, leading some to fear he might be fired. Just last month trump felt enraged. Quote, privately the president has continued to fume, and this weekend he told the adviser that coats, a former republican senator from indiana, is not loyal and hes not on the team. Shane, thank you for sticking around. I have to ask, it appears to be the obvious story line that this doesnt match trumps story line. Trump may be alone in his own government, in his kind of rosy scenario involving kim jongun, his desire for this next summit. He jokingly says they fell in love. He talks about the beauty of the letters hes received from north korea, and his view goes against the intelligence assessment that theyre never going to stop their nuclear program. Thats right, they have been clear about this outside the government as well. The regime is required for its survival, and when they come out publicly in testimony like they did recently and said what their conclusion is, trump sees that as trying to undercut him. I think its not accidental or coincidental that the president s frustration with dan coats, which has been building, is kind of hitting a crescendo as President Trump tries to meet with kim jongun. He sees someone trying to undercut him in that summit by doing what an intelligence official is supposed to do, which is speak clearly, asked under oath, as he was, about the assessment. He shares these views to President Trump as well. President trump tends to lash out to his advisers, though, when they say things he does not want to hear. Clint, given the fact that he sees someone trying to undercut him in that summit by doing what an intelligence official is supposed to do, which is speak clearly, asked under oath, as he was, about the assessment. He shares these views to President Trump as well. President trump tends to lash out to his advisers, though, when they say things he does not want to hear. Clint, given the fact that our lead adviser thought the president works with the russians. Should we get a chill if we wake up one of these days, and in the midst of all this, the president has fired the director of National Intelligence . Yes. And again, i think it goes to the point that it was his appointee. The president appointed these people in pretty much all of these positions, and yet he continues to fire them for not being loyal or not being on the team. We just watched that clip. The director of National Intelligence found that a former adversary that interrupted our elections by a tweet. Youre being made a fool on the stage. When you look at what coats did when he went and testify is he told the truth. He told the truth about north korea, he told the truth about isis. Instead he was flat out rebuked by the president who cant get through an intelligence briefing. Who, if we go to talk to him about russia, he wants to talk about north korea or venezuela. It doesnt make any sense. How can you do that . Weve seen how it happens with alternative intelligence before. Thats how we got under a rock. Alternative intelligence who helped push us under a rock by false pretense. We dont need to do that again, and director coats is doing his job. Hes doing it very well. I want to thank both of our returning veterans in this broadcast, shane harris and clint watts, for joining us tonight. New details about what the white house came out to say about Michael Flynns firing. From inside the white house, i want to thank both of our returning veterans in this broadcast, shane harris and clint watts, for joining us tonight. New details about what the white house came out to say about Michael Flynns firing. From inside the white house, none of it did we know in realtime, when we come back. Welcome back and returning to what weve been talking about tonight, the New York Times shedding new light on the Trump Administration efforts, the efforts by this president to contain, some say obstruct, the russia investigation from the very beginning. Former National Security adviser Michael Flynn resigned just 24 days into this presidency. He had become one of the first Trump Associates charged as part of the Mueller Investigation. According to the times, the president himself directed sean spicer, his press secretary, to intentionally mislead the American People from the podium about what exactly had happened. Heres what spicer said at the time. The evolving and eroding level of trust as a result of this situation and a series of other questionable instances is what led the president to ask for general flynns resignation. He asked the white House Counsel to review the situation. The first matter was whether there was a legal issue. And we had to review whether there was a legal issue, which the white House Counsel concluded there was not. But thats the plain and simple issue. And when he lost trust with the president , thats when the president asked for and received his resignation. We now know that characterization right there was not true. And we know the Justice Department had actually warned trump about flynn and his dealings with russia. The New York Times reports spicers remarks raised red flags within the white House Counsels office. Their inhouse lawyer, quote, the lawyers main concern was that mr. Spicer overstated how exhaustively the white house had investigated mr. Flynn, and that he said wrongly that administration lawyers had concluded there were no legal issues surrounding mr. Flynns conduct. With us tonight to talk about it, shannon pettypiece, White House Correspondent for bloomberg, and eric siege, reporter at the Washington Post. Shannon, knowing the truth now, it does make you question, as youve had reason to, some of what weve heard from that podium. Well, i actually remember the night that flynn was fired. I was actually working that night at the white house. I was standing outside sean spicers office with a group of other reporters for hours trying to get an answer on what was going on. Because that evening we all saw flynn go into the oval office, and we saw flynn come out of the oval office, and we were trying to figure out if that was it, if that was the moment he was fired. When i think back to that moment, i just think a massive amount of confusion going on in the white house in trying to get this simple answer had the National Security adviser just been fired. No one seems to know, and i remember people coming in and out of seans office that night, other lawyers, other press aides, other staffers trying to put together a statement. Thats just my little window into this level of confusion just that one night that was going on around this flynn firing. There were days of that. As we know from sally yates testimony about going to don mccann and mcgahn trying to figure out what the situation was. I know people in the white house were trying to figure out, had flynn just remembered, the Vice President was brought in and the Vice President was giving false statements, bud he had misled the Vice President and that was the reason he had been fired and the story evolved from there. It really goes back to the chaos of those really early days that makes the chaos today look like some sort of organization. Aaron, the notion of a story and a cover story to mask the truth, does it remind you of any other moments youve covered in this presidency . I have to pick from many on this one. I think the biggest one is probably the explanations about the trump tower meeting. We knew after that was revealed for a number of days. There were conflicting notarizations coming mostly from President Trump. He crafted a role about the misleading conversations meeting with the loyalists at trump tower. This one. I think the biggest one is probably the explanations about the trump tower meeting. We knew after that was revealed for a number of days. There were conflicting notarizations coming mostly from President Trump. He crafted a role about the misleading conversations meeting with the loyalists at trump tower. The morning after Michael Flynn left the white house, we had Kellyanne Conway come out and say that he had resigned voluntarily. It was only that afternoon, a day later after Michael Flynn had left the white house, that sean spicer said the things you played in the video, that it was actually something that the president requested. I think what were learning as we learn more about these episodes is that its not just about chaos in the white house. Its not about the left hand not knowing what the right hand is doing, or about these press aides wanting to talk to these people, explaining these things in oftentimes misleading ways. I think that goes through james mattis firing. The president said he fired me and mattis resigned. We also saw it around the comey firing, where the white house blows anything out of proportion. On this broadcast, any meeting in your Family Office that you have to have a russian translator present for should maybe set off alarm bells. Anyway, shannon and aaron the president said he fired me and mattis resigned. We also saw it around the comey firing, where the white house blows anything out of proportion. I think that goes through james mattis firing. The president said he fired me and mattis resigned. We also saw it around the comey firing, where the white house blows anything out of proportion. On this broadcast, any meeting in your Family Office that you have to have a russian translator present for should maybe set off alarm bells. Anyway, shannon and aaron have agreed to stick around a bit longer. Coming up, well talk about what the president has said just this week. voice you know what youre doing right now . danny impressing the heck out of me. Also, giving a shih tzu an updo. Pet care aint easy. 12 hours . 20 dogs . Wheres your belly rubs . After a day of chasing dogs you shouldnt have to chase down payments. vo send invoices and accept payments to get paid twice as fast. danny you deserve a treat. And by treat i mean cash. Baconwrapped cash. Josie. Its time to get yours vo quickbooks. Backing you. The president spends a lot of time talking about any of several investigations he is subject to. According to a count by the New York Times, quote, trump has publicly attacked the russia investigation more than 1,100 times since taking office. That comes out to at least once on 330 days or more than 43 of his time in office. Staggering. By our own count, he spent more time on twitter this week focused on former acting fbi director Andrew Mccabe than any other single subject, that includes our seemingly Ongoing National emergency at the southern border. And finally, it may Say Something about our times and this president that he accused the former fbi acting director of treason, just last evening, and we didnt even think to mention it on this broadcast. Shannon pettypiece and aaron blake remain here with us. Aaron, there is usually when you look back at the tweets and learn what you learn in real time, there is usually always a reason for it. And think of this, think about what an awful weekend it was. We now know the times had called the white house looking for comment on this sweeping piece that was coming out. It could be that there are mccabe galleys floating around the white house. Often early review copies come out and are xeroxed even though thats against the law. And of course the 60 minutes interview with mccabe sunday night all set up for the tweet storm were still kind of living through. Yeah, i think its tempting to look at the president s fixation on Andrew Mccabe in recent days. From the standpoint that we usually look through it from, which is the idea that the president is thin skinned, that hes lashing out, that he really doesnt like the things that Andrew Mccabe is saying. Im not sure thats actually the case in this situation. If you look at the two things that Andrew Mccabe has really confirmed, the two big things hes confirmed in recent days, one is the idea that there were officials within the Justice Department who were talking about the 25th amendment. The other is the opening of the counterintelligence investigation that had been reported via Anonymous Sources a few weeks ago. I think both of those actually feed into what the president wants the talk to be about, which is the idea that there are forces within the government that are trying to take him down, sometimes using nefarious methods, in his estimation. I think thats a much more friendly story line for the president than this New York Times story today, which is pretty devastating from top to bottom. So i think if we look at the fact that the president is still focused on Andrew Mccabe, we cant discount the idea that this is something that he actually wants us to be talking about. Aaron, thats really thats an interesting way of looking at it. To your point, he is getting air support on the deep state argument on fox news all evening, every evening. Shannon, from time to time i ask you about the business of this presidency from the point of view of citizens and taxpayers. How much of the business of the west wing is proceeding . What can we expect out of this white house . Yeah, well, i mean, right now its an interesting time. I mean, things kind of ground to a halt after the shutdown. Theyre just sort of getting their legs back under them. Now, of course, you have this sort of boom, boom, boom of the Mueller Investigation and the possibility that mueller could actually submit a report in the coming weeks, which is what a lot of us are getting signals could be happening. So that again could grind everything to a halt. I mean, a lot of attention theyre trying to turn to foreign policy, and the president s advisers in the past have been good at trying to distract him, particularly towards foreign policy. Lets get prepared for this kim summit. Lets get prepared for, you know, an international trip, to get his focus off of things having to to with either the sdny investigation or the cohen investigation or the Mueller Investigation. That might be a way they try to pivot his attention. To be honest, a lot of those advisers who would try to keep the president focused on the task at hand are no longer there. Chief of staff john kelly, for example. So im not really sure how, you know, having a summit coming up, having all of this muellerrelated news coming out is going to work for the president , but when you step back as a person who wants to see the government get things done, make improvements in your life, as far as domestic policy, there is really little chance of any of that happening this year. Once we get past foreign policy, a few initiatives there. Any response to the Mueller Investigation. All the congressional investigations. I think thats going to suck any sort of oxygen that you had in this white house out, and then believe it or not were going to be in 2020 mode very, very soon from the president s perspective. I mean, were there already, frankly, but things will really ratchet up soon. So, yeah, you can kind of forget about any sort of domestic policy goals that could be left for this administration. Much obliged. Two of our returning veterans. Thank you for coming on. Shannon pettypiece, aaron blake, we much appreciate it. Coming up, there is another guy running for president as of today. This one you may remember from last time around. His story when we come back. Last thing before we go tonight, the latest democrat to enter the race for president is not technically. He is Bernie Sanders, an independent senator from vermont who describes himself as a democratic socialist. In the short it is hand terminology of political media, last time around he was the darling of the left. He attracted a lot of interest, raised a lot of money, as he did again today, raising 1 million bucks in just over three hours. Hillary Clinton Campaign loyalists will never get over their resentment at Bernie Sanders for, as they see it, elongating their slog of a campaign. This time around, its different. The field is crowded. Its not ageism to point out both joe biden and Bernie Sanders would turn 80 years old during their theoretical first term in office. And just from sanders comments today, you can tell he has noticed that many of the original positions he championed have now found new champions among some of the younger and newer candidates in the race among the democrats. In 2016 many of the ideas that i talked about, medicare for all, raising the minimum wage to 15 an hour, making public colleges and universities tuitionfree, all of those ideas people were saying, oh, bernie, theyre so radical. They are extreme. The American People just wont accept those ideas. Well, you know whats happened in over three years, all those ideas and many more are now part of the political mainstream. So youre saying the party came your way . Well, i dont want to say that. I think most people would say that. Bernie sanders, who announced today he is in the running to beat donald trump. And that is our broadcast on a tuesday night. Thank you so very much for being here with us and good night from nbc news headquarters here in new york. With us from nbc news headquarters here in new york. [ music playing ] this morning a new bombshell report by the New York Times denies he asked Matthew Whitaker to put an ally in charge of hush money payments. They are responding to Andrew Mccabes claim he informed members of congress about a counterintelligence investigation into the president. Despite legal challenges from 16 states, he is voicing confidence about his Emergency Declaration to fund a southern border wall. Good morni