Page 2 - Secret Process News Today

Logic of every one of those republicans who are following what i now call the strauss defense. thats just straussman. >> well, still with joe, willie and me we have white house reporter for the associated press jonathan lemire. historian and author of the soul of america, jon meacham. and joining the conversation, former acting u.s. solicitor general neil. "new york times" reporter is with us and senior white house reporter for nbc news digital shannon pettypiece joins us. joe. >> im just curiou...

Bhoon was on tvindman who was on the call. and now lindsey graham going im not going to let this come to the senate until i hear from the whistle-blower. why? you said his testimony was hearsay. and now we find out the evidence and now you prefer hearsay evidence to a first-hand account? why, lindsey, youre changing your tune and it seems almost as if youre not interested in the truth getting out. thats fascinating. >> remember, hes chief among republicans who said im not even going to read the ...

They cant change the rules. they follow the rules. when were the rules written last, january 2015. who signed them? john boehner. who enacted them? a republican majority. >> dana: the point that the judge is making is the rules are what they are and that the republicans put them in place in 2015 and now theyre reaping what they sowed. >> that applies if youre having a normal oversight hearing to look at a military mission in somalia, for example. that would be appropriate in private. what you ca...

Does it hurt the democrats in those very districts that patrick just mentioned? >> no. first of all, there will be public hearings by things giving. secondly, the only reason it is slow down is that republicans keep behaving the way they did yesterday. the facts are everything an investigation. nothing else matters but the facts. we have as of the testimony by ambassador taylor, we know for a fact that three crimes were committed. trump solicited aid from a foreign government for u.s. election. ...

Their messaging on the process point and will it change anything? >> i think republicans are starting to break through on the fundamental unfairness of it. its not about whether you have the power to do it or not. congress has the power to do whatever it wants. its a political process. the issue, is it right? when it comes to undoing the will of the people you better get it right. if you dont, youre wasting everybodys time and thats why i have argued all along with the president did was inapprop...

Potentially down the line, a reprieve? >> its a reprieve, and its only a temporary victory, if its a victory at all, because we have stopped something truly bad and evil from happening. but the republicans have now gone from total secrecy to total chaos. they drafted this bill in complete secrecy behind closed doors. now they are in chaos and are going back to secrecy. this bill that the majority leader says he wants to submit by the end of the week will be the result again of a failed secret pr...

Over the country? that health care bill was kind of out and in the public for months and months and months while they all debated and that allowed folks to take shots at it. but this is a matter of days. >> we can still remember how angry democrats got that the obama white house was leaving the process open and allowing then chairman max baucus of the finance committee to work with chuck grassley, the republican, and other republicans to try to get their input. it just went on and on and on, to ...

Withdrawal. we will have more on this coming up, barbara. thanks very much. in the vatican, everything is in place for election of a new pope. the chapel ready for the meeting of cardinals, including the copper chimney which will emit smoke about whats happening inside. the pope will appear at st. peters. chris, whats the mood like on the eve of this start of the conclave? >> reporter: wolf, it is thick with anticipation. think about it. theres nothing else like this that we ever cover. a secr...