Representative john larson reviews republican tax reform effort. Finally, lisa monaco talks about preventing future terrorist attacks. Join our conversation now. Host good morning, it is wednesday, november 15, 2017. The senate is in at 9 30 while the house meets at 10 00 a. M. And noon for legislative business. This is the day after jeff , fromns latest testimony everything to Trump Campaign contacts with russia to allegations against Hillary Clinton and Sexual Assault accusations against Alabama Senate candidate roy moore. Did you watch . What did you think . The phones lines are open phone lines are open. Democrats, 202 7488000. Republicans, 202 7488001. Ndependents, 202 7488002 you can also catch up with us on facebook and twitter. A very good wednesday morning to you. You can start calling in now. I want to show you some of the headlines coming in off of the attorney generals testimony yesterday before the house judiciary committee. Here is the front page of the wall street journal, the headline in the photo to go with it focusing on this hearing, russians and hotseat recalls. Iscussion of russia meeting to the Washington Times this morning, their headline also focusing on the russia angle. The subhead saying the attorney generals continuing to change his story. The front page of the Financial Times also taking a focus on this story with its cover photo and headline with that, saying under oath, sessions cools on special inquiry and claims against clinton. To a few other news websites, the conservative daily caller focusing on one exchange with congresswoman Sheila Jackson lane, Committee Chair silences representative Sheila Jackson lee after bullying attorney general sessions. The headline from the slate, Jeff Sessions is taste of somet a of the headlines from a very wideranging hearing. A lot of the focus on the attorney generals recollections of the Trump Campaigns contacts with russia during the 2016 campaign. Here is one of his exchanges with democratic fungus one erics democratic congressman Eric Swalwell on that issue. I believe you are asking me today explicitly did you meet with any other russians . I impaired to say i did. I met with the ambassador in my office with at least two of my staff, senior, respected patriot, colonels, retired in the army. Nothing improper occurred at all. Can we and for all answer the question . I am, once and for all, answering the question. I do not understand why you do not take my answer . During your time on the campaign, did any person on earth state they were communicating with russians, traveling to russia, or ask the campaign to meet with russians, to your recollection . Asked that question . I am asking you today, to your knowledge, did any person on the campaign tell you they were going to russia . I am prepared to answer the question, but i will not answer it in a way that suggests im anyway intentionally misled anyone when i answer the question. To answer the question, mr. Attorney general. The answer is i met with the ambassador in my office for less than an hour, i believe, he came up to me after a speech at the convention when it was raised to me this was much later. Nobody said immediately it was an error. I told him the meetings i have had. If you missed any part of that hearing yesterday before the house judiciary committee, you can go back and watch it in its entirety at cspan. Org. Your reaction this morning on the washington journal phone lines, they are open. Democrats, republicans, and independents. Oscar, yucca valley, california. Good morning. Generali think internal attorney general sessions did stumble through his testimony, but i also think he was honest. I am a democrat, and i do not favor anything that trump and his whole entourage are trying to do to this country. But i have to same he came across as being honest. The russian connection that they are trying to put on him is obviously something the democrats want to get all over. But i do not think after listening to him yesterday there is nothing there. Host a headline from the usa today, saying sessions stands behind russia story, but says he recall the meeting recalls the meeting of former trump eight papadopoulos, the guilty plea stemming from the Robert Mueller probe of russian interference in the 2016 election. Getting your reaction to the attorney generals testimony yesterday before the house judiciary committee, dave, pittsburgh, maryland. Republican line. Good morning. Caller good morning. I concur with the previous caller. There, there is nothing and with respect to remembering or recurring people that you ,eet with an Conference Events he supposed to meet with everyone. I think it is a little absurd to think their memory should be to peopleth respect they have just been running into and having brief conversations. Host the attorney general addressed that issue yesterday, this again from the usa today story, saying it is difficult for him to recall details from one year ago, in part because the trunk campaign was so chaotic Trump Campaign was so chaotic. He said it was a Brilliant Campaign in many ways, but it was also chaos. He was also still doing his job as senator while advising the campaign. Andcrats on but the house senate say they are troubled by some of the inconsistencies that the essence that sessions has told them over the course of the inquiries. Janet, tacoma, washington. Line for democrats. Caller i think that when the republicans were asking the questions, they would grin and him of almost answer for when they asked it, and he would grin. With the democrats asking him questions, you did not see him want to answer it, or he said he could not answer it. Host give me an example of that happening on both sides . Democratsll, the ifld ask him certain things he did something, and he would say well, that was something that he would not be free to answer or he is not supposed to and then when the republicans would ask him something, he would grin and say you did not do this did you, and almost answer the question for him. You know what i mean . Host what i am asking is give me an example of a time when republicans answered a question for him. What was the topic . I dont know, about russia. I do not get it too much, but i it kind of put up what the republicans, because they were making him right to begin with. With the democrats, you could tell because they did not didnt ts your point. K we got sam, los angeles, california. Go ahead. Taking myank you for call. I want to agree with the first caller. Watch that last night, and if you watched Jeff Sessions and his the trail by the media portrayal by the media, it is their job to hate people. You do not get a good feeling for who the man is. I am glad that i watched the testimony last night in its entire murray entirety, and came away with a good feeling aout my attorney general but sickening feeling about my congress. I think with the democrats in california stacked on the man, trying to cut his throat, republicans seemed to toe the party line. I was far less impressed with my Congress Last night then with my attorney general. Establishinge that a party line and attacking along party lines is far more important than any kind of drilling down into some sort of truth. That sessions with supposed to be a vetting of our attorney general and that came away as less of a fetching, but more of butnt forget, vetting, more of a dont forget, this is what we were about. On a few comment comments on twitter. I guess we can now use i dont recall as a defense for everything. Another saying he has perjured himself and needs to have consequences. Twitter,ur comments on facebook, you can also call in as well like james did on our line for democrats from chattanooga, tennessee. Caller hi, im from chattanooga tennessee, and we pretty much shoot straight here. Annapolisse, mr. Pop with an Amy Papadopoulos was in a meeting, and Jeff Sessions did not recall it at all, even though that seems like something very easy to her member isember, because that not an easy name, papadopoulos. Host karls will, georgia. What did you think . Caller i watched most of it yesterday, and what struck me is there were accusing they were accusing sessions of lying and not being forth with with his testimony, but i heard several lies from the democrats. I do not hear them ever talking about the lies that obama told about the health plan and all that, and that has hurt people. The lie that he told has really hurt people. Hurte not heard anybody from the inconsistency of Jeff Sessions talk. Host a wideranging hearing focused on the trunk campaign on russia Trump Campaign and russia, but also how they will be approaching a special prosecutor to investigate Hillary Clinton. We will discuss that later in our program, and also questions yesterday about Sexual Assault allegations against republican Alabama Senate candidate roy moore. Here is one exchange between Sheila Jackson lee of texas, a democrat, and the attorney general. To you believe in the constitution of the united dates . Of will abide by it with all your intention . That is exactly correct. At thank you very much. I took the liberty of reviewing federal crimes against children, particularly those dealing with sexual or physical abuse. As you know, lee kaufman, debbie and Beverly Young nelson, these young women and others have accused this individual who is running for a federal office, the United States senate, of child sexual activity. Do you believe these young women . Doubtave no reason to these young women. With that in mind, if you believe these young women, do you believe judge moore said be seated should be seated in the senate if he wins, and will you induce investigation by the doj regarding his actions . Evaluate every case as to whether or not it should be investigated. This kind of case would normally be a state case. I would say, representative that the ethics people at the department of justice i have talked to them about that when this campaign started, it is the seat i used to hold. They advised me that the attorney general should not be involved in this campaign. I have friends in the campaign. I would steadfastly a here i want to make sure if he comes to the united takes senate United States senate that there would be the possibility of referring his case for at least a federal review by the department of justice. Host several headlines focusing thehat Alabama Senate seat, special election, general election in that special election happening december 12. The news yesterday, the Republican National committee withdrawing its support from roy mitch focusing on mcconnell appealing to the white house about the race, said he might push a writein candidate over roy moore, but a note it would face huge difficulties and could hand that seat to democrats in the state of alabama. , a leadr story on this editorial today in the wall street journal, the Editorial Board calling it the roy moore mess. Without a new candidate, republicans would be better off whatg the senate seat is the wall street journal says today. Tyrone, new york city, democrats. And you watch that hearing yesterday . Yes, i watched the hearing caller i didnt watch it yesterday. After Loretta Scott king wrote this letter against Jeff Sessions, because she knew back then with this man was, and now he is in this office. They come up with this black identity extremist situation. Whatever the heck that is. You look at a black person now, and it is bad enough we are already getting killed without having any weapons. People have a group of that are looking to kill cops, and he do not know nothing about this. There are no white identity extremists. This guy is a joke. Ofs going to cost life people caller in this country. We do not want to deal with the truth. York. Tyrone in new fred on twitter says i am glad the attorney general wants to remove politics from the department of justice. I wish him well and hope he succeeds for all of us. Many, pennsylvania, republican line. Go ahead. Caller thank you for picking up my call. It surprises me that i am 49 years old and half of the time, i cannot remember everything. Im 49 years old. Sessions is older, and this jackson lee does not give him man hasfor how long the been working for this seat, but his position. The way they dog sessions really killed me. Look, im latino and the caller you had before yeah. A lot of people are not armed. We do not reason why have guns. It is for safety. Other than that, they should respect sessions and give him the credibility that he deserves. Thank you. Kelly, alabama, independent line. Caller thank you. One of the things i took away seems likeas that it the left, for the past year, has been coming down on the side of if you have ever been to russia, if you have ever talked to the Russian Ambassador, then somehow or another, you are guilty of a crime. And yet what the right was trying to prove yesterday was hey, we have some russian contacts from the last administration that you seem to not even notice. My problem with that is i would like to know all those people asking questions how many of them met surrogate kinsley act met the Russian Ambassador in their office over the last 10 years . Because it if you did, in my opinion, you should not be allowed to question attorney general sessions because now you are guilty. Host i have to ask you about that senate race in alabama with Sheila Jacksonwe asking about moore,the focus on roy the republicans in washington wanting him to ruth raw from that race. What you think . It is very confusing. I am new to alabama, i am a former resident of georgia, but what i am getting from the people in my new hometown is that they feel Like Washington does not have the right to tell alabama who they need to put in. True, andf this is people also have to understand if an accusation can ruin your life, ruin your career, that is a sad point that we are at. At the same time, they do not want to send him to washington only to have Mitch Mcconnell and them unseat him anyway. They are very torn. They want to do right by their state, but at the same time they want to believe these women. I dore these women this has never happened to me in the workforce. Why stay silent for 40 years when he has been a big public figure in alabama . Women,to side with the but at the same time i want to believe that the people of alabama can make a conscious, good dissented decision and send a representative. Host a call this morning from alabama. About 10 minutes left in this segment of washington journal, just getting your reaction to the attorney generals testimony yesterday on capitol hill. We want to keep you updated on some of the other news in washington and around the country. The Senate Republicans saying yesterday that they are going to include a repeal of obamacares individual mandate in their tax bill, in what the washington that called a bold move frees up more money for deeper tax cuts and takes a whack at the Health Care Law that they have repeatedly tried but failed to repeal. About thattalking and tax reform, coming up later in our program. We will be joined by congresswoman congressman john larson on the ways and means committee, the chief taxwriting committee in the house. If you watched any of that markup of the republican tax reform effort, you will know john larson. He was a presence in that hearing. He will be joining us this an hour to talk about it. And we have spent some time focusing on north korea, the president s efforts in north korea to try and get other countries in the region to put pressure on north korea to get rid of their nuclear armaments. A special envoy to north korea this week, according to chinas official news agency. A special envoy of president xi jinping will leave for north korea on friday, the state news agency saying the visit will include briefings on last months communist party congress. This comes days after a visit to beijing by president donald trump. This story in the wall street journal today, and one more for you a lot of focus yesterday on that gun rampage in Northern California. An apparent felon who had been shooting hundreds of rounds in recent days in a Small Community in Northern California began firing at random yesterday, killing four people and wounding 10. He shot at people and property in seven locations, according to the Sheriffs Office there. They called the incident rampage. Nd murderous the sheriff said it was monumental that School Workers took the action to lockdown, and that they no doubt save childrens lives. Four People Killed and wounded in that gun rampage in california. Back here calls on the attorney generals testimony yesterday on capitol hill, san francisco, republican. Go ahead. Want to talki about sessions, but i also want to interject that i am all for this tax break and reform we are going to have. 10ident obama spent trillion. The first 1 trillion went to gifts for congress, the people never got anything out of that. As far as judge sessions his father was a judge to, i believe, and they worked for our country, so he has given good service to us. This is a sham. The man is good and the people should be giving back. They should give back the uranium taken from our country,