I have not relied on russian businesses, and i have been fully transparent in providing all requested information. Charlie donald trump jr. And former Campaign ChairmanPaul Manafort will also appear before the Judiciary Committee this week. Joining me from washington, robert costa from the Washington Post and moderator of washington week, on pbs, susan page of usa today, and hugh hewitt, of the hugh and frank bruni of the New York Times. Tell me about the appearance today and what might have been this week with respect to the testimony. I think Jared Kushner did about as well as anyone could in a difficult situation, charlie. I read his entire 11 page letter over the air so that commuters could hear it. It was not denial. It was specific and details. It was explanatory. For those trying to give trump the benefit of the doubt, they would find it comforting. I found it interesting that he said he has never met sergei gore called for before. I also found it interesting that he specifically said no collusion. The two stories were that he got russian money, and he denied that, and that he colluded with data. I thought for someone who is used to hearing evasive nondenial denials, it was clear, specific, and complete. It doesnt help anyone else, but it helps him. Charlie but you are basing that on the statement he read before the testimony. I am. I read the whole thing and i also listened to the two and a takeninutes afterwards, verbatim out of the statement. We knows what else he got asked in the hearing or what he will say tomorrow, but thus far, you cant give that statement to a Congressional Committee and have anything false in it without violating the law. I think theres a pretty specific denial. Charlie susan. This is not the end of questions for Jared Kushner or anybody else. This was the beginning. Today was the beginning of a new phase of the investigation where frome hearing from our central figures for the first time. I think Jared Kushner deserves credit for not demanding a subpoena, for going voluntarily, for releasing the 11 page statement. There are many questions that remain to be asked. I will point out one. In the statement, kushner said he did not rely on russian money for his private business interests. Rely doesnt mean you have no russian money, it doesnt mean it wasnt offered. To me as a reporter, it jumped out. It deserves followup questions. Im sure there are many other examples where members of the Intelligence Committee and has Intelligence Committee are going to want to pursue questions with the Jared Kushner and everybody else. Charlie robert costa. We are watching a president who ran a Family Enterprise for decades, trying to take the same approach to the white house, and encountering challenge after challenge. If you think beyond the republican agenda, it is his family, Jared Kushner, his son, all their different meetings and entanglements, accusations about what they were up to during the campaign. This has been part of the russia cloud that continues to sit over the white house. It is not going away today just because mr. Kushner went to capitol hill. What the encapsulates president is experiencing at the six month mark. A Family Enterprise still trying to protect his family believed he is truly loyal to. The only people he trusts. This presidency is having problems because of this. Charlie frank, you wrote that Jared Kushner will be appearing in front of the committee, but not so we can watch. It is closed door, which means kushner gets to dance in the dark. How fitting. We never get to hear his voice. He throws his weight around then floats above it all. No wonder the various white house aides and advisers are fed up with him. Hes there, but not there a metal some ghost. Ddlesome some me ghost. When i heard his voice for the first time, i am not familiar with it. You know trumps voice. Not so with Jared Kushner because he has occupied a curious role. He lets it be known to the world that hes got great influence. Crow about their supposedly moderating influence on the president , but then they hold back and say they are not political types. One thing about Jared Kushners it bothered me that he dwelt for a moment on, yes, i went into that russian meeting, but it was a complete waste of time, so i went right away. That is not the issue. The issue is this meeting was built to donald trump jr. If jerry if Jared Kushner read the subject line, which said russia, clinton, private, confidential, it doesnt matter what was in the meeting. It matters if they went to the meeting. His statement does not satisfy me in that regard. As susan said, its not the beginning of the end, it is Something Else, i we looking at the beginning of what might be six months of handtohand fighting between the trump investigation . Thats what we are watching. If the president believes it is a witch hunt, if hes convinced he did nothing wrong, or if he is hiding something, at what point does he go beyond questioning bob mueller, and actually considers firing him . If so, what happens . Some people believe thats possible. Charlie do you believe that is possible . Possible, but illadvised. Two things. Franke, i dont want bruni to ever be mad at me. I read that piece. [laughter] hes widely regarded as one of the wisest frede in washington, and better hope that Robert Mueller is not fired. That is a firestorm. If jared is telling the truth and everyone can make a declaration as specific and ailed about no collusion im putting aside general flynn and Paul Manafort but the president , donald trump jr. , and everyone else in the white house, then it will be over. Bob mueller will not indict , she has a reputation as a straight shooter. You cannot fire Robert Mueller and expect the administration not to collapse if only with momentum. The republicans have enough problems without triggering saturday night massacrelite 2. 0 with the firing of a special counsel. Charlie witty bring what some people call the constitutional crisis . No, thats when the constitution is not working. Team trump is so distracted that they are not getting judicial nominations for article three judges put forward. Is the bottom line for conservatives. They have 20 vacancies on the Circuit Court. More than 100 District Court vacancies on the lower court, for whom there has not been a nomination put forward yet. This is unacceptable. Its a failure of governance. Constitutional structures are in place and they are working. I dont see a crisis. But i do see a bogged down white house. Charlie we saw the new head of communications at the white house making a couple appearances. What does he bring in and what does his arrival signal . The arrival of anthony scaramucci, a wall street ,inancier and trump confidant at least for six months, it signals a presidency moving to a analtybased operation, aversion to leaks and the republican establishment. Anthony scaramucci does not have political experience. He is a donor, not strategist or consultant. When you watch him on the sunday shows, you saw him speaking directly to President Trump, almost in an attempt to calm the president as all the drama unfolds. It was not a messaging operation. It was not a new republican way coming in. This is a loyalist replacing a republican operative in sean spicer. The president is turning to these types of people. Charlie when you look at all of this now, this is third of the central act, we are looking at a sixmonth evaluation of the president what might he hoped to have achieved by the time he gets to Midterm Elections . I think the problem for the president is that even though he was elected for four years, all time is not created equal. Is the timex months when president s have the most power. Is when the public is willing to cut him a break. Is when congress is moist most deferential. Its one big achievements typically are passed. Withhe Affordable Care act barack obama, it took about 40 months. With 14 months. With President Trump, we see not a single legislative achievement, we see confusion about the Affordable Care act, and what is consuming his presidency is a scandal over russian meddling and allegations about whether there might have been collusion by his associates. This is not the recipe for a president who can count on getting things done. If you cant get things done the first year, it is tough to get things done in the second year when congress is worried about their own prospects. I think susan is right. You have more Political Capital after an election than ever. The problem for trump is, largely of his own making but not entirely, is the election went down in such an unusual way. He lost the popular vote. He did not have incoming capital that a president usually has. What he did have he has frittered away. Hes making changes. Scaramucci, i found that interesting. If there was a lesson from the first six months, his team does not know Washington Well enough. Now he is replacing someone who knew those ways with a newcomer. It suggests hes more interested in the emotional climate than what would be tactically successful. Charlie go ahead, bob. To build on that point, i think it is smart insight. Instead of turning to people who know washington inside of the , the discussions are turning to who knows trump, who understands the president. He wants to be surrounded by people who get his new york combative ways. Anthony scaramucci has the same personality. Trump has never felt comfortable with the republicans around him. You have an administration, a white house, becoming more trump, not republican. Charlie its a bit like circling the wagons. You could say that. Its a metaphor. This is a precedent that makes everything about him this is a president that makes every thing about him. Until he makes things more about the country he is serving and the people, not what feels good, not about applause, until he can really take himself a little bit he will notquation, be about to accomplish the things he says he wants to accomplish. Charlie but its unlikely donald trump would select those kinds of people like howard baker. They were not the kind of people or wasat he knew confident in or believed in. Members are two cabinet on thin ice. Attorney general sessions and secretary of state tillerson. If either of them go, expect a hardliner, a combative personality. Maybe rudy giuliani, although i dont see him confirmed by the senate. Look for john bolton at stake, not bob corker. Where i would disagree a little bit, we are forgetting justice gorsuch. That is a monumental it accompaniment. People get tired of me bringing it up. It will change the u. S. For 30 years. If i were the president , i would throw open the door on the counsels office and demand my 20 Circuit Court nominees by the end of next week. The way to keep conservatives with your back isboard and to move forward to make sure the courts, which matter more than almost anything else, are taken care of. I want to push back at one thing. It is monumental if what you mean is it will have great consequence. It is important for conservatives. Lets not forget that in order to accomplish that the senate had to get rid of the traditional filibuster of Supreme Court nominees. That mitigates the accomplishment somewhat. Now the playback on the pushback. [laughter] the guy who broke the filibuster was harry reid, and it was applied to the d. C. Circuit. Not for Supreme Court nominees. The rule was you could change the role of the senate with a simple majority, which is what mcconnell did. That might be used again on the blue slip tradition of holding back judges. If you have a complaint with gorsuch, you have harry reid. If the shoes were on the other foot, democrats might have done the same thing. Im just saying while we are talking about at an accompaniment, a republican majority confirmed a republican president Supreme Court nominee, its not that monumental to me. I would also just say that conservative voters may be very , but theh neil gorsuch voters who put donald trump and the white house include a lot of people who are nontraditional conservatives and did not vote on the basis of judges. They voted on the basis of manufacturing back are getting Health Premiums reduced. Those voters will not be sassy satisfied with, look at neil gorsuch. Charlie let me bring up the issue in terms of Foreign Policy of russian sanctions, and trumps relationship with the republicans in congress after six months. It is a fascinating question. You see republicans in congress have a traditional republican view of vladimir putin, of russia, a hawkish take, a view that he is perhaps a human rights abuser, he is murdering journalists, hes trying to disrupt u. S. Elections, and yet inside the white house and parts of the Administration People who want to reimagine u. S. And russia relations. This is a real standoff between the gop and republican president. The president shows no signs of acknowledging or going along with the congressional impose when it comes to russia. Charlie but with the health care debate, did the president lose whatever confidence he might have had in the republicans in congress . I was talking to congressman over the weekend. If they really feel like theyve made so many mistakes in how they sold this piece of legislation, instead of talking about regulations and taxes, they have become mired in a debate over medicaid and Health Care Coverage for people who are poor, all as republican governors are clamoring to make sure medicaid expansions remain, and they dont have the votes because moderates are uneasy. Conservatives want much bigger cuts. This is the burden percent majority leader mitch mcconnell. They made this promise to the republican base, yet the law has become rooted in many states and theres no clear path forward. Charlie is this some debate between reality and what happens on the ground, which governors know, and senators in washington who know Something Else . Its a debate over whether or not politicians keep their word. Mike lee ran on repeal and replace. Shelley Moore Capital ran on repeal and replace. Same with dean heller. I do not know how their brands survive. I do not know how their credibility survives not opening debate on a subject matter for which republicans have been campaigning for eight years. It would be a devastating blow, so much that theres an effort, senator cornyn announced he would fly senator mccain to get clearance from his doctor to open up debate. I cant believe they are considering not opening up debate. Not to open debate is a devastating takedown. Why believe anything a republican senator says if they reverse themselves on this . Can i just add one question . The republicans im talking to, they wonder if theres actually a political cost for republicans in 2018 not pass this piece of legislation . Privately , a lot of them say republican governors want the medicaid expansion, the law has already taken root, maybe let it fade away and focus on taxes, because health care is a thorny issue. On a daytoday basis, i think dean heller loses his election unless in both passes and fails. Why believe anyone about anything . The damage to our government if the so profound Republican Party cannot deliver a debate on something they campaigned on for eight years. Its almost stomach churning they would not vote to open debate on this. Charlie is it likely to have been . Happen . I have no idea. They are very close to bringing senator mccain back. Maybe senator lee said he would debate. Try to open they will not get collins and rand paul, so they need john mccain and everybody else. Charlie how long can the white house lived with this infighting . There are white houses that have had competing Power Centers in the past, and it worked well in some cases, because it generates ideas and keeps things moving. Rough,s been pretty though. In part because you really dont have a president familiar with washington, and you dont really have republicans sticking with them. I think there are questions being raised about how long they will do this and what kind of plank they would walk off for donald trump. One thing you do hear from republicans on the hill is they are not criticizing him on russia, not criticizing him on thinkaff, because they they can possibly get their big agenda items done, like tax cuts. If they cant do that after winning the house and the senate in the white house, that is a tough message to take into the midterms or into a reelection campaign. Charlie do you believe the mueller investigational figure out why donald trump has behaved as he has and said what he said during the campaign, continuing up until today about russia, . I have huge faith in Robert Mueller, who is universally dotted as a dogged, serious, cautious investigators. I think we will have a lot of answers. Charlie in your judgment, will it be more likely to be tied to some kind of financial angel meant or transaction arrangement or transaction . I think some people will definitely find this will lead to their indictment. I dont believe this administration will be defined by russia. I think mr. Mueller theres no evidence of collusion induced, but there may be wrongdoing by individuals. The administration will be defined by what it does or fails to do. Right now, the ice is thin. When it breaks, it will be dramatic, un