Senator john mccain. It will head for a funeral home tomorrow and the senator will lie in state at the u. S. Capitol, just the 31st person to do that. Joining me now, president ial historian, Douglas Brinkley and retired general mark herling, doug, this is a week long week for senator john mccain the likes we havent seen. You dont see this for anyone other than a u. S. President , perhaps Robert Kennedy, the one exception to that. Maybe not sense Robert Kennedy have we seen this outpouring of emotion for u. S. Senator. I think thats exactly right. The fact Senator Mccain will be lying in state in the rotunda of the u. S. Capitol building one of only 31 others to have had that honor. We do it for president s or Supreme Court justices. The country has fallen in love
with john mccain this week. We always loved him and admired him. The more were learning about his lifelong career in politics and Military Service the more were kind of nostalgic and longing for the virtues that he had. They did a beautiful job in phoenix. Cindy mccain, thats where she was born and raised, the ceremonies today and eulogigies were deeply inspiring, particularly joe biden able to say, im a democrat and mccain is from a different age, a long ago age we would bury our differences and senators could be great friends. All around, its been remarkable how the country is really recognizing what a giant for the ages john mccain was. He and defense secretary james mattis there. You know this is a very meaningful time for him as well. Retired marine general, he said of john mccain, we have lost a
man who steadfastly represented the best ideals of our country. With us also, retired general mark hertling, general, it seems to me this moment were looking at right now much of it is about john mccain and reference he gave this country, i think much of it has been emotional because of where we are as a country. Yes. The comments by secretary mattis, Retired General Mattis hit the mark. What weve talked about and all the speakers have talked about in Senator Mccains ceremony this afternoon was his presence, how he reflected a presence of leadership. Where we are right now, were all yearning for that, a character of honesty, standing out for the idealism of our country, the values our nation holds dear, what is represented
way. I dont think anyone would dispute john mccain did it his way but he was saying my way should be our way, The American Way and to remind us what that way should be. On the idea of my way, he certainly planned this week in a very unique way. Its not everyone who could have former Vice President joe biden and Wide ReceiverLarry Fitzgerald speak at a ceremony just days before a republican president , george w. Bush and democratic president barack obama, again, doug, very significant and poignant. Absolutely. Larry fitzgerald, the Arizona CardinalWide Receiver was just marvelous today. He talked about the differences. Hes white, im black. Im an athlete and he was in the military. He went on and talked about all their differences. In the end, they were great friends. I thought it was poignant the senator, in his last days, asked Larry Fitzgerald in his last days to be one of his youeulog
because were divided and were great pals and he did a great job as did joe biden. Theres he hearse departing and tonight, it will go to the funeral home and tomorrow, lie in state at the capitol and there will be a ceremony at the capitol and before the burial on sunday. Every step of the way, there will be more remembrances and more speakers. We saw the family. Theyre in the cars right now. We saw the family deplane moments ago. I saw smiles on their faces occasionally, which is nice to see because theyre in the middle of what has to be a searing emotional week. But theyve been given, i think, some solace and some strength by the words that we heard,
including from Vice President biden, i think really spoke to them, general, directly today. It sure did. Not just Vice President biden but all of the speakers today. The vicepresident was particularly good, but as douglas just said, Larry Fitzgerald was also phenomenal. I was watching that ceremony with a group of other people not con descendingly, Like Star Wars political figures coming together sometimes grumpy and testy but always had a love of life and a love of country. It was pulling so many people together. I think the Vice President , in using his humor the way he did, really bonded with the audience and showed how people with two different ideologies, political
ideologies can still come together and find the best way ahead for our great nation. I think we all need to be reminded of that often, and we should, opposed to the divisiveness weve seen recently, we need to start pulling together and have those conversations and laugh a little bit more and have a beer with one another to talk about what separates us first and what might unite us a little bit. Senator mccain would certainly endorse the beer notion for sure. Senator and general, thanks so much. We saw this powerful emotional Memorial Service back in phoenix. This is a look at some of the most poignant moments. Amazing grace how sweet the sound for some reason, john mccain asked me to be his Chief Of Staff when he got elected. On my first day at 7 00 a. M. , john mccain picked me up at my house, i went to the car, i said, well, you want me to drive . He said, no, im going to drive. I said, want me to sit in the back seat . [ laughter ] im no expert on this, but i thought the staff drove. No, get in the car, boy, get in the car. The time will come, whats going to happen is six months will go by and everybodys going to think, well, its past, but youre going to ride by that field or smell that fragrance or see that flashing image and youre going to feel like you did the day you got the news but you know youre going to make it when the image of your dad, your husband, your friend crosses
your mind and a smile comes to your lip before a tear to your eye. Thats when you know, and i promise you, give you my word, i promise you, this, i know that day will come. Were saying goodbye to a man who meant so much. John mccain, back in washington, d. C. Tonight. As all this unfolded, there was other Breaking News today. A new interview with president trump. Well tell you about it next including his thoughts on the russia probe. Later, the other big story, New Reporting, Maggie Habermans reporting, what Michael Cohen might have been trying to buy from the National Enquirers publisher, more dirt than Stormy Daniels and Karen Mcdougal, tell you all about it on 360. Grew up the youngest of three kids. Raised a good sport. And became a secondgeneration firefighter. But i couldnt bear my diabetic nerve pain any longer. So i talked to my doctor, and he prescribed lyrica. Nerve damage from diabetes cause diabetic nerve pain. Lyrica is fda approved to treat this pain from moderate to even severe diabetic nerve pain. Lyrica may cause serious allergic reactions, suicidal thoughts or actions. Tell your doctor right away if you have these, new or worse depression, unusual changes in mood or behavior, swelling, trouble breathing, rash, hives, blisters, muscle pain with fever, tired feeling, or blurry vision. Common side effects dizziness, sleepiness, weight gain and swelling of hands, legs, and feet. Dont drink alcohol while taking lyrica. Dont drive or use machinery until you know how lyrica affects you. Those who have had a drug or Alcohol Problem may be more likely to misuse lyrica. Now i have less diabetic nerve pain. And i love helping the future generation step into our shoes. Ask your doctor about lyrica. Step into our shoes. This is the kid i went to the he was a cutie h. And if you go down, thats me, above him. You won best looking in your senior year of high school . Somebody had to win it. My Best High School moment was the day i walked across the stage. My dad. Couldnt read real good, so, it was a milestone for me. Ancestry now has over 300,000 yearbooks from all across the country. So go back to school with your family, and discover more of their stories. Start searching for free at ancestry. Com. At at t innovations, we give you more for your thing. Here were adding tv and movies from our unlimited plan to the powerful new Samsung Galaxy note9. The perfect device for entertainment productivity. So, its essentially the ed helms of devices . How so . Well hes both very entertaining and very productive. You think . Yeah, i do. And thats my completely unbiased opinion. Buy a galaxy note9 and get one free. More for your thing. Thats our thing. Little things can be a big deal. Thats why theres otezla. Otezla is not a cream. Its a pill that treats moderate to Severe Plaque Psoriasis differently. With otezla, 75 clearer skin is achievable. Dont use if youre allergic to otezla. It may cause severe diarrhea, nausea, or vomiting. Otezla is associated with. An increased risk of depression. Tell your doctor if you have a history of depression or suicidal thoughts,. Or if these feelings develop. Some people taking otezla reported weight loss. Your doctor should monitor your weight and may stop treatment. Upper respiratory tract infection and headache may occur. Tell your doctor about your medicines and if youre pregnant or planning to be. Otezla. Show more of you. It has been day of moments to remember whether john mccains solemn final journey or this, more Breaking News what the president is now saying about the Russian Investigation and job security and other range of subjects that almost certainly will be tomorrows headlines. Mr. Trump talking about all of it when he sat down with bloomberg news. The senior White House Correspondent joins us now who also happens to be a cnn political analyst. I want to start with this. You asked the president whether he would comply with a subpoena from mueller. He didnt give you a clear
answer to that. What did he say . No, he didnt. He said he thought the investigation itself was illegal. This is very interesting. What does it mean three, four months Going Forward . He wasnt explicit about it. When we asked him the question, he said, i would answer that in a different way, i dont agree with that being the point of the question. Said it was improper or because of all the elements he believed had been revealed to be sort of hinky about the investigation. Hes complained about that before we know that. For him to come out and say that he thought it was illegal seemed to me to be a turn. The investigation is illegal. Well come back to that. You asked the president about attorney general Jeff Sessions job security. Lets listen to what he said. Id just like to have Jeff Sessions do his job and if he did id be very happy. The job entails two sides, not one side. Not part of this audio, you really seemed to push him on how long he has that job security. It didnt seem like the president was willing to give him one second past the midterm elections. I do think its important the president probably the Republican Leadership sounds like a big sigh of relief, the president is now committed or resigned or whatever to saying, all right, let me set my concerns aside, through november, thats something that Mitch Mcconnell and Lindsey Graham and basically every republican have wanted to hear him say out loud and he said it. The followup question is okay, what about after the midterms he didnt want to touch. Maybe its to his credit he didnt want to touch it. Didnt want to tease it or have that become the news. He didnt say, no, this is all overblown, everything is fine, instead he turned back to this idea that you could see throughout the conversation hes so frustrated with Jeff Sessions he feels thats why there is this ongoing probe of him. Not related i understand the topic of impeachment came up,
did he seem worried it was a possibility if democrats took back the house . No. Actually his answer on the impeachment question, if democrats take over the house, do you think it would hurt your ability to govern if they proceeded with impeachment or do you think it would actually help you to get reelected . He said, i dont know. He said, i dont think they can. His reasoning for why he said they couldnt is because hes done a great job, is what he said. Also, what he said, essentially, if they do that to him it will create a new precedent where every president will face impeachment when the opposite party takes control of the house. Hmm. You also asked the president pointblank did he think he messed up on how he handle the passing of senator john mccain. What did he say about that . He said, no. I said, do you think you screwed it up, could have united the country. He said, no, i dont. I did everything they asked me
to. That he said he respected Senator Mccains contributions to the country. But he also went on to talk on his own terms about how deeply they disagreed on so many issues. He made pretty clear their policy and personal animus. We asked him whether he thought john mccain would have been a better president than barack obama. Notably, he declined to answer the question. A lot to chew over there. I know theres more in the interview as well. Margaret, stick around, stay with us, i want to bring in cnn political analyst, Maggie Haver Man who has a great piece in the New York Times well get to in our next segment and cnn analyst, Jeffrey Toobin and on the phone, alan dershowitz, author of the case against impeaching trump. I want to start with what we got from margaret, saying the Mueller Investigation is illegal. Im guessing thats not the last
time he will say that. Its not true. As senator moynihan liked to say, everyone is entitled to their own opinion but theyre not entitled to their own facts. Robert mueller is an employee of the department of justice, a prosecutor like any other. The idea he is an illegal, that there is something fundamentally improper about this relationship, about this investigation is completely wrong and not supported by the law or the facts. It may be mueller is doing a bad job, maybe hes brought inappropriate cases, we can have those disagreements. The idea that he is an illegal actor is just a Talking Point for the president s base. It is not based on anything real. Alan dershowitz, professor dershowitz, you are on the phone with us. The president said he is basing that notion on what he has heard from great scholars. I am guessing that he means you. I think he watches you on tv quite a bit. You have said there never should have been a Special Counsel, but i dont believe you have said that Robert Mueller is doing an illegal investigation. Quite the opposite. Ive said that i disagree with my friends, even a great scholar who has written a powerful article appointing the case of Special Counsel and giving him the ability to rule without the senate is illegal and plausible situation and here i agree with Jeffrey Toobin. I always said i thought the appointment of Special Counsel was lawful. I thought it was unnecessary and the Southern Districts and other districts could handle it. I thought it raised serious policy questions, theres really no check and balance effectively on the Special Counsel. Ive been critical of Special Counsel. If the president meant me, id be flattered if he called me a
great legal scholar, i think he must have meant steven. Ive never taken that position, this is a lawful position but in my view, misguided. If the president is watching this live or tivo later, mr. Alan dershowitz, a great scholar does not think its an illegal investigation. Maggie, to you, the president was flat out asked many different ways if he would fire Jeff Sessions. He seemed to rule it out until election day and seemed like where we were headed all along. He wouldnt give him one minute past. He doesnt like Jeff Sessions. Whether you think what hes saying about the both sides you should investigate, whether thats a Fair Assessment how an attorney general should do his job based on a political consideration or not is a different question. He has been frustrated with Jeff Sessions for over a year now. This has been going on since march of 2017. I think that Lindsey Graham has
a point when he says this is a relationship that is disfunctional, it is clearly disfunctional. To margarets point, to the president s credit he didnt try to dress this up as something