Transcripts For CNNW CNN Tonight With Don Lemon 20191012 : v

Lawn, and he wouldnt say yes. Is Rudy Giuliani still your personal attorney . Well, i dont know. I havent spoken to rudy. I spoke to him yesterday briefly. Hes a very good attorney, and he has been my attorney. The president saying i dont know, and everybody scratching their heads. So is Rudy Giuliani still his lawyer or not . Tonight a source is telling cnn that, yes, giuliani is still President Trumps lawyer but wont be handling matters involving ukraine. And its not hard to see why. Giuliani getting too hot to touch with the arrest and indictments this week of his two associates who were helping him try to dig up dirt on joe biden in ukraine. But now they are charged with violating Campaign Finance laws, accused of funneling foreign money into u. S. Elections. And to make matters worse for giuliani, the two men were arrested while trying to board a flight to europe with oneway tickets. And giuliani himself is a subject of that federal investigation. Just moments ago, the New York Times reporting he is being investigated for breaking lobbying laws in his dealings with ukraine. The president immediately putting distance between himself and rudy following those arrests. I dont know those gentlemen. I dont know. Maybe they were clients of rudy. Youd have to ask rudy. I just dont know. I havent spoken to rudy about it. I dont know. I will say this. From what i heard i just heard about this they said, we have nothing to do with it. Theyre totally we have nothing to do with it. Like i said, rudys getting too hot to touch. Are you concerned that Rudy Giuliani could be indicted in all of this . Well, i hope not. Getting too hot to touch. One source telling us that rudy is still trumps lawyer, but we have to wonder how long that will last. For how long . For the second time in his presidency, a personal attorney for donald trump is under investigation. The first, of course, was Michael Cohen, trumps longtime attorney and fixer, who is now in federal prison. When cohen flipped on trump, the president couldnt get far enough away. Heres how he downplayed cohens role in 2018 to fox friends. But isnt his business your attorney, mr. President . I have many, many just so you understand, i have many attorneys. Sadly, i have so many attorneys you wouldnt even believe it. How much michael is somebody mr. President , how much of your legal work was handled by Michael Cohen . Well, as a percentage of my overall legal work, a tiny, tiny little fraction. But michael would represent me and represent me on some things. He represents me like with this crazy Stormy Daniels deal. He represented me. And, you know, from what i see, he did absolutely nothing wrong. Well, well see how much longer giuliani stays on as trumps attorney. This is just one element, one element in a bad day, in a bad week. A very bad day and a very bad week for President Trump as the impeachment inquiry picks up steam. Center stage on capitol hill today, Marie Yovanovitch, the former u. S. Ambassador to ukraine, who was removed from that post earlier this year by trump, testifying behind closed doors. The New York Times got a copy of her statement to congress. In her statement, she told investigators this. I do not know mr. Giulianis motives for attacking me. But individuals who had been named in the press as contacts of mr. Giuliani may well have believed that their personal financial ambitions were stymied by our anticorruption policy in ukraine. She wasnt playing along with the scheme to dig up dirt on joe biden, and that angered giuliani, who lobbied the president to dump her. The white house and state department tried to block yovanovitchs appearance, but she was subpoenaed, and she came anyway. Imagine that. It sounds like she had a lot to say. I just sat through eight hours that went like a new york second. It was that amazing, that powerful, that impactful. That was congressman denny heck. He will be here a bit later in this show. President trump had this to say about yovanovitch today. She may be a wonderful woman. I dont know her. But she may be very much a wonderful woman. If you remember the phone call i had with the president , the new president , he didnt speak favorably. But i just dont know her. She may be a wonderful woman. A wonderful woman . Trump trashed her in that controversial july phone call, saying that the former ambassador from the united states, the woman was bad news and the people she was dealing with in the ukraine were bad news, so i just want to let you know that. And he didnt stop there. I heard very bad things about her, and i dont know if i recalled her or somebody recalled her, but i heard very, very bad things about her for a long period of time. Not good. From not good to she may be a wonderful woman. And we have to wonder on this very bad day in a very bad week for trump if hes finally realizing that the impeachment inquiry into his dealings with ukraine is picking up steam and he cant stop it. The white house is trying to delay and slow it down and publicly push their talking points that there was nothing amiss about the july phone call. President trump again today called it a perfect call, and secretary of state mike pompeo, who earlier this week flatout said that he is taking all of his direction from the white house, saying this. I think the only ones who think zelensky was pressured are a handful of folks in the media and a bunch of folks on capitol hill in the Democratic Party who are trying to take down this president. No pressure. Perfect call. An ambassador sacked, who has now had the chance to speak directly to congress. A bad day in a bad week for President Trump. He lost on three big legal fronts today as well. An Appeals Court rejecting trumps attempt to stop his Accounting Firm from turning over eight years of financial records to house democrats. A district judge ruling that Trumps National Emergency Declaration to build a border wall is unlawful. And federal judges in three separate districts blocking efforts by the Trump Administration to make it more difficult for immigrants who rely on public assistance to obtain legal status. One judge calling it, quote, repugnant to the american dream. A bad day in a bad week for the white house. And, of course, theres breaking news as it is on most nights. News tonight that another key Trump Administration official heading for the exit. Kevin mcaleenan, the acting secretary of Homeland Security submitted his resignation to the white house. He is the fourth person to serve in that position for President Trump. Here with more tonight is cnns kaitlan collins. Kaitlan, good evening to you. Whats behind the latest highprofile departure . Reporter well, don, i got to say its not that surprising to people in the white house who never thought Kevin Mcaleenan was going to get the permanent job. But of course this resignation is coming after hes been in that acting position for several dozen hundreds of days now, in this position, never really had a replacement on the horizon so far in the west wing. So it will be interesting to see who it is the president picks next. But when it came down to mcaleenan, though at times the president praised him, he was never really someone who gained President Trumps trust. The president often lashed out at him blaming him for border numbers and of course in turn, Kevin Mcaleenan didnt like the hardliners that the president hired to work not only in the department of Homeland Security, but also he was dealing with people inside the west wing like Stephen Miller who were really trying to run dhs policy out of the west wing, not out of the department of Homeland Security. An indication his mood had changed had been after that Washington Post interview about ten days ago where he said he just didnt have control over the policy coming out of the dhs, the tone coming out of dhs. Were told by one person familiar, don, Kevin Mcaleenan didnt realize he was on the record during that interview, an interview that stunned a lot of people for just how blunt the dhs secretary was in it. You mentioned the Washington Post reporting, kaitlan. The New York Times is reporting tonight that federal prosecutors are investigating whether Rudy Giuliani broke lobbying laws in his dealings in ukraine. Is the president at all worried about everything giuliani has been doing on his behalf . Reporter yeah, he is. And youve seen the president express that not only publicly but were also told by sources the president privately has been questioning Rudy Giuliani and his connection to these two men who were arrested recently this week. The news broke yesterday. And the president in turn has been distancing himself from the lawyer who has essentially been on television defending him for the last two years through it all. Instead the president is now questioning whether or not Rudy Giuliani is going to be a liability for him, something that people have been telling the president for weeks now, before all of this happened about his clients being arrested, telling the president they didnt think Rudy Giuliani was the right person to represent him in this impeachment fight that he seems increasingly likely headed for. The president now seems to be starting to heed that, and that was evident today in that the president wouldnt even go as far to say that rudy giulani is still his personal attorney even though giuliani made clear to one of my colleagues that, yes, he still thinks he is. The fact that he wont be representing the president on ukraine really tells you all you need to know because it makes clear hes not going to be playing a significant role in this impeachment Defense Strategy coming out of the white house. Going to be a liability . Maybe a little late for that, kaitlan. Thank you very much. I appreciate it. Will the president s bad week keep getting worse with his personal lawyer under investigation and four more key people to testify next week . John dean, mia love, max boot all weigh in next. A wealth of information. A wealth of perspective. A wealth of opportunities. Thats the clarity you get from fidelity wealth management. Straightforward advice, tailored recommendations, taxefficient investing strategies, and a dedicated advisor to help you grow and protect your wealth. Fidelity wealth management. The loss of a now fourth Homeland Security chief just underscores what looks to be an administration in constant turmoil even as we see the first cracks in their impeachment strategy. Lots to talk about. John dean, mia love, max boot. Good evening to one and all. Max, before we get to Kevin Mcaleenan, i was thinking about the stories weve had tonight and this week. Has there been this much scandal i cant remember this much scandal in an entire eightyear administration in presidencies in recent history. Am i wrong . I think youre dead right, don. This is just stunning. I mean this is not an administration. This is a criminal conspiracy, and its a particularly inept criminal conspiracy. This is like what would happen if the three stooges were breaking bad. They cannot conceal their crimes, and they just come tumbling out all the time. I mean if theres any strategy here and its really hard for me to see any. But if there is one, trumps strategy seems to be to commit so much impeachable conduct, the house cannot keep up. This week alone, more scandals than any administration i can think of in four to eight years. So then what is the is there any i dont know. Is there any incentive for anyone to stay there in this administration . I dont think so. I mean i think people who stay in this administration are being implicated in what is going on. They are becoming accomplices unless they speak out and, you know, its just horrifying and unbelievable whats happened to the executive branch. I mean its been taken over by a mob mentality run by people who are utterly corrupt and crooked and have no regard for the public interest. And i think responsible Public Servants like former ambassador Marie Yovanovitch are now speaking out to devastating effect about whats going on. Im glad you mentioned it because, john, i want to ask you about ambassador yovanovitch ive been saying her name correctly all week, and now i cant say it yovanovitch testified. Ambassador sondland said that through his lawyer, hes going to testify wednesday despite guidance not to. Its very interesting hes going to do that. There are four key figures set to testify next week. Why do you think these officials want to speak out . Well, it may be they actually believe they have something that is favorable. There is, of course, that one text message that sondland sent that said no quid pro quo after talking to the president. Now, thats taking it out of context of course in the full range of exchanges which really occurred. And i think sondland, which is something of a washington rookie, may think he can go in and just handle that committee, and its going to be a lot tougher than he thinks its going to be. Hes going to be sharply crossexamined. While the republicans will probably try to focus on that, its going to be much broader than that. Interesting. Mia, i want to bring you in and talk about some of this stuff because yovanovitch testified that her removal from ukraine was part of a Concerted Campaign that included pressure from the president , and she was told that she did nothing wrong. But its not an Impeachable Offense to simply remove an ambassador. I mean what needs to be proven here . Well, first of all, shes obviously she couldnt understand what was happening. I mean at first she was told that her bosses said she didnt nothing wrong, and then she was told that the president has lost confidence in her. So its all completely confusing, and of course you get all of this information about the associates of Rudy Giuliani going out there, trying to oust her, trying to get other members of congress to help in that quest. So the whole thing is just quite confusing, and its something that i dont think really bodes well. It doesnt look good. Its not impeachable but the president wants to distance himself from Rudy Giuliani, who has been one of his most vocal supporters, who is even the main guy to go out and do sunday shows after the access Hollywood Tape came out. Mia, do you think people buy trump trying to put him at arms length, not even willing to say hes his attorney now . Okay. So there are a lot of people that may get upset with me for saying this, but im going to say it because i think its true. You have to understand that with the relationships with the president , i believe that they are transactional. I believe that if you are going to be bad for the president , he is going to get rid of you. I think Rudy Giuliani has been actually bad for the president in this instance. He has done the administration no favors. Whether the president knew what he was doing or not, there were he was sticking his nose in areas where he shouldnt have been. So i think that he needs to i mean at the very least, has to stay away from Rudy Giuliani. Well, john, what is the bigger peril when it comes to Rudy Giuliani, the sdny investigation or the impeachment inquiry . Well, they could be related. I dont think mia has anything to be worried about in laying out the reality of that relationship. And the president is going to face that. Hes clearly trying to distance himself from rudy. No one knows the extent of rudys liability. He claims in the New York Times piece that hes done nothing wrong. Of course thats what hed say. But this foreign agents registration act that is being apparently central to his investigation is something that has gotten new vigor. Its something a lot of people have been investigated for. Its something the department of justice is enforcing. Its a law that rudys not really familiar with because it wasnt invoked for many, many years until the russians started abusing, prowling around the united states. Hes got some problems, don. Should the democrats have held these hearings in public . Do you think its smart to do it so that it doesnt turn into a circus . I think it would be great if they could hold them in the public, get the information out there somehow. Just the pattern of corruption is stunning. Its not just Rudy Giuliani. The president s previous personal lawyer is already in jail. The president is severely implicated in this massive, massive corruption, don. John, mia, max, thank you very much. I appreciate your time. Shepard smith announcing today that he is leaving fox news, surprising not just the audience but his own colleagues. Whats behind his abrupt departure, next. Sometimes your small screen is your big screen. And with the Xfinity Stream app, which is free with your service, you can take a spin through on demand shows or stream live tv. Download your dvrd shows and movies on the fly. Even record from right where you are. Keep what you watch with you. Download the Rudy Giuliani<\/a> still your personal attorney . Well, i dont know. I havent spoken to rudy. I spoke to him yesterday briefly. Hes a very good attorney, and he has been my attorney. The president saying i dont know, and everybody scratching their heads. So is Rudy Giuliani<\/a> still his lawyer or not . Tonight a source is telling cnn that, yes, giuliani is still President Trump<\/a>s lawyer but wont be handling matters involving ukraine. And its not hard to see why. Giuliani getting too hot to touch with the arrest and indictments this week of his two associates who were helping him try to dig up dirt on joe biden in ukraine. But now they are charged with violating Campaign Finance<\/a> laws, accused of funneling foreign money into u. S. Elections. And to make matters worse for giuliani, the two men were arrested while trying to board a flight to europe with oneway tickets. And giuliani himself is a subject of that federal investigation. Just moments ago, the New York Times<\/a> reporting he is being investigated for breaking lobbying laws in his dealings with ukraine. The president immediately putting distance between himself and rudy following those arrests. I dont know those gentlemen. I dont know. Maybe they were clients of rudy. Youd have to ask rudy. I just dont know. I havent spoken to rudy about it. I dont know. I will say this. From what i heard i just heard about this they said, we have nothing to do with it. Theyre totally we have nothing to do with it. Like i said, rudys getting too hot to touch. Are you concerned that Rudy Giuliani<\/a> could be indicted in all of this . Well, i hope not. Getting too hot to touch. One source telling us that rudy is still trumps lawyer, but we have to wonder how long that will last. For how long . For the second time in his presidency, a personal attorney for donald trump is under investigation. The first, of course, was Michael Cohen<\/a>, trumps longtime attorney and fixer, who is now in federal prison. When cohen flipped on trump, the president couldnt get far enough away. Heres how he downplayed cohens role in 2018 to fox friends. But isnt his business your attorney, mr. President . I have many, many just so you understand, i have many attorneys. Sadly, i have so many attorneys you wouldnt even believe it. How much michael is somebody mr. President , how much of your legal work was handled by Michael Cohen<\/a> . Well, as a percentage of my overall legal work, a tiny, tiny little fraction. But michael would represent me and represent me on some things. He represents me like with this crazy Stormy Daniels<\/a> deal. He represented me. And, you know, from what i see, he did absolutely nothing wrong. Well, well see how much longer giuliani stays on as trumps attorney. This is just one element, one element in a bad day, in a bad week. A very bad day and a very bad week for President Trump<\/a> as the impeachment inquiry picks up steam. Center stage on capitol hill today, Marie Yovanovitch<\/a>, the former u. S. Ambassador to ukraine, who was removed from that post earlier this year by trump, testifying behind closed doors. The New York Times<\/a> got a copy of her statement to congress. In her statement, she told investigators this. I do not know mr. Giulianis motives for attacking me. But individuals who had been named in the press as contacts of mr. Giuliani may well have believed that their personal financial ambitions were stymied by our anticorruption policy in ukraine. She wasnt playing along with the scheme to dig up dirt on joe biden, and that angered giuliani, who lobbied the president to dump her. The white house and state department tried to block yovanovitchs appearance, but she was subpoenaed, and she came anyway. Imagine that. It sounds like she had a lot to say. I just sat through eight hours that went like a new york second. It was that amazing, that powerful, that impactful. That was congressman denny heck. He will be here a bit later in this show. President trump had this to say about yovanovitch today. She may be a wonderful woman. I dont know her. But she may be very much a wonderful woman. If you remember the phone call i had with the president , the new president , he didnt speak favorably. But i just dont know her. She may be a wonderful woman. A wonderful woman . Trump trashed her in that controversial july phone call, saying that the former ambassador from the united states, the woman was bad news and the people she was dealing with in the ukraine were bad news, so i just want to let you know that. And he didnt stop there. I heard very bad things about her, and i dont know if i recalled her or somebody recalled her, but i heard very, very bad things about her for a long period of time. Not good. From not good to she may be a wonderful woman. And we have to wonder on this very bad day in a very bad week for trump if hes finally realizing that the impeachment inquiry into his dealings with ukraine is picking up steam and he cant stop it. The white house is trying to delay and slow it down and publicly push their talking points that there was nothing amiss about the july phone call. President trump again today called it a perfect call, and secretary of state mike pompeo, who earlier this week flatout said that he is taking all of his direction from the white house, saying this. I think the only ones who think zelensky was pressured are a handful of folks in the media and a bunch of folks on capitol hill in the Democratic Party<\/a> who are trying to take down this president. No pressure. Perfect call. An ambassador sacked, who has now had the chance to speak directly to congress. A bad day in a bad week for President Trump<\/a>. He lost on three big legal fronts today as well. An Appeals Court<\/a> rejecting trumps attempt to stop his Accounting Firm<\/a> from turning over eight years of financial records to house democrats. A district judge ruling that Trumps National<\/a> Emergency Declaration<\/a> to build a border wall is unlawful. And federal judges in three separate districts blocking efforts by the Trump Administration<\/a> to make it more difficult for immigrants who rely on public assistance to obtain legal status. One judge calling it, quote, repugnant to the american dream. A bad day in a bad week for the white house. And, of course, theres breaking news as it is on most nights. News tonight that another key Trump Administration<\/a> official heading for the exit. Kevin mcaleenan, the acting secretary of Homeland Security<\/a> submitted his resignation to the white house. He is the fourth person to serve in that position for President Trump<\/a>. Here with more tonight is cnns kaitlan collins. Kaitlan, good evening to you. Whats behind the latest highprofile departure . Reporter well, don, i got to say its not that surprising to people in the white house who never thought Kevin Mcaleenan<\/a> was going to get the permanent job. But of course this resignation is coming after hes been in that acting position for several dozen hundreds of days now, in this position, never really had a replacement on the horizon so far in the west wing. So it will be interesting to see who it is the president picks next. But when it came down to mcaleenan, though at times the president praised him, he was never really someone who gained President Trump<\/a>s trust. The president often lashed out at him blaming him for border numbers and of course in turn, Kevin Mcaleenan<\/a> didnt like the hardliners that the president hired to work not only in the department of Homeland Security<\/a>, but also he was dealing with people inside the west wing like Stephen Miller<\/a> who were really trying to run dhs policy out of the west wing, not out of the department of Homeland Security<\/a>. An indication his mood had changed had been after that Washington Post<\/a> interview about ten days ago where he said he just didnt have control over the policy coming out of the dhs, the tone coming out of dhs. Were told by one person familiar, don, Kevin Mcaleenan<\/a> didnt realize he was on the record during that interview, an interview that stunned a lot of people for just how blunt the dhs secretary was in it. You mentioned the Washington Post<\/a> reporting, kaitlan. The New York Times<\/a> is reporting tonight that federal prosecutors are investigating whether Rudy Giuliani<\/a> broke lobbying laws in his dealings in ukraine. Is the president at all worried about everything giuliani has been doing on his behalf . Reporter yeah, he is. And youve seen the president express that not only publicly but were also told by sources the president privately has been questioning Rudy Giuliani<\/a> and his connection to these two men who were arrested recently this week. The news broke yesterday. And the president in turn has been distancing himself from the lawyer who has essentially been on television defending him for the last two years through it all. Instead the president is now questioning whether or not Rudy Giuliani<\/a> is going to be a liability for him, something that people have been telling the president for weeks now, before all of this happened about his clients being arrested, telling the president they didnt think Rudy Giuliani<\/a> was the right person to represent him in this impeachment fight that he seems increasingly likely headed for. The president now seems to be starting to heed that, and that was evident today in that the president wouldnt even go as far to say that rudy giulani is still his personal attorney even though giuliani made clear to one of my colleagues that, yes, he still thinks he is. The fact that he wont be representing the president on ukraine really tells you all you need to know because it makes clear hes not going to be playing a significant role in this impeachment Defense Strategy<\/a> coming out of the white house. Going to be a liability . Maybe a little late for that, kaitlan. Thank you very much. I appreciate it. Will the president s bad week keep getting worse with his personal lawyer under investigation and four more key people to testify next week . John dean, mia love, max boot all weigh in next. A wealth of information. A wealth of perspective. A wealth of opportunities. Thats the clarity you get from fidelity wealth management. Straightforward advice, tailored recommendations, taxefficient investing strategies, and a dedicated advisor to help you grow and protect your wealth. Fidelity wealth management. The loss of a now fourth Homeland Security<\/a> chief just underscores what looks to be an administration in constant turmoil even as we see the first cracks in their impeachment strategy. Lots to talk about. John dean, mia love, max boot. Good evening to one and all. Max, before we get to Kevin Mcaleenan<\/a>, i was thinking about the stories weve had tonight and this week. Has there been this much scandal i cant remember this much scandal in an entire eightyear administration in presidencies in recent history. Am i wrong . I think youre dead right, don. This is just stunning. I mean this is not an administration. This is a criminal conspiracy, and its a particularly inept criminal conspiracy. This is like what would happen if the three stooges were breaking bad. They cannot conceal their crimes, and they just come tumbling out all the time. I mean if theres any strategy here and its really hard for me to see any. But if there is one, trumps strategy seems to be to commit so much impeachable conduct, the house cannot keep up. This week alone, more scandals than any administration i can think of in four to eight years. So then what is the is there any i dont know. Is there any incentive for anyone to stay there in this administration . I dont think so. I mean i think people who stay in this administration are being implicated in what is going on. They are becoming accomplices unless they speak out and, you know, its just horrifying and unbelievable whats happened to the executive branch. I mean its been taken over by a mob mentality run by people who are utterly corrupt and crooked and have no regard for the public interest. And i think responsible Public Servants<\/a> like former ambassador Marie Yovanovitch<\/a> are now speaking out to devastating effect about whats going on. Im glad you mentioned it because, john, i want to ask you about ambassador yovanovitch ive been saying her name correctly all week, and now i cant say it yovanovitch testified. Ambassador sondland said that through his lawyer, hes going to testify wednesday despite guidance not to. Its very interesting hes going to do that. There are four key figures set to testify next week. Why do you think these officials want to speak out . Well, it may be they actually believe they have something that is favorable. There is, of course, that one text message that sondland sent that said no quid pro quo after talking to the president. Now, thats taking it out of context of course in the full range of exchanges which really occurred. And i think sondland, which is something of a washington rookie, may think he can go in and just handle that committee, and its going to be a lot tougher than he thinks its going to be. Hes going to be sharply crossexamined. While the republicans will probably try to focus on that, its going to be much broader than that. Interesting. Mia, i want to bring you in and talk about some of this stuff because yovanovitch testified that her removal from ukraine was part of a Concerted Campaign<\/a> that included pressure from the president , and she was told that she did nothing wrong. But its not an Impeachable Offense<\/a> to simply remove an ambassador. I mean what needs to be proven here . Well, first of all, shes obviously she couldnt understand what was happening. I mean at first she was told that her bosses said she didnt nothing wrong, and then she was told that the president has lost confidence in her. So its all completely confusing, and of course you get all of this information about the associates of Rudy Giuliani<\/a> going out there, trying to oust her, trying to get other members of congress to help in that quest. So the whole thing is just quite confusing, and its something that i dont think really bodes well. It doesnt look good. Its not impeachable but the president wants to distance himself from Rudy Giuliani<\/a>, who has been one of his most vocal supporters, who is even the main guy to go out and do sunday shows after the access Hollywood Tape<\/a> came out. Mia, do you think people buy trump trying to put him at arms length, not even willing to say hes his attorney now . Okay. So there are a lot of people that may get upset with me for saying this, but im going to say it because i think its true. You have to understand that with the relationships with the president , i believe that they are transactional. I believe that if you are going to be bad for the president , he is going to get rid of you. I think Rudy Giuliani<\/a> has been actually bad for the president in this instance. He has done the administration no favors. Whether the president knew what he was doing or not, there were he was sticking his nose in areas where he shouldnt have been. So i think that he needs to i mean at the very least, has to stay away from Rudy Giuliani<\/a>. Well, john, what is the bigger peril when it comes to Rudy Giuliani<\/a>, the sdny investigation or the impeachment inquiry . Well, they could be related. I dont think mia has anything to be worried about in laying out the reality of that relationship. And the president is going to face that. Hes clearly trying to distance himself from rudy. No one knows the extent of rudys liability. He claims in the New York Times<\/a> piece that hes done nothing wrong. Of course thats what hed say. But this foreign agents registration act that is being apparently central to his investigation is something that has gotten new vigor. Its something a lot of people have been investigated for. Its something the department of justice is enforcing. Its a law that rudys not really familiar with because it wasnt invoked for many, many years until the russians started abusing, prowling around the united states. Hes got some problems, don. Should the democrats have held these hearings in public . Do you think its smart to do it so that it doesnt turn into a circus . I think it would be great if they could hold them in the public, get the information out there somehow. Just the pattern of corruption is stunning. Its not just Rudy Giuliani<\/a>. The president s previous personal lawyer is already in jail. The president is severely implicated in this massive, massive corruption, don. John, mia, max, thank you very much. I appreciate your time. Shepard smith announcing today that he is leaving fox news, surprising not just the audience but his own colleagues. Whats behind his abrupt departure, next. Sometimes your small screen is your big screen. And with the Xfinity Stream<\/a> app, which is free with your service, you can take a spin through on demand shows or stream live tv. Download your dvrd shows and movies on the fly. Even record from right where you are. Keep what you watch with you. Download the Xfinity Stream<\/a> app today. Because Xfinity Stream<\/a> tv week is here. Watch shows like south park and the walking dead now through october 13th. It may be hard to believe that there was an anchor on fox news that the president despised. Why . Because he cares about facts and tells the truth. Today that man, Shepard Smith<\/a>, stepped down as chief news anchor at the network he called home for 23 years. So recently i asked the company to allow me to leave fox news. After requesting that i stay, they obliged. Under our agreement, i wont be reporting elsewhere, at least in the near future. This is my last newscast here. Whoa. Im neil cavuto, and like you, im a little stunned and a little heartbroken. I dont know what to say. John, i apologize at being a little shellshocked on this other development here, but take it away, sir. Ive just been trying to compile my thoughts too, neil. I walked out here to do the hit and suddenly got hit by a subway train. Holy mackerel. There was a long pause with neil cavuto there before he even could go his colleagues were clearly blindsided. Lets bring in now chief media correspondent Brian Stelter<\/a> and cnn political commentator ana navarro. Good evening to one and all. When this happened, i was on a plane and literally i was trying to sleep, and my Text Messages<\/a> i couldnt get to them fast enough. People saying, oh, my god, shep, shep, shep. I was like what . Its unbelievable. Your tweet, ana, you said Shepard Smith<\/a> is leaving fox news. I am feeling the same celebratory joy as when a handmaid is able to escape gilead and live in freedom. Youre talking about the handmaids tale. Ive never seen the show. Youll like it. Its a good one. By the way, you dont have to watch the show because youre living it. Go ahead. Does this really bring you joy . Yes. It brings me joy. So im a little torn on it. Im torn on it as far as what it means for balance to fox and what it means for journalism. That viewers will never hear facts rarely. It is so important to have shep smiths voice at fox news. Im happy for shep smith. Hes also a human being. He is a very decent human being, and i want him to be happy. So, yeah, i did feel like, oh, my god, hes finally free not to be constrained by a network where there is such editorial control and where he is, you know, such the man out where the president is constantly tweeting against him. Hes finally free to speak the truth without any reservation, and i want him to be happy. Yeah. Speaking of that, the president President Trump<\/a> assumes that he left because of bad ratings. I mean, look, the man has been there for 23 years. Hes a fixture. He is the chief anchor over there. Listen to this. Did you or your administration pressure fox news to get rid of Shepard Smith<\/a> . I dont know. Is he leaving . Hes leaving. Oh, thats a shame. That i dont know. Wait. Did i hear Shepard Smith<\/a> is leaving . Is he leaving because of bad ratings . Tell me. I dont know. He had terrible ratings. Is he leaving because of his ratings . I mean if hes leaving, i assume hes leaving because he had bad ratings. He had the worst ratings on fox, so theres a reason. Why is Shepard Smith<\/a> leaving . Well, i wish him well. I wish i wish Shepard Smith<\/a> well. Brian, you have been doing a lot of reporting on this. Whats the real reason . There was a report last week that there were tensions between Shepard Smith<\/a> and Tucker Carlson<\/a> and the network reportedly siding with tucker. But then they theyre saying no. Theyre pushing back on that. Yeah, this was not about low ratings but it was about the tensions with Tucker Carlson<\/a> and other figures at fox. Shepard smith simply couldnt take it anymore. He felt squeezed by these opinion hosts who were spewing propaganda at other hours of the day. He viewed his show as a counterweight trying to get the facts out there. It just became too much over time. This is a real loss for fox, fox staffers, the journalists there who are blowing up my phone because theyre devastated by this. Theyre troubled by the loss of one of the true news anchors at the network. I think its a sign of our disturbing times. Its not like Shepard Smith<\/a> changed. The network changed and the country around him changed. Weve been fractured into different pieces and theres not as much room for someone like him who is a truth teller. Sometimes you do things in life that are not about money, that are not about whats best for your career, but its about whats best for your heart and for your soul. Its about integrity. Its about principles. And i admire that. Hes walking away from a very hefty salary if reports are true, and i think hes doing it for all the right reasons. You know, hes standing up for what he believes and hes saying, you know what . Selfcare matters and, you know, being consistent, be in a place that is consistent with my principles and what i believe matters. Damn, you just have to admire that. In 2019, i mean think about it. He was worth every bit of what they were paying him. Whats next for him . I just have 20 seconds here. He has a noncompete. Hes not going to be on tv anytime soon, but his Spokesman Says<\/a> hes not retiring. That signals to me he does want to be back in the public eye someday. I just think for now its sad to see how the echo chambers were all living in have become a little more closed up today because he wont be on fox. Look, nbc paid megyn kelly 23 million, and she was a failure. Give shep smith a chance. Hes a hell of a lot more likable and true and authentic. Yeah, a great guy. The consummate professional. An amazing journalist. Shep, we wish you the very best. And im going to say congratulations to you. Enjoy your life with you, your partner, your dog, and just enjoy it. Were really proud of you. The former ambassador to ukraine giving devastating testimony behind closed doors today, and im going to get the details from someone who questioned her. Congressman denny heck is next. Biopharmaceutical researchers. Pursuing lifechanging cures in a country that fosters innovation here, they find breakthroughs. Like a way to fight cancer by arming a patients own tcells. Because its not just about the next breakthrough. Its all the ones after that. Former u. S. Ambassador to ukraine Marie Yovanovitch<\/a>, who was removed from her post by trump in may giving nearly ten hours of closed door testimony to house investigators. The Career Foreign Service<\/a> officer who worked under both democratic and republican administrations appeared in defiance of white house and state Department Direction<\/a> not to appear. In her opening statement, yovanovitch warned the state department was being attacked and hollowed out from within and urged congress to take action to stop it. Lets discuss now. Congressman denny heck is here, who serves on the House Intel Committee<\/a> and heard her testimony. Congressman, thank you. I got to ask you, yovanovitch said that Rudy Giuliani<\/a> played a significant role in her firing. Why does she think he wanted her out . So, don, this was a deposition, and as such were not going to comment or reveal the specifics of anything that the witness testified to understood. Anything you can tell us, though, wed appreciate it. I would tell you that im frankly wondering, without trying to be too snarky, is Michael Cohen<\/a> is keeping a bunk warm for Rudy Giuliani<\/a>. Look, the two men that were indicted, that were associates of Rudy Giuliani<\/a>, engaged in behavior that theyre now being charged with. It is conspiracy to engage in illegal activity is itself subject to criminal liability, and you have to wonder, given their close relationship we dont know that yet. We do know they had purchased oneway tickets to geneva, i think it was. And on the day that they departed, they had lunch with Rudy Giuliani<\/a>, with whom they had been associated over a period of time. Yeah. So you just have to wonder where this is going for the former mayor of new york. Ive got to ask you, then. Did you learn anything new i think you can answer this anything new that advances the impeachment investigation . Well, yes, of course. But, you know, the most thing and i think the significant takeaway for the conversation, the tenhour conversation we had today is that ambassador yovanovitch is a woman who literally oozes integrity. All one has to do is read the hoping statement that she submitted to us and is now available through open sources and can be found online. This is a woman who has dedicated 33 years of her life to the foreign service, always with progressive responsibility because of the high regard in which she was held. This is a person who is a true patriot, who loves her country, who loves the role that diplomacy can play in helping keep america prosperous and secure. Yeah. Next week youre expecting to hear from fiona hill, george kent, ambassador gordon sonde and ul rick brechbuhl. Will all of those depositions be behind closed doors . I think the rules were operating now for depositions is that they are in closed, albeit unclassified sessions. Im not sure all the people to whom you referred, don, will actually be deposed, per se, but they have had documents subpoenaed from them. And whether or not they turn them over remains to be seen. Im fairly optimistic that fiona hill will come forward as a former staff member to the National Security<\/a> council, and im personally looking forward to that conversation very much because of her particular expertise with respect to russia and the middle east. Id like you to weigh in on the comment from the president. Watch this. Now, with that being said, we are sending troops and other things to the middle east to help saudi arabia. But are you ready . Saudi arabia, at my request, has agreed to pay us for everything were doing. Thats a first. But saudi arabia and other countries too now but saudi arabia has agreed to pay us for everything were doing to help them, and we appreciate that. A foreign nation is paying for american troops to protect their interests. Does that sound right to you . It sounds to me like the president for the first time in our nations history is attempting to convert our armed forces into mercenaries and then bragging about it. Don, i thought his announcement about sending the nearly 3,000 troops to saudi arabia was chockfull of ironies. Irony number one, this is being done to presumably deter increased bad behavior on the part of iran. Iran has been engaged in increased bad behavior, but they have been so, irony number one, as a consequence of america pulling out of the iran agreement against the advice of all the other parties to that agreement, against all western civilized nations as a matter of fact. Irony number two, this announcement comes almost a year to the day after the murder of the americanbased journalist khashoggi, for which every indication is that the crown prince of saudi arabia ordered his murder, his slaughter, his vicious slaughter. The fact is that thats absolutely contrary to basic american values. Irony number three, it comes about a week less than a week after the president decided to unlock the door and open the door to allow turkey to invade Northern Syria<\/a> as we turn our back on our oldest ally in the region, the kurds, in our fight against isis. Now, the kurds cant afford maybe to cough up massive amounts of money for military action. But you know what they provided instead . An estimate of about 10,000 of their lives in their shouldertoshoulder fight with us against isis. You cant put a price on that. Thank you, congressman. I appreciate your time. Well see you soon. Thank you. Well, shes back. My friend laura coates is here now. Shes hosting a special hour tonight, the white house in crisis the impeachment inquiry, coming up right after this show at 11 00. You got your work cut out for you. Its a crazy week. There have been so many developments in just even the last few hours, laura. I mean you think . Don, were going to drill down Rudy Giuliani<\/a>. Hes the president s personal attorney, or is he, now under investigation in connection with these two guys. Youve got lev parnas and igor fruman, associates who were arrested on Campaign Finance<\/a> charges just a few hours after having lunch with Rudy Giuliani<\/a>. And hes also been implicated now in the scheme to get the u. S. Ambassador to ukraine fired. And weve all seen those wildeyed interviews citing all the conspiracy theories. Well, tonight were going to talk to andrew kurtzman, who was a reporter who covered giuliani at city hall for a decade, including that morning of 9 11 when giuliani became that international symbol. Were asking the question, what happened to that rudy, americas mayor, the tough guy who took on the mobs . Well get the inside word. Kurtzman, a longtime new york city reporter, and youre right, covered giuliani for a long time. We will all be watching. Well see you in a couple minutes, laura. Why is the president distancing himself from one of his biggest defenders . Were going to dig into whats going on between President Trump<\/a> and Rudy Giuliani<\/a>. Thats next. Do you recall, not long ago we would walk on the sidewalk all around the wind blows we would only hold on to let go blow a kiss into the sun we need someone to lean on blow a kiss into the sun we needed somebody to lean on all we need is someone to lean on time to get in a tree, nock an arrow, and disappear. This is what youve prepared for. Hes moving more in daylight and whenever you can, youll be hunting dawn to dusk. This is what you live for. Its your season. 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Serious side effects can occur, including kidney problems and kidney failure. Rare, lifethreatening side effects include a buildup of lactic acid and liver problems. Do not take biktarvy if you take dofetilide or rifampin. Tell your doctor about all the medicines and supplements you take, if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, or if you have kidney or liver problems, including hepatitis. If you have hepatitis b, do not stop taking biktarvy without talking to your doctor. Common side effects were diarrhea, nausea, and headache. If youre hivpositive, keep loving who you are, inside and out. Ask your doctor if biktarvy is right for you. The president s personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani<\/a>, could be in serious trouble. The New York Times<\/a> reporting tonight that federal prosecutors in the Southern District<\/a> of new york, the office giuliani ran himself decades ago, are looking into whether he broke lobbying rules in his dealings in ukraine. The president is already distancing himself from the man who has been at the center of this ukraine scandal from the start. Today not even confirming if giuliani is still his lawyer. So here to give us some legal perspective, Michael Isikoff<\/a> is the coauthor of russian roulette, the inside story of putins war on america and the election of donald trump. Elie honig here as well. Elie, i want to start with you. We have seen this pattern before. Trump wont say if giuliani is still his personal attorney and whether hell be indicted, but trump had this to say. Watch this. Are you concerned that Rudy Giuliani<\/a> could be indicted in all of this . Well, i hope not. Again, i dont know how he knows these people. Theyre his clients. What . Theyre his clients. Okay. Well, then theyre clients. I mean hes got a lot of clients. So i just dont know. I havent spoken to rudy about it. Now, heres what he said about Michael Cohen<\/a> last year. How much michael is somebody mr. President , how much of your legal work was handled by Michael Cohen<\/a> . Well, as a percentage of my overall legal work, a tiny, tiny little fraction. But michael would represent me and represent me on some things. Is rudy getting tossed under air force one, under the bus . Thrown under air force one. I like that. Let the distancing begin. Weve seen this dance before from donald trump with Michael Cohen<\/a>, and he seems to be taking the first steps down that road now with Rudy Giuliani<\/a>. This is serious situation and its kind of surreal for me in the Southern District<\/a> alone to see Rudy Giuliani<\/a> who was in charge of the office decades before i was there but was a respected figure now under investigation by the Southern District<\/a>. And and if you do youre going to get in trouble. An unvest interrogation is all encompassing. Hes in real trouble here. Even if the president wants to throw giuliani overboard, can the president separate himself from everything rudy did in the ukraine on his behalf . Its clear that rudy was acting in president s interest all along and this entire ukraine mess stems from Rudy Giuliani<\/a> meddling in this. Theres so many interesting questions that we dont know. The two guys his clients who were arrested and indicted yesterday. How much how much of rudys travels and work on this were they paying for . And if so, was this a way for these guys who just been charged with Illegal Campaign<\/a> contributions basically footing the bill for the president s Legal Expenses<\/a> . I think that to me is a central issue that the Southern District<\/a> is likely to be looking at. Interesting. Listen, michael, the fbi and prosecutors in manhattan are examining giulianis involvement with these Campaign Finance<\/a> violations, and as usual giuliani is trying to distract. And hes drawing you into it, right . Yes, he has. He tweeted yesterday after these charges were filed that the real story is that the ukrainians had interfered in the 2016 election, not the russians. And to back that up, he posted a an email, tweeted an email that was leaked that the russians gave to wikileaks and put out in which a Democratic National<\/a> Committee Staffer<\/a> says she was working with Michael Isikoff<\/a> and connecting him to the ukrainians. When i read this woman i was thinking what . This woman was somebody i was talking to because she had information about Paul Manafort<\/a> and she connected me to some ukrainian journalists. I was interested in talking to them. There was a reception in washington. I went and talked to them about the work they had done on this. The idea this somehow equates with the russians were running out of time, michael. The russians hacking the dnc, steeling thousands of documents and giving them to the wikileaks part of an operation to disrupt the election is ludicrous. Whats your final thought . I want to represent michael. When he gets in trouble. All you need to know is ukraine and giuliani the company that paid him used to be called fraud guarantee. Rethink that branding. I appreciate it. Well be back. In the human brain, billions of neurons play in harmony. For people with parkinsons, some neurons change their tune, causing uncontrollable tremors. Now, abbott technology can target those exact neurons. Restoring control and harmony, once thought to belost forever. The most personal technology is technology with the power to change your life. Take this. President trump minnesota rally last night happened in the state with the most people of so mally ancestry in america. So, naturally, he celebrated that diversity in his own way. For many years leaders in washington brought large numbers of refugees to your state from somalia without considering the impact on schools and communities and taxpayers. You should be able to decide what is best for your own city. And for your own neighborhoods. Your cities, your neighborhoods. Not our cities, our neighborhoods. Us and them. Us versus them. Thats what it is. And that particular neighborhood happens to be represented in the house by a somali immigrant, ilhan omar. You see where im going. One of the four congresswoman of color he loves to bash. And bash he did, yet again, last night. How do you have such a person representing you in minnesota . Im very angry at you people. She is a disgrace to our country. If all this sounds like the same old trump playbook, an insightful Analysis Shows<\/a> a trend in the president s rants this past summer with his focus on nonwhite lawmakers. He attacked the congresswoman of color 20 times as a group over three months. Thats more than hes gone after his campaign rivals Bernie Sanders<\/a> and Elizabeth Warren<\/a> in his entire presidency. He went after omar 30 times. The president singled out congressman and House Oversight<\/a> chairman cummings this summer. You remember he slammed his mostly black district. Part of baltimore as rat and rodent infested. He attacks others including adam schiff, nancy pelosi. Chuck schumer who are the leaders of the party, the only lawmakers who got more negative tweets this summer than the congresswoman of color and cummings. Take this into account. Our live coverage continues with laura coates white house in crisis the impeachment inquiry. You got your work cut out for you. Tell us what you have tonight. First of all i cant believe that happened in my home state of minnesota actually having boos for people who are immigrants to that particular state in our country. That is shocking to me and it just reiterates the point time and time again that people dont realize its washington, d. C. Or goth am city. You can be a hero without vil niezing people. 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