Papadopoulos floated the idea of a meeting with putin. Heres President Trump earlier today. I dont remember much about that meeting. It was a very unimportant meeting. Dont remember much about it. That maybe so, but why then did President Trump also make this bold claim just last week. Im a very intelligent per n person. One of the great memories of all time. To make matters worse, before the president , another Campaign Adviser remembers the meetings quite well. J. D. Warden telling cnn that quote, heard him and it seems the president isnt the only one in this administration whos having a hard time remembering any potentially damaging information. B about russia. Jeff sessions also has a case of the i cant remembers when it cops to this same meeting and another one and thats just this week. Dont forget, from Jared Kushner to donald trump jr. To michael flynn, theyve had trouble remembering pretty much anything having to do with the russians. Whats going on with russian amnesia . So, the list keeps growing. It does, kate. The i cant remember, it seems to be a common refrain. As quou heard there, the president said it today when asked about the march 2016 meeting he was at when George Papadopoulos proposed that trump meet with putin. Then theres attorney general Jeff Sessions. He was in that meeting, too, and why we havent seen him respond directly to this yet, democrats are now accusing him of everything from problems telling the truth to purgery for prior statements. Tonight, the president remains defiant amid mounting evidence that he knew about his Campaign Advisers connections to russia. There was no collusion. There was no nothing. In february of this year, he pleaded total ignorance. Can you say whether you are aware that anyone who advised your campaign had contacts with russia during the course of the election . Well, i told you. General flynn, obviously was dealing, so thats one person, but he was dealing as he should have been. During the election . Nobody that i know of. Youre not aware of contacts during the course of the election russia is a ruse. To the best of of my knowledge, no person that i deal with, now manafort has totally deny ied i. Tonight, Paul Manafort and rick gates remain under house arrest. The indictment was unsealed mounday for money laundering. Manafort and gates have pleaded not guilty which stem from a Ukrainian Political Party and was not explicitly related to their work during the campaign and now, Jeff Sessions is also coming under increasing fire for answers he gave at several congressional hearings over the past year. You dont believe that surrogates from the Trump Campaign had communications with the russians. Is that what youre saying . I did not and im not aware of anyone else that did. I dont believe it happened. I think its not that he has a problem with the truth. Its easier to say hes purgered himself at least three times. The accusations from democrats come after revelations from former advisers, carter page and George Papadopoulos. Carter telling cnn he told investigators he mentioned a trip to sessions he planned the take to russia at the height of the campaign. And in a march 2016 meeting where pop dapadopoulos sat in between and Jeff Sessions. He told the group he had connections that would help arrange a meeting between trump and putin. J. D. Jordan sitting next to papadopoulos sells cnn donald trump heard him out, but then senator sessions, who was a top campaign surrogate, shot down the idea of a meeting with putin, a source tells cnn. This is video of papadopoulos speaking at an event unrelated to the campaign in 2016. President trump has down played his role, calling him a low level roll tier and a liar. But papadopoulos disclosures to the fbi as part of his guilty plea for lying about his contacts with russians during the campaign are already affecting the administration. For example, sam clovis was forced to withdraw his name from a top spot of the department of agriculture after the Washington Post revealed he was the Campaign Supervisor referred to in Court Documents where email showed he encouraged papadopoulos to set up a meeting in russia. Now, clovis told the president in that recawithdrawal letter t he was withdrawing so he wouldnt be a distraction in what he called a heightened political climate. That isnt going to be wearing down soon. Great to see you. Thank you so much. Outfront tonight, evan perez, cnn justice correspondent. Mia henderson and paul krueger, former assistant u. S. Attorney. Evan, is it possible they simply dont remember these conversations . What are you hearing . Well, look, it is possible. If you remember the Trump Campaign was sort of an insurgent operation. It was rejected by the establishment and you had a bunch of characters that who were sort of like on the fringe who donald trump brought in to sort of be his National Security team, who had been rejected by some of the other candidates it is b possible these people just didnt know each other and this, its a pattern about why so many questions and you know robert mueller, the special counsel is doing an investigation here, so hes got emails. Well see. The same time, theyre either low level volunteer kind of nobodies or theyre everybody was volunteer though. In that campaign, everybody was a volunteer. Thats exactly right. Even if they are a volunteer, theyre a Foreign Policy add vi adviser. Try this on for size ch i want to play what the president said about that meeting today and what just last week. I dont remember much about that meeting. It was a very unimportant meeting. Took place over a long time. Dont remember much about it. One o f the great memories of all time. Can both of these things be true . No. I mean, they cant be. Hes sort of, two thing. Even in the statement that he doesnt remember it, but he remembers it now have say that it was unimportant. So i mean, that in and of itself is a bit of a contradiction. We have seen this sort of russia induce d amnesia from a lot of people in trumps orbit. Sessions, flynn, not remembering the details of a conversation that he had with a then russian ambassador. Even papadopoulos seem ed to no quite remember the timeline in that ask got him in trouble with the fbi. Donald trump jr. Didnt quite remember the details of a meeting he had with a russian lawyer. So you know, this is the pattern. That is what bob mueller will look at. Hell of course have documents. Have maybe witnesses who can contradict this kind of memory or different statements that other witnesses make, but i think you know, this is what weve seen from this white house, from people around this white house. This idea of they cant remember, they cant quite recall. Which is something. I mean, you know, im no lawyer. I dont play one on tv. Ive watched a lot of law and order. Often time, you do hear witnesses rely on that phrase, that they cant quite recall, they dont remember is a sort of nonanswer to questions. Lets go to the actual lawyer. Plays one in real life. To your point, i dont remember is a tried and true Legal Defense. Weve seen over and over again. Donald trump used it himself in a deposition. I think in 2015. 30 times during his deposition. Also during that same deposition, donald trump said, if you like i have amnesia because i have to say it again, i dont remember that as good as my memory is is, i dont remember that, but i have a good memory. How good of a Legal Defense is this . In the criminal case, if a charged individual is repeatedly claiming they dont remember something, that common sense would tell an average person based on the significance of the event is significant, that defense begins to crumbable a little bit. In addition, if i were the prosecutor on b on this case, id be look iing at emails, correspondence before and after the march 31st 2016 meeting. The i dont remember. Especially with papadopoulos. He doesnt remember, has a faulty memory, then the emails show a better chain of timeline. And then he had to plead guilty. Its interesting in this case what youre not hearing is that George Papadopoulos is lying about this meeting of the events didnt happen. Gordon corroborated saying what he was charged with. So theres that. And evan b, when it comes to attorney general Jeff Sessions, lets just narrow in on that and what he cant remember. Thats piling up. Do you think hes in trouble . You know, i think theres enough caveats in what Jeff Sessions says. If you look at what hes given, hes under oath, he does sort of have these caveats that i think will make him be able to escape any accusations that he purposely lied to any of those committees. I think they are going to bring him back though and make him explain himself and this in the end is going to be a political problem for him thats going to keep piling up. Thats, in and of itself, a big problem, but i will say, just look iing at what papadopoulos did, once you get a picture, the special counsel has information and he chose in those documents that were released this week, he only revealed certain parts of it. For instance, he says something about how you know, papadopoulos brought up the russia meeting between putin and trump because we know theres more to that and they purposely did not put the rest of the interaction in there. Well see whether other witnesses will lie when they are questioned about it. And intriguing on the fact he thought he was going to be getting dirt in those Hillary Clinton emails. Theres no follow up if he told anyone in the campaign. Thats one of those huge caveats where you have to say. Yeah, theres got to be more to that. I mean, paul, when it comes to Jeff Sessions, one of the democratic congressman said he thinks at this point, sessions clearly in his view, perjured himself. Do you think its reached that point . To prove perjury, you have to show at the time the person made the statements, they knew they were false. Clearly, theres inconsistencies here. And if it comes to perjury, what does that mean . Democrats want him back on the hill for questions, but hes already recuse ded himself from anything relating to russia. What are they going for now . Do they want to just take him down . I think its more of a political move. Democrats did originally not like Jeff Sessions. You heard some democrats, even call for his resignation. But at this point, you wonder if democrats could be playing into this idea of maybe Jeff Sessions will be fired by donald trump. Who also has had problems with Jeff Sessions because he recused himself from the russia investigation. So you know, are they giving sort of am in addition and reason to donald trump to maybe let sessions go. Bring in another attorney general who then would have the sort of authority to be, to fire mueller if he wanted to be. Im sort of just play iing this out. I think democrats for now sort of just want to make a point of having Jeff Sessions. Have to explain himself again. And have russia back in this headlines. And sessions sort of involvement with it and not being truthful in terms of his original testimony around russia. But who knows what this could trigger in terms of the president s thinking about this. The president s thinking about Jeff Sessions, his role and muellers role. I think the one thing we know is like who knows. Right there. Wait for next week. Do i need to remind you where we started on monday. Great to have you. Next, breaking new, President Trump just land iing in hawaii he heads off on his trip to asia. This as he is calling on the Justice Department to go after his enemies. Did he finally cross a line here . Plus, a stunning decision. Bowe bergdahl avoids prison. Did the president s words play a part in the decision . Plus, a Las Vegas Shooting victim with life threatening injuries. Well show you her recovery one month after that horrific night. If you have moderate to severe plaque psoriasis,. Isnt it time to let the real you shine through . Maybe its time for Otezla Apremilast . Otezla is not an injection or a cream. Its a pill that treats plaque psoriasis differently. With otezla, 75 clearer skin is achievable after just 4 months,. With reduced redness,. Thickness, and scaliness of plaques. And the otezla prescribing information has. No requirement for routine lab monitoring. 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The president s comments are quote totally inappropriate and not only undermine our Justice System, but erode american peoples confidence in our institutions. What led to that . Quite a bit. Starting earlier today when trump tweeted this. Everybody is asking whether Justice Department and fbi isnt looking into all the dishonesty going on with crooked hillary and the dems. Then trump said this. Im really not involved with the Justice Department. Id like to let it run itself, but honestly, they should be looking at the democrats. They should be looking at podesta and all of that dishonesty. They should be looking at a lot of things and a lot of people are disappointed in the Justice Department, including me. Outfront now, walter, the former director of the office of government ethics and jeffrey toobin. All right, jeffrey, lets get to it. It also just wasnt a one off today. President trump said basically the same last night. Listen to this. Thing is that because of the president of the United States, i am not supposed to be involved with the Justice Department. Im not supposed to be involved with the fbi. Im not supposed to be doing the kind of things that i would love to be doing and im very frustrated by that. He says hes sad that he cant get involved. Him saying that, isnt that inherently getting involved . Well of course it is. Remember why these norms exist. You know, Richard Nixon tried to use the Justice Department to punish his political enemies, use the Internal Revenue service to punish his political enemies and there are established rules that Law Enforcement is something that the president does not get involved in on individual cases. Especially when it involves his political opponents. Because this is the kind of country we are where the president doesnt get to put his political opponents in prison. But if yo