Trump and russia is a madeopen story. Openly admitting that his firing of the fbi director right in the middle of an investigation into the trump campaigns possibly collusion was with russia was exactly what to make the investigation go away. It was a stunning revelation after his team spend two days trying to explain. The message had been unance muss, the president was only followinged guidance of Deputy Attorney general Rod Rosenstein. That version of events was completely blown up by the president himself. Monday you met with the Deputy Attorney general. Did you ask for a recommendation . What i did is i was going to fire comey, my decision you had made the decision before they came in the room . I was going to fire comey. Theres no good time to do it, by the way. Because in your letter, you said i accepted their recommendation. You had made i was going to fire regardless of recommendation. The decision came days after, according to nonetheless numne comey asked for more resource. And hours after federal prosecutors sent subpoenas to Business Associates of Michael Flynn. It seems that timing is everything, because it was on january 26th that former acting attorney general sally yates told white House Counsel don mcgann, that flynn was vulnerable. Its the only dinner that trump is believed to have had with comey. Presumably its the same dinner he described this way. I had a dinner with him. He wanted to have dinner, because he wanted to stay on. He asked for the dinner . A dinner was arranged. I think he asked for the dinner. He wanted to stay on as the fbi head, and i said ill consider, well see what happens, but we had a very nice dinner. At that time he told me you are not under investigation. Close comey associates told New York Times and nbc news a very different version of that dinner. No, comey did not ask for the dinner. His Associates Say he was invited by trump, and accepted he reluctantly, and know comeys association say there were no assurances from comey that trump was not under investigation. The senior official said comey tried to avoid the subject altogether and no, comey did not ask to keep his job. It was the president making requesting that comey specifically pledge his personal loyalty to trump. Sean spicer denied that claim on friday. I want to bring in my panel clint watts, malcolm nance, naismt avich, Eric Columbus and democratic strat skis careen jeanpierre. Clint, im going to start with you. On this notion that the director of the fbi would number one ask to have dinner with the president in order to save his job, does that ring true to you . No. The fbi director is on a tenyear appointment. Hes going to do his job. If you want the fbi director to a meeting, you do it in the oval office. This is the trump way of doing business, around dinner tables. He hasnt understood hes no longer running a business, hes running a country. Would an i made a good point. This guy is on a tenyear deal. In theory hes got his job for ten years. Why would he have to ask for it. Would a fbi director or anyone below him affirmatively tell someone you are not under investigation. Trump claims he told him that three times. I doubt this. I cant imagine i would say this. If you have that question, and thats coercion, thats influence. If you get that question, you either dont answer it or try at least to get out of the situation, which is what i imagine director comey was doing. Eric columbus, i want to go to the other element of this, the story that came from associates of jim comey, that what trump wanted at that dinner was a show of loyalty, and this coming so close to sallie yates, either hours or the next day after sally yates had warned don mcgahn, the white House Counsel, that Michael Flynn was subject to blackmail, he suddenly brings in the fbi director and asks for loyal. This is donald trump talking to Jeanine Pirro on fox. I read that article. I dont think its inappropriate. Did you ask that question . No, no, i didnt, but i dont think it would be a bad question to ask. I think loyalty to the country, loyalty to the United States is important. It depends on how you define loyalty. Number one. Number two, i dont know how that got there, because i didnt ask that question. Eric columbus, the idea you now have a he said he said or he said friends of he said. If trump said that wouldnt be a bad question, would that be a bad question to ask of an fbi director, in your view . It would be a horrible question. I think hes been watching the godfather one too many times. In your view, i said to go back to the moment the way comey was let go. Mr. Rosenstein, who wrote the memo on the same day of the firing, when you read that memo, how did it strike you . Did it seem that mr. Rosenstein was initiates the firing or responding to a request that he had can um up with a pretext . Definitely the latter. I dont think Rod Rosenstein had any interest in getting rid of him. He was asked to come up with a pretext, appeared he came up with a pretext that would be least damaging to the department of justice and the fbi by ascribing it entirely to things we already know about, and things that no one in their right mind would think that trump would actually want to fire comey for. Malcolm, let me go to navid on this first, the other sort of pretext that weve been given for the firing was that he was destroying moralen side the fbi. Im going to ask clint about this, too, but this was Sarah Huckabee sanders, in the wednesday. Most importantly the rankandfile of the fbi had lost confidence of their director. Ive heard from countless members of the fbi that are grateful and thankful for the president s decision. Mean mile James Clapper, who we presume knows some photos in that agency, told Andrea Mitchell essentially the opposite on friday. I can attest its always difficult to assess the morale, but from my vantage, and i think im pretty good in assessing command climate as we soo say in the military, the morale was very high, and i witnessed the very high esteem and respect that people in the fbi have still have for jim comey. Who is more credible on this . Undoubtedly james claper. The biggest thing you said is and furthermore, sort of append that with, you know, leaked sources of who the next replacement it might be, i think what the fbi needs is a chance to breathe and stability and frankly more funding. The counterintelligence folks have suffered a pretty big setback, when you start mucking around with a Large Organization and changing leaders, it causes cha chaos. Clint, was there low morale because of jim comey . No, the only morale killer are the politicians and part sans on each end of pennsylvania. If theyre allowed to do their sdwrob, things will get fine. Theyre get battered back and forth, depending on what administration is in and whos running the hill. Too much politics invaded the fbi. I want to ask about James Clapper himself. We also had trump attempting to using clapper. This is what he tweeted. When James Clapper himself and virtually everyone else with knowledge of the witchhunt, where does it end . Heres James Clapper with Andrea Mitchell again, saying the opposite. Its not surprising or abnormal that i would not have known about the investigation or even more importantly, the content of that investigation. So i dont know if there was collusion or not. I dont know if theres evidence of collusion or not, nor should i have in this particular context. So, malcolm, not only trump, but also people like senator graham, attempt to imply that if the director of National Intelligence didnt know or wasnt aware there was miscollusion, that there couldnt have been any collusion, does that makes sense to you . No, it doesnt makes sense, the director of National Intelligence is responsible for the overall care, feeding and mountains of the hierarchy, but if it is something as significant as a counterintelligence, a counterespionage investigation that is going on within the po administration, carried out by the fbi, it may be in the fbis interest and maybe clapper himself could have a target not to tell him that investigation. Those are two completely different things. He manages intelligence. I noticed he tends to say no evidence was brought to me. He of all knows that intelligence is not always evidence. Evidence is a legal term, and thats probably what hes saying. It hasnt gone to the Justice Department. One other point. Donald trump used clapper, because donald trump tends to carry out his campaigns against individual the way the russians do with their active measures. Thats to use the same russian style strategy of deceive, deny, make counteraccusations, then he always throws a new one on the end, to dare, to dare people, to challenge the authenticity or credibility of what he says. I want to talk a bit about the politics of this. The scandal on the legal side is bad enough, but the politics that we now have a president of the United States that essentially threatened of the former dreblgtor of the fib via a tweet, we have him being contradicted directly by the former director of National Intelligence. Why has this not moved the politics, as far as the republicans are concerned . Thats a really good question. I do not understand. This could be a bipartisan outcry. As we know, we not for a fact that russia interfered in our election. We know that our democracy was undermined. Instead of wanting to find out whats going on, the republicans wants to find out how to tax reform for the wealthy, the billionaires. This is to Mitch Mcconnell and paul ryan. They need to be leaders here. This is not what our country is all about. At the end of the day, theres this old saying in it looks like a duck, it sounds like a duck, it quacks like a duck, it is a duck. If there was an obstruction of justice urges and it smells like it did and sounds like it did, there was likely an obstruction of justice. Hes attacking, assaulting, undermining it is bedrock of our democracy and government and leading us to a constitutional crisis. If were not it already in one already. Thank you all very much. Coming up a growing number of democrats are starting to use the i word. Is that even possible one of trumps chief critic also joins me next. Whats that . P3 planters nuts, jerky and seeds. I like a variety in my protein. Totally, thats why i have this uh trail mix. Wow minty. P3 snacks. The more interesting way to get your protein. You totanobodys hurt, new car. But there will still be pain. It comes when your Insurance Company says theyll only pay threequarters of what it takes to replace it. What are you supposed to do . Drive threequarters of a car . Now if you had Liberty Mutual new car replacement™, youd get your whole car back. I guess they dont want you driving around on three wheels. Smart. With Liberty Mutual new car replacement™, well replace the full value of your car. Liberty stands with you™. Liberty mutual insurance. Donald trump is about to give a commencement address. Some have been youths the i word and while impeachment still remains as senator blumenthal said a distant possibility, democrats are pursuing other ways to hold trump accountable. Four democrats asked the doj to open a new probe whether trump interfered in the and theyre calling his bluff about the warning about tapes about their dinner conversation. A letter was sent to the white house on friday requesting any types regarding that conversation. Thank you for being here. I want to start with that tweet. A lot of lawyers were interpreting that as potential obstruction of justice or witness tampering. You, sir, you are an attorney as well. I wanted to ask you about it. In your view, is that either in the political sort of impeachment sense or in the legal sense obstruction of justice or witness tampering . It could be, but i believe the firing of director comey is the obstruction of justice. The president essential admitted he fired him because of the russia probe. What bothers me is the trump administrations disrespect for the rule of law. None of this is okay. Youre probably too young to remember the impeachment of bill clinton, but you want to go back in a moment. Impeachment is a political process. There is a trial that takes place in the senate once articles of impeachment come out, but it starts in the house. The house files the articles. These are the articles against bill clinton, four counts total. One that he allegedly corrupted and manipulated the judicial process of the United States for his personal gain and exoneration. That was 1 and 2. Article 3 was he engaged personally and through subordinates and agents in a course of conduct or scheme designed to delay, impede, cover up and conceal the existence of evident and testimony related to a federal civil Rights Action brought against him. Article 4 was that he engaged in conduct that resulted in the misuse and abuse of his high office, impaired the due and contravened the authority of the legislative branch and the trustseeking purpose of a coordinate investigative proceeding. A love of that sounds like what donald trump is engaged in. Does it sound like that to you . It does, but in nixons impeachment, the first article was obstruction of justice. That provides a very relevant experience to look at. In that case, Richard Nixon fired people who were investigating him. Thats exactly what donald trump did with the firing of director comey. Yet, the head of the body in which you serve, congressman lieu, is refusing to do anything about it, even as you and others respond. This is according to jake tapper i decided im not going to comment on the tweets of the day or the hour. Hes essentially dismissed even the idea he should even talk about what donald trump is doing. Do you see any chance that the leader of the house of representatives or the leadership of the house will do anything at all to constrain the president . Not right now, but its starting to change. We have republican justin amash out of michigan saying there should be an independent commission to look into the trump russia activities. Darrell issa out of Southern California saying there should be a special prosecutor, and youre seeing more and more republicans starting to put country above party, and eventually well get to the truth. To your point, even Jason Chaffetz who said he couldnt look hess daughter in her ice, but there are some movement. The reason year includings wont move is the polls. Lets look at gallups Approval Rating this is may 1st through the 7th. He as got 40 of independents, the average is 42, an historical low, but in your view, as long hes at 84 with republicans, do you foresee republicans ever, ever impeaching somebody who their own voters support . I do not. Thats why the Midterm Election in a year and a half are so important. Let me just give you two words why theyre important subpoena power. If the democrats control the house, we can control the subpoenas, that means we can do a real investigation, and demand documents and have witnesses come and testify. Thats why the Midterm Elections are so important in the year and a half. Two words subpoena power. Keep it in mind, voters, congressman lieu, thank you very much. Thank you. Trump takes his Distraction Campaign to the campus of Liberty University. Thats next. A naturally aspirated 5. 0liter v8 engine. A 10speed directshift transmission. A meticulously crafted interior. All of these are feats of engineering. Combining them with nearperfect weight distribution. Is a feat of amazing. Experience the firstever 471horsepower lexus lc 500 or the multistage hybrid lc 500h. Experience amazing. Before fibromyalgia, i was a doer. I was active. Then the chronic, widespread pain drained my energy. My doctor said moving more helps ease fibromyalgia pain. She also prescribed lyrica. Fibromyalgia is thought to be the result of overactive nerves. Lyrica is believed to calm these nerves. Woman for some, lyrica can significantly relieve fibromyalgia pain and improve function, so i feel better. Lyrica may cause serious allergic reactions or suicidal thoughts or actions. Tell your doctor right away if you have these, new or worsening depression, or unusual changes in mood or behavior. Or swelling, trouble breathing, rash, hives, blisters, muscle pain with fever, tired feeling, or blurry vision. Common side effects are 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. With less pain, i can be more active. Ask your doctor about lyrica. Any moment now donald trump will delivered his messagesment address at Liberty University. They have a total enrollment of over 110,000, founded in 1971 by Jerry Falwell, who became the voice of the religious right, and once had to apologize for blaming several for the terrorist attacks of 9 11, his son is now the president of the university, one of the Donald Trumps staunchest supporters, even after release of the infamous access hollywood tape. Donald trump is only the second president to deliver a commencement address, but hes spoken at Liberty University twice before, including during the 2016 campaign. The key question about his