Transcripts For MSNBCW Andrea Mitchell Reports 20170515 : vi

By the president , he needs to come clean about it. And cleaning house. Reports of a potential west wing shakeup has many asking whos in and whos out. The president is the ceo of the country. He can hire and fire whoever he wants. Thats his right. I am devoted to helping the president achieve his objectives, helping him be successful. I have to earn his confidence every day. And a very good monday to you. Im Kristen Welker in washington where President Trump is putting his senior staff through a political stress test. Among the pressure points, find agfbi nominee to replace james comey who wont be hit with a bipartisan backlash. Make sure an the commander is prepared for his first foreign trip. And we will see President Trump moments from now peeking at the National Peace officers mechelleal service on capitol service. Well bring that to you live. But now, joining me for a conversation about all of this is nbc National Correspondent Peter Alexander at the white house. And nbc news justice correspondent Pete Williams in our washington bureau. Peter, i want to start with you at the white house. Obviously, we were tracking the developments, the interviews over the weekends for the next fbi director. Where do things stand . The bottom line is we know there have been eight individuals interviewed. Those taking place on saturday. No word of any followup interviews since. The president was not involved in that initial process being headed up by the attorney general Jeff Sessions who is actually there at todays event alongside the president and Deputy Attorney general rod rosen stein. Whats notable. Im going to interrupt you. Well go to President Trump at the memorial. What a beautiful introduction. Thank you, chuck. That was so nice. That was above and beyond. Thats the way im going to be with you, too. And its a great honor. Thank you very much. Its a great honor to address americas heroes on this most solemn occasion. Words cannot express the depths of our gratitude but i hope that our actions will show you how deeply we care and how strongly we feel about protecting those who protect us. America stands strong with our men and women in blue, believe me, we stand strong together. I want to recognize jim pasco, linda henny, chaplain wiggins and everyone at the fraternal order of police for all that you do to protect the Law Enforcement of this country and all of our communities. Thank you very much. Thank you. Thank you very much. As long as im president , you will always find an open door to the white house. And youve already found it, believe me. Mr. Vice president , cabinet secretaries, and members of congress, we are gathered here today at the u. S. Capitol to pay tribute to those brave Law Enforcement officers who gave their lives in the line of duty. On this Police Officers memorial day, we thank god for having blessed so many of us with such incredible heroes and we pledge our solidarity with their families and loved ones and many of those great families and survivors are here with us today. And id love to you stand up. Families and survivors. What great, incredible people. And your loved ones are looking down on you right now, believe me, and theyre very proud. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you very much for being here. Whatever you need, we are here for you. And we are praying for you. As i look out today at this amazing assembly of police, detectives, marshals and sheriffs, i want to make all of you remember and heed this promise. I will always support the incredible men and women of Law Enforcement as much as you have always supported me. And you did. Big league. Your presence here reminds us all of what is at stake on this sacred day of remembrance. Each may during police week, new names of fallen Police Officers are added to the national Law Enforcement memorial. This year, 394 brave souls joined the over 20,000 men and women who gave up their lives in the line of duty to protect us. The names of these heroes are not only carved into that wall, but carved into the hearts of the American People. And by the way, the American People love you more than you will ever know. I can tell you that. Though your loved ones left us much too soon, the memory of their courage will live on forever. To see so many names together is to gain only a small glimpse of the debt america owes to those who protect our cities and police on our streets. We are privileged this morning to be joined by families of the fallen to whom we owe that ultimate loyalty. So many people, even back here. Please know that you do not grieve alone. Though we cannot fathom the depths of your loss nor fully appreciate the bond that forms in the precinct and between partners on the beat, your sadness is left and felt by all of us. Every drop of blood spilled from our heroes in blue is a wound inflicted upon the whole country. And every heart ache known by your families in Law Enforcement is a sorrow shared by the entire family of the american nation. No one asked these selfless men and women to enlist in this righteous cause or to enroll as foot soldiers in the eternal struggle against crime and violence. They joined the cause because their hearts were big and full of amazing courage. They joined because they cared so deeply for the innocent and helpless and forgotten. They put on the uniform because they believed to the very core of their souls that it was their mission in life to serve and to protect. As the bible tells us, there is no greater love than to lay down ones life for ones friends. The names and stories on that wall are each a testament to this pure and unselfish love, and thats what it is. Pure and unselfish love. And it is our duty as a people and as a nation to prove worthy of their sacrifice, and that begins with showing our police the appreciation they have earned a thousand times over. [ applause ] living in new york, i gained a deep appreciation and lasting admiration for Law Enforcement. Thousands of people are living and enjoying life today in new york who otherwise would be gone because our great Police Fought to bring safety to our streets and our communities. The entire world witnessed the heroism of new yorks finest when they gave their lives on 9 11. I was there. And sacrificed so much in that brutal, horrible aftermath. Now as president , my highest duty is to keep america safe. We will keep america safe. And included in safe means safe from crimes, safe from terrorism, and safe from all enemies foreign and domestic. At the center of that duty is the requirement to ensure that our Law Enforcement personnel are given the tools and resources they need to do their jobs and to come home to their families safely. You are the thin blue line between civilization and chaos. You come from every community and all walks of life. You are mothers and fathers and sons and daughters. You rush into unknown danger, risking your lives for people you have never met, people you dont know. Performing your duty under the most difficult conditions. And often, without any thanks at all. Because you do not hear nearly enough, i want you to know that patriotic americans of all backgrounds truly support and love our police. A very sad thing is that many of todays politicians dont want to say that, dont want to talk about that. Because its not politically correct or they think it might hurt them with the voters. I will say it and i will talk about it proudly. I will make it the personal priority of my administration to ensure that our police are finally treated fairly with honor and respect that they deserve. To all americans watch this event today, next time you sue a cop on the beat, take a moment to say two wonderful words which they so readily deserve. Thank you. Thank you. As you all know much too well, we are living through an era in which our police have been subject to unfair defamation anvillification and even really, you see whats going on. You see whats going on. Even worse, hostility and violence. More officers were slain last year in ambushes than in any year in more than two decades. Including, and thats so the incredible to even have to be speaking about this the beloved officers killed in baton rouge, louisiana in yet another murderous attack of Law Enforcement, and we have some of those incredible families and survivors with us. Thank you. The attacks on our polices are a stain on the very fabric of our society, and you are entitled to leadership at the highest level that will draw a bright line in the sand, not a red line in the sand that isnt gone over, but a bright line in the sand, and we will protect you. That i can tell you, and we will say, enough is enough. The attacks on our police must end. And they must end right now. And just to show you, by the way, how much i love our police, i said, oh, im going to need a hat because its so windy today. I said when i got out here, theres no way im going to put on this hat. So well leave off the hat. And this is for you, mica. Thats for our beautiful mica down there. We must also end the reckless words of incitement that give rise to danger and give rise to violence. It is time to work with our cops not against them but to support them in making our streets safe, not to obstruct them. Which were doing. We obstruct them. It is time for all americans from all parties and beliefs to join together in a simple goal to ensure that every child in america has the right to grow up in safety, security, and peace. True social justice means a future where every child in every neighborhood can play outside without fear, can walk home safely from school, and can live out the beautiful dreams that fill their heart. Like you, micah. Freedom includes the right to be free, and i mean totally free from crime and from violence. Ms13 is going to be gone from our streets very soon. Believe me. When policing is reduced, its often the poorest and most vulnerable americans who are the first to suffer. We have all seen the tragic rise in violence and crimes in many of our disadvantaged communities. Weve seen the unbearable horror of the short comings in baltimore and chicago that have cut short so many lives and so many beautiful, beautiful dreams. We cannot stand for such violence. We cannot tolerate such pain. We cannot under any circumstances, any longer turn a blind eye to the suffering thats going on any longer. And we wont. s time for a grateful nation to join hands with our police and with our sheriffs to build the bridges of cooperation and trust and to make our streets safer for every man, woman, and child in america. And some day, many of the Young Children you are protecting will decide that they too want to be plifs, that they too want to be sheriffs. They want to be cops. They want to be cops. They want to protect people because they love people. And thats what theyre going to do and theyre going to do it well. Theyre going to be great at it. As we seek this better and brighter future, we do so in the memory of these brave but gentle souls who were stolen from this world when they had so much left to share and to give, not only to us but to their incredible families. Among them were patrolman Justin Martin and Sergeant Tony biminio who were murdered last november. Patrolman martin was on the beat for less than a year. And leaves a beautiful, loving mom and dad, randy and jane. And thank you, randy and jane. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Sergeant biminio was a veteran of 11 years and leaves behind his wife zeoy and his wonderful children, cameron, haley and maddux. Ashley gwenn don of the Prince William county police fell in the line of duty on her very first day on the beat. She swore the oath to protect and serve only a day prior to her death. One day. Officer gwindon was dedicated to serving our nation. She also served in the marines and today our thoughts are with her and her incredible mother sharon. Thank you, sharon. Thank you, thank you, sharon. Thank you. I also had the privilege to meet at the white house just a little while ago with representatives from the Phoenix Police department, new jersey state troopers, and the ultimatester county Sheriffs Department who are mourning the deaths of state trooper Frankie Williams and sergeant curry winters. I had the chance to spend time with officers beautiful family, his wife kristin and his 6yearold son micah who has my hat and hes now with us. Micah, stands up. Kristin, please stand up. Great people. Kristin and micah, i know your beloved husband and father is looking down on you right now from heaven. And hes so proud of you both. Thank you very much. Thank you. We also remember those incredible heroes who were so cruelly targeted for execution in dallas, texas, rushing into a hail of gunfire, never to return. Dallas Police Sergeant Michael Smith was a 27 year veteran of the dallas police. He was decorated, a Law Enforcement officer at the highest level. And even paid his own way to attend advanced training sessions. He leaves behind his cherished wife heidi and his loving daughters victoria and carolyn. Thank you. Thank you very much. Thank you. Last friday in ohio, a gunman shot and killed steven eric desario. He was the chief of the Kirkersville Police department. He died responding to a hostage situation at a local nursing home. Chief desario leaves behind his six and his wife who is expecting another child. Our hearts break for the chiefs family. We love you all. We love you all. Thank you. To every child in america who has lost a mom or a dad in the line of duty, i want you to know, your parents are american heroes. American heroes. They died keeping us safe. They are the pride of our nation. And we will hold them in our hearts always and forever. Their sacrifice will never ever be forgotten. To everyone in the audience here today, i want you to know that my administration is determined, totally determined, to restore law and order and justice for all americans and were going to do it quickly. And that is why im so proud to be here today with attorney general Jeff Sessions and Homeland Security director john kelley, two men who are deeply committed to the rule of law, to the rank and file officers who enforce it, and to bringing the violent criminals, drug dealers and gang members to justice, and i mean bring them to justice quickly. Thank you very much for being here. All of you at this ceremony the men and women who police the streets or who send our loved ones to work with a really very, very sometimes worried or heavy heart, every single day you do that, youve seen and youve heard things that no one else should ever have to see or hear. You bear this burden on our behalf. You have witnessed the evil of those who derive pleasure from inflicting pain on the innocent. Youve seen a lot of that more recently than maybe ever before. Its going to stop. And youve watched great, great people suffer unthinkable harm and unthinkable death. Ameri america as a nation must always have the clarity to know the difference between good and ebola, between right and wrong and between those who uphold our laws and those who so easily break them. We owe it to the fallen to act according to our best and highest ideals. We owe it to their memory to put truth before politics, justice before agendas, and to put the safety and security of the American People above everything else. And we owe it to them to build a Better Future for all of americas wonderful children. May today be the beginning of a new era of respect and appreciation for Law Enforcement. May this ceremony bring new hope to those in search of healing, harmony, and peace. May americans learn from the example of the heroes we have lost and always remember to trust each other, work with each other, and love each other. And finally, and so importantly, may god bless you, may god bless our police. And may god bless the United States of america. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you very much, everybody. President trump speaking at the National Peace officers Memorial Service at the u. S. Capitol paying tribute to Law Enforcement officials who made the ultimate sacrifice this past year. He called for an end to some of the suffering that has taken place in major cities across the country like chicago and baltimore and called for an end to attacks on our police, calling that a stain on the very fabric of our society. He again reiterated that he is the president who sees it as his highest duty to keep america safe. He said we will keep america safe. With that, i want to go back to the white house and my colleague Peter Alexander who was watching this with me. And, of course, peter, this Service Comes as the president is in the process of trying to pick the new top Law Enforcement official of the country, the new fbi director to replace former fbi director james comey. You and i started the hour talking about where this process stood. Bring us up to date, eight candidates interviewed over the weekend but the department of justice still has the lead on this. Youre kaekt right. The president said we are going to restore, law, order and justice to the American People and were going to do it quickly. One way of doing that quickly would about finding a replacement quickly to replace james co