Transcripts For MSNBCW MSNBC Live 20170611 : vimarsana.com

The president took to twitter this morning to blast comey once again, implying comey leaked information saying his leaks will be far more prevalent than anyone thought possible. And the diplomatic crisis in qatar. Several diplomatic ties with the ally, accusing them of funding terrorism at a high level. We begin here at home in a dramatic move. Attorney general Jeff Sessions says he will testify before the committee. In a closed door hearing, after james comeys testimony, they suggested a possible third undisclosed meeting between ambassador kislyak and senator sessions back in 2015. Sessions has recused himself from that investigation after it emerged he met with kislyak twice last year despite testifying he had not had any contact with russian officials. Sessions recusal caused a lot of tension between him and his boss, trump, and even came to the attorney general offering to resign at one point. How his testimony on tuesday could affect his relationship with the white house, in particular President Trump. Diane feinstein indicating this morning that sessions testimony should not be exclusive to the Intelligence Committee. I challenge the jurisdiction to some extent. Im on both committees, as you know judiciary and intelligence. Yes. And i believe that the Judiciary Committee has the oversight responsibility for the Justice Department, and, therefore, it is very fitting for the attorney general to appear there. Ive written two letters to senator grassley suggesting that and sessions ought to come back before the Judiciary Committee. Lets see how all of this is playing out. Nbcs Kelly Odonnell is joining us from new jersey where President Trump is spending the week. Kelly, thanks for joining us. We saw the white house and how quickly President Trump responded to the testimony of jim comey last week. How is the white house preparing for sessions testimony this upcoming week . Reporter well, no word from the white house specifically about Jeff Sessions going before the Senate Intelligence committee. However, a department of justice spokesperson has repeatedly denied that there was ever any third meeting, which is a part of what you were discussing there, that james comey suggested that there might be a third instance. That involved a conference that was happening at a hotel where sessions and the Russian Ambassador were both present, but the Justice Department says that there was no side conversation, there was no meeting, there was nothing like that. They deny that occurred. But thats one of the questions that has come up, and he would likely be asked about this when he appears before the Senate Intelligence committee on tuesd tuesday, as we expect that will unfold now. What really jumped out about this was in a letter saturday night it was sessions that said he would not appear at the standard hearing expected for tuesday about the budget for the department of justice. Thats a regular thing that Anyone Running one of the agencies would do. Hes not going to go to that public hearing, but instead will accept the invitation of the Senate Intelligence committee to sit with them, talk about the questions that they have, and he said thats moa more appropriat forum for him to answer these questions because hes recused himself on the russia investigation and doesnt believe it would be proper for him to talk about that in a public setting. So it also serves the purpose of taking him out of sort of the hot seat. A public televised hearing would certainly put political pressure on Jeff Sessions, so he can push that aside by having his deputy go to that and instead focus on the Senate Intelligence committee. So far the Intelligence Committee has not provided any specifics about when this hearing would take place, theyve not confirmed that it will take place. Were relying on the fact that sessions is saying that he is accepting this invitation. So it may just be getting back on monday in washington theyll sort all of this out. But there are democrats who have tough questions for sessions, republicans have some, too, so this is really putting Jeff Sessions, the attorney general, in a difficult position. He had already recused himself, and some of what kind of fueled all this is what happened with the james comey testimony. Here is democrat ron widen of oregon questioning the fired fbi director about attorney general sessions. In your statement you said that you and the fbi Leadership Team decided not to discuss the president s actions with attorney general sessions even though he had not recused himself. What was it about the attorney generals own interactions with the russians or his behavior with regard to the investigation that would have led the entire leadership of the fbi to make this decision . Our judgment, as i recall, was that he was very close to and inevitably going to recuse himself for a variety of reasons. We also were aware of facts that i cant discuss in an open setting that would make his continued engagement in a russiarelated investigation problematic. Reporter and so that gives you a sense of what made democrats in particular sort of sit on edge wanting to know what else did the fired fbi director know. And so for Jeff Sessions to come forward, perhaps he can resolve some of that, but its really important to point out it is expected by people in both parties that when sessions talks to the Intelligence Committee, that will be a closed hearing. That is normally how the Intelligence Committee works. James comeys public televised hearing was not the normal way of doing things, and its because comey wanted that to be public. So its not clear we will know what attorney general sessions says to the committee when he has a chance to answer their questions, we think on tuesday, as hes indicating. Aman . Kelly odonnell live for us in new jersey. Thanks for joining us, kelly. Preet rahara sat behind james comey in h, and in an intw he said it was possible what they would look at is obstruction of justice possible by the president . Is there evidence to begin a case for obstruction . I think theres absolutely evidence to begin a case. I think its also important for armchair speculators in the law to be clear that no one knows right now whether there is a provable case of obstruction. Its also clear that there is no basis to say there is no obstruction, and its point on whether or not the president has Legal Authority to fire or direct an investigation, i not only get it, its a little silly to me that the fact you have authority to remove somebody from office doesnt necessarily excuse that person from credibility. Lets ask this question which i think is one of the central questions we heard the former u. S. Attorney there talk about it. Is there enough to consider obstruction of justice against the president from what we have heard so far . I guess it depends what the context is. I mean, i think that preet is right. This absolutely merits further investigation. I think a lot of the discussion about whether or not a criminal obstruction case could be brought in the abstract against somebody who did what trump did here is a little its not irrelevant, but its a little beside the point. The u. S. Attorneys manual says a prosecutor shouldnt bring the case unless they are convinced of the evidence to prove someone guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. Here were not talking about bob mueller or someone in the department of justice actually indicting a sitting president. In all likelihood, that decision would fall to the house to decide whether or not these are high crimes and misdemeanors and whether President Trump should be impeached, and in the senate, if twothirds of them agreed would convict him. So i think were a little bit mixing and matching our evaluation here between what in the end is going to be a political question and what in the normal case would be a strictly legal question. Again, that could change depending on what happens in 2018 for the race for those higher seats. Let me ask you about Jeff Sessions in the weeks ahead as we hear he is expected to testify for the Senate Intelligence committee. He has recused himself from the russia investigation, so do you think despite his recusal, senators will be able to get a lot of information out of him come tuesday . I dont know. As you indicated earlier, i dont know whether its going to be an open session or whether its going to be closed. I think so inevitably theyll ask him about additional meetings with kislyak, theyll ask him about certain things that jim comey testified. Jim comey testified that he asked the attorney general not to leave him alone with the president , which in itself is an extraordinary fact. I think that the senators definitely are going to try to get whatever facts out of Jeff Sessions that they can. I want you to put your legal hat on for a moment, and i want to play something donald trump jr. Said in an interview that aired last night. Take a look at this. When i hear the flynn comment, you and i both know my father a long time. When he tells you to do something, guess what . There is no ambiguity in it. Theres no, hey, im hoping. You and i are friends, i hope this happening but you have to do your job. Thats what he told comey. The Washington Post also suggests that the president seemed to, in effect, be confirming comeys testimony, particularly in the way that he said it, like, you know my father, when he says it, you do it. Do you agree with that . Do you think that sound bite we played may have actually hurt his fathers case . I dont know whether it would actually hurt a legal case. I dont think that statement by trumps son would be admissible in court. But it sure isnt consistent with some of the tweets that weve been seeing from trump. But thats you know, thats nothing new. Trump and his surrogates have reversed course all the time, and the president literally is someone who seems unable to open his mouth or tweet without lying. Yeah, it seems like there is a lot of contradictory statements coming out of there between twitter and what the president is saying. Former federal prosecutor gold man, thank you for joining us this sunday. Thank you. The president had his fingers working on twitter, and between tweets he still reacted to james comeys testimony thursday, saying, i believe the james comey leaks will be far more prevalent than anyone thought possible, totally illegal and very cowardly. Kevin, if i may begin with you, as we were talking about earlier in the program, attorney general Jeff Sessions expected to testify. What do we expect from that, do you think . Its very difficult to know because hes testifying in a closed session. I really would expect a lot of the talk to focus on this mysterious third meeting sessions may have had with the russians. It was very clear that the democratic members of the Intelligence Committee during that public hearing with comey this week were really interested in that hearing and were sort of setting up a few of the questions that they were asking comey seemed to be designed to set up questions they would later ask sessions. So i would expect a lot of it to focus on that, but it will be difficult to know because the hearing will be taking place behind closed doors. The jim comey testimony that we saw, 19 Million People watched it. That had a huge impact on the Public Perception of what is happening with the russia probe. Regardless of which way you think it came down, what is your big takeaway of it . The big takeaway for me from the jim comey testimony is that he seemed to confirm a lot of the news accounts that came out in the aftermath of his firing. He even admitted toordering a friend of his, a law professor, to leak the quotes he wanted focused on. President trump is responding a lot to what jim comey said because it was a public hearing. We dont know if Jeff Sessions hearing will be in a public forum or behind closed doors, so if thats in a public hearing, we can expect to see donald trump tweeting about it. We know his relationship with him is kind of on the rocks right now. If he uses the same language with Jeff Sessions that he used with jim comey, it would be safe to say that that would be kind of throwing the attorney general under the bus in some ways. Hes used very Strong Language against jim comey. Do you think it could go that way with sessions as well . I would say not as far as its gone with jim comey, because Jeff Sessions and trump used to be so close in the beginning. There was no one who argued with him like Jeff Sessions who is really strong being attorney general. How often do you think he wants to keep Jeff Sessions in the fold . You saw that Jeff Sessions offered to resign. Do you think trump would ever be inclined to nudge him out . I would be pretty surprised, to be totally honest. I would be surprised because Jeff Sessions is sort of the architect of a lot of this trumpism. He was at the forefront in congress before donald trump was even a candidate. He backed donald trump fullthroatedly, was one of the better surrogates for his campaign. I would be surprised. And as trump has said repeatedly, he expects loyalty to those who serve with him. Heres what republican senator susan collins, a member of the Intelligence Committee, had to say about that. Take a listen. This is an issue that the president should have cleared up in his press conference. He should give a straight yes or no to the question of whether or not the tapes exist, and he should voluntarily turn them over not only to the Senate Intelligence committee but to the special counsel. If he doesnt and a subpoena would be necessary to find this out, you support that . I would be fine with issuing a subpoena, but that most likely would come from the special counsels office. So kevin, it seems like the president has tweeted himself into a corner yet again by suggesting there may be tapes, implying there may not, or for jim comeys sake they should be taped. Why doesnt President Trump simply give a yes or no answer on whether these tapes exist or not and avoid any more potential damage and calls for a potential subpoena by members of congress . Because hes a Reality Television host and thats sort of the role hes living here. Tune in next week. Tune in next week. I think its a performance. I think its a bit of a performance. I would be amazed if the tapes actually do exist, particularly how tapes were used bakely sicao force Richard Nixon from office. I would be amazed if any president ever taped a conversation they were having. Is it common . Im not really familiar with it, but is it common for the white house to have a tape recorder to tape certain sessions . Since the fbi used it pretty commonly, my understanding is its pretty rare. Maybe conversations with foreign leaders would be taped so they could go back over them at a later date or things like that, but they dont sort of have a running tape of all the conversations the president is having in the oval office. Certainly if youll recall as well, the president said he had that conversation with him in the small dining room off the oval office, so it wasnt even in the confines of the oval office. Thank you both very much for joining us this sunday afternoon. Coming up, the diplomatic crisis when qatar president accuses President Trump of funding terrorism at a higher level. Stay with us. I was out here smoking instead of being there for my sons winning shot. That was it for me. Thats why im quitting with nicorette. Only nicorette mini has a patented fast dissolving formula. It starts to relieve sudden cravings fast. Every great why needs a great how. And its also a story mail aabout people and while we make more ecommerce deliveries to homes than anyone else in the country, we never forget. That your business is our business the United States postal service. Priority you theres nothing more than my vacation. Me so when i need to book a hotel room, i want someone that makes it easy to find what i want. Booking. Com gets it. And with their price match, i know im getting the best price every time. Now i can start relaxing even before the vacation begins. Your vacation is very important. Thats why booking. Com makes finding the right hotel for the right price easy. Visit booking. Com now to find out why were booking. Yeah and its extremist idealogy in terms of funding. That was President Trump on friday accusing qatar of financing terrorism just an hour before trumps secretary on terrorism called on them to ease sanctions in the country. We call on the kingdom of saudi arabia, bahrain and egypt to ease the blockade against qatar. Qatar is home to the largest u. S. Base in the middle east, a base thats central to the air war against isis. Since monday they joined four other neighboring nations to isolate qatar to break liberation with the country. Ashcroft and his law firm will audit the countrys effort to combat terrorism over the next four months. Im joined with the chair of contemporary middle Jeff Sessions<\/a> says he will testify before the committee. In a closed door hearing, after james comeys testimony, they suggested a possible third undisclosed meeting between ambassador kislyak and senator sessions back in 2015. Sessions has recused himself from that investigation after it emerged he met with kislyak twice last year despite testifying he had not had any contact with russian officials. Sessions recusal caused a lot of tension between him and his boss, trump, and even came to the attorney general offering to resign at one point. How his testimony on tuesday could affect his relationship with the white house, in particular President Trump<\/a>. Diane feinstein indicating this morning that sessions testimony should not be exclusive to the Intelligence Committee<\/a>. I challenge the jurisdiction to some extent. Im on both committees, as you know judiciary and intelligence. Yes. And i believe that the Judiciary Committee<\/a> has the oversight responsibility for the Justice Department<\/a>, and, therefore, it is very fitting for the attorney general to appear there. Ive written two letters to senator grassley suggesting that and sessions ought to come back before the Judiciary Committee<\/a>. Lets see how all of this is playing out. Nbcs Kelly Odonnell<\/a> is joining us from new jersey where President Trump<\/a> is spending the week. Kelly, thanks for joining us. We saw the white house and how quickly President Trump<\/a> responded to the testimony of jim comey last week. How is the white house preparing for sessions testimony this upcoming week . Reporter well, no word from the white house specifically about Jeff Sessions<\/a> going before the Senate Intelligence<\/a> committee. However, a department of justice spokesperson has repeatedly denied that there was ever any third meeting, which is a part of what you were discussing there, that james comey suggested that there might be a third instance. That involved a conference that was happening at a hotel where sessions and the Russian Ambassador<\/a> were both present, but the Justice Department<\/a> says that there was no side conversation, there was no meeting, there was nothing like that. They deny that occurred. But thats one of the questions that has come up, and he would likely be asked about this when he appears before the Senate Intelligence<\/a> committee on tuesd tuesday, as we expect that will unfold now. What really jumped out about this was in a letter saturday night it was sessions that said he would not appear at the standard hearing expected for tuesday about the budget for the department of justice. Thats a regular thing that Anyone Running<\/a> one of the agencies would do. Hes not going to go to that public hearing, but instead will accept the invitation of the Senate Intelligence<\/a> committee to sit with them, talk about the questions that they have, and he said thats moa more appropriat forum for him to answer these questions because hes recused himself on the russia investigation and doesnt believe it would be proper for him to talk about that in a public setting. So it also serves the purpose of taking him out of sort of the hot seat. A public televised hearing would certainly put political pressure on Jeff Sessions<\/a>, so he can push that aside by having his deputy go to that and instead focus on the Senate Intelligence<\/a> committee. So far the Intelligence Committee<\/a> has not provided any specifics about when this hearing would take place, theyve not confirmed that it will take place. Were relying on the fact that sessions is saying that he is accepting this invitation. So it may just be getting back on monday in washington theyll sort all of this out. But there are democrats who have tough questions for sessions, republicans have some, too, so this is really putting Jeff Sessions<\/a>, the attorney general, in a difficult position. He had already recused himself, and some of what kind of fueled all this is what happened with the james comey testimony. Here is democrat ron widen of oregon questioning the fired fbi director about attorney general sessions. In your statement you said that you and the fbi Leadership Team<\/a> decided not to discuss the president s actions with attorney general sessions even though he had not recused himself. What was it about the attorney generals own interactions with the russians or his behavior with regard to the investigation that would have led the entire leadership of the fbi to make this decision . Our judgment, as i recall, was that he was very close to and inevitably going to recuse himself for a variety of reasons. We also were aware of facts that i cant discuss in an open setting that would make his continued engagement in a russiarelated investigation problematic. Reporter and so that gives you a sense of what made democrats in particular sort of sit on edge wanting to know what else did the fired fbi director know. And so for Jeff Sessions<\/a> to come forward, perhaps he can resolve some of that, but its really important to point out it is expected by people in both parties that when sessions talks to the Intelligence Committee<\/a>, that will be a closed hearing. That is normally how the Intelligence Committee<\/a> works. James comeys public televised hearing was not the normal way of doing things, and its because comey wanted that to be public. So its not clear we will know what attorney general sessions says to the committee when he has a chance to answer their questions, we think on tuesday, as hes indicating. Aman . Kelly odonnell live for us in new jersey. Thanks for joining us, kelly. Preet rahara sat behind james comey in h, and in an intw he said it was possible what they would look at is obstruction of justice possible by the president . Is there evidence to begin a case for obstruction . I think theres absolutely evidence to begin a case. I think its also important for armchair speculators in the law to be clear that no one knows right now whether there is a provable case of obstruction. Its also clear that there is no basis to say there is no obstruction, and its point on whether or not the president has Legal Authority<\/a> to fire or direct an investigation, i not only get it, its a little silly to me that the fact you have authority to remove somebody from office doesnt necessarily excuse that person from credibility. Lets ask this question which i think is one of the central questions we heard the former u. S. Attorney there talk about it. Is there enough to consider obstruction of justice against the president from what we have heard so far . I guess it depends what the context is. I mean, i think that preet is right. This absolutely merits further investigation. I think a lot of the discussion about whether or not a criminal obstruction case could be brought in the abstract against somebody who did what trump did here is a little its not irrelevant, but its a little beside the point. The u. S. Attorneys manual says a prosecutor shouldnt bring the case unless they are convinced of the evidence to prove someone guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. Here were not talking about bob mueller or someone in the department of justice actually indicting a sitting president. In all likelihood, that decision would fall to the house to decide whether or not these are high crimes and misdemeanors and whether President Trump<\/a> should be impeached, and in the senate, if twothirds of them agreed would convict him. So i think were a little bit mixing and matching our evaluation here between what in the end is going to be a political question and what in the normal case would be a strictly legal question. Again, that could change depending on what happens in 2018 for the race for those higher seats. Let me ask you about Jeff Sessions<\/a> in the weeks ahead as we hear he is expected to testify for the Senate Intelligence<\/a> committee. He has recused himself from the russia investigation, so do you think despite his recusal, senators will be able to get a lot of information out of him come tuesday . I dont know. As you indicated earlier, i dont know whether its going to be an open session or whether its going to be closed. I think so inevitably theyll ask him about additional meetings with kislyak, theyll ask him about certain things that jim comey testified. Jim comey testified that he asked the attorney general not to leave him alone with the president , which in itself is an extraordinary fact. I think that the senators definitely are going to try to get whatever facts out of Jeff Sessions<\/a> that they can. I want you to put your legal hat on for a moment, and i want to play something donald trump jr. Said in an interview that aired last night. Take a look at this. When i hear the flynn comment, you and i both know my father a long time. When he tells you to do something, guess what . There is no ambiguity in it. Theres no, hey, im hoping. You and i are friends, i hope this happening but you have to do your job. Thats what he told comey. The Washington Post<\/a> also suggests that the president seemed to, in effect, be confirming comeys testimony, particularly in the way that he said it, like, you know my father, when he says it, you do it. Do you agree with that . Do you think that sound bite we played may have actually hurt his fathers case . I dont know whether it would actually hurt a legal case. I dont think that statement by trumps son would be admissible in court. But it sure isnt consistent with some of the tweets that weve been seeing from trump. But thats you know, thats nothing new. Trump and his surrogates have reversed course all the time, and the president literally is someone who seems unable to open his mouth or tweet without lying. Yeah, it seems like there is a lot of contradictory statements coming out of there between twitter and what the president is saying. Former federal prosecutor gold man, thank you for joining us this sunday. Thank you. The president had his fingers working on twitter, and between tweets he still reacted to james comeys testimony thursday, saying, i believe the james comey leaks will be far more prevalent than anyone thought possible, totally illegal and very cowardly. Kevin, if i may begin with you, as we were talking about earlier in the program, attorney general Jeff Sessions<\/a> expected to testify. What do we expect from that, do you think . Its very difficult to know because hes testifying in a closed session. I really would expect a lot of the talk to focus on this mysterious third meeting sessions may have had with the russians. It was very clear that the democratic members of the Intelligence Committee<\/a> during that public hearing with comey this week were really interested in that hearing and were sort of setting up a few of the questions that they were asking comey seemed to be designed to set up questions they would later ask sessions. So i would expect a lot of it to focus on that, but it will be difficult to know because the hearing will be taking place behind closed doors. The jim comey testimony that we saw, 19 Million People<\/a> watched it. That had a huge impact on the Public Perception<\/a> of what is happening with the russia probe. Regardless of which way you think it came down, what is your big takeaway of it . The big takeaway for me from the jim comey testimony is that he seemed to confirm a lot of the news accounts that came out in the aftermath of his firing. He even admitted toordering a friend of his, a law professor, to leak the quotes he wanted focused on. President trump is responding a lot to what jim comey said because it was a public hearing. We dont know if Jeff Sessions<\/a> hearing will be in a public forum or behind closed doors, so if thats in a public hearing, we can expect to see donald trump tweeting about it. We know his relationship with him is kind of on the rocks right now. If he uses the same language with Jeff Sessions<\/a> that he used with jim comey, it would be safe to say that that would be kind of throwing the attorney general under the bus in some ways. Hes used very Strong Language<\/a> against jim comey. Do you think it could go that way with sessions as well . I would say not as far as its gone with jim comey, because Jeff Sessions<\/a> and trump used to be so close in the beginning. There was no one who argued with him like Jeff Sessions<\/a> who is really strong being attorney general. How often do you think he wants to keep Jeff Sessions<\/a> in the fold . You saw that Jeff Sessions<\/a> offered to resign. Do you think trump would ever be inclined to nudge him out . I would be pretty surprised, to be totally honest. I would be surprised because Jeff Sessions<\/a> is sort of the architect of a lot of this trumpism. He was at the forefront in congress before donald trump was even a candidate. He backed donald trump fullthroatedly, was one of the better surrogates for his campaign. I would be surprised. And as trump has said repeatedly, he expects loyalty to those who serve with him. Heres what republican senator susan collins, a member of the Intelligence Committee<\/a>, had to say about that. Take a listen. This is an issue that the president should have cleared up in his press conference. He should give a straight yes or no to the question of whether or not the tapes exist, and he should voluntarily turn them over not only to the Senate Intelligence<\/a> committee but to the special counsel. If he doesnt and a subpoena would be necessary to find this out, you support that . I would be fine with issuing a subpoena, but that most likely would come from the special counsels office. So kevin, it seems like the president has tweeted himself into a corner yet again by suggesting there may be tapes, implying there may not, or for jim comeys sake they should be taped. Why doesnt President Trump<\/a> simply give a yes or no answer on whether these tapes exist or not and avoid any more potential damage and calls for a potential subpoena by members of congress . Because hes a Reality Television<\/a> host and thats sort of the role hes living here. Tune in next week. Tune in next week. I think its a performance. I think its a bit of a performance. I would be amazed if the tapes actually do exist, particularly how tapes were used bakely sicao force Richard Nixon<\/a> from office. I would be amazed if any president ever taped a conversation they were having. Is it common . Im not really familiar with it, but is it common for the white house to have a tape recorder to tape certain sessions . Since the fbi used it pretty commonly, my understanding is its pretty rare. Maybe conversations with foreign leaders would be taped so they could go back over them at a later date or things like that, but they dont sort of have a running tape of all the conversations the president is having in the oval office. Certainly if youll recall as well, the president said he had that conversation with him in the small dining room off the oval office, so it wasnt even in the confines of the oval office. Thank you both very much for joining us this sunday afternoon. Coming up, the diplomatic crisis when qatar president accuses President Trump<\/a> of funding terrorism at a higher level. Stay with us. I was out here smoking instead of being there for my sons winning shot. That was it for me. Thats why im quitting with nicorette. Only nicorette mini has a patented fast dissolving formula. It starts to relieve sudden cravings fast. Every great why needs a great how. And its also a story mail aabout people and while we make more ecommerce deliveries to homes than anyone else in the country, we never forget. That your business is our business the United States<\/a> postal service. Priority you theres nothing more than my vacation. Me so when i need to book a hotel room, i want someone that makes it easy to find what i want. Booking. Com gets it. And with their price match, i know im getting the best price every time. Now i can start relaxing even before the vacation begins. Your vacation is very important. Thats why booking. Com makes finding the right hotel for the right price easy. Visit booking. Com now to find out why were booking. Yeah and its extremist idealogy in terms of funding. That was President Trump<\/a> on friday accusing qatar of financing terrorism just an hour before trumps secretary on terrorism called on them to ease sanctions in the country. We call on the kingdom of saudi arabia, bahrain and egypt to ease the blockade against qatar. Qatar is home to the largest u. S. Base in the middle east, a base thats central to the air war against isis. Since monday they joined four other neighboring nations to isolate qatar to break liberation with the country. Ashcroft and his law firm will audit the countrys effort to combat terrorism over the next four months. Im joined with the chair of contemporary middle Eastern Studies<\/a> at the London School<\/a> of economics and author of isis a history. Lets talk about this decision with qatar who Just Announced<\/a> theyre hiring attorney general ashcroft to head this audit. What is the significance of this move, do you think . Qatar is terrified. They are very anxious. Here you have the president of the United States<\/a>, which basically has one of the Largest Military<\/a> bases in qatar, accusing qatar of financing terrorism in very blunt words. Not only that, saudi arabia, the emirates and other states are accused of supporting and financing terrorist organizations. These are very serious concerns and the qataris is trying to clear the air, basically mushing back against the accusation. The United States<\/a> has sided bluntly with saudi arabia and its allies against qatar. What the americans are trying to do, what the white house and the state department, even though there are some differences in tone, theyre trying to push and pressure qatar to accept the demands of saudi arabia and its allies. And the demands are very clear. They want qatar to stop supporting in terms of finance and Political Support<\/a> for islamist groups, whether youre talking about the islamic brotherhood in egypt, and they want qatar to join the broadly based group against iran. So the allegation that qatar has been funding terrorism, as you and i know, its kind of been out there for some time by the saudi government, the emirate government and others, but why the blockade now . Did something change on the ground or was there a sudden event that escalated this that made them move all of a sudden . As you said, the crisis has been simmering for a while, since really the socalled arab spring in 20112012. The crisis there was a crisis in 2014. Saudi arabia broke diplomatic relations with qatar and kuwait has brokered a settlement between qatar and the saudis. Now egypt says the qataris has not carried out the promises in the kuwait agreement in 2014. My take is there is another factor in the equation, President Trump<\/a>s visit to saudi arabia and the summit where the spark that triggered this particular current crisis. Now qatar is in a corner, in a weak position, and the saudis and their allies are trying to force qatar to accept the demands by saudi arabia and its allies. The qataris reject this notion that somehow theyre supporting any type of terrorist organization. In fact, what they cite when i speak to them is they say this is more about the arab spring, the change, they want to support what they say are populist movements across the region and trying to embrace that change by giving the islamist a seat at the table. That is something thats been rejected by saudi arabia and egypt that considers the brotherhood a terrorist organization. Does qatars explanation hold any water, do you think . Do they have a truth in the fact theyre trying to embrace more popular movements in these countries, or not . My take on it is that qatar is a very small and tiny state. And since 2010, qatar has really sought to play a bigger role. Its seeking a role in the region in tremendous turmoil. And the islamists, whether youre talking about the Muslim Brotherhood<\/a> in egypt or in syria or other places have provided that qatar was a ladder on which to climb. Yet these same islamists, they present in the eyes of saudis and egyptians, a threat to the stability and also the stability of the regime themselves. Not to mention iran. Iran is a big question between qatar and its neighbors. They believe that qatar really says one thing and basically acts differently. It has good relations with iran, and the saudis now wont take it anymore. Thats why my take on it is this particular crisis is going to run its course. At the end of the day, regardless of what i mean, forget the politics of it. Qatar has very few choices and its choices that are extremely costly. Thats why at the end of the day its got to accept the demands laid by the saudis and the americans. We spent a lot of time discussing the politics of it all, but this is having a humanitarian effect, families separated, nations blockaded by qatar and those that are not. Thai been unable to travel because theres been no flight predictions among the companys air spaces. But what impact has it had on the region . There are about 15 million citizens in qatar as well that will be seriously impacted wi this. Absolutely. Today the saudis and the emirates have made it very clear. Theyre going to try to accommodate the families that basically exist, families what are married, intermarriage basically between qatar and the emirates and saudi arabia in order to address the humanity in question. You have the unity of the Corporation Council<\/a> which means a great deal to the americans. Thats why theyre pushing for a settlement sooner rather than later by nudging qatar to accept the demands by the saudis, not to mention the war on terror. The American Campaign<\/a> is basically conducted by the military base in qatar and the americans have quarters for their military forces. When we talk about the gulf, this is one of the most strategic and one of the most i mean, powerful areas in the world. More than twothirds of oil and gas exist in this part of the world. The biggest flow is in china, so both a unity of the gulf Corporation Council<\/a>, the economic and the security implications matter a great deal to the middle east and also to americas relations with the gulf. Needless to say, the region itself cannot handle any more crises or conflicts, but here is one more now thrown into the mix. Professor, its great to have you with us. Thanks for joining us. Thank you. Coming up, could puerto rico become the 51st state . Americans head to the polls there among the islands debt crisis. Our senses awake. Our hearts racing as one. I know this is sudden, but they say. If you love something set it free. See you around, giulia of being there for my sons winning shot. That was it for me. Thats why im quitting with nicorette. Only nicorette mini has a patented fast dissolving formula. It starts to relieve sudden cravings fast. Every great why needs a great how. The uncertainties of hep c. Wondering, what if . I let go of all those feelings. Because i am cured with harvoni. Harvoni is a revolutionary treatment for the most common type of chronic hepatitis c. Its been prescribed to more than a quarter Million People<\/a>. And is proven to cure up to 99 of patients who have had no prior treatment with 12 weeks. Certain patients can be cured with just 8 weeks of harvoni. Before starting harvoni, your doctor will test to see if youve ever had hepatitis b, which may flare up and cause serious liver problems during and after harvoni treatment. Tell your doctor if youve ever had hepatitis b, a liver transplant, other liver or kidney problems, hiv or any other medical conditions and about all the medicines you take including herbal supplements. Taking amiodarone with harvoni can cause a serious slowing of your heart rate. Common side effects of harvoni include tiredness, headache and weakness. Ready to let go of hep c . Ask your hep c specialist about harvoni. Youre going to be hanging out in here. So if you need anything, text me. Do you play . Use the chase mobile app to send money in just a tap, to friends at more banks then ever before. You got next . Chase. Helping you master whats now and whats next. Welcome back to msnbc headquarters here in new york. Could puerto rico be the 51st state of the United States<\/a>. They are asking for the legal status of their island. This happened as thousands of Puerto Ricans<\/a> gathered for the puerto rico parade. Voters will have an opportunity to tell the United States<\/a> if they will join as another state, become fully independent, or remain a selfgoverning u. S. Territory. The decision will directly impact, of course, its current economic crisis. Less than 24 hours after Jeff Sessions<\/a> announced he would appear tuesday in front of the Senate Intelligence<\/a> committee during a closed session, the head of the rnc made clear shes done with the whole matter. This is a fishing expedition to try and run out the clock for the democrats, hoping to make gains in 2018. Are you calling for an end to the senate and house Intelligence Committee<\/a> investigations . Im calling for an end to the investigations about President Trump<\/a>s campaign clolluding wit the russians. Theres been no evidence of it, i dont think it should continue. Gentlemen, its great to have both of you with us. Robert, if i could begin with you. Do you think the demand you just heard to end the probe is likely to go anywhere . Not a prayer. Nor should it. She called it a fishing inquiry, but there is a whale out there and the whale is real serious. There is a real threat to our democracy. I think we have evidence that the russian government is involved in interfering with our democratic process not just in this country but in other countries, and if people cant come together to get to the facts on that, im not sure what we can get together on. Robert, the point weve heard over and over again is theres been no evidence of collusion. There have been meetings that happened between affiliates of the Trump Campaign<\/a> and russian officials but nothing to substantiate any kind of collusion. Do you agree with that assessment in terms of whats out there . Thank you very much for the question. I think what we have to agree on is we have no idea what the evidence is and thats why special counsel mueller has been charged with gearing up with a staff and doing a professional investigation. I think we should just sit tight and see what the nonpartisan lawyers come up with. It looks real bad. Youve got flynn being fired by the president on the same day the president is tweeting flynn did nothing. Youve got the president pressuring the head of the fbi to drop the investigation. I think the most interesting thing to look at if i were handling the investigation, flynn is asking the senate for immunity in exchange for his testimony. What is he covering up . Interesting, yeah. What piece of evidence does he have either about himtself, the russians, trump . I dont know. I dont know that i need to know. I have great confidence in special counsel mueller. I think hell get to the bottom of it. And senator muller says he knows what he wants to ask Jeff Sessions<\/a>. Take a listen. First, did he interfere with the Russian Investigation<\/a> before he recused himself . Second, what safeguards are there now so that he doesnt interfere . Third, it says he was involved in the firing of comey and the president says comey fts fired because of russia. How does that fit in with his recusal . It doesnt seem to stand up well to me. And four, if hes been involved in the selection of the new fbi director, did he talk about the Russian Investigation<\/a> with them . So, ambassador, your take on those questions. Are those the right questions, or would you want to see a set of different questions that arent being asked as well . I think those are the right questions, but this is an extraordinary number of people involved in a Political Campaign<\/a> talking to a foreign government. And what we already know about the russians, i think there is a lot of smoke there, and i agree with the point that one of the reasons we have this special counsel is to get to the bottom of it. And if special counsel mueller says theres something there, i think you can pretty much take that to the bank. If he says there isnt anything there, i think we can all move on. But to have this attorney general sort of not have a clear understanding and you might ask, what was he talking to the Russian Ambassador<\/a> in the first place . He talked the idea of the Senate Relations<\/a> committee, they talked about a lot of people, but this goes well beyond any kind of duties in the Senate Relations<\/a> committee, especially with the timing. I think this will get more interesting in the days and weeks ahead. Thats the least to say thats going to happen. Let me ask you about the sessions testimony thats upcoming. What did you expect to hear from him . Do you think he will be forthcoming or not . I think hes going to be pretty careful and pretty deminimus and explain that he decided to stand back or recuse himself based on the fact that he had had some conversations which hell say were not of substance. I mean, the issue will be whether there is any evidence to say exactly what he said to kisly kislyak, to the Russian Ambassador<\/a>, or will he, in fact, simply have to say, look, i had these short conversations. They had nothing to do with anything, but in the interest of making sure we all move ahead, i recused myself. I suspect it will be something along those lines. Robert, the president said on friday he is more than willing to testify under oath about the comey conversations. Do you think special counsel robert mueller, will he take him up on that . Absolutely. Hes not eager to do it now. I think mueller, if hes the prosecutor i know him to be, and i worked with mueller at the department of justice, he will carefully build a case. There are dozens and dozens of people to interview. Hes got roger stone, hes got paul manafort, hes got flynn. Hes going to find out all the facts that he can get. I dont think he goes into an inquiry like this thinking trump is the object of a possible indictment. And to be clear, its highly, highly, highly unlikely a president is going to be indicted for anything, let alone obstruction of justice. If it gets to the point where it looks like trump was involved, President Trump<\/a> was involved in ways that he shouldnt have been, then you veer into impeachment or resignation. Thats what we had with president nixon, thats what we had with attempted impeachment with president clinton. So i say categorically the president is highly unlikely to be indicted. But there is no question that mueller is going to want to have him as a witness, there is no question that mueller is going to encourage the senate not to take trump on his offer to testify. You dont want to have a key witness out there talking in a public forum before youve had a chance to interview him. Let me ask you real quickly, ambassador, if i may. Youve served in both parties, youve been a diplomat around the world. What is the global view of this, and can you tell us how does this instability in our political venue and our institutions apply to the world . This hurts a lot. Were almost out of the equation in europe, and i think well see more fallout from the British Elections<\/a> in the coming days. Even in asia. There is a real concern that we have a president who either is uninterested or incapable of understanding these issues. So the world is looking at us with great, great concern and wondering, really, what were doing. How is it that we could go from president obama to President Trump<\/a> . I mean, no one can kind of figure that out. They understand the vicissitudes of democracy but this goes beyond anyones understanding. There is no question were paying a big price, and were paying a big price for this c scandal issue. Thank you both for joining us today. Coming up, trump and twitter social media has been a major communication tool for the president but also a cause for major concern. Were going to dive into that next. So many new ways. Like new coastal lobster and shrimp, with a lobster tail with butter and herbs, sweet, smoky bbq red shrimp, and shrimp crusted with. Get this. Cape cod kettle chips. Or try lobster and shrimp overboard. A dish this good. Makes you this hungry. Its the highlight of the season, and cant last. So hurry in. P3 its meat, cheese and nuts. I keep my protein interesting. Oh yea, me too. I have cheese and uh these herbs. P3 snacks. The more interesting way to get your protein. Its not just a car, work sfx its your daily retreat. The es and es hybrid. Lease the 2017 es 350 for 329 a month for 36 months. Experience amazing at your lexus dealer. Welcome back, everyone. President trumps Early Morning<\/a> tweet storm against james comey follows comeys testimony. This years twitter science nearly breaks a record since President Trump<\/a> declared his candidacy for office. Theres no question the tool remains a communication pathway between trump and the world, but its also become a major cause of concern for his closest advisers. Nbc samantha sellers is here with all of that. What can you tell us about the president and his twitter usage . His twitter usage is well documented, were always talking about it, and this week, as you said, he almost set a new record for the longest time without tweeting since announcing his candidacy. But he came up three minutes short when he started tweeting about former fbi director james comey. Dick costolo piped in about his thought on his tweeting habits. You have a whole world of foux n folks now and journalists who can say, well, you said something completely different 360 days ago and here it is right here and now we can put them side by side and see what kind of person you are. When trump tweeted about Hillary Clinton<\/a> and leaking highly classified information. Next up, tweeting about syria when president obama was in office. Do not attack syria. We know last month he launched a military strike against a syrian air base. Heres a couple literally side by side. First up on protests. Trump encouraged march on washington. We should march on washington while president obama was in office. Then he said protesting was very unfair once he took office. Finally in the Electoral College<\/a>, trump at one point said the Electoral College<\/a> is a disaster for our democracy, but then recently he said the Electoral College<\/a> is actually genius. So ayman, of course hes allowed to change his mind but its amazing how much he goes back and changes. Its interesting seeing those side by sides if it would have any impact to his supporters who seem to be adamantly supportive of him. Thank you for breaking it down for us. Coming up, what to expect in week 2 of the cosby trial. We look ahead as the defense gets ready to present their case. Coming up in the next hour, pulse of america. Dont miss my colleague john than lui. Were both stuck in this cube farm and youre about to hit send all on some embarrassing gas. Hey, you bought gasx\u00ae unlike antacids, gasx \u00ae relieves pressure l iu bloating fast. Huh, criisierted. Iu. If you have moderate to severe plaque psoriasis,. Isnt it time to let the real you shine through . Maybe its time for Otezla Apremilast<\/a> . 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. Dont take otezla if youre allergic to any of its ingredients. Otezla may increase the risk of depression. Tell your doctor if you have a history of depression or suicidal thoughts. Or if these feelings develop. Some people taking otezla reported weight loss. Your doctor should monitor your weight. And may stop treatment. Side effects may include diarrhea,. Nausea, upper respiratory tract infection. And headache. Tell your doctor about all the medicines you take and if youre pregnant or planning to be. Ask your dermatologist about otezla today. Otezla. Show more of you. You wto progress. Move. To not just accept what you see, but imagine something new. At invisalign\u00ae, we use the most advanced teeth straightening technology to help you find the next amazing version of yourself. Its time to unleash your secret weapon. Its there, right under your nose. Get to your best smile up to 50 faster. Visit invisalign. Com to get started today. Tech when you schedule with safelite autoglass, you get a text when were on our way. You can see exactly when well arrive. Im micah with safelite. Customer thanks for coming, its right over here. Tech giving you a few more minutes for what matters most. Take care. Kids singing safelite\u00ae repair, safelite\u00ae replace. The cosby criminal trial begins tomorrow after the prosecution rested their case on friday. As the defense prepares to make its case, many wonder if the comedian will take the stand. Just last month the 79yearold said he would not testify, but a week into the trial, cosbys publicist is signalling that may now be a possibility. Andrea constand accused cosby of drugging and assaulting her in his home in 2004. Cosby has repeatedly denied these allegations of sexual misconduct. He is facing charges of aggravated indecency assault. Lets talk about what is at stake if, in fact, bill cosby takes the stand. You have to play this out. So far far, the defense has sta with a consistent approach here which is attack the prosecution, show the biases, show any inconsistents. If you put bill cosby on, you have some things that can work in his favor that the jury can see. This is a man, in failing health, 79 years old, hes legally blind. He can talk about what it was like in 2005, possibly being targets of people extorting him for money or things of that nature and look at the jury in the eye, he can tell them, i did nothing illegal here. This was consensual. However, right when you do that you open the door for the prosecution to bring in 50 to 60 prior accusers to come in as rebuttal witnesses to say, you know, everything he just testified is not true. And were now going to get on the stand and tell you our stories. So that begs the question then, are jurors more sympathetic or less sympathetic when a defendant doesnt testify on his by half . Well, the juries will be given an instruction, he has a right to remain silent, you cant use that against him. Now, some jurors may want to hear from him. They may want to hear them look in the eye and say i didnt do this. Then it was consensual. But you have to look at the defense here. You know, they were lucky enough to have one prior accuser be able to testify. So far in this trial. This could open the door could be very damaging. Possibly you could have 50 to 60 people come in own the stand, parading in and out of court as rebuttal witnesses, testify and each one of these people are going to want to tell their story. So as a defense, you have to be able to weigh these things out. They have had a year to prepare for this case. I believe that they have already pretty much thought out what theyre doing. You alluded it to in terms of what a Defense Strategy<\/a> would look like, but what type of defense will cosbys attorney need to make this week . Well, hes allowed to show character witnesses, witnesses that can testify to his law abidedness. He can parade as many people, famous people, family support. To come in and testify he has a reputation or the law abidedness an in community. They could put on some witnesses who can talk about the effects of quaaludes and benadryl. They had an expert testify late in the week about how victims of sexual crimes, how they react. They could bring on their own Expert Witness<\/a> to testify about things, about how the victims should act and things of that nature. Very quickly, we have a few seconds left. You talk about the optics that can come in and be character defense witnesses. Some celebrities who have been walking in with him to his trial every morning and what message that sends to the jury. Well, i mean, juries are people too, you know . They see the famous people. They know who they are. For the people to get on the stand and swear under oath he has a great reputation in the community. The bill cosby we know and love would never do Something Like<\/a> this. Criminal defense attorney, sorry we ran out of time. There well be watching this all week long as well. All right. Well be back after this commercial break. I was out here smoking instead of being there for my sons winning shot. That was it for me. Thats why im quitting with nicorette. Only nicorette mini has a patented fast dissolving formula. It starts to relieve sudden cravings fast. Every great why needs a great how. Every great why we cantwhy . Y here terrible toilet paper ill never get clean way ahead of you. avo charmin ultra strong. It cleans better. Its four times stronger and you can use less. Enjoy the go with charmin. All right, happening now, demonstrators are gathering together to stand up for lgbtq rights. Thousands are marching in the unity and pride rallies. The march is aimed to prevent discrimination against members of the Lgbt Community<\/a> and to highlight income inequality. Theyre marching in 60 cities across the United States<\/a>. That does it for this hour. Richard lui is picking up the coverage next. Stay with us throughout the night and any breaking news as it happens. Hell have that for you with pulse of america next. Had. The classes, the friends, the independence. And since we planned for it, that student debt is the one experience, im glad shell miss when you have the right financial advisor, life can be brilliant. Ameriprise and youre about in to hit send all on some embarrassing gas. Hey, you bought gasx\u00ae unlike antacids, gasx \u00ae relieves pressure and bloating fast. Huh, crisis averted. Rays always been different. Last year, he said he was going to dig a hole to china. At t is working with farmers to improve irrigation techniques. Remote moisture sensors use a Reliable Network<\/a> to tell them when and where to water. So that farmers like ray can compete in big ways. China. Oh. He got there. Thats the power of and. The uncertainties of hep c. Wondering, what if . I let go of all those feelings. Because i am cured with harvoni. Harvoni is a revolutionary treatment for the most common type of chronic hepatitis c. Its been prescribed to more than a quarter Million People<\/a>. And is proven to cure up to 99 of patients who have had no prior treatment with 12 weeks. Certain patients can be cured with just 8 weeks of harvoni. Before starting harvoni, your doctor will test to see if youve ever had hepatitis b, which may flare up and cause serious liver problems during and after harvoni treatment. Tell your doctor if youve ever had hepatitis b, a liver transplant, other liver or kidney problems, hiv or any other medical conditions and about all the medicines you take including herbal supplements. Taking amiodarone with harvoni can cause a serious slowing of your heart rate. Common side effects of harvoni include tiredness, headache and weakness. Ready to let go of hep c . Ask your hep c specialist about harvoni. Theres nothing more than my vacation. Me so when i need to book a hotel room, i want someone that makes it easy to find what i want. Booking. Com gets it. And with their price match, i know im getting the best price every time. Now i can start relaxing even before the vacation begins. Your vacation is very important. Thats why booking. Com makes finding the right hotel for the right price easy. Visit booking. Com now to find out why were booking. Yeah very good sunday to you, im richard lui. Welcome to pulse of america. Here are the stories we want to get your pulse on today. Attorney general Jeff Sessions<\/a> less than 48 hours away from testifying before the Intelligence Committee<\/a>. Sessions testimony could be behind closed doors but should bit public . I have seen the tweet about tapes, lordy, i hope there are tapes. Tapes. Comey wants to thaerm if they exist. All on his","publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"archive.org","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","width":"800","height":"600","url":"\/\/ia800608.us.archive.org\/31\/items\/MSNBCW_20170611_180000_MSNBC_Live\/MSNBCW_20170611_180000_MSNBC_Live.thumbs\/MSNBCW_20170611_180000_MSNBC_Live_000001.jpg"}},"autauthor":{"@type":"Organization"},"author":{"sameAs":"archive.org","name":"archive.org"}}],"coverageEndTime":"20240617T12:35:10+00:00"}