Alex Witt hosts coverage of national and international news, including breaking stories. There. Its just bad weather, stay there, my friend. Rain, rain, rain. Thank you so much. Joining me now political reporter for the guardian and steph knight, reporter for axios. Ladies, thanks. Sabrina, is there any indication that were getting to the end, the final stretch of whether or not the president will submit to an interview with Robert Mueller . Weve been having the same conversation for months as to what the scope of that interview might look like and the ongoing negotiations with the president s legal team and an interview that would be partially done in person. And then there would perhaps be some questions in written format. So it doesnt really seem like much progress because its something is that we were talking about earlier this year. Whats quite clear is that, the president s legal team does not want him to sit down with the Special Counsel. And i think Rudy Giuliani himself has alluded to the very real risk that the president
could, or might purchasingerjur. I think its striking that the president s Team Doesnt Trust Him to be forthcoming or tell the truth with federal prosecutors. And i think thats what its about. Zbl steph, i would correct myself, its not knight. Would you have any believe that he would conduct this oneonone, but if you listen to his legal teams youd think hes having doubts . Right, the New York Times has recently reported that the president does want to interview with mueller, that he feels that hell be able to persuade him that hes done nothing wrong. Thats something that the president has said over and over again. Hes tweeted about it. He doesnt think theres anything to worry about. He thinks maybe sitting down with mueller will prove, look, im not afraid to do this. Theres no collusion. I think i think hes going to try to push his lawyers to
continue negotiating with muellers team to find a way to make this interview happen. Sabrina, i want to go to maria butina, big picture. Where does this fit in the Trump Campaign and the Russia Campaign or according to j. D. Gordon, his comments, he says its nothing to do with the Trump Campaign. Its just an effort to discourage any republicans, any nra association member. Hows it being read . Lets look at the big picture. Pal reya butina was in this country with the purpose of trying to infiltrate the american political system. And her activities coincided with the broader efforts by the russians to interfere in the 2016 election. So, this is a first indication that she at least had some contact with the Trump Campaign or at least someone who is within the campaigns orbit. J. D. Gordon the director of the Campaign Security team, he said
that the communications they had were innocuous. But he was also offered a role on what would have been trumps transition team. And when butina was introduced to him, that is how he was introduced, someone who would have influence in the forthcoming administration if trump were in fact interested. So its quite clear she was interested at a minimum getting closer to people within the Trump Campaign universe. And potentially the forthcoming administration. Presumably, so you could try and peddle some influence. How about you, stef, whats your take on this . Its just another example of someone connected to russia that did have interactions with people on the Trump Campaign. If you kind of zoom out and look at how many instances have been popping up, similar stories to maria. And i think this is going to go somewhere. Were going to keep seeing more of these incidents come up. And its clear that she was
she was trying to get influence in the Trump Campaign, especially given the timing that she met with j. D. Gordon. Theres still a lot of questions about Whats Going On. But really zoom out and look at all of these different instances that were seeing, its yet again another pointer to interaction between russians and trump officials. Okay. Lets get back to something that im sure neither of you can forget which happened during the president s rally on thursday when he went on that rampage against the media. The topic overall first on a number of fronts, lets take a listen to what the president said and ivanka trump. Here it is. A number of my colleagues here on the press, do you think that were enemy of the people . No, i do not. I think it would be a good thing if you were to say right here, at this briefing, that the president are not the enemy of the people. Repeatedly, the medial resorts to personal attacks without any content other than to incite anger. I had a very nice life. I didnt need to be i used to get actually good press. The media continues to ratchet up the credible assault against the president. Ive certainly received my fair share of reporting on me personally that i knoll not to be fully accurate. Fake news. But no, i do not feel that the media is the enemy of the people. President of the United States should not refer to us as the enemy of the people. Im here to speak on behalf of the president. Hes made his comments clear. They can make anything bad. Because they are are the fake, fake disgusting news. Rm ccharming. Sabrina, i know you reported that the remarks by the president in particular are gaining widespread condemnation. Even the u. N. Is weighing in on it. How significant is it . And ultimately, does it even matter . Well, the challenge is this is something emblematic of not
just the trump presidency, but his candidacy where he repeatedly singled out reporters by name before an angry mob of supporters. I think what the u. N. Was saying in their condemnation is that this rhetoric could very well result in violence. And thats the greatest threat here. The president continues to use his bully pulpit to attack the media as the menemy of the people. And its not because theyre reporting anything inaccurately. A lot of what you see is not typically what you see here in the United States. Its a lot more of what you see in authoritarian regimes. I think thats partially why you saw experts at the United Nations feel the need to weigh in on this. What about you, stef, ivanka, distancing herself from her fathers remarks but critics saying youve got to take more action, ivanka. But my question is, how much
influence did she have . Thats a great question. A lot of people want an answer to. It seems its inconsistent. Shes been able to persuade her father as far as Missile Strikes in syria when she presented photos of the children in syria who had been gassed. And that really moved the president. But on the other end of things she doesnt really have that much sway. At the end of the day, the president ends up doing whatever he thinks is best. And while so her remarks were perhaps encouraging for the media, only a few hours later, we heard Sarah Huckabee sanders refuse to stand up to the press which was disheartening. The president , the same day, went on a tirade against the press. And i think it does pose serious dangers to the freedom of the press. And possibly could lead to violence. It becomes a goto defense whenever there is something negative being talked about in
the press about the president. I think it poses a great danger. Yeah. Sabrina and stef, come back and see me. Im sorry for missing your name. Ill bring coffee brought to you. Thank you. Democrats in the house and potentially the first black speaker. Congressman cleave is going to weigh in on that. Ivanka trump and family separation, did her remarks resonate or fall flat this week . Thats next. [siri beep beepa] directions to the greek theater. Can i get a connection . Can i get can i get a connection . I can see it in my, see it in my reflection. Ohhh can i get a connection . Tryna find the old me
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president. Weve all been watching this play out, giuliani giving interviews on the president s legal strategy. What do you expect to come out from this . I know there was a colleague of yours saying this was a kabuki dance right now. Well, kabuki dance, jujitsu, ring around the rosy, look, the president is not going to submit to an interview with mueller and his team. That is just not going to happen. And i think mayor giuliani is doing a good job of trying to lay out, for the public, the fact that that may happen. And then hell eventually say, well, the president knew that it was rigged. And he didnt want to go in, setting a perjury trap. And that will play with about 33 , 35 of the population. But, look, the president s not willing to do that. And i dont know who came up with the strategy. I think its rather transparent. Thats just not going to happen. They can have whatever we can, between now and the 12th of never to talk about this strategy, and the president will never sit down with him. And saying this is about imimpeachment, many democrats, but his strategy, what do you make of it to try to get out the republican vote . Well, i think one of the things that will bmr. Bannon is is using the i word, impeachment, hoping to get the Republican Base to turn out big in november. Look, a part of that base, i think, is depressed. The independents, according to all of the latest polling, is moving away from President Trump, based on the fact that he continues to embarrass the country by his performance, like what he did in europe with
mr. Putin. And i think that my caution to democrats is to stay away from the word impeachment. Lets talk about our agenda. Because every time that word comes up, i think it rallies the hardest of the hard Trump Supporters to come out. And we dont need to do any encouragement to them. Our base is what we need to work with. Lets work with our base, get the Democratic Base out. Get the independents out. We cant convince people who are donald trump to change their opinion, because in some of those instances, the opinions were not based on facts. So you cant give them facts to change it. What about the pressure that youve been putting on the Trump Administration, this to reunite those hundreds of kids still separated from their parents. I want to play for you what ivanka trump said on thursday
morning in an interview with axios. Heres that. That was a low point for me as well. I feel very strongly about that. And i am very vehemently against family separation. And the separation of parents and children. So, i would agree with that sentiment. I think immigration is incredibly complex as a topic. Illegal immigration is incredible complicated. Look, shes giving her personal opinion there. But are you willing to give ivanka trump the benefit of the doubt, that she has put this out there and she may be conveying her sentiments to her father. I mean, might it help . Well, i wish she would quit discussing these kind of issues, because as a father, i dont want my children receiving the
slings and arrows of my conduct. And she continues to do this. I dont know what kind of influence she has over her father. Perhaps, very little, but, of course, i dont know of any mother or father who can watch Whats Going On on the borders, even today, and do so dispassionately. This is a horrible, horrible thing. And our children and our childrens children will read in History Books what is taking place on the borders and it will be likened to what happened to the japanese camps in world war ii ii. This is a dark moment in our history. Alex, if i can say this on immigration, the president has an awful lot of power and influence in that office, probably more than anybody on this planet. And hes constantly talking about immigration and building walls but he never talks about building bridges. I think most conservatives, no matter how liberal, they want to build bridges to reduce the chasm that exists. Over and over, President Trump criticizes africanamericans questioning their intelligence. Hes done is that with maxine waters. He just did that with don lemon. Did it with lebron james. Frederica wilson in florida. He gives everybody these little silly names but when he stops talking about africanamericans and brown people. He said a mexican judge did not have the capacity to be a Nonbiased Presider over issues regarding immigration. And i think this is really bad. And it says that even in the end of the 2020s, or the teens, rather, this kind of bigotry is still a resilient enemy of this nation. And the president ought to do better. He ought to resort to what Abraham Lincoln called our better angels and Start Building bridges. What about the prospect of not only the democrats taking back the house in november . But of nancy pelosi not being promoted to Speaker Of The House . In the prospect that colleagues, you and yours and the Congressional Black Caucus put out there, there are five names being put out there as the possibility as the first africanamerican Leader Of The House there, potentially. Whats that mean to you and how would that change that which you
were just lamenting . Well, first, every thursday morning at 9 00, i speak to the Democratic Caucus in our w. H. I. P. Meeting as kind of an inhouse preacher. And i caution them if you want to have rabbit chilchili, the f thing you do is catch the rabbit. Right now, thats what we have to do in november, catch the rabbit. Having said that theres no question jim clyburn would be a fabulous speaker. And i dont think theres anybody in the Congressional Black Caucus would challenge me on that. But i dont think jim clyburn is looking to challenge nancy pelosi. Steny hoyer would be great. Joe crowley, would would have. Yeah, not going to be part of this final camp on leadership. But we have a lot of people, and we have a lot of young people who are also moving up. And jim clyburn is brilliant. Hes probably a much better politician than hes gotten credit for over the years. And we would love to see him in some leadership position. I dont know what position that would be. One of leadership. As you said, first things first. We love speaking with you. Thank you so much. Good to talk with you. Two big developments on north korea. One involved a diplomat handing something to a north korean and why that matters. And Briefing Room surprise. Five advisers with one united message. How much did the press know . The line between