Good evening once again on our nbc news here in new york. Day 1,051 of this trump administration. The Trumps White House is taking a pass on taking part the next portion, the next phase of the impeachment process. As you may know on monday, the house judiciary led by jerry nadler will hold a public hearing, this time on the evidence against President Trump. At 5 00 p. M. Eastern time today, to the surprise of no one really, the white house signalled it will not be taking part in mondays session or any proceedings of the house. The in query is baseless and adding you should end this in query and not wasting more time on additional hearings. The white house signalled it is gearing up for the longer fight ahead. If theyre going to do this, if the democrats want this fight, it is something the president is willing to have. We have that, the New York Times notes the decision to not take part in the way. Clears the way for house committees to debate and approve impeachment articles as soon as next week, allowing a vote by the december 20th. The house votes to impeach him. Earlier today on this network one democratic east coast senator suggested there could be a few republican affecters. Have you spoken to some republicans willing the impeach the president . Yes. Would you like to name them . How many . It is a small list. Adam schiff is shifting the investigation, he toll susan glaser a Senate Meeting could be productive. There may be great evidence at the trial thats not available for us today. We learned three republican senators are now starting their own inquiry into ukraine just as the president wants. Again, the Conspiracy Theory regarding ukrainian involvement in our election is disinformation. It was floated by the russians and now of course some of our own politicians are repeating it. The russians were of course blamed for our election interference and the russians lets not forget are at war with ukraine. Rudy giuliani was in ukraine and said this about his latest efforts there. All i can tell you that i am doing all day and all night maybe, what i have been doing for a year and a half. I am representing my client as the lawyer. First i have to prove that he was not involved in russian collusion. I have obtained information on joe biden a year ago. I am not involved in the 2020 election. Thats democratic garbage. What i am involved into defending my client whos innocent against false charges. Thats the news from rudy. There is a couple of events to keep an eye on. Monday, president zelensky meets with Vladimir Putin, thatll be their first meeting. The Washington Post reports, next week putins foreign minister, sergei lavrov, will be in washington for his first visit since that infamous meeting with trump in 2017. It is unclear if lavrov will have the pleasure to see the president this time. Hes scheduled to meet with mike pompeo. On monday we are expecting the Justice Department inspector generals report into the fbi russia investigation and no one is more eager to see that document than the president. I hope they now go and take a look at the oranges the oranges of the investigation, the beginnings of that investigation. They were satisfying in my campaign right up to the top Everybody Knows it. Now we are going to find out. I think it is the biggest scandal and bigger than water gate as far as im concerned. I am hearing the report is powerful. I hear there is a lot of devastating things in that report. I think it is going to be a very big thing. Well see what happens. The white house got one new sign that the economy appears to be immune spiraling around it. The United States added 266,000 jobs. The Unemployment Rate is at a 3. 5 . The 21st consecutive month with a rate of 4 or lower. The president s Approval Rating in three big important states in the 2020 race is still under water and political types of paying a lot of attention to this. Notably the latest Morning Consult poll has a 55 disapproval for trump in the states of iowa, wisconsin and michigan. The warnings all around it. Here for our leadoff discussion at the end of a long week on a friday night, susan page, melanie, congressional reporter for political and annie carney. Great to have you all on board. Susan, i would like to begin with you, is the white house wrong to take a pass on this round of the process . Well, it is. Our previous president have be paved when facing impeachment inquiry. President clinton and president nixon had their lawyers participated in deliberations at that time. So, of course President Trump often taken his own path on almost everything. It does leave the democrats at the path to talk without him countering, without the white house itself couldnntering the narrative that theyre going to layout for a while until the senate trial in january. On the other hand, the republicans, Congressional Republicans so solidly behind the president , they have carried this case. I guess it is different from how other president s behave. Annie carney, i know not everyone in trumps world is psyched of rudys travel plans this time of the year. Are they as psyched about the strategy, Going Forward, the plan of counter attack as we know it tonight . Well, they really want to get to the senate trial because they think they have a much bigger chance putting forth a county proposal here. We see these three senators making an argument reinvestigate ukraines involvement. Talking about calling people like the whistleblower and adam schiff, these are dramatic moments that are not going to happen but are trying to could wanter offense. They really know the outcome here that theyre not going to convict the president is a better Playing Field than in the house. Thats what we saw in Pat Cipollone and basically what we saw from the beginning of the process weeks ago. Lets pick up right at that point. As long as the phrase in the senate is not an oxymoron. If cooler heads in the senate prevails, none of the witnesses are on the witness from pelosi, though it wont be lacking for action, is everyone straight up and down just referring to the senate trial as the president s firewalls still . Thats the thinking of capitol hill right now. Theyll be sorely disappointed if they are expecting the senate gop to follow the tactics in the house. Gop leaders made it Crystal Clear they dont want it to turn into a circus. Mitch mcconnell is defending a tough math. There are a number of vulnerable republicans up for reelection. They need to have a thoughtful and serious trial in order to cast this historic vote on impeachment. The other thing to keep in mind is a simple math problem. Republicans can only lose three republicans for any procedural maneuvers they want to do and any witnesses they want to haul in. From the senators i was talking to this week, there were a number of them pouring water on a lot of ideas we heard floated from the president himself. Even though they are absolutely committed to defending him, probably not in the style that trumps allies want to see. Susan page, lets talk about nancy pelosi, in terms of house leadership, shes second only to mr. Rayburn as they called him. He was richly rewarded with an Office Building and then some. It now can be told you are writing the book on nancy pelosi. Share with our audience of what the introduction to this chapter of her life may be. Well, this is the chapter that all the precinct chapters that all the preceding chapters were preparation for. Shes had this very long career. She did not necessarily plan to still be in office at this point. As things turned out, she is not only in power but in power. She has control of this democratic caucus. The complaints and the gripes that you heard of the last campaign and promise of new democratic members of congress that they would not vote for that. She has the trust of this caucus and shes calling shots. The broad shots when it comes to how democrats will proceed on impeachment. Shes made it pretty clear she wants a narrow process and it gets done at the end of this year and send to the senate to do whatever it is theyre going to do with it. In her view, the house will have done its duty saying the pressure on ukraine to investigate the president s political rivals was in proper and deserving of impeachment regardless if the senate goes along with a conviction that would remove him from office. Melanie, lets pick up right there, are democrats worried of defection in the house in their own ranks. I think i can pick up one or two at this early day. House Democratic Leaders have said we are not going to whip this and force members into impeachment. We want this to be a vote of conscious. Theyre cognizant of the fact that they cant afford to lose. Look how Many Democrats are not voting for impeachment. This is a bipartisan vote against impeachment. It is going to be a challenge for pelosi and her leadership team. They need to craft these part impeachment. We dont know if they are going to include the mueller findings, if theyre going to keep it narrow or tightly focused on ukraine. Those are the questions they need to decide Going Forward. Annie karni, it is time we talk about rudy. Rudys travels are redefining, we can all agree to that. What about things like surveillance, the ea of the world where hes been working and digging and talking this week, his communications back to the United States with the guy he calls his client who also happens to be the president of the United States. Well, one thing that rudy said in the clip that he always has one clear role which is defending his client. One thing rudy has not had throughout this chapter in his life is one clear role. I mean the white house never viewed him as trumps lawyer. They view him as a freelancing spokesperson and long time friend. Theyve long wanted him out of trumps circle, but trump has kept him in. He has his own business interests that hes pursuing in various parts of the world. It is never been clear. This insistence that hes only acting on behalf of one client is not accurate. Just to see rudy flying to ukraine at this stage of the story when he is central to it, only rudy could have this chutzpah to go there and continue on as if hes not at this center of this himself. Well see if trump pulls the cord on rudy completely or if rudy has been too close and too long for him to do this. Melanie, whats the backup plan of this ig report, of the hopes and dreams of the gop ignoring it . It sounds like it will fizzle. I think there will be something for everyone in this report. Republicans will seize and point to what they want to point to. All eyes are going to be on william barr after this to see what he does and whether hes going to be willing to accept the findings of that report. Susan, melanie and annie, we greatly appreciate you coming on. Coming up for us, our next guest goes there. He says any of his fellow republicans who are willing to protect the president by embracing conspiracy theories is guilty of tray son. Later it is a new unauthorized biography of a formidable and enigmatic immigrant who just happens to be our nations first lady. The author is here with us tonight to talk about Melania Trump as the 11th hour is just Getting Started on this friday evening. Ing started on this friy evening. As a struggling actor, i need all the breaks that i can get. At liberty butchumal cut. Liberty biberty cut. Well dub it. Liberty mutual customizes your Car Insurance so you only pay for what you need. Only pay for what you need. Liberty. Liberty. Liberty. Liberty. Mornings were made for Better Things than Rheumatoid Arthritis or Psoriatic Arthritis. When considering another treatment, ask about xeljanz xr, a oncedaily pill for adults with moderate to severe Rheumatoid Arthritis or active Psoriatic Arthritis for whom methotrexate did not work well enough. It can reduce pain, swelling, and significantly improve physical function. Xeljanz can lower your ability to fight infections like tb; dont start xeljanz if you have an infection. Taking a higher than recommended dose of xeljanz for ra can increase risk of death. Serious, sometimes fatal infections, cancers including lymphoma, and blood clots have happened. As have tears in the stomach or intestines, serious allergic reactions, and changes in lab results. Tell your doctor if youve been somewhere fungal infections are common, or if youve had tb, hepatitis b or c, or are prone to infections. Dont let another morning go by without asking your doctor about xeljanz xr. Yeah. Only pay for what you need with Liberty Mutual. Without asking your doctor about xeljanz xr. Only pay for what you need with Liberty Mutual. Con Liberty Mutual solo pagas lo que necesitas. Only pay for what you need. Only pay for what you need. Liberty. Liberty. Liberty. Liberty. I regret some of those campaigns i was a part of. But i dont understand how republicans who know better, republicans with security clearances who knows how brutal Vladimir Putin is and how he murders people. I dont know why richard burr and rob portman and people with brains and knowledge go along with it. I get the republican base. I dont get why republicans who know better go a long with it. Nicole wallace, the state of the Republicans Party are under donald trump. In a new piece of rolling stone, it is titled the traitors among us. The author joins us in just a moment. He writes america is in the midst of a treason boom right now and more than few people in trumps immediate orbit and trump himself deserves the title of traitor. As the impeachment hearings have worn on and as evidence of the moral collapse of the Republican Party has become more and more evident, it has become quite obvious there really are traitors among us. Here are a few examples of what the president considers treason. This was a fake witch hunt and should never be allowed to happen to the president again. This was treason, this was high crime. The conversation was perfect. Unless you heard adam schiffs version where he made it up. It should be criminals and treasonous. The whistleblower is a disgrace to our country. He should be sued and maybe for treason. Back with us, rick wilson, republican strategist author following up with his book everything trump touches dies. Rick, traitor and treason are tough words. Make your case. The president starts devaluing these words and applying to folks who serve our military and our Intelligence Community for months and months before this. I kept on wondering to myself, where is the line that hell not cross and accusing people of treason. I look at whats happening around him or the people that enabled him and supported him in the face of an ongoing intelligence warfare effort by Vladimir Putin that they embraced and all their interference of donald trump is in partial of that. Theyre using talking points right out of Vladimir Putins propaganda shops. A lot of people are betraying the country. They betray the oath they swore when they entered office. They betray the value. Part of that recognizing when enemies trying to interfere with our elections and democracy. This article has a terrible reaction, they are really, really unhappy with this. I struck a solid nerve. Given your personal history with the party and all the thought time that goes into the writing that you do. Give us the answer to how the gop got here. They went from law and order, classically russia hating, russia despising party to this kind of collection of public p supplicants. How did this happen . The complete moral collapse of the Republican Party has come and coincident to and caused by donald trump. And trumps love of russia. His love of putin and authoritarian strong men is part of what theyve done to adopt donald trump as the god king of party, they look at him something beyond anything we could have imagined, they love himincolnlincoln, more than reagan, more than any other president ever, that cultlike devotion to trump leaving the elected party engage in behaviors showing their commitment to their principles was always a lie or the sentiment senators believe theyre going to affect their political fortune Going Forward are fox news, donald trump and Vladimir Putin with a helping hand. Rick, what does recovery for the party looked like . Deaths and the paddles go on. Maybe you dont end up with the Republican Party as it is right now. I think right now you have it so deeply ly infected with the tr disease. It is like a political herpes and it is going to come back and pop up again unless you reboot and look at something outside of the traditional republicans. I think there is a market in this country for a party of individual liberty and constitutional fealty and free Market Economics but i dont think it is the Republican Party of donald trump which is now basically constituted itself as a personality call. Y constitute a personality call cologuard colon Cancer Screening for people 50 plus at average risk. Some things are harder than you thought. And others are easier. Like screening for colon cancer with me, cologuard. Im noninvasive and you use me at home. Im also ef