into the comey firing. >> comey evidently just last week asked for more resources saying he wants to push this investigation forward. >> it is entirely within the president's role and authority to relieve him. >> michael flynn now subpoenaed by the senate committee. >> the investigation is barely beginning. >> the white house owes the american public an explanation. >> this is "new day" with chris cuomo and alisyn camerota. >> good morning. welcome to "new day." it is a firestorm in washington over the firing of fbi director james comey. te timing and story from the white house getting shot down from a dozen different directions. a flood of new details for you on what led to president trump's decision. the the white house is continuing to change the story and timing and reasoning into why comey had to go. >> the president is talking about his new job in a released

interview with "time" magazine. talking about the combative nature in the white house and "the art of the deal." let's talk about joe johns live at the white house. good morning, joe. >> reporter: good morning, alisyn. it will be interesting to see what the day brings. you are absolutely right. the explanation for the firing of james comey is very much a moving target over the last 24 hours. just yesterday, blaming morale at the fbi. now we learned that the president of the united states apparently was stewing perhaps for weeks over the fbi director and it was the president who wanted him out. new details emerging of the closely held decision to fire james comey. a long time friend of the president saying he was white hot over the russia investigation. his anger had been mounted since comey rejected the still

unproven claims that president obama wiretapped him. cnn reported two months ago that director comey was in disbelief over trump's baseless allegation of obama. the new york times going a step further. >> he thought the president was beyond normal. >> reporter: a source close to the president telling cnn trump was spewing expletives over the comment to the senate hearing. >> it makes me mildly nauseous to have an impact on the election. honestly, it would not change the decision. >> reporter: others say the president concluded that comey was quote his own man and independent. ultimately firing him for never providing trump personal loyalty and the investigation was accelerating. cnn learning that comey requested additional resources from the justice department the week before he was fired. a report that doj denies. this as the white house continues to change the narrative on how the president

reached his decision. initially touting deputy attorney general rod rosenstein's letter over the hillary clinton e-mail investigation as the primary reason comey should be fired. >> the president took the advice of the deputy attorney general. brought the concerns to the attorney general. >> reporter: the president's explanation changing yesterday among mounting scrutiny. >> why did you fire director comey? >> he wasn't doing a good job. >> he had been considering letting director comey go since the day he was elected. >> reporter: white house deputy press secretary sarah huckabee sanders telling reporters wednesday that the reason for the firing went beyond rosenstein's letter. >> having the letter and the conversation that outlined the basic atrocities in

circumventing the chain of command in the department of justice. any person of legal mind and authority knows what a big deal that is. >> reporter: huckabee sanders calling the actions atrocitieat. in november, she had a different take on "new day." >> everybody wants to attack comey. he is opening it up and searching for answers. >> reporter: and in the midst of the continuing investigation into russian interference and the russian ambassador to the united states in the white house. united states journalists were not invited in. it was photographed by an official russian photographer and tweeted out. chris and alisyn. >> let's bring in david gregory and editor chris cillizza and jason johnson. david gregory, an open letter to the deputy attorney general by the new york times editorial

board. rod rosenstein is at the center of the move. he is used by the white house as a rationale for why they removed comey. despite the flood of the hillary clinton investigation. they called on him to appoint a special counsel to restore the americans faith in the justice system. how important is rosenstein right now? >> critically important. he has a great reputation. former u.s. attorney in baltimore is seen widely among career prosecutors and law enforcement folks as highly credib credible. the reporting here is critical. the white house is saying he acted on his own. that rosenstein acted on his own

to bring up concerns of comey's performan performance. that led to the firing. i don't believe that. i want to hear from rosenstein himself. did he act on his own accord? does he stand behind comey? let's pull back and look at the reporting at cnn and other outlets is telling us. the president of the united states. someone we know to be impulsive and inexperienced and lacking temperament. decided because he was mad at the fbi director because he wasn't loyal enough and aggressive in pursuing the investigation that he would fire him? this is precisely why you have an fbi director who is in place for ten years. to be immune from that kind of political pique. the white house explanations do not have credibility. even though there is a basis for

firing jim comey because of conduct of the clinton e-mail scandal. this is horribly handled. >> there is another issue we need to explore. the washington post reported. cnn has not been able to confirm it. rod was so unhappy about being thrown under the bus having this decision to fire comey pinned on him. that was a narrative from the white house. he threatened to resign. today we are left with why didn't he resign? what was said to him that made him feel comfortable in the role of catalyst? chris? >> i think we have to go back and remember we're now 30 plus hours into this. there's probably ten different stories offered by the white house as to why exactly jim comey was fired. that's stunning. i think rod saw the writing on the wall here and i trust my

former colleagues. saw the writing on the wall. this has scapegoat in this. i'm going to be the fall guy. he and trump had a kconversatio on monday. it is clear trump was unhappy with comey as fbi director and looking for an underpinning to the backbone to say this is why i did it. he won't say i fired him because he wasn't loyal enough to me. he was looking for that underpinning. it looks like rosenstein gave him that. david mentioned this, the idea that donald trump fired or wanted james comey fired because he was too much of his own man. isn't that the point? that's why we have an fbi director. that's like saying the supreme court justice. they are not loyal enough to me. that's the point. that's why we have these

administration separations of power. no one is above the law. that's why the system exists. >> right. look. i'm sure rosenstein is trying to deal with the fallout. that memo on its face, people who were cited in it. alberto gonzalez. the reasoning is a sham in that memo. alberto gonzalez said the timing is really weird here. the basis in that memo are getting criticism. that's on rosenstein. he is going to be saved, i think, jason johnson, from many intense scrutiny. the best evidence of that is the president's letter. the second paragraph where he says something we have been unable to verify with any source at the fbi or anyone who knows

james comey. that was communicated to the president on at least three occasions that he is not part of the investigation. one, why would he put that in there if it is not about the russia investigation and two, what does it mean if the president is lying? or that is not true when he was never told that. >> right. it seems unlikely that james comey would have a sitdown with trump and say you are not under investigation. what good investigator does that? that doesn't make sense when it is an ongoing investigation. we know the president has a tendency to lie. going back to rosenstein. if your boss comes to you and says tell me how to do something. it is his job to provide that information. it is like o.j. i'm not saying i did it, but here is how you would if i had to. he did not want to get blamed for this because he still has to walk through the halls of the fbi and maintain relations with career investigators and he wants to make sure the blood is

not on his hands as a scandal spreads. >> it is important to remember that there was a legitimate beef. i'm sure rosenstein felt that. he is among those career people who thought this was outrageous the way comey behaved. you have to look at the broader context. why is trump wanting to do this now? imagine in the president's thinking. i'm listening to comey. this guy feels bad about the criticism he is getting over hillary clinton and how he handled that. he will go crazy on the russian investigation and never let me alone. we have to get rid of this guy. imagine the thought process like that. brett stevens has a great op-ed. the tells are easy with trump. he mentioned the three times he claims he wasn't the source of the investigation. if that were true, it could

change. he is taking over everything else only to be outdone by the president's reaction. firing without basis of comey in this timing that it threatens to undermine the presidency. >> chris, we have the new "time" magazine out with president trump on the cover. there is a pretty insightful interview. this is about whether he was asked if he thinks the white house is too combative. here's what he says. i think it is. it could be my fault. i don't want to necessarily blame. there is a great meanness out there. i'm priced that. i mean i'm surprised. you hear him pivot. >> that's what i would say. he both takes the blame and blames the meanness in society in one paragraph. that's him. he just kind of says stuff. i do think he has it right in the first part saying could it

be my fault? i think the in-fighting within the administration is his fault. he set up a structure from the top four people who reince priebus, kellyanne conway, jared kushner and steve bannon. they all have a mophis roles. he plays favorites. he set that up. then and i know this an inside media point. this is a broader issue of the white house. there were 30 people that the washington post talked to to write the story about comey. the new york times talked to a dozen people. the wall street journal. cnn. it is -- all white houses leak. i have never seen a white house not only leak quantitatively the raw number, but qualitatively. he was screaming.

he was white hot. the image painted of him is not favorable. i think that is important too. he has a structure where he is not isolated, but everyone seems to be positioning. some jumping off the ship. 30 people willing to talk about how he mishandled the james comey firing. that is remarkable. >> david, what does that do? that will fuel defensive posture by the president. i think it has been a pretty consistent question of how well served he is by the people around him. this is a man who is used to doing things unilaterally. this is never a man known for building a strong team around him. he has his own mind and gut. it got him very far. the question is can it take him from here to where he wants to be? >> anybody in his position is going to go through this incredible transition. president truman said when eisenhower wanted to get in

politics. he will have tough time. he is used to ordering people around. if he becomes president, it is not easy to deal with that bureaucracy and government. donald trump found that in spades. i'm worried about meanness at my kid's school and i'm worried about the preservation of powers. that is what donald trump should think about this. the other piece we need to add to the discussion. where is congress? the news media is doing its job. see if rosenstein does his job. where is the check and balance? it is republicans. republicans are closing ranks. that is going to be a big deal. it will help trump a great deal. unless there is push back. i say that the russia investigation may turn up nothing. the president's team may have done nothing at all. he certainly is acting

suspiciously. >> jason, let's read more for you. this is about how the president considers deal making in the past and deal making in washington. he says it is never different. it is always the same. you have to know your subject. that would be the misconception of misconceptions of that. it is not that i look. i always had health care for my company. it is not that it was something that just wasn't high on my list. i had people that negotiated for my company. in a short period of time, i understood everything to know about health care. we did the right negotiating and it is a very interesting subject. look, he is not as great in print as he is when he speaks. it is harder to do a dramatic reading than to listen to him. you get the point, jason. >> it's hard to read donald trump both psychologically when he speaks.

i agree, alisyn. it is key. he is running the presidency like he negotiates business. he is using our federal tax money as an atm for his percentage businespersonal clearance. he has turned federal government into an internship for his kids. the problem is he bankrupted four businesses. we don't want that to happen in the united states of america. one thing that is key in the interview. the president is still unhealthy obsessed with hillary clinton and barack obama. you are president of the united states. it is your job to lead this country forward. his obsession with reminding people he beat them at the expense of the national security and economy is a dangerous tendency. it is something he or his staff needs to remind him he needs to get over and move forward. >> i think he is pragmatic on health care. i think his experience with his

company, i'm sure he had generous health care benefits. he is running into an ideological fight who wants the market to take over versus the government. that as that is a fight. >> chris, he wrote in his book some years ago, he believed universal health care is the future. >> i do think he is a pragmatist. in a short period of time, i learned everything there is to know about health care. >> he didn't. >> you are talking about a subject that people spend their careers learning. i'm sure he got more up to speed on it. you have to be confident to be president of the united states. obama had that no question. the insistence he was able to take all information as it relates to health care and do a very good job in his assessment.

that sentence is the donald trump presidency 110 days in, in a nutshell. >> panel. thank you. >> you hear loud and clear. the president feels he is under attack and to the extent there is criticism, the president deserves the best defense. roger stone is here and he is here to defend the president's firing of james comey and the president in general. the question is did stone have influence in the decision? we will ask him as he walks in and sits down. good to see you, mr. stone. is to always keep track of your employees.r micromanage them. make sure they're producing. woo! employee of the month! you really shouldn't leave their side. vita coco coconut water, hydration comes naturally.

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the obvious question is what led to president trump abruptly firing fbi director james comey. sources tell cnn the long time confidant roger stone talked to the president. stone is here this morning. he denies he is the source of

the story. president trump says he hasn't spoken to stone in a long time. he has a netflix documentary on friday. "get me roger stone" it's called. >> good to see you, chris. >> the idea that comey had to go, you were in favor? >> yes. >> did you communicate that to the president? >> i always taken the position that conversations with the president and i or scope or content or frequency would remain private. i would not contradict the president of the united states. that said, i think the president made the right decision. mr. comey was unaccountable. he looked into certain crimes that he thought were important, but not other crimes. the president and the country has to have fbi director who they can trust. >> facts matter. they just do.

it matters that you communicate with the president. i'm not saying that something would be good or bad. either is or is not true. you said many times as you know. you remember what you said. you are in regular contact with the president. >> i said occasionally. i don't speak to him every day. donald trump is his own man. there is no karl rove in this administration. >> i'm not saying that. why deny he speaks to you on a regular or semi regular basis. you have said that's not true. >> i don't think that's what he said. a while. i'm not sure how you define that. beyond that, i won't characterize private conversations. chris, i'm a memo writer. there are ways to communicate besides the telephone. donald trump is a reader. i'm a loyal supporter of trump. i believe he can be a transformation

transformational president. i understand his idiosyncratic style. he wasn't in office for three years. he hasn't been a student of the beltway masinacions. >> he says he hasn't talked to you in a long time and we know that's not true. it raises questions. he is not telling the truth about this, then how do we believe him? that is why we bring it up. i don't understand why the president and people around him get in the way. >> that is a question you have to direct to the president. >> boy, would i love to. he is invited on the show on a daily basis. it would be helpful for the coverage to have the president answering direct questions. he doesn't want the opportunity, roger. >> obviously they have strategy and they will choose where he speaks. he likes you, chris.

>> that is an open question. >> i don't think so. >> i don't care about me. let's talk about the situation with james comey. the second paragraph in the letter tells us everything we need to know. if this was not about comey's interference on the russia collusion, why include the paragraph especially when it raises so many questions whether or not this could be true? thank you for greatly appreciating informing me. i conclude with the department of justice you are not able to lead the bureau. i cannot find anyone who will give that a thread of credibility. he would never tell the president he had anything to do with an investigation. why do you put that in the letter if it is not the focus of where your head is on comey? >> simple reason. the obvious analogy is made to richard nixon and the saturday

night massacre. it is apples and oranges. watergate was in bloom for 13 months. nixon himself was under investigation when he dismissed archibald cox. the scandal in search of evidence. i see nothing that would hold up in a court of law over the collusion. i'm anxious to testify before the house committees in public. i don't need a subpoena. i'm not asking for immunity. i'll give them whatever documents they requested. i believe i have been under surveillance, they probably have them. they can call me a dirty trickster. there is one thing not in my bag. treason. >> you said apples and oranges. to say you have not seen evidence is not the same as saying there are not legitimate questions to investigate. it is hard to separate the

president of the united states from an ongoing investigation of you and others around him and those potential questions. firing james comey is his right. yes, a ten-year term and political questions. the president can do it. if it were about hillary clinton, do it the day you get in office. when you do it now the timing tells the story. the russian investigation, the reports of all of the people around him saying he was white hot about what comey said in the hearing last week. that he believed that comey wasn't going to be loyal to him. he was too into this. he would not investigate the leaks like everything else. the russian stuff is a hoax. comey would not let it go. he has to go. isn't that the basis for the decision? >> i don't think so. first of all, it is citiis disappointing that comey was nationn't interested in looking at susan rice or others in the white house and did not want to focus

on the question of some in trump tower had been under surve surveillan surveillance. mr. comey and admiral rogers said under oath there was no surveillance at trump tower. none. that's not true. >> how do we snoknow? >> the new york times on january 20th. wiretapped data used in probe of trump associates. >> the suggestion was there were things done to target you guys. other than the fisa warrant out for carter page, that means they have probable cause to do surveillan surveillance. >> fisa warrants don't require probable cause. >> of course they do. >> the government gets 99% rubber stamp. probable cause is not required. they are required in front of a normal federal judge. >> the fisa judge. >> right. >> you think they go in and say sign this? >> we have reason to believe --

yes, i do. >> they have to present evidence. the judge has to look at it and agree with the probable cause and get the warrant. that is one person. >> i hope don't don't agree wit. >> we don't have evidence that anybody was directly surveilled or wiretapped. that is why comey came out and said i don't know anything. even the point you are making. good, bad, right, wrong. indicated that was the point of suspicion for the president about comey. why not own it? say this is a hoax. this is misleading. comey has to go. that is what it seems by all indications. >> certainly what the media decided the narrative. >> 30 sources in some of the reporting of people in and round the white house. >> i would like to have a full airing of the entire russia question. does anybody think that would not happen? just because you lost james comey. >> you just sent a message if i don't like the way it is going,

i'll take you out. >> no one had any confidence in mr. comey. it is not incidental he reopens the investigation into hillary's e-mail. three days later, he closes it again saying the e-mails are benign. the nypd has copies and i have seen the e-mails. >> we don't know that is true. you are talking about the weiner m e-mails. >> after that, you don't see a great resurgence of hillary clinton. i think mr. comey has worn out his credibility. i don't think the american people believe him. they are not sure where he is or what he is doing. clearly the president came to believe that. >> the sources inside the fbi say the morale suggestions are inaccurate. we are in the memo that rosenstein drafted hastily and gave to the president. alberto gonzalez. people who worked for bush 41.

the bush former deputy ag said it is a sham. alberto gonzalez says the timing raises questions. why create it? it would be legit and say comey has to go. >> interesting. my sources at the bureau are pretty happy. they believe the agency is politicized under comey. >> fair criticism. you have a long time to get rid of him if that bothered you. >> you make a good point. i would have fired him from day one. the president gave him a chance and he made the right decision. >> i want to give you a chance to respond. it was one hell of a coincidence how you were front running the e-mails coming out of john podesta and hillary would get a beating. i have your tweets. >> show me the word e-mail. i said john podesta's time in the bureau would come. here's what it means. his business activities with his brother tony and hillary clinton

and bill, the gas deal would come under strcrutiny. >> the coincidence that the dnc e-mails came out ever you said that? >> this is conjecture on your part. i have seen opposition research on activities. it is news worthy. it would come out. i had no knowledge wickileaks would hack his e-mails. >> you predicted he would get hit. hillary clinton would get hit. >> i didn't say #wikileaks. >> you said you were talking to assange. >> i said we had an intermediary. i have back channel showeources. do you have them? >> i do. if somebody came to me and said assange, they believe he is a delivery device. >> where is the proof of that?

that is not true. here is the point. >> you don't think russia was behind? >> no. julian assange does not work for the russians. >> a 17 agencies? >> all headed by political appointees which are holdovers from bahamobama. these with people who said we were trafficking p.o.w.s. th these are the people who said there was an attack on benghazi. >> you believe there is a 17 agency, i guess, conspiracy, to mislead the american people of the source of the hacking? >> i believe our intelligence agencies are riddled with people unhappy about the outcome of the election because they want a war over syria and a no-fly zone. donald trump has no illusions of

the bad guy vladimir putin is. he would like to negotiate peace before thermonuclear war. >> that raises questions. >> you don't attack somebody. you have to sit down and negotiate world peace. >> the president attacks people he has to sit down with on a regular basis. you know that. it is part of his style. not putin. >> i don't think he has any illusions of the russian goulag or the system they have where they oppress gays and women ands christians. i don't think right in front of the negotiation which we will have -- i don't think syria is worth going to war over. >> that is a fine position. we have lavrov coming out and asking questions about the russian leginvestigation. the media is not allowed in. the russian ambassador with the

president. we get the information from russian media sources. what message does that send? >> i'm not sure i understand the question. the president has not only an obligation, but formal part of his job to meet with the russians. they have thermonuclear weapons. >> to have lavrov laughing at the american media while the secretary of state stays mum. have the white house shut out the media from that meeting. >> the american media has continued to promote the myth of russian collusion with no evidence. we have accusations. the new york times on january 20th says the intelligence services have e-mails and records of financial transitions of russian collusions. they have phone intercepts. don't say you have it. show it. >> it is completely normal for a federal investigation to not

display evidence. if it weren't for comey and what he decided to do with hillary clinton investigation, nobody would entertain what you are saying. they should put out evidence. >> wait a minute. >> you know they don't do that. >> adam schiff says on march 22nd, he has seen more consequential evidence of collusion. then april 2nd, he says there is none. which is it? diane feinstein repeats in the senate hearing the notion that i know in advance about the hacking of john podesta e-mails. >> the tweets raise questions. >> no. no proof there. >> coincidence raises question. >> that is a supposition on your part. later in the day, she gives an interview on cnn. no evidence of russian collusion. which is it?

>> you know the investigation can take a long time. you know it is premature to say show us the evidence. where is the proof? it is premature. you know it is. it is creating a false expectation. >> chris, i know what is in my e-mail. i know what is in my phone conversation. >> you are not the only person they are talking to. >> i know paul manafort for years. carter page seems to be inn consequence al. they were wasting their time. he had no influence in the trump campaign. none. >> the question is was he connected to the trump campaign and what did he know and when did he know it? >> he denies it. let's let the process go forward. it will not be frozen if mr. comey leaves. >> you said let the process move forward. stop asking for evidence. >> let me testify. when is it happening? i watched feinstein and warner

and franken. >> you are saying where is the proof. you say let the process play out. >> yes. by letting us testify openly. have transparency here. i'm ready. i don't need immunitimmunity. don't need a subpoena. >> roger stone, thank you. >> thanks. the white house, surprise, the democrats have issues with the firing of james comey. the man in charge of the fbi investigation of the team trump ties to the russia investigation. joining us is democratic senator chris coons. >> good morning, alisyn. >> you have been listening to the interview with roger stone. your impressions? >> that was striking. that long interview. roger stone said a number of striking things. his understanding of fisa warrants and disrespect for the american intelligence community

and repeated demands for evidence and insisting the investigation should come to an end. i thought were all striking. he is giving a full throated defense of the trump campaign. i say there are significant and important questions that are not answered. the timing of the directed firing of director comey raises more questions than answers. i'm joining many of my colleagues in insisting that in order to restore confidence in the fbi and investigation both criminal and counterintelligence of collusion with the trump campaign and russia, we need an independent special counsel. >> why is that? are you saying that the committee you sit on are just not capable of investigating this thoroughly or holding somebody accountable? >> alisyn, i have confidence that the senate intelligence committee is continuing to make progress. i'm encouraged by public reports

they are beginning to issue subpoenas. they completed their document review and richard burr and mark warner are signing subpoenas and making progress. the fbi investigation which is separate needs to be done in a way that is independent. president trump claimed his reason for firing director comey was to restore con if confidence fbi because he had issue of the hillary clinton e-mails. it is strange he is five months into the presidency and now concerned over how hillary clinton was treated. >> you need a special commission or a prosecutor because you don't think the investigation is independent? >> a special commission i don't think we have clarity it is needed yet. that would require legislation and i frankly doubt republicans in the senate would stand up and support that.

a special counsel can be appo t appointed without new legislative action. the most important thing is for all of us in the senate to get to the bottom of why comey was fired. if president trump doesn't nominate as the next director of the fbi, someone independent or career federal prosecutor, then i think the questions are only going to get louder and demands for independent counsel get stronger and more bipartisan. >> rod rosenstein reported that cnn is not able to match, but they say he was so caught unawares or disappointed that he feels he was used as the catalyst for the firing of james comey and he was so upset at being used he threatened to resign. do you believe that you and american public will hear from rod rosenstein about what went

down there? >> we should. we asked mcconnell to put all senators in one room and ask attorney general sessions to say why he did not respect the recusial in the matter and put rod in the matter and why the charging document wasn't professional and did not cite relate vaevant statue. that will give us more clarity. if we know that, we can take more appropriate steps. alisyn, this is a moment where the president has fired the fbi director because he did not like how he treated hillary clinton or real attempt of obstruction of justice. this fbi investigation is picking up speed. my concern and concern of colleagues is the fbi director was fired because it was getting too close.

>> you say you feel without an independent investigation of some kind, that we won't get the answers to this? the fbi won't get to the bottom of it? your senate committees will not get to the bottom of it? >> i have a lot of request for the professionals at the fbi. there are a lot of dedicated offici officials, career folks, who want to do their jobs. my concern is this is a politically motivated firing. attorney general recused himself and interjected himself and president had personal motivations to end an investigation into collusion between his campaign and russians took a politically motivated action. if we cannot clear that cloud, how will the public or those of us in the senate have confidence in the conclusion? it is our best interest to get to the bottom of this. no doubt the russians hacked our election in 2016. we need to protect our 2018 and

2020 elections. we need to take action against the issues with the allies in europe. >> senator chris coons, thank you. >> thank you, alisyn. a reporter was arrested for shouting questions at the health secretary tom price. did officers go too far? we will play you the evidence. we'll talk to the reporter and you can decide. next.

a reporter from west virginia claims police arrested him for shouting questions at tom price. audio from his phone captured the encounter. here it is unedited. listen for yourself. >> i have heard that domestic violence is going to be a potential pre-existing condition. do you think that's right or not? do you think that's right or not, secretary? >> sir, do not get close to her. back up. >> secretary price, i heard that domestic violence is going to be a pre-existing condition. do you think that's right or not? you refuse to answer?

tell me no comment. you're not going to comment, then don't comment. but tell me. >> he was eventually arrested and charged with willful disruption of governmental processes. he is now free on bond and joins us now. good to have you on the show. what do you make of the arrest and the charges? >> well, i was just trying to do my job. i think they really didn't need to do that. they could have told me to back off, to go away. i mean, at one point in the tape, you hear them tell me to get back from kellyanne conway, and i didn't even realize she was there until they said that. i would have been perfectly happy to do that. they didn't need to arrest me. >> so their defense of their action is you can say whatever you want, first amendment right, but you can't do whatever you want in that you were leaning in

aggressively i guess with your phone or something. what does that mean to you, that suggestion? >> i have no idea what that means. i mean, leaning in, i mean, i was certainly trying to get my phone close enough to secretary price to be able to get a decent recording, if he said anything, which he didn't. but, you know, that was all i really wanted, was an answer to my question. and i didn't -- i wasn't trying to get into anyone's personal space. i wasn't trying to approach him. just close enough to be able to record his response. he said in new hampshire the other day that this was not part of a press conference. well, he hasn't held press conferences. he didn't hold one here, and i don't think he held one in new hampshire, and he hasn't made himself available. if there were a press conference, i would have stood

up, asked my one question and then sat down. >> with the benefit of hindsight, when we hear that voice on there saying back up, don't -- whatever the voice says about getting too close to somebody. you say that person was kellyanne conway, do you think you may have overstepped your bounds around the fiscal space around tom price? >> well, in that case, in that instance, i was probably too close to kellyanne conway because i didn't realize she was there. i just assumed that secretary price was there and everyone else was staff. i didn't know she was on the trip. and frankly, really wasn't interested in anything to do with her. yeah. you know, i probably would have been perfectly happy not to have concerned the security about whether or not i was too close to her. but i wasn't. you know, i didn't want to get into her personal space either.

in fact, i was focussed on the secretary. >> price's response on wednesday, he commended the police in west virginia for doing what they thought was appropriate, arresting you after you had been shouting questions. and he did say to your point about the press conference, that gentleman was not in a press conference. is that a meaningful distinction to you and what are you going to do about this? >> it's not a meaningful distinction. i mean, anyone who has worked in this profession for more than a week has gotten involved in a situation where you try to get a comment from someone walking in and out. if you watch the news long enough, you'll see it. we do this constantly. and it is a public space. it's also worth pointing out that to get into the state capital of west virginia, you have to go passed a metal detector. to everyone in that building is disarmed except for the police. what we're going to do about it? you know, i really am not sure.

we're waiting for the process to move forward. we don't really know when there is going to be a hearing. i've been told that the best strategy, and i agree with this, is to fight the charges until we know a little more about what's going to happen. >> and they didn't say anything to you, the cops, when they were arresting you about why they did it? >> they did. they said that i was -- i was being too aggressive. they also said that the secret service, which no one as far as i could tell was identified as secret service. i guess that's why they're secret, you know, that i saw. but apparently the secret service told the capital police, you know, get this guy away from -- get this guy away from us. and we had -- you know, i talked to the police back and forth there. they were just doing their job. and they pretty much handled it,

you know, the way you would expect of an arrest. i think the police have an instinct towards being cautious and -- okay. >> i appreciate your take on this situation. we'll keep following it. thank you for being it was on new day. >> you bet. >> there is a revealing new interview, chris, with president trump in "time" magazine. why the president says his white house is so combative. that's coming up. your insurance company

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very simply, he was not doing a good job. >> he fired the most respected person in america. you better have a very good explanation. >> what we have now is really a looming constitutional crisis. >> jason has now asked the department of justice to look into the firing of james comey. >> were those investigations getting too close to home for the president? >> he'd been considering letting director comey go since the day he was elected. >> it is now time for a special prosecutor. >> this is "new day" with chris cuomo and alisyn camerota. >> good morning, everyone. welcome to