you can follow me on twitter and instagram at wolf blitzer. tweet the cmo at cnn sit room. to all celebrating happy passover, happy easter. enjoy the holiday weekend. erin burnett outfront starts right now. outfront next payback, donald trump loved the mueller report before it came out. but hates what's in it today. tonight he threatens to get even. plus a top republican, the only one speaking out against trump says he is sickened by trump's behavior. how long will others remain silent? and senator elizabeth warren to latest democrat -- and see the next step? let's go outfront. and good evening, i'm erin burnett. "outfront" tonight trump looking for payback. 29 thundershowers after the damning mueller report came out the president lashes out as the report sinks in trump tweeting it's now time to turn the tables and bring justice to some very

sick and dangerous people who have committed very serious crimes. perhaps even spying or at the treezen. turn the tables? look, that's a serious threat but it's coming from the president of the united states. and that's after he completely ripped the mueller report apart. the president calls the report factored and totally untrue. total b.s. within abthen temperature trump taq it further calling to it crazy mueller report. here is the thing that's crazy. listen to the president. before the mueller report was released. >> i've been totally exonerated. no collusion, no obstruction. the special counsel completed its report and found no collusion and no obstruction. >> and tonight none of those things seem to be the case anymore. now it's the crazy mueller report. it does seem to be that what's

crazy is how president trump is flipped and flopped on the special counsel and his report. it was just 48 hours ago that trump was all too happy to discuss the findings of mueller's report to the world. listen to him. >> you'll see a lot of very strong things come out tomorrow. attorney general barr is giving a press conference. maybe i'll do one after that. we'll see. >> they were strong things. and the president didn't come out. he never gave that press conference. perhaps it's because he actually read the report. and finally saw what fellow republican mitt romney says he is seeing ton. romney speaking out after reading the report saying, quote, i'm sickened at the extent and pervasiveness and dishonesty and misdirection by the highest office of the land including the president. and those citizens working in a campaign for president welcomed help from russia. reading the report is a sobering

revelation of how far we strayed from the aspirations and principals of the founders. katlyn colin is outside the white house live to begin our coverage. and katlyn the president seemed all too eager to talk about the findings the report, bragging about it, saying he was exonerated, how wonderful it is and that changed. >> we went from total exon ration and the press conference he floated nefrl never materialized. as reporters went through the report, a pretty damning portrait of the president emerged. one that portrayed him as a habitual liar who pressured his staff to defend his lies, that the staff often ignored some of the president's directives because any believed it was on the breng of breaking the law. we have to keep in mind, the president also already knew what was coming out in the report. because bill barr told reporters that the white house counsel got a view of the redacted report and the president's outside legal team got to look at it before it was released to the public. days actually before it was released to the public.

so the president knew what was going to be in here. but what he didn't know was how it was going to be covered and what the media was going to focus on the most. as often is the case with this president is how something is portrayed on television or in the newspaper headlines that really affects the way he views something. and that clearly was what happened here. because not only was it about the president's lie that he was essentially caught with documents with statements from people who worked the closest to him, it shows that he is not essentially in cell of his staff and at times his staff manages him. that's an image the president does not like. this idea that his staff is having to control him or to restrain him because the president likes to say he is the one in charge and he is the one responsible for his successes. that's not the portrait that this report portrays and that's certainly something that aggravated the president and that's why you have seen a change in tune from him on the mueller report. >> all right, katlyn thank you very much. and i want to go now to democratic congresswoman jackie

speier of california. congresswoman great to have you with me tonight. the president lashing out saying it's factored, made up. hours after he said how great was it was going to be. crazy mueller report he calls it. and threatening retaliation. the quote it's now finally time to turn the tables and bring justice to some very sick and dangerous people. that's the president of the united states speaking from his official account. your reaction. >> well, i worry about the president of the united states. he is only capable of seeking revenge from people. and he has done that historically by firing people and calling them nasty names. don mcgahn gets a profile in courage, because had he followed what the president had asked him to do, donald trump would probably not be president today. and now essex coreiating don mcgahn because he doesn't like

the fact that he told the truth. ten times he obstructed justice. how many times do you get to obstruct justice as the president of the united states? he is supposed to be protecting the constitution, not trampling it. >> let me ask you that, though on this issue when you say ten times obstructed justice, obviously it was a very damning portrait laid out pu but for example in some cases it was the attorneys for the president called the attorneys for michael flynn and threatened. so mueller couldn't prove the president himself knew about it or had directed it. hence unclear if it's obstruction. it seems that you see it as obstruction. and if you do, are you then in support of impeaching the president? >> i am in support of having the chair of the judiciary committee meet with special counsel mueller, explore whether or not there are grounds for impeachment and if so to pursue them. i don't think we are there yet. but i think you have to be in a

position to make the case. i think the american people have to absorb this report. i've read it once. i started reading it a second time. and i must tell that you as you read it over and over again you realize that this is truly not normal and not legal. >> so it's certainly a disturbing portrait in many of its parts. but when you say you don't think we're there yet. i don't know if you know that senator elizabeth warren who is of course running for president just came out and said the severity of the misconduct- dsh quoting her demands that elected officials in both parties set aside political considerations and do their constitutional duty. that means the house should initiate impeachment proceedings against the president of the united states. you think she is out over her skis. >> i don't think she is out over her skis. i think we may be saying the same thing. i think we need to begin the process. whether these actions rise to the level of high crimes and misdemeanors to be taken up on

the house floor should be determined over the course of the next few months. i know the american people are exhausted by this process. but the truth of the matter is we have a democracy at stake here. >> so when you say begin the process you're beginning -- you want to begin formally talking about it but not to formally initiate proceedings. am i understanding it? >> that's correct, yes, that's correct. >> when you hear mitt romney the first republican to speak out in congress against the president after the mueller report, let me just read what he said begin. i'm sickened at the extent and pervasiveness and dishonesty and misdirection by individuals in the highest office in the land including the president. what's your reaction to that? those are powerful words. are they just words? or do you think this is the start of something more from your republican colleagues? >> well, mitt romney is his own man. and i think he feels confident enough that he isn't up for re-election for six years.

and has the ability to speak up and incur the wrath of donald trump which i'm sure he will. and stand for it. i mean, he is a principled man and showing such by making the statements he is paeg. i don't think any republican can read this document and then say, this is a good man. this is not a good man. >> a growing number of democrats are now calling on attorney general bill barr because of his role in this, right, the summary he put out that he said wasn't a summary, the decision to hold the press drchs before putting out the report, things he said in the press conference we'll ask you about in a moment. but they are calling on him to resign. here are three of them, two of whom of course are running for president. >> i think he is extraordinarily damaged the department of justice. he never should have been there. he should resign. >> i think the attorney general should resign immediately. >> if you were ever asking me for advice which he won't i would advise him to step aside.

>> should bill bar go? should he resign. >> >> well i don't think he is going to resign. he may need to be impeached. but i think that he has shone that he is not the attorney general for the american people. he is the roy coen for donald trump. and the way he orchestrated rolling out the report and then misrepresenting it i think suggests that he is not here to make sure justice is done, he is here to make sure donald trump is protected. >> so are you for impeaching him at this time? >> i would -- i would certainly consider it. he is not going to resign. so that's just a nice way of saying he should go. the only way he would go is if we were to impeach him. >> but you're not quite there yet on that? >> no, but i mean that would be the means by which you would get him out. he is not the highest law enforcement officer of this country following the constitution and protecting the united states. >> one of the things he said that's causing a lot of in

consternation is that there was no evidence of collusion in the report. obviously this word collusion -- it's a real word but made up because noits the legal word which is conspiracy of course. here is what he said. >> this special counsel found no collusion by any americans in ira's illegal activities. there was no evidence of the trump campaign collusion with the russian government hacking. >> no underlying collusion with russia. as he said from the beginning, there was in fact no collusion. >> he did, though -- bob mueller did of course detail in 107 pages of in report, as you know, communications between the trump campaign and russia, right, sharing of internal polling data which went for months with someone the fbi believes -- sis is a russian informant among other things. do you agree on no collusion? >> well, collusion of course is not a word of art.

it would be conspiracy. >> right. >> and i think there was coordination, and there was an effort to work together to try and get donald trump elected. if it rises to a criminal intent to conspire, maybe not. but certainly an intent to conspire to get donald trump elected. and now you have mr. barr suggesting, like taking words right out of the president's mouth, that there is spying going on. this is a -- a truly pivotal moment in our country. and it's really incumbent on us as americans to read this report and absorb it. because it is very damning. that's why the president went from saying it totally exonerates me to now it's a piece of garbage. >> all right. piece of b.s. his word. i prsh time congresswoman as walls. >> thank you, erin.

>> next, lies, intimidation corruption does the mueller report that show that trump is running the would you say like the mafia plus did don mcgahn save the presidency of donald trump as the congresswoman said. and jeanie moos, the much talked about expression during the attorney general's presser. it turns out, they want me to start next month. she can stay with you to finish her senior year. things will be tight but, we can make this work. ♪ now... grandpa, what about your dream car? this is my dream now.

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all the president's lies, well the mueller report does paint the trump white house as a hot bed of dishonesty. president trump regularly ordered aides to lie. it's in here again and again. even told his aides to tell other aides to lie. but which sort of makes it clear he knew it was a problem to do it directly he wanted to put someone in the middle. one of the most damns take aways from the report is that. it's a culture of lying and corruption. laid bare by the special koum. outfront now eric 11 it's of new york magazine. confirmed that truch runs the white house like the mafia. those were your words. i promised i would show that. april ryan for american urban radio networking and our mark preston cnn political analyst. eric your story trump runs white house like it's the mafia.

one of the things you single out is when the president asked don mcgahn about mcgahn's conversations with mueller. and mueller brights, the president then asked, what about those notes? why do you take notes? lawyers don't take notes. i never had a lawyer who took notes mcgahn respond pd that he keeps notes because he is a real lawyer. and explained that notes create a record and not a bad thing. the president said, quote i've had a lot of great lawyers like roy cohen. did he not take notes. let in the forget roy cohen as a long-term trump lawyer losing his license for unethical behavior. this anecdote told you a lot, april. >> there were two big problems that the anecdote reflects which one of them is that donald trump believes that loyalty to one's boss should take precedence over adherence to the law and therefore comfortable asking his subordinates to subvert or break the law on his behalf. this is a fine philosophy for a

mafia bass. if you are in a criminal sbrpds being comfortable asking people to break the law for you is a real asset in that position. unfortunately donald trump's job is not to run a criminal enterprise but lead the executive branch of the united states. which is to say his job is to faithfully execute the laws of the united states and in that position in philosophy is problematic. the second problem is reflects is that donald trump does not really recognize the distinction between his personal lawyers and the government's lawyers. so not only is he comfortable asking his personal lawyers to subvert the law but is actually asking the white house counsel representing the office of the presidency, not him personally and is similarly comfortable asking the attorney general to prioritize loyalty to him over the faithful execution of the laws. >> well, i don't know, i remember i mean many summers being a parallels and a lot of note taking going on because lawyers take a lot of notes, mark. but here is the thing. mueller points to numerous examples of trump directing his aides to lie.

that's -- that's let's take the deputy attorney general rod rosenstein. he wanted rosenstein to say firing james comey was his idea, rosenstein's idea. >> retroactively. >> i'm selling the mueller report to read it because it reads like a story. it's not boring. this is not like reading something boring. this is fascinating. okay that night the white house press office called the department of justice and said the white house wanted to put pout a statement saying it was rosenstein's idea to fire comey. rosenstein told other doj officials said he would not participate in putting out the false story. >> what an interesting character not only does he have to push back against the president but has to stand behind the attorney general yesterday as he is delivering his prepress conference before the report gets delivered. he has been put in an unbelievable situation, rod rosenstein has. he almost looked like he was like a prisoner, stuck behind the attorney general. >> we have a whole special segment on that later on.

>> i know, it is. but i will tell you this. you're right. that what the president has done is he has put an incredible amount of fear into people. that's exactly what we were seeing there. offense trying to force rod rosenstein to take that lie and defend him even though he knew it was a lie. >> so that -- then april, sometimes the president -- according to mueller, told aides to tell other aides to lie. which as i point out is important, because tu really thought it was fine to tell someone to do that you would do it. when you put the intermediary in there say before the lawyers go and threaten somebody, that's cooperating with the peshl counsel because you don't want them to cooperate, auchlds you get plausible dmieblt. let me give the example, reince priebus. so, again, i red from mueller. the president asked reince priebus to have k.t. mcfarlane draft an internal email that would confirm the president did not direct michael flynn to cull the russian ambassador about sanctions. the he said he would only write

the letter if she were comfortable with it. of course april mcfarlane said she didn't know what the truth was here and she didn't end up doing it, declined to even respond to the request. have you ever seen anything like this, april? >> not in the 22 years that i've covered a white house, erin, not at all. this mueller report as you were talking about, you haven't read anything like this seen anything like this. it reads like a ratchet novel with a street slick ruthless businessman who does not pay attention to the rule of law, who just happens to be the president of the united states. it's about whatever the president's whims are, regardless of the consequences. and you must cover it up and fall on the sword for him. i have never seen anything like this. in the worst of days at the white house, be it monika lewinsky and the impeachment of bill clinton or be it 9/11 with george w. bush and yellow cake and all of that, and then going into the obama years.

i've never seen anything -- anything never, ever like this. >> so eric, in your article you also point out that president trump wanted to distance himself from that whole trump tower meeting, in particular he wanted to distance himself about, you know, whether he knew about it. so you write about the meeting that we know about between hope hicks, the president, jared kushner and ivanka trump. and mueller wriepts. kushner brought a folder of documents. and the president stopped kushner saying he didn't want to know about it shutting the conversation down. you see this episode as difrpts from previous presidents. there is times the president wants plausible dmieblt or doesn't wants fingerprints on something. how can we understand this to be very different than this? i think the real distinguishing factor in this episode is that hope hicks, trump's communications professional realizes at a certain point that these emails are going to get out. and so what. >> the emails between don junior

and. >> and gold stone. >> about setting up the meeting. >> she views this from a political operative perspective. this is bad news but it's inevitable it's getting out. let's get ahead of it release the emails and take ownership with the story and level with the american people and put a spin on as flattering as possible. trump's response is it's more -- he cannot handle that in any -- he responds more as a criminal cover-upped immediately trying to suppress the emails trying to rewrite statements to misrepresent exactly what happened at the meeting. it's a much more defensive response and one that really shows less -- less savvy but also less consideration for the obligation that he has to level with the american people as their top representative. >> so april, mark, i want to ask you about sarah sanders. because she made a comment from the white house podium, right, saying that the rank and file fbi agents had lost confidence in jim comey, right, she said it as a fact and more than once.

she told bob mueller that quote that was not founded on anything. in other words she didn't have any conversation was anybody. she just said it because it shoerted what she wants she made it up. she was asked about it today and she went back to defending the lie she admitted under oath to the special counsel was a lie. here she is. >> i said it was in in the heat of the moment meaning it wasn't a scripted thing. it was something that i said and which is why that won word has become a big deal. but big take away here is that the sentiment is 100% accurate. >> she admitted april to the special counsel that she hadn't talked to anybody. when she said it she made it up. she admitted that. but now she is saying it's 100% accurate. what do you make of the explanation? >> well, let me say this, the white house is very concerned. i got a call today because you know as i said i called her a liar. and the white house tried to explain to me what it was. a lie is a lie is a lie. she calls fake news she is a

fake press secretary disseminating lies. she embellished at the very least. you know, if she talked to maybe two or three she embellished saying the word countless -- countless verses a few or none. she lied to the press who in turn delivered that information to the american public. it's not about us. it's about the american public. from that sacred podium to give in information that's wrongful, to -- people are not going to be able to trust her or even this administration, it's even bigger than sarah at this point. it's now the president. it's now his minimum ons. can you trust? and the answer is no. there are big questions today. >> all right. mark. >> let me be the one to say i'm not surprised by anything that happened in this report because we have known about it all along. . all we have seen now is it's with being quote unquote reported by somebody else, in this case federal investigators

proving what has been written over the past two years happens to be true. >> yes. and we can still home everyone will read this this for themselves. because as i said it's very readable. and very important. >> ratchet. >> thank you all very much. and next he spent millions of dollars of his own money to push for trump's impeachment. does mueller's report give tom steyer more urnlts outfront next. and his name was mentioned hundreds of times in the mueller report. hundreds of times. can you imagine if that were are your name? tonight the president takes aim at the man in there hundreds of times who may have saved him and his presidency. it was here.

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warren calling for the house to launch impeachment proceedings. warren making her case in a series of tweets, writing the mueller report lays out facts showing hostile foreign government attacked our 2016 election to help donald trump and donald trump welcomed the help. once elected donald trump outcome obstructed the investigation into the attack. she continuing the house should initiate impeachment proceedings against the president of the united states. tom steyer founder of the need to impeach campaign and form dn the c chairman and ed rendle. i appreciate your time. tom, when you hear elizabeth warren of course who is running for the democratic nomination for the white house, are you happy? is this enough is this the beginning of the onslaught or just a sole voice? >> well, i believe she is part of a chorus that has read this report, has seen that what we have watched in realtime is detailed in truth which is the president has clearly, consistently, obstructed justice and put his personal interests

ahead of the justice system ant people of the united states. and so she is calling for public televised hearings in the house so that the american people can see exactly what happened and so we can get a sense of what it was and whether it rises to the level of removing him from office. >> governor, you think impeachment is a futile effort, though, why? >> it's a futile effort because we will never convict in the senate. even with the votes to impeach in the house it takes a two third vote and with the republicans controlling the senate there is absolutely no chance as it stands now as the evidence has been developed now there is no chance that we could convict. en a and all we would do is have an impeachment proceeding and a trial that would last almost into the election which would fire up the republican base in ways that nothing else can do. and would hurt our chances of getting rid of donald trump at the ballot box. if we could get rid of donald trump by going the impeachment

route i would say yes. but there is zero chance that that will happen. so the one thing we should be concerned about is the 2020 election. and the effect of what we do. >> zero chance, tom. >> well, i think that what the governor is missing is the american people. because if we have a series of public televise the hearings where everybody across the country, whether the democrats or republicans or independents gets a chance to see what's been going on then i put my trust in the american people. and if we flip as a people that would put enormous pressure on every elected official to see whether in fact supporting donald trump is in his or her personal interest. >> are he they going to hear anything they don't already know, though, tom in the hearings? it's like this report there is little in it we don't know. in it's totality that's damning. but people sort of have made up their minds, haven't they. >> erin, i think it's completely different when you have a hearing and you get to watch it

on tv. that's what happened with michael cohen. that's what happened with brett kavanaugh. and honestly, that's what happened in 1974 with president nixon. where a series of hearings brought new evidence to light that otherwise wouldn't have happened including the tapes. and it was must-see tv across america. and people of both political parties and independents decided, my goodness, in president is a crook and he has to go. and i believe that is exactly what would happen now. >> governor, do you think that televised hearings will have the outcome? >> well, tom gives an example that defeats his point. brett kavanaugh hearings. i thought the hearings made it clear that he was unqualified to sit on the supreme court. but the republican base stayed solidly. in fact his favor ability grew during the public hearings. because people thought he was being picked on. people thought we were taking advantage of him people thought we were harassing him, et

cetera. i don't think you're going to shake the base. if you don't shake the base you're not going to shake one republican senator. there is no chance -- and what we are doing is jeopardizing our chances of beating donald trump where we can beat him and should beat him at the ballot box. >> so let me see say in. >> go ahead, tom. >> i've gone around this country the last year and a half and talked to people in blue and red states. and americans share much more than -- than separates them. he everybody is nervous about losing in system because they know this system is under attack that it is dysfunctional and that this president is at the heart of it. i'm willing to put my trust in the american people. i believe that they will give it a fair reading. and that in fact they will be as mitt romney was sickened by what they see. >> so mitt romney came out. his tweet tonight i'm sicken to the extent and pervasiveness of dishonest presidentsty, the highest office of the land,

including the president. that's what he said. i don't know what he would do. >> right. >> but i know you need 20 republicans in the senate to the governor's point. that seems to be at this point impossible, doesn't it? >> let me see this. we have gone around this country -- our organization next gen america is the largest grass roots organization in the united states. in governor rendell's home state of pennsylvania we organized in 2018 young people throughout the state. in 2014 they turned outer at a 12% rate. in 2018 they turned out at more than a 36% rate. this is the largest generation in american history. they are looking for people to tell the truth, to be straightforward and to take honest stands. and that's what we are doing. we are trying to gather the force of the american people to tell the truth and protect a constitution that it frankly under attack and a democracy

that is clearly under attack from the white house. >> governor, will anything change your mind? >> well, now that was great work what tom did. and he helped us get a record turnout that swept republicans away. that's the way to do it. but nothing that tom did has shaken that 40% approval rating that the president has. and i dare say if we poll monday if we poll monday after the hearing -- the reports was made public, and it is disgusting. i agree with mitt romney it makes you sick to think that guy is our president. but after we poll my guess is if it at best he is down to 38% approval rating. you're not going to shake the base. and you'll aur you're going to do is make sure we get an avalanche of red turnout counterproductive. >> let me see this. putting out a 400-page document in legal east what i call public televised hearings. the one hearing we have had that

deals with this issue was michael cohen. and that moved approval 6% for impeachment. when we polled. >> the kavanaugh hearings back fired. >> when we pauld. >> the kavanaugh hearings back fired. >> excuse me. let me finish. when we polled kboechment we get to the mid-60s if we can prove just obstruction of justice. so what i believe is it the american people are much more honest, much more compassion it and more brave and decent than the governor suggests. they are more open minded. let's put it to the american people. of by and for the people and not keep the evidence in washington, d.c. let's put it on tv and let the american people. >> governor i'll give you the final word. >> i think history teaches us lessons. when the republicans impeached bill clinton and they impeached him and sent him over for trial it did nothing but destroy the electoral chances in the next election because everyone knew it was a partisan effort.

now, i agree, what was in that report is discouraging to say the least. but it's not going -- dsh go ask mitt romney if he is ready to to vote for impeachment. if and him if he a yes for impeachment if he says he is i might change my mind. >> report. thank you. >> ask him tom. >> thanks, erin. >> you can get through to him tom call him and ask him and report back to zblooern thank you. >> thank you next former white house counsel don mcgahn's name appears more than 500 times in the mueller report. did his defines against trump of which trump is now lashing him, actually save trump's presidency? and he is in joe biden expected to announce candidacy next woke formally. is it a game changer for others still on the sidelines? staying at hampton for a work trip.

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ton president trump lashing out much of his anger focused op the former white house counsel don mcgahn petitions. mcgahn's name mentioned more than 500 times in the mueller report. that's a lot of times. more than one per page on average. he spent around 30 hours talking to the special counsel. and tom foreman is outfront on mcdp began's defines and thousand may have saved trump's presidency. >> reporter: total b.s., as the president rages against the mueller report, he appears to be singling out one particular person who spoke to investigators. former white house counsel don mcgahn. >> thank you very much. >> watch out for people that take so-called notes, trump tweeted when the notes never existed until needed. >> it's been a privilege to be part of a presidential campaign that it was successful. >> it's a big turn around considering mcgahn's role during

the russia probe. it was mcgahn who refused to fire the special counsel when trump said, mueller has to go. mcgahn who refused to lie about it later. the mueller report indicates both actions protected trump from obstruction charges. but jack o'donnell, a former executive in the trump organization says trump's anger is typical. >> in this case, where don mcgahn really saved him it's not relevant because the bigger picture makes donald look bad. >> i don't have a list of enumerated power and when i advise the president it's more general. >> the mueller report suggests trump was always suspicious of mcgahn's potential power. why do you take notes trump reportedly said in a meeting? lawyers don't take notes. when mcgahn said he was a real lawyer trump shot back. i've had a lot of great lawyers like roy kon. he did not take notes.

coen served joe mccarthy during the campaign to root out communists and worked for trump in the 70s when his company was accused offed discriminating against african-americans. he had to settle in that battle and lost his listen for unethical conduct. still before mcgahn left the white house last fall trump said he would not be a rat. >> he has done an excellent job. >> any concern about what he said to the mueller team. >> no, not at all. >> perhaps the president had reason to think that. after all, when he was trying to get his casinos up and running years ago battling politicians, regulators and more, who helped manage every detail no matter how small? don mcgahn's uncle, pat. >> because literally donald could ask pat mcgahn to do anything. and he would do it for him. obviously don mcgahn had his limits with donald trump. >> you could argue that even trump fans face something of a puzzle right now.

what should they think of don mcgahn? yes, donald trump is saying bad things about him. but he is, as you said erin, arguably the man who saved the trump presidency. >> right, that's the irony. >> yes. >> that's the guy he is shooting vicious arrows at. >> with friends like these. >> all right. thank you very much. and next, joe biden. poised to announce his run for president next we can. finally -- it's like he had gum on his shoes. will the decision force others like our next guest john kasich to sit out. and jeanie moos on rod rosenstein's blinkless -- isn't that dangerous -- performance. ♪ ♪ what did i miss? [laughter] you ready to go? yeah. let's go! ♪

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...fearless... ...and there's no looking back, because i am cured. talk to your doctor about mavyret. tonight, the first cracks appearing among republicans on the mueller report. top republican mitt romney releasing this statement tonight. quote, i am sickened at the extent and pervasiveness of dishonesty and misdirection by individuals in the highest office of the land, including the president. "outfront" now, john kasich, former republican governor of ohio and our senior political commentator here at cnn. governor, i appreciate your time. mitt romney is the first and it just happened a few hours ago. speaking out about the president. sickened, pervasiveness of

dishonesty, mentioning the president specifically. >> how significant is this moment? do you think other republicans will take his lead? >> well, erin, areally don't know. i give mitt a lot of credit for coming out and saying this. you've got to recall, i never supported the guy, i didn't endorse him, i didn't go to the convention. and a lot of people wondered why. well, it's right in front of you. if you don't want to read the whole report, just read parts of the report. the kinds of things that were happening in there. i'm not only disappointed and angry, i'm sickened by all of this. because this is not the kind of performance or the kind of behavior that i saw from so many of the presidents i've either observed or have known. but i think it's good that mitt has spoken out. i don't know what others are going to do. it seems so much of the time, they put their finger in the air and figure out whether it's safe

to say something. we all ought to be saying that this is just not acceptable behavior. but, again, for those that have tried to understand, why did i not support him? was i angry? was i bitter? had nothing to do with it. i'm not surprised by this, to tell you the truth. i'm not surprised at all. >> when people say, you know, i don't know if you heard the last conversation, but tom steyer, his whole cause is impeachment. governor rendell said he thought it was just futile, in part because he thought you're not going to get the vets. in part, mitt romney would say this, and in short he's a man of great moral character, but that's different than saying he would vote for impeachment. governor rendell says, if mitt romney says that, then i'll change my mind and on the same page. do you think any republicans in the senate would get there, governor? >> i don't know. i can't predict them. i would be surprised. but i think what ed rendell, and i did watch it, erin, because i watch your show. what ed rendell was saying was, it's proper for the congress to continue to look at this and investigate. mueller basically told him to do

it. but what i think governor rendell is trying to say is, if we get caught up in that and we forget the issues of health care, we forget the issues of prescription drugs, we forget the issues of income inequality, we may not win this election. and i'm going to tell you another thing, erin. i've been all over this country. in the last couple of months, in particular, the last month, taking questions from people, 600, 700, 800, 900,000 people in a room at a asked me about mueller. i think there is some degree of fatigue among the american people, like, let's get on it. >> it's an interesting point. >> i heard from -- >> that's what senator klobuchar said today. she said, she got four questions about it. so you have a good point. so when you say you're answering all of these questions about issues that affect people individually and personally, you know, you're still thinking and wrestling with this decision yourself. and joe biden now says he's getting in, right? or we understand, we are told it will be next week. that he will formally announce.

you know, you and joe biden have a lot in common in terms of where you're from. you're from the rest belt. you're considered moderate voices in both of your parties, considering where both of your parties have gone, to different extremes. does joe bid getting in affect whether you'll run, governor kasich? >> well, i would have to be in a primary to begin with or run as a third party. and like i've said all along, if i can't win, i'm not going to do it. and right now, i'm not really going to see that path. but that's today. you don't know what could change in a relatively short period of time. in regard to joe, as i think you know, i have been bullish on joe biden for a long time. he comes across as more moderate and despite the fact that he went through this -- through this duff period, joe biden knows how to connect. and if he can come across with some ideas that show that he's young, even though his age is a little bit more, he will do -- he do very well. we'll have to follow it and i'm interested in it. >> governor, always appreciate your time. thank you.

>> thanks. thank you, erin. and next, the bill barr sideshow, literally. what's the deal with those two guys back there? flanking the attorney general. g jeanne is on the hunt for answers. yeah battery charging. ♪ ♪ thank you so much. battery charging. ♪ new lysol wipes are crazy strong. don't believe us? we got this workout class to compare them to clorox. wow! feel the strength of new lysol wipes. dude! are you looking at this? can i take those? no. lysol. what it takes to protect.®

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now that's simple, easy, awesome. customize each line by paying for data by the gig or get unlimited. and now get $100 back when you buy a new lg. click, call, or visit a store today. before the mueller report became, you know, the best seller, someone else was stealing the show. here's jeanne. >> reporter: while everyone was eyeing the potential for -- >> an obstruction of justice offense. >> reporter: many noticed that obstruction of eyelids offense. rod rosenstein's unblinking stare held viewers captive. >> conspired or coordinated. >> reporter: the timing of his blinks seemed coordinated. >> non-corrupt motives. >> reporter: almost 20 seconds in between.

looks like he just came from a taxidermist. like he was added later in photoshop. rod rosenstein's eyes got their own twitter account. hostage to department of justice, is my soul now with chris christie's, a reference to another famous blank stare over president trump's shoulder. >> it's abysmal. >> reporter: how abysmal? >> chris christie looks like a guy who suddenly isn't sure if he turned the stove off before he left for work. >> reporter: actually, the deputy did adjust his glasses. >> i will now have a few questions. >> reporter: he even eked out a couple of weak smiles. for instance, when his new boss thanked him, even if bill barr did think he was over his other shoulder. >> thanks, rod. >> thank you. >> yep. >> reporter: the other human backdrop, the mystery beauty guy, inspired a comparison to a confederate colonel. actually, he's edward lonel sou. but it was rosenstein who mesmerized the internet. rod rosenstein is winning a staring contest against all of

us right now. when it comes to an unblinking gaze, rosenstein almost beat the eagle. and in a blink, someone added a sound track. ♪ hello darkness, my old friend ♪ . >> reporter: jeanne moos, cnn. ♪ i've come to talk with you again ♪ >> reporter: new york. >> try not blinking for that long. it's actually kind of hard. anyway, thanks for joining us. anderson starts now. good evening. tonight, president trump's newest reaction to the mueller report. time to turn the tables, he now says, and go after what he says are, quote, very sick and dangerous people. who is he wanting to seek retribution against? we'll take a look at that. and what the report reveals about the reflexive dishonesty of the president and the people around him. or as maggie haberman puts in "the new york times," and i'm quoting, the white house that emerges for more than 400