good evening. we begin with breaking news on the whistle-blower, now one of two, and what we're learning about the extreme measures being considered to safeguard his or her identity should they testify before the house intelligence committee. this individual's complaint is, of course, what started this impeachment inquiry. and even though the law is designed to protect those who come forward from retaliation, this is in a different league altogether. apparently these security

precautions being considered. what have you learned about these extreme measures. >> reporter: these discussions are under way between the committee and the lawyers for the whistle-blower all to protect the identity of the whistle-blower when and if he or she ultimately decides to come forward and speak before the committee. there are a whole host of options being considered, things like masking this person's image, masking their identity, potentially going off-site, away from capitol hill to hold this briefing in a secure room off capitol hill. and also limiting the number of people in the room and who is in the room potentially limiting it between staff and members of the house. so a lot of things being sorted out right now, and of course again, all to underscore the security and identity of this whistle-blower is protected. a source tells cnn tonight, a democratic source on the house intelligence committee says this was all prompted because of concerns that republicans on the

committee could leak the whistle-blower's identity. >> is there any sense of a time line for the whistle-blower to testify? >> reporter: not yet. these discussions have been under way for quite some time now, since initially when the whistle-blower complaint had come forward. and beyond just sorting out the logistics of how this could happen, a big thing they're working through right now according to sources is that the whistle-blower's attorney, they are still trying to get the appropriate security clearance to make sure that when and if this happens, that they can be by the side of their client. anderson? >> sunlen serfaty, thanks very much. as this is happening, many republicans are scrambling to excuse the behavior at the heart of the whistle-blower complaint. however, one state did not. ohio republican senator rob portman telling the "columbus dispatch," quote, the president should not have raised the biden issue on that call, period. it's appropriate for a president to engage a foreign government in an investigation of a political opponent. with that, senator portman joins mitt romney and precious few

other republicans. others are trotting out outlandish claims including this was the president having a laugh at the public's expense or the media's expense, starting with marco rubio. >> i don't know if that's a real request or him just needling the press knowing you guys were going to get outraged by it. >> do you think it's appropriate for president trump to ask china and ukraine to investigate joe biden? >> george, you really think he was serious about thinking that china's going to investigate the biden family? >> he said it right there in public. >> well, i doubt if the china comment was serious to tell you the truth. >> you don't take the president at his word? >> no. the president loves to go out on the white house driveway. i haven't talked to the president about this. i don't know what the p was thinking, but i knew he loves to bait the press and he does that almost every day to see what you'll talk about. >> keeping them honest, the notion that the president is a great humorist is actually laughable. you'll remember during the campaign when the president

publicly asked russia if they were listening to look for hillary clinton's emails, and guess what? according to the mueller report, hours later russian operatives began to do just that. as for it being a joke, asking ukraine and china to investigate the bidens, we already know he asked ukraine to do just that, and it was on a private call that was never meant to go public. that was no joke to bait the press. how about the pressure campaign for months leading up to that call at the end of july involving his tv lawyer rudy giuliani? was that part of the gag? giuliani may be amusing, but it's not intentional on his part. how about the text messages between diplomats discussing the elements of what one believed to be a quid pro quo? are the republicans going to claim that too was part of the comedy windup? as the invitation to china to investigation which is suggested was a great gag by the jokester in chief, take a look what the president said on camera and decide for yourself whether he's joking, baiting the press, or merely stating what he told ukraine's president what ep wanted all along.

>> well, i would think that if they were honest about it, they'd start a major investigation into the bidens. it's a very simple answer. likewise, china should start an investigation into the bidens because what happened to china is just about as bad as what happened with -- with ukraine. >> did that seem like a joke to you? if it was, it was a real knee-slapper. it seemed pretty clear and direct unlike the answers yesterday from wisconsin senator ron johnson on nbc. before i show you the exchange with chuck todd, senator johnson told "the wall street journal" last week that the possibility of ukraine quid pro quo made him, quote, wince. johnson a chairman of the homeland security committee. years ago he publicly advocated along with then-vice president joe biden for the removal of that ukrainian prosecutor who president trump and rudy giuliani now claim was inappropriately forced out by joe biden. as of yesterday, however, senator johnson sure seemed to have changed his tune.

>> i've never seen a president administration be sabotaged from the day after election. i've never seen no measure of honeymoon whatsoever. so what president trump has had to endure, a false accusation -- by the way, you've got john brennan on. you ought to ask director brennan what did peter strzok mean when he texted lisa page on december 15th, 2016, quote -- >> senator, can -- >> no. no. chuck, let me finish. >> what does this have to do with ukraine? >> -- scorned and -- >> what does this have to do with ukraine? >> there are a lot of unanswered questions. chuck, i just want the truth. the american people want the truth. >> do you not trust the fbi? you don't trust the cia? >> no. no, i do not. >> i'm very confused here. >> so much double talk and double standards, it's hard not to be confused. it's always good when somebody has what they want to say already written out and is actually reading off it when you're being interviewed on tv. senator richard blumenthal joins us now, democrat, connecticut, and a member of the senate

judiciary committee. first of all, this reporting on the so-called extreme measures that are being considered to protect the whistle-blower, how real is the danger of this whistle-blower being revealed to you? >> the danger is very real and urgent. protecting whistle-blowers is a long-established practice. i have worked with senator grassley. it's been bipartisan on seeking to protect whistle-blowers in other situations and through legislation and other means. and protecting this whistle-blower is particularly urgent because of the president's threats. >> not just for the safety of this person and this person's career, but as a message to other potential whistle-blowers out there, even in the future, that you will be protected if you come forward. i mean if you can't protect this person, then is sends a chilling effect, i would imagine, on the rest. >> speaking truth to power takes courage and protecting whistle-blowers is absolutely essential to stopping waste and fraud in gastroenterologiovernm

retaliation and retribution, which is all too common. >> when you hear some of your fellow senators, members of congress saying oh, well, the president was joking when he called on china and the ukraine to investigate the bidens, i mean there is no evidence that there's any humor in this president on this subject at all. >> anybody listening to the president finds it anything but laughable. when the president of the united states invites interference by a foreign government in our election or sells out our national security as he was doing then, as he did in the conversation with the ukrainian president, and, frankly, as he did when he welcomed russian interference in our election in 2014 when he was a candidate, that is hardly laughable. it is deadly serious, and that's the reason why the focus on, in fact, this abuse of power and offense against the constitution is so important and moving the

impeachment proceeding forward. >> it seems like that idea, oh, he's joking, which i guess i first heard it from rubio and then jordan seemed to go along with it, and now blunt does. it seems like the other possibilities are either, well, it's fine what the president said, asking a repressive regime like china, who is not known for their fair investigative powers, or it's not okay, there's no -- those are the two answers that are possible. they've made up this, oh, it was a joke because it spares them from having to choose one or the other real answer. >> the silence of my republican colleagues is absolutely unsustainable and inexcusable. they can no longer rely on these bogus, debunked conspiracy theories on the one hand or dismissive sayings that it's laughable or unserious on the

part of the president. look at the transcript, the president's own words in talking to the ukrainian president, inviting, soliciting him to interfere in our elections, to dig up dirt on a political opponent, and then to talk about it in the way he did in that clip about china. that kind of talk is a grave threat to our national security, interference in our elections. and also the failure to take action against him will embolden those tactics and embolden our adversaries. >> is it pure and simple fear on the part of those members of congress who have remained silent? because i -- i mean i assume one-on-one, many of them would say something different than -- you know, i'm sure they're not silent one-on-one. >> there is no love for donald trump on the part of many of my republican colleagues and there is severe disdain for him and growing -- >> you hear that? people say that to you?

>> absolutely, in the conversations i have with many of my republican colleagues, there is growing fear for our democracy and the polarization and the divisions that donald trump is enhancing and deepening. but they, on the other hand, fear his potential opposition to them in a republican primary. and that's the rubicon they have to cross. their silence is unsustainable. history is going to judge them harshly. the voters will as well. and this decision, whatever it is, on the future of the president will haunt them. >> you say it's unsustainable for them to remain silent or acquiesce. why do you think it's unsustainable? i mean if president trump gets re-elected, then certainly they will be rewarded for their silence. >> i think it's unsustainable as a matter of conscience. i think it's also unsustainable politically. but in terms of their duty, the reason they are in these jobs

and their oath of office, it is unsustainable in a matter of conscience. >> i mean do you believe, though, in this day and age, that there's a lot of people who still have a conscience in that sense and would sacrifice their job or run the risk of being primaried? >> i have to believe that people continue to have a conscience in these jobs. but i also think that they will begin to see shifts in the american public. you know, i -- >> and that's what's it's going to take, shifts in the american public, and then that gives them the cover slash courage to then move along. >> that's what eventually moved the republicans in watergate, a sense that the american public seismically and tectonically was moving against them, and their positions were no longer sustainable. i think the same phenomena is going to happen here, and i sense it as i go around my state.

i talk to colleagues who are seeing this shift in their states, and that's why you see senator portman saying as he did. i have no hope that it's going to happen without additional confirming, corroborating evidence before the house. but i'm still hoping it will. >> senator blumenthal, appreciate your time. thank you. >> thank you. coming up, the president has just weighed in once again on this. we'll get a live report from the white house next and what the nt has said about the second whistle-blower, who apparently has direct knowledge. and later beto o'rourke on impeachment and what some have interpreted as criticism on joe biden. we'll be right back. saturdays happen. pain happens. aleve it. aleve is proven better on pain than tylenol.

when pain happens, aleve it. all day strong. t-mobile's newest signal reaches farther than ever before. with more engineers. more towers. more coverage! it's a network that gives you ♪freedom from big cities, to small towns, we're with you. because life can take you almost anywhere, t-mobile is with you. no signal goes farther or is more reliable in keeping you connected.

we're oscar mayer deli fresh your very first sandwich,m... your mammoth masterpiece. and...whatever this was. because we make our meat with the good of the deli and no artificial preservatives. make every sandwich count with oscar mayer deli fresh. only roomba i7+ uses two multi-surface rubber brushes. ♪ and picks up more pet hair than other robot vacuums. and the filter captures 99% of dog and cat allergens. if it's not from irobot, it's not a roomba™. woman: what gives me confidence about investment decisions? rigorous fundamental research. with portfolio managers focused on the long term. who look beyond the spreadsheets to understand companies, from breakroom to boardroom. who know the only way to get a 360 view is to go around the world to get it. can i rely on deep research to help make quality investment decisions?

with capital group, i can. talk to your advisor or consultant for investment risks and information. talk to your advisor or consultant [ slow dance♪music plays ] sfx: record scratch music (plays throughout): [ 'watch me walk' by spencer ludwig ] yo dj, can i put in a request? ♪ don't have no sass about this ♪ ♪ i'm on my way i'm on my way ♪ ♪ can't take no class about this ♪ ♪ i'm on my way i'm on my ♪ like this! ♪ this is a moment you plan for. to start your investment plan, find an advisor at massmutual.com sfx: [ mnemonic ] they're america's bpursuing life-changing cures. in a country that fosters innovation here, they find breakthroughs... like a way to fight cancer by arming a patient's own t-cells... because it's not just about the next breakthrough... it's all the ones after that.

more breaking news tonight. president trump has just spoken to reporters about his call with ukraine's president and the existence of a second whistle-blower. jim acosta joins us with more. i know the president spoke to reporters late today. what's his latest pushback? >> reporter: yeah, anderson, he didn't say a whole lot about that second whistle-blower. he said that he's not concerned

about it, doesn't think it's going to have any bearing on what's taking place up on capitol hill right now. we did hear one new line from the president earlier today where he said that this impeachment inquiry is making it harder for him to do his job as president. that was one of the newer lines of attack, i suppose, if you want to call it that or newer lines of defense. the president went on to say that he doesn't understand how he could be even thought of in terms of impeachment inquiries at this point when he says he's doing such a good job. that, of course, is not going to work for democrats, who are going to continue this impeachment inquiry. anderson, keep in mind one of the things we've been hearing from the white house and its defenders over the last few days is a couple of things. one is that the president was just joking when he was talking the other day about china investigating joe biden. that obviously flies in the face of when the president originally made that remark. he sounded very serious whe was talking about not only china but ukraine investigating joe biden. and larry kudlow, the

president's top economic adviser came out of the white house today and was asked about this, and said he didn't know whether or not the president was joking. one thing that is for sure, anderson, is that more and more republicans are coming out to say that they're concerned about this. rob portman, the ohio senator, republican party, came out today and said he didn't think it was appropriate for the president to make that kind of request of the ukrainians during his phone call. but he said it doesn't rise to the level of impeachment at this point. >> all the subpoenas coming from the house investigation -- there's the white house, the pentagon, rudy giuliani. any reason to believe they're going to comply? >> reporter: well, i think at this point it does remain to be seen. i will tell you, anderson, one of the things we've been looking for over the last few days is whether or not the white house was going to carry out this threat to fire off a letter to the house speaker, nancy pelosi, saying, you need to have a formal vote on an impeachment inquiry before we cooperate and hand over information. we were expecting that letter to come on friday, and then it was monday. i'm told by a source close to the situation that it should come tomorrow. but there's no ironclad

guarantee at this point that we're going to see that letter. having said all of that, one of the things you're going to be hearing, i think, moving forward -- ask we heard this from the president last week. i think you'll hear it from his defenders this week is they were very cooperative during the russia investigation. they'll be cooperative here on out as far as this inquiry is concerned. but, anderson, that flies in the face of the facts. as you and i both know, the white house has been dragging its feet and did drag its feet during the russia investigation, never offered the president up to the mueller team for an in-person interview. they had to settle for written answers to questions from the special counsel's investigators. and there's no reason to believe that this current team that's around the president, advising him on impeachment, will act otherwise. >> jim acosta, thanks very much. whatever the president says about all this tonight, something else spoke volumes over the weekend. the white house put nobody on the sunday news shows, no one. we on the other hand have three cnn political analysts, david gergen, kirsten powers, and investigative reporter and author carl bernstein.

kirsten, you heard jim describe the atmosphere at the white house. tonight the president says he's not worried though he obviously fumed all weekend on twitter. do you see any coherent strategy coming together here? >> well, no, i wouldn't call it a coherent strategy. but i do think the president tends to operate very well in chaos, and so he creates a lot of chaos. and i think that he maybe on some level believes -- and mick mulvaney said as much -- that they believe that somehow that is going to redound to the advantage of the president because it's going to be bad for the democrats to be impeaching donald trump. >> david, i mean do you think that's true? i mean is mulvaney right? >> i don't think so. listen, the administration basically is throwing up one argument after another to see what sticks, what works. they're not searching for the truth. they're not trying to conduct an investigation which most white houses would do. rather, they're just looking for an argument that somehow they

can convince enough people to keep the president's base together. and that's why i think the rest of the country is looking at this and saying, that's just nonsense. i think one other thing, anderson. in terms of people coming out who are heavyweights, it was important that colin powell came out and told republicans they need to get a grip, his party. they need to get a grip on all of this. and then the peter baker story in "the new york times" today where he went back and interviewed ten past chiefs of staff for presidents stretching back to reagan. every single one said they would never have ever done anything like this. they rejected these kind of calls when they occasionally came up. >> carl, now that the second whistle-blower has apparently come forward, ihas some direct knowledge that some of the things the first whistle-blower only had secondhand knowledge of, do you see that changing anything? >> i think it's going to be both dramatic, and he is going to have apparently firsthand

knowledge of what transpired here. i think that what all of this becomes more and more is considerable evidence building that we have a fundamentally corrupt president who is a danger to the national security, has undermined our democratic system, and is also increasingly unstable. and i know that many republicans are looking at this and are aware of a good part of that equation, if not all of that. whether they will ever say it aloud is something else. and i think there are people in the white house who recognize that there are republicans who are aware of all of the things that i just said on an evidentiary level. and that's where we're heading in a kind of really unprecedented crisis when you put all those elements together. and remember that the president's closest national security advisers, mattis, mcmaster, kelly, others, tillerson all left saying to

others that the president of the united states is a threat to our own national security, and we're seeing it, including what we saw with turkey today. >> kirsten, the thing that's interesting to me about the rubio, jim jordan, blunt, you know, line about this being a joke, that the president wasn't serious about asking china, and that this was kind of tweaking reporters, a, there's no evidence whatsoever that this was a joke in any form. and, in fact, this president does not tell jokes or is not a person who has much of a sense of humor or even smiles that much. but even if it was a joke, the joke is predicated on the notion that it would be so wrong and absurd for the president of the united states to ask china to investigate the bidens that it couldn't possibly be real. it has to be a joke. but, i mean, all the evidence points to it being real, and therefore by their own logic, they think that is wrong and inappropriate.

>> well, we know that they think it's wrong and inappropriate because when the accusation was made about russia and any kind of operating with another country that was just completely out of the question, and it would never happen. so they definitely keep sort of changing the rules of the game. and i think that they don't know what to do because i think they do recognize that this is wrong. i mean there's no question that they know that this is wrong. and so they have to come up with some answer, and the best they can do is that he's joking even though -- i mean what about -- it doesn't -- like you said, it doesn't make any sense in the sense that he's not known really as being a jokester. it's not really funny. i mean there's that. and then also doesn't the president of the united states have anything better to do than trying to tweak the media? so the whole argument isn't really believable, but i think that they feel like they're caught between a rock and a hard place because they can't defend it, and they can't criticize it. >> yeah. stick around. we're going to come back to everyone. we're going to take a short break. coming up, members of president trump's re-election team

gathered on a conference call aimed at shoring up support in the face of calls for his impeachment. my grandfather had an amazing life, but ancestry showed me so much more than i could have imagined. my grandfather was born in a shack in pennsylvania, his father was a miner, they were immigrants from italy and somewhere along the way that man changed his name and transformed himself into a successful mid-century american man. he had a whole life that i didn't know anything about. he was just my beloved grandpa. bring your family history to life like never before. get started for free at ancestry.com can't imagine doing it any other way. this is caitlin dickerson from the new york times. this isn't the only case. very little documentation. lo que yo quiero estar con mi hijo.

i know that's not true. and the shelters really don't know what to do with them. i just got another person at d.h.s. to confirm this. i have this number. we're going to publish the story.

but it's not really something yoyou want to buy.. i have this number. it's not sexy... oh delicious. or delicious... or fun. ♪ but since you need both car and home insurance, why not bundle them with esurance and save up to 10%. which you can spend on things you really want to buy, like ah well i don't know what you'd wanna buy cause i'm just a guy on your tv. esurance. it's surprisingly painless.

the word tonight from president trump, he says he is not worried about a second whistle-blower. meantime cnn is reporting that members of president trump's re-election team held a conference call today alongside the republican national committee where national polls showing increased support for impeachment were discredited and new donors were offered as proof the democrats are heading down the wrong path. back now with our team. david, i know you want to comment on the republican talking point that the president was joking when he asked two separate foreign powers to investigate biden. >> thank you, anderson. yes. listen, it may be a joke to republican senators. it is not being treated as a joke in china.

the financial "times" has reporting today both out of washington and out of china that this is further complicated the trade talks under way. the u.s. and china are already far apart on the trade talks, but it reports that there's a real pall over those talks and there may not be an agreement. this will have direct impact on the economy, economic growth, and and could in turn threaten the president himself if the economy further craters and the stock market is going down sharply because of the trade talks. >> david, essentially if that is the case, if this affects the trade talks, you can democraire line, then, i mean americans being harmed by lack of progress in trade talks to the preside president's desire to investigate the bidens. i mean if his call to china to investigate the bidens has trade ramifications, that ends up hurting american citizens. >> i think that's absolutely right. it does seem to me there are

repercussions from this whole controversy that are damaging the u.s. everywhere in many, many countries, especially after the decision on pulling back the troops precipitously out of syria today, which shocked so many. it was not cleared with our allies, and once again on many different fronts, other nations are seeing this as serious, not as a joke. when the attorney general of the united states goes globetrotting around to places like italy to try to get dirt, when the president is talking to the head of australia, when you have all these other countries involved, it is not a joke. >> yeah. carl, when you look at the way the president has attacked mitt romney, i guess it's not really surprising that more republicans haven't come forward. >> i don't know that that's the reason, the way he's attacked romney. i think the republicans recognized that this president is the president of his base and that that base is very large and that they are in fear of that base and what that base could do

to their own election prospects. but i think there's another element here. i want to go back to the whistle-blower -- or both whistle-blowers in this case. and that is what the president said about the first whistle-blower when he mentioned that he was a spy -- he or she was a spy and what we used to do to spies, and he was guilty of treason. a kind of threat that is so dark and dangerous, and now the committee of congress is trying to figure out how to protect this whistle-blower for real fears that republicans might reveal his identity to the white house and to others, which will show you where we have gone in this. and one of the great dangers here is that the president perceives, no question, that these whistle-blowers have witnessed things, especially perhaps this second whistle-blower, that have yet to be revealed. and he's reacting as someone who knows there is more coming.

that's speculative to some extent. i think it's also based, what i've just said, on some people who have some knowledge of the second whistle-blower. >> yeah. carl bernstein, david gergen, kirsten powers, thank you very much. coming up next, president trump's surprise plan to leave a longtime ally high and dry, and the pushback from a number of his republican supporters. as a cio, you want to move your business forward. but when your team is always dealing with device setups, app updates, and support calls... you can never seem to get anywhere. that's why dell technologies created unified workspace, powered by vmware. ♪ a revolutionary solution that lets you deploy, manage, support and secure all your devices from the cloud. so you can stop going in circles, and start moving forward. hi. maria ramirez!

mom! maria! maria ramirez... mcdonald's is committing 150 million dollars in tuition assistance, education, and career advising programs... prof: maria ramirez mom and dad: maria ramirez!!! to help more employees achieve their dreams. woman: what gives me confidence about investment decisions? rigorous fundamental research. with portfolio managers focused on the long term. who look beyond the spreadsheets to understand companies, from breakroom to boardroom. who know the only way to get a 360 view is to go around the world to get it. can i rely on deep research to help make quality investment decisions? with capital group, i can. talk to your advisor or consultant for investment risks and information. talk to your advisor or consultant ♪ do you recall, not long ago ♪ we would walk on the sidewalk ♪ ♪ all around the wind blows

♪ we would only hold on to let go ♪ ♪ blow a kiss into the sun ♪ we need someone to lean on ♪ blow a kiss into the sun ♪ we needed somebody to lean on ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ all we need is someone to lean on ♪ seeing what people left behind in the attic. well, saving on homeowners insurance with geico's help was pretty fun too. ahhhh, it's a tiny dancer. they left a ton of stuff up here. welp, enjoy your house. nope. no thank you. geico could help you save on homeowners and renters insurance.

breaking news now, president trump tonight defending his plan to withdraw american troops from a region of syria that's home to some of america's oldest allies in the region. if they do leave, turkey would be free to launch military operations against the kurds. speaking after a signing ceremony at the white house, the president claimed his decision was not intended to favor anyone. >> i'm not siding with anybody. we've been in syria for many years. you know, syria was supposed to be a short-term hit, just a very short-term hit. we were supposed to be in and out. that was many, many years ago. >> still, even so, the president's most resolute supporters say the plan to withdrawal is flat wrong. senate majority leader mitch mcconnell for one said the decision should be reversed because it would, and i quote,

only benefit russia, iran, and the assad regime. senator lindsey graham told fox news in a phone interview the withdrawal was, quote, short sighted and irresponsible. former u.n. ambassador nikki haley was even stronger tweeting, quote, we must always have the backs of our allies if we expect them to have our back. the kurds were instrumental in our successful fight against isis and syria. leaving them to die is a big mistake. #turkey is not our friend. joining me now, ralph peters, military strategist and author. colonel peters, you just heard the president say late today that he is, quote, not sides with anybody, and he claims he told turkey's president, erdogan, that there would be, quote, trouble if anything, quote, outside of what we think is humane happens. can the kurds count on that? >> no, of course not. and the president unfortunately lies like a little boy caught stealing from his mom's purse.

when you unilaterally withdraw the u.s. forces, the trip wire forces protecting the best allies we have ever had in the middle east outside of israel at the behest of an islamist despot who despises the united states and wants to slaughter our best allies, then i'd say you're taking sides, anderson. >> the president tweeted today in part, as i've stated strongly before, and just to reiterate, if turkey does anything that i in my great and unmatched wisdom consider to be off limits, i will totally destroy and obliterate the economy of turkey. i've done before. i mean how do you even respond to that? i'm not -- i mean the idea that -- i don't know of anybody who actually does have great and unmatched wisdom ever saying they have great and unmatched wisdom. >> i feel like we're on "saturday night live" but, my god, in my unmatched wisdom, you

can't believe a word trump says. and he was surprised by the backlash. clearly on a phone call, trump lives in the moment. erdogan conned him. trump did what erdogan told him to do, convinced it was the right thing to do, was shocked by the backlash, even from republicans who amazingly found some spine on this. and now he's waffling, backtracking. he doesn't want to leave forces there because then it looks like he folded. i think right now, while the kurds are under great threat, trump doesn't know what to do. and my concern is that erdogan, who has just been itching to kill the kurds, just slaughter them, may move pretty quickly. >> it also -- i mean the message it sends to other nations or other groups who might, you know, in the future -- that the u.s. might need to work with. >> trump has consistently attacked our allies, great and

small, from nato to the kurds. at the same time, he has repeatedly and enthusiastically embraced despots -- kim jong-un, erdogan of turkey, el sisi in egypt, and let us not forget vladimir putin, whose birthday it is today, and who is set to profit greatly from the u.s. abandonment of the kurds. first of all, the syrian government -- the kurds may be forced as we abandon them, if trump lives up to this and does that, they may be forced into the arms of iran for god's sakes and the russians. so with his impulsive idiocy last night, trump has endangered not just the kurds but the progress made against isis and, in fact, the entire region.

it's amazing that so small a gesture to trump could have world-shaking reverberations. >> also criticism from -- i mean, as you noted, it was -- i don't know if it was surprising, but for a gop which has pretty much remained silent on saying anything negative on president trump, you did have lindsey graham, who has become one of, you know, trump's biggest or, you know, boosters and majority leader mitch mcconnell obviously a strong supporter of the president, at least publicly, quickly called on him to reverse his decision. >> well, i think what you're seeing, anderson, is schizophrenia on capitol hill in the senate and the republican party where they are still committed to american security, and so they'll go after trump on this. but they still don't seem to be committed to the constitution to which they took their oath. when it comes to the constitution and trump's violations, they're still willing to condone it. and one would hope that at some point, more and more republicans

will get the backbone and realize that at the end of their lives, it's not going to matter how rich they are. it's not going to matter how many times they were re-elected. what will matter is as for all of us, did they do the right thing for their country? did they do the honorable thing? even apart from illegality, did they behave ethically and morally? and so for the answer is a resounding no. >> colonel peters, appreciate your time. thank you. just ahead, my conversation with beto o'rourke on the republicans staying silent about the president's behavior. saturdays happen. pain happens. aleve it. aleve is proven better on pain than tylenol. when pain happens, aleve it. all day strong.

bleech! aww! awww! ♪ it's the easiest because it's the cheesiest. kraft for the win win. t-mobile's newest signal reaches farther than ever before. with more engineers. more towers. more coverage! it's a network that gives you ♪freedom from big cities, to small towns, we're with you. because life can take you almost anywhere, t-mobile is with you.

no signal goes farther or is more reliable in keeping you connected. woman: what gives me confidence about investment decisions? rigorous fundamental research. with portfolio managers focused on the long term. who look beyond the spreadsheets to understand companies, from breakroom to boardroom. who know the only way to get a 360 view is to go around the world to get it. can i rely on deep research to help make quality investment decisions? with capital group, i can. talk to your advisor or consultant for investment risks and information. outdated. the paperwork... the calling for everything. the searching for id cards... it's like you're stuck in the 90s. that's why esurance makes it simple with an app that has everything you need because that's how we live nowadays. rad. your id card is on a bodacious tiny future tv. wow! you're really committed to this whole 90's thing, aren't ya? no, i'm just saying what's in the script.

that's true. everything we're saying's in the script. when insurance is simple, it's surprisingly painless.

so much ground to cover tonight. extreme whistle-blower protections, abandoning kurdish allies and claims the president was joking about joe biden and getting china to investigate the bidens. i want to check on chris and see what he's working on. chris? >> no joke, anderson. it was no joke. we're going to take a look tonight at what's going on with turkey and syria two different ways. one in militarily in terms of the political calculations. then we're going to try and slip into why that doesn't transfer, that sense of right chus

indignation and putting policy before politics that we're seeing on that issue on what they have to know this president did with ukraine. they know it was wrong. why aren't more people saying that? impeach or not, that's a different conversation. >> right. >> but the idea it isn't wrong -- so we have the president's attorney on tonight, jay sekulow. he wants to talk about the case for the president there and on taxes. i'm surprised he wants to take us on about asking for the president's taxes. we'll do it now. >> all right. chris, see you about ten minutes from now. still to come, i'll talk to beto o'rourke about why he beyhiliev some republicans might favor president trump's impeachment. we'll be right back. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪

♪ ♪ the roomba i7+ with cleanng base automatic dirt disposal and allergenlock™ bags that trap 99% of allergens, so they don't escape back into the air. if it's not from irobot, it's not a roomba™

performance comes in lots of flavors. ♪ (dramatic orchestra) there's the amped-up, over-tuned, feeding-frenzy-of sheet-metal-kind. and then there's performance that just leaves you feeling better as a result. that's the kind lincoln's about. ♪ i have moderate to severe pnow, there's skyrizi. ♪ things are getting clearer, yeah i feel free ♪ ♪ to bare my skin ♪ yeah that's all me. ♪ nothing and me go hand in hand ♪ ♪ nothing on my skin ♪ that's my new plan. ♪ nothing is everything. keep your skin clearer with skyrizi. 3 out of 4 people achieved 90% clearer skin at 4 months.

of those, nearly 9 out of 10 sustained it through 1 year. and skyrizi is 4 doses a year, after 2 starter doses. ♪ i see nothing in a different way ♪ ♪ and it's my moment so i just gotta say ♪ ♪ nothing is everything skyrizi may increase your risk of infections and lower your ability to fight them. before treatment your doctor should check you for infections and tuberculosis. tell your doctor if you have an infection or symptoms such as fevers, sweats, chills, muscle aches or coughs, or if you plan to or recently received a vaccine. ♪ nothing is everything ask your dermatologist about skyrizi. ♪ as we reported earlier tonight speaking out about investigations against the bidens and a few have criticized the president. senator portman did say i think the house frankly rushed to

impeachment assuming certain things end can quote. joined by democratic presidential candidate, beto o'rourke. there are few republicans saying the president shouldn't have asked a foreign rival to investigate a rival? will they continue to have radio silence? >> i do. and my faith is not so much in it them. the members of congress, the u.s. senators from the republican party but in their constituents. i think as americans learn more of thofacts, come to grips with the truth. the fact this president has committed crimes, sought to cover them up, obstruct justice and now commits it out in the open hoping that by normalidesing this we will losing the pursuit of justices. they're going to force those republican senators to stand up and do the right thing. this is one of those moments

that's go itting to reward the profuels in cuag-- profiles incurage. i saw something about margaret in 1950 and gary goldwater urged nixon to resign. we need those close to the president in his own party to do the right thing, not for their party, for their careers but for their count raary and i'm confi their constituents will force them to do that. >> he said basically this needs to be from constituents up and once they realize their constituents are moving unthat direction they will as well. >> and i can understand those republican senators who get that the president's fury and vengeance knows no bounds, no limits and now we know no law. so they're afraid of him.

but i want them to be more afraid of their constituents who will force this issue for their next reelection. for their careers and i hope for their conscience. forcing them to do the right thing while we can still do the right thing. all that is lacking is the political will. so when this comes to a vote for impeachment in the house and it moves to the senate, it's at that moment i hope they authorize challenge and fulfill the proms of the constitution that see the high crimes the president has kmuted. >> part of the pushback is that house hasn't talk an full vote to authorize the impeachment inquiry. it is a matter of optics. would be a smart move for speaker pelosi to hold that vote which gives themless of an argument to defy the subpoena.

>> i think they would come up with another reason to defy a coequal branch of government and i don't think it would hurt for the full house voting to move forward for impeachment. i think that might be a demmen straugz of the popular will, political force that have amassing in this country right now to force accountability and justice. but regardless i'm grateful for what spooker pelohsy and chairman schiff and other leaders are doing to make sure this entire country is brought on to the same page. only when we have all the facts and truth will we be tubl move forward with accountability. if we instead set the precedent that this president is above the law, we will lose it forever, for every generation that follows. so this will be decided right now at this moment and i trust that the house is going to move

forward deliberately but with speed to make sure we get a trial in the senate as quickly as possible. >> and we talked about biden working on the border of the ukrainian comp an. you said you would not allow a member of your family or cabinet to work for a company like that and went on to say there is no wrong doing on the part of the bidens. is it then justified for voters to ask questions about the judgment of vice president biden? >> i stand by my statement but i don't want to give the appearance and i know you're not suggesting this that there's sh sort of equibbleancy to what the form iter vice president has done and what the president is doing can which is continuing to commit these high crimes that were envisioned when impeachment was placed as a safeguard in

case of a lawless president like the one we have now. i want to make sure the focus remains on this president, his crimes and the need to insure there's accountability. he will try to deflect atngsz. he's been a master of that in the past. we have to make sure there are consequences. >> and as a democratic presidential candidate, are you worried this focus is going to over shadow some of what you're able to talk about on the campaign trail? >> i'm not worried at all and i'm grateful that the house is moving forward. this is the true constitutional test of our time and i want to make sure we come through with flying colors. so i'm grateful for that. but i also know that we can still work on guaranteed high quality universal care for all. we can address gun violence and follow the it lead of mom's

demand and maerch for our lives and confront climate change before it is too late. we're capable of this while still insuring we hold the president accountable. >> y thank you. i'm chris cuomo and welcome to "primetime." he referred to his own great and unmatched wisdom in connection with his decan scission to leave the kurds and this is not a time for him to lose his friends in the face of potential impeachment. we have news on that front and the president's personal lawyer is here on what the case is for this president on impeachment and that big case over the discan closudi disclosure of his taxes. this is a big week. what do you say? let's get after it. the irony cannot be lost.