before hand? who told him? was he part of a criminal conspiracy to leak information. those are questions under oath he decided he did not want to face. that is a whole new area for investigation. host: there is more in the book from lanny davis. >> it look inside the white house briefing room, waiting to hear from press secretary sarah sanders. itsbriefing postponed from original time, it still has not yet started. also happening at the white house shortly in the east room, a ceremony for first responders to the congressional baseball practice shooting. later, a discussion

about the influence of politics on race relations. killer murdered 17 people and injured more at a high school in florida. the president visited the hospital -- the hospital last week. law enforcement's and first responders. the white house, the victims and his families have constantly been in our thoughts and prayers. we pray for the enforcement's rf those injured and the peace and comfort of those lost. our hearts are filled with gratitude as we heard the stories of incredible heroism. 15-year-old anthony shot five times while his body was used as a human shield. he remains in hospital.

they chose to open the door and let students run into state -- into safety. members of the community will attend this listening session, as will individuals impacted by past school shootings, including the columbine and sandy hook tragedy. thursday, hosting local officials including members of the law enforcement community to continue the conversation. it is the right of every american child to grow up in a safe community. it begins in the neighborhood where the brave men and women have the president's support and it extends to schools and teachers across the nation invest their lives. no parent should have to wonder if their child will return home.

we will continue to explore ways to ensure the safety and security of our schools. right now the east room, the president will award the middle of our to public safety officers including enforcement officers, emergency -- personnel, and fire writer, recognizing them for , protectingr lives citizens and their community spear the honorees are individuals who have exhibited exceptional courage regardless of personal safety, to protect human life. with that, i will take your questions. >> thank you. acknowledgedident with the council has made clear, that russia has not only tried to metal and interfered and influenced.

>> absolutely. he has acknowledged it multiple times before. a press conference in poland and in poland. time he stated several times, one place where you get very confused, it seems to happen he is saying it did not have an impact and it was not with help from the trunk campaign. it is clear my -- russia meddled in the election but it did not have the impact on the election, and it is very clear the trunk campaign did not collude with the russians in any way for the process to take place. >> if that is the case, why hasn't the president incremented sanctions? ms. sanders: frankly, that is not completely accurate. this president has been far tougher on russia -- there is a process that has to take place.

we are going through the process. countrieslso says the have to violate something in the sanctions to go into place and it has not necessarily happened. i can tell you the president has been extremely tough on russia here it he helped through $700 billion to rebuild our military. russia is not excited about that, i can assure you. he helped export energy to eastern europe. i can assure you russia is not excited about that. up else it that should the obama administration has put in place and upheld those enclosed three diplomatic robberies that were russia's here in the united states. a number of actions against russia and put pressure on them. he helped on the ukrainian through number of places that obama was to weaken refused to take and put pressure on russia where this president has. [indiscernible] clarification from some of

the president's to the weekend, the president doesn't really think the fbi failed to stop the shooter because it was too involved with the russian investigation, does he? ms. sanders: i think he was speaking not necessarily that is the cost. i think we all have to be where the cause of this is that of a deranged individual who made the decision to take lives of 17 other people. that is the responsibility of the shooter and certainly not the responsibility of anyone else. >> it was pretty direct. he says this is not acceptable to their spending too much time -- >> i think he is making the point that we would like fbi agencies to not be focused on something that is clearly a hoax in terms of investigating the >>mp campaign's involvement

the latest investigation is obviously about -- now that you agrees, thesident national security adviser says the evidence is incontrovertible. what is he specifically doing about the fact that russia interfered with our election and has every intention, we are told, of doing it again. agrees, the national security adviserms. sae department of homeland security met with a number of relevant stakeholders and they are discussing this process and going through and looking every single day at the best ways forward. let's not forget this happened under the obama administration. >> over a year ago p what has he done about it? ms. sanders: we spent a lot of time working on cyber security focused on protection -- protecting security in our elections. the department of homeland state andet with local officials over the last

several weeks along with election vendors to make sure our election system is secure. last week they met with state and private officials to secure this election system from foreign interference fairly or not the only targets of tornier turns and we are worth with our allies on a daily base to ensure we are following best practices. this has been a topic of conversation with multiple foreign heads of state. president trump and the administration have made it clear interference in our elections will have consequences to giveill continue consequences in response to cyberattack spear last week, we called out russia by name. one of the first times you have seen that take lace peer we will be doing things like that. >> he didn't call cyberattack st that -- call up putin. he criticized obama and the fbi, but he didn't even criticize vladimir putin. ms. sanders: he has been tougher on russia in the first year that obama was in eight years combined. imposeopposed --

sanctions, taken way property, and done a number of things to put pressure on and be tough on russia. last week, there was an incident that will be reported in the coming days, the number of ways this president was tough on russia. last week, rick scott called for the fbi director's pregnant -- resignation. the governor and the president were together last week. did governor scott talk to him about that and more portly, what does the president think about the director's -- what is the consequence? ms. sanders: i am not sure it came up in those private conversations. i would have to check. in terms of the interaction of i cannot speak to it at this point. this point, not a lot i can

say but i do feel, and i believe, we are looking at what actions could be taken and what could be taken to prevent that. question ared the number of times. no changes. i don't have anything new. mentioned who is coming to what is the topic exactly? mental health, guns, what? ms. sanders: a wide range of issues. a number of people have, unfortunately, been through horrific tragedies like the one we saw in parkland, florida last week. some that hope they never have to go through that. we hope number of parents and teachers and scoot -- and students from a local area as well, this is a listening session to see what could be done better, what the actual concerns of the students are, what they would like to see. one thing the president wants to

outs make sure he exist with a number of people from across all fronts. unfortunately, when horrific tragedies like this happen, everybody wants a quick and double answer. there is not one. there is not a quick and simple answer but we want to make sure we are dressing the problem and we want to make sure we are meeting and talking with as many people that are affected and play a role in the process a spouse. with teachersdown and students and he will sit down with the law enforcement officials and he will sit down with the nation's's governors and bring the conversations together and look for the best path forward to make sure we are doing everything we can in every capacity from the state, local, , to make surevels these incidences don't happen again. >> president in 2000 supported and assault weapons ban. what is his position now? reinstating the band? ms. sanders: we have not closed the door on any front.

that is with the next several days and weeks will be, to have conversations and see what the and see what like areas we can make changes to and where we can do better. background checks or something, that the president is supportive of making more efficient and looking for ways to speed up the process and we will look at a number of processes as well. >> in the aftermath of the indictment handed down by special counsel bob mueller's office, the president tweeting quite a bit over the weekend. he was critical of the fbi and critical of democrats, critical of the ranking member of the house intelligence committee, even critical of his predecessor, but he was not critical of russia, of the russian president vladimir putin.

i didn't get a sense of outrage in what the president put out there in his tweet today. he is angered that another country, russia, tried to interfere with the u.s. presidentiali didn't get a sense in what the president election - >> he called out russia by name in his official statement that went out shortly after those indictments came down. he called them bad actors and specifically called out russia as the only individual met statement. that was the first reaction of the president. i would disagree with the premise of your question. has beenagain, extremely tough on russia in a number of ways and we will continue to do that. >> anger or outrage by the fact that russia -- ms. sanders: angry that anyone would try to manage -- metal in our system. to remindimportant the we are looking for ways to figure out the best way to not let that happen again. mentioned background

checks, the bill includes -- ms. sanders: i haven't spoken to him about that specific or seizure. he spoke with senator cornyn friday. supportive ofy that but we will continue the conversations. >> president -- private travel, federal resources, to both of them still have the confidence of the president? ms. sanders: i have no reason to believe otherwise. if someone no longer has the confidence of the president, you guys will know. >> the chief of staff on friday, security clearances, by the end of this week, [inaudible] their access due to classified information, we know

from his attorney, jared kushner. can you talk about whether or not how he will do with his very senior job in the white house if he does not have classified information? ms. sanders: i will tell you no willion within the memo impact anything jared kushner is working on in terms of specifics , i cannot get into it. answer whether anyone has a security clearance or not but i will to you nothing that has taken place will affect the valuable work jarret is doing, that he continues and will continue to be a valued member of the team and he will continue to do important work he has been focused on for the last year. >> you mentioned during individual took those people. he drank injured visual took dozens of live in the -- lives in las vegas or the president offered some support to the idea of banning bump stocks, and that

seemed to have fallen by the wayside. preceded by a deranged individual snuffing up a lives of nearly an entire classroom and sandy hook, etc. p it's a bill that would encourage state and federal governments and government agencies to do what they are supposed to do. does the president have any ideas at all on how to address this or hit -- is he starting from scratch? ms. sanders: the president supports not have in the use of bump stocks and we expect in the action on that coming days. he ordered the department of justice in the etf to reduce the regulation of bump stocks. my understanding is the review has been completedjustice and sg will take place on that shortly. -- thee -- that president is committed to ensuring those devices -- again, i will not get ahead of the announcement but the president does support the use of those accessories. >> deranged individuals, getting hold of weapons and killing

people and discriminate -- in discriminate, does he have any ideas to deal with this? ms. sanders: that is part of the conversations we will have on mental illness. >> he has to listen to a bunch of people question mark it doesn't have any ideas of his own? that would suggest he does not have any ideas. taking mys: you are words out of context. >> can you explain? ms. sanders: i was trying to before you interrupted me. the health and human services department, trying to determine the best path forward on that and what is available and allowed under the law, certainly it is something we take seriously and it is something we want to a and we are working hand in hand with the federal government as well as a law enforcement official on what we legally can do. unfortunately, we cannot just flip a switch p or are a law and order country. do president is trying to

everything he can to address these concerns when it comes to mental illness. >> with the president consider branding this -- granting mr. question i full clearance? ms. sanders: i am not aware of any red flags and i think it is irresponsible to suggest that without having seen individual files. secondly, i have not spoken to the president about whether or not that would be necessary but as i said, the work mr. kushner has done will not be impacted here it he will continue to do that -- continue to do the work he has done over the last year. >> former speaker gingrich had put forward a proposal that he started promoting about training more teachers and having more people with firearms in schools. i am wondering if that is in the range of ideas and if you could

explain a little more about how the president will run things and turns -- in terms of taking things -- ms. sanders: i haven't spoken to him about the planned so i have to get back to you on that front. in the next several days and weeks, how we will run the process, it takes a lot of information from individuals, school shootings as well as those that hope they never have to be in the same situation and talking to state and local law , and whatt officials areas we can without forward. and what areas we can without forward. >> what does trump think about that? ms. sanders: still has i think a 97 page inspector general

report. until that, there is a secondary review that takes place. until that is completed, i cannot comment further on it. >> they should be an age limit for those who buy in ar-15, a teenager -- ms. sanders: i know there are currently laws in place in certain states that restrict that in terms of whether or not that his policy, that has not yet been determined. it is certainly something on the table for us to discuss and we expected to come up in the next several weeks. he tweeted about his international security advisor, suggesting anything for russia didn't impact the outcome of the election. does he still have confidence in him to do his job? >> he thought that will addendum would be helpful.