robert: the mueller report looms at home as the president looks abroad. i'mobert costa. welcome toon "wash week." the special counsel's report into russian electn interfeernls could be completed in week, according to multiple report, but the justice department isn't confirming anything, but what will be released to the public? president trump: that will be totally up to the new attorney general. robert: and as mr. trump's former attorney trepareso testify before congress, a sweeping story raises questions about the president's conduct. plus, president looks to cut a deal with north korean leader kim jong un and seeks a win.

president trump: prime minister abe of japan said i after nominated you respectfully on behalf of japan. i am asking you to give them the nober peace pze. robert: we cover it all, next. t s is "washington week." funding is provided by -- >> i was able to turn the aircraft around and the mission arnd was able to save two men's lives that night. >> myirst job helped me to grow up pretty quickly. that will happen when you're asked to respond to a coup. >> in 2001 i signed up for the air force. two days later, 911 hpened. >> babbel, a language program that teaches reach life conversations in a new language, such as spani f,nch, german,

italian and more. the 10 to 15-minute lessons are available as an app or online.ti more infor on babb bell.com. >> funding is provided by -- koo and patricia yuen through the yuen foundation, comtted to bridging cultural differences in our communities. the corporation for public b broadcasting a contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> once again, from washington, moderatoco robera. robert: good evening. the justice department is a powerful but tight lipped institution. that has been especially true with the russia b nflingt on friday, a senior d.o.j. official spoke out and said special counsel robert mueller would not beg submitt his report to the department next week. full stop. that statement o capped a frenzied week in washington following several reports that

mueller could be wrapping up. regardless of the timing, the mueller report still recovers -e hovers overrump presidency and congress. president trump was asked on friday if h has spoken with attorney general william barr about the probe. president trump: i have not. >> do you expecto? president trump: at some point i guess i'll be talki i about but there was no collusion, no obstction, no anythin so that's the nice participate. there was no phone calls, no nothing. you know why i won the railings? because i was better candidate than she was and she -- it had nothing to do with russia. roibroism joining me tonight, mark mazzetti from thes,new york ti amna nawaz of the pbs newshour, molly ball of the-time magazine a phillip rucker of the washington post.

mark, you've been following this. where does it stand, what do we know about whene it will c out or held to the department of zuffs mark: as usual we don't know exactly and any prediction about when exactly the muellerr re will end would be foolish but it does for the first time fe that we're in an end game here, that mueller will deliver a report sometim in the coming weeks, a lot of people have reported that, and he's wrapping up his work. robert: what gives gnaw feeling is, based on your reporting? mark: multiple sources we have and others have reported that he is preparing to turn it over. the justice department is preparing for him to. the justice department regularly checks in with the special counsel investigation every two s or so and they have the sense that this is coming to an end but when, in fact, it does, it won't be next week and may

not be the week after but we think it's p going to besibly even a month. so there could be also even more shs to drop but it is something that we are certainly waiting for and we think that it'soing to be -- there's going to be more revelations.t robert: p of the reason for all the speculation and the reporting,nn, the "washington post," "the new york times" and others is that you have a new attorney general in william barr deputy attorney general rod rosen semifinal preparing to exit somewhere aroundarch. there's a new culture, a new staff at>> d.o.j. that's right and mark chith when i want kerr sayg earlier we're getting close to the end. the more we s atome point it's going to end we're going to eventually be right. all signs point to something being wrapped up but what we n't know is what happens when

it's done. it being done doesn't know we actually know what's in it. the d.o.j. guidelines dictate it goes directly to this new attorney general. he hinted it what he might do. he said he's not leaning towards releasing it inl. f he said that in his senate confirmation hearing and he also agreed with his predecessor with -- to rekruise accuse himself in jeff sessions. the new attorney general loads a lot of power. it's kind of a bam tim by power and the president knows he has that power. robert: when robert mueller coetes there report, he will submit it to the attorney general. yo " wroterr is laboring to maintain his reputation as a relatively independents and principled leader while simultaneously reacting to pressure from hiss. b " what a test for barr, what can you tell us about how he's going

to handle this moment? >> barr has kept a very low profile so far. he's had sraee from president trump but trump has taken aim at over people who have left the justice department. james comey. rod rosen semifinal. he's been all over twitter talking about the department of justic it's created an awkward position for bill barr becae he'srying to lead this agency to establish someom insurance he white house and the big test is going to be when mueller presents that report. what does he decide to do, how many information does he share with congress and therefore with the public and he's going to be under a lot of pressure from direction difference directions. robert: molly, do u see a seasoned man of institutions or the man who wrote that 19-page memo unsolicited to the deputyt ey general talking about protective attorney general. who is the real bill barr?

otlly: it's obviously but looking back on his confirmation hearings, he was corned 54-45, almost a lartynel vote with many democrats showing displeasure in what they thought was a lacf transparency but behind the scenes you heard even a lot of democrats feeling he'd done a very goo job of assuring his people of his insurance, impartiality. as phil said, presenting a very strong impression of someone who had nothing to lose. he keptha saying he wasn't trying to get anywhere else from his career and therefore that would give him the freedom to stthd up t president if need me -- be. he talked about that in his confirmation hearings. he is quite close personally to robert mueller. they were fends and he has the utmost respect for him. he used the wor inconceivable

about the possibility that he to get rid see cause of mueller so i think even some of the keanlts senators whoga votedst him felt like that would the belles they could get under president trump. robert: when you think about the barr decision and the mueller report, part of the frenzy this week w just about the timing of the reports but about what's going to beor in the r and mark and his colleagues at the timesn published in-depth account of what they called the president's sustained and secretivessault on federal law enforcement. it spelled out example after exreple about how the psident has tried to undermine and discredit not just the mueller probe but the district in new yorkbout hush money payments in 2016. the mueller reportor under

the obstruction side of this whole situation, not just then collus and the russian interference but the corruption and thacould be a real swepter -- specter for this h whise? >> absolutely. we know mueller is investigating trump for possible obstruction of justice. this is so common for us now. we are used to the resident railing against the f.b.i., the justice department, against robert mler and his investigates. so much so that we're no longer shocked by it so we thought that bringing these instances together to show this sort of two-year war on the law enforcemtachinery would show what kind of mueller might be looking at in such a case in goes back to barr and this is one of the challenges he has. not only does he have to work for tmp but it' not embedded in a lot of american culture, this idea tha the deep state is out to get the president.

the f.b.i. is bad, the d.o.j. is bad and there is extraordinary, especially for a rental president. and yet barr is considered a -- you he's a respected prosecutor. he's got to buck up the troops at the f.b.i. and the d.o.j. and to sort of show that they are not out toet the president and so when we wrote this story, we wanted to just remind people that this is not normal, a president talking about federal investigations into him anddo g it so commonly and so aggressively is something we've never seen before in american history. robert: where is the president's legal team getting ready for all of this? this firestorm on the horizon? >> the president's personal legal team as well as the laurels and cooperativeles inside white house are preparing for the mueller rort and have a series of con i think theys based on sort of notng repor much of anything about the president to laying out a bill of goods that house democrats

uld then begin impeachment proceedings on. they'll have an aggressive response. but they're prepared sexr for it and they've been prepareder -- for to it happen next week while the president is overseas but we know it's not going to happen next week. robert: paul manafort, who was convicted of two felonies, prosecutors have prepared a crinal case against the 69-year-old. the manhattan district is reportedly ready to file thech ges if president trump exercises his power to pdon his former aid so they're trying to get ready for the mueller report but all the other problems are there. paul manafort, even if parained can charges in manhattan. >> that's right. even if it stopped right now, i

think it's worst looking bat back at what the mueller investigation has been able to yield so far. you have guilty pleas with some of the closest and longest associates . president. manart, deputy chairman, his personal attorney. criminal charges against stone as well. that's an incredible amount of smoke. we don't yet know where the fire is. but all of these things mean there's more pressure on the president right now. it's kind of remarkable the investigation has gotten as far. as it h the sustained public pressure by the president, those areoing to have an effect on how a.j. baver decides to release whatever he does whatever form. >> in addition to mueller, these other investigations, if you talk to the legal team close to the president, they seem even more conherned about southern district of new york investigation, the one michael cohen has been wrapped numb and

where the president is potentially a conspire or where cohen said hellec dd hush money before the election. this is really rlly jeopardy for the president. maybe not while in office but when he's out. robert: but is the political jeopardy? the d.o.j. has said cohen can't talk about t russian investigation on the trump tower moscow project but he can talk about the president's conduct. do republican voters care? republican governor larry hoag season anything about a primary challenge.we coulee reference twist and turn in the wind? will the democrats use this as their main issue in 2020? >> a lot depends on what's in that report. the democrats from congress have taken a firm stance that they're not going to go forward with impeachment i particular but they're waiting on the mueller report. in part because theyhi that's safer political ground

for the american people to believe in a report, even if the president has tried to turn bob mueller, a i republican,o a political actor against him, he's not yew view that would way by most people but the president's legal sategy has largely been a political strategy. to phil's points, this is the groundwork they've been laying d the times stormy talked about this as well. thet privet ts made in the president's legal defense to turn from a courtroom active stance t this aggressive public relation strategy and rudy giuliani has said this out loud, that this is a about making impeachment impossible, about putting pressure from the republican base on republican members of the senate so they don't feel like they could votee to convict president in an impeachment proceeding so if the president starts to lose those

senate republicans. 've seen them starting to rebel on foreign when it ko came to the shutdown. if they feel thathey were free enough from the pressure from the president's base that they n take action against him then e's in real trouble. robert: congress will have to make the decision on impeachmen you could see welcome barr decide to clasp material and not release lot of it to congress. you could see the justice department not incde a lot of bad facts they found during the investigation because urlt malif they decide this,o t not indict president trump or someone close to him. >> right, the actual program terps of what mueller can do are somewhat narrow. that's why no one is expecting 100s and hundreds of page report like the starr report or the 911 commission or something like that that tells the full story. however, there's an expectation

it's going to be more fullsome than what barr sds to congress. i am entirely certainly that the entirely mueller report will come out in some till. it is too important a documt -- robert: mueller must know that too. >> and i believe that he does and they're probably writing a report with the knowledge that testimony and they're probably being careful about the classification. they're not putting highlyas fied information in because they suspect it will leak. i believe it will somewhere. the stakes are too high for everyoneo speculates what did bob mueller actually find out. robert: is this something that republicans are going to turn away from the president onr rally behind him? >> it's going to be a come to jesus ment for a lot of senate republicans and this may be where the rubber meets the road for them and this is o of the central questions. one of the many interviewsan th ew mccabe has given is the

information in theync did l an individual counter intelligence information into the president and he said with judy woodruff, he said were hed a point in the investigation into russian interfence, it's ti to look altus in ernest into the candidates and that is the than himself and if you go back t that time of cooperation between the mueller team and thees ent's lawyers, there was those leaked documents thankful ntedesponses from president trump. what did you know about russian interference, when did you know it and what, if anythin did you do to instruct the investigation into those things. we expect answers or what muelle believes to be true in the report. robert: we see the president during these pool w sessionsre the reporters come into the oval office and he'll say a few words. that gives awes glimpse into how present trump is handling this political moment, this legal moment. but what's it actually like right now inside to have west

wing? >> the president is much more concerned about it than the people around him in the bhouse and you can see it in the tweets that he fires off, in the comments he makes to reporters all the timen it's been cloud that has hovered over his presidencytw f years now and he's anxious about it, unsettled by it. the advisors are concerned to but at the end of the dayabt's t the president, about the campaign and as much as they can prepare for t cngs andate a strategy, it all depends on what he's going to end up doing and does he gloa gaveket when the report comes out? there's nothing they can do to epare for that. robert: president trump will be traveling to vietnam for his cond summit with north careen leader kim jong un -- north korean leaderim jong un. e first meeting in june produced no concrete greevement the united states suspended its

joint mility exercises with south korea but has not lifted president trump: sanctions are on in full. as you know, i haven't taken sanctions off. i'd love to be able to but in ordeto do that we have to do something that's meaningful on the other side but chairman kim and i have a very good rhythm. i wouldn't be surprised to see some wor out. robert: are we looking at a ladies and gentlemen deal, something to end the kean war o denuclearize or a small-ball situation? >> if there's a big deal being prepared behind the snes, it's not something we've heard about so far. what we've seen with theseypes of negotiation summits that the president has done is he doesn't do it the traditional way where you have a lot of our diplomats meethe withs so you have a nice thing to release when you get the bow on it. it's very much about the two men themselves being in the room together and having that great

relationship who. is that great relationshi good for? is the united states giving more than it's getting? is it chairman kim benefiting the most? the koreans have given some things o but i think there's a lot of pressure on the u.s. to produce circumstances -- results, not just a friendly handshake and i don't think we're going to know whether the president can drive a hard bargain until the summit happens. robert: the president has told reporters he wants to nod n f seether tests on the nuclear side from north korea but they kind of suspect that north korea is not going to get rid of those weapons. >> a key tension point in these talksn forever has b how do we define duclearization? and the u.s. and north korea are not on the same pageet yith that. what happened last june, a lot of sim political, not a lot of

substance. the bar is higher this time around. they have to come away with something. presiden trump has continued to say that good relationship has meant thathe thrt has receded and it has not. this is still a coury thatas thywhere from 20 to 60 nuclear weapons. ey still have the potential r their interballistic mississippi to reach the united states at some points. so the threats is there. quhams is you've given kim leverage. a lot of people are sering s not a lot of incents o give for him to wants t anything up right now. meanwhile, you have other regional players saying if there's a relationship there, maybe i can start to he's had three or four meetings with the south korean president, with the russian president. there are folks in there trying to gain influence and none of thd at is gr the united states. robert: phil, you'readoing to be

g to the vietnam. i think it takes a few days to get theret. n easy trip. you were in singapore as well for the fit swument. -- summit. one of the details i remember from your record -- reportsing from then is this video. the u.s. proposed. propaganda video about captain little and about making north korea a desnation for tourism. is that part of the pitch we'll hear again? >> very much. in mill report this week leading up to the trip, advisors in the white house say trump is fix salt lake citied on selling north korea as a potential tourist magnet in that part of the world and making that case hatoman kim individually since he's had that regard.in you could have hotels, golf courses on the clips. you can drawl in people from beijing, seoul, tokyo, these

bustling economies and make that pitch kim and trump thinks kim b woureseptember dwroich that because he's dazzled by our aspects of culture, movies, ches, so that's the core for trump. robert: we've seen presidents in the past, from richard nixon on, turn their eye abroad as they face challenges here at home. could this be an out for trump? >> it'sta cly something he seems committed to and the sort of trump the deal maker seems to wants to make a splash this u.s. and this could be pblematic if he tries to broker a peace deal that could hurt the denuclearization but the investigation is not going away. robert: it's n going away and this show is not going away. thanks,. everybo our conversation continues on the washington week" extra a i meant it when i say we're involvement going away because

startingll tonight w stream the extra live on our website, yoube and facebook starting 8:30 p.m. eastern every week. join us. i'm robert costa. have a great weekend. announcer: cunporateng is provided by -- >> i was able to turn the aircraft around and the mission around and was able to save two men's lives that night. >> my first job helped me to grow up prett quickly. that will happen when you're asked to respond to a coup. >> in 2001 i signed up for the

air force. o days later, 911 happened. >> babbel, a language program that teemps real life conversations in a new language such as spanish, french,erman, italian ande. mor their 10 to 15-minutes lessons are available as an a.m. o online. >> funding is provided by -- koy and patricn yuen, through the yuen foundation. committed to bridging cultural differences in our comnities. th corporation for public toadcasting and by contributionsyour pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. thank you. >> you're watching pbs.

(announcerer) i'm sure most of you realize that this is a recording session. it's the first time this sort of thing has ever been done within the walls of a prison. we're grateful to the warden here for allowing it to be done at folsom. what i see is a man who's emerging from, you know, a long, hard road of just really beinon the underbelly of lif (announcer) okay, we're ready to do the record session. -are you ready? -yeah! (announcer) all right, all right. now i need your help. i think it tapped into the pure rebellion and the--just that passionate impulse to overthrow, to change things. nc (ann) now, look, that audience response is very important. let's see how loud a thousand men from folsom can be. let's hear it right now, come on. (cheering) (merle) but his songs were always so easy to do, and...

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