are hillary clinton with these gray states to hit 270. do a ton if you're donald trump. here in the home stretch, chuck todd has an exclusive interview with bob mcdonnell. the corruption ceeagainst him is dropped. "mtp daily" is starting right now. >> if it's friday, donald trump's praising a vladimir putin is putting republican o o loyalties to the test again. tonight, why praise for putin -- >> he is really very much of a leader. >> is pushing republican loyalties to the brink. >> putin is an aggressor that does not share our interests. >> vindication n regret. bob mcdonnell found out thursday that all charges against him have been dropped. today, he talks to us. >> i know in my heart, chuck, i never believed that anything that i did was wrong. >> also, politics, national security and patriotism. 15 years after 9/11. this is "mtp daily," and it starts right now.

good evening. i'm chuck todd in washington. welcome to "mtp daily." the muslim ban, judge curiel, deportation. trump has driven a wedge in the republican party on countless issues. we have a new one. this one is going to run deep. some might say red. trump's raise of prospe-- prais vladimir putin. they were slamming obama for playing down the putin threat and now their nominee is openly praising putin at time when russia may be attempting to influence the u.s. election. policy and slammed the american press, the free american press, raised doubts about the integ t integrity of the american election on state-owned russian

television. it was an interview conducted by larry king and appeared on state-run television. >> putin recently said the hacking of the democratic national committee's e-mails was a public service. do you agree? >> i don't have any opinion on it. i don't know anything about it. i don't know who hacked. you tell me who hacked? >> and what about reports that russia might meddle in the election? >> i think it's probably unlikely. i think maybe the democrats are putting that out. who knows. but i think that it's pretty unlikely. >> the trump campaign claims they were unaware the interview would air on rt, the russian american-owned propaganda channel. but it did. so what does the gop do? do they defend trump when he praises putin or seems to advance putin's interests like this or do they speak out? it's not surprising the

republican party appears to be splintering. >> vladimir putin is an aggressor that does not share our interests. >> he doesn't need to apologize for that. he's stating his opinion. >> do you agree or disagree with donald trump? >> i disagree with him on that. >> it's inarguable that vladimir putin has been a stronger leader in his country than barack obama has been in this country. >> my hope is that some of -- he'll change his opinion and his views. vladimir putin is not a president. he's a dictator. >> some republicans, though, are turning tail and avoiding it. i don't have a comment. not going to go down the path. you should ask donald trump about that. here's john mccain earlier today. >> are you still convinced that he is the best choice for national security issues? thank you. >> thanks. i have supported the nominee of the party. next question. look, i -- honestly.

i am not here to talk about donald trump. >> wow. as we await to hear hillary clinton, she's going to be giving remarks on national security, i want to bring in tonight's panel. james with the atlantic. alfonso aguilar and ruth marcus is a columnist for "the washington post" and the deputy editorial page editor. jim, i want to start with, there's so many unprecedented things that happen when we talk about donald trump. but a u.s. presidential candidate appearing on the propaganda arm of another government that is trying to undermine us. i mean, yes, presidents have appearod the bbc, but that's not the same thing. >> a challenge to maintain the sense of never a dull surprise that every day something happens that has never happened before. and so people have been saying, you are looking for new wolde war with russia.

to have someone appearing on russian state tv and to have him be so easily played by putin oo apparently. i love putin calls me brilliant. i'm going to say good things about him. >> you went through this, though, before. it's like he does -- people are probably telling him, don't do this. >> but on this i wonder if we're reading too much into it. he's saying he's a strong leader. is putin a strong leader? >> he's a dictator. >> but strong leader doesn't -- >> wait a second. >> a strong leader doesn't mean he's a good leader or advances strong policies. >> he was not making that -- >> that's what he is. i think he was trying to say that. i think -- >> wow, you are -- >> i disagree with trump on many things. but on this point, i'm thinking, look, he's a strong leader, and i think he's more effective in advancing russian interest in the arena than barack obama.

>> donald trump said it that way from the beginning. >> okay. because that -- like everything, had he said it that way going president obama is getting played by a guy who seems to be better at advancing his interests than america's interest. that's a different critique. it's not the same statement. >> it's not the same statement but even that statement would leave out a lot of ugly truths about vladimir putin that donald trump has somehow failed to utter for all this time. and i was listening to your recitation of the campaign so far, and i was thinking, if this were a novel, we would pan it for just being too -- >> too ridiculous. >> too ridiculous. >> this couldn't happen here. >> it's also happening on both sides. president obama in laos. a press conference saying that donald trump cannot be president, that his policies are wacky. >> now he didn't -- he is bringing up a fact that's unprecedented, too.

an outgoing president doing that about a potential successor. >> the question is, is this obama both sides doing it or something unique about trump? i think the phrase both sides doing it needs to be permanently retired from coverage. donald trump is unique. there's nothing the democrats are doing. if obama is saying he's unfit it's because trump is unusual. >> abroad in laos, that's uncalled for. i'm not defending trump. that statement regarding putin was not the most elegant statement but i think we're reading too much into it. >> i didn't have any problem when the president said he wasn't qualified here. and i don't think it's particularly diffent for him to say it there. in the same way his appearance on russian state television is not the -- >> let me -- i'm not defending the russians. rt america isn't really russian controlled -- >> it's russian funded. >> it's grown in the united

states. >> it's fully funded by the government. fully funded. for what it's worth, it is fully -- >> you don't have to defend this guy anymore. >> no, no, no, i'm trying to put things in perspective. >> for perspective, this laos point, president obama, the serving president was asked about donald trump. he commented. donald trump was commenting about the person who is the incumbent saying he was weaker than putin and saying this on russian tv. >> i understand if you criticize trump for his comments but not criticizing president obama. >> the person who may regret the statements this week the most is mike pence who had to go out there and try to put the best spin on it and is going to be sorry. >> what does it say about the republican party? look. democrats mocked mitt romney for saying russia was america's number one geopolitical foe. the guy looks prescient now considering all the problems russia is causing in united

states foreign policy. but why is the republican party abandoning that position? >> there's a clear divide within the republican party with donald trump on many issues. on immigration, on trade, on foreign policy. neocons don't love donald trump. there's a divide. we're seeing forces within the republican party fighting it out. and there may be -- >> what is the pro-putin part of the republican party that's not donald trump or paul manafort? really. >> some people believe there should be constructive engagement. i disagree with -- >> speaking of national security. we're going to hear from hillary clinton right now. >> together they represent a great deal of expertise, experiences and lessons learned. i asked them to join me for a candid conversation about some of the most challenging issues facing our country because i believe that america's national security must be the top priority for our next president.

to do that job, you need to constantly seek new information, and new perspectives, test your assumptions, ask and answer hard questions. that's what today was about. and i'm grateful to these men and women for sharing their insights with me. i hooe and intend that our conversations will continue because, as i've said many times, i believe in a bipartisan foreign policy. we won't always see eye to eye when it comes to questions of war, peace and the safety of our country. we can't let party affiliations stand between us. we need to put partisanship aside and work together for the good of all of us. and i know we can do it. i've seen it happen under both republican and democratic presidents. so that will be my goal if i'm elected this fall. today our main conversation was, as you might expect, isis and other terrorist threats.

we discussed how isis is finding ways to convince young men around the world and some young women, including in our own country to get assault weapons or strap on bombs and kill large numbers of people. and we talk specifically about a strategy to protect us from that threat here at home. we went into detail on what it will take to surge our intelligence, to help us detect and prevent attacks before they happen. we also discussed methods to disrupt online recruitment so they stop reaching and radicalizing young people on the internet. and one of the points that many of the participants emphasized, which deserves a higher priority in a counterterrorism strategy, is the role of local governments and community leaders here at home who truly do act as our first line of defense.

while we protect the homeland, though, we need to take the fight to isis. that means smashing their strongholds, denying them safe havens, dismantling the global network of fighters financing and arms that supply these terrorists which requires working closely with our allies. it does not mean sending contingents of american combat troops to take and hold territory. that's neither wise nor in the interest of the united states, and it is exactly what isis wants. instead, we have to hit them from the air n intensify support for local arab and kurdish partners on the ground. i support deploying more special forces, enablers and trainers as needed, increase intelligence, intelligence gathering and reconnaissance. as i said earlier this week, i also believe it should be a top priority to take the leader of isis abu bakr al baghdadi off

the battlefield just like we did with osama bin laden. that will help us focus our efforts and make it very clear that no one attacks the united states or inspires attacks without being brought to justice. here today we talked about what we need to do. i would stand up a mission team to bring focus and priority to this effort. we will devote the intelligence assets intelligence combined with the capabilities of our allies and partners on the ground and the precise application of military force. we know how to do this. we have models to draw from. they will be a paramount priority for me as president. and it will send exactly the right message. history tells us we need an approach that's comprehensive and deals with multiple overlapping conflicts in the region and along the entire arc of instability from north africa

through the middle east, into central asia and beyond. as we've been reminded in just the last 24 hours, with reports of another nuclear test in north korea, we face threats from many parts of the world. indeed, isis and north korea's quest for a nuclear weapon are not entirely unconnected because the greatest threat of all would be terrorists getting their hands on loose nuclear material. so it's vital we bring the world together to stop north korea's dangerous game. in discussions of national security, it can be easy to get mired in the tactics or overly focused on the threats. but let's not lose sight of what this larger project of american leadership is all about. it is about creating more peace in our world, more prosperity, more human dignity. and that's what we have to also be focused on every day. there were a number of very

excellent suggestions about what we can and should be doing here at home to try to bring our american muslim community much more closely and welcomed into the struggle against radicalization and recruitment. and i am anxious to follow up on the ideas and even some of the model programs that are currently under way. i'm humbled to be supported in this race by a growing number of retired military leaders. earlier this week, 95 retired generals and admirals endorsed me for president. in the past 48 hours, another 15 have joined them. so have people on both sides of the debates that have defined our foreign policy for the last 30 years. their support is an honor. i'm grateful for it, but it's also a signal that this election is different. i don't want to rehash

everything my opponent has said in this campaign, but no % conversation about our national security would be complete unless we acknowledge that the nominee on the other side promises to do things that will make us less safe. national security experts on both sides of the aisle are chilled by what they're hearing from the republican nominee. that may be the number one reason why this election is the most important ii our lifetimes. so i'm not waiting until november. i'm bringing democrats and republicans together now because i plan to get right down to work on day one. the stakes are too high and the issues too serious for anything less than that level of preparedness. americans should be able to count on their president and commander in chief to provide rational, confident and

even-keeled leadership. especially in tumultuous times like these. so i'm very grateful to the men and women i met with today, experts with a broad range of understanding, and willingness to share their insights. and i look forward to continuing to receive their advice in the days and weeks ahead. so we'll take just one or two questions. [ inaudible question ] >> a broad range of understanding, and willingness to share their insights. and i look forward to continuing to receive their advice in the days and weeks ahead. so we'll take just one or two questions. >> [ inaudible ], strategic patience and gradually

escalating sanctions. that's clearly failed. how would your plan differ from the one you n president obama pursued for four years while you were in office and that he has pursued since? >> amy, i think it's clear that the increasing threat posed by north korea requires not only a rethinking of the strategy, but an urgent effort to convince the neighbors, most particularly china, that this is not just a u.s. issue. and i think we have an opening here that we haven't had for the last several years that i intend to do everything i can to take advantage of. but we're also going to support and equip our allies in the region with the missile defense systems that they require to protect themselves. that is not something that either the north koreans or the

chinese or russians in the region are particularly pleased about, but what is the alternative? we are not going to let anyone who is a treaty ally and partner of ours be threatened. and we're not going to let north korea pursue a nuclear weapon with the ballistic missile capacity to deliver it to the united states territory. that is absolutely a bottom line. and if other countries want to assist us in this effort, we welcome that, and we will engage in intensive discussions as soon as possible. >> secretary clinton, you put out a statement earlier today saying you support president obama's call for additional sanctions on north korea. but they've faced sanctions for years and clearly it hasn't stopped them from moving forward on their nuclear program. how will a few more sanctions help, and would you consider the kinds of negotiations that you pushed for with iran? >> the answer to the second

question is yes because we faced a similar problem in 2009. as a senator, i voted for every sanction put before the senate against iran in our effort to try to previcinity irent iran f forward on a program. it didn't stop them. they built covert facilities, mastered the nuclear fuel cycle. they were able to acquire and put into operation a significant number of centrifuges. so our sanctions, despite our best efforts, were not enough. and although we have international sanctions against north korea, some of which i helped to negotiate when i was there, they aren't enough either. and they aren't enough for the very same reason i was responding to amy about. they're not enough because china has not yet made the decision

that it needs to make that north korea poses a threat to the region and poses a threat to the kind of stable border relationship that china has always valued with north korea. so we are going to continue to look at how we tighten sanctions because i do think there's a role for sanctions. the regime in north korea lives off of goods and material that can be smuggled in to keep their lifestyle and their love of luxury going. so i think there's a lot more we can do. and it will be on the top offmy list in dealing with china on how we're going to prevent what could very well be a serious conflict with north korea. >> [ inaudible ]. >> well, jennifer, you know, you

don't talk about leverage until you actually produce leverage. n i believe that we do have leverage with china. and i believe, based on my extensive discussions when i was secretary of state, that there's even a conversation starting within china about how to handle the changes in the north korean regime. china has no interest in seeing the kind of build-up which we are going to be doing. and i will stress this and underline it. we will not leave our frnds and allies unprotected. and we will do everything we can to put in the most effective missile defense system against anything that north korea does. chinese are not happy about that. we have a lot of leverage. and we're going to exercise that leverage and put together the kind of negotiations that i think can lead to a beginning of

containing and controlling the behavior of the north korean government which has the danger of affecting everyone, including china. thank you all. >> secretary clinton, do you have a response to -- >> that was hillary clinton making a statement there after -- what was that? what was the question? >> every day that goes by, this just becomes more and more of a reality television show. it's not -- it's not a serious presidential campaign. and it is beyond one's imagination to have a candidate for president praising a russian auto kr au autocrat like vladimir putin and throwing his lot in with him in the way that he has approved of

his wish list and not really even understanding what putin has already done like invading and occupying crimea. we are living in challenging times, and that certainly was reinforced by the excellent discussion we had today. no one who wants to assume the responsibility of being president and commander in chief should be making the kind of reckless and dangerous statements. and identifying with a regime that has some aggressive tendencies toward our interests. our values. our friends and allies. so can i say i was surprised? not sure anything surprises us anymore. but i was certainly disappointed that someone running for president of the united states would continue this unseemly

identification with and praise of the russian president, including on russian television. thank you all. >> there you go. you know a candidate wants to answer a question when they turn around for a shouted question. i've got the panel back here. james, alfonso, ruth. they only answer a shouted question when it's a question they wished they had been asked. >> that was the perfect question to get her to turn around and walk back and you can see her make that decision in the spur of the moment. and she used that moment pretty well. >> by the way, this was a statement, our own kristen welker who shouted that out. this was after a meeting. an interesting photo op. take a look at this. new york city in a hotel. you'll see it here in a meeting. michael chertoff next to her it looked like a re-creation of the roosevelt room, the cabinet

room. we were just in some live television. this was earlier today. it is made to look very presidential setting there. what did you make of both the post and this event in vernal? >> i thought we were talking while secretary clinton was giving her address about how sort of low key her delivery was. i think that may be what we hear from her in the next while which is that she wants to establish both explicitly and implicitly that she knows this stuff. the china/north korea discussion, she is miles deep in that. so i thought this is a way of establishing i'm in my familiar terrain and we have some guy meanwhile going on rt. >> what did you make of the -- clearly trying to paint that contrast. >> i agree with that. substantive. she understands the issuee but going back to russia n the question she answered. look. there's an irony there in terms of policy. she's making a big deal now of

vladimir putin. four years ago she still secretary of state. barack obama said russia was not really a there. he went to russia and hit the restart button with the foreign minister of russia. the foreign minister today is saying they may call it quits over the syria talks. so, yes, you can criticize trump. i agree the comment wasn't elgantz. there's a certain irony that's isn't going to be missed by the american public. >> a lot of people wish they hadn't trashed romney on that comment so much. >> i don't get the irony. they tried to do a reset with russia. perhaps that was futile and didn't work. they changed their approach. the one whose approach makes no sense right now is donald trump's. >> before i go, we have to run to break, because i think you lived in china for a while, not only did some deep reporting, why does china tolerate north korea doing what they're doing? when are they going to -- >> because they have only so much control over it.

what they don't like north korea doing what they are doing. what i'd like even less is north korea collapsing. that's the threat from china's point of view. that's the worst option so they can poush them. they increase sanctions, it's not going to hurt the regime but the people that are already starving. >> great partners to have here while we listened to hillary clinton. we'll have more. n then later my exclusive interview. earlier today i sat down with former virginia governor bob mcdonnell, 24 hours after he was deemed a free man. his first comments since the corruption case was first dropped. stay tuned. 's not a banner that goes on a wall. it's not something you do now and then. when it's convenient. it's using state-of-the-art simulators to better prepare for any situation. it's giving offshore teams onshore support. and it's empowering anyone to stop a job if something doesn't seem right.

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who the president is. and lindsey graham said other than destroying every instrumts of democracy in his own country, having opposition people killed, dismembering neighbors through military force and being the benefactor, he's not a good guy. the author of "winter is coming," a russian pro-democracy leader and a former world chess champion. mr. kasparov, thanksor joining me. you hed what i quoted from lindsey graham on that one and i saw when i was reading it you almost smirked a little bit. how do you view his description? >> look, i can add many more items. almost endless list and every day putin adds new and new crimes to his history. and i believe that now after so being unpunished for what he did in russia and neighboring

countries and the massacre in the middle east, he thinks he can influence elections in the free world and his eyes now are on the united states since it's the biggest prize any kgb agent could ever cover. >> there was an article in "the washington post." how russia could spark a u.s. electoral disaster. and she said the ideas were essentially came from what russia has done in other countries. and she noted some similarities. rheumors election fraud can create the same hysteria as real election fraud. whatever happens, the political process is undermined, social trust plummets further and the appeal of american democracy at home and around the world diminishes and that is the point. this goes to that it was a similar situation in ukraine. create the idea the process itself is rigged. we've heard donald trump say time and again it's rigged. we heard putin imply perhaps with the wikileaks that -- i read this article and i didn't

want to -- i was in disbelief. is this a pattern that's familiar to you? >> absolutely. let's not forget. vladimir putin is a kgb guy and was quite successful in creating quite a development in many european countries. there are -- there's plenty of evidence that he was supporting brexit. he was definitely heavily funding nationalist groups in europe and other groups. he is behind every effort to destabilize the effort. trump is an ideal partner. it will undermine every american alliance and institutions like nato and eu. so whatever putin can do, whatever his powers, and, believe me, there's still plenty of trump cards in his sleeve, i think putin will do it. and while everybody is talking about hack, i want to remind people that putin has a record

of blowing up his own people to get domestic advantages. and considering his connections with terrorists, traditional kgb connections with terrorists around the world, i hope this administration will be watching, not only the kgb activities on the net but also potentially on the ground. >> how -- how many times have you felt as if he was going to threaten you, that he was going to come after you? how safe would you feel traveling to russia right now? >> i live in new york for 3 1/2 years. that tells me everything. and the bravest of us, boris nemsov who stayed in russia until his tragic end he's been fighting putin, blasting him for his crimes. in 2015, he was shot in front of kremlin. >> you are living in new york city for one reason. because you -- because your life would be in danger if you lived in russia? >> absolutely. life of any political activist

in russia is in jeopardy if you are going after vladimir putin. most of my colleagues who fought with me against the regime are either behind bars, in exile or worse. >> donald trump appeared on rt, the russia today, which is state-run. even they admit it's state run but they mock the idea of state run saying it's no different than npr or the bbc. it's also, though, my understanding that trump saying the things he said on rt that that gets used as propaganda in russian media. explain how the american eyes rt is used to basically get rid of america's credibility. the media's credibility in russia. >> rt is a part of the kremlin's propaganda machine. probably the most heavily financed propaganda arm in the world. it's directly financed by the russian budget, and i'm sure there are probably other sources

from russian oligarchs because russia has plenty of cash available for such services. and what putin propaganda does inside and outside of rush is is present an image of a strong man who can control everything. intervene everywhere and cannot be challenged. that's what dictator means to stay in power. putin knows economies working against him. the living conditions in russia have been deteriorating steadily. he needs to prove that russia is the -- is a fortress besieged by world evil november he's trying to defend russia not only inside the country but outside of the country going after bad guys and supporting those who can promote his agenda. >> you have been tough on president obama. you thought for a time he was too soft on putin. now here we are with donald trump who is cozying up with him. what should be the u.s. response to all of this mounting evidence that putin is trying to undermine the american

democratic process? >> i am afraid what we see now and putin's impunity is very much a result of obama's weak foreign policy. but he still has three months to get things right. he should start act, not just talking. if you have evidence of russian hackers in the -- intervening in american political process, you have to fight back. putin, as a classical dictator, he doesn't care about words. he cares about action and america still is too powerful to just, you know, just send warnings. you need action. and that's probably the ultimate test of obama's presidency. whether he can guarantee the next president of the united states will be effected by american voters, not intervention of foreign power -- foreign enemy. >> i have to say, garry ca rry kasparov, i never thought we'd be wondering whether our

election would get tampered with by a foreign power. always a pleasure to have you on. still ahead on "mtp daily," from conviction to vindication. former virginia governor bob mcdonnell discusses his corruption case, and his thoughts on the state of american politics as well. stay tuned. we have to be very precise. if we're not ready when the planets are perfectly aligned, that's it. we need really tight temperature controls. engineering, aerodynamics- a split second too long could mean scrapping it all and starting over. propulsion, structural analysis- maple bourbon caramel. thata's what we're working on right now. from design through production, siemens technology helps manufacturers meet critical deadlines. i think this'll be our biggest flavor yet. when you only have one shot, you need a whole lot of ingenuity.

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if it's severe stop taking linzess and ca your doctor rht away. her side effects include gas, stomach-area pain answelling. talk to your doctor about managing your symptoms proactively with linzess. it was the corruption trial that ended the career of a rising star in the republican party and may change the legal definition of what constitutes political corruption. in 2012, bob mcdonnell was in the rung to be mitt romney's vp pick. by wint are of 2013 he was at the center of a federal corruption investigation. he'd been convicted of bribery. that conviction stemmed from tens of thousands of dollars in cash and gifts. mcdonnell and his wife accepted from a virginia businessman including the use of that man's ferrari and some infamous rolex watch as a gift. this past june, the supreme court unanimously overturned that conviction.

they said the prosecution's view of the federal bribery law was simply too broad. the department of justice announced he will not retry the case. earlier today i spoke to the former governor. it's his first tv interview since getting the news his 43-month-long legal saga is over. >> a lot of folks in your shoes after you sort of -- you get through this ordeal and you have got your full freedom, you go away. why do you come out in public. a lot of time you almost want to get some privacy back. why are you doing this? >> i do want that back and i've had that for the last 2 1/2 years as we've suffered through some tough times but have amazing support from family and friends and new people that have come on board to help us. i want to thank the people that have been rock solid by my side. my legal team. bipartisan group of officials and friends from around the country that have advocated for

us in the supreme court and just people that said they were praying for us day in and day out. that have sustained us during the hardest times of my life. and tell the story of encouraging people that are going through tough times in their own lives with perseverance and faith and steadfastness that you can overcome injustice and things that are difficult in your life. >> what was the reaction when i assume the justice department informed your lawyer? >> yes. >> and then your lawyer calls you? >> calls me. two words. the words i've been waiting for. it's over. i had to ask him again. >> it's over means -- >> what did over means? >> this is it. they're not going to reprosecute and they're sending an order to the court asking the court to dismiss the case. and i believed from the beginning, chuck, that while there were decisions i would have made differently that i never violated an oath of office. i would never have done that. i've been in office 38 years in some capacity.

i love my state and country. my ability to serve others. and this was really crushing that my government thought that i had done something improper. so it was great joy and great jubilation to finally get the supreme court decision two months ago and followed by the government saying it's over. >> do you feel vindicated? >> i do. >> what word would you say? >> unanimous supreme court saying this was -- the prosecution was improper. that the law given to the court was improper. that they vacated the convictions, 8-0. liberals and conservatives agreeing this was an improper application of the federal statutes that they were overbroad. this was too aggressive. and i think that clarity in the statutes is one of the first obligations you should have to know what they are. i know in my heart i never believed that anything that i did was wrong, illegal. i complied with state reporting statutes. i set up meetings for donors and nondonors thousands oo times.

i thought that i was trying to help this virginia business to do something that was good for the people. >> why -- you can't take away the jury conviction that's out there. it's been vacated. >> yes. >> there's that -- there's some people that are going to say, well, he was put on trial and there was a unanimous jury verdict that said he was guilty. now the law wasn't applied correctly but there's still thus sense of 12 virginians thought you were guilty. how do you convince -- do you feel like, what do you think it's going to take to convince those 12 jurors they were wrong? >> at the end of the day, people have to make their own decisions. i'm at peace with god. i know in my heart i did the very best to serve others and follow the law during that time. i think in all candor, the government presented a false narrative to the jury. there was never a conspiracy. there was never any quid pro quo. and -- >> how did they come up with it, you think? is it that they took the text

messages at the time and pieced together things that -- asumptsionasumpts i assumptions? >> that you got gifts. all which were legal under virginia law. you connected timing and you connect the fact that mr. williams got some meetings. never got anything from state government. not a dime. but they put that together and said there must be a connection. he must have done it for money. and that was absolutely, absolutely false. and then, of course, woefully bad jury instructions which i think gave the jury no other option. a couple of jurors said that afterwards. true, there was a conviction but that's why the united states supreme court said you can't convict somebody because they have lined up meetings for donors. that's not what the statutes are abbut. that's what people do routinely in the body of politics. >> people think your case fell into this blurry line of, are we

criminalizing politics? what is that line? what do you believe the line is yourself? >> the line is -- isn't? >> the line is what the united states congress has said in the statute. the problem was it was such a vague statute as the supreme court said. >> does the law need to be changed? do you think congress needs to clarify this? >> they should clarify it and look at the standard the united states supreme court set aside. as a lawyer, the essence of a law is to make sure there's a bright line so you know what is legal and what is illegal. and having said all that, if i could do it over again, i wouldn't take one gift. >> are you following this campaign? >> i am. i'm glad to be looking at politics in the rear-view mirror. i'm really happy to weigh in on policy issues which should be driving it. but i think as a combination of the partisan nature of redistricting that pushes people to the extremes and some other factors, the culture in washington being so -- being we

win, you lose and the old days don't seem to exist much more in washington. >> governor mcdonnell, congr congratulations on your vindication here. and we'll be watching. >> thank you. >> appreciate it. >> you got it. you can see my full interview on "meet the press nbc.com. more "p daily" right after this. that means you get to try as much as you want... ...of whatever flavors are calling your name. seriously. like new garlic sriracha-grilled shrimp. it's a little spice... ...a little sizzle... ...and a lot just right. and try new parmesan peppercorn shrimp. helloooo crispy goodness. and the classic... ...handcrafted shrimp scampi... ...you can't get enough of? still gonna floor u. it may be called endless... ...but that doesn't mean it'll last. ♪"my friends know me so well. they can tell what i'm thinking, just by looking in my eyes.

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you have this clown marco ruuio. i have been so nice to him. i have been so nice. >> lot of people said i wonder if donald will get the evangelicals. i got the evangelicals. i'm going to make it up to you, too. you watch. >> oh, the difference a year makes. donald trump this afternoon at the voter summit in washington, d.c., one year after he was booed by the same crowd. time for "the lid." the panel is back. by the way, one of the things donald trump announced there, he'soing to attend phyllis schlafley's funeral tomorrow. i got to say, trump being fully embraced by the social conservative community, it's surprising. >> absolutely. they didn't believe him initially. in the primary, they were -- >> why do you think -- >> because they see hillary. they are so afraid of hillary. social conservatives can't stand hillary. they see her as somebody who will aggressively advocate for abortion on demand, lift restrictions on funding of

planned parenthood. that unifies them. and trump has made some commitments and some inroads to them, saying he's going to defend life, he's going to appoint judges and but again -- >> you trust him? >> well, they think at least they have a shot with him. that with hillary they know where it would go. remember, with romney, a lot of them stayed home. in this case, i think they are going to come out and vote for him. >> do you? >> he was hitting the judge argument pretty hard at the summit. and that is a very powerful argument. >> resonates a lot. >> with that group. >> interesting, for the same reason some of them stayed home for romney, there's the mormon outlier factor, the place where he's having the greatest trouble is utah. for trump. because there's a certain greater adherence to principle among the mormons than many of the other evangelicals. >> i wonder if part of that has to do with the fact so many of them do missions overseas and are a little more of an internationalist aspect. >> they also know what it's like to be a minority religion. >> what scared me, his speech,

there was a nationalist tone and the reception was very positive. i'm a social conservative but not a nationalist. this idea that all of a sudden we have to be afraid of immigration, we have to be afraid of opening up, it's very scary. >> i want to turn to bob mcdonnell. people are going to have varying opinions. this is a hometown story for you, ruth. >> it is. i thought that the justice department prosecutors made a wise decision in light of the supreme court ruling not to retry. >> 8-0's a big message. >> it was, and if you look at the facts of the case and what the justices had to say, it was going to be almost a sure loser. i would have liked to hear a little more contrition from governor mcdonnell. he did some -- he accepted some very excessive gifts at a time when the supreme court says this didn't necessarily rise to the level of an official act, but

this man was not giving him these gifts out of, you know, incredible love and long-enduring friendship. he wanted something for the money and he got something. >> i was shocked, i agree, with the lack of humility. this is what the american people hate. politicians who, regardless if he wasn't convicted, it's not illegal, but it's unethical. the appearances are terrible. his answer is i didn't do anything illegal. the american public wants you to be squeaky clean. this is the problem perhaps when we talk about the clinton foundation. it's this idea the appearances. >> part of the portion we didn't air, i hope people go and see, i ask him this question about our culture changed. it used to be we did accept that politicians and favors and there was -- and there now is more attention to this and we don't like it but by the way, it's legal. >> yeah. when we have been talking about the clinton foundation. this stuff, there is nothing illegal here. donald trump's been advertising the idea that yeah, i give to

get access. >> this is part of the underlying legitimate force behind trump in a very very different way behind bernie sanders, the idea of riggedness and the things that are legal are actually often -- >> offputting to people. >> correct. >> this idea that a donor gets special access. we go through that. he i think truly believes he wasn't trying to do anything to him but it was important to the donor, clearly, to have this relationship. >> virginia is particularly at fault here because what you talked about sort of more lax rules generally, virginia had the most incredibly lax gift rules. thank goodness they tightened it up a little bit. >> he endorses that. i thought -- >> how convenient. >> i did ask him what would you -- what advice would you give to somebody in a similar financial situation that suddenly is getting surrounded by this. he said, you know, do everything, go above and beyond. he goes we went too close to the line. >> at the same time, he says i'm fully vindicated.

was he? >> i don't know. when you go through that, you got to put yourself in his shoes. you go through something like that, 43 months, you feel as if you always were innocent and finally, the supreme court unanimously tells you so. probably hard not to feel that way. >> it's possible, it's not right for any of us to judge what he's been through. we can say legally but we can't imagine what it's like. >> tore apart his family. >> i can understand why he would say that. also, i can understand why this looks bad from the outside. >> what i don't figure out is % why, if we all have this distaste, we can't agree on how to fix it. when it comes to this idea of donor big money, access, coziness and all that. >> well, some of it -- there's two different levels of it. one level of the personal gifts is actually really pretty easily fixed. virginia tightened up. you couldn't take that kind of stuff if you were a federal official, if you were a member of congress. the harder part actually has to

do with campaign contributions and the impact of those camppign contributions. look at the conversation we have just been having about trump and pam bondi. then there's like another really complicated conversation to be had about foundations, particularly what we expect of our former officials. i have a column online now about how it's become the new normal for ex-presidents, not just bill clinton but including bill clinton, to just be scooping up millions and millions of dollars. why do we take that as an absolute birthright of theirs once they -- >> one of the things i imagine is there might be a whole batch of new ethics laws that congress considers next year. i'm curious if that might happen. >> start with requiring tax returns. >> absolutely. >> got to see the tax returns. all right. thank you all. finally, in case you missed it, peyton manning has retired. you may have missed it because manning is everywhere. for instance, if you watch tv, it's safe to assume that you do,

peyton was there to tell you directv is the only way to get nfl games on sunday, to let you know papa john's makes really good pizza, to tell you that i got overly peyton'ed. he was there before the game for accepting the vince lombardi trophy. later, he was in the announcement booth because clearly al michaels and cris collinsworth needed help. if you were sick of all the peyton manning and just wanted to get away from directv, papa john's and nationwide and super bowl trophies and all the guy talk in the booth, and you were channel flipping, you may have accidentally flipped to comedy central last night to watch a rerun of the rob lowe roast to find that yes, peyton manning was there, too. there to make fun of ann coulter because really, who else would you get to make fun of ann coulter? that's all for tonight. if it's sunday you can catch "meet the press" on your local

nbc station. more "mtp daily" monday. "with all due respect" starts right now. i'm donny deutsche. >> i'm john heilemann. "with all due respect" to donald trump who announced he would release his personal health regimen to dr. oz, at least you didn't pick the least credible tv doctor known to man. >> almost done, almost done. i missed you. >> i missed you, too. in the dugout tonight, big league guests, a political tribute to the chicago cubs and pinch hitter. donny deutsche. first, explosive news out of north korea, the second best