the national endowment on humanity us. national endowments on the arts. getting rid of them completely. corporation of public broadcast which supports public broadcasting, get rid of them. some things he's just losing. so -- but it's a strange, it is part of this outsider coming into insider position without any familiarity with what is inside. >> no incoming president knows many more of these jobs and has ideas for people for many more of these jobs. out of those 600. if they had 50 names in their heads, that's a lot, but what they have have were serious transition operations that include people who've worked on transitions before. and so they knowho wants to be thdeputy united states trade representative, and that's a job donald trump doesn't know existed. by the way, most incoming presidents don't know exist and subject to senate confirmation. >> one thing you may know a bunch of people that liked to make ambassadors. friend of mine's brother got a call and gone to harvard b

school with w, and w called him up and said how'ded you like to be ambassador to morocco. brian burns from out of california just got made ambassador to ireland because he has a place at mar-a-lago. these incidental associations lead to these tremendous appointments. but i guess trump doesn't have that many people dplp there are so many undersecretaries and assistant secretaries in all of the departments that need to be confirmed by the senate including in agriculture department and all these departments that this president has never thought of. and let me stress, most presidents have never thought of. >> by the way, there's a job.

general michael flynn, one of the announcements that has made given the most in the national security world because he was fired from his last national security job from mismanagement and bad leadership. then two deputy national security advisoradvisors. one whom had the job offer resended because of the plajism allegations which existed in public for years. >> she was going to be the spokesman. >> exactly. so that's it. that's all they've announced in the national security council and they don't have anybody in place as the director for african affairs. the director for weapons of mass destruction. for the middle east. for iraq and syria. i mean, they don't have anybody at those director level jobs. and with the national security council, there were career civil servants seconded from other agencies, but at the director level, all those people are

appointed. those people were never named. they don't have to be senate approved. all you have to do is know somebody to put in that place. they just didn't do it. they didn't do -- people worry that as the president hands off to another president, as in a relay, that handing of a baton is dangerous because somebody can drop it. in this case, there was nobody there to hand it to. and they just didn't set up a federal government to start running today. >> and you're so right. these positions don't seem important to guy like the president, he ought to learn fast. ben rhodes had the job we're talking about. spokesman for the nfc. everybody who has a president sshl appointment must leave office by noontime today. we don't care. wait a minute, wait a minute -- >> exactly. >> so now, we don't have a head of the tsa as of 12:00 noon today, trump administration woke up yesterday and thought, hey, this guy who's there now is good, we should keep him, sorry,

he's gone. and he said, if he would have come earlier, of course i would have stayed through the transition. very common for people to stay through the transition waiting for their successor in the past, but you have to say something to them. >> you have to plan it. it has to be a plan. >> and it used to be you're allowed to get your kid through a smesic. guy we just served in india with. can i stay through the next couple months while my kids go through school. no. but now they have an appointment. >> and it's fine -- it's within their line to be hard lined because they want their own people in there. to not have thought up the list of their own people let alone put them in place sing -- i don't -- i feel worried about it. >> barack obama is still president department. the secretary of state right now is thomas shannon. that's the acting secretary of state. he is the undersecretary appointmented by barack obama. >> let's bring chris hayes into this conversation. he's been listening from his

listening post in washington. chris. >> brian, as you guys are talking about preparation and that happening in fits and starts and the holes in the preparation. one of the strangest thinged that happened today was after the president took the oath of office. cnbc reported that the fha is going to raise premiums on the insurance that folks pay on their home. this is obscure. it's going to mean about $500 more for folks that have $200,000 home. there's about a million who are going to pay $500 more a year. this is a piece of policy that the institute has been fairly obsessed with. certain special interests have been pushing for. someone, somewhere, in this transition managed to get to whoever they needed to get to to make sure that in some ways the first official act a president took after signing those three documents that we saw him sign,

the waiver for mattis and the declaring national patriot day, what are the first actions, the the first sort of subtantive action was that very obscure fha action. and what it speaks to is personnels policy, people that know how to get to the person that can make a decision who can work their way through can get things done and particularly in this period of uncertainty, when things aren't very well staffed, folks that managed to get stuff done early can have a really, really profound effect very early on. >> what it reminds me of is during the republican national convention when there were the basic things about conventions and getting people in place and having, you know, your platform stuff together and having your vote counting operations. all of this basic stuff didn't happen, but, there was an incredibly tightly managed, incredibly aggressive push to have pro-russia, anti-ukraine language changed in the

republican platform around not providing lethal military aid to the ukrainians who were fighting against putin's militias in eastern ukraine. and it was a wake-up call for a lot of us. well, wait, who was paying close enough attention to get that in there when all the basic stuff absolutely fell by the wayside? it was very -- it was a parallel moment, i think it was forshadowing for now. >> there's definitely -- we got some stories, no definitive reporting about the role that manafort plays at the rnc. there is a story to be told about what happened today and there will be lots of stories to be told from this day forward about who is wielded what influence and how, inside the administration that is held by a man who for the first time in the 240 years of this republic has never, ever served in any public service or military capacity. >> yeah. he'll swoop in and take advantage of that. >> in the meantime i feel duty bound to mention tractors.

>> tracks or its. >> and empty stands. >> handsome, handsome tractors. fine-looking tractors. >> they're gorgeous. >> while they are going past, we have had a landmark moment. james mattis just hit 51 votes which means we have our first cabinet-level con -- we have the first confirmed cabinet secretary. forgive me, of the administration. james mattis, they passed a waiver so that he could serve as the civilian head of the defense department. despite the fact that he is just recently out of active service in the united states military. he will be our next secretary of defense. >> the soldiers, sailors, marine, airmen, and coast guard now have a civilian boss. you see the old hulking roof there at the top of your screen -- >> is that the m-shaped one. >> no longer the home of washington redskins. the lit up west front of the capitol, especially lit up for this occasion. as i mention, look at the

ambient light. we are losing daylight fast. i believe i read sundown was at 5:16 local time tonight. so again, so many of the acts in this long parade -- which is still unspooling are going to be without daylight as they come down. >> or they will have marched past the reviewing stand before the president is in it. >> yes, true. and that also brings us to an explanation that the organizers gave us, tom bairk who is the venture capital guy from new york who donald trump had set up this event has explained to us that we're seeing so many empty bleachers because lunch ran late and then they could not get bussed down in time. though i don't know how that

hasn't been a constant for many years, the end of the meal versus the arrival. >> exactly. that would be pretty close to time interval and thus wouldn't matter that the lunch was late. anyhow -- >> they're screwing this up, man. i mean -- >> those are humans on the roof, and we are aware of them. they are members of the counterassault team, the cat team at u.s. secret service, they are posted on the roof. that is a post as much as a guard shack is on the ground. and there is the reviewing stand. and any moment now, the trumps will come out the north entrance there of the white house, walk along that honor guard past our camera positions there on the right. on the wooden platform, and take their position and the reviewing stand. >> speaking of personnel and the transition reports of conflict between secretary mattis and the trump administration and the white house with regard to his

ability to make pentagon appointments, civilian personnel, and specifically national security experts who appear to be blackballed who were part of the never trump movement who were cig any toirs to the letter. and you know, according to to the reports, a point of conflict that secretary mattis apparently believes there's a competency gap without the ability to harness that wing of expertise in the republican party. >> that's going to be -- >> i mean -- >> who's winning, steve? who's winning? >> oh, i think it's too early to tell. what is the case, when you look at chief of staff priebus, jared kushner, steve bannon, you have people who've never served an hour in government service, james mattis, the former four star general, you don't get to be a four star general in the united states military without being a pretty adept political operator in washington, d.c. and so -- i think that general mattis will, secretary designate

mattis will more than hold his own in some of the fights, there are going to be plenty in the days ahead. >> his nomination would have been -- had he been anybody other than that james mattis, the nomination of somebody who needed a waiver because of their recent military service would have been controversial among a lot more democrats who voted than who voted against a waiver and voted against him. there definitely was conner isation nation, but mattis is so deeply respected. and seen as potentially such an important counterweight to anything that might get weird in this administration. that i think a lot of people were willing to swallow their formatic concerns about his nomination in support of him as a man. >> it helped that democrats were so disappointed with most of the rest of donald trump's cabinet choices -- >> confident there was someone who they could say you know what, we definitely one him in that cabinet room. >> i think that's right. >> it was interesting at lunch when the president started to ask about my generals and

obviously referring to -- >> they love that. >> but it will be important for secretary dez mat mattis to be mr. secretary, not general mattis as he assumes that role. >> that's exactly right. that's exactly right. and it'll be secretary mattis, it'll be secretary kelly at department of homeland security. i mean, it will be the national security advisor, michael flynn, former general. it is unthaushl we've got a president with zero military experience bringing so many generals in. and wanting to make such performative use of the military without having any military experience of his own. >> what steve's highlighted in the future staffing certainly of defense is the question of the value of expertise, versus loyalty. and we know it to now what donald trump values. >> well, look at the time.

5:13 now. we're get iting into the waning minutes of daylight in washington. a parade before a waning crowd. there's the reviewing stand. we're waiting for the new president to join them. we keep showing you the pathway from the white house out to the reviewing stand. >> you know, this happened on the first night of the republican convention this year. do you guys remember when we were all covering that? there was -- that was the night that our new secretary of the interior designate, ryan zincy spoke, he had the last speak of the night on the first night of the convention, and i remember talking to you because you think so highly of him, and we thought oh, they've put him last. that must be the big culminating speech. he's kind of their secret weapon for this first night of the convention. no, they had all their prime time speeches and the whole crowd went home, and then the cameras started turning off and everything but the lights turned

off before they had additional speeches that trailed on into the evening before ryan was speaking to an empty room. the raw competence of organizing and event that has been organized many, many, many times before and a lot of people know thousand professionally do, it's just sort of falling apart here. >> doris kerns goodwin, as often happens, her thoughts have turned to jfk, doris. >> well, what i remember knowing about is when jfk was in the reviewing stand watching the parade. he saw the coast guard contingent come by and there wasn't a single african american face in it. so he went into the white house to inspect his office after the parade was over, and my husband richard goodwin was looking for his digs and came up to dick and said, did you see that coast guard and it was freezes all. he said there wasn't a black face among it. >> he ran down, he was so excited. this is power. this isn't just campaigning. where's the coast guard?

treasury, finally he called dylan and the coast guard was integrated the next year. the parade can have an impact in that way. >> wow, douglas dylan, that is the secondbservation by john f. kennedy on that day. the first is what can we do about pennsylvania avenue? you, moynihan, do something about it, even if it takes you 30 years. but that too. here comes the extended trump family. out to the reviewing stand. including ivanka and her husband jared kushner. >> why do i think of the rome novembers? >> there's an aspect here. i mean, this extended family, they're all attractive, of course, and just we're getting to know all of them so quickly.

>> well, it's a big family. and it spans a lot of years. >> distributed. >> reporter: children from three different marriages, ten-year-old, also sons who are, you know, in their early 40s. >> investing his family with authority. i mean, who's going to argue with him in the government? who's going to take that position? >> and who's going to challenge the potential violation of the nepotism law? >> it's pretty clear. >> a president cannot hire a regulartive, including a son-in-law. >> when your father-in-law says about you on the eve of the inauguration if you can't get to mideast peace, no one can. >> well one of the moves they're making is not a way toward middle east peace which is moving our embassy to jerusalem. >> id like to see the america first policy followed there. which is is that in our interest? i don't think so.

>> that is a often miss understood in this country what the import of that would be. >> yeah. it would be huge. >> the upside is an inch, the downside risk is about a mile. we don't know what will happen if another foughter or worse. we don't know what will follow. >> maybe jared kushner knows something else somebody else hasn't know -- >> his a 35-year-old developer. >> the situation on the ground, especially the political situation, both in israel and in the palace, palestinian territories is such that i don't know who could make peace there. at this point. >> our colleague chris hayes mentioned a few moments about about the first administrative action taken by the administration, which was to costello income people about 500 bucks on their mortgages. wanting to get their mortgage.

>> we now know of one other action that has been taken about 40 minutes ago. the department of justice has just asked a court in texas to postpone an argument that was due to happen next week on whether or not texas was being intentionally racially discriminatory when it passed it's voter id law. that's the case that president obama had been prosecuting. basically telling thax that voter id law was designed to discriminate against minority voters. new department of justice is pleased delay that indicates of course they may likely change their position on that and stop fighting for the voting rights of minorities in texas. that's -- who knew if they tend sb ended for that to be the second thing in office? they've take than action now. >> well, that just got everyone's attention in the reviewing stand.

played the chief. the chief actually became a tradition, i believe because mrs. tyler got tired of her husband walking into receptions and gatherings and not being noted because he was dmin yative. and darn it, doesn't everyone deserve a theme song. and it became customary to then play it when the president walked into the room. i believe it was john tyler. >> that song was hail columbia, that's the vice president's song. >> okay. >> but ruffles and flourishes proceedeit. >> yes. >> great sort of mid19th century sound to it. >> definitely is a current kind of tune. >> that's why we like it, i think. >> by the way, the president's getting pelted with questions this whole time.

let's listen. >> i'm the new al roker. >> he is not taking the proverbial bait. >> all of the culture events at the white house and the kennedy administration, mr. kennedy was asked what the president's favorite performances were and favorite song, and she said hail to the chief. >> it has a certain little to it, they say. >> look at that beautiful marine corps uniform. >> is it warm inside the reviewing stand? >> it is supposed to be temperature controlled. balmy 72 degrees. >> highly decorated master ga e gunnery sergeant. >> yeah, look at that. >> ruffles and flourishes again.

>> ladies and gentlemen, the 45th president of the united states, donald j. trump. and the first lady of the united states, melania trump. [ applause ] >> take your seats.

[ applause ] >> we have been rejoined after this long day, history-making day by nicole wallace, who was communication's director in the last republican white house. nicole, it's been hours since we were able to talk to you, your reflections on what we've seen so far. >> you guys were talking about competence and things that were waning, and i will confess that my competence is waning in these hours, but i am struck by how this administration begins. you know, donald trump is someone who came up from television. and i think he's very aware that the images of his family have

done more to soften what were the rough edges of his own day. he delivered a speech he knew exactly what was in that speech. he knew exactly what he was going to say, what was going to be projected to the largest viewing audience, and it was as harsh as we talked about hours and hours ago, dark as could be. just about everything else he's done today has softened him in some way. it isn't clear to me whether he saw some feedback on twitter or asked someone how the coverage was going, both very likely scenarios with this new president. he then gave a nice shoutout and something that felt genuine to secretary clinton and president clinton. the displays with the family along the parade route. whatever you think of donald trump, and i think we've all to a person have been pretty harsh on him, the displays of him today and the imagery and he's very aware have certainly soerveed to soften him over the

last eight hours. >> so you're serious about mid-course correction as simple as, you know, dislike on social media, they think the speech was dark, people are tweeting that you were too harsh and then he would add a grace note about hillary clinton as a result? >> i have no such evidence that that is what happened today, but there is no way to rule out the possibility and we do know for a fact that he lives in a constant twitter media feedback loop. his existence is to speak, act, watch the coverage of said speech or act to often weigh in on sid coverage on twitter and to gauge the reaction on social media. retweet and draw more attention to what he likes. some other friends disagree, his nearly was that the large audience, the tv audience got that hardline speech then a much

smaller gathering and tv audience heard the grace notes for hillary clinton. but you know, i spent last week without trump supporters. he can't hurt by appearing gracious. they're looking looking -- it's uncomfortable right now to have the country as divided on the question of donald trump as it is. they're looking for him to grow his base of support, and they wanted to change his policies, but they certainly don't mind if he tones down some of the temperamental flaws. even in the view was i had supporters. >> we're looking at general miller having just arrived at the reviewing stand. that would be four stars on that shoulder. >> the president is new to saluting. >> very good at it. >> he learned it in high school,

boarding school that he went to. military academy, right? >> this must have been more to go, right? he has three balls to go to tonight. >> yeah. >> he hoped that after the stint here after the parade that they get a little down time to literally sit down, relax, recharge a little bit before they have to get out there. i know he's an extra vert, but the amount of emergency that it takes to sustain the attention, focus on day like this is a big thing. >> another break in our coverage. the parade is just getting started. the evening for the trumps and others just getting started. we'll be back with more right after this.

we are back, characteristic sounds of a parade. this one is not just any parade. it's the inaugural parade 2017 for the new president donald j. trump of new york. group of firefighters right now passing in review. receiving a salute from the president. a couple of things that differ this year, and that is that these -- a lot of these marching bands and elements of the parade are coming in seemingly out of

the dark. darkness has fallen in washington. and many of the risers where they would normally be crowded with people are just about empty. we're told the official reason is that there was a transportation issue in getting from the capitol down to the white house, but it's not the best visual for the organizers. and you see the acts following the long line march all the way from capitol. >> it's a shame for the participants because they, you know, they're very excited. they practiced. they've come long distance, travel long distances to get to march in the inaugural parade for many people it's the only time they'll ever get a chance to do that. and it is a shame that it is so late. literally don't get their moment in the sun.

>> i think of the fundraisers to send marching bands -- >> exactly. it's a big deal. >> it's a big deal. it is a big deal. i have the paralyzed veterans of america next up followed by the new york military academy. as lawrence referenced, valley forge -- >> that's the name of it. >> was sent to during his high school years. we are joined by senator james langford, republican of oklahoma. junior senator won the senate seat held by senator tom coburn back in 2014. senators, first of all, any stories or reflections or interactions you can share with us from your day with the new president? >> oh, it was an amazing day to watch the transition of power. i've talked about it all day long today. it's just as overwhelming when you're watching it straight up noon, the swearing in of a new president and understanding at the white house every desk is

changing right now. every office is changing. every embassy around the world is changing. the pictures on the walls as they entire united states government makes a shift just like that at noon. so it's a remarkable and very humbling experience to watch uch close. >> what did you make with the tone, tenor, and content of the president's speech? >> i thought it was very trump-like. it sounded a lot like him, didn't sound like any other speech i've heard for any inauguration or read about any inauguration. the the first half of it was basically hey, there's a new sheriff in town, and the people of the united states are now going to run this town. and then the second half of his speech was all about unity. talking about we all bleed the same blood. we all have the same patriotism that unites all of us even in our diversity. you have more of the rhetoric in the end, but at the beginning, he planted a stake and said time to make changes. >> if i live in tulsa, oklahoma city, miami, oklahoma, what does it mean to me that the president says the people are now in

charge? how is my life going to change? >> aim impressed you know how to pronounce it. >> i used to work out of it. every person is listening to their president saying i didn't feel like i was included in government. inner city neighborhood, no one's listening to me or open country rule area and think i'm not listening. i've been trying to get a job, i feel like i can't get a job. the action on the backside is every agency of the federal government has to reengage in not putting people in line and saying you're going to have to wait in line but to figure out how to get answers to people and help turn this around. the focus is on getting america working again. >> and how about you as a midwesterner, the republican party you come from, are you prepared for that to depart from whatever the party organization

it is this president will represent and morph into? >> there's no question. it's not about the party line, it's about what's right for the present and the future. the challenge is asking the what if question. if we do this, what happens next? that'll be the challenge through this conversation about legislation. there's a lot of things that may seem good. sir, do this, do this. how do we keep that going? how do we pay for that? how does that affect our children and our future? i think we do both. one of the strongest lines that president trump gave was time for politicians, just talking about things and not getting them done has ended. i hope he can continue to press and say we've debated this, let's get it solved. american people to want see resolution rather than conversation in d.c. >> thank you very much for making time with us on this

inauguration day. >> you bet, glad to do it with you. >> let's go back to nicole wallace in washington. nicole harken back, wt does it feel like to start an administration and what must it feel like to do so without the basis of government experience? >> you know, i've never watched this parade because the two times that i was at inauguration, george w. bush's, two inaugurations, the staff goes in and starts working. and in 2005 i worked on the inaugural address, i remember we were on a tuesday. it's nice it's a friday and they can work over the weekend. the staff isn't taking all of this in. they're inside getting about the business of getting to work and i caught the tail end of a conversation you guys were having about a competence gap.

now if you were talking about anyone else leveling this charge against the team other than general mattis. i think it would be dismissed and they'd try to spin it as an ass asset. the selection of general mattis and general mattis is agreement to serve in this capacity is the single most comforting thing that has happened since the election of donald trump on november 9dth. and if he gets in there and is able to one, alter president trump's views and rhetoric on russia, and two change president trump and his inner circles views about people who they seem to have on and enemies list. that question of loyal city interesting because rudy giuliani and chris christie ended up with no jobs. they are making complicated assessments about people who were against them.

and it would make general mattis even more powerful than he already is. >> especially nicole if you're of the belief and it's a dark fear really that this president will be challenged, tested within the first 90 day zplps right. and that's what don rumsfeld would call a known, unknown. wenow that the president is in a bit of a crisis in that there are two investigations under way. i mean, we know that there are some in our agency investigating or looking into people in his inner circle and they're alleged contacts with russian assets. and so, he is starting with the kind of national security crisis hanging over him where it would serve him well to sort of come around to the way general mattis talks about putin. he is perceived to be at odds

with members of his own party on putin and russia. it would serve him well to sort of clear some of this dark clouds that hangs over him. by moving to where general mattis is. he is now the secretary of defense. he is probably the most represented figure in the entire trump administration at this hour. it would serve him well to make movements on both those fronds. consider trump people who were never trump people in the national security world and to evolve or do a complete about face would be my advice on putin and russia. >> nicole wallace who is about to clock 12 straight hours on television -- >> it's not good for anybody. >> no, you thought government work was hard. thank you so much for being part of our team. we appreciate it. steve schmitt, people watching

the pictures might be surprised to realize that our conversation is about an incoming crisis for a new presidency. nicole was on our broadcast at 11:00 two nights ago, our discussion was actually ahead of the "new york times" article of last night. people are using the word crisis, an investigation that proceeds the trump presidency, including, but not limited to signals intelligence, electronic intelligence from cell phones of individuals like paul manafort, the question is was there dealing with russia from a associatesf the new president? >> we're going to find out. we'll find out soon. and if -- if in fact that's the case, it will be a scandal of just massive magnitude. there will be resignations and the administration will be in crisis from that day forward. but, whether it's the hotel, whether it's the business

interests, we talked earlier about president obama's administration and whether you agree or disagree with him politically, it was remarkably scandal-free. there was no one indicted who was part of the administration over eight years. and so, i think that on these ethics issues, this will be a constant theme around the trump presidency, the investigations -- there'll be tremendous drama in it, and ultimately, it could well prove to be politically debilitating for him. >> this has been great to watch the service chiefs come by when their branch shows up for review. i'm old fashioned in the sense that when i see four stars, it gets to me. and now the marine core gets their moment. as the parade goes by, we'll fit in another break. our live coverage continues right after this.

we are back. show you something cool. the indianapolis pd, their motor vehicle unit, they've got this way of spelling out where they're from that is unique in the motorcycle world.

well done. of course we love a parade around here. peter alexander loves a parade too which is a good thing since he's beenssigned to the reviewing stand. peter, what do you have? >> quite a spot. this is the first group representing mike pence's home state of indiana. and you can see a big smile on his face as they got here. it's note that believe after the army, their field band was first up. it was donald trump's home state. in fact his home city, the new york city police department, pipes and drums that led the way in this. and as you've seen over the course of the coverage, he's been enjoying every minute as well. this isn't the end for them. these bands are enjoying their moment. they've been matching for blocks and darkness and only for a small window do they get to enjoy they moment in the spotlight. the trump family and close friends will be celebrating tonight with a series of balls as well. what's notable about that, after this, they'll change up, the first real chance to see the residents and there have been

mix-ups of course, you know, about the transfer of power. how about the transfer of property that just wrapped up, a matter of moments ago. back in 1993 when hillary clinton was the first lady, they could find her gown for the balls that night, but it turned out her shoes were missing. ultimately they found them in chelsea clinton's room as the you shall aert the time, the first female usher told me there was a collective sigh of relief as you can certainly imagine. there's mike pence as another indiana representative group as they are enjoying this moment as they celebrate so many of these individuals that have been marching for a matter of hours frankly. >> the power of incumbency, you get to have your friends from back home march, but peter, like you, we've been worried about these poor folks, excuse me, i'm losing my voice, great time to lose my voice. these poor folks marching through the pitch black until they get to the bathed in light reviewing stand because we got so far behind schedule. our friend ben ginsburg has been

waiting to talk to us. you know, ben, if you watched any of our coverage, former general council of the rnc, partner in the d.c. law firm jones day, the same firm by the way that from which donald trump's selected his white house council. ben, we've had people on the air saying -- and you're read these, there's articles saying the president will be in violation of the clause of ethics laws. starting at noon today. that he can't be his own landlord at the hotel on the mall. what do you make of the argument? do you believe that and where would these challenges come from? >> well, that's the great question, brian. where would these challenges come from? so there may be a series of legal actions, filed by some people who don't particularly like donald trump. it's not at all clear how these

challenges get made in court, whether a court has jurisdiction, and how they would be prosecuted. and so, that's one of the great mysteries about the law. now, i believe that they have at least so the satisfaction of the trump people worked out solutions to these issues. but you raise a valid question who going to bring it in, how they going able to win a case of that. >> when you said solution you place invisible quotations marks around it. as a non-lawyer, you lawyers use word standing. who has standing to bring a case against donald trump. >> i don't believe a case like this has ever been brought. so i'm not entirely sure. my best is since the -- people who

politically involved attorney general and states perhaps or maybe private citizens. it's not clear who would have standing to bring a case. >> let try another one hiyatt regency, harmed by having -- fabulous it is. that there's a trump hotel in washington. if i run another hotel chain, i'm seeing a line of people anxious to stay at what would be referred to at the president's hotel in washington. >> fair enough. i would be surprised in anyone of those hotels has not said that themselves in release when they opened up a hotel in a new city. that goes into the free market

interprice of competition. it's not unfound and likely to be the fabric of the administration that you have been talking about. it doesn't mean it's a valid legal case. >> when donald trump contends he has a no conflict of interest -- because he is president, is he telling the truth. >> yes. the ethics laws that apply to everyone else do not apply to the president or the vice president because they are elected officials because none of the other officials in the administration are. >> when people ask you what emoluments are and what does it refer to. how do you answer? >> i request them to say it fast throu three times. it has to do with the improper paymented made to the president. those are the

issues i believe have been worked out. if they are not, they are going to be vetted publicly pretty soon. >> if you were employed as white house counsel tonight, you would, the president came to you said are you confident we can beat back any ethics challenges, you would say yes? >> i'm not sure i know the full rangch issues to that. the counsel throughout government have been working hard to make sure the charges are not successful or well found. we're going to have the debate, there's no question about that. it's not like nobody realize that people like bryan williams would be asking this questio on inauguration and that the administration would have to answer for it. >> ben ginsberg who a good lawyer. you want him on your

team as supposed to seeing him in court. thank you, very much. >> thanks. >> which is part tractor pole right now. since we're talking about the white house, i want to show you a photo from pete who was inside the helicopter taking the president from the capitol over the white house and over to andrews where they boarded air force 747 to take them one last time-out to palm springs. they banked left side so the president could look out which include reviewing stand. >> they had to go out of their way. they came back west to go around the white house to get that last look. >> gene robinson has been

keeping us honest of things washington. ki offer you summation as we wrap up this hour beginning with you senator oe donal. >> standing donald trump is government of the united states. that's who owns the building. he has a lease with the government of the united states administered by the gsa. there's an argument to be made that the office vie late the term of that lease. the language of the lease says no one in elected official shall be admit to any share of this lease. the trump argument is he was not an elected official when share of the lease. that's their argument. there's been a case filed by

outside pleader. >> effective noon today he became in effect his own landlord. >> the attorney general would be involved in making that decision. >> to the two another gentlemen, that happens here. i'm going to back date my thanks to you for the whole day and some you are free of tv obligations. especially if you're significant like me. we're happy to say the next hour is brought to you by greta van susteren to start it off at the parade continues. > .

i'm greta van susteren. donald trump inaugurated at nation's 45th president. kris jan sen with usa today. chris we have breaking news coming out of the capital behind us. >> james matt sis