multination trip and many people in the press corps are chasing and tracking him down, chasing him across the world. thank you for watching. every night at 6:00 p.m. eastern. if you can't watch live, set your dvr or check out my facebook page. i put a whole bunch of new pictures on my facebook page. "hardball" starts right now. trump and denial. let's play "hardball." last night donald trump responded to the news a special counsel had been reported to look into his collusion with russia. that didn't last. this morning he was back to his war by tweet. he wrote, this is single biggest witch hunt of a politician in american history. and withoutny evince he lobbed this attack.

quote, with all the illegal pacts took place in the clinton campaign, and obama administration, there was never a special counsel appointed. this afternoon, trump said the appointment of the special counsel hurts our country terribly and shows we're divided. let's watch. >> was this the right move? or is this part of a witch hunt? >> well, i respect the move but the entire thing has been a witch hunt and there is no collusion between certainly myself and my campaign. i can always speak for myself and the russians, zero, i think it divides the country. i think we have a very divided country because of that and many other things. >> when asked if he ever urged former fbi director comey to back down from the investigation into michael flynn, the president responded with one word. no. and here's how he answered the question about whether he wondered at any time if he had done anything worthy of criminal

charges. >> i think it is totally ridiculous. everybody thinks so. we have to get back to working our country properly so we can take care of the problems we have. director comey was very unpopular with most people. i thought when i made that decision, and i got a very strong recommendation from the deputy attorney general, rod rosenstein. when i made that decision i thought it would be a bipartisan decision. then he had the very poor performance on wednesday. that was a poor, poor performance. i believe, and you would have to and him, i don't like to speak for other people but i believe that's why the deputy attorney general went out and wrote his very strong letter. >> well, they were briefed on it and it was very different than the white house' narrative on how comey was fired.

anyway, unfolding today, the president suggested, very strong recommendations by rosenstein. however, let's watch what senators mccaskill and senator durbin recall him saying today. >> he did acknowledge that he learned comey would be removed prior to him writing his memo. >> do you believe that the deputy attorney general knew before he wrote that memo that james comey would be fired? >> yes. >> he knew the day before. >> for more on all this, i'm joined by susan page, michael sheer, and of course, michelle. and also with us, chris van hollen of maryland. we'll get to you in a second. i don't know where to start with this denial. first, it is a witch hunt, under the auspices put together by the deputy attorney general who a

couple days ago he was saying was like god to him. he was the ultimate approver. >> we don't ever know how precisely donald trump is explaining. he did say he can only speak for himself when he talks about, there was no collusion with the campaign. i don't believe he said that before. i think that may be a hedge. we do see signs that others in his campaign including michael flynn may have been having quite a bit of contact with the russians. >> that's the paydirt, of course. if there's any paydirt to have. did the president's people engage in any collusion in response to what the effort was to try to get him elected. >> there is this idea that you saw this very measured statement come out last night and you thought, maybe we're going back to the normal, the presidential trump. and then this morning, he goes in it. and he has this twitter breakdown again. and i think every time you see a twitter breakdown, every time

you see him tweeting in the morning. he is very frustrated and feels like something is closing in on him. i'm in no way suggesting did he anything wrong but it goes to the fact he is very frustrated at the situation. and like you said, if he is hedging and saying, i'll only speak for myself. he is already starting to throw people under the bus. he is getting ready to make different arguments with the people in his campaign. >> well, the president contradicted reports saying people close to comey, the man he fired, who said memos the fbi director wrote indicated trump asked comey to stop the probe into michael flynn. here was the president today. >> did you at any time urge james comey to back down the investigation on michael flyn >> no. no. next question. >> almost as if to rebut that charge, they said he prepared extensively for his meetings with the president. quote, comey practiced trump's

likely questions and his answers with a small group of his most trusted comfort dantes. they said in part that he did not give trump any ammunition to use against him later. so comey is being very careful. and after meeting with trump, he started writing notes as soon as he got into a car to make sure he could accurately record what was said by the president. another associate said the notes of the january dinner conversation contained very nuanced quotes from the president and a high level of detail. let me go to michael this. it seems, the president once said he had tapes. that story is now dropped. against one of the guys who is a very careful note takers even to the point of 92 wants. >> and notes like that are admissible in court and law enforcement officers testify all the time based on the notes they take. the most important part of that press conference was him saying, i thought this was going to be a popular decision.

there is a realization in the white house that the president's own counsel with him is not always on point. he is admitting that he didn't foresee what most of us would say would be a likely outcome. the deputy attorney general appointing a special counsel when he fires the fbi director investigating him. which suggests that his o judgment here, and he hasn't been taking the cnsel of a lot of people in the white house. it is not good. and there's still quite a learning curve for him to climb. the other self-inflicted wound this week was his letting, or giving intelligence information to the russian ambassador and foreign minister in the oval office. there again, i would bet and i don't have inside information. it wasn't a pre thought thing. it was just something he decided to boast about in the moment. that seems to be his style. it is an error he's making because he doesn't know what the repercussions would be. he has an the opportunity to

learn here. >> i have to and you, the strangeness of this. before we get to the briefing we had from rosenstein. a president talks about fbi directors about whether they're popular or not. as if he speaks a different language from the american people when they talk about who should run our government. it is not high school president. fbi directors are not supposed to be popular. they're supposed to be tough prosecutors. and his performance the other day. it is like the guy was being he casted for a show. in trump world, it is about a reality tv show. doesn't that strike you? you've been in political life your whole life. it is a weird way to talk. >> it is. we know one of the early encounters between trump and comey, the president said you're better known, or you're more popular than i am. it is ball donald trump and how he stood with respect to popularity.

i think it is important to point out, mccabe, when he was asked about how comey was viewed in the fbi, he said he had very good standing, a very good reputation despite what donald trump is trying to do. to undermine his credibility the american people. >> you had access to the briefing by the deputy attorney general. how did he explain his role in the firing of comey? >> well, he didn't talk about the details of his role. he really refused to answer a lot of questions regarding conversations he may have had. as you reported earlier. he did indicate that he had knowledge. that trump was planning to fire comey. before the memo. but he said now that he has deputized, now that he's named a special counsel, he will allow mueller to run with the ball. so questions about conversations that even he may have had, rosenstein may have had with the president, he didn't answer because that itself could be subject of an investigation.

remember the authority to pursue the investigation is number one, collusion, potential collusion between the trump campaign and the russians. but also, if you look at this order, any effort at obstruction of justice in this. so all the conversations the people have had with the president around the firing of comey could be the subject of mueller's investigation. >> so senator, last point on this. the fact is he could get in trouble on the way he may have tried hide this th >> i'll sorry. who could? >> the president. he is culpable in a couple instances, like 9/11on, drawing the parallel once again like watergate. when they were messing with our vernacular. and that he tried to hide the case. >> certainly this charge that comey has apparently documented in a memo, that the president told him to lay off the investigation of michael flynn who is directly implicated in these conversations with the russians and any potential collaboration. so yes, that's a clear example.

if the president did that with the intent to obstruct the investigation, that's part of mueller's purview now. he has very broad authority here. >> let's and something we don't know. people say this is just a counter intelligence operation. this is just to find out if there is any spying going on. other people say no, it is a criminal investigation. did rosenstein, the deputy ag explain that? are they going after criminal activity? >> if you read the regulation that justifies the appointment of a special counsel, one of the conditions is that in this case, the deputy attorney general has determined that a criminal investigation of a person or matter is warranted. those rethe exact words. so in picking mueller as a special counsel, he has made the finding that a criminal investigation is warranted. obviously they need to get the facts and he was very clear that they don't necessarily have any

facts. but he has enough information to trigger that statute. if you look at mueller's jurisdiction, he can bring criminal prosecution. he wrote that right in the order. >> well, when he wrote that he is the subject of a single greatest witch hunt of a politician in american history. >> look at the way i've been treated lately. no politician in history, and i say this with great surety, has been treated worse or more unfairly. >> he had clearance from the obama administration. the highest clearance you can have. and i think it is a very unfair thing that the media doesn't talk about. that you have a level of hostility that is incredible and very unfair. >> when i watch some of the news reports which is so unfair, and i think it is a very unfair thing. i've been under audit almost like since i became famous.

>> in other words the media is trying to attack our administration because they know we are following through on pledges that we made. to be honest, i inherited a mess. it is a mess. at home and abroad. a mess. >> ever since i became fails. a tag line. er they accelerated after the november 8 vote as the two established a back channel for communication between trump and the russian president vladimir putin. they could bypass the u.s. national security bure okaucrac. that's pretty good sourcing. >> you know what we know about special counsels? they take long time. this will be with us for years, not months. we know they're predictable. they'll go wherever the

investigation goes so. this will be investigated by bob mueller who will not be beholden to donald trump. not for his job or his appointment. this is very serious news for donald trump. if he thinks he is a victim now, after this investigation, all these questions will be answered. >> sthe back of this story what could be a benign effort by trump, you never know. i'm open to it. to try to establish better relations with the russians. the trouble is even at the time they were trying to mess with our electoral process which is not benign by them. especially with regard to syria by establishing extra diplomatic effort with the russians, right? that's what we're hearing today. we always suspected what was going on. how does this fit into the law? >> that's the issue. you can play devil's advocate. you can say it was good intentions but you're trying to bypass national security. and you know this is a hostile actor. this is not our ally. this is a country that has meddled in the election and

likely helped you become president. so that callings into question his judgment. the idea that he would do this, including that michael flynn was the person heading this up. after all they think about michael flynn, somewhat turned around by the time line. you would know that michael flynn had been doing inappropriate things. why would you make him the head of this operation? >> last word, you're a magazine writer. you have to write the big possible picture. are we in the big picture area in terms of this president being in jeopardy? >> i don't think we're quite at a point where i see an impeachment proceeding happening. i think feeling the victimization, it is emotional for this president and it is determining his decisions. and when it does, when he lets his emotions get the better of him whex does things like fire comey, he makes things wor for himself so it back's spiral.

whether he can get a handle on it and the people around him get a handle on it. >> richard nixon who had some wisdom about his own problems said never make a big decision after a big victory or a big defeat. it clouds your brain. it is not going to be a happy trim for him to the middle east right now. college up, we'll zero in on one of the key figures of this administration. michael flynn. flynn told the trump transition team headed by mike pence that he was under investigation for secretly working as a lobbyist for turkey in early january. that country isn't too popular right now and trump hired him. giving him access to classified secrets. and saying that the ambassador should be thrown out. wait until you see these

pictures. that's right there in sheraton circle which i drive by all the time. you see people getting beaten up by this so-called body guards of the president of turkey. they're not body guards. they're beating people up. plus, the president's continued issue of alternative facts. he had a bunch of them today. dear predictable, there's no other way to say this. it's over. i've found a permanent escape from monotony. togeth, we are perfectly balanced, our senses awake, our hearts racing as one. i know this is sudden, but they say: if you love something... set it free. see you around, giulia ♪

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investigating the president? what do you make of. ? what is that? >> i think it is a good idea and i support the appoiment of the special counsel. i'm sure mr. mule her do an excellent job. this will take some time. i don't think it will be a matter of a couple months. i think it will take a good deal of time. >> the president has told supporters that it is a witch hunt. what impact will that have in. >> i don't think it is a witch hunt. i think the president should defend himself. i don't know of any president who likes the appointment of a special counsel or a special prosecutor. i think it was appropriate and i'm sure mr. mueller will lead the situation to its conclusion based upon the facts. >> what do you think the fact is about how the decision was made to fire james comey as fbi director? what can you see through with

the comments sgooming the payments that he took very careful notes about what he had discussed with the president? how the president pushed him to end the investigation of mr. flynn, his national security adviser? do you believe him or the president? >> i want director comey to come before us here in congress. i hope he does so in open testimony next week. i'll be involved in the classified briefing tomorrow with the deputy attorney general. let the facts determine that situation. >> i think the possible good news, the light at the end of the tunnel is that as you say, mr. mueller will take over this investigation. is goinsomewh hire a lot of lawyers. organ office. you ow how long it takes. that will possibly draen some of the anger from the hill and focus. do you think this is a good sign of getting it focused on tax reform? >> absolutely.

as you know, we work through the structure and ways and means should be working on tax reform and t & i on the reform. we're able to do those matters while the intelligence committee on the hill can deal with this issue as mr. mueller will be dealing with this issue. i want to get to the business of the american people and that includes tax reform and an infrastructure bill. >> i believe, i think i learned this from african-american queen, that the boat can't be steered unless the engine is working. thank you for coming on. up next, everything we know tonight about mike flynn and how he still got job as national security adviser even after telling the trump team that he was under investigation for working with turkey.

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welcome back. there are now new questions about what the trump team knew about michael flynn before pointing him national security adviser. he said that he was under federal investigation for secretly working as a paid lobbyist for turkey. as the times reports, flen's disclosure means the trump team knew about the investigation far earlier than reported. flynn was still offered the top national security job. it raises quets about the person who served as leader of the transition. mike pence. pence said he first learned of the lobbying work for turkey this march. >> michael flynn has filed with the department of justice as a foreign agent for making more than $500,000 as a lobbyist for

turkey. your reaction to that? >> let me say, hearing that story today was the first i heard of it. and i fully support the decision that president trump made to ask for general flynn's resignation. >> in neither had michael flynn nor his attorneys told transition counsel that he was under federal investigation for secretly working as paid lobbyist for turkey. meanwhile, thesaid t family had a blind spot when it came to flynn. ivanka and her husband said he would be named national security adviser to reward his loyalty. so apparently the vetting didn't mean anything. david, here's the thing. you know, there's so much going on now that is so messy. the job is really important. national security adviser.

the top job. you run all foreign policy, you direct and coordinate the defense department, the state department. everything comes through you to give it to the president straight. you're the one that gives the president the reality on the planet. >> arguably the most important job in the white house, even ahead of the vice president's job. >> how do you explain that, fls the explanation. somebody didn't tell somebody. flynn told the vetters, the lawyer for the president, they have legal problem. they have a tail on me because they're coming after me because i've been getting money from the turks. how come that never got to the transition? >> just the words, under fbi investigation. and he is up for the most sensitive job for the white house? that should have stopped it right there. now, also, last night at the same time, mcclatchy put out a story saying that on january 10th, apparently six days after the warning was given to the transition team, he sat in the

meeting with susan rice who was then the outgoing national security adviser to preside obama. she told him, we have a plan. we're working with kurdish military forces in iraq and syria and we're going to take out an isis strong hold. it is a big a operation but we want you to know because it probably won't be ready until president trump is president. he said call it off. delay it. we don't know why but we do know the turks fight like tooth and nail to stop us from working with the kurds because they don't want us arming. >> you're saying be flynn was working for the turks. the advice he gave while being paid by the turks was in peril with what the turks wanted while he is under investigation by the fbi. this is almost as big a scandal as the filibuster. >> being paid by the turks because they don't want the kurds getting independent and they don't want them winning

power in the mideast. >> and they were exercising power. this is all part and parcel of the amateur hour we've witnessed from day one here. i could be that there was simply a systemic failure inside that transitional office. back in march, flynn goes to mcgann and said i'll be registering now retroactively. >> as a turkish lobbyist. and mcgann said, that's your own personal business. that's nothing to do with us. maybe they didn't realize the gravity. >> they could have recused him from all the discussions on turkish foreign policy, sense you're working for the turks. >> remember, there all happens and then 16 days later, once he is national security adviser, sally yates comes to the white house and says, there's another fbi investigation and he is vulnerable to russian blackmail. >> yahoo! news is reporting that in a meeting with a group of friends two months after he was fired by the president, quote, flynn indicated he and the

president with still in communication. i just got a message from the president to stay strong, flynn said. this comes after the daily beat reported, they've had to warn president trump repeatedly against receiving out to his fired national security adviser michael flynn. what do you make of that? he is still keeping his hand warm. and he wants to keep flynn on his team. >> that's one conclusion. >> his connection to flynn, he does have an historical campaign. they're not old buds. but somehow you have ivanka and jared pushing for flynn. they've been warmed that there are two fbi investigations. flynn is the rosetta stone of all the scandals and we need to know what he was saying to ambassador sergee kislyak before the election.

>> i call this the romanovs. it is about a royal family with ivanka and jared and they can tell president to do anything and everybody else's job is in jeopardy. not theirs. >> with michael flynn absolutely at the heart of all this and an administration that consistently fails to answer one central question. why was he kept on for 18 days after the president of the united states learned that he was at risk of being black mailed by the russians. >> you have 18 contacts withhe russians. 18 contacts during the campaign. what do you make of that? it said there's no evidence of wrongdoing. what were all those about? >> and trump said there's no evidence of collusion. from june of -- >> no. no evidence, as she pointed out, of him personally and the russians. >> they've narrowed it down a bit. >> but not including michael

flynn. >> remember, after june of last year, there was evidence publicly that the russians had done this. in august, trump and flynn were both briefed that the russians with the culprits behind this. if any part of that time flynn is talking to the russians and they're not yelling at them to knock it off. you know, you may get a better deal with us. that's almost as bad as collusion. >> we'll find out. >> that's giving them incentive. and that reuters story tells that you every day president is overseas staring into the eyes of foreign leaders who wonder if he'll be staring back this year's time. >> and giving away their secrets. >> it will change name of all those conversations in saudi arabia and israel and of course in the vatican, even. the pope. thank you, sir. >> nothing wrong with it. >> up next, the violent melee.

this is in washington, d.c., in one of our freest towns. sheridan circle. the president returned from a meeting. had erdogan was watching this approvingly. their experience is coveted. their leadership is instinctive. they're experts in things you haven't heard of. researchers of technologies that one day you will. some call them the best of the best. some call them veterans. we call them our team. ♪"my friends know me so well. they can tell what i'm thinking, just by looking in my eyes.

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i look forward to working together with president erdogan on achieving peace and security in the middle east on, confronting the shared threats, and on working toward a future of dignity and safety for all of our people. it is a great honor to have you with us. thank you. >> welcome back to "hardball." that was president trump in this case, praising president erdogan. just hours after making those remarks, a very different scene played out across town outside the turkish ambassador's residence in washington. look at those scenes. a kralman, the voice of america captured demonstrators who were peaceably protesting as they were attacked by president erdogan's own so-called body guards. the washingtonolice,ery proud of them today, intervened in what was called a brutal attack. ni people were hurt and two were arrested. today voice of america released new video showing president erdogan himself emerging from

the car and watching the entire confrontation unfold. in response the state department released this statement yesterday. violence is never an appropriate response to free speech. we are communicating our concern to the turkish government in the strongest possible terms. however, senator mccain called for harsher penalties this morning on msnbc. >> we should throw their ambassador the hell out of united states of america. these are not just average people that did this beating. this is erdogan's security detail. somebody told them to go out there and beat up on these peaceful demonstrators. and i think it should have repercussions. >> this come as president trump already faces criticism for his support of erdogan who cracked down on freedoms back home in turkey. you know, that is one of the

prettiest spots in washington. without a doubt. i say drive up massachusetts avenue and you come here and watch all the embassies and flags. here's that beautiful circle. the irish embassy, in fact, is on that circle. the ones kicking tend to be the so-called body guards of turkey. beating up on these kurds who were spl demonstrating. >> think about it. the obama house is two blocks away. the kushner house is about three or four houses away. rex tillerson is in that neighborhood. the mean streets of cal rama, somebody said. the d.c. row. >> they're getting rid of these guys. some of the people were seriously injured. two people were seriously injured. it is an outrage. pat leahy was on with me yesterday. people were outraged. they did call to speak to acting

undersecretary tom shannon today. and we don't know -- rather, wednesday. we don't know what he said to the ambassador. these body guards were already on the plane going back. >> do they have diplomatic immunity? >> if they are part of the entourage, they do. >> which means they can park their car wherever they want. >> and the police chief said, we're going to hold people accountable. they were already out of the country. >> what do you make ofigan? they come from countries, well, yeltsin wasn't the worst in the world but he came to d.c. and pushed everybody out of the way in front of the memorial. >> erdogan, just in the last year alone, they have closed 200 media offices. they have arrested 140 journalists whom we know of to protect journalists. in 2016. >> incirlik, the base, nato,

absolutely bordering syria. but president trump has just come to the same conclusion that president obama came to. that the syrian kurds, who erdogan views as terrorists, should be armed because they're the best against isis. so president trump and his national security team now with flynn gone from the picture, we know now was -- >> with turkey. we know the story -- >> look at these guys. they're not killing it but look at what they're doing. >> they were stomping on it. >> the back story about flynn is that flynn had in fact been consulted by susan rice at president trump's direction after they were debating for months whether or not to arm the syrian kurds, knowing it would upset erdogan. and the president said you'd better consult the incoming team. they did give him that courtesy. and flynn said no.

after being given $500,000. >> erdogan saw that going. on he should have stopped it there. he is insulting us. you don't act like that in our country. >> this is a nato ally. it is outrageous. >> thank you. you're allowed to protest in this country. andrea mitchell, as always, good luck on the trim. you don't get on enjoy yourself. you just go place to place. on the eve of the first overseas trip, president trump's news conference was chock full of, here they come, alternative facts. we'll get to that next. i count on my dell small business advisor

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build a better california for all of us. we're saying it is a falsehood and they're giving sean spicer, our press secretary, gave alternative facts. >> well, kellyanne created that term. a presidency full of alternative

facts. today president trump delivered lots of them. let's watch. >> director comey was very unpopular with most people. i actually thought when i made that decision, and i got a very, very strong recommendation, as you know, from the deputy attorney general, rod rosenstein. he had the veryoor performance on wednesday. that was a poor, poor performance. i don't like to speak for other people but i believe that's why the deputy attorney general went out and wrote his very, very strong letter. while i respect the move but the entire thing has been a witch hunt. and there is no collusion between certainly myself and my campaign. i can always speak for myself and the russians. zero. there was no collusion. and everybody, even my enemies have said, there is no collusion. >> let's bring in the

roundtable. shannon is a white house reporter for bloomberg news. and peter emerson for the "huffington post." let's go through the round table here. unpopul unpopular, high school class president contest? or miss congealiality? fbi directors, they're not supposed to be popular. it is a witch hunt. no. it's a serious charge. this thing going after rod roenls and saying he's the one who got me to do it. this is all show business stuff. trying to transfer this into a personality contest. a transfer of this, and blame shifting. let's shift it over to rosenstein. he completely left out the earlier statements about how he

was going to fire comey anyway. that's the kind of thing that makes you wonder, does he have a real firm grasp of reality or does he believe his own sales pitch? >> he said he had times. he didn't say that today. he drops these distractions and then two seconds later they didn't exist. he was talking in his tweets, if he had tapes, he wouldn't be arguing this. >> i guess we're still talking about earn thety facts and fact checking. the case has been for 18 months, or wherever, how long the campaign has been, he doesn't stick to the facts. he doesn't stick to a the consistent story. he exaggerates things. he's done it his entire career and he is not going to stop doing it. if you tell your child to eat their vegetables or they don't get their dessert and they don't eat it. >> he is talking about popularity and witch hunts. that he knows 40% of the country is with him.

that's 80% of the republican party. and the rest cuss chatter away. >> and alternative facts are nonour universe. they're not in his universe. he's had his own universe for 40 or 50 years, to be constructed by roy cohen, one of the great illusionists of the last century. he lives in a different world and his rules and facts are different than ours. the good news is that our founders and our constitution, and millions of americans who gave up their lives to ptect going win.are ultimately >> i comparedim to woody allen. as he creative guy. he knocks out a movie every year or so. but he once said, what has reality ever done for me? you can be creative in the arts. but when it comes to being the president, you have a military unimaginable in its power, enemies that really want to hurt us, you have to deal with

reality. is he dealing with reality, when he says it is a witch hunt. when he says popularity should rule who the fbi director is. >> i think that's what we'll find out when the mid-term elections come and then 2020. at the moment, you talk about creating reality. he is a great showman. he is great at promotion. he did it in business, he did it on the campaign, and he is doing it now. and when you talk to people in the rest of the country, this does not seem to be sticking. the popularity may be around 39%. >> here's the bad news. people who are with him, and that's 40% of the country still, will say i'm with help. i am really confident in my consumer decisions. look at the market yesterday. it dropped 400 points. those are people real decisions. it didn't bounce back much today. not much. >> and also, trump in living in his alternate universe of facts and his own manufactured fiction

has come up with bizarre things such as the human body has a 15 i'd amount of energy so there's no point in exercising. >> where did you hear that one? >> or, ford has brought thousands of jobs back to america when they have just cut 10,000 jobs. >> you know who that sounds like, dr. strangelove, precious bodily fluids. the roundtable is sticking around. up next these people tell me something i don't know. i've been working on this therapy for 5 years now and we're getting ready to go to the clinic. my son definitely keeps me fighting. i want to be there for him when he needs me. that's what motivates me. i want to see patients have gray hair. i see myself growing old with my pink hair. that to me, is enough to keep going. and we're partnering with cigna to help save lives. we are the tv doctors of america. by getting you to a real doctor for an annual check-up.

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on your acceptance..." through the tuition assistance program, every day mcdonald's helps more people go to college. it's pt of our commitment to being america's best first job. ♪ we're back with the "hardball" roundtable. clarence, tell me something i don't know. >> remember president trump campaigned against nafta, was going to tear it up. today the nafta request came in and it doesn't call for any major changes at all, so i think he's learned that nafta is more complicated than he thought. >> like a lot of other things. >> yep. >> shannon. >> regardless of what you think of his father -- >> that's the amazing thing, if you knew this before the election. >> i'd keep your eye on don jr. he's raising big bucks for republicans across the country. he's a natural at retail politics. i think he is a force. donald trump jr. >> when the overlay continues here. the romanoffs.

>> paul manafort cannot count on donald trump helping him if in fact the courageous attorney general of new york state, eric schneiderman, is successful in investigating money laundering. article two of the constitution only allows a president to pardon a federal conviction, not a state conviction. if i were donald trump, i'd be worried. >> he can still pardon michael flynn. thank you. when we return, let me finish tonight with trump watch. you're watching "hardball," where the action is. mom? dad? hi! i had a very minor fender bender tonight

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trump watch, thursday, may 18th, 2017. as he heads tomorrow for the middle east, president trump has once again proven that denial is not just a river in egypt. he said that he never told fbi director comey to call off the case against trump's national security advisor, michael fln, even though comey and his associates know that he kept hard rock notes of his meetings with trump and that trying to get the heat off flynn was something trump specifically called comey aside for. he said he fired comey because he wasn't, catch this, popular. what is this, a high school class president contest? mr. president, we're talking here about the director of the federal bureau of investigation. and he called the new probe led by former fbi director robert mueller a witch hunt. a witch hunt. you mean like saying you've hired detectives to go out to hawaii to prove that the president of the united states is an illegal immigrant? you mean that kind of witch hunt? so denial is the trump game plan. he's going to say his election team's relations with russia,

there were at least 18 conversations between general flynn and figures from that country, were on the up and up, that there was no collusion and that this effort to find out there was is a witch hunt. well, look, the flight plan for air force one may now be for saudi arabia, israel and then italy, but it sounds like the president himself remains in home detention somewhere deep in the land of alternative facts. and that's "hardball" for now. thanks for being with us. "all in with chris hayes" starts right now. tonight on "all in" -- >> does anybody have any questions? >> the president cries witch hunt. >> i respect the move, but the entire thing has been a witch hunt. >> donald trump directly contradicts his fired fbi director. >> did you at any time urge former fbi director james comey in any way, shape or form to close or back down the investigation into michael flynn? and also -- >> no. no. next question. >> tonight, as the president changes his story again, r