and provide that information as a whistleblower if they would like. but we are very interested in talking to any individuals and any agencies that might have this information. >> so last congress, this really was not investigated, but i'm happy to report that the house leadership is fully behind this current investigation. and so i would have liked to have done this a little sooner, but we are where we are, and we're going to get the facts now with their support. >> in a court filing yesterday -- >> this is andrea mitchell in new york. what you've just seen is devin nunes, the house intelligence chairman, who was forced to recuse himself after what many said were missteps into the house intelligence investigation in the russian possible involvement in the u.s. election. devin nunes now opening a new probe saying they are investigating what president trump has been demanding be investigated, which is whether there was a conflict of interest

when the obama administration in the past years approved sales of uranium to a russian-owned company. the implication that somehow hillary clinton, secretary of state, was involved. she said it was nonsense, that she had taken herself out of any decision making and was not involved. that is a new investigation by the house intelligence committee which has been under fire for its failure to proceed and to have a coherent investigation on the house side into the russian investigation. that's going on on capitol hill. meanwhile, president trump and republican senator bob corker are escalating their stunning war of words today over taxes, north korea and diplomacy. even as the president heads to capitol hill this hour for his first visit to the weekly senate republican lunch since taking office. the presidents had choice words for senate leader mitch mcconnell in the past, but today's round with bob corker made the rounds on television, including the "today" show. >> this has been building for

some time as i've watched the way the white house has operated. my concerns have continued to rise, and look, i'm one senator who is expressing what i believe to be some -- what i know to be sincere concerns. >> president trump responded with a social media assault on his fellow republican loaded with snulinsults and name calli including a tweet for bob corker. >> during the campaign at the beginning of the administration, you supported the president. do you regret that now? >> what do you think? he has not risen to the case. i've had personal meetings, personal dinners, personal phone calls when the staff asked me to intercede on something that was going to happen that was not good for our country, and i've done all those things. but yeah, at this point i realize what we're dealing with, like i think most americans.

>> joining me now, nbc's kristen welker at the white house, nbc's kasie hunt on capitol hill. kristen, first to you. the president going off basketball corker again today. corker did launch those attacks on morning television. what is this lunch going to be like? >> reporter: this is going to be a fascinating lunch, andrea. oh, if we could be a fly on the wall of that lunch. interestingly, house speaker ryan said maybe the two will come face to face and put some of these tensions to rest, but it doesn't seem like that's all too likely. president trump unleashing about five tweets in the series of just a few hours, taking sharp aim at senator corker. for all of those reasons you pointed out, andrea, reprizing his nickname for him as little bob corker, saying he's ineffective and that really seems to be the talking point here at the white house. sarah huckabee sanders reiterating that in an interview today.

he didn't answer any questions on senator corker. of course, he's going to be facing more questions when he arrives on capitol hill. reporters will be there waiting for him. but the bottom line, andrea, the white house will argue this is a president who is a counterpuncher, this is part of what helped him win the white house. but republicans privately have echoed some of the concerns that bob corker has been airing publicly. and part of those concerns revolve around his use of twitter, the fact that he engaged in this war of words and essentially complicates and steps on his own agenda. the focus today was spoetsd to be tax reform. that's why he's going to capitol hill, and frankly, andrea, can't afford to lose any votes. so having this back and forth with bob corker could be undermining his efforts to get a legislative victory, which he sorely needs, including everybody at the white house and on capitol hill. >> this latest round with corker

seemed to start when the president suggested on twitter that he was not going to go along with cutting one of the tax loopholes which is the 401(k)s, that he wanted to keep that loophole for middle class americans. so senators like corker who were concerned about the deficit were sort of flummoxed over mixed signals coming from the treasury and others working on this tax proposal and from the president. corker said, well, this is just a photo op today, this lunch. we're going to write the bill up here. and that seemed to be what set them off to the races, or am i missing something here. >> i think you're right, andrea. i would say that there are -- in theory there should be two buckets here. there are the policy disagreements and there are the personal insults. and you're right that the policy piece of this is something that really does upset republicans on capitol hill in the senate, and that at the end of the day is going to be what's most

important for president trump as he attempts to pass his agenda. and that disagreement about this particular -- the 401(k) question, as you rightly point out, they've doubted that senator corker would be a yes vote on the tax reform package because of those deficit concerns, and this was a way potentially to raise a little bit of money for the bill to help it essentially look less expensive, at least up front. so there is a real policy disagreement at the bottom of this. and corker expressed on the "today" show, you showed a little bit of that, he has tended to use more polite words than the president, however, he has clearly kind of decided that he's going to go down that sort of more personal insult role and bucket of back and forth that the president clearly responds to and engages in himself, and corker has primarily referred to the white house has a daycare

center. that hash tag is what he used on his tweets this morning. that is not, i would argue, policy related. corker clearly -- he leaned even further into these comments when i talked to him just a few minutes ago, andrea. >> and kacie, stand by. this is the photo opportunity that was just referenced. >> they have treated our country unfairly for many years and nobody understood it. they didn't know what was going on. and those days are over. so we're renegotiating certain trade deals, and we saw to the process for others. it's actually a long process, as you actually know. you have statutory requirements and lots of other things, but the bottom line is step by step, and we're getting it done and we're way ahead of schedule, i would say. >> yes, we are. >> we started with nafta. we'll see how that turns out. it may not turn out, and if it doesn't turn out, we'll have to do a new nafta or a new deal, but we'll see how it turns out.

thank you. i'm honored and thrilled to be with you this morning. the white house and the oval office is a very special place. i assume every one of you have been in the oval office many times, right? [ laughter ] >> it's an honor to have you now, i can tell you that. i want to congratulate every one of the businessmen and women in this room and all that you have achieved. incredible stories. each of you has just a remarkable past, and i think an even more remarkable future. i feel that. does everybody feel that, by the way? i think so. especially with trump as your president. each of you represent a critical american industry from construction to technology to manufacturing. but you all share in a common will and drive to succeed, and i salute you for that. you need that drive to be successful. minority-owned businesses employ

8 million people and generate more than $1 trillion in annual economic output. the work you do and the products and services you bring into this world generate new prosperity across america. for that, we are in your debt. you inspire our children to develop their talents and to always chase their dreams. you carry on our nation's proud legacy of innovation and you breathe new life into the american spirit. a recent department of labor report showed the fewest jobless claims since 1973. think of that. 1973. the only way i'll get the word out there is if i say it, because you'll never say it. my administration is deeply

empowered to lifting government barriers so you can thrive, prosper and grow. and speaking of growing, our stock market just hit another record high. it's the highest it's ever been in history by far. we've created about $5.4 trillion only in stock market value. $5.4 trillion. and we're very happy about it. and a lot of jobs. we have the lowest job numbers since, i believe, 16 to 17 years. lowest unemployment. we're doing really well. which makes it better for you. as a candidate for president, i pledge to fight to deliver opportunity for every community in america. all american children from the rust belt to our inner cities deserve great schools, safe neighborhoods and access to high-paying jobs. i talked a lot about the inner cities on the campaign and there's tremendous potential in the inner city and we're working

on that very, very hard. critical to creating this future is reforming our tax code to produce new investment and development in our country. we must bring back our jobs and rebuild america's cities and towns, which is what we're doing. it's time to take care of our country and fight for our famili families. at the center of our america first agenda is our commitment to ensure every child in america has a future of security and a future of hope. we are one of the highest taxed nations in the world. anywhere in the world, one of the highest taxed costing us millions of jobs and trillions and trillions of dollars. our tax code will lower the edge and the tax burden on the american people. it's also going to bring back -- if we get this passed and i think we will -- it's going to bring back, i would say, $40

trillion into this country. money that wants to come back into the united states cannot come back, but under our plan, that money will flow back in. it will be very quick and it will be very easy, and it's a lot of the money. nobody even knows the amount. it was $2.5 trillion a few years ago, so i would say now it's got to be close to 4 trillion or maybe even above that number. we'll find out soon because it's going to come back very, very rapidly. under our plan, 30 million americans who own small businesses will get a 40% cut to their top marginal tax rate. this will be the lowest rate in more than 80 years, so this will be the lowest rate you have in more than 80 years. that's 1931 is the last time there was a rate this low. we're going to massively reduce the corporate tax so the companies stay in america, move to america and hire right here

in america. in other words, they stay in america and they don't fire their workers. that's what we're about. our plan can be summarized in three simple words:jo jobs, job jobs. the award-winning business leaders here today represent the best of america and our determination to succeed and to grow. together we're going to ensure that more american citizens can unlock their potential of which they have tremendous potential, provide for their families and live out the american dream. again, congratulations to all of the awardees. it's a tremendous achievement, a really tremendous achievement. i have great respect for you. and thank you, god bless you and god bless america. thank you very much. thank you very much, everybody. >> president trump not taking questions today on his feud with bob corker but we'll see what happens when he gets to capitol hill.

making a big pitch for his tax cut proposals, pointing out that some of the loopholes would bring tax money that goes overseas and bring it back to the u.s. but he has been inconsistent, to say the least, about some of his pitches for the tax bill with his tweets, and that's what set off some of the centers on capitol hill who does not think the white house is coordinating well with truhe treasury and others when they come to the hill. so it's quite a robust expectation on capitol hill. meanwhile, president george w. bush is back in the spotlight, speaking out about the lack of civility in politics. >> we've seen discourse with casual cruelty. at times it can seem that the forces pulling us apart are stronger than the forces pulling us together. argument turns easily into animosity. disagreement emanates into

de-escalation. >> yesterday he was criticized by steve bannon who called president bush the most destructive president in american history. the bush daughters address this in part in their new book "sisters first" out today. it's a great privilege. they join me now. barbara bush and jenna bush hager. barbara is on nbc. i've seen you over the years, but now it's all in the book. barbara, leet talk about the pain. here you were in the white house. you grew up part until the white house when your grandfather was president, but here you're seeing your father under attack. there were a lot of controversial decisions that he made. how did you absorb that? you were in college in those days. >> definitely. so we went away to college the year our dad ran for president,

which can be an awkward time to go to college. i thought that was a real blessing because we were absorbed in new environments and living our lives. luckily for us, we know our dad really well because he knows who he is and love him as an open-minded person as you might have just seen in that clip. and that's the man that we know and love and have always stayed true to that regardless of what others might have said about him. >> in the college atmosphere, you write about when the people wrote a letter to you, a really touching letter, when he went to a war in iraq. let me just share that letter from your book. he wrote, yesterday i made the hardest decision a president has to make. i ordered young americans into combat. it was an emotional moment for me because i fully understand the risks of war. more than once i have hugged and wept with a loved one over a soldier lost in afghanistan. which is even more poignant now

thinking of the criticism of the president last week and criticism of past presidents not doing just that. jenna, i know you don't get into the politics, but just the pain. you were at ut, you were at yale. the company was in turmoil over this war. >> yeah. it was hard, and we wrote about it in the book. that was a decision we knew we had to do because the war in so many ways post september 11 defined my dad's presidency. it wasn't something that he wanted, he planned out. but also as his daughters, we saw how much it pained him. we saw the personal side of it. and barbara went with him, we both did, to see "wounded warriors." that is something nobody wants to do. so we had to write about it. it was something we felt like when we were writing this book, we have to be authentic. we have to tell the truth as hard as it may be. it was something we had to include. >> i didn't realize until this

book that you had gone with him to visit wounded warriors. these were things he did very privately, your family did very privately. we saw the thanksgiving trips to the war zones, but the things that were done in private were really -- >> by the way, that thanksgiving trip, we talked about, we woke up and our dad wasn't there. we didn't know he was going. but both my parents and my grandfather for sure didn't need praise for the job that they did. they did it because it was their job. so there was a lot that they did that people didn't know, and i don't think they needed it shout it from the rooftops because it was part of what they did, it was part of the responsibility. >> let's talk about 9/11, the shattering experience, we remember the president was in florida in an elementary school when it happened. they quickly got him in air force i. what happened to you? you were at yale. >> i was at yale and my secret service man came to the door.

actually, before that i had woken up to the radio that had broken news that a plane ran into one of the towers. a secret service man came to the door and he didn't know. it became every minute new information came out. so we ended up leaving campus because my entire detail was very aware that we could possibly be an outsider in that. so we left and went to a day's inn in new haven. for me my secret service were all out of new york, and one of the -- their office was in world trade center 7, tower 7. so it was an extremely humanizing moment for all of us where we were all watching this unfold and they were calling their families and crying together. people often say kind of snide things about having security and they became my brothers all of a sudden because we were going

through this together. luckily we were able to talk to our parents that day right before my dad went out to address the nation. but, of course, you know, it was a shock for all of us and still is, i think, sometimes. >> jenna, one of the things that was so touching was the letters you left for the obama girls, the way you introduced them to the white house, took them on a tour. and then the letters you wrote at the end on how they can make the transition. >> that is one thing i think people don't see is this privilege of living history, but also how we're this little club of kids that have come before. there are no guidelines, there is no right way to do it. we for sure didn't. but i think because of that, we're extremely protective of all of those who have come after. we adore them, and we wrote those letters in some ways as a battle cry, like, leave them alone, let them have a childhood. and i think people are doing that so we're thrilled about that, but we're so proud of them. >> talk about finding a kinder,

gentler -- that's a different kind of george w. bush. a lot of people thought about the painter george w. bush like winston churchill and dwight eisenhower painting. tell me about the iphone emoji. >> our dad loves the emoji. every morning i wake up to a text from him that is a meditation that we both read. he will illustrate it with emojis. to me it's the perfect way to wake up. it's so stable and secure and loving. he started painting because he would draw little pictures and send them to us on an app that he had in his iphone. >> and they were stick figures but my mom, always the supportive wife, said, that's a nice line. and somehow from that compliment, he has created -- >> -- a life for himself as a painter. >> i love having a sister for myself who is the dearest person in the world and just -- the relationship between sisters and twins in particular, i can't

even imagine. >> and also sisters like you. you've lifted so many of us up, i know, from savannah who has lifted me up. it's also about colleagues, women, who lift other women up, and you've done that here at nbc, so i hope you know that. >> it makes me want to cry. >> thank you for being that type of colleague. >> thank you both so much. it's great to see you. the book is "sisters first, sisters always." >> yes. >> barbara and jenna. >> thank you. >> thank you. and turning now to the investigation into what happened in niger. nbc news has learned that the ambush of four american soldiers may have been a setup by terrorists. the theory is the terrorists were tipped off about a meeting fwe between u.s. special forces in a village of isis. turning now to two reporters whov whovwho have been breaking this story. the mission may not have been a

team patrol, it may have gone off high value targets. >> we know now based on several officials who are briefed on what happened that there was some sort of a named objective here. there was some target in an individual who they were looking for. what we don't know is exactly how that manifested itself into this mission. were they going on a reconnaisance mission or patrol to try to find information about where this was? or did they somehow get this information and they were targeting that person, they were actually trace organize traing that individual. we don't know this yet. that's one of the many things the investigation is looking at and we will find out at some point. as general dunford pointed out yesterday from his fact-filled briefing from the pentagon, there are a number of things this investigation is still looking at and questions that need to be answered, andrea. >> what about the timeline, carol? that's one of the things that's changed, and general dunford

tried to go through what they know now. >> yeah, it has changed, and that's been one of the things that's been frustrating, particularly for lawmakers on capitol hill. you know, and part of that could be due to conflicting information that the investigators are getting. this was also a very confusing incident, and so they've just struggled to piece together a timeline in what would normally have been a much quicker pace. you know, i think if you want to look forward on this a little bit, what this has done is prompted this debate on capitol hill, not just about what the u.s. military presence is in niger and in africa, but really across the world. if you look at, you know, as we moved away from large-scale military conflicts, like afghanistan skpi raand iraq, an towards these more special forces, counterterrorism missions, we're in scores and scores of countries across the

world, so one of the things that you're starting to see is lawmakers are reigniting this debate over whether to have a new authorization for use of military force. they've been operating on one since 2001. and that debate we've seen in the past is not something that necessarily continues and actually turns into a legislative move. it's going to be interesting to see whether lawmakers are just talking about this now as they have in the past in other instances or if we're actually going to see them do something and take the top vote they've avoided for some time. >> if it were a mission to go after a high value target, would they have had better protection, and would it have been approved, that mission approved at a higher level, and what about the massive intelligence failure? these are the questions i guess you're still digging into, and general dunford and his team. >> that's right. one thing people have to remember here are the missions

these special forces have in niger. it is to advise and accompany their nigerian counterparts. so they're working with them but they're also going out with them. it's not outside the realm of possible. we don't know for sure, this is something we're trying to dig into, that the nigerian military would be the ones who would actually be pursuing and then maybe ultimately kill or capture this individual they were looking for, and the americans there are advising in their company capacity, andrea. >> i know this will be a lengthy investigation, but it seems like something went terribly wrong, and obviously there will be some command decisions that have to be examined. thanks so much, courtney, for your reporting, carol lee for your reporting. we appreciate you being here with us today. coming up, virginia is for voters. two weeks i'm told the marquee political race, the gubernatorial race in virginia.

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the president had a message earlier today. he said, and i quote, the

democrats in the southwest part of virginia have been abandoned by their party. and ed gillespie will never let you down. >> america is a story of progress. ralph northam wants progress. he wants to take us forward, not backward. >> the race for virginia governor bringing out the political heavy hitters, a race that's being set off as the biggest trump marker. ralph northam locked in a tight race with republican ed gillespie, former chairman and top aide to president george w. bush. lieutenant governor ralph northam, thanks for being with us. you had obama in his first political speech since leaving office. how does it shape up as far as you're concerned in politics? it's a single-digit race. >> thank you, andrea, for having

me on. there is a tremendous amount of enthusiasm and excitement across the commonwealth of virginia. we're promoting the virginia way with our campaign, jobs for virginia, making sure our children have access to a world class education system and making sure virginians have access to affordable and quality health care. that's what virginians are asking for, that's our message and it's resonating across the commonwealth and we look forward tie large turnout on november 7. >> how did charlottesville echo across the state, the challenge to confederate icons? >> it's a horrific tragedy we had in charlottesville. for supremacists to come into a beautiful city, our wonderful university of virginia, our daughter aubrey graduated from there. just to come in with their torches and semiautomatic weapons shouting bigotry and

hatred. i was calling these individuals out for who they are. white supremacists, we told them we don't condone hatred and bigotry in the commonwealth of virginia and don't come back to virginia. i regret our president was unable to stand up and say the same thing and i regret that my opponent didn't denounce the president telling these folks that they're not welcome, that we don't condone hatred and bigotry and not to come back from virginia. >> there is a new ad from the gillespie campaign and our viewers have been asking for an interview with ed gillespie and hope to have one in the two weeks remaining. this is his new campaign ad calling for your rights -- call to restore voting rights for felons. >> they instituted the rights for felons, making it easier for them to obtain firearms and

serve on a jury. one of these had his rights restored two months after finding the largest pornographic collection in history. democrats, republicans and independents opposed ralph northam's policy. >> i want to give you a chance to respond to that. that's a very tough ad. >> these ads are doing nothing other than trying to scare people in virginia, they're promoting divisiveness, hatred and bigotry. my opponent ed gillespie is running these ads. his target is mr. trump, and he's finally hit his target who says i'm fighting for gangs in virginia. i'm a physician. i've taken care of sick children and their families all my life. i've served in the united states army. the ads are inaccurate, they're despicab despicable, and the contrast between that approach and our approach which promotes the virginia way, promotes jobs for virginians, access to health

care, clean environments, communities that are safe where there is not guns on every corner. that's why we're expecting a large turnout on november 7. >> are you at all hurt by the turmoil in the democratic party, a shake-up in the dnc, the fight between former bernie sanders sanders, what they're calling themselves, the active aggressive party against the democratic party establishment? how is that affecting this race? >> our democratic party in virginia is very unified. we have so much excitement on thursday night when president barack obama was here. they want justin fairfax to be our next lieutenant governor. we have a great house of delegates. so, again, we're unified, we're excited. there is a lot of enthusiasm and we're looking forward to november 7. >> thank you very much for being with us. we'll of course be touching base with the gillespie people as

well. it's a really important race. as we say, it's a marquee race, and if you don't win it would be a real indicator for support of donald trump, would tnit not? >> we're going to win on november the 7th, andrea. >> we'll have to leave it there. thank you so much, ralph northam, the democratic candidate in virginia for governor. president trump about to leave for kacapitol hill. he is going to be breaking bread with senate republicans just an hour after berating one of the top republican senators. we'll be right back. fresher. more flavorful. delicious. only one egg with better nutrition- like more vitamins d, e, and omega 3s. and 25% less saturated fat. only one egg good enough for my family. because why have ordinary when you can have the best. eggland's best. the only egg that

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moments from now president trump is going to be trying to rally senate republicans behind a tax plan. but senator bob corker seems to think the president might as well have stayed home. >> typically when something is getting ready to be launched like this, there is a photo op, if you will. i would say there is a lot of work to be done. the tough part of this is what's coming over the next several weeks, and this is something the committee -- i would recommend that based on recent history and just interactions, and i think that that's the best way for us to have success, but i think it's time for him to come over. >> and joining me now are the

men of steel, michael steele, former press secretary to speaker john boehner and legal analyst, governor of maryland. would you mind if i called you mike? would you answer to mike? >> okay. >> you're mike from today, you're michael. >> gotcha. >> michael steele, this feud between senator corker and the president only hours before his first trip to the republican caucus lunch. how do you explain this? >> it's a little bit how you describe crazy. it makes no sense for the president to get up and just start the day by going after senator corker. i don't know if anyone in the white house really appreciates how important senator corker will be to this process over the next few months.

and the alienation of him and others is not smart politics. the senator is right, this event will probably be nothing more than a photo op. very little substance will be garnered from this luncheon. they'll talk around a lot of things, i'm sure, but the meat of this is going to require a lot of handholding and face to face with people that the president right now seems to be wanting to alienate. >> a little bit more of what corker said in the hallway just a little while ago talking about the president. >> someone of this mentality or as president of the united states is something that is, i think, amazing to our country. i've seen no evolution in an upward way. matter of fact, i would say it appears to me that it's almost devolving. >> mike steele, almost

devolving, the president not improving, and other comments he said today, the president is not to be trusted in issues of war and peace? what do we have going on here? >> i think this is an example of why an effective leader needs both carrots and sticks. senator kerr is retiring, he's not running again, he doesn't need to worry about the president opposing him in the primary. he's unfettered and free to speak his mind, and the bullying tweets the president employs don't work without the carrots of his support. >> the impact on the tax policy, the vice president told the american enterprise institute today that the corporate tax rate would be 25%. the president initially was pushing for 15%. they're trying to reduce the negative impact on the deficit, the deficit going way up in this tax plan as it's been described. they don't have the details yet. that's what's supposed to be happening next week, but a lot of concerns there, michael,

about, you know, how this is going to be read if it's blowing a big hole in the deficit. >> that's exactly right, andrea. again, it goes back to the first point about how you approach these members. everybody is focusing on the senate. the senate is not the problem here. the house will be the problem on this. you know, i remember back in 2010 going around the country and working with a lot of hard-charging conservatives, fiscal conservatives who were coming to washington not to blow a hole in the deficit, not to grow the debt but to control and contain that spending. and this is not a package, at least the outside pieces that we've seen, that does anything more than that. and so the reality for the president will be you will need a corker to bring those conservative house members to the table around some of the stuff he hopes to accomplish with this tax bill, starting with the spending. >> with senator corker tweeting

back at the president today that the president has been utterly untruthful, mike, how does this lunch go? >> i think it's going to be a very interesting lunch, because the president has lobbed a lot of issues back to capitol hill, including the tax reform plan, also immigration and health care without a lot of details. i think the senate will try to take this opportunity to get detail from the president on what he wants on issues they have to pass legislation on. >> if you look at some of the people who will be in that room, the president has picked fights with john mccain, certainly l a lisa, bob corker. just go down the list of republicans he's gone after. >> there will be a lot of animosity on this.

a lot. >> michael steele, what is your -- you're close enough to virginia, both of you, actually, i should ask what your prediction is for the northam-gillespie race. >> it's going to be an interesting race. a lot of it is about turnout, and you know where turnout will matter the most? northern virginia. northern virginia has become what prince georges county, baltimore city and montgomery has been for maryland. it's a highly concentrated area for voters that tend to be more purple than blue or red, and i think ed gillespie has done a good job of entering into that region laying down a responsible message that they can respond to. the test will be one of turnout for sure, and over the next two weeks, i think you'll see both campaigns step up in that regard. i think ed is going to have an advantage there. i think the republican party as

a whole sees the importance of this election as i saw in 2009 when we elected bob mcdonnell, and i think that will abe a rea spearhead to go into that region and vote for ed gillespie. >> and what do you think for a man who knows his politics? >> i would go for ed gillespie. i think he will close strong this time, and despite the polls, i think he's going to win. >> thanks so much to mike steele and michael steele, both of you. thank you very much. >> good to be with you. and moments from now, president trump making his way to capitol hill to meet with senate republicans, not all of them his friends. stick with us here on "andrea mitchell reports" only on msnbc.

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time magazine this week, so we wanted to make sure we got you together. you've been watching congresses for so many decades. michael, have you ever seen anything like the bob corker you know donald trump dispute? to say nothing of his dispute with mitch mcconnell, the republican leader. >> it's just very strange, the republican party being so powerful in our government at all levels, at all branches, is also at the same time becoming completely unglued in front of our eyes. a long ideological and establishment versus outsider lines. we've seen it all year. we're seeing it in the elections. we're seeing it in alabama. we're obviously going to see it this morning and at lunch today with the senators. >> we see the events, the events rider, the motorcycle rigders, approaching capitol hill, coming in for this lunch. the fact that steve bannon was pushed out of the white house but he described himself as the president's wing man and he's

the one who was going after mitch mcconnell and all these senators. they talk all the time we're told now. and they're negotiating over which of these senators, for instance, john vbarrasso, challenged by eric prince. there you see the president's car arriving. but now the president is apparently according to mcconnell's people trying to be talked out of going after all of them? >> think how strange this lunch will be where any one of them is, you know, maybe needing to hope the president can throw himself in front of whatever incoming fire steve bannon might be aiming. what an odd, you know, kind of family dinner. it's the most awkward -- they are all meant to be on the same side and yet the feuds between them -- >> it's more like a cage fight today. we expect it to continue in the meeting but it is also possible they will focus on what they need to do. they have a huge challenge in front of themselves. >> on taxes. >> oh, my goodness, to try to do

that in six months or eight months, month less six weeks. virtually no one who has ever done this think it's virtually impossible to conclude this before the end of the year. they keep setting the bar higher and higher, saying i want it done by thanksgiving. so that's probably what they'll end up talking about, just how realistic or unrealistic that is. >> in terms of how realistic it is, the last big tax major reform, right, which is what they initially talked about, where they did flatten rates -- >> 1986. >> was when bill bradley, a bipartisan approach, 1986. it took months and months -- >> it took two years. and they started the clock late, andrea, if you remember, it started in 1994. and then reagan steps in. so it took months and during that period of time, you know, there were lots and lots of near deaths. near deaths. so it could happen again. but it won't happen before thanksgiving. >> you as the authors of the

presidents club, we've also seen in the last couple of days george w. bush coming out, speaking out. and then this extraordinary gathering of five presidents to try to raise money for hurricane relief, that is the floor where they will be going into the mansfield room for this lunch. that is the second floor of the capitol. you'll see the president walk by the so-called ohio clock that was the stakeout position we could all stake out. it's right off the floor of the senate, michael, and you've all spent so much time there. spent years just standing in that hallway, hoping to catch a glance. >> many soul, many shoes have been worn. >> yes. and as the president walks in, presumably some of the press, you see the advance of the press. i think kacie hunt is right there in the hallway, kacie, if you can hear me. he's there with mitch mcconnell. we all know what their relationship is. >> mr. president, do you have

trouble telling the truth? >> mr. president, what do you have to say to senator corker? >> mr. president -- >> mr. president, do you have trouble telling the truth? >> -- is treason! >> andrea, i have to tell you, we have a little bit of an odd situation going on here at the capitol. there is somebody shouting that the president is committing treason and has conspired with russians and he threw what appeared to be russian flags on to the floor here in this ohio clock corridor. this has of course caused quite a bit of consternation among -- i'm sure you can see now the very heavy security police presence escorting him out of the building. as you probably know, having spent time up here, that's a very unusual breach of decorum for us to experience here and i'm sure there's going to be some fallout around it. it looks like we're going to

reset here. but, again, as the president turned this corner with mitch mcconnell, the majority leader, he was shouted down by a protester who -- and, again, i haven't seen them up close, but they were red, white and blue miniature flags that were then scattered over the floor in front of us. mcconnell, trump, neither one answering shouted questions here to these -- the reporters. we of course obviously primarily try to ask him about what has gone on this morning with senator corker in addition to tax reform. again, now, president trump, mitch mcconnell, behind closed doors, in mitch mcconnell's office. i would love to be a fly on the wall. >> while you stand there, i know you're standing in position, let's just recap here. the president was walking down the corridor, right off the senate floor, on the second floor of the capitol, one of the most secure places in washington, and we saw something that i've never seen there. we've seen protesters -- >> i haven't either.

>> at hearing rooms, on all sides of issues. those are at the separate buildings. but never in the capitol itself. actually dangerous situation, in the capitol but the president was never in danger. but this was a major security breach. and this is going to be investigated. as you were just describing it. as the president walked by this protester was throwing some flags down, correct? >> that's right, andrea. obviously the capitol's a very secure building so walking in here typically requires a staff i.d. and if you don't have an i.d., you have to have an appointment and be invited by a senator or congressman's office to be inside the capitol building. the rules are different to be here than they are in the office buildings. the office buildings are open to the public, anybody can walk in. but here things are pretty different. especially we are on the screensecond floor of the capitol where the chambers actually are.

it's the u.s. senator, the doors to the u.s. senate. i'm not even allowed to show you those doors with my camera, the rules are so strict about what we are allowed to do and not do here. and you can hear, in fact, the aides are now saying do not block the senate chamber doors. that would be another cardinal sin here. again, this is really the area where, you know, senators walk freely through here. it is because, again, we live in a democracy. it's a place where if you're a reporter, a credentialed member of the press, you are allowed to interact with, approach senators. so i think, you know, it's going to be -- i'm sure there's going to be a lot of questions about how this person was able to get in here. when i walked up, i was asked why i have this around my neck. i was asked as i was coming in to please, you know, display your credential prominently so we know you're allowed to be in this area so, again, very surprising to see something like that. he did throw a physical object at the president, not something that would have caused bodily harm. again, appearing to be russian

flags. red white and blue at any rate. and he was yelling about russia and accusing the president of treason. but i'm going to throw it back to you, andrea. again, you said this as well, pretty unusual event here at the capitol. >> kacie hunt, thank you so much. i know you're staying right there. the president never in physical danger in this instance but it is an alarming situation. a security breakdown. craig melvin is up next right here on msnbc. >> we're going to pick things up here at msnbc news headquarters in new york. president trump arriving on capitol hill. just arriving a few moments ago. a little drama there. a protester throwing russian flags at the president as he arrived with senate majority leader mitch mcconnell. throwing flags. also shouting as well. the president there to twist senate republican arms on