day. >> that's all for this edition of "dateline." i'm craig melvin. thank you for watching. good morning, i'm dara brown in new york at msnbc world headquarters. it is 7:00 in the east, 4:00 out west. here's what's happening, the president taking sides and doubling-down after two white house aides resign after allegations. and whether the chief of staff can keep his job after the scandal. one reporter saying the end is near. plus, what is in the dem memo? a conspiracy theory it was written to make the president look bad. and we begin with new reaction from capitol hill to president trump's tweet appearing to defend the men accused of domestic violence and

questioning due process for the accused still existed. democratic senator kirsten ji gillibrand tweeted, let's have congressional hearings tomorrow. and jackie spear told "the washington post," the new montra is, we believe the women and he's frozen in, i believe, the men. he's beyond rehabilitation in my view. no reaction yet from the republican lawmakers. nbc's kelly o'donnell has more on the fallout. >> reporter: good morning, dara. president trump wound up his critics again, this time when he expressed concern over the damage done by false allegations. but he let days go by with no comment about domestic violence after that issue rocked his own administration. after two white house employees were forced out this week over allegations of domestic abuse, they each denied, president trump took sides advocating for

the accused but not the accuser. people's lives are being shattered and destroyed by a mere allegation. there is no recovery for someone falsely accused. senior aide rob porter and speech writer david sorenson both resigned after media reports exposed allegations of physical and emotional abuse made by their former wives during fbi background checks. president trump did concede broadly that some allegations are true, but friday he emphasized support for porter. >> he's innocent. and i think you have to remember that. he said first to me yesterday that he's innocent. >> reporter: democratic senator patty murray drew her own line to the me too movement saying she would be behind women, even if the president won't. john kelly's management is under scrutiny. the administration sources tell nbc news the president has been critical of kelly's leadership,

but former chief of staff reince priebus said the president did not undercut kelly when he spoke to him. >> no. the president's never complained to me about general kelly. on top of it, i would never, number one, he didn't do that, but number two, i would never bring up such a subject. >> reporter: president trump sparked more fire from democrats when he decided not to declassify their russia investigation memo. sending it back to the house intelligence committee. but last week the president did declassify a republican memo over fbi objections. now, republicans claim that high-level justice department officials showed partisan bias when they asked the fisa court to authorize surveillance on a trump campaign aide back in 2016. democrats say that's just not true. dara? >> thank you. we'll bring in ali vitali and kevin surelli from bloomberg tv.

great to have you both here. our colleague made headlines when she asked, wipe don't the women in the white house just walk out? this tweet is resonating in the west wing and not just to female staffers. >> well, this is not necessarily the first time people have asked that quo, question, both asking how the white house is handling things and how the women in the white house are handling things. the first thing i asked about this is a piece i wrote over the question when i asked hope hicks and sarah huckabee sanders how they feel working for somebody like president trump, who not only has his own allegations of women have leveled against him, but talking about women derogatory. the tweets he sent over the summer. and what they immediately pointed to in those instances is, that is not the man i see. the man i see is a person who helps me in my workplace and supports me in my job. so that's the way they seem to have rationalized things like

this in the past. in terms of this instance, i think this is an administration that has really, while the rest of washington and the rest of the media world seems to have coalesced around the me too movement, but this rob porter incident and the president's tweet afterwards is just really another instance of how they really have not embraced that movement and have not embraced this idea of we should believe women. >> and ali, you bring up a good point with the time here. and kevin, "the washington post" has a breakdown of how president trump responded to abuse allegations against certain men over the years, and that includes bill clinton, roy moore, al franken and so on. the article is entitled, does trump believe the women? it depends on whether he likes the man. and kevin, is this what it appears to boil down to for the president, whether he likes the men or not? >> well, ali makes a great point, i was just asking the fact that beyond the horrific allegations that we're dealing with right now, the other issue for this is how do senior

staffers get security clearances and the apparent disconnect between the fbi as well as the administration? yesterday i spoke with a senior former administration official in the bush administration who said that it is quite common for senior staffers to not be able to get fbi clearance but to be able to continue the work at the white house. case in point with the current administration, jared kushner. but the question that comes is, is there communication between the fbi as well as the inner circle of the principle of this case, president trump. that's where longer term the story will head, which folks working for the president do not have security clearances and why? >> and ali, let me play for you what the rnc spokesperson told colleague alex witt yesterday. take a listen. >> i look at the actions of this administration empowering women throughout the administration, lifting up women economically, our unemployment numbers are

lower than they have ever been. this is a white house that stands with women unmistakably. i understand that people want to go back to the past and relitigate a campaign issue, but the fact is the american people elected president trump as president of the united states. and his administration has stood for women. >> this plays to what you said earlier, kayleigh mcenany made those comments before the tweet came out. for him to then turn around and essentially discredit these women who have alleged the abuse. >> you can support the women in your administration, you can empower the women who immediately work around you while also condemning men who do bad things to women, such as rob porter, who is credible. i know the president tweeted, and excuse the little bit of sick throat i have going on here, but when the president tweets it's a mere allegation, in the case of rob porter, he has two women, married and former ex-wives on the record,

calmly explaining what they told the fbi and now are telling media outlets. these are not mere allegations. yes, i do think it's important to include that rob porter says this is not true, but he also resigned. so i think that you can, as kayleigh said, support the women around you. but you can also condemn men who do bad things to women. that's the important thing that the president has not done much of lately, but i think it is important for him to think about doing in the future. >> kevin, "the new york times" is looking at how this scandal that started john kelly's handling of the allegations that evolved into yesterday's tweet. the gop squirms as trump veers off script with abuse remarks. so kevin, no reaction yet to these tweets, so what is the radio silence about? >> well, republicans have always for quite some time been increasingly frustrated whenever the president gets off script. i mean, this is just to engage in this type of national

discourse is really surprising, to say the least. but alec put it in great terms for folks. but on the flip side, just going in terms of the inner circle, there's no question that there seems to be some frustration or at least some discord with regards to the chief of staff general kelly who up until this point with the exception of maybe a smaller incident here and there, has enjoyed a coalition ship with president trump. there now seems to be discontent. how that plays itself out, we'll have to wait and see. but we should note, have u.s. the magnitude of the frustration between the president and the chief of staff up until this point have enjoyed some type of a strong relationship with president trump. >> to kevin's point, they are discussing possible joint chief of staff replacements.

>> kevin is exactly right. this is very notable. kevin and i covered the campaign together as well. my reporting is that trump is not only frustrated with john kelly but also with hope hicks. that is notable because hope is someone when you talk about the inner circle, she's been in that inner circle for longer than anybody in this white house right now. and so when you talk about the level of frustration that is coming out of the oval office right now, it can't be overstated that the rob porter scandal is reresh rating, not just for the aspects we talked about earlier in this segment about how the white house treats women and allegations made by women, but also on the other side of things and how this will impact the staff that works there. john kelly has done a lot of work this week to continuously ratchet up his reaction to the way that this scandal has been handled. you saw in his initial statements that he was saying he was supportive of porter and then pictures came out from his ex-wife. then john kelly's statements got tougher and it culminated to the end of the week with a letter through e-mail to staff saying we stand with you, you're not

dealing with this alone. there are avenues that you're having difficulty dealing with this scandal, you can talk to people at the white house and talk to me. you say him taking this more seriously as the story became more serious. but the way the administration has handled, and the deputy press secretary said this week, they could have handled it better. i think that is an understatement, but the president recognizes it and understands it. so yeah, there's frustration with general kelly. my sources and other sources for my sources in the white house, he's sounding out on possible replacements. and it is a good point to make when reince priebus was going through all the tunnels he went through being trump's chief of staff last year, we saw those stories roll up every few months. and then finally when it was time for him to leave, they had a replacement lined up. so i think this might be the beginning of that process. we may not see anything immediate, but it is important to remember how this went the last time. >> ali vitali, stay with us. we have much more coming up.

and president trump obstructing justice by refusing to release the democratic memo? we'll ask a federal prosecutor up next. hold on dad... liberty did what? yeah, liberty mutual 24-hour roadside assistance helped him to fix his flat so he could get home safely. my dad says our insurance doesn't have that. don't worry - i know what a lug wrench is, dad. is this a lug wrench? maybe? you can leave worry behind when liberty stands with you™. liberty stands with you™. liberty mutual insurance. wemost familiar companies,'s but we make more than our name suggests. we're an organic tea company. a premium juice company.

a coconut water company. we've got drinks for long days. for birthdays. for turning over new leaves. and we make them for every moment in every corner of the country. we are the coca-cola company, and we're proud to offer so much more. ♪ ♪ there are two types of people in the world. those who fear the future... and those who embrace it. the future is for the unafraid. ♪ ♪

the future is for the unafraid. we all want to know you know, the new, new thing. with xfinity's retail stores, you can now see the latest. want to test drive the latest devices? be our guest. want to save on mobile? just ask. want to demo the latest innovations and technology? do it here. come see how we're making things simple, easy, and awesome. plus come in today and ask about xfinity mobile, a new kind of network designed to save you money. visit your local xfinity store today.

president trump tells the democrats democrats to go back to the drawing memo tweeting, the democrats need to redo their rebuttal memo and send back in proper form. while the democrats on the house intelligence committee work on the revised memo with the department of justice, the republicans are hammering points home from their memo. >> my expectation is that the american people will win through the appointment of a second special counsel. but that is going to require the attorney general jeff sessions to do his job. the fbi and the department of justice cannot investigate themselves. and the evidence we have uncovered shows wrongdoing at the highest levels of those

agencies. >> does sessions have the authority since he kind of recused himself from russian matters to appoint a second independent counsel? >> of course he does. there was no legal obligation for that recusal. >> is congressman gaetz correct? here to clarify is former federal prosecutor doug burns. we have so many questions this morning. can jeff sessions appoint a second counsel even though he's recused himself from the russia investigation? and should he be? >> he could but i don't think he should and i don't think he will, dara. i don't see that happening. >> and you don't think the president's decision to block the rebuttal could be seen as obstructive? >> without reading the memorand memorandum, it is extremely difficult to see which side for lack of a better word is correct. we say in law all the time, there are three versions. one from the right, one from the left and the middle ground, which could sarcastically describe the truth. but here, look, there is a fair argument that the president was

told visa-vi the republican memo he never saw that, but in reverse, it is also fair and difficult without reading the memo to say that either a, if it contains difficult information like sources or methods, or b, take it a step farther, they intentionally did that, the democrats, to put the president in a difficult box. again, we don't know which side is more correct. but i don't think, really, honestly, dara, it goes down any road of obstruction of justice for him to ask that it be redacted. >> to that point, why would the house intelligence democrats put classified information in a rebuttal for public release? isn't that something they could be conscious of in order to protect national security? >> yeah, look, that's a great question. because the point is, it goes a little too far, a little too cynical in my opinion, trying to handicap this and break it down to say, they intentionally loaded up the memo, specifically for political reasons. i don't think that is necessarily the case because as you just said, you're right,

they wouldn't want to be putting in sources and methods, national security, classified information. but again, this is the dust-up that is in front of us. and i may be a broken record without the memo for me to read through, it is very hard to say who is more correct. having said that, little prediction. i think it will be redacted, cleaned up and released. >> and released. well, "the new york times" report says lawyers for president trump have advised him against sitting down with special counsel bob mueller. here are two notable politicians who agreed with him. let's listen. >> robert mueller is not somebody to be trifled with. and he's not someone who takes lightly the words of anybody who he's looking at. and so, what i've said all along is, that an investigation like this, there's lots of things, there's nothing you can do to make it shorter, but there's a lot of things you can do to make it longer. >> should the president sit down with him face to face? >> no. >> do you think he should sit down with the special counsel?

>> fi weif i were the president counsel, i would say not to sit down with the special counsel. >> what do you say to meeting with bob mueller? >> well, politically, the president wants to do everything he can to make it look as though i've done nothing wrong 100%. but legally, governor christie was a u.s. attorney, i was an assistant u.s. attorney, we know in a very complicated case with thousands and thousands of documents that it's a mine field, as everybody has said, and agree with them to walk into an interview, president trump is involved in other issues, he may not have been through the weeds and the minutia, so i agree with congressional wisdom he should not sit down. but i would also note, people are mishandicapping the landscape there, because usually prosecutors do not subpoena in somebody that is the ultimate target of their investigation.

>> special circumstances here. doug burns, great to have you here this morning, thank you for joining us. >> my pleasure. predictions for when and if the dem memo gets released up next. no, please, please, oh! ♪ (shrieks in terror) (heavy breathing and snorting) no, no. the running of the bulldogs? surprising. what's not surprising? how much money aleia saved by switching to geico. fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more. sucthey read more.have one thing in common. how do they find the time? ... with audible. audible has the world's largest selection of audiobooks. for just $14.95 a month... you get a credit good for any audiobook ... and you can roll your credits to the next month if you don't use them. audible members get free no hassle exchanges ... and use the mobile app to listen anytime, anywhere.

start a 30-day trial and your first audiobook is free. listening, is the new reading. text audio22 to five hundred five hundred to start listening today. money managers are pretty much the same. all but while some push high commission investment products, fisher investments avoids them. some advisers have hidden and layered fees. fisher investments never does. and while some advisers are happy to earn commissions from you whether you do well or not, fisher investments fees are structured so we do better when you do better. maybe that's why most of our clients come from other money managers. fisher investments. clearly better money management. ( ♪ ) ♪ one is the only number ♪ that you'll ever need ♪ staying ahead isn't about waiting for a chance. it's about the one bold choice you make, that moves you forward. ( ♪ ) the one and only cadillac escalade. come in now for this exceptional offer

on the cadillac escalade. get this low-mileage lease on this 2018 cadillac escalade from around $879 per month. visit your local cadillac dealer.

now to politics on capitol hill, it is wait and see after president trump declined to release the democrats memo a week after he pressed to make the gop memo public. here's republican congressman andy binks accusing democrats of undermining president trump. >> this is a double whammy, it's a twofer for the democrats and mr. schiff to create a memo that is nothing otherwise, but it's got problems to it. and then they get to embarrass him to say, now they're mistreating us. so it's a twofer on their side, but the reality is, i want the democrat memo released. we all do. >> let's bring back ali vitali.

where do democrats go from here from republicans in the white house? aren't they already at a disadvantage given the number of factors here? >> i think the congressional committees have become so politicized, that we should note, is very rare. the senate house intelligence, the house intelligence committee, used to be separate from the rest of congress. that's not the case anymore, dara. the bottom line is nobody has any idea when exactly bob mueller will see investigators to put forth the conclusion of their results and make the results of their investigation public. but these congressional committees on the left and the right have so intensely politicized this process that they're trying to make it a factor for when ultimately judgment day does come down. and bob mueller does release his investigation. and i think the american people deserve to have a nonpartisan a-political process. >> agreed. ali, let me play for you what the democratic congressman told my colleague alex witt yesterday. listen.

>> it actually gives point-by-point why the republican memo is, you know, has a lot of false assertions and also, in general, just leads the reader into a false direction. it also blows in general the cover that i think donald trump and his come policomplicit part are trying to do to fire the attorney general. is there a sense that they are looking to fire him for being accountable in his handling of the russian investigation? >> this is a sign of the times that this is a second-beat story. when i was here last week friday, all anyone could talk about was the memo. and now it's just a sign of the times how fast the news moves that this is now a story that almost went under the radar when they made this decision late on friday night. but as we sit here right now, the president is tweeting about this being a very political memo. it's always been that.

whether republicans are writing it or whether democrats are writing it. kevin is absolutely right. there's always been a partisan tilt. either way we were talking about the memo, and that was the overarching theme in regard to the nunes memo. it was given to conservative outlets before released more widely. so i think the same thing goes here for the democratic memo when the white house does anything but release it in the same way that they did for the republican memo, of course there's going to be allegations of, well, you're playing politics with this. but everyone's been playing politics with this all along. so whether or not they ultimately end up releasing it, i guess is what we'll wait and see. but there's no reason why it shouldn't be out there when the republican memo was released against the objections of people from the fbi and the doj saying you shouldn't release precedent. it's pretty hard to come back and say, well, now we want to pump the brakes. >> ali, kevin, great to have you

this morning. rest up, you have a busy week ahead. >> we do. >> that will do it for me. i'm dara brown. thank you for watching. at the top of the hour, "politics nation" with reverend al sharpton. stay with us, "your business" is up next. a wealth of perspective. ♪ a wealth of opportunities. that's the clarity you get from fidelity wealth management. straightforward advice, tailored recommendations, tax-efficient investing strategies, and a dedicated advisor to help you grow and protect your wealth. fidelity wealth management. to help you grow and protect your wealth. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪

thisreally passionate about- i really want to help. i was on my way out of this life. there are patients out there that don't have a lot of time. finally, it was like the sun rose again and i was going to start fighting back now. when those patients come to me and say, "you saved my life...." my life was saved by a two week old targeted therapy drug. that's what really drives me to- to save lives. but through goodt times and bad at t. rowe price we've helped our investors stay confident for over 80 years. call us or your advisor. t. rowe price. invest with confidence. today, a focus on innovation in the southern tier is helping build the new new york. starting with advanced manufacturing that brings big ideas to life. and cutting-edge transportation development to connect those ideas to the world. along with urban redevelopment projects

worthy of the world's top talent. all across new york state, we're building the new new york. to grow your business with us in new york state visit esd.ny.gov.

good morning. coming up on msnbc's "your business," a halloween expo in the middle of winter? why you shouldn't be scared of going to convention and trade shows that can help you network and find new customers. bodoirre photography is becoming more popular year-round. that and what you need to know to capitalize on the changes. let's grow fast and work smart. that's all coming up next on "your business." >> "your