my thanks to reverend al sharpton, eddie gloud and shelby holiday. that'll do it for us this hour. i'm peter alexander. nicolle is back in her chair on monday. "mtp daily" with chuck todd begins right now. ay "mtp daily" with chuck todd begins right now welcome to friday. it's "meet the press daily" and good evening. i am chuck todd here in washington. got another busy day of developments in the impeachment investigation. new deposition transcripts from two administration officials who sounded the alarm inside the white house about the president's conduct with

ukraine. going to dig into that in a moment. but we're going to begin tonight with the looming shakeup in the democratic presidential field as former new york city mayor michael bloomberg prepares to jump into this race. bloomberg is expected to file official paperwork to be a candidate in the democratic presidential primary in alabama first. the deadline is less than an hour from now, which means we could receive word he has officially filed at any moment. but with this, bloomberg seems to be sounding the alarm about a fractured democratic field. -- over joe biden flagging candidacy. elizabeth warren's steady climb and bernie sanders' resiliency. today, however, biden seemed to shrug off suggestions that bloomberg's entry is an indictment of his performance. >> i have no, no problem with him getting in the race. and -- and in terms of he's running because of me, i -- last polls i looked at, i'm pretty far ahead. i'm doing pretty well both relative to trump and relative

to all the people running in the democratic primary. >> according to bloomberg's spokesman, the former mayor is quote increasingly concerned the field of democrats is not adequately positioned to defeat trump. warren took a shot at bloomberg as well. and amy klobuchar teed off today on bloomberg in iowa. >> i just don't agree with this. i think that we as a party and especially your state are going to evaluate these candidates and make a decision. and we don't need anyone coming in and telling us that none of them, with all of the work people have done for our country, are good enough. i don't buy that and i don't think you do either. folks, if he does run, we don't know how successful a bloomberg campaign would be. democratic voters are looking for someone whobto be a uniter perhaps but that is not likely you would think to be a billionaire former republican turned democrat from the east

coast. but it is highly likely that a bloomberg candidacy fueled by his kagz, his connections, and the infrastructure he's put together over the last few years would have an impact on this field. right now, perhaps the most important question democrats have may also be the most difficult one to answer. is it going to help them defeat president trump? joining me now, biden campaign senior advisor symone sanders. and we begin the conversation there. we heard from vice president biden. but he seemed to cite some polls i haven't seen very much. in fairness, the campaign is -- is treading a bit of water nationally and two straight polls in iowa have you in fourth. what -- what do you say to the democratic hand wringers and worry warts in new york and in washington, which is mostly where this chatter comes from, who look at the bloomberg candidacy as this sort of in case of emergency type of situation? >> well, thank you for having me today, chuck. look, i would say to those folks, you have to look and listen to the voters across

america. i believe vice president biden was right. we enjoy a very broad coalition of support. he was on the ground to lots of enthusiasm in new hampshire today as he filed for the first of the nation primary. so we're not concerned. we have said from the beginning this was going to be a fight for the nomination. i don't think folks believed us, chuck. so when the polls get tight, people get concerned but it's always going to be a fight. it can't be a fight if the polls aren't tight. so we are in this for the long haul. we have long since said that this is going -- this race is going to go well into super tuesday and beyond. so we're ready for this. we have the resources and, you know, we welcome michael bloomberg to the race. >> are you sure you have the resources? i mean, you had 9 million cash on hand. michael bloomberg might spend that every week between now and -- and the -- and the milwaukee convention. and he's coming right for the same group of voters that -- that -- that you guys are targeting. are you worried it's going to dilute that lane, if you will, and make it even easier for elizabeth warren? >> well, chuck, if the voters

that you are referring to are black voters, white voters, latino voters, asian/american, pacific islander voters. men and women. like, that's our coalition. so i'm not sure who the pundits think our coalition is but you have to be able to build a broad coalition that reflects the depth and breadth of the american people to win this primary and to beat donald trump. we're the only candidate in this race, anyone thinking getting into this race that has demonstrated they have -- they have the ability to build that coalition and to your question about our resources, yes, chuck, we have the resources that we need. we raised $5.3 million online just in october. so we're feeling good. you know, we know it's going to be a tight race but we're in this thing to win it. >> is there an upside to bloomberg getting in overall for the party? or for your candidacy? >> well, chuck, i'm going to leave to the pundits to pontificate about. but what i will say is this. that the american people, especially voters in the

democratic presidential primary, they are dealing with a lot right now. you know, i know washington, d.c. and new york like to talk about impeachment hearings and the latest thing donald trump tweeted today. and that's part of it but folks are dealing with real issues when it comes to healthcare. people want to know what you're going to do to help them put more money in their pocket, help them put more food on the table. what are we going to do about jobs in america? what are we doing for labor for unions? and those are the things we are out there talking about on the campaign trail. healthcare. we hope -- i'm just guessing that's going to come up in the next debate. and vice president biden has been clear about his plan biden care for america that would lower cost across the board, lower drug costs, and introduce more choice. other folks haven't been clear about what their plan is. those are the kind of conversations folks need to have on the campaign trail. so if michael bloomberg wants to have that conversation, chuck, come on in. >> well, speaking of healthcare, you called it biden care. everybody calls a version of obama care and expanding it a different name. but is that the lesson out of

kentucky? that -- that you hope democrats take away. that the lesson here is defend obama care and expand it and build on it, don't try to scrap it? >> i would say that the numbers bore that out, chuck, and not just for kentucky. for places across america. also, in virginia where democrats now are in charge of the house, the senate, and the governor's mansion. look, i think people forget about 2018. you know, we just had an election last week but like people forget about 2018 and go right back to 2016. in 2018, democrats won back the house by ferociously defending oba obamacare and planning to build on it. they didn't win back the house by saying we're going to tear down the system and start all over. and so we are running to ferociously defend obama care from any democrat or republican that threatens to dismantle the most monumental healthcare legislation in a generation. and let's not forget, chuck, right now open enrollment is available right now.

but right now, donald trump and his administration are in court trying to dismantle and block access of care for so many people. so this isn't a game. this isn't a theoretical exercise. this is very real for so many people across the country and joe biden has the plan to get it done. >> symone sanders, biden campaign. thank for coming on sharing your views. always a pleasure to have you on. >> thank you, chuck, good to see you. >> now i want to check in with mar koes, founder of the daily coast and a man who has his finger on the pulse of the progressive wing of the democratic party. so marco, there is an interesting debate that i've already heard have among progressives, which is -- and in fact even among some that are skeptical of elizabeth warren that says michael bloomberg is a gift to elizabeth warren. what do you think of that analysis? >> it actually -- it's -- it's not wrong i don't think and it's -- not just warren but also bernie sanders. >> articulate why that -- that

is because plenty of progressives and frankly even some of the establishment wing believe this. but explain the rationale. >> the rationale is that you have two candidates and warren is the leading one of the two right now. where basically built an entire narrative about the capricious and unearned influence that billionaires have on our economy. and here's somebody, you know, white, male who just stomps in thinking that he knows better than anybody else and the only reason we're even talking about him is because he's a billionaire. so he exemplifies the argument about the wealthy having too much influence and he's going to come in. he's going to spend millions of dollars a day, like you just said, and he's going to once again sort of remind people why a wealth tax is such a good idea. so i don't -- i don't think he actually has any impact as far as the numbers are concerned. he's not going to get any real support in the polls. i mean, his 20 billionaire buddies aren't going to be enough to give him anything real

tangible as far as support. but he's going to be a great foil to run against when your argument is that the wealthy have too much influence. >> all right. i -- i think -- does he at all get credit for being an elected official for as long as he has? because you -- to me, there's a difference between steyer and bloomberg. right? where bloomberg is -- is -- been an elected official and a billionaire. steyer, he hadn't really done anything since then. i'm just curious if you at all are concerned about the network of mayors that bloomberg has put together that could create a formidable national organization. >> no, i mean even the idea that an endorsement means anything these days is kind of outdated in the era of social media where everybody's making their own decisions and having -- making their own connections directly with candidates. so who cares who he gets? and now, being a republican mayor maybe would have been really helpful if he ran in the republican primary. but the fact is that if he wants to remind people that he wasn't

a democrat when he was an elected official and actually ran against democrats when he was an elected official, once again i'm not sure how that helps him in a democratic primary. >> you think that's going to be a pretty effective hit on him, whether it's biden, warren, or -- now, granted warren was a republican privately i guess before she got into public life. have you been at all concerned about that hit on her? >> no, i was a republican back in that era too believe it or not. so people have their own journey. they come to their -- they see the light in their own way. and the fact is that even when she was a republican, if you read her writings and her public saying she was actually pretty left of center already. she was a massachusetts republican, which was a very, very different beast than -- than a washington republican nowadays. >> let me ask you -- >> by the way, i was going to say there's no need to hit bloomberg. i don't think he's going to be relevant in this campaign. he's not going to be in any of the debates. so it's -- we're going to talk

about him for week. then we're going to forget. just like we did the -- schultz. >> fair enough. forgot his first name, too. i know. i know what you were about to do. you were about to say another name of schultz. howard schultz. we go with the ed schultz by accident, too, sometimes. i get that. former msnbc the late ed schultz. let me ask you this medicare for all versus obama care. set aside the politics of it. you saw the results in kentucky. you know this. protecting obama care, advocating for the protection of obama care works in every county in this country. are you at all concerned that medicare for all hurts the democratic messaging on healthcare? >> so objectively, medicare for all absolutely polls worse than -- than obama care does. people are afraid of the unknown. and one thing we've learned is that when democrats show leadership on key issues, that

public opinion can shift just like we did with impeachment. impeachment wasn't popular until nancy pelosi said she was pro-impeachment. now, there is a debate in this primary that will heavily focus on medicare for all versus just status quo protecting what we have now and that's up for the voters to decide. i'm not going to pretend that warren has the upperhand here on the numbers but she has a very coherent argument for it. it actually dove tails very nicely to her entire theory of the case the reason she's running. and it makes her consistent internally. now, whether that's going to be powerful enough to -- to help her win the nomination, you know, i guess that's up to the voters to decide. so far, though, so far, though, bernie and her who were arguing for the most systemic change in healthcare, combined have pretty much half of the primary support. so it -- it -- it's not maybe a dominant majority issue but it's definitely a 50/50 issue so it's a real debate inside our party. >> i think that is a fair way to

put it. we've seen that in many other primary poll. marco, always a pleasure to get your point of view. thank you for coming on and sharing it with us. >> thank you so much. >> you got it. up aid hehead we got more on th billion question. what does michael bloomberg's possible run mean? plus, new transcripts and revelations about who knew what when in the white house. two witnesses are now tying white house chief of staff mick mulvaney to the ukraine quid pro quo. be right back. e quid pro quo. be right back. surprise! a new buick? for me? to james, from james. that's just what i wanted. is this a new buick? i secret santa-ed myself. i shouldn't have. but i have been very good this year. i love it...i love it... this year, turn black friday into buick friday, all month long.

current eligible non-gm owners and lessees get 20% below msrp on most of these 2019 buick models. can you tell me the story again? every family has their own unique story. give your family the chance to discover theirs this holiday season, with ancestry. -excuse me. uh... do you mind...being a mo-tour? -what could be better than being a mo-tour? the real question is... do you mind not being a mo-tour?

-i do. for those who were born to ride, there's progressive. doprevagen is the number oneild mempharmacist-recommendeding? memory support brand. you can find it in the vitamin aisle in stores everywhere. prevagen. healthier brain. better life.

but i know michael. he became just a nothing. he was really a nothing. he's not going to do well but i think he's going to hurt biden actually. but he doesn't have the magic to do well. little michael will fail. he'll spend a lot of money. he's got some really big issues. got some personal problems and he's got a lot of other problems. he will not do very well.

and if he did, i'd be happy. there is nobody i'd rather run against than little michael. >> welcome back. that was president trump today i think struggling to figure out how to attack michael bloomberg but he did give him the nickname treatment. weighed in on the possibility of a bloomberg campaign. as we said, bloomberg is preparing to get into the democratic race and it shows just how unstable this field does appear right now. at least how fractured the party feels. joining me now, kara lee, nbc national political reporter who's been reporting on the defining question, does defeating trump outweigh everything? also here, michael steele. and doug, former dnc advisor. doug, i want to start with you. this is your party. is michael bloomberg democrat enough to win the democratic nomination? >> is he democrat enough? i think over the last four or five years, you could point to bloomberg a lot of things he's done on climate change.

last year, he spent -- helping elect over 20 house democrats that helped turn-let majority. so those are things he can point to. there's some other things, stop and frisk, that he's going to have to deal with. you know, look, i don't know if he necessarily has the -- he has a different profile than obviously everyone running. he's a more unique candidate. he's got a narrower pathway. but i think there is a path for him to win it. yeah. i mean, but -- >> biden basically collapsing, does it not? >> that is what i've heard from a lot of people but if you talk to the biden people and i talked to a few of them today, they're like you know what? come on in. the water's warm. you listen to the warren and sanders folks and they're like going after. >> i get that. it's a field day if you're warren or sanders. >> yeah. yeah. but the biden folks look at their coalition and they look at older african-americans, working-class african-americans,

african-american women, non-college educated whites, conservative whites, that's their coalition and they think where is the room for bloomberg here to chip away from voters there? so they don't seem to be that concerned about a candidacy there. they point to pete -- mayor pete maybe having more of a problem. >> it's funny. like, i think, carol, we've all looked at the top four candidates and it's still, you know, obsessed with the idea that they're all basically coastal. except pete. but of course, he's sort of coastal educated, right? he's a harvard guy. and it's like if sheriff brown got back in, you'd be like well there is room for that candidate. you get that. and so i see what doug's saying is that when you look at what was missing in the top tier, it isn't michael bloomberg. >> no. and it's -- it's -- there's no other way to look at it than a clear shot at biden at a time when biden is really not on -- not steady. very vulnerable and this makes him -- and not just because, you know, there's the numbers and --

and what kinds of voters may go over to bloomberg should he get into the race and that. but biden is he's just not campaigning well. he doesn't feel steady. the people around him and people who want him to do well are worried about it. and this is something that could throw him off his game. yes, they're saying, you know, the water is warm. but somebody like bloomberg can really emphasize how weak biden is if -- if he gets in the race and biden doesn't somehow really step up and show that he is a steady candidate. >> it's for different reasons, michael steele, that jeb bush was in this situation now. but it feels familiar. >> it does. the party's moving on for better, for worse. we talked a lot about tracks or lanes. i think the lanes in this campaign are the fantasy land lane. the elizabeth warren/bernie sanders. which i think is fantasy lane one in terms of electability. >> 46% of people who swear they're going to vote for -- >> i know. that's before he carpet bombs

these guys. >> okay. >> in the realest lane, the alternative in the top four to the former vice president is the mayor of south bend, indiana. i mean, the mayor, the three-term mayor of new york city, a city with a population greater than 40 states is inherently more realistic as a -- >> well, you know, it's interesting, doug. one of the things that has been strange to me is how none of the governors got traction. i expected one to get traction. and in some ways, bloomberg is trying to run like the way a governor would run. i've got -- i've got advocates, executive experience and advocates in all 50 states, right, that he's been working this mayor coalition and all that. so is that formidable in a democratic primary or not? i think marcos brought up a good point. do endorsements matter anymore? >> i think they were counting on a press release. so does it matter like it used to? superdelegates aren't as

important as they used to be. >> oh, they will be. super delegates now -- more than anybody ever wanted them to. but your point about the governors, back in the day, everyone was like a governor, that's the lane. and before obama, we hadn't had a senator win the presidency. i think in part, it's where these governors railroad o wewe from. you know, states that just don't get a lot of exposure. but, look, michael bloomberg, he can point to his executive experience. but, look, ultimately, the thing i don't think a lot of people know who michael bloomberg is outside of the corridor. >> i just think that there's -- you don't -- >> i think it's fairly well known he's got a profile on guns, got a profile on climate. and there's 52 reasons he's not hickenlooper. >> to let people know what michael bloomberg thought of michael bloomberg's potential candidacy back in march because he was a skeptic. take a listen. >> i think if i thought i could

win, i would have -- i just couldn't see a path where i could get the nomination. but it's just not going to happen on a national level for somebody like me starting where i am. unless i was willing to change all my views and go on what cnn called an apology tour. joe biden went out and apologized for being male, over 50, white. he apologized for the one piece of legislation, which is actually pretty good anti-crime bill. >> carol, that -- that -- that michael bloomberg said this michael bloomberg is going to have a rough time. >> yeah. i guess i would say we're past the apology tour phase of the primary. >> we are. maybe that was smart. >> better time for him to get in because he won't have to go on an apology tour. >> oh, yeah? i got three words for you. stop and frisk. >> he's certainly going to have to answer for that. he also -- and then the -- him being mayor is, you know, mayors get things done. people want people who get

things done. he's nice contrast with trump in terms of that. the democratic primary, though, you know the things you could see him leaning on are all his climate change work, his gun control work. i mean, he has in his philanthropy. but i just -- it's not clear that he's the answer that democrats -- i talk to a number of democrats as soon as this announcement came out last night who really are hand wringing about -- you know, just going through -- even asking us, why wouldn't elizabeth warren be able to win pennsylvania? and these areas. and it's not clear that he's really the answer, though. >> it -- it -- one of my producers said this morning, if he's the answer, what was the question? >> right. >> well, you know -- >> and what would you say? >> you guys polled democratic voters and actually hasp85% of them -- >> show you the receipt. very satisfied 31%. fairly satisfied, 54%. so add it up, there's your 85.

so, you know, look, you know, the people again, they're wringing their hands. that's typical democrats. >> it's this period of time. >> they did it in 2008. they did it in 2004. they did it in 2016. i think the field that we have is pretty solid. at the end of the day, whatever mistakes are made during a primary ultimately can be fixed in the general election. i have concerns about medicare for all. but at the same time, you know, trump is walking in very, very weak as well. >> but you want to skate to where the puck is going to be, not where the puck is. does anyone really believe that joe biden is stronger the day before the iowa caucuses than he is today? >> going to find out, aren't we? carol, michael, and doug, stick around. up next, we turn to the latest on the impeachment inquiry as we get two more witness accounts of president trump's pressure campaign to get ukraine to investigate his political rivals. we'll be right back. before he could even inspect the damage. that's how you do it right. usaa insurance is made just the way martin's family needs it -

with hassle-free claims, he got paid before his neighbor even got started. because doing right by our members, that's what's right. usaa. what you're made of, we're made for. usaa thenot actors, people, who've got their eczema under control. with less eczema, you can show more skin. so roll up those sleeves. and help heal your skin from within with dupixent. dupixent is the first treatment of its kind that continuously treats moderate-to-severe eczema, or atopic dermatitis, even between flare ups. dupixent is a biologic, and not a cream or steroid. many people taking dupixent saw clear or almost clear skin. and, had significantly less itch. that's a difference you can feel. don't use if you're allergic to dupixent. serious allergic reactions can occur, including anaphylaxis, which is severe. tell your doctor about new or worsening eye problems,

such as eye pain or vision changes, or a parasitic infection. if you take asthma medicines, don't change or stop them without talking to your doctor. so help heal your skin from within, and talk to your eczema specialist about dupixent. i'm about to capture proof of the ivory billed woodpecker. what??? no, no no no no. battery power runs out. lifetime retirement income from tiaa doesn't. guaranteed monthly income for life. nooooo! some farms grow food.

this one grows fuel. ♪ exxonmobil is growing algae for biofuels. that could one day power planes, propel ships, and fuel trucks... and cut their greenhouse gas emissions in half. algae. its potential just keeps growing. ♪ its potential just keeps growing. ♪ do you recall, not long ago ♪ we would walk on the sidewalk ♪ ♪ all around the wind blows ♪ we would only hold on to let go ♪ ♪ blow a kiss into the sun ♪ we need someone to lean on ♪ blow a kiss into the sun ♪ we needed somebody to lean on ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ all we need is someone to lean on ♪

at outback, steak & oh no, it's gone.ck. phew, it's back with lobster mac & cheese. it's gone again. oh, it's back with shrimp now! steak & lobster starting at only $15.99. hurry in before these three are gone again. outback steakhouse. anything. the testimony has all been fine. i mean, for the most part, i never even heard of these people. i have no idea who they are. so what they do is they go all over washington. let's find ten people that hate president trump the most and let's put him up there. now, in some cases, they really turned out to be very much honest and fair. but in no cases -- in no cases that i see have i been hurt. >> welcome back. that was president trump this morning telling reporters that

he believes he has not been hurt by any of the impeachment inquiry that's been released by house democrats. we don't know if he's actually read any of the transcripts and he said that just a few hours before democrats released more transcripts from fiona hill and lieutenant colonel alex vindman, the national security council top ukraine expert who was on that july call and the newly released testimony, both hill and vindman implicate the president's acting chief of staff mick mulvaney in the quid pro quo with ukraine. with me now, nbc news capitol hill correspondent jeff bennett. so, jeff, i want to do one excerpt here with lieutenant colonel alex vindman. vindman, correct. and was there any doubt in your mind as to what the president, our president, was asking for as a deliverable? alex vindman, there was no doubt. so is it -- this is the first eyewitness, i guess, or ear

witness account. >> right. >> not a second hand source, not the whistle-blower. the ear witness account at this point that we've had so far. >> you're right ant thabout tha chuck. there are four fact witnesses who went before house investigators in private and testified to the existence of a quid pro quo or a shakedown or a bribery plot. there are six, if you include senator ron johnson and mick mulvaney who admitted to a quid pro quo before trying to walk it back. so on this day, in which president trump tried to refocus the nation's attention to this july 25th phone call, which president trump says was perfect, we got the testimony, the transcript of the testimonies of two more white house officials. people who cannot be described as never trumpers, who according to their testimonies, reacted in horror in real time as they learned what was a coordinated campaign. not a phone call that existed in isolation but a coordinated pressure campaign aimed at getting the ukrainians to open investigations that would be politically beneficial to

president trump. among the many new revelations after reading through the testimony, you do get a sense both vindman and hill made clear that it was mick mulvaney, the acting white house chief of staff, who was really the architect of this quid pro quo. hill says that she met with gordon sondland, the eu ambassador, and that sondland told her that mulvaney said that any meeting between president trump and ukraine's president would be contingent -- i'm reading here from the testimony -- would be contingent on kiev launching investigationings. vindman goes further than that. he says mulvaney made clear that the investigations were required in order to get a meeting. vindman also talks about the coverup portion ever this. that he was alarmed that after there was so much fallout regarding this phone call that as we've seen in our reporting, pointed out in the testimony, that white house officials went to great lengths to secret it away. to put it on a different server. vindman says that he raised his complaint and concerns to the --

the national security council lawyer and that lawyer told him not to talk with anyone else about it. chuck. >> a lot to unpack here. also, my goodness what fiona hill said about how gordon sondland was conducting business and how it became in her fear a national security threat. almost like waving a sign to say i'm a conduit to the president. anyway, quite a -- quite a -- quite a read there. jeff bennett on capitol hill. busy week. thank you, sir. up next, going to dig more into this. john bolton's lawyer says he knows a lot about that impeachment investigators do not. so will we ever find out what bolton has to say? he desperately seems to want to at least let us know that he has a lot to say. we're going to talk to a democrat on the oversight committee after this break. democrat on the oversight committee after this break ♪ it's the easiest because it's the cheesiest. kraft. for the win win. i need all the breaks i can get. line? liberty mutual customizes your car

insurance so you only pay for what you need. that's a lot of words. only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty. liberty. liberty. liberty. ♪ i thought i was managing my moderate to severe crohn's disease. then i realized something was missing... me. my symptoms were keeping me from being there. so, i talked to my doctor and learned humira is for people who still have symptoms of crohn's disease after trying other medications. and the majority of people on humira saw significant symptom relief and many achieved remission in as little as 4 weeks. humira can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. serious, sometimes fatal infections and cancers, including lymphoma, have happened; as have blood, liver, and nervous system problems, serious allergic reactions, and new or worsening heart failure. before treatment, get tested for tb. tell your doctor if you've been to areas where certain fungal infections are common, and if you've had tb, hepatitis b, are prone to infections, or have flu-like symptoms or sores. don't start humira if you have an infection.

be there for you, and them. ask your gastroenterologist about humira. with humira, remission is possible. 25 cent boneless wings at applebee's. ♪ born to be wild... born to be wild...♪ get 'em while they're hot.

welcome back. to no one's surprise, mick

mulvaney defied a subpoena to testify in the house impeachment inquiry today. they have yet to subpoena the former national security advisor john bolton even if they have requested his testimony. in a letter today, his lawyer says bolton knows about quote, many relevant meetings and conversations in ukraine that lawmakers might be unaware of. interesting. with me now is maryland democratic congressman jamie raskin. been in plenty of these depositions. congressman, happy friday to you. happy snow day apparently. when you step outside of the capitol, you may see some flakes. what is happening here? and i guess he -- he wants a subpoena? why haven't you handed him one? >> well, let's see, first of all he's been quoted widely by other witnesses, including dr. fiona hill who worked closely with bolton on the national security council. she quoted him as describing giuliani as a hand grenade who

would blow everybody up with the secret operation he was running on behalf of the president to sabotage ambassador yovanovitch, and then to coerce the ukrainian government into producing all of this information they wanted for the 2020 presidential campaign. and to rehabilitate putin for the 2016 presidential campaign. i think that the chair of intelligence committee has a strategy for obtaining bolton's testimony. i hope, i trust and chairman schiff has been doing a terrific job at getting these witnesses to come forward despite all the obstructionism of the white house. president trump has been doing everything in his power to prevent witnesses from coming forward and to deny and to deny us the testimony that we want. and of course, they complained about the closed-door depositions. and so now, we're moving to public hearings and now the

president is saying he doesn't want public hearings either. obviously, he doesn't want any investigation at all into what he did in ukraine. >> will these public hearings happen with or without john bolton? >> you know, i don't know the answer to that question. i think that's going to be one of the -- >> are the hearings a failure if you don't have john bolton? >> no. on the contrary. we have overwhelming evidence that points to what the whole country knows by now. the president conducted a shakedown operation against a besieged foreign ally that we, in congress, had voted $391 million in security assistance to. the president withheld that assistance while he was demanding, as dr. fiona hill put it, or i think it was maybe colonel vindman put it, vindman who put it, he was demanding this information from ukraine

first. but all of the witnesses are lining up in terms of what they're saying. they all saw that this was a shakedown operation against the ukrainian government. >> i want to go back to -- you had said you believe chairman schiff has a strategy here for this. this appears to be the don mcgahn strategy. you're waiting on this. again, one of the reasons i was given by -- by other members of this committee as to why public hearings are necessary, that the public -- you know, the opportunity perhaps to move public opinion as they see all this evidence. at the end of the day, you got to pierce that republican bubble. is john bolton not your best potential witness to pierce that republican bubble? >> well, i think you'll see that when these witnesses get up, they are tremendously compelling people. they've devoted decades of their life to the -- serving the american people and to the u.s. government. you know, colonel vindman is

somebody who got a purple heart through his service in iraq. a decorated war veteran. dr. fiona hill, somebody who's devoted decades of her life to serving the american people. and they're just enormously convincing witnesses who essentially -- excuse me -- tell the exact same story, which is this coordinated effort by giuliani and his henchmen and the president and mulvaney to shakedown the ukrainian government to get them information that they wanted for totally partisan political purposes for this election. and that's unprecedented in american history. we've never seen anything like it. so, look, it'd be better if we had 15 witnesses as opposed to a dozen witnesses or nine witnesses. but there are no witnesses on the other side. everybody is telling the exact same story. this is not like an agatha christy mystery. >> right. i -- i -- i -- sorry to keep

harping on this. i -- i just -- from the outside, it looks really confusing here as to why you guys haven't subpoenaed bolton when bolton says please subpoena me. and i understand it's don mcgahn's strategy but it's a very hard one to wrap your arms around because that's been a court case that feels like it's never going to end. >> this isn't easy for me to answer because i just don't know. i'm not on the intelligence committee. i've been a member of the oversight committee but chairman schiff and his staff have been controlling the subpoena process and i think they've done remarkably well getting the majority of people who've been subpoenaed to come in despite all of the threats and intimidation from the white house. but there's some people, especially from omb who have been sitting it out. and i think it's a real problem. look, every american citizen owes congress testimony. if we ask you to come in, you come in. any -- any of your viewers out

there, if they were subpoenaed and they didn't come in, they would be facing jail time for that. and we've got to understand it's not an optional thing. you get a subpoena from the u.s. congress, you come in. they've concocted this phony claim of absolute immunity, which means nothing. it's not based on any case precedent at all. and they should stop, you know, spreading propaganda that there's some absolute immunity that the president's friends get. it just doesn't exist. >> that's obviously been true for so long, i would assume the federal courts will agree at some point. congressman jamie raskin, thank you for coming on sharing your views. i appreciate it. democrat from maryland. coming up, republicans in the latest strategy to -- is reportedly making a few guys and tossing them under the bus. mick mulvaney, watch your back. and while we're taking questions of loyalty, we're definitely going to talk about jeff sessions and anonymous. one is backing the president

despite one indignity after t another. the other is slamming him in a tell-all book sort of. that's ahead. m in a tell-all book sort of. that's ahead of active psoriatic arthritis. it even helps stop further joint damage. don't use if you're allergic to cosentyx. before starting, get checked for tuberculosis. an increased risk of infections and lowered ability to fight them may occur. tell your doctor about an infection or symptoms, if your inflammatory bowel disease symptoms develop or worsen, or if you've had a vaccine or plan to. serious allergic reactions may occur. get real relief, with cosentyx. (woman) you have the support of a probiotic and the gastroenterologists who developed it. (vo) align helps to soothe your occasional digestive upsets 24/7 with a strain of bacteria you can't get anywhere else. (woman) you could say align puts the "pro" in probiotic. so where you go, the pro goes.

(vo) go with align. the pros in digestive health. and try align gummies. with prebiotics and probiotics to help support digestive health. our mission is to provide complete, balanced nutrition... for strength and energy! whoo-hoo! great-tasting ensure. with nine grams of protein and twenty-seven vitamins and minerals. ensure, for strength and energy. tailored recommendations, tax-efficient investing strategies, and a dedicated advisor to help you grow and protect your wealth. fidelity wealth management.

see how to keep people moving, and prote♪ your wealth. to keep a city moving. with esri location technology, you can see what others can't. ♪

at outback, steak & oh no, it's gone.ck. phew, it's back with lobster mac & cheese. it's gone again. oh, it's back with shrimp now! steak & lobster starting at only $15.99. hurry in before these three are gone again. outback steakhouse. welcome back. republicans are reportedly trying out yet another new strategy to defend the president against impeachment. this time, according to "the washington post," the gop is looking for fall guys inside the west wing. last week at this time, they were acknowledging a quid pro quo. that was last week's idea. before that, they spent weeks

attacking the process. to despite the mounting evidence against the president, how far will republicans go to defend him? well, we'll have that answer for you after the break. well, we'll have that answer for you after the break. so no matter what, you're guaranteed to have a perfect drive. [laughter] (vo) go national. go like a pro. see what i did there?

hi. maria ramirez! mom! maria! maria ramirez... mcdonald's is committing 150 million dollars in tuition assistance, education, and career advising programs... prof: maria ramirez mom and dad: maria ramirez!!! to help more employees achieve their dreams.

and we are back with meet the press daily now, carol lee who has been going through the transcripts for us. i got to play donald trump on donald sondland.

everything he does is so predictable but you still have to hear it. >> let me just tell you, i hardly know the gentleman. this is the man who said there was no quid pro quo. he still says that. he said that i said. he hasn't changed that testimony. this is a man that said, as far as the president is concerned, there was no quid pro quo. >> carol, there's a very important nugget he just said there hwhen he said as far as te president is concerned, there was no quid pro quo. the president is starting to change his story that maybe there was a quid pro quo that i didn't ask for it. is this coming? >> i think it remains to be seen in terms of how direct of a line this is able to draw to trump. >> as far as the president is concerned. >> you're starting to see him but also if you're gordon sondland you hear that and go i'm toast. this is what the president does

when he starts to back away from someone in is his guy, his -- the person he put in charge. not his guy in terms they are not long time friends but he put him in the charge of being the ambassador to the european union. that's not small job. it's still predictable that he would do this, like you said. it's also predictable, you're starting to see just every one kind of shifting almost every few days in terms of what the defense is on the ukraine scandal. >> michael steel, is this all about placating senate republicans who look at this and can't stomach it so they are just throwing them anything. will you take a sacrifice of mick mulvaney. >> this is a desperate search for an escape hatch. you can't defend him on the facts. you can't say the call was perfect. they do not want to walk away from this president who is am e amazingly popular with the base of our party.

>> it's amazing that in three weeks, like i said, like clock work. last friday it was boy, kwurquio quo but not impeachable. now kwurquid pro quo but not th president. >> democrats get criticized for not being on message. they have been very disciplined on this ukrainian message, dirt for military aid. i think the republicans thought there would be more fractures within the democratic caucus. they were hoping the kentucky election might give them boost and say see impeachabment -- >> bevin might have done that with couple of democrats. >> now i agree with mike. lit be like the scene at the end of good fellows where they end up offing all the people who know about this. >> they are all fingering each other. >> this is typical trump because i don't think -- he's hearing

all of these stories. you're seeing administration officials testify behind closed doors and that's where we're headed. that's what this is going to all end up. >> if you read the transcripts and you can see through the republican line of questioning that that's where this was headed too. it's the question is in one -- we haven't talked about is john bolton and what happens there. he knows a little more. he's doing this teasing thing. >> he's begging to talk. >> he is. >> adam schiff is not letting him. >> jamie raskin did not have a good answer. he was trying to dance around it and said it's not my call. >> what's so interesting about it is if john bolton didn't want to testify -- the reason he's so important is if you go through the transcripts you can see what they are trying to do in isol e isolating sondland and rudy giuliani and mulvaney.

there's no direct line to the president. john bolton is the person that could come in and do that. what's so interesting is he had an out. he could not have testified the way he wanted to because of the way it was handled with his deputy. did i write a tell all book? no. did i go on cnn and attack the president? nobody. have i said a cross word about our president? not one time. i'll tell you why. first that would be dishonable. i was there to serve his agenda, not mine. second the president is doing a great job for america and alabama and he has my strong support. >> michael steel, like i said,

it's unusual. obvious we know what it is. mr. president stay out of the primary. if he stays out jeff session will be in the senate again. >> i can't come up with one because it's too sad but it will probably work. as long as the president doesn't go after him, it's a pretty good strategy. >> hasn't the president already said he's -- >> he's wobbly. >> he said privately, the message had been sent that he wouldn't. today he sounded much softer than anybody thaought he would be. >> if you're him don't you see what the run off looks like. there's going to be a run off. >> i don't think he can control himself. >> there's too many candidates with too much money. >> i don't think he cares. i think he is so vindictive

against people and takes things so personally that he would do that even if roy moore is the nominee. >> speaking of alabama, the president is going to the alabama lsu game. the head coach is supporting the democratic governor, by the way. that's out there. it feels like the president is shopping for a sporting event that won't boo him and he wouldn't find one at mma in new york. this is the best shot he's got if they bring him before the college kids show up. yes, no. >> there's no sporting event -- presidents are booed at all sporting events. they bring a kid out to hope they can muffle the boos or diminish them a bit. >> he will have to sponsor a little league team. >> he didn't expect the mma hit. i think he is shell shokd cked what happened to him. thank you very much. what a week. that's all we have for tonight. we're back monday with more meet

the press daily. the beat with ari melber starts now. good evening. thank you so much. we begin with breaking news in the impeachment probe. bomb shell testimony released undercutting donald trump's core impeachment invest. the investigation growing closer to the top of trump's inner circle. two witnesses pointing finger at mick mulvaney, chief of staff. a witness with first hand knowledge in the infamous phone call. the army officer alexander vindman at the white house who was a staffer and has a purple heart. he is testifying that the entire plan was to dangle the trump-zelensky meeting as a way to get them to do the political investigations int